Battle Zone Page 3

  “You mean, rodeo?” Zooey laughed. “Taxi for Taylor. One too many, I think.”

  “Pff. Whatever.” Taylor snatched the newspaper from Aaron. “What do you say, space-boy? Rodeo or O’Hannigans?”

  Zooey looked across the street. Calgary was coming to life, tourists and locals alike swarming the streets. There was a horse and cart across the street offering rides for five dollars a head. Red and white bunting had been strung up across the street from side to side, and most of the stores had decorated their windows with something appropriate for the rodeo, all designed to entice unwitting tourists to part with their dollars. The smell of fresh barbecue reached Zooey’s nose and she sighed, her craving for another drink suddenly replaced by hunger awakening her stomach. A few feet away she noticed a hot dog guy sizzling onions in a stained apron, and a group of teenagers hanging around drinking from suspicious looking brown paper bags. A man walked past her, the epitome of a modern cowboy. He wore a faded brown Stetson, ripped jeans, a smart white collared shirt and aviator sunglasses. A phone protruded from his back pocket and he walked with confidence in the direction of the stadium. The July sun embraced Zooey, and she smiled inwardly. This was the life. This was what she’d come for: the Stampede, the action and the parties, the laughs and the drinks. Families skirted around her, as if she might be toxic to touch, and she glanced at her watch.

  “Come on, guys, it’s almost lunchtime. Let’s get some food and then head over to the stadium. Via O’Hannigan’s obviously.”

  “You know, I feel a little tired,” yawned Aaron. “Maybe a little nap back at the hotel first?”

  “Buzzkill.” Zooey looked at Taylor with expectation. “Surely, you’re not going to leave me?”

  “No way, honey. Let’s get a few more drinks inside us and then hit the radio.”

  Zooey burst out laughing.

  “Oh my God, I did it again, didn’t I?” Taylor hiccoughed and slapped her own face. “Maybe I should take a nap, actually. I’m kinda beat. Just, like, an hour. No more. We hit it pretty hard last night.”

  “Seriously?” Zooey saw the hot dog guy looking at her and she rolled her eyes. “These two are supposed to be my best friends. But they’d rather nap like old people than hang out with me.”

  The hot dog guy shrugged and looked away.

  “Fine.” Zooey marched over to the vendor and bought a single dog from him. She drenched it in French mustard and then stood eating it as Aaron and Taylor watched. “Go on then, get. I’m busy having a good time. You can go now.”

  Speaking as she shoved the hot dog into her mouth, Zooey felt her stomach rumble with the sudden hot food encountering the morning’s alcohol.

  “Well?” She wiped some stray sauce from around her lips and tilted her cap. “You want some of this or you want to go to bed like some kind of lame losers?”

  As Zooey swallowed another bite, she felt her stomach roil. Suddenly the July sun didn’t feel as welcoming, and the busy Calgary streets more uncomfortable than excited. There were too many people, too many cars rushing by, and too much to do. Zooey sank her teeth into the hot dog, squelching through fried onions to the greasy meat.

  “Well?” Zooey reached out a hand to the wall, to steady herself, but missed. Her hand fell short and she stumbled against the brick wall, grazing her shoulder, and causing her to drop the hot dog on the floor. “Damn it.” Zooey reached down, scooped up the fallen meat into the dirty bread, and stood, ready to eat it.

  “Don’t Zooey, that’s filthy. Just chill out for a moment.” Taylor reached for the remnants of the hot dog, but Zooey snatched it away.

  “Three second rule.” She blew on it, as if that would kill all the germs and remove the grime from the sidewalk that had clung to the sticky outer casing of the sausage. “It’ll be fine.”

  “No, don’t,” said Aaron. “Just come with us to—”

  Zooey took a huge bite of the hot dog and began to chew. There were small sharp bits in amongst the meat and she wasn’t sure if it was gristle or something from the ground. There was an unusual taste too, as if the mustard had turned to chalk. She held up a hand. “One second.” She belched. “Let me just finish this and—”

  The contents of Zooey’s stomach raced up her throat and out onto the sidewalk, splattering Taylor’s feet. Mangled hot dog and beer bounced into the gutter and Zooey wiped her lips. Calgary had become a very unsteady place, and everything was spinning slightly, as if Aaron’s aliens had arrived and turned off the Earth’s gravity.

  “Everything okay here?”

