Family Dispute Chapter Five
"Jeremy, are you awake? Where are you, sweetheart?" Candy murmured from the cot by the fireplace.
Jason and Joshua were sitting in chairs next to the cot watching over her and waiting for her to wake up.
Candy opened her eyes. "Oh! Jason! Joshua! Jeremy and I slept much longer than I thought."
She tried to sit up. "Ouch!" Candy grabbed the back of her head with her hand.
When Candy sat up on the cot, she looked around. "Where is Jeremy? What am I doing in here? What happened to my head?"
Jason and Joshua looked at her. They were confused and worried.
"Lie back down, Candy." Jason said gently.
Instead of lying back on the cot, Candy tried to get up from it.
"I know the two of you. Something is very wrong. Where is Jeremy? Why isn't he here with me?" Her tone made it plain that she expected an answer.
"Please lie back down, Candy and we will explain things to you." Joshua told her quietly.
"Explain? What is there to explain? Just tell me where Jeremy is, please. I know he isn't here or else he would be right beside me." Candy was still rubbing the knot on her head.
"Candy, the truth is we don't know where Jeremy is. Joshua and I were hoping that you could give us that information." Jason looked her in the eye.
"Jason! What do you mean you don't know where Jeremy is? You and Joshua are his brothers. How can the two of you not know where he is?" She asked.
"When we got home, we found you unconscious on the floor and Jeremy was gone." Joshua said simply. "Please tell us what happened Candy."
"I came over to apologize for the argument we had earlier today. It was my fault. I said some terrible things to Jeremy during the fight and I lied about not being at the old cabin last night. He forgave me and took me back. Then we went into the bedroom. The last thing I remember is us going to sleep." She told them.
"You don't have to be shy, Candy. If you and Jeremy had another argument this afternoon, you can tell us. In fact, you must tell us if there is anything else you remember about your visit here with Jeremy." Jason replied.
"Yes, Candy, please tell us if there is more that you remember. While Jason stayed here with you, I looked all over town for Jeremy. I asked everyone I saw if they had seen him this afternoon. No one could tell me anything. We are quite worried about our brother. As you said, normally, he would be right beside you since you were injured and unconscious." Joshua said.
"Oh, dear God! I didn't know that you had already looked for Jeremy. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that he was probably at Ben's Store or at Lottie's for a few minutes and that he would be coming back soon." Candy frowned. "Where can he be?"
"Let me ask you something very delicate, Miss Pruitt, I mean, Candy. Did Jeremy, well, did he…. uh…. well?" Jason looked down at his boots.
"Jason Bolt! Are you asking if Jeremy hit me?! Seriously, Jason?" Candy was incredulous. "I don't remember how I got this knot on my head, but I know for a fact that Jeremy did not hit me! He would never do that. I'm surprised at you, Jason. You know your own brother better than that."
"Of course, I know Jeremy very well. I know it is not his nature to hurt people physically or emotionally. I also know that it is not his nature to disappear when someone he loves is seriously injured. So, I am considering any possibility while trying to figure out why he isn't here."
Jason replied.
"Jason, we need to take Candy to see Doctor Wright. Then we should go to the old cabin to see if Jeremy is there. The wagon wheel tracks I saw out front are going in that direction and the buckboard is gone." Joshua said.
"You're right, Josh. Candy, do you think you can walk to the clinic? I can carry you if needed." Jason told her.
"I think I can walk, Jason, if we go slow." Candy said.
"That's fine, Candy. We can go slow." Jason replied.
When they got to the clinic, Doctor Wright examined Candy and talked to her. The doctor said that Candy had a type of amnesia which caused her to forget what happened when she was injured. She said this form of amnesia causes people to forget frightening events. Candy and the two brothers were seriously worried when they heard this.
"Doctor Wright, does this mean that something awful happened to Jeremy? Something so terrible that my mind won't let me remember it?" Candy broke down sobbing.
Jason and Joshua were standing on either side of Candy. Each one put an arm around her.
"Well, Doctor, is Candy correct? Could this amnesia be her mind's way of protecting her from some unbearable truth?" Jason's tone was grim.
Doctor Wright paused a moment before answering. "Yes, Jason, I'm afraid that you and Candy could be right."
"Oh, my God!" Joshua exclaimed.
Candy cried harder. She turned toward Joshua wrapping her arms around him. He put his arms tightly around her. When her tears subsided, Joshua helped her sit down in a chair.
"If something serious has happened to Jeremy, there has to be at least one other person involved. Jeremy wouldn't injure Candy and he wouldn't willingly leave her unconscious." Jason said.
"Unless…" Joshua hesitated.
