“Arresting?” Letty croaked. “What for?”
“Murder,” Elmer spat. “Pure-dee old coldbloodied murder.”
“Who am I supposed to have killed?” Mike asked quietly.
“You know who, you bast—”
“Watch it, Elmer,” Ledbetter cautioned. “Dolan, we’re arresting you for the murder of Cecil Weaver. We have plenty of witnesses who will swear you threatened to kill him for what he did to Mrs. Graham.”
“But I didn’t! I haven’t seen him—”
“Do you deny you went looking for him?”
“No, I don’t deny I went to town looking for him. I didn’t find him. That was night before last.”
“You offered a silver dollar to the man who would point him out.”
“Yes, I did that.”
“When?” Letty found her voice. “When did it happen?”
“Sometime last night. His body was found in the back of his wagon with his head bashed in. The mules wandered about three miles west of town. A farmer found the wagon in a fresh-planted field about daylight this morning.”
Letty laughed in relief. “It couldn’t have been Mike. He was with Doctor Hakes last night. We went to Weatherford to—”
“—No, Letty,” Mike said quickly.
“But . . .”
“Stay out of this, Letty,” Mike said sharply. “Don’t say another word.” He shook his head.
“I won’t—”
“You will! This can be cleared up tomorrow.”
When Mike made a move to go to her, Elmer poked him in the stomach with the barrel of the gun.
“Stand still or I’ll blow ya into Kingdom Come.”
“Grandpa! Tell them Mike was with Doctor Hakes,” Letty cried.
“Now look here, Ledbetter,” Jacob said. “You got no cause to be takin’—”
“Who said we ain’t got no cause?” Elmer jabbed at Mike with the barrel of the shotgun again.
Suddenly a small body flung itself against the deputy’s legs causing him to stumble backward. Patrick’s fist pounded on a fleshy belly.
“Leave my daddy alone, you . . . you old fat . . . stinky poot!”
“Get this brat off me!” Elmer yelled, holding Patrick off with one hand and trying to balance the shotgun with the other.
“I’ll beat ya up! I’ll beat ya up!”
“Patrick!” Letty charged in and grabbed her son by the arm. “Stop it!”
“He’s mean ’n’ ugly. I hate him!” Patrick shouted.
“Calm down, son,” Mike said firmly. “Mind your mother. These men are doing what they think is their duty. We’ll straighten it out.”
“Sheriff,” Letty took a deep gulping breath. “All you need to do to clear this up is talk to Doctor Hakes. If you don’t believe me, surely you’ll believe him.”
“Dolan will get a chance to clear himself.”
“But . . . you can’t take him!”
“Who says we can’t?” Elmer said belligerently and shoved Mike toward the car. “Hold the gun, Sheriff, while I put on the leg irons.”
“Leg irons? Have you gone daft, Ledbetter?” Jacob demanded.
“Just a precaution, Jacob. We shackle all suspected murderers until we get them to the county jail in Boley.”
“Why won’t you listen?” Letty wailed. “Sheriff, find Doctor Hakes when you get to Boley. He’ll tell you Mike was with him. They went to Briskin to get a man the doctor wanted. They got home this morning and Wallace went on to Boley. Didn’t you see him?” she asked desperately.
“No. I was in Piedmont all day.”
“Sounds to me like they already set up an alibi with the doc,” Elmer said and slammed the car door.
“Let me go with you, Sheriff. Please—” Letty begged.
“I can’t do that, ma’am.”
“Letty, sweetheart, don’t. They’ve made up their minds. It’ll be cleared up tomorrow.”
“Back off, woman.” Elmer shoved Letty aside when she approached the car.
“Keep your hands off her!” Mike snarled.
“You ain’t in no position to be givin’ orders.” Elmer cradled the gun in his arms and got into the front seat of the car.
“Don’t shove her again.” Mike’s voice was icy cold.
“I’ll get in touch with Wallace.” Letty climbed up on the running board, reached in, and kissed Mike’s lips. “Don’t give that hotheaded deputy an excuse to hurt you,” she whispered. “He’s mean.”
“For Patrick’s sake don’t mention our going to Weatherford to be married,” he whispered.
