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Sheriff Daniel Praeger dusted off his shovel and set it beside the door as the first winter snowflakes fell. It wasn’t exactly his favorite time of year, but that wasn’t why he was in such a bad mood. His mother was coming for a visit.
Naturally, she wanted to see her grandson, and little Matthew was all bubbly at the thought of her arrival, asking every five minutes if his Mammaw was here. But she’d never met Cephea. In truth, he hadn’t even mentioned her yet. Their relationship was still new, and he didn’t want to jinx it by spilling the beans to the same mother who hadn’t even approved of his marriage to his late wife.
So when the doorbell finally chimed, he had to force himself to answer it. His mother breezed in with her usual flair, her arms full of packages. What he didn’t expect was that she wouldn’t be alone. Trailing close behind her like a groundhog’s shadow was Adelynn Hull.
The two women had gotten to know each other well when Daniel dated Adelynn two years ago, and they had “bonded.” But how did she know his mother was coming, unless . . . unless Adelynn was the one who’d arranged his mother’s visit? The thought turned his already-dark mood into a tarry pool of resentment.
As grandmother and grandson met and melded into one giant bearhug, Adelynn reached up to kiss Daniel on the cheek. Then she casually offered to help Matthew open his new toys while Daniel and his mother got caught up. Daniel didn’t like the look the two women exchanged as Adelynn left with Matthew.
Getting “caught up” with his mother turned out to be exactly what he’d feared the most, when she started in on his personal life right away. “Adelynn tells me you’ve got a new assistant, a young woman by the name of Cephea Collins. A Melungeon.” The way she said it sounded like she’d just uttered a curse word.
“Cephea’s been a big help to me and the people of this county, Mother. Her knowledge of medicine and things like bodily decay come in handy.”
“And there you go. It’s not natural for a woman to know that much about bodily decay.”
“You’re one to talk, since you’re a nurse.”
“A trained nurse, my dear. It’s hardly the same thing. This Cephea person didn’t even graduate from high school.”
Apparently, Adelynn had been quite thorough in her briefing. Something else to put on his list of the things about Adelynn that irritated him.
His mother forged ahead. “Adelynn says you and this Collins woman have become quite close. Perhaps too close.”
“Too close?”
“People will talk, Daniel. Think of how it would look to have my son get involved with a Melungeon. You know what folks say about them. Half-breeds. African, Indian, Portugese. Who knows? Adelynn says this woman’s got you bewitched.”
Daniel counted to ten and took some deep breaths. “Adelynn should mind her own business.”
“But darling, you and Adelynn make such a wonderful couple. She’s perfect for you. Beautiful, polished, successful.”
“You mean rich.”
“Now don’t you start sneering at money, young man. Your father and I never had much money between us, and we had to work our fingers to the bone to make ends meet.”
“But you were happy, weren’t you?”
His mother’s voice softened. “I loved him and he loved me. Of course we were happy.”
Daniel was so relieved by the ringing of the door chime again, he almost knocked over a lamp as he jumped out of his seat. The new visitor was Sam Jensen, a neighbor of Doc Baile’s, who’d sent him to fetch Daniel. Jensen didn’t have much in the way of details, and all Daniel got out of him was something about an “attack on a woman.”
Happy to leave his mother and Adelynn behind, Daniel followed the man’s shiny-new Model T in his older version until they pulled up in front of a building that made Daniel’s heart sink.
It was the Bannerman Boarding House for Women. The same boarding house where he’d set up Cephea to stay during the winter, since he didn’t want her to be up on that mountain all by herself. Especially since he wasn’t sure his Model T could make it up the twisty mountain roads to her cabin in the snow.
Was she the woman who was attacked?
Daniel rushed inside but was stopped when a young man in his 20s cut him off. The fellow wasn’t wearing a hat or a coat despite the cold, his trousers had specks of mud on them, and his tousled hair looked like it had lost a fight with a comb. “Tell them to let me see her. Doc Baile won’t let me inside. I’m going crazy not knowing what’s happened. You gotta get me in there.”
