Gathering Shadows

by Nancy Mehl

  “Sounds good.” Reuben got to his feet. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “Wait a minute, Paul,” I said. “I need to ask you a question.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “You said August had a journal.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Did he have a distinctive way of forming the letter T?”

  Paul frowned as he considered my question. “As a matter of fact, he did. The top line was extra long. Extended across the rest of the word.”

  I nodded. “The person who sent the newspaper articles wrote the same way.” I reached into my pocket and took out the note I’d kept with me so it wouldn’t disappear along with our other clues. I handed it to Paul. “You might want to compare this note to the handwriting in the journal.”

  Paul took the paper I offered him. “I will. Thanks.”

  Dad and I said good-bye to Paul. As soon as he and Reuben were outside, I turned to my father. “I hope this was the right thing to do.”

  “We had no choice. We’ve got to do everything possible to bring Ryan home.”

  “At least we can be certain August sent the articles to me and the note to you.”

  “Well, it certainly sounds like it,” Dad said, “but we can’t be completely sure until Paul compares the handwriting.”

  “I guess, but I’m already convinced. Paul confirmed August had copies of the newspaper articles, so at least we can put that question to rest.”

  Dad shook his head. “Of course that only brings up an even more important question. Why did he send these things? Are they related in some way?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “You know, Paul seemed to realize we weren’t telling him everything.”

  “Honestly, Emily, I really don’t see that what happened at that hospital so many years ago has anything to do with this situation.”

  “It might not, but this isn’t the time to protect ourselves.”

  My father didn’t respond, just stared into his coffee cup.

  “Dad, why would August have news reports about Ryan’s abduction? Could he—”

  “Be Mac?” My father sighed. “Believe me, it crossed my mind, but I don’t think so.”

  “Why? You never met him.”

  “Paul said he rented a small room from some family in Sanctuary. Money was important to Mac. He blackmailed me for years, and I’m fairly sure I wasn’t the only one. I sincerely doubt someone like Mac would end up in a little rented room in a small Mennonite town. Doesn’t make sense. Besides, didn’t you say August was a cook in a local restaurant?”

  I nodded.

  “Mac was a low-down blackmailer, but he seemed intelligent. He never did anything to give himself away. Never made a false step. His vocabulary was extensive. He certainly didn’t appear to be the kind of person who would be happy with a job like that. And as far as the note, why would Mac send it? He wouldn’t want us to find Ryan. I think this August person may have accidently stumbled across something that got him killed.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Dad gave a sigh. “Look, if we decide there’s a good reason for me to tell Deputy Gleason about your birth and what I did, I will. If it would help us find Ryan, I’d crawl over broken glass. But until we know it’s necessary, I’d rather keep that to myself.”

  “You know, it’s possible once we find out the truth, we may also discover Mac’s real identity.”

  Dad nodded. “But I doubt it.” He shook his head. “I still don’t believe he had anything to do with Ryan’s disappearance. Never did.”

  “I don’t think we can rule it out though.”

  My father’s face turned crimson with anger. “What will it take to get you to let this go? Mac had nothing to do with your brother!”

  “You don’t have to yell at me.”

  “I-I’m sorry. It’s just—”

  “If Mac was involved, you’ll blame yourself.”

  Dad gazed at me with tears in his eyes. “Of course I will. If I’d told the police about Mac when Ryan was abducted, maybe we would have found him.”

  I got up and went over to the couch, putting my hand on my father’s arm. “Dad, the police told you it was Burroughs who took Ryan. There wasn’t any reason for you not to believe them. You didn’t do anything wrong. Let yourself off the hook.”

  He put his hand over mine. “I’m afraid there are a lot of things I’m on the hook for, honey. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for all the mistakes I’ve made.”

  “I understand that you believed you were doing a good thing the night I was born, even if you didn’t do it the right way. I thought about what you said about Mom too. You’re right. Her past history might have made it impossible for you to adopt me.”

  “I knew she would be a wonderful mother. Her . . . problems had nothing to do with being able to love you and take care of you. If they had, I wouldn’t have made the decision I did. Wouldn’t have put either one of you in that situation.”

  “To be honest, I don’t know what I would have done in your position.” I paused and took a deep breath. “But I know your heart was in the right place. You and Mom always made me feel loved and accepted.”

  “Except when I started drinking. With everything else I did wrong, that’s the one thing I regret the most. I let the pressure overwhelm me. I let all of you down.”

  “I was thinking about Mac,” I said. “What if you had refused to let him blackmail you? If he’d really followed through on all his threats, we would have had to deal with the truth back then. As a family. Maybe it would have made a difference.”

  “I thought about that.” His voice faltered. “But we could have lost you, Emily. You weren’t ours . . . legally. I couldn’t do that to you—or to us.”

  “Maybe I’ll find something when I look into Marian Belker’s death. Where and when she died. It might lead us to finding Mac.”

  Dad shook his head. “I’m certain Mac wasn’t his real name, and he’s probably long gone by now.”

  “Still, wouldn’t you like to know who this guy was?”

  “Of course. I’d love to see him face justice.”

