Deborah Camp (37 page)

“I don’t, Regina. There was a closed meeting last night and I was the main topic of discussion.”

Regina eyed her, wondering if anything got past Mrs. Nation.

“I love Eureka Springs, but Eureka Springs barely tolerates me. But not to worry. Kansas is where I can do more good. If worse comes to worst, I’ll close up the boardinghouse here and concentrate my efforts on the one I have in Kansas City.”

Doom shook Regina and she clutched Mrs. Nation’s arm. “But what about all of us, Mrs. Nation? You can’t just shut everything down. What will happen to these women?”

“They can come to Kansas. You, too. And Jebidiah. Change is good for the soul, Regina. We’ll be just as happy in Kansas.” She patted Regina’s hand. “There, there. Don’t fret so. I’ll make no decisions about this for a spell. First I’ll conduct this tour, and when I get back I’ll take a long look at our work here. If the community feels more kindly toward me upon my return, and if my finances are in better shape, then I might decide
to stay on a while longer. But Kansas is a hot spot for our Prohibition movement, Regina. We are sorely needed there.”

Regina nodded, numbed by the prospect of yet another move. She didn’t think she had it in her. The very thought of leaving this house, this town,
Theodore
, made her heartsick. She was tired of leaving places. She’d come here to
stay
.

Someone rapped at the front door, startling Regina from her thoughts. She smiled. Theodore!

“I wonder who that can be,” she murmured for Mrs. Nation’s benefit.

“Probably somebody looking for me.”

Regina went to answer the door as she plotted ways to receive Theodore without Mrs. Nation’s getting suspicious. She opened the door and her smile slipped.

“Oh, Sheriff Stu. Good morning to you. Bitsy’s next door. I’ve just made some breakfast rolls. Why don’t you come on in and have some with us?”

Stu shuffled his feet, hat in hand, eyes furtive. “Uh … Miss Regina, I need to talk to you and Mrs. Lu, if possible.” He spotted Mrs. Nation behind her. “Ah, good. Mrs. Nation’s here.”

“Hello, Sheriff,” Mrs. Nation said, coming to stand beside Regina. “Something wrong?”

“Yes’m. Could you call Mrs. Lu?”

Like a chill wind, dread blew out every flicker of happiness within Regina. She glanced from Stu’s drawn face to Mrs. Nation’s questioning expression and knew that she should brace herself for a catastrophe.

“What is it? What’s happened?” she asked, staring at Stu as his gaze shifted from her.

“Is it the sheriff?” Lu asked, and Regina and Mrs. Nation separated to include her in their tight semicircle. “What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

It’s Theodore
, Regina thought.
Stu wants Mrs. Nation and Lu here for me when he tells me that Theodore is hurt or—oh, God! Dead?
She trembled and choked back a sob.

“It’s Mr. Jack Beck, I’m afraid,” Stu said. “I hate to be the one to tell you, but he’s dead.”

“Jack?” Regina repeated, feeling a flash of relief followed by a stab of guilt.

“Oh, no! Not dead. Not Jack!” Lu slumped, and Regina and Mrs. Nation held her upright.

“Let’s go into the parlor,” Mrs. Nation suggested. “Sheriff, will you help us get Mrs. Beck in there?”

“Yes’m. Just stand aside.” With that, he lifted Lu into his arms and carried her into the parlor, where he lay her tenderly on the sofa. He retreated a few steps. “I’m so sorry. This is a part of my job I sure don’t relish.”

“I’ll get a cold cloth,” Mrs. Nation said. “And I’ll put on the kettle for some hot tea. She’ll need some.” Her starched clothing whispered as she went to the kitchen.

“What happened, Stu?” Regina asked, crouching beside the sofa to take Lu’s limp hand and press it to her cheek. Fat tears ran down Lu’s face.

“He was drunk,” Lu said, her voice broken. “I knew something like th-this would happen if he didn’t st-stop drinking.”

“He was at the Full Bucket last night,” Stu explained, “and he pulled a gun on a faster man. The fella winged your husband. He didn’t want to kill him, you understand, but your husband brought up his gun to fire again and the other fella had no choice but to shoot him dead. I put the man in jail last night, but I had to let him go this morning. There were at least ten witnesses and they all told the same story. Beck was at fault, they all said.”

Lu closed her eyes. “If I’d gone home with him, maybe I could have kept him settled down and this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Lu, stop that,” Regina commanded. “You know that’s not true. No one has that kind of power over another human being. You tried to be a good wife to him.” Regina heard the words and the conviction in her voice with a sense of shock. Where had
that
come from? But then she knew and her heart smiled. Theodore. Theodore had made her open her eyes and see the truth. Last night had changed her in many wonderful ways.

