Moses, Me, and Murder

by Ann Walsh

  “Oh, how awful!” burst out the saloon girl. “Do go on. I can hardly wait to hear the rest!”

  Moses’s hands were trembling as he arranged curls on the blond head. “Keep reading, Ted,” he said softly.

  I went on. “From the decomposed state of the body the deed must have been committed over a month ago. The body has not yet been identified, but it is more than probable that the clothes which still remain on it may lead to its identity.”

  There was silence in the room when I finished. “That’s all,” I said, “Except for a bit about sending someone to look at the body and having further particulars in another issue of the paper.”

  “Oh, my! That poor man. Decomposed like that! How terrible.” The saloon girl tossed her head in agitation, much to the annoyance of Moses, who was still fussing with a curl. “Who do you suppose he was?” She went on. “Who on earth could he be?”

  Still talking, anxious to spread the news to anyone who hadn’t already heard it, she paid Moses. She gave him a larger than usual tip, and scurried out.

  Moses sat down and put his head between his hands. “I think they’ve found my friend Charles!” His voice was low and muffled.

  “It could be someone else, Moses. It could be.”

  “Pinegrove is only one day’s travel from here, on the Quesnel road. It’s about where Barry and Blessing would have stopped to camp for the night.” He looked up suddenly. “I’m sure it’s him, Ted. I feel it, somehow. I got a blackness of spirit when you read that news report, a blackness that is still hanging over me. I know it’s Charles Blessing!”

  I was quiet for a few minutes. Then … “We have to tell Constable Sullivan now,” I said. “We have to. Maybe you can identify Mr. Blessing’s clothes, or some of his camp gear.”

  “But Barry … and you …” Moses didn’t seem to be thinking too clearly. I felt sorry for him at that moment; he seemed to be suffering so. I went and put an arm around his shoulder.

  “You must tell the constable, Moses. Otherwise you may never know if this dead man is Mr. Blessing or not. You’re the only one who can identify him, if it is him. You’re the only one in town who ever met him!”

  He placed his hand over mine, pressing it firmly. “But what about you, Ted? We can’t endanger you. What will we do to keep you safely away from James Barry?”

  I thought for a minute. “I saw him going into Wake Up Jake’s café just before I came here. He’s probably still there. If you go right away to Constable Sullivan and tell him about Barry having the nugget and Mr. Blessing being missing for so long, I’m sure he’ll arrest Barry. He’ll keep him in jail, at least until the body is identified. Once he’s in jail, I’ll be safe.”

  “But until then?”

  “Until Barry is in jail I’ll …” I stopped. I had no idea how I was going to keep safely out of the way until he was arrested. He might still be in the café where Constable Sullivan could find him easily. Or he might have left by now and be anywhere in Barkerville. He might even be looking for me!

  Of course, we hadn’t gone back on our promise. We hadn’t said anything about Moses recognizing the nugget. But Barry would probably be thrown into a state of panic the moment he heard about the murdered man being found. He’d know that Moses could identify the body — if it were that of Charles Blessing. Moses also knew that Barry had been travelling with Mr. Blessing. So maybe Barry would carry out his threat, try to keep Moses quiet by doing something to me. I shuddered and looked around me.

  “He’s not here,” said Moses, “and he won’t be getting in if he comes here.” He went to the door and put up the “Closed” sign, pulling the blinds over the windows and locking the door as he did.

  He began to talk quickly, his voice stronger now. “You’re right, Ted. I do have to report what I know to the constable. And the sooner the better.”

  “Can I come with you?” I asked, thinking I’d feel easier with big, burly Constable Sullivan beside me.

  “No, I have a better idea. We’ll leave by the back door, right now. I want you to run to your pa’s shop, not stopping for anything, mind you. There are a lot of people on the street. You should be safe enough among them. Have your pa do the same as I did; put up the “Closed” sign, draw the blinds and bolt the door. Then the two of you stay there, not opening the door to anyone until you hear my voice.

