I halted and waved my hand in what I hoped would be construed as a friendly greeting. Behind me in the woods, I heard Ed shout, “Hold it.” I didn’t turn and look at him but I assumed he had come out from his cover. It was often a tough call to show police power. Sometimes it worked and intimidated the bad guys, sometimes it had the opposite effect and panicked them. In this case I thought the latter was going to swing into play. Although Zach hadn’t raised the rifle, his body was tense and on the alert. I could see his quick glance behind me. He stepped back. I started talking, it made me feel better even if he couldn’t hear me.
“Zachary. I’ve just come to see how Joy is doing. We were worried about her. Nobody knew where she was.”
I made a gesture of child, pointed at the camper, and acted out worried. It might not be ASL but it seemed to work. He flapped his free hand in a clear “go away” signal.
Again I heard Ed shout from somewhere behind me. “Christine, we’ve got him covered. If he raises that fucking rifle we’re taking him out.”
I didn’t turn but shouted back. “Not yet. I don’t want the child caught in this.”
Zach must have got the gist of what I was saying because his eyes darted over my head to where I guessed a formidable row of officers were lined up. He took yet another step back so that he was now at the foot of the steps to the camper. I saw him shift his weight so he was more prepared for action.
What action that was I never knew because the door opened and Hannah emerged with Joy in her arms. She grabbed Zachary’s arm, forcing him to face her, and made some fast gestures in the universal language of, “Are you out of your mind?” Joy was making some happy chirrups and pointing at me. She struggled to get to the ground and Hannah put her down, whereupon the child ran over to me, a huge smile on her face. She didn’t see some crazy guy with a rifle and a situation that was potentially extremely dangerous. She saw somebody she knew and had had fun with. She grabbed my hand and tugged me in the direction of the camper. I let her until I was close enough to the two adults that Hannah at least could read my lips.
“We were worried,” I said again. “Nobody knew where Joy was.”
“She is with her father where she belongs,” said Hannah in her harsh voice.
“Will you come and talk to us? Mrs. Scott is here.”
Hannah made signs at Zachary. He replied with some excited gesticulating.
“He wants to know why you have brought the police. She is his child. He has a right to bring her here.”
I wasn’t about to discuss the legalities of non-authorized custody with a rifle as a persuader.
“You must ask Zach to drop his rifle. I would like to take Joy and we can all have a talk.”
“Where?”
“Well there’s not much room in your camper and it’s cold out here. Why don’t we go to the OHHA centre and discuss this?”
She translated this for Zachary, who was still looking mutinous. Finally Hannah placed her hand on his arm in a pleading gesture and he gave a reluctant nod. His eyes were glistening, the pupils dilated. This guy was pumped up, testosterone or synthetic, I didn’t know and didn’t care. He was scary.
“Hannah, please tell him to toss the gun away from him. I don’t feel comfortable with him holding it and above all we don’t want Joy to be frightened.”
She had to know what I was getting at because she was looking pretty frightened herself. I sure hoped she had some influence over him. She signed to Zach. He didn’t do what I’d asked but took a couple of paces away to a tree stump and put the gun on top of it. Then he walked back to us. I was holding my breath. Dear God, Ed, don’t do anything precipitous. Hannah tapped his arm to get his attention and made more signs. He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Then he gave me a grin that in other circumstances I would have called mischievous, made a sign with his right hand and a striking motion against his left. I recognized it from the DVD. His finger was pointed in my direction. The K handshape, to kill. Hannah was already turning away from him and didn’t see what he did.
“Let me get my purse,” Hannah said to me.
I hoped to hell she meant what she said and there wasn’t another gun in the camper.
“I’ll go on ahead with Joy, then. There’s a police car parked just down the lane. We can go in that.”
Joy was still holding on to my hand but I wasn’t sure if she would come with me. I gave her my biggest smile. “Do you want to race me?” I asked and made running movements with my fingers. She grinned with delight and immediately set off down the path. I followed her.
Ed, with his revolver drawn, was on the edge of the clearing. Still trotting, I shouted. “They’ve agreed to talk. Can you hide the cruisers, just one or two will be enough. I don’t want to scare them off.”
It felt strange, acting as casually as I could, trotting fast, and at the same time, shouting anxious messages at a fully armed police contingent.
Ed yelled back. “Copy that.”
Joy slowed down, more interested in my catching her than in winning the race. I grabbed her by the waist and swung her around. This gave me a chance to see what was happening behind me. Hannah was out of the camper and walking down the path, Zach, rifle-less, was a few paces behind her. I spun Joy around again and saw Hannah reach for his hand. I picked up Joy and held her against my chest so she didn’t see the police officers, who were crouched behind the wall, jump up and seize Hannah and Zachary and force them to the ground so they could be handcuffed.
I continued on, carrying her to a waiting cruiser. Mrs. Scott’s anxious face was at the window. I put Joy on the seat.
“Tell her I’ll be right back. We’re going for a ride.”
I closed the door and walked back to the fence.
Ed, grim-faced, was standing over a handcuffed Zachary Taylor who was actually bellowing, half-formed words mixed in with sheer animal sounds that communicated even more. Another officer had Hannah by the arm. She was crying. Her hands were behind her back and she was trying to sniff back the mucus running from her nose and the unwiped tears. I felt sorry for her, but I was thoroughly pissed off. You don’t participate in a situation with an armed man pulling a gun on a police officer and not expect to be taken down. I stood in front of her so she could see what I was saying.
“We are going down to the police station. We will have an interpreter. Do you understand?”
She nodded yes.
“Is the child all right?” Ed asked me.
“She seems fine. Mrs. Scott is with her. I think she should be taken home until we get this sorted.”
We were all moving out of the muddy field now. Zachary, still yelling, was being put into one of the cruisers flanked by two constables. Hannah was being led to another one.
“Let’s go in my car,” said Ed, and he put his arm around my shoulders. It felt really good.
“You gave me a bit of a scare out there, Chris. I have to tell you, my blood pressure must have shot up when that lad appeared with a rifle.”
I grinned at him. “Your blood pressure! You weren’t the one looking down the barrel.”
He gave me a big squeeze. “You done good, kid.”
“Ed Chaffey. That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard since I was ten.”