The Hen House

by Sharon Sala

  “He’s still there,” she said, and wiped a hand across her brow.

  Robert Lee frowned. Letty sounded like a woman out of her mind. He knew grief could do a thing like that. What he didn’t know was if she’d come out of this with her sanity intact.

  He took her by the arms, and gently gave her a shake.

  “Letty… Letty… look at me.”

  Her eyes were burning, and she’d inhaled wood smoke for so long that she felt lightheaded. Having to focus on Robert Lee was more difficult than he could imagine.

  “What?”

  He cupped her face with his hands, gently rubbing his thumbs along the edge of her jaw.

  “The man is dead. You know he’s dead… don’t you?”

  Letty looked at him as if he’d lost his mind and pushed his hands away.

  “Hell yes, he’s dead, Robert Lee. I oughta know. I put a hole right through the middle of his forehead before I set him on fire.”

  The hair crawled on the back of Robert Lee’s neck. He hadn’t known this. In fact, now that he thought about, it, he’d been so worried about her safety that he hadn’t taken time to think about how George Mellin came to be burning. Just the fact that it wasn’t Letty who’d been on fire had been all he’d cared about. But this bit of information set his teeth on edge.

  “You shot him,” he said.

  She frowned at him.

  “That’s what I said, didn’t I?”

  “Did he shoot at you?”

  “No. I took his rifle away while he was still asleep.”

  Robert Lee took a couple of steps backward, and sat down on a stump before he made a fool of himself and fainted.

  “You walked up on him in the dark? You took his rifle?”

  “What would you have done? Waited until he woke up and then had a shoot-out? I’m sorry, but I didn’t have the luxury.”

  “What do you mean?” Robert Lee asked.

  “There’s only one shot in this rifle when it’s loaded.”

  Robert Lee knew he was missing something, but he still didn’t know what.

  “Well, yes, ma’am, I know that.”

  Letty picked up another stick and threw it on the fire. Sparks rose toward the heavens like smoke up a chimney.

  “So I didn’t want him shooting back at me if I missed. I don’t know how to reload.”

  Robert Lee grunted as if he’d been kicked in the gut.

  “You took off after a killer with one shot. You rode all day and most of the night, not knowing where the hell you were going, or who you were after?”

  Letty nodded.

  “What if you’d missed?” he asked.

  A muscle jerked in her jaw as she licked her fire-burned lips.

  “But, I didn’t.”

  Then she turned away from him to stare into the fire.

  Robert Lee put his hands on his knees and then took a slow, deep breath. He’d seen some things in his life, but this woman beat them all. When he thought he could stand without stumbling, he got up and walked into the woods.

  Letty knew he was gone, but his whereabouts were of no concern to her. When he finally reappeared, he was carrying an armload of deadwood. He dropped it at her feet, and went back for more.

  It wasn’t until daylight when Letty could finally see, that she let the fire go out.

  ***

  She was sitting on the ground with her knees against her chest and her hands over her face. T-Bone was lying beside her. To Robert Lee’s knowledge, the dog hadn’t taken its eyes off of her since she sat down, and she hadn’t moved in over an hour. He wanted her to talk, but was scared of what might come out of her mouth.

  The morning sun shone down on the harsh reality of last night. The fire was nothing but a pile of warm ashes. From where Robert Lee was sitting, he could see what appeared to be a charred skull and some bones. The scent of smoke had dissipated drastically, but Robert Lee knew he would never forget the scent of burning wood and flesh, or the flash of fire in a grieving woman’s eyes.

  Across the creek, a doe slipped out of the trees, then lifted her head, tentatively sniffing the air. Finally, the need for water overcame her caution, and she moved down to the creek to drink. A small spotted fawn followed, taking short, tentative steps.

  He watched until they’d drunk their fill and moved back into the woods. At that point, his belly growled. Except for the piece of jerky Letty had given him, he hadn’t eaten in more than thirty-six hours, but he’d gone far longer without food, and in far worse situations. An empty belly now and then was good for the soul.

