The Innocent

by Ann H. Gabhart

  A shriek sent chills up Carlyn’s back. A terrible crash followed. She ran then, her bare feet skimming the wood floor.

  Sister Edna lay crumpled at the bottom of the steep stairs in a pool of moonlight coming from the window at the end of hall. Not in her nightgown as Carlyn was, but dressed as though ready for morning even though it must be hours before dawn.

  “Sister Edna.” Carlyn stooped down next to her, thankful to note her chest rising and falling. She touched her face and the sister’s eyelids flew open wide.

  She clutched Carlyn’s hand. “It’s not safe. He’s . . .” Her eyes widened.

  “Who?”

  “Him.” She moaned then and turned loose of Carlyn’s hand to touch her bonnet. “My head.” Her eyes seemed to stop seeing even before they closed.

  “Sister Edna!” The woman gave no response. Carlyn touched her chest. It was still rising and falling.

  Brothers and sisters, aroused by the noise of Sister Edna’s fall, ran toward them from both sides of the house. They stopped in a circle around Sister Edna and Carlyn.

  “Is she dead?” one of the sisters asked, dread in her voice.

  “Nay. She yet breathes,” Carlyn said.

  Then Elder Derron pushed to the front of the Shakers. He was panting a bit. “What happened here?”

  “She must have fallen down the steps,” Carlyn said.

  “Did she fall?” His eyes bored into Carlyn. “Or did you push her? Tell the truth, Sister.”

  32

  “I would never do such a thing.” Carlyn stared up at him. “I found her here at the bottom of the stairs.”

  “Yea, that is what you say, but your retiring room is far down the hall. Yet you were here first.” Elder Derron’s voice was harsh, his face accusing. She could hardly believe he was the same man who seemed so calm and in control behind his desk at the Trustee House.

  One of the brethren stepped forward with a lamp. Carlyn put her hand up to shield her eyes from the light that shone down on her. They seemed more intent on accusing her than in helping Sister Edna.

  “Please, she’s hurt.” Carlyn looked down at Sister Edna.

  “That we can see, but we must know what happened,” Elder Derron demanded.

  Carlyn tamped down on her irritation. “Something woke me, and when Sister Edna was not in her bed, it seemed strange. I had never wakened in the night to find her bed empty.”

  “But there were times she found your bed empty, were there not?”

  The lamp cast dark shadows on the wall behind the Shakers encircling her. Grim shadows. Carlyn straightened her shoulders. She refused to let them intimidate her. “I am innocent of any wrong here and only guilty of concern for my sister.” Carlyn appealed to the sisters who seemed afraid to step past Elder Derron. “Please send someone to fetch your doctor. Sister Edna said her head hurt.”

  “She spoke?” Elder Derron sounded surprised.

  “Yea, before she passed out.”

  “What did she say?” the elder demanded.

  “What matters that?” Eldress Lilith pushed past him to kneel by Sister Edna. “Oh, dear Mother Ann, please help our faithful sister.” She whispered the words as a prayer, then reached to touch Carlyn’s arm. “Fear not, Sister. One of the brethren has gone for Brother Benjamin. His medical skill may bring our sister back to awareness so she can tell us what happened.”

  “Yea, I will pray so.” Carlyn looked at Eldress Lilith, who let her eyes slide back to Sister Edna as though she wasn’t sure Carlyn meant what she said.

  “It would be better for you to tell the truth, Sister,” Elder Derron said. “Perhaps you did not mean for her to fall.”

  “I would not hurt her. I don’t care how difficult she is to please.” Carlyn got to her feet to face the Shaker elder.

  “Many hard things have happened in our family since you came among us. Carrying a gun, I am told.” Elder Derron emphasized those last words. “And now this. I feel it best, for our safety and yours, to lock you in the vagrant house until we can summon the sheriff in the morning.”

  Carlyn’s heart pounded in her ears. They couldn’t think she had caused Sister Edna’s fall, but then someone may have. She had heard angry voices. And Sister Edna had said he was there. “I am innocent. I would not hurt Sister Edna, but she said she saw someone. A man. Perhaps he is still here.” She looked across Sister Edna toward the stairs.

