Antebellum BK 1 (47 page)

“
She missed her monthly twice and thought… Never mind. She’s very naïve but wasn’t pregnant.”

“
So you set her straight.”

“
No. That is, I agreed to marry her, but Aunt Anna interceded.”

“
Thank God.”

“
Maybe. I just don’t know.”

“
What is there to know? If you’d married her you’d have been ineligible to return here.”

“
I have a feeling that by next summer, when we graduate, she’ll be gone.”

“
Gone where?”

“
Elsewhere. I don’t know.” He looked earnestly at his friend. “You should see her, Fitz. She’s even more stunning than she was last spring. Men stumble over their own feet when she walks by. By the time we graduate, she’ll have so many suitors that she’ll have forgotten me all together.”

“
If that’s true it’s best that you discover it before you’re married. Ask your Uncle Jack about that.”

“
What’s this about my Uncle Jack?”

“
His wife has been seen keeping company with other men.”

“
Fitz.” There was a warning tone in Johnny’s voice.

“
I swear that it’s true.” He raised his right hand. “I heard it from several officers who rotated from California. They say she haunted the hotel bars when your uncle was away. I wouldn’t have told you if I wasn’t absolutely sure that it’s true.”

“
Damn. I’ve heard nothing about it from the family.”

“
If they know, it’s not the kind of thing that families discuss.”

“
Aunt Anna and Nancy are never reluctant to discuss anything, regardless of its prurient nature.”

“
Oh. I saw your Aunt Nancy in Richmond, by the way. She is still a strikingly handsome woman.”

“
Yes she is,” Johnny replied absently. “But on her brightest day she didn’t hold a candle to Kate Chase.”

“
You, sir, have a one-track mind.”

September
13, 1855

Fort Laramie, Nebraska Territory

A
tall man wearing a badge was waiting for them as their wagon pulled in through the gate. “Colonel Van Buskirk?” He shouted.

Jack reined in the horses and set the brake. “Yes?”

“
I’m Rodger Colter, Deputy U.S. Marshal.” He showed Jack his identification.

Jack tied the reins to the brake. “What can I do for you, Deputy?”

“
Can you tell me the whereabouts of eight men, buffalo hunters by trade, who left Fort Bridger in your company on or around the day of eleven June of this year?”

“
Yes I can.” Jack jumped down and held up his hands for Clementine. “Those men are dead.”

“
Where did they die?”

“
Near Jackson’s Hole, on the Snake River.”

“
When did they die?”

“
Soon after we got there.”

“
Do you know the cause of death?”

“
Not definitely.” Jack set Clementine on her feet and brushed the dust off his trousers with his hat. “But they were all shot. Without benefit of a post-mortem I would guess they died from those wounds.”

“
What was the disposition of the bodies?” The deputy was looking at Clementine who was busy fixing her hair.

“
Cremated,” Jack said.

“
Any particular reason for that?” Colter turned back toward Jack. “Rather than burial, I mean?”

“
The geography where they were killed was a flood plain that submerged under water regularly during heavy rains,” Jack replied. “The bodies would have been washed out of their graves.”

“
You had their wagons and teams. Why not just take the corpses to a more suitable location?”

“
Other than a boy and my wife, I was alone. Cremation seemed the best solution. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Jack started toward the Western Union office.

“
I’m not finished.” The deputy caught Jack by the arm.

“
You have two seconds to unhand me.” Jack put his hand on his Colt.

The deputy let go. “Under Federal Law you’re obligated to cooperate with me or face prosecution. I must also remind you that threatening and lying to a Federal officer are both felonies punishable by up to ten years in prison for each count.”

“
That’s enough,” Clementine said. “Those men raped me and I killed them for it.”

“
No,” Jack said. “Clem.” He took her elbow. “Damn it. No. We agreed.”

She pulled free and waved him away like an annoying fly. “I’m not going to let the law hound you over what I did.” She looked at the Deputy. “Am I under arrest?”

“
Yes, Ma’am. I have a warrant here.” He took it from inside his coat and offered it to her.

“
Give it to my husband,” she said with a wave of her hand.

The deputy gave the warrant to Jack. “The charge is eight counts of murder in the first degree. You’re charged as an accessory. Please come with me to the Provost Martial’s office.”

