Gathering Shadows (22 page)

“People change, Dad. Maybe she decided the money was important after all.”

I could see Dad turning this idea over in his head, but he wasn't having an easy time of it.

“Well, here's something else,” I said. “While I was looking up information on Marian, I ran across a Joseph Edgar Belker who died three years ago. His widow was Marian Rose Belker.”

“So Rose was married?” Dad said.

“Sounds like it. I tried to do some checking on her after that, but it's like she dropped off the edge of the world. No records of addresses or anything else.”

“Could her husband have been Mac?” Reuben asked.

“I think it's possible. But why would he say she'd died?”

“Because if I thought she was alive and contacted the police,
they'd be able to find him,” Dad said. “For some stupid reason, I accepted what he told me. Mostly because I couldn't believe Marian would have anything to do with blackmailing me.”

I shrugged. “I'm not sure what happened or what this information means. It's just another part of our very confusing puzzle. But it certainly provides a twist to the situation.”

“So Marian . . . or Rose, is alive,” Zac said. “But she might not have anything to do with Ryan's kidnapping.”

“If Marian's husband was Mac, then August certainly wasn't. So why did he have information about my brother hidden in his apartment? And why did he send me the clippings and mail that note to you, Dad?”

“We're still keeping this information from Paul?” Reuben asked.

“For now,” I answered. “Until we see a solid connection. Since we know for certain he wasn't Mac, we have no reason to tell Paul the details of my birth.”

“But as I said, if at any point there seems to be a need,” my father said firmly, “I'll tell him everything.”

“Could you get in trouble?” Reuben asked.

Dad shook his head. “I don't know, but Ryan comes first.”

I looked around the table. “You're all okay with keeping my secret? For now anyway?”

Everyone nodded except Reuben.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“What if Joseph Belker really was Mac?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled with concern. “Doesn't that bring up a lot of new possibilities?”

“I don't know,” I said. “There are still so many unanswered questions. Let's concentrate on finding Ryan. Maybe he can tell us who Mac is—or was.”

Reuben nodded. “I hope he can, but we should probably keep trying to find out everything we can on our end.”

Someone knocked on the front door, and Zac jumped up. “I'll get it.”

I grabbed my cup and downed the rest of my coffee. Then I took the carafe and refilled my cup. Making it on so little sleep was going to take lots of caffeine.

“Good morning,” Paul said as he came into the dining room.

“Good morning,” Reuben answered. “How about some breakfast?”

“Thanks. I already ate. Some coffee would be nice though.”

I pointed to the extra table setting. “Esther set a place for you in case you were hungry. Your cup is right there. We thought you'd be here before now.”

Paul walked around the table and sat down, picking up the empty cup and filling it with coffee. After a little cream and sugar, he took a big gulp. “We stayed up too late last night. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“So what's up this morning?” Dad asked.

I held my hand up. “Before we start on that, I have something I want to tell you.” I told Paul about the bricks outside the living room window.

“Why didn't you mention that earlier?” Reuben asked.

I rolled my eyes. “We were busy talking about other things. Didn't get a chance.”

“Did you see any footprints?” Paul asked.

“I didn't think to look,” I said. “But I can tell you there are some now. Mine.” I sighed. “Sorry. I was so busy trying to figure out what our Peeping Tom could see through that window, I wasn't thinking about footprints.”

“Would that really have helped?” Dad said.

Paul shrugged. “Not unless the person who stood there had unusual shoes or an odd foot size. Then it might help to narrow the field.”

“Maybe I didn't completely ruin everything,” I said. “Why don't you take a look before you leave and see if there's anything that might help us discover who is so interested in what we're doing?”

Paul took a sip of coffee and nodded. “I will. But before I do that, there are a couple of things you need to know. First of all, as near as we can tell, the handwriting on Lyndon's note matches August's perfectly. I haven't had time to get a handwriting expert to look at it, but there's no doubt in my mind that August wrote that note.”

“We were pretty sure he did,” I said. “So that's settled. What's the other thing you wanted to tell us?”

Paul smiled. “The reason I was late. I was following up on something.”

“And what was that?” Reuben asked.

Paul shrugged. “Oh, nothing too important. I found Elijah.”

Dad choked on his coffee at Paul's announcement. “Where is he?”

“He's at Anna's cousin's house in De Soto.”

“How did you find him?” I asked. “Shouldn't you pick him up before they take off again?”

Paul raised his hand. “Everyone relax. The Fishers aren't going anywhere. Their plan is to stay where they are until you” —he pointed at me—“leave town.”

Dad said, “But that means—”

“It doesn't mean anything yet,” Paul interrupted. “The Fishers definitely don't want you looking into how they got Elijah, but according to Samuel, he isn't Ryan Erwin.”

“You talked to Samuel?” I said angrily. “You may have tipped them off. He thought we bought his story about the birth certificate. Now he has no reason not to tell his brother we're on to him. They'll grab Elijah and run.”

“Samuel was our only link to finding Elijah. He knew exactly where his brother was hiding. And as far as tipping off Nathan, he has no intention of telling his brother that we know where they are.”

