*Author's Note*
Thank you for all the follows, favs, and reviews.
Tied To These Demons
Jessa POV:
I drove for endless hours until I reached Mate Creek and Sully's cabin, which was actually Jim Vance's place. Pulling to a stop in front of the modest cabin that looked that it'd seen better days, I looked over my shoulder at Todd and Mary (who had Silas and Lydia perched on their laps) and told them, "While we're here I need you to watch the kids. Okay."
"Okay, Jessa." Todd simply told me while Mary let out a simple, "Okay."
"Come on, let's go see Sully." I half-sighed, gesturing to the cabin with a slight jerk of my head, before pulling the wagon's break and climbing down from it.
Todd and Mary (while holding the babies) quietly got out of the wagon and followed me over to the cabin. Even tho they were still kids themselves, they knew the gravity of the situation their brother was in. Shaw was arrested for a hanging offense; they knew that there was a chance he might not be coming home. Shaw's arrest had me reeling, but I couldn't show it cause I had to be the strong adult for the children in my care.
I took a deep breath as I walked up the front porch of the cabin. Dear lord, I gotta tell Sully his son's in jail for serious charges. This is nerve wracking. As soon as I stopped at the door, I knocked on it. A few seconds later the door flew open and Sully appeared in the doorway. A grim look was on his face as he told me, "Shaw got arrested."
"Yes, Sherriff Maynard showed up to Granny Delize's and took him." I told him before furrowing my brows and asking, "How did you know?"
Sully stepped aside, giving me and the kids room to enter the cabin (where Jim was sitting in a chair by the fireplace with Mr. Howles sleeping by his feet), while answering me with, "Brenton Landon tipped me off yesterday that Perry was pressing charges on Tolbert's behalf and was having his friend Judge Wagner write up the arrest warrant." Looking at Todd and Mary, Sully told them, "Go take the kids to see Uncle Jim, I've got to talk privately with Jessa in the kitchen for a while."
"Cause ya gotta figure out how to save Shaw's neck from being stretched." Todd stated, not asked, before dragging Mary and the babies over to where Jim was at.
Good god, that boy sure did act older than his age at times. He's no normal 12-year-old, that's for sure. At least Mary's still innocent in some way; she doesn't blurt out blunt and harsh things either.
"Hey, thought ya was ov'r in Tazewell?" Jim asked (whether it was Todd and Mary or in extension me I didn't know), as he whittled a piece of wood into something. Whittling seemed to be a big common practice during the 1800s. Almost every man I've come across in this time does it, Shaw included.
"We were, but Shaw got arrested by a Kentucky Sherriff so we had'a come back." Todd told Jim while he and Mary placed the babies on the floor.
"Don't worry, Devil Anse's lawyer friend'll get him off." Jim shrugged, acting like what Shaw was facing was worth a slap on the wrist and that family connections could get him off. What a minute, Anse has a lawyer friend already on the case?
"What does he mean by that?" I asked Sully, sitting at the table while he poured us some coffee.
"He means that I talked to my cousin about the situation once I learned about it and was assured that a lawyer from Charleston, a Mr. John B. Floyd, will work Shaw's case as a favor to Anse." Sully explained to me as he came over to the table, setting our coffee down and taking a seat across from me.
"Have you talked to this lawyer yet?" I asked, picking up my coffee cup and bringing it up to my lips for a sip.
"Not yet, but I was planning on seeing him tomorrow." He revealed, picking his cup up from the table.
"I'll go with you."
"Very well." Sully nodded. "We'll find out more about how to help Shaw when we talk to the lawyer." Before sipping on his coffee, he asked, "Now, did Granny Delize loan you the money Shaw needed?"
"Yes, she gave it to me before I left this morning." I told him before quickly following it up with a quick, "Why?", paired with an arched brow.
"As long as my son's in jail it's going to be your responsibility to get the livery repaired. That building can't stay wrecked and closed down too long otherwise you'll go hungry." Sully said in a knowing tone between sipping on his coffee.
