Authors: A Place Called Rainwater
“I don't know what Thad will do with you and all those pups when we leave. But don't worry, he'll not leave until he finds you a home, ”Jill said to the dog.
“Aunt Justine would be pleased that so many showed up at her funeral. I didn't know what in the world we were going to do with all those cakes and pies. Would you believe it, Fertile, they are almost gone? Blue had to go for more ice for the tea.” Jill stroked the dog's head.
“Mr. Shepard told Joe that he'd be here in the morning to tell us what was in Aunt Justine's will. I just want it over so we can go home.”
Jill looked up when Skeeter Ridge came around the side of the hotel. He jerked his cap off his head as he approached her.
“Ya ain't ort to be out here by yoreself.”
“Why not? ”Jill liked the man slightly more than when they first met, but he still irritated her.
“Madison went up the back stairs a while ago.”
“But… that door is locked and has been since he moved in.”
“Pshaw! ”Skeeter snorted. “He's been going in and out of it all along.”
Jill jumped to her feet. “Why in tarnation didn't you say so? ”
“I told Justine.”
“She never said anything.”
“She said not to bother ya, that what would be, would be. She's gone now. He can't hurt her no more.”
“I've got to tell Joe. I wish I'd let Thad nail that door shut when he wanted to.”
Skeeter walked back around the hotel to the front. He didn't tell the young miss that Oscar Sample had driven Madison's car up the alley and left it behind the wash house. Lloyd was up to something. He'd just have to watch and see what it was.
Upstairs, Lloyd hurriedly packed what he wanted to take with him, stuck his .44-caliber revolver in his belt beneath his coat and went to the door at the end of the hall to see if his car was in the alley.
When he didn't see it, he swore and went back to his room. He'd told the idiot to leave the car in the alley. Lord, he was tired of kowtowing to a bunch of stupid laborers. He would wait five more minutes and go down the back stairs. If the car wasn't there, he'd wait in the alley.
By the time Jill reached the lobby, the crowd had begun to thin out. She went out onto the veranda. Radna was gathering up the used Dixie cups that had been sent over by Mr. Rowe, the druggist. Nettie Cole was carrying the empty cake plates back to the kitchen to be washed and returned to the owners.
“Where's Joe? ”Jill asked Radna.
“The last time I saw him, he was in the lobby.”
Jill returned to the lobby and met Joe coming down the hall from the family rooms.
“Lloyd is upstairs. He came up the outside stairway.”
“I thought that door was locked. I've been watching for him to come in. He's got more guts than an army mule. Did you hear what he was saying at the cemetery? ”
“He's crazy, Joe. I'll be glad to leave this place.”
“We'll know in the morning when Mr. Shepard comes to tell us what Aunt Justine wanted done. We can leave the hotel in his hands and go home.”
“It can't be too soon to suit me.” She turned to speak to the sheriff and Mr. Hurt, who had come in and stopped at the desk. “The dessert table has been taken down, but there's cake and pie in the kitchen.”
“We didn't come for dessert, miss. Is Madison here? ”
“No, ”Elmer said.
“Yes, ”Jill said quickly. Then, to Elmer: “He came up the back outside stairs. Skeeter Ridge saw him.”
“Same room? ”the Oklahoma City officer asked. At a nod from Jill, he and the sheriff took the stairs two at a time to reach the upper floor. Jelly took a post at the bottom of the stairs.
“What's going on, Jelly? ”Joe asked.
“They have a few questions to ask Madison.”
A hard rap sounded on the upstairs door. “It's Sheriff Page, Madison.”
“I'm not dressed, Sheriff.”
“I want to ask you something about Mrs. Byers.”
“I'll come down to the office in an hour or so.”
“Madison, I know that you took a suitcase from your office and your car is waiting in the alley behind the hotel. Are you going somewhere? ”
Silence.
“Madison? ”Sheriff Page rapped on the door again. “We want to talk to you. Open the door.”
Silence.
“We're coming in one way or the other. Open the door and save yourself some trouble.”
The sheriff lifted his hand to rap on the door again.
Bang! The shot that came through the door missed the sheriff's head by inches and passed through the door across the hall. Both Sheriff Page and Officer Hurt darted to the side of the door.
“Godamighty! I hope there isn't anyone in that room.” As they drew their weapons, they heard the sliding of a heavy object.
