Penumbra (9 page)

“I couldn’t get a straight answer out of Dotty if I asked her directions to the courthouse.”

Frank wasn’t exaggerating. Dotty prevaricated about everything. When she wasn’t doing that, she was outright lying.

“I need some help here,” Frank said, his voice low. “It’s been twenty-five hours since we know Suzanna’s been taken. Could be a little longer. The more time that passes, the less chance of getting her back alive.”

“There hasn’t been a ransom call?” Jade was glad she was sitting; her legs felt dull and unresponsive. The overhead light cast harsh shadows on Frank’s face. His eyes were hollowed and his nose prominent. His cheeks looked sunken, but that wasn’t all from the lighting. He was tired, and it was showing.

“No. At least Lucas says there hasn’t been one. I believe him.”

Jade put her hands around the coffee cup. The coffee was hot, and even though the day was still in the eighties, the warmth of the cup was comforting.

“Jade, if you know anything about who Marlena might have been meeting in the woods, tell me. For Suzanna’s sake.”

“I don’t,” she said. “So you think she was meeting someone. What else do you think?”

“That she was having a picnic with her lover. That Suzanna had been sent to fish on the bank of the river. That the attackers came up, two of them, one heavy and one slender. One grabbed Suzanna and subdued her, then they both attacked Marlena.”

“What about Marlena’s lover?” Jade asked.

“That’s what’s troubling me. He left her there. That’s the thing that really bothers me.”

Jade saw the scenes Frank had created with his words. She saw Marlena, laughing on the picnic blanket, a handsome man teasing and touching her leg. In her mind she heard a childish scream. The man jumps up, dashing toward the sound. Marlena hugs herself on the blanket. And then she screams as two men advance towards her.

Jade shut her eyes and shook the images from her mind. “I have to say that if Marlena is having an affair, she’s taking a terrible risk. Lucas will take Suzanna and leave her penniless.”

“Where would Marlena meet a man?”

It went without saying that Marlena would not sleep with anyone in Drexel. Lucas had too much power. He could crush a business or put a farmer off his land. Marlena wasn’t in the habit of traveling alone. She never left town without Lucas at her side. Jade lowered her head into her palms, leaning on the table. “If ever there was a woman who could use a gentle touch or a bit of laughter, it would be Marlena. If she is seeing a man, it would have to be someone who traveled through town.” She lifted her face and put her hands on the table. “Have you told this to Lucas?”

“No.”

“Are you going to?”

“Not unless I have to. I think the cat’s out of the bag, though, Jade. Lucas isn’t stupid.” “But he is arrogant.” Frank nodded.

“Please …” Jade stopped herself. Maybe she’d learned it from Ruth. Maybe it was just a part of herself, but she’d never asked a single person for anything. “Please don’t tell him unless you have to.” She saw something flicker in Frank’s eyes, something hot that tingled. Then it was gone.

“Okay.” Frank finished his coffee. “Would you like a lift to the hospital? I have to go and see if Marlena can talk to me.”

Jade had her own car. If she rode with Frank, she’d have to get someone to ride her back to her house in the morning. “Yes,” she said, despite the trouble it would cause later. “I’d like a ride.”

She rose and went to her bedroom, collecting her purse, a book she’d bought, and a pillow. She returned to the kitchen. “I’m ready.”

Frank followed her to the door, and as she exited, her arm brushed his chest. She stumbled, his hand catching her and holding her steady, holding her just a moment longer than necessary. She felt his grip tighten, and he drew her back to him so that they stood in the doorway, face to face, reading the wants and desires in each other’s eyes.

He bent to her, his lips claiming hers as if he had a right. It happened quickly, and with such intensity that Jade had no defenses. She was unprepared for the betrayal of her own body. Pressed against Frank, she could feel his desire, and instead of shock or shame, she felt joy and a power as old as humanity. He wanted her.

His kiss was demanding, his probing tongue a promise. She was lightheaded with passion, and heavy with a need so sudden that she could not force her legs to move. She felt him bend, his arms scoop beneath her knees, and in a moment he was carrying her through the house to the bedroom. He settled her on the cherry-blossom quilt her mother’s hands had made. Her shoes had fallen off somewhere, and Frank’s hands were at the buttons of her dress, while hers tore at his shirt.

Jade heard it first, the sound of a car bumping over the rutted road to her house. She put a hand on Frank’s cheek, stilling him that quickly. He heard it, too, and he stood, rebuttoning his shirt and tucking it in as she jumped up, straightened her dress, and found her shoes. They were both sitting in the same places at the kitchen table when Jonah Dupree stepped into his daughter’s house. He looked at her and then Frank, considering.

“Evenin, Mr. Frank.” Jonah’s focus shifted to Jade. “I came to give you a ride to the hospital. Miss Lucille gave me the use of her car. She said I could get you in the morning and bring you home. I thought you might be too tired to drive.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Jade felt the heat in her cheeks, but there was nothing she could do. Jonah would never question her about Frank’s presence, but it would lie between them like the facts of her birth, something that was never examined but never went away.

