Catherine's Cross (24 page)

Seth removed his handkerchief from his pants and wiped his brow. Even with the ceiling fan running, the room was warm. He took off his coat and laid it on the settee.

“Let me get you both a glass of ice tea,” Ida Mae said.

Seth looked at his watch and said, “I apologize, Miss Ida, Miss Meta, but I told my friend, Rory, that we would be at his house at six.”

“Come back when you have more time,” Meta said.

“Yes, ma'am.”

They walked to the front door together, and Jenks and Seth said their good-byes and started down the steps. They had reached the front walk when Meta called, “Miss Jenkins, I forgot to tell you someting. Could I speak to you for jus a moment more?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Jenks turned and walked back up the steps. Meta opened the screen door for her, and she stepped back into the foyer.

“I hope I didn't upset your young man. He have a look of shock in his eyes.”

“I—I don't know.”

“Dere is one more ting I want to share with you. Dere is tremendous energy comin' from de two of you.” She smiled a beautiful full smile that showed in her eyes, but said nothing more.

As Jenks descended the front steps, she considered the meaning of Meta's observation.

On the short drive to Rory's house, Seth was silent until Jenks asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“What Meta said about the energy she senses. Her interpretations are disturbing. Did you mention to either of the sisters that I had an identical twin who passed away?”

“No, I didn't.”

As they got out of the car at Rory's home, the aroma of garlic and tomato sauce lingered in the air.

“Something smells good,” Seth called out as he and Jenks stepped inside the house.

“Lasagna!” Rory exclaimed. He held up the article in the
Beaufort Gazette
that covered the automobile accident on Carteret, where Seth had saved Maggie Reynolds's life. “You're my hero,” Rory said with a broad smile.

“Thank you,” Seth replied. “Can we help with dinner?”

“You can set the table. Jenks, how are you this evening?”

“I'm well.”

They sat down at the table and dined on Rory's lasagna. “This is delicious,” Jenks commented.

“I'm so glad you like it,” Rory replied. “You know the Beaufort Water Festival is coming up in a few weeks. I'd like to go to talent night.”

“Why don't we three plan on attending?” Jenks said.

Seth took his first bite of lasagna and said, “Sounds good to me.”

“The start of law school is just around the corner too,” Rory commented.

“I'm looking forward to it,” said Seth.

Jenks remembered that the start of law school would also mark the time that she would return to Raleigh and start teaching the fall semester. She did not want to leave Seth.

“You know, Jenks, Seth is the darling of every woman's club in Beaufort County.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have received excellent support from the community with scholarship funds,” Seth admitted.

“You never told me that,” Jenks said.

“Now don't get mad, Seth,” Rory said as he gestured with his hand toward his friend. “He doesn't like to brag on himself, so I will. He's already been offered a job in the Beaufort County Solicitor's office.”

“That's wonderful,” Jenks said with a smile.

“The solicitor told me to complete a year of law school, and then I could work part time in their office. I was told that when I pass the bar, I could come on board as a staff attorney.”

Jenks squeezed Seth's hand and smiled. “I'm proud of you.”

Seth changed the subject. “I found out today that I'm going to be in Columbia for a couple of days for firearms training. I usually attend the class in the fall, but my course has been moved up because of law school.”

“When do you leave?” Jenks asked.

“I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'll return Friday afternoon.”

“That will give me plenty of time to put the moves on Jenks,” Rory said teasingly.

“Nothing doing,” Seth said. He put his arm around Jenks and kissed her on the forehead.

“Oh, by the way, Jenks, Seth has a birthday coming up.”

“When is your birthday?”

“Next Thursday.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

Seth gave her a shy smile, but remained quiet.

“I want to have both of you over to my house for a birthday dinner!”

“I'll look forward to it, Jenks—thank you,” Seth responded.

“I wouldn't miss it,” Rory said with a smile.

After they finished eating, they cleaned up the dishes and then played several hands of cards before calling it a night.

As Jenks stood on the outside deck waiting for Seth, she heard Rory say, “I haven't had any nightmares for a couple of weeks. I hope they've stopped.”

“I do too, Rory,” Seth quietly responded.

They said good night and Seth opened the car door for Jenks and made sure she was comfortably seated before he closed it. They both waved good-bye to Rory, who was sitting in his wheelchair on the deck.

On the way home Jenks said, “I heard Rory mention he suffers from nightmares.”

“Yes, he has a reoccurring nightmare about Sarah Humphries, the young woman who served with him in Afghanistan.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

Not wanting to be nosy, Jenks did not ask what happened in the nightmares. She concluded that Seth would tell her if he thought that further disclosure was proper.

When they arrived at Port Royal, Seth came into the house with Jenks. They began to kiss each other. He disrobed her, and she unbuttoned his shirt as they moved toward the bedroom. Jenks felt a deep ache of desire for him run through her body. They lay down simultaneously on the bed and wrapped their arms around each other. She cried out with pleasure as he made them one again, and she held him close, wrapping herself around him. He was deep within her and he kissed her on her mouth and throat. When he finally relaxed against her, they held each other in breathless exhaustion.

