That Night at the Palace

by Watson, L. D.

  Boys are so stupid.

  Gemma walked between some of the tents and came out behind them where the carnival trucks were parked. She heard the faint sound of crying and looked around and saw Jewel sitting in a shadow against a truck tire with her face buried in her hands. Gemma went to the girl and sat down.

  “I saw y’all from the Ferris Wheel,” Gemma offered tenderly.

  Jewel looked at her as she wiped her eyes.

  “My parents fight too,” Gemma added.

  Jewel sat there for a moment and wiped her eyes and nose, “Not like my parents.”

  Gemma looked at her, tears swelling. “Yeah. Exactly like your parents.”

  The two girls stared at each other, both with tears rolling down their cheeks.

  Jesse and Cliff met in the middle of the carnival; neither had seen any sign of Jewel.

  “Are you sure she’s here?” Cliff asked.

  “They were behind a tent and she came runnin’ out.”

  “Then she must be in one of the side shows or on a ride.”

  Jesse looked at Cliff. “She was way too upset to get on a ride.”

  Irwin Stoker was searching through the crowd as well. When he saw the boys he went directly to them.

  “Where’s Jewel?” he demanded.

  “We don’t know, Mr. Stoker,” Cliff replied.

  Across the way Jesse spotted Jewel and Gemma coming from between some tents. “There she is.”

  As the two girls approached, Stoker went quickly to Jewel, grabbed her arm and began leading her away.

  “We’re goin’ home,” he said harshly as he pulled her away.

  “Where’s mama?” Jewel asked.

  “Who cares?” he muttered as they went.

  All three of the kids watched Irwin pull Jewel through the crowd. When they were out of sight, Gemma looked at Jesse and then headed back to her family. Jesse watched and then noticed Mrs. Stoker standing next to the man who was with the Crawfords. She was there only a moment and then began running away through the crowd.

  “We should tell Cherokee about this,” Cliff said, “but I really don’t know what happened.”

  “Neither do I.” Jesse replied.

  “What should we do?”

  “Where’s your folks?”

  “They’re on the kiddy rides with Rachel and Amy.”

  “You should probably go join them. Tell ‘em that I went home. I’ll go out and talk to Cherokee.”

  “Okay.”

  When Jesse walked out of the carnival, Cherokee-One-Leg was still sitting on the tailgate of his truck, just as he had been when the boys went in. Jesse went directly to him and hopped on the tailgate.

  “Been a busy night around here, ain’t it, boy?” Cherokee asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “That Stoker fellow came out with his girl and got in his truck and left. His wife came out a little later and run up the street. She turned the corner down there past the picture-show,” the old man explained.

  “That man that was with Mr. Crawford. He was standing next to Mr. Crawford the day they hanged Bucky. While I was on the Ferris wheel, Cliff said that he kept lookin’ at Mrs. Stoker, and Mr. Stoker got mad. While I was up there I saw Jewel’s dad drag Mrs. Stoker behind a tent and hit her. After that he grabbed Jewel and came out.

  The two were silent a moment while Jesse looked down the street at the theater.

  “Stay clear of Crawford and that other fellow,” Cherokee said.

  “I’m gonna go down the street to see where Mrs. Stoker went,” Jesse said as he hopped off the tailgate.

  Cherokee looked at him. “Be careful. Stay in sight.”

  When Jesse got to the alley just past the police station, he heard a noise and stopped walking. He could hear all the various noises of the carnival, but faintly down the alley he heard an entirely different sound. He looked into the darkness and then crept softly in the direction of the sound. When he got to the end of the alley he paused next to the rain gutter that he and Cliff had climbed a few weeks before. He then heard the noise again.

  He slowly peered around the corner of the police station and saw Sarah Stoker sitting on the little step at the back door of the movie theater crying. He squatted in the shadow and watched her.

  At the south end of Main Street, Cliff came walking out of the carnival entrance with his family. His parents were carrying the two girls, who were fast asleep. As they turned to head down Main Street, Cliff looked over at Cherokee sitting alone on the tailgate.

  “Mom, I want to go visit with Cherokee. He looks lonely.”

