“Or you’ll do what, exactly?” He allowed his gentleman façade to drop. His anger emerged in his hissed words, “Do not attempt to threaten me, Gertrude. Or I will gladly tell the ARRC board and managers exactly what you’ve been up to.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
He stepped very close. “Oh, wouldn’t I? You forget your place. And I’m the one holding all the cards. The colony would hate to find out that one of their own was behind all the thefts. Tsk, tsk. And trying to blame the Indians.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’ll be reimbursed, woman. Now shut up and go home.”
Gwyn steadied herself for the truth. To her surprise, however, Father laughed.
“Rose is pregnant. She’ll be fine.”
“Pregnant? But . . .” Gwyn fell silent and shook her head.
Her father helped her up off her knees. “Indeed, but I’m afraid her sickness is worse than most. When she woke for a few minutes, she admitted that she’s been throwing up quite a bit since the boat trip up here. She thought it was seasickness at first and then thought it was from all the loss she’s endured.”
“No wonder she’s gotten so thin.” Gwyn looked to Sadzi. “And we never once guessed she could be pregnant. What with the baby and her nursing. Well, it didn’t seem possible.”
Gwyn’s father shrugged. “It happens. We’ll need someone to stay with her.”
“Let me stay with her, Dr. Hillerman,” Sadzi piped up. “It’s the least I can do, and I have the time to spare. I can stay with her around the clock and pray with her. Maybe this is how the Lord will help heal her heart.”
“Perhaps. At least now she’ll have something more positive to think on.”
“But what if things go wrong with this baby too?” Gwyn’s question hung on the air for a moment. She didn’t want to seem negative, but the concern was heavy on her mind.
“We won’t borrow trouble,” her father replied. “For now, we’ll rejoice that a new life is given—a gift from the Lord.”
“Yes.” A smile lifted Sadzi’s lips. “A gift of His love for Rose.”
CHICAGO
So Tony Griffin wasn’t really Tony Griffin.
Frank Rhoads studied the paper work in front of him. How had they missed this? The real Tony had been dead for over ten years.
The police hadn’t been a lot of help; they had so many cases on their hands right now. The Depression just made people more desperate. And petty crimes were up.
But Frank needed a break in this case and fast. He knew they were close. He just needed to fit a few more pieces to the puzzle. It was a game he had often played—one he actually took great pleasure in—but there was always a deep sense of frustration when nothing seemed to go right.
He snapped his fingers. Maybe he’d missed something at the bank. Especially now that he knew Tony wasn’t Tony.
It only took a few minutes to drive over to First National. When he entered, the new manager greeted him.
“I just need to see Mr. Griffin’s office again.” Frank didn’t slow his pace.
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you touched or moved anything?”
“Not a thing, sir.” The manager straightened his shoulders. “We want this solved as much as you do.” When they reached Griffin’s office, the manager unlocked the door. “I don’t even let the cleaning service in here, so please excuse the dust.”
“Not a problem. Thank you.”
The manager walked out and closed the door.
Now if Frank could just focus on what he was looking for. But he hadn’t a clue. Something was here, his gut told him, but it would have to jump out at him.
Tony, whoever he was, had been immaculate. Everything was in its place. Like he never meant to leave—just disappeared. But that was what it was supposed to look like. Now that Frank knew the truth, he knew it was all an elaborate setup.
“Come on, come on . . .” What was he missing?
Frank opened each drawer of the desk. Files, pencils, paper clips, change, mail, papers. All posed to look like Tony had just been there. Another drawer produced a photo of several well-dressed bank officials. He gave it a cursory glance and placed the framed photograph back in the drawer.
Then it hit him. One of the men in the picture seemed familiar. He picked up the frame again and looked at the less than perfect image. It was a bit fuzzy but clear enough. He studied the man third from the right. It was Tony—the imposter. The man looked rather distracted—almost indignant. Perhaps he resented having his picture taken. Then again, maybe he always looked that way.
Always looked that way?
Frank knew in that moment that he’d seen a similar image somewhere else . . . recently. But where?
