02 Outwitted

by Beth Solheim

  Sally's funeral had taken place in Minneapolis where Sally's mother had purchased a burial plot. Sadie knew Sally's longing for her father would forever go unanswered, because what she didn't realize was her father had already bid farewell at graveside.

  "I'm still worried about how Sally will handle the parallel world," Jed said. "She still thinks she's going to see her parents again."

  "I'm worried too. You need to do what you feel is right. You've made a sound decision. I'm proud of you. Sally doesn't realize it, but she'll have a good life with you."

  "I'll do my best. I hope to make up for the father she'll miss."

  "You're right Sadie. Jed made a good decision. Sally's lucky to have him." Bernie placed his hand on the back of Sadie's chair. "Now you need to listen to me. I signed up on the dating website to see if I actually had the nerve to do it. I figured if I could do it, I could do the rest. I got several replies, but Jane's bio was the most interesting. When I saw her photo, I had to meet her."

  "You made the decision from her photo?" Sadie squinted in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."

  "From her photo and because she wasn't in the metro area. Someone located four hours north of Minneapolis seemed safe. The others who replied lived within forty miles of the rectory. It would have been too risky."

  "You're loathsome," Sadie said. "Jane doesn't deserve this. I entered her into this with good intentions."

  "I'm at a crossroads with my life. Please try to understand."

  "So you decided to sneak around and ruin someone's life? I can just picture you at o-dark-thirty sneaking into another woman's cabin. How many did you line up before you came up north?"

  "That's not fair. Jane's the only one. I've agonized over this for years. I'd lost the commitment I needed to continue my calling. I'm a coward. I didn't want to give up my vocation before I was sure."

  "Ask him if life outside the church is really what he wants," Jed said.

  "What do you want, Bernie? I need to know. Jed wants to know, too. We worry about Jane more than you realize."

  "I feel whole again. I feel alive. I've got to make the change before I can pursue her further. I've got to resign my position and finalize everything. It's going to be difficult, but I know it's what I need to do."

  "If it's really what you want, then come back when it's final. She won't be so upset after the fact. If you reverse your decision and approach her again, my threat to expose you still stands."

  "She'll be upset," Aanders said. "She'll still be mad because you stuck your nose in her business. I told you not to do this."

  A loud squeal echoed from the inner room. "Oh, it's beautiful. My own princess dolly. You got my princess dolly back from the pawn shop." Sally ran from the inner room clutching the princess doll in her arms. "Look. It's the doll my daddy gave me. You got my doll back."

  Jed held his arms out as Sally ran into them. "I thought I told you to wait to open it."

  "I tried, but I couldn't. Belly made me do it. He chewed the box and it fell on the floor. I scolded him, but then I saw her hair sticking out and I had to look." Sally tipped her head up and beamed into Jed's face. "She's beautiful. I'm never going to put her down. Ever."

  "You've got Sadie to thank for finding your doll," Jed said.

  "Thank you, Sadie," Sally gushed.

  "You're most welcome. Jed suggested I find her for you. Does your dolly have a name?"

  Sally slipped out of Jed's embrace. She held her doll toward Jed and turned the white-gowned beauty to face Sadie. "She still has the same name I gave her before. Her name is Celeste."

  38

  Sadie parked the hearse shuttle in the no-parking zone under the hospital portico. "You shouldn't have trouble finding someone on the brink. From what Nan said, it's only a matter of time." She patted Jed's leg.

  Jed climbed out of the shuttle and held his hand out to Sally. When she didn't follow, he bent down and peered into the vehicle. Sally sat behind the driver's seat cheerfully marching her Celeste dolly across the seat on her way to a tea party.

  "Come on, young lady. We need to take care of business."

  "I don't want to. I want to play with Celeste."

  "Bring her along." Jed lifted Sally out of the back seat and followed Sadie through the sliding glass doors into the hospital lobby.

  A physician exiting the hospital shot a puzzled glance at a co-worker, "Why is a hearse parked in front of the hospital? I thought they used the morgue bay to pick up bodies."

