The little girl continued to look down at the floor, still trying to hold back tears. The woman answered. “This is my daughter Sara, Sara Slayton. I’m her mother.”
“What’s happened here, Mrs. Slayton?”
“Can you please just help her?”
“Of course I can, but you need to tell me what’s happened to your daughter.”
Emily went to the sink and washed her hands and came back with a wet cloth to wash the wounds on the little girl’s face. She looked over at the mother again.
“Just help her, please,” the woman said, tears now forming in her eyes, too.
Emily gently touched at the cut on her face, dabbing away the blood.
The little girl flinched but didn’t cry out.
“Sara, can you tell me how you got hurt?” Emily asked.
She didn’t look up or try to speak.
Emily noticed she was still holding her arm. “What’s happened to your arm, Sara? Where does it hurt?”
The blood flow on her mouth seemed to have stopped and Emily reached over to examine her arm. Pulling away her other hand, she gently tried to lift the little girl’s left arm. She immediately cried out loud in pain and pulled back, grabbing it again.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, but we need to look at it,” Emily said. “I won’t move it again. Where does it hurt?”
The girl hesitated and then pointed to her elbow. Emily could see it was hanging limp and at an odd angle and she had a strong sense it was dislocated. “Here, let’s get your face cleaned up. It doesn’t look like you’re going to need any stitches.” She saw the little girl flinch again and look over at her mother with a frightened face. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
Sara Slayton slowly shook her head no. “Mrs. Slayton, I think we need to take Sara down to the hospital to have an x-ray taken of this arm. I’m afraid it may be dislocated, if not broken.” She looked at the woman for a response and saw the same frightened face her little daughter had.
“I can’t pay for a hospital. Can’t you take care of her here?”
“Sara needs an x-ray. Don’t worry about the cost. We can work something out, but you need to tell me now what’s happened!” Emily demanded.
Mrs. Slayton started to cry. “I really don’t know. She was out in the barn helping her Pa this morning with some chores and then she come running into the house all tore up.”
“Did you ask your husband what happened?”
“No,” she paused, “no, I didn’t talk to Harold. I don’t know what happened. I just wanted to get Sara into town to get help.”
“Do you know if she’s hurt anywhere else?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know,” the mother said, crying. “I really don’t know!”
“Where do you live?” Emily asked.
“We have a farm down south of town, headed t’wards Elk Rapids.”
Emily reached for a clipboard on the counter. “What’s your full name, Mrs. Slayton?”
“Agnes, Agnes Slayton. This is my daughter, Sara.” Tears continued to stream down her face and her eyes were flushed red and swollen.
Emily noticed a bruise on Sara’s neck and then on one of her arms. “I’ll drive us down to the hospital,” Emily said, getting up to get her car keys.
An hour later, the emergency room physician, Doctor Ellard, brought the x-ray slides into the exam room at the small Charlevoix hospital and hung them up on the lightboard for him and Emily to look at. They both could see the ugly break in her bone just above the elbow.
Dr. Ellard shook his head and spoke softly. Sara Slayton and her mother were behind them at the exam table. “Damn,” he said, “this little girl took a pretty good fall for a break this bad.”
Emily just nodded, a sick feeling coming over her. She turned to look at little Sara, and her heart ached at the expression on the girl’s face. No one this little should be so frightened, she thought. Trying to force a smile across her own face, Emily said, “Sara, looks like you’ve got a pretty bad break in your arm there, but we’re going to get you fixed up and get a cast on it, and I’ll be the first to sign it for you, if you’ll let me.”
Sara looked up and then finally nodded before she looked up at her mother for confirmation. Agnes Slayton spoke softly. “Please do what you have to do …and thank you.”
Emily walked over and took Sara’s other hand in hers. “Sara, I’m going to leave you here with Dr. Ellard. He’s a really good doctor and he’s going to make you feel much better. I need to get back to my office to take care of my other patients, but I want you to come back to see me the day after tomorrow to make sure you’re doing alright, okay?”