"So now I have to take care of the livery on top of my kids and the household?" I asked even tho I knew that the answer inevitably would be yes.
"Yes, unless you want to depend on charity and family handouts."
"Okay, but how am I supposed to do that tho? Mary's got school and the babies are too young for me to leave by themselves while I'm in town dealing with the livery."
Sully put down his coffee and placed a hand on top of mine. Giving me a sympathetic look, he told me, "Jessa, I think this might be the time to make amends with Allie. She lives nearby and since you used to be best friends, she might be willing to babysit."
"And if she isn't willing to babysit, then what?" I asked since there was a chance that Allie may not want to be my friend again; may not want to help me. We've been estranged for the last couple of years cause of personal choices, what if she's still holding a grudge about that?
"Then ask Roseanna to babysit, but either way you'll have somebody to help you." Sully told me, patting me hand before picking his coffee cup back up.
"If ya'll are done talkin' 'bout what to do, Sully, offer 'em some of that burnt stew ya made for supper. Hell, they've been on the road all damn day, must be starvin'." Jim's crochety timbre echoed from his spot in the living room.
Oh, yea, Jim was definitely Granny Delize's son. The personality similarities were uncanny.
Allie POV:
I had just put Captain W. down for the night whenever a knock sounded at the door. Since I had just walked downstairs and Cap was sitting in his chair, reading, I told him, "Stay put, I'll get it.", and went over to the door.I didn't think too much about who was at the door, but I was a bit shocked to answer it and see Jessa standing on my front porch with a worried look on her face. "Jessa, what brings you here?" I asked her, subtly looking behind her and seeing that she was alone. Guess she left the kids at the house.
She looked about ready to cry as she told me in a troubled sounding sigh, "I've got a problem and I could use my best friend, that is if you'd want to be my friend again."
Ah, so what Cap told me last night about Perry Cline having an open arrest warrant out on Shaw for arson and attempted murder was true. Reckon Shaw was locked up right now, something I wasn't expecting so soon since I was told he was at Granny Delize's in Virginia. I never met the woman, but Cap told me that I didn't want to meet her and that he'd hold off on visiting her for as long as he could. My husband said his great-granny was mean and hateful; somebody to be avoid until a family reunion surfaced.
"Come in, I can make us some tea and we can talk about it." I told Jessa, moving aside to let her into my house.
"Shaw get picked up by Pike County's sherriff?" Cap asked, looking up from his book, as I led Jessa into the kitchen.
"How'd-" Jessa began to ask until Cap cut her off with, "Sully told me about the warrant yesterday while lookin' for Uncle Jim an' pa at the lumber mill."
"Oh, I see." Jessa said in a clipped tone before turning to me and saying, "Then you know why I need your friendship, Allie. I need somebody to babysit while I repair and run the livery. You're close by and I could use your help."
"Or instead of having my wife babysit you could just have some of the Hatfield men fix the livery and then hire somebody to run it." Cap deadpanned while I guided Jessa to sit down at the table.
"No, I'm going to take care of the livery while Shaw's gone." My friend firmly told my husband as I went over to the stove to grab the kettle sitting on the back burner.
As I grabbed the kettle and brought it over to the pump sink, I heard my husband scoff, "But you're a woman and it's unheard of, Jessa. Hell, being a livestock broker ain't a job for a mother."
"Cap, you ain't my man so don't tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing. My man's locked up in the Pike County jail right now so I'm running the livery." Jessa snapped in a snarky tone (one that I've never heard her use before in all the years I've known her) as I filled up the kettle and brought it over to the stove.
"Cap, dear, if she wants to run the livery that's fine. We'll help her out anyway we can." I told Cap while sticking some wood into the stove and firing it up.
"We will?" Cap asked, his rolling timbre oozing with confusion.
"Yea, we will." I told my husband with one of those 'just do as I say and I'll explain later' type of tones to my voice. "Jessa, just bring Silas and Lydia by anytime you need to go to town. Even tho our friendship's shaky, I want to help you." I told my friend, giving her a smile as I sat down next to her at the table.
