The Keeper Returns (The Wallis Jones Series Book 3)

by Martha Carr

  “And you know where it is,” said Wallis. “This is good news, then. We’re not unique, after all.”

  “You two work as a team most of the time,” said Harriet, sighing. “I suppose that’s not all bad. Yes, yes, someone did and I know how to get access to it,” she said. Wallis thought she saw her mother looking over at Father Donald. “And, Wallis, wrong on the last count. You see, there was never a William Reitling but there were founding fathers, simple merchants. Those men did exist and they risked everything, really, to try and create something better for themselves, their families and even their neighbors. They were worth celebrating, but no one knew that because everyone was focused on the legend of William Reitling.”

  “Your father,” said Norman, a sound of surprise in his voice. “Walter is the key.”

  Harriet sat back, still holding her purse, a satisfied smile on her face. “That’s right. Everyone in Management thinks that Ned is the last known male descendant of William Reitling but he can’t be because Reitling never existed. However, he is the last known heir to the original merchants and he happens to also be in the line that thought it best if someday someone knew the truth. His family line were the historians charged with keeping the real story of Management safe and sound till the day came that the world could know and the order could be brought out into the open.”

  “Which you decided was today,” said Norman.

  “Why are you here?” asked Wallis, turning on Father Donald. “I mean, you’re Norman’s best friend, I get that. But why are you in the middle of this?”

  “Wallis,” said Norman.

  “No, it’s a valid question. I want to know.”

  Father Donald fell somber for the first time that night and got up to leave. “I am here, I suppose as a representative of the Episcopal Church. And, the answer to your other question is that we seem to have always been in the middle of this.”

  Wallis thought she caught another look between her mother and Father Donald. It was just for a moment but he seemed to be trying to tell her something. Wallis looked more carefully at her mother.

  “Whose side are you really playing on?” she asked. “Tell me where the proof is actually hidden.”

  “If I really knew that piece of it, I would have published it already,” said Harriet.

  There it was again. Father Donald took a moment just as he was sliding in his coat.

  “I don’t believe you,” she said, looking from one to the other. Father Donald rushed out without saying another word.

  “You know,” said Esther, standing up and putting on her coat. “It took less than a hundred years for all of this to go sour. No one is ever elected in Management. Promoted, yes, elected, no. And like it or not,” she said, rounding the table and kissing Wallis on the cheek as she passed, “promotions are not that far away from monarchies. It’s still someone deciding for the group at their leisure.” Esther stopped at the door and looked at Harriet. “They had a good idea, a great idea, even. And maybe you’re right that no one would have even understood the concept of democracy back then, who knows. But that’s not true now. Their truth has come to resemble the very people they were trying to bring down.”

  Harriet started to say something but Esther waved her hand and turned to leave before Harriet could say a word.

  “You notice, she doesn’t mention why she never told you the story,” said Harriet, quietly. “The Circle has always known all of this and even if Esther didn’t know there was proof she could have told you the myths, and she didn’t. Without Management, there’s no reason for the Circle. Another truth is that any large organization covets power, even if it’s for everyone’s so-called good. It’s inevitable. They despise it but they need us to push against and like it or not, we do a lot of good.”

  “For anyone you let live,” said Norman.

  Harriet looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.

  Wallis got up to follow Esther outside. She had to run a little to catch her by the mailbox at the top of the driveway. She was glad to see that there were no cars along the street. She glanced back at the old Blazney house and saw that their porch light was still on and the newly green door shone in the small light.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this? Even just two years ago? It would have made a difference. I thought we were friends.”

  “It’s not just about you and me. Think of what happened to the Syrian government or the Egyptians after the Arab Spring. The younger people using smartphones and other connected devices started broadcasting their version of the news on what the regimes were doing. It all seemed like such good news. Surely, the birth of freedom was good news, till it wasn’t.” Esther shivered in the cold. Wallis realized the older woman was only wearing a light coat.

  “I used to really love this street. Everything about it,” said Wallis. “There was no place I felt safer.”

  “Wallis, it’s important that you think of your family and their well-being, especially your family. But there’s a bigger picture that can’t be ignored. If Harriet is telling the truth that a diary exists, and that’s still in question no matter what she says, then who controls that diary and decides when to tell it will control the way things could turn.”

  “You should go, it’s late and you’re cold,” said Wallis. She waited till Esther had driven away to walk back to the house. She wanted a moment to herself and to look up at how bright the stars could be on such a dark night. Besides, she knew Harriet never lied and somewhere was proof that might help set them all free.

  Chapter Eighteen

  They all fell back into a routine for a few days, despite what they knew and mostly because no matter what Wallis tried, she wasn’t able to get her mother to tell her where the diary was hidden. All she would say was, “I said I had access and no, I won’t tell you.”

  Apparently, Harriet still had limits.

