Micah agreed that Judith might visit the hospital Tuesday. Caleb wanted to accompany her, but ongoing issues with Ruef kept him from being able to go. According to Caleb during his brief visit on Monday, Spreckels was filing papers today to incorporate the Municipal Street Railways of San Francisco. Spreckels was determined to prove that underground cables were not only more economical in the long run, but would enhance the city’s beauty. Judith was disappointed by Caleb’s focus on business and his brief stay, but kept it to herself. She knew it was important to him to see Ruef put in his place along with the other grafters.
“Are you warm enough, my dear?” her uncle asked.
Uncle William and Bill treated her like a delicate flower as they rode with her to the hospital. She thought them both rather silly but allowed for their ministering. Uncle William tucked a heavy wool blanket around her, while Bill handed her his scented handkerchief, explaining that the hospital odor was quite unpleasant.
“You forget that I grew up on a ranch, Bill. I know all about unpleasant smells.” Nevertheless, she kept his handkerchief in order to avoid arguing the point.
“You must realize,” Uncle William told her, “that your grandmother is very ill. The doctors are doing all they can, but they don’t hold out much hope.”
Judith had talked at some length with Micah the night before. He had gently encouraged her to prepare herself for her grandmother’s death. She nodded. “I understand, Uncle.”
The thought saddened Judith more than she could have imagined. She hardly knew the old woman, but it didn’t matter. Ann Whitley was her own flesh and blood. She had never given up hope of one day finding Judith, and now that they were reunited, it seemed a cruel joke that they should be again separated.
At the hospital, William and Bill were overly attentive. Bill thought they should get one of the patient wheelchairs so Judith didn’t have to walk far. William thought perhaps they should just walk slowly and sit down often to rest.
“I feel fine. I’m sure I can walk the distance.” Judith fixed the two men with a look that she hoped made her determination clear. It seemed to do the trick, because neither man offered further argument.
“We arranged a small private room,” her uncle said as he led her down a long corridor. “We wanted Mother to have peace and quiet. It’s just at the end of the hall.” When they reached the room, he paused. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Judith had no more patience. “I’m certain. Now please stop worrying.”
Her uncle nodded and opened the door to the room. The dim light revealed a single iron bed, a night table, and a chair. There wasn’t even a window.
“This is so stuffy and dismal,” Judith murmured.
“I wonder where the nurse is?” her uncle asked. “I paid for someone to be with her around the clock.”
Judith moved to her grandmother’s bedside and took her hand. She frowned at the sight of the frail woman. Her gray-white hair was down around her shoulders, making her face seem even paler.
“Grandmother, it’s Judith. I’ve come to see you.”
The old woman opened her eyes. She looked at Judith for a moment, not seeming to comprehend who she was.
Judith drew the wrinkled hand to her heart. “Grandmother?”
Recognition dawned. “Judith. You’re alive.”
“I am. I’m much better, and you must get better too. I’m so glad you let them bring you to the hospital where you could get proper treatment.”
“Bah,” the old woman murmured. “They’re all fools. I came here to die.”
“Mother, you mustn’t speak in such a manner,” Uncle William admonished.
“Don’t tell me what I mustn’t do. I want to speak to Judith alone.” She paused and took several strained breaths. “Leave us.”
Bill, who stood at the end of the bed, shrugged. “I know when I’m not wanted.” He smiled, but Judith could see by the way his eyes narrowed that he wasn’t pleased.
Grandmother waited until both men had gone before speaking again. “Judith, I haven’t much time. We must speak frankly. Close the door and then sit.”
Judith frowned and released the old woman’s hand. She closed the door to the room, then came back to take a seat beside her bed. Despite what Micah and everyone else seemed to believe, Judith had to hope her grandmother might recover. “You can get better, Grandmother. I did.”
The old woman smiled. “You are young and full of strength. I’m relieved to know you are better, but there’s nothing they can do for me . . . and we mustn’t spend our time arguing the point.”
“I understand your feelings, but I will continue to hope. God can heal your body if He chooses. Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“William . . . the others . . . I know it may sound strange, but . . . my passing will cause some grief.”
“Of course they will be grieved.” Judith shook her head. “We will all be grieved.”
“No, it’s more than that.” Grandmother said. “It’s about the future and . . . what they expect.”
“But what has that got to do with me?”
“Mr. Pettyjohn can better explain . . . or perhaps that young man of yours. I . . . altered my will.”
Caleb had already told her that Grandmother intended to leave half of her fortune to Judith. It was so much more than Judith could even fathom. Her father’s fortune alone made her a very wealthy woman. Richer than most, in fact.
“The new will is in place. It was witnessed . . . and signed the day you were told about your fortune. It was . . . the same day . . . I had you sign that temporary will.”
“I don’t know what to say, Grandmother. I have no need for more of the family fortune. If it’s going to cause grief and bad feelings, then I’d rather not have it.”
