Must the Maiden Die

by Miriam Grace Monfredo

  Cullen pulled up the Morgan beside Glynis and dismounted. His dirt-streaked face looked tired, his expression grim, and his first words to her were, "Where's Liam Cleary?"

  "I insisted he go home for supper," Glynis answered. "But what happened? Did you find the girl, Tamar?"

  "We found her all right. But not before two bounty hunters did." He turned to his deputy and said, "Zeph, get Sledge into the lockup. Danny, take the body to the ice house—Abraham Levy said he'd meet you there. And thanks, lad, for your help."

  Glynis took a few steps toward the horse that Danny Ross was about to lead away, moving in only close enough to confirm that the body was that of the second bounty hunter.

  "C'mon, Gagnon. We're going inside," Cullen said to the dark-haired man, whom Glynis could now see was Andre Gagnon's son, Gerard. The young man's hands were bound, and he looked extremely agitated.

  "Cullen, please," Glynis said to him, "tell me what happened?"

  "Let's go into the office," he replied in a low voice. "I want to keep this out of the newspaper for as long as I can. But it's probably a lost effort, since the search party heard the confession."

  "What confession?"

  Cullen shook his head and strode toward his office. Glynis gathered in her skirt to pass the black-and-tan bloodhounds, whose ropy tails were switching back and forth as they gulped a pail of water. She followed the men into what had become a crowded room. Zeph was just disappearing with the no longer grinning Sledge, taking him to one of the holding cells in the rear of the building. Sledge did not look entirely unwilling to go, perhaps spurred by the prospect of a square meal.

  It seemed to Glynis that Gerard Gagnon was unwilling to go anywhere. What had he confessed to? Surely not Roland Brant's murder, as even with his hands bound, Gagnon's stance was combative as he said angrily, "You can't throw a man in jail for no reason, Stuart! What charge are you holding me on?"

  "You just killed a man."

  In confusion Glynis tried to understand them. Was this the confession to which Cullen had referred? And where was the girl?

  Adam MacAlistair, who until now had been unusually quiet, said to Cullen, "It was apparently a clear case of self-defense on Gagnon's part. Even Sledge admitted that. Zeph said he saw the whole thing and agreed Gagnon acted in self-defense. Agreed with no qualification."

  "I'm holding you, Gagnon," said Cullen briskly, as if he hadn't heard Adam, "for interfering with the law, for harboring a possible fugitive, and for assaulting a deputy. And in about two seconds, I'm going to add resisting arrest. Besides," he said, "I'm doing this partly for your own good. Until you calm down, you're a danger to yourself as well as to the entire Brant family."

  Glynis stared in bewilderment at Cullen. And when she looked at Gerard Gagnon, his expression was one of desperation. But so, she assumed, was her own, as by now she was frantic to learn what had become of Tamar. Who had confessed, and to what? Apparently, from what was being said, it could not have been to the death of the bounty hunter.

  "I need to be with the girl," Gerard said, his voice as desperate as his expression.

  Cullen replied, "There's nothing you can do for her now, Gagnon."

  "Cullen," Glynis said, "what happened to her?"

  "She was shot!" Gagnon said accusingly, "because your constable here thinks she's a killer. As if anyone could believe a frail girl was capable of murdering that pig Roland Brant!"

  "O.K., that's it!" Cullen said.

  "Gagnon, don't say any more," Adam intervened. "I'll represent you, but for now keep your mouth shut. We can ask Miss Tryon here to keep you informed of the girl's condition—"

  "Then she's alive?" Glynis broke in.

  "She's been taken to the refuge," Cullen answered, his eyes on Gerard Gagnon, as if expecting the young man to attack momentarily, bound hands or not. "And Adam, if you want to represent Gagnon, that's fine with me. But he stays here tonight, regardless."

  Zeph reappeared to say, "Let's go, Gagnon," indicating the short hall to the cells.

  "Give me a minute," Gerard insisted, and swung to Glynis. "Miss Tryon, please go to the girl, make sure she's well cared for. And for God's sake, don't let her be taken back to the Brants'!"

  Despite Cullen's scowl, Glynis nodded. "And please," Gerard added, "let me know how she is?"

  "Yes, I will. Though she's in good hands with Dr. Cardoza-Levy, I promise you."

