The Detective Bride

by Sylvia Damsell

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Are you alright?” Susannah looked at Noah a bit anxiously.

  “Alright?” Benjamin asked.

  “Yes. He jumped on me because he thought I was an intruder, I kicked him and he passed out.”

  Benjamin grinned. “How is it women always think of that?”

  Noah stood. How indeed, but Susannah was right. They had to defend themselves the way they could best. “Shall we go and look at what they were doing?” he asked.

  “I think they were trying to find an opening,” Susannah said. “It’s going to take them ages to cover the whole field.”

  “We should follow them,” Benjamin said.

  “Not a good idea.” She walked over to where they had been digging. “We don’t want them to think they’ve been spotted or they won’t come back.”

  “They saw us, which is why they went.”

  “But they don’t know who you were.” Susannah knelt on the ground. “This is where they were digging but they’ve cleverly covered it with grass which probably won’t die because they dug deep and laid the grass back.”

  “You shouldn’t have come on your own,” Benjamin said.

  “Would you say that to Noah?”

  Benjamin smiled slowly. “I guess not.”

  “He is living proof that I can take care of myself. I don’t think the men will come back tonight but it might be an idea if someone does keep an eye out at the hospital at night. Could you post a man there? Not to challenge anyone who comes, just to see where they dig and how they go about it. As I said, we don’t want to frighten them off. Also maybe to see what they look like if they can get near enough. I have an idea of what those four were like which I’ll draw when I get back home.”

  “We’ll accompany you,” Benjamin said. “Where’s your horse?”

  “Where the other horses are kept near the hospital. I’ll be alright but I’m taking Noah home first in the carriage so he doesn’t have to walk or sit astride a horse.”

  “I can manage,” Noah said. He looked at the two men who were grinning. “And it’s not funny.”

  “No, of course it isn’t.” Benjamin straightened his face then grinned again. “Can I tell Arena? I promise not to tell anyone else.”

  “We could put it in the newspaper.”

  Susannah’s smile was as wide as Benjamin’s and all Noah wanted to do was kiss her. But he wasn’t insulting her by doing that again and if the story got around at least it might encourage the women in the community to defend themselves. They went for the carriage and were soon on their way to his house.

  “I don’t like you going to the apartment on your own,” he said.

  “I’ll be alright so don’t try to follow me. I don’t even have to go off Bruce and Hazel’s property. I’ll see you in the morning, God willing.”

  “Yes. Thank you for bringing me home but please don’t go there again on your own. I know you can defend yourself but give me the misguided chance to prove that I can protect you.”

  “It’s not misguided and thank you.”

  She went and he did follow her though as discreetly as he could as he jogged behind her at some distance. He watched her go into the apartment, Hazel came out a couple of minutes later and she turned to wave in his direction. He doubted she could see him but she probably guessed he would follow Susannah which gave him a nice feeling. She regarded him as reliable. Did Susannah? Turning, he jogged back to his house and went straight to bed.

  Chapter 14

  “Can we see papa off at the stagecoach?” Becky asked, walking into the kitchen with her satchel ready to leave for school.

  Papa? That was the first time they said that but they were definitely warming to Blair. She mustn’t start worrying about future implications of that when their mother was found. If she was found. Susannah pushed the thoughts from her mind and bent to kiss Becky.

  “Yes, darling, you can. I asked Mrs. Harrison and she said it will be alright if you’re late.”

  “Have you got the food you made for papa and Jonathon?”

  “I have and I rather suspect Linda will have made up hampers for them too so they won’t get hungry.”

  “He’ll like the blanket we knitted, won’t he?” Knitted mostly by Susannah and Hazel but a few squares were done by Dan and Becky and they were very proud of their handiwork and took credit for the entire article.

  “He’ll love it,” Susannah said.

  “We’re ready to go.”

  “I’ll just get my jacket and we’ll put the stuff in the carriage.”

  They went outside and Bruce had just brought the carriage to the front. Hazel came out of the house with Larry, Tony and Amos, got in and Susannah looked at Bruce as Daniel and Becky followed the Longs.

  “I could drive it,” she said.

  He held the door for her. “Thank you, but I want to go into town. I’m expecting some goods from Darwin which need transport.”

  Susannah stepped into the carriage and the two children sat close to her on either side, both rather unsettled at what they knew Blair was going to do. Their mother and they had confidence that he would bring her back but it was still a strain on them, Susannah knew. She had told them it could take months but to them time was of little consequence and they wouldn’t be settled until he returned with their mother.

  When they reached the stagecoach Noah was there, so too were quite a few people which included Linda and her children. Jonathon lifted them one by one, kissed them in turn then turned to Linda. She put her arms over his shoulders, kissed him at some length then wound them round his waist to give him a hug. He climbed in the carriage behind Blair who had just kissed Dan and Becky and who held the blanket over his arm.

  He turned back to look at Susannah. “I’ll come back for you,” he said.

  She looked at him with a deadpan expression. “Why?”

