The couple on the porch looked as if they didn’t believe their own eyes.
“Jesus, it’s them alright,” the farmer’s wife said to her husband. “They said there were two women and two young children. Let’s not make them wait out here any longer, Wilbur. I’m going in to make them something to eat.”
Wilbur lowered the rifle and his wife went inside. He turned back around and grinned at Peggy and the others. Several of the man’s front teeth were missing, and some were down to brown nubs.
“Okay folks, come on inside and we’ll take care of you. You’re safe here.”
Wilbur held open the screen door as they stepped up on the porch. The black lab sniffed them curiously as they walked by.
“What’s your dog’s name?” asked Connor.
“That’s Randy. He’s our chief inspector around here. He never lets anyone come inside he can’t smell first.”
“Thank god we found you,” Jan said, unable to hold back her tears anymore.
Jan, Krista and Connor went inside. Peggy was the last one to the door. She couldn’t stop thinking that there was something odd going on. It almost seems like they were expecting us…
“I’ll need to use your phone,” Peggy said.
Wilbur glanced nervously at her and laughed. “You’re not going to believe this lady but our phone’s been dead for two days now. Lightning storm took it out and the phone company says they won’t be coming out to fix it until maybe this afternoon.”
“Then it would be best if we left straight for town. Those men who kidnapped us could be on their way.”
Wilbur stroked his rifle with a fat hand and grinned. His lack of teeth sent a slight shiver of disgust up Peggy’s spine.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to let them get you. But I think it would be best if you and the children had something to eat. Come sunrise I’ll take you directly to the sheriff’s office in town.”
Peggy found it difficult to argue. The teasing smell of frying bacon was already drifting toward them from the kitchen and made her stomach grumble with hunger.
Okay, maybe I’m being overly paranoid. It’s just that horrible looking mouth…
“You don’t need to feed us, you know. We don’t want to be a burden.”
Wilbur reached out and gently squeezed Peggy’s hand. She smelled mint mouthwash on his breath, and knew in his case he probably needed it often.
“Please. It’s no trouble at all. If you knew my wife you’d know she’d drop everything to feed an empty stomach.”
Peggy smiled. “Well thank you then.”
****
Betty kept the pancakes and bacon coming until they begged her to stop cooking any more. The food had made them aware of how tired and sleepy they were. Connor and Krista were already asleep on the sofa. Peggy and Jan sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee while Wilbur quietly finished yesterday’s newspaper.
Peggy thought it was weird they hadn’t asked them many questions about their ordeal. Maybe they thought it was impolite.
“Thanks for the meal, Betty, it was delicious,” Jan said.
“Think nothing of it,” Betty said with a wave of her hand, “I’m glad we could help you and your young ones. I’d hate to think of what might have happened if you hadn’t chosen to stop by here instead of another house.”
Wilbur lowered his paper and glared. “Come on, Bet. You make it sound as if all our neighbors are bad people.”
Betty’s eyes lowered to her cup of coffee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. But they never seem to be around. Not really neighbors in my book. All I’m saying is that you girls would still be knocking on doors if we hadn’t been home.”
Peggy excused herself and went to the bathroom. On her way back through the hall she noticed an old rotary-style phone sitting on a shelf next to a pile of crumbling phonebooks. She picked up the receiver and listened for a dial tone. The line was dead.
He’s telling the truth. Happy now?
When she returned to the kitchen she asked Wilbur if he was ready to drive them into town. The sun had risen over an hour ago and it looked like they were in store for another hot day.
“I’m all ready to go if you are,” Wilbur said, rising from the table. “I guess the others can rest until we get back.”
Peggy shook her head. “No, we’re all leaving together.”
“Well I’m afraid that’s not possible. The sedan is in the shop right now, trying to bankrupt me. That just leaves the water truck, and it only has enough room for one person up front with me.”
Peggy glanced at Jan and then back to Wilbur. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that we get separated right now. Those men could come here looking for us.”
“Nobody’s going to come now,” Wilbur said. “Not in broad daylight.”
“Are you kidding me?” Peggy felt herself losing patience with the farmer. How could someone be so naïve to think that bad people had to wait until after dark to do anything?
Wilbur lowered his eyes and moved his head softly from side to side. “I’m sorry lady. I don’t know what else I can do.”
Jan reached out and grasped Peggy’s arm. Her voice was thin and wavering. “We don’t have much choice Peg. Unless we all walk to town together. But you know that wouldn’t be any safer. I’ll go with Wilbur and you stay here with the kids.”
I’m not staying here, Peggy thought. I know how cops think, and what it will take to get them fired up and headed out to that old farmhouse. I was married to one after all…
“No Jan. I think it would be better if you stayed here. We’ll go with Wilbur.”
“Who's we?” Wilbur asked, irritated.
Peggy shot the farmer a look that caused his jowls to turn a bluish shade. His piggish eyes danced nervously within deep pinholes of flesh.
“Connor is going with us. And that’s how it’s going to be.”
****
She woke up Connor with a kiss. He lay on the couch, snuggled beside Krista under a handmade quilt. They looked so adorable with their heads lying next to each other that she wished she could sit down and simply watch them sleep.
“Mom?” Connor asked. He blinked his eyes and frowned. Peggy knelt down and took his hands and helped him slide off the couch. His legs were unsteady at first, but she held him upright with his arms looped around her neck.
“What are we doing, mom? I was asleep.”
“It’s time to go honey. We’re going to town to find some help.”
Krista stirred as if she were about to wake. Jan adjusted the quilt and stroked the top of the girl’s head. It took less than thirty seconds to send her back to sleep.
The three of them tiptoed to the front door. Betty emerged from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. Her smile looked strained.
“We’ll get through this,” Peggy whispered to Jan. “I promise I’ll be back here with cops as soon as I can. Then we’ll help them find our husbands.”
Jan’s face was streaked with tears. “Thanks for everything. You saved our lives back there.”
The two women hugged tightly before Peggy took Connor by the hand and led him out to the porch. Wilbur was waiting in the truck. The engine was belching black exhaust. He was digging an ear with his finger and examining what it found there.
Peggy could see that the farmer had told the truth once again. Mounted behind the cab of the pickup was an enormous water storage tank equipped with hoses. It would have been impossible to take any more than two adult passengers, but Connor wasn’t so big yet that he couldn’t still sit on her lap.
As soon as Peggy and Connor hopped inside Wilbur got the truck moving. She pulled Connor up on her lap and he leaned against the open window. Betty and Jan stood on the front porch waving and they waved back. A brown dust billowed up from below the truck and forced them to roll up the windows.