Midnight Rescue (9 page)

Standing there, Libby felt her throat tighten. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she knew Caleb was right.

“What’s more, I did not give Jordan away. I did not give his name, and the reporter said nothing about Jordan being a fugitive.”

Again Libby knew Caleb was right. She turned away, unable to bear Caleb’s angry eyes. But he wasn’t through.

“Except for those people we trust, not one person knows that Jordan isn’t a free black. No one knows that he’s a fugitive—that there’s a reward offered for him. But you talked so loud that anyone who wanted to listen could hear. If the man who heard you is already a thief, it won’t be hard for him to figure out what to do.”

From deep within, sobs rose in Libby’s throat. She wanted to cry out, telling Caleb how sorry she was. But when she turned back to him, only angry words spilled out. “Caleb Whitney, I don’t care what you think!”

“I’m going now,” he answered, his voice still cold with anger. “I’m looking for your father’s thief, though I’m sure I won’t find him.”

Without speaking, Libby followed Caleb around the boiler deck. Yet she knew it would do no good. Even worse, Caleb would not even glance her way.

When at last the two servings of dinner were finished,
Libby clutched the newspaper to herself and hurried to the stairs. By the time she reached her room on the texas deck, tears blinded her eyes.
Caleb hates me
, she thought. But that wasn’t the worst. Libby now hated herself.

How could I talk so loud about such an important secret?
Libby moaned to herself. With all her heart, she wanted Jordan to stay free. With all her heart, she wanted to help Jordan’s family. Instead, with a few angry words she had ruined everything.

My dream
, Libby thought. Now she knew that’s what it was.
My dream was to help Jordan’s family and other families like his
. Now that dream was gone, like water dashing against the rocks, then falling away.

Caleb will never trust me again. And Jordan—when Jordan finds out, he’ll hate me for what I did to him.

Again Libby started crying. She was still sobbing when she fell asleep.

When Libby woke up, she had no idea what time it was. She knew only that it must be the middle of the night. For a moment she lay there, wondering what had brought her out of a sound sleep. Her head hurt. Her eyes felt swollen. She wondered what had gone wrong.

Then she remembered
. Someone heard me give away Jordan’s secret. Someone we probably can’t trust. Whoever that man is, he now knows that Jordan is a fugitive!

In her misery Libby cried out to God. “I told You I loved You. I asked for Your forgiveness. How can You let this happen to me?!”

Her anger growing, Libby pounded her fists against the mattress.
I thought that when I became a Christian, life would
be easier. That I would say and do all the right things. I wanted to do something good—to help Jordan’s family. Instead, I’ve wrecked
everything!

Just then Libby’s stomach rumbled.
And I’m hungry besides!

Visions of food started to dance in Libby’s head.
An apple. Where can I get an apple?
Libby didn’t know. Then she remembered Gran’s big oatmeal cookies. Gran had showed her where they were in case Libby ever got hungry.

When Libby’s feet touched the floor, she realized that she had fallen asleep still wearing her dress. Only then did Libby remember: The night before she had been so upset that for the first time in her life she had not eaten supper.

This time Libby felt afraid to walk around the boat without Samson along. When she opened the door on the side of the deck where Samson slept, the great black Newfoundland stood up. As though sensing how Libby felt, he came close, brushing against her.

Following just behind Libby’s heels, Samson stayed with her all the way down to Gran’s kitchen. There Libby found six giant cookies—three for herself and three for Samson.

Taking the cookies along, Libby walked back to the front of the boat. At the top of the wide steps, she sat down in the shadows. Again Samson edged close, as though making sure Libby was all right. Flopping onto the step beside her, he stretched out. Each time Libby gobbled a cookie, she slipped one to Samson.

From here Libby looked down over the bow of the
Christina
. As her eyes grew used to the night, she stared ahead at the dark water and even darker trees along the shore. A stiff wind
had kicked up, and the cool night air felt good after the warmth of the day.

Near the place where the gangplank usually went out, a lantern hung from a post, offering dim light. On the forward deck, crew and deck passengers lay on crates, barrels, and piles of wood—whatever they could find for a place to sleep.

As the flag whipped in the wind, Libby thought about Jordan’s plans to rescue his family. It was hard to believe that in only a few hours he and Caleb would leave the boat. But Libby didn’t even know where.
Burlington, Iowa? Keokuk, Iowa? Where will they get off?

Coming upriver, Caleb had stopped in both towns. Yet, during all the times and ways he and Jordan made plans, they had never talked in front of her.

