Things soon got back to normal with Maeve gone. In her letters she became the doting grandmother Abigail had expected and wanted her to be. She continued to send advice on child raising, housekeeping, and cooking, but it was easier to take by letter than in person.
Cora had moved her adult class to Saturday afternoons. Nearly everyone came to town that day, and it was easy for her students to come by the school for a couple of hours for a lesson. School was winding down, and Cora had started to plan a special event for her students to end the year. Two of her older students would be graduating, and she wanted to make the evening special for them. She hoped their accomplishment would inspire her younger pupils to learn - and encourage their parents to keep them in school.
Weekly street dances had resumed with the warm weather, and Adam would join the Meyers for supper on Saturday evenings and go on to the dances with them. He had started sitting with them - and Cora - at church on Sundays. Joe was a bit jealous of the attention his favorite teacher was paying his older brother, so occasionally he would join them and make a point of sitting between them.
One Saturday afternoon in late April Buck Slade, the territory marshal, rode into Virginia City. He went directly to the Sheriff's office. Roy offered him a chair and a cup of bad coffee.
"What can I do for you, Marshal Slade?"
"Sheriff Coffee," do you know a Cora Jones?" Slade asked.
"Why, yes, I do. She's our schoolteacher, and a very fine young lady," said Roy. He looked at Slade in apprehension as he wondered why a federal marshal would be interested in Cora.
Slade sighed and pulled a wanted poster and a letter out of his inner vest pocket. "She's wanted back in North Carolina for violating the Fugitive Slave Act. Someone wrote me and told me she was here. I'm just following up."
Roy picked up the flyer. The physical description matched Cora although there was nothing distinctive about it. He could think of several dozen other young women who fit it as well. He read the letter, and immediately recognized Leona's handwriting. His first impulse was to go find her and shake her until her teeth rattled.
Slade cleared his throat, and Roy looked up at him. "Slavery isn't legal in this territory, and I wouldn't want to arrest anyone for helping some poor soul escape it. I don't want to arrest a young lady, and I sure don't want to arrest one you describe as a "very fine young lady." She may be in danger, Sheriff. She's made an enemy here in town, and she'll need to be careful." Slade took a sip of his coffee.
"Do you know how many of these letters were sent out?" asked Roy.
Slade shook his head. "You'd need to ask the one who wrote them - probably another young woman, though, would be my guess." He sighed and considered a moment. "Slave catchers are usually the ones who come after runaway slaves and the ones who help them escape. As a rule, they don't mind working outside the law. I've seen the remains of their work twice, and that was two times too many. If one comes after your Miss Jones, it will probably be because the slave owner wants revenge. The reward offered is so low I doubt anyone would be interested."
Roy put the letter down. "Let me take you to dinner, Marshal, and show you around Virginia City."
As they walked towards the International House restaurant, they stopped on the way so that Roy could show Slade the schoolhouse. A young woman was teaching a group of adults a lesson in measurements. She was small with dark hair and wore spectacles. She saw Roy and raised her eyebrows. Roy shook his head and signed for her to continue.
As they left, Roy told Slade, "That's our Miss Jones."
"The description in the poster could fit a lot of young ladies, so that's a plus for your Miss Jones. Another one is that Jones is a common name - almost as common as Smith," said Slade.
They had reached the International House by this time, and they went in and found a table. Roy noted that Mr. Larkin was working at the hotel registration desk. They ordered steaks and spent the rest of the meal talking shop. They discovered that they had several friends in common - on both sides of the law. By the time they'd finished eating, they were on a first name basis, and Roy showed Buck the rest of the town.
As they passed Madame Beaudrot's Dress Shop, Roy peeked in the window and saw Mrs. Larkin helping a customer select a hat. When they got back to his office, Buck mounted his horse.
"You've got a fine town here, Roy, peaceful, prosperous, and growing. Let me know if I can ever do anything to help you. Thanks for the steak."
As Buck rode away, Roy went inside and picked up the wanted poster and Leona's letter.
The first call he made was on the Meyers. Cora had arrived home after her adult class, and she and Abigail were enjoying a cup of tea. Roy declined tea, coffee, lemonade, and pound cake before he could tell them the purpose of his visit. He showed them the poster and the letter, although he didn't tell them the name of the letter's author.
"Miss Cora, can you think of anyone who might want to do you harm?" he asked.
Cora thought carefully and finally shook her head. "No, some of the parents aren't happy if their child gets a low grade, but I've been able to explain why it was given and how they can help their student improve either with help at home or a tutoring session with me. I don't charge them for it, so..." Her voice trailed off.
