“You okay, sport?” he says.
Elaine looks at Daniel, too, as if she were Mama and he were Evie.
“I’m fine,” Daniel says and shoves away the hand that Jonathon holds out to him. “I can stand by myself.”
Jonathon steps back. “Suit yourself.”
Daniel stands from his chair and, crossing his arms over his chest, he leans against the wall. Ian says that the morgue is in the basement floor of the hospital and that’s where the police will take Jack Mayer when he and Daniel shoot him dead. He says they’ll take Julianne there, too, if they ever find her. He says that maybe he and Daniel will sneak into the basement morgue to see them both. Next time, Daniel will be ready for Uncle Ray. He is a good shot, a damn good shot, probably even better than Jonathon. Just like he told Mama and Aunt Ruth the night Uncle Ray showed up at the house asking for dessert and a jump start. He could make a real mess of Uncle Ray with Dad’s shotgun. Next time, he’ll damn sure be ready.
Ruth shuffles across the cold tile floor in her paper slippers and crawls into bed, using her good arm to hoist herself. Behind her, Arthur walks into the room and the door falls closed. With her head, she motions toward a wooden chair sitting in the corner of the room. Arthur moves it next to her bed and sits in it backward, straddling it with his legs-the way he sat as a boy. The moonlit room eases the creases around his eyes and because his hair has grown longer, like it was when he was a teenager, he looks younger. Tired, perhaps a little scared, but young again.
“We haven’t talked much since you moved back, just you and me,” Ruth says, wanting to touch Arthur’s hand. “But I’m always around, aren’t I?”
“Glad to have you. You know that.”
“I do.” Ruth rests both hands on Elisabeth and smiles when she feels a familiar flutter. “Do you remember how Eve used to tease you for having so little to say?”
Arthur nods.
“But when you did decide to talk, she always listened. She said you were worth listening to because you made darn sure you had something worth saying before you said it.”
“Be nice if that were true.”
“It is true, Arthur.” Ruth reaches out and rests one hand on his. “I know you’ll take care of us. If you say it, I know it’s worth listening to.”
Arthur drops his head into his folded arms.
“I know it’s true. And I know if you could have saved Eve, you would have.”
For a moment they are silent.
“What happened to Eve was not your fault,” she says. “I know you think it was. I know Father made you think it was. But it wasn’t. You were a boy, Arthur. No more a man than Daniel is now.” Ruth touches Arthur’s cheek and lifts his face. “I listened to you, Arthur. So now you listen to me. There was nothing you could have heard. Nothing you could have seen. It was a terrible thing, but you can’t save her by saving me.”
“I should have moved back home earlier. Shouldn’t have left you alone for so long.”
“All these years, I was afraid that you thought like the others. So many in town believing that Ray hurt Eve all those years ago. Like Floyd. All of them believing I married the man who killed my own sister. But he didn’t, Arthur. I know he didn’t. I promise that I’m certain of that. I hope you never believed like the others.” Ruth lowers her eyes. “I hope that isn’t what kept you away for so long.”
Arthur drops his head, shakes it from side to side and exhales. “You’re too forgiving of me. Far too quick to forgive.”
“We all did the best we could,” Ruth says, lifting Arthur’s chin and smiling down on him. “I’ll tell Floyd everything. I don’t know what Ray was up to that night, I really don’t. But I’ll tell Floyd everything.” She squeezes his hand. “I’d like to stay with your family, if you’ll still have me, if you think it’s best.”
“Good enough,” Arthur says.
She smiles and lays both hands over her stomach. “Her name is Elisabeth.”
Arthur stands and nodding his head, he says, “Elisabeth, it is.”
Chapter 20
Celia leans against the kitchen sink and rubs her tailbone. Two days since she fell in the hospital and it’s still sore. The aches and pains won’t last much longer but every time she kneads a sore spot, she feels Ray on top of her again, pressing into her thigh, smiling down on her. Wishing she had never suggested they meet Ray at the café, she swallows and tightens the belt on her robe. When Ruth asks if Celia is feeling all right, she smiles, embarrassed that Ruth would be worried about her, and turns to face her family. Arthur, wearing his denim coat and work boots, reaches up and catches the kiss that Evie throws from across the kitchen.
“You sure enough about me leaving today?” Arthur says, tucking the kiss in his pocket. Evie giggles.
“We’ll be fine,” Celia says and follows him to the back door. “Not much choice really.” Standing together at the top of the basement stairs, she kisses him and, as he climbs into his truck, she calls out, “We’ll lock up tight.”
Before walking back inside, Celia looks toward Ray and Ruth’s house. Ruth says he’ll drink for a good long time once he gets started but eventually he’ll remember there’s a baby to contend with, and he’ll come again.
Back in the kitchen, sitting at the table, Evie breaks off a piece of biscuit and shoves it in her mouth. “When will the poppy mallows bloom again, Aunt Ruth?” she says before her mouth is empty.
Celia frowns and shakes her head at the bad manners.
The poppy mallows were the first flower Ruth taught Evie about because a thick patch grew every year in the ditches alongside their new house.
“We’ll start to see them as early as April,” Ruth says, snapping the lid back on the box of oatmeal with her good hand while keeping the sore arm tucked closely to her body. “But sometimes not until May. Depends on the rain. And how early spring comes.”
Celia shouts for Daniel to hurry along or he’ll miss the bus, and then she gently touches Ruth’s hand. Ruth nods that she is doing fine.
“They’re Aunt Eve’s favorite, right?” Evie says, stirring her oatmeal and testing the temperature by touching a small spoonful to her upper lip.
“They were her favorite,” Celia says. “A long time ago. Remember?”
Evie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as if smelling a bouquet of flowers.
“You do remember, Evie. Don’t you? You remember about Aunt Eve being gone?”
Evie smiles. “Sure,” she says. “May I be excused?”
“You may. But hustle along or you’ll miss the bus.”
“Thanks,” Evie calls out as she skates across the wooden floor and slides into her room.
Daniel pulls out his lunch and lays it on the cafeteria table. Ian does the same. Both boys have similar lunches except that since Aunt Ruth came along, Daniel has better desserts. He slides an extra oatmeal raisin cookie to Ian’s side of the table even though he knows Ian won’t eat it.
“Did you hear?” Ian asks, pulling the waxed paper off his sandwich and holding one half to his mouth. “About Nelly Simpson’s car?”
Daniel shakes his head.
“Police found it near Nicodemus. It’s all over the newspapers.” Ian glances around the crowded cafeteria and whispers, “You know about Nicodemus, don’t you?”
His mouth full of ham and cheese, Daniel shakes his head again.
“It’s where all the coloreds live. Every one of them in the county. Proof positive Jack Mayer took that car. Took it and drove to Nicodemus where he must know pretty much everyone.”
Daniel takes another bite.
“Folks there will help hide him.”
“My mom says I can still come tomorrow,” Daniel says because he doesn’t know anything about Nicodemus and doesn’t know what else to say.