Feather From a Stranger

by Marianne Schlegelmilch

  “I just had the vehicle fully serviced there two days ago and they found nothing out of order then. The mechanic said that the hole looked suspicious, like maybe the line had a small nick in it. He came right out and said he thinks somebody has been tampering with my vehicle. He said normal driving would never have created the clean slice like the one he found. He advised me to contact the police.”

  Doug shifted in his chair, his mind racing and not believing what he was hearing. “The mechanic said that if I had driven it that day,” Mara continued, “I wouldn't have gotten very far before losing power—or overheating the engine. It's lucky I didn't take off before daybreak like I had planned. I might have sat for hours before someone found me on the dark road. It's still pretty dark and pretty cold in the mornings up here, and then there is that brown bear that everyone's been spotting up here all week. Thank goodness you convinced me to wait until this morning to leave, Ellie.”

  Doug shifted uncomfortably again. The scenario was already too much like the one surrounding Dan's plane—a vehicle losing power and control under stress—water in the gas line—what the blazes was happening?

  “I'll drive you in to town to talk to Ken Tandry in the morning,” he said to Mara. “I think your mechanic was right. I think you need to report this to the police.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Sarah

  KEN TANDRY DROVE UP BEHIND SARAH WHEN SHE RETURNED AROUND 7 p.m. As Doug walked out to meet them, they stepped awkwardly away from Sarah's open car door, unsure if Doug had seen their embrace.

  “Hi Doug,” Sarah smiled, quickly recovering her composure as she looped the strap of her purse over her shoulder and headed for the house.

  “Nice to see you, Sarah,” Doug replied, stifling a smile before extending his arm to shake the hand of Ken Tandry.

  “I got a call from Mara about thirty minutes ago,” Officer Tandry began with a demeanor that was all business. “She told me what the mechanic said about her vehicle and that you had offered to bring her down to talk with me in the morning. Figured I might as well come up,” he said shifting from leg to leg uncomfortably.

  “Much appreciated, Ken,” Doug said. “How about joining us for some dessert in the house. Mara's inside.”

  “Don't mind if I do,” Tandry said.

  Ever since the day in Tandry's office when he had cleared Doug of all charges, the two men had become allies in the search for Dan's killer. On several occasions since, they had run into each other when Ken was off duty and had even shared an occasional beer at the local sports bar. There was little doubt that the comfortable rapport between the two men was developing into a bonafide friendship.

  “I've got two officers impounding Mara's vehicle right now,” Tandry said as they walked toward the house. “We'll go over it in the morning and see what turns up. I have to tell you, Doug, I don't like the way things are starting to play out here.”

  “Me either,” Doug said, holding the door open for Sgt. Tandry and leaning closer to him to say softly so no one could hear, “You can use that restroom to your right to get that lipstick off your cheek before you join us if you want.”

  “You know about Sarah and me?” Ken Tandry said as a red flush enveloped his face.

  “I guess I do now,” Doug laughed, patting the officer lightly on the back. “That sure explains why lately you always seem to turn up right after she does.”

  Doug joined the others at the table while officer Tandry made his way to the restroom. Dinner conversation was light in what seemed to be an obvious attempt by everybody to not further alarm Mara, who was beginning to show signs of worry. She assured everyone, though, that she was sure everything would be all right and said she would plan to stay with Ellie for about two more days, after which she thought she would be free to go, and the problem with her vehicle found to just be a mechanical fluke. Co-incidentally, Sarah said she was also extending her stay indefinitely, in order to help Ellie finalize Dan's affairs.

  Sarah hadn't lost much time in adopting the more casual dress favored by both Ellie and Mara. She had easily settled into life at her sister's homestead. Her new look suited her and the other two teased her about being the most aristocratic fashion icon that bib overalls had ever graced.

  In spite of attempts to tease her sister in the way she always had, as well as to mask her sadness for Anna's sake, it was obvious to everyone that Ellie's sparkle was gone. Anna tried to mother Ellie. She was a beautiful and gracious child, a rarity among five-year-olds. She was the only bright spot in Ellie's heart right now and seemed to be the strength that kept her mother going.

