by Colora, R.
My mom doesn't know, but I went to Uncle Rhydian to tell him about the phone calls him and his partner Ashleigh are going to keeping working until they find out who it is. I have a bad feeling they won't go away. I know my mom hasn't said anything because she doesn't like to worry anyone, but now the calls have started happening more, and I see the same car follow us a lot. I told uncle Rhydian all the details I have on what the car looks like. I just want to protect my mom.
Chapter 25
Katie
For the last three weeks, I have been spending my days with Ms. Fairchild. I spend my days listening to the stories of her past and helping her pack up things she wants to donate. She asks me all about growing up on the Reservation and what it was like to be a teen mother. I have talked in detail to Michael about my days with Ms. Fairchild, and I know it sounds strange, but I don’t want her to leave Serendipity. Not until she is ready to be reunited with Richard.
“Ms. Fairchild,” I say with a pause.
“Child, I have asked you to call me Rita a million times. You’re gonna make me believe we aren’t friends if you insist on calling Ms. Fairchild.”
“Ok, Rita, I know you were planning to move into an elder care facility, but I was wondering if you like to stay in your home. You’re already settled into the mother-in-law cottage, I was wondering…” I trail off, fidgeting and playing with the lid of the box I was packing in the main house. “If you would just stay… stay with me. MJ is at school, Michael is at work during the day, and I won’t be going back to work until next fall. I enjoy your company, and I would like to have someone to talk to during the day.”
I see Rita get up slowly and walk to the window. “I would love that, Katie,” she says, wiping her face. “I never had any children, but if I had I wish they would have been just like you, Katie. You’re forgiving and open-hearted; you give your love and devotion so freely. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend to have in my life.”
“I feel the same way, Rita,” I say with a warm smile.
“So are you ready to move your things into the house?” she asks.
“Yes, the movers are only bringing our clothes and some odds and ends from my place, and they are bringing some odds and ends from Michael’s condo. Michael and MJ are going to stay at the condo until the wedding, and my cousin and my mom and friends will be here in two days and stay until the wedding. I won’t see Michael until I meet him at the end of the aisle on Sunday.”
I see Rita smile. “Your wedding anniversary will be the same as Richard’s and mine.”
“Really?” I continue wrapping things and placing them in the box.
“Yes, it was the single best day of my life,” she says as she watches me.
“I’m glad Michael and I will get to share it with you and Richard.”
I finish packing all the things Rita wanted to be donated, and I make my way to my house for some sleep. I dream but it’s not of Michael and me, it’s of Rita and Richard they are young, and you can see so much love in their faces. He is twirling her around as she throws her head back in glee. Then Rita disappears, and it’s just Richard and me.
“Thank you for taking care of my Rita, she was the love of my life and even my love in death.” Just then, out of the shadows my Aunt Maggie appears, and I run to her and throw my arms around her.
“I see the Kerrigan boy has come to his senses,” she says. “Katie, you were always meant to face three trials you have completed two, the third is still to come. After this last trial, you will be blessed with happiness and children and the love of your twin soul. Tell Percy that Ian is her one, not to throw it away like she is planning.” I try to ask Aunt Maggie what the third trial is, but she fades away.
Richard steps forward, “Don’t worry, darling, everything is gonna be right as rain.”
I’m pulled from the dream by the sound of thunder. I’m covered in sweat and breathing heavy. I try it go back to sleep, but I’m too freaked out. To calm myself down, I head to the kitchen for a cup of sleepy time tea. Curled up on the sofa, I look around the place I have called home for the last ten years. There are so many great memories here. I fall asleep on the sofa and dream of Michael. He and I are sitting in the great room at Serendipity, surrounded by love and family.
My palms are sweaty. I’m pacing the master bedroom at Serendipity. “What do you mean he isn’t here?” I ask my father. “I don’t understand.”
“No one has been able to reach him. He dropped MJ off with his parents this morning and told them he had a few things that he was picking up, and no one has heard from him since.”
