No Justice For Jeremy Chapter Eleven
Jeremy woke up with a splitting headache. His mouth was as dry as cotton.
Candy was sitting in a chair by the bed. "Jeremy, how do you feel, sweetheart?
"I have a terrible headache and my mouth is so dry that it hurts. Why aren't you in bed with me? Why are you sitting in the chair?" Jeremy asked.
"You were sort of sick last night, Sweetheart." Candy handed him a cup of cold water.
Jeremy drank the cup of water. He set the cup on the nightstand.
"Sick? I guess I had too much to drink and that's why I have a headache and dry mouth this morning." He said.
Candy had a strange look on her face. Was she angry, hurt, or frightened? Jeremy knew somehow that she was feeling the three emotions at the same time.
"Oh, my sweet girl! Did I frighten you when I was screaming about my nightmare last night? I'm sorry, Candy. The nightmare was awful. I dreamed that Josh was killed by that outlaw, Troubadour Tate." Jeremy explained.
Candy moved from the chair to the side of the bed.
"Jeremy, darling, sit up, please." She told him.
Jeremy sat up in the bed. Candy took his hand in hers.
Candy took a deep breath. Looking Jeremy in the eye, she said, "Sweetheart, you didn't have a nightmare. Joshua was killed by Troubadour Tate. "
Jeremy looked at her. Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He took a ragged breath. Jeremy got out of the bed. He had slept in his pants. He put on his socks, boots, and shirt.
Jeremy walked toward the bedroom door.
"Jeremy? Aren't you going to say…. something? Anything?" Candy asked him.
Jeremy looked at his wife. He didn't speak. Jeremy sighed deeply and turned his head to stare out the window.
Candy gasped. She realized what was happening. She went to her husband. She put her hands on his shoulders. Jeremy continued to stare out the window.
"Jeremy, please don't do this. Please don't stop talking. Don't go inside that shell. Please, darling, I can't bear it. I don't mean that in a selfish way. I can't stand not being able to help you when you are locked inside yourself in agony. Especially now, Jeremy, please. Look at me." Candy pleaded.
Jeremy didn't say anything. He didn't look at her. He kept staring out the window.
Candy gently cupped her hand on Jeremy's chin. She tried to tenderly turn his head to face her. Jeremy resisted. He would not allow her to turn his face to hers.
Candy tried again. Once more, Jeremy resisted.
"Alright, Jeremy. I won't try anymore to force you to talk or to look at me. I understand that the pain of losing Joshua is overwhelming. I know that you are hurt to the depths of your soul and that you are terrified of drowning in the grief. I love you; Sweetheart and I will help you. So, when you decide to unlock the cage, you have built for yourself, I will be here." Candy told him.
Candy walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked back at her husband. "Jeremy, I won't let you drown. I promise."
Candy left the room.
Jeremy looked at the closed bedroom door. He sighed deeply and tilted his head back. Jeremy closed his eyes. He was in so much emotional pain; it took all of his strength just to breathe.
Jeremy got the chair that was next to the bed. He set the chair in front of the window. Jeremy sat down in the chair. He stared out the window again. That was all he could do for now.
Candy went downstairs to the kitchen. Kitty and Lucie were sitting at the table drinking coffee.
"Good morning, Candy. How is Jeremy?" Kitty asked.
"He's not doing well. I had to tell him that Joshua was killed. Jeremy thought he had only dreamed it. Then…...he stopped talking." Candy began to cry.
"Oh, darling, I'm sorry. Here, sit down at the table. Let me get you some coffee." Kitty said kindly.
Candy sat down. Kitty walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee.
When Kitty gave Candy the cup of coffee, she sat back down at the table. "Tell me what you mean when you say Jeremy stopped talking."
Candy dried her tears on a dish towel. She said good morning to Lucie.
Candy explained about how Jeremy began stuttering as a young child after his mother died. She told them how other children at school would laugh at his stuttering and hurt him so badly at times that he would stop talking. She said that some adults would make cruel comments to him about his speech problem.
"My goodness, Jeremy went through a lot as a child, didn't he?"Lucie said.