  Despite her attempt to reassure him, Gerard Gagnon did not look any less distraught. And Glynis continued to wonder in what condition the girl was when taken to Neva. Apparently she would have to see for herself, since no one seemed inclined to tell her.

  When the door had closed behind the other men, Cullen said to Adam, "That was a surprise—you saying that you'd represent Gagnon. Isn't that a conflict of interest, since you and Merrycoyf are law partners, and he's representing the girl?"

  "Let's say I think Gagnon needs a lawyer, Cullen. Are you planning to press those charges? If so, we'll worry about a conflict of interest later."

  "I doubt that I'll press them, especially if he's cleared of murder. But Gagnon needs a night or two in jail to cool down. He's holding every member of the Brant family responsible for his father's death. And you heard Zeph tell how he went after that bounty hunter. I'm not saying Gagnon didn't have good reason. He probably was defending himself and the girl. But he's damn good with a knife, and you just heard his opinion of Roland Brant—who was stabbed, if you recall. How do I know Gagnon didn't murder Brant? How do you or anyone else know that?"

  "Presumably the murderer knows," suggested Glynis. "But will one of you please tell me who has confessed?"

  The two men exchanged a look before Cullen answered, "On the way back here, Tamar Jager all but admitted she killed Roland Brant."

  "Cullen, no. Was she in any condition to know what she was saying? And what is her condition?"

  "I don't know the answer to that," Cullen said. "All I can tell you is that she repeated, 'My knife, my knife,' over and over again. Gagnon tried to keep her from saying more—a little ironic, since she was formerly mute—but when I asked her point-blank about the knife she said, 'My knife killed him.'"

  Glynis grasped at the straw of hope, saying, "Then she didn't actually admit that she killed him."

  "No, not precisely," said Adam. "But taken in its context, it did sound like a confession."

  Glynis looked at Cullen. He nodded at her, then said, "That's why I want it kept quiet for now. The newspapers will jump all over what she said. And frankly, I think Gagnon's a good suspect. Could be that's why he tried to shut the girl up—before she incriminated him. For all I know, they were in it together. The girl could have let Gagnon into the house Sunday night or the following morning, and she could have given him the knife that killed Brant. I can't discount what she said, Glynis."

  Before she could respond, Zeph returned. "Kept those two as far apart back there as I could," he said.

  "See Miss Tryon to the refuge," Cullen told him. "And she wants to know what went on at the swamp, so go ahead and tell her." He said to Glynis, "Zeph's the one who saw it all."

  He looked exhausted, Glynis thought. She started for the door, then turned back to Cullen. "Shouldn't Elise Jager, the girl's mother, be told?" she asked.

  "Yes, now that you mention it," Cullen answered. "When Liam Cleary gets here, I'll send him to Carr's Hotel for Mrs. Jager."

  Glynis hesitated before she said with reluctance, "And the father?"

  Cullen shook his head. "I thought he might join the search party, but Erich Brant told me Jager was planning to leave town."

  She shouldn't be surprised, Glynis thought, given Derek Jager's previous behavior toward his daughter. Nonetheless, this latest example of his indifference was disturbing.

  She and Zeph left the office with the hounds trailing them, and as soon as they reached the road, Glynis said, "All right, Zeph, what happened? But first tell me, how is the girl?"

  "Don't know. We took her straight to the d
oc. She was in shock, the doc said. And she took some shot from that bounty hunter. Doc was trying to work on her when we left. That's all I know."

  His dark, square-jawed young face was somber in the fading light, his eyes not as alert as usual; he too looked exhausted. "Where do you want me to start?" he asked Glynis.

  "At the beginning."

  "Search party split up when we got to the swamp. Constable and me, and MacAlistair—he isn't exactly a woodsman—we went on due north. Mr. Levy and the others from town struck out to the northwest, and the sheriff's deputies were going as far east as they could before hitting the lake. When Danny Ross caught up with us—said he had followed the Morgan's hoof prints—we were about two miles north of Dermont Creek. Danny's a good tracker."

  "Yes, I'd heard that somewhere. So Danny stayed with you three?"

  "Yeah," Zeph answered, and gave her a tired smile. "He said it beat installing a pump in the laundry."