“Look, Mister—”
“My name doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Except her. Except Sueanne.”
“I can’t promise anything. Especially not until I scope out the situation first.” Daniel pulled himself out of the man’s grasp and followed Jensen up the central staircase to a room on the second floor.
What he found was Doc Baile bending over a young woman lying in a bed, with Cephea hovering close by. After allowing himself a quick prayer of thanks that Cephea was okay, he studied the woman in the bed. She had long, straw-colored hair and cinnamon-brown eyes, and appeared to be around nine months pregnant.
But that wasn’t what drew his attention the most—it was the bruises covering her face that were so extensive, one of her eyes was almost swollen shut. Just below that eye was an unusual mark, which almost looked like the outline of a bird.
He said, “What can you tell me, Doc?”
“This is Miss Sueanne Duggan. Another resident of the boarding house found her lying by the road a few blocks down from here. She’d been attacked by a person or persons unknown.” The Doc stopped to frown at his patient. “At least unknown to me.”
“How is she? And the baby?”
“They’ll both be fine, no thanks to this attacker of hers. He hit her abdomen, too. Almost like he wanted to do that baby harm. I’m mighty glad to have Cephea staying here. She’ll be able to keep an eye on Sueanne for me.”
Daniel smiled at Cephea, then asked Doc Baile, “Would you excuse Cephea and me for a moment, Doc? I promise I’ll have her back soon.”
* * *
Baile waved them off, and Cephea followed Daniel to a small alcove where they could talk in private. She was so glad to see him. His face might be clouded with worry, but he was still a sight for sore eyes. The kind of handsome that came from having a good heart, not like those pouty actor men on the posters down at the Nickelodeon.
He turned that clouded face to her and asked, “You okay?”
She wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug. “As fine as frog’s hair. Cain’t say the same for poor Sueanne.”
“Have you had a chance to talk to her? She’d be more likely to open up to you than Doc Baile.”
Cephea thought back to when they first brought Sueanne inside, with her face as purple and yellow as a squashed grape. She was crying and moaning so hard, it was hard to get a coherent word out of her. “Maybe when Doc Baile’s done tending her wounds. A woman don’t snap out of something like that so quick-like.”
“I’ll leave her to your tender mercies, then. Just see what you can find out, when she’s ready to talk. Without a name to go on or any witnesses to the attack, there’s not a whole heap I can do.”
“I aim to help that poor woman best I can, Daniel.”
“I know. And if anyone can charm those details out of her, it’d be you.”
Cephea touched his cheek. “I appreciate those lovely words. But you got something else preying on you. Your eyes are dark and haunted.”
He nodded. “It’s my mother.”
Cephea grabbed his hand in alarm. “Has something bad happened?”
“No, she’s here for a visit. And that’s bad for me. For us.”
Cephea was getting pretty good at reading Daniel’s face like tea leaves in a cup, and she had an idea of what was bothering him. “She heerd about us and don’t cotton to the idea. Is that it?”
“That’s it, pretty much. Except for the fact I think Adelynn arranged this little visit.”
Cephea chewed on her lip. She knew Adelynn wasn’t ready to give Daniel up. But she hadn’t expected the woman to try and sabotage Cephea’s relationship with him through his own mother. If Cephea was half the kind of witch folks accused her of being, she’d put a hex on that Adelynn right here and now.
Cephea touched her crystal necklace that once belonged to his grandmother. “If’n she sees this, don’t reckon it’ll set too easy on her.”
Daniel placed his hands on Cephea’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I love my mother, but she has to learn she can’t control my life. And if she can’t honor that . . . well then, she won’t be welcome anymore.”
“Oh, Daniel. I don’t want to come twixt you and your own kin.”
“It’ll work out somehow, Cephea. Don’t you worry your pretty head about it.”
He bent down to give her a quick kiss, which suddenly made everything seem a lot brighter. She even thought she felt the crystal necklace vibrate and hum. “I should mosey back to our patient. What you fixin’ to do next?”
