Wild Woods
13
To Have and to Hold
Continuing the Search
GEE SAT IN THE ROCKING CHAIR holding baby Genesis and giving her a bottle. The baby sucked hungrily while staring at him. He sang little nonsense songs to her as they rocked. Nearby, Nina, Salome, John, and Jane played a card game, laughing at the play. Karen brought Gee a glass of wine and set it on the side table.
“I guess you can have wine since you aren’t actually nursing her,” Karen giggled as she kissed his head.
“I think our girl has had enough,” Gee said. Gen spit the nipple out.
“Oh, good. Give her to me for the after-dinner burp.” Karen spread a cloth over her shoulder and took the baby, patting her gently on the back and cooing to her. Gee looked up to see Salome standing next to his chair.
“Will you feed my baby when it’s born?” she asked softly.
“Yes, of course,” Karen said.
“And you don’t want sex? I will do that if you want. You feed me.”
“No, Salome. What you have experienced in your life is not what real life is supposed to be. We’ll love you and care for you, feed you, give you a place to sleep that is warm and dry. We’ll treat you like our daughter and it is not the role of parents to have sex with their children. Nor to order them to blind obedience. It might take a while for you to understand your limits and we’ll protect you while you grow into the young woman we know you will become. But no one is going to force you, ever again,” Gee said firmly.
“I wish you had been my master,” she sighed.
“Oh no, dear,” Karen said. “It is not about having a better master. It is about learning to master yourself. Don’t worry. You’ll learn.”
Gee’s time in the woods was more limited as his wedding approached. He now had five children living under his roof with Karen. Six if you counted Timmy, who often joined the others for games in the evening. He returned to the Patriarch Sunday night but did not hear so much as a rustle of wind in the branches. Still he was comforted by the presence of The Tree. Monday morning, he stopped by the foresters’ office before heading home.
“We know there are others,” Jonathan said. “Jessie and I spent the night at a drop point near one of the cabins Friday night. Nothing. But when we toured the survival kits Saturday morning, two had been torn open. Food, socks, and the moccasins were gone.”
“The moccasins were a great idea, Gee,” Jessie said. “We’re putting moccasins and socks in every survival kit.”
“So far, every child we’ve found in the woods has been barefoot,” Gee said. “They walked a long way to get here.”
“Why?” David asked. “Why are the children coming to the Wild Woods? You’d think the place they were abused and brainwashed would be the last place they’d want to return to. And how do they find it? How do they even survive to get here?” David scrubbed at his graying hair with both fists, looking as frustrated as all of them felt.
Gee looked at the head of the Lazorack Family and thought back to his first meeting with the gruff man near the mill. In just eight months, David had aged. Grayer. Wrinkles created deep-set lines around his eyes. The burden of the Forest his father had left him had been doubled by the burden of the Wild Woods and the acts revealed there.
“Does the Forest speak to you, David?” Gee asked softly.
“I… don’t know what you mean. Do I hear voices? No. Do I stand around talking to the trees? No. Is there a constant tugging at my heart to be here, to protect the Forest and never leave? Yes.”
“I think that’s what the children feel as well. A constant tugging at their hearts to be here and never leave,” Gee sighed and sat back. Over in his corner with a book and ever-present cup of coffee, Gabe just nodded. “They don’t remember the specifics of how they were abused before they awoke. There are triggers. None of them like the cabins. They’re afraid of the evil men. But they think of the trees as their protectors and the Wild Woods as their birthplace.”
“Evil men,” David sighed.
“It’s the term the children used to describe what they saw. And then they saw us. We tore down the fence. We crashed through the woods, cutting paths and making noise. We invaded the space they came to be safe in. How could they tell if we were good or evil?” Gee asked.
“And what changed?” Jonathan asked. “John, Jane, and now Salome have all come out of the woods with you. How did they know you were one of the good guys?”
Gee pondered the question for a minute, stroking up and down the walking stick, the cool smooth wood a comfort to his hand. He looked at the spot where he’d carved the rune from his worry stone.
“I wish I knew what it means,” he said softly. “Well. I guess we just keep waiting and watching. Be present. Bring food. What else can we do?”
“Your crew was here Saturday,” Jessie said. “We had them work on preparing the path to the Patriarch for the wedding. They’re good kids and want to do more. I wish we could use them to stay in the woods at night.”
“I’d agree but I don’t want to be responsible for teens sleeping out in the Wild Woods. I should talk to them and explain what’s going on,” Gee said.
“They’ve responded well to your previous conversations,” David said. “They’ll surprise you.”
“I’d better go home and make sure the bride knows I’m still alive,” Gee laughed. “She worries about that sometimes.”
