Home of the Gray Dog - Segment 05

Chapter 21

Shattering the tender moment was the sound of giggles echoing down the corridor behind them. Samantha and Walker had moved apart by the time four laughing children entered the cavern. Joshua ran ahead of his sister who was holding on tightly to Mike’s hand. Sue Beth was describing their surroundings to Mike while Itzam followed closely behind them.

         “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Walker.” Joshua skidded to a stop upon seeing the two adults in what he had thought would be an empty area. “We didn’t mean to bother anybody, but I wanted Mike and the girls to see the pool. You said we could swim in it after the party, remember?”

         Walker looked at Samantha ruefully, the enjoyment from their kiss fading into memory. “Well, Sam, I did promise them. However,” he continued, turning to look at the eager faces of the four children, “the party isn’t over yet.” He looked at his watch. “In fact, I think it’s way past your bedtimes. You can swim here tomorrow. Now, up to bed or you can’t come down to swim even then.”

         Knowing better than to argue with Walker when he used that stern voice, the children dragged their feet, but returned the way they had come and disappeared down the corridor. Before Walker could stop her, Samantha had followed the children. This left him standing alone wondering why life that had seemed so perfect moments earlier suddenly felt empty.

         When Walker returned to the other cavern, he saw the party was beginning to wind down. First to leave were the more elderly guests, most stopping by the table to wish Samantha a happy birthday. Looking at her, Walker saw no sign that their kiss had affected her, but he did see she now was wearing the diamond and emerald earrings. Right after midnight, Samantha left with Jack, Delia, and Felix. Walker remained for a few minutes, looking around the empty cavern. Finally, he too left with a small smile of remembered pleasure on his face.

         The next morning, knowing that Samantha would be busy with her usual daily tasks, Walker met Jack in the first floor dining room for breakfast. Felix and Delia eventually joined them, and those in the crowded room watched as she walked slowly across the room, unaided by a cane or Felix. All within the mansion had heard of Delia’s accident and the reason for her visit. They also knew why Felix was there and waited for information about Hannah’s Home, as they all now called it.

         After a long and relaxing breakfast, the four of them returned to Walker’s apartment to iron out any remaining problems. Felix agreed to get together with the local contractor, someone Walker had already met and trusted. Karla Morningstar owned and ran a construction company out of Westbrook. Her company had originally done subcontracting work during the construction of Walker’s hospital. Her no-nonsense attitude impressed Walker, and he confidently used her firm to build the original bungalows near the hospital. He knew he wanted her for this bigger project.

         Meanwhile, Delia and Jack were reviewing the last of the seemingly endless forms they had filed with local, state, and federal agencies. Once it was determined all were in order, the work on bringing Walker’s dream to life could begin. As the other three kept themselves busy, Walker sat at the table pouring over the drawings Felix had made the week before. Every now and then, his friends would hear a “Oh, this is grand” or “The kids will love this” and even once a groan as he said, “I’ll never see any of my guests ‘cause they’ll all want to live here.”

         Even with this last mild complaint, Felix knew Walker was delighted with his plans. “I’ll have the initial sketches for the school and bungalows done by tomorrow.” He didn’t look at Delia when he asked, “How many of those, Walker, do you need?”

         Walker grinned, knowing what Felix wanted to know. “Why not start out with two, and we can go from there?” You and Valentine get the first.”

          “And for the second one?” Felix still was trying not to look at Delia, whose grin now matched Walker’s.

         “Well,” said Walker, very slowly, “do you think you’d mind having Delia and her two kids as neighbors?” He and Delia started laughing at the look of delight on their friend’s face.

         “Delia, how soon can you move here?” Felix asked.

         “How soon can you get it built?”

         Walker listened in silence, wondering if, in the future, they would need only one home between them.

* * *

         “Well, sounds like it’ll be a hell of a lot of work, Walker, but my guys can handle it.” This comment from Karla Morningstar set the tone for the conversation with Walker and Felix. Her “can do” attitude impressed them, and the three of them settled down in Walker’s apartment the following Monday to finalizing the plans and sign contracts.

