“I do not think so.” Angelica’s voice was slow and thoughtful. “I believe Mr. Thomas has done something to him. Something unkind.”
Joanna shook her head. “Mr. Thomas isn’t mean or anything.” She drew in a sharp breath. “But then he’s never stolen horses before either.”
“Will you help me, Joanna?”
Joanna hesitated. She didn’t even know this girl. But if Mr. Thomas had three stolen horses in his shed – three! – and possibly had hurt Angelica’s friend, could she really refuse? “I’m not sure what I can do,” she finally said. “But I’ll try.”
Kathy was in bed. The horses were locked safely away. Finally he could sleep. He lowered his bulk into his bed, lay back, and closed his eyes, all the while dreading what he knew would happen.
Immediately he felt he was falling backward, spiralling downward into the abyss. He jerked his eyes open. No, he was still in his room.
He closed his eyes again – and was falling again. His eyes sprung open. This time he breathed deep a few times before closing them. And still, when he closed them, he fell. There was no use in fighting it. He might as well give in. He was too tired and needed sleep too badly. So he would allow himself to sleep, despite the dreams that would come again to remind him of his failure.
He fell. Down. Down. Down.
And then a sudden thought jerked him out of his restless pose. There was a car in the ditch that he had to move, before it was discovered. Or had someone asked him to move it? He couldn’t remember.
But either way, the result was the same. There would be no rest yet this night, which was just as well. He hated this dream most of all – the horses standing about him, boxing him in as they stared at him with flat grey eyes. They were all coloured grey as well, as if they’d been standing there for a hundred years and were covered with dust.
Always, after standing with the herd for a few minutes, he’d suddenly notice Kathy standing yards behind them. Seeing her was always the hardest part of the dream – the tired, burdened look in her eyes as she stared at him, disappointed. Even accusing.
He didn’t mean to ruin her childhood, he’d plead. Again and again, he’d apologize and beg her forgiveness. But she could never seem to hear him, and neither could the horses. They’d just stare at him with their relentless, unblinking eyes. Waiting for him to make it right.
He shuddered as he pulled his jeans back on. The voiceless accusations weren’t the worst part. The worst part came next, when the horses slowly parted and Kathy walked through the herd toward him. She never spoke. Never did anything other than look at him, but his own guilt beat like a drum through his skull. He knew she was disappointed in him for good reason. He was a failure.
He put his face in his hands, and tried to clear the horrid images from his mind.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to experience the dream tonight. Instead, he’d go get his truck and tow that car out of the ditch before someone saw it. By the time he was finished, the night would be gone, and hopefully he’d be able to sleep during the day without the dream haunting him.
Then tomorrow night, surely this torment would end – when Thunder was home. The dream would depart, his guilt would disappear, and Kathy would be happy. Tomorrow night, he would find peace.
Robbie seemed bent on being even more irritating than usual. First, he gloated because Joanna supposedly hadn’t cleaned the stalls she was assigned as well as he’d done his. Next, he harassed her because Silver Sky’s bridle didn’t look as new as it had the day it was bought. Then he nagged her for not taking good care of Raven because the pony seemed tired. When he “accidentally” tipped over her wheelbarrow – after it was full of manure – she almost lost it, but just then Dad came into the barn. Instantly, Robbie became perfect again, even acting like he wanted to help her scoop up the mess.
Joanna was so stressed by the time he took Silver Sky out to the ring, that when her mom came mincing out to the stable to invite her to the mall, Joanna almost yelled at her. She had to get out to the woods to meet Angelica. She’d promised.
She counted to ten in her head, before she spoke. “I can’t, Mom.”
“Sure you can, sweetie. I already talked to your dad. He says you’ve been working like a pro all morning and you deserve some time off.”
“But I promised a friend that I’d go meet her in a few minutes.”
“Oh?”
“And you know how important it is to spend time with friends, Mom. Just like you do with your friends every second Saturday.” Joanna almost smiled. That last comment was a masterful stroke. Her mom treated her bi-weekly lunch with her friends like a religious meeting.
