by Mille West
“He must have been strong.”
“No, he just understood that a proper technique can mean the difference between a successful cast or having the net close up on you. He taught my brother and me that this applied to people as well. When you successfully throw your cast net in life, you open yourself up to all kinds of people. You learn to respect and accept people who think differently from you. When you open your hearts to others, you’ll feel better for your efforts. Boys, his name is James Camp, and he’s now 105 years old and still lives in the Edisto area.”
They were both quiet for a moment, and then they said, “Thank you for taking us fishing. We always have a great time when we’re with you.”
The boys hugged Cooper, and when Blair made another attempt at the net, he opened it up full circle as it landed in the water. He smiled with satisfaction.
Late that afternoon, Anne came to pick up her sons, and they were adamant that they didn’t want to leave. They were dressed to visit their grandmother in Charleston, and when Anne looked at Blair’s tennis shoes, she said, “I told you to wear your new shoes to your grandmother’s.”
“Mom, those shoes are fine if you’re going to a funeral.”
Cooper laughed at Blair’s comment and hugged the boys. Before he got in the car, Blair kissed Mills on her cheek. “Thank you for driving the boat. I don’t know when we’ll visit again.”
Anne drove away, and both boys waved goodbye from the rear window of the car.
As they watched Anne’s car depart, they realized that another vehicle was approaching the house.
“It’s Lieutenant Barnes. Mills, excuse me for a few minutes.”
The policeman parked at the front of the house, and Cooper joined him for a conversation. Mills watched as they went inside. She waited for Cooper in the rear courtyard and after several minutes, the detective left the farm. Mills knocked on the front door, but when Cooper did not answer, she opened the door.
He was sitting at his desk in the study, and she heard him say, “You have my permission to show him any documents he wants to see. I don’t think that’s necessary. All right, goodbye.”
She went to the study and tapped on the door. “Come in, Mills.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes, the lieutenant asked me some questions about my most recent land purchase. He said that he just found out about the transaction from the land transfers, and I should have been more forthcoming. Mills, every property I own has been searched. He wants to look at Jeff’s files on my real estate purchases.” He was quiet for a moment. “Oddly, he asked me several questions about my diving accident in the Turks and Caicos Islands last summer. Jeff said that if Lieutenant Barnes wants information from him, he’ll have to get a subpoena. His dislike for the lieutenant may have something to do with his refusal.”
One evening in mid-August, Cooper took Mills onto the river to fish. They anchored the Miss Elise in a marsh area near the old mansion ruins. As the afternoon grew short, heat lightning was in the western sky, and over the ocean, lightning illuminated the vertical tops of thunderheads.
“How far away do you think those thunderclouds are?” Mills inquired.
“It’s hard to tell. They could be twenty-five miles away.”
When Mills turned around to face the mansion ruin, she was shocked to see lights moving about on the grounds. “Cooper. Look—the lights, they’re at the ruins.”
He turned and stared at the lights, and his face momentarily showed a deep frown. “It’s probably a reflection from the thunderstorms at sea.”
“They’re moving about.”
“You know . . .? We can solve this right now.”
He pulled up the anchor, started the engines, and headed directly for the old house ruins.
“We’re not going up there, are we?”
“Sure, why not? Maybe we can solve the mystery of the lights, once and for all. You’re not afraid are you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll hold your hand.”
“Don’t tease me.”
Cooper anchored the boat at the bank, and they walked up the incline to the elevation of the ruin. When they reached the crest of the grade, they only saw multitudes of lightning bugs, perhaps as many as Mills had ever seen in one location.
“The lights are gone. There are only lightning bugs.”
“The lights are probably a reflection, as I told you.”
She looked up above her into the trees and in between the boughs of live oaks were the largest spiders that Mills had ever seen. They clustered together as if in a colony, and several of the spiders were as big as her hand.
“My God. Look at the size of those spiders.”
“Golden silk orb weavers. You see them in the late summer. They’ve been known to catch small birds in the webs. Frightening-looking creatures, aren’t they?”
Cooper took her hand, and they walked to the row of cabins. The grounds had been recently mowed, and he went to the rose bush to cut a single blossom for her. “This may be the last rose of summer, and I want you to have it.”
When he cut the stem with his pocketknife, he severely pricked his finger on a thorn. Blood began to flow from the wound, and after handing her the rose, he wrapped his finger in his handkerchief.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, it’s just a prick.”
