“Now run along, my dear. I need to think about what’s best for us to do.”
“You’re the best man in the whole world, Doc. Just tell me what to do. I’ll stick my head in the fire if it’ll help you.”
“Thank you, dear, sweet lady. No man has ever had a more faithful lady friend.” He patted her cheek.
Christ, but I’ll be glad to see the last of you and your rabbitlike teeth, your painted face, and your cowlike devotion.
• • •
By Friday morning Kathleen’s nerves were standing on end. At breakfast Hazel had been quiet. To lose her daughter by accident had been bad enough, but to know that someone had deliberately killed her was devastating. Kathleen hoped that Marty Conroy’s conviction would help ease her pain.
As soon as she reached the office, Kathleen asked Adelaide how Judy had taken the news that Sheriff Carroll was more than likely her father and that her mother was a Cherokee girl who, unable to cope with the loss of her baby, had turned to alcohol.
“She is so mature for her age,” Adelaide said. “Her response to that was, ‘She must have loved me very much.’”
“What did she say about Sheriff Carroll?”
“Not much. She said he was nice.”
“It was a lot for a young girl to swallow all at once.”
“Paul explained to her how important she was to the building of a case against Doctor Herman and Louise Munday. He asked her to write down every word she could remember that either of the DeBerrys said to her about when they came here to get her. She was never adopted by them, because their names are on her birth certificate.”
“I wish you would marry Paul. He’s such a wonderful man.”
“I’m thinking about it. He loves children. His wife wouldn’t give him any, and I’m too old.”
“Adopt one. You and Paul would make wonderful parents.”
“We could have
bought
one from Doc,” Adelaide said bitterly.
Kathleen cocked her ear toward the back room. “Johnny’s here.”
“When are you two going to get married?”
“He hasn’t asked me, Adelaide.”
“He will.” Adelaide said confidently, then, “Mr. Fleming is here.”
With Barker Fleming was a man dressed in a light tan suit with a Stetson to match and wearing round wire-rimmed glasses. Another car pulled up alongside Barker Fleming’s and two men got out. All four came into the office.
After greeting Kathleen and Adelaide, Barker introduced Grant Gifford and two marshals.
“Miss Dolan and Miss Vernon, meet Grant Gifford, Oklahoma State Attorney General, and Marshals Whitney and Putman.”
After shaking hands with the two women, Grant Gifford looked past them to where Johnny lounged in the doorway leading into the pressroom. A smile lit his face.
“Johnny Henry, I’ve a notion to give you a damn good licking for not coming up to see us.” Grant threw his hat on the desk, dropped into a crouch, and put up his fists. Johnny did the same.
“You’ve got so soft you couldn’t whip Aunt Dozie,” Johnny retorted.
“Think not? Want to take me on, boy?”
The two met, clasped hands, and pounded on each other. “Good to see you, Grant.”
“Good to see you, too, Johnny. It’s been two years. We’re not going to let that much time go by again.”
“How’s Karen?”
“Sassy. Our Mary Ann is going to be just like her. Margie is more like me, calm and sweet!”
“Has Karen heard you say that?”
“Lord, I hope not! We got down to Red Rock a few months ago. Karen’s dad is getting on.”
“Aunt Dozie told me you were there.”
“Don’t yawl be trackin’ dat cow-doo on my clean ’noleum. I wearin’ de flowers off scrubbin’ after yawl.” Grant imitated the old woman, and both men laughed. “She was a crackerjack.”
“She still is and she’s getting on, too,” Johnny said.
Barker introduced the two marshals to Johnny and Paul, then stood back and proudly admired the way Johnny presented himself to the marshals. He had not mentioned to Grant Gifford that Johnny was his son, leaving it to Johnny to tell his friend if he wanted him to know.
They went into the pressroom and, after Paul was introduced, Johnny told Grant that Marty Conroy was locked up in the jail.
“Marty Conroy? What’s the little jelly bean done now?”
