Simply Dead

by Eleanor Kuhns

  ‘I have to try,’ he said. Grasping her upper arms, he drew her into his embrace. ‘I will never forgive myself if I don’t make the attempt to warn Bernadette and something happens to Hortense. Besides, those young ruffians need to be caught. What if they come after Jerusha again?’ He felt Lydia nod against his cheek. When she drew away, her eyes were wide.

  ‘You’re right. And Jerusha is already frightened; more frightened than she is allowing herself to recognize. I will not be surprised if she experiences nightmares for a time.’

  Rees swallowed. Sometimes he still had nightmares from that summer a year ago. It wasn’t just that he’d been accused of murder or Lydia of witchcraft; that had been terrible enough. But the reactions of friends and others – the betrayals by people he’d known all his life had caused him to vow he would never return to his hometown. The betrayals still ached, an open wound that Rees feared would never heal. He would not fail his daughter.

  ‘We have to insure Jerusha’s safety,’ he said. ‘We can’t allow those young men to threaten her again.’

  Lydia nodded. ‘Yes, I see. You must go,’ she said.

  Rees changed from his threadbare cloak to his greatcoat and from his old boots to his shoes. As he approached the door, Lydia said, ‘Will you collect the children from school?’

  He turned with a nod. ‘Of course.’ Neither he nor Lydia voiced their fears. Rees wished again that Simon had remained here, under his protection. Why, anything might happen with Rees too far away to help.

  Rouge, planted in his usual position behind the bar, greeted Rees with a raised eyebrow. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I need to warn your sister. Hortense is still in danger.’

  ‘She won’t talk to you.’ Rouge put his hands flat on the wooden plank and leaned across it. ‘She says you put your hands on the girl.’

  ‘Listen,’ Rees said. ‘Your niece knows more about her abduction than she’s willing to tell. Two young men accosted Jerusha while she was collecting eggs. They wore buckskin and moccasins, exactly like the tracks I found in North Road where Hortense was taken.’ Rouge shrugged as though this was nothing important but he continued to hold himself still with total attention. ‘I followed them through the forest, until I lost the trail. It went up the side of Gray Hill. Rouge,’ Rees said, leaning forward with the intensity of his emotion, ‘I think they are trying to take Hortense back.’

  ‘But she is not at your farm anymore,’ Rouge objected.

  ‘No. That’s what I need to tell Bernadette,’ Rees said. ‘Those men waited under the trees; I know that. They could have watched you taking Hortense away. If so, they will know where she is. Bernadette needs to be alert; they may come after her daughter at her house.’

  ‘You don’t know that for sure,’ Rouge said but his forehead puckered.

  Rees said, ‘Do you want to take that chance?’ Rouge met Rees’s gaze and then dropped his eyes.

  ‘No. No I don’t.’ He took off his apron and dropped it on the floor. ‘Therese,’ he shouted over his shoulder. When the girl appeared in the kitchen door, Rees spared her only an initial glance. She wouldn’t last here; Rouge was a difficult master and hired and fired barmaids more often than he changed his shirt. The skinny blond looked at Rouge, her face creased with alarm. Was the hand that she rested on the doorframe trembling? Rouge spoke quickly in French. To Rees’s surprise, the constable’s tone was softer than the one he usually employed with the girls. After listening for a few seconds, she disappeared behind the door.

  ‘She is fetching her brother,’ Rouge explained. And then, in case Rees might be wondering, he added, ‘They are my cousins.’

  ‘Are they French?’ Rees asked. Since the XYZ Affair earlier this spring, especially the widely reported rudeness of the officials in France to American envoys and Tallyrand’s demands for significant bribes, the French were roundly despised. Not that some of the Americans were any better, according to the newspaper. More French than American; their economic interests and dissipated morals were allied with the Directorie.

  ‘No. From Quebec.’ Rouge glanced at Rees. ‘But too many people here don’t know the difference.’ Rees nodded silently. Like Rouge, his cousins would be Catholic and as foreigners besides they would be suspect. ‘I would prefer Therese take the bar – she receives less nasty comment – but Thomas’s English is better,’ Rouge added.