In a newspaper. But what newspaper? Where?
Frank searched his memory. Where had he seen that face? It had been in another group shot. Not a business photograph like this one, but rather with a family. He shut his eyes and let the picture take root.
“Of course!” He slammed the desk drawer closed and raced out of the office.
He ran into the manager. “Please lock it up. I’ll be back.”
Traffic was picking up, but Frank still managed to make it back to his office in record time. He pulled his chair up to the desk and began to sift through a stack of newspapers.
“I know it’s in here.” The memory was quite clear now. He could almost detail the placement of the people in the picture. There had been a man and woman—several children.
He rifled through the stack and began to despair. Where was it? His fingers flipped through the pages of newsprint, but the picture wasn’t there.
Worried that he’d somehow imagined it all, Frank threw one paper aside and picked up another from his visit to New York, and bingo. There it was. Front and center.
One William and Suzanne Novak were staring at the camera with a brood of children. The man wasn’t Tony, but he was a dead ringer for him. Could this be a relative? A brother, perhaps, or a nephew?
Frank smiled to himself as he read the article about the Matanuska Colony in the Alaska Territory. It would take some time, but with a few queries, telegrams, and letters, he could have this wrapped up in a couple of months. The end was in sight, and he couldn’t wait to catch this one!
The more he read, the more the same thought came to him over and over.
“What a perfect place to hide.”
Gwyn sat on the floor of Nasnana’s cabin with Sadzi as they untangled a mass of yarn.
“What did you do to this, Grandmother? It’s a mess.”
The older woman laughed. “Well, I was trying to get some fresh air. I’ve been cooped up lately, so I took my knitting outside. I went back inside to get my tea, and next thing I know there’s a bear cub just a-squealing away ’cause he’s all tangled up in the yarn.”
“Oh my.” Gwyn wrapped an untangled portion around her hands. “What did you do?”
“Well, I couldn’t let that little cub tear up my yarn and all my hard work, so I went out there to untangle the little guy. He just squealed some more. And then his mama came looking for him.”
“Grandmother! How did you get all the yarn off? You know better than to mess with a mama bear and her cubs.”
“Oh, the mama bear was still a ways off. Thankfully, the ornery little cub had run a good distance before finding my yarn. But I did lose a couple yards because I had to cut him out.” Nasnana shook her head. “Little guy didn’t even say thank you. He just snorted at me and ran off.”
Her description of the situation made Gwyn laugh. “Oh, Nasnana, I would have loved to see you scold that little bear. But I’m sure his mama did it for you.”
Sadzi looked at Gwyn. “I’m going to leave with Gwyn this afternoon, Grandmother. Dr. Hillerman is going to send Rose home, and I’m going to stay with her until she gets back on her feet.”
“I have some Scriptures and notes for you to take with you. Please read them to Rose when you feel she’s ready.”
“Yes, Grandm
other. I will.”
Gwyn treaded lightly. “It would be wonderful for Rose if you would go as well, Nasnana. There are so many who would love to see you.”
“No. No. It’s not time yet.”
Maybe if she pushed a little harder. “But, Nasnana, Gertrude is the only one who still holds a grudge. Everyone else loves you and would enjoy seeing you again.”
“No, Gwyn. It’s not time.” Nasnana continued her knitting and rocked in her chair.
She didn’t want to contradict the woman who’d been so influential in her life all these years, but Gwyn didn’t understand. It wasn’t like her to push for her own way. Maybe it really was best to leave it alone. Nasnana would come around in time. Hopefully before the winter.
They worked in silence for several minutes. Gwyn kept picturing the baby bear tangled up in the yarn she now held. How funny that would have been to watch the scene. But Gwyn knew how dangerous wild animals could be. This was their land too, and people had to respect that. One of the young girls in the colony had defied them all when her father had shot one of the large mama bears, and she took one of the babies to be her pet. It was all fun and games to walk her baby bear around on a rope for now, but once that bear grew, Gwyn feared the young girl wouldn’t be able to control it.
The sound of running footsteps came through the open window.
