LOST AND FOUND - PART III
FAREWELL
Chapter 25
The sun was just about to come up the next morning and the temperature had dipped sharply overnight, so Jerry was in a hurry to get into the office and build a fire in the stove. He was standing at the front door, stamping his feet and watching Adam come down the board sidewalk. When he was within hailing distance Jerry called to him, "Hey, throw me the keys!" Adam laughed and did. Everyone in the group teased big, rough and tough Jerry about being too delicate for the cold.
His hands were so stiff he was having trouble getting the right key in the lock so Adam was almost behind him when he got the door open. Jerry opened his mouth to complain about the early hour when he took one step through the door, felt the floorboard sag under his foot, and heard the click.
Without hesitation, he stepped back, slammed the door shut, and threw himself on Adam, knocking him backward and down, into the road and covered him when they hit the ground. The explosion blew the small building to pieces and shattered windows up and down the street. The fast-moving, heavy debris pummeled Jerry's prone body.
Thea was up early herself and heard the horrendous noise. Knowing without reason that Adam was somehow involved, she ran to the front door, slammed it open, flew across the porch and started running as fast as she could toward the temporary office.
She stumbled a few times on the partially frozen ruts in the street, but didn't stop moving. When she saw what was left of the building her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she screamed Adam's name, but didn't stop.
People were pouring out of the buildings, some dressed, some still in their nightclothes. Those men that were dressed were already moving cautiously toward the wreckage and starting to move pieces aside; trying to find the source of the groans they could all hear.
Roy had just arrived and caught Thea around the waist as she tried to speed past him. She struggled in his arms, calling her husband's name desperately.
When the men lifted a body she could see it was Jerry, but then they lifted Adam and she stopped struggling and stared intently. He was breathing.
With the calm voice of authority she said, "Roy, you can let go of me now. Bring them both to the house." And when he let her go, she turned and ran back.
Bounding up the front steps she skidded to a stop in the front hall, opened the downstairs bedroom door and went in to light the lamps. Then she hurried into the office and grabbed her bag and a full apron. When she turned around Cassandra and Marie were there.
"There's been an explosion, Adam and Jerry have been hurt. Marie, please go to the kitchen and boil water. Cassandra, please get dressed and go find Nate, Mike, John and Matt." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Please hurry!"
Marie limped as fast as she could down the hall, while Cassandra dashed up the stairs.
Thea was in the bedroom setting things up when the younger woman came thundering back down the stairs and out the door, her long loose hair flying out behind her.
When she heard footsteps on the porch she rushed into the hall and couldn't believe her eyes. Adam was walking stiffly through the door in front of the men carrying Jerry! She went weak in the knees, stumbled into him, and began to run her hands over him.
"Are you hurt?"
"No," he said, "but Jerry is and it looks bad, Thea."
She looked into his eyes for a moment and what she saw there made her certain then that he WAS all right.
The men came through the door carrying Jerry and she turned her attention to him.
"Bring him in here please," she said and went back into the bedroom. Adam and the men carrying Jerry followed.
Jerry was placed gently face down on the bed she had just stripped of all but the bottom sheet then the men shuffled out. Adam started removing Jerry's clothes without being asked and Thea helped.
Hearing a gasp from the doorway they both turned and saw Mike and John standing there. "I'll be out in a minute to explain, please wait in the hall." Adam said and the two reluctantly turned away.
When they finished and could see the injuries Adam's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed in fury. He rubbed a hand across his forehead and turned to Thea when he had his anger contained. "Do you need me right now?" he asked his wife.
"Not for a little while yet, I have to assess his wounds first," she said distractedly as she moved toward the tray of instruments she had set up.
"Just call when you need me," he said and went out into the front hall, shutting the door behind him.
He was glad to see Nate was with Mike and John now and the three turned to look at him expectantly.
"It looks bad, very bad. Thea is assessing his condition right now."
Nate cleared his throat, "What happened?"
"Someone blew the office up," he said, his voice rough. "Every morning, I'm always the first one in, except for this morning. He was in a hurry to get inside and asked for the keys, so I threw them to him. He must have felt or heard something that warned him because he slammed the door shut, knocked me into the street and fell on top of me."
Turning away, Adam put a hand over his eyes. "He did it on purpose," he said in a choked voice, "he threw himself on top of me on purpose. He could have gone to either side and possibly survived, but he chose to save me instead."
The three looked at each other, at a loss as to what to say. Nate came forward and put a hand on Adam's shoulder and he opened his mouth to speak when Roy came through the front door. Nate moved away and Adam turned to face his old friend.
"How's he doing?" the Sheriff asked.
"We don't know yet."
Roy shook his head, "What kind of people would do something like that?"
"We have a pretty good idea who," Adam said through clenched teeth.
"You do?" Roy asked, "two men, one a short and very stocky blond, the other tall and thin with red hair?"
The younger man just nodded.