  As Ken Tandry stood to leave, Mara noticed Sarah reaching for her coat to walk with him to his car. Before she could think about the two of them any more, she felt Doug Williams hand lightly touch her elbow.

  “I hope you know that Ken Tandry will do all he can to find out what happened to your vehicle.”

  For a moment their eyes met and she felt strangely secure. “I know he will. Thanks.”

  “Well, I'd best be going now,” Doug said.

  He turned and walked to his pick-up, trying his best not to focus on Ken Tandry and Sarah locked in a passionate kiss next to Ken's squad car parked in the shadow of the barn.

  When Sarah came in, Ellie and Mara had just finished the dishes, and Ellie was trying to help Anna with her spelling, while Mara wiped off the kitchen counters.

  “So, Sarah,” Mara began, “You've been outside for quite a while. We were wondering where you were. Was that Sgt. Tandry's squad car I saw pulling out just before you came in?”

  For a few moments, Sarah just stood and said nothing. Finally, she spoke.

  “Mara, Ken Tandry and I…well, I love him and he said he loves me. I know it's sudden, but tonight he asked me to marry him. The truth of it is that I said yes. I said yes, Mara.”

  Suddenly Sarah broke into an unrestrained smile. “I'm not going back to New York. I'll make arrangements to have my things put in storage until I decide what to do with them. We're getting married in the courthouse on Saturday.”

  “That's only two days, Sarah, “Mara said.

  “I want you to be my Maid-of-Honor and Ken is planning on asking Doug Williams to be his Best Man. I know it seems all rushed and everything, but say you will. Say you'll help us start our new life together.”

  “Of course I will, Sarah,” Mara replied. “I can't believe it! I never would have dreamed!”

  Mara hugged her friend so tightly that Sarah had to push her away so she could breathe.

  Ellie, who had been standing with her back to both of them, suddenly turned and threw her arms around both women and told them she couldn't be happier for Sarah and Ken.

  “Sarah, please let me be the one to give you away,” she said to her sister.

  “But Ellie, it's so close to you losing Dan. I wanted to ask you just that, but I was afraid to.”

  “Dan wouldn't have it any other way,” Ellie told her only sister. “Weddings are a time of happiness and celebration and yours will be no exception. I won't hear of letting you tone down your ceremony out of some concern for me.” Ellie stopped to brush tears from her eyes. “Dan would want you to have the best wedding possible. He would want you to be as happy as we were.”

  “And Anna will carry the rings,” Sarah said, holding Ellie tight.

  For the first time since Dan's death, Ellie cried. The news about Sarah had opened her own heart to the love she and Dan had shared—the love she had tried not to think about anymore for fear of crumbling to dust. Her tears fell unrestrained and late into the night, her sister and her best friend held her until she could cry no more. And when she was done, she felt she could live again. It's what Dan would have wanted—for her to be alive and to feel the joys in life.

  In the morning, the three would plan the wedding.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  The Wedding

  THE SECOND SATURDAY IN MAY WAS SEASONABLY COOL WITH BILLOWY white clouds streaking the sky and
a stiff wind flittering the new birch leaves that were just beginning to pop from their spring buds. With the wind coming in from the south, the air was free of the blowing glacier silt that marked most windy days in the Valley.

  Sarah had decided that for her Alaskan wedding she would wear a long-sleeved white cotton dress that she had found at a shop in Wasilla. It had tiny, cloth-covered buttons running up the entire front closure all the way from the ground to the high-button neck. Her shoes were tight-fitting white Italian leather boots, with laces that wrapped around hooks and tied in tiny bows at her ankles. She wore her long, blond hair in a modified upsweep with tendrils interwoven with pink satin ribbons flowing down her back. Her bouquet was a mixture of natural wildflowers—wild iris, wild lavender-colored lupine, pussy willows and sedge grass—with the stems completely bundled within a wide white satin ribbon, around which was twisted a very narrow pink satin ribbon that matched the one in her hair.

