“I cut the ropes of the one that said he had the ring. But he said he didn’t want to move his hands so the others wouldn’t know he’s loose. I had to cut all of them loose first.”

  “Then what happened?” asked Sheriff Morley. “They gave you the ring and money?”

  “Well, no. There was a big fight, and when I caught up with them, again, they just laughed and kept running. Then I came here in this big storm to warn you.”

  “Longmont, did you really believe that crazy story they told you?” asked Sheriff Windsor.

  Longmont squirmed, and then answered, “I figured they’d give me something.”

  “You’re lucky they didn’t kill you,” said Sheriff Morley. “Those are evil men.”

  “Longmont knew they were evil men. But he hoped to gain something by setting them free,” said Sheriff Windsor. “And he didn’t come here to warn us. He came to try to redeem himself. That’s why he’s going home as a prisoner instead of a deputy.”

  As Longmont started wailing, Sheriff Windsor cut him off. “If you don’t quiet down, I’m going to gag you.”

  Deputy Wright went out to check on the weather. Kelly ran upstairs to check on the light. After cleaning everything again, Kelly turned and tried to see through the blinding snow outside the window. Was Papa out there somewhere in the storm? Had the Blackburn brothers found him? The ring Longmont described fit the one Kelly had found in the baby quilt. Kelly was tempted to flop down on the cot and cry. A noise on the stairs stopped Kelly. She froze. What new danger awaited her?

  “Kelly?” called a man’s voice.

  Kelly was too terrified to answer.

  The creak of the stairs told her whomever it was, was getting closer. Kelly glanced at the baby quilt and the ring she had brought along up. She hadn’t wanted Longmont to see it. Now it was in plain sight, on the other side of the doorway. Did she dare?

  “Kelly, it’s me, Deputy Wright. Your granny sent me to check on you. May I come in?”

  Kelly nodded, and then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she croaked. Then she repeated a bit louder, “Yes, you may come in.”

  Deputy Wright stepped into the room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you. Your granny said you might want to stay up here the rest of the night.”

  Kelly smiled. “She’s not really my granny. But she’s been a wonderful friend to me. Much like I imagine a granny would be. Everyone calls her Granny.”

  Deputy Wright nodded. Glancing around, he spotted the quilt and the ring. “Sheriff Morley also mentioned you might want to put some things back where they had been. I’m assuming he meant the ring.”

  Kelly sat down on the cot and stuffed the ring back inside the quilt. As she quilted it, she told the kind deputy everything. From her birthday, the day she found out about her father, to the day they rescued them from the Blackburns. She also told him Granny’s story and how she thinks her husband, whom she hasn’t seen for over twenty-five years, might still be alive.

  The deputy listened, asking a question here and there. When Kelly finished, she felt completely drained and yet freer than she had since Papa disappeared.

  “We’ll find your papa, Kelly,” promised Deputy Wright. “We’ll get the Blackburn brothers, so they can’t hurt anyone anymore, and then we’ll find your papa.”

  He made himself a bed in front of the doorway and urged her to sleep on the cot. “No one will get past me,” he assured her. “Besides, the others are watching from downstairs.”

  Kelly curled up on the cot. She did not mention that all the windows were boarded up downstairs. They could not see if anyone came. But Kelly was so tired, she fell asleep immediately.

  When she woke up, she realized the light had burned low, but the sun was beginning to rise. Kelly hurried to the window. The storm had passed. She picked up the field glass and turned it to Stone Haven. What was that speck coming from the village? It was a black sloop, riding low and coming fast.

  “Deputy!” she cried. “Deputy! They are coming! The Blackburns are coming!”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Friend or Foe?

  “DEPUTY!” KELLY TURNED TO LOOK WHERE Deputy Wright had been sleeping. But he was on his feet and taking the field glasses from her.

  He handed them back and ran for the stairs. “Stay up here, Kelly,” he called over his shoulder. “I’m going to warn the others.”

  Kelly trained the glass on the rapidly approaching sloop. Wait! Someone was standing up on the sloop. The Blackburn brothers all remained out of sight on their way in. The only man Kelly knew who rode standing was Big Ned, a village fisherman and one of Papa’s best friends.

