Secrets in the Lowcountry--The River (17 page)

“
W
ondering
about th
is spiritual
connection, you
really
should
talk to Mary.
For no
w
,
w
e must continue
discussing
our guests,” his tone turned practical. “
Please sit do
w
n.
”
His
voice gentle and kind
covered the iron core of his being.

S
he resumed her seat in the
w
indo
w
.

“
W
e
will
gather everyone together in the living
room and tell them our decision.
”

“Can’t
w
e
w
ait until this evening?” she pleaded.

“No. Some of our guests drove. T
hey might like to get home
tonight.
Others might have reservation
s
on an evening plane
. T
hey still have time
to catch
it
. I
f they’ve changed their flights, they can get an early plane tomorro
w
.
All of them
have helped. T
hey’ve done their share.
W
e can help them by letting go.”

For a fe
w
moments, neither spoke.

Then s
he nodded and stood.
“I’ll
w
ash my face, before I
round up everyone.” She stared at him. “I love you, Daddy. I al
w
ays
will
.”

“You are my princess,
my darling little girl.” He kissed her forehead.

She sniffed. “If I don’t leave this minute, I
’ll
start ba
w
ling again.” She pulled a
w
ay.

Before she turned the knob
, he said, “A
sk Mary
, if you think she can help resolve your dilemma
.”

* ~ *

W
hile talking to their house guests,
Larry
appeared in the arch
w
ay. “Sorry, Doc, I r
ang the bell, but …
”

“That’s no
t
important.
W
hat ne
w
s?” Martin asked.

“
Not good,” he said, shaking his head. “
There’s a severe thunderstorm,
w
ith high
w
inds expected tonight, coming from the
w
est.
W
e’re calling
in all the boats.
”

Everyone groaned.

Taylor grabbe
d her father’s hand, holding tight
.

“
Tomorro
w
, o
ur DNR guides
will
finish up their search. ‘Course, for the next fe
w
days, they’ll keep a sharp look-out for
,
anything.
” He cleared his throat. “The Coast Guard and the police helicopters
will
return to their bases
tonight. Tomorro
w
, they’ll check the area once more
and
then
,
they must return to their normal schedules. I’m sorry.
”

Although her father had said as much earlier, hearing the
w
ords slashed her heart.

Another moan filled the room.

“I’m
really sorry,” h
e
repeated as he
w
alked to Taylor, t
ook her other hand, giving it a pat
. “I’ll
spend as much time as possible
, checking every lead
coming
in
for as long as
feasible
.” He stared into her eyes. “Taylor,
I hate having to say this, but the Lo
w
country’s a tough place for a man alone. You and your dad understand that.”

“
W
e do,” her father said, interrupt
ed
.

Larry briefly shifted his attention from Taylor to her dad
.
“Remember, please,
if he’s alive,
w
e
will
find him.”
He
gave
her hand
a quick squeeze
.

After he
left the house, t
he sound of crying and stifled groans reverberated throughout the living room.

“
W
hat did the DNR guy mean about the Lo
w
country being a tough place?” Tim asked.

Taylor breathed
deeply trying to find the strength
to tell him. At the same time, h
er father cleared his throat as if attempting to find the right
w
ords
.

Before either could speak, Miss Mary, in a
firm voice
,
said,
“
For all t
he beauty of the Lo
w
country
, she has another face that occasionally sho
w
s
,
the
dark side.
O
ur s
w
ift
tides
clean the
w
ater, but in a boat,
w
ithout a motor or a paddle, the strength of the river can
carry people and their
skiffs
out to the ocean.
The
approaching thunderstorm
and the direction it’s moving
w
ill
add
po
w
er to an already strong surge. Then add the
spring tides
that we’re experiencing now
to the mix
.
”

A fe
w
of the guests nodded. O
thers expressions remain
ed
confused.

“
W
hat’s a ‘spring tide?’ asked Tim.

“
W
hen
w
e have a full moon, our tides can reach eleven feet as opposed to their normal eight or nine. This adds tremendous
strength
to the river
. M
ore
w
ater
flo
w
s
in and must flush out in the same
period
of time.” She
w
aited as if expecting a question,
w
hen no one spoke, she continued,
“
The
w
ater
ultimately
push
es
boats to
w
ard the ocean.
Surviving in the broad expan
se of the Atlantic is difficult
,
extremely so
,
und
er the best of circumstances. Augmenting the river
w
ith
rain,
w
ind,
thunder and lightning
increases
the
problem.
”

Taylor
w
atched as she shifted her gaze from one face to another then stopped.

“But possible,” Tim said
, as if saying
w
ould make it happen
.

Mary’s
face filled
w
ith sadness.
“Yes, but
w
ith the storm
and
after t
w
o days
…
”

Silence filled the room. At last, they understood.

*~*

By ten
o’clock
the ne
xt morning, everyone had gone. Some had offered to say for her mother’s
funeral,
w
hich
w
ould be o
n Tuesday, but she and her father urged them to go.
At the front steps of the house, she and her father had waved good-bye to the last guests. Now,
Taylor vie
w
ed the empty drive
w
ay
,
numbness
enveloping her body
.
Her father voice interrupted her
unhappiness
and
sadness.

“If you need me, I’ll be in my office.” He kissed the side of her bro
w
and left.

She
had
stared at his retreating figure and almost called
, o
ffer
ing
him her help. But, she sensed his need to be alone
.
Her father, basically an introvert, requ
ired time undisturbed by anyone. For th
e past fe
w
days, he’d been denied his quiet.
She thought about visiting Miss Mary, but remembered that she and the part-time staff
that
had taken care of everyone’s
requests for the last few days had their hands full cleaning up the house and the cottage.

The lethargic
mood threatened to destroy her. Driving the negative attitude aside, she
w
alked do
w
n the steps and follo
w
ed the right side of the curved drive
w
ay only stopping at the brick pillars that marked the path to her home.
W
hile she strolled, i
deas and plans for her day raced through her mind
. S
he reject
ed
them. She should
go to the barn, but she couldn’t make herself.
Jean and the ne
w
est groom, Cindy
,
w
ould handle everythi
ng.
Taylor had arranged
the schedule
w
hen she’d expected to be gone.
Maybe, she’d go and muck ou
t a fe
w
stalls this afternoon.

W
ith t
he search for Rod called off
, looking for him alone on a t
w
enty mile river, plus the
rivulets
and the streams, made no sense
.
Mr. Larry
promised to
notify them
w
ith any ne
w
s.

A terrible thought invaded her
,
one she’d previously successfully pushed aside.
W
hat Mr. Larry hadn’t said
because
he
w
ished to spare her additional pain
,
t
he body might
w
ash up
w
ithin a
w
eek or t
w
o
, any
w
here
.
Nor
did
he say
that o
ccasionally the
y
never found the person.
She lived in the Lowcountry all her life and understood the risk the rivers presented to boaters and swimmers.

She shivered
and
leaned again
st the ivy covered brick pillar, b
it
ing her lo
w
er lip and
containing the tears. Gazing at the sky, she
fixed her attention
on the scattered clouds as t
hey changed shaped. Suddenly,
an alligator loom
ed in the sky
instead of fluffy,
w
hite nothings.

She shut do
w
n the vicious scene. Hope, she must not give up
hope
. She offered a prayer for
Rod’s safety
,
prayers and hope being
her only refuge. No, she’d forgotten Miss Mary. Yesterday, Taylor had decided to ask for help from her. P
erhaps, she’d finished her chores or
could take a break for a while.
Taylor pu
sh
ed
off the pillar
and
strode to the house.