by Diane Weiner
Jonathan said, “I’ve been bothered by the same thing, Maddy. After working with Robby, I’m convinced of his innocence. I have some investments I can access. I’m going to put up the bail money and get him out.”
Maddy hugged him. “Really? You’d do that?”
Henry said, “Are you sure, Jonathan? It’s a lot of money.”
“He doesn’t have any family around and he won’t have the means to flee the country. He told me he doesn’t even have a passport. I feel perfectly confident that my investment will be safe.”
“With him out, maybe he’ll remember something that will help clear him,” said Emily.
“Thanks for lunch. I’m going to work on the bail right now. I’ll call you when he’s free.”
Emily let him out and picked up the stack of mail. “Hey, Maddy. The results from Ancestors Are Us are here!”
After Maddy had been assigned to make a code of arms for school last year, Henry felt like she needed a connection to her past and had ordered the kit.
“Let me see,” said Maddy. She grabbed the envelope from Emily and tore it open. “It’s not too easy to understand.”
Henry took it from her. “Well, it says you are 60% Scottish, which we knew, some more European, and Indian, as in from India.”
“My father must have been from there, right?”
“At least he had Indian blood in him.”
“I don’t look a bit Indian.”
“The percentage isn’t that high. The genes from your mom’s side dominated. And here’s some good news. No risk factors for major diseases. Your mom had Huntington’s in her family, but you’re all clear!”
“Thanks for getting this for me, Henry. I can’t believe it was so easy to find out. No blood drawn or anything.”
“Amazing how much you can find out about someone just from a drop of saliva. Some cold cases have been solved after lying dormant for years now that we have this technology.”
“Maybe the police will find some saliva from the actual killer and Robby will be off the hook. At least he’s getting out of jail. Do you think Coralee will still let him live at the inn?”
“I’m sure she will. She’s got a big heart and she went through having her own son in prison so she’s been sympathetic all along.”
“Hey, this has gotten me thinking about the clues. Emily and I went over to the old church down by the river. There’s a rusty gate locked with a padlock, and an old graveyard. Can we go back and explore?”
“Emily, you didn’t tell me…”
“It was on the way to dinner last night. Dallas came up with the idea of the chimes meaning the church by the river and the graveyard like in the poem Gray’s Elegy.”
“I’m off today. I suppose we could go look.”
“Wear old clothes and closed shoes. It’s an overgrown mess and there’s a fence to climb over,” said Emily. “Oh, and let’s bring the skeleton key just in case it goes with the lock.”
“We’ll bring all the clues. I’ll go get them,” said Maddy. She retrieved the silver box and brought it to the coffee table. “Here’s the key, and the poem. What about this playing card? It’s an ace of spades.”
“Don’t know. Maybe when we get to the church it’ll mean something. I’m going to throw on some jeans and my old running shoes. Maddy, why don’t you do the same. You already scraped your knee last night climbing the fence.”
After changing and gathering up the clues, they hopped into Henry’s Jeep. The air was sticky and Emily hoped they’d beat the late afternoon rain which had become a pattern this summer.
“How long do you think it will be before Robby gets out?” said Maddy.
“Jonathan was going right over to the jail. I don’t think it’ll be long,” said Emily.
“Can we invite him over to dinner when he gets out?”
“Of course,” said Emily. “You can make Coralee’s squash casserole. You still have the recipe, right?”
“It’s in the kitchen drawer.”
“I’ll drag out that old ice cream maker we got as a housewarming gift.” She turned around and saw a twinkle in Maddy’s eyes. She had a feeling there was a crush going on and hoped beyond hope that Robby would be cleared.
Henry pulled onto the dirt path leading to the church. “Looks like no one’s been here in a long time.”
“Except for us. Come on,” said Maddy. She hopped out and ran to the gate. “Give me the key.”
Emily took it out of the box and handed it to Maddy. “Careful, there’s a lot of rust.”
Maddy tried to fit it into the lock. “It won’t go in.”
