“Good, good, yes that's good. Now, how long has your Papa been... uh, shall we say well again?” He asked, watching her face.
“Papa, well, he has come out of his deep mourning only recently.” She said, quietly.
“When your Papa was, well, ah, not like himself was he given to wandering around or anything? Like at night, or any other time for that matter?”
“No! Papa just stayed in the bedroom! He seldom left it; in fact he didn't even go to the barn.”
Jessica's mind was spinning. She felt as though a cold hand was gripping her heart. What was the man asking about Papa for anyway? The man he was looking for was a monster, a crazy man...oh, dear God! No, this couldn't be! She knew that some people had been saying things about Papa. That he was 'touched' or ‘off’ and yes, there had been those that whispered about him even going so far as to call him crazy. Surely this Constable could not have any suspicions about Papa! She decided to be very careful how she answered these questions. Suddenly she did not like this Constable at all. She wished he would leave right now! She realized he was saying something to her and looked at him. “Oh, I am sorry, what was that again?”
“I said would you have known? I mean, whether your Papa had left the house or not? Did you go in and check on him or anything like that, especially at night?”
“No, of course I didn't keep check on him! I know though, if anyone had entered the house or left it during the night I certainly would have heard them”
“Unless, they didn't want you to hear them leave.” He mumbled under his breath.
“I'm sorry Constable, what was that?” She asked, although she had heard what he said.
“Nothing, nothing. Why don't you go ahead and fetch your Papa now, Miss Jessica?”
‘I will be right back with him and Tommy, Constable.” Jessica replied.
“Thank you Miss.”
Jessica left the room with all the calm dignity she could muster considering her legs felt wooden and her stomach felt as though it was full of lead. She didn't know what to do! She was frightened, very frightened. Just because they had labeled the monster that brutalized little Carrie as a crazy man, it seemed people were being wild enough to think it was Papa! Was this all because people had called him crazy during his mourning? Papa had only been crazy with grief. Not insane. Not some hideous monster to be held in suspicion. Oh, dear Lord, please don't let this happen...Let this be some nightmare... This just cannot happen... I won't let it! I will lie for Papa if that is what it’s going to take. So will the boys when I tell them what this man is inferring about our very own Papa! “Please, please, Lord.” She prayed silently, “You saw fit to take our Mama from us but please, don't take our Papa too!”
Jessica called to Tommy and Papa who were upstairs still working on all the preparations for the move. Tommy stuck his head around the corner when he heard her call. “What is it Jess?”
“Oh, Tommy the Constable is here and he wants to talk to Papa. Would you come down too?”
When all of them had once again assembled at the table, the Constable went through the normal, routine questions with them, as he had with Jessica earlier. When he had finished he sat around for a while and just visited. When he made ready to leave, though, he looked at John inquiringly for a moment and then requested that he step out on the porch with him.
While John was outside with the Constable Jessica quickly told Tommy how he had questioned her and what she thought he was insinuating with those questions. Tommy's fair complexion became very mottled as the red indicating his rage crept up his neck and onto his face. He felt the same as Jessica did. It was simply a matter of stupid people connecting the word crazy. Since Papa was the only one anyone had heard of lately described as crazy, people just connected the two. However, it was obvious that both of John Ferrall's children were worried, deeply worried about this situation.
It seemed like Papa and the Constable had been out on the porch for hours. Jessica wished she had looked at the Grandfather clock on the mantle when they had actually gone out there so she would know for sure how long it had been. Since she had been keeping track though, it had been nearly three quarters of an hour, and they were still out there. She exchanged yet another worried look with Tommy. She wished fervently she could hear what they were saying, but all you could hear was the low rumble of their voices, not the actual words. Waiting was pure torture for both of them. When the door finally opened, admitting their Papa they both chimed, “Is everything alright, Papa?”
John Ferrall had a grim look on his face, and was in deep thought as he came back into the kitchen and only looked up when his children spoke. “Everything is just fine. Just a few things that the Constable and I had to talk about, that's all.”
Again, Tommy and Jessica exchanged a worried look. Jessica said, “Papa that man asked me some very insulting questions! Questions, that indicated to me that he might be making some wild accusations about you in connection with this horrible thing that happened to Carrie.”
"Well, I don't think he feels that way after our talk. Now, come on, we best be getting some supper down before it’s ruined.”
“But Papa, what did he say to you?” Tommy asked.
“It’s like I said, and it’s nothing to be concerned about. Now let’s eat!”
Jessica called to Jacob to come and eat. When all had been seated around the table and the Grace said the meal began. Jacob kept up a lively conversation with Papa. His face showed his joy at having his Papa act like he used to again. Meanwhile, John's other two children were very quiet. Each lost in their own world of thought. Their faces clearly reflected that these thoughts were very troubling to them both.
John had noted the quietness and the worried expressions, but he knew that there was really nothing he could say to them right now to ease their worry. Anything he could tell them would probably worry them a great deal more. He would be glad to leave this house, a surprising thought to him since it held such precious memories of Lilly!
Jessica spent a restless night. She could tell from the rustle of the quilts out in the hall that Tommy was as well. He had mentioned moving back downstairs but Papa told him he would appreciate him sleeping near Jessie’s door after the news they’d had.
Thomas arrived bright and early the next morning to take Jessica and the boys to town with him to have some sturdy shoes made for their upcoming journey. Although they were taking the huge Conestoga wagons there would still be a great deal of walking to be done. Thomas was a big man. He clearly showed his Nordic heritage in his blonde hair and blue eyes, and as many a girl had noted was a very handsome man indeed!
Having exceptionally wide feet, in addition to relatively large ones, he had been coming to have his boots made special since he was fifteen years old. He had three more pairs of them made up since he didn't know whether he would find anyone on the trek West, or when they arrived at their destination, that could make boots as well as he could have made here. Jessica and the boys had been fitted and sized a week ago and Thomas had placed his order the day after he had talked to Jessica about the wagon train. His would be done and theirs should be done in plenty of time. They had only three weeks left now! Thomas breathed a sigh of relief over that.
Thomas had felt uneasy ever since the Constable had stopped by yesterday at his folk's farm to tell them of Carrie Carpenter. Not, of course, that he had any reason to feel uneasy. There was no way for the man to have
