Dorothy Garlock (43 page)

“That may be, but right now he's got the ears of every man in town, and I've got to worry about a lynch mob.”

“No lynch mob will ever get their hands on Casper. I've got fifteen armed men out there who are as loyal to me as Madison's men are to him.”

“Why are you bringing him into this? ”

“You know why. He'll be out there stirring the men up, egging them on. I'll tell you this now, Sheriff: I'll shoot any man who lays a hand on Casper.”

“If you try to take the law into your hands, you'll find yourself in my jail.”

“I'll not sit by and let a mob, stirred up by a rabble-rouser like Madison, harm a good and decent man. If you can't protect him, I can.”

“You'd best be thinking of yourself. The talk is the two of you did it together.”

“Talk is cheap, Sheriff. If you had as much as a smidgen of evidence against me, you'd have arrested me. I'm going home. My men and I will be guarding Casper and you'd better get to finding out who really killed Carsie and planted her head in my shed.” Hunter turned toward Jelly Bryce. “I'd like to speak to you, Bryce.” He waited on the sidewalk for Jelly to join him.

“Hell of a mess, isn't it? ”Jelly said casually.

“I've a favor to ask. You know the situation with Laura Hopper and her little girl. They're at the hotel. I'm afraid that they'll be hurt because of me. I'll forever be in your debt if you'll go down there and persuade her to come to my house. Whoever is after me just might harm Laura or Mary Pat because they know that I'm fond of them.”

“I'll tell her. But the woman's got a mind of her own.”

“Tell her that if she can't come to me, I'll leave my men to guard Casper and come to her. Take my car. I'll ride with the men in one of the trucks.”

On reaching the house, Hunter left George Hinkle in charge of the men and hurried inside. Dinah and Casper sat at the kitchen table. Dinah jumped up when he came in; her face was wet with tears. Hunter went to her and enfolded her in his arms.

“What's this? My Dinah bawling like a baby and no supper ready? ”he chided gently.

“Mistah Conrad, he says dey think Casper — ”

“We know better, don't we? Don't worry, now. Dry your tears. Nothing will happen to Casper. I've got fifteen men out there who'll see to it.”

“I neber hide nothin', Mistah Hunter — ”

“I know you didn't. This is all a misunderstanding and will be cleared up. Meanwhile, there are hungry men out there who've not had supper. Dinah, how about you and Casper rustling up something? Not one of those men has ever eaten a biscuit as good as yours. Let's give them a treat.”

“I make up a batch, an 'fry up some ham an 'make redeye gravy.” Dinah dried her eyes on the end of her apron. “Casper, fire up my cookstove.”

After laying a reassuring hand on Casper's shoulder, Hunter went to the porch to wait for Jelly Bryce. George Hinkle came from around the house, his rifle in his hand.

“According to Bryce, the town's pretty stirred up. There could be trouble before the night's over. I'll double the wages for tonight, but there'll be no hard feelings if you or any of the men walk away.”

“We ain't walkin', double pay or not.”

“Have you stopped to think that you may be defending a murderer? Folks seem to think I or Casper killed Miss Bakken.”

George laughed. “Been workin 'for ya for nigh on five years now. Reckon if'n ya or Casper was a killer, it'd showed up 'fore now.”

“Thanks, George. Dinah is fixing supper for the men. We'll eat in shifts.”

Hunter paced up and down the porch. When his car turned the corner down the street, he strained his eyes to see if Jelly Bryce was alone. As it neared, he felt a vast relief. Laura was with him. He left the porch and was in the drive waiting when the car stopped. He opened the door.

“Thank God, you're here. I've been so worried. Come to me, sweetheart.” He lifted Mary Pat off Laura's lap. She went to him eagerly. “Did you bring your things? ”

“Only what we had with us.”

“Where's your mother? She didn't go back to the house, did she? ”he asked anxiously.

“She stayed at the hotel.”

After Laura got out of the car, Hunter pulled her close to him and looked over her head at Jelly.

“Much obliged, Bryce. George will take you back unless you want to stay awhile.”

“Thanks, but I think I'll take a stroll through town and see what's going on.”

“Tell the sheriff to keep that rabble away from here, because if they come, he knows what they'll get.”

