“Not since yesterday morning. Feeding prisoners isn’t a priority in Mission. If you run afoul of Lucais Wilkins, if they don’t hang you, they’ll starve you. They mean for me to die one way or t’other.”
“I want to help you, but you’re going to have to trust me.” I took a chair from the small kitchen table and sat near the bed. The stench made my eyes water, but he couldn’t help it and I wondered what kind of men would force another to live in such conditions when they could have easily allowed him to clean up in the yard. “Tell me about the night Ruth was killed.”
“I saw her early that evening. I took her some wild grapes I’d picked in the woods. She made jams and jellies and sometimes a bottle of sweet wine for us to share. Seldom an evening passed that I didn’t spend some time with her. We talked. Lookin’ forward not back.” He hesitated. “Ruth wanted to change…what she was doing. She wanted to live quietly. Move into my gaff.”
Reginald had the talent for reading people, but even I could see that Slater McEachern had been in love with Ruth Whelan. “You were going to marry her and pay off her debts, weren’t you?”
“I was.”
“Why would Lucais Wilkins care about that? He’d have his money.”
“Ruth was his investment. She was worth more enslaved than free. Ruth could ne’er get ahead. Never pay the mortgage on her gaff. If she made a dollar, he took seventy-five cents. Said she owed him interest. She was trapped.”
“But he couldn’t have stopped you from paying her debt. Could he?”
“Seems no matter what I paid, the debt grew. Aye, Lucais was canny with contracts and debts. What he got Ruth to sign, when she was so desperate, he said it couldn’t be undone. The man is an agent of Satan himself. Man kept a set of books, showin’ the debt that never lessened.”
A chill passed over me, and in my mind I saw Gabriel, reaching for the bridle of my horse. I remembered the journal. “Ruth kept records, too, didn’t she? Records of those who paid her. You threatened Lucais with Ruth’s journal, didn’t you? You were going to expose him by giving out her accounts of the men who came to her and the dates. Evidence.”
McEachern closed his eyes. “The town would have strung him up for sure. Lucais uses all his religious rubbish to bully people. He spouts the ten commandments as the basis for Mission, twaddlin’ on about how adultery isn’t tolerated. He dinnae believe a word of it, but a lot of the people here do. They truly believe that they’re living life according to the way God ordained. Lucais makes a mockery of them. If they knew what he did, the fullness of his deceit, they would have made him pay.”
“Look, we have to get you out of here before they come back.” I couldn’t bear to see him chained up in such despair.
“You plannin’ on cutting off my head?”
He had a point. “No. We have to find the key or we need to be able to break or cut the chain.” I stepped closer to him so I could examine the heavy links of his bondage. “Why couldn’t they have just tied you up?” Frustration hit me so strong I wanted to cry.
“They have no love for me or my people or any from doon the road,” he said. “Look outside for an ax. It’s possible I can break the chain.”
Glad to get outside into fresher air, I looked for the stump where wood was split. I found a splitter and a saw but there was no ax, nothing that would work as a tool to free McEachern. I took Mariah to the outside well and pumped water in a bucket for her. She drank and sighed.
By the angle of the sun, I estimated that it was near lunch time. Had the doctor saved Elizabeth? I had no intention of telling McEachern that she’d been shot. That her life was in danger. He couldn’t help her, and the frustration might make him do something regrettable.
When I’d thoroughly scoured the yard looking for an ax to no avail, I went back inside and moved the chair back to the position I’d found it. “I’ll be back. With an ax or a key. And a ride for you. We aren’t going to just leave you here.”
“Get Elizabeth and her babe to safety. That’s what you can do for me. I’m nae afraid to die.”
“But not unnecessarily.” I wondered if he’d heard about Hildy Morse. “Slater, there’s a killer on the loose. Someone killed a child. Hildy Morse.”
He bolted upright and his forehead knotted in fury. “That wee sweet girl? How? Why?”
