Sundered Hearts

by Anna J. McIntyre

  Her clothes had already dried, yet her hair was still a little damp. The ankle only hurt when she tried to put her foot on the floor or bumped it against the pew. She was tired and just wanted to rest before the girls arrived, yet she didn’t want to fall asleep. While she felt relatively safe in the chapel, she didn’t think it was wise to take a nap in an abandoned building when anyone might walk in. There was no way to lock the chapel door.

  Looking up at the ceiling, she thought about her conversation with Brandon. It was pretty obvious to her that he’d moved beyond whatever interest he once had in her. She supposed she should just be grateful that he no longer treated her with animosity.

  The sound of someone turning the doorknob disrupted Susan’s private thoughts. Instead of sitting up, she froze. It was too soon for the girls to arrive, and she couldn’t imagine it was Brandon doubling back since he’d been gone for at least fifteen minutes. Silently, she lay on the pew and listened to the door open. Whoever it was would not be able to see her as the back of the pew faced the door.

  “Little girl!” a woman’s voiced whispered. “Come out from wherever you’re hiding. We need to get you home before it starts raining again.”

  Little girl? Susan frowned. Is someone still out looking for Sarah?

  Abruptly, Susan sat up and turned to face the intruder. An elderly woman stood in the doorway. Startled by Susan’s sudden appearance, the woman jumped backwards, her eyes wide. Clad in navy blue sweat pants and matching sweatshirt and wearing what appeared to be a strand of pearls around her neck, the woman had obviously been out in the rain because her gray hair was wet.

  Susan thought she looked familiar but couldn’t place her and wondered, Who wears pearls with a jogging suit?

  “Who are you?” the woman asked, glancing around the small chapel. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I hurt my ankle. I’m waiting for my friends to come get me. Are you looking for Sarah?” Susan sat up a little straighter and set both feet on the floor. She winced from the sudden pain when her right foot pressed against the hardwood floor. Lifting the foot slightly to alleviate the pain, she waited for the woman’s answer.

  “Sarah? Who’s Sarah?” The woman frowned.

  “The little girl who was missing. I assume you were in one of the search parties?”

  “Search parties? I don’t know what you’re talking about. This Sarah… she’s missing?”

  “Well, she was. Didn’t you hear the camp bell ringing?”

  “Yes, I heard it. But what does it have to do with the missing child?’

  “They had search parties out looking for her. We were all told that when she was found, they’d ring the bell.”

  “Oh,” the woman glanced around the room. “Well, sorry I disturbed you.”

  “Wait,” Susan called out as the woman turned to leave.

  “What?” Standing at the doorway, the woman glanced back to Susan.

  “Who were you looking for?” Susan asked.

  “Excuse me?” The woman frowned.

  “When you came in here, you said, Little girl come out from wherever you’re hiding.”

  “Oh, that.” The woman smiled. “My granddaughter. We were playing a game. I thought she was in here, but obviously, she isn’t.”

  “You were playing a game in the rain?” Susan frowned.

  “It isn’t raining right now.”

  “No, but it was.”

  “I’m not sure I get your point.”

  “You look familiar,” Susan said.

  “You don’t.”

  “Well, it’s been a few years since I was up here. I just wondered if we met before.”

  “Do you have a cabin up here?” the woman asked.

  “No, but I used to spend summers here.”

  “Well, I suppose it’s possible we’ve met before. I’ve been spending my summers up here for over twenty years.”

  “Your granddaughter spends the summers with you?” Susan asked.

  “My granddaughter?” The woman frowned.

  “Yes, the one you were looking for.”

  “I really need to get going. I have dinner to make.” The woman turned abruptly and left the chapel.

  “That was odd,” Susan said aloud to the empty room. Less than thirty minutes later, Lexi and Andrea arrived on horseback, and they weren’t alone. Brandon was with them.

