by Natalie Dean
It wasn’t fair.
Clara didn’t wish to think poorly of John, but whenever she saw him, the thought of Cody flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t help but dislike him all the more. She knew accidents happened, but she hated the fact that the accident happened to her husband, and that this man got to walk around with no consequences. Sure, he acted as though he were horribly upset about what he had done, but at the same time, there was something about his grieving that made Clara wonder if he was just putting on a show.
Nights were especially hard for Clara. It was difficult making dinner knowing that he wasn’t going to come home to eat it with her. She’d crawl into bed knowing she was the only one who was going to sleep in it all night, and when the clock chimed midnight, the sting of waking up alone was almost more than she could bear.
Clara kept her head down as she walked up the small path leading to her door. She’d been spending more time running errands and taking longer than need be with the few errands that she had to do. It was hard for her to be home alone – as though the knowledge that Cody wasn’t going to be coming home was more than she could bear.
Suddenly, Clara stopped. As she was reaching for the door, she suddenly noticed that it was slightly ajar. Not much, the door gently bumped against the door frame in the breeze, but it put Clara on edge. She knew without a doubt that she had latched it, and though the door did tend to be fickle, once it was latched there was no way for it to become open again unless someone opened it.
She lightly opened the door and cautiously walked inside, glancing around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. She didn’t see anything at first, but she sensed a tension in the air. Clara could sense that there was an intruder in the house, and she immediately felt sick.
She crept through the living room and into the hall and slowly made her way to her bedroom. She froze when she saw the back of a figure tearing through her vanity. Clearly, whoever it was knew what they were looking for.
The floor creaked beneath her foot, and the intruder suddenly stopped. He turned slightly, and to her horror, Clara recognized John. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the cry, and she turned to flee. Her footsteps resounded on the hardwood floors as she quickly rounded the corner into the small guest room on the other side of the living room, and she slammed the door behind her.
Clara shoved the lock in its place and leaned against the door, her heart pounding in her chest. John had only been a few feet behind her and had come within inches of stopping her from reaching the room.
“Come on, Clara! Don’t do this,” he called through the door. Clara had tears running down her cheeks as she searched the room for anything she might push against the door. The only thing that was light enough for her to move was the small nightstand next to the bed, and even that took an enormous effort for her to push it across the room.
Oh God, please, please give me the strength to get this to the door! Please let the latch hold and keep me safe – please! Don’t let that man get in here! She prayed frantically as she strained against the heavy wooden furniture.
“Go away! Get away from me!” Clara shouted. She heard a gasp from the other side of the door, as he once again tried to force his way in through the lock.
“Clara, Clara, I know you are surprised to see me here, and of course, why wouldn’t you be? But don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” he spoke comfortingly, but Clara only closed her eyes and shook her head. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Suddenly, she had an idea.
Creeping silently across the room, she pressed her face against the wall right next to the door frame. There was a small crack between the frame and the wood, making it possible for her to see out into the living room. She could see John was pressed against the door, doing his best to force it in without causing too much noise. The front door was still open, and too much chaos would be certain to attract attention from someone on the street.
Her eyes slowly traveled up his leg and to his arm, when her heart nearly stopped. He had a gun cocked and ready to fire pressed against the door, and she knew the moment she opened it, he would shoot.
Taking a step back away from the door, Clara did her best to disguise where her voice was coming from. “This is your last chance, Mr. Hanks, or I’ll scream, you know I will!”
There was a moment of hesitancy on the other side of the door, but after a few seconds, Clara breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the sound of his footsteps walking across the floor to the door. She held her breath as the door slammed, then waited a few moments to ensure he was really gone.
After peering through the crack in the frame once more, Clara took a deep breath and opened the door.
He would have killed me! Oh, he would have killed me!
Taking a Risk
Clara hardly slept that night. She had locked the door with a padlock, then fixed the things John had rifled through in the vanity. Though she tried to tell herself she didn’t know what it was he had to be looking for, deep down inside, she knew.
He was after the inheritance money.
It was unlike her and Cody to discuss money with anyone outside of themselves, but she knew that Cody had asked some of his trusted friends for advice on where to keep the money. Cody didn’t like banks. He had seen enough of them robbed in his career as a sheriff that he didn’t trust them with the only money the two of them had saved in the world.
At the same time, having it sitting in a drawer was risking a robbery at the house itself. Of course, for that to happen, word would have to get out that they had money in the house – and neither Cody nor Clara would say a word. Clara pressed her hand to her forehead in the darkness.
She was beginning to suspect that her husband’s death was no accident.
“He chased me into the guest room of my house! I could see through a crack in my wall that he was armed – he would have killed me if he had had the chance! I’m telling you, Cody’s death was a murder, and John Hanks did it for the inheritance money he knows we have in our house!” Clara spoke with conviction, doing her best to keep her voice under control as she did.
