Fading Thunder_A Historical Romance

by Sheila Hollinghead

  “You’re being all philosophical in a strange sort of way.”

  He wiped his chin. “What I’m trying to say is that if you want to keep the truck, we will. But you need another vehicle.” He popped another fry in his mouth.

  “You don’t like your truck?”

  He sighed. “No, I don’t like that truck, but I’ll make do with it for now.” He took the last bite of his burger.

  “But Michael, if we buy out Wilbur, we’ll have two payments — the farm and the practice. And then add a car payment on top of that ...?”

  “Let’s go find out what’s available. We might be able to pay cash for a car. Like I said, nothing fancy.”

  It wouldn’t hurt to look. “All right. A car and not another truck?”

  “With two children, I think we need a car, don’t you?”

  “I reckon.”

  He stood and held out a hand to me.

  Chapter 24—The Letter

  And so, despite my misgivings, we bought a car, a 1937 Ford station wagon with wood paneling.

  We got a good deal, and Michael was right — it would make our lives easier. Still, I feared the booming economy wouldn’t last forever, and I vowed to keep a tighter rein on our spending before we’d even left the car lot.

  We ate supper with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Colt and showed off our purchase. Aunt Liza came over, too. She had rented a house about three miles down the road. There was a sadness in her eyes, but she appeared determined to be cheerful. Laurie had told everyone I was in the family way, and we had a great meal, Michael and I accepting congratulations. Everyone was thrilled except for Momma, who glowered at me every time I looked in her direction.

  Despite my best efforts, I was not able to get William alone to question him. However, I managed to whisper to Laurie everything Dan had told us.

  We were leaving when Momma cornered me, grabbing my arm and refusing to let go.

  Her bleary eyes blinked at me. “When you taking me home?”

  “Soon.”

  Michael stepped beside me, whether because he was impatient to leave or simply to give me moral support, I didn’t know.

  Momma shook a finger in my face. “Ezekiel says he’s going away again. I ain’t having it. Them doctors wouldn’t know their own head if they sat on it.”

  “I’m taking him to Dr. Burch tomorrow, and we’ll see what he says. There’s no need to worry about it now.”

  “Where will Dr. Burch send him?”

  “Back to Fort Benning —”

  She cut me off with a wave of her arm. “I mean, who will he be with? Who’ll be watching my boy?”

  “Marla. You remember Marla, don’t you?”

  “She ain’t even kin. She won’t take care of him.”

  “He’s almost fifteen. He can take care of himself.” My own worries nagged me even as I said the words. Marla living with a man who was not her husband — supposedly working for Matthew Drake, but I had seen little evidence of that while I visited. And as soon as I got home, Dan showed up on my porch to tell us Marla asked him to lie. Perhaps the lie was to spare me, so that I would quit suspecting Michael. Still, Dan’s revelation had made me distrust Marla more.

  I searched Momma’s eyes, trying to convince her as well as myself. “Momma, if Dr. Burch sends him back, as soon as the doctors release Zeke, I’d head up there and bring him home.” He did not need to be under the same roof with Grace, anyway. The way he had calmly told me I could not keep them apart ... he had seemed a different person, not like my little brother at all.

  Michael tugged on my arm, and I realized I had blocked out most of Momma’s words.

  She was shaking her head at me. “You ain’t got the sense you were born with.”

  I sighed. “We’ve got to go, Momma.”

  “Wait.” Her fingers dug into my arm. “When you taking me home?”

  “I told you, in a couple of days.”

  She seemed satisfied with that and released me. Michael pressed his hand to the small of my back, and I took the hint, walking away as quickly as possible. Michael swept up James Colton to speed our exit, and we called our goodbyes.

  He put James Colton in the truck with him, and I followed them home in my car. Michael stopped the truck next to the mailbox, and I pulled around him into the yard. I felt nauseated after the meal at Aunt Jenny’s. I headed to the kitchen to make a lemon drink.

  Michael came in with James Colton and tossed the mail on the table. “Where’s the checkbook?” he asked.

