Chapter 32 -

Caleb seeks out his family and ends up setting fire to the estate where she is staying in a poorly executed, final attempt to get her back. One last tragedy finally convinces Caleb to leave.

          Against the urging of Frank, Caleb started for the Bell estate as the sun began to rise. 

He followed the river until O’Connor’s dock came into view.  He paused and watched the men scramble back and forth across the dock and barges.  A knot formed in his stomach.  He did not want to be caught near the property, by Mr. O’Connor.  He was embarrassed by the actions of his past more so than possibly being shot by the old man.  He rode a wide circle around the dock and then continued along the river.

About midday, a large estate, sitting right on the west banks of the river came into view.  He crossed the river and rode slowly along the banks. 

The whole scene looked to Caleb like a painting he had seen in the window of an artist’s studio in the city.  The hillside was cleared of trees and brush.  The grass was short, bright green, and lush.  It looked to Caleb to be so soft, someone could lay down in it and sleep the best sleep of his life.  A tree lined road wound up the hill to an enormous three story, white house.  The house sat perched on top of the hill and overlooked the waters of the Hudson, like a sentry standing guard.  The front of the house was adorned with four tall columns, which held up a porch stretching the full length of the house and standing two full stories in height.  A slightly pitched roof sat atop it with three large windows protruding from it’s front. 

Caleb had never seen anything like this before.  He had visited the estates of several very rich families in his life, but none of them paled in comparison to this home’s elegance and grandeur. 

He continued to ride his horse, slowly, taking in the beauty and splendor of his surroundings.  He rode up the hill toward the house, remaining cautious and staying out of plain sight in order to avoid incident.  Caleb came upon a small cluster of trees and he dismounted and tied his horse out of sight.  He then continued on foot toward the house.  At this point, even after such a long ride, he still had no plan as to what he would do or say when he approached the door.  All he knew was that he ached to see his family again.

As he came nearer to the house he heard a child’s laughter.  He turned and looked to his left, to see a woman and two small children playing in the yard past the far side of the house.  He started toward them and as he drew closer he saw the woman was Elizabeth and the children were Hannah and Mark.

Elizabeth was hardly recognizable to him.  She was dressed in a full dress that swept the ground, adored with ruffles around the skirt, wrists, and neck.  Her hair was pulled back and let to lay against her back in one big golden curl.  Her cheeks seemed brighter and rosier than he could recall having ever seen them.  She rested her hands on top of her plump, full belly as she stood and watched the children play.

“Hannah,” She called.  “Would you head on up to the house?  Take your brother.  I’ll be along shortly.”

“Yes ma’am,” Hannah answered, taking her brother by the hand and bounding up the hill toward the house.

Caleb made his way quietly toward Elizabeth and crept up behind her.  He reached out and ran his fingertips lightly against the back of her arm.  She gasped and turned quickly to face him. 

A look of shock spread across her face when she saw him standing there.  “What are you doing here?”  She demanded.

“I had to see you and the children.”

“How…how did you know where to find me?”

“I have been looking for you for months now.”

“You can’t be here.  You have to leave,” she told him looking around quickly.  “My cousin has been keeping a close watch on us.”

“He is keeping you prisoner here.  Please come back with me,” Caleb told her.

“I don’t want to.  I like it here.  I’m finally happy again.  Please, you have to leave.”

“I didn’t kill Daniel like the paper claimed,” he told her.

Elizabeth lowered her head.  “I know you didn’t.  The best you can do now, for all of us, is leave.  Please,” she plead.  “Just let us be.”

“But what about my children?  What about the one that is on the way?”

“They are all doing very well.  They are getting an education I could only dream of providing for them and they are so well taken care of here.  Now please, just leave us be.  I promise I won’t speak a word of this to Matthew if you just leave and don’t come back.”

“I can’t do that.  You know that.”

“You have to.  I must go.”  She turned and headed toward the house leaving Caleb alone.

He remained on the estate for a while longer and finally, as evening approached, mounted his horse and rode back toward the cabin.