October 23, 1855

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

A
s Clementine was led from the courtroom in shackles, Robert helped Jack sit down. “Just take a deep breath, Jack.”

“
Twenty years,” Jack whispered. He looked stunned.

“
We’ll appeal,” Anna said.

“
If there had been a woman on that jury she’d be free,” Nancy said angrily.

“
A district judge and a small-town jury would have acquitted her too,” Robert agreed. “But since it happened on Federal Land…”

“
We’ll appeal,” Anna repeated, before Robert could finish.

“
How could the jury consider it as premeditated?” Jack asked in a bewildered tone.

Robert decided it was wiser not to answer. “Let’s go home and talk about it there, Jack.” He took his brother’s arm and helped him to his feet. “We’ll go out the back way and avoid the newspaper reporters.”

“
There won’t be any in front,” Anna said. “They’re all covering John Brown’s speech.”

“
Let’s go out the back anyway,” Robert said. He gave Anna a warning glance.

Nancy leaned close to Anna and whispered in her ear. “He doesn’t want Jack to see them taking Clementine to the prison in chains.”

Anna nodded. “This is all my fault,” she whispered back to Nancy.

“
Your fault? How?” Nancy stopped and let Robert and Jack go on.

“
That judge is pro-slavery and he did it to hurt me.”

Nancy looked doubtful.

“
After he instructed the jury on how to interpret the definition of first-degree murder, the jury had no choice.”

“
You have a point, but he could have sentenced Clementine to hang. Twenty years is harsh, but it could have been much worse. An appeal…”

“
I’m going to bypass Clementine’s lawyer and go straight to Washington,” Anna interrupted.

“
Washington?” Nancy looked bewildered. “What for?”

“
To see if I can get Judge Cadwalader to overturn the verdict. He’s a Free-Stater and he hates Governor Shannon.”

“
Can he do that? Overturn a verdict by a Kansas judge?”

“
Yes. He could then be overturned by the Supreme Court some time later but I seriously doubt that they’d hear it, given the circumstances.”

“
What if he says no?”

“
I’ll find another Federal judge with Territorial jurisdiction and convince him.”

“
I’ll come with you,” Nancy said after a moment.

“
I may not have your looks but those judges are old men. I can still charm an old man.”

“
That’s not what I meant,” Nancy grumbled.

“
It doesn’t matter. You’re needed here. John Brown is crazy as a bedbug. If he’s not contained he’ll do more harm than good.”

“
I can’t contain John Brown. He’s marching to his own drummer.”

“
You should stay anyway. Robert needs you.”

Nancy sighed. “There’s nothing important happening between Robert and me, Anna. We’ve become friends and that’s all.”

“
You could change that any night after the house is asleep.”

“
Forget that. I’m not going to sneak into his bedroom and jump in bed with him.”

“
Why not?”

“
Well, for starters, I’m a sapphist.”

“
Bullshit. You’ve only taken up a cause and you’re afraid that sleeping with my brother would somehow be disloyal to the sisters.”

“
That’s just not true.”

“
Prove it to me.”

“
How?”

“
Knock on his bedroom door tonight, then tell me you’re a sapphist in the morning.”

“
Will you listen to yourself, Anna?”

Anna sighed. “Nancy, I love you more than anyone in the whole world and I know you better than you know yourself. You and Robert were made for each other.”

“
So you’ve been saying since we were twelve.”

“
It’s been true since we were twelve, but you were always attracted to the wild types, like my brother William – and then you were disappointed when they turned out to be undependable.”

“
I’m not going to sleep with Robert and that’s final.”

“
Okay. I tried.” She pointed at the back door. “Catch up to them. I’m going to book passage home on the fastest possible steamer.”

November 22, 1855

Lawrence, Kansas

N
ancy Vreeland pushed the yellow Western Union form across the counter. “I need this sent right away.”

The telegrapher read the message, then looked up at her. “Say, you’re not AM VB,” he said in an accusing tone. “I know AM VB. Anna Van Buskirk’s her whole name.”

“
I’m filing a story for Anna Van Buskirk with her newspaper.” Nancy pointed. “See? It’s going to
The New York Times
.”