All My Tomorrows (22 page)

A cat? No.

A dog? Maybe.

The whining continued.

No, it was not an animal. It was a human sound.

Deena raised her head slowly, careful not to put a strain on her throbbing body, and looked in the direction of the sound. She focused her eyes on a crumpled form lying a few feet away from her. It was a woman, and her body shook as she made the piteous, mournful sounds. There was blood matted in her hair on the back of her head.

Deena struggled to rise to her knees, and after several tries, finally made it. Her bruised and battered body vehemently objected to every move. The pain was worse on the backs of her legs. She put a hand to the stinging areas on her legs and felt something sticky. When she looked at her hand, she saw that it was blood; then her eyes focused on the crimson spots on her skirt near the hem.

The woman’s whines once again drew her attention. She crawled painfully toward her, and as she reached her, she recognized Norma Dexter.

Suddenly it all came back.

Deena remembered the beating Ralph was giving her, and Norma’s futile attempt to stop him.

Still on her knees, she looked into Norma’s clouded eyes. “Mrs. Dexter … Mrs. Dexter, can you hear me?”

Norma blinked and tried to focus on the face above her.

“D-Deena?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gradually Norma gained control of her frantic state. “Deena, are—are you all right?”

“I’m in a lot of pain and I’m bleeding some. You must have hit your head hard when Mr. Dexter knocked you down. There’s a lot of blood in your hair on the back of your head. We need to get to the kitchen where there’s water. Do you think you can stand up?”

Norma looked around the porch. Whispering for fear of
being overheard, she asked, “Do—do you know where Ralph and Rex are?”

Deena recalled hearing the sounds of father and son riding away before she passed out. “They rode away, ma’am.”

Norma nodded.

Deena took a deep breath. “Let’s try to stand up. We’ve got to tend to our cuts.”

Norma began a struggle to get herself on her feet.

Being younger and more resilient, Deena crawled to the wall, used it to brace herself, and was soon on her feet. After leaning against the wall for a moment, she took a couple of steps, stood over Norma, and offered her hand. “Here, let me help you.”

Norma clasped the hand, and little by little, was soon standing on shaky legs. Deena helped her to the wall, and they both used it for support while letting their breathing return to normal.

Deena took hold of Norma. “All right, let’s go. We’ll use the wall for support.”

It was a long, slow process, but step by careful step, they entered the kitchen. Deena helped Norma to the table and pulled out a chair. When Norma was seated, Deena pulled the next chair from under the table and dropped into it. Pain shot through her backside.

Deena leaned forward and laid her head on her folded arms atop the table. After a few minutes, the cobwebs of pain began to dissipate, and she raised her head. Focusing on Norma, she saw that there was still a dazed look in her eyes.

Deena gingerly rose to her feet. “Ma’am, I’ll get some water now and tend to the cut on the back of your head.”

Norma followed Deena’s movements as the girl held on to the table for support, then moved shakily to the end of the cupboard where the water pitcher and washbasin sat. She poured water into
the basin, took two towels from the rack nearby, and set them in front of Norma.

Dipping a towel into the cool water, Deena wrung it out some, and began to wash the blood from the wound and the hair around it. “The bleeding has stopped, ma’am. I’m glad for that. I’ll have it cleaned up in a couple of minutes.”

While Deena worked to clean the blood from Norma’s hair, nothing was said between them. Each was lost in her own thoughts.

When Deena was done, she said, “That’s the best I can do for now.”

“That’s fine, honey. Thank you. Now what about you?”

Deena looked toward the small room just off the kitchen, which was used for bathing. “I’ll go in there and wash the blood off my legs. If they’re still bleeding, I’ll use some of the cloths in there to wrap around them till the bleeding stops, if that’s all right.”

“Of course, dear.”

Some thirty minutes later, when Deena returned to the kitchen, she found Norma at the table where she had left her, staring into space. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

Norma blinked, then focused on the girl. “Oh. Yes. And how about you?”

“I had to wrap up a couple of the stripes, but the rest of them have stopped bleeding. The two I wrapped aren’t bleeding much.”

“That’s good.” Her face pinched. “Deena, I’m so sorry … so very sorry for what my husband did to you.”

Deena took hold of her hand. “It’s not your fault, ma’am. I’ll heal. You even got yourself hurt for trying to stop him from beating on me. Thank you for what you did.”