“He isn't coming out. He's barricading the door with the bureau.”
The sound of the shot had rocketed throughout the hotel. Jelly bounded up the stairs to see the two officers hovering on each side of the door. Officer Hurt waved him back.
“That was foolish, Madison, ”Officer Hurt shouted. “You've got to come out sometime.”
Bang! Another shot came through the wooden door.
Down the hall, a door opened. A man stuck his head out. The sheriff waved him back in. The door slammed shut.
“Is there anyone else up here? ”
“I'll go ask.” Jelly started back down the stairs.
“I didn't expect this. He's gone crazy.” Sheriff Page pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat off his face.
Jelly didn't have to ask. Joe was standing on the stairs halfway up to the second floor.
“One man in room seven. The rest of the rooms are empty.”
“What's under that front room? ”Jelly asked, going down into the lobby. Joe followed.
“The desk and part of the lobby.”
“Clear everyone out. You never know what a desperate man with a gun will do. He might shoot through the floor.”
The sound of the shots had awakened Thad. He had come barreling into the lobby shirtless and now stood with his arms around Jill, who was shaking uncontrollably.
“Folks, ”Joe said. “Mr. Madison has gone berserk and is shooting through the door. We don't know what is going to happen, but we sure don't want anyone to get hurt. To be on the safe side, I'll take you out the back way: down the hallway and through the kitchen. The window upstairs looks down on the street.”
“Why was the sheriff coming to see him? ”Jill asked Jelly from the shelter of Thad's arms.
“He was going to talk to him about the murder of Carsie Bakken.”
“Oh, my goodness. Does he think he killed her? ”
“He's as sure as he can be without actually seeing him do it.”
Jelly went up the stairs and Jill turned her face to Thad's bare shoulder.
“He killed that woman we found. Cut her up — ”
“Good Lord! He's been living right here in the hotel all this time.” Thad's arms tightened and he buried his lips in her hair. “Justine must have known or sensed that he was capable of killing.”
Blue stepped out on the veranda to look around for Radna. When he had last seen her, she had been helping Martha carry dishes across the street to the restaurant. He spied her there, standing in the doorway, and waved frantically for her to stay where she was. She didn't see him. She was laughing over her shoulder at Martha as she came out the door and started across the street to the hotel.
Radna had just stepped off the walk when a shot rang out. The bullet dug into the oil-packed road a foot ahead of her. Startled, she paused and looked around. A second bullet, followed closely behind the first, struck her. Her legs buckled and she fell.
A third shot rang out. The small body sprawling in the street jerked when the bullet hit.
Blue, with a bellow of rage, leaped off the porch and dashed out into the street. As he bent low to scoop Radna up in his arms, he felt the breeze from another bullet pass over his head. He ran a zigzag pattern to the side of the restaurant, thanking God the shooter was such a poor shot that several succeeding shots missed them.
“Who shot me? ”Radna was breathing fast, her hand reaching for the wound in her thigh.
“Madison. He's in the upstairs window at the hotel.”
“Why …? ”
“ 'Cause he's backed into a corner.”
“Well, you've been wantin 'to carry me off to bed.”
“Not this way. I've got to get you to the doctor.” Blue kept walking as if she weighed no more than one of Fertile's pups.
“Wait.” Martha stepped out of the back of the restaurant. “Is she hurt bad? Who shot her? ”
Blue shook his head. “That son-of-a-bitch Madison shot her.”
“Lloyd shot her? Why'd he do that? ”Martha drew up Radna's skirt. Blood had soaked the skirt and was dripping on the ground. She whipped a dish towel from over her shoulder and wrapped it tightly around Radna's thigh.
“I'll call the doctor and tell him you're on the way. The office is a block down and — ”
“I know where it is.”
“Why'd ya come get me, Randolph? ”
“ 'Cause …I'm dumb Indian.”
Radna gritted her teeth. Blue knew she was suffering terribly from the wound in her thigh and from the one in her shoulder. The front of her dress was soaked with blood.
Don't die on me, Rosebud. I've not loved a woman before.
“After this, I…just might fall in love with you — ”
“That'd be mighty kind of you, thorny Rosebud. Now be quiet, unless you want to say again what you just said.”
T
HE NEWS SWEPT THROUGH TOWN LIKE A TORNADO.
