Suffer the Children (24 page)

He forgot to retrieve his books from Elizabeth until they were inside the building. Thursday morning Jeff Stevens took a terrific ribbing at school.

By Thursday afternoon Port Arbello had begun to accept the reality of the situation. Marilyn Burton found that her cash receipts were dropping back to a normal level; fewer people were stopping by “just to have a little chat” and staying to buy an article or two out of guilt more than need.

Ray Norton was beginning to cite the cars that were
habitually overparked on the square; he had decided on Thursday morning that an investigation of a missing child should not be used as an excuse for overlooking less serious matters.

Things were getting back to normal.

Mrs. Goodrich was once more in the laundry room, and when she saw the extra sets of filthy clothes she shook her head ruefully. She thought about separating them from the rest of the laundry and bringing them up again to Miz Rose, then remembered what had happened the last time she had taken such action. She decided it would be wasted effort. So she put the soiled clothing in a tub and added extra soap and bleach to them as they soaked. Two hours later, when they came out of the dryer, they were as clean as new. As clean as Mrs. Goodrich’s demanding standards called for.

Outside the Port Arbello school, Elizabeth Conger stood uncertainly, searching the faces of the children as they emerged from the building. For a moment she thought she might have missed the one she was watching for. Then she suddenly smiled and waved. When there was no response from the object of her efforts, she called. “Jimmy,” she yelled. A small boy looked up. “Over here,” she called, waving once again.

Jimmy Tyler was small for his age, but not by so much that it was a strong disadvantage to him. It was only an inch, and his father had told him that by the time he reached his next birthday he would surely be as big as the other eight-year-olds. But when you are seven, eight seems like a long way off, so Jimmy made up for his slight disadvantage in size by being more agile than anybody else. Particularly in climbing. Jimmy Tyler would climb anything, and one of his favorite sports was climbing higher and faster than any of his friends. Then he could look down on them, and that made him feel good.

He looked up when he heard his name, and saw Elizabeth Conger waving at him. He waved back, then saw that she was waiting for him. He hurried his step.

“Want to walk home with me?” Elizabeth asked him. The Tylers lived even farther out the Point Road than the Congers, and this week, much to Jimmy’s surprise and pleasure, Elizabeth had been waiting for him each afternoon, and walking home with him. He liked Elizabeth, even though she was a giri. He supposed that, since she was almost twice as old as he, that didn’t count Anyway, none of his friends had teased him about walking with a girl yet.

“Okay,” he said brightly.

They walked silently for most of the way, and it wasn’t until they were in front of the Stevenses’ house that Jimmy spoke.

“This is where it happened, isn’t it?” he said curiously.

“Where what happened?” Elizabeth asked.

“This is where Kathy Burton disappeared,” Jimmy said, his young voice expressing no particular reaction to Kathy’s disappearance.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. “I guess it must be.”

“Do you suppose they got her?” Jimmy asked, pointing to the ugly old house above the sea.

“No, I don’t,” Elizabeth said flatly. “Those people aren’t like the Barneses were.”

“Well,” Jimmy said doubtfully. “I still don’t like that house.”

“I used to think it was haunted,” Elizabeth said, teasing him, “when I was your age.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” Jimmy said, wondering whether he did or not.

“You don’t?” Elizabeth said, but there was a new sound in her voice, as if she was suddenly talking more to herself than to Jimmy. “I didn’t used to, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Why?” Jimmy said.

Elizabeth seemed to jump back into the here and now. “What?” she asked.

“I said, why?” Jimmy asked again. “Why do you believe in them now if you didn’t used to?”

“Oh,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t know.” She suddenly felt uncomfortable, and quickened her pace. Jimmy Tyler almost had to trot to keep up with her.

“Slow down,” he said finally. “I can’t keep up.”

They were near the woods now, and Elizabeth paused, staring into the trees.

“If anything’s haunted around here, it’s in there,” she said.

“In the woods?” Jimmy asked. “Why would anybody want to haunt a woods?”

“Because of something that happened there. Something bad, a long time ago.”

“What happened?” Jimmy demanded.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. “I almost know, but I don’t know yet.”

“Will you tell me when you find out?” Jimmy’s voice rose a notch. “Please, Elizabeth? Will you?”

Elizabeth smiled down at the child beside her and reached down to take his hand.

