Chapter
Twenty

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Reuben finally found his voice. “What in the world are you talking about? That’s insane.”

“Look, Reuben, we’re friends, but I have a job to do. I can’t allow you to interfere.”

“Would it interest you to know that I’ve spent a lot of time with Wynter since she got here? I can assure you she didn’t have anything to do with killing August.”

“I’m not saying she killed him. I’m saying she might be involved. I won’t know her level of involvement until I talk to her.”

“You mentioned evidence,” Reuben said. “What kind of evidence?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Paul, we’re friends. Please come down off your official high horse and talk to me.”

Paul folded his arms across his chest and stared at Reuben, who glared back at him. They seemed locked in a battle of wills. Finally Paul relented. “We found Wynter’s name . . . actually, both of her names, written on a piece of paper in August’s billfold.”

Reuben flushed red with anger. “What else did you find in his billfold, Paul? Did he have a photo I.D.? Maybe the state of Missouri killed him. What about a fishing license? I know he fished. Maybe the Department of Conservation did it.” He shook his head. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “You said both of my names?”

Paul nodded. “Your real name is Emily Erwin, right?”

“Yes, but how would August Metzger know that?”

“Unless you’re ready to arrest her, I think you need to leave, Paul,” Reuben said through clenched teeth. “I have no idea why August had that information, but that doesn’t make Wynter a murderer.”

“Of course it doesn’t,” he shot back. “I’m not saying she murdered him. I’m simply asking questions about some evidence we have. There were papers hidden in August’s apartment. Under a loose floorboard. We discovered a file full of items, some of them related to Miss Evans. And a comment written by August that is confusing.”

“What does it say?” I said. “I don’t understand.”

“I’d like you to come down to the station, Miss Evans. I’ll be happy to show it to you.”

“Does it have to be right now?”

He paused and then shook his head. “No. It can wait for the morning. I want to make it clear that I’m not saying you killed Mr. Metzger. I just have some questions. Please be there by nine o’clock.”

“She’ll be there,” Reuben said. “I’ll bring her myself.”

“All right. I’ll hold you to that.” He tipped his hat briefly and left.

We all stood there looking at each other in shocked silence.

“Well,” I said, “and here I thought my life couldn’t get any stranger.”

“I can’t believe this,” Zac fumed. “What’s wrong with that guy?”

I went over and gave him a quick hug. “Just a reminder, my friend. I didn’t actually kill August Metzger. Everything will be okay.”

“I can’t wait to see this so-called evidence,” Reuben said. “Why would August have information about you? It doesn’t make sense.”

I had to sit down. My legs felt shaky and weak. “Actually, it does if he sent me those articles and mailed that note to my father.”

Zac came over to the couch and sat next to me. “So you’re convinced he left those clippings for you?”

“No, I’m not certain. I’m only saying it’s possible. But if he wanted me to look into the kidnappings, why didn’t he just come and talk to me?”

“I don’t know,” Reuben said, “but there’s only one person I can think of who might be able to help us figure out what’s going on. We need to have our ducks in a row before tomorrow morning. I’m going to call Rae. Maybe she can meet us at the café.”

“Don’t be silly,” Esther piped up. “You tell her to come here. I’ll make dinner. Besides, she’s very upset about August’s death. Having to go out in public might be difficult for her right now.”

“Thank you, Esther,” I said. “I’ll help you.”

“Absolutely not. You sit here and rest. You need some peace and quiet.” She pointed at Zac. “You will help me.”

Zac rolled his eyes. “I hope you’re kidding. I can’t even get my microwave meals to come out right.”

She shook her finger at him. “You need to learn how to cook if you refuse to find a good woman and get married. Besides, you’ve been lying around for too long. You must start getting a little exercise.”

Zac snorted. “I’m not refusing to get married, Esther. I’m just not ready for the commitment.”

“When you do meet a good, godly girl, I want her to know you can cook. Come with me.”

Zac stood up. “I’ve been ordered to the kitchen. I suspect it’s because Esther thinks you would like to be rid of me so you can talk. But, if she actually forces me to prepare food, you might want to pray. I’m not worried, since I’ve already survived one poisoning. I’m trusting I’ve built up an immunity. But you two . . . well, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

It was obvious he was trying to lighten the mood, and I smiled at him. “I’m willing to take my chances. I trust you, Zac.”

He hesitated a moment before giving me a reassuring smile. “Everything will be okay, Wynter,” he said. “You know that, right?”

