And so here we go-the Christmas Update!
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To Another Heart
Chapter 7-The Whispering Tree
Roy gets conformation. So does Ben. And then...well...then there is a shock.
By Thursday the next week he knew. Friday morning he transferred control of the town to one of his deputies, snapped at him not to be disturbed under any circumstances and flung himself into the saddle and went to the Pondarosa dreading it the entire way through.
The two kids were playing in the yard with Hoss. Both seemed to be playing some kind of game which involved a lot of feathers and a lot of screaming. Roy looked at them and wondered what on Earth would possess a man to have children.
Cute these girls might be but he reckoned they'd give the local trail gang a run for their money when it came to the noise...
He trailed off looking at them and then...
"Heya Hoss...your father about?"
Hoss looked up and grinned. "Sure Roy...you want him?"
"And Adam if you can...and you...this...this concerns all three of you"
Hoss frowned his spine stiffening a little as if he was an old pack dog that could smell trouble on the horizon. He stared at Roy wordlessly for a moment and then for the sake of the two girls around him he smiled.
It did not meet his eyes.
That was fine...Roy was quite sure his smile right about now was the same.
"Sure thing. Mary would you mind going to find Mr Cartwright for me, I think he was up in the top field with Adam looking at the corral...Laura...you think you can go and find your Pa? I am sure he can find something for you to do?"
The littlest one Laura nodded and took off arms outstretched as if she was a bird. Roy had no doubt she would find a way to jump in every puddle she could find on the way. Sometimes you got a sixth sense about stuff like this.
The other one, the blonde Mary looked at Hoss all wide eyed and worried for a second and then she nodded. She turned and ran too her blonde hair down her back shaking back and forth and Roy watched her go.
"So what happened?" Hoss asked.
"Charles Le Duke" Roy said truthfully. Hoss sucked in one long breath and then...
"Fuck"
Roy thought to say indeed would be very pointless. But indeed was true.
Adam came back first. He wandered into the house in that effortlessly cool way that Adam did that had all the girls in town going gaga over him and then checked on the doorway as if he could sense that the conversation was not going to be good. Hoss told him in a clipped tone what the conversation was about and Adam stiffened. Both of the Cartwright boys knew that Ben was going to go off like a firework on the 4th of July it seemed. Roy didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Ben came in and looked around wiping his hands on his jacket and looking genuinely surprised and happy to see him. Roy shook his hand and saw the look dim a little and hated himself for the news that he was about to bring.
The portrait was burning a hole in his pocket next to the note.
"Roy what's going on?" Ben asked.
"Pa sit down" Adam muttered. "And if you wouldn't mind giving me your gun that would be great"
Ben looked between his son and his oldest friend and seemed to grasp that there was a shit show building here. He looked back at Roy and squared his shoulders. He was no fool Ben Cartwright and he was a smart man...he knew when something was about to kick off. You couldn't live in this part of America and not have your wits about you.
"What happened?"
"Pa—gun now!"
For a second Ben and Adam squared off and then Ben reached slowly for his weapon his eyes on his son's face. He passed it to Adam who wordlessly passed it to Hoss who threw it into the next room after emptying it off bullets. Ben looked at both his sons for what seemed like a long moment and then he turned to look at Roy and something in the tightness of his shoulders, the darkness in his eyes and the clipped way of which he talked told Roy that he had some inkling of why he was here and why his sons were insisting he go into this conversation unarmed.
"What happened Roy?"
"Ben yesterday I went back to my office to find this on the floor"
He threw Ben the portrait of Marie and Ben stared at it. For a second he was uncomprehending.
"I remember this" he said quietly brushing his worn and calloused thumb down the faded paint. "I had it commissioned right after Joe was born...it was...it went missing when he did"
"I know" Roy said softly. "That's the other reason I am here you see"
Ben slowly tore his eyes up off the picture.
"I don't understand" he said slowly.
Roy nodded.
"Ben I found a note on my desk, looks like whoever left it dropped that on the floor as they left. To be honest I think whoever did it was drunk because the place looked like a tornado had gone through it but nothing was touched or damaged or broken...I...I think whoever left that was looking for me but couldn't find me and they left a note. I—"
"What did the note say Roy"
His voice was like steal Roy thought as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the note.
It didn't matter he thought how many times he had read it, the words still stayed the same, their meaning still stayed the same. The only thing that changed was the moments after he read the words out loud.
What would happen next...
Well...if he had that kind of magic he wouldn't be the Sherriff of some tin pot mining town let him assure you.
He stared down at the paper and then.
CHARLES LE DUKE DEAD. FOUND AT HIS HOME HOUSE ON FIRE IN THE NEXT STATE OVER. BURNED DEAD. SON MISSING. SON DOESN'T WANT TO BE FOUND SO DON'T BOTHER LOOKING FOR HIM. TELL BEN...
And then it trailed off.
There was a pause as the three Cartwrights digested that news and then.
"Roy?"
