Hidden in Shadow Pines (6 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Thursday, August 8, 2013, 6:45 p.m.
(day 3 in Shadow Pines—the town council meeting)

The church was half full when Jaime and I arrived for the town council meeting. This was my first time in the original portion of the small church. Jaime waved to several people as we walked down the middle aisle. I felt as though I was on display. Some people smiled at me, while others shook their heads. I recognized two faces in the crowd: Nurse Gloria Pettit and Doctor Carson.

Jaime leaned over and whispered, “Normally I sit near the middle, but since this is your introductory meeting, we’re allowed to sit in the front row.”

“How nice.” I forced the pleasantry.

I counted twenty pews on either side of the sanctuary. Each pew could fit six comfortably, probably eight with kids. I followed Jaime and sat next to her on the front row.

Two steps led up to a platform and an altar where a large wooden cross, about six feet in length, hung on the back wall. On the left side, a long, handcrafted, rectangular table held five lit candles. I thought five was an odd number until I decided they were probably for the five founding members of Shadow Pines. Twelve chairs were arranged on the right side, where a choir would normally sit. I hadn’t heard any singing, though, let alone a hum, since I’d been here.

The ringing of chimes sounded out, startling me. They were the same chimes I’d heard when I stood outside the town council door, only much louder now.

“The first chimes means the meeting starts in five minutes,” Jaime said.

A man in his late fifties with salt-and-pepper hair sat next to me. He wore a gray suit, white shirt, and a blue-and-red geometric tie. His black shoes shined.

“Thomas Moe.” He held out his hand and I shook it.

“Isabella Retsul. But you probably know that.”

“Yes, I do. I’m the bank manager. Stop by tomorrow, and I’ll go over your accounts with you.”

“I have accounts?” I couldn’t comprehend his words.

“Your family had accounts. They revert to you since you’re the last Luster.”

Every time I met someone new in this town, more questions went through my head. “Oh, okay. How about nine?”

“Perfect.”

The chimes sounded again. This time, the church went eerily silent. The three town council members entered through a side door and sat in the front row of the choir section.

Chimes. Zachary stood, walked over to the lectern, and grabbed a microphone. “Let’s bow our heads.” Pause. “Heavenly Father, thank you for granting us a beautiful summer day. May your blessings upon the residents of Shadow Pines bestow strength and guidance on us. Thank you for all the bounties you grant us every day. We say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

During the first hour, Oliver, Zachary, and Hudson took turns standing at the lectern giving progress reports on activities, births, deaths, and town finances.

Zachary opened the second hour with another prayer, then handed the microphone to Oliver. “Many of you have heard that we have a new resident, Isabella Luster. Through the grace of God, we found her living nearby in Darden. Nicholas Luster was her father and Edison Luster was her grandfather, both of whom are deceased. Isabella brings the Luster family back to Shadow Pines. Isabella, will you please stand and greet your fellow residents of Shadow Pines.”

Panic set in. All I could think of was Jaime saying that some people were displeased that I was here. I stood, turned to face the congregation, and waved. I sat quickly as the congregation applauded. Not an enthusiastic round of applause, but more of a robotic response. My heart rate had doubled in a few seconds. I didn’t like being on display.

Oliver continued, “If anyone has concerns about Isabella’s presence and wishes to address the congregation, please raise your hand.”

I wanted to turn around and see how many people had their hand raised, but instead watched Oliver for his reaction.

“Devlin Stovall. Why don’t you go first? The others can line up on the right.”

This time I turned my head to see a man in his early twenties limping down the aisle. His shoulder-length hair swayed with each step.

Devlin spoke into the microphone in a childlike voice. “My father died cause of her grandfather. She don’t need to be here.”

Francine walked over and took the microphone. “My dear husband, Bowman, died trying to save Edison in the fire. Devlin lost his father at a young age. I know I can’t blame Isabella for the fire. However, Nicholas did leave Shadow Pines never to return. Supposedly he hid his life in Shadow Pines from his own daughter. I’m not sure how far she can be trusted.”

Francine handed the microphone to Hudson Gillen. “Edison and I were friends. He was devastated when Nicholas left Shadow Pines. Always thought his son would return. We’ve lived sixteen years without a Luster family member. I don’t see why we need Isabella here now. But I pray she brings peace.”

A few more people spoke. I thought back to Rule 2—no violence. I hoped these people were really the rule obeyers they made themselves out to be.

Oliver accepted the microphone from the last speaker. “Thank you all for your concerns. The council will take them under advisement. I will now turn the meeting over to Hudson to discuss assignments and special meetings for the upcoming month.”

I took notes during the meeting, trying to learn anything about this strange place that might actually help me get out of Shadow Pines. If my father had figured a way out, I could too.

Zachary stood and gave a closing prayer. Then the meeting ended with chimes, followed by chatter.

“You sure took a lot of notes,” Thomas said.

I stuck the notepad and pen in my purse. “Habit. I’m always taking notes. I never know when I might use the information for a book I’m writing. I get paid for my imaginative book writing.”

Thomas raised his right eyebrow. “You get paid to write books?”

“I have clients who pay me to write for them. They give me an idea, I write the story, and they get the credit. It’s called ghostwriting.”

“Interesting. Never heard of such a thing.”

I almost blurted out,
Well, it’s common where I come from
, but decided that might sound as though I thought Shadow Pines was on an alien planet. In fact, it sure felt as if it were.

For a moment, I forgot about Jaime until she tapped me on my shoulder. “We should get going. Nice to see you, Thomas.”

I started walking down the aisle, then turned to look back at Thomas. “See you in the morning.”

The day had been mentally exhausting. “I’m going to take a bath and go to bed. I assume we’re going to prayer and Bible study together in the morning?”

