Bella
The trip to Mud Butte took nearly a week. Bella fretted the whole time, worrying they would be too late to rescue the girls.
“It will be fine, Bella. Have faith.” Reverend Franklin kept telling her.
Faith in what? She didn’t want to ask. She considered writing to Bridget and Father Nelson but, in reality, by the time they got the letters, the situation would be resolved one way or another. Geoff Rees had come with them. His legal knowledge would prove handy. She just hoped they wouldn’t need his gun.
They reached Mud Butte late on Friday evening. It was exactly a month since Bella had left. She hoped she wouldn’t bump into the sheriff. Geoff Rees took them to a different hotel, which was slightly more upmarket than the one they had stayed in when they first came to the town. Brian offered to accompany Bella to the Macdonough’s place. He had asked around town where he might find it. She wondered if they were being silly to be so cautious, but her instincts told her they should avoid the sheriff.
They rented a wagon and drove out to the MacDonagh place. It was smaller than Brian’s land but looked well maintained. The house had a small garden out front with some flowering plants covering the wall of one side of the house. The door opened at the sound of their approach. She was surprised to see Mr. MacDonagh with his gun.
“Mr. MacDonagh, my name is Bella Jones. We met a while back.”
He didn’t get a chance to answer as his wife came out.
“Oh, Miss Jones, thank you for coming. Sorry about greeting you with a gun, but we’ve reason to be fearful.” Gracie came forward wringing her hands. “I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing writing to you, but I just couldn’t bear it if anything happened to those girls.”
“This is my friend, Mr. Brian Curran,” Bella said. “We brought more friends, they’re in town right now.”
Mr. and Mrs. MacDonagh exchanged a quick look.
“Why don’t you come inside for some coffee and my wife can tell you what she knows,” Mr. MacDonagh said.
“What we know, Giles,” his wife corrected him quietly.
Bella and Brian walked inside. The interior looked very similar to the house the Maitland’s had but with one big difference. It was obvious this was a home. Gracie had made a rag rug for the floor as well as chairback covers for each chair. There were pretty curtains on the windows and Bella saw a beautiful quilt on the bed as the bedroom door was ajar. It looked cozy, though devoid of any luxury items.
“We debated whether we should write to you. I’m not afraid for myself, but for my wife,” Mr. MacDonagh said. “Gracie has such a kind soul, and the sheriff and his friends, the Maitlands, aren’t the type of people I want her to be mixing with.”
“The sheriff?” Brian asked.
“I don’t have any proof, but I believe the sheriff knows the Maitlands mistreat those children. None of them are theirs to start with. They are all orphans. They don’t live in the house either, they stay in the barn.”
“The barn?” Bella whispered.
“Yes, ma’am. We didn’t know the girls had been adopted by them. They usually stick to boys, apart from one girl I saw when I dropped off some goods for the store.” He took a loud deep breath. “I took Gracie home as she was so upset at not being able to adopt both those girls. I wish I had let her now. I should have let her.”
“Giles, it’s not your fault,” Mrs. MacDonagh said. “You were right. We can’t afford two children.”
Bella couldn’t believe her ears. Everything they had been told was a lie. No wonder Susan had looked so uncomfortable when they visited. The poor child.
Chapter 46
Kathleen
Kathleen pushed open the jailhouse door. A grumpy looking man in need of a bath sat behind the main desk. There was another desk against the far wall. A wood stove and a coffee pot were the only other furnishings. The floor was filthy and, judging by the number of dead flies on the window sills, a cleaner rarely visited.
Except for the fact the man present was wearing a badge, she would have assumed he was a prisoner. The wall behind him was covered in wanted posters.
“What can I do for you, pretty lady?”
He didn’t stand. She didn’t like the look in his eyes. She drew a deep breath knowing she had to keep her wits about her. In her mind, she pictured how Lily would deal with this man.
“I believe you have my brothers, Michael and Shane Collins, in custody. I would like to see them.”
She was glad her voice was firm and thankful her skirts hid her shaking legs. The man’s gaze roved over her from her head to her toes.
“I don't think they’re up to visitors.” He sneered, speaking to her chest.
Her cheeks flushed with temper. Kathleen bit back her anger. She wouldn’t get anywhere with this man by trying to be forceful. She had to remain calm and in control of her voice.
“Please, sir, I haven’t seen them in over a year. Just for a few minutes. Then I can go back and tell my family I saw them. It would make me so happy.” She forced herself to look in his eyes and smile.
His gaze raked her from head to foot, but she refused to let him see he intimidated her. She forced herself to breathe shallowly, his body odor making her eyes water. She stared at a point just above his shoulder. He exhaled sharply before taking a key from his person.
“You got ten minutes, lady.”
The sheriff spat his tobacco, his aim falling well short of the spittoon. He stood and opened the door to the back where the cells were. He indicated she follow him. The hallway was extremely dark, and he walked too close to her. Belatedly, she wished she had asked for Richard to accompany her but how should she have known she might need protecting from a lawman. He stopped at one of the cells. Taking out a large ring of keys from his pocket, he opened it and stood back, motioning her to move inside. Cringing at the stench, she pushed open the metal door into the cell.
