Last Writes (14 page)

Rachel wrinkled her nose. “It sounds like more fun out there. She showed me a magazine called
Teen People.
The girls were wearing really pretty outfits.” She looked down at her own plain shift with distaste. “Not like these old rags.
Their
clothes
rock!
”

“Rachel!” Her father’s outraged expression said it all. “You can be sure I’ll be speaking to Brother Garcia about his daughter today. I just hope you took the opportunity to be a good example to Rosalie and not follow her bad one.”

The girl looked as though she would like to say something more, but she wisely kept her thoughts to herself. At the other end of the table Oka Diehl added her two cents. “Leave her be, Sammy. If you try to squash her spirit, she’ll just push against you harder.”

The way Samuel Kingston looked at her over the top of his glasses made him resemble an old-fashioned schoolmarm. “Thank you for your advice, Sister Diehl, but I believe I know how to raise my daughters according to the truths we’ve learned here at the Ark.”

Oka tsked in disapproval, but reserved further criticism. Claudia watched it all with interest. She addressed Rachel again, hoping to avoid another controversial topic. “So, what do you do here at the Ark that’s fun?”

The girl nearly bounced out of her chair. “We’re going to have a big party on Saturday. There’s going to be music and dancing, and—”

“Calm down, now, Rache.” Her father turned to Claudia with an apology in his gaze. “There’s going to be a very special and very private ceremony, and then there’s a celebration afterward. But I’m afraid it’s something we discuss only among ourselves. Once you’re inducted, you’ll learn all about it.”

“Actually, I’ve heard something about it already. I must admit, I’m curious about the place where the little girl will be going afterward, where it’s located.”

“I’m sorry, we can’t disclose that.”

“Putting babies in a nunnery,” Oka Diehl muttered. “Makes no sense to me.”

“That’s enough, Oka.” This time, her husband’s rebuke had a sharp edge and carried the undertone of a threat. She scowled at her plate, but George Diehl had sounded serious to Claudia and it appeared that his wife knew when it was better to stop.

Vera said, “Is everyone ready for Bible study tonight?” Around her head she had wound a band of yellow cloth that matched her shift. It gave her an air of individuality in this society of followers.

Sister Kingston said, “I studied ahead last night. I’ve already got my text underlined with the answers to the questions Brother Stedman sent out. It was a very important section on the cataclysm and what we need to do to survive it.”

“What’s the text?” Claudia asked.

Samuel Kingston named a book that he told her was published by the TBL in the Ark’s own bindery. “The governing board writes our texts based on the direct communications received by Brother Stedman from the Lord,” he said. “They explain the Bible and help us to understand what we’re required to do to be saved.”

“It sounds like your members have great faith in the governing board.”

“Yes, indeed, they give us spiritual food and light at the right time for it.” He got up from his seat. “If you’ve finished your dinner, it’s time for us to get ready for tonight’s Bible study. We’ll see you later at church.”

This seemed to be the signal for everyone to rise and disperse.

Looking around for Kelly, Claudia saw her talking with Harold Stedman and went over to join them.

“Ah, Sister Rose,” Stedman greeted her. “Sister Brennan and I were just about to head over to the church for Bible study. You can join us.”

“Thank you, but I’m going to beg off. I have a slight headache, so if you don’t mind, I’ll go back to my room and lie down for a while.”

“You okay, Claud?” asked Kelly.

“I’ll be fine, but the heat has done me in. You’re going to church?”

“Well, yeah. That’s what I came here for, isn’t it? To learn.” Kelly had softened her usual smart-ass attitude for Stedman’s benefit. It felt a little weird to see her act meek and chastened.

Stedman said, “As you wish, Sister Rose. You can leave those papers for me on my desk. See you tomorrow at breakfast. Let’s go, Sister Brennan.”

