Hi friends. I hope you all are having a pleasant summer. Tim and I are enjoying walks around the town lake, watching the geese raise their goslings and listening to songbirds. Sometimes we drive into the nearby Black Hills to view wildlife and spring flowers. In addition to adult writing, I’m working on animal stories for children and hope to have a book featuring trumpeter swans out soon, illustrated with oil paintings I’m currently creating. Summer is a great time to take pictures of all the wildlife, pictures I can then use in my children’s books. I’ll let you all know when the first one is out. In the meantime, enjoy your summer…and this new chapter.
Blessings,
Sheri Schofield
Chapter 13
"What smells so good?" Ethan asked, entering the house after work that evening.
"Oh, I made some potato salad and baked chicken, for starters," I said looking at him over my shoulder. "You look tired. Have a cookie. I made chocolate chip." I nodded toward the plate on the counter. "I had to put them up high because Ramie has figured out how to climb up on the table."
Ethan chuckled. "Thanks." He found the cookies and took two. "Um. These are good."
"Glad you like them. But don't eat too many. Save room for dinner. It will be ready in about ten minutes."
Ethan's cell phone announced a caller. "Hello." He listened intently. "Did your deputies see anything leaving town? Oh. Do you think they're still around? I hope that produces some answers. Sure. I'll tell her. See you."
Putting the phone back into his pocket, Ethan filled me in on the short conversation. "That was Aaron. Deputy Webster found the location of what we think was the house where some girls were probably held against their will. They've captured one of the men involved, but he's not talking. There's evidence of three women or girls living in the house."
I turned away from the stovetop to listen.
"There were indications that all three are pregnant," he continued. "They think it may be the two missing Crow girls but they aren't sure about the third girl. They'll know more after DNA testing, and that takes a while. The deputies are sorting through an unburned trash pile they found, hoping to find clues."
"Good idea." I nodded.
"Aaron said to tell you the men didn't go past the two deputies stationed at the main roads to the highway, but we don't know where they went. They're probably still in the area. So be careful."
"Of course. I won't breathe easy until they're captured." I nodded, a slight shiver running down my spine.
"They're going to try to get the man they captured to talk. Aaron's good at that. But so far the guy is just demanding a lawyer."
"There are several old buildings back in the mountains around here. Maybe they found one to use."
Ethan nodded. "Could be."
"Daddy!" Ramie called, coming from his bedroom and running toward Ethan.
Ethan scooped him up and kissed his cheek. "How's my boy today?"
"I maked a big house."
"Want to show me?"
"Yes! It's in there." Ramie pointed to his bedroom where he'd been playing with building blocks.
"Okay. Let's see it." Ethan headed to the bedroom with Ramie.
I smiled and turned back to the counter to finish preparing the salad, listening to their chatter as I thought about those girls. "Lord, keep them safe!" I whispered.
***
"Why are we going up the mountain?" Mac demanded.
"I spotted two patrol cars today. One at each entrance to town. We can't leave without passing them. And I heard the cops are looking for a black van. They may be onto us. There's no other way out of this area. They've got us blocked in. But I know of an old, abandoned cabin way up the mountain. Chet doesn't know about it, so if he's been caught, he can't tell them where we might be." Boss clenched his teeth.
"You think he got caught?"
"I do. He was supposed to meet us two hours ago, and he never showed."
"That gate ahead of us looks locked," Mac said.
"It's not. It's just looped so it looks locked." Boss slowed and put the van in park. "Once I drive through to the other side, I want you to wipe out any trace of our going this way. And put the chain back the way it was and put dust on it," Boss said. "I have a bad feeling about Chet. He should have caught up with us in town."
"Yeah," Mac said. "He should have come with us instead of trying to take all his stuff with him. But he never was very bright." He sneered and shook his head.
"We waited long enough. I didn't tell him where we were headed. He was supposed to follow me to Uncle Dan's cabin, but it's no good if they know who we are now. They can look up property ownership at the county courthouse and learn who owns all the property. I was afraid Chet might sell us out if he got caught, so I made a new plan. Nobody else knows about this place. It's been deserted for years. The most Chet can tell anyone now is our names. But we can always change them. I know a guy who does that sort of thing." Boss looked over his shoulder at the girls. "Brace yourselves," he said. "The road is about to get rough."
Ramona, who lay in the back of the van, rolled over next to Jenny to bolster her. The beating Chet had dished out to the younger girl had been brutal. He hadn't touched Ramona. She belonged to Mac, who reserved the right to beat her himself. And nobody ever touched Boss's girl, Sammie.
Boss had secured Sammie Grey Coyote in the back seat with seatbelts, since she was due any day and Boss didn't want her getting roughed up on the ride. She might lose that baby...and he had plans for it.
