Touching the Sky

by Tracie Peterson

  Still nothing. He decided to go through the house, but upon investigation found that no one was there. He felt his brows furrow. The only road out here was the one they’d come in on. If the girls had returned to town, he and Tyler would have seen them.

  He made his way back outside and found Tyler squatting in the middle of the road, thirty yards away. Brandon waved and called to him. “What did you find?”

  Tyler straightened and motioned. “What’s down that direction?”

  Brandon walked toward Tyler shaking his head. “I don’t know. I would imagine the beach. We aren’t that far from the water.”

  “They drove the carriage that way and about five or six horses followed. The tracks are deep enough I’m guessin’ the mounts had riders. At least most of them.”

  “There’s no reason for Laura and her sister to do that,” Brandon said, going for his horse. “My guess is that they were forced to go that way. Come on.”

  He swung up into the saddle, not even bothering to use the stirrup. “Can you keep tracking them?”

  Tyler nodded. “So long as there’s light and a good wind doesn’t blow the sand around too much.” He pulled his horse along. “I’ll stay on foot for now and we’ll see what we can find.” Handing his horse’s reins to Brandon, Tyler smiled. “It’ll be a sight easier for me if you take my mount.”

  “Certainly.” Brandon wrapped the reins around his saddle horn and followed slowly behind Tyler as he gave special attention to the ground.

  But they’d gone only about half a mile when the road split into not two but three different narrow trails. Worse yet, the carriage was sitting at the side of the main road, and there was no sign of the women.

  “Riders went down all three paths,” Tyler declared. “Apparently they were afraid of being followed.”

  Brandon urged his horse down one of the paths for a few minutes, but saw nothing. Returning to Atherton he shook his head. “Where could they have gone?”

  “I couldn’t say. You probably know this land better than I do.”

  Brandon nodded. He’d had some time on Mustang Island, which was just a short distance from this place. Could they be headed there? He didn’t think that was likely, but then again he didn’t know Lowe or his companions. The island might well be the place they were storing their gunpowder and other supplies.

  “I think we’re going to need some help. Let’s get back to town so that I can speak with General Russell. If we’re going to capture these men and see the women to safety, we’re going to need the army’s help.”

  Laura and Carissa found themselves tied to chairs inside a ramshackle building not far from the water’s edge. It was nearly nightfall, and Laura was starting to worry that Esther had been unable to find Brandon and deliver the papers. Surely if the woman had found him and told him what had happened, Brandon would have come in search of her and Carissa.

  Across the room at a small table, Malcolm sat while his men stood gathered round. Laura could hear most of what was being said, but from time to time her brother-in-law would lower his voice enough that she couldn’t make out all the details.

  “Laura, what are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  They’d been there now for some time and Laura’s arms hurt from where the ropes bit into them and bound her to the chair. Her hands were tied at the wrist, as were Carissa’s. The place smelled of black powder and other things that Laura couldn’t identify. She wasn’t even sure she would have realized that the kegs they sat amongst were black powder had they not been stamped as such.

  “We’ll have to do it tonight,” Malcolm declared. “Since those two decided to stick their pretty little noses into my business, we can’t afford to wait any longer.”

  “What’ll we do with them, boss?” one of the men asked.

  “I’ve given that some thought,” Malcolm replied and got to his feet. He looked at Laura and then Carissa. “I’ve a feeling that no matter what I do, you two are gonna be bad luck for me.” He looked back at his men. “We’ll have to kill ’em.”

  Laura gasped. “You would kill the mother of your unborn child? You’d kill your baby?”

  Malcolm rolled his eyes. “Merciful days, woman. You are as daft as you are nosy. I only married your sister in order to get at your father’s money and friends. I don’t care a thing about her or that brat she’s carryin’.”

  Laura looked to Carissa just in time to see her sister’s expression change from fear to anger. “I should have known you were incapable of love,” she accused Malcolm. “I should have figured that out a long time ago.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, you probably should have, but you were too busy being the little belle of the ball. I’ve never known a woman as stupid as you.”