Late that night, when he got back to the cabin, he let himself quietly into the cellar and popped the cork out of a bottle of whiskey.  He hadn’t had a drink in several months; not since Elizabeth had taken the children and left.  Now he sat alone in the darkness, trying to drink her out of his mind.

 

A blinding light flooded into the cellar and across Caleb’s face as the outside doors were lifted open.  Caleb awoke quickly and sat up, his head began to pound hard.  He peered up at the opening.  Two dark figures stood against the glare of the early morning sunlight.  Panic hit Caleb in an instant.  It’s happening, He thought.  They have found me.  This is it.

“You comin’?”  Jess called from the top of the stairs.

Caleb rubbed his eyes and squinted up at the men.  Jess and Frank stood over the opening looking down at him.

“You been drinkin’ our whiskey, haven’t you?”  Jess asked seeing the empty bottle laying on the floor next to Caleb.

“You went out to the Bell’s yesterday?”  Frank asked.  “What happened?”

“You didn’t go get yourself in more trouble did you?”  Jess asked, accusingly.

“No…no more trouble,” Caleb answered.  He started to slowly get up from the floor but the nausea he felt forced him back down.  He put his hand on his forehead and moaned.

“Now you too sick to work?” Jess commented.

“No…I ain’t too sick.  I’ll be alright.”  He got to his feet slowly, putting his hand on the sod wall for support.

“You sure you’re gonna make it alright?” Frank asked with concern.

“I’ll make it.  Just gotta get some fresh air.”  He climbed the steps slowly, squinting in the bright morning light.

Caleb rode with the men to Marcus’ livery, keeping his head down the entire ride and moaning occasionally from the nausea and headache.

When they arrived, Marcus saw Caleb’s condition and asked, “You alright?  You gonna be able to work today?”

“He just tapped into the whiskey last night,” Jess told him.  “Just need to work it off of him.”

“I’ll be alright,” Caleb told them.

“You go see your wife yesterday?” Marcus asked curiously.

“I went up there.  She didn’t want to see me.  Damn Butler has her head full of all sorts of crazy ideas.  That son-a-b***h will stop at nothin’ to ruin me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’ll get her back.  I ain’t backin’ down that easy.  It ain’t my way.”

The men got to work, but as the summer sun began to blaze down on them, Caleb’s headache and nausea worsened.  He sweated profusely.  Finally his body became so weak he could no longer hold himself up.  Suddenly everything went black.

When he came to, he was laying in a bed in the house, undressed and padded down with cool wet rags.  Luanne sat in a chair in one corner of the room and watched him as he began to stir.

“What happened?”  He asked.

“You got too hot and fainted,” she told him.  “You need to drink some water.”  She got up and poured him a glass from a pitcher on the bed stand.

Caleb sat up slowly and took the glass from her.  He began to gulp the water quickly, holding the glass with both hands.

Luanne put her hand lightly on his.  “Don’t drink it so fast.  It will make things worse.  Just take slow sips.”

Caleb followed her directions, and finished the glass.  His headache had dissipated and he no longer felt sick to his stomach as he had before.  Now, he only felt unbelievably thirsty.

Luanne handed him another glass of water and reminded him, “Slow sips.”

When he finished this glass, he tried to get out of the bed, but Luanne but her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

“You need to stay and rest a while longer.  We don’t need you fainting again.”

“I’ll be alright now.  I can go back to work,” Caleb argued.

“No, you just lay back down and get some more rest.  I’ll let you know when I think you’re well enough to return to work.”

Caleb laid slowly back down against the mattress.  Soon he had drifted off to sleep again.  That evening, Luanne and Ruth brought a tray piled with food for dinner and after eating he went back to sleep.  He slept until the sun shined brightly through the bedroom window and across his face.

“Good morning,” Luanne greeted him, when he opened his eyes.  “Are you feeling better now?”

Caleb sat up in the bed.  All of the effects of the alcohol he had felt the day before were gone.  He was now well rested and ready to begin his work again.  “Yes,” he answered.  “Very much so.”