  “Don’t bother that man,” Suzie pleaded, but Cliff was already halfway across the street.

  “Be home in an hour, son,” Ned said in a firm tone that Cliff knew to be an order and not a suggestion.

  “I will, Dad,” Cliff replied as he walked up to the old Indian.

  “Where’s Jesse?” Cliff asked Cherokee as he climbed onto the back of the truck.

  “He went to check on the Stoker woman,” the old man replied with a nod in the direction Jesse had gone.

  The Crawford family came walking out of the carnival.

  Cliff looked toward them. “Did Jesse tell you about that man with them?”

  “Yeah. He said that they were both at the lynchin’.”

  Gemma looked across at Cliff and smiled as she and her family turned down Main Street to head home. About a block away the family stopped. Anna-Ruth and Peterson seemed to be arguing as the brother was getting into a car. Finally Mrs. Crawford led the two girls away while Peterson got into the car with his brother.

  In the alley Jesse crouched low in the shadow of the police station watching Mrs. Stoker weep. Part of him felt like he should leave and let her shed her tears alone. The mother of one of his best friends was having a very emotional moment, and he knew that it was not any of his business. But, he also felt that it was very much his business and she needed someone to look after her.

  He watched as she wiped the tears away with both hands. She sat up straight and looked both ways down the alley as if someone might be watching. She then, convinced that she was alone, reached into her purse and pulled out a handgun. She lifted it out, checked the cylinder and then put it back into her purse.

  Jesse froze. He’d been around guns all of his life. Everyone in Elza owned at least one. His father kept half a dozen guns in his study at home. Murdock and a group of his work buddies took a regular trip to Colorado each winter to hunt elk. Mr. Tidwell had taught Jesse and Cliff all about how to safely handle and shoot a gun. Jesse, in fact, was a pretty good shot with a revolver, but Cliff was much better with a rifle.

  This, though, was entirely different. It was one thing to shoot at bottles on a fence post. But Jesse sensed, accurately as it turned out, that it wasn’t bottles that Sarah Stoker was planning to shoot. His heart began to beat faster and his breathing sped up so much that he was afraid Mrs. Stoker would hear him.

  Suddenly, the headlights of a car flashed into the alley from the North. It turned into the alley from the highway and slowly crept toward him. He crouched low in the shadow hoping that the car lights wouldn’t shine on him as it passed. Sarah stood as the car came toward her. She had the purse hanging on her left forearm with her right hand buried inside.

  The car moved slowly and passed the side alley where Jesse was hiding and pulled to a stop, with the back door right in front of him and the car directly pointed at Sarah. Jesse’s heart was pounding, as somehow he knew what was about to take place.

  The headlights went off and Richard Crawford got out from the driver’s side, just a few feet away from Jesse. Peterson got out on the opposite side from where Jesse was crouched.

  “Well, Sarah, what was so important that you wanted to meet me in this dark alley?” Richard asked with a broad smile.

  �
�It looks to me like she had a good time. She probably wants another round, Richie boy,” Peterson said with a big smile but a nasty look on his face.

  Jesse was a little behind Richard and could barely see him in the darkness, but something in his manner made him despise the man. Mrs. Stoker was terrified but also looked determined. To Jesse, Peterson and the other man looked nothing short of evil.

  “You ruined my life,” Sarah said, staring at Richard as the two men came around in front of the car toward her.

  “Now, how did I do that? We just had a little fun, that’s all.”

  “My husband is a good man. He didn’t deserve what you’ve done,” Sarah proclaimed with tears streaming down her face.

  Laughing, Richard said, “Sarah, I’ve never met your husband. What did I do to him?”

  “I’m going to have a baby. Your baby,” she said angrily, no longer trying to hold back the tears.

  Richard held up both hands. “Hold on, now. You can’t blame that on me. We know what you do for money; besides, how do you know that it’s not your husband’s?”

  “I’m not a prostitute,” she said furiously. “I lived behind that house. I never even went inside.”

  Richard and Peterson both laughed.

  “Inside or out back,” Richard said, “you’re a whore, and ain’t no whore gonna blame me ‘cause she’s pregnant.”

