DARK INTRUDER
DARK INTRUDER© nesciri
Part 3
The boy's limp body swayed gently in the morning breeze as it hang from the knock of the old stable behind the blacksmith's. Blood had dripped from it, creating a sinister pool beneath the body. Teaspoon looked grimly on the gruesome scene as one of the blacksmith's helpers climbed the roof to cut the boy down. A small crowd had gathered to watch despite the early hour.
"Never thought I'd have to see anything like this, marshal," the blacksmith Wisnevits mumbled as he gazed up on the body. "Gruesome. Who would done such a thing to a boy?"
"I don't know," Teaspoon muttered as the boy was lowered to the ground. There was a huge wound in his chest as if he had been ripped open by a substantial force. The boy's face was an image of extreme horror. Teaspoon felt his stomach turn and several men in the crowd turned away. Whatever had happened to the boy, it had been terrifying enough to leave its mark on the boy even after death. Teaspoon forced himself to lean over the boy, examining the wound. Whatever it was that had created a wound like that, it had been done with considerable force. Teaspoon had never seen anything like it before and it was with relief he heard somebody say that Doc was on his way.
"Good to see you, Doc," he said and rose to meet the man.
Doc nodded and then paled slightly at the sight of the boy. "Is this what you called me out for?" he asked.
Teaspoon nodded. "Yes. The blacksmith found him this morning. I need to know what killed him."
Doc leaned over the boy examining the wound. A few minutes later he rose and wiped his brow with an old handkerchief. Teaspoon looked questioningly at him.
"Well, Doc?"
"I don't know Teaspoon. Never seen anything like that. Somebody must have been awfully mad at that boy. You know who it is?"
Before Teaspoon could answer, a woman broke through the gathered crowd.
"David!" she called out as she saw the boy. "Oh, David, what have they done to you?"
"Take it easy, Mrs. Burke," Teaspoon said calmly and grabbed her before she could see the damage done to the boy. Doc quickly covered the body with an old blanket that was handed to him by someone. Teaspoon let go of Rosemary Burke as Jimmy emerged and wrapped his arms around the upset woman. Teaspoon wanted to know where he had come from, but seeing the way he tenderly held on to Rosemary Burke, Teaspoon thought better of it.
"You know the boy, Mrs. Burke?" he asked softly. Rosemary collected herself and gently assured Jimmy that she was alright. She nodded.
"Yes. It's David Ziller. He's been working for me as a writer for my paper."
"Any kin?"
"Not that I know of. Marshal, you've gotta stop those bastards who did this!"
"You know who it is?"
"If I know who it is? Of course I know! There's only one person that could do this to me and that's Maxwell and his thugs! They have been threatening me for the paper for weeks and you knew it! Well, look what it resorted to now!"
"Take it easy, Rosemary," Jimmy said trying to calm her down. "Teaspoon knows what he's doin'. All you have to do is listen' to him. Alright?"
"And why should I listen to him - he's a Southerner, damn you, a Texan! He ain't gonna do anything!"
"Now hold it," Teaspoon barked at her. "Wherever my sympathies lies in this conflict does not affect the way I do my job!"
Rosemary tried to take a deep breath. Damn them, David was just a kid - a kid. Tears trickled down her cheeks and angrily she wiped them away with the sleeve of her jacket. She could feel Jimmy standing behind her, a hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, marshal, it's just that, well, he was just a boy…"
"I know," Teaspoon said softly, holding out a hand to her. "Now, I know you're upset, but I need to ask you a few questions, Mrs. Burke. If I could see you at my office---"
Rosemary nodded and turned away.
"What happened to him, Teaspoon?" Jimmy asked as Doc helped Rosemary away from the crowd.
"I don't know, Jimmy. I don't know."
"She could be right," Jimmy stated. "Maxwell have been threatened her to stop that paper of hers."
"So I heard. But making threats is a whole lot different than murder, Jimmy."
"But you're gonna look into it?"
"Yeah." Teaspoon admitted as Jimmy turned to follow Rosemary. "Hold on a second, Jimmy." He walked up to the boy. "I don't mean to pry or anything, but do you know where Mrs. Burke was last night?"
Jimmy looked at Teaspoon with dark eyes. "She was with me, Teaspoon. All night. And she wouldn't have anything to do with that boy's murder." Jimmy walked away, turning his back to Teaspoon.
Teaspoon scratched his chin. "Thought so," he mumbled to himself when the blacksmith returned to him.
"This fell out of the boy's pocket, marshal. Thought you might wanna read it."