Abigail spoke up. "Sheriff, Adam Cartwright asked Hank for permission to court Cora. I know several ladies had set their caps for him. Do you think one of them might...?"
Abigail had thought of Leona Larkin the instant she saw the letter, but since she didn't know if she'd written it, she didn't want to accuse her. Leona worked in the Sheriff's office, though, so she'd know about the wanted posters.
"I guess it's a possibility," said Roy. "I'm going out to talk with Ben and Adam Cartwright about it."
That evening Mr. and Mrs. Larkin and Leona were standing together at the dance when Adam Cartwright approached them. "Mr. Larkin, may I have this dance with your daughter?" His manner was very calm, but if they'd known him better, they'd have seen his eyes glittering with anger. Leona blushed and looked at her father.
"Certainly, Adam," said Mr. Larkin.
Adam took Leona's hand and spun her into the throng of dancers. He pulled her into his arms, and Leona smiled up at him. "My, Adam, I thought you'd never ask me to dance..." She broke off as she felt his arm around her waist grow as hard as an iron bar, and her hand in his was held tight as if by a vise.
"How many letters did you send?" Adam's voice was low. It suddenly struck Leona that he was very big and very strong, and she didn't want to dance with him anymore.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "Take me back to my parents."
"How many letters did you sent out with the wanted poster?" Adam hissed. "Sheriff Coffee has a copy of the poster and the letter. It's your handwriting, Leona. Roy recognized it."
Leona tried to pull free, but Adam's grip was too tight. She tried to stop dancing, but he picked her up and continued to move around the street with her.
"How many letters? Don't make me ask again." he said.
Leona realized that she had gone too far in her efforts to hurt Cora. She took a deep breath, and answered, "I sent one to the territorial marshal, one to the sheriff in Boston, one to the sheriff in Raleigh, and one to the sheriff in Hot Springs."
"That's all? Just those four?" asked Adam.
"Yes," said Leona. "Now put me down and take me back to my parents."
Adam continued to hold her. "Just one more thing - I want to know why you'd do such a thing? Cora's never done anything to you, and you may have put her in real danger."
Leona looked down. "You wouldn't understand."
"Maybe not," said Adam, "but I'd still like to know why you did it."
"Because - because you like her. I'm prettier than she and my family is better than hers. I'm better than her! Why don't you like me?" The words were out almost before Leona realized it.
Adam was stunned. He stopped dancing and set her down. Without another word he escorted her back to her parents and left. He had to go to Cora.
Hank opened the door before Adam knocked. Cora looked up from the chair where she sat crocheting a sweater for Henry. The child didn't need another thing to wear, but it helped Cora to keep busy. She was too nervous to read or study, so handwork was the best thing. Abigail was rocking Henry, and she smiled a greeting at Adam.
Hank went straight to the point. "What did you find out?"
"She sent four letters - one to Slade, one to Boston, one to Raleigh, and one to Hot Springs." he answered.
"Did she say why she did it?" asked Cora. "I know her family needs money, but there wasn't much reward offered."
"She's jealous of you, Cora," said Adam.
Cora stared at him in surprise. "Why?"
Adam couldn't tell her, and didn't want to lie, so he just stood silent. After a minute, he shrugged. "Who knows how her mind works?"
Abigail and Hank looked at each other. They had a pretty good idea of the cause of Leona's dislike, but they didn't want to say it.
Hank suggested, "Cora, could you make us some coffee?"
"Of course." She put her work down and went to the kitchen. After a moment, Adam followed her. She filled the coffee pot and put it on the stove. As she turned to slice the pound cake, Adam reached out and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, and she rested her head against his chest. Cora could feel tears rising in her eyes, but she fought them back. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Stepping back, she looked up at him. "I'm all right," she said.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"I'm going to see what Hank and Abigail and Sheriff Coffee and your father advise me to do." Cora said.
It struck Adam that Cora didn't realize the danger she might be in, and it worried him. "Do you take this threat seriously?" he asked.
"I do, believe me," her voice trembled a little and she took a breath before she continued. "I've seen the scars a bullwhip makes on a woman's back, and I know what happened to some of the members of the abolitionist group in Raleigh. I take it very seriously, Adam, but I'm not going to panic and run like a chicken with its head cut off. I lived alone and in hiding for a year in Boston, and I don't want to do it again. I can if that's what everyone advises me to do - for their safety - but it won't be my choice."
