September Wind (30 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY

For some reason Donald decided to stop traveling for a while and instead spent days up in his quarters receiving guests. It seemed as if something was brewing the way they arrived two and three at a time and went up through his private entrance, so official and important.

              The weeks turned into a month without one single out-of-town trip. Still, Emily noticed he never once attempted to spend time with his children. If he said anything to them, it was usually a scolding on the way out the door off somewhere for the night in his grand car with the chauffeur at the wheel, more than likely to the Palace or wherever else he spent his time.

             
In spite of everything, she wondered if she was missing something, if those... negative feelings toward him were at least in part a mistake. With all his admirers that seemed to crave his company, and with Pearl, Otto, Bruce and some of the other help who had tons of respect for him, it made her wonder if she was somehow wrong. But then, what about Uncle Bud’s concerns regarding his nephew, and the instant anxiety she felt upon meeting him? If only he would give her a chance to really get to know him, maybe she would understand. He was obviously a busy man, but he
had
put her in charge of the children. He could at least acknowledge her once in a while, and give her the opportunity to discuss her concerns about them.

Then one night when she went down to the kitchen for a snack, she got part of her wish. He gave her some of his time. Although, instead of helping her, it just confused her more.

              She had just picked up an orange and was about to head back upstairs when she heard voices in the side entryway. She tiptoed up the corridor and listened at the door.

             
It was the voice of a young man. “Do you want to be obligated to him for life? Can’t you see that this money’ll get you out of here?”

             
“
Erwin, please. Whatever you’re planning, don’t do it. It’s not worth it.”

             
Emily gasped when she realized the girl’s voice was that of Gabriel. She moved closer to the door as the distraught maid continued. “I’m already obligated to him, remember?” She sounded like she was in tears. “I thought you were going to do the right thing.”

             
“
I am. It’s just that things are about to explode around here. Can’t you see that this is my big chance?”

             
“
No, I can’t. Please, Erwin, stop before it’s too late.”

             
“
I will as soon as I… Oh, never mind. I don’t know why you’re being so…” The young man’s voice drifted and Emily imagined he was looking out the window.

             
She leaned closer to the door, straining an ear when she felt someone behind her. She spun around.

             
“
Oh, Mr. Schillings! I – I was just heading upstairs.”

             
The outside door slammed and Gabriel and Erwin were gone. “What’s going on?” he said sharply.

             
“
Nothing. I – I just heard some voices and I–”

             
“
Well, it sounded like something to me. Remember what I told you about snooping?” He moved closer.

             
She sucked in her breath, defiantly holding her position.

             
“
You realize this makes you as good as an accomplice to whatever they’re up to.”

             
“
An accomplice? To what? Mr. Schillings, you’re accusing me of something I know nothing about.”

             
“
Well, you know enough.”

             
“
But I don’t. I don’t know what you’re talking about. And if I did, who would I tell? I don’t know anyone. You know that.”

             
He lit a cigarette, keeping an eye on her. “Well, I guess I’ll have to accept that for now. But I’d watch myself, if I were you.” He gave her a look of warning, took another thoughtful puff, and then walked out the door.

             
She stared after him in shock. For the first time, she was afraid of him.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Samuel Dimsmoore meant a chance in a lifetime for Emily, one that she might never find anywhere else. He was part of her mother’s past and she clung to the hope he would be part of her future. She was desperate to meet him, although it looked as if she may have lost her ride to San Francisco. Bruce promised to take her, but he and the boss left three days earlier and hadn’t been seen since.

              From the moment she rolled out of bed that morning, there wasn’t an hour that passed when she didn’t look from a window, or step out on the porch and check the drive for any sign of them.

             
Finally, out of desperation, she went to see Pearl. She found her standing on a stool, searching through a cupboard. “By any chance are you going into town this morning?” Emily asked.

             
Even with the added height, Pearl wasn’t quite tall enough to reach Emily at eye level. She gave a “how dare you bother me” look and set a couple of jars on the counter, poking again for more. “No, I’m not. What’re you asking for, anyway? You’ve got children to watch.” She placed another jar on the counter, stepped from the stool and looked up. “You’ve got something up your sleeve, don’t you?”

             
“
No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that... well...”

             
“
Well what?”

             
“
I – I really need to use the telephone if I could.”