         Walker eventually left the other two discussing bearing walls, locations of electrical and gas laterals, and the amount of heating load needed for a building the projected size of the orphanage. He knew the project was in good hands and went to look for Samantha. She had been more or less avoiding him since her party the previous Friday evening.

         He found her down one flight in her office conferring with Delia. Her printer was cranking out page after page of online sites about what a large group of children would need on a daily basis. Over the weekend, Samantha had agreed to work with Delia in outfitting the rooms within the orphanage. Her bad mood of recent weeks had disappeared with this new responsibility, and she hardly looked up from the printer when Walker entered her apartment.

         Seeing she was busy, Walker simply turned around and left, suddenly feeling unneeded and just the tiniest bit unwanted. Time for another visit to my hidden room, he thought, knowing this always cheered him up. I wonder if there are any more secrets to find. The private and secret room at the opposite end of the third floor’s corridor already had given up many of its secrets over the past year. The discovery of the staircase in its floor leading down to the three caverns below the mansion surely had to be the biggest secret, but Walker was an optimist. He hoped to find even more exciting treasures in the room.

         After unlocking the door, he hesitated before going further into the room. Something was different, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Walker looked around while trying to figure out what was wrong. The huge desk was in its usual place as were all the boxes and trunks. No, went through his mind, taking a closer look around him, there’s a trunk missing. At one time, the room had contained five trunks. One originally held the blueprints to the mansion and caverns while two more contained old-fashioned clothing. The fourth was where Samantha had found the diaries the first Mrs. Edgeworth had written. That left one trunk unexplored and now missing.

         Frowning, Walker tried to figure out how someone could have entered the locked room and removed this trunk. I carry the room’s key with me at all times, he thought. He then remembered the time weeks ago when he had misplaced it for a day or two. One of the dining room waitresses returned it, saying a guest had found it. Walker had thought nothing of it at the time, but now wondered who the guest was. It saddened him to think that one of the elderly people in his care was a thief.

         To his complete and total relief, he spotted the missing fifth trunk near a pile of still unexplored boxes. Walker didn’t know who had moved it there, but he knew he hadn’t done it. Later he would try to figure out the mystery. For now, though, he just wanted to see what was inside this last trunk. Grabbing the ring of keys from where he kept them in the desk, Walker unlocked the trunk and lifted up the heavy cover.

         “I don’t believe it,” he said out loud, pulling out the object on top of the packed trunk. “Talk about serendipity.”

Chapter 22

Wanting to share this new prize with someone, Walker almost missed the piece of licorice stuck to the lid of the trunk. It was fresh and gave him a clue to who had been in his hidden room recently. He stood, still holding the candy, determined to track down this person.

         After making sure to lock the door behind him, Walker headed for the other end of the corridor where he knew the four children would be playing. Once again, he passed Samantha’s suite but resisted telling her of his new find inside the trunk.

         When he reached his wards’ suite, he knocked loudly on their door. Within minutes, the door opened to reveal Sue Beth on the other side. “Mither Walker, we were juth playing with Zorro,” the little girl said with a big smile. He had to grin since Sue Beth had recently lost two of her baby teeth, the top front ones, giving her quite a lisp.

         “Good morning, sweetheart. Is Joshua here, too?” At her nod, Walker came all the way into the living room and saw the other three children. They were sitting in a circle on the floor, looking at something in the middle. On coming closer, Walker saw Zorro lying on her back, eyes closed in ecstasy as she received tummy rubs from the children.

         “Joshua,” said Walker quietly. “May I speak to you alone for a minute?”

         The boy saw the stern look on his guardian’s face and immediately jumped to his feet. When they were away from the other children, Walker motioned Joshua to sit in a chair while he stood nearby. “Joshua, where did you find the key to the room at the end of the corridor?”

         “How did you…” Before he could finish, Joshua saw Walker’s outstretched hand holding the piece of licorice. “Oh…”

         “Yes, oh! You’re always walking around eating these and must have dropped this.” Walker pulled up another chair and sat down. “Joshua, I don’t mind you going into that room, but I’d rather be there with you. Okay?”

