Scars Of Defiance (10 page)

“I know. Is dinner about ready?”

“Yes, I’ll bring it to you. Hurry back to Sara. She
shouldn’t be left all alone in case of a raid.”

Paul returned to the bedroom with the broom and cleaned up
the dirt. Then he opened the trap door and climbed down to arrange the bath
mats on the dirt floor. He also took a thick blanket down and spread it out
like he would for a picnic. This way, if they had to come down again, they
would at least be able to sit down comfortably.

As he climbed back up into the room, his mother was bringing
in the food. He watched Sierra as she looked at the big pile of food on the one
plate, along with one fork, one knife, one spoon, and one large glass of milk.
Her eyes met his and he smiled.

Elsie left the room, and Paul asked, “Do you want the fork
or the spoon?”

“Spoon.”

“Do you want the top half or the bottom half of the milk?”

“Neither. I’ll take the milk on the right side.” She drew a
vertical line down the center of the glass with her delicate finger and smiled.

Paul laughed. Sierra loved the way his face transformed when
he did. All pretenses vanish with wholesome laughter. No facades, no masks, no
proud facial expressions. His eyes had smile lines, and his teeth were straight
and white. Smiling brought out his cheekbones and chin too.

They sat together on the bed and ate their meal. Sierra’s
mind wandered to the approaching night and the uncomfortable feeling in her
gut. It wasn’t a negative feeling, more like an excited jitter. She looked at
him sitting at her feet and remembered how wonderful it felt to be held
protectively by his strong arms. She had absolutely no doubt in her mind that
he would do anything to keep her safe.

*****

The phone call for Reginald left him irritated. His “eyes”
in Baylend hadn’t come up with anything yet. It aggravated him to hear that a plane-load
of defectors had left the night before, and no one at the airport seemed to
know anything about it. And it irritated him to hear that most of the defectors
had died in the freezing water of Slater Lake. Sierra must have been on that
plane. She had to have been. But did she survive? Would they have to drag the
lake to confirm her death? She must have had connections with someone in
Baylend to know when the plane was going to leave. And it seemed just a little
too coincidental that a wave of stomach flu swept through the palace the same
night she left.

“Get me Dr. Roth on the phone,” he ordered his assistant.
He’d get to the bottom of this with Dr. Roth’s help.

“Dr. Roth here.”

“I want to know what kind of virus or contamination we’re
dealing with here,” Reginald barked out.

Dr. Roth breathed slowly and with perfect control. “I’ve
been running blood tests on many of the staff along with my own blood. The same
results keep coming up.”

“And what is that?”

“Nothing. I’m not detecting any virus consistent across all
blood samples, although Rhonda in the kitchen is pregnant and doesn’t know it
yet, but other than that, there are no foreign toxins or chemicals to indicate
poison. However, there are a few additives that can be added to food to cause
the kind of intense stomach upset we experienced, yet it would not show up in a
blood sample. I’m still looking into it.”

“Fine. John, you were sure Sierra was too weak to flee. How
come you couldn’t see how strong she was?”

“Sir, I’ve asked myself that at least a hundred times. How
indeed? You saw her yourself, sir. Did she look like she could do summersaults
and cartwheels to you?”

“No. She definitely pulled the wool over our eyes. Who has
she been talking with while in your care?”

“She talked to everyone who came into the clinic, sir. I
think I know where you’re going with this. You think she had an informant. I’d
like to point out that she didn’t eat any of the food last night. It’s possible
she knew something we didn’t. But my question is how do you even begin to root
out the informant?”

“I want to know the name of every palace employee, guard,
maid, butler, cook, and egg collector who did not get sick. That’s where we’ll
start the investigation.”

“I’ll start making a list, sir.”

Reginald hung up the phone and decided to put a halt to all
night-time flights out of the country. Any airplane trying to fly after dark
would be shot down. End of story. Also, no one could know that Sierra
Montgomery had escaped the palace. If he had any hope of succeeding with this
plan, it had to appear as if Sierra still resided here on her own will.

