Catherine's Cross (27 page)

CHAPTER 12
The Water Festival

T
hat evening, Seth came to Jenks's home at dusk. So that it would not be apparent that he was spending the night, he parked his car on another street and walked to her home. Concerned about the footsteps that Jenks had heard during the night, Seth had decided to stay with her for several evenings. When he arrived, he pulled Jenks down onto the living room couch and held her in his arms. He lightly touched her face, but his face showed a frown.

“What's wrong?” Jenks inquired.

“You'll read about this in tomorrow's newspaper. This swindler, Robert Mathis, has been posing as a social worker, preying upon vulnerable adults. He would go through veterans' care facilities, looking for tenants to place in his group homes. Jenks, I went into these homes today, and the conditions were squalid. Several of the residents in the group homes suffer from schizophrenia and were not receiving their medications.”

“Oh, my,” Jenks said.

“Mr. Mathis was having their veteran's and Social Security benefits redirected to himself. Several of the adults were taken to the local hospital for treatment. What a sorry son of a—” He stopped speaking for a moment, but then continued. “When you see horrible situations like this, it makes police work difficult. The houses were filled with trash and rats.”

“That's terrible. Why do some people treat others so badly? It just makes no sense.”

“Greed,” Seth said.

“Unfortunately, I suppose so.”

“Robert Mathis should be put
under
the jail,” Seth added.

They sat quietly for several moments before Jenks said, “I have something very strange to tell you.”

“Go on.”

“I told the Bernsteins about the young woman that I saw looking out the window at me with the sad eyes. They said that I saw the apparition of Helena Pierce. She was murdered in a house on Orchid Avenue years ago.”

“I didn't realize that you were talking about the Pierce home. I've heard that story as well. Her killer was never apprehended.”

“Do you think that's why she doesn't rest?”

“I can't answer that.” Their eyes locked. “There are other hauntings—we can be vividly haunted by our memories.”

“Seth—”

“Shhh . . . are you thinking about Gigi?”

“Yes, I am. I'm worried that she can't rest.”

“Come here,” he said as he pulled her even closer against him. He kissed her on the forehead and said, “With your hearing footsteps in this house at night, and now thinking you're seeing ghosts, you're going to scare yourself to death.”

“I promise I did see a young woman in the window.”

“I believe you. Come on, I'm getting you to bed.”

He took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom. Stopping just inside the doorway, he kissed her fervently on the mouth. “I want to protect you, and I intend to take your mind off things that frighten you.” He pulled her down onto the bed and stroked her face and neck. While disrobing her, he kissed her all over her body. The feeling was exquisite, and she moaned with excitement as he caressed her into ecstasy.

During the night, there were no noises that disturbed her. She was comforted by Seth as she rested in his strong arms, and when she woke in the morning, she was snuggled against him. She opened her eyes to find that he was looking at her.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said. He pushed her hair back and kissed her on the lips. “There were no noises last night.”

“I didn't hear anything either.”

“I'll stay here a few more nights, and then you can come to the Walker's.”

“Don't forget about Thursday. I'm going to make you a cake and a birthday dinner. Rory is going to join us.”

His lips turned up into a smile, and then both of them were quiet until Jenks said, “I'm going to stop by the local school district office and check on a teaching position in Beaufort County.”

“That's a good idea.”

His arms went around her, and she looked at the new scar on his left forearm, caused by broken glass when he saved Maggie Reynolds's life.

Later that day, Jenks went by the school district office and spoke with the administrator, David Simpson. He informed her there were no open teaching positions, but he asked her to fill out a job application, which she did. Before she left, he told her that if she was to remain in Beaufort for the fall, she could count on being a substitute teacher. There was always a need for temporary help.

For the next two nights, Seth stayed the night with Jenks, but there were no nocturnal noises, and she slept peacefully in his arms.

On Thursday, she spent the morning making a German chocolate cake for Seth's birthday. She carefully frosted the cake until she thought it was perfect, licking the spoon with satisfaction after the final touches.

At six, Seth and Rory arrived at the same time and Jenks opened beer for her guests. “That's good,” Rory commented as he took a drink of Budweiser. They went to the patio, and Seth helped her grill three steaks before the threesome sat down to dine.

Rory raised his beer in a toast. “Here's to my hero and friend, Seth Mason. Happy birthday and many more!”

They clinked their beers together, and Seth laughed slightly, looking amused.

“What is it?”

“In tomorrow's
Beaufort Gazette
, there will be an article about a case we worked that is now closed.”

“Go on,” Rory said with interest.

“This guy, Jay Taylor, has been having an affair with another man's wife. Jay Taylor also happens to be married. His married lover is named Mabel Larsen.”

“Oh, my,” Jenks replied.

“Well, Mr. Larsen happened to come home from work unexpectedly and caught his wife with Jay Taylor. Mr. Larsen threatened him with bodily harm, and Jay Taylor jumped out of a second-story window to get away.”

“My goodness,” Jenks blushed.

“In his haste, Jay Taylor forgot his wallet and his wedding band. Mr.

