Passages of Hope

The day dawned cold and dreary, a gray rain tapping on the windows. Olivia sighed, the weight of the night before still heavy on her. Mr. Wilson and the two brothers had never arrived. She had gone to bed with Douglas, but neither of them slept much, both stirring at every little sound. She had told Douglas that it was not so unusual for plans to change because of some unforeseen circumstance. She said it not only to comfort him but also herself as well.

She rose, prepared breakfast, and tried to focus on sewing until Douglas carried Hope downstairs. He gave her a tired smile. “No word?”

She shook her head. “I was considering going to the Wilson house to see if I could learn something.”

They ate in silence. Olivia watched Hope, who seemed to sense that something was amiss and was less animated. There was so much uncertainty about her future. And danger.

Douglas rose and was collecting the dishes when there was a knock on the back door. They both jumped.

Olivia picked up Hope and waited a tense moment while Douglas checked the back door. She sighed with relief when she heard Mr. Wilson’s voice. But all her relief drained away when Mr. Wilson stepped out of the kitchen into the dining room. He looked haggard, and there was a large cut on his forehead, an angry red line above his eyebrows.

“What happened?” Olivia asked, placing Hope on the floor to play. She went to the kitchen and brought him a cup of tea.

“We got ambushed last night.” His voice was hoarse, and he took the cup with both hands. “Slave catchers. We stayed out all night trying to avoid them, but they caught up to us a few blocks away.”

Douglas returned and began cleaning Mr. Wilson’s wound as the man recounted how his night went. “We left the docks after dark. It took a little time because the brothers were so weak and tired that we had to stop by Shipper’s to get them some refreshment and warmer clothes.” He took another drink of tea. “We waited a bit in the kitchen until they got warm and then headed here.”

“Not that I saw. We were a block from here when three slave catchers came out of a side street. I told the brothers to run back to Shipper’s while I tried to hold off the catchers. That’s when one of the men hit me. I saw them take one of the brothers, and the other disappeared into the night.”

“No,” Mr. Wilson said. “Head was ringing like a bell. After I threw the pebbles at your door, I hid in the trees across the street. Didn’t want the catchers to come to your house.”

Olivia sighed. This was getting more and more complicated. “Have you been home?”

“No. I know Thea is probably worried to the end of her nerves,” he said. “And there was something else unusual. I saw Henry down at the docks.”

“He is a member of the Friends of Bella Vista. He works at the docks, but it is unusual that he would still be there late at night.”

Olivia glanced over at Hope, who was chewing on the end of her blanket. “Funny, I saw Henry in an odd place too. The other day. I saw him at Shipper’s.”

“Not that I know of.” She rubbed her forehead. What did Henry have to do with this? She had no doubt something was amiss. Henry had been acting strange since their last meeting. As much as she hoped for the best, it was too much of a coincidence that he was at the docks last night. The same place Walker said he had met this Logan person.

“The cut is already starting to close, but with a blow to the head, you may be dizzy for a few days,” Douglas said.

“I believe so. There are too many people on the streets for them to accost me. Besides, our slave catchers and Logan seem to like to work at night.”

In a matter of minutes, she was out in the dreary weather. She pulled her collar up and rushed in the direction of the Wilson home. As she did, she saw one of the maids at Shipper’s, Molly, rushing toward her. When they made eye contact, the girl waved.

The girl was not wearing her normal cheerful look. “Mornin’. Mista Abrams sent me to your house to give you this.”

Olivia took the note but, because of the mist, tucked it inside her coat. “Thank you, Molly. Now get out of this weather.”

Although Olivia knew the note was important, letting Thea know that her husband was well held a higher priority. Thea’s face proved how important it was when she opened the door. The woman’s expression went from disappointment to hope to fear when she saw Olivia.

“Come inside.” She pulled Olivia through the door. Franklin and Milly stood by the sofa, worried looks on their faces.

Olivia put her arm around her friend. “He was hit on the head, but Douglas says it will be all right.”

Olivia relayed what Mr. Wilson had told her. When she mentioned Shipper’s, she remembered the note in her pocket. “I have a note from Mr. Abrams.” She unfolded the paper and read it.

Miss Olivia,

One of Mr. Wilson’s passengers arrived here last night shortly after he left. I will take him to Mr. Still’s if you cannot accommodate him. He says that Mr. Wilson was injured and that his brother has been captured. If the brother arrives at your house, let him know that John is safe here.

Also, Saunders visited the inn last night while I was out. Molly told me he was here for a short time and she thought he talked to someone here, but she didn’t see who. I believe it was Mrs. Johnson, since Molly says she went out shortly after Saunders left.

Please take care,
M. Abrams

Olivia folded the note with trembling fingers. Saunders talking to Mrs. Johnson. How were they connected? Mr. Abrams did not recognize the men she was meeting with. They could be slave catchers, or they could be friends or relatives. But it was too much of a coincidence for Saunders to be at Shipper’s after watching both her house and Mr. Still’s house.

And they needed to find John’s brother as quickly as possible before he was returned to the South.

Olivia left Douglas with Hope at home and walked down the street to Mr. Still’s house. It was a rare night. The Friends of Bella Vista normally did not gather under the same roof outside of their meetings. Tonight was different. Granted, it was under the cover of a Vigilance Committee meeting, but many of the Friends would be in attendance.

Olivia went inside, and Mrs. Still greeted her. “William is with the Vigilance Committee in the dining room. Everyone else is upstairs in William’s office.”

Olivia thanked her and went up the stairs. Crowded in the office were the Wilsons, Mr. Abrams, and Mr. Gull. She moved straight to Mr. Wilson. “How are you?”

“On the mend, thanks to your husband.” He touched the bandage. “Not so much dizziness now.”

