A Circle of Time (21 page)

Joshua put down their fishing poles. He turned her toward him and held both her hands. His eyes were serious as they searched hers.

“I made a commitment to Becky,” he began slowly, “and I have to keep my promise and take care of her. I do love her ... but I'll never forget you, Allison. What I feel for you, I've never felt before. ”

Allison noticed that he never admitted he loved her, never actually said the words, but something in the tone of his voice and in the way he looked at her when he spoke told her he did. She suspected such an admission might be too painful. What would be gained by it, anyway? She had less than two days left in his world. But maybe the words didn't need to be said ... at least not in this lifetime.

“What will you tell Becky, Joshua?”

“I don't know. She doesn't seem to remember anything about you.”

“Of course not. I don't exist yet. At least not for her. She only meets me when she dies. So far, she's still alive. And if we're lucky, she'll stay that way.”

Joshua winced at her words. “So what do I say? How do I explain something I can barely believe myself?”

“Maybe it's best if you don't even try. She only needs to know the main facts, not the details. Just tell her what happened while she had blacked out. Tell her about Sadie and José and the Cardona Pomales family and whatever happens to them in the next two days. The only people who need to know I was ever here are you and Magda. It'll be our little secret.” Allison watched him sadly. “After a while, it'll be as if I never existed. You'll forget about me.”

“I promise you, Allison, and I never break my promises. I will never forget you. Ever.”

And with that, he leaned over and placed his lips on hers.

Early the next afternoon, Allison and Joshua snuck along the edge of the woods to the back of the Thompson cabin. The hot day was stifling.

“Should we wait here?” said Allison.

“The window is in the front,” Joshua replied.

“Sadie or Don Carlos might catch us if we listen by the window.”

“But we can't stay back here. We won't be able to hear anything. ”

“What if”—Allison swallowed—“what if we were able to hide
inside
the cabin?”

Joshua looked at her as though she'd been speaking a foreign language. “Inside that tiny place?”

“Have you ever been inside Becky's cabin?”

“Well, no. Can't say's I have. But you only have to look at the outside to know there's no place to hide—”

“But there is,” Allison said, remembering the small dark cabin. “There's a loft above the bed. And there's a curtain to hide it.”

Joshua looked past Allison, his eyes narrowing, remembering. “Becky's loft. That's where she sleeps. She told me it's the one place she gets any privacy. Sadie is too big to go up there.”

“Now, if we can figure out how to get inside unnoticed...” Allison's mind was racing, searching for a plan.

“You're serious! You expect us to get inside the cabin without Sadie noticing and to lie up there in that tiny loft while Sadie and Don Carlos go at it like two angry dogs?”

“They'll be too busy arguing to pay attention to anything else. And we'll be quiet.”

Joshua shook his head in disbelief. “Do you know what would happen if they got wind of us spying on them?”

Allison said nothing. She simply stared at him, resolute in her plan.

“They'd rip us to shreds, that's what! Don Carlos is paying Sadie off because he doesn't want
anyone
to know his secret. He may even want to kill her because of it. If he catches us, he may decide to do the same to us.”

“We'll just have to be careful,” Allison replied. “We have to risk it. It's the only place to hide where we can be sure to hear everything they say.”

“Crazy,” Joshua muttered, shaking his head. “Just plain crazy.”

Ignoring him, Allison placed her ear against the cabin wall. “I think she's in there. Yes, I hear her boots stomping around. Darn! I was hoping—”

The front door creaked open and slammed shut. They heard the
thump, thump, thump
of boots hitting the three front steps.

“Allison, c'mon!” Joshua grabbed her arm and led her away from the cabin, toward the shelter of the trees. “We can't let her spot us.”

They reached the trees in time to see Sadie lumbering around the corner of the cabin, carrying a pail and a hoe. Her face was hidden behind the broad brim of a floppy sun hat. At the edge of a small vegetable patch near the far side of the cabin, she set down the pail and hoe and leaned over to inspect a short vine of peas that was beginning to climb a wooden stake.

“She's going to do some weeding,” said Joshua. “That used to be Becky's job. Bet she's mad as a tipped cow that she's stuck with doing it herself.”

