Chapter Twenty Three
The adults laid their napkins on the table. Lunch had been satisfying but not as much fun as their picnic the day before. “Let’s get some sunscreen on before we go. I don’t want to spoil our time here by getting burned. You look a little red already, Brian, just from this morning.” Andrea led the way to her room up the flight of stairs. After liberally applying the sun protection, they left for their trek to the cemetery.
Bernard met them on the front steps of the hotel. “Bonjour, monsieur, mam’selle. We go now, non? I ‘ave to be back for my shift soon.” Andrea nodded her head and took hold of Camilla’s hand. The trio fell into a steady pace close behind their silent guide.
After a short distance, Camilla complained of sore legs. “Hop up then, little one. I’ll give you a ride.” Brian tossed the child up on his shoulders as if she weighed nothing. It wasn’t long however before her weight began to feel like a lot more than the pint sized girl that she was. “Don’t bounce so much, Camilla. You’re getting heavy. It must be all that food you’ve been eating lately.”
“Oh, Monsieur Brian. I eat too much, non? I eat only a little from now on.” Camilla turned serious eyes toward Andrea.
“Oh, please. Camilla. You eat like a bird. Brian’s only teasing.” She punched him on the arms. “Stop that. I’m trying to put some meat on her bones.”
“You want me to put meat on my bones. I like to put it in my mouth, non?” Camilla looked confused.
“Honey, that’s the right thing to do. It goes in your mouth.” Andrea decided not to try to explain the colloquialism. She chuckled. It’s strange how we take some of those phrases so much for granted until we cross paths with someone who has no idea what they mean. “This walk should give us some exercise, don’t you think, Brian? I mean, we did put away a sizable lunch. The weather’s so nice, no winds. . . well . .”
•
“Andrea, do you want to talk about this morning’s events?” Brian could sense that Andrea had something on her mind besides Camilla’s eating habits. They’d have to talk in circles. Camilla’s little ears didn’t need to hear any more scary stuff. However, he felt Andrea needed to talk through the implications of their morning.
“I just seem to a-t-t-r-a-c-t the wrong kind of a-t-t-e-n-t-i-o-n,” she began. “Why is it that I seem to be the one they are a-f-t-e-r? They leave you totally alone? I mean…I don’t know what I mean…” She sighed in frustration.
“Are you thinking that I may be involved with the people who are d-o-i-n-g this to you?” Brian’s face conveyed his worry over that possibility.
Andrea looked toward Camilla to see if she was paying attention to their cryptic words. Camilla was happily watching the birds flying through the trees. “N-no…” She seemed unsure at first but then spoke with more conviction. “No, of course not. That’s preposterous. But they do seem to leave you alone.”
“Yah, well you already know my take on that. Only c-o-w-a-r-d-s would come a-f-t-e-r a woman. They l-e-a-v-e me a-l-o-n-e because they’re afraid I might be able to defend myself.”
“Well, I wish they would l-e-a-v-e us all a-l-o-n-e.”
“You know they’re not going to do that. These are people who k-i-l-l-e-d Max. And they didn’t hesitate to t-a-k-e a young family with a three-year-old boy. I believe they would stoop to almost anything to s-t-o-p us from finding out what is going on, don’t you?” Brian turned his head to the child on his shoulders. She seemed oblivious to their conversation. Thank You Lord.
“I guess we should have expected this but when reality hits, we’re just not cut from the same cloth as these people. Their thinking is warped. How could they think that no one would come looking for the Michners? I wonder if the p-o-l-i-c-e back home have discovered anything yet? I also wonder why Max said not to involve them? Boy there are still so many unanswered questions.”
Their walk took them through a wooded area where large sections of trees were covered by moss. The smell was a little musty but could not overpower the strong scent of flowers close by. Everywhere they traveled, a preponderance of blossoms greeted their eyes and their sense of smell, making this trip in Haiti enjoyable in spite of the circumstances. Bernard’s pace kept him just in sight of the couple as if he didn’t want anyone to know he was guiding them.
“The closer we get to some of those answers, the harder those thugs will work to keep us from finding them out. You need to stay close to me at all times. I intend to ask the concierge to place us in adjoining rooms from now on and we need to get C-a-m-i-l-l-a to some place safe. When did you say your friend from the o-r-p-h-a-n-a-g-e would be back?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, about 1 p.m. We’ll meet him by the dock. Speaking of tomorrow, the reason I told him we couldn’t meet him in the morning was church. Now we’re scheduled for another dive. Aren’t we going to find a church?”
