Touching the Sky (26 page)

“To go where?” Carissa asked.

Malcolm’s expression caught between a smirk and a look of self-satisfaction. “Well, you little ladies enjoy yourself. Oh, and if you do happen to get free, which I seriously doubt you can accomplish, I want you to know something. It’s ten miles back to town. Ten miles of dangerous paths, and you won’t know where you’re going. It’s dark—and believe me, there’s more than me to contend with out there.”

Fixing his gaze on Laura, Malcolm scooted the chair closer. “You know, you always were the smart one of the bunch. Never could abide that kind of thing in a woman, though. Made me glad that your sister was just willing to arrange flowers and clean house.”

Carissa went pale and Laura felt her anger stir. “Malcolm, did it not ever dawn on you that those papers will explain everything to the army, and they will post guards around all of the necessary locations? I mean, I didn’t take the time to read your papers, but even I can figure that one out.”

“I wasn’t foolish enough to note the locations—or to even sign my name to them. I drew maps and designed how we would set the powder, but I’m good at this. I know better than to leave anything around that could be found by snoopy little girls.”

“They watch you all the time, Malcolm,” Laura warned him. “You’ll never get away with this.”

Malcolm struck her with the palm of his hand before Laura even knew what had hit her. She reeled backward and heard Carissa yell something at her husband. The room swam, and Laura thought for just a moment she might pass out.

Lord help us,
she prayed, fighting for consciousness.
Please, Lord, send a deliverer—send us help.

Malcolm was laughing, and Carissa continued to argue with the man. “You had no reason to strike her, Malcolm. I can’t believe I ever thought you to be an honorable man.”

Laura’s eyes strained to focus, and she saw Malcolm scowl at Carissa. “My honor died on the battlefield for anyone or anything but the South. That’s where my honor lies, and that’s what I’ll go on fighting for.” He got to his feet. “Now, like I said, I’m going to go see to the loads. You two, try to have a pleasant time.” He laughed as though he’d told a great joke and made his way from the tiny shack.

Carissa looked at her sister and shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “This is all my fault. You warned me not to marry him so quickly. You tried to convince me that I wouldn’t be happy, but all I could think about was the wedding and the banquet afterward. I wanted so much to be a beautiful bride and have all my friends gathered round. I was so blind, Laura. So blind. And now you’ll pay for my mistakes.”

“Unless God has other plans,” Laura said, trying her best to smile. Her cheek still ached from Malcolm’s slap.

“You still believe in God—even now?”

“Especially now,” Laura replied. “I couldn’t get through this without Him.”

“And you think God is really listening to your prayers?” Carissa asked.

“I’m certain of it.”

“And you aren’t afraid?”

“I didn’t say that. I wish I could tell you that because I believe God is in control, that I never fear life’s circumstances. But I do. I’m terrified. I know that God is still with us, however, and I’m learning little by little that this is enough. That He is more than able to meet my needs.”

“I’m so scared, Laura.” Carissa bit her lip and closed her eyes. “I want my baby to live.
I
want to live.” She opened her eyes again and met Laura’s gaze. “I want you to live. Can God do that? If I pray to Him . . . will He listen?”

“He listens to the prayers of the faithful and repentant. If you repent of your sins and ask Jesus to be your Savior—He will. He will come into your heart and forgive all of your sin.”

“And we’ll get out of this without getting hurt?” Carissa asked hopefully.

Laura wanted to tell her yes, but knew that would be a lie. “I don’t know. I don’t know what God has planned in any of this. I don’t know how the devil will strive to interfere. I only know that God is faithful, and we can trust Him to never leave us nor forsake us. That’s really all that matters, Carissa. If we die without Him, we are lost. If we die with Him, we are saved no matter what.”

“But I’d rather live,” Carissa said. A sob caught in her throat.

“Then put your trust in Jesus. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. He will deliver us, Carissa. I’m certain of it.” And for the first time since they’d been taken hostage, Laura truly was certain. She had an uncanny feeling that God had already made provision for their deliverance.