  Ellie, Anna, and Mara all wore long cotton fine floral print dresses of a simple, long-sleeved design that they had found in Anchorage the day before. Doug Williams looked handsome in his customary jeans and leather sport coat, while Ken Tandry was the perfect complement to his bride in a dark suit, white shirt, white tie and gray striped vest.

  As the noon whistle rang out in Palmer, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Tandry exited the Palmer courthouse and stood outside as fifty or so friends and co-workers filed past them to extend congratulations. The entire police force from Palmer, Wasilla and the Mat-Su Borough were there it seemed, as were Sassy, her brother Adam, and three of Sarah's co-workers, who had flown in from New York as much to accept the transfer of her work assignments as to wish their now former co-worker well.

  The turnout was immense considering that there had only been a two-day window in which to plan the event. Everyone seemed to agree that the spontaneity alone made it one of the most memorable weddings they had ever attended. When Mara hugged Sarah and then Ken, Ken took a moment to reassure her that the report on her SUV would be ready by three that afternoon, and that his colleague, Officer Craig Pilson, would go over it with her. Mara shushed him almost as soon as he began talking, chastising him for worrying about what was probably nothing to worry about when he should be enjoying his wedding, and nothing but his wedding.

  As the newlyweds greeted their friends, Mara saw Ellie and Anna drive off and head in the direction of home. She knew it had been hard for Ellie to be here and didn't try to stop her. She would talk to her tonight and comfort her as best she could. She knew first hand how hard it was to lose your husband and soul mate. Ellie would be all right in time, Mara knew that, but right now it was just too early for her to feel anything much more than numb.

  Doug Williams stopped Mara as she walked back to the truck that Ellie had loaned her until her own vehicle was ready.

  “Ken asked me to go with you to the trooper's office at three. He asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you were all right.”

  “Really? Thank you, Doug, but I couldn't impose on you that way,” Mara told him. “I'm sure it's nothing at all to worry about.”

  “Nonetheless, Mara,” Doug persisted, “Even though I know and you know that you are now an independent Alaskan woman,” he winked, “Ken pretty much insisted that I go, so if you don't mind the company, I'll meet you there at three.”

  “Well, okay. Thank you, again,” she answered, feeling somehow secure just in knowing that someone cared to watch over her.

  For being in Alaska for only a few months, she had certainly made some loyal friends. They felt like the family she didn't have—Sarah, Ellie, Anna, Doug, her new co-workers, and now Ken. Mara felt blessed, like she had a guardian angel watching over her during this scary time of forging a new direction in her life. It was a good feeling and one that let her know on some deeper level that everything was going to be okay.

  “Dougy,” the two heard a woman call from across the parking lot. Turning, they saw Sassy dressed in a long flower-print skirt and a tight, fitted white denim jacket walking toward them. Her long blond hair was tied loosely at her neck with a dark purple, jeweled barrette. She wore large dangly earrings made of gold nuggets and amethyst beads that matched the tiny lilac flowers in her skirt.

  Sassy was an attractive woman and she knew it. She exuded self-assurance and spunk to the point of intimidating most men. Women, on the other hand, seemed to be able to see right through her façade and generally found her to be brassy and insincere. It was easy to see how she had acquired a name like Sassy.

  Although outwardly friendly, claiming many friends, there were few who really knew anything but her fun-loving gregarious side. Most people gave her a wide berth, fearing that being on her ‘wrong-side’ would bring them more than a fair share of trouble. Well known as a top-notch horsewoman, most saw her as a somewhat brassy loner. She was seldom seen in the company of anyone but her brother, her students, and Doug Williams.

  Mara excused herself from Doug, who was now fully embraced by Sassy. “I'll see you at three for that appointment,” she said to Doug, who could do little more than nod in return.

  “Nice to see you again, Sassy,” she called back to the woman who had all but ignored her.

