Read The Seeker A Novel (R. B. Chesterton) for Free Online Page B

think you could call it an intruder.”
    “Did you get a look? Male, female, elementary age, older?”
    I pictured the figure I’d seen darting among the trees. “Not high school. Younger, a child. I couldn’t guess the gender. Whoever it was could move quickly in the woods, but that was before it snowed.” I started to describe the tracks and how they stopped at the top step, as if the child had flown away, but I realized he would think I was either lying or crazy. Neither impression was the one I wanted to leave.
    “Most of the kids around here are good kids. Only a few bad apples, but keep your eyes open.”
    I was learning fast that what Joe left unspoken was more important than what he said. The demographics of Concord didn’t lead to images of inner-city turmoil. “Are you warning me of something? Gangs of white, upper-class children hiding in snowbanks and waylaying head-in-the-clouds dissertation students?”
    “No.” Again the charming smile, but he held my gaze. “No Dickensian waifs waiting to steal your mittens. But every community has problems these days. Drugs are rampant, even for middle-class kids. I like for things to run smoothly. If you lock the cabin and stay alert, you can avert trouble. That would be the best for all of us.”
    “Thanks for the tip. If I see any kids breaking the law, I’ll know it’s my fault.” I meant to be flip, but it fell flat.
    He didn’t react. “That’s not what I meant. Just be aware. It’s the same thing I tell everyone. A lot of tragedy can be avoided if you keep your eyes open.”
    What kind of tragedy did he refer to? Somehow, I thought it might be personal. “I’ll do that.” I reached down for my book satchel and my hand brushed the doll I’d picked up in the snow. I pushed it across the table to him. “I found this near the edge of the pond early this morning. There seem to be a lot of children running wild around the community.”
    He leaned forward, frowning. “Where?” His fingers grasped my wrist with unexpected speed.
    I tried to shake free, but he held on. The expression on his face frightened me. “At the edge of the pond. In the snow. What’s wrong?”
    “Tell me how you found it.”
    The espresso machine whistled and sputtered as the young barista made a coffee for a slope-shouldered mother standing at the counter. No one had observed Joe’s fingers on my wrist. “Please, let me go. You’re hurting me.”
    He dropped my arm. “Sorry. Please tell me where you got the doll.”
    His intensity was out of proportion to a doll left in the snow, but I obliged him with the details. “I was walking by the pond and I saw the doll in the snow. No footprints. She was in a clearing as if she’d dropped from the sky. I retrieved her. End of story.”
    “What part of the pond?” His tone was more restrained.
    I told him, watching his unease build as I spoke.
    “Did you see anyone?” he asked.
    “No. The doll must have been left during the snowfall. There were no tracks.” But the doll had not been buried in the snow, either. Very strange.
    “Tomorrow, will you show me where? If there are children wandering around unattended, I need to know. As I told you, the woods can be dangerous in the winter.”
    My morning routine included a hike around the pond. It wouldn’t take long to show him the spot. For all the good it would do. Still, it was obviously important to him, though I couldn’t fathom why. Against my better judgment, I agreed. “Meet me at nine. At the Walden Pond cabin.”
    “I’ll be there.” Joe stood up, took his coffee cup to the counter, and left the shop. A cold blast of winter air entered the room as he left.

6
    Rain swept in, and a brutal wind coated the roadways and sidewalks with slick ice. My rendezvous with Joe was postponed until better weather. The delay chafed at me. Instead of indifference, I felt something akin to disappointment. Did I want to meet the ranger at Walden Pond? He was attractive, yes. But I