No Justice For Jeremy Chapter Ten
"I love you, Candy." Jeremy whispered as he rolled over and put his head on his pillow.
"I love you, Jeremy. I must say you have recovered nicely from your bout with pneumonia." Candy smiled.
"I aim to please, ma'am." Jeremy turned his head and grinned at her.
Candy snuggled close to her husband putting her head on his shoulder.
Jeremy put his arm around Candy's shoulder. His fingers twirled strands of her hair. He didn't speak for several minutes. Candy knew he had something serious on his mind.
"Candy, can I tell you something?" Jeremy asked. He sounded a bit shy almost hurt.
"Of course, you can, Jeremy. You're not sick again are you, sweetheart?" She answered.
"No, I'm not sick. I want to tell you something important. Do you remember when I thought I saw Mama in our wagon, and I thought she was talking to me?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, I remember." Candy wondered where this was going.
Jeremy drew a deep breath. "The truth is, Mama was there. She talked to me and no, I'm not crazy."
Candy sat up and propped on her elbow. She was covered with the blanket. "Jeremy, that just can't be. Your mother died. I understand that you miss her and wish you could talk to her. But that just doesn't happen, Sweetheart."
Jeremy got out of bed and put on his pants. He sat down on the side of the bed. Jeremy turned where they were facing each other.
"Yes, it did happen, Candy." He told her seriously. "Mama was with me. She talked to me."
"What did she say to you?" Candy reached for her nightgown on the floor. She picked it up and pulled it on over her head. Candy got out of bed. She sat down beside her husband.
"Mama gave me a warning, Candy." Jeremy leaned forward propping his elbows on his knees. He put his face in his hands.
"A warning? About us being on the run?" Candy was worried.
"No, the warning isn't about you and me." Jeremy sat up and looked at Candy.
"Who is your mother's warning about, Jeremy?" asked Candy.
Jeremy couldn't speak. He put his arm around Candy. He gently pulled her closer to him. Jeremy put his head on her shoulder and cried.
Candy wrapped her arms around her husband. She rubbed his back and whispered, "I love you." in his ear as sobs racked his body.
When Jeremy's crying ended, they broke their embrace.
Jeremy drew a deep breath. He looked into Candy's eyes. "Mama's warning was about Joshua. Troubadour Tate is going to kill him."
"He must be related to Wesley Tate." Candy was shocked.
"He is Wesley Tate's father. He is a notorious outlaw in Idaho." Jeremy said.
"Why did your mother give you this warning, sweetheart? Why didn't she tell Joshua?" Candy wondered.
"Mama said she tried to reach Josh, but she couldn't. Josh is so analytical. He deals mostly in facts and figures, black and white. Josh believes in God and in Heaven for sure. However, his mind can't fathom that the Heavenly realm and the earthly realm can ever meet except when a person dies." Jeremy explained. "Joshua believes in the Resurrection too. But the way Josh puts it, that's God returning after His death and not one of us lowly humans."
"As sensitive and tender hearted as you are, your mother knew that she could get through to you. Oh, Jeremy! I'm sorry I doubted that you had talked to your mother. Please forgive me!" Candy apologized.
"Candy, you don't have to ask my forgiveness. I know it is hard to understand that your husband has talked to his deceased mother." Jeremy said softly.
Jeremy continued talking. "Mama wasn't going to tell me who is after Joshua at first. She said she was only supposed to give the warning. I asked her what good the warning was if I don't know who is out to get Joshua. Do you know why I was asleep for so long when I was sick and Doc thought I should wake up?"
Candy shook her head.
"I was arguing with Mama trying to get her to tell me the name of the person after Josh. No, that's not exactly right. I was arguing. Mama was crying. I can't believe I made my dead mother cry. Good ole sweet Jeremy made his dead mama cry." Jeremy said sarcastically.
"I know you apologized to her. I also know that she understood why you wanted to know so badly." Candy said sweetly.
"How do you know, Candy?" Jeremy asked.
"I know because I understand how Bolts think." She answered. "I am a Bolt too, you know."
"That's true you are." Jeremy smiled a little. "And you're right. I apologized and Mama forgave me."
Candy got dressed. Jeremy finished getting dressed.
"I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat." Jeremy said.
"Okay. Kitty told me there are lots of good restaurants here in New Orleans." Candy replied.
"Kitty might like to go with us." Jeremy told Candy.
"She and her friend, Lucie, were going to visit another close friend today. They left earlier." Candy responded.
