And yet, she and Girard needed a lot more information. There were a lot of things in Rhodda’s story she hadn’t understood. Before she even considered using her truth sense, she wondered if she could try and get some more answers from the woman.
“Did the gunners force you and the others to leave Reunion?” Hallie asked, hoping that a direct, blunt question would get a clear response from the woman.
Rhodda nodded, not looking at either Hallie or Girard. It felt honest to Hallie, and also something the woman didn’t want to talk about. Rhodda had mentioned barely a handful of people being involved in the establishment of Reunion. And when she and Girard had looked around, Reunion hadn’t had any weapons or machinery that might be used to defend against men with guns. A small group, then, who might easily have been coerced by the principal’s gunners. There was much more of a story there, but it would take time and patience to work it out of Rhodda, and Hallie had more questions to ask in the meantime.
“You said that the group you were in - with the gunners - was attacked. Something about the governor?” Hallie asked, trying very hard not to put any pressure into the question.
Rhodda’s face twisted into another grimace. Not one of physical pain, Hallie thought, but at something which disturbed her almost as much. “Nicholas isn’t the only one who thinks he should be in charge here,” Rhodda said, avoiding both Hallie and Girard’s gazes. “The principal might have his gunners and keep control of New Hope, but the governor, now, he’s really dangerous.”
“The governor,” Girard repeated slowly, and shook his head slightly. “I don’t know that term. Was that Waller Howther?”
“No. Waller was speaking for Nicholas. The governor keeps himself separate. Had his own place, away from New Hope and Reunion,” Rhodda said. Before Hallie could ask for more detail on what made the governor so dangerous, Rhodda tilted her head, looking from Hallie to Girard and back again, the ghost of a bitter laugh in her voice as she went on, “You really don’t know what you’re walking into here, do you?”
“No, it seems we really don’t,” Girard agreed. From his serious expression, Hallie wondered if he, too, was remembering the shallow grave. “Will you tell us?”
“We should get moving,” Rhodda said, struggling to her feet. “We’ve been sitting here too long.”
“What’s the matter?” Hallie asked, getting to her feet along with Girard, and trying to listen outside their group as well as paying attention to Rhodda. She couldn’t hear or sense anything that might have alarmed the woman. But then, this was Rhodda’s territory.
“You’ll have been spotted,” Rhodda answered. “I’m assuming you came here by some kind of transport? The governor keeps an eye on those things. He mostly leaves New Hope and Reunion alone, but he’ll want to know who else is on the island. He’ll havesent people out looking for you. And you don’t want him to find you.”
“Why not?” Hallie asked. “What will he do?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Rhodda said, and pressed her lips together, pain shading her face. She put her hand on her side, where the dressing was. “Almost everyone who comes here arrives at New Hope, at the dock there. But we get newcomers in other places from time to time, boats run aground, that kind of thing. We know that, but we almost never see them. The governor takes them.”
If they hadn’t been standing in daylight, Hallie would have thought that was an old tale, one to be told around a fire at night to scare children. As it was, a shiver worked its way down Hallie’s spine. She exchanged glances with Girard. “Hold on here for a moment,” she said to Rhodda, and turned to Girard. “Let’s talk.”
“We don’t have time,” Rhodda protested.
“We need to work out what we’re doing next,” Hallie said. “Even if it’s run and hide, we need some kind of a plan.” She turned to Girard again and they moved a few paces away from Rhodda.
“This is not what we were expecting,” he said, pitching his voice so low Hallie had difficulty in hearing. Trying to hide their conversation from Rhodda’s human hearing. Hallie approved.
“Right,” Hallie agreed, matching his quiet voice. “I don’t like the sound of the principal or the governor. But we can’t stay here.”
“You seem very calm,” Girard commented.
“Skip tracer, remember?” Hallie said, with a rueful twist to her mouth. “I’m used to going after killers on my own with just a warrant and a pair of flexi cuffs.”
Girard’s mouth twitched in an answering smile and he glanced across at Rhodda. “Should we trust her?”
“She’s not telling us everything,” Hallie said, “but the only actual lie was when she claimed she didn’t know what the gunners wanted. I’d like to get more information from her before we decide what to do.”
Girard nodded his agreement but whatever he would have said was interrupted by Rhodda.
“We need to go.” Rhodda’s voice was loud enough that it was a shock to Hallie’s sensitive hearing after her low-voiced conversation with Girard.
“We’ll move on,” Girard said.
“Find somewhere safe and regroup,” Hallie added, more for Rhodda’s benefit. She caught a short nod from Girard.
He pulled his backpack into place and Hallie did the same with hers, trying not to grimace too much as she fastened the straps. The pack seemed to have gained weight in the short time she hadn’t been carrying it.
“I think we’re slightly closer to New Hope than to Reunion. Makes sense to keep going that way. Would that be safer?” Girard asked, eyes on Rhodda. Hallie wondered if he was also thinking about the warrimel and wanting to be out of their territory before dark.
Rhodda hesitated, and something in her face drew Hallie’s complete attention.
“You don’t think either place will be safer,” Hallie said. “But from what we’ve been told, the only radio is in Reunion. Is that right?”
