Hunters: A Trilogy (67 page)

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Jane, in the meantime, was having an interesting time of her own, a very interesting time indeed. She had driven into the sleepy little town, and after picking up some newspapers, had gone for a quiet coffee in the small café across from Maggie’s shop. There were only two people in the café and she knew neither of the old men who sat at the counter nursing their drinks. She bade them good morning and then took a seat over by the window.

The young waitress, ‘Cindy’ it said on her name tag, wandered over to take Jane’s order. ‘Yes ma’am, what can I get for you this fine morning?’ she asked.

Jane ordered a large coffee, ‘And one of those house-special muffins, too, the chocolate one, please,’ she said, grinning at Cindy.

Cindy nodded in acknowledgment of Jane’s fine choice. ‘Certainly ma’am,’ she said, ‘naughty-but-nice, aren’t they? I’ll be right back…’

Jane spread her paper open and prepared to have an hour of doing nothing more than browsing the paper. Cindy bought the coffee and giant muffin across. Jane sat back, relaxed, sipped her drink and pinched off small pieces of the muffin as she perused the columns in the paper.

She had been there about half an hour when she observed the red Mazda, which Maggie drove, pull up to the front of the old woman’s shop across the street. The shopkeeper went around to the boot and extracted a bundle of bags and suitcases from the interior. Dumping them on the pavement, she went to the passenger door and opened it fully. Jane caught a glimpse of some long, smooth legs, shapely ones, before Maggie leaned in and talked to the as yet unidentified passenger. Standing back, and whilst making an exaggerated gesture, which consisted of a slight bow and a sweep of the arms, as if to welcome royalty, she invited her unseen guest to join her. The passenger finally graced the pavement with her presence and stepped out from the car.

She was tall and very, very pretty. Jane guessed the girl must have stood at nearly six feet tall – if she was an inch. Her tiny waist was wrapped in a thick, red PVC belt, which only served to accentuate her hourglass figure. The white dress ended above her knees, rising to a small collar at the neck. As she moved to the rear of the car to collect her things, the girl looked across at the café window and allowed her eyes to meet Jane’s. She paused for a moment, before smiling and then turning away. Jane subconsciously raised a hand in a return hello and then looked down at her hand in surprise. Shaking her head in bemusement at her own automatic reaction, she looked back across the street and watched as Maggie ushered the young lady into the shop, catching the glimpse of a white tennis shoe and a swirl of black hair as the girl followed the older woman inside.

Finishing her drink, Jane paid her bill, tipped Cindy, and headed for the high street. She spent an hour browsing the shops and buying a few bits and pieces that took her fancy along the way. Finally, she called in at the hardware store and spoke to the owner.

‘Morning Jack!’ she said, as the door closed behind her.

The tall man looked up and pushed his spectacles onto his grey head. ‘Oh, hi Jane, why, goodness me, it’s so very good to see you, and what a fine day it is today – what can I get you?’

Jack had become a firm favourite with Jane and they had put a lot of business his way over the last few weeks. He was honest and dependable, if Jack said that something would be in tomorrow then it would be, guaranteed.

Jane liked that. She said, ‘Well, I don’t suppose those boots for young Dwayne are ready yet, are they?’

Jane had kidded Red about drawing around people’s feet for good luck; when really she had been trying to get his foot size in order get him some decent boots made so that she would be able to get him out of those awful baseball shoes. And so, after a short discussion on the merits of ‘foot-drawing’ Jane had managed to get Mike to distract him whilst she took the measurements of the huge outline she had sketched around Red’s bare feet as he stood on the porch.

Jack looked at her and smiled. ‘They came in yesterday, one day early, too,’ he said. ‘Old Fred said he ain’t ever seen a pair as large, said he reached size sixteen and stopped counting!’ He reached under the counter and pulled out a large box. Lifting the lid, he pulled the paper apart and took the boots out. ‘Fred makes ‘em all by hand, every stitch by himself, he said that if there are any problems then just get ‘em back to me and he’ll sort it all out.’ With a smile, Jack placed the boots on the counter.

Jane looked at the heavy black objects. ‘Canoes’ was the first thing that came into her mind. The boots were enormous and exuded an obvious, handmade quality. ‘Wow!’ she said, ‘they’re quite something else, aren’t they, Jack?’ With a smile, she gave him the outstanding balance, made her farewells and started to lug the boots back to the car. She never made it all the way.

