Dwight met Mary’s eyes as she took the hands of the two youngest children. Her brows furrowed and he could read what she was thinking. The same as him. Someone caused this?
“What else can you tell me, Mrs. Swigert? Anything at all…” He asked the woman gently, partly to get her to focus on details and partly to see if this was something the sheriff should be alerted about.
Almost as if she were in a trance, she mumbled, “I remember screaming…I ran to Jay…there was blood everywhere…the pulley chain was swinging…I thought it would fall on us…”
Dwight thought quickly…the pulley up at the peak, at the loft level…it was swinging…Mr. Swigert had been up in the loft and had fallen out and hit the ground from who knows how high. Twelve feet? Good heavens. And…if someone else had been there but fled the scene, did they push him out? Why that’s…that’s attempted murder!
Mrs. Swigert continued sluggishly, “I…I don’t know how Benny and I got Jay in the wagon…ooohhh,” she agonized, shaking her head and twisting her hands together. “Maybe I should have left him where he was and sent Benny for Doc. But I was afraid Jay would bleed to death…I couldn’t stop the bleeding…I…” she stopped and broke down sobbing, wailing, “Oh Jay! Jaaayyyyy!”
Mary quickly guided the smaller children out of the room as Benny scooted close and tried his best to comfort his mother, in spite of obviously being extremely shook up himself.
Dwight tenderly laid a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Your husband is in good hands, Mrs. Swigert. Doc is working on him now. He’ll be all right. You did the right thing,” he added.
Inside, however, he silently prayed for the man, that he would live and recover…and that it had, indeed, been the right thing to move him with such horrific injuries.
Accompanying the Swigert children down the hall, Mary brought them into the kitchen, meeting Wanda’s eyes as she turned from the sink.
“I thought I heard a commotion at the front,” Wanda said, thankfully realizing that Mary was attempting to comfort the quietly sniffling youngsters. The six-year-old boy, Nicky, held tightly to his little sister’s hand. Mary knew the child’s name was Nancy, and her heart went out to her; she had to be confused and scared after witnessing such a horrid event.
“Well, hello there, young’uns,” Wanda continued gently. “Have you had your breakfast? I’m not sure, but I might just be able to find a stray cinnamon roll if I look hard enough,” she added with a broad wink. “Would you like one?” The children immediately perked up at that.
“Please. Thank you, ma’am,” young Nicky replied as he swiped at the tears on his cheeks with the back of a sleeve. Wanda grabbed two freshly laundered napkins and handed one to each child.
“I wuv cin-min wolls,” Nancy admitted timidly.
Relieved, Mary retrieved two dessert plates and got the children settled at the small table in the corner. All the while, her mind swirled with images and questions…and thoughts of how her husband had handled the situation. There was so much blood, she’d had to turn her head away, and she surely wasn’t thinking about handling the poor man’s family. When she had accepted Doc’s invitation to come and live in his home and place of practice, she had envisioned him dealing with a broken arm now and then, or illnesses. As for witnessing something so shattering and life-changing as the injuries Mr. Swigert had suffered, it truly had never occurred to her.
But Dwight! He had acted both proficiently and with heart-felt understanding as he had questioned Mrs. Swigert. He’ll make a fine lawyer someday. He’s so smart…and caring…
Recalling what the woman had said, that she had heard a horse galloping away, and the pulley chain swinging made her wonder…did someone try to kill Mr. Swigert? The thought made her shiver, and then shiver again as images of the night Hobbs had attacked her, knocked her down and sliced her leg with that wicked looking knife, came rushing to the fore of her mind.
Panic seized her heart and stopped her breath. Hobbs…could he have escaped jail? Could he have come back here for something, hid in the Swigert’s barn and Mr. Swigert caught him? What would he do if he saw her again…and what would he do if he knew that she carried his baby? The thought caused a rush of fear that almost brought her to her knees. He mustn’t find out, that no good, disgusting excuse for a man! Her hand had gone to her belly, cradling and caressing the tiny life protected therein. This baby is mine and I’ll protect him or her with every ounce of strength I have, to my last breath...I’ll…I’ll…ask Tobias to teach me how to shoot a gun if I have to…
“Mary, honey, you all right?” Wanda’s voice asked from close by, snapping her out of her unwanted musings.
She turned toward the concerned housekeeper, realizing she as well as the children were looking at her with wide, anxious eyes.
Taking a quick, deep breath, she plastered a smile on her face and answered, “Yes, of course. I was just thinking about having another cinnamon roll myself…that is, if there are any left?”
It had been a very long day—not only for Mary, but for everyone in the Reeves house. Mary had sent a message both to Charise and to Mr. Huber at the restaurant, letting them know that she wouldn’t be coming in to work, as she felt needed at the house to assist with the children.
Doc had operated on Mr. Swigert to fix the compound fracture. Then he had set and cast his other leg as well as the multiple breaks in his right shoulder, arm, and hand. There were other injuries
