Jeremy's Child Chapter Six
Jeremy yawned as he stared out of the train window. He, his brothers, and the three ladies had boarded the train in Houston this afternoon. They were on the way to Olympia in Washington Territory. From there they would travel by stagecoach home to Seattle.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Glancing behind him, he saw had chosen to share the bench seat with him even though he was still angry at her for the deaths of his infant boys.
"Jeremy, walk me to my compartment, please. I'm afraid to go by myself." Candy spoke quietly.
Jeremy smirked. "Why should you be afraid? You can fly to your compartment on your broom."
"Oh, Jeremy! Aren't you ever going to realize that I had nothing to do with the loss of your boys? You know I would never hurt you." She looked sad.
"No, I don't know that! I know that Jethro and Jasper are dead! I know that they died in my arms struggling to breathe! "Jeremy shouted.
Candy flinched as tears poured down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I know you are angry and in a great deal of pain. I'm going to keep trying to convince you that I had nothing to do with their deaths. I love you, Jeremy."
"You love me, huh? That's your problem because I don't love you anymore." He sneered.
"Yes you still love me. You can't feel it right now because of your anger. Come on, please take me to my room. I'm scared to cross that metal piece that attaches one train car to the other." Candy told him.
He peered out the window again without speaking. She began stroking the back of his neck with her fingers.
"Jeremy, please. I'm cold and I'm tired." Candy whispered.
"Okay, come on." He said getting up from the seat.
When they got to the back of the passenger car, Jeremy went first so he could help Candy cross from that car to the sleep car. He walked over the metal hook with no problem.
Jeremy stretched his arm offering Candy his hand. Miss Pruitt grabbed his hand holding it tightly. She took a tentative step. Their eyes met.
"You know, I could let you fall." Jeremy spoke quietly with a hint of anger.
"You could." Candy replied calmly. "But you won't."
They gazed at each other for a moment. Jeremy was holding the door to the sleep car open with his foot. He held out his other arm like a safety rail.
Candy moved across quickly. She giggled a bit when she was on the other side.
"Thank you, Jeremy." She said.
"You're welcome, Candy." He responded.
Jeremy walked her to her compartment and saw her inside. The window was open. It was freezing cold. He closed the window and said goodnight.
"Don't go yet. Please stay and help me get warm. It is so awfully cold in here" Candy implored.
"You have an extra blanket right there." He pointed to the end of the bed.
"An extra blanket can't warm me up like you can, Jeremy." She smiled.
"I'll stay five minutes." He sat down on the bed.
"Thank you." She sat down next to him.
Candy put her arms around Jeremy and kissed him on his mouth. He wanted to protest but instead he kissed her back.
"Jeremy, spend the night with me. I want us to make love." Candy whispered in his ear.
Again, he wanted to say no, however, she was nibbling his ear. It was freezing cold. She was soft and warm. Jeremy was sad and tired and lonely for his sons. Candy began giving him little love bites on his neck. Jeremy silently told his conscience to shut up. He let Candy have her way with him.
The next morning, Jeremy went to his room. Joshua was there.
"Where have you been all night, brother? I was worried about you." Joshua spoke.
"Were you in here all night?" Jeremy asked.
"No, Jeremy. I just came in here a few minutes ago. Your bed is still made. That's how I knew you were gone during the night. I'm worried about you. Jason is scared." Joshua explained.
"Scared? Why? What is there to be scared of now. We are going back to Seattle. I don't have the desire to give birth to a child anymore since I had the boys." Jeremy asked.
"Jason knows that you are devastated over the loss of Jasper and Jethro. He also knows that you are holding in your grief, or I guess your reaction to it. He is afraid of how bad the explosion is going to be when it happens. Jason said it's like knowing there's lit dynamite ready to blow a log jam out of the water, but you don't know when the fuse is going to burn out." Joshua told him.
Jeremy put his hands on his hips. "Josh! Jason acts like I'm six years old. Comparing me to a log jam explosion is taking it too far."
"I know, but he's scared. It's bad enough when he is worried, but scared is something else." Joshua spoke.
"I know. What can I do to help Jason feel better?" asked Jeremy.
