Hidden in Shadow Pines (9 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Sunday, August 11, 2013, 8 p.m.
(day 6 in Shadow Pines—after dinner)

Ding dong.

“I’m not expecting anyone. Put everything in the folder and hide it in that bottom drawer,” Thomas said, pointing to the buffet in the dining room. “I’ll get the door.”

I wiped away a tear, then gathered all the papers on the table and shoved them in the drawer. I’d just closed the drawer when I heard Thomas speak. “Hudson. Good evening. What’s up?”

“I need to ask Isabella a couple of questions,” Hudson said. “Hope I’m not interrupting dinner.”

I stood tall, telling myself not to be intimidated when I faced Hudson. Turning the corner and walking into the living room, I said, “We just finished.”

I didn’t know how he did it, but Hudson had a creepy way of showing up wherever I was.

“Why don’t you two have a seat? I have dishes to wash. That way you can talk in private,” Thomas told us.

Hudson sat on the couch, while I chose the chair opposite him.

“What questions do you have for me?” I asked Hudson.

Hudson put his hands together, bent forward and quietly said, “Gloria wrote in her diary that she saw you Friday at the farm. What were you doing on that side of town?”

I leaned back, creating more distance between us. “You read her diary?”

Hudson fiddled with the toothpick hanging out the side of his mouth. “Yes. It’s town council standard protocol when someone passes.” He paused. “Now, what were you doing at the farm?”

Gloria had only died the day before. I couldn’t believe that the most important thing to do after a death would be to read a diary. But then again, nothing about this town made much sense to me.

Deciding it best to tell the truth, I said, “I took a walk. Wanted to see the gate and stone wall. Ended up at the farm. Gloria was there.”

“I see. You didn’t know she would be there?”

“No.” My voice went up an octave. I composed myself by sitting up straight. “I didn’t even know where I was walking. I heard the cows and followed the fence to the barn. I was surprised to see Gloria.”

Hudson nodded, as if he believed my response. “And what did you talk about?”

I thought back to the day on the farm. Gloria had acted strange. Did she have a feeling people were following me and that’s why she whispered?

My knee started bouncing, but I quickly controlled my nervousness. “Um. She told me the history of the family farm. I told her a story of when I was younger and I spent weekends on a farm. Then I had to leave because I needed to get back to Jaime’s for dinner.”

“Was Jaime home when you arrived at the house?”

Now, I was getting annoyed with all his frivolous questions. “No. It didn’t take me as long to walk to Jaime’s as I thought it would. I got there about four-thirty. I was tired from all the walking and fell asleep on the couch. Woke up when Jaime screamed after she saw a spider.”

I skipped the part of overhearing Jaime’s conversation with a man. I decided Hudson didn’t need to know that part. Unless cameras were hidden in the ceiling, there was no way could he could possibly know I overheard the conversation, even if he knew a man was at Jaime’s house that afternoon.

Hudson stood, putting his hands in his overall pockets. “Good. Well, you and Thomas enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“Why all the questions?” I blurted out.

“Town business. Never you mind.” Hudson walked to the front door, then turned and shouted, “Goodnight, Thomas.”

When the door had closed, I walked into the kitchen, shaking my head.

“You okay?” Thomas asked.

“Hudson asked me a bunch of strange questions.”

“Do you think he knows you want to leave?”

“The only other person I’ve told is Gloria. Now she’s dead. You’re the only other person I trust.”

“Gloria told me about the note in the safe deposit box. Was anything else in the box?”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. For a moment I wondered if Thomas was testing me, that he really did know what was in the box all along. But I had to trust him—I had to get out of Shadow Pines.

“A gold insignia ring.” I pulled it out of my right front pants pocket. “I’m afraid to wear it. It might raise red flags.”

“Good thinking. Mind if I take a closer look?”

Thomas opened a kitchen cabinet and grabbed a flashlight. The garnet looked brighter under the light.

“Look,” he said. “Etched on the band is a skeleton key.”

I took the ring, squinting to focus on the small detail.

“Oh my gosh!” Thomas exclaimed. “The key! I totally forgot about the key.”