Painting the Future
“Gee, I know you are busy with the children and preparing for your wedding, but could you spare some time to come up to the hospital and visit a lonely and broken-hearted person?” Adam asked over the phone Wednesday morning.
“Of course. Who do you want me to visit?”
“Rena Lynd.”
“Ah.”
“There was a flurry of activity after she woke up. First Mead and Sheriff Johnson wanted her to positively identify Deacon as her assailant. Then the feds came in to verify the information. She drew pictures of him and that solidified the case. Then the excitement trailed off. It’s been three weeks of sitting alone deciding if she would live or die. And then she asked to see Pastor Beck.”
“Oh, no. She didn’t know.”
“No. She wailed when she was told he was dead. Blames herself, of course. Gee, she was getting stronger but now I’m afraid she’s lost the will to live.”
“I’ll go see her today.” Gee disconnected the call and sat to think. He’d first met the cashier at the Market when he started working there. A bold, flirtatious young woman with pink hair and a determination to embarrass Gee. He could tell she was taking some kind of drugs. It was only after she had overdosed and gone out of control in the stock room that Gee found she was using the fantasy enhancing drug, Lustre Plus.
While Rena was in rehab, she’d shown her talent as an artist, doing police sketches. When she was released and disappeared, nothing was heard from her until Karen got a call the day she was kidnapped and Rena was pushed into the quarry.
Gee wondered how he could help her. She’d fallen in love with the pastor of her church, been betrayed by him and sent to the woods, and then sent him away when she awoke from her coma. How could Gee help mend this broken person?
Karen had gone shopping for school supplies this week and Gee thought she had gone a little overboard. He was thankful, however, when he finally found what he was looking for in one of the bags. Gee pulled on his coat, shouldered his small pack, and gripped his walking stick as he headed to the hospital.
“Good morning, Rena.”
“Gee?” She turned her head away from him as he entered her room.
“How are you doing this morning?”
“Fine.” It was obvious the conversation was going to be difficult. Gee took a deep breath.
“I want to apologize for the part I’ve played in your misery,” he said. “I tried to do the right thing but that doesn’t always seem to work out the way we planned. I’m sorry.”
“What? That’s stupid!” Rena nearly shouted. “You tried to save me when I overdosed. You tried to find me when I was in the woods. You saved Lance when he crashed in the river. You and your stick and your children… woke me up. What do you have to apologize for? You can’t help being the Antichrist.”
The statement was so incongruous Gee snorted trying not to laugh. Rena was so startled she looked at him and then allowed a small laugh as well.
“I’m sorry, Gee. I don’t know what to think any longer. I’m confused and alone and I just want to die.”
“Rena, life is not always fair. Many people were deceived. How can we get you strong and healthy?” Gee asked.
“How can I ever get what they did to me out of my head?” she sighed.
“There are others struggling, too. John and Jane were treated by Dr. Jones and Pastor Beck. So was Salome. The three little children were boxed up under a load of stone to be sent to Georgia. You’re not alone.”
“What should I do?” she whispered.
“I wonder if you would consider helping me with a project. I’m writing a book of children’s stories set in the Wild Woods.”
“Why would you set stories for children in that awful place?” she asked. “They drugged me and raped me. I never want to think of it again!”
“Yet, the children are returning there. After all they underwent, this is where they awoke and where they have returned to reclaim hope. All I’m asking is that you take a look at the story and think about pictures you could draw,” Gee said.
“I don’t have…” Gee handed her a sketchbook and box of colored pencils from his backpack, along with his manuscript. “I guess I do have materials. I’ll look, but won’t promise. I don’t have anything else to do and nowhere to go. Why are you trying to help me, Gee? I made life miserable for you. I accused you. I injured you. I believed all the stories Lance told about you. Why are you still nice to me?” she asked.
“Your life is precious. How could I try to save the children of the Wild Woods and not you?”
“Kind of a turn the other cheek thing, huh? You won’t fight back,” she sighed.
“I don’t think that’s quite true,” Gee said. “I believe I would defend myself if attacked physically. But words only have the power we give them.”
“Give me the manuscript and leave,” she commanded. “I want to draw something.”
Here’s to Your Journey
Thursday and Friday were barely contained chaos in the Evars/Weisman household. The children had become intensely interested in the wedding. Nina, having received a birth certificate showing her date of birth and the name Renee Lisle, petitioned Judge Warren to have her name legally changed to Nina Evars. Jane, John, and Salome were happy to have the last name of Evars and as far as they were concerned, the wedding would make them all officially a family.