I nodded. “I’m believing that too, but while you’re in the kitchen with Esther, you might ask her to teach you how to bake a cake with a file inside.”

Zac shook his head. “Actually, they don’t use those anymore. I’ll probably need some kind of electronic gadget that opens prison doors.”

“Get out, Zac,” Reuben said good-naturedly.

Zac sighed dramatically. “I hear those words a lot. Well, here goes nothing.” He tossed me one more smile before he left the room.

Reuben came over and took Zac’s place on the couch. He reached for my hand.

“Like Zac said, everything will be okay,” he said soothingly. “I don’t want you to worry.”

“I’m past worrying. It’s like I’m trapped inside someone else’s life. I left St. Louis only a few days ago, but it feels like years.” I took a sharp intake of breath. “Oh, goodness.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What if the sheriff’s office makes me stay here while they investigate? I can’t tell Ed I’m involved in a murder.”

“Unless they arrest you, I don’t think they can make you stay in Sanctuary. My guess is they’ll tell you not to leave the state.”

“Unless they arrest me?”

Reuben shook his head. “Wynter, that’s not going to happen. Obviously Paul doesn’t actually suspect you, but he’s found something that needs to be explained. Once we see this so-called evidence, we can confront it and clear everything up.”

“I’m interested to see what they have.”

“Me too.” Reuben stood up and fished around in his pockets. “I left my cell phone in the truck. I’m going to call Rae.”

A thought occurred to me. “Maybe we should have told Paul about the man who forced us off the road.”

“You’re right. After what he said, I totally forgot about it. The truth is, he can’t do much. We didn’t get a tag number, and there are lots of black trucks in Missouri. I should call my insurance company though.” He checked his watch. “Guess that will have to wait until tomorrow. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

As he left, Esther’s and Zac’s voices filtered in from the kitchen. I felt so close to these three people, and I’d known them only a few days. How strange to leave the place I call home, find myself somewhere new, and feel it’s more like home than the place I left. Home. That word had started to take on a different meaning. Was St. Louis really home? And what about the people I called my parents? Was my home with them? Even though the shock of discovering they weren’t my birth parents had rocked my world, in my heart they were still Mom and Dad. With all their faults, that hadn’t changed. I would never know my birth parents, but somehow I couldn’t mourn them yet. Someday perhaps, but for now, they were just people who didn’t want me.

Reuben’s words about home and family had affected me. He was right. Family was important. Families could change the world—for better or for worse. What would the final story be for my family? Would we come out of this situation weakened even further? Or would this strengthen us? Pull us back together? I couldn’t answer those questions yet, and I wasn’t sure when I would be able to.

Thinking about my dad made me suddenly realize his trip to Jamesport was totally unnecessary. I should have called him right after we left the Fishers, but with everything going on, I’d completely forgotten his quest to dig up information about Elijah.

I jogged upstairs to find my cell phone. After trying a couple of times to get a signal, I decided to join Reuben outside.

He was just coming in when I reached the door. I explained that I was calling my father to tell him he could come home.

“Oh, man. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“I know. Unfortunately, being accused of involvement in a murder tends to make a person forget things. Hope he won’t be angry.”

“I’ll wait inside while you call.”

“Thanks, Reuben. I won’t be more than a couple of minutes.”

Once on the porch, I punched in my dad’s cell number and listened to it ring. It went right to voice mail. Not wanting to tell him about our meeting with Samuel and Naomi through a voice mail message, I left a brief request for him to call me right away. Hopefully, he’d check his messages soon.

I was just starting to go back into the house when my phone rang. Dad.

“Hey,” I said when I answered. “I was just calling you.”

“I’m on my way back, Emily,” he said. “I won’t get there until rather late. I need you to wait up for me. I have some news.”

“Dad, we found proof that Elijah isn’t Ryan. I’m sorry.”

There was a prolonged silence, and then I heard him take a deep breath. “Emily, just wait up for me. We’ll talk about this when I get there.”

“Okay, but I think it could wait until tomorrow.”

“Please don’t argue. Just do what I’m asking.”

A click signaled he’d hung up. Great. Staying up late the night before I had to face an interrogation at the sheriff’s office. Perfect.

“Did you get him?” Reuben asked when I came into the house.

“Yes. He wants to talk to me tonight. Wants me to wait up for him.”

Reuben frowned. “You told him Elijah couldn’t possibly be Ryan?”

I sighed with exasperation. “Well, of course I did.” I was immediately sorry I’d taken my frustration out on Reuben. “I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted. I was ready to walk away from all this . . . drama.”