  Nobody moved.

  “Sister Edna also often spoke of your loose attachment to the truth,” Elder Derron said. “Is that not true, Eldress Lilith?”

  “Yea, it was a concern to Sister Edna.” Eldress Lilith did not look up as she continued to stroke Sister Edna’s arms.

  “Then you are in agreement, Eldress, that we must confine this sister until we can determine what happened here this night.” Elder Derron sounded like it was already settled.

  “Yea, that might be best,” the eldress agreed.

  “Best?” Carlyn stooped down beside Eldress Lilith. “You cannot mean to lock me up somewhere. I have done nothing wrong.”

  “If that is true, you have no reason to worry.” The eldress finally looked at Carlyn. “The house we keep for those wayfarers who pass through our village in need of a bed is clean and warm.” For a moment her eyes reflected kindness, but then the unyielding look was back. “You must do as the elder says. For your own security as well as ours.”

  Carlyn stood up. She wanted to run, but there was no escape. She took a deep breath. The eldress was right. She had no reason to worry. She had done no wrong, and when Sister Edna came to her senses she would not accuse Carlyn falsely. If she regained her faculties.

  Eldress Lilith kept her voice calm as she took charge and issued orders to those standing around her. “Sister Alice, accompany Sister Carlyn back to your room and stay with her while she dresses. The rest of you, return to your beds. I will wait here for Brother Benjamin to come.”

  Carlyn had no choice except to follow Sister Alice back to their sleeping room where she stood in the middle of the room, at a loss for what to do next. Sister Alice held clothes out to her. Carlyn stared at them a moment, but then pulled her gown off and took the offered dress and underskirt.

  “We know you would not intend to hurt Sister Edna,” Sister Alice assured Carlyn as she picked up the discarded gown and folded it neatly.

  Carlyn paused in adjusting the dress to look at Sister Alice. “You can’t think I pushed her?”

  “Nay, we know you would not,” Sister Marie spoke up beside them.

  “Yea, it will all come clear in the morning light,” Sister Alice said. “You have nothing to worry about here among us.”

  If only she could believe that was true. Instead, too many things had gone wrong at Harmony Hill while she had been there. Elder Derron was right about that, at least. The Shaker bell that had seemed her answer weeks ago had perhaps been a warning instead. Now they were going to lock her away, but come morning, she would collect her dog and leave the village to find another way.

  With prayer. Her mother’s voice tickled through her mind. Always with prayer.

  Like a condemned person, Carlyn followed Elder Derron through the night to a small house at the edge of the village. The light from the lantern he carried wavered with each step and added to the surreal feel of the moment. It would have been better to walk with only the moonlight guiding their steps. Sister Alice and Sister Marie walked behind Carlyn.

  At the house, Sister Alice lit a taper from the lantern flame and assured Carlyn once more that all would be well come morning. Sister Marie wept and hugged her. Elder Derron pointed the two sisters outside and, without a word, shut the door. The lock turned and Carlyn was alone.

  She stared at the door and only barely kept from crossing over to try the handle. She took a deep breath. She was not afraid of being alone. In the last few weeks with the Shakers, she had sometimes wished for such silence. But it was disturbing to be falsely accused and locked up.

  The truth would come o
ut. She had no reason to feel doom settling heavily on her shoulders. Shadows from the candle flame flickered on the walls as though mocking her. She reached to extinguish it but hesitated. She would have no way to relight it. Was she so bereft of courage that she feared shadows?

  Pray. That is the best way to find courage for whatever must be borne.

  “But I have prayed,” Carlyn whispered. “Over and over. And the answers seem few.”

  Pray anyway.

  “Dear Lord.” She shut her eyes. At least she could pray for Sister Edna. “Let Sister Edna come back to health. Give the Shaker doctor skill.” It seemed odd praying aloud after all the silent Shaker prayers, but at the same time, the spoken words seemed necessary. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. But I am afraid, Lord. Forgive me, but I am afraid.”

  The sheriff would believe her. Mitchell. Even if he had to arrest her, he would believe her. With that thought, she breathed easier. He would be there after the sun rose. He would help her. The Lord had given her a friend.

