The Granite Heart (An Ozark Mountain Series Book 2)

by Alan Black

  Susanne followed LillieBeth away from the house. The girl walked up behind Hoffman’s old one-walled shed. The two young women walked around a couple of boulders and were completely out of sight from the house.

  Susanne asked, “What is back this way?”

  LillieBeth pointed in answer. “There it is. I smelled it on one of my visits to Mr. Hoffman and followed my nose to find it. I think if we look around we might find his stash of corn liquor.”

  Susanne was not surprised to see the still. Moonshine stills dotted the Ozark landscape. The large copper kettle and coiled condensers left little doubt as to the contraption’s purpose. She knew Art did not have a still nor did Mrs. Bailey. She was surprised LillieBeth recognized what it was.

  The still was not operating. The fire underneath was cold and the boiler was quiet. There was a small earthen jug set under the tap beneath the copper-coiled condenser. She picked it up and shook it, but it was empty. She tapped the boiler, but the mash tub was empty.

  LillieBeth stood in the middle of the small hollow and turned around slowly. “Of course, I do not know how good Mr. Hoffman’s moonshine still was, but he seemed to take a small measure of pride in its output. I do not know how much…there.” She pointed at a large flat rock leaning up against the side of a dirt mound. “That does not belong there.”

  Susanne went to the large flat rock and rolled it away. There, hidden in a cool hand dug cave, were a dozen earthen jugs. Each was corked and set neatly on a small shelf. She hooked a finger through a loop in a jug neck and set it on the ground outside of the cave. She rolled the flat rock back over the opening.

  LillieBeth said, “That might make a good root cellar if it was dug out a bit bigger with a better door. Of course, I might want to get rid of that rattlesnake first.”

  Susanne froze, “What rattlesnake?”

  LillieBeth said, “That big one on the floor under the shelf. You know, the one you almost stepped on? I guess he was asleep or in a stupor. It looked like he had just eaten a rat or something; his belly was all bulged out. Still, I do not guess he would have bitten you without giving warning first. I am just not partial to snakes and would just as soon not have them living in my root cellar.”

  Susanne gave a little shiver. “Not partial? That would be an understatement. They are just creepy.”

  LillieBeth nodded, “They do taste good, though. Mama has a nice recipe if she can get an egg and some pepper to go with the flour and salt.”

  Susanne shivered again and turned toward the house. She would not have gone close enough to the small cave to roll the rock back if she had spotted the snake. She realized she still had LillieBeth’s granite heart in one hand and the jug of moonshine in the other.

  “Here.” She offered the rock to LillieBeth.

  The girl shook her head. “You better hang on to that until Reverend James is gone. Do not lose it. I am going to need it when I go after Trance and Dangle.” LillieBeth reached across and grabbed the moonshine. “I can carry the jug for you.”

  Susanne was stunned. This little slip of a twelve-year-old girl was planning on going after the Braunawalls. She wanted to ask why, to what end, to what purpose, but she was too surprised to speak. She would even rarely admit to herself what she would do to the Braunawalls if she had the opportunity. She did not want the opportunity, she did not want to see them again, or even hear their names. Or did she…? There were those times, the quiet reflective times when she imagined and fantasized about visiting some horror on the Braunawalls. She tried not to think of such things, but flashes came unbidden. She wanted a fitting and terrifying punishment. She wondered how the rapists would feel about being tossed into a root cellar full of rattlesnakes.

  The law had tried to punish them for their crimes, but the law had failed. The county sheriff did not seem inclined to push the case against Trance and Dangle any further, even though Art had been a witness to their killing of Clayton Grissom. Maybe if she had spoken up he would have been more eager to hunt them down. She knew that if the county sheriff would not hunt the Braunawalls for murder, then he would certainly not leave his office for a rape that happened two years ago.

  Maybe LillieBeth was right. Earthly justice was man’s providence. God would judge the rest.

  Susanne held her breath reaching for the doorknob. James was not yet back from watering the Grissom’s horses. She thought, “No. They are not the Grissom’s horses anymore. They are just Grace’s teams.”

