by Jan Drexler
Aaron looked down at the heap at his feet and stiffened. “That’s what is causing the putrid odor. Turn around and we’ll go back.”
They made their way to the light again, and Aaron lowered himself to the floor.
Elizabeth looked back. “Do you know what that is?”
“I thought I recognized the smell. It’s a body, and it’s been here for a while.”
“A while? How long do you think?”
“A couple months, at least.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“Is there anyone from the area who is missing? Anyone who has disappeared?”
“No one from the community.” Elizabeth thought about it. “The only one who has left is Abel Patterson, but Solomon told us he had gone back east to live with his son.”
“And sold him his farm and everything with it.” Aaron put an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and drew her close. “I don’t think Abel moved back east. I think he’s been here the whole time.”
The thought of Abel in this pit, unable to get out . . .
“Do you think Solomon killed him before throwing him in here?”
Aaron’s voice was grim. “I hope so, for Abel’s sake.” Then he drew her closer to him. “Remember, Solomon intends to come back here for you. He needs you for his plans, so he won’t leave you in here for more than a day or two.”
Elizabeth leaned her head on his chest, closing her eyes. “But even if he comes back for me, he’ll never let you out of here alive.”
His heart beat faster under her ear. “We’ll pray for someone to rescue us. Both of us.”
As Elizabeth slept, Aaron watched the beams of sunlight move across the floor. By now, the folks searching for Elizabeth would realize that he was missing, too. Did Dulcey go to find the others when he didn’t meet her like he had promised? Did she tell them where he had gone?
But even if she had, did anyone know about this place? It was on the Patterson farm, but part of the old homestead, not the new and modern buildings near the road.
The sunbeams were slanted toward the wall when he heard a wagon coming.
“Elizabeth.” He kept his voice to a whisper as he jiggled her shoulder. “Someone is coming.”
She raised her head, instantly alert. “Is it Solomon?”
“I don’t know, but we should be ready. Help me over to the shadowed part there, where he won’t see us right away when he opens the trapdoor. Maybe he’ll come down here to look for you.”
“How will he get down?”
“There’s a ladder outside. That was probably how he got you down here earlier.”
They waited in the shadows, watching the trapdoor. At the sound of voices, Aaron drew a hopeful breath. Miller would come alone.
The door opened, silhouetting a man’s head against the afternoon sky.
“Aaron?” It was Gideon. “Are you down here?”
“Ja,” Elizabeth said. “We’re both here.”
“Watch out. We’re going to send the ladder down.”
As the ladder descended, Aaron held Elizabeth against the wall, then let her go once it was in place. She grasped the ladder, looking up at the familiar faces, then turned back to him.
“I’ll be able to climb up, but you’ll need help. You go first and I’ll help you balance.”
He hopped over to the ladder, grabbing it to steady himself, then reached for her. “Climb up there. I want to see you safe before another minute goes by. Then Gideon can help me out.”
By the time Aaron emerged from the pit, Elizabeth was in the arms of Lydia, Katie, and Dulcey. Abraham and Jonas were also there, along with Levi and the Zooks.
“Has anyone seen Miller? I mean Solomon?”
“We saw him driving toward Millersburg a couple hours ago,” Abraham said.
Aaron met Elizabeth’s gaze. “We need to go there too. We have something to report to the sheriff.”
As the group listened, Aaron told them what had happened, with Elizabeth interrupting with her version as needed.
“I never met Abel Patterson,” Aaron said, “but if someone wants to go down there with a light, we could identify him for the police.”
Gideon volunteered, his face grim. He lit one of the candles they had brought for the search and went down the ladder. He was back up within minutes, shaking his head.
“It’s tragic. Ja, it’s Abel Patterson. I recognized his clothes. He must have ended up in here soon after I last spoke with him.” He passed a hand over his eyes. “We don’t have any evidence to show that Solomon is the one who murdered him, but I think the circumstances might be enough for the sheriff to arrest him.”
