Amelia's Story

by C.P. Murphy

Chapter Twenty-Two

  The constable ran to Henry’s side and ordered one searcher to control the forming crowd. Henry was in deep despair and the law enforcer wasn’t surprised. The scene was an ugly one in which he had never witnessed before. He looked to the victim, and it was apparent that she had been under water the entire time the search party had looked for her. This wasn’t the girl he remembered, the girl who would sometimes stop by the station to share some warm treats she had baked, or the girl that would go out of her way to help someone else. She was exquisite then and though he was considerably older than her, he would have loved the chance to court her. Now she lay helpless on the creek’s bank. The constable was scared to see that even with swollen skin tissue; her body was full of bruises. Her hair clung to her body, full of dirt and weeds from the creek. And, her clothes seemed ripped right off of her body. He knew from the start that this wasn’t an accident. Someone had deliberately murdered this innocent girl but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. He was the man in charge but he knew right away he would need outside help. Not just because of the seriousness of the crime committed but because the community was so close, this was personal.

  Deciding that the best thing to do was to get the family, and gathering villagers, away from the scene, the constable put his hand on Henry’s arm and said, “Henry, its best you leave her now.”

  Disgusted that the constable would even consider leaving his daughter to lay there alone, Henry pushed the constable’s hand off of his arm. “No,” he answered. “Leave me alone. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Mr. Samuels,” the constable said in a more professional manner, “Let me find out what happened to Amelia.” He again reached over to help Henry up but the girl’s father wouldn’t have it and he pushed him again.

  Protecting Amelia from any more harm, Henry once again hovered over her lifeless body. What could they do to protect her? He thought to himself. If they couldn’t help her when she needed them, what were they going to do now she was gone? “Go away,” he snipped. “Go on, you get out of here.”

  The constable knew that trying to get Henry to leave would be impossible. The man needed more time. He looked around for someone to help get all the people out of there. The constable thought if just one family member left than perhaps the crowd would follow. He knew just who he needed to leave to calm the villagers. He turned his head toward that awful scream that hadn’t let up and saw young Anna in the arms of her brother. They were standing not far away from him so he could communicate with David from where he knelt with Henry. As soon as David made direct eye contact with him, the constable said, “Take her home now. There is nothing that either of you can do here.” David nodded, and the constable breathed a little easier, finally someone would listen to him. Standing beside Amelia’s siblings, the constable noticed Phillip standing there. “I need you to get a few men who can help me get Henry out of here. Can you do that?” He pleaded with Henry’s son-in-law. He could tell that the younger man was upset himself but trying to find someone in Millersport that wasn’t upset was like finding a needle in a hay stack. Then he turned back towards Henry who was crying like a baby and told him, “We will help you through this, Henry. You’re not alone.” But Henry didn’t respond at all.

  “Come on,” David said to his youngest sister and he held the blanket around her shoulders. “Shhh,” he tried to calm her. Somehow as he got her to walk beyond the crowd, someone had offered a wagon. He picked her up the same way he had done in the creek just a short while ago and placed her in the back of the wagon.

  David knew he couldn’t leave her side without her panicking more than she already was. Then he noticed Jacob Miller standing a short distance away from the wagon with an emotional Emma by his side. She shouldn’t be there either, he acknowledged. “Jacob,” he hollered and then motioned for the couple to come to him when they looked his way. Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and in between sobs told him how sorry she was. David faced Jacob and asked him to drive the wagon back to his father’s house. “I need to get Anna home but fear leaving her back here alone and for Emma’s sake, you shouldn’t allow her to go any further, anyway.” Jacob agreed and a minute later the four of them were turning away from the terrible scene and headed to safety.

  The motion of the wagon helped Anna a little but not completely. Knowing she was leaving the creek, she stopped the scream as they rode away but she still cried. She leaned against David’s chest and closed her eyes. His heart beat so fast she thought he would have a heart attack. She reached up and placed a hand on her own heart that beat just as hard. It was then she knew that they would not die themselves, they were just heart broken. She felt another hand on her arm, looking to comfort her, and she was convinced that it was Amelia. She turned her head toward the girl besides her and deliriously thought Amelia was saying, “It’s going to be all right, Anna. You must remain strong.” Anna smiled but couldn’t help but continue to cry.

  Emma was in shock herself at the discovery of her best friend’s dead body. They were so close and Emma didn’t think she could go on without Amelia there with her. Who would help her through this, she thought to herself since Amelia was always the one who helped her through everything. She reached over and tried to calm Anna down, knowing that is what her best friend would’ve wanted her to do, but the look she received from Anna was more than just a little frightening. She looked up to David and asked, “Why is she looking at me like that?”

