Part 38 (2/2)

*Insisted?'

*We prevented him from leaving. But just so that the whole Council could hear it from his own lips. He wasn't happy about it, of course, being kept here, but at the same time he seemed to relish it, relished causing such an uproar. And there certainly was. But he wouldn't listen. He'd made his mind up and that was that. Some of the boys had drink taken and it got a bit nasty. All sorts of name-calling. Childish, yes, I know, but you know how we are here, Frank. We're proud of this wee place. It got out of hand. Someone shot him. I'm sorry it happened, but it happened. And I can't say it wasn't the right thing.'

*You wouldn't care to recall who actually pulled the trigger?' I asked.

*No, I wouldn't. Blundell was beyond reasoning with. He would have killed the island without a second's thought.'

*He might have been saving you,' I said.

*You don't understand, Starkey. This gas. This radon. I'm not saying it's not there. I know it is. But it's there for a reason. We just didn't know what reason back then. We all knew something was happening. We could feel it in the air. A sense of elation. A sense of potential like you can't imagine. All of us felt it. Such well-being. You felt it, Frank, didn't you? You remember what it was like when you came back, there was a real buzz . . . I remember when you arrived . . . you weren't a well man, were you? But within weeks . . .' Flynn nodded thoughtfully, his anger now well subsided. *We were so content . . . but at the same time waiting, waiting for something important to happen . . . and it was there all the time, little Christine . . . and it took you to lead us to her, and for that we will be eternally grateful. G.o.d through the might of nature had seen fit to create this, the perfect environment for his daughter to be born. This Garden of Eden. And we must do everything to protect it. Do you see now, Frank? Do you understand? Think about it, Frank.'

Flynn sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He clasped his hands under his chin. *You're right,' he said softly, *I do need to think about it.'

White pushed his chair back and stood. *Take as long as you want. You'll see the truth of what I'm saying. You'll understand why we've done what we've done. We've agreed all along that there's a new dawn coming, Frank, that it's starting right here. It's so vital that we do everything in our power to protect the girl, because when she comes of age the whole world's going to answer to her.'

Father White left us in the hall. When the door closed I said, *Barking or what?'

But Flynn fixed me with such a look of disgust that I walked away from the table and stared out of the window. I had presumed, because of the bodies, that Flynn was now on *our side', but I was wrong. He was still Father Flynn, champion of Christine and bloke who'd talked to G.o.d.

*They killed Blundell,' I said.

*Shhhh.'

*They killed the priest. The others.'

*Will you give my head peace?' Flynn snapped.

I shut up.

A little after noon the door into the church opened and Duncan limped in. Someone pulled the door closed behind him and locked it. Duncan had a plaster on his face but he was just as mud-grubby. *Howdy,' he said disconsolately and sat on the edge of the table. *What's been happening?'

I shrugged. *Congratulations on your single-handed stand against censors.h.i.+p.'

He gave a weak smile. *It didn't do much good.'

*Not the point. It's the effort that counts. We need books. So that we can look up words like radon.'

He gave me the what? look.

I told him what White had told us. The priest hadn't said those magic words, off the record. I kept it succinct and just short of we're all going to die. His initial response was a single raised eyebrow, which is difficult, and a *Seriously?'

I nodded. Then he joined Flynn in some solitary thinking and I was left to my own devices for another five minutes. I could almost hear their brains whirring. I don't know why they needed so much time. It was perfectly clear to me what was going on: over the course of many years the radon had boiled all of their brains. And the longer Patricia, Little Stevie and I stayed on the island the greater was the likelihood of our own brains getting boiled.

Eventually Duncan gave a slight shake of his head and said: *It does make sense, you know, if he's telling the truth about the radon.'

I was way ahead of him. *He's a priest, of course he's telling the truth,' I said.

From the window, Flynn tutted.

*But it does make sense,' Duncan continued, unfazed. *It explains quite a bit. Not about the murders, but about what's been happening here.' He patted his injured face lightly, winced, gave himself a That was stupid look. *I know b.u.g.g.e.r all about radon, but if it's been at such a high level all along it's bound to have affected us.'

Flynn turned from the window. *We've never been healthier, Duncan. You know that. Sure it's no wonder Dr Finlay's such a sad old drunk a he has nothing to do all day.'

*I don't necessarily mean physically, Father. Up top.'

*But we're not . . . well, backward,' said Flynn.

*Of course not!' said Duncan. *We're forward, if anything. I mean, think about it . . . your visions, Christine's powers . . . even Mary Reilly a didn't everyone think she could talk to the spirits . . . what if she could . . . I mean, see things, just like you did, Father, just like Christine can . . . what if it's the radon, Father?'

*What if it's in-breeding,' I said, helpfully.

Duncan snorted. *I know it sounds crazy . . . but is it any crazier than the Second Coming?'

I looked at Flynn. *Could explain a lot, Father.'

He was nodding slowly. *It would mean none of it was true. The . . .' He trailed off. There was despair as deep as the ocean in his voice. His eyes studied the pock-marked wooden floor. How many heels had left their indentations there over the years? Lots. I smiled, then tried to cover it. n.o.body noticed. Flynn looked up at Duncan. *What you're saying is that if Christine isn't the daughter of G.o.d, then she's some sort of a defective, a mutation caused by this gas.'

*No, I . . .'

*That everything we've done in her name has been because our minds have been altered by this radon. That I put it all in motion by having my visions, visions caused by this gas.'

Duncan was shaking his head. *No . . . Father. Not at all. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, Father. If this radon really does enhance the power of the human mind, then the possibilities are endless . . .'

But Father Flynn was no longer listening. He stood abruptly and started for the hall door.

Duncan went after him. *Father?'

The priest stopped, turned. *Stay here, Duncan, there's a good fella.' Duncan stopped. *I've made a big mistake,' Flynn said, and hammered on the door. *I have to sort it out.'

39.

Shards of light cut through the clouds, choosily illuminating the crucial aspects of an essentially tragic scene.

Tragedy and I are old chums. We've b.u.mped into each other at parties, shared a gla.s.s or twelve of beer, reminisced about the dear departed. G.o.d is a bit more of a stranger, but it was nice of Him nevertheless to cast a little light on the situation. He had an interest, of course. So did Mother Nature, oozing up from below. I hadn't quite worked out if the two were the same, and if they were, if that made He a She, or them an It. It's funny what goes through your head as you kneel in the dust with a gun at your head.

I turned that head slightly. Duncan was on my left. He nodded helplessly. There was still shouting going on within the church. Father Flynn's voice, of course, and, higher pitched, Father White's. They had been at it for a couple of hours.

The Council was in there too, jabbering. The gunmen were outside. Threatening.

Duncan seemed resigned to his fate. *I thought they were taking me off to shoot me last time. I look on it as having a last couple of hours to make my peace with G.o.d.'

I spat. *G.o.d burnt your books this morning.'

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