6. Kent #2
He used his pocket knife to gently pry at the seam of the oak block.
The plug yielded slowly, sliding out of its snug channel with a dry rasping sound reverberating through the cider barn.
He handed the block to Teddy, exposing a hollow compartment carved six inches deep into the solid heart of the column.
Inside the dark space lay a small object, its metallic surface catching the morning light.
Teddy reached into the cavity, her hand trembling slightly as her fingers closed around the item. She pulled it out, placing it flat on her palm. The item proved to be a rusted recipe tin, its green paint flecked with orange corrosion and its latches stiff with age.
"I can’t believe my mother had another hiding place! How many more of these are we going to find? It's locked," Teddy noted when she attempted to lift the lid.
"We shouldn't force it," Kent advised, his voice falling to a low whisper as he watched her struggle.
He didn't want her to damage the fragile tin, and he wanted to preserve whatever lay inside.
“Wait, I have something that might help.” He searched his pocket, retrieving a small multi-tool, and used the thin wire pick to ease the rusted catch.
The lock turned back with a sharp click.
Teddy lifted the hinged lid of the small tin, the dry aroma of aged paper rising from the tin. Inside lay two items: a faded bus schedule from nineteen eighty-one with a departure route from Boston to the valley, and a creased slip of linen paper.
She unfolded the paper with deliberate care to find neat columns of handwriting.
Kent leaned closer, his chest tightening with a sudden energy as he scanned the ink.
The sheet wasn't a financial record or a legal agreement; the paper contained a simple list of female first names, Ruth, Hannah, Sarah, and Mary, each followed by a handwritten date and a single letter code.
The name Hannah was accompanied by the date September twelfth, nineteen eighty-one, and the letter "S. "
"This list contains names of people who'd been sheltered," Teddy murmured. "And she kept them hidden in the barn, instead of in the house. I wonder if it was because she didn’t want us to find out what she was really up to.” She shook her head and let out a breath.
“ I can’t believe she kept all of this from her own daughters. "
"I don’t think it was about you or your sisters.
Rosalind kept those secrets safe because it was the only way to keep the women safe," Kent insisted, keeping his eyes steady and unwavering.
"Word spreading would put people in danger. She couldn’t risk it.
The silence was the only thing that protected their survival. "
"But other people knew and she kept us shut out," Teddy countered, her words edged with disappointment.
She tightened her jaw, and Kent could tell she was desperately trying to squash the anger she felt for her mother as she studied the paper.
"I get that we were kids at the time, but even as adults, she never said a word.
She should have at least left a letter for us explaining everything, instead of leaving us in the dark trying to work out everything on our own. "
"I know how the silence hurts," Kent said, his voice filled with understanding as he reached out, his hand resting near hers. He wanted to offer his support. "But these papers are fragile. If someone finds them here, or if they're lost, the record is gone."
"Nell will want to keep them hidden," Teddy said, her gaze flashing with frustration.
"She's already warned us to leave what was in the past in the shadows. The only reason she told us part of the story was because of what Junie found last autumn. If Nell had her way, we’d still be entirely in the dark. "
"We'll ensure these records aren't lost," Kent promised, giving Teddy an encouraging smile. He knew how important this was to her. He reached into his canvas jacket, retrieving his clinic tablet. "If you’d like, I can use my veterinary clinic’s software to digitize every document and carving.
The files are encrypted and secure on my clinic's network.
No one can access them without my passcode. "
Teddy stared at him, her breath pausing as she registered his immediate support. She gazed down at the rusted tin before she nodded her agreement.
"I’d like that. Thanks. We'll take photographs of the carvings and the list," Teddy agreed, her voice falling to a soft murmur as she handed the linen paper to him. "We'll preserve the record before anyone else can interfere."
Kent set the tablet on an empty crate, aligning the camera with the faded ink.
He experienced a sudden surge of determination, his pulse quickening as he worked side-by-side with her in the cider barn.
As he talked quietly with Teddy about life, he made a decision.
He'd help her uncover her family's truths, without breaking the promises that kept his mother safe.
The shutter of the tablet clicked, a sharp, clean sound that signaled the completion of their task in the cider barn.
Kent saved the last high-resolution image of the vertical timber register, the secure clinic software encrypting the file before he slipped the tablet back into the protective pocket of his canvas bag.
He stood up, the ancient floorboards creaking slightly as he offered his hand to Teddy.
She remained kneeling in the sawdust for a moment longer, lingering near the empty cavity of the oak column, before she accepted his support and rose.