"A few people came forward to say they saw them hanging around that building last night and they were spotted again heading out of town going east about an hour ago."
"So they were responsible for the fire," John said. Nate and Mike nodded in agreement.
Coming forward to shake Roy's hand, Adam said, "Thank you, Roy. We'll worry about them later, right now Jerry is more important."
"You need any help, you let me know, you hear?"
Adam nodded and managed a small smile. "Thank you."
Roy paused for a moment to give Adam's shoulder a hard squeeze, and then left, closing the front door firmly behind him.
Marie came into sight then, carrying a bucket of steaming water. Adam hurried down the hall and took the heavy load from her. "How is he?" she whispered.
"We don't know, Thea hasn't come out yet."
The petite black woman nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," she said and patted him on the back as he thanked her.
He carried the pail up to the door and went in, but came right back out again and shook his head at the expectant looks on his friend's faces. They were still there waiting almost another hour later.
When Thea came silently and slowly through the downstairs bedroom door with her head down everyone understood that there would be no miracle this time.
Adam went to her immediately and put his arms around his wife, holding her tightly. "Is he gone?" She shook her head against his chest.
The three deputies came to them. Mike and John each took one of her hands while Nate put his arms around both of them. The five of them stayed that way for a few moments, until Ben and Hoss burst through the front door. Everyone turned to look at them and the two men were obviously relieved when they saw Adam and Thea were fine.
The three friends moved away and Adam's father came to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked down into Thea's tear-filled eyes and asked, "Jerry?"
She nodded. "I can't do anything more for him, the internal damage was too extensive. But I've stopped most of the bleeding and made him as comfortable as possible. He's asking for you Adam." Her husband nodded and started for the bedroom door.
Thea watched him go then turned back to Ben. "Pa, would you and Hoss go upstairs and bring the twins down? Jerry wants to see them." She paused to wipe the tears off her face, "Mike, John, Nate, would you bring the babies down too?" The five men nodded and headed for the stairs. After wiping her face dry Thea took off her blood stained apron and sat down on the nearest chair, covering her face with her hands. She wanted to give Adam some time alone with the dying man.
Adam entered the room then went to Jerry's beside, sitting down on the chair there and taking the other man's hand in both of his own. Jerry turned his head and met Adam's dark, pain-filled eyes.
"I gotta say this quick before Thea and the rest come back in. I know what's goin' on in that mind of yers and yah've got to promise me yah won't do it. Swear to me with God as yer witness yah won't or the only truly good thing I ever done in my life won't mean anythin'. " He pulled on Adam's hands and lifted his head up, sweat running down his face.
"Promise me damn it!"
Adam looked away for a moment; his jaw tightly clenched and closed his eyes. When he turned back to Jerry he looked calm again. "I promise. With God as my witness, Jerry, I swear to you I won't."
The dying man sighed and let his head fall back on the pillows that were propping him up.
"Why did you do it, Jerry?" Adam said quietly.
"Come on, Adam, which one of us has more to live for? But I didn't do it just for yerself."
Adam nodded, "You did it for Thea and the children, too."
"Yeah, but I still owe yah."
"No, you don't..."
"Yah don't understand, Adam, I've been lying to yah all these years."
"Jerry, stop...I knew...I just didn't care."
The dying man lifted his head again and stared at him, startled.
"Yah know?"
"Yes, I've known for a long time now."
"Why didn't yah turn me in.?"
"Turn in a good man, one of the best detectives I've ever known just because you fought on the Confederate side? Why the hell should I do that?"
"Because it's the law."
"Bull, I've never believed in punishing a man for following his conscience. You did what you thought was right, what you had to do, James."
Jerry jerked again in surprise, "Yah even know my real name. Does anything ever get past yah?'
"Not much, and I guess you never recognized Nate - he wasn't much more than a boy at the time, but he was an operative for the Union Army. He remembered a little about you and I found out the rest. You are James Caldwell, not Jerry Culpepper and you're from Red River, Texas. You served in the 27th Texas Cavalry."
The dying man shook his head in wonder, "Please don't tell Thea."
"She already knows, but I didn't tell her, she's a smart girl and figured it out for herself. You haven't always been able to cover up that accent."
"How long has she known?"
"Almost from the first time she met you," Adam said and the bedroom door opened. When he turned to see Thea come in, he stood and went to the other side of the bed and took Jerry's left hand. Thea took Jerry's right hand in one of hers and leaned over him to wipe the sweat off his forehead, then kissed it. He smiled at her gratefully and tightened his grip as she sat in the chair. Adam looked away and then turned back when he had his expression under control again.
"Adam tells me yah know everything about me. Is that true?"
Thea nodded, looking him in the eye.
"Yah never said a word."
"It didn't matter, Jerry. It never mattered."
