He took paper and tobacco from his supplies, rolling a cigarette while he waited saying nothing to the others as they discussed among themselves what might have happened to Lucille. Was it Indians? Whiskey smugglers? Why was she so anxious to get to Miss Gibbons. Yes. Why? Desmond wondered privately. If Seth was in trouble, he would like to be able to go and warn him. And the state Lucille was in, she just might say too much—about the whiskey… about his raping her. God, how he hated this waiting! He lit the cigarette and watched the house.
Inside, Evelyn ripped open Lucille’s dress and inspected the deep gash in her side. At her instructions Black Hawk brought in a pan of heated water from a kettle that still sat on the wood-burning cook stove from breakfast. He set it on a stand beside the bed, then stepped back, watching and listening silently, Little Fox standing beside him. Lieutenant Hart glanced at him curiously. Black Hawk knew what the man was thinking. What was someone like him doing at Evelyn Gibbons’s house so early in the morning? Someday soon he would be here every day, and everybody would just have to accept it.
“I don’t think it’s terribly serious,” Evelyn was saying as she washed the wound. She left a damp rag on the cut and leaned closer to study Lucille’s face and neck. She tore open the sleeves of her dress. “Little Fox, run and get Beverly Evans, will you? If Seth Bridges did this, I am going over there myself and take Katy out of there. Someone has to stay with Lucille.”
“You think her own father did this?” Hart asked, moving around to the other side of the bed.
“You haven’t been here long enough to know about everyone,” Evelyn told him. “Seth Bridges is a despicable, filthy, abusive man who uses his adopted daughters like little slaves. God only knows what goes on at that farm. Look at her face and neck, and her arms. They’re bruised. It looks like she’s been in some kind of scuffle. She was probably running away from Seth when you found her.” She gently stroked Lucille’s hair back from her face. “Lucy? Can you hear me? It’s Evelyn Gibbons.”
Lucille groaned, then began tossing as though terribly afraid. She waved her arms, and Evelyn grabbed them, pushing them down. “Lucy! It’s me, Miss Gibbons. It’s all right, Lucy. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. Where is Katy, Lucy? Is she all right?”
Lucille opened her eyes, staring at her with a blank look at first, then focusing her gaze to reality. “Miss… Gibbons?”
“Yes. You’re here with me, and no one is going to hurt you, Lucy. What happened? You must tell us so we can help you. Lieutenant Hart is here. Who hurt you, Lucy? Where is Katy?”
“Katy…” Lucille’s eyes rolled, then focused again on Evelyn. “She’s hiding… from Seth. Somebody has to help her.”
“Why is she hiding, Lucille? What has Seth done to make you run away?”
Lucille breathed deeply. “He’ll hurt her… force her into… his bed. He’s drunk. Many Birds… He’s got Many Birds. She’s our friend. She trusted us… trusted Seth.” She started to cry. “Many Birds.”
Quickly, Black Hawk was at Evelyn’s side, bending over Lucille. “What are you saying?” he asked.
Already Evelyn could feel his rage building.
“Where is my sister?” he demanded louder.
“You’ll scare her, Black Hawk,” Evelyn warned.
Lieutenant Hart also leaned closer. “What’s she trying to tell us?”
Lucille focused on Black Hawk. Yes. If he knew, he would kill Seth. She could be rid of him. “Many Birds… she is our friend… Katy’s friend. She comes over… plays with us. We went away and she came over. Seth forced her to drink whiskey… tied her to his bed. We came home and found her… tried to help. Seth was drunk… pulled a knife on us. He cut me. Katy… she’s hiding from him… waiting for me. You have to help them… help Many Birds. Get her and Katy away from Seth.”
Black Hawk was out the door before she finished. Evelyn raced after him. “No, Black Hawk!”
Jubal Desmond watched curiously as Black Hawk came charging outside to his horse, not even wearing his coat. Evelyn was running after him, begging him not to go.
“Let the soldiers take care of it!” she screamed. “You can’t go there! You can’t hurt Seth Bridges!”
