Billy Whistler by Bill Thompson

Author:Bill Thompson [Thompson, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999250327
Publisher: Ascendente Books
Published: 2019-07-19T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Father Paul hadn’t spoken to his sister, Valerie, in several days. As always, he was worried until she confirmed Em was okay. They talked about other things a moment, and he asked to speak with the girl.

“Hello?” The voice was hesitant, as Father Paul remembered it from the day they met.

“Hi, Em. How are things going?”

“Tell me the password so I’m sure it’s you.” Scared. Shaky. Trusting no one, taking nothing for granted, not even a familiar voice.

“It’s me, Em. The password is chicory. We need to talk for a moment.”

“Oh God. Everything’s all right, isn’t it? Please, Father, tell me everything’s all right.”

“All good. Nothing’s changed. Stay calm. You’re safe.”

Her voice quivered. “If they find me, they’ll kill me for telling you what I did. They’ll kill you too.”

“Is Valerie taking good care of you?”

“Yes, but I can’t go outdoors. If I went out there, someone might recognize me. What if they’re already here, waiting for me —”

He stopped her with a gentle word. “She’s my sister, Em. I told you there’s no one on earth I trust more than Val, and you can trust her too.”

He saw that Em’s state of mind had not improved one iota since he’d taken her to New Orleans two weeks ago. He said he had good news — there was someone who might help her.

The tension was palpable. “Have you told them about me?”

“Of course not. I explained to you that a priest can’t reveal anything. I’m also your friend and I care about you. I’m on your side and you can trust me.”

She was wary. “How are you sure someone can help me if you didn’t tell?”

“Okay, let me explain. You left a voicemail at a TV station in New Orleans.”

“Crap. How did you find that out?”

“Because of the story you told me when we met at the church. A man who works at the TV station told me what was in the voicemail, and I knew it was you. Which brings up a question — how did you make a phone call, and how did you learn about TV? You said there’s nothing modern in New Asher.”

“Elder Johnson has a phone for emergencies; one of his daughters is my friend G. We snuck it out one time and we messed with it. He’d printed some numbers on the back. Nine-one-one. When we pressed those numbers, a woman began talking. I knew right then if something happened to me, I’d ask that woman for help.

“I found out about TV from my brother Jed. Sometimes he goes with the deacons to town to buy supplies. He told me about all the stuff we don’t have. He watched the news on a TV at the Walmart, and there were people helping a man who had been trapped. I was trapped too, ever since I was old enough for them to use me. I memorized the name of the TV place. Its name was Channel Nine in New Orleans. I used Elder Johnson’s phone when he was gone to town, the lady helped me talk to Channel Nine, and I left a message.

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