The Darkness You Fear Page 19

  “I’m not sure Kerrie noticed or cared that their farm was failing. Bart and Kerrie seemed to live two separate lives, even while inhabiting the same ramshackle cabin. For the first two years, they came to our house for Christmas Eve dinner. On the second Eve, Bart drank throughout the evening, and for once Kerrie also drank, which I had never seen her do before.

  “Before the meal was over, she was ranting, telling us that her children had been murdered. Bart tried to shush her, which only sent her into a greater rage.

  “Kerrie was practically screaming, ‘Jonathan Meredith knows what happened to my babies, I’m sure of it! I’m going to make him tell me!’

  “Not long after, Kerrie disappeared. No one knows what happened to her, but I couldn’t help but remember how she’d threatened to confront Meredith. Bart quit trying to work the farm at all and soon lost it to the bank. He too disappeared, but Gus saw him a few months later on a trip to Portland. Bart was falling down drunk on Burnside, Portland’s skid row.

  “It was all very sad, but we’d seen many families fall apart on our trip west, and more since we arrived. We could not force Bart to accept our help. Our own farm was doing well. Becky was growing into a beautiful young woman, and she had no shortage of admirers. But I think her heart was still set on Jed Meredith, who was by then working full time for his stepfather and by all accounts doing well.

  “It was Edwin who visited us, however. He was always infatuated with Becky, and on the trip west, when he was a mere thirteen years old, it was cute. But now he was nearing fifteen, and he was as interested as ever. Personally, I thought him the better match, despite his being two years younger than Becky. When you reach my age, two years doesn’t seem like so much, not if your husband makes you happy, but at their age, the gulf seems vast.

  “Edwin was strangely subdued on his visits, not the ebullient child I remembered. He was going to school, and also working with his brother and his stepfather. I had the feeling that he wanted to leave Portland. He talked of going back East, of attending college, or of heading south to San Francisco.

  “Becky was kind to Edwin, but she did not encourage his attentions and made it clear that she was interested in Jed. However, Jed never visited, though he did write one or two rather formal letters. Becky clung to those letters as proof that he was still interested in her.

  “I’m ashamed to say I hoped she was right. Jonathan Meredith was becoming an important man in this territory, and Jed was his heir.”

  Abigail paused in her story and took Virginia’s hand. “Much of this you may already know from Ellen’s journals. I tried to keep in touch with her. Even though she never answered, I assumed she read my letters.”

  Virginia shook her head. “She spoke mostly of her own family, though she does mention running into Bart Parsons.”

  “Then you know nothing about what happened to Edwin and Jed?”

  “No,” Virginia answered. “I assumed they were still working with their stepfather.”

  Abigail shook her head sadly. “Now we come to the part of the story where the Catledges ceased to exist and the Smith family took their place. To sum it up, Miss Reed, we ran away.”

  “Tell me what happened,” Virginia said.

  Abigail took a sip of now-cold tea and stared out the window at her garden. She didn’t speak for a long time. Virginia waited patiently.

  “It was Becky who figured it out,” Abigail said, finally. “Gus and I heard that gold had been found in California, but we didn’t think much about it. Gus threatened to join the rush to the south—Oregon City seemed to empty of men overnight—but I forbade him. Our farm was doing well enough for our modest ambitions.

  “One day, Becky came into the house with one of the old blue buckets that we’d used for water and that we’d carried for thousands of miles across the Great Desert. It was dirty and filled with cobwebs, and at the bottom were dirt-encrusted quartz stones. The moment Becky pulled one of the rocks out, we saw the vein of gold running through it.

  “It may seem strange that we didn’t think of it before, but when we came to Oregon, it never occurred to us that we would stumble across precious minerals of any kind. The richness we sought was the dark, fertile soil of the Willamette Valley.

  “Obviously, we were excited, and Gus wanted to take the gold to Portland at once to see how much it was worth, but Becky told us to wait. When we asked why, she asked us to just trust her.