"I'm not sure, Jeremy. Just don't explode, I guess." Joshua answered.
"Yeah, I suppose so, Josh. I'll do my best not to explode." Jeremy said.
The two brothers smiled at each other as they left the room.
Joshua and Jeremy went to the dining car where they had breakfast with Jason. The three ladies were having their breakfast in Lottie's compartment.
"How are you feeling today, Jeremy?" Jason sipped his coffee.
"I'm sad, Jason, but I'm not going to explode. Don't worry about me." Jeremy replied.
"Josh told you about our conversation." Jason chuckled softly. "I can't help but be concerned about you, Jeremy. You're my brother and I love you. These past several months have been difficult for you. Two miscarriages and the deaths of two sons would be horrendous for anyone. With your tender heart and…." Jason paused.
"Maybe we should change the subject, Jason." Joshua tapped the oldest brother on his shoulder.
Both older brothers glanced at Jeremy. They saw tears welling up in his eyes.
"Yes, it has been awful, Jason. It is still hurts badly and it will for a very long time." Jeremy whispered sadly.
The trip to Olympia was uneventful. Jeremy and Candy slept together a few more times. He didn't talk anymore about blaming her for the boys' deaths. Candy thought he was beginning to see the truth again.
The stagecoach from Olympia arrived in Seattle late on Wednesday evening. It stopped in front of the saloon. The brothers helped the ladies step off the vehicle.
All of them were dusty, achy, and tired. Jason and Joshua escorted Lottie into the saloon. Jeremy walked Candy and Biddie to the dormitory.
When they got to the dormitory, Biddie said goodnight and went inside. Jeremy asked Candy if she wanted to take a little walk. She smiled hopefully as she said yes.
Young Bolt took Miss Pruitt's arm. They walked slowly in the direction of the brothers' cabin. The couple was quiet as they walked.
Candy was excited. She thought Jeremy was taking her to his home to apologize for blaming her and to tell her that he wasn't angry at her anymore. She was surprised when they went to the sheriff's office.
Jeremy opened the door and ushered her inside. Aaron was there doing paperwork. He looked up when the door opened.
"Hello, Miss Pruitt. Hello, Jeremy. What are you doing here? It's good to have both of you back in town, but what are you doing in this office? You can't get married here." Aaron smiled.
"We aren't getting married, Aaron. I'm filing murder charges!" Jeremy spoke angrily.
"Murder charges? Against whom?" Aaron was shocked.
"Against her! Candy Pruitt murdered my infant sons!" Jeremy snarled.
Candy was frightened. She had never seen her fiancé so angry. She had never known him to seek revenge.
"Now, Jeremy, you know I didn't kill the babies." Candy spoke calmly.
"Yes, you did! You killed the two witch babies you were carrying, and you killed my boys!" The young lumberjack shouted.
"Jeremy, please explain this to me. You are making some serious accusations here." Aaron spoke.
"It's a very long story, Aaron, and I'm tired." Jeremy began.
Jason and Joshua walked into the office. They had gone to the cabin. When they didn't see their brother at home, they started looking for him.
"Jeremy, what are you doing here with Candy?" Jason inquired.
"I'm getting justice for my children, Jason." Jeremy answered.
Jason plopped down in a chair. He put his hands over his face.
"Jeremy, please, don't…. "Joshua begged.
"Don't try to stop me, Joshua! I have to do what is right for my kids!" Jeremy barked.
Joshua sighed deeply as he shook his head. Candy was sobbing.
"Will someone please tell me what this is all about? What is going on?" Aaron demanded.
Jeremy and Aaron sat down. Joshua and Candy sat down. Jeremy told Aaron almost the whole story. He told him everything except that he and Candy made love on the train.
Aaron narrowed his eyes at the youngest Mr. Bolt. He glanced at the notes he had written down,
"So, let me make sure I've got this. You were under a witches' curse that gave you the desire to give birth to a child. You miscarried two sets of twins and then gave birth to twin boys. You are alleging that Miss Pruitt was in the family way with two witch babies whom she killed with a concoction of some sort and that she also murdered your sons with this concoction. Is that what you are telling me, Jeremy?" Aaron inquired.