"It's just the two of us then. It's kind of Lucie to let us stay here." Jeremy offered his arm to his wife as they went down the front steps.
They walked a few blocks from Lucie's house. The young couple came to a restaurant called Lilly's Bon Appetit. They decided to eat there and went inside.
A waiter showed them to a table. After they ordered their food, they talked while they waited for it to be prepared.
"What did Joshua say when you told him about the warning?" Candy inquired.
Jeremy sighed. "Josh thought it was all a dream or a hallucination brought on by my high fever. He wouldn't give it a second thought."
"Oh, no. I hope you told Jason about the warning too." Candy replied.
"Yes, I told both of them at the same time. Jason took it seriously. He tried to get Josh to understand that he can't take a chance on getting killed even if he doesn't believe that the warning came from our mother. But Joshua said if he believed the warning then that would mean that he believed that I talked to Mama, and he just couldn't believe that." Jeremy frowned.
Candy reached across the table for Jeremy's hand. He gave it to her.
"What happened after that conversation?" Candy squeezed his hand.
"Jason argued with Josh asking him what was wrong with believing that our mother could still visit us or communicate with us after her death. Josh said it sounded like hocus pocus to him. Jason tried to tell him that everything can't be explained in black and white in a business ledger." Jeremy said.
"That didn't convince Joshua?" Candy asked gently.
"No, it didn't. Then Jason asked him couldn't he believe the warning because we believe it. Josh looked at me and said, well, Jeremy…in a condescending tone." Jeremy's voice quivered.
"Oh, sweetheart! I'm almost afraid to ask, but what happened next?" Candy kissed his hand.
"I got angry. And I said, well Jeremy, what? I believe it because I'm still the little backward Bolt boy who should have been put in the asylum years ago?!" Jeremy choked back tears. He put his face on his folded arms on the table.
Candy was stunned. "Backward? Asylum? Jeremy, darling, what in the world are you talking about?"
Candy slid her chair to the other side of the table next to Jeremy's chair. She sat in the chair.
"Please talk to me, darling." Candy whispered in her husband's ear. "I love you. I want to help you."
Jeremy sat up. Tears were rolling down his face.
"When I was ten years old, I was in Lottie's one day talking to a friend. I was stuttering. A man came in and he heard me. He walked over to the table where my friend and I were sitting. He called me the little backward Bolt boy. He said Jason would put me in an asylum soon because he was a businessman, and he didn't have time for me. He also said I was the family shame." Jeremy took a ragged breath.
"Oh, dear God! Jeremy, I'm so sorry." Candy rubbed his back gently.
"I stopped talking for weeks. And I ran away. After searching for me for weeks, Jason started contacting the surrounding sheriff's offices to find out if they had possibly found my body. Jason and Josh even went to view one child's body to find out if it was me." Jeremy told her.
"Jeremy, I knew your childhood was difficult because of losing your parents so young and your stuttering. But, I never knew that people treated you like that. I'm so sorry." Candy told him tenderly.
"Thank you, Candy. Let's not talk about it anymore right now." Jeremy said.
"Alright, sweetheart. If you want to talk about it again, let me know. I will always listen to you." Candy replied.
"Thank you, sweetheart. Oh, good! Here is our food. I'm starving!" Jeremy said.
They ate their meal in silence. Each time Candy glanced at her husband as they ate, she wondered how anyone could dare be cruel to him.
After they finished their meal, the young couple went to a park for about an hour to enjoy the sunshine.
After that, Jeremy and Candy returned to Lucie's house.
Back on the wagon train, Jason talked to Matt about the warning regarding Joshua and Troubadour Tate. He told the Marshall how the warning was received.
"Jason, I have to say your family lives an interesting life." Matt shook his head.
"Is that your tactful way of saying you don't believe our deceased mother gave Jeremy the warning about Joshua?" Jason smiled.
"No, I'm not one to tell others what to believe. I just never heard of anything like this before." Matt smiled as well.
"I can assure you that Jeremy believes it. I also believe it. Jeremy has battled high fevers many times in his life. He has talked out of his head during a few of those fevers. But he never said anything like this before.' Jason said.
"How about, Joshua? Does he believe the warning?" Matt asked.
"No, Matt. Josh doesn't believe it and that worries me, I'm afraid he might get hurt or worse due to lack of precautions." Jason answered. "His wife, Biddie has tried to get Josh to listen. He refuses even to listen to her."