  Zooey heard a man’s voice cut through the haze. She closed her eyes for a second and concentrated on not throwing up again. The voice didn’t belong to Aaron, and if the hot dog guy was going to have a go at her then she would tell him where to shove his sausages. A firm hand suddenly gripped her shoulder.

  “Are you okay?”

  Zooey opened her eyes. The fresh air and sun slapped her around the face. The man talking to her was in a red uniform and wore a hat that cast a shadow over his face. “I’m not drunk officer, I’m just happy.” Zooey leant closer to the policeman. His face was slightly blurry, but he looked nice. He had blue eyes and broad shoulders. There was a good smell about him. Zooey looked up into his blue eyes. “But enough about me. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but then I didn’t start drinking at breakfast. Maybe you should take it easy, miss.”

  Zooey squinted and tried not to swoon as she looked into Officer Mahoney’s fine face. “Oh, it’s you. The nice policeman from the bar. Mister Mahoney has come to my rescue.” Zooey turned to Taylor. “See? He does like me.”

  Taylor blushed and hid behind Aaron.

  “Forget them,” said Zooey, the world becoming increasingly unstable. “Those two are complete buzzkills. I’m off to the radio.” Zooey’s eyes opened wide, and she looked into Mahoney’s deep blue eyes. “You should come with me!”

  “If you mean the rodeo, then there’s plenty of time for that. The Stampede hasn’t officially started yet.” Mahoney steered Zooey away from the hot dog stall and the laughs of the nearby group of teenagers. He looked her up and down, trying to judge just how drunk she was. “Look, it’s barely noon. How about we just..?”

  Zooey bent over and puked up the rest of the morning’s drinks over Mahoney’s black shoes. She tasted bourbon and fried onions at the back of her throat, and began to wobble.

  “Oh...shit.” Zooey felt dizzy and then strong hands guiding her toward Taylor and Aaron.

  “I think you might need to head on back to your hotel for a rest, miss,” said Mahoney.

  “You’re...you’re not going to arrest me?” Zooey felt the flush of embarrassment leave red streaks across her cheeks. The taste of beer and bile burnt her throat. She looked up at Mahoney, at his blue eyes and kind face, and wished she hadn’t thrown up over him. Suddenly the buzz of the drinking had been replaced with regret. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I was just...just—”

  Zooey bent over and puked again, this time managing to turn in time to avoid hitting him. She spat the final lump of vomit from her mouth and wiped her wet lips on her sleeve.

  “I don’t feel so good. Officer, can I just say that I am very, very, very, very, sorry about this. Very. I think I just want to go and lie down for a while. My friends—”

  “Relax.” Mahoney smiled. “If I arrested every drunk person that I stumbled across in Calgary over the next two weeks then my cell would be full before you can say rodeo. Which, apparently for you, is not easy.”

  Taylor put one arm under Zooey’s and Aaron took the other side.

  “Zooey is not normally like this,” apologized Taylor. “It’s usually the other way round. You won’t see us again. For sure, we’re going back to the hotel, right now.”

  Mahoney watched as Taylor and Aaron began to help Zooey stagger back to their hotel. He had a million and one things to do, and even with the vomit on his shoes not yet dry, he couldn’t help but think about her. Zooey was staggeri
ngly beautiful – when she wasn’t throwing up. “Catch you around, Zooey,” he muttered.

  Zooey didn’t hear Mahoney’s last words. She was already apologizing to Taylor and Aaron, and concentrating on not tripping up again on the short walk back to the hotel. There was an inviting bed waiting for her and a nap sounded good. She knew she’d need plenty of rest before starting the party over again in a few hours.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Are you sure about this?” asked Anna. She glanced back at her two daughters. Kelsea had her lifejacket on and was helping Susie into hers. “It’s safe, right?”

  Bryan Kenworthy had brought his family on a vacation to Banff while he still could. This was very likely going to be the last family trip they would have together. Kelsea had turned eighteen last month and would be off to college at the start of next semester. Susie was sixteen and definitely not interested in spending any more time than she had to with her parents. Harper was fourteen and still finding his way. Some days he was quiet and withdrawn, sullen even, and other days he was full of energy, happy to still talk to his old dad.

  “Of course. Kelsea’s an adult now. You think she wants to hang around with us? Look, we had the week in Banff. It was great, right?”

  “Yeah,” replied Anna, wistfully. “The kids seemed happy. All that fresh air must do something to their mood.”

  “And this will do them good. It’s good for Susie too. She’s losing her older sister. You think it’s gonna be fun with just her and Harper in the house next year?”

