Out of the Smoke Page 11

  Tears filled Erika’s eyes. “Do you know what that means to me?” she whispered.

  They clung together for a time, neither speaking. Then Erika pulled away and took both of Lisa’s hands. She was smiling now. “I still can’t believe what you did. It all happened so fast. Suddenly there you were, and a moment later they were both on the ground.” She shuddered. “I can’t believe you actually kissed him like you did.”

  Lisa pulled one hand free and wiped at her mouth. “I brushed my teeth six times when I came home yesterday.”

  And that set them both to giggling. They stopped and froze in position as they heard a woman’s footsteps coming down the hall. “Erika?”

  She put her finger to her lips and then called, “Yes, Mama?”

  “Dinner will be ready in five minutes.”

  “Okay, Mama. Lisa is just brushing out her hair.”

  She waited until the footsteps faded out again and then went to Lisa and pulled her to her feet, gripping both of her hands as she looked her squarely in the eyes. “When Bully Boy called me a Jewess, my heart nearly stopped. Not because of him, but because of my family. Then four words popped into my mind. I cried, “O, God, help us!” Tears were nestling on her lower eyelids now. They spilled over and trickled down her cheeks. “And suddenly there you were. Like some avenging angel. And my prayer was answered. And now, I see that it was even more than I had hoped for. However can I thank you for that, Lisa?”

  Lisa was crying now too. “But you already have.”

  “How?” she cried.

  “By saying that you want us to be friends.”

  May 25, 1932, 10:05 a.m.—

  Salt Lake City Municipal Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah

  Christina Westland Perkins was almost as nervous as she had been on the first day she had started teaching high school, though for vastly different reasons. She stood near the back of the crowd lined up along the chain link fence that separated the waiting area from the airplane’s arrival area. The plane had landed and was now taxiing down a side runway coming toward them, engines roaring.

  Tina wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and thus her nervousness. Though Celeste Dickerson Westland was dramatically different from the rest of the Westland clan, for some reason, from the very first day they had met, which was the day before Celeste’s wedding to Tina’s brother Frank, the two had bonded. As the years passed they had become more like sisters than sisters-in-law. But Tina had not seen Celeste for about two years now, and much had happened since then.

  The last time they had been together had been during the Christmas holidays in 1929. At that time, Tina was a new bride of just six months and was living in Salt Lake with her husband. Her mother had called in early November and told Tina that Celeste had showed up on their doorstep in Monticello the night before, cold, wet, half-starved, and an emotional wreck.

  Ten days before, Black Tuesday and the stock market crash had launched a great depression and driven Celeste’s father to commit suicide. By that time, Celeste and Frank were completely estranged from each other. Deeply shamed over what had happened, especially because Frank had tried to warn her of her father’s perfidy, Celeste and her mother were left to face the disaster alone.

  When Tina and her husband, Monte, arrived in Monticello to spend Christmas with the family, Tina had been shocked by Celeste’s appearance. She was a haunting shell of a woman, a shadow of the beautiful, sophisticated, and confident woman that had married into the Westland family. But who could blame her? She had been the only daughter of one of Boston’s richest and most influential bankers. In less than a week, he had lost everything he owned, along with millions of dollars of other people’s money. He had also “borrowed” almost a million dollars from the savings accounts of Celeste and her mother and lost it all. Too afraid to face the consequences of his actions, he took a bottle of sleeping pills and left his wife and daughter to face the wrath of the investors, who turned on Celeste and her mother like a pack of ravenous wolves.

  Her mother had finally fled to France to live with her parents. She had begged Celeste to go with her, but instead—to everyone’s amazement—Celeste had made her way to Utah, hitchhiking the last fifty or sixty miles late at night in a sleet storm. She said it was the only place that she felt she and her son Reginald would be out of sight of the world and loved unconditionally.

  By the time Tina and Monte returned to Salt Lake after the holidays, Celeste had regained some of her old self back. A few weeks after that, she took Reginald and flew to France to join her mother and her very aristocratic and wealthy grandparents. Neither Tina nor the family had seen her since, though they corresponded regularly with her.