Larsen took the items to Jay Taylor's wife and told her that her husband had been visiting with his wife and had forgotten some things. He handed her his wallet and ring.”

“Oops,” Rory said with a laugh.

“Needless to say, Jay Taylor's wife, Emily, didn't handle that information too well, and she threw all of Jay's clothes onto the lawn. When he got home, Emily threatened to shoot him, and a neighbor called the police. When we arrived, she had put the gun away, and her husband was hiding in a neighbor's garage.”

“Now—that's what I call leaving evidence behind,” Jenks laughed.

Seth opened his presents: a Columbia fishing shirt from Jenks, and a fly rod from Rory. “Happy Birthday” was sung, followed by blowing out the candles and cutting the cake. When the party was over, Rory wished Seth and Jenks a good night and left for St. Helena. The two of them sat together on the screened porch in the darkness, and Seth took Jenks in his arms.

“Thank you for the wonderful birthday party, and Jenks—I greatly appreciate your making me a birthday cake.”

“You're quite welcome. It was my pleasure. Was this the first time anyone made you a German chocolate cake?”

He held her hand tightly and whispered, “This is the first time in my life that anyone made me a birthday cake.”

“Oh, baby,” she said, kissing him on the face as they held each other tightly in the darkness.

Seth left her to go to work early the next morning. Jenks planned to spend the day at the Walker property, picking blackberries and sunbathing on their dock. She arrived at the Walker property a little after nine.

Dew was still on the grass and shrubbery when Jenks set off on the path to the blackberry patch. She had collected a pail and a bottle of water from the Walker's kitchen before beginning her hike through the woods.

A red-tailed hawk cried out above her in the treetops. When she glanced up, the massive bird was looking at her. The hawk flew down to a lower perch along the pathway, still observing her. Jenks's gaze met with the hawk's, and they stared at one another as she passed by, continuing toward the meadow.

When she reached the clearing, she could see the cabin in the distance. The morning sun reflected off the metal roof and the glare hurt her eyes as she gazed across the meadow. Her blue jeans and running shoes were wet from dew. Sweat was beading up on her forehead and running down her back.

At the midway point in the meadow, there was a sound like a grunting noise. She stopped in her tracks and listened. The noise was growing louder, and she looked in the direction of the higher grass that was to the right of the pathway.

About thirty feet away, a black boar with tusks that appeared to be about a foot long came into view. She froze. To her horror, several of the creatures emerged from the grass. The black hog that was the leader of the group clawed the ground with its front paws. Suddenly, the beast lowered its head, snorted, and charged in her direction. She threw her water bottle at the hog, striking the animal in the head, but it was undeterred and pursued her.

With all her strength, Jenks ran in the direction of the cabin. There was less than a hundred feet to go. She could hear the grunts of the beast as it chased her through the meadow. During the sprint for the cabin, she dropped her pail but could only focus on the cabin's door.
Please don't let the door be locked.

When she reached the building, she was out of breath, but she quickly lifted the latch on the door and pushed her way inside. As she turned, the black beast was only several feet behind her. She slammed the door and forced down the latch. Jenks leaned against the door to further secure it. Above her own struggled gasps for air, she could hear the labored breathing of the wild boar just outside the door. A stench pervaded the air in the cabin, and she concluded the foul odor was the breath of the black hog.

Dust particles stirred by the slamming of the door were illuminated in a shaft of light as they floated in the air inside the cabin. Going to the nearest window, she opened the shutters. Several of the beasts were outside the cabin. She put her back against the wall, slid down, and sat in an attempt to catch her breath and calm herself.

Joseph Andrews's Civil War journals came into her mind. He had written an account of wild hogs coming out of the swamps and killing the pet cats of the Andrews family. Even though she was overheated from her run, cold chills enveloped her as she thought of his recordings. She remembered that Joseph had taken a sickle and had slain the beasts as they menaced the farmyard.

Hanging on the wall of the cabin were an ancient pickax and a shovel. She considered returning to the outside and attacking the boar with the pickax, but her mind raced to stories she had heard about these creatures in the past.
Wild hogs will cut a man to pieces.

She remained seated on the floor of the cabin and tried not to think of her thirst. When Seth came home and could not find her, surely he would look for her.
Why didn't I bring my cell phone?

She waited—the snorts and grunts of the hogs continued just outside the cabin. By two in the afternoon, she was so thirsty that it felt like her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth. The day had turned out to be extremely humid, and the temperature inside the cabin was oppressive. She had not heard the grunts of the hogs for a half hour or so. Despite feeling weak, she slowly rose from the floor and went to the windows, looking out in every direction. There was no sign of the wild hogs. Hopefully, they had gone back into the woods during the heat of the day. She slowly lifted the latch to the cabin door and descended the steps. As she reached the ground level, she heard the snort of one of the hogs and watched the beasts scurry out from a hole in the stone foundation wall of the cabin. Jenks realized that the hogs were taking refuge from the heat underneath the cabin, and she hastily retreated back inside.