"John. How is Penelope?" Mr. Carver asked getting to his feet.
"She wanted me to try to get you out of here, but from what Rusty told me, killing Joe Simmons didn't help you any. I'm afraid you'll be here until you stand trial."
"Listen you rat…you better find a way of getting me out of here, or I'll inform the Sheriff just who you really are."
"You don't have to worry. I'm about to inform him myself, Mr. Carver. It's time, more than time. I'm tired of the charades. Besides, I'm concerned for my sister's well-being now. I can't let her suffer, she's an innocent."
"Are you out of your mind. They'll hang you."
"Please don't pretend you care…" John sighed. "If it weren't for your daughter you'd help them hang me. But that is no matter now. I'm guilty and I want to come clean. I know I'll probably never see the baby. But at least I'll have left something for her to love…"
"I care about Penelope, she'll have no one…" Mr. Carver said with a cry.
"If I really want to do right, I must admit what I've done and take the consequences. I'm tired of lying my way out of things. I'm a better man now….even I know that. God knows that."
"That won't save you from the hangman's noose."
"I know that." John admitted.
"Good God man, you are crazy." Mr. Carver said aloud.
"John, I gotta cut this short. There is some kind of ruckus over at the saloon right now and I got put a stop to it. So, you'll have to cut your visit short for now." Rusty explained as he opened the door.
"Sure. Thanks for letting me talk to him." John said eyeing Rusty with interest. He almost told Rusty, but he was in such a hurry to close up the jail. John needed time to think and sort everything out. He walked out of the jail and over to the saloon. He needed to figure out just how to tell Rusty. If there was anyone who might understand it all, it was Rusty Peters. John was sure of it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ben was playing a lively tune, trying to drown out the man who insisted on telling everyone about his feat.
He'd find a better time to confess, when Rusty had time to listen to him. Rusty Peters was a fair man, John reasoned. He trusted him to do the right thing. He might even wait until the trial was over, because Penelope would need him at least until then.
John was paralyzed when he heard what the man was saying though. He stared at the man and his eyes bulged, his fists formed, his heart broke from the words the man spoke. The past invaded his thoughts, and the memories came alive. He grabbed his head a moment, as the headaches came back.
Flashing his bottle of whiskey in the air, and loudly proclaiming that he had killed a real witch, Tom merely glanced at John.
"We burned her while she hung from the tree, then I drove a stake through her heart. She was a witch. She had to be. And when I tell you what she done, you'll agree. She fed that community for ten years, for free. But she fed them human remains. Can you believe it." The drunk man said and laughed. He flashed his bottle once more and laughed out loud. "Those people didn't have any idea…"
John stared at the man, fitting the puzzle together slowly in his mind. Could it be that he was talking about Sadie? Did this man profess that he had hung her, burned her and drove a stake through her heart? Dear God, it couldn't be!
Guilt and hurt, and rage flew through John blindly now. He came closer.
Surely it was his own guilt that identified the victim.
Sadie was innocent! Everyone had to know that she was innocent. She'd done nothing but good for the people of Cross Timbers. Surely he could not be talking about her!
No one could say such vile things about Sadie! No one.
"Who did you hang and burn mister" John asked, his old insecurities and fears aroused by this no name devil of a man.
"Why Sadie Martin, Elmer Martin's sister. The witch!" He bellowed. "From Cross Timbers. Yes sir, I was there, I started the whole thing. When I got through telling those ignorant people of what she'd done to them, they were ready to hang her. Not only that, we torched the hem of her gown, and she lit the sky with her witchcraft, but it wasn't strong enough to defy death I tell ya. Then to make certain that the evil within her was used up, I put a wooden stake in her heart. We left her there, charred and dead. We scourged the earth of her evil once and for all." Tom shouted to the crowd.
Mumblings went up. Hysteria was close to forming on the lips of the crowd.
"You killed her…burned her…drove a stake through her heart? My God!" John cried out. "My God! God forgive me…" John lunged at the man his intention to kill the him was clearly in his eyes as they burned fire at Tom Mueller.