“Dad, something’s not right, I can feel it in my heart. Michael, wouldn’t do this to me, not after everything we have already been through, not after he worked so hard to make things between us right. Dad, we haven’t even kissed since he started courting me, we were saving it for today. Please, Dad, you have to look for him.”
My mom comes in with a somber look on her face. She hands me a note.
Katie,
You deserve better than me; I hope you find the happiness you deserve. Please don’t look for me, tell MJ I love him very much. I will always remember the first day we ever met. You were always my Katie, Katherine Blackwell.
Mike Kerrigan-
I read the letter over and over.
“This isn’t from Michael.” My mom looks at me. I find myself yelling, “THIS ISN'T FROM MICHAEL.” I replay the out first conversation, I play over our meeting in my mind, this is a clue.
Rhydian and Liam are rushing through the door with Killian hot on their heels, and I hand them the letter.
“This isn’t from Michael,” Rhydian and Liam both agree.
I know this is our third trial aunt Maggie told me about in the dream if we can make it through this we can make it through anything. I’m in a robe, and I excuse myself to throw on some jeans and a t-shirt. We all make our way to the living room when I’m changed.
“Katie, I hear Killian say. “Do you remember the first day you and Michael met?”
I go over the details memory by memory. I can’t handle it, my heart is breaking, I feel like my heart is going to shatter. I don’t think I can survive losing Michael. Not like this, not now. I try and get up, but I crumble to the ground. I’m trying to stay conscious, but I can’t.
I’m in the field again, but it’s strange because I’m alone. I walk into the house, and it seems so depressing, there is no life and no happiness. I don’t know why I am here, but I see Aunt Maggie again at the tree line of the property. I feel instant comfort. I know she is with me. I keep looking around the house, but everything looks the same nothing is out of order.
Richard is sitting in the window seat.
“I came from Pennsylvania with a friend named Kenneth,” he says. “He and I grew up together; I almost thought of him as a brother. When we went South with a group of Penn State students on a freedom ride, we had all these ideas about how we were going to change the world. Once we got to the South, I started to see a change in him. It was not a good change. When it was time to go back to school, he decided to stay. The next time I came to Tennessee was right after I graduated. I bumped into my friend again, and he was a proud member of the Klan. He told me the only reason he wasn’t putting me in a shallow grave was because his mother would never forgive him. He told me to leave the South and never come back. I didn’t leave. Instead, I worked harder to get people registered to vote. That’s when I met Rita. She dropped her glove, and I picked it up. When I spoke to her she was so scared she literally yelled out, ‘I’m colored.’” He stood up. “I didn’t care if she was green, the moment my eyes met her I knew she was my soulmate. She was it for me, and I didn’t care what we had to do to be together. Rita was going to be mine. We were together for almost a year when were out for a drive. We were out on a lover’s lane necking when bright headlights flooded the car.
“It was only a second before we were pulled out the car. It was my Kenneth; he had been following us,
and he and a Klan buddy decided to have a little fun, as they called it. Kenneth beat me unconscious and when I came to I could hear Rita’s screams. She was fighting off Kenneth, who was ripping her clothes off; his friend was holding her arms above her head. She got her leg loose and kicked Kenneth right in the face. He fell back and was stunned, but his friend went to help him and Rita ran. Almost made it their truck just as Kenneth managed to knock her down. They were just about to rape her when another truck pulled up. The guy in the truck saw Rita bloody with her clothes torn and reached in and pulled a shotgun out. He told his wife to get out of the car and help Rita. ‘She is just a colored girl, and you don’t think we would actually rape a white girl, do you?’ The guy pumped his shotgun and aimed it right at Kenneth and ordered him off his property. I remember the sneer on Kenneth’s face when he told Rita he would catch her later. Before getting back in his car, he kicked me in the face one more time and called me a nigger lover.