Johnny explained about Clara’s death and Dr. Herman’s part in wanting the death to be declared an accident. He told how he and Keith had worked together to get a confession.
Grant chuckled. “It’s nothing to laugh about, but I can just hear Marty telling the judge that he is the Conroy from Conroy, Texas.”
“The doctor ordered the sheriff to let him out, but the sheriff refused. Then he tried to fire the sheriff, but Judge Fimbres interfered.”
“What connection would Conroy have with Dr. Herman?” Grant asked, looking from Johnny to Paul.
“We don’t think he has a connection,” Paul said. “We believe he feared the state marshals coming in and uncovering some of his activities.”
“Fleming laid out a good case against the doctor,” Grant said. “We went to work right away investigating every aspect of the doctor’s life. We contacted Mr. and Mrs. DeBerry in Fort Worth. Mr. DeBerry is bitter and will testify against him. I understand the DeBerry girl is here.”
“She is,” Paul said. “She doesn’t want to go back to the DeBerrys. We are quite sure we know who her father is. She was born to an unwed mother. We don’t want her going to the orphans’ home. Adelaide and I will take care of her.”
“If she’s safe and content here. We can decide what to do about her later.”
“Clara Ramsey, the girl Marty is charged with killing, had a baby a year ago,” Johnny said. “It is supposed to have been stillborn and buried out on the family lot. Kathleen discovered in the records at the courthouse a birth certificate made out to a couple from Weatherford, Texas, just one day later. Kathleen and I believe the box Doc had buried to satisfy Clara’s mother is empty.”
Kathleen was glad to leave the telling of the details up to Johnny. There was genuine affection between him and Grant Gifford. She wished he would direct some of his remarks to Barker Fleming, but that would have to come when he was ready to acknowledge the relationship.
Grant glanced at the pretty redhead who sat beside Johnny listening with rapt attention to every word he said, and realized that they were more than friends.
“We should find out what’s in that box. I’ll take Marshal Putnam and go see Judge Fimbres.” Grant stood. “Meanwhile, Fleming, why don’t you and Johnny go with Marshal Whitney to the cemetery. There should be two witnesses to what’s in it, or not in it. Then come down to the courthouse. If it’s empty as you suspect, you’ll need to sign an affidavit.”
• • •
In the middle of the afternoon two cars drove up to the clinic. Barker Fleming and Grant were in one car, the two marshals in the other. Johnny had been invited to come along, but had declined.
The woman at the desk looked up with large frightened eyes when four men came into the reception area. Grant and Barker held back and the marshals took the lead.
“May I help you?” the woman asked timidly.
“Dr. Herman,” Putnam said. “Where is his office?”
“I’ll get him.”
“Is he with a patient?”
“No. I don’t think so.” She stood and moved toward the door behind her.
Marshal Putman stepped quickly around the desk. “Don’t bother. Sit back down, ma’am, and stay here. We’ll find him.”
Marshal Whitney flung open the door. Dr. Herman was standing in the middle of the room.
“I thought I heard voices out there. Who are you?” Doc’s eyes went beyond Marshal Whitney to the other three men. “What do you mean coming into my office without knocking?” The four men said nothing, but looked at the doctor, letting their silence work on his nerves. “Is this a holdup?” Doc’s voice was hoarse when it broke the silence. “I don’t keep money here.”
Marshal Putman opened his coat, showing a holstered revolver, then reached into his inside coat pocket and flipped out a badge.
“Federal Marshal James Putman. This is Marshal Whitney, Mr. Gifford, Oklahoma State Attorney General, and Mr. Barker Fleming.”
“What can I do for you?” Dr. Herman’s face was flushed, and his voice trembled slightly.
Grant stepped forward. “Sit down, Doctor, and tell us why you buried an empty box out on the Ramsey plot.”
“What are you talking about?” The doctor moved behind the desk but didn’t sit down.