"That's a problem for sure. It's hard to protect a man who doesn't believe he's in danger." Matt replied.
"I will keep trying to reason with Josh." Jason stated.
"Jason, I've also been thinking about Jeremy's situation. Was there an investigation when the Native American witness was murdered?"
"No, Matt, there wasn't. Everyone figured it was the Oates brothers who killed him. There was no way to prove it. The trappers stick together so no one came forward against the Oates. The night that Red Wolf was killed, I tried to save him. We heard bird calls that you don't hear at night. I saw a shadow several yards away from the cabin. I dove for Red Wolf and pushed him on the floor. But I was too late. The bullet hit him in the head. Nothing could be done to save him." Jason sighed.
"Well, Jason, I want to help Jeremy. At this point, I don't know what I can do. Listen, I want to apologize for you and Joshua being separated from Jeremy. I never imagined that Kitty would help him, and Candy run off. I'm not heartless like Kitty thinks and I don't want Jeremy to be executed but…." Matt stopped talking. He knew Jason didn't care about his job. Jason only cared about his brother and Matt didn't blame him one bit.
"I understand, Matt. You're in a difficult position as a Marshall. You have to uphold the law and be respectful of peoples feelings at the same time. That's not always an easy thing to do." Jason replied.
"Thank you for understanding, Jason." Matt told him. "Have you seen Doc this afternoon?"
"This morning at breakfast, I heard Doc say he was going to see Calico today. He is concerned about her. She has had several convulsions since Jeremy and Candy left with Kitty." Jason replied.
"Yeah, I heard Sister Pauline talking about that. She said Calico thought Jeremy died from pneumonia and everyone was afraid to tell her. Sister Pauline said she had to promise the child with her hand on the Bible that Jeremy did not die. After that, Calico believed that Jeremy left with Candy and Kitty. I heard that Calico said if Sister Pauline promises on the Bible, it's the next best thing to God telling you Himself!" Matt chuckled.
Jason grinned. "Children can certainly express themselves, can't they?"
"I guess I should find Joshua and try once again to persuade him to take our mother's warning seriously." Jason told Matt.
"Good luck!" Matt replied as he walked away to find Doc.
Jason looked all over the wagon train campsite for Joshua. When he could not find him, he went to their new talking spot. The wagon train had almost made it to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Joshua was there. "Hello, brother. I have been looking for you." Jason said.
"To talk about the warning from Mom, I guess." Joshua replied.
"Yes, I'm concerned about you. I know the way the warning came about is very much out of the ordinary, Josh. But we both know that Jeremy wouldn't lie." Jason reasoned.
"Jason, I never said that Jeremy lied. I think Jeremy dreamed about Mom when he had that high fever and it seemed real to him." Josh retorted.
"Well, Josh, warning or no warning, Troubadour Tate is a dangerous man, and you killed his son. The fact that you killed him to save Jeremy's life won't matter to an outlaw like Tate." Jason looked his brother in the eye.
"Well…" Joshua started to say.
"Hello!" Calico came running up to them.
"My goodness! Don't you look pretty today, Sweetheart!" Jason said smiling broadly at the child.
"Thank you, Jason! You are almost as sweet as Jeremy!" Calico smiled.
"Almost, huh? What would you say if I told you, I was the one who taught Jeremy how to be sweet?" Jason put his hand on Calico's shoulder.
"I would say no you did not. Jeremy was born sweet. I can tell. Girls know things like that." Calico laughed.
"She's got you, Jason. Jeremy was born sweet and loving…and stubborn." Joshua laughed.
Jason laughed too. "You're both right. Jeremy has been sweet, loving, and stubborn since he was born."
"Jeremy is something else too. He is smart. You should listen to him, Joshua. My father is mean. He will kill you if he gets a chance. I love you, Joshua. I don't want you to get killed. Please believe Jeremy and watch out for my father." Calico pleaded.
Joshua walked over to the young girl. He bent down and looked into her eyes. "Don't worry, Sweetie. I will be alright."
"Does that mean that you will be careful, Joshua? You have to be careful. My father is not stupid like Wesley was. Mama couldn't have tricked Father like she did Wesley. If Father had been holding a gun on Jeremy, I hate to say this, but it's true, and Mama threw her necklace at him, Father would have killed Jeremy and then picked up the necklace." Calico cried.
Joshua put his arms around Calico drawing her close to him. "I'll be careful, sweetheart. I promise. Please don't cry. I love you, Calico." Joshua whispered in her ear.