“I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t want you to go.”
“I’ll be all right. You’ll have to tell Helen about her pa.”
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart. Don’t worry. Be a good boy, Patrick,” he called. “Take care of your mother and Helen. I’ll be back and we’ll go fishing.”
The car motor started and Letty had to back away. “I’ll be down to Boley as soon as I can get there.”
The car made a wide loop and headed down the lane to the road. Letty stood with her arm around Patrick as tears slipped from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She had been so happy, looking forward to spending the night in Mike’s arms. Why had God let this happen? Had she been so wicked that she deserved such punishment?
Letty held her son while he sobbed and tried to reassure him that this was all a ghastly mistake and that his father would be home soon. She had no time to feel sorry for herself. Helen had come out of the house and stood silently waiting. She had to tell the child her father was dead.
* * *
When the children were in bed, Letty sat at the table with Jacob. She looked at his lined face. Deep crinkly grooves marked the corners of his eyes. There were other lines there too that experience, fatigue, age, and harsh weather had made. His eyes, however, were clear and sharp.
“Grandpa, did you ever dream that something like this could happen?”
“Don’t rightly think I have. The sheriff’s doin’ his job, misguided though he be.”
“I’ll go to Piedmont and find someone to take me to Boley. The train comes through around two o’clock, but I can’t wait until then.”
“When you get to Boley, go straight to Doc Whittier. He’ll know where to find Doc Hakes.”
“Wallace will stay in Boley until Cora’s meeting. What if they don’t believe Wallace? Mike will have to stay in jail until the justice of the peace comes up from Weatherford.”
“Don’t borrow trouble. They’ll believe Doc Hakes.”
“Oh, glory, I hope so.”
“Somethin’ botherin’ me about Elmer Russell. I do believe he’d a shot Mike given half a chance.”
“Mike said he had never met the deputy, yet the deputy seems to hate him. I wonder why.”
“That sucker’s got a chip on his shoulder a yard wide ’cause he wasn’t elected sheriff. I don’t trust him none at all. Didn’t even before he ruined my brandy and tore up Mike’s sleepin’ place.”
“I’m worried. Do you think Mike’ll be all right?”
“As long as he’s with Ledbetter. Ledbetter’s as straight as a string. When he gets the proof, Mike’ll be set free.”
“This is a nightmare, isn’t it, Grandpa?” Letty thought she had cried all the tears she could cry, but thinking of Mike in the back of that car, his hands handcuffed behind him, his legs in irons, brought a fresh batch of tears to her eyes.
“It’ll pass, youngun,” Jacob said gruffly and puffed on his pipe.
“I know, but it’s so unfair.”
“Mike didn’t want ya draggin’ out that marriage paper. Folks would know that you warn’t wed when Patrick was born.”
“I want Mike to come home and I don’t give a damn what folks think.”
“Mike does. He ain’t wantin’ his boy carryin’ the label of bastard. You heed what he says. Hear?”
They sat in taut silence. Letty slowly removed her hairpins
, placed them on the table, and begin to plait her hair. Jacob knocked the ashes from his pipe.
“The youngun didn’t seem to be tore up ’bout her pa being killed.”
“Grandpa, it’s sad, but when I told her, she seemed relieved. All she said was ‘now he can’t come get me.’ She put her arms around me and asked if she could stay here forever and ever.”
“It’d be a pity to lose her.” Jacob got up from the table. “Better get to bed, Letty girl. Ya got a big day tomorrow.”
CHAPTER
23
Letty got up early and dressed in her good light-blue skirt and white middy blouse. She attached a floppy-brimmed straw hat firmly to the auburn curls piled on top of her head. Before she left her room, she took the scrap of blue ribbon from the mirror frame and pinned it securely to her chemise. The feel of it against her bare breast somehow made her feel closer to Mike. After a critical look at herself in the mirror, wishing she had something more stylish to wear, she stuffed a pair of stockings, a nightgown, and a hairbrush in a small straw bag, and went down to the kitchen.
Jacob had hitched the mare to the buggy and started breakfast.