Sobbing softly, Lu turned onto her side, hiding her face from them. Regina motioned for Stu to join her in the foyer again.

“Where is Jack now?” She took a deep breath. “His body, I mean.”

“Yes’m. At the Eureka Springs Funeral Parlor. I had him taken there. If you want to make other arrangements, I’ll help you.”

“No, that’s fine.”

“Where do you think she’ll want to bury him, Miss Regina?”

She thought of taking him back to Topeka or to Wichita, where they’d grown up, but a journey wouldn’t do anyone any good. “Here. He’ll be buried in the cemetery here. Somehow, we’ll come up with enough money for a funeral and burial.”

Stu nodded, reached for her hand, and pressed something into her palm. “This will help.”

Regina opened her hand and stared at the currency. “Oh, no, Stu. We can’t possibly—”

“Take it. It’s from the fella that shot him. I told him I’d give it to Jack’s widow. You give it to her when she’s more herself.”

Regina nodded. “Who shot him?”

Stu shook his head. “A man just passing through on a cattle drive. He lives someplace in
Indian Territory. I’ve got his name and how he can be reached written down at the office.”

Regina tucked the money into her apron pocket. It would be enough to cover the expense of burying Jack. Placing a hand on Stu’s shoulder, she raised on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Stu. You’re a good man and Eureka Springs is fortunate to have you as sheriff.”

Stu blushed and looked into the parlor. “She’ll be all right, you think?”

“In a few weeks, the grief will subside and she’ll be able to face forward again.”

“It’s good she’s got you folks to lean on.”

Regina sighed. “The other man wasn’t wounded?”

“Just a nick on his ear.” Stu flicked the top of his left ear with a forefinger. “He said Jack Beck was so drunk he wasn’t aiming good, but he couldn’t take a chance that he wouldn’t get lucky on the next shot and plug him in the gut.”

Mrs. Nation came through with a wet cloth and went into the parlor to apply it to Lu’s swollen eyes. Her comforting voice drifted to them in the foyer.

“I’ll go now,” Stu whispered, edging toward the door. “If I can be of any help, just ask.”

“Could you tell the funeral director that someone will be around this afternoon to make the necessary arrangements?”

“I’ll do it.” Stu tipped his hat before closing the door behind him.

Regina looked upstairs, thinking of Annie and how tragic it was for the child to lose her father. Even though that father was a great disappointment, it was still a tremendous loss. Regina went back into the parlor. Lu was sitting up again, and Mrs. Nation had an arm around her. They rocked back and forth, wrapped in misery.

“I’ve buried a husband myself,” Mrs. Nation was saying. “And I know it to be a hard task. I, too, wondered if there was anything I could have done differently that might have saved my first husband from his untimely end. But I had done everything humanly possible. He loved his liquor more than he loved himself and his family. That, my dear Lu, is a battle you can fight but never win. You are a survivor now, Lu. Like me, you carry on, older and wiser, but with a loving heart.”

Regina smiled sadly, glad to be a beneficiary of Mrs. Nation’s eloquence. Lu was in good hands, Regina thought. Later, she and Lu would go upstairs to tell Annie.

Guilt moved through her like a dark tide. Wasn’t it time she told everyone that Jack was her kin? The time for secrets was over. The time for healing had begun last night when Theodore had embraced everything about her, even her past.

Footsteps sounded on the porch and Theo peered through the screened door. When he saw Regina, he came inside and took her in his arms.

“I just heard. How are you?”

“Shaken, but still standing.” She relaxed against him, glad to have his shoulder to lean on, then she noticed that he wasn’t alone. “Oh, Eric. I… won’t you … I—”

“How’s Lu?” Eric asked, cutting into her stammering.

Regina glanced toward the parlor. “She’s in there, but I think it’s best if she doesn’t see—anyone right now.” Regina hoped he understood that he was the last person Lu would want to see. With her husband newly dead, Lu wouldn’t be able to confront her loving feelings toward Eric until she’d laid to rest her first love.

Eric nodded. “I understand.” He patted Theo on
the shoulder. “I’ll just wait outside for you.” Then he left them alone in the foyer.

Theo took Regina’s face in his hands and compassion shone in his eyes. “Does anyone else know he was your half brother?”

She shook her head.

“Don’t you think it would help if you—”

“I’m going to tell Mrs. Nation … and everyone else.” She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “Oh, Theodore, when the sheriff told me about it, I was almost relieved! That’s awful, isn’t it?”

