Dorothy Garlock - [Route 66] (39 page)

Leona pulled back and cradled his face with her hands. “I can't let myself believe that what you feel for me is anything but attraction, because we've been together so much. A couple weeks after you leave here you'll not be able to recall my face.” Her lips curved into a sad little smile. “I understand how it is with a man like you. You must understand how it is with a woman like me.”

A surge of love for her flowed through him like a river. How was it possible that this woman, of all women, with her sweet smile and calm words, could make him feel like he had the world by the tail? It was too early to blurt out his feelings. She would be sure to think it blather to get her into his bed. Not that he didn't want that. He wanted her with a need that made him so hard, he wasn't sure how much longer he could sit still.

So he said, “Will you come out with me again tomorrow night?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

“I guess you'd call it that. I've never been on one.”

Her smile grew into a throaty little laugh. “I'll have to check my calendar. I've got a date one day this week with President Hoover.”

“Smarty” He kissed her with lusty delight and started the engine.

Chapter 31

T
HERE WAS NOT MUCH TO MARK THIS MORNING
as different from other mornings. It was light, but the sun was not yet up when Yates put three gallons of gas in an old touring car.
Another family was on their way to find a better life.
Two small children were asleep on top of the couple's belongings piled in the back. After he mopped the red dirt from the windshield and collected the money for the gas, Yates handed the woman two sticks of candy.

“For the kids …later in the day.”

“Thank you! Thank you, so much.” The smile that transformed her tired face was all the thanks he needed.

Yates watched them leave. He felt good. If he was going to be here much longer he'd buy a tub full of candy sticks and give one to every kid that stopped. He grinned at his foolish thought.

At breakfast he teased Leona that now that Andy was back she had to make twice as many biscuits. Leona replied, as she had done once before, that all he thought of was his stomach. Their eyes caught. He gave her a conspiratorial wink to let her know he remembered his reply that morning. He'd said that his stomach wasn't all he thought about.

After breakfast, Andy came down to the garage. They sat on the bench in the shade, and Yates told him about his life up to the time Andy had saved it. He told him the terms of his mother's will and that he would be taking possession of his inheritance soon.

“Well, what'a ya know,” Andy said and smiled. “Somehow I thought you were a rancher. Certainly not a city man.”

“I've been a little bit of everything the past seven years. I've worked in the oil fields, hoed cotton, even picked oranges in California. I worked on a couple big ranches for a time. Getting my feet wet, so to speak. I like ranching. It's in my blood.”

A car passed on the highway, and right behind it was the sheriff's car. It pulled in and stopped in front of the garage. Sheriff McChesney and the deputy got out.

“Morning. Glad to see you back, Andy.” The sheriff spoke and held out his hand. The deputy said nothing. He leaned against the car, his arms folded over his chest.

“Glad to be back, Rex. There's no place quite like home.”

The sheriff turned his attention to Yates. “I heard that you were in town last night.”

“Yeah, I was. Is it a crime?”

“Could be. Deke was there, too, wasn't he?”

“Yeah. I had a beer with him at the PowWow.”

“Where did you go when you left the PowWow?”

“I had some private business to attend to.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Not in front of your big-eared, know-it-all deputy.”

“Is Miss Dawson here?” The sheriff switched subjects so fast it took Yates a second or two to catch up.

“Why wouldn't she be?”

“Ask her to come over.” The sheriff looked at the deputy and jerked his head toward the house. With a smirk, Wayne Ham left the car where he'd been leaning and headed for the house. Yates got to his feet.

“What's going on? That son of a bitch insults Leona every time he's near her.”

Andy stood as quickly as his crutches would allow. “I think you'd better tell us what is going on, Rex. Does it have anything to do with Virgil?”

“Why do you ask, Andy?”

“Well, I know, as you do, that Virgil has a grudge against Leona and that Wayne Ham and Virgil are close as two peas in a pod. He has helped Virgil spread the gossip that's caused folks to think bad about Leona.”

The screendoor slammed. Leona and the deputy came down the path.

“Get your hands off me, you pea-brained polecat!” Leona's angry voice carried. Yates started forward, but he stopped at the sheriff's sharp order.

“Let go of her, Wayne. What the hell's the matter with you? I told you to
ask
her to come down.”