“There was an agitated young man I bumped into in the lobby who seemed upset about Sueanne. I’d like to question him. Also see if I can find any witnesses to that attack. Any willing to talk to me, that is.”
Cephea reluctantly watched him go, then returned to check on Sueanne. Doc Baile welcomed her back warmly, and Cephea went to Sueanne’s side to smooth her hair and re-arrange the blankets.
Sueanne tried to smile her thanks, but winced at the effort. Cephea said, “I needta whip up a batch of sassafras tea. To take some of the pain out of that sore mouth.”
Doc Baile placed his hands on his hips. “Anybody who’d attack a young woman like yourself has to have the devil in him, Sueanne. You really should tell us his name, my dear. Otherwise, he might do this to some other innocent girl.”
Sueanne looked from the Doc to Cephea and blinked away the tears from her eyes. Finally, she said in a small voice, “It was a married man. And that’s all I can tell you.”
Baile growled, “So you know who it is, then?”
Sueanne looked down at her hands and picked her fingernails. Baile shifted his feet and waited, but she didn’t add anything more. So he sighed and picked up his medicine bag. “Wish I had a truth serum in here. But I guess you have your reasons for keeping the man’s identity a secret.”
He turned to Cephea. “I’ve gotta get back to the clinic. Let me know if she takes a turn for the worse.”
Cephea waited until he’d left. “This married man of yours. Is he the daddy of your unborn child?”
Sueanne nodded and kept picking at her nails, what was left of them—Cephea noted they were nibbled to the quick. The young woman must have had a lot of worry in her heart to do that. “Daniel said they was a young man in the lobby. Wanted to see you something fierce. Is he that married man?”
Sueanne lifted her head to look at Cephea. “You must mean Robby. He’s not the one who attacked me, he’d never do that, he’s so sweet and kind. He even wants to court me—he said so.”
“Whyfore you wasting your time on married men, then?”
“But why would Robby want someone like me? I don’t deserve a fellow as nice as that.”
“What in tarnation would make you say such a queer thing?”
“That’s what my father always told me. And the Bible says to honor thy father, don’t it?”
Cephea got up to rescue a washcloth and dip it in a basin of cool water before laying it on Sueanne’s forehead. “The Bible has a lot of folks possessed of demons, too. Any father’d say something like that to his own flesh and blood must have a powerful lot of demons in him.”
Sueanne settled back on the pillow. “But he’s right. I’ve been with men, Cephea. I lay with a married man. I deserve what I got for my sins.”
“God is love, and there ain’t no love in a beating. If you have feelings for this Robby, then you should let him love you.”
“But I’ve made such a terrible mess of things. I’m damaged goods. Like rotting tomatoes or corn with ear rot disease.”
Cephea chuckled, which made Sueanne stare at her and ask, “What’s so funny about that?”
“Listen to you. Making yourself sound like a vegetable salad.”
Sueanne pursed her lips into a frown, but then one corner of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. “When you put it that way . . .”
“You asked that young Robby feller if he likes vegetable salad?”
“I guess I’m afraid to.”
“Oh, honey. Everyone’s afeared of something. You gotta face those fears and wrastle ’em to the ground.”
“What are you afraid of, Cephea?”
She had the brief thought of Daniel’s mother glaring at her while calling her “Melungeon trash,” but she shrugged it off. “Right now, I’m afeard if I don’t make that sassafras tea, you’ll get a cold upon your chest.” And she made a quick trip to her own room to gather up supplies to do just that.
* * *
Daniel didn’t leave the boarding house straight away. He approached a young woman in the lobby he’d caught a glimpse of when he first arrived and introduced himself. He asked if she knew the young man who’d bumped into Daniel when he arrived, the one asking for Sueanne.
The woman, whose name was Ethel Lassiter, told him it was Robby Windell. Apparently, he was a regular fixture at the place, always wanting to see Sueanne, but usually getting rebuffed in reply.
Ethel also whispered to Daniel she was there when they brought Sueanne in after she was attacked and overheard her moaning about someone named “Harry.” Daniel frowned at that. “Are you sure she wasn’t asking for Robby?”
