A Killer
A crooked smile spread across Brady’s face, as if he was certain Hope would ask why he’d warned her to stay away from Judah Lawless before the question even entered her mind. “Because his last name is properly fittin’,” Brady replied. “Got two dead wives before the age of thirty. I’d say there’s something to that.”
“Two dead wives?” Hope repeated, her hands flying to cover her mouth. “He… killed them?”
Brady shrugged. “Says he didn’t, a’ course, but then, who would say they did? They ain’t lived here too awful long, him and his sister and her husband. Two kids. Boy and a girl. They bought land out west of town. Built themselves a big old house. Fancy house, too. Heard he was a builder or something up in New York City for a spell, before they moved here from Kansas. Not sure on any of it. His brother-in-law’s a nice enough guy. Paul Pembroke. Who could be scared of a guy named Paul Pembroke?” Brady chuckled, but Hope wasn’t sure why it was funny. “At any rate, I suggest you stay away from ‘im. He seems nice enough, but generally speakin’ there’s truth behind most rumors, least in my experience. Now, you wanna go on in and send yer message? I’ll wait for you here.”
Hope glanced down the walkway and decided Judah Lawless was long gone, so she went ahead and climbed down from the wagon. Almost immediately, she felt like dozens of pairs of eyes were on her, despite the fact that there were not that many people present, and she wondered why she felt that way. Deciding it must be because she was new in town and everyone would be curious about her, she tried putting her shoulders back and her chin up and headed into the bank, a place she should feel comfortable in considering her father and grandfather spent so much of their time in such an institution.
When Hope pushed through the door, she was greeted by what she expected to see. Polished marble floor, intricately carved wooden beams, and two teller stations. The place looked similar to the bank she visited frequently to bring a meal to her father or check in on him when he had to work late. She glimpsed two older gentlemen behind the counter, and although it did seem slightly odd to her that there were thick iron bars between them and the rest of the bank, she thought that must be because there was a higher chance of a robbery here than in Lamar where she’d never seen such a thing before.
She approached the counter, intending to ask directions for how to send a telegram when she overheard a conversation between a pair of women standing near the door. She glanced over to see they looked to be slightly older than her, and while she didn’t mean to hear anything they said, she caught a few words that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“Such a shame God wasted good looks on a killer like him,” the first one said.
“Yes, and he’s so polite, too. Maybe that’s how he lures them in,” replied the second one. She turned her head and noticed Hope staring, raising an eyebrow at her under her dark blue flowered bonnet.
Remembering herself, Hope forced a small smile and then hurried on to the counter. It seemed evident to her that Brady wasn’t the only one who’d heard the stories about Judah Lawless.
“Can I help you, miss?” the teller asked, stepping up to speak to Hope between the bars.
“Yes, I’m new in town, and I’d like to send a telegram to my parents to let them know I’ve arrived safely.”
Before the man could even respond, the other teller, a slightly larger man with a friendly smile, came over and proclaimed, “Why you must be the new schoolteacher!”
Hope felt a rush of color to her cheeks. “Yes, that’s right.” She wondered how in the world he’d surmised that so quickly.
That brought over the two women and a third Hope hadn’t noticed before, and in a few seconds, she felt overwhelmed by all the welcoming statements and handshaking. While she was glad to be appreciated, having so much attention on her made her anxious, and she wished she could just melt back out the door and disappear.
“Now, what is it you wanna say?” the first teller, a man she’d learned was named Harry Garner, asked, a pencil in his hand.
“Just that I’ve made it to McKinney and all is well. That I’ll write them a letter soon.” She thought that would have to do since she certainly wouldn’t try to describe the Howards’ home or Brady’s girth in a telegram.
Mr. Garner jotted her message down on an official form, and Hope gave him the information he needed so that he could send it to her father at the bank. She hoped he’d still be there in time to receive it.
As the teller stepped away to send the message, the women she’d heard speaking at the door continued to chatter. “My daughter will be coming to school,” said the one in the blue hat. “Her name is Elsie. You’ll just love her. She’s so clever.”
Hope smiled, excited to learn about one of her students. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“My son Robert will also be in your class, but his sister isn’t old enough yet. She’s only four,” the other woman, a brunette with a pointy nose stated. “You’ll get her soon enough, though, assuming you stay.” They all laughed, as if there was a chance Hope might run away, and while her laughter was fake, the idea that she might need to get back on that train wasn’t far from her mind.
The third woman was much quieter, but she said, “I don’t have children yet, but when I do, I’ll feel much better knowing they’ve got such a pretty teacher to learn from.”
“Why, thank you,” Hope said with another smile. She had no idea what being pretty and teaching school had to do with each other, but she knew the woman was trying to pay her a compliment, so she accepted.
“All right, Miss Tucker, the message has been sent,” Mr. Garner said, coming back to the window.
“Wonderful. How much do I owe you?” Hope dug into her pocket for her money.
“Oh, no charge, not today,” Mr. Garner replied, causing Hope to look up at him in confusion. “We’re so happy to have you in town, t’would be a shame to charge you to let yer parents know you’re here.”
“That’s Harry Garner for you,” the blue hat woman laughed. “One of the most generous man in town.”
Harry’s cheeks turned red. “Now, don’t you go tellin’ folks that. They’ll all expect free telegrams. And free money, too!”
That caused another roar of laughter, and Hope found herself swept up in the wave again, even though she didn’t think it was all that funny. Still, these people had been kind and welcoming, and she appreciated it.
“Thank you kindly, Mr. Garner.” She did find a genuine smile for the older man and thought he reminded her a little of the teller at her father’s bank who was always so kind.
“Don’t mention it, Miss Tucker. Hope to see you soon.”
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