Goldenseal

by Gill McKnight

  She took the high trail that led north to the logging road and Big Jack. It was a very long hike and Marie was right, it would take her most of the day to make it up there, never mind all the way back before dark. But Amy had a plan. If she got high enough, soon enough, she was sure she could locate areas where the growing conditions suited henbane perfectly. There was no real need to go all the way to Big Jack. As far as she was concerned, if the plant grew happily in one part of the valley there was no reason it couldn’t grow in other suitable areas, too. All she had to do was find the nearest one. Simple. She knew the soil was lighter and well drained higher up the valley walls, and with the amount of seed black henbane produced, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was rife in any clearing it could find.

  Her hunch was right. A few hours later and she literally struck pay dirt. The first thing she dug out from the side pocket of her backpack was a pair of disposable gloves. All parts of this weed were toxic and she didn’t want to inadvertently absorb anything as she examined the specimens for her model plant.

  Her selection made, she set to work quickly with her camera. The day was still young and the light good, but the forecast was for heavy cloud cover by midday. She should be finished here and back home in time to call on Marie with the trout long before she lost the best of the light.

  After supper she planned to spend the rest of the evening in Connie’s studio, working on the henbane and the devil’s club sketches. Then she’d treat herself to a big cognac and some more almanac investigation. Her work schedule for the next few weeks was perfect, if she lucked out with the weather.

  Time flew when Amy became absorbed in her work. She was coming to the end of her series of sketches when a sudden cold sensation, like ice water trickling down her spine, ripped her focus apart. The effect on her system was immediate. She stiffened, her skin chilled, and the small hairs on her arms stood to attention. Silence filled the small clearing.

  When did the birds stop singing? She raised her head, listening… to nothing. Even the breeze seemed to drop away and abandon her. It was back. The shadow was back. She knew it. She could feel it, dark and predatory, circling in the forest behind her. Slowly inching to the tree line, fixing on her like a target! Stop being silly. All you’re doing is scaring the crap out of yourself. Just pack up nice and slow, and head home. She was more or less done anyway.

  All the while scolding herself for her excessive imagination, but still unable to shake her unease, Amy packed up in double quick time. The silence from the surrounding woods was unnerving. She needed to get moving and she’d hear the birds soon enough. Probably an eagle overhead had made them all hush up.

  Backpack on her shoulders, she now had the awkward decision of which way to go. The route she had come by would take her straight into the silent forest. Although she felt a little calmer now, and her skin had stopped crawling, she was reluctant to do that. The other option was to go a little higher up and connect with the logging road. Then she could double back along it to where it eventually met up with the main route to the Garoul compound. It was by far the longest way home, but she had time today. Her gut instinct told her that was the way to go.

  As she strode quickly in that direction the woodland around her came back to life, making her doubt her earlier fears. Once again she felt silly and blamed her ripe imagination for her turmoil. Still, it was an uphill slog and she refused to slacken her pace. She wanted to be home. She kidded herself it was so she could get an earlier start in the studio, but her feet were moving far faster than was necessary and she had no intention of slowing down.

  Elicia pulled the Jeep over to the edge of the dirt road and let the engine idle. She stuck her head out the window. “Hey. Need a lift anywhere?” she called over to Leone.

  Leone shifted and strolled over to the vehicle. She had been propped against Big Jack for quite some time now and her patience was wearing thin.

  “Nah, thanks. I’m just out for a stroll and thought I’d drop by and visit the big fella.” She nodded toward the tree but her gaze flitted along the tree-lined track, expecting something or someone to appear any moment.

  “Some stroll. Sure you don’t want a lift back? I’m heading into town. I can easily drop you somewhere closer to home?”

  Leone smiled and shrugged. “I’ll be okay. It’s early yet and I’ll have plenty of time for the hike back. Think I’ll hang out here for a while. Thanks for the offer though.” She returned to the tree and her slouching. “Have fun in Lost Creek. Be sure to spend all Jori’s money.”

