Saturday's Child (31 page)

“Isn’t she around?”

“With the house like that, she’d have found me.” Panic tinged his voice. “Start a search, and I’ll call the police. Get Sgt. Holmes up here or something.”

As Hal set off to do what he asked, Aaron dialed the phone. Again, he didn’t bother with preamble. “Sgt. Holmes, it’s Aaron Field. Meggie’s vanished. She didn’t leave the farm last night and no one has seen her…”

Aaron spun around as someone called his name. “What is it?”

A tall firefighter stood in front of him. “I’m sorry. We found a body in the ruins. Was there anyone else in the house last night, other than you?”

Everything faded for a moment and voices echoed and time slowed. Someone was in there?
Oh, God, please, not Meggie…don’t let it be Meggie…

“Not as far as I know,” he managed. “But Meggie is missing. The only person unaccounted for this morning is Meggie. Her car is still here. Please, don’t let it be Meggie…”

28

For dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. Psalm 22:28

Aaron still stood in the yard, trying to get information out of the firefighters, as Nate arrived with several uniformed officers. They headed straight into the farmhouse, along with the forensic officers.

Aaron paced frantically; he’d lost her and blamed himself. He should have walked her to her car, made sure she got home. He wanted to go and help with the search, but he didn’t want to leave in case it was her lying there.

A hearse pulled onto the farmyard. Aaron looked down at the ground.
When will this end, Lord? I thought things were working for good now. How is this good?

Nate crossed over to him. “Aaron, did you find her yet?”

“No, we haven’t. I’m sorry I wasn’t around when you came by earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

How can I not worry about it when Meggie is lying dead in there
? But he didn’t say any of that. He found himself nodding, a fixed expression on his face.

He’d lost Meggie and that grief was too raw to process anything from the past. “What if it’s Meggie—?”

He broke off, turning away. Nausea rose, and he swallowed hard.

Nate put a hand on his arm. “We’ll keep looking for her until we know for sure.”

“I don’t know what she was doing here. Or how she got in the house if it is her. I’d locked up. Why hadn’t she said anything?”

“I don’t know.” Nate looked at Pastor Jack as he arrived. “One thing after another, isn’t it?”

Pastor Jack nodded. “It is. Aaron, Bruce and I were talking and we think that it’d be best to cancel the bonfire.”

“No, Jack, don’t. Meggie wouldn’t want that.”

“Cancelling is the best option.” Nate nodded in agreement with the others. “The whole farm, bar two fields, is now a crime scene.”

Aaron groaned in despair. “And those are the two fields we need for tonight. Doesn’t that tell you something? God doesn’t want this bonfire stopped. No one needs to go anywhere near the ruins or the top field. Meggie put so much work into this, don’t let the last thing she did…”

“Hey,” Pastor Jack said gently. “We don’t know it’s her yet. How about you and I go and check one of the other fields? That way, Nate can get on with what he needs to do.”

A white suited man crossed to them. “Sgt. Holmes?”

Nate nodded and turned away.

Aaron slowly trudged across the yard. “This is my fault. I should have made sure she went home instead of faffing about here last night.”

“Aaron. Jack.” Nate’s loud shout was accompanied by running footsteps. “It’s not her. The body in the farmhouse is male. Even allowing for the burn damage, he’d have been over six feet, and therefore far too tall to be Meggie.”

A tiny spark of hope flashed at the bottom of Aaron’s heart. “Then where is she?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve got more men coming. We’ll do a fingertip search of the entire farm. Has someone rung her brother?”

“I did,” Aaron said. “He’s on his way. Although he said ‘we’ so it could be all seven of them, plus her parents.”

“Is it possible she got a lift home last night?”

“I don’t know who from.” He thought. “The last people to leave were Gerry Buchannan and Tim Fellows. Both insisted they had the weekend off, although I don’t remember telling them so. In fact, I wanted everyone here this weekend to watch the animals during the fireworks and clear up tomorrow. But with the painkillers and all...”

“I’ll get someone over there to talk to them. And the last time you saw Meggie was?”

“She was on the phone.”

“OK. We need to establish a time frame here.”

“Around four, four thirty. I discussed business with Gareth, then did the milking. I didn’t see her after she headed off on the phone.”