  "I'm sure."

  "Anyhow, we knew from your message where to look. Went on north, and when the dogs started baying we knew something was ahead. Were almost to Black Brook when we heard a shotgun. Went off a couple of times. It sounded close. Not too hard to tell the distance on account of the air being so still—you know, right before the storm?"

  Glynis nodded. Right before the storm.

  "The dogs lit out, and we followed them. Couldn't go straight-away—had to ride around some fingers of swamp a few times, or we would have gotten to the girl and Gagnon sooner. Too bad about that."

  They turned off Fall Street as Zeph was saying, "Just by chance, the dogs and I were the first ones there."

  No, thought Glynis; it wouldn't have been chance. Given the opportunity, Zeph would always take the lead. He was the one to have on your side in a tight spot.

  "I tethered my horse and tied the dogs—they don't much like a fight unless they're forced into it, and they can't always tell the good guys from the bad. Anyway, I came in at an angle behind the bounty hunters," Zeph went on. "If you can believe it, they were firing at a mound of dirt. The one named Sledge saw me and put down his gun. His partner, though, a runty guy, was some yards ahead and looked like he was enjoying himself. Then I saw a dog come over the dirt mound. That lunatic with the gun, he shot at it. Right after that, the girl came running after the dog, and she was screaming something—"

  "She was screaming?" interrupted Glynis.

  Zeph nodded. "And Gagnon was behind her yelling—and then that damn bounty hunter shot her. Good thing she was still in motion when he did, or he would've killed her for sure."

  "Unfortunately I'm not surprised," Glynis said.

  "I started after the guy," Zeph went on, "same time as Gagnon was running toward him, and Gagnon got to him first. He was fast—nobody faster, except Jacques Sundown when he's after somebody—and he, Gagnon, already had this runt on the ground by the time I reached them. He'd stabbed him a couple of times in the chest. Must have hit the heart because that bounty hunter died quick. The constable got there right about then."

  "Dear Lord, Zeph. What a nightmare!"

  "Yeah, it was. Gagnon got up, shoved me away, and ran back to the girl and the dog. And that's about it. We managed to get Gagnon and the girl—he wouldn't let go of her, and she wouldn't let go of the dog—onto the dead guy's horse. We threw the body on Sledge's horse until we got to the refuge."

  Glynis took a minute to collect her thoughts before asking, "So there's no question, Zeph, that Gerard Gagnon acted either in self-defense, or in defense of the girl."

  "After that bounty hunter shot the girl and the dog, he was loading to fire again. He didn't get the chance, only because Gagnon got to him first. That runty guy was a born killer. I was sideways to him, and I could see him grinning away while he was reloading. I thought I'd have to kill him myself to stop him. So, no, there's no question in my mind."

  The refuge was directly ahead, but Glynis had a few more things to ask. "Zeph, you're very observant, so how did the girl behave toward Gerard Gagnon? Or didn't you have an opportunity to notice?"

  Zeph paused before he said, "When she was on the horse, holding the dog, she sort of crumpled up against Gagnon. Like she felt safe with him. Is that what you mean?"

  "That's exactly what I mean. Now, one last thing. Did you hear what the girl said about the knife? The knife that presumably killed Roland Brant?"

  "Yeah, I heard. Doesn't look too good for her, does it? She's a little thing, though. Hard to believe she could have killed Brant, but that's just my opinion." Zeph gave Glynis a sardonic glance. "And once or twice I've been known to be wrong."

  When they reached the refuge entrance, Glynis thanked him, then watched him stride toward Fall Street with the bloodhounds loping beside him. Despite his obvious fatigue, his shoulders were straight and his gait easy. It made her heart lift, as it always did, to see the profound change in Zeph—the son of runaway slaves—over the past years. She prayed he would not become involved in the war.

  The war. For the hundredth time that day she thought of Bronwen, and of Jacques, already caught up in it, even here in the North. But since she couldn't endure for long the thought of either of them endangered, she drew in a breath of the sweet-smelling night air, then turned and opened the refuge door.

  Aside from the Vanessa Usher Children's Wing, the large warehouse space had been divided into sections by partition walls to accommodate sleeping rooms and a cooking and eating area. A front quarter of the warehouse held what Neva called her dispensary, and it was there that Glynis went.