After a period of quietness, Jenks said, “I'm going to miss you while you're away.”

“I'll miss you too, but it's just for a couple of days.”

She was quiet for a moment. “I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to go back to Raleigh.”

“We can see each other on weekends.”

“You're going to be working many weekends with the sheriff's department.”

“Jenks, we'll make it happen. Please don't worry about our relationship.” He raised his head up on his elbow and looked into her eyes. “I love you.”

“I want to hear you say it often.”

“When I was growing up, I would have never thought myself capable of being close to a beautiful, well-educated lady like you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I thought a lady like you was out of my league.”

“That's silly. I think you're wonderful. I meant it when I said you're my hero. I love you too.”

He smiled at her. “I have a couple of surprises for you.”

“Can you give me a hint?”

“No, but I think you're going to really enjoy yourself.”

On Thursday, Jenks went to the downtown library to read with the children's group. Amanda Stevens was not present. Jenks read with each child and helped them with the words they had trouble pronouncing. When it was time for the children to adjourn to the playground, she went to the table where Ellen Madison was seated and said, “Amanda Stevens is not here today. Do you know where she is?”

“Her grandmother phoned and said that her car was broken down. She can't bring Amanda until her neighbor has a chance to repair her vehicle.”

“Do you think she would allow me to pick Amanda up and bring her to the next session?”

“I'll call her and see if that suits. That's very gracious of you to offer to give her a ride.”

“I don't mind at all. When I first started reading with her, she seemed to be shy. We read poetry during the last session. She read well, and then beamed with confidence and satisfaction.”

“I'll call you after I speak with her.”

Jenks drove to her home in Port Royal when she left the library. The phone was ringing when she opened the front door, and on the line was a real estate agent who wanted to show the house. She explained that she and her client had driven past the house, and they'd like to see the inside. Jenks told them she'd go for a walk, and they could use the lockbox to enter.

She put on a straw hat to shield her from the sun and set off on foot to Sands Beach. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and ran down her body. When she reached the beach, she began to hear the Marine Corps trainees at Parris Island practicing firearms proficiency. She listened to the rapid fire of the guns and watched the boat traffic on the Beaufort River. Sitting on the beach, she thought of Seth and how much she loved him. An hour passed, and she believed she had given the real estate agent and her client enough time to look at the house.

On her route back home, Jenks walked through the neighborhood, exploring streets she had never been on before. She was not far from the old shipping terminal when she passed several older cottages. One of the houses was in need of paint and had the look of abandonment. There were a couple of old fabric chairs on the front porch and the screen wire was dark and had numerous tears.

She paused in front of the home. A feeling of overwhelming sadness gripped her as she looked at the aged structure. She also felt as if someone were watching her. Looking around from house to house, Jenks did not see anyone in their yards or sitting on a porch.

Glancing back to the graying, wood-sided dwelling, Jenks's eyes searched the downstairs windows for an onlooker, but no one was there. She noticed the venetian blinds were bent, and some of the blades were missing. As she gazed upward, the feelings of being watched went deeper into her soul, and suddenly she realized the reason for her anxiety.

In an upstairs bedroom window, a young woman with piercing blue eyes and straight golden hair was staring out of the window at her. Jenks felt relieved to see that her intuition was correct, and she smiled and waved to the girl in the window.

The young woman did not return the smile or the wave. Jenks felt an unexplainable sadness as their eyes met. A car was coming in Jenks's direction, and she took her eyes off the girl and stepped into a driveway to stay out of the path of the automobile.

When the car had passed by, Jenks looked back up at the window, but the young woman was no longer there. Cold chills descended upon her as she continued her walk home.

When she reached home, the real estate agent and her client were pulling out of the driveway and they waved to Jenks as they passed by. When she reached the house, the phone was ringing. She quickly unlocked the door and ran to answer it.

Ellen Madison was phoning to tell her that Amanda Stevens's grandmother accepted Jenks's offer to give her granddaughter a ride to the library for the next reading session. Ellen gave her Amanda's address and phone number. The next session would be the following Monday.

That evening, Jenks sat on her screened porch and read from one of Gigi's poetry books. When the phone rang at nine p.m., she dashed to answer it. Seth was on the line, and she was happy to hear his voice.

“I've missed you today,” she confessed.

“Yes, I've missed you too. I got most of my requirements out of the way today, so I should be able to leave Columbia by three. Why don't you meet me at the Walker's around six?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I'll look forward to it.”

When she hung up the phone, the sounds of the night were all around her. Crickets and cicadas sang out their nighttime melodies. She opened a bottle of wine and sat on the porch thinking of Gigi. She missed her terribly. The thought of Frank Hiller drowning her sister brought anger and thoughts of revenge, but there was no way to prove that he had caused her any harm.

Her thoughts then went to Seth and the love she felt for him. She didn't want to leave him and return to Raleigh. Taking another sip of her wine, she rose from the wicker couch and went into her bedroom to lie down.

She rested her head against the pillow and thought of Gigi once again. Meta Andrews's advice went through her mind: look closer.
But at what?
She pulled the sheet up over her chest and closed her eyes.