THE following day Laura, Benjamin’s wife, turned up. She reminded Michael that she had once been a nurse; she’d left the children with an aunt for now and was come to see how Rachel was doing. Rachel had improved a lot during the night: she was now fully awake and able to talk normally. The first thing Laura did was hand back the money they’d given her in repayment of Peter’s loan.

“Lucky I hadn’t sent it off yet,” she explained. “I’m afraid you’re going to need it to pay the hospital bill. I hope it’s enough. Peter will just have to wait a bit longer.”

Michael was inclined to protest at this, but Rachel pounced on him. So they accepted the money.

Laura promised to bring the children to see her in a day or two: something that would cheer up Rachel no end. Rachel, indeed, seemed delighted at the prospect. She told Michael she was quite all right with Laura around: she practically ordered him to go out and stretch his legs for a while. Michael was reluctant at first, but Rachel was insistent, so out he went. The first person he met outside was his friendly Mountie, and it occurred to him to ask what had happened to their belongings, which had been left abandoned in the fracas on board the Pinta.

“I think they’ll have been taken to the Sheriff’s office. If not, they’ll still be on board the Pinta: you could ask there. She’s not going to sail now until tomorrow at the earliest: we’re still doing a search. Don’t worry: your things are sure to be in safe keeping.

“Glad to see you outside anyway: I hear Rachel’s doing well. At some point we need to ask you about your friend Bill Morgan’s next-of-kin. We’ve searched his room but can’t find anything useful except a few letters. Can you help us out?”

“I don’t think so. We only knew Bill for a few days, and he never talked about any family. The only thing I can remember is that he said he was a bachelor… No, wait! He did mention something about some friends he had in Newf. They’d written to him inviting him to visit—and for the first time in ages he was taking up the invitation. That’s why he was sailing with us…” At this point Michael could not refrain from shedding a few tears once again.

“Thanks, that’s very helpful. We’ll check through his letters. If we find out who they are we’ll get the Newf police to notify them. So where are you going now?”

Michael explained that he was going to see if they could take up their old lodgings at Mrs Norman’s again, or failing that seek out new accommodation. He’d also call at the shipyard and explain why he wanted his job back. And he had to find out where his belongings were.

Then he took his leave of the Mountie and set out on foot for Mrs Norman’s house. She was not as surprised to see him as he expected: she’d heard, as had everyone in Rigo by this time, about the shooting on the Pinta—though it was news to her that Rachel was the one injured. She offered her best wishes and gladly offered Michael the same room once more: even offering to let them stay out their ‘notice’ before asking for rent.

Michael’s next call was at the shipyard. The foreman, too, knew all about the shooting, and he was expecting Michael to call in. Once he heard about Rachel’s injury, he reassured Michael that he could take as much time off as he needed, but once Rachel was up and about he’d be expected back at work.

Finally Michael called in at the Sheriff’s office, but they knew nothing about any luggage. So he went hot-foot to the harbour and set foot on the Pinta’s gangplank. He noticed that there were still bloodstains on the deck, chalk marks had been made and a team of Mounties were diligently searching all over. One of them stopped Michael as he was about to step on board. Michael quickly explained who he was and his mission, and the Mountie asked him to wait while he went below deck. Sure enough, a few minutes later he returned with their two bags. Michael thanked him and returned to the hospital, not without some difficulty because the bags were very heavy.

Rachel was pleased to see him back, and was in high spirits. She inquired once again about Bill, explaining that she had been so thrilled at Laura’s visit that she’d forgotten all about him, that morning.

Michael decided that sooner or later he’d have to tell Rachel, so it may as well be now. He broke the news as gently as he could.

Rachel’s face fell and tears welled up in her eyes, but she took it rather well, Michael thought. “I think he must have gone peacefully,” she remarked. “Perhaps it was better for him to die like this, than to be drowned at sea. My only regret is that he never took a wife: if I’d got the chance I’d have done my best to set up a match for him: he was such a lovely man.”

“That’s what others have said too,” replied Michael. “And remember, he saved my life. What does it say in the Bible? ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’. I remember having to learn that at school…” And Michael shed some tears, too.

A few days later Rachel was able to get out of bed. She still complained of an intense pain in her side, which Benjamin explained was due to the broken rib, not the bullet-wound, which had by now healed up. He urged patience; the pain would continue for some time. Michael had spent his time gravitating between the hospital, the shipyard, and Mrs Norman’s.

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At length the message came from the Police Chief, that if Michael was ready, he would like to see him now. So Michael went over to the Sheriff’s and was introduced to an imposing, rather stern-looking man in his forties, with a black beard and dark eyes beneath bushy eyebrows. He was dressed in a plain suit, not in Mounties’ uniform. Michael was at first strongly reminded of Joseph Strorm, but no—this man would be of an entirely different character. Or at least, so he hoped. They shook hands.

