The Mistaken Mail Order Bride (24 page)

“That man who killed your mother… You didn’t
like him when you first saw him, correct?”

Caleb nodded again.

“And you couldn’t figure out why you didn’t
like him?” Eric asked, hoping he might pinpoint something tangible
he could use to help him figure out Charles’ motives for coming
here.

“No,” Caleb replied.

Alright. That avenue was a dead end. Maybe
Eric needed to try a different line of questioning, something more
specific. “Caleb, are there any similarities between the man who
killed your mother and Charles?”

“They’re both white.”

It was getting closer to what Eric wanted,
but he needed more. “What about the way they acted or talked?”

Caleb’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you
mean?”

Eric thought over a couple good examples he
might use before saying, “For instance, did they use any of the
same words? Or did they walk the same way? Maybe the man who killed
your mother gave her the same kind of look that Charles gave
Caroline. Anything like that.”

“Oh, well…”

Caleb’s voice drifted off, and Eric could
tell he was comparing the two in his mind, sifting through those
subtle details that were important when deducting the good and the
bad in people. Eric was beginning to suspect Caleb had a method for
picking out such details without even thinking about it. What Caleb
needed was for someone to help him become aware of that method so
he could willingly use it in the future…and now.

“They were too nice,” Caleb finally
said.

“Too nice?” Eric asked.

“They wanted to be trusted.”

“How did you know they wanted to be
trusted?”

Caleb stared at his hands for a long moment
then said, “Their voices. They sounded different than other
men’s.”

“How were their voices different?”

“They were higher.”

“You mean, the pitch in their voice was
higher than it normally would have been?”

Caleb nodded.

“Anything else?” Eric asked.

“There was something in their eyes.”

Figuring Caleb wouldn’t be able to explain
what that something was, Eric ventured, “How did you feel when you
looked at their eyes?”

“Scared.”

So maybe Caleb detected a predatory look in
their eyes. “What kind of scared?”

“I wanted to run and hide.”

“Caleb, when Ida was here, did you feel the
same things as you did with those men?”

“No. Ida’s different. She had a strange
smile on her face.”

“A strange smile?”

He nodded. “It made me think of a stray cat.
Mama used to feed him. He scratched her when she touched him.
Enough to hurt, but not kill.”

Interesting. “If you were to compare the two
men with an animal, what would it be?”

“There was a dog by our apartment. It didn’t
have a home. Mama and I passed it when we went outside. It seemed
nice. Mama and I petted it. But then white spit came out its mouth
one day, and it was mean. Mama said to stay away from it. I learned
it killed two people. Then it was shot.”

Eric was surprised the boy could come up
with such great analogies to describe Ida and the two men. Just as
he thought, the information was there, buried deep down in the
boy’s mind. It was a matter of drawing it out to see how he came up
with the conclusions he did.

“Well, tonight I’m going to see if I can
figure out what Charles is up to,” Eric said. “After we eat, I
would like you to pretend to go to bed. Keep your clothes on and
sit on the couch with Caroline. I don’t want Charles to have any
advantage, and if I know you two are safe in this cabin, I’ll be
able to focus on what I need to do.”

The boy nodded, and Eric decided that was a
good way to end this particular conversation.

“I’m going to go help Caroline with the
meal,” Eric said.

“Can I help, too?” Caleb asked.

Surprised he wanted to spend time cooking,
he agreed. But who knew? Maybe Caleb had helped his mother with the
meals.

Eric smiled. “It’d be nice to have your
help.”

Together, the two went to the kitchen.

***

Charles waited until it was dark before he
made his way to Caroline’s new home. He had to get her. Every woman
he didn’t acquire was money lost, and he had debts to pay.

From the shadows of the trees, he watched
the house. The curtains were drawn, so he couldn’t make out
anything she and that new husband of hers were doing. Of all the
times someone would end up in the wrong town, it had to be
Caroline. If it hadn’t been for the little brat she’d brought with
her, she would have been paying attention when the stagecoach
driver called out the name of the town.

Oh, who was he kidding? The woman wasn’t all
that smart. Only someone lacking intelligence would end up in the
wrong town. But it wasn’t her mind he was interested in. And who
knew? Maybe her stupidity would be an asset.

He settled on the ground and leaned against
a tree, making sure he remained out of sight. He’d wait for as long
as it took for her to come out. She couldn’t stay there forever,
and her husband couldn’t be with her at all times, either. It was
just a matter of waiting. And fortunately for him, he was a patient
man.

An hour later, the lights in the cabin went
out except for a small one that was near the front door. Another
hour later, someone stepped onto the porch.

Squinting, he tried to make out whether it
was Caroline or her husband. It had to be Caroline. He caught the
bonnet on the person’s head and the skirt that swirled around the
ankles. Yes, it had to be her.

She sat on the chair and rocked back and
forth, probably trying to unwind after a long day. Charles waited
for a few minutes to see if the husband would join her, but he
didn’t. Good. Now was the time to act. He removed the bottle of
chloroform and the rag from his pocket. After making sure the rag
was saturated, he slipped the bottle back into his pocket and rose
to his feet, careful not to make a sound.

He tiptoed to the side of the porch so he
could come from behind her. The element of surprise was on his
side, but he didn’t have much time. That husband of hers could show
up at any moment.

He crept up behind the
chair, which continued squeaking as she rocked back and forth.
Making sure no one was shuffling around in the cabin, he rose to
his feet. And just as he was about to slip the rag around her
mouth, she turned to him. Except she wasn’t a
she
. She was a
he
.