He smiled. "All of yah are the only family I've ever really had. My Mum died right after having me and there was no one else. I been on my own most of my life and never wanted to get involved, but yah changed all that Theadora." He tried to laugh, but couldn't, "Yah kept pulling me into this family and I kept pulling back. But I'm so glad yah never gave up on me."
"Whenever you love someone they become your family, and you are a member of this family, Jerry," Thea choked out, her eyes filling with tears as she leaned over him to wipe his forehead again. "You knew I wouldn't give up on you. You knew."
Jerry nodded and turned to Adam, "Would yah please bury me under my real name, boss?"
"Whatever you want," Adam answered and almost lost control as he put his head down and angrily dashed the few tears that had escaped away.
His head came up when they heard a knock on the door and he wiped his face dry before going to the door to let Ben in carrying Annalise and Hoss carrying Alexander. Both of the children were sleepy-eyed, but smiling. They didn't understand this earlier than usual wake-up time, but were enjoying the attention it brought.
Thea moved away from the bed as the two men came up and put the children down, one on each side. Jerry reached out and cupped Annalise's face with gentle hands. "I haven't seen yah for a few days lovey and I wanted to before I go away this mornin'."
The little girl's face became solemn and she leaned forward, her head on his chest and hugged him. "Where you goin' Jerry?"
"I'm not sure yet, honey."
"Are you comin' back?" Alexander asked, the beginning of understanding in his intelligent eyes.
"I don't think I'll be able to, so I'm askin' yah both to remember me."
Alexander lifted Jerry's large, rough hand and held it in both his small ones. "I promise, Jerry, I'll never forget. And I'll tell my little brothers about you too."
Jerry looked at Alexander and he seemed like a much older child right then. "Thank yah, Alexander. I think it's time yah two got back to bed for a little while. The sun's just barely up now."
The little girl sat up again and Ben came to pick her up. "Wait, Grandpa," she said and scooted forward to kiss Jerry on the cheek. "Don't you forget me neither, ok Jerry?"
"I don't think anyone could ever forget yah, darlin," he answered and she stood up on the bed to put her arms around Ben's neck as he picked her up and walked over to the door. Adam was still there and opened it for his father after gently stroking his daughter's cheek and kissing her on the forehead. He said, "Thank you," low to his father as they went through.
Alexander still had his eyes fastened on Jerry's face and did something he seldom did. He kissed the man on the cheek too then turned to his uncle with sorrow in his eyes as Hoss picked him up.
"Pa says a man always keeps his promises, Jerry. I promised and I won't forget," the boy called to him as Hoss carried him over to the door Adam was still holding open. Hoss looked at his older brother and put a strong hand on the back of his neck, giving him a squeeze and a small shake. Adam leaned forward and gave his son a kiss on the forehead then nodded his thanks to Hoss who left then.
Adam stepped out and motioned for the three detectives to come in with the babies. Thomas and Benjamin were still asleep, but Matthew was wide-awake. Jerry turned to Thea and she could see that he was fading, the whites of his eyes turning yellow.
"Can I hold them just for a minute?" he asked her.
She nodded and John came forward with Thomas and placed him on the dying man's chest. Jerry curled his arms around the infant and looked into his sweet face for a moment. Then he looked up and nodded for John to take the child.
He did the same with Benjamin then Nate gave him Matthew. The baby looked into the man's white face and bestowed one of his charming smiles on Jerry. Touching the baby's cheek with one finger, he said "Yer gonna be the leader of this trio, aren't yah? I can tell, yer just as much like your Pa as yah are yer Ma." The child gurgled at him, grabbed the man's finger, pulled it into his little mouth and tried to bite it.
Jerry actually managed a whisper of a laugh at that and looked at Nate with a nod to take the baby away. He let his arms fall to his sides then, his strength almost gone. Thea came to sit next to him again and Adam went back to the other side of the bed. Taking his hands again, they both looked up when the three detectives came back into the room.
The dying man looked at each of his three friends and said, "Yah idiots better keep watching his back, yah hear me? Cause I'll be watching yah and if yah don't, I'll find some way to come back and kick yer ass."
The three nodded with solemn faces, believing that if anyone could, it would be Jerry.
John and Mike were standing by Adam and Nate was next to Thea. She tugged on Jerry's hand to get his attention.
"Jerry remember, you're a part of this family, so if you see the three Graces don't be afraid."
The light was fading from his eyes, but Jerry still managed to look at her and understand. "Would yah call me by my real name just once?" he whispered.
She stood and bent over to put her mouth next to his ear. "We love you, James Caldwell, and you will always be in our hearts."
He turned his head away from her then and looked toward a corner of the room. "Dear God," he whispered, " Yer right Thea, they are beautiful," he smiled...and was gone.
Adam knelt next to the bed and put his head down on top of Jerry's hand and didn't even try to stop his tears this time. No one did as they all followed his example, going to their knees around the bed, and the only sound in the room then was the muffled sobs of five heart-broken friends.
