Wild Rose

Rose suddenly felt as if a hundred sinister eyes were boring into her back, and moved faster, grabbing at the wall for support as she staggered out of Elizabeth's room and toward the stairs. She cast a wary glance over her shoulder, and consequently ran head on into a partly open closet door, falling down in the hall.

She scrambled up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her cheekbone.

"I need help!" She screamed over and over, nearly falling down the stairs as her trembling knees bucked, "Oh please, help!"

She was relieved when she made it onto the street, feeling relatively safe there, compared to the confines of the house, where she'd just watched her beautiful young friend die. She was slightly aware of the tears coursing down her cheeks, but everything seemed far away from her, except a chill that spread over her body despite the warm night air.

Shock, she realized. She was plainly in shock, and not without reason. She stumbled to the Marshal's office, where she spotted John slumped on his desk, with an impressive puddle of drool spreading on the document in front of him.

"John! John wake up! It's another murder! Please!" She sobbed, bursting into the office.

Her voice was shrill with panic as she lay her hands on him and shook hard. He roused slowly, picking his head up and bringing the square of paper with him. He didn't seem to notice. His eyes were still glazed and distant.

"What? Rose, have you come to accept my proposal?" He laughed, and blinked charmingly at her through unfocused eyes. He'd had more to drink, she guessed from the flask sitting next to him.

Rose cursed under her breath. She'd have to get Teaspoon then.

Mesa ran hard, and it was only a few minutes before she pulled him up at the ranch, in the stable aisle. Her fingers were starting to tremble uncontrollably as she drug the saddle off the horse and peeled off his bridle, leaving the palomino in the middle of the hall as she carried her gear to the tack room.

She kicked the door open and tripped on the step into the room, ending up in a crumpled heap on the floor, with her face pressed into the seat of her saddle.

"Rose!" The voice was startled and Rose lifted her head, sighing in relief to see Carlos.

"Oh Carlos! The most horrible thing has hap-," she began to sob, but stopped short as she saw him. He had his back to her, trying to shield what she could plainly see despite his efforts. He was bent over the wash basin, soap lathered to the elbows of both hands.

However, he'd still not been successful in rinsing off the bright red blood stains from his arms. Rose felt the shaking start anew in her from head to foot. He turned around when she broke off so suddenly.

"Get away from me!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Don't you touch me!"

"Rose, be quiet!" Carlos hissed, and Rose could see the bright red blood covering his entire shirt. His eyes widened when he saw her bruised face, "Rose, be still."

"No! Murderer!" She screeched at the top of her lungs, scrambling up and leaping from the tack room, and starting at a dead run away from him.

She was blinded by tears and carried by sheer adrenaline, in desperate flight from danger. The most primitive self preservation instincts of man took control of her body, and she felt no real fear, only urgency.

So frantic was she that she never saw the figure step in her path until strong hands clamped on her arms and stayed there as she flailed wildly.

"Let me go! Let go!" She screamed, pounding the chest in front of her with fury and fright, still in flight mode.

"Stop it! Rose! Rose!" A hard shake titled her head back and through tear blurred eyes and a wayward lock of hair she met a pair of familiar blue eyes.

Kid.

She hurled herself into his arms with wrenching sobs, willing him to hold her tighter, to make her feel safe.

"Rose! What has happened? Is it Jamie?"

"No, there's been a murder in town! Elizabeth Walker is dead! I saw her…I found her there!" new sobs wracked her frame, "We have to get Teaspoon! I think Carlos did it!"

"What are you talking about, Rose?" Kid asked, truly concerned at her state of mind, "Carlos? What makes you think that?"

"This," a new voice joined the conversation, and Kid stiffened when he looked up to see Carlos approaching.

Understandable why Rose thought he might have killed someone, Kid thought. He was smeared in blood from head to toe. He pushed Rose behind him and flexed his fingers, mentally drawing his gun, preparing should he have to physically do so.

"I didn't mean to scare her," Carlos said, "One of the cows miscarried…it was a bad mess. She bled to death, and I was trying to help her. The carcass is in the pasture if you'd like to have a look."

Kid sighed with relief, glad that one of his best hands had an explanation. Rose peered from around his shoulder at Carlos, her fingers digging smartly into Kid's arm.