  Anna put her hands on her slim hips. “Bryan Kenworthy, are you suggesting that our teenage siblings might fight? I am shocked. I am outraged. I have never been so insulted in all my life.” Anna burst into laughter, unable to carry on.

  “Exactly.” Bryan knew Kelsea would be okay with Susie. “They can both swim fine, and it’s hardly like they’re going out onto the wide open ocean. Lake Louise is a perfectly safe place to be in a canoe. They won’t go far. Look at this place, Anna. It’s perfect.”

  A fresh breeze drifted over the lake, and Bryan sucked it in. The water was almost turquoise and crystal clear. The mountain in the distance didn’t seem imposing, but inviting. While Kelsea took Susie out on the lake, he would be taking Harper up there on a couple of rented mountain bikes. It was the one thing Harper had asked to do. Back home in Seattle the only thing Harper ever asked for was to stay up late and be allowed to watch HBO. Both answers were resolutely no, so it was nice to be able to indulge him. Bryan appreciated that his son found it hard sometimes having two sisters and no brother. They didn’t exactly gang up on him, but neither did they have much in common.

  “It’s more beautiful than I imagined. And so will I be when I’m through at the Spa. My amazing husband did say I could choose any treatment I want, right?” Anna ran a hand across her husband’s shoulders.

  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” said Bryan, kissing his wife’s cheek. “But not a blank check.”

  “This from the man who justified a new TV because the old one was too small to see the Super Bowl last year?”

  Bryan pulled the strap under his chin and tightened his helmet. He turned to Harper who was a few feet away. “You ready for some action, Harper?”

  His son jumped onto his bike, a rental he had picked out for no other reason than it was red and had black lightening stickers on the handlebars. “I’ve been ready for ages. Stop kissing mom and let’s go.”

  Bryan raised his eyebrows as he looked at his wife of twenty-two years. “Sorry. The boss says I have to go. I guess we’ll just have to argue later.”

  “Fine. I’ll just go and pick whatever I want from the Spa menu then.”

  Bryan chuckled. “Go ahead. I’m just teasing. It’s your vacation as much as anyone’s. We’ll meet you back at the hotel around five.”

  “Be safe,” yelled Anna as she blew kisses goodbye to her family. The Spa in town was a treat for her, as much as the mountain-biking day was for Harper and the lake trip for Susie. They all wanted to do different things, and after a week together skiing, it felt like the right time to have a little me-time.

  “See you later, mom,” yelled Susie excitedly.

  Kelsea was already sat in the front of the two-seater canoe, and the rental guy was helping Susie into the back. Anna watched fondly as they got in, part of her wishing she was going with them. Kelsea was not your typical teenager. She preferred spending the weekend at the library instead of the mall, and teaching her young sister about planetary systems instead of reading trashy magazines. Anna watched them push off. Both wore yellow lifejackets, and as soon as they were on the calm water they were off, both chatting and giggling as they went out into the lake.

  A bell made Anna jump and she turned around just as Harper sped past on this bike. Bryan pulled up alongside her.

  “We’re going to cut through the town to get to the paths. The guy said it’d be quicker.”

  “You’d better get a move on, old man, or Harper will be lapping you.”

  Bryan tucked down his helmet. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve still got it.”

  He cycled away and Anna felt another pang of jealousy. She had no reason to feel jealous, but now that she had the day to herself, she almost didn’t want it. Almost. She had a whole day of relaxation lined up, starting with a facial and a manicure. First stop, coffee.

  Anna strolled through Lake Louise, other tourists doing the same, admiring the town and enjoying the beautiful summer’s day. The sun just made her feel happier, and knowing that her family were off enjoying themselves meant she could finally relax too. Anna grabbed a latté and an almond croissant from a French bakery, and then crossed the main street back to the edge of the lake. She sat down on a bench, pulled her coat around her, and watched her daughters in the distance rowing across the blue lake. Two small yellow blobs on the horizon, skirting the fringe of the lake. There was a chateau visible up on the mountain, and Anna marveled at how tranquil the whole place was. It was refreshing to be able to visit somewhere and not find it full of buses or visitors, or the main road full of franchise burger joints.

  “Good morning.”

  A man paused by her bench and tipped his hat. Anna reciprocated with an invisible hat and smiled. “Morning to you, too.”

  The man wore a blue uniform and sported a thick brown moustache. There was an insignia on his collar that Anna didn’t recognize. She thought he must be a policeman, but his uniform was different.

