Taken for English (16 page)

Reluctantly, Annie admitted she had only one choice that made any sense. She reached into the front pocket of the backpack, where she knew she would find a small notepad and a pen.

June 1892

T
he grand jury is back.”

At A.G. Byler’s solemn announcement a few weeks later, the assembled residents of Gassville ceased their whispered speculations outside the Mountain Home courthouse and entered the building. By the time the jury was seated, the gallery was filled. Abraham took his seat in the inside aisle toward the back. In front of him, he saw Maura Woodley clasping hands with Belle Mooney. Nearly everyone who had been in the street on the day of the shooting was in the courtroom. He did not see the black hats of the Amish men, though they had stood outside earlier. A.G. supposed that entering a courthouse exceeded the sensibilities of their beliefs. He did not know much about them, except that one of them was named Beiler and they were looking for a possible location for an Amish settlement. They were not efficient scouts, A.G. decided, or they would have moved on by now.

The bailiff announced the judge, and silence draped the rows of spectators. The jury foreman handed a slip of paper to the bailiff, who handed it to the judge to read. All eyes were on that slip of paper as it made its way back to the jury box.

Lee and Ing Denton stood and the foreman read the verdict.

No.

The verdict was no. The grand jury did not find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing to bind over for trial.

Belle burst into sobs, and Maura held her tightly. Gasps erupted around the gallery as the judge thanked the grand jury for their service and the stoic jurymen filed out.

“The Denton brothers are going free!” Belle spoke through gritted teeth, but loud enough for her growl to turn heads. “This will not be the end.”

Maura rose, lifting Belle in a firm embrace.

A.G. was not sure he wanted to meet their eyes. As a man of the law, he understood the verdict. Both men admitted shooting their pistols multiple times. With three guns firing too rapidly for witnesses to be sure, no one could prove which bullet killed John Twigg. The Dentons were on their own property, and half a dozen witnesses attested that Twigg had approached them in a menacing manner, and not for the first time. Despite John Twigg’s death, A.G. believed the grand jury had made the right decision.

But the Twiggs were a vengeful family. As a man of the law, A.G. also knew Belle spoke rightly. This would not be the end.

As A.G. had supposed she would, Maura approached him. Belle still leaned heavily on her friend. Behind them, Billy and Jimmy Twigg huddled in a conspiring tangle with other Twigg men.

Deputy Combs escorted Lee and Ing out of the court as free men.

Belle’s slight weight against Maura slowed her, but the sheriff was only a few feet away.

“Good morning, Sheriff,” Maura said.

“Morning, ladies.”

“It is not good at all,” Belle said, “and I won’t pretend it is.”

“Now, Miss Mooney, this is an upsetting time for you,” Sheriff Byler said. “We all appreciate your loss. You have your good friend to lean on while you get through this.”

Behind Maura, Jimmy Twigg took Belle’s elbow. “Come with us,” he said. “We think of you as part of our family.”

Maura winced as Belle shifted her weight from Maura to Jimmy’s arm and he escorted her away.

“I’m worried about her,” Maura said to the sheriff.

“You’re a loyal friend.” Sheriff Byler took the end of his beard between two fingers in thought.

“Belle has always been so sensible. We always saw eye-to-eye until this. I tried to warn her away from John Twigg, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Love is a powerful force,” Sheriff said.

“But if the Twiggs use this as a reason to carry their guns a little closer…well, I hate to see Belle in the middle of it.”

“We’ll have to help her get on with her life,” Sheriff said. “She still has her work as a teacher, and her father cares for her.”

“But he never liked John Twigg. He has no sympathy for John’s death.” Maura dipped her hat in the direction Belle had gone. “You saw Jimmy. He’s trying to claim Belle as one of theirs. She could lose her own family because of this.”

“I hope it does not come to that.” Sheriff put both hands in his trouser pockets.

“Sheriff, isn’t there anything you can do?”

“What result would you be looking for, Miss Woodley? Did you want to see the Dentons bound over to trial and hanged in a public spectacle?”

“No, of course not.” Maura’s answer was swift. “But I wish we could do something to prevent this from going further.”

“I am the sheriff,” he said. “I cannot take legal action because a man’s attitude strikes me as cocky. I must have at least the suspicion of a crime.”

Maura expelled her breath heavily. “I fear there will be no time between suspicion and more tragedy.”

They walked together to the doors and exited the building. Joseph and Zeke were waiting at the bottom of the courthouse steps.

“Thank you both for what you did on that fateful day,” Maura said, “and for being here now, even though you did not feel you could come in.”

Both men nodded, their black hats bobbing in counterpoint.

“The Amish do not use weapons this way,” Zeke said, “but we do not turn our hearts from those who do when harm results.”

Maura opened her purse and pulled out her mother’s white gloves. She would not put them on. She only wanted to hold them, to having something to grip in her fist.