“I expect you’ve guessed what this is about,” the Chief began. “As you know, we’ve been interviewing the suspect Simon Skinner. He’s made some allegations about you and your wife, and we want to check them out.”

Michael’s heart sank. So this was it. He thought it best to try and bluff, as Sally and Katherine had at first (although it hadn’t saved them).

“Sorry, I’ve no idea what he could have been talking about.” he ventured.

“Let me explain more explicitly, then. He alleges that the two of you are telepaths.”

Michael remembered the word that Peter had used. He rose to his feet in a panic.

“No! Sit down, Michael and please let me explain. If you are a telepath, that’s no reason to be afraid of us. Oh yes, I know what happened to the two girls in Waknuk district—no! Don’t look surprised—and I can assure you that’s not how we do things here. In fact the Government is reviewing the whole position of telepathy at this moment: coming to a decision as to whether it can be classed as a Deviation in the first place. So, I need to ask you, are you and Rachel telepaths?”

Michael decided that he had no option but to admit it. He briefly nodded.

“Very good. I hoped that would be your answer. So the next question is, are you and Rachel prepared to go and meet the Governor to talk about it?”

“The Governor? Who’s he?”

“The head of the Government. In effect, the leader of Labrador: the most senior person in the country. You’re both highly privileged to be given a chance to meet her. Yes, it’s ‘she’, not ‘he’.”

“A woman!” broke in Michael, astonished.

“Indeed a woman. Name’s Hilary* Bligh. Yes, I know, where you come from, out west, women are not held in high regard, most of them stay at home to do the housework and look after the kids, while men do the ‘important’ jobs. But it’s not like that here. My predecessor as Police Chief was a woman. There are women police officers, though they don’t wear the Mountie uniform so you may not have realised. There are plenty of women sitting in the Government, and if a woman’s the best person for a job, she gets the job. You’d better get used to that.”

“There are many new things I’m having to get used to.” Michael was still feeling a sense of immense relief that, for the first time in his life, he wasn’t about to be cast out as a Mutant. “So, when do we get to see the Governor?”

“She’ll check with the hospital that it’s all right for Rachel to come, and then she’ll summon you. And you’d better be sure to keep the appointment: the Governor’s a busy woman and one doesn’t mess around with her.

“One more thing. We’ve released the remains of your friend Mr Morgan to the morticians, but there was very little money, either on his person or in his rooms. Not enough to pay for a funeral. He could be given a pauper’s funeral, but that’s a very basic affair.”

“Oh, we’ll pay for the funeral,” announced Michael at once. He knew that, with him resuming his work at the shipyard, they’d be able to afford it. He didn’t suppose anyone else would turn up at the burial, but they were enough to give Bill a decent send-off.

“Very well—I’ll send a message to the morticians and tell them to expect you some time. Here’s the address,” and he wrote it down on a slip of paper.

“Well, that’s all I need to talk to you about,” said the Chief, shaking hands with Michael. “I understand the Governor’s going to go through a lot more detail with you, but that’s her business. And I’m glad you didn’t make any difficulty about coming out as telepaths. Believe me, it’s in your best interest.”

“What about the two girls back at Waknuk? It wasn’t in their interest.”

“I quite understand your anger. You must believe, the Government doesn’t sanction torture and murder, not even of Deviants. It’s some­thing that we’re looking into right now, but I can’t tell you any more. The matter’s still under police investigation, and indictments may follow.”

With that, and reasonably satisfied, Michael took his leave.

At the hospital, Laura had brought her three girls round to see Rachel a few times, after having strictly enjoined them to be on their best behaviour. And the plan worked: Rachel seemed to be im­proving more rapidly when the children were around. In a few days she’d be able to leave hospital.

In due course the message arrived inviting Michael and Rachel to present themselves in the Governor’s office. Rachel was out of hospital by this time, and back at Mrs Norman’s; Michael was back at work at the shipyard. Bill’s funeral had taken place: they thought they might be the only mourners present, but to their surprise Luke had turned up, along with Laura and Benjamin, and a couple of old sailors, friends of Bill’s apparently, whom Michael didn’t recognise. One of the sailors mentioned that the captain and first mate of the Pinta would certainly have come, but they were still at sea. Bill was given a basic but dignified send-off, and Rachel read out a psalm at the graveside.

So on the day of the Governor’s meeting they dressed up in the smartest clothes they had: Rachel wore a frock she had bought in Rigo for the occasion—without a cross on the front, but then most women in Rigo didn’t wear the cross anyway. And they made their way tentatively across the town, to the Governor’s mansion.