  “Anna?” David called his sister’s direction back to him. “We’ll be home soon and we’ll take good care of you.” Feeling her head lean back onto his chest, David looked to Emma and told her that Anna must be very confused.

  The women inside the Samuels house knew that something was wrong. They heard a scream in the distance and they knew it was Anna. It had wakened Minnie and Beth out of a sound sleep and kept all three of them pacing back and forth. Ruth could see more and more men rushing down the street in the direction that Anna had said she was going. They all knew that something horrible had happened but yet they were too afraid to leave the safety of the house. Even the boys had come down the stairs and tugged on her legs, afraid of what was going on. Minnie and Beth had got them to calm down by giving them milk and cookies but the boys refused to go back upstairs. None of the women could blame them either, nobody wanted to be alone. “Someone is coming,” Ruth screeched as she looked out the front window. They all ran outside to see Jacob Miller pulling up with a wagon that had passengers in the back.

  David jumped out of the wagon and then reached in and carried Anna out like a baby. He told Emma to stay where she was and then told Jacob to take her home. He walked towards the house, towards the anxious family waiting for answers, with Anna in his arms as the wagon pulled away. Their faces looked confused, and he then realized that they didn’t yet receive the bad news. He heard them calling his name and could sense all of their questions in that one word. David walked towards Ruth and handed Anna over to his Aunt as if she was an infant.

  Ruth helped him with the girl she sent away a while ago hoping she would calm down. Apparently she did just the opposite and Ruth wished that she left well enough alone. “David, we thought you had news.”

  David stood before the three women and the boys and had no idea what to tell them or how. He looked to his wife and hoped that she would understand why he felt a need to reach out to his sister before her. Tears streaked down his face as he pulled Minnie close to him and whispered loud enough for all to hear, “I’m sorry Minnie. Our sister is gone.” Then he held onto her with all of his might as he felt her fall to the ground.

  “God no,” Minnie cried as she felt the earth pulling her down. She had been so hopeful all the while and couldn’t believe that it would end that way. Minnie thought of the conversation she had with Amelia the last time she saw her. She blamed herself knowing that her sister was distressed; she should’ve never let Amelia leave her house. The guilt that took over her, she let the earth win, and
she fell to the ground with David in her arms.

  Beth looked to Ruth who was cradling Anna. The horrible scream they’ve heard made sense now. Anna wouldn’t have screamed like that if she had found Amelia alive, she must have been there when they found her. Then Beth turned to her husband and her heart went out to him. He was embracing Minnie at the moment and Beth just stood back and watched. She needed him too but knew that the siblings would need each other more than anything and because of that didn’t mind at all he hadn’t yet come to her. Beth realized that she wasn’t alone, and that someone needed her for comfort. She looked down to see Charles squeezing her leg with all of his strength. Through her own tears, Beth could see the little boy crying. She reached down and returned his embrace. Right after, the other boys who were looking for someone to help them too rushed over to her side and almost knocked her down. She didn’t care, she loved that they felt safe with her. “I will take these little ones into the house,” she informed the rest of the family. They didn’t seem to notice her or hear what she said but she understood and knew that in time, they would come to her too. She decided that she would remain strong for their sakes.

  Back at the creek, the constable had found another searcher and told him to grab a couple of willing men and leave for the county seat, straight away. They would need help and they would have to make arrangements for an autopsy. He knew that they couldn’t send Amelia’s body there until they were successful at removing her father first. The constable continued, “Send a couple of men to Albany to find a judge willing to travel down here for trial. Tell him about Buchanan, the ribbon found in his house, and that he is locked up. I think a judge would agree that we have enough on Buchanan to put him on trial and when he learns of the circumstances, I think he’ll even agree to get this trial over and done with.” Then as the searcher left, the constable grabbed him by the shoulder once again. He wished that they didn’t have to travel so far to retrieve higher authority. The county had a District Attorney who handled any small case without the aid of a judge and though he would preside over this case for the offence, he wasn’t qualified to control something as murder. Just the word murder sent chills down his spine and even a man of power like himself had felt a tear fall for Amelia. “I know it’s a long trip up there but if you can, please come back as soon as you find help. We will need you here.”