“We’re going to be all right, Carissa. We’re going to be all right.”

B
ut where could the girls be?” Mrs. Marquardt asked her husband.

“I hate to say this,” Brandon told them, “but I believe your son-in-law has taken them hostage.”

Stanley Marquardt looked at Brandon, quite confused. “But why?”

Throwing a glance at Tyler, Brandon nodded. “Laura has been helping me to get information on him. We knew Lowe was responsible for the murder of several soldiers. Remember the killings last May?”

“Of the black soldiers?” Marquardt questioned.

Brandon nodded. “We have proof that Malcolm headed that up. He has a team of former Confederate soldiers who are helping him carry on the war.”

Mr. Marquardt couldn’t have looked more shocked had Brandon hit him in the face. He glanced at his wife before he asked, “And what did Laura have to do with this?”

“We were slated to take Malcolm into custody when Laura overheard him talking about his plans to blow up Yankee soldiers. We delayed his arrest hoping that we could catch his cohorts. We have been watching Malcolm and have managed to identify some of the men. When I learned about his abuse of Carissa—”

“What abuse?” Stanley Marquardt cut in.

Remembering what Laura had said about her parents’ ignorance of Malcolm’s true nature, Brandon knew the time had come to reveal the truth. “Your daughter didn’t fall down the stairs at home. Her husband beat her within an inch of her life. Laura figured this out and forced Carissa’s confession.”

Mrs. Marquardt raised her hand to her mouth and stumbled a step backward, while Stanley Marquardt’s face turned beet red. He cursed, something Brandon had never heard the man do before.

“I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you, but apparently Malcolm has been hitting her on a regular basis.”

“Oh, our poor girl,” Mrs. Marquardt moaned.

“Perhaps you should sit down,” Brandon suggested. She didn’t even argue, but sank into the nearest chair.

“Tyler and I have been searching for the women and believe Lowe and his men have them. We have an idea of where he took them, but I’ve arranged for some soldiers to assist us. I only stopped here long enough to let you know what was happening.”

Just then a commotion rose at the front door. Gaston was arguing with someone, but the decidedly female voice would have nothing to do with his protests.

“I gots . . . to see . . . Mr. Brandon. It’s a . . . matter of life and death.”

Brandon and Tyler turned as Esther made her way into the house. She was holding out some papers and looking to Mr. Marquardt in apology. “I knows . . . the workers . . . don’t use the front door . . . but this be important.” She was panting, and Brandon could see that she was covered in sweat despite the cool temperature.

Mr. Marquardt reached for the papers, but Esther pulled them back. “Miss Laura said these was for Mr. Brandon and nobody else.”

Brandon stepped forward before Marquardt could protest and took the papers. “Where did you get these, Esther? Where’s Laura?”

“That Mr. Malcolm . . . he done took her and Miss Carissa. He and his men come jes afore we could leave. Miss Laura, she find these papers in Mr. Malcolm’s office. She say for me to get them to ya, but I watched for a time and I saw the men take Miss Carissa and Miss Laura in the carriage. Then I go to town to search for you.”

“We found the carriage,” Brandon told her, “but the ladies weren’t there.”

Brandon looked through the papers quickly and unrolled the maps. To anyone else it might have been questionable, but Brandon easily recognized the layout of the army’s main supply headquarters. There were notes and arrows pointing in a variety of directions from that building.

“Do you know where Malcolm took the girls?” Marquardt asked.

Esther shook her head. “They headed out the old north road, but I don’t know where they be bound.”

“Thank you for getting these to us.” Brandon looked to Tyler. “It looks like they plan to set off a dozen separate explosions. Lowe means not to just wreak havoc; he means to start another war.”

“What can we do?” Marquardt asked. “How can we help the girls?”

