by Amy Reade
She settled into her armchair. “This house has been through plenty of hurricanes. Sarah told me about the Great Hurricane of 1893. It made landfall in Savannah, Georgia, and devastated the coast from Georgia to New York.”
“It sounds awful.”
“That’s what Sarah said. But you know what? This manor house has survived them all. And you know why? Because slaves built it, that’s why. They were craftsmen. They took pride in the work they did. They were good at what they did. Their work has stood for almost two hundred years, through hurricanes and storms and climate and weather, and it’s still standing because they knew what they were doing.”
“I never thought about it that way, Phyllis. You’re right. They must have been amazing craftsmen.”
“And they built those cabins, too. The only reason the cabins don’t look so good now is that they weren’t allowed to use the high-quality materials on their homes that they used for the great house.” She shook her head in disgust.
“It’s amazing that they’re standing at all, then. What a testament to their work.”
“Unfortunately not everyone sees it that way.”
“Maybe we can get them to, Phyllis, if you’ll think a little more about my suggestion to restore them. Graydon thinks it’s a good idea, and we would do it respectfully.”
She stared into space for a full minute, then answered me.
“Maybe. Just maybe. I suppose the family will go ahead and do what they want whether I like the idea or not, so it would be nice if someone could do the work like it deserves to be done, to honor those people who built the cabins.”
“I would do that, Phyllis. I promise.”
She smiled at me. “Do you think maybe I could help you?”
“I wouldn’t want to do it without your help,” I told her.
“Then let’s give it a try.”
I beamed at her. “That’s wonderful! Everyone will be so happy to hear that you’ve given the project your blessing!”
“You go back to the manor now and ride out the rest of this storm in the drawing room with the rest of the family. I’ll be fine here.”
“By yourself?”
She smiled again. “I won’t be by myself. Sarah’s here with me.”
In spite of myself, I turned around to look behind me. As I had known, I couldn’t see anyone standing there, but apparently Phyllis could. “Okay. But come and join us if you want to,” I remarked as Lucy and I left.
“Who’s Sarah?” my little one asked as we made our way back to the drawing room.
CHAPTER 18
We all camped together in the drawing room that night. Evie and I went down to the basement and brought up several air mattresses, sheets, and blankets that had been in the storage room containing the emergency supplies. Everyone shared a big pot of “hurricane stew” that Phyllis had left in the kitchen. It was delicious mix of tomatoes, zucchini, sausage, onions, and carrots. Even Lucy liked it, and she wasn’t usually fond of any red food except pizza.
It took Lucy quite a while to fall asleep because of the noise from the wind, the excitement of having a sleepover with the entire household in the drawing room, and the lamp that we left burning dimly in the corner. But eventually her breathing became deep and regular and I knew she was sleeping soundly.
It was almost midnight when the power went out. I was still awake, listening to the crashing and shrieking of the wind outside. I didn’t know if anyone else was lying awake, but when the lamp went out suddenly several voices started whispering at once.
“Daddy, are you awake? The power’s out,” Evie said. She didn’t even sound tired.
“I know,” came his reply.
“Hush, both of you,” cautioned Vivian. “You’ll wake Lucy.”
“Should we get the candles?” asked Ruby.
“Nah,” answered Graydon. “As long as it’s the middle of the night, let’s just try to get some sleep. We’ll get the candles tomorrow when the storm is over. If it ever ends.”
As if in response, the wind outside roared around the house, slamming rain into the windows. I shuddered. The emergency radio bleeped on, warning us of possible tornado conditions nearby. That really scared me. I lay next to Lucy, stiff as a board, wishing I could be sleeping as peacefully as she was. Evie stood up and went to the front door. I watched her from my mattress through the doorway of the drawing room. She opened the door and looked out; the noise from the wind reached a deafening pitch with the door open. With an effort, she closed the door again and came back into the drawing room.
“The sky doesn’t look any different and I don’t hear a tornado,” she whispered. “Not yet, at least.”
Having lived in the Midwest, I knew all about tornadoes. They touched down often in Illinois, but I had never experienced one in Chicago.
“Is it common to have a tornado during a hurricane?”
“No, but it’s happened before,” Evie answered.
I don’t know how I ever got to sleep, but eventually I drifted off into a fitful rest.
There must have been a lull in the wind for a brief moment in the middle of the night. That’s when I heard the blood-curdling scream that jolted me to my feet.
Evie and Graydon heard it, too. The others remained asleep.
We all raced to the front door and stared out into the storm. We couldn’t see anything but the slashing rain and the trees near the house, nearly bent over to the ground from the force of the wind.
Another lull, and we heard it again. It seemed to be coming from behind the manor. Graydon grabbed a raincoat from a hook near the rear door of the manor and turned to us.
“I have to see what’s making that noise.”
“Daddy, you can’t go out there! You’re limping and your arm is all bandaged, and your eye is hurt, too!”
He looked at Evie grimly. “I can’t just ignore that screaming.”
There was a tremendous banging at the front door. I hurried to yank it open and Heath stood there, soaking wet.
“What’s going on? Were you screaming?” I asked.
