The Cast Net

by Mille West

  Cooper opened his eyes, which were glassy, and his speech was slurred when he spoke.

  “Yesterday was very difficult for him, and I’ve given him medication to help him rest,” Williston said.

  Ian sat down in the chair beside Cooper’s bed and asked to be alone with his nephew. He spent over an hour with Cooper, and when he came out, he asked Mills to join him on the porch. “Mills, the officer who gave me the details of the shooting was recounting your story. I have to ask you if you think Jeff shot Cooper on purpose.”

  “Jeff and the deputy were struggling for control of the weapon. I don’t know.”

  Before he went back inside, he hugged her shoulder and said, “Thank you for what you did for Cooper.”

  “You’re welcome, sir.”

  She continued to stand on the porch and watch the rain fall, and Britton brought her a glass of water. He cleared his throat and said, “Mills, I’m sorry about the way I behaved when I was last here. Please forgive me. I hope Cooper will allow me to make amends.”

  “Britton, he considers you his friend.”

  “I can’t understand Jeff hurting Cooper like this. We both know Jeff is an expert marksman. I believe if he’d wanted Cooper dead, he’d be dead right now.”

  That evening, Williston grilled dove that had been shot on the opening day of dove season. She was trying to prepare perishable foods in case they lost generator power. When the meal was ready, Ian asked Mills if it would be all right if he took Cooper’s tray in to him.

  When he left the kitchen, Mills went to the cellar to choose wine for dinner. The brick floor was slightly damp, and she maneuvered carefully to avoid a fall. She looked at the labels with her flashlight and made a decision. While attempting to hold two bottles, plus her flashlight, she almost dropped one bottle of wine to the floor. As she regained her composure, she heard a noise in the cellar. Startled, she asked, “Is someone there?”

  There was no answer and fear surged through her body. Hastily, she ran up the stairs and locked the door to the cellar. Williston had located a radio in the pantry and was playing classical music from a station in Savannah. She commented that she could find only one local station on the air in the Charleston area.

  After he helped Cooper with his dinner, Ian asked Mills to step into the hallway. “I apologize to you, but I have monopolized his waking moments. Williston has told me about his feelings of failure, and I have done my best to make him understand he has not failed anyone; there are, however, some individuals who have failed him. I don’t know how much longer he’ll be awake, but he wants to see you.”

  She went into his bedroom and sat down in the chair beside his bed.

  He reached for her hand and said, “I don’t think I said thank you for saving my life.”

  “You’re welcome, Cooper. In your premonition, I was the one hurt and bleeding. You stepped in front of me and saved me.”

  “I was granted a blessing—the opportunity to protect you.”

  She put her arms around him and kissed him as he fell asleep. “Please forgive yesterday’s tirade. I intend to stop feeling sorry for myself, and I plan to feel much better tomorrow. I just hope my body cooperates.”

  After he went to sleep, Mills went to Charles and told him of the noise she had heard in the cellar. He took a flashlight and went down the steps. When he returned, he said, “I didn’t see anything in the cellar, but the door to the outside was open. I put some of the furniture back out today, and I thought I locked that door. I must have made a mistake.”

  On Tuesday morning, the men moved a generator capable of powering the well pump and water heaters from the barn. Mills offered her assistance and was shocked to see the interior of the barn coated with leaves, even across the ceiling. Charles had not mentioned the damage, and she knew he had done so to spare her feelings. In her haste to get Cooper to safety, she had failed to close the garage door.

  When she returned to the house, she was surprised to see Cleo sitting on the steps leading to the back porch. She petted the cat and said, “Did you make the noise in the basement last night?”

  The cat rubbed against her legs and Mills went to the kitchen for food. Cleo ate as though famished and then disappeared into the bushes.

  The men helped Cooper with a shower, and then Mills was offered a turn. The warmth of the water soothed her sore muscles, but she showered quickly to give others a chance. When she finished, she went into Cooper’s bedroom. His hair was wet from his shower and his bed linens had been changed. Ian stood beside the bed, discussing some paperwork that he had brought in a briefcase.

  “Please join us, Mills,” Ian said. “Britton and I are going to return to Charleston, and I’ll be back tomorrow for an extended stay. I’ve asked Cooper to help me review these legal documents. Could you please help him with the paperwork?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Before he departed, Ian said to Mills, “I want to keep Cooper busy, and when I return tomorrow, I’ll have several business proposals for him to review.” He patted her on the shoulder and said, “I think his premonition about you has been manifested.”

  Williston and Charles went to Alston Station that afternoon to reopen her clinic. Her last words to Cooper were, “Stay off your feet.”