  “Oh, I’m fantastic with his plastic,” Elicia joked back as she pulled away.

  Less than half a mile from the logging road Amy’s skin began to prickle again. The muted sounds of the forest once more fell away. Shit. I can do without this right now. There’s a bear out there. I know there is. I don’t care what Leone says, there’s a big, hungry bear, and he’s got my scent. Eau de poopoopants—

  She was tired and ill humored from the uphill hike. Now she was frightened as well. Around her the only sound was the rustle of wiregrass. She had never felt so alone. Part of her wished she had taken Leone up on her offer to help. It seemed like a damned good idea now.

  The terrain changed and she found herself on a slight incline heading down toward the logging road. In the distance she could hear a motor engine slowly chug along the rugged track. Relieved at the sound of human activity, she picked up her trot, taking advantage of the downhill roll. Out of the corner of her eye a stealthy shadow began to sway and flit, always edging away from her full vision.

  Unlike yesterday at the river, she decided not to waste any time trying to focus on whatever was out there. It moved parallel to her only to fall back out of her eye line, as if challenging her to stop and look. She could feel it, if not quite catch it, flitting from tree to tree in the shadow of the deeper forest. It was there; she could sense it stalking her…off to her right, playing with her.

  Keep your breathing regular and your feet flapping. Don’t let whatever it is know you know it’s there. Maybe it’ll shy away when you get on the logging trail. Please, please, please.

  Her panic was sounding suspiciously like a prayer. By the time the trees thinned out enough to see the dirt road a hundred yards ahead she was practically a convert. The engine noise she’d heard earlier was louder now. It felt imperative to wave down the vehicle as it churned along the track. Only then would she feel safe.

  She broke into a wobbly run, dodging low branches and hooked roots. She swerved around bushes, leapt over low clumps of undergrowth. All she could hear was the ragged rasp of her breathing and the thump of her heart. She had no idea what was going on around her. Forward momentum became her entire universe. She burst through the tree line and leapt an overgrown drainage ditch. Gravel and dirt rattled as she skidded to a halt, puffing and sweating. Anxiously she gazed down the road for the first sight of the vehicle. It sounded so close it had to be almost upon her. Where was it? Had she missed it? God, no!

  Beep!

  Amy nearly leapt out of her clammy skin. She spun around to find Elicia driving up right behind her. Shocked, she stared through the windshield at the bemused driver. The horn blare faded and Amy realized the birds were twittering, the breezes blew, and forest life had returned to normal. The arrival of another person had magically removed whatever threat she had felt. Her shoulders relaxed as Elicia vacated the car and came around the hood to join her.

  “You okay, Amy? Were you lost?” Concern flooded her voice and she placed a comforting hand to Amy’s forearm.

  “Mmm, yes. I got a little disorientated and stumbled onto the logging road. Where are you heading, Elicia? Could I grab a lift a little further along the track?” she part lied. She didn’t want to share her fright with Elicia. She’d think she was crazy being spooked by shadows.

  “Sure you can. I’m on an errand run to Lost Creek. To be honest I wanted to get out of the valley for a while. I’m taking Marie’s books back to the library, and I need a
few odds and ends from the pharmacy. Hey, come with me?”

  Amy brushed loose curls off her flushed face with shaky hands. “You know, I’d love to visit Lost Creek. I haven’t been there for years.” She made up her mind to spend time with Elicia. It would be fun, and a much needed break from the oppressive atmosphere she’d just experienced. “It never was the friendliest of places when I was young. I wonder if it’s changed any?”

  “Well, jump in and let’s go and find out.”

  Amy dumped her backpack on the rear seat and clambered into the passenger side as Elicia slid in behind the wheel. Suddenly she was looking forward to spending some more time with Elicia. Amy found her upbeat and cheerful company.

  As the Jeep moved off Amy threw a last surreptitious glance at the surrounding forest. There was nothing. No weird feelings or sensations—nothing. Her earlier unease was already melting away, leaving her feeling embarrassed at her semi-hysteria. For two days in a row, first Leone, and now Elicia, had come along and saved her from a panic attack.