             
“
There’s a call coming in a few hours,” Pearl said, bending to push the stool across the room, “until then, I’m staying put.” She straightened and gave the stool a kick against the wall. “And don’t go asking for the key because I’ve got strict orders not to leave sight of it.”

             
The scowl on her face didn’t give Emily much hope of changing her mind, and so she dashed from the room in search of Otto.

             
About this time, he usually went from room to room with a basket of dust rags. She caught up with him in the ballroom. “Excuse me, Otto.” She approached him, barely able to breathe from fear of what he’d say. “If it’s not too much trouble... would you mind unlocking the den so I can use the telephone? Pearl would’ve come down, but…”

             
“
Is this an emergency?”

             
“
Yes. Yes, it is.”

             
He finished dusting a candleholder and returned it to its place on the mantel. “Come along, then. I’ll unlock it for you.”

             
“
Otto?” Emily said as they walked. “I’m finding it odd the way Mr. Schillings has these restrictions on the telephone.”

             
He gave her a look that almost made her regret bringing it up.

             
“
I – I don’t intend to sound disrespectful, Otto, it’s just that I’m trying to understand.”

             
“
I suppose it’s something you’ve heard,” he said, glancing over again. “Well, I don’t know what you’ve been told, but to clear Mr. Schillings of any rumors you might’ve heard, I’ll tell you why. But then keep things to yourself, if you will.

             
“
Oh, I won’t say a word.”

             
He thought for a moment, studying her face, and then revealed more than she ever expected to hear. “It all started when Mrs. Schillings disappeared. She went to bed one night and never came down to breakfast. The only thing that seemed out of place was a pair of mesh slippers she always wore around the house, unique as could be. Anyway, she left a pair outside Maria’s bedroom door. Rumors started flying about how... well, about what happened to her. Then a suicide note was found.”

             
Emily stopped right there in the middle of the room and clutched her chest. “She killed herself? But that’s... awful. Do the children know?”

             
Otto set the basket of rags on a table and continued across the room. “I’m not sure. We’ve never discussed it.” He glanced back as they walked. “Sadly, her car was found in the ocean a few weeks later.”

             
“
But, how’d she…?”

             
“
They say she drove herself off a cliff.”

             
Emily shivered, thinking of the beautiful view over the rocky cliff that had taken her breath away.

             
“
The rumors stopped after that, but then Mr. Schillings caught the nanny on the telephone badmouthing him about one thing or another. And that’s when he laid down the law about the telephone.”

             
“
But I’m not planning anything like... that.”

             
“
I would hope not.”

             
“
Say, Otto,” she said, unable to resist, “uhm... Why doesn’t he let Maria get her mail?”

             
“
Mm.” He hesitated, raising an eyebrow, and then headed off again. “Listen, Emily, I can’t say for certain why he handles things the way he does, but I assure you that he has his reasons. It’s not up to me to question him.”               They stepped into the hallway and he reached back to close the door. “You know, he did mention a while back that the mail won’t be coming here any longer. It seems there are people trying to take advantage of the children because of their wealth. You have to understand that he’s just trying to protect them.”

             
“
Yes, I suppose.”

             
She was amazed how stubbornly loyal Otto was to his boss. Nevertheless, she was glad he cared about the children and didn’t jump all over her at every turn.

             
“
You know, Otto, I appreciate you. Bruce, too, but... well, I don’t know, it seems that everyone else is so standoffish around here, mysterious in a way. Except for Pearl, there’s no mystery about her.”

             
“
Yes, she does speak her mind,” Otto said, looking as if he might smile. “I think the difference with Bruce and me is that we’ve been here since, mm... I’d say about a year before Mr. Schillings took over. And as far as the others, well... the boss isn’t keen on his help chumming, thinks too many problems arise when they get caught up in each other’s business. I’ll have to say, having had assignments all over the world, I tend to agree with him. The rule is that everyone keeps to themselves. You see, it’s a little different now after everything that’s happened.”

             
They reached the library and Otto turned the key, pushing the door open. “There it is, young lady, over on the desk.”

             
She hoped he’d leave her alone. For whatever reason, he seemed compelled to stay and busy himself straightening while she looked up the number and dialed. It rang several times before someone picked up.

             
“
Mack’s,” came a voice over the noise in the background.

             
Emily tried to decide if it was Maxine or not. She glanced at Otto, cupped a hand over the mouthpiece, trying to keep her voice down while attempting a decent disguise. “I was wondering if you could get a message to a customer. I’m supposed to meet him there at noon.”