“Good,” she told him with a smile.  “Well, if you are up to it, I have breakfast on the table downstairs.  You may join us before you head out to work this morning.”

“That’d be nice,” he told her.  “Thank you.”  He started out of the bed, but stopped, suddenly remembering his nakedness.  He pulled the sheet snuggly around his waist.

Catching his uncomfortable gaze, Luanne grabbed the pile of clothes from a nearby chair and placed them on the foot of the bed.  “I’ll leave you to get dressed.”

“Thank you.”

 

Several weeks went by before Caleb could build up the courage to return to the Bell Estate.  He longed to see his wife and children again.  Elizabeth did not want to see him, but he could not go on with out her, he thought.  He had stopped drinking for a time, but after his visit to the estate he had begun to more frequently again. 

If I can just see them again.  If I can only convince Elizabeth to come back, then I can stop this awful chain.  He thought to himself.  If I can only have another chance, I can turn things around.  I will appreciate them more now.  I will cherish every moment now.  If I can only get away from New York and start new again, away from the Butler’s and the Meyers’ then things will be good.  I can have my family back, and this time we will be happy.

After weeks of convincing himself of this, he finally made the journey back up the Hudson toward the Bell Estate.  He left his horse tied in the same cluster of trees as before and then started toward the house.  This time something stopped him and he could only stand and stare at the looming mansion.  He stood in his spot for what could have been any where from minutes to hours.  Caleb was not sure how long he stood there, just staring up and the massive building.  He was jarred from his thoughts by a man’s voice nearby.

“Sir?” the man asked.  “May I help you?”

Caleb looked around him before catching the gaze of a short round man.  His hair was receding making his forehead appear twice its natural size and he wore a small pair of thin-framed glasses.  He was dressed in tattered and dirty clothing.

“What is your business here, sir?”

“I am here for Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth, sir?”

“My wife.  Her and my children are staying here.”

“Are you mister Campbell?”

“Yes.”

“You really should not be here,” the man informed him.  He leaned in slightly and spoke in almost a whisper.  “There are people looking for you.  Bad people.”

“I know.  I need to see my wife.”

“Her cousin is a nasty fella,” he told him.  “If he were to find out you were here…well…he’d probably shoot you.”

“I know, but I must see her.”

“The only way you are going to see her, is to go inside the house,” the man told him.  “The doctor has her kept to bed rest.”  He paused a moment and studied Caleb’s face.  “I am sorry.  You did know about the child, did you not?”

“Yes,” Caleb replied.  “That is one reason I need to see her.”

“Well, she can not come down to see you.  You certainly do not want to go up to see her.  Those men are watching the whole place.”  Then as if suddenly remembering something, he said, “In fact, if I get caught speaking with you, it would not be good for me.  I really must be getting back to my work.”

“Will you keep our meeting between us?” Caleb asked.

“I will try…if they haven’t already seen.  Those Butler boys are trouble.  I am almost inclined to side with any of their enemies, only because I know the kind they are.  I’m sure you are not as guilty a man as they claim.  Only an innocent victim yourself.”  He stopped a moment and looked around.  “I must go before they find me speaking with you.”

“If I return later, will you keep me updated on Elizabeth’s condition?”

“If I still have a head, then I will.  ‘Thy enemy of my enemy is my friend.’  My wife works in the house, so I will ask her to keep me informed.”

“Thank you,” Caleb told him as they parted ways.

Caleb continued to make visits to the estate every few weeks.  He met with the man on several of the visits and each time Elizabeth’s condition remained the same.  She and the baby were doing well, but the doctor would not lift his bed rest order.  He insisted that it would be best for her to rest until the birth.

Caleb’s drinking habits began to resurface, as well.  After he would go to the estate, he would return to the cabin and pop the cork out of a bottle of liquor.  Every morning after would play out nearly the same way.  He would wake up sick, go to the livery to work, and then be forced to leave for the cabin as the heat of the day approached.  Often times he would retire on the river banks where he would have the cool breezes and cool waters of the river to soothe away his sickness.

