Rising Darkness

by Nancy Mehl

  “Emily? Are you okay?”

  I turned to see Jonathon gazing at me with concern. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.” I took a quick breath and tried to regain my composure. “I—I was trying to figure out where to go.”

  He pointed to the large open door I’d seen people entering. “It’s here. Are you sure you want to help set up?”

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

  Jonathon kept his hand on my arm and accompanied me through the door and into the community room. Long tables that were obviously set up for food were lined up in the middle of the room. The rest of the large area was full of round tables with chairs. There wasn’t much space between the tables; it was clear they were expecting a large crowd. Even though it was at least two hours before the supper began, there were quite a few people already seated.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

  Jonathon pointed toward a man walking out of the kitchen at the back of the room and waved him over. The man put down a stack of paper plates and quickly made his way over to us.

  “Emily McClure, this is Nate Reynolds. If you want to help, Nate’s your man. He’s overseeing the food tables and supplies.”

  Nate was a handsome man with sun-bleached blond hair and green eyes. His easy smile spread from his mouth to his emerald eyes. “Happy to have the help, Emily. I promise not to work you too hard.”

  I smiled back at him. “I’ll try to keep up.”

  “I’ll leave you in Nate’s capable hands.” Jonathon turned when someone called his name and started to leave, but I grabbed his arm.

  “Where do I sit?” I asked. “I—I mean, I don’t really know anyone except you and Esther.”

  “But now you know me,” Nate said. “You can sit with me, okay?”

  Jonathon nodded. “Just follow Nate, Emily. He’ll keep you company.” He gazed into my eyes for a moment. “I won’t be far away. If you need me, come and find me, okay?” When he walked away, there was a part of me that felt a little hurt and abandoned. After all, he’d promised to keep an eye on me during the dinner. But I was being silly. Jonathon was a busy pastor, and he had to visit with other people, too.

  I swung my attention back to Nate. “Okay, so what do I do?”

  “All I can do is share what Randi told me.” He took a deep breath and pointed at the long tables in the middle of the room. “People are going to be bringing food. According to Randi, we need to make sure it’s in the proper place. You know, main dishes in one area, side dishes in another, bread and desserts somewhere else.”

  “Okay, I get it. Now, tell me how you got stuck with this job.”

  Nate rolled his eyes. “Randi’s busy cooking. I was lucky enough to be standing nearby when she was talking to Jonathon. Big mistake. My close proximity earned me this incredible honor.”

  I smiled at him. “We’ll get through it. I’ve been around a few church suppers. Together we can carry this off.”

  “Good. Why don’t you start working on arranging food in the right places while I get the rest of the paper products ready? They’ll be at the front of the two tables.” He hesitated a moment before saying, “And why don’t we put all the drinks on that other table against the wall? That way we won’t have people spilling their drinks around the food, and it won’t hold up the food lines.”

  “You sound like a pro.”

  “I must be a really good actor, then. Either that or I’m afraid of Randi. She really does scare me a little.”

  I chuckled and followed him as he started walking toward the food tables. “You can see we’re trying to divide the different kinds of food, but as people come in, they set their dishes down anywhere. If you could redirect them a little, that would be helpful.”

  “As long as you don’t ask me to strong arm any little old Mennonite ladies.”

  He laughed. “I think it’s safe to say your pastor wouldn’t look on that favorably.”

  “Jonathon’s not my pastor.” I said the words without thinking.

  Nate looked at me curiously. “Are you new in town? I mean, you said you didn’t know many people.”

  “I’m not a resident. I just came here to do some research on family members who used to live here.”

  “Well, we definitely need to stick together, then. I’m new, too. I’ve only been here a couple of days. Ended up in town after my car broke down. Jonathon offered me a job and a place to stay until I decide what to do next.”

  “Oh.” I suddenly remembered Jonathon telling me about a man he was helping at the church.

  Nate looked around and noticed more people heading toward the tables. “I’d be happy to tell you about it sometime, but I think we’re about to be inundated with tuna casseroles and several different varieties of chicken.”

  I glanced at my watch. “Isn’t it a little early for some of this food? I mean, shouldn’t meat dishes be kept warm?”

  Nate snapped his fingers. “Oh, man. I forgot about the hotplates. Please don’t tell Randi. She’d have my head. Follow me.”

  I trailed behind him as he hurried into the kitchen, where several women bustled around. I could tell some of the food was being kept hot inside the two ovens. Nate grabbed some large metal heating trays and pointed toward a couple smaller ones.

  “Can you carry those into the other room?”

  “Sure. Is there somewhere I can put my purse?”

  A woman standing close to us opened a door under a counter. “You can put your purse here, dear.” Several other purses were already stored there. I thanked her and slid mine in with the rest. Then I grabbed the hotplates.

  “Randi told me to put these out first,” Nate said, “but I spaced it. Thank goodness you thought of them. This could have been a huge disaster. Food poisoning is never pretty. Even with a prayer covering on top of it.”