Brandon drew a deep breath. “I’m going to need you to take these to General Russell at the Ironclad House. Tell him I sent you and that he will need to put the troops on full alert. Security must be of the utmost strength in case we cannot get to Lowe and his men in time. Tell them the main area appears to be the HQ supply house. From there, I can’t be sure, but my guess is that Lowe intends to set enough charges to blow up as many soldiers as possible. He may intend to set fire to the supplies and get the men working to put out the fire before setting off a larger explosion. Mention is made of setting fire to another location—looks like the Ironclad House. I don’t have time to study it all, but he will.”

“I’ll take my horse and go right now,” Laura’s father said. He looked to Esther. “Thank you for what you’ve done.” He locked his gaze on Brandon. “Please bring my daughters back to me.” He darted from the room without waiting for Brandon to reply and headed toward the back of the house.

Mrs. Marquardt wept softly into a handkerchief, all the while rocking back and forth in her misery. Brandon looked to Esther. “Take care of Mrs. Marquardt, would you? Tyler and I will go find Laura and Carissa.”

Esther nodded. “God bless ya, Mr. Brandon. God bless ya.”

Laura knew the hour was late. Darkness engulfed them as the men moved her and Carissa to the wagons. Malcolm was giving the final instructions to his men, and Laura could see from the glow of two lanterns that the wagons had been fixed with two teams of horses each.

“You aren’t going to get away with this,” Laura told Malcolm as he made his way to where she stood between her captors.

“I already have. If your thievery had done any good, we would have already had to deal with the army. I don’t believe your people were able to make heads or tails out of my notes, and therefore our plan is secure.”

“You go on thinking that then,” Laura said, “but leave Carissa and me here. Like you said, it’s nearly ten miles to town. It will take us all night to walk it.”

Malcolm laughed. “You’re both going with us. You’re our guarantee.”

“What do you mean?” Laura asked.

“Well, should anyone get sight of us and decide to cause trouble, we’ll have you and Carissa to make them think twice.”

“So you’re going to hide behind a couple of women, is that it?” She shook her head. “Somehow that seems fitting for you.”

He raised his hand to slap her again, then halted. “Put her in the first wagon. Put her up front with you,” he told one of the men. “Then put a barrel of black powder at her feet.”

“I’ll keep Carissa with me,” he said, smiling. “After all, she is my beloved wife.”

Carissa surprised Laura by spitting in Malcolm’s face. Laura would have applauded the effort, but Malcolm backhanded Carissa with such force it knocked her to the ground. Malcolm kicked her hard in the legs.

“Guess you’ll never learn, will you?”

“Stop it!” Laura screamed. “You brute! She cannot bear your cruelty.”

“Then she oughtn’t to have spit on me.” Malcolm wiped his face, then reached down and yanked Carissa back on her feet. “It’s probably best you die in this fracas, otherwise you wouldn’t have lived long anyway.”

A shot rang out and one of Malcolm’s men cried out in pain. Before anyone could react, Brandon Reid called out.

“You’re surrounded, Lowe. You’ve got nowhere to run.”

Malcolm pulled Carissa in front of him and drew his Colt revolver. “If I were you, I’d back off, Reid. I have the women, and I’m not afraid to use them. If any more shots are fired, I’ll send us all to kingdom come. These wagons are full to the brim with black powder.”

Carissa struggled against her husband, and Laura fought to escape the hold of her guard. The man only laughed and hoisted her over his shoulder.

“You need to let the women go,” Brandon countered. “The army knows all about your plans. There’s an entire regiment dedicated to nothing but capturing you and your men. We have the road secured all the way back to town, so there’s no way for you to escape. It’ll go a whole lot easier on you if you just give up now.”

“Ha!” Malcolm snorted, climbing into the wagon and dragging Carissa with him. “No Yankee ever went easy on a Reb. You know that better than anyone. I’m not listenin’ to anything you have to say, Reid. My men and I are taking this powder and leaving. You try to stop us, and the women die. I’m no fool. I have men waiting for us in town. If we fail to show, they’ll come to our assistance, so it’s best you call off your Yankee army and admit defeat.”

