Kendle turned to Luke in confusion and he flashed a smile of resigned amusement. “She won’t let more than one shopper in her place at a time. House rules.”
Seeing he didn’t sound worried, Kendle stepped up onto the wooden porch and followed the woman inside.
Now that she was closer, Kendle could see the woman was barely that, more of a girl in a woman’s body and she wondered only briefly what had happened to make her pick this way of living.
“What’s your list?”
Kendle started to reach for the paper in her pocket and the gun rose, “Real slow.”
Luke appeared in the doorway. “She’s getting the list, Jenna.”
The woman calmed at the sound of LJ’s voice and lowered the big weapon. “Things ‘r funny now.”
They both agreed, thinking of the Mayor and the shack. Kendle handed over the list with a friendly smile and got a toothless grin in return.
“She’s cuter than the last ‘en you brought round here.”
Kendle froze and behind her, Luke did the same.
“The last one?”
The woman gave her a worried look, “She was torn up some. Don’t let him hurt you like that.”
Sure she had Luke confused with someone else, Kendle grinned. “I’m the one he’ll have to watch out for.”
Instead of an answering comment, the woman turned to Luke. “You paying gold like usual?”
“I have cash. I’ve never paid you with gold.”
The woman studied Luke, like she hadn’t seen him before. “Who are you?”
“LJ.”
“The outcast who killed those people in Nam?”
Luke flushed, but nodded, and Kendle felt her anger begin to grow. Would this woman treat him badly too?
“Always hated those darkies,” she muttered, shocking Kendle. “Should be a hero.”
The woman turned to start gathering the items on the list and Luke rolled his eyes, mouthing crazy.
Kendle hid a laugh, agreeing. The woman had definitely been alone too long.
“Ain’t got no cream left, but there’s sugar. Find a quart of milk and make your own.”
Luke grunted. He usually did that anyway, but the trade-off of… milk with the maid at Baxter’s was over now that he had Kendle.
As if she’d heard the thought, the woman glanced over at him. “Mora was here yesterday, asked about you.”
Luke glared. “I’ve told her.”
“Aye.”
The woman began stuffing things into one of her net bags. “Coffee’s long gone for town folks, but I might still be able to find a small amount for ya.”
“In exchange for?”
The woman pointed upward at Luke’s question. “Got a hole and no man help.”
“That’s worth a lot more than coffee,” Luke protested and the woman gave in reluctantly. “Guess I could feed ‘n house ya for the night too.”
”Saves us the trouble of making camp in the dark,” Luke stated, looking at Kendle.
Kendle shrugged. “Whatever you want to do is fine.”
“The wood’s under the porch. You’ll find the rest already up there,” Jenna instructed.
“You’ve had someone working on it?” Kendle’s question was drowned out.
“Hello in the hut!”
Jenna gestured at Luke. “You watch her. Make sure she don’t touch nothin’.”
They stayed inside as the woman went out to greet another customer, and Luke moved from his place in the doorway, giving Kendle an apologetic smile. “I told you she’s not all there, didn’t I?”
Kendle wasn’t offended. “I’m not a resident. It shows.”
Luke wasn’t sure what to say to that and was saved a response by the conversation going on outside.
“Won’t tell you nothin’! Get off my property.”
Luke went to the door and when he moved outside, Kendle followed.
“I’m not here for your traps, Jenna. I’m searching for… There you are.”
The sheriff’s eyes ran over them both with a knowing smirk. “Figured you two would be heading this way after what happened in Baxter’s.”
“How long have you been in town?”
The man’s weather-beaten face went cool at Kendle’s question. “That’s none of your concern, Ms. Roberts. I’m interviewing everyone on the island. What have you two seen?”
The sheriff clearly wasn’t a friend and Kendle added little as Luke told him about the things that had been happening.
“And you say the Mayor seemed upset or jumpy?”
“Scared, shocked.”
“What about the shack? Any tracks in the blood to go with that handprint and hair?”
“I didn’t stay to do your job. I got her out of there and we headed for town,” Luke snapped, angry the man would spill something so awful in front of the two females. “That’s when we stumbled across the Mayor.”
“Stumbled upon Mayor Kraft…” The sheriff was writing in his little notebook. “You see anyone new on the island?”
Kendle waited for the wide man to walk toward her, but he didn’t.
“I thought I heard an engine on the way here. Faded too fast to be sure.”
“You buyin’ something or gettin’ outta here?”
The crazy woman had either forgotten she’d told the Sheriff to leave or changed her mind, and the uniformed man didn’t remind her.
“You got any of that fly soap left? Damn bugs are worse than last year.”
“Got half a bar some dumb tourist tried to steal and broke when I chased him off.”
“That’ll do.”
The woman moved inside and Kendle followed, not caring for the way the lawman’s eyes were all over her red skin when Luke looked away. He was a sleaze, she’d bet on it.
“Can I do anything while he’s working on the hole?”
“You read?”
Kendle wondered if the woman’s sight might be going bad. “Yes. Would you like me to recite you something?”
The woman snorted, handing her a thick book from a nearby shelf. “Read yourself that and then come back here and we’ll make our plans.”
