The Coffin Maker: A Silverpines Companion Tale (Silverpines Companion Tales Book 1) Read online

  He shifted again, and a small book fell from his chest into the side of the box. Tess reached down to quickly snatch it from its confines.

  Dracula.

  How fitting. She remembered giving the book to her Poppa the Christmas before he died. They didn’t get a chance to read it together, but she knew the premise. She must have lightly brushed against him as his eyes flew open and she was awestruck at brightest pair of green eyes looking back at her.

  “How about you point that thing somewhere else,” the man said, signaling to the gun with his finger.

  Tess raised the gun back up, so her nose was lined up on the stock.

  “How about you tell me what’s a man doing sleeping in my Daddy’s coffin room, in a coffin no less? Did you want to live out the story you were reading, because believe me, Mister, I will send you home to meet your Maker in short time.”

  The man held his hands up in surrender. “I just needed a dry place to sleep for the night. I’m just going to remove this blanket, so I can climb out of here and we can both talk.”

  She nodded not removing her nose from the gunstock, so the gun bobbed up and down in agreement. “Very slowly. You do anything stupid and I will shoot.”

  “I have no doubt in my mind, Honeybee.”

  “What did you call me?”

  “Nothing,” he mumbled. “Okay, I’m going lift this blanket.” As he lifted the blanket, Tess heard him make a clicking sound followed by a short whistle.

  A loud whinny came from the run-in at the back of the building. Tess lowered the rifle just an inch and turned to where the noise was coming from.

  She heard the man scramble from the casket and grab the front of the rifle. He quickly pulled it out of her hands and flipped it around before pointing it back at her.

  “Now,” he said, with a chilling grin. “If you were really intent on shooting me, you would have fully cocked the hammer.”

  Chapter 2

  “So, you found him sleeping in the casket?”

  “As sure as I’m standing here, Hattie.” Tess handed her another bandage. “And the funny part was, he fell asleep reading the book I purchased for Poppa. Dracula.”

  “I’m not familiar with that one.” Hattie took the bandage and walked to the next patient laid out on the floor. The Lucky Lady Saloon had been converted into a makeshift care center. It made sense as it was the largest building on the edge of town and closest to the disaster location. Hattie had other patients at different locations in town, but the majority of the injured stayed here so that she could treat as many at once.

  When the town Doc had died, it left the care of the townsfolks to the half-Indian healer. Hattie experienced extreme prejudice from folks not wanting to be treated by an Indian, to saying her all-natural remedies were witchcraft, to just not paying for her services and instead paying Doc Hamilton, who then provided her with a stipend. Tess knew Hattie was just as good, if not a better doctor than Doc Hamilton and there was no magic associated with her herbal remedies.

  Tess met Hattie when she first came to town nearly four years before. She was one of the first people to introduce herself to the young doctor and a tight friendship was born. She kept Hattie company at her apothecary and Hattie kept her in tea for her Momma’s evening constitutional and to help her relax.

  Hattie knelt next to the cot. This patient had a terrible injury to his arm. It was caught between pilings when the entrance to the mine collapsed during the second quake. He was lucky to be alive if the injury was any indication. Tess wrinkled her nose when Hattie peeled back the bandage and cleaned the wound. The patient barely flinched.

  “Will he lose his arm?” Tess asked, looking anywhere but at the injury.

  Hattie wrinkled her brow as she concentrated on the man’s arm. He gave a slight moan as she manipulated his forearm. “I don’t know. The swelling has started to come down, so I can examine it now. I’m thinking it is broken and where the skin is torn he is at greater risk for a blood infection. Can you retrieve me two of the boards from the table over there?”

  She pointed to a small table in the corner that was piled with wood scraps from the sawmill. “I need them about a foot long and 3 inches wide. Lacey Lou,” she called to one of the saloon workers that had been relegated to a new kind of nursing after the disaster, “I need you to help me reset his arm. Can you get Marty to come in and hold him down?” The young girl nodded and quickly ran to the swinging doors to yell for Marty.

