Lowcountry Stranger

by Ashley Farley

  Lovie bowed her head. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” she said, biting on her fist to stifle a sob.

  “I know, Mom.” Sam draped her arm around Lovie’s shoulders and pressed a tissue in her hand. She heard the minister testing the microphone. “Looks like they are getting ready to start the service. Why don’t we go find a seat?”

  “We’ve reserved the front row for family.” Jackie pointed to the cluster of chairs in the shade of the oak tree where Faith, Bitsy, and the boys were already seated.

  The service included the usual litany of prayers, passages, and hymns. Noah offered the eulogy, evoking fits of laughter from the congregation with antics of the time he spent with Mack, both on the water and off. The minister dipped his hand in the urn the crematorium had provided, and then held his palm open, allowing the breeze to blow Mack’s ashes across the water. A flutist ended the service with “America the Beautiful.” Although not a military man, Mack was known for his patriotism. Short but moving, the service was just the way Mack would have wanted it.

  Afterward, parched from the heat, the crowd migrated to the bar for refreshments.

  Sam pulled Jackie to the side. “It was a lovely service.”

  Jackie dismissed the compliment with a wave. “These old men mostly knew what they wanted.” Something caught Jackie’s attention at the makeshift kitchen where the caterers had set up commercial fryers and prepped tables. “I need to get the fish frying.” She snickered. “Funny, that’s usually your job.” She pointed at a table two rows over that boasted an elegant arrangement of pink roses. “I’ve reserved that table for our family. Noah sent those flowers to Lovie. He says they’re from Mack.”

  Sam helped her mother get settled at the table while Faith went for drinks. “You haven’t seen Mike, have you?” Faith said when she returned, juggling several glasses of lemonade. “He was supposed to have been here an hour ago.”

  “I don’t see Bill anywhere either,” Sam noticed.

  “Bill has an excuse,” Faith said in a snarky tone. “He was called into surgery.”

  Sam arched an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise already?”

  “With everything that’s going on with this Chloe woman, what else am I supposed to think? He’s not answering his phone.”

  Sam reached for her sister’s hand. “Faith, honey, I know you’re worried, but you’re letting your imagination get the best of you. Did you sleep at all last night?”

  Faith shook her head. “Not much.”

  “Mike has never let you down. He’ll be here. He probably just got tied up with a patient.” Sam noticed the caterers putting out the first trays of fried flounder. “Why don’t we go fix ourselves a plate?”

  The Sweeney cousins, plus Annie and Mary Beth, ate at one end of the table while the adults occupied the other. The kids inhaled their food, and then excused themselves in search of dessert.

  Bitsy appeared at Faith’s side with her new freckle-faced friend in tow. “Mama, can Mary Beth and I go play on the swing with the big kids.” Bitsy pointed at the live oak where Annie, the twins, and Jamie were hanging out, eating slices of cake.

  Faith patted Mary Beth’s yellow head. “As long as Annie promises to keep an eye on the two of you. I want her to wave at me, so I know she’s watching you.”

  The girls ran off, Bitsy’s flowery sundress flapping behind her, with Dolly under her arm, yellow ribbons in her hair, and pink sneakers on her feet. “Bitsy looks adorable,” Sam said. “She seems so happy.”

  Faith placed a hand over her chest. “It does my heart good to see her make new friends after all she’s been through.”

  They continued to watch the girls as they approached the big kids. When Bitsy tugged on Annie’s arm, she bent down to listen to her. Annie shot Faith a thumbs-up. Yes. She would keep an eye out for her daughter.

  Faith and Sam returned their attention to the table. During the next half hour, the remaining members of the Sweeney family somehow managed to sneak bites of food despite the continuous flow of Mack’s friends stopping by the table to offer condolences.

  Sam’s cell phone rang and she suspected from the area code that it was the call from Allen’s doctor she’d been waiting for. She left the table and walked out on the dock for privacy. Dr. Garcia knew the complexities of the relationships involved in his patient’s case, and answered all of Sam’s questions regarding the liver transplant procedure from the donor perspective.