“Don’t you see your friend in school?”
“Uh, no. She doesn’t go to school.”
“Who is she then? How did you meet her?” Mom’s blue eyes were suddenly suspicious.
Now what could she say? “Uh, she’s from… next door.”
“The Mason’s?”
“No. She’s staying with Mr. Thomas. Her name’s Kathy.” Thank goodness Mr. Thomas had bellowed her name last night.
Joanna kept her gaze steady as she looked into her mom’s eyes. She wasn’t really lying. She was going to go to Kathy’s house, only it was with Angelica to find David, not to visit. But Mom hadn’t asked her that.
“Well…” Her mom sighed. “I’ll miss you, but I suppose friends are important too. Not as important as family, but still important.”
“Thanks, Mom,” said Joanna, blissfully ignoring her mom’s attempt to make her feel guilty. Even if she wanted to go to the mall today, she couldn’t. She’d made a promise. “I knew you’d understand. We’ll go next week, okay?”
“Next Saturday is my lunch with my friends. But hey, why don’t you come with me? Becky, Jenny, and Eva haven’t seen you since forever.”
“Sure,” said Joanna, trying not to grimace. Lunch with her mom and her three chatty friends – great. Today sure better be worth all the torture that was to come.
“And sweetie? Be sure to be home by two. Jason and Capri are coming over for a late lunch.”
“Great,” said Joanna, and this time she meant it. She loved when Jason came to visit, and the whole family loved his new wife, Capri. She was one of the most fun people Joanna knew.
After her mom left, Joanna set to cleaning up the last of the spilled manure, and then tackled the last dirty stall. Just a few more minutes and she’d be done.
Robbie sauntered into the barn, leading a panting Silver Sky. He shoved the sweat-slicked reins into her hand. “Take care of him. He needs to be cooled down.”
“What do you think I am? Your servant?” This was too much, and Robbie knew it. Dad always insisted that they cool down and be responsible for their own mounts.
“Fine,” said Robbie, jerking back the reins. Silver Sky snorted and stepped back. Robbie spun around and led the stallion away. “I just thought you might like the opportunity to be useful around here for once. You know, instead of just making more work for me and Dad. If you could at least clean a stall properly, that would be something.”
Joanna’s teeth hurt she was clenching her jaw so hard. She watched Robbie lead Silver Sky from the barn, desperately trying to think of something – anything – witty to say. “Yeah, well…” she said, but nothing more came to mind. And then he was gone. Hot tears prickled her eyes. Why was he so mean? It was as if he hated her or something, and all of a sudden. He’d never been so cruel before. In fact, up until about two weeks ago, he’d simply ignored her most of the time.
A loud whinny came from outside and Joanna brushed her tears away. She had better things to do than think about Robbie, things like taking the fillies their grain. Dad had entrusted that precious chore to her this morning, and she wanted to do a wonderful job. He needed to see she was responsible enough to take care of the fillies all summer, and to realize that despite Robbie’s opinion, she was helpful. Maybe Dad would even let her take over some of their training. How wonderful that would
be!
It was hard leaving the fillies so soon after they finished their grain, but she knew Angelica was waiting for her. Joanna rode Raven back along the trail through the woods. When she reached the spot where she could see Mr. Thomas’s house between the trees, she slid from his back and patted the pony’s shoulder.
“Angelica, are you here?” She didn’t call too loudly, in case her neighbour heard her.
Sunlight flashed on a fir tree, snagging at the rough bark, and Angelica stepped out from behind the trunk. Her blonde hair seemed even brighter than the sun’s rays. “Yes, here I am.”
Joanna stepped back. No wonder the girl next door had screamed when she first saw Angelica. Up until now, it had been dark all the time Joanna was with the teenager, so she hadn’t seen how freaky she looked in the light. Her hair was long and blonde – that was normal – but her eyes were like gold lumps in her face. And though she exuded no light, still she seemed to glow with some unseen energy.