The little girl nodded again without speaking.
“Mrs. Slayton, I need to speak with you for a moment out in the hall.” The woman followed her out slowly.
“Mrs. Slayton, I’m going to have to speak firmly with you,” Emily said.
The woman looked down at the floor, apparently totally overwhelmed by all that had happened.
“If you can’t help me understand what’s caused these wounds with your daughter, I’m going to be forced to call the sheriff and have him come out and talk to you and your husband.” Emily reached over and took the woman’s hands in her own. “Agnes, from the bruises I’ve seen on other parts of Sara’s body, it looks like she’s been falling a lot.”
“No, it’s not like that, really, she’ll be okay,” she said, a tired resignation in her voice.
“I want you to bring Sara back to see me on Wednesday morning and I want you to bring your husband. If you don’t come, I’ll be out to see you with the sheriff. Do you understand?”
“I’ll bring her back,” Agnes Slayton said.
Jennifer Harris stood with her friend Elaine in the sand that was cooling now as the sun just dropped below the far horizon of Lake Michigan. The beach bonfire roared as more wood was thrown on the pile. The fire crackled and spit and hot red coals glowed blazing hot in the darkening evening. A southern wind blew the smoke down the beach and off over the water of Little Traverse Bay.
Jennifer had a coke in her hand she had pulled from an ice-filled cooler. The fire was surrounded by ten other kids, all she knew as part of their summer crowd. Andy Welton hadn’t arrived yet and she looked up the path into the woods again to see if he was coming.
“He’ll be here, Jenn,” Elaine said. “Don’t act so desperate.”
“I’m not desperate, but he said he would be here, and I had to do some serious talking to get my mother to let me come out here,” Jennifer said. “It’s a good thing my father went back to Chicago for a few days this morning, or I’d be stuck in the house for the rest of the summer.”
“Here comes your sweetie,” Elaine sad in a mocking tone.
Jennifer watched as Andy Welton walked down the narrow path through the beach grass. He was with a couple of his friends and she saw they were all having a little trouble walking in the loose sand. As they came closer, she heard their loud joking and laughter. The boy behind Andy handed him a bottle, and he took a long drink before handing it back. As he turned to continue on, he tripped and fell. His friends laughed even more, and he lifted himself up wiping sand from his face and clothes.
“Shut up, you assholes!” Andy yelled.
The other boys just laughed harder as they passed the bottle around.
“I thought there was no booze out here tonight,” Jennifer said to her friend.
Elaine just laughed. “They’re just blowing off a little steam. You don’t have to drink with them.”
“I think I’m going to puke just thinking about it,” Jennifer said.
Andy saw the two girls and staggered around the bonfire to get to them. With a heavy slur he said, “Jennifer Harris… the fairest of maidens.” He tried to put his arms around her, but Jennifer pushed him away. The smell of whiskey on his breath was more than she could handle.
“God, Welton, you’re tanked,” Elaine said, laughing.
“I’m no such thing,” A
ndy mumbled, “just a couple of pops before we got here. You look great, Jenn.”
She could see he was having a hard time keeping his head steady and his eyes focused on her. “Andy, I just can’t do this tonight.”
“But I thought maybe you and me could have a little private time up in the dunes tonight,” Andy said.
Elaine giggled, but Jennifer looked at him angrily and shook her head. “Andy Welton, you know how much trouble I’m already in from drinking and then you show up like this.”
“I’m okay, really.” He reached out and took her arm and tried to lead her away from the fire. She pulled away.
“No, Andy. I need to get home.”
“How ‘bout just a kiss…” He lunged for her and lost his balance again, nearly falling at her feet.
“Elaine, are you going to drive me home, or do I have to walk?”
Her friend just looked at her for a moment.
“I can’t believe you’re even thinking about this,” Jennifer said. “I need you to take me home!”