  Marty Gale came in and jogged over to Hattie. Tess knew little about him, only what Hattie had shared. He was around sixteen years old and he lived with his Momma in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. Tess wondered if his mother was as overbearing as hers since they were both only children. He helped Hattie to earn extra money, running odd jobs and taking care of her horses. Hattie was also teaching him about the herbs in the forest, so he could keep her supply stocked as items ran low. She must be running extremely low, right now, Tess thought.

  She sifted through the pile of scraps finding two that met Hattie’s specifications. As she picked them up she heard the crack of bones resetting and the man screaming in pain before passing out. Tess prayed the bread and cheese she ate earlier would stay in her belly. She took a deep breath before turning to head back to Hattie.

  Hattie nodded, dismissing Marty. She took the two boards Tess handed her and secured them to the patient’s arm with the bandages. “So, what is it about?”

  “What is what about?”

  “Dracula. I don’t think I’ve read that. Is it fairly new?”

  Tess shrugged, handing her another bandage. “A few years, I think. It appeared in the last Montgomery Ward’s catalog, so I ordered it. I hope the roads open soon. I ordered more books and they were due just before the disaster.”

  “When he wakes, give him some willow bark tea and about half a shot of whiskey.” Lacey Lou nodded and wrote notes on a pad she kept in her apron. Hattie and Lacey Lou then picked up their supplies and moved to the next patient.

  “You and your books, Tess Daniels.” Hattie pulled out a stethoscope from her bag and placed it on the man’s chest. Tess remained quiet while Hattie listened. She could see Hattie’s mouth moving as she counted. “His heart sounds good, but his lungs are filling up with fluid. Lacey, can you find me a piece of tubing that looks something like this?” She pointed to the tubing of her stethoscope “And I’m going to need the ether from the counter, along with a clean rag and an empty bottle.” Lacey went to retrieve the supplies.

  Tess looked at her friend. Tess noticed the dark circles marring her naturally dark skin. It had been four days and Hattie hadn’t rested, her hair still caked in mud from the disaster. Her dress was several inches deep in mud and stained with blood and sweat.

  “When was the last time you rested?”

  “April 14. It was lovely. Just me, my bed and my favorite down pillow.” Hattie sighed. “Perhaps we shall meet again.” Lacey Lou returned with the supplies Hattie requested and placed them down next to her before taking her position on the other side of the patient.

  “Funny thing,” Tess said, looking around at the number of men laying on the tables and cots, “I don’t know the names of many of the people here. Some I don’t even think I’ve seen before. Make sure you rest, Hattie. The town really needs you now.”

  Hattie nodded. “I will. So, tell me about your book while I get ready to drain his lung.”

  Tess felt the blood drain from her face. “You are going to do that here?”

  “Where else would I do it?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps I should just leave. I’m not good at nursing.”

  “No, you are keeping me focused, which is good. Have you ever tried nursing, Tess?” Hattie asked, measuring a bit of tubing before cutting it into a smaller piece.

  “Uhm, no.”

  “Then how do you know?”

  “You don’t know if you don’t learn,” said Lacey Lou. She looked not a day over sixteen, but Tess knew she was older. Flora Adams wouldn’t have any underage girls in her establishment.

  “I’ll just turn this way and not watch.” Tess pointed to the wall before shifting her body to stare at it. “What was your question again?”

  “The book,” said Hattie.

  “Well, I’ve not really read it. I gave it to Poppa and he died before we could read it together.”

  “I read it,” said Lacey Lou. A smile broke across her features, but then it was quickly replaced by embarrassment, as if being a soiled dove meant one couldn’t enjoy reading. “It is about a lawyer that goes to this town in Transylvania to make arrangements for the Count to move to England where he can take over the world by creating a following of vampires.”

  “That sounds terrible,” said Hattie.

  “It does sound rather ominous,” Tess agreed. She turned to see a dark colored liquid being siphoned into the empty whiskey bottle on the floor.