“One question I have is, how did you find us?” Aaron asked, looking around. “Who knew where to look?”
“It was Dulcey,” Jonas said. “She said she saw Solomon come this way often, and one time she followed him. She thought he hid money somewhere around here. And when Rusty came home pulling the wagon behind him, but without you or Dulcey, we knew something was wrong.”
“Then Dulcey told us that you had gone to talk to Solomon, and we thought we knew where to start looking,” Casper added.
Dan and Ephraim helped Aaron into the back of Abraham’s wagon where he could sit with his foot hanging over the edge. Elizabeth and Dulcey joined him, and the group started for home.
The Zooks headed north to their homes when they reached the Berlin Road, Dan and Ephraim shaking Aaron’s hand. Before Casper followed his sons, he grasped Aaron’s hand.
“Thank the Good Lord we found you. If it hadn’t been for Dulcey, we would never have known where to look.”
“He was watching over us, I think.”
“He knows how much we need you.” Casper’s eyes were wet as he turned and followed his sons home.
Gideon went to his own home while the rest of the silent group rode to the Weavers’ farm. When they arrived, Abraham climbed down from the wagon, his face grim.
“Everyone come in. We’ll have a quick supper and make our plans,” Abraham said.
Aaron hopped off the back of the wagon while Lydia went to get his crutches. He patted them like old friends. He would make another wooden leg, but until then he was thankful to be able to get around.
Lydia tended to Aaron’s wound while Elizabeth and Dulcey fixed a light supper. Aaron couldn’t shake his exhaustion and ate less than he thought he might. Elizabeth, sitting next to him, took only one slice of bread and buttered it, but didn’t finish even that morsel.
He took her hand under the table and squeezed it. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “But I feel like we aren’t done yet. Solomon is still out there somewhere, and tomorrow morning a little boy will be arriving on the train from Mississippi. If we don’t do something, he will be in Solomon’s clutches and under his influence.”
Abraham leaned forward. “We need to decide what we’re going to do. First, we need to meet that train.”
“Elizabeth and I will do that,” Aaron said. “The lawyer thinks she is the boy’s aunt and is intending to give him into her care.”
“The lawyer’s name is Harlan Hoben,” Elizabeth said. “We have to tell him who I really am.”
Abraham nodded. “He needs to know the truth of the matter. We also need to go to the sheriff and tell them what we suspect about Solomon.”
“His name is Simon Miller.” Aaron looked around the table. “At least, that was the name I knew him by in the Shenandoah Valley. I couldn’t be sure I had the right man until today. When I saw his pistol, I knew it had to be him. He kept it on a red-and-gold-braided leather lanyard. I’ve never seen another one like it.”
“I’ll go to the sheriff.” Jonas looked at Abraham. “Will you come with me?”
Abraham nodded. “Is there anything else?”
Lydia spoke up. “What about Dulcey and me? Do we just wait for word of what happened in Millersburg?”
Abraham smiled at his wife. “I think you should both come with us. The sheriff mi
ght need another witness, and Dulcey can tell them what she knows.”
“The law won’t listen to me,” Dulcey said.
“You’re not in the South anymore,” Jonas said. “If you are willing to make an accusation, the sheriff will take your statement. It could make a difference in whether they decide to arrest him or not.”
Abraham stood up. “It’s going to be a hard day tomorrow, and we will have to leave early in the morning to get there in time.” He glanced at Elizabeth and Dulcey. “Until then, I don’t think either of you should leave the house. We aren’t certain that Solomon, or Simon Miller, went into Millersburg. He could still be looking for Dulcey, thinking he has Elizabeth safely imprisoned.”
As Aaron attempted to settle down to sleep that night on a pallet on the floor of Jonas’s room, the day’s events ran through his mind. He tried to relax, but he still felt the jitters of facing down the barrel of Miller’s pistol. At least he had found Elizabeth, safe and alive. He turned his head toward the door. Beyond that piece of wood, across the landing at the top of the stairs, in the bedroom he had been using since he came to the Weavers’ farm, Elizabeth was sleeping in the company of her friends, Katie and Dulcey.