             
“
A message for a customer, you say?”

             
“
Yes. Please.”

             
“
What’s he look like?”

             
Emily winced. It was Maxine all right. “I – I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never seen him. But his name’s Samuel Dimsmoore. And, well, I was wondering if I don’t make it… if, if you could please tell him that the girl who was supposed to meet him couldn’t make it. A–and then would you mind telling him where he can find me?”

             
Maxine sighed. “So, where’s that?”

             
Emily thought for a moment, considering whether she would know Donald Schillings or not.

             
“
Hurry it up I don’t have all day. What’s his name and address?”

             
“
The guy I’m working for... h-he lives, I don’t know.” She glanced at Otto again. “I’d say around sixty miles South of San Francisco. You can’t miss it with the ‘no trespassing’ signs on either side of a large green gate, and then there’s these black initials, a D and an S over top. There’s no other like it.”

             
“
So what’s this fellow’s name?”

“
Well, uhm.” She took another peek at Otto, lowering her voice even more. “Well… it’s Don. Don Schillin.”

             
“
Donald Schillings? Ha. Emily, is that you?”

             
“
...Yes, it’s me.”

             
“
I had a hunch all along. You’d better have a bowl of chicken noodle soup or something. You sound awful. So Beatrice already got rid of you, huh?”

             
Emily could hear the smile in her voice. “No, that’s not what happened.”

             
“
Remember what I said about wasting your time with that P.O. Box address?”

             
“
I know what you said. Oh, just forget I called. I’m on the way. Tell him I’m on the way.”

             
She hung up, wondering how she was going to pull this off. Yet, she was more determined than ever. No telling what Maxine would say if Samuel showed up.

             
“
Say, Otto, do you drive?”

“
Never did. There’s really been no need. Besides, Mr. Schillings doesn’t like his help cluttering up the yard with cars.” He finished watering a plant then looked over. “Why do you ask?”

             
“
Something’s come up, but I’ll manage okay. Anyway, thanks for helping out.”

             
The children were in class, so she decided to leave a note on Maria’s pillow saying she had an appointment, that she’d be back before dinner and to please not tell anyone.

Now all she had to do was find a ride to San Francisco. Short of stealing one of Donald’s cars, which would land her in jail for sure, there was only one thing left to do. She would go out to the road and flag down a ride. She had seen it done several times on her way to Watseka. Steven even picked up a man once.

              By quarter of ten, she was heading up the long driveway feeling like an ant beneath the redwoods. Whenever she was tempted to go back to the house, she thought of Samuel waiting at the restaurant. She could just see Maxine standing over him with her mouth going like a threshing machine. The vision made her move faster.

When she reached the highway, she pulled her skirt up into a knot, scaled the fence, and then got up next to the road and held out an arm to her first potential ride. The closer the car came, the further she stretched her arm, and the faster she bobbed her thumb. The car shot past, and the wind sent her hair flying in every direction and her skirt flapping against her shins. Her heart sank as she watched the taillights disappear up the road.

              A few minutes later, another car approached. The driver slowed for a look and then sped off again. For nearly an hour, she paced the pavement as car after car zipped by without a glance.

             
There was a long period of silence, and then all at once she leaned forward and squinted. It was more of a hunch to start with, but it wasn’t long before she was certain her boss’s limousine was coming up the road. She rushed for a spot of shade beneath some overhanging branches, and then scaled back over the fence. A few minutes later, she watched from behind a tree as Bruce pulled into the driveway and opened the gate. Once the car disappeared up the drive, she climbed onto the road and hightailed it back to the house.

             
She knew the children were on a break when she approached the kitchen and heard Maria’s high-pitched voice concocting a story for Pearl. “She was a little sick last night too,” she was saying.

             
“
Now, that’s a crock,” Pearl said, “because she came to me just this morning wanting to use the phone, going on about a ride to somewhere. And she didn’t look sick to me.”

             
“
But she…” Maria tried again, although the woman wasn’t having it.

             
“
No, something’s up with that girl.”

             
Emily winced, put on a smile, and walked around the corner. “Hello, everyone.”

             
“
Well, there she is looking as spry as a night owl. Where’ve you been, anyway?” The little box of a woman dropped a basket of apples onto the counter and glared up at Emily. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”