Blood Sisters

by Melody Carlson

  “Well, you know we’ve got the water right there. And Burt’s got himself a little fishing boat. I s’pect if worse came to worst, we could just hop in and row ourselves out to the middle of the lake.” She laughed nervously. “But besides that, we’ve got us a volunteer fire crew who swear they can put out anything. The boys out here try to be prepared for all sorts of emergencies. Burt says we can survive anything, maybe even a nuclear holocaust. And we have all sorts of plans all written up in a notebook somewhere, and there’s even one that tells everyone exactly what to do in case of a forest fire. Living where we do over in this newer part of the development, we’re supposed to use the new fire exit road over on the west side of the lake. But to tell you the truth, I don’t really concern myself too greatly over fire danger. I think there’s no use in worrying about something you can’t control anyway.”

  “Yes, that makes sense.” In more ways than one, she thought.

  “Well, let’s go upstairs now and I’ll show you your room. You can get yourself all settled in and comfortable.” She reached for the handrail then paused. “I don’t hardly ever come up here anymore; I guess these stairs just leave me a little breathless.”

  “Why don’t you just point me in the right direction and wait down here?”

  “No, no, that’s all right. I can make it. I’m just sorry I didn’t get a chance to fix up your room for you. Why, I’d have brought you in some fresh flowers and whatnot.” She huffed her way slowly up the stairs.

  “Oh, I’m glad you didn’t have to go to any trouble for me.”

  “There’s just the one bedroom up here,” she opened the door and looked around the large room with a sad expression. “But it has its own bath. This was Jasmine’s room when she stayed here with us that month. Fact is, she’s the only one who’s ever stayed up here.” She pressed her hand to her lips and Judith could see the tears forming in her eyes again. “Then she married Hal and that was the end of that.”

  Judith put her arm around Ellen’s shoulder. “It’s hard, isn’t it? I remember how I couldn’t bear to go into Jonathan’s room after he died. And that was after a lingering illness where we knew we were eventually going to lose him. But, just the same, it was weeks before I could go in there without falling apart. Finally, we sold the house and moved away. It was just too painful to stay.”

  Ellen nodded, blotting her eyes with a handkerchief. “That was wise, Judith. Best to simply move on and forget these unpleasantries altogether.”

  Judith peered at Ellen. “You look pretty tired to me, Ellen. And I know you’ve had a busy day. Would you like to take a rest? I’ll be fine. I can unpack and make myself at home for now.”

  “Oh, thank you, dear. I usually do take a little catnap in the afternoon. You know, I can’t hardly get over what a kind and caring person you’ve grown up to be, Judith. Your mother must be awfully proud of you.”

  Judith sighed. “Maybe she is. I couldn’t really say. Sometimes mothers and daughters forget to tell each other such things.”

  Ellen nodded. “Yes, that’s true enough. But if I was your mother, I’d surely tell you what a fine woman you’ve grown up to be.”

  She squeezed Ellen’s hand. “Thanks. Now you go have your rest. And don’t worry about me. I’ll just relax too. I even brought a novel along that I’ve been wanting to start. And I also have my sketch pad to keep me busy.”

  “Good for you.” She paused at the door. “And don’t forget that Daddy likes his dinner at six-thirty sharp. So if by some chance I’m still asleep by five-thirty, please, dear, would you come in and wake me up?”

  “I will.”

  She stood before the west window, listening to the sound of each heavy step as Ellen slowly made her way back down the stairs. Without really seeing, Judith stared out through the trees. She stayed there for several minutes, quiet and still, almost afraid to move, as if she expected to hear something or feel something or know something that would somehow connect her to Jasmine. But nothing came. Nothing.

