Blood Sisters

by Melody Carlson

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “JUDITH, YOU BETTER GET out there quick.” said Jack as he came huffing into Adam’s office with a small grocery bag in hand.

  “What’s going on?” asked Adam.

  “If s that Morrison broad, all upset just ’cause she saw Eli Paxton pull up next door. I waylaid her, telling her that I was your neighbor and that you were in the backyard picking some tomatoes but that I’d go fetch you. So come on now.”

  “Are we all set, Adam?” Judith gently patted the transmitter now securely taped to her abdomen, a slightly embarrassing procedure, but necessary.

  “Yes, now just take care not to get wet. I mean, like soaking wet. A little sprinkle from a shower won’t hurt.”

  “Is she wearing a wire?” asked Jack.

  “Pops!” Adam scowled at his dad. “You’ve been reading too many spy novels lately.”

  Jack chuckled, then handed the grocery bag to Judith. “Here take this.”

  She peered into the bag nearly full of garden produce. “You’ve been busy, Jack. Thanks.”

  “No problem. You just take care, little lady.”

  She looked curiously at Adam. Had he told his dad everything? But he just shrugged then shook his head. “You better hurry, Judith.”

  “See you tomorrow,” she called as she ran across the yard and passed through the fence. Everything was nicely watered and the hose was neatly wound up and turned off. Bless you, Jack, she thought as she hurried out to the car.

  “Oh, there you are.” gasped Ellen. “That nice man told me he’d run get you.”

  “Sorry, I was just finishing up when I noticed lots of new tomatoes that needed picking.” She placed the bag in the car. “I need to go lock up. Will you be okay for a minute?” Judith watched as Ellen glanced nervously toward the Land Rover parked in front of Martha’s house. Probably Eli’s.

  “I suppose so, dear. Just hurry it up, please.”

  Judith went to get the other produce basket. She had forgotten about Eli’s Bible study this morning. She felt relieved that she hadn’t come face to face with him herself, and yet at the same time she longed to send him a signal— although she knew she couldn’t. But what had he thought to see Ellen Morrison sitting in her Cadillac out in front of the house looking like a scared rabbit? He knew Judith was staying at Aunt Lenore’s, and now he’d seen her twice in connection to the Morrisons. She sighed as she locked the door. Hopefully, she’d get to explain this whole thing to him, and Martha too, before long.

  “Now, tell me, Ellen,” she said as she slid into the driver’s seat. “What’s wrong? You look very upset.”

  “It’s that man,” said Ellen. “He drove up and parked right there.”

  “But what’s wrong with that?” asked Judith innocently as she eased the car back down the short driveway. “What kind of man was it?”

  “He’s a colored!”

  “Oh...” Judith nodded. “And that frightens you?”

  “Why, yes, of course. Doesn’t it frighten you? Good grief, he stopped right by your house—or rather, Aunt Lenore’s house. Don’t you wonder what business he has stopping there like that?”

  “I guess that’s just part of this thing that I don’t really understand, Ellen. Because it doesn’t really frighten me.”

  Ellen shuddered. “That’s just because you’re a brave woman, Judith. But you should use the good sense God gave you and exercise a little caution too.”

  Judith nodded as if in agreement. “Ellen, I’ve noticed that you use the word ‘colored’ instead of the word that Burt and Hal and the others use. Why is that?”

  She pressed her lips together and thought. “Well, I s’pose it’s due to the way I was raised. Mama and Daddy didn’t abide the n-word in our home. We got our mouths washed out with soap if we used it.”

  “Really? That seems rather extreme—for Mississippi, I mean.”

  “It was Mama who really hated that word.” Ellen’s voice grew slightly hushed as if she might be revealing some deep, dark secret. “And, to be perfectly honest, I think it might be because there’d been a coon in the woodpile.”

  “What?” Judith glanced over to Ellen. “What does that mean?”

  Ellen giggled like a little girl. “Well, I never told anyone this, not even Burt, but it’s possible my family has some colored blood in it—oh, just a little, mind you, but on my mama’s side, I think.”