  He grinned, went into the coach and Arena, Hazel and Linda who were standing the nearest dissolved into laughter. Bruce chuckled and Linda lifted David and Seth one on each arm. She looked at Susannah and giggled again.

  “Would you and Noah like to come for a drink after you’ve taken the children to school?” she asked.

  “We’d like that,” Susannah said. “Thank you.”

  Did she feel a bit bereft having Jonathon go off, particularly as he was leaving three days earlier than he needed to do? She couldn’t really tell because she was still laughing as she walked away with the children. Susannah aimed for the school with Dan and Becky who both looked a bit mournful.

  Noah dug into his pocket and brought out five tops. “There’s one each for you and you can give the others to anyone you want,” he said.

  “I’ll give one to Bertha,” Becky replied, obviously brightening.

  “And I’ll give one each to Larry and Tony,” Dan added.

  “Have you had one before?” Noah asked.

  “No.” Their reply was a chorus.

  He took another one from another pocket and demonstrated. “You do it like that. Now you try.”

  They began to do it and obviously enjoyed it, their minds totally distracted, much to Susannah’s relief. She might have known Noah would come up with something because he was a nice man.

  “I’ve got more for the Barnsley children,” he said when they left the school. “Also one for Linda and Jonathon and one each for you and me.”

  “You must have deep pockets,” she replied.

  “I have. A consignment came in last week, Arena said, and she let me buy these ahead of them going on sale. I bet this afternoon the mercantile will be inundated with children who will have seen our two with their tops.”

  Our two. That was nice and Noah really was integrating into the community which Susannah liked seeing. She rather felt that in New York he was a bit of a loner.

  “Hubert will be pleased,” she said.

  “He will. Arena ordered them and he wasn’t at all convinced they would be popular. The man’s childhood is too f
ar away for him to remember that children love new things.”

  “It must be. I’m dying to play with it.”

  “When we get to the rectory, not a minute before.”

  “That sounds very school teacherish. How are you this morning?”

  “Fine, thank you. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  She resisted the urge to smile. “No reason. It was just a polite query as to the state of your health.”

  “Humph!” And this time she did smile and dearly wanted to put her hand through his arm.

  “Mama! They’re here!”

  There was a scream from Mark, and the children virtually fell down the steps to meet them. Noah swung them in turn and handed them a top each. Linda appeared in the doorway and he gave one to her and Susannah before demonstrating to all of them what to do with them.

  The children were fascinated though David and Seth weren’t too good at making them work. Noah crouched beside them and showed them in more detail. He was so patient, Susannah thought proudly while she watched him demonstrate repeatedly until the toddlers had grasped what to do and were able to do it. The other children were proficient within a few minutes and kept demonstrating their skill to their mother while she filled the tray with drinks and cake.

  “Have you got one for papa?” Rachel asked.

  “I gave him and Blair one each before they left. They’ll have a lot of fun with them.” Noah looked at Linda. “If there’s anything I can do while Jonathon is away let me know. It’s a lot for you with five children.”

  “Mark, Rachel and Jude are starting school tomorrow. It will be in the morning to start with to see how they go.”

  “We’re going to school,” Mark said. “Do you want to see our satchels?”

  “We’d love to see them.” The children tore up the stairs with the babies slowly following them, but by the time the two younger ones got to the top Mark, Rachel and Jude were coming down again. Noah swung the little ones down and the children went on the floor to empty their satchels in order to show what was inside.

  Noah was good with them, Susannah thought while she watched, and he had so much patience. He had distracted them from being upset by their father leaving and he was still paying them a lot of attention. He sat on the floor with them and Linda handed out cakes to the young people.

  “How are things going concerning the seminary and university?” Linda asked.

  “We know people are trying to find something on the property,” Susannah replied.

  “Oh?”

  Linda listened with interest to what Susannah told her about the previous evening, albeit omitting the bit about what she did to Noah. “Whose side are you on?” Linda asked when Susannah finished speaking.

  “Justice. I want the land to belong to the seminary and university but we can’t legally prove anything just by looking at the papers. Their ones look more authentic than Miles’ ones do but that doesn’t prove anything. We need to find out who the original owners are.”

  “They used to live in Independence,” Linda said. “But they’ve moved and left no forwarding address.”

  Susannah’s expression was eager. “You know their names?”

  “Yes, and Jonathon has a few letters from them which I can find. It wasn’t to do with the university and seminary, just something private so I can’t let you see that. However, I can read them myself and see what I can glean from them because they were addressed to both Jonathon and myself. The addresses on them though are their Independence one so that won’t tell us where they are now. You could try the post offices though to see if they have forwarding addresses.”

  “That would be really helpful.” Susannah’s tone was enthusiastic. “Noah, did you hear that?”

  He looked up from where he was helping the children lay some train track which they had brought in. “Yes. It’s very encouraging. I could go to Independence tomorrow and make some enquiries.”

  “I could telegraph the post office,” Linda said. “They know us and trust us so they’ll give us information. I’ll go later to the mercantile.”

