Back to Salem

by Alex Marcoux

  “In Colorado? Through the Gorge?”

  “Yes,” Jessie answered.

  “You’ll be fine. You’re lucky to get on the trip this late. There was a last-minute cancellation. A couple out of Detroit had a death in their family, so there were two last-minute openings. But now we’re full. Did you get your river bag?”

  “No. Pat suggested I get one from you.”

  “Okay.” Ted went to a van, pulled out a rubberized bag, and handed it to Jessie. “Everyone else was given this last night. Pack your personal items in this, except of course the items you want during the day. When we reach camp tonight, you’ll be given another bag just like this, which will include a sleeping bag, foam pad and a ground cloth.” Ted looked around for Jessie’s bag. “Where’s your bag?”

  “I have it in my car.”

  “The rest of the group will be here in about 30 minutes. Why don’t you go pack your bag and then I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew, including your guide. Just remember, you’re not going to have access to your bag until we reach the campsite. Set aside any personal items you want along with you during the day, like a camera, sunscreen, and extra clothes. Each raft has three river bags you can keep those things in.

  “Have you made arrangements about your car? You’ll be hiking out at the south rim, down by Phantom Ranch.”

  “Yes. I hired the shuttle service. Someone is driving the car down to the top of the Bright Angel Trail.”

  The man pulled out a sheet of paper. “What’s your last name again?”

  “Townsend. Here, let me help.” But as Jessie scanned the roster, she searched for Taylor’s name. She learned that Taylor, Travis and Mark were in Ted’s raft with three others.

  “Oh, here it is. You’re with Justine.” Ted pointed at a woman who was loading the van.

  “Great. I’ll go pull my stuff together and meet up with Justine in a little while. Thanks for the help, Ted.”

  Back at the car, Jessie opened the back hatch. There was an assortment of shopping bags she needed to pull together. After leaving California unexpectedly, Jessie had spent the previous day shopping for everything from clothing to camping accessories. She made a substantial dent in her cash, leaving her with less than two hundred dollars.

  Quickly, Jessie packed the clothes and accessories in her river bag. She tidied up Alison’s car, leaving her personal items hidden in the rear of the car. Jessie glanced at her watch. She realized she had a couple of minutes to spare and pulled out her cell phone to call her house, but “No Service” was prominently displayed on the phone.

  Jessie closed up the vehicle, picked up the packed river bag and empty backpack, and set out for the pay phone outside the lodge. She quickly punched in the numbers.

  “Hello,” Alison answered.

  “Hi, it’s me.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “I was able to get on the rafting trip. I only have a minute. I used your credit card to pay for the trip. I wanted to make sure you knew. It’s costing about $1,600. I promise I’ll take care of you when I get back.”

  “Have you seen Taylor?”

  “Not yet. I’m kind of hoping she doesn’t see me until we’re on the river. I don’t need any problems right now.”

  A familiar laugh brought Jessie’s attention to a small group that was passing the lodge. When she saw Travis, Mark and Taylor walking in her direction she quickly hid her face. Calmly, she placed the river hat on her head then followed with sunglasses.

  The three carried river bags and backpacks. Travis continued his belly laugh as he came within a couple of feet of Jessie. None of them saw her.

  After they had passed, Jessie whispered, “They’re here. There’s no cell reception in the canyon. So, I don’t know when I’ll speak with you again. But thanks for everything, Alison.”

  “Good luck, Jessie.”

  Jessie waited until other passengers arrived at the gathering area before she made her way back over to the van. Most of the people seemed to flock together in one area and Jessie quickly surmised that Taylor was at the center. She approached Justine and introduced herself.

  “Hi, Justine, I’m Alison. I understand I’m in your group.”

  Justine turned and studied Jessie, then shook her hand. She wore a long-sleeve white nylon shirt concealing her muscular frame and screening her upper body from the sun.

