The Mandie Collection (63 page)

Joe reached for her hand and held it tight. “I know you're thinking about your father, Mandie,” he said softly. “But don't. It won't help. It will only make it worse.”

Snowball stepped over into his mistress's lap, curled up again, and began purring.

“Mrs. Taft, we were just here this past Tuesday, and Hilda was visiting with the Smiths. Did she get sick all of a sudden?” Celia asked.

“Yes, they brought her home that night, and she was running a high fever,” Mrs. Taft replied. “When she didn't seem to get any better, I sent for Dr. Woodard, and he got here this afternoon.”

“We've done all we can do right now,” Dr. Woodard told Mandie. “We just have to pray that the Lord will heal her.”

As a tear rolled down her cheek, Mandie lifted her head and began to pray softly. “Oh, dear God,” she said, “please heal Hilda. She has been through so much, and now that things are getting better for her, please let her live to enjoy it.”

The others joined in with their prayers. When they were finished, Mandie took Joe's handkerchief and dried her eyes.

“I remember how Hilda looked when we found her in the attic,” Celia said. “She was so scared of us, and so starved-looking. Then she found out we were her friends, and she started getting better.”

“The poor girl had never had any friends,” Joe added. “Imagine her parents keeping her shut up in a room just because she wouldn't—or couldn't—talk.”

“But she can talk,” Mandie said firmly. “She is beginning to say a lot of words. She just never had a chance to learn because her parents thought she was demented.”

“Well, she is not real bright, but she has more sense than people give her credit for,” Dr. Woodard said. “And I can see that with the proper care and attention, like Mrs. Taft has been giving her, she could eventually lead an almost normal life.”

“You'll keep watch over her, won't you, Dr. Woodard?” Mandie begged.

“I'll be here for the weekend. Then I have to go back to Swain County to see some sick folks there,” the doctor replied. “But the nurse we have up there now knows what she's doing, and another nurse will relieve her at bedtime. Hilda won't be left alone.”

“Thank you, Dr. Woodard,” Mandie said. “Thanks to you and the Lord, she's going to pull through. I just know it.”

After a short silence, Celia changed the subject. “Mrs. Taft, has anything else happened at the church since Mandie and I were there?” she asked, pushing back her long auburn hair.

“The church keeps having different people investigate, but they can't find anything wrong,” Mrs. Taft replied.

“That's because there is nothing wrong with the clock or the bells,” Mandie declared, straightening her shoulders. “It's just some person doing something that no one can catch them doing.”

“But, Mandie, we were there when the bells rang thirteen times for twelve noon, remember? And there was no one there at all except us,” Celia reminded her.

“They were just too quick for us, but we'll catch them sooner or later,” Mandie predicted. “Just you wait and see.”

“What about the man and the woman we saw in the church, Mrs. Taft?” Celia asked. “Did you find out anything about them?”

“No, dear,” Mrs. Taft replied. “I've asked about them everywhere, but no one seems to have seen them enter or leave the church. And, according to the description y'all gave me of them, I don't believe they are people I know.”

“Why didn't y'all follow them when they left the church?” Joe asked. “Or at least watch from the door when they went outside?”

“Because that was when the bells started ringing,” Mandie explained, “and we had to go up to the belfry to see if anyone was up there.”

“Hmm, I might as well ask,” Joe said. “When do we visit the church to look for clues?”

Mandie and Celia both looked at Mrs. Taft.

“I suppose you young people could go some time in the morning after it warms up a little,” she said.

“Thanks, Grandmother,” Mandie said. She turned to Joe. “We'll go early enough so we'll be back in time for dinner, Joe,” she added.

“Oh, good. I absolutely refuse to miss a meal, especially from your grandmother's table,” Joe teased.

“I sure hope there's not any more shaking and thumping in that belfry,” Celia remarked. “I don't know how we're ever going to figure out what that was. It must have been something awfully strong to shake the belfry that way.”

“Either the shaking caused the thumping, or the thumping caused the shaking,” Mandie figured. “It was all so fast and so close together, it must have been connected.”