Marcus became concerned with Caleb’s inability to work through many days.  He confronted him on showing up to work in his condition, but Caleb would only grow angry with this.  Jess and Frank also grew concerned and tried to convince him to get his behavior under control, but again, this only angered Caleb.

As winter approached, Caleb decided he would try to put more time between his visits to the Bell Estate.  He was unable to see Elizabeth at this time so he felt it was almost useless to visit anyway.  He realized his increased drinking was, at least in part, a result of his visits and constant let downs.  Therefore, he came to the decision to wait it out for a while.  It pained him to be unable to attend the birth of his newest child, but he knew he would never be allowed into the house.  It was best, he thought, to continue to work and save his money until after the child’s birth.  When Elizabeth would finally be healthy and strong enough to travel, he would return to the estate and take them away.

One evening, after dinner had been eaten, Luanne came to Caleb with an update on Elizabeth.

“Have you heard the news?” Luanne told him as he put his coat on.

“What news?”

“Oh, I would have certainly thought you would have heard the news by now,” she told him with a smile.  “Have you not been out to the Bell’s for a while?”

“No,” he told her.  Then with a hint of impatience in his voice he asked, “What has happened?”

“Elizabeth has had the baby,” she announced excitedly.

“When?”

“About two weeks ago.”
          “How are they?”

“The baby is doing great.  A beautiful baby girl.  Janie told me she looks just like her mother.  A face like a china doll.  They named her Katherine.”

“How about Elizabeth?”

“Oh, Elizabeth is fine as well.  She was on bed rest for a while afterwards, but the doctor has since taken her off and she is up and moving about again,” she paused a moment and smiled wide.  She seemed to be lost in thought.  She then snapped out of her thoughts and asked, “Now that she is off of bed rest, are you going to go see her again?”

“Yes,” he told her.  “As soon as possible.”

“I will speak with Marcus.  I will make sure he allows you to go out there and see her.”

“Thank you,” Caleb told her.

 

A few days later, Caleb made another trip to the Bell Estate.  He rode up the hill toward the house and left his horse tied in the cluster of trees as he had always done before. 

He approached the door of the house and took the heavy brass knocker in his hand.  The thud echoed loudly through the large house as the knocker fell hard against the door.  A moment later, the heavy door swung open and a woman dressed in a neatly pressed black dress greeted him.

“Yes, sir?  How may I help you?”

“I am here to see Elizabeth Campbell,” he told her.

“Alright.  Who may I say is calling on her?” the woman asked sweetly.
          “I am her husband.”

“Oh,” the woman said, almost surprised.  “Alright.  Come in.”  She stepped aside and directed him into a lavishly decorated entry hall.  “I will be right back.”  She rushed hurriedly out of the room through a set of double doors across from the main entry.

Caleb looked around him.  The walls were papered with a pale pink cover, embellished with small white flowers and bordered on top and bottom by a gold trim.  Two ornately carved chairs, with a dark stain and light pink cushions sat on either side of the double doors leading out of the room into the main house.  Two long windows on either side of the front door let light shine in from outside.  Overhead, hanging from a tall ceiling, was an ornately decorated brass chandelier, with candles strategically placed on a number of small round platforms.

“Sir,” a booming voice called, shaking Caleb from his observations. 

He looked toward the double doors, where the man stood tall and straight in his black suit.

“I am Michael Bell.  What can I do for you?” he asked.

“I have come to see my wife, Elizabeth,” Caleb informed him.

“I guess I can not be too surprised to see you here.  I figured it would only be a matter of time before you learned of her whereabouts and came for her.  You know that it is not wise for you to be here, do you not?”  The man looked him up and down.

“I would just like to see my wife and children.”

“You are a wanted man.  What is to keep me from turning you over to the authorities?  I understand there is quite a reward out for your capture.”

“I understand that as well.  I don’t expect you to believe me, but the incident with Butler did not happen the way the newspaper is claimin’,” Caleb explained to the man.  “I just wish to see my family.  I am not here to hurt anyone, or cause any trouble.”