He came over and wrapped his arms around me. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “Everything will turn out all right.”

“And how do you know that?” I said, my voice muffled as I leaned into his shoulder.

He pulled back and stared into my eyes. “Because God is with you, Wynter. He loves you, and He’ll bring you through. He’ll show you the truth.”

I walked away and slumped down on the couch. “I don’t know why He’d be interested in me. I haven’t been very faithful to Him.”

Reuben smiled. “You’re His child. That hasn’t changed. When children make mistakes, parents hope they get it right the next time, but they don’t walk away. Parents want their kids to be the best they can be. That’s what God wants for you, you know.”

I smiled. “I may not have found my brother in Sanctuary, but maybe I discovered something else. A way back to my heavenly Father.”

“I’m glad.”

“What you said earlier about families—I think you’re right. My parents took care of me, raised me, loved me. It may take me a while to get used to the truth about my birth, but I intend to find a way to work through it.”

“Can you forgive your father?”

I nodded slowly. “In time. Yes, I’m sure of it. If God can forgive me, I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Good. I—”

A knock on the door interrupted him. Reuben opened it. Had Paul come back? Had he changed his mind and decided to haul me down to his office today? I was thankful to see Rae standing on the porch. I suddenly wondered if she also thought I had something to do with August’s death. A trickle of apprehension ran up my spine.

As if confirming my fear, she walked straight to me, not even acknowledging Reuben. “Deputy Gleason told me he would be questioning you about what happened to August,” she said.

“I . . . I didn’t—”

“Oh, honey. I know you didn’t have anything to do with August’s death. That’s the goofiest thing I ever heard.” She smiled at me, but I could see the sadness in her eyes. “I’m a pretty good judge of people. You’re a good woman. I knew it the first time I met you.” She pointed her stubby finger at Reuben. “And that’s what I told Paul Gleason. That he was wasting valuable time bothering this young lady when he should be looking for August’s killer.”

“I agree with you,” Reuben said. “He says he has some papers that somehow tie Wynter to August. I can’t imagine what he’s talking about.”

“Me either.”

I pointed to the couch. “Do you have a few minutes, Rae? I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, if you don’t mind.”

She nodded. “A little diversion would be welcome right now.”

“First of all, I want you to know how sorry I am for your loss. I understand you and August were close.”

She lowered her thick body down onto the couch. “He was a little different. Hard to get to know, but underneath that aloof exterior was a good heart.” She wiped away a tear that escaped her eye. “We talked about getting married, but I’m just too independent. Couldn’t see myself living with a man tellin’ me what to do. Being single, I could take or leave August’s advice. But once we said ‘I do,’ it would be a different story.” She sniffed. “Now I wish I’d made a different choice. Somehow, it would make everything a little easier.”

Reuben sat down. “Rae, do you have any idea at all what Paul’s talking about? What kind of papers would he have that could incriminate Wynter?”

She clasped her work-worn hands together and stared at them, shaking her head. When she looked up, her expression was pensive. “August was a good man,” she began, “but he was a conspiracy nut, always seeing demons behind doorways.”

“Did he believe someone in Sanctuary was involved in kidnapping babies from hospitals?”

“Oh, dear.” She bit her lip and hesitated. “Look,” she said finally, “August had friends, people who cared for him. But sometimes I think he felt . . . unimportant. He loved to read up on stories about unsolved crimes. Always had an opinion about them. He ate up those crime shows on TV. Fancied himself an amateur detective. He was constantly calling the police about something. You know that tip line in St. Louis?”

“Crime Stoppers?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s it. Well, one of his special cases had to do with babies being taken from Missouri hospitals. He decided someone in Sanctuary was involved.”

“Did he say who?” Reuben asked.

Rae shook her head. “No. I told him I had no intention of listening to him accuse one of our friends or neighbors of something so awful, so he kept that information to himself.” She gave Reuben a sad smile. “August was abandoned as a baby, you see. His great-aunt raised him only because she felt she had to. It wasn’t a happy home. He never got over it. I think the story about stolen babies touched something deep inside him.”

Reuben glanced over at me. It was obvious that if my father hadn’t taken me from the hospital on the night I was born, I might have suffered August’s fate—being raised by someone who didn’t really love me. Suddenly I felt a connection to August.

“Why are you asking me about this?” Rae said. “How did you hear about August’s obsession with that story?”

