"We were already nearby, north on A1A."
"Guarding Libby?"
"Guarding her secret and making sure the elders got to her safely. We sometimes help with the driving."
"Tell me about the elders," I said.
"Libby's not a healer," the Sheriff said, "but she has the power to make people feel better. We're her people, and she's our blood. Of the roughly eighty descendants, there are fifteen or twenty older ones. Some are sick, some arthritic. When she's at the church, if we think it's safe, we bring them to see her. If we're not sure, we bring them to the church yard so they can be close enough for her to ease their pain."
"And you believe this."
"Doesn't matter if I believe it."
"Why's that?"
"'Cause you do."
Ignoring him, I said, "And where does Beth fit into all this?"
"Beth is one of us."
"Why hasn't she had any luck?"
"Luck?"
"Well, it seems the whole town is prospering, but Beth's husband died, she's losing money, her B amp;B's falling apart…"
"Libby doesn't bring good luck, she attracts good people."
I thought about that a minute.
"Like Dr. Carstairs?"
"Surely you've wondered how a rinky dink town like ours could land a nationally respected medical guy like Carstairs."
"You don't think his coming here had anything to do with the climate, the beaches, the friendly people, the desire to do something simple but meaningful?"
"You tell me."
"What do you mean?"
"You're a six billion dollar caretaker and part-time cook. Your girlfriend's a twenty-five million dollar waitress. You telling me you folks always had a desire to do something simple but meaningful before you visited our little town?"
"So you think Libby Vail summoned us?"
"Nope."
"Then what?"
"She summoned you."
"What, Beth couldn't find her own cook and caretaker locally?"
Percy laughed. "He just don't get it, does he?"
"Get what?" I said.
"Libby summoned you for Beth."
"You mean-"
"You're going to marry Beth."
I laughed. "You're insane!"
"Maybe."
"I'm with Rachel."
"Uh huh."
"Beth and I haven't exchanged fifty words together."
"Not yet."
"Well, if she's got a thing for me, why hasn't she said so?"
"Wouldn't be proper, long as you've got a girlfriend."
"This whole thing is crazy. I'm not even attracted to Beth in that way."
"Libby won't let you feel it till the time is right."
"So you're saying that the reason Beth's good fortune lagged behind the town's is that she was waiting on me to show up?"
"She probably didn't know it was you at first, but when you agreed to take care of the B amp;B she probably figured it out."
"So Libby's not only got the power to ease people's pain, she's also a matchmaker?"
"Ain't it the same thing?"
Chapter 27
THE SHERIFF CALLED Beth and told her I knew all about Libby. I couldn't hear her part of the conversation, but his included "It's not your fault," and "No, it's okay," and "I don't see that we have any other choice but to trust him," and "If you don't mind, I'd like you to take him," and "right."
When he hung up I asked him what that was all about.
"Beth is going to take you to see Libby, so you can see for yourself that everything's okay."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"What about Rachel?"
"We'd prefer to keep a lid on this, as long as Libby's willing to stay in town."
"I've mentioned my theories to Rachel."
"She believe you?"
"She thinks I'm nuts."
"Well then, it's your call, but if Rachel doesn't need to know…"
I saw where this was going.
"You're hoping I'll see Libby, realize she's here of her own free will, put the whole thing behind me and keep my mouth shut."
"I'm counting on it."
"And if I don't?"
The Sheriff sighed. "We're peaceful, small town people. We don't make threats or kill people who get in our way. When Curly Bradford couldn't get me to run you out of town, he did a stupid thing and called the only violent people he knew."
"And you stepped in and saved their lives," I said.
"Part of my job description," he said.
"To protect and serve?"
We both smiled. I liked the Sheriff, liked Percy, too. But I wasn't going to allow the town to hold a girl hostage. I'd been through this before. A few years back my best friend captured a girl and kept her locked up in his safe room for three years. He did it out of love, and the fear of losing her forever. But I couldn't let that continue, either.
The Sheriff said, "Libby has the power to help people and wants to. And you have the power to take her away from us, get us in a heap of trouble with the FBI, and make our town a laughing stock. So yes, I'm hoping she'll be able to convince you to help us."
"Help you keep her secret?"
"Help us protect her."
"And hide her?"
"That too."
Percy drove us to The Seaside, where I found Rachel pacing the porch waiting for me. But when she saw me enter the driveway with the police she didn't run over and hug me as I would have expected. Instead, she stared wide-eyed at the Sheriff and Percy until they were out of sight. Crazy as it sounds, I had the distinct feeling she thought we might have come to arrest her for something. Of course, with Rachel you never know what's going on in her mind. She might have been thinking about Easter Eggs.
"I heard they arrested you!" she said. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to pick you up!"
"It's okay."
"What did they do to you? Why didn't you call?"
"Come inside, I'll tell you everything."
The Sheriff had already called Beth, so she and I sat down with Rachel. We'd gotten about halfway through the explanation when The Seaside's phone rang. Beth took the call and after a few seconds, passed it off to me. I listened for a minute, asked a few questions, listened some more, and then hung up.
Rachel said, "Who was that?"
"Dr. Carstairs. He called about D'Augie."
Rachel jumped to her feet. It was interesting to watch how her eyes lit up. "How is he?"
"He's dead."
Rachel's knees buckled. She made an attempt to grab the arm of the love seat, but missed. She hit the floor before I could get to her.
"I'll get a wet cloth and smelling salts," Beth said, moving out of the room quickly.
I got Rachel up on the couch and elevated her torso. The salts worked. Beth handed me the towel, and I dabbed at Rachel's face. When she came to she began flailing. It took a minute, then she was better.
"Is it true?" she sobbed. "D'Augie's dead?"
"I'm sorry. I know you liked him."
"What happened?"
"They're not sure. He may have had a reaction to the antibiotic they administered for the burns. They never got a proper medical history on him, so they had no way of knowing."
"Oh, my God!" she wailed. "Poor D'Augie." She was inconsolable. So much so that I began to wonder if her interest in him could have been more than casual. On the other hand, her initial reaction was bogus. I'd seen enough fainters in my life to know that Rachel was faking it. But why?
Under normal circumstances I would have stayed home to help her work through her grief. But I had a date with Beth that couldn't wait, so I gave Rachel a double sedative and tucked her in for the night.
It crossed my mind that I could be walking into an ambush at the church. But it didn't feel like one, because Beth would be with me, and surely the Sheriff knew how easily I could turn things around by putting a knife to her neck if I needed to get away. While I didn't think it was an ambush, I didn't know what I might encounter when I got there, so I took the time to hide some light weapons and tools in my warm up jacket and pants. I opened my little leather kit, the one where I stored various tools of my trade, such as syringes and opiates and poisons and…