Reginald didn’t worry too much about damage control as he
felt he had a firm hold on the media. What he did worry about was the impending
wedding set to take place in three days without a bride.

*****

The rest of the evening played out uneventfully. Sierra
slept through most of it, and Paul sat in the armchair watching her. He
pondered his life prior to last night, when he was driving around looking for
crossers and feeling sorry for himself. He had actually wished he could have
more responsibility, but now that he had it, he wasn’t sure he wanted it.

Why is it we always want what we don’t have, but once we
get it we don’t want it anymore?
If he surrendered the responsibility of
his crosser to someone else, what would happen to her? Would she be cared for
properly? Would that person understand the severity of her situation? He
doubted it. No, he would have to keep Sierra under his wing and do what needed
to be done to protect her. Even sleep with her. Not in the romantic sense, but
as her protector. He was her guardian, and he planned on doing his job. He
would protect her best by helping keep the appearance of only one occupant in
his room.

Just before bedtime, Elsie and Martha helped Sierra bathe.
They reapplied salve to her back and rewrapped the splint on her leg. In the
meantime, Paul sat out in the living room with his father, going over the floor
plans of the home.

“Paul, I’m going make an exit from your crawlspace. I plan
on digging under the foundation in the northeast corner and merging into the
existing tunnel.” Zachary went on to explain the logistics of the engineering
for the upcoming project, utilizing his degree in Civil Engineering. Paul tried
to listen and understand, but his mind kept wandering to Sierra. His father
continued verbalizing his plan mainly for his own purposes and not so much for
Paul’s.

“How long do you think it will take to complete the
digging?” Paul asked.

“Two to four days. Possibly a week if we experience a
cave-in. I plan on reinforcing the ceiling with boards as I go. The excavated
dirt will be spread inside the crawlspace and not hauled out.”

“Sounds good. Dad, did you know the Bidells were raided this
morning?”

“No, did Greg tell you that?” His expression showed genuine
surprise.

“Yes. He said they were looking for a young girl.”

“I didn’t ask the Bidells if they were raided. I assumed
because of their remodeling project they wouldn’t be taking crossers right
now.”

“He said they took in one man.”

“Hmm. Well, expect the worst then. Did you tell Greg we had
a young girl?”

“No. I said we only had males, but I did tell him I have one
in my room.”

“Paul, what have I told you about that?”

Immediately Paul regretted telling his father even that
much. “I know, Dad. I didn’t tell him about the trap door or about Sara. Is it
really that bad he knows we house crossers just like they do?”

“They’re new to it. We aren’t. I am a naturally suspicious
person, Paul. I don’t like it when others ask questions about our business. It
makes me nervous.”

“It’s just Greg, Dad. He’s my friend, not some — ”

“Paul, one thing I want you to learn is that secrets told
are never kept. If you have a secret and you never tell anyone, you never have
to worry about the secret getting out. Let me give you an example. We’ve housed
several of Reginald’s armed guards over the years, and they let us in on some
of the secret tactics he uses. When they think they’ve located the target
house, they stake it out, bring the troops across the border, and take it by
storm in the early morning hours. Until the raid happens, though, the house is
watched continually along with all the occupants. The roadblock officers have
photos of all suspects, so fleeing isn’t an option once you know that your
house is under surveillance.

“However, when the raid goes down, the house is surrounded,
and all focus is turned here, and that’s when we remove our crossers through
the tunnel. When the focus is pinpointed on this house, we slide out of their
grasp. By knowing their strategies and tactics, we are able to continue to
succeed where other homes fail — that and the fact that we have a secret exit.
The point is we were able to get the upper hand because the Rendierian guards
told some of their secrets.”

“Are you saying Greg is a spy?”

“No, I’m saying no one should be told how we do things here,
or it could give our enemies the edge they need.”

“Are we under surveillance yet?” Paul asked his father in a
mildly frustrated voice.

“No. But the search is on.”

“Then why don’t we take her to the cabin now? The cabin road
is within the roadblock perimeter, so we wouldn’t be seen.”

