Secrets of the Past (Kansas Crossroads Book)

by Marie Higgins

  “Thank you, Abigail.” She sighed sadly. “However, Mr. Brody told me the cart is scratching up the floors. So, until I can find a way to fix it, we won’t be using them any longer.”

  Abigail frowned. “That’s too bad. I’ve been watching you use it, and I can see how helpful it could be to us waitresses.”

  Josie’s heart softened. “Thank you. I’ll try really hard to get it fixed.”

  “I hope you do.” She turned and walked back into the kitchen.

  Josie’s heart lightened a little more. Perhaps she would make some more friends after all.

  Two hours later, Josie was still smiling and humming a hymn from church as she wiped off the tables. From out the window, she noticed the quick and familiar movements as someone hurried into the hotel, walking as she’d always done, with her head down. Josie straightened and waited for Eunice to come over to her. Josie could never understand what made Annie’s sister so shy.

  “Josie,” she whispered. “We need to talk.”

  Josie glanced around her. The dining room was empty. She was the only one cleaning the tables. “All right. Talk.”

  “Not here.”

  Josie nodded. Eunice was never comfortable around a lot of people, and since the dining room would be filling again shortly, she understood her friend’s discomfort. “I’m almost done here.”

  Eunice’s gaze lifted. “Meet me out back when you’re finished.”

  “I will.”

  Eunice hurried out of the room almost as quickly as she entered. Josie was sure her friend had more information about Mary Walton. But Josie was also looking forward to telling her friend about her own soon-to-be engagement.

  TEN

  Wyatt couldn’t locate Colonel Gordon, and he didn’t want to go by himself to question Mary Watson. He needed the other man with him.

  James popped into Wyatt’s mind, and he smiled. He hadn’t talked to his friend in a few days, and although he couldn’t wait to tell James about the woman he’d fallen in love with, Wyatt would wait so that Josie could be with him when they told her family. Hopefully, James wouldn’t stop Wyatt from asking for her hand in marriage.

  Chuckling, Wyatt shook his head. Strange how quickly he fell in love with her, but he had. He’d loved her before... just as a friend. He’d always admired her creative mind. She was the smartest woman he knew. She’d always made him laugh, whether it was because she’d mess up or because she was being herself. But it wasn’t until she comforted him after the last girl was killed that he realized what he’d missed out on these past lonely and desolate years since his wife had died.

  Wyatt went to the main house to find James first, but Annie answered the door and directed him toward the barn. It made Wyatt happy to know that James was taking the blacksmith idea seriously.

  As he opened the door and stepped inside, he listened for sounds. At first, he heard nothing, but then a small noise came from one of the back rooms. Instead of calling out for James, he decided to stay quiet and surprise his friend. As he neared the room, he didn’t hear the clanging of metal as most blacksmith shops. Instead he heard the continuous pacing of footsteps on the squeaky, wooden floor. However, they weren’t heavy footsteps.

  Wyatt paused for a moment. Was Josie here? And yet, she was at work not too long ago.

  Creeping closer, he hovered his hand over his pistol. The door to the tack room stood ajar. He stopped and waited for the person moving back and forth in the room to come into view. When a woman moved past, Wyatt sucked in a quick breath. He’d seen her a few times around town, but he’d never been introduced.

  The young woman appeared older than Josie, but only by a few years. She had short, choppy blonde hair. Her eyes were red as though she’d been crying. Clearly, the young woman was distraught, but why was she in the Allen’s barn when it was clear that nobody else was around?

  The barn’s door squeaked open. Wyatt jumped and moved to hide behind some crates. He still kept his hand hovering over his pistol, prepared for anything.

  James rushed toward the tack room with lines of worry around his mouth and forehead. “Mary, it’s me.”

  Mary? Wyatt lifted his eyebrows. Was this the same Mary Wyatt had wanted to question about the killings?

  A loud gasp echoed inside the tack room. Mary opened the door fully and waited for James. When he saw her, he hugged her tightly. The woman buried her face into James’ chest as her body trembled.