  She left the candle burning. It might gutter out before morning, but if it did, she would face the darkness then. She had no idea what time it was. She paced around the small room that held a narrow bed and a table with a chair. A broom hung on a peg next to the door. She tried to push up the one window, but it would not budge. Nailed shut from the outside.

  Her heart raced in a spasm of panic. She shut her eyes and blew out a long breath. She would not think about being locked in. She would only think about the morning when Mitchell would come.

  She looked at the bed but could not lie down. Instead she sat in the chair and wished for her mother’s Bible. But whether she had the Bible or not, she did have the verses her mother had helped her store in her heart for just such lonely times. Scraps of those verses rose in her mind. For God so loved the world. The Lord is my shepherd. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer.

  The Scripture calmed her and she nodded off. The sound of the key turning in the lock brought her instantly awake. It was still dark. Sister Edna must have awakened and assured Eldress Lilith of Carlyn’s innocence.

  The doorknob turned, but slowly, almost furtively. Carlyn’s heart started pounding again.

  “Who’s there?” She hated the way her voice quavered.

  There was no answer as the door was pushed open. The draft extinguished the candle but not before Carlyn recognized Elder Derron. Her knees went weak with relief. Relief that was short-lived.

  He held his hand out to her. “Come, Sister. It is not safe here. Sister Edna was right. The man is here and he knows where you are.”

  “What man?” Carlyn stayed where she was. The elder sounded odd.

  “Whitlow. You are right to fear him. He has evil intent against you. Against us all.” The timbre of Elder Derron’s voice went up, pushing fear into the room.

  “Curt Whitlow is here?”

  The elder’s face was shadowed by his hat. “Yea. Mother Ann warned me in a vision of what must be done.” He motioned for her again. “Hurry. While there is yet time.”

  Her heart pounding, she followed him out into the night. She didn’t know why her feet were so hesitant. Elder Derron was with her. Curt wouldn’t bother her with him beside her. Even so, the dark seemed to reach toward her, warning her of unseen dangers. It would be good to be back inside with the sisters around her.

  The elder rushed her along the pathway. Disoriented by the night, she didn’t realize at first that they were going away from the village instead of toward the Gathering Family House. When the rock pathway gave way to dirt, she slowed her steps. “Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere safe.” He looked back at her.

  She stopped walking. “But this is the wrong direction.”

  “Nay. This is the way we must go.” He grasped her arm. “Mother Ann has revealed to me what must be done.”

  “Your Mother Ann may be wrong.”

  “Nay, that cannot be. Mother Ann has shown me how to protect our Society.”

  “We should go back to the village.” She tried to pull free, but he gripped her tighter.

  “Nay, the danger is real. I have been warned that it is so. Those wishing to do evil have been seen near the houses. They might even now be lurking in the darkness around us.” He tugged her forward. “It is my duty to make sure all is safe. To see to you. There is no turning back.”

  She looked behind her. The village seemed even farther away and the shadows darker. Curt could be hiding in one of those shadows waiting for her, and here, this far from all the Shakers, no one would hear her if she cried for help. No one but Elder Derron, who appeared to be unhinged by the night’s happenings. Unhinged or not, it might be best to stay beside him. She stopped pulling against him and continued down the path with him. He did not let go of her arm.

  The farther they went, the more it felt wrong, but what choice did she have? She knew what Curt was capable of doing. Elder Derron only wanted peace. Even if he was seeing visions, he would not harm her.

  He pointed toward a root cellar. “Whitlow will not bother you here.” He pulled her down some stone steps and opened a wooden door.

  “Nay.” Carlyn dug in her feet. “I will hide here in the shadows.”

  The elder breathed out a long sigh. “Sister Edna warned me that you continually rebelled against her instructions. Such a rebellious spirit does not become a Believer.” He grasped her arm tighter until his fingers were bruising her arm. “You must do as you are told.”

  “I am not a Shaker believer.”

  “Yea, not all can be so blessed.” Elder Derron leaned closer to her. “It is very dark. Come. Here’s a lantern by the door.” The handle of the lantern screeched metal on metal when he picked it up.