He prayed that they would all be even more secure by this time tomorrow.
18
Elizabeth was up before dawn. Datt had already milked the cow and hitched the horses to the wagon for the trip to Millersburg. Mamm and Dulcey had worked together to make biscuits and bacon, food that would provide both breakfast and dinner for them and could be eaten while they traveled, while the rest of them inserted board seats into the wagon bed. Seven of them would be driving to town, and it would be a long ride.
They were off before the sun had cleared the horizon. The morning mist lay on the fields but would soon burn off in the sunshine.
“It would be a good day for raking hay,” Datt said.
Jonas sat on the wagon seat beside him. “The weather should hold until Monday. We’ll have time to do the work then.”
Elizabeth sat with Dulcey in the front of the wagon bed, on a seat facing the rear so they could chat with Mamm and Katie as they rode. Aaron rode alone in the last seat, his gaze never resting in one spot for long. He was as nervous as she was. Every once in a while, he caught her watching him and gave her a reassuring smile.
The morning was still early when they drove into town, but people were moving about and the stores were open. Datt walked the horses down the street.
“We’ll put the team up in a livery stable,” he said over his shoulder. “I rushed them to get here in time, so they deserve a good rest before we head home.”
As they drew close to the livery nearest the courthouse, Jonas said, “That black horse in the corral looks like Solomon’s.”
Datt drove by slowly. Elizabeth sucked in her breath when she saw Solomon’s gelding.
The horses turned the corner a block past the courthouse, and Datt pulled up at Elijah Wilson’s livery. The place was quiet, unlike the stable they had just passed.
“Is anyone here?” Datt called.
A black man came from the back of the stable, wiping his hands on a rag as he came toward them.
“What can I do for you?”
“We need to stable our horses for a few hours. They need a good rubdown and some good feed. They’ve worked hard already this morning.”
The man smiled. “I can sure take care of that for you.”
While they were talking, Jonas helped the rest of their group out of the wagon. Elizabeth’s arm was locked with Dulcey’s. Her friend had been shaking with nerves ever since they had reached town.
“I’m Elijah Wilson,” the man said, nodding toward the group but with his gaze on Dulcey. “You folks in town just for the day?”
“That’s right. We have some business to take care of, but we don’t know how long we’ll be.”
Elijah chuckled. “Well, as you can see, I have plenty of room for the horses. You can bring your wagon inside, too, if you want to keep it off the street.”
While Datt and Jonas helped Elijah with the horses, Aaron gathered Elizabeth and the other women around him.
“Elizabeth will come with me to the train station while Jonas and Abraham go to the sheriff’s office.” He looked from Mamm to Katie to Dulcey. “What will you three do while you wait for us?”
Mamm looked at Katie and Dulcey. “I think we would like to stay in one place rather than walk through town visiting the shops.”
Aaron nodded his agreement. “There might be a hotel near the train station where you could wait. They often have separate waiting rooms for ladies.”
Dulcey shook her head. “You go on. I can’t go there.”
“Why not?” Elizabeth said.
Aaron frowned. “Dulcey’s right. She would have to wait outside, and that won’t do.”
“That isn’t right.” Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow hot. “Why couldn’t she come in?”
Dulcey squeezed her arm. “They got a sign there. I can’t read, but I know what it says.”
Datt, Jonas, and Elijah walked up to them. Elijah’s face was stormy. “I can read that sign. It says, ‘No colored allowed.’ The lady is right, she would have to wait outside.”
“Then we’ll have to find somewhere else,” Mamm said. “We can’t leave Dulcey alone with Solomon in town.”
“Y’all are welcome to stay here,” Elijah said. “I don’t have fancy chairs like at the hotel, but there’s a bench in the back room and I can offer you some cool, clean water.”
Datt smiled for the first time all morning. “Thank you. I have been worried about Dulcey, knowing who she might run into here in town.”
