Page 30 of Goodbye Paradise
“We, uh…” Caleb looked sheepish. “Our friend is somewhere in Western Massachusetts. We’re just going to have to go there and look around.”
“We don’t know her number,” I clarified.
“Naw,” Washington protested. “That’s not how we do things in the twenty-first century. We can Google her. What’s the name?” He pulled out his phone. It had no buttons, only a slick shiny surface. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “Hope her name’s not Jane Smith. If it’s something unusual, that helps.”
“It’s Magdalene, but she goes by Maggie. And her last name is Beaufort, unless she changed it.”
Washington winked at me. “There can’t be too many Magdalene Beaufort’s in New England. Spell it for me.” He tapped the letters into a little keyboard that appeared on the screen as Caleb spelled them out.
“Uh huh,” Washington said, and a smile spread across his face. “That’s right! I got a hit in Cheshire, Mass.”
Caleb snapped his fingers. “That’s it. I remember thinking that it sounded like something fromAlice in Wonderland.”
Washington tapped on the screen a couple more times. “The name comes up on a website for a farm. It’s called the Runaway Dairy. Strange name for a farm.”
“Shewasa runaway, though,” I said. “I think that’s intentional.”
Washington took the last sip of his coffee. “You mean, shewantsto be found?”
“Yeah,” Caleb agreed. “She wants her family to find her if they need her.”
“Are you family?” Washington asked. “Because it’s time to make the call. The number is right here.”
I saw Caleb swallow hard. “I guess I’m about to find out if I’m family.” He put his palm out, and Washington tapped the screen one more time, then handed the phone over.
Caleb put the phone to his ear and closed his eyes.
Under the table I put my knee against his, and he pressed back against me. I waited, holding my breath.
“Uh, hello sir? I was hoping to speak to Maggie Beaufort?” He cleared his throat. “Yes, this is… a friend of her sister Miriam’s. Thank you, sir.” He looked sideways at me. “I think I just spoke to Maggie’s husband.”
“Wow.” My stomach bottomed out from nerves. What if she told us not to come?
“Maggie? This is Caleb Smith. Do you remember me?” An audible squeal came from the phone’s tiny speaker, and Caleb grinned. “I’m well! And you?” He listened for a minute, then took a deep breath. “So, I’ve left the Compound, and I’m with Joshua Royce. Do you remember h…?” Another squeal, and Caleb grinned. “We wouldn’t want to inconvenience you too bad, but were hoping you could help us get on our feet.”
As I watched Caleb, he put his head in his hand, dropping his eyes to the table. “That would be…” he choked on the words a little bit. “That would be great. Thank you, Maggie. You don’t know how much we… yeah. Okay. Thank you. We’ve got ourselves a ride toward Albany. From a trucker. A trucker we owe big. And he said we’d get there some time after midnight. Not sure how we’ll get to Massachusetts, yet.”
He blinked, and I saw that his eyes were glistening. I’m positive I never saw Caleb tear up before. “We thought about busses, but they’re pretty expensive… The route? I’m not sure. Hold on just one second.” He looked up at Washington. “What route are you taking? I’m sorry.”
Washington winked. “May I speak to your friend?”
Caleb handed over the phone.
“Good day, Miss Maggie,” Washington said, grinning. “I have two fine young men here who need a little help.”
I nudged Caleb. “What did shesay?”
“She said they keep an extra room in their house, just hoping that somebody from the Compound turns up.”
“That’s… wow.”
“I know.”
“What about Fishkill, New York?” Washington was saying. “That’s right off 84. Uh huh. Exactly. Bunch of little hotels right there. Holiday Inn Express is one. It’s not a bad spot. I’ve stayed there. Okay. It’s a deal. Thank you, ma’am.”
He handed the phone back to Caleb. “Hello? Okay. In Fishkill? If you say so. I don’t know where that is.” He grinned. “Wow. Tomorrow morning. That’s amazing. Okay, Maggie. I can’t wait to see you. We’ll tell you everything we know. Thank you!”
He hung up, and then smiled. "They're going to drive down for us in the morning, after they milk the cows. It's two hours, so she said that would be about ten.”
