Deborah Camp (16 page)

“I said I would. We should both take a little time to think about this. It might even be better if we settle your case before we …” He shrugged. “We wouldn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize your chances of getting title to that land.”

“What just happened? One minute you want me and the next you are having second thoughts.”

“I still want you, but I don’t want that to do you harm.” Propping his hands at his hips, he looked up as if seeking guidance. “I could take you in my arms right now and never let you go, Jennie. But I need to get my heart out of this so that I can keep my head in the game. Do you understand?”

“You don’t want to tell Adam that you are breaking your promise to him.”

“This is not about Adam.” He raised his hands and drew in a deep breath. He spread one hand across his chest. “This is about me. Do you trust me to do right by you, Jennie? My first allegiance is to do the work that you hired me to do and I’m doing my damnedest to remember that.”

Sensing his struggle, she relented. He needed time and space and she would give that to him. “You’re right. I need to go home to Oliver,” she said, and he stepped aside and opened the door for her. “Thank you again for taking time for him.”

“We have another riding lesson Friday after school.”

“He will be looking forward to that.” She paused on the threshold and glanced back at him.

“See you soon.” He bussed her cheek.

She hurried from the room and the building. Outside, she paused to gather in several deep breaths to calm her frazzled nerves. Her heartbeats finally slowed to normal and she crossed the street and headed toward the boarding house, her thoughts in a jumble thanks to the man she had just left. She didn’t have to stop and turn around to know that he was watching her leave from the windows of his lonely room.

Chapter 12

Riding up to the Bishop house, Zach caught a glimpse of Inez Rainwater hanging wash out on the lines behind the house. He swung out of the saddle and tied Mercy to the hitching post. The sun was high and bright, warming the day that had started off overcast and was now giving the rose buds on the bushes in front of the fence a reason to bloom.

He opened the gate and was starting up the walkway when he caught sight of a horse and buggy. The woman driving it was Luna. She lifted a hand and then directed the rig to the road along the side of the house that wrapped around to the back. Zach made his way around to the stables area where the buggy had stopped. A man came rushing out of the stables to help Luna alight from the buggy. She wore a full-sleeved blouse of green and a brown skirt. Untying the bow of her straw bonnet, she turned to face him. She removed the bonnet and the sun glanced over the auburn curls gathered at the nape of her neck.

“Hello, Zach. I don’t recall having an appointment with you today.”

“I took a chance that I’d find you at home.” He nodded to the man who led the horse and buggy back to the stables.

“I’ve been running a few errands.”

“I’ve been at the courthouse, which is where I saw your husband a little while ago.”

She ran a hand over the top of her head to smooth errant strands of hair. “Although he is retired, he finds it hard to stay away from the halls of justice.”

“He was surprised to know that your cousin Melvin was in prison for cattle rustling not too long ago.”

Zach enjoyed watching her expression change from haughty confidence to irritation and then anger.

“You told him that foolishness?”

He shrugged. “I asked him if he wasn’t worried having a cattle rustler watching a neighbor’s cattle. Seems like a surefire path to trouble to me.”

She narrowed her eyes to glimmering slits. “Is that why you’re here? To tell me that you’ve been tattling to my husband?”

“I thought he would already know about Cousin Mel’s past. It’s not the sort of thing a dutiful wife would keep from her husband.”

“Why are you so interested in my affairs, Zach? If you want to see me, you don’t have to try to cause trouble between me and my husband.” She walked to him and hooked an arm with his. “Come inside and let’s discuss what you want from me.”

He disengaged from her. “I actually stopped by to warn you.”

She settled one fist on her hip. “About what?”

“Your cousin has been bedding saloon girls. Several regular customers – like your cousin – are coming up with … well, itchy unmentionable body parts.”

She studied him, searching for some sign that he was pulling her leg. Finally, she arched one flame-colored brow. “What’s this got to do with me?”

“Because there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that you’re sleeping with Cousin Mel every chance you get and what he’s got, you can catch – if you haven’t already. You feeling the itch, Luna?”

“What? Why, I ought to —.” She raised a hand, but he grabbed her by the wrist before she could connect the flat of her hand to his cheek. Wrenching free, she swiped him across the face with her hat and then shoved him back a step. Her eyes were black with rage. “Keep your hands off me, keep off my land, and keep away from Melvin. He’s not a man to be crossed. He’s as hard as a whetstone.”

“And as dumb as one. I thought you were smarter than to set some jailbird up in a house outside of town so you can bump uglies with him and believe you can get away with it. You think nobody is going to tell the judge and do you think Judge Bishop is so smitten with you that he won’t kick you out if you keep embarrassing him?”