  Once they were alone in the house, he asked, “Would you do something for me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you bring me Grey Camp’s walking cane from the living room?”

  “Williston told you to stay off your feet.”

  “I want to go on the porch for fresh air. I’ll put my feet up when we get outside.”

  She retrieved the cane for him, studying the intricate carving on the staff as she walked back into his bedroom. Cooper was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she put his robe around his shoulders and helped him to stand. He put his weight on the cane and shuffled out to the porch.

  He sank into a seat on a couch and Mills put a quilt around him. “I feel like I’m about a hundred years old.” He smiled slightly and sighed.

  “Put your head in my lap,” Mills told him.

  He winced as he lay down, but then looked up into her eyes. “You are a beautiful sight.”

  She ran her fingers inside his robe, feeling his hard muscles, and then lightly massaged his scalp. With his eyes closed, he gently said, “I remember I was cold after I was hurt. You took off your wet clothes and held me until I was warm.”

  “You’re starting to remember.”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure I want to remember everything.”

  “Do you recall Williston giving you a blood transfusion from me to you?” He opened his eyes, smiled and said, “I don’t remember that, but now that some of your blood is flowing through my veins, does that mean I’m going to have an obsession with high-heeled shoes?”

  She lightly tapped him with a rolled-up newspaper.

  “Don’t beat the wounded.”

  Mills smiled at him.

  As he settled his head into her lap, he said, “You’re a bossy little thing.”

  “Only when I have to be . . .”

  CHAPTER 29

  G
ood Neighbors

  C ooper fell asleep in her arms, and this was the most serene time they had shared since the storm. The wind chimes had been re-hung on the porch and they tinkled with a peaceful melody of harmonious notes.

  They had been together for over two hours when Mills heard the sound of two male voices coming closer to the porch. The men sounded like they were speaking a language other than English. Reverends Smalls and Johnson came into view in the rear courtyard. Mills quickly raised her index finger to her lips to signal for quiet, and they entered the screened porch carefully, closing the door behind them.

  Even though they spoke quietly, Cooper woke at the sound of their voices and made an attempt to sit up.

  “Hold on now. Let us help you. Williston told us what happened. Is there anything we can do?”

  They assisted Cooper to an upright position on the couch. “I think we’re getting along all right.”

  “We’re preparing supper in the fellowship hall at church this evening. We’d like to bring you dinner.”

  “That’s very gracious . . . when you come, I want you to take canned produce from my pantry and game meat that Charles has saved from spoiling.”

  “There are some people who can use the food,” Reverend Johnson said. Reverend Smalls took Cooper by the hand and said, “You’re going to get through this—everything’s going to be all right.”

  When they left, Cooper again laid down. “They saw you with your head in my lap.”

  “They’re friends. Don’t worry.”

  “I could have sworn they were speaking a different dialect as they approached the porch.”

  “Both Reverends Smalls and Johnson are from the Sea Islands near Beaufort, and they were probably speaking Gullah.”

  As the news of Cooper’s injury began to spread to his friends and neighbors, visitors began to arrive to express their concern. At times, there were more than a dozen cars parked around the house. Miss India LaFaye brought Cooper a basket of beignets in her Model T, which was unscathed by the storm, and James Burton drove Elizabeth and Marian back to Edisto from Aiken. After Marian saw Cooper, she went on the porch, and Mills found her in tears. They held each other without saying a word.

  Murphy Black arrived by motorboat and anxiously requested to see Cooper. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cooper sitting on the screened porch. Murphy approached him and took Cooper’s hand in his. “I’m so glad to see you. You’re looking a bit rough, but still good for a dead man.”

  “A dead man?”

  “I heard a dreadful rumor that you had been fatally shot by Jeff. Thank God, it’s not true. Where is Jeff?”

  “We don’t know. Jeff did shoot me.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  “Lieutenant Barnes came to see me before the storm. He said that two witnesses saw Jeff with Elise the day of her disappearance near the Camp farm. The subpoena you received concerning my real estate documents was to see if Jeff had been my broker on that transaction, and was therefore, familiar with the property. Murphy, the police found a woman’s remains at the bottom of an abandoned well.”

  “Do they know the woman’s identity?”

  “The lieutenant said dental records would be required to identify the body. I lost my head, and I attacked Jeff. There was a fight over a handgun and I—Mills saved my life.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “I’m sure there will be. You’re my attorney, but I also consider you my friend. Thank you for visiting me.”

  “Wait until you get my bill.”

  “Thanks, Murphy.”

