One Last Time (21 page)

The old grandfather clock strikes eight, letting us know dinner is being served and we should make our way downstairs. Emily applies the finishing touches to my hair and then disappears inside her dressing room to change into her ball gown. I take a final glance in the mirror before heading downstairs to find Quillan. I’m wearing a new dress he had delivered while we were away at our picnic. It’s breathtaking, the prettiest I’ve worn all month, and I have sported some awesome ensembles. It’s deep blue, trimmed in black, and the skirt is studded with tiny pearls, again representing a starry night. My pendant goes perfectly, lying sweetly between my breasts. Sighing, I rub my fingers over the locket and lift it to my lips. The cold porcelain does not compare to the warmth of his kiss. I wonder if my heart will ever be able to love another. I pull out an envelope I have tucked away inside my dress pocket and read over the letter one more time.

My Dearest Quillan,

One hundred and fifty years from today, you led me by the hand and took me on the adventure of a lifetime. We came to save many lives, and in the quest, I believe we also saved mine. You were the conductor who led me to the safe house where I was set free from my fears. And although I don’t know quite how I can survive without you, I do know I will live every day in peace, knowing you walked this earth and lived. Enjoy every day Quillan Wilson, for your life is truly a precious gift.

I shall never forget you and your lovely family. You are most blessed. I will meet you in your dreams.

Much Love,

Averie Cooke

Slipping the letter back inside my pocket, I make my way downstairs to find Quillan. According to Elizabeth, the crème de la crème is here, but to me, they look like anybody else.

“Averie, dear.” Elizabeth catches my arm as I walk by. “Could you please go to the kitchen and see what’s taking Pearl so long. She should have called us to dinner by now. My guests are famished.”

By the looks of them, they could wait a couple more days without suffering any, but in order to calm Elizabeth’s anxiety, I head to the kitchen. It’s second nature for me to check on the progress of the dinner and make sure things are running on time. All the years serving for Steffi has rubbed off on me. The soup is simmering on the stove top; the fire is hot beneath it, nearly causing it to boil over. Pearl is nowhere to be seen, so I turn the flame down low and give the soup a quick stir. I notice the pantry door is cracked open. Figuring she’s inside, I go in to warn her Elizabeth is on the warpath and ready to chow. The pantry is dim. At first I don’t see her, but when my eyes get used to the light, I notice she is lying on the floor with a stream of blood snaking down the side of her head.

“Oh my, are you all right? Did you fall?” The gaze in her eyes is unsettling and seems to be looking past me more than directly at me. Before I can turn to see what she’s staring at, I’m grabbed from behind.

“Well hello again,” Slimy whispers in my ear. I start to scream but he cuts my cry for help short by smacking his dirty hand over my mouth. My heart drops to my stomach. This can’t be happening, not now, not tonight. I fight hard against him, kicking at the food and dishes on the pantry shelves, trying to raise a racket, knocking things off, but Slimy presses a knife against my throat, ready to slice into my skin. I freeze at the feel of the blade.

“It would be a shame to kill you off here before I can finish what I started last week.” He laughs and then licks the side of my face. I cringe and try to pull away. I’d rather he kill me right here in the pantry than face whatever he has planned somewhere else. In either situation, I die.

“Let’s tie these two up in the root cellar,” he tells Seedy, who has just entered the pantry through the secret tunnel. “Nobody will find them in there. We can kill the Negro, and I can come back for this one later.”

Seedy grins and begins dragging Pearl into the tunnel. With every last bit of effort, I thrust my body against the shelves. Slimy kicks me hard, sweeping my legs out from under me before dragging me inside the secret passage and closing the door behind us. It’s dark except for the dim glow of Seedy’s lantern. I want to scream, hoping Quillan or Mike or someone might hear, but he keeps his hand pressed hard against my mouth as he drags me along. The root cellar sits far back on the property, nearly a hundred yards away from the house, so the farther we go down the deep tunnel, the more my chance of escape fades.

Seedy kicks open the secret door to the cellar, drags Pearl inside, and ties her up. Slimy throws me inside, knocking me up against the cold stone wall. It hurts, but instead of giving into the pain, I scan the room for something I can use as a weapon. Slimy’s fast, though, and removes a coil of rope dangling from the ceiling and heads toward me. Grabbing a jar of peach preserves, I smash it against his forehead, stunning him and knocking him backward.