  Wallis was out of ideas and Ned seemed too unnerved. She wanted him to be able to feel like he could plan his and what would happen in it and that none of it would include a car chase or a gun going off. After his abrupt departure from the lacrosse field the coach insisted that one of his parents actually be there during practice and Norman and Wallis had been taking turns. It was a good idea anyway. Ned was actually getting the hang of the sport and seemed to enjoy having someone there that he knew for sure was on his side.

  Wallis took it as an opportunity to get to know some of the other mothers a little better. Middle School had mixed up the roster of the usual faces and Wallis hadn’t found the time to volunteer as much. She didn’t know who anyone was and found herself having to start over in her own neighborhood with a simple introduction.

  It was kind of refreshing after all of the attention from the Watchers to find out there were still a lot of people in town who had no idea who she was and could form their own impressions.

  When it was Norman’s turn, he decided to cut through all of the formalities and awkwardness and brought a large box of coffee from the local doughnut shop, along with doughnuts. The women loved him.

  Wallis laughed when she found out what he’d been doing.

  “Bribing women with food and coffee. You are a brilliant lawyer,” she said to him, one night in bed as they curled up together.

  “Well, if you can win over the jury before the trial even starts, you’re more than halfway home,” he said, cupping a hand around Wallis’ backside.

  “Is the door locked?” she asked, letting out a laugh.

  “Yep, made sure, twice,” said Norman, as he threw the covers over their head.

  The next morning she had sat at the island in the kitchen, smiling to herself while she sipped coffee.

  “What’s so funny, Mom?” asked Ned. He had caught her daydreaming.

  “Nothing in particular, just happy,” she said, wondering when was the last time she had felt that way for no particular reason. “You ready to go?”

  “Are you going to let me go to Andrew’s birthday party?
It’s at Busch Gardens, remember? We’re going there this Saturday at night to ride all of the roller coasters.”

  He was saying it really fast and was leaning half over the island at her. Wallis smiled at him to let him know it was okay.

  “Of course I am. Andrew’s parents are going, right?” It was a big deal. Andrew played on the lacrosse team and was one of the first new friends Ned had finally made at the school. Getting an invitation to his party was taking up all of Ned’s world this week.

  Wallis was determined not to build a wall around him, even as she worried about what Management might be planning. It was hard to find the balance.

  She was glad that it was Bunko night again and she could go spend time with her oldest friends in the world, eat too much candy and laugh about nothing that mattered.

  “Anybody home?” asked Helmut Khroll, as he strolled into the kitchen through the backdoor. Ned was used to seeing him from time to time and saw him as another uncle with a heavy accent who showed up without warning with presents from faraway places.

  “Why is it you never knock?” asked Wallis.

  “Is that a thing now?” asked Helmut, “Hello, little man,” he said, shaking Ned’s hand. “What’s been going on?”

  Wallis held her breath for a moment wondering how Ned would take the question but he launched into an excited description about lacrosse and Busch Gardens and roller coasters.

  “You are a very busy man,” laughed Helmut, patting Ned on the back.

  “Will you still be here after I get out of school?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Come on, Mom, I need to get going,” said Ned, gathering up his backpack, still trying to talk to Helmut as he backed himself out of the door. “You bring me anything from Africa this time? What country were you in? West Africa?”

  “That’s more of a region than a country, you know that. I was in Angola and yes, there will be bribes. You seem a bit happier. As a matter of fact, everyone does,” said Helmut, taking a longer look at Wallis. Ned had disappeared out the door as Wallis put her arm through one sleeve of her jacket and tried to pick up her briefcase.

  Helmut came over to help her into the other sleeve. “Something happen I don’t know about yet?”

  “More like, nothing has happened yet. I know, fool’s paradise. It’s ridiculous but I have a new teenager and when he’s happy it’s like the rest of us can be happy too.” Wallis made a face. “I know that sounds awful. We’re letting the junior member run the household but you have no idea what it’s like to try and raise a teenager.”

  “I can’t imagine,” said Helmut. “You heading to the office after you drop off Ned?”

  Wallis felt a piece of her mood quickly drop away. “Why, did you need to see me? Has something happened and as usual, we were the ones who didn’t know?” That familiar weight she had felt for such a long stretch was right there for her to put back on and drag through the day.

  “Esther called me. She told me what happened.”

  “She’s not very happy with any of us right now, is she?” asked Wallis.

  Helmut smiled. “It’s not that so much. There’s a lot that hangs on such a simple little lie. Letting it out could end up causing harm that we haven’t even contemplated.”

  Wallis felt a surge of anger that surprised her and she fought to keep it out of her voice. “Maybe, and maybe not. Everyone has an idea of how things ought to go and they are more than happy to tell me. There’s no shortage of prophets and all of the predictions are dire. No good ones, not a one,” she said, waving her hand.

  Helmut held up his hands in front of him. “I understand, more than most probably. Usually, I’m the one everyone is trying to direct somewhere else or to just shut up. Have you been able to get anything out of Harriet about where this proof is?”

  “Not a word,” said Wallis. They could hear Ned calling from the driveway. He sounded anxious.