Adam was amazed at her courage and determination. He stared at her as she prepared a tray with cups, saucers, sugar, and cream. When the coffee was ready, he carried the tray into the parlor and Cora followed with the coffee pot. Roy had arrived by that time, and Abigail had put her sleeping baby in his crib. As Cora poured and served the coffee, Adam repeated what he'd learned from Leona to Roy.
"Did she tell you why she did it?" Roy asked.
"Jealousy," said Adam, and Roy made a mental note to get more details from him later.
"All right, Miss Cora, do you know anything about the law in these other cities?" Roy asked.
She thought for a moment. "The Sheriff in Boston was a member of a couple of abolitionist groups, so I doubt we'll hear from him. My Uncle Lonnie is the High Sheriff in Hot Springs, and we always got along - I doubt we'll hear from him. The only one I don't know anything about is the Sheriff in Raleigh. I never met him, and I never did anything wrong - well, I never got caught," Cora quickly amended her statement and everyone smiled. She and Adam were sitting on the settee, and Adam put his arm around her shoulders. Cora leaned into him. Abigail smiled as she saw her tough little cousin accept support and comfort from him. After a minute, Cora straightened up. "Sheriff, I really believe that everything will be fine. I just hope that whoever sent the letters got it out of his system."
Roy stood up with a sigh. "I hope you're right. I'm going to keep an eye out for strangers all the same."
Hank and Abigail walked him out. Adam took advantage of their absence to pull Cora to him and kiss her gently. "I'll see you at church tomorrow, sweetheart. Hank and I have some long days coming up, so be careful." It was the first time he'd used an endearment when speaking to her, and Cora liked it.
She smiled up at him. "You be careful, too. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but I think you're the reason this person is jealous of me. I think the person who wrote the letters is a woman, and I think she may come after you."
"I'll be careful." Adam was touched by her concern. He stood up and pulled her up with him. He kept his arm around her as they walked to the door. He said goodnight to Hank and Abigail, mounted Sport, and rode away. Cora stood in the door for a moment, watching him.
Adam didn't return to the Ponderosa that night. He took a room at the hotel. He was tired - it had been a very long day, but he also wanted to stay close in case of trouble. He knew that Roy would be paying a late visit to the Larkins, and he wasn't sure how the family would react. He realized that he was falling love with Cora, and hoped that she felt the same way towards him. His last thought before sleep was to wish he could put her in his pocket and protect her.
Cora left Belle at home on Monday, and walked to school. She unlocked the door and went inside. It was a beautiful day, and she opened the windows before taking the wooden bucket out to the well and filling it with water. She lugged it back inside and set it down. She had a few papers left to grade, so she went to her desk. She had just taken them out of her desk when she heard the door open. She looked up to see Leona Larkin standing in front of her.
"Well, I guess you heard," said Leona.
Cora straightened up and listened to her.
Leona continued. "Sheriff Coffee came over to our house Saturday night and fired me!"
Tears were in her eyes and her voice trembled. "He said I put you in danger! You - you're nothing but a criminal!"
Leona's voice was shrill. "You're an escaped felon! You deserve whatever happens to you!"
Cora realized that Leona was humiliated as well as angry, and she sat still and let the woman vent. Her face was red and her nose was running. She stopped and drew a breath. She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "My parents were there when that stupid man fired me! Me! He told them what I did, and they're both upset. My father hasn't looked at me since then, and my mother told me I was wrong! Now they're talking about having to leave Virginia City because I've disgraced them!"
Cora stood up and walked around her desk. She kept her voice soft and low. "Leona, it sounds like you've had a bad couple of days. Why don't you sit down and let me get you some water?"
"Everyone thinks you're so nice! They don't know what a rotten little witch you really are!"
Cora realized that the other woman was becoming hysterical.
Just then the door opened and several of her students entered, Little Joe Cartwright among them. "Good morning, Miss Jones," he said.
"Good morning, Miss Jones," Leona mocked.
The children stopped in their tracks as they took in the scene. Joe began to back slowly towards the door. He slipped out quietly and ran to the Sheriff's office as fast as he could go.
Cora turned to the children and spoke to them, trying to keep her voice calm. "School will be starting a little late this morning. Please go outside and play. I'll call for you when it's time to begin."
John Spencer stood still. "I have some questions for you, Miss Jones. I can't leave."
Leona took a step towards him. "Didn't you hear her? Leave!" She turned back to Cora. "I can't believe you want to teach these little brats!"
Cora turned her back on Leona and walked towards her students. Leona followed her.
Cora bent a little to look John in the eyes. "John, please go outside and take the other children with you. It's very important that you mind me."
The boy seemed about to agree, but his eyes widened. Cora started to turn, but she felt a sudden blow. There was a second of pain and then nothing.