As they walked back toward the boat, there were two magnificent butterflies meandering above the pathway toward the river. Abruptly, one of the butterflies flew up into the sky and was ensnared in the web of the spiders. The butterfly struggled for its freedom, but instantly, one of the orb weavers attacked the butterfly and sat on top of it, fingering it with its long legs.
Mills turned her head from the scene and Cooper led her to the boat. “I’m sorry, Mills; the processes in nature can seem cruel at times.”
She held the rose in her hand and smelled its fragrance, but wished they had not come to the ruin at all. That night, as she lay beside him in bed, she felt an overwhelming sadness. She was in love with him; it was a love that she thought would never happen for her, but he was not hers, not really, not yet—and maybe not ever. For the first time since they became lovers, she was overcome by feelings of anxiety and guilt. Tears did not bring absolution.
In the early morning light, Mills noticed that the rose’s petals were already beginning to fall.
CHAPTER 26
The Dove Shoot
T he anniversary of Elise Heath’s disappearance came and went. Cooper was quiet and at times withdrawn during the late days of August. He had had trouble sleeping during the night, and Mills attributed his insomnia to hurtful recollections of past memories.
One afternoon, Cooper drove her to the field where dove season would be opening in less than two weeks. The silence was broken by the beating wings of doves as they flew up from the millet and sunflowers, and then settled back down into a different location. Cooper walked to the fence and said, “Last year, I canceled the dove shoot. We were all out searching for Elise and putting up posters about her disappearance. It’s been a year now. Mills, I want you to unders
tand that I love you, but for all our sakes, I wish she could be found.”
He took a deep breath and opened the truck door for her. When they returned to his home, they parked at the rear and Cooper led her to a bench in the courtyard.
“Mills, I need to talk to you.” He took her hand and said, “I’ve had a nightmare at least a half dozen times.”
“I noticed you were having trouble sleeping recently. Are you dreaming about Elise?”
“No, baby. I’m dreaming about you.” He had a frighteningly somber expression on his face. “I’m worried, and I’m not sure what to do.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I’m with you and rain is falling. High winds are blowing through the trees near the river. You’re drenched from the rainfall and as the dream continues, we’re in the equipment barn. You have a shocked expression on your face. Mills, there’s blood on your clothes and in your hair. Then you just stare at me.”
Cooper took her in his arms and hugged her closely, kissing her on the forehead.
Just as he embraced her, Mills noticed a man walk around the side of Cooper’s house toward them. “Britton is here.”
Cooper released his embrace on Mills and stood to meet his friend. “Britton, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“That’s obvious,” Britton retorted. “I was on my way back to Charleston from Savannah, and I thought I’d stop and see you because I’ve hardly laid eyes on you in weeks. I now understand why. Cooper, I’m surprised at you. I’ve known you for over twenty years, and this is the first selfish thing I’ve ever seen you do. You kept Mills so busy with work that she didn’t have time for anything—but you. Did you forget about Elise?”
“No. I didn’t forget about Elise.”
“And what about Mills? You can’t give her what she deserves.”
“My relationship with Mills is none of your concern.”
“This farm may seem like Eden, but it takes very little to fall out of favor in Paradise.”
Britton looked at both of them in disgust, and then walked away, disappearing around the corner of the house.
Cooper took a deep breath and sat back down beside Mills. “You’ve had two accidents on this farm, and now I’m having this dream. Am I not meant to love and be loved in return? I’ll take you away from here if necessary.”
“If I’m going to be hurt, it could happen anywhere. What if it’s destiny?”
“And what if it’s not? What if we can alter this premonition and we don’t make an effort? We could go away together—Central America perhaps, and people would know you as my wife from the onset.”
“I love you, but have you thought that if we leave right now, it will look like you’re running away?”
“I’ve been putting up with false allegations for over a year now. Britton just accused me of not being able to give you the life you deserve. I can’t fail you. I won’t.”
The opening day of dove season arrived in early September, but the summer heat had not yet left the Low Country. The farm had been prepared for Cooper’s guests, and before the hunters began to arrive, Mills noticed Charles speaking with Cooper and then walking to his truck. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and then started to leave. Mills stopped him and asked, “Aren’t you going to shoot with us?”
“No, Miss Mills. I’m not going to join in today. I’ll shoot with you and Cooper later.”
“Charles, I’m sure that Cooper would like for you to stay.”
“I never hunt on opening day with this group. Cooper understands this.”
“But I don’t understand.”
“Miss Mills, some of these folks make me uncomfortable. Cooper is a fine young man, but I’d just as soon shoot later on. Not to worry. There are plenty of doves this season.” He smiled and gave his truck some gas. “Have a good time today.”