Joseph lifted his chin in the direction of the Denton brothers. “I would have thought they would go home immediately.”

Lee and Ing approached.

“You two have been here for several weeks,” Lee said. “We figure you might be looking for work.”

Joseph and Zeke looked at each other; then Zeke said, “We are on a mission for our church.”

“Even a mission needs money,” Ing said. “We want you to work for us.”

“I don’t think our bishop would approve of us working in an
English
store,” Joseph said.

“No, not the store,” Lee said. “Clearing land on the bluff along the river.”

“First thing tomorrow,” Ing said. “At Denton’s Ferry on the White River.” He glanced at Maura. “Miss Woodley can tell you where to find it.”

Maura looked at Zeke and then settled her gaze on Joseph. Every time she saw him, his violet-blue eyes pierced her concentration. Behind them, she knew, was a man of kindness and patience. She had no doubt the Amish men carried the ethic of hard work, but did they understand what the Dentons were asking? They would be taking up sides.

Joseph and Zeke had left the hotel after two nights to conserve funds. Instead, they negotiated with the livery owner in Gassville to sleep on the ground outside the stables in exchange for mucking stalls and watering horses. They were free to cook in the open air, and if it rained, they could move inside. For the extra effort of exercising horses whose owners did not call for them, Joseph and Zeke’s animals would be well fed.

At daybreak the morning after the grand jury’s verdict, Joseph woke and nudged Zeke. “Time to get up. We have work to do today.”

Zeke turned over and punched the small pillow under his head. “I am not sure we should go. We did not promise.”

“They offered a good wage,” Joseph said. “Better than good. And they will pay in cash.”

“You know I love an adventure,” Zeke said, “but we’ve been here more than two weeks. We’ve seen all there is to see of Gassville, Mountain Home, and the land in between.”

“We haven’t seen everything. We haven’t been out to the bluffs over the river.”

Zeke sat up. “The landscape is beautiful. But there is no place to start a peaceful Amish settlement around here. Danger hangs in the air.”

“What is the harm of a few more days?” Joseph tidied his bedding into a tight roll. “We cannot project our expenses if we continue west or south.”

“So you believe we should continue scouting?” Zeke folded his bedroll haphazardly.

“We have not yet completed the task the bishop charged us with.” Joseph put his bedroll against the wall of the stable, under the eave.

Zeke paused to lift his eyes and hands to the brightening sky. “This is the day the Lord has made.”

“Let us rejoice and be glad,” Joseph responded.

“Okay. We will go to Denton’s Ferry and see what this work is. But we should send a letter to the bishop.”

“Then we will have to wait for his response,” Joseph pointed out.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Joseph nodded. They would stay in Gassville for at least a week, maybe several weeks. He wondered how Miss Maura Woodley spent her days and whether she ever used Denton’s Ferry.

Zeke rummaged in their foodstuffs and produced some dry biscuits. Joseph lit a fire in the ring of stones they cooked over and prepared the coffeepot.

By seven o’clock, Zeke and Joseph sat on their horses on the thickly wooded bluff overlooking Denton’s Ferry.

“It is a shame to think of clearing this land,” Zeke said. “They have a thriving ranch, a popular store in town, and a prosperous ferry business on the river. What need do they have for so much wood?”

“None,” Joseph answered softly. “We are stepping into the middle of their fear.”

Zeke looked at Joseph full on. “You were the one who wanted to accept this work.”

“I still do.” Joseph dismounted and let his eyes soak up the panoramic view of the gushing foam of the White River and the lush land on the other side. “In the days of our ancestors, the men would have cleared the land along the river so that the Indians could not surprise them with their presence.”

“That is what you think this is?” Zeke’s horse whinnied, and he patted the animal’s neck.

Joseph gripped the bridle on his mount. “If you were one of the Dentons, would you not fear ambush?”

Maura rinsed the rag then wiped down the counter one more time. The kitchen was clean. A roast was in the oven with potatoes, onions, and carrots. She had dusted every crevice of the parlor before lunch and beaten clean the rugs in the hallway. After making sure the home she shared with her father was clean and comfortable, what was left of the afternoon belonged to her. She had a few errands on Main Street.

Maura offered up a brief prayer for a peaceful, uneventful excursion and picked up her purse and a flour sack in which to carry home a few small purchases.

Walter was there with his broom in front of Denton’s Emporium.

“How are your fingers?” Maura asked.

“I just saw Doc Denton this morning,” Walter said. “My knuckle may be a little knobby, but I’ll be good as new.”

“Are the Denton brothers here today?” Maura tilted her head toward the store.

“Lee was for a while. Ing is out on the bluff with the crew they hired.”

A crew that included Joseph Beiler and Zeke Berkey.

“They come and go by the back of the store and always try to have somebody with them,” Walter added.

“They must be so fearful after the verdict yesterday.”

Walter pointed down the street. “Wouldn’t you be? Look at the Twiggs’ store.”