         “All right, Mr. Walker. I’m sorry, but when I found the key you’d dropped in the dining room, I just wanted to show the doll you found to Sue Beth. I gave the key to Joe Carpenter to return to you. Did he?”

         Joshua looked so guilty that Walker couldn’t stay annoyed with him any longer. “I did get it back, yes. Did you explore what was in that trunk?”

         “No,” said Joshua, “it was locked. I just moved it so Sue Beth could sit on it while I tried to find that doll I saw with you a few months ago. I couldn’t, though.”

         The memory of where Walker had put the doll came back as if it only just happened. He had placed the old-fashioned china doll in the casket of Hannah Edgeworth the day before her burial. To change the subject, he said quietly, “The keys to the trunks are in the desk. Didn’t you look for them there?”

         A shocked look came over Joshua’s face. “Mr. Walker, I’d never go into your desk, never. I know how important it is to you, and there’s probably private stuff in it.” He seemed so earnest that Walker believed him.

         Walker looked at Joshua silently for almost a full minute, trying to decide what to do next. Finally, the man his friends called a marshmallow softie where children were concerned came to a decision.

         He called out to the children, “Anyone want to see what I found?”

         The other three left Zorro and came over to where Walker and Joshua were. “Found where?” asked Mike.

         “Mike, there is a private room around a bend at the end of this corridor,” said Walker, heading for the apartment’s door. “In it, we’ve discovered all sorts of treasures, and I just found another one. Want to see?”

         They answered this rhetorical question by lining up behind Walker when he went out into the corridor. Joshua came first followed closely by Mike. His blindness no longer seemed a handicap since Mike had quickly learned his way around the mansion. Behind Mike, Itzam walked next to Sue Beth. Zorro brought up the rear, the red fox determined to stay with the children.

         Walker had just passed Samantha’s door when it opened, unnoticed by him or the children. Delia looked out then motioned for Samantha to come to the door, too. By now, the children and even the fox were walking away, still unaware of the two women watching them.

         Delia started giggling but managed to get out, “Looks like we have our own Pied Piper.”

         Samantha couldn’t resist, “I see the four children of Hamlin, but that’s a pretty big red rat.” She looked over at Delia. “Want to join the parade?” Without waiting for an answer, she took off down the corridor, soon joined by the other woman. Unaware of the addition to his small group, Walker continued until he reached the hidden room, unlocked the door, and waited for the four children to go inside.

         When he saw Zorro rounding the corner behind them, he started smiling but broke out in laughter when the two women came into view. “I didn’t know you two were there.” He let Delia go by him then went in with Samantha at his side. He leaned down so only she could hear, “Have you been avoiding me, Sam? I’ve hardly seen you at all since, well, since we…”

         Once again, the children shattered their private moment. “Mr. Walker,” called out Joshua, “what did you find? Is it as much fun as the caverns?”

         Walker looked at Samantha in regret, but turned to where the children waited impatiently in the middle of the room. Delia was wandering around the room since this was the first time she’d been in it. Zorro followed her, sniffing at all the new smells.

         “See the trunk over there?” Walker pointed to the trunk he had recently opened. “Go check out what’s inside.”

         Following his instructions, the four children went to stand in a row in front of the open trunk. Only Mike couldn’t see what was inside. The other three reached in to each bring out an object that caught their attention. Joshua found one that seemed perfect for Mike and handed it to him, causing the other boy to smile when he felt it.

         Samantha went over to where the excited children were telling Mike about what each of them was holding. “Oh, Walker, how wonderful,” she whispered softly, already knowing what Walker would do with them. “This is even more exciting than the blueprints to the caverns, isn’t it?”

         Walker nodded. “They will go perfectly at Hannah’s Home.” Already in his mind, he could see the completed building filled with children enjoying this new-found treasure.

