Chip Malone and a thin, bowlegged man with a large handlebar mustache left their horses at the edge of the church grounds where Wiley had left the wagon and walked through the acre of gravestones to where James, Ben and Wiley waited.
“Howdy,” Chip said. “Need help?”
“We’re all done, but thanks,” James replied.
“I’m surprised by what has happened. I would never have suspected Louis.”
“Surprised, but not sorry,” James said with raised brows.
“Hell, no! I’m not sorry for him. I’m sorry for the women he killed. He got what was coming to him. Saved the town the trouble of having to hang him.” He looked over at the man with him. “Dave, meet James Callahan, Ben Waller, and the best damn smithy in the Bitterroot, Wiley Potter. Dave Theiss is a friend from over east of Coeur d’Alene.”
“Pleased to meet ya.” The men shook hands. Dave Theiss raked Wiley with sharp blue eyes. “The best smithy, huh? I’ve done a speck of that myself.”
“Chip said it, I didn’t,” Wiley snorted, in spite of the pleased look on his face. “But Chip ain’t knowed fer stickin’ ta the facts.”
“Wiley and I go back a long way. My pa tried to hire him away from George Callahan, but the old goat wanted a half-interest in the business before he’d make a move.”
“There ya go. See what I’m tellin’ ya?” Wiley said to Theiss.
“Sure do. You got to take what old Chip says with a grain a salt.”
“This will go hard with Milo.” Chip turned a serious face back to James.
“Yeah. It was always him and Louis against the rest of us.”
“Most folks hate Milo’s guts anyway. What Louis did won’t help matters any.”
“I don’t give a goddamn about Milo.” James picked up a shovel and sank the blade in the pile of dirt beside the hole. “I’m going to bust his head wide open when I see him.”
Chip laughed. “You won’t find anything in there but hot air.”
Ben squinted at the sun. “We’d better get back and wash up if the burying is at sundown.”
CHAPTER
* 28 *
Wiley drove the wagon that carried Louis’s body to the graveyard. Ben, Dory and Odette followed in McHenry’s buggy. The McHenry girls had offered to keep Jeanmarie, and Dory was grateful her young daughter would be spared the ordeal of seeing a body put in the ground. And, it was a rare treat for the child to be with other children.
James, on horseback, rode beside the buggy. As they rounded the corner to enter the main street, Chip Malone and his friend Dave Theiss fell in behind the buggy, and James moved back to ride beside them.
“What’er you doin’ here?” James growled.
“Payin’ my respects.”
“That’s a pile of horseshit.”
“Yeah, it is.” Chip’s eyes scanned the two dozen or more men that lounged along the street.
“Well—?”
At that moment a clod of dirt hit the box in the back of the wagon. Then a barrage of clods were thrown. One hit the horse pulling the buggy. The frightened animal danced sideways and tried to rear. Only Ben’s strong hands on the reins held him.
Chip spurred his horse ahead to face a group of angry men. Theiss moved up beside the buggy.
“You stupid bastards! If you hurt one of those women or that man driving the wagon you’ll get my quirt across your back.” Chip’s strident voice carried to every man on the street.
“He’s a goddamn murderer!” a man yelled.
“Yeah, he was,” Chip replied. “And he’s dead. You’re not going to hurt him with clods.”
“He’s gettin’ a decent buryin’. It ain’t right after what he done.”
“They’re burying him. What did you expect them to do— drag him out in the woods and let him rot?”
“He ort ta be drawn ‘n’ quartered!”
“You want to do it, Tidwell? After he’s buried I don’t give a hoot in hell if you go out there and dig him up. But he’s going to be buried, so pull in your horns and act civil for a change.”
James edged his horse between Chip’s and the crowd. “I don’t need you to fight my battles,” he said low-voiced.
“It wasn’t for you, hot-head, it was for Dory. Now get on before you get them more riled up than they are.”
Seething, James fell in behind the buggy. “You’re pretty high-handed, Malone.”
“Yeah. I guess I am.”
“This is no concern of yours.”