  "They do. That's not a hearse. That's the Witt's End shuttle. I've seen it hauling guests around town."

  "You're kidding. A hearse? Who'd ride in a hearse if they didn't need to?"

  The co-worker said, "It's one of their gimmicks. There was an article in the paper a month ago about it. Didn't you see it?"

  Two television vans, sporting satellite dishes, sat at the far end of the parking lot. Cables stretched across the lot, ending beneath two tents containing video crews and on-air reporters.

  "Are you nervous?" Jed looked Sadie up and down.

  "Not yet. How do I look?" Sadie tugged at her gelled spikes and turned her head both ways for Jed to see.

  "You look like the Sadie I never knew before. The real Sadie."

  "Is that good?"

  Jed grinned. "Let's put it this way. America is about to meet the one and only Sadie Witt. You're going to rattle their perception of the senior citizen."

  "Then that's good." Sadie glowed with determination. "It's about time we shed this fuddy-duddy label."

  "Atta girl. I'm going to miss you. Any chance I'll run into you in the parallel world?"

  "I hope so. But with my luck, I'll go through to the other side on my first attempt and end up eating Jane's cooking for all eternity."

  "So hell it is, then?"

  Sadie had to admit she'd miss Jed's wry humor. He had a knack of balancing the entire context of a conversation on the head of a pin.

  "You just walked by the CEO's office." Jed pointed toward a massive oak door. "I thought he's the one you came to see."

  "I did. I thought I'd go with you to Intensive Care. The CEO can wait." Sadie held her hand out to Sally. "I'd like to spend time with the two of you before you go."

  The elevator doors slid open and Sadie followed Jed and Sally down the hall to the nurses' station.

  "Congratulations, Sadie." One of the nurses gave her a hug. "We heard about the excitement at Witt's End. It was on every news channel this morning." Two other nurses joined them, bubbling with excitement.

  "Were you in jeopardy? Who rescued the baby? Were any shots fired? Was the baby in danger?"

  The charge nurse held a finger to her lips as she joined them. "Keep it down folks." She led the group to a corner near the desk. "Good job, Sadie. I can't believe it happened in our own back yard." She dug in her pocket for her pager and read a message as it scrolled across the read-out bar. Tucking it back in her pocket she said, "Two big incidents in one week. First they found Celeste's remains and then the baby. You're going to be famous."

  Sally shoved her doll under a nurse's nose. "I got my Celeste back, too."

  Jed tugged on the neck of Sally's shirt. "Let's go for a walk while Sadie's visiting."

  Jed led Sally past three rooms before he noticed sobbing and sniffling coming from a woman standing at the foot of a bed. He paused at the door. Sally wandered into the room and inched her way closer to the bed.

  The mother of the dying woman held her daughter's hand to her cheek and sobbed. "We're here now, Ali. We love you." The others in the room brushed at tears and held fast to one another. "You need to let go."

  Jed listened as they told the woman she had suffered long enough and they wanted her to be free. Jed moved closer and peeked around one of the men leaning on the bed.

  A nurse entered the room and took the woman's vitals. She jotted the information on the chart. She motioned for the woman's mother to join her at the rear of the room and whispered to her. The woman moved back
toward her daughter and embraced her as she burst into tears.

  Sally tiptoed up to the bed. She leaned against the blanket and placed her head on the edge of Ali's pillow and ran her finger under the lip of the pillowcase.

  The woman's mother reached down and smoothed her daughter's hair before placing a kiss on her cheek. She straightened her hospital gown and gently pulled the covers up to her chin. Each family member took turns planting a kiss on her forehead as they bid their final farewell.

  Sally walked Celeste along the bed sheet until the doll came within inches of the deceased woman's hand. She casually looked up at the woman's mother. "Why are you crying?"

  "She's crying because her daughter died. She's very sad." Jed reached his hand out to Sally. "I want you to come and stand by me. It's time for us to go. First you need to say good-bye to Sadie."

  The nurse placed her arms around Ali's mother and embraced her. One of the other family members pulled a cell phone from her purse and with fingers trembling, dialed the first of many relatives she needed to contact.

