Wild Kat (14 page)

“I
am sorry Georgia.  I am sorry that happened to you and that you had to do what
you did.”

“What
did you do Kat?  Did you kill your husband too?”  She chuckled now.  It sounded
sick.

“No. 
I killed his girlfriend.  She was not his girlfriend anymore.  She wanted me
out of the way and was going to kill me so she could have him back.  During the
struggle, I stabbed her to death with her own knife.”  Kat sank down on the cot
and drew her knees up.  She was quiet for a long time.  She could hear Georgia
crying for a little while then snoring softly.

“I
wish Thomas were here.”  Kat said softly.  She stared up at the dark ceiling, a
small tear slid down one cheek into her ear.

“Do
you really wish that sweetheart?”  Thomas smiled down at her.

“Is
it really you?  I mean is it really?”  She came off the cot and hurried to
stand before him, she touched his hand.  “You look so different, like one of
those dandies from town.”  He was dressed in a dark suit and tie.   He had a
satchel with him she had not seen before.  He looked wiser somehow; Kat could
not quite put her finger on it.  His hair was neatly combed and his black
leather boots shined.

“It
is really me.  I have come to save you but first I need to know what
happened.   I need to know every detail Kat, do not leave anything out.  What
happened beginning to end?”   A tall lanky guard was headed their way with a
chair.  Thomas put his finger to his lips to quiet her until he was gone. 
Thomas thanked him for the chair and sat down in front of her cell, she on the
cot facing him.  He held her hands in his own and caressed her knuckles with
his thumbs.  “Now what happened?”

“I
killed some woman.”  Kat sniffled.  “She said she was supposed to marry you
awhile back and that I was in her way.  With me out of her way she could have
you.   She lunged at me and I moved out of the way, I told her if she wanted to
live, to be on her way.  So she fell when I moved and pulled out a long funny
knife.  I think they call them daggers and came at me again.  I grabbed her
hand and she was struggling with me so hard the knife went deeper than I
intended it to.”  Kat sniffled again.  “I did not mean to kill her Thomas. I
know she was your friend.”

“She
was no friend of mine and you need not worry about that.  The dagger you saw
belonged to my mother before she was murdered.  Susanna must have killed her to
get me but when I was accused she ran off with a traveling salesman.  I wish I
had stayed home.  If I had not left this would not have happened.”  His eyes
were downcast.  “Can you forgive me?”

“Why
did you leave Thomas?  I thought you loved me, I...” She wiped her eyes with
the backs of her hands now.

“I
followed you the other night.  You went to your parent’s graves and I saw you
crying.  I thought that well... I got it into my head that you only married me
because you could not leave them.  Tell me you love me Kat, I mean only if you
do.”

“I
love you with all my heart Thomas.  When I left the grave I was coming to you
but you were gone.  That was the first time I had visited since the funeral.  I
just needed to say goodbye.  You see I figured out what was wrong and it was
that I did not have mama to talk to anymore.  I can still talk she just cannot
answer me is all.  I needed to talk to her so much and all of what happened
just happened so fast.  I needed to clear my head.”  Her emerald gaze met his
smoky gray one now and they were lost in each other.  “I love you Thomas, so
much it hurts.”  She whispered.  “And now it’s all gone, all of it is all gone,
we won’t ever have children or make love or harvest the nuts together and it’s all
my fault.”  Her tears flowed freely now.

“Stop
it Kat, I am going to fix this, it‘s not your fault, you were protecting
yourself and I will prove that.”  He squeezed her hands reassuringly.  “I am
going to represent you in court.  You will appear in two days. I need to do a
bit of studying but I promise we will be home together by the weekend.” 

“I
think you better go find me one of those lawyers Thomas or I may swing in the
breeze by the weekend.”  Her eyes dropped to the floor for a Moment.  “I do not
want to die Thomas.”