“I guess not.”
“They why are you here?”
“You’ll find out.” They were at the edge of town. Chip looked over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. “Do you think Milo will show up?”
“Doubt it. Young McHenry went up to the mill to tell him. Tinker said when he sobered up this morning he lit a shuck. He knows I’m going to beat his brains out.”
“What’s he done now?”
“None of your business.”
Chip grinned a lopsided grin and shrugged.
Wiley stopped the wagon at the edge of the graveyard and climbed down. Dory and Odette stood by while the men pulled the box from the wagon bed. With Ben and James on one side and Chip and Theiss on the other they hoisted the box to their shoulders and carried it to the open pit where the minister waited with Bible in hand.
“Now you know why we came,” Chip said in a low tone to James as they lowered the box onto the ropes Wiley had laid out on the ground.
“I’m obliged,” James growled grudgingly.
Dory stood with Wiley and Odette while the men, using the ropes, lowered the box into the gaping hole. She felt neither sorrow nor hatred for the man they were burying. If she felt anything at all, it was a sort of vague relief that she no longer had to fear his outbursts nor endure his insults. Dory had half expected Milo to show up at the graveyard and cause trouble. She wondered now if that was the reason Chip Malone and his friend had come. It certainly wasn’t out of respect for the dead.
“—Ashes to ashes and dust to dust—”
Dory’s mind absorbed some of the minister’s words; then she watched as Ben and James filled the grave. Dear Ben. What would they have done without him? She was sure James was grateful for his help even though his heart was breaking over Odette. Now they would never know if it was Louis who had fathered her.
It was over. The minister shook hands with Dory and James and went back to the church. Dory had seen Chip looking at her face and had avoided his eyes. There was no avoiding him now. After tipping his hat to Odette, he stood in front of Dory and stared. She met his eyes unflinchingly. She saw a muscle jumping in his jaw as his teeth clenched. If it had not been for his treatment of Mick, she could have liked him.
“Milo did this to you.” A breath hissed through his teeth.
“How do you know?”
“It’s why James wants to bust his head.”
“You’re wrong. Ben already did that.”
He turned on James. “How did you let that happen?”
“Don’t you dare blame James,” Dory stormed. “James wasn’t there. Neither was Ben. It’s a family matter and no business of yours.”
“Seems like I heard that once already today. Are you going to marry Waller?”
“Yes, but it’s none of—”
“—my business. James, Dave and I would like to have a private word with you and Ben after you take the ladies back to the hotel.”
“Say your piece. Anything you have to say can be said in front of Dory and Wiley and Odette.”
Chip saw James looking at the young deaf girl when he spoke and saw her watching his lips. Adoration was in her eyes when she looked at him; love and concern in his. He loves her. He’s all swagger and brag on the outside, but inside he’s soft as a down pillow just like Jean.
“This will take a little time.”
“We’re in no hurry,” James replied.
The group gathered at the end of the wagon. Ben lifted Dory up to sit on th
e tailgate. He turned to lift Odette, but James was there and lifted Odette to sit beside Dory.
“Dave is a federal marshal,” Chip said. “He was sent up here by Judge Kenton to look into a matter—a couple of matters.”
“We’ve already got one marshal here,” James said.
“Kraus is not a marshal. He’s a bounty hunter.” Marshal Theiss’s voice had the sound of the south in it. “Norm Kraus was a marshal for a short time. Now he hunts men for money.”
“There’s nothing wrong in that,” Ben said. “Why did he pretend to be a marshal?”
“People open up more to a marshal than a bounty hunter. Judge Kenton sent for me yesterday morning. One of McHenry’s boys had brought him a packet of papers from Steven Marz, the bookkeeper at Callahan mill. Someone put three bullets in Marz but he made it to McHenry’s. He asked McHenry to tell no one he was there and to get the papers to the judge.”
James and Dory exchanged glances. “So you know that Steven is at McHenry’s?”
“Yes. The boy told the judge. I take it he’s still alive?”
