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PRELUDE

Fear sliced through her with icy, demonic fingers. If

she had eyes to weep, she would. If she had legs to run,

she would. If she had a voice, she would shout warnings to

everyone in Eastland, Iowa. But she didn’t. She could only

reach out, as best she could, to those few who could hear

her, and even then, little could be done.

Back in those days, the old farmers heard her speak to

them. In the still quiet of a Midwestern summer, they

caressed the loam between their fingers, and she told them

of storms to come. Men in conversation would look down

toward the ground rather than eye to eye, dragging worn-out

dusty boots along her surface. Of course, the wind and sky

spoke, too, but the land was something they could hold in

their hands. Times were changing, though, speeding up, and

the old ways were dying. Most couldn’t hear her anymore.

When a wanderer arrived, passing through the Midwest,

she saw the future and cried in the only way she knew how,

determined to send warning to those who could understand,

and forced to put her greatest trust in the least of them.


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This time, she was fighting for her own life.

PART 1 - 1969
CHAPTER ONE

Adrian Ferrol, carrying a backpack with a few meager

belongings, hitched a ride with a truck driver in Chicago,

en route to California. He had already traveled the long,

bumpy journey from Boston with another trucker and needed

sleep, so after a bit of small talk with the driver, he

drifted off, missing Illinois entirely. He awoke when he

felt the truck come to a halt, blinking to stave off the

bright morning sun. “This is where you get off,” the driver

said. “I have to start moving south from here.”

As his eyes adjusted, Adrian. “Where am I?” he asked.

“Looks like the Middle of Nowhere, USA. Circa 1950-

something.”

“Well, you got that right,” the driver said. “We’re in

Eastland, Iowa. Big enough to get you food and shelter, but
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that’s about it. You’re in the Heartland, kid.”

Adrian thanked the driver and stepped down from the

truck into the parking lot of a small restaurant that stood

alone on the east edge of town. Flat farmland surrounded

it, with modest cornstalks like toy soldiers standing at

attention in long, even rows while the wind rustled through

them. It was a Saturday, an early summer’s day in the

Midwest, before the usual onslaught of heat and humidity. A

cloud of dust rose from the truck’s tires as it left him

there.

Adrian fingered the few bills in his pocket. He had

enough money for some food, but he needed to find a free

bed for the night, and after being a drifter for a few

years, he knew how to get it.

He walked into the restaurant with its dark wood

paneling and gleaming counters. A poster of a smiling

Richard Nixon hung prominently above the cash register, and

a mournful Johnny Cash tune warbled from crackling

speakers. The restaurant bustled with breakfast business

and plenty of curious, staring eyes. He ignored their sly

glances and mutterings.

He would have stood out no matter what, as a stranger

in a town where everyone knows each other. His long,

graying hair and thick beard just added a reason for the
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hostility of locals. Here in Eastland beards provided

protection in the wintertime. Anyone with a beard in the

summer was a damned hippie, and Eastland was no place for

hippies.

Winding his way around the tables to a stool at the

counter, he couldn’t help but notice a couple sitting in a

booth in the back. Well, closer to the truth, he noticed

half of the couple, the woman who faced him. Petite and

pale, her jet black waves nearly overwhelmed her face, then

cascaded down her arms and came to a stop only when they

reached the booth. Adrian met her eyes as he walked to the

counter, and hers were blue and clear like marbles. Though

beautiful, like a fragile bird, her taut face displayed a

wariness, an edge. She did not smile, but she held Adrian’s

gaze for a second or two longer than a proper small town

would deem appropriate.

He sat at the counter, and a waitress poured him a cup

of coffee. He ordered the breakfast special, eggs with

sausage, pancakes, and hash browns.

“You’re causing quite a stir,” she said. “We don’t see

new faces around here very often.”

“I’m used to it,” he said. “I’ve been traveling for a

while, and it’s pretty much this way in every small town.”
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He glanced around, and the peering eyes dropped away to

focus intently on their plates, even the empty ones.

“Yeah, I know about that. I settled here about ten

years ago, and I’m still the new kid in town. So, where you

headed? My name’s Wanda, by the way.”

“California. Probably San Francisco, but I’m not sure.

Adrian Ferrol.” He extended a hand that, though thin,

dwarfed hers, which were soft and warm. She smelled nice.