“Serves her right, abusing Becky the way she did.”

They watched the large woman inspect a few more plants, then begin the laborious task of hoeing out weed after weed and tossing them into the pail. Every so often, she would straighten up, place her hand on her back, and arch backward, then side to side. Sometimes she would pluck a handkerchief from her pocket and mop the sweat from her face. When the pail was full, she would walk to the edge of the woods, dump the weeds, and slowly hobble back.

“Joshua,” Allison said the second time Sadie walked the pail to the edge of the woods, “I have an idea. Let's start creeping back to the cabin. Next time Sadie empties the pail, we'll sneak up to the side of the house and in the front door. She can't hear us when she's at the woods.”

“Allison, this is a crazy thing to do, girl.”

“Are you with me, or am I going alone?”

Joshua gave a resigned sigh. “I'm with you.”

Keeping a wary eye on Sadie Thompson, they scurried along the edge of the forest, scrambling from one tree to the next until they were parallel with the cabin but could still see Sadie's shadow hoeing, bending, tossing, hoeing, bending, tossing. When Sadie stood up, pail in hand, and headed for the woods, the pair tore off across the open patch of land between the woods and the cabin.

When they reached the front door, Joshua crept to the edge of the cabin and peered around the corner. “She's dumping the weeds. Hurry, open the door.”

On tiptoes, Allison stole up the three steps and creaked open the door. She hurried inside, and holding the door for Joshua, whispered, “I made it, Joshua. Hurry!”

He rushed up the wooden steps with remarkable stealth and eased the door shut behind him. Allison was already creeping up the rickety ladder to the loft. She flopped onto the straw mattress and scooted across it till she reached the wall. Joshua scooched in next to her, swiftly drawing the curtain back just enough to hide them.

 

The loft was stuffy and tight. Bits of straw poked through the mattress, scratching Allison's face. She eased herself into a position she could hold for the duration of their vigil. But they didn't have to wait long before the distant sound of hooves pounding dry earth met their ears.

Soon, heavy hurried footsteps approached, climbed the wooden steps, and paused as the door was thrown open. The door slammed shut, and the footsteps—so close Allison had to hold her breath—marched around the cabin. Then they walked briskly to the fireplace, and Allison heard a soft
thud,
a creaking, and a sigh as Sadie sank onto the wooden rocker.

The only sounds in the cabin were the
creak, tap, creak, tap, creak
of Sadie's rocking, the raspy wheeze of Joshua's stifled breathing, and the
thu-thump, thu-thump
of Allison's heart pounding. In the background, the hoofbeats grew louder.

A few moments later, the hoofbeats stopped, and the door burst open.

“Good afternoon, Don Carlos,” said Sadie, still rocking. “Did you bring them?”

Don Carlos stepped to the table and placed something on it with a loud
thump, clang.
“They are here, as I promised,” he said in a gruff voice. “Now it is your turn to keep a promise. If that is something of which you are capable.”

Sadie gave a low chuckle. “I'll keep my end of the bargain as soon as you keep yours. Where's the horse and wagon?”

“They will be delivered first thing in the morning. Then I want you to clear out and never come back. I will not pay you another penny of blackmail.”

Sadie chuckled again.

“I warn you, woman. If you ever come onto my land again, I will shoot you as a trespasser. After tomorrow, this property reverts to me.”

Sadie snorted. “The high-and-mighty Don Carlos Cardona Pomales has spoken, is that right? You order it, and it is done. And if anything or anyone dares go against your wishes, you make sure to correct the situation. Pull the right strings, pay the right price, dispose of the right evidence. But it's all catchin' up to you.” Sadie gave a bitter laugh. “All your well-planned schemes are startin' to unravel. When your womenfolk find out what you've done—”

“I've done nothing! And you have been well paid to keep your mouth shut about anything you
think
you know.” Don Carlos's tone was menacing. He began taking slow, deliberate steps toward Sadie. “I paid you one hundred dollars in gold coins. Still you wanted more. I've brought you the solid-gold candlesticks you wanted, and you'll have the horse and wagon. But still you want more. Perhaps the only way to silence you is to silence you permanently.”