Lloyd Madison was holed up in the hotel shooting out the window.
Oscar Sample and his friend were standing on the street corner when a boy ran by shouting the news.
“Ah, law! Somethin's gone wrong. Come on, we gotta help him.” Oscar grabbed the arm of his friend and they hurried toward the hotel.
A car was parked in the middle of the street to stop traffic from going past the hotel. Deputy Franklin was telling the crowd that had gathered to stay back. “A shooter is in a upstairs room at the hotel. He shot a woman on the street and is shooting at anything that moves.”
“Why're they doin 'that to Mr. Madison for? ”Oscar asked belligerently.
“Stay back. The sheriff will take care of it.”
“Take care of it, my hind leg! He pushed him and he's too scared to come out.” Oscar turned to the crowd. “Ain't any of ya goin 'to help him? He's the only one stickin 'up for us.” Oscar looked around at the workers who had just come in from the field. “He ain't done nothin 'wrong. They're framin 'him, is what they're doin', to get him out of town so the big oil companies can take over.”
“Use your head, Oscar, ”the deputy said. “He just shot a woman on the street.”
“He was pushed to do it. He won't shoot me. I'm goin 'to stand by him if none of ya ain 't. He'll come out and explain it all if I ask him to.” Oscar motioned for his friend to follow. The man hesitated, then followed Oscar down the street.
“Oscar, I don't think we ort to go — ”
“Cowards is what they are. Mr. Madison's been working to make things better for us and none of 'em would lift a hand to help him.”
“They said he shot a woman.” The man looked fearfully up at the hotel room.
“We're his friends. He wouldn't shoot — ”
Oscar never finished what he was going to say. A bullet caught him in the chest and he crumpled to the ground.
“Oh, God! Oh, God! ”The other man ran screaming, but a second bullet caught him in the back and he fell face first onto the hard-packed road.
In the hotel, Jelly took the stairs two at a time and squatted down beside Officer Hurt.
“He's shot two men on the street.”
“Kill 'em? ”
“I'm not sure. He's using a .44. I can tell by the sound of it.”
“He isn't coming out now. He's gone too far.”
At that moment, two more shots came through the door.
They could hear Lloyd laughing. Then he shouted, “I got two boxes of shells, Judge, and I'm going to use them all. You said I'd not amount to a dribble of shit. You dried-up old bastard! I've got a whole town waiting to watch me blow your ugly head off.”
“The judge? Does he think I'm his pa? ”
“Who knows what he's thinking? He's gone berserk.”
“What did you ever do, Judge, besides send some penny-ante crook to jail? ”Lloyd was shouting again. “Oh, yeah, you tried to screw the maids. But you couldn't get your tally-whacker to work.” More shrill laughter. “I did it for you, disgusting as it was, so they'd know I could do something the self-righteous old judge couldn't do.”
A series of gunshots came from the room. None came through the door.
“He's shooting out the window again, or…through the floor.”
“Mother. Dear, trashy strumpet! I cut you up and I'll do it again and again and again.” The laughter that followed was chilling.
“He's out of his mind, ”Sheriff Page whispered.
“What do you want me to do? ”Jelly asked.
“I don't see a way out of this, do you, Hurt? ”
“If I could get on the roof of the restaurant across the street, I could get a shot at him through the window, ”Jelly said.
“And he could get a shot at you.”
“Not if I can get behind the false front above the restaurant before he sees me.”
“Then you'd better take off those fancy white pants.”
Jelly smiled. “I'll change and get my rifle.”
When Jelly came out of his room, he was wearing a pair of dark pants and carrying his rifle. He motioned to Hurt and went out the back door and down the outside stairs that hugged the side of the hotel.
Officer Hurt beckoned to Joe at the bottom of the stairs.
“Jelly is going to try to get on the roof of the restaurant across the street, ”he whispered when Joe was beside him. “Watch, and when you get a glimpse of him, let me know. We'll try to get Madison's attention so Jelly can get in place.”
Joe nodded and scurried back downstairs and over to where Thad, with a loose shirt over his shoulders, stood in a far corner with Jill, the Evanses and Nettie Cole.
“Jelly is going to get on the roof of the restaurant so he can get a shot at him through the window.”
“Through the window? That's a long shot.” Thad held tightly to Jill, stroking the nape of her neck, trying to keep her calm.