He took a closer look and knew that he had found his place

to stay. Every small town had its share of Wandas, the easy

girls with big hearts and no expectations, and he just

happened to be lucky to find her before he’d spent too much

of his dwindling cash. Besides, Blue Eyes was with a large,

sloppy man who most likely kept close tabs on his wife.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. “We’re off the freeway a

ways. What brought you to our fair town?”

“I’m just passing through. I need a little cash to get

to the Coast. This looked like as good a place as any to

find a little work for a month or two.”

“The Coast? My, don’t you sound like the big-time

mogul. No offense, Adrian, but you don’t look like one.

Hey, big guy, I’m talking to you.”

“Sorry.” Adrian had drifted away. From his vantage

point, he could see Blue Eyes, and if he listened


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carefully, he could hear her honey-sweet voice. Adrian

loved pretty girls, especially the ones he couldn’t have.

The more unavailable, the better.

“Uh, huh,” Wanda said. “Look, I’ll check back on you

later.”

“Okay,” Adrian said, his voice distant and mechanical.

He knew that Wanda wasn’t going anywhere. Head down, he

studied his breakfast carefully as he tuned in to the

conversation at Blue Eyes’s table.

She gazed at her husband with an eager, hopeful look,

while the big guy poked his eggs glumly with one hand and

rubbed his aching head in another. His breath, labored from

a extra hundred pounds, made a soft whistling sound.

“Isn’t this nice, Luke?” she asked. “A real date. We

hardly ever get away alone these days.” Even her statements

sounded like they had little question marks at the end.

Luke grunted. “I could have had a better breakfast at

home.”

She smiled, her teeth pearly perfection. “I thought it

would be good to get out together. We haven’t done much of

that since you came home.”

“Ruth, we don’t talk about that,” he said.

“Well, you’re out of the army now. You’re here. With

us. Besides,” she said shyly, “I have something to tell


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you.”

Luke took another bite of his eggs. “I should’ve known

I was in trouble. Out with it. What the hell did I do now?”

“Luke, come on. I didn’t drag you out here to fight

with you. It’s good news.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” Despite his words, his

tone had softened and was almost teasing. Apparently Ruth—

now, Adrian knew her name—knew how to soothe her husband.

Adrian tried not to be obvious, but from time to time

he caught Wanda watching him with a bemused smile as he

eavesdropped, even as she cared for other customers with

crisp efficiency and hearty banter.

“No, I really mean it. It’s great news, in fact. I’m

going to have another baby.”

Adrian dropped his fork. “Sorry,” he said. Wanda

replaced it without a word.

“Shit,” Luke said, a little too loudly. He covered his

mouth as he noticed the sudden silence of the café..

“Damn,” he muttered, softer now, “Ruthie, we can’t afford

another kid. You can barely handle the one we’ve got.

Weird, freakin’ kid, that’s what Stella is.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Stella, Luke, and you know

it. She’s just a little sensitive, that’s all.”

“There’s plenty wrong, and it’s your own damn fault.


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If you kept a good Christian home like Ellen does, Stella

wouldn’t be like that. You let her act like a crazy kid,

crazy just like her grandma.”

Ruth seemed undaunted, and her voice remained

cheerful. “I’m not your sister, Luke, but she’s teaching

me. And I already agreed that we would keep Stella away

from my mother, so that should help.”

“I don’t know. Eighteen more years to be tied down. I

don’t know if I can take it.”

“We can work it out. After the new baby is born, if

things are tight, I can work part-time on a different

shift. I could even work here. We can take turns watching

the kids.”

“I’m no fucking babysitter, Ruth. And you don’t need

to be working anyway. We’ve talked about this before.” Red

blotches covered Luke’s face, and he tightened his beefy

hands into fists.

“Luke, come on.” Ruth shifted in her seat, her eyes

darting around the room and settling on Adrian’s face. He

stared at her, and she met his gaze. He nodded at her.

Without acknowledgement, she looked away. “Lots of women

work these days, and no one would think any less of you. We

can work it out.” Her voice sounded like a small, pleading

child. “We could be so happy.”


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“That’s just great. What about what I want? All that

time in that goddamned jungle, and this is what I come home

to.” He lifted his coffee cup, and his hands shook. “And

look, now you made me talk about that again.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. Look, you haven’t been

home very long. I’ll take care of you. You’ll never feel

like you’re last, I swear. I think this would be a great

way for us to make a fresh start.”