Mills joined Cooper and said, “Why won’t Charles shoot with us today?”
“He never shoots with me on opening day. He knows he’s invited, but he says some members of the hunting group make him uncomfortable.”
The caterers had set up refreshment tents around the house and as the hunters began to arrive, they congregated around the stands.
Cooper took Mills aside and said, “I have your hunting station set up. You won’t be far from me, and as the afternoon comes on, you’ll be in the shade.” There was a large group of hunters, Cooper’s neighbors, his relatives, and some people Mills had never met before. Just before noon, the hunters began to take their positions. At first, the birds arrived in sparse numbers, but by the middle of the afternoon, an abundance of doves began to flock to the field.
Jeff was not far from Cooper and Mills, and she watched as he shot with his usual perfection. His Labrador, Brutus, would immediately retrieve his birds from the field.
They called out inbound dove to each other, and Sam retrieved the downed birds for Cooper and Mills. The Labrador took the dove to the correct hunter each time.
Mills noticed that a number of guests had congregated underneath a live oak tree and were socializing, rather than hunting.
By four-thirty, Jeff had shot a limit of doves, and he stopped by to speak to Cooper. When they finished their conversation, on his way to the house, Jeff walked to where Mills was seated. “I see that Cooper picked a shady spot for you.” He stepped close to her and quietly said, “You two have virtually disappeared all summer. I want you to show me firsthand what Cooper’s been teaching you.”
“Jeff, I thought you already knew how to throw a cast net.”
He smiled at her, kissed her on the forehead, and then rubbed his sweaty cheek against hers.
“What are you doing?” Yuck!
“I’m just messing with you.” He winked at her before heading toward the house, Brutus at his side.
Not long after Jeff’s departure, Cooper asked Mills to gather her gear. He wanted to make sure his guests were being served properly.
Cooper requested refreshments for Mills and himself before his uncle Ian joined them. “Cooper, please allow me to borrow Mills for a few moments. There are some flowers in your garden I’d like to show her.”
Cooper smiled, and Ian took her hand and led her away. “Mills, thank you for accommodating me. I’m very worried about Cooper. He came to me yesterday with this declaration that he was going to move to Central America and buy a cattle ranch—maybe he said Costa Rica. Needless to say, I was stunned.”
“I know—I’m sorry you’re worried.”
“I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but in a few years, I plan to retire from Heath Brothers and arrangements are in place for Cooper to head the company. He practically runs the operation now. I also know that he would never let down my children who do not participate in the management of the company, but are dependent on Heath Brothers for their livelihoods.”
He strolled close to a rose bush and bent a stem to inhale the fragrance of a blossom. “Cooper reminds me of King Edward VIII who abdicated the throne of England for an American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. He was unable to marry her and sit on the British throne, so he gave up his royal lineage to be her husband. I am only guessing at
a relationship because Cooper is a private person and does not discuss his personal life. I realize that if he is in love, he cannot marry this lady because of his current situation, but going away right now would give his detractors more ammunition to accuse him of wrongdoing. All summer, I’ve noticed that Cooper has been thoughtful and, at times, preoccupied with an important issue. I also know that he has been under a terrible strain from Elise’s disappearance, but I’ve never known him to make a poor decision.” He took a deep breath and then asked, “I realize this is none of my business, but are you and Cooper expecting an infant?”
What? “No, Mr. Heath, Cooper and I are not expecting a baby.” She felt herself blush.
“I’m sorry to have asked you that, but I’m just trying to understand his reasoning.”
“Cooper has been having a nightmare about me, in which I am injured and bleeding. He thinks that if we go away from here, he can alter what he believes to be a premonition. In his dream, he sees me wet from the pouring rain of a raging storm. Before it’s over, he envisions me with blood on my body, and I stare at him with a shocked expression. He thinks I’m going to be hurt if I stay here.”
“Cooper has had these premonitions before. I remember him suffering a series of dreams before my brother and nephew were killed. I’m sorry; I’m frightening you.”
She felt a chill run deep to her bones.
He put his hand on her shoulder and said, “I’ll think about this. I hope I can think of a way to help you both. If I wasn’t aware of Cooper’s capability, I would think this too fantastic to believe—and Mills, I was not comparing you to Wallis Simpson. I related that story because it dealt with personal sacrifice. I don’t want you two to go away and live in exile.”
When they returned to the party, Mills noticed that Cooper’s Air Force friend, James Burton, had joined the festivities, and he was becoming boisterous from alcohol consumption. Cooper took him aside and told him to go light on the bourbon, but James waved him off.