  “Constable Nigel Mahoney, RCMP.”

  Anna frowned, not understanding what he was saying.

  “Canadian Police. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Just doing the rounds and making sure everyone is enjoying themselves in our beautiful town.”

  “Oh, sure,” replied Anna. “You’re a Mountie. I thought you wore red?”

  “Only on special occasions and Christmas. The white beard’s a little trickier to pull off.”

  Anna smiled, got up, and brushed pastry crumbs off her lap. She tossed her coffee cup into the nearby trashcan.

  “Sorry, bad joke.” Nigel coughed politely. “Your family nearby, miss? Don’t tend to see many folks out here on their own. After the light show last night I thought everyone would be too tired to be up and about this morning.”

  “Oh, my family are all off doing their own thing. My husband took Harper out mountain-biking, and my daughters are on the lake. I was heading to the Spa now. But, what light show? Did we miss something? Did you have fireworks last night?”

  “Kinda.” Nigel began to walk with Anna back toward the main road. “You didn’t hear about the meteor shower over the National Park? Quite spectacular by all accounts. I caught some footage on the news over breakfast. Lucky it didn’t hit anywhere populated.”

  “Wow. Okay, well I’ll be sure to check it out. Harper, my son, would be interested. He mentioned something this morning, but I have to admit I brushed him off. Meteors, huh? Strangely, that is something I think all of my kids would be interested in.” Anna
chuckled. “I don’t have to worry about football and drinking, just keep the car tanked up so we can make it to the library. I love my kids, but they didn’t exactly turn out how I expected, you know?”

  “I hear you. My son’s all grown up now. Moved to San Diego and became a dolphin trainer. Got a job at the Wild Seas Park.”

  Anna couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

  “Yeah, I know. But he’s happy.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. That must seem so rude of me.” Anna glanced at her watch, not wanting to be late for her first appointment. “I’m sure that you’re just pleased he found his porpoise in life.”

  Nigel rolled his eyes. “Oh no, you did not just make a dolphin joke. Before lunch? I could arrest you for making bad jokes, you know.”

  “Actually, it’s a whale. You’ll have to arrest me for cruelty to whales.”

  A loud truck suddenly rushed by them, carving out a path through the small town at easily twice the speed limit. The six wheeler sped through the intersection just as a family were about to cross at the lights, continuing to pick up speed. There were only a few other cars on the road, none of them in the same apparent hurry.

  “Excuse me, miss, I need to check this out.”

  Anna watched the officer jog to the road and then say something into his radio, presumably reporting the license of the speeding truck. A whirling cloud of dust followed the truck, disturbing the pleasant atmosphere of the town. Lake Louise was populated by only a few people, but Anna knew enough to know that speeding trucks were a rarity, and probably the most excitement that Officer Nigel Mahoney had seen for a good while.

  A maroon van roared past blaring its horn, skidding across the road before suddenly slamming into the back of a parked RV. The resulting bang made Anna jump and smoke immediately began pouring from the crumpled van. Screams accompanied breaking glass and she saw the policeman break into a sprint toward the accident. Anna’s legs turned to jelly as a small crowd began to gather around the van. An old man stumbled out of the RV that had been shunted forward several feet, and he fell to the ground clutching his head. She heard Nigel shouting orders to the crowd to stay off the road and clear off the vehicles, before he spoke once more into his radio. The speeding truck was now gone, clear of the town and halfway to America. Anna was pleased her family weren’t around to witness this, and she wondered if she should go over and offer her help. She had no medical training, but Nigel seemed to be the only cop around and the tourists were doing little. Some were taking photos on their cellphones whilst others were scurrying away, eager to get on with their vacation instead of tending to the injured. Just as she made up her mind to go and help, a faint scream trickled through the air to Anna’s ears. This was different. It wasn’t coming from the crashed vehicles, and sounded more like a scream of terror. Anna cautiously walked toward the road, aware that two speeding vehicles had already gone past. The speed limit through Lake Louise was clearly signposted, and she had no idea what could cause such insane driving. Nervously, she walked around a tree and reached the road. The friendly policeman was pulling the driver of the maroon van clear of the smoking vehicle as somebody else approached the passenger side. What had caused the driver to lose control like that? There were faint tremors under her feet which she assumed were as a result of the crash, and whilst she was worried about the RV exploding, she knew it was unlikely. That stuff happened in movies, not in real life.