River's End (9781426761140) Page 12

  “I trust your judgment,” Anna told her. It was something she used to say to Lauren a lot, back when she first started working at the inn, but she suspected Lauren might need it even more than ever today.

  “Thanks, Mom. I appreciate that.”

  “You know as well as anyone that we need help. And you’re a good judge of character.” Anna glanced at the clock. “And if you get moving, they might even be able to help with lunch.”

  Lauren looked hopeful. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

  Anna didn’t want to admit that she had ulterior motives or that having a couple extra workers would come in especially handy right now. She didn’t even want Lauren to know what she was up to. Perhaps Clark could tell her . . . later. She found him down by the bathhouse, and as he hosed off the nearby patio, she explained what she’d discovered. “I want to go there,” she said eagerly. “I think I can talk Sarah into coming home with me.”

  He frowned and turned off the hose nozzle. “I want Sarah to come home as much as you, but I don’t want you going there by yourself.”

  “But you need to stay here to help,” she told him. “And there’s your mom. You can’t just take off while she’s still in the hospital.”

  “That’s true.” He coiled the hose, setting it off to one side. “Maybe you should take Lauren with you.”

  “I can’t do that, Clark. She’ll be needed more than ever here.”

  He rubbed his chin with a furrowed brow. “I don’t want you going alone, Anna.”

  “I knew you’d say that. But I honestly think I’ll have more success with Sarah if I go alone. I think she’ll listen to me.”

  “But what about the people running the place? They might try to make trouble for—”

  “Clark,” she said slowly. “I will be very cautious. If anything seems amiss about any of this, I won’t even go in. And I have no problem calling the police or someone from the city for help.” She sighed. “I think I’ve spoken to about half of them already today. Some were actually helpful.”

  He put his hands on her cheeks, looking intently into her eyes. “It’s just that if anything happened to you—I don’t know what I’d do. I’m sure I’d do something completely crazy.”

  She forced a laugh. “Oh, Clark, really. What do you think they’d do? Take an old woman like me captive? And, even if they did, I expect you’d be there with a posse to rescue me.”

  He nodded. “You can count on that.”

  “I looked at a map, and I figure if I take off pretty soon, I should make Medford by this afternoon. I’ll try to go directly to the commune, but if I have a problem getting Sarah to leave with me, I might spend a night in a hotel.”

  “And you’ll call me,” he told her.

  “Absolutely.”

  “And you’ll write down all the details of the location and everything?”

  “Of course.”

  He still looked uneasy.

  “And I will pray every step of the way, Clark. I will ask God to lead me.” She made what she hoped was a brave smile. “Really, I have a good feeling about this. I think Sarah wants me to come for her. It might convince her that she really belongs here with us . . . that we are her family and this is her home.”

  “And Lauren? What about their problems?”

  Anna shrugged. “We’ll figure it out in time. Maybe Lauren will have to move the office to Babette’s house. And, right now, she’s interviewing a couple of guys who seem to want summer work.”

  Clark looked relieved. “We could use some good help.”

  “I’m going to go pack some things. And I plan to stop by to visit your mom in town,” she told him, “before I head out. I’ll tell her hello for you. Then maybe you go visit at dinnertime. Although I’ll have to take the car.”

  “No problem. I’ve got legs. I can walk. By the way, I gassed the car up last time I was in town, so you should be all set to go.”

  With Lauren occupied in the office with the two young job applicants, who sounded enthusiastic, Anna quickly gathered what she needed then hurried back out. Before long, she was on her way downriver and imagining Sarah’s pleased surprise to discover that Anna loved her enough to make this effort to bring her home.

  Anna didn’t forget her promise to stop by to visit Hazel, and, seeing that she looked better and was acting bored, Anna told her what she was planning.

  “That sounds like an exciting mission,” Hazel told her. “I wish I could go with you.”

  “I wish you could, too, but you need to stay put until the doctor says you’re well enough to come home.”

  “Humph.” Hazel frowned. “I think I’m well enough to go home right now.”

  Anna patted her hand. “Maybe you can have Clark speak to your doctor.” Now she told Hazel about Lauren hiring some more helpers. “Hopefully life will slow down a bit for everyone.”

  “I plan to help out again, too,” Hazel reminded her. “I love working with the girls in the kitchen. I miss it.”

  “They miss you, too.”

  “And I miss our sweet Sarah, too. It seemed she was barely back with us and suddenly gone. Like a little bird in flight.”

  “I just hope she’ll want to come home with me.”

  “Tell her we need her,” Hazel said. “Tell her the river needs her.”

  Anna nodded. “I’ll do that.”

  “And tell her about the walk on the beach.”

  “My grandmother’s story?”

  Hazel plucked at the blanket with a thoughtful look. “Perhaps it’s everyone’s story, Anna.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Perhaps it’s part of your family’s heritage . . . at least the heritage of the women . . . the matriarchal society passing it on and on to each new generation . . .” She looked into Anna’s eyes as if searching. “Perhaps all of you must walk your own trail of tears.”

  Anna sighed. “I’ve had that same thought before, Hazel. That exact same thought.”

