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First edition.

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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2021946926

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Darkness at the edge of town : (a ghostly tale of family ties and madness) / Stan Rogal.

Names: Rogal, Stan, 1950- author.

Series: Essential prose series ; 191.

Description: Series statement: Essential prose series ; 191.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210314761

| Canadiana (ebook) 20210314788 | ISBN 9781771836975 (softcover)

| ISBN 9781771836982 (EPUB)

Classification: LCC PS8585.O391 D37 2022 | DDC C813/.54—dc23

Dedicated to my mom — born a prairie girl — who had a story or two herself, to tell

It takes two to make an accident.

—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

A man turns his back on his family, he just ain’t no good.

—Bruce Springsteen, Highway Patrolman

As if there could possibly be true stories; things happen one way and we tell them in the opposite sense.

—Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea

1.

Welcome to Weyburn, Saskatchewan, largest inland grain gathering point in Canada. Summer, 2017

The house isn’t grand; it’s functional. Comfy/cosy/homey. Located on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac within a loose knit of neighbourly neighbours. Three-bedroom rancher, full bath, open-concept living/dining room combination, up-dated kitchen with faux chrome appliances. Mud room at rear of house, complete with stacked clothes washer/dryer unit. One small bedroom used as a catch-all and office space; one medium-sized bedroom for the kids — four-year-old Ben junior and two-year-old daughter Casey sharing a bunk bed — a larger master bedroom with en suite. Everything painted either off-white or soothing pastels. Furniture straight out of the Ikea catalogue with a few select pieces picked from the sales department at Home Depot. Front yard has a postage-stamp lawn divided by a concrete walkway. Decorative stacked red bricks delineate several compact flower and shrub beds. There’s the usual mix of Canadian Tire plaster or plastic garden ornaments: forest animals, birds, gnomes, semi-naked wood nymphs. Decent-sized backyard with swing set and slide, pressure treated wood deck enclosed in a gazebo of canvas with nylon mosquito netting, a Weber gas BBQ to one side, a huge garage with automatic folding door that serves as storage area for every type of wheeled recreational vehicle as well as sports equipment and gym accessories: barbells, weights, mats, medicine ball, Ab roller wheel, skipping rope, Bowflex machine. The grey cinder block structure also functions as a workshop: steel bench, metal display racks of tools, labeled bins of nails, screws, nuts, bolts, a plastic pail of soiled, oily rags, rolls of duct tape.

Everything neat and tidy; a place for everything and everything in its place. Blame Ben, who — while not willing to admit subscribing to the worn adage that cleanliness is next to godliness — prefers order to disorder.

His wife Beth, not so much. Likes to say she strives for organized clutter, ‘strives’ being the operative word.

It’s late evening. The kids are asleep. The A/C hums. The soiled remains of dinner decorate the dining table: dirty cutlery, stained dishes, ravaged pork rib bones, crumpled paper napkins smeared in grease and BBQ sauce. Empty beer bottles leave a trail into the living room. Ben lounges on the couch with a goofy Cheshire cat toothy grin nailed on his wide face. Between his loose-parted knees he dangles a Canada Dry Ginger Ale bottle by the neck. The switch from beer was made a couple hours ago. He wears his official police uniform, still on-duty. His black hair’s cropped close to the scalp and his short sleeve shirt strains at the buttonholes to contain his broad chest. Not a bit of bulge on him. He’s built solid as an oak tree; developed muscular arms from hours pumping iron and performing endless reps of push-ups and chins in the garage.

What one might admirably call the proverbial six-foot brick shit house.

The music of Bruce Springsteen blasts through compact Bose stereo speakers: Glory Days. Ray and Beth dance a slow sloppy jive in the middle of the parquet floor. Ray gives her a twirl. Stretched at arm’s length, held by fingertips, she tosses her head backwards so that her hair hangs down, then laughs, spins back toward him, and nestles in his chest.

Ben rocks his head to the tune and hums along. He’s interrupted by his cell. The ringtone is Wagner’s, Ride of the Valkyries, straight off the movie soundtrack, Apocalypse Now.

Crap, he says, and answers. Yeah? He flaps the fingers of one hand toward the pair on the dance floor, yakkity-yak. They barely acknowledge. He pockets the cell.

Whassup? Beth asks. Her words carry a slight throaty slur from the effects of the alcohol.

Same ol’ same ol’. Got a problem at the precinct only I can handle. Needs my official John Hancock, apparently. We’ll see.

Ray puts on a low southern drawl. What happens, son, when you acquire a position of authority and responsibility in this here town.

Yeah. Me and the dog catcher. Highly respected. He gets to his feet and dons his hat. Gonna take me twenty/thirty minutes tops to be back. You still be here?

Not likely. Gotta hit the road myself. Gettin’ late. Just finish my beer. He waves his bottle in the air.

You can crash here if you want. Couch is a fold-out.

Not necessary, but thanks.

