Searching For Jeremy Bolt Chapter Eleven
Jeremy and Candy arrived at the Olympia Good Samaritan Hospital that night. Jeremy wanted to talk to the young nurse he had seen the first time he went to the Blue Rose Saloon. She had to be involved since she woke him with an injection the night he left the hospital.
Jeremy stopped the buckboard across the street from the medical facility. He and Candy hurried into the building.
The young couple headed toward the examination rooms.
"Jeremy! Are you looking for me?" A female voice called.
He and Candy turned around. It was the nurse Jeremy wanted to talk to.
The Bolt couple rushed to her. "Where can we talk privately?" Jeremy asked.
"Follow me." She replied.
Candy and Jeremy followed the woman down the hall and through some double doors. They turned left and went down a hall to an operating room. The nurse locked the door.
"Jeremy, I'm so glad you came back. I have been wanting to talk to you, but I was too afraid. I don't have anything to lose now so I'm going to tell you everything. My name is Susan Kimberly. I am Ward's sister. None of this has anything to do with him. He lives back east now. I remember him talking about the folks in Seattle. Ward said the Bolt brothers were good men and that Candy was a nice young woman." Susan paused.
"Ward never told us he had a sister." Candy spoke.
"Protective older brother, I guess. Jeremy, I was Benny Wallenfang's fiancée or so I thought. I know where Jason is." Susan said.
Jeremy was shocked. "Is he alive or dead?"
"Jason is alive, I swear. He is in Clearwater with Tessa." Susan answered.
"Tessa? Is she involved with Benny?" Jeremy inquired.
"Yes, she moved here to Olympia to start over, and she met Benny. Collecting women is one of Benny's hobbies. I like Tessa so I told her nicely that Benny was mine. She left for good that night. That was the night Jason followed you to the Blue Rose. When Tessa left, she found Jason as he woke up out back of the saloon. He had amnesia so he went with her. Benny was furious at Tessa and at me when he learned that she left." Susan began crying. "I was in the family way. Benny was the father. He had said we would get married. After Tessa left with Jason, Benny slapped me around and kicked me. Then I wasn't in the family way anymore."
"I'm so sorry, Susan." Candy was sympathetic.
"I'm sorry too. Wallenfang is a jerk. I appreciate you telling me what happened. Is Tessa working at the saloon in Clearwater?" Jeremy asked.
"I am not sure. I heard one of the other girls say she had heard that Tessa had moved to Port Angeles after Benny found her and Jason. This girl said that Benny had some of his lackeys go out and find a man that looked a lot like Jason and kill him. Then they turned the body over to Marshall Trueaxe and said the guy was Jason for the reward." Susan explained.
"And to make us think that Jason was dead." Jeremy glanced at Candy. "Hold on, when we had Jason's memorial, we put mementos in the coffin. This is the first I heard about this body. What did the Marshall do with the remains?"
Susan didn't speak for a minute. "He sent it to Seattle. Your brother Joshua was aware of it."
Jeremy was stunned. "Josh thinks Jason is really dead. I need to send him a wire. Thank you, Susan for telling me the truth."
"You're welcome. I'm moving out of state like Tessa. Benny will be livid if he finds out I talked to you. Both of you watch out too." Susan spoke.
"We will be careful, Susan. God bless you." Candy replied.
Jeremy and Candy walked out of the hospital. As he was helping her into the buckboard, Candy said, "Oh, no! I forgot my purse. I left it on that little table."
"I'll go back and get it, sweetheart. It will only take a minute." Jeremy told her.
Jeremy ran back inside the facility. As he walked toward the double doors, he heard several people talking frantically just on the other side of them.
When Jeremy opened one of the doors, there were lots of people in the hall and in the operating room where he and Candy had just talked to Susan.
"I can't believe she is dead! She was so young! How does a young lady die suddenly like that?" One of the nurses said.
Jeremy caught a look at the young woman that the nurse spoke of. He was frightened to see that it was Susan Kimberly.
Jeremy managed to slip through the crowd and get Candy's purse. He stuck it under his arm and rushed out of the building.
Jeremy ran to the buckboard, and he was thankful to see Candy safely sitting in the wagon. He got in the driver's seat fast and handed the purse to his wife.
Jeremy looked around them quickly. He didn't see anyone.
"Yah! Yah!" He said to the horses as he shook the reins. Brownie and Buckie galloped down the street.
"Jeremy, what's wrong? Is someone after us?" Candy inquired.
"We are okay, Candy. I'll tell you what happened when we get to the hotel." Jeremy replied.
In their room, Jeremy told Candy about Susan's sudden death.
"Oh, dear God! Jeremy! We need to go home! Whoever Benny sent after her will be after you too!" Candy exclaimed.
