Wonderland Creek Part 34

"You know what I mean, Lillie. I want to do something important."

"It's the little things that make all the difference in the world. The kind words we speak and the simple things we do for people. Remember how that Ike fella helped you work in the garden? Now, he'd say it was just a little thing, but the Good Lord is gonna bless his labor with food for months and months to come."

"Is that what you meant by working with G.o.d, not for Him?"

"That's exactly right. See? You learnt something. Now," she said with a grin, "go work with G.o.d and fix us some lunch."

I went to my bedroom first, to change my clothes and dry off. I tried to make sense of what Lillie said as I stoked the kitchen stove and heated the leftover stew for us. After becoming so involved in the lives of people in Acorn, it was hard to let go and trust G.o.d. I wanted to fix everything. But when Mack had tried to do that, he'd only made things worse.

I had one more question to ask Lillie as I laid the lunch tray on her lap. "Where did Mack learn how to take care of a baby? You should have seen him today, holding little Feather on his lap, singing to her, rocking her to sleep." Her answer surprised me.

"Honey, as far as I know, Mack don't know a single thing about babies."

Early Friday morning, Ike came into the library to say good-bye to me. He could barely stand still from excitement.

"Well, I'm off! My brother's gonna drive me to the train station over in Hazard, and I'll meet up with the new band in Lexington. My fingers are itching to play, Alice. I can't wait to get going."

"I can see that."

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. If it works out, I'll be on my way to Nashville for sure!"

Ike was thrilled about what lay ahead, and although he swore he would miss me, I could see that he was eager to be on his way. I didn't want to delay him with a long farewell. "Write to me and let me know how you make out, okay?"

"I will." He hugged me tightly, but his kiss was quick and impatient. Then he was gone.

I knew I would miss him, yet as soon as the truck roared off, I felt as relieved as I had after the thunderstorm had blown over and the rain had stopped. Maybe now I could concentrate on my work in the library and type up more of Lillie's folk medicine book without any distractions. But as hard as I tried, I couldn't settle down and stop worrying about June Ann and Maggie and Feather. I needed to find out how they were doing. I decided to ride my route, even though today was Friday, and deliver books to the people I had neglected yesterday.

I stopped at June Ann's cabin on the way up the mountain. Her dog came out and barked at me, but June Ann didn't appear. The farm was obviously being tended. Her mule was out in the pasture, her chickens were scratching around the yard, and her garden looked weeded and hoed. I dismounted and went inside the cabin, calling her name. A fire burned in her fireplace, and the newspaper with my note was no longer on the table. In its place lay the book that I had brought her the last time I had come. I waited, hoping she would come out and talk to me, but she never did. I took the old book and left a new one for her. At least I knew she was safe.

I brought books to the Howard family, then stopped at the school, letting everyone think the storm had delayed me yesterday. Finally, I went to see Maggie.

"Come on in, Allie," she called from her doorway. I dismounted and went inside. The house was as peaceful and fragrant as always. Maggie stood by the stove, stirring something in a big soup pot.

"How are you?" I asked. "I've been thinking about you and the baby all night, so I decided to come and see how you're doing."

"We're fine. Have a seat." I removed my jacket and sat down at her kitchen table. Maggie poured me a cup of tea.

"Has Feather been eating okay?"

"Yes. She didn't like the goat's milk at first, but when she got hungry enough, she finally drank it. She cries a lot, Allie. I think she has colic. I've been feeding her several smaller meals instead of a bigger one and it seems to help. Have you found June Ann?"

"No. I stopped at her cabin on the way up here. I could tell she's been home, but she won't come out of hiding and talk to me. I wrote her a note yesterday, telling her that you were taking care of Feather, and today the note was gone. Where is Feather, by the way?"

Maggie gestured to the bedroom. "She's in with Miss Opal, sleeping."

"How is your mother-in-law?"