“I knew you’d come for me,” the man said,
imitating Caroline’s southern drawl before he punched Charles in
the face.

***

Once the man fell into an unconscious heap,
Eric rose from the chair and threw off the bonnet and shawl and put
them on the chair. Then he unpinned Caroline’s skirt and added it
to the pile.

“It’s safe to come out,” he called out to
Caroline and Caleb.

The door opened, and Caroline peered
outside. “What happened?”

“I got him.” Eric turned the man over and
slid the handcuffs behind his back. They were a little tight, but
it was better than being loose. At least this way, Charles couldn’t
slip out of them. He rolled the man onto his back and glanced at
her. “Bring out the light and tell me if this is the right
man.”

Caroline hurried to obey and stepped up to
him. She held the kerosene lamp up and nodded. “Yes, that’s
Charles. What do you think he was going to do?”

Finding the wet rag beside the chair, Eric
picked it up and sniffed it, noting the sickly sweet smell. “He was
going to put this over your nose and mouth so you’d go to sleep.
After that, he was probably going to haul you off to his town.”

“But why?” Caroline asked.

“That’s what I’m going to find out.” He
glanced at Caleb. “It looks like your instinct was right. You do
well to listen to them.” He turned his gaze back to Caroline. “I
want you to stay with Abe and Phoebe while I take Charles to his
hometown so I can find out what he wanted with you. Mind if I take
the missive he sent you so I know where his home is?”

“No, I don’t mind.” She rushed back into the
cabin.

“You don’t mind staying with Abe and Phoebe,
do you?” Eric asked Caleb.

“No,” Caleb replied then looked down at
Charles. “I knew he was bad.”

“You did, and I’m glad we listened to
you.”

“I wish Mama had listened to me.”

Eric placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“As happy as I am to have you here, I also wish she’d listened to
you. No one should lose a mother the way you did. I’m sorry, Caleb.
I know no one will ever replace her. I just hope you can find some
happiness here.”

“You and Caroline are good people,” Caleb
said.

“And you’re a good boy,” Eric replied. “Your
mother raised you right.” He saw a tear fall from Caleb’s eye, so
he hugged him, choked up by the things Caleb had been through at
such a young age. When he released him, he asked, “Will you take
care of Caroline for me while I’m gone?”

Caleb nodded.

Caroline returned with an envelope. “The
missive’s in there,” she explained.

He took it. “Thank you.” Glancing at Charles
to make sure he hadn’t woken up, he added, “I’m going to get a
wagon. After I take you and Caleb to Abe and Phoebe’s, I’ll head
out to Georgetown.”

“But it’s late,” Caroline replied.

“I know, but I won’t be able to sleep
tonight so I might as well do something productive with my
time.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. I want you
coming back to us,” she replied.

“I will. And when I do, I’ll be able to tell
you what he was planning to do with you. Go on and get enough
things for you and Caleb for a week then we’ll head out.”

“Alright.”

While she went to do that, he woke Charles
up and then led him to the livery stable.

Chapter Twenty-One

A
lmost two weeks later, Caroline was making soup. She’d been
hesitant to do it, given her inclination to burn it, but Phoebe and
her mother had promised her they’d stay with her the entire time.
Though reluctant, she agreed, adding, “But if this doesn’t work
out, I’m never trying it again.”

Since Phoebe and her mother seemed happy
enough with this compromise, Caroline worked on the soup. As she
finished putting the last of the vegetables into the pot, Phoebe
said, “That’s all there is to it.”

“I’ve gotten this far before without any
problems,” Caroline told Phoebe before she got her hopes up.

Phoebe smiled. “You need to have more faith
in yourself. If you can make pot roast, you can do this.”

“Phoebe’s right,” her mother said. “It’s
just a matter of letting the soup simmer for a couple hours.”

“Well, you need to check on it every so
often and add water from time to time,” Phoebe added. “I also like
to put some salt in for extra flavor.”

Caroline wiped her hands and set the towel
on the hook by the cookstove. “We’ll see if your faith in me pays
off in a couple hours then.” She turned to Phoebe. “I’m surprised
you’re doing so much since you’re in the family way.”

Phoebe glanced at her as she picked up the
pitcher of lemonade to refill their glasses. “Why?”

“Well, the ladies I was around would sit and
rest as soon as they found out they were with child,” Caroline
replied. “They were told to take things easy.”

Phoebe’s mother chuckled. “I can’t remember
a time when Phoebe ever took it easy. She’s always been one to work
hard from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to
sleep.”

“I suppose things are different out here
from the way they were when I was growing up,” Caroline
thoughtfully replied.

Caroline picked up her
glass and took a sip of the lemonade. When it was her time to carry
a child, she’d probably be doing all the household tasks she’d only
recently learned. The war had changed so many things, and the South
would never be the way it used to be.
She
would never be the way she used
to be.

While there were times she wished she could
have one more day to spend with her family, doing the things she’d
once taken for granted, she knew some things had changed for the
better.

She glanced at Caleb who
was sitting on the couch, quietly working on the letter
W
. He was such a studious
child. Besides her brother, she couldn’t think of anyone as
dedicated to learning new things. They’d already started working on
recording the memories he had of his mother. No doubt, when he was
older, he’d go on to record more things as he encountered more
people and gained more experiences.

“Eric’s here,” Phoebe’s mother called out,
peering out the kitchen window.