Bloody Lessons: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery

by Locke, M. Louisa

  Annie, wishing to divert Laura from where her thoughts were taking her, said quickly, “Who was Buck and what did he do?”

  Laura took a deep breath. “Buck Morrison. He was the oldest boy in the Cupertino Creek School. Seventeen, obnoxious, conceited, spoiled, and not very smart. It was bad enough he disrupted class, challenging my authority. Our professors at San Jose told us to expect that from older students. But he kept following me around, being too familiar. I tried to protect myself, tried to make sure that I went to and from the school with the children in whose home I was boarding that week.”

  “But that didn’t always work?”

  “No, sometimes the children would be sick and I had to go by myself, and there he would be, waiting outside the school house in the morning. He would pretend it was because he wanted to help get the wood in to start the fire, or he would offer to clean the board. On the surface, perfectly innocuous. But he was always brushing up against me, saying…things. I would tell him to stop, and he would just laugh. After a few weeks, he even started showing up outside the homes where I was staying. If I tried to leave, go for a walk or something, Buck would suddenly appear, acting like I should be delighted at his company.”

  “Couldn’t you speak to his parents or someone on the school board?” Annie asked, her skin crawling at the thought of what Laura had endured.

  “I wasn’t sure anyone would believe me. You see, it wasn’t so much what he said but how he said it. And his father is the wealthiest man in the district and a member of the school board. When I tried to speak to Buck’s father, well, you might say he demonstrated graphically where Buck had gotten his notions of how to treat a woman.”

  “Oh, Laura, I am sorry you had to deal with this. Did you tell your parents what was happening?”

  “I was going to, but after the first few weeks, Seth, Mr. Timmons, started showing up at the end of the school day on Fridays. He’d rented a buggy, and he would drive me to wherever I was boarding that weekend. He said he was camping in the hills to the west because he didn’t like being cooped up all the time in a city. But it meant he could take me out for rides on Saturdays and take me to church on Sundays. As a result, I didn’t feel so much like I was in a prison. Twice, he even drove me to and from San Jose where my father would meet me and bring me on home to the ranch. That was wonderful. Buck still gave me a hard time at school, but it was easier to take.”

  Laura stopped and after a moment continued. “But I never really understood why Seth was being so helpful…it wasn’t as if we were friends before. He just started attending San Jose last year, and he was sort of stand-offish with the other students. He is older. He was a Union soldier in the war, and I always felt he thought the rest of us were just children. Except Hattie. He was friends with Hattie. Everyone was…and when I got to San Francisco, I wanted to talk to her about him, have her assure me that it couldn’t have been him in the alley…but now, now…”

  Laura began to weep, and Annie drew her into her arms and rocked her back and forth, saying, “Oh my dear, I know it hurts, and it doesn’t do any good for me to tell you it will get better. But it will. Look, you have gotten Queenie all upset. Ruffled her dignity.” Annie pointed at the old cat, who had again stalked to the end of the bed and was licking her back with ferocious concentration. Laura gave a tearful chuckle.

  Annie turned serious. “Tell me why you thought it might have been this Seth who accosted you.”

  “I didn’t think so right at first. Only later that night, I realized the man was about the same height, and I recognized the smell of the tobacco on him. Silly, I know, as if that isn’t a description of half the men in the city. But something happened the last time I saw him, and…well…I’m not sure I really know what he is capable of. But now that doesn’t matter. Because after tonight, I see I was completely wrong.” Laura pulled back, her tears forgotten as she continued. “I think the man who attacked me might have been Andrew Russell. He must have known how much I would be against their marriage. What if the attack was his way of frightening me into leaving town? He is the Vice Principal at Clement. It would have been easy for him to learn where I lived and follow me home that day.”

  Annie, shocked at Laura’s accusation, said, “I don’t understand. What makes you think that he would do such a thing?”

  “I think it is possible he pressured Hattie into quitting her job and agreeing to marry him. I can’t believe that Hattie could change her mind about her future, our future, otherwise. She kept apologizing to me on Saturday when I visited her, saying that I couldn’t understand…that there were reasons for her decision that I didn’t know about. I’ve been thinking and thinking about it, and I feel sure she would have told him about me and our plans to go to the University together, pursue our careers. Maybe she even told him that if I was totally against the idea, she wouldn’t marry him. When his attack didn’t scare me away, he then made sure I wouldn’t have any time alone with her to change her mind.”

  “Laura darling, what do you mean, made sure…”

  “Hattie was obviously feeling conflicted,” Laura continued rapidly, ignoring Annie’s question. “She seemed positively ill when I saw her. And she was supposed to come and see me this Friday. What if he…”

  Annie, frightened by how agitated Laura was becoming, tried to stop the tumble of words by putting her hand gently on the girl’s mouth and saying, “Slow down now, dearest. Catch your breath.”

  Laura snatched Annie’s hand away and raised her voice to say, “You don’t understand. Hattie told me with her dying words that he had pushed her into marrying her. That is the only explanation for why she would agree to something that would destroy all our plans. I think he hounded her to her death, undermining her will to live. Why else would she have died from some broken bones?”