  “Hi, Alison. I understand you didn’t make it last night. You didn’t miss too much. Everyone introduced themselves and river bags were handed out. I see you have yours.” Justine reached for Jessie’s bag. “Here, let me show you how to seal the bag so it’s watertight.” Justine quickly pressed the bag, expelling the air and creating a vacuum. She then rolled up the bag and tied it off.

  “Got it?” Justine asked.

  “Got it.”

  Justine studied Jessie. “I’m sorry, Alison. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just that you look a lot like one of my favorite authors. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Jessica Mercer?”

  “Yes. Actually I have heard that before.”

  The river bags and daypacks were packed in the van, then Ted announced that they were ready to go to the launch site. Jessie watched people disperse to either the parking lot to get their vehicles or board the van. She waited on the sideline as Travis, Mark and Taylor boarded the van, then she went to Alison’s car. It was a quick drive to the fourteen-day parking lot across from the launch site. Here she was instructed to leave her car and conceal the keys in a “hide a key.”

  A short walk brought her to Lee’s Ferry, where six rafts were neatly lined up. The rubber rafts were yellow with gray accents. Four were smaller, with seven paddles, while the equipment rafts were larger and had a set of oars. A rope was tied around the outside of each raft, and two nylon-netted bags were secured to the rope in the front of each raft.

  Justine made an announcement to review safety protocol. She discussed safety procedures in the event someone fell out of the raft. Then she asked everyone to take a lifejacket, note the number displayed on the front of the jacket, and securely fit it.

  Jessie picked up jacket number 201 and put it on. To avoid Taylor, she quickly walked away from the group.

  It was Justine who followed her away from the crowd. “Has a guide checked your jacket yet?”

  “No,” Jessie admitted.

  Justine took hold of one of the four straps. Her eyes met Jessie’s. “These need to be tightened more.” She quickly tightened the straps. “Remember your number. You’ll save a lot of time not having to fit these each day. But they loosen up, so tighten the straps every day, okay?”

  Justine was friendly enough, and it didn’t take Jessie very long to figure that she was gay and maybe even a little curious about her.

  Jessie and the other members boarded the raft. Jessie was surprised at how firm the raft was. She easily walked along the outside of the hard tube to the rear of the raft, where she sat, then stored her personal day items and a fanny pack in one of the waterproof bags that was secured to the raft. Her water bottles were placed in the nylon-netted bag that would eventually be dropped into the river to keep the drinking water cool.

  Within a short time, all the rafts were packed and smaller groups had formed around their guides. Jessie carefully kept track of Taylor, Mark and Travis’s whereabouts. Ted’s raft was the first on the river. Justine’s group was second.

  Once in the water, the guides assessed how the crew was able to paddle together. Jessie sat in the rear of the raft; Justine sat behind her. A couple from Miami and a family of three from Cleveland completed the crew. A lead person in the front was selected for the crew to follow. Justine reviewed instructions for forward commands and turns. The teams worked together practicing turning for the first seven miles, then the river changed and the rafts hit Badger Creek Rapids, the first white water, offering an exciting ride, before they broke for lunch.

  As the raft reached the tiny beach, Justine said, “In case you’re wondering w
here to tinkle, as a guideline we generally use skirts up—pants down. So ladies go up river, and men go down.”

  Once on shore, the staff quickly set up a wash bucket near the rafts and a table in the limited shade. Two guides busied themselves laying out sandwich makings.

  Others from Jessie’s raft went off together. Jessie knew she was being antisocial. She found it interesting that even after rafting with her group that morning, she couldn’t describe her raft-mates. The majority of her focus had been to keep an eye on Taylor and stay out of sight from the three.

  When the opportunity presented itself, Jessie made a sandwich, took her water bottle and moved away, finding a quiet part of the beach, while Taylor stayed with the rest of the group.

  For most, the afternoon offered plenty of excitement and fun. For Jessie, her focus never changed. It was five-thirty when the rafts stopped at a sandy beach. The group was asked to hang tight and form human chains to facilitate unloading of the rafts. Jessie watched from afar as people passed bags from person-to-person until the luggage had been neatly unloaded and placed on a large tarp.

