Chapter 7 The Search for Candy
Jeremy and Joshua were cleaned up and had just finished a good meal at Lottie's, when Aaron came in. He sat at the table with Christopher, Jeremy, Josh, Big Swede and several others who were in the circle.
"We not only have to find Jason, but also need to rescue Candy!" Jeremy said.
"I know, but now, we are dealing with dangerous criminal minds! Those two ladies will stop at nothing to gain your mountain. They are ready to do what ever it takes!" Aaron said.
"I did find out where Jason is being kept! We could get him and then find Candy?" Big Swede suggested. Jeremy did not like that at all and said so:
"I think we should find Candy, she is pregnant, what if she has to give birth to our baby without anyone, I don't want her to die!" Jeremy said loudly. Joshua put his arm on Jeremy's shoulder to help calm him. Clancy came in just then but looked grim. He walked over to the table where they were meeting and said:
"I have been doing a bit of listening and I think I may know the whereabouts of Jason and Mrs. Bolt!" He smiled then and produced a piece of cloth and a button.
"That's just a piece of cloth and a button Clancy, why do you think that will tell us anything?" Joshua said. But Christopher looked at the cloth and said:
"That is from Candy's dress! I know because she used me to sew the hem of the dress. I tried to get away, but she always seems to know!" Christopher said.
Lottie was looking at the button and recognized that it came from Jason's jacket he was wearing when he was kidnapped.
"Well, Clancy, these are from them but that does not explain where they would be?" Aaron said. Clancy looked at Aaron and said:
"I know exactly where they are!" He looked around the table and every one shouted, "TELL US!"
"They are here in Seattle. They are being held in the fish shed on the dock!" Clancy said
"How do you know that?" asked Aaron
"Because as I was pulling into port I noticed some life in that shed. I went over to peek, and I saw that the two ladies, had just come out of the shed, and were with some men. I waited until they had gone and tried to see for myself. And I did see them, but only for a second, seems as the two men had seen me and I sort of had to get away rather fast!"
"But how did you come by the cloth and the button, Clancy?" Aaron asked him. But Clancy did not answer, when he did he said:
"I don't know?" I remember fighting with those two men, but then I remembered waking up on my ship with my bottle of whiskey and these two items and I knew where they were hidden." Clancy said. They all looked at Clancy, nothing was said.
In a room on the wharf, Candy sat on the floor, crying. She had been hurt, she had tried to protect her baby, but she was afraid when she saw she had been bleeding. She did not remember much except Clementine had brought her some tea, she had taken a drink and then spit it out, it tasted horrid. Clementine told her she had to drink it. She tried not too but Clementine had helpers, Marcia was one of them, they made her swallow it, they gave her two doses. One was laced with a sleeping pill. She soon fell asleep and had no idea what happened. She woke up laying on the floor, She saw the blood on the floor and thought that the baby had been stillborn. She knew she did not have it anymore; she did not know if it was a boy or a girl. She just sat and cried. There was a noise behind her. She jumped and then looked in the grey darkness and saw someone whose was chained to a wall.
"Ca-candy, it's me, Jason!" She gasped and saw yes indeed it was Jason.
"Oh, Jason, what happened? Where are Jeremy and Joshua?" Jason tried to talk a little but having had very little water, he could barely speak.
"I don't know, we were separated. I am sorry about your baby. I could do nothing, they put you asleep and took your baby!" He stopped and tried to wet his lips. She scooted closer to him. She tried to help him a little. The door burst open and Marcia came in. She went to Candy and said:
"You are coming with me. We need to take care of something!" She pulled Candy up on her feet, then she dragged her out of the room. She could hear a baby crying. She was almost to glad to know that her baby was alive. Marcia took her to another room. Clementine brought the baby in and placed her in Candy's arms and said;
"I will feed you and keep you well, until the baby can be weaned. Then you will die, like all the others! Oh, Your Jeremy is already gone. His brother is next. But I will give you a treat, you can watch him die!" She laughed at Candy and told Marcia to be sure that she had fed the baby well. And she left. Candy was overjoyed at being able to cradle her baby and feed her baby. She found out she had a boy and named him Jeremy after his father. She sat contented and rocked and sang to her little boy.
At the saloon, Clancy realized he had been drugged! He was so apologetic, but everyone said not to worry, they decided to look at the fish shed just in case.
"It might be a trap?" said Aaron, but Jeremy said:
"If-if it g-g-gets us closer to finding Candy and Jason, I am all for it!" so, they made plans and went down to the docks to see if what Clancy had said was true.
They went in groups of two. Jeremy went with Swede, Josh went with Aaron, and Christopher went with Corky. They all went at different intervals in case someone should notice them. They looked around. The fish shed was empty. Aaron was the first to be caught, then Josh. Corky and Christopher were almost caught but doubled back and waited for Swede and Jeremy. They did not get caught, in fact, they took out a couple of the men guarding the shack! When they saw that the others were not showing up, they knew they had to do something. Jeremy looked and saw a light in the end of the wharf. The other building had more rooms and there was light in those rooms. They decided to see if that was where everyone was.