  “It’s yours,” she said firmly, indicating that there was no debate on the subject. “You held a gun to my head and you ruined my life. Irwin will divorce me. I’ll be out on the street with a baby, and it’s all your fault.”

  Peterson laughed. “Come on, Sarah, this was bound to happen. Girls like you shouldn’t get married.”

  “Why don’t you calm down,” Richard offered. “Hop in the car, and we’ll go for a ride. I hear there’s a new roadhouse down by Crockett.”

  “No. I’m never going anywhere with you.”

  Richard opened his suit coat and revealed a handgun tucked in his belt.

  Jesse froze. The expression on Sarah’s face said everything.

  “Not this time. You’re not going to force me or anyone else to do that again,” she said as she pulled the revolver from her purse.

  “Rick, she’s got a gun,” Peterson yelled.

  Sarah wasted no time. Richard couldn’t even respond.

  Cliff was still sitting on the tailgate with Cherokee when he heard a sound from up the street.

  “Was that a gunshot?”

  Cherokee looked up the direction that Cliff was looking, “Get in the truck,” he ordered as he quickly lowered his weight onto his peg and crutch.

  Cherokee was too late. Cliff leaped off the tailgate and was running up Main Street before the old Indian had gotten the words out of his mouth.

  Richard fell, stunned from the shot as a second bullet ricocheted off the car door.

  Peterson leaped at Sarah and grabbed at the gun. She fell to the ground with Peterson on top of her. He punched her violently in the face and her head hit the ground with a thud as a third shot hit the brick wall just above Jesse’s head. Peterson stood and began kicking at Sarah’s hand. The gun went flying into the brick wall of the Palace. Angrily, Peterson continued to kick Sarah over and over as she lay there crouched on her side crying.

  Jesse sat stunned and terrified, not knowing what to do as the man continued to kick her.

  Richard sat up with blood streaming from his side.

  “Pete,” Richard called out.

  Peterson looked at his brother, suddenly realizing that Richard had been hit and ran to his side.

  “Good god. Get in the car.”

  Peterson helped his brother get to his feet. Jesse watched motionless as Peterson helped Richard get into the back seat of the car only a few feet in front of him.

  Once Richard was in the car Peterson got in the driver seat and slammed the door shut. As his brother started the car Richard looked out the back window directly at Jesse.

  Peterson slammed the car into reverse just as Richard yelled, “There’s a kid.”

  As the car backed up Peterson turned his head to look up the side alley next to the police station just as Cliff came running around the corner. Peterson slammed on the brake. The car slid to a stop with the headlights shining on Jesse.

  Jesse stood stunned in the headlights as Cliff came to his side. Suddenly, Cherokee pulled his Ford to a stop at the end of the alley where Jesse and Cliff were standing.

  Peterson looked at the two boys and then at the headlights shining on him from Cherokee’s truck and hit the accelerator and flew backward out of the alley.

  As the car was backing out of the alley Richard looked at Cherokee; the old man came hobbling with surprising speed toward the boys.

  The kids stood motionless as they watched the car back away. Jesse then looked back at Sarah. She was sitting up with the gun in her hand. She slowly put the gun to her head.

  “No!” Jesse screamed as he dove toward her.

  She had not seen the two boys prior and was startled and turned her head in their direction. At the same moment that Jesse landed on her, the bullet exploded from the gun and into her neck and then deep into her chest.

  Jesse landed next to Sarah as her body fell limp against him, blood pouring from her neck. Cliff, followed by Cherokee, came around the corner and saw Jesse holding the woman as blood flowed from her neck. Cliff came and squatted next to Sarah and Jesse as the old man stood back, leaning on his crutch.

  Sarah coughed as she looked at the two boys. “You boys shouldn’t be here.”

  “I’ll go for help,” Cliff said as he started to stand.

  Sarah grabbed his arm, “No.”

  She coughed again, and blood came out of her mouth. “I’m gonna die. I need to die.”

  Jesse looked at Cherokee who shook his head. The old warrior had seen bullet wounds before. Some could be saved, but some couldn’t. Cherokee had seen enough to know the difference, and this one couldn’t be saved.

  “Hold on, Mrs. Stoker,” Jesse said tenderly. “You’ll be okay.”