Power, that’s what it was. The teenager radiated a strange, unearthly power.
“The granddaughter went into the shed an hour ago. She has not come out,” Angelica continued. “I have not seen the man or David all morning.”
“How… uh, how do we look for him if the girl’s wandering around and Mr. Thomas is in the house?” stammered Joanna. Angelica was the same girl she was with for hours last night. She had to remember that. And besides, Raven liked her. That had been evident right from the moment they met, and the dark pony was an excellent judge of character.
Angelica sighed. “I do not know. I was hoping you would have an idea.”
“Let’s get closer. Maybe we’ll see something.”
Joanna tied Raven firmly to a sapling and gave him the bit of grain she’d saved from feeding the fillies. Before leaving, she leaned close to the pony’s ear. “You be good and don’t whinny,” she whispered. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
The two girls left Raven on the trail, and crept through the woods toward Mr. Thomas’s property. Moments later, they were through the fence and in the overgrown field. Joanna glanced back in Raven’s direction, but she couldn’t see him through the trees. He should be safe.
“Angelica, what do you think of me talking to the girl?” Joanna whispered when they reached the collapsed fence near the back of the shed.
“Do you think she would listen to you? She might scream for help again, and she certainly can scream loudly.”
“It might work because…” Joanna paused. “Well, I’m not, you know, as noticeable as you are.” What a stupid thing to say. Now Angelica was going to imagine all sorts of insults and be mad at her.
The golden haired girl smiled ruefully. “It is very inconvenient at times, being noticeable.”
“Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? You did not make me that way.”
“Okay, I’m not really sorry.” Joanna felt her facial muscles relax into a smile. “I’m glad you’re not one of those people who throw fits every time I say something stupid.”
“Your words are not stupid, only honest.”
A thump came from the shed and both girls stilled, listened.
“So after I know she won’t tell on us,” Joanna whispered, “I’ll ask her to help us find David.”
“And if she screams?”
“If Mr. Thomas comes running, you can go in the back door of the house and quickly check if David’s inside.”
Angelica shook her head. “I do not know about this plan, Joanna. What if he hurts you too?”
“We don’t even know for sure he hurt David,” Joanna said.
Angelica bit her lip as if cutting off words.
“I’ll be okay,” Joanna continued. “I’ll remind him I’m the neighbour’s kid, and tell him I came to meet his granddaughter because she’s new in the area. Also, if she doesn’t scream, just give me a couple minutes to talk to her before you come into the shed, okay?”
Angelica breathed deeply. “Okay, but please be very careful.”
“I will.”
“I will wait behind that pile of debris.” Angelica pointed at a massive heap that was probably once a stable. “And Joanna?”
“Yes?”
“I thank you. I could not do this without you.”
Joanna blushed. “No prob.”
The teenager hurried away. Joanna waited until Angelica was out of sight, then gave her another minute to find a good viewing spot. Finally she looked at the shed and inhaled deeply.
How could she approach Kathy in a way the girl would want to help them? If only she would be as calm and understanding as Angelica – but somehow Joanna didn’t think she would. She could imagine the girl’s scream already.
I send a prayer to please keep Joanna safe.
She cannot imagine the strength of this man. He had no problem overpowering David, who is much older than Joanna, and much stronger. Even I was lucky to escape from him.
I am so afraid for David. Where is he? What has happened to him? What has this man done to him? And why?
Joanna flattened herself against the back of the shed. She could hear the girl through the wall, talking softly to the horses. One hoof scraped along the wooden floor. A large body rubbed against the rough walls.
“Hold still, Dancer,” the girl said, a little louder.
The horse kicked the enclosure, and the crash made Joanna jump.
“Whoa, Dancer. Whoa.” Kathy’s voice was getting desperate. She needed help. The perfect opportunity!
Joanna hurried around the side of the shed and knocked on the door. “Hello? Is anyone there?” she called out, as if she were an innocent visitor. All sound within the shed ceased, as if everyone inside had trained their attention on the door. Joanna turned the doorknob and walked inside.