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Joe was still asleep. He had been sleeping heavily since his surgery and the physical work Adam had been coaching him through. But the voice in his room was urgent, insistent, and finally managed to pull him up from the depths.
He opened his eyes slowly and listened. There it was again, a man's voice that sounded vaguely familiar, wafting through the room as though on a breeze. He couldn't understand what the voice was saying, but the intensity of it made the hair on the back of his neck and arms stand up. It kept speaking and started to strengthen. He listened to it as hard as he could and was suddenly filled with the urge to get up and dressed. He threw the covers back, grabbed his clothes, and began to pull them on as fast as he could. After he pulled on his boots he stayed sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting.
When the idea of going to the barn filled his mind he hurried to obey by rushing out into the hall, but had to go back for his coat, gun belt, and hat. He knew he had to hurry.
Running down the back stairs as quietly as he could, he eased out the back door and ran to the barn. The big door was open enough for him to slip through and he entered the warm, humid, dimness. He stood there with his head cocked to the side and listened again.
Without even thinking about what he was doing he hurried to saddle his horse in record time then led him to the darkest stall, staying in the shadows there and out of sight. Leaning back against the stall wall, he tried to relax and waited.
Soon, two men slipped through the door opening and Joe recognized Mike and John. When they had four horses ready they stopped and stood there waiting, their faces still displaying the shock of Jerry's death.
John turned to his friend, "Do you think you could do something like that?"
"You mean throw myself on top of Adam to save his life like Jerry did?" Mike asked. John nodded.
The taller man folded his arms and looked down to think as he rocked on his feet for a few moments. Nodding his head firmly he said, "Yep, would you?"
John didn't respond at first.
"Well?" Mike insisted. Still no answer.
"Come on, John. We owe everything to Adam. Do you realize what our lives would be like if he hadn't been keeping our secrets all these years?"
John's mouth dropped open and his head snapped around. He stared at Mike with huge eyes.
His friend smiled, "I know your secret, just like I know Jerry's and Nate's as well as my own. I made up my mind a long time ago that if any one of our pathetic little deceptions threatened Adam in any way, I would make sure the truth came out, even my own. We owe him and you know it."
John looked away again, but nodded.
"Think about it. The fact that none of us have any family, are loners, and are hiding our pasts is what brought us together while we were working for Pinkerton. Then Adam came along and took us under his wing and turned us into a team. Would you have finished your law degree if he hadn't been standing over you?"
The smaller man smiled and turned to Mike, shaking his head.
"Would any of us have continued our education at all if it hadn't been for him? And who was there every time to bail us out or give advice or wade into a fight? Or smack us in the head when we were about to do something stupid. Who else could get a stubborn mule like Jerry to learn to read at his age? Adam, that's who."
Both men were smiling now and chuckling a little at the memory of Adam sweeping through their group like a hurricane and making changes for the good.
Mike continued, "And look at what he did for all those employees. Who else would meet someone by arresting them then offer them a chance to go straight as soon as they did their time?"
They both laughed. "And what about this - Thea made us a part of the family. What other woman do you know who would have us to her house, feed us, and even trust an ex-con like me to watch her children?"
"You don't have to say anything more about Thea, I agree with you completely."
Mike gave his friend a shrewd look, "She scares you, doesn't she?"
John nodded reluctantly.
"Well, to tell you the truth, she scares me too!"
They both laughed and then were silent for a moment.
"So," Mike said, "would you give your life for him, and Thea, and the children just like Jerry did?"
"Yes," was John's now prompt answer.
"I thought you would say so once you got that tiny brain of yours straight."
"Hey, at least I'm not an ex-con," John joked.
Mike laughed a little and pushed his friend on the shoulder. "I don't think that means very much coming from a lawyer. Lawyers are only one step higher than rats."
John just smiled and shook his head and the two of them fell silent again, comfortable in their friendship and a shared past.
Joe had crept toward the stall door to hear the conversation and now was standing there shocked at hearing that Jerry was dead until he heard his brother's voice speak, tight with fury.
"We have a fresh trail to work with this time, so we shouldn't have much trouble catching those two jackals. I want the best out of you three, Jerry deserves that at least."
His three deputy Marshals nodded, their faces grim.
"Good, then let's go," Adam said as he went to the door and slid it open enough for the horses to fit through.
As they all mounted Nate asked, "Did you tell Thea?"
Adam gave him a sharp look, "Of course."
Nate nodded, "Did she try to stop you?"
"No, she wouldn't do that. She knows I won't tolerate any interference from her or anyone as to how I do this job."
Joe stepped out of the stall, "I'm going with you."
The three deputies were startled, but Adam didn't seem to be. He just stared at Joe with narrowed eyes and his head to the side for a moment then nodded. Joe mounted and kneed his horse out to join the group.
They quietly filed out, Adam leading the way, and they headed east this time across open country. And again, Thea was watching out a second-floor hall window. She stayed there watching, her expression unreadable, until the five men were too far away to be seen.