  ***

  Letty was numb. Her rage had burned out with George Mellin’s fire. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to ride all the way back to Denver City. She didn’t know why in God’s name George Mellin hadn’t killed her, too. It wasn’t fair that she’d been left behind.

  Sensing her turmoil, T-Bone stood up and licked her ear.

  She raised her head to shoo him away, and instead, found herself staring into the half-grown pup’s brown eyes. For the space of one heartbeat, she felt the pup’s distress as sharply as she felt her own.

  “Oh, T-Bone, what am I going to do without him?”

  Then she put her arms around the pup’s neck and started to cry.

  T-Bone whined softly.

  Letty patted him on the head and then pushed herself upright. She swayed shakily, then seemed to get her bearings and began digging through Mellin’s things. After nosing around, she picked up a large cloth sack and turned it upside down. The food and cookware that he’d stolen from the old man tumbled out into the dirt.

  Robert Lee heard the commotion and turned around just in time to see Letty move toward the fire. He stood abruptly, and started toward her.

  “Letty!”

  She didn’t stop until she reached the ashes. To his horror, she began digging the bones out of the ashes and putting them in the sack. It was just as he feared—she’d finally lost her mind. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

  “Letty! What the hell are you doing?”

  She shrugged out of his grasp and picked up the skull.

  “I’m taking Eulis’ killer to the sheriff.”

  Surely she didn’t believe this man was still breathing. This was worse than he feared.

  “Letty! He’s dead, I tell you. He’s dead.”

  She looked at him as if he’d suddenly become simple.

  “We’ve already been through this, Robert Lee. I know that. But, for God’s sake, it doesn’t change what he did to Eulis, or for that matter, to that old man he robbed. I intend for the people of Denver City to know that this killer paid for what he did.”

  Robert Lee was so relieved to know her wits were still about her that he took the sack from her hands and then held it open.

  Letty exhaled slowly. For the first time since his arrival last night, she became fully aware of what he’d done. Despite all the hours that passed and the miles she’d traveled, Robert Lee had found her.

  She looked down at his hands—at the long, slender fingers holding the old flour sack—remembering how quick he was on the draw, and how steady they were now. His eyes were narrowed with determination, and there was a jut to his jaw that she’d seen only once before—the day he’d stepped between her and the sheriff after she’d taken a whip to Alice’s husband.

  She took a slow, deep breath, and then met his steady gaze.

  “I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m right glad you happened along.”

  Robert Lee gritted his teeth to stop himself from saying what was on his heart, and just nodded.

  T-Bone barked.

  They turned to look at what had set him off, and were just in time to see a raccoon waddling from the water back toward the trees.

  “Leave him be,” Letty said, and the dog sat back down at her feet.

  Without another word between them, Letty piled what was left of George’s bones into the sack. Then together, they saddled up and began the long journey
home.

  ***

  It was just after daybreak of the next day when Letty Potter rode into Denver City. Several noticed her arrival, as well as the tall, dark-haired man riding behind her. Her dog was trotting beside her horse with his head up and his tongue dangling out the side of his mouth.

  Her hair was pulled back from her face and fastened at the nape of her neck with a piece of rawhide. The long, dark strands were uneven where the lengths had burned. Her skin was scratched and raw, and the old bloodstains on her clothes added to the drama of her appearance. Everyone knew that her husband had been killed and she’d disappeared soon after. Some claimed she’d thrown herself off a cliff from the grief. Others swore she’d surely been done in by her husband’s killer.

  Her re-appearance in town put rest to the gossip of her demise, but they could tell that something big was amiss. The lack of expression on her face sent tongues to wagging, and by the time she had ridden through town and dismounted in front of the sheriff’s office, a small crowd was gathering behind her.

  Sheriff Hamm came out to see what was happening just as Letty was tying up her horse. Like those gathering in the street, he’d supposed they’d never see her again—certainly not alive—yet here she was.