“They loaded us in the truck and the wife drove my car back to their small home. They cleaned us up and gave Rita a change of clothes. The man went to town to get Rita’s parents, and that was the night we ran. We knew we couldn’t stay. We hid with the couple until Rita was well enough to travel. They drove us to the next state to get on a train. Once we got to Denver, we got married and lived our life.”
“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”
“You will, you’re a smart girl. When you wake up, ask Rita to tell you about Kenneth. That will connect the dots for you. They say we can’t get involved, but storytelling isn’t really getting involved, is it?”
When I come to, I am on the sofa. My mom applies a cool cloth to my forehead. “Rita, I dreamed of Richard. He told me to ask you about Kenneth, that it would help me connect the dots.”
“Kenneth Randall was probably the evilest man I ever encountered. He became the grand wizard of the KKK in Tennessee. He was responsible for more lynching’s and church burnings than any other grand wizard in the history of Tennessee. He was responsible for the church fire that killed my parents.”
Then all the dots click. I close my eyes. “Thank you, Richard,” I say. “It’s Randall. Somehow Randall Burke is involved with Michael’s disappearance.”
I tell them about how Randall was always pushing Michael to drink and take drugs, how Randall’s sister set Michael up to believe he cheated on me, and how after Michael had left, Randall Burke had asked me out several times, but I always told him I didn’t date. When I’m done, everyone starts moving into action.
“We are going to find you, Michael, you just have to hold on, baby. Please, Richard and Aunt Maggie, keep Michael safe.”
Chapter 26
Michael
I had a bridal necklace and earring set designed for Katie. Her mother helped me with the design in honor of her Ute heritage. I also had a bracelet made for MJ with Rhydian’s help. He was able to have them incorporate a tracking unit into the wolf design, ever since the kidnapping attempt of Liam’s kids by Estelle’s step-father, Edwin, we have all found a way to place trackers on our family it gives the men piece of mind. I hear someone calling for help, and I look around. I jog up to a panel van and instantly get a bad feeling. I pull my hand off the handle and then everything goes black.
I’m trying to open my eyes.
“Oh, his royal highness finally decides to join the party.”
I lift my head and see Randall and his partner in crime, James. I look around, and I realize that this is a really bad situation. I’m tied to a chair, and I’m bleeding from my head.
“What is this about, Randall?” I say, trying to sound calm and collected.
Randall walks up and punches me in the face. “You took Katie from me, she should have been mine. I saw her first; I picked up her wallet, and you just grabbed it out my hand and ran up to her. I wasn’t going to keep it, but you took it right out of my hand.” He punches me again.
“James, come here,” he says. James comes forward, pulling my head back so Randall can punch me in the face again. When Randall goes to into another room, James leans down.
“Help is on the way. I have to play along; he has Rachel and my son somewhere. Please, he is crazy, he has my family. I had to help him.” When Randal comes back, he has more rope and a screwdriver. James punches me and the chair tips over. He could have punched me in the face, but punched me in my shoulder. Randall ties the rope around my neck and ties it to another chair across the room.
“There,” he says. “Now one of us won’t have to hold your head.”
He stabs the screwdriver through my thigh, and I scream out in pain.
“Katie was mine, and you took her. I would have loved Katie and your baby, but she wouldn’t even give me the time of day.” He stabs me again. James is slowly moving behind him and then I hear it, the sound of the stun gun. Randall is out cold. James unties me and helps me to my feet.
“Can you walk, Michael?”
“I will.”
We make our way to the van, and he pushes me in. "Rachel and the baby are safe. She sent me a text; your brothers are on the way.
James is trying to get the truck turned around when we hear gunfire. Randall is standing at the cabin door firing into the van. I hear James yell and slump over. I crawl to the front of the van; he is hit.
