Hierarchy of Madness by David Leadbeater

Author:David Leadbeater [David Leadbeater]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-09T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

It wasn’t difficult to find a path through the marshlands. There was an awful lot of water around, and they were conscious of walking towards the fast flowing Black River, but they walked the path between the two stores, found the old grain silo and then continued along the branch to the right.

They walked as a group, but warily, wondering if they were going to meet Gary somewhere en route to his cabin, most of all wondering how he might react. The guy was a recluse and here they were, six-strong, strolling in to have a chat.

The sun rode the sky brightly, bearing down on them, but a fresh breeze across the marshlands cooled everything to a manageable level. Bodie saw dark birds rising and falling, wheeling across the skies. He heard the pad of animals, the low cadence of insects all around. The marshes overgrew the path, but they pushed their way through without deviating.

Bodie enjoyed the bracing walk. He didn’t enjoy the tension that settled over them, that gnawed at his soul. It wasn’t just the approach; it was the worry for Cassidy, the constant knowledge that she was in the hands of a killer, a killer who was making the relic hunters dance to his tune.

Finally, as midday approached and then went by, they saw a long ramshackle building ahead. It was a bit of a mishmash, as if someone had kept adding to the place long after they built it. Logs made up the walls, and there was a red-tiled roof that went to an apex.

Reilly nodded at the half-ajar wooden front door. ‘You think he’s expecting someone?’

‘A recluse?’ Yasmine returned. ‘I doubt it.’

‘Could be a distraction,’ Bodie said. ‘Let’s not risk it.’

They started shouting Gary’s name, making their presence known. Their voices rang out across the marshes, scaring a flock of birds that took flight with a thunder of wings. There were pools of water to left and right, a wide creek running ahead, and a deep ditch that led past the recluse’s front door. Bodie’s first thought was that he wouldn’t fancy negotiating that on a dark, drunken night.

There was no reply. No movement. Maybe Gary was trying to wait them out.

They tried again, voices raised. They had no intentions of approaching the large hut. Bodie made sure they were all in plain sight.

It went on for half an hour. In the end, they stopped because their voices were becoming hoarse. Bodie looked around at the team, shrugged.

‘What the hell do we do now?’

‘We don’t leave,’ Lucie said. ‘He’ll have to come out eventually.’

As she spoke, something moved out of the corner of Bodie’s eye. It wasn’t a vast movement, just a shift, but it came from the doorway. When he focused, he saw the gleam of a double-barrel shotgun poking out.

‘We just want to talk,’ he yelled quickly. ‘A quick conversation.’

‘Go away,’ the man spoke in a dull monotone, and then pulled a trigger. The sound of the shotgun going off made Bodie jump, and he was thankful the guy had aimed over the marshes.

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