The Madness of Mercury (32 page)

I followed the original route mapped out by the sheriff. As I neared the turnoff to the drive, my palms became sweaty. If I stopped to think about what I was doing, I’d lose courage. I wasn’t sure what my plan was, but I had to get inside. I was sure Eunice was there, and I was also sure she’d be ready to come home without a fuss. The difficulty would be getting her out unseen. I reviewed the possibilities in my mind. Worst case scenario, I could be attacked and hurt. If not by humans, then by dogs. Another possibility was that Eunice wasn’t there, but her note and my instincts told me she was.

If I were caught, what would they do? Call the sheriff? Charge me with trespassing? It wasn’t against the law to impersonate a nurse. Not like impersonating a police officer. As long as I didn’t try to practice medicine, I couldn’t see that I was doing anything terrible. I took a deep breath, pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road where it was hidden by a curve and some overgrown bushes, and turned off the engine. I rummaged in the glove compartment and found a short cord. I laced my car key onto it and tied the cord around my neck, tucking it under my uniform top. I found a small, flat mini flashlight and shoved that into my purse with the rest of the paraphernalia.

I climbed out and walked down the road to the driveway, and then walked casually up the rise to the chain-link fence. An older man with gray hair, wearing jeans and a heavy, checked shirt, was standing by the gate. I raised a hand in greeting. He looked at me cautiously before he undid the lock and chain. I wondered if he was part of the group or another local, like Duane.

“Where’s the other nurse?”

“She was called out on an emergency. I’m filling in.”

He hesitated a moment, looking my uniform over, then swung the gate open. “Let them know when you want to leave.”

“I will.” I smiled. Hitching my purse further up on my shoulder, I walked down the dirt drive toward the cabins. I could feel the guard’s eyes on my back as I walked. I continued on and resisted the urge to turn around. Near the bottom, the dirt road leveled out and curved slightly to the left. After I had walked several more yards, I glanced cautiously over my shoulder to make sure I was out of the guard’s line of sight.

Ahead of me, the road was lined on both sides with tiny cabins, reminiscent of the dollhouse cabin that Edie had rented. There must have been a time when Ardillas had been a tourist stop. But unlike Edie’s rental, these cabins were dilapidated, raw. Weatherbeaten wood was evident where the paint had peeled. Many of the wooden steps had rotted from exposure. Some of the small windows were cracked, pieces of tape holding them together. I doubted these cabins had any heat source, perhaps not even electricity. I shuddered to think what this environment could do to old bones.

On an impulse, I ducked behind the first cabin on the right. The weeds and brambles came up to my knees. The Army of the Prophet was in serious need of landscape help. I pressed my way through, thorns scraping my bare legs, and ducked into the trees behind the cabin. I kicked off my uniform shoes, which had already caused some blisters, and pulled on my socks, jeans, and sneakers. I took off the cap and dress and pulled on my T-shirt. I wrapped the long silk scarf in an X around my chest and, using it as a holster, stuck the wire cutters in a loop of the scarf under my arm. I wiggled around to make sure they were secure. Then I pulled my heavy black sweater over my head with the black knit cap. I shoved my cell phone in a front pocket of my jeans and the flashlight in the other. Then I balled up the uniform, cap, and shoes, stuffed them into my purse, and hid it under a bush. I made sure my car key was secure on the cord around my neck and tucked it into my bra under the T-shirt and sweater.

I tiptoed carefully toward the back of the cabin. Each one had the same small window in the rear wall. When I reached the cabin directly in front of me, I stood on tiptoe to peek inside. The walls of the room were unfinished. A naked light bulb hung from the ceiling. I noticed a hook on the back of the door, a cot, and a thin blanket. I walked carefully to the back of the next cabin, doing the best I could to tread softly, careful not to step on any twigs that might give my presence away. This cabin was empty as well, and displayed the same lack of personal belongings. These seemed to be nothing more than sleeping quarters. The real action must take place somewhere else.

I clambered up the rise and back into the stand of trees. It was growing dark by now and I could hear voices at a distance. From the trees and the higher vantage point, I saw a group of twenty or so people, all sizes and ages, walking toward a large building at the far end of the road. Several of them carried gardening tools. Behind them was a field of dark, loamy, freshly turned soil.

Once I was sure I was out of the line of sight of anyone returning from the field, I hurried out of the trees and down the slope to the last cabin, the third one in the row. Before I reached the back window, I heard a door hinge squeak. I ducked and held my breath. Then I peeked carefully around the corner of the building. On the other side of the dirt road stood an identical cabin. A woman stepped out and stood on the rickety wooden stairs. I recognized her instantly. It was Gudrun.

She peered up and down the road, more than likely searching for the vanished nurse. I waited, terrified of making any sound. After a few moments, she stepped back inside the primitive cabin and pulled the squeaking door shut.

I decided to huddle down and wait for the sun to set. In the dark, I might be able to check the rest of the cabins without difficulty, particularly if anyone turned on an interior light.

I managed to squat in a comfortable position behind the cabin. The minutes crawled by, and finally I heard the same door open across the way. I peeked cautiously from my hiding spot in time to see Gudrun striding down the road toward the larger building. Perhaps sunset signaled a time for an evening meal or prayer meeting. If Eunice was in that larger building, this could be a very long evening.

As soon as Gudrun was out of sight, I crept cautiously toward the dirt road and then darted across. No lights burned inside any of the cabins. I moved to the door of the first cabin in the row. It was bolted with a primitive wooden latch. I opened it and peeked inside, turning on my small flashlight. It was a repeat of what I’d seen across the road. There were two cots in this room, with thin blankets. No heater, one window in the rear, and a light bulb hanging from a long wire in the center. The second cabin was exactly the same and unoccupied.

