by Rachel Secor
“Don’t you know that the constable isn’t coming? Brice never left to get him. I couldn’t understand what was taking the constable so long to get here, so I decided to summon him myself. When I got to the barn to saddle my horse, I found Brice there sodden from whiskey! That scoundrel wouldn’t mind seeing me hung for murder any more than Alex would. Don’t you understand that all of this is about the emeralds? Charles was the only one who knew where they were, and it’s conceivable that that’s why he was murdered because he wouldn’t tell. Maybe Brice had something to do with it, and that’s why he didn’t go for help.”
“But David said that he would send for the constable yesterday afternoon when I told him about Selina, and that was hours before we found Charles!”
Garth’s frown deepened. “Did the vicar tell you any time last night that he actually did send for the constable?”
The questioning look on Garth’s face gave Katherine reason to doubt. David said he was going to do it, although she wasn’t sure he had. But she answered, “Yes, he did.”
“Well, I don’t believe that he did. If he had, the constable would have been here by now.”
Katherine’s heart skipped a beat. Had she been misled yet again, this time by the vicar? It was all too new to her, this trusting of people, and she thought she could trust David. But Garth’s doubt was contagious. She had no time to think about it for Garth shook the reins from her hands.
“It’s only three miles to Carstairs. I’ll be there and back in an hour’s time. The Cook’s all right. She’s in her room where I told her to stay.” He looked up at the manor. “And if you still don’t feel safe here, go to the manse with your vicar.”
Garth kicked his horse into a canter and rode off. Too late did Katherine discern the choice and emphasis of his words ‘your vicar’, and she frowned, anger replacing any concern she may have had for him. Having no other recourse, she returned to the manor. As she approached the steps, Alex appeared, rubbing his jaw.
“Very touching scene,” he said snidely. “If he comes back, he’ll face the hangman’s noose. I’ll see to it myself.”
Katherine walked past him and said, “You had better watch out, Alex, that you don’t get caught in that noose yourself.” She entered the manor where she was greeted by Vicar Hawes.
“David,” she questioned, “you did send for the constable yesterday after I left the manse, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did.”
“Then why isn’t he here yet?”
David shrugged. “I can’t imagine what’s keeping him. Obviously something else came up after I spoke to him. But don’t worry, he’ll be here soon. Where’s Garth off to?”
“He says he’s getting the authorities. He told Brice to do so hours ago, but Brice didn’t. He’s drunk in the barn.”
Shaking his head, David asked, “Do you know why Alex attacked Garth?”
Katherine frowned. “I don’t know. Those two have been at each other since Garth arrived.”
“But why?”
“I don’t know that either. Jealousy?”
“Katherine,” he took her hand, “do you want me to stay longer? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Oh, yes, could you please stay just a little while longer? Now I need to return to May-Jewel. Could you please keep an eye on Alex? I don’t trust him.”
“Of course I will. Can I have the cook bring you something?”
“Garth told Molly to stay in her room. I don’t think meals will be wanted but some tea would be nice.”
“You go up, and I’ll see to it.”
Giving him a faint smile, she climbed the stairs and headed to her room.
* * *
Garth raced away from the manor. During the ride, the sudden death of Charles and the urgency of his retrieving the constable were pushed to the back of his mind as anger overwhelmed him.
“Alex!” he spat, spurring his horse on faster. There are many things I could curse you for, the rundown condition of the manor, the seething denial of recognition, the charge of intruder, but usurping my position with Father has always been, and will always be, unforgivable.
Garth’s mind whirled with his anger over Alex and then Brice. Brice, he knew, had a reason to hate him. But Alex’s hate wasn’t justified. Though his looks had changed over the years, Garth still thought that Alex should have recognized him. What did Alex hope to gain by denying him? Was he after the estate or simply the jewels? Would he murder to get them? But why Charles? Did the old man really know where the jewels were hidden?