  Annie, heartsick that she would have to add to Laura’s pain but unsure how else to stop her wild speculations, said, “Listen to me. There is something I need to tell you. Something I learned at the hospital. The reason Hattie would have wanted to marry so quickly was that she was with child. And tragically, the fall caused her to miscarry. That is why she died. The doctors couldn’t stop the hemorrhaging, so she bled to death.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Thursday morning, January 15, 1880

  "Various Cases disposed of at the Morgue...In the case of the woman the cause of death was also ascribed to hemorrhage..." ––San Francisco Chronicle, 1880

  “Laura said what? She thinks Russell may have attacked her and caused Hattie’s death? That can’t be what she meant.” Nate thought he must have misheard Annie. They were standing in the doorway to the kitchen pantry, out of the way of Mrs. O’Rourke and Kathleen, who were busy washing up the breakfast dishes.

  He had gone directly to the back kitchen entrance this morning, not wanting to put Kathleen to the trouble of coming to the front door to let him in. He’d hoped he would catch Annie before her first Madam Sibyl client, but he mostly wanted some word on how the night had gone for Laura, fully expecting that she would still be fast asleep.

  The first shock came at the kitchen door when Kathleen told him he had just missed Laura, who had risen in time to go off to work, accompanied as usual by Mrs. Hewitt and Jamie. The second shock came when Annie started to tell him about her conversation with Laura the night before.

  Annie frowned at his raised voice and, looking over at Beatrice bent over the sink under the high kitchen window, she replied very quietly, “You must understand how upset she is. She is trying desperately to make sense of what has happened. To have Hattie die for no reason, a stupid accident, must feel unsupportable.”

  “What exactly did she say that Hattie said?”

  “Laura admitted that it was very difficult to make out her words; Hattie was very weak. But according to her, Hattie apologized to her and said something about telling Russell it wasn’t his fault. But at the very end, she repeated several times the words ‘tell,’ ‘no,’ and ‘accident.’ And evidentl
y the last words she uttered were, ‘pushed, pushed.’”

  Nate repeated the words over in his mind. Then he said, “You know, depending on the order, Hattie could have just as well been saying that she wanted Laura to tell Russell that what had happened was an accident, rather than that it wasn’t an accident. It certainly wouldn’t hold up in a court of law.”

  “I know. If Hattie loved Russell––something Laura is having trouble accepting––she may very well have wanted to put his mind at ease that the fall was an accident. But Laura is convinced that Russell forced Hattie into abandoning her job and agreeing to marry him, controlling her like some evil mesmerist. At least that is how she is interpreting Hattie’s last words. But we can’t even be sure Hattie said ‘pushed.’ Maybe she was saying hush, hush or something.”

  Nate thought about how upset Laura had been last evening. The violence of her reaction to her friend’s death, her wild sobs. He’d felt helpless and a little frightened by her behavior; it seemed so out of character. He blurted out, “If anyone was exhibiting undue influence, it seems to be Hattie Wilks over Laura. I just don’t understand why my sister has acted in such an extreme manner from the moment she found out about her friend’s marriage. What is so terrible about a young woman falling in love and wanting to get married?”

  Annie cocked her head at him, and he stopped, thinking how easy it was for him to get in trouble with her when he brought up the topic of marriage. He rushed on. “I am not saying that there is anything wrong with Laura’s plans to go on to the University, get a profession, even forgo marriage, if that is her wish. I’m just asking why must this be true for her friend. Maybe Hattie wanted both a profession and marriage.”

  “I think the feelings Laura had for Hattie went beyond simple friendship,” Annie told him. “From what she’s said, Laura never had a strong connection with anyone beyond her family before she met Hattie. Surely you saw the kind of deep friendships that formed between some students during your college years?”

  Nate flashed on Stubbs and Potter, two Ohio farm boys who became closer than brothers at Western Reserve. They studied, drank, even whored together, practically joined at the hip. Thinking of Laura and Hattie like that made him feel distinctly uncomfortable.

  Annie continued. “If Laura was the follower in that relationship, and a couple of the things she said suggests that was true, she might doubt her ability to achieve her goals without Hattie’s support.”

  “You’re saying it was partly fear for her own future that made her so angry at Hattie when she found out she had quit teaching to marry?” Nate remembered the times in his life when his self-doubts got the better of him.

  “Fear and jealousy,” Annie replied. “Your sister was bound to feel very hurt if she believed Hattie had transferred her affections to Russell. Rather than blame her friend, it’s easier for her to blame Russell, particularly now that Hattie is dead.”

  “But why did it have to be one or the other? Hattie invited her to be her maid of honor; she obviously didn’t want to lose Laura’s friendship. If we…well, I wouldn’t expect that…I mean Mrs. Stein or Mrs. O’Rourke don’t feel…”

  Annie chuckled and said, “Yes, Nate Dawson, perhaps it’s possible to have friends and a husband both, provided the man isn’t the overly possessive type.” She smiled and reached up and kissed him swiftly on his cheek.