“No. But I heard it, too. I went out to see what it was and I didn’t find anything.” He looked at Graydon’s bandages in surprise.
“What happened to you?”
“Never mind. Where’s the noise coming from?”
“The pond outside Phyllis’s apartment.”
“Let’s go.”
Before Heath could say anything, Graydon had opened the rear door and was headed out into the storm, his body bent to shield his face from the wind. Heath hurried after him.
I could barely see Heath and Graydon as they made their way slowly to the pond. Suddenly Heath bent down and reached for a dark form lying on the ground. He must have called for Graydon, who turned back and knelt down. Together, the two men started pulling the form toward the house. Addie had somehow gotten out of the carriage house and was jumping back and forth between them.
I couldn’t stand watching anymore. I ran out into the storm, telling Evie to keep an eye on Lucy. “Heath?!” I cried, lurching toward the dark figures.
“Stay back, Carleigh!” came his voice through the storm’s din. I ignored his warning and kept going toward the men. The rain stung as the wind blasted it into my skin.
I stopped short when I heard Heath yell. “Carleigh, go back and call an ambulance! This guy needs help!”
I didn’t even stop to ask who the person was or why he needed help. I turned on my heel and ran back into the house.
I burst through the door; and it wasn’t long before Evie was at my side as I held the house phone to my ear. She held a flashlight.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” asked a woman’s voice.
“I don’t know! There’s someone hurt outside, but I don’t know who or how,” I answered breathlessly.
I told her where I was located. Her voice came back on the line.
“I don’t think we can get anyone out there right now because of the storm. Can you describe the in
juries to me? I’ll tell you what to do to keep the patient stable until help can arrive.”
“Yes.” I stayed on the line while we all waited for Heath and Graydon to pull the stranger to the safety of the house.
I turned to Evie. “Where’s Lucy?”
“She’s still asleep. Can you believe it? I’ll go back in the drawing room and stay with her. I just heard you come in and I needed to know what’s going on.”
Vivian and Ruby appeared in the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
Evie turned around. “I don’t know. There was screaming outside. Daddy and Heath are out there and they’re bringing someone back inside. The person is hurt.”
I looked outside again, the phone still clutched in my hand. Heath and Graydon were still tugging on the stranger’s arms, making slow progress toward the manor.
I had to help them. I spoke quickly into the phone.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” came the dispatcher’s calm voice.
I ran out again into the fierce storm. “Come on, buddy!” Heath was yelling above the wind. “Try to push yourself along a little. Carleigh, take Addie into the house, will you?” Graydon tried to put his arms around the man’s torso to help Heath pull. The man seemed to be having trouble using his legs. I focused the flashlight’s beam on the ground behind Heath and Graydon so they wouldn’t trip.
I called to Addie, though I doubted she would leave Heath and Graydon with the man. To my surprise, she made her way over to me, checking behind her every couple seconds to see if Heath was all right. I grabbed her collar and made her stay next to me.
I moved the flashlight beam a little by mistake when I grabbed the dog and saw a dark substance covering the man’s legs. Blood.
“Heath, what happened?” I yelled.
“Alligator!”
I froze. Vivian was standing behind me and heard Heath.
“An alligator!” she exclaimed, wringing her hands. “What are we going to do? We won’t be able to set foot outside!”
The man being dragged appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness, but it was still too dark to tell for sure. Graydon and Heath pulled him up toward the back of the manor as I ran inside with Addie.
Leaving Addie, I returned to the scene as Heath and Graydon were finally able to drag the stranger into the kitchen and turn him onto his back.
CHAPTER 19
It was Brad. He lay on the floor, eyes closed, his leg bleeding profusely where an alligator had bitten him. I gasped.
“I know. It looks pretty bad,” Heath said grimly.
“That’s not what I mean,” I told him. “That’s Brad!”
“Brad? Your ex-husband? What’s he doing here?”
“I have no idea. I thought he was in Chicago!”
Brad’s eyes fluttered open, then closed again. I stared at him in astonishment then remembered the dispatcher on the phone.
“There’s a man here who’s been bitten by an alligator!” I told her.
She briskly gave me a list of supplies we would need to give Brad first aid and then waited as we found everything we needed in the emergency kit. Then she walked me through the process of administering first aid to keep Brad stable until the paramedics could get to the house.
We dragged an air mattress into the dining room and placed a heavy sleeping bag on top. Heath and Graydon carefully lifted Brad onto the mattress and he lay there, motionless, as I bandaged his leg, his arm, and his head. There was nothing else we could do but wait for an ambulance to arrive. My thoughts turned to Lucy. I didn’t want her to know her father was in the house, and I certainly didn’t want her to see him in his condition. I called Evie over.
“Can you keep Lucy occupied in the drawing room and upstairs until the EMTs can get here and take Brad away?”
She nodded. “No problem.”
Graydon and Heath had been drying off and getting warm drinks. They both came to stand near me, as did Vivian and Ruby.
“I wonder why he’s here,” Graydon mused.
I shook my head. “I have no idea. I thought he was in Chicago.”
