The Light Among Us by Jill George

Author:Jill George [George, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

I dressed for the day, my hands shaking as I tried to fasten each button, but the stress of not knowing what had happened or how Henry was caused my fingers to fumble.

As soon as I came downstairs, Ann handed me a sealed note. Thank God, a note from Henry. That must mean he is safe. I read the note, stuffed it into a hallway table, and ran out the door. “Ann, please tell Father I am going to the chapel,” I said over my shoulder.

I nodded a greeting as I passed several women whom I knew, who were in the large entryway of our Methodist Chapel, organizing food donations and putting them into crates. As I entered, I saw Henry sitting in a middle pew. The chapel feels like a second home to many of us as a safe and quiet refuge. It smelled of hymnals and new wood flooring. Several members of our Connection were milling about, resetting for the next service.

“I received your note and came at once,” I said softly as I slid into the pew and sat beside him. We both faced the pulpit.

“Thank you for coming. And I wanted to thank you again for coming to my parents’ funeral last month. It was a terrible time for us, given how unexpected it was,” Henry said, twisting his body to face me.

“Cholera strikes like that. It spreads quickly. I am sorry for your tragic loss. You know I was fond of your parents,” I said, glancing at him with all sincerity. I am afraid to ask why Henry is here in the chapel. His face is so stricken with pain. In all propriety, I continued to face forward.

“Was it you who threw the stone out of your window last night?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“Yes, it was a door stopper – a weight from a crab pot. I hoped it would be a distraction or alert you that trouble was quite near,” I said quickly.

“It did! You were so brave and smart to think of that. You saved my life, Bess. I would have walked right into his blade had you not alerted me.” He sighed.

“Something terrible has happened.” At this, we both turned to face each other.

I drew in a breath and tried to prepare myself for whatever was coming next.

“Talwyn and Mr Hewitt were murdered last night on the old pier,” he said, in a strained, scratchy voice.

I shook my head in disbelief and my hands flew to my mouth on their own. My eyes welled up with tears. I tried to blink them away, my eyes never leaving his. He too had tears in his eyes.

“Oh, how terrible!” I whimpered.

“They were conducting a smuggling transaction with Mr Pixley, who you remember. Turns out he was every bit as dangerous as you and others have said. You warned me. Talwyn warned me. But I was too caught up in my own integrity, trying to stop the grip of greed that smuggling had on them to listen to her.

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