Dan picked up a few pieces of wood from the stockpile at the side of the house and looked over at the little shadow beside him. Rob had been his constant companion over the last couple of days and nights; Dan had even started sleeping on the floor in the boys' room to allow Rob to sleep in his bed. He didn't mind the company and he knew the young boy needed him. They had hardly seen Mrs. Jo; after the incident at the jail the previous day, she had isolated herself to her room. Asia was constantly trying to get her to come down and eat but like Nan had said, it wasn't the same Mrs. Jo.
That afternoon, Edward had finally arrived from New York, much to the relief of all the adults. He had spent the last few hours in the parlor with Laurie, trying to piece together the events and what type of case they would have with the charges against Nick. Dan overheard them say that the two men claimed they had never seen Mrs. Jo and that they suspected Nick of hurting her; Edward was having a difficult time proving otherwise.
Dan handed Rob a few of the smaller logs and smiled at the sad-faced boy. "Let's take these into Asia and see if maybe she's got any cookies left," he suggested, trying to sound cheerful.
Rob nodded slowly and followed Dan through the backdoor and into the kitchen where Asia was busy preparing dinner. They dropped the wood next to the fireplace and Dan turned towards the counter, grabbing the cookie jar. As he dug through, he glanced up quickly at Asia who was giving him a disapproving look. "Is it okay if Rob ruins his dinner, just a little?" Dan asked, looking at the grim child.
A gentle smile formed on Asia's lips. "Of course," she said, a glint in her eye. She turned around and grabbed a tray of recently baked chocolate chip cookies. "Take a few fresh ones. They're always best warm."
Rob's eyes widened with pleasure and grabbing two, sat down at the table. Asia brought him a glass of milk and smiled at Dan as he stepped towards the table. It was the happiest he had seen Rob in the last few days.
Dan could hear voices approaching the kitchen as Edward and Laurie made their way through the doorway. "... we need to place her there, with those two men," Edward was saying. Both men looked a bit disheveled, their jackets removed and sleeves rolled up. "Anything to dispute their claims that they never saw her that day."
Asia placed two cups down on the counter for them along with a fresh pot of coffee from the stove. Laurie nodded his appreciation. "This is not something Jo would just make up. She has the injuries to prove it." He looked over at the boys, an apologetic look on his face.
"But it's not enough to say that they did it," Edward argued. "We need further proof - did she see or hear something that would place them with her? Something she wouldn't know unless she had actually interacted with them."
"She hasn't mentioned anything," Laurie said, looking over at the cookies on the counter and grabbing one. "Although, she's been having a tough time. I don't think she wants to relive it quite yet."
Dan looked over at Rob who was slowly eating his cookie. "Rob saw 'em," Dan offered. "Couldn't he be a witness?"
Edward smiled gently. "I'm afraid not, Dan. A young boy's testimony isn't very credible. Especially when it's for his own mother."
"Hopefully something will spark Jo's memory," Laurie sighed. "Otherwise, Nick may not be coming home for awhile."
A silence hung over the kitchen, Dan noting the worried looks the adults exchanged with each other. Things at Plumfield just wouldn't be the same without Nick. He had become just like a father to Dan, a male role model to all the children and it was something many of them didn't have.
"They were bankers," Rob mumbled into his glass of milk.
Edward and Laurie looked at the boy with curious glances. "What?" Laurie prompted.
Rob sighed and put down his cup. He turned in his chair. "The men. They said they had been bankers but had made some bad in-invest…" he struggled with the word.
"Investments?" Edward suggested.
"Yeah," Rob nodded his head. "Investments. And the one man mentioned someone named Croft."
Recognition fell on both Laurie and Edward's faces. "Jack Croft," Laurie said with a chuckle. "They must have been involved in the Croft's bank closure last year. I guess the railroad hasn't been profitable for everyone."
Dan watched Edward mull the information over in his mind. "This is a start. I think we will still need a bit more from Jo to completely throw out the case but it might be enough to bring these men's statements into question." The two men started back towards the parlor. "Thank you, Rob," Edward said, giving him a big smile.
Dan leaned over and tousled Rob's hair. "Good job, buddy."
The young boy stared back at his cookies. "I just want Nick to come home."
Dan nodded. "So do I, Rob. So do I."
