Chapter 42

Uncle Ellstin

It was the day both Davis and Anna were to be released from the hospital. Winona stayed behind at the house with Willa, Margery, and Gayle to get things ready for their arrival. Wade and Raylan left for the hospital early that morning in separate cars, just in case one was released sooner than the other.

"Whaddya mean he's checked himself out?" Raylan leaned against the counter and gave the desk nurse a scowl. "The man just had surgery."

"Why would he do that?" Anna asked. She started to push up out of the wheelchair, but Raylan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If he's your friend, then you know how stubborn he is," the heavy-set nurse huffed. "Some folks showed up, and he said he was leavin'. Signed himself out against doctor's orders. There's the doc now. Ask him yourself."

Anna wheeled her way over to the doctor, and Raylan flashed his badge.

The doctor shook his head. "I can't discuss particulars, of course, but I sure hope Mr. Limehouse has a sterile environment and someone with medical expertise, or he's likely to regret his decision."

"His people like to take care of their own," Raylan explained. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He looked down at his sister. "I'm sorry. I know ya' really wanted to talk to him."

The doctor walked away just as Anna looked up at her older brother, her eyes pleading. "I still do."

After a beat, Raylan caught her drift and huffed, "Well, shit. That means havin' to drive through Harlan County."

Still looking up at him and aware of his plight, she assured him, "I'm not going to say anything to Winona."

"Yeah, but what about Adam?" Raylan raised his eyebrows. "He and Winona have become best friends. They tell one another everything." He talked with his hands for emphasis.

"Hmmm," she thought. "When he comes back from the pharmacy, what if I sent him home with Wade and Davis? I could ask him to cook something for me," she suggested. "That would keep him occupied."

Raylan thought about it for a minute and grinned. "I like the way ya' think."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

"How ya' doin' over there?" Raylan glanced over at Anna in the passenger seat.

He thought she looked tired, older than before the kidnapping. There were lines in the outer corners of her eyes he'd never noticed before. Maybe it was because she wasn't wearing makeup.

"I'm fine," she answered. "And if I'm not, I have some pain medication Adam picked up for me."

"Is there a reason why ya' asked Adam to cook Stroganoff for ya'?"

Anna let out a little chuckle. "Well. Besides it being one of my favorite dishes, it will take him a good six or seven hours to make it."

A snicker escaped Raylan's lips. "That's kinda mean . . . isn't it?"

"Not really," she shook her head. "Once he puts it on, it has to simmer and braise for most of that time. It will give him time to catch a nap, take a long shower . . . have a glass of wine with Winona." She shifted her weight in the seat. "He's been at the hospital with me non-stop. He could use some time to himself." She turned her body towards Raylan. "I love him, truly I do. But I know I could use a little time."

"Too much togetherness?" Raylan guessed.

"It happens," she admitted. "Even on stake-outs. You know how it is."

"I do," he nodded, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

After a time a long, comfortable silence, Anna spoke. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course ya' can," he answered, glancing over at her.

"What happened? In the compound. I mean . . . are you okay?"

"Yeah." He shrugged his shoulders. "Coulda been a lot worse. Coulda been blown to Smithereens. But I wasn't." Then, he asked something he wanted to ask her ever since he first saw her at the hospital but thought better of it. "After I had to leave ya' there, did that guy Frank hurt ya'?"

Anna bit her lower lip. "Let me just say this. I have never before experienced such hatred, solely because of the color of my skin." After a period of silence, she added, "And I hope I never have to experience it again."

"Then, I don't mind tellin' ya' that we will not be stoppin' anywhere in Harlan. Because unfortunately . . . that place is fulla hate."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

When Raylan pulled up to the edge of the demolished bridge he shook Anna's shoulder gently, waking her. "We're here."

Anna sat up straighter and ran her hands over her face. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "How long was I asleep?"

"Only 'bout an hour or so. Don't worry. Ya' needed it."

"So do you," she countered. "I'll drive us back."

"It's a deal," Raylan said. He opened the door and stepped out, hoping there would be someone close who could ferry them across. To his surprise, two of Limehouse's men were already standing on the shore, one holding a line attached to a flatboat. He whistled through his fingers, and the man closest to him turned around.

"Marshal Givens?" The man hollered back, "That you?"

"It is. Can ya' take us to see Ellstin?"

"I's sure can. He said you'd prob'ly be showin' up."

Leaning on each other, Raylan and Anna made their way down the embankment and onto the roughly constructed boat.

"Ya' sure this thing'll make it across?" Privately, Raylan wondered where the motorized rubber raft was, but he knew better than to ask.

