[Alaskan Quest 02] - Under the Northern Lights

by Tracie Peterson

  ‘‘But they’ll find a way. I know they will.’’ Karen’s tone held a sound of resolve. ‘‘They built the train over the White Pass,’’ she reminded her husband. ‘‘That train line has lasted since 1898, and from all I’ve heard is still in decent order.’’

  ‘‘But most of it is on solid rock. This project is entirely different. I’m not sure what the politicians and railroad barons have in mind, but it’s going to take more money than any of them can possibly imagine. Supplies too. I had a letter from Peter Colton just the other day. He’s been commissioned to haul supplies from San Francisco to Seward for the railroad. There’s going to be good money in it for him, but he agrees that the men involved are really underestimating the cost. Thirty million dollars was originally invested, and those men haven’t seen a dime of profit yet. I figure once they get further along, they’ll see just how expensive this project is going to be. And to what purpose is it all being built? It’s not like this line will truly amount to much.’’

  ‘‘Maybe they figure more people will come and settle the territory if they offer more civilized means of transportation,’’ Karen offered.

  ‘‘Maybe, but if you want my opinion, they’re asking a lot. Most folks in the States aren’t going to be able to adapt to the isolation. Most are used to the bustle and comfort of city life. You remember those comforts.’’

  ‘‘Chicago was a long time ago.’’

  ‘‘Not long enough. Now Ashlie talks of nothing but going to the States—to cities where she can enjoy all that the world has to offer.’’

  ‘‘Our daughter craves adventure,’’ Karen replied. ‘‘It’s in her nature to be that way. She has a father who constantly seeks such things.’’

  ‘‘Ah, as if her mother never enjoyed those things at all. Wasn’t it just the other day you were telling me how bored you were?’’

  ‘‘That was just for the day. I thought a trip to Ketchikan would provide a nice diversion. I wasn’t planning trips to Chicago.’’ Adrik laughed. ‘‘Just think about it, Karen. I won’t take the job with the railroad if you’re against moving to Seward. I can’t be that far away for that long. I want my family near me.’’

  Karen leaned up and kissed Adrik’s bearded face. ‘‘I want to always be near you, my love.’’ She felt much better now. She could almost laugh at her earlier fears. Almost. ‘‘Adrik?’’

  ‘‘What?’’

  ‘‘Would you pray with me for Jacob and Leah?’’

  He chuckled. ‘‘You know I will. In fact, you know the moment you spoke of your fears, I prayed for them.’’

  ‘‘I know,’’ she sighed. ‘‘I just want to hear the words out loud.’’

  Jacob’s anxiety was causing him to make mistakes. Mistakes, he figured, that might cost him his life if he didn’t start paying attention. But as he loaded the sled for their trip to find Leah and

  Chase, Jacob found it nearly impossible to focus on the task at hand. His sister was in grave peril. Helaina too. It was bad enough when only Helaina was at risk, but now Leah faced an uncertain future.

  I don’t know why any of this is happening, Lord, but I pray you’ll give me the strength to overcome Chase and his plans. Jacob prayed on but felt little comfort. Sometimes he wondered if he lacked the faith to make things happen. Sometimes he just wanted to sit down with the Bible and not get back up again until all the answers were clear. But even as he’d think these things, Jacob knew there were no easy answers and sometimes, even when a man put forth all kinds of effort, God’s ways were still a mystery.

  ‘‘Jacob, some of us have been talking,’’ John said as he brought Jacob a requested dog harness. ‘‘We want to help find Leah.’’

  Jacob took the leather strapping and met his friend’s sober expression. ‘‘John, that’s more than I can ask of anyone.’’

  John shrugged. ‘‘So you didn’t ask. We decided on our own. We’re going to go with you.’’

  ‘‘But there’s a lot still left to do to make sure the village will get through winter.’’

  ‘‘We dried a lot of salmon, more than we ever have in the past. We have seal and whale meat. We’re doing good for the winter. We can’t let Leah die.’’

  Jacob felt the words cut to his heart. ‘‘No. We can’t let Leah die.’’

  ‘‘So we want to go and help get this man. He needs to go back to the authorities and leave us all to go on with our lives. He’s caused a lot of problems.’’