  Upon entering the house she tried to smile at the Hazkits and at Grace, but she suddenly understood LillieBeth’s recent reluctance to smile. She was glad to see Art at home and Grace sitting comfortably. Clare had built a fire in the cast iron stove. It was the first fire in the stove and the first fire in the Hazkit’s new home. Its warmth was embracing and welcoming, even if the late evening air was not cold enough to need a fire.

  Grace sat wrapped in a blanket despite the warmth of the fire, staring into the flames through the open metal door, mesmerized by the dancing red and yellow flickers.

  Clare raised an eyebrow at the jug in LillieBeth’s hand.

  LillieBeth just shrugged and handed it over.

  Art looked at the jug and back to his daughter, “Well, I like your friend Mr. Hoffman more and more with each passing sunrise.”

  Clare uncorked the jug and took a whiff of the corn liquor. Her head shot back and her eyes began to water. “Good Lord! It is a wonder that man lived as long as he did. This stuff smells like it will rot leather while the leather is still on the cow.”

  LillieBeth said, “It says in 1 Timothy 5:23 ‘Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.’ Daddy has infirmities. Besides that doctor in Galena said Daddy should have some liquor to help with his pain.”

  Art said, “Yep. And I am in pain…so much pain…ooooo…hurt bad…” He grinned and tried to reach for the jug.

  Clare ignored him, moved the jug out of his reach, and turned to her daughter.

  Clare nodded. “The Bible does say that. You know, young lady, as well as I do, that we can make the Bible say anything we want if we pull out a piece of scripture here and a fragment of The Word there. It also says in Proverbs 4:17. ‘For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.’ This who-hit-john is a long way from wine, in any event. If I recall clearly the Braunawalls smelled of corn liquor when they came to attack us last week.”

  Art jumped up from his chair. “What? They-”

  “Sit down, Art. I don’t want you to start bleeding again,” Clare interrupted. “We are all fine now.” She pushed her husband back into his chair and turned to her daughter. “Bring us a cup for this ‘shine. The doctor said Daddy should have some, but I won’t have my husband pulling this devil’s brew from a jug.”

  Art sighed. “Best bring two cups.” He gestured with a head nod toward Grace. “Might as well offer a small comfort to our guests.”

  The door opened and James clomped into the room. “I need to get Grace started toward home soon. Even now it will be dusk by the time we get there.”

  Art took a swig of liquor from the cup handed to him by his wife. He coughed and wheezed, but he smiled. “Whoooeee! Hoffman may have been an odd duck, but he knew his squeezin’s.”

  Clare handed a cup of moonshine to Grace.

  Grace sniffed the liquor, glanced around the room and drained the cup without comment or expression as if it was nothing more than cool water from a fresh spring. She went back to staring at the fire.

  LillieBeth took the deed from their place and the remaining cash from deep in a pocket. She stuffed it in the sling holding Art’s arm.

  “Thank you, Daddy for buying us a new home.”

  Clare said, “Thank God, too.”

  Art said, “And thanks to you my lovely daughter.” He winced as he pulled the money back out. He peeled off a small bundle of one dollar bills and pressed them back into LillieBeth’s hands. “Last Sunday we gave God his share of your inheritance. You
spend this money anyway you see fit.”

  Clare laughed, “As long as you don’t see fit to waste it on candy and soda pop.”

  Art laughed with his wife, “Not our daughter! Bullets maybe, but not candy.”

  The Hazkits wrapped themselves in each other’s arms.

  Susanne took the distraction as an opportunity to try to sidle out of the room into the kitchen. She wanted to be in the room with James. She wanted to stand next to him. She wanted to hold his hand, kiss his lips and…she knew she wanted more from James than he could offer a ruined woman. She also wanted to rid her life of him, to never stare into those deeply focused and passionate eyes, to never again hear his rich voice, and to never imagine what it would be like to have him smile at her again.

  “Stop right there, Susanne,” Art coughed, breaking free of the family squeezing. “Nobody leaves this room until I know what is going on.”