"Yes, he did. Jason and Joshua helped him tremendously. He has told me many times that he could not have survived his childhood without his brothers." Candy replied.
"Candy, I had no idea that Jeremy had ever stuttered until you told us just now. He worked hard to overcome it." Kitty was amazed.
"Yes, Kitty, he worked hard to overcome it. When we first met a few years ago, his stuttering was severe at times. Unfortunately, the coping skill of withdrawal comes up when something terrible happens." Candy replied sadly.
"Like losing his brother." Kitty lamented.
"Yes, like losing Joshua. This is just too horrible to be true!" Candy exclaimed. "Wait a minute…what if it's not true?" Candy's eyes sparkled.
"Why would they put out a wanted poster for that Tate creature if it wasn't true?" Lucie asked.
"I don't know, Lucie. But I have a way to find out." Candy answered confidently.
Candy explained that Jeremy and his brothers had agreed that they could send Aaron a brief telegram in the event of an emergency. Ben Perkins is aware of this as well since he is the telegrapher.
"Write out your telegram, darling and I will go send it for you. I'll wait for the reply too. I certainly hope it turns out that Joshua is okay."
Kitty said.
"So do I, Kitty." Candy replied.
"That makes three of us." Lucie told them.
"Four." Candy said pointing to the upper floor of the house.
Kitty and Lucie nodded sympathetically.
This is the telegram that Candy wrote:
To: Aaron Stempel Seattle, Washington Territory.
From: Donnie Winthrop, Undisclosed Location
Heard that Alex is deceased. Please confirm or deny immediately. Thank you.
.
Kitty took the message to Martin's Mercantile right away. The wire was sent. Kitty told Mr. Martin that she would wait for the reply.
In Seattle, Ben Perkins received the wire from Donnie Winthrop. He knew that was Jeremy's alias. Ben went to Aaron's office immediately to show him the wire. Fortunately, Aaron was alone when Ben arrived.
"Aaron, you need to read this right away." Ben handed him the telegram.
Aaron read the message. "That poor boy thinks his brother is dead. Let's go tell him that's not so."
Aaron and Ben went to the store. When they arrived, Elijah Harmon and two of his sons were there.
"I heard that you got a telegram from Jeremy Bolt and that he thinks that blond brother of his is dead. Don't look so surprised, gents. I have my connections." Harmon laughed at the looks of shock on their faces.
"This doesn't concern you, Mr. Harmon. Why don't you and your boys go on home?" Aaron responded.
"Oh, this does concern me, Mr. Stempel. Ever since Joshua and Jeremy Bolt killed my boy, Will, everything those Bolts do concerns me." Harmon hissed.
"That was settled, Harmon! Jason could have killed your son, Stoker in that fight, but he didn't. Why do you want to tear the scabs from old wounds? Let it be." Aaron argued.
"Why, Mr. Stempel? Because those Bolt brothers haven't been wounded yet, least ways not by us Harmons. But they will be. You mark me, Mr. Stempel, they will be." Harmon looked smug.
"What are you talking about, Harmon? Wounded how?" Aaron felt sick to his stomach.
"As a matter of fact, we're gonna start right now, Mr. Stempel. Mr. Perkins, when you wire Jeremy Bolt, tell him that sadly, his brother, Joshua is dead. And tell him that his oldest brother, Jason is taking it very hard and needs him right away." Harmon glared at Aaron.
"I won't do it! I'm not going to hurt Jeremy by lying to him about something so important. That's just downright cruel, Mr. Harmon!" Ben declared.
"That's the whole point, Mr. Perkins. To hurt those Bolts like they hurt me and my boys." Harmon said viciously.
"I won't do it, Mr. Harmon and that's final!" Ben responded.
"Oh, it's final, is it? You know, Ben, you have a nice family. A very pretty wife and a cute little son. How old is your boy now? Three? It would be ashamed if something happened to your pretty wife or that precious boy that you and your wife prayed for, for so long. I would hate for some tragedy to come upon your little family, wouldn't you?" Harmon threatened. "I said, wouldn't you, Mr. Perkins?"
"Yes." Ben mumbled.
"Well, you best send that telegram to young Mr. Bolt so he can be on his way back to the wagon train and right into my trap." Harmon laughed.
