Rand could see on his right in the distance the debris pile-up he would aim for. Gradually, as they moved downriver with the current, Rand could see that the log was drifting toward the bank on it’s own. He felt a wave of relief as the tree lodged into some debris just on the other side of the one that he had aimed for. The water was shallow which allowed the limbs to lodge into the soft banks of the river.
A ray of hope inspired the young man to work even harder to turn the log so that they would not be caught between the log and the churning pile of debris. When the log was lodged securely, Rand turned to the task of getting Patricia and himself to safety on shore. Patricia, still clinging desperately to the log, saw him and let out a squeal of delight. He caught her around the waist and looked down into her beloved face with all of the love that he felt for her. Patricia clung to Rand and the log as they kissed for the first time since the shared kiss in the rose garden.
Still holding her close, Rand began to work his way slowly through the debris to the shore. Tired, they both climbed onto the bank of the river and fell exhausted onto the long grass growing there. His arm still cradling her, Rand pulled her into his arms and they both lay quietly for a few minutes until they caught their breath, and until their strength was restored. Pulling her close, Rand kissed her, and held her close; grateful that they had both made it out of the ordeal alive and unhurt.
“Are you all right darling? That was rough!” “I am fine now,” she said smiling into his eyes. “You saved my life.” “ I did do that, didn’t I?” he admitted smiling. “You know what that means don’t you?” she said mysteriously. “Well, of course I know what it means. There is an old saying that, if you save someone's life, her life forever belongs to you. But, to keep things from getting too complicated, you will probably have to marry me." He finished speaking in a way that suggested that he was solving a problem. “Well, sure,” the girl said simply.” “How else could I pledge my life to you?’
They laughed as Rand pulled her close and kissed her again, this time in a possessive embrace that said everything. An excited bark interrupted that blissful moment. There was that mischievous dog that had almost gotten them all killed. Snuffles ran up on them a wriggly mess shaking his wet coat taking no notice, as dogs are want to do, that he had sprinkled them both. Holding Snuffles at arms length, Rand scolded the dog for running into the river, and for the mess he was making now. They both laughed as the dog ran circles around them, and then rolled around in the grass with what could only be described as a grin on his face. With Snuffles running ahead and blazing a trail for them, Rand and Patricia began the long trip up the riverbank, and then on to Grayson Manor
“We had better get you home before your father misses you.” The young girl stopped her fast walk. “Excuse me! What did you say? How did you know that Flannel Grayson is my father?” She said incredulously. “Oh.” He said looking guilty. “That just slipped out.” “Just slipped out. How did you know?” Rand pulled the soggy letter from his coat pocket and gave it to her. “I came by today to give this to you, and to bring some news. The news could be good, it depends on how you see it.”
Patricia took the soggy letter and then looked askance at Rand. ”Now, I have a tendency to lose my correspondence, but I had not even missed that letter yet. How did you say you got it?” ”You didn’t lose it Patricia. Justin’s friend, the nurse, took it from your room when she was staying at the manor as Flannel Grayson’s nurse. That is what Justin told me when I found the letter on him. Come on. Let’s keep walking. We are at least a mile from your house. I think we can reach the road if we cut across right here,“ and he changed directions.
Walking a short distance through the underbrush, they came to a meadow where they could see the road on the other side. In the time it took to walk home, with Snuffles running circles around them as they went, Rand explained to Patricia about the drug dealing and how Justin had been involved. He also explained how he had obtained the letter that revealed that Flannel Grayson was Patricia’s biological father.
“I never would have opened that letter except that it was considered possible evidence since it was on Justin’s person when he was arrested.” He apologized. “I am disappointed in Justin, but not surprised. I always believed that he was also behind my father’s problems.” Patricia lamented. “Well, you probably won’t have to worry about him again any time soon. If he is convicted, he will be out of circulation for a very long time. By the way, I came by today to let Flannel Grayson know about Justin’s arrest. I hope he hasn’t already heard. I was hoping to be the one to tell him. It might be better coming from me,” he finished.
“I have never felt comfortable with Justin. As far as he knows, I am his cousin, but he tells all of Flannel Grayson’s friends that he is going to marry me. That is another surprise. Justin is not my cousin at all. He is Hannah Ivy’s son. Elizabeth is my cousin, but Justin was born to Hannah out of wedlock back when that was a big no, no. Hannah’s sister, Phoebe took pity on her and arranged a vacation getaway where Justin was born. When they arrived home to Grayson Manor, Justin was introduced as Phoebe’s son. He has been raised as Jack and Phoebe’s, and as far as I know Justin does not know of his heritage.”
“Who told you about Justin, because I do not think that Flannel knows about that?” Rand marveled. “I found an old diary in the library, that belonged to Hannah. It was lodged behind an atlas. It looked as if it had been there for years.” “So all of Justin’s efforts to do away with Flannel Grayson were pointless,” Rand commented. “I don’t know.” Patricia said thoughtfully. “Maybe he might have gotten away with it if I had not come to Grayson Manor. Flannel Grayson had no idea that Justin was not his nephew. He was not let in on the infamous switch of mothers. He had no idea until I told him.” Patricia said in earnest.