  “I didn’t expect to see you,” Susan said after she hopped to the door on her good foot and looked outside. There were four horses and three riders. Holding onto the door jam to maintain balance, she watched as Brandon dismounted from his horse.

  “I don’t think he trusted us to get you up on the saddle,” Lexi said with a laugh. “You feel okay, Susan?”

  “Actually, it’s feeling a lot better. Doesn’t hurt as much. I can even put a little pressure on it.”

  “Well, don’t push it,” Brandon said. He handed his reins to Lexi while Andrea held the reins to the horse Susan would be riding.

  “Yes, sir,” Susan chuckled. “How is Sarah?”

  “She’s fine—back at the cabin with Kit. I haven’t seen her yet, but I gave Kit a call from Carol’s office.”

  Andrea jumped off her mount and led Susan’s horse to her, holding the mare in placed while Brandon awkwardly helped Susan onto the saddle. Once she was seated, he and Andrea remounted, and the four started on their way down the trail.

  “Carol called the doctor,” Lexi told her. “She wants you to go to the village and have your ankle looked at when we get back.”

  “I told her I’d drive you down. It’s the least I can do for Carol considering how helpful the camp was in finding Sarah.”

  Susan was a little disappointed that he added the reason for offering her a ride. It would have been nice if he simply wanted to spend more time with her.

  “I don’t know if I need to see a doctor.”

  “I don’t think that’s an option Carol will consider,” Brandon said.

  “I suppose you’re right. So, where did they find your niece?” Susan asked.

  “I’m not sure; I just know she’s with her mom. I’ll find out more when I get back to the cabin.”

  “I had a strange visitor when I was waiting for you guys,” Susan said, speaking loudly so they could all hear.

  “Visitor? What do you mean?” Brandon asked.

  “This older woman stopped by looking for her granddaughter.”

  “Older woman?” Andrea asked.

  “I don’t know how old she was, but she looked older than my grandmother. About my height, plump, wearing a blue jogging suit. Short, gray hair. She didn’t give her name, but I know I’ve seen her before.”

  “Sounds a little like the lady who has a cabin over on Pine Street,” Lexi said.

  “Pine Street? Isn’t that the next street over from where we’re staying?” Brandon asked.

  “Yes,” Lexi answered. “But now that I think of it, she couldn’t have a granddaughter. She doesn’t have any kids.”

  “Maybe she has grown kids with children?” Susan suggested.

  “No, I remember she had a little girl who died years ago. Never had any other children. It’s just her and her husband; they come up here every summer. But if you say she was with her granddaughter, then it was probably someone else. I just thought of her because I’ve seen her around a few times this summer, and she’s always wearing the same old blue jogging suit.”

  “I didn’t say she was with her granddaughter. She was looking for her.”

  “I don’t understand.” Lexi frowned.

  “She came into the chapel and said, little girl come out from your hiding place, or something like that. And then told her they needed to get back to the cabin. At first, I thought she was from the search party and looking for Sarah. But when I asked, she didn’t seem to know anything about Sarah being missing. It was just weird.”

  “Maybe it is her,” Lexi suggested. “The woman I’m thinking of is a little odd. Seems kind of out of it. Wouldn’t
surprise me if she has an imaginary granddaughter.”

  “You say she lives with her husband?” Brandon asked.

  “Yes. Why?” Lexi asked.

  “Trail’s Chapel seems a strange place for her to be wandering alone, away from the cabins. When we get back, someone might want to check with her husband and see if she’s okay. That’s assuming she’s the same woman Susan saw. I’d hate to think of her wandering alone in the forest.”

  “You think she might be suffering from dementia or something?” Susan asked.

  “Lexi just mentioned she seemed out of it and acted odd. An elderly woman hiking alone so far from the cabins makes me wonder if she’s okay.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” Susan said, feeling a bit guilty for not being more concerned at the time. However, the woman appeared to be capable and in possession of her faculties. Then she remembered the pearls. Okay, now that was peculiar. Who wears pearls with sweats?