It was the Holy Bible.
“Is she staying with you permanently?”
The insinuating question drew Kendle’s attention back to the men outside.
“Yes.”
“You know her from the mainland?”
“No.”
“You’re giving me very short answers. Wanna tell me why that is, Mr. Johnson?”
Luke glared at the man. “Well you’re askin’ some real stupid questions. Unless you think she’s the person responsible for those missing women, she’s none of your concern!”
The sheriff’s face filled with satisfaction. “I can see the rumors are true. Have you told her about your past?”
Luke flushed with anger. “Yes, she knows it all,” he ground out.
The lawman frowned at him coolly. “I’ll check into that.”
Luke’s fist locked into place to keep from hitting the bastard. “You do your job while you’re at it, and find out who’s causing trouble or October’s elections could include a new peacekeeper. Won’t take much after the way you’ve handled things.”
That struck a nerve and the man snapped his pen in and put away his notebook, suddenly finished. “I’ll stop by the shack next. If I need to talk to you again?”
Luke hedged, not sure why, but willing enough to lie now. “We’re leaving tonight.”
He heard the woman and Kendle come out onto the porch, and waited for one of them to give away his bluff, but there was silence.
The sheriff stepped by to get his package, neatly covered in a sheet of plastic wrap. He handed the woman a stack of coins. “Put the rest of that on my bill, mother.”
“I will, Cole. Be safe.”
He moved out of their sight quickly, leaving Luke and Kendle both speechless. He was her son!
The woman cackled, heading for the side yard. “Love that one. It nev
er gets old,” she snorted in amusement, hopping up the stairs. “Usually only works on mainlanders.”
Kendle and Luke shared a rueful grin at the joke that had been played on them, and followed the woman inside to begin their assigned chores.
6
“They’re calling a town meeting,” Luke told the two women as they ate supper, thinking that Jenna probably didn’t care one way or the other.
“The Sheriff said one of the items being voted on is whether or not we should draft a crew and supplies to go back to the mainland and find out what happened.”
I might be on that ship, was Kendle’s first thought, and she looked up to see Luke staring at her with knowing eyes.
“I told him we’d be there for the meeting.”
Kendle managed not to say anything, swallowing her fear of seeing Ethan again.
“Well, I won’t,” the woman stated firmly, “As long as those Krafts are in charge, won’t nothin’ good be done no matter what way you vote.”
“You’re not the only one who thinks so.”
Jenna’s voice was grim, “That won’t matter neither. They’ll rule this island until they die, like their murderin’ relatives did.”
“How long has their family been in charge?” Kendle asked curiously.
The woman made a crude motion. “They’re from those that came in 1790, the Mutineers.”
“You mean the legend of Bounty Bay?” Kendle had studied it for a book report in high school and been fascinated. “I’ve read about that.”
“Weren’t no legend. Those pirates settled this island and their offspring’s been rulin’ ever since.”
Kendle thought quickly, sensing the woman had a piece to the puzzle she’d found earlier on the tree. “Have they always been so…”
“Evil? Deranged? Yes. They get or take what they want. Always have.” Jenna gestured at their mostly untouched plates. “How’s them cricket balls? It’s a new recipe.”
7
The sheriff had no trouble finding the creek shack, and the ladder still hanging there gave him a slight chill. No one on Pitcairn ever left rope or the like behind unless they were in a hurry. Something up there had spooked the Vietnam vet and that was a problem. LJ was one of the toughest people on this Island and, like him or not, Cole was glad the hard-ass would be at his mother’s place tonight. No way Jenna would let them head out after darkness fell.
The sheriff looked up, seeing the shadows moving in as the sun started sinking below the haze of clouds. Maybe he’d hang around and see if someone came back here during the night to clean things up. If so, he would have some answers. If not, he’d go up and try to fit new pieces into the puzzle with a fresh eye.
The choice made, Cole swept his tracks into the couple’s scattered markings and settled himself in a low tree half a dozen yards away. With his gun in his hand and a pouch of extra bullets, he felt confident that he could handle whatever came up. He was wrong.
8
Luke worked on the roof well into the evening. Kendle sat in a chair and went back and forth from watching him, to reading the book Jenna had given her. Instead of the laughter she’d expected, the woman’s face had lit up in satisfaction at the sight of her opening it and that had been enough to get Kendle to keep going. Now that she had, the world of life’s creation was dazzling her with all the possibilities. What if man wasn’t created in God’s image at all, but in that of…
“There’s a page further on you might care for,” the woman muttered as she went by, being careful not to let Luke hear. “But you mind what comes between just the same.”
Kendle began flipping through the pages, curious, and found a tucked corner near the very back. It opened to Revelations and held a single sheet of dingy yellow paper. Sensing the way Jenna wanted it handled, Kendle first glanced up to be sure Luke was out of sight before opening it. The contents were chilling.
“The Mutineers rushed upon our beach like a sand storm, the Leader killing my dad and taking his place. He wasn’t a ghost, I saw him bleed, but he was a Demon and he possessed my father. Brought back from a saber to the heart, he has become the evil that stalks this island. Not only does he rape and pillage, he also takes free women and natives, selling them into slavery. My beloved little sister has met this fate and I’ve no choice, but to try to kill him. Please God, help me! There’s no one I can trust, not even mother, whom I fear is also possessed. My heart mourns the life I once knew.”
