It wasn't until the armed guard at the door turned away to hide his tears
that Sam finally accepted that her father was dead.
Until that moment she had been able to pretend that the minister was present to raise the family's spirits and that the doctor was taking her father's pulse as he held his wrist. Even when the two men stood in front of her, professional sympathy brimming in their eyes, she expected to be told that the situation was grave or serious or even critical. But their words had flowed over her in a meaningless stream until she caught sight of the guard averting his head.
The minister walked around her to her brothers who huddled together in grief, their sobs hushed and frightened. She turned around slowly. The nurse was carefully covering her patient's body with a sheet, unfolding it from the foot of the bed until it covered the face and reached the headboard. The doctor stood beside her, waiting to answer her questions but tapping his foot and running his stethoscope through his fingers again and again. The room was full of people and empty at the same time.
How could one man have become so indispensable to her well being in a few short months that a room without him in it was desolate and barren? She was not sure of the answer but there was no denying the reality.
Sam walked to the window and stared at the town below. People walked about their business, gilded by the setting sun, with no notion of what was happening in a room above their heads. It seemed incredible. The scene blurred suddenly as tears overflowed her eyes.
The nurse was beside her, coaxing her back into the room with quiet, bracing smiles. Liam was upright beside his brothers, now the man of the family in truth. Niall and Conn sobbed oblivious on the sofa. The minister was standing by the bed, head bowed and hands clasped in prayer. The doctor was gone.
A movement in the doorway caught her eye. Her heart leapt in hope before she recognized the lawyer who'd attended her wedding - was it only that morning? Melvin Collins stepped into the room then halted, his eyes drawn to the bed. He retreated half a step into the hall, then scanned the room until he saw her. His attitude was one of respectful urgency.
Sam followed him. They stood in front of a martial painting hanging at the top of the stairs with a clear view of anyone coming upon them from below or along the corridor.
"Mrs. Marston, I'm awfully sorry to be bringing you bad news at a time like this -" he began.
She suppressed a hysterical giggle.
"- but I'm afraid that Elliott is in some trouble." He paused, struggling for more words.
"Is he hurt? Or -" She couldn't say the word one more time today.
"No!" He reached out his hands and patted the air in front of him. "Not at all. But the interview at the chief constable's office didn't go very well and he's been arrested."
Sam closed her eyes. "What happened - No." She looked up and met the lawyer's worried stare forthrightly. "What happened isn't important. What do we do now?"
Collins took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "Thank God. I was afraid of how you might take it." Then he smiled. "I need your signature on some bank papers. We're going to have to bribe his way out."
"Where are they?" She was proud of her coolness. It felt good to be doing something that would bring about results.
"Right here. Just sign at the bottom." He reached into his coat and pulled out three pages of thick parchment stock. As he watched her, he explained. "It takes a lot of money to buy a man out of jail and I didn't want to touch your bank balance. Too easy to verify. The sale of these bonds will cover everything nicely. I'll give the surplus to Elliott."
"We'll do it together. Where's the jail?" She was already walking down the hall to their room where her clothes had been transferred during the afternoon.
"Where's the - ? You can't go there!" The lawyer's jaw dropped open. He bounded after her. "Elliott would kill me if I let you go there."
"You're not letting me." Sam unlocked the door. The polished walnut of the large wardrobe shone warmly under the rays of the setting sun. She reached for her coat. "You can't stop me."
"Oh my God." Collins paced the rug behind her. Then he froze. "What's that for?"
"It's for shooting things." Sam lifted the gun out of the drawer and sighted down the barrel. Then she checked the chambers. Fully loaded. She slid it into her purse and checked the weight. With a nod she turned to her escort. "All right, I'm ready."
"Well I'm glad one of us is." Collins stepped in front of her as she swept to the door. "Look, Mrs. Marston -"
"Since it looks like we'll be working together on this, you might as well call me Sam." She waited for him to continue.
"Thank you. Look, Sam, jails are not the sort of place for women like you. Let me go back and take care of things." He eyed the set look of her jaw for a moment. "And with the greatest of respect, you shouldn't leave your family at a time like this." He stepped back quickly.
Sam inhaled deeply, held her breath for a moment then let it out. "Mr. Collins." She took a step forward. He immediately retreated again. "No one knows better than I do what my family needs. And right now, more than ever, they need my husband. And I am going to get him." She lifted her purse and dangled it in front of his eyes. "And I don't particularly care who I have to shoot to do it. Now stop wasting time and let's go."
She strode into the hall. Collins followed and watched glumly as she locked the door. "You're a bold woman, Sam. I don't know whether to congratulate Elliott or offer my condolences."
