Million Dollar Smile
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The morning of the funeral dawned clear and sunny. The sky was so blue that it looked painted, with no clouds to mar its perfection. The grass on the hills glowed green in the sunlight as if a painter had taken his brush and added more color than nature could provide.
A slight breeze brought the scent of wildflowers to those who stood around the gravesite, while a bird sang somewhere nearby.
“You look like you just lost your best friend,” Tom said quietly after he’d helped Ellen stand up. He didn’t have to ask how she felt; he knew her feelings well enough from their friendship over the years. “I’m sorry.”
Ellen nodded. She wasn’t sure what to say about the death of her father. All she knew for certain was that she wished her mother were there with them today instead of being at the ranch in Kansas City. It would be good to talk with her alone before anyone else arrived.
She turned away and walked back toward the house. Tom followed along behind her. “Where are you going?”
“To see my mother.”
Tom stopped walking. “What makes you think you can go anywhere by yourself? You’re not even wearing proper clothes to wear out among people.”
Ellen’s cheeks burned. Her mother hadn’t mentioned anything about her having to dress properly when visiting others. What did she know anyway? Maybe she’d forgotten about Ellen altogether since leaving Kansas City.
Or maybe she thought all women dressed alike and wore only skirts and blouses. But it wouldn’t do any harm to try to find out exactly where Mother stood regarding etiquette. “Mother will understand,” Ellen said.
They reached the porch steps. As they climbed onto the first step together, Ellen suddenly realized that Mother might very well be upstairs in bed with one of the hired men—a fact that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about last night.
Perhaps she should stay away from home until she saw whether or not her mother was awake. No matter what Mother thought, it was still true that Ellen had left Kansas City without permission.
But then again, she couldn’t run forever.
Before she could decide which course to take, a familiar voice called out, “Ellie! Is that you?”
Ellen whirled around. To her surprise, Mary was standing outside the front door, a basket full of food tucked under her arm. She must have come down earlier this morning to prepare breakfast for the family but had decided against coming inside. Now she held open the screen door for Ellen.
Mary stepped into the hallway ahead of Ellen. She set the basket down on a side table. “Come in here and let me get a look at you. I don’t believe my eyes.”
“Why is that?” Ellen asked.
Her sister took a few steps closer, looking down at her. “Well…you look like someone made you walk through a sprinkler.”
A laugh burst from Ellen’s throat. “It does feel a bit damp.”
Mary laughed too. “That’s because you’re dripping wet.”
As they entered the kitchen, Ellen glanced around. Everything looked much better since the night before: fresh flowers in a vase on the countertop, freshly washed dishes drying on the rack above the sink, and the stove shining clean and bright. She remembered now why she loved coming home to visit her mother. She wondered if she’d ever live close enough to enjoy such domestic bliss.
“How long have you been here?” Ellen asked.
“Only five minutes.”
“Then why didn’t you come inside?”
Mary shrugged. “I figured you’d want some time alone with Mother.”
Ellen shook her head. “No, we need to speak privately before everyone arrives.”
Mary’s expression changed slightly. She pulled a chair out for herself. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes…”
After placing a dish towel across her lap, Mary sat down next to Ellen. “Go on.”
“My father—”
“Don’t tell me that he died!”
Ellen pressed her lips together, trying to hold back the tears. “He did. Last night.”
“Oh, Ellie!” Mary clapped her hands together. Then she threw her arms around her younger sister. They hugged each other tightly. Tears ran down both faces, mingling with the salt water on Mary’s face.
When Mary finally released Ellen, she wiped her eyes dry with the edge of the dishcloth. “Didn’t he suffer?”
“Not much,” Ellen said. “We found him lying dead in the barn. Apparently, he fell off the loft and broke his neck.”
“Oh, dear!”
“His body was cold when we got there, but we managed to warm it up enough so that he didn’t freeze.”
Mary gave a short sigh. “If only he hadn’t gone up on that loft.”
Ellen agreed. That was exactly what bothered her most about her father’s death. He’d done nothing wrong. Why did God seem determined to punish him just because he happened to fall off the roof?
She put her hand on her mother’s shoulder as though she needed to touch her mother to make sure she really existed. “You told me once that Father would never leave us. Did you mean it?”
“Of course I meant it.”
“So you’ll be taking care of us now?”
“Just like always.”
“Good.”
Mary stared at her for a moment. “Does Mother know yet?”
Ellen nodded. “But she won’t be happy about it.”
Mary sighed. “Neither am I.”
“Are you angry with your husband?”
Mary’s mouth formed a thin line. “Very angry.”
“But not as much as you are with God?”
Mary shook her head. “God has no right punishing anyone, least of all a good man who tried his best. If God wanted to kill him, he shouldn’t have given him the gift of life in the first place.”