Raven took charge of coordinating the reception, which would be held in the mansion. The guests in the Wild Woods would be limited to family, Family, and immediate circle of friends. But after the formalities, much of the town would stop by the reception, just for the chance to see inside one of the Family mansions and catch a glimpse of the mysterious children of the woods.
Gee’s crew, wanting to be involved, had worked after school cleaning the main path to the Patriarch so it was wide enough to use the ATVs to transport guests from the foresters’ office. The older youth would shuttle guests to the Patriarch and return them after the ceremony.
When the final RSVPs had been tallied, thirty-one people would attempt to gather under the canopy of the Patriarch as Judge Warren performed the wedding.
Mead was about to leave the office and lock up when his phone rang. Glancing at his watch, he answered, irritated. Sheriff Johnson greeted him.
“What is it, Brad? I’m about to leave for the wedding,” Mead snapped.
“I know but I thought you should carry some good news with you as a wedding gift.”
“Good news?”
“FBI has arrested Deacon Carl Stewart. A major sting is now underway.”
“Fantastic. Who knew they could move so fast?
“I’m told they captured Stewart days ago. He’s not the kind of friend you want to have. He decided if he was going down, everyone was. We should also expect an influx of homeless children within the next month as they are processed through Child Services.”
“Holy shit. Any idea how big the Roth Mansion is?” Mead chuckled. “Thanks for the news, Brad. I’ll get it to them as quickly as I can.” He disconnected and pulled his coat and hat off the rack. He scrubbed at a spot on the lapel, spitting on a corner of his handkerchief to use as a sponge. Satisfied it was as good as it would get, he turned to the office door and ran into a woman raising a hand to knock.
“Excuse me,” she laughed. “There was no one out front.”
Mead looked at the woman. About five-seven, long black hair plaited into a braid, deep brown eyes. She looked almost Native American, an impression accented by a beige leather coat that hung to her thighs. She wore sensible flat shoes and Mead increased his height estimate by an inch or two.
“Sorry there was no one out there,” Mead said, trying to justify the emptiness of the police station. “I was about to close the office. Saturdays, the sheriff’s office next door handles the traffic. How can I help you?”
“I hope you can help me find someone. I’m looking for George Evars. He is likely going by the name Gee.”
“Uh… Yes… I know Gee. Just on my way… I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Mead stumbled.
“Of course!” She held out a gloved hand for Mead to shake. “I’m Rebecca Annette Evars. Just call me Rae. Everyone does.
For a moment, Detective Mead Oliver was tempted to tell the woman he didn’t know who she was talking about and suggest she try Palmyra. But he’d just said he knew Gee. And if Rebecca Evars was Gee’s wife, he could be about to commit a felony. He looked at the time again and sighed.
“His wedding is scheduled to begin in twenty minutes. I was just on my way. You can ride with me.”
“Ah,” Rae said quietly. “I made it in time.”
Mead was uncharacteristically quiet on the short drive. The barrage of questions he was known to shout at once suddenly dried up in his throat. The implications overwhelmed him. The ‘Rae’ who had inscribed Gee’s book was somehow related. The great mystery of the man’s identity was about to be revealed and Mead found he did not want to hear it.
He didn’t know what to do and could think of no alternative but to take Rae to the wedding tree and call Gee aside before the ceremony started. He pulled up to the foresters’ office and stepped out of the car.
“Drake, keep it where I can get out. I’ll take a two-seater and drive myself. In case I’m needed for an emergency.” The boy looked at him, puzzled as the keys landed in his hand.
“Yes, sir. Viktor has a two-seater by the front door. Um… You know there’s spotty cell service out there, right?”
“I have my radio. If the sheriff needs me, he can reach me.” Mead conducted Rae to a small ATV and Viktor stepped aside, having seen the interaction between the detective and his friend.
“Here’s a map, sir,” Viktor said. “It’s the only trail that’s fully clear and packed down.”
“The kids seem to have a lot of respect for you, Detective,” Rae said. “It’s nice to see them cooperating with the police.”
“Mmm. Drake’s my son. I know most of them pretty well.” He maneuvered the ATV along the path, glancing at his phone for the time. When he pulled up at the end of the trail, he pointed. “That’s the path to the tree where the ceremony will be,” he said, pointing to the obviously trampled trail through the saplings. “I need to turn the buggy around.”
“Certainly. Thank you.” Rae moved to the path as Mead watched her beige coat disappear. He thumbed his radio.
“Sheriff, standby for possible fireworks at the wedding. Please have the kids at the office ready to run transport earlier than expected.”
“Problems?”
“I don’t know yet. As soon as I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
“I’m headed to the Forest now.”