Sheriff Coffee arrived at the school a few minutes later with Joe in tow. He could hear children inside screaming. He ran up the steps and saw Cora lying still on the floor, children standing around her. John Spencer was kneeling beside her. He looked up at Roy. "It was Miss Larkin - she hit Miss Jones in the head with the water bucket and ran away. I can't get her to wake up." John said. He'd wet his handkerchief in the water on the floor and was wiping Cora's face with it.
Roy bent over the young woman. She was alive but unconscious. The bucket was thick and heavy, and he was surprised that Leona had been able to handle it as a weapon. He lifted Cora easily.
"You kids stay here," he said. "You older ones watch the little ones."
"Will there be school today, Sheriff?" one boy asked.
"I don't think so, but you stay here for now." said Roy. He carried Cora quickly over to Dr. Martin's office. Marian was sweeping the steps and saw him coming. She opened the door for him, and he took Cora inside and laid her on a cot.
"What happened?" asked Marian.
"She got hit in the head with a wood bucket. Her students saw it - they're down at the school now. I need to get someone down there to watch them until they can go home or their parents can get them. How is she?"
Paul was examining the lump on Cora's head. He opened her eyelids and checked her eyes. "How could an accident like this happen?" he wondered.
"It wasn't an accident," said Roy.
Paul and Marian looked around at him in surprise.
"It was Leona Larkin who hit her. She's run away, and I need to find her."
"I'll get someone to stay with the students," said Marian, "and then I'll go for Abigail. You see about Leona."
It was dark and stuffy in the necessary, and the smell was almost unbearable. There was something undignified about hiding in an outhouse, but Leona didn't know where else to go. She couldn't go home - it was the first place that stupid Sheriff would look. Now that she could think about what she'd done, Leona was in a panic. She was in deep trouble and she knew it. Her parents wouldn't be able to get her out of it. She'd committed murder. While she didn't mind that she'd killed Cora Jones, she did mind that she'd have to hang for it. She wondered if it would hurt. She hated to die when she was so young and beautiful, but maybe people would see her on the scaffold and feel sorry for her.
The more she thought about it, the better she liked it. She pictured herself standing before the judge and jury. They would be so taken with her they would realize that someone so lovely could never commit such a crime. Who were the witnesses? A bunch of dirty little brats from ignorant families. No one would take their word against hers. Leona was feeling better, but she decided to stay in hiding a little longer.
Roy stood outside the Larkins' house and studied it. It was dark inside. Both Mr. and Mrs. Larkin were at work, and Roy hadn't notified them about their daughter yet. He wanted to see if he could find Leona before they had a chance to help her escape. He walked around the house and saw the necessary. He heard a sneeze, and he knew he'd found her. He walked over and knocked on the door. "Come out, Leona."
There was no response, and Roy knocked again. "Come on out, Leona, it's over."
He heard the bolt draw back, and the door opened. Leona came out. Her hair was falling down and her face was blotched from crying. She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. She looked pathetic, but Roy remembered that she had attacked Cora in a roomful of children. He took hold of her arm. "Come on, Leona, let's go." he said.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked.
"To jail." His answer was short and terse, but her response was unexpected.
"You're giving me my job back? Mother and Father will be so pleased. I'm glad you understand that I was just doing my duty," she said.
Roy stopped and looked at the young woman in surprise. He decided not to say anything to disabuse her of that notion. She was smiling and calm, and that was preferable to having her fight him all the way to a cell.
"Well," he thought, "Paul might be getting another patient."
It was late that evening when Cora opened her eyes and saw Abigail smiling at her. "There she is," said Abigail. "Our girl's awake now."
Hank and Adam came into view. "What happened?" asked Cora. Then her memory came back. "Leona - the children." She started to sit up, but Abigail put a hand on her shoulder and held her down.
"Leona's in jail, and the children are fine. Mrs. Spencer went down to stay with them this morning, and found that Amy Green had taken charge and was helping the little ones with their reading while the older ones studied at their desks. They worked on their recitations for the last night of school. They're hoping you'll let them call it "Commencement" just as they do in the cities. You've taught them well, Cora."
Cora sighed and relaxed. "May I go home?" she asked Dr. Martin.
"Yes, but you'll need to take it easy the rest of the week. School has been cancelled for this week."
Cora thought about all the preparations she needed to make for the final week of school. Abigail read her mind. "Don't worry - your pupils will be ready to do you and their parents proud."
Hank bent down to pick her up, but Adam stopped him. Hank nodded, and the young man lifted her. "I'll see you home," he said, and carried her out the door.
