Scars Of Defiance by Lorena Angell

line were cut for some reason? A radio would be
better.”
    “That’s a good idea, Paul. I think I’ll put you in charge of
that once Sara has moved on.”
    Paul felt a huge sense of satisfaction that his father
trusted him with such a task. But the overwhelming gloom of the last part of
his sentence was what really struck him:  “once Sara has moved on.”
    *****
     
    Zachary, Elsie, and Grandma Martha sat at the kitchen table
and discussed the crossers. Zachary led the discussion. “No one can be moved
until the heat dies down. Private investigators are combing the city, and many
of Reginald Rawlings’s men have been spotted as well. Another crosser plane is
scheduled this weekend, but I fear we will still be full.”
    Elsie looked worried. “No one on that plane will stand a
chance of surviving. Reginald’s men will capture them in the search for Sara.”
    Martha cut in. “I made some calls to my friends in Rendier.
First of all, all night flights have been suspended, and now Reginald’s guards
are posted at the airport twenty-four hours a day. There will be no flights
this weekend. They’ll have to find a different way to transport crossers from
now on. Secondly, Sara’s real name is Sierra Montgomery. The story she told
Paul is accurate, so I don’t believe she’s a spy.” Martha picked up some papers
and took a deep breath and continued. “Okay, the Montgomerys were a very
influential family. You were both young when all this happened and may not remember,
but thirty-two years ago when King Louis ruled, his Queen was a Montgomery. The
southernmost province of Rendier was ruled by the Montgomery family, and when
King Louis chose his bride, he merged his title with their prominent name.
Reginald clearly plans to do the same thing:  merge his name with this
influential family’s history in order to strengthen his reign. By having Victor
marry Sierra Montgomery, Reginald hopes to win favor and trust with his
people.”
    “Does she have any relatives?” Zachary asked.
    “Actually, no. When Alexandar Rawlings overthrew King Louis,
most of the Montgomery’s were killed. Sierra’s father, Donald, was a cousin to
the Queen. He was a young man at the time and was spared. The older Montgomery’s
were the targeted ones. The others have dropped off the map. Perhaps they’ve
crossed into Baylend, or maybe they’ve been executed like Sierra’s father.”
    “Oh dear,” said Elsie.
    “Nevertheless, Sierra is a Montgomery,” Martha said, “and
with that name, Reginald is hoping to restore the faith of his people.”
    Elsie let out a sigh of exasperation. “Our son jumps
head-first into housing crossers and ends up with Princess Sierra. Reginald
Rawlings isn’t going to stop till he finds her.”
    Zachary watched his wife as she put the details together and
came up with the same dismal conclusion he already had. He changed the subject,
knowing it wouldn’t help the tension any, but it still needed to be discussed.
“I’m concerned about something Paul just told me. He said Greg’s house was
raided this morning. Greg told him they were looking for a young female, and he
asked Paul if we took in any females. Paul said we only took in males this
time.”
    Martha said. “I spoke with Mrs. Bidell this afternoon, and
she said they didn’t pick anyone up last night because of their remodeling.”
    Elsie asked, “An empty house was raided?”
    Zachary answered with, “No, Greg said they took in one male
crosser. Both stories cannot be true. The only reason Mrs. Bidell would cover
up taking in a crosser would be for the same reason we would … cover up; we
don’t want to be raided. But for Greg to say they did take one in could just be
his stupidity for divulging too much information. However, he also said they
were raided this morning. That’s the part that bothers me.”
    “Why would Greg lie about that?” Elsie asked.
    Martha stated confidently, “The Bidell’s were not raided
this morning. We