“Are you saying you told him all of this just now at the courthouse?”

“No. I only mentioned that your cousin is a cattle rustler.”

“He was accused of that. Doesn’t mean it’s what he is.”

“You keep defending him, Luna.” He dipped his head in a farewell. “See where it will get you.”

“You’re jealous, that’s all. You could have had me, but you didn’t act quick enough. Now you have a losing hand and you’re trying to bluff your way out of it,” she said, tossing back a laugh. “You can’t get my land from me to give to that sorry ass excuse for a woman —.”

He had been walking away from her, but he spun back around and in four long strides he was in front of her again. Her lips parted in surprise and she rested a hand against her throat in an unconscious gesture of fear.

“I don’t know what Charles Hastings saw in you,” he said, thrusting his face close to hers. It took everything he had in him to keep his voice steady because he was shaking inside with hot fury. “All I know is that he was a damned fool to leave a wife and son who loved and trusted him for the likes of you.” He started to turn away again, but then couldn’t leave it there as anger pumped through him. Looking her up and down, he felt his upper lip curl. “I didn’t want you then and I sure as hell don’t want you now. You might think you’re the Queen of Guthrie, but there’s not a soul in this town who doesn’t think what you and Hastings did stinks to high heaven and that your morals are as loose as a cracked egg.” Giving her his back, he walked away, taking deep breaths to ease the tension in his chest.

“Get outta here, you bastard, and don’t you set foot on this property again,” Luna shouted at him. “That bitch will never get one acre of my land. You tell her that the next time you’re screwing her!”

He raised a hand in a jaunty salute as he turned the corner of the house and made tracks to his horse tied out in front. He was still shaking inside when he aimed Mercy toward the law office where a pile of court petitions awaited him.

The next morning after three hours of divorce court hearings, Zach went outside the courthouse to get a breath of air and to stretch his legs. His next case was in two hours. He’d grab something to eat at the Nelson’s Restaurant and go over some paperwork before he was needed back in court.

A commotion down the street drew his attention and walked toward a knot of people gathered in front of Tontz Hardware. Several of the women were crying into handkerchiefs and the men were shaking their heads and staring at something in the alleyway. Zach spotted Theodore Wilson and went to stand beside him.

“What’s going on?”

Theo glanced at him. “Hello, Warner. It’s disgusting business, isn’t it?”

“What? I just got here.” He looked ahead of them, but people blocked his view of whatever was fascinating in the alley.

“Murder. A saloon girl was killed and left in this alley last night. Someone found her body.”

Zach felt as if someone had just kicked him in the gut. “Excuse me,” he said, grabbing people by the shoulders and moving them aside. “Pardon me.”

The alley came into view. Two men flanked a crumpled, small figure lying on her side, her skirt hiked up to her knees. Thin, blond hair, bony arms and legs. He knew before he asked, “Is that Stella Carlson?” Zach tore his attention from the body to the men and recognized Deputy Jim Lane and Doctor Baylor Fincannon.

“You know her, Warner?” the deputy asked.

“I’ve met her. She worked at the Lantern Saloon.”

“That’s right. The doctor says someone choked her to death last night.”

“Here? In the alley?” Zach glanced around at the barrels, scattered trash, and horse dung.

“I think she was moved here after she was murdered,” Doc Fincannon said. “We’re still gathering evidence and information.”

“She’s so frail. Probably weighs ninety pounds soaking wet.”

“Her face and arms are bruised. Somebody’s been beating on her. You can see the handprints on her neck where she was choked. I’ll go talk to the folks at the Lantern and find out who she was sporting with last night.” The deputy shook his head and dropped to his haunches for a closer inspection.

“Melvin Parks will probably be on that list,” Zach said.

“Who’s that?”

“He’s staying in the house on that land Luna Lee Bishop owns outside of town.”

Deputy Lane stood up again and pulled a square of paper and a pencil stub from his shirt pocket. He wet the pencil lead with his tongue and jotted down a few words. “You’ve seen him with her?”

Zach nodded. “He’s fresh out of prison for cattle rustling.”

“I’ll check that out,” the deputy said.

Looking once more at the lifeless form in the alley, Zach backed away and headed for the dry goods store as emptiness yawned within him. He gritted his teeth and tried not to feel as if he had somehow failed Stella Carlson. But he was not successful. All he could think about was the last time he’d visited with her. He had seen the bruises, but he had been focused on getting information. He’d wanted to know about Melvin Parks and she had stubbornly refused to even admit that Parks was the one who had delivered those bruises to her. He’d been angry at her for protecting a cowardly coyote like Parks and his parting words to her was that she deserved what she got.

