Livvie's Song (36 page)

The fellow put the automobile in gear and let up on the clutch while compressing the accelerator. They jostled and jerked for the next few seconds as he moved through all the gears. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?” he said.

“Mighty fine,” Clem answered, making sure to keep his voice steady.

“You live in the Wabash area?” the driver asked.

“What? No, I’m just…visitin’ someone.”

“Oh, is that right? Who is it? I might know ’em. I know lots o’ people in these parts.”

Clem gritted his teeth. “No, I…I doubt you would. They’ve been in Wabash for just a few months.”

“Yeah? Well, Wabash is a fine place. Yes, indeed. You hear about lots of folks moving here, and I don’t blame ’em. It’s a peaceful, pleasant town. I know a family goes by the name of Carmichael who just bought the Tanner farm up the road a piece. Would it be them you’re goin’ to see?”

“Nope.”

“Oh. Well, let’s see, is it the Grodens, then? They just moved in ’bout six months ago. They hail from somewhere down in Illinois.”

“Nope.”

“Oh.” Silence prevailed for all of fifteen seconds as they bumped along, and then, “I bet it’s that nice young couple, name o’ Richards,” he said. “My wife just met the missus in the grocery store the other day. They got a couple o’ kids, and—”

“Look, I told you, y’ wouldn’t know ’em,” Clem spouted, glaring at the fellow. “Just leave it alone, all right?”

At that, the man nodded and clammed up. Clem was glad, but he could have thumped himself for letting his quick temper get the better of him.

A few minutes later, they were almost to the corner where he wanted to be let out. “Here’s my stop,” he said, and the guy pulled to the side of the road. “Sorry for yellin’ at ya back there. Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem at all. You sure you don’t want me to drive you up to your door?”

“No! I mean, I don’t mind the walk. It’s just a ways. Wouldn’t want to put you out any more’n I already have.” With that, he scooted out of the car, closed the door, and leaned down to wave at the driver.

The man shot him a wary gaze, probably intrigued by the grotesque scar on his left cheek, and he felt a haunting fear in the back of his mind. Suppose the fellow memorized his face and reported him to the authorities? Hank and Rudy were sitting in jail, and, for all he knew, they’d given the cops a tip-off as to his whereabouts. They might be scouring Wabash this very minute in search of him. This guy could probably identify him. He reached inside his pocket and grasped the butt of his pistol.

“Well, you have a good night, now,” the man said with a smile.

Clem relaxed. “I sure will.” He straightened and tipped his hat. “You do the same.” Then, he turned and set off up the dirt road. For a minute, the whirring engine of the Model T was the only sound he heard, save for the chirps of crickets and croaks of tree frogs. Soon, though, the old Ford moved out of earshot, and the sound of his heartbeat reverberating in his head took its place.

***

Through a broken window, Livvie saw a full moon, which cast beams of light on the floor. Outside, crickets sang a carefree song, as if all were right with the world. Something scampered past her feet. A mouse? Instant fright twisted around her heart, and a scream welled up from the depths of her being. Yet it came out muffled, a futile moan. In desperation, she tried to kick her feet, but her legs and ankles were bound so tightly that moving was impossible. The critter finally skittered to the other side of the room and out of sight, but a sense of panic still rioted within her. She now knew what the apostle Paul had meant by the exhortation to “
pray without ceasing
,” for that was exactly what she’d been doing for the past several hours while she’d sat there, waiting for her fate to unfold.

Alex and Nathan filled her thoughts, as did Will. By now, they must have realized she had gone missing and were surely looking for her.
Please, Lord, grant wisdom and discernment to everyone searching for me. Lead them straight to me, Father.
How she longed for this ordeal to be nothing more than a dream, to awaken and find herself at home, safe and sound. But the pain she felt from the ropes tied around her wrists and ankles and over her mouth confirmed the wretched reality: someone dark and sinister had put her in this awful place.

The heat was stifling, but she managed to doze, even though she jerked awake at the slightest sound. Every time she was roused from slumber, she fought down a new wave of panic and regained her mental footing with a fervent prayer before drifting off again. But then, the dread moment arrived—footsteps pounded the earth outside—and her nerves stood on end, freezing her blood like icicles, so that she couldn’t breathe. Eyes anchored to the doorknob, she watched it turn, her heart thudding hard inside her chest.

