Stand By Me (19 page)

Kenya caught the stares as she rounded the table to slip her arms around Gretchen hugging the woman tight to her chest. “You're amazing. I'll keep this little one safe, I promise.” Gretchen cupped her face and kissed her cheek.

Someone walked up behind her and Kenya spun around. “You're gonna have a babe...a Blakemore,” the woman with mousy brown haired and plain brown eyes asked head tilted to the side. Why didn't her hair color fit her eyes?

“I am,” Kenya said stroking her belly. “The incident you all have obviously heard about at the hospital was my husband protecting his wife and unborn child from being attacked by four men.” She shared a look around the room, gaging the importance of telling this story now. They were interested. “I don't know what you've heard, but I had just come from the states to be with Seamus in the hospital and Jonathan and I was leaving. I guess it was my fault I walked outside unescorted, so I could call my mother...I try to speak to her at least twice a week.” The women relaxed. “So Jonathan gave me a little privacy while he made his own calls, figuring I was safe walking out to the car. That's when I was attacked when I had my back to the parking lot getting into my car. Now I can't speak for all men, but that didn't sit well with Jamie, Carl, or Jonathan to see me being attacked. So if you feel my husband should sit in jail for protecting us then I can't change your minds.” She reared back, allowed her stomach to catch their attention. “But if you feel he was wronged we could use your support by writing a testimonial to prove Jonathan's not a cold blooded killer, but a man and an expectant father, enraged by the travesty of his family being attacked.”

“Oy, I say he should have killed all four men for touching his wife,” one man shouted.

“Ye never touch a man's wife, that's just not done,” another bellowed and his voice rang off the walls.

Glasgow shouted stomping through the barn, “Then sign the papers, and clear Jonathan's name getting him back home with his family.”

After shared stares and minimal mumblings, the stable came to life. Kenya smiled. The sound of texting transported her back to the bus with the teenagers, texting faster than she could talk. She turned in a circle, hearing Glasgow cursing someone a new one, pacing a strip of planking in the floor creaking behind each heavy booted step.

“Your Jonathan is someone special,” Katherine said at her side now.

“Momma he's worth it all and more. I'm not stopping until he's out and I can touch his face with my hands.”

“Well, do like you know and turn on some music and get people excited to get him out. These are common everyday folk looking to help your husband. Be a good hostess, turn on a little music and watch the testimonials roll in.”

Kenya spared a look as Jamie came to her side hooking an arm through hers, ushering her up to the front of the stables. She grabbed the files off the table tucking them beneath her arm. Together they recorded names and farms as they brought them up to add to the list.

Kenya passed around her email address and answered questions about her and Jonathan. These people loved this family. Twenty minutes later, she counted thirty-two families on her list of testimonials. They filled her email’s inbox faster than she could read them.

Sitting down at the table, Kenya couldn't believe the families and men and women filling the barn. Glasgow cracked opened the back doors on the stables as people began to outnumber the animals. The cool air felt good moving the space. Over at the side table, Sophie and Katherine recorded on paper, testimonials for those present to sign. Voices echoed in the barn as people relayed their stories of Jonathan saving their farms by allowing them an extension or trading them rent for supplying the inn with fresh baked goods for the patrons. Or whatever they had to trade. Said he was more like his McGhee heritage in that the people came first and not his pockets. Whenever they went to Brian looking for help, he added a fee for this or that.

Kenya sat on the edge of a table rubbing a hand under her stomach, eyes closed, missing Jonathan. She'd forgotten to take a picture of her belly for Jonathan.

Pitchers of cider and trays of warm food people brought in and spread out over a long wood table. Music, from the weather radio, blared country music through the stables. It was a real rent party, Kenya style.

Just as the party began to warm with conversation and everyone becoming familiar with her family, she found her way over to Steve and Marcus. It was important to develop a relationship with Steve where she didn't shut Marcus out.

“I'm glad we didn’t' have to resort to the sordid side of our family, Daddy. I love everybody, but violence has to stop sooner or later.”

“You did good little girl,” Marcus said patting her shoulder.

