Chapter Five

The drive back to the cabin was uneventful although Lauren had the distinct feeling she was being followed. Every glance in the rearview mirror reflected only Maggie’s face. It wasn’t until they finally turned off onto the road to the cabin that she was certain no one was behind them. Lauren’s focus turned to her mother. I will get answers and won’t let her leave until she tells me.

Inside the comfortable cabin, Lauren felt her stomach churn over what her mother had to say. “Why don’t you both get comfortable? I’ll make us some sandwiches and then we can talk.”

“I’ll go get some wood and start a fire. The radio said it’s going to get quite cold tonight. Besides, I know that you are fire-starting challenged.” Maggie chuckled and headed outside to the woodpile.

Lauren watched her from the window.

“You certainly seem taken by that woman, Lauren.”

“Don’t start, Mother.”

“Start? What am I starting? I was merely mentioning that you look like a lovesick kid when you look at her. I’m sure I brought you up with better values than that.”

“What values, Mother? To look down my nose at those who are different from me? To kick dirt in someone’s face when they’re down? Are those the values you are talking about, Mother?”

“How dare you speak to me like that? I am your mother and you will treat me with respect. You certainly have developed a backbone lately. Did you get it from that woman?”

“That’s it. You’re out of here. I’ll take you back to town. Whatever mess you have yourself in with the good mayor, you can get out of it all by yourself. I was an idiot to think I could have anything but an antagonistic relationship with you.”

“What do you know about anything, Lauren? Everything I have ever done has been for you, and this is how you repay me.”

“I never asked you for anything, Mother. Since I was a teenager, all I ever wanted was to be out from under your thumb. You’ve pushed it too far this time, and now I’m done with you. No more, never again. Now get out.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Oh yes, I do. Collect your things I’m taking you back to town.” Lauren couldn’t remember a time when she had ever seen her mother cry. Yet, there she was weeping like a baby seemingly broken and defeated.

“Lori, no. Please don’t. I am so tired, so tired of fighting this alone. Please help me…please.”

Although her mother had infuriated her once again, Lauren’s heart went out to her and she put her arms around the older woman in comfort. “Mom, why don’t you sit here on the couch while I get us something to drink. How about some coffee, tea, or a soda?”

“How about a Scotch?”

“You’ve got it.”

Once the shouting inside had died down, Maggie thought it would be safe to enter the cabin. She’d had to clench her fists and walk toward the river when she first heard the raised voices. Everything inside her wanted to go to Lauren’s defense, but she knew it wasn’t the right time. She had learned early in life that you must pick the battles you want to fight—this wasn’t one of them.

“Here’s the wood. I’ll have a fire going in a moment. Judge Walker, do you enjoy fires as much as your daughter does?”

“What? Oh, the fire,” she said. “Yes. I do enjoy a nice fire on a cool night. It’s rather relaxing, I think. We used to come out here, Lori and I, just when the leaves were turning. We’d bring hotdogs and marshmallows and just sit in front of the fire and tell ghost stories. Do you remember that, Lori?”

Lauren returned from the kitchen and placed the sandwiches and drinks on the coffee table. She smiled. “Yes, yes I do. Whatever happened to make that all change?”

Victoria looked into the now flickering fire with tears welling up in her eyes before the ran down her cheeks. “I’m afraid that it’s a rather convoluted story.”

Maggie looked at Victoria and then at Lauren. “Would you like me to leave? After all, this is family stuff.”

“No, you stay, Maggie, please,” Lauren replied quickly.

“Yes, please stay, Ms. Sullivan. It’s always good to have an impartial participant.”

“The name is Maggie.” She held out her hand to the trembling woman.

Lauren’s mother took Maggie’s hand and managed a small smile. “My friends call me Vicky.” She took a deep breath. “Shall I begin then?”

“Yes, Mother. It’s time we cleared the air.”

“The summer I was fifteen, my girlfriends and I went over to Westfield to the fair. It was a day just made for a fair. Blue skies and a gentle breeze. We made our way to the midway and began playing some of the games. I noticed one of the guys working at the ring toss booth looking at me, so I went over to play the game. Many games later, he and I made a date to meet the following day at the fair. He was one handsome fellow, and I think my adolescent heart fell in love with him the moment I saw him.