Mead moved along the path through the trees as the first tones of Pàl’s bagpipe could be heard.
“Gee!” Rae called as she rushed into the clearing beneath The Tree’s canopy and hugged him, placing a kiss on his cheek. She touched his cheek with her fingers. “Baby smooth as always,” she laughed.
“Um… Excuse me… Who…?”
“It’s me. Rae!”
“Rae? From the book?” Gee tried desperately to find an association with the face in front of him. Vague flickers of happiness crossed his mind but nothing specific other than the inscription in his copy of Homer’s Odyssey.
“Rebecca Annette Evars. Gee, what’s wrong?” Gee paled, stumbling back into Wayne.
“You’re… Are you… Are we… married?”
“Gee? You don’t remember? I didn’t know.” She looked into his eyes as if willing him to recognize her. “We’re not married. I’m your sister. I’m here to celebrate your wedding with you.”
“How did you know? You know who I am?”
“Yes, I know who you are. I saw a copy of your local newspaper and your wedding announcement was in it. I was afraid I would miss it. You are my brother and I am so happy you’ve found the love I always hoped you would.”
“My sister. I have a sister.” He leaned heavily on his staff as he absorbed the news. “I didn’t know.” Rae’s attention was caught by the walking stick and she pointed at the carving Gee had made in it. She touched it and Gee felt her through the staff. It was a soft comforting touch accompanied by a whisper in his mind.
My child.
“You remembered this,” she said.
“I have a…” Gee fumbled in his pocket for a moment and pulled out his worry stone with the engraving of a vertical line and five horizontal lines crossing it.
“Yes,” Rae said. She reached in her own pocket and pulled out a stone, almost identical. She matched the two stones together and they seemed to make a single whole. “Our family symbol.”
“Gee? Is everything okay?” a worried Karen asked as she hurried across the clearing. This was not how she imagined her wedding march.
“I… I have a sister,” he said, still a little dazed. She did seem familiar in a way. “She’s come to our wedding.”
“I didn’t know he wouldn’t recognize me. I’m so sorry I interrupted. I was just excited to finally find him. You must be Karen. Your name was in the newspaper, too.”
“Do we need to… postpone things?” Karen asked. A bit of moisture escaped from her right eye and she hurriedly wiped it with the back of her hand.
“No!” Rae said. “There’s no reason to postpone because of me.”
“Excuse me,” Judge Warren said. “Can you affirm that this is indeed George Edward Evars, also called Gee, and that he is known to you?”
“Yes. I’ve known him since the day he was born.”
“I think that will set many minds at ease in our town. Gee and Karen? Do you want to proceed?”
“Yes!” Gee said, turning from Rae and embracing his fiancée. “Karen, will you still marry me?”
“Yes, I will! Let’s get this part done so we can all go back and get to know each other.”
Uninvited Guests
Pàl resumed his wedding march on the bagpipe. Karen decided not to retrace her steps but called Nina to her side, handing her the simple bouquet of flowers she held. She took Gee’s offered hand and they faced the Judge.
The ceremony was simple with traditional civil vows. They placed rings on each other’s fingers and kissed. Judge Warren declared them husband and wife. Then there was moderate chaos as the guests approached to congratulate the couple and to meet Rae.
“We both left several months ago on a quest to find the Children of the Red Tree,” Rae said. “I didn’t know it was a literal tree.” She reached out and touched the Patriarch, letting her eyes drift closed. “He’s calling his children home,” she sighed.
“Gee,” whispered John as he tugged at his sleeve. Gee turned to the boy and gave him his full attention. John’s voice could barely be heard at the best of times. The young father pointed to Gee’s walking stick. “Please?” It was not the first time he had taken the stick from Gee and it was easily given over. Gee watched as John quickly disappeared into the surrounding saplings, Jane and the baby watching from the edge.
“You found the children,” Rae said excitedly.
“We’ve found eight” Gee said. “Is that what I was supposed to do here?”
“There is so much to talk about. I can’t believe that you don’t remember anything. It must have been the nut.”
“I ate the nut in September. I lost my memory at least two months before I ate the nut in the Forest,” Gee said, shaking his head.
“You ate a nut in September?”
“Yes. And another on Thanksgiving. Why?”
“The wise woman gave you the nut to eat in June and sent you on your quest.”
“Another…?”
There was a sudden hush beneath the Patriarch as John led three ragged children through the trees, all with a hand extended to touch Gee’s walking stick. Karen rushed to Gee’s side from where she was talking to Jo. Everyone else fell back away from the children, deferring to Gee’s experience.