“Steve thanks for fixing that video for Jonathan's attorney. Without it our defense for Seamus's case on Brian shooting him is lost before it begins.”

He took a bite of the sandwich in his hand then swallowed wiping his mouth with his hand. “Somebody tampered with that on purpose. I made a backup copy just in case anything happens to that one,” he assured Kenya.

“That will be a life saver for certain.” She peered around the stables then back to the two men. “It appears everyone is having a good time. And people are still showing up with testimonials and empty stomachs and dances that should never see the outside of a bedroom.”

They laughed.

“Like I said, lay out some food and they will come.”

Kenya started to walk over to Katherine to have her take a picture of her stomach for Jonathan when she noticed the back door easing closed. The air in the barn was still so what was pushing the doors shut? She stepped through the straw and hay getting closer and the distinctive fumes of gasoline permeated the air seconds before the large doors sealed shut.

She pulled on the handle to slide it open but it was too heavy. Looking for the source of the gasoline she jumped back when something banged loud and hard against the door on the other side. It shook and rattled. Grasping a hold of the empty stable pole she yelped slipping in wet straw, saturated with gasoline. Heat enveloped her and that was the first sign they were in trouble.

Grappling with the wooden beam framing the stall, she righted herself, hearing people screaming running for the front entrance. She turned in time to see Jamie bolting across the room, arms flailing, him hollering for her to get away from the doors.

“That's gasoline, Kenya get out of here,” he shouted grasping her hand dragging her toward the tackle room. “There's a door in the tackle room, go, go, go,” Jamie yelled over the mayhem of voices and running feet.

“I have gasoline on my boots,” she hollered. He picked her up carrying her the rest of the way to the other side of the barn. “Somebody's locking us in here,” Kenya hollered looking for her parents. A rush of hot air moved overhead. Wheeling around she froze seeing flames creeping across the ceiling. Walking backward as flames licked up the barn doors scorching the straw on the floor, she reeled back when it snapped and popped nearly losing her balance. The fire found every dry piece of wood as the closest stable caught fire. Horses whinnied and scratched at their stalls.

Men ran toward the individual stables with fire extinguishers clutched under their arms screaming for everyone to get out. They tried to put out the fires closest to the horses first while others got the latches unhooked. Some were grabbing pitchforks from the walls and shovels knocking the glass out of the few windows. Flames ate at the straw in the loft, dropping embers like rain down through the loft slats. It was burning too fast.

Others banged on the front barn doors when fire snapped along the bottom sending farmers jerking back falling on the ground to scramble up on their feet. Something crashed through the window and everyone bolted to the other side of the room. She whipped her head around, light flashed over the floor and a ball of flames rolled through the straw then exploded in a burst of flickering embers and a blue flame.

“Over here. Hurry up get the women over here,” Someone called. Smoke began filling the barn. Food flew across the room as men knocked it from the table to use the large piece of wood as a battering ram, and ran for the door. It rattled but never opened. Hooves stomping across the floor had her whirling around in time to see horses running in circles as people dodged their manic bodies searching for an escape. Kenya gasped seeing a woman slip on something that fell off one of the horses. It sparkled in the smoke, Kenya eyed the floor at all the buckles, and sharp objects scattered around. Potential dangers were everywhere, in the broken glasses and shattered platters strewn over the barn floor.

Just as she looked for Gretchen, her feet left the floor. Jamie ran with her in his arms across to a stable in the back where they were feeding the women through the feed window. One by one the women were shoved through like they were dolls screaming. The raggedy boards were slicing skin and tearing at their hair. Men were bloody banging their bodies against the windows to make the opening bigger.

She strained to find her mother and watched Michael helping Marcus carry her mother coughing and choking through the threshold. Boards were falling from the ceiling as they continued to literally stuff the women through the small window.

Michael hollered, “Jamie, kick the bottom door out then step back. Fire's rolling in over your head.”

He slammed his booted foot into the wood and it shook, but never gave.

“Something's in front of it. I can't get it to move.” He jerked around grabbing her hand, shoving her toward the window. “I need an ax,” Jamie said coughing and ran out of the room.

Kenya coughed holding her sweater to her nose and searched the faces in the room. “Gretchen...where's Gretchen?”

