Brave Beginnings

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Their eyes met and they remained silent for a long moment. He traced her lower lip which was still tender so she winced. He took a deep breath and a tear trickled down his cheek.

  She clung to him again and buried her face in his chest, comforted by his strength and love.

  Mrs. Coley and Ann walked over to them, and Mrs. Coley said, “We’re sorry to disturb you, but, Julia, can you tell us what hotel you were in? I’ll go tell the marshal where to apprehend Ernest.”

  Wiping her eyes, Julia turned to the two women and told them. “We were in room twenty-four.” Before Mrs. Coley could leave, Julia reached for her hand. “And thank you, Mrs. Coley, and thank you, Ann.”

  Mrs. Coley smiled. “It’s the least we could do.” She patted Julia’s hand and headed out.

  Ann turned to them. “Why don’t you go to the backroom and enjoy some time to yourselves. Once Ernest is no longer a problem, it should be safe to leave.”

  As Julia and Chogan turned to go to the backroom, a young blond-haired man entered the store. “Ann, is everything alright?” he asked as he ran over to her.

  Ann looked startled. “Todd, aren’t you supposed to work on the farm until sunset?”

  He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I was in the barn and decided to see how you were doing, but you weren’t home. You were supposed to be back around two. I thought something bad happened so I came down here to make sure you were alright.” He put the hat back on and glanced at Julia and Chogan and tipped his hat. “Afternoon.” Then he turned back to Ann. “You’re alright then?”

  Ann smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. Todd, this is Julia and Chogan. Julia and Chogan, this is my husband Todd.” After the greetings were exchanged, she said, “I’ll take Todd out front and leave you two to yourselves in the backroom.” She slipped her arm around Todd’s and led him out of the store.

  Chogan put his arm around Julia’s shoulders and led her to the backroom where he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the nape of his neck, still crying.

  ***

  Ernest moaned as he tried to come out of sleep. He shouldn’t be asleep. The last thing he remembered was drinking a small cup of coffee. He groaned. The surface beneath him was hard. Where was he?

  As he struggled to figure out how he ended up asleep on what felt like a floor, flashbacks from his past wove in and out of his dreams. He saw her again. Patricia Wells. For a time, she’d been Patricia Freeman. She looked so much like Julia, which was why he had to have her. When he moved to Fargo, he regretted not insisting that Julia come with him, and when he met the bank owner’s daughter, Patricia, he thought he had another chance.

  It was easy to pretend Patricia was Julia, and Patricia fell in love with him. They married, and for a time, everything was perfect. He gave her gifts—things he knew Julia would wear and she wore his tokens of affection. She was flattered for a time that he spoiled her until he slipped and called her Julia one night as they made love.

  Then she learned of Julia and how his heart would always belong to her. He was still faithful to Patricia, and as long as she played along and dressed the part, things were perfect. But it wasn’t good enough for her. It should have been.

  But she had to go and ruin it.

  He frowned in his sleep as that fateful night came rushing back to him. Killing her had been an accident. He never intended for it to happen.

  They’d been arguing. He came home from work and found she had colored her hair a dark shade of brown. She’d gone out and bought a dress that wasn’t Julia’s style, and she wore necklaces and rings—both of which Julia never wore. Julia was never flashy. She was modest and simple. And seeing the contrast between Patricia and Julia sent him into an instant rage.

  He slammed his briefcase on the table in the parlor and turned to her. She stood behind the couch, her arms crossed, her eyes focused on him in silent challenge.

  “Put on another dress and take off those jewels,” he ordered. “Then go to the beauty salon and get your hair color back.”

  She put her chin in the air. “I will not.”

  He took a step toward her and gritted his teeth. “You will do exactly what I say.”

  “Or what? You’ll make me?”

  He ran for her, and in that moment, he knew she feared him. She slipped from his reach and headed for the stairs.

  Stupid woman. If you’d just stayed in the parlor, you’d be alive today.

  Ernest shook his head in another attempt to wake up, but sleep kept its hold on him, forcing him to continue with the memory of that night.

  He followed her up the stairs and to their bedroom, and before she could lock him out, he thrust his foot into the doorway and forced the door wide open.

  She trembled and ran to the side of the bed that was the furthest from him. “I’m not her! I’m not Julia!”

  “Get in the clothes I gave you,” he said in a deadly calm tone.

  “I don’t like those clothes.”

  “You liked them enough to wear them for the past two years!”

  “But I never really liked them,” she cried. “I did it to make you happy, but it’s not me. It’ll never be me.”

  He hurried toward her, but she yelped and crawled across the bed so she was, once again, on the other side.

  “Ernest, please. I just want to be who I am.”

  “I didn’t marry you to be you. I married you to be Julia. You have a part to play, and you better play it.”

  Shaking her head, she backed away from him as he approached her. “I can’t be her.” She glanced over her shoulder and shifted over so she was backing out of the bedroom. “Don’t you love me at all?”

  “I love you as Julia,” he seethed, unable to believe Patricia was being stubborn about something so simple. “Things have been good. They can continue to be good.”