He hadn’t always hated Alex. In their youth, they were fast friends as their fathers had been before them. They spent every day of their early boyhood together. Fleeting scenes of a more blissful time filled with fun and adventure coursed through Garth’s mind. Then ever so slowly, they disintegrated under the unspeakable images of that fateful day. Garth’s heart churned with anguish as his mind was caught in a maelstrom of memories.
What wretchedness makes me remember after all this time? Garth breathed. But the memory wouldn’t recede. He recalled how he, Alex, and Brice ‘terrorized’ everyone on the estate with their playful antics. Now tentacles of sorrow and anger squeezed his heart as he thought of that day when their friendship came to an end, the day their mischievousness took a dangerous turn. Piercing the long buried memory, his own voice echoed through his mind, revealing the impish boys’ plot.
“The horse will scare them to death,” said the eleven-year-old Garth to his friends, “and this will be our best trick ever!” But seeing the hesitation on the other boys’ faces, Garth threatened, “You will be proclaimed cowards forever if either of you back out of it. I’ll see to that!”
With anguish he recalled how Alex and Brice shrugged, reluctantly agreeing to the plan. In those days Sir Robert owned the fastest horse in the countryside. Bolt was a beautiful stallion of impeccable breeding with great power. Sir Robert prized the animal above all his possessions. At this moment, Garth still couldn’t reason what induced him to use that very animal as part of their prank. If his intent was to anger his father, he more than succeeded. If it was to belittle the status of the prized horse by making his father’s vested interest look the clown, he more than succeeded. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter at the time.
It was supposed to be a harmless trick. The boys snickered all the while stuffing a suit of clothing with hay, fashioning a ‘hay man’. It took the three of them to strap their creation onto Bolt’s sleek back. All they wanted to do was to scare the girls playing at the edge of the field. But it went terribly wrong.
They led the horse behind some bushes and waited until the small group of girls was deeply preoccupied with play. Everything was set. The three together gave a great yell, smacked the horse’s haunches, and waited for the fun to begin. But instead of racing forward, the stallion reared, wildly kicking and spinning about to free itself of the wobbly grotesque thing on its back. When finally freed of it, the frenzied creature charged its massive body directly into the group of hysterical girls. Its hooves pounded everything in its path. Then swiftly tearing out over the uneven terrain of the moor, it disappeared.
Later they found the lathered pure-bred, its front leg broken. The shot that killed it still echoed through Garth’s memory. One of the girls severely injured by Bolt’s frenzy was Brice’s younger sister. She would have scars from her terrible wounds and, having her leg broken, would require crutches in order to walk for the rest of her life, which wasn’t long. Hence Brice’s animosity toward him.
It didn’t matter that the boys were tearfully repentant and remorseful over what they had done. The three of them suffered a brutal punishment at the hands of their parents. As the eldest, most of the blame fell on Garth’s shoulders. But for him, the beating was easier to take than his father’s rage and disdain. Yet, as if the punishment and his father’s cruel shunning weren’t enough, there was forgiveness for Alexander and Brice but none for him. After that, and worse than the shunning, Si
r Robert took Alex to his heart as if he were his son and gave him all that should have been Garth’s: special schooling, an apprenticeship, his love and attention.
Unable to hate himself, Garth turned his bitterness onto his father and Alexander. It was then a series of action and reaction between him and Sir Robert, which started Garth down the path of unhappiness he would constantly have to try to conquer as he grew older. He had traveled a self-destructive path as a result of this hate. Viewing his life now with adult eyes, he knew he needed to master that hate to heal the past. For years the mere mention of Wistmere drove him into a drunken stupor. For a complete catharsis, he had to return to the place where both he and the hate had been conceived. But now that he was back, he wondered if the past could ever be healed.
With his mind on the past, Garth didn’t realize that he had directed his horse off the road and into a field. Once he returned to the road, Garth drew his attention back to the mission of locating the constable, and spurred his horse forward once more.
