Chapter 30 - Wanted

Caleb finds he is wanted for murder.

          Caleb laid on the ground drifting in and out of consciousness for what easily could have been hours.  He finally heard someone riding up the road in his direction.  He was then lifted off the ground and placed on the back of a horse. 

The voice of a man told him, “You’ll be alright.  We’ll get ya fixed up.”

He then awoke laying face down on a cold hard table.  He tried to lift himself up on his elbows but the pain in his back was so intense it kept him down.

“Not just yet, mister.  You got it pretty good.  Just lay back down and take it easy while I get you patched up here,” a man told him.  “Can you get that bottle of whiskey up there on that shelf?”  He asked someone.  “He’s come to, so I’m betting he’s going to need it.”

“Who are you? Where am I?” Caleb asked, trying to take a look around the room.

“I’m Doctor Johanssen,” he answered, as he carefully threaded a needle.  “You were brought into my office a bit ago.  Don’t know who got you, but they sure got you good.  It’s a wonder you’re still breathing.  I got all the lead out of your back and shoulder that I think I’m going to be able to get.  You might have a catch in your step for sometime, though.  We just need to get finished stitching you up and then we’ll get you somewhere a bit more comfortable.  Scarlet, would you go get some water boiled for me, please.”

“Yes, sir,” a woman’s voice answered.  Caleb turned his head to see a small-framed woman in a grey dress and white apron turn and leave the room.

“You need something to bite on?” The doctor asked Caleb.  “This is going to hurt something fierce.”

“No,” Caleb told him.  A moment later he felt the sting of the needle as the doctor pushed it through his skin and pulled the thread behind it.  He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, the tears welling up and running down his cheeks.

“You like a bit of this whiskey?  It’ll take the edge off of the pain.”

“I’ll take some,” Caleb told him, with a nod

The doctor helped him lift up enough to take a drink from the bottle.

“Who brought me?”  Caleb asked, as he laid back down against the cool examining table.

“He said he was a friend of yours.  I’ll call him on in when we get you sewed up.”

As the doctor finished his work, the young woman in the grey dress came back into the room.  She sat a pan of steaming water on a table nearby.

“I’m about done here.  Could you bring his friend in while I finish up?”

“Yes, sir.” 

She left the room and a few moments later the door opened again and the woman walked back in, followed by Frank Call.

“How’s he comin’ along, doc?”  Frank asked.  “He gonna be alright?”

“I think he’ll be just fine,” the doctor answered as he helped Caleb sit up.  “I’d like to keep him here a little bit, though.  Keep an eye on him and make sure his wounds heal up nice.  He’s a lucky one for sure.  I’ve seen men die from much less than this.”  The doctor dropped his surgical tools into the hot water and moved it to the side.  “Well…” he said with a sigh.  “I’ll let you talk.  I’ll have a bed ready for him upstairs shortly.”  He left the room and closed the door behind him.

“You come for me?” Caleb asked a bit bewildered.  “I never figured you’d be savin’ me any time soon.”

“Well…Jess is still sore about it all, but I figured you been a good friend and there ain’t no point in turnin’ your back on a friend in need.  Don’t get anyone anywhere.  Besides, I can’t let a good man die, no matter who he is.  There ain’t no sense in none of that either.  There just ain’t enough good people left in this ol’ world.  We got to save the ones we got.”

“Don’t suppose I’m really such a good guy, though,” Caleb remarked.

“Well sure ya are,” Frank objected.

Caleb looked at the floor, “Done destroyed my family and lost everything I have.  Lost you and yer brother yer jobs, and just caused nothin’ but trouble for everyone.”

“You ain’t never done me no real harm.  You been a good friend as long as I known ya.  Everyone makes his share of mistakes.  Even the saintly do it and the Lord knows ain’t neither one of us near saintly.  You mean well and sometimes that’s all that really matters.”   Frank stopped a moment and thought.  “Well, that’s enough worryin’ about what we can’t rightly change now…and feelin’ sorry for ourselves…and all that nonsense.  The past is the past and there ain’t much we can do about it now, is there?”

Caleb shook his head, “Guess not.”

“We got to start thinkin’ about what we’re goin’ to be doin’ now,” Frank continued.  “Now just what went on out there.  You try an’ take on Butler?”

“I tried.  Challenged him to a fair fight and he just couldn’t step up to the occasion.”

“Well, can’t say that surprises me much.”