“I see,” Rae whispered. “You don’t find them. They come to you.”
“Welcome, children,” Gee said, kneeling on the damp ground. “Would you like to come with us and be safe and warm and fed, like John and Jane and Salome?” They seemed to have difficulty associating the names with the children but after looking closely at the other children, they each nodded. They all wore moccasins that had been left in the survival kits. They each carried a small bundle and had a blanket around their shoulders.
“We’ll walk out of the woods together,” Gee said. “And then you can come home to eat. We’ll tell stories of how you came to be here.
They heard the ATV start up and noted Mead and Ellie had gone ahead. The others at the wedding parted to let the little family pass first. Adam and Julia followed behind the children assessing their condition as they walked. Underfed and dirty, but Adam saw no signs of other disease or injury.
The smallest of the new children, a little girl about nine, latched onto Rae’s hand as they walked from the Wild Woods into the Forest. The girl seemed to be equal parts fear of continuing and fear of going back. Rae wondered how she had been chosen to cling to for comfort.
“Those moccasins are a bit too big for you, aren’t they, little girl? Would it be easier if I carried you?” Tears streamed from the little girl’s eyes as she nodded and Rae picked her up to follow the procession. She noticed Gee had lifted the little boy, maybe a year older than the girl. The third child apparently in her mid-teens, was supported between Karen and Salome. The other four children—all Gee’s and Karen’s wards, Rae was told—followed close behind. John continued to carry Gee’s walking stick.
Arresting Developments
“Senator Harland Graves, Mrs. Roxanne Graves. FBI. We have warrants for your arrest and a search warrant for your real estate and personal property. Please come with us quietly,” the agent said when the senator opened the door.
“What’s the meaning of this?” the senator blustered. “Arrest for what?’
“Unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, child trafficking, rape, child abuse, sex with a minor, and slavery.” The senator and his wife blanched, her fingernails digging into his arm. “We are searching for two children delivered to this address three months ago. Also, for any sign or indication of their present or former residence, communications with other known traffickers, and any other evidence of foul play. Please come with us.”
“I demand to see my lawyer!”
“You may call your lawyer from the FBI holding area. I must inform you that you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?”
“No!” the senator barked at the same time his wife whispered, “Yes.”
The agents immediately separated the two, leading the senator directly to a secure vehicle and his wife back inside the house.
“Where are the children?” a female agent asked Mrs. Graves.
“The kennel,” she whispered. “A passage under the kitchen. Once part of the Underground Railroad.”
Agents swiftly moved to uncover the entrance from inside while others moved outside the house to locate a building that would qualify as a kennel. Mrs. Graves led the agent to an office where she produced telephone logs and pointed out six numbers of other traffickers. The agent quickly verified that one of the numbers was Deacon Stewart’s.
“It’s time to go,” the agent said. “I’m sure there will be more questions at the office.”
The meek senator’s wife moved with surprising speed as she grabbed for the agent’s sidearm, raised it to her chin, and fired.
“Fuck!” screamed the agent as two others rushed into the office. “Get an ambulance. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why did she have to do that?” Blood was spattered across the agent’s face and clothes. Another agent led her out of the room to a bathroom where she threw up long and hard.
Deacon’s journal had names and phone numbers of contacts along with details of transactions. There had been no sense trying to protest his innocence. In a move typical of his life, he determined to take as many others down with him as possible. He gave details to agents about ‘product deliveries,’ distributors, and clients. By the time he was finished, he’d implicated thirty people and organizations. Then he was led away to solitary confinement for safety.
Among those listed were politicians, known criminals, religious figures, corporate executives, and foreign nationals. Nearly a dozen upstanding families protested that they had worked with an adoption agency and despite the steep price the agency had provided exactly the type of child they were looking for. Those would be surprised and horrified to find they had adopted a kidnapped child or a baby abandoned by parents at a hospital or ‘safe zone.’
The business had been going for fifty or more years but became more closely allied to training slaves with the development of Dr. Jones’ drugs. Deacon’s father had started ‘placing refugees’ soon after World War II but didn’t have the stomach for it that Deacon had.
Still, through all of the collapse of Deacon’s empire, there was nothing to implicate Troy Cavanaugh in either the death of Dr. Jones nor the rape of a fifteen-year-old a few years earlier. Cavanaugh married Taryn Taft and moved to Boston. He was unlikely to ever return to Rosebud Falls. He only knew and only cared about his own problems having been taken care of. He would never incriminate himself by volunteering information. The perfect woman had shown up on his doorstep, fallen in love, and married him. Troy was a happy man and closed the sight of Jones suffocating in the plastic laundry bag held over his face out of his consciousness.