  “I’ll go make my report to the constable. Then the moment I see Barry arrested, I’ll come directly to you.”

  I nodded. It seemed like the best plan. Pa’s shop had only one door and it could be secured on the inside with a strong bolt.

  “Now remember, go directly to your pa’s. And once that door is locked, don’t open it for anyone except me. Tell your pa what’s happened, the whole story. You might also suggest that he keep one of his biggest hammers close by, just in case.”

  Quietly we crept out the back door. “Run, Ted, run,” whispered Moses, and I set off, running as I’d never run before.

  It wasn’t far to Pa’s carpentry shop, but I planned to go down the back street until I was nearly there, then cut between two buildings to get to the main street. I wanted to stay off the main street for as long as possible. That was where Wake Up Jake’s was — and maybe James Barry.

  I was nearly there. Still running, I tore around the corner of the building behind Pa’s shop, ducked into the narrow passageway that led to the main street and ran right into a tall man.

  My head must have hit him at about chest level, for I heard the air leave his lungs with a rush. “Hey!” he shouted, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, “Watch where you’re going, you little …”

  It was James Barry.

  7

  Captured!

  I panicked as I saw the glint of recognition in Barry’s eyes. “Well, if it isn’t Master Percy,” he said, tightening his grip on me. “This is a pleasant surprise. And just where do you think you’re off to in such a hurry?”

  “Let me go, you murderer! Let me go! They know all about you!”

  He held me more firmly. “Murderer, is it now? There hasn’t been a body found, Master Percy. How can there be a murder without a body?”

  He hadn’t heard about the body being discovered! So he hadn’t been looking for me; I had just run into him by accident. Well, then, perhaps he could be persuaded to let me go. I tried.

  “I’m sorry, Mister Barry. I didn’t mean to bump into you. You startled me, that’s all. I don’t know anything about any murder, sir, and that’s the truth.”

  He looked at me hard before he spoke. “I don’t believe you, young Percy. I think you know something you’re not telling me.”

  I looked around desperately, hoping that someone would come into the narrow passageway, someone who could help me. We were still alone. I avoided Barry’s menacing eyes as I answered, “I don’t know anything, sir. Please, let me go now. My pa is waiting for me.”

  “He’ll have to wait a little longer, then. You and I need to have a talk.”

  Still holding me firmly with one hand, he reached under his jacket with the other and drew out a gun. “See this, Master Percy? She’s my constant companion. Never leaves my side. Always loaded, too. Now, I want you to walk on ahead of me, not too far ahead, mind, right out onto the main street. Keep going, up towards the trail to Richfield, just as if you were going towards home. Me and my friend here will be right behind you, real close. Anyone talks to you, you answer polite and nice like, then just keep walking, understand?”

  He released my arm and slipped the gun into his pocket. “Move on now, Master Percy. Do as I told you or your mother’ll be a-weeping over your body before the day is much older.”

  I guess I’m a coward. I did exactly what he told me to do.

  We came out of the passageway between the buildings, onto the main street, and turned towards Richfield. Barry stayed a few steps behind me all the way. I turned back to look at him once. He put his hand into his pocket, the one that held the gun. My legs were quivering but I kept g
oing.

  Thankfully, no one spoke to me. I don’t think I could have answered in anything like a normal voice. I didn’t try to run. I just kept walking slowly, knowing all the time that he was right behind me, waiting for me to make a mistake.

  We reached the end of Barkerville’s main street, and began the long climb to Richfield. The road was empty, probably because it was near dinner time. As we passed my house I looked at it hopefully, willing Ma or Pa to appear at the door and call me in. But, although I could see Ma moving around in the lighted dining room, she didn’t see me in the dusk outside. I guess Barry didn’t know exactly where on the Richfield road I lived, or he would have made us detour around my house. I didn’t look back as we passed the house but kept going, climbing upwards.

  A few hundred yards farther on, Barry turned off the road. “This way, Master Percy,” he called, bringing the gun out of his pocket and gesturing with it. “This way.”

