These Sheltering Walls: A Cane River Romance

by Hathaway, Mary Jane

  “Motorcycle group?” He didn’t seem to have heard anything else.

  “Not what you’re thinking. Less Hell’s Angels, and more retired folks seeing the country.” Henry couldn’t help smiling a little at his expression. He was so protective. She’d never had anyone worry about her before.

  “Will there be anyone else there? You shouldn’t go alone.” His expression was deadly serious.

  “You’re adorable, but I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.”

  He looked like he was going to argue, but a sound far above caught their attention and they both looked up at the large black cat perched on the top of the range.

  “They say he’s really friendly,” Henry said. “But there must be a reason they called him Mr. Darcy.”

  “I don’t think he appreciates us in his bookstore.” He shot one more glance at the cat and turned back to Henry. “I’ll stay out of the way. No one will even know I’m there.”

  She forced back a laugh. Of all the many things Gideon could be, unobtrusive was not one of them. She imagined him skulking in the corner would make it worse than actually speaking to the visitors. “It’ll be fine. Father Tom is just a few miles away.”

  “If he’s home. He’s not always at the parish house.” Gideon looked like he was making up his mind to come along.

  She hesitated, not wanting to bring it up, but then reminded herself that she didn’t have any secrets from Gideon. “I talked to them on the phone and I know he was telling the truth. Harmless retirees running behind schedule.”

  She could see the tension drain away. “That’s right. I forgot your…”

  “Special skill?” Their fingers were linked together and she looked down at their hands. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up. He’d lied to her just a few minutes ago. She could have forced the issue but she didn’t. He was clearly struggling and as much as she wished he would confide in her, she understood why he didn’t. Everyone deserved a little privacy. She couldn’t expect him to share every fear and worry.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said, as if he knew what she was thinking. “This week seemed like a hundred years. I miss working with you. I miss having you pop into my office.”

  She shot him a look, remembering the last time she’d visited his office, but he was somber, almost sad. “Me, too. I would like nothing better than to have you next to me every free minute of every day,” she said softly. “But I guess real life means we only get to see each other here and there.”

  “Maybe we should fix that,” he said.

  Truth.

  She felt her mouth drop open as his meaning sunk in to her heart. He looked a little startled but he didn’t take the words back. He held her gaze and lifted one shoulder in a “what can I say?” sort of shrug.

  “Maybe so,” she said, a shy smile tugging at her lips. “And I really need to go. I’ll call you when I’m done with the tour so you know everything went okay.”

  She gave him a quick kiss and turned, making her way back down the aisle on unsteady legs. She nearly ran over a fluffy gray cat passing through the foyer and she thought Bix might have called out a farewell, but she couldn’t be sure. Her head was buzzing with a hundred different thoughts, and her heart was bursting with excitement and happiness. Everything was a blur. Of all the things she thought would happen today, a spur of the moment proposal by Gideon was not one of them.

  Pushing the door and stepping into the fall sunshine, Henry couldn’t keep the smile from spreading over her face. When she moved to Natchitoches, she was resolved to always being alone. She’d had one friend, no real family, and a good day was when she didn’t have to talk to anyone at all. Turning the corner to where her car was parked, Henry breathed in the fresh autumn air. So much had changed in so little time.

  She paused as she reached the car, looking up into the bright, cloudless sky. Everything she’d known had been flipped upside down. Her whole life she’d been hiding her secrets and scars, sure that was the only way she could be safe.

  And then she’d met Gideon. He’d listened to what she didn’t say, listened to her silence in a way no one else had. She hadn’t realized how tired she was carrying around that shame and sorrow. She never could have guessed that another person would offer the only safe place she could lay it all down.

  She knew Gideon had meant what he’d said back in the bookstore. Of course he hadn’t planned to say it, and of course it wasn’t the right time, but he was sincere. She heard the subtext of his words, and she knew what her answer would be, when the time came to give one.

  Yes.

  ***

  Gideon paced his living room. Maybe it was because he’d been away from work for a whole week. Maybe it was the fact that Duane Banner was only a few days from his release and the police still hadn’t confirmed that they were protecting the man who testified against him. Maybe it was because his home, the place he’d always felt at peace, seemed irreparably changed by Sandoz’s death. Whatever it was, he couldn’t take one more minute of watching the clock.

  Henry said she’d call when she was done and it was almost eight. She’d probably forgotten. He held the phone in his hand, debating whether his peace of mind was worth the possibility of interrupting her tour. He couldn’t bring himself to do it and put it back in his pocket. Trying to stretch the tight muscles in his shoulders, he reminded himself that his anxiety was simply a byproduct of his own fears. It had nothing to do with Henry.

  He settled on the couch and tried to read, but his mind flashed back to the man in the gas station. When he reported the threat, the police matched the description to Leroy Riggins, and now the face in Gideon’s nightmares had a name. Of course, by the time they went to investigate, Riggins was long gone, almost as if he’d never been there at all.

  Gideon held the book tighter, read a few lines and tried to force away the feeling of impending doom. There were so many unknowns, so many loose ends. He’d spent the last week swinging between wanting to give Henry every detail he had, and wanting to keep her safe. In the end, he’d shared everything with the police, and said nothing to Henry. The less she knew, the better.