  He’d learned of Potter’s murder from Alice Mellin, and had followed a trail of tracks away from the murder sight all the way down the backside of the mountain to where they’d found the old man.

  By the time they’d carried his body back to Denver City, it was dark. He knew that Letty had ridden away from her home, supposedly after her husband’s killer. It was his opinion that she would be the next victim.

  The next morning, he’d deputized a couple of down-on-their-luck prospectors and tried to pick up the trail from the old man’s cabin. They followed it until they rode into a valley and came upon a large herd of elk. Upon their arrival, the herd bolted. Whatever tracks had been left by horses and men were gone, trampled beneath the hooves of the massive herd. After trying for some time to pick up the trail, they were forced to give up and rode back to Denver City.

  The last thing Hamm ever expected to see was this woman tying up her horse in front of his office. He walked out with bravado, eyed the dog sniffing his boots, and then looked up at Robert Lee, who was quietly sitting on his horse. The fact that the man hadn’t dismounted seemed strange, but Hamm let the thought slide, and shifted his focus to Letty.

  Her clothes were stained with blood and dirt, and the smell of wood smoke was strong about her. He thought she stumbled as she reached toward the saddle to untie an old flour sack, but then he changed his mind when she grabbed it firmly and turned around. He tried to meet her gaze, but couldn’t get past the guilt of coming back to Denver City without her or her husband’s killer.

  “Miz. Potter, I’m right sorry for your loss.”

  Letty didn’t comment. Instead, she turned the sack upside down, dumping the contents at the sheriff’s feet.

  The charred bones clattered as they fell onto the wood planks, while the skull took an odd roll, coming to stop at the toes of his boots.

  “Godallmighty!” Hamm cried, and jumped back as if he’d been burned. “What in hell have you done?”

  “Brought back my husband’s killer. I’m done with him. You can do what you will.”

  She dropped the sack, whistled at her dog, and mounted her horse.

  “Wait! Where do you think you’re going?” Hamm yelled.

  Letty looked up the mountain where the roof of her house was barely visible. Her eyes filled with tears, then spilled over, running silently down her face.

  “I reckon I’m going home, now,” she said.

  The crowd was deadly silent. Hamm didn’t know what to think. The bones had their own truth to tell, but he didn’t have enough facts to let this all go.

  He was reaching for his pistol when he heard a distinct and familiar click. Robert Lee was holding a gun aimed at his chest.

  “Don’t even think it,” Robert Lee said softly. “Miz Letty… you head on home now. I’ll be along soon.”

  Letty didn’t acknowledge that she’d heard him, but she did ride away.

  Hamm was furious. This didn’t look good, him letting a woman like her ride in and dump bones at his feet without some explanation. Then, having her hired gunslinger pull a weapon on him in front of all these people set his teeth on edge.

  “I don’t care if you’d got two guns trained on me. I need some answers,” he said, then pointed at the skull. “There’s a hole in this here skull.”

  “That would be where Miz Potter shot her husband’s killer,” Robert Lee said.

  There was a collective gasp from the crowd of people as they all moved closer for a better look.

  “Well, then,” Hamm sputtered. “If she shot the man, then how did his body get burned?”

  “That would be because she set him on fire.”

  All the color in Hamm’s face went south. His mouth was moving, but he couldn’t get the air to form words.

  “Who is he?” someone shouted.

  Robert Lee fixed the sheriff with a hard, angry stare.

  “Ask the sheriff, here,” Robert Lee said. “He’s the one who let him go free.”

  Hamm reeled as if he’d been punched in the gut. He stared down at the pitiful pile of bones, unable to believe what he was seeing.

  “What’s he talking about?” a woman cried.

  Hamm sputtered, then took a deep breath and quickly shifted the blame.