“Jennifer, I’m sorry if I…” Andy managed to say.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” Jennifer said.
Sammy Truegood was riding his bike into town to meet with his lawyer, George Hansen. It was late morning and the air was still cool in the shade of the tall oaks along the road. He watched the beautiful homes passing by that were built along the crest of the dunes on Lake Michigan. The lawns and gardens were immaculately kept and large cars, spotlessly clean and shining, sat in the driveways. He looked up and marveled at the sight of the tree canopy racing by overhead, bits of blue sky and the light of the morning sun shining through the patterns of leaves.
He came up to the stop sign at the main street into the town of Charlevoix. He looked down the big hill to the bridge across the channel into Round Lake and on past into the commercial district of shops and restaurants. Checking to his left for traffic, he pedaled his bike out onto the road and started down the hill. It was steep and his bike picked up speed. He braked as he approached the bridge where the road narrowed. He sensed something over his left shoulder and turned to see a dark green sedan moving at the same speed, keeping a constant distance just behind his rear wheel. The sun left a bright glare on the windshield and he couldn’t see who was inside. He slowed even more as he came to the drawbridge and the car slowed with him.
As he glided across the bridge as close to the curb as he could stay, the green car slowly came alongside, and someone rolled down the window in the front passenger seat. Sammy heard loud voices and laughter come from inside and then he saw one of the boys from out on the beach trail, the day he had been with Jennifer and Elaine. He didn’t know the boy’s name.
“Hey chief,” the boy yelled, leaning out of the window of the car. “Nice ride you have there. What kind of mileage does it get?” More laughter filtered out from inside the car. While he didn’t know his name, he saw Andy Welton behind the wheel of the car.
Sammy was thinking he was in no mood to take any aggravation from these summer punks. Then, suddenly the car veered to the right directly into Sammy and his bike. There was nowhere to go except into the back of a black pickup truck parked in front of the stores on Bridge Street. As his bike hit the back of the truck hard, Sammy braced and tried to push up with his legs. He was thrown out over the handlebars as he heard the screeching metallic sounds of the bike crashing against the steel bumper. Immediately, he crashed down into the cargo bed of the truck and then slammed into the back wall of the truck’s cab, pain shooting through his hip and back. It had all happened in a split second and he paused for a moment to see where any more pain would be coming from. He managed to lift himself up and look through the back window at his attackers driving away. A hand was stretched out of the passenger’s window, leaving him a not so gracious gesture.
Several people came over to help him, but he waved them away. He rolled over on his back and looked up at the sky. His body was shaking, and he tried to control the rage pounding in his head. The words of his lawyer, George Hansen, came back to him. You need to stay out of trouble and whatever you do, stay away from anybody who was near the beach that day.
Chapter Eleven
Megan Clark looked at the lights illuminating Bridge Street and the city docks along the Round Lake waterfront. She and Rebecca Holmes sat in lounge chairs on the foredeck of the EmmaLee. A large bowl of popcorn rested on a table between them along with glasses filled with iced soft drinks. The ship’s intercom system played a song from a Mary Chapin Carpenter CD. The lyrics from Don’t be late for your Life carried softly across the deck of the boat, only somewhat diminished by the noise from other nearby boats.
Above them she saw the sky was clear and the shapes of constellations were just coming into focus as the night darkened. A thin slice of moon made its first appearance over the tree line. Both of the girls had brought blankets out as the evening cooled and they curled up in them in the chairs, comfortable and warm.
“So, who’s this Anna chick?” Rebecca asked.
Megan had been preoccupied with the sights and sounds of the little harbor and didn’t hear the question. “I’m sorry…”
“Anna, who’s this Anna person we met?” Rebecca asked.
“My father’s attorney. She’s helping him with some legal issues.”
“Man, she’s some hot number. What’s Sally think about all this?”