"There now," Kid said soothingly, "See, it isn't Carlos. Now, let's get you inside and cleaned up."

Rose looked down at her self and gasped. She was nearly as blood covered as Carlos. She shuddered violently, resisting the temptation to allow herself to faint. No, she needed to talk to Teaspoon first, then maybe she'd allow herself the luxury of swooning.

"Get Teaspoon," She whispered, "John's drunk and he won't be any help."

Kid's eyebrows raised in disapproval at hearing the man who'd took Rose to dinner had gotten drunk, and he wondered how Rose had stumbled upon Elizabeth's body if she was supposed to be with John, but repressed the questions. Time enough for that later, he knew.

"What happened to your face? Did he do that?" Kid suddenly growled, seizing her chin and turning it so her cheek was in the path of the porch lantern light.

"No…I ran into a door…trying to get out of the house," Rose whispered, a violent shudder seizing her.

After sending Carlos to get Teaspoon, Kid set his arm around Rose's shoulders and led her into the house.

"Rose, honey, what's happened?" Lou asked, rushing forward and taking the girl by the hands. Her eyes were glazed in shock, and her mouth hung agape, moving only as she murmured something to herself from time to time. Her cheek was slowly turning yellowish green, and Lou knew it would be purple by morning.

"He's back," she finally told Kid and Lou as they sat on either side of her and both hugged her tightly, trying to stop her trembling. She'd told them the whole story, from the murder last week to her leaving John, to how she'd found Elizabeth. She couldn't bring herself to tell them about the ears though.

"Who is back?" Lou asked, brushing a lock of copper hair from Rose's forehead.

"The man who cut my ear. He's back."

Kid jumped in surprise, "How do you know?"

Teaspoon, who'd just hurried into the house, answered before Rose could, "Because whoever murdered Elizabeth and the saloon girl last week, cut off their ears."

Jamie had a feeling something was horribly wrong when he rode in with Seth and saw all the lights in the house burning brightly. It was late, and Rose should have gone to bed a long time ago, he thought. He left his horse with Seth and walked toward the main house. Mesa had been left in the hallway, Rose's saddle was in a pile in the tack room doorway, and Kid and Lou's horses shoved their noses at him over their stalls.

Jamie burst into the house, relieved to see both his parents and Rose in one glance. He then took a closer look. Their faces were all pale and worried, especially Rose who looked as if she might rattle her teeth from her skull with her trembling. A closer look revealed dried blood covering her hands, face, and neck, and a nasty bruise on her face.

"What happened? Rose, are you alright?" Jamie bellowed, "Did John do that?"

"I-I'm fine," she assured him, quaking anew at the anger in his voice.

Lou went to embrace her son tightly, "We've got bad news, Jamie."

"What?" Jamie demanded, wide eyed.

"Elizabeth Walker was murdered tonight. By the same man who killed the saloon girl last week from the looks of it," Lou said gently, watching as his face showed disbelief, anger, then shock.

"How do you know…was it the ears?" Jamie asked dumbly.

Rose suddenly stood up, leaving Kid's gentle hand to fall to the sofa, "You knew about the ears? And you didn't think it important enough to tell me?"

Jamie sighed and flinched under her angry eyes, "We didn't want to worry you, Rose, if it turned out to be nothing."

"Well someone else is dead Jamie! Elizabeth is, and so you see it didn't turn out to be nothing!"

"I'm sorry, Rose, I thought it was for the best and so did Teaspoon," Jamie said quietly, not looking for an argument. He sat down suddenly in a chair as if his legs would no longer hold him, and put his head in his hands. Lou sat on the arm of the chair and put her arm around him.

Rose sighed, not really up for a fight either, especially not after seeing Jamie's obvious grief. "Never mind," She muttered, "I sure know now."

"Amen," Rose murmured softly, hearing Jamie's deeper echo just above her ear. The graveyard was packed, all of Sweetwater had turned out. Her eyes drifted over the deep hole where the coffin lay to Mr. and Mrs. Walker, leaning on one another for support. How would they ever forgive themselves for not being there at the end?