  “Tell me you have good news,” she muttered in a broken voice.

  James rubbed Mary’s neck and scowled. “No. Nothing!”

  Mary sobbed and tilted her head back to look into James’ eyes. “What am I going to do? They’re going to think I killed those women.”

  Wyatt’s interest piqued. Had Josie been correct when she told him about Mary?

  “No.” James shook his head “I won’t let anyone think that. There’s got to be some way to stop her.”

  Her? Wyatt gritted his teeth. He must be patient and hope he would overhear something of importance.

  Mary chuckled weakly. “How can we stop a mad-woman who is blackmailing you?” She pointed to her cropped hair. “If she’s insane enough to do this, I don’t want to think what she’ll do to you.”

  James inhaled a shaky breath. “Then I must come clean and confess. That’s the only way she’ll stop.”

  Mary glowered. “She needs to be put in jail – or hanged. That’s the only way to stop her.”

  James groaned and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t have my family knowing. And I especially cannot let my best friend know what I did all those years ago.”

  Wyatt’s blood turned cold. Was James referring to him as the best friend? What kind of secrets was James hiding from his past?

  James moved away from Mary and pushed his fingers through his hair. “If Wyatt knew that I was the reason his wife died...” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

  Wyatt’s chest clenched, and his stomach lurched. What was James saying? How could that be possible when James was with Wyatt during the time Marjorie had been killed?

  “I must do it.” James snapped upright with his shoulders back. “That’s the only way to prove your innocence.”

  Tears filled Mary’s eyes. “But then you will look like the turncoat and your family and best friend will disown you.”

  James bit his bottom lip as his chest rose and fell deeply. After a few moments, his shoulders relaxed. “Then we’ll leave this town and start anew somewhere else. We’ll get married and live anywhere we want. I’ll become a blacksmith, and you can be a schoolteacher.”

  Tears streaked down Mary’s face. She nodded and moved into his outstretched arms.

  Wyatt’s head pounded. He wouldn’t let this go. He had to know why James thought himself responsible for Marjorie’s death.

  Fisting his hands, he stepped out to where the other two could see him. Both James and Mary jumped apart.

  James’ face paled. “Wyatt,” he gasped.

  Slowly, Wyatt strode toward his friend. “Before you leave town,” he said slowly, “I want to know what you were just talking about.”

  James’ eyes grew wide and watery. “No, Wyatt. Just leave the past alone.”

  Wyatt stopped in front of his friend and grabbed his arm tightly. “Tell me now.”

  “Oh, Wyatt... please.” James sobbed. “I’ve heard that you are in love with Josie now... that the two of you are happy. Why can’t you leave it like that? Don’t look back – just keep moving forward.”

  Apparently, the town’s gossipmongers were spreading the word about him and Josie. But he’d worry about that later. Wyatt tightened his grip, making James wince. “I’m only going to ask you one more time.” He swallowed hard. “Why do you think you’re responsible for Marjorie’s death?”

  “Before we enlisted,” James said with a tremor in his voice, “I was in love with Marjorie.”

  Wyatt held his breath. He wasn’t surprised. Many men were in love with Marjorie. �
�Go on,” he said tightly.

  “She told me she was going to marry you because your family was wealthier, but she loved me. She told me she’d always love me.”

  Bile rose to Wyatt’s throat and he gritted his teeth harder.

  “Marjorie was honor bound to marry you,” James continued brokenly, “but her heart belonged to me.”

  Wyatt took a steady breath. He and Marjorie hadn’t been married very long when he enlisted in the war. “What does this have to do with her death?”

  “The reason she came to visit my family was because I’d told her that I had taken two weeks of leave.” James shrugged one shoulder. “You had approved the leave, but then all of a sudden, you cancelled it. I couldn’t argue with you because I didn’t want to tell you the real reason I wanted to visit my family.”

  Wyatt’s heart continued to squeeze painfully in dejection. He released James’ arm as if it was diseased.

  James shook his head. “She never received the letter I sent her to tell her not to go to my family’s house. And of course, that was where she was killed.”