“Scrape it against the bars. Try to loosen the rust,” said Henry.
“I’m trying.” She turned it in different directions. “It doesn’t fit. I think it’s the wrong key.”
“Plan B?”
“Plan B,” said Emily. Before she got the words out, Maddy was halfway over the fence. Emily heard a thump, but this time Maddy had landed on her feet. “Come on.”
Henry gave Emily a boost, then followed her over the fence. He was secretly proud that he and Emily still had the wear-with-all to hop fences and explore graveyards. Maybe they weren’t as old as he was starting to imagine.
“Let’s clear some of these graves.” Maddy started pulling at the weeds.
Emily took a pair of gloves out of her pocket. “Put these on.”
“I can’t get these up.”
Henry pulled with her. “I have some tools in the Jeep.” He returned with a Swiss army knife and sawed at the weeds. “There, that works.” He rubbed his sore hand on his shirt.
Maddy cleared the tombstone. “Margaret Hutchinson. Loving mother and wife. 1900-1929. Here’s another one.” She and Henry worked to clear another tombstone. “Elizabeth Raines. 1903-1904. She was just a baby!”
Emily, who was searching through the cemetery, said, “Back in those days, a lot of infants died of things that are curable now.”
The Swiss army knife was frustratingly slow. Henry said, “Why don’t we run home and get some real tools before it gets dark.”
They jumped into the Jeep.
“I wonder when that church became abandoned?” said Emily.
“They might have records over at City Hall. I’ve often wondered why there wasn’t a history museum in our town like the one over in Oakbridge.”
“Yeah, that one is tiny but look at what we learned about Vermont and slavery when we visited.”
He drove down the hilly road, back toward home. He wondered if his grandfather was trying to get him caught up on family history. He remembered a conversation he overheard as a little boy. His grandmother was fighting with his grandfather and said something about him being the black sheep of the family and hoping the grandkids never would know. When he walked into the kitchen, they stopped talking abruptly. Why had he kept that memory for so long? Something about the tone in which it was said… He had a feeling in his gut that they were about to find out something better left hidden.
“Henry, that’s our turn,” said Emily. “You were a million miles away.”
“So it is. I’ll run out and get some tools and a flashlight.”
“Hurry, or it will be too dark to work,” said Maddy.
Henry retrieved gardening shears and a saw from the barn. On the way back to the car, he noticed a stain in the driveway and bent down to inspect it. It felt like oil or gasoline, he couldn’t be sure. Maddy rolled down the window and shouted, “Hurry, Henry.”
He got back in the driver’s seat. “Off we go.”
The new tools were much more efficient than the Swiss army knife. They systematically worked through each row of the cemetery, hardly noticing how dark it had become. The sound of crickets broke the deadly silence.
Maddy shouted, “Look! This one says, ‘Theodore Fox, 1910-1970. Devoted husband to Mary, father to Martin and Theresa’.”
“That was my grandfather! His name was Theodore. I never knew he was buried here.” Why didn’t I kno
w I had ancestors buried right here in town? If my grandfather left this as a clue, he had to know he’d someday be buried here. I’ll bet my grandmother is here too.
“Maybe that’s what the scavenger hunt is all about,” said Emily. “Your grandfather wanted you to know your family history.”
Maddy said, “And I’m getting to discover it along with you, just as if I’ve been part of your family all along. Let’s keep searching.”
“It’s dark now. How about we come back tomorrow?” suggested Emily.
“I’d like to stay, but it’s pretty hard to see what we’re doing here.” Maddy followed Henry and Emily into the Jeep.
“I’ll bet the clues all have something to do with your family. How about the chimes? Do you think it just was the graveyard, or something in the church?”
“You’re guess is as good as mine. Like I said, my grandfather loved puzzles. I’m wondering about the playing card. When we get home, let’s look at it more closely.”
Henry pulled out onto the dirt road and started for home. It was drizzling, and he deliberately tried to slow down.
