Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 04 - Awkward Moments (5 page)

Chapter Eight

“My wife could tell you this story better ‘n me. I didn’t
care a lick about my family history, but Jean did. I heard all the stories when I was growing up and she pried them out of me. Before long she got me interested and I wrote everything down. We interviewed the old-timers around here, too, and wrote all that down. Of course, they’re all gone now, and most of their stories were hand-me-downs, too. I always said I’d write a book about old Henry, but I never got around to it.” Stu stopped talking and watched out the window. His eyes had that faraway look Chris has sometimes and I had a feeling he was remembering and sorting stories in his mind.

We waited patiently.

“Old Henry and Melvin Snider grew up somewhere in the Dakotas, but I’m not sure where. From what I’ve heard, the two men were close friends in the beginning. Sometime in the mid- to late 1800s, old Henry decided to come West to find his fortune. He started out in Virginia City, right here in Nevada. Although he found gold, and some silver, he didn’t make his fortune.”

“But we found a lot of gold buried with him,” Mikey said.

“Well, I haven’t finished the story yet. Henry sent a letter to his friend, Melvyn, and told him to meet him and they’d travel to California together. When Melvyn arrived, he and Henry left Virginia City to seek their fortune in California. He’d heard lots of stories about the gold in
them thar hills
.

“It seems they got side-tracked and disappeared for a couple of years. No one knows where they were during that time, but when they finally surfaced in California, Henry had a new wife, and Melvyn was madder than a wet h
en. Wherever they were, old Henry met Frannie and married her. And, apparently, that’s when the trouble started.”

“Do you mean Frannie was trouble?” Chris asked.

“I have a feeling I know where this is going, Chris.” I turned to Stu. “I’d be willing to bet Melvyn was upset because he wanted Frannie for himself.”

“And you’d win that bet, Mrs. Cross.”

“Please, call me Pamela.”

The older man, who seemed to be a busboy, brought our drinks.
He was medium height with long silver hair, pulled back in a ponytail, and he was a little stoop-shouldered.

“Thanks, Charlie,” Stu said.

I watched the older man for a moment before turning back to Stu.

“Yes, ma’am. Pamela. As the story has come down through the years, Frannie told some of the ladies here in town that she met Melvyn before
she met Henry. He tried to court her, but she wasn’t interested in him. Then my uncle showed up in town, looking for Melvyn, who’d gone to town for supplies and hadn’t come back. She said she took one look at Henry and knew he was the man for her. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.”

“
Love,” Mikey said with disgust. “Are things always about love? Can’t we get to the good part of the story?”

Charlie was cleaning another table near us and grinned at Mikey, but didn’t say anything.

Stu chuckled. “Wait until you’re a little older and you’ll see this from a different angle. But, yes, there is more to the story.”

Mikey was about to say something, but Essie showed up with our food.

“I heard you talkin’ about old Henry,” Essie said. “Are you tellin’ that story again?” She set down a tray filled with plates and began serving our dinner.

“They found old Henry’s remains today, Essie. Have a little respect.” Stu grinned at Essie.

“Mercy me,” she said. She studied Stu for a moment. “Are they sure it’s him?”

“Looks like it.” Stu picked up a fork and casually plucked a forkful of mashed potatoes off the plate.

Essie pulled a chair over from another table and sat down with us. “Maybe I need to listen to your story. I might have forgotten some of the details.”

Stu laughed. “You just want to know if his treasure