Wind Over Marshdale (36 page)

 

It was good to be home. Toronto held nothing for her anymore, Rachel realized. She had finally made the break and released herself from her family's hold. Freedom at last.

The telephone rang, cutting into Rachel's reflections.

“Hello? Miss Bosworth, is that you?” a timid female voice asked on the other end.

“Yes,” Rachel replied, waiting.

“Uh, I was wondering if you could come over for a few minutes. I… I need to talk to you.”

“Who is this?”

“Janet. Janet Lane,” the woman replied. She sounded desperate. “Brandi's mom? It would be good if you could come right away. Ralph's not home right now and…”

“I'll be right over, Janet. Don't worry.”

What in the world? Maybe it had something to do with Brandi. Had she run away from the foster home this time?

It took only a few minutes to drive to the Lane's. Janet ushered her into the house, looking anxiously out onto the street before closing the door.

The house was a dingy mess of scattered clothing and general clutter. The furniture was old and worn; a broken kitchen chair lay toppled in one corner. The kitchen counter was crammed with dirty dishes and empty bottles. A toddler wobbled by, fixing his gaze on the stranger as he walked, wearing nothing but a drooping diaper. Another boy of about four sat on the floor crashing two dinky cars together. His face needed washing.

Janet removed the dark glasses that she wore. Rachel gasped at the blackened eye beneath. “Janet! Did Ralph do this to you?”

“He was a bit—under the weather—when he left,” Janet explained.

“Does he beat you often when he's been drinking?” Rachel asked.

Janet nodded, her mouth a pursed line. “Better me than on the little ones,” she said.

“What? He has no right to abuse anyone,” Rachel exclaimed.

“He only does it when he's drinkin'. He's real nice and gentle otherwise.”

“That's no excuse.”

“He always feels real bad, afterwards. The trouble is, he's been drinkin' a lot lately,” Janet said, looking down at her feet.

“He's the one who beat Brandi, isn't he?” Rachel asked, capturing the other woman's gaze with her own. The girl had never confessed who her real perpetrator had been. She had insisted it was a group of kids from out of town that she didn't know.

Janet nodded. “Only a couple times. I felt so bad, ‘cause I wasn't home, and well, he wouldn't have beat on her, otherwise.”

“He would have abused you instead,” Rachel stated.

“I guess I don't blame her for trying to run away. But now that they've gone and put her in a foster home in the city, Ralph's been real angry. I'm afraid he's going to start taking it out on one of the other children next.” She stooped to pick up the little boy that was now hanging on her leg. She kissed his tousled head with a sniff.

“Janet, you don't deserve to live like this. Nobody does,” Rachel said. “You should bring this to the police.”

“They'd just put Ralph in jail. Then what would I do?”

“You can't remain here under these conditions! Think of the other children.”

“That's why I called you,” Janet explained. “I was trying to think of some way to get away for a while. And well, you seemed like a nice person. Someone I could trust. The way you looked after Brandi and all…”

“Just what are you trying to say?” Rachel asked.

“Ralph won't be home for a little bit. Least he usually doesn't come home until after dark. Well, anyway, I was wonderin' since I don't have a car, if I could impose on you for a ride to Silver Creek. There's a bus out of there at seven for Regina.”

“And what would you do there?”

“Well, I've been savin' some money. Ralph doesn't know about it. I think I have enough to take me and the kids on to Calgary. I have a sister there.”

“You expect me to just drop you off at a bus station with your small children and hope for the best?” Rachel asked incredulously, her voice rising.

“It's all I could think to do,” Janet shrugged. The misery in her eyes was heartbreaking.

“I don't know, Janet. I still think going to the police or to social services would be better than running away.”

“Please, Miss Bosworth?” Janet pleaded. “Please, Rachel?”

The front door swung open with a bang. A very drunken Ralph Lane swaggered into the house, leaving the door wide for the biting air to enter the already cold room.

“Ralph! What are you doing here?” Janet asked in frightened surprise.

“Whad'ya mean?” he slurred. “This is my house. I live here. Hey! Who's that?”

“Hello, Mr. Lane,” Rachel greeted him, trying to sound business-like. “I'm just here visiting Janet.”

“Well, if it ain't that nosy teacher,” he said, advancing unsteadily toward Rachel. “You're gonna pay for what you done.”

“Mr. Lane,” Rachel said with as much bravado as she could muster. “You will stop threatening me, and you will stop abusing your wife and children!”

He stopped in his tracks, leering. “So that's your game, is it? Come to see if you can take a few more of my kids away, eh?” He lunged for her and ended up toppling over a kitchen chair as she ducked out of the way.

“Ralph! Stop it,” Janet yelled, grabbing at his coat sleeve. He threw her off, sending her with a crash into the kitchen counter. A beer bottle slipped to the floor and shattered. One of the children started to cry.