  “Lexi, any chance does the woman you mentioned wear pearls with her jogging suit?” Susan asked.

  “Pearls?” Andrea laughed at the thought.

  “That’s right,” Lexi said after a moment. “I always thought pearls and sweats made a strange outfit. But yeah, she wears pearls.”

  When they reached the stables, Carol was waiting for them.

  “How are you feeling?” Carol asked as she took the reins so Brandon could help Susan from the horse.

  “Actually, I feel much better. It is a little tender still, but I don’t think I need to see a doctor.”

  “I’d rather we make sure it isn’t something serious. I insist,” Carol told her.

  “Susan mentioned she ran into an elderly woman up at the chapel,” Brandon told Carol. “I guess she lives over on Pine Street. Odd lady, normally wears blue sweats and pearls.”

  “You mean Harriett Summers,” Carol said.

  “You know her?” Susan asked.

  “Sure. Harriet and Ed Summers have had a cabin up here for as long as I can remember. She is kind of an odd duck.”

  “We were wondering if maybe we should check in with her husband, make sure she’s okay, that she got home alright,” Brandon said. “Seemed like an odd place for her to be hiking alone.”

  “Actually, it’s not,” Carol said. “Harriet has been hiking these trails for years, normally alone. Her husband used to hike with her, but he’s been confined to a wheel chair for some time now.”

  “Do you know if she has a granddaughter?” Susan asked.

  “Granddaughter? They don’t have any children. Why do you ask?” Carol asked.

  “When I was waiting alone in the chapel, she came in and said something like little girl are you in here. At first, I assumed she was looking for Sarah, but she told me she didn’t know about Sarah and said she was looking for her granddaughter.”

  “Hmm, that is odd.” Carol frowned.

  “Well, perhaps she really was looking for Sarah,” Susan suggested. “Maybe she felt silly looking after I mentioned she had already been found. She admitted hearing the bell yet didn’t seem to understand what it meant.”

  “Now, that’s entirely possible,” Carol agreed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Thanks for driving me to the village. If it had been my left ankle, I think I could have driven myself.” Susan sat in the passenger side of Brandon’s truck as they drove down the mountain road.

  “No problem. I’m happy to do it. And I want to thank you again for helping us look for Sarah.”

  “I’m just relieved they found her safe and sound.”

  “Yeah, you and me both. I can’t even imagine how Kit would have handled losing Sarah. Or even worse—if we never found her. I don’t know how parents cope with that kind of loss.”

  “Being a parent makes you damn vulnerable, that’s for sure.”

  “So can being an uncle,” Brandon grumbled.

  “Were you serious when you said you didn’t think you wanted kids someday?”

  “I don’t know… probably not.”

  “You mean you don’t want them?’

  “No,” Brandon chuckled. “I meant I probably wasn’t serious. Sarah just scared the crap out of me.”

  “Well, she’s okay, so that’s all that really matters.”

  “Do you want kids someday?” Brandon asked.

  “I’ve always wanted to have children. Funny thing, last year, Sam and I talked about starting a family. Of course, I didn’t know he had a lover at the time.”

  “You mean, when you were talking about starting a family, he was screwing around?”

  “Yep.

  “What an ass,” Brandon grumbled.

  They were quiet for a few moments when Susan asked, “Did you guys just bring your truck up here?”

  “No, Kit drove her Suburban up. Why?

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just wondered if the three of you traveled up here in this.”

  “Kit’s not thrilled when Sarah drives in the truck with me.”

  “She doesn’t like your driving? Do I need to be worried?” Susan teased

  “No, it’s not that.” Brandon grinned. “It’s safer to put car seats in the back seat of a car. Although, there’ve been a few times these last few months we had no choice.”

  Susan remembered he had been driving his truck when she’d first seen him with Sarah.

  “So why didn’t you just drive up with her in the Suburban? Why two cars?”

  “I needed my truck for work.”

  “I don’t understand.” Susan frowned.

