Searching For Jeremy Bolt Chapter Ten
Joshua, Candy, and Craig arrived at the Blue Rose Saloon. They ran upstairs to the third door on the right. Craig tried to open the door. It was locked. Craig knocked on the door.
His sister, Penny opened the door. "Hi, brother! Have you gotten tired of saving souls and decided to start making money?"
"No, Penny, there are still lots of souls to be saved. Some of them I know quite well." He looked at her wistfully.
"Oh, Craig don't waste your time worrying about my soul or Benny's either. Our spirits are very satisfied." She smiled. "Why are you and the Bolts really here?"
"We are looking for Jason and Jeremy. We know they are here so don't try to con me." Craig spoke firmly.
"You are partially correct. Jeremy is here. As for Jason, Jeremy announced that he killed him." Penny had a wicked gleam in her eye.
"That's a lie!" Joshua shouted. "Jeremy would never hurt Jason!"
"Really, Joshua? I heard that Jeremy tried to suffocate his big brother with a pillow, and you had to stop him. Is that incorrect?" Penny spoke softly.
"No, it's true." Joshua glared at her. "Where is Jeremy? Why would he come here at this time of night especially when he was sick in the hospital?"
"I knew I was right. Baby brother isn't the saint you think he is. As for why he came here tonight, you will have to ask him." Penny replied.
Penny walked to the door of the adjoining room and opened it.
"Jeremy, your brother and your wife are here to get you. Come on out." Penny spoke.
Jeremy walked into the room. Candy gasped at the fresh bruises on his face. Joshua noticed that his knuckles were skinned.
"Jeremy, we are taking you back to the hospital. Do you know where Jason is?" Joshua asked.
"Josh, I killed Jason." Jeremy looked him in the eye.
"Don't say that, Jeremy. You didn't kill our brother." Joshua replied.
"Yes, Joshua, I really did. Jason is gone." Jeremy spoke seriously.
"Penny, what did you do to Jeremy?" Joshua asked.
"I don't know what you mean, Joshua." Penny answered.
"Wait, I know what you did. He has been hypnotized. Fix it right now, Penny!" Craig demanded. "That's probably the reason for the awful headaches and I know it's why Jeremy has tried to kill Jason and shown up here to tell you he did it."
"Honestly, Craig! You have a vivid imagination. I don't know what you are talking about." Penny lied.
"Well, perhaps your memory will improve when you talk to Grandmother! Right now, Penny! Get Jeremy out from under your spell, you witch!" Craig yelled.
"Such a mouth for a preacher!" Penny scoffed.
"Penny, I am going to count to ten and then I'm going to wire Grandmother. She can be here in half an hour. One, two, three…." Craig threatened.
"Oh, alright! Don't send her a telegram! She will stay for a week if she comes. She will boss me around and she makes Benny cry. And she preaches more than you do!" Penny was exasperated. "Come here, Jeremy."
Jeremy walked across the room to Penny. "Look at me." She told him.
Jeremy looked her in the eye. "The little backward Bolt boy is a boil on my butt." Penny said as she snapped her fingers.
"Oh, my head!" Jeremy put his hand to his head.
"Does it hurt badly, sweetheart?" Candy went to him.
"No! It doesn't hurt at all! What a relief!" Jeremy told her.
"I am so glad, Jeremy!" Candy hugged him.
"Let's go!" Joshua said.
"I might have to contact Marshall Trueaxe to report a murder." Penny said.
"I suggest that you not point fingers, Penny. In other words, keep your mouth shut about Jeremy and his family! "Craig replied.
"Okay, Reverend brother. I won't say anything about your friends. I never have understood how you make friends so easily." She observed.
"It's called kindness, Penny. You should have practiced it instead of being a boil on everyone's derrière." Craig laughed. "Don't forget I can wire Grandmother at any time."
Penny smirked at her brother.