“Have you seen any church that you think would teach from the Bible? I haven’t, so I thought that we would have our own service in either my room or yours. Maybe I should have discussed this with you earlier. We both have our Bibles with us. We could have a praise and worship time about 8 a.m. and then meet at the scuba shop for another lesson. We’ll need to get back before noon if we are to be ready by 1 o’clock, though.”
“That sounds like a good plan. I’m glad you thought of it. Camilla, how are … Look, Brian, she’s sound asleep on your shoulders.”
“I know. For a small child, she can sure get heavy when she is dead weight like she is now. I hope we don’t have too much farther to go.” Just as he spoke, a clearing appeared, and they saw the fence surrounding the graveyard they were looking for. Bernard waved toward the site and then disappeared into another grove of trees.
The metal fence was coated entirely with rust and the grave markers inside were simple wooden crosses even though many of the native Haitians believed this was unholy ground. Brian gently laid Camilla on a mound of grass under a tree and out of sight of anyone who might happen by. “We’ll still be able to keep an eye on her from here.” I hope. I hate having to worry about someone hurting a little child. He led the way toward the first marker.
“Brian, these look fresh.” Andrea pointed to several near the fence on the right side of the graveyard. Brian joined her. The first one seemed to be of a woman close to Andrea’s age, according to the dates on the marker. The next wood cross marked the resting place of a couple.
Brian looked closer. The name was the same as Camilla’s last name. “Oh, I’d hoped we’d not find this. It’s easier thinking of them as bad parents who abandoned their daughter than dead somehow. We need to bring the neighbor here to confirm they are Camilla’s parents. She deserves to know someday where her parents are. We can tell the priest who runs the orphanage, so he can tell her when she is old enough. At least she won’t be wondering where they are for the rest of her life.”
“I agree. I feel so sorry for that little girl. Imagine, losing both parents at once. Oh, Brian, what’s going on here? Why are people disappearing and then washing up on the beaches dead?”
“I don’t know but I think we are going to find out.” They passed more graves. “These are all young men and women. And the fellow you talked to said they had all washed up on the beach?”
“Well… no, I guess he didn’t say all but…this is where they bury the ones who are considered unholy for whatever reason. Maybe there are other reasons for someone to be unholy…according to the priest anyway. There seems to be so many of them.” Andrea looked toward Brian and then moved toward the other side of the graveyard. “These dates are a lot older so maybe…”
“…other people are buried here too.” Brian finished the sentence for her. “We know God does not consider anyone unholy, just unsaved.” He watched as Andrea bowed her head. He decided to pray silently as well. Father, we know you know all these people. Please comfort their families and bring closure to them. Amen.
Camilla stared at them through the rusted iron fence. Brian looke
d at his watch. They’d been there for almost an hour. Poor kid. She has no idea that she no longer has any parents. At least it looks that way. “Hi there.” Brian peered at the child through the fence. “We want to go visit your neighbors again. Would you like that?”
“I would, but I always miss my mama et my papa when I go see them.” The tiny face displayed the sadness the child felt inside. “But it will be good to see the girls again.” Her spirits, apparently revived at that thought, sent her hopping and skipping through the grass. She traversed the wooded areas as if she made this trip every day of her life.
Maybe she had. Brian couldn’t imagine why her parents would have brought her so often to this graveyard but the child really did know her way back to the place where their hut stood. Little children should not have to face such a horrific childhood. For as long as he could, Brian vowed to keep Camilla safe. She needs to know she’s loved.
As soon as Camilla saw the neighbor lady, she ran toward her. At first the woman appeared to be angry but her face soon softened when she realized that this child, dressed in finer clothing then her children would ever wear, was Camilla.
“Come child, let me look at you. You look so grand. These people are taking good care of you, non?” She patted the child on the head. Then she looked toward the adults following.
“These are my friends. They ‘ave introduced me to Jesus. “e will be my friend when dey go back to America, non?” Camilla smiled a the other woman, whose wrinkled face told of the hardships she’d endured. By the age of the kids, Brian supposed she was not as old as she appeared.