FAREWELL
Chapter 25
The sun was just about to come up the next morning and the temperature had dipped sharply overnight, so Jerry was in a hurry to get into the office and build a fire in the stove. He was standing at the front door, stamping his feet and watching Adam come down the board sidewalk. When he was within hailing distance Jerry called to him, "Hey, throw me the keys!" Adam laughed and did. Everyone in the group teased big, rough and tough Jerry about being too delicate for the cold.
His hands were so stiff he was having trouble getting the right key in the lock so Adam was almost behind him when he got the door open. Jerry opened his mouth to complain about the early hour when he took one step through the door, felt the floorboard sag under his foot, and heard the click.
Without hesitation, he stepped back, slammed the door shut, and threw himself on Adam, knocking him backward and down, into the road and covered him when they hit the ground. The explosion blew the small building to pieces and shattered windows up and down the street. The fast-moving, heavy debris pummeled Jerry's prone body.
Thea was up early herself and heard the horrendous noise. Knowing without reason that Adam was somehow involved, she ran to the front door, slammed it open, flew across the porch and started running as fast as she could toward the temporary office.
She stumbled a few times on the partially frozen ruts in the street, but didn't stop moving. When she saw what was left of the building her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she screamed Adam's name, but didn't stop.
People were pouring out of the buildings, some dressed, some still in their nightclothes. Those men that were dressed were already moving cautiously toward the wreckage and starting to move pieces aside; trying to find the source of the groans they could all hear.
Roy had just arrived and caught Thea around the waist as she tried to speed past him. She struggled in his arms, calling her husband's name desperately.
When the men lifted a body she could see it was Jerry, but then they lifted Adam and she stopped struggling and stared intently. He was breathing.
With the calm voice of authority she said, "Roy, you can let go of me now. Bring them both to the house." And when he let her go, she turned and ran back.
Bounding up the front steps she skidded to a stop in the front hall, opened the downstairs bedroom door and went in to light the lamps. Then she hurried into the office and grabbed her bag and a full apron. When she turned around Cassandra and Marie were there.
"There's been an explosion, Adam and Jerry have been hurt. Marie, please go to the kitchen and boil water. Cassandra, please get dressed and go find Nate, Mike, John and Matt." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Please hurry!"
Marie limped as fast as she could down the hall, while Cassandra dashed up the stairs.
Thea was in the bedroom setting things up when the younger woman came thundering back down the stairs and out the door, her long loose hair flying out behind her.
When she heard footsteps on the porch she rushed into the hall and couldn't believe her eyes. Adam was walking stiffly through the door in front of the men carrying Jerry! She went weak in the knees, stumbled into him, and began to run her hands over him.
"Are you hurt?"
"No," he said, "but Jerry is and it looks bad, Thea."
She looked into his eyes for a moment and what she saw there made her certain then that he WAS all right.
The men came through the door carrying Jerry and she turned her attention to him.
"Bring him in here please," she said and went back into the bedroom. Adam and the men carrying Jerry followed.
Jerry was placed gently face down on the bed she had just stripped of all but the bottom sheet then the men shuffled out. Adam started removing Jerry's clothes without being asked and Thea helped.
Hearing a gasp from the doorway they both turned and saw Mike and John standing there. "I'll be out in a minute to explain, please wait in the hall." Adam said and the two reluctantly turned away.
When they finished and could see the injuries Adam's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed in fury. He rubbed a hand across his forehead and turned to Thea when he had his anger contained. "Do you need me right now?" he asked his wife.
"Not for a little while yet, I have to assess his wounds first," she said distractedly as she moved toward the tray of instruments she had set up.
"Just call when you need me," he said and went out into the front hall, shutting the door behind him.
He was glad to see Nate was with Mike and John now and the three turned to look at him expectantly.
"It looks bad, very bad. Thea is assessing his condition right now."
Nate cleared his throat, "What happened?"
"Someone blew the office up," he said, his voice rough. "Every morning, I'm always the first one in, except for this morning. He was in a hurry to get inside and asked for the keys, so I threw them to him. He must have felt or heard something that warned him because he slammed the door shut, knocked me into the street and fell on top of me."
Turning away, Adam put a hand over his eyes. "He did it on purpose," he said in a choked voice, "he threw himself on top of me on purpose. He could have gone to either side and possibly survived, but he chose to save me instead."
The three looked at each other, at a loss as to what to say. Nate came forward and put a hand on Adam's shoulder and he opened his mouth to speak when Roy came through the front door. Nate moved away and Adam turned to face his old friend.
"How's he doing?" the Sheriff asked.
"We don't know yet."
Roy shook his head, "What kind of people would do something like that?"
"We have a pretty good idea who," Adam said through clenched teeth.
"You do?" Roy asked, "two men, one a short and very stocky blond, the other tall and thin with red hair?"
The younger man just nodded.