Maggie hailed her from across the street. ‘Hi Jane, do you fancy a coffee, my dear?’ When the old woman used that term, ‘my dear’, it always reminded Jane of George. In fact, come to think of it, Maggie just reminded her of George, period.

Jane nodded, saying: ‘Okay, hun, I’m on the way!’ She crossed the empty street and headed over to Maggie’s place. Entering the store, she found Maggie tidying one of the shelves at the far end of the shop. The old woman rose to her feet, walking nimbly around the scattered goods as they lay on the floor, and came over to greet her.

Taking Jane warmly by the hand, Maggie said, ‘Hi there! I saw you walking along with that big box and figured you may need some refreshment.’ She smiled, reached over and flipped the sign on the door over so that the ‘Closed – back in 5 minutes!’ side was on display to the outside world. Maggie turned back from the door and beckoned Jane through into the house.

Once through the store and into the cosy sitting room, Jane took her usual seat over by the window and waited for Maggie whilst she fussed with the kettle. With their drinks in hand the two women sat and swapped gossip for a while. Jane saw that Maggie had something on her mind, she looked agitated.

Eventually, she gave the older woman the opportunity to speak of her troubles. ‘So,’ Jane said. ‘Who’s your new guest, Maggie? I saw you and a very lovely young lady this morning, whilst I was in the café.’ She motioned in the direction of the coffee shop with her head.

Maggie smiled with relief, saying: ‘Oh, you saw us did you, well, you don’t miss much, do you, my dear?’

The old woman laughed when Jane replied: ‘Well, one would hardly miss that beautiful young lady, now would they, Maggie?’

Maggie then went on to explain that the girl Jane had seen was one of her granddaughters. ‘She has come to stay for a while as there has been a mite of trouble back home, so, oh well…you know how it goes? Family is family,’ she said, pursing her lips in frustration.

Jane didn’t press her on what sort of trouble, the old woman looked a little perturbed and so she decided to leave it. ‘It’s probably nothing anyway,’ she thought. Then, almost as an afterthought, said, ‘Perhaps you should bring her to the farm, Maggie – Red would love the company, I just know he would! Does your granddaughter have a boyfriend?’ The words simply popped out of her mouth before she was able stop them. Jane felt like kicking herself. ‘Mike would give me such a lot of stick!’ she thought.

Maggie shook her head, saying: ‘Well, no, she doesn’t, and that’s half the problem, you see? I’m afraid that she punched a boy who, ah…what shall we say? A boy who became a little bit too promiscuous, yes, that’s it!’

She was interrupted by a silken voice that spoke from behind the half-open kitchen door. ‘Just because I look nice, doesn’t mean I taste nice, does it, grandma? That boy tried to lick my face!’ The door swung fully open and in stepped Maggie’s granddaughter. She stood in the doorway and grinned at them.

Jane smiled up at her, instantly recognising that this was one of those special moments, a predetermined moment. One that George and the Council had been waiting on for so long. The girl’s eyes locked onto Jane’s and there was an understanding in them, a deep knowledge. It showed and Jane saw it.

She rose to her feet and placed the coffee cup on the sideboard to her left. The girl stayed where she was and watched as Jane made her way across the room. As Jane neared, the girl stepped forward and extended her hand. She did indeed stand at very nearly six feet tall, and as they touched, Jane felt the strangest of sensations go through her. It was a feeling of recognition – almost déjà vu – but not quite, it couldn’t be as Jane had never even seen the young woman before. But the feeling was there, and it was strong, almost overpowering.

‘It couldn’t be, could it? She reminds me of…’ As she was trying to get her thoughts back in to order, trying to remember who it was the girl reminded her of, Jane heard her speak again.

‘Hi, Jane,’ she said. ‘It’s so good to meet you! Oh, by the way, I’m Tori.’

Jane was sure she’d heard the phrase somewhere else. The firm cool grip of Tori’s hand stayed where it was as she looked right into Jane. Those brown eyes looked straight into her. The two women stood, linked, and stared at each other. Tori said, softly: ‘So, you’re Jane, are you? You are just as I…as I had imagined.’ She released Jane’s hand and turned to Maggie.

The old woman said, ‘Oh, I told Tori that we had some new people in town, you know me – the old gossip that I am?’ She looked up meekly at them.