Chapter 23

Walker and Felix had finalized the complicated plans for the orphanage with Karla during the last days of March. The petite blonde dynamo previously sent some of her crew to construct the two family-size bungalows. Walker’s lawyer easily expedited all the necessary paperwork, and Felix and Valentine already were living happily in their new spacious home.

         With her two children, Gideon and Catherine, arriving later in the evening by private plane chartered by her ex, Delia spent most of the day getting the furniture Walker bought for her bungalow arranged then rearranged. She and Samantha had become good friends, after Samantha saw Delia was interested in Felix.

         “Do you think your children will like living here?” While Samantha helped move the sofa for the third time to a new location, she managed to get out this question. “Did your ex object to them moving so far away from him?”

          “I think he was actually relieved.” While saying this, Delia looked at the sofa, and decided to leave it there. “Catherine told me last time they visited him that he was getting remarried later this year.” She grinned. “Evidently, Alice, his fiancé, isn’t all that partial to my two kids. Knowing Gideon, he’s been making her life miserable with all his animals.”

         “What kind of pets does he have? He’s eleven, isn’t he?” Glad that Delia no longer wanted the sofa moved, Samantha sank down on it, exhausted. “He’s almost the same age as Michael.”

         Delia nodded and sank down on the sofa beside Samantha. “Yes, he’s eleven and a typical boy for that age. During his last visit, he found a snake in the back yard and brought it in to show his father.”

         “What happened?”

         “It got loose inside the house.” Delia stretched out her aching arms before continuing. “When Alice came over later in the day, she was in the kitchen when the snake slithered out from behind the stove. Catherine told me later that all the neighbors could probably hear the woman screaming when she saw it crawling toward her.”

* * *

         At the same time Samantha and Delia were discussing the children, Walker was leading Karla and Felix around behind the mansion to where he wanted the orphanage built. With winter behind them and the ground no longer as hard as concrete, the time had come to start construction on Walker’s dream.

         “Walker, I can have my crew here first thing Monday morning,” said Karla, gazing up at the tall trees around her. “Are you sure you don’t want some of these trees cut down?”

         “I’m sure.” He made a wide circle, looking at the area but imagining the building soon to be there. “You probably will have an audience of my guests then, but just let me know if they get to be a bother.”

          “No problem,” Karla said, laughing. “I’ve met a few of your people already and made arrangements for where they can watch us in safety.”

         “Any last minute qualms, Felix?” Walker didn’t face his architect when asking this, still deep in daydreaming about Hannah’s Home. He didn’t see Felix shaking his head or sharing an amused glance with Karla. Both knew by now what this orphanage meant to Walker and were almost as impatient as he was to start its construction. With last minute instructions out of the way, Walker returned to the mansion after seeing Karla leave in her truck.

         Felix, who had left Valentine sleeping on the master bed, walked slowly through the trees to his new home. The bungalow, made primarily of redwood and glass on a steel frame, looked to be part of the forest itself, so well did it blend in. Smoke swirled lazily from the massive stone fireplace, left to burn when Felix had left hours earlier. He knew the home would be warm and cozy and still couldn’t believe his good fortune at living there.

         Walking inside, he called out, “Come here, you lazy dog. Time to get up, Valentine.” Getting no responding barks of welcome, with no big gray dog racing to meet him, Felix entered his bedroom. Spread out on the bed crossways, lying on her stomach, was Valentine, all 100 pounds of her. Her four paws drooped off the sides of the king-size bed, and she’d managed to drag the two large pillows to rest her head on.

         Felix said, almost in a whisper, “Treat!” Somehow, the sound of that magic word got through to her, and Valentine struggled upright. She dove off the bed straight after Felix, who was racing toward the kitchen. He beat her there by only seconds and dug a large dog biscuit from an open box on the counter. While the dog gnawed on the treat, Felix checked his answering machine for messages from his San Francisco office. Finding nothing critical needing his attention, he decided to join Delia at her new home.

         Grabbing a leash for Valentine, he walked with the excited animal the short distance to the other bungalow. “Anyone home?” he asked, through the open front door. Samantha was just leaving to return to the mansion and almost ran into them.