The conversation turned dark. It seemed clear that Mary wasn’t going to say anything nice about religion. And although she was glad that Mary felt the way she did, it still saddened her that they were so different in their views.
Their talk ended after Ellen finished telling Mary about the rescue. Her mother listened intently while Ellen explained how John had taken charge of things during the crisis; how he’d handled himself well even though he was so young and inexperienced; how he’d worked hard and saved them all by getting the horses rounded up in record time.
Finally, Ellen stopped talking. “And now we’ve got a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Mary asked.
“I’m leaving.”
Mary sucked in a sharp breath. “Where will you go?”
“Back to Texas.”
“Why do you have to return to the Lone Star State?”
“Because that’s where my husband belongs.”
“Your husband!”
Ellen waited for a response, but her mother remained quiet. “John thinks he can find work in Austin. But I don’t think he can. Not until he gets more experience under his belt. The cattle business isn’t easy.
You need to have lots of money—or at least enough money to hire men who do the heavy lifting. In fact, I doubt if any ranch would even consider hiring an unskilled man without having seen him perform. So I’ll take the chance. I may not get another offer this good. I might die in the desert or drown crossing the Rio Grande.”
“That’s very selfish of you,” Mary said.
“It’s not selfish. My husband is alive today because of me. No one else could have gotten those animals back home safe and sound.”
Mary’s lips curled into a tight smile. “Well, you certainly haven’t wasted your talents.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you expect your husband to come along?”
“Absolutely not! He’s too old to run away from danger.”
“Then why does he want to marry you?”
“Because he loves me.”
“Loves you!” Mary repeated slowly. “Now that’s strange. Because if he loved you, he wouldn’t try to get rid of you. Instead, he’d stick with you through thick and thin, whether he liked it or not.”
“Maybe he doesn’t understand what love means.”
“Love is blind,” Mary said. She took her daughter by the shoulders. “Ellie, I wish I could give you a piece of advice. But I’ve learned over the years that people aren’t interested in hearing what others have to say. We’re too busy thinking we know everything. Or worse yet, trying to prove everyone else wrong.”
Ellen looked surprised. “How many times did Father tell you something?”
“A hundred times a day.”
“Yet you didn’t listen.”
“He talked too much anyway. Just as you do.”
“Mother—”
“Let me finish before you start arguing again.” Mary touched her finger to her daughter’s nose. “When we finally found him, he was almost dead. His blood had turned black, and he couldn’t speak anymore.”
“Did he die?”
“No, thank God.”
“But you nearly lost him.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you save him then?”
“We couldn’t let him die.”
“Why? Why did you keep saving him when he kept running away from you?”
“You just answered your own question, Ellie. It was our duty.”
“To protect the innocent.”
“Exactly. That’s why we’re here, living on this ranch. To protect the innocent.”
Ellen smiled. “I suppose I should feel honored that John wants me around so badly that he married me.”
Mary chuckled. “If he ever finds out that I told you that, he’ll never forgive me. But if he does find out, I won’t be sorry. He needs to learn that there are consequences for doing bad things. Maybe someday he’ll grow up and become a responsible person like us.”
She patted her daughter’s cheek gently. “Just remember to always look both ways before you cross the street.” Then she pulled the covers over her daughter. “Sweet dreams, little girl.”
***
Susan watched the sun rise above the horizon and spread its warm rays across the land. She hoped that it was a sign of better things to come. Don’t mention it to him either.”
Ellen frowned. “So you won’t help us?”
“Not unless you change your mind about marrying him. Otherwise, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Please don’t leave, Mother.”
“There’s nothing I can do. You’ve already made up your minds.”
The two women sat silently watching the sunrise. Susan knew how difficult Ellen must have been making her decision, and she wanted to comfort her daughter. But she couldn’t. This wasn’t the time. Later they’d talk some more. Right now they needed to concentrate on getting ready to ride off into the unknown.
“What about my father?” Ellen asked quietly.
“Don’t worry. If I were to tell Dad what happened between John and me, I’m sure he would understand.”
“Doesn’t matter. What matters is that I don’t trust him. Not after what he tried to pull last night. And neither will anyone else. There’s no way Father will let him marry me. Even though Father says I shouldn’t think ill of someone until I meet them first, I still can’t stop myself from feeling that way toward John.”
“Have you seen any signs of a wedding ring on his finger?”
“Of course not!”
“Good. Now you can sleep peacefully tonight. I’ll watch over you while you rest. When you wake up tomorrow, you’ll see that all will work out for the best.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very. No one but you has to know what went down last night. As long as no one sees anything unusual, you can go back to town and forget about all this nonsense.”
Ellen nodded. “Thank you, Mother.”
They stood together at the window looking at the sun shining brightly upon their land. “One day maybe you’ll tell me what really happened.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“And it probably won’t make sense because I’m only twelve.”
