Breaking Matthew

by Jennifer H. Westall

  Mother held onto my shoulders and looked me over from head to toe. “James told us what happened yesterday. Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. A bit sore is all.”

  “Oh, Ruby,” she said, pulling me into her arms again. “Thank the Lord you’re all right. But mercy, why can’t you stay out of trouble?”

  Asa chuckled behind me. “Too much Graves blood in that one.” Mother and I separated, and she glared at him. “’Course, from what I understand that troublesome gene may be stronger on your side of the family. Those Kellum brothers—”

  Mother cleared her throat and darted her eyes at Ms. Harmon. Asa clamped his mouth shut. Ms. Harmon raised an eyebrow. “I’ll just go and make sure breakfast is ready. You all take your time. Miss Ruby can join us when she’s ready.” Then she disappeared into the kitchen.

  Mother and I took our seats on the sofa. Asa moved beside Mother, but kept on standing. As soon as he was out of her line of sight, he caught my eye and mouthed, “You all right?”

  I shook my head sadly. “Mother, I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any worry.”

  She leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “What exactly happened out there yesterday? James says this man, Chester Calhoun, was the one who attacked you before. Is that true?”

  I nodded and looked up at Asa. I hoped he saw the gratitude in my eyes for his silence after so many years. “I don’t know how to explain everything. It all happened so fast.”

  “Well,” she said, “I don’t know how you were able to fend that man off except by the grace of God. He’s facing his judgment now.”

  My skin prickled and I looked up at Asa again. I wished I could talk to him alone, especially about why God wouldn’t heal Chester, but that would just upset Mother. Even after years of knowing the truth, she was still clearly uncomfortable with my gift. She never once asked about it, and I knew better than to mention it. But Asa would understand. There had to be some way to get him alone and talk things over with him.

  A few minutes later there was a knock at the front door, and when Ms. Harmon opened it, I heard Matthew’s voice asking after me. Ms. Harmon showed him into the sitting room. He was wearing a dark suit with his hair combed back away from his eyes. The changes in him were subtle—lines around the corners of his eyes, a lift to his shoulders that commanded respect. The boy I’d cared for had grown into a man.

  Ms. Harmon gave me the warning glance she gave the other girls when one of them had a gentleman caller. No nonsense in my house. I didn’t know how she could think such a thing at a time like that, especially with my mother and Asa right there in the room. I reckoned it was just habit by then.

  Ms. Harmon excused herself again, and Matthew greeted Mother and Asa before turning to me. “Just wanted to look in on you before I headed up to Nashville. How are you this morning? Did you get any sleep?”

  “I managed a little,” I said. I figured reassurances were the quickest means for allowing him to escape.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “No, I’ll be all right. I’ll head over to Dr. Fisher’s office in a bit to make myself useful. I want to go and check on Emma Rae and the baby later.”

  Mother huffed. “Now that’s just plain silly. You need your rest after such an ordeal. You get a bite to eat and go back to bed. I’ll help Emma Rae with the baby today. Besides, that may not be the place for you to be right now.”

  “Mother, really, I want to get my life back to normal as soon as I can.”

  Another knock on the front door sent Ms. Harmon blustering through the room, mumbling about a circus. When she pulled the door open, she gasped. I looked up as Sheriff Peterson stepped inside with a look on his face that sped up my heart.

  “Morning,” he said to the room, clearing his throat. Then he looked directly at me. “I’m afraid I got some difficult news, Miss Ruby. Seems Mr. Calhoun’s rather upset about things. Mrs. Calhoun, too. They been over at my office this morning causing a stir and making some pretty serious claims against you.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  Sheriff Peterson rubbed his hat between his fingers. “Well, first, I ought to tell you that I’m going to have to place you under arrest—”

  The room erupted, everyone shouting over each other and wanting to know how this was even possible. Mother about came unglued, while Asa and Matthew peppered the sheriff with questions about what the Calhouns had said and declarations of how absurd this was becoming.