  Therese reappeared at the door. A young man, taller than the girl and with darker hair, appeared behind her. They nodded in agreement to Rouge’s flood of instruction. Thomas came out to the bar and picked up Rouge’s apron. He tied it on as Rouge came around and joined Rees at the front.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said, moving so fast through the front door that Rees had to take several long strides to catch up. He was very glad to know they would be walking around instead of scaling the fence as Rouge preferred. ‘Emigrees,’ Rouge explained.

  ‘What?’ Rees said.

  ‘Emigrees.’ Rouge gestured to the tavern behind them. ‘My cousins. They’ve moved here.’

  ‘Do they speak English?’ Rees asked. Although he understood some French, as did many of the residents in this District of Maine, he was not fluent.

  ‘Yes. Mostly. He does more than her.’ Rouge shrugged. ‘No one in town wants to work for me anymore. I had to search farther afield.’

  Rees managed to keep silent but he couldn’t help his mocking grin. Rouge’s bad-tempered behavior with his help was a town scandal. Of course no one wanted to work for him, or allow his daughters and sons to work for him either. And Rees expected Rouge would learn nothing from this and would continue as before when Therese and her brother went on their way.

  ‘What?’ Rouge asked. But his lopsided grin told Rees the constable knew.

  ‘Have you gone back to Gray Hill?’ Rees inquired. ‘Asked questions? So we can discover the men behind Hortense’s abduction.’

  ‘No. I’ve been busy. And tomorrow is Friday,’ Rouge said. ‘I doubt I’ll have time until next week.’

  ‘I think—’ Rees began.

  ‘No point,’ Rouge interrupted. ‘Hortense is home.’

  ‘You’re a fool if you think she’s safe,’ Rees said. He grabbed Rouge’s arm and pulled him to a stop. ‘What’s to prevent those young brutes from trying to take Hortense out of Bernadette’s house? Besides, as the constable, you should be thinking of the other young girls in this town. Do you want one of them to be abducted in Hortense’s place? Let me assure you, if Jerusha is taken I will blame you.’

  Rouge wrenched his arm away and leveled a furious glare at Rees. ‘For one sou I’d leave you out here in the street,’ he said.

  He stamped up to Bernadette’s scuffed porch. Despite Rouge’s temper, Rees followed on his heels. ‘Wait out here until I speak with my sister,’ Rouge said in clipped tones. He pounded on the door. Bernadette opened it, saw Rees, and tried to slam the door in her brother’s face. ‘Wait,’ Rouge said, ‘hear me out.’ Motioning with his forefinger, a gesture intended to caution Rees to keep his mouth shut and wait, Rouge went inside. Almost immediately raised voices penetrated the thin wood to the street outside. Rees did not speak French well enough to understand what they were saying but he heard his name several times. Deciding he did not want to hear whatever insults Bernadette chose to throw his way, he went down the steps and began walking up and down the street. Finally the door opened and Rouge whistled. When Rees turned Rouge waved at him and called, ‘Rees. Come in.’

  Rees hurried back to the dilapidated porch. Rouge, holding open the front door, gestured the other man inside.

  Bernadette stood in front of the fire with her arms folded. ‘My brother says I should listen to you,’ she said. It sounded like the words hurt her as they passed through her tightly pinched lips.

  ‘Where’s Hortense?’ Rees asked.

  ‘In her bedchamber.’ With fierce narrowed eyes, Bernadette stared at Rees.

  He took in a deep breath and started talking, repeating what he had told S
imon Rouge. Bernadette did not interrupt but her posture did not change either. When he finished, knowing he had not persuaded her, she said, ‘So you don’t know if they did see her.’

  ‘True, I don’t,’ Rees said. ‘But those young villains have shown they will not give up. I think we should plan for the worst.’

  Although Bernadette’s arms did not relax, she glanced at Rouge. He nodded. Turning to Rees, Rouge said, ‘We will think of something to protect her. Just in case. Although I truly doubt anyone will come after her in my town.’

  With that, Rees had to be satisfied.

  NINE

  The two men returned to the tavern in silence. As they neared the door, Rouge said with elaborate casualness, ‘We can drive up to Gray Hill today, if you’ve a mind. And tomorrow, if you think it necessary.’

  ‘I thought you would be too busy,’ Rees said, realizing his fears for Hortense had had some effect.

  ‘Thomas can tend the inn for me,’ Rouge said. ‘I daresay he is less likely to steal from me than most.’