  Tears fell down her cheeks, and she shook her head again. “But I can’t be me for that to happen.” She stepped further into the hallway.

  “Enough!” He lurched for her and grabbed her hand before she could flee from him. Squeezing her arms, he continued, “You will do it my way, Patricia,” he growled.

  “Ernest, you’re hurting me,” she whimpered.

  He shook her hard. “Do you understand me? You will not ruin what I have!”

  “No! No, I won’t be Julia anymore!”

  Raising his hand, he slapped her so hard that she fell and landed on the floor.

  He stood still for a moment, watching her scramble away from him. With slow, methodical steps, he followed her, nearing the staircase. “Be reasonable, Julia. You love me. You’ve always loved me and always will. We’re meant to be together.”

  Though she trembled, she got to her feet. She grabbed a vase off the table by the steps and raised it over her head. “Stay away from me!”

  “Don’t do anything rash, Julia,” he warned.

  She threw it at him, and he brought his arms up to protect his face in time to hear her scream as she tripped on the hem of her dress and fell down the stairs.

  The whole thing played out in slow motion as he recalled that event. Then flashes of other memories came to mind. The thorough cleanup he did on those stairs. Pacing in the parlor as he tried to decide what to do with her body. No one would believe it was an accident. They’d see the red welt on her face and assume he killed her after he struck her. He couldn’t let anyone find her. So as not to attract undue attention, he dragged her body to the basement, set out rows of newspapers, and cut her body up so he could put parts of it into carpet bags.

  She left me. She ran off. See, her bags are gone.

  Yes, that’s what he’d say. Then he’d shove some of her valuables and mementos into the bags so people would believe him. He worked through the night, cleaned up the basement, and made his way out to a deserted area where he buried the items. He had to be home come the morning light. Disposing of his soiled clothes, he put on new ones and returned home.
He went to her parents’ house and told them she left him. He then found the job in Bismarck and transported her body parts to the shack that had been vacant for decades. After ripping out the floor, he dumped the decaying body parts into the ground and covered them up, figuring no one would find the evidence this far out, and if they did, they wouldn’t know whose body the skeleton belonged to. If it stayed close to Fargo, someone might discover it, and if they discovered it, they might discover his secret.

  He’d been meticulous. Everything worked according to plan. Except Conrad Williams showed up asking those strange questions, and Ernest knew his time was short. So he had to get to Julia and head out of the country where no one would ever find them again.

  “Julia,” he whispered before swallowing the lump in his throat. “Julia.”

  Something was wrong. She wasn’t there in the hotel room with him. That’s when he noticed his hands were tied. He wiggled one hand and the cord gave way. Groaning, he tried to move again, but his body was still too heavy. Damn it, Julia. She had put something in the coffee to knock him unconscious. And that meant his time was short. He had to find her before she got away. He tried to lift his hand but couldn’t.

  You’re not getting away. I’m not losing you again.

  Gritting his teeth, he forced his eyes open. After a minute, he was able to untie his other hand.

  ~~********~~

  Chapter 40

  Julia told Chogan everything while they waited for Citlali and Erin to come to the general store. Todd offered to go look for them while Ann and Mrs. Coley remained in the front of the store. Julia remained in Chogan’s arms, feeling safe for the first time in over a week. It hardly seemed like such a short time had passed since she’d last been with him. It seemed much longer.

  “I never want to be away from you again,” she whispered, stroking his hair and taking in the familiar scent of his skin.

  He tightened his hold on her.

  “I don’t want to aggravate your wounds.” She wiggled until she wasn’t crushing the healing side of his body. “I knew you wouldn’t die.”

  “I might have killed myself looking for you if Citlali hadn’t forced me to rest,” he softly replied. “I don’t remember much of it, but he said I kept getting up to run after you.”

  She kissed his cheek, and when he turned his head to face her, she kissed him on the lips, careful not to irritate her bottom lip. “I’m so glad I married you. You’re my strength. During the whole time I was with Ernest, the only thing that kept me going was knowing I’d see you again. And Chogan, I felt our baby move. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful it is to feel the child we created together alive inside of me.”

  “I hate him, Julia,” he whispered, his hands remaining gentle on her back. “I want to kill him for what he did to you, for what he wanted to do to our child.”

  She pressed her cheek against his. In many ways, the entire ordeal seemed like a bad dream, and she knew it would take time before she came to terms with all that had happened. But for now, for this moment, she was with her husband and their child was still alive.

  He took her hand and placed her necklace in it. Then he closed her hand around it and held her again.

  ***

  Citlali and Erin came out of the blacksmith’s shop, and Citlali was beginning to wonder why no one in this town saw anyone who matched Ernest’s or Julia’s description. Beside him, Erin was crying softly into her handkerchief, and as much as he wanted to comfort her, he didn’t know how. So he did the only thing he knew: he decided to keep looking for them.

  “We will try that hotel,” he told her.

  Nodding, she joined him as he walked across the street. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe little Ernest would do something this awful. And to Julia.” She burst into a new wave of tears.

  Up ahead, he saw Gary with Conrad and Noah. “Look! Gary is here.”