“Matthew Butler is set on seeing you hang for killing his brother.”

“I know.  I just want to see my family,” Caleb insisted.

“I do not think that is going to be possible today.  It would be in your best interest to leave.”

“I can’t leave until I see my family,” Caleb told him desperately.

“You really had better.  I do not believe Elizabeth would wish herself or any of the children to see you shot.  I would hope you would not want that for them either.  In that case, it would be best for you to leave, now.”

“Is Butler here?” Caleb asked.

“He will be soon enough.  If you do not heed my advice immediately, I will have you held here until he returns and then he will deal with you as he feels fit.”

Caleb finally decided to leave the estate, knowing how devastating it would be for his family to watch him battle with Matt Butler.  While he felt, he would easily overtake the man, he did not want his family to be witness to such a horrific act.  He turned and walked calmly out the front door of the house.  He returned to his horse and then headed back for the cabin.

Butler will pay for this.  He told himself on his ride.  Butler will pay for keeping me from my family.  He will pay for all the hardship his entire family has brought upon me.

When he returned to the cabin, he once again retired to the cellar and drowned himself in a bottle of whiskey.  By morning he was passed out, face down on the cool damp, dirt floor. 

He was awoken by Jess, who had come down the cellar stairs and found him in his condition.  Jess reached down and grabbed him by the back of the collar.  Before Caleb knew what had happened, he was on his feet and face to face with Jess. 

“You been drinkin’ our whiskey again?” he demanded, getting in Caleb’s face.

Caleb blinked off the sleep and wobbled backwards.

          “You been drinkin’ our whiskey?” Jess repeated.

          “Suppose I have,” Caleb told him, rubbing his eyes.  His head began to pound.

          “You gonna start more trouble for us?  You gonna make us lose another job?”

          “No,” Caleb objected.  “I ain’t startin’ any trouble or losin’ anybody their jobs.”

          Jess took a step forward toward Caleb and pulled his gun.  He jabbed him in the stomach with the barrel and looked angrily into his eyes.

          “Jess!” Frank called from the top of the stairs.  “Come on.  Let’s go.”

          “Just makin’ sure Caleb doesn’t start no trouble for us again today,” he told his brother, reholstering his gun.  “You better not start no trouble for us,” he told Caleb, then turned and headed up the stairs behind Frank.

          Caleb dressed and headed for the livery behind Frank and Jess.

          When they arrived, Marcus immediately saw the condition Caleb had once again shown up in.  “You’re not workin’ for me today,” he told him.

          “What!” Caleb demanded.

          “You’re not workin’ for me today.  You can come back to work when you’re not sick off the bottle.”

          “I’m not sick off the bottle,” Caleb argued.

          “You still stink of it.  Now get on home.  We don’t need you slowin’ us down and chasin’ off my business.  Now go on.  Come back to work when you are well.”

          “I am well,” Caleb told him, pushing past him and starting for the barn.

          Marcus turned and grabbed his arm as he passed him.  “I said you’re not workin’ today.  Now get on your way.”

          Caleb spun on his heels and pulled his gun on Marcus.  Within seconds, Jess and Frank were at his side.

          “Now, don’t do nothin’ stupid,” Frank told him.

          “Yeah, don’t do nothin’ stupid,” Jess chimed.  “You wouldn’t want to get shot or anything.”  Caleb felt the barrel of Jess’ gun dig into his side.  “I’ve been waitin’ to shoot you for a while now.  You gonna give me that chance today?”

          Caleb lowered his gun.

          “Now, just get on home,” Marcus told him again.

          Jess jabbed him harder.  “Well, what you gonna do?”

          “I’m goin’,” Caleb answered, irritated.  “I’m gettin' the hell outta here.”  He placed his gun back in its holster and stormed angrily away. 