Thea linked her arm through his. “You need your head to be as clear as possible.”

They made small talk until Mr. Still’s daughter, Caroline, came to the door. “Daddy said you can come down now.”

They went down. Mr. Still was standing next to his dining room table, looking at a paper. “Friends, please take some refreshment if you like.”

No one did. It seemed everyone else was as eager as she was to start the meeting. They needed a plan, quick.

Mr. Still sat. “I have made Mr. Gull aware of what has been happening here. Is there any new news?”

Mr. Abrams spoke up. “Not new, but John is doing well. He is very anxious to find his brother though.”

“And I think that is the first order of business,” Mr. Wilson said. Olivia couldn’t be sure, but it appeared the man’s shoulders were weighted with guilt.

“Has anyone checked the jail? Maybe they are holding him there until they take him back south,” Olivia suggested, thinking of Beulah.

Mr. Still shook his head. “I have had someone watching the jail. No new prisoners were brought in for the night.”

“I’m traveling south in a few days. Maybe I can make inquiries at the plantation they ran from,” Mr. Gull said. This was a service he had provided many times for the group since, as a white man, he had the freedom to travel.

“That’s a good idea,” Olivia said. “I also think someone needs to keep an eye on Mrs. Johnson.” She told them how strangely Mrs. Johnson had been acting at her house. Asking strange questions. “The night Mr. Wilson was attacked, Douglas and I saw Saunders outside our house.”

Mr. Abrams frowned. “Then he showed up at Shipper’s and, according to Molly, spoke with Mrs. Johnson.”

“There is one more unpleasant item I need to mention.” Olivia took in a deep breath. “Henry has been acting strangely lately. He was at the Wilsons’ store when Walker arrived. Then I saw him at Shipper’s in the middle of the day when he should have been working.”

Mr. Still shook his head. “Very strange. He came to see me just yesterday, asking if I’d gotten word about his family. He left a wife and a daughter in Maryland when he ran. He has been looking for a way to get them free.”

Mr. Still shook his head. “His old master is asking for two thousand dollars to free his family. Henry has some money saved, but not that much. Unfortunately, the committee cannot provide that amount. He seemed quite desperate.”

“Mrs. Johnson is having several dresses made by me,” Olivia said, and the attention in the room turned to her. “I tried once following her to Shipper’s, but maybe we can get someone to watch Shipper’s to see who is visiting her.”

Mr. Gull rubbed his beard. “When did you tell her the dresses would be ready?”

“But why follow her if she’s just going to go back to Shipper’s?” Mr. Abrams asked.

Olivia’s thoughts pulled at all the threads of this story. “If she is involved in these disappearing passengers, she has to be holding them somewhere. Her appointment to pick up her dresses will be the perfect time for us to start following her.”

Mr. Still nodded. “Very true. But since Mrs. Kingston has other responsibilities right now, someone else will have to follow Mrs. Johnson. And it has to be someone she has never seen before.”

“I will do it,” Thea said. “I will stop by Mrs. Kingston’s house every morning until Mrs. Johnson comes and help with the baby instead of Milly. Milly can take my place at the store.”

Olivia shook her head. “I think I should follow her. I already have a rapport with her, and I have the best chance of coming up with an excuse for following her.”

“You already do too much,” Thea said, placing a hand on Olivia’s arm. “And you have Hope to think about until we get this mess sorted.”

“We all have to think of our families,” Olivia said with a surprise flash of anger at her friend. Mrs. Johnson had come to her house, and Beulah was gone possibly because of Mrs. Johnson. Beulah, who had been in Olivia’s care. “But I believe it would be better if I do it.”

“I agree with Mrs. Wilson. It will be difficult for Mrs. Kingston to follow without being seen. Mrs. Wilson has a better reason as the neighborhood grocer,” Mr. Still said. “But please be careful. All of you.”

They adjourned the meeting. Thea moved to Olivia’s side. “I know you are angry with me.”

Thea put her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “You are not responsible for everything, Olivia.”

“Do you?” Thea asked, tipping her head. “You head the committee, sew dresses, and house fugitives, all while being a wife and now caring for a child. You can let others help you.”

Olivia’s mind flashed to Douglas. His insistence in helping her. Help she nearly refused.

When they separated, Olivia was surprised at the tears forming in her friend’s eyes. “What was that for?”

As the Friends began to depart, Mr. Gull offered to walk Olivia back to her house before he returned to his room at Shipper’s. He normally lodged there when he was in town for more than one day. They chatted about a dress he was considering having Olivia make for his wife. Olivia only half listened. Her mind was still on the meeting. She could have handled following Mrs. Johnson.

Once at her front door, Mr. Gull turned back toward Shipper’s. Olivia took one last look around before putting her key in the lock. As she did, she saw Mr. Gull turn the corner and then a figure slip from the darkness of the woods and follow him. She dropped her key into her pocket and rushed down the street. She should go inside and get Douglas, but he would only tell her to stay inside or go get Mr. Still. Whoever this was would be long gone by then. Besides, she only needed a glimpse of the person following Mr. Gull.

It was Henry. He was slinking along in the shadows. She started to call out to him when a hand closed over her mouth and an arm locked around her waist.

The shock stunned her, but then she began to thrash with all her might, fear fueling her strength. The hand was clamped so hard that she could only make muffled sounds, but she continued to fight. The man holding her grunted, “Hold still, or I’ll hurt you.”

Despite the threat, she continued to struggle. She had to get away. The man dragged her up the street toward where Mr. Gull had gone. She let all her weight hang on the man and kept struggling. By the time they reached the next street, the man was panting heavily. Another man appeared from around the corner. “I took care of the two up there,” he said, motioning in the direction Mr. Gull had gone.

“Too spirited,” the man in front of her said. He reached into his coat and produced a gun.