“Oh my,” she cried out in surprise when she saw them. “What happened to you?”
Both her brothers were black and blue. Their eyes were swollen closed. Michael had a nasty looking cut above his left eye and held his arm awkwardly. Shane wasn’t in a much better state. She moved from one to the other, the state of them not stopping her from hugging them both. They had never been overweight but now she could feel the bones protruding. They hadn’t been fed properly.
“What are you doing here, Kathleen?” Michael asked, his tone not too welcoming.
“I came to find you,” she said. “You didn’t write, and I got worried.”
“Wasn’t much time for writing. Not where we were.”
She ignored Michael’s sullen tone and instead addressed Shane.
“How did you end up here?”
He looked at her sadly for a couple of seconds before Michael answered for him.
“You don’t want to know.”
“Michael John Mary Collins, you listen to me. I haven’t crossed state lines to listen to you treat me like a kid. I’m here to help. Why does the sheriff think you murdered someone?”
“Don’t think nothing, lady. I got witnesses,” the sheriff said behind her, making Kathleen jump a little. She hadn’t realized he was still standing there.
“You don’t got nothing,” Michael retorted.
Kathleen’s cheeks heated as her brother let out a string of curse words at the sheriff who retaliated in kind.
“Gentlemen, please.”
All heads turned to the door. Kathleen was relieved Richard had ignored her instructions to leave her be.
“How you talk to each other is your own business. But don’t subject a lady to listening to that filth. Why haven’t these men seen a doctor?”
The sheriff shrugged his shoulders. “Didn’t see the need. Not when they’ll be dangling at the end of a rope soon enough.
Kathleen gripped the bar of the cells. How could the sheriff talk about their deaths so casually?
“The judge hasn’t heard the case yet. They’re innocent until pr
oven guilty. They need medical attention, a bath, and new clothes.”
The sheriff spat another stream of tobacco juice onto the floor. Richard gave him a filthy look, but the lawman ignored him.
“Soft-hearted city boys. That’s all I need. Get out! I got a town to keep safe. I don’t have time to be acting as nursemaid to two murderers,” the sheriff said.
“We told you before, we didn’t kill nobody. It was Beaugrand, and if you weren’t on his payroll you would see that,” Michael retorted.
The sheriff took a step into the cell toward Michael, a menacing look in his eyes, his hand resting on his gun, “What did you say to me, boy?”
Kathleen put herself between the sheriff and her brothers.
“My brothers need a lawyer,” she said. “Have they seen one?”
“Nobody stupid enough to touch their case around here. They ain’t got a cent between them, and lawyers like to be paid.” The sheriff spat on the floor. “Your time is up, get out.”
“But they need medical—”
“Get out,” he repeated. “This is my jail and my town. I give the orders around here.”
Kathleen was going to argue but Richard pulled her away.
“Come on. We can’t do anything here,” Richard told her.
“I can’t—” Kathleen protested.
“Kathleen, come with me. We need to talk. In private,” he told her, dropping his voice.
“Michael, Shane, I will be back. I promise,” she said as Richard pulled her out of the cell.
“Kathleen, go home. Forget you ever saw us. There’s nothing you can do for us,” Shane said sadly before turning his head to look away from her.
With those words ringing in her ears, she picked up her skirts and fled the jail.
Chapter 47
Kathleen
Once they were outside, Richard caught up with her. She wasn’t able to run fast in her skirts. And as it was, she was attracting attention.
“Kathleen, wait. We have to discuss this.”
“You heard what the sheriff said,” she told him. “He won’t even let you see to them. I swear Michael’s arm is broken.”
“Yes, given the angle he was holding it at, I agree,” Richard agreed. “But you and I arguing isn’t going to help anyone. We have to engage an attorney.”
“I don’t have the money for one of those,” Kathleen said.
“I do. Come on, let’s go find one.”
“I can’t let you pay for everything,” she said, feeling nervous. “You’ve already been generous enough. Especially looking after Patrick.”
“I can afford it,” he assured her. “My grandfather left me very well off. Now, please, stop wasting time and let’s find an attorney.”
Kathleen took his proffered arm and together they walked down the street looking for a lawyer. The first two they visited more or less laughed them out of their offices.
“This is no use. Nobody will help us,” Kathleen said before she had a thought. “Wait, I need to send a telegram.”
“To whom?”
“Charlie Doherty,” she said. “He works for an attorney in New York. He may be able to recommend someone.”
“Worth a chance, I guess,” Richard said. “The telegraph office is right around that corner.”
Together, they sent a telegram giving Kathleen’s boarding house as the reply address.
“What do we do now?” Kathleen asked.
“I think you should go and lie down. You’ve had a shock and look tired. I will call on a couple of doctors and see if I can find out who is who in this town. I want to know who this Beaugrand guy is. I don’t like hearing the sheriff is friendly with the guy your brothers accused of being the real villain.”
“So, you believe them? My brothers, I mean?” Kathleen said hopefully.