  I laughed as we hurried out to the tables. Working together, within a few minutes we’d hooked up the hotplates and transferred the main dishes that should be kept warm.

  “I wouldn’t worry about anything else coming in,” he said when we finished. “People will start eating early, so any food that comes after this should be fine.” He winked at me. “Besides, a little poisoning is usually expected at a church dinner, right?”

  I laughed again as he left to get more paper plates and plastic utensils. For the most part, all I did over the next hour was tell people where to put their food. I relocated a few dishes dropped off when I wasn’t looking, but it was far from a labor-intensive job, and I was happy with the way things were working out.

  Although I watched the crowd, most of the people who came early and brought food were women. As the men began to arrive, I scrutinized them the best I could without making anyone suspicious. I quickly found out that watching for men with beards was a huge waste of time. Most of the men sported facial hair, and I began to wonder if it was a prerequisite for males living in Sanctuary.

  I spotted Jonathon talking to an elderly couple on the other side of the room, but even though he gave them his attention, every once in a while, his eyes wandered over to me. As he’d promised, he was watching me, making certain I was safe.

  I was putting a tray of deviled eggs on the table when I heard someone say hello. I looked up and saw Evan Bakker from the post office. I smiled and returned his greeting.

  “So nice of you to help out,” he told me. “I hope you’re enjoying your visit to Sanctuary.”

  “Thank you. I certainly am.”

  He held a large metal pan in his hands. “I’m sorry to run late, but this turkey took longer than I thought it would.”

  “Let’s take that to the table with the main dishes.” He followed me to the front of the two tables. I moved a few things over. “How about here?”

  “That’s fine.”

  He put down the pan and peeled back the tinfoil that covered it. The turkey looked awesome and smelled out of this world.

  “Wow. This will certainly be popular.”

  His blue eyes twinkled behind his g
lasses. “I’m not a cook, but I can smoke a turkey. Hopefully, no one ever gets tired of me bringing the same thing to these church suppers.”

  “I doubt that’s possible.”

  “Well, nice to see you again. Guess I’d better find a place to sit.”

  “Nice to see you, too.”

  I spotted Pastor Troyer and Dorcas talking to Jonathon. Dorcas saw me and waved. I smiled and waved back. The mixing of people in regular clothes with those who were obviously Conservative Mennonites touched me for some reason. Everyone seemed relaxed and friendly.

  “Emily?”

  I jumped when Nate said my name. I’d been so focused on the crowd I hadn’t noticed him come up next to me.

  “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  I waved my hand at him. “Not your fault. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Everything’s ready. I thought I’d show you to my table.”

  “Okay.” Since almost every table looked full, I’d hoped he’d saved something. Sure enough, his table had a Reserved sign on it.

  “This table is near the food so volunteers can help serve if necessary. Some of the residents are elderly or disabled. Jonathon said we should make them a plate and take it to them.”

  “I can do that.” In the back of my mind, I was thinking this would provide me a great way to get a closer look at those attending the supper.

  “Why don’t you sit until we’re ready to serve? How about a cup of coffee or some tea?”

  “I can get it myself,” I replied.

  “You’d better take me up on the offer now. You’ll need your energy.”

  I pulled out a chair. “Okay. I’m sitting. And coffee would be great. Black, please.”

  I watched as he walked over to the area where the drinks had been set up. Tall, good-looking, with an easy gait and manner—if I’d met him in St. Louis, he would have been someone I’d want to get to know. But realizing I wouldn’t be in Sanctuary much longer, I pushed that thought out of my mind. I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. In fact, I wasn’t sure I would ever allow myself to get romantically involved. All I really cared about was my career. And Jonathon. A man I could never have.

  I turned my attention back to the crowd. Not one man looked like Terrance Chase. At that moment, it occurred to me that I really didn’t have a backup plan if I didn’t find him. I’d left St. Louis hoping he was here and planning to track him if he wasn’t. Going back to the paper without my big story hadn’t crossed my mind.

  I noticed a man walk into the room wearing a sheriff’s department uniform, Sarah Miller’s arm linked through his. This had to be Paul Gleason. They walked over to the table behind mine. I realized Esther and Janet were at the same table. Although I wanted to say hello to Esther, I wasn’t thrilled about meeting Paul. I could only hope Esther or Jonathon wouldn’t decide to tell him why I was in Sanctuary.

  At six o’clock, Jonathon walked to the middle of the room and asked for everyone’s attention. After welcoming those attending, especially members of Sanctuary Mennonite Church, he led a brief prayer and then pointed at each table around the room, giving them numbers and asking people to get their food one table at a time to avoid congestion.

  “And if you need help, please raise your hand. We have volunteers who will find out what you want and fill a plate for you.” His gaze swept the crowd. “Table number one, you can get started.”

  I watched for hands going up and helped Nate and a few other volunteers fetch plates for those guests. I saw Esther raise her hand, but I turned the other way and assisted an elderly Mennonite man instead.