Thomas rushed into the other room and came back with a vase of artificial flowers filled with glass beads that he set on the kitchen island. Grabbing a dishpan from under the sink, he took out the flowers, and poured the glass beads into the pan. Hidden in the middle of the beads was a bronze skeleton key.

“Looks just like the key etched on the ring. What’s it for?” I asked, looking at Thomas for a profound answer.

Thomas shrugged. “Edison told me to keep it safe. Said to use it if I ever saw the star. He gave it to me a few days before the fire. I haven’t thought about it in years.”

“It’s for something old. You don’t see many skeleton keys anymore.”

Thomas picked it up and examined it closely. “There’s something etched on the key.
freedom
.”

When Thomas said
freedom
, everything clicked together. The phrase Ed made me tell him every time we met. Find the star, right four, down two, in goes the ring, and turn it twice. The bronze skeleton will open the door to freedom. The drawing given to Gloria, the key from Thomas, the ring in the safe deposit box. They were all clues. Did Ed—or Edison—know I’d end up in Shadow Pines at some point in my life? Was the phrase really the way out? Part of me wanted to blurt out my theory, but a nagging feeling told me to keep it to myself for now. I was still missing a vital piece of information. Maybe Thomas had the answer. “Did Edison ever talk to you about a door?”

“No. Just told me about a star.”

That wasn’t the answer I wanted. I needed time to think on my own. I looked at my watch. “It’s getting late. I should be going.”

Thomas handed me the key. “I wish we could’ve figured out how to get you out of Shadow Pines.”

I put the ring and key in my pocket. “You and me both.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Monday, August 12, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
(day 7 in Shadow Pines—quilting and sewing)

I wasn’t interested in going to the quilting and sewing activity. I’d taken sewing in high school and had barely stitched a potholder together in class. I could sew on a button, but that was it. I wasn’t sure how helpful I’d be.

Upon turning the corner onto Third Avenue, I spotted a white van parked in a driveway three houses down the street. I remembered Jaime had said Lincoln lived on this street and he owned a white van. Maybe if I peeked inside, memories from the night I was taken would surface. Looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching me, I walked up to the van and peered in the passenger window. An axe and shovel lay in the back. A flip phone sat in the console. First Francine, now Lincoln. Had Jaime lied to me about residents having cell phones, or did she not know?

“Can I help you?”

The voice startled me, making me jump away from the van. “You scared me.”

“Why are you looking in my van?”

I wasn’t about to answer his question. I needed to change the conversation. “I’m on my way to church. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Isabella.” I reached out my hand.

“Lincoln.” He shook my hand firmly. I could smell Stetson cologne, just like the person who’d threatened Jaime.

Stay calm
, I told myself. “You’re Devlin’s friend, right?”

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. How’d you know?”

“I spoke to Francine yesterday. She told me about her son’s accident.”

“Well, he’s still my best friend.”

Pointing to my watch, I said, “I’ve got to get going. Can’t be late, you know. Nice to meet you, Lincoln.”

“You want a ride?” I froze for a moment. No way I was getting in a vehicle, especially one with an axe and shovel.

“Oh no. Thank you. I have a terrifying fear of riding in vehicles.” I quickly turned around and continued my path down Third Avenue to the church.

Bernice Zaget, known as the Queen Quilter, opened the meeting with a prayer. She was the devil woman to me, the woman who’d spotted me in Darden. If only I hadn’t walked by the window at that precise moment in time, I’d be in my own home, painting my living room walls. I thought about Ed. I wondered if he was looking for me now. If he really was my grandfather, he’d know about Shadow Pines. Would he risk looking for me here?

The Queen Quilter spoke in a strong tone. “Group 1 will continue their work on the quilt for the Johnson’s baby. Group 2 will work on the costumes for the winter carnival. Group 3 needs to finish the costumes for the fall play, then start sewing the Christmas ornaments. Once the groups have finished their designated tasks, we’ll start on the special quilt in Gloria’s honor, which will hang in the teaching room. Isabella, I’ll speak to you in minute about your responsibilities.”

I was here because quilting and sewing was on my list of activities, not because I wanted to be. I prayed I wouldn’t be back again next week. Given a chair at the end of a long table, I listened to the chatter of the women. One conversation caught my attention.