“That’s exactly why you need to hear the story.” Susan wrapped an arm around her daughter. “Because if you ever decide to run away from home, you might want to take my advice and stay close to home.”
“Run away? Run away where?”
“Anywhere you please.”
“Where would we go?”
“Back east, perhaps. Wherever you choose to live, it will be your choice.”
“What about Father?”
“Father doesn’t matter. We’ll always love each other.”
“You say that, but I wonder if you mean it.”
“Do you mean that?”
“Maybe sometimes,” Ellen said with a sigh.
Susan hugged her tightly. “That’s good enough for me. Nothing less will do.”
Ellen wiped the tears from her face. “You’re right.”
“Now, get some sleep. The sooner you do, the faster you can leave for the town in the morning.”
After saying goodbye, the two women walked away from the house to give the men some privacy. Mary stopped in front of her mother. “When you get back to Chicago, I expect to hear that everything worked out for the best.”
Susan looked at her daughter. “Everything will work out for the best.”
***
Mary found a place for them to lie low by the barn. They could hide among the hay bales and wait for the heat of the afternoon to pass before riding into town. After they got back on horseback, the sheriff would assume that the two women had gone back to town. That should give them another few days’ heads starts.
As the midday sun beat down upon them, Mary took a break to stretch her legs and drink water. Her eyes roamed over the landscape. She wondered if anyone saw her leaving town with two young ladies or if they thought she was taking a shortcut to nowhere.
Either way, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she left. She had to escape. Before the sheriff caught up with her and sent her back to the boarding school.
She heard Susan call her name. Mary turned to look at her mother who pointed behind her. Mary followed her gaze to see John coming out of the stable. He mounted his horse and rode slowly toward her.
“Did you find a place to camp?” Mary whispered when he drew near.
He smiled. “I did.”
“Good! Let’s hurry up and get there.”
“Why so fast?”
“We’re going to have company soon. You know what that means.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Sheriff. It’s his job to catch us. Why else would he send three deputies instead of just one?”
“Oh, God.”
“If we keep moving like this, it won’t be too far away. And remember, if he catches us, you’re under arrest for stealing a horse.”
Mary watched John turn his horse around and gallop off in the direction of the woods. A moment later, she felt someone grab hold of her reins and drag her along with them. At first, she assumed it was Sheriff Kincaid. Then she realized that it couldn’t be him. If it were, he’d use both hands to hold onto the reins. This man held on to only one rein. “Stop!” Mary screamed. “Let me go!”
The stranger dragged her along, making it impossible for Mary to mount her horse. Forcing her to walk alongside her mount, the stranger finally released her reins and pulled her into the trees.
A scream sounded in the distance. Mary knew that sound well. It was her own voice. In spite of the fact that she hated herself for doing so, she yelled again. “John—”
Her words were drowned out by the sounds of horses charging through the forest. One of the riders must have been following them all the way here. The other rider must have come from the direction of the barn. They weren’t alone anymore.
With no choice but to let the strangers ride ahead, Mary picked up her skirts and ran after them.
They reached the edge of the forest within minutes. Mary skidded to a stop beside the stranger as the others came closer. She recognized the tall blond man from the sheriff’s office. Another man was riding his horse behind him.
As the two men dismounted, the woman approached them. Mary wanted nothing more than to jump back into the shadows, but she was trapped between two riders.
The sheriff’s deputy stood next to the stranger. He was probably telling him to stand back, but he didn’t listen. Instead, he grabbed the stranger’s collar and jerked him backward. Mary tried to pull her arms free, but the sheriff’s deputy was holding tight. With no hope of freeing herself, Mary gave up and waited until the sheriff was finished.
The sheriff removed his hat and scratched his head. “This is an unexpected pleasure.”
“What brings you out this far? I figured you’d already taken care of our friend here.” The sheriff pointed to the stranger.
“Not yet,” the stranger said. His voice was deep. Like a bullfrog. “But we’ll get to him sooner or later. We can always count on the kindness of strangers to help us along the way.”
The sheriff laughed. “You really do talk funny, don’t you?”
The stranger ignored him. “Where’s Mary?”
“Why? Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage to your sister by kidnapping her? Why not leave her in peace now that we have her safe and sound?”
“It doesn’t work that way. Just because we have here doesn’t mean we should stop looking for her.”
“So why are you here?”
“To see how badly she’s hurt.”
The sheriff narrowed his eyes. “How could you possibly tell? Did you happen to check her head for blood?”
“No,” the stranger answered. “But she has plenty of bruises.”
“Don’t worry,” the sheriff told him. “We’ll take good care of her.”
The stranger looked at Mary and winked before turning back to face the sheriff. “And how long will that be?”
“As soon as we finish questioning her. Once we know everything we need to know, we’ll release her.”