“You have no say in it. It’s yours. William . . . is a fool who will not alter his course in order to benefit his family. I see no reason to further aid him in his folly. However, I’ve left him enough that if he . . . will heed my advice . . . he will live comfortably. As for Bill . . . he has great potential. I’ve left him the shipping industry, which if . . . if he’s willing to work at it and take counsel . . . he’ll continue to be wealthy. Victoria . . . she will receive a portion of money . . . as already dictated by her marriage contract.” It was clear the old woman’s energy was failing.
“You should rest, Grandmother.”
“No, you need to know. The rest is yours. Everything . . . the house . . . the industries your father . . . and grandfather worked to create, as well as everything your mother inherited from her parents.”
The full meaning of what her grandmother had said began to sink in. “Everything?” she murmured. “But, Grandmother, the house . . . it’s their home. I cannot take that from them.”
“Then don’t. Allow them to live with you there.”
Judith thought of the fact that someone there had tried to poison her . . . had put a rattlesnake in her bed. “I don’t intend to live there, Grandmother. It isn’t a home to me, especially if you aren’t there.”
The old woman smiled and reached for Judith’s hand. “I’m glad for the time we’ve had. This . . . isn’t what I wanted for us . . . but I believe God has at least arranged to bring you back to me so that I can bless you with all that you should have grown up with.”
Tears came to Judith’s eyes. “The only thing I want is more time.”
Grandmother nodded. “And it’s the only thing my money cannot buy you.”
Caleb finally dropped into bed that night just after the hall clock chimed one. He was relieved that Judith was on the mend and that she’d decided to move back to his little home. Now that Henry Ambrewster’s house had sold, Caleb was already thinking about the future. A future with Judith.
He’d wanted to speak to her about his feelings on Monday, but his visit had to be cut short. Ruef was starting to feel the interruptions to his normal operating methods. The Home Telephone Company, a consortium owned and finan
ced by those who weren’t obligated to Ruef, had challenged the exclusive franchise held by Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Company, who were clearly operating under Ruef’s guidelines. Then, issues of the city’s water supply and operations came under scrutiny. The Spring Valley Water Company, backed and protected by Ruef, was doing its best to maintain control despite arguments that what they provided was inadequate for the fast-growing city. Proposals for a large reservoir had been presented by those who recognized that the city’s supply of water would never be able to meet the future demands of a large-scale emergency. Fire Chief Sullivan had pleaded with the Board of Supervisors to see the need. He had pointed out how most of the city’s cisterns were in disrepair and unusable. Most were empty of water, and many had even been filled with dirt and trash. The Board, however, under Ruef’s directions, had ignored the problem for years. Now those in positions to challenge their decisions were rising up to make demands of their own.
Like dominoes falling in line, one problem after another was demanding the attention of those who would see Ruef and his cronies defeated. The time to act was now, and Caleb knew it better than most, but there was also his desire to declare his love for Judith and propose marriage.
He felt confident her answer would be yes. So much was unspoken between them, but his heart was certain of her feelings. As he fell asleep, Caleb made up his mind to notch out time the following morning to see Judith and tell her how he felt.
He was sure that he’d only just fallen asleep when something woke him. A sound vibrated through the house, like a locomotive coming into a station. It built and grew louder, and then the vibrating turned to shaking. The entire house seemed to shudder.
“Earthquake!” He threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed, only to be thrown to the floor. The entire room seemed to jump up and down. Caleb struggled to stand, but lost his footing time and again. He’d experienced smaller earthquakes in the past, but nothing like this.
All around him, things fell to the ground. Paintings from the walls, bric-a-brac from the mantel. Caleb strained to see the time, but his clock seemed to spring to life and jump from the dresser. It shattered in pieces on the floor.
Overhead, the light fixture swung dangerously from side to side, and to Caleb’s amazement, the furniture seemed almost to dance across the floor. He thought of his sister and Kenzie, as well as the Wongs. He couldn’t do anything to help them.
The shaking and noise went on longer than any earthquake Caleb had ever experienced. Worse still, the up and down movement was joined by a side to side motion. It gave Caleb the sensation of being at sea. Would it never end?
Judith awoke to the entire room falling apart. She heard the glass in her French doors shatter as the roof seemed to give way and crack above her. She was momentarily mesmerized. What in the world was happening? She tried to reach for the lamp, but it fell away from her as the nightstand pulsated with the rest of the room.
She had experienced smaller earthquakes, but this one was so much stronger. She had no idea what to do. She tried to sit up, but the force of the shaking was such that she could hardly move. Around her, the walls seemed to rip apart as if they were paper being torn by some giant hand.
It was the end of the world. She was certain of it. The end of the world, and she was once again all alone.
You aren’t alone, Judith.
The words seemed to come from deep within her. She thought of the faith she’d come to—of God’s promise to never leave or forsake her.
Cracks opened in the plaster walls. A piece of her ceiling fell to the floor at the end of her bed. Through the hole in the roof, she could see the early morning sky with only the slightest hint of predawn. The broken French doors swung back and forth, pounding against the walls and debris, while all around her, the Whitley mansion crumbled.