  Judith laughed. “Well, I’d be surprised if there were many Southern families who didn’t have a little ‘colored blood,’ as you put it.”

  “Oh, now, dear, don’t you ever let Burt hear you talking like that. And don’t you ever breathe a word of what I just said to a living soul. I think I must’ve just been feeling a little light-headed after my scare in the driveway, talking like that to you. I don’t even know what came over me.”

  Judith glanced at Ellen again, suddenly remembering her as a younger woman. Her dark, almost black, curly hair, her big brown eyes, how easily she tanned. Always a sharp, but attractive, contrast to her husband’s fair looks. And then Jasmine had been just like that. It did seem possible they carried some African American blood. “It’s okay, Ellen, your secret’s safe with me. That might explain why your parents and siblings think the way they do.”

  Ellen frowned. “You know, Judith, I’d just as soon we didn’t talk of this anymore. I never should’ve mentioned that nonsense to you in the first place. In fact, I’m certain it’s not even true. Please, don’t speak of it again.”

  “Right.” She looked straight ahead. “It feels like it’s going to be a scorcher today. I’m glad I got to give Aunt Lenore’s garden a good soaking. Thanks for letting me do this, Ellen.” She glanced at the clock. “And it’s just barely nine. We made good time. And I picked lots of produce. Plenty to share with your neighbors, if you like. And do you suppose you might take some to Aunt Lenore? Those tomatoes look just fabulous. I’m sure she’d enjoy them.”

  “Oh yes. I’ll see if I can’t drop by there after church.”

  “Will Burt mind taking you, I mean, since he’s got his meetings and all?”

  She frowned. “Yes, that might be a problem. Maybe I’ll have to sweet-talk Daddy into letting you drive me there, if you don’t mind, that is.”

  “Sure. That’d be fine.” That’d be fantastic, she thought. “And the ladies’ luncheon is at noon?”

  “Well, actually twelve-thirty—” She held up her hand. “Say, Judith, why don’t you stop at the grocery store.”

  “Do we have time?”

  “Sure, we’ll just have to be fast. I noticed last night that we’re out of ice cream, and Burt just hates the brand they carry at the general store. I planned to make a blackberry pie for dessert tonight, and I just can’t bear the thought of blackberry pie without ice cream.”

  Judith offered to run in and get the ice cream, but Ellen decided she wanted to pick up a few other things as well, so Judith patiently wheeled the cart as she shopped. She noticed Adam’s son Josh working on the cereal aisle putting boxes on the shelf, but she quickly looked the other way, afraid to even acknowledge him. It was nine-forty by the time she loaded the bag of groceries into the trunk of the car. “Are we going to make it to church on time?7’ she asked as she started the car.

  “Oh, sure, we’re fine. We’ll just head straight there and I’ll explain everything to Burt when we see him. He can’t yell too loud in church.”

  “But we need to get that ice cream in the freezer so it doesn’t melt.”

  Ellen made a face. “Oh, dear, I didn’t think of that. Well, just drive fast, dear.”

  It was nearly ten when they passed through the security gates. “Shall I stop at the clubhouse so they can check me with their scanner again?” asked Judith. Adam had assured her that his device was mostly undetectable, but there were no guarantees.

  Ellen waved her hand. “Heavens, no! Just hurry on home, and we’ll put that ice cream in the freezer.”

  Burt was standing in the driveway,
scratching his head with a grim expression, when they pulled up.

  Ellen hopped out of the car. “Oh, it’s all my fault, Daddy. I begged Judith to take me to the grocery store so I could get ice cream—”

  “Good grief!” exclaimed Burt. “Well, get back in the car, we’re late as it is.”

  Judith was already carrying the bag into the garage. “Shall I just put this ice cream in the freezer out here?” she called.

  “Yes!” yelled Burt. “And hurry it up.”

  Within seconds they were back in the car with Burt behind the wheel and growling. “Women! Making us late to church just so you could go get some ice cream!”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy.” pleaded Ellen in her little-girl voice. “Judith warned me it was getting late, but I just insisted we needed it to go with my blackberry pie.”