Rachel realized the desperate situation she was in. Even though Ralph was drunk, he was still a very powerful man.

This time, he was able to catch Rachel's wrist. He jerked her forward painfully. “Now then,” he ground out, his breath reeking of stale alcohol.

God
!
Rachel called out in her mind.
I'm sorry for not believing in You! Help me now!

“Ralph, let go of the lady,” an authoritative voice said from behind.

“Huh?” Ralph released Rachel's wrist as he swung unsteadily around.

“Now just calm down, and tell me what's going on here,” Con demanded, his voice calm as he advanced slowly into the room.

Ralph squinted at the newcomer, his brain obviously deciding on his next course of action.

“Don't even think about it, Ralph,” Con continued. “The RCMP are right outside.”

Rachel wasn't sure if he was bluffing or not, but was grateful that Ralph seemed convinced. He plopped down on a kitchen chair with a grunt. Rachel scooped up the baby and shuffled Janet and the other children out of harm's way.

“Take my cell phone and call the police,” Con instructed, tossing the device over to Rachel. She obeyed mutely while Con approached the other man. He righted the toppled kitchen chair and straddled it across from Ralph. “So what's goin' on, here, buddy?” he asked, his voice louder than normal, as if talking to a deaf person. “Something we should talk about?”

Two officers arrived shortly afterward. After some brief questions, they hauled Ralph off in their police cruiser. He would probably spend the night in the drunk tank. There was no use talking to him in his present condition.

“How did they get here so fast?” Rachel asked.

“We'd just finished up with Friest,” Con replied.

“As in Steve Friest? The Phys. Ed teacher?” Rachel asked.

Con nodded.

“That's a relief,” Rachel breathed. “I was afraid Bonita wouldn't tell anyone.”

“You knew?” Con asked, frowning.

“She made me promise not to tell,” Rachel said, avoiding his penetrating gaze.

He continued to scrutinize her for what seemed like minutes until he finally turned to Janet. “Are you going to be alright, Janet? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I'll be fine,” Janet replied. “I may pack up and head for Calgary after all, though. My sister will know what to do.” Rachel felt sorry for the other woman. It must be a terrible life. But there wasn't much more they could do right now.

Con and Rachel took their leave and walked silently to where their parked vehicles stood waiting. “How did you know to come to the Lane's?” Rachel asked once she'd reached her car.

“I'm not sure,” Con admitted. “I saw your car parked in front of the house and I remembered the concerns you'd had last time you'd been to visit. So I stopped to see if everything was okay. That's when I saw Ralph manhandling you. It was all I could do to keep from knocking his head off.”

“I prayed,” she informed Con quietly. “And then you showed up.”

“Rachel,” Con said, his tone tentative. “I was wondering if we could, you know, still be friends.”

“I think I'd like that,” Rachel replied with a shy smile. “Oh. And thank you for the gift. I never had a chance to say it before.”

“Gift?”

“The kitten.”

“Oh, right,” Con nodded. “So how is Sarge doing?”

“Sarge?” Rachel asked.

“That's just what I called him. You can name him whatever you want.”

“Oh. So it's a boy kitten. I guess Sarge is better than Fluffy,” Rachel laughed.

Con smiled, capturing her eyes for a moment. It took her breath away. He cleared his throat. “Tell me more about Friest. How much did you know?”

“I ran into Bonita one day shortly before Christmas break. She was upset and told me that Mr. Friest made her feel uncomfortable. That he'd made what she thought were sexual advances. I told her to tell someone and she said she would.”

“She did. You,” Con stated.

Rachel's eyes widened. “Don't tell me she never said anything and he did it again? Oh no! I knew I should have disclosed immediately, but she made me promise and I was sure she'd tell Betty or someone else close. If he molested her I'll never forgive myself!”

“Now before you get all flustered, let me explain what happened,” Con interrupted Rachel's tirade. “Bonita didn't tell anyone. At least not until after her friend Shaylee came forward. Unfortunately, Shaylee's description included a lot more than just sexual advances. She was actually trading sex for good grades. When she finally came out with it, a whole lot of other girls did too, including Bonita.”

“That's terrible! The snake!” Rachel spat.

“I brought Bonita into town to meet with the police. I think there's enough evidence to formally charge him. But I'm no lawyer. Anyway, I'm sure glad we caught the S.O.B.”

“How's she doing?” Rachel asked.

“I think she'll be fine. He didn't do more than scare her. I can't speak for the rest of the girls, though. Anyway, she caught a ride back to the farm with Billy Chang. Seems they had some kind of youth activity planned or something.”

That made Rachel smile.

“What you smiling at?” Con asked, the corners of his own mouth slipping upward.

“Nothing much. I was just thinking that Bonita and Billy Chang might make a nice couple,” Rachel replied, looking down at the snow covered sidewalk as a wave of shyness overtook her.