“Oh no, it was definitely Harry. She said it several times.”
“Do you know who she might be referring to?”
Ethel hesitated. “Sueanne hinted she’d gotten in over her head with a man she wouldn’t identify. Said she regretted it. I think he’s the father of her baby.”
“And you can’t give me this Harry’s last name?”
Ethel swallowed hard and shook her head. But she did say cryptically, “Sometimes, it’s who you least expect. The hypocrites—all powerful and so goody two-shoes.”
With a shy smile at Daniel, she hurried off, leaving Daniel to think through the list of men named “Harry” he knew in town. If you added in “powerful” to the mix, the likeliest candidate would have to be Harry Buskey, a rich attorney and known womanizer.
Buskey’s office put Daniel’s to shame, located a block from the Darrow County courthouse in one of the newest buildings in the area. As Buskey’s secretary ushered Daniel into the man’s inner sanctum, it definitely made an impression with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, luxurious leather chairs, and even a marble fireplace in one corner.
Buskey, on the other hand, did not make a favorable impression on Daniel, with an air of smugness that threatened to swallow up all the oxygen in the room along with it. His navy-blue sacque suit looked like it would cost at least three months’ salary for Daniel. And the man’s black patented leather shoes were so shiny, they reflected the light from the crystal chandelier above.
Buskey motioned for him to take a seat, but Daniel decided to stay standing. Maybe a little towering over the attorney might help make it clear this was not a social call. He said, “There was an incident last night. A young woman was attacked. Found bruised and bloodied a few blocks from the Bannerman Boarding House for Women.”
Buskey’s patronizing smile never wavered. “I’m very sorry to hear that. But I’m not sure how that is my business, unless she’s a client of mine.”
“Not a client. But perhaps a girlfriend.”
The other man leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure what you mean, Sheriff. I don’t have any girlfriends, let alone at the Bannerman Boarding House. My wife would have my head on a platter with potatoes and carrots for dinner.”
Daniel leaned forward across Buskey’s desk. “I’m sure I can find a few women in town who might have a different take on your story. Shall I track them down and ask?”
Buskey picked up an unlit cigar and rolled it around in his left hand. “I’ll agree with you there are always two sides to a story. But my side is I deny any such assignations. And I doubt any of those women you track down will say otherwise.”
“Because you’ve paid them off?”
“Now, now, Sheriff. You should tread lightly there, or you’ll find yourself in libel lawsuit territory.”
Daniel didn’t care squat about the man’s hinted threats. He said, “Sueanne Duggan,” and waited for Buskey’s reaction.
Buskey blinked at him. “Is that the young woman who was attacked?”
“It was. What do you know about her?”
“Sheriff, I don’t know anything about her. The name means nothing to me. Maybe if you describe her.”
“About twenty-one, long blond hair, brown eyes, and nine months pregnant.”
Buskey appeared to be thinking hard and stopped rolling the cigar for a moment. “There’s a young woman like that who attends the same church I do. Mount Zion. I’ve never seen her husband with her, though.”
Daniel thought he’d gotten pretty good at reading people. Cephea even called him a mind reader, something she’d teased was part of him being a closeted “warlock.” He wasn’t sure he agreed with that, but if he was even half as good at reactions as he believed, then Buskey was telling the truth. He’d seemed surprised by the name, and his body language didn’t match a man who’d had intimate dealings with Sueanne—no preening or smirking or self-satisfied grin.
He left Buskey’s office beyond disappointed. Quite frankly, he’d be shocked if Sueanne divulged the identity of her attacker, so he desperately needed a witness. But not only was it dark when she was found, there weren’t any houses nearby. Just a thick stand of boxwoods and juniper that would make a dandy hiding place.
He thought briefly of the crystal necklace he’d given Cephea, with its mysterious powers, the way it created visions. No, he didn’t need that. He was good at his job, and he was determined to track down their villain the old-fashioned way. He shrugged off his misgivings and headed back toward the boarding house. Hopefully, Cephea had better luck with their very reluctant victim.