"Not good." Maggie sank onto a chair across from me with a sigh. "It's so strange to be taking care of the two of them at the same time. They're at the opposite ends of life; they both eat and sleep, but one is growing stronger, the other one weaker. My instinct is to nurture Opal and make her well again, just like I'm nurturing Feather. But there's nothing I can do for Opal. She's dying, Allie, and she knows it. She told me that she's ready to go. I don't know if I could be as brave as she is."

"I hope it's not too much work for you with the baby, too?"

"Not at all. I lay them side by side in the big bed, and they seem to draw comfort from each other. Miss Opal loves that baby. She talks to her when they're both awake and sings her to sleep when she cries. But she keeps calling her Rhoda Lee. I corrected her at first. But really, what difference does it make?"

Maggie didn't seem at all perturbed by her new responsibility. I realized it would be much harder for her to watch Miss Opal die if she didn't have Feather to care for, and I remembered Lillie's prophecy that the baby would save Maggie's life.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" I asked as I stood to leave.

"Did you bring me another book?"

"I did. It's one of the new ones that I brought with me from Illinois. Wow, it seems like ages ago that I boxed up those books and climbed into my uncle's car."

"Today is the first day of May already. "

I looked at Maggie in surprise. I had lost track of the days and months. I was becoming like these mountain folks, who seemed perfectly content to ignore the pa.s.sing of time. Mack had asked me to give him another month to finish his work, and surely the time must be up by now-wasn't it? It didn't matter. I couldn't leave now. I had grown much too fond of Maggie and June Ann and Feather. And I no longer took care of Miss Lillie and Mack out of duty, but because I cared about them. I would write another letter to my parents tonight, explaining that I would be further delayed.

The following week, riding my routes took longer than usual because I stopped at June Ann's cabin on both days, and took time to see Maggie and Feather on both days, as well. In between, I stayed busy with my library work and with typing Lillie's recipes and with all the hard work of running the household. I barely had time to think of Ike, let alone miss him. Was Lillie's love potion wearing off?

Being apart from Ike gave me time to think clearly about him without the distraction of his handsome face and cheerful personality. What had attracted me to him, besides his good nature and wonderful fiddle playing and heart-stopping kisses? Did we really have anything in common? And was it enough for us to spend a lifetime together? Maybe Ike would change his mind about me, too, while we were apart. He'd told me that women were drawn to him whenever they heard him play. If they started falling at his feet again, he might forget all about me. I watched for the promised letter from him, but it never came.

Belle and I were on our way back home to the library after delivering books on Thursday afternoon when Mack flagged us down in front of his cabin. "Do you have time for a visit?" he asked. "I want to tell you something. And I have a favor to ask." I would have been concerned except that he looked happier than I'd ever seen him. I knew it must be good news. I climbed down and we sat side by side on his front porch.

"It's finished," he said quietly. "My ma.n.u.script is finished. Done. The end."

"Mack, that's wonderful!" I gave him a quick, spontaneous hug. What must it feel like to accomplish such a task? I had read hundreds of novels in my lifetime, but I had never thought about how an author must feel when he wrote The End. If it was satisfying to finish reading a good book, how much more satisfying must it be to finish writing one? "Now what?" I asked him.

"Now I give it to my publisher."

"Do you want me to take it home with me and mail it for you? I a.s.sume that's the favor?"

"No. My ma.n.u.script was stolen from Lillie's house once before, remember? Besides, those nosy old geezers at the post office are going to wonder what you're mailing. They'll open up the package to look inside, I guarantee it."

"Isn't it against the law to tamper with the mail?"

"Of course it is. But making moonshine is against the law, too, and that doesn't stop anybody around here."

"How will you get your book to your publisher then?"

"I've given it a lot of thought and I've decided to deliver it in person. While I'm gone, I'll bring the information about Hank's accident to Washington. I have the evidence all compiled except for one crucial piece of information that's still missing. That's where the favor comes in. Moon or no moon, we need to go back to the mine."

"We? Oh no. Absolutely not."

"It'll be the same arrangement as last time, Alice. All I need is for you to ride up here with Belle. You can stay here at the cabin or come with me, it's your choice."

