Jacob's Ladder by Jackie Lynn

anybody else with the thought that they shouldn’t be welcomed or couldn’t be saved.
    Rose said her own quiet prayer, enjoying a moment of clarity, and then continued what she had been about to say to her friends.
    â€œSo, I’m tired and I’m going to go to my trailer and fix me some dinner. It’s been a jam-packed day for me,” she said, reaching for the door.
    She turned to Lucas and Rhonda. “I’m sorry that you had to leave your work. I know how important that is for you.”
    â€œLittle sister,” Lucas said as he jumped up from his seat at the table and held open the door, “you are also very important to this family. Rhonda and I were speaking of it just last evening. Like our dear Mary, you are a gift from God to Shady Grove.” He smiled and his big round face shone.
    â€œHe’s right, Rose,” Rhonda added from her seat at the table. “We thank you for taking care of Mama and for just being here.”
    â€œWell, I’m glad you feel that way, since I’m starting to think maybe I brought you bad luck when I came.” She turned and looked out to the area where the murder victim had been found. “Two dead men in less than a year,” she added somberly.
    â€œSister Rose, did you ever think that maybe God sent you here for us to be better equipped to handle the deaths of those two dead men?” Lucas asked. “Maybe you’re the egg before the chickens,” he added with a wink.
    â€œDead chickens,” Rose replied. “But thank you, that’s a lovely sentiment just the same. And no, I hadn’t thought of that.”
    Lucas touched her on the shoulder.
    â€œGood night, Rose,” Rhonda called out. “Get some rest.”
    â€œSee you in the morning,” Mary added.
    â€œGood night,” the nurse replied as she walked out of the office and headed toward her home.

ELEVEN
    Rose decided to walk up the path, turning to head along the river before returning to her camper. She wanted to sort through the events of the day, try to think about what she needed to do next.
    The bracelet bumped against her leg and she realized that she would not be able to get to bed early like she wanted. Instead, if she followed Ms. Lou Ellen’s advice, she would have to wait a couple of hours until everyone was asleep in their campers. She would then have to walk around to the far side of the campground and drop the jewelry somewhere near the trailer now marked with bright yellow caution tape, keeping people away from the site.
    She stared down at her watch to see the time and wondered who would be the one to discover the bracelet and whether or not it would fall into the right hands, the hands of the dead man’s family.
    She thought of a greedy deputy or a curious fisherman and how the bracelet could be lost forever if found by the wrong person. And with that thought, she considered not returning the jewelry to where she had found it, but, rather, waiting until she knew the name of the next of kin and then just sending it straight to them. She moved along the shadows of the descending darkness, unsure of exactly what to do. She stopped at the edge of the water, near one of the small crepe myrtle trees, and sat down.
    She reached inside and pulled the now-familiar piece of jewelry out of her pocket. She held it in her hands and then glanced around to see that no one was nearby. When she was sure that she was alone, she clasped the thick cuff-style bracelet around her right wrist. She carefully squeezed the two ends and held up her arm to see how it looked.
    In the dimming light of the day, she could make out only the edges of the jewelry. She could not see any of the symbols or even the large turquoise stone. She reached out with her left hand and held the bracelet and her arm against her chest. The dead man’s belonging, she thought, somehow connected her to him, and she leaned her head back so that she completely