  “I wanted to get Kit and Sarah away for the summer—out of the city, away from all the crap they’ve been dealing with. Carol helped find us a cabin to rent, and she hooked me up with some work for the summer. This past week has been my vacation. But next week, I go back to work, starting with rebuilding a porch on a cabin a couple of blocks from ours. And then there is a roof… You get the idea.”

  “A work vacation.”

  “Sort of.”

  “So, how does Carol know Kit? Someone said something about a restaurant expo?”

  “A number of years ago, Carol attended a restaurant expo—for the camp. You know, checking out equipment and new ideas for the mess hall. Kit went to the expo that year and met Carol. The two hit if off, and they’ve been friends ever since. A couple of summers ago Kit and Kev rented a cabin up here.”

  “That’s right; you mentioned Kit was in the restaurant business.”

  “She hasn’t been working much since Sarah’s birth—wanted to be a full time mom and stay at home. I’m afraid that’s not really an option now that Kevin has been killed.”

  “Did he have life insurance?” Susan immediately regretted the question. It is none of my business.

  “Yes, but it’ll only provide a cushion—it won’t support them indefinitely.”

  “They’re lucky to have you.”

  “I am lucky to have them,” Brandon insisted.

  They rode in silence for the next five minutes as Brandon steered the truck down the winding mountain road. Turning slightly in the passenger seat, Susan leaned against the truck door and watched Brandon, studying his profile. He glanced briefly in her direction, and she gave him a smile.

  “Susan, I was wondering…” Brandon didn’t finish his sentence.

  “What?” Susan asked a few moments later. He glanced back at her, and then put his eyes back on the mountain road.

  “I was wondering if we could try again.”

  “Try again?” Susan’s heart beat accelerated.

  “Maybe we could go out sometime. I don’t know how it works for you at the camp, if you can get any time off. But I’ll be up here all summer. Maybe we could go down to the village sometime for dinner or maybe go fishing next weekend… if you can get away and if… if you’re interested.”

  Susan couldn’t help but smile.

  “I think I would like that, Brandon.”

  Brandon glanced at Susan and grinned.

  • • • •

/>   When Brandon arrived back at his cabin, he found his sister and niece in the kitchen. Kit stood at the sink drying dishes while Sarah sat at the table eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Brandon went immediately to his niece and gave her a hug and kiss.

  Sarah ignored her uncle’s attentions, nudging him away as she took another bite of food. Brandon glanced up at his sister and gave her a questioning frown. Kit tossed the dishtowel she had been using down on the counter and nodded to Brandon to follow her into the other room.

  “She didn’t seem thrilled to see me,” Brandon said when he and Kit were in the living room.

  “She’s been like that ever since she got home. How is Susan’s ankle?”

  “The doctor said it was fine. He just wanted her to stay off it for the rest of the day. So tell me, who found Sarah—and where was she?”

  “No one found her, Brandon; she just came home. I was sitting on the front porch hoping to hear that church bell ring when she came running up the drive and into my arms. I asked her where she’d been, and she just said she’d gone to look for the horses and got lost. I asked her where she’d been all that time, and she said nowhere.”

  “Nowhere?”

  “I took that to mean she was trying to find the stables—or the cabin—so in her mind she wasn’t really anywhere she could describe.”

  “But what is with the attitude?”

  “That’s probably my fault. After the initial relief having her home safe, I sort of flipped out. I started lecturing her—too much for a four-year-old. She started crying, I started crying—it was awful. I finally settled down and got her to stop crying. She just wanted to go play with her dolls, which she has been doing most of the afternoon since she came home.”

  “But still has the attitude,” Brandon grumbled.

  “She was scared Brandon, and I imagine she’s tired. It’s been a long day for her… for all of us. When she’s finished eating, I’m giving her a bath and putting her to bed.”

  Thirty minutes later, Brandon was relaxing in front of the television in the living room while Kit gave Sarah a bath.