“Humpff, Jesus … just another religion, non.” With that said, she looked into the eyes of Camilla’s benefactors. Although she didn’t thank them for caring for the little girl, her expression was far softer than it had been the last time they’d seen her. “She look well.”
•
Andrea looked to the woman for approval. “We’ve come to love her very much. Now, however, we need your help, Mrs. Benedictin. We visited the graveyard by the swamp with the rusted fence surrounding it. Do you know anyone who is buried there?”
The woman looked at Camilla and then nodded her head. “Dey are dere. We brought dem up to dat spot two days ago, just after you were ‘ere. We, my husband and I, figure you would someday come back. We would tell you den.”
“Are you not afraid that someone will know you are burying those people when they wash ashore. During our last visit, you seemed not to want to get involved.” added Brian.
“Dese were neighbors, the Demers.” She looked toward the children playing in the grass to make sure Camilla was not within earshot. “To bury means that no one smells, de bosses say.”
“So they let you bury your friends, how awful. Can you tell us how long from the time the Demers were taken, or disappeared, to the time they washed ashore?”
“Maybe two week, maybe three. I don’t know ‘xactly.”
“Okay, well thank you for all your help. We’re planning to take Camilla someplace where she will be well looked after.”
“You take her to America, den?” The tired woman tilted her chin toward the children. “She is better off now that her parents are no more, non?”
Andrea’s heart hurt at the obvious misstatement made from a mother wanting only the best for her own children too. “No, we can’t take her back to America with us, but she will have a good home and clean clothes as well as food three times a day. They will also teach her to read and provide her with an education.”
“Well den, good for ‘er.” The woman returned to her seat by the door of her hovel. She sat down wearily, shoulders sagging in her worn dress. Her children were not so lucky, she’s thinking, but they have two parents who love them. Andrea turned away from the pitiful sight, wishing they could help more people.
Completely oblivious to the adults’ distress, Camilla skipped happily beside her two friends. “Did you find someone you know at the graveyard?”
“Yes, we did.” Andrea eyes unveiled her inner turmoil.
“It makes you sad, non? When ma papa et mama disappeared, I was sad. But now I am ‘appy again to have such good friends like you. Jacqueline, my friend back dere, said that I was lucky to ‘ave you. I told her what you ad bought for me. Then she was sad, so I stopped telling. Den I remember bout Jesus. I tell her dat. She smile a lot after dat.”
“Oh, Camilla. You have such a sensitive spirit.” Andrea gathered the little girl into her arms for a big hug. The few children Andrea knew never thought about another child’s feelings. Instead they called them names or bullied them.
“Where we go now?” asked Camilla.
“How would you like to go for a swim again this afternoon?” Brian decided this conversation needed some lightening up. “I spotted a beach not too far from the hotel. We could relax on the sand and enjoy swimming in the salty ocean before dinner.”
“That sounds like a plan to me.” Andrea picked up on Brian’s good intentions. “Besides, I want to work on my tan some more. I kind of like the color I am turning.”
“Pretty soon, we won’t be able to tell you from the natives.” Brian winked at her.
Andrea gave him a playful push. “You should talk. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with so much color before.”
“Well, we can’t go back to the States looking as if we stayed indoors the whole time, can we?”
The trio walked along merrily trading teasing comment for teasing comment until they reached the edge of town. The closer they got to their hotel, the busier the streets became with bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, and trucks, some pulling wagons. People seemed to be everywhere, which was not unusual for this time of day. Siesta was over. The stores were getting ready to reopen for the late afternoon commerce.
“We will have at least an hour or two to enjoy the water before we have to get ready for dinner.” Andrea dodged a moped as she walked across the street heading toward the hotel. She turned her head to speak to her travel companions. “We’ll need to shower before we dress to get rid of the salt from our bodies.”
Camilla tugged on her arm. “Another bath! You Americans sure take many baths, n’est pas?”
Their laughter was interrupted as soon as they came in sight of the dive shop. They had to pass it to get to the hotel. A couple of men in suits as well as at least three uniformed policemen were looking at the body of a man who was lying on the dock. The trio moved closer. Andrea recognized their dive instructor. She gasped.
Brian directed them quickly away from the grisly scene. The adults exchanged worried glances over the head of their charge and then looked toward the hotel. Any discussion would have to wait until Camilla was taken care of.