  Numbness spread through Wyatt, starting in his mind and moving throughout his body. His marriage – as short-lived as it had been – was a sham. She hadn’t truly been in love with him. Now as he thought back to those first few weeks of being a new husband, he realized how awkward things were between them. Wyatt had been patient and gentle with her, understanding her hesitation. And yet, he’d held her memory in his heart during the war, and especially after he’d learned she’d been killed.

  All of these years were wasted. But why? What could he have done differently?

  “Wyatt?” James asked brokenly. “Please forgive me.”

  He forced himself to snap out of the misery trying to take over his thoughts. This was how he’d felt when he first heard Marjorie had died. He didn’t ever want to go through that kind of pain again.

  He took an uneven breath and met James’ eyes of betrayal. “Who is blackmailing you? Who is killing these women?”

  “It’s Eunice.”

  Shock made Wyatt jerk to full attention. He rubbed his stiff neck. “Why is Eunice blackmailing you?”

  “Eunice had thrown herself at me before I enlisted in the army. I told her I didn’t love her... that I loved Marjorie.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “That doesn’t mean she killed—”

  “She confessed it to me,” James said quickly. “After I’d gotten home from the war, I started drinking my sorrows away, wondering what I could have done differently with Marjorie. I muttered drunkenly that I loved a woman who was my best friend’s wife. Eunice confessed her love again, and she told me that she killed Marjorie so that I could love and marry her. When my mind cleared, I threatened to turn her into the authorities. She also threatened me. She told me that until I could love her, she would make certain that any woman I have loved will not find happiness. She said she’d tell the whole town – and you – that I was the reason Marjorie died. It was because I’d wanted to take a few short days from the war to be with a married woman... my best friend’s wife.” A tear slid down James’ cheek and he wiped it away. “I couldn’t turn her in because I was so ashamed.”

  “Why would Eunice continue to kill the other women?” Wyatt shook his head, still not understanding.

  “Because she saw me flirting with them. In my drunken stupor, I looked at them as if they were Marjorie. They all had pretty blonde hair.”

  Wyatt switched his gaze to Mary. “And what do you have to do with all of this?”

  “I’ve been in love with James for years,” Mary said. “Just the other day, James finally started acting like he was interested in me. Then Eunice attacked me down by the stream and cut my hair. She warned me to stay away from James or she’d do worse.” She licked her lips as she twisted her hands against her middle. “James then heard Eunice spreading lies around town that I was the one who’d killed all those women.”

  Wyatt nodded. “I’ll find the marshal and we’ll talk to Eunice and see if she will confess.” He paused as a question came to him. “How did she kill them?”

  “Arsenic,” James stated plainly. “She slipped it into the soup that Annie made for them because they were sick, and she convinced Josie to take the soup to their houses.”

  Wyatt gasped. “Is Annie in on this, too?”

  “No, just Eunice.”

  Confusion continued to fill Wyatt. “Eunice is Josie’s friend. Why would she do that to Josie? In fact, Josie plans on talking to Eunice right after work—”

  James hitched a breath as he clutched Wyatt’s shirt in his fists. Panic laced James’ eyes.

  “Stop her! Eunice knows about you and Josie... and my sister will be the next to die!”

  ELEVEN

  Eunice hadn’t spoken a word to Josie as they walked to the residence where Eunice worked. Her friend still wouldn’t meet her gaze and her steps were hurried. Josie would have to get her to open up, even though Josie knew Eunice wasn’t very good at doing that.

  When they reached the Lewis’ residence, Eunice led her toward the backyard and to the laundry shed. As Josie stepped inside, she crinkled her nose. The chemicals used to wash the laundry hung thick in the air, making her eyes sting.

  Eunice closed the door after she stepped inside, but Josie quickly cracked it open to let in the fresh air.

  “Forgive me,” she told her friend, “but I need to get used to the smell first.”

  Eunice nodded and moved to a tub of water. Above the tub was a shelf lined with cans and containers without labels. Eunice sprinkled a little of the powdery substance in the water.