Tom pulled his gun. They struggled, and Tom shot John in the foot. The rage running through John now was so powerful he didn't stop to think, he reacted. His foot was unimportant to him now, it was clearly revenge that drove him onward.
Just then Rusty and Marty burst in with their shotguns loaded.
The others in the room made room as some stepped aside willingly for the Sheriff and his deputy.
Rusty saw John bend down, then he saw Tom weave his gun in the air.
Blood trickled onto the floor from John's foot.
"You are under arrest, sir." Rusty announced.
Tom ignored the voice of authority and raved on like a madman now. "We done her in, once and for all. Sadie Martin might have been a witch, but she won't be feeding anyone now."
Tom's glance fell on Rusty and Marty. Marty took out his gun.
Shoving John into them, Tom Mueller aimed his gun and shot Marty in the leg. Then he aimed for Rusty. Rusty drew his gun, but John got in his way, knocking the gun out of Rusty's hand.
John turned in time to see Tom fire. Suddenly, he jumped in front of Rusty, shielding him from the gunfire. John fell against Rusty as the bullet went through his chest. His eyes were glassy, his mouth contorted into words, but Rusty couldn't make out what he was saying at first. And then he heard them as clearly as a man could speak…"Forgive me…"
Marty bent over for one second to touch his leg, then as Tom tried a second time to down Rusty, Marty pulled the trigger taking Tom Mueller down with a loud thud. The bottle in his hand shattered into a thousand pieces. Everyone jumped, and hollered for a minute.
But as they saw John dying, everyone hushed.
Rusty grabbed John into his arms.
Not a soul stirred as they watched.
"John, can you hear me? John…" Rusty cried holding him and staring up at Marty.
Tom Mueller lay on the floor, his eyes glazing over.
"I ain't done nothin' wrong, why you gunin' me down." Tom said. "Why'd you shoot me, deputy. I killed the w-i-t-c-h." Then Tom fell over on the floor, dead.
Rusty moved John so he could get up, and he stared down at him with tears in his eyes.
"Hey, you okay, Rusty?" Marty wanted to know as he saw Rusty staring into John's eyes.
"Y-yeah…why did he do that?" Rusty looked down at John now. "He took the bullet meant for me…"
Tears were in Rusty's eyes. "Why did he jump on me…just as Tom pulled his gun? He saw it comin'. He knew it would hit me. Why did he do it, Marty?"
"I guess he was trying to save you…"
"Dear God, can anything else go wrong?" Rusty stooped to take John up in his arms. He held John close to him and cried aloud. "This man renewed himself. He made better his life. Now he's dead. Dead by the hands of a madman."
Marty stared at them, and his eyes misted. "You were right about John, Rusty, he was a good man. I’m sorry I misjudged him. Even the bible says there's no greater a man than one that lays down his life for another. God bless him…"
The crowd reacted with mixed reactions. They'd witnessed what John Conroy had done that day. They'd heard the untold story of Sadie dying as a witch. And John saved his friend the Sheriff from a bullet that would have surely killed him. Rusty carried him to the undertaker himself.
In the saloon people told and retold how John Conroy saved the Sheriff's life. No one knew
why. Some shook their heads in disbelief.
A saloon girl glanced down at Tom Mueller's body just before they hauled him off. "That man, was evil…"
Everyone nodded.
"As dumb as I am, I know there ain't no such thing as a witch!" She declared. "That poor woman!"
The saloon became very quiet as Marty directed some men to carry Tom to the undertaker and he watched as the bartender came to clean the mess up.
"This has been one hellova day." The bartender glanced at Marty who had been bleeding. "You better get yourself over to the doc's."
"Yeah. It's a bad day for a killin'." Marty mumbled and followed the men out with Tom's body.
At the church, the next day, the funeral for John was huge. Everyone in town came to pay their respects to the hero of Hard Tack. Marty showed up leaning on a crutch, Penelope was at the head of the grave, her veil couldn't hide the tears, though.
