The hex chromosome, p.21
The Hex Chromosome, page 21
They opened the trap door quietly and peered down. They were greeted by the four wide eyes of gagged and tied Rowena and Grammam. They were secured to the kitchen chairs by that all too familiar duct tape. Dish rags had been stuffed in their mouths and duct taped in place.
Tina moved to lower the rope ladder to descend to help them, but Sophie and Catriona both put restraining hands on her. Sophie whispered, “Mom is saying they are fine. But Irwin and Plunk are still in the house, looking for us.”
Tina listened and recognized the thumping sound as doors slamming in the basement. Sophie lowered the trap door and gestured for her and Catriona to follow as she led the way to the back of the bedroom.
“We have to get Officer Weller,” whispered Sophie. She looked out the window hopefully. There was no sign of him or of his car.
“I’m hearing them upstairs. On the roof maybe? No wait, look there’s a door in the ceiling.” Tina’s heart started beating wildly and her hands were clammy as she heard the familiar nasal voice of their teacher.
They could hear loud scraping of something heavy being dragged over the floor below. “This will work. Yes it is a door. Help me push.”
“Come on. We have to get out of here.” Catriona was not bothering to whisper as the trap door swung open. She pulled the glass pane of the double window open, and slid the screen open as well. The girls climbed through the narrow opening to squat on the slanted roof which covered the screened porch below. Sophie pulled the big broad based snow remover from where it was hooked under the window, useful for pushing snow where it always accumulated on the overly flat overhang. Sophie straddled the handle and Tina and Catriona immediately followed suit without needing to confer, adopting their now normal line up of Catriona, then Tina, with Sophie behind.
“Surge sursus!” The three girls intoned in a voice.
As the bulky snow mover started to lift, Tina felt Sophie’s arms disengage from her waist and heard her friend’s startled cry of alarm. She twisted around to see Sophie being hauled off the broom by Irwin. Then he pulled a gun from his pocket and placed the muzzle against Sophie’s temple. Tina screamed.
Catriona landed the snow rake down without any finesse on the roof top. Tina and Catriona sprawled on the snow covered shingles.
Miss Plunk stood silhouetted in the open window. Irwin gestured to all three girls towards the opening with his free hand. He kept the revolver tightly levelled at Sophie. “Back inside girls. I’m not afraid to use this on little carrot top. I need you two witches, but not this one. So, behave if you don’t want to be responsible for her ‘accidentally’ being shot.”
Tina numbly obeyed. Catriona followed suit and they climbed over the window frame back into Sophie’s bright bedroom. Irwin was the last to enter as he stayed close to Sophie, holding her pony tail with one hand, and his hand on the gun with the other.
“We still have a date at the National Art Center. I’m surprised you girls forgot such an auspicious engagement. Down the ladder you go. We are on stage at 8 and are expected at the Center by 7 at the latest. You get to share the spotlight. Aren’t you excited?”
“You are still performing? Even with the police looking for you?” Tina paused on the bottom rung and looked up at Irwin in surprise. He was perched at the top with the gun trained on the three of them as they descended. He passed the gun to his sister before beginning his descent.
“Ah. Such a smarty pants. Think you know it all, don’t you?” He shook his head theatrically. “Well, it turns out your silly policeman has a soft spot of little old ladies. When I threatened to kill your granny, he called the search off.” Irwin gestured to a spot behind Sophie’s mother and grandmother. The girls could now see the prone form of a heavy set man. It was Officer Keller. His eyes were closed and he lay on his side. His arms were secured with wads of duct tape.
“I couldn’t trust him to not try something. I hit him over the head to give him a little nap. He should be fine, with maybe a bit of a monster headache.” Irwin sounded pretty proud of himself.
“Ok, no more dilly dallying. It was hard enough to track you girls down. We had better get to Ottawa. I am not going to let you blow this for me. I’m getting fifty thousand for this one gig. That’s enough serious coin for Gertie and I to get out of this hick town and relocate somewhere warmer and nicer.”
The girls looked wide eyed at Rowena and Grammam, but Irwin urged them urgently with the butt of the gun which he had taken back from Miss Plunk, and they shuffled obediently out the front door. There didn’t seem to be any other choice.