  “Am I correct in assuming that you are in a position to offer Annie support? Because, I’ll be frank with you, Ms. Sweeney—her father’s health is declining. Rapidly. At this point, I can’t recommend a transplant. He simply isn’t strong enough. That may change. Miracles happen all the time with my cancer patients. But, I’m afraid to say, it seems highly unlikely in this case.”

  “What am I supposed to tell Annie?” Sam asked, pacing back and forth on the dock. “She is pressuring Jamie to go ahead with the transplant. I don’t want her to lose hope.”

  “Frankly, I’m not sure what’s worse—losing hope or being in denial. For me, as her father’s doctor, and for you, as her friend, we owe it to Annie to prepare her for the worst.”

  Thirty-Four

  Faith

  Faith kept one eye on her sister, who was pacing the dock with her cell phone glued to her ear, and one on Bitsy and Mary Beth, who were taking turns on the rope swing Mack had hung from a low branch on the tree nearest the water. Annie and the three boys stood with a group of local teenagers on the other side of the tree. Faith was relieved to see Annie cast an occasional glance Bitsy’s way to check on her.

  Faith didn’t know whether to be furious or frightened with Mike over his absence. She felt certain he had a logical explanation. As a busy emergency room doctor, showing up late for family events was typical, but he’d always texted her in the past whenever he was running behind. Her gnawing doubt reminded her that she’d only known him a year. Based on her mama’s standards, twelve months was not enough time to learn enough about someone to marry them. She dismissed the negative thoughts with a vigorous shake of her head. Mike was not complicated. He was kind, caring, and compassionate. She’d learned her lesson with Curtis. Surely her Rotten Bastard Radar would have alerted her to impending disaster if Mike posed a threat to her well-being.

  Faith spotted Eli at the edge of the crowd and waved him over. In his uniform, the handsome policeman turned more than a few heads as he made his way to their table. Most knew him by name and returned his friendly smile.

  When Faith stood to greet him, Eli took her by the arm and led her away from the table, out of her mother’s earshot. He scanned the gathering. “Where’s Mike?”

  Faith sighed. “I wish I knew. He was supposed to meet me here two hours ago. He’s not answering any of my calls or texts.”

  “Don’t worry, Faith. I’m sure Mike has a legitimate reason for missing the service.”

  “I hope you’re right. I’d hate to consider the alternative with this stalker on the loose. Speaking of Chloe, do you have any news?”

  “I do. But I’m afraid you’re not going to like it. I was hoping to brief you and Mike at the same time.” Eli paused to wave to a friend across the party. “I heard back from my contact at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD who did some digging for me. It turns out our friend, Chloe Morrison, was recently released from a psychiatric hospital there. According to my source, Ms. Morrison is bipolar. Six months ago, one of Chloe’s coworkers at Piedmont Hospital where she worked accused her of stalking him. Instead of bringing charges against her, the doctor convinced Chloe to seek psychiatric help.”

  “And let me guess. The hospital refused to give her back her job when she got out.”

  “Bingo.” Eli pointed at her, his fingers in the shape of a gun.

  “Which is why she moved back to Prospect. She told Mike she came home to take care of an aging parent.”

  “That’s simply not true. Both of Chloe’s parents were killed in a suspicious house fire thirty years ag
o. Chloe was only fifteen years old at the time.”

  Faith snapped her fingers. “That’s it! I knew I was forgetting something important about her. Chloe was a year older than me, but we went to the same high school. The story was all over the newspapers. The police thought she had something to do with setting the fire.”

  “Initially, they did. But the police eventually cleared her. She moved to Atlanta after that, went to live with a spinster aunt.”

  “Sounds to me like Chloe’s been unstable for a long time. And now she’s set her sights on my husband.” She stared him down. “What is it about me, Eli? Why am I the magnet for crazies?”

  Eli smiled. “This time, Faith, it’s not on you. Your husband is the target.”

  Faith noticed Sam ambling across the lawn with her head bowed as though deep in thought. “Who were you talking to? Was that Mike?” Faith asked her sister when she joined them. The sound of desperation in her voice brought back memories—a different summer, a different stalker.