"What, Joshua? Just say whatever's on your mind." Advised Jason.
"Well, what if Jeremy had a hallucination that told him to hurt Candy and he did it? I know that's not his nature. But is it possible Doctor Wright for a person to go against their own nature sometime? I don't want this to be so. I'm just trying to figure out what could have happened and where our brother might be." Joshua explained.
"Yes, Joshua, even though many people don't behave in a way that goes against their character even with a hallucination, it is possible." The Doctor replied. "In my opinion, I don't think that Jeremy would be very likely to behave out of character. He is so strong willed."
"That takes us back to another person being involved. Why would someone want to take Jeremy away from our home?" Jason pondered.
"Jason! You don't suppose someone killed Jeremy and then took his…his…..body away…..to bury it, do you?!" Candy wailed.
"No, Candy, no, Jeremy hasn't been killed. Why would somebody want to kill him?" Jason hoped he sounded reassuring. He didn't want to admit that the same horrible thought had occurred to him.
"Candy, we are going to find him. He is alright." Joshua spoke. "We need to take you to Lottie's before we go to the home place to look for Jeremy."
"Joshua, you and Jason, go on up there. I will take Candy to Lottie's if that's alright with you, Candy." Doctor Wright offered.
"Yes, that's fine, thank you, doctor." Candy replied.
Both brothers thanked Doctor Wright and the four of them left the clinic.
Doctor Wright got Candy settled at Lottie's. She stayed several hours talking to Candy and Lottie. The doctor also watched for the possibility of other problems from Candy's head injury.
Jason and Joshua returned to the cabin long enough to pack their gear. Then they set out for their old family cabin. They didn't talk for quite a while.
Finally, Jason broke the silence. "Josh, I am seriously afraid for our brother. He wouldn't leave Candy unconscious and injured unless he was badly injured, or his life was threatened."
"I know, Jason. I'm frightened too. I keep thinking about what Candy said about someone killing Jeremy and taking his body to bury it." Joshua replied mournfully.
"Oh, Joshua! I can't bear to even think about that possibility. If we didn't have Jeremy anymore…." his voice trailed off.
The two brothers exchanged a sad worried glance.
They rode the rest of the way without talking. When they reached the old home place, they felt a combination of relief and curiosity when they saw smoke coming from the chimney.
Jason and Joshua hurriedly got off their horses and went to the door. Jason tried to open the door. It was latched.
"Jeremy! Open the door, please! Jeremy!" Jason called out.
"Jason! I hear him walking to the door." Joshua said excitedly.
Suddenly a female voice came from inside the old cabin. "Who is it?"
"Jason and Joshua Bolt! We own this cabin, ma'am. Please open the door." Jason answered.
The door opened. A young woman about twenty years old stood before them. She had long jet-black hair and green eyes. She appeared a bit frail, but her voice was strong.
"Please forgive us. We didn't mean to trespass. My husband and I and our foreman were on our way home. My husband fell ill with a fever, and we had to stop. He gets deathly sick when he has a fever." She slumped a moment against the doorframe.
Joshua reached to help her. "Are you alright, ma'am?"
"Yes, thank you." She replied taking hold of Joshua's arm to steady herself. "I recently found out that I'm expecting. The doctor said I would have to be very careful."
"Congratulations to you and your husband. We wish you the best, Mrs…?" Jason said.
"Oh, Blackerby. I'm Suzanne and my husband is Stevie, I mean, Steve Blackerby." Suzanne replied. "I hope it's alright for us to stay here for a few days. My husband will be happy to pay whatever rent you want."
"Certainly, Mrs. Blackerby. It's fine for you and your husband to stay here. Don't worry about any rent. I would like to ask a favor though. Joshua and I are looking for our younger brother, Jeremy. Have you seen him or perhaps anyone else up this way since you have been here?" Jason asked.
"No, Mr. Bolt. I haven't seen anyone. I have been so busy taking care of Stevie." Suzanne replied. "Our foreman, Marvin, is here with us."
"When did you and your husband and Marvin get to the cabin, ma'am?" Joshua inquired.
"It was earlier this afternoon. Stevie wanted to try to make it home. But he started feeling so bad that I insisted we stop when we saw your cabin." Suzanne answered.
"Does need a doctor? We have an excellent doctor in Seattle. Her name is Allyn Wright. She is from San Francisco." Jason told her.
"A lady doctor? I have only heard of that in the big cities back east, . I wouldn't have expected to find a female physician in this part of the country." Suzanne was surprised.
"A lot of people in Seattle were surprised too when Doctor Wright first arrived." Joshua replied.