  The next moment he dropped the book and stood up. He’d go lift for a while, burn off nervous energy. Walking out into the small garage, he slipped weights onto the bar and settled onto the bench. After a few minutes, his body picked up the rhythm. Pushing the bar above his head and slowly lowering it to his chest, he paced his breathing. Years of practice took over and he let his mind relax, not bothering to count his sets. In prison he’d had to wait for rec time, then wait for his turn at the bench. Every aspect of his life had been structured.

  His muscles started to burn. When he’d been released, keeping to a schedule had kept him sane. He built a life that mirrored his time in prison. Classes and writing turned into his day at the archives. Mealtimes were eaten at the same time. He lifted in the mornings and ran in the evenings. Talks with Tom happened a few times a week, just like phone calls in prison.

  Gideon rested the bar on the pegs and lay there, staring at the garage ceiling. Now that everything was stripped away, he could see that his life in Natchitoches was simply another version of Angola. In a way, he had never left prison. He was still living out a life sentence.

  ***

  Henry locked the front door of Oakland Plantation and hurried down the front porch. The traveling motorcycle group had been the most entertaining tour she’d given in a long time, but it was hours past when she’d expected to be finished. Two of the members of the group had turned out to be archeologists and so she’d taken extra time to open the outbuildings. They’d all been impressed with the restoration work and the antebellum artifacts. It was thrilling to share Vonda and Joe’s discoveries, but she wished she had eaten dinner before the tour. Lunch seemed ages ago.

  The soft breeze carried the scent of the river and the sun had already set, leaving the plantation in a gentle twilight. As she reached her car, Henry pulled out her phone. Gideon was probably
wondering if she’d forgotten her promise to check in. She smiled at the memory of his offer to sit in a corner while she gave the tour. As much as she loved being an independent woman, knowing that someone would know if she came home late― or not at all― filled her with the sweetest sort of anticipation. This is what it felt like to be wanted, to be loved.

  She thought of their conversation in the bookstore and had to smile. Even though she still didn’t feel she could simply walk up to Gideon and give him a kiss, she was absolutely sure he loved her. She’d always wondered what it would be like to belong to someone, to be the one person treasured above all others. Now she knew, and it was miraculous.

  Her phone rang in her hand and the moment after she accepeded the call, she later realized the screen hadn’t shown Gideon’s name, but Kimberly’s.

  “Hi,” she said, already turning toward her car.

  “How’s my girl?” Her mother sounded like she always did when she called from California: louder, brighter, more confident.

  “Good. Everything is good.” Henry had no idea where to start with the last week.

  “I’m headed home in a few weeks and wanted to see if you had a little free time. Maybe we could go to breakfast.”

  Henry was momentarily speechless. Her mother never gave her advance notice of a visit, and certainly never checked to see if Henry had other plans. “That would be nice. I’d like that.”

  “Great!” She sounded relieved. “I’ll call you when I get in and we can see what time is best.”

  “Okay,” Henry said. She felt as if she should say something else, ask about her week or how the filming was going but in the end she just waited.

  “See you soon, Lorelei.” And she disconnected.

  Henry sat for a moment with the phone in her hand. Kimberly always ended her calls with “love ya, sweetie!” but not tonight. It had been different tonight, as if they had just met and were getting to know each other. For the first time, she found herself actually looking forward to seeing Kimberly.

  She started the car and pulled away from Oakland Plantation. Gideon said she deserved the truth, deserved to tell it and have it told to her. Ye shall know the truth and it shall set you free. As she headed down the long driveway, past the tall oaks and mossy banyan trees, she finally understood that verse. Knowing the truth hadn’t been enough. Simply knowing had been a burden and a curse. But when she spoke it back to the world, with love, everything changed.

  ***

  Gideon pushed through another long set, then rested on the bench. His watch showed nearly nine o’clock and Gideon swallowed back a wave of fear. It was probably nothing. No reason to worry. He angled off the bench and reached for his running shoes. A walk would clear his head. He’d bring his phone. She’d probably call in a few minutes. She wasn’t an easy target. If anyone approached her with ill intent, she’d know it. Henry could take care of herself.

  As he walked out his front door, that’s what he told himself, but a terrible conviction twisted in his gut. There was a consequence for every action, and sometimes that action was so dark that a person’s whole life is lived in its shadow, and everyone who brushed against that shadow would feel the chill. If Henry was anywhere in his orbit, she would suffer the consequences of his crimes.

  He walked along the river path, swinging at the tall weeds with a stick. He forced his body to move as he felt his mind turning in on itself. He prayed, his words matching the rhythm of his heart: Keep her safe. Please, keep her safe for me. Please.

  ***

  Henry parked in the little lot behind By the Book and reached for her purse. The drive from Oakland Plantation had seemed to take forever but she wanted to talk to Gideon without any distractions. She hoped he hadn’t already gone to bed. It occurred to her that she didn’t know whether he was a morning person. In some ways he was a mystery to her. A smile touched her lips. She couldn’t wait to know everything about him, and it would be easy, since she wasn’t sifting through lies and half-truths.