  “Why would Mike be calling me?” Sam asked, poking at her chest.

  Faith’s shoulders slumped. “I guess he wouldn’t. I’m sorry for jumping down your throat. I’m just on edge.”

  “That was Allen’s doctor,” Sam said. “He refuses to do the transplant. He said we need to prepare Annie for the worst.”

  “Poor kid. That’s too bad,” Eli said. “Where is Annie anyway?”

  “Over there with Bitsy and the boys.” Their eyes followed Faith’s finger to the oak tree. They watched, laughing, as Bitsy leapt on top of Jamie, tackling him to the ground. “Jamie is a good sport to put up with her nonsense.”

  “Are you kidding me? He loves the attention.” Sam stood on her tiptoes to see over the crowd. “I think I just saw Mike’s truck pull up.”

  Sure enough, several seconds later, Mike came marching toward them, his shoulders hunched, his face set in a deep scowl. He put his arms around Faith and hugged her tight. “I’m so sorry I missed the service. You have no idea what I’ve been through today.”

  Faith rubbed the tense muscles in her husband’s back. “I’m afraid to ask. I’m sure it has something to do with Chloe.”

  “The crazy bitch won’t leave me alone.” He rubbed his balding head. “Just as I was leaving to come here, the chief of staff called me into his office. The doctor on call in the ER last night reported a significant number of pain medicines missing. Chloe claims she saw me take them.”

  Faith’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t understand. First of all, you were at home last night. And secondly, why would she do that to you, if she’s supposedly in love with you?”

  “Because she’s psychotic,” Eli answered. “I was just filling Faith in on what I found out from Charlotte.” Eli gave Mike the details of the report he’d received from his contact at CMPD.

  Mike drew Faith closer to him. “We need to press charges.” He kissed the top of her head. “I can’t let anything happen to you or Bitsy.”

  Once again all eyes traveled to the tree by the water where the younger generation was gathered. Cooper and Sean were captivated by something Annie was saying to them. Mary Beth was propped up against the trunk of the tree sucking on a blade of grass, and Jamie was standing nearby talking to Noah. Bitsy was nowhere in sight.

  Faith’s stomach lurched. “Where is she?” She conducted a quick survey of the grounds. “I don’t see Bitsy anywhere!”

  All four of them took off running across the property. Sam got there first. “Where’s Bitsy?” she asked Jamie.

  His head jerked up in surprise. “What’d you mean?” He glanced at the tree, then back at his mother. “She was literally just here.” He pointed to a spot near them on the ground where the grass was flattened. The concern growing in his voice, he said, “We were sitting together right there a minute ago. She was telling me about her playhouse.”

  Faith saw them then—Bitsy’s little pink sneakers lying abandoned beneath the swing. She covered the ground to the tree in three long strides. Grabbing hold of Mary Beth’s arm, she yanked the little girl to her feet. “Where’s Bitsy? Where’d she go?”

  “Easy now, Faith,” Noah said, prying her hand off his granddaughter’s arm. “She’s just a child.” He lifted a now-crying Mary Beth into his arms. “Do you know where Bitsy went, honey?”

  Nodding, the little girl planted her face in her grandpa’s chest.

  “You need to tell us, Mary Beth,” Eli said, his voice kind but stern. “This is very important.”

  Hiding her face in the crook of her arm, Mary Beth pointed her tiny finger at the split-rail fence separating Mack’s lot from the property next door. “She walked over there, to the fence with that lady.”

  Faith forced herself to sound calm despite the panic gripping her chest. “What lady, Mary Beth?”

  “The one who offered her a Snickers bar. Bitsy said her name was Chloe.”

  His hand pressed to the headset in his ear, Eli raced to the edge of the property, jumped over the fence, and disappeared through the row of magnolia trees on the other side. He returned seconds later, shaking his head. “I just missed them. There’s still dust in the air from the dirt driveway.” A crowd had begun to gather around them and he raised his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Listen up. We don’t have much time. I’ve already initiated an Amber Alert. I know the make and model of the car this woman drives. I’m going after her. Reinforcements should be here any minute. They will want to search the property and talk to each of you.”