XXXXX
"If there is anything else you can remember, Jo… it would help the case greatly." Jo looked over at Laurie who was seated in the chair beside her bed. It was mid-morning and she had just gotten rid of her sisters who had spent three days as her overbearing caretakers. The constant sympathetic words and pitiful glances were aggravating; she was glad when they had finally decided to go and see if Asia needed any help in the kitchen. But now Laurie had replaced them as the nuisance and she didn't want to talk to him. Between the pain in her arm and ache in her heart, she just wanted to close her eyes and to be left alone.
"I don't remember anything, Laurie," she snapped a bit too harshly. "And what does it matter anyways? These men will get away with everything they've done - I can't press charges against them if it means another lawsuit. I would lose Plumfield."
"We might be able to counter the defamation lawsuit," Laurie offered. "These men don't seem to be the most upstanding individuals. Edward did some investigating with the information from Rob. It seems that they lost a lot of money when Jack Croft and Company financially went under. They were some of the few who hadn't anticipated Croft's overextension with the railroad and didn't invest in anything else. The defamation suit might just be a ploy to regain some money."
Jo considered his words but wasn't convinced. "But that alone doesn't prove that they attacked me. If Edward was able to readily get this information, then anyone could."
"True but at least it's a start. And that's why if there is anything else you can remember them saying…" Laurie pleaded. "Any little detail…"
It was the details that Jo didn't want to remember. Ever since waking from the attack, every time she closed her eyes, she could see the two men, staring at her. Every moment of the day, she could feel the tall man pulling her hair, holding her down and the short man touching her, his weight against her. The smell of dirt and alcohol seemed to be everywhere and she could hear them whispering things in her ear. All these things weighed on her and she was afraid if there was anything else, she would break.
She could feel tears forming in her eyes. "I can't…"
Laurie squeezed her hand. "That's okay… maybe later." He looked awkwardly around the room and Jo could tell he was struggling to say something. "The kids… they keep asking about you. They're worried. We're all worried."
Jo felt a few tears fall down her cheeks but she refused to wipe them away. "Laurie…" she warned, the lump in her throat growing.
"You know we're all here for you. You don't have to suffer through this alone," he tried again. All this concern, all of this attention… it was infuriating. Maybe she wanted to do this alone… maybe she wanted this suffering because it was the only thing she had felt in the last four days. No one else could understand what she was dealing with - no one could feel the same emptiness, helplessness that she had down deep in her core. How could they possibly?
"Laurie - enough!" she said angrily, pulling her hand from his. She stared at him gritting her teeth, trying to keep from lashing out any further.
Laurie stood. Jo could tell by his face that her words or lack thereof, had hurt him. He had always been a good and honest friend to her, one of her best. And he had always been the first to help whenever she needed it. But he just couldn't help with this.
He slowly made his way to the door and seemed to be mulling something over in his mind. He finally stopped and turned back to Jo. She steeled her gaze, preparing herself for another plea.
"You may not want to talk about this Jo. You may feel that no one else in this world knows how you feel," he sighed, tears in his eyes. "But know that we're all hurting along with you - might not be for the same reasons, but we are. And if you're not going to let us in, then you'll end up losing so much more than a lawsuit." And with that, he left.
XXXXX
"She won't say anythin'?" Nick asked, frustrated. Laurie and Edward had arrived at the jail early that afternoon to discuss the case with him but Nick was tired and the last few nights, sleeping on a hard metal cot away from his home was taking its toll.
"I think she's afraid," Laurie answered, leaning up against the cell bars. "But it's not going to help her or you if she doesn't talk about this."
"Regardless," Edward interjected, "those two men have recovered enough that I'm sure that the judge will call an initial hearing fairly soon. With the knowledge we have regarding their current financial situation, we can call into question their accusations against you. It might buy us some time and at least the judge will set bail."
"And my plea?" Nick asked, a bit anxious about spending more time in jail.
"Not guilty, of course," Edward said.
Nick looked at him, confused. "But I did it. I've already admitted to it. How can I change that?"
"You have admitted to the assault charges and if that was strictly the charge, then it would be a plea of guilty," Edward explained. "However, they are charging you with aggravated assault which would lead one to believe that it was unprovoked or unnecessary, which in this case, it was not."
"But without Jo pressing charges, how do we prove that I'm not guilty?" Nick started to get anxious. He felt like he was reliving the whole murder trial again - being stuck in a cell, away from home. And although he knew that assault wasn't quite the same as murder, the idea of spending more time apart from Jo, was just as unbearable.