  Sally pulled away from Jed's grasp. "She's not dead yet. See." She pointed at Ali as the girl opened her eyes, smiled at Sally, and effortlessly moved her legs to the edge of the bed.

  "I knew you were coming. I saw you in the hall yesterday with him." She pointed at Jed. "I hoped you'd come back. I heard Mom tell my aunt they found your body behind the Fertile Turtle. She said you were at rest. I knew you weren't."

  "I'm not resting. I'm here," Sally said. "See. I'm right here."

  As Ali slid from the bed and her feet touched the floor, she reached for Sally's hand.

  She looked up at Jed. "Are you ready?" The light around Ali began to intensify.

  Sally looked toward the door. "We need to get Sadie. She might want to come, too."

  Jed felt a cool breeze spread through the room. A rumbling in the distance deepened as Ali's hospital gown moved with the air currents. Sally ran to the door. "Sadie. It's time to go. Ali wants us to go with her. Hurry up."

  Sadie stepped through the doorway as Ali's body wavered and rose off the floor. Spears of light penetrated her translucent image. The rumbling drew closer.

  Sally looked back at Ali who held both arms out to her. Ali shouted, "Hurry, Sally. I can't wait much longer. It's time to go."

  Sally motioned toward Sadie. "Hurry. It's time to go." She ran toward Sadie and reached out as the wind from the tunnel drew her back toward Jed and Ali.

  Tears flowed freely as Ali's family gathered around her bed one more time. A few family members stepped into the hall to escape the sorrow of the moment. It was more than they could bear. Ali's mother embraced her daughter's lifeless body. "I love you," she sobbed.

  The nurse gently guided the mother to a chair. "You don't have to leave yet. Take all the time you want. We'll notify the mortuary when you're ready." She placed a mortuary brochure in the woman's hand. She circled the phone number. "Nan Harren will contact you if she doesn't hear from you by tomorrow morning."

  Sally shouted, her eyes darting frantically from Sadie and back to Jed and Ali. Hearing her name called, she shouted,

  "Wait. We need to make Sadie come with us."

  "Go Sally," Sadie shouted, shielding her face from the spiraling breeze. "Go with Jed."

  "If you're coming, you've got to come now, Sally," Ali warned. The strength of the breeze escalating through the tunnel pulled her further into the light. "I can't wait any longer."

  Sally ran toward the light shielding her eyes from the wind. "Wait. Wait for me," she yelled over the roar and reached toward Jed.

  "Step forward, Sally. Step into the light." Jed continued to shout encouragement as he slipped further into the vortex. Sally's hair lashed like a streamer. He strained to reach for her outstretched hand.

  Sadie saw the shadow at the same moment Sally did. Pete Tyler, Sally's father, stood at the base of the vortex with outstretched arms.

  "Daddy," Sally shouted, running past Jed and into Pete's open arms. "Daddy. Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

  As Jed's hospital gown whipped in frenzy, he shouted, "No. Sally." He reached for her before turning back toward Sadie.

  Sally and Pete rose higher into the vortex. Sally shouted against the wind, "Hurry Jed."

  Jed tried to step back toward Sadie. The momentum of the wind's force pulled him deeper.

  "Go, Jed. You've got to go to the parallel world," Sadie shouted. "I had no idea Sally's father had died. Nobody told me."

  Pete shouted, "Once I lost Sally, I had no reason to live. My wife made sure of that. Now we'll have a good life together. I've been to the parallel world and came back for Sally. I was given a grace period to see if I could find her."

  Jed strained against the growing wind. "Then I'm going back through the tunnel to find Celeste. If I can't be with Sally, I don't want to go."

  "You don't have a choice. Whoever goes through the tunnel first determines where you go. Pete chose to come back from the parallel world to get Sally."

  Jed struggled back toward Sadie. His fingertips brushed against the back of her hand.

  "You're a good man, Jed." Sadie held her voice steady against the thunderous roar. "Think of the children who end up in the parallel world without parents. Sally could have been one of them. I'm sorry I didn't know about Sally's father, but maybe it's for the best." Sadie squeezed Jed's hand. As she let go, a tear trickled from her eye. "There are no accidents. Things happen for a reason. We don't always know what they are, but this time I do. And so do you."