“No.  Never really expected him to accept.  I went on out there lookin’ to settle a score or two and find out what he done with my family.  Guess I was foolish to think he’d show up out there alone.  Still not sure just how many men he had with him.  There had to be at least five or six.  I got one coming in the door.  He was just a kid Butler had sent in ahead of him.  Probably no more than fifteen.  As soon as they knew I was inside they opened all hell out on me.”  Caleb motioned toward his wrapped shoulder, “Got me in the shoulder.  Shot came right through the wall and got me.  I guess they thought they’d killed me cause then they stopped shooting.  I got Butler in my line of sight and shot him.  Got him right in the neck.  Don’t suppose he survived that one.”

“Didn’t see him layin’ out there when I found you, but I guess they’d gone ahead and drug him off somewhere else.”

“I expect they would have,” Caleb agreed.  “After I shot the b*****d, that’s when they decided to burn the place.  I just got out.  One of the men saw me and took a shot but missed.  I shot the gun out of his hand. Next thing I know I got this other one shootin’ me in the back.  Best I could tell, the fire got him.  Don’t remember nothin’ after that.  How’d you happen upon me layin’ there?”

“Well,” Frank started. “I come up this mornin’ hopin’ to have a word with the man myself.  I saw the smolderin’ from a ways off and found you layin’ on the ground when I got there.  Brought you up here.”

The two men sat silent a moment, lost in thought.

“I’d be guessin’ any of those boys who walked away from that mess will be thinkin’ you’re dead so they ain’t goin’ to be likely to come lookin’ for you,” Frank told him.  “The way those Butlers are, as long as there’s any of ‘em left breathin’ they’ll be out to get those they feel sore toward.  As long as they think you died out there, you won’t have to worry about them comin’ to get ya.  We just got to make sure they don’t know you’re still kickin’.”

“You think his men would actually come after me if he’s dead?”  Caleb asked.

“To them it was all just a job, so I don’t see them doin’ much if the money’s stopped flowin’.  I’ve seen men like that be your worst enemy when they’re gettin' paid to fight for some son-a-b***h like Butler, but when the job is over they’ll be your best friend.  Their loyalties only run as deep as the boss’s pocketbook.  They are sure to be outta the fight when there ain’t nothin’ in it for them.”

“What I know about that family, Matt Butler will be up this way soon enough lookin’ to find out what happened to his brother.”

“That’s about right.  Those boys might be back in the fight then.  That is if Matt’s willin’ to pay them what they want.”

“He will too; just to avenge his brother.”

“Men will do just about anything for the honor of their family, especially brothers.  But I can’t say much.  If someone killed my brother I think I’d do the same thing.”

There was a knock at the door and the doctor came back into the room.  “We got a room ready for you upstairs,” he told Caleb.  He then looked at Frank and asked, “Would you help me with him?”

The two men helped Caleb off the table and escorted him up the stairs to his room. 

Doctor Johanssen opened the door and Caleb stepped into the room.  At the far end of the room, a large window let the blinding mid-morning sunlight in.  In the center of the room, sat a small bed dressed out with stark white sheets.  A grey blanket laid folded neatly at the foot.  Next to the bed sat a small wooden table with a washbasin and pitcher sitting on top.  A similar table sat at the foot of the bed and a chair sat against the far wall.

They helped him to the bed.  “The nurse will be in shortly to check up on you,” he informed Caleb before heading out of the room.  He stopped and turned in the doorway.  “If you need anything just pull that cord and it will ring the bell above your bed.”  He motioned to a cord which hung beside the bed’s headboard.  A small silver bell hung several feet above the pillow. 

Caleb laid back on the bed but the pain forced him onto his side facing the window.  He squinted at the sunlight.

“Would you close that?”  He asked Frank, motioning toward the window. 

Frank closed the heavy curtains and pulled the chair up to the side of the bed.

A few moments later a young woman entered the room.  She wore the same grey dress and white apron as the one in the room downstairs.  She carried a pitcher and glass and sat them on the table at the foot of the bed.

“Would you like some water?” She asked Caleb softly.

“No ma’am, I’m alright,” He told her.  “Thank you, though.”

She smiled shyly.  “You need anything else?  Some reading material?  The morning news, perhaps?”  She paused a moment, then continued.  “If you need, I’ll be more than happy to read it to you.  If you’d like me to, of course.”

Caleb looked at Frank with an amused grin.  He thought a moment, then told the nurse, “I’ll take the news, please ma’am.”

“Yes sir,” she told him smiling shyly again.  She turned and moved quickly out of the room, swishing her skirt back and forth as she walked.

As soon as she was out of the room and down the hall, the men looked at each other and began to laugh quietly.

“You sure have a way with the ladies, don’t you?” Frank asked jokingly.

“I just can’t help my good charm.”

“It’s just those boyish good looks of yers,” Frank told him with a nod.