  It took a few minutes for everyone to calm themselves, and I realized they were all looking at me. “I…I don’t understand,” I said, my voice faltering. “Wh-what are you arresting me for?”

  He let out a long sigh before he said the worst thing I could’ve imagined. “Murder.”

  Matthew stepped between the sheriff and me. “Now wait a minute. You don’t actually believe she murdered Chester, do you?”

  “Don’t matter what I believe. I got to follow the law. And for now, the way things are, this is what’s got to happen.”

  “This is ridiculous!” Asa cried, pacing in front of the sofa. “A young woman gets attacked and defends herself, and you want to arrest her for murder? This makes no sense! What did Calhoun say? He’s just upset! How can you arrest Ruby based on something he’s saying?” He came to a standstill in front of the sheriff and waited expectantly.

  Sheriff Peterson shook his head, glancing at me. “Listen, I know this is tough, but I don’t think we need to go into all the details right this second. Let’s go down to my office and talk things out in private.”

  As my eyes darted from face to face, my gaze fell on Ms. Harmon’s horrified expression. As soon as I was out those doors and before I even arrived in Cullman, the rumors of my arrest for murder would reach the entire county. The sheriff was right about one thing. This needed to be dealt with in private.

  I pushed myself up from the sofa and resolved to stay calm. I’d made a choice I would have to see through to the end, even if it meant going to prison. “All right then. Let’s go.”

  Mother jumped up beside me and grabbed my arm. “Ruby, you can’t be serious! You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I have to go, Mother. What else can I do? It’ll be all right.” I walked over to the sheriff. “I’m ready.”

  Stepping forward, Matthew took hold of my shoulder and looked at me like he might just sweep me up and run me right out of there. “Don’t you say nothing, you hear? You don’t say nothing to nobody till you have a lawyer with you.” He looked back at the sheriff. “Where’s she going for now?”

  “I’ll have to take her over to the jail.”

  Matthew pulled me into his arms so fast, my breath caught in my chest. “I’ll get a lawyer there right away. We’ll get all this straightened out today, I swear.”

  He let me go, and Mother clung onto me next. Asa wrapped his arms around both of us, promising things would be all right soon. I didn’t know how to tell them that this was how things had to be. That from now on, nothing would ever be the same again.

  Chapter Five

  Matthew

  I knew it would take a little while to get Ruby through the process at the jail, so I drove as fast as I could over to Father’s office in Cullman. It was a few blocks over from the courthouse, tucked into the second floor of a two-story brick building just above our family furniture store. It was in a prime spot—the stores and other offices along the main street were the more upscale businesses in town—which is why Father preferred that location. He could’ve saved himself a heap of money by having the store and office just two blocks over, but he refused. I heard him arguing with an officer from the bank about it once. As usual, Father made his point and stood his ground.

  When I pulled up outside the store, I figured it was time to stand my ground as well. I rushed through the door to the right of the store entrance and jogged up the stairs. Era, a distant cousin on my mother’s side of the family, wagged her finger at me from behind her desk, stopping me in my tracks.<
br />
  She pointed to the slightly ajar door across the room, from which I could hear voices. Father was in a meeting. I’d have to wait. As much as I wanted to barge in there and get help to Ruby as quick as possible, I couldn’t forget the consequences of interrupting Father during a meeting, which had been drummed into me since childhood.

  “How long’s he gonna be, you think?” I asked.

  She shrugged her thin shoulders. “No telling. It’s Mr. Adams, and they been at it for some time. Sounds serious.”

  I crept over to the door for a quick listen. It did indeed sound serious. Father’s voice was steady, but it had that slow cadence he got when he was set on a position. “—been the same price for ten years, and I ain’t paying no more than I paid last year.”

  “Patrick, you have to understand,” came Mr. Adams’s nasally drawl, “I have to increase ad prices to keep my head above water!”