“I’ll tell you what,” she said softly. “I’ll try to find out what happened this afternoon. Can you come over to my house at four thirty?”

“I don’t know,” Jimmy said doubtfully. “Why don’t you call me? My mother doesn’t usually let me go outside that late. It’s starting to get dark by then now, and she doesn’t like me to be outside in the dark.”

“If you want to know what happened in the woods,” Elizabeth said enticingly, “come over at four thirty. It won’t be dark till after five. Besides, Sarah wants to play with you.”

“How do you know?” Jimmy said truculently. “Sarah can’t talk.”

“I just know,” Elizabeth said. “You be here by four
thirty, and I’ll tell you about why the woods are haunted.”

“All right,” Jimmy agreed finally. “But it better be good. I don’t believe in ghosts.” He started to walk away.

“By the mailbox,” Elizabeth called after him. “Meet us by the mailbox.” Jimmy Tyler nodded and waved, and Elizabeth watched him continue down the road. She wondered what she’d tell him that afternoon, and why she’d told him the woods were haunted at all. It occurred to her that it was a silly thing to say. Jimmy was right, of course. There was no such thing as ghosts. Well, she’d make up some kind of story, and at least Sarah would have someone besides herself to play with. That would be nice.

At four thirty Elizabeth and Sarah were waiting by the mailbox that stood across the road from the end of the Congers’ long driveway. Elizabeth saw the small form of Jimmy Tyler trudging toward them and waved. He returned the wave.

“See?” Elizabeth said to Sarah. “Here he comes, just like I told you.”

Sarah stared at Elizabeth, and there was nothing in the huge brown eyes that told Elizabeth that her younger sister had even heard her. But she knew she had. She smiled at Sarah, but Sarah still did not respond. She simply stood, patiently waiting, as Jimmy Tyler approached.

“I can’t stay very long,” Jimmy said when he caught up with the girls. “My mother told me I have to be in before it gets dark.” He glanced at the sun, which was falling steadily toward the horizon behind them.

“Let’s go out in the field,” Elizabeth suggested. “Let’s play tag.”

“Does Sarah know how?” Jimmy said, neither knowing nor caring whether the subject of his question could
hear or understand him. Elizabeth looked at him reproachfully.

“Of course she does,” Elizabeth said. “And you’d better hope you’re never It, because she can run a lot faster than you. She can even run faster than me.”

“Who is going to be It?” Jimmy wanted to know.

“I will be,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll give you both till I count to five to get away. One—two—three—” Jimmy Tyler was already bounding across the field. Sarah simply stood there, looking at her sister. Elizabeth stopped counting and put her hands gently on Sarah’s shoulders, bending her knees a little so she was on the same level as the smaller girl.

“We’re going to play tag,” she said softly. “And I’m It. You have to get away from me.” Sarah seemed not to hear for a moment; then she bolted suddenly, as if the idea had at last penetrated her mind, taking off across the field in the direction that Jimmy Tyler had taken. “Four—
five!”
Elizabeth called out the last number and set off after the two other children.

She knew she could catch either of them whenever she wanted to, but she didn’t try too hard. They seemed to be enjoying dodging away from her, and a couple of times she deliberately let her foot slip when she was only inches from one of them, and listened to Jimmy laugh as she tumbled to the ground. Then, when she sensed Jimmy’s interest in the game lagging, she suddenly caught up with him. “You’re It,” she cried, dashing away from him. He stopped suddenly, as if stunned at the turn the game had taken. Then he grinned happily and set off after Sarah.

Sarah played the game with a determination not to be found in other children. When Jimmy ran toward her, she turned and fled from him at a dead run, her head bent forward, her small legs pumping beneath her steadily. It was quickly obvious that Jimmy didn’t stand a chance of catching up with her. Elizabeth worked her
way around and headed Sarah off. When she got close to her sister, she called to her, and the sound of her name caused Sarah to look up. She broke her stride and paused for a minute. Elizabeth dashed toward Jimmy as Sarah watched.

“I told you you’d never catch her,” she crowed to the boy.