“Devlin was in the room with her when she died. He was sitting on the edge of the bed. He thought Gloria was playing a game with him.”

“Eating a Snickers. Can you believe that?”

“I worry about that boy. Ever since the accident, he hasn’t been right in the head.”

“Poor Francine. Loses her husband, then her grown boy turns into a child. I don’t know how she manages.”

“I stopped by this morning. She had one of her migraines.”

“Isabella,” the Queen Quilter said. In a harsher tone, “Isabella.”

I jumped. “Sorry. Got focused on watching the women work.”

“Come with me.” I really wanted to stay and listen to the women, but instead followed her to the back of the room where we stopped in front of a closet door.

The Queen Quilter turned to face me. “So tell me. What skills do you have?”

Feeling a little embarrassed, I said, “I can sew a button on a shirt.”

“I see.” She tapped her finger against her mouth, then pointed her finger at me. “I have just the job for you.”

My job was to go through the bins in the closet and find bright-colored cotton fabric. Fifteen different patterns. When the Queen Quilter accepted my choices, I’d then cut the fabric into eight-by-eight squares. A special plastic tote would keep the project items together.

The Queen Quilter tore off a piece of masking tape, then precisely cut each end, and placed it on the tote in the exact center. With a black felt-tip pen, she wrote
gloria’s quilt
.

“Gloria’s favorite colors were pink, purple, and teal,” Queen Quilter added. “Keep those colors in mind when selecting the fabric.”

“Yes, of course.”

I stared at the twelve bins on a three-tiered metal shelving unit. I glanced at my watch. Seventy-five minutes remained until I was free for the day.

I pulled the first bin off the shelf and placed it on a small square table. One at a time, I took each neatly folded piece of fabric out of the bin, checking each piece to see if it was cotton and if I thought the colors fit in the scheme of the quilt. In the first bin, I found two pieces I thought would be acceptable. I was very careful to return the rest of the fabric neatly to the bin. Even though I hated my job, the perfectionist in me came out.

I was in the middle of the fourth bin when the Queen Quilter walked over to the table. “Very good choices so far, Isabella. I’ve been watching you. I appreciate your meticulous handling of the fabric.”

“Thank you.” I felt as though I were back in kindergarten about to be given a gold star.

“Once you finish this bin, please put your things away and come sit next to me. You can watch how attentively we stitch the quilt together.”

“That sounds great.” I had to be vigilant about my facial expressions, though inside, I wanted to scream
I don’t care
. But because of my respect for Gloria, I was happy to contribute in a small way. I selected eleven pieces of fabric for Gloria’s quilt.

I sat next to the Queen Quilter and watched eight women work on the baby quilt. I was quite impressed with the skill and precision they employed in hand-sewing the tiny stitches.

Chimes. I still hadn’t gotten used to the chimes. They startled me every time, but at least now I knew the activity was almost over.

The Queen Quilter stood. “Okay, ladies. We have five minutes to put away our things and assemble for our final prayer.

With military precision, the group gathered the supplies and put everything away.

“Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. We thank you for the fellowship that we shared here today. We pray that as we go our separate ways, you will cover us with your protection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

I decided to follow a few women out the back door. Holding the door open for a woman with a walker, I noticed the back of the church had two different colors of brick. Similar colors, but not exact. A design in one of the bricks caught my eye. I walked across the grass and behind a hedge to get a closer look. A symbol that looked like a deer head. I scanned more bricks. Six rows up and ten bricks over, I found another symbol. A diamond. I’d seen these symbols on the drawing that Gloria had given me.

“Need help with something?” Hudson asked.

Of course, I should have known. Hudson somehow managed to show up everywhere I went. I couldn’t figure out how he was able to pull it off. I stepped back and faced Hudson. As usual, he wore overalls and twirled a toothpick out the side of his mouth.

“I noticed the bricks were a different color in this area. Then I spotted a couple of bricks with symbols etched in them. I was curious.”

“You’ve got a good eye,” Hudson said. “Part of the back wall was destroyed by a tornado in 2002. Workers found a hidden room with stairs that led to a smaller room downstairs. They sealed it off when they remodeled. Rumor has it that the room was a secret meeting place for the elders. Five people died in a flu pandemic in 1918. Three of them town elders. Speculation was they were the only ones who knew the secret of the room, and it died with them.”