  ‘Hmmm.’ Rees directed a mocking smile at the constable. ‘I expect searching for these young villains will take longer than a few hours. We have so little information.’ He stopped short of reminding Rouge that Hortense had offered almost nothing that would simplify the search. His black brows drew together.

  ‘If required,’ he said grudgingly, ‘perhaps I can spare a few hours tomorrow. But the day following is Saturday – Market Day – and I will be too busy.’

  Rees glanced at the sky. It was not quite noon; several hours remained before he must fetch the children home from school. ‘Today then,’ he said.

  Without comment, Rouge increased his speed and soon pulled ahead. But Rees could hear the other man muttering about ‘people wanting to prevent an honest man from earning a living’.

  They took Rees’s wagon although Rouge protested. ‘I wonder if you’re going to get that vehicle up the mountain. The road is steep and torturously curved. And now, at this time of year, covered with snow. When are you going to get a saddle horse?’

  Rees shrugged and didn’t answer. Saddle horses were expensive and Hannibal hadn’t been broken to either a saddle or a man on his back. Although he might attempt riding astride in a desperate situation, with his wagon he usually had little need to do so. He needed mules for plowing but if he purchased another horse he would do so for Lydia’s cart.

  By the time the two men reached the Bennett home, first outpost of human habitation, the sun was hanging over the eastern peaks. Rees guessed it was now past mid-morning. Bennett’s small house lay so close to the main road that he could see the weathered gray wood through the leafless trees. A thin plume of smoke drifted from the chimney into the sky, scenting the cold air with the fragrance of burning wood.

  Rouge turned into the snowy drive. Ruts left by iron-bound wagon wheels and horse hooves scarred the snow right down to the dirt. The wagon jolted over the uneven surface. As they approached the cabin, Mr Bennett stepped out onto his porch. When he recognized his visitors he lifted a hand in greeting and motioned them to come inside.

  They stepped into a small hall with stairs rising to the second floor at the back. Doors opened into rooms, one on each side. Most of the family seemed to be located in the room to the left but Mrs Bennett, wiping her hands on a rag, came to the door on the right.

  Lines bracketed her mouth and dark circles shadowed her eyes but there was not a trace of gray in her blond hair. Rees thought she was probably not as old as she appeared. She looked up at them curiously.

  ‘We wanted to ask you about Hortense?’ Rouge said, sounding unexpectedly pugnacious. Mrs Bennett stepped back and Mr Bennett’s eyebrows rose.

  ‘We’re trying to pin down her movements and identify the men who took her,’ Rees said, trying to temper the constable’s tone.

  Mrs Bennett’s tight mouth softened. ‘Yes, we heard what happened. Did you find her?’

  ‘Yes—’ Rees began with a nod but Rouge cut in at once.

  ‘He did. She was running through the woods barefoot.’

  ‘Oh my,’ Mrs Bennett gasped, one hand clutching at her chest.

  ‘Rees here believes those villains who took her are still searching for my niece.’

  ‘They attacked my daughter, I think because they thought she was Hortense,’ he explained.

  Both Mr and Mrs Bennett exclaimed in dismay and Mrs Bennett gestured to the kitchen. ‘Come inside.’ Her husband threw a quick look at the other room, where the sound of children’s voices could be clearly heard, and nodded.

  Rees took off his boots and padded after the Bennetts in his stocking feet. Even with thick wool socks the cold seeped through the floorboards and made his toes tingle. But a blazing fire burned in the massive fireplace. He guessed its twin warmed the main room where it could share the chimney.

  ‘Is Hortense all right?’ asked Mr Bennett.

  ‘Frightened,’ Rouge replied. ‘And she may lose a few toes to frostbite.’

  ‘When did she leave here?’ Rees asked.

  Mr Bennett looked at his wife.

  ‘Let’s see,’ she said. ‘Hiram is now almost three weeks old. So she left us almost that long ago. Maybe two weeks?’

  Rouge uttered a guttural sound of protest.

  ‘When did she first come to you?’ Rees asked.

  ‘The morning I went into labor—’

  ‘No, I meant when did you contract for her services?’

  ‘Oh. In late September.’ Mrs Bennett looked up at Rees. ‘I met Bernadette at market and asked her if she would be willing to deliver the baby. It was a trip up here but I didn’t want Granny Rose.’