“I
was a lawyer once Kat, a very good one.  I graduated at the top of my class.  I
have never defended a murder but I cannot trust anyone else with you or your
life.  I want to know in my heart that everything that could be done was done. 
I will take you home I promise.”  I hope it is not in a box. Kat thought.        

The
couple said their good-byes and Thomas went to his hotel to study his books. 
He had not ever defended anyone before, or gone before a Judge.  At school they
had mock trials but never a real court, although Thomas never lost.  He hoped
it was not much different, he was the best then, but that was years ago. 
Thomas opened his law books and began reading everything that he could find
about murder.  He walked the floor to stay awake and read through his supper. 
Thomas finally fell asleep as the sun broke at dawn.  He was awakened before
noon by the noise on the street and went straight back to his books.  At
suppertime he went to see her and took her a decent meal as he called it.

“Have
you slept Thomas?  You look very tired.”  Her hand caressed the stubble of his
cheek as she gazed into the tired reddened gray eyes.

“I
slept a little this morning.  I have found some very helpful things in my books
and I hope it is as easy as it sounds but I will be studying late tonight.  You
are supposed to go at nine o’clock before the Judge. I will be there when they
bring you in.  Please do not worry Kat, I will do my best.”  He was getting up
to leave as Kat finished the last of the meal he brought her.  “I love you
Kathleen.  I will not let them hang you.”

“I
believe you Thomas.”  Her face was full of trust and hope.  She smiled and
kissed him through the bars.  “It will be okay, I know it will.  You have to be
a better lawyer than you are a farmer.”  Kat snickered.

“I
ought to let you hang for that little miss.”  Thomas grinned. His big calloused
hand cupped her cheek.

“Who
will catch and kill your meals if I hang?”  She laughed.  “You will starve to death
out there alone.  You would probably end up eating Toby.”  She rolled her eyes
and grinned again.  “Go study Thomas, for both of our sakes.”  He kissed her
lightly on the lips again and hurried back to his hotel room to study.

Thomas
ran to the courthouse.  It was still early but he wanted to have anytime he
could with her before the trial started.  A deputy brought Kat in and seated
her next to Thomas.  She slid the heavy chair in under the table screeching the
feet across the wooden floor.  Thomas was writing something so Kat did not
bother him.  Instead she looked around the big room with its big windows.  She
could see the hanging platform from where she sat.  She saw people filing in
and thought about getting lost in the crowd and disappearing.  She could go
home and get lost in the woods where no one would ever find her.  She saw her
deputy standing by the door watching her and thought better of the escape
attempt.  Her eyes found many familiar faces in the chattering crowd.  The old
town doctor, the sheriff, the Crenshaw’s, Mister Lawson from the bank, and a
few busy bodies from town.  Sure that they were all here to see Wild Kat
Whitley hang she ignored them and looked instead at the Judge’s seat.  It was
two minutes past nine already, perhaps he thought this as silly as she did and
stayed home.  She thought to herself.  Thomas patted her knee.

“In
here I am your lawyer, not your husband.  So you will call me Mister Woods, as
far as the court is concerned we are two people, not husband and wife.”  Thomas
whispered softly.  “And remember no matter what you think, keep quiet, I speak
for you.  I am your voice and your mind, you are mute.  The court does not take
to independent women or their ideas, okay?”  Kat chewed her lip. “You
concentrate on what they are saying about you but keep your answers to yourself
unless someone is speaking directly to you or you are in that chair.”  He
pointed to the witness chair next to the Judge.

“I
hope you know what you are doing, and I love you no matter what.”  Kat answered
him quietly.

“I
do and I love you too.”

“All
rise!  The Honorable Judge Henry Flowers is residing.  Your honor this is the
case of the state versus Kathleen Whitley Woods on behalf of Susanna Berry.”