“Henry, what’s wrong?” said Emily.
“It’s the Jeep. I’m trying to slow down, but the brakes aren’t working!” He headed down a winding hill, fighting to keep the car on the road.”
“Careful, Henry. Can you pull over?”
“How?” There’s no shoulder and gravity is making this worse as we speak.”
“Are we going to die?” asked Maddy.
“Don’t be so dramatic. Henry has this under control.”
Henry clutched the steering wheel and jammed down as hard as he could on the brake. He fought to hold the Jeep on the road. He turned around a bend, barely missing the guardrail. Sweating, he was keenly aware that he held the life of his family in his hands. Maddy screamed from the backseat. Emily took out her phone but it fell out of her hands when they whipped around the last turn.
“Henry, watch out!”
He heard his wife’s words in slow motion as the Jeep tumbled over the guardrail. The last thing he felt was the airbag smacking him in the face as the car rolled over.
Chapter 22
Henry opened his eyes. Well, one of them anyway. The other throbbed and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t get past seeing through a slit. Not that he could see much of anything in the dark. He tried to pull his left arm from where it was wedged against the door. It wouldn’t budge. He wriggled the other arm free. Emily!
“Emily, are you okay? Emily, wake up!”
She felt like a limp sack of flour. His seatbelt kept him from fully embracing her. The tools he’d brought to the graveyard would be helpful. Too bad they were stashed in the back. The tool. Emily had bought them both seatbelt cutters/window smashers after watching a segment on Dr. Oz. He reached under the dashboard and was able to wriggle it out.
“Emily.” He used the blade and after a short struggle, freed himself, and pulled out his other arm. “Emily.” He stroked her gently, not knowing the extent of her injuries. What if he’d killed her?
“Maddy!” How had he forgotten, even for a moment, that he had a daughter in the back seat? He reached over the seat, feeling blood. He had to get them out of here. Emily moaned.
“Emily, are you okay?” He unclasped her seatbelt, then reached over to open her door. The driver side door was jammed. He couldn’t feel his left leg, but pulled himself carefully over his wife and out the door.
“Henry, where am I?”
He cradled her neck and back, then lifted her to the ground beside the car. “We had an accident. It’s going to be okay.”
“Maddy! Where’s Maddy?”
He was regaining feeling in his left leg, and hobbled to the passenger door. “It’s stuck.”
“You have to get her out. Is she moving? Is she…”
“I can’t see much of anything.” He went back in through Emily’s door and carefully lifted Maddy to freedom. He leaned over and felt her chest rise and fall. “She’s alive. Maddy, wake up!”
Emily tried to sit up. Her head throbbed and she felt as if she would throw up if she continued. “How will anyone find us? Does your phone work? Mine’s in my purse, in the car.”
Henry felt his pocket. It must still be in the car. He hobbled back to the car, and reached around. “I can’t find it.”
“Henry, do you smell something?”
His heart sank. Smoke. With urgency driven by the memory of Dan’s car accident, he came back out, carefully picked up Maddy, and carried her as far from the car as possible.
“Henry, what’s going on?”
He said, “If you grab my arm, can you walk?”
She now knew where the expression ‘seeing stars’ came from. “I think so.” When she stood up, she vomited. Henry wiped her face with the bottom of his shirt.
“Come on.” He put his arm around her waist and led her away from the car. He definitively smelled smoke now. Frustrated, he picked her up and hustled as best he could to where he’d put Maddy.
“Henry, we have to get an ambulance. It’s dark and I’m scared. No one will look over the guard rail and see us.”
Henry’s head throbbed. If he went back to the car to search for a phone, he may get caught in an explosion. If he waited, Maddy might die of her injuries. Then, he though he heard sirens. Was it his imagination?
Emily shrieked. “I think it’s an ambulance or a fire truck.”
He heard it now, breaking through the silence and lighting the darkness. The EMT’s ran to them.
“You’re going to be okay. We’re here.”
“Go to my daughter. She’s unconscious. How did you find us?”