  That next spring, Tina had graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in secondary education and started teaching math and physics at East High School in Salt Lake City. The year after that, her husband graduated from the University of Utah and was accepted into their medical school. Monte would start his second year there in September.

  Now, Celeste and Reggie were returning to Utah. And no one in the family, including Frank, was exactly sure why. Celeste was bringing their son Reggie out for his annual summer at the EDW Ranch in Southern Utah. But Celeste had been quite vague about what she would be doing there or when they would return to France. Why so vague? That was the question in Tina’s mind. What was she up to? The whole thing just seemed strange. Was Celeste finally going to go through with her threat to serve divorce papers to Frank? Had she found some handsome, wealthy Frenchman and was finally ready to move on with her life? If so, why come to the ranch herself? Why not just call with the news, or write a letter?

  The other thing that was making Tina nervous was that Celeste had left France expecting Tina’s parents to come to Salt Lake to meet her and Reggie, and that they would be the ones to drive them back to Monticello. Would she be upset when it was just Tina? Would another complication further aggravate her?

  Tina watched as the pilot turned the plane around and shut down the engines. Ground crewmen ran in and blocked the wheels. Tina took another deep breath and let it out slowly. All of her questions were about to be answered.

  10:17 a.m.—Airport Terminal Building

  Tina waved as she saw Celeste come out of the ladies’ restroom. Celeste didn’t see her at first, because she was looking toward the men’s restroom. Guessing she was looking for Reggie, Tina started toward her.

  The gaunt woman with the haunted eyes that Tina had last seen at the EDW Ranch two years before was no more. This was again the beautiful, elegant, sophisticated, confident woman that had married her older brother. And if her family in Paris was suffering at all from the depression, it surely didn’t show in Celeste’s clothes. She wore a straight, navy-blue skirt that came down to mid-calf and a beige silk blouse with three-quarter sleeves and matching buttons. Around her throat was a delicate, gold filigree necklace with a tiny gold cross hanging from it. Tina was pretty sure the necklace was pure gold and not just gold-plated. The same with the three or four gold bracelets that dangled on Celeste’s left wrist. Her hair was cut short in a bob again, which Tina had always thought was the perfect cut for her. And her skin, tanned lightly now, seemed to glow in the sunlight.

  Shaking off her reverie, she waved and called out to Celeste. “Reggie already came out.” She pointed. “He’s over at the gift shop.”

  “Ah, oui. Of course.” Celeste turned and called to him. He trotted over to join his mother, and together they joined Tina.

  “I can’t believe it,” Tina said as she watched them approach. “He’s grown so much since you were here last. Three or four inches at least.” Then to Reggie. “You are quickly becoming a young man.”

  Reggie smiled. “Thank you, Aunt Tina.”

  Celeste nodded ruefully. “He turns nine in August. Can you believe that? And as you can see, he’s going to have Frank’s height. Grandfather and Grandmoth
er Durrand say that they’re going to have to take out a mortgage on their estate just to feed him.”

  Reggie frowned and gave Tina a look that said, “Mothers!”

  “Well,” Tina said, putting an arm around her nephew’s shoulder, “your cousins are sure anxious to see you again.”

  “Me too,” Reggie cried. “I can’t wait to saddle up a horse and go riding again. How are Benji and Abby?” he asked.

  “They’re good. They’ve changed a lot too since you saw them last. They turned seventeen just two weeks ago. Benji is now taller than Grandma Westland and almost as tall as Grandpa.”

  His eyes widened. “Really? C’est incroyable.”

  Laughing, Tina shot Celeste a puzzled look.

  She smiled. “He said, ‘That’s incredible.’”

  “Oh, my. He speaks French now? That’s going to take some getting used to.”

  “And is Benji still writing his little girl friend in Germany?” Celeste asked.