  “If I were younger, I’d want to write a new thesis,” Hazel told her. “On just that. I think I’d call it The Matriarchal Trail of Tears, a Story of the Siuslaw Women.”

  “Then why don’t you?” Anna nodded eagerly. “You’re not too old to write, Hazel.”

  She made a weary smile. “I think my writing days are over. That’s a book someone else will have to write. Maybe you . . . or Lauren . . . or even Sarah when she figures things out.”

  Anna looked at her watch.

  “Speaking of Sarah, you should be on your way, Anna. Go and get our girl. Bring her back to us.”

  Anna stood, leaning over to kiss Hazel’s cheek. “Pray for us.”

  “I will. And send Sarah my love.”

  Anna felt torn as she left the hospital. On one hand, she was eager to be on her way to find Sarah . . . on the other hand, she felt worried about Hazel. Despite her bravado about wanting to come home, she still seemed tired and frail. And it seemed doubtful that the doctors were keeping her there for their own amusement. But she and Clark had been so distracted by Sarah’s disappearing act that they hadn’t been giving Hazel or her physicians their best attention. Hopefully, Clark would have a long conversation with some of the medical staff later today. Surely, he would get to the bottom of it.

  It was close to five when Anna made it to Medford. But with nearly four hours of daylight left, she decided to continue out to where the commune was supposed to be. It took a few wrong turns, but finally, she found the right road, and after several miles, she spotted the farm that fit the description the woman at the city had given her. But, of course, there was a gate across the entrance with a “no trespassing” sign on it. Fine, she decided. She would simply park the station wagon in front of the gate and wait. Wouldn’t someone eventually come out to see who it was? Better yet, maybe Sarah would recognize the car and come to speak to her. That would simplify everything.

  But an hour passed, and no one came her way. This was particularly aggravating because Anna could see people moving a
round and about the property. It appeared to be a rundown old farm with the usual main house, barns, and out-buildings. A few pieces of dilapidated farm equipment were littered about, as well as several newer-looking, but simple buildings. Intermixed with all this were a number of travel trailers and various-sized tents. The overall effect was that of a shabby carnival.

  Occasionally a worker would pause and furtively glance in Anna’s direction, before hurrying along. Both men and women were like something from a time gone by; the men were bearded and the women wore long dresses. They appeared to be doing chores. Finally, it was close to seven when the place got quiet, and she suspected they might be sitting down to a meal. Naturally, the thought of food made her stomach rumble, but she was determined to stay put. Surely, someone would get curious as to why her car was parked here and come to investigate. Hopefully, before it got dusky since she’d promised herself not to remain after dark.

  Finally, it was nearly eight o’clock when a tall bearded man began lumbering toward her. He seemed in no hurry and in his long white robe looked like something out of time or maybe out of the Ten Commandments movie. “Can I help you?” he asked in a solemn deep voice.

  “Yes.” She made a nervous smile. “I’m here to see my granddaughter.”

  He frowned. “Your granddaughter?”

  “Yes. Sarah Gunderson.”

  His brows drew together, but he said nothing.

  “She used to live here, and I believe she’s returned. I need to see her about something.”

  “The person you seek is not here.”

  Anna didn’t believe him but didn’t know what to say.

  Without another word, he turned to leave.

  “Wait!” she cried out desperately.

  He turned and looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes.

  “Have you seen her?” she asked.

  He just looked at her . . . not speaking . . . but she could tell he was holding back the truth. She suspected he often held back the truth.

  “Do you teach the Bible here?” she asked.

  “We teach many things from many spiritual sources.”

  “Do you teach that it’s a sin to lie?”

  “Many things are sinful.”

  “I know she’s here,” Anna declared. “Please, just let me talk to her.”

  “I’m sorry . . . your trip was in vain.” He turned from her and began walking away again. Despite her calling out, he continued walking.

  “I might have to call the police,” she finally yelled out. This stopped him. He turned and looked at her with what she felt were truly evil eyes.

  “Call them,” he said loudly. “We have broken no laws.”

  “Then let my granddaughter come out here,” she pleaded. “Let her speak to me.”

  He just shook his head now. Holding up his hands, he turned away once more. But she could sense by the way he walked that he was done here. And she knew he wasn’t being honest with her and that he was playing some sort of game—one where he made the rules and controlled everything and everyone. Even his stride had a strange air of smugness in it.

  She stood there watching as he disappeared into the shadows and around a building. She had no idea what she should do. As much as she wanted to march onto the property and find Sarah, she had a bad feeling about it. Something about the posted sign and the man’s dark eyes suggested danger.

  It seemed the only thing to do was to wait. And at the same time that seemed senseless—that is unless Sarah was somewhere nearby . . . perhaps watching . . . waiting for the right moment when she could come over here unobserved. Perhaps in the protection of the dusky shadows that were growing longer and darker, after the sun was fully down. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to wait that long.

  As she’d promised Clark, Anna prayed for God to guide her in this. She prayed for wisdom and grace. She didn’t want to be foolish. But she didn’t want to be a coward either, and waiting for dark seemed her best chance to rescue Sarah from this place. She got back in the car. With the windows cracked for fresh air and so she could hear if anyone approached, she waited for the sky’s light to fade.