It was a week after the murder, and Sweetwater was in a state of panic and mourning. Nothing had been found of the killer, much to Teaspoon's fury, and the people were growing restless, needing a scapegoat.

Rose let her eyes move to Carlos, and jumped when she found he was staring back at her intently. She'd not been alone with him after that one terrifying encounter in the tack room. A deep rooted guilt fit closely with her mistrust, for Carlos had been her friend since she was thirteen, but she just couldn't shake the feeling.

Her eyes went to John Morgan next. She'd refused to see him when he called the day after Elizabeth's death, telling Lou to tell him she was too distraught to see anyone. It had been the truth, if not the sole reason.

Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone else, she was angry at John, not so much for being drunk and talking nonsense as for not being available to protect her when she'd needed it. Especially knowing that he knew that the first murder victim had her ear slashed off. She expected more from him, and he disappointed her.

She glanced up at Jamie, who had tears rolling unchecked down his face. As if by reflex, Rose reached for his hand.

Jamie jumped when the small, cool hand stole into his own, and his eyes met Rose's, a dark, damp gray today. He smiled slightly in thanks, and then sighed deeply. The crowd was beginning to break up, and Kid and Lou steered Jamie and Rose, respectively away from the graveyard.

"I don't think it's the same man who cut up Rose's ear," Teaspoon said quietly, leaning against his desk.

"Why not?" Buck asked softly, "Most others would think it could be."

"Well, if he would have killed another saloon girl, I might think differently. But since this man attacked Rose in the saloon, I don't know why he would have sought out one of the richer girls in town as a victim. I'd think he'd keep looking in the saloons," Teaspoon said.

John nodded, then said thoughtfully, "But what if he's been watching Rose…and he knows who her friends are? What if he went after Elizabeth on purpose?"

"Well, then how do you explain the first victim? Rose had never laid eyes on that girl in her life," Jamie put in softly.

There was silence for a moment as the men in the office shifted restlessly. Kid, Buck, Teaspoon, Jamie, and John all stood within the confines shortly after the funeral, deciding on a course of action.

Kid suddenly spoke up, "We're overlooking an important option," he said, "what if the killer has no connection to Rose at all? What if it just happens to be a sick coincidence that he likes to cut up his victim's ears?"

There was silence, and then a grudging nod.

"What about Carlos?" Teaspoon asked suddenly, looking at Kid.

"What about him?" Kid returned calmly, but with a steely edge to his voice.

"I heard about what happened, with the blood…was there a cow out in the pasture?"

"Of course there was!" Kid exploded, "It wasn't him!"

"Are you sure?" John asked suddenly, "He was in town the night of the first murder."

"And so was half of Sweetwater!" Jamie pointed out, "So was I!"

"Well then maybe you're a suspect too," John said quietly.

Jamie muttered something under his breath and took a quick step toward John, "If you weren't such a lazy drunk, you might be a suspect too! A fine job of watching Rose you did!"

John started forward at that time too, but the older men interceded long before they got their hands on each other.

"If you're gonna kill each other, do it outside, but I'll not have you acting like heathens in my office!" Teaspoon growled, then looked at Kid, "You're sure it wasn't Carlos?"

Kid nodded, "I'm sure. I've known the man for fifteen years. He's never been the least bit violent."

"Every man has a breaking point," Buck pointed out, "Especially the way they treat him in town. Worse than they ever treated me."

Jamie shook his head, much like Kid, "It doesn't matter. Carlos isn't capable of murder."

"Would you bet Rose's life on that?" John asked.

"It's not my life to bet," Jamie retorted, "Nor yours."

"Well, for what it's worth, Rose still has her doubts to Carlos' innocence," Teaspoon said slowly, "She hasn't said anything, I know, but I can see it on her face when he's near. She's afraid of him. I don't want to believe he did it any more than you do Kid, and I'm not saying anything until I have some proof, but you watch Lou and Rose around him, you hear?"

Kid shook his head, "I'm not listening to this anymore."

With that, he stormed out of the room, Jamie on his heels.

Teaspoon looked after them.

"Do you think they're right?" John asked him, leaning against the wall.

"Yes," Teaspoon said with a sigh, "But that leaves us with nothing but two dead girls."

