*Author's Note*
Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews.
Fun vocab word lesson for you guys, an RPO was a Railway Post Office. With an RPO mail was sent on trains and sorted en route in order for speedy delivery. Many trains would have mail workers grab mailbags hanging on poles along the tracks (while the train sped by) with hooks so the train didn't have to stop. It was like the express mail of the day.
This Bad Man
Allie POV:
"I fuckin' hate your brother." Cap stewed, sittin' at the dinner table as I cleared it while our kids just sat by without a clue to the problems their estranged uncle had brought down upon us.
"I know, Cap." I sighed, knowing that if I said anything else that my husband would fly into a rant. Much like the one he had durin' dinner about how Abel was a piece of shit and how Nancy must've put him up to blabbing to the press about that rough patch in our marriage and the family as a whole. "But he wouldn't be like this if it wasn't for Nancy." I added in, placin' some plates onto the counter by the sink.
"That bitch sure did fuck his head up. Turned him 'gainst ya, me, an' the family wit' whatever poisonous lies she fed him." Cap grumbled as I returned to the table to pick up some more platters and bowls.
"Yea, she did." I sadly nodded, agreein' with everything my husband just said. Makin' my way back over to the sink area, I sighed out in an informative way, "Ya know that reporter, Asa, is gonna poke and pry into what the New Yok Globe printed."
"He can try, but I ain't tellin' im shit."
Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from my husband.
Meanwhile In San Francisco…
Olga POV:
I shouldn't 've been shocked when I received a Western Union from my husband statin' a few horrible details the New York Globe printed 'bout Devil Anse and Jim Vance (One which I knew, but the other I didn't since it happened after I ran away) 'long wit' askin' me if they could be true or if the Hatfields had the ability t'do such things, but I was. It hurt to find out that Allie, my only friend I had in West Virginia, was treated so poorly by 'em Hatfields. She was a good person; didn't deserve what happened, which was bein' locked in Devil Anse's barn as a prisoner 'cordin' to my husband.
I sent my husband back a Western Union, simply tellin' him that 'Yes, I heard Jim Vance murdered a man. No, nothin' ever happened to Allie when I was 'round.' I never received any more Western Unions from Asa after that. I don't know how he took my answers, but they were the only ones I could give.
Brenton POV:
I had no intentions of joinin' Perry at Rand'l's for dinner tonight (Hey, today was one of the rare occasions where that drunk actually stayed the fuck at home, so why would I want to go deal with him for?), but when Squirrel came barrelin' into the law office only to frantically share the news that his brother, Parris, was murdered by Cap Hatfield at the logging camp (cause he was trespassing, but that mere fact just went over both Squirrel and Perry's heads) I knew, oh I just knew, that I'd be stuck going to my cousin-in-law's for dinner. I knew Perry'd want to share the news of Parris' murder and that he'd want me there to confirm it, since I was in the office when Squirrel told us. So, that's how I currently found myself sittin' at the crowded main table in the McCoy house, pickin' at food that wasn't great, but wasn't the worse shit I've et either.
Hell, Jim was even here which was a feat in itself since he barely brought his wife an' chil'ren 'round his childhood home (cause his mother had gone off the deep end). Talk 'bout Sally, she was in the corner rockin' in her rocker and starin' out the window in some kind on catatonic way. It was sad and heartbreakin' how that woman lost all her senses cause she lost her boys. Oh, also another son that wa rarely seen these days (havin' chosen to build a cabin on the land left to him by Tolbert 'long with takin' over the shine business) was Billy. The auburn-haired teen looked like shit, but I reckon it's cause he had a lot on his mind 'tween runnin' his shine operation an' tryin' to assure his nuttier then a bedbug mama he's not gonna get himself murdered like his older brothers did. Oh, I'm sure Sally must fret after him, 'specially since he favors Tolbert slightly (only difference bein' that his hair was a bit of a warmer, but richer red while Tolbert's was a light and bright ginger shade).
Nobody said a word, just et in silence. Eh, not like I cared. I didn't even want to be here so…
Dinner was wrappin' up since Alifair was cleanin' up plates while Perry, Rand'l, and his sons Jim, Calvin, and Billy were sippin' on coffee as the youngin's just took off to play nearby. I had to admit that I was happy the meal was over; meant I could stop pickin' at the food. Eh, Sally might be crazy, but at least she can cook a doggone good meal.
Alifair went over to the corner only to ask Sally, "Ya sure you don't want somethin' to et, ma?"
"No, Alifair, I'm fine." Sally told her daughter while never once takin' her eyes off of the window. Alifair didn't say a word, just pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek and walk back over to the table in order to finish clearin' it.
Perry, still holdin' onto his coffee mug, stood up and suggested to Rand'l wit' a look that he do the same. Rand'l didn't say a word, just stood up wit' his hand clutchin' his mug like it was a much-needed life preserver. They stood a yard or so away from the table, but they were still close 'nough that us at the table would be able to listen in on whatever they had to say.
Oh, I knew exactly what my slimy brother-in-law was goin' to say…
Perry took a quick sip of his coffee before tiltin' his head towards Rand'l and revealin' in a tone oozing with fake sadness, "Cousin, I'm so sad to bring you the devastatin' news that your nephew, Parris, was murdered y Hatfields today."
"Oh, poor Parris." Rand'l heavily sighed, soundin' sincere in his sudden shock. Eh, I wouldn't say poor Parris, but poor Parris' mother.
Perry took another sip of his coffee only to say, "The body was never sent to Mr. Goodpasture or left ground tied to a horse outside of town, so I can only assume that the Hatfields disposed of it.