I have to get down the mountain. I can see Randall reloading, so I get us turned around and I hear bullets hitting the rear of the van. The glass shatters out of the back windows, but we make it around the bend and are out of range. I try to stop James’ bleeding, but the blood is pouring out of him quicker than I can handle. The bullet must have hit something. He is able to pull over and I lay him on the floor of the van, but make it only a few feet before I’m surrounded by cars. My brothers hop out and run toward the van while police rush past us toward the cabin.
“Please,” James sputters, blood gushing out of his mouth. “Please.” My brothers grab him out of the van, and the EMTs put him on the stretcher.
“Please,” I hear him say again. “Please help Rachel and my son. Please.” He closes his eyes and says, “Please, Lord, forgive me for my sins.”
“I promise, James. I promise.” With those words, his chest releases its final breath and he is gone. The paramedics come to me and start working on me. I’m loaded onto the ambulance and taken to the hospital. It’s not as bad as they thought it was. I need a few stitches and rest. I’m finally able to see Katie and MJ who run to my bedside.
“I need you to do something for me, Katie,” I say.
“Anything, Michael. Name it.”
“Marry me right now. It’s 2 p.m., and the courthouse is right across the street. I’m sorry this ruined our wedding plans, but I want to get married right now.” I see MJ launch out the room then come back with a priest.
“Father Donovan, what are you doing here?” I ask. “I was just visiting a sick parishioner when this young man ran into the room and told the woman that I would be back in ten minutes, that I had to marry his parents really quickly so here I am. I’m guess you are the bride and groom.”
“I will be right back.” And MJ ran back out of the room.
Katie pops her head out of the room and looks back at me.
“MJ sent Rhydian one way and then grabbed Liam and headed toward the elevator. What is that kid doing?” she turns to me and asks.
The priest took the time to get to know Katie, he said he normally wouldn’t perform the marriage since she wasn’t a practicing Catholic, but the circumstances being what they were, he felt he was morally obligated to help MJ get his parents married. Fifteen minutes later MJ comes in with two nurses. They roll me out to the waiting room where someone has arranged the chairs like aisles, and he grabs Katie’s arm and moves her to Joseph.
“All you got to do is walk, Mom. Let’s get on with it, I’ve been waiting long enough.” Joseph walks Katie down the makeshift waiting room aisle and the priest proceeds with the standard ceremony. Right before he says, �
�You may kiss the bride,” MJ stands, blocking Katie. He hands her a paper.
"You need to sign where it says bride, Mom.” Then he turns to me. “Dad, you sign where it says groom.” I do and then Liam and Rhydian sign as witnesses.
“Don’t kiss yet!” MJ says as he grabs Liam by the shirt. We watch them run across the street. Exactly eight minutes later he comes back into the waiting room and hands me a receipt.
“You may now kiss your bride, you guys are married finally,” he says. I kiss Katie for the first time as my wife with the cheers of nurses, doctors, sick patients, and my family surrounding us.
A week later I am sitting next to my wife in a crowded courtroom. We are waiting for Randall to have his first appearance. He has been charged with stalking, kidnapping, attempted murder, and first-degree murder in the death of James. My entire family takes up the galley. I look toward the door when Rachel appears with her son Ashton. Katie looks up and then stands. She walks over to Rachel and hugs her then walks her and her son over to sit with us. She holds Rachel’s hand during the whole proceeding. Randall looks crazed as he looks around and mouths, “I love you,” to Katie. I feel her shudder, and I wrap my arms around her. I see the frown in Randall’s face.
After Randall pleads not guilty, a trial date is set, and we all exit the courtroom. We invite Rachel and Ashton back to our house, but Rachel politely declines. She seems so lost without James. She was always so full of life, always loud, always flirting, and now she is just a walking shell. My parents let us know they will have MJ for the weekend, so Katie and I go back to the house and collapse in the living room.
“I need to find a way to help Rachel. I promised James,” I say. “I just don’t know what to do. She doesn’t need money, she needs support, but I just don’t know how to give that to her.”
“You better than anyone know how depression can take hold. We will figure something out,” she says, kissing me. She loosens my tie and pulls me forward.