Kendle felt tears in her eyes and blinked them back. She had questions flying through her mind, but Jenna was nowhere in sight. Was it the Kraft family? Where was this girl now? Was it Jenna? Was she a Kraft?
Not thinking to tell Luke she was stepping outside, Kendle moved that way with the slip of paper in her hand.
“Kendle?” Luke looked around the kitchen before stepping onto the porch. “Kendle? Jenna?”
There was no answer and he moved down the steps slowly, identifying her tracks. He followed them around the side of the house, aware of the lack of normal jungle noise. He drew up short at the voices.
“He wouldn’t tell and I won’t either.”
“You’ve given your word.”
“And I’ll keep it, but I don’t understand why you’ve told me…”
“Because you have to take my place.”
Kendle’s voice sounded shocked. “Are you kidding me? You are crazy.”
There was no response to that and Luke stepped around the side of the building to find them both thumbing through stacks of books they’d pulled from crawl-space boxes.
“Here it is.”
The woman handed a sheet of paper to Kendle. “That’s my dad. Before.”
Kendle pretended she hadn’t seen Luke watching them and he slowly faded into the jungle when she subtly waved him back.
“Do you have one of him after?”
The woman shook her head. “Not even a town picture on the wall. Cameras can’t capture images of the Devil.”
Luke’s mind raced. Someone in town was her father, someone who didn’t have any photos of themselves on the community walls. His eyes widened in discovery. Only one person didn’t have pictures up and it was a big joke between the shopkeepers to see if they could surprise him into one. The crazy lady’s father was Mayor Kraft.
“And your brother?”
Jenna flinched back violently. “That thing is not my baby brother! The mutineers dragged him into the jungle and when he came back, he weren’t Ethan no more, but some slobbering pile that lay on our floor and wet himself. He calmed down after a year or two and started acting right again, but the light was gone. They got my whole family!”
She turned to Kendle with wild eyes. “And they’ll get you, too, if he’s not careful. They’re already watchin’, waitin’ for the chance to possess you, movie star.”
The woman moved back toward the house and Luke waited for her to be out of sight before joining Kendle by the firelight of the heat-can that also served as an open store sign.
Kendle held out the photo and Luke stared in shock at the image of Mayor Kraft, an old man in his sixties at least.
“There’s no way that’s this Mayor, right? The last one?”
“She’d have to be at least that old, too. She’s lying.”
Kendle handed him the slip of paper and kept studying the photograph. There was something about…
“This proves nothing. You know that, right?” he demanded, dropping the yellowed letter on top of the closest box like it was too hot to hold.
She nodded, but for her it was another clue. That was a page torn from a terrified girl’s journal and it had reminded her strongly of her twin, Dawn, whom she had lost in the War.
“She’s suffering from a trauma, Luke. Something happened when she was a kid and she’s hoping for help. Can’t we check it out?”
Luke stared. “And do what? Force him to acknowledge his daughter? She didn’t seem like she wanted him around to me.”
“She wants me to kill him for her
,” Kendle blurted and Luke’s scowl took up his whole face. He snatched the items from her hand and tossed them on top of a nearby stack.
“Crazy Bat!” He tugged her close, ignoring her protests. “I’m staying by you until we get the hell out of here.”
Kendle gave in, snuggling into his warm embrace. “You’re the boss.”
Kendle and Luke spent the night in a corner bunk with their blankets and each other to keep them warm, both looking around alertly at every sound of the creaking hut. By the time daylight found the island, they were back in the jungle, leaving the small woman to her craziness.
The feeling of danger he’d noticed on the way there returned when they finally neared the cabin. Luke was glad to see its door untouched, his alarms still in place. He also didn’t find any prints, but there was a clear feeling that someone had been here and he covered the area for any signs of tracks. Something was going on here, something dangerous, and he doubted it had much to do with ghosts of the dead pirates who had settled this island. His bet was on the living. They were usually the problem.
Chapter Four
April 8th, 2013
Near Plainview, SD
1
Adrian had moved his herd hard and fast after leaving the Black Hills, making almost 70 miles in three days. Now that they were camped for the next few, his worry was increasing. Every break they took allowed the Slavers to get closer. His gut twisted at that thought and he controlled the grimace as he slid into his tent. There were already people lined up outside, and he motioned the first of them in with a smile he didn’t even remotely feel. The heartburn was worse than usual.
He had sent out trucks to clear paths in two directions in case they needed to run, and everyone was on high alert. He could have kept going, got them further away, but his Seer said an attack was coming and there was no outrunning fate. It was something he wouldn’t even try. Without her words, what would he be doing right now?
Adrian directed Brady to the empty chair as he stepped inside and the wolf curled up in the doorway. Much the same, he answered his thought, sighing. If the camp knew the Slavers were coming, they’d panic and run. They weren’t strong enough yet to even think of challenging the killers.
Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) Page 10