Jane may have smiled, but she never swallowed the ‘feeble old woman’ ploy. Maggie was one smart old bird and Jane felt the sensation of predetermined events wash over her again. Feeling slightly overcome, she headed for the safety of her previous position and flopped back into the chair by the window. Maggie made them all another drink and the three women talked for a while. Tori made polite small-talk and sat with those long legs crossed at the knees, her dangling left foot swinging. She never took her eyes off their guest. It left Jane with the distinct impression she was being cross-examined by a specialist.

After an hour – it may have been longer, but she seemed to have lost track of the time – Jane decided she had best be getting back. ‘The boys will be sending out a search party for me at this rate!’ she said, lightly, and rose to her feet.

Tori stood and took the empty cup from her. Placing it on the side, she turned back to Jane, and then unexpectedly embraced her. It was then that Jane decided Tori was far from being ‘just a girl’. She had a subtle strength within her, and she smelt of flowers.

‘Wild flowers,’ Jane thought, as Tori’s thick black hair brushed against her face. ‘It’s definitely wild flowers, she smells of nature, too, and of clear blue sky, and…no, not the sky – it’s clear and it’s blue but, it…it’s the ocean. She smells of the ocean!’ The thoughts raced through her mind as they touched again and Tori’s scent filled her head.

That fresh, natural aroma washed over her and Jane felt herself falling into it. Falling into the wild, blue depths of the ocean, falling… As she began to feel there would be no stopping herself, that she would fall forever, Tori released the embrace and left her standing there, almost swaying. The feeling of familiarity, of having been here before, was quite extraordinary and Jane had to blink, twice, before her tumbling thoughts came back into some semblance of order.

She swallowed hard and then, with her voice trembling, said, ‘Well, it’s been a pleasure, folks, but I really must be going, please promise you’ll come and see us on the farm, you won’t recognise the place, Maggie. Tori, you must come too – both of you. Please, anytime you want!’

They smiled and agreed. Following her, the two women headed for the sitting room door and then back out into the shop. Jane was about to step out onto the pavement when Maggie’s voice stopped her.

‘Don’t forget young Dwayne’s boots, my dear!’ she said, softly.

Jane turned and took the offered bag from her outstretched hand, saying: ‘Thanks, Maggie – I don’t know where my thoughts were!’

Stepping out onto the street, she heard the sound of two things: the doorbell and Tori’s voice, they both tinkled in her ear. It wasn’t until she was halfway home that Jane realised something: she had never told Maggie what was in the bag, yet the woman had known it was boots, boots for Red.

She drove the rest of the way home in silence, and deep thought.

As she pulled onto the driveway, Jane was just in time to see the men ambling through the rickety old gate from the fields behind the farmhouse. She waved at them, reversed the truck and parked it in the barn next to the RV. Gathering the few bags of shopping, and the boots, she slammed the door closed with her foot and headed over to meet them.

Upon seeing her, Red broke into a grin and ran across. ‘Hi there, Jane – where’ve you been all day?’ he asked, excitedly. ‘We’ve been having the time o’ our lives, ma’am. We got fish, too, lots of ‘em! Whatchoo got there, want me to give you a hand? Here, lemme carry them. I got lots o’ room under my arms!’

Surrendering to his torrent of good intentions, Jane passed him the bag containing the boots. Red tucked it under his arm and then made his way indoors, still chatting away as he walked. She unpacked the few things she had purchased whilst Red stood over by the sink and cleaned the fish he had caught.

‘Can we have these fer supper tonight, ma’am, they are just the best when they’re fresh?’ he asked, holding up the large, white-fleshed fish.

Jane smiled and agreed. ‘Yeah, sure we can, honey!’ she said. ‘Do you like them fried?’ Red said that he did. And then went to get cleaned up in his shower.

Mike and Ken entered the kitchen and asked how Jane’s day had been. As she laid out the mugs for a drink, Jane told them all about it and the strange meeting she’d had with Maggie’s guest. When she had finished, Mike looked at her and then back to Ken again, there was a strange expression on his face.

Ken shrugged, saying: ‘I guess it’s another one of George’s plans, huh?’

Jane agreed. ‘You know what? Although I think you’re right, I also think that this whole new way in which we’re approaching the problem, well…I think that it’s new for George’s lot as well. I keep feeling as though pieces are falling into place,’ she said, with a shrug.