Free Web NovelChapter 62: Chapter 62 - The Barn
Inside the barn, the air was thick with the smell of hay, soil, and animals. Goats rustled in their pens, pigs rooted noisily at their trough, and chickens scattered in a flurry of feathers as feed hit the ground.
A man stood in the middle of it all, tossing grain from a sack with practiced ease. His sleeves were rolled high, his boots caked in mud, yet there was something light in the way he moved, a rhythm to his steps that made the chore look almost like a dance.
When he spotted them, his face broke into a wide grin. "Well, look who finally remembered we exist. Been too long since you came here."
Mary wrinkled her nose, already smiling. "Because it’s smelly, Jo. Always has been."
He let the sack fall to the ground with a soft thump and strode over, pulling Mary into a quick hug. "Still worth it, though. I missed your sharp mouth."
Mary chuckled and turned to Iyisha. "This is Jovanni. Head of the barns. He keeps this whole place fed. This beautiful girl is Iyisha."
Jovanni’s eyes flicked to Iyisha, playful and sharp. "Ah. So this is her. Malcolm’s little girlfriend."
Iyisha stiffened, her cheeks heating. "You know him?"
Jovanni laughed, a full, bright sound.
"Sweetheart, everyone knows him. That man walks through here and even the goats forget to chew. Those pheromones are too much. He doesn’t need to say a word."
Mary burst out laughing, shaking her head. "You’re terrible."
"I’m honest," Jovanni said, spreading his hands. "Malcolm’s carved out of stone and he knows it. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed."
Mary hooked her arm through Jovanni’s and pulled him a few steps away, their voices dipping into low conversation. Iyisha stayed behind, glancing around the barn. Stacks of hay leaned against the walls, the air filled with dust and the sharp scent of animals. Nothing out of place.
She drifted toward the chicken pen. The birds clucked and scratched at the straw, scattering as she leaned on the rail. She waited, listening, but there was nothing unusual. Just the steady rustle of wings and the distant murmur of Mary and Jovanni talking.
Iyisha kept walking, weaving past feed sacks and the shadowed corners of the barn. Then she slowed.
Clara was there.
Half-hidden near the back corner, hood still up, her head turning as if to check the space around her. Iyisha froze, watching from behind a stack of hay. Clara’s hand moved quickly, pulling a folded scrap of paper from her pocket. She glanced over her shoulder again before stuffing it back into the inside lining of her coat.
Iyisha’s breath caught. The flicker of metal caught her eye next. Clara’s other hand hovered near her hip, gripping the handle of a small pistol.
Clara slipped out of the barn with the others, her hood low, her steps blending into the flow of people heading home. Iyisha kept her eyes on her, following at a distance, careful not to stand out.
Then it hit her.
"Oh, shit," she muttered under her breath. Mary was still inside with Jovanni.
Iyisha glanced back toward the barn, half-ready to turn around. When she swung her gaze forward again, Clara was gone.
Her stomach dropped. The hooded figure had vanished into the crowd as if she had never been there. Iyisha searched the path, the corners, even the stretch of wall where she had seen her before, but there was nothing.
Her eyes slid to the east wall. The same place she had seen Clara before. A cold knot formed in her stomach.
Without thinking, she turned from the path and headed that way. Her boots crunched over the frost, the sound loud in the quiet stretch between the barns and the wall. The closer she got, the more exposed it felt. Just her, the long shadow of the fence, and the gnawing sense that she was following Clara’s trail into something she should not see.
A dull thud broke the stillness, followed by the faint clatter of stone against frozen ground. Iyisha’s head turned, and there she was. Clara stood at the east wall.
The woman stiffened the moment their eyes met, as if caught in the act. Her hood shadowed most of her face, but the shock in her posture was clear.
Iyisha closed the distance by a few steps, her eyes sweeping from Clara’s hand to the wall. "What are you doing here? Did you throw something over the wall?"
Clara stiffened, then scoffed. "You’ve been following me since morning. What are you, my shadow now?"
Iyisha took another step closer, her gaze sharp. "Answer the question." freēwebnovel.com
Clara’s mouth curled, though her eyes flickered uneasily. "Funny. You’re as new as I am, yet you act like you own the place. Who gave you the right to question me?"
"I don’t need a right," Iyisha said evenly. "I just need to know what you’re hiding."
"I’m hiding nothing." Clara slipped a cigarette from her coat, lit it with deliberate slowness, and blew smoke toward the wall. "This is all I came for. If you want to waste your time staring at me, then go ahead."
Iyisha folded her arms, silent.
The quiet stretched until Clara shifted, her shoulders tightening. She dragged again on the cigarette, but the edge in her hand betrayed her unease.
Clara drew from her cigarette, exhaled sharply, and gave Iyisha a flat look. "You standing there staring at me is making this smoke unbearable. I’m done."
She flicked the butt into the snow and walked off toward the settlement, her stride quick, her hood still pulled low.
Iyisha stayed behind, eyes shifting to the wall. She pressed closer, listening. Only the faint whistle of wind. No voices, no movement. Still, she could not shake the thud she had heard. She was sure of it. But with nothing in her hands, she had no proof.
She pulled her coat tighter and turned back toward the barns.
Inside the barn, Mary and Jovanni were still talking, their voices low and full of laughter. When Iyisha joined them, Jovanni clapped her lightly on the arm. "Don’t be a stranger, sweetheart. Next time, I expect you both to bring something stronger than gossip."
Mary chuckled. "We’ll see. Take care of the animals, Jo."
"Always," he said, sweeping an exaggerated bow before turning back to his feed sacks.
The two women stepped out together, boots crunching against the frosted ground as the cold air hit them again. For a while they walked in silence, the noise of the barn fading behind them. Only when the buildings thinned did Iyisha finally speak.
"I saw Clara again," she said quietly. "At the wall. Looked like she threw something. When I asked, she brushed me off with a cigarette and walked away."
Mary’s brow furrowed. "That doesn’t sound good."
"It isn’t," Iyisha said. "I think we need to tell Elmer."
Mary hesitated, her steps slowing. "Maybe. But there’s something you should know. Jovanni says Elmer’s been hanging around the barns too much lately. Not for the animals. Not for work."
Iyisha glanced at her. "Then for what?"
Mary’s mouth twisted. "For who. Jovanni’s sure it’s Clara. Elmer’s sniffing around her already. If that’s true, bringing this up to him might not go the way we want."
Iyisha felt the unease settle deeper in her chest. The snow crunched beneath their feet, but the weight of it seemed louder than the sound itself.
Iyisha’s jaw tightened. "So what, we just keep quiet and let her keep slipping around the walls?"
Mary blew out a long breath, her eyes on the snow beneath them.
"No. As much as I hate the thought of walking into his office, this is too dangerous. If Clara’s hiding something, it could put everyone at risk." She glanced sideways at Iyisha. "Even if Elmer won’t listen, at least we’ll have told him. Then the blame’s not on us if something happens."
They walked on in silence, the barns fading behind them, the settlement looming ahead, and the weight of what they carried pressing heavier with each step.
