Chapter Seven

Supper was over, and they had all drifted to the parlor, except for Charlotte. She was having a bath while Celia supervised. Celia was the twelve-year-old daughter of the newest woman in the village. Charlotte had taken a shine to her, and Mae was glad to have someone to help burn off some of that seemingly endless energy.

Mae had her sewing basket in her lap but just sat admiring her handsome husband as he thumbed through a new medical journal. Cyrus and Patrick were turning the pages of a new seed catalogue. As soon as Garth and Eleanor had gotten comfortable, Samuel stood and spoke to the gathering.

“I have some information to share with all of you.”

Samuel usually sat quietly in the corner chair and worked on some small carving project in the evenings, so as soon as he spoke, all eyes turned to him.

“I believe I know who killed Mary Elizabeth.”

There were several indrawn breaths. Samuel looked at Mae; he really hated telling her this, but she needed to know for her own safety.

“I found some odd cigarette butts at the cabin and at the location where I think she was grabbed. I checked with the tobacconist in town, and while he had nothing like it, he was familiar with the blend. Something made by Indians for generations, but now only known to be made in Louisiana. Anyway, Mr. Sterling ordered some in and gave me a pouch of it this afternoon.” Samuel turned to Mae. “When I left his shop, I went straight to see Emma, with the pouch in my pocket. Little Jimmy is used to me hiding things in my pockets for him, so he reached in and pulled out the pouch. When the poor kid caught the aroma, he went crazy. It scared him so badly he ran screaming to his mama. By the time I caught up with him, Emma was shaking, and as white as her apron.” Samuel could see the concern for her friend all over Mae’s face.

“She’s okay now, but you remember the man who tried to take her and Jimmy? He hasn’t crossed my mind in years, but when Emma started talking, I remembered him clearly.”

Edward slid closer to Mae and put his arm around her. She gave him a weak smile and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Well,” she said in a shaky voice, “when you find your man, you can at least identify him by the bullet hole in his upper right arm.”

“And I do appreciate you markin’ him for me, sis. Now, I don’t think anyone here or at the village is in any danger, but we’re going to put some rules in place until this man is found. None of the women go into town alone; they need to travel in threes. And one of that three must be carrying a gun. And if there are any who have not mastered a pistol yet, I’ll be driving Kathleen out this weekend to teach her, so we’ll just make a class of it.”

“Oh. Kathleen. Does she know yet?” Mae’s voice was filled with compassion. She was aware of how badly Kathleen wanted justice for her sister’s death.

“No, I haven’t spoken with anyone in town yet. I’ll be meeting with Captain Lance first thing in the morning to decide how to find the man. But I wanted to tell ya’ll tonight so we can be on the alert from now until he’s found. I’ll speak with Kathleen tomorrow after school. Now, kiss Charlotte goodnight for me. I’m gonna go do a little work and get to bed early. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.”

Garth stood and walked out the French doors with Samuel.

“Son, I know you’ll do everything you can to find this man, but you be careful. That man had a heart full of hate for us the last time he was seen, and I doubt if it’s faded any over the years, if poor Mary Elizabeth is any measure.”

“You’re right, Pa. It would take a man full of hate to hurt a woman that bad. Tomorrow I’ll start going through our old files on missing women. It’s been five years since we’ve seen him, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been around. Thanks, Pa, but don’t worry about me. You know Mama watches over me.”

Garth patted his son’s shoulder. “Yes, I do know. It’s the only reason I sleep as well as I do. Good night, son.”

Samuel spent another hour sanding the tulips he had carved into the drawer fronts of a lady’s walnut writing desk. He finally laid down the fine-grit paper and dusted the surface with a soft piece of flannelette. He smiled to himself. Yep, Hansu would be proud.

****

Samuel was already at his desk when Edith Hampton arrived at work the next morning.

“Well, you’re in early.” She smiled tentatively. Conversation between them seemed strained, but she was determined to patch things up.

“Mornin’, Edith. What time do you expect Captain Lance in?”