"Thank you, Allie. It means a lot to me that you still consider me a friend and wan to help."
"You're welcome." I told my friend, giving her a side hug. "I bet you probably want to go home to the kids, so I'll just take a raincheck on that tea with you." I remarked since I needed her to go so I could explain my idea to Cap, my reason for helping Jessa by babysitting the babies for her.
"Don't worry, we'll talk over tea soon." Jessa told me with a thin smile.
"I'll show you out, but don't hesitate to stop by anytime you need too." I told Jessa, placing my hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture and walking her out of the kitchen. My husband was giving me an odd look, causing me to just shoot him a glare at screamed 'I'll tell you my madness in a minute' as I led Jessa over to the front door.
"I won't. Bye." Jessa gratefully told me before walking out of the door that I was holding open for her.
As soon as I shut the door and walked away from it Cap bluntly asked me in a quick whoosh, "Okay, what the fuck was that all about? Why are we helping her run a man's trade?"
"Jessa running that livery while Shaw's locked up waiting to be tried and hanged is her way out from under his thumb. It maybe unconventional, but if she's running that livery, she'll have her own money and won't be depending on Shaw anymore." I explained my madness to my husband as I went over to the sofa and took a seat.
"Ah," Cap nodded. "so, you want her to be preoccupied with work so she won't worry about Shaw."
"Yes." I simply replied.
"Okay, but you know when gets hanged, she'll have to hire somebody. She can't run that business forever, hell after a few weeks it's gonna be too much for her."
"She's got Todd and everybody knows that he was going to be Shaw's assistant. I'm sure in time she'll just have him run it once she gets everything up and running again."
"Hopefully she appreciates your mended friendship and everything you're doin' for her." Cap let out in a slight scoff, shaking his head and burying his nose back into his copy of The Last Of The Mohicans.
"She does, Cap." I assured him since I truly did believe that my friend was grateful for my help and for our revived friendship.
"I hope so cause I'd hate for you to lend her a hand only for her to slap it away later on."
"Jessa won't go back on our friendship. Besides we both know that Shaw's gonna hang so…"
"If you say so, darlin', but if this don't turn out the way ya want it to don't cry to me 'bout it. I think she's fickle and'll be back with Tolbert as soon as Shaw's in his wooden coat beneath the earth, but maybe I'm wrong."
"She'll never go back to Tolbert; he won't accept the babies and she's determined to raise them and be a good ma." I told Cap as the tea kettle whistled on the stove.
"Then I reckon once Shaw's gone she'll be 'part of the family with widow status; intergratin' herself with the Hatfield ways." Cap told me as I went into the kitchen to remove the kettle from the stove and fix myself a cup of tea.
"It might be a sin to say, Cap, but I think everything'll calm down once the McCoys and Tolbert in general get their bloodlust filled with Shaw being tried and hanged in Pikeville." I told Cap, using a pot holding to grab the kettle's handle with and move it over to the counter I had some teacups on. He didn't say a word as I poured myself some tea, but I knew that he agreed with me. We both knew that Shaw was a thorn in the side of both the Hatfields and the McCoys; once he was gone things should die down drama wise.
Jessa POV:
It was mid-afternoon and I was in downtown Charleston at the Floyd Law Firm. I was in an office just off of a vast entrance and sitting area in a brownstone that's first floor was converted into Mr. Floyd's firm. I was sitting at a mahogany desk next to Sully while across from us was Devil Anse's lawyer friend John B. Floyd. John had a legal pad and pencil out on his desk for notes.
"Anse told me yesterday that you'd be by to talk to me about Shaw's legal troubles. I've known Anse since we were young, I even did some work logging before heading off to University to study history and the law, so I'm taking on this case pro bono as a favor to his friendship, Sully and Miss Jessa." John B. Floyd, who had been born and raised in Logan County, West Virginia, told me and Sully in a very nice, but professional manner.