Chapter 53
Reluctant Assistance
Irwin told his sister to ride in the back with Sophie and Catriona, and gestured for Tina to sit in the front beside him. He relinquished the gun to Miss Plunk. She held it in trembling hands, keeping the barrel pointed at Sophie’s head.
They sped through the quiet roads. When they were caught in a traffic jam in downtown Ottawa, Miss Plunk lowered the gun so it could not be seen by adjacent cars, but continued to keep it pointed at Sophie, angled upwards from her lap. Tina kept a wary eye from the front seat by swiveling around to survey her best friend and sister in the back. She was relieved to note that Plunk’s hand was at least steadier once it lay in her lap. She was terrified that the trembling hand would result in Sophie being shot accidentally.
Irwin grilled Tina with her role in the night’s performance. He had apparently identified her as the more powerful witch of the pair. He told both girls they were to perform with smiles and enthusiasm if they wanted Sophie to survive.
“Most of the tricks are the result of my skill, and hours of practice. You are both just my pretty associates. I will saw one of you in half—but I have a box designed for that trick. You will be perfectly safe. The time that you really earn your keep is the denouement when I pull tissues out of a box and they turn into doves. It shouldn’t be too hard. Gertie has done it many times. That is a crowd pleaser. You manage that one and once I’ve been paid, I will let you three girls go.”
The Camaro pulled into the underground parking at the National Art Center. Miss Plunk hid her gun hand under her cloak, and ushered the girls through the door which a friendly attendant held open when Irwin flourished his stage card. They were shown to a dressing room.
Irwin accepted the offer of a makeup artist but declined on behalf of the girls. “Oh no, thank you. They prefer the tender ministrations of my sister. They are young and shy.”
Irwin left with a bubbly young woman with purple hair who giggled at everything he said and batted her long false eyelashes with every giggle. Irwin plumped out his chest and smoothed back his thinning grey hair as he left the girls with his sister. He dropped the greasy smile briefly as he exited to hiss at Plunk, “Keep them under control, Gertie. Don’t let them pull anything on you. Remember, you’ve got the gun. Don’t be afraid to use it!”
Miss Plunk flushed. Once her brother had left, she pulled the door shut and once more trained the gun on the girls. “Ok Girls, listen up. This show has to be a success. If you are good, no one will get hurt and you can be safely home with your parents tonight. And it will be fun.” Her tones took on an almost cajoling tone which was in jarring contradiction of her nasty beady eyes. “Look here,” she gestured with her chin towards the black bag that Irwin has left in the corner. “Open that up. There are some lovely clothes for you to perform in.”
Tina opened the bag since both Sophie and Catriona seemed frozen in place. Both were visibly cowed by the gun. Tina didn’t actually think Miss Plunk would use it.
She pulled out two small sequined black and red dresses. They looked more like something a dancer would wear, basically a leotard and a tutu. She raised her eyebrows in disapproval to Plunk.
“Oh, I’m sorry there are only two of them,” Miss Plunk misinterpreted her lack of enthusiasm. “I’m afraid Sophie is going to have to stay offstage with me. Me and my gun.” She chuckled nervously. “That is so you are both on your best behavior on stage. We only get paid at the end of the evening, so it has to be absolutely spectacular. Pull out your strongest magic, girls. If it goes well, we will be well out of your hair by midnight tonight.”
Tina and Catriona stripped off their jeans and sweatshirts and tried on the stage clothing. The dress fit, but Tina felt a bit ridiculous in the shiny sequined outfit. The dress hung fairly loosely on Catriona so Miss Plunk safety-pinned the back so that it didn’t gape on Cat’s tiny frame. Then Miss Plunk completed the clownish effect by putting bright red lipstick and a splash or rouge on each both girls. Tina winced at her reflection in the mirror.
“It needs to be bright to be seen from the back of the audience, trust me,” Miss Plunk informed them in her familiar teaching tones. She seemed to forget that they were unwilling participants in this performance. She still held the revolver, but it dangled between her index and thunk and was no longer pointing at them threateningly. Tina thought briefly about trying to wrestle it from her, but was so scared by the whole idea of handling a gun, that she dismissed the idea immediately.