  Susanne could feel Art staring at her, but she could not look up from the floor.

  Art said, “Susanne, you are my wife’s oldest and dearest friend and you are my friend as well.”

  LillieBeth said, “Me, too.”

  Art nodded. “That is right. You have always been more than a teacher to my daughter.” He looked at Reverend James. “And you, David James. You may be some Tennessee backwoods reject and a preacher to boot, but we have been through some tough times together and you are my friend.”

  Clare said, “Me, too. If Art loves you, then I do too.”

  Art said, “Of course, that should go without saying. You have been an important part of a hard time in my life. I want you to be an important part of my life and family in good times.”

  James said, “Art-”

  “Shut your cake hole, you scut,” Art interrupted. “I am an injured man. You let me talk. Believe you me, you are going to get more chance to talk than you want. Of course, being a preacher, you do have a knack for rambling on and on and on.”

  Grace said in finish, “and on again.” She held her cup up to Clare for another splash of moonshine.

  “There is way too much tension in this wonderful new house. I won’t have it.” Art commanded, “Susanne speak.”

  Susanne said, “Everyone knows now, Mr. Hazkit-”

  “You call me Mr. Hazkit one more time, Susanne and I am going to paddle your britches like I done LillieBeth when she was younger,” Art interrupted.

  Susanne tried to look at Art, Clare or LillieBeth, but she could only see the floor. “I am embarrassed and ashamed.”

  No one spoke. The only noise was the crackling of the fire, a pine log spitting and exploding a bit of sap, pinging against the stove’s cast iron belly.

  Susanne sighed. “Trance and Dangle Braunawall took me by force two years ago. They ruined me, but I kept it a secret.” She continued to stare at the floor and did not see Art’s face cloud up in anger.

  She said, “I was afraid of what people would say and do if they knew. So I hid the truth away. Then when LillieBeth told me they had attacked her, I confessed to her.”

  LillieBeth said, “I did not tell anyone about their…”

  Susanne looked up at her friend. She saw LillieBeth glare at her and at every adult in the room as if she was daring anyone to stop her.

  LillieBeth continued. “Rape. They raped her. But, I did not tell anyone, not even Mama. But, then the Braunawalls came to our home and tried to attack Mama. I stopped them and took their stuff. Just like they said I did, remember?”

  Art nodded, his face was grim and his eyes had turned hard. “I remember they said you took everything. Is that where you got that revolver you have been carrying?”

  LillieBeth nodded and realized she still had the revolver strapped to her shoulder. She shucked it off and hung it on a peg by the door. “Sorry, Mama. I know you do not want me to carry this into the house.” She emptied the Winchester and set it on the floor under the handgun.

  The young girl sighed and continued. “Among their goods was a small packet of women’s things.”

  Susanne’s hand flew involuntarily to the broach she was wearing, pinned to her breast.

  Clare said, “I have that packet with me.” She touched a pocket hidden in the folds of her skirt. “I do not know what else to do with it, but carry it with me. I doesn’t seem right to just leave such things laying around, nor does it seem right to throw them away.”

  Susanne said, “You can’t throw them away. Oh, this broach you found and gave back to me is so precious to me. It was like a small piece of my life had been ripped away. I was oh so glad to get it back.”

  LillieBeth said, “We recognized some of the jewelry and knew they had taken them from women they had raped. I will not say whom else, but Mama recognized one of the pieces as belonging to Miss Harbowe…Susanne. It is the broach she is wearing now. And Mama guessed what the Braunawalls had done to Susanne.”

  Clare said. “I recognized another piece. We managed to get it back to the woman’s family, letting them think it was just a found item, not telling them where we got it. It doesn’t matter who or what family, but…”

  LillieBeth said, “She was blessed to have a thing of her mother’s to remember.”

  Clare said, “There are a dozen more items in the packet. Some women may want them back and some won’t, but I do not recognize the pieces and I do not know what else to do with them. I do know that it is like a list of women the Braunawalls attacked and took by force.”

  James looked embarrassed. “I had no idea.”

