From The Ashes

by Claire Sanders

  “What about napkins?” Chloe asked.

  “Painting individual napkins would take a long time,” Judith answered. “What do you think about one big centerpiece instead? We could make a 3-D dragon.”

  “With fire coming out of its mouth?”

  “Yellow and orange tissue paper that would look like fire, but not real fire. Not with all that paper.”

  “What about smoke?”

  “Oh, like a fog machine. That might be possible. What a good idea!”

  Chloe jumped out of her chair and bounced on her toes. “This is going to be the best party ever!” She dashed out of the room calling for her mother.

  Jacob chuckled and sat in Chloe’s empty chair. “No wonder Chloe’s crazy about you. Sure you’re not doing too much?”

  “They’re just decorations. Besides, it’ll be fun.”

  Jacob slid a hand across her shoulders and pulled her into a one-arm hug. “Chloe’s not the only person in this family who’s crazy about you.”

  Judith’s cheeks warmed. “Your mother’s been unbelievably nice. She treats me like one of the family.”

  “I wasn’t talking about my mother.”

  “You weren’t?”

  “It’s not my mother who thinks about you night and day, and it’s not Chloe who wants to kiss you right now.”

  Judith lifted her mouth to his. “Someone wants to kiss me?”

  Jacob leaned forward. “I think you like my kisses,” he said, his warm breath tickling her lips.

  Judith kissed him, reveling in the softness of his mouth and the secure hold of his arms. She’d never have found Jacob if she hadn’t scraped together enough courage to stay in her grandfather’s cabin. In his arms, she found love and acceptance, approval and desire. He’d chosen her above all other women, an honor that thrilled her soul. And her heart had chosen him, too.

  Jacob leaned back from the kiss and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you. Are you sure you’re all right out there by yourself?”

  “Of course. By the way, I saw Dwight Thompson at church this morning.”

  “Yeah. His family’s been members as long as we have.”

  “You and Dwight grew up together?”

  “He’s a few years older than I am. We never went to the same school at the same time.”

  “Do you think he’s capable of burning a church?”

  “I don’t know. But I do know that until the sheriff can get enough evidence, no one will be arrested.”

  “Two ladies came by yesterday. They wanted to take pictures of the church for their historical society. The whole time they were there, I kept thinking about how they were photographing something that might not survive.”

  Jacob frowned. “You were alone?”

  “It was nothing to worry about. Just two ladies who wanted to take some photos.”

  “Still, you shouldn’t have been by yourself.”

  “There’s no one nearby except Beverly and Keneisha, and I’ve already put them in enough danger.”

  “The truck accident wasn’t your fault, Judith. Beverly knows what she’s risking.”

  “I realized that I’d put the church in danger by allowing it to lure the arsonists, but I never thought I’d jeopardize Beverly and Keneisha.”

  “Do you think Beverly might stay with one of her sons in town until this blows over?”

  “I don’t know. Why do you think it’s necessary?”

  He stood and walked to the nearby window, as though he was scouting for enemies in his parents’ back yard. “A few days ago, Dwight came by the building supply. We were talking about the fires and Dwight said the arsonists might not stop at burning empty buildings.”

  “He threatened to hurt Beverly? Or Henry? Surely the sheriff could do something about that.”

  “He wasn’t so blatant. But it did make me think. We’ve been assuming the church would be burned, but until someone ran you off the road, I never thought you or Beverly could be hurt.”

  “Jacob, if Beverly and Keneisha are in danger, I’ll close up the church. Henry’s group can meet somewhere else or wait until their new building is finished. I won’t be any part of allowing a child to be injured.”

  “What do you think Beverly would say?”

  “I don’t know. She knows I was run off the road on purpose, yet she still lets me spend the night at her house. Seems to me as though she’s willing to take the risk.” Judith covered her face with her hand and moaned. “Oh Jacob, it would break my heart to leave Piney Meadow now, but maybe it would be for the best if I did.”

  “You’d leave? For how long?”