  Carissa winced as if struck, but Laura turned on Malcolm in hatred. “My sister isn’t stupid; she merely has a big heart. It can hardly be her fault that you deceived her and she believed. When a person loves another, they want to believe the very best of them.” She thought of Brandon and his confession to having been involved in Malcolm’s investigation long before she’d mentioned his plans. She wanted to believe only the very best about him.

  “It’s easy to fool a fool,” Malcolm countered. He turned back to the men. “We’ll move out tonight and set the explosion to go off around two in the morning. That way the soldiers will be asleep, and they won’t be changin’ the guards for a while.”

  “And them?” one of the men asked.

  “We’ll take ’em along and put them square in the middle of things. They wanted so much to be a part of it all, so we’ll accommodate them,” Malcolm replied.

  Carissa began to cry softly. Laura longed to go to her and hold her close. She gave a desperate search around the room, hoping that she’d overlooked something that might aid them. The men’s attention was on whatever drawing Malcolm had on the table. Laura tried once again to pull her wrist through the tight bindings. It seemed as though she could feel a little give, but not enough.

  “Now, get those wagons loaded,” Malcolm instructed, stepping away from the table. “Pack them just like we planned. If you don’t distribute the weight evenly, we’re likely to get stuck in the sand. Get everything set and don’t leave anything to chance. We’ll only have one opportunity to make this work.”

  The men grunted their approval and walked from the shack. Malcolm turned to the women once more and dragged his chair over to where they were sitting. Turning the chair, he sat on it backward and leaned against the frame.

  For a moment all he did was stare at Laura and Carissa. His penetrating gaze was unnerving, and Laura finally had all she could take. “What are you going to do now?”

  He shrugged. “We’re loading the powder,” he said, giving a sweeping motion with first his left and then his right arm. “If I thought I could trust you two, you’d be out there helping.”

  “Malcolm, this is a horrible thing you are doing,” Carissa said, looking at her husband. “Please, if I’ve meant anything good to you . . . please let my sister go.”

  Giving a brief laugh, Malcolm slapped his thigh. “You do say the most ignorant things. I ain’t gonna take my orders from no woman.”

  “I’m your wife, Malcolm. I have your child growing inside me.” She sounded stronger and more self-assured than Laura had thought possible. “I’m begging you to reconsider.”

  He cocked his head to one side for a moment. “I did as you asked, and I’m still convinced my way is best.” He laughed again. “Now I’m goin’ to go help my men. The sooner we’re loaded, the sooner we can get out of here.”

  “To go where?” Carissa asked.

  Malcolm’s expression caught between a smirk and a look of self-satisfaction. “Well, you little ladies enjoy yourself. Oh, and if you do happen to get free, which I seriously doubt you can accomplish, I want you to know something. It’s ten miles back to town. Ten miles of dangerous paths, and you won’t know where you’re going. It’s dark—and
believe me, there’s more than me to contend with out there.”

  Fixing his gaze on Laura, Malcolm scooted the chair closer. “You know, you always were the smart one of the bunch. Never could abide that kind of thing in a woman, though. Made me glad that your sister was just willing to arrange flowers and clean house.”

  Carissa went pale and Laura felt her anger stir. “Malcolm, did it not ever dawn on you that those papers will explain everything to the army, and they will post guards around all of the necessary locations? I mean, I didn’t take the time to read your papers, but even I can figure that one out.”

  “I wasn’t foolish enough to note the locations—or to even sign my name to them. I drew maps and designed how we would set the powder, but I’m good at this. I know better than to leave anything around that could be found by snoopy little girls.”

  “They watch you all the time, Malcolm,” Laura warned him. “You’ll never get away with this.”

  Malcolm struck her with the palm of his hand before Laura even knew what had hit her. She reeled backward and heard Carissa yell something at her husband. The room swam, and Laura thought for just a moment she might pass out.