“We think she saw something she shouldn’t have. She was hit very hard and thrown into the well in her yard. I believe she was dead before she went in the well.” That was small comfort, but at least he wouldn’t have the vision of her injured and drowning.
“Who did that? Who hurt a wee quinie in that way?” Chained to the wall, he was unable to do anything other than seethe. His clenched fists told the story of what he would like to do to Hildy’s killer, and the idea of it made me happy.
“We don’t know who killed Hildy. I only know it was a man.” I stopped myself from going into the details of my dream. There wasn’t time to convince Slater of the netherworld I sometimes saw and the things that lived there. “It was likely the same person who killed Ruth. There’s also been attacks on women in Victoria.” I waited to see what he would offer.
“I knew of one attack.” He weighed his words and I wondered why. “A young man was accused. Junior Albee. The boy is…damaged in the mind. Daft.”
Only a month earlier I’d spent a great deal of time in Alabama’s state mental asylum. The plight of the mentally ill was a source of great sorrow, and one that left me without any solutions. For most, their days passed in restraint or oblivion. It was a sentence worse than death to be sent there. Yet a dangerous person couldn’t be allowed to roam the streets and attack people.
“You know this man? This Junior Albee?”
“I do. When I can work him, I give him a job. He’s reliable, just a little slow. He’s found a talent in repairing motor cars.”
“Is he capable of killing Ruth Whelan and Hildy?”
“He’s strong enough, no doubt. In the past, he’s been aggressive toward a woman, but he was provoked. Not Hildy or my Ruthie. Junior loved them because they were decent to him. Ruth gave him the kindness his own mother withheld. And Hildy played with him. She never noticed he was too big for her games.” He tugged at the chain. “Now listen to me, Mrs. James, if it comes to them pointing the finger at Junior Albee or me, you let them hang me. I mean it.”
“The boy means that much to you?”
“He’s an innocent. If he did something wrong, it had no malice in’t. Folks don’t understand that. They’re afraid of him, but the truth is, he’s terrified of them. He never acts out unless he’s being threatened, but the things that threaten him are…hard for others to see. They goad him. Junior gets agitated, but he’s easy to calm. These bastards. Any excuse will do them to kill him, and him only a daft lad.”
While Slater talked, I did a second, thorough search of the little cabin. If the key had been left, I couldn’t find it.
“I’m going to get help.” Time was ticking away from me. “I’ll bring an ax and someone who can break that chain.”
“And some food?” He gave a wry grin. “I’d rather die on a full stomach than an empty.”
“Can you ride a horse?” I had an idea.
“Aye, I can stay on a cuddy. Learned as a boy.”
I gave him another glass of water. I couldn’t leave the container or glass with him or they’d know someone had been there. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
“Nae, dinnae put yourself in danger.”
“It doesn’t matter what I’m caught doing. If I’m caught, they’re going to arrest me and possibly hang me.” The words felt very real as I said them. “Now I have to ride. I will come back. If the men return, try to find where the key is.”
He smiled, but it quickly faded. “Ruthie would have liked you, lass.”
The pain of his loss was a knife in my already battered heart. I hurried out of the house and mounted Mariah. We had a lot of riding ahead of us.
Chapter 21
&n
bsp; When I arrived back at Elizabeth’s, I found Reginald rocking the baby on the front porch. Michael was under his car, making sure the driveshaft and tie rods were solid enough to sustain a long trip. It was clear his focus was on imminent evacuation.
“How is Elizabeth?” I asked as I dismounted.
“Dr. Wainwright took her to his office to remove the bullet. He said the wound wasn’t fatal. If she doesn’t get an infection, she’ll heal. Doc said she’ll be back here before nightfall.”
“How badly was she wounded? Will she be able to use her arm?”
“He thinks she’ll have full use, but he gave us a stern talking to about the danger she’s in. Not from the gunshot, but from her attempts to save McEachern.” Michael had come out from under the car and was doing the talking. Reginald rocked and shushed the baby. “He told us to get her out of town immediately, before it was too late. The problem is, I don’t trust the doctor. I’m worried that he might turn Elizabeth over to Lucais.” He glanced at Reginald. “We had no choice but to let her go.”