  What was wrong with her? Was she imagining these things? Was she manifesting her anxieties about the project, or about Connie, or maybe even returning to Little Dip into some sort of phantom menace? I need to either get a grip, or get therapy. This foolishness has to stop right now.

  The Jeep gathered a little more speed and crunched along the dirt road, throwing up plumes of dust, taking her away from her troubled thoughts and on to a welcome distraction. Hopefully, a quick trip outside the valley would help put all these jumbled feelings into perspective.

  Leone sat leaning against Big Jack, daydreaming at clouds with bunny ears, watching ants struggle with dead bugs, sullenly throwing pebbles at a larger stone. She waited with growing impatience.

  Amy had sidestepped her again. She was obstinate, and mulish, and maddening, and ignored everything Leone told her to do. She had given Amy too much freedom. She had failed to make her understand who was the boss here in the valley. But that would soon change.

  It was time for these games to stop. Time for Leone to make a few things crystal clear to a certain Amy Ameila Fortune.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Listening to local radio and chatting happily to each other, Amy and Elicia rumbled down the forest lanes. Finally, they emerged onto an asphalt surface that wound down the mountainside into the small town of Lost Creek.

  “What do you think of Little Dip?” Amy asked, curious if Elicia was enjoying her valley vacation.

  “I love it. I can see why Jori comes here every chance he gets.”

  “And it’s not too daunting, meeting most of his family all at once?”

  Elicia gave an awkward smile. “Well, I’m a little overwhelmed… but coping. I just didn’t expect them to be so nice. They have a real family connection thing going on, and they are all so kind. They made me feel incredibly welcome…” Her words trailed off uncomfortably, and she blushed. She seemed either embarrassed or surprised at the quality of feelings she felt for Jori’s family. “Hey, can I still go out with you on a field trip?”

  “Sure. What about tomorrow morning?” Amy allowed the quick change in subject. She realized this was a big vacation for Elicia in so many ways and wondered once more at Marie’s prediction that Jori would announce his engagement before the week was out. She could feel ambivalence from Elicia, as if she knew she was on some sort of cusp this week. It must be stressful. “But be warned, I start early.”

  “I’m there. Just tell me where and when. I’d love to see the valley through your eyes.”

  “Okay, it’s a deal. I’ll make you love it even more. You’re talking to the converted.” Amy put Elicia’s ill ease down to Garoul overload. They were a big boisterous clan that seemed to swallow newcomers whole. “As a kid I spent every moment I could here. I’ve been known to hide in trees rather than go back after the holidays. I think I’m duly adopted.”

  “I can see why. And your aunt living here makes it even more like home. I suppose that makes it easier for you and Leone, seeing as how Marie is already like family to you.”

  “Huh?”

  “I mean Marie’s already as good as a mother-in-law.”

  “Oh no. No, no. Leone and I are not like that.” Amy was flustered, and sat up straighter in her seat.

  “God, I’m sorry. That idiot Jori gave me the impression you were a couple.”

  “Well, yes, we were once, but it was ages ago when we were in our teens. It’s all dead and buried now.” Amy tried to sound breezy. She didn’t want Elicia to feel awkward about bringing up her teenage romance with Leone.

  “But everything’s okay now. You’re friends,” Elicia stated rather than asked. “Please don’t think I’m usually this nosy. I really did get the wrong end of things from Jori. For an educated guy he can be such an idiot sometimes.” Elicia concentrated on the road as they entered Lost Creek’s one and only shopping street.

  “Don’t apologize. His sister is the exact same,” Amy said. “Sometimes Leone acts so weird, standing there looking at me with that crazy glint in her eye, like I have all the answers to her secret questions.” Amy gazed around her as they crawled along the main drag that passed as Lost Creek’s town center. “God, this place hasn’t changed one iota. Still the same old one-dog town.”

