Ó Starbright 1999

Chapter 15

Teaspoon watched the group dropping in for dinner. When the two from the house arrived he squinted his eyes, he would have to talk to them both and sort this mess out. Pastor Allen's tale still puzzled him, just as much as Buck's did. Unusually quiet the riders seated themselves around the table. Ike was still discussing the matter with Buck, his hands flew violently around, not able to take in what Buck had told him.

"Boys" Teaspoon started, "and girls" he acknowledged in Rachel's and Lou's direction. "We have a problem!"

All the heads turned to him. Clearing his throat he started to tell them, hoping to get help from Buck if he remembered wrong. "Jimmy was the only man at the scene, only his footprints were found."

Kid shook his head angrily and Teaspoon shot him a warning glance.

"Buck says there's signs of a violent struggle not far from where the buckboard was found. There was blood on the grass too, no footprints though."

Lou buried her eyes into Teaspoon's. Oh he would get back to her alright, with a stern glance in her direction he warned her to stay silent while he told them what he knew, there'd be a lot of discussing later.

"Jimmy did it, Teaspoon. Just spit it out and let's go lookin' for'im!" Cody let out ready to jump from the table and start the chase.

"Shod ub!" Kid growled, "he'zz bein fhjemed."

"He's bein what?" Teaspoon had to ask, the rider was not making very much sense with all that cotton up his nose.

"Framed," Lou interpreted, "Kid's right, we were sitting there with him, he was only going to get Lightning for me. He did not have time to do all this, and it's Jimmy, he wouldn't have done it anyway!"

Cody rose to his feet. "You're both blinded by your devotion to Jimmy, you can't see straight 'coz he's your friend. The signs are all there, his footsteps are all over the place and his only. Open your eyes you fools! He did it and we gotta find him."

Teaspoon waved his hand in a sign for Cody to sit down again. "Son, Noah is already out looking but there's more to the story!"

"More that what? Lindsay saw him do it! What kind of proof do you need other than that? Are you gonna let him go just because he's Jimmy? I didn't believe you were that kind of a man Teaspoon. Justice should be served and everyone should be equal under the law. Friend or enemy. And even family Teaspoon, even thou' it's hard to believe that Jimmy did it there's still the proofs. You just can't ignore them 'cause it's Jimmy. That just ain't right."

"That's enough son," Teaspoon raised his voice and forced the rider to sit back down, "I told you there's more to this than meets the eye! There was no other footsteps but there was tracks of another horse and those tracks lead directly in the True Believers direction. And they stopped there, right on the path to the main house."

The silence that grew from the sentence spoken was chilling. Cody let his eyes dart from Teaspoon to Buck. Buck wouldn't meet with his eyes and Teaspoon shook his head in denial at Cody's unspoken question. Teaspoon did believe the Pastor was in on it, he believed more in Jimmy than in the Pastor. Even though the evidence pointed in one direction only. Cody turned his face to Kid. Kid stared back at him and he could read plain as a day what he was thinking. What he had been thinking from the first day. Lou peered at him and looked like she wanted to say something but then she obviously regretted it and looked away. Cody had all the proof he needed, they were going to blame the Pastor for the murder and let the real murderer go, just because he was Jimmy. Family or not, this was not right, bonds should not stand in the way of justice, there was no way he could be a part of this. His face got whiter and he rose to his feet. "I will ever forget you if you're implying that the Pastor had anything to do with this! I know you don't like him, just because you don't understand him. Well I do and I believe in him, if you think he's the murderer and not Jimmy I really don't know what to say. Except that maybe...maybe I've just lost my family!"

With that he turned and walked out leaving the stunned group behind to stare at the door that was slammed shut.

"Cody!" Rachel hollered but the rider didn't look back. Teaspoon flung himself out the door only to be met by the dustcloud Cody's horse stirred up. They all heard the sound of hooves thundering away.

"Don't worry Rachel," Teaspoon comforted the housekeeper, "he'll be back. Let'm cool off for a while, he'll be back. He won't be able to resist your fine cookin' Rachel."

The riders around the table looked at each other, each forming a plan in their heads.