“And why is that?” Reuben said sharply. “I'm with Wynter. They could disappear. We might never find them.”

“No, they won't. Samuel Fisher cares about his family, but he also cares a lot more about himself.”

“I don't understand,” I said.

Paul grinned. “Let's just say that Samuel's crops aren't all legal.”

Reuben's mouth dropped open. “Are you saying . . . ?”

Paul nodded. “Samuel's growing pot.”

“Wow,” I said. “I guess when you leave the Mennonite Church, you go downhill fast.”

“Naomi, his wife, is a good Mennonite. She didn't know anything about it. Samuel's the black sheep of the family.”

“Does Nathan know about Samuel's special harvest?” Reuben asked.

Paul shook his head. “I'm certain he doesn't. If he did, he'd probably turn his brother in.”

“Wait a minute,” Reuben said, frowning, “you can't just ignore what he's doing.”

“Oh, I didn't. I took some pictures of the plants with my phone and told Samuel they all need to be out of there and destroyed by tomorrow. If they're not, I'll arrest him.”

“But is it right to let him get away with that?” I asked. “You're an officer of the law.”

“Yes, I am. And I made a decision. A few pot plants or finding your brother. Samuel's operation, which was very small anyway, has been shut down. We know he won't warn Nathan and Anna that we're looking for them because if he does—”

“He goes to jail,” I said. “Of course, your superiors would want to know why you waited so long.”

Paul shrugged. “That's a chance I'll have to take. Your brother has been missing almost ten years. I think that's long enough.”

“I don't know how to thank you, Paul.”

“Well, I hope it helps,” he said, “but remember that Samuel still says Elijah isn't Ryan. And he should know.”

“Not a very reliable witness,” Reuben said doubtfully.

Paul nodded. “I agree, but why would he lie at this point? Doesn't make much sense.”

“I can't believe we've come this far and this boy might not be Ryan after all.” My dad's voice was so faint I could barely hear him. He'd given a lot to find the truth, even telling me something he knew could tear us apart forever. I fought back feelings of frustration.

“So what do we do now?” Zac asked.

“I'm going there to talk to them,” Paul said. “You all need to stay here.”

“But they don't know you, Paul,” Reuben said. “You think they'll open up to you because you're a deputy sheriff? They won't. Conservative Mennonites believe in government through the church and don't have much trust in worldly authority. Although they'll treat you with respect, they won't trust you.”

Paul sighed. “There's not much I can do about that. No matter what they believe, I'm the law, and they'll have to answer to me.”

“You're not leaving me behind,” I said forcefully. “I've got to know the truth.”

“I understand how you feel,” Paul said slowly, “but it might not be a good idea.”

“What do you mean?” I tried to speak calmly, but I couldn't control my emotion, and my voice trembled. We were so close. How could he deny me the chance to finally bring Ryan home?

I felt Reuben's hand on my shoulder. “Wynter, it's best if you stay here. You could make things more difficult. You're too close to this.”

I pulled away from him. “Ryan is my brother, not yours. You can't stop me from going.”

He paused for a moment. “Please, Wynter,” he said finally. “I'm trying to protect you. Stay here.” He frowned at Paul. “Why don't you let me go with you? The Fishers know me. Even though they don't recognize me as their mayor, we have a very good relationship.”

I watched as Paul chewed on Reuben's suggestion. Finally he said, “Okay. But I intend to walk out of that meeting with the entire truth. I want to know who Elijah is—or was. He's not their natural child, and he certainly didn't grow in their garden. That young man came from somewhere, and I'm not going to stop until I know exactly where that was.”

He stood up. “Let's go. It will take us a couple of hours to get there.” He nodded toward me. “I know this is difficult, Wynter, but we'll contact you when we know something. Just wait for us, okay?”

Although I wanted to fight them, to argue my case, in my heart I knew they were right. I'd jumped out of Reuben's truck when we went to Samuel's. Obviously, I wasn't completely in control. Although it was difficult to give in, I nodded. “All right. But please don't let them get away again. Bring this to a close, no matter what you find out.”

“What about me?” Dad asked. “I know my son better than anyone. If that boy is Ryan, I'll know it.”

Paul stared at him, biting his lip.

Dad stood up and walked over to Paul. “One other thing to consider. I look almost exactly the same as I did when Ryan went missing. A little older, maybe, but my son would definitely recognize me.”

After a few more seconds of silence, Paul nodded. “I might not
take you in with me at first. You'd have to wait in the car until I think there's a reason to bring you inside. Can you accept that?”

“Yes, absolutely. You're in charge.”

“Okay. Let's get going.” He turned toward Reuben. “Are you ready?”

Reuben didn't respond, and I noticed the trepidation in his expression.

“What's wrong?” I asked.

“I just remembered that Lazarus is in my truck. I promised Rae I'd bring him by this morning for his shots.” He waved his hand. “I'll just cancel the appointment. Not a problem. We can drop him back off at the house on our way out of town.”

“You can take him with us, if it will help,” Paul said. “He can stay in the car.”