Wincing, he closed his eyes for a few seconds to erase that vision and those words from his mind.

He stopped outside the dry goods store for a moment to run a hand down his face and try to still the turmoil going on inside him. The store was busy. Two women were at the counter paying Rachel for their items. Bob was up on a ladder, grabbing a pair of shoes and a pair of boots off of high shelves for a customer. Zach moved toward the counter and caught Rachel’s attention.

“Are you looking for Jennie?”

“Yes, is she in the back?”

“She’s not here. Oliver wasn’t feeling well and they sent word to her to come take him home. She left about an hour ago.”

“Thanks.” He left the store and pulled his watch from his vest pocket. He had to be back in court in an hour. He had walked about a block before he flagged down a wagon being driving by a farmer he knew. “Hey, Harry. Could I hitch a ride to Philpot’s Boarding House?”

The almost toothless man nodded and jerked a thumb at the back of the wagon. “Hop in. I’m just toting groceries. No livestock back there today.” He released a stream of tobacco juice that Zach was able to dodge.

“Much obliged, Harry.” He sat on the back of the wagon, holding onto the side as it jostled down the street, never missing a rut or pothole. He thought his spine might poke through his backside before he finally saw the boarding house.

Harry didn’t bother to slow the pace as the wagon drew even with the boarding house, so Zach held his breath and took a leap of faith. His boots made contact with the street, and he was just able to keep his balance and not pitch forward into the dirt. He righted himself and dusted off his clothes as he moved to the front porch of the boarding house. Mrs. Carter was knitting and rocking, as usual.

“The little boy has a tummy ache,” she said, not wasting time on a greeting.

“That’s what I heard at the McDonald’s store.”

“She’s up in her room with him.” She paused in her knitting and twisted around in the chair. “Gloria!” She went back to her knitting. “You can go on in.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He removed his hat and stepped inside the foyer. Gloria Philpot emerged from the dining room. She was wiping her hands on a dishtowel and the front of her apron was damp. “Hello. I’d like to speak to Jennie.”

“She’s with Oliver. He’s sickly today.”

“Yes, but it’s important. I’ll only keep her a minute.”

She gave him the once-over and then released a long sigh. “I’ll go up and tell her. You can go on into the parlor.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Philpot.” He went into the parlor and was glad to see no one was in there. Checking his pocket watch again, he knew he would have to hitch another ride back to the courthouse or he would be late for the next session. Judges weren’t happy with lawyers who couldn’t make it to court on time. He paced, wishing she would hurry and telling himself not to be impatient. It wasn’t her fault. None of this was her fault. Not Stella. Not Parks. Not Luna. Not her philandering husband.

“Damn it all!”

“Zachary?”

He pivoted to see that she had come into the room on cat feet. Her eyes were wide and questioning. She still wore her bib apron from the dry goods store and he could imagine her racing from the store with no thought in her head except to get to her son who was feeling poorly and needed her.

She was a good mother. She was a good woman.

“Are you okay?” she asked, tilting her head to one side. “Oliver is ill. It’s some kind of tummy ailment being passed from child to child at school. I gave him a spoonful of blackberry brandy and he’s feeling better.”

“I can’t stay. I’m due back in court in less than an hour.”

“You came by to check on Oliver? That’s sweet of you. He’ll be fine. I think by —.”

“That’s good to hear, but I came to tell you about something that’s happened. I didn’t want you to learn about it from someone on the street or …” He shook his head and walked his fingers around the brim of his hat. “It’s Stella Carlson. She was found dead this morning.”

“Oh, no.” She brought up her hands to cover her mouth. Shaking her head, her fingers trembled against her parted lips. “What happened?”

“Someone killed her. Choked her. She was found in the alley next to Tontz Hardware.”

She didn’t speak. Just kept shaking her head as tears built in her eyes.

“I wanted to tell you in person because I know you tried to help Stella.”

“He murdered her,” she said, her voice breaking and breaking his heart.

“I told the deputy about Parks.”

“She was barely out of pinafores.”

“She was older than that, but she was young.”

“Very young. A girl. He is a monster. You and I both know that Melvin Parks killed her.”

“The law will catch up with him,” he assured her. “I have to go, Jennie, but I’ll come back this evening.” He stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll ask around and see what else I can find out about it.”

“What else is there to know? He beat her again and this time he killed her. No one tried to stop him before, so he felt he could do whatever he wanted to her and never be held responsible. And he’s probably right. He won’t even be arrested for what he did.”

“He’ll be arrested and prosecuted if he is guilty.”