"A few people came forward to say they saw them hanging around that building last night and they were spotted again heading out of town going east about an hour ago."
"So they were responsible for the fire," John said. Nate and Mike nodded in agreement.
Coming forward to shake Roy's hand, Adam said, "Thank you, Roy. We'll worry about them later, right now Jerry is more important."
"You need any help, you let me know, you hear?"
Adam nodded and managed a small smile. "Thank you."
Roy paused for a moment to give Adam's shoulder a hard squeeze, and then left, closing the front door firmly behind him.
Marie came into sight then, carrying a bucket of steaming water. Adam hurried down the hall and took the heavy load from her. "How is he?" she whispered.
"We don't know, Thea hasn't come out yet."
The petite black woman nodded. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," she said and patted him on the back as he thanked her.
He carried the pail up to the door and went in, but came right back out again and shook his head at the expectant looks on his friend's faces. They were still there waiting almost another hour later.
When Thea came silently and slowly through the downstairs bedroom door with her head down everyone understood that there would be no miracle this time.
Adam went to her immediately and put his arms around his wife, holding her tightly. "Is he gone?" She shook her head against his chest.
The three deputies came to them. Mike and John each took one of her hands while Nate put his arms around both of them. The five of them stayed that way for a few moments, until Ben and Hoss burst through the front door. Everyone turned to look at them and the two men were obviously relieved when they saw Adam and Thea were fine.
The three friends moved away and Adam's father came to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked down into Thea's tear-filled eyes and asked, "Jerry?"
She nodded. "I can't do anything more for him, the internal damage was too extensive. But I've stopped most of the bleeding and made him as comfortable as possible. He's asking for you Adam." Her husband nodded and started for the bedroom door.
Thea watched him go then turned back to Ben. "Pa, would you and Hoss go upstairs and bring the twins down? Jerry wants to see them." She paused to wipe the tears off her face, "Mike, John, Nate, would you bring the babies down too?" The five men nodded and headed for the stairs. After wiping her face dry Thea took off her blood stained apron and sat down on the nearest chair, covering her face with her hands. She wanted to give Adam some time alone with the dying man.
Adam entered the room then went to Jerry's beside, sitting down on the chair there and taking the other man's hand in both of his own. Jerry turned his head and met Adam's dark, pain-filled eyes.
"I gotta say this quick before Thea and the rest come back in. I know what's goin' on in that mind of yers and yah've got to promise me yah won't do it. Swear to me with God as yer witness yah won't or the only truly good thing I ever done in my life won't mean anythin'. " He pulled on Adam's hands and lifted his head up, sweat running down his face.
"Promise me damn it!"
Adam looked away for a moment; his jaw tightly clenched and closed his eyes. When he turned back to Jerry he looked calm again. "I promise. With God as my witness, Jerry, I swear to you I won't."
The dying man sighed and let his head fall back on the pillows that were propping him up.
"Why did you do it, Jerry?" Adam said quietly.
"Come on, Adam, which one of us has more to live for? But I didn't do it just for yerself."
Adam nodded, "You did it for Thea and the children, too."
"Yeah, but I still owe yah."
"No, you don't..."
"Yah don't understand, Adam, I've been lying to yah all these years."
"Jerry, stop...I knew...I just didn't care."
The dying man lifted his head again and stared at him, startled.
"Yah know?"
"Yes, I've known for a long time now."
"Why didn't yah turn me in.?"
"Turn in a good man, one of the best detectives I've ever known just because you fought on the Confederate side? Why the hell should I do that?"
"Because it's the law."
"Bull, I've never believed in punishing a man for following his conscience. You did what you thought was right, what you had to do, James."
Jerry jerked again in surprise, "Yah even know my real name. Does anything ever get past yah?'
"Not much, and I guess you never recognized Nate - he wasn't much more than a boy at the time, but he was an operative for the Union Army. He remembered a little about you and I found out the rest. You are James Caldwell, not Jerry Culpepper and you're from Red River, Texas. You served in the 27th Texas Cavalry."
The dying man shook his head in wonder, "Please don't tell Thea."
"She already knows, but I didn't tell her, she's a smart girl and figured it out for herself. You haven't always been able to cover up that accent."
"How long has she known?"
"Almost from the first time she met you," Adam said and the bedroom door opened. When he turned to see Thea come in, he stood and went to the other side of the bed and took Jerry's left hand. Thea took Jerry's right hand in one of hers and leaned over him to wipe the sweat off his forehead, then kissed it. He smiled at her gratefully and tightened his grip as she sat in the chair. Adam looked away and then turned back when he had his expression under control again.
"Adam tells me yah know everything about me. Is that true?"
Thea nodded, looking him in the eye.
"Yah never said a word."
"It didn't matter, Jerry. It never mattered."
He smiled. "All of yah are the only family I've ever really had. My Mum died right after having me and there was no one else. I been on my own most of my life and never wanted to get involved, but yah changed all that Theadora." He tried to laugh, but couldn't, "Yah kept pulling me into this family and I kept pulling back. But I'm so glad yah never gave up on me."