Ramona had overheard Boss telling Mac how much he could get by selling the newborn through some shady lawyer he knew. But Ramona hadn't told Jenny. She knew it was too much information for the fragile teen to handle.
The van stopped and Mac got out to unlock and open the gate. After Boss drove through, they waited while Mac erased tire tracks with leaves, dribbled dust down on them and rearranged the gate chain, dusting it too.
"That should do it," Mac said, climbing back into the front passenger seat. "It looks like nobody's been here in ages."
"Good," Boss said crisply.
The ride through the mountains was rough and painful for the girls, who found it difficult to protect themselves with their hands duck taped together. They were jolted helplessly from side to side, though they tried to stay close together. The road seemed to go on forever. Two hours later, the van stopped. The two men in the front left for a few minutes.
"Where are we?" Ramona asked softly.
"I think it's an old, abandoned cabin," Sammie said. "I heard Boss talking about it with Mac one time. Seems one of his ancestors built it in the mountains. He used to go there as a boy when he wanted to get away from home. I've never been here before, but that's my best guess."
The door next to Sammie opened.
"We're here. Sit up and I'll take the tape off," Boss said.
The van's back door opened, and Mac stood looking in at the girls. "Okay. Slide this way," he told Ramona.
A few minutes later, all three girls were free of the duct tape. They huddled together, wondering what would happen next. Looking around, Ramona saw a small, dilapidated log cabin surrounded by trees and brush. An antiquated outhouse stood next to it.
"Great," she whispered to Jenny. "No running water."
Mac put a rough hand on Ramona's and Jenny's shoulders. "Follow Boss and Sammie into the house," he ordered.
Ramona put her arm around Jenny to help her as they walked. Chet had beaten Jenny unmercifully. She was in bad shape with bruises all over her arms, legs and face, and a limp from Chet kicking her when she fell onto the floor.
They stepped inside the house. Sunlight filtered from a window through the dust they'd just disturbed. Jenny coughed and covered her mouth and nose with her sweater. Ramona put her forearm over her mouth and looked around. Boss had already led Sammie to a bedroom and returned.
"There's no running water here. We'll have to use the well for drinking and the creek for cleaning." Boss opened two windows then turned to Mac. "You bring our gear inside while I scout the place and see if there's anything useful here."
Mac spun on his heels and went outside. Boss turned toward Jenny. "I don't know what happened to you, but I figure you'll need to rest a while like Sammie. There's a bedroom next to ours you can use." Turning to Ramona, he said, "You and Mac will take the loft. There's an outhouse behind the place. I'll go check it out to make sure there aren't any animals or snakes inside. Then Mac and I will go hunting. Don't you try to leave." He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
"Jenny, let's go see that room," Ramona said with a shudder, trying to shut out the idea of possible snakes or wildlife in the outhouse. "At least you won't have to worry about Chet anymore."
Silently, the battered girl walked toward the second bedroom, with Ramona's support. The room they entered was coated with dust. Ramona stripped the top blanket and pillowcases from the bed, careful not to raise more dust, and carried them outside, where she hung them over the porch rail. Sighing, she returned to the house and rummaged through the closet, trying to find a clean blanket. There was an old one on the top shelf of the closet. She stood on tiptoe and grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it down. She took it outside, shook the dust out and returned to the bed, where Jenny lay shivering in the damp cold.
"Here. This might help," she said, carefully tucking the blanket around Jenny's battered body. "Jenny, you're freezing. I'll see if I can find a pan to heat water. If there's tea, I'll make you some. If not, at least hot water will warm you up."
"Okay," Jenny closed her eyes and gave a little nod. She pulled the blanket pulled up around her head and shoulders.
Returning downstairs, Ramona checked on Sammie. Opening the door a crack, she looked into the room. Sammie was already asleep. Sighing, Ramona turned toward the kitchen and began looking in cupboards. She found a pan. Now what? Where would she find water? Did the stove have propane in it? Or would she have to heat the water over an open fire outside?
She looked in the cupboards, hunting for matches. In the high cupboard over the stove, she found a half-empty box. Lighting one, she tried to turn the stove on, but it did nothing. No propane. She blew out the match and set it on the stove. Outside she found an ancient pit encircled with big rocks. She gathered what sticks there were around the house. Inside, she found an old newspaper to use for starting the fire. She crumpled it up, set it in the middle of the firepit, and built a teepee shaped circle of sticks around it, then lit it with a second match. The fire lit and was soon producing some heat.
There had been no plumbing inside the house. No water. She looked around for a well. It was there, overgrown with brush, between the house and the surrounding forest. She spotted the well surrounded by young aspen trees. A water bucket was fastened to a rope above the well. She lowered it into the water below and drew up enough to make tea for them all.