  Lord help us, she prayed, fighting for consciousness. Please, Lord, send a deliverer—send us help.

  Malcolm was laughing, and Carissa continued to argue with the man. “You had no reason to strike her, Malcolm. I can’t believe I ever thought you to be an honorable man.”

  Laura’s eyes strained to focus, and she saw Malcolm scowl at Carissa. “My honor died on the battlefield for anyone or anything but the South. That’s where my honor lies, and that’s what I’ll go on fighting for.” He got to his feet. “Now, like I said, I’m going to go see to the loads. You two, try to have a pleasant time.” He laughed as though he’d told a great joke and made his way from the tiny shack.

  Carissa looked at her sister and shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “This is all my fault. You warned me not to marry him so quickly. You tried to convince me that I wouldn’t be happy, but all I could think about was the wedding and the banquet afterward. I wanted so much to be a beautiful bride and have all my friends gathered round. I was so blind, Laura. So blind. And now you’ll pay for my mistakes.”

  “Unless God has other plans,” Laura said, trying her best to smile. Her cheek still ached from Malcolm’s slap.

  “You still believe in God—even now?”

  “Especially now,” Laura replied. “I couldn’t get through this without Him.”

  “And you think God is really listening to your prayers?” Carissa asked.

  “I’m certain of it.”

  “And you aren’t afraid?”

  “I didn’t say that. I wish I could tell you that because I believe God is in control, that I never fear life’s circumstances. But I do. I’m terrified. I know that God is still with us, however, and I’m learning little by little that this is enough. That He is more than able to meet my needs.”

  “I’m so scared, Laura.” Carissa bit her lip and closed her eyes. “I want my baby to live. I want to live.” She opened her eyes again and met Laura’s gaze. “I want you to live. Can God do that? If I pray to Him . . . will He listen?”

  “He listens to the prayers of the faithful and repentant. If you repent of your sins and ask Jesus to be your Savior—He will. He will come into your heart and forgive all of your sin.”

  “And we’ll get out of this without getting hurt?” Carissa asked hopefully.

  Laura wanted to tell her yes, but knew that would be a lie. “I don’t know. I don’t know what God has planned in any of this. I don’t know how the devil will strive to interfere. I only know that God is faithful, and we can trust Him to never leave us nor forsake us. That’s really all that matters, Carissa. If we die without Him, we are lost. If we die with Him, we are saved no matter what.”

  “But I’d rather live,” Carissa said. A sob caught in her throat.

  “Then put your trust in Jesus. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. He will deliver us, Carissa. I’m certain of it.” And for the first time since they’d been taken hostage, Laura truly was certain. She had an uncanny feeling that God had already made provision for their deliverance.

  “We’re going to be all right, Carissa. We’re going to be all right.”

  26

  But where could the girls be?” Mrs. Marquardt asked her husband.

  “I hate to say this,” Brandon told them, “but I believe your son-in-law has taken them hostage.”

  Stanley Marquardt looked at Brandon, quite confused. “But why?”

  Throwing a glance at Tyler, Brandon nodded. “Laura has been helping me to get information on him. We knew Lowe was responsible for the murder of several soldiers. Remember the killings last May?”

  “Of the black soldiers?” Marquardt questioned.

  Brandon nodded. “We have proof that Malcolm headed that up. He has a team of former Confederate soldiers who are helping him carry on the war.”

  Mr. Marquardt couldn’t have looked more shocked had Brandon hit him in the face. He glanced at his wife before he asked, “And what did Laura have to do with this?”

  “We were slated to take Malcolm into custody when Laura overheard him talking about his plans to blow up Yankee soldiers. We delayed his arrest hoping that we could catch his cohorts. We have been watching Malcolm and have managed to identify some of the men. When I learned about his abuse of Carissa—”

  “What abuse?” Stanley Marquardt cut in.