Laura cried out when her captor threw her roughly atop the kegs just behind the wagon seat. “You sit there and hold on to my shoulders—that way you’ll be a shield to my back. You let go, and I’ll put a bullet in you myself,” he sneered. “Not in a place that will kill you, but it’ll sure make you wish you were dead.”

Knowing she had to buy some time, Laura did as she was told. It was difficult at best to find a comfortable way to sit on the kegs. She felt as if her breathing would be cut off by the angle of her body and the tightness of her corset. Nevertheless, she maneuvered herself into a somewhat workable position and took hold of the man.

Brandon had said nothing for several minutes, and Laura wasn’t at all sure what was going on. She tried to pray—tried to focus on what she might do to escape, but nothing was coming to mind for either effort.

Finally, just when she’d begun to worry Brandon and the men had gone, he spoke. “Look, Lowe, you can’t hope to get away. If you hurt the women, you’re dead men. It’s that simple.”

“The way I see it,” Lowe said, drawing Carissa across his lap, “I’m the one with the most firepower. Not only that, but I got something you want.”

It was a standoff. Laura bit her lip to keep from crying out or saying anything that might distract Brandon or the other men. If she could just remain completely still, perhaps even the driver would forget her presence.

God, help us, please.
It was the only prayer she could pray.

After another few minutes, Malcolm spoke again. “I’m losin’ my patience, Reid. I want you and your men to leave right this minute. I want you headin’ all the way back to town. If I so much as see a shadow movin’, I’ll shoot one or both of these women. And just so you know I’m serious, I’ll start with Laura.”

“Fine. We’ll go.”

Laura felt as though Brandon’s words had knocked the wind from her. Go? How could they just go?

“Move out now and ride hard,” Malcolm demanded. “Move out and don’t even think of trying to ambush us. I know this area better than you could ever hope to. When we come down that road, it’d better be deserted.”

Malcolm addressed his men then. “Once they’ve been gone ten minutes, we’ll move out.”

For what seemed an eternity, Laura and the others held their position. Laura felt the damp chill cut into her body. Her knees ached from the way she’d pinned them beneath her, and her back felt afire. She longed to know that her sister was all right, but there was no hope of that just now.

When what seemed like far more than ten minutes had passed, one of the men called out to Malcolm. “We gonna get out of here, boss?”

“Indeed. Dismount and take the women. Make your way to the boats.”

Laura pulled away from the driver as he turned to take her in hand once again. She fought him, but he was much too strong and in a matter of seconds had her off the wagon and back over his shoulder.

Fear gripped her like a wild animal. She felt a sense of frantic confusion. Brandon would expect them to head down the road; any ambush or countermeasure would be planned for that very thing. He wouldn’t know about the boats. She hadn’t even known about them.

Her captor came alongside Malcolm, who was foisting Carissa off to a man on his right. “Bind them both good and tight and throw each one of them into a different boat. We’ll split up and get out of here. Head to that cove I told you about. We’ll meet up there and decide what’s to be done.”

“You want to just leave this stuff here?” one of the men questioned Malcolm.

“We don’t have a choice. They’ll be setting an ambush up for us on the road. Leastwise if Reid is even half as smart as I think he is, that’s what I’d do.”

“You can’t hope to get away from here,” Laura said. “If they were able to follow you here, they know all of your hiding places. Brandon is no fool.”

Malcolm turned on her and yanked her head up and back so hard that Laura saw stars. Her back was bent painfully back toward her captor’s head and all the while Malcolm seemed to twist his fingers deeper into her hair.

“Sister, dear, I will take special delight in closing that mouth of yours once and for all. You may think you know exactly how this is going to play out, but you don’t. See, I’m a man who learned early on in the war to never count on anything going as planned. I was more than prepared for Reid’s little stunt here tonight. Believe me, I’m far from worried about how this is going to play out.”

“You should be worried,” Laura said despite the pain. “Brandon will stop you. I know because I’ve been helping him these last few months. I know things about you and your plans, and Brandon knows even more. You haven’t fooled anyone. They know all about your hiding places. They know about your contacts. They’ll soon have all of you in jail.”