“Are you expecting someone, Nasnana?”
“No.” She rose from her rocking chair.
Jeremiah burst through the door. “I’m sorry for barging in like this, but we’ve got an emergency.”
Gwyn saw the fear on his face. “What is it?”
“They found Gertrude facedown in her garden. I’m sorry, Nasnana, but she’s dead. And a couple of the colonists are accusing you.”
19
“Dead? Gertrude’s dead?” Gwyn couldn’t believe it. The woman was a complainer and had been a thorn in Nasnana’s side since she arrived, but who would kill her?
Nasnana sat down in her rocking chair. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Oh, God, please help that family.”
Sadzi knelt before her grandmother and shot an angry look at Jeremiah. “So what exactly are you saying? That you believe those people? That my grandmother killed her?”
Jeremiah held his hands up in front of him. “No, not at all. But I wanted to warn you. They are bringing in officials from Anchorage to deal with it. And they wanted you to come in.”
“So they can accuse her in an angry mob and throw her in jail far away from home?” Sadzi jumped to her feet. “I won’t let them do it. I won’t!”
Gwyn looked to Jeremiah for help and wrapped an arm around her friend. “There’s no way they can throw her in jail unless they arrest her, and they can’t arrest her without evidence, right? And we all know that Nasnana hasn’t left this house since the last altercation with Gertrude. There are plenty of witnesses.”
Jeremiah nodded. “I think if Nasnana goes in willingly and we talk with the people, we can avoid an angry mob. People are frightened. And fear often breeds violence, so we need to calm everyone down as quickly as possible.”
“Let’s all go. We can clear this up together.” Gwyn was still gripping Sadzi’s shoulder and tried to move her toward the door.
The rocking chair creaked as Nasnana stood.
Every eye was on her. “I know you are concerned for me, but there’s a greater problem here. A family is suffering with the loss of Gertrude, and we have a murderer in our valley.”
The crowd outside the government offices was huge. Gwyn looked at all the people and cringed. What would they say and do to Nasnana?
Don Irwin and Eugene Carr stood outside the offices. Don was the first to notice them as they approached. He walked over to Gwyn. “Miss Hillerman, Dr. Vaughan,” he said with a nod, “thank you for bringing Nasnana.”
A hush began in the crowd closest to them.
Mr. Irwin held up his hands. “Please, everyone calm down.”
A male voice shouted through the crowd, “Someone’s been killed. I don’t want to be calm. Who’s going to protect us at night? We ain’t got doors or locks on those tents!”
This time a woman’s voice penetrated the murmurs. “Gertrude was right. Are the Indians going to kill us all in our sleep?”
“Calm down, everyone!” Mr. Carr’s voice boomed. Gwyn jumped at the authority in his voice. “We need quiet, right now!”
The crowd hushed.
“Nasnana is here and I want to set one thing straight right now. There are no charges against this woman. There is no evidence that she did anything. We have been investigating this awful crime since Gertrude’s body was found.”
“But she didn’t like Gertrude!”
“Yeah, and Gertrude accused her of stealing!”
Another male voice sounded off. “But how many of us didn’t like Gertrude? Gertrude wasn’t a likable person.”
Another woman piped up. “Do not speak ill of the dead!”
“Even though it’s the truth? What are you here for? A witch-hunt or the truth?”
Gwyn watched in horror as angry words flew back and forth in the crowd. She tightened her grip on Nasnana’s arm. The older woman stood strong, her shoulders straight.
Don Irwin stepped forward and joined Eugene. “We have several witnesses who can attest to the fact that Nasnana hasn’t left her home since Gertrude accused her of stealing. Before that, she’d been gracious to everyone—helping out, bringing meals, and even praying with many of you since you arrived.”
Murmurs rose like ocean waves.
Don held his hands out again. “Let me remind you that this has been her home for a long time. Drs. Hillerman and Albrecht are trying to determine the cause of Gertrude’s death, but I’m asking all of you not to jump to conclusions.”
Several glances were shot their way. Gwyn watched closely. Suspicion seemed present in most people’s eyes. How could they conquer prejudice and hate when fear made them so quick to judge?