  “That could bring everything out in the open, Dad. I thought you didn’t want that.”

  Dad kneaded his temples, and I realized how weary he looked. “I don’t know, Emily. We just have to let it play out the way it will. If we can keep your mother from any more pain, I’d like to do that. God knows I’ve caused her enough.”

  “So you’re convinced Elijah is Ryan?”

  “I think it’s entirely possible, but to be honest, there’s still a little doubt in my mind.”

  “You’re afraid Burroughs really did kill him.”

  Dad rubbed his hands together like he was cold, but it was warm in the room. “I was certain Burroughs murdered Ryan, although down through the years, I guess there was always a small seed of uncertainty. I wondered more than once if Ryan could possibly be alive somewhere, but the police were so certain, I was afraid to hope.”

  “I never completely believed he was dead. I’ve been hearing him for years in my dreams. Calling my name. Asking me to find him.”

  My father stared at me with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? You never said anything.”

  I shook my head. “I was afraid. Besides, we haven’t really had much honest communication, have we?”

  “No, we haven’t. And that’s my fault too. I’ve been keeping secrets for so many years I’m not sure what the truth is anymore.” His face was twisted with emotion. “But the one thing I never lied about was how much I love you, your brother . . . and your mother.”

  “You still love Mom?”

  “Always. I never stopped.”

  “What about Angela?”

  He shrugged. “I married her because I was desperate for a family. I felt so lost and alone.”

  “And now you’ve lost her too.”

  “Our marriage wasn’t right, Emily. Not from day one. I was willing t
o do the right thing—stick it out—but then she found someone else. Someone who wasn’t still in love with his wife.”

  Dad’s declaration astounded me. I was still trying to come up with a response when Reuben came through the front door.

  “Are you all right?” he asked when he saw my face.

  “Yeah. Fine.”

  “Well, at least we know who sent those newspaper clippings, and it looks like August also sent the note to you, Lyndon.”

  “But we don’t know why,” I said.

  Reuben glanced down at his watch. “Look, it’s after two in the morning. I think we all need to get some sleep. Paul will be back in the morning, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “I’ve got a long ride back to the motel,” Dad said. “I need to get on the road.”

  Reuben frowned at him. “I live right outside of town, Lyndon, and I have plenty of room. Why don’t you stay the night with me? Of course you wouldn’t be able to change your clothes.”

  “Actually, I’m fine,” Dad said. “I packed a bag for Jamesport just in case. It’s still in the car.”

  “Great. Just follow me. You’ll get a lot more rest this way.”

  “Thanks, Reuben. I appreciate it.”

  Dad looked over at me. “Guess I’ll see you in the morning, honey.”

  “Okay. And thanks, Reuben.”

  “No problem.” He came over and gave me a quick hug. “Have faith,” he whispered in my ear. “We’ll have the truth soon.”

  “I know,” I said quietly. “See you in the morning.”

  After they left, I carried our cups and saucers to the kitchen, rinsed everything out, and left them on the counter.

  Before going upstairs, I checked the front door to see if it would lock. There was a knob on the inside, so I turned it and was relieved to hear a click. Maybe Esther didn’t believe in locking her door, but knowing someone who didn’t belong had slipped inside the house at least twice convinced me we needed to be especially careful.

  I turned off the light in the living room and went upstairs. As I passed Zac’s room, I could hear him snoring. His door was open, so I poked my head inside. The reason I hadn’t seen any of the cats around this evening quickly became evident. All four of them were on the bed, snuggled up against Zac’s body. I smiled and closed his door. Tomorrow I’d bring him up to date on everything that had happened after he went to bed. I still hadn’t told him about our visit with Samuel.

  When I reached my room, I should have dropped right into bed. It had been a long day, and tomorrow promised to be another one. But something kept rolling around in my head, so I grabbed my laptop, settled onto the fainting couch, and started doing a little research. An hour later, I’d uncovered something interesting. There was nothing I could do about it at three in the morning, so I closed my computer, changed into my pajamas, and crawled into bed.

  When I finally fell asleep, once again I heard Ryan calling my name.

  But this time his voice was much louder.

  And closer.

  Chapter

  Twenty-Three

  “Wynter? Are you awake?”

  It took effort to open my eyes. My body screamed that it needed more sleep. I rolled on my side to see the clock by my bed. Eight o’clock.

  A knock on the door. “Wynter, can I come in?”

  I recognized Zac’s voice. “Wait a minute,” I called out. I got out of bed, found my robe, and went to the door. He was standing on the other side, dressed and looking concerned.

  “Sorry, I was starting to worry.”

  “It’s only a little after eight, Zac.”

  “I know, but when I got up to go to the bathroom last night, I heard voices downstairs. It was after midnight. What’s going on?”

  I swung the door open and motioned him inside. “Why didn’t you come down?”

  “I heard your dad. Figured maybe it was family stuff. Didn’t want to horn in.”

  “You wouldn’t be horning in. I don’t have any secrets from you anymore.”

  He laughed. “You’re just feeling guilty because I may have been poisoned for your sake.”

  “You’re probably right. And I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  “Thanks. So now what, Sherlock?”