Judge Travis sighed as he sat back in his chair. He looked at her with concern in his eyes, though she could see that there was doubt mixed with compassion as well. “Mrs. Swanson, I understand that this has been terribly hard for you, but you can’t go blame Deputy Hanks while you are mourning. That could have been any number of men in your house, and I know you’ve had that man on your mind lately, so it would be easy to get them crossed.”
“You’re not going to do anything about this? He is going to kill me!” Clara blurted out, ignoring what he had just said. Judge Travis sighed.
“Look, if it will make you feel any better, I’ll question him, but I can’t take him into custody when you have no proof.”
Clara shook her head in disbelief. “What more proof do you need? I am here telling you that he attacked me!”
“I said I would look into it, now, my Dear, you are clearly in distress, and I think this has been a lot harder on you than you want to admit. I suggest you go home and get some sleep,” he smiled, but Clara was far from satisfied. She hesitated for another moment, clearly trying to think of something else to say. With another shake of her head, she turned and walked out the door.
Clara browsed the shelves of the general store, doing her best to stay focused, but finding it nearly impossible. She eventually gave up and began browsing the different papers that were tacked onto the wall. There were a variety of different things posted – from wanted posters for outlaws to people looking to hire hands.
But then, she saw something else that caught her eye. It was another kind of ad she had never seen before.
Bride Wanted
Hello,
I am looking for a young woman to marry. I live in South Pass City, Wyoming, and would like to marry as soon as possible.
If you are interested, please come quickly.
Noah Young
Clara pulled the ad d
own from the wall and skimmed it a couple times. She had heard of mail order brides, but she had never before seen an ad for herself. Her heart began to pound in her chest. Before Cody’s death she never would have considered doing such a thing, but now – now that she feared for her life and it didn’t appear Judge Travis was going to do anything about it, she thought about the idea more seriously.
I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I know that was John Hanks in my house the other day, and I hate to think of what would have happened if he had made it through that door. If I stay, I’m always going to be looking over my shoulder, wondering if he’s about to end my life in cold blood like he did to my husband.
After mulling it over for a few seconds as she walked around the general store, Clara shoved the ad inside the pocket of her skirt. She glanced around nervously, worried that John might somehow have gotten inside the store without her noticing. Feeling relieved for the moment, she took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, then hurried out the door.
Clara didn’t have any idea what to say in her response letter. The only thing she could think of to say was that she had to get out West as soon as possible – though she would rather not explain why.
After providing a brief description of herself, she explained that she had the money for a train ticket, and she would be following the letter as soon as possible. After reading through the letter critically a few times, she folded it into an envelope and wrote an address across the front.
Clara grabbed her shawl and threw it over her shoulders before hurrying to the door. As had become her habit, she looked up and down the street a couple of times before tentatively venturing out onto her porch. She couldn’t shake the thought that John was out there, always watching her house – always waiting for her to emerge.
She had hidden the money in the floorboards beneath her bed, but him finding the money wasn’t her only concern. She feared what would happen if he managed to get back inside her house – and what he would do to her if he managed to surprise her in it. Surely by now, Judge Travis had looked into the situation – which means John would know that she had reported him to the authorities.
She shuddered as she hurried to the general store. She knew John Hanks had a temper, and she didn’t want to think of what would happen if she were to be on the receiving end of it again.
The Decision
Clara sighed as she opened her eyes. The sunlight streamed in through the space between her curtains and the window, and gently kissed her face. She slowly pulled herself up in bed and swung her feet down onto the floor. Every joint in her body ached, and she knew it was from crying all night the night before.
She wondered what time it was. Since Cody had died, she had stopped getting up early and making breakfast. In fact, she didn’t eat breakfast much at all anymore. It was hard to eat anything. To plan anything. To even think of anything but the sorrow that threatened to consume her.
But, she had to get up. She had received a note from Judge Travis asking if she might stop by to see him that morning to discuss her previous visit. She wanted to go, and desperately hoped he had come up with something to prove that she had been telling him the truth, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
She chose her light pink dress with the white lace at the collar and quickly slipped into it, though she couldn’t help but feel the pain in her chest as she remembered how much Cody had liked that dress. Then, everything she did reminded her of Cody.
After another moment of hesitation, she pulled on her white gloves. She only ever wore them with this pink gown, and that was only when she and Cody were going out for something special – a dinner at a restaurant or perhaps even a show at the theater. She felt numb as she pulled on the gloves, but ignored the feeling, telling herself she was doing it for Cody – for justice.
She paused in front of the mirror, trying to decide what she ought to do with her hair.
