Just in case.
35
“THESE WOMEN NEED OUR HELP,” Allie said to Brother Percival.
Mary Beth and Laurel sat in the front row of pews beside Allie, wearing some clothes that Allie had given them. Brother Percival stood in front of the altar rail, facing them in his white robe, with his long blond hair spilling onto his shoulders, and his thick arms folded across his chest.
“He thinks he’s Jesus,” I whispered.
“No beard,” Virgil said.
Pony stood in the back of the church, by the door. Choctaw Brown stood near him. Choctaw and Pony were studying each other. A couple of other deacons stood against the far wall. There was no one else in the church.
“What is your name?” Percival said.
“Mary Beth Ostermueller.”
“Tell me your story, Mary Beth,” Brother Percival said.
“An Indian killed my husband and took us,” Mary Beth said. “He sold us to some men who were taking us to Mexico when Mr. Cole came and saved us.”
“All by yourself,” I said.
Virgil ignored me. He was looking at Percival.
“What happened to the men?”
“Mr. Cole killed them.”
“Wish I coulda seen it,” I whispered.
Virgil shrugged.
“Were you despoiled?” Percival said.
“Despoiled?”
“Did these men do things to you.”
“Yes.”
“What?”
Mary Beth shook her head.
“We can’t talk about it,” she said.
“And the young lady?” Brother Percival said.
“My daughter, Laurel.”
Percival nodded and spoke to her.
“What do you have to say, Laurel?”
Laurel’s silence was like a boulder.
“Does she speak?” Percival said.
“Hasn’t spoke since this happened to her,” Allie said.
“That right?” Percival said to Mary Beth.
“Yessir,” Mary Beth said. “And when we passed our farm she tried to ride off.”
“Do you know why?” Percival said.
“It’s where her father got killed,” Mary Beth said. “Figured it was something about that.”
“You own that property?” Percival said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Can you work it without a man?” Percival said.
“No, sir,” Mary Beth said. “We can’t even live there.”
“They are afraid,” Allie said. “After what happened. They are frightened of being alone.”
Percival nodded.
“I understand,” he said.
“I thought perhaps that they could live in the single woman’s dormitory in the church compound,” Allie said rapidly. “I been seeing them every day, you know, and I been thinking about it a lot, and I thought maybe the church could work the farm for them. Sort of as a way for them to pay for their keep here.”
Percival stood silent for a while, then looked at Virgil.
“Do you have a thought, Deputy?”
“I believe it is your Christian duty,” Virgil said.
“Of course,” Percival said.
36
VIRGIL AND I SAT IN two straight chairs tilted back against the wall on the front porch of the sheriff’s office.
“Where’s Allie?” I said. “Ain’t seen her in a while.”
Virgil grinned.
“Miss those lunches?” Virgil said.
“God, no,” I said. “She ain’t doing your shirts no more, either.”
“Nope, taking them to the Chinaman again.”
“So she’s out closing down saloons?” I said.
“She’s at the church, mostly,” Virgil said. “I think she adopted them two women.”
“Mary Beth and Laurel?”
“Yep.”
“Laurel talk yet?” I said.
“Allie says no.”
“Seen a doctor?”
“Both of them. Nothing wrong with them but a few bruises.”
“He look at their, ah, private parts?” I said.
“Don’t know what he looked at, Everett,” Virgil said. “Didn’t ask.”
“Just thought, since they’d been misused…”
“Doctor says they are okay,” Virgil said.
“So why don’t the girl talk?” I said.
“Don’t know.”
There were some clouds so that the sky was a pretty even gray, and it looked like it could rain in a while. But it was warm, and the weather still was pleasant.
“How ’bout Mary Beth?” I said.
“She’s drinking a lot,” Virgil said.
“Can’t say I blame her.”
“Ain’t helping the kid,” Virgil said.
“Probably not,” I said.
“Allie says that the mother told her they can’t be mother and daughter no more,” Virgil said.
“So you and Allie are talking ’bout things,” I said.
“Yep.”
“They can’t be mother and daughter because of what happened?” I said.
“Allie said that Mary Beth said that she and the kid seen each other do things that no mother and daughter should ever see.”
I nodded.
“Wasn’t like they had a choice,” I said.
Virgil shrugged.
There was a lot of traffic on Arrow Street. Carriages, buck-boards, freight wagon, men on horseback. There were a lot of people walking along the boardwalks and going in and out of shops. From the blacksmith shop across the street and around the corner, I could hear the clang of his hammer.
“How they getting on with the Reverend Brother Percival?” I said.
Virgil grunted.
“He has them in for pastural counseling, every day,” Virgil said, “whatever that is.”
“Pastoral,” I said. “Like a pastor.”
“Sure,” Virgil said.
“Both of them together?”
“Nope, one at a time,” Virgil said.
“Must be an interesting time with the kid,” I said.
“Who don’t talk,” Virgil said.
“I don’t like Brother Percival,” I said.
“Me neither,” Virgil said.
“I think he’s got something going on we don’t know about,” I said.
“Me too.”
“How come Choctaw’s with him and with Pike?” I said.
“ ’Cause Percival’s got something going on with Pike.”
“Pike ought to love him,” I said. “Percival’s closing down all Pike’s competition.”
“Maybe that’s what they got going on,” Virgil said.
“Nice for Pike,” I said. “What’s Percival get?”
“Maybe money,” Virgil said. “Maybe the joy of doing God’s work. Maybe both.”
“Thing wrong with folks like the holy Brother Percival,” I said, “is that they think they got a right to do anything. Because they doing God’s work.”
Virgil let his chair tip forward a little and then bumped it back against the wall. He was so balanced, so exact in all his movements, that I figured he could probably balance in that chair if there wasn’t any wall.
“Kinda like to know what he’s telling those ladies in them pastoral sessions,” Virgil said.
“Probably telling ’em they’re going to hell,” Virgil said.
“For getting raped?” I said.
“Maybe Percival don’t see it that way,” Virgil said.
“No, maybe he don’t,” I said.
“Bet God would let that go,” Virgil said.
“Yeah, but you don’t know,” I said. “Percival knows.”
“Sure,” Virgil said. “Sure he does.”
37
I WAS UPSTAIRS IN PIKE’S PALACE, lying on a bed with a whore named Frisco. I never knew the rest of her name. But she was a nice girl, except for being a whore. She was clean, and sort of smart, and sort of pretty, and fun to talk to. When I could I’d been keeping company with her since I got to Brimstone.
“Chasing that Indian around didn’t wear you down none,” Frisco said.
“I’m a lively fella,” I said.
“Yes, you are,” she said. “I hear those women ain’t doing so well.”
“They had a rough time,” I said.