The Bolts and Craig left the Blue Rose Saloon. Joshua and Candy insisted that Jeremy return to the hospital to let Doctor Owen examine him. Jeremy agreed.
The doctor told Jeremy that he was in excellent health. He did not appear to have suffered any lasting effects from the hypnosis or the pills that Doctor Harper had given him. Doctor Owen advised that the headaches had been part of the hypnosis. The doctor released Jeremy from the hospital.
As the Bolt family and Craig were leaving the hospital, they ran into Doctor Owen's nurse. The young woman who had directed Jason to the exam room when he brought Jeremy in earlier. Jeremy had a strange expression on his face when he saw her. No one spoke to her as they passed by, they only nodded.
Joshua was able to hail a carriage despite the late hour. He offered Craig a ride back to his parsonage. Craig accepted.
"Craig, we thank you for your help in getting Jeremy out of the hypnotic state and getting him away from Penny. If we can ever return the favor, please let us know." Joshua told him.
"All of you are most welcome, Joshua. I'm glad I was able to help. I appreciate your family's kindness in having a funeral service and burial for Chance." Craig responded.
Jeremy and Candy gave Craig their thanks for his help and their condolences for his brother.
"Josh, there is something about Doctor Owen's nurse, but I can't quite remember what it is. She was involved in my leaving the hospital earlier tonight." Jeremy was thinking hard.
"Did she try to stop you from leaving, Jeremy?" Candy asked.
"No, she didn't try to stop me. I remember now! She woke me up by giving me a shot in my arm. I was sleeping great and all of a sudden, I felt something pinch my arm and I woke up. The nurse was putting the needle in my arm, and I wondered why she disturbed me while I was asleep." He answered.
"Did the nurse say anything to you?" Joshua inquired.
"No, she didn't say anything. I saw her in that room at the Blue Rose the first time I went. She wasn't there tonight as far as I know." Jeremy replied.
"Do you know who she is, Craig?" Candy questioned
"No, she didn't look familiar to me. Benny has a lot of girlfriends. That could be the reason Jeremy saw her at the saloon." Craig spoke.
They arrived at the parsonage. Craig got out of the carriage and said goodnight to everyone. The Bolts left on the way to the hotel.
At the hotel, Joshua asked Percy Brown if Jason had returned to the hotel. Mr. Brown had not seen Jason since he had left earlier to take Jeremy to the hospital. Joshua looked in their room to make sure Jason wasn't there. The room was empty. Joshua went to Jeremy and Candy's room. He asked his younger brother if he felt like talking. Jeremy said he wanted to talk. Candy went downstairs to get some coffee.
"Jeremy, do you remember anything that happened between you and Jason when you woke up at the hospital?" Joshua asked.
"When I woke up, I started getting dressed. You and Jason were asleep in your chairs. I guess Candy was asleep too because she didn't say anything to me. As I started to leave the room, Jason woke up and told me I couldn't go. He said I was very sick, and I had to stay until the doctor said I could leave. I said I was leaving, and he couldn't stop me. I left the room and Jason followed me." Jeremy paused.
"Brother, Candy wasn't in the room when you woke up. She left to take a walk before Jason, and I fell asleep, and she woke me up after you and Jason left." Joshua explained.
"That shows I don't remember everything." Jeremy replied.
"What more do you recall, Jeremy?" Joshua wondered.
"Well, Jason and I argued outside the hospital, and I took off running to the Blue Rose. Jason ran after me and when we got there, he was pretty worn out. We were in the back alley and there were lots of old empty whiskey bottles on the ground. Jason came at me like he was gonna try to pick me up. And I…." Jeremy stopped talking.
Joshua was alarmed. "You, what, Jeremy? What did you do?"
Jeremy took a deep breath. He put his face in his hands for a few moments. Jeremy uncovered his face and looked at his brother in despair.
"Jeremy, tell me." Joshua whispered.