Jamie was walking beside his father when a thought occurred to him. He thought back to the night of the first murder, and saw Carlos again, sneaking from the shadows. "Is the girl dead?" He'd asked, and suddenly, Jamie wondered how, if Carlos had come from the other direction, he'd known about the girl in the first place.

Another week passed with no sign of the murderer, and Sweetwater was lulled into a sense of security, however tenuous. Rose was finally allowed to ride on the ranch lands alone, although Lou insisted she keep a gun.

Stopping to let Mesa draw breath on such a ride, she took the gun out of the holster and looked at it as if it were a foreign object she'd never laid eyes on. Might as well have been, she thought wryly, for all the good it did her.

While she'd inherited her father's quick wit, his intelligence, and his sometimes fierce temper, she had no trace of his marksmanship.

She giggled to herself suddenly as she thought of the days when Kid had tried to teach her to fire the gun. She'd been hopeless, and had closed her eyes and flinched every time the gun fired, shrieking and dropping it more than once. When she'd gotten over the shrieking, she still couldn't bring herself to look as she fired.

She could still hear Kid's voice, his seemingly bottomless patience finally, approaching a floor of irritation.

"No Rose, just hold it up a little, straighten your arm…and it would probably help if you opened your eyes, there you go, now fire! No! With your eyes open! Open Rose! You have to see what you're shooting at!"

She'd given him a look that told him what she would like to be shooting at that particular moment in time and he'd given her a perplexed look.

Wiping the sweat from his brow he'd asked her, "You're really bad at this. Are you sure Jimmy was your father?"

With a determined set of her jaw she'd turned back around, set her jaw, took careful aim, and fired at the bucket ten feet in front of her.

The bullet whined into the distance, and the bucket sat unscathed. Kid howled with laughter, doubling over, "At least you opened your eyes! But on second thought, I think you were closer with them closed!"

In a tantrum, she'd flung the gun on the ground and stormed off.

"I take it back!" He'd yelled after her, "You are his daughter!"

Rose laughed about it now, and Mesa picked up his head and gave a low nicker in acknowledgement of her amusement.

Suddenly, his ears pricked up and he turned his head quickly back toward the ranch. She stiffened, and gripped the gun in earnest. Although she felt a bit safer, she wasn't likely to soon forget sight of Elizabeth on her floor.

Her shoulders relaxed somewhat, but not entirely when she spotted the gold head of John Morgan riding toward her. She would have run away, but he'd spotted her and raised his hand in a wave.

Reluctantly, she waved in return.

"Mrs. McCloud told me you'd gone riding," John said, stating the obvious. Rose was about to point out that someone had to tell him where she was, but she bit her lip instead, deciding to let him talk.

"Rose, I need to talk to you. Will you listen to me?"

Rose studied him for a moment, her eyes harsh. Then, she blinked and nodded, "Yes, of course I'll listen to you."

"Shall we ride then?" he asked gesturing toward the mountains. And starting at a walk, he left her to catch up to him.

When she did, he began, "Rose, I'm so sorry about that night. I'm afraid I've never been able to hold my liquor very well. Bloody sad thing too, because I like the taste of it for all that. I don't drink often, but the wine was such a good quality at dinner that I had more than I intended."

"And the flask afterwards?" Rose couldn't help adding.

"The flask afterwards to make me forget what a fool I was to have spoken to you so. And that's what I've come to beg about. Your forgiveness. While I do think so highly of you and enjoy your company, I'm not really ready to marry you Rose, and I only said so because, well, because the liquor always makes me feel…" he stopped and dropped his head, hiding a sheepish smile, "Amorous."

Rose laughed at this, and he chuckled nervously as well.

"Rose, if another man had said the things to you that I did, I believe I'd have to call him to a duel. I don't have any right to ask, but can you forgive me?"

Rose looked at him, and decided that he was in fact, sincere. A small smile played on her lips, "Don't be silly. Of course I can forgive you, John…for that…but you have to understand that was the worst night of my life and you were supposed to be protecting me, and you were too drunk to stand up. You knew about the murderer and the ears already, and yet, still, you let your guard slip."

John bowed his head, "I know, my dear. I know it too well. It will never happen again, I swear it. Give me another chance, Rose, I won't let you down again."

