Aaron dashed through the rain, coat pulled over his head, and boots sloshing in quickly forming puddles. He stopped outside the cabin door and sheltered under the meagre overhang, adjusting his clothes and fixing his crushed hat. The sudden shout from inside had him pressing his ear to the door as he called Harriet's name.
When she didn't answer, he tried the door, finding it open, and pushed his way inside.
"He has a gun, Aaron!"
He stopped short as she screamed his name. "Thomas! What the devil . . .?"
The lone oil lamp cast a valiant light but only created eerie shadows in the small room. Outside, the rain lashed the single window and those same shadows wriggled across the occupants.
"Stay back or I'll shoot her." Wilkes struggled to hold her around the neck as he backed up against the wall.
"Thomas, what are you doing? Let her go. Put down that gun."
"Stay back! You're part of it too. Protecting these women, pretending you're trying to help."
"Thomas, you're not making sense. Put the gun down, and we can talk this out."
"Talking. Yes, that's what you do isn't it? Talk. Clever words to bend and hide the truth—"
A sudden flash of light flooded the room through the window, followed by a deafening crack of thunder; Thomas yelped and stared at the window, his gun hand swinging in that direction. Aaron dove at him and the three of them fell to the floor in a tangle. Harriet banged her head and shoulder on the wall, rolling away with a short cry. Thomas waved his gun around and Aaron blocked it with his leg as the two men wrestled for an advantage.
In a blind panic of flailing arms and legs, Thomas kicked free of the others and ran for the door, throwing it open and tumbling down in the collecting puddles. He lurched to his feet, throwing a last desperate look at the door then plunged into the storm toward town.
Aaron helped Harriet to her feet, assured she was all right, and took off after Thomas. The rain stung against his face and he had to shield his eyes, but he could see him staggering up the middle of the street, and he called out. Thomas stopped, swaying slightly, turning and firing a shot in Aaron's direction.
Relaxing in his office, Sheriff Becker heard the shot and dropped his coffee mug, drawing his gun and rushing out his office door. The rain blinded him momentarily then he saw the figure on the road, waving a gun around, and called out. Thomas spun back in the direction of the voice and fired wildly.
Becker aimed and fired back, seeing the man slip and stumble to one knee on the muddy road, then fall over and roll slowly, toppling into the drainage ditch. Aaron arrived the same time as Becker, and they stood silently looking at Thomas's body, face down in the rising water.
****
Avery sat at his desk staring at the wording he had composed for the telegraph he planned to send the Governor regarding Thomas Wilkes. A long, confused meeting had been held in the hotel dining room after the burial, yielding a lot of puzzled explanations and arguments.
With her departure delayed, once again Harriet had been forced to try and explain what Thomas had said when he attacked her, and Aaron had added his version in support. Sheriff Becker could only say he had called out to the shooter, emphasizing he didn't know who it was in the storm, and was obliged to return fire in self defence. Doc's contribution was his observation about Thomas's headaches after the shooting, saying his actions might have been caused by trauma from his fall and the wound he received.
The Mayor sighed and slumped back in his chair. Two deaths, both due to some kind of mental aberration caused by violent events. Mayhew would never accept that for Wilkes, he thought, the woman, yes, but not Wilkes. That thought made him ponder Harriet Folio's arguments for some kind of treatment in cases like those, and how women were viewed through a smaller window in many aspects of the law. While he had wanted her gone for so long, now that it was a fact, he was regretting the loss to the town.
He called Enid and asked her to read it over then send it off to County.
****
Aaron provided a wagon to transport Harriet's trunks up to the hotel to meet the stage. They said little to one another and stayed silent as he accompanied her to the library to say goodbye to Cassie.
"Oh, I'm coming up to see you off. Rosa will watch the library meanwhile."
"One of your students?" Aaron inquired.
"Yes. And her sister is watching over the junior school class."
"You seem to have organized things quite quickly." Harriet smiled, taking the woman's hand. "I know you will be a huge success here, and I promise to write when I get settled."
"I'm beholden to you, Harriet, for this opportunity."
"I'm sure Aaron will help you in that regard, as he did me." She turned and gave him a mischievous smile.
"Well I've already learned he liked Great Expectations, so perhaps we can assist each other."
Harriet smothered a laugh and turned away with a wave, while Aaron, frozen and turning red, could only wish he was invisible.
****
A small crowd had gathered where the stage would stop and Harriet began to feel like Aaron had. Many of the ladies who were in the book reading gatherings closed in on her with best wishes, and thanks for her time in their town. Sheriff Becker and the Doc stood back, smiling and nodding acknowledgement of the status she had achieved.
Colleen came out and gave her a smothering hug, backing away as Avery stepped up, hat in hand, and a sad smile. He made his little speech, admitting his initial reluctance, and then praised her for giving Tuckerville a fresh way of recognizing the worth of all people, not as was done in the past.
A shout went up announcing the arrival of the stage and everyone began shuffling and moving about, throwing waves and sharing brief hand grips. Cassie moved in for a long hard hug then backed away so Aaron could say his last goodbye.
"Guess this is it." The words sounded sad.
"Thank you for everything, Aaron. I won't forget your help and kindness. I will write and perhaps we could correspond as the friends I feel we've become."
"I look forward to it. Best of luck with your plans and have a safe journey." The last made them both look down, and squeeze each other's fingers. Aaron leaned forward and kissed her cheek then helped her aboard the waiting stage.
As the door closed, a panting John ran up, skidding to a halt, waving a paper.
"I wrote an article and printed it special about your leaving, Miss Folio." He handed it through the window and stood back, out of breath, and grinning hopefully.
"How very thoughtful, John. It will be an interesting way to pass the journey. It will also provide a souvenir to remember this town and all you wonderful people."
"That was nice, John." Aaron threw an arm around his apprentice. "I hope you proofread it." He gave his shoulder a squeeze and laughed.
The stage rocked as the driver called to the team, and pulled away with a jerk. A chorus of farewells rose from the gathering of waves and cheers. Aaron sighed and flipped his hat in his hand then turned to head back to his office.
"Do you have a minute, Aaron?" Cassie came alongside, and he stopped. "Harriet and I discussed some new ideas for reading groups, and I wondered if we could discuss how best to promote them."
"You mean now?" He looked around and saw the last of the stage as it turned out of sight.
"Maybe over a coffee . . .?"
"Sure. Yes. I guess so."
Her arm slipped into his, and they turned back toward the hotel. He thought back to Harriet's subtle comments each time they were talking with Cassie, and he chuckled to himself, thinking how women, while battling suppression in open society, could still manage a powerful influence in the background.
END
Author's Note:
Harriet Folio is a character first introduced in the long-running collaboration (7th year) of the wild western, Busted Gulch.
It is a more serious look at her days prior to arriving, and settling, in that legendary town. There have been a few spin-offs over the years, and this is just the latest.
I hope her tale made for an entertaining read, and I thank all those who voted and commented along the way.