Usually, she had braided it and pulled it into a tight bun on top of her head, but lately, she had only had the energy to yank it out of her face and pull it back into a loose bun on top of her head. After a moment of deliberation, she grabbed her brush and dragged it through her long hair, twisting and pulling it into a sophisticated bun without the braid.
Not being hungry, she quickly left, walking up the street toward the court house. It was early, not even eight o’clock, but Clara wasn’t concerned with the time, she only wanted to know what Judge Travis was going to do to protect her in light of her recent circumstances.
She arrived at the courthouse almost at the same time Judge Travis did, and he didn’t look thrilled to see her so early.
“I thought you would wait until my secretary arrived,” he said as he unlocked the door. Clara gave him a curt smile and shook her head.
“I wanted to hear what you have managed to uncover,” she said coolly. He held the door open for her and followed her inside the building, then led her to his office. Clara had scarcely settled into her seat when he began.
“Well, I have to tell you that this isn’t what you hoped to hear. We have investigated Deputy Hanks, and he has witnesses to back his claim that he was in the Old Saloon at the time you claim he was in your house attacking you,” he clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward on the desk. Clara’s heart sank.
“Am I to understand that you aren’t going to look into this any further then?” she asked with a tone of anger mixed with fear.
“I’m sorry, but this was nothing more than your word against his in the first place, and since he has others to confirm what he has to say, then there is even less credibility on your end.” He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Clara leapt from her seat.
“You can’t be serious! I saw him with my own eyes! He was in my house, going through my vanity! I’m telling you, he is one of the only men that Cody told about the inheritance money, and I fully believe that he shot”- her voice was gaining passion as she spoke, but Judge Travis cut her off.
“I am well aware of what you believe happened, you made that quite clear the other day, but I can’t arrest a man because you believe something – this is America, and we serve justice here,” he spoke coldly, and Clara scoffed. She angrily yanked her gloves off, no longer wanting to look sophisticated. Trying to calm her, Judge Travis also rose from his seat and walked around his desk, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Mrs. Swanson, I know you’re upset, and I wish there were more that I could do to help you. I’ll tell you what, I know that you are convinced that it was Deputy Hanks in your home the other day, but as that doesn’t appear to be the case, why don’t you fill out a report? That way we can keep an eye out for a man that matches the description,” he let his voice trail off, and Clara laughed a scornful laugh.
“Alright, let me think. He was exactly as tall as John Hanks, his face looks exactly the same as John Hanks, his hair is dark and somewhat overgrown – just like John Hanks, and if you asked me what I thought his voice sounded like – I would tell you that it was just like John Hanks,” she spoke in a condescending tone, and she could see that her description had irritated Judge Travis as much as she hoped it would.
“Enough of this nonsense! I will write down a basic description, but it in no way is going to be incriminating of Deputy Hanks! I know you are a reasonable woman, Mrs. Swanson, and I really must ask you to stop being so adamant about getting that man in trouble.” Judge Travis was guiding her to the door, but Clara reached back and slapped his hand away from her shoulder.
“Well, I hope you find the man you are looking for, and I pray that he gets true justice as long as Mr. Hanks is free to go.” She maintained her condescending smile, then gave him a light curtsy before walking out the door. Clara passed Mr. Hughes, the secretary, on her way up the walk, but she neither made eye contact with him nor acknowledged him.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. If Cody were still alive, there wasn’t any chance he would le
t her be treated this way. He would do everything in his power to make sure she was given both the security and the justice she deserved, no matter how many alleged witnesses John Hanks had.
She suddenly stopped in the middle of the street as a feeling of resolution swelled in her chest. Though she had been uncertain about following the letter out to Wyoming when she first sent it, she now felt resolution fill her heart. If she wasn’t going to get the help she needed here, she couldn’t stay. It was too dangerous, and Mr. Hanks had the judge convinced that he was innocent.
If she stayed it was almost certain she was going to end up murdered.
She had to go West.
Mr. Noah Young
“South Pass City! Next stop, South Pass City!” the conductor walked through the narrow train aisle, shouting out the next stop along the way. Clara held onto the bag she had on her lap and felt her heart begin to beat faster. That was her stop, and she wasn’t sure if she was entirely ready to get off the train.
She had been traveling for over a week, and the further away from Buffalo she got, the more relaxed she felt. It was nice knowing that she didn’t have to keep looking over her shoulder, though she wasn’t fully confident about what she was facing ahead. Mr. Noah Young would be waiting for her when she got off the train, and she could only imagine what the man must be like.
She had given him enough of a description of herself that she felt confident he would be able to recognize her, but she had no idea what he looked like. In fact, she had no idea how old he was, what he did for a living, or what kind of man he was, either. For all she knew, she could be traveling across the country to marry a man who was just like the man she was trying to get away from.