A girl around her own age, with wavy, reddish blonde hair, was standing near a huge bay Thoroughbred. Closer, in fact, than Joanna would have stood. The big horse looked extremely agitated, and she’d seen how quickly horses could move or strike out when angry or frightened.
“Sorry,” she said. “I heard a noise, so I came out here rather than go to the house.”
“Who are you?” the girl managed to stammer.
“I’m Joanna, from next door. I heard Mr. Thomas had a girl staying with him, so I thought I’d come say hi.” Her eyes wandered over the other two horses in the tiny shed, the first a black mare – a Standardbred? – and the second, a chestnut gelding, either a Quarter Horse or a Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred cross.
Her gaze swept back to the big bay. He looked familiar. Had she seen him before?
Yes!
“That’s Tango,” Joanna said. Immediately she regretted her words. Maybe she should have thought them through first. But there was no going back now.
“What do you mean? This is Dancer, my Grandpa’s horse.”
Joanna walked toward the magnificent bay. “No. I’ve seen him before, and his name is definitely Tango. I’ve even seen videos of some of his races. He’s retired now, but he’s like a local celebrity. He was raised on a farm just a few miles away.”
The girl stepped between her and the horse. “This is Grandpa’s horse. You’re wrong.”
Joanna stopped to stare into the girl’s narrowed green eyes. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“I want you to leave now.”
Behind the girl, the stallion’s ears flattened further. He kicked the back wall and the girl flinched, but didn’t take her eyes from Joanna.
“No, she does not believe this is her grandfather’s horse.”
Joanna spun around to see Angelica in the doorway. Immediately, all three horses perked up. For the first time, Joanna saw Tango’s ears go forward. He stepped past the girl and Joanna, completely ignoring the fact that he was pulling the girl along on the end of his lead rope.
Angelica laid her cheek against his nose and closed her eyes. Then she straightened his forelock. “Do not worry, Tango. I will help you.”
“
His name isn’t Tango. It’s Dancer.” Though the girl looked terrified, she was still speaking up. “You better go, or I’ll call Grandpa again.” Even her voice was shaking.
“His name is Tango.” Angelica gestured to the black. “And this is Bonnie.” Her hand moved on toward the chestnut. “That is Breeze.”
“No, they’re Rocket Gal and Wings.” The girl spoke so quietly that Joanna could hardly hear her. For the first time, she felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She looked so frightened, so absolutely miserable.
“Your name is Kathy? I heard your grandfather call you that last night,” Angelica asked gently.
The girl’s shoulders slumped forward. “No. My name is Cally.”
“I thought he had you confused with someone else.” When Cally looked down at the floorboards, Angelica added, “I am sorry.”
“Sorry? Why?” asked Joanna. “And why does he call you Kathy?” she asked, turning to Cally.
“His mind is confusing past and present,” Angelica explained. “It happens sometimes to older humans. And I am sorry, because, well…” She looked at Cally with compassionate eyes.
“It’s okay. I know the truth.” Cally paused. Swallowed. “I know he probably won’t get better.” She dropped Tango’s lead rope, sat on bale of hay, and buried her head in her hands. When she finally looked up, her cheeks were smudged with tears. “He started calling me Kathy a week after I got here. At first I thought he was joking, pretending I was really my mom. Kathy is her name.”
“He talked to you about the horses, Wings, Dancer, and Rocket Gal, as well?” encouraged Angelica.
“Yes.” She pinched her lips together.
“So he really thought these horses were his?” Joanna asked.
“He told me he was going to bring them home, and then he did.”
“What happened to the real Wings, Rocket Gal, and Dancer?” asked Joanna, though she already had an idea – because of the story she’d heard about Mr. Thomas going broke and his horses being sold to pay his debts. That was ages ago, but if he was confusing past and present, even calling his granddaughter by his daughter’s name, it could seem like it all happened last week to Mr. Thomas.
Silver Dream Page 4