I unsaddled Mariah and turned her in the paddock with fresh water and hay. I would need her to be rested and ready before the night was over. I returned to the porch and had a long drink of water myself. When Reginald took Callie inside to change her, I motioned Michael out of earshot.
“Where’s your horse?” I asked.
“I rent a room from a family. They’re caring for him.” His eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking?”
“We need to get that horse, and I need an ax.”
“For what?”
“I found McEachern. He’s in a house in the woods chained to the wall, but I think you can break the links with an ax.” Michael would have to ride his horse and pony Mariah behind. That way both men could cut through the forest on horseback and we could pick them up on the road far away from any blockade. “We can save him. Then we can get the hell out of here.”
Michael considered. “You do need to get out of here. Elizabeth too, but especially Callie. I’ve given it a lot of thought and she’s the one in most danger. She is what this is all about.”
“What are you saying?” Michael’s clear-eyed intensity was scaring me.
“Callie is a special child. You know that.”
“Her father is an angel. Of course, she’s special.”
He shook his head. “That doesn’t matter right now. We can sort that later. The only important thing is to get her and Elizabeth to safety as soon as possible. And you’re in danger too, Raissa. You’re sensitive to things on the other side. There are forces at work—Look, we can’t wait for McEachern. If I’m right, and we get Elizabeth and Callie out of here, the whole McEachern thing might blow over.”
He was lying. He looked away from me as he talked, and there was a strain in his voice. Michael wasn’t a very good liar.
Reginald came out on the porch, eyeing us both with wariness and curiosity. “You two look like you’re ready to have a round of fisticuffs. What’s going on?”
I’d hoped to win Michael to my plan before I had to confront Reginald. Time had run out, though. “I spoke with Slater McEachern. I want Michael to get his horse and lead Mariah to the place where he’s being held. They moved him from the jail to an isolated cabin this morning. This is our best chance to save him.”
“Why would they move him out of the jail?” Reginald hung on to the practical issues.
“They fear a lynch mob will break him out of the jail after Hildy’s death. Emotions are high. But Lucais needs for Slater to be tried and found guilty. Lucais has to make certain that everyone in town believes he’s guilty.”
“Is there a guard?”
“No. He’s wearing a slave collar and is chained to the wall. Michael can free him with an ax. Then both men can take a horse through the woods and we’ll pick them up on the way to Victoria.” I was spewing information because I knew any moment Reginald or Michael would object.
Reginald read the tension between us. “You don’t like the idea, Michael?”
“I don’t. I’d as soon steal that dead girl’s body as try this. I say you take Raissa and Callie and get out of here now. I’ll follow with Elizabeth.”
“Why is Callie worth sacrificing McEachern and possibly Elizabeth?” Reginald asked in a calm tone.
“Gabriel is not her father,” Michael said. “She’s a gift from the divine and owes nothing to Gabriel.”
His angry tone said it all. “What do you know about Gabriel? If he isn’t an angel, what is he? If he isn’t Callie’s father, who is?”
“There’s no time to explain.”
“Gabriel is a dark entity.” I spoke to Reginald, but it was Michael’s surprised look that I followed. “I know that now. He’s revealed that much to me. And he’s up to something. What is it, Michael? You know, don’t you?”
“I know that terrible things have happened since he appeared in Mission. I know that Elizabeth believes he’s well intentioned, and that has put her in danger. If he’s lied to her about Callie, what else has he told her? I don’t know the answer to these things, but I know that his influence is seductive, insidious, and dangerous. Why have you changed your mind about him?”
It was a fair question. “He accosted me on the way to Slater McEachern. He grabbed Mariah’s bridle, but he didn’t try to detain me. While he didn’t hurt me, there was something…” I remembered the way he’d reached for the bridle. His ability to control Mariah’s reaction with just his touch. “He scared me. He…” It was hard to say, because in the strange world of Mission, this was the most damning thing I could point to. “He travels with the buzzards. I believe they do his bidding.”
