Blood Sisters

by Melody Carlson

  “I don’t know if anyone is listening out there or not.” she began in a feeble voice. “I mean, I do realize there’s all kinds of trouble breaking loose all over the place. But for what it’s worth, I’ve just found the west fire exit. The dirt road starts about a hundred yards, I’d guess, after you go past the last house in the development. I think they’d planned to connect it to the existing road, so they probably line up. Anyway, I walked pretty quickly on it for about twenty minutes, then into the wooded area west of the lake, and then the road took a sharp right turn and headed directly to a gate which I’m sure is securely locked. But I didn’t see any guards or dogs over there. In fact, it’s all rather quiet and deserted on this side of the lake.” She walked along for a while then added, “I sure hope everyone is okay out there. I’m trying to figure out a way to see Aunt Lenore again today. I’m thinking maybe during the picnic festivities, if I can sneak off for a few minutes. Or maybe during the fireworks tonight. I thought maybe I could head over there and pretend to be sick or something. I’m not really sure yet. It’s probably a dumb idea. But I’d like to do two things. First off, I’d like to reassure Aunt Lenore that there are good people out there who know what’s going on with her, and that we’re going to get her out somehow. We are, aren’t we? Next, I’d like to see if she can tell me anything that can be recorded for evidence. But most of all I’d just like to get her out of here. And it just occurs to me now that I’ll be driving Ellen to the picnic today, so that could mean that I’d have the car keys. Maybe, just maybe, I could try to get Aunt Lenore out and make a break for the fire exit. Okay, okay, I can just hear you now, Adam. You’re probably yelling and screaming at me not to take such foolish risks. But I’ll tell you what. I’m getting pretty darned tired of just sitting around, waiting for someone else to do something. You have no idea how hard it was to just stand helplessly by today watching all that crud going down in town. And I just hope you guys are keeping a close eye on that jail, because according to Burt, Eli and his sons—I assume those were his sons—anyway, they’re not safe in there. So you guys better be watching them like a hawk.” She angrily kicked a stone with the toe of her tennis shoe as she walked along. “Man, I just wish I knew what was going on right now!”

  Ellen was already up and in the kitchen when she walked into the house. “Oh, there you are, dear. I was getting a little worried. Where were you?”

  “Sorry, I took a short walk. I needed some fresh air and exercise. I think I’ve been sitting around too much lately.”

  “That must be from spending too much time with us old folks. Well, at least you should have some fun at the picnic today. They have a horseshoe tournament and baseball games and, well, all sorts of things.”

  “Shall I start putting that green salad together now?” asked Judith as she washed her hands at the sink.

  “Yes, all that produce from Aunt Lenore’s garden will make a wonderful salad.”

  “Say, I forgot to ask, Ellen, how was Aunt Lenore when you took her those things from her garden?”

  “Oh, she seemed all right, I guess.”

  “Do you think she’ll be able to go home soon?”

  “I meant to ask Burt about that, but so much has been going on lately, I guess I plum forgot.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I was just wondering.”

  Before long, they had the picnic basket all packed and ready to go. “I think I’ll just run upstairs to freshen up a bit before we leave,” said Judith.

  “Yes, good thinking. I’ll do the same.”

  Judith looked around her room. She’d already packed her things, hoping that she might talk Burt into taking her home after the fireworks tonight, but somehow she thought that was highly unlikely now. And yet the idea of spending one more night out here at the lake made her want to literally pull out her hair and scream. What if she just couldn’t take it? What if she fell apart and confessed everything? How much longer could she be strong? She shot up another quick prayer for help as she picked up her purse. What choice did she really have anyway? What choice that wasn’t foolish or dangerous? She looked around the room again, wishing she were seeing it for the last time when it occurred to her—what if she did get her chance to escape tonight? What might she take now that wouldn’t be noticed? Suddenly she picked up Jasmine’s small Bible and tucked it into her purse. Then she carefully tore out and rolled the sketch of the bed and quilt, and slipped that down the side of her purse too. Finally, she combed her hair and put on some fresh lipstick, then went downstairs.