  ‘You didn’t want Granny Rose?’ Rees repeated, wondering at the definite tone in Mrs Bennett’s voice.

  ‘She is a distance away …’ But Mrs Bennett did not look at him when she answered him and he knew there was more to that tale.

  ‘Yes, yes, and my sister agreed,’ Rouge said impatiently, unable to keep still any longer. ‘Let’s return to the matter at hand.’

  ‘So Hortense came to see you in October?’ Rees said, darting a glance at the constable. Although curious about Granny Rose, Rees, who saw no connection to Hortense’s abduction, allowed the matter to drop.

  ‘Both Miss Bernadette and her daughter came to examine me in early October. I believe they worked together when they could. Then Hortense came alone several times during October and the first part of November. It was Hortense who came when the pains started. That was fine. Hiram arrived without difficulty and—’

  ‘What happened when Hortense left after the birth?’ Rouge interrupted, looking at Mr Bennett.

  Rees exhaled, holding on to his temper with difficulty. Birthing and babies were in a woman’s domain and it was Mrs Bennett who would have the answers.

  Mr Bennett shrugged. ‘She climbed into her cart and drove away.’ Rees, his gaze focused on Mrs Bennett, saw the quick tightening of her mouth. She knew something. ‘I didn’t know Hortense hadn’t gotten back to town,’ Mr Bennett continued, ‘until I went to town for supplies. And that was at least a week later.’

  ‘Almost two,’ said Mrs Bennett.

  ‘You didn’t leave the farm until then?’ Rouge asked Mr Bennett. As he shook his head Rees turned to Mrs Bennett.

  ‘Did Hortense leave? Maybe for a walk? And was she gone far longer than you expected?’

  ‘Of course not, not in the snow.’ Mrs Bennett flicked a glance at Rouge. ‘Would you like some refreshment? Coffee or tea?’

  ‘They want something stronger than that,’ Mr Bennett said. He moved to the table on the opposite side of the kitchen and the whiskey jug sitting on the table.

  ‘Thank you,’ Rouge said, joining the smaller man with alacrity. But Rees shook his head.

  ‘Coffee would be fine,’ he said, following Mrs Bennett to the hearth. Under cover of the male conversation at the back, he said, ‘Did Hortense take walks in October and November when she visited you?’

 
‘No,’ said Mrs Bennett as she handed him a cup of inky liquid. Rees took a sip and choked on the bitter liquid. ‘But,’ she continued, ‘Hortense did not always turn toward town when she left us.’

  ‘She didn’t?’

  ‘No. She turned left. I saw her once, accidentally – I was looking through the window – and then I watched. She often turned left.’

  ‘Left?’

  ‘Yes. And before you ask me, I don’t know where she went afterward. Maybe she had another mother to examine …’

  Rees dissected her sentence with its careful wording. ‘But you can guess where she went?’

  ‘No. I have no idea.’ Rees wanted to shake the story from her but with a great effort of will kept silent. Mrs Bennett chewed her lower lip in indecision. ‘It’s just that,’ she said finally, ‘well, I got the impression when she arrived to deliver Hiram that she was excited about something. Happy but scared too. It was just an impression. I was otherwise occupied,’ she added with the ghost of a grin.

  ‘Do we have any cake or biscuits we can serve our guests?’ Mr Bennett said loudly from the table.

  ‘Of course. My sister baked just yesterday,’ Mrs Bennett said, moving to the crock on the counter. As she placed doughnuts on a plate, the thin wail of a newborn baby sounded through the small house and a moment later a younger woman appeared at the door. Although her hair was darker, she looked enough like Mrs Bennett for Rees to guess this was the younger sister. She held out the blanket-wrapped squalling bundle.

  ‘I think he’s hungry,’ she said. Mrs Bennett accepted the infant and with an apologetic look all around she left the kitchen. Rees heard her footsteps whispering up the stairs.

  ‘We should go,’ Rees said.

  Rouge scowled. ‘I’m just beginning to warm up,’ he said. He picked up the jug and took another swig.

  ‘Sit down and have a drink,’ Mr Bennett said with a gesture of invitation.

  ‘I’d like to,’ Rees lied, ‘but we are short of time now.’ He’d already gained the information he’d come for and anyway, with Mrs Bennett’s departure, Rees knew he wasn’t likely to learn anything more.