"Benny could get me at home like he did Chance. He's got thugs everywhere doing what he wants." Jeremy replied.
"Yes, that's true, unfortunately. What are we going to do?" Candy inquired.
"I have to go to Port Angeles to find Jason. I can take you home to Seattle first. That would probably be the best thing to do, Candy. I love us being together, but I don't want you to get hurt." Jeremy drew her close.
"If scares me to think of you being alone with these mean people after you, Jeremy. I'm not much protection for you, but I am with you." Candy replied.
They discussed the matter a bit longer and Jeremy agreed she could stay with him. They would leave for Port Angeles the next day.
Before going to bed, Jeremy wrote a telegram to Joshua explaining that the body in Jason's coffin was not Jason. He took the message to Mr. Brown who agreed to send it in the morning.
The first evening after the couple arrived at their hotel in Port Angeles, Candy was not feeling well due to a headache.
Jeremy went to a small apothecary close by to get something for his wife's headache. The druggist gave him some pills which he said would help.
On the way back to the hotel, Jeremy heard someone calling for help. It sounded like an elderly lady. He looked all around him and did not see anyone. He decided it must have been someone talking in one of the stores that he walked by.
As Jeremy walked past an alley, he heard the sound again. He went into the alley. Before he knew what was happening, several men jumped him and hit him over the head rendering him unconscious.
A short time later, Jeremy woke up in a warehouse on the dock. Penny and Benny were there. Penny hypnotized Jeremy again. This time she told him that he didn't remember his real life. She said all he knows is that his name is George Thompson, and he goes by Georgie. Penny said that he is looking for his older brother Jason. Mrs. Harper told Jeremy that he loves Jason more than life, but he will never find him. She told him he will search for Jason forever.
Benny took Jeremy out on the dock and hit him over the head causing him to be unconscious again.
Jeremy laid unconscious on the dock the rest of the night. A storm came up. Rain poured for hours and there was thunder and lightning.
Candy was terrified when Jeremy didn't return to their hotel within two hours. She went to the apothecary and spoke to the druggist. He told her that her husband had been there earlier to obtain medication for her.
The young Mrs. Bolt sent a telegram to Joshua advising that Jeremy was missing. Joshua replied by wiring that he would be on his way to Port Angeles immediately.
The druggist, Charles Rollins walked Candy back to the hotel. He advised her to be sure to latch her door and he left.
Candy went to bed. She prayed for Jeremy and then she cried herself to sleep.
"Hello! Young man, can you hear me?" A loud voice said.
Jeremy opened his eyes. He was soaking wet. The rain had slacked off to a drizzle.
Jeremy looked up at the man who had awakened him. "Where am I?"
"You are on the dock in Port Angeles. We must get away from here. We don't want to get caught by the crimpers. You can go with me. I will get you home safely. Where do you live?" The man asked.
Jeremy thought for a minute. "I don't know."
"How can you not know where you live? Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have a home, do you?" The man asked. "What's your name?"
Jeremy rubbed the back of his head. "My name is George Thompson. You can call me Georgie. What's your name?"
"My name is Johnny McKinnon. You can call me Johnny." He answered.
"Okay, Johnny. I don't know where I live but I think I have a home. The only thing I know for sure is that I am looking for my brother. His name is Jason. It's strange, but I can't remember what happened to him but I'm sure that I am looking for him." Jeremy spoke.
"Well, Georgie, you don't think the crimpers got him, do you? It's the whaling season. They are kidnapping men everyday." Johnny inquired.
"No! Not Jason! He's big and strong and he could fight them off." Jeremy replied.
"Okay, it sounds like you are certain. You know I'm sort of worried about you being alone out here and I'm getting tired of talking to myself for company. What do you say to me helping you look for your brother? What is his name again?" Johnny asked.
"Jason. My brother's name is Jason." Jeremy told him.
"Jason, I'll remember that." Johnny responded. "Let's go somewhere we can dry off. You don't want to get sick."
Jeremy thought for a moment. Johnny seemed okay and he might be helpful in finding Jason.
"Alright, let's go." Jeremy replied.
The two men left the dock fast and got back on the street. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"You got any money?" Johnny questioned.
Jeremy stopped walking and put his hands on his hips. "So that's it, huh? All of this big act about helping me just so you can rob me!"
"No! Of course not! I was asking about your money to find out if you can afford some food. I was going to say if you can't buy something to eat, I would get it for you because I have some money. Damn!" Johnny retorted.
"I'm sorry for thinking the worst. Thanks for offering to buy me some food. Let me see if I have any money." He dug in his pockets.
Jeremy found a few dollars and a bottle of headache pills. He figured he must get a lot of headaches.