“OK. Help in the search. I’ll be around. Call if you find her.”

****

The search proved fruitless. With his heart in his boots, Aaron slowly crossed the field towards the huge bonfire. It towered above him. Meggie had done a good job organizing this. The guy sat perched on the top, tied to the stake. For a moment, he thought he saw the guy move. He peered at it, and then realized it was the wind blowing the ribbon around his neck.

In the field beyond him, the church crew set up the fireworks, making sure the distances were right.

Aaron began to pull off the tarpaulin. It wasn’t going to rain, so they may as well uncover this now. “Can you give me a hand to fold them please, Jack?”

“Sure.” Pastor Jack took one end of the tarpaulin. “I love the guy. It’s so lifelike.”

“Meggie wanted to give it pointed ears and eyebrows. She drew the face herself.”

“She’s really gotten into this. She has a gift for organization as well as the children’s ministry.” He paused, folding the cloth. “This is wet.”

Aaron looked at him. “It shouldn’t be. It didn’t rain last night, and it’s too far away from the fire to have gotten water on it.”

Pastor Jack looked down at his hand. “It’s blood.”

“What?” His heart plummeted. He looked around in terror. “Meggie? She must be here.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because the only thing that tarpaulin has been near is the bonfire.” He wasn’t sure if he was making sense as he took a deep breath. “Meggie!” Aaron yelled. “Meggie, can you hear me?” He pulled out his phone and rang Nate. Not bothering to wait he spoke as soon as Nate answered. “She’s got to be by the bonfire. There’s blood on the tarpaulin.”

“On my way. I’ll call an ambulance.”

Aaron put the phone in his pocket. “Meggie…”

A muffled cry came in answer.

“Did you hear that?”

Pastor Jack nodded. “Seemed to come from the bonfire itself.”

Aaron circled the fire. “Meggie, are you in there?”

Another faint muffled cry. But this time it came from above him.

Aaron looked up.
Please, God, no…

The face of the guy had slipped just a little. Black hair peeked from underneath it.

“I need to get up there. She’s the guy!” He looked around and then in sheer desperation, ripped off the sling and began to scale the side of the bonfire.

“Aaron, don’t be stupid,” Pastor Jack called.

Nate ran up. “What is he doing?”

“Meggie’s tied up there. Someone turned her into the guy…”

Their words faded as Aaron kept climbing, his heart in his mouth. Pain filled his arm, but he ignored it. “I’m coming, love, don’t move.” He reached up and pulled off the face she had drawn.

Terrified eyes met his. Duct tape covered her mouth.

He pulled the tape off. “Meggie, are you hurt?”

“Help me…” she whispered. “I’m hot…something’s burning.”

Aaron balanced and began untying the rope binding her to the stake. “What happened?”

“I don’t remember…” She hissed in pain. “It hurts, please hurry.”

The rope slick with blood was impossible to undo with only one working hand. He reached into his pocket for his knife and cut them. Finally, he pulled her free and they slid down the bonfire.

Tears ran down Meggie’s face.

Aaron gathered her in his arms, kissing her, not wanting to let her go.

“We need to get her checked over,” Nate told him. “Let me take her. You need to put the sling back on.”

“I can manage.” Aaron shook his head, carrying her across the field towards the barn. “Where’s the ambulance you called?”

“It’s on its way. I’ve told them to hurry.”

He nodded. “Meggie, how are you doing?”

“I hurt so much,” she whispered. “But you found me.”

“Of course I did. I’m never going to let you go again.”

“What happened to the house?” she whispered.

“It burned last night. I’m not hurt, I got out in time.”

“That’s good. Don’t need us both hurt.”

Cars started pulling onto the field, and Pastor Jack headed over to start the bonfire evening.

As they reached the farm yard, a series of three cars pulled up on the yard, and seven men piled out. Aaron recognized Gareth and Cadfael, and assumed the men with them were the rest of her brothers. “Cavalry’s here,” he said kissing her.

“That protective streak,” she gasped. Pain shot across her face.

“Meggie?”

“Hurts…burning.”

Nate held off the newcomers.

Aaron hurried into the barn to set Meggie down. He looked up. Fear shot through him as an all too familiar figure filled his vision. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in jail.”

