“There you are.”
Jack looked up to see the lovely Ruby walking towards him.
“Mind if I join you?”
Jack patted the seat next to him. “You’re most welcome.”
Ruby sat down. “What’re you up to?”
“Watching swallows attack a swarm of flies.” Jack said pointing in that direction. A few birds were banking, looking for any remaining flies.
“Interesting. I often think of birds as a sign of freedom,” Ruby said.
Jack saw dark shadows under her eyes. They’d soon dissipate as he believed the attack on Ruby was now over.
“It’s finished now, Ruby. No more connections. One dysfunctional family controlled by occult practices.”
“What’ll happen to this one?”
Jack wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Gill Watts. He might get off lightly with a misdemeanour charge, but Jack doubted that as carrying a gun was not a good thing and Jack didn’t yet know what role he played in the death of Jill Winter, if any. That could change things significantly but Jack would remain positive for Ruby’s sake.
“He’ll go before the magistrate. My gut feeling is that he’ll be put on a stricter supervised parole program. More than likely he’ll wear an ankle bracelet for some time. Maybe not be allowed off the island. But I think whatever happened in there,” Jack pointed with his thumb to inside the house, “has done more for him than our criminal justice system could do.”
“Yep, I understand. My dad is a retired magistrate, but I’m still not fully grasping the Churchie thing.”
A light went off in Jack’s head. Mental note taken. Follow up with Cath.
Ruby continued. “Yes, it’s strange. You know, Jack, I originally came to this island to find myself. I remember the trip on the ferry, the sea breeze in my face. I was full of optimism.”
Finding herself. It meant she must have considered herself to be lost.
“I came back to the island as I felt I needed closure,” Ruby said.
“Think you’ve got that.” Jack gave her a half smile. “Just maybe not the kind of closure you expected.”
“But you know what I think I’ve learned? We can’t control what happens in our lives. We can only control our reaction, our emotions.
“You’ve been put to the test with that one.”
“And in a funny sort of way, I’ve found myself, found my freedom. I know it in my heart but can’t fully explain it yet. We have to go through hardships to grow.”
Hardship. Hard to bear. Hard to endure. Carry it all away in a ship. He wished. His job was his hardship and that was the problem. He really could not think about his own hardship because he was so tied up in the hardships of others.
“I agree, but some people don’t react well to hardship. They retreat, seek revenge, seek solace in drugs or alcohol. It becomes a vicious circle and people find it hard to break free. To be honest, some of the hardships I’ve seen, I’d find it hard to be positive. Some people need to be superhuman.”
“Superhuman? Is that possible? You would need some extra power from somewhere. Maybe something supernatural,” Ruby said.
“Just as long as it’s not the creepy things Churchie sees.”
“Weird, isn’t it? But we need people like you and Catherine. Evil needs to be restrained. You two help do that.” Her eyes watered up. “Thank you for all you’ve done to protect me.” Ruby reached over and gave Jack a hug.
Jack placed his hand on Ruby’s arm. He thought of Erica and Johnny. They seemed to have found their way home. Things were going to change, but maybe it was him who needed to change.
A swallow flew past and banked as if indicating its mission was complete. Jack watched it fly off into the sunset. Its metallic colouring reminding Jack of a jet fighter.
“The bird is checking out whether the porch is suitable for a nest.” Catherine said as she joined them. “And I’m just checking Ruby is okay.”
“She seems to be,” Jack said. “And the bird was signing off on its completed mission. A fleet of them attacked a swarm of flies.”
Catherine gave him a puzzled look. “Should it not be ‘flock’?”
“Not in this case.”
She turned to Ruby with a raised eyebrow. “You good?”
“I’m good, Catherine.” Ruby stood up and gave Catherine a hug. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”
“That’s alright. It’s why we do what we do.”
“I told Jack I came here to find closure and I believe I have. I also came here hoping to find Father God as opposed to mother nature,” Ruby hesitated. “I noticed you wear a cross. Could I ask why?”
“You can,” Catherine said with a soft, comforting smile. “I found Father God a few years back.”
63 – Goodbye island
JACK AND CATHERINE had sought the warmth of the enclosed area on the police barge while Ruby chose to stay up top. As the barge reversed out, Jack wondered if he’d be back here again.
Sergeant Phil told Jack the isolation of the island provided both challenges and opportunities. He got to know the island folk well. Jack hoped there weren’t too many Gill Watts types on the island, but he’d been on the island for rehab and it’d been working until a little doll took control. That sounded almost romantic.