  As her impatience grew, she thought of her ancestors, wondering how many of them had sat quietly like this, waiting for something . . . perhaps a deer or a fish or maybe a spirit quest. Waiting was probably good for the soul.

  Her eyes adjusted to the dimness of her surroundings, and when she checked her watch, she was surprised to see that it was past nine now. This was one of the longest days of the year, and she could still see fairly well. Lights had gone on inside the buildings, making it easier for her to pick out people and shadows as they moved about.

  Then, just as she was about to give up, she noticed something making its way through a grassy field toward her. At first she thought it was a deer but then realized it was a girl, hunched down, probably to avoid detection. As the girl got closer, Anna could see she was wearing a long dress, and at first she thought it must be Sarah, but then she noticed that the two long braids appeared lighter and the pale face, which looked pinched and frightened, was definitely not Sarah’s. Even so, Anna quietly got out of the car, going over to the fence to meet the girl who’d positioned herself against a fencepost, probably to hide.

  “Who are you?” the girl asked with anxious eyes.

  “I’m Sarah Gunderson’s grandmother,” Anna said quickly. “Is Sarah here?”

  “She was here.”

  “She was here? When?”

  “Earlier today. She left with some others.”

  “Left?” Anna felt a rush of panic. “Where did she go?”

  “I don’t know.” The girl looked over her shoulder. “I wish I’d gone with them.”

  “Do you want to leave?”

  The girl nodded eagerly.

  “Do you want to come with me?” Anna asked cautiously.

  The girl put her balled fist over her mouth now, as if afraid or maybe uncertain.

  “I’ll take you out of here if you want,” Anna said in a strong voice. “No one can keep you here against your will. You must know that. We have laws protecting people from that.” Now Anna saw someone coming from the house, calling out for someone. “If you want to come with me, I’m going now,” she said evenly as she walked over to the driver’s side of the car, getting in. It seemed clear that it was time to go. She felt it in her bones. Then as she started the engine, the girl squeezed through the gate, dashed to the passenger side, and jumped inside.

  “You better go.” The girl ducked down. “And hurry!”

  “Do they have guns?” Anna asked nervously.

  “I think so.”

  Anna stepped on the gas, spitting out gravel behind her as she turned her car around, heading back into the same direction she’d come earlier. She sped down the narrow road, squealing her tires around a curve and finally turning onto the main highway to town. She glanced up at her rearview mirror and to her relief no one seemed to be following her. Even so, her heart pounded wildly and she wondered what a grandmother was doing out here like this. But at the same time, she knew that love made people do even stranger things.

  15

  Finally, safely in town, Anna pulled the station wagon into a brightly lit convenience market and turned to look at the frightened girl seated beside her. Petite and fair, she looked even younger than Sarah. “How old are you?” Anna asked in a gentle tone.

  “Twenty.”

  Anna just nodded, not sure whether to believe her or not. “What’s your name?”

  “Jewel.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  Jewel nodded.

  “Well, I haven’t had any dinner. Would you like to join me?”

  “I had dinner already, but we were short on food . . . again.”

  Anna drove down the street to where she’d spotted a diner earlier. “Is this okay?”

  “I don’t have any money,” Jewel said.

  “That’s okay.” Anna reached for her purse.

  As they went inside and
were seated, Anna realized this was not going according to her plans. Not at all. Still, she would make the most of it. Jewel had to know something . . . something that would help her locate Sarah. But she wouldn’t question the girl until she had a chance to eat.

  And, judging by the way she packed down a cheeseburger, fries, and shake, she truly was hungry. And she did look very thin. Anna just hoped that she wouldn’t get sick from the rich food. But to Anna’s surprise, after she finished, Jewel still seemed hungry. So Anna encouraged her to order dessert. Then as Jewel ate a big piece of banana cream pie, Anna inquired about Sarah.

  “Sarah showed up at the farm really early in the morning,” Jewel explained. “I heard her telling Aaron that she’d gotten a ride down I-5 with a trucker in the middle of the night.”

  “Aaron?” Anna remembered that name. “Isn’t that the guy who originally started the place? Aaron and Misty?”

  “Yes.” Jewel forked into the pie again. “They just stopped by the farm a few days ago. Of course, Daniel acted like they were welcome to stay with us, but we could tell he didn’t want them there. Aaron and Daniel never got along.”

  “Was that Daniel who came out to speak to me earlier?”

  She nodded, chewing a big bite.

  “So Sarah got here this morning. But now she’s gone?”

  “She went with Aaron and Misty and some of the others.”

  “The ones you wish you’d gone with?”

  “Yes.” She set down her fork with a clank. “Aaron and Misty had come to tell us about this enlightened guru from India who was coming to start a new order. Aaron wanted everyone to come with them to join it. But Daniel said no way. And then there was this big fight because some of the family wanted to go with Aaron and Misty.”

  “When did this all happen?”

  “Not long after Sarah got there. It was like her arrival set things off because she immediately wanted to go with Aaron and Misty, and Daniel put his foot down. But it was too late because the others started to speak up, too.”