"Oh, course they did. Prolly chucked it into their wood chipper." I scoffed in a 'no shit Sherlock' type of undertone as leaned an elbow onto the table.
"Dear lord…" The drunk gasped, his eyes wide as the implication of my remark sunk in.
"Rand'l, we can't send keep sendin' deputies 'cross the Tug. It's just like pokin' a bear wit' a twig, but what we need is someone with a big stick to battle the bear with. We need to get Bad Frank deputized and send him to do our biddin'."
"I don't like that man. He's a savage." Randall firmly declared, his grip tight on the handle of his mug.
"I'll go, pa." Jim jumped up from the table. Rushin' over to his pa and the lawyer, he stated confidently, "I'll catch my brothers' killers."
"I'll join 'im, pa." Calvin declared, risin' from the table and joinin' the men huddled together nearby.
"No, no, no, boys." Perry shook his head. Before Jim or Calvin could protest, my brother-in-law added in, "You can't lead a charge 'cross the Tug to capture the Hatfields. You're not what we need, but Bad Frank is."
I noticed that Billy didn't jump from the table to volunteer his services to the deputized posse. Hmm…smart boy.
"This bad man, the savage, can he bring me my boys back?" Sally asked, causin' everyone to turn and look at her. She was so far away from the kitchen table that it was eerie that she heard the hushed-hushed conversation 'tween Perry, Randall, Jim, and Calvin.
Billy just shook his head and mumbled under his breath, "Time for me to go.", 'fore standin' up from the table and hightailin' it out the backdoor.
Cap POV:
I was still pissed off from what was in that New York paper yesterday. God, I still couldn't believe Abel told that writer 'bout the problems 'tween Allie and Pa (that he an' Nancy started) let 'lone 'bout how I considered divorcin' her. I was so mad, so much that I was sippin' on my coffee an' pushin' my food 'round my plate this mornin'. Allie didn't say a word 'bout my attitude, just et breakfast while keepin' a keen eye on our chil'ren as they et their food (that my wife had cut up into lil pieces).
A knock on the door made my wife jump slightly, mostly lightly cause we weren't expectin' nobody. I just set my coffee down and said, "I'll get it."
"Ya sure, Cap?" Allie asked, lookin' 'tween me and the door.
Standin' up, I nodded, "Yea, just keep ettin' wit' the chil'ren."
Without another word, I walked away from the table and over to the front door. When I opened it I was face to face with that San Francisco paperman, Asa, and his photographer, Larry. "Cap Hatfield, if you'd be so kind I'd like to ask you some quest-" He began, only for me to slam the door shut in face.
"Who was it?" Allie curiously asked as I pivoted on my heel and stormed back into the kitchen.
"Asa and Larry, from that San Francisco paper."
"Oh, so he wanted to interview you about yesterdays story in-" My wife began to ask me only for me to interrupt her wit' a loud snap of, "Yea, but he ain't gettin' nothin' outta me."
Asa POV:
I blinked my eyes, shocked at the fact that Cap Hatfield had rudely slammed the door shut in my face when I was talkin', mid-sentence. Larry just shook his head and chuckled next to me, "Looks like we better pay Devil Anse a visit for the piece cause his son ain't giving us the time of day."
When we pulled up to the main Hatfield house, we were met with the sight of Devil Anse sitting on his porch, rockin' and puffing on his pipe. It felt as if, in a way, he was expecting us. Well, I'm sure if he read yesterday's copy of the New York Globe then he was waitin' on us to show up. I tipped my hat at the imposing man as I stopped my horse at the hitchpost. "Good morning, Devil Anse." I greeted the man while dismountin' and hitching up my horse. Larry didn't say a word, stopped near me and proceeded to dismount his own horse.
"Come to ask 'bout my daughter-in-law I presume." He stated, not asked, as I walked up the porch all the while Larry was hitchin' up his horse and grabbing his camera gear.
"Yes, I'm hear to ask about what happened between you and Allie." I confirmed the man's statement as I walked over to the empty rocker next to him.
"It was a misunderstandin' 'tween us, one that don't get talked 'bout outside of the family." Anse told me with a hard, cold look in his blue eyes as I sat down in the rocker, causin' it to creak lightly.
"You're just like your son, aren't you? Won't answer questions about what T.C. Crawford accused you of doing to Allie." I stated while Larry was setting up his camera, most likely he'd take a pictue of me and Anse chatting since it's clear I'm not getting a real interview today.
"Her brother, my disgruntled employee, made the accusation. Crawford just wrote it down to sell newspapers for his boss." The Hatfield patriarch flatly remarked while pullin' his pipe from the corner of his mouth. Turning his head to look at me, he said, "I took Allie in when she was orphaned durin' a wagon accident crossin' the Tug when she was 'bout fifteen. She nursed my son back to health when he injured his eye in a loggin' accident." I just nodded, making a mental note of what he'd said while pulling out my pad and pencil from my jacket pocket. "That girl's proven her loyalty to my son, me, and my family time and time 'gain." As I quickly wrote down his words, he stuck his pipe back into his mouth and said, "Why would I lock a woman up in a barn that my son loves, who's the reason why he's alive instead of dead from a seriously festered eye wound?"
It was a rhetorical question, one that neither one of us needed to answer out loud, but one that Devil Anse knew I'd answer in my quick counter article. One that I needed to write down right away and bring to the RPO in Charleston to get sent out to my editor in time for Friday or Saturday's paper.
AN:
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Anyone surprised that Asa didn't really get any answers and that Devil Anse did some bullshitting to avoid questions?
Next up is Asa's counter article along with Perry Cline interviewing Bad Frank for a special deputy job.