  “Yes, three or four times a year. Abby writes Alisa too, and some of the other cousins there as well. But they’re not so little anymore. Alisa will be thirteen in the fall and is turning into a lovely young woman.”

  Reggie was looking around, searching the crowd. “Where are Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Tina? I don’t see them.”

  “Uh. . . .” She glanced quickly at Celeste, then away. “Grandpa and Grandma Westland didn’t come, Reggie. They planned to be here, then day before yesterday we had a little change of plans.”

  “Oh,” Reggie said, his shoulders slumping. Out of the corner of her eye, Tina saw that Celeste’s eyes had narrowed slightly.

  “It’s my fault, actually. Monte and I had originally planned that I would stay here in Salt Lake for the summer, since his medical school goes year round. But when I learned that I won’t be teaching in the fall, Mama and Papa—”

  “What?” Celeste interrupted. “You’re not teaching next year?” Then her face lit up. “Oh, Tina. Are you with child again?”

  Tina’s face fell. “No. No such luck. Not yet.” Tina had become pregnant almost immediately after they were married, much to the joy of both her and Monte, and especially her mother. But she had lost the baby between the third and fourth month. Just as her mother had done with her first baby. And there had been nothing more since that time.

  Reaching out to touch her arm, Celeste sighed. “I’m so sorry, Tina.”

  Tina shrugged, keeping her voice light. “I think it’s pretty certain that I have Mom’s genes. But she went on to have six eventually, so we’ve not lost hope.”

  “Good. But then why aren’t you teaching next fall?”

  “Because Utah has decided that with the depression, so many men are out of work that women should get out of the workforce wherever possible so that men—the breadwinners for the family—can find employment.”

  “You’re joking!”

  “Hardly.” She shook her head, clearly frustrated. “And what angers me the most is that the man they hired to replace me is a clerk from an insurance company. He’s had no math training other than what he got in high school. And he’ll be teaching algebra one and two, trigonometry, and beginning calculus. It makes me want to cry. Some of my students are so bright, and now. . . .” She shrugged. “Oh, well. Those are the times we live in. So Mom and Dad have invited me to come down to the ranch and stay on through fall roundup as one of their ranch hands. I need the work, and Monte is gone most of the time at school, so I thought, why not? And here I am. With me gone, he can get a dorm room on campus for just ten dollars a month, and I can stay with Mom and Dad for free. So we can save money, too.” She smiled. “So, since I am going down south anyway, I told them that I would pick you up.”

  “Wonderful,” Celeste cried. “Good, good. I want you to catch me up on everything that’s been happening with the family.”

  “And I am anxious to have you catch us up too.” Tina turned to Reggie as she fumbled in her purse and found her car keys. “Reggie, the porter over there should have your luggage.” She pointed and handed him the keys. “I am driving a red Chevrolet sedan. It’s in the second row of the parking lot just out front. You can’t miss it. One back fender has a dent in it.”

  She leaned down to him conspiratorially, grimacing, lowering her voice. “I was backing up the other day and this fireplug jumped out and hit my car.”

  He laughed. “I’ll bet.”

  “Anyway, can you take the porter out and have him put the luggage in the trunk? Your mother and I will be right along. I’ll tip him then.”

  “No,” Celeste said. She quickly opened her purse, fumbled for a moment, and then pulled out two dollar bills. “Give him this, Reginald.”

  Tina tried not to gape at the bills. With prices down everywhere, the typical tip for porters was one dime per bag. They had brought five. And she was giving him two dollars?

  “Righto,” Reggie said, taking the money. He turned and walked swiftly away.

  Tina waited a moment and then slipped her arm through Celeste’s as they started slowly after him. “Celeste, there’s another reason why I’m picking you up and not Mom and Dad.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. They have to pick up someone else from the train station down in Thompson Springs this afternoon.”

  She shrugged. “That’s all right. It’s no problem for me. I’m really glad you and I will have some time together to catch up.”

  “Uh . . . it could be a problem,” Tina said slowly.

  Celeste stopped and turned to face her. “Why?”