Jason watched his brother comfort the weeping child. Then he covered his face with his hands thinking how sad it was for a little girl to know so much about cruelty and killing.
Joshua picked up Calico holding her against his shoulder. He carried her back to the wagon train. Jason went with them. The brothers took Calico to her mother's wagon.
On the way back to their wagons, Joshua said, I'm sorry, Jason. I should have listened to you and Jeremy. It just didn't dawn on me how real this threat is until I heard what Calico said. Not to mention seeing how upset she was."
"Out of the mouths of babes, Joshua." Jason replied.
Joshua sighed and nodded at his older brother.
A few days later, the wagon train arrived ten miles outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The wagon train made camp. The Bolts and the rest of the wagon train travelers were exhausted. Everyone made their supper, ate it, and went to bed.
The next morning, Biddie and Joshua woke up early. They were well rested from their good night's sleep.
The couple had breakfast with Jason, Doc, and Matt. Malinda Pearl and Calico stopped by to say good morning. Malinda Pearl told Doc that Calico was doing much better since he increased her medication a bit. She had not had a convulsion in two weeks. Doc was pleased to hear that.
After breakfast, Biddie wanted to go into Cheyenne. It had been several weeks since she had been away from the wagon train. Joshua agreed that a trip to town would do them good.
Joshua invited Jason to go with them. Jason declined the invitation saying that he wanted to read some Shakespeare.
Joshua and Biddie left for Cheyenne in a borrowed buckboard.
"Oh, Joshua! I'm so excited, sweetheart! It seems like forever since I have been shopping. The last time was when Candy and I….." Biddie began crying at her mention of Candy's name.
"Biddie, honey. Try not to cry. I know you miss them. I miss Jeremy and Candy too. I think about them all the time. Everything will work out. You will see, honey." Joshua said gently.
Biddie dried her tears. "You're right, darling. I just miss them so much. And I worry too. I certainly don't want Jeremy to get caught. I just don't know what we would do."
"Try not to worry, Biddie. I love you." Josh smiled at her.
"I love you, Joshua." Biddie replied sweetly. "I'm so glad you decided to take the threat about Troubadour Tate seriously.
"Yes, I came to my senses." Joshua replied.
When they arrived in Cheyenne, Biddie wanted to go into the dress shop first. She found a lovely brown and pink dress. Joshua said she looked lovely in it. He insisted on buying for her. Biddie was very pleased.
The next store they went to was the General Mercantile. Joshua needed a new hammer.
Joshua was looking at the tools on one side of the store. Biddie was looking at the pots and pans on the other side of the building.
"JOSHUA BOLT! The scum who murdered my son! I finally found you!"
Joshua turned around. Troubadour Tate was standing just inches from him with his gun drawn.
Biddie turned and ran toward Joshua. It seemed as if she was moving in slow motion.
The last thing Biddie remembered was the sound of gunfire.
Two weeks later, Jeremy and Candy were treating Kitty to supper at Lilly's Bon Appetit. Lucie had a date with a new gentleman friend.
"This is nice, but you don't have to do this, you know." Kitty said.
"We want to do this for you, Kitty. You have been so wonderful to help us. Keeping Jeremy from being turned in means more than I can say.
We wish Lucie could have joined us. She has been lovely about taking us into her home." Candy explained.
"Thank you, Kitty for all you have done for us. It means the world to us." Jeremy smiled.
"You are both most welcome." Kitty said smiling.
After they ordered their food, Jeremy excused himself to go to the Gentleman's Washroom.
The washroom was at the end of a long hallway on the other side of the restaurant. As Jeremy approached the washroom door, he thought he saw a wanted poster. Here we go again he thought.
When he got to the door, Jeremy read the poster nailed there. He read it a second time.
Jeremy fell to his knees, screaming, "CANDY! CANDY!" Jeremy screamed for his wife over and over. Jeremy was sobbing uncontrollably.
Candy and Kitty came running to him. They knelt down on either side of Jeremy.
"What is it, Jeremy? What's wrong, sweetheart?" Candy was frantic.
Jeremy couldn't speak. He managed to point to the wanted poster on the washroom door.
Candy and Kitty looked at the poster. "Oh, dear God!" Candy shouted.
Kitty read the poster out loud, "Wanted Dead or Alive, Troubadour Tate, For the Murder of Joshua Bolt."
.
.