  Lost Creek had a total population of a little over eight hundred. Even that was declining as young people moved away to the larger towns to raise their families and work closer to the area’s major industries.

  Elicia and Amy parked before the town library. It was a pleasing, sturdy affair, fashioned out of an old stable-house. The gray and white wood-framed building had been preserved from the turn of the century by the kind beneficence of a past mayor, bequeathed at a time when the little logging town had much more affluence.

  “Okay, first on the list is to return Marie’s books. Hey, this has to be the cutest library I’ve ever seen. If there was such a thing as library porn, this would be the centerfold.” Elicia looked impressed with the quaint public building.

  Amy laughed. “Yeah, the whole town’s picturesque. If only the townsfolk realized it and maintained it better, they’d have a proper little tourist trap.”

  Amy looked around her. Apart from the library there were three other shabby storefronts. One was Johnston’s general store. It limped along selling newspapers and overpricing the items people ran out of, like coffee and cigarettes. Then there was the pharmacist with the part-time dental practice upstairs, and beside that was Barney’s, the local bar; and that was about it for Lost Creek.

  The library only survived due to a combination of conservation and county funding, but it was an ongoing battle. Connie had told Amy years ago that the Garouls privately supported it with a small annual grant paid through the local county office. Not many townsfolk knew this, and if they did they wouldn’t be impressed. They cared little for the Garouls. Lost Creek and Little Dip were not easy neighbors.

  They pushed open the swing door and entered the hushed interior. It was light and airy with the cool-toned outside color scheme continuing on through. Inside, the gray and white were complemented with raw pine shelving. The entire library was smaller than Amy remembered, but just as cozy and welcoming.

  I wonder who the librarian is these days. Miss Crosier must be at least a hundred and ninety by now if she’s still kicking around. Amy recalled the formidable lady who had ruled these shelves with stern authority for as long as she could remember. On the rare occasions when she and Leone had visited as kids, accompanied by either Marie or Connie, Miss Crosier’s shushes had sent chills down their spines. Terrified, they ducked heads and giggled quietly, bright eyed with guilt and mirth.

  Her question was answered almost immediately when a tall, silver-haired gentleman appeared behind the counter from a back office.

  “Good morning. May I help you?” he said.

  “Hi.” Elicia stepped up, setting her bag on the countertop. “I’m returning these books for Marie Garoul.”

  “Thank y
ou.” He opened the plastic bag and removed the books one by one. Every movement was delicate and relaxed, showing he was at ease with his work and environment. “But you young ladies are not Garouls, are you? If you don’t mind me asking, that is?” He smiled at them charmingly.

  “No. We’re visiting for the weekend. Well, I am. Amy will be staying on a few weeks longer.” Elicia indicated Amy.

  “Amy?” He looked over questioningly. “Would you be Connie’s niece?”

  “Yes. Yes, I am,” Amy said. “You know my aunt?”

  “Connie’s a good friend. Let me introduce myself. I’m Virgil Bloomsy, town librarian and a self-confessed avid ornithologist. I simply adore your aunt’s books, whether they’re on botany or birds. In fact, we have a considerable collection of her work under Natural History.” He beamed at her. “My budget is very limited, so Connie kindly contributes from her own library. She donates her surplus author’s copies. It’s a great boon to our resources.”

  Amy’s interest was immediately piqued, and she decided then and there to take a quick look at this collection and see if there was anything of interest. Virgil continued to smile at them. He held out his hand and shook Elicia’s, then Amy’s warmly.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Give my best regards to your aunt when you see her. I understand she has been unwell.”

  “I will.” Amy shifted a little uncomfortably. She didn’t want to discuss Connie’s illness, not even with a friend.

  As if sensing her discomfort, Virgil rushed to make amends. “If you see something you’d like to take with you, I can issue a temporary pass. Please, feel free to browse to your heart’s content. I’ll be here if you need me.” With another reassuring smile he retreated into his office.

  “Would you mind if I stayed here and had a quick look around while you did the rest of your errands?” Amy asked Elicia.