  “How about you go away and let me take a shower? I’ll meet you downstairs in about thirty minutes and bring you up to date.”

  “Don’t you have an appointment to keep this morning?”

  “So that’s why you woke me up.”

  “I didn’t want to see you hauled out of here in handcuffs. Would upset my digestion, and there’s been enough of that.”

  “Actually, our deputy friend is coming here at nine, but not to drag me off to the slammer. He’s going to help us find out where Elijah and his family have gone.”

  Zac’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious? And how did this magical transformation take place?”

  “All in good time, my friend. Now scoot.”

  “Okay, okay. Hope Esther’s making some of those melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. I could eat them every day. Not sure what I’m going to do after we go home.”

  “You had your chance. She was willing to share her culinary secrets.”

  He laughed, got up from the bed, and left. I hurried around, took a quick shower, and was downstairs about forty minutes later.

  After saying good morning to Esther, I joined Zac in the living room, where he was sipping coffee and waiting for me. First I told him about our visit with Samuel and Naomi, then filled him in on last night’s events.

  “Wow,” he said when I’d finished, “a guy gets a little sleep and misses out on all this? I may never sleep again.”

  “Don’t say that,” I said with a yawn. “I’m beat.”

  “So now what?”

  “I get a cup of coffee.”

  Zac made an impatient noise. “I mean, what do we do today?”

  “Well, Reuben, Deputy Gleason, and my dad are going to check with some people in town who know the Fishers. See if they can figure out where they are. If they don’t turn up something solid, Paul’s going to drive to Samuel Fisher’s farm and rattle his cage a bit.”

  One of Zac’s eyebrows shot up. “And just how does he intend to do that?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe Paul can bring up things like impeding an investigation or aiding a kidnapper. I don’t know, but he seems like the kind of guy who won’t take no for an answer. I suspect Samuel won’t last long under real pressure.”

  “I hate to bring this up, but what about the station? How long are we going to be able to keep Ed on ice?”

  “I don’t know, Zac. Right now, I just don’t care. We’re so close.”

  “I know.”

  “You should go back.”

  Zac’s eyebrows shot up. “Without you? No way.”

  “Look, there’s no sense in your losing your job because of me. I’m running out of excuses for Ed. I’ve been thinking about telling him the truth. Let the chips fall where they may.” I smiled at Zac. “You’ve been such a good friend, but it’s time I started thinking about what’s best for you. I’m going to take the blame for all of this. I want you to call Ed and tell him you’re coming back today.”

  Zac was quiet for a moment. Then he shook his head. “No. I won’t do it. Coming here—being with you—has given me much more than any job ever will. I’ve not only made a good friend, but I think I’ve rediscovered something else I never thought I would—my faith.” He gave me a tremulous smile. “So you see, no matter what happens, I’m ahead. A job’s a job. I got hired at KDSM, and I can get hired somewhere else. I’m not leaving. I’m seeing this through to the end.”

  “Oh, Zac. Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want to be here when you find your brother.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Then I want to be here to help you through that. Either way, I’m not leaving.”

  “Here I’ve tried to kee
p myself from making emotional attachments, and suddenly I find myself with a new friend. How weird is that?”

  “Hey, my new friend turned out to be a reporter—and a woman. No one is more surprised than I am.”

  We both laughed, and I let go of his hand. Then I dug around in my pocket for my phone. “Well, guess I might as well get it over with. This should be interesting.”

  “Good luck.”

  I took my cell phone outside. Not wanting to be disturbed in case Reuben and Paul showed up while I was talking, I walked around the side of the house. Thankfully, I had enough bars to make the call. As my phone dialed the number of the station, I noticed something odd in the grass. I quickly hung up before the call went through and looked closer. A narrow patch alongside the house had been planted with something. Bricks formed a border around the small garden. The scent coming off the plants made it clear Esther was growing mint. But the plants right under the window were crushed, and some of the bricks used to create the border had been moved and stacked on top of one another. Someone had been looking in the window. I stood on my tiptoes and stared inside. I could clearly see the living room and Zac sitting in a chair, waiting for me.

  I stepped back and stared at the bricks. Who had been watching us? And why? I started to put the bricks back where they were supposed to be but then thought better of it. Maybe leaving them where they were would be smarter. When Paul and Reuben arrived, I’d tell them about it. With any luck, perhaps our peeper would come back and we could catch him.

  I walked quickly back toward the front of the house, hoping the person who’d been spying on us wasn’t watching. I didn’t want him to know I’d discovered his makeshift perch.

  I sat on the edge of the porch and redialed the station number. The receptionist put me through to Ed. When he answered, I said a quick prayer, took a deep breath, and let the truth tumble out unfettered. All I could do was hope it made sense and Ed would understand.

  I’d just hung up when I saw Reuben’s truck coming down the street. I jumped up and hurried inside.

  “They’re here,” I told Zac.

  “Did you get Ed?” he asked.

  “I wish I could give you better news. He wasn’t happy. We’ve got until the end of the week to finish the story and get back. Then he wants to meet with both of us.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Zac. I may have lost us both our jobs.”