"Got us here."

Raylan eyed his sister over the top of the man's head and shrugged. "All aboard."

The two men shoved off from the shore and used the poles to propel the raft-like boat across the river. In no time, they were on the other side.

Without a word, the two men started walking, leading the way into the holler. Raylan couldn't help but notice that his ankle performed a little better than it had in days gone by. And once again, he couldn't help but notice that the progress on the diner was amazing. The window glass was in, and Raylan could see the countertop and cook-stove.

"Wow," Anna remarked. "They sure cleaned this place up in a hurry. How do they do it?"

Under his breath, Raylan uttered nice and low, "I have no idea."

They followed Ellstin's men back into the circle of cabins. The taller man rapped on Foxy's door. Raylan recognized it from when Ellstin first brought him there, when he first began his search for his sister. Now, it seemed everything came full circle . . . another search for information, only this time it was about information about Anna's birth father.

"I'ma comin'. I'ma comin'," the old woman's voice sounded annoyed. "Hold yo' damn horses."

The door opened to the weathered, old cabin that was as neat as a pin on the inside, and Raylan tipped his hat. "Hey there, Miss Foxy. I'm US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens. Do ya' remember me?"

"Marshal Givens. Oh, my. Yes." The woman smiled, revealing her some of her missing front teeth.

"M'am. You can call me Raylan." To be polite, he removed his hat, as she ushered them inside. "And this here is Anna Rulé . . . my half-sister."

"Well, Raylan. I was wonderin' if dat was who you had wit' ya'," Foxy led them further inside. "Ellstin told me ya' found her." She stopped when they reached the middle of her living area and looked Anna up and down. "I can sees yous twos is kin."

Raylan let out a chuckle. "You're not the first one to tell us that. In fact, I think Anna and I were the last to know when we were waitin' for the DNA test to come back."

"Yo' Mama wasn't all d'at tall," the older woman went on, continuing to scrutinize the two. "I don't know where ya'll got yo' height. Mebe it was from Frances' daddy or somethin'."

Raylan filled in the blanks. "I remember Mama tellin' me my grandfather Henry, on her side of the family, was quite tall and lanky. I've been told that's where I got my height and my build from. I'm assumin' it'd be the same for Anna, here."

"Well. Yo' sho' is a pretty thing," Foxy gushed, giving her approval of Anna. "Frances is up d'ere in heaven, smilin' down, big time, at da' site o' her two babies back together again. Reunited."

"You knew my mother?" Anna asked with both surprise and fascination.

"Sho' 'nuff," Foxy smiled. "Why, I was d'ere when yo' was born. You was such a pretty little thing."

Raylan glanced over at his sister. "She was literally there. When you were born." He nodded his head as if to verify that fact. "Our Mama gave birth to ya' right here. In Nobles Holler."

"Dat's right," Foxy nodded with a knowing smile on her face.

"Yeah," Raylan chortled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I don't mean to be rude, Miss Foxy. But we came here to see if we could have a word with Ellstin. Is he up to havin' some company?"

They were interrupted by a shuffling noise coming towards them, until Ellstin showed his face as he came from another room. "I was wonderin' how long it would take ya' ta get here."

"Ya' knew dey was comin'?" Foxy asked him.

Gingerly, Ellstin made his way over to an easy chair in the corner of the room and slowly lowered himself down into the soft cushions. "Da' marshal here called me. I tol' him he could come by," he explained to Foxy.

"How are ya' farin' after your surgery?" Raylan asked, visually inspecting the man.

"I is fine," Ellstin answered the lawman, as if it was a stupid question. "Ol' Foxy here gots some good food in me. Changes my bandages."

"I gots a special salve I uses, too. Works likes a charm," the older woman bragged. "I makes a big ol' vat of it ev'ry year when da' calendulas comes in bloom."

"Is that the salve that comes from chrysanthemums?" Raylan asked. "I remember my Mama puttin' that stuff on my scratches and scrapes as a kid."

Foxy smiled a big smile. "Where does ya' thinks she gots it from? If ya' wants a tin. I'll gives ya' one b'fore ya' leaves."

"Why thank you," Raylan smiled with hat in hand. "I'd appreciate that. I remember that it worked really good."

"Miss Rulé." Ellstin interrupted all the pleasantries and nodded to Anna. "Nice to see you again, girl."

Anna shifted her feet, nervous. "So you're my . . ."

"Uncle?" Ellstin chuckled. "I 'spose I am."

"Anna here is naturally curious about her Daddy," Raylan said. "I think she wanted to hear about him from ya' with her own ears."