  “All ready,” she announced as she picked up the picnic basket.

  Ellen handed her the car keys. “Well, off we go then.”

  Lucky for Judith, numerous vehicles had already filled the closest parking spots near the clubhouse, even Burt’s pickup had taken the one space reserved for the Morrisons. “How about if I drop you off at the door, Ellen?” she suggested. “Then you won’t have too walk so far.”

  “Thank you, Judith. That’s right thoughtful of you.”

  Judith stopped the car in the front of the clubhouse and waited for Ellen to climb out. “I’ll park the car and be right back,” she called. Then she drove toward where the lodge and the clinic were located, going as far as she could without appearing overly conspicuous. After parking the car, she pocketed the keys, and carried the picnic basket over to the clubhouse. Hopefully, Ellen would be so distracted with today’s activities that she’d forget about the keys.

  No sooner had Judith set the basket down on a table, when Ellen came rushing over to meet her. “I just signed you up for the horseshoe tournament,” she said breathlessly. “And Ed Burns is to be your partner.”

  Judith blinked. “But I.. .I don’t even know how to play horseshoes.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. Most of the women don’t. That’s why we partner everyone boy-girl, you know, so that everyone gets a fair chance.”

  But Ed Burns, Judith thought with horror. Of all people to be partnered with, she had gotten the horrible Ed Burns, the racist creep who’d gone on and on about white supremacy just the day before.

  “I’ll just go set these things out with the rest of the food,” she said, masking her irritation. “You go find a nice shady place to sit, and I’ll join you in a minute.”

  All the women in the kitchen seemed consumed with what had occurred in town this morning. Some speculated on what might happen next, and some complained that the world would soon fall completely apart while others made some nasty insinuations about how their “menfolk were gonna turn things around.” Judith just hurried to put her food items away and get out of there quickly.

  “Oh, there you are, honey,” said Ellen as soon as Judith got outside. “They’ve already been looking for you. It’s your turn to go play horseshoes right now.”

  “But I really don’t know how—”

  “Now, don’t you worry, little lady,” said Ed as he took Judith firmly by the arm. “You’ll be just fine.” He led her to one end of the horseshoe pit and then briefly explained the rules. “The gals stand down here and throw their horseshoes down there to where the fellars stand, and then we throw them back. That’s about all there is to it. And someone else keeps score. So all you gotta do is try to get them two horseshoes right into that box down there.” He pointed. “Ya see? Hopefully close to the peg.”

  She nodded, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.”

  The woman next to Judith introduced herself as Sue Biggins. “Don’t you worry, kiddo. Nobody takes this game too seriously.” Then Sue began to throw. The first shoe landed right into the pit and the second throw struck the metal spike and made a loud twang, and everyone cheered wildly.

  “It’s a leaner!” yelled Sue’s partner from the other end.

  Sure, they don’t take this seriously, thought Judith as she stepped up and prepared to sling her first shoe. This whole silly thing seemed moronic and ridiculous, especially in light of all that was going on here, as well as in town. Why, he
re she was playing a stupid game of horseshoes! With irritation, she heaved the horseshoe with all her might and then watched in horror as it went straight up into the air and then back down again not even halfway to the other pit. She groaned as she heard some suppressed snickers from the spectators. “I knew I couldn’t do this!” she exclaimed. She held up her hands helplessly. “Send in the replacement before it’s too late.”

  Just then she felt a hand on her back and turned around to see a giant of a man standing right behind her. “Here, little lady, let me give you a couple pointers,” said the tall, bearded redhead. “First off, you need to just relax a little.” He took her throwing arm and swung it slowly back, cradled in his own. “See? Just like this.” Then as he showed her the rest of the throw as he spoke quietly in her ear. “Clinic. Tonight. Nine-thirty.”

  She nodded mutely.

  Then in a louder voice he spoke, “Okay, you see? Just follow through on your throw with your hand. Now then, that’s about all there is to it. You understand?” A few onlookers laughed.