“I think you know, but I’ll tell you anyway. Clara Ramsey had a baby a year ago. She told her mother it was stillborn. She sold you a live baby, took the money, and left town. You sold that baby to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sheldon of Weatherford, Texas. You fixed the records to show that Mrs. Sheldon had come here and had had the baby.”
“Why . . . why . . . that’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of! The Sheldons were on their way home when she went into labor. They stopped here, and I delivered their baby.”
“Sit down, Doctor.” After the doctor was seated, he asked, “Why did you bury an empty box?”
“It had the body of a stillborn child in it when I hired a man to bury it.”
“Mr. Fleming and Marshal Whitney just dug up the box and all that was in it was medical waste, bandages, gauze, and several empty bottles. The trash in that box came from this clinic.”
“That’s a lie!” Doc jumped to his feet. His face was beet red and cords stood out on the sides of his neck.
“Well, never mind that. Sit down, Doctor.” Grant said patiently. “Sixteen years ago you sold a baby to a couple named DeBerry for two hundred dollars. You told the father of the baby that you knew a couple who were well-off and would give the baby a good home, something he couldn’t do. The DeBerrys threw her out and want their money back. You told them that the girl’s mother was blond and blue-eyed. The truth is that the baby’s mother was a Cherokee. The girl is here in town looking for her real mother.”
“That redheaded hussy at the paper has dug up all this nonsense.”
“We have talked to a number of women who supposedly had babies here. Some of them have admitted you furnished them a baby for a fee. We’ll have a number of these people at the trial.”
“Trial? You can’t prove anything. It’s their word against mine. I’m a respected doctor. I’ve looked after this town and kept it going when other towns this size dried up.”
“The First National Bank in Oklahoma City released your bank records. It seems that for eighteen years you have sent checks in the amounts of one hundred, two hundred, then three or four hundred dollars. You increased the price to fit the demand.”
“My assistant must . . . have . . . could have. I never—” Doc stammered.
“Do you know a woman by the name of Ardith Moore? She visited you each time you stayed at the Biltmore in Oklahoma City. You like the kinky stuff, huh, Doctor?” Grant lifted his brows. “What you do in bed won’t have much bearing on the trial, but it’ll be good juicy stuff for the newspaper.”
“You’re out to ruin my good name.”
“It’s already ruined.”
“I’ve worked for years to help unfortunate girls.” Spit ran down the side of Dr. Herman’s mouth, and a vein throbbed in his temple.
“Did you ever stop to think that selling a human being is a federal offense? This is big-time stuff, Doc. So big that you’ll not have to share a jail cell with Marty Conroy. You’ll get a cell all to yourself in the federal prison.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong! My assistant will tell you—”
“We plan to talk to her. She’ll turn on you if it means saving her own hide.”
• • •
On the other side of the door leading into the examination room, Louise Munday listened, and her world fell apart.
They’re arresting Doc! My beloved Doc is going to jail. My darling Doc, who kissed me so sweetly just this morning. We’ll never be able to leave this dreadful town and go away together.
This can’t be happening! They’ll use me to send Doc to prison!
She looked frantically around.
They’ll not use me, if they can’t find me.
Louise grabbed her purse and headed for the door, then went back to her desk, took out a small pistol, and shoved it in the pocket of her uniform. She tore the starched cap from her head, grabbed the blue nurse’s cape, and flung it around her shoulders. She ran down the hall past the kitchen and the laundry room to the back door. Just as she reached it, a loud pop came from the front of the clinic. Without giving a thought to what it was, she hurried to her car and drove away.
S
heriff Carroll was relieved when the state marshal arrived from Elk City. Judge Fimbres had told him that he had the authority to fire Deputy Thatcher; but he knew that there would be trouble, so he waited for the marshal. When he told Thatcher to turn in his badge and leave, the man refused to go quietly. Johnny arrived during the confrontation and when the deputy stated his intention of going to Dr. Herman, Johnny suggested that he be put in a jail cell for a few hours.