  By now many of the villagers have left but a few remained for answers. One man still behind was Thomas Van Martin. Thomas had stood several rods away from the victim’s body but had shown no signs of distress. The constable found that odd considering he had just announced his engagement to Amelia. Instead of shock on his face, Thomas looked more pleased than sad. The constable shook the thought off of his mind; there was no way that one of Millersport’s most respectable citizens could’ve done something like this. Besides, he reminded himself, they already had the stranger in custody and everyone involved knew that he was the one responsible. Still, he couldn’t seem to get Thomas’ look off of his mind.

  “Can I help you with anything?” Daniel Van Martin had asked the constable. Daniel was stricken with grief at the sight of his would have been daughter-in-law. Right away he prayed that what had happened had nothing to do with his blackmail to Henry. It couldn’t have, he told himself. He realized that he hadn’t been a friend to Henry since he discovered the man’s dirty secret just a few weeks before. Seeing him behaving so insane over her body, Daniel knew that he had to be there to help Henry through this tragedy.

  Snapping out of his instinctive thoughts of Thomas, the constable turned to the boy’s father. “Oh Daniel,” he breathed a sigh of relief; someone else to help out. He turned his head back toward Henry and noticed that Daniel had followed his eyes. “I need help with him. We can’t find out what happened until he learns to let go.”

  Daniel was more than happy to help out but was skeptical about whether Henry would allow him, of all people, to help. He had noticed that most of the people who had been standing around just moments ago had scattered in separate ways. Going to their homes to grieve, he without a doubt told himself. He told the constable he would see that Henry gets home and then headed over to the man who he knew hated him.

  It bothered Daniel to be so close to Amelia’s body. Before he viewed it from afar but, he was just inches away and the sight was gruesome. The smell was enough to turn his stomach. Daniel did not understand how Henry could just stay there and not let it get to him. Henry didn’t budge at all when Daniel put an arm around him; he thought for sure he would object. “I’m very sorry.” Henry glanced at him and he continued, “We’ve haven’t been good friends but you know that I’m your friend and I want to help you.”

  Henry looked up to Daniel and for the first time didn’t see the blackmailing man he recently knew. He didn’t know if it was confusion but out of nowhere, Henry knew that he needed Daniel more than he ever thought he would. “How did this happen?” Henry asked Daniel.

  “I don’t know,” Daniel answered. “That is why we have to let the constable do his work. Come with me, let me take you home.” Daniel couldn’t remember a time in his life he had been so soft but supposed that Amelia had that effect on everyone she came in contact with. All he knew at the moment was that he liked the way he was behaving and hoped that he would remain that way.

  “But what about Amelia?”

  Daniel overheard the constable set up an autopsy and knew that once they could get Henry off of the victim, they would send her body away. He thought for a moment on how to tell this to Henry in fear that Henry would object once more and again throw himself to the body. “Henry,” he said, knowing he must, “They will take her away for a while.” Then he saw a look of fear in Henry’s eyes and continued, “They’ll bring her back, I promise. And while she is gone, the constable and some other men will go through this area and find out what happened.”

  For the first time since his departure from the water, Henry stood. He felt wobbly at first but knew that his weak legs had to at least walk him home to where he knew his family would wait for him. It killed him to leave her but knew it was for the good. Soon, he assured himself, they would have all the answers and his family could cope with all that has happened. He felt Daniel put an arm around him and was overwhelmed at his body’s welcome to it. Everything spun but Daniel’s grip had prevented him from falling down.

  “Take a drink,” Daniel instructed as he guided a canteen towards Henry’s mouth. Daniel held on tight to keep Henry upright. Then he looked around to see who was still hanging around and spied Thomas a few rods away. His son gave him a look of disapproval but Daniel didn’t care. He returned his attention to Henry and walked the grieving man home.

  When Henry arrived home, his family flocked to him and gathered in a family embrace. Everyone was upset and full of disbelief but Henry and Anna were the worst. Though Anna’s screaming stopped when she was in the wagon, she had shown little movement since she returned. Before Henry’s arrival, David had explained to the others it was Anna who had discovered the body and then they understood what the scream was about. He knew she was in shock and that something had to be done. Henry had a blank stare in his eyes and his body shook tremendously. He decided that the two of them needed help and wished that he had taken the time to learn about his father’s business but he hadn’t; Amelia did. He whispered, “I’ll be right back,” in Beth’s ear and then snuck out the door.

  He ran through the village to the house where he knew his father’s employee lived in and then pounded on the door. It didn’t take long for the young man to answer. “David,” he started. “I wanted to give my condolences on your loss but thought I should give your family some time alone before I came to your house.”