I told her about the newspaper articles sent to me, and I mentioned that my father also received a troubling note in the mail, although I didn’t tell her what the note said.

“I can see why he gave you those stories,” she said slowly. “You’re a reporter. I’m sure he planned to contact you about them after you had a chance to look them over. But how would he know your father? I doubt August had anything to do with that.”

“You might be right. It was just odd that both things happened right around the same time.”

“When did your father get his letter?”

“About a week ago.”

“Before you came to town? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Actually, we contacted Martha over at the library two weeks before we arrived. There was certainly time to send the note to my dad.”

Rae shook her head. “But as I said, August didn’t know your father.”

“Paul said he had both of my names in his billfold. It wouldn’t have been difficult to find out who my father was if you had my real name.”

Rae’s eyebrows shot up. “Your real name?”

I nodded. “I use a different name in my job.”

Before Rae had a chance to respond, Zac came into the room.

“I thought you were helping Esther,” Reuben said.

“I’ve been summarily dismissed. Although Esther is too nice to say it, I think she concluded I’m hopeless in the kitchen.”

Realizing that Rae and Zac hadn’t met, I quickly introduced them.

“Nice to meet you, young man,” she said. “I heard you had a pretty bad case of food poisoning. I’m glad to see you’re on the road to recovery.”

Zac nodded. “I’m still not sure what I’m recovering from. The sickness or the cure.”

Rae looked confused, and Reuben told her about Esther’s remedy.

Rae laughed. “My mother used the same thing on my sister and me whenever we got sick. Sure keeps you from faking illness to stay home from school.”

“I hear you,” Zac said with a sigh. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“No, not at all,” I said. “We were just talking about August.”

Zac sat down in the chair near the couch. “I heard you were close,” he said to Rae. “I’m sorry.”

She waved her hand at him. “Thank you, Zac. I appreciate that.”

“So you don’t think August sent that note to Wynter’s father?” Reuben asked, steering us back to our previous conversation.

“I have no problem believing August sent you the stories about those kidnappings, but I don’t believe he sent that note. My guess is that someone who knows you well enough to know your real name sent it.”

I nodded. When Ryan disappeared, there were a lot of letters sent to my family. Most of them were kind, people showing compassion and telling us they were praying for us, but many weren’t nice at all. My parents didn’t show me the letters at the time, but my mother told me about them years later. Several were written by people who accused my parents of child abuse, believing that if they’d kept a closer eye on my brother, he wouldn’t have been kidnapped. A few were sent by religious nuts claiming we were being punished for our sins. There were quite a few with supposed tips as to who had taken Ryan. The FBI checked them all out, but none of them yielded results. Maybe this new note was from someone trying to stir up the past for their own twisted enjoyment. Like Rae said, some nut that recognized my father’s name and decided to torment him.

“Well, at least this explains the newspaper clippings,” Reuben said. “But why does Paul think Wynter had some kind of connection with his death?”

“Again, just conjecture,” Rae said, her forehead wrinkled with thought, “but maybe Paul found something in August’s apartment with your name on it, Wynter. Along with notes about some of his other theories. August had a hard time keeping his thoughts in order. He could have written something that sounded ominous when it wasn’t meant that way at all.” She shrugged. “That’s my best guess. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s no way they can tie you into what happened to August. I’m just sorry you have to deal with this. You and your family have been through enough.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I really appreciate your taking the time to come and talk to me. I know you’re trying to cope with your own grief. I’m praying they’ll find the real person responsible.”

“Me too,” Rae said, shaking her head.

“You’re staying for dinner, aren’t you?”

“Better tell Esther we’ll have two extra,” Reuben said. “Your father will probably be hungry when he gets here.”

“I don’t know where he called from. Not sure when he’ll get in.”

“Thank you for asking,” Rae said, “but to be honest, I need to be alone right now. Maybe some other time.”

I doubted there would be any other time, since I planned to leave town as soon as possible, but I smiled and nodded. We said our good-byes and Rae left. Just as she closed the door behind her, Esther came out of the kitchen.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” she said. “Was that Rae leaving?”

“She’s not really in a social mood right now, I guess.”

“Poor thing,” Esther said with a sigh.

“Something smells great,” Reuben said.

“Trust me. It looks even better than it smells,” Zac said. “I’m starving.”

Reuben smiled at him. “I’m glad to hear you’re hungry. You really are feeling better.”

Zac flashed him a crooked grin. “No human being can resist Esther’s cooking.”

“Help me get the dishes to the table, Zac,” Esther said, “and we’ll get started.”