“Ready?” The question came from outside the dressing room accompanied by an impatient knocking. Miss Plunk hastened to open the door.
“Yes, Irwin. The girls are ready.” She pushed Tina and Catriona out to join him in the hall, and hung behind with a firm hand on Sophie.
Chapter 54
Stars on Stage
Irwin grabbed each girl urgently by their bare arms, fingers digging into their skin. “Well, you wretched girls, you haven’t given us any time for rehearsal. Just follow my cues and behave and your little red-headed friend won’t get hurt.”
He marched them into the wings. Tina could hear the murmur of thousands of voices and the cacophony of violins being tuned in the orchestra pit. Then the lights flashed on and off and the murmur of voices gradually stilled to silence.
The Orchestra launched into an eerie tune, and the curtain raised. Irwin moved into the center of the stage, clothed in darkness. A green spotlight zoomed around the stage and then focused its beam on Irwin. He stomped on the floor, pairing the move with a smash of the cymbals from the orchestra, and a mist of smoke swirled around him. The sequins on his cloak flashed in the beam. Tina was reluctantly impressed with the fanfare.
“Welcome to the most spectacular display of wizardry since Merlin helped Arthur pull a sword out of a stone. You are in for a rare treat tonight, ladies and gentlemen. I have chosen to entertain you with demonstrations of magic that few have been lucky enough to see and survive!” He paused to moisten his lips. Tina was close enough to see the beads of sweat along his receding hair line. The thick makeup shone unnaturally.
“I have with me two lovely assistants, Winnie and Lizzie.” Neither Tina nor Catriona reacted to the words. Tina suddenly flinched as the cold muzzle of the gun in Plunk’s hand dug into her back beneath her bare scapula.
“That’s you two,” Plunk hissed in her ear. “Irwin is obviously not going to use your real names. Now move. He wants you on stage with him.”
Tina and Catriona moved out of the shadows and joined Irwin at the front of the stage. The footlights were blinding. Tina stared out, trying to see past the orchestra pit to see the audience, but the lights were too bright. The dissipating smoke didn’t help either.
Irwin asked for help pulling a rabbit out of his hat. He demonstrated it was empty tapping it vigorously on the table. He then asked Tina to put her hand in the hat. She reached in and explored the edges of the lining. Sure enough, she felt the lump of the hidden stuffed rabbit. She tugged it free from the compartment and retrieved her hand. As her hand emerged, she almost relinquished her hold on the toy’s ears. It was wiggling and warm! She pulled the rabbit out of the hat and held its quivering body close to her. She looked up at Catriona in admiration.
The audience clapped, but tepidly. Tina realized that the trick probably had more impact when it had been performed with less skill by Miss Plunk. On that occasion, everyone had seen the limp body of a toy rabbit come to life. Here, it just looked like Irwin had been hiding a real rabbit in the hat.
Irwin looked surprised at the lukewarm reaction. He glowered at Tina, assuming she was somehow to blame. He seemed briefly paralyzed. Then Miss Plunk pushed a big red and white contraption onto the stage and Irwin snapped out of his reverie.
“Next, ladies and gentlemen, I will saw my lovely assistant in half. They say two halves are better than one, well this is a good time to test that theory.” He gestured for Catriona to climb into the box and lie down. Both girls looked at him appalled. Catriona shook her head in a vigorous ‘No’. The audience laughed. They seemed to think it was all put on.
Out if the corner of her eye, Tina saw Miss Plunk raise her arm threateningly and put the gun to Sophie’s temple. She scowled at Tina and gestured with her chin towards the box. Tina approached it gingerly and climbed up on the stool.