“Interesting,” I said. Hudson was sharing a story using the most words at one time he’d ever spoken to me.

“The library has some pictures of the damage. Probably a few in there of the secret room.”

This was a different side of Hudson. We were having a casual conversation rather than a cross-examination. “I’ll check it out. I’ve always been fascinated by history.”

“I’ve got to take Devlin home from his therapy session. Francine’s laid up again. See you soon.” Hudson got in his red truck and drove away. I shook my head, not believing the somewhat normal conversation I’d just experienced with Hudson.

The library was a block away, and I wanted to look at the books about Shadow Pines’ history. I hoped something in the books would help me put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The library was a two-story, square, brick building. Eight concrete steps led to the front door. Inside to the left, a spiral staircase led to the second floor. To the right were stairs leading to the basement. Straight ahead, five steps led to glass doors to the main floor. Pushing open the glass door, the first thing I noticed were rows and rows of books. Several patrons were scattered among the aisles—some browsing the titles, some reading the inside covers.

One girl sat cross-legged in the middle of the third aisle, deeply intrigued by the story she was reading, not even looking up when a man in the next row dropped three books. Around the corner stood a large walnut desk. It reminded me of the judge’s courtroom bench used on
Law & Order
. I didn’t see anyone behind the counter, but spotted a note that read
Please tap the bell once if you need assistance. Thank you.

My hand was on the verge of tapping the bell when a woman came around the corner and stood behind the counter. “How may I help you, Isabella?”

Taken aback because I’d never met this woman before, I asked, “Is Gloria’s friend, Louise, here?”

“I’m Louise, Isabella. I recognize you from the meeting Saturday night.” She shook her head. “Tragic what happened. A nurse having a heart attack in a clinic. She was a dear friend. We played Scrabble together a couple of times a month. I think I won one out of twenty times. She loved to play.”

I nodded. Though I’d only known Gloria briefly, I appreciated her kind treatment of me. “I’ve heard people talk about her love of Scrabble. I’ve never played myself.”

“I can teach you. Maybe I’d win a few games.” Louise laughed. “Is there a particular book you’re looking for?”

“I’m looking for books on the history of Shadow Pines. Hudson suggested I come here.” I thought mentioning Hudson’s name might give me some leverage. “All the way back to when it first formed, if that’s possible.”

Louise’s eyes tightened. “Why do want to look at those books?”

“I’m a history buff. I’d like to know the town’s history since I’ll be living here,” I lied amiably.

Louise’s mouth twisted, as if she didn’t believe me. And she shouldn’t. I wasn’t about to tell her I wanted to look at the books so I could find a way out of Shadow Pines. My smile apparently fooled her, though, because she walked from behind the counter, and with a wave of her hand said, “Follow me.”

We walked past a couple of rows of books when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. “Is that a card catalog?” I asked.

“Yes. How else would you find a specific book?” She turned and looked at me as if that was a question which couldn’t be answered.

“Use a computer,” I said.

“The town council has the only computer.” Her eyes widened as if she’d inadvertently told me the biggest secret around. Changing the subject quickly, she said, “The history books are downstairs.”

I followed her down a back staircase. We then walked along a hallway with two doors on each side. She unlocked the first door on the right, walked to the center of the room and pulled a chain to turn on the single bulb. A small table and chair sat in the middle of the room.

Louise stood tall, hands clasped in front of her. “None of the books can leave this room. Please be sure to replace any book you take off the shelves to its exact location. I’m sorry, but things might be a little dusty. We only clean this room once a year. You’re probably the first non-librarian who has been down here in twenty years.” She gave me a quick smile. I had a feeling the only reason she let me down here was because I’d mentioned Hudson’s name.

“What’s in the other three rooms?” I was curious about everything in this strange town.

Louise now crossed her arms. “They’re used as emergency shelters. Every Shadow Pines resident has a designated room. The fire station and clinic also have emergency shelters.”

“Why is that?”

“To make sure the town lives if we have a devastating weather event.”

Scrunching my nose, I asked, “Like a tornado?”

“Yes, like a tornado,” she said. “Enjoy your reading. I must return upstairs.” With that, she walked out the door.