“Yes. Then I have to go to work at the bank. You’ll be on your own after that.”

Finally
, I thought. “Okay,” I said and went upstairs.

On the bed was a sheet of lavender paper. I picked it up and flipped it over. Capital letters written using a thick black felt marker spelled
you’re not welcome. you’ve been warned.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Friday, August 9, 2013, 7 a.m.
(day 4 in Shadow Pines—prayer and Bible study)

Mom and Dad occasionally took me to the Methodist church when I was growing up, but until coming to Shadow Pines, I hadn’t been in a church since my parents’ funeral. Now, this was the second time in twelve hours.

Jaime and I sat in the fifth row. After we settled ourselves, she leaned over and whispered, “Doris Gray leads the class. Don’t talk unless she specifically asks you a question. We should hear the chimes shortly.”

Jaime sat straight, bowed her head, and opened her Bible. I couldn’t quite determine if she was reading or only staring at the page.

I looked around the church and counted twenty-seven women in attendance, all sitting in the same position as Jaime. From the few women I could see in the pew across the aisle, they too held Bibles in their laps. I was the only one without a Bible. I was pretty sure I didn’t even have a Bible in my home in Darden.

Even though I knew the chimes were about to ring, the sound startled me. The room turned quiet, just as it had the night before. All the women remained still with their heads bowed as Doris started speaking. “Let’s discuss the prayer from the book of John, chapter seventeen.”

I followed suit and bowed my head; however, I kept an eye on Doris as she continued talking for the next five minutes. In unison, everyone said “amen” and raised their heads.

Doris went on, “Today’s lesson is on forgiveness.” Her head turned slightly in my direction. I felt as though her eyes pierced through my body. I shuddered. “Please turn to the Book of Daniel.”

Ninety minutes later, Jaime and I walked out the front door of the church.

“Isabella.” Hearing my name surprised me. Hudson Gillen stood against his pale-red truck, his hands tucked in his overall pockets, a toothpick poking out the side of his mouth. “Isabella, I have something for you.”

Jaime patted my back. “It’s okay. I’ll see you later, at dinner.”

I watched Jaime walk away with the rest of the women. I was now alone, standing on top of the ramp, needing to walk toward Hudson. He intimidated me, maybe because of his permanent scowl. Or maybe because he was a town council member. Or maybe because he didn’t want me in Shadow Pines. I took a deep breath, then started my descent down the ramp. Hudson reached in the open truck window and pulled out a small white box.

“Here’s your watch. Women have white ones. Men black. Kids get brown. No one has any excuse for being late to an activity.”

I lifted the box lid. Inside was a white leather watch with a round silver frame and big bold numbers. I recognized it as the same watch Jaime wore.

“Thanks,” I said instinctively.

“You take care.” He gave me a nod, then walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and drove off.

I took out the watch, stuffed the box in my purse, and put the watch on, using the last hole to secure the watchband on my wrist. I had plenty of time to walk down Third Avenue to reach the bank for my appointment with Thomas.

A young woman escorted me to Thomas’s glass-enclosed office, which included a double bookcase, desk, and two chairs. An artificial ficus stood in one corner. Before I sat in one of the black leather guest chairs, I spotted a ledger, opened to page 20, on top of his desk.

“I have good news for you, Isabella,” Thomas said. “Your grandfather left a pretty substantial amount in his account. It now belongs to you.”

“You’ve kept the account open for seventeen years?” I asked, puzzled.

“It’s the Luster family account. It stays active for twenty years then reverts to the town’s fund.”

Once again in this strange town, I was having a conversation I didn’t quite comprehend. “That’s an odd rule.”

“This bank has its own rules. We’re not part of any other banking system in the world. Shadow Pines Bank is a single bank entity.”

Curious, I asked, “How much money is in the account?”

Thomas moved his finger down the ledger page. “You have five-hundred-fifty-three-thousand dollars and twenty-seven cents.”

I gasped. “How did my grandfather have so much money?”

“The original Luster founding father struck it rich in the gold rush. Kept a stash of gold bars that the Luster family used throughout the years. The town speculated your father took the remaining gold with him when he left Shadow Pines. No gold was ever recovered after your grandfather’s house burned down.”

Don’t worry about college. We have the money to pay for a good education for you.
My dad had told me this a year before he died. Princeton had accepted my application, and I was ready to study marketing management. If my dad had any gold bars, he’d picked a good hiding spot. In the sixteen years since his death, I’d never come across any gold.

“You okay?” Thomas walked from behind his desk and sat in the black leather chair next to me.

All I could think was that this was something else my father had lied about. “Just a lot to take in.” Since I only had twenty dollars in my wallet, I asked, “Would it be possible to get a hundred dollars out of the account?”

Thomas laughed. “Yes, of course. But, there’s one more thing. A safe deposit box. Would you like to look inside?”

“Will I be as surprised as I was about the money?”

Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea what’s inside.”

I followed Thomas to the basement where he unlocked a metal cage. On the wall was a safe. He dialed a few numbers, opened the safe, and reached in for a key. Then he walked over to the bank of boxes, inserting the key in the third box of the second row.

Thomas said, “There’s an empty office in the back. You can have your privacy while you open it.”

I followed Thomas down the hall to a small room, where he turned on a light and set the metal box on a table. I sat in the chair, keeping my eyes peeled on the box.

“I’ll be waiting at the end of the hall. Bring me the box when you’re finished. Take your time.”

I didn’t look up, just said, “Okay. Thanks.”

I heard the door click shut. My hands trembled. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the latch. With both hands I lifted the metal lid then looked inside and found two items—a garnet ring and a folded piece of paper.