  Kelly took another look and noticed Big Ned’s bushy, red beard blowing in the wind. It was him! Kelly raced down the stairs.

  As Kelly flew through the house she called, “It’s Big Ned.”

  She was just ready to open the door, when a hand covered hers and a voice commanded, “Stop!”

  Kelly turned to face Sheriff Windsor, who had his gun in his hand. Kelly glanced around the room. Sheriff Morley and Deputy Wright both had their guns ready. Homer was holding a poker from the fireplace, and Tom held a crow bar.

  “What makes you think it’s Big Ned?” asked Tom. “He doesn’t have a black sloop.”

  “”He was standing up, and I could see his red beard.”

  “We don’t know for sure if he’s a friend or foe,” snapped Sheriff Windsor. “Go into the bedroom with Granny and lock the door.”

  Granny must have heard and opened Papa’s bedroom door. Kelly wanted to refuse, but Tom’s firm hand on her shoulder guided her into the bedroom. “We’re just trying to keep you safe, Kelly-girl,” he said.

  Kelly almost cried at the use of Papa’s nickname for her. Granny hugged her. “They won’t hurt Big Ned,” she assured her. “And Big Ned is still our friend. He would not betray us.”

  Although Kelly allowed Granny to lock the door, she pressed her ear against it so she could hear. “Some are going outside to hide,” she whispered to Granny.

  Suddenly, everything was quiet. It was almost more than Kelly could do to not pull the door open to see what was happening. It seemed like a long time while Kelly and Granny waited.

  The shouting startled Kelly after the long silence. Kelly pressed her ears closer to the door, but could not make out any words. By the time she was sure she could bear it no longer, the air was suddenly filled with laughter.

  Kelly pulled the bedroom door open in time to see men from the village come pouring inside. They were led by Big Ned.

  As soon as Big Ned saw Kelly, he scooped her up and whirled her around, yelling, “We caught them all Kelly-girl. Every last one of ‘em. You’re safe.” He set her back on her feet as the crowd cheered.

  Kelly looked around at all the kind, familiar faces. “Thank you, everyone! Thank you! But tell me what happened. How did you catch them?”

  “I can tell you.” Tom’s eleven-year-old son, Norman, stepped forward. “After Big Ned came to tell us the Blackburn brothers escaped and Pa came to warn you, somethin’ didn’t feel right. After Ma went to bed, I slipped outside. At first I couldn’t see nothin’ ‘cause of the blinding snow. But I sorta know my way around. I went down to the docks. I just kinda hunkered down in Pa’s other boat. Guess I kinda fell asleep.” Norman glanced sheepishly at Big Ned. Big Ned gave him a nod of encouragement. Norman continued, “Suddenly I heard somethin’. An’ someone threw a bunch of loose straw right on top of me. I rolled out from under just in time to escape being doused with kerosene. I dove into the water. But with the storm and all, they never heard me.”

  “I stayed in only long enough to feel I was safe. Man I ‘bout froze. Then I ran to Big Ned’s house. I’m glad he doesn’t lock his door.” Norman shivered. “I stayed there. Big Ned can tell you the rest.”

  “Yes, young Norman is a hero.” Big Ned continued the story. “A mostly frozen hero, but a hero none the less. I made him stay there and change clothes. Then I gathered some men. It was still snowing so hard, we couldn’t see a foot ahead of us. But suddenly, we smelled smoke.

  “One advantage was, they never saw or heard us coming. The Blackburn boys were too busy trying to burn all our boats and the docks. We depend on the boats and the docks to make our living. It didn’t take us long to take care of them. The only thing was we couldn’t find that crooked deputy. So at first light, we set out with the only boat that wasn’t either burned or needed to be cleaned. But we have to find the deputy.”

  “We already got him,” Sheriff Morley grinned. “He’s no longer a deputy. We hid him behind the sofa when we saw that black sloop coming. He’s tied and gagged.”

  “What about my other deputies?” asked Sheriff Windsor. “Tom said they’re pretty beat up.”

  “They’re at the doc’s,” answered Big Ned. “Doc said they’ll survive, but are in no shape to be moved any time soon.”