The third cabin was the one I’d seen Gudrun leave. I opened the door, expecting to find it empty like the other two. But when I waved the flashlight over the cot, I saw a small form under the thin blanket.

I crept toward the bed and carefully lifted the threadbare blanket. My flashlight illuminated a cloud of soft white hair. It was Eunice, her hair in disarray. She was dressed only in a cotton shift. She made a small mewling sound and tried to focus her eyes. She was barely conscious. I shone the flashlight up to my face.

“Eunice, it’s me. Julia. I’m getting you out of here.”

Her eyes widened at the sound of my voice. “Julia?”

“Dorothy sent me. We’re going home.” I hoped I sounded more confident than I was. I pushed back the blanket and helped her to a sitting position. She was conscious, but her eyes were unfocused. She had been drugged. I was sure of it.

“Do you think you can walk?”

Eunice nodded and moaned. She clung to my sweater with both hands while I moved her legs carefully, placing her feet on the floor. Her bare legs and feet felt ice cold. I shone my small light around the floor and under the bed, but could find no shoes or slippers. I kicked myself for leaving the nurse’s shoes behind. “I’ll help you.”

I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. I could tell she was willing, but she seemed to lack the necessary motor skills. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to carry her, but I could hold her up and if her feet would move, we could make it out.

We moved toward the door of the cabin at an agonizingly slow pace. With one arm holding Eunice upright, I opened the door and peeked out. No one was nearby. With both arms, I hugged her to myself and lifted her down the stairs and around the corner to the back of the shack. She couldn’t weigh more than ninety pounds, but ninety awkward pounds would be more than I could carry for any distance. Half lifting, half carrying, and stumbling with my burden, I reached the wooded area behind the shack. Eunice was now able to put one foot in front of the other, and we moved slowly into the trees.

My plan had been to head toward the main gate and find a secluded spot where the chain-link fence could be cut. Now I was afraid that this plan would take far too long. Gudrun already knew the nurse was missing and soon would realize her elderly convert was gone. The main gate would be the first place they’d look.

So I headed in the opposite direction. If I could reach the edge of the property at the rear, where the road ran past, perhaps I could leave Eunice safely for a few minutes and circle the fencing to retrieve my car. I realized with dismay that I should have parked on the road behind the compound and walked the distance to the main gate. With luck, maybe I could flag down a passing motorist. As I debated, I heard a shout and my blood ran cold.

F
ORTY-
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WO

F
OOTSTEPS POUNDED ALONG THE
dirt road and another voice answered. Two men. We’d managed to put only thirty feet between ourselves and the shack. They would know Eunice was missing. They wouldn’t know I was with her.

Eunice was doing her very best to stay conscious and walk. “Eunice,” I whispered. “Climb on my back when I bend down.” I stopped, and, squatting, I hoisted her up piggyback style. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I was treading carefully in an effort to not give our position away.

I weigh about a hundred and twenty pounds, but I’m strong and can carry a lot of weight. Even so, in less than a minute, my knees and back were aching. I was moving as fast as I could, but I knew it wouldn’t be fast enough. Sooner or later the men searching for Eunice would figure we’d gone in the opposite direction from the gate and catch up with us. I stumbled through the trees, bent almost double. My lungs and thighs burned from the exertion. I stepped forward and felt the ground give way beneath my feet. I struggled to keep my balance. I had reached the edge of the ploughed field, my feet sinking slightly into the loamy dirt. Our journey had just become more difficult.

I recalled the figures I’d seen working in the field. From my vantage point in the trees, I’d seen tools and a wheelbarrow. If I could find that wheelbarrow now, we could move a lot faster. I strained to make out shapes in the darkness. It was the dark of the moon, the last few hours before the new moon. The eclipse would be exact. I had to somehow find the strength to get Eunice to safety. Her very life was at stake. There was no time to waste. I sank to my knees, helping her lean against a nearby tree trunk while I reached for my flashlight. It was small but gave off a concentrated light. Shielding it with my hand, I raked it slowly over the edge of the cultivated stretch of ground. The wheelbarrow was there, only ten feet away.

I ran to it and grasped the handles, dragging it back to the tree where Eunice stood. The wheel on it had been well cared for and well oiled. It was nearly silent. I took the blanket from Eunice’s shoulders and stretched it over the bed of the wheelbarrow. I tipped it forward and led her closer, gently easing her into its cradle. She was shivering. I covered as much of her as I could with the edges of the blanket, maneuvered the wheelbarrow around, and headed straight across the field. The soft ground protected us from noise. The path between the cultivated mounds offered slightly firmer footing. Eunice sat quietly, doing her best to curl up and present no impediment to our travel.

A dog howled in the distance, greeted by other dogs barking in response. I registered the sound but forced the full meaning of it out of my mind. We had to get across the field and through the trees to the road. I was sweating profusely in spite of the cold and afraid to move faster for fear of tipping over the awkward carriage. I was mumbling prayers under my breath.

The barrow hit a hard bump. We’d reached the opposite side of the cultivated field. The road could not be far away. The barking of the dogs carried through the cold night air. Was it my imagination or were they closer? Somewhere in the trees behind us? Were they leashed? Could the dogs follow our scent? If so, and if they were trailing Eunice, would that scent have disappeared when she climbed inside the wheelbarrow? I hoped that was the case.