  A narrow, overgrown path led up the hillside. There was a cabin ahead, deserted by the looks of it. The door sagged ajar and several of the windows were broken. It must have belonged to a miner who had worked out his claim and left Barkerville; there were many such places on this road.

  We went into the cabin where it was dark, very dark. Barry motioned me to stand against a wall. He produced the stub of a candle from somewhere and lit it. Dark, eerie shadows crept along the walls. I shuddered.

  He pointed to a rough wooden bench against one wall. “Sit down and start talking! Explain why you called me a murderer just now. Has that fool Moses been talking out of turn?”

  “No, sir.” I could hardly speak, my mouth was so dry. “No sir. Moses hasn’t said anything to me — or to anyone,” I added hastily. “You just frightened me when I ran into you like that, sir. I didn’t mean what I said.”

  “Huh! That’s not good enough you little troublemaker!”

  He lifted the gun and it made a small click as he pointed it at me. I jumped, and he laughed. “She’s ready to shoot now,” he said. “Talk!”

  I swallowed hard. I squirmed on the bench and looked frantically around for help, for something, anything. Barry stared at me, waiting. He held the gun level with my head. “Talk!” he said again. “Quickly, now. I’m losing my patience.”

  My face felt hot and flushed with shame, but I talked. I told him everything — that Moses had recognized the nugget, that the body had been discovered, and that Moses had already gone to tell Constable Sullivan what he suspected.

  Barry cursed. “That interfering little wart! Why couldn’t he mind his own business?”

  Somewhere within me I found the courage to speak. “So you see, they already know. You might as well let me go, because if I’m missing they’ll know you have me …”

  He just stared at me. “And who is to tell them where you are?” he said, sneering. “Who is going to come to your rescue, young Percy, if I don’t let you go?”

  I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

  He walked to the broken window and rested his elbows on the dusty sill, looking out into the night. He seemed to have forgotten about me. Maybe I could make a run for the open door? I moved slightly on the bench, tensing my leg muscles for a dash to freedom.

  He must have caught the motion out of a corner of his eye, for he suddenly whirled around to face me. “Don’t try it,” he snapped. “I’m a good shot. You’d be dead before you reached the door.”

  For a while there was silence as he thought. Then he spoke. “Thanks to you and that meddling Moses, I have to get out of town in a hurry. Now that I know the police will be looking for me, I’ll have to stick to the woods and the creek bank and stay off the main road, out of sight.” He picked up a loaded pack sack from one corner of the room. “Luckily enough I prepared for this unfortunate turn of events. I’m ready to move on.”

  “They’ll catch you. They’ll catch you for sure.”

  “Just let them try. They’ll never find me. I’ve got a friend, a good friend, not too many days travel from here. He’ll look after me and see me safely out of the country. A few miles after I swing across the bridge, I’m safe!”

  His mouth twisted into an ugly smile. “But I can’t have you running around telling them that I’ve left town, now can I? If the constables don’t know that I’ve gone, then they’ll spend hours searching Barkerville and Richfield looking for me. I need them off on that wild goose chase while I make tracks out of here.”

  He was still smiling. I didn’t like it.

  “I’ll have to take care of you, won’t I, Master Percy?”

  It almost seemed as if my heart stopped when I realized what he had said. Take care of me? Did that mean he was going to …?

  He knew what I was thinking. “Say your prayers, Percy, and be quick about it!” He moved closer, bringing the gun to rest against the side of my head. “Say your prayers,” he repeated.

  8

  The Clue

  I heard the creek before I opened my eyes, and for a moment I thought I was home, in my own bed. Then I became aware that I was lying on something hard. My feet were cold and my shoulders ached. I tried to stretch, to ease the soreness, and suddenly my eyes flew open and I was wide awake! I was lying on the floor of the abandoned miner’s cabin where James Barry had left me, trussed up like a sack of potatoes!