"To answer your question Mr. Bolt, my husband doesn't need a doctor. I have had a lot of experience taking care of him when he has a bad fever. Thank you for letting me know that the doctor is available." Suzanne said nervously. "Excuse me just a moment, please. I want to check on Stevie."
"Of course." Jason nodded.
Suzanne went in the bedroom and closed the door. "Stevie, are you alright, honey? Okay. Just rest. I love you,Stevie."
Suzanne returned to the front room. "My husband seems to be feeling a little better."
"That's good to hear, ma'am. We need to be going. Is there anything we can do for you before we go?" Joshua questioned.
"We will be happy to help. You don't want to attempt any sort of heavy lifting or strenuous chores in your situation, ma'am." Jason advised.
"The two of you are very kind to offer, but we are fine as far as chores and Marvin is able to do any work that is needed." Suzanne replied. "Marvin is hunting rabbits right now. I'm going to cook rabbit stew. Stevie loves it. I hope he can eat some of the broth tonight."
"Some good warm broth will help him in his recovery. Well, , if you're sure you don't need our help, we will be going. We must keep searching for Jeremy." Jason offered a friendly smile.
"I'm sure, thank you both. I hope you find your brother soon." Suzanne told them.
"We hope so too, Mrs. Blackerby." Joshua replied.
The Bolts said goodbye and left the cabin.
"Joshua, let's go look for Jeremy at the logging camp and then head to Clearwater if we don't find him." Jason said as they were about to leave the old cabin.
"Okay, Jason. Let me do something before we leave." Joshua ran to the back of the cabin and then to the old stable.
When Joshua returned and mounted his horse, he said, "I just wanted to look to see if the buckboard is here. It isn't here."
"Josh, do you think the Blackerbys would kidnap Jeremy? Why would they do a thing like that?" Jason inquired.
"I don't know. It just struck me as strange that they are here right after Jeremy has gone missing. Maybe it's my anxiety over not finding our brother here like we hoped to." Joshua answered.
"I suppose so, Josh. Let's go." Jason said as they headed to the camp.
The two oldest Bolt brothers walked all over their logging camp questioning everyone they saw about Jeremy. None of the men had any information as to where he might be.
Jason and Joshua went inside the sleep tent and sat down on their cots. Both looked at their youngest brother's cot.
"The longer we don't know where he is, Jason, the more frightened I'm getting." Joshua sighed.
"So am I, Josh. It's getting harder to believe that we are going to find him alright." Jason gulped. "We aren't going to locate Jeremy sitting here in the tent. Let's get to Clearwater. Hopefully, we will find our baby brother there."
"I pray that we find him soon, Jason." Joshua replied.
"Praying is a very good idea, brother! I will pray too!" Jason tried to sound hopeful.
Jason spoke to Corky and Swede briefly outside the tent. He told them to be in charge for the next few days. He explained that he and Joshua didn't know how long they would be gone. Corky and Swede offered to come with them. Swede said all of the men had searched all over the mountain and throughout all of Seattle this afternoon. Corky told the brothers they didn't find a trace of Jeremy. Jason thanked them for their help. Joshua said they would wire Aaron to bring a search party if they didn't find Jeremy soon.
Jason and Joshua left for Clearwater praying that they would find the youngest Bolt before too much longer..
At the Bolt family home place, Suzanne Blackerby had prepared a pot of rabbit stew. Marvin had the good fortune to kill several rabbits so they had a generous amount to last many days.
"Thank you so much, Marvin for going hunting this afternoon. Stevie loves rabbit stew. This broth will help him recover from that awful fever. My poor darling is so sick." Suzanne said as she searched for spoons.
When she found the spoons, she handed one to Marvin. He was seated at the table with a large bowl of rabbit stew in front of him.
"Thank you, missus. And you're welcome for the rabbits." Marvin responded.
Suzanne smiled at Marvin as she placed the other spoon on Stevie's tray. She walked into the bedroom.
She set the tray on the bedside table. Suzanne gently touched her husband's face. He was still much too warm to the touch. But Stevie didn't feel as if he was on fire with fever as he had earlier today.
Giving him a tiny kiss on his ear, she whispered, "Wake up, Stevie. You need to try to eat at least a bite or two, honey. I cut some of the rabbit meat in very small pieces and put it in your broth. I know how much you like it and meat helps build your strength when you are sick."
Stevie murmured something unintelligible without opening his eyes. Suzanne kissed the tip of his nose. "Come on, sleepyhead, wake up and eat a bit for me."
She lightly tickled his ribs. Stevie gasped at the tickling and slightly opened his eyes.
"Where is C-C-Candy?" Jeremy asked.
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