A big, flabby fellow came through the door, but the dimness of the room prevented her from making out his facial features.
Oh, Lord, who is he? And what does he want with me? Please protect me, Father.

“Wull, there you are, still lookin’ as purty as a flower,” he said in a croaky voice. He turned his back to her and peered outside in all directions before closing the door.

When he turned and stepped out of the shadows to advance on her, a gasp heaved past her slightly parted lips. It was him—the man with the gash across his cheek, Will’s former acquaintance, Clem Dodd.

“You remember me? We hooked eyes outside your rest’rant one night, and then another time when I watched you from the alley. I been followin’ you ’round town, learnin’ your schedule. You’re a busy li’l thing, aren’t ya? I bought you that dress, in case you were wonderin’, but, I got to say, it wounded me plenty to see you take it back. Didn’t you like it?” He paused for several seconds and studied her, his eyes moving over her body. “I hope you read my note.” She knew enough to nod. “Aw, don’t look so worried. You’re safe with me, long as you behave yourself. Sorry I had to knock you out back there. You got to know, I had no choice. Don’t think you would’ve come too willingly otherwise.”

“Mmmm,” she moaned.

He hunkered down next to her, and the smell of his rancid breath nearly made her retch. A wily grin revealed that a tooth was missing from his top row. “That Marva lady sure had you goin’, didn’t she, enticin’ you with that photo? Bet you’re wantin’ to see it, ain’t ya? She shore is hateful toward you, I’ll say that much. Personally, I think she’s a little loony.” He pointed a stubby finger at his temple and moved it in a circular motion. “You get my drift?”

Rather than respond, she merely stared into his glassy eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out in her face, giving her another urge to retch. “Anyways, Marva gave me the photo. Said I should show it to you. Wanna see it?”

She gave no indication that she did, but he pulled it from his rear pocket, anyway, and stuck it under her nose.

She strained to make out the details. When the picture came into focus, her stomach clenched in a thousand knots.

“Reco’nize it?” he asked. “Marva says it’s a picture of your old house, ’fore it burned. It’s funny,” he went on, peering at the photo, “but I don’t even know that idiot woman, and she blabbed all manner o’ stuff to me. ’Course, she was drunker than a mule at the time.” A deep frown quickly etched itself into his damp brow, and he pulled up his sleeve. “See this?” He stuck out his beefy arm to reveal a wide, bloody gash. “That blasted dog bit me, and it hurts to the moon. I ought to’ve killed ’im right then, but Marva gave ’im a good whack on the head, instead. Knocked ’im out cold.

“But, back to this here picture.” He studied it again. “I bet you don’t know that her daddy’s the one who set your house ablaze.”

What? She jerked her head back. Her dizzied senses were barely registering anything. Had she heard him correctly?

“Yeah, just what I thought.” His eyes gleamed with some kind of sick satisfaction.

As she focused her thoughts, misgivings swirled in her mind. The investigators had determined that a spark from her family’s wood-burning stove had started the fire that had swept through their home and burned it to the ground in minutes. To her knowledge, arson had never been considered.

When Clem reached up and fingered a lock of her hair, another scream caught in the back of her throat and stuck there like an immovable rock. She gave a sudden twist of her head to toss his hand off of her, but he held on. “Seems your daddy had eyes for Marva’s mama. Did you know that?” He gave a sinister chortle. “Broke up her folks’ marriage, accordin’ to Marva.”

She stared at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

“And Marva says she’s still got notes your daddy wrote to her mama. Ain’t that somethin’? I bet you’d like to read ’em.”

Spasmodic trembling overtook her, and she groaned.

“I s’pose you’re wantin’ me to untie that rope at the back of your head, huh? Well, I guess I could, but you can’t scream none, you hear? ’Cause, if you do, I’ll jest be forced to put it back on—only tighter.”

She gave a quick nod, and he untied the rope. After stretching her mouth several times, she started pleading. “Please, just let me go, and I won’t talk to anyone about any of this. I need to go home to my boys. I know they’re missing me something fierce. I promise you, I’ll keep my mouth buttoned tight.” Her knees took on a life of their own, bouncing up and down.