“You’re in luck—he’s right behind me. He stopped to speak with the desk sergeant and should be here shortly.”

“Thanks. If he doesn’t have anything scheduled, then I need to speak with him right away.”

Ten minutes later, Samuel was seated in the captain’s office. It took him another ten minutes to update his superior.

“Well, son, that is a lot to take in. You’re sure it’s the same cabin?”

Samuel nodded. “Yes, sir, the way Emma described it, it has to be. There’s not another one within a mile of the area. I have a good recollection of the man, but it would be better if I have Emma come down and let Edith do a drawing of him. I can tell you this much with certainty: he was a mean-hearted man, the kind that only gets worse with time. I checked the files on all missing women for the past five years. There are three. Four years ago, a kitchen worker at the Leon Hotel never showed up for her breakfast shift. She was twenty years old and lived with her grandfather, so it was two days before she was reported missing. No trace, no note, no known reason for her to leave. She had a boyfriend who worked with the railroad, and he had an airtight alibi. Two years ago, the oldest daughter of the Mercers—they own the feed store and gun shop on the west end of town—appeared to have left in the night. No note, but she did take a few things. They have six daughters, and the next in line said her sister had been seeing a boy from Jacksonville, so it was just assumed they had run off together. And then we come to last year. Mrs. Jenkins. Thirty-eight years old, no children, a husband who drinks heavily. She was last seen leaving church in her wagon after Wednesday prayer meeting. The general consensus was that she got tired of Wayne Jenkins’s drinking and left him. Especially after he found out she had removed their life savings from the bank the Monday prior.” Samuel sat back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair.

“There was a pretty extensive search done for the cook. But nothing ever turned up. The last two, well, not to slight anyone’s work, but the reports show that not much was done to try to track down either of the women. And the trail is pretty cold now. But Captain, there is a thread that runs through all these women.”

Captain Lance had been staring out his window during Samuel’s accounting. He now turned to Samuel and waited.

“All of them had red hair.”

The captain shook his head and said, “So what you’re telling me is that we have a very viable suspect, but no one has laid eyes on him in five years.”

Samuel nodded. “Yes, sir, that pretty much sums it up.”

“All right, then, you are the lead investigator. You know what to do. Get moving, and keep me posted. As soon as you have worked up a profile and have a drawing, let me know.” The captain smiled as he stood. “That’s some good work, son.”

“Yes, sir, thank you. I may need to spend a few days in the woods around the cabin area, sir.”

“I suspected you might. Just let me know if you need a deputy to go with you.”

Captain Lance sat back down. The boy had become a man with talents, just as the captain had suspected he would. He remembered when he’d first met Samuel. He’d known from that first day that there was something deep in the young man, something that drove him to uphold right against wrong. It was an inner conviction that must be born into a man, not something you could teach at an academy. Captain Lance was grateful to have the young man on his staff and was not above using the boy’s odd talents to the fullest if it would bring down a woman-killer.

Samuel spent the day assembling the known facts about the man called Nash, all the while trying not to think about what he must tell Kathleen this evening.

First, the man was vicious. He was a loner, separated from his kind. Samuel was not aware of any gathering of Choctaw in the area. Nash hunted, grew tobacco, and made liquor. And beat women and children. There were no laws against any of the three, yet. You could beat a woman and get away with it, as long as you didn’t kill her, but this man had made that mistake, maybe more than once, in Samuel’s territory. And he would pay for that mistake.

Nash was not a known hunter in the area, so that was a dead end. If he made moonshine, he had to sell it somewhere. That was a lead to be looked into, but for now, Samuel would stop by the Emporium and speak with Emma before he visited the schoolhouse.

****

Emma was trying hard not to let her fear overwhelm her good sense.

“I understand, Samuel. It’s just that I had adjusted to the idea that I would never have to concern myself with that animal again.”

When Samuel started to speak, she shook her head. “I know, I know, this is the best way to find him. And I will go tomorrow and speak with the artist. I promise.”