"I have a little money." Jeremy spoke.
"That's great, Georgie. I'll help you when you run out of money." Johnny said.
Jeremy and Johnny found an abandoned warehouse to sleep in. It was cold and drafty, but it was a little better than staying outside.
The next morning, Johnny had a plan. "Georgie, what kind of work do you do?"
Jeremy thought for a moment. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Boy, you must have hit your head or something. You can't remember a thing except about your brother." Johnny told him.
"Maybe that's why I have that bottle of headache pills." Jeremy replied. "My head doesn't hurt though."
"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I saw an ad in a newspaper the other day about a logging company in Seattle. It's run by some brothers. They were looking for workers. At least they were when the ad was printed. The paper was about a month old, I think." Johnny spoke.
"Logging? What do you want to chop trees for? Surely there is a better job than that." Jeremy responded.
"No, I like trees! Don't you like trees?" Johnny asked
"Yes, I like trees okay. I just never thought about cutting them down." Jeremy answered. "I'm willing to try it. Maybe that's where Jason went."
"How about we pool our money and rent a horse and wagon to use to get to Seattle?" Johnny inquired. "How does that sound, Georgie?"
"That sounds fine to me, Johnny." Jeremy said. He was excited about the possibility of finding his brother.
The two men found the livery stable and rented a horse and a wagon. They started their journey to Seattle. Since they spent all their money, they had to stop along the way to fish or fill their canteens from a stream.
One night when Jeremy and Johnny were several days into their trip, they had a long talk around the fire.
"You don't seem to remember much about your brother, Georgie." Johnny observed. "How long has he been gone?"
"I don't remember. You're right, Johnny. I can't remember much except I love my brother a lot. Someone must have hit me over the head that night you found me on the dock. There's a knot on my head." Jeremy winced as he touched the injury.
"Well, I don't recall anything except my girlfriend, and I broke up because she was afraid her old boyfriend was going to kill me." Johnny replied.
"That must have been hard. Maybe in Seattle you can find a new lady friend who doesn't have a jealous old beau." Jeremy offered.
"I hope you are right, Georgie." Johnny agreed.
Jeremy didn't speak for several minutes. He stared at the fire lost in thoughts he couldn't piece together.
"What's the matter, Georgie?" Johnny inquired.
"Missing my brother whom I can't remember." Jeremy said with a sad smile.
"You will regain your memory soon and hopefully so will I." Johnny encouraged. "Do you hear something?"
The two men stood up and looked around. Suddenly, four men on horses came into view. Each of them had a gun drawn.
"What do you want?!" Johnny demanded.
"Money, what else?" One of the bandits sneered.
"We don't have any money!" Jeremy shouted. "Go find a job and leave us alone!"
"Ain't he cute? Telling us to find a job!" The thief wearing the red shirt said. "How about I kill you for the hell of it, boy?"
Johnny stepped forward. "Leave him alone. He was just speaking the truth. We don't have any money and we are on our way to try to get jobs ourselves."
"No! Work is boring and confining. You have to be inside most of the time. Whereas killing is fun and it makes you feel free cause it makes people afraid of you." The bandit in red replied. He aimed his gun at Jeremy and fired.
Jeremy grabbed his shoulder and fell to the ground.
"You bastard! Why the hell did you shoot him?" Johnny screamed.
"For fun! It was almost as much fun as taking money! Good luck getting him to a doctor in time." Red shirt laughed.
The bandits rode away. Johnny crouched by Jeremy.
"Georgie, how is your shoulder?" Johnny asked.
"It hurts like hell. It's bleeding a lot." Jeremy gasped.
We are going to Seattle tonight. First, I gotta stop that bleeding." Johnny told him.
Johnny dug through the supplies fast. He found cloths and started pressing them on the wound. After several minutes, the bleeding slowed significantly.
Johnny put Jeremy in the back of the wagon on a blanket and covered him with another blanket. He packed up their gear quickly and they left on the last leg of their journey.
"Don't worry, Georgie! You're going to be fine. We will be in Seattle in no time!" Johnny spoke enthusiastically.
In the back of the wagon, Jeremy was losing consciousness.
"Jason! Jason, help!" He murmured.
Johnny drove the wagon like a madman and prayed. He couldn't let Georgie die!
They arrived in Seattle about two hours later. Johnny saw the sign for Doctor Allyn Wright. He drove the wagon to her door.
Johnny jumped off the driver's seat and ran to the back to get Georgie. He picked him up very carefully. He was relieved the young man was still breathing.
Johnny kicked the office door with his boot. "Gunshot wound! Need help fast!"
He heard someone running to the door. A lovely woman opened the door.
The woman gasped, "Jason! Jeremy! Bring him in immediately!"
TBC
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