“Yeah?” He lowered his head, making three chins out of one with the simple move. “Even around Will Taylor? I’m afraid I don’t believe you, honey. I saw you two kissin’ down at the river. Blame near made me sick.”

“I won’t even tell Will. I promise.”

“I know you won’t, ’cause you’re gonna forget all about ’im.” He touched her hair again. “He ain’t worth your time, sweetheart. I’m gonna help you forget ’im. Look!” He swept out his arm, indicating the room. “I done collected enough supplies to last us a good long while, you ’n’ me. We’re gonna be real happy together, you’ll see. In a couple o’ days, we’ll get married—well, maybe not in the legal sense, but you know what I mean. Don’t you worry, though; I’ll give you a chance to get used to things first.”

Beads of sweat popped out all over her body, and she squirmed in the chair. “But, I have to—to—”

“Oh!” He opened his mouth, revealing several decayed teeth she hadn’t noticed before. “There’s a privy out back. I’ll take you.” He bent down, as if preparing to free her ankles, but then stopped and cast her a wary glance. Long clumps of greasy, brown hair fell across his bloodshot eyes. “You wouldn’t try any funny business, now, would you? I’d hate to have to hurt you, darlin’.”

She bit her lower lip and shook her head several times.

“That’s right.”

Once her ankles were free, he took her by the arm and pulled her up. Her legs nearly buckled, but she caught herself. “What about my hands? I can’t very well…you know….”

He chortled and dipped his face low, so that she had to endure that awful breath again. “I’ll untie you at the door to the privy. You’ll do your business, and then I’ll tie you up again. Understand?”

She wanted to spit in his face, but she knew that the small satisfaction she’d gain would not be worth the consequences. “Yes,” she managed.

Outside, she stumbled along a bumpy path lit only by the moon and Clem’s low-voltage flashlight. His fingers dug so deeply into her arm, she imagined the blood flow stopping at each pressure point. In the distance, a dog barked, and crickets and tree frogs joined in a chorus of summer tunes. How she longed to break free and sprint through the tall grass. She could outrun him; she was sure of it. She could also scream, but for what purpose? There wasn’t a single house in sight; her wails would be heard only by nighttime creatures. As they navigated the path, she tried to take in her surroundings, but it was too dark to see much of anything.

“All right now, sweetheart,” he said when they reached the outhouse. “I’ll unfasten your hands, but don’t even think of tryin’ anything. I didn’t wanna have to show you this, but, well, see what I got here?” He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a pistol.

“I see it,” she muttered, determined not to show the wave of terror that coursed through her. She pulled the handle on the outhouse door, which squeaked on its hinges, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. Inside, she felt for a lock but found none.

Silent, salty tears rolled down her cheeks and moistened her dry lips. As she stood in the musty-smelling structure, listening to crickets chirp in the distance, she begged the Lord to give her strength and courage. Somehow, she knew that if she had any hope of getting through this alive, she had to keep her wits about her.

***

The search party of volunteer townsfolk had set off in groups of two and three to canvass the homes of Wabash, pounding on doors and, in many cases, waking up slumbering households to ask if anyone knew something about Olivia Beckman’s whereabouts or had spotted any suspicious persons in the area. So far, every response had been negative, and, as the evening slipped away, Will felt his anxiety grow tenfold. The teams had been instructed to report back to the sheriff’s office every two hours to give an account of their progress, and it was at one such gathering that Quinn Baxter approached him to say that he’d taken Alex and Nathan to the home of Howard and Margie Grant.

“Good. How were they?” Will asked.

“They were pretty quiet on the way out, but when they saw their aunt, they ran into her arms, bawlin’ like two lost sheep. I felt bad for the little fellas.”

Will’s heart swelled just envisioning it. “What about Margie? How’s she taking all this?”

“She’s pretty upset but puttin’ on a strong front for the boys.”

He glanced across the room at Howard, who was engaged in conversation with the sheriff, his shoulders sagging wearily. “She and Howard raised Livvie after her parents perished in that house fire. They’re bound to be worried sick. What about Coot? How’d he react to the news?”

“He’s troubled, o’ course, but full of faith and confidence that we’ll find her, and that God will keep her safe in the interim.” Quinn scratched the top of his head. “Strangest thing, though.”

“What’s that?”