“You wanted her here. Here she is.” The deputy gave Leona a small shove, his small, bright eyes sweeping triumphantly over Yates.

“It's customary to knock before going into someone's house.” Leona gave the deputy a look that would have frozen a hot tamale ten feet away. “This ill-mannered lout walked right in and grabbed my arm as if I was about to run out the back door.” She went immediately to stand between Yates and Andy.

“I apologize for Wayne's behavior. I didn't want to tell you this at the house because of the children. Your brother was murdered last night.”

There was a bewildered silence. Then Leona said in a choked voice, “Virgil?”

“He left the church after the evening service. Several saw his truck heading home. Abe Patton went out this morning and found him out in the yard. His head was bashed in.”

“Who did …it?” Leona asked.

“That's what I'm trying to find out.”

“You think I did?”

“At this stage, I'm not ruling out anyone.”

“Leona was here all evening, Rex. I'll swear to it.” Andy's face was covered with sweat from the effort to stay upright.

“That's good enough for me. Sit down, Andy.”

“What does Hazel say? Did she hear anyone?” Leona asked.

“I talked to Isaac, the oldest boy, through the screendoor. The house is quarantined. He said his mother was sick. I went by the doctor's office, and told Mrs. Langley to have the doc go out. I don't know if a woman her age could catch the diphtheria or not.”

“So I'm a suspect.” Yates's voice was matter-of-fact.

“No!” The denial burst from Leona. Anger and panic vied for supremacy in her mind.

“Yeah. You and Deke,” the sheriff said. “You were both in town last night, and Wayne heard both of you threaten to kill Virgil. I'm going to have to take you in for further questioning, Yates.”

“You can't!” Leona cried. “He was here with me …and Andy.”

“It's all right, honey.” Yates put his arm across her shoulders. “The sheriff's got his job to do.”

The deputy stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs.

“You'd like for me to resist, wouldn't you?” Yates said with a sneer. “I'll not give you the pleasure now. But one day, before I leave this part of the country, I'm going to knock you on your fat ass and stomp your guts into the ground.” He turned and put his hands behind him.

“Sheriff, I'd like to have a private word with Leona and Andy.”

“I don't think so.” The deputy jerked on the cuffs.

“Let go of him, Wayne,” Rex said. “I see no harm in it.”

“But…the book says—”

“To hell with the book. Go ahead, Yates. We'll be over here by the car.”

As soon as the lawmen stepped away, Yates turned his back to them and looked at Leona.

“I didn't do anything but give Isaac the money when I went out to Virgil's last night. On my way back to town, I passed Virgil going home. Tell Andy about the reward money, honey. Don't worry. The sheriff is a square-shooter even if his deputy is a horse's patoot. I'll be back.”

JoBeth and Ruth Ann had come through the garage and were crowding behind Leona. Ruth Ann peered out from behind Leona's skirt.

“Why'er they doin that to Yates?” JoBeth tried to go to him. Leona held out her arm and pulled her close.

“Daddy. Daddy.” Ruth Ann shook Andy's arm to get his attention. “I don't like him—”

“Let's go, Yates,” the sheriff called.

“Don't go,” JoBeth cried.

“I'll be back, honey. Take care of your daddy and Leona while I'm gone.”

He bent his head and quickly kissed Leona hard on the mouth. She stood in stunned silence as he turned and went to the car.

“So that's the way the wind blows,” the deputy sneered and climbed into the back seat beside Yates. “Figured it'd not take long for you to smell out free pussy.”

“Shut up, Wayne!” The sheriff turned and glared at his deputy.

Yates closed his eyes and counted to ten.
I'll not only stomp your guts out, fat boy, I'll string 'em from here to Amarillo.

Leona watched the car drive away. “What can we do, Andy?”

“Nothing, right now. If they go out and pick up Deke, Mr. Fleming will be in. He'll get to the bottom of it. He thinks the world of Deke.”

“Daddy, I don't like that man. He said he'd take me to Mr. Fleming. He took me to Uncle Virgil and …put his hand over my mouth and shook me real hard.”

“Oh, honey! The sheriff?”