Sure. Anyhow, now you know where we are, don’t be a stranger. Or maybe we can set up a once-a-week. You said you don’t have a phone, right, cell or otherwise? Ben shakes his head, no, along with Ray and Beth. They all laugh. It’s become an inside joke already, the subject having been flogged to death during the evening’s early conversation, as: How can you exist in the 21st century without owning a cell?

You got a milk calendar, anyway, yeah? Ben nods his head, yes, like he’s talking to an infant. Circle Sunday nights.

Ray circles the air with a finger and dots it for emphasis.

Okay, glad we got that settled. It’s good to see you, Ray. Truly. Welcome back. We’ll continue catching up another time. Maybe get you out for a few hours fishing. He kisses Beth tenderly on the lips.

Leave this. He motions to the mess. I’ll clean up when I get home. No worries. He gives a relaxed half-salute to the pair, lifts his holster from a hook and hustles out the front door.

Whee! I haven’t drank this much in years, Beth says. Her voice is all warm and creamy. "Or is it ‘drunk?’ I’m drunk. Ha! It’s kinda nice. Being tipsy. Been a while. I almost forgot. She raises her chin and locks eyes with Ray. The two are engaged in a sort of loose-armed embrace, their bodies set just close enough together you could barely slip a cigarette paper between them. You look good, mister. Fit. Muscular. Not as full-out muscular as Ben. More like a wrapped-tight coil of razor wire, all sharp angles, edges and points. You could cut a person, really, if you weren’t careful, just by casually turning your head. Don’t get me wrong, it suits you. I like it. The time away hasn’t hurt you any, looks wise, anyway. Maybe helped. Ya used to be skinny. She sucks a deep breath into her lungs and her breasts swell against his rib cage. You gonna kiss me now, or what? Little brother’s not watching. She pops her lips and grins mischievously. Hey. How’d the little boy mouse meet the little girl mouse? Remember?"

She crawls her hands around Ray’s neck and hauls herself up on tippy toes. She’s about five-foot-two in bare feet. Ray has a good eight or nine inches on her in motorcycle boots.

I kissed you when I showed earlier.

A peck. A peck on the cheek. Sisterly. I think you owe me at least one real kiss, after all.

Uh-huh? How do you figure?

You practically left me standing at the altar, bastard.

I think that’s an exaggeration of what was our relationship at the time.

Not to me. I had it all planned out. Down to the dress, the cake, even the flowers on the table. Black-eyed Susans mixed with baby’s breath.

Impressive. You were, what? All of eighteen?

So?

So? So, you were better off waiting. You got Ben. Lucky girl. Nice home, nice family. Count your blessings.

Yeah, got an automatic dishwasher, microwave oven and everything. All the modern conveniences. She huffs. One lousy kiss is all I’m asking. What are ya, scared?

Should I be?

Yer damn right, she says with a snarl. Now be a good boy and pucker up. She half-shuts her eyes, steps her feet on top of his boots and presses her body into his. Ray bends his head to meet hers and they kiss, heavy and full. Beth tries to slip him the tongue and he peels her away by the shoulders. She shoots him a dirty grin. Mm, sweet. Wasn’t so hard now, was it? The kiss, I mean. Unlike something else I might mention. She laughs and eyeballs his crotch. "Which is hard, yeah? Nice to know you haven’t changed, Ray."

And your high beams are drilling holes through your summer frock, so let’s consider us even. And done.

I’m wet, too, if it matters. The words are spoken like a challenge. She pulls provocatively at her lower lip and gazes at him through slit eyes.

I didn’t come here tonight to try and cause trouble.

He drains his beer, keeping his free arm extended, Beth attached and somewhat constrained at the outermost end.

Ha! Don’t make me laugh. You don’t need to try to cause trouble, Ray. It follows you around like a trained dog. You don’t even need to whistle and it’s there. She slaps and pushes his hand off her shoulder and stumbles backward. She moves flat-footed, her arms floppy. You mean to say you never noticed? C’mon! You walk into a department store and things fall off the shelves and smash on the floor for no obvious reason. Crash, bang! You enter a bar, fights break out. Wham, bam! Blood and black eyes and broken bones everywhere. You walk down a sidewalk, young girls suffer moist panties and broken hearts. Babies cry. Mothers weep. Oh my God! She runs her hands up the back of her neck, into her scalp. You shake your hair out on a main street of Weyburn and you cause a freaking typhoon in China. She scratches the top of her forehead and smirks. "I mean . . . what was that all about, huh? That grand entrance? Like something out of the movies. Marlon Brando in The Wild One or whatever. She puts on a meek voice. What are you rebelling against, son? Then a different voice, harsher, snarkier. I don’t know, mister, what have you got? She smacks her lips. Isn’t that it? The way it goes. The hokey dialogue."

I don’t know Beth. He adds his empty bottle alongside others on the coffee table. That movie was a lifetime ago.

"Yeah? Tell me about it. Ben plays it, like, three or four times a year, faithfully. He owns his very own copy. Not sure why. Says it serves as a reminder. I ask, a reminder of what, honey? Raising hell and causing all kinds of trouble? That was never you. He just throws his hands in the air and says he isn’t sure. Perfect. Well, Ben, thankyouverymuch. And since