  A twinge of unease went through her at the memory of what he’d said that afternoon. It was so rare for Gideon to lie to her, especially about anything that mattered, that it had knocked her off balance. But he’d had a horrible week. He was probably hiding something very normal. She wished he would confide in her, but she understood. Every person deserved a little privacy. It was probably nothing.

  She locked the car and headed toward the back entrance when her phone beeped. She paused and touched the screen, hoping it was Gideon, but the message was from Patsy. Don’t forget I’m stealing you away tomorrow. Or you’re stealing me away. Whichever. We’re doing girl things together. Remind your guy he’s coming to dinner with us, too.

  Henry sucked in a breath. She’d totally forgotten Patsy’s plans, including the time she’d be coming over. She hesitated, wondering whether she should text back or if she should call Gideon first. For a few moments she stood there undecided, then realized that standing around in a dark parking lot wasn’t helping.

  The next moment a voice caught her attention. “―they ain’t never gonna catch you.”

  Lie.

  Two men were walking by the hedge between the parking lot and the next building. They were only a few feet away but hadn’t noticed her there in the dark. One was heavy, with a shaved head, long beard and tattoos. He would have looked out of place in the historic district in the daylight, but in the dark he looked all kinds of wrong.

  The smaller man stopped walking and turned around. He was barely visible above the top of the bushes but Henry could hear the fear in his voice. “Ya said Becket would get busted for what I done, but he’s still walkin’ around. I saw him this afternoon, right over there.” He jerked a thumb at the river walk.

  Becket. What I done. Shock froze Henry where she stood.

  “Keep yer voice down,” the bald man growled. “And I got plans for him. I told him somethin’ and he’s gonna take a trip to New Orleans real soon.”

  Truth.

  Gideon hadn’t said anything about a trip.

  The man went on. “Whether they get him for this or not, he’s gonna do something bad and get put away again. This time for good.”

  “You don’t know that. And now Reggie’s makin’ noise about comin’ back to town ‘cause of his kid. He says he made a mistake gettin’ involved and won’t cover for us. He talks big but he’s scared of Becket. We’re all gonna go down if he gets picked up.” He kept shifting his feet, as if he wanted to run but knew there was nowhere to hide.

  “You just keep yo’self quiet. I’m tellin’ you, Becket’s gonna take the fall. He can’t pass up the opportunity for a little revenge.” Henry didn’t need to see his face to hear the smirk. “Once a killer, always a killer.”

  Revenge. What they said about Gideon’s plans didn’t make any sense. Henry swallowed hard and took a few steps toward the men, trying to keep the gravel from crunching under her heels. If she could get a look at them, she could give a description to the police.

  “I dunno. He’s been in and out of that station a coupla times and they didn’t file no charges.”

  The bigger man stepped forward until their chests were almost touching. “You’ll keep yer trap shut and do what I―”

  BEEP.

  Henry stared at her phone, the screen shining brightly in the darkness as Patsy’s next text arrived. Are you ignoring me? Call me!

  She heard the men moving through the hedge before she even looked up from the screen. She should run or scream, but Henry did nothing but stare open-mouthed as they rushed toward her.

  “What’ve we got here?” The bigger man grabbed her by the arm and plucked the phone from her hand. He poked at the screen. “Calling somebody? Or were you just stupid enough to be holdin’ your phone while you were tryin’ to spy on us.”

  “I wasn’t… I didn’t…” Henry finally knew what it meant to be paralyzed with fear. For all her skill in lying, at that moment she couldn’t seem to think of anything to say.

 
“I bet she heard it all. Now what are we gonna do?” The shorter man was pacing back and forth, his movements jittery. He reached back and pulled a gun from his waistband. “We gotta take care of her.”

  Henry thought of screaming for Alice, but Paul was in New York and there was no one else in the building. Alice would take charge. Alice, alone and pregnant with her first baby, would come to her rescue.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” Henry said as quietly as she could. “I was coming home from work and stopped to read my texts.”

  The littler man stopped pacing. “What if she’s telling the truth? We wouldn’t have to do anything at all.”

  “Ya just waved a gun at her, stupid. You think she’s not gonna say something now?”

  “Right. You don’t have to do anything. I just want to go home.” Henry started to move away.

  “No, I think we should talk somewhere else. Anybody waiting for you? Where do ya work, honey?” He leaned closer to her and she could smell beer and onions on his breath.

  “Oakland Plantation. I just… do tours and things.” Henry watched him think that over. Someone was waiting for her, but she didn’t want him to get in the middle of this, either.

  “Tours? Like about the history?”

  She nodded.

  “So, you know all the historians in town?” He was already smiling, moving even closer, his fingers digging into her flesh.

  “I― no. I don’t.” She couldn’t get enough breath in her lungs. She had the horrible sense that the man could see Gideon in her somehow, see how she loved him and would do anything to protect him.

  The next second his hand slapped over her mouth and she twisted away from him, only to slam into a solid body on the other side. The gun was shoved into her ribs and she flinched from the pain. “Just calm down, missy,” he breathed in her ear. “We’re gonna go for a little walk.”