GAME ON - GoM 2

1

"If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames flying high
Into the night."
—Ed Sheeran, I See Fire

Claire didn't feel like going to work. At all. But she knew that staying at Father Jason's to watch over Tom, who was still lost in the deep sleep Thames kept him under, would be even worse.

So after Thames came back and told them what had happened with Blake's runts, she promised the priests she'd be back by two and left. She barely had time for a quick shower and changing her clothes before going to Jill's.

People were half-curious, half-upset after the word spread about what had happened at the school, and the diner got unusually crowded for breakfast. Claire didn't mind the extra work, because their gossiping distracted her from her broody worries. Their main topic was, of course, the bunch of weirdos passing out on the street after trying to access the elementary. All of them outsiders. No Bold Peakian would ever be involved in something like that. At that point of the conversation, they turned to Claire and congratulated her for Ollie's timely intervention, holding the outsiders back until Graham got there.

"But I still don't understand why they were picked up in cruisers instead of ambulances. Weren't they all down?"

Claire pretended she hadn't heard Old Harvey and kept refilling cups of coffee.

"Hand to heart, I don't know and I don't care," replied Pete McKayne, and everybody agreed with him. "Graham's been our sheriff for what, the last thirty years? I think he'd earned our trust alright."

"Tell me about it," said Mike, the mechanic. "If he thought he needed to arrest the outsiders, you bet he had some damn good reason to do it."

Things seemed to back to normal after everybody went to work, and Claire was in the kitchen, helping Polly, when the loud sound of a siren filled Main Street. They hurried out of the diner, in time to watch an unusual parade driving down the street, while the sidewalks grew suddenly crowded. First came Ollie on a cruiser, lights and sirens on. Three pickup trucks followed him, stuffed with strangers. Graham's Jeep brought the rear. The motorcade rolled by toward the lake and turned right.

"They're going south," said Polly. "Outta town."

"Good riddance," said Jill. "They're kicking all those weirdos out."

Before noon, Claire took a moment to go buy a new phone. Her first call was to Ollie.

"You let them go?" she asked.

Ollie didn't sound happy about it. "We had to. Passing out on the street isn't an offense, y'know. We wanted to hold them a day or two, so they wouldn't be there to help when we go for Al. But Blake's attorneys must know some important people, because Major Dick called himself to make sure we let the runts go."

"Crap."

"At least we have their personal information. Gotta go now, baby."

"Okay. I'm going back to Father Jason's place later."

"Good. Keep me up. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."