Rand looked down into her eyes and said teasingly. “Want to join the force? We could use a good sleuth? Now, I have a question,” he said as if addressing a professor in college. “Why would Hannah leave a diary exposing the facts surrounding Justin’s birth laying around where just anyone could find it?”
“I don’t know, except, it seemed to be lost. Maybe she thought that after Justin inherited Grayson Manor, he would find the diary and realize that she is his mother, or maybe she lost the diary a long time ago and just forgot about it. We will probably never know the answer to that question.’
Chapter Thirty-One
Patricia and Rand sat on the back patio drying out after their ordeal trying to save Snuffles and Patricia from drowning in the Ohio River. When they replayed the details of the story to Flannel Grayson, they told it funny to lessen the angst of the situation. They did not want to dwell on how close they had all come to drowning.
Flannel had a twinkle in his eye as he watched the young people be over attentive to each other. He could see which way the wind was blowing, and he heartily approved. The Cameron’s were good people and he had known Rand all of his life. This match was as it should be.
The mood on the patio was of the closeness of family and laughter, which only endeared them more each one to the other. Snuffles, always the attention hog, wiggled all over, inviting them to pet him, but eventually settled down to lie resting at Patricia’s feet.
Rand, intensely aware of Patricia as she laughed and talked, marveled that she was even more beautiful wet and disheveled. Her eyes twinkled as she described the ridiculous situation she had gotten them into. While she laughed and talked, he sat openly admiring her. He was smitten. He had known that he was in trouble on the day of the interrogation of the Grayson Manor household into the attempt on Flannel Grayson’s life. Rand had known after the day of interrogation that Patricia was not involved in any of the criminal activity at Grayson Manor. He had sensed all along that she was innocent. He had a gut feeling.
Patricia reddened under Rand’s intense gaze. She began to rethink their earlier exchange. Why had she been so forward with him? She had actually offered herself to him with that ridiculou
s story, that because he had saved her life, she belonged to him. What a lame come-on. What had she been thinking? She experienced regret because she sensed that this turn of events put her at a disadvantage. She had only known him a short time. “You saved my life, so my life belongs to you.” is what she had said. Rand had played along, but she could not be sure that he meant it. He was probably kidding around like they were doing now.
Patricia met the long gaze of her rescuer. He seemed to be analyzing her, searching out her secrets. Or, was she imagining that too? Patricia had schoolgirl crushes on boys before, but what she felt for Rand was different. The ball was in his court. She was waiting.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The next morning, Hannah was missed, and Elizabeth, home from school, went to her room to check on her and found that she was not there. After searching all of the places she might be, she returned to the dining room to tell the others. The entire house and grounds were searched. No one had seen Hannah since the day before at dinner.
In the meantime, Flannel had called Rand who joined the search. In the kitchen, Rand noticed the open door to the basement. In the basement, he found the open door to the tunnel that led to the cave. He returned to the kitchen for a flashlight, and then returned to the basement where he entered the tunnel. The damp and stench of mold was overpowering.
When he reached the doorway to the cave, holding onto what was left of the stairwell, he leaned out and spotlighted different areas of the water filled cave for any signs of Hannah. Eventually his light shone on what looked like a black rag caught on one of the support posts. Looking harder, Rand realized that what looked like a rag was actually Hannah Ivy. Obviously, she had drowned, but what was she doing here? This was the last place he had expected to find her. Her dress must have caught on a snag on the post, which had kept her from being dragged out of the cave by the undertow. Rand was aware of the sucking sounds made by the current of the river, which was forcing the water into the cave, and then gravity and the forces of the river would pull the water back out again. The water had gone down, but there was a mark on the wall of the cave where the water had been when the river had crested. Hannah must have stood in the mouth of the cave in the tunnel above what was left of the stairs as he was standing now. She must have walked down the tunnel when the water was at its highest level, and the force of the undertow must have drawn her into the murky swirling waters in the cave.
Rand was horrified at the sight of Hannah in the cave, and the disastrous affect this would have on the Grayson family. It was bad enough that he had to be the one to tell them that Justin was not only involved in selling drugs, but had attempted to kill not only Flannel Grayson, but there had been an attempt on Patricia’s life as well. He would tell them about the fate of Hannah Ivy first, and then later reveal the rest of it. He wondered just how much bad news this family could take?
As Rand stood evaluating the situation, he wondered if Hannah had known anything about the criminal activity Justin had been involved in. The fact that she had evidently come looking for him in the cave suggested that she did know something. At this point in time, it really didn’t make any difference. What did matter was that he would have to go back up to the house and tell the Grayson family the gruesome facts about the way Hannah had died.
The first thing on the agenda, however, was to get a rescue team down here to rescue Hannah’s body. Using his cell phone, when he reentered the house, Rand called 911 and provided the details, and then he went in search of the Grayson family to break the bad news. He found them all in the library. His face must have given him away, because they all stood when he entered the room, and then gravitated toward him looking concerned.