"I understands." Ellstin told the story up to the point where Nelson got out of prison before Foxy interrupted.

"He has been back here, ya' know."

Ellstin's head snapped up, and he eyed the old woman. "When?"

She shrugged. "I's not good rememberin' years and such." She tapped the side of her head with a bony finger. "Memory's not what it 'twas. But Nelson was here – oh, probly five o' six years ago."

"Why wasn't I tol'?" There was enough menace in Ellstin's voice to make Anna glad he wasn't at full strength.

"He didn't want ya' ta' know. Folks here loves Nelson, too, Ellstin. They doesn't all cotton ta' how ya' chased him off." She gave the man a look laced with both tenderness and chiding. "We wanted ta' hep."

Ellstin gave a huff, then took a deep breath. "Hep wit' what?"

Foxy eased down into another chair. "He was one sorry sight, yo' brother." She shook her head. "Had the shakes and the sweats. Comin' off a somethin'. Wouldn't tell us all what. Dat man went frew agony, he did."

"And you helped him?" Anna found her voice.

"I's did," Foxy declared proudly. "Took a coupla weeks, but he was back on his feet an in his right mind when he left."

"Did he tell ya' where he was goin'?" Raylan asked, hopefully.

"Naw," Foxy responded. But she grinned and pointed to a wooden box that sat on the crowded mantle. "Bring me that d'ere, darlin'," she asked Anna. "An my specks, not dat dey does me much good."

Anna handed her the box, and Foxy lifted the lid carefully, rifling through the contents until she came up with an envelope. "Sent me dis 'bout a month after he left."

Raylan took the offered paper. "Postmark says Chicago." He slipped the paper out, and a crisp hundred dollar bill fluttered to the floor. Anna stooped to pick it up, and Raylan read the short note:

Mama Foxy,

Without your help I would never have made it. I owe you a great debt that can never be fully repaid. I hope this, and knowing that I intend to pass on the grace you showed me to others, is a start.

All my love,

Nelson

"Looks like your brother got himself some schoolin'," Raylan said, noting the letter's perfect spelling and grammar.

"He was always inta da' book learnin'," Ellstin said. "Tried to talk us into hirin' some college graduated teacher. Mattew, he does jus' fine. Kids can all read an write an do sums. Doesn't needs nothin' more."

Raylan began to understand a bit more why his mama had been attracted to Nelson. Not only was he a kind and gentle man, from all accounts, but he was intelligent, too. He must've stood out from other men she knew.

"I guess we're goin' to Chicago," Raylan said, giving Anna a quick smile.

"Ya' gonna look for 'im?" Ellstin asked.

"I'd like to," Anna said. "And I'd appreciate any help you could give me."

"I's toldja all I knows."

Raylan looked at the postmark again. June 2009. "This the last you heard from him?"

Foxy dug into the box again and handed Raylan six more envelopes, each with a similar note and another hundred dollar bill. "You take 'em," she said. "The money, too. I got no needs for it. He'd be happy knowin' his little girl was usin' it to find 'im."

"I can't," Anna murmured.

"Take it, girl," Ellstin advised. "Hell, give it back to 'im if you want."

Raylan began to shift his weight back and forth. After being upright and on his ankle for so long, it was beginning to scream.

"What's goin' on wif yo' foot, Raylan?" Foxy studied the marshal with an astute eye and couldn't help but notice the walking cast.

"Bad sprain," he answered. "It's comin' along. Just not fast enough," he added under his breath.

The older women used all her might to get up out of her chair. "I gots just da' thing. It'll fix ya' right up." And she walked straight for the kitchen, motioning for Raylan to follow her, leaving Anna with Ellstin. She went over to a cabinet and began to rummage through a neat display of tincture bottles and tins. "Heres it is!"

She passed over two large tins labeled "Foxy's Miracle Salves."

"Now, 'dis one is da' one ya' use on yo' scratches and such. And 'dis one is da' one to use on yo' ankle." She explained, "I makes it from mountain tobacco."

Taking the tins, mostly to be polite, he said, "Thank ya'."

"We sells d'ese over at da' General Store. Earns ol' Foxy here a little mad money."

Raylan began to go for his wallet, when she stopped him. "No. You doesn't pay. Boy, ya' is practicly family." And she laughed at the prospect of the white marshal being related, somewhat, to Ellstin and Nelson.

Raylan smiled at the irony of it all, too. "Well, thank ya' for that."

"I's not jokin' wit ya'. That one salve in da' bigger tin'll fix ya' up, mebe by tonight," the woman insisted. She could tell Raylan was skeptical.