The assurance that God was with her gave her comfort, as Judith had little doubt that she was going to die. How strange that she had just regained her strength after nearly succumbing to illness or poisoning, only to be buried alive—killed by the very house she was soon to inherit. A sense of regret settled over her as the madness continued. Regret for the wasted time and lies her parents had told her. Regret for never knowing her real parents and sister.
Her biggest regret, however, was never telling Caleb that she loved him.
CHAPTER
25
When the shaking ceased, an eerie silence filled the air. Judith glanced around the room. She was cut off from the world by the debris that had fallen around her. For a moment, she didn’t move, almost afraid that if she did, the shaking might start up once again. The skies were growing light, but her room was too dark to be able to see all the dangers.
“Hello? Is anyone out there?” She called for her uncle and then for Bill and Sarah. No one answered.
She scooted to the edge of the bed and looked down at the floor. Shards of glass and splintered wood lay mingled with pieces of plaster. There wasn’t a clear spot to step, but amazingly, her shoes still sat just where she’d left them the night before, on the other side of the nightstand. Sarah had promised to put them away, but Judith had told her not to worry about it. She glanced at her nightstand. Most everything had fallen off of it, and what little was left, she easily pushed aside. She then scooted onto the stand and swung her feet down to reach her shoes.
After this, she tested the floor in front of her. It seemed sturdy enough. She heard things shifting outside and dropped into a crouch beside the bed when something large fell in her sitting room.
“Is someone out there? I need help!”
No one answered.
Judith felt her way along the bed. The route to the hall door wasn’t going to be easy. She turned to see if she might be able to get to the balcony, but that route was also impossible. The roof had fallen in completely, blocking that escape.
She began to push aside lighter pieces of furniture, wood, and plaster. If the rest of the house was in this state, it would be a wonder if anyone else had lived through the earthquake, much less thought to see if she was all right.
When she reached the sitting room, Judith caught the first whiff of smoke. Was the house on fire? She tried to move the large beam that had fallen against the door, but it was far too heavy. Crouching down, she tried to crawl under it, but too much debris was in the way.
She moved out from under the beam as she heard something else crashing down. The Whitley mansion was falling apart. She had to get out.
“Help me!” she cried out. “Someone help me!”
To her surprise, she heard movement outside her barred door. “Is that you, Judith?” It sounded like Bill.
“It’s me! I’m trapped in my room.”
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No. Just stuck.” She was relieved to know that someone else was alive.
She could hear him doing something outside the door and presumed he must be trying to get it open. Judith put her back against the blocking beam and pushed with all her might. It shifted slightly, and Bill managed to push the door in. However, as he did this, plaster rained down on them, and another portion of roof collapsed against the beam.
The debris knocked Judith backward to the ground. Something heavy fell against her leg and pinned her to the floor.
“Help me, Bill. I can’t move it.” She tried to sit up, pushing at the piece trapping her leg, not even able to see what it was for all the dust.
Bill climbed over the pile of rubble at the door and stared down at her. Judith could just make out his shadowy figure.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I was just marveling at how easily everything has come about.”
“I don’t understand. Come help me.” She continued trying to free her leg, but it only caused her pain.
Bill remained where he was. “My father is dead. I found him on the floor of his room. Part of the chimney collapsed on him.”
“That’s terrible. I’m s
o sorry, Bill.”
“I’m not. And now here you are, trapped, and the house in flames—”
Judith shook her head. “If the house is on fire, why are you just standing there?”
“Because, my dear cousin, I intend for you to die.”
She stopped working to free her leg. “What?”
“I tried to get rid of you before—first the snake and then the poison. At least the latter has probably finished off the old lady, but I’ve no idea what happened to the snake.”
“I took care of it.” She felt rage build within her. “I killed it.”
“Indeed? You have some strange skills, dear cousin.”
Judith sickened at the realization that Bill truly intended to let her die. “How could you? I never did you any harm. Neither did Grandmother. You wouldn’t have had the good life you enjoy so much had it not been for her.”
“Ha! Hardly that. That old dragon did nothing but breathe hellfire and brimstone on everyone. She insisted the world do exactly as she demanded. I hate her, and I’m glad she’s going to die. Perhaps she’s already dead. Maybe the earthquake finished her off just as it has brought you to your end.”
Judith had no idea what to do, but her panic was rapidly building. Bill was the only one alive to help her, and he’d just confessed that he wanted to see her dead.
“You have no reason to hate me, Bill. I’ve done nothing to you.”
“Nothing but take my fortune. I overheard Grandmother tell you that she left you everything. I also know that you signed a will that returned everything back to the family should you die. So you must die.”
“You can have it all, Bill. If you were listening to us talk at the hospital, then you know that I don’t care about any of it. I only wanted a family.” The skies were growing lighter, and Judith could make out Bill’s twisted expression.
“Family? This has never been a family. We’re more a gathering of opponents—each determined to overcome the aggressions of the others. I’m glad to see the last of it.”
In Dreams Forgotten Page 24