  “Then I might need help transporting my prisoners,” said Sheriff Windsor.

  There were shouts of volunteers all over the room.

  “If Big Ned and Homer go, that’s all the help I need,” said the Sheriff. “But thanks everyone.”

  “Aw-w! I wanted to go,” protested Norman.

  Sheriff Windsor chuckled and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You keep up the good work, and you’ll be Sheriff Morley’s best deputy in no time. In the meantime, I’m guessing your pa is going to be depending on you quite a bit.”

  Kelly saw Tom and Norman exchange fond looks, and her heart ached for her own papa.

  As if reading her mind, Homer said, “On our way back to Pennsylvania, we’ll keep looking for your papa, Kelly. After the prisoners are safely behind bars, we’ll concentrate on finding him.”

  “We’ll help him,” promised Sheriff Windsor.

  “I’ll help too,” said Big Ned. “I ain’t never before been a detective. But I guess I ain’t too young to start.”

  The sofa was pushed out, and the former Deputy Longmont was lifted by several men. He glared at Kelly as they passed.

  As the men marched out carrying their prisoner, they winked at Kelly and started to sing, For He’s a Jolly, Good Fellow. Laughing, the other men joined in.

  After their singing faded, no one remained except Big Ned, Homer, Tom, and his son Norman.

  “Kelly,” began Tom. “I wish you and Granny would come to the mainland with us. There is another big storm moving in.”

  “Thank you, Tom,” replied Kelly. “But we still have plenty of supplies, and I need to tend the light.”

  “We’ll do our best to find your papa,” promised Homer.

  “Yes, we will,” agreed Big Ned. “He’s been missin’ too long.”

  “Pa, can I stay here and help Kelly?” asked Norman.

  “No, son,” replied Tom. “I need you at home, and they don’t need another mouth to feed.”

  Kelly caught her breath when Tom rose unsteadily to his feet. Immediately, Big Ned was there supporting him. He winked at Kelly as he passed and started singing, For He’s a Jolly, Good Fellow.

  The others joined in singing and laughing as they left. After the door closed, Kelly and Granny looked at each other and laughed.

  “Well,” said Granny. “After we get the house cleaned up, I have something I want to show you.”

  “What is it, Granny?”

  Granny smiled. “It’s the baby quilt. We’ll take it apart. We have some more things hidden in there. It will answer some questions for you and probably bring some more questions.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The Baby Quilt

  “AT LEAST IT’S A RELIEF to know Papa escaped the Blackburn brothers,” Kelly commented, as she continued to open the stitches on her baby quilt. But where is Papa? Kelly chose not to voice her thoughts out loud.

  Granny nodded. “I kin rest easy knowin’ they are behind bars.” The quilt lay between them as they both worked to open the stitches.

  “For the rest of their lives, Sheriff Windsor thought,” Kelly added. “And so is their sister.”

  “Their sister was a mean one,” said Granny. “Sometimes, I wonder if she’s not the brains behind their operation. None of the boys seem none too smart.”

  Kelly shivered. “I’m so glad Papa didn’t marry her.” Kelly wiggled her finger under the blue diamond shape she had loosened. “I think I feel something!” She pulled out some more stitches, and then pulled out a small, round object.

  Granny beamed. “One o’ the pearls! There should be two more in that part.”

  Kelly took the pearl closer to the window to admire it. “It’s beautiful!” Kelly exclaimed. “Did Mama wear it?”

  “Yes,” answered Granny. “That was part of the pearl necklace.”

  After placing it in a china cup, Kelly carefully set it on the mantel above the fireplace. Then she hurried back to the quilt to dig around to find two more.

  As Granny and Kelly worked their way toward the center of the quilt, Granny talked about the pieces they found. They had uncovered her Grandma’s wedding ring, the rest of the pearl necklace, and some smaller pieces of jewelry. The last thing they found tightly sealed with wax was a page torn from the family Bible.

  Kelly studied the strange names on the page from the Bible. It was her family tree, with her own name on the bottom. Granny explained who everyone was as well as she could.

  “Do you think any of these people are still alive?” asked Kelly, wistfully.