  Nate looked over her head to see if either Mrs. O’Rourke or Kathleen had noticed, but they had their heads together looking at some pot on the stove. Sometimes, it was all he could do to stop from pulling Annie to him and covering her face with kisses. Hang it all, how can she expect me to take it slowly if she acts this way!

  As if she felt his frustration, Annie stepped back, saying more seriously, “What concerns me more is Laura’s thoughts about who might have attacked her in the alley.”

  “You don’t really think that Russell was responsible, do you? He just didn’t strike me that way, and the motive doesn’t make any sense to me.” Nate pictured the scholarly looking Vice Principal he’d seen at the hospital and couldn’t imagine him lurking in the shadows to jump out at his sister.

  “No, but what about this classmate of hers? The former soldier Seth. Many men came out of the war damaged in mind as well as body. If he was one of the Andersonville prisoners, one of those Plymouth Pilgrims we talked about, who knows how that could have twisted his mind? And then there is Buck, the boy who gave her such a hard time when she was teaching at Cupertino Creek. I wonder if we can find out if either of them have visited San Francisco in the past few weeks.”

  “You mentioned something about a falling out, and it had to do with Buck and Seth?” Nate just couldn’t understand why Laura hadn’t told him about her troubles. Even Annie had seemed evasive when she recounted what Laura had said about his sister’s experience teaching at Cupertino Creek. He was sure there were details she was withholding. At Laura’s request?

  “Look, we need to talk about this more,” he said as he took out his watch. “But I need to go; I have a ten o’clock meeting. Then I have to be in court this afternoon and all day tomorrow. Cranston has asked me to sit in on the Jack Purdy trial I was telling you about. The one where Cranston is challenging the gag law the city passed during the sandlot riots. I am sorry, but this probably means I will be tied up both evenings since he likes to go to dinner and dissect the day in court and give me a bunch of research to do afterwards. Do you have clients Saturday morning?”

  “Yes, but I will write to you tonight and tell you how Laura is holding up. Do you think you will be able to get away Saturday evening? I…well there is one more thing I need to tell you about. I…but you go. We can talk about it later.”

  Nate’s heart rate sped up, and he reached out and cupped Annie’s chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “No, tell me right this minute. No secrets. If there is something else I need to know, tell me now. You and Laura are more important than any meeting.”

  Annie put her hands up and took his hand in hers. She said, “Well, last night I didn’t get to tell you what Mrs. O’Malley reported to me. I didn’t plan on telling Laura, at least not now, but she was getting so worked up, questioning why Hattie had died of simple broken bones, that I felt I had to tell her the whole truth.”

  Annie went on to tell him about Hattie’s miscarriage, leaving Nate momentarily speechless. Then he started to think about the ramifications, and he said, “No wonder Hattie had to quit teaching. Do you think Russell knew she was with child? Well, of course he did. That would explain why they were rushing into marriage. But the scandal. What did…Annie, what’s the matter?”

  Nate gathered a weeping Annie into his arms. Hang propriety.

  She put her arms around him and gave him a hug, but then she moved away and pulled out a handkerchief, wiped her eyes, and said, “Nate, I’m fine. I was just overwhelmed for a moment by how sad it all is. And poor Laura. She was completely overcome. I’m still not sure I was right to tell her, but I didn’t know what else to do. But you go. I need to consult with Mrs. O’Rourke about dinner and then get ready for Madam Sibyl’s first client anyway.” And with that, she turned around and raised her voice. “Kathleen, would you see Mr. Dawson out the front?”

  Turning back to him, Annie said, “I promise I will write tonight.” She then walked over to where Beatrice O’Rourke stood next to the stove, leaving him no polite alternative but to follow Kathleen up the back stairs.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Thursday afternoon, January 15, 1880

  "There has been a good deal of talk about daughters of wealthy citizens occupying places in the School Department simply for the sake of receiving additions to their pocket money. Of my sixteen teachers I know that fifteen are in absolute need of working for their support." ––San Francisco Chronicle, 1880

  Somehow, Laura made it through the school day without falling apart. Maybe her exhaustion actually helped, creating a feeling of detachment as she went through the day’s lessons with her stud
ents. She had no idea what time it was when she finally had fallen asleep last night, curled around the warmth of the dear old cat, but she had woken numerous times in the hours before sunrise. However, every time she gained consciousness, she’d felt Annie’s warm hand stroking her hair, and she had fallen back asleep. Finally, a sound, probably another boarder’s voice, jerked her fully awake. Annie had leaned over and told her to try to go back to sleep; she would be in her room next door getting dressed. But Laura knew that she needed to be up and doing something, anything, to keep the tears at bay. Keep her fears at bay. Staying under the covers, letting fear overwhelm her, had never been an acceptable option. Not when she had been a child, afraid of riding a full-grown stallion, or a student, afraid she would fail her chemistry exams, or a teacher, afraid she wouldn’t be able to exert enough authority over the older students. As soon as Annie had left, Laura rose and got ready to go to work, knowing she must conquer her greatest fear, that she wouldn’t be able to go on without Hattie.