“The other one. …”

Doctor Langley parked his car beside the house and walked up onto the porch. As was his duty as county coroner, he'd gone back with the sheriff when they went to get Virgil Dawson's body and bring it to the undertaker. He had intended to take the quarantine sign off the house then, but it had slipped his mind. He was glad now that he hadn't. There wasn't much of a chance that Mrs. Dawson had diphtheria, but nothing was impossible.

When he reached the door, one of the boys was there holding it open.

“Hello. Carl, isn't it? The sheriff said your mother was sick.”

“She's bad hurt. Pa done it.”

The doctor followed the boy to the kitchen. Mrs. Dawson lay face down on the floor.

“I don't know what to do!” Isaac looked up with tears streaming down his face. He had just laid a wet towel on his mother's back. “Pa …whipped her. He thinks she let Ruth Ann out of the shed. I did it. I let her out and took her home.”

“Move over, son. Let me have a look.” Doctor Langley knelt down, lifted the towel and drew in a deep breath. The woman's back was like raw meat, her dress in shreds. The floor was smeared with blood where she had crawled into the house. During all his years in medicine, he'd never seen anyone who had suffered such a vicious beating.

“Why didn't you tell the sheriff about your mother when he came to the door this morning?”

“Ma said lock the door, don't let anybody in. We didn't know Pa was dead then. He is, ain't he? I ain't sorry.”

“What we've got to do now is take care of your mother. Do you think the two of us could get her up onto the bed?”

“I can help,” Carl said.

“Good boy. Take her feet. Isaac, take her head and I'll take the middle. Careful now. We'll do it while she's unconscious, and it won't hurt her so much.”

When the doctor left two hours later, Hazel's wounds had been washed, dressed with a coat of healing salve and covered with sterile cloth. The cut on her cheek had two stitches. There wasn't much he could do for her split lip. The two boys had helped remove their mother's bloody clothes, carried water for the doctor to wash her and had found a pair of drawers for him to put on her.

Hazel had come to briefly and cried out. Her cries so unnerved the youngest boy that he ran and hid. Doctor Langley gave her a dose of laudanum and waited until she went to sleep.

“I'm taking the quarantine sign off the house, Isaac. I'll go by and speak to Pastor Muse. He'll come and bring someone to help you take care of your mother.”

“They took Pa away.”

“I know they did. I was here. The sheriff will want to talk to you.”

“I ain't talkin' to him.”

“That's between the two of you.” Doctor Langley picked up his bag. “I'll be back in a few hours. Your mother won't wake up for a while. Find your little brother and tell him that she's going to be all right.”

The doctor went out the back door and stood for a long time near the woodpile. Mrs. Dawson had splinters of wood buried in her knees, arms and the front of her thighs. This was where her husband had whipped her. She had lain face down, her arms trying to shield her face and head.

Doctor Langley's eyes searched the ground in a widening circle around the woodpile. In the bushes, ten feet away, he found the bloody buggy whip, two straps of lead-tipped leather. It was a whip that most men would not use on a horse or a mule.

There was a spot of blood on the ground near the woodpile that couldn't have been Mrs. Dawson's. Puzzled, he walked over to where the body had been found a few feet from the truck. It suddenly occurred to him what had happened. Virgil had been struck a blow at the woodpile and another, more vicious blow, near enough to the truck so that blood and brain tissue had splattered on the fender.

Why, the doctor thought, if you were going to strike a man down, would you hit him and wait for him to crawl fifteen feet before you gave the fatal blow?

Well, he told himself, he was a doctor, not a sheriff. But his years as a coroner had made him curious. He put the whip in the car and drove away from the Dawson house with the feeling that with the death of Virgil Dawson, justice had been served.

After stopping at the minister's house and telling him about the vicious beating Virgil had given his wife, he asked him if someone would go out and stay with the boys.

“We would have gone out this morning if not for the quarantine. It's hard for me to believe Virgil would do such a thing. He was a hard taskmaster, but it was for the good of the family.”

“When you see that woman, if you still believe that what he did was for the good of the family, your brains are as scrambled as his. I left the quarantine sign up longer than need be to protect the family from him.” The doctor's words were short, clipped and angry.

When Doctor Langley left the minister he went directly to the courthouse to see the sheriff. He walked into the office and tossed the whip onto the desk.