Katie's Dream (38 page)

I watched him speeding away down the dusty road. And then I turned my attention to George.

“Now, Samuel,” he said quickly. “I realize I done wrong. I should a' thought more. Won't be doin' that again, I'll warrant you. Seein' the look Joe an' Lizbeth give me, that's enough to—”

“Fine,” I told him. “I'm not going to police you. But I'd think you'd care, George. For your kids' futures.”

“I do. I do.”

“What about Franky?” I asked, still angry.

“What about him? He doin' all right this morning?”

“Good as can be expected. It was pretty hard, though, George, you pulling him out of the hospital for a painful ride, then just leaving him like that.”

“I lef' him the very best place he could be. Your Juli—I'd trust her more'n a barrelful a' nurses. Ain't he fine? It'll heal. Takes time, that's all.”

“He needs you, George. He needs some of
your
time.”

“Yeah, all right. I'll be by this evenin'.”

That was not what I meant, and I think he knew it. A few minutes' visit wasn't going to fix the rift I could see between them. But he didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to admit there was any problem at all. He turned his back and headed away to the barn.

“Be cuttin' hay this afternoon, if you want to help,” he said as he was walking away. “Want me to send Sam for you?”

“I'll come. I'll meet you.”

“Suit yourself.”

He disappeared into the barn, and I stood there wondering why he had to be so stubborn. We'd come so far, at least I'd thought we had, from him nearly losing himself with grief after his wife's death, to managing what had become a good working arrangement for all of us.

Standing beside me, Lizbeth shook her head. “There's times Pa's weak,” she said solemnly. And I guess that about summed it up.

TWENTY - FIVE

Julia

His car came racing up our lane, screeching to a stop beside the lilacs. I prayed that Samuel would turn right around from the Hammonds and get himself back here. Edward was mad, I could plainly see that. With his face angry red, he came jumping out of his car, slamming the door shut, huffing toward me at the garden like some kind of mad bull.

“I want to talk to Katie,” he demanded. “Where is she?”

I stood up, wishing I had the hoe in my hand. “You might as well just go. You're in no fit shape to be visiting a child.”

“Where is she?” he asked again, louder this time.

“Come back when Samuel's here. When you're calm enough not to scare the girl half to death.” I tensed inside,
realizing what I'd said. I shouldn't have told him Samuel was gone.

“I don't want Samuel here,” he growled. “I want to hear what she's got to say without him standing over her. And I figure maybe I've only got a few minutes before he heads back. So you get her and get her quick, or I'll find her myself and you won't be able to stop me.”

They were in the house. All the girls and Franky. Emma Grace was taking a little nap, right beside her brother. And Sarah, Rorey, and Katie were in there playing, after promising me they could be quiet and come and tell me as soon as the baby woke up. I hoped she wouldn't wake. I hoped they'd be quiet indeed.

“The kids went to the pond,” I said. It wasn't quite a lie. Robert, Willy, and Kirk were there.

“I don't think so,” he said. “I don't think you'd send little girls out there without you, now would you?”

“They're . . . they're not alone.”

I heard a noise from the house and did my best to ignore it. I had no idea what Edward wanted or what he was so angry about, but Katie didn't need any part of it.

He turned his head just in time to see Rorey's face peeking through the window. She ducked out of sight, but it was enough for him. He laughed at me. “You lie just like your husband,” he said. “Maybe you ain't the Christian you seem to be.”

He took off toward the house. In desperation I followed him, running to keep up. “Wait!” I called. “Just hold on!” But he wouldn't hear me.

I'd seen something that scared me in his eyes. I didn't want him running in there at those kids. So I grabbed at his arm. “Just stop!” I said, trying to sound brave. “You tell me what's so all-fired important that you've got to go racing around here half-cocked! You can see her. Maybe. Once I know what this is about and you can behave yourself decently. Until then, you're not going inside.”

He shoved me away like I was nothing more than a kid goat bringing annoyance. I couldn't stop him. He was to the door and inside before I could do another thing. But I hurried after him, not sure what I was going to do.

Oh, Samuel. Why'd you have to go see George now? Why were we foolish enough not to leave any of the big boys here? What is he capable of? What is he going to do?

He hurried straight through the kitchen and into the sitting room. The girls were in there, just like I knew they'd be, looking wide-eyed and scared at this big man rushing toward them. He grabbed Katie's arm, and she cringed, bursting immediately into tears.

“Let her go!” I demanded.

He turned to me with his eyes blazing. “I'm not going to hurt her. I'm not going to hurt anybody. All I want to do is talk. So you get these other kids and you get yourself clear out of here. I'll be done soon enough.”

It had to be from God, the strength I felt. “No.” I told Sarah and Rorey to leave the room. They went, but not far—into the bedroom with Franky and the baby.

I stood my ground. “You're scaring her. You're scaring all of us. I will not leave.”

“Fine,” he said. “Keep your mouth shut.”

He turned his face to Katie, and the poor girl crumbled. She tried her best to shield her face from him, but he still held one of her arms.

“Please let her go,” I begged.

“Shut up.” He shook her, just a little, making her look up at his face. “I want you to tell me just exactly what you said about a picture. Tell me about your daddy, girl. Tell me what he looks like.”