  “Because . . . it’s Frank they are picking up.”

  Celeste’s eyes flew wide open and she fell back a step. “My Frank?”

  Tina nodded. “This all happened after you—”

  “Tell me it’s not my Frank,” she said icily. “Tell me you are kidding. And if you are, that’s not funny, Tina. Not funny at all.”

  “I know, Celeste. If you’ll just let me explain—”

  She waved that off like she was warding off a blow. “Wait! You said they’re picking him up at the train station? Does that mean . . . ?” Her face paled. “They’re not taking him to the ranch?”

  “Yes, they are. He’ll be there when we get there.”

  Celeste’s mouth was working angrily, her eyes spitting daggers. “No, Tina. No way is that going to happen.” Her lips pressed into a thin, pale line. “This is your parents’ doing, isn’t it?” She swore softly. “How convenient. Let’s get the estranged husband and wife back together again.”

  That shocked Tina deeply. She had never heard Celeste use profanity before. “Celeste, it’s not what you think.”

  Celeste pushed past her, shoving her out of her way as she cupped her hand. “Reggie!” He had already reached the porter and was earnestly talking to him. He turned. “Never mind,” she called. “Change of plans. Have him bring the bags back here.”

  “No!” Tina grabbed her arm and whirled her around. “Listen to me, Celeste! Let me explain before you get all huffy!”

  “Huffy?” she hissed. “Oh, my dear girl, I am way past huffy.” She jerked free of Tina’s grasp, gave her a little shove, and started moving toward Reggie.

  Christina had inherited much of her mother’s temperament—soft-spoken, patient, gentle in spirit. But she had also inherited from her great-grandmother a good share of what her father called “the Zimmer backbone.” She darted past Celeste, planted herself directly in front of her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and held her fast. “Celeste Westland! Stop it! Just listen to me for one minute.”

  People in the terminal had turned to look at them. Tina lowered her voice but went on quickly before Celeste recovered. “If you ask me, this whole arrangement between you and Frank is ridiculous. Not talking to each other. Passing messages back and forth through the family like little kids in school. Jumping down each other�
�s throats at the tiniest little thing. And that’s none of my business. But let me explain. Then, if you decide you still want to get back on that plane and return to France—which is also pretty stupid when you think about it—then I will go over to the ticket counter and help you in any way I can. But not until you listen to me.”

  Celeste stared at her, shocked to the core. Then a tiny smile crept in around her mouth. “Did you just call me stupid?”

  Tina stepped back, blushing furiously. “I. . . .” She groaned. “I did. And this from the schoolteacher who gives her students extra homework if they use the word stupid in class.” She took a quick breath. “But, Celeste, I need you to let me tell you what has happened.”

  “Fine.”

  Tina turned to call something to Reggie, who was watching them anxiously. But before she could say anything, Celeste touched her arm. “No. Don’t have the porter put the bags in your car. Not yet.”

  “Agreed.” She turned back. “Reggie, just have him take the bags outside and wait for us. We’ll be there in just a minute.” Then she motioned Celeste toward an unoccupied bench. “Let’s sit over there before someone calls the police to break up a fight.”

  May 25, 1932, 10:22 a.m.—Terminal Building, Salt Lake City Municipal Airport

  “All right,” Celeste said coldly, folding her arms and pressing her lips together in a tight line. “I’m listening.”

  Hardly! But Tina bit back a retort and took a quick breath. “Okay, I don’t know all of the details, because I haven’t talked to Frank directly. I’m hearing it from Mom and Dad.”

  Celeste nodded but said nothing.

  “I don’t know how much you and Frank talk now, so he—”

  “Occasionally, but it’s not like we chat with each other ­every evening. We do have the Atlantic Ocean between us now, remember.”

  Oh, it’s much wider than that. But again Tina kept her thoughts to herself. “So I don’t know if he’s told you this or not, Celeste, but MIT called the faculty in and said that with the stock market crash and the economic collapse they might have to make some cutbacks in faculty and staff.”