  “She was quiet for a few days. Then Edwin showed up and the two of them cloistered themselves away together, not allowing Gus or me to overhear them. When they emerged, they told us a strange story.”

  Abigail rose from the table and went into the next room. She came back with a blue bucket in her hand. It was clean and empty, but it was obviously the blue bucket from her story. She put it on the table, as proof, Virginia supposed.

  She resumed her story. “Does Ellen Meredith speak in her diaries of the disappearance of Cager and Allie Parsons?”

  Virginia nodded.

  “We searched for several days, but in the end, it was only our small group that was still actively searching. Becky pleaded to join the search, and against my better judgment, Gus allowed her to go. You must understand that our daughter is a very level-headed and capable young woman, and as we were shorthanded, it was not completely strange that Becky should join in the search.

  “Jonathan included Becky in his own group, along with Edwin. They soon returned, not having found a trace of the missing children. Becky was very quiet, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time.

  “Now, she informed us that Jonathan Meredith had acted very strangely during the search. They had been crisscrossing the desert, but there was a prominent hill on the horizon, and Becky thought that if she was lost, that’s where she would go.

  “But Jonathan refused to go there. He told her that he had already searched the hillside and there was nothing there. Becky said that as they returned to the camp that night, she thought she saw something glitter on the hillside and once again asked to detour to the site. Jonathan became angry with her, accusing her of harboring false hope.

  “She told us, ‘Edwin and I are both certain that the hill that Jonathan refused to search was the very same hill where we had filled the blue buckets with the shiny rocks.’”

  Abigail fell silent, letting the full portent of that revelation sink in.

  “Why has no one confronted Jonathan Meredith?” Virginia asked. “Everything leads back to him.”

  “I don’t think you understand, Miss Reed,” Abigail said. “Unless I’m mistaken, Jonathan Meredith has been confronted more than once, and each of the people who have challenged him have disappeared. Including Edwin.”

  “Edwin?” Virginia said.

  Abigail nodded sadly. “We agreed to investigate further, and Edwin promised not to say anything to his father. Yet soon after came word that Edwin had left home. He supposedly left a note saying he was heading for the gold fields of California, but of course, we never believed that.”

  “What did Becky do?” Virginia asked.

  “Gus and I insisted that she come away with us,” Abigail said. “The truth is, we ran away, Miss Reed. I’m not proud of it. But we had no proof of anything, and Meredith is a very rich and powerful man. We sold our land, turned in the gold from the blue bucket, and left the Willamette Valley. We didn’t have the heart to leave the Oregon Territory altogether, but we thought that Vale was far enough away to be safe.

  “Becky wasn’t happy about leaving, but she was the last of the children who had filled the blue buckets with gold, and she realized that she was in danger. We began our lives over, Miss Reed.”

  “But something happened, didn’t it?”

  “We haven’t prospered here,” Abigail admitted. “We have fallen deeply into debt, and there seems no way that we can ever pay it back. Becky was never happy here, and I’m certain that she started writing Jed not long after we arrived. I’m also certain that she fixed it in her mind t
hat she would find the gold mine and bring back enough wealth to pay our debts.

  “Not long ago, Jed showed up to visit. The next day, they were both gone. They left a note telling us that they were going in search of the lost mine. Gus and I were frightened for them, of course, but we didn’t know what to do. A week later, we got a letter from Becky telling us where she was. Gus set out at once to find her.

  “And it is in this state of affairs that you find us. I haven’t heard from Gus, and I am worried. If you would go after them, I would be forever in your debt, Miss Reed.”

  “I promised Mary that I would help, Mrs. Catledge,” Virginia said. “I will promise you the same thing.”

  Abigail lowered her head, and a teardrop splashed into the teacup in front of her. When she looked up, the expression of gratitude on her face made Virginia rise and go to her side and put an arm around her shoulders.