"Yes, Aaron, as strange as it sounds, that's what I'm telling you." Jeremy replied.
"Do you have any evidence? In order to file criminal charges, there has to be evidence that a crime has been committed." Aaron explained.
"I'm telling you that Candy murdered my children. Isn't my word enough?" Jeremy asked.
"No, I'm afraid it is not. You see, Jeremy, at this point, I don't even have proof that your children ever existed. Were there any witnesses to the births of your offspring?" asked Aaron.
"No one was with me when Jethro was born. My brothers were there when I had Jasper." The grieving father spoke.
"I'm sorry it can't be a relative." Stempel replied.
"The witch gets away with murder." Young Bolt said sarcastically. "Wait a minute…she doesn't have to get away with being a witch."
"Jeremy, what are you doing?" Joshua questioned. "You had better be careful, brother."
Jason was slumped in a chair. He groaned at his youngest sibling's words.
"Jeremy, please!" Candy spoke desperately.
Jeremy Bolt grinned. "Oh, yeah! This I can prove! "
He looked around the office. He didn't see what he was searching for. He went into the jail cell. There it was! A small mirror on the wall. He took it down and went to sit down beside Candy.
Jason and Joshua were confused by their brother's actions. They watched him to see what he would do next.
"It's getting late, Jeremy. Maybe we should continue this in the morning." Aaron spoke.
"This won't take long, Aaron." Jeremy replied.
"What won't take long?" The businessman asked.
Jeremy chuckled. "Proving that Candy is a witch won't take long. She is afraid of mirrors. She told me."
"Jeremy, I'm begging you, please don't do this!" Jason shouted.
Jeremy ignored his oldest brother. "She can't look into a mirror very long. If she does, she will see something bad that happened in the past or something terrible that is going to happen in the future. Either way, Candy feels the full emotion of the situation. Let me show you."
He held the small mirror in front of Candy's face. When she tried to resist, he turned her head and held it in front of the looking glass.
Candy whimpered, "Jeremy, please, don't do this. Please, if you ever loved me, don't do this!"
"Love? Love didn't stop you from killing my kids. You're gonna look in the mirror, Miss Candy Pruitt!" Jeremy spoke angrily.
"Jeremy, let her go! Don't be a jackass!" Joshua shouted.
"Shut up, Joshua! I know what I'm doing!" Jeremy yelled.
As Jeremy forced Candy to gaze into the mirror, she began to cry more. She attempted to shield her eyes with her hand. Jeremy moved her hand and held it down.
"No! No! Oh no! Please! No! I can't bear it! I'll die. I'd rather die! Oh, dear God, please don't let this happen! Please! No!" Candy wailed as she looked into the mirror.
As an ordinary human, Jeremy could not see what the red headed girl saw. He made her keep looking.
"Jeremy, please stop! I can't stand anymore! Please don't make me watch what almost happened." Candy pleaded.
"Admit what you did and you can stop.' He told her.
"I did not kill Jethro and Jasper!" She cried.
"Well, if you won't confess your crime, at least admit what you are." Jeremy spoke coldly.
Candy and Jeremy glared at each other. He held up the mirror as a threat.
"I hate you, Jeremy Bolt! I hate you!" Candy shouted.
"Yes, I know that. I learned it the hard way when my babies died in my arms." Jeremy replied sadly. "Are you going to admit anything?"
Candy sighed. "Aaron, I'm a witch. Arrest me."
Jeremy smiled as he placed the mirror back in the cell.
Aaron arrested Candy. She walked into the cell as Jeremy was coming out.
"You got what you wanted. I'm in jail for being a witch." She told him.
"That's not all I want." He replied.
Candy was puzzled. "For the thousandth time, I did not commit murder. What else do you want?"
Jeremy watched Jason and Joshua leave the sheriff's office.
"I'll tell you what else I want." He said walking toward the door. "Aaron, they still execute witches, don't they?"
"Yes, I have heard of some cases in the past several years." Aaron answered. "Why?"
"I want Candy to hang." Jeremy closed the door behind him as he left.
TBC