“I couldn’t just stand there. I had to do what I could to stop him.”

Deena smiled. “You’re a brave woman.” She looked toward the clock that hung on the kitchen wall. “It’s almost noon, ma’am. Mr. Dexter and your son will probably come back expecting lunch to be ready. We’d best get it prepared.”

Norma nodded and stood up. “You’re right.”

While Norma and Deena worked at preparing lunch, Deena said, “Mrs. Dexter, I might as well be honest with you. I am going to run away again. Only next time, I’ll plan it better. I’m not going to let Mr. Dexter find me.” A new resolve filled her young voice. “He’s not going to get the chance to beat me again.”

Norma set melancholy eyes on her. “I don’t want that to ever happen again.”

“I will miss you. Thank you for trying to give me a good home. Someday I’m going to find my twin, for I won’t be a whole person until I do. I won’t let you know anything about my plan to run away. That way, your husband can’t blame you or beat it out of you. But one day, I’ll be gone.”

“I can’t blame you, child,” said Norma, patting her hand. “And I hope you have a very happy life.”

“I will, ma’am. I … I wish you could get away from here too.”

Norma patted the hand again. “That isn’t possible for me, dear. When I married Ralph, in my mind it was a lifetime commitment. I’ll stay by his side and do the best I can. Rex is only sixteen. He still needs me. But you go as soon as the opportunity presents itself for you to make a clean getaway.”

“I’ll be much more careful next time, ma’am. I’ll make it.”

The two of them smiled conspiratorially at each other, then returned to preparing lunch.

That night at the
K-Bar-M Ranch
outside of Wild Horse, Molly Talbert woke up in the wee hours. At first, she was puzzled at
what had awakened her. Ken was sound asleep at her side.

Then she heard it again. Down the hall in her bedroom, Donna was sobbing.

Molly eased carefully out of the bed so as not to disturb Ken, took her robe from a nearby chair, and slipped it on. By the pale moonlight that was filtering through the curtains into the room, she picked up a candleholder and a match from the dresser. In the hall, she closed the door behind her, struck the match, lit the candle, then hurried to Donna’s room.

The door was open a few inches. Molly pushed it wider and moved up to the bed.

Donna looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and opened her arms. Molly set the candleholder on the nightstand, sat down on the edge of the bed, and leaned close as Donna folded her in a tight embrace.

“Honey, what are you crying about?”

Donna sniffed. “Oh, Mama, I was having a dream. I couldn’t see Deena, but I heard her calling to me, saying she needed me. She sounded terribly upset. Then I woke up.”

Molly hugged her tight. “It was just a dream, honey. Just a bad dream. You need to get back to sleep now.”

“But it was so real! It was Deena’s voice. It was like she was right here in the room with me.”

“Dreams can be like that, Donna,” said Molly, easing back to look her in the eye. “But that’s all it was. Only a dream.”

Donna blinked at her tears. “Oh, Mama, I want to see Deena so badly.”

“I know. And Papa and I will take you to Salina as soon as possible. But it will be a while yet. Let’s pray for Deena right now, then you need to get back to sleep.”

H
igh in the Colorado Rockies, the sun was setting as outlaws Shad Gatlin and Bart Caddo halted their horses a few yards from the mouth of a cave. Gatlin and Caddo had traded off keeping their hostage in the saddle while they rode.

At the moment, Gatlin had Johnny Smith on his horse with him. Caddo dismounted. “I’ll check the cave out, Shad.” He pulled out his revolver and drew back the hammer. “Be right back.”

Gatlin nodded. “We’ll wait right here.”

When his partner disappeared into the dark cave, Gatlin gazed around as the boy sat quietly in front of him. The shadows of the deep crags stretched from the west and between them streamed a red-gold light. The sunset was a clear picture of sunshine losing its fire. Fleecy orange clouds rested over the lofty mountain peaks. A sailing eagle dotted the blue sky directly above them, its shrill cry echoing over the high country.

Johnny looked up at the majestic bird and wished he was free like the eagle. Seconds later, it sailed silently out of sight.

The silence around them was unbroken now, and a soft breeze, laden with the incense of pine, touched their faces.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a loud roar inside the cave, followed by three gunshots. A startled Johnny Smith jerked in the saddle, grabbing the pommel. Three more shots came from the cave while Shad Gatlin was swinging out of the saddle, pulling his gun. He headed toward the cave, calling over his shoulder, “You stay put, kid!”

