Tracie Peterson - Dawns Prelude

Thomas's office could be accessed off of the music room. It had another entrance from the main hallway, but Evie had purposefully chosen this path to remind herself of her anger. She spied the small alcove where Trayton had first tried to seduce her. It was here that he had convinced her to adjourn upstairs with him to share a private moment.

Evic squared her shoulders. She was now sufficiently ready to face Thomas. She would be firm with him, but reasonable. Reaching for his office door, she was surprised to hear the voices of her brothers. She had thought Marston was still traveling.

"Ah, Evie. How good of you to join us," Thomas said, seeing her at the door.

Evic nodded. "I didn't know my brothers were here."

"You are positively grown up," Marston said, crossing the room. "Look at you. You've become a very beautiful woman."

She frowned. "It isn't like you to flatter, Marston." She allowed his embrace. "Welcome hack. Where did you go?"

"Well, it's a long story. But I'm glad to be hack, and there is something of great importance that I wish to discuss with you."

"With me?" she looked at Mitchell and then at Thomas. "What could you possibly want to discuss with me?"

Just then a baby began to cry. Evie's forehead furrowed as she tried to see around Marston's broad shoulders.

He took her arm and led her across the office. "That is what I wish to discuss." They crossed to the door and into the hall. Marston motioned to an older woman dressed in black.

The woman got to her feet and turned away from them. Reaching into a perambulator, she pulled out a crying baby.

"What is this all about? What child is this?"

The woman came to deposit the baby in Marston's arms. He grinned. "This, Evie, is your little brother, Dalton. Dalton Cray."

"I've decided to hire a detective to look into whether or not Marston Gray has Dalton," Kjell told Zerelda as they drove into town. Overcast skies above looked heavy with rain.

"How will you find one?" Zerelda asked him.

Kjell pushed back his hat a hit. "Not long after the attack, I sent a letter to the mayor's office in Kansas City. I could see that the army believed the case closed-that loann and Dalton were lost at sea-but I just can't rest when I know Gray might well have my son.

"I explained that there was a matter of great importance that required a hit of investigation. I asked if he or his people could recommend a detective agency. I got a reply back just the other day with the name of a reliable company I plan to write to the man in charge and seek his hire."

"What will you say? What will you ask him to do?"

"I'll tell him the truth. I'll explain that I know Gray is a powerful man, but that this involves kidnapping and attempted murder. I'll play to his ego and explain that seeing this man in prison will likely bring him positive notoriety. Which in turn could bring him additional cases."

Zerelda considered this for a moment. But what if he's a friend of the Gray family?"

1 remember Lydia telling me that the Grays were rapidly falling from grace with the powers around town. She said that her lawyer, Mr. Robinson, had explained all of this, which gave her hope that she could make a new start without their interference."

You know who her lawyer is? Why didn't you write to him for the name of a detective? As a lawyer, he surely must have known such men."

"I did write, but I never got a response. I don't know if the man is still alive or if he's moved from the area. Lydia never mentioned it. I know he was handling some business affairs for her, however. I figure we'll get something from him or his colleagues sooner or later in regard to that."

Zerelda motioned to the side. "This is where I get off. I'm meeting new missionaries. A Reverend John Brady and Miss Fanny Kellogg. They are said to be quite excited about working with the Tlingit people. I'm to help facilitate introductions."

Kjell brought the wagon to a halt and got out to help Zerelda down. "Do you think Liddie's getting any better, Zee? I mean, you're with her day and night. Have you seen any sign that she's recovering her memory?"

She looked at him with an expression of motherly compassion. "I can't help but think she is, Kjell. Sometimes she asks me questions about the past, and it seems to me that something must have triggered a memory"

"What about her music? Has she… is she playing?"

Zcrclda shook her head. "She attempted it once, but after holding the instrument for several minutes, she simply put it away. But don't worry. I believe God will restore what is needed in time. Like I said before, it might be best that she never remember the past-especially if Dalton is truly lost to us. If he's not with Gray, then we will have to accept that he drowned at sea."

"But no one has ever found anything to suggest that. Ioann's body was never recovered."

"Kjell, you know very well that people are lost at sea and never recovered. Hire your detective and see what he says. It will put our minds at rest once and for all."

He clenched his teeth. Nothing of the sort would bring peace or rest to his mind. He would always feel that he had failed Liddie and Dalton. If he hadn't been working late that night, and if the storm hadn't delayed him, none of this would have happened.

Lydia sat in the sewing room attempting to pin together the pieces of a shirt Zerelda was helping her make for Kjell. She liked doing things like this-things for Kjell. He'd been so considerate of her, and she'd appreciated his gentle courtship. In fact, she'd found such pleasure in his tenderness and affection that she felt the time had come to be a wife to him in full. The idea made her nervous and happy, all at the same time. She felt she could trust this man. Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew that she had loved him sincerely. She was tired of trying to battle her recovery on her own. Zerelda was wonderful to help her and give her insight into the past, but Lydia 's heart longed for Kjell, and she didn't want to deny that any longer.

As she worked on the shirt, she tried to figure out what would he the best way to invite Kjell hack into their home. Should she simply say that she was at ease with the idea and wanted him to return? Maybe she would he better off to ask him if he was comfortable with the suggestion.

She smiled to herself. Of course he was comfortable with it! He had told her many times of his love for her and his longing to he with her again. His love was evident, and Lydia couldn't help but love him in return.

Rain began to fall outside. The steady beat of the drops against the window suddenly made Lydia feel uncomfortable. She put down her sewing and got up. Something akin to panic rose up in her. Her chest tightened, and she felt as if her throat were closing up.

She paced back and forth for several minutes. The feeling refused to abate, however. Lydia thought perhaps she would find solace in her bedroom. Stepping through the door, her focus was immediately drawn to the window and then to the far corner of the room, where a dresser stood.

Something wasn't right, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She stood frozen, almost paralyzed with fear. It dawned on her that she had been injured the night of a storm. Maybe it was nothing more than that realization that was making her uneasy.

But I've been through many other showers. This is hardly a storm."

Going to the window, Lydia reached out to touch the glass. A fleeting image passed through her mind. She had come here to open the window that night. But why? Why would anyone open a window during a storm?