Sacred Ground

by Adrienne Ellis Reeves

  The situation had been disturbing and for Gabe, unique. He had never before been deeply attracted to one sister while another sister had made obvious her attraction to him.

  Another part of his dilemma was that he’d not declared his feelings to Makima. He’d barely begun to discern them himself. Nor did he know how she felt about him. Yet in those moments in the kitchen a current of vivid awareness had passed between them. He was certain she’d felt it, and it left him filled with yearning. How could he make clear his choice between the sisters without seeming presumptuous?

  He found himself staring at the clock on the stove, which was shining like new from his prolonged cleaning. He was going to be late if he didn’t hurry.

  He needn’t have worried. Eugenia Palmer, who covered the phone at the receptionist’s desk when Makima was out, explained that Makima had gone to Charleston to interview a clinic specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina. She’d be back in the office tomorrow.

  Feeling somewhat relieved, Gabe worked with Eugenia on the assignment they’d been given to calculate the costs of the pancake breakfast and flea-market fund-raiser.

  On the way home he stopped at his bank and rented a safe-deposit box. In it he placed the scroll and the key. He should have more than that to show after weeks of searching, he thought as he drove home.

  However, Mr. Moultrie had seemed pleased with his progress. Rather than sharing Gabe’s disappointment, he’d predicted that the pace would go faster now. Did the attorney mean there was something special about the key that would have a bearing on the remainder of the quest for Gabe’s treasured destiny?

  After dinner that evening Gabe went up to the desk in the office. He’d found two unused ledgers in one of the drawers and had smiled inwardly at his great-grandfather thinking he’d need them even though he was one hundred.

  Gabe had appropriated one. In it he’d made a list of every room, space, building, piece of furniture and item he’d examined. Also the date of the activity and the result. The list was extensive and many items had more than one check mark beside it.

  He studied it carefully. What had he missed? Perhaps he hadn’t paid enough careful attention to the piles of linen in the drawers, closets and on the beds. He and Drew hadn’t actually unfolded each separate piece. To do so would take hours, but hours he had and he determined to begin after work tomorrow.

  At work the next day Gabe went directly to his office. Usually he stopped for a few minutes to talk with Makima or Eugenia. But not today. He closed his door and continued working on the plan he intended to suggest to Director Cook for the next fiscal year.

  He’d been working for some time when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” he said, expecting to see Eugenia as he stood up.

  “Am I disturbing you?”

  “Not at all, Makima. Good morning.” Why did she always have to look so devastatingly attractive no matter what she wore? Her crisp white blouse with cuffed sleeves was tucked into slim black pants. She’d tied a multicolored sash around her waist. It made him want to measure her waist with his hands to see if it could be as small as it seemed. Her low-heeled black shoes sported a red bow that matched the red in the sash.

  Her glossy hair framed her face and her lips were set in a smile as she returned his greeting but there was a tug in his stomach as he saw that the smile didn’t reach her eyes which were anxious and uncertain.

  She held out a folder. “Dr. Cook wanted you to look through this at your convenience. It’s the history of the center.”

  Gabe took it from her, his glance never leaving her face. “Thanks. Have a seat, Makima.”

  “I can’t stay. My desk is piled with work,” she said.

  “Please, just for a minute,” he urged. “I want to ask you something.”

  Makima slid into one of the chairs opposite his desk. Gabe sat also, hoping to put her at ease. He began with the one subject he knew she’d be willing to talk about. “Eugenia said you were in Charleston yesterday for a conference about your clinic. How did it go? Were you pleased?”

  Her face brightened. “It went very well. I met several people who seem to know all there is about exactly the kind of clinic we have in mind for Grayson. One man has a relative here and plans to come up and said he’d be willing to meet with the board.”

  “That sounds good.” What else could he say to keep her there a little longer? “How was your Sunday?”

  He immediately regretted his phrasing. He meant it as a bland query to prolong the conversation, not in reference to the Saturday-night events. The tension that had begun to disappear began to rise again as she gave him a wary look.

  “Mine was pretty lazy,” he added quickly. “Drew went to church but I did chores most of the day and spent some time in the office. Did you do anything exciting?”

  He thought she wasn’t going to answer but then he saw her relax a fraction in her chair. “I got my bike out and went riding in the country,” she said.

  Gabe sat forward in his chair. “You’re a bike rider?” His voice was enthusiastic and excited.

  Makima responded to the animation in his voice and expression with a lifting of her own spirits. “I used to be but I’m too busy now. I can see you like it.”

  “Bike riding has always been my favorite outdoor sport. I play a little basketball and soccer but they can’t compare to cycling for me. How long have you been riding?”

  “I always liked it from childhood. When I was in college there was a group of us who formed a club and we took regular trips.” She sat forward in her chair now and Gabe saw her genuine interest in the conversation was reflected in her eyes.

  “There were four of us who took long trips,” he said. “Once we even rode from Manhattan to Greenwich, Connecticut, and back.”