"Why do you have to go back there?"

"I need to go inside the mine and see where Hank's accident happened. Something doesn't add up. According to the doc.u.ments we found and Ike Arnett's account, the accident didn't take place in the same shaft where they were mining coal."

"Ike said they had found a new vein."

"It doesn't make any sense to mine a new vein in another shaft if the old one hasn't played out. And according to those files we found, they could have kept digging in that original shaft for years. If they started a new one, they'd have to lay new tracks and hire more workers, yet production was slowing down after the stock market crash. I think Hank's accident was a setup. That's why I need to see the site."

"But the mine entrance is all boarded up. How will you get inside?"

"That shouldn't be hard. I'll just pry off some boards."

"Wait. The guard is going to come along and see that the boards are pried away. Remember how carefully he looked it over the last time?" I remembered lying in the bushes, terrified that we would get caught as we watched the guard search the mine entrance and shine his light all around.

"I don't have all the details figured out, Alice, but I know I need to go back there. Will you help me or not?"

My heart felt like a dead weight in my chest. "When?"

"Tomorrow night. I can't wait for the next new moon. If it rains like it has for the last few nights, it'll be dark enough."

"Oh, Mack. Isn't there any other way?"

"No." He rose to his feet and reached for my hand to pull me up. "Come on, I want to show you where I hide my ma.n.u.script, along with the papers for the mining officials-just in case. You'll need to mail them if anything happens to me."

"It sounds like you don't think you'll escape this time."

"Not at all. I'm simply taking precautions."

He led the way into the cabin and pushed aside a pile of dead leaves to reveal a trapdoor beneath the floorboards. Mack had lined the s.p.a.ce with feed sacks and wrapped the two packages in oilcloth to make them waterproof.

"This packet of papers goes to Washington," he told me, "and this one is my book. The addresses for both of them are inside." Mack wore a satisfied smile, but I felt sick with fear for him-and for Lillie, if anything happened to him.

"Can't you just turn in the doc.u.ments you already have? Why not let the government officials go inside to look at the shaft?"

"They may not want to come back to Acorn unless I can offer them some new compelling evidence. Please help me, Alice."

I closed my eyes. I knew he was waiting for my reply, but I didn't want him to go back to the mine. It was too big of a risk. I had a very bad feeling about his plan this time, knowing what would happen if he were caught. I needed to stall Mack, hoping he would change his mind. "Does it have to be tomorrow night? That wildcat is still roaming around, you know."

"We'll be fine. I swear that this will be the last favor I'll ever ask of you. Once I deliver this information to Washington, I won't have to worry about hiding out anymore. I can come home and take care of Lillie. And you can go home."

I could go home. It was what I wanted, wasn't it?

"But wait . . . you still don't know who tried to kill you, do you?"

"Well, no, not for certain. Why are you so reluctant to help me this time, Alice?"

"Because I care about you! I don't want anything to happen to you!" I blurted the truth without thinking.

Mack looked so stunned by my confession that I hurried to amend my words. "Everyone cares about you, Mack, but especially Lillie. She loves you like a son. She told me the other day that she's ready to leave this world, but she's just hanging on until you're settled down. She has lost so many loved ones already that it would be a catastrophe if something happened to you."

Mack reached for my hand. "Then help me, Alice. Please. I can't do it alone."

The weather worked in Mack's favor on Friday night. Clouds padded the heavens like a layer of thick felt, obscuring the three-quarter moon and the stars, m.u.f.fling the forest sounds. Rain drizzled on and off, as if unable to make up its mind. I hadn't been able to make up my mind, either. Should I stay at Mack's cabin where I'd be safe, or join him on his insane quest?

In the end, I decided to join him. Mack still hadn't fully recovered from his gunshot wound, and I'd been so wrapped up with Ike and Maggie and June Ann and the baby that I hadn't been paying attention to how thin and weak he looked. Worse, I kept forgetting to tell Lillie that he needed medicine. I knew how much he meant to Lillie, how she couldn't bear to lose him, yet I had been negligent. The least I could do was go to the mine with him and be his lookout.