“Damn you!” he growls as blood pours into his eyes. I lunge for the door but Seedy leaves Pearl and goes for me, catching me by my hair. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere,” he growls, pinning my arms behind me. I kick and fight with every bit of strength I have, but the rough rope around my wrist steals my hope. He cinches the knot, pushes me to the floor, and binds my ankles before he finishes up on Pearl. She’s lying still and lifeless without fighting back. She might have a concussion. Slimy squats down in front of me and strokes the side of my face. I turn away, but he forces my face back to him. He traces his finger down my neck and stops at my cherished locket. “I’ll be taking this along with all the other jewelry we find in the house.” He breaks the chain off my neck. I hate him more than ever now, so I thrust my bound ankles forward, kicking him in the groin. His hand comes down hard across my face, splitting my lip. I’ve never been slapped before, and it hurts like hell. He pulls my face toward him and kisses me, filling my mouth with his alcohol-laden breath. I cough and he laughs before pulling a nasty handkerchief from his filthy pants and shoving it in my mouth. My eyes water at the taste. I want to cry.

A third man enters the root cellar by way of the secret passage. “Jimmy’s searching the third floor. He’s got a pretty big stash already. I’m headin’ up there to help him. You two got the second floor?”

Slimy mops up more blood from his forehead with the back of his sleeve. “We’re headin’ that way. Got slowed down a little, but we’re good now. Tell him to bring the goods down here. Steal everything you can, and around midnight when they’re drunk, we’ll go in and kill the lot of ’em. ’Cept for the redhead girl. I want her, too.”

The man nods and takes off down the tunnel. Slimy checks my ropes once more before leaving, pulling them tighter. “Now, don’t go anywhere.” He smirks. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

He takes the light, leaving us in total darkness.

The legend of the Faulkner Estate Massacre is right on schedule, and I wonder if mankind has the power to change history. Momma said there is a time to live and a time to die. Maybe we can’t beat death. As much as I wanted her to live and come back home, the winds and the water took her from me. I had no control in the matter. As much as I want Lunar, Emily, and Quillan to live, Slimy and his three cohorts escaped and will pull off their wicked conspiracy, blame the Wilson boys, and live in wealth the remainder of their days.

I’m terrified, sitting here in the dark, wondering what will become of us all. No one would ever think of looking in the root cellar. We’re as good as dead. Momma also said to never give up without a fight, but my ropes are tight, and I can barely twist my wrist to loosen them. I lean my head against the wall and try spitting out my gag. He shoved it in far and the more I try, the more it lodges farther back in my throat. Now I know why they’re called gags. My eyes water, and I want to puke.

The root cellar is well built, leaving no cracks in the outside wall so the moonlight cannot filter in. I can hear Pearl’s steady breathing, so I know she is still alive. I’m uncomfortable, and my legs are going numb from the lack of circulation. Scooting over a smidge, I discover the slick fruit and the thick syrup from the jar of peaches I broke earlier. I have an idea. I wiggle my fingers, searching for a shard of broken glass. Unfortunately, the tip of my finger finds it first, bringing instant pain. Good, it’s sharp. It will do.

Carefully, I pick up the glass, once again poking the inside of my fingers, wincing at the discomfort. Taking a deep breath, I concentrate, hoping to slice the ropes and not my wrist. I’m cutting pretty good when I hear footsteps closing in behind the secret door. I stop my work, careful not to drop my piece of glass. I don’t want to pick it up again. The door bursts open and the fourth man, the one the other bastards referred to as Jimmy, enters with several bags of loot. His lantern shatters the darkness. He stashes the stolen property in the back corner. I look over at Pearl and her eyes are closed. Jimmy makes his way over to me, grinning with an evil sneer. “Frank told me to check on you, make sure your stayin’ put and all.” My heart crashes as he leans me forward and discovers my carving tool. “What do we have here?” he asks, peeling it out of my hands. I don’t care, let him take it, there’s plenty of glass jars in this cellar. I’ll break every one of them if I have to. “Didn’t Frank tell you to sit still and wait?” He drops the glass on the floor. He searches the room, and I hold my breath. I hope he’s too dumb to realize I can do it again, but unfortunately, he’s not. His knobby fingers wrap around my arms before he pulls me back, dragging me far away from the broken glass and depositing me with the rest of their plunder. I would fight, but I’m numb and can’t feel my limbs very well. “There’s no way you’re getting away now.” He takes the rest of the rope and secures me to one of the pillars bracing the roof.