  “I don’t think we ever went that far,” she said. Then she smiled. “The longest and most exciting trip we made was to Hickory Knob State Park. We did it over a four-day weekend when several parents could chaperone us and be on hand to give us rides when the hills got too steep and long.” She paused then said reminiscently, “I haven’t been in such good physical shape since.”

  He was enchanted by the gaiety with which she not only answered his question but went on to relate several other incidents of that long-ago college activity. He countered with stories of his own and all self-consciousness between them vanished.

  They were laughing about a spill he took which had resulted in his rolling down a hill when Makima looked at her watch. “I must get back to work,” she exclaimed, getting up from her chair.

  Gabe came from around his desk. “Thanks for the stories. I don’t meet many people who enjoy bike riding. I wish I’d known you were going. We could have gone together. That would have been great!” He took a couple of steps to open the door for her.

  He saw her face grow still and lose all its animation. “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I really must go now.” She looked at his hand on the doorknob. “I really do have to get back to my desk, Gabe.”

  He couldn’t let her leave like that. “Perhaps we could arrange another time, Makima.” He knew it was unwise to press the issue but he needed to regain the positive response they’d just enjoyed in being together.

  The tension built up again as they stood motionless. He should open the door but his hand wouldn’t move.

  “Makima?” His voice was a murmur.

  She finally raised her eyes to his and all of the anxiety and uncertainty were back. “I don’t think so, Gabe,” she said.

  The resignation in her voice pulled at him. For a wild instant he wanted to place himself against the door and hold her in his arms until she told him why. Then he’d change her mind.

  But his fingers moved of their own accord to open the door and she left.

  Instead of returning to her office, Makima went to the restroom, the only place she could lock the door and have privacy.

  This was going to be so much more difficult than she’d anticipated. She’d
meant to hand him the folder and leave. She hadn’t counted on how just being in Gabe’s presence would make her feel. This was unfamiliar territory and she realized now how cautious she was going to have to be where he was concerned. She had enjoyed being with Reggie but this was totally different.

  She couldn’t analyze it all yet, but what she’d just gone through alerted her defenses. Nothing about Gabe Bell could be taken lightly as far as her emotions were concerned.

  Any of her friends could have talked to her about her trip yesterday, but the fact that Gabe had been interested was meaningful. Since his refusal to consider selling her a part of the land he’d inherited, the subject had disappeared from their conversation. She’d thought he had a subtle disapproval of the project. If he did, it hadn’t been discernible half an hour ago.

  How wonderful it had been to talk about bike riding even for the short time they had. It had been a passion of hers when she was younger and apparently one of his as well. They hadn’t even scratched the surface of the joy the sport provided, and yet there’d been a meeting of the minds that had been exhilarating. She’d forgotten she was supposed to stay at a distance from him until he asked if they could they ride together.

  All of the inner turmoil she’d suffered on her Sunday ride, with the resulting decision not to poach on the territory Alana had posted as hers, returned.

  Gabe hadn’t understood her refusal. She couldn’t blame him, as she hadn’t understood how hurt and frustrated she would feel telling him no without a reason.

  Where before Makima had seen her path clearly about decisions she’d made in business and in other matters, and had been able with prayer and her own determined mind to carry them out, she realized that in matters where the heart was truly engaged, she couldn’t see clearly from hour to hour. All she could do was feel.

  Chapter 20

  “Can I fix dinner tonight?” Drew asked as soon as he came in the door on Wednesday.

  Gabe had planned to have fried catfish, some kind of rice, salad and corn bread but hadn’t prepared anything yet. He wondered what Drew had in mind.

  “Be my guest,” he said. “What are we having?”

  “Tacos, refried beans and Spanish rice.” He threw his book bag on a chair, poured a glass of apple juice and took it with him to the shelf of cookbooks. “Any Mexican stuff in here?”

  “I don’t think so, but there might be some recipes in that Encyclopedia of Cooking over on the end of the shelf. What gave you the idea?”

  “The chapter on Mexican culture we had in social studies today talked about some foods and it made me hungry for the tacos we used to get at that little place a couple of blocks from the apartment.”

  He brought the book to the table where Gabe was sitting and opened it.

  “Do you miss home, Drew?” Gabe asked quietly as he watched his brother turn the pages of the cookbook.

  “Yeah, a little.” He kept turning the pages. Then he stopped and looked at Gabe. His round face took on thoughtful lines and his light brown eyes were unusually serious. “Not like I thought I would, though. After we were here, I was glad to get out of the school at home. Then I met Jeff right away and now I’m in a school where I get along with the teachers and the kids. I’ve got a cool bunch of people to hang out with and we always have something to do.” He looked at the book again but didn’t turn the page. “How about you?” He looked at Gabe. “You get homesick?”

  “We’ve been here almost a month and I can count the times I’ve wished I could walk around to see Calvin and Webster. The puzzle Great-Grandfather left me has kept me busy. Then there’s the job at the center and the church and the people we’ve met. I haven’t had much time to be homesick.” He thought for a moment then grinned at Drew. “We’re pretty lucky, I’d say.”

  “Yeah, guess we are.” He grinned then resumed his search, unsuccessfully. “Let’s just go to the store and get stuff. I know they have taco shells and seasoning. There’ll be recipes on the packages.”