“But I bet I can catch you,” Jimmy shouted back, and he shifted his concentration from Sarah to Elizabeth. Chasing Elizabeth was more fun, anyway; she dodged around, and didn’t try to keep a straight course. He began trying to outguess her, and didn’t notice that as Elizabeth darted to and fro she was working her way closer and closer to the woods. He didn’t realize it until she suddenly collapsed in a heap and let him catch her.

“I give up,” she laughed, trying to catch her breath. “I can’t outrun you.”

He fell on the grass beside her, then sat up.

“Look,” he said. “We’re almost into the woods.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t think we were this close. Maybe we’d better go back.”

“No,” Jimmy said firmly. “I want to hear about the woods. Did you find anything out?”

“There isn’t anything,” Elizabeth said. “Nothing at all.”

“I’ll bet there is.” Jimmy pouted. “You just don’t want to tell me.”

“Well,” Elizabeth said slowly, gazing off into the trees, “there is a secret place. Only Sarah and I know about it.”

Jimmy’s eyes widened with interest. “A secret place?” he echoed. “What kind of a secret place?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t think you’d like it,” she said. “It’s kind of scary.”

“I’m not afraid,” Jimmy declared. “I’m not afraid of anything. Where is it?”

Elizabeth smiled at him. “It isn’t really in the woods,” she said. “It’s on the other side.”

A frown knit Jimmy’s brow. “There isn’t anything on the other side. Only the ocean.”

“That’s where the secret place is,” Elizabeth insisted.

“I want to go,” Jimmy demanded, his voice rising a little.

“Shhh,” Elizabeth cautioned him. “Don’t frighten Sarah.”

“Does she frighten easily?” he wanted to know.

“Sometimes. Not always, but sometimes.”

Sarah sat quietly with them, and it would have been impossible for an observer to tell whether she was following the conversation. She would look first at one, then at the other, but not always at the child who was speaking. She seemed to be hearing a conversation of her own, a conversation completely separate from the one Elizabeth and Jimmy were having. Jimmy looked at Sarah speculatively.

“Is she afraid of the secret place?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” Elizabeth said uncertainly.

“Are you?” Jimmy asked, hearing the hesitation in her voice.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said after a long pause. “I think maybe I should be, but I’m not.”

“I want to see it.” It was no longer a request, but a demand. Jimmy Tyler set his face in an expression of stubbornness and looked steadily at Elizabeth. “I want to see it,” he repeated.

“It’s getting late,” Elizabeth said carefully.

“I don’t care,” Jimmy said firmly. “I want to see the secret place, and I want to see it now.”

“All right” Elizabeth gave in. “Come on.”

They got to their feet, and Elizabeth led them into the woods. She did not move through the woods as swiftly today, or as sure-footedly. Instead, she moved carefully, and several times had to stop and look around, as if she was looking for markings on a trail. At last
they came out of the woods and stood on the embankment.

“Where is it?” Jimmy asked “Is this it?” There was disappointment in his voice. Elizabeth looked around and wasn’t sure which way she should go. She felt uncomfortable today, and something inside her was telling her not to go any farther, to turn back before it was too late. But she didn’t know what it would be too late for. All she knew was that she seemed to have lost her bearings somehow, and was unsure of which direction to take. She heard a strange buzzing sound in her ears, a buzzing that didn’t drown out the sound of the surf, but seemed to make it hazy. She struggled with herself, and was almost on the verge of turning back into the woods when she heard Jimmy’s voice.

“Look,” he was saying. “Sarah knows the way. Let’s follow her.”

Elizabeth looked frantically around, and there was Sarah, picking her way slowly down the face of the embankment, moving back and forth from one toehold to the next Jimmy followed behind her, his agile little body having no difficulty in keeping up. Elizabeth hung back for a moment, then reluctantly followed.

As she moved down the embankment, the confusion lifted from her, and she knew where she was going. Her step grew sure, and she began moving with the suppleness and agility that had always before taken her so swiftly to the large boulder that hid the entrance to the cavern tunnel.

And then they were there. The three of them huddled together in the shadow of the immense rock, and Jimmy looked at Elizabeth quizzically.

“Is this it?” he said, his voice implying that it was less than he had expected.

“This is the entrance,” Elizabeth whispered. “Come on.”

And suddenly she was gone. Jimmy stared at the spot where she had crouched an instant before, and then he
realized that there must be a tonnet Eagerly, he followed Elizabeth into the hole in the face of the embankment.