Chapter 3 – Family

Part 1

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night.

Heather rode into the town of Strawberry late at night, she knew what she was getting into with this assignment but she never expected anything like this to actually happen while she was gone. Eugene had shown up at the Sample's ranch all apologetic, he apologized for what he had come to tell her, apologized for not letting her know sooner. Turns out the reason Heath came to town, knowing who their father was for the first time in their lives was because their mother had told him on her death bed.

Heather had just stared at him, as he told her, then he showed her the telegram. Heather was broken inside, but all she felt was numb. She told him thank you, then said she had to make arrangements to to go. Eugene had wanted to go with her, but knew he couldn't, so he did the next best thing he arranged for her to take his horse, said she could keep it until he came back and he would inform Jarrod. Heather refused, agreeing to take the mount but only for the trip, when she returned she would give it to Jarrod. Eugene had agreed and sent her on the way with fresh supplies, saying she was his sister, and he always looked out for his sisters, even thought they were both older than him. Heather thanked him and rode out.

Here she was 2 hours later arriving in Strawberry, on a dark deserted road. There was not much left of the once booming mine town, most folks had packed up and moved when the mines dried up. Now the only people she knew for sure that were in the area was her Aunt Rachel and Hannah, her mother's best friends, and her Aunt and Uncle that owned the Hotel. Heather had avoided the hotel as she rode into Strawberry, and instead went the long way around to their family cabin.

Heather could see the shimmering light of the cabin as she came closer. She was exhausted, and she was home, she hoped her aunts weren't going to be too angry with her absence. She rode up to the cabin, dismounted and took the horse out back to the lean to stable Heath had built when he bought his Modoc. She unsaddled Eugene's horse and rubbed him down, gave him water and fed him some oats she had brought and left him for the night.

There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Heather walked up to the door and knocked, she heard Hannah call out from inside, "Who's there?"

"It's Heather, Hannah." She replied.

Hannah opened the door, "Oh Thank the Lawd!" She said through her tears. "Where has you been chil'?" she threw her arms around Heather. Right behind Hannah was her Aunt Rachel.

"Heather! It's so good to see you," Rachel greeted her with a smile.

"Hello Hannah, Aunt Rachel." Heather greeted them, "I just got word about Ma, or I would have been here sooner."

"I understand dear," Rachel said. "Your mother left something for you."

"There's time enough for it in the morning." Heather told her.

Rachel and Hannah agreed and they turned in for the night. The next morning Rachel took Heather over to her mother's grave, and Heather said good bye to her mother. Afterwards Rachel handed her the things her mother left for her, a letter from her mother, a few odds and ends. Then they sat down and Heather filled them in on where she had been.

"I've been living out near Stockton," Heather told them.

"What brought you there?" Rachel asked.

Heather frowned, how to explain without giving her secret? They knew she had a job, but the job had never taken her away this long. They would never ask what exactly she did, they had an idea that it was a secret for a reason. They knew it was for the Treasury Department, that's all she had said, and they respected her privacy.

"The job, made some friends while I was there. Started to think when I finally quit I'd settle down there. 'Course that as before Heath rode into town."

"Heath be there?" Hannah asked.

Heather nodded, "I only saw a glimpse of him once, but he's living with some of my friends. The Barkleys."

"You and Heath done found your family." Hannah said again.

Heather smiled sadly, "Guess so, I didn't know what was going on until my friend, Gene told me. He just told me Heath was in town, said Heath found out that he was Tom Barkley's son. He didn't know he was talking to Heath's twin, but he figured it out pretty quick. None of the others know, and Heath doesn't know either."

"You need to tell them." Rachel said.

"I will, but after this job is finished. If I show up, Nick, the middle Barkley boy won't listen, not until the job is finished and I can prove I'm a friend."

"It's that big of a deal?"

Heather nodded solemnly. "If I don't wait it could cause some problems between Heath and him, and I don't want that. Heath's happy there, they got their own troubles to deal with instead of dealing with mine."

"Heath is worried about you," Hannah said.

"I know, I'll get word to him when I can." Heather reassured them.