Megan laughed and reached for her drink and a handful of popcorn. “My dad’s so straight, I’m sure Sally has nothing to worry about. They’re all having a big meeting out here on the boat in the morning. Uncle Louis will be here. You’ve met him, haven’t you? My dad’s partner?”
Rebecca nodded and said, “Yeah, the crazy man who married Mary Alice. What was he thinking?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe it’s lasted this long,” Megan said.
“So, tell me what happened with Rick tonight. I need all the details, come on.”
Megan didn’t answer right away. She sighed and shook her head. “You know, this is the strangest thing. I’ve been looking forward to this summer for months now and getting back up here to see Rick and now we’re here and suddenly I just don’t seem to feel the same attraction.”
“What did he do?”
“You know, he didn’t do anything. He couldn’t be nicer,” Megan explained. “He seems a little miffed about seeing Will Truegood here, but I’ve told him Will is just a friend. I can’t believe he’s really jealous.”
“Are you crazy? Men are stupid about stuff like this. They get jealous if we leave too big a tip with a waiter. And Will, he’s this good looking outdoors type with long black hair and you’re spending time with him. What do you expect?”
“I don’t know and I’m beginning to think I don’t really care,” Megan said.
Louis Kramer hit the speed dial on his cell phone and waited as the numbers were dialed. He was sitting out on the dock at his in-law’s summer beach house, a cold frosted beer mug in his hand, now half empty. He had turned the lights out on the dock and he sat in the darkness with only the glow from the end of his cigar illuminating the space around him. The waves were coming in from the southwest and they broke repeatedly behind him on the shore.
“Hey Louis,” the voice on the receiver said. It was Bob Littlefair, the soon to be former CFO of Alex and Louis’ newest subsidiary. “I thought I said not to call me unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“I know,” Louis said, “and it is. Where are you anyway?”
“You’re better off not knowing for now, but I have to tell you, I’ve got to come in. My lawyer’s telling me the Feds are spitting mad. Me disappearing is only making it worse and I’m not going to run from this damned thing for the rest of my life!”
“Please just wait another day or so. I’m meeting with Alex in the morning. He and his bitch lawyer have finally agreed to sit down and get our stories straight on all this.”
“Don’t trust them for a minute, Lou!” Littlefair said. “They
’ve got one thing in mind and that’s saving his ass.”
“I know that, and I plan to show them Alex is a lot more wrapped up in this shit than he seems to think.
Sally and Alex had stopped in at the Weathervane along the channel on their way back home to have a drink. They sat at the small bar on tall stools, two glasses of wine in front of them. There was the normal busy summer crowd dining and drinking, enjoying the beautiful evening in Charlevoix. The place was darkly lit with candles helping to set the mood. The bartender stood nearby drying glasses, holding them up to the dim light to check for spots. The sounds of an acoustic guitar could just be heard above the crowd.
Alex rested his hand on Sally’s on top of the bar. “It is so nice to finally get up here and away from the city,” he said, “and to be with you.”
“I was hoping you’d remember that last part,” Sally said. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve really missed you.”
Alex pulled her closer and held her chin gently to kiss her on the mouth. “I’ve really missed this,” he said and kissed her again.
She smiled and looked back at this man who had come into her life so suddenly those few summers ago here in Charlevoix. The past five years had gone by so quickly, as time often does, she thought, but what a blessing to have Alex and Megan, to be part of a family again, to have two people who loved her and shared their lives with her. For so many years after the boat accident had taken her parents, Jonathan and Emily McKendry, and her only daughter Ellen, she had been drifting aimlessly. Her friends, Gwen Roberts and George Hansen, had helped to keep her from going completely over the deep end after the tragedy. And then Alex Clark came to town and helped give her life back.
She rubbed the back of Alex’s hand. “Are you getting better looking with age or is it just the low lights in here?” she said and then smiled.
Alex just shook his head and took a drink from his glass of wine. “That’s quite a pick-up line. You think I’m that easy?”
The Summer Town Page 11