  Browsing through the aisles of books at the bookstore across the street from the Palmer Depot, Mara's thoughts turned to Sarah and Ken. She planned to leave for Homer Sunday night and knew that today would be the last day she would see them for a while. Flipping idly through one of the books she had picked up, she reflected on the talk she and Sarah had held earlier that morning, as they got ready for the ceremony.

  Sarah and Ken were planning on spending their wedding night and a couple of extra days up at the lodge in Hatcher Pass, high in the mountains just north of Palmer. After that their plan was to fly to New York to arrange for Sarah's belongings to be flown up to Alaska. On their return, Sarah would settle in with Ken in his apartment while they searched for a house.

  They had already thought about their future. Sarah was in the early stages of planning a business as an interior designer for new construction homes. She said she had Ken's full blessing on this endeavor and that he felt it would be a good way for her to get used to Alaskan life while he was at work.

  Mara was happy that her best friend would soon be living in Alaska and had listened eagerly as Sarah told her how Ken had his own side interest in construction and that his dream in life was to find a way to start his own cabinet and furniture making business. Hopefully, someday soon he would find a way to leave the police force and the two would be able to merge their businesses and work together.

  Leaving tomorrow would be bittersweet for Mara. She knew that she and Sarah would always be best friends. Just as Sarah had once watched her go off to her life with Brad, now it was her turn to watch her friend start a new life with someone else, the most important person in her life. She put the book back on the shelf and decided that she would forget about reading for now and maybe have a latte instead while she waited for her appointment at three.

  Across the street, Sassy was still clinging to Doug.

  “Dougy,” Sassy said with a pout as she tucked her fingers under Doug's shirt collar. “What meeting do you have at three with that girl from Outside?” Clearly uncomfortable and looking annoyed, Doug answered, “You mean, Mara, Sassy? I know you know her name.”

  “Well, yes…Mara, then,” Sassy said as she stepped away from Doug.

  “Ken Tandry wants me to go with her over to his office for some business related to her vehicle,” Doug said. “It shouldn't take more than a half hour to forty-five minutes or so. Why don't you go home and I'll meet you back there for dinner—let's say around six, just in case I get hung up.”

  “Well, okay, Doug,” Sassy said. “If you have to go, then I guess I'll wait for you at home, but it's Saturday night.”

  Suddenly the sparkle returned to her voice.” There's a big dance in The Butte tonight I was hoping we could go to.”

  “Sure, Babe,” Doug answered.
“Can't waste showing you off when you look so nice now, can we?”

  With that, the two walked arm in arm back to Sassy's truck, where he helped her in and closed the door for her, forgoing the usual kiss they exchanged at such times. Doug's passion for Sassy was cooling no matter how much he tried to deny it, and Sassy knew it, which only made her cling to him more. She watched him walk back to his own truck, her brows furrowed and the smile gone from her lips. Tossing her head, she revved the engine of her truck before speeding off toward her home in The Butte, even burning a little rubber in the process—a habit she had acquired from A.C.

  Watching intently from outside the courthouse door was her brother, Adam. Snuffing his cigarette out in the white sand of the canister placed there for such a purpose, he climbed into his truck and headed to the liquor store two blocks away. Returning to his truck a few minutes later with a long-necked bottle tightly wrapped in a brown paper bag, he too, sped off in the direction of The Butte.

  Steve Bitten and Karen Steele had seen the wedding party and stopped by on their way to Anchorage to congratulate the happy couple. They were walking across the parking lot of the railroad depot towards their vehicle in the far corner, when Mara stepped out of the bookstore across the street and saw them. Doug watched her fall to the ground as she began screaming hysterically. Along with several others, he ran to her side.

  Suddenly Steve Bitten broke away from Karen Steele and jumped into his truck, speeding towards the north, while Karen Steele grabbed her cell phone and held it to her ear.

  “Brad!” Mara screamed. “No! No! No! It can't be!”

  “It was Brad!” Sarah said, leaning over her best friend. “I was just coming out of the ladies’ room when I saw him talking to Ken, so I ducked behind the corner and talked with someone else until I saw him leave. The minute he was away from the building, I told Ken. He looked at me like he didn't know what I was talking about.”