“Because the cabin is not a safe house. It’s at the end of
the road. The supplies are limited, so a long-term stay is not possible. The
cabin is meant to serve only as a place to stop off on the way to Northtown.
Once a raid is issued, the roadblocks are removed soon afterward, whether or
not they find their target. Reginald’s army isn’t welcome here in Slaterville,
but as long as they are only passing through, our police can’t really do
anything about it. However, when they cross the line and execute a raid, they
can all be arrested.”

Paul added, “So they have to make sure their target is
accurate before executing a raid, right?”

“Right. Otherwise it’s for naught. But see, that’s why our
strategy works so well. We wait to move until they move. They storm our house
and fail to find who they were looking for, then quickly retreat across the
border.”

“Why not just keep the crossers in the tunnel? You know,
just out of reach. Why transport them during a raid?”

“Do you know how difficult it was to build that tunnel,
Paul? It took many, many months, and I will not have it all ruined because of
some accidental noise like coughing or sneezing. That’s all it would take, and
the tunnel would be discovered. No, our exit strategy works just fine.”

“You know, Dad, it might be a good idea to stock the cabin
better, maybe with several weeks’ worth of canned goods and extra clothing.
Medical supplies and a Ham radio would be good too. I know there’s a phone line
already, but what if the line were cut for some reason? A radio would be
better.”

“That’s a good idea, Paul. I think I’ll put you in charge of
that once Sara has moved on.”

Paul felt a huge sense of satisfaction that his father
trusted him with such a task. But the overwhelming gloom of the last part of
his sentence was what really struck him:  “once Sara has moved on.”

*****

Zachary, Elsie, and Grandma Martha sat at the kitchen table
and discussed the crossers. Zachary led the discussion. “No one can be moved
until the heat dies down. Private investigators are combing the city, and many
of Reginald Rawlings’s men have been spotted as well. Another crosser plane is
scheduled this weekend, but I fear we will still be full.”

Elsie looked worried. “No one on that plane will stand a
chance of surviving. Reginald’s men will capture them in the search for Sara.”

Martha cut in. “I made some calls to my friends in Rendier.
First of all, all night flights have been suspended, and now Reginald’s guards
are posted at the airport twenty-four hours a day. There will be no flights
this weekend. They’ll have to find a different way to transport crossers from
now on. Secondly, Sara’s real name is Sierra Montgomery. The story she told
Paul is accurate, so I don’t believe she’s a spy.” Martha picked up some papers
and took a deep breath and continued. “Okay, the Montgomerys were a very
influential family. You were both young when all this happened and may not remember,
but thirty-two years ago when King Louis ruled, his Queen was a Montgomery. The
southernmost province of Rendier was ruled by the Montgomery family, and when
King Louis chose his bride, he merged his title with their prominent name.
Reginald clearly plans to do the same thing:  merge his name with this
influential family’s history in order to strengthen his reign. By having Victor
marry Sierra Montgomery, Reginald hopes to win favor and trust with his
people.”

“Does she have any relatives?” Zachary asked.

“Actually, no. When Alexandar Rawlings overthrew King Louis,
most of the Montgomery’s were killed. Sierra’s father, Donald, was a cousin to
the Queen. He was a young man at the time and was spared. The older Montgomery’s
were the targeted ones. The others have dropped off the map. Perhaps they’ve
crossed into Baylend, or maybe they’ve been executed like Sierra’s father.”

“Oh dear,” said Elsie.

“Nevertheless, Sierra is a Montgomery,” Martha said, “and
with that name, Reginald is hoping to restore the faith of his people.”

Elsie let out a sigh of exasperation. “Our son jumps
head-first into housing crossers and ends up with Princess Sierra. Reginald
Rawlings isn’t going to stop till he finds her.”

Zachary watched his wife as she put the details together and
came up with the same dismal conclusion he already had. He changed the subject,
knowing it wouldn’t help the tension any, but it still needed to be discussed.
“I’m concerned about something Paul just told me. He said Greg’s house was
raided this morning. Greg told him they were looking for a young female, and he
asked Paul if we took in any females. Paul said we only took in males this
time.”