  “I’ve never been in here,” Josie told her. “You definitely have a lot of room to move around.”

  “Yes. I’ve been pleased with my accommodations.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Josie wondered why she was brought out here in the first place. Did Eunice have something to tell her? If not, Josie had a lot to tell her friend.

  “So...” Josie trailed her finger along one of the shelves, “have you heard any more about Salina’s murder?”

  Eunice shook her head, but she finally lifted her gaze to Josie. “The rumor around town today is that the Texas Ranger is in love with you.”

  Josie held her breath. Eunice’s voice was rough. Confused, Josie shook her head. Why wasn’t her friend happy about the news?

  “Yes. Wyatt confessed his feelings for me this afternoon. We’ll tell my mother and brother tonight.” She smiled. “Isn’t that exciting? You know how long I’ve wanted a man to love me, and now I have the man I’ve always dreamed about.”

  Eunice stared at the wash water with a scowl on her face. It was odd to see her friend so out of sorts. “Eunice? Are you well?”

  “No, I’m not well,” Eunice snapped. She threw a piercing glare at Josie. “You cannot fall in love. It’s too soon.”

  Too soon? Josie released an uneasy chuckle. “I’ll admit, I thought it happened rather fast, too, but not on my part. I’ve loved Wyatt since he became friends with my brother. He told me earlier today that he’s always loved me as a friend, but he realizes he’s now in love with me.”

  Eunice’s jaw hardened and she turned back to her chemicals, pouring a little more into the tub of water. “I understand, but I still think it’s too soon.”

  Josie touched the other woman’s shoulder. “I will want you at my wedding, you know.”

  Eunice’s body stiffened. “That won’t happen.”

  Sadness filled Josie and she frowned. “Why? Don’t you want to share my happy day with me?”

  “The wedding won’t happen.” Eunice’s shoulder slumped and she rubbed her forehead.

  It annoyed Josie that her friend was acting this way. What should have been a special moment between friends was starting to turn ugly. Josie didn’t want to feel this way about Eunice, but she also wanted to share her happiness with someone who appreciated it and who was happy along with Josie.

  “I’m sorry you are st
rongly against me being happy,” Josie said in a tight voice. “I suppose today is a bad day for you, so I’ll just be leaving.”

  As she turned, Eunice grasped her arm, stopping her. “No, don’t leave.” She exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry I’m this way. With your news, I feel as though I’m losing my best friend.”

  “Oh, Eunice.” Josie gave her a hug. “You’ll never lose me. We’ll be friends forever.”

  Eunice pulled away. “Maybe not forever, but at least as long as we are alive.”

  An eerie feeling crawled over Josie, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Something was wrong, and her gut feeling told her to get out.

  She took a step back toward the door. “Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow. Hopefully, you’ll feel better then.”

  “No, I feel better now.” Eunice’s voice was unnervingly steady. “In fact, let’s have a drink to celebrate your happy occasion.”

  “A drink?” Josie glanced around the shed. What could they possibly drink that’s in here?

  Eunice moved to a cupboard and opened it up. Several wine bottles – without the labels – lined the shelves. Eunice took down one and then grabbed two tin cups on the bottom shelf. It didn’t take her long to pour a little liquid into each cup before she handed one to Josie.

  Eunice lifted her tin. “To the best friend in the world. I hope you are always as happy as you are right now.”

  Josie didn’t like the gleam in Eunice’s eyes. There was no emotion behind them. It was as if she was a puppet that someone else was controlling.

  Eunice clinked her cup against Josie’s and then lifted it to her lips, but she didn’t drink. Her gaze stayed on Josie. Feeling self-conscience, she brought the cup up to her mouth. She waited for Eunice to drink first, but her friend continued to watch her, instead.

  Something was definitely wrong with Eunice, and for the first time Josie felt very uncomfortable around her. The urge to run away from this place became overwhelming, but Josie couldn’t explain why she felt this way. She just needed to leave no matter how hard Eunice tried to stop her.