“So I’ve been reduced from chef to waiter?”

She nodded. “Guess I wasn’t a good enough teacher.”

“Don’t give up on me. You might make a cook out of me yet.”

She gave him a quick hug, and I was surprised to see her eyes flush with tears. “Wish I could, but soon you’ll be far away, living in the big city. You’ll forget Sanctuary . . . and me.”

Zac caught her by the arm as she turned to go back to the kitchen.

“No, Esther. I won’t. If you’ll let me, I’ll come to visit. Maybe even stay the weekend sometimes, if that’s okay.”

The look on Esther’s face tore at my heart. “I would love that, Zac. I get lonely rattling around in this old house.”

“I’ll be back,” he said. “You have my word.”

She dabbed at her eyes with her apron and nodded. “We’d better get that food on the table before it’s cold.”

I caught Zac’s eye before he left the room and smiled. The change in him was like night and day. It was amazing. This town had changed me too. I just wasn’t sure how. It seemed I’d come to Sanctuary sure of myself and who I was. But now I wasn’t certain of anything.

We all gathered in the dining room. Esther had made chicken fried steaks with mashed potatoes and gravy. Fresh green beans, a mixed-fruit salad, and biscuits hot from the oven rounded out our meal. I split a steak with Esther. It was delicious, but I wasn’t really hungry and chose to concentrate on the fruit. When I got back to St. Louis, it was back to salads, fruit, and yogurt. Sanctuary wasn’t having a good effect on my waistline. My jeans definitely felt tighter.

We finished the meal with strawberry shortcake, one of my very favorite desserts. After helping her clean up the kitchen, Reuben and I decided to carry our coffee out to the front porch so we could wait for my dad. Esther went to her room to knit for a while and then go to bed. Zac also retired to his room. He was definitely on the mend, but I could see the weariness in his face. Food poisoning obviously took a heavy toll on a body.

Reuben and I sipped our coffee and rocked back and forth in the semidarkness, the only light coming from inside the house. We left the porch light off because it would draw bugs. Cicadas sang in the dark. Some people found their songs annoying. They reminded me of summer nights sitting on my grandmother’s front porch, and the sound soothed me.

“You haven’t told Zac what we found out at Samuel’s,” Reuben said.

“I know. I couldn’t find an appropriate moment. I’ll fill him in tomorrow.” I sighed. “To be honest, I don’t really want to tell him. Saying the words out loud makes it too real. I was so hopeful I’d finally found Ryan.”

“I know, Wynter. I’m sorry. I really am.”

“I can’t imagine what my dad thinks is so important I have to wait up for him,” I said. “I’m so tired. What could he have learned in Jamesport that would make any difference? I’m ready to let this go. Why isn’t—”

Approaching lights from a car cut off the rest of my sentence. My dad pulled up in front of us and got out of the car.

“Thanks for waiting up for me,” he said as he approached the porch. Even in the dim light I could make out the concern on his face.

“Sure,” I said, “but as I told you, we know Elijah isn’t Ryan.”

He came up and stood in front of us. “And how do you know that?”

“We actually saw his birth certificate,” Reuben said. “That leaves little doubt.”

Dad leaned against the porch railing. “Well, you might be right under normal circumstances.”

“What are you talking about, Dad?”

“I talked to a lot of people in Jamesport. For the most part they were pretty closemouthed. Couldn’t find out much. But as I was getting ready to leave town, a woman sought me out. Wanted to know if I was the man asking questions about the Fishers. When I told her I was, she asked to speak to me privately.”

“How did she know them?” I said.

“This woman, Ruth Yoder, lived next door to the Fishers while they were in Jamesport.”

“You asked her about Elijah?”

My dad grunted. “Didn’t really have to. She was desperate to share something that had been bothering her for years.”

I couldn’t see that what this woman had to say would change anything. Elijah was the Fishers’ son. Birth certificates don’t lie.

“So what did she have to say?” Reuben asked. I could hear confusion in his voice. It was clear he was thinking the same thing I was.

“Ruth told me that the Fishers suddenly left Jamesport after suffering a tragedy. Ruth wanted to stay in touch, but she couldn’t find them. About three years after they took off, she ran into someone who had seen them. With their son, Elijah.”

“So?” I was beginning to get a little impatient with my father. Tomorrow promised to be stressful, and I wanted nothing more than to get some sleep.

“What was the tragedy?” Reuben asked.

My father took a deep breath before saying, “The death of their only child. Elijah.”