Andrea Wilton was beginning to think they had bit off more than they could chew. What are we doing here? She questioned herself, not for the first time. We are dealing with killers, and we have no way to defend ourselves.
•
Brian’s thoughts almost mirrored hers. Wait a minute. I know self defense. I could teach Andrea. He also had something else up his sleeve.
“Andrea, you and Camilla go ahead to the hotel. I’ll be along shortly.” He ignored their puzzled looks as he strode purposefully toward the market place.
•
“Well, I guess we are on our own for a short while.” She watched Brian walk away. Andrea grabbed the child’s hand and headed in the direction of the hotel. They mounted the steps leading to the front door. Once inside, Andrea remembered Brian had suggested that their rooms be moved beside each other for easier access. She approached the concierge.
“Monsieur.” Andrea turned hopeful eyes toward the concierge. “Monsieur Brian and I would like to have our rooms adjoining. Is that possible?”
“Oh, oui Mam’selle. We just ‘ad a man leave the room next to Monsieur this morning. I would be ‘appy to move your things to that room, non?”
“No, that’s okay. I can do it myself. Can I have the key, please?’
“Oui, ‘ere is the key. Will monsieur et mam’selle be coming to dinner this evening? Will you also bring the child?” He motioned toward the waif with his chin.
“Yes, we will, but first we want to go to the beach for a swim.”
“Ah oui. It is ‘ot today and a swim would be refreshing. I ‘ope you like your new room, mam’selle.”
Andrea took the key from the hotel owner. Camilla silently followed. When Andrea looked to see what was wrong, she noticed a troubled expression on the little girl’s face. “What’s wrong, Camilla?”
Camilla remained silent. She stepped into the elevator ahead of Andrea but remained quiet all the way to their floor and the door to their room. “Camilla something is bothering you. Tell me what it is.”
Camilla started to cry. Andrea couldn’t make sense of her muffled sobs. They sat on the side of the bed. Andrea held her until the sobs subsided. “What’s the matter?”
“I will have to leave my new clothes with the room, non?”
“No, of course not. Those clothes are yours to keep until you are too big to wear them anymore. We’re simply moving our rooms together, so we can be a family, like a mother and father and our little girl, you.”
Andrea knew that her explanation was pretty simple, but the child certainly didn’t need to know the extent of the precautions these two felt were necessary in light of recent events. Just then a light knock sounded just before Brian entered. “You didn’t lock the door. I…”
“I know. Camilla was so upset, I forgot. You weren’t gone long.”
“No, I knew exactly what I was looking for. I’ll tell you all about it when Camilla is having her bath, later this afternoon.”
“Oh, the reason Camilla’s upset. I followed your suggestion and asked to have my room moved beside yours. I hope that’s okay with you. The concierge said a man had moved out of there this morning, so the room was free. Here’s the key. Camilla thought she would have to leave her new clothes with the room.”
“Oh, sweetie, no. In fact I’ll help you ladies move all your things to the new room right beside mine.”
“Oui. Mam’selle Andrea explain we will be like family now, non? You papa and she mama to me, yes?”
Andrea felt her face flush even hotter than it had through the dance session. Oh boy. I’ll have to watch what I say to Camilla from now on. “Er. . . Brian, I didn’t mean…”
“Andrea, I know it’s hard to explain things so the child understands but if you decide…”
“I won’t.” Andrea stared convincingly into his eyes.
“Oh.” Was that sadness on his face? She couldn’t tell. “Let’s get busy then. We still want to go to the beach, don’t we?”
Less than a half hour later, wearing bathing suits under shorts and t-shirts, they almost ran the short distance towards the water’s edge. They tossed their towels down and plunged headlong into the cool surf. Camilla wore a life vest over her bathing suit this time, one borrowed from the hotel.
They splashed, threw water at each other, and danced in the surf as the waves pounded the shoreline. Camilla, held by her hands between the two adults, was lifted high over each wave that came ashore. Her enjoyment over simple pleasures had returned. We are really going to miss this child when we drop her off at the orphanage tomorrow.
The time raced by, as it seemed to do when they were having fun. Before they knew it, a cool breeze was coming ashore with the surf. It was time to return to the hotel, take showers, and dress for dinner. Some beaches had showers to wash off the salt, but this one, being so close to the hotel, did not. They quickly dried off as much water as they could, dressed in their shorts and t-shirts, and headed home.