“Did you find her?” Flannel asked gravely. “Yes. I am sorry to tell you, she is in the cave. She must have gone down there to look for Justin.” “There was a gasp from Elizabeth, and Patricia reached to comfort her. ”I have called the authorities to come and rescue Hannah. You will have to talk to them, of course, to make further arrangements. I am so sorry to bring you such bad news.”
“I am so grateful to you for finding our dear Hannah, Rand. I would never have thought to look in that old cave. I really hate to do it, because of the caves historical value, but I am going to have to seal it up permanently. I should have done so a long time ago. If I had, Hannah would probably still be with us.”
“Well, there is more. We may as well get it all out into the open. We have just, two days ago, arrested Justin for dealing drugs. He is being held in the county jail for now. He was using the cave at the foot of your lawn to drop off shipments of drugs. Later, at a designated time, someone in their crime ring would pick up the shipment to be divided between their suppliers to be sold on the streets of Louisville,” he said.
“Hannah must have gone searching for Justin in the cave when he did not show up at Grayson Manor as usual. I don’t know how she knew to look in the cave, but my best guess is that she heard Justin talking to his contacts over the phone. That is what I had come here to tell you when Snuffles here decided to run out into the flooded Ohio River. I am sorry to say that, Justin is also being investigated for trying to take your life Flannel. I am also personally aware that he also attempted to take Patricia’s life before she came to Grayson Manor,” he finished.
“You mean to tell me that it was Justin who was responsible for making me sick?” Flannel Grayson exclaimed. “Yes, it was Justin. He had help from a nurse who was employed to nurse you back to health. As it turns out, she is not a nurse at all. She was actually the one who administered the injections after Justin administered the initial dose,” Rand said matter-of-factly.
“You are saying that he tried to kill Patricia?” Flannel said looking accusingly at his daughter. “Why didn’t you tell me there had been an attempt on your life? Coming here to Grayson Manor probably placed you in further danger. If I had known, I could have taken steps to protect you!” Flannel said sounding exasperated. “Uncle Flannel, you had enough to worry about. Remember, you were comatose when I first arrived at the manor. You needed help too. Now you are well, and that is all that matters.” Patricia finished.
“Well, I am just glad this nightmare is over, and you, and I are both safe. Not so for poor Hannah. She was a good friend, and I will miss her. I don’t know why she went to the cave, but what I can tell you is that she was not involved in this mess. She was a woman of high moral values, and was loved by everyone in this family. That reminds me. I will have to call her sister Phoebe and tell her of Hannah’s death. She will be devastated.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Later that evening Flannel called Phoebe to tell her about the loss of Hannah. He tried to think of a way to tell her that would lessen the horror of what happened, but there was really no way to do that. After cautioning her to sit down and prepare herself for some really bad news, he just told her.
“Phoebe, we have lost Hannah,” he said gently. He could hear Phoebe gasp and begin to cry. He explained to her the events of the last few days. He decided to save the news about Justin’s fiasco until she came home for the funeral. “She was such a dear Flannel. How? How? I can’t believe that she would go into the cave in her condition. With her arthritis, she can barely walk. What was she doing down there?” she asked. “I don’t know Phoebe. No one knows. Our friend Rand Cameron found her. He was here when she was missed and helped us to search for her. Now you take care, and don’t take it too hard. I don’t want anything to happen to you.“ He cautioned. “I am still reeling. It is a lot to take in. I still can’t believe it.” And she stopped to wipe her tears and blow her nose. “Let me speak to Lizzy, Flannel. I know this has hit her hard.”
Flannel put the phone on speakerphone and called Lizzy, from the library. “Your mother wants to speak to you dear.” And he handed her the phone. “Mommy you must come home. We need you,” she said in tears.” ”I will try to be there tomorrow darling. I am so sorry you lost you Aunt Hannah, Elizabeth. We are all going to miss her so. N
ow you must stay strong.” She ended in tears.
”OK, I will,” she said still crying. “I love you Mommy. I will see you tomorrow,” she added, and Lizzy handed the phone to her Uncle Flannel.
“How soon can you make it home Phoebe, so I will know when to plan the funeral?” Flannel asked Phoebe. “I will take the first flight that I can get. I’ll call now and then I will call you back in a few minutes,” and they hung up. In minutes Phoebe called back and said that she would take a flight that very evening and would arrive home the next evening late.
Flannel took the phone off speaker and hung it up. With his arm around the still grieving Elizabeth, they returned to the library. They were sad, both feeling the heavy weight of their loss of Hannah. And, then there was Justin.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Phoebe had put off getting away from the everyday routine of living at Grayson Manor too long, and she really needed a vacation. She needed some freedom, glamour and adventure. Her job as a fashion consultant for two of the more elite fashion outlets in the city was her dream position, and she loved it. She loved fashion. She and Elizabeth got first dibs on any new merchandise that came in, and they took advantage. That was the glue that held them together. But, she was tired and ready for a change. So here she was in Paris, France enjoying the scenery, in the company of her friend Fred, and yes, enjoying exploring the fashion world of Paris; the international hub for fashion.
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