D
otty paced the small hospital room, checking her watch and then checking it again. Her lips had a raw, chapped look where she’d licked and rubbed them, a nervous gesture she’d almost conquered, until today. Lucas had not stopped by even once, and he knew she was there. Her dress was wrinkled, and she could smell herself, a not unpleasant odor of femininity and a low note of sex, like a fruit that has reached the peak of ripeness and is about to slip into rot. She moved to the open window. At least the sun was melting down the sky and the air was cooler. She didn’t understand how a person could heal in a room that was an oven. More like they were trying to bake Marlena, except the patient hadn’t broken a sweat. Dotty’s dress back was soaked with perspiration, and she could feel sweat trickling down her spine. It had been a downright miserable day. And where in the hell was Jade?

The Bulova watch that perched on Dotty’s wrist, held by two black silk threads, told her it was six-thirty. Jade closed the shop at five. So where was she? Dotty’s temper simmered like the landscape. It would be just like a worthless nigger not to show up at all.

The door pushed open almost silently, and Dotty simultaneously saw that it was Jade and felt the last hold on her temper slip. “It’s six-thirty. I’ve been waiting here for you to come. Where in the hell have you been?” It didn’t help that Jade looked clean and refreshed.

When Frank stepped through the door behind Jade, Dotty faltered backward. She wasn’t prepared for Frank. She felt a flush touch her face. Everyone in town treated Jade like she was solid gold, especially Frank Kimble. He treated her like a white woman, and Dotty could see his sharp disapproval.

“Jade was answering questions, Miss Strickland. Official questions. Something that I need you to do, too.”

“Oh, of course.” Self-importance was a soothing balm to her aborted temper fit. “I’d be glad to do whatever I can to help. Are we going to the sheriff’s office?” Her eye was set on Lucas, but Frank wouldn’t be a bad option for a little Friday night fun. Lucas had the money, and everyone in town knew Frank was a little off, living in the big old house and using only a few of the rooms. If she owned that house, she’d open it up and have a party every night. That idea was so pleasant, she smiled.

“I can ask you the questions here,” Frank said.

She thought she caught some underlying meaning in his tone, but didn’t understand it. “I don’t mind going to the sheriff’s office.” No one else would be in the courthouse at this time. She and Frank would be alone. Was the man so dense he didn’t realize that?

“It’s okay, Miss Strickland. I have to meet Huey at seven, so I’ll just ask you now and let you get along home to a hot bath. The more information I have to report to Huey, the quicker we’ll find that little girl. You may have information that will save Suzanna.”

Dotty had almost forgotten Jade. She saw her lean against a wall in the corner, a book held in her hand. “Would you be so good as to get us a cola?” Dotty asked her. She wanted Jade out of the room so she could have a moment alone with Frank. Marlena didn’t really count for a presence since she was so drugged up she didn’t know where she was.

“Good idea,” Frank said, pulling his billfold out of his pocket. “Can you carry three Coca-Colas?” he asked, holding out a dollar.

“I believe I can manage.” Jade’s face was expressionless, as it should be. She took the money and left, her shoes clicking on the tile until distance absorbed the sound.

“Was Marlena seeing anyone?” Frank asked.

His tone was abrupt, and it annoyed Dotty. “How should I know?” It was just like Frank Kimble to think Marlena was up to something.

“You’re her best friend, right?”

“She never said nothing to me.”

“You’re positive?”

“Look, I’m not some uneducated Negro. I finished high school, and I would have remembered if Marlena had blurted out some confession like that. She’s the victim here. Maybe you should start thinking of that.”

Frank studied her. Normally she liked men to look at her, but there was something about Frank that made her uncomfortable. He was crazy. She could see only darkness in his eyes. She was glad she hadn’t gone to the courthouse alone with him. “If you’re going to ask a question, do it. I want to go home.”

“How old are you, Dotty?”

That question stung. “It’s none of your business.”

“You’re thirty-six, right? I can check your driver’s license records.”

“What if I am?”

“Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Marlena?”

That question had a multitude of meanings, and Dotty was far too smart to fall into the trap Frank had set. “Of course not. The whole town loves Marlena, as far as I know. She’s on every charity committee. She does volunteer work at the school and the hospital. She’s practically a saint in this town.”

“Someone doesn’t think so.”

Dotty frowned. “I don’t think Lucas would like you saying that. In fact, Lucas wouldn’t care for a single thing you’ve implied.”

“I wouldn’t blame him. I don’t like to say it because I have a special fondness for Marlena. When Mama was so sick, Marlena took her food every day.”

That tidbit shocked Dotty. It shouldn’t have; Marlena was like that. She had a tender heart, and because she didn’t have to worry about finances, she had plenty of time to run around town playing Florence Nightingale and Lady Bountiful, all at the same time.