"Thanks, Teaspoon said and opened the document. It was written as a bulletin or banner and he knew what it was. It was an edition Mrs. Burke's weekly flaming manifesto on the wrongs of the South and slaveholders. He sighed and then started to read the thing.
Jimmy poured Rosemary a coffee as they waited for Teaspoon to return to his office. Rosemary stared absentmindedly out the window.
"I don't get it," she mumbled. "Why David? He couldn't harm a fly even if he wanted to. Why him? Why not me?"
Jimmy held out the cup for her. "We might never know, Rose," he said softly, placing himself on a chair before her. "You believe it's Maxwell?"
"Who else would it be? He's been on my case for weeks now! You know it!"
Jimmy nodded. He had been present the first time Maxwell had threatened to tear down the small building from which the bulletin was run. He had called Rosemary a liar and a few worse things, accusing her for disturbing the peace and twisting the law. Jimmy had been forced to draw on him to make the man leave, but still Jimmy only saw him as a loud mouth and not a killer.
"You might be wrong, Rose," he suggested slowly.
"So now you don't believe me," Rosemary said bitterly. "I s'pose I should have known. After all, all of your friends are supporting the South. Kid, well, there's no hiding what he feels, and his wife probably gonna follow him. And both Mrs. Dunne and Teaspoon are from the south. I s'pose that's the reason for why you're not helpin' me."
"It ain't that, and you know it." Jimmy looked her straight in her eyes. "I love you, Rose, and that's all there is to it."
Rosemary stared at him before she simply nodded and sipped her coffee. She knew she should have told him that she loved him too, but she couldn't take the words in her mouth. "Don't leave me, Jimmy," she pleaded as a furious Teaspoon walked in.
Teaspoon nodded as he seated himself behind his desk, trying to keep his emotions in control. He threw several papers on the table and stared at Mrs. Burke. Jimmy looked confused at him, never having seen Teaspoon quite this angry before.
"You know anyone that could have killed that kid, Mrs. Burke?"
"I told you," Rosemary replied coldly, "Ed Maxwell."
"You have any proof of that?"
"No, none except for the threats he's been makin'."
"Well, seeing what kinda garbage you write in that paper of yours I would say you'd have a lot of enemies out there, Mrs. Burke. Tampering with the truth ain't gonna give you a whole lot of friends." Teaspoon pushed one of the papers over to her.
"What do you mean?" Rosemary asked indignant. "I always print the truth!"
"Is that what you had the boy working on?" Teaspoon asked. Rosemary reached out for the paper.
"He was working with an eyewitness' story on what is going on in the slave States," she said and started to read. She paled slightly and the paper trembled in her hands as she read the first few paragraphs. Jimmy walked up to her to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Is that what you call 'truth'?" Teaspoon asked and started to read from another of the papers. "A large pole was forced into the man's rear. As the pole was forced through his body, tearing his inside to shred before emerging from his back, the man continued to scream and writhe in pain, pleading for someone to kill him. His calls went unanswered as the pole was risen to an upright position, waiting for the man to die. The death could take hours. This is what I saw in Texas." Teaspoon placed the paper on the desk. "Now, I never heard of any bigger lie than what I just read. What that is, it's the twisted imagination of a sick mind."
Rosemary shockingly returned the paper to the desk. "I hadn't read that. David was s'pose to talk to this man and write down his story - then I would proof read it. I - I wouldn't have printed this."
"But it was printed - we found three copies of it."
"I don't understand, I never told him to print anything yesterday. We weren't gonna print anything until this afternoon. You know that Jimmy, you were there when I told David." She turned to look at Jimmy, who nodded affirmingly.
"She's telling the truth, Teaspoon. I heard her tell David that nothing was going out until tomorrow."
"Well, then who was this 'eyewitness' that David was talking to?" Teaspoon wanted to know.
"I don't know," Rosemary stated. "David wanted to do something on his own, and he said he had found this man that had a really interested story and he wondered if he could print it. I never asked for the man's name."
"That might have cost that young man's life. Apart from being a suspect, this 'eyewitness' is probably the last one that saw David alive. You're sure you don't know who he is?"
"I'm sure. May I leave now, marshal? I need to - see to that David get a funeral." Rosemary rose on unsteady legs, leaning on the supporting hand from Jimmy.
"I'll see you back," he offered and she nodded her acceptance.
Teaspoon watched them as they left his office with a frown in his face. "There's something she ain't tellin' me," he muttered to himself. "She knows who he is, I'll bet my hat on it."
Sitting in the wagon on her way back to the cottage, Rosemary desperately tried to think of a way to get rid of Jimmy. She loved his concern for her but right now she had to see Tad Brown. He would know what to do - he would help her.