* * *
“Well,” May-Jewel asked as Katherine entered the room, “where’s Garth going?”
“To fetch the constable.”
“The constable? Didn’t Brice go for him? And I thought you said David had sent for him as well.”
Katherine, her heart heavy, sank on the bed. Her mind was in turmoil. “I don’t know what happened to the constable. David said he sent for him, and I have no reason to doubt him.”
“And yet it’s obvious you do. Why?”
Sighing, Katherine answered, “It was what Garth had implied.”
“If you ask me, Katherine, I’d say that Garth is jealous of David. I saw the look on his face last night when David approached you. We both saw the light in your eyes as David took your hand.”
Pushing such a thought from her, Katherine rose. “No, that can’t be it.”
Shaking her head, May-Jewel stated, “You know so little about men. But concerning the constable, perhaps he’s out of the area and can’t be easily reached. You have no reason to doubt that David had sent for him.”
Katherine stopped before the window, her eyes smarting with tears. No, she thought, I have no reason to doubt David. And I can also trust Garth. Neither would mislead me. “Oh, I’m so confused,” she lamented out loud. “Wistmere has bought me nothing but pain and fear. I wish I could undo the decision that brought me here. If only I could slip back in time to when I sat in Mr. Jameson’s office and accepted this inheritance.”
“You wouldn’t do anything different. Now you have two options,” May-Jewel said turning her sister to face her. “You can either pack your trunk and leave, or you can stay and together we can find Charles’ killer and root out Selina.”
Katherine sighed deeply. No, she knew she couldn’t leave Wistmere… nor David. For a few minutes she remained silent. Pushing aside her thoughts of the vicar and Garth, she directed her attentions to the problems before her.
“How are we going to find Selina when Garth didn’t succeed in finding her? He just told me that this whole thing was about the emeralds. Do you recall how Alex acted when it was brought out that he was a contender for the estate? Why do you think he wanted that kept a secret?”
“Because his interest isn’t really in the estate or even the shipping line? It’s in those jewels?”
“Yes! They must be of greater value than this whole estate and the business put together. That’s why Alex is trying so hard to stay in control. Only now, he has to deal with us and Garth, as well as finding the emeralds.”
May-Jewel sank onto the bed. “He must have been the one in the wine cellar making all those holes! He was digging for the jewels. And Charles? Oh, Katherine, are they worth murdering him for? Or murdering anyone?”
“What a terrible situation. I’m sorry I talked you into sending for Jeremy. This is an awful predicament for him to come in on.”
“Oh, don’t worry about Jeremy. He can take care of himself… and me.” For a moment Alex entered her mind, Alex and the letter. “Too bad we didn’t see that letter, the one Charles delivered to Alex.”
“Are you prepared for what it might say? What if it’s from Mr. Jameson stating, for one reason or another, that Alex was to relinquish control of the shipping line and Wistmere to Garth? And have you forgotten that the only one who saw that letter besides Alex was-”
“Charles!” May-Jewel gasped. “Would Alex have killed him for that? Oh, Katherine, I’ve been such a fool.” She rose and began pacing the room. “He must be in alliance with Selina. That would explain why you were the only target. That would explain why…” she paused, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Why what?” Katherine urged.
“Why he tried to have his way with me in the dining room that first night that Garth was here. He assumed I would join him in his scheme to secure Wistmere. And when I told him I wouldn’t, he tried to force himself upon me. I think he might even try to kill us both!”
“No, he won’t,” Katherine assured her, taking her hands into hers. “I’ve locked the door and Garth has gone for help. He’ll be returning any time now.”
“But in the meantime, we’re left here with Alex. And there’s only Molly and the vicar to help us! I refuse to leave this room or let anyone in until Garth returns with the sheriff. And what about Brice?”
“Brice has passed out from drink. So we can’t count on him.”