  Remembering what Laura had said about her parents’ ignorance of Malcolm’s true nature, Brandon knew the time had come to reveal the truth. “Your daughter didn’t fall down the stairs at home. Her husband beat her within an inch of her life. Laura figured this out and forced Carissa’s confession.”

  Mrs. Marquardt raised her hand to her mouth and stumbled a step backward, while Stanley Marquardt’s face turned beet red. He cursed, something Brandon had never heard the man do before.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you, but apparently Malcolm has been hitting her on a regular basis.”

  “Oh, our poor girl,” Mrs. Marquardt moaned.

  “Perhaps you should sit down,” Brandon suggested. She didn’t even argue, but sank into the nearest chair.

  “Tyler and I have been searching for the women and believe Lowe and his men have them. We have an idea of where he took them, but I’ve arranged for some soldiers to assist us. I only stopped here long enough to let you know what was happening.”

  Just then a commotion rose at the front door. Gaston was arguing with someone, but the decidedly female voice would have nothing to do with his protests.

  “I gots . . . to see . . . Mr. Brandon. It’s a . . . matter of life and death.”

  Brandon and Tyler turned as Esther made her way into the house. She was holding out some papers and looking to Mr. Marquardt in apology. “I knows . . . the workers . . . don’t use the front door . . . but this be important.” She was panting, and Brandon could see that she was covered in sweat despite the cool temperature.

  Mr. Marquardt reached for the papers, but Esther pulled them back. “Miss Laura said these was for Mr. Brandon and nobody else.”

  Brandon stepped forward before Marquardt could protest and took the papers. “Where did you get these, Esther? Where’s Laura?”

  “That Mr. Malcolm . . . he done took her and Miss Carissa. He and his men come jes afore we could leave. Miss Laura, she find these papers in Mr. Malcolm’s office. She say for me to get them to ya, but I watched for a time and I saw the men take Miss Carissa and Miss Laura in the carriage. Then I go to town to search for you.”

  “We found the carriage,” Brandon told her, “but the ladies weren’t there.”

  Brandon looked through the papers quickly and unrolled the maps. To anyone else it might have been questionable, but Brandon easily recognized the layout of the army’s main supply headquarters. There were notes and arrows pointing in a variety of directions from
that building.

  “Do you know where Malcolm took the girls?” Marquardt asked.

  Esther shook her head. “They headed out the old north road, but I don’t know where they be bound.”

  “Thank you for getting these to us.” Brandon looked to Tyler. “It looks like they plan to set off a dozen separate explosions. Lowe means not to just wreak havoc; he means to start another war.”

  “What can we do?” Marquardt asked. “How can we help the girls?”

  Brandon drew a deep breath. “I’m going to need you to take these to General Russell at the Ironclad House. Tell him I sent you and that he will need to put the troops on full alert. Security must be of the utmost strength in case we cannot get to Lowe and his men in time. Tell them the main area appears to be the HQ supply house. From there, I can’t be sure, but my guess is that Lowe intends to set enough charges to blow up as many soldiers as possible. He may intend to set fire to the supplies and get the men working to put out the fire before setting off a larger explosion. Mention is made of setting fire to another location—looks like the Ironclad House. I don’t have time to study it all, but he will.”

  “I’ll take my horse and go right now,” Laura’s father said. He looked to Esther. “Thank you for what you’ve done.” He locked his gaze on Brandon. “Please bring my daughters back to me.” He darted from the room without waiting for Brandon to reply and headed toward the back of the house.

  Mrs. Marquardt wept softly into a handkerchief, all the while rocking back and forth in her misery. Brandon looked to Esther. “Take care of Mrs. Marquardt, would you? Tyler and I will go find Laura and Carissa.”

  Esther nodded. “God bless ya, Mr. Brandon. God bless ya.”

  Laura knew the hour was late. Darkness engulfed them as the men moved her and Carissa to the wagons. Malcolm was giving the final instructions to his men, and Laura could see from the glow of two lanterns that the wagons had been fixed with two teams of horses each.