  Jacob nodded but was silent.

  ‘‘What about that other woman?’’ John asked.

  ‘‘Helaina?’’ Jacob shrugged. ‘‘She’s in danger too. Chase Kin-caid is a ruthless man. He doesn’t care who he hurts so long as he gets his own way.’’

  ‘‘If he kills them,’’ John said sternly, ‘‘I will hunt him like nanook and kill him too.’’

  ‘‘I don’t want you to make pledges like that,’’ Jacob replied, shaking his head. ‘‘Chase is as crafty as the bear, but he doesn’t need to be gunned down by us. We need to let the law take care of it.’’

  ‘‘Sometimes the law can’t help you up here. Sometimes the law can’t help you at all.’’

  ‘‘It may seem that way,’’ Jacob answered, ‘‘but God still expects us to obey the laws of the land. Unless, of course, the legal authorities want us to go against God’s law. Then we have reason to make a stand.’’ He sighed. ‘‘No, we have to trust that God will see us through this, John.’’

  ‘‘I don’t want to see Leah hurt. She’s a good woman,’’ John said, turning to go. ‘‘We’ll be ready to head out when you are.’’

  ‘‘John, I’ll only agree to your coming if you promise to head back if we don’t pick up the trail within the week. Will you promise me that?’’

  John waved. ‘‘I give my word. I think we’ll find them, though. We’ve got the best tracker in the village going.’’

  Jacob laughed. ‘‘And who would that be?’’

  John gave a sly smile as he glanced back over his shoulder. ‘‘Me, of course.’’

  Chapter Six

  The cold cut through Helaina and numbed her hands and feet. The old man who watched her vigilantly night and day seemed not to notice her misery, although Helaina had mentioned it more than once.

  ‘‘Please could I have a blanket or a fur?’’ she asked once again. ‘‘Just something, please. I’m freezing.’’

  She knew the temperature had dropped steadily since Chase Kincaid had taken her from Nome. She had tried hard to keep track of the days, but the darkness was confusing, and the old man seemed to keep no clock or watch.

  To her surprise, the man brought her an old wool blanket and dropped it on the ground beside her. With her hands and feet bound, she had great difficulty in wrapping the warmth around her body.

  For days now she had plotted and planned how she might escape, but the problem of her clothing always ruined her plans. She was hardly dressed for Arctic winter, yet that was what she would face. She really had no idea of where they were, but Chase had told her he was taking her north, and from what she could figure by watching the sun, it seemed to be true.

  The other thing that concerned her was her own health. She felt weakened by the meager meals and poor conditions he’d forced upon her. Her head ached and she’d developed a cough. It wasn’t going to be easy to escape under any circumstance, but if she truly were ill, it would make matters much worse. One thing she could count on: Chase would have little, if any, sympathy for her situation.

  Helaina tried not to think about what would happen when Chase returned. He’d been nothing but a problem since her brother, Stanley, put her on Chase’s trail. Stanley had warned her that Kincaid was a master at keeping himself out of the hands of the law, but Helaina hadn’t taken him seriously enough.

  She thought back to the high price she’d paid to get the ship’s captain in Seattle to take his freighter into the dangerous waters of the far north. She had given him the ridiculous amount of money he’d dem
anded, although she thought, in some ways, the man saw her request as a challenge. Could he get his ship up and out of Norton Bay before the winter froze him in?

  She might have been able to talk him into undertaking the mission for a lower price by challenging his abilities, but Helaina had not had time to appeal to the man’s ego. And so she had paid his price and had gotten to Nome ahead of Jacob and Jayce and the Pinkerton agents her brother had sent along.

  I wanted to redeem myself, yet now here I sit. And I can’t even be sure Jacob and Jayce even know anything about my kidnapping. They may have no idea that Chase took me, and even if they do, they may have no desire to come after him and save me. The thought sunk in as a crashing wave of defeat. What if no one cared that she’d been taken? After all, Stanley was thousands of miles away and still recovering from the wounds Chase had given him earlier in the year. What if Jacob, Jayce, and Leah arrived in Nome and realized Helaina’s fate, but upon talking it over, decided to head home instead?