* * *
Cephea sat on a bench in the lobby of the Boarding House, waiting for Daniel’s return. She didn’t know where he was or how long he’d be gone, but she had an unshakeable feeling he was nearby. And since Doc Baile was back tending to Sueanne, Cephea wanted to take the opportunity to talk to Daniel alone again.
She was overjoyed when he strode in. She wasted no time in telling him about what Sueanne had told her, that she’d had an affair with a married man who was the baby’s father. Sueanne had also gotten agitated, rambling on and on about the preacher of her church and how he’d say she was going to hell.
Cephea added, “I told her there ain’t a soul on this great Earth who hain’t made one mistake. But maybe if we talk to that preacher of hers, he can witness to her about forgiveness. Calm her down.”
Daniel then proceeded to tell Cephea about what he’d been up to, including Ethel overhearing Sueanne utter the name “Harry” while she was half out of it. Cephea repeated the name. “Harry, you say?”
“Yes, why?”
“That be a short form of Harold, is it not?”
“Most of the time.”
“Well, that preacher she talked about. His name is Reverend Harold Irons.”
Daniel’s eyes lighted up at the news. “Is that so? Then I think it’s time I paid a visit to this preacher, just like you said.”
“Let me go with you.”
“What about Sueanne?”
“Doc Baile’s with her to spell me.” She blushed at her choice of words, but he just laughed and agreed to take her along, after she told the Doc where she was going. Fortunately for them, Mount Zion was just a couple of streets over, although as Daniel pointed out to her, Sueanne was found half-way between the church and boarding house. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Cephea didn’t think it was right to judge someone before she’d even met him.
Reverend Harold Irons seemed happy to greet them at first, until Daniel started asking him about Sueanne. To Cephea’s surprise, the mild-mannered preacher morphed before them into a growling, sputtering ogre of a man. “That Jezebel!” he exclaimed. “She’s a wicked, shameless woman. That illegitimate, adulterous baby of hers is the very spawn of Satan.”
Cephea couldn’t help but defend Sueanne. “But the Bible says ‘though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”
Reverend Irons seemed to notice Cephea for the first time and narrowed his eyes as he took her in. “You’re that Melungeon witch, ain’t you? You’re just as bad as she is. You’re both of the devil.” He took two steps backward and grabbed a cross from the altar that he waved in the air. “I cast thee out, do you hear me?”
Cephea wasn’t sure what reaction she’d expected from Daniel, but it certainly wasn’t him grabbing the preacher’s right hand and holding it up in the air. Her confusion turned to understanding as Daniel said, “This ring you’re wearing. It’s an unusual signet ring. With the outline of an eagle.”
The preacher stared at Daniel. “What of it? My wife gave it to me.”
“Sueanne Duggar’s battered face has a mark on it that looks exactly like this here ring. And we have a witness who said Sueanne kept repeating your name after her attack. It was you who hit her, wasn’t it? Lying in wait for her behind those bushes, following her, waiting for your opportunity?”
Cephea knew Daniel was stretching the truth a bit. Sueanne had mentioned Harry, just not Harold Irons. But she held her breath as she waited for his reaction to Daniel’s accusation.
If anything, the preacher’s voice got even louder and more heated. “What if I am? She deserved it, the harlot, tempting me with the wiles of Eve. She’s the one you should arrest, Sheriff. Adultery is a crime. She broke the law.”
“Yes it is, but I think Sueanne has paid her dues. You, on the other hand not only committed adultery, you hit a pregnant woman. And that most definitely counts as a crime.” Daniel pulled out the handcuffs clipped to his belt and slapped them on the man.
Reverend Irons continued to spout Bible verses at them as Daniel stuffed him into the back of his Model T. Just as Cephea was about to climb in up front, another car pulled beside them. It was Sam Jensen, Doc Baile’s neighbor. Daniel told her it was Jensen who Doc Baile sent to fetch Daniel after Sueanne’s attack.