Taking the light, he slips out the secret door back to the big house. I try to move, but he’s secured me so tight I can barely inhale. I’m not sure of the time. I’m certain it’s been nearly two hours since I found Pearl in the pantry. That makes it around ten o’clock. Two hours until doomsday. I’m wondering what else the men have done, other than robbing the Faulkner’s blind while they entertain downstairs, oblivious to what’s going on in the rest of their house. Has Lunar been hung yet? Does Emily know? If so, has she hung herself, too? Maybe everything has already transpired and Quillan has disappeared, as well.

My ears pick up on a quiet scuffling, and I pray rats aren’t down here. Maybe the sweet nectar from the peaches has attracted them. Hopefully, they will stay over there and leave me alone.

A small gust of air blows across the floor as the secret door opens. From where I am sitting, I am blocked from seeing who enters this time. The only thing I can see is the faint glow of light they carry.

“Averie?” Quillan whispers from the darkness. My heart escalates, thundering in rapture. He sees Pearl and makes his way over to her, checking the pulse in her neck. I’m in the far back corner, hidden in darkness, and this damn hankie in my mouth won’t let me call out for help, so I shake my pillar as best I can without cutting myself in two.

“Quillan,” I say, as loud as I can against the dirty cloth. He hears my muffled call and bolts over to me, pulling the nasty rag from my mouth. I take in a big gulp of air.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Even though his voice is laced with relief, I see the concern on his face. “Who did this?”

“The men from Georgia are in the house,” I warn him. “They’re using the secret passages and robbing the Faulkners. They plan on killing everyone at midnight. Quillan we haven’t changed anything yet.”

“Did they hurt you?”

“Yes, he did. The bastard kissed me and stole my locket.”

“Then I will replace both of them.” He leans over, canceling out Slimy’s putrid peck with his rapturous caress of my lips. If I die right here, right now, I’m okay with it. Cupping my face in his hand, he smiles and kisses me again before untying my feet and loosening the rope that holds me to the pillar. He begins working on my wrist, but it takes longer since Slimy double tied it. The sound of approaching footsteps close in, and I warn him the men have been coming in periodically to stash their goods. Lifting his lantern, Quillan scans the room, lighting high up on the walls until he spots what he’s looking for. Reaching up he retrieves a harvesting sickle hanging near the ceiling.

The door pushes open and Quillan eases behind it. The third man who’d come in earlier giving Slimy a report walks over my way and unloads several more bags. Giving me a curious look, he leans in close. “Spit your gag out, did you?” He searches around for the nasty rag. There is a swish of air and a spray of blood, and then his head rolls across the dirt floor. My hands are still tied; otherwise I would cover my eyes, shielding myself from the gore.

Not wasting a minute, Quillan tries untying me again. “Emily never showed up for dinner.” My heart sinks, and I fear the worst.

With one last yank, he tosses aside the rope, freeing me from the cursed pole. “I’m going back inside to look for her. I want you to go and wait by the pond. You will be safe in the garden.”

“No! I’m going with you!” There goes the damn ventriloquist again

“Averie, no!” he objects. “I don’t want you to die tonight. It’s not your fight.”

“It is now,” I say. “He stole my locket, and I want it back.” Not giving a chance for Quillan’s rebuttal, I grab the lamp and slip into the tunnel.

“I’m going first.” He takes my hand and leads the way.

“What about Pearl?” I whisper.

“She’ll be fine,” he assures me. “We’ll come back for her.”

“Where’s Mike?” I leave no stone unturned.

“Looking for you. We’ve been searching everywhere. I decided to check the pantry when Elizabeth told me she sent you after Pearl nearly two hours ago. Then, I remembered Mike saying he escaped that night through a tunnel in the pantry, so I found the secret passage and followed it.”

We are entering the part of the tunnel that leads inside the house when we see a shadow on the wall ready to make the corner. I gasp and Quillan pulls us through the nearest door, depositing us into the conservatory. The room is dark except for a candelabrum, glowing on the piano and reflecting in the giant mirrors adorning the walls.