“Are y’all in danger from something?”
“A man named Solomon Mast.”
Elijah snorted in disgust. “I know the man. I won’t serve him here, but I know what he looks like. I’ll protect these women for you.”
A train whistle sounded in the distance.
“We need to get to the train station,” Aaron said. “How far is it from here?”
“Just two blocks,” Elijah said. “One down and one over.”
“We’ll meet you there with the sheriff,” Datt said.
Aaron could go quickly on his crutches when he needed to. Elizabeth hurried to keep up with him until they got to the crowded platform outside the passenger station. The train hadn’t arrived yet, but the whistle blew again, closer than before.
Turning to Elizabeth, Aaron said, “It’s the train from the south, so it should be the one with the lawyer. We need to keep an eye out for Miller. He is probably on the platform somewhere, and we don’t want him to know we’re here until the sheriff arrives.”
They moved to a spot along the wall of the station and waited. Elizabeth watched the people, trying to calm her nerves. Reuben’s son was likely on that train. When she rescued him from Solomon, then what would happen? She would keep him safe, warm, and protected, but could she ever learn to love this boy? Or would he grow up to be just like his father? She shuddered, suddenly afraid of what the future might bring.
“Are you all right?” Aaron grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him.
“I’m nervous, I suppose.” She looked into his eyes. “What if . . . what if I don’t like the child?”
He smiled. “The Good Lord will give you a love for him and calm your fears.”
Elizabeth smiled back. He was right. She could feel the assurance radiating from Aaron.
Then the whistle blew again, and the train was in sight. The noise grew too loud for any more talking, so Elizabeth just watched. As the train pulled to a stop alongside the platform, the crowd surged forward. In the middle, Elizabeth spied a familiar tall figure.
“There he is,” she said, leaning close to Aaron so he could hear her.
At the same time, the doors to the passenger car opened and people spilled out onto the platform. Which door would the lawyer come out of? Would she know who he was?
“Follow
me and stay close,” Aaron said.
They wormed their way through the throng, Solomon’s hat always floating above the thinning crowd ahead of them. Some people coming out of the car moved away quickly while others gathered in groups, visiting with the family or friends who had come to meet them. Finally, they were right behind Solomon as he made his way toward the passenger car.
Elizabeth saw movement on her left. Datt and Jonas were coming their way along with a heavyset man wearing a badge.
Then an older gentleman appeared in the doorway to the train car in front of them. In his arms was a sleeping child, no more than two years old. Aaron and Solomon started toward the man simultaneously. Solomon reached the lawyer and stretched out his hand.
“Welcome to Millersburg, Mr. Hoben,” he said.
Aaron came up on his right. “Not so fast, Miller.”
Solomon turned to him, his face blanching when he saw Aaron with Elizabeth behind him.
“No. You’re . . . you’re dead.” He looked at the lawyer, then at the sheriff who had come up on his left side.
“Simon Miller? I’d like you to come with me. I have a few questions to ask you.”
Elizabeth cringed as Solomon turned toward her, his face full of terror that turned in an instant to hatred. But as the sheriff put a hand on Solomon’s arm, he tore away and ran down the platform toward the caboose at the end of the train. The sheriff ran after him as the crowd watched. Solomon launched off the end of the platform, stumbling as he landed, then limped around the caboose and out of sight.
“Stop!” the sheriff shouted. He followed Solomon off the platform and around the caboose. “Stop!”
Elizabeth heard a gunshot, then the sheriff lifted his pistol and fired. The sheriff went out of sight behind the caboose. In a few minutes, he came back into view and looked toward the crowd. He shook his head, and Elizabeth pressed her fist to her mouth. Solomon was dead.
At the sheriff’s signal that Miller hadn’t survived, Aaron looked at Elizabeth, then back at the lawyer. Mr. Hoben held the sleeping boy as if he were a sack of potatoes and fished in his vest pocket for his watch. He snapped it open, then looked toward the sheriff with distaste.
