The big man nodded but said nothing. She turned to Ed and said, “Tell him, tell Buster what happened and what you saw.”
Tentatively Ed retold the events since his arrival, missing out the detail about seeing the body but including the flashback of her abduction, the disturbance of his room, the missing newspaper report, the break-in at the library and the associated fire. Linda added information where she could. It took a long time to tell. When they had finished the room went quiet. Buster looked directly into Ed’s eyes for long moments, then without saying anything, got up and walked out of the room. After a minute Ed turned to Linda, their knees touching as they sat together on the small seat.
“What do you think; do you think he believes me?”
“I don’t know Ed, it all sounds so fantastic, and I’ve witnessed some of it, but I do hope so.”
“Yes ma’am, I believe there is something in what duh man said.”
They both jumped as Buster came back in the room carrying a tray with a jug of liquid and three tall glasses. “I shoulda offered you something to drink; I’m sorry bout dat. Lemonade?”
Without waiting for a response, he set the tray down on the coffee table, pushing aside the TV remote, then three-quarters filled all the glasses. They silently took the proffered drinks, nodding thanks to their host. Buster sat back in his chair, head down, his drink untouched on the tray.
After a few minutes of silence Buster cleared his throat and said, “I’m not a religious man,” he began, “losing Gracie helped quite a bit in that. No god would put a family through what we went through. Gracie was our whole life. Elsa, my wife, she kept her faith right to the end, but she was still a broken woman. She been gone nearly ten years herself now; doctors said it was some kinda virus, a bug or somethin’ but she died of a broken heart. I promised her I would find our child an’ lay her to rest before my time is done. I aim to keep that promise; every day I get that I ain’t workin’ I spends up in duh hills. I been all over but never found any trace. I figured if she just got lost or fell there woulda been somethin’, even just bones. What you say ‘bout seein’ her in dat truck is what I felt back then, somethin’ not right bout duh whole thing.”
“If you don’t believe in a god, why do you believe Ed’s story Buster?” asked Linda.
“Well it’s true I did use to work at the 5 and dime on Main back then, an what you said ‘bout the white kids givin’ me a hard time? Well, dat happened most days, ‘til I started workin’ out anyhows, but it ain’t that. I may not believe in God but I think there is somethin’ after… well, after we gone, but I tell you somethin’ I never told no one before today. I held Elsa’s hand when she went. It was right here in dis house. The doctor had gone, said there was nothin’ he could do so I sat with her, jus’ holdin’ her hand. Just before she went she brightened up; she said “Buster, she’s here! Our baby is here, I can see her!” Elsa smiled for the first time in many years at dat moment. She was so beautiful, the years jus fell away from her. Her eyes were open an’ lookin’ at me but she was somewheres else, with Gracie. Then the smile went and she was listenin’, listenin’ real good, and noddin’ her head. Last thing she said was “Someone gonna come Buster, gonna come help you find our baby, bring her home.” She told me what they would look like, then she smiled again, told me she loved me then closed her eyes, and she was gone.”
Buster looked up from the pages of his memory and looked straight at Ed Saunders. “Reason I believe you mister, is ‘cos duh man she told me bout, it was you, no doubt.”
SEVENTEEN
They were back in the car outside Buster’s house. He said he had to get to work at the gas station but had vowed to help them in any way he could to find his daughter, before he left he had drawn a simple map of where the bicycle had been found and where the searches had been carried out so many years ago.
“Well that’s not how I thought it would go!” exclaimed Ed.
“No”, agreed Linda, “knowing you were coming one day… that was, er, unexpected.”
“But no stranger than what I told him!”
“True, very true.”
They sat perfectly still, staring out of the windshield, trying to take in everything that Buster had said. After his revelation about Elsa’s deathbed prophecy, he went on to say that the locals had rallied round, helping in the search but few were white folks and those few only spent two days on it, whereas friends looked for weeks after.
Ed looked at the map in front of him then passed it to Linda. “Mean anything to you?”
Linda looked at the piece of A4 paper, turned it around a few times then said, “Yes, we can find this place, but if we have to start going up into the hills we won’t make it in this or the Nissan. Most of the places he has marked are only accessible from dirt tracks.” She looked from the map to the digital clock on the dash. It read 3:47. The day was disappearing quickly. She thought for a moment longer then nodded to herself, coming to a decision. “Okay, drive me back to my place can you. I’ll pick up the Nissan later.”
“Sure”, said Ed as he turned the key. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll show you when we get to my place.” she replied mysteriously.
There was little traffic to speak of as they drove swiftly across town but it still took the best part of an hour to reach Linda’s old ranch. The wheels crunched on the gravel as Ed pulled up outside.
“Come in a minute, I’ll have to ask Esther if she can stay a bit later today, and we need some things.”
As Linda made her way into her house Ed leaned back and swiftly grabbed an old leather flight jacket from the back seat and his 9mm Browning and shoulder holster from the glove box. By the time he had reached the house the jacket neatly concealed any trace of the weapon hanging from his left side.
He waited in the hall while Linda went and found Esther and Joshua. She found them in the kitchen baking. After hugs and kisses and the briefest of conversations Linda was back in the hall, but now carrying a foot long burgundy Maglite flashlight, her cell-phone and some snack bars.
“Hold these would you while I go and get changed?” She dumped the items into Ed’s hands then bounded up the stairs two at a time. Ed couldn’t resist following her with his eyes as she sprinted up to the top floor, once again reflecting on her magnificent physic. Within minutes she was coming back down again. Ed couldn’t help but smile appreciatively at her long legs wrapped now in tight denim covered with what looked like brown riding boots and her body covered by a tightly fitted red and yellow checked shirt. Her hair was now pushed back into a ponytail. The smile on her face showed that she had got the reaction she was hoping for. She strode past Ed, snatched up a set of car keys from the dish on the coat rack then said, “Okay, follow me.”
She marched purposefully out of the front door, off the porch and towards the big barn that sat to the side of the estate. ‘I would follow you anywhere’ Ed thought to himself, then quickly followed her out of the front door. He had to jog a little before he caught up with her, giving him an ample opportunity to watch Linda’s exaggerated wiggle.
“What have you got stashed in here, a HumVee?” he teased.
“Not far off the mark Mr Saunders.” She replied.
With a proud flourish, she pulled one of the big doors wide leaving Ed to squint into the dimly lit barn. The barn was sparsely filled with ancient farming equipment, workbenches and handtools. Near the back wall sat a shrouded vehicle. The boxy shape hidden by the cover was unmistakable.