  “Until the danger’s over.”

  “That kind of danger’s never over.” Jacob returned to his seat and took Judith’s hand. “Do you want to leave?”

  “No, but if my presence is endangering Beverly or Keneisha…”

  “I’ll talk to Beverly when I take you home. For now, I think we should pray about it.”

  Despite the tension, Judith smiled when she bowed her head. The first thing she’d say in prayer was thanks that the Lord had sent her a man of faith.

  ****

  A few days later, Beverly surveyed the ingredients Judith had piled on the small kitchen table. “You’re sure you want to make chicken and dumplings in your kitchen? Be a lot easier if we did it in mine.”

  “I need to learn how to use this stove,” Judith answered, “and you said my grandfather had everything we’d need.”

  “That’s true. I just feel better in my own kitchen, that’s all.” Beverly searched through a drawer and passed a knife to Judith. “OK, first step, wash those chicken breasts and cut ‘em into small pieces.”

  Judith cut the chicken as Beverly instructed. “Have you thought any more about staying with your son?”

  “I’ve thought about it, but I’m not going to do it. Keneisha and I will be fine in our little house. I know what it’s like to let fear get out of hand, and I’m not about to hide every time somebody says something mean.”

  “Those men who ran me off the road were after me, not you. If something happened to either you or Keneisha because of me, I couldn’t live with it.”

  “Oh Judith, you’d be surprised what a person can live with. But you’re worrying for nothing. We all know there’s a chance your grandfather’s church will end up in ashes, but you’re in a lot more danger than I am. Now tell me what’s been going on with you and Jacob. You two sure have been spending a lot of time together.”

  “You wouldn’t be trying to change the subject would you?”

  Beverly grinned broadly. “I’ve seen the way you look at Jacob when he’s not looking, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Doesn’t take a psychic to see what’s going on. Just when did you fall in love with him?”

  Judith’s throat tightened at the word. She’d barely admitted her love for Jacob to herself. How did Beverly know?

  “That’s what I thought,” Beverly said, her smile broadening. “Besides, I don’t hear you denying it. You love that man, don’t you?”

  Yes, she loved Jacob. Loved him so much she wanted what was best for him. “After my mother died, I gradually became a prisoner in my own house because I was afraid of everyone and everything. But falling in love with Jacob is one of the scariest things I’ve ever faced.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “If I lost Jacob, or if he changed his mind about me…Oh, Beverly, I don’t know what I’d do, then.”

  “You’d find a way to go on. That’s the way life is. People circle in and out of our lives. Some stay longer than others. But there’s only one unwavering love.”

  “Our Father’s love.”

  “You got that right. Now, chop up the celery and onion. And after I peel those carrots, you can chop them up, too.”

  Judith returned to the cutting board and began to peel and slice the vegetables. She and Beverly worked in silence for several long minutes while Beverly
’s last challenge bounced through Judith’s head. In a way, living her whittled-down version of life had been easier than loving. Easier, but not as fulfilling. And if she was ever going to follow God’s will for her life, it was obvious she’d have to continue finding courage.

  Beverly passed a peeled carrot to Judith. “Has Jacob mentioned marriage yet?”

  Judith’s knife clattered on the kitchen floor.

  Beverly cackled with laughter. “I see that he has. What did you say?”

  Judith picked up the knife and washed it. “He didn’t…I mean, he hasn’t…”

  “My heavens, Judith. Getting information out of you is like trying to get crabgrass out of a patch of lettuce. Am I going to have to find some pliers?”

  “Jacob said he wanted to court me, but he didn’t propose.”

  “Uh-huh. But when he gets around to it, you’re going to say yes, aren’t you?” When Judith didn’t immediately answer, Beverly nudged her with a hip. “Aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know. Probably.”

  “Probably?” The look on Beverly’s face clearly communicated her disbelief. “The Lord doesn’t make a man any better than Jacob Fraser. Why in the world wouldn’t you jump at the chance to marry him?”