  “You should go back to reading … oh what is her name?” Hattie clamped off the tubing and removed her syringe from the patient. Tess felt faint, her palms were sweating, and she felt flush.

  “I don’t know who you mean.”

  “You know the one with the five girls and their silly mother. Here, hold this.” She passed the clamp and tubing over to Lacey Lou.

  “Pride and Prejudice,” Tess whispered.

  “What was that again?”

  “Uhm,” she wiped her hands on her skirt trying to regain her composure. Clearing her throat, she began again. “Pride and Prejudice.”

  “That was it! Written by that Austen woman. You need to read more books like that, Tess. Not these silly stories that are going to give you nightmares. I think we are done for a bit. Let me take that,” Hattie said, reaching for the clamp. “Let’s ge
t cleaned up and maybe have a cup of tea, shall we?”

  “I need to go out front for a minute,” Tess said, holding her handkerchief to her lips. Tess ran through the swinging doors and sat on one of the rocking chairs on the wooden walkway taking in big gulps of air. Her heart was racing. It was only blood. It is normal after a disaster. Wasn’t it? She really didn’t know as this was her first major disaster ever.

  Hattie joined her a few moments later and handed her a ceramic mug filled with black brew. Tess took a sip and recognized it as one of the tea blends Hattie used in her shop. She could taste the ginger and honey mixed with tea. Hattie placed her hand on Tess’s shoulder, rubbing gently in circles. “Perhaps you shouldn’t come back here? At least not until the major injuries are bandaged and fixed. Not everyone is meant for nursing, and that is okay, Tess.”

  Tess nodded. “You are right, this isn’t my calling.” She took a sip of her tea and calmed herself a bit before looking at Hattie. “What do you need? I can help in some way. I know I didn’t lose any immediate family, but I still want to help.”

  “I sent a telegram last night asking for a doctor from back East. I sent it to the college I attended, so hopefully they can find someone to get out here quickly. I just don’t know how long it might take to travel with the damage to the rails. In the meantime, there are several things you can do. I am running low on supplies at the apothecary. If you can visit the houses in town and start collecting items, it would be a great help. Here is a list of spices and herbs. Most folks may have them for cooking. We also need clean sheets and bandages and extra blankets.”

  “I can do that.” Tess took the paper from Hattie and gave it a quick perusal.

  “Oh, and Tess, if you happen to come across a secret stash of liquor somewhere, let me know. We are going through Miss Adam’s whiskey supply faster than I imagined.”

  Tess’s eyes lit up. “That is one thing I can help you with right now.”

  Dawson took Blackjack over to the livery and chatted with the old man for a few minutes. He then made his way east on 5th Avenue, passing the school, a newspaper and Silverpines Inn as he headed towards the Marshal’s office. He found the Marshal's office right next to the Blacksmith's. Might as well introduce himself first. That way there wouldn’t be any suspicion about him being around. The Marshal wasn’t in, so he decided to take a walk through the rest of the town to get the lay of the land.

  The town was larger than he imagined, but still smaller than New Hope and miniscule compared to Chicago, where he came from. He knew that there were approximately 5,000 people in the town and surrounding communities before the disaster and now he was sure there were well below that number. He had checked the census records before he left New Hope and there were 4,873 people exactly between the town, Timber Town and the mining community. There would be a vast difference the next time the census was taken.

  He could see the water in the distance behind the buildings. The banks had flooded with trees and debris. There was damage to almost every building on this side of the railroad tracks. He continued down and stopped when he came to the Lucky Lady Saloon. This was it.

  He knew the man he was looking for loved a good hand of Faro and would most likely make his way to this establishment for refreshment and a game. He was about to cross the street when he stopped, quickly moving to the shadows of the alley so he could observe the blonde figure coming onto the front porch.

  She was not quite petite, but not too tall. Her hair was in a chignon with soft tendrils all around her face. He could see her skin was the color of ripe peaches and her lips were luscious pink and slightly swollen as if she had been biting them. She was stunning.