Rose stopped Mesa and turned to stare at him, as if judging the probability of him letting her down again. With a deep sigh, she said, "John, I fear you will hate me for this, but I must ask…would you instead consider me your dear friend and let us forget everything else between us?"

John looked back in shock, clearly never having expected her to suggest he stop his romantic advances, "May I ask why?" he wondered finally, sounding a bit strained.

Rose shrugged, "John, things are complicated for me right now. I just, I think I need to be by myself. I'm young yet, you know. I do value your friendship," she said with a beautiful smile.

John studied her, and in a moment his face softened and he sighed, "Ah, cruel woman, of course I accept your offer," he gave her the smile that had so charmed her on their first meeting, and did so again, "Of course, you'll not stop me from trying to change your mind?"

Rose laughed, "Could I stop you from trying to change my mind?"

"No," John admitted, laughing back.

"Well then, I guess we've both got our work cut out for us then," Rose grinned, "Race you back to the ranch?"

"No, I never take part in such uncivilized…" John interrupted himself by spurring his mount quite suddenly, and very effectively gaining a head start.

"Looks like trouble coming in," Seth drawled slowly, straightening up with interest as two horses thundered toward the pasture gates.

"It's Rose and the Englishman," Patrick pointed out casually, smiling slightly when Jamie straightened up and took interest.

Laughter and shrieking reached them, and they relaxed, knowing it was only for sport that they came in at breakneck speed.

"Looks like everything is just fine and dandy with them," Jamie couldn't help muttering sourly.

Patrick sighed and turned around to watch as they pulled the horses, shining with sweat, to jolting halts and caught their breath. He couldn't catch the words between them, but saw quiet plainly the determination with which Rose offered John her hand.

He took it and bent to kiss it, but Rose firmly grasped his own hand and shook it rapidly before withdrawing her own. John laughed, and shook his head, saying something to the effect of, "you're a cold woman" before riding in the opposite direction.

Patrick turned and looked at Jamie as Rose began to slowly walk her horse in the rest of the way, "What did I say lad? I told you she'd not settle for a filthy Englishman!"

Jamie, his mood brightened considerably, turned to Patrick, "You'll have that girl a lost Queen of Ireland, with no real proof she's even Irish, Pat!"

Patrick grinned, "Have ye any proof she's not Irish?"

"Are you sure it's safe Teaspoon?" Kid asked uncertainly from atop Belle, "I don't have to take these horses."

"If you want to eat this winter, you do, Kid. It's the biggest sale of the year. You can't really miss it," Lou pointed out practically, also astride her own horse, "We have to go…" her eyes went to Rose, "But you could still come with us."

Rose smiled and shook her head, "No, you two have used this trip as a vacation to be alone for years. I wouldn't dream of taking that from you. There's no point anyway. I'll stay with Rachel and Teaspoon and it'll be fine."

Teaspoon nodded, "Besides, it's been three weeks since Elizabeth was killed. I have a feeling it might have just been a drifter who has long since moved on."

Kid nodded, and his eyes shifted to Carlos, "Are you sure you won't come with us? Seth could stay here and look after the mares. And Jamie's trained to treat them. It would get you away from Sweetwater for awhile."

Carlos, who'd never been popular in town because of his Mexican blood, was treated much worse now, after word of his bloody hands had leaked out somehow.

Carlos shook his head, "I won't run from these people, Senor McCloud. My job has always been here with the mares at foaling time. I'll stay."

Kid nodded and sighed, "Of course. And I'm glad of it, for selfish reasons, Carlos. I know the mares don't dare have complications with you around."

Jamie grinned and went up to pat his mother's knee, noticing how pretty she looked. Her long, dark brown hair was unbound and spilled around her shoulders, with an occasional silver strand catching the light and reflecting it. Her face, dark by years in the sun, was still as youthful as his father's, with only a few wrinkles at the corner of her eyes from squinting against the bright plains sun. The long rides and outdoors agreed with her, Jamie realized, she needed to be in the open, riding hard.

"You're beautiful, Mama," Jamie suddenly said, feeling three years old.

Lou glanced down at him in surprise, and lay a graceful hand on his head, leaning down to kiss him, "That's because I'm happy," she whispered to him with a white smile.