“That has me puzzled, Amanda,” Mrs. Taft said. “That church is well built, and I can't imagine anything shaking any part of it unless it was an earthquake. But it seems no one else in town felt anything, so it couldn't have been an earthquake.”

“Don't worry about it, Mrs. Taft. We'll figure it all out,” Joe assured her.

Mandie gasped. “Oh, goodness!” she cried. “I just remembered something. The full moon is tomorrow, and that's when Uncle Ned promised to come to see me. He won't know I'm here and not at the school.”

“Well, you could go to Aunt Phoebe's house tomorrow night and watch for him,” Mrs. Taft said, “provided Joe and Celia go with you. Since Aunt Phoebe's house is right there in the backyard of the school, it ought to be safe enough, don't you think, Dr. Woodard?”

“I'm sure they'll be safe with Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Cal,” the doctor answered. “They're good people.”

“But Grandmother, Uncle Ned doesn't come to visit until after curfew at ten o'clock so that no one at the school will see him,” Mandie explained. “He always waits under the huge magnolia tree right down below our bedroom window.”

Uncle Ned was an old Cherokee friend of Mandie's father. When Jim Shaw had died, Uncle Ned had promised him he would watch over Mandie. And he kept his word. He regularly visited her and knew everything that was going on where she was concerned.

“If it's going to be late, I'll send Ben with y'all. He'll have to take y'all over there anyway. I'll tell him to wait for y'all,” Mrs. Taft said.

“Grandmother, could we leave here in time to go by the church and check it out again tomorrow night before we go to Aunt Phoebe's?” Mandie begged. “Please?”

“Why, Amanda, I thought you were all going to the church tomorrow morning,” Mrs. Taft replied.

“We are, but we should go to the church as many times as possible because you never know when we might find something to solve the mystery,” Mandie insisted.

“Let's have one thing understood here and now, Amanda,” Mrs. Taft said firmly. “You are not to go to the church without Ben or another adult with you at any time. And that applies to you, Celia. Don't you agree, Dr. Woodard?”

“Yes, ma'am,” the doctor said. “There's no telling who or what you might run into at the church, and I certainly don't want Joe going there without an adult. In fact, I forbid it. Remember that, Joe.”

“Yes, sir,” Joe answered quickly. “I'd like to have an adult along anyway to back me up in case of trouble. These two girls wouldn't be much help if something unexpected happened.”

Mandie glared at Joe. “I can remember a few times when you needed our help, Joe Woodard,” she said. “Celia and I are both twelve years old, and you are only two years older.”

Snowball jumped down to the floor and scampered out of the room.

“I know. I know,” Joe agreed. “Time about is fair enough.”

“Remember the time the Catawbas kidnapped you, and—” Mandie began.

“I said, all right,” Joe interrupted.

“Well, then,” Mandie said, and turning to her grandmother asked, “Is it all right then for us to go to the church before we go to Aunt Phoebe's house since Ben will be with us?”

“Amanda, you know it will be dark then,” Mrs. Taft reminded her. “It gets dark early now.”

“But the church has those electric lights in it,” Mandie persisted.

“If we can find the strings in the dark to pull them on,” Celia said.

“If we light up the church, everyone in town will know it,” Joe objected. “And if there's anyone messing around there, they'll run away fast.”

Mandie thought for a moment. “Could we take a lantern with us, Grandmother?” she asked.

“I suppose so,” Mrs. Taft agreed reluctantly. “Just don't stay out too late. Keep your visit with Uncle Ned short. And be sure you stay within sight of Ben at all times.”

“Thanks, Grandmother,” Mandie said. “We will. I promise.”

Little did Mandie know how impossible that promise would be to keep.

CHAPTER FIVE

TRAPPED!

“You are not taking that white cat, are you?” Joe asked Mandie as the three young people put on their coats the next morning.

Mandie looked down at Snowball, who was sitting on the arm of the hall tree watching. “No, I guess not,” she said. “He might get away from me and—”

“And get lost.” Joe finished her sentence. “And then we'd have to go looking for him.”