“Mrs. McHenry thinks he’ll recover. How do you fit in with Malone?” James sent a glance at the tall, red-haired man before looking straight at the marshal.
“I’ve known Malone a long time and thought a stranger in town wouldn’t be so noticeable with him.”
“James, don’t let your dislike for me cloud what Dave is trying to tell you.” Chip spoke irritably.
“McHenry sent the judge every scrap of paper he found in Marz’s belongings to make sure he was carrying out the man’s wishes. In the papers the judge discovered that Steven Marz is Maxwell Lilly, who for years was a wanted man. Five years ago it was discovered that he was not guilty of taking money from his father’s business and thereby stealing from the stockholders. His brother had taken the money, and his father made restitution. Later that year his father, mother and brother went down in one of Lilly’s ships.”
Dory let out a breath she had been holding. “Well, land-sakes. No one ever knew that.”
“George did,” Wiley said. “Steven told George. George told me a’fore he died, so I could keep a eye out fer one of them fellers. Steve didn’t know I knowed.”
“The judge knew that a Maxwell Lilly had inherited the shipbuilding business from his father. It’s being run now by Forest Lilly, a cousin, who stands to gain a fortune if Maxwell turns up dead. When the boy told the judge there was a marshal here by the name of Kraus, the judge put two and two together and came up with three. Kraus is known for bringing his men back slung across a saddle. The judge thinks Forest Lilly sent Kraus out here to find Maxwell and make sure he doesn’t come back to spoil things.”
“That dirty son of a bitch shot Steven!” James looked over at Ben. “No wonder he was interested in that horse.”
“What horse?” Theiss asked.
“Steven’s horse is in McHenry’s barn. It has a bullet crease.”
“How did Kraus know to look here for Marz?” Ben asked.
“He has probably scouted every company in the territory that could use a man with Marz’s skill at keeping books. Somehow or other he discovered that Marz fit the description of Lilly.”
“If that’s the case, we’d better get on back to town and guard Steven before Kraus finds him at McHenry’s.” Ben reached for Dory and lifted her down from the wagon.
“There’s no way we can prove he shot Steven,” James said.
“There’s a chance if we could find one of the bullets. Like I said, Kraus brings in dead men, and in order to prove he killed them, he marks his bullets. I heard this from a marshal down around Idaho City. You say the horse was only creased?”
“Along the flank,” James said.
“Mag, Mrs. McHenry, dug a bullet out of Steven. She told me this morning.” Dory was holding tightly to Ben’s hand.
“If it’s got a K scratched on it, it came from Kraus’s gun, but it’s not proof Kraus fired the gun.”
“Hell,” James said. “It was three days ago anyhow. She’d not find it now.”
“There’s a big payoff in this one for Kraus,” Marshal Theiss said. “If he went back and looked along that trail for a body and didn’t find one, he’s reasonably sure Marz is in Spencer.”
“If he finds him, he’ll kill him?” Dory asked.
The marshal shrugged. “The longer he stays around here the more likely it is that someone will turn up who knows he’s not a marshal. I can’t see him waiting for two or three weeks for Marz to be well enough to ride. If he did that, he would have to make the pretense of arresting him, then shoot him with one of his marked bullets when he got him out of town. It would be quicker for him to kill him here and shoot into his body later.”
“Poor Steven!” Dory exclaimed.
“Judge Kenton should be here before noon tomorrow. McHenry’s boy is driving him in the judge’s buggy.” Marshal Theiss untied his horse and prepared to mount.
“The judge is coming here?” James asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“We’ll meet with him, Sis, and ask him—” James broke off in mid-sentence. “Ask him about what we talked about.” He lifted Odette from the wagon and stood close to her, his hand on her back in a proprietary way that was noticed by both Ben and Chip Malone. “We’d better get on back. I’ll stay in with Steven tonight.”
“I’ve got an idea, but I need to talk to you and McHenry about it,” the marshal said to James. Then, “Chip, do you suppose you and Ben could find Kraus and keep him occupied for an hour while McHenry, James and I set something up?”
“That should be easy enough, huh, Chip?” Ben said.