“I don’t know your brothers.” He took her hands gently. “But I am getting to know you, and I believe you believe they aren’t capable. So, for now, that is enough for me to try to help.”
“Thank you, Richard.” She was too choked up to say anything else.
“Now, off you go and rest. The next few days will be difficult.”
She didn’t reply. She couldn’t begin to imagine how the next few days and weeks would play out.
Chapter 48
Bella
Bella and Brian sat at the MacDonaghs’ table listening as the couple told them everything they knew.
“But Jack told us his child died and everything,” Bella said, trying to work out what was truth and what was deception on the part of the Maitlands.
“They did have a child die on them, but it wasn’t at the same time as the Lord took our Matilda Rose,” Giles faltered. “A whole lot of people died in that epidemic. But the child who died at the Maitlands died long before that.”
“How can the townspeople allow them to carry on taking children?” Bella demanded, causing Giles MacDonagh to look guilty.
“They’re powerful folk when they get together,” he said. “There’s them two brothers, and the sheriff, and the store owner. There may be more. But that’s a lot of people in a relatively small town like this. We got our own problems, Miss Jones. Not saying that excuses us, but...”
Bella noticed his neck going red. She could see he was ashamed and, while part of her remained angry, she was also reasonable enough to realize they were in a difficult position.
“I tried speaking to the sheriff once. He told me to mind my own business or he may have to take Gracie away.” Mr. MacDonagh took his wife’s hand and held it tight. “My Gracie was so ill after we lost Tilly Rose then we lost another baby. I thought she would die of a broken heart. Sheriff said he thought she lost her mind. He said he would have her put in an institution. I couldn’t risk that.”
Everyone fell silent, the only sound in the room was labored breathing as they each tried to keep their emotions in check. Bella wanted to scream, rant and rave, but most of all she wanted to cry. What had Megan and Eileen lived through since she had seen them last?
“I am so sorry for all you have been through, yet you had the confidence to write to Bella.” Brian said.
“We decided we’re going to leave Mud Butte. It has nothing for us but bad memories. We were going to sell up and move into Green River. I should be able to find work. Gracie felt it was the right time to write to you. She said from the start you wouldn’t stand for anything bad happening to those girls.” He glanced at Bella then continued, “She didn’t tell me until after the letter was gone. My wife is a brave woman and she is right. We heard some bad stories. A man I know was offered a young girl at the saloon. The description of the man doing the offering sounded a lot like Jack Maitland.”
Bella bit her lip in an effort not to cry out.
“Those kids need help. We were wrong not to take a stand before.” Giles looked at Bella. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
“You don’t have any need to apologize, Mr. MacDonagh. You were protecting your family. That’s how it should be,” Brian said firmly. “But now there are enough of us to take on the Maitlands and their friends.”
“Brave words, but it will take more than just the four of us,” Mr. MacDonagh said, “Please call us Gracie and Giles.”
“Remember those friends we mentioned?” Brian said. “One has already wired the sheriff in Green River.”
“I sure hope he didn’t use the telegraph office in town,” Giles said, looking nervous. “The operator and the sheriff are really close.”
Chapter 49
Bella
Brian drove the wagon with Bella and Gracie riding in the back. Giles rode his horse in case he needed to come back to his farm. They drove up to the hotel. Bella and Brian walked into the hotel to find their friends waiting for them. They quickly introduced Gracie and Giles to Geoff, Mitch, and the Reverend.
“Did you get a wire back from Green River?” Bella asked Geoff Rees.
“Yes,” Geoff replied. “Help is on the way, but we need to wait for
backup before we act.”
“We can’t do that. The MacDonaghs have told us the girls are being kept locked in a barn and treated like livestock. But that might not be the worst of it. There are some ugly rumors flying around. We need to go out there and take them home.” Bella knew she was speaking loudly but she couldn’t help it. She had to convince them to go today. They had waited long enough.
“We can’t do that, Miss Jones, we don’t have any authority. If we go riding onto the Maitlands’ land, they’re within their rights to shoot us. We need to wait for the Green River sheriff to get here. He will have the authority we need,” Geoff Rees said firmly.
Gracie took Bella’s hand and led her to the side of the room.
“We can’t do anything to risk those children. We have to have patience,” Gracie said soothingly.
“I can’t bear to think of what they are going through.” Bella sat then stood again.
“Don’t let your imagination run away with you,” Gracie warned.
Bella didn’t have to use any imagination. She had lived through enough of her own horrors to know exactly what the girls might be subjected to. But she couldn’t admit that to Gracie, not just because she was a stranger, but she was sure the woman felt bad enough already.
“Mr. Rees, how did you manage to send a wire without warning the sheriff? He and the telegram operator are close,” Mr. MacDonagh said.
Mr. Rees grinned as he took out a ten-dollar bill. “A few of these helped.”
Bella gasped. “You bribed him? I think that’s against the law.”
“It is, Miss Jones, but after I explain why to Stuart William, the Green River Sheriff, I don’t think he will hold it against me. I met with Sheriff Slater and he is just as bad as you said he was and a whole lot more. I wouldn’t trust him with a hundred-year-old goat, never mind to act in the best interests of a child.”
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