         “Delia’s inside. Be prepared, Felix,” she warned, “to be volunteered to move furniture.” With that, Samantha turned to wave goodbye to Delia, standing just inside. She walked quickly down the new pathway back to her daily tasks of managing Walker’s massive home.

         After taking Valentine inside, Felix indeed was put to work without a single complaint coming from him. When he drove Delia in his newly leased car to the Westbrook airport a few hours later, both were tired but looking forward to the arrival of her children. Even Valentine, once again in the back seat of the vehicle, seemed to sense their excitement.

         Their excitement turned to horror when they reached the small airport. Waiting for them was news that the plane bringing the children was missing and presumed down. The last message from the pilot half an hour before was of having mechanical problems, then nothing further.

Chapter 24

“What’s the latest news?” shouted Walker out the window, almost before his SUV came to a full stop. Felix and Delia were standing on the sidewalk outside the airport terminal waiting for him. Felix had phoned him right after hearing of the plane’s disappearance. He hoped Walker’s friendship with important people in the government would produce faster results in finding the missing children and pilot.

         “Walker, they still haven’t found them.” The fear in Delia’s voice was almost palpable, and Felix put his arms around the terrified woman to comfort her. Getting out of his SUV, Walker looked over Delia’s bowed head at Felix, a worried look on his face.

         “Let’s go inside, shall we?” He led the way into the terminal and went straight into the airport manager’s small office. It was currently empty, being the start of the weekend. However, Walker had called and received permission from the man to use it during this emergency. He immediately picked up the phone and dialed the private number of an acquaintance at the National Transportation Safety Board. Within minutes, he knew the exact status of the search.

         After hanging up the phone, he turned to his two friends. “Delia, they’ve managed to narrow the possible crash site down to a 50 mile radius, but it’s a heavily wooded terrain. Search teams have started in, but they’re going slowly now that it’s getting dark.” He studied her face carefully before continuing. Deciding she would not be able to handle any further bad news, he motioned for Felix to follow him out of the office. “I just need to talk some private mansion business with Felix for a second, Delia. We’ll be right back.” Not waiting for her to acknowledge his comment, Walker went out into the main terminal area.

         Once he closed the office door behind him, Felix asked sharply, “What can be so important about business right now?”

         “I just wanted to tell you something without Delia hearing it.” Walker paced a few steps before returning to where Felix remained just outside the office. “Rosalie, my friend at the NTSB office for this region, reported that a cold weather front is moving into the search area.”

         “Damn it,” Felix muttered. “Yeah, you were right not to tell her. She’s ready to crack under the strain as it is.” He glanced back through the office window next to the closed door. Delia was just sitting inside by the manager’s desk, her hands covering her face as she quietly wept. Felix could see she was totally exhausted from fear and worry about her two children. “Walker, I think we should go back to your home and wait for news there.”

         “I was thinking the same thing.” Walker also looked through the window at Delia. “Why don’t you two follow me back? I’ll call Rosalie on my cell phone and let her know where we’re going.” Without waiting to see what Felix would do, Walker went to where the clerk was standing quietly behind the one terminal counter. “We’re all heading back to my home. If you hear anything, please call me immediately.” After handing the man one of his business cards, Walker quickly left the terminal.

         Half an hour later, Felix joined Walker in his fourth-floor apartment. “I left Delia downstairs with Samantha. Edith is with them, too. I figured she needed women who might know what she’s going through around her right now.”

         Walker smiled without humor. “Felix, I know you meant well, but neither of them have or had young children to worry about.” He went over to the window and looked out into the darkness below. “You’re probably right, though, that Sam and Edith can comfort her better than we can right now.”

         For the next five hours, the two men talked in desultory spurts followed by long periods of silence, simply waiting for phone updates from Rosalie. She reported around midnight of bitter cold rain falling on the search teams, which made hiking through the forest even more dangerous. The chances of finding the children and the pilot, Marie Shepherd, alive were decreasing as each hour passed.

