by Lydia Olson
She had cared for her father since her brother’s death, and she’d thought she was doing a fine job. To have him say, even out of anger, that he would rather she had died in Edison’s place was difficult to handle.
“Ellie, I can’t begin to describe to you the grief a parent feels when they lose a child,” Dillion began. “It is a sorrow that I would never wish for you to understand, and that’s why I rarely spoke of it. When I came through that door and saw your brother... there were no words to describe it. I felt angry at myself, and angry at the world. And I felt sadder and more frightened than I had ever felt.
“When I saw you fighting to become an adult, changing from my little girl to a woman who wants to be free to make her own decisions, I felt that pain again, just for a moment. I felt you slipping away from me – my little girl – and I thought to myself, for just a moment, how much easier it would be if I didn’t have to go through that twice. And then, I spoke without thinking.
“I didn’t mean to say that I wish you had died – I would never wish that... I only meant to express all the pains and sorrows of losing a child, and not wanting to feel that again. Nothing would have hurt more than to lose you both. And when I heard about the fire, I feared that the last thing you thought before the flames took you from this world was that I wouldn’t be hurt by it.”
“Daddy,” Eloise said. “I wasn’t hurt by your words, as much as I was hurt that you got so angry with me about something that wasn’t true. You didn’t trust me when I needed you to the most.”
Dillion pursed his lips and nodded. Part of Eloise appreciated being able to have a conversation about how they felt, but it was bittersweet that it had only come after her father had lost his cool.
However, as much as she hated to admit it, if he had helped Wilson get a horse that morning, there was a far greater chance he would have left with the deeds, and they never would’ve learned of Ryan’s guilt.
“I got the chance to speak with Wilson a moment ago, so you know,” Dillion said. “He informed me that you were hiding him from the deputy because he’d been injured, and that nothing immoral happened between the two of you. He also mentioned that Ryan falsely spread the gossip about you in town, and that he’d done the same to another woman in the past when she rejected him.”
“Did he, really?” Eloise said. “Wilson didn’t tell me about that.”
“Yes, well, it seems Wilson put forth a lot of effort to clear your name, and he and a man called Lawson discovered a woman who had no kind things to say about Ryan,” he said. “He apparently threatened to burn her house to the ground if she ever told anyone about his advances.”
“He does seem to like his fires,” Eloise noted. “Did Wilson tell you that Ryan lit the fire in the pasture last week, and he also started the one ten years ago?”
“He expressed his suspicions,” Dillion told her. “He claims that Ryan behaved strangely on the day of the fire ten years ago, and when he heard that Ryan used fire to overpower a woman, he was nervous that his obsession with fire was recurring and may be used against you, as well.”
“He was right about that,” confirmed Eloise. “Daddy, why did you agree to the deal with Ryan? He’s tried to persuade you into so many before, but you never listened to any of them until now.”
“I’m old and I’m tired,” her father admitted. “I couldn’t leave this world knowing that my daughter hadn’t been taken care of, and he made it sound so firm and well-founded. If only I had known then that the deed he held in his hand was nothing more than words on a paper...”
“He nearly killed me tonight, Daddy,” Eloise said. “I really felt it.”
Dillion’s face shone with concern as he wrapped his arm around Eloise and kissed her on the forehead. It wasn’t often that he showed affection in this way, so when he did, Eloise was sure that he meant it. She folded her arms and sighed.
“I’ve never felt so weak in my life as I did tonight,” she told him. “He was trying to take everything from me, and all I could do was hide and beg him to stop. All my life, I’ve thought I could handle anything, but Daddy, you were right. I’m not as invincible as my childish stubbornness told me I was.”
“Invincible, no,” Dillion agreed. “But, my child, you are the bravest and the strongest person I know.”
“Even if I’m nothing more than a tomboy?” Eloise said.
“Oh, but you are so much more than that,” her father assured her. “You have intelligence that exceeds the basic ‘smart,’ and you refuse to let anyone tell you otherwise. You saw through Ryan – whether you told yourself you did or not – and you knew Wilson was innocent no matter what. I’ve never known someone to be so capable of seeing through deception as you are. I only wish I’d told you I thought so sooner.”
Eloise smiled and looked her father in the eye. The loud voice of the bumbling deputy interrupted their tender moment, as he over-exaggerated his commanding voice. He and Lawson had secured Ryan, but the deputy was walking back toward the barn, apparently demanding to be shown more proof.
“I’ve been near putting an innocent man in jail once before, mind you,” Deputy Wilkens said. “If we’re gonna put a man – who says he’s innocent – in a jail cell, I’m looking to be certain he committed the crimes.”
“Okay, okay, but you haven’t given me the opportunity to explain my information,” Lawson replied. “How’s about we gather everyone together, and then I can present the evidence to the group? That way, everyone gets to hear it, and every witness gets a chance to come forward?”