"He was one fine man, a fine butcher, and even better husband." The preacher said.
Penelope wiped her eyes. After the ceremony, she composed herself "If John had to go…I'm glad it was for a good purpose. His child will know of his deed and be proud…just as I am of him." Then she wept. "But…whatever will I do without him?" She cried.
Jim Bonner and Smitty Younger heard the church bells as they rode slowly into town. It was Sunday afternoon. They saw the people congregating outside the church. They'd spent nearly a week chasing Tom Mueller all over Texas, and they'd heard a rumor he had fled to Hard Tack.
Taking their hats in their hands, they entered the church after their long ride.
Rusty spotted them, as he was standing by the casket, paying his last respects.
"Jim Bonner and Smitty Younger, as I live and breathe. Good to see ya!" Rusty pulled them both close and gave them a quick hug.
When Jim and Smitty walked up, they glanced at the body, their eyes rounding on the man inside. But they were totally unprepared for what Rusty was telling them.
"We're laying John Conroy to rest today. You never seen a finer man…than John." Rusty was saying
"B-but…that's not…" Smitty started to say something and Jim nudged him with his elbow.
"Good fella, huh?" Jim asked staring at Rusty intently.
"He took a bullet for me, that's what he done. One of the nicest men in this town." Rusty said. "His wife was expecting a baby. He'll never see it…"
Marty came up behind them. Rusty introduced them to Marty and they walked out of the church slowly.
"Why did he do it?" Jim asked. When Rusty cocked his head sideways he went on. "Why'd he take the bullet for you. Were you friends?"
Rusty shrugged. "Of sorts I guess you'd say. He was just that kind of man, Jim. Always putting others before himself. Tom Mueller came to town yesterday. He'd been shooting off his mouth all night about how he'd killed the witch from Cross Timbers. I don't know why John went to the saloon. He didn't even drink. But I guess what Tom was saying angered John in some way. John put a lot of stock in women. He married one of the finest girls in this part of Texas. By the time Marty and I got over there though, John and Tom had got into it and Tom shot him in the foot. Marty got shot in the leg. And then John just turned to look at Tom and jumped in front of me. I couldn't be sadder about it. John jumped right in front of that bullet. He knew what he was doing. I couldn't do a thing."
"I'm sorry, we didn't get here in time. We'd been chasing Tom all over the north part of the state for the past week." Jim explained. "One of the Sheriff's in Ft. Worth let us know that Tom was headed this direction, then we ran into others along the way that was more than happy to point us in the right direction. Tom was not a silent man, and he made an impression on people wherever he went. It led us to Hard Tack. That impression was not a good one. People were appalled at what he so frankly admitted to."
Smitty kept quiet. He was stumped and didn't know what to say for the moment. He trusted Jim though to handle it.
"Is Tom dead?" Jim asked.
"Yeah, Marty got him…" Rusty nodded to Marty. "He's buried over in boot hill."
Boot hill lay on a slope going out of town, away from the city cemetery. Rusty reserved it for no accounts.
"Well, looks like you've made a good life for yourself Rusty. I'm happy for you. People here must think a lot of you, especially people like John Conroy."
Rusty sighed and smiled. "I guess you was right. I'm pretty good Sheriff material."
Jim smiled.
"I was sorry to hear about Sadie…" Rusty offered.
Jim grimaced, his heart was heavy with the memories of the sweet old lady. "Yeah, we all were…" Jim nodded solemnly.
"I guess we both lost a good friend." Rusty glanced toward the cemetery.
"Good friends are hard to come by…" Jim murmured.
After a long afternoon of catching up, a superb meal by Penelope's neighbors, Jim and Smitty excused themselves. "We better be pushin' on home now. Glad things are okay here. Tell me, Rusty, you gonna come see Vivian?"
"N-no…I don't think that's a good idea, Jim. It's better she put me out of her mind now. She needs to get on with her life. How is she though?" Rusty's voice almost wavered.
"She's well, she's back to her practice."
