And Here I'll Stay

by Rita Hestand

  He stared.

  "Oh, you don't understand. This is better than what you are thinking." He chuckled as though to himself. "I'm not gonna kill you. I'm gonna make a grave and make him think I did." Frank laughed.

  Now she stared. Could it possibly be any worse?

  Quinton laughed, "Yeah, and he'll probably go back and marry that little gal in town, what was her name Frank?"

  "Susan!" Frank smiled at her. "Yeah, she sure doesn't like you. This would suit her fine and pay her back for all the information she gave us."

  "You'll kill him!" she wailed miserably.

  "What do you mean?" Frank stared at her again.

  "It's a long story, and I won't bore you with the details, it would seem Susan has told you everything anyway."

  "Boy, you got this one figured out Frank. He'll pine for her, and that little Susan will comfort him, and he'll fall for her and marry her since she's dead!"

  "They may never find your trail." She told Frank.

  "That's true, and if so, all the better. But if they do, your grave will be waiting for him. Maybe he'll turn around and go home then, when he knows your dead."

  "Then I might as well be dead too!" she insisted.

  "Quinton, dig the grave." Frank shot Quinton a glance.

  Quinton laughed and started digging.

  She heard the dirt fly, smelled the clean earth. Anna watched and felt her heart barely thump. What he meant to do to Joe was beyond cruel.

  "What are you going to do with me?" she muttered miserably.

  "Take you about a hundred more miles away and turn you lose on your own. If you find a way back, so be it. You are out of our hair. If not, someone else will have to make you a real grave." Frank chuckled. "And I won't have killed you at all, will I?"

  Anna nodded, "Very clever. I hate to admit but you've out witted me."

  "I've been thinking all along what to do. This is best, this way I'm not guilty of your murder. After we are sure they aren't on our trail, we'll circle back around and get the money and be on our way, once and for all. No problems."

  "I gotta hand it to you Frank, that's damn clever." William finally spoke up.

  "Problem with most outlaws is they don't think. I can tell by the look on your face, you weren't expecting all of this, were you?" Frank came closer to her.

  "No, I wasn't." she admitted, her voice hollow now. "I thought you'd kill me."

  "I'm not that mean!"

  "Oh yes, yes you are!" she shouted.

  Quinton made a nice neat little grave and looked quite proud of himself.

  Frank looked it over, "Tear part of the sleeve of her dress off and drape it around the cross you made."

  Quinton chuckled again and came up to her, tearing the sleeve of her dress away.

  He wrapped it around the cross and smiled at his work.

  "What do you think?" he asked Frank.

  "Looks good, take that hair clip off her head and put it down there too." Frank told him. "He'll probably recognize that for sure."

  Quinton jerked the hair clip from her hair and clipped it to the material.

  "Good."

  They rode on.

  That night tears did come to Anna as she realized the hopelessness of it all. But the one thing that comforted was the fact that Joe had loved her, and right now, that made her hold on.

  She silently cried herself to sleep.

  ***

  "You saw her, father?" Joe asked, his voice hoarse with emotion as he spoke to the priest.

  "Yes, I did. She looked straight at me, and she looked bereft."

  "Thank you, father, which way were they headed?"

  "I watched for a while and I saw them take the hill trail." The father told them.

  "Thank you, you've been a great help." Joe shook hands with him.

  "I hope you find her. She was just here this morning, praying for you and your men." He told him, then smiled, "And that she be with child!"

  Joe's face turned white now, to hear those words, now, of all times made his heart both swell and cried out to her. God, he had to find her. She was part of him, had always been, and nothing could tear them apart.

  "Thank you again, father."

  "Good luck my son, I will pray for you also, and her."

  Joe smiled and they all rode off.

  With child! My God, he hadn't given that a thought, but she very well could be. If they hurt her, he'd kill them. That was a promise he made to himself. It both warmed his heart to know she cared enough to come here to pray for him and his men, but to pray for her to be with his child made him love her even more, if that were possible.