A woman called from the fog. “I think she's already outside.”

“Be certain...I can't leave Gretchen!”

“Kenya get out, I'll go look for Gretchen.” Michael picked her up. Something creaked. He jerked out seconds before a piece of wood fell from the ceiling missing them by a flame. “Shit!” They stumbled back; Kenya caught the wall a splinter shoved into her hand.

“Go help out front; they need help getting the horses out. I got this in here,” Steve barked out. Michael ran from the stable room out into the barn with the others. The floors creaked while flames shot in wide arcs overhead sending embers floating freely through the air.

“Get my Momma out of here,” she screamed. Steve grappled with her trying to get her through the wooden shoot.

“Kenya...”

“Steve, get her out now!” Kenya shoved Katherine coughing and choking toward Steve, turning she caught Marcus leaning against the doorjamb coughing. “Somebody help me. Get him out of here.”

“Kenya, the fires getting closer,” Steve coughed, and ducked, his form was harder to make out as the smoke rolled over them. She lost him in the thick hot air. Men hollered under flames rolling across the ceiling for loved ones.

Mayhem took over as another man lifted Marcus until most of his body was through the window.

“Don't let my father die, get him out.” Holding her sweater to her nose she ran for the inner smoky barn. Hollering, Kenya searched for Jamie. “Jamie do you have her?”

“What the hell are ye still doing in here?” Jamie choked out his words, coughing from somewhere deep within the thick smoke. She squinted waving a hand before her face, she could see the light then stepped back realizing she was looking at the flames licking over the beams.

“Jamie you can't see enough to get back and I'm not leaving you and Gretchen.” She coughed and choked with smoke filling her lungs. Hands grabbed her around the waist lifting her from the floor and dragging her through the room. Saving her baby was her first concern, but that was her family in there groping to find the door.

“Get your pregnant ass out of here, Kenya,” Steve barked between coughs choking on each word. His hands clamped around her body. “The barn is gonna collapse. I'll go back and get Jamie and Gretchen,” he hollered shoving Kenya through the window to waiting hands on the other side.

“Don't let them die, Steve. That's my family in there,” she hacked and fell against Marcus waiting on the outside in the rain. It was raining but not hard enough to make a difference to a barn burning to the ground.

Flames and smoke billowed out of the roof as the sprinkling rain made no difference in smothering the roaring fire.

Kenya braced her hands on her knees, sucking in the fresh air, waiting to see her family coming out of the barn. The wet air soothed her lungs as she gulped it down for her baby.

Wiping smoke from her face, she dropped a hand to her stomach, “Who would do this?” she cried to no one other than the bare ground at her feet, spotted with the sprinkling of rain.

Crack!

Kenya jumped. Had she been any closer half the barn would have collapsed over on her. People were screaming and crying, running out toward the main house away from the stables. Horses spilled from around the side of the barn in a blur of muscles and stomping hooves. The ground rumbled as they ran out to the pasture behind the barn. Kenya's heart raced as she waited to see Jamie's large body holding her mother's shoulder settling her down on the ground beside Marcus. Where was Steve? Did they get Gretchen?

Pushing through the crowd of farmers and fishermen, Kenya searched the faces for her loved ones. “Anybody seen Gretchen...Jamie...Steve?” Holding her stomach, she spieled off each name over and over in a panicked, hurried tone. Steam from the cold air floated around her face behind each call she sent out under a cupped hand.

Sirens blaring, the trucks came closer and closer, their lights flashing down the long driveway to the barn. Looking through the mass of people on the ground trying to catch their breath, she kept searching for her family. Please let them make it out. They had to have made it, but Jamie's tall body should be easy to spot. He had to make it. Stepping over uneven ground, Kenya searched every face as panic began to well up inside her heart, and she couldn’t see for the smoke in the air around the barn.

The ambulance came barreling down the bumping drive toward the barn wet leaves flipping out behind its tires. The truck rocked when it stopped, paramedics jumped out seconds before the police, and a second and third ambulance rumbled over the ground. She hooked her arm under Katherine's, helping her and Marcus around to the ambulance over the uneven terrain.