And Deacon knew his daughter and her handicapped son had a safe place to live their lives. That’s how these things were supposed to work out.
The Disconsolate and the Displaced
An ambulance waiting at the foresters’ office transported Karen, Rae, Gee, and the three children to the hospital with Dr. Poltanys riding in front.
“We’re just going to the hospital for a little while,” Gee explained to the boy sitting in his lap and the girl sitting opposite next to Karen. “Caretaker Adam is going to check to make sure you aren’t injured or sick. Once we’re sure all you need is food, we’ll go home where there are clean clothes, soft beds, and lots of food for you.”
“Thank you,” whispered the oldest girl. It was a relief that at least one of them could and would communicate.
“Did you live together in the woods?” Karen asked. The girl shook her head.
“Near. We came to see The Tree. He said it was important. Then the boy showed us the stick and we trusted him.” She looked from Karen to Rae to Gee and asked, “Will you send us back to our owners?”
“No,” Gee said firmly. “We will take care of you and you will be safe.” The girl sighed and sank against Karen. “I’m so tired of hiding. I’d even go back.”
The boy Gee carried was now sound asleep.
“It looks like you might need more nannies,” Rae said as she petted the little girl’s head. “I don’t want to increase your burden, but if I’m welcome, I’ll stay and help.”
“Our house has many bedrooms, Rae,” Karen said. “We’d love to welcome you there. And the help is appreciated.”
The children were examined, bathed, and given warm soft pajamas and robes. “We have more clothes for you at home,” Karen explained. The children continued to touch their pajamas and rub their cheeks into the soft robes.
“Jude is out front with the van,” Gee said. He pocketed his cellphone.
“I called Leah to ask her to run to Walmart and buy more clothes. Each child will probably have a full wardrobe by the time we reach home,” Karen said.
“It must be large,” Rae commented as they settled into the van for the short ride to the mansion.
“It’s the Roth Family ancestral home,” Karen explained. “They just kept building onto it whenever there was another child who got married or a new generation born.”
“If I counted correctly, you now have eight wards, a sister-in-law, a live-in housekeeper and her son, and you plan to bring the young woman I met who draws pictures home soon. On the reservation, that would almost fill one of our huts.”
“Oh, my,” Karen breathed. She looked at her husband and touched his hand. He shrugged. “And there may be more.”
In the aftermath of the interrupted wedding reception, many gathered quietly in the mansion’s sitting room. It was unusual for Family heads to meet together where others were also present but they were all too overwhelmed by the day’s events to object. Rae held baby Gen in the rocking chair with a bottle. John and Jane were asleep on pillows in the playroom. Nina, Salome, and Raven sat with the new children, talking softly and making sure they had plenty to eat.
“We’re going to need more foster homes,” Judge Warren sighed.
“We’ll be okay,” Karen said. “Rae is going to stay and help. That makes four adults and eight children.”
“We’ll help with support,” Loren said. “Maybe we need to set up a fund to subsidize the Evars and Woods families.”
“That’s good as far as it goes,” Warren said. “But there’s more.”
“More children in the woods?” David asked. “How did they survive? What can we do?”
“The trees took care of them. That’s all any will say,” Gee said.
“We’re not just talking about the children in the woods,” Warren said. “Mead? Better tell them.” The detective had arrived at the house well after most of the guests had left.
“I was called back to the office right after the wedding,” he said. “Sheriff Johnson and I had a conference with the FBI Agent in Charge. They are mopping up their operation with arrests of over fifty people believed to have been involved. There might be more.”
“Jesus! Fifty?” Collin muttered. “Hang them all!” Violet, standing behind her uncle, gently rubbed his shoulders. The old man sighed.
“Some may be questioned and released,” Mead continued. “It seems there were several who dealt with an adoption agency and believed they were legitimately adopting an orphaned child. The parents and children are all distressed over the separation. The children are in foster homes while the parents are questioned and will probably be reunited within a week.”
“But they think the children who were adopted were actually trafficked?” Pàl asked.
“It seems there is a kind of underground capture system in place. Children who might have been at risk as either homeless or unwanted, or dropped off believing the agency was a safe haven,” Mead said. “We won’t have details for a while but the problem is with the other twenty children they’ve found so far.”
“Twenty children?” Heinz said. “How old? What is their condition.”
“The ages run from about five or six up to late teens, though few know their actual age. Most know nothing about their real parents and over half don’t speak at all. Like the Woods children were,” Mead said. “Since we—and I say that in most general terms, meaning Gee and Karen—are the only ones the FBI knows who have experience with children in this condition, they’ve asked us to function as temporary guardians.”