  She was his wife, his love, his future.

  They rode on in haste.

  That evening over a campfire, Burt sat down on a rock and glanced at Joe. "We're getting closer, I can feel it."

  "Feel it?" Joe asked.

  "You been a lawman as long as me, you can sense a lot of things coming. The man we are dealing with is a shrewd one, that much I can tell you. All this time, we've been waiting for them to make a run for it. But they were plotting this out. Thinking about it. The one thing I don't understand, is how they knew they could get horses at your place. Someone had to be talking in town." Burt told him.

  Joe studied on that, oh yeah, and he knew who that someone was. Susan! Right now, he'd like to ring her pretty little neck!

  He cringed.

  "Then instead of getting their own horses and riding out, like we kept expecting them to, they walked to your place. Whoever talked in town gave them a lot of information."

  "Susan, Susan Dixon. She's the one that talked, I'd bet my life on it." Joe muttered as he threw the rest of his coffee on the ground.

  "Why would she do such a thing?"

  "She's the biggest gossip in Texas." Joe grit his teeth.

  "She was pretty sweet on the boss," George told Burt as Joe walked off. "And she sure don't like Miss Anna."

  "Jealousy, that will make a woman do a lot of stupid things." Burt shook his head.

  "Poor old Trapper, he didn't see it coming. No one would have. Comin' on foot like that!"

  "Well, we know they aren't your typical dumb cowboys." Burt sipped his coffee then threw the grounds away. "They are clever. Sneaking up on foot like that on a ranch, that's pretty smart."

  "But why would this Susan tell them anything?" George asked.

  Burt stood up thinking on it. "One of them was young, and probably got to talking to her."

  "She's a pretty young thing, but pure stupid." George shook his head with distaste. "Now I understand why Anna didn't care for her much."

  "She'll get a piece of my mind when we get back," Joe told them as he came toward them now.

  "Susan Dixon, isn't that the gal that had her horse die on her the other day?" Burt scratched his head.

  "Yeah, it is, why?" Joe asked.

  "Well, the doc came by my office and talked to me. He said that horse had been beaten badly. Now it was her horse and I can't think of a law I could use to arrest her, but one thing I'm sure about. She killed her own horse. What do you do with a gal like that?"

  "Are you serious?"

  "So serious I went to talk to her father about it. He said she had a nasty temper at times and sometimes she took it out on the animals. But even he was surprised at that. He said he'd take care of it, himself."

  "Do you think he meant it?" Joe asked.

  "Yeah, I was there when she came in and he talked to her straight. She finally broke down in tears and admitted she whipped the horse. He told her to get a job or leave home. And that from then on, she take a wagon into town, not a horse."

  "Your kidding?" George chuckled.

  "No, he said another horse died about two years ago, and he had no idea why. And he suspected it was her and her temper tantrums. She has a bad temper and she gossips to get even with people."

  "Well, she sure as hell got even with Anna." Joe said trying not to sound emotional, but his hands fisted as he spoke.
>
  Everyone nodded silently.

  "I won't be forgetting it." Joe told them.

  "Me neither," George mumbled.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Three days later they had stumbled onto the grave and Joe looked at it and stared. He stared so long no one said a word, they all knew what it meant. He walked away and stared out over the countryside. At first, his heart broke, and he felt like beating something or killing something, then reason set in and something else.

  He could feel it in his heart, and he started to smile. Everyone was watching him and when he smiled no one knew what was going on.

  "She's not dead!" Joe told them.

  George looked over at Joe, saw the lone tear that rolled down Joe's cheek, and the stone face he made.

  "Boss I—"

  "She's not dead!" Joe repeated. "Why would they kill her? She's their get-away?"

  Burt studied on the matter a moment. "You could be right."

  "I know I am. I feel her. I know she's alive. If she were dead, I'd feel it."

  They all looked at each other now, then Joe.

  "I know you don't understand," Joe looked at all of them. "But I'd know if she were dead. I'd feel it. I don't know where she is, or how she is, but I know she isn't dead."

