Darkness at the Edge of Town (Iris Ballard #2)(29)

“Got any last names?”

“No. Sorry.”

“What can you tell me about Meg?”

“Cute, pretty, everybody’s best friend. I never trust a person like that. Kevin knew her better, though. I don’t know the whole story, just that they were together for a few months, then they weren’t. When I found Billy’s note I called Kevin, looking for info on this farm. He told me that Meg had moved on to someone else and he hadn’t been back to The Temple in three months.”



“Did he use those exact words?” I asked.

“More or less.”

“How long was he with the group?”

“Just a couple months.”

“Does Billy have any other friends he might have talked to about the group?”

“Not really. Billy’s never been big on close friends. He was friendly with my family. He’d go out with people from our jobs, but I was the one he confided in. Until the Movement. Then he became this like social butterfly. It was like fucking night and day.”

So no leads there. I sighed again. “What about Mathias? Tell me about him.”

“I only met him once at a party, and he barely said a word to me. He seemed nice enough. I noticed he made sure to say hello to everyone, me included. He was handsome in a fatherly kind of way. Trim hair, beard, body. A lot of girls blushed when they talked to him. Hell, I think even Billy had a crush on him. He wouldn’t ever shut up about him, at any rate. ‘Mathias says we should get rid of the TV. Not only does it brainwash us, but think of all the money we’ll save.’ ‘Mathias says I don’t need antidepressants anymore. I’m doing so well with the seminars and supplements. I’ve been off them for a week.’ ‘Mathias says we shouldn’t shop at Walmart or the grocery store since they’re evil corporations who don’t care about their workers.’ ‘Mathias thinks I shouldn’t go to your brother’s house because his questions make me feel bad about myself. He’s not coming from a good place.’?” She rolled her eyes. “Billy loved my brothers and nieces and nephews, but he wouldn’t talk to or go near them the past few weeks. Not even to little Nora’s birthday party. He wanted us to cancel the Internet, the cable, to start growing our own food, to meditate and fast and shit. Fasting was a big one. He lost like twenty pounds. But he was happy, so I just went with it when I could.”



“Was it always ‘Mathias said’?”

“Not always. Sometimes it was Helen or Ken said, but mostly it was Mathias, yeah.”

“Did anyone have any tattoos or distinguishing marks that I could use to ID them?” I asked.

“Uh, Ken had a full sleeve on one arm, but I can’t remember any one that stuck out, no. And Mathias wore long sleeves.”

“How old would you say they are?” I asked.

“Same age. Both early sixties to seventies. Ken does have a scar on the left side of his face. Pretty nasty one too.”

“What does Ken look like?”

“About six foot, really thick but like in a muscular way, tannish skin, hazelish eyes, thin nose and lips. Graying brown hair in a crew cut. He kind of looks like a stereotypical jarhead. Always stood up super straight with his shoulders back and was always watching us, waiting for a fight. It was fucking creepy.”

It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a start. “What do you know about this farm Billy’s living at?”

“Not much. I think it’s called The Apex. I heard some people talking about it like it was fucking Paris or something, someplace you just had to go to. Supposedly it was some great big honor to be asked there.”



“How many people do you think live there?”

“I have no idea. I kind of zoned out when people talked about it. Uh…” She thought for a few seconds as her mouth silently moved. “I think I talked to about five, six people who lived there? I think it was way more, though. One of the women told me they were building new homes or something because they’d run out of room in the house. They were living in tents or something. Like, how is that a fucking honor? Give up your own home, the Internet, television, take your kids out of school, and God knows what else to go milk cows and live in a tent? It was totally free love there, but there are only so many orgies you can attend before even that gets boring.”

“They have orgies?”

“I never participated or anything, but that was my impression. Kevin told Billy he had a three-way with Meg and some other woman. I told Billy under no uncertain terms would I put up with any of that crap. Maybe that bitch Betsy does; I don’t know.” She scoffed. “How does he even know the baby’s his, huh?” She shifted in her chair and practically snarled. “Whatever.”

“What do you think the male/female ratio is?”

“I don’t know. About equal? The girls seemed to be younger, and the guys thirties to forties. I wasn’t really paying attention to that shit. Mostly I just zoned out or answered their questions, then zoned out again. Like I said, I only went because Billy insisted.”

I sighed. “Okay, walk me through the week before you found he was gone.”



“Okay…” She sighed. “He spent most of Tuesday in Altoona, spreading the word, while I worked. He got home tired that night and went straight to bed. He went back to The Temple Friday after work, got home late and went straight to bed. He barely spoke to me, but I figured that was because he was tired. Last Saturday I got word my sister-in-law went into labor, so I drove to Pittsburgh to be with my family. Billy texted me that first night, then nothing. Anyway, when I got back Sunday afternoon I found the note on the kitchen table.”