  “Light it first so that we can see.” She needed light.

  “Nay. Best to wait until we’re inside to light the match. Such a flare of light out here could draw the wrong eyes and increase the danger. Mother Ann has revealed to me that I must take the light into the darkness in order for all to be well.”

  When Carlyn still hesitated, he went on. “I promise there are no spiders or snakes.”

  If only she could see his face, but she could not. Nor could she pull her arm free of his iron grip. He tugged her into the root cellar and pulled the door shut behind them, closing out the scant light the moon had afforded them.

  “You won’t be found here.” At last he turned loose of her arm. “Stand still while I light the lantern. You wouldn’t want to fall over something.”

  Her heart pounded up in her ears as she rubbed her arm. She had been in root cellars many times, but never in the pitch black of night. She pulled in a breath to calm herself. A bad smell assaulted her nose. A dead mouse perhaps. The elder had not promised no mice.

  He was fiddling with the lantern. When he struck the match, the flare blinded Carlyn for a second. Then the lantern light played on the earthen walls and revealed the source of the unpleasant odor. Curt Whitlow slumped against one of the walls. Though his eyes were open, the light did not bother him.

  Carlyn ran for the door, but Elder Derron stepped in front of her. A moment ago, she had wanted to see his face, but now the sight of it terrified her. His eyes were focused on a spot beyond Carlyn as though seeing spirits.

  “Mother Ann is merciful.” His voice was as chilling as the damp, cold feel of death.

  33

  “Dear God,” Carlyn whispered. Then no more words would come.

  “Prayers are good, but a proper Believer speaks them silently.” The elder’s eyes came back to her. “That is as the Bible instructs. To go into your prayer closet.” He looked around. “This can be your prayer closet. A wonderful place for prayer. I daresay even Mr. Whitlow said a few prayers in his time here.” He gestured toward the body.

  Carlyn kept her eyes on the elder. If she could distract him, she might get past him to the door. He did not seem to have a weapo
n. Then again, Curt was dead. Very dead.

  “You killed him.” Carlyn’s voice sounded hoarse.

  The man looked surprised. “Nay. That is not so.”

  “But he’s dead.”

  “Oh yes, quite dead. But not by my hand. Mother Ann punished him for bringing trouble to our village. She was ready with her help since she knows I was merely trying to increase the Society’s land holdings when I was enticed into Mr. Whitlow’s nefarious dealings. She is ever ready with her protection. First Brother Henry, poor soul, and then Mr. Whitlow.”

  “You killed Brother Henry too.” Trembles swept up and down Carlyn until she could barely stand.

  Elder Derron frowned. “Nay. How can you think I would kill Brother Henry?”

  “If you set the fire, you caused him to die.”

  “You accuse me wrongly. I would never intentionally harm my brother. Even if he did threaten to report to the Ministry my errors in judgment.” Elder Derron wrinkled his brow in bewilderment. “Poor Brother Henry was excitable. He no doubt was troubled with such panicked feelings when the barn began to burn. He was dedicated to his duty of caring for his horses. He would not have left any behind without trying to save them.”

  “You knew that, so you set the fire.” Carlyn understood panicked feelings. Her heart was thumping in her ears.

  “Nay, Sister. Stop and think. It is against a Believer’s spiritual core to destroy anything. Certainly not a well-built barn or our good horses. Those of the world have no such qualms as they follow the devil’s lead. But Mother Ann can defeat the devil. She took that evil and used it to protect our Society.” He shifted his feet and the shadow the lantern cast on the wall behind him grew more menacing.

  She couldn’t worry about shadows. It was the man making the shadows she had to fear. He was insane, but if she could keep him talking, she might find a way to escape. “Your Mother Ann protected you by letting Brother Henry die?”

  “What is death to a Believer except a step across a divide into a better realm? A place where all is peace and perfection. Try as we might here at Harmony Hill, the world continues to sneak into our midst and bring trouble.” His face went dark. He waved his hand toward Curt’s body. “Like him.” Then he turned his eyes back toward Carlyn. “Like you.”