  My first thought was, I’m alive! I shivered as I remembered Barry pointing his gun at my head. I must have fainted, but what I couldn’t understand was why I was still alive. He had certainly meant to kill me. Perhaps, when I fainted, he changed his mind, decided that he didn’t want two murders on his conscience.

  The candle had long since gone out, and the only light in the cabin was moonlight that came through the open door. The corners of the room were dark, very dark. I wondered if Barry were still there, in the shack, waiting for me to wake up. “Hello?” I called out, “Is anybody there?” It wasn’t the smartest thing to say, but it was all I could think of.

  I waited a while, but no one answered. No tall, dark shape detached itself from the shadowy corners and came out, laughing. Barry was gone.

  I wriggled my shoulders, and managed to sit up. James Barry may have gone, but I was still here, and in a most awkward situation. What was I to do?

  Throughout the long night the shadows deepened, taking over more of the cabin as the moon moved behind the hill. I tried everything I could think of to get free.

  I shouted, yelled, even screamed for help. No one came. I struggled to my feet, hog-tied though I was, and tried to make my way out of the cabin. The ropes around my ankles were tight, my feet were numb, and I fell flat on my face three times in a row. I pulled against the ropes that tied me, trying desperately to loosen them. They remained firm and secure. I even cried a bit as I realized how cold, hungry, thirsty, and utterly miserable I was. That only made things worse as my nose began to run, and I couldn’t get my hands free to tend to it.

  Finally I did the only thing I could. I inched my way to a wall, settled myself against it as comfortably as I could, and waited for someone to find me.

  It was a long night, the longest I’ve ever spent. I couldn’t sleep; I was too uncomfortable. I couldn’t ease the pressure on my shoulders, and they hurt dreadfully. My feet finally stopped aching, going completely numb. Then I began to worry about frostbite. September nights can be cold in this mountain country and tonight was no exception.

  I listened to the creek talking to itself, to an owl calling to its mate, to the strange little rustling sounds the mice made as they scurried about the cabin floor. Something ran over my legs once, and I jumped. I waited, watching the dark patch behind the open door gradually lighten as dawn approached. Then, just when the sun began to win its battle with the night, I fell asleep.

  I woke, how much later I don’t know, to broad daylight and the sound of voices outside the cabin. “Here!” I called my voice weak and dry, “Here! I’m in here!”

  Moses and Constable Sullivan burst through the doorway. Moses looked dreadful, as
if he, too, had been awake all night. “Ted, Ted, are you all right?”

  I nodded my head and managed to croak, “Water, please,” as Constable Sullivan began to untie me.

  When he finished, the constable produced a small flask. “I’ve water right here, Ted.”

  Moses knelt beside me. “We’ve been looking for you all night, Ted. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?”

  I tried to stand but I couldn’t. The ropes had been too tight and my legs had lost all feeling. Moses pulled off my boots and sat beside me, rubbing my feet. As the circulation began to return they started tingling, then hurting.

  “I’m sorry, Ted,” he said. “I know it’s painful. But we have to get the blood moving again. Just grit your teeth and try to bear it. The hurt won’t last long.”

  As Moses worked on my feet, Constable Sullivan told me what had happened. He had heard Moses’s story and had begun the search for Barry when Moses came rushing back to say that I had never reached the safety of my pa’s carpentry shop. The news of my disappearance spread rapidly, and almost the whole town had turned out to search — but for me, not for James Barry. Pa and some other men were up at Richfield, working their way down, checking every house, empty or not. Moses and the constable had started from the Barkerville end of the road, doing the same thing. A group of miners was wading up the creek, making sure my body hadn’t been thrown there.

  “We didn’t expect to find you alive, Ted,” said the constable. “But thank God you’re all right. Your poor ma has been hysterical with worry. Now, tell us what happened.”

  I told them. I hung my head when I came to the part about my telling James Barry everything he had wanted to know. “I’m sorry, sir, but he had a gun and I was frightened. So I told him that the body had been found and that we suspected it was Mr. Blessing’s.”