“Don't be silly,” I said. “I'll take him to Rae's. It's better than sitting around here doing nothing.”

“Maybe we could do some interviews while they're gone,” Zac said.

I nodded. “You're right. With everything going on, I almost forgot about our story. After Ed's warning, we've got to finish this assignment. It just might save our jobs.”

Zac grunted. “I'm all for that.”

“We'll take Lazarus with us,” I said. “Maybe folks will open up more with him around.”

“I appreciate this, Wynter,” Reuben said.

I sighed. “I think you're using Lazarus to distract me, but I'll do it. He's a great dog.”

Reuben smiled. “Yes, he is. He'll love spending time with you.”

“We need to get going,” Paul said.

I went over and gave my dad a hug.

“If it's him, I'll bring him back to you,” he said.

Overcome by emotion, all I could do was nod.

I watched as Dad followed Paul outside to the car.

“Here are the keys to my truck,” Reuben said. “Thanks for taking care of Lazarus. I know he already loves you.”

I smiled at Reuben. “I love him too.”

He put his hands on each side of my face and gazed into my eyes. “When I get back, we need to talk. Seriously. Lazarus isn't the only one with deep feelings about you.”

He kissed me quickly and left, the door slamming behind him.

“Wow,” Zac said. “Things are moving pretty fast, aren't they?”

I nodded. “Yes, and I'm not sure what to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

I stared at Zac for a moment, trying to come up with an answer. Finally I said, “I don't know. I have these strong feelings in my heart, but my head keeps telling me we're from two different worlds. My life is in St. Louis. His is on his family's farm.”

“I'm certainly not an expert on relationships, but I've heard that love always finds a way.” Zac smiled. “You know, you're not the same person who drove us into Sanctuary. You've changed.”

“In what way?”

“It was like you had all these walls around you, protecting yourself. It was almost impossible to get around them. Now those walls are coming down. I would say this place has had a great effect on you.”

“And you. You're not the same smart aleck you were when we first got here.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Does that mean I'm just a different kind of smart aleck?”

I laughed. “That's exactly what it means.”

Zac chuckled. “You know, my mother says God doesn't lead
us through our heads. He leads through our hearts. So I guess you should follow your heart.”

I sighed. “I know my heart is saying something, but I haven't sorted it all out yet. Guess I'll keep trying.” I glanced at my watch. “It's almost ten. I should take Lazarus to his appointment. Will you be okay on your own?”

He nodded. “I'll help Esther clean up from breakfast, and then I'll get my equipment ready so we can tape some interviews when you get back. Do I need to make any calls?”

“I don't think so. We'll just do the best we can. Anyone we can't see today, we'll schedule for tomorrow.”

“And then?”

I shrugged. “And then we'll see. If nothing comes of the meeting with the Fishers, if Elijah isn't Ryan, we'll leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“And if he is?”

I shook my head. “I can't think past that, Zac. I really can't.”

“I understand.” He stood up. “I'm going to start clearing the table, then I'll locate Esther and see what else I can do to help her.”

“Okay.” I started for the door but stopped halfway there. “Uh, it might help if I know how to find Rae's office.”

“I'll ask Esther. Hang on.”

He disappeared into the kitchen and was only gone a few seconds before returning. “Go one block past The Whistle Stop and turn right. Keep going about a mile. The vet's office is on the right side of the road. There's a big sign that says ‘Pet Sanctuary' out front.”

“Wonder why Rae doesn't have an office closer to town.”

“Esther says her office is on the same property as her house. Guess she likes it that way.”

“Okay. Well, I'm off. Be back in a while.”

Zac nodded and trotted back toward the kitchen while I went out the front door. Sam and Frances were lying on the porch. I took a moment to pet them. Maizie and Clyde were probably roaming around somewhere.

It was a brisk spring morning, and the air was invigorating. Reuben's truck was parked right in front of the house, and Lazarus sat in the driver's seat, looking as if he was ready to put the truck in gear and take off. He smiled when he saw me and scooted over to the passenger side, no doubt anticipating our ride together. Little did he know he was getting ready for shots. I wondered if that knowledge would change his happy expression.

I opened the door and got in. Before I could start the engine, I was immediately greeted with a sloppy doggy kiss on the cheek.

“Why, thank you,” I said. “Hope you still want to kiss me after your appointment.”

Lazarus responded with another wet kiss. When I started the truck, he turned toward the window. I rolled it down so he could hang his head out.

After leaving town, I watched the speedometer. Just about the time we'd reached a mile, I spotted Rae's office. Sure enough, there was a large red wooden sign next to the road that read “Pet Sanctuary.” Below those words was an arrow pointing to the right. I turned and followed a dirt road all the way down to the office. It was obvious it had once been a barn, but it had been completely renovated into an attractive facility.

After parking the truck, I got out and looked around for a leash. I finally found it stuck between the seats, pulled it out, and attached it to Lazarus's collar. He gave me an offended look, but I had no idea if he'd actually follow me once I let him out
of the truck. The last thing I wanted was for him to take off. Better safe than sorry.