“Yeah, well, hang in here tonight. Things usually look better in the morning.”

Hunter, carrying Mary Pat, led Laura into the house. She stood beside the door, her eyes roaming over the rich furnishings in the house. Seeing the uncertainty on her face, Hunter slipped an arm around her waist and drew her close, the baby between them.

“Honey, I'm still the same man who sat on your porch and helped you snap beans.”

Her eyes moved from a gold-framed picture on the wall to the rich carpet on the floor, then to his. The tenderness, the concern, the love were there in his eyes. Her insides melted.

“My sweet and wonderful Laura. Give yourself a chance to know me here in my house.” Hunter brought her hand to his lips. “No one will ever love you the way I do.”

Laura tilted her head against his shoulder for just a moment, then looked up at him. Her eyes were shining, her smile beautiful. She believed him. She rose up on her toes and lifted her mouth for his kiss.

The hotel guests — two salesmen, a single man waiting to be picked up by a nearby ranch owner, a couple on their way to Kansas City to visit their daughter, and a man waiting to take the morning train — were understandably nervous as night fell.

After a meal at Martha's, they returned to sit on the porch or in the hotel lobby. Joe moved among them, reassuring them that they were perfectly safe, that the sheriff had everything under control.

From the porch of the hotel they could hear the raised voices of the men gathered in groups along the street discussing the latest news. No one had as yet come forward who was willing to lead them to act in an unlawful manner.

Blue stayed in the kitchen with Nettie Cole and Radna in case Lloyd or some of the rowdies might come in the back door. Jill joined Thad on the front porch.

“It's strange without Aunt Justine here, ”she said. “I keep thinking I should go back to her room and see about her.”

“I wonder why she never said anything about Madison being her son.”

“Radna said she was ashamed. He blamed her for the mark on his face, yet he seems proud of it. Aunt Justine had wished for many years that someday she would see her son again. But at their first meeting, Radna said, he broke her heart, and she was never the same after that.”

“I'll be glad for us to leave this place, honey. When the field plays out, a boomtown dies a slow death. And I don't like the feeling of always looking over my shoulder.”

“You'd not feel that way if not for Lloyd.”

“He's got a following here, even if they are a bunch of brainless mush-heads who can't think for themselves.”

“We can't go until a decision has been made about what's to be done with the hotel. I can't just go off and leave it.”

“Madison will try to get it.”

“Aunt Justine didn't want him to have it. She told Radna to sell it when she was gone.”

“I hope your aunt had an airtight will.”

“Do you realize that Lloyd being Aunt Justine's son makes him my cousin? ”

“Scary thought, isn't it? ”

“His month here is up day after tomorrow.”

“I'll be delighted to tell him to leave. But enough about him.” With an arm across her shoulders, Thad pulled her close to him.

“Careful of your back, ”she cautioned.

“Don't worry, honey. It's much better — hardly hurts at all now. Have you decided how long we have to wait before we can get married? ”

“Aunt Justine would say, don't wait. But I'm thinking it would be nice to be married back home among our families and friends.”

“That would take weeks, ”he complained. “You and Julie would spend days fussing with dresses and flowers and doodads. You'd not have any time for me.”

“What's a few weeks when we'll have a lifetime to be together? We'll have to decide where to live — ”

“Why can't we be married here? Someone might steal you away from me.” He brushed light kisses on her temple.

Jill laughed. “Sure. Did you see that line of men wanting to marry me? ”He caught her earlobe between his teeth. “Thad! Stop. Someone will see.”

“Unhand my sister, you cad! ”

Thad looked up at Joe. “You again? Why don't you go lie down in the road and let a car or a wagon run over you? ”

“I'd get all wet and … muddy.”

“We've decided to wait until we get home to be married.” Jill smiled.

Thad frowned. “I didn't decide, you did. They've got perfectly good, decent preachers here in Rainwater. I don't understand why we have to wait.”

“You don't have to understand it, you clobberhead. Just get in the harness and do as you're told, ”Joe said. “You might as well get used to it. By the time we get back to Fertile, you'll be dancing a jig and whistling 'Dixie 'every time she snaps her fingers.”

“But honeybunch, ”Thad protested as he put a kiss on Jill's nose, “I can't even carry a tune.”