  “We could babysit if you want to go just now,” Susannah said. “In fact, if you want to do any visiting we can look after the children. Why don’t you go and relax with a friend for a couple of hours or you could do it later?”

  “I can’t do that,” Linda said.

  “Yes, you can. We’ll come back about two and you go wherever you want.”

  Linda demurred but Susannah felt she might be pleased. She obviously adored the children and was patience itself with them but being on her own would probably be a bit difficult and she would miss Jonathon. They left after having their drinks and cake and made their way down the road towards the mercantile.

  “Did you mind me offering to babysit the children?” Susannah asked Noah. “I can do it if you like.”

  “I’m happy to help. What do you want to do now?”

  “Firstly go to the post office and make enquiries then go back to the grounds to have a look in the light. Is there any way we could find out if there’s some kind of entrance to the mines without pulling up the grass?”

  “We could poke with something sharp to see if underneath the soil is different but it will take ages. I could buy a fork.”

  “Two forks. I can poke too.”

  “Two forks. Do you promise not to go there tonight? You shouldn’t be alone.”

  “You could always spend the evening with us to ensue I don’t. I’ll cook you a meal. Well, I’ll probably heat up what we brought home yesterday but that will taste nice. There’s a pie with cheese and egg mixed together and it looks delicious.”

  They went to the mercantile and Susannah made enquiries concerning the people from whom the land had been bought. She did not ask many questions, merely said she had lost touch with them, but there was no information forthcoming and she knew she would have to depend on Linda. Maybe she could speak to Hazel later about it.

  On their arrival at the field they found Benjamin, Arena and their baby there where they were examining a part of the field with the baby lying in a crib asleep. They thought they could have a look, Arena told them, because it would take ages for Noah and Susannah to cover the ground.

  “We need a way to tell one another what parts of the field have been covered,” Benjamin said, watching Noah and Susannah start to poke the ground. He and Arena also had sharp iron rods and had obviously had the same idea about how to find anything solid below the grass.

  “It is a big area,” Noah replied. “What I’ll do is let you know where we’ve worked each day.”

  “And I’ll let you know the same. We can’t come that often but I have a couple of hours spare now and Arena isn’t working today. Have you found out anything else?”

  “We know the name of the person who sold the land but they’ve moved with no forwarding address,” Susannah said. “This is certainly more complicated than I was expecting.”

  “It’s such a shame,” Arena walked forward slowly while she poked the ground. “People in the Pines were looking forward to going to university and the seminary. Jude wants to study law and quite a few of the ladies have been accepted for courses. I want to do a business one. Not a degree but it would be helpful at the mercantile. Justin says I could do some lecturing after the course because I’m interested in the subject and have done quite a lot where the mercantile and other people are concerned.”

  “She already leads courses.” Benjamin looked at her proudly.

  “But that’s with my own ideas so I really do need to be taught. However, nothing can be done until this land thing is sorted out and it’s going to put everything back because no building is allowed at the moment.”

  “Who stopped that?” Susannah asked.

  “The seminary and university because they can’t spend unnecessary money on building if the land isn’t theirs. What they would have to do is buy more land but they’re not keen on that because of the expense. It will be such a shame if they abandon the project, and th
e building brings more people into the area who might then stay permanently.”

  “We’ll work as quickly as we can.”

  Which put a bit of a burden on her, Susannah thought, because she just had to solve this problem soon. As a credible detective she must solve it. But having the children restricted her yet she didn’t know what to do about that. Much as she loved them, and she had come to love them very much, Blair had complicated matters tremendously. She said as much to Noah after Benjamin and Arena left and hoped it didn’t sound too unfeeling.

  “If they didn’t attend school it would have been easier,” he said. “Because then we could have taken them everywhere. But now we can only take them at weekends and they’re old enough to probably not want to do that. If their mother can be found it will be good but Blair has left you with the responsibility for them and that isn’t really right.”

  “No, but it has happened.” Susannah looked at her watch. “We’d better get back into town to babysit though we’ll call at the apartment to have some food first. I shouldn’t have offered, should I?”

  “There’s nothing else we can do today,” Noah said. “What we do need to do is speak to everyone in the town, also Lone and Middle Pine, to see if we can locate the sellers.”

  “Which we could have started this afternoon. I’m sorry.”

  She thought for a minute that he was going to put his arm on her shoulder as he moved closer to her and was a bit disappointed that he didn’t when he took her fork and put both in the wagon. Not for any romantic reason, of course, but she really was feeling a bit desperate.

  “We’ll decide who to visit tomorrow,” Noah said.

  “The children don’t have school tomorrow.”

  “I forgot that. We could go to Independence tomorrow and make enquiries.”

  “If we do the children will want someone to go with them, probably Larry and Tony, and there won’t be the entertainment there was when we last went.”

  Susannah got on the wagon, her mind totally distracted though she felt she wouldn’t have minded Noah lifting her up in the way he had before. He jumped up beside her and she shook the reins.