Camilla didn’t protest this time when Andrea suggested a bath. This room had a larger tub and a bed just for Camilla. It also had a small kitchenette, a convenience Andrea planned to use for breakfast, which would give the trio time for devotions before the day began. She hoped Brian would lead them.
Andrea showered quickly, dried off with the hotel’s large fluffy towel and then stepped into a sleeveless dress purchased before the trip began. She was blowing her hair dry with Camilla safety ensconced amidst the bubbles when Brian knocked on the door between their rooms. With the blower running at full speed, she didn’t hear anything until he was beside her. She jumped. Her heart just about leapt through her throat. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! I could have hit you with this hair dryer.” She positioned the blower in a manner to strike him over the head.
Brian quirked his eyebrow at her with a grin designed to melt the hearts of all females. “You’re quite the tigress when you get scared. Now I know why they haven’t done any permanent damage.” He enjoyed keeping her off guard, it seemed.
“I was not scared. I’ve just had it with people sneaking up on me.”
“Well, I’ve got something a little more persuasive than a hair dryer. Here, I saw this the other day in the market place. I decided after what happened today to get one for each of us. Now, don’t say no until you’ve heard me out. This is an electrical shock device called a stun gun. When you turn it on, it will immobilize a person long enough for you to get the upper hand but will do no permanent damage. In other words, it does not violate our desire to do things as Jesus would since it only inflicts momentary pain.”
“Let me see that.”
Andrea held the black object in her hand and felt the weight of it. It fit as if it were intended for her palm.
Brian directed her to turn it on and explained how effective it would be if someone came after her again. “We decided that the Lord would not use a gun to defend himself, but if He were to be in the situation we are in, He might use something to protect Himself that would not hurt His assailant a great deal but still get the job done. I know I’m rationalizing this, but we’ve got to do something. These men are not averse to killing someone. We’ve seen that today, if that was them involved. We know what happened to Max.”
“I know! I know! I’ve been questioning our efforts here, wondering if we should be armed. I know the Lord will protect us but…maybe this is His way of providing that protection.” Andrea hefted the stun gun in her hand. She waved it around to see if she could handle it. .
“I agree so let’s make sure we have these near us at all times. Oh and I also came across another dive shop. We need to check out. It seems to be bigger with more equipment for rent or sale. I’ve given some thought to how we are going to follow a boat, under water, at night without being detected. I intend to check the Internet the first chance I get to see what would be most helpful. It will probably be expensive though.”
“So what? The money Max left is for just this purpose. Since we no longer have a dive instructor for tomorrow morning, why don’t we check out this shop before dinner?”
“Good idea. Oh, Hi Camilla. Did you have a good bath? Are your ears clean and your fingernails?” Brian teased the little girl as he looked behind the ears of the giggling waif. She had wrapped herself in one of the towels, which on her was large enough to act as a blanket. “I’ll leave you ladies to finish getting dressed. The dive shop is just near the market, not far. Then we should make it an early night. We have church at 8 a.m., remember?”
“Church, what is church?” Camilla was all ears. She excitedly anticipated another new adventure. Brian quietly left the room and the explanations to Andrea.
“Church is a time when we let Jesus know how much we love Him. We read from the Bible and study what He would want to teach us. At home we go to a big building but here we will just be by ourselves.” Andrea moved towards the closet, something else this room had that the other had not.
“Oh, I do love Jesus. I will show him tomorrow as well.” Camilla stepped into clean underwear and then a little sundress that showed her coloring off to perfection. “I like this yellow one, n’est pas?” The child did a spin in front of the mirror.
Andrea finished styling her hair and with a glance in the mirror, decided make-up w
as not needed. Her complexion had turned a reddish brown making her brown eyes appear larger than before. She exuded health, she thought, so settled for a little lipstick to complement the color of her dress.
Camilla stared at her when Andrea stepped out of the bathroom. “You look very pretty mam’selle.” Andrea detected a tinge of awe in her voice. “I think I would like to be so pretty when I am as old as you, non?”
“Camilla, you are already the prettiest little girl I know. When you grow as old as I, you will be far prettier, you’ll see. Now, let’s do something with your hair.”
* * * * *