It was just daylight when Letty left the farm and headed for town. As she neared the Watkins’ farm, she could see a light in the kitchen and guided the mare up the lane to the house. She found Mrs. Watkins in the barn milking the cows.
“My land, Letty. What’s happened to bring you out so early?”
After Letty related the story, she said, “I wanted you to know that Grandpa and the kids are alone over there. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but when I do, Mike will be with me.”
“Well, land sakes! What in the world would make Sheriff Ledbetter think Mike would do such a thing anyhow?”
“He doesn’t know Mike. And Mike was in town looking for Cecil. I should never have told him that Cecil Weaver hit me.”
“Well . . . if ya can’t tell yore man, who can ya tell? My menfolk would’a done the same.”
“As soon as Doctor Hakes verifies that Mike was with him, the sheriff will let him go.”
“It makes a body creepy to know a killer’s on the loose. Even a no-good drunk like Cecil Weaver don’t deserve to have his head bashed in. It’s the times, I tell you. There’s more meanness goin’ on than ya can shake a stick at.”
“I’ll be going. I want to get to Boley as soon as I can.”
“Is there nothin’ we can do, Letty? Do ya want Guy to go with ya?”
“That isn’t necessary, but thanks just the same. I’d appreciate it if Guy would look in on Grandpa. So many strange things have happened lately, I don’t know who’ll show up at the farm next.”
“Don’t ya worry none about that. I’ll send Irene and Jimmy over this mornin’ and Guy’ll wander over this afternoon. Don’t worry about a thin’ here. Just go on now and get Doc Hakes. He’ll put things right.”
Out on the road, Letty whipped the mare into a trot. For the first time she wished for an automobile and the know-how to drive it. Her mind raced ahead to what she would do when she reached Piedmont. She would leave the buggy and the mare with Mr. Hartley, who ran a sort of a livery stable on the edge of town, then she’d go to the garage and see if she could find someone who would take her to Boley no matter the cost. In her pocketbook was the total sum of her cash money—thirty-five dollars.
A crowd had gathered in front of the store when Letty reached it after leaving the horse and buggy with Mr. Hartley. As she approached, the murmur of voices died and all eyes turned to her. The men tipped their hats and the women nodded.
“Good morning.”
“Mornin’, Mrs. Graham.”
“I suppose you’ve heard about Cecil Weaver being murdered,” Letty said, knowing full well that was the reason for the early-morning gathering.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Yes, ma’am, we have. Ain’t it a shame?”
“It is. It’s a shame when anyone is killed. It’s also a shame when an innocent man is accused of the killing.” Letty looked each man in the eye. Some looked back; some turned away. “The sheriff has arrested Mike Dolan and has taken him to the county jail.”
“Yes, ma’am. We heard.”
“He was the likely one.” The man who spoke was a farmer who had bought hogs from Jacob and attended his church. “He was here in the store makin’ threats and all. I heard him myself.”
“I know he did that, Mr. Miller, but he didn’t kill Mr. Weaver. He was with Doctor Hakes when Cecil was killed. He went to Briskin to get the man Sister Cora was supposed to have healed the night before.” Letty’s eyes went from face to face. She knew these people, liked them, and thought they liked her. Well, almost all of them liked her. “So you see Mike couldn’t have done it. That means a killer is loose in Piedmont.”
“Bullfoot! I ain’t takin’ your word,” Mrs. Crews snorted. “I’ll believe that big dark devil innocent when Doc Hakes says so and not a minute sooner. What’s this about Sister Cora not healin’ that poor man? I was there and saw it with my own eyes.”
Such fierce anger swept over Letty that she trembled from the force of it.
“It’s what I would expect from you, Mrs. Crews. I trust you’ll also believe Doctor Hakes when he tells you that Sister Cora is a shake-down artist and her healing a trick to pry money out of people. Excuse me. I need to find someone with an automobile who’ll take me to Boley.”
“Well! I never!”
“No, and you never will, Mrs. Crews. You’re too narrowminded to see beyond your own double chin.”
After her outburst, Letty’s stomach churned, her heart pounded, and her eyes watered. She had never spoken to anyone in such a manner before. Her nerves, she realized, were at a breaking point.