  “Anything wrong?”

  “No. I want to check our finances and see if anything is coming due.”

  “All right.” It would be a relief if Michael took over. I hated paying bills. “The checkbook is in my purse. I’ll get it for you in a minute.”

  He spread out the mail and retrieved a letter, looking at it as if it were a rattler about to strike.

  “What’s that? The light bill?”

  His eyes darkened. “No. It’s a letter from Sylvia.”

  “What?” I walked around the table, and we both stared at the letter he held in his hand. “Open it,” I urged.

  He got out his pocket knife, slit open the end of the envelope, and shook the letter out. He unfolded it, and then handed it to me. “Here, you read it.”

  “Aloud?”

  He shrugged in a motion I took for assent. The letter held a scent of perfume, one I didn’t recognize. I cleared my throat and began to read.

  “Dear Mike,

  I’m so glad you made it back in one piece from the war. I think of you often. We always had such fun together!

  You can look me up any time or at least give me a call. Sarah Jane fussing over your heroic dog saddens me. He would be welcomed here with open arms! If you decide to move here, I have some connections and know I can easily get you work. But don’t worry — it won’t be all work and no play!

  Yours always,

  Sylvia.”

  She had included her address and phone number in large, block-print letters, and beneath that the words, “Please say yes,” were written with a giddy schoolgirl’s hand.

  Michael took the letter from me and read back through it. “Who told her I was home?”

  “Who told her I fussed over Argos? It would serve her right if you sent that dog to her.”

  Michael’s laugh surprised me. He headed to the wood stove with the letter, and I went to stand beside him. He opened the firebox door, lit the letter on one end, and threw it in. While the paper burned, he placed a piece of lighter on top, added a few pieces of wood, and soon had a fire going.

  “I’ll make your lemon drink, and I’m going to heat me up a cup of coffee. I think there was some left from this morning.”

  “Thanks.”

  I went with James Colton to put on his sleeping clothes. By the time I returned, Michael had heated up the leftover coffee and made my drink. I joined him at the table.

  I touched the blemish, the darkened area left by Dan.

  I sighed. “I wonder who’s been in touch with Sylvia.”

  “You know it wasn’t me.”

  “I know, Michael.” I searched his eyes. “I trust you; you trust me ... right? We will from now on?”

  He nodded and took a sip of coffee, his eyes becoming unfocused. “That letter’s strange. Who could have written her?”

  “There are several I can think of ...” I used my fingers to tick off the names. “William, of course.” As my cousin, I should give William the benefit of the doubt, but I was inclined to believe Dan. And if what Dan had told us was true, wouldn’t William stay in touch with the mother of his child? Surely she’d want to know how Joe Joe was doing. I glanced at Michael through my lashes. “To be honest, Sylvia seemed genuinely fond of Joe Joe. Maybe she’s been in touch.”

  “Maybe, but I’ve known William since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. He wouldn’t tell her we had an argument.”

  “Normally I’d agree, but I just don’t know any more, after what Dan told us.”
I sighed. “I’ve asked William to come by the office. I’ll flat out ask him, but he might lie.”

  “William is not a chronic liar, Jay.” He frowned at me, making me feel ashamed of my doubts about my cousin.

  I brushed it off and ticked off another finger. “If it’s not William, perhaps it’s Marla. She knows Sylvia’s address — she’s been sending her money, according to Dan.” Marla seemed least likely to me. Why would she turn against me and tell Sylvia my problems? I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, accept that it was Marla.

  Michael ran a finger around the rim of his cup, his eyes thoughtful. “Marla and Sylvia have never been on the best of terms.”

  I ticked off a third finger. “There’s one other person who knows where Sylvia is, probably knows exactly ...”

  “Who?”

  “Uncle Aaron.”

  Michael scoffed. “Uncle Aaron? My uncle?”

  “I know it doesn’t seem likely, but we know he was the last person to see Sylvia. He got her an apartment ... and as far as we know, that’s where she’s still at.”