Tanis looked at him. “So you found her. That’s a shame.” She twisted the doll in her hands. “The likeness is uncanny, don’t you think?”

Meggie cried out in pain.

The door behind them burst open and Nate ran in, followed by the others.

“I asked you a question,” Aaron repeated. “How did you get here? Did you get bail? Or did you escape?” He prayed as he spoke.
Give me the strength to defeat her, Lord. She is part of a fallen force, but while she breathes there is hope that she too may come to know her risen Savior. Keep us safe, deliver us from whatever evil she has planned.

Tanis smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She lit a match and touched the flame to the doll in her other hand.

Meggie screamed.

Aaron grabbed the bucket of water in his good hand and placed Meggie’s hands in it,

Nate picked up the other bucket, tossing it over Tanis and the doll, soaking them both.

She laughed. “You think I’m going to melt?”

Cadfael closed his eyes, praying aloud, as Gareth, Iestyn and Evan, charged at Tanis, tackling her to the floor.

Tanis looked up at Meggie. “He’ll never love you. He can’t. You’re unworthy, and a liar.”

Meggie lay in Aaron’s arms. Her brothers formed a protective wall around them. “He knows the truth. The truth sets you free. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of.”

Aaron cradled her close, wanting to protect her from any more harm.

Nate slapped the cuffs on Tanis. “I don’t know what strings you pulled to get out, but you’re going right back to jail.”

Tanis laughed.

“I saw what you just did, and I will find a law on the books that covers witchcraft.”

“Witch is such a callous, over used and misunderstood word,” Tanis said, looking first to Nate and then at Aaron. “We worship the lord of the earth. He is far more powerful than your God ever will be.”

“You’re wrong,” Nate told her. “God won the war with the devil centuries ago. Jesus is Lord and always will be.”

“You killed Mum.” Aaron said.

Tanis just shrugged. “And your father, your wife…and all the accidents here. Right? They’re all my doing.”

“What about the farm house?”

She laughed. “Well, that was the only thing that you owned, Aaron. I had to get rid of it. It’s just a shame you got out alive.” She was still laughing as Nate led her to the waiting police car.

Two paramedics came into the barn. The brothers moved slightly to allow them through so they could look at Meggie’s burns.

Meggie grimaced in pain as the paramedic examined her, then calmed as the medicine they administered began to work. They wrapped her hands carefully in what looked like sandwich bags.

“We need to get you to the hospital.”

“In a minute. Aaron, this is my entire family.” She winced. “Gareth and Cadfael you already know. Then there’s Iestyn, Evan…”

“I can do that,” Gareth told her. “We need to get you to the hospital.”

“Yes, we do.” Aaron picked her up and carried her out to the waiting ambulance. His arm was killing him. Maybe they’d have a spare sling on the ambulance he could have. But then if they did, someone else would carry Meggie, and he didn’t want her out of his sight or his arms for the foreseeable future.

She shook her head. “Please. I want to see the fireworks.”

“Meggie,” Aaron chided. She was hurt, leaving the burns might mean they got infected and she’d be in hospital even longer.

“Please. I’ll go as soon as it’s over. I worked so hard on this.”

Aaron looked at her brothers. “Can’t you reason with her?”

Cadfael laughed. “This is Meaghan Rhiannon Knight the Unmovable,” he said. “There is nothing that can make her change her mind.”

The paramedic looked at her. “You’ll have to sign…” he broke off.

Meggie grinned and waved her covered hands. “How?”

“Tell you what. We’ll wait, but if it looks like you can’t cope, we go in before they’re finished. How’s that?”

“Brilliant, thank you.” She looked at Aaron. “Where’s your sling?”

“In the field somewhere. Doesn’t matter. Yes, it hurts, but I can deal with it.”

“Can we go see the fireworks?”

Aaron hugged her. “You, woman, are mad.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her outside. “Takes one to know one. I love you.”

He did a double take. “Where’d that come from?”

“Being tied to a stake tends to focus one’s mind. I did a lot of praying, a lot of thinking. And I know how I feel about you.”

He sat her on the bonnet of the Jeep and leaned against it, his arms around her, as the first fireworks took off high into the sky. “You want to tell me what happened or just go through it the once with Sgt. Holmes at the station?”