At the fire pit, Ramona set the heavy iron pot next to the flames and sat down on the surrounding weeds to wait for it to heat. She was so tired. She wanted to sleep, like Jenny and Sammie, to shut out the pain and fear. But the others needed her help. Looking around, she saw only tall pine and fir trees. The house was in a slight depression, so there was no view of the mountain below. If only she could see the valley! She might be able to determine where they were. Maybe plot a way out. The road had been long, but surely there would be a more direct path or creek she could follow...if she got the chance.
Alone, she whispered her prayer aloud to God. "Lord, rescue us! Our hearts and bodies are sore. I don't know where we are or how to escape, for we were laying down in the bed of the van with no windows, and we drove for such a long time. We miss our families. Please keep us safe!"
"I am with you. Do not be afraid. I have plans for you, plans for a future and a hope, not for the evil your captors intend. Let you heart be at rest, child."
Though she could not see him, Ramona knew she had heard from Jesus. Her heart found peace in his promise. Matthew 10:27 came into her mind. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
"Thank you, Jesus," she whispered.
***
"Aaron called a meeting tomorrow night. Can we still use your parents' home?" Ethan asked, coming back into the kitchen carrying Ramie on his arm.
"Sure. But I'll need to vacuum and dust first." I turned back to the stove and removed a ham and potato casserole from the oven. Setting it on a hot pad in the middle of the table, I went back for the green salad, then the milk.
"Okay. The meeting's at seven tomorrow evening. We can go over early and dust together. You'll like that, won't you, Ramie?"
The little boy's face lit up and he nodded. "I wike to dust. I helped Mommie."
Looking down at his son's face, Ethan's eyes misted a little. "Good. Then you can be my special helper tomorrow." He put Ramie into the highchair and came over to help me serve the food.
"It's a feast, Skye." He smiled, searching my eyes. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Ethan. I've enjoyed cooking for the two of you. It keeps me busy."
Later, while Ethan put Ramie in bed, I went out to the front porch and sat on the swing. Below me, my parents' house lay outlined by the moonlight. We'd put the horses in the barn earlier. The cattle were taking a short nap in the meadow. They'd stir soon and go back to grazing. But for now, all was quiet except for the comforting sound of crickets.
"Mind if I join you?" Ethan asked softly from the doorway.
I patted the seat next to me.
Ethan signed as he sat on the swing. "It's so peaceful here. It's hard to imagine that somewhere in these mountains three girls are being held captive." He shook his head. "I haven't been able to get them out of my mind. I keep thinking how I'd feel if someone stole my Ramie." He buried his face in his hands for a moment. Raising his head, he said fiercely, "I'd comb these mountains every day to rescue him!" He sighed again. "It's a lot of land to cover, but we'll find them. I'm sure of it in my heart."
I looked at the mountains rising behind our homes. "There just has to be an old barn or cabin out there somewhere, Ethan. If they couldn't escape the area because of our patrols, they have to be up there. Somewhere. God will help us find them."
Ethan nodded. "Yes. I believe he will." He sat back in the swing and slowly began to relax. Moonlight touched his face making him look younger, like the teenage neighbor boy of our shared childhood.
"Remember the time Aaron and Chuck were lost in those mountains?" I studied the Big Horn Mountains lying silver beneath the moon. "Dad took our hunting dog, Rusty, and gave him the scent. And Rusty found them. But it took hours."
"Yes, I remember that. Dad grounded Aaron for two weeks." He sat up straighter, staring at the mountains himself. "That's it!" he said. "Deputy Hawk has a hound for tracking! We might be able to find the girls, if Aaron has anything he could use to put the dog on a scent. He said he found a lot of evidence. The people in the house had left in a hurry." Ethan's eyes gleamed with hope.
I leaned against his shoulder like I had often
done many times in childhood after a tiring adventure. I felt Ethan start in surprise, but I didn't move away. I wanted him to see me as a woman, not as a childhood playmate.
After a moment, he lifted his arm and draped it over my shoulder, leaning toward me, like in the old days. Only this time there was a different feel to the air. The feeling between us was almost tangible. I sensed he saw me as a woman, not just as a childhood friend.
He laid his cheek on my head. "I'm glad you came home, Skye."
"Me too." I lifted my face and smiled up at him.
Hesitantly, Ethan lowered his head, and his lips met mine. His hand came up and drew me closer. His lips moved across my cheek and below my ear.
Passion ignited a fire in my veins. I'd never felt like this before. "Ethan...Ethan..." I whispered.
The sound of a vehicle turning into the driveway interrupted the spell Ethan was weaving around me. He groaned and reluctantly moved away then stood.
It was Aaron's patrol car.