“No, darling Regina.” He pulled her into his arms again. “It’s simply human. Jack brought no joy to your life. In a way, I’m relieved it’s over, too. I was afraid he might pop up again and hurt you or Lu or even Annie.”

“Me, too.” It felt so good to be in his arms that she made no move to leave them.

“Can I help with the funeral arrangements?” Theo asked.

“It’s being handled.”

“Regina, I’m sorry.” Theo stroked her hair, and she sensed he wished he could do more. She knew he regretted the timing of Jack’s death as much as the death itself, and so did she. “You know I’m here for you. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”

She nodded, but she didn’t want to impose too much on him. Their relationship was too new, too wobbly for her to test it with this personal burden.

“I guess I should be with Lu now.”

“When are you going to tell Mrs. Nation about Jack?”

She leaned away from him. “Now, I suppose.”

“You want me to stick around while you do?”

She shook her head. “No, but thank you.”

“She’ll understand, Regina. She’s a good-hearted woman.”

“I know. Besides, how can I bury my half brother if I haven’t even admitted he’s family? I feel awful for being so sneaky, especially toward Mrs. Nation. It was just plain silly, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I am now.” She touched her fingertips to his lean cheek. “You helped clear away the cobwebs.”

“Did I? Well, I’m glad to know I’m good for something.”

“You’re good for a lot of things, Theodore Dane.”

She escorted him to the door and accepted his tender kiss. Watching him and Eric ride off, she wished her relationship with him wasn’t so new. It would be nice to share this time of grief, she thought. Just like a wife. A wife. His wife. Mrs. Theodore—

“Who was that, Regina?” Mrs. Nation asked, and Regina whirled to face her.

“Uh … Theo and … that is, Mr. Dane and Mr. Carmichael.”

“Oh, I see. Do they know that Mr. Beck was your brother?”

Regina jerked, stunned speechless. Mrs. Nation held a tea tray and she motioned with her head toward the parlor.

“Let’s have some tea and talk. It’ll be good for all of us.”

She walked briskly toward the parlor, but Regina hesitated, her heart racing like a rabbit’s. Mrs. Nation knew? How long had she known? Mortification burned through her. Mrs. Nation knew she’d lied, knew that she had hidden her past. Did she know about the Gold Star, too?

“Regina?” Mrs. Nation called from the parlor.

“C-coming.” Regina made herself put one foot in front of the other.

“You’re to eat one of these cinnamon rolls Regina
prepared,” Mrs. Nation told Lu firmly. “You must be strong when you face your daughter.”

“Poor Annie.” Lu choked back a sob. “She’s fatherless now.”

“She has been for some time, dear,” Mrs. Nation stated baldly. “You know it. We know it. Annie knows it. Let’s not make more of this than is necessary.”

“But he’s d-dead! Shot!” Lu stared at Mrs. Nation, her eyes big and red-rimmed. “It’s t-terrible.”

“Yes, it is, but it’s not unexpected. His death, I mean. Alcohol was killing him slowly. At least he’s free of that now. He’s at peace. So let’s have a prayer for his soul.” She motioned for Regina to sit in the other chair, then took her hand and Lu’s. Mrs. Nation bowed her head. “Dear Lord, forgive Jack Beck for his transgressions. If he didn’t ask forgiveness before his demise, it’s only because the demon liquor controlled his mind and numbed his tongue. In his heart, he wanted Your favor, Lord. Take him back into Your loving arms and lay his soul to rest, as we prepare to lay his body to rest. Amen.”

“Amen,” Regina murmured, finding it difficult to concentrate on anything but her own deceit.

“Thank you, Mrs. Nation,” Lu said, accepted the tea and roll. “I’m not hungry, but you’re right. I must be strong for Annie. I’m all she has now.”

“She has her Aunt Regina,” Mrs. Nation said, smiling at Lu’s startled gasp.

“I didn’t know you’d told her,” Lu said to Regina.

“I … I didn’t.” Regina stirred cream into her tea, feeling like a cheat and wondering when, if ever, she’d be able to completely cast off the bonds of her past. “How long have you known, Mrs. Nation?”

“Annie told me right before I left for my tour.”

“Annie?” Lu shared a look of despair with Regina. “Well, she knows better than to lie.”

“Yes, children are so close to God that they haven’t learned to sin yet. Adults teach them that.” Mrs. Nation sipped her tea. “But I’m not here to blame. I just wonder why you two didn’t want anyone to know of your kinship.”