“Twenty children,” David whispered again. “And possibly more in the woods. You can’t handle all that, Karen. No matter how much help you have.”
“Why do they want to send them here, Mead?” Warren asked. “Aren’t things like this usually handled by CPS in the local region?”
“I asked that,” Mead said, the corner of his mouth pulling back reflexively as his left eye squinted. “Raids are still going on. The FBI can be as close-mouthed as the Families under sàmhach. They don’t want any locals involved. Second, if the condition of these children was widely known, every do-gooder and religious nut in the country would come out of the woodwork wanting to convert them to their religion, political persuasion, moral code, or whatever. We’ve seen it in the aftermath of Waco, Ruby Ridge, Eldorado, Operation Cross Country and anywhere a major raid has been conducted. There’s a line of people ready to save the poor dears by indoctrinating them into their own weird beliefs.”
“They could keep them hidden,” Warren suggested. “They don’t have any trouble doing it with the refugee children.”
“We have experience,” Gee said. “That has to be driving it. They’ve latched onto the fact that we’ve already rescued children and figure we know what to do. Besides, it’s our responsibility. They came from our woods.”
“That’s the other reason,” Mead affirmed. “On the advice of Dr. Poltanys, the children have all had blood drawn and tested. Most have shown RDH markers in their bloodstream. We have the best aftercare for the drug in the country as no one else has devoted much attention to it.” Silence greeted the news.
“The heirs,” Heinz finally said. They turned and waited for him to continue. “This is a Family matter. We were supposed to protect the Forest and the city. We failed. But look at us. We’re old. None of us save Karen and Gee could take on children young enough to be our grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Gerta and I are seventy-five years old. We couldn’t care for them. But we have room. If I invited the Quartet to live with us, I think they would welcome the opportunity to redeem the Family by fostering children.”
David looked at Loren and nodded his head.
“We have the larger estate home of our two households,” Loren said. “If Jessie and Jonathan agree, we could do the same.”
“We cut down the size of our estate when we built the retirement home,” Jan said. “Zach has a nice place, though, and teenage daughters to help. I’ll talk to him.”
“Drake is a senior and can’t wait to move out,” Mead said. “Maybe seeing someone who doesn’t have a home would be good for him. I’ll talk to Rita.”
“There are others like you,” Gee said. “Many with children who have been begging to help in any way they can. Colleen and Luke Zimmer. Nathan and Marian Panza. Ruth Ann and Dale Metzger. We need to begin canvassing in the morning.”
“I expect we may see the first children tomorrow afternoon or Monday at the latest,” Mead said.
“I’ll make sure there are temporary facilities for them in the hospital. We’ll get them checked up and fed, at least,” Jan said.
Honeymoon
Karen sighed deeply as she sank into bed next to Gee. There had been a little difficulty getting the children settled for bed, not the least of which was naming the newest rescues. The names they had brought with them were not decent to be spoken aloud. The little girl accepted the name ‘Rose’ when she was given a flower from Karen’s bouquet. Rae suggest the boy, a year or so older than Rose, needed the name of a strong tree because he had been so strong in the woods. When she said, ‘Ash,’ the boy wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. The fifteen-year-old girl said simply, “Merida.”
“Your name?” Gee asked. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded. No one was certain if she remembered her name or had already chosen one.
Rose was attached to Rae and Gee’s sister was bemused by the attention. Rae took a room with two twin beds and gave Rose one of them.
“That’s awfully cramped for an adult,” Karen said. “If you are going to have children, Rae, we need to give you a suite.”
“Me? Children?”
“Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the downstairs master suite. You might want to raise your family there,” Gee chuckled.
“Um… You are as devious as when you were a child, Gee,” Rae said. “This room is fine for tonight. It’s as large as the house Gee and I grew up in.” Karen grabbed her notebook and jotted that down.
Ash was happy to have the room next to Rae and Rose when he discovered they shared a bath and would not be far away. Salome and Merida were bonding and Salome invited the other fifteen-year-old to take the second bed in her room. Once all the children and guests were settled, Gee and Karen finally had time alone.
“Not exactly what we planned for a honeymoon,” Gee sighed as he pulled Karen to him. “And no rest tomorrow.”
“I don’t know. I never imagined anything past the moment I would crawl into bed with my husband,” Karen said. “My husband,” she whispered again.
“Are you okay with having my sister move in?” Gee asked.
“It’s a big house and she’s family,” Karen yawned. “We received four more people into our household the moment we said, ‘I do.’ That will require a little discussion. But I’m a newlywed. I just want my husband to make love to me now. Would that be okay?”