          He rode his horse back to the cabin, where he sat in the dark dusky cellar, finishing the bottle he had started the night before.  He sat and thought.  This is all the fault of the Butlers.  They have no right to keep me from my family.  He decided he would go back to the estate and this time he would take Elizabeth and the children away.  He would get his family back if he had to fight a bloody battle for them.  Then they would leave the country and get far from the Butlers, as they should have done years ago.

          He grabbed his guns and stumbled out into the bright morning sunlight.  He rode quickly up the river and approached the estate as the sun was reaching its peak in the midday sky.

          He rode up the hill and as he was about to tie his horse, he noticed something. 

Elizabeth and the children came out the front door and approached a carriage, which waited for them in front of the house.  Elizabeth carried a bundle in her arms and the children were gathered all around her.  Matt Butler came out of the house behind them and rushed to Elizabeth’s side.  He helped her up the steps and into the carriage and then lifted the children, one by one into the carriage behind her. 

Caleb became hot over what he witnessed.  He become even more so as he watched Butler climb into the carriage and ride away down the hill.

Butler cannot take my family.  He told himself.  It then struck him, he must destroy Elizabeth’s refuge in order to take her back.  It was not only Butler’s fault for him losing her, but the fault of the Bell’s for keeping her in their home.  Mr. Bell would not even allow him in to see his wife and children, when he asked.  He knew, if he could have only gotten into the house to speak with Elizabeth, he could have convinced her to come back to him.  Then they could have started over again.  This time he would have done things right.  However, between Matt Butler and Mr. Bell’s alliance against him, he was denied his chance to repair his relationship with his family.  He decided he had to destroy the Bell’s, the way they had aided in destroying him.

When the carriage had crossed the river and disappeared through the trees, Caleb snuck up to the house.  He inched up to an open window on the side of the house and peaked in.  The room stood empty, so he let himself in quietly and carefully.  A lamp, full of oil, sat on a table nearby.  He unscrewed the top and spilled some of the oil out onto the furniture.  He then snuck back out the window and doused the curtains with the remaining oil.  Digging through his pockets, he found a small box of matches which he struck and lit the curtains.  The oil ignited quickly.  He then lit another match and tossed it through the window.  It landed in a puddle of kerosene and a large flame erupted.  Caleb dropped the lamp and ran quickly from the scene of his crime.

Caleb hid in the trees where he had tied his horse and watched as the flame grew quickly and engulfed the side of the house.  He heard a woman inside scream and then a flood of people came out the front door. 

Caleb sat and watched the affair as the house’s staff scrambled and fought in vain to put the fire out. 

Caleb finally heard the sound of a team of horses coming up the road toward the house.  He watched as the carriage, which had carried Elizabeth and the children away, pulled quickly up.  The door swung open and Elizabeth flew down the steps and across the yard, screaming hysterically.

Butler jumped out of the carriage and ran after her.  He stopped her and grabbed her up in his arms.

“No!” she screamed.  “No!”

Caleb got a large lump in his throat, watching Elizabeth’s reaction to the fire he had set.  He got sick to his stomach and was forced to turn away from the scene.  He mounted his horse and rode off, keeping himself carefully concealed among the trees.

 

Caleb awoke sprawled out on the cellar floor the next morning.  The memories of the fire and Elizabeth’s screams, seemed now to be a strange and distant nightmare.

He decided against returning to the livery and facing Marcus, Jess, and Frank.  Instead, he cleaned himself up and rode to town.  As he slowly made his way through the streets of the city, he noticed there seemed to be a new buzz in the air.  Perhaps, he thought, it was only his imagination.  He was beginning to feel paranoid that his deeds would be discovered.  He stopped in front of a mercantile and tied his horse.

Two women in the mercantile stood in front of the counter, speaking with the old merchant.

“Have you heard about the fire at the Bell’s yesterday?” one woman asked.

“Yes,” the merchant told her.  “The whole story is right here in the Herald.”  He held up the newspaper he had spread across the counter.

“What happened?” the other woman asked curiously.

“There was a horrible fire at the Bell Estate yesterday afternoon.  They lost almost half of the house before they were able to put it out,” the first woman explained.