  “Uncle Aaron ...” His lips tightened, and he shook his head. “She might write to him, but he wouldn’t answer.”

  I finished my drink and got up to wash out the cup. “None of the three seem likely, but who knows us, knows that we had a problem over Argos, who would be in touch with her?” I considered each of them again. William, the cousin I’d always been close to, more like my brother than a cousin ... why would he tell Sylvia about my marital problems? Marla, my best friend since high school who’d helped me through such bad times ... sure, she’d been acting strange with Matthew Drake, but did that mean she would betray me? And Uncle Aaron, the one who had rescued me from Sylvia in the first place ... No, none of them made sense. I dried my cup to put it away.

  Michael was watching me, his brown eyes thoughtful. “You’re forgetting one person.”

  I leaned with my back against the sink to fully face him. “Who?”

  “Dan. He told us himself that Grace showed him a letter from Sylvia.”

  “Oh.” I had forgotten. Could it be Dan? Maybe he wanted to cause problems ... but I didn’t want to believe it. I wrung my hands and felt Michael watching me. I smoothed down my dress.

  A grim look was plastered on my husband’s face. “I think I’d like to have another little chat with Dan.”

  “I’m going to put James Colton to bed. Want to tell him goodnight?” I hoped he’d refuse. I needed time to be alone, if only for a short time.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” His eyes had narrowed, and his hands tightened around his coffee cup, his knuckles whitening.

  I left him, sitting at the table, staring into his cup.

  Chapter 25—Work

  The next morning I loaded James Colton and his things into the station wagon. Michael helped me before he left, saying he would see me at work. Aunt Jenny would watch James Colton, and Laurie would come to her house to help. Really it wasn’t much different than Laurie keeping him at her house, but it’s what Michael wanted. I had told Zeke to be ready, planning to take him to see Dr. Burch. I got to Aunt Jenny’s house and switched out passengers in record time, then headed to Zeke’s appointment.

  Dr. Burch listened to Zeke’s heart carefully and then stuffed the stethoscope into his pocket. “I’ve never noticed before — it’s so faint — but it definitely sounds like a heart murmur.”

  “How serious is it?” I asked.

  He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s hard to say.”

  Zeke was watching intently but didn’t speak.

  “What can you do about it?”

  “Zeke may have to live with it, perhaps limiting his physical activity. If the valve is not structurally sound, he may need intervention.”

  “Intervention?”

  Dr. Burch pulled me away from Zeke and lowered his voice. “Surgery has been performed on heart valve problems — not many, not yet, but strides are being made. I’m not saying Zeke needs surgery. I don’t know the extent of the problem. However, I’m sure the army surgeons are more familiar with the procedure. Many soldiers had heart wounds and were patched up with good results.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “I’d feel better if he had access to the latest care.”

  I nodded my head. Zeke hopped off the table and walked over to us. “What’s the verdict, Dr. Burch?”

  Dr. Burch rubbed his balding head. “I agree that the doctors at Fort Benning need to continue monitoring you.”

  Zeke made a wry face and looked to me.

  I nodded slowly. “I trust Dr. Burch. We’ll get you back on the bus to Plainsville. I’ll call Marla and let her know you’re coming.”

  “All right.” His voice was calm. Did he never worry?

  I sighed. “Thank you, Doctor.”

  We left, and I dropped him off at Aunt Jenny’s. I was glad to be going back to work, hoping it would get my mind off my worry over Zeke and also hoping the rough patch in my marriage was behind me.

  When I got to the office, Uncle Aaron was exiting. He greeted me with a hug.

  “Good morning, Jay.” When he stepped back, he studied me for a second. “Is there anything wrong?”

  “I took Zeke to see Dr. Burch. He thinks he might have a heart murmur.”

  Uncle Aaron’s eyes clouded. “Sorry to hear that.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be all right. Do you have a problem?”

  “What?” He looked confused for a moment and then smiled. “No, all our animals are fine. I stopped by to pay our bill.”

