Chapter 49
We sit, a little awkwardly, on the stuffed floral sofas in the living room of Home and Spry.
Arnie is crumpled on the floor. Now he has taken off the costume, Davey wears a T-shirt and baggy shorts.
‘How do I know you’re telling the truth?’ I ask him.
He pulls something out of his shorts pocket. ‘My mom left me this.’
He places a much-folded piece of paper on the coffee table in front of us. A birth certificate:
Davey Junior Henderson. Born July 25th, 1992, at Serenity Falls Hospital.
Mother: Serena Henderson. Father: Unknown.
‘I grew up in foster homes and care,’ he continues.
‘Moved around a lot. I never knew what happened to my mom. The only thing she left me was this old toy cowboy – Buddy. I kept him all through college, even when I got a job. By then, he was getting a bit worn, seams starting to split. I was going to sew him up when I noticed this bit of paper sticking out.’
‘Your birth certificate?’
‘Yeah, but that’s not all.’
He lays two more pieces of paper on the table. The first is lined, torn from a notepad:
Dearest Davey J,
First, know I love you more than life itself. That’s why I have to send you away. To keep you safe. Hopefully, I’ll be with you soon, and you’ll never read this. In case that doesn’t happen, and you ever come looking for me, or want answers, you’ll need this.
The second piece of paper is thicker. Like it’s come from a book. It looks like a map of Serenity. But not a street map. It takes me a moment.
‘Are these tunnels?’
Sadie breaks in: ‘They run beneath the whole town, Dad.’
Davey nods. ‘And this one here runs out of the town. Like an escape route. Or a secret way in.’
‘And that’s how you got into Serenity?’
‘Yeah. I tracked it down to an abandoned fun fair – one that closed down when Winsom Wonderland opened. There was a trap door under an old Carousel.’
‘Where does it come out in Serenity?’ I ask.
‘This cabin in the woods. It seemed deserted, but I didn’t hang around to find out.’
I let this new piece of information settle. I can feel a headache swelling behind my eyes. ‘How long have you been here?’
He considers. ‘A year or so. I stole some maintenance overalls, which helped me blend in. No one takes much notice if you’re wearing work overalls.’
‘Why?’ I ask him.
‘I needed to find out what happened to my mom … and me. All my life I felt like there was this whole part of my life that was a mystery.’ He smiles wanly. ‘And then I came here and found out I drowned in a swimming pool.’
‘Do you remember anything about that day?’ I ask.
‘I used to have nightmares about being in water, and there was another kid there, holding my head down.’
I sit up a little straighter. ‘Who?’
‘I don’t know. I wasn’t even sure if it was a real memory.’
I consider this. Attempted murder, a kid trying to kill another little kid – that would be a big scandal in Serenity, the perfect town with no crime.
‘You think the authorities here – the Conservators – covered it up?’
Davey nods. ‘I’ve learnt that the Conservators control everything in this town. And everything must be perfect, including the people. If they don’t fit in or if they ask too many questions …’
‘… they disappear or have an accident,’ Sadie finishes.
‘Something like that,’ Davey says.
I think about what Jerry told me: ‘The Conservators do a great job here. They maintain the status quo.’
The headache is growing more insistent. I try to focus on Davey, but my vision is blurry. I blink a few times.
‘I understand about your mum, but what the hell is this all about?’ I gesture to the bedraggled mound of fur on the floor.
Davey flushes. ‘I’m sorry, but we needed to get your attention. To get you to realize something was wrong here.’
‘And who’s we?’
‘Stella and me.’
‘Stella the coroner?’
‘Yeah, she’s been helping me. She caught me breaking into her office to look for records about my death.
I confessed who I was, and it turned out she’s been digging into Serenity herself.
She’s a smart lady. She was the one who suggested I use one of the ghost houses to hide out in.
Apparently 61322 is the default key-safe code. ’
‘I’m guessing she provided the costume too?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And you left the balloons?’
He nods.
‘What about the security camera?’
‘Stella knows someone who works at the Hub. He owed her a favour. Manipulated the footage.’
Right. Of course. Handy.
‘Is that how you got my number?’ Sadie asks.
He nods. ‘Yeah, it’s how we got all your details.’
I rub at my aching head. ‘You couldn’t just talk to us – send a text?’
‘Would you have believed us?’
‘Maybe,’ I lie.
‘We had to be careful. You know what happens to people here who rock the boat.’
‘I’m getting the picture.’
Davey smiles thinly. ‘Plus, Stella says people are more willing to accept things if they discover them on their own. “You’ve got to give folk a reason to give a shit.”’
‘But why do you care about us giving a shit?’
He leans forward. ‘You’re the first new people to move here in over a decade. There must be a reason for that.’
‘Yes, my mum left us the house.’
He shakes his head. ‘And the job and the visa?’
‘You really did get all our details.’
‘I mean, didn’t you ever think it was all a little convenient? Someone wants you here.’
I think about the card in Mum’s belongings. Enjoy the hour. It’s later than you think.
‘Okay.’ I stand, and the room spins for moment. The headache is a battering ram inside my skull. ‘Either you are batshit crazy, in which case Sadie and I need to get out of here. Or you’re telling the truth, in which case we need to get out of here.’
‘But, Dad?’ Sadie says.
‘No. We’re leaving.’
She shoots me an accusing look. ‘We could help. I told Davey about the stuff we discovered. We could work together. Expose what’s going on here.’
‘And what is going on? We’ve got no real proof. Just suspicion and speculation.’
‘We’ve got Davey.’
‘Who doesn’t remember anything. We still don’t really know why his mum sent him away or faked his death.’
‘We’ve got Frankie’s research. I mean, that’s something.’
I look back at her. ‘Sadie, the Winsom Corporation is a massive beast. We’re just little people. They’ll eat us alive.’
‘You ever hear of David and Goliath?’ Davey says.
‘Yeah, I’ve also watched Jaws. We do not have a big enough boat to deal with this shit.’ I turn back to Sadie. ‘It’s too much. Too dangerous. I lost your mum, and I am not losing you.’
My head is hammering so fiercely now it’s hard to see. I squeeze the bridge of my nose. Something wet trickles down my chin.
‘Dad! Your nose.’
I look down. Fuck, it’s bleeding again.
‘S-ukay,’ I say, even though it isn’t. Not at all.
‘Sit down,’ Sadie says. ‘I’ll get you some tissues.’
I try to say, It’s fine, but, weirdly, the left side of my mouth doesn’t feel like it’s working properly.
‘Dad?’
‘Um fuh—’ I say as everything goes grey and I hit the floor.