This time, Jensen was looking for Cephea, his words coming out in a rush. “Doc Baile had to answer a call out in Brazelton. A man fell from a tree, broke several bones. Not long after he left, Sueanne Duggan went into labor. The Doc said if that were to happen, to come get you right away.”
Cephea waved good-bye to Daniel and hopped into Jensen’s car. She barely waited for Jensen to pull in front of the boarding house before she climbed out and ran into the building. When she rushed into Sueanne’s room, she was surprised to see an older woman already beginning to attend to Sueanne, but Cephea didn’t ask any questions, she just plunged right in to help, the two women working like a team.
Cephea didn’t know the other woman’s name, but she seemed to know what she was doing. The woman said, “This one’s coming fast for a first-time mother. I was in labor for two days with my son.”
Cephea helped make Sueanne as comfortable as possible, murmuring to her it would be okay, she was doing fine, as she stroked her hair. And then, faster than one could say “Happy Birthday,” the tiny baby slipped into the world, squalling as loudly as his little red face could handle.
Not long after they cut the cord and had mother and baby cleaned up, a young man burst through the door and rushed toward the bed. He stared at Sueanne and the baby, a big grin spreading across his face. He went over to touch the baby with wonder, and bent down to plant a kiss on Suanne’s forehead.
The young man declared, “I love you, Sueanne. I want to marry you and be a father to your baby, if you’ll let me.”
The new mother sighed happily, “Oh, Robby.”
Cephea gently lifted the baby from Sueanne’s arms and held it while Robby and Sueanne whispered to each other. Cephea rocked the child in her arms and sang softly to him. When she looked up, the woman who’d help deliver the baby was staring at her. Cephea wondered if she was doing something wrong.
She was about to ask the woman her name when Daniel strode in and stopped short, a shocked expression on his face. “What the hell are you doing here, Mother?”
Cephea felt the expression on her own face must surely match Daniel’s, because shock was what she was feeling right now. “This here your mother, Daniel?”
“Yes it is. And I ask her again, what are you doing here?”
His mother replied, “First things first. Cephea and I never had a chance to be introduced. Miss Collins, my name is Helena Praeger. And you are quite good at nursing. Take it from an old nurse, herself.”
Then she turned to Daniel. “I came to the boarding house looking for you. And then a young gal in the lobby, Ethel, I think is her name, started yelling something about a woman going into labor. So naturally, I had to find out if I could help.”
Cephea handed the baby back over to Sueanne and nodded with her head for the others to follow her outside, so the young couple could be alone for a bit. Daniel closed the door behind them before he added, “I’m surprised Adelynn isn’t nipping at your heels, Mother, since she’s become your shadow.”
Helena Praeger bit her lip. “She really wants to marry you, you know.”
Daniel replied, “Well, that’s too bad because I intend on asking Cephea to marry me.”
Then he seemed to notice the wide eyes of both Cephea and his mother and realize exactly what it was he’d just uttered. His mother smiled at him. “That’s hardly the most romantic marriage proposal I’ve ever heard.”
Cephea giggled. “It be the first one I ever heard, though.”
Daniel looked from one smiling woman to another. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”
Helena and Cephea shook their heads in unison. Then Helena said, “And I owe you an apology, son. You asked if your father and I were happy. You remember what I said?”
“You said you loved him and he loved you. That ‘of course you were happy’.”
“And that’s all that matters, when you get to the heart of it. When I saw the way you were looking at Cephea as she held that baby, and the way she looked back at you, I saw the same emotions your father and I felt for each other. So if this is the woman you want to marry, you have my blessing.”
Cephea felt her eyes brim with tears, but they were tears of happiness. She didn’t need fancy flowers or candles or dinners or rings. She had everything she needed right here and now. Part of her felt a little sorry for Adelynn, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t gloat.
Something magical had brought Cephea and Daniel together, something special. She didn’t care whether it was divine help or witchcraft or luck. They were meant to be together, and it didn’t take a witch to know there was nothing between heaven or earth that would keep them apart.