  Granny joined her on the sofa and hugged her. “I don’t know, Honey-child. After the war I didn’t hear from anyone again from that far south. When Homer comes again, we can ask him.”

  “Mama had a sister and two brothers, but my father had only one brother. My papa told me my father and his brother were killed in the same battle.”

  “That they were. Yo’ mama’s two brothers joined up on the north side, too. Never heard what happened to them or your Aunt Shelly.” Granny patted Kelly’s hand. “Let’s stop with the quilt for today. Why don’t you try out those beautiful paints you got for yo’ birthday?”

  Kelly smiled sheepishly. “I should probably do some school work first.”

  Granny chuckled. “Well, hop to it, young lady.”

  That evening when the snowstorm hit, Kelly felt secure, instead of afraid. The animals were all cared for and snug in the barn. There was enough fuel to last all night and all day beside the light. They had enough supplies for at least a month. The fog horn was calling out a warning to the passing ships, and the light was shining brightly.

  Kelly glanced up from the new quilt she was piecing in burgundy and pink. This one was called a broken star and was one of her favorite patterns, although she would always be partial to the Mariner’s Star. Granny was nodding off over her knitting, and Tulip was feeding her kittens.

  Kelly laughed softly as Granny slumped forward in her rocking chair. “Granny!” Kelly shook her awake. “Why don’t you go to bed, instead of almost falling out of your rocker?”

  Granny smiled sleepily. “Guess that makes sense.”

  The days fell into a pattern, with Granny doing most of the housework, while Kelly took care of the animals and the light. In between her work, Kelly did school work and worked on her quilt or painted. Every day, they opened some more stitches of the baby quilt. Every day they found some more treasures.

  Kelly cried the day they uncovered her mama’s exquisite wedding ring. She lovingly placed it on her finger, but it was loose.

  “There is also a diamond necklace yo’ father gave yo’ mama the day he left to fight the war. Yo’ mama gave him diamond cuff links the same day. It were their anniversary. He wore them only for a bit that day.”

  Finally, there was only one block left to open. The very center one. Kelly fingered it, without opening any stitches. “What if there’s nothing inside?”

  “There is, Honey-child,” Granny assured her. “’Tis the most special one of all. Go ahead an’ open it.”

  Kelly’s hands trembled as she undid the stitches. Finally she pulled a small roll free that was tightly sealed with wax. Puzzled, she looked at Granny. Granny only smiled and nodded encouragingly.

  Kelly carefully peeled away the wax. She unfurled a thin sheet of paper. Kelly gasped in shock as she read, “To My Most Beloved Daughter Kelly.” Kelly’s eyes dropped to the bottom of the sheet to see the signature, “With all my love, Mama.” Kelly could read no more. She dropped the sheet on the coffee table and wept.

  Granny held her, as Kelly wept for the mama she never knew. Granny held her until she fell asleep, and then she carefully lowered Kelly until her head rested on a pillow on the sofa.

  Granny picked up the letter and carefully smoothed it out with dark, work-worn hands. She studied it and wished she had learned to read. She opened the precious Bible on the mantel and placed the letter between the pages. Then she sat down on a nearby chair to knit and pray for the girl who had become the most important person in the world to her. Like many times before, she took the time to thank Jesus that Kelly’s papa had brought her with them and made her part of their family.

  As she prayed, she also prayed for the husband she had not seen in thirty years. Homer said he had spoken to a man by the name of John Worthy. Her husband, John Worthy. Dare she hope he was still alive? How many black men were there that used to live on Willow Plantation with that name?

  “I’m way up here in Massachusetts, whiles he’s way down south in South Caroliny. Ain’t no way to get there. If’n I get up enough money to go, I probably couldn’t find him no how. If’n per chance it would even be the same man. Best I quit dreamin’ and tend to my work.” Granny talked quietly to herself, as she was prone to when she was alone.

  Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door. Kelly woke up and flew to the door before Granny could stop her.

  “Stop, Kelly!” Granny said in a loud whisper. “It might be danger.”

  “It’s Tom, Kelly,” said a familiar voice. “Open up. I brought a guest.”

  “Papa?” squealed Kelly, pulling the door open.

 

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