"I'll always love her Jim. But…it's too late to go back now." Rusty said sadly. "She needs to get on with her life…"
"She still loves you, Rusty."
"Tell her not to. That Rusty Peters is dead and gone. I’m Sheriff Peters now. I got a town to run, and a life to live here. I am relatively happy."
"That the way you want it?" Jim asked.
"That's the way it has to be." Rusty affirmed.
"Okay, I'm glad everything is okay here. If you ever need me, you know where to find me."
"I do…the same goes for the two of you. It's great seeing you again. I hope you'll stop off the next time you are up this way."
He waved his old friend goodbye that evening and wished he could have gone with them, but there was too much he needed to do in his own little town now. Hard Tack was his home now and forever. He reflected on that, like John Conroy, he left the past behind…
~*~
On the long ride home, Jim was quiet, but when they camped for the night Smitty couldn't hold his tongue any longer. He made the coffee, and opened a jar of beans Mary Sue had packed for them.
He didn't know how to broach the subject, as emotions had run high all day.
Stirring the beans over a fire, he stared at his longtime friend.
"You know as well as I that was Elmer Martin in that casket." Smitty began his voice holding questions.
Jim glanced at his friend with a sympathetic smile. "No, you are wrong Smitty."
Smitty cocked his head. "What do you mean? Of course it was."
"No, Elmer Martin died a long time ago. That was a man named John Conroy. A man who overcame his own iniquities. A man who changed his life for the better. Just like Rusty is doing now. You see Smitty, you can't justify one without the other. Didn't you see the real tears in his wife's eyes? Didn't you hear the salute in Rusty's voice as he praised his dead friend. No Smitty, Elmer had died a long time ago."
"I don't get it Jim. After all he done…and to let him just lie there and be sung praises of, it don't seem right. We know what Elmer Martin did. We know it for a fact."
"Sure we do. And had Rusty known who John Conroy really was, he'd probably agree. But he didn't. He knew the man as John Conroy. The man that saved his life." Jim frowned at Smitty. "I know, this is hard to take. I know it don't sit well with the law. But sometimes, the law has to be bent from the truth. Remember this…Sadie would have wanted us to do just what we did. I did it for her, and for the man that Elmer had finally become. Only God can judge him Smitty. John Conroy was a new man, a fine man, a hero. Let's let it lie…Elmer's dead."
"But…"
"No…my friend. Sadie deserved better. She loved her brother, in more ways than one. God forgave them both…and more than once. Elmer is gone. H
e's dead. When he left Cross Timbers, he left Elmer there. Just as Rusty did when he left Melville and Vivian. He still loves her you know. I could see it in his eyes. Sometimes my friend," He stared at Smitty long and hard. "You have to let things lie. And for the baby's sake, we let the man die with dignity. Sadie didn't get that chance. Sadie's lookin' down on us and smilin' a bit today. I just know it, Smitty. Can't you feel it?"
Smitty stared a long time, then after considering Jim's explanation he nodded, "I guess you are right. She is! And for Angelica's sake I hope she never hears a word of this from anyone."
Jim nodded. Amen Smitty, Amen!
The End
About the Author:
Rita Hestand writes multi genres including, contemporary and historical romances, children's books, poetry and short stories. Now she has ventured into what she calls The Western Serial Killer Series.
Texas born Rita is a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She loves spending time with her family. She likes to bowl, watch old movies, watch people, and she used to roller skate but has given that up due to age.
Rita has many books coming out. Check out her other books too!
Rita's Other Books
Books included in this series are as follows:
Better Off Without Her
Good Day for a Hanging
And now…Bad Day for a Killing
More to come soon.
Other series she has written include:
The Travers Brother Series
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
Courting Abby
Hannah's Man
Along Came Love
Her newest contemporary series
The McKay's
Raining in my Heart
Ring of Fire
Twelfth of Never
Stand by Me
The next book in this series is:
Daughter of Iniquity
Bad Day for a Killing (Book Three of the Western Serial Killer Series) Page 24