  “We’ll find them, I promise,” she said.

  Abigail rested her cheek against Virginia’s hand. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Do you still have Becky’s letter?” Virginia asked.

  Abigail rose from the table, looking flustered for the first time. “I don’t know if Gus took it with him. Let me look.” She went into one of the rooms next to the kitchen. There was the sound of rustling papers, and then she emerged, triumphantly holding up the letter.

  Virginia smoothed the sheets out on the table and began to read.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Vale, Oregon Territory, September 1851

  Dear Mother and Father,

  Forgive me for leaving so abruptly.

  I will try to give you a full explanation for why I left. As I told you, when the Parsons children went missing, I suspected that Mr. Meredith tried to keep me from searching the hillside where we had gathered the gold, what is now being called the Lost Blue Bucket Mine. If I had known that there was gold involved, I would have insisted on exploring that hillside, but though I was troubled at the time, I could not conceive of any reason why Mr. Meredith would lie about already having searched the area.

  What I didn’t tell you is that even though the wagon train was lost at the time, I clearly remembered the landmarks nearby and kept track of them as we continued our journey. I intended to return and search for Cager and Allie as soon as possible, even if only for their mortal remains.

  When we reached Oregon City, I realized that you needed my help, and as time went on, the urgency left me. Cager and Allie were gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. Nevertheless, I am certain that I can find the same location again. I want to prove, once and for all, that Jonathan Meredith is a murderer, that he made Cager and Allie lead him to the gold, and that he then killed them. If so, their remains must still be nearby. There might not be enough evidence of his crime to have Mr. Meredith arrested. Perhaps the only justice I can provide is to reveal the location of his riches so that he can’t have any more of them.

  At the end of this letter, I give detailed directions to where I think the Lost Blue Bucket Mine is. If I do not return, be certain to publish these directions wherever you can, so that every gold miner in the territory will converge on the area. Perhaps Mr. Meredith has not claimed ownership because he is afraid of claim jumpers. If so, I intend to fulfill his worst fears.

  But first I need to examine the area, so that he doesn’t have time to cover up his crime. When you insisted on moving away from our prosperous farm in Oregon City, I was doubtful of the wisdom of it, but I now know that you were right. It may be only a matter of time before Mr. Meredith finds us. When he does, I fear not only for my own safety but also for yours, my dear parents. He will want to make certain that I did not tell you where the mine lies.

  He has the gold to buy all the men and resources he needs. But when I am done with him, I hope that I will have deprived him of his riches, and even more importantly, that he will no longer have any reason to threaten us once the location of the gold is revealed—though even then, he might take revenge.

  I don’t feel as though I have any choice in the matter. Either way, we are not safe. If we must live in fear, I’d rather try to find justice for poor Cager and Allie.

  I have been planning this for a long time. I have arranged all the necessary supplies. I promise you, we aren’t venturing into the wilds without adequate preparation. You needn’t worry about that. But even though I have been ready to leave for some time, I have hesitated. I love you both, and I worry that once I set these plans in motion, anything could happen. I convinced myself that if I did nothing to reveal our location, we would be safer if I tried to go find Cager and Allie.

  Jed showed up at our door while both of you were at the store. He was frantic, for Edwin is missing. Though his brother left a note detailing his plans to go to California to look for gold, Jed is certain that the letter was coerced or manipulated out of him, and that Mr. Meredith has done something to him. I didn’t feel that I could wait any longer, as Jed would have left without me, inadequately provisioned. So I have taken the packs from the shed that I had hidden there, and I have taken old Gussy, whom Father never uses anymore at work. She may be old and fat, but she hasn’t forgotten how to be a pack mule.

  I have written most of this letter on the first night of our journey. There are travelers camping near us who are heading to Vale, and I intend to leave this missive with them. I’m sorry to have left in such a hurry and without warning. I’m not sure when I will be able to contact you again.