  “Well, in the future maybe you should listen to Judith. At least she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

  Judith blinked in surprise, but could think of nothing to say in return.

  The church service was held in the lodge, a large gymnasium-type building with a metal roof. Judith sat in the third row with the Morrisons and Hal was already there waiting for them. Ellen had hastily explained to her that a group of men, elders, took turns preaching on Sundays, and today it was Ed Burns’s turn. And, she warned, Ed sometimes got a little carried away, but that the people liked his enthusiasm.

  “A little carried away” seemed a gross understatement. Judith wondered if Ed Burns had studied under Hitler or Mussolini or the devil himself. His face grew tense and red as his voice became louder and he thumped his fist again and again on the podium. “WE are the chosen people, brothers and sisters! Look down at your hands! What color are they? White! Do you know why your skin is white? Because we, my brothers and sisters, we are the true children of Adam. Our roots are planted in the Adamite nation, a race that has remained pure and unpolluted for more than seven thousand years! Another name for this superior race is the Aryan Nation. And that’s who we are, brothers and sisters, the chosen people, the children of Adam, the Aryan Nation. And we have every reason to be proud of our heritage! Our roots are pure and undefiled just as God commanded. Did you know that God’s first commandment to Adam and Eve was not to mongrelize the holy seed of God’s family. But right off the bat, Eve, the woman, was tricked by Satan. And she mixed her precious seed with Satan’s to beget the evil Cain. And that’s where all this trouble with races began, my Aryan brothers and sisters. The Jews came from Cain, all other races came from Cain. All of them children of Satan! Mongrels! Infidels! Animals!”

  At this point, Judith could bear to listen no more. Such hatred, such venom, such complete and inexcusable ignorance! It literally made her want to run out of here screaming or to throw up or to hit someone. Well, Adam’s wire would have to do her listening for her, for she could stand it no longer. She closed her eyes to the gaudy banners hanging down on the stark white walls, their ugly words boasting of racial supremacy, love of nation, and the right to bear arms...and then she closed her ears to the pulpit and instead began to envision her good friend Eli, his warm countenance and smiling face, his indomitable spirit, his love of God. Oh, if only she could have joined his Bible study group this morning. She prayed that it went well. She prayed for his safety. She prayed for the town of Cedar Crest to be delivered from this evil influence.

  Then she envisioned her best teaching friend at school, Harmony Jackson, with her big, hearty laugh and the way she gave the warmest hugs. Children would seek her out on the playground whenever things went wrong, and she was always ready with a “happy hug,” as she called them. Then Judith imagined all the children she had taught over the years, all their different little faces, all their varying ethnic origins. And she sent up a prayer for them, for their protection, for their happiness, for their right to live in a free society where all were truly created equal. And finally, to her huge relief, the service was over.

  “Well, Judith, what did you think of that?” asked Burt as they made their way down the aisle.

  “He preaches a powerful message,” said Judith.

  “Really gets the people stirred up,” added Ellen as she linked arms with Judith. “Let’s you and me slip out of here and wait in the car,” she whispered.

  Judith nodded, thankful to escape the lodge. Even the air in there seemed tainted with hatred and poison. But the interior of the car was hot, and so the two of them found a bench in the shade and waited for Burt to come out. As Ellen fanned herself with the program, Judith observed the people leaving the lodge. She didn’t like to make generalizations, but many of them were older and had the look of lower-middle class—the kind of people who still wore polyester leisure suits, drove older American cars, and drank domestic beer; people who, under different circumstances, might have belonged to the VFW or maybe some philanthropic community club. And she’d never seen so many women carrying white purses and wearing white shoes in her life. Even Ellen had them. Was it some sort of uniform?

  Mixed in with this older generation were a few younger ones. And a few families. She studied the younger women first. They all wore dresses or skirts, but not the sort of clothing you might see in an office or even where she taught. These dresses had more of a homemade look and all went well past the knee. And most of the women had long hair. Some wore it pulled back and some wore it loose. One woman even had hair that reached past the hem of her dress! The men mostly wore plaid or plain shirts tucked neatly into their jeans. And western wear seemed to rule with large belt buckles and cowboy boots. Although she did notice a number of pairs of army style pants and even a couple of camouflaged pants too.