"Thank you, John. We appreciate it." Sully told the lawyer while I just nodded and squeaked out a small, "Thank you.", since I was still gobsmacked to be sitting in a law office with the man that was going to be representing my fiancé; trying to keep him alive.
Looking between us and taking his pencil, the lawyer asked, "Well, first I need to know about Shaw's case. Anse told me that Tolbert McCoy's accusing him of arson and attempted murder. Is this true?"
"It's true." I told John B. while at the same time Sully answered with, "Yes, that's what he's being charged with."
While scribbling down some notes, he asked, "Is the charge valid? Did Tolbert see him commit these crimes?"
"No, I don't think he saw him." I shook my head while at the same told Sully told John B., "Tolbert's accusing Shaw cause my son looks like the most likely suspect cause the McCoy vandalized his livery the night before."
Looking up at us from his notepad, John B. asked, "Does Shaw have proof of the vandalism?"
"Yes," I nodded before future explaining, "Tolbert left him a note confessing to it."
"Well, that note can be useful. I can do a countersuit here in West Virginia in Logan County with Judge Wall demanding that Tolbert McCoy pay damages to Shaw for the vandalism." The lawyer told us, seeming very confident that his countersuit would help Shaw.
"Okay, but what good will that do? Shaw's being charged with first degree arson and attempted murder in Kentucky." I asked while my future father-in-law just nodded his head in agreement with me.
"It discredits Tolbert in his case against Shaw. I can argue that he or anybody else set his house on fire and he's falsely accusing Shaw due to a hatred for him." John B. explained causing me and Sully to just nod in understanding.
"Shaw was arrested yesterday in Tazewell, Virginia when we were visiting his great-grandmother to get a loan to repair the livery with." I told the lawyer before quickly asking in a slightly rushed and pushy tone, "Can you use that to help Shaw?"
"Yes, that fact can help him." John B. nodded, quickly scribbling down what I told him about visiting Granny Delize. Looking up at me from his notepad, he asked, "Now is there anything else that you can think of that may help or even hinder the case if found out?"
"The night the charges are for I was up late with Shaw. I couldn't sleep and I ended up telling him that we're expecting again." I told John B. figuring that he could use that small detail (that I was slightly fibbing about since I was up late waiting for him to come home) to make a strong defense for Shaw with. I mean what jury would convict a man who was in bed with his fiancé talking about having another baby? None, not when it alibied his where abouts.
"Congratulations and that is very useful to our case." The lawyer warmly told me. "If you'll agree to testify to that in court then a jury will most likely exonerate him. Your testimony will alibi him." John B. told me what I already knew about the alibi. I think he was just doing it as a professional curtesy, plus I was a woman and, in these times, the fairer sex wasn't expected to know too much about the law. Looking between me and Sully, John B. put his pencil down on his notepad and told us, "I've got a lot of work to do, but I do believe that we can win this case for Shaw." Leaning forward slightly, he explained, "I'm going to file that countersuit right away and then pay Shaw a visit in the Pikeville Jail to introduce myself to him as his council. I'll be working to get the case thrown out, but if that's not the possible I'm confident that I can get him declared innocent in the court of law."
"Thank you, Mr. Floyd." I told the lawyer while Sully just nodded his head, silently joining in my thanks.
Rising from his chair, Sully told John B., "We'll go and let you get to work."
As I got up the lawyer did too. He came over to us (me and Sully) and asked, "I'll be by soon to discuss the case. Where would be a good place to meet?"
"S.E. Livery. I don't want any of this talk around the kids in the house." I quickly answered the lawyer, causing my future father-in-law to just nod approvingly.
"We'll meet there then and soon." John B. assured us before showing us out of his office and into the entrance/sitting room.
As we walked out of the building I couldn't help, but feel like there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that Shaw was going to beat the charges.