  “Yes,” she said with a confident nod. “I think I got that.” Then focusing all she had on making a good throw, she drew back her arm then swung it forward, releasing the horseshoe at shoulder height and following through, or at least so she hoped. And to her amazed surprise it sailed

  right into the pit and made a twanging sound of its own. The crowd cheered once again, even louder this time.

  “It’s a ringer!” yelled Ed.

  She turned and winked at Hank. “Thanks, I needed that.” She repeated his words in her mind. Clinic. Tonight. Nine-thirty. And when her turn came to throw the next shoe, it also landed in the box. Slowly her confidence grew. And throughout the game, she focused her thoughts on Aunt Lenore and how she hoped Hank would help her to get her out tonight. She smiled to herself as the men took their turns. Somebody must’ve been listening to her little speech on the transmitter today after all!

  To her dismay, she and Ed actually made it to the third round of the elimination tournament, but finally Hank and his partner Betty beat them. She shook both their hands. And as she shook Hank’s, she said, “Well, I guess it’s only fair that the guy who gave me the best horseshoe throwing tips should beat me.”

  He winked. “Just don’t you forget what I told you, little lady.”

  She joined Burt and Ellen to eat their picnic dinner, and Burt congratulated her on making it into the third round of the tournament. “I lost out during the second round,” he confessed. “But that’s because my partner wasn’t pulling her weight.”

  “Oh, Daddy,” said Ellen in a hushed voice. “You better be quiet or poor old Janet Myers will hear you and feel bad.”

  “Well, if I’d known our Judith here was such a ringer, I’d have asked her to be my partner.”

  “Maybe next time,” said Judith with her brightest smile, determined to carry out the rest of this day without the slightest reason for suspicion. There’s no way she wanted to risk whatever scheme Hank had in mind.

  “I think that redheaded fellar likes you, Judith.” said Ellen with a sly smile. “He seemed to enjoy giving you those pointers.”

  Judith laughed. “Well, they sure did work. And I appreciated his help.”

  “His name’s Hank Rollins, and he seems to be one of our more serious recruits,” said Burt as he forked a bite of pie. “By the way, Judith, he’s not married.”

  “You two!” scolded Judith. Then she glanced over to where Hank was still playing horseshoes. “But I’ll admit he is kinda cute.” She figured it wouldn’t hurt to play along, just in case she and Hank were discovered together before the night was over.

  “And not a bad horseshoe player either,” added Burt. “You see the muscles on that guy’s biceps? I’ll bet he’s a good arm wrestler too.”

  “Where’s Hal?” asked Judith, suddenly realizing she hadn’t seen him all afternoon.

  “He’s got some business to attend to,” said Burt in a curt tone. “He’ll be by later.”

  Judith took a bite of potato salad. She hoped this business had nothing to do with Eli and his sons. But then she remembered what Hal had said about not caring for some of the more violent elements of this business. Of course, he’d also said he’d do anything for Burt, including breaking the law. She sent up another silent prayer.

  As the afternoon moved into evening, the men began to break out the beer. It was the first time she’d seen anyone actually drinking out at the lake, and it troubled her. The mere idea of alcohol, hotheads, and firearms all at the same party left her cold. And to her dismay, it appeared that Hank was among those imbibing. He’d no sooner sat down with Burt and a few others than they handed him a beer, and he popped the tab and took a big swig. But then, she reconsidered it, how would it look if he’d refused? He needed to appear to be one of the good old boys. And he was such a big guy, surely one beer wouldn’t affect him much. Now he and Burt were laughing loudly as if in some sort of conspiracy, then they nodded her direction and laughed even harder. She turned away, as if embarrassed, but felt actually glad. This might be easier than she’d imagined. Burt seemed to be playing right into their hands by egging Hank along. He’d probably just chuckle to himself if he noticed her and Hank slipping away during the fireworks. But hopefully, no one would notice.

  The evening air began to chill a little as the sun dipped down into the trees on the west side of the lake. “Ellen, I saw a blanket in the picnic basket,” said Judith. “Want me to go get it?”