  She studied the expressions on their faces. Had any of them, like her, been offended by Ed’s message? You couldn’t tell to look at them. But then she was doing a pretty good job of hiding her disgust too. Just then she noticed a tall man step out the door. He vigorously shook hands with Hal as if they’d just met. And Burt was coming up behind them. The tall man had curly red hair and a full beard, and she guessed he might go by the name of Hank. And other than his height, he fit right in with the rest of the crowd.

  “Oh, good.” said Ellen, slowly rising to her feet. “There’s Daddy now.”

  He walked over to the bench. “Say, Judith, do you mind driving Ellen home? I think I’ll just stick around the lodge and visit until the men’s lunch.”

  “Sure, that’s fine.”

  “Now, don’t forget that John Wagner’s speaking tonight.” he reminded her. “That’s the man I want you to hear.”

  She nodded, at the same time wishing there was some way to escape it, but then remembered her wire. Perhaps there would be something of value to overhear. “Yes, I was planning on it. Will I get a ride with you?”

  “Yeah. We’ll go after dinner.” He nodded. “You ladies have a good day.”

  Ellen made a grumbling sound when they reached the car. “You’d think he could’ve told us sooner that he’d planned to stick around. We could’ve been home putting our feet up by now.”

  “Are you tired, Ellen?” Judith started the car and waited a moment.

  “Yes, this heat just takes it out of me. But I’m thankful we don’t have too many days like this out here at the lake.”

  Judith cranked the air conditioning up. “I suppose you don’t feel up to visiting Aunt Lenore then? I left some garden produce in the car just in case you did.”

  “Oh, heavens, I forgot all about that. I’d meant to ask Daddy...”

  “Do you have to get permission to visit your aunt?”

  Ellen’s mouth puckered a little, as if she’d eaten something bitter. “No!” she declared. “I most certainly do not.”

  Judith suppressed a smile. “Would you like me to take you?”

  “Yes. Take a right at the next intersection. The clinic is down that road.”

  “Clinic?”

  “Yes. With all the older folks, we decided it was wise to have a clinic nearby. We don’t have a doctor
, but we do have a good nurse practitioner. And if you ask me, she’s as good as any doctor. Plus, she’s got connections with an MD in some nearby town, and he can even prescribe for her. It’s a pretty good setup.”

  “And that’s where Aunt Lenore’s been staying?” Judith tried to keep her voice calm.

  “Yes, Burt says it would be cheaper than a nursing home, and better care too.”

  “But doesn’t she have insurance or Medicare or something?”

  “I don’t know. But it’s also handier for us to keep an eye on her.”

  “Oh...”

  “And don’t worry, she has round the clock care. We even hired another health care person specially for her.”

  “But isn’t that expensive?”

  “I don’t know about that.” Ellen pointed. “It’s that building straight ahead.”

  Judith parked right in front. “Do you want me to come in?”

  “No, dear, you better just wait out here. I might really get into hot water if I took you in there. You know, what with security and all. And Burt’s been very careful about not letting anyone disturb Aunt Lenore. She’s been very frail these days.”

  “Yes, I understand. You stay as long as you like, Ellen. I don’t mind waiting.”

  “Thank you, dear.”

  Judith studied the long, low building. One story, and it didn’t look to be much bigger than a good-sized house.

  There were two sets of windows on each side of the front entrance. Perhaps they were patient rooms. Then she noticed the louvered blinds on the room to the far left flutter as if someone had just opened them. She peered to see what looked like Ellen’s shape standing before them. That must be Aunt Lenore’s room! Now, if only there were some way to slip in there and see her somehow. Judith leaned her head back and closed her eyes, sending up a prayer for Aunt Lenore, for her health and well-being, and she also prayed that she might get to see her old friend once again and help her if need be.