“What do you suppose he wanted?” asked Vivian.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Heath decided to spend the rest of the night at the manor. He sat with me in the dining room where Brad was curled in a fetal position on top of the sleeping bag. Though it was nearly impossible, I must have dozed out of sheer exhaustion, because I awoke to a strange silence in the house. Mercifully, no tornado had come.
Vivian was opening the door to the EMTs and police. I could see daylight outside. Heath and I stood up quietly and tiptoed to the front door. I showed them where Brad was still lying—either asleep or unconscious, I didn’t know—on the dining room floor.
They quickly took charge of the situation. The police pulled Heath and Graydon and me to the side while the EMTs got to work on Brad’s leg. I heard one paramedic utter the terse phrase “in shock.” I peeked into the hallway just in time to see Evie leading a still-sleepy Lucy upstairs. Thankfully she seemed to be completely unaware of the drama in the dining room.
Heath and Graydon and the police were looking at me. I had missed a question from the police officer.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Do you know that man?” the officer repeated.
“He’s my ex-husband.”
“Where does he live?”
“Chicago.”
“What was he doing here?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t know he was in South Carolina.”
“Would he have any reason to be here that you know of?”
I shook my head. “Not unless he was here to check up on our daughter. She’s here with me while I’m working on restoring this home. But she talks to him every night on the phone and he never said anything about being in the area.”
The officer was writing in a small notepad and turned when one of the paramedics walked up to him.
“We’re taking him in,” the medic said. “You coming?”
“Yes,” the officer answered. He turned to the rest of us. “I’ll be back once the other side of this storm moves through.” Then he followed the paramedics steering Brad on a stretcher around to the front of Peppernell Manor.
Heath and Graydon were staring at me; Vivian and Ruby had joined them.
“I’m so sorry, all of you. I have the same questions that you must have.”
“Brad isn’t the only problem,” noted Graydon. “There’s an alligator on the property that we have to take care of. I’ll call Animal Control after the storm ends. They’ll know what to do. The gator could have come out of the river, or it could have been in the pond. The storm probably stirred it up and it came out of hiding.”
“I hope they don’t kill it,” Ruby said quietly.
Vivian looked at her in disgust. “Ruby, how can you say that? I only hope it doesn’t attack someone else before Animal Control can catch it.”
Graydon addressed his sister. “I don’t think they’ll kill it. They’ll probably capture it and release it far away from here.”
“Good,” she said with a sigh.
“Heath, if you want to get back to the carriage house you’d better do it now before the storm worsens again,” said Graydon.
Heath nodded and whistled for Addie. He looked at me, concerned. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure everything out once the storm is over. Just be glad Lucy never found out Brad was here.” Then he kissed me. I smiled wanly.
He descended the front steps, then turned around just as Evie came up behind me.
“What happened to Mother’s car?” He nodded in the direction of the garage.
Evie rolled her eyes. “Long story.”
“You’ll tell me later, I gather.”
“Of course. Daddy’s mad at her, but I think it’s just a mask for his relief. She got home during the storm last night, long after you left.”
Heath winced. “Thank goodness she’s all right.” He turne
d around and headed back to the carriage house.
“Lucy’s asleep in her bed,” Evie told me before I even had a chance to ask her.
Ruby brought me a cup of tea, which I drank gratefully. I walked to the front door and looked outside again. It was still. I could see the damage wrought by the wind, but it seemed to be mostly confined to tree branches, plants, and some roof shingles from the garage, at least from where I stood.
As everyone made their way into the kitchen, Phyllis appeared and set out slices of homemade banana bread and fresh fruit. Luckily, there was a gas stove in the kitchen and she had been able to heat up water for tea. She said that there were eggs in the refrigerator but since the power had gone out at least seven hours ago, she was reluctant to use them.
We waited for just a short time before the wind started howling again. The back of the storm had arrived, bringing with it more slashing rain. It was somehow easier to wait through the rest of the storm during the daytime. We played games in the drawing room by candlelight since we still couldn’t open the shutters to let in the light, and we read books. Everyone took turns reading to Lucy.
At last the storm was over. The wind petered out slowly, and the rain slowed to a steady drumming. Heath came over and he and Graydon went around the manor, opening shutters to gray misty light. A couple of windowpanes were cracked, but Ruby’s shutter and window seemed to have suffered the worst damage. The rest of the house had made it through another storm intact. Phyllis reminded us as we ate a late lunch of bread and fruit that it was the work of her ancestors that had kept us all safe from the hurricane.
The police and paramedics had my number and had said someone from the hospital would call later. I hadn’t heard from anyone yet, so after lunch Lucy followed me around as I gathered the supplies I would need to refinish the staircase in the entry hall. I began the tedious job of sanding and restaining each step. Around midafternoon, Heath called.
“Feel like going into Charleston with me?” he asked. “I need to check on things at the office.”
“I’d love to, but I assume I’m going to have to talk to the police again and I should probably find out what’s going on with Brad. Besides that, I’ve taken the past few days off and I should really get some more work done,” I explained. “Lucy will have to go back to school tomorrow and I have a couple of shops I need to visit after I drop her off. Want to meet for lunch then?”