Ben looked helplessly at Aaron. Aaron nodded for him to do as Elijah Harmon told him.
Ben sent this telegram:
From: Aaron Stempel. Seattle, Washington Territory
To: Donnie Winthrop. Undisclosed Location
Regret to inform that Alex is deceased. Tommy taking it quite hard. Needs you ASAP. Ten miles outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
After the wire was sent, Harmon headed for the door. Before he left, he turned around.
"Mr. Stempel, if you have any ideas of warning the Bolts somehow, you best forget it. I know where your sister, Julie lives. I have friends there too." Harmon and his sons left the store.
In New Orleans, Mr. Martin received the telegram from Ben Perkins. Kitty looked hopefully at Mr. Martin. He shook his head no.
Kitty took the wire from Mr. Martin. She glanced at it and shoved it in her purse.
Candy was waiting at the door when Kitty arrived at Lucie's house.
"I'm so sorry, Candy." Kitty handed her the wire.
Candy sat down on the sofa and read the wire. Candy cried heartbroken sobs. Kitty sat down by her. Kitty held Candy close as she cried.
Jeremy came into the parlor. He sat down on the other side of Candy, and he took her into his arms. As his wife cried, Jeremy looked over her shoulder at Kitty. She pointed to the telegram that Candy had crumpled in her hand. Jeremy got the wire and read it. He hid his face against Candy's shoulder as he cried.
When Jeremy and Candy regained their composure, Candy said, "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I was hoping that somehow it wouldn't be true. But it's true. Joshua is dead."
Jeremy tried to speak. His mouth moved and his face contorted with his painful efforts to talk. No words came.
Jeremy stopped trying to speak for a few minutes. He stood up from the sofa and ran his fingers through his hair. He took a few deep breaths.
Jeremy sat down on the sofa next to his wife. He put his hands on her shoulders. As he looked into her eyes, he asked, "W-W-Won't d-d-drown?"
Candy caressed her husband's cheek. "No, Jeremy. I won't let you drown in your grief; I promise."
"I l-l-love you, C-C-Candy." He whispered.
"I love you, Jeremy." Candy whispered to him. She gave him a tender kiss on his lips. "I'm so happy that you are talking, Sweetheart."
Jeremy trembled as a single tear slid down his cheek. He kissed Candy softly on the lips. "I couldn't bear being withdrawn from my sweet girl. I need you."
The young Bolt couple wrapped their arms around each other. They sat quietly for a while.
Kitty and Lucie had gone upstairs to give them some privacy.
A few hours later, Candy and Jeremy were eating supper.
"Candy, we have to go back to the wagon train. Biddie and Jason need us. I think we should leave tomorrow. Does that sound alright to you?" Jeremy asked.
"That sounds fine to me, sweetheart. Kitty will want to go back too. I will tell her that we are planning to leave tomorrow." Candy answered.
"Okay, sweet girl." Jeremy put down his fork and stared at his plate. He and Candy had only eaten a few bites.
"I'm too sad and worried to eat much, darling." Candy told him.
"So am I, Candy. I keep thinking how awful Biddie and Jason are feeling." Jeremy replied. "Let's go to bed and try to get some sleep."
"Okay. Kitty said she and Lucie would be late tonight. They went to supper with some friends." Candy responded.
The Bolts went to bed. They couldn't sleep.
"Sweetheart, do you have something that you want to tell me?" Jeremy asked.
"Tell you? What makes you think I have something to tell you?" Candy asked.
"Well, the other night when we made love, I noticed that you have a little belly. Now, don't get upset. You are gorgeous. I never saw your little belly until the other night. Since you haven't said anything, I got to wondering and….." He paused.
"And what?" Candy responded.
"After you went to sleep, I put my ear on your belly. I heard our baby's heartbeat." Jeremy's voice quivered. "Why didn't you tell me, Candy?"
"I wanted to wait to see if I was going to have a reasonable chance of carrying the baby to term. I didn't want to tell you one day and lose the baby the next." She explained.
"If you had lost the baby, were you going to try to hide the miscarriage from me and never tell me the baby had existed?" Jeremy sounded hurt.