  They moved on, but from that time on, everyone became more silent, and more determined to find the men that did this.

  No one thought she was alive but Joe.

  But he insisted it was a trick and he wasn't falling for it.

  Two days later they caught up to Quinton who had one of the brood mares that belonged to Joe. Joe pulled him up and beat the tar out of him, until Burt pulled him off of him.

  "What did you do with her?" Joe asked.

  "With who?" Quinton acted innocent.

  "Anna. Where is she?"

  Quinton stared into Joe's red face and smiled slowly. "We buried her; didn't you see the grave?"

  "I saw it, I don't believe it. Now, where is she?" Joe still had a hold of the kid's shirt collar.

  "I dug the grave myself. She's dead, I tell you?"

  "I don't believe it." Joe shouted. "You're lying."

  "Suit yourself mister." Quinton hollered and glanced at the Sheriff. "You gonna let him beat the hell out of me?"

  "Son, if she's alive and you ain't telling us, I might." Burt told him.

  "Like I said, she's dead." Quinton didn't change his story.

  Burt glanced at Joe. He put the cuffs on the kid, and they made camp. As Joe and George made supper, Burt studied the kid. "Then if she's dead, I guess we'll have to charge you with murder kid, and you'll swing."

  "I didn't kill her." Quinton yelled. "You can't prove I killed her."

  "Can you prove you didn't?"

  The kid turned white. "I didn't do it. I tell you."

  "Who did?"

  "Frank, it was all his idea."

  "Frank who?" Burt asked.

  "Frank Miller."

  "Can you prove it?" Burt asked.

  "Well, no I can't prove it. But I ain't never killed a woman before."

  "Now how do I know that?" Burt asked.

  "I'm tellin' you!"

  "That ain't good enough. Unless we catch this Frank, we'll have to charge you with the murder." Burt insisted.

  Joe listened in agony. He knew the Sheriff was trying to wiggle information out of the kid and he had to keep quiet, but every time they talked about Anna being dead, he wanted to yell!

  She wasn't dead, he would know if she was. They were so close to each other; he'd know for sure if she was dead.

  Still Burt kept at the kid most of the night and Joe listened.

  "Where is this Frank fella?"

  "He took another trail."

  "Well son, I hate to tell you this, if we don't find him. You'll face murder charges for Anna Callahan's death. You understand?"

  "It ain't fair. I didn't kill her!"

  "You’ve said that, but you don't have any proof of that statement, do you?"

  "Don't a man's word mean anything?" Quinton asked.

  "Not when they rob and kill it don't hold much water kid. Don’t worry though, hanging is an easy way to die, don't take long at all." Burt told him and walked off.

  They tried to pick up Frank's trail but had no luck.

  "Joe, I hate to tell you this, but it doesn't look like we're going to find his trail. The rain last night would have washed out his tracks."

  Joe sighed heavily, "I know."

  The way he said that, so hopelessly, Burt put his hand on his shoulder. "We got to turn back son. I'm sorry."

  Joe nodded. Still he felt Anna inside him. He felt her courage and her fears.

  He knew she was alive somewhere.

  "I know you are right. But I can't turn back yet."

  "Son, I've got another angle."

  "Oh, want to share it with me?"

  "Yeah, but not everyone. Susan has shown me that letting too many in on an idea could ruin it."

  He pulled Joe off to the side while his deputy watched Quinton.

  "They robbed that bank, I'm sure of that. And something tells me, they split up for a reason. The money isn't with them, so they left it back either in town, or on the way out. I figure I can catch this Frank Miller if I get back. I'm working on the kid and eventually when he sees he's gonna hang, he'll start talking, I'm sure of that. He's young and doesn't want to die."

  "You're probably right about that." Joe nodded.

  "Let's go home and set a trap for him."

  "I can't believe she's dead, Burt. I just can't."

  "I know that son, but if she isn't, then maybe we can find out where she is." Burt stared into Joe's eyes seeing the pain there.