"Really?" Raylan raised his eyebrows. "Well, maybe I should put some on right now." He was thinking about the ride home, and the walk to the flatboat before that.

Foxy smiled. "Now, ya' is talkin'."

He took a seat on a nearby kitchen stool, released the Velcro straps, and removed the cast. Then, he pulled off his sock, revealing his swollen and discolored foot ankle. It looked better to him, but it was swelling again, after being up on it all day.

Foxy pulled up another stool and instructed him to put his bad foot up on it.

"Hmmm," Foxy uttered as she inspected his leg. "Gimme dat tin."

He handed her the larger of the two tins. She opened it and began to apply a little of its contents to the ankle, above and below the discoloration. It smelled like menthol which was a great relief to him. As he recalled, some of the old mountain remedies had a foul odor. One he particularly remembered smelled like rotten eggs.

Immediately, he could feel warmth, and the skin on his leg began to turn pink upon contact with the salve. Maybe a little too pink.

Catching his drift of concern, Foxy explained, "See? Yo' blood is already percolatin'. That'll gets all da fluid and poison's outta d'ere. You'll see. Dis one comes from sunflowers and likes I says, mountain tobacco."

Then, she pulled open a nearby drawer and pulled out clean strips of cloth and retrieved another tin. She carefully applied its yellowing contents only on the bruised side of his ankle and carefully wrapped his lower foot and ankle with the cloth, nice and tight. She attached the ends by neatly pinning them with two small safety pins.

"Dats a poultice," she explained. "Leaves it on 'til tonight and give yo' foot a good warm water soak in dis." She handed him another small container of Epson Salts.

Raylan stretched his sock back on over his wrapped foot, followed by the walking cast. He did have to admit that the salve took his discomfort down a notch or two.

"Now, when ya' gets home tonight, after ya' do da' Epson Salts, put da' first salve on again. Just likes I did, 'fore ya' hit da' hay," she instructed him with the authenticity of a medical doctor. "Ya' should be right as rain by mornin'."

Standing, Raylan said, "Well. Thanks, again."

"Ya' is welcome. Now, c'mere and gives ol' Foxy a hug."

Raylan gave the lady a hug. She was something else. A real character who evidently had the healing touch for the people in this holler for a long, long time.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

On the way home, Rayland stretched out in the back of the Lincoln, elevating his foot, taking advantage of the drive back to Gayle's house. As promised, Anna insisted on driving and gave Raylan a chance to close his eyes.

He slept for a while and then stirred. He sat up and let out the remnants of a yawn. Seeing that he was up, Anna asked him about the collection of potions he walked out of the holler with. The tins were there on the passenger seat.

"I'll tell ya' one thing," Raylan said. "I swear to ya' that my ankle feels better than it has in days and days. I can even move my toes with no pain. Now, that's a first."

He demonstrated by moving his socked toes.

"I'll have to take your word for it," Anna said, glancing at his face through the rear view mirror. After a beat, she changed the subject. "I called Adam about 20 minutes ago and told him we were on our way. We're about 20 minutes away. He'll have dinner ready for us. And wine. He said he'd tell Winona."

A little disoriented, he looked out the window at the sky. The sun was heading down. Then, he pulled out his cell and looked at the screen. Good, he said to himself. There were no messages.

"He said you should make it home just in time for Willa's bath time. Said it was your favorite?"

He grinned. "She's in a good mood. She likes to play in the water. She smells real nice after her bath. What's not to like?"

Anna added, "He also said Davis had a good day back at home."

"That's real good to hear," Raylan said while giving a good stretch. "It gives Winona one less thing to worry about."

Biting her lip, she brought up what was sure to be a sore subject. "So, my biological father was last seen in Chicago."

"Yeah," Raylan nodded. "Ya' know, I've already got Rachel workin' on it. Doin' the research."

"Yeah?" she was pleasantly surprised. "I was going to try and pull some strings in DC."

"Well. Now, ya' don't have to." Then, he said, "By the way, Winona knows a trip to Chicago is likely. In fact, she knew it before I did."

"I was thinking, the Bureau will need me to talk to the DOJ about what happened in that compound. Probably you, too. But after that, they won't need me until Arndt goes to trial." She was thinking out loud. "I'm on sick leave, because of my injuries. But then, I've got quite a bit of vacation time."

"Me and you, both," Raylan quipped. "I guess, the only thing we need to decide is: Do you and me go it alone? Or do we make it a road trip with Adam, Winona, and Willa? This Lincoln can do the job, either way."

(To be continued . . .)