  The woman wore a blue shirtwaist and a navy skirt. She sat down on one of the rocking chairs and appeared to be crying or heaving or both. Dawson couldn’t tell from the distance. It only took a moment before she was joined by an Indian woman who handed her a cup of tea. When she looked to accept the cup, Dawson recognized her as the woman who confronted him in the back of the undertaker’s studio.

  So, she was a soiled dove.

  He wouldn’t have expected that. Last night she appeared very well educated and from higher breeding than just to sell herself in a saloon. He knew times were tough, but still. He admired her spunk when she pointed that rifle at him. Not many women would have composed themselves like her. Luella would have been terrified. She was terrified of everything.

  Even after Dawson was able to secure her rifle and safely set it aside, the blonde woman still didn’t budge, demanding even to know what he was doing in the studio. He had to think of a lie quickly. Fortunately, they sometimes came too easily to his lips when he needed one. His parents raised him to be honest. In fact, they beat it into him. So, it was surprising he could adapt easily to a profession which was based on deception. He recalled the conversation after he took the rifle away from her.

  “Who are you?” she asked,

  “I am just a traveler that got caught in the storm and needed a place to stay for the night. I’ll plan on moving along as soon as the weather breaks.”

  “You do that.” She twisted her hands nervously. “Where are you headed?”

  “Further south, along the coast.” And he would be. As soon as he knew where Devers Gang was headed.

  “You a gunslinger?”

  “No ma’am. I’m just looking for someone.”

  “Who?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  She thought for a moment more before saying, “You can stay in the run-in with your horse. You leave as soon as you can, or I’m going to have to let the Marshall know what happened here.”

  “Yes ma’am. I appreciate it, Honeybee.”

  “Don’t call me that. My name is Tess.”

  “Well Tess is a mighty pretty name, but you have hair the color of the honey straight from the hive, so I think I’ll stick to calling you Honeybee.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you call me, because I don’t think we will ever see each other again after this day, Mister…?” she arched her brow waiting for him to provide his name.

  “Adair. Call me Clive Adair.”

  She nodded and pointed towards the door. “You get now. You can take that blanket with you.”

  “Much obliged ma’am.” Too tired to argue and still damp from the rain, he grabbed the blanket and the lantern, and he headed to the run-in where Blackjack snorted his disappointment. “Me too, boy. Me too.” Dawson took the blanket and draped it across the hay in the wooden coffin and laid back down. Putting his hat over his eyes, he drifted back to sleep where he met a honey-haired blue-eyed beauty in his dreams.

  He turned his thoughts back to the woman in front of him. The porch was empty. He could see the Indian woman disappearing back into the saloon. He caught Tess out of his peripheral vision walking down Ash Street, back towards the center of town.

  Dawson walked over to the building, taking the steps two at a time, before peering over the swinging doors. The smell that hit him made him want to retch. The smell of blood, mud and unwashed bodies was overpowering. Men were lined up everywhere. Some were laying on tables, others on cots on the floor, and some just laying on blankets. He could see several had terrible injuries and most had some form of bandages on them. Men whimpered and moaned as the Indian woman and two other young ladies moved from man to man checking on their injuries.

  “Hey, Mister,” a voice called from behind him. He turned to see a young man at the bottom of the stairs with a wheelbarrow. “You gotta move. I need to get in there.” He lifted one of the handles of the wooden cart while waving him away from the door.

  “What are you doing with that?” Dawson removed his hat and rubbed the brim with his palm. “And what is going on in there? This ain’t like no bar I’ve ever seen.”

  “We don’t have a hospital, so Miss Hattie set up all the sick folks inside. I’m here to pick up Mr. Richie. He died a little bit ago.” He motioned again for Dawson to step aside. “I need to get this up there, so I can carry him out.”

  “So, all those folks in there are from the disaster?”

  “Yes. Miss Hattie is taking real good care of them.”

  “Let me help you get that ‘barrow up here, son.” Dawson reached down and lifted the front of the wheelbarrow onto the top step before stepping aside so the young man could move it towards the door. “What do you do with the bodies once you move them out?”