"Yes Ben"
"Read that again...I need you to read that again for me I need..." Ben had his eyes closed as if he was trying to find a way around the words, trying to interpretate a meaning that Roy thought was pretty fucking obvious.
Nevertheless he did what he was asked.
CHARLES LE DUKE DEAD. FOUND AT HIS HOME HOUSE ON FIRE IN THE NEXT STATE OVER. BURNED DEAD. SON MISSING. SON DOESN'T WANT TO BE FOUND SO DON'T BOTHER LOOKING FOR HIM. TELL BEN...
Ben was silent for a second and then he jerked his head. Adam reached out and took the note looking it up and down and then.
"So is he dead?"
"Yes"
The word dropped into the warm living room like he had just spat on the floor.
Adam sucked in one long breath, Hoss pushed himself off the fireplace. Ben slowly opened his eyes.
"He's dead" he said to Roy and it was not phrased as a question. "You are quite sure that he is dead Roy because this man was...he is...he was...very good at disappearing."
"I am sure Ben. It's why I waited so long to come out to see you. I wanted to be sure" he took one step forwards and then another so that it was just him and Ben looking at each other and he said clearly so the older man couldn't misunderstand him.
"He's dead Ben, Charles La Duke was found dead three weeks ago. It took a while to identify him but it's him. I promise you he is dead"
Ben took a shuddering breath and then another and then...
"And...and..."
"Why did it take so long to identity him" Adam snapped his voice as harsh as a lash. Ben for once didn't bollock his son for interrupting him instead he watched Roy and Roy felt as if the entire world hung on the answers that he had which he felt here, now, today were pathetically inadequate.
"I don't know I...I...his house was found on fire...he was found dead in it...it took a while Adam, someone had burned the house down while he was sleeping—"
"Good" Adam spat.
"Adam that's still a crime"
"Oh please" Adam said throwing his hands up in the air. "Roy would you want to arrest the bastard who kidnapped our brother and beat Marie half to death?"
"And you" Hoss muttered. Adam waved that aside as if it wasn't important.
"In truth no" Roy said casually. "And I find a jury would be hard pressed to move against his son—"
"So he did have one?" Adam said as he passed Hoss the note.
"Yes he did. Apparently he was awful to him"
"How old?" Ben asked. Roy sighed and looked back at Ben.
"Old enough to be Joe" he said quietly. "They are working on it...Ben...he kept his son hidden away...I didn't...I wanted to bring you this first before I had anything else now it might not be Joe...you need to know that it might not be but...dark haired, dark eyed boy about the same age that LaDuke raised from a baby..." he trailed off.
Ben took in one shuddering breath and then another.
"Roy I need you tell me..." he said and Roy was sickened to his stomach to realise that there were tears in his eyes. He had only seen Ben look like this once and he had made a vow he would never let his oldest friend look like this again.
"Roy!"
He didn't ask the question but it was okay...because Roy knew what he was asking.
"Yes Ben" he said softly. "Yes I believe he is still alive...I think Joe is Charles LaDuke's, son. I think he's been raising him...and I think your son wrote me that note"
Ben made a noise as if someone was dragging his insides out of his stomach and making them into a noose. Adam had both hands over his mouth. Hoss's mouth was trembling and then—
The door opened.
The blonde girl was there her hair tumbling over her shoulder.
"Sorry Mr Cartwright" she said totally unaware in that uniqueness of children what the fuck she had stumbled into.
"I just came for my book and—" she stopped still and reached out to tug the portrait of Marie out of Ben's limp hands.
"Oh you have it!" she said nodding. "Pa will be pleased he's been going spare looking for that" she ran to the door and yelled.
"PA!"
For a second there was silence. Roy felt like his brain was going into overdrive.
There was a thudding movement of footsteps and then Freddie Spencer was there dark curls swept back off his face and bright green eyes and gangly build. Roy looked at him and it was like he was looking for the first time and suddenly...suddenly...he knew.
"Mary I have told you not to knock on the door if they are busy..." he looked up at Ben's frozen face and smiled and it was like Marie was there smiling.
"Sorry Mr Cartwright Sir I just..."
"Papa they have your picture"
Freddie Spencer looked between his daughter and Ben and then.
"Oh shit you found it" he said and he took the portrait of Marie and shoved it in his back pocket.
"Thanks" he said to Ben. He looked around and frowned as if he knew that he had stumbled into something and his grip on his daughter tightened somewhat"
"Come on Mary back to the bunkhouse. Sorry Mr Cartwright"
"How do you know her?" Adam said pointing at Freddie's backside where Marie's picture was.
The kid turned and looked at Adam.
"She's my mother" he said shortly and then he shut the door and led his daughter away just in time to totally miss Adam's eyes bugging out of his head as the new reality crashed down upon him.
For a second the entire room was frozen and then...
"No fucking way" Adam said flatly. "No fucking way has he been living in the bunkhouse for the past three..."
But he never got to finish that sentence because Ben's knees had just given out.
Roy managed to catch him before he hit the floor.
And there you go
Next Chapter-The truth is out there...and it hurts.