"Ride Safe," came the inevitable chorus from everyone on the ground as Kid, Lou, Seth, Buck, and a string of horses thundered out of the ranch, leaving an impressive cloud of dust behind.

"Back to work with you!" Teaspoon cried when they were out of sight, and shooed them away.

"We can't go!" Rachel cried with conviction the next day with Rose and Jamie sitting at the table and watching the face off with Teaspoon with interest.

"I have to go! And so do you. Eleanor is sick, and George needs our help."

"We can't just leave Rose here! We promised Kid and Lou we'd look after her," Rachel pointed out, "Besides, don't you think you might be needed around here in stead of minding some little homestead in Blue Creek?"

Teaspoon shrugged, "Maybe Rose should come with us. And John will look after things here."

Jamie couldn't stop the sarcastic snort that won him glares from both Rose and Teaspoon.

"No way am I going! I met George Yardley once, and that was more than enough! That dirty old man…" Rose broke off when Teaspoon's steely eyes met her, his brows raised. Nevertheless she set her jaw and thrust her chin out firmly, "I'm not going."

Teaspoon shook his head, "God, you look like him when you do that," Rose gathered he meant her father, "And far be it from me to try and talk any sense into a Hickok. But you'll stay in town, with Tompkins."

"But Teaspoon! If you're worried about my safety, why are you sending me to town where the murderer is?" Rose reasoned.

"Because! Now if you don't stop your jawing, I'm gonna murder you myself! Jamie can come get you during the day if you want to work out here! But I want you in town at night fall!"

"I'm almost eighteen years old! You can't tell me what to do!" Rose thundered, standing up. Actually, she still had a good six months till she was eighteen, but she didn't bring that up then.

Jamie raised his eyebrows, and suddenly took great interest in his plate so he could hide his smile. These two faced off could be quite a show.

"You're staying with Tompkins or you're going with us! You decide!" Teaspoon thundered.

Rose flung her head back, her eyes wild. Rachel shifted on one foot. Jamie held his breath, wondering what would come next. He wasn't disappointed. A show it was, with screaming and arm waving, name calling and screeching.

In the end, Rose stayed with Tompkins.

"Well, so how's life with Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins?" Jamie asked Rose a few days later as he rode quietly beside her on their way back to the residence in question. It was twilight, and the air had cooled pleasantly.

Rose shot him a sidelong glance, "I think they're going to kill me with kindness. That woman bakes more food that is humanly possible. And I think it hurts her feelings if I don't eat every bite, and she's such a sweet woman…"

"Ah, I thought you were a bit heavier than normal when I boosted you onto the horse," Jamie said laughing, and dodged a well deserved blow.

"Cheer up," he added as they pulled up in front of the house, "At least you get to spend the day at the ranch. I'll come back for you tomorrow morn…"

A loud scream from the other end of town cut him off in mid-sentence, and Jamie and Rose exchanged a look of dread. Wordlessly, they rode side by side to the largest house in Sweetwater, the Mayor's home.

Rose blinked in shock when she saw what all the gasping was about. John Morgan was standing on the porch, blood freely flowing from a knife wound in his chest. A few inches higher, Rose thought, and the wound would have been a fatal one to the throat.

He wove unsteadily, trembling visibly.

"John!" Rose screamed, jumping off her horse and elbowing through the crowd, Jamie close behind her, taking advantage of the path she cleared.

"Mrs. Baines," John gasped, clinging to the porch rail for support, "is dead. I-I heard her scream, but it was too late to save her, and he cut me and got away."

"Who?" Jamie asked as Rose ripped her shirt sleeve and applied pressure to the bleeding wound, "Did you get a look at him?"

"I did," John gasped, wincing in pain and looked into Jamie's eyes with what was almost an apology.

Unable to say more, John Morgan passed out cold on the porch of the Mayor's house, where the Mayor's own wife was now the third victim of a ruthless predator that would soon have a name.

And from the growl rising from the citizens gathering in front of them, Jamie realized, they would have not only the killer's name, but his head.

To be continued...Chapter IX

Copyright 1999

The Way Station
Campfire Tales

Email: gliterin@bellsouth.net