  She assumed that Cullen would not want her to tell Neva of the girl's confession, so she would need to be careful about what she said, she told herself, before knocking softly on the dispensary door.

  "What?" came Neva's voice.

  "It's Glynis. Shall I come in?"

  "Yes! And thank God, you're here!"

  20

  She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks.

  —Book of Lamentations

  When Glynis opened the dispensary door, light from two softly glowing kerosene lamps revealed Neva bending over a bed. A still figure lay covered with a white cotton sheet. At once Glynis feared the worst.

  Neva straightened, and said, "I hoped you'd come, Glynis, when you heard the girl was here. I need your help."

  Glynis went to where the girl lay. Although it wasn't really accurate, she thought, to call Tamar "a girl," when she was almost seventeen. But she looked so frail. That was the word Gerard Gagnon had used, and it seemed apt. Glynis now saw why the girl on horseback had looked vaguely familiar to her Monday afternoon when passing her on the road. Tamar had been with Helga Brant at least once in Emma's shop when Glynis was there. It must have been more than a year ago, and she couldn't recall whether the girl had spoken on that occasion.

  But where had Tamar been Monday before Glynis saw her on horseback? From what she and Cullen had been able to learn, no one in the household could recall seeing the girl at all that day. The question was, when Tamar left the house, was Roland Brant already dead?

  The girl's long blond hair was tangled, and one arm that rested on top of the sheet was wrapped in bandages. Beside the bed, a dog lay stretched out, a long strip of white cotton bandage wound around its shoulder. As Glynis approached, the dog gave a low growl and tried to rise, but Neva put her foot on its rump and said, "Lie down and be quiet!"

  The dog, to Glynis's surprise, at once obeyed.

  "This fellow did not make things easy," Neva said. "He apparently thought I was attacking the girl. Tried tying him up outside, but he howled like a banshee."

  "The dog was injured, too?"

  "He had some shot in his shoulder. After I muzzled him, I took it out fairly easily. He was good about it, and he obeys commands. It was only earlier, when I worked on the girl, that he became aggressive. But really, Glynis, treating dogs—for this I became a doctor?"

  "You say that at least once a week," Glynis answered, bending over to look at the gir
l. "How serious are her injuries?"

  "I think I removed all the shot from her arm, but there's always the danger of infection."

  "She doesn't seem feverish," Glynis commented after laying the back of her hand on the girl's forehead. "And she seems to be sleeping peacefully enough."

  "It's laudanum-induced sleep, though," said Neva. "I had to give her some so she wouldn't keep the others awake when she cried out. Fortunately, the women who are here at the moment are in the new wing."

  "She cried out while you were removing the shot?" Glynis asked, wondering if the girl, possibly in delirium, had again referred to the knife.

  "That's not what I mean. She has another kind of damage."

  "Damage?" repeated Glynis cautiously.

  "When they brought her here, Zeph told me what happened in the swamp. The girl threw herself on the dog, and she suffered not just pellets in her left arm—which had a cut as well—but she has at least one lodged in her upper left thigh. I say at least one, because she wouldn't let me take a good look."

  "I'm not sure I follow you," Glynis said. "She wouldn't let you see her thigh wound?"

  "That's right. She let me remove the pellets in her arm with barely a sound. But when I tried to see the one in the thigh, she became so frantic that I gave it up. And the dog was ready to take a chunk out of me. I didn't want to tie her down—she seemed terrified, but I wouldn't have called her delirious—so I gave her some laudanum to calm her and decided to wait for you."

  Glynis bent over the girl again and brushed back a strand of hair as pale as corn silk. Corn brought to mind a kitchen; the Brant kitchen and Addie's disturbing words: The men around here have big appetites.

  Glynis turned to Neva and asked, "Did Tamar understand what you were looking for? Did she ask anything, say anything at all?"

  "I have no idea if she understood," Neva answered. "I tried to tell her, but she was crying and fighting me, so she might not have heard. And yes, she did say something. It surprised me, because I thought she was supposed to be mute. She kept saying 'No!' and 'Don't hurt me,' over and over. It struck me as peculiar, since it was after I'd worked on her arm, which couldn't have been painless."