"I picked up one of the empty whisky bottles off the ground and when Jason was bent down some, I hit him over the head with the bottle. He staggered backwards and fell. He hit the back of his head on a rock. I walked over to see if he was unconscious, and I saw blood coming from the back of his head. He was dead. Joshua, I killed Jason." Jeremy spoke flatly.
"Wait, Jeremy, you can't be sure that Jason was dead. It was dark in that alley. How could you see?" Joshua asked.
"There were lit lanterns along the fence so I could see fairly well." Jeremy answered.
"What did you do after that?" Joshua questioned.
"I went in the saloon and walked upstairs and told Penny that I killed Jason." Jeremy replied.
"Jeremy, when you left the hospital, did you feel like you were supposed to kill Jason or were you planning to kill him?" Joshua wondered.
"No, Josh. When I woke up, I felt that I was supposed to go to the Blue Rose but not for any specific reason. I never planned to hurt Jason and I didn't think I had to kill him. But after he died, I felt like I had done something that I was supposed to do." Jeremy cringed. "That sounds crazy. Maybe I should have stayed in the asylum."
"Jeremy, what happened is not your fault. You were hypnotized. Hopefully, you were mistaken about Jason being dead. Let's go back to the saloon and see if he is still there." Joshua spoke.
Candy returned with the coffee. Jeremy and Joshua explained where they were going. Jeremy asked Candy to promise to stay in the room with the door locked. Candy promised to do as he wanted.
Joshua and Jeremy borrowed Mr. Brown's buckboard. When they arrived at the Blue Rose, Joshua parked the wagon at the end of the back alley. The two Bolts left the wagon and walked through the alley. The lanterns were still lit here and there along the fence and the brothers had brought two lanterns with them.
"Jason isn't here, Jeremy. That means he isn't dead or someone found his body and moved it." Joshua said grimly.
"Yeah, Josh, here's the bloodstain where Jason fell." Jeremy was crouched down holding the lantern over a spot on the ground.
Joshua walked over and examined the stain. "It looks like Jason lost a lot of blood; however, he could still be alive. Don't lose hope, Jeremy." The brothers stood up. Joshua put his arm around Jeremy's shoulders.
"You are right, Joshua. But what if I killed him? How can I ever live with myself?" Jeremy cried.
"Jeremy, if Jason is gone, it was an accident. He fell and hit his head. You were not trying to hurt him. Besides, you were under hypnosis during the pillow incident and tonight when you came here the first time." Joshua explained. "Let's go back to the hotel. I will ask Percy if he will go to the hospital to find out if Jason is there or if any bodies have been brought in. I will come back here to the saloon to see if our brother is inside."
"Okay, Josh." Jeremy worried.
The two Bolt brothers returned to the hotel. Joshua talked to Mr. Brown. He agreed to help them. Percy Brown left for the hospital to find out if Jason was a patient or if any bodies had been discovered in town. Joshua returned to the Blue Rose to try to determine what had happened to the oldest Bolt brother. Jeremy remained at the hotel and tried to get some sleep.
"Jeremy, do you want to talk about what happened tonight? Sweetheart, you know that I am concerned about everything that happens to you and your brothers. You don't have to shield me from what's going on." Candy told him.
"This is so awful, Candy. You might not love me anymore and I wouldn't blame you. I seriously believe that I might have killed Jason" Jeremy spoke somberly.
The youngest brother told his wife what happened when he and Joshua went back to the Blue Rose Saloon.
"Jeremy! There is a good chance that Jason is alive. If he died, there's not many places that a person would take a body, so that will be easy to find out. We contact the hospital, the undertaker and the Marshall's office." Candy replied. "And I will never stop loving you no matter what."
"I guess you're right, Candy. I'm just scared out of my mind! What would we do without Jason? How would any of us ever make peace with the fact that I killed him? Hypnosis or not, if I did it, it's my fault." Jeremy agonized.
