Mutation of Thrushes: A gripping psychological crime thriller (A Carolina McKay Thriller Book 2) by Tony Urban & Drew Strickland

Author:Tony Urban & Drew Strickland [Urban, Tony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Packanack Publishing
Published: 2020-09-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

As communes went, this one was unimpressive. Three large yurts stood side by side, their outer sheaths oversized silver tarps, giving them the look of something out of a low-rent sci-fi film. More than a dozen, but fewer than twenty, men and women toiled in a field, using hand tools to plow the decomposing remnants of the summer crops back into the ground. The sulfurous stench of rotting cabbage filled the air and Carolina’s nostrils. It was mixed with stagnant water that laid in shallow pools every five or so yards.

“The fuck is that smell?” Cyrus asked, putting his nose in the crook of his elbow as they walked toward the people.

Carolina was trying not to focus on it, taking deep breaths and holding them until her lungs burned. “Breath through your mouth,” Carolina said through an exhale.

He tried and his face turned green. “God damn. I can taste it now, and I’ve smoked since I was twelve.”

Cyrus pulled out his pipe and lit up, and Carolina didn’t even consider complaining. She’d take the smell of tobacco smoke over this rancid concoction.

Ahead of them, a scrawny man with gray dreadlocks broke from the pack of laborers and strode toward one of the puddles. With no modesty, he dropped his linen pants and squatted, directing his bare ass at the water, and began to defecate.

So much for enlightened.

It was impossible to reach the main group without passing by the shitter, and Carolina was unsure whether to acknowledge or ignore him. It turned out she didn’t have to make a decision as he spoke.

“Good day, my friends,” he said as a heavy log dropped from him, splashing into the water with a plop.

“Good day back at you,” Carolina said, looking past him rather than at him.

“Have you come to join our kibbutz?” the shitter asked. “If so, I can assure you, you both would be most welcome.”

“I appreciate the invitation, but we’re looking for an acquaintance. A man named Ottis Moore.”

The shitter nodded and stood, pulling up his pants without taking the time to clean himself in any way. He took a few steps closer and his personal aroma made the fragrance of the fields seem like a floral bouquet. Gnats swarmed around him, some landing in his unkempt mane and squirming inside.

Please don’t let him be Ottis, Carolina thought. She didn’t know if it would be possible to have a drawn-out conversation with this man without refunding her barbecue.

“You mean Brother Nataraja, as he’s now known. Come, I shall take you to him.”

They followed the shitter through the field, sidestepping anything resembling puddles, until they came to the group of laborers. There was a three-to-one male to female ratio, and all wore identical, androgynous tan pants and shirts. It was also evident none of them took personal hygiene seriously, and the buzzing insects around them were enough to make Carolina’s skin crawl.

“Brother Nataraja,” the shitter said. “Your presence is requested.”

From Diamond’s description, Carolina expected Ottis Moore to be a few

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