 

With no phone, no television, no e-mail, the evening dragged. Claudia had cleared out the trunk of her car just before the trip to the Ark, leaving nothing in case they were spied on. Even an old magazine to reread would have been better than this. There was a Bible on the nightstand and she flipped through it, finding long-forgotten passages: Matthew 19:14, where Jesus said,
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Did Harold Stedman see himself as a latter-day Jesus Christ, calling the children to him? The Temple of Brighter Light members seemed content to accept what he said without question. Or was the truth simply that when they did not comply they were excommunicated, as he had suggested?

She got up and went to the window. Below, the grounds were quiet and still. She knew that the church building where the congregation had gathered for Bible study was at least a half mile away in the far reaches of the compound. As far as she knew, she was alone in the Victorian, a house where there were no locks on the doors. For a fleeting moment she regretted staying behind. Even Kelly, whose view of religion approached Marxism, had gone to the church.

Out of sheer boredom Claudia went to bed early. She slept fitfully, awaking during the night—half the times, kicking off the sheet when the air felt hot and cloying; the other half, dragging it back over her when it was too cool. Even when she managed to sleep, her mind continued to work overtime on the puzzle of how to get information about Rodney Powers and where he might have taken his little daughter. When she awoke at dawn, she felt more tired than when she had gone to bed.

After breakfast she managed to connect with Kelly for a couple of minutes. Kelly immediately began grousing that she’d received a work assignment. “They’ve got me peeling potatoes! It’s supposed to make me show
humility.
I’m a goddamned attorney, not the freaking kitchen help.”

Claudia couldn’t help being glad that her own assignment would keep her in the office. “Sucks to be you, doesn’t it?” she said unsympathetically.

“How the hell am I supposed to find out anything, stuck in the kitchen all morning? They’re sending me to a class this afternoon.”

“You don’t know, Kel, maybe you’ll end up working right next to someone who drops some perfect pearls of knowledge on you.”

“They’d better hand me the keys to the friggin’ kingdom,” said Kelly, shooting a false smile at a group of members who walked past.

“I’ve been racking my brains to find ways to wrench Rodney into the conversation without directly mentioning him,” said Claudia.

“Oh yeah? How’s that working out for you?”

“All I’ve learned is that they’re planning this big bash in Kylie’s honor on Saturday. They won’t say anything about where she’s going. How are you doing with James Miller?”

“He’s hot for me, but it’s gonna take some work to get his guard down.”

“As long you don’t get his pants down, too.”

Kelly tried to suppress a giggle. “Claudia! You’ve shocked me to my depths.”

“I’m not too worried; your depths are pretty shallow.”

The kitchen supervisor hurried over then and escorted Kelly away to begin her morning duties. Claudia watched her go, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed at the way Kelly’s time was being monopolized. She went off to her own assignment, cheered by the fact that Harold Stedman had not attempted to set a schedule for her.

 

At dinner, Kelly looked worn out, with dark circles bruising the fair skin below her eyes. She was unusually silent and subdued. Peeling potatoes and the classes she was attending had taken their toll. She had to be worrying about her niece, too.

The day ended without any significant progress, and Claudia climbed into bed feeling frustrated and discouraged.

 

Wednesday started as a rerun of Tuesday.

At lunch, Kelly sat at one end of the room, Claudia the other. In an effort to meet as many members as possible, they had once again switched to tables where they had not sat before.

Dan Treadwell was the table captain where Claudia found herself a seat. His name sounded familiar, but she was unable to place it. She would have remembered this large man if she had seen him before. The puffy red cheeks and spider veins that created a map on his nose made her wonder whether overexposure to the sun or alcohol was the culprit. Members were supposed to be moderate in their use of alcohol, but who knew? As preoccupied as he was with his food, Treadwell did not look like someone who would be drawn to outdoor exercise.

His wife, Deborah, was fully engaged with attempting to keep their three young sons in line. Throughout the meal, the preteen boys teased and tormented each other without letup until Claudia was ready to knock their heads together. She could see that the other diners at their table, a young couple, were unhappy with their behavior, too, but they said nothing to complain. Dan Treadwell’s failure to help his wife with her ineffectual efforts to control their children was as irritating as it was puzzling.