“Say. Would you still like to come out to the farm on New Year's Eve?” Con asked. “I was thinking that if Sherri and Dan still wanted to come, you could show them the way.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Rachel agreed, smiling fully now. The warmth she felt inside was calming her jarred nerves. A peace had come over her that she had never felt before.

“And at the risk of sounding a little too bold, I still feel the same, you know. About you, I mean.” Con surveyed her closely, but his gentle smile had not changed. “But this time there is no pressure. I'm just letting go and letting God take care of it, one way or the other.”

 

“Come on in,” Mayor Frank Gesler bustled, waving Thomas into his front room. “I know it's the holidays and all that, but I thought this news just couldn't wait. Can I take your coat? Get you a drink?”

“No thanks, I'm fine,” Thomas said, handing his jacket over. “I came over as quickly as I could.”

“Well now, I don't want to alarm you or anything, but this is not something I really wanted to talk about over the phone. And of course, my office is closed for the holidays.”

“Yes…?” Thomas prodded.

The mayor cleared his throat. “Well, it seems the Heritage Committee had an emergency meeting just last night. I just got wind of it this afternoon.”

When that familiar sense of foreboding began to creep in around the edge of his collar, Thomas said a silent prayer and released it to God. Instantly he felt freedom. God was in control of the project now. “Oh?”

“Seems the Heritage Committee voted unanimously in your favor.” Frank stopped and waited for the news to settle in. The look of shock on Thomas's face brought a grin to the Mayor's lips. “A bit of a belated Christmas present, wouldn't you say?”

“I can't believe it. I don't even know what to say.” Thomas shook his head. “How? I mean, there was no way Marni Hyde was going to give an inch. How did they get it past her?”

“Apparently, they held the meeting without her. She's been asked to step down as chair.”

“I still don't know what to say. How can I ever thank you enough for your efforts? Without your support, I don't think anyone would have listened.”

To think he had ever doubted; had almost turned from his faith over it. But the Lord was faithful. The Sovereign One had known the outcome all along.

****

A smaller-than-normal crowd mingled in the foyer of the Community Church on Sunday. The McKinley clan was there, as were the Changs and the Lone Wolf family.

“Not too many people in church today,” Thomas noted as he stood chatting with Con.

Con laughed. “Maybe people got wind of the fact that I was preaching.”

Thomas chuckled. “Yeah, what's up with that? Where's the pastor?”

“You know how it is,” Con hedged. “He and his family needed a break. Everyone else gets to travel at Christmas, why not pastors? I'm surprised you didn't go anywhere.”

“We try to avoid family at Christmas,” Thomas replied, somewhat embarrassed, “It's pretty much a drunken party, unfortunately.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that,” Con responded. “Anyway, he might be taking an extended leave. He has some personal things to work out, so you might be treated to more of my sermons in the near future till we find an interim pastor.”

“Hey! I'm not complaining.” Thomas laughed. “Just don't ask me to fill in.”

“Your turn'll be coming, buddy,” Con teased. He sobered slightly. “I hope you're coming to our place for New Year's Eve.”

“Absolutely. I was thinking I'd like to have that prayer out at Old Man's Lake before then. I've been putting it off long enough and I want to end this year right.”

“Good idea. Start the new year with a clean slate.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, why not this afternoon?” Con suggested. “I can take the snowmobile out and pack a trail if you like, or we could snowshoe in.”

“The snowmobile sounds like the best way. I haven't been on snowshoes for years.”

“Sounds like a plan. After I grab a bite, I'll sled right over to the site. Meet you there in… an hour and a half?”

“Sounds good to me,” Thomas agreed. “Thanks again. You've been one of my only friends here and I'm honored that you would help me do this.”

“The honor is mine.” Con reached over for a “bro-hug” and they slapped one another's backs.

“Well, I'd better get a move on,” Thomas said, straightening. “The kids are already out in the vehicle.” He waved and then strode out of the church into the crisp winter air.

“So. You think you're pretty smart, don't you?”

Thomas turned in surprise to face the owner of the voice. Marni Hyde was waiting just outside the big double doors. “Miss Hyde. I'm sorry that things didn't turn out the way you'd hoped, but in the end, you'll see what a benefit this will be for the town.”

“Your smugness makes me sick,” she sneered. “A wolf in sheep's clothing. An abomination in the sight of the Lord, that's what you are.”

“Miss Hyde—”

“Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. I will repay!” she cried.

“I really think you're taking this too personally,” Thomas said, trying to sound reasonable. “If you would—”

“The Lord has called me to rid the land of its filth and all that would make a mockery of our God.” Her eyes were narrow slits.

“Miss Hyde,” Thomas placated. His senses were on high alert now. She was acting like a crazed woman. Something had changed about her voice, her mannerisms. He took one step back, but it was not soon enough.

“Purge the land of the abomination!” Marni cried.

The blade plunged into his chest.