The
Judge sat down in his chair above the crowd and read a piece of paper.  He was
a striking man in his fifties with blond hair and large green eyes.  Something
about him was familiar, Thomas thought and wondered if he knew him from law
school. He called the jury to enter and take their seats.  The twelve men filed
into the jury box and sat.  Kat decided most of them were farmers but she could
pick out a few that must be store clerks or bank tellers.  The few in suits sat
together and the rest in bibbed overalls sat behind them.  The Judge spoke
first to a man at the table next to their own, she had not noticed him until
now, and he was as young as Thomas but looked too serious for his age.

“Mister
Peter’s, what says the state?”

“Your
honor the state says this woman Kathleen Whitley Woods killed the deceased
Susanna Berry in cold blood.  We want a hanging death.”  The Judge wrote more
on his paper.   

“Mister
Woods how does Missus Woods’ plea?”  He asked without looking up.

“Innocent,
your honor.” Thomas stood to give his answer.  As he sat back in his chair Kat
leaned over to him.

“That’s
a lie Thomas, I did kill her.”  He shushed her and faced the Judge again.

“Does
your client want to change her plea Mister Woods?”  The Judge looked irritated
already and made Thomas nervous.

“No
your honor.”  The Judge watched Kathleen.  She bit her tongue to keep quiet.

“Missus
Woods?  You have something to say?”

“Yes
sir.”  Thomas covered his eyes with one hand and shook his head.  “My lawyer
says I plead innocent but I did kill her your honor, I had to she did not give
me a choice.”

“I
will make a note of that Missus Woods.”  He grinned.  Thomas figured she might
as well have went and tied the noose around her own neck.

“Mister
Peters, your first witness.”  The Judge looked up from his desk now.

“The
state calls Sheriff Brown.”  The man called Peters stood as the sheriff went to
the witness chair and swore to tell the truth.  The chair creaked angrily under
his considerable bulk.  He looked thoughtfully at Kathleen before he looked to
Mister Peters for the first question.

“Sheriff
Brown would you explain to the court what happened on Wednesday July third,
this year?”

The
sheriff told his story of how he had been out to tell her the news of the posse
and how he had not yet found her husband.  He told of how he had found her
leaning over Susanna and the shape the woman was in.  Then he told about
bringing her to this city and about her being cooperative.

“Was
there anyone else around that could have killed Missus Berry?”

“I
done said I did it you idiot.”  Kat muttered. Thomas nudged her and gave her a
stern look.  She rolled her eyes heavenward.   The sheriff answered and
waited. 

“Your
witness,” Peters said as he walked back to his seat.

“Sheriff
Brown, when you found Susanna could you determine the cause of death?”

“Sure,
it was that funny looking knife sticking in her belly.”

“Can
you describe it?”  Thomas stood next to the jury.

“Well,
let me see first let me tell you that I was with the doc when he took it out. 
It is called a dagger.  It was about six inches long and had a silver blade. 
The handle was made of pearl and it looked really expensive and old.”

“Have
you ever seen it before?” Thomas asked.

“No
sir, I have never seen anything like it before.  It was a mean looking delicate
little thing.  I am certain of that.”  The sheriff narrowed his eyes on Thomas.

“So
you can say without a doubt it did not belong to Kathleen Woods?”

“No
doubt in my mind Tom,” He leaned back in the chair making it squeal it’s protest
of the weight.  “Wild Kat has a hunting knife, big monster.  Her father bought
it for her from the blacksmith when she turned six.  I was there, I thought it
was a hell of a present for a six year old girl. He should have bought her a
doll.  Her knife is long, probably eight or inches, made from a steel file with
a deer antler handle.  I know it well.  For one I was there when it was made. 
I watch the smithy heat the file up in his coal furnace until it was red hot
and bang the tip into it.  I watched him bang down the edges and sharpen it on
a grinder stone. Secondly, I got beat at the knife throwing event at the fair
with that knife more than once.”  The sheriff smiled as the crowd laughed
quietly.  The Judge banged the gavel once to silence them.

“Thank
you sheriff, you have been very helpful.”  Thomas smiled at the men in the jury
box and sat back down next to Kat.

“Mister
Peters?”  The Judge was writing again