  Jed's hand dropped to his side and he let the momentum of the wind draw him back. His chest heaving with sobs, he turned away from Sadie. He reached for Pete's hand. "I'm ready."

  Jed turned back toward Sadie as he faded into the distance. "Thank you," he shouted. With a final wave he added, "Please see that my folks are taken care of."

  39

  "You looked wider."

  "Wider?" Sadie put her fists on her hips and glared at her sister. "What do you mean wider?"

  "You know. They always say you look fatter on television."

  "Well thank you very much. I didn't ask if I looked fat. I asked how I looked."

  "Wider."

  "Oh for Pete's sake," Sadie groaned. "Did I sound good? Did I make a good impression?"

  "Kind of." Jane's voice trailed off.

  "Kind of? Either I did, or I didn't." Before Sadie had left for the press conference, Jane had been giddy with anticipation. Now her sister's tendency to drift toward melancholy had resurfaced like it had after Mr. Bakke's death. The abrupt change concerned Sadie.

  The screen door banged against the frame and Aanders hurried into the cabin. "Boy did you look cool on TV. The guys I go to school with want to see the cabin where you found the baby. Then they want to see where you found the bones."

  Nan and Lon followed Aanders through the door and joined Sadie at the table. "What happened to your manners, Aanders?" Nan placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "You're supposed to knock first."

  "That's okay," Sadie said. "We're all a bit excited."

  "Where's Bernie?" Nan looked out the window.

  "He must have been in a hurry to get back to Minneapolis. He didn't even have the decency to say good-bye." Jane shot Sadie a frigid look. "You sure know how to pick them. It just proves your taste in men stinks." She slammed a cabinet door before opening a drawer and rummaging for a spatula.

  Sadie glanced at Aanders. "That's not true. I have good taste in men. Besides, Bernie stopped to see you before he left, but you were assisting at the lodge. Remember?"

  "Of course I remember. I still don't understand why he had to leave in such a hurry." Jane placed the spatula next to a steaming pan of rhubarb crisp. "Did he really stop to see me?"

  "Would I lie? Of course he did." Sadie shot a fleeting warning at Aanders as the young man slouched in his chair. "Bernie was disappointed you weren't here. He had things to do back in Minneapolis and said he'd call later. I'm su
re he will. You made quite an impression. You need to give him time. I don't think Bernie was prepared to fall in love so fast."

  Jane grinned as she slid the spatula into the pan. "I suppose I can give him space if you think it would be wise. I tend to have that affect on men."

  "Sadie, are you ready to go down to the station?" Lon pushed through the screen door and waited for Sadie to follow.

  "Ready? I can't wait." Sadie clapped her hands together.

  "You've earned the right to be there. Because you were instrumental in the take-down, you might as well see it through to the end."

  Lon leaned his left shoulder on the wall and rapped his knuckles against the folder before tossing it onto the interrogation table.

  "What's that?" Dan pressed his back firmly against the metal chair.

  "A tape recorder. I'm recording this interrogation. I already informed you."

  "Not that. I mean what's in the folder?"

  "This? This is evidence." Lon opened the folder and paged through the sheets. "It's what we need to prove you abducted the infant." He closed the folder as Dan leaned forward to look at it.

  "Bullshit. I didn't abduct no infant. You don't know what you're talking about."

  Lon scratched his head. "Well you got me there, Dan. You didn't actually take the baby, your wife did." Lon lifted a box off a chair and set it on the table. He pulled a nurse's uniform from the box and placed it in front of Dan.

  Sadie squeezed Jane's hand and whispered, "It's just like on TV. Look at the sweat on Dan's forehead."

  Jane leaned closer to the one-way window. "Are you sure Dan can't see us? I don't want him coming after us. He's a dangerous character. He was packing heat."

  The sheriff grinned. He leaned close to Jane. "You're safe in here. They can't see or hear us."