  Sarah looked at Jesse and then up at Cherokee and smiled and said weakly, “You can’t fix this, boys. I’m not an old Ford.”

  Sarah coughed some more, and Jesse held her more tightly against him.

  “Boys,” she began, “take care of Jewel for me. Irwin loves her, but she needs the two of you. Promise me that you’ll take care of her.”

  The boys, with tears in their eyes, nodded as Jesse said, “We will.”

  Sarah coughed again, and more blood came out of her mouth.

  “Did you boys hear all that?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jesse answered hesitantly.

  “You know about the baby?”

  Jesse nodded.

  Sarah coughed some more.

  “Don’t let Jewel find out. Please, don’t let her know what happened tonight. She’s innocent. Don’t let anybody know. Take my body to the woods. Don’t let ‘em find me like this. Don’t tell anybody about those men. Don’t let the Crawford girls know their daddy was here. It will bring so much pain. Nothin’ good can come from that. Those are good girls, and they don’t deserve to be hurt that way, and neither does their mama. Please, please, don’t let that happen. Boys, take care of my Jewel. She didn’t deserve a mama like me. She didn’t deserve any of this,” Sarah pleaded as she looked directly into Jesse’s eyes.

  As he held her tightly Jesse felt life leave her body.

  Both boys silently sobbed as the woman fell lifeless in the dark alley. No one spoke for several minutes, and then finally Jesse let her lay on the ground. The only sound was from the carnival at the end of the street.

  Eventually Cherokee broke the silence. “There’s gonna be a lot of questions about what happened tonight. You boys shouldn’t be involved. I’ll go get Chief Highto
wer. I’ll tell ‘im that I heard gunshots and came down here and saw a car pull off and her layin’ here shot. You two shouldn’t be involved.”

  “No,” Jesse said resolutely. “If you do that Jewel’ll know her mom killed herself. Besides, they’re likely to think you did somethin’.”

  “That’s right, Cherokee,” Cliff added. “They hung Bucky for doing less. A colored man and a dead white woman - they’ll lynch ya for sure.”

  Jesse looked at Cliff. “Did anyone else hear the shots?”

  “I don’t think so. The carnival was makin’ too much noise. We only come ‘cause we knew you were down here.”

  “Then here’s what we do,” Jesse began. “Cherokee, you need to get out of here right away before someone sees your truck. Cliff, you and me will hide Mrs. Stoker behind those trashcans. Then we’ll go home. We’ll meet back here in an hour. We’ll put her in the delivery truck and haul her someplace.”

  “I can’t let you boys do that,” Cherokee argued.

  “Jewel’s our friend and we promised her mama to take care of her. This is where it starts,” Jesse proclaimed. “She was right, too. If this gets out, we’ll have to tell what we saw. Everybody will find out about Mr. Crawford and that other man, but they won’t get in any trouble ‘cause she did all the shootin’. But Gemma and Jettie and Jewel will all get hurt. And for what? Mrs. Stoker was right. They don’t deserve what will happen. But if we hide her like she asked, well, everybody will eventually forget about it.”

  “Jesse’s right, Cherokee,” Cliff added. “We can’t let nobody know about this.”

  “Boys, there’s laws. You can’t just get rid of a person like she’s trash. Somebody’s gonna come lookin’ for her.”

  “I know. We’ll have to put her where nobody’s goin’ to find her. And she ain’t trash, Cherokee. She’s Jewel’s mama.” Jesse finished.

  #

  NEW BIRMINGHAM, TEXAS

  1:00 a.m., Sunday August 9, 1936

  The boys rumbled down the little dirt road past the shantytown in the old Model-T stake-bed. Jesse was driving. The truck was noisy and sure to wake some people, but they had to take that chance.

  The two boys met up at Washington’s and got the truck. They had to push it out to the road to avoid waking Mr. Washington, which was quite a job. The slope up to the highway was a lot steeper than either boy had ever imagined, and more than once they lost control and let the truck roll back into the lot behind the feed store. Finally when they got it to the highway and started it, they realized that it was way too noisy to drive down the alley without waking someone, most likely Chief Hightower, who would be sleeping right next to where Sarah was laying.