Samuel stood and placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder.

“You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, Emma. You’ve done a damn fine job of raising Jimmy. You’ve worked hard and learned so much since you arrived at the village. Don’t let this undermine everything you’ve become.”

Emma’s eyes followed Samuel as he climbed into his motorcar. The Lord had made a special creature when he fashioned Samuel. He’d given the young man a respect and love for all women, all wrapped up in a need to protect. Someday, he would put his pure heart in some woman’s hands. Emma just hoped the woman was wise enough to understand the depth of such a sacred gift.

****

Children were streaming out of the little school building when Samuel slowed the motorcar to a stop out front.

When Kathleen detected the engine over the chatter, she immediately put a hand up to smooth her wild curls. She laughed out loud at the wasted foolishness of that gesture, but she was glad she had worn one of her prettier dresses. It was a dark peach, with elbow length sleeves and a beautiful piece of cream lace at the throat.

Samuel stopped at the top stair and ran a hand through his hair. He was stalling. He reminded himself this was police business. Even so, he could not stop the tightening in his chest when Kathleen’s cheeks took on a soft pink hue.

“Hello,” he drawled. “Would you like a ride home?”

“That would certainly be nice,” she answered softly. “Just let me gather my things.”

Samuel’s eyes never left her as Kathleen locked the doors and glided down the stairs. She functioned gracefully, without a lot of frivolous motion, which was unusual for such a tall woman. He caught himself watching the rhythmic sway of her hips and immediately lowered his eyes and opened the door for her. This was no time to let his mind wander.

After they were settled in the motorcar, Kathleen said, “I was planning on having pancakes for supper, if you’d care to join me. I picked up some cane syrup from the Emporium that I think your brother may have given them.”

Samuel laughed. “Yep, he supplies the Emporium with cane syrup and honey, and I’d be happy to have pancakes with you.”

Once they were in the kitchen, Kathleen handed Samuel a butcher knife and nodded toward the pantry. “How about slicing a couple of strips off the ham hanging in there, while I get the batter ready.”

Neither of them spoke for a while. The intimacy of working together in the kitchen was pleasurable. Samuel laid the table as Kathleen pulled the platter of pancakes out of the oven and placed it in the center. When she turned to fetch the fried ham, she ran into his solid chest.

They were only inches apart.

Samuel was drawn to the flush in her cheeks. He extended a finger to brush a sprinkle of flour from her jaw. When he touched her face, her eyes closed, and she drew in a quick breath. She turned her cheek to the curve of his hand, and Samuel was lost. He lowered his mouth to hers and held her gently against his body. The kiss was long and sweet and gentle, like a soft rain in the sunshine. When he finally raised his head, a long sigh escaped her lips.

“Food,” he whispered over her head. “We need food.”

Kathleen laughed weakly. “Yes, I think you’re right.”

Samuel took her hand as they sat across from each other. He lowered his head and asked a blessing over the food they had prepared together. “Lord, bless this food, and the woman who has prepared it. Thank you, Lord, for this and all our many blessings.”

“Amen.” Kathleen whispered with him.

Samuel wanted to wait until later to discuss business, so they spent a pleasant half hour talking about her students and his family. Once the table was cleared and the dishes in a pan of hot water, he took her hand and led her to the settee in the parlor.

They sat together, and he put his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him questioningly.

Samuel drawled softly, “Would you mind if I just held you in my arms for a few quiet moments?”

Kathleen turned toward him and stretched an arm across his broad chest. “I think I could stand that for a while,” she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder. She was thinking she could spend the rest of her days being held by this man, when Samuel cleared his throat.

“Kathleen, I have some information for you.” The softness had left his voice, and his arm tightened around her.

He was speaking in his “official” voice, and as much as she wanted to preserve this moment of peacefulness, she needed to hear him.

She sat up straighter, raised his arm from around her shoulders and gripped his hand tightly. “Go ahead.”

He explained to her everything he had learned about the man who’d killed her sister.