  Joe nodded dully. He didn't want to go back, he wanted to find Anna. She was out there somewhere; he just didn't know where.

  Joe told his men they were going back, and the men looked surprised.

  They mounted up and headed home.

  Joe's heart was heavy. If Anna were alive, he had to find her. After they set the trap and caught this Frank character, he was going back after her. But he knew he had an undaunting task ahead of him. He would dig the grave up. If she was there, he'd have to come to terms with it, if she wasn't, he wouldn't quit looking for her.

  It took nearly a week to get back home.

  Maria and Pearl were frantic.

  "You didn't find her?" Maria looked so upset.

  "No, we didn't. I've got to help the Sheriff, when that is over, I'm going back out to look for her.

  Maria nodded, made the sign of the cross and went to cook everyone a meal.

  Joe didn't want to tell the women about the grave. He just couldn't do that.

  After dinner Joe and Burt interrogated Quinton once more.

  "I told you I didn't have anything to do with it. I dug the grave, that's all." Quinton hollered.

  "Well, like I said, if we don't have anyone else to charge for the murder, then we'll have to charge you with it." Burt told him. "You can't prove this Frank did it, can you?"

  "No!" Quinton snapped. "Then son, I hate to tell you, you'll hang for it."

  "But it ain't right. I didn't do it!"

  Burt nodded to Joe. "I'm gonna take him in and lock him up. The circuit judge will be here in about a week. We'll try him then." He told Joe in front of Quinton. "Oh, by the way, Quinton, where did you hide the bank money?"

  Quinton turned red. "I didn't hide it."

  "No, Frank did that too?"

  "Yeah, Frank did it."

  "That's too bad, because if we knew, the judge might go easier on you, if you turned that money in. You might just get twenty or thirty years."

  Quinton swallowed hard. "They wouldn’t hang me?"

  "No, not if you cooperate. If you don't, they will though for sure. Killing a woman is really frowned upon by the law."

  He started to take him out and Quinton stopped in his tracks. "They won't hang me if I tell?"

  "No, I'd see to that." Burt assured h
im.

  "It's at the church."

  "At the church, what church?" Burt asked.

  "The Catholic church down the road from where we came. It's hidden under the baby Jesus. Frank told me."

  "Who else was with you, a third man was with you too, what was his name?"

  Quinton grit his teeth, "I didn't know him too well. His name was William. Frank picked him up along the way. He was good with a gun."

  Burt turned to Joe and smiled, "Doug, take him in and lock him up good."

  "Yes sir," The deputy nodded.

  "They won't hang me?" Quinton asked.

  "No, they won't hang you son. But you'll do some time. That is if we get the money before Frank does."

  Quinton sighed, "How am I gonna know for sure?"

  "I'll let you know, kid. That I promise."

  When the deputy left with Quinton Burt sighed heavily. "Looks like we got some bait now."

  "You want to start staking it out now?"

  "Yeah, the sooner the better."

  Joe nodded, "Want a couple of my boys to go with us?"

  "That might not be a bad idea. More eyes are better than just yours and mine." He chuckled.

  Joe told Maria he had to go with Burt, and he'd be back soon, he hoped.

  Maria nodded. Then suddenly she burst out, "I don't think she's dead either."

  One of the boys had told her what had happened. But she looked at Joe with a sad smile. "Keep that thought, Maria." Joe told her.

  She nodded.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Burt and Joe, George and Randal all went to the church. They went inside to talk to the priest.

  "You've returned, I hope all is well, everyone is safe now?" the priest smiled at them.

  "Not exactly father," Joe told him. "But the money those men stole from the bank is on your property and we're going to need to hide out here until someone comes to pick it up."

  "Of course, is there anything I can do to help?"

  "No, just play along, stay out of sight, keep your people away from the front yard." Burt suggested.

  "I'll do that." He smiled at them.

  Melanie was inside the church praying and saw Joe and came running up to him. Burt left with the other men as she started talking to him.