"I'm hoping it'll be enough to speculate that there was an underlying reason for the assault," Edward said, "The formal charges won't be there but there is nothing stopping us for introducing the attack on Jo as motive."
"A major factor will be the judge," Laurie added. "Since neither of these men are from Concord, perhaps the judge will be more lenient given your reputation in town."
Nick sighed. "It's my reputation I'm afraid of," he muttered. He was known for having a bit of a temper which was something that had gotten him into trouble in the past - many times. Hopefully his past problems were not going to influence the outcome of this trial.
"It'll be fine," Edward eased. He turned towards the door. "I am going to speak with the sheriff. I would like to set up a meeting with Mr. Barker to discuss our own claims." He stepped outside the room, leaving the other two men to talk.
Nick looked at Laurie. "How is Jo, really?"
Laurie's face grew serious. "Not good. She's having a very difficult time dealing with the attack - she's refuses to come out of her room and won't speak to anyone. Asia said that she's hardly been eating." Laurie shrugged and Nick could see the emotion in his eyes. "It's like she's given up."
Nick rubbed a hand over his tired face. Yet again, he wasn't there when she needed him - he was stuck in jail while she felt like she had to battle things on her own. He shook his head. "Jo just doesn't give up - that ain't like her at all. She needs to talk to someone." He sighed, the guilty feeling was overwhelming. He looked around the cell. "I don't think I can stand another night in here."
Laurie gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, then, let's hope Edward can make some progress with the judge, for your sake and for hers."
XXXXX
Asia Franklin plucked a tea cup and saucer from off the shelf and took it over to the awaiting tray that sat on the kitchen counter. Even as she poured a fresh cup of tea, she had a feeling it would go untouched. Jo hadn't eaten much more than a slice of toast over the last few days and Asia's attempts to get her to the dinner table had been in vain. She hated watching Jo fall into this misery - it wasn't the strong-willed, driven friend that she had started working for all those years ago. She threw a few of the chocolate chip cookies onto the tray as well, in hopes to tempt Jo to eat something. Besides, Asia could be just as stubborn.
Asia made her way up the backstairs and knocked gently on the bedroom door. Part of her hoped that by some miracle, Jo had snapped out of this sullen frame of mind since lunch, but as she opened the door, Asia found her exactly where she had left her several hours before. Jo sat in one of the large wing-back chairs, staring blankly out the glass panes of the picture window, barely blinking as Asia entered the room. The fire had been completely forgotten which coupled with the still cool spring temperatures made the room almost bitter.
Asia set the tray down on the bedside table, noting the other tray from lunch still sitting there. She moved towards the fireplace to try and salvage the slightly glowing embers. "You could feed a whole other family with all the food that's gone to waste up here," she said, striking another match and lighting some kindling.
Jo kept her eyes on the window, remaining silent but shifting uncomfortably in the chair. Asia sighed. She had tried to be nice, tried to understand however she knew that sympathy wasn't helping. She stood, wiping her hands on her apron and took a seat on the bed. "Ya know, when I first interviewed to be housekeeper here, I wasn't sure what to make of you," Asia started, keeping her eyes glued on Jo, trying to coax a response. "I had been in lots of houses, kept after lots of families where the woman was always either so meek she was hardly seen or so fussy you couldn't stand to be around her. But when I met you, I could tell you were neither. You were different - you were smart and independent. Your strong-will got you into trouble, that's for sure, but it also got you through a lot of tough times. I admired that - still do…" Asia saw Jo take a deep, wavered breath and she hoped she was breaking through.
"You became my friend - I never had that in any other house I had been in. I got to know you not just as my employer but as family. And I watched you overcome all sorts of hardships… dealin' with all those boys, keepin' this school runnin' and then when Mr. Fritz died… you always held your head up - no matter what anyone said. That determination of yours kept gettin' stronger. I've never seen you give up on somethin' - on anythin'." Jo still sat there, her eyes fixed but Asia could see a few tears starting to fall.
Asia stood up from the bed and wandered over to the table, grabbing the untouched tray of food. "What happened to ya was awful and I don't begin to think I know what you're goin' through. But I do know you and this isn't the Jo that hired me all those years ago." She made her way towards the door. "You're letting 'em win Jo. It's like those two men are hurtin' ya all over again. And I know that you, of all people, wouldn't want to give 'em that chance."