"Why thank you, Mr. Collins. That's quite a compliment. Remind me to say something nice about you sometime."
Until that moment she had been able to pretend that the minister was present to raise the family's spirits and that the doctor was taking her father's pulse as he held his wrist. Even when the two men stood in front of her, professional sympathy brimming in their eyes, she expected to be told that the situation was grave or serious or even critical. But their words had flowed over her in a meaningless stream until she caught sight of the guard averting his head.
The minister walked around her to her brothers who huddled together in grief, their sobs hushed and frightened. She turned around slowly. The nurse was carefully covering her patient's body with a sheet, unfolding it from the foot of the bed until it covered the face and reached the headboard. The doctor stood beside her, waiting to answer her questions but tapping his foot and running his stethoscope through his fingers again and again. The room was full of people and empty at the same time.
How could one man have become so indispensable to her well being in a few short months that a room without him in it was desolate and barren? She was not sure of the answer but there was no denying the reality.
Sam walked to the window and stared at the town below. People walked about their business, gilded by the setting sun, with no notion of what was happening in a room above their heads. It seemed incredible. The scene blurred suddenly as tears overflowed her eyes.
The nurse was beside her, coaxing her back into the room with quiet, bracing smiles. Liam was upright beside his brothers, now the man of the family in truth. Niall and Conn sobbed oblivious on the sofa. The minister was standing by the bed, head bowed and hands clasped in prayer. The doctor was gone.
A movement in the doorway caught her eye. Her heart leapt in hope before she recognized the lawyer who'd attended her wedding - was it only that morning? Melvin Collins stepped into the room then halted, his eyes drawn to the bed. He retreated half a step into the hall, then scanned the room until he saw her. His attitude was one of respectful urgency.
Sam followed him. They stood in front of a martial painting hanging at the top of the stairs with a clear view of anyone coming upon them from below or along the corridor.
"Mrs. Marston, I'm awfully sorry to be bringing you bad news at a time like this -" he began.
She suppressed a hysterical giggle.
"- but I'm afraid that Elliott is in some trouble." He paused, struggling for more words.
"Is he hurt? Or -" She couldn't say the word one more time today.
"No!" He reached out his hands and patted the air in front of him. "Not at all. But the interview at the chief constable's office didn't go very well and he's been arrested."
Sam closed her eyes. "What happened - No." She looked up and met the lawyer's worried stare forthrightly. "What happened isn't important. What do we do now?"
Collins took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "Thank God. I was afraid of how you might take it." Then he smiled. "I need your signature on some bank papers. We're going to have to bribe his way out."
"Where are they?" She was proud of her coolness. It felt good to be doing something that would bring about results.
"Right here. Just sign at the bottom." He reached into his coat and pulled out three pages of thick parchment stock. As he watched her, he explained. "It takes a lot of money to buy a man out of jail and I didn't want to touch your bank balance. Too easy to verify. The sale of these bonds will cover everything nicely. I'll give the surplus to Elliott."
"We'll do it together. Where's the jail?" She was already walking down the hall to their room where her clothes had been transferred during the afternoon.
"Where's the - ? You can't go there!" The lawyer's jaw dropped open. He bounded after her. "Elliott would kill me if I let you go there."
"You're not letting me." Sam unlocked the door. The polished walnut of the large wardrobe shone warmly under the rays of the setting sun. She reached for her coat. "You can't stop me."
"Oh my God." Collins paced the rug behind her. Then he froze. "What's that for?"
"It's for shooting things." Sam lifted the gun out of the drawer and sighted down the barrel. Then she checked the chambers. Fully loaded. She slid it into her purse and checked the weight. With a nod she turned to her escort. "All right, I'm ready."
"Well I'm glad one of us is." Collins stepped in front of her as she swept to the door. "Look, Mrs. Marston -"
"Since it looks like we'll be working together on this, you might as well call me Sam." She waited for him to continue.
"Thank you. Look, Sam, jails are not the sort of place for women like you. Let me go back and take care of things." He eyed the set look of her jaw for a moment. "And with the greatest of respect, you shouldn't leave your family at a time like this." He stepped back quickly.
Sam inhaled deeply, held her breath for a moment then let it out. "Mr. Collins." She took a step forward. He immediately retreated again. "No one knows better than I do what my family needs. And right now, more than ever, they need my husband. And I am going to get him." She lifted her purse and dangled it in front of his eyes. "And I don't particularly care who I have to shoot to do it. Now stop wasting time and let's go."
She strode into the hall. Collins followed and watched glumly as she locked the door. "You're a bold woman, Sam. I don't know whether to congratulate Elliott or offer my condolences."
"Why thank you, Mr. Collins. That's quite a compliment. Remind me to say something nice about you sometime."