  “I do understand. But I’m a businessman, and I have to make the best decisions for my customers that I can. Now if I have to pay more for advertising, then I have to raise the prices of my goods. And you should know, these times are not made for raising prices. I’d be hurting my own business, just like you’re doing now. Out of respect for my customers, I cannot pay another dime more for advertising.”

  Mr. Adams gave a great big sigh. “But Patrick—”

  “Let’s not squabble over it anymore,” Father interrupted. “You do what you must. Raise the price of the ads. I’ll do what I must. I’ll take my business elsewhere. In fact, I reckon most folks around here know the Doyle name and the quality of our goods without much advertising. I might just cut that out of the budget all together and save my customers even more.”

  There was silence for a good minute. Then Mr. Adams caved, his voice tiny and defeated. “All right, then. I’ll keep your advertising prices the same this year. But only yours. And you can’t go around telling people your price is different from theirs. You do, and I’ll deny it. Then we really will be done doing business together.”

  The chairs scraped across the floor. I figured they were shaking hands, and pictured that look of triumph on Father’s face I’d seen so many times in situations like this. Sliding quietly back across the room, I took a seat in a chair across from Era. A couple of minutes later, Mr. Adams shuffled through the door like a dog with his tail between his legs. He didn’t even look at me as he mumbled a quick “Good day” to Era.

  I hoped with a fresh victory on his plate, Father’d be softened up enough for my request. But in all honesty, I knew what was coming. At least, I thought I did.

  I closed his office door behind me. “Morning, Father.”

  He barely glanced up from the papers he was reading on his desk. “I thought you left for Nashville this morning.”

  “Something’s come up I need to talk with you about.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  “The sheriff just arrested Ruby.” I waited for him to look up with some decent amount of concern, but he turned one paper over and started reading another. “Calhoun’s saying what she done was murder, but it wasn’t. It was self-defense. Now the sheriff’s taking her down to the jail.” I paused again. Nothing. “I want to help her out. She ain’t gonna be able to pay her bond or afford a decent lawyer. Surely we can help—”

  “We?” He finally looked up at me. “I thought you said you wanted to help her out. What’s this we business?”

  I’d only asked Father for money once in my entire life. That was enough to know I’d never do it again unless it was an absolute emergency. “Her bond hasn’t been set yet. I figure it might be a couple thousand. I can cover that with my savings. But a lawyer might run more than I can muster. I’d pay you back every penny and interest if need be.”

  “You’d pay me back? What about Ruby? Would she pay you back?”

  “No, sir. I couldn’t ask her to do that.”

  He stood and walked around to the front of his desk, leaning back onto it as he gave me a look that made me feel about four inches tall. “So let me make sure I understand this. You want to use your pitiful savings—the money you been saving up since you were a teenager, money I gave you while working in my stores—to get Ruby out of jail and get her a lawyer? And you have no intention of Ruby paying you back a dime?”

  “That about sums it up.” I rubbed my hands together, trying to wipe off the sweat.

  He crossed his arms and let out a long sigh. “Son, I’ve done the best I can to raise you with a good head on your shoulders, with a sense for smart decisions, but I have to tell you this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.” Heat rushed up my neck and face, as he shook his head and kept on going. “Now, I’m going to try to pretend you didn’t just come in my office and say those things, and you get yourself on up to Nashville. You need to concentrate on getting a job and providing for your future wife and family.”

  “Father, I respect what you’re saying, but I can’t leave Ruby in a bind like she is. She did a lot for me when I was sick—more than I could ever explain—and I owe it to her to look after her at a time like this. Just like she looked after me.”

  “Was she looking after you when she caused you to hemorrhage so bad you nearly died? All for what, a basketball game?”

  “She’s the one who stayed with me day after day, cleaning up after me, keeping me company, giving me faith that I could survive! I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Ruby.”