  Then Ted demonstrated how to assemble and dismantle a tent. He cautioned, “If you choose to use a tent, just remember, they’re extremely hot; I don’t recommend them unless it’s raining.”

  It was Taylor who pointed to the sky and asked, “Ted what’s flying overhead?”

  The group looked up to see the tiny birdlike creatures circling above. “They’re bats.”

  It was Taylor who took the first tent. Jessie overheard Mark offer to help her with it.

  “One last word before we set up dinner. Do not remove your sleeping bags from the river bags until you’re ready to use them. Snakes and scorpions love unoccupied sleeping bags. Also, don’t leave any of your bags opened. Close everything up after each use, and always shake out your clothing before putting it on.”

  The group dispersed and people sought their own private area on the beach to lay out their tarp. Jessie waited for everyone to claim their bags and sleeping area and then found an area on the opposite side of the beach from Taylor.

  Taylor was exhausted. The day had proven to be fun, yet she had a hard time taking her mind off Jessie. Both Mark and Travis had been good to her and expressed concern in their own ways. She was pleased that Mark hadn’t brought up the kiss from the evening before. It was one thing she didn’t want to deal with. Taylor had been the center of attention the first day and hoped that the group would settle down soon and give her some privacy. She had been introduced to the majority of the people on the trip. Occasionally, she caught sight of a woman she hadn’t met, yet who reminded her of Jessie. Taylor never saw her face, but it was the way the woman stood.

  Taylor wondered how it had gotten as bad as it was. A week earlier, her life had seemed perfect. In that moment she wondered how she could have been so wrong. She wondered how she could have fallen in love with someone as disturbed a Jessie. She also knew she was still in love with her and wondered how she could convince her heart to stop loving her.

  The staff was working on setting up appetizers and dinner. Taylor decided she would take the opportunity to find a private area along the river to wash up. Mark offered to escort Taylor for her walk. She held up her toiletry bag; he blushed permitting her privacy.

  As Taylor walked away from the camp, she realized it was the first time she had been alone since the evening before. She enjoyed the peace and quiet. She walked along the riverbank until she found an area that offered some privacy by rocks and vegetation.

  She splashed cold water over her face, gasping at the initial contact. Then she removed her soap and proceeded to wash up and brush her teeth. Once finished bathing, she moved away from the river and started to head back, but the quiet was soothing and called to her. Instead, she found a rock overlooking the river and sat, enjoying the solitude. She was there for a minute before she realized that she wasn’t alone.

  In her peripheral vision, she saw a figure standing on her right side. Startled, she looked to see who it was, but she wasn’t prepared. At first, Taylor didn’t recognize Jessie under the river hat and sunglasses. When she did, she stood and backed away.

  “Please don’t run,” Jessie said calmly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  But Taylor continued to back away. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk with you,” Jessie walked to her. She removed the sunglasses, allowing them to hang freely from her neck.

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

  When Jessie saw that Taylor kept backing away from her, she stopped. “Taylor, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I didn’t do it, Taylor. I didn’t kill Kurk.”

  “Tell that to the police.”

  “You’re what’s important to me, Taylor. I need you to believe me.”

  Taylor just shook her head. “Please go.”

  “I can’t. Not until you believe me.”

  “Jessie, what am I supposed to believe? I saw the box. The box in the crawl space.”

  Jessie sighed. She removed her hat and her long brown hair fell past her shoulders. “I know what that must have looked like. I’m sorry. I should have been honest with you from the start.” Jessie moved to the rock that Taylor had been sitting on, and sat. “I’ll tell you everything, if you give me a chance.”

  Taylor remained standing.

  “Why don’t you sit?”

  “I’m comfortable where I am. Tell me—why did you collect that stuff about me?”