“I love you, Karen Evars,” Gee whispered. “It is the only thing I have known for certain since the day I arrived in Rosebud Falls.”
Raven had worked in a bar or restaurant for nearly thirty years. She knew all aspects of serving a lot of people. She calculated ten for breakfast and added herself and Timmy. Before anyone else was awake, she was in the kitchen with an egg and cheese casserole in the oven and three packages of cinnamon rolls ready to slide in when she saw a sign of life. She made coffee and turned to find Nina sitting at the table.
“Is there anything I can do to help, Raven?” Nina asked.
“I think everything is about ready,” Raven smiled at the girl. It was not unusual for Nina to be the first one in the kitchen and Raven wondered briefly at her timing when Timmy walked in from his garage apartment. She kissed her son on the cheek and he went to the table, sitting opposite Nina. “I don’t know how many will arrive for breakfast at once. Did you hear anyone else stirring upstairs, Nina?”
“It sounded like Rae was talking to little Rose when I passed their room. Ash’s door was open and he was sitting on the floor just inside. I invited him to come with me but he pointed to Rae’s room. I think he’s waiting for them.”
“Well, it’s Sunday morning. I’ll get the sweet rolls in the oven. Why don’t we feed everyone from paper plates? Since we don’t know when people will arrive, there is no sense setting the big table. We’ll just let people fill and take their plates to the table when they arrive. What do you think about hot chocolate?”
“That would be very nice,” Nina said.
“Can I have hot chocolate, Mom?” Timmy asked.
“Yes, you may. I’ll get it started. Nina, can you find the paper plates and napkins, please?” Raven poured milk into a pan to heat and began mixing cocoa and sugar in a smaller bowl. She added a few drops of vanilla to the milk. Others would just mix a package of instant hot chocolate but Raven preferred to make the beverage from scratch. By the time Nina had the plates and napkins out and placed silverware on the table, Raven was stirring the cocoa mixture slowly into the milk.
“Are we too early?” Rae asked from the doorway. She held two small children by the hand. Both Rose and Ash were dressed in soft sweatpants and T-shirts.
“I’ve just removed the eggs from the oven and the cinnamon rolls will be out soon,” Raven said. “Coffee? We can start the children with orange juice.”
“Please,” Rae said. Nina brought the jug of OJ to the table with plastic glasses, remembering when little Esther had first come to dinner and spilled her milk. Rae seated the children at the table and gave them glasses of juice. Soon eggs were on plates and they cautioned the children to eat slowly and be sure not to burn themselves on the hot food. It was a lesson, however, that had to be learned by experience. Rae squeezed her eyes shut, realizing the children had not had hot food in a very long time. The cinnamon rolls were wildly popular.
Over the next half hour, others slowly filtered in to breakfast, drawn by the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls. The last to arrive were Gee and Karen.
All the children stopped eating.
The newest children were unsure of what they were to do. Led by John, Jane, and Gen, however, they each got up to get a quick hug from the newlyweds and then return to their breakfasts. Gee stood, a bit bemused, as he found himself with Gen and a bottle still in his arms. Jane was busy eating her own breakfast.
After breakfast, the clan began to get organized. Raven helped prepare the downstairs master suite. Ash looked a little bewildered when Rae led Rose into the suite and showed her a room of her own and where Rae would sleep.
“Rae, I think you have another,” Raven whispered. Rae turned to look at Ash.
“Ash, would you like to live in this suite with Rose and me?” Rae finally asked. The silent boy nodded his head.
“There’s nothing in this room but a desk,” Raven said. “Ben had one put in but always used the library.”
“Can we get another bed?”
“I think so.” Raven went to find Karen. Gee had called Drake, Viktor, Ryan, and Trevor to ask them to help move furniture and soon the boys were hauling a bed and mattress to the former office and removing the desk. As soon as they had it arranged, they were called upstairs. Hearing what was happening in the mansion, several girls from Gee’s team arrived to help as well. Alyssa and Shannon moved in to Rae’s suite with bedding, clothes, and a few toys.
Upstairs, the boys worked in the mini suite near Gee and Karen’s room. Gee had the sitting room cleared and brought in a drawing table, desk, and easel. Two of the boys began painting the room while the other two moved on to make sure the other four bedrooms had twin beds and dressers. Gee and Karen were unsure of how many children they might ultimately need to house. Jeanie, Leslie, and Rebecca, accompanied by Nina, Salome, and Merida, took charge of seeing that all the rooms were clean, made up, and welcoming for children of any age with stuffed toys, books, and art.
Everyone knew more children were coming.
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