“I damned near gotta beat ‘em off with a stick,” Caleb choked.

The men began to laugh louder.  A moment later the nurse returned with a newspaper in her hand, and the men quieted themselves promptly.

The nurse paid no attention as she raised the paper for them to see and said, “It’s the New York Herald.  Would you like me to read any for you?”

“No ma’am,” Caleb answered.  “That’ll be just fine.  I sure appreciate it, though.”

She smiled widely, bent down in a subtle curtsy and left the room.

They chuckled to themselves as Frank opened the paper and held it out so Caleb could see.  The men scanned the headlines carefully until Caleb’s eyes fell on one that read, “Prominent Boston Man Gunned Down, Reward For Murderer’s Capture.”

Caleb sat up with a grimace as the pain shot through his body.  He grabbed the newspaper from Frank’s hand.  “There!” He said. 

He skimmed the article a moment, then began to read out loud, “Daniel Butler, the son of the prominent Boston businessman, Thomas Butler, was gunned down last evening at a small cabin in the countryside west of the city.  Witnesses believe the culprit to be one Mister Caleb Campbell, who allegedly stationed himself at the small cabin in anticipation of Butler’s return, then mercilessly opened fired on the unarmed man.  Butler was shot in the neck and died of his wounds in the late hours of the night.  The men who accompanied Butler, reported to the Harold that they attempted to stop the said Mister Campbell after he set fire to the property and tried to flee the scene.   He is believed to have been hit at least once and may be injured and seeking a doctor.  Authorities are seeking any information on the whereabouts of the fugitive and warn that he may be armed and extremely dangerous.  He is described to be of average height and build with light brown hair, let to hang against his shoulders, and piercing blue eyes.  The Butler family and local authorities are offering a five hundred dollar reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to his capture.  A one thousand dollar reward is being offered for his immediate capture, dead or alive.”

Caleb looked up at Frank.  “Do you believe this bull?” He asked angrily, tossing the paper to the ground.

“Butler’s men must have gotten to the press first thing.”

“How could they’ve known I wasn’t dead?”

“Could be they did it in anticipation,” Frank suggested.  “Perhaps they thought they could come back for yer body and claim the reward themselves.”

“That would be quite the set up,” Caleb told him with a nod.  “Matt Butler is sure to come this way ‘fore too long.  First place he’s gonna look for me is with the doctors.”  He thought a moment, then continued, “We got to be gettin' me outta here.  Get me set up some place he won’t find me easy.  Would you set me up at yer place for a while?”  He looked to Frank.

“Jess and I was lookin’ to be movin’ on here ‘fore too long.  Seems you best be doin’ the same.”

“I ain’t leavin’.  I got to find out what they done with Elizabeth and my children.  I ain’t leavin’ without them.”

“That is if they ain’t already sent them back off to Boston.  You can bet as soon as Matt Butler gets here that’s exactly where they’re gonna be sendin’ yer family,” Frank told him.  “I’m real sorry Caleb, but I don’t think they’re gonna just hand ‘em over to ya.  You don’t need another fight like you just got out of neither.”

“Well I ain’t runnin’, I ain’t givin’ up, and I ain’t gonna let those son-a-b*****s win,” Caleb insisted.

Frank stood up and reached past Caleb.  He grabbed the cord and rang the bell.

“What are you doin’?” Caleb demanded.

“I’m callin’ for the doc.  I’m gonna see if he’ll let you go.  I’ll set you up at our place for a bit.  Just don’t get too comfortable cause if me and Jess don’t find more work we’ll be movin’ on soon.”

The nurse entered the room.  “You boys needing anything?”  She asked, smiling sweetly at Caleb.

“We need to speak with the doc a moment, ma’am,” Frank told her.

“Yes sir,” she told him.  She turned and left the room swinging her hips as before.

Caleb smiled and shook his head.

“My brother would sure have a time with that one,” Frank commented with a chuckle.

A moment later, the doctor appeared in the doorway. “Yes sir.  What can I do for you?”

“We need to speak with you privately a moment,” Frank told him.

“Okay,” He said. He stepped into the room and pushed the door closed behind him.  “What is it?”

“We’re gonna have to take Caleb back to my cabin, immediately,” Frank told him.

“It would be best if you wait a few days so I can observe his condition,” Doctor Johanssen explained.

“You see, doc, we have ourselves a situation here.”  Frank lifted the newspaper off of the floor and held it up for the doctor to see.  “Caleb’s been falsely accused of a crime and we need to get him out of here and somewhere safe.”

The doctor began to appear nervous.  He shifted his weight and listened.