They didn’t take a chance
, Libby thought, feeling angry at herself again.
Maybe Caleb knew I couldn’t keep a secret
.

Now there was one thing Libby felt sure about. They would leave without her. She no longer had even one tiny bit of hope that she could go along.

By the time Libby finished the cookies she felt sleepy. Yawning once, then twice, she decided she better go back to bed. Suddenly a tall shape came around the corner at the bottom of the steps. Quietly he walked across the forward deck to the bow of the boat. For a moment the person stood there, not moving, staring ahead as Libby had.

Then he straightened. Throwing back his shoulders, he reached up. With arms stretched above him, he raised his hands to the sky. Standing tall, he stretched as high as he could reach.

Instantly Libby knew who he was.
Jordan
.

The first night he came on board Jordan had raised his
arms, as though celebrating his freedom. Was he thinking about what it meant to stand free under a starlit sky?

As the moment passed, Jordan lowered his arms. Yet he stood there still, as though wanting to feel the cool night air—the air of freedom—against his face.

Just then someone lying on one of the crates raised his head, then sat up. When Jordan turned away from the bow, the person quickly lay down. Yet the dark outline of his body had shifted. The man now lay on his side where he could see Jordan’s movements.

Finding his way between the sleeping people, Jordan started back across the deck. Closer and closer he came toward the steps where Libby waited. Behind Jordan, the man on the crate sat up again. Without making a sound, he got to his feet and followed Jordan.

Suddenly the man’s arm shot up. A loop of rope whirred through the air. Passing over Jordan’s head, it settled around his chest.

Snapping tight, the rope jerked Jordan to a halt. As he struggled to free himself, the man moved toward him, drawing up the end of the rope as he went.

CHAPTER 7

F
illed with terror, Libby leaped to her feet. From deep in his throat Samson growled, “Wooooof!” In the next moment the dog started down the steps.

Just then Jordan’s right arm broke free. As the man came up behind him, Jordan thrust his elbow backward. With a quick, sharp movement he jabbed the man in the stomach. A sharp
oooff!
broke the quiet of the night.

With another swift jerk, Jordan pulled the rope from the man’s hands. Clutching the rope, Jordan bounded toward the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, he raced past where Libby stood in the shadows.

In panic Libby looked back to the deck. Already the man had disappeared.

As Samson returned to her, Libby breathed deeply with relief.
Jordan is safe—for now
. The whole thing had happened so fast it didn’t seem real.

But there was something about which Libby felt very sure.
That was the man who heard me talking. Whoever he is, he’s been watching for a chance to capture Jordan and collect the reward.

There was no other way to explain the man on the deck.
Without doubt Libby knew what a truly awful thing she had done.
This happened to Jordan because of me
.

Dropping down on the step again, Libby buried her head in her lap. Deep inside she felt a big lump as if her feelings had tied into a knot with the awfulness of what she had seen. Nuzzling against her, Samson licked her arm, but Libby paid no attention.
I gave away a secret I needed to keep
.

When she finally lifted her head, Libby knew one thing.
I can’t handle this by myself. I’ve got to talk to someone.

For a moment she wished it could be Ma. As she pushed aside the lonely ache that came whenever she thought of her mother, Libby remembered Caleb’s grandmother. By now she would be up, shaping bread dough into rolls for breakfast. In the wee hours of morning, Libby found Gran in the pastry kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” she asked the minute she saw Libby’s face.

When Libby dropped down on a chair, her words spilled out. “I told a secret,” she said.

“Some secrets aren’t meant for keeping,” Gran answered. “What if someone does something wrong and says you can’t tell on them? Was it that kind of secret?”

“No, Gran.” Libby felt ashamed. “It’s the kind of secret that should have been kept.”

As Gran filled pan after pan with bread dough, Libby told the story. She started with what happened while she and Caleb were supposed to keep watch. She ended with the man who threw a rope over Jordan.

“It’s my fault,” Libby said.

Gran sighed. “Much as I hate to say it, I think you’re right. Everything fits. It was dark on deck. No one else was watching.
No one who objects to slavery saw Jordan being caught. All the man had to do was hide Jordan and take him off the boat when we reach a slave state.”

“I’m sorry, Gran,” Libby said. “It’s a terrible thing to give away such an important secret.”

“Yes, it is.” Gran was honest about it. “You hurt Jordan and his family, but it’s much more. You put a great number of people in danger. Do you understand how the Underground Railroad works?”