  She looked around the room. Unlike the downstairs, this room had a pleasant simplicity to it. The antique metal bed frame was topped with what appeared to be an old quilt made of faded pastel calicos. And it looked familiar. She went closer to examine it more carefully. Of course! It was Jasmine’s old sunbonnet baby quilt that her grandmother had made for her. Judith fingered the quilt, now mellowed and softened by the years. She had slept under this very quilt as a child on some of those rare occasions when she’d spent the night at the Morrisons’. Usually, the girls preferred to sleep over at Judith’s home where the atmosphere was more fun and relaxed and they could stay up as long as they liked, talking and giggling until the early morning hours. But at Jasmine’s house they always had to be very quiet because of the baby or because Mr. Morrison wanted them to act like ladies, and then, of course, they always had to be in bed by ten. But there had also been those times when they’d risen while it was still dark out to go on some sort of outdoor adventure with Jasmine’s dad. So perhaps those early bedtimes had been for a reason.

  Judith opened her suitcase and began to hang clothes in the empty closet. It was strange to think that Jasmine had done the same thing just last year. What had she hung in here? Did she leave anything behind? Judith quietly began to go through drawers, searching the highboy dresser and bedside table, hunting for something—anything that might connect her to her friend. She removed each drawer, looking carefully beneath and behind for something hidden. But other than a few old sachets and a handkerchief that had slipped behind a drawer, she found nothing.

  Then she went into the bathroom to continue her strange search, but instead she just stood there looking around the small tidy room, feeling somewhat foolish. What in the world was she looking for anyway? And why did she think there would be anything here to find? Still, as if compelled by another force, she continued her search, thoroughly examining the linen closet, removing the small stacks of neatly folded towels and sheets and feeling all around the darkened corners. And then she went through the drawers on the vanity, quietly taking each one out and examining the ordinary contents of soaps and tissue and bath products.

  Now, feeling slightly ridiculous, she even got down on her hands and knees and opened the door beneath the vanity, looking all around, past the wastebasket and cleansers and sponges. As she searched the dark cavity beneath the sink, she questioned her sanity. But that’s when she found it! Her hand bumped something dangling from the backside of the sink. It was a small bundle wrapped in bathroom tissue and attached with several Band-Aids to the back of the sink. She pulled it off and unwrapped the strange package to discover an attractive wedding ring set. She held the two shiny rings in her palm—an engagement ring with a large solitaire set in platinum and a matching wedding band with numerous smaller diamonds surrounding it. Probably worth quite a bit too.

  She stared at the beautiful rings in wonder. Had these belonged to Jasmine? Perhaps given to her by Hal? But then why on earth would they be hidden here? Judith tried them on her ring finger. Too small. Jasmine had always had delicate hands. A lump grew in her throat as she imagined her friend wearing these precious rings, and then the desperation that might drive her to wrap them up and hide them behind the bathroom sink like this. Why would she do this strange thing? What did it all mean? Suddenly, she remembered the two photos that Hal had given her, still securely tucked in her purse. Would they be clear enough to show a ring?

  She examined the wedding photo, but Jasmine’s left hand was hidden in a fold of that hideous yellow dress. But there in the camping photo, both hands were clearly visible. And there on her wedding ring finger was a small plain band of yellow gold. Not anything like this lovely platinum wedding set.

  Judith’s heart began to race. For some reason these rings seemed an important piece of evidence. They meant something! She longed to call Adam right now and tell him of her amazing find, but knew better than to use the Morrisons’ phone—Adam had warned her that the lines could be tapped.
But somehow, she had to get this ring set out of here where he could examine it, perhaps even determine its origins. A horrible thought hit her—what if they searched people who were leaving the lake as carefully as they searched them arriving. She looked down at her left hand where she still wore her own wedding rings, not nearly as nice as these. There would be no way for her to explain having two sets of wedding rings. Well, she’d just have to deal with this later. In the meantime, she carefully wrapped the rings back in tissue and placed them in a metal pill box, then she made a small hole in the seam of her cosmetic bag and slid the box between the lining. That was the best she could do for the moment.

  Feeling emotionally spent, she sank into the armchair by the window and looked around the room again. “What happened to you, Jasmine?” she whispered, almost inaudibly, once again wary to the possibility of surveillance in this house. Adam had warned of the general paranoia of most survivalist groups, how they derived great pleasure in employing the latest devices and how she was never to let her guard down while out there.

