‘Ha!’ she exclaimed, almost losing her mouthful of bread, using her fingers to catch the crumbs. ‘That woman never gave no directions to anyone. But I expect I came as close as anyone to knowing. If she sent you to me, I must’ve. Over sixty years ago now. I was just a girl and curiosity often caused me troubles. I followed her and that fellow. Two of them were like brother and sister, fought like it, too. They were trekking through the woods when I spied them. Thought I was right clever, too, following like that. The town folk were always whispering about them, wondering where it was they stayed. I wasn’t into the gossip, but I sure wanted answers to my own suspicions. I followed them all the way down a long dirt road. It led to the river and then just stopped. No purpose to it at all. Anyway, I lost ’em there.’
‘So, you don’t know where it is?’ Lincoln asked, his ever-polite tone beginning to waver.
She tutted at him. ‘I ain’t no fool, lad. That road went somewhere and just before they disappeared from sight, Evelyn looked right at where I was hidden behind a tree. The years went by and I never went back to look for them and never told anyone about that day, till now.’
‘Why?’ I asked.
Merri stuffed a large piece of pumpkin bread into her mouth and spoke while she chewed. ‘Sometimes you just know to leave well enough alone. Those two weren’t no honeymooners and I knew the likes of me had no right in knowing their business.’ She shrugged, swallowed. ‘Every now and then I’d see them back in the area.’ She raised her eyebrow. ‘I got older but the two of them never seemed much different at all. They stayed out of sight of the other town people, but for some reason she always let me see her when they came through town for supplies. Once I took over my pa’s store, she took to visiting me every so often, late at night or early in the mornings.’
There was a look of longing in her eyes. Was that why she was up and dressed at this early hour? Was she still waiting for Evelyn to return?
‘You became friends,’ I offered.
‘As much as that woman could be friends with anyone, I expect. Stubborn as hell, she was, and always looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.’ She harrumphed again. ‘She looked like you two do now.’
Lincoln and I both twitched in our seats. Merri smiled, but it quickly faded as she went back to her story.
‘The last time I saw her she was on her own, and in a bad way. She was never without that fella so I knew something terrible had happened.’
It must have been after Jonathan died.
Merri got up and reached into one of her kitchen drawers, pulling out a large old-fashioned key. She put it on the table, her hand hovering over it protectively.
‘I patched her up as best I could and she gave me this, told me to keep it safe for her. Said I’d been the closest to ever finding them that day when I was a kid. She knew I’d never told anyone or tried to find ’em again. She said time was the best test of trust. That was over thirty years ago, and the last I seen her.’
‘Would you be able to point us in the right direction?’ Lincoln asked.
She took a sip of tea and ripped off another piece of bread. ‘You two look like you’re headed for trouble.’
Lincoln kept his voice calm and neutral. ‘We’re just going up there for a night or two then we’ll be on our way. We don’t want to bring any trouble to the town,’ he said.
Merri considered this and nodded, before casting a curious gaze on me. ‘You got your mother’s eyes.’
‘No, I … I … She has blue eyes,’ I stammered, caught off-guard by the statement.
‘Not the same colour, maybe, but still … Same eyes. You’re a fighter, like her.’
I swallowed, realising with surprise I was glad she thought I could be like Evelyn.
‘And you’re all but a billboard screaming the same thing,’ she said to Lincoln, who smiled in response.
‘I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of strange happenings, if you knew Evelyn for so long. We’re just trying to keep our people safe.’
‘And am I your people?’ Merri asked.
Wise woman.
‘Yes, you are,’ Lincoln answered, not missing a beat.
Merri stood. ‘Collect what you need from the store. I’ll get you a map to point you in the right direction. Best we get you two back on the road before the town wakes up.’
We didn’t delay, heading back downstairs.
We moved through the store, grabbing anything we felt might come in handy. Lincoln went for the practical stuff – batteries, radio, gas cookers, blankets, candles, matches. He even grabbed two sleeping bags and then several large bottles of water. I prioritised food, mainly things that could be eaten raw or straight from a can. When I spied a kettle, I couldn’t resist grabbing it along with a packet of coffee. Lincoln saw and rolled his eyes, but he was grinning.
No way I’m going indefinitely without caffeine!
Lincoln piled his selections onto the counter and I loaded mine alongside them.
‘You were in the boy scouts, weren’t you?’ I teased.
He laughed, that laugh he had just for me, and I melted from the inside, my soul tugging at me, desperate to reach out to him. I resisted, busying myself with the supplies.
Merri brought us our map and gave us the key. She put all of our goods into bags, while Lincoln fetched the car. She even threw in a few extras like bug spray and a jar of homemade jam.
‘Thank you for helping us,’ I said.