  The market gave Drew everything he needed. Gabe left him to it and went to the office to look again at his lists. He hadn’t examined all of the bank statements as thoroughly as possible and he had a feeling he might have missed an important clue.

  He went to the drawers where the statements were neatly filed by the year. He decided to work backward, hoping to find a clue in at least the present decade.

  “Gabe. Dinner!” Drew yelled.

  Gabe was pleased to see that he’d gone through nine months, ticking off every expenditure. He’d made a good beginning.

  The stove he’d cleaned so meticulously the day before yesterday was now spattered and spotted but Gabe didn’t care. Drew was so proud of the crunchy tacos filled with meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and a dollop of sour cream as well as the side dishes of Spanish rice and refried beans he served to Gabe.

  “Are they okay?” he asked after Gabe had sampled them.

  All Gabe could do was nod enthusiastically. Once his mouth was empty he told Drew, “You’re getting to be a real cook.”

  When the meal was over Drew went to study for a math exam while Gabe cleaned the kitchen then returned to the bank statements. Here was a payment he hadn’t noticed before made to Southern Tree Management Services. What was that about?

  He reached for the phone book and found their listing in Orangeburg. He made a note of the number so he could call them tomorrow. By the time Drew came in to say good-night he was tired of looking at statements. He put a marker in the stack and decided to call it a night.

  This was the week Calvin was supposed to drive down but Gabe hadn’t heard from him yet so he dialed the familiar number.

  “I was going to call you tomorrow,” Calvin said.

  “I’ve heard those promises before.” Gabe settled back in the chair, a half smile on his face. “All I want to know is when are you leaving New York?”

  “Actually, I’m leaving here tomorrow. That’s what I was going to call you about. I’ve been as far south as Baltimore and from there I have the directions I got from the automobile travel agency. But I was wondering which way did you go?”

  Their conversation ended with Calvin saying he’d probably arrive Friday afternoon as he wanted to take his time and enjoy the trip.

  Gabe hung up the phone satisfied that Calvin would be here in this room with him by the day after tomorrow. He picked up the book on West Africa he’d been reading. Great-Grandfather’s library would certainly interest his friend, he knew. No need to worry about how to entertain him for the few hours Gabe would be at the center.

  He thought of how his own time there had taken on a different character. This morning at the staff meeting he’d done his best to act in his usual relaxed and friendly manner with everyone. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder if people noticed that Makima rarely looked at him and addressed him only when necessary. They had been as formal with each other as if they’d been strangers.

  Fortunately the meeting had been brief. Reports on arrangements for the fund-raiser had been given and the date set for the second Saturday in April.

  He’d spent the rest of the morning making plans with Eugenia and then worked on the accounts. The job had turned dull now that he felt constrained about spending time with Makima on one pretext or another. No more casual cups of tea together or taking the amount disbursed for an activity to her for an explanation. He still wanted to do it but not at the cost of her becoming uncomfortable in his presence.

  Calvin couldn’t have come at a better time. He could count on his friend to keep his mind busy and away from being preoccupied with Makima. The two of them never ran out of conversation. There was so much to discuss about Great-Grandfather. Calvin would also be interested in Grayson and the surrounding area. He might even get new ideas for his writing since he’d never been this far south.

  After work the next day Gabe called the Southern Tree Management Services, identified himself and asked to speak with the person who’d handled the account for Ezekiel Bell.
“One moment, please,” the operator said.

  “May I help you?” The woman’s voice was brisk but flavored with the accent Gabe’s ear had grown pleasantly accustomed to this past month.

  “My name is Gabriel Bell. Are you familiar with the trees on the property of Ezekiel Bell in the Grayson section of Swinton?”

  “The person who was handling the Bell account has recently retired and I’ll be taking care of it from now on. My name is Marie Frye. I see the last consultation was quite some time ago.” There was a question in her voice which Gabe answered.

  “My great-grandfather died recently,” he explained.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I’ve inherited the property and I need to understand what my great-grandfather meant to do about the trees. Can you help me with that?”

  “Yes, I can. We have records of when he first engaged our services some twenty years ago up to the present time. Will Monday afternoon at two o’clock be convenient for you?”

  “Can you make it later? I’d like for my brother to be here and he doesn’t get home until three.”

  “Three o’clock, then.”

  “You’ll come here?” He needed to walk through the trees with her as she described what Great-Grandfather had envisioned.

  “Of course, Mr. Bell.”

  “Thanks, Ms. Frye. I look forward to seeing you.”

  In the room next to his, Gabe stripped Calvin’s bed. Remembering that the successful conversation he’d just had with Ms. Frye was the result of paying attention to his list of items that might have been overlooked in the search for clues to Great-Grandfather’s puzzle, he shook out each piece of linen that he took from the bed. He looked under the mattress cover and then at each piece of the clean linen.

  When he was finished with the bed, he went to the linen closet. He tried to think like his great-grandfather had thought. There were at least twenty sheets stacked up, plus thirty pillow slips in addition to odds and ends. Could a reasonable assumption be made that a clue would be found in such a heap of fabric?