"Whenever you love someone they become your family, and you are a member of this family, Jerry," Thea choked out, her eyes filling with tears as she leaned over him to wipe his forehead again. "You knew I wouldn't give up on you. You knew."
Jerry nodded and turned to Adam, "Would yah please bury me under my real name, boss?"
"Whatever you want," Adam answered and almost lost control as he put his head down and angrily dashed the few tears that had escaped away.
His head came up when they heard a knock on the door and he wiped his face dry before going to the door to let Ben in carrying Annalise and Hoss carrying Alexander. Both of the children were sleepy-eyed, but smiling. They didn't understand this earlier than usual wake-up time, but were enjoying the attention it brought.
Thea moved away from the bed as the two men came up and put the children down, one on each side. Jerry reached out and cupped Annalise's face with gentle hands. "I haven't seen yah for a few days lovey and I wanted to before I go away this mornin'."
The little girl's face became solemn and she leaned forward, her head on his chest and hugged him. "Where you goin' Jerry?"
"I'm not sure yet, honey."
"Are you comin' back?" Alexander asked, the beginning of understanding in his intelligent eyes.
"I don't think I'll be able to, so I'm askin' yah both to remember me."
Alexander lifted Jerry's large, rough hand and held it in both his small ones. "I promise, Jerry, I'll never forget. And I'll tell my little brothers about you too."
Jerry looked at Alexander and he seemed like a much older child right then. "Thank yah, Alexander. I think it's time yah two got back to bed for a little while. The sun's just barely up now."
The little girl sat up again and Ben came to pick her up. "Wait, Grandpa," she said and scooted forward to kiss Jerry on the cheek. "Don't you forget me neither, ok Jerry?"
"I don't think anyone could ever forget yah, darlin," he answered and she stood up on the bed to put her arms around Ben's neck as he picked her up and walked over to the door. Adam was still there and opened it for his father after gently stroking his daughter's cheek and kissing her on the forehead. He said, "Thank you," low to his father as they went through.
Alexander still had his eyes fastened on Jerry's face and did something he seldom did. He kissed the man on the cheek too then turned to his uncle with sorrow in his eyes as Hoss picked him up.
"Pa says a man always keeps his promises, Jerry. I promised and I won't forget," the boy called to him as Hoss carried him over to the door Adam was still holding open. Hoss looked at his older brother and put a strong hand on the back of his neck, giving him a squeeze and a small shake. Adam leaned forward and gave his son a kiss on the forehead then nodded his thanks to Hoss who left then.
Adam stepped out and motioned for the three detectives to come in with the babies. Thomas and Benjamin were still asleep, but Matthew was wide-awake. Jerry turned to Thea and she could see that he was fading, the whites of his eyes turning yellow.
"Can I hold them just for a minute?" he asked her.
She nodded and John came forward with Thomas and placed him on the dying man's chest. Jerry curled his arms around the infant and looked into his sweet face for a moment. Then he looked up and nodded for John to take the child.
He did the same with Benjamin then Nate gave him Matthew. The baby looked into the man's white face and bestowed one of his charming smiles on Jerry. Touching the baby's cheek with one finger, he said "Yer gonna be the leader of this trio, aren't yah? I can tell, yer just as much like your Pa as yah are yer Ma." The child gurgled at him, grabbed the man's finger, pulled it into his little mouth and tried to bite it.
Jerry actually managed a whisper of a laugh at that and looked at Nate with a nod to take the baby away. He let his arms fall to his sides then, his strength almost gone. Thea came to sit next to him again and Adam went back to the other side of the bed. Taking his hands again, they both looked up when the three detectives came back into the room.
The dying man looked at each of his three friends and said, "Yah idiots better keep watching his back, yah hear me? Cause I'll be watching yah and if yah don't, I'll find some way to come back and kick yer ass."
The three nodded with solemn faces, believing that if anyone could, it would be Jerry.
John and Mike were standing by Adam and Nate was next to Thea. She tugged on Jerry's hand to get his attention.
"Jerry remember, you're a part of this family, so if you see the three Graces don't be afraid."
The light was fading from his eyes, but Jerry still managed to look at her and understand. "Would yah call me by my real name just once?" he whispered.
She stood and bent over to put her mouth next to his ear. "We love you, James Caldwell, and you will always be in our hearts."
He turned his head away from her then and looked toward a corner of the room. "Dear God," he whispered, " Yer right Thea, they are beautiful," he smiled...and was gone.
Adam knelt next to the bed and put his head down on top of Jerry's hand and didn't even try to stop his tears this time. No one did as they all followed his example, going to their knees around the bed, and the only sound in the room then was the muffled sobs of five heart-broken friends.