He whirled on her. “He has my sister!” he seethed black rage obvious in his dark eyes and in his whole demeanor. “He has raped her! I told them! I told the soldiers he was bad! I could put up with his running whiskey, but he has stolen my sister’s innocence, and he must die for it!”
“Please, Black Hawk!” Evelyn grasped at his leg as he mounted his horse. “He’ll be punished. He can’t get out of it this time. Let Lieutenant Hart go after him! Remember the vision!”
Desmond wondered again what the demented woman meant by “remembering the vision.” Whatever it was, it was apparently important to both of them. From Black Hawk’s words, it was not difficult to decipher what had happened. So, old Seth had finally got his hands on Many Birds, the dirty old bugger. Maybe if Black Hawk went there now, Seth would blow him away with his shotgun. Not one person would blame him for it. Here were a handful of witnesses ready to testify that Black Hawk went after Seth Bridges with the deliberate intent to kill the man. Maybe Desmond could finally be rid of Black Hawk, but he hesitated looking down at Evelyn Gibbons, who apparently had tremendous influence over him now.
“I must do this,” he said in a determined voice.
Evelyn was crying. “Please, Black Hawk, stay away from there. Let the soldiers arrest Seth and get Many Birds out of there. I’ll tell the lieutenant to have her taken to Dancing Woman. Your people can help her. We’ll work this out.”
Black Hawk stiffened. “I cannot let this go. The man must die!” He whirled his horse and rode off, and Evelyn turned to the lieutenant, who was coming out of the house.
“Please, Lieutenant Hart, you’ve got to stop him! At least get over to Seth’s before Black Hawk does! If he hurts or kills Seth… and once the Sioux find out about Many Birds, there could be an uprising on the reservation. The only answer is to keep Black Hawk from doing something terrible! We’ve got to find a way to reason with him!”
The lieutenant quickly mounted up. “I’ll do what I can, ma’am.”
“Wait! Let me go with you!”
“No, ma’am, it might be too dangerous.”
Evelyn’s head was spinning with worry and frustration. “You’ve got to find Katy, too. Bring her to me. Promise me!”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll do our best to find her and prevent any trouble.” The man tipped his hat. “You stay here and watch after the other girl. We’ll get this straightened out.” He turned his horse and gave a signal. “Follow me, men!”
The soldiers turned and rode off after him. Jubal hesitated a moment to glance at Evelyn. He grinned, and Evelyn knew what he was thinking. It would be easy to make up an excuse today to kill Black Hawk. This was leading to something terrible, and he was enjoying every minute of it. The chilly morning seemed even colder as a deep fear pressed on her heart.
Lieutenant Hart rode his men hard. The nearly three miles out to Seth Bridges’s farm was covered in fifteen minutes. “Spread out, men!” the lieutenant ordered. “Harkins, you and Smith come into the house with me to see if we can find the girl! Brady and Dinks, ride the perimeter. Watch for Black Hawk! Desmond, you and Johnston search the outbuildings. Bridges could be hiding by now, and we have to find the other daughter! Everybody look out for Black Hawk. He could be anywhere, and he’s in a dangerous mood!”
Everyone obeyed without question, and the lieutenant and his two men headed for the house.
“I’ll check the corn crib,” Jubal told Private Johnston. He knew that was where most of the whiskey was hidden, and he didn’t want to take the chance of anyone else finding it. If anything happened to Seth, perhaps he could at least find a way to come back and get it and sell it himself. He headed for the corn crib, his heart pounding, hoping he would not himself be found out today. If Seth was arrested, he might tel
l all, and God only knew what the girls might tell if they thought Seth was no longer a threat. He could always find a way to shut them up, threaten them, find a way to sell them off to river pirates. First he had to find Seth and warn the man to keep his mouth shut about his own involvement in whiskey smuggling and with Lucille. If he was lucky, Black Hawk had already been here and killed Seth. That would wipe out two birds, since Black Hawk would surely be hanged for murder, no matter what his reason for getting rid of Seth.