Chip nodded.
“We’ll need your help too, Wiley.”
“Ya got it.” Wiley climbed up onto the wagon seat.
“The ladies are welcome to go out to the house for the night,” Chip said before he mounted his horse.
“That’s kind of you, Mr. Malone. But Ben made arrangements for us at the hotel,” Dory said coolly, then turned her back on him and went to the buggy.
James helped Odette up to sit beside his sister.
“James? Is it something bad?” Odette spoke for the first time.
Yes, honey, it’s something bad. James spoke to her silently, his lips moving with the words. She watched his mouth as he explained slowly and patiently about the man who had come to the house pretending to be a marshal, and about Steven. He asked her if she understood what Louis had done and she nodded. He then told her that he loved her and that she was the prettiest girl in Spencer. He smiled when her cheeks became rosy as apples.
Sitting beside Dory, Ben waited for James to finish talking to Odette. He was torn by the love James obviously had for her and her for him. If only he could forget the suspicion he had in his mind about who had sired her. Dory’s hand wiggled under his arm, letting him know that she shared the pain he was feeling.
When James finished, Odette spoke, “Be careful, James.”
He nodded, pressed her hand and went to his horse.
It was dark by the time they finished eating at Bessie’s. Jeanmarie fell asleep at the table and leaned her head against her mother’s side. The excitement of being in town and eating at the restaurant had taken its toll on the child halfway through her meal. It was a treat for Dory to have Ben sitting beside her. His eyes twinkled at her when he caught people looking first at the bruises on his face and then at hers.
He leaned down to whisper. “They think we’ve been fighting each other.”
“If we had, you’d look worse than you do,” she whispered back, smiling into his eyes.
Chip and the marshal ate their meal at a table across the room. Wearing down-at-the-heel boots, ragged pants and a faded shirt, Dave Theiss looked like a drifter or a timber bum. Dory thought that he would never be taken for a marshal. She was still trying to absorb all the news he had imparted today: about Steven, the bounty hunter, and the fact that Steven would be a very rich man if he lived to return to San
Francisco.
Dory was relieved that Judge Kenton was coming to Spencer. Perhaps he could head off the trouble, the serious trouble, they were sure to have with Milo now that Louis was gone. She feared James would kill him for what he had done to Odette. Should that happen James could be sent to prison. Her heart ached for her brother and Odette. They would never know such happiness as she would with Ben.
Ben insisted on paying for Wiley’s meal as well as for himself and the women, and afterward he hoisted Jeanmarie up in his arms to carry her to the hotel. Ben had booked a room for the women, one for himself, and one for James before he knew that James would be staying with Steven. Wiley would spend the night with a friend of his, an old-timer who had come to the Bitterroot even before Wiley.
Leaving the restaurant, they walked down the boardwalk to the hotel. One of Dory’s hands was in the crook of Ben’s arm, and the other held tightly to Odette’s hand. She was proud to be with this man and his daughter. With him she could face anything, even leaving her home and James if it was what Ben wanted. Her place would be with her husband, but oh, it would be hard to leave the brother she loved.
When they entered the hotel, the first person Dory saw was Norm Kraus sitting in one of the two leather-covered chairs in the lobby. He stood politely when Ben paused to speak.
“Evening, Kraus. Yours is one of the few familiar faces I’ve seen in this town.”
“Howdy, ladies.” Kraus spoke to both Odette and Dory. “This your first visit, Waller?”
“I was here once before—a long time ago. Would you like to walk down to the saloon later? I’ll be down as soon as I get the women settled.”
“Why sure, Waller. People kind of avoid being seen with a marshal.” The man’s face wore a bland smile.
“Good night.” Dory almost choked on the words.
“Good night, ladies.”
Dory waited until they were in the room and the door was closed before she spoke. “Oh… that man!”
With his finger to his lips, Ben pointed at the wall. He laid Jeanmarie on the cot that had been provided for her. Dory took off her new red shoes.
Ben turned to Odette. “Are you all right? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
Sins of Summer Page 32