  Now more than ever, she couldn’t dismiss the feeling that something had happened to her friend. How she longed to snoop around and unravel this perplexing story. Just holding those rings had filled her with the certainty that Jasmine had been previously married after all. And apparently to someone with money, or at the minimum, very expensive and good taste. But what had happened to him? Divorce? And if there’d been a marriage, wasn’t it possible there had been children? But if so, where might they be? Judith resisted the strong temptation to begin pacing. She didn’t want to bother Ellen. And yet this new bit of information disturbed her deeply. Something about these hidden rings felt insidious and wrong. To suppress her frustration, she picked up her sketch pad and began to furiously sketch the metal bed frame and quilt. At first her artwork was only a means of distraction, a way to soothe her perplexed mind. But as the drawing took shape, she realized it would be a sweet keepsake to remember her childhood days with her dear friend.

  Just as she was putting the last finishing touch on her drawing, she heard someone stir downstairs. It was already five-thirty. She set aside her sketch pad and went down to find Ellen puttering about the kitchen. This room felt slightly friendlier than the rest of the downstairs, and yet the dated shades of blue and mauve seemed somewhat chilly, and the barren, white laminate countertops looked clinical and sterile.

  “Can I help?”

  “Oh, there you are, Judith. Well, I’m just fixing to fry up this chicken. But you could grate that cabbage for slaw if you like. Does fried chicken sound okay to you, dear?”

  “Sounds delicious. I always loved your Southern fried chicken.”

  Ellen smiled. “See, you really are like a part of this family, Judith.”

  “Thanks.” She washed her hands then proceeded to grate cabbage. “I noticed Jasmine’s old sunbonnet quilt on the bed upstairs. It brought back some happy memories for me.”

  “Yes, I dug that old thing out when she first came to stay with us. I thought it might help make her feel more at home somehow.”

  “Didn’t her grandmother in Mississippi make it?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Was that your mother?”

  Ellen laughed. “Oh, heavens, no. My mother never would’ve dreamed of making a patchwork quilt, not to mention for one of my girls.”

  “I know you said your parents didn’t approve of you marrying Burt, but didn’t they ever get over it?”

  “Unfortunately, things only got worse between them and us. That’s one of the main reasons we moved out here in the first place—to start up a new life apart from them. I think I mentioned how my sister Susan got married in the early sixties, just about the time when the South started to go to pieces. And, as fate would have it, her husband had just graduated from some big, fancy law school up North, and anyway, when Don brought his law practice down to Jackson, he brought his liberal views right along with it. Before we knew it, he started brainwashing Daddy with all his wild political views.” She made a sour face as she cut off a drumstick. “Why, Burt even told me that Don was affiliated with the ACLU!” She pointed her knife at Judith as if to make a point.

  “So Burt and Don didn’t exactly see eye to eye then?”

  “You can say that again! Well, it was right around that time my daddy really started picking on Burt and belittling his opinions right and left. And we just finally had to cut ourselves off from my family altogether. Burt was absolutely certain that my family was trying to poison little Jasmine

  with their misinformed views. And even though she was just small, she did like to listen in as the grown-ups talked—you know what they say about little pitchers having big ears. So it was about that time Burt got the opportunity to come out here and take the job at the Cedar Crest mill.”

  “And did he start developing this place at the lake then?”

  “Not exactly. He had some funding to start things up with, but not really enough to accomplish all that he wanted.” She removed the lid from a big can of lard. “You see, Burt’s what some folks call a visionary-type person. He had this big idea of creating a place where like-minded people could gather and live and, well, you know, be safe from the outside influences and dangers. Sort of a Utopia, you might say.”

  “So are most of the people who live out here from the South?”

  “Well, a lot are from the South—you know, friends we had back in Mississippi and all—people, like us, who were fed up with all the new laws they were bringing in down there. But a fair amount are from the Northwest too.” She turned and looked squarely at Judith. “You know, a lot of people think folks like us are just Southerners, but what we believe in reaches a whole lot further than just the South, let me tell you.”

  “I don’t mean to be nosy, Ellen, but I’m curious about what it is, exactly, that you and Burt do believe in.” Judith tried to appear sincerely interested.