  Art’s face was still clouded with anger. Susanne could see his fists clenching and his jaw tightening.

  Clare put a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “We were going to tell you about the Braunawalls on Sunday, but when Clayton said he had arrested them for murder-”

  “My Clayton is gone.” Grace interrupted.

  Susanne rushed to Grace and wrapped her arms around the older woman. “Yes, Dear Heart. Clayton has passed over to collect his rewards.”

  Clare said, “Well, we did not see the need to bring up anyone’s secrets then. The Braunawalls should have been hung for murder.”

  Art said, “I wish I had known. Those two animals would have not reached Galena.”

  Clare said, “That is why we did not tell you. We don’t need the law after you, too.

  Art said, “They did not reach Galena anyway.” He let out a ragged breath, sighed and seemed to deflate. He gripped his wounded shoulder, squeezing tight. It was as if the physical pain helped to overcome the mental and emotional pain. “So, what is the problem between my good friends? Susanne?”

  Susanne looked at the floor and shook her head.

  Art said, “Okay Padre James? What did you do?”

  James said, “Art, I asked Susanne if I could court her. She told me that I could not and she told me why. I did not have a choice. I had to inform the school board about her unfortunate circumstances. I am not saying that she was a willing participant with the Braunawalls, but she did choose to go for a walk with this Trance fellow.”

  LillieBeth said, her voice rising in anger with each word, “No choice? It was a secret and she-”

  Art stopped his daughter with a look. He looked back at James and said, “So?”

  James said, “The school board needed to know a woman with such shallow judgment was teaching their children.”

  Art said, “And?”

  LillieBeth said, “And the school board fired my teacher and kicked her out of her home. I told her she could stay with me. Daddy, she has nowhere else to go.”

  Art said, “As long as a Hazkit is alive in these hills, Susanne Harbowe has a meal and a roof over her head.”

  Susanne said, “Art, thank you for asking, but I can’t bring my bad reputation into your home.”

  Art shrugged and winced as his shoulder shifted. “Susanne, I am not asking or offering. You will stay here and not just because of our friendship. We need you. I am laid up and will be for a while. Clare will need help with the new baby coming. W
e have a new farm needing more help than LillieBeth can manage by herself plus she still needs some schooling.”

  James said, “Art, are you sure-”

  Clare answered for her husband. “Art speaks for me too. I suggest that you take Grace home and then when you have time, look up Matthew Chapter 18, especially verses 21 and 22.”

  LillieBeth stepped across the room to Susanne. The young girl held out her hand.

  Susanne realized that she was still holding LillieBeth’s granite heart. She gave it back to the girl.

  LillieBeth held out the rock to Reverend David James. “Do you want to borrow my rock? I thought you might need something to throw at Susanne since you are without sin.”

  THURSDAY - MORNING

  Susanne said, “No. Stop.”

  LillieBeth froze, the pencil held still in her hand.

  Susanne smoothed imaginary wrinkles from the paper. “This is the only paper we have this big. Let’s not rush into our map.”

  LillieBeth nodded, “Daddy says to always measure twice and cut once.”

  Art laughed, “And here all this time I did not think you were listening.”

  Clare said, “What are you doing out of bed? Look! You have started your shoulder bleeding again. I know the doctor said to keep the bullet holes open, but if you don’t stay put for a while, you are going to bleed to death.”

  Clare led her husband back to their bedroom.

  Susanne and LillieBeth turned back to the papers spread out on the kitchen table.

  Susanne said, “This is your place. Until you know everything about the land, you need a map to guide yourself. But, draw lightly until you have a complete outline. This is just like in class when you copied maps from the National Geographic magazines onto the blackboard.”

  A replica of the small map on the deed slowly appeared on the larger paper.

  LillieBeth said, “Here is where the road goes past the property. And here is the lane to the house.”

  Small representations were marked on the paper for the house, the meadow surrounded by trees and the small creek splitting the meadow in half.

  Finally, LillieBeth said, “That is all we know. We have to go look to fill in the rest.”