"No, darling, I don't want to hide things from you. This journey has been so difficult. I was trying to spare you some pain." Candy told him.
Jeremy sat up in the bed. "What about you,Candy? Were you going to suffer through another miscarriage alone? You know, I'm not the only person who can build a cage around himself."
"Oh, Jeremy! That's not what I was doing. I wasn't shutting you out. Really. I need you." Candy explained.
"How far along are you?" He asked.
"Almost five months." She said timidly.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow at her. "Almost five months? It sure sounds like you were keeping the baby from me."
"Jeremy, I love you. I didn't mean to keep the baby from you. I'm sorry if I hurt you by not telling you that I'm pregnant. We are tired. Let's try to sleep." Candy said.
"I'm not hurt. I just want you to lean on me and let me help you. Don't try to struggle through difficult situations alone. I love you. I want to help you." Jeremy replied."
The expectant parents drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Kitty and the Bolts left on the train headed to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
On the second day of their railway trip, Jeremy went to sleep sitting up in his seat. Candy nudged him with her elbow.
"Donnie, that little boy is speaking to you." His wife said.
Jeremy opened his eyes and looked across the aisle. A blond haired blue eyed little boy was looking at Jeremy and saying hey over and over.
"Hey, buddy! How are you?" Jeremy winked at the child.
The little boy slid out of his mother's lap. He walked over to Jeremy.
"Hey! I'm four years old. My name is Joshua!" The boy grinned at Jeremy.
Jeremy swallowed hard. Hearing his deceased brother's name caught him off guard.
"Hello, Joshua! My name is Donnie. It's nice to meet you." Jeremy tousled the boy's hair.
"Joshua! Stop bothering that nice man. Come back here and get in my lap. I'm sorry. Josh never meets a stranger." The boy's mother said.
"That's okay, ma'am. He's no bother. He's a sweet boy." Jeremy smiled.
The child's mother smiled back. "My name is Millie Coulter. Josh and I are on our way to join my husband, Jake, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We have a new ranch there."
"That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Coulter. I'm Donnie Winthrop. This is my wife Kelly, and our friend, Kitty Russell."
The ladies said hello to each other.
"Are you and Joshua traveling alone, ma'am?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, we are. My husband couldn't afford a round trip ticket for himself and tickets for us too." Mrs. Coulter answered.
"If there is anything I can do for you, Mrs. Coulter, please let me know." Jeremy told her.
"I will. Thank you." Mrs. Coulter responded.
Over the next three days, Little Josh became attached to Jeremy. He wanted to be with Jeremy as much as he could. Jeremy loved the child. The boy helped to distract him a bit from his grief over the loss of his brother. Millie became good friends with Candy and Kitty.
The fourth day after Jeremy met Little Josh, the train was about ten miles from Cheyenne.
It was about three in the afternoon when the train suddenly came to a halt. Jeremy looked out the window. There was no train station in sight. Jeremy wondered why they had stopped.
The door leading from the caboose to the passenger car burst open. Two armed men wearing masks rushed in. One man shouted, "This is a hold up! Any would be heroes will be killed."
Little Josh was sitting in Candy's lap. Jeremy was sitting in the aisle seat. Kitty was on the other side of Candy next to the window. Millie was across the aisle from Jeremy.
The two robbers made their way through the passenger car taking money and jewelry from the travelers.
When the robbers got to Jeremy, one of them pointed with the barrel of his gun to Candy's wedding ring. "Gimme that! It will buy me lots of drinks!"
Candy cried as she pulled her ring off her finger. Little Josh was upset to see Candy crying.
Little Josh yelled at the robber, "You a bad man! Go away!"
"Shut up, you stupid kid!" The robber drew back his gun to hit Little Josh in the face.
"Don't you dare hit this child!" Candy shouted as she threw her ring at the thief.
"You better watch it, mister!" Kitty yelled.
Millie was standing in her seat yelling, "Joshua! Joshua!" She couldn't get around the robbers to reach her son.
Jeremy punched the thief in the face. The criminal staggered backwards a Few steps. Then he regained his balance. The ladies continued to shout at him. Jeremy drew back his fist to hit the bandit again.
A gun went off.