“Lucky for you that car of yours has a GPS emergency system. It saved your life.”
A fire truck whizzed by and headed to the smoking Jeep. One of the paramedics went to Emily.
“I’m fine, just help my daughter.”
“That wrist looks broken.” He shone a light in her eyes. “And I’m fairly certain you have a concussion. Let’s get you and your family to the hospital.”
The ride seemed interminable When they finally got to the hospital, Maddy was whisked into the urgent section of the emergency department. Emily and Henry were taken to treatment rooms, separated by a curtain.
“I’m a doctor. I’m fine. I need to be with my daughter.”
The new resident said, “I know who you are, Dr. Fox. Let me check you over and you’ll be free.”
After being cleared with severe bruises and a soon to be black eye, Henry popped a few Ibuprofen and held an ice pack to his eye as he found Emily.
“My wrist is broken and I have a concussion,” she said. “They want me to stay overnight but I don’t want to.”
Henry talked to the resident, who agreed to let her go after Henry promised to watch her carefully and bring her back to get a cast after the swelling subsided.
“Where’s Maddy?”
“They took her to the OR. She had some abdominal injuries,”
“Will she be okay?”
Henry trembled. Not wanting to alarm his wife, he said, “She’s in good hands. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” He led her to the waiting room.
“Henry, buddy, what happened? Are you okay? You look like you lost a fight with a heavyweight.” Pat looked him over, then turned to Emily. “And you? Is the wrist broken?”
She ran her other hand over the ace bandage. “Yeah, but I’m fine. It’s Maddy we’re worried about.”
Detective Megan came in. “I saw the accident report. Is everyone okay?”
Henry answered, “We think so. Maddy’s in surgery.”
“Tell me what happened? How did you lose control of the car?”
“The brakes went out. I’m not sure what happened. I do remember seeing oil in the driveway, or maybe it was brake fluid.”
“I’ll send someone by to test it. The car is pretty damaged, but we’ll see what we can find.”
Henry was reluctant to voice his concern. In the
pit of his stomach, he felt as if this was done deliberately. Dan Fischer warned him that someone would be coming after him. He didn’t want to admit what he felt was the truth. Someone wanted him dead.
Pat brought them Styrofoam cups of coffee and waited with them as Megan returned to the station to begin an investigation. After several hours, the surgeon appeared. Henry knew him, and tried to read his expression.
“Your daughter had abdominal injuries, which we were able to repair. She’s stable, but the next 24 hours are crucial. She’s in recovery now.”
Henry held Emily’s good hand and ran into the recovery room with her.
“Henry, she looks awful! What if we lose her? Fiona trusted us to take care of her and now.”
“It’s all my fault. I couldn’t keep control of the car.”
“And it was my idea to go to the cemetery in the first place.”
Henry was still concerned about his wife’s concussion. “Why don’t we go home and get a few hours of sleep. They’ll call the minute anything changes. She won’t wake up for a while.”
Emily kissed Maddy’s forehead and followed Henry to the parking lot. Working on autopilot, they realized at the same instant they had no car!
Chapter 23
“Did you sleep at all?” asked Henry. He poured a cup of coffee and filled Chester’s bowl. “Last text was an hour ago and there’s been no change. How’s your arm doing?”
“Hurts, but right now I’m more concerned about Maddy.” She inspected his eye. “Don’t go telling everyone your wife beat you.”
“I’ll say I walked into a door.” He gave her a kiss.
“Is that your phone?”
Henry picked it up off the table. “No change as of last update. We’re heading to the hospital now. What? You’re sure? I see. I noticed a spot of oil in the driveway. I assumed it was oil. Brake fluid? I will.”
“You will what? Who was that?”
“Detective Wooster. They were able to inspect the Jeep.”
“And?”
“Someone tampered with the brakes. Someone is after me.”
“What! First Damari, then Chauncey, then Dan, and now you? Are you saying there’s a serial killer right here in Sugarbury Falls?”