“Well one is as good as the other, if your friend Betty won’t comply, I’ll just use you, Jenny.” Tina ignored the words even as she noted that Irwin couldn’t even retain their invented names for the whole show. She peered into the box and saw that the center was scooped low with a metal bar above the submerged section. A pair of socks and shoes were positioned at the far end of the box where a push from within would extrude them. She quickly divined the trick and slid in under the bar, allowing her bum to sink into the crevice, and pushed against the fake shoes. When Irwin asked her to wiggle her toes, she pulled a rope obligingly so that the fake toes on the far wall moved realistically. She attempted to look suitable scared as she peered out with an exposed neck and head. She hammed it up saying “no, no, please don’t saw me!” as Irwin fired up a noisy chainsaw.
Catriona was looking very perturbed without any acting artifice. Tina quickly thought loudly to convey her discovery of the construction of the box. Catriona’s brow unfurled.
Irwin brought the saw down menacingly. When it hit the metal bar, sparks flew which should have betrayed the trick but seemed to actually add to its realism. Tina screamed obligingly.
Irwin asked Catriona to pull apart the two halves and she did so, pulling the part with Tina’s curled up body towards her while Irwin pulled the section with the fake feet away.
The audience gasped. Tina had to restrain herself from laughing and tried instead to look appropriately in agony. This was fun. She rolled her head back as if in severe pain. As she swiveled, she caught sight of Sophie’s terrified eyes with Plunk’s hand on her arm. She sobered immediately.
Irwin pushed the two halves of the box back together and waved his wand portentously. Tina unfurled her cramped body and climbed out of the box and bowed to the audience. She retreated to the shadows.
Irwin gestured for Catriona to approach. He asked her to pick a member of the audience for a card trick. Tina took the opportunity to assess how Sophie was faring. Both Sophie and Miss Plunk were watching the action on stage. Sophie was tense and nibbling her bottom lip. Tina could only guess how scared she was with a gun held to her back.
Relax. It will all be ok. Tina telegraphed the reassurance with more hope than conviction. She was rewarded with a wan smile from Sophie.
It suddenly dawned on her that she was the only one who could communicate with both Sophie and Catriona. They might not be able to respond, but both could hear her thoughts loudly. Think! Think! She admonished herself. There has to be a way out of this.
The audience was clapping. It was a lukewarm applause. The card tricks were impressive to the young volunteers, but lacked panache from the back of the auditorium. Irwin glowered. He ushered the young boy he had selected off the stage. Irwin gestured to Tina to join him and Catriona at the center of the stage.
“Now ladies and gentlemen,” he intoned with his falsely low stage voice. “I am a little chagrined at your lack of enthusiasm for by brilliance in finding all the hidden jacks,” he lifted a box of tissues from his magic box and pulled a Kleenex out to melodramatically wipe his eyes. He sighed and said, “Ah, so soft. Almost as soft as a dove.” He looked meaningfully at Tina and Catriona. It was the cue he had rehearsed in the car.
This is our best opportunity, thought Tina quickly. ‘Catriona, make the doves come quickly and circle Irwin’s head, maybe blind him? And can you make one go for Plunk so she drops the gun? Sophie, you have to be ready the moment that happens. Stick your fingers in Plunk’s eyes, or kick her in the knees.’
Tina moved forward to the center of the spotlight. She reached into the tissue box as Irwin had instructed her to earlier in the car. Rather than pull out one tissue at a time as he had dictated, however, she pulled them out quickly, one after another without pause.
Catriona met the challenge without hesitation. As each tissue emerged, it immediately morphed into a large white dove. Within a minute, more than sixty doves were batting their wings furiously around Irwin’s head as he cowered, shielding his eyes and head with hands raised defensively. Tina and Catriona both rushed towards the wings of the stage to help Sophie.
They were greeted with the sight of Miss Plunk trying to dislodge a metal band coiled around both her wrists. Tina squinted at the object and realized it was the gun, wrapped around both wrists like a pair of manacles.
Sophie grabbed both Tina and Catriona by the hands and hauled them into a run towards the back door of the Theatre.
“It’s an illusion and I’m pretty new at it, so I don’t think it’ll last long, so come on, let’s run!”
They pulled open the heavy fire door which led to the dressing rooms and almost knocked over a group of police crouched behind the door.
“Stay here with Jane.” It was the reassuring voice and countenance of Officer Weller. “We will get that McQueen pair now. We just couldn’t barge in while she had her gun trained on you.”