“Yeah, sure.” Luke fell silent for a moment, then

sighed. “You’re right, Ruthie. It’s just that right now I’m

not myself, you know that. All the problems. It’s a lot of

pressure right now.”

Ruth put her tiny hands on Luke’s larger ones. “I

know. But this will be good. You’ll see. Things will get

better. I think this is good luck for us.”

Wanda refilled the coffee cup that Adrian had extended

toward her. “They do this all the time,” she said, her

tones intimate and hushed as she leaned close to him. “They

fight, and then they make up like nothing ever happened.

He’s a real jackass, but she just had to have him.”

“Damn shame.” Seeing Wanda’s raised eyebrows, he

added, “I had a kid once, but I don’t see him anymore. The

old lady’s new husband adopted him. I’m off the hook, and

that’s fine with me.”


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“Well, I’m not much of a mom either, so we’ve got

something in common.”

“You have kids?” Adrian asked.

“Yeah, four.”

“Four? Is there nothing to do in this town but make a

bunch of babies?” Adrian wondered if he had set his sights

on the wrong woman.

In contrast to Ruth’s tinkling tones, Wanda’s laughter

was husky, earthy. “Seems that way, doesn’t it? Don’t

worry, none of them live with me. Two live with their

grandparents, two with their dads.”

“Wow.”

“I started young, what can I say?” Wanda shrugged.

“Had three of ‘em before I was twenty. These days, things

are different. Now there’s the Pill, so hopefully my

babymaking days are done. They like me okay, and I see them

all the time. But look at this job I have. I can’t take

care of ‘em. I have a decent little place, and they come

stay with me sometimes, but that’s the best I can do.”

Luke Kellar had left the booth and now stood at the

cash register. “Ring me up, Wanda, I need to go somewhere I

can get a beer.”

“Hold on, let me get over there.” To Adrian she added,

“Shorthanded today. Don’t go anywhere.”


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Adrian glanced slyly at Ruth, now slumped in the

booth, shoulders heaving and one hand covering her eyes. He

tried to hear Wanda’s conversation with Luke, but the din

of the diner made it impossible to hear more than some

baritone grumblings. Adrian dared not turn around until he

heard Luke’s lumbering, wheezing body no more.

Adrian glanced at the empty seat across from Ruth.

“I wouldn’t go over there,” Wanda said from behind

him, her voice low as she returned to her station.

“Kellar’s a bastard, and I guarantee he’s got buddies in

here right now who keep an eye on her. She wouldn’t dare

ride home with any of them, either, because Luke would kill

anyone who offered.”

“Fine.”

Back behind the counter now, Wanda faced him and put

one of her hands on his. “Look, I can see where your mind

is going, and it’s okay. It’s the 60s, right? We have free

love around here, too. I’ve known Ruth a long time, and

you’re not the first guy to fall for her. But I’m not the

jealous type. I’m a modern girl.”

“I’m not looking for that kind of trouble,” he said.

“What are you looking for?” The counter was between

them, but he could feel her warm breath on him. He could

tell that he was drawing her in. Just a few more gentle
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tugs on the rope.

“Right now I just need a place to stay,” he said. “My

cash is low. Any ideas?”

Wanda hesitated, but a small smile played around her

face. “Well, like I said, I’m a modern girl, and I just

love shocking everyone in this godforsaken place. Come stay

with me while you figure out what you’re going to do. I’ve

got a comfortable sofa. You look like you could use a

shower and some clean clothes. And I could talk to some

people about you. There’s a lot of farmers who could use

some extra labor about now.”

Adrian took her in, noticing her in detail for the

first time. Her body, all roundness and curves, strained

the seams of her uniform. She had dark, wiry curls and

gray-green eyes with plenty of laugh lines. Her face was

toughened by sun and cigarettes, but that didn’t bother

him. “Maybe you shouldn’t trust a stranger,” he said. “How

do you know I’m not a serial killer?”

“Are you?” she asked. “A serial killer, I mean.”

He felt a surge of electricity go through him. The

thought of closing his hands around her sturdy neck filled

him with excitement. He’d done it before. “You never know.”

“Well, listen, if you feel the urge, just let me know.

To kill me, I mean. No, really, I’m a pretty good judge of


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character.”

Adrian tried not to laugh. She would do just fine, and

he knew as well as she did that there would be no sleeping

on a sofa. It wouldn’t be for very long anyway. As he

closed the deal with Wanda, he pretended not to notice as

Ruth Kellar slipped out and began the long walk home.
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