Mysterious Signal (20 page)

In the bright light of morning Libby woke up wondering where she was. At first she couldn’t remember why she had made a bed of blankets on the floor of her father’s cabin. Then it all came back.

For a moment Libby stroked the signal quilt she had brought with her. As the sunlight streamed through the windows, the dark red and blue pieces stood out, sharp and beautiful.

My safe quilt
, Libby thought. Yet now the beautiful quilt would always remind her of more.
Lord, I thought You’d protect me from anything bad. I thought You’d keep scary things away from me. Instead, You were with me when I was scared
.

When Libby returned to her own room, she found that Caleb’s grandmother had filled the pitcher on her washstand with water. Again Libby felt relieved that she could put on a
dress. She found it tricky, but she was able to weave her long braid into her hair the way Annika had shown her.

Thursday, August 13
, Libby thought as she started down the stairs for breakfast.
Only two days till Pa has to pay the loan in Galena
. Something bothered her.

“Caleb?” Libby asked as soon as she found him. “We’ll soon reach the Lower Rapids, right?”

Steaming north, up the Mississippi River, boats faced two stretches of rapids. One of them, the Lower, or Des Moines Rapids, started at Keokuk, Iowa, near the place where the Des Moines River entered the Mississippi. Farther upstream was an eight-mile stretch called the Upper Rapids or the Rock Island Rapids.

“What if the water is low?” Libby asked.

“It will be low,” Caleb said, offering no comfort at all. “It’s August, remember?”

“What if we get hung up on the rocks?” Libby asked. A rock through a hull could cause a boat to sink within minutes. They would also be late in reaching Galena and making the loan payment. “After all our trouble, Pa might still lose the
Christina
.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t happen.” Caleb’s voice told Libby that he’d been wondering the same thing.

In Pa’s cabin was a map of the Lower Rapids surveyed and charted by Lieutenant Robert E. Lee. In addition to being captain, Pa was licensed as a pilot and could take over for Fletcher, the trip pilot, at any time if he chose. Yet Pa always took on a rapids pilot—a local man who knew every rock in the dangerous stretch and every change in the river. Such pilots also knew the chutes—the passages or paths through which a boat could safely pass.

As Libby entered the large dining room for breakfast, she began her search for the man from the night before. Carefully she studied the face of every person in the room. Before long she noticed something else.

Last evening Annika had walked from the train with Aunt Vi between her and Pa. Once on board, Annika slipped away the moment she knew her room assignment. Libby had thought Annika was tired from traveling all day. Now Libby wondered about it.

According to custom, officers, not passengers, ate at the captain’s table. Because they were relatives, Libby and Aunt Vi sat with Pa. Yet Annika had the choice of eating meals at the same place.

Now Libby saw Pa look around, searching for someone. She had a sneaking suspicion who that someone might be and finally spotted Annika at the end of the dining room, as far away from the captain’s table as she could choose to sit.

At the end of the meal Pa started toward Annika, but the teacher hurried away before he reached her.

She’s avoiding Pa
, Libby thought.
She’s making sure that not even Aunt Vi can accuse her of hunting for a husband
.

No longer did Libby wonder what was happening. She felt sure of one thing.
I caused trouble by what I said
.

Libby’s heart was thumping so hard that she knew she had to do something about it. She headed straight for Annika’s room.

Standing in the doorway, Libby waited until the teacher looked up. “I need to ask your forgiveness for what I said about marrying Pa,” Libby said. “I’m sorry.”

Annika smiled. “I forgive you, Libby. Now and then all of
us say things we’re sorry about later.”

“Thanks,” Libby said.
And thanks for not making a big thing of it
, she thought. Libby started to leave.

But Annika spoke quickly. “I’m glad you’re back with your father, Libby. He’s very special to you, isn’t he?”

From deep inside, Libby’s pride in her pa welled up. “The most special person in the whole world.”

“I heard what he told you about a never-give-up family,” Annika said gently. “Even if—” The teacher stopped, and Libby couldn’t read the look in her eyes.

After a moment Annika went on. “Libby, whenever you look at your safe quilt, bring my words to mind. No matter what happens between your father and me, I’m part of your never-give-up family.”

Libby forced herself to smile. Secretly, though, she wasn’t giving up. As she went out the door, Libby still hoped Pa and Annika would get married.

Only later did Libby wish she had asked Annika what she thought of Pa.
I wonder if Annika left family in Philadelphia
.

Once again Libby started searching for Dexter’s friend the gambler.