  “That’d be nice, dear.” Ellen nodded and smiled. “And would you be a darling and see if you could beg me a hot cup of coffee from the kitchen?”

  “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

  When she returned she took care tucking the blanket snugly around Ellen’s shoulders before she handed her the coffee. And then she did something that surprised even her. She bent down and kissed Ellen right on the cheek.

  “Why, thank you, dear,” said Ellen, beaming. “Whatever was that for?”

  For a moment, Judith wondered herself. Was it a Judas kiss, the last show of affection before the final act of betrayal? But then she knew that wasn’t the purpose. She knelt down by Ellen’s chair and looked directly into her eyes. The light was fading fast now, but she could still see how pleased Ellen was by this attention—her eyes sparkled with a childlike happiness and suddenly Judith felt torn. “Ellen, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I really do love you.”

  “Oh, I love you too, sweetie.” Ellen patted her hand warmly. “You’ve just been a real godsend to me, dear. You have absolutely no idea.”

  Judith stood. “I think I’ll go get my sweater. That breeze off the lake is getting a little nippy.”

  She went back to the car and got her sweater and her purse, this time leaving the car unlocked. Just in case. Then she returned and sat down next to Ellen again. It was after nine now and the fireworks would begin shortly. She looked around as the crowd began to settle down on lawn chairs and blankets, getting ready to enjoy the big show. Burt was still sitting with his buddies over by the dock. She didn’t see Hank’s tall form anywhere in sight. Perhaps that just meant he was getting whatever it was all ready. At least she hoped so. Hopefully he wasn’t having any trouble. She sent up another silent prayer.

  She figured it would take about ten minutes to walk over to the clinic and she didn’t want to leave too soon. Didn’t want to give Ellen too much time to get worried about her. Someone by the dock played a tinny sounding rendition of the national anthem on a cassette player and then the show began. After about ten minutes, Judith checked her watch by the light of an exceptionally bright explosion. Then she waited another minute or so for it to quiet down before she leaned over and whispered to Ellen. “I need to use the restroom, then I think I’ll pick up a cup of coffee. Can I bring you anything?”

  Ellen waved her hand. “No, dear, I’m fine.”

  Then with heart pounding in rhythm to the crackling fireworks, she went inside the clubhous
e as if to use the restroom. Thankfully the building was empty. She silently let herself out a side door, then began her short trek over to the clinic. It felt weird walking in the pitch-black darkness and then suddenly having the entire sky explode into colorful light. It was like being in a war zone with bombs going off. She began to walk faster now, wondering what she would say if someone found her out here right now? Perhaps that she was sick and on her way to the clinic for help. But then how would she explain why she’d come on foot? And all alone?

  Just then she heard another set of footsteps behind her. They steadily matched her own. Deep inside of her, she knew that someone had spotted her. She knew with conviction that she was now being followed. With shaking hands, she grabbed her stomach and broke into a fast run. Her excuse would become true. She would be sick. She felt certain she was about to throw up, maybe even pass out! But what if they tried to examine her at the clinic? What would they do when they found the wire?

  Oh, God, help me, she prayed as she ran blindly through the dark.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  DEAR GOD, CAN YOU see me down here? It’s awful dark, but Miss Molly say you can see in the dark. I’m real scared, God. Real scared. I heard Carmen talking on the phone just now. She be saying, “Yeah, she all yours, you just pay me the money first, then I won’t never tell a soul I gave her to you.” That’s when I snuck out the front door, real quiet like. I didn’t even have time to get my backpack, I just thought I better get outta there before it be too late. I went down to Miss Molly’s ’cause she always say she will help me. And I need help now. But she be gone! Now I don’t hardly ever remember her being gone before. Where’d she go, God? She be coming back soon? What’ll I do, God? Keep hiding down here in this cruddy old box back in this nasty, dirty laundry room? Carmen always be saying there rats down here—that why she never do no laundrying. But Miss Molly say she just be a lazy slob, and them rats be more afraid of us than we be of them. But I ain’t too sure ’bout that, ’cause I be feeling mighty scared right now.