  Jessie looked into her eyes. She saw Taylor’s doubt and fear and it pained her. Jessie wondered if the truth would help. Or will it make things worse?

  “You’ve come this far, Jessie. Tell her,” the little voice pestered.

  “A little over three years ago, I started noticing connections between you and me,” Jessie started.

  “Connections?”

  “That’s the only way I can explain it. They started with dreams then I started noticing that everywhere I went, you were there.”

  “How?”

  “I would get in the car and hear one of your songs playing on the radio. I’d go to a restaurant or a store and one of your songs would come on; I’d wake up to my alarm and you’d be singing. I would turn on a television and you’d be on it. I’d pick up a magazine, and you’d be there.”

  “Coincidence.”

  “Taylor, I had a dream, and in my dream I was given a picture. And the person who gave me the picture said that I would find the answers to my questions in this picture.”

  “And it was a picture of me?”

  “No. It was a picture of the CD cover to Karmic Debt. The strange thing was, I hadn’t seen the jacket before. So, the next day when I came across the jacket…it blew my mind. I’ve got to admit, Taylor, I hadn’t been one of your fans. I wasn’t very familiar with your music so I needed to sort out why I was having these…connections to you.”

  “So you collected this obsessive box of items about me?”

  “I guess that’s when I started collecting things. But you see, every time I learned something about you, an article, your lyrics, anything…I seemed to be even more connected.” Jessie shook her head, “I know this has got to sound crazy.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “At the time, I was in the process of writing Deceptions, and I realized that I was becoming distracted and I couldn’t concentrate on finishing the novel. I spoke with an intuitive about what the connections could mean.”

  “An intuitive?”

  “A psychic.” Jessie sensed that her credibility was slipping. “Taylor, I was hypnotized and had a past-life regression.”

  Taylor stared back at Jessie. Karen’s words raced through her head. “There is someone from a past life that is involved in some type of karmic debt. There is real danger with this person. Their intentions are not healthy and this is what is causing danger. The cycle must be broken…”

  “And we were t
ogether in a previous life,” Taylor said.

  “Yes. We were.” Jessie was surprised at how calmly Taylor said it.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “We knew each other during the Salem witch trials.”

  “Salem?” Taylor said. Oddly, she found it confirming to her as she had always been troubled by the events.

  Jessie was surprised at how detached Taylor seemed. “I was your husband.”

  “Was I a witch?” Taylor asked, even though she knew the answer.

  “Yes.”

  “You told me once that you went back to Salem to do some research on an ancestor.”

  Jessie nodded.

  “Was that really me you researched?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was I executed?”

  Jessie slid off the rock and took a step toward Taylor, so she could better see her eyes. “I don’t know. While the records I found confirmed my regression was accurate, it ended with you being sent to trial.”

  “Do you know what my name was?”

  “Rebecca Johnson. I was Daniel.”

  Taylor pondered her song, “Daniel’s Heart.”

  “We lived in Andover, and you were brought to trial in September of 1692.”

  “My name wasn’t among those listed as executed?”

  “For some reason, Taylor, your name is listed among those accused, but the outcome of your indictment is unknown.”

  Taylor stared back at Jessie.

  “You don’t believe me?” Jessie asked.

  “It’s not that I don’t believe you. It actually fits. I have wondered about a past-life connection between the two of us. It would explain my attraction to you. And I’ve always had some very intense feelings about the injustices from the Salem witch trials. But it’s irrelevant whether we were together before, anyway.”

  “What?”

  “What’s important is the here and now.”

  “I agree. That’s why I did the regression.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Before the regression these connections to you were driving me crazy. I was having a hard time focusing on my life. My work was slipping, and I ruined a good relationship. After the regression, I had a strong need to know what happened to you. By going back to Salem, I exhausted every effort to find out what happened. When I didn’t find out, I figured I was just not meant to know. But after that—I was able to get on with my life. I packed all the items I had collected about you in a box, and stored it in my crawl space. Clearly, I should have destroyed it.