hurried out of the store.
Janice made her first stop at a garage, and she sat in the car while the mechanic attached a trailer hitch to her car. Fidgeting over this inactivity, Janice remembered the letter in her pocket.
The wrinkled envelope had no return address, and the postmark was smudged. Letters containing hazardous materials came to mind. She’d heard warnings on television about opening an envelope or package if it looked suspicious. She discounted the idea that an insignificant person like herself would be targeted for a terrorist’s attack, but she decided to be cautious. She stepped outside the car, held the envelope at arm’s length, and opened it with a nail file. No white substance was evident, and she concluded that the message was harmless.
Unfolding the single sheet of paper, she read it and stared in horror at the words.
If you know what’s good for you, stay away from Stanton.
Stunned by the message, Janice staggered to the car, her rapid pulse thudding in her forehead. Slumping in the seat, fearful images built in her mind and her stomach quivered with terror. What kind of prank was this? What difference could it make to anyone if she moved to Stanton?
After the first wave of fear, anger replaced Janice’s distress and she rationalized the situation. This letter had probably been sent by her father’s relatives still living in the Stanton area. Was this their way of telling her they were angry because the Reid property had passed to her?
Janice’s stubborn streak was stronger than her fear. She set her jaw and muttered, “They can like it or lump it! I’m moving to Stanton.”
Her face flushed when the man working on her car said, “What did you say, ma’am?”
She admitted she was talking to herself, but her embarrassment passed when the mechanic said, “My old daddy talked to himself, too—said he liked to talk to a smart man once in a while.”
The man’s remark amused her and eased the tension, but the note was unsettling. She fretted about it as she drove toward the Valley of Hope to say goodbye to Miss Caroline. When she turned the curve, and had a bird’s-eye view of the place that had once been her home, Janice paused briefly to survey the area with nostalgia. She had found the first security she’d ever known at VOH, and it was wrenching to leave it all behind. She couldn’t use Miss Caroline as her security blanket forever, but she would always be grateful for the care she’d received at VOH.
After she’d lost her fiancé in a coal mine accident, Caroline Renault had established the facility forty years ago in northeastern West Virginia. In anticipation of their marriage, her fiancé had named Miss Caroline the beneficiary of his life insurance. She’d added the insurance money to her own fortune and had started VOH with two buildings and a few children. Gas wells on the property provided an income that had helped VOH become self-supporting. Several of Miss Caroline’s family and friends had also contributed liberally to the growth of the facility.
Through the years VOH had increased to twenty brick buildings, comprising well-equipped elementary and secondary schools. Residents lived in a family atmosphere in several dormitories with adult supervisors. The majority of the teachers lived off-campus.
Janice had enjoyed the independence she’d had during the three years she’d been away from VOH. But as she slowly approached the buildings, she thought of the time she’d come here as a scared and rebellious teenager. She shuddered to think where she might be today if she hadn’t been sent to VOH.
Although her mentor had just turned seventy, Janice always considered Miss Caroline an ageless woman. Yet now Janice saw a myriad of fine lines etched on Miss Caroline’s pearl-like complexion. Her hair was totally white, although when Janice had arrived at VOH, her dark hair had only been streaked with gray. But her generous and tender smile hadn’t changed. Janice thought she’d remember the smile longer than anything else about this woman.
The hand Miss Caroline held out to Janice trembled slightly. “And how did you like Stanton?” she asked, her eyes alight with interest.
Janice explained about the condition of the property, and added, “Since the house is in such bad shape, maybe I should put it on the market and stay in Willow Creek. At least I have friends here, and I don’t know anyone in Stanton. Am I doing the right thing?”
“I don’t know,” Miss Caroline said, the interest in her eyes changing to concern. “I believe this is something you have to do. I was aware that you chafed at the restraints we put on you at VOH.”
Janice stared at her in surprise. “Oh, no, Miss Caroline. You’ll never know how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”
“I know that, but still you didn’t like being under obligation to me.”
“That’s true. I don’t want to be obligated to anyone, and I considered it a godsend when I heard my uncle had remembered me in his will. I have a picture of Mountjoy taken years ago, and it was a fine-looking place. I didn’t doubt that I could move in there, take a part-time job to pay living expenses and use the money I inherited for college expenses for Brooke and myself. Now, I don’t know what to do. I’m excited and hesitant at the same time—if that makes any sense. Actually, I suppose I’m afraid to cut my ties with the past.”
Miss Caroline smiled. “But you’ll only be two hundred miles away, and I’m always as near as the telephone.”
“I know. I suppose I’m being foolish. And in spite of all you’ve done for me in the past, I want to ask your advice once again. I assume that you don’t know the contents of the letter my uncle entrusted to your care, which you gave to me when I turned twenty-one.”
A surprised look came into Miss Caroline’s eyes. “No. When he sent your letter, he enclosed a message to me asking me to be the guardian of the letter until you came of age.”
Janice took the letter from her purse and handed it across the table. “Read it, please.”
Adjusting her glasses, Miss Caroline read aloud.
“‘Dear Janice, when you read this letter, I will be gone. I’m sorry I haven’t stayed in touch with you and your sister. My brother and I have been at odds for years, and I’d lost track of you. However, my investigations have proven that you’ve overcome the problems of a difficult childhood and have grown into a fine woman. I hope my legacy will make the rest of your life easier.’”
Caroline read the last paragraph silently. Her eyes expressed alarm, and she glanced quickly at Janice before reading the final words of the letter.
“‘I’ve recently become aware of some mysterious happenings at Mountjoy, but I intend to find out what’s going on. I pray that I haven’t saddled you with more trouble than you needed.’”
Miss Caroline glanced at the date of the letter before she folded the page, put it in the envelope and gave it back to Janice. “Wasn’t this written a few days before his death?”
“Yes. I’m wondering if he solved the problem before he died, or if it’s something I’ll have to contend with.”
Miss Caroline shook her head. “A lot can happen in three years. I wish I could help you, but I don’t know enough about the situation. I’ll pray that when you move to Stanton, God will provide someone to advise you.”
Janice bent forward to kiss Miss Caroline’s cheek. She wanted to cry, but that was a luxury