Just as Gatlin reached the cave, Bart Caddo came out, gun in hand. Smoke was drifting upward from the muzzle. “I ran into a black female bear in there, Shad. She was way back at the end of the cave. She’s dead now.”

Gatlin shoved his gun back in its holster. “Well, let’s drag her carcass outta there. I ain’t wantin’ to sleep in there with a dead bear.”

“Me, neither. She ain’t terribly big. Won’t be hard for the two of us to get her outta there.”

Gatlin turned and looked at Johnny. “Okay, kid, get down and come to the cave with us.”

There was a fearful look on the boy’s face as he slid from the saddle and walked toward the outlaws.

When they moved inside, Gatlin pointed to a spot just inside the cave’s mouth. “Siddown right there, kid. And don’t you move.”

Instantly, Johnny dropped to the floor of the cave and sat with his back against the rugged rock wall. He watched as the two men moved back into the shadows and could barely see them as they grabbed the dead bear by the hind feet and dragged her toward the cave’s mouth. Johnny focused on the black ball of fur as they dragged her past him, noting that her eyes were wide open in death. The outlaws dragged the bear outside and left the carcass under a tall spruce tree.

When they returned to the cave, Gatlin was carrying the rope he had used to bind Johnny up each night.

“Okay, kid, lie down right there so’s I can tie you up. We’ve got to go out and find firewood so we can cook supper.”

Johnny obeyed by stretching out on the dirt floor, intimidation showing in his eyes.

While Gatlin was cinching up the rope on his wrists and ankles, he said, “If you ever try to escape, kid, I promise I’ll kill you for sure. Got that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’ll untie you when we get back, so you can eat.”

Twilight was settling over the mountains as the outlaws left the cave and vanished from Johnny’s sight. Lying there, he thought of his father. He told himself if his father was a western lawman, he would come to his rescue. Justin Smith would find a way to get the drop on the bad men and free his son.

Tears filled the boy’s eyes. His lips quivered. “But this can’t happen because Dad lies in a cold, dark grave in the cemetery back in Manhattan.” He sniffed and choked on his tears. “Oh, Dad, I miss you so much! I miss you too, Mom. Why did both of you have to die?”

Johnny’s tears had dried up by the time he heard the outlaws coming toward the cave. It was now almost totally dark.

Gatlin and Caddo laid half of the broken tree limbs on the ground at the center of the cave’s mouth, and laid the rest of it close by for future use. They pulled dried pine needles and cones from their pockets and set them close to the wood. Gatlin pulled out a match, struck it, and put the flame on the needles and cones. Flames flared up instantly, throwing light all around the cave.

Gatlin stood over Johnny and laughed. “Well whattya know! You’re still here, eh, kid? I figured while we were gone, that she-bear’s mate would find her dead body over there under that tree and come in here ready to rip up whoever was in the cave.”

Caddo chuckled. “Yeah, I figured all we’d find of you was your clean bones.”

Johnny looked up at both men grimly.

The outlaws had stolen food, tin cups, coffee, coffeepot, and a skillet from a house they had burglarized in the small town of Florissant, just west of Pike’s Peak. They went outside to the horses and took the goods from the saddlebags. While Johnny looked on from the floor of the cave, they started cooking supper.

Soon the sound of hot meat was crackling in the skillet while Shad Gatlin leaned over it, stirring the meat around. Bart Caddo was busy with the small coffeepot.

Johnny knew the time planned by Gatlin to kill him had to be drawing near. The fear within him was like a worm crawling through his brain. Gatlin had warned him not to beg for his life anymore, but the twelve-year-old boy could not hold back. He drew a shuddering breath. “Mr. Gatlin?”

Still stirring the crackling meat, Gatlin swung his gaze to Johnny. “Yeah?”

“Won’t you please let me go? You and Mr. Caddo are safe now. If there were lawmen on your trail, they would have shown up by now. You don’t need me as a hostage anymore.”

Gatlin and Caddo exchanged glances by the firelight, then Gatlin grinned at the boy. “You’re right, kid. We don’t need you as a hostage anymore. Bart and I were talkin’ about it when we were gatherin’ the firewood. If that lame-brained Sheriff Clay Bostin was on our trail, he’d have been here before now.”