Part 2: Red Rover
Chapter 9
"I want to see her now," Claude North demanded, and Barnabas froze and dragged his thoughts back to the men's conversation.
"No!" Timothy Stokes spat. "I don't have time for your mooning visits. I'd like to know where that child came from."
"Who cares? Why not ask your daughter, perhaps she's responsible somehow."
"Oh, I doubt it," Stokes said restlessly. "I'll ask her aunt Hannah, my sister-in-law. She's acquainted with the occult, possibly she can shed some light."
There was a shrieking sound, and Barnabas leapt, heart pounding. Probably the sound of the table in the next room being pushed slightly away from the wall. Then came a sighing grunt as one of the men sat. Stokes, it sounded like. Were they settling in to stay for the rest of the night?
"I want more money," North insisted softly, "and I want it soon. By Thursday."
"Or what?" Timothy Stokes gave an ugly laugh.
"Or I'll remove Roxanne."
"Say something like that to me again," Stokes threatened, "and I'll remove her. You will never see her again. Take my word."
Barnabas listened, feeling rage and terror boil together in his gut. They would move Roxanne, continue to eke her life away in order to support Angelique's preposterous hold on re-animation, though Angelique had been long dead. If not that, they had designs now on David's life! But where was David? In hiding. How long could he last with no food, no sleep, no friends, and these two murderous men sweeping the woods for him day and night?
Barnabas wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He couldn't stop his noiseless weeping. Roxanne, Roxanne! Seeing her again, alone, helpless, in mute torment like this, not allowed to waken and direct her own young life, had poleaxed him. He felt disemboweled. He had never expected such devastating pain, such fierce love to strike him upon seeing her again! He had never expected to see her again ever, period! His Roxanne, so radiant—trapped—precious—lost—
He knew that if he managed to waken her once more, she would love him, exactly as she had before.
But, as in the past, he would need Julia's help to waken her.
Julia.
In his stew of upset emotions Barnabas allowed the guilt associated with Julia to enter his thoughts. He was about to marry Julia, wanted her, loved her. He let the guilt lance through him like a shooting star and pass by without pain—he couldn't wrestle with it now. He had other matters to grapple with. He needed to find David, fast. He needed to rescue Roxanne.
He heard a chair scrape back, and the two men shuffling once more for the door, exchanging what sounded like insults—Barnabas could no longer catch their words, which were now directed away from him and outside of the house.
He tried to slow his heart. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve again, and fumbled for his handkerchief. He let out an uneven sob and turned his eyes once more to the moveless Roxanne. He would take her with him now. With the help of God, perhaps he would find David instantly, or be spotted by David wherever he was hiding and have the boy come rushing up to him.
Barnabas hadn't had a body-double in this parallel time, but how was David to know that? Barnabas could hardly go through the grounds of Collinwood shouting David's name, not with Stokes and North around. Perhaps if he went about shouting for David in a whisper? Something like, "David, come home!", or better yet, something about the dumbwaiter? Would that penetrate, make David realize that it was safe to approach?
Yes. Perhaps if he went about whisper-shouting "Come to the dumbwaiter!" in the dark, David would be emboldened to approach.
Barnabas stepped close to Roxanne and, appalled at himself, began weeping afresh. He hadn't realized that he had so many tears in him. He loved her. He wanted to take care of her, protect her always!
Roxanne! His heart cried. Roxanne!
[
[
Cradling her against his breast, Barnabas left the cottage, glaring about wildly to make certain he encountered nobody. He moved carefully, quietly, with the soft, warm girl pressed against him. He felt absolutely savage. If he encountered someone who tried to stop his escape with Roxanne, he was reasonably sure that he would tear that person to shreds with his fingers.
Barnabas approached the place where he'd left the dumbwaiter, half expecting it not to be there. But it was. He staggered to it with his limp burden, leaned over, and gently placed her inside. Then he stepped back to catch his breath.
Something arrested his glance, information stamped on the copper edge of the dumbwaiter frame.
WT CAP 300 LB
What if he had found David after all? If Roxanne were perhaps 110 pounds, and Barnabas himself close to approximately 170 pounds, that left a margin of twenty pounds for David's transport.
Would he have asked David to remain behind? Or would he have taken the boy with him, and left Roxanne?
Slow, dazed tears streamed steadily down his face. The answer, of course, was that he would have sent David up with Roxanne and stayed behind himself. And yet, for just one moment, his heart broke at the idea that he could have … might have asked David to wait …
He would take Roxanne now, this minute, and return instantly to hunt for David.
Barnabas precariously placed himself inside the dumbwaiter beside the unmoving girl.
.
.