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Joe was still asleep. He had been sleeping heavily since his surgery and the physical work Adam had been coaching him through. But the voice in his room was urgent, insistent, and finally managed to pull him up from the depths.
He opened his eyes slowly and listened. There it was again, a man's voice that sounded vaguely familiar, wafting through the room as though on a breeze. He couldn't understand what the voice was saying, but the intensity of it made the hair on the back of his neck and arms stand up. It kept speaking and started to strengthen. He listened to it as hard as he could and was suddenly filled with the urge to get up and dressed. He threw the covers back, grabbed his clothes, and began to pull them on as fast as he could. After he pulled on his boots he stayed sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting.
When the idea of going to the barn filled his mind he hurried to obey by rushing out into the hall, but had to go back for his coat, gun belt, and hat. He knew he had to hurry.
Running down the back stairs as quietly as he could, he eased out the back door and ran to the barn. The big door was open enough for him to slip through and he entered the warm, humid, dimness. He stood there with his head cocked to the side and listened again.
Without even thinking about what he was doing he hurried to saddle his horse in record time then led him to the darkest stall, staying in the shadows there and out of sight. Leaning back against the stall wall, he tried to relax and waited.
Soon, two men slipped through the door opening and Joe recognized Mike and John. When they had four horses ready they stopped and stood there waiting, their faces still displaying the shock of Jerry's death.
John turned to his friend, "Do you think you could do something like that?"
"You mean throw myself on top of Adam to save his life like Jerry did?" Mike asked. John nodded.
The taller man folded his arms and looked down to think as he rocked on his feet for a few moments. Nodding his head firmly he said, "Yep, would you?"
John didn't respond at first.
"Well?" Mike insisted. Still no answer.
"Come on, John. We owe everything to Adam. Do you realize what our lives would be like if he hadn't been keeping our secrets all these years?"
John's mouth dropped open and his head snapped around. He stared at Mike with huge eyes.
His friend smiled, "I know your secret, just like I know Jerry's and Nate's as well as my own. I made up my mind a long time ago that if any one of our pathetic little deceptions threatened Adam in any way, I would make sure the truth came out, even my own. We owe him and you know it."
John looked away again, but nodded.
"Think about it. The fact that none of us have any family, are loners, and are hiding our pasts is what brought us together while we were working for Pinkerton. Then Adam came along and took us under his wing and turned us into a team. Would you have finished your law degree if he hadn't been standing over you?"
The smaller man smiled and turned to Mike, shaking his head.
"Would any of us have continued our education at all if it hadn't been for him? And who was there every time to bail us out or give advice or wade into a fight? Or smack us in the head when we were about to do something stupid. Who else could get a stubborn mule like Jerry to learn to read at his age? Adam, that's who."
Both men were smiling now and chuckling a little at the memory of Adam sweeping through their group like a hurricane and making changes for the good.
Mike continued, "And look at what he did for all those employees. Who else would meet someone by arresting them then offer them a chance to go straight as soon as they did their time?"
They both laughed. "And what about this - Thea made us a part of the family. What other woman do you know who would have us to her house, feed us, and even trust an ex-con like me to watch her children?"
"You don't have to say anything more about Thea, I agree with you completely."
Mike gave his friend a shrewd look, "She scares you, doesn't she?"
John nodded reluctantly.
"Well, to tell you the truth, she scares me too!"
They both laughed and then were silent for a moment.
"So," Mike said, "would you give your life for him, and Thea, and the children just like Jerry did?"
"Yes," was John's now prompt answer.
"I thought you would say so once you got that tiny brain of yours straight."
"Hey, at least I'm not an ex-con," John joked.
Mike laughed a little and pushed his friend on the shoulder. "I don't think that means very much coming from a lawyer. Lawyers are only one step higher than rats."
John just smiled and shook his head and the two of them fell silent again, comfortable in their friendship and a shared past.
Joe had crept toward the stall door to hear the conversation and now was standing there shocked at hearing that Jerry was dead until he heard his brother's voice speak, tight with fury.
"We have a fresh trail to work with this time, so we shouldn't have much trouble catching those two jackals. I want the best out of you three, Jerry deserves that at least."
His three deputy Marshals nodded, their faces grim.
"Good, then let's go," Adam said as he went to the door and slid it open enough for the horses to fit through.
As they all mounted Nate asked, "Did you tell Thea?"
Adam gave him a sharp look, "Of course."
Nate nodded, "Did she try to stop you?"
"No, she wouldn't do that. She knows I won't tolerate any interference from her or anyone as to how I do this job."
Joe stepped out of the stall, "I'm going with you."
The three deputies were startled, but Adam didn't seem to be. He just stared at Joe with narrowed eyes and his head to the side for a moment then nodded. Joe mounted and kneed his horse out to join the group.
They quietly filed out, Adam leading the way, and they headed east this time across open country. And again, Thea was watching out a second-floor hall window. She stayed there watching, her expression unreadable, until the five men were too far away to be seen.