  There was no doubt that Ian dearly loved his nephew. Although he made himself scarce at times, he was always available when Cooper needed assistance. Mills had never seen Ian wear blue jeans; he wore a suit and tie whenever she was around him. These days, though, he was attired in jeans and button-down shirts that even had wrinkles in them. Cooper and his uncle spent hours discussing Heath Brothers’ business, and Mills discovered that Ian was an excellent chef, as he prepared most of their meals. There was a relaxed atmosphere during these days of Cooper’s recovery; they were taking it one day at a time.

  Anne Jefferson and her sons came to see Cooper. They arrived by a boat that was captained by one of the Abbott brothers. When Blair and Zack saw Cooper, the expression on their faces became increasingly serious as they looked at him. They wrapped their arms around him for a hug, but their mother cautioned, “Don’t squeeze him too hard right now.”

  Anne asked the boys to go out on the green and toss a football to each other. Taking Cooper’s hand, she kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sorry, but my parents weren’t able to come with us today. I’m worried my mother is having a nervous breakdown. We had a phone call from the Bohicket Marina. The Theodosia is missing. At first they thought she had been relocated to avoid the storm, but after making phone calls to Jeff’s partners, they realized she had been taken.” She paused as she looked at Cooper. “The Miss Elise was scuttled not far from the Bohicket Marina. Do you think Jeff took the Theodosia?”

  “She’s a large craft for a one-man operation, but Jeff is an exceptional sailor.”

  “He must have lost his mind,” Anne said, as she began to cry. “The police have been to my parents’ home a number of times, and there’s a warrant for Jeff’s arrest.”

  Mills left them alone on the porch and went out to the green to toss the football with the boys. Over an hour passed and the boys sat down under an oak tree.

  “Whew, it’s hot,” Blair said.

  “You boys wear me out,” Mills said as she joined them.

  They were quiet for a moment and Zack said, “We know what happened. We heard the police speaking with our grandfather, and Mom explained about Cooper and Uncle Jeff. I’m worried about both of them.”

  When they went back to the porch, Anne had regained her composure, and the boys sat down beside Cooper.

  “We hope you feel better soon.”

  “Thank you, boys. Next time you’re out here, maybe we can go fishing again.”

  “Can we stay with you?”

  “Boys, when Cooper feels better, you can visit with him. Go wait for me in the courtyard, and I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Anne kissed Mills and then sat beside Cooper. “You were Jeff’s best friend, and I just can’t understand about Elise. I’m sorry, Cooper.”

  They held hands and after she kissed his cheek, Anne left through the screen door.

  One week after the storm, young people who were involved in the scholarship program arrived at Cooper’s property and spent an entire day cleaning up downed tree limbs and debris. Reverend Smalls led the group, and he brought a young man with him to the back porch where Mills and Cooper sat.

  “This is Anthony Barre, and he has something he would like to say to Miss Taylor.”

  Mills recognized him immediately and stiffened. That’s the boy that robbed me!

  He spoke with hesitation, “Miss Taylor, I want to apologize for hurting you and stealing your purse. I was doing wrong. I know that now.”

  The boy handed Mills an envelope. “This
is forty dollars. It’s the amount of money that me and my friend stole from you. I earned this money mowing grass.” He then removed from his pocket her small wooden doll that had been stolen. “I had to buy this back, but I wanted to return it.”

  “I accept your apology. Thank you for returning my money and my doll.”

  “Anthony, it takes courage to admit you were wrong, and I admire you for making restitution to Miss Taylor,” Cooper said.

  The boy nodded to them and left the porch.

  In the afternoon, an old truck pulled up to the rear courtyard and Mills recognized Mr. and Mrs. Adams from Cooper’s Combahee property. Cooper was asleep on the porch, and Mills went into the courtyard to greet them.

  “Miss Taylor, we saw an article in the Charleston Dispatch about an incident at this farm before the hurricane. We tried to phone, but we couldn’t get through. Is Cooper all right?”

  “He is getting better; he was hurt in a shooting.”

  “A hunting accident?”

  “No, sir.”

  Cooper woke and called to them, and Mr. Adams went on the porch to help him sit up. The couple stared at Cooper’s injuries in disbelief, and Mrs. Adams got down on her knees and prayed, holding Cooper’s hand in hers.

  When she finished, she looked at him. “I think the reason we have come to know one another is that I am the friend who can help you with spiritual guidance.”

  She sat down beside Cooper, and Mr. Adams asked Mills to help him with items in the truck. They brought an abundance of baked foods and she helped him bring the baskets into the kitchen. Mr. Adams asked, “Miss Taylor, the article in the paper was toward the back page of the Metro section, but it said that police were involved, along with Cooper’s cousin, Jeff Radcliffe. Can this be true?”