  “I have to go,” said Wallis. “If you want you can find me at the office later in the afternoon. Laurel will know my schedule.”

  “No, that was all I had to say. I’ll let it go,” said Helmut. “Norman still here?”

  “He left early. My guess would be he stopped to see his friend, the good Reverend. Those two are thick as thieves. Come on, I’m not leaving you in here you know,” she said holding the door open for him.

  As Helmut stepped in front of her to leave he said, “It’s possible to learn to live within all of it, you know. It’s doable.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to,” said Wallis. “Maybe I want to feel like I’m choosing for myself.”

  “You are truly a Southern woman. Eventually, you’ll let it be known that they can’t tell you what to do.”

  “That’s not normally what they call me,” she said, “God, I hate that name, Black Widow. Look, can we have just a little more encouragement, just a little. Can we just try to believe that our efforts could add up to something? Is that possible?” she asked as she locked the back door. Ned was waiting by the car and Wallis could tell he was trying to listen to their conversation.

  She let her shoulders drop down and relax and smiled at him. So much of their routine together had become hard and in the past few days all of that had disappeared. She wasn’t willing to give that up, for anything.

  “Do you know what it’s really like to try and raise a teenager in the middle of all of this? A child that everyone sees as a prize?” she asked in a low voice, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes, even though she was smiling. “It’s damn near impossible and every day it feels like Ned slips away from me just a little and I have to ask myself, would it be like this if we were any other family?”

  Helmut tried to reach out for her arm but Wallis pulled away. “Don’t. It’s not necessary. Look, you go back and tell everyone that I no longer care what they want, what they think or how this ought to go. I’m done, over and finished. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m taking a page out of my mother’s book and I’m going to do things my way. You don’t like it then shoot me.”

  Wallis let out a shudder as she walked toward the car and pushed the button to unlock the door for Ned. “Is everything alright?”

  “Yes, of course,” said Wallis, not looking back to see what Helmut was doing. “We were just catching up.”

  Our short reprieve is over, thought Wallis, as she pulled out of the driveway.

  “I’ve been thinking of going back to repairing computers,” said Ned, looking out the front window and not directly at Wallis. “To make some extra money.”

  “You need some extra money?” asked Wallis, trying to sound casual. She wanted to ask him what he wanted to buy, more out of curiosity to get an idea of where he was these days. But she knew that would leave him feeling like she was finding it lacking. Sometimes she would forget and casually let something slip out.

  Ned’s drop in tone would suddenly remind her that he wasn’t the little boy she used to know who would go on about every detail of his life and asked her anything. This Ned had plenty of secrets.

  Wallis was fine with that because she knew most of it would eventually pass. But Ned was being dragged into something that had Wallis awake at night staring at the ceiling, praying for an answer.

  “Yeah, I want to earn some money and I think computers will be the way to go. Can you take me by the store this weekend?” he asked, finally looking over at Wallis. He looked so hopeful and yet, like he expected her to say no.

  When Ned was younger he was able to repair anything and used to fix computers for the local big box computer store, free of charge. The deal was that they didn’t have to pay him but they couldn’t complain if the computers didn’t work in a new way when he was done with them. That never happened.

  Ned knew from a very early age how to dismantle anything and then put it back together with spare parts from other things and create something new. Norman kept saying they needed to file for patents. Ned was their ticket into the really good assisted livi
ng places.

  Wallis realized that Ned wasn’t really opening up to her. He needed a favor from her and was only imparting information. Her throat ached from what she wanted to say to him but she knew that would only make it worse.

  “Sure, Ned, we can do that. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you again. You were the best IT guy they ever had,” she said, smiling in Ned’s direction, even though he had gone back to looking out the window.

  “Remember when I used to bet you a quarter that you couldn’t hold still and be really, really quiet till we were all the way home?” she asked, trying to start another conversation with him.

  She knew it was pointless. This had never worked but she found herself trying occasionally, anyway. “I kept giving you more chances. You always got the quarter,” she said, trying to laugh.

  “That was a long time ago, Mom. I’m not a little kid anymore. I need to make my own money.” He had taken it as an insult, she thought. Her entire chest now ached from the effort of trying to talk to Ned.

  She had been kidding herself to think that the mood from the past few days could last. Even something like tween hormones could trip her up. She wondered what chance she could possibly have against what Ned wanted mixed with what everyone else insisted they wanted.

  She dropped Ned off in the large parking lot next to the lacrosse field and felt the pain only intensify as she looked at the place where she had found his lacrosse bag sitting by itself with the coach looking like he was going to have a heart attack.

  Wallis had to yell at him to get him to calm down long enough to tell her what had happened. She had heard herself saying, “No, no, no, no,” as he kept talking and the rest of the world seemed to suddenly be moving past her at a faster pace than she could handle.

  “Did you call the police?” she blurted out, trying to get him to stop telling her over and over again that he had tried to stop them. As soon as the coach had said a dark SUV, Wallis knew anyway who had her son.