“The next day, my parents wouldn’t allow me to go back to the fair, saying once was enough. I pouted for a while and then went to my Uncle Zeb’s store and whined about not being able to go to the fair. Zeb was always a sucker for my tears, and away we went to the fair. While he was off looking over the livestock, I went to meet Rob. I was walking on air the whole time, and when Uncle Zeb found me, I introduced him to my new friend. Rob said he was tired of traveling from town to town and wanted to settle down with steady work. Wouldn’t you know it my Uncle Zeb offered him a job and a place to stay. I was so happy.

“I spent the entire summer at the store, just so I could be with Rob. Finally, late in August, he started to get restless and talked of leaving. I cried and begged him not to, but he said he just wasn’t a roots kind of man. I packed a bag and went with him. I thought I was in love.”

Taking a long sip of her Scotch, Victoria stared into the fire. “I never meant to be mean to you, Lori. I only wanted to protect you from making the same mistake I did.” A lone tear made its way slowly down her cheek. “Anyway, I followed him from one town to the next, in search of the perfect sunrise, the meaning of life. Whatever it was, we were looking for it. On my sixteenth birthday, I found out I was pregnant. Rob took us to his brother’s home in the Midwest, where we stayed until our daughter was born.”

Lauren kept shaking her head, finding it hard to believe this was her mother speaking. “What’s her name? Where is she now?”

“We called her Baby Girl. We couldn’t come up with a name, so the hospital put that on the birth certificate until we could think of one. I wanted to be a good mother. I tried so hard, but Rob had to move on. So one morning, we told Rob’s brother, Harry, that we were going, and leaving our baby with him. He protested, said he couldn’t do it, said the baby didn’t even have a name. Rob said, Yes she does…name her after you. Then we left, never to see either of them again.

“We made our way across the country doing odd jobs then caught a steamer to Europe, where we hiked everywhere. Our last trip was to the Alps. During a climb, Rob lost his footing and fell to his death. There I was with the love of my life gone, penniless, and alone. I had sent my parents the odd postcard from time to time to let them know I was still alive, but they were frantic to have me safe and home once again. So when I called my parents to tell them about Rob dying, my father immediately flew to get me. Apparently, they had told everyone I was abroad at boarding school, so my reappearance fit into their plans perfectly. When I got home, my mother arranged for me to take the GED, and then go on to her alma mater—Vassar.

“The only person I ever told about the baby was my Uncle Zeb. Years later, he unwittingly betrayed me to that bastard Westerly. I could never forgive him for that, not even when he was lying on his deathbed. Westerly dug around enough until he found out everything, and he’s been blackmailing me ever since.” She turned teary eyes toward her daughter. “I want you to know that I regret giving my little girl away.”

“Why didn’t you go back for her, Mom?”

“I was too ashamed. And I told myself that she was better off without me. Once you’ve turned your back and walked away, there really isn’t any going back.” The tears were flowing freely as if they were cleansing her soul of the long held secret.

“You know the right thing to do is to go and find your daughter and let her know her mother still cares about her. You have to do it, Mom. If not for her sake, then for yours.”

“I can’t, Lori. I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. You have to.”

“You don’t understand anything at all. I can’t risk it…I can’t risk you,” Victoria finished on a choked sob.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“You have to understand that everything I’ve done has been for you, Lori. Westerly threatened to kill you, and her, if I didn’t cooperate with him.” Victoria sighed deeply when she saw the look of shock on her daughter’s face. “Don’t you understand? I abandoned her once; I couldn’t take the chance he would actually kill either of you. I needed to protect my daughters in any way I could.”

Maggie was horrified at the revelation. “I think we need to call the police, Vicky. This is far too dangerous for both you and Lauren.”

“No. We can’t.”

“Why, Mom? I don’t understand. Does Daddy know?”

“No, your father has no idea. At first, Westerly wanted speeding tickets fixed, and then I had to support him for mayor. After that, I told him it was enough. About five years ago, Bill came to my office and said I should take him seriously. He shoved a newspaper article in front of me about a pregnant woman who died in an automobile accident. He said that my daughter was supposed to be in that car but she wasn’t so all he got was her partner.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “After that, I was afraid he might go after you.”

Lauren and Maggie stared at her in disbelief.

Maggie excused herself to go to the bathroom. After she closed the door, she pulled her cell out of her pocket and rapidly dialed a number. “Hey, it’s me. I’ve made contact and the job that needs your special touch is going down now.” Returning to join the two Walkers by the fireplace, she smiled. “Why don’t I make some calls? I have connections that can get information about the good mayor … information he may not want anyone to know.”

Victoria shook her head and managed a weak smile. “Thank you, I would appreciate that.”