“Doc, we’re real sorry,” Caleb spoke up.  “We just can’t stay here.  The men who did this to me know I’m still alive and they’re goin’ to come lookin’ for me.  It could put everyone in this buildin’ in a bad situation if they find out I’m here.  We don’t want any more people to get hurt, surely not those who are innocent in all of this.  These men will stop at nothing to get what they want.”

“Are you men in some kind of trouble?  I can call on the authorities if you need,” the doctor offered.

“No!” Caleb busted out.  “No, you can’t do that.  They got them in on it all.”  He took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

“We just need you to let us leave here,” Frank told him.

“If his wounds are not tended to properly he could get an infection and die,” the doctor insisted.  He began to pace back and forth across the room nervously.  “What should keep me from alerting the authorities of a fugitive in my hospital?”

“He’s an innocent man,” Frank told him desperately.  “The story told to the newspaper was grossly exaggerated.  It did not happen this way.  I swear it.”  Frank paused a moment.  “If you wish to keep an eye on his condition then perhaps we can make an arrangement for house calls.  As long as you swear to us not to turn him over.”

The doctor thought a moment.  It seemed, to Caleb, that deep down the doctor believed the men’s story.  “I don’t know.  If I were to be caught aiding a fugitive, I would lose everything.  I would lose my practice and my patients would lose the only hospital for miles.  I would certainly face the noose.”  He took a deep breathe and swallowed hard.

“We wouldn’t let that happen,” Caleb told him.  “If you promised to help us we’d be sure to keep those men from gettin' to you.”

The doctor looked up from the floor.  “And how do you expect to do that if you’re askin’ me to help you out of here?”

“We just don’t want to see anyone here get hurt,” Frank told him.  “Besides that, my brother is a sharp-shooter.  I promise you, if you help us you won’t have anything to worry about.”

“Well,” the doctor said nervously.  “Can I have a few moments to think this through?”

“Just don’t take too long,” Frank told him.  “We gotta get goin’ here real quick.”

The doctor turned to the door.

“And don’t speak a word of this to anyone else,” Caleb warned.

Doctor Johanssen left the room and returned no more than a half hour later with a stack of clothes in his hand.  “Mr. Campbell,” he told Caleb handing him the clothing.  “Get these on and meet me at the foot of the stairs.  We’ll get you loaded up and set out.”

“Thank you,” Caleb told him, relief coming over him.

“We sure do appreciate it,” Frank added gratefully.

Caleb dressed quickly and the men headed out of the room. 

In route to the stairs, they were passed by the young nurse.  She kept her head down and glanced up briefly at Caleb.  Her eyes twinkled and she grinned.

Frank brushed against her as they passed each other in the narrow hallway.  The bundle she carried in her arms fell to the floor.  Frank bent down and helped her gather the items.

“I sure am sorry, ma’am,” he told her as he handed the things over to her.

“It’s alright,” she said, glancing back up at Caleb.

“You know, I got a brother who would just have a time with you,” Frank told her with a smile.  “Oughta send him this way sometime.”

The young nurse giggled shyly and covered her mouth with her fingertips.

“You’d actually subject that poor girl to that ol’ brother of yours?” Caleb asked with a chuckle as they descended the stairs.

Doctor Johannsen met the men at the bottom of the stairs and handed Caleb a wooden cane.  “This’ll help you get along better.  Until you’re all healed up at least.”

“Thank you, doc,” Caleb told him as he shook his hand.  “I do appreciate what you’ve done for me.” 

Caleb walked out a set of double doors and onto the porch of the large white building.  The breeze gently blew a sign, reading “HOSPITAL”, back and forth overhead.

Frank spoke quietly to the doctor a moment, then shook his hand and the men were on their way.

They finally arrived at a small cabin on the banks of the river.  The tiny building sat snug among the tall trees. The powerful river pushed against its banks and rushed down the hill ahead of them.

“Jess and I found this little tract when we first got down here,” Frank informed him.  “Bought it with part of the stash we had saved up and built this little cabin.  It ain’t much but it serves us well.  I’ll let you take my room at the back of the house.  I’ll take the cellar.”

“I don’t mind takin’ the cellar,” Caleb told him. “Suit me just fine and it ain’t such a clear shot for Butler’s men.”

Frank thought a moment.  “Yer probably right.  Go on ahead then and take it.  Just don’t drink all the whiskey and scotch,” Frank joked.

“Jess around?”  Caleb asked.

“No, he’s out paintin’ the town.  I’ll have a talk with him in the mornin’ about you stayin’ here.  He’s still sore about the situation and he’ll probably be drunk when he gets in so it’d be best if you’d just stay outta sight until I get a chance to talk things over with him.

Caleb nodded.