  ‘‘This is impossible,’’ Helaina muttered.

  ‘‘You talkin’ to me?’’ the old man questioned.

  ‘‘No. Not really.’’ She thought to appeal to the man’s sympathies. ‘‘What if Chase doesn’t come back? I’m out here—wherever here is—all alone. Will you help me to safety?’’

  ‘‘No,’’ he replied quite simply.

  Helaina frowned. ‘‘No? Just like that—you won’t help me?’’

  ‘‘Can’t help you.’’

  ‘‘But why?’’

  ‘‘Chase said to keep you here. I keep you here. You stay here, and then Chase come back for you.’’

  ‘‘But,’’ Helaina argued, ‘‘what if he doesn’t come back? What will you do then?’’

  ‘‘I kill you,’’ the man said with a shrug. ‘‘Chase said to kill you if he don’t come back.’’

  Helaina couldn’t hide her shock. ‘‘What? What are you saying? You would just murder me in cold blood? What kind of man are you?’’

  The old man shook his head. ‘‘I go trapping. You talk too much.’’

  ‘‘Please don’t go. I need to talk to you about this. Look, I’m a very wealthy woman. I could pay you generously if you let me go.’’

  The man just continued pulling on his parka. He appeared to have no interest in Helaina or her money.

  ‘‘Wait, please. I need to talk to you. I need you to help me. Please . . .’’ Helaina’s words faded. The old man had never given her his name, so she couldn’t even appeal to him by using the smallest expression of familiarity.

  ‘‘Can’t help you.’’

  He headed out the door, leaving Helaina so overwhelmed that she burst into tears. Why was this happening? What had she done to deserve such consequences?

  She thought about Jacob’s faith in God and wished for at least the twentieth time that she had such a faith of her own. At least then maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone. She thought of her housekeeper in New York. Mrs. Hayworth had a deep faith in Jesus. She often spoke of the love of God—a love that followed her out of church on Sundays and accompanied her throughout the week, as Mrs. Hayworth loved to say. But for Helaina, it had never seemed real—never important. Now, however, alone in the wilds of Alaska . . . alone with a man who planned to kill her should her murdering captor not return, Helaina thought God seemed very important.

  She gazed around at her surroundings, then attempted to adjust the blanket around her shivering form. Jacob would laugh if he could see her now. He would chide her for showing up in Nome without sealskin pants and a fur parka. He would note the silly leather boots she wore—quite suitable for Seattle’s weather, but most inadequate for Alaska.

  Drying her tears, Helaina pulled and tugged against the knotted ropes that held her fast. She had rubbed her wrists raw, leaving blood on the rope as a constant reminder that she was helpless to overcome this obstacle—this adversary. When had she ever known such a situation? When had money not been able to buy her out of difficulties?

  The door to the cabin opened and an old woman Helaina had never seen entered the room. She held in her arms a stack of fur clothing. ‘‘This for you,’’ she said, placing the garments on the dirt floor in front of Helaina. ‘‘You dress more warm now.’’

  Helaina held up her hands. ‘‘I can’t get dressed trussed up like this.’’

  The woman stared at her for a moment, then went to the door.

  She called out in her native language, and it was only a moment before the old man reappeared. She jabbered for several minutes, the old man arguing her comments. Then finally he waved his hands as if to shut her up and went to Helaina. ‘‘I untie you, but you get dressed very fast.’’

  ‘‘I will,’’ Helaina assured him. Getting loose of her bonds and being given warm clothes seemed like a momentary victory for her situation.

  Helaina did as instructed, hurrying to don the heavy pants and parka. There were no mukluks to help warm her feet, but at this point Helaina decided to be grateful for what she had. As the old man replaced her bonds, Helaina thanked him for the clothing.

  ‘‘I appreciate your kindness. I wish you would tell me your name. I think that as much time as we’ve spent together, we should at least know one another’s names. I’m Helaina Beecham.’’

  The old man looked at her and grunted. ‘‘I don’t talk to you.

  You go back and be quiet now. I get our food.’’