Pacing again nervously, May-Jewel admitted, “I’ll go insane sitting here waiting to be murdered. Besides, I’m hungry. The kitchen should be safe enough, don’t you think? Let’s go get something to eat.”
“David said he’d bring us some tea. We really shouldn’t leave this room.”
“Well, I just can’t sit here any longer. Let’s head to the kitchen.” When she saw Katherine silently debating the issue, she boldly unbolted the door and looked questioning at her sister.
“Oh, all right. We probably will meet David on his way up anyhow.”
But they didn’t pass the vicar on the stairs nor did they find him in the cold, quiet kitchen.
A note, however, was propped in the center of the table. It simply read “Went home.”
The women looked at each other in confusion. “Is this from Molly or David?” May-Jewel asked.
“I don’t know. Go see if she’s in her room.”
Katherine’s insides churned. Was the note from David? There wasn’t any sign of him nor any sign that he had even been there. The stove was stone cold and the kettle was empty.
“Molly isn’t there,” her sister informed her when she returned.
Nausea hit the pit of Katherine’s stomach again for she realized that neither Garth nor David were there to protect them now. Molly’s disappearance added to the fear that was within her.
“Come on,” she said, taking May-Jewel by the hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Out to the barn. If Garth, Molly and David aren’t here, we’re left with Alex, whom I trust less now than before. Maybe Brice can be of some help after all.”
May-Jewel grabbed a muffin on the way out of the kitchen.
A half sobered Brice stumbled from the shadows as the women approached. He leaned heavily against the wide door and eyed them suspiciously.
“What is it ye want?”
Katherine caught the sickening odor of liquor, so didn’t stand too close to him when she inquired after everyone.
“Do I look like me brother’s keeper? How would the likes of me know anything?”
“Master Craig rode away a while ago,” Katherine informed him.
“Aye, and Mist’r Alex saddled up and rood away too,” the stableman said gruffly, standing not too steady on his feet.
“Have you seen Vicar Hawes?” Katherine asked anxiously.
“Nay, not since he first coom to the manor.”
“Well, sober up and keep watch until Master Craig returns.”
“Aye,” he said, a sneer twisting around his lips, “I’ll gu
ard Wistmere as if t’were me very own. An’ I’ll be watching ye like ye were my own sisters.”
Katherine didn’t like his reply. It sounded more like a threat than a servant’s compliance. She shrugged off the feeling, however, as she and May-Jewel returned to the manor.
“I can’t understand where David made off to. He said he’d stay with us.” Katherine frowned, deeply upset with this breach of promise. She then became concerned for him. What if something happened to him too?
“Well, maybe he hurried back to the manse for some reason and will return presently,” May-Jewel reasoned.
“No… no, he promised me he’d stay here.” Her fears for him mounted.
“Well, if you don’t think he’d leave, let’s go find him. And now is the time, with Alex gone, there’s not much to fear.”
“There’s still Selina.” Katherine reminded her.
“Well, if we concentrate on her, we’ll never get anywhere. So let’s go look for the vicar, and while Alex isn’t here, at least go get that letter from his room.”
Katherine didn’t argue with her plans.
They moved cautiously as they searched each of the lower rooms. Then they searched all the remaining rooms upstairs, but David wasn’t to be found anywhere. At last they came upon Alex’s room. Now knowing where he had hid the letter, they retrieved it from the valise hidden behind the curtain. They scanned the letter’s last page for the signature of the writer. Neal Jameson’s signature was scrawled in large bold script. The letter was dated May 21st.
Katherine turned to the first page of the letter and smiled. “This part proves that Garth is who he says he is.”
“Yes, but listen to this,” May-Jewel pointed to the text and read, “‘… of course we will have to make legal restitution to the Mistresses St. Pierre and Belwood. Also, Garth’s appearance changes your status in the shipping lines. Robert’s will stated that you were to receive half ownership as he had no son to leave it to. In light of Garth’s return, that directive is now null and void. But I shall be there soon and will explain further.’”