Belle must have sensed my determination because she didn't throw one of her horse fits when I saddled her up late that night in the misty rain. Her att.i.tude toward me had changed ever since I'd made her obey me on the day of the thunderstorm. It was as if I had earned her respect. Who would have ever thought that I'd learn to ride a horse-and a temperamental one at that?

We arrived at Mack's cabin without incident and left the saddle and bridle behind, like we had the last time. "Where's my rifle?" Mack asked, glancing all around.

"I didn't bring it. Lillie wouldn't let me."

"She wouldn't let you? Why not?"

"I don't know, but she got all funny about it when I asked her where the ammunition was, and she said you didn't need to bring your gun this time. She said the Good Lord would watch over us."

"That's just great! We need that rifle, Alice. Lillie didn't have a problem with us bringing it along the last time."

"Don't get mad at me," I said, holding up my hands. "I'm just the messenger. I would have brought the rifle, but I figured it would be useless without bullets-just like last time."

Mack huffed as if trying to control his temper. "Did you remember to bring the miner's hat?"

"Yes. And this time we won't leave it in the saddlebag, will we?" I wanted him to know that the responsibility for the mistake last time had been equally shared.

We rode Belle bareback up through the coal black woods. I felt untethered without a saddle and stirrups, as if I might slide off Belle's broad back. The eerie ride seemed to take even longer than it had the last time as we navigated the dark, featureless forest. Just as I spotted the coal tipple ahead of us, the rain began to fall in earnest. Mack drew Belle to a halt at the edge of the clearing and climbed off, then caught me as I slid off.

"I'm going to leave Belle here," he whispered. "Do you want to wait here with her?"

"No. I'll come with you. At least it will be dry inside the mine."

Mack didn't spend as much time surveying the area as he had before, quickly leading the way to the mine entrance, stopping every few yards to look around. There was no sign of a guard or any activity at the deserted mine. In the distance, the ghost town looked forlorn in the dismal rain.

"You be the lookout while I break in," Mack said. "Watch for the guard's car. You did a great job spotting it last time." Mack worked for fifteen minutes before finally managing to pry off a piece of one of the thick boards that sealed the entrance. But it had splintered in the process and would be noticeable to an alert guard.

"There's nothing I can do about it," he said when I pointed out the mess he'd made. "The hole has to be big enough to squeeze through. Is the coast still clear?"

"Yes, as far as I can tell . . ." I felt shaky with nerves. My mind had spun with fear ever since Mack and I had begun this journey. Mack put his hands on my shoulders as if to steady me and looked me in the eye, his expression serious.

"I need you to stay here and keep watch for me. If anyone comes, don't worry about me. You run into the woods, find Belle, and get out of here."

"How is that keeping watch? I'm not going to leave you trapped in the mine. You said they would kill you if you're caught."

"True. But that makes it dangerous for you, too."

"I don't think they'd dare kill me. My family would ask too many questions if anything happened to me." I didn't say it out loud, but I clung to the hope that no one would dare to harm Mack, either, if I was a witness.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

I exhaled, then nodded. Fear sat on my chest like a hundred-pound sack, making it hard to breathe.

We dropped to our stomachs on the wet ground and wiggled through the opening into the mineshaft. Mack went first. Once inside, I stood up and brushed mud and dirt from my clothes while he reached through the hole and tried to prop the splintered board in place so it wouldn't be as noticeable.

"Can we light the miner's lamp now?" I asked. "I can't see my hand in front of my face." Before Mack could reply, I head a rustling noise, like the wind rushing through the leaves, and I saw a dark ma.s.s moving and swirling just inches above my head. I recognized the sound from my experience with the bat in my bedroom, but this time it was multiplied a hundredfold. I crouched down beside Mack and covered my head, trying not to scream as the cloud of bats swarmed around us. At last, they poured out into the night, flying between the cracks in the boards that covered the entrance.

"They're gone," Mack said. I heard the relief in his voice.