  “I don’t know. I wish this mess with the church and the hate groups was over. Then I could concentrate on just one thing at a time.”

  “It’ll pass. That’s another thing you can count on. Now put the chicken and the celery and onion in that pot with some butter and cook it ‘til the chicken turns brown.”

  Judith moved the ingredients around the bottom of the pot with a long-handled wooden spoon. “Do you think that finding Jacob is part of God’s will for my life?”

  Beverly turned down the heat under the pot. “Nobody can answer that question except you. What do you think?”

  “I’m afraid I’ll let him down. Sometimes I think it’d be best if I went back to Dallas, just for a while. Rev. Washington could continue building his new church and Dwight Thompson’s hate group would probably back off.”

  “You know, Miss Judith, I’ve read my Bible from cover to cover many times, and never once did I see a promise that our lives would be free of strife. You told me you prayed for courage. Well, how do you think you’ll get more courage if you don’t have times to exercise it?”

  “You think courage is like a muscle?”

  “Everything in life gets easier the more you do it. You can go on back to Dallas if you want, but that’s not going to stop the kind of hate that leads people to burn churches.”

  “Do you think the sheriff or the FBI will catch the arsonists?”

  “Probably. But, Judith, the only thing that stops hate is love. You’ve got so much love in you it leaks out around the edges. I know one thing for sure, if you don’t say yes to Jacob, you’ll be grieving for the rest of your days.”

  Judith knew about living with grief, the way it lodged itself in a dark corner of her heart and refused to leave. “That’s some choice you’ve given me. Marry Jacob and run the risk of letting him down, or don’t marry Jacob and grieve for the rest of my days.”

  “Doesn’t seem like too hard a decision to me.”

  “I’d never want to hurt Jacob.”

  “And you think that running off to Dallas wouldn’t hurt him?”

  “Not as much as marrying me and then finding out I can’t fit into his life.”

  “You can’t fit into his life or you’re scared to try? My word, Judith, you’re holding on to this idea so tight, you can’t see you’re choking yourself.”

  She wanted to argue, to say just the right thing to make Beverly understand her reasons for hesitating, but it was difficult to quarrel when she knew Beverly was right. The only person stopping her from accepting a life with Jacob was herself.

  “Well, enough of this for now,” Beverly said, signaling the end of the argument. “Get me some eggs, butter and milk from the refrigerator and I’ll show you how to make the dumplings.”

  Judith fetched the items and watched Beverly mix them with flour. There was only one choice Judith could live with. She’d go forward, trusting in God’s plan. But it’d be easier if she had the kind of rock-solid faith Henry and Beverly possessed.

  15

  The humid summer air pressed close as Jacob drove to the sheriff’s office that afternoon. He hadn’t heard from the sheriff or Mark Grey since the barn fire, and it was time to get caught up with the investigation.

  The men he’d come to see were gathered around a conference table covered with maps and photos. He exchanged greetings and handshakes.

  “I don’t have to ask what brings you by,” Sheriff Miller said. “You want to know if we found anything at the barn.”

  “And if that threatening note gave you any leads.”

  Mark poured coffee into a white foam cup and handed it to Jacob. “We didn’t find any prints on the paper and the lab is still working on the soil samples we sent in. But the black smoke tells us it was gasoline. That’s been the most common accelerant used in the church arsons.”

  “So you think it’s the same people?”

  “Maybe. You know how hard it is to build a case based on maybes. What we really need are some eyewitnesses who won’t be afraid to testify.”

  Special Agent Lawson nodded to the maps. “The arsons have all been in a three-county area. That narrows our focus to the hate groups that have home bases nearby.”

  Jacob sipped the hot, black coffee. “Any more on that group you told me about? Hunters United?”

  “No, but they’re up to something.” Lawson opened a folder and handed a pamphlet to Jacob. “Seems as though Hunters United is proud of their accomplishments. We found these at a bar in Sabine County. As you can see, they have photos of the churches on fire.”