  “Gary?” She looked in the direction he indicated and let out a cry as she ran forward.

  Citlali strode after her.

  “Oh, Gary,” she sobbed as she embraced her nephew. “Have you seen Julia?”

  “No,” Gary somberly replied. “Ernest and Julia must be in disguise. There’s no way no one has seen them.”

  “Have you checked this hotel?” Citlali asked Conrad and Noah.

  “We were just about to,” Conrad said.

  The five shuffled into the hotel and waited for the owner to appear from the back. Conrad rang the bell on the counter and sighed.

  The man came out and gave them a surprised look. “What can I do for you?”

  Conrad rested a hand on the counter. “We’re looking for two people. A man and a woman. It’s possible they’re wearing disguises and using fake names. The man is Ernest Freeman. He’s wanted for robbing a bank, kidnapping, and murder. The woman is Julia, and he kidnapped her last week. They would have come in this morning.”

  The owner scratched his head. “There was a couple who came in close to noon. The man had blond hair and a beard, but I never saw the woman’s face. Well, maybe except for her eyes. She was all covered up with a scarf, and her hat was low. They went by the names Mr. and Mrs. Richfield.”

  “You mind telling me what room they’re in?” Conrad pulled out his wallet and showed the man his identification. “I’m a detective.”

  The man studied the identification for a moment and nodded. “They’re up there. Room 24. I’ll go with you.”

  “Thank you.” Conrad turned to the group and added, “Let’s hope the rabbit trail ends here.”

  “Where’s Chogan?” Gary asked Citlali, using their Mandan language.

  “He went to rest in front of the general store,” Citlali answered in Mandan. “He’s recovering but still isn’t his old self.”

  The owner cleared his throat so they looked in his direction. “I don’t mean to be rude, but when you’re in my hotel, I prefer you to speak English.”

  “We’re sorry,” Gary replied. “I was inquiring about a family member.”

  The owner seemed hesitant but nodded before he led Conrad up the stairs.

  Citlali bit his tongue. He’d noted the owner’s wary look in his direction when he entered the hotel. Under ordinary circumstances, it wouldn’t have bothered him, but with the long and exhausting trip, it did. His nerves were on edge, and the last thing he felt like doing was concentrating on speaking English. It took more effort to do so. He hadn’t meant any harm in reverting to Mandan, but he doubted the owner understood that. Sighing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Hopefully, soon they would find Julia and Ernest and this whole thing would be over.

  Conrad ran back down the steps. “No one’s there anymore. The window is open. Someone escaped and someone followed.”

  Erin sniffed. “You think Ernest is going after her?”

  “He has to be,” Conrad replied.

  “Now that I think about it,” the owner began as he walked down the steps, “there was a woman who came flying down the stairs not too long ago. I didn’t recognize her at the time, but she probably was the same one who came here with that scarf covering her face.”

  “Julia!” Erin hopefully exclaimed, clutching the handkerchief to her heart.

  “I bet that’s exactly who it was,” Conrad said. “I found a bottle of laudanum in that room and an empty cup of coffee, along with that scarf and hat. She didn’t use enough laudanum to knock Ernest out for long, but she got away. Any idea where she might have gone?”

  The owner cleared his throat and pointed out the window. “Actually, they did go to the general store down that way before they came back to the room with something to eat.”

  “Great!” Conrad clapped his hands. “Let’s go. Erin, you stay here. It might get ugly.” As if to emphasize his point, he pulled out his gun.

  Gary took out his gun, and Gary and Noah followed Conrad and Citlali out the door.

  ***

  Chogan kissed Julia, trying to be careful so he wouldn’t hurt
her lower lip. It hurt him to see her this way, bruised and scared. He wanted to take her away from there and just hold her in his arms forever, never letting her go. The need for vengeance and safety warred in his heart. He couldn’t let Ernest get near her ever again.

  Chogan had been stupid and had his back to the teepee they were in when Ernest shot the gun, and when he turned to face Ernest, he didn’t have his bow and arrow raised—a nearly fatal mistake. Chogan was a hunter. He knew to check all of his surroundings. His error could have caused Julia her life. Had Chogan been careful, Ernest wouldn’t have run off with her.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding her close but not too tight so he wouldn’t hurt her where she suffered bruising.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she softly replied, caressing the side of his face.

  “I should have paid better attention to my surroundings at the teepee. If I had—”

  She pressed her fingers over his lips. “You didn’t know. No one could know Sarita would lead Ernest to us. The important thing is you’re alive and with me.”

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, he kissed her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m just glad God gave us a second chance to be together.”

  “Me too. The worst mistake I made was saying no the first time you asked me to marry you. The best thing I did was make Gary take me to you, even if it was late at night.”

  He laughed. “You were like an angel. For a moment, I thought I was having a vision, but then you were real and you made me complete.”

  “You complete me too, Chogan. There could never be anyone for me but you.”

  Just as he was about to return the sentiment, the bell above the door rang, signaling that someone had entered the place.

  “May I help you?” Mrs. Coley asked from the front of the store.

  “I’m looking for my wife,” the man said.

  Chogan quickly set Julia’s feet on the floor.