“That depends on how cooperative she is.”
“I’m sure she’ll cooperate.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, she looks very angry right now.”
The sheriff shrugged. “Then I guess she won’t cooperate. But if she does, we might overlook some of the charges against her. That’s the best we can offer.”
“Just what exactly did you expect to find when you followed us into the woods?” Mary asked. “Did you think we were going to give ourselves away?”
The sheriff turned to look at her. “Why don’t you ask yourself that question? You seem awfully eager to help us.”
Mary shook her head. “Do you really think I’m guilty of anything?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, then why am I being accused of theft?”
“Because you stole a horse,” the sheriff replied.
“Is that all you’re accusing me of stealing?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t that seem a little strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“All I took was a horse—and I left the tack in its place.”
The sheriff rubbed his chin. “Are you saying that’s all you took?”
“Nothing else!”
The sheriff nodded slowly. “That’s true.”
“If you want to charge me with something, just say it.”
He glanced down at his notes. “I believe there are a few more things we should discuss first.”
“Like what?”
“Such as the fact that you had a knife in your possession.”
She stared at him. What kind of knife would make any difference? “There was only one knife in my possession.”
“One knife and two bullets.”
“Two bullets and one bullet. And neither was loaded. How many times must I repeat myself?”
The sheriff held up his hands. “Sorry, ma’am. It was hard to keep track. I’ll try harder.”
“Please go on.”
“A bullet can kill anyone,” he explained. “Especially a child.”
“You don’t understand,” she said. “Neither was loaded.”
“Oh, so they weren’t loaded. Then how come you still had them?”
“My gun was missing.”
“Your gun?”
“Yeah.”
“When was the last time you saw it?”
“Last night.”
“And you didn’t notice it was gone until today?”
“I thought maybe someone else found it. Maybe I lost it during the stampede.”
“But you never reported it stolen. Not even to me. So where did you lose it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Really?” The sheriff ran his hand over his hair. “Then I suppose you also don’t remember how you got there.”
“These what?” She reached inside her jacket and pulled out three silver dollars. “They were in my pocket.”
“Was it you who picked up these coins from under the floorboards?”
“Who else but me?”
“I didn’t know about those coins,” the sheriff confessed. “And I doubt that the rest of this bunch belongs to you either.” He handed her another coin. “This one belonged to your father.”
Mary took the coin without comment.
The sheriff smiled. “See? No problem finding evidence that proves you’re guilty.”
“Now wait a minute.” The sheriff frowned. “Where’s your proof?”
“Proof of what?”
“That you killed your parents.”
“What makes you think I murdered my family?”
“How did you get such a bad bruise on your forehead?”
“I fell.”
“Fell? Are you telling me you actually tripped while running from the scene of the crime? Isn’t it possible you slipped or stumbled instead? Or perhaps you hit your head after you escaped? In other words, you could have been injured by falling off the horse—”
“No! I tripped! My foot came loose from its stirrup and I went down. Now, do you see what happened?”
“Not yet. Let’s talk about the bloodstains around your bed.”
“Bloodstain? There were no bloodstains around my bed.”
“There was blood around your bed.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I? We’ve already established that you lied earlier.”
“So tell me, Mr. Detective, how did the blood get there?”
“Let me show you.” The sheriff lifted the edge of the mattress. “Look here.”
Mary stepped closer to study the bloody spot. “It doesn’t look like much to me.”
“That’s because it isn’t enough. A stain is hardly convincing evidence unless we have several of them.”
“We do. Look right here.” Mary pointed to an area near her feet.
“And here too,” the sheriff agreed. “Those stains alone aren’t going to convict you of murder, but add to them the fact that you tried to cover up the murders, and it seems clear that you were involved.”
“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through since yesterday afternoon?”
“Of course not.”
“I was arrested for killing my own parents.”
“Which means you had a motive.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m innocent.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Campbell. But the facts don’t lie. You killed your folks. Plain and simple.”
“I didn’t!”
“Well then, why did you try to burn their bodies?”
“To hide the evidence.”
“But you left behind plenty of evidence yourself.”
“I wasn’t trying to conceal anything.”
“Yes you were. That’s exactly what you were doing.”
“No!”
The sheriff rose from his chair. “If you insist on making a fool out of yourself, then let me warn you now. Don’t expect me to protect you if things go wrong. This jailhouse has only two exits: one door at the front, and one at the back. And I intend to make sure you stay put.”
He started toward the door.
She called out. “Sheriff! Please wait!”
He paused. “What do you want?”
“Why are you arresting me when all I did was defend myself?”
“In self-defense?”
“Yes! Why should I be punished for protecting myself?”
“Mrs. Campbell, you might as well face the truth. Your life is ruined. All I can hope for you is that you won’t end up dead.” With that he walked out.
The End