Dark Woods Read Free Page B

that he could make a decision too.
    ‘You coming, Eden?’
    Eden nodded.
    ‘Yeah, all right,’ she said. ‘I’m coming.’

Nine
    The van was parked at the top of a narrow dirt track. It was a white Ford delivery van and the doors at the back had their windows painted out so you couldn’t see inside. Cal noticed it was covered in a layer of dust, as if it had been there for days.
    ‘So,’ said the man, unlocking the driver’s door and pulling it open. ‘Who’s thirsty?’
    ‘Me,’ said Eden, wiping sweat from her brow. ‘Hope you’ve got a coupla hundred gallons stuffed away in there.’
    ‘Oh, I’ve got plenty,’ said the man. He reached into the glove compartment and took out a silver flask. Cal watched him unscrew the top and heard the clink of ice cubes as he poured some of the contents into it.
    ‘Only got the one cup, I’m afraid,’ he said, handing it to Eden. ‘Guess we’ll have to pass it around.’
    He leaned against the side of the van and Cal thought it strange that he hadn’t mentioned the dog.
    ‘Still no sign of her, then?’ he asked.
    The man looked puzzled for a moment before seeming to remember.
    ‘Tansy? Oh, she’ll find her way back, by and by. I mean, you’ve got to believe that, right? You’ve got to believe that when you lose something you’ll find it again.’
    He stared at Cal with such intensity that Cal looked away.
    ‘Because if you don’t, then it just doesn’t bear thinking about. I mean, what would be the point of anything, then?’
    Cal saw Eden looking at him and realised she felt as uncomfortable as he did. But she tried not to let on.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ she told the man. ‘I’m sure he’ll come back.’
    ‘ She ,’ said the man. ‘It’s she , goddammit!’
    He glared at Eden as she passed Cal the cup and then seemed to check himself, as if realising that he had overstepped the mark.
    ‘Hey, listen, I didn’t mean to blow up at you like that,’ he said. ‘It’s just, you know . . .’ he stared at the ground as if there was something in the dirt that no one else could see. ‘I just want her back. I want my Tansy to come home.’
    Cal sipped the lemonade and felt it cool his throat. Beneath the chill, he thought he could taste something metallic, medicinal almost. But then this was America, where even the chocolate bars tasted weird. He took another sip and offered it to the man, who smiled and shook his head.
    ‘No thanks,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a bottle of water to keep me going.’
    Cal thought how strange it was to go to all that trouble of making yourself a flask of chilled lemonade and then not bother to drink it. But he guessed the man was just being kind and tried to remind himself that not everyone was out to get him. Maybe he just had to start believing that there were good people in this world after all.
    ‘I’m forgetting my manners,’ said the man, pushing himself away from the van and offering his hand to Eden. ‘My name’s Jefferson.’
    Eden seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took his hand and smiled.
    ‘I’m Eden,’ she said. ‘And this is Cal. I’m . . .’
    She staggered forward a little and put her other hand on Jefferson’s arm to steady herself. ‘I don’t feel so good,’ she said.
    Cal put down the cup and got to his feet.
    ‘Is she OK?’ he asked.
    ‘Probably just the sun,’ said Jefferson as Eden rested her head against his shoulder. ‘It can do that to a person sometimes. Here, help me get her to the van.’
    Cal was about to say that they had hardly been in the sun at all when Eden slumped forward and Jefferson had to use both his arms to support her.
    Cal helped him take her weight and together they walked her to the back of the van. Taking the keys from his pocket, Jefferson unlocked the door and pulled it open. Inside, Cal saw that there was an old mattress and next to the mattress was a wheel brace, a shotgun and a box of cartridges.
    ‘Hey,’ he said, taking a step backwards.