Jill laughed, then sobered quickly. “It isn't right for us to be sitting out here laughing, with Aunt Justine up at the funeral parlor.”

“I didn't know her as well as you did, Sis. But I think she'd want you to be happy and planning your wedding.”

“Yes, she would. Do you and Thad have good shirts to wear to the funeral tomorrow? ”

“Yes, and Mrs. Cole has offered to iron them for us.” Joe went to stand by the porch steps. “I think I'll walk uptown and see which way the wind is blowing. Guard the front door, lover boy. If you're so in love you can't handle it, call Blue.” Joe went down the steps to the walk.

“I hate him …sometimes, ”Thad said, wrapping both arms around Jill. “I'd beat him up, but he's going to be my brother-in-law and I'm going to have to get along with him.”

Much to the relief of Sheriff Page and his deputy, the night passed without the expected eruption of mob violence. By midnight the streets held only a few of the diehard rowdies, too drunk to do anything but argue and brag. The sheriff didn't bother to arrest them.

Jelly Bryce was at the depot to meet the morning train bringing Officer Hurt from Oklahoma City. Ignoring the curious glances they received, the two officers greeted each other.

“How's it goin', Jelly? ”

“Thought we'd run into a dead end until yesterday.”

“We have a break in this case. I'd planned to come up here today even before you called. I'll wait and tell you and Sheriff Page at the same time. Did you alert the folks at the hotel that I'd need a room? ”

“No, but we can go by and tell them now. I'm using the sheriff's car and the sheriff's gas.”

Officer Hurt checked into the hotel. Later, after leaving his suitcase in his room, and carrying a leather folder, he and Jelly entered the sheriff's office through the back door. Red-eyed and weary, the sheriff greeted him.

“I understand things could have gotten out of hand here last night, ”Hurt said as the two men shook hands.

“Yeah. We've got a few hotheads. Most of it was all blow. But you never know what a crowd like that will do.” Sheriff Page led the way to the front office and pulled up chairs for the two men before he sank into the old leather chair behind his desk.

“I've got a few things here I think you'll be interested in, ”Office Hurt began. “When I went back to the city, I sent word to people I knew in the surrounding states about the crime here and asked if anyone knew of anything similar happening in their area.

“The other day I heard from a friend of mine who's with the police department in Springfield, Missouri. And what he had to say rang a bell.

“A few years ago, the dismembered body of a young woman was found in a shallow ditch alongside a well-used road outside of town. It was covered with a thin layer of brush, as if the killer had wanted her to be found. She was all there except for her head. It's never been found.

“Now, here is the sticker, or coincidence, whichever you want to call it. The body was identified as that of a young college student who had been missing for several weeks. While checking into her background, it was discovered that she had gone out a few times with a young fellow enrolled at Drury College. He had been living in a small house on the edge of town. A few days after he graduated, his house burned to the ground and he left town to go to law school.”

The sheriff had not uttered a sound since the officer had started talking. He leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his stomach. At the officer's next words the sheriff's head snapped up and his hands gripped the arms of the chair.

“The young man, a brilliant student, had a red mark the shape of the palm of a hand on his face.”

“Godamighty! ”The skin of Sheriff Page's weathered face had paled. “Godamighty, ”he said again in a hoarse whisper. He was visibly stunned. His hamlike fists balled and unballed. “How many men do you know with a mark like that? ”

“Only one. I never mentioned that there was a man here with an unusual mark on his face. Or that right after the murder his house burned to the ground. In the second telegram, my friend sent me the name of their suspect.” Officer Hurt took a yellow square of paper out of his folder and placed it on the desk in front of the sheriff.

Sheriff Page stared down at the paper for several minutes before he spoke.

“I don't have a thing to tie him to what happened here. If I brought him in for questioning and accused him, I'd be run out of town.”

“Now that we suspect who committed the crime, we'll have to work on getting him to give himself away, or the son-of-a-bitch will get away with butchering that woman. He burned his house down to hide the bloody mess just like he did in Springfield.” Officer Hurt retrieved the telegram and put it back in his folder.

“Dad-blast it! ”the sheriff snorted. “I can't believe this.

He's the last one I'd have suspected. If he's the one, he's fooled a lot of folks, including me.”