Sadie laughed and continued rocking.
Creak, tap, creak, tap.
“You don't scare me, Don Carlos. You wouldn't dirty your lily-white hands with killing the likes of me. You'd hire someone else to do it. Like you did with José Velásquez.”

Allison sucked in her breath.

The sound of Don Carlos's advancing footsteps stopped.

“Oh, you didn't think I knew about that one, did you? Ned confessed everything to me on his deathbed. He said he couldn't take those dreadful secrets to his grave. He hoped telling me would help absolve him. Poor fool! He was a good man but a weak one. And you have a way of usin' people's weaknesses, don't you, Don High-and-Mighty Cardona Pomales?”

“You know nothing of what you speak.”

“I know, all right. I know everything you did and more. I know what Ned did. He was fond of José. He needed the money you was offerin', but he couldn't live with the boy's blood on his hands.” Sadie stopped rocking. The room was eerily silent except for Don Carlos's heavy intakes of breath. Allison's heart pounded in her ears.

“Would you like to know what he did with the boy, Don High-and-Mighty?”

Don Carlos said nothing.

“Of course, you would. You're dyin' to know. Well, I'm going to tell you, and because I'm not a greedy woman, I won't ask for anything more from you. I just needed something to tide me over in my old age. My eyes are goin', and now you've got my Becky. Isn't it ironic? She can remind you of Ned and me and—”

“Get on with it, woman! What did Ned do with Velasquez?”

“Impatient now, are we? All right, I'll tell you. Ned didn't want to kill the boy, as you'd ordered. But he knew José was headstrong and anything short of death would bring him right back after that girl of yourn. So he arranged for José to be shanghaied. The boy was bound and gagged and sent off on a ship headed for China or Africa or somewheres. Ned got news later that José was shipwrecked and drowned.”

Don Carlos let out a deep breath.

“Relieved, are you?” Sadie chuckled. “Well, don't be. He's alive.”

“He's what? How do you know this?”

“Because he's here. Paid me a little visit earlier. Looking for Ned, thinking Ned could help him—Ned bein' his pa's old friend and all.” She laughed again.

“What—what did you tell him?”

“Told him the truth. No matter what you may think of me, I'm no liar.”

“You told him about—”

“No, I didn't spill your precious secret. That's still safe with me ... so long as you hold up your end of the bargain.”

“Yes, yes, woman. What did you tell him?”

“I just told him that Ned was dead, and that I was his second wife—that he'd married me soon after Ruth died to help him take care of their sweet little Becky.” Sadie gave out a loud snort of laughter as if she'd just told a clever joke.

“Stop that cackling, woman, and tell me what he said. Did he ask about Isa?”

“Do pigs eat slop? Course, he asked about her. What the devil do you think he's doing here?”

Allison heard a few quick footsteps move across the floor and a scuffling noise.

“Let go of me!” cried Sadie.

“If you do not tell me what I need to know, woman, I swear to you by the Holy Virgin, I will strangle you right here.”

“Don't hurt me!” she shrieked. “I said I'd tell you, and I will. Just let go.” The rocker creaked as Sadie sat back down. “That's better. Let me catch my breath.”

“Do not lie to me, woman. Speak quickly. How do you know it was José?”

“It wasn't easy—he's changed. Gone through some rough times, that one. And he never told me who he was. But I noticed that crescent-shaped scar on his forehead, and his right arm has the awful burn from when he saved his sister from the fire. I remember from when I used to work at the mansion. He was such a handsome young man, but he only had eyes for Miz Isa.” Sadie's voice took on a dreamy tone and drifted off.

“Yes, yes, go on. That sounds like him.”

“Like I told you, he asked about Ned. When I told him Ned was dead, he asked if I knew the Cardona Pomales family. Guess he didn't remember me now that I've lost my girlish figure,” Sadie said with a bitter laugh. “I told him I used to be their seamstress, and he asked whether I knew anything about Miz Isa. I told him the truth—that she went insane after her lover disappeared and her baby died.”