Chapter 6: The Slaughter

Kate had been asleep for almost 20 hours, the long trip, and the shock of her compassionate release, and of course, the treatments for her spreading cancer. She awakened to a late morning sun shining in a window in the cabin. She was rested and felt a lot stronger. The trip out here had taxed her reserves, but now she felt recovered. All she wanted was to find the bathroom and get something to eat.

As she was trying to find her way to the bathroom, her nurse arrived at her side and helped her find the way. She was glad the nurse showed up, she was headed the wrong way. The nurse helped her with her toilet and then led her outside to a covered porch overlooking the valley and the lake. The nurse seated her in a hospital style treatment chair, covered her with a blanket and then left her to see about a breakfast for her from the main house.

Kate sat there thinking. So this was Percy's hunting camp. Percy used to talk about wanting to move to the north woods after his 20 years on the force. She remembered him reading everything he could find on the subject. Next to her and the children, this was his fondest dream. In their bed before dropping off to sleep, he talked about moving the four of them to the peace and quiet of small town life, away from the noise, filth, and congestion of the big city. It looked as if he succeeded, except that he made the move without her and Tara.

It looked like a successful business. She felt good for Percy achieving his goal. She was glad he was able to realize some of his retirement dream. Her thoughts then turned to her son Todd. "How had Todd and Percy gotten along when the court sent her son to his father instead of youth detention?"

And finally, "What was she going to say to Percy after all these years." And what about their daughter, Tara. Will she ever be seen again? Kate suspected that her cancer would succeed in ending her life before Tara was ever found. She wished she could tell Tara she was sorry before dying. There was so much to explain to Tara, but not enough time to do it.

Life was not fair sometimes.

Lost in her thoughts it was a while before she noticed the smoke from a fire across the valley. She decided to point it out to her nurse in case the fire was something dangerous. Little did she know that it was the farm that Percy was watching that was burning.