“There’s a salesman at the hotel.” Mr. Howard had come to the porch during her set-to with Mrs. Crews. “He’ll give you a ride. But he usually spends a couple of hours in Claypool before going on to Boley.”
“I’d better find someone else. I want to get to Boley by noon.”
“Inquire at the garage, ma’am.”
“Thank you. I will.”
Letty’s heels clicked on the boardwalk that fronted the stores. Most of them were just now opening their doors. Letty had no doubt that the town would come to life soon and be buzzing with news. A cooling breeze fanned her face and her nerves calmed a bit. She had given them something else to talk about. Of course there would be some, like Mrs. Crews, who wouldn’t believe Sister Cora would do any wrong even after Wallace proved it.
“P-s-s-t! P-s-s-t! Letty—”
Letty stopped when she heard the hissing sound. In the narrow space between the hat shop and the outside stairway that went up the side of the bank building, she saw Sharon Tarr. When Sharon beckoned, Letty looked around, slipped into the opening, and followed her to the shadows beneath the stairs where Oscar Phillips squatted on his heels. He got slowly to his feet as they approached.
“What are you doing back here?” Letty asked with a puzzled frown.
“Hiding,” Sharon blurted. “Hiding in case Elmer Russell comes back to town.”
“What on earth for?”
“We saw you in front of the store and sneaked back here in hopes of talking to you alone. We know Mike didn’t kill Cecil Weaver.”
“I know that. He was with Doctor Hakes. I’m trying to find someone to take me to Boley to find the doctor. He’ll clear Mike.”
“We know who did it! Oscar saw it happen!”
“Good Lord!”
Letty’s startled gaze fastened on Oscar’s haggard face. His eyes were bloodshot, he needed a shave, and a look of deep worry had replaced his usual leering expression. He was holding tightly to Sharon’s hand as if he were a child and she his mother.
“We had about decided not to tell,” Sharon said. “Then we heard that Mike had been arrested because he was in town looking for Cecil after he slapped you around. We saw him on the street that night and he was mad enough to break Cecil in half. We ca
n’t let Mike be blamed for something he didn’t do.”
“Of course not!” Letty looked at Sharon with a new awareness that there was something more to her than what she had first believed.
Oscar fidgeted and looked at the ground.
“Honey,” Sharon said gently. “We’ve gone over and over this. You’ve got to tell Letty what you saw that night down by the tracks. We’ll go with you to the sheriff.”
“Gawd! You don’t know him like I do, Sherry. He’ll kill me!”
“Not if he’s in jail.”
“He might not go to jail.”
“Oscar, you’re either going to stand up and be a man, or you’re not,” she said firmly. “Personally, I’ve not got much use for a weak-kneed sister who’d let a nice guy like Mike Dolan rot in jail and a mean son-of-a-bitch go free.” Sharon was unmerciful in her attempt to make him shoulder his responsibility. When he didn’t speak she tried to jerk her hand from his but he held on. “I’ll not live with a man who won’t stand up for what’s right.”
“Elmer Russell killed Cecil,” Oscar said in a desperate whisper.
Instinctively, Letty stepped back. “The deputy? You saw him?”
“I saw it all,” Oscar said sorrowfully. “I hope to God I never see such a thing again.”
Sharon hugged Oscar’s arm. “I’m proud of you, honey. I know this is rough on you, but tell her about it.” She reached out and drew Letty beneath the stairway.
Letty listened with rapt attention while Oscar told about the deputy’s bootlegging operation and how he thought Mike was from one of the big-city mobs and trying to cut in on his territory.
“Why would he think that?”
“He was suspicious of every man that came to town. He didn’t think Mike came here to do farm work.”
“He didn’t. He came looking for me. But go on, Oscar.”
Oscar told about the whiskey shipped in the boxcar and the deliveries made weekly to the nearby towns. He said he had become more and more afraid of being caught with a wagonload of whiskey. He worried what would happen to his kids if he went to jail. He met Sharon and had promised her he would break away from Elmer as soon as he could. After he explained how he came to be hiding behind the railroad ties at the siding, he told Letty of what he had seen happen.
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