“Yes, but it’s the middle of the night, as you can see, and I have the man to be delivered to jail right away,” Deputy Wilkens reasoned. “How can we go about presenting the information to everybody when it’s the latest hours, and half of everybody’s in town?”
“Well, as it happens, there’s enough from what I’ve shown you to make it necessary to keep him in a cell. As I said, we discovered him causing harm to a young woman, and that should be enough to warrant a night or two behind bars,” Lawson said, irritated. “Even if he’s denied his confession, three witnesses saw him harming a person tonight. We can gather the witnesses to his other crimes in the morning.”
“More’n three witnesses saw Mr. Pace here leaving the scene of the murder, and you informed me that wasn’t good enough evidence,” Deputy Wilkens argued.
“Yes,” admitted Lawson, rubbing his forehead. “But nobody saw the face of the man leaving the scene – only his clothing. And as I said, I can explain that, too. However, two people had to pull Mr. McKinnon off of his victim this evening, and we restrained him immediately, so we know it was him.”
“Sounds to me like you’re trying to tell me how to do my job.” Deputy Wilkens put his hands on his belt. “You wouldn’t be questioning my authority in this town, now, would ya?”
“No, sir,” Lawson assured him. “All my respect for you, sir. In fact, when all is said and done, I think I might be interested in becoming your deputy, if you’ll have me. That’s how much I do not question your authority. I value it so much, I’d like to work for you, ya see?”
“Is that right?” Deputy Wilkens said. “And what makes you think I’m looking for a deputy?”
“Oh, are you not looking to become the new sheriff?” asked Lawson. “I must’ve been mistaken by your keen ability to sniff out criminals; I thought you were looking to step up the ranks.”
Eloise laughed quietly and shook her head. It looked like Lawson was finally trying to step out of the shadows with his detective work, she thought.
Wilson and Henry finished what they could do with the barn and came back to join Eloise and Dillion, clearly enjoying the spectacle just as much as Eloise was. Deputy Wilkens narrowed his eyes and nodded, but continued his back and forth with Lawson for several more minutes.
“How can he do that the way he does?” Wilson said. “It’s amazing the level of patience and tolerance Lawson has to have to be able to carry a basic conversation with that man.”
“I’m thinking he’s probably in it for the job,” Eloise told him. “I’m betting the deputy steps down after this, or at the very least, Lawson sweet talks him into letting him become the new sheriff.”
“I would’ve thought after his discovery today, the deputy would’ve already stepped down,” Wilson said.
“Word is Earl and Vincent convinced him to keep the job, just so they could manipulate him as the new sheriff without having to take on the title themselves,” Henry said. “I don’t go to town much, but when I do, Earl and Vincent have always cooked up a new scheme to take control.”
“Yeah, well, I can tell ya, that’s not gonna last much longer,” Wilson said. “After all the work Lawson and I did in the last few hours, there’s a good chance Earl and Vincent lose their standing in this town just as quickly as Ryan – or the sheriff would have, if he was still kicking.”
“You found information on all of them?” Eloise said. “Since you left here a few hours ago?”
“Well, to be fair, Lawson was already onto something when I got there,” Wilson allowed. “I just added a little more manpower and sweet-talking to the mix. That’s all some people need, a little encouragement, and then they’ll sing their deepest secrets like a songbird.”
“Like Ryan did today, when he thought he had me under his control?” Eloise said.
“Not quite like that, but yes, same concept,” said Wilson. “I usually find that a more liquid form of courage does the job for most people, but for Ryan, I think he was a special case. He’s been fighting against his desire to be in control since we were very young. I think the power went to his head in a really bad way. It took everything in me not to knock him out the second I got my hands on him.”
“Yeah... but I have to say, I’m a bit nervous to hear Lawson’s revelations tomorrow,” Eloise said. “Nothing too shocking, is it?”
“Oh yes, you will be shocked,” Wilson promised. “But I think what we have to say tomorrow is gonna be a lot better of a shock than what you’ve gotten used to recently.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dillion and Eloise sat together at the saloon, waiting for the deputy to show up so that Lawson could present his findings to the crowd. Henry, Wilson, and Maudie were all present, as well as about a dozen people Eloise only vaguely recognized. She couldn’t help but glance at Wilson every few seconds, quickly looking away each time she realized he was looking at her, too.
“Daddy,” Eloise said. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I’d like to marry Wilson.”
“What was that you said?” Dillion raised an eyebrow. “Marriage would be a bold decision, considering the ordeal you’ve only just been through.”
“Yes, and I think that’s why I feel the way I do,” she told him. “See, when everything was going wrong yesterday and I didn’t know what to do, Wilson was the person I thought of to seek comfort. And when he arrived, I felt instantly at peace, like everything would be okay as long as we were together.