“Looks to me like you’ve got a special fondness for that nigger gal,” Dotty said. “I’d be careful, Frank. You could make big trouble for Jade, and for yourself, too. Some things just aren’t tolerated in Drexel, no matter what kinds of things went on over in Eur-rope.” She hit the last word hard.

“What are you saying, Dotty?”

She’d made him angrier than she intended. His eyes suddenly seemed vacant, as if Frank’s soul had fled. “I’m just trying to be a friend. Perception can sometimes be misleading. Jade’s a pretty woman, but there’s a reason she’s not hitched. She hankers after the wrong color, and this town won’t sit still for it.”

“How do you know what Jade hankers after?” he asked.

“I got eyes. I see what’s going on. And other folks do, too. Folks who aren’t as open-minded as I am.”

Frank nodded. “I know you’re only looking out for me, Dotty, and I thank you for it.” He smiled, just his lips twisting up at the corners, and Dotty had a sudden, terrible thought, that if he opened his mouth, his teeth would be sharp and pointed.

“Are you finished?” she asked, eager to get out of the room and away from him.

“Would you say Lucas is happy in his marriage to Marlena?”

She’d been checking in her handbag for her car keys, but she stopped. She felt Frank’s gaze on her neck. Chill bumps shimmied down her arms. “They seem happy to me.” “Lucas has never complained. To you.”

She met his gaze, wondering how he knew. She had the craziest notion that he knew everything she’d done that morning. “Lucas never said a harm word about Marlena. Not a single word.” It wasn’t a lie.

“And Marlena? Did she ever say a harm word about Lucas?”

Dotty shrugged. “Just wife stuff. She was tired of cooking him a big breakfast, tired of him making all the decisions and just telling her how things were going to be.” She shrugged again. “Stuff like that. Nothing serious.”

“Thank you, Dotty,” Frank said, and she felt as if she’d been dropped from the talons of some bird of prey.

Frank had gotten nothing useful from Dotty Strickland, but he hadn’t expected to. The nurse on call said Marlena had not spoken any more, but that tomorrow the doctor would try to wean her down from the morphine that kept her so heavily sedated.

Frank drove back to the courthouse where Huey waited, a long-suffering look on his face. “You sort of left us out there in the woods,” he said, not exactly an accusation but with a hint of displeasure.

“Had a call to come back to town. Marlena partially identified the attackers. There are two of them, one heavy and one slender. They wore some type of covering on their heads.”

The news cheered Huey. “Do you think the Klan might be mixed up in this?”

Frank shook his head. “Not the Klan. Lucas could have the bank close down their mortgages. They wouldn’t risk that, and there’s been no indication Marlena’s done anything to upset those idiots.”

“Maybe not Marlena?” Huey said.

Frank had a sudden respect for the sheriff. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted. “I can’t imagine those lowlifes taking on someone like Lucas Bramlett’s wife.”

Huey leaned back in his chair and put his feet up. “If it were anyone but Lucas, I’d give it more thought, but his dealings with Negro girls are limited to commerce. That’s not something the Klan has a problem with.”

Frank sat down on the edge of Huey’s desk. When the need arose, Huey could be both pragmatic and unobservant. He saw what he needed to see.

“What’d you find in the woods?” Frank asked.

Huey shook his head. “We lost the trail in the river but picked it up downstream just where you said. We went to the location where you found Marlena. We searched high and low, but we couldn’t find a trace of that young’un.” His worry was real. “I fear she’s dead, Frank.”

Frank nodded. “I know.”

“But what if she isn’t? What if they’re hurting her?”

Frank examined the sheriff. Huey’s thoughts didn’t tend toward the dark side. He wasn’t a man who spent time thinking about the behavior a true deviant would display. “Is that what the volunteers were saying?” Junior, Pet, and Rufus Dean were always volunteers on searches, wreck sites, floods, whatever. The two other men were John Merritt and Ammon Sullivan, local farmers who’d taken a hot day to walk the woods and search for a lost child rather than work their fields.

Huey nodded, his lips tightly compressed. “Junior thinks she’s been sold into white slavery.” He made a sound of disgust. “I’d rather she was dead.”

Frank nodded again. “Sometimes death is the easiest answer.” He took a breath. “I talked to Lucas earlier about possible suspects. He gave me some names to check out. I’ve eliminated two men, but there’s one other to check. Why don’t you give Lucas a call and tell him the result of the search?”

“Okay.” Huey picked up the phone and started dialing. Frank pulled out his notebook. Of the three names Lucas had given, Locklin had up and moved his business to Texas, and Orin McNeil had a rock solid alibi—he was in the hospital with kidney stones. Only Dantzler Archey remained on the list, and he was a man hard to catch up to. That fact alone whetted Frank’s appetite to find him. Darkness was falling now, and Archey would have to go to ground. Frank intended to be there when he did.