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Heather followed Rachel and her Uncle Matt over to the hotel. She and Rachel had gone to the General Store to pick up some supplies and they had found Heather's mother's brother having a beer and playing solitaire at the store. He had insisted they go over to the Hotel to see his wife.

They walked in and Martha looked Heather over, "Well, well, well look what the cat dragged in. What brings you to town Heather?"

"Hello Aunt Martha, I just found out about my mother's death yesterday, came up as soon as I could." Heather replied.

"Where were you?" Martha was nosey and she wanted to know what was going on in Heather's life even if she didn't like her so much.

"Hmm, I was over in Stockton, been keeping house for a few people." Heather replied calmly, she had known Martha would have been asking her questions and come up with a back story before she had gone to the store with Rachel, just in case she saw her Uncle and Aunt.

"How do you like it?" Martha pretended to be interested.

"The jobs okay, but I love the area, Heath just moved to the area, at least that is what I was told."

"You haven't seen him?" Matt asked this time.

"No, just heard it through the grapevine. My friend Gene told me that he was working at the Barkley's ranch now." Heather knew they would find out sooner or later and wanted to control what they found out.

"The Barkley's?"

Rachel spoke up this time, "They have actually taken him in as one of the family. I don't know it you knew it or not, but your father was Tom Barkley. We got a letter from Heath not too long ago."

"I didn't know that." Heather said, pretending to just find out.

"Are you going to look them up when you go back to Stockton?" Martha asked Heather.

"No, I'm not planning on it. My brother and I aren't on the best of terms right now. If our paths cross, I'll deal with it then, but Stockton is pretty big, there's no guarantee we'll ever meet."

Heather hoped this would be enough to get Martha off her back. It seemed towork, Martha rounded on Rachel. Heather would have felt sorry for her, but she knew Rachel could handle her Aunt and Uncle.

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

Martha proposed that they go for a ride in their buggy. Rachel and Heather couldn't think of an acceptable reason to say no. So they loaded up in the buggy and went out for a drive. They went out towards an old abandoned mine where Martha insisted they stop and enjoy the view.

"Heather, I want to show you something." Martha said, "Matt, Take Rachel and show her the view that way." Martha pointed in a different direction than she was taking Heather.

Martha pointed down a trail, "Keep going down that path, I forgot to grab something from the buggy, I'll be right along."

Heather pretended to go down the path, doubling back when Martha wasn't looking. She was suspicious about the separation. She saw Martha continue pass the buggy and down the path Matt had taken Rachel down. She followed carefully, staying just back so Martha didn't' notice her.

Martha caught up with Matt and Rachel, "Rachel, we want to get in touch with the Barkley's. They can give us money for taking care of Heath and Heather. Then we can finally be rid of this hell hole."

Rachel refused, "No, I was the one that helped Leah, you barely lifted a finger. I'm not going to let you defraud the Barkley's!"

Martha grew angry, "You will." She threatened, taking a step towards Rachel.

"Or what?" Rachel asked hotly.

Heather watched in disbelief as Martha shoved Rachel. Rachel fell onto some old boards, that were obviously rotten. Rachel fell through them down an old mine shaft, her scream filled the air and then there was silence. Matt hurried over and looked down, he saw Rachel's broken body at the bottom.

"You killed her."

"Be quiet, we'll tell anyone who asked we were out here for an outing and she wandered away. She fell through the boards down the mine shaft." Martha fussed, "No one will no the difference."

"What about Heather?" Matt asked. "She'll suspect something."

Heather tried desperately to think of what to do. She needed to get the law here, without Matt and Martha being suspicious. She also needed to act like she didn't know anything when Martha finally came to get her. She began to edge back the way she came, trying not to get noticed.

"Leave Heather to me, she's a stupid girl, easy to manage." Martha waved off Matt's question.

Heather bristled at that, but kept edging away, staying just out of sight. Suddenly she stepped on a branch, the crack sounded through out the air and Matt and Martha turned towards the sound.

"What was that?" Martha asked.

"Probably nothing." Matt replied.

Martha started walking towards the sound, "Maybe not, but I'm not taking chances."

Heather turned to run, and Martha spotted her.

"It's Heather, get her!"

Heather tried to run, but she tripped and fell, her head hitting against a rock. The last thing she saw was her Aunt and Uncle closing in on her.