  “Is Mr. Paul doing okay?”

  “Fine as frog hair split three ways.”

  “Good. I’d better get to work — I’ve been out so long, I’ve fallen way behind.”

  “I’d better get to work, too. You and Mike come to see us when you can.”

  “We will.” I gave him a wave goodbye and went in.

  Velma greeted me cordially. I supposed she had decided to forgive me for being Laurie’s cousin.

  Wilbur was in his office with an unlit cigar in his mouth. He grinned at me sheepishly. “I’ve decided to follow the doctor’s orders, but he didn’t say I couldn’t chew on a good cigar.”

  I grinned at him. “What’s on the agenda for the day? Has Michael already left?”

  “He’s not with you?”

  “We came in separate vehicles.” I wasn’t worried, at least not about Michael. I had a good idea of where he might be.

  Dr. Driscoll eyed me for a moment before speaking. “I’ve got a few facts and figures.” He dug through the mound of papers on his desk and came up triumphant, waving them at me. “You and your man can look through this and let me know if it suits y’all.”

  I took the papers and nodded at what I saw, thinking we could afford it.

  He scratched the back of his head. “When Mike gets here, I’ll take him around, introduce him, and see to a couple of cows at the Jenkins. I thought you could stay here and work in the office.” He threw an arm to vaguely indicate the mess surrounding us.

  I stifled a laugh, wondering what might be hiding in the papers this time. Surely I wouldn’t find mice carcasses, though that was better than finding live mice.

  The outside door scraped open, and I stepped from Wilbur’s office to see Michael entering. I took his arm and introduced him to Velma.

  “We’ve met before,” she said, her freshly lipstick-coated mouth curling into a smile.

  “That’s right. I’d forgotten.” I pulled him away. “Wilbur wants to take you on the rounds, introduce you to some of the farmers.”

  Wilbur got out of his chair to shake Michael’s hand. “We have a few cows to see to.”

  Michael smiled. “Sounds good.”

  “Before you go, Michael, I need to talk to you.”

  I went to the back room, and he followed. I closed the door behind us.

  I explained to him what Dr. Burch had said. He agreed that Zeke should return to Plainsville. And then I showed him the p
apers.

  His eyes rose to meet mine. “Looks good on paper.”

  “I agree. You can talk it over with him today.”

  He nodded, running his fingers through his hair. “All right.”

  Before he could leave, I placed a hand on the doorknob, holding the door closed. “Did you go to Dan’s?”

  He crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall. “Yeah.” His lips thinned.

  “What did he say?”

  “Nothing. He wasn’t there. One of the men told me he’s gone back to Plainsville.”

  “Oh.” The beating of my heart slowed back to normal, and I released the door. “Okay. I guess we’d better get to work.”

  He shoved away from the wall, gave me a look, and walked out without speaking.

  I sighed, wishing I hadn’t asked.

  Before I started to work, I called Marla, and she readily agreed to meet Zeke at the bus station. We agreed I’d send him back the next day.

  With all the cleaning to do, the morning passed quickly, and I managed to keep most of my worries at bay. I enlisted Velma’s help, and she didn’t complain too much. When Michael and Wilbur had not returned by twelve, I washed up, knowing I needed to eat something before the morning sickness overwhelmed me again.

  As I was getting my purse, planning to walk to the drugstore, the door opened.

  “William!” I gave him a hug. “I was going to lunch. Are you going to join me?”

  “Sure.”

  Velma was eyeing my cousin, and I took him over to introduce them. “This is William, Laurie’s brother.”

  Velma’s smile faded. William, whose eyes had brightened, leaned on the counter, smiling. “Laurie has told me all about you.”

  Velma’s voice became haughty. “I’m sure she has.”

  William tilted his head to the side. “She didn’t tell me you had gorgeous eyes.”

  At his words, Velma fluttered her lashes. “Thank you.”

  I was getting impatient, but William was obviously not in a hurry. He leaned closer to her. “Would you like to go to lunch with us?”