by C.P. Murphy
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next three days were frustrating and nerve ending for the Samuels. They wanted answers that nobody seemed to have had at that point. Once Henry fell asleep on that dreary day, he didn’t wake until the next morning and when he did; his mind was clear and ready to focus on the situation. Anna didn’t have it so easy. The sleeping remedies she had received only worked for a little while and then she woke from nightmares of her sister’s death. Ruth could comfort her enough to get her back to sleep but only until the image reappeared in her mind. By the next afternoon, she was fully awake but still upset about what was going on. Everyone was, but Anna took it harder than the rest and they were convinced it was because she was the one who found Amelia’s body in the creek.
Friends and neighbors stopped by often and some of them, such as Emma and the Van Martins, stayed for as long as possible. Reverend Mayer had come often to pray with the family. He also sat with Henry to discuss funeral arrangements but the date would have to wait until her body returned. Henry was growing furious. He couldn’t stand the wait any longer. He was making his way through the house towards the kitchen when he stopped and put his hand over his heart. It was breaking underneath his skin. He closed his eyes before opening the door that lead to the kitchen and tried to smell the food that Amelia had prepared. His senses had detected scents of food but it wasn’t Amelia’s and he knew that. He missed her so much and wondered if that empty feeling inside of him would ever go away. He entered the kitchen when he heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was just another neighbor, he continued to take a seat at the table. Then he recognized the constable’s voice and knew that information was coming his way. He jumped up and raced to the sitting-room where the constable stood with the rest of the family. “Do you have news? Is she home?”
The constable turned towards Henry and smiled the best he could in the situation he was in. Yes, Amelia was home, but it wasn’t her, it was just her body. As soon as he received word from the coroner, he rushed over to discuss what they knew with the family. “Mr. Samuels,” he began, “Her remains are over at the church, ready for her service.” He made a gesture as if to ask if he may sit down and without a direct answer, he sat and faced the entire family.
“What happened?” It was a question that wasn’t asked by one particular person but all the adults in unison.
“Henry,” he said to the elder of the house. “Perhaps we should talk in private.”
Henry was about to agree with the constable but the others wanted to be a part of the conversation too. They all objected but David pleaded, “No Father. Please allow us to listen. We will ask you for every detail anyway if you don’t let us listen now.” Henry nodded and remained in his seat.
The constable understood and was glad to oblige. He figured it would have been too emotional for the others to hear. “The autopsy report states she had water in her lungs at the time of her death. Her cause of death is drowning.”
“Can I see this report?” Henry asked. He trusted everything that the constable said but wanted to see for himself.
“I can get a copy but I have to warn you it’s very hard to understand.” The constable informed him. “In fact, it was explained to me so I could explain it to you.” He saw Henry nod his head and then fumble with his fingers and knew that it was all right to go on. “It gets harder from here so if anyone wishes to leave, now would be a good time.”
Henry looked to Ruth and then to the others, they weren’t going anywhere. The younger boys were playing a game in the corner and they didn’t seem to pay attention but, he didn’t want them to hear. He asked for them to go upstairs and they listened. It wasn’t until he heard the bedroom door shut behind them he allowed the constable to continue. “Go on,” he instructed.
The constable looked down to his shoes. He had never done this with a family before and stumbled over his words. How he wished that he was there to report a stolen cow instead of an apparent murder. “You saw the bruises on her face and arms but those were not the only ones. She had larger bruises underneath her breast and two her ribs were broken.”
The thought of some stranger seeing Amelia’s naked body to perform the autopsy made David uneasy. “What could have caused that?” He asked.
“We’re not sure yet but we’ll find out. I promise you that.” Then he continued. “She had several puncture wounds on her legs and back, as if she was dragged against rocks and sharp branches.” He noticed the look of shock on their faces but went on anyway, “And there were more bruises,” but he was interrupted before he could go on.
“Where?” Henry had asked. From the sounds of things, his daughter had been hit in every possible place by someone or something. The thought of where these other bruises were made him very uncomfortable.
The constable looked to the ladies of the house and wished that they would leave. Nobody knew for sure what happened as yet but Amelia had been abused. They waited for him to answer so he spoke as soft as he could, “On her upper and inner thighs. The bruises appear to resemble marks of hands, one large and then several smaller ones just inches above, on both sides of her legs.”
Anna let out a cry as did Minnie at the thought of someone hurting their sister in that area. Henry looked to Ruth and demanded that they leave the room. Ruth stood and took them both by the hands and led them out of the room. The last statement by the constable was too much for them and they didn’t even try to object. Beth could tell that she wouldn’t like what was coming next, so she also stood to leave when the others did.
“Are you suggesting,” Henry asked about the bruises but the constable didn’t give him the chance to finish. He was nervous and picked at his hat he held in his hands. He didn’t want to go on, but they had the right to know everything. “The report says there is evidence of an entry and we believe she was raped.”
That was too much for the three men to hear. Phillip bent over and covered his mouth, but it was too late and he vomited on the floor. David took a candle holder and threw it which knocked over a lantern that wasn’t lit. Henry was too upset to notice his son’s behavior but wouldn’t have cared if he noticed. He leaned back on the sofa and covered his face then let out a scream of disgust. “My little girl was raped?” The constable understood that they had to let out their frustrations. Henry continued, “I want that son of a bitch hung straight away.” He wasn’t the kind of man who used foul language but learning more of Amelia’s fate had brought out the worst in him.
“A judge will be here this weekend and we’re set to begin trial on Monday,” he said to assure Henry that justice would be served.
“What do we need a trial for,” Phillip shouted. A part of him wished that he’d never learned what happened to his sister-in-law. He realized that it had been easier to know that she was dead than to hear more details. He thought about Patrick Buchanan, friends had told him that the man just about confessed by saying it was his fault. “Buchanan admitted what he had done. Why can’t we just hang him?”
“Trust me,” the constable said in hopes to calm the men down. “I knew Amelia, and she was a big part of this community. I would like nothing else but to see him put to death but the judge doesn’t feel the same way. He ordered for a trial and we must go with it. But don’t worry; once Buchanan confesses in front of the judge, it will all be over.”
Phillip had left to clean himself up as Henry and David continued talking to the constable. Henry asked about the large bump he felt on the back of her head and the constable confirmed that it was in the report but wasn’t the direct cause of death. “It could be related though,” he added. “If she was hit in the head and then fell into the water, she might’ve been unconscious. But we won’t know that, until we hear from the only witness, her killer.”
They wrapped up their conversation and though it hurt him to hear what had happened, Henry thanked the constable for stopping by and letting them know everything he knew. He told him about his plans for the funeral. The constable pr
omised to spread the word to let the villagers know, and then was off to continue in his investigation.
The women had returned to the room and could tell by the odor of vomit and by the broken lantern that something serious had happened but none of the men had offered to fill them in on what they missed. They didn’t push the issue either for each of them had a good idea and thought it best they didn’t know for sure.