Noah was keeping the house under surveillance. From the rise had had a fairly good view over what was happening. But the place seemed quiet and his legs were numbing from the long wait. Soon it would be dark and he'd have to get closer to watch who was coming and leaving. He blinked in surprise as Cody came storming in on the yard. His fellow bunkmate threw himself off the horse and stalked up to the main entrance. A girl took the horse's reins and walked away. Teaspoon had said nothing about sending Cody in. What was going on and why did Cody seem so upset? Noah rose to get closer to the house. Shifting his eyes to search for a safe way down his eyes fell on a pair of shoes. Getting closer he saw the dark stains on the leather, dried blood was covering the torn leather. Noah sank to his knees. Teaspoon had been right, there was definitely something strange going on. The size of the shoes indicated a large man and the condition indicated that they had been worn a very long time. Still they weren't torn enough to just be thrown away. Somehow Noah couldn't picture the Pastor in these shoes. And they couldn't have been lying here long, they were definitely thrown away just a day or so ago. There was another man around here somewhere. Maybe the caretaker, Peters, or a passer by had left the shoes? Noah gathered visual cues to remember where he hid the shoes, they would more than likely be used as evidence. Now he just had to find the man with new shoes, or with Jimmy's shoes! The thought hit him and he raised his head to look a the homestead with renewed interest. A girl crawled in through an open window. Noah stared at the unusual way of getting into the house. And from where had this girl popped up? Finally Noah knew where to look, that now closed window was another clue that had to be kept under surveillance. The alluring scent of a home cooked meal lingered in the air as he got closer, Noah groaned, this would be a long night.

"Kid, Lou! Would the two of you step outside with me, I need to talk to you!" Teaspoon stood on the porch, still looking in the direction Cody had vanished. The two riders emerged at his side, casting wondering glances at him. Lou was hoping Teaspoon would send her out after Cody. But looking at Teaspoon's stern face it did not seem likely. Lou cast a bewildered eye on the Kid for clarification to Teaspoon's possible intentions but Kid looked just as out of it as she felt herself. Teaspoon remain staring after Cody: "Talked to the preacher man today Lou, he said a couple of things that got me wonderin'?"

"Like what?" Lou wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"Like the way you reacted seemed to him like you had been...hmmm..eh...forced to do something you didn't want to do." He turned around to face the Kid, "Did something happen between the two of you that shouldn't have?"

Kid paled considerably and stepped backwards.

Lou looked down on her feet and closed her eyes. She felt hot and cold shivers run through her body.

"Did you force her to be intimate with you Kid?" Teaspoon silently asked the white faced boy at his side, burying his eyes into his, demanding the truth. He wasn't sure what he'd do to the Kid if it proved to be true. Teaspoon couldn't believe that he had misread the boy so completely, was the Kid able to do a thing like that? Was there a cruelty under that gentle appearance that had them all fooled? What the hell was going on around the bunkhouse and how come he never seen anything of it? Heck, Teaspoon thought to himself, I never saw that Lou was a girl neither until I was forced to face the facts. Maybe I just choose to see things the way I want to?

The boy stared steadily back at him, at a loss for words. Teaspoon read shock, hurt and bewilderment in the eyes that met his without blinking. But underneath the bewilderment he saw anger rising. Then Kid turned his eyes to the girl at his side, who was standing very still, looking down on her shoes. "Lluu?" Kid asked, his voice trembling.

"I lied," Lou said to her shoes. Not daring to look up at the two of them, fearing they would read her face and get to know too much. She felt the Kid's stare penetrate her skin, like a burning accusation. But she did not dare meet it. She didn't know what those eyes would tell her.

"So the violent beau was all a lie Lou? Because if the Kid did..."

Lou heard Kid turn on his heels and walk away. She lifted her face and followed his stride. He was mad alright. "No Teaspoon, hearing all these girls talk I think I kinda got forced to come up with a similar story myself." Lou felt bad for the continuing lying, but at least this was only half a lie.

"Pastor Allen says he never intended to do anything to you, he told me that if he'd known you'd react the way you did he would never had asked you."

Lou looked back to the tip of her shoes. Closing her eyes she went trough what had happened again. Was she wrong, had she overreacted. Remembering her reaction to the Kid's hand on her shoulder she shrugged. She wasn't sure, not absolutely anyhow. She just couldn't tell. "Like I said Teaspoon, all those girls and all those stories kinda got to me."

"Lou, you don't need to fear, coz' if the Kid..."

"Teaspoon, it wasn't the Kid!" She almost bit her tongue off at her mistake. With a glance at Teaspoon she hurried to add, "it wasn't his fault, I made it all up!"