“All right,” Mandie agreed. She turned to Celia. “Are you ready?”

“All ready,” Celia replied, tying her bonnet under her chin.

Mandie stooped to look into the eyes of her kitten. “Now, Snowball, you stay here in the house,” she cautioned. “Don't you dare go outside.”

Snowball meowed in response and sat watching as the three young people opened the front door and went outside.

They all climbed aboard the waiting rig, Ben shook the reins, and they were off.

“Tell me again about that shaking in the belfry,” Joe said.

“I think it was the floor up there,” Mandie replied.

“Or was it the whole belfry trembling?” Celia asked.

“It could have been, but it seems like I felt my feet shaking,” Mandie said.

Celia laughed. “I was shaking all over. That's for sure.”

“You two are a big help,” Joe said, exasperated. “How can I find out what caused something when I don't even know what it was?”

“We certainly don't know what it was,” Mandie said.

“But if you could remember exactly what was shaking, it might help me figure out what was going on,” Joe urged.

Ben pulled the rig up sharply in front of the church, and Mandie jumped down. “Anyway, here we are,” she announced. “You can go up there yourself and look around.”

“Yo' grandma, she say fo' me to wait right heah fo' y'all,” Ben told Mandie.

“Please do, Ben,” Mandie said. “If you get cold, come inside the church.”

“It nice and warm under dis heah lap robe,” Ben said. “I jes' wait heah.”

The young people hurried inside the church and looked around the sanctuary. There was no one in sight.

Mandie led the way. “The door and steps to the gallery are right over here,” she told Joe, taking off her coat. “Let's leave our coats down here. It's not that cold now, and they'll just get in the way.”

After taking off their coats and leaving them on a back pew, Joe and Celia followed her up the stairs and across the balcony.

“Then this door here leads to the belfry,” Mandie said, opening the door and showing Joe the bells overhead.

“And this must be the rope ladder.” Joe grasped it and quickly skimmed upward.

As he swung off at the top, Mandie started climbing. Celia stayed where she was.

“Aren't you coming, Celia?” Mandie called down to her.

“I think I'll just stay down here and watch out for y'all,” she replied nervously.

Mandie and Joe explored the belfry. They examined the floor and walls as well as the support the bells were anchored to. There was nothing loose.

“I know something was shaking when we were up here,” Mandie declared. “I didn't imagine it.”

“As far as I can tell, though, there is not even a loose board up here,” Joe told her. “Could it have been the vibration of the bells ringing?”

“No, the bells weren't ringing when this happened,” Mandie explained. “And don't forget, there was also a thumping noise, like something had fallen.”

Joe inspected the wires to the bells. “How far away did the noise sound?” he asked.

“I suppose it could have come from downstairs in the sanctuary,” Mandie reasoned. “But it sounded all muffled—a thick kind of noise. It wasn't a sharp sound.”

“I think we should go back down and examine the whole church as we go,” Joe suggested. “Maybe we can find something that has fallen.”

“We thought the shaking and the noise must have been connected because everything happened so close together,” Mandie explained, heading for the ladder. “I'm coming down, Celia,” she called to her friend below. “Stay out of the way.”

“All right,” Celia answered. “Just don't come down too fast. You might fall.”

Mandie quickly descended the rope ladder and jumped off the last rung. Joe followed.

“Did you find out anything up there?” Celia asked. She seemed relieved that she didn't have to climb the swinging ladder.

“No,” Mandie replied, “but we're going to search the whole church now.”

Joe looked around the balcony. “Let's begin here,” he said. “Go up and down each row of benches and look for anything that might be loose or anything that might have fallen.”

The three young people quickly covered the gallery and found nothing of interest.

“I guess we can go down to the sanctuary, then,” Joe said, leading the way downstairs.

“Why don't we leave the sanctuary to the last and work our way through the basement first,” Mandie suggested. “Then we can come back through here on the way out.”

“That's a good idea,” Joe agreed. “Do y'all know how to get into the basement?”