"Darling let's wait and see what Joshua and Mr. Brown find out." Candy put her arms around him.
Percy and Joshua came back to the hotel about two hours later. Neither of them found out any information about Jason. Joshua told Jeremy to try to sleep. He said they would search for the eldest brother tomorrow.
Jeremy slept restlessly that night. The next day, he and Joshua started out early looking for Jason. They searched all over town. They looked in stores, barrooms, hotels, churches, barns, and businesses. They even went to the asylum. Joshua went inside to ask while Jeremy stayed outside. The following day, they looked all through the town again. After that they went to several of the local farms and knocked on doors trying to find their brother.
As a last resort, Joshua and Jeremy went to the Marshall's office to report that Jason was missing, Marshall Trueaxe took the information and advised that he would notify them if Jason was located.
The two youngest brothers agreed that it was time for them to go home. They were heartsick to leave without their brother. They probed the woods all the way home to try to find him.
When the Bolts returned to Seattle, Joshua took a room at Lottie's. He couldn't bear to be in the cabin alone. Candy and Jeremy continued to live at the saloon.
All of the people in town were shocked to hear that Jason Bolt was missing. At first, Aaron Stempel thought it was some type of odd prank the Bolts were playing. One look at Joshua and Jeremy told him he was wrong.
Joshua and Jeremy were having a drink at Lottie's when Aaron walked in.
"I'm so sorry to hear about Jason. I hope you find him soon. I will be glad to help you search." Aaron told them.
"Thank you, Aaron. We will take you up on that the next time we search." Joshua replied.
Jeremy tried to say something, but he almost cried so he kept quiet. Aaron patted the youngest Bolt on the back and thought to himself how much the boy resembled Jason.
There were numerous explorations forJason over the following three months. Many telegrams sent back and forth between Joshua and Marshall Leonard Trueaxe. Not a sign of Jason was found.
One day after the last failed effort to find their oldest sibling, Lottie asked Joshua and Jeremy to follow her into the back room at her place. When they entered the room, the brothers saw Candy, Biddie, Swede, Miss Essie, Clancy, Corky, and Aaron seated around the table. Reverend Adams walked in behind the Bolts.
Jeremy knew immediately what was going on. "No! All of you c-c-can g-g-gang up on m-m-me if you w-w-want too. But we are not going to b-b-bury J-J-Jason! At least, I'm not!"
"Jeremy, come sit down, sweetheart." Lottie pulled out a chair at the table.
Jeremy stepped across the room and sat down in the chair Lottie offered. He glanced at the other people around the table as he blinked back tears.
"Josh, we should have discussed this in private instead of in front of half of Seattle." Jeremy spoke.
"Brother, Candy and I have tried to discuss this with you privately, but you wouldn't listen. I understand that it breaks your heart to have to face this, Jeremy, it is breaking my heart too." Joshua replied quietly.
Jeremy got up and walked over to his brother. He held his arms opened to him. Joshua stood from his chair. The two brothers embraced and wailed like babies.
"I'm sorry, Joshua, I haven't been consoling you because I have been drowning in my own grief. I will try to be more compassionate. I love you." Jeremy's voice quivered.
"You are a fantastic brother, Jeremy. I love you." Joshua responded.
The two young men looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "You're right, Josh. Jason is gone. It's time to let him rest in peace." Jeremy said softly.
The memorial service for Jason was one of the biggest ever held in Seattle. Almost everyone in town was there. Reverend Adams talked about Jason's love and devotion for his brothers and for Seattle. He spoke about what a larger-than-life presence Jason was.
Many people in the congregation wanted to tell a story about the oldest Bolt brother. Some of the stories were funny, some were sad, and some were sweet and tender. All of the stories showed what a big hearted, loving, stubborn and hard working man Jason Bolt was.
After the congregation members finished sharing their memories of Jason, Joshua gave the eulogy about what a loving, wonderful, hard working and stubborn brother Jason was to him and Jeremy. Biddie stood next to Joshua to offer love and support for him.