  Once it seemed everyone had been served, I went through the food line myself. There was so much food, it was ridiculous. I finally picked some smoked turkey, a couple spoonfuls of corn relish, and some marinated cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes. When I got back to my table, I found it occupied with other volunteers. I was happy to see Mary and Rosey, so I sat next to Mary. We talked a bit, and then Nate joined us.

  “Wow, I’m beat,” he said, plopping down into the chair on the other side of me. “I may be too tired to even open my mouth.”

  Mary laughed. “You filled your plate pretty full for someone who can’t eat.”

  Nate picked up his fork. “I’m just trying to keep up my strength.”

  “Well, that should do it,” Rosey said, grinning.

  “I take it you’ve all met?” I asked.

  Mary nodded. “Pastor Jonathon brought Nate to the restaurant yesterday. That’s the fastest way to get to know new people in Sanctuary. Since we don’t get that many newcomers, they kind of stick out like sore thumbs.”

  Nate leaned over toward me. “She’s calling me a sore thumb. Not the way a newcomer wants to be described.”

  Mary chuckled. “I could have described the pain you cause in another part of the body, but I believe I exhibited great restraint.”

  Everyone laughed, and for the first time since coming into the church, I started to relax. Although I hadn’t spotted anyone who looked like Chase, I continued to scan the crowd. When Nate and Rosey stood to get seconds, I leaned close to Mary.

  “Mary, do you see Ben Johnson or Martin Hatcher? Jonathon mentioned them, and I wanted to put faces with the names.”

  She began to look around at the crowd. “There’s Ben, sitting with Abner Ingalls.” She indicated a table on the other side of the room. “Ben’s bald and has a beard.”

  I spotted the man she pointed out, but he was too far away for me to see him clearly.

  “Martin won’t be here. He never comes to social functions. Since he’s single, he eats at the restaurant quite a bit, but he’s not big on church gatherings.”

  I remembered Jonathon telling me that Martin had red hair. He seemed to be the person most likely to be Terrance Chase.

  A few minutes later, Nate and Rosey returned.

  “Mom, you’ve got to try Ethel Brucker’s chocolate bread pudding.” Rosey held a plate near her mother’s face. “We need to get this in the restaurant. It’s awesome.”

  Mary smiled. “I’ve asked Ethel for her recipe many times. All she says is, ‘Ach, Mary. Family recipes must stay in the family, ja?’”

  Mary’s impression of Ethel must have been right on the mark because Rosey laughed so hard she almost choked on her food. Mary slapped her on the back and handed her a glass of water. “Sorry, honey.”

  Rosey croaked out, “Don’t you ever let Ethel hear you do that. She would be . . . mortified.”

  “I won’t. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her feelings.”

  Rosey reached over and patted her mother’s arm. “I know that, Mom.”

  “Hello, everyone.”

  I turned in my chair to see a young man and woman standing behind me. He was very good-looking, with sandy hair and a friendly face. The woman was striking, too. Blond hair and deep green eyes.

  Mary smiled. “Hi, Wynter. Haven’t seen you much lately.”

  “Sorry,” the woman said. “I’ve been holed up trying to write the next great American novel.” She sighed. “It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

  “I’ll bet it’s wonderful,” Rosey said.

  Wynter laughed. “I’m not sure about that.”

  “But I am,” the man said, wrapping his arm around Wynter. “She’s allowed me to read some of it, and I think it’s great.”

  “But what does he know?” Wynter quipped. “He writes how-to manuals about tractors.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Mary introduced me. “Wynter, this is Emily McClure. She’s staying with Esther.”

  Wynter turned her incredible eyes on me. “So you’re the other Emily.”

  I smiled at her. “I guess I am. But everyone calls you Wynter?”

  She nodded. “It’s confusing, I know. My real name is Emily. I used to work for a TV station in St. Louis, and my professional name was Wynter. I’ve used it so long, it seems to have stuck.”

  “Well, I like
it. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Thank you. And this is my husband, Reuben.”

  So this was Reuben King. I shook the hand he extended.

  “Happy to meet you, Emily. Esther has wonderful things to say about you.”

  I was surprised and touched. “She’s very kind.”

  Wynter smiled. “Yes, she is. And she’s a very good judge of character.”

  Although I appreciated her comment, I certainly didn’t feel I deserved Esther’s positive opinion.

  “Any news about the reclamation?” Mary asked

  “We have an abandoned mine outside of town that’s caused some trouble,” Rosey explained to me. “Reuben is working with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to get the mine filled and reclaim the land.”

  “Really?” I knew something about the program from stories at the paper. Missouri was rife with abandoned mines. A lot of them had been coal mines, but there were also quite a few lead mines. Although some were still in operation, most of them had been forsaken when their resources played out.

  “It’s a rather long process,” Reuben said. “The government is very careful to keep anything toxic or dangerous from affecting the surrounding land. The goal is to fill the mine and then treat the land. Bring back the grass and trees.”