“As I watched him show compassion to Ryan, it made me want to do the same. I think that Wilson makes me want to be better, and whatever this feeling is, I like to think that it’s what true love would be like. I can’t know for sure, but I know how it feels and I don’t want it to ever stop.”
“That sounds very much like the way I felt for your mother,” confided Dillion. “It took me a lot longer to see it for what it was, and heaven knows, you’d be quite a few years older if I’d let it come as naturally as you have... But as I do with most uncomfortable things, I resisted it. I made your mother wait far too long, and we lost a lot of time for it.
“So, if it feels right to you, there’s no reason for a fool like me to prevent you from it. It would be wrong of me to restrict you from love because of my own blindness, and I see that now. Though he’s been terribly wronged by this town – myself included – I do see a genuine kindness in him. And he would care for you better than Ryan ever could have.”
Eloise smiled and glanced at Wilson again, this time staring into his bright, blue eyes instead of averting her gaze. Finally, the deputy stumbled through the door, holding his belt with both hands and showing a look of determination. Eloise noticed several members of the crowd cover their mouths to keep Deputy Wilkens from seeing them laugh.
“Just had to double check the, uh, prisoner and make sure all was in order there,” Deputy Wilkens said, standing beside Lawson at the front of the gathering. “Just so you’re all aware, we do have a prisoner held up in a cell there, and he maintains his statement that he is free of guilt. We’re still investigating the matter, but we will most likely have a conclusion before the end of the hour.”
“Right you are, sir.” Lawson patted him on the back. “Now, it took me some thinking to decide how to present the evidence, so Miss Hastings and Miss Hawthorn, if you would join me at the front, please?”
“Oh, uh, I didn’t know we were doing this,” Eloise muttered, stepping in front of the crowd.
Another girl, a few years older than Eloise, stepped up as well. She kept her arms tight to her side, staring at the floor. Eloise couldn’t help but notice the girl looked quite a bit like her. She was petite, with straight brown hair and large brown eyes.
“Not to worry, Miss Hastings, I’ll present the evidence – I just need you to confirm or deny that each statement is accurate, or correct me as necessary,” he said. “Miss Hawthorne here has already agreed to make a statement and present her evidence to Deputy Wilkens.”
“Oh... okay...” Eloise said.
“No funny business, I swear it,” Lawson promised, now addressing the crowd. “Ten years ago, on a day not much different than today, Mr. Ryan McKinnon – who has since confessed to the act, and then withdrawn his confession – started a brush fire on a neighboring property, resulting in the loss of one cow and several acres of feed for the Hastings family’s cattle. Is that correct, Miss Hastings?”
“Uh, yeah, he did confess to that, and we did have a fire like that ten years ago,” she confirmed.
“On that day – Mr. Pace, if you would join us up here,” Lawson continued, waiting for Wilson to make his way to the front. “Right, on that day, Mr. McKinnon had an argument with his then friend, Mr. Wilson Pace. While digging a trench to stop the fires, Mr. McKinnon attempted to cast away the object he’d sharpened and then used to light the fire, hiding it in the ditch.
“Mr. Pace discovered the item in the ditch, and was made uneasy by the discovery. An argument ensued, in which Mr. McKinnon claimed the piece of metal was real gold, and could be recognized by the jagged, ash-colored edge. Mr. Pace has since become somewhat of an expert in gold, and kept this charm with him, noting that it was not, in fact, real gold at all.
“Additionally, Mr. Pace had the item cleaned, and discovered that the discolored edge was not naturally the ashen color, but that real ash collected and packed into the cracks of the metal as the sharp edge was struck repeatedly against a stone, causing a fire to start. This item was lost near the Hastings/McKinnon property three days before the murder and rediscovered in the sheriff’s hand at his death.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Wilson agreed, nodding to Lawson. “I’d also add that Ryan mentioned his fascination with fire the day before the fire on the ranch back then, and when I mentioned how strange it was that he was learning different ways to light a fire just the day before, he became defensive.”
“Yes, that is good information,” said Lawson. “Now, a worker on the Hastings ranch informed me of another fire – of the same nature – which was lit intentionally on the same day that Mr. Pace’s item was lost on the property. Mr. Pace, can you recall those moments?”
“Of course,” Wilson said. “I was coming into town and paused by the ranches to reflect on my time there as a child. I pulled out the charm, thinking about the moment I found it there, and in my haste, I dropped it. I recalled that I last had it by the fencepost, and I decided to look for it the next morning.
“Once th
ere, early that morning, I noticed that the fence had been cut not far from where I’d lost my charm. It hadn’t been cut just a few hours before, so I worried foul play was involved and fled. I thought someone must have used my charm to cut the fence and taken it with them, or may still be near.”