Almost as if I’d commanded them, we heard the loud flapping of wings. Dozens of turkey buzzards burst out of the woods and flew directly at the house. They came in low, their massive wings momentarily blotting out the sun. We all ducked reflexively as they swept by us. A black wing struck my face, and the smell of decay and carrion made me gag.
“Inside.” Reginald herded us toward the front door.
“They’ll report back to Gabriel,” I told them.
“There’s nothing to report,” Michael said as he urged me toward the house. “Let’s just be sure we don’t give them anything.”
When we were in the kitchen and I’d checked to be sure Callie was sleeping, I demanded answers.
“Michael, how is Gabriel connected with Lucais Wilkins?”
“I don’t know that,” Michael answered. “Lucais is a mortal man and Gabriel is an entity, whether from the realm of the dead or the dark void, it doesn’t matter. He’s dangerous to you.” He paused. “And to Elizabeth. I regret that she embraced him and allowed him access.”
“Access to her house?” Reginald asked.
“No, to her soul.”
Michael’s dark pronunciation affected Reginald as much as it did me. We shared a look of deep worry. “I agree with Michael. I need to take you and the baby out of here,” he said. “We can’t impact this until we understand it. Let’s go to Victoria and call Madam Petalungro. She might have advice.”
Madam was my mentor in the world of spiritualism. She was a deep trance psychic medium with real talent, and because of her fondness for Reginald, she’d always been willing to help me learn to manage my ability to communicate with the dead. At first, I’d been terrified of the ghosts I saw. Madam had helped me learn to take a breath, to see what they wanted or needed. Some were merely lost. Others were angry or evil or dangerous. And I was beginning to learn that there were far worse things than ghosts. For instance, this case had little to do with the dead or hauntings—that I could see. Madam’s take on the situation would be very welcome.
Reginald pointed to the doorway to the bedrooms. “Make sure you have everything Callie will need. We have to go. Now.”
I shook my head. “I won’t leave Elizabeth, and she won’t leave Slater McEachern. He is a good man. He begged me to get her and leave. He’s willing to be the sacrifice.”
“And that’s what you should do.” Michael was emphatic.
“I can’t without trying. Please. Take the horses, Michael. He can ride. I asked him.” I got the map that Lindy had given me. “See here. If you cut through that trail behind the house he’s in, it will come out on that road. We can be there with both cars, if yours is running.”
“The car’s okay,” Michael conceded. “It’ll get us to Victoria at least. That’s not the worry. Getting out of Mission is what scares me.”
But I wouldn’t be deterred. “Good, the car is running. We can split up, take two different routes so that one of us is sure to get to Victoria and call the law. And my uncle. Uncle Brett will have federal agents here.”
“The law might not respond in the way you hope,” Michael said.
“I know. The local sheriff has abdicated when it comes to Mission. He allows Deputy Gomes to rule and I suspect he prefers not to hear anything about what happens here. That way he and the county commissioners can pretend ignorance if anything blows up. But if we press the sheriff and he realizes that innocent people are going to die, and that he’ll publicly be held responsible, he’ll take action. He’ll have to.” I had to convince them to try. To save Elizabeth and the baby, I would sacrifice McEachern. But only if there was no other way.
Reginald nodded and I knew he would stand with me. “Before you go off half-cocked, Raissa, I learned some things in Victoria that might impact your decision.”
I hadn’t even given Reginald a chance to tell me about his trip. I’d been too busy with my plans. “What did you find out?”
“Junior Albee could be the real killer. He’s got a history of violence toward women. He was accused of attacking one girl, but he was never arrested. Instead, his family sought help from a priest. Whatever happened, he became very sick. The town was told he had contracted something and that the high fever had taken a toll. After that, he was never the same. More a child than a grown man.”
A Visitation of Angels Page 18