Anse POV:
I'd just shut down the lumber mill for lunch break so everyone was sittin' down all over the place, ettin' whatever they brought in their metal lunch pals. I was sittin' under the awnin' that one of the saws was under. Next to me on the wooden platform was my brother Ellison. We were watchin' Cap an' Cotton sittin' an' ettin' on a nearby log. I swear my son was so protective t'his slow minded cousin. It was a good trait to have, protectiveness. It'd help shape my son into a strong man, one he needed to be in order to care for his wife an' children.
"Ya hear, Shaw got took from Delize's yesterday an' locked up in the Pikeville Jail." Uncle Jim loudly announced to me and my brother as he walked over to us with his dog in tow as he crunched on an apple.
"Why?" Ellison asked, his face askew, as I just shook my head and let out a silent sigh. Of course, Perry Cline's reach went to Virginia and Shaw was taken from our grandmother's home. Reckon John B. Floyd's gonna be hearing from Sully soon.
"Tolbert McCoy, that chaffin' lil chicken shit son of Ole Rand'l, is accusin' Shaw of arson and attempted murder." Jim revealed 'round a large mouthful of apple.
"Did he do it?" Ellison asked before taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"Hell, of course he did. I even helped him." Jim answered with pride oozin' from his crochety drawl of a voice.
"Jesus Christ, Jim, why would you do that for? Shaw can hang for this." Ellison's reaction didn't surprise me. My brother was always a soft spoke pacifist.
"Cause the boy asked me for help in gettin' back at that shit turd McCoy for bustin' up his livery." Uncle Jim told my brother while pointin' his half et apple at him.
"Two wrongs don't make a right, Jim." Ellsion sighed heavily wit' a dissaprovin' look on his face.
"No, they don't, Ellison, but it leveled the scales. At least should've, but that skunk Cline and McCoy decided to attack our family by pressin' these charges on Shaw." I told my brother 'tween ettin' my lunch since I did understand why Shaw did what he did. Perry Cline and the McCoys should've never ran wit' charges, they started all this bullshit anyways.
"Hell, they're just doin' it so that Tolbert can try an' take Shaw's woman since he couldn't keep her under his thumb the first time. Ya know ward families get mighty angry when the girl they housin' runs off wit' a good man instead o'stayin' stuck wit' the crazy son of the ward family." Uncle Jim ranted before takin' a large crunchin' bite outta his apple.
Oh god, now Jim's comparing the Shaw/Jessa/Tolbert situation to the one he had with Mary and the son of the family she was a ward of, some man named Collis. Dear lord, no wonder Jim's so hell bent on helpin' Shaw kill Tolbert. Jim and Mary ran away from Tazewell after the Collis man went missin' an' asked my folks for a place to stay. Pa sold 'em some land an' gave my uncle a job. Seems like history might be repeatin' itself, for for the sake of the family and the feud we're in with the McCoys I hope not cause I don't need anything makin' the grudge 'tween us and the McCoys worse than it already is.
Ellsion shook his head and grabbed his canteen. "Don't matter what the issue 'tween them is, they can't be tryin' to kill each other. It ain't right."
"Hell, Ellison, you're too soft-hearted." Jim waved off my brother before walking off, no doubt to tell somebody else 'bout Shaw's arrest.
After takin' a large drink from his canteen, Ellison set it down an' told me, "You're a smart man, Anse, so I know you'll find a way to help Shaw, but once you do help him, he needs to understand that he can't be killin' people cause they have a history with a woman. It ain't right."
"I know Ellison and as the head of this family I'll make sure that somethin' like this never happens again." I told my brother with a pointed look, cumblin' up the wax paper my sandwich was wrapped in an' tossin' it into my lunch pal.
Ellison took an apple out of his pal while tellin' me,"You better Anse otherwise the hatred between the families'll grow and you'll lose your son." What the hell? Upon seein' my odd look, my brother sighed an' explained his remark with, "Johnse's married to a McCoy, if things get too bad, I think he'll run off to Oregon, since he seems captivated by that territory, to escape the feud and keep from being caught in the middle cause of his wife."
"Ellison, things won't get that bad. I know that our family hates the McCoys an' vise versa, but it ain't gonna blow up so bad that Johnse takes Roseanna to the other side of the country to get 'way from it."