  David shook the employee’s hand. He appreciated the condolence and wondered how many people had said that to him when he was still at the creek. Everything happened so fast he didn’t know. “We need you to come now,” he instructed.

  “What is wrong?”

 
; David put his hand on his head, it was aching. Taking charge of family matters like this was unexpected, and it weighed on his shoulders. He thought for sure, no matter what the conditions, that his father would have kept it together but it was apparent that for the time being he wasn’t. “I think Anna might be in shock and my father just stares and shakes. You are the only person in the village who has knowledge of how to help people besides my father. Is there something we can do?”

  The employee shut the door behind him and told David that they first had to go to the store to retrieve supplies. The employee had the key in his pocket and thought about how Henry had given it to him while they searched for Amelia. He had told him he should have it in case they needed medical supplies and he wasn’t around. They rushed inside and the employee grabbed a few things and threw them into a bag and then they left to return to the Samuels house.

  When they arrived back at the house, Anna was still standing in the hallway. Beth was trying to get her to sit down, but it was if she was talking to an empty shell. She glanced at David and the employee when they walked into the house and then let out a sigh of relief.

  Henry was sitting in the parlor with his head in his hands and when the employee called out his name, he looked up but the blankness was still in his eyes. Ruth, Beth, Minnie, and Phillip now gathered around the two men who had just walked. “I think they both need to get sleep. After they awake, we can see how they behave and go from there,” he whispered to them.

  “We’ve tried to get both of them to rest,” Ruth answered. “And it doesn’t help that neither of them rested while the search went on.” The others agreed with her but the employee held up the bag in his hand, telling them they would sleep now.

  “I have something that will help them sleep but first we have to get them into their beds.” David and the employee had agreed to help Henry up to his bedroom. The elder resisted, but they had a strong hold on him and told him it was for his own good. Both of them hoped that once Henry was feeling better, he would understand what they were doing. It took time, but they got him into his bed. Phillip had picked Anna up and took her up to her room.

  “What are you doing?” Henry demanded. It was the first thing he’d said since his employee arrived at his house. He wondered what the employee was doing there and why he had been carrying the medical bag. “I’m fine,” he insisted as he realized they were putting him down in his bed. “Stop this nonsense, I need to get back out there and find Amelia.”

  David cocked his head and looked at the employee. The employee wasn’t surprised by Henry’s remark. Tragedies had a way of making people say crazy things. He looked back at David to assure him that everything would be all right and to play along with his father. “Yes, of course Sir. We thought you could take a quick nap so you keep up your strength.” Henry objected as the employee knew he would so he went on, “Okay than, have it your way. But at least drink this water before you head back out. It sure is a hot day out there.”

  David stood with his arms crossed over his chest, wondering if it would work and to his amazement, it did. His father had picked up the glass and put it up to his mouth. At first he only took one sip, but the employee continued to remind Henry how warm it was and how the drink would do him some good. Henry opened his mouth up wide and drank the rest of the water in one sip. Then David worried again as his father attempted to get out of bed but soon after realized that his father wasn’t going anywhere. The employee had put a sleeping remedy into the water and it affected the elder man right away. When Henry showed signs of being dopey, the two younger men had swung his legs onto the bed and Ruth entered to tuck him in. Before he could say anything else, Henry was sound asleep.

  Treating Anna was easier since she wasn’t coherent. David had asked him how he would get her to sleep and was a little nervous when the employee showed him a needle he took out of the bag. “I have to,” he assured all that were watching him. “She won’t drink and has to rest,” he continued as he prepped her arm for the shot. Anna didn’t fight him at all and the family wondered if she even knew what was going on. Within seconds the needle was in and out of her arm and the employee was rubbing a swab over the sore area. When he was done, Minnie had laid Anna back onto her pillow and within minutes her eyes had shut.

  The others had returned to the sitting-room and thanked the employee for his help. He said he was glad to be there and that they could depend on him for anything else if needed. “I’m leaving other remedies behind, more sleeping powder in case any of you need it. It’s important that you all get proper rest tonight so it might be a good idea to use it. Also, some ailments for headaches since I could already tell that you have one,” he said as he looked into David’s eyes.

  The family thanked him again, and he left feeling better knowing he had helped a family in need. “We all should get sleep,” Ruth instructed the others as the door shut. She knew in tradition of deaths, friends and neighbors would stop by and she thought they should all be rested before they arrived. They all agreed with her and within a few minutes they were scattered throughout the house finding blankets, pillows, and a place to lie down. They only slept for a few hours but it was rest well needed.