“Oh, my!” said the second woman with astonishment.  “It was such a lovely home.”

“That is not the worse part of it,” the merchant reported.  “There was an infant child and her caretaker caught in the fire.”

“Oh!  Did they make it out?”

“The nanny was badly burned and the baby was lost,” he replied.

“Oh!  So terrible.”

“I heard the fire may have been set,” the first woman told.

“Yes,” the merchant replied.  “It says right here, ‘The fire is suspected to be no accident.  A man going by the name of Caleb Campbell, is thought to hold a grudge against both the Bell and Butler families after his wife and children took refuge in the Bell home several months ago.  Mr. Campbell is also a suspect in the murder of his wife’s cousin, and prominent Bostonian, Daniel Butler, who was gunned down at a cabin near the city earlier this year.’”

“Oh, my!” the woman exclaimed.  “I remember that horrible story.”  She paused and took a deep breath, then continued, “They think the same man did it?  What a monster!  It is one thing to kill a man in cold blood, but now to take the life of a child.  I hope they catch him.”

“And give him the noose,” the other woman added.

“Yes, indeed,” said the merchant.

Caleb backed quietly out of the store, none of the patrons even noticing his presence, and rode quickly out of the city and back to the cabin, where he hid in the cellar.

Shortly after dark, Jess and Frank arrived.  Frank opened the door to the cellar and peered down into the darkness.

“Caleb, you here?” he asked.

“I’m here,” he answered.

“I need to speak with you a moment.  It is not good news I received today.”

Caleb drudged slowly up the stairs.  Jess sat in a chair near the fireplace and glared up at him as he came into the room.

“What is it?” Caleb asked.

“Marcus and Luanne told us of a terrible disaster that occurred at the Bell Estate yesterday,” Frank started.

“I know,” Caleb told him.  “I know about the fire.”

“You know?” Frank asked bewildered.

“I went into the city this morning and I overheard a couple of women discussing it.  It was in the Herald this morning.”

Frank looked at him sideways and Caleb hung his head in shame.

“You didn’t have anything to do with it, did you?”

Caleb collapsed into a nearby chair and buried his face in his hands.  He began to sob loudly.  “I didn’t mean to,” he said.  “I didn’t mean to hurt her.  I only wanted my family back.  I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”  He looked up at Frank, tears streaming down his face.  “I killed her,” he sobbed.  “I killed my daughter.”

Frank stood and watched Caleb.  He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. 

Jess sat up straight in his chair and watched Caleb a moment before speaking up,  “We should have turned him in,” he said.  “We should have taken the son-a-b***h straight to Butler and collected our one thousand dollars.”

“Jess, just butt outta this, will ya!” Frank snapped.

“I think we outta just shoot the b*****d now, so he don’t go off and hurt nobody else.”

“I think, you outta just sit there and shut your goddamn mouth,” Frank directed angrily.  “And I think you outta get the hell outta this country,” he told Caleb.  “Butler comes along here and finds out we’ve been keepin’ you here, he ain’t gonna let us off no way.  I ain’t never been afraid of no goddamn Butler, but I don’t aim to be driven out by one of them sons-a-b*****s again neither.”

“When is the burial?” Caleb asked through his tears. 

“It don’t seem to me, it would be wise of you to show up at her burial.  Although, I don’t figure, from the way Luanne explained, there is goin’ to be much to bury.”

“I just need one last chance to say goodbye before I go.  I need to tell Elizabeth just how sorry I am.  Then I will be on my way.”

“You know Butler will be there.  And I’m sure the Bell’s will have someone there watchin’ for you as well.”  Frank shook his head.  “You sure know how to make enemies.”

“When is it?” Caleb asked again.  “I will take my chances.  God knows I deserve anything they’d do to me anyway.  Perhaps it would be best if they got a hold of me.  Then Elizabeth wouldn’t have to be hurt anymore.”

“Tomorrow,” Frank told him, regretfully.  “The service is tomorrow, at the cemetery up on the hill, where they buried Gracie.”