  Just know that I will be very careful, that I have Jed, who has become a capable young man, at my side, and that we will endeavor to avoid any confrontation. I look only for evidence of Cager and Allie. I don’t care about the gold, except to deny Mr. Meredith the use of it, but I feel that if I find any, it would only be fair to take some to help secure the future of your business. Beyond that, let the claim jumpers come!

  Please do not come after me. I give you the directions to the mine because I want it to be general knowledge, not because I want you to follow me. Please trust that I am safe and that I will fulfill my goal.

  All my love,

  Becky

  Virginia looked up from the letter. “How long after you received this did Mr. Catledge go after her?”

  “The next day,” Abigail said. “Just as soon as he could pack. I copied the directions, and he took our best horse and a couple of mules he borrowed from our neighbors. I haven’t heard from either of them since.”

  “A week ago, then?” Virginia said, looking down at the date.

  “I guess so…yes.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” Virginia said. “I might have been able to go in Mr. Catledge’s stead.”

  Abigail was standing near the stove, and she looked at Virginia with a strange look in her eyes. “But you’re just a girl yourself, Miss Reed. Nor is it your responsibility. I’m not entirely sure why you are here.”

  Virginia suddenly saw herself as Abigail Catledge must see her: a strange woman who had shown up on her doorstep, acting as though she was more important and more capable than Abigail’s husband, a grown man. How could she explain? If she told Abigail about her duties as a Canowiki, the woman would probably see her to the door. Nor was this a situation that necessarily called for the talents of a Canowiki. There was nothing supernatural here, at least as far as she could see, only ordinarily human greed and evil.

  And yet, something was compelling Virginia to see it through. There was something otherworldly here—she just couldn’t put her finger on it. But it was something that made her believe that before it was over, her talents would be needed.

  “I have had…experience in such matters,” Virginia said.

  Abigail examined her as if Virginia was a horse she was thinking about buying. “I can believe that. You remind me of my daughter, actually. People often tend to underestimate her.”

  “I have admired her from afar,” Virginia said.

  They sat in silence for a time, sipping their tea. It w
as clear that Abigail was debating with herself about whether to trust the young woman who had come to her door. Finally, she sighed. “I will let you copy the directions to the mine, Miss Reed. I am worried about my husband. The Umatilla tribe is killing trespassers in their territory, and the gold mine is right at the center of it.”

  “I have men in my employ who are quite capable of doing whatever needs to be done,” Virginia said. She stood up. “The manager of your store wouldn’t let my men follow me here. Would you be so kind as to allow them into your house?” She smiled. “I can’t vouch for how housetrained they are, Mrs. Catledge, but I don’t think they’ll do too much harm.”

  With a nod from Abigail, she left the house and found Angus, Drake, and Franklin sitting with the shop manager, Cole Johnson, in the back office, halfway to getting drunk. Virginia frowned at Angus, but he waggled his eyebrows at her and said, “We’re not nearly drunk enough, Miss Reed. This is just an afternoon’s respite.”

  “Well, I need you to come with me back to the house,” Virginia said. “We’ve got a journey to plan.”

  Once they were in the kitchen, Virginia set Drake to copying the directions to the Lost Blue Bucket gold mine. He took one look at the letter and glanced up sharply. “Is this what I think it is?”

  Virginia nodded.

  “You are trusting me with the location to a gold mine?” He sounded completely amazed.

  “Mrs. Catledge is trusting me,” Virginia said, “and I am trusting you. Should I not trust you, Mr. Drake?”

  He flushed and looked down at the letter again. “I am a man of honor,” he muttered.

  “I never thought differently,” Virginia said. She turned to Angus, who was watching with a knowing smile. She pulled him aside so that Abigail couldn’t overhear. “I want you to buy supplies for a two-week trip into the High Desert. Buy the very best; spare no expense. In fact, buy more than we really need. I can afford it, and it seems that the Smiths need a little help.”