  Helaina tried not to be upset. She shrunk back against the wall to the blanket and pallet that had become her prison. Cherishing the warmth, she actually dozed off. She tried to reason a plan for escape as she fell asleep, but the pain in her head seemed to intensify, and her chest hurt when she breathed deeply. The symptoms were starting to worry her. What if I grow ill and die? Will anyone ever find me? Does anyone even care?

  Leah felt more frustrated as they traveled. Chase not only wouldn’t share any details of his plan with her, but for the most part he refused to let her out of his sight. Leah had wanted to leave bits of cloth in case someone, preferably Jayce and Jacob, tracked after them. Her constant prayer was that by now they might have escaped and that they would learn the truth and rescue her. And they would need her to mark the way.

  But with Chase continuing to watch her, Leah had a hard time marking their route. She did what she could when Chase allowed her private moments, but mostly she left great messes when she trapped animals. She tried to make sure the site appeared somehow very human in origin so as not to be mistaken for a mere animal kill. Still, she knew the odds were against her.

  Leah had more than enough time to let her mind wander, which of course was very dangerous. She began to consider the situation in greater detail and worried that perhaps Chase had already killed Helaina and that he’d never taken Jayce or Jacob captive. What if it had all been a lie? A lie given because of his surprise at finding Leah in camp before he could slip away. This filled her with dread. Chase had no proof of holding Jacob or Jayce, and yet he was smart enough to know that Leah would fully cooperate with him if she thought that complicating the situation would endanger their lives.

  That night as they made camp, Leah prayed to better understand her adversary. She figured that a conversation with the enemy might best serve her purpose.

  ‘‘Why do you hate Jayce so much?’’

  The question clearly took Chase by surprise. He didn’t even take time to try and hide the truth from her. ‘‘Because he’s made my life unbearable.’’

  ‘‘How?’’ she fired back.

  He studied her for a moment, but Leah lowered her gaze and busied herself with food preparation as she expanded her question. ‘‘How could one man make you so miserable that you would do the things you’ve done?’’

  ‘‘You have a brother. Hasn’t he ever made you mad? Taken something that belonged to you?’’

  Leah frowned but refused to look up. ‘‘No. Jacob wouldn’t hurt me that way.’’

  ‘‘Well, Jayce would—and he did. He hurt me by mea
ns of his very existence.’’

  ‘‘How so?’’ She dared a quick glance. Sometimes seeing the man look like such a mirrored reflection of her husband was uncanny and unnerving. It was best not to look at him for overlong. Chase grew quiet for several minutes, then finally spoke. ‘‘My brother was the perfect son who grew up to be the perfect man. He could do no wrong. At least he could do no wrong in the eyes of my father, while I could do no right.’’

  ‘‘Would you share an example?’’ She braved the question only because she was hopeful it would somehow help her case.

  ‘‘My entire life was an example. Jayce learned quickly and easily. Jayce was fearful of punishment and obedient to the laws, whereas to me laws seemed to only be in place for the purpose of breaking. I thought it all rather silly. Jayce had his way of looking at life, and our parents praised him for it and his accomplishments.’’ ‘‘But they didn’t praise you?’’

  Chase looked at her hard. ‘‘No. I cannot remember a single word of praise. I remember once when I startled one of the scullery maids as I came down the servants’ stairs in the kitchen. She dropped an armload of dishes and I helped her clean up the mess. My father came in as we were finishing up and demanded to know what had happened. I explained and even took full blame for what had happened. I wanted him to see that I could be responsible. Instead, he chided me—no, he yelled at me—for having come down the servants’ stairs. He told me I knew better and that this had been caused by my disobedience. I was never so angry with the old man as I was in that moment. It changed everything . . . forever.’’

  He grew quiet and closed his eyes. Leah felt sorry for him and opened her mouth to speak, but closed it as he continued. ‘‘My father could have chosen to praise me for helping the maid, for being a man and owning up to my mistake, for being honest. But instead he condemned me. I have an entire lifetime of similar circumstances that play themselves out in my memories. But things were always different for Jayce. Jayce made good marks in school. Jayce saved his money and made wise purchases. Jayce showed ambition and a flair for business. I had none of these abilities, and it only caused my father to hate me more.’’