  He stared at me for a long moment before heading back around behind his desk. Keeping his back to me, he stared out the window at the patch of grass behind the building. I could only hope he was considering my words, so I waited for him to turn around. When he did, his face was grim.

  “My decision on the matter is final, Matthew. I won’t be able to give you any money. And if you forgo your interviews in Nashville, throw away two perfectly fine job opportunities—especially in these times—well, I reckon I’ll have to withdraw all financial support until you demonstrate a more responsible attitude.”

  “Now wait a minute, what financial support are you speaking of? I’ve been on my own for years now, working and saving my own money.”

  “Who do you think paid for that degree of yours? Who took you down to the bank and opened that savings account with you when you were fourteen years old?” His voice hit a new octave. “Who bought that car you drive everywhere your heart desires, except to come home and see your poor mother? Me! I did all those things! I provided the roof you lived under, the roof you still live under when you’re here. Do not disrespect me!”

  I waited for him to cool off, gathering my thoughts and deciding on my course of action. Should I just give in and do what he said? Do the responsible thing and go get a job, or defy him and stick by Ruby’s side? I said a quick prayer in my head for wisdom.

  Lord, help me decide what to do. I can’t just abandon Ruby. Not after I already walked away from her once. Give me courage to do what’s right.

  I raised my chin and met his gaze. “I can’t leave Ruby. She needs my help, and I’m going to make sure she has all she needs. I reckon I’ll just have to take the consequences that come.”

  Father’s eyes hardened. “I reckon you will.”

  My mind reeling, I headed over to the jail, which was just behind the courthouse. Sheriff Peterson sat at the desk in the lobby, bent over some paperwork. He glanced up as I came in.

  “Where’s Ruby?” I asked.

  He nodded toward the door to my left. “Just got her settled in. Her mother and uncle are back there with her now.”

  As much as I wanted to go straight to her and make sure she was all right, I figured this was a good time to see if I could get some answers. “So what happens next?”

  He shot me a withering look and glanced at the clock on the wall to my right. “We’ll get her some dinner. The solicitor’s over at the courthouse now. Should be back soon enough, and we’ll know if we have an indictment.” He went back to writing things on his papers like it was just another day for hi
m, which only made my blood boil.

  “I still don’t understand how she can be charged with murder. She was just defending herself.”

  “That’s probably true—”

  “Probably?”

  “—but look, we gotta follow the law here. Now, there’s enough testimony and evidence to move forward—”

  “What evidence?” I stepped closer and leaned onto the desk.

  “I ain’t at liberty to say.”

  I realized I’d get nowhere with impatience and anger, so I made a deliberate effort to keep my voice calm. “Listen, I know you have to do your job. I ain’t trying to get in the way of that. But she means a lot to me. She means a lot to many people in this town. She’s no criminal. Seems like if a person’s getting arrested for murder, they should know what evidence is speaking against them.”

  He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, looking me straight in the eyes. “All I can say is that she’s got things working against her. If you’re truly her friend, you tell her to tell the whole truth so we can put this all behind us.”

  The whole truth. Therein lay the problem. Ruby’s story had holes in it, and the sheriff knew it. But if Ruby was determined to keep quiet, there wasn’t nothing on God’s green earth that could change her mind. No question about that.

  “Can I see her?” I asked.

  “Sure, sure.” He walked over to the rusty door on my left, pointing into the back room. “She’s in the last one on the right. Just knock on this door when you’re ready to go.”

  He closed the door behind me, and I made my way down a narrow path between four cells—two on each side. On my left, a man lay on a cot snoring, his right arm and leg dangling to the floor. Just ahead of me, Asa and Mrs. Graves looked in on Ruby, held behind bars like a trapped and wounded animal. Mrs. Graves sat in a chair, her back rigid as she swiped at a tear. Asa stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. When I reached them, I could see why they were so upset. Just looking at Ruby—knowing what she’d go through to help people in need—made my head swim. She was the absolute last person I’d have ever thought to see behind bars.