“Damn fool!” he muttered. He didn’t really believe Seth would try for Black Hawk’s sister like he had threatened to do. How did he think he could get away with that? But the old geezer was crazy when he was drunk.
He entered the corn crib, then stopped short. “My God,” he muttered. There lay Seth, sprawled on his back, a bottle in one hand. He wore old leather boots and soiled cotton pants that gaped at the fly. His arms were sprawled out so that his coat fell open to reveal a bare chest. Jubal walked closer, wondering if he was passed out, or if Black Hawk had already killed him. He knelt beside the man. “Seth?”
The man only groaned, opening bloodshot eyes, then grinning through yellow teeth. “Hey, Jubal,” he said, the words spoken slowly with a thick tongue. “Got to… find the girls… so’s they don’t tell. I’ve got Many Birds upstairs… if you want a piece of her.”
“You stupid fool! You’ve got yourself in a lot of trouble this time, and I can’t get you out of it!” Jubal growled. “Damn you, you drunken bastard!”
Seth just lay there grinning, unable to get up. It was obvious he was merely waking up from a drunken stupor, but not injured. The idea came to Jubal then like a bolt of lightning. It would be so easy to kill Seth and blame it on Black Hawk! Not one person would believe Black Hawk didn’t do it.
He stood up, realizing there was not a lot of time to hesitate. One of the other men could come at any moment. He didn’t like the idea of killing a man in cold blood, but then it would be best if Seth was out of the way; and what better chance would he have of also getting rid of Black Hawk? There were several witnesses to the man’s threat to kill Seth, and his being a renegade Indian besides…
How he wanted to be rid of Black Hawk, to stop worrying about when or where the man might decide to kill him, or find a way to prove he was involved in whiskey running. Black Hawk had been a burr under his butt ever since Wounded Knee. He could sleep better and live with what he’d done to the man’s wife and baby if he didn’t have to look into those accusing dark eyes, and he would no longer have to live with the fear of an arrow or a knife in his back. The threat was always there, and he was tired of it.
He looked around, saw and heard no one. He reached down then and pulled a hunting knife from inside his boot, then knelt over Seth again. “I’m sorry, Seth.”
Seth opened his eyes, and they widened when he saw Jubal holding the knife over his chest. “What—” He reached up and grabbed at Jubal’s uniform. Jubal took a deep breath, looked around once more, then made the instant decision, ramming his knife into Seth’s heart. He held it there for a moment, gritting his teeth in determination, already feeling the joy of realizing Black Hawk would be blamed for this and would never get out of it.
“Sergeant!” someone called from outside.
In a panic Jubal quickly yanked out the knife, jumping back when blood spurted from Seth’s heart for a moment before trickling down to nothing as the heart stopped beating. Quickly, he bent down and wiped off the knife on Seth’s pants, then shoved it back into his boot. “In here!” he yelled. “I found Seth Bridges. Black Hawk killed him!”
A moment later Private Johnston ran into the com crib. He stopped short at the bloody sight. “My God!”
Jubal breathed deeply to keep his emotions in control. He was surprised at how elated he felt. “He’s been stabbed in the heart, and there isn’t a weapon anywhere on him. Looks like he was just lying there drunk. Black Hawk must have just walked in here and killed him in cold blood.” He looked at the private. “We’ve got to tell the lieutenant. Somebody has to go after that damn renegade. It’s too bad what’s happened to his sister, but he can’t get away with something like this. He should have left it up to the Army.”
Johnston nodded. “I’ll go get the lieutenant.” He met Jubal’s eyes. “They found Black Hawk’s sister—pretty awful, Harkins says. She was drunked up, naked, tied to a bed upstairs, obviously raped. Lieutenant Hart had Corporal Brady take her to Miss Gibbons, figured maybe the schoolteacher ought to go along when they take her to her grandmother. The lieutenant thinks Miss Gibbons can help smooth things over. She’s got a way with the Sioux.” Johnston stared at Seth’s body the whole time he spoke, feeling nauseous.
“Miss Gibbons isn’t the saint everybody thinks she is,” Jubal grumbled.