Lord, we need your help. What do we do?
Jeremiah stepped forward. “Ladies and gentlemen, we need to remember our American rights. Let’s not forget that we are all innocent until proven guilty, and as such, we should treat Nasnana with respect. She has sacrificed so much to stay out of everything, to give you all time to learn to trust and love the native people.”
A few people nodded. Then someone else tossed out more suspicions. “Yeah, and you defended her last time too. Maybe we should suspect you too, Doctor.”
Gwyn was shocked. How could they suspect one of their own doctors? That was more ludicrous than thinking Nasnana was a killer.
Stu Campbell came forward and stood among the crowd. “All right, you all are acting like children. We’ve had a murder. It’s awful. But standing around speculating and accusing is only dividing you. Go back to your work. Let the officials who are trained to deal with these situations do their jobs. And stop all the gossip. It’s ridiculous.” The FERA administrator strode up to the platform where the other government men stood.
Gwyn watched the crowd disperse. Mr. Campbell’s no-nonsense ways always amused her. But would the accusations against Jeremiah and Nasnana stick? Would people always be doubtful and condemning?
Mr. Irwin called Nasnana and Sadzi over.
Jeremiah touched her elbow.
She turned and looked into his eyes. He looked vulnerable and weary.
“Gwyn, we need to talk.” His voice was hushed.
“All right.” She snuck a glance at her friends. Mr. Irwin smiled at them.
“I’m really concerned. I think I know who is behind all this.”
“Who?” She leaned in closer.
Jeremiah glanced around him and grabbed Gwyn’s hand. “I’m almost positive it’s Clarence, but I don’t have any proof.”
Truth was, Gwyn thought Jeremiah was on the right track. And she enjoyed the warmth of his hand covering hers. “Do we have to have proof? He’s done plenty to make me suspicious of him. What have you obse
rved?”
“I saw him with Gertrude several times. Like they were conspiring together. And your father caught him in the hospital stealing morphine.”
“What?” She covered her mouth at her exclamation. Then whispered, “Why didn’t he say anything to me about it?”
“He told me he hasn’t had time, but he let Dr. Albrecht and me know about it so that we could keep an eye out.”
Gwyn glanced down at their hands. “So what do you think it means? Do you really think Clarence is capable of murder? He’s not exactly my favorite person, and he annoys me, but . . . murder?”
Jeremiah squeezed her hand and then let go. “I’ve noticed all the attention he gives you, and I’m ashamed to say that I’m glad he annoys you, because you need to be very careful. Don’t be alone with him if you can help it.” His face turned very serious again. “As to murder? I honestly don’t know, Gwyn. But I don’t trust him. I think he’s capable of saying or doing almost anything to get his own way.”
He rather liked doing his own dirty work. In Chicago, he’d always kept his hands clean. But Clarence felt a new little thrill with each of his accomplishments in this backward little colony.
And who would ever blame him? He’d had no dispute with Gertrude. Not that anyone else knew about. If he played his hand well, the colonists would not only be suspicious of that native woman but also of the popular young doctor.
Clarence smiled. He would, of course, come to the rescue of Gwyn’s precious friend and help tighten the noose around Jeremiah Vaughan’s neck. Miss Hillerman would be so relieved—so pleased to see the old Athabascan woman saved by Clarence’s intercession that she might very well fall into his arms in gratitude. And if he couldn’t get her that way, perhaps threatening Dr. Vaughan with exposure and arrest would convince her. There was always a way to get what one wanted. The thought pleased him.
Maybe he should stay a little longer. It wasn’t that bad of a place. He could arrange for regular whiskey shipments and with the right connections get just about anything else he wanted. He’d already made a few friends among some of the workers, and while he’d kept his wealth hidden, it just might be time to reveal his prosperity. The colony needed a strong, business-minded man like himself. Maybe he could even become a politician and help run things. He could still travel, and he could bring in enough supplies to build a fine home for himself and Gwyn.
All Things Hidden Page 20