After the eulogy, Jeremy sang Nearer My God to Thee, one of Jason's favorite hymns. Lottie played the organ.
Jeremy sang beautifully. His voice was strong and clear. At one point, Lottie broke down crying and was unable to continue playing. Jeremy stopped singing and went to console Lottie. Clancy came to the front of the church to help Lottie to a seat in the congregation.
Seeing Lottie cry made Jeremy cry. Candy hurried to him and whispered that he did not have to finish the hymn. She said everyone would understand if he didn't finish singing. Jeremy insisted that he could do it. He said he had to do it for Jason.
Candy hugged her husband and accompanied him to the podium. Jeremy regained his composure and began singing the hymn a cappella.
His voice was so pure and sweet, it brought tears to the eyes of nearly everyone in the church. Joshua was sobbing in Biddie's arms.
Reverend Adams said the closing prayer after Jeremy's hymn.
The burial service was on Bridal Veil Mountain by the brothers' parents' graves. Even though they had not found Jason's body, Joshua and Jeremy wanted to have a burial. Swede, Corky, Sam, and McGee built a large coffin. The loggers and anyone who wanted to put things in the coffin that reminded them of Jason.
Jeremy put in his storybook that Jason had read to him every night for two months after their mother's death when he was five years old. Joshua put in a small Bolt Brothers Logging Co. sign that he had carved with Jason's help soon after Mom died.
Joshua and Jeremy were lost without Jason. They went through the routine of every day, but they caught themselves expecting him to walk into Lottie's. One day Jeremy ran into the office tent saying, "Josh, be sure you tell Jason…"
Two months after, Jason's memorial service, Jeremy sat down with Joshua and Candy to have a talk. They were in Lottie's back room.
"Tomorrow, I am going to look for Jason. I know we agreed that he is gone. I understand the reasoning that if he was alive, he would have come home long before now. I have tried to accept that he is dead; however, I can't. I still have a feeling that he is alive. Josh, I know you think it's wishful thinking and that I just can't let him go. But it isn't that." Jeremy explained.
"Jeremy, I know how you feel. I miss him too. He's gone, you won't find him no matter where you search." Joshua teared up.
"I have to try, Josh. Even though it seems crazy, I have to go." Jeremy cried.
Joshua and Jeremy hugged and wept for a long time.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Joshua asked.
"No, that's okay, Josh. You should stay here to run the camp. I'll be alright." Jeremy answered.
"Yes, you will be fine because I am going with you, Jeremy. Don't think about trying to talk me out of it." Candy spoke firmly.
"Okay, Candy, I won't even try to change your mind." Jeremy replied.
Early the next morning, Jeremy and Candy left for Olympia. They were still living at Lottie's. Joshua was there to say goodbye to them.
After they left, Lottie and Joshua went into the saloon.
"Lottie, I need a drink. I know it's much too early, but I truly need one." Joshua pleaded.
"This sounds ominous. Why do you need a drink this early, Joshua?" Lottie poured a shot of whiskey.
Joshua picked up the glass and tossed it back. He set the empty glass on the bar.
"I should have told Jeremy, but I didn't. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. It seemed as if I was protecting him. However, now I realize that I was wrong and when my brother finds out the truth, he is going to hate me forever." Joshua said.
"I don't know what you mean, Josh. What did you lie about to Jeremy?" Lottie worried.
Joshua leaned on the bar. "Lottie, you know how everyone thinks that Jason's coffin is filled with trinkets and mementos? Well, it isn't. Corky, Swede and I let people put their things in the day before the memorial service so we could take them out that night."
"Why did the three of you take them out, Joshua?" Lottie was scared.
Joshua gazed at Lottie for a long moment. "We had to take them out so we could put Jason's body in the coffin. Jason is really dead, and Jeremy doesn't know it."
TBC