  “Well, you know, honey, it’s just simple things like loving our country, and menfolk wanting to protect their women and young’uns, and preserving our rights to bear arms, and, well, wanting to keep our race pure. Just all that basic kind of stuff—you know, like what’s written in the Constitution and all.” She placed a large cast iron skillet on the stove with a thud. “But Burt’s better at explaining these things than I am.”

  “Oh, I think you’re doing just fine, Ellen.” She smiled and set aside the bowl of shredded cabbage. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, is your group related to the KKK at all? I really don’t know much about these things, but I’ve heard the name of that organization before.”

  Ellen turned and looked at her with one brow slightly raised. “Well, now, that’s a real tricky question, Judith. You see, we’re our own independent organization, but we do have some affiliate groups, and yes, I do believe the Klan is one of them. And of course, Burt’s dad was a Klan man— that’s one of the reasons my daddy was so against that family in the first place. But you need to understand how a lot of people really misunderstand the Klan. I mean, take that Michael Marks fellow: Why, he’s a well-respected man and he’s been, and probably still is, a Klan member. But that doesn’t seem to bother most folks. And like Burt says, the Klan takes a pretty bad beating from the press.”

  Judith swallowed hard then nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard the Klan gets a bad rap. But then I’ve also heard that most of the news sources are pretty liberal and don’t always report fairly.”

  A smile of relief swept across Ellen’s face. “Yes, that’s just what Burt says too.”

  Judith turned away, her stomach in tight knots. “Uh, shall I put this dressing on the slaw now?”

  “Yes, then go ahead and stick it in the fridge for a while.”

  Judith took several slow, deep breaths as she stirred the dressing into the cabbage, silently praying for help, and fearing she wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer. Finally, she placed the bowl in the refrigerator and turned toward the stove, watching as Ellen placed floured chick
en pieces into the hot fat.

  “You know, I was a little worried at first,” said Ellen as she shook loose flour from a wing. “I was afraid you might not understand our views, Judith, or that you might judge us the way so many of the younger people do, but you seem real open-minded to me, dear. And I appreciate that. “

  Judith jumped as a large splatter of fat came her way. “Yes, I try to keep an open mind. Although, to be honest, I don’t understand everything.”

  “Goodness, who in the world does?”

  Judith forced a laugh. “I guess you’re right. But I suppose this thing about keeping the race pure is the most confusing part to me.”

  Ellen started turning the pieces over to brown on the other sides. “Well, that’s not so unusual, dear. Let me tell you, it’s not real easy to understand. Long ago, Burt had me read a booklet that has a whole bunch of Bible Scriptures in it that prove how white people really are the superior race, but I must admit that I found the whole thing somewhat confusing at first. But whenever I hear Burt or one of the other leaders explaining these things, it always seems to make perfect sense.”

  “Maybe I’ll get to hear that speaker that Burt was telling me about.”

  She put the lid over the pan, then turned down the heat. “You know, Judith, I think that’s a real smart idea. I don’t explain these things very well. To tell you the truth, I don’t even waste much time thinking about those racial problems much. I leave that to Daddy and the other men. Although, I must admit that when we went back to Mississippi to bury Jasmine last month, I was real alarmed at the horrible wickedness I saw in all those dark faces there. Why, I felt certain that they were going to murder me in my bed right there in the Holiday Inn!”

  Judith turned away to conceal her disgust, pretending to wash her hands at the sink once again. “It does sound frightening.”

  “Oh my, was it ever! Made me honestly thankful we don’t live down there anymore. Goodness knows what might happen to us with coloreds running rampant all over the place like that. Why, they act just like they own the whole country, lock, stock, and barrel! And let me tell you, it wasn’t always like that, Judith. When I was growing up, coloreds knew their place and, by golly, they stayed put. But nowadays everything’s all out of control. And Burt says the crime rate goes up every single day. So let me tell you, I was right glad to get out of there, even though I felt real sorry that I had to leave my baby behind amid all that vile darkness and evil.”