“What’s your job here at the Ark, Dan?” Claudia asked, more to distract herself from his sons than a burning desire to know. He glanced up from the chicken drumstick he was gnawing on and swiped his napkin across his mouth.

“Accountant,” he mumbled around a mouthful. “And at the moment, acting purchasing agent, too.”

When he said that, the penny dropped and she knew where she had heard his name before. “Oh, Mr. Stedman mentioned you’re taking over for Rodney Powers. I’ve been using his office while he’s out of town.”

Treadwell’s owlish eyes grew even larger behind the thick lenses of his glasses. “So, that
was
you. I heard someone was in there, doing
something
for Brother Stedman.”

“Yes, that’s me.” Claudia could see that he was dying to ask something more, perhaps what she was doing in Rodney’s office. But he was either too polite or he knew better than to ask, and she wasn’t about to enlighten him. “I understand Mr. Powers and his family are spending some time in the mountains,” she prompted.

“Mm, yes, we have a cabin near Big Bear that they’re using.”

She waited, but when Treadwell seemed disinclined to say anything further, Claudia turned to the young couple, whom she guessed from the way they continually touched each other to be newlyweds. “A cabin in the mountains; sounds like a great getaway. When do
you
get to go to Big Bear?”

The woman shook her head. “The cabin is kept for special times. The Powerses are there for prayer and meditation with their daughter. She’s going to be—”

Her husband broke in. “Laurie, sweetheart, I don’t think—” He gave Claudia that apologetic glance that she had become familiar with when she asked certain questions at the Ark. “Sister Rose isn’t . . .” He trailed off awkwardly.

“I know,” said Claudia, exasperated. “It’s not something you discuss with outsiders.”

 

She grabbed Kelly on the way out of the dining hall. “Conversations with people here are damned annoying! Every time someone’s on the verge of saying something that might be important, they get cut off. Have you had any more luck?”

“James is
coming
around, if you’ll forgive the pun.”

“Kelly—”

“Don’t nag me, Claudia. I’ll do whatever it takes. We’ve still got tomorrow at least.”

“Not ‘at least.’ We’re leaving here on Friday. I’ve had enough of this place. If it weren’t for my lecture at the university tomorrow night—”

“James asked if I would be going with you. How did he know about your lecture? Did you tell him?”

“No, I haven’t even met him face-to-face yet. Rita must have told him. She seems to be in the office all the time; I bet she hears everything that goes on.”

“A place like this, there’s probably no secrets. Everyone knows everything.” Kelly pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed her forehead. “Kylie’s birthday is Saturday. Obviously, Rodney will have to bring her back here before then. If we haven’t found him before that, we should hang around. We can watch for him, grab her, and run.”

“So, now you want
us
to kidnap her? I hate to remind you, but that’s a felony. You would be disbarred.”

Kelly’s face fell. “I know. But we’ve got to stop him.”

“What we have to do is find out where he is and take Erin there. It’s up to her after that.”

 

Stedman had Rita deliver a new envelope with four more handwritings for Claudia to analyze. Finding nothing of consequence in the samples, she typed up her notes and returned the envelope.

By midmorning, in need of a break, she took a walk, deciding to look for Oka Diehl again. Since the elderly woman’s remark the day before, expressing disapproval of sending babies to a nunnery, Claudia had been hoping to get her alone, positive that Oka would be willing to talk.

But Oka was not in evidence, and when Claudia asked a woman she met on the path where she might be found, she got the answer that Sister Diehl suffered from emphysema and would be at the infirmary for her breathing treatment.

The rest of the day seemed interminable. In the afternoon, she stretched out on the narrow bed, half-dozing. Images of little Kylie on a ceremonial altar, frightened, unaware that she was facing separation from everyone she knew and loved, kept jolting Claudia back to full consciousness and renewed her commitment to finding the child.

 

 

 

By the time Thursday rolled around, the days had acquired a rhythm of their own. Harold Stedman provided another batch of handwriting samples and Claudia spent most of the morning examining them and writing up her notes. Her findings after the first samples she had examined were unremarkable.