“This isn’t going to go over too good with the Sioux,” Johnston said, seeming not to hear Jubal’s remark. He shook his head. “At least if Black Hawk got his revenge, maybe they’ll be satisfied. Trouble is, Black Hawk’s going to have to be hanged or sent to prison, and they won’t like that. We’re in for some trouble.”
“We can handle it. Most of the Sioux don’t even have weapons anymore. Go ahead and get Lieutenant Hart.”
Johnston nodded and ran out, looking pale. Jubal stared down at Seth, feeling a great relief. In one slash of a knife he was rid of two men who were troublesome to his future and reputation. He was glad he’d done what he did. All he had to do now was make sure Lucy and Katy were properly threatened so they’d keep quiet. They’d be happy enough that Seth was dead. They had no reason to bother telling the Army or anyone else about his involvement with Seth, or what he’d done to Lucy. He breathed deeply, a smile crossing his lips. “Good riddance, Seth Bridges,” he muttered.
He heard men running then, and the lieutenant and several others came into the corn crib. None of them was aware they were all being watched from behind some loose boards at the back of the shed. A pair of blue eyes stared at all of them through a crack in the boards, eyes that had witnessed Jubal Desmond stab Seth to death while he lay helpless.
Black Hawk rode his horse nervously back and forth on the low hill that looked down on Seth’s farm. Where he had gotten the strength not to go down there and murder Seth Bridges, he was not sure, except that his love for Evelyn was so powerful that its force seemed to control him. He had felt as though he was going insane as he forced himself to stay back while he watched soldiers enter Seth’s house and swarm around the outbuildings. Minutes later a man came out of the house carrying someone wrapped in a blanket.
Many Birds! Was she even still alive? What horrible things had Seth done to his sister? Again he wanted to charge down there and kill the man, but Evelyn’s words and the vision kept haunting him. A white man would die, Night Hunter had said, and he would be in much trouble over it. Still, the old man’s dream seemed to mean that it was not Black Hawk who would kill the white man, and that somehow the truth would win out.
Who would die? Seth? God knew he deserved it! He wanted to slowly cut the cruel old man into a hundred pieces himself, in all the right places, so that he would feel the pain but not die! Black Hawk’s thirst for vengeance was great, but he would try to do this Evy’s way. The soldier carrying Many Birds got onto a horse, holding her in front of him. Black Hawk watched and waited anxious to see them bring out Seth. He wanted to be sure the man was arrested. If for any reason he was allowed to go free, then he would go and kill him! He would have no other choice.
He was prepared to ride down and see that justice was done and then take Many Birds to Grandmother himself, but it was then he noticed a soldier come out of one of the storage sheds at a run. When he stopped to vomit, Black Hawk felt a deep alarm. The soldier hurried off to get the others, and Black Hawk watched as he said something to Lieutenant Hart, who Black Hawk recognized even from this distance, by the white horse he rode. Hart shouted some orders, and several of the men rushed back to the shed with the lieutenant.
The soldier who had taken Many Birds was already on his way, and Black Hawk became anxious to be with her. He hoped perhaps they would take her to Evelyn first. She could go with them to Grandmother, where the women of the village would help her, purify her. She would be bathed, rubbed with special herbs that drove out evil spirits and washed away the touch of an evil one. She would visit the sweat lodge and be cleansed. She would be like a new woman, still untouched… except for the emotional scars she would bear. What had Seth put her through? How had he forced her? How cruel had he been to her?
He needed to know, needed to help her, be with her. Besides, he had done nothing wrong. He would go down there and talk to Lieutenant Hart, find out what had happened, where they were carrying his sister. He might be taking a great risk by showing himself, but, after all, Many Birds needed him, and by riding to the soldiers, they would know that he was innocent of any wrongdoing, or he would not make his presence known. Whoever had been taken out of the corn crib, it was not anyone he had hurt or killed. Surely the soldiers knew he had not had time to go down there and find Many Birds and then kill her rapist before they got there, if, indeed, it was Seth Bridges they had taken out of the shed. Maybe it was the other little girl. Maybe Seth had killed poor Katy!
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