"Anse, if Shaw and Tolbert don't stop tweakin' eachother's noses then it can blow up. Those two's spats are gonna make grudges worse if they don't stop." Ellsion told me in a firm and knowin' tone (one I'm sure he uses with Cotton all the time) 'tween ettin' his apple.
"I told you, lil brother, that as the head of this family I'll make sure that both Shaw knows he needs to let lyin' dogs be and stay the hell away from Tolbert and all McCoys for that matter."
"It might be best if he goes to stay with Granny Delize for a while after your friend gets him freed. Just til everything calms down."
"We both know that Shaw won't leave Mate Creek, he's a businessman and has roots here for his family." I for one know that I wouldn't run off when I had roots to an area. It'd be stupid to uproot an' start up a business elsewhere.
"You're smart, Anse, so I'm sure you'll come up with a way to ensure that Shaw stays out of trouble and keeps his temper in check."
I just nodded at my brother. I knew he meant well, but I didn't like him tellin' me that our cousin was a problem for our family cause he had a rivalry with Tolbert. It was common knowledge that those two hated eachother since they were young boys, I'm not surprised that they never outgrew their hatred.
Before I could even think of a reply for my brother Nancy McCoy's wagon came barrelin' into the loggin' camp paired with her loud screechin' screams of, "Abel! Abel, ya bastard do ya know what that Vance Bastard did to Tolbert!?"
"Goddamnit, looks like Cap's brother-in-law's in for it now." Ellison chuckled, pointin' to the scene unfoldin' 'tween Abel an' Nancy McCoy.
Givin' my brother a serious look, I declared, "Him bein' with her's the problem, not Shaw's spats with Tolbert."
"Mhm…" Hummed my brother as he nodded in agreement (or half-agreement) with me.
Abel POV:
"Abel! Abel, ya bastard, do ya know what that Vance Bastard did to Tolbert!?" Screamed Nancy as she wildly rode her wagon into the lumber mill as I sat on the back of a wagon eating my lunch. Shit, she heard about Shaw being arrested for trying to burn Tolbert alive in his cabin the other night. Hell, I just found out about that myself a few minutes ago whenever Jim Vance told me (well bragged) about it. "Shaw tried to murder my cousin!" Nancy screamed as she quickly stopped her wagon by me. Climbing down from the wagon, she told me in a loud shrilling shriek, "I found out from Aunt Betty when I went to visit her this morning. Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I didn't know til a few minutes ago, Nance. I swear to fuckin' god, I didn't know." I told my girlfriend, puttin' my lunch down an' jumpin' down from the wagon I was sittin' on.
Nancy marched right up to me. Her eyes were hard and narrowed as she told me in a cold tone, "Ya better not be lyin' to me Abel or else I'm gone. I can't be wit' somebody that condones the attempted murder of my family."
"I told you, I didn't know." I repeated my innocence. She gave me a pointed look, makin' me tell her in a quick appeal, "Hell, I don't like the crazy bastard so if I knew I'd have told ya."
"Fine. I'll believe ya for now, but if I find out you've lied to me…" She relented in a sigh.
"I'm not lying, Nance. I swear, I didn't know about any of this." I told her, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze.
Nancy shook my hand off of her shoulder before telling me, "I'm goin' home, but don't 'xpect me t'be happily cookin' ya supper. I'm mad that you're tied to these demons that keep tryin' t'kill my family."
I just nodded, knowing that she was upset and nothing I could do or say would chance that. Silently, I watched her walk away from me, climb up into her wagon, and leave. I could feel all of the eyes of my co-workers boring holes into my head, but I didn't give a shit. It was their unruly and out of control kin that caused my girlfriend's sour mood to begin with. Damnit, I'm stuck in the middle of something that I don't want to be stuck in.
AN:
Jessa and Allie are friends again, but how long do you think that'll last? Do you think that John B. Floyd's right about being able to get Shaw freed? This is just the beginning of the drama…