         About 2 a.m., Felix left Walker pretending to read a magazine and walked down to Samantha’s apartment. Edith answered his soft knocking and reported that she had given Delia a mild sedative. They knew that the coming daylight might bring terrible news, and Delia would need those couple hours of sleep to make it through the day.

         ”If you hear anything before then,” begged Edith, “please let us know immediately.”

         “I promise. Now, you’d better get some sleep, too.” When Edith agreed at least to try, Felix returned upstairs to find Walker once more staring out the window, his shoulders slumped from exhaustion and worry.

         “Felix, I’m starting to dread Rosalie’s calls.” Right at that moment, the telephone down the hall in his office rang, startling both men.

         “Keep your fingers crossed, Felix, that the search was successful,” Walker said softly, heading toward the sound of the phone. “A little prayer right now wouldn’t hurt either.” He disappeared into his office, only to reappear a few minutes later.

         The expression on his face told Felix nothing. “Well, did they find them yet?’ At Walker’s silent nod, he continued, dreading what else Walker knew. More than that, Felix dreaded having to tell Delia if Walker had bad news.

Chapter 25

While Walker and Felix had waited for word about the missing plane and the three people on board, the search team made slow but steady progress through the thick mountainous forest. The heavily falling rain hindered their steps, causing many of them to lose their footing on the muddy ground. Under different circumstances, the sound of a man falling, followed by a stream of curse words, would have amused the rest of the searchers.

         Meanwhile, five miles away from the nearest search team, Marie huddled under one of the gigantic redwood trees in a fruitless attempt to stay dry. Her left arm, broken in three places, shot pain up to her shoulder every time she moved. Beside her were the sleeping bodies of the two children, still alive but sinking fast into hypothermia. Marie had dragged what cover there had been from the damaged plane and covered Gideon and Catherine, leaving herself unprotected from the elements.

         Only a few hours earlier, the three of them had boarded the small charter plane. Marie, an experienced flyer with more than a thousand miles to her credit, greeted the two excited children and showed them to their seats.

         “Can I come up and help you fly later on?” asked Gideon, the 11-year-old always willing to try new experiences.

         Marie smiled at the young boy before answering. “Sure, but let’s get off the ground first, okay?” She glanced over at Catherine, four years younger than her brother and less daring. Catherine’s mother had often worried about the little girl’s extreme shyness and hoped this move to the country would help her overcome this.

         “Catherine, would you like to help me fly, too?” She was encouraged by the little girl’s tiny nod. Leaving them securely buckled in, Marie returned to the small cockpit and started the twin prop engine. The Piper PA-31 was her pride and joy, small but reliable. Taxiing down the runway of the private airport, the plane eventually lifted into the air, smooth as a hot knife through butter. Not a cloud was in the sky, and Marie settled back for a long and uneventful flight.

         Two hours passed before she noted dark clouds ahead of her. Since the cabin was not pressurized, Marie knew she couldn’t climb above the fast approaching storm. “Kids,” she yelled back into the cabin, her eyes never leaving the sight in front of her. “Buckle up tight now. It’s going to get a bit bumpy.”

         Bumpy turned out to be an understatement. The plane, upon arriving at the edge of the storm, bucked and twisted in the violent updrafts. Jagged bolts of lightning flashed through the sky one after another, followed by constant ear-piercing rumbles of thunder. Marie struggled to keep the plane airborne, her arms aching as the storm fought her for possession of the tiny plane.

         The frightened screams of the two children behind her made her intensify her efforts. In horror, though, she watched as first one propeller stopped turning and then the other. With the Piper suddenly converted into a glider, all Marie could do was look for a place in the forest below to try and land it without killing all three aboard. With the ground racing up to meet the plane, she spotted a small patch of clearing and frantically aimed toward it.

         The sound of metal ripping apart scattered the nearby forest animals as plane met earth in a horrendous crash. Then only silence.

Continued in next segment.

Home of the Gray Dog - Segment 06  (18+) Chapters 26 through 30 #1131305 by J. A. Buxton