Kid emerged from the barn, ready to mount Katy. "Oh God." Lou moaned. "Here he goes again."

Teaspoon turned to see the rider on his way. Calmly he drew his gun and shot up into the air. "Kid, one more step and your nose'll be next. Hold it right there young man!"

Teaspoon stalked over to the pair. "Stay off that horse Kid!"

Lou followed suit, limping over the yard she gritted her teeth at his stubbornness, to her relief he was so sore he didn't jump straight onto Katy and rode away. He tried to but the grimace on his face told her Jimmy's and his fight might have been a blessing in disguise. With a moan he gave up the struggle as they arrived. Teaspoon was holding Katy's reins and Kid's shirt. "Now son, you know I had to ask." The young man still struggled against the hold on his shirt, Teaspoon lowered his voice into an apology; "Kid, you know I had to ask."

Forcing the young man to look into his eyes and read his heartfelt apology had the Kid finally nod and stop his struggle. Teaspoon let go of him and a shaky peace between the two seemed restored. The older man awkwardly tapped the younger man's shoulder and Kid shrugged. Then he raised his head and looked at the man in earnest; "Ndid ya jeelly...."

"Naw Kid, but with everything that's been goin' on...I dunno what to think any longer, everythin' seems to spin outta control right now. I'm sorry son."

Lou limped to Kid's side. "I just made it up to fit in Kid, it had nothing to do with you! I'm sorry." Kid looked at her, she could still read the shock and bewilderment in his eyes as he turned to her. She knew he needed to get away, he always rode out when things got to him. But this time she wouldn't let him. The anger and sorrow in his eyes made her take a hold of his arm. "Kid, I had to!"

Teaspoon walked away with Katy, leading the horse back to the barn. Looking over his shoulder he shook his head at the two. It had started out so fine, he would have bet a considerable sum on the two of them getting hitched some day. Now it didn't look like it would happen and he was truly disappointed.

"Kid," Lou repeated vehemently, "I'm sorry!"

Kid said nothing and Lou kept her hold on his arm. She had never thought that her lies would get back to the Kid in this manner. He was humiliated, she knew that. Maybe just as humiliated as she had been the day in the barn. "Come on Kid, let's get inside."

He followed her, dragging his feet. Lou glanced at him every now and then, he looked mortified. Before they reached the porch he stopped and she turned to see what was up.

"Dhat hurrt nmore than de nouse, Lou." The look on his face was desolate and lost. Lou just had to smile sadly at his slur.

"I know Kid, I said I'm sorry."

"Ee thoo," Kid sighed. Lou didn't know why and she didn't bother to ask. He was hard enough to understand without the cotton in his nose. She knew that she had to use the towel again since Rachel was standing in the doorway holding it her hand. The puzzled look on the housekeeper's face telling Lou she might have heard too much. But she wouldn't, couldn't tell any more right now. Not ever if it was up to her. Some things were just too painful. But Kid had without even knowing helped her through so much of the fear and pain and she'd forever be thankful he had. Maybe someday she'd be able to tell him that. But right now she had to cause him pain once again. "Kid," Lou excused herself nodding in Rachel's direction. "I'm sorry but I have to.."

"De nouse" Kid moaned morosely and followed her in.

Noah's eyes were closing by themselves. He felt like he had been sitting on the same spot for about a week. The darkness and stillness around was making staying awake an endeavor. The light in the window was his only fixing point. He stared at it until it began to dance before his eyes. Blinking he tried to still it but as he looked back at it, it still moved. It took a moment before he understood it was being moved inside the room. It had been sitting in the window and now it was moved further back. Holding his breath he heard the window open. He stayed perfectly still, sensing something was about to happen he was wide awake in the blink of an eye. A leg came out the window, followed by a blue dress. Easing herself down the girl looked around as if suspecting somebody to be watching. Noah felt his heart jump in the chest. The girl looked around and started to walk towards him. Noah lowered his head and prayed he'd become invisible. She walked right past him while he held his breath. As the moon vanished behind thick clouds he eased himself up to follow the girl. Maybe she was just going to check the horses, maybe she was going to the outhouse. But Noah knew there was something odd with the way the girl behaved. All the other girls stayed in groups of three or four. This one was wandering in the wood all by herself. In the woods where a brutal assault had happened only a day ago. Soundlessly he followed the girl.