She could barely breathe, she was so terrified. But with quick little gasps, she managed to find her voice. “H-he looks like Mr. Wortham, except . . . except real tired and . . . and tall and dark hair and—”

“I know about the hair! What else?”

“I—I think he's mean. Like you. I—I think he's scary.”

I thought he was going to hit her. I almost grabbed for her, to pull her away, but he suddenly dropped his hands and let her go. She ran. Straight to me, burying her face in my skirt.

But he wasn't done. “Sit down, Mrs. Wortham. Just sit down.”

I did. I took her with me to a chair and held her in my arms. “Please,” I started. “Can't you see—”

“Shut up.” He tried turning her face toward him again, but she held me tight and resisted, leaning into my shoulder and my mussed-up hair. “Now, listen, Katie,” he told her. “We best finish our talking before your crazy Mr. Wortham shows up again. I'll hurt him. If I see him again right now, I'll hurt him, and I don't want to do that, do you understand?”

Katie was crying, and I couldn't blame her. “Please go,” I told him.

“Shut up,” he said again. “Can't you see I'm asking for help? Katie, I need to know. Was there anything else? I need to know!”

He was different, somehow. Shaken. I couldn't understand it. Katie looked up at him, perhaps as puzzled as I was.

“About your daddy. About that picture. Was there anything else?”

“He had a big bird on his arm,” she said. “It kind of looked at me a little.”

I could see Edward swallowing down a deep breath. “Right side up?”

“Yes, sir. Because he had his arm up on the tree. This Mr. Wortham doesn't have any bird, and I wished he did, but . . . but the sheriff said I could stay anyway.”

“Who told you?”

Katie didn't answer.

“Who told you, girl? About the blasted bird on his arm!
Did Samuel put you up to this? Did he tell you you had to say that if you wanted him to keep you?”

She shook her head. She burst into tears.

“Tell me the truth. Did he tell you what to say?”

“You're like him,” Katie cried, shaking her head again. “You're like my daddy was in my dream! All scary and mean. He hit people. He hit my mama.”

Edward stared. First at her. Then at me.

He stood and backed up a step. “Did your mama ever say your daddy's middle name?”

“No,” Katie whispered. “No.”

He laughed, nervously, strangely. “They're both Eddies. Did you know that? Samuel Edward Wortham. And he called his second son Samuel Edwin. Why do you figure he did that? Huh? After calling his firstborn Edward Charles? Why is that? Why'd he give his second son his name?”

I swallowed hard. He wasn't rational. “There's no way we can answer that,” I told him. “Please. Go.”

“You're afraid of me.” He shook his head. “Every one of you. Even Samuel. You're all afraid of me.”

“I'm not.” It was just a little voice from the next room, weaker than I was used to hearing.
Oh, Franky, no!
My heart thumped immediately.
There's just no telling what this man could do.

Edward turned toward the bedroom. “It's the hammer boy.”

“Leave him alone. You know he's hurt.”

He looked at me for a moment and then turned his eyes away. “Yeah. I know.”

The baby started crying. Edward walked into the room. Sarah and Rorey were there by the bed, both of them leaned over Emma Grace, trying to calm her.

Franky was sitting up, away from the pillows, pale, sweating, and angry. “You better leave that girl alone,” he said. “And Mrs. Wortham too.”

Edward just stood for a moment, suddenly seeming paler himself. “What do you think I'm gonna do?”

“God prob'ly thinks you oughta say you're sorry,” Franky told him.

I was amazed, but no more than Edward was. I saw something crumble in the man. I saw all the anger fall away. He stood for a second, looking confused, not seeming near so large as he had just moments before. “I just come . . .” he said, stammering over the words. “I just come to find out . . .”

He stopped. He looked at Katie. He looked at me. “Just . . . just go back to doin' whatever . . . whatever you were doin' . . .”

He backed out of the room, and then we heard him leave the house. After a while, his car started, and we could hear him drive away. Only then did Franky lay back down again. I touched his forehead, but he brushed my hand away.

“I'm okay,” he insisted. “But I'm sure glad he left, 'cause I'm not sure I coulda got no farther up.”

“I hope he don't never come back,” Rorey said.

Sarah looked up at me, her big eyes brimming with tears just as much as Katie's were. Baby Emmie just lay there looking at us, as if she were trying to figure out what in the world was wrong.

“I think he'll have to,” Franky said before closing his eyes. “He'll have to come back 'least once. 'Cause he knew, when I said he oughta say he's sorry. He knew.”

Katie was still clinging to me moments later when Samuel came in the door. He found us there by the bed, Katie and Sarah just drying their tears. It was all I could do to hold back a flood of my own. “Oh, Samuel.”

He was a mess—dirty, disheveled, the way Edward had
been. His shirt was torn. But the look in his eyes was so much softer. Wounded. “He stopped here. Didn't he?”

Suddenly I was afraid again. Of Samuel's reaction. Of what had already happened that I didn't know about. “He didn't hurt anyone, Samuel. He seemed confused—”

Sarah jumped forward, taking her father by the waist. “He was scary, Daddy. I was afraid he was going to take Katie away.”

Samuel hugged our little girl, lifted her up in his arms and squeezed her tight. “I'll have to tell the sheriff. We can't have him . . . we can't have him terrorizing you every time I have to go away for something.”