CHAPTER 16

O
ne moment Libby wished she’d find the mysterious man. The next moment Libby hoped that she wouldn’t.

Then from the front steps of the
Christina
she looked down on the main deck. On the starboard, or right side of the boat when facing the bow, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. On the port, or left side of the boat, six or seven men huddled around one man. His mustache spread wide and curled up at both ends.

With dread Libby felt as if she were reliving that awful moment on the train. This time Libby crept down the steps until she caught a good look at the man selling chances for jewelry. In the early morning light, Libby clearly saw his face. His hair was parted just off center and slicked down with something shiny.

Libby stared at the man.
Jordan and Peter are in danger again. If this man is here, so is Dexter. Now they’re separate, so they don’t call attention to themselves. When they need a job done, they’ll be together
.

Libby’s dread grew.
A job done. Catching Jordan, collecting the reward. Finding Peter, making good on Dexter’s threat to
get even. Perhaps even stealing from Pa again to keep him from making the payment
.

Quietly Libby edged back. Just as she was ready to step out of sight, the man glanced toward the stairs. For one instant Libby’s gaze met his. The look in his eyes told Libby one thing.
He knows who I am. He knows I’m the captain’s daughter
.

Slipping behind the wall next to the stairway, Libby broke into a run. When she found Pa in his cabin, he hurried to the main deck. By the time he got there, the men had scattered.

From the stairs Pa looked down at where they had been. “If you see the man again, tell me right away, Libby. On a family boat, I can stop him from selling chances—from using it as a way to pass counterfeit bills. If I catch him doing that on my boat, I can arrest him. But I can’t arrest him for forging counterfeit bills without evidence.”

“You need to find the press he uses?” Libby asked.

Pa nodded. “What does Peter know about the man?”

They found Peter leaning against the wall of the texas, as if to make sure no one could sneak up behind him. Libby’s dog, Samson, was next to him. Seeing them there, Libby realized that the two had been together every moment since Peter came on board.

Sitting down beside him, Libby took his slate. Before she could write, Peter put his hand across it. “The gambler we saw on the train from Springfield is here on the boat. Is that what you wanted to say?”

Libby nodded. Taking the slate, Pa wrote, “What do you know about that man?”

“I think he’s the one who helped Dexter escape from jail. His name is Slick. He forges counterfeit bills.”

“You’re sure?” Pa wrote.

“He visited Dexter in Galena,” Peter answered. “One night when they didn’t know I was there, I saw his press. They hid it in a secret place in Dexter’s house.”

“Do they know that you know?” Pa wrote again.

“That’s one of the reasons Dexter wants to get me. At first he thought he’d use me to steal from you. He’s angry because I stood up against him.”

“Peter—” Pa began.

As though guessing what Pa was going to say, Peter held up his hands. “I’ll be okay,” he said, “if Libby doesn’t care that Samson stays with me.”

At the sound of his name, the big Newfoundland moved even closer to Peter. “See how much he likes me?” Peter scratched behind Samson’s ears. “God and Caleb and Samson will take care of me.”

“In that order?” Pa wrote.

Peter grinned. “In that order. It will help you find Slick if you know he uses special oil on his hair. You can smell it, even in the dark.”

On that hot August morning, Libby felt a coldness that had nothing to do with the weather.
Peter meant it when he said he knew how to hide from Dexter. Has he also learned to hide from Slick?

At Keokuk, Iowa, they came to the south end of the Des Moines Rapids. Pa took one look at the water and said, “It’s really low. I’ve got too much freight for Muscatine. We’ll have to lighten her up.”

Wagons with teams of horses stood along the riverfront.
All hands pitched in, unloading freight until the
Christina
rode high enough for Pa’s satisfaction. Then Caleb, Peter, and Samson climbed onto a wagon and rode overland. The
Christina
would meet the wagons at the upper end of the rapids.

Before leaving Keokuk, Pa took on a local pilot who knew the Des Moines Rapids. They were partway through the eleven-mile stretch when Pa found Libby on the hurricane deck.

“Libby, Gran has been watching the woman you brought on board. Sadie is about to have her baby.”

“Oh good!” Libby exclaimed. “I knew she would, now that she’s in a safe place.”

Then Libby saw the look on Pa’s face. Beads of perspiration formed a line along his upper lip. Sweat stood out on his forehead and streaked his cheeks. Deep in the cargo area where no air reached, it was very warm. Yet Libby sensed it was more.

“You’ve delivered babies before,” she said. “You’ve told me about them.”