  Pain darted through Jacob’s head as he remembered his futile attempt at getting information from Lee Buchanan. The FBI had managed what he couldn’t. “There aren’t any firefighters or firefighting equipment in the photos. Could be the arsonists took the pictures before we got there.”

  “That’s what we’re thinking,” Mark confirmed.

  “I’ve been reviewing the video from the cameras we set up at the Beecham place,” Lawson continued. “There’s nothing out-of-place except two ladies who visited the church. One of them took some photos and the other went in.”

  “I need to talk to Miss Robertson about it,” Mark said. “She was with the ladies.”

  “Yeah, Judith told me about them,” Jacob said. “They were from some local historical society and they wanted to see the old church.”

  “Nothing special about that old building.” Mark looked at the sheriff. “It doesn’t have any historical significance, does it?”

  “Not that I know of,” Sheriff Miller answered. “It was built about forty years ago. Hardly historical.”

  Jacob ran his thumb around the rim of his cup. “Have you talked to the ministers of any other African-American congregations?”

  “Yes,” Mark answered. “Some of them have agreed to meet in other locations until we find the arsonists, but most of them are determined to go on with services as they’ve always done.”

  “Any plans to put cameras on those churches?” Jacob asked.

  “Already done,” Lawson answered. “I review the video as I can, but, like I said, so far nothing’s been out of the ordinary.”

  “So where do we stand?”

  “You know how it is, Jacob,” Sheriff Miller said. “We gather evidence and wait.”

  “Lawson and I are here for the long run,” Mark added. “The head of our district office has ordered us to stay until we gather enough evidence to make some arrests.”

  “Do any of you think Judith is in danger?”

  “Not any more than she was before,” Sheriff Miller answered. “We know the arsons always happen at night and, so far, there’s only been property damage.”

  “But Judith has decided to let Henry Washington’s group meet in
her grandfather’s church despite the destruction of her barn,” Jacob said. “Someone wrote ‘the next fire will be closer to home’. I think that means Isaiah Beecham’s church. Do you agree?”

  “It’s possible,” Mark said. “Miss Robertson’s not sleeping out there by herself, is she?”

  “No, she’s staying with her closest neighbor.” Jacob studied the serious faces of the men. “So we just wait for the arsonists to make their next move.”

  “Unless we get a break on the identity of the members of Hunters United,” Lawson said. “We could always bring them in for questioning, but usually the members provide alibis for each other.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky with the videos,” Sheriff Miller said.

  “Or maybe we’ll get really lucky and find a witness,” Mark added.

  Jacob said his good-byes and headed back to Piney Meadow. He’d found little comfort at the sheriff’s office. It was impossible to build a case with so little evidence, but waiting for the arsonists to make a mistake was like waiting for the guillotine to fall.

  A few years earlier, his hesitation had caused the death of an innocent hostage. The night replayed in his mind as he drove along the winding highway. He could still see the terror in the teenager’s eyes. He remembered with startling clarity how the boy’s knees had buckled as his body slumped to the ground. He could still hear the boy’s father wailing over his son’s limp body.

  One second. If Jacob had fired just one second earlier, the boy would still be alive. He’d be in college or dating the girl of his dreams. But one second’s hesitation had taken away the boy’s future and given his parents a lifetime of grief.

  If the sheriff and the FBI needed a witness, he’d provide one. Jacob wouldn’t hesitate again.

  ****

  Jacob grinned at Chloe.

  She squirmed with excitement as he drove her to Judith’s cabin. She chattered away about birthday cake, presents, and dragons while Jacob thought of just one thing.

  Judith.

  It seemed as though the Lord was trying to open Jacob’s eyes to how life with Judith would be. She was infinitely patient with Keneisha and Chloe, and no one could doubt her courage, but something was holding her back. She took one guarded step at a time, as though testing for hidden traps behind every embrace. Yet every time he kissed her, he felt the rightness of it. Kissing Judith was like a prayer, hopeful and exciting and reassuring at the same time.