  Eli took off again, this time with Sam on his heels.

  Faith picked up her daughter’s pink sneakers and clutched them against her chest, her anxiety increasing as she remembered the parent safety class she had when Bitsy was in preschool. Never let your guard down. It only takes a few seconds for an abductor to snatch a child.

  Thirty-Five

  Jackie

  The sudden commotion startled Jackie. People were leaving their tables and running down toward the water. She assumed someone must have fallen off the dock, a child perhaps, until she heard mention of kidnapping and abduction. Who would take a child from a funeral reception? Must be some mistake.

  Sitting next to her, Lovie said, “Wonder what on earth is going on?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jackie saw Eli and Sam hop in his police cruiser and speed away. Alarm mounting, she helped her mother to her feet. “I’m not sure, but we’d better go find out.”

  Unable to see over the heads of those gathered, Jackie tapped the person on the shoulder in front of her. “What’s going on?”

  A look of recognition crossed the woman’s face, although Jackie couldn’t place her. “You don’t know?” the lady said, her hand gripping the fabric of her blouse.

  “Obviously not,” Lovie said.

  “It’s your granddaughter. Someone has taken Bitsy.” The woman stepped aside so they could pass.

  “Oh dear lord. Who would want to take that precious child away from her mother?” Lovie leaned against Jackie for support as they elbowed their way to the front of the crowd.

  Jackie knew there were a lot of pedophiles who would take a child away from his or her mother. But in Bitsy’s case, based on the phone conversation she’d had with Faith earlier in the day, Jackie suspected the woman currently stalking Mike was somehow involved.

  They found Faith a blubbering mess, holding tight to her daughter’s pink tennis shoes. Desperate to console her inconsolable daughter, Lovie tried to wrench her arm free from Jackie’s grip, but Jackie held tight. Faith had enough to contend with without having to comfort their mother. “Stay here, Mom. Let Mike take care of Faith.”

  An army of police officers arrived on the scene. They surrounded Faith, asking her more questions than she could possibly answer at once.

  Jackie searched the crowd for her boys, anxious to put her eyes on them and make certain they were safe. She spotted them at the same time Cooper saw her. He grabbed his brother and they rushed over.

  “It’s all
our fault, Mom,” Cooper said near tears. “We were supposed to be watching her.”

  “She was with us one minute, then gone the next.” Sean’s face was full of anguish. “That woman is not going to kill her, is she, Mom?”

  Lovie groaned in agony. The blood drained from her face, and her eyes rolled back in her head. When she collapsed and fell limp against Jackie, a collective gasp came from those standing close by.

  The twins sprang into action. Cooper wrapped his arms around his grandmother from behind while Sean lifted her feet. They found a shady spot in the grass to lay her down. She was already coming to by the time Mike rushed to her aid. He checked her pupils and her pulse. “She just fainted. She’s going to be fine.” He stood and dragged Jackie off to the side. “It’s awfully hot out here, and with the emotional distress… You should probably take her home.”

  “She’s not going to leave Faith. You should know that by now.” Jackie wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. “But I agree it’s hot as blazes out here. I’ll get Mom in the car and turn on the air conditioner.”

  “Why don’t you take her to our house? We are headed there now. The police are going to search the area again and talk to all the attendees individually. But they are sending us home with several officers in case Chloe tries to contact us or decides to bring Bitsy back.”

  Jackie pressed her sticky cheek against Mike’s. “We’re here for you. Whatever you need, we are at your disposal. This woman fancies herself in love with you. She’s not going to hurt Bitsy. She’s just trying to get your attention.”

  “Well, she sure as hell got it.” Mike squeezed Jackie’s arm. “I need to get back to Faith. I’ll see you at the house.”

  The twins helped their grandmother to the car while Jackie spoke to one of the police officers, explaining her connection to the missing child and giving them her number in case they needed to get in touch with her. They rode in silence to Faith’s house—the boys in the back with gloom etched in their faces and Lovie in the passenger seat, wringing her hands and fidgeting with her hat.