  “Don’t look at me,” he said loudly. “It weren’t me who said to let him go. It was that judge… Judge Joshua Dean. He wouldn’t even let me keep the man over for trial. He just walked in my office and ordered me to let the man go.”

  Unaware of the history behind the story, the same woman called out again.

  “Let who go?” she asked.

  Hamm bit his lip.

  Robert Lee pointed with the barrel of his gun.

  “George Mellin, and that there’s what’s left of him. He killed Eulis Potter, an unarmed man, standing in his own yard. Miz Potter didn’t do anything but get justice for her man.” He started to holster his pistol, then thought better of it and added. “One more thing. If I hear one unkind word said about that woman, I will take it real personal… you hear? There aren’t many men, let alone a lone woman, who could do what she just did. She rode the saddle for nigh on to twenty straight hours, riding hard through the dark in unfamiliar land, with one shot in a rifle she didn’t know how to reload. That’s the kind of woman a man would lay down his life for… which is what Eulis Potter did. It don’t matter whether you agree with her method. She just did what was right.”

  Hamm was speechless, but the crowd was not. By the time Robert Lee had ridden out of sight, the story of Letty Potter’s prowess had spread through half the town.

  Letty didn’t know and didn’t care. The easy part of her life was over. The hard part was learning how to live without Eulis at her side.

  ***

  Katie Samuels was playing in the dirt near the front steps when she heard someone coming up the trail. She saw the horse, recognized the riders, and went running into the house.

  “Mama Alice, Mama Alice… Miz Letty and Robert Lee are back!”

  “Thank you lord,” Alice cried, and wiped her hands on the front of her apron as she ran from the house. But when she saw Letty’s face and the condition of her clothes, she was almost afraid to ask what she’d done.

  “Letty… Letty… thank God you’re home,” Alice said, as Letty slid off the horse.

  The reins slid out of Letty’s hands to fall dangling to the ground. Robert Lee grabbed her around the waist, steadying her stride before she fell.

  Alice gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide—questioning.

  Robert Lee shook his head slightly as he tightened his grip on Letty.

  “Come on now, Letty. Let me help you in the house. You made it this far. Just a little bit farther to go.”

  Letty sw
ayed against him, then looked up. When she saw Alice, their gazes locked.

  “Where is he?” Letty asked.

  Alice sighed and bit her lip.

  “I laid him out in his coffin in the living room floor. A man is digging his grave right now. I’m right glad you made it back in time to see him put to rest. Did you catch who did it? Did you learn his name?”

  Letty hadn’t thought past revenge for Eulis, but this was going to be a thing Alice would have to learn to bear.

  “Yes, I know his name,” Letty said.

  Alice waited.

  Letty looked down at her boots, then back up at Alice.

  “It was George… your husband… and I’m right sorry to tell you that I killed him dead.”

  Alice’s face flushed, and then turned pale as a sheet as she covered her mouth to keep from screaming. Overwhelmed with guilt for what had happened, she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around Letty’s legs.

  “Lord, God… I am so blessed sorry. It’s my fault. I should never have stayed and put you and your family in this danger.”

  “Get up,” Letty said. “It’s not your fault Eulis is dead. George killed him, not you. It’s something that happened, and it’s something we will get past.”

  Then Letty looked past Alice to the front door. He was on the other side of those walls—waiting for her to tell him goodbye.

  Robert Lee felt sick. He didn’t think Letty would survive this. She hadn’t eaten or slept in days. Now, the thought that she was going to have to face her husband’s funeral seemed a torture she shouldn’t have to endure.

  “Letty?”

  “I can do this,” she said softly, and started up the steps.

  “At least let me—”

  Letty stopped, then spoke without looking back.

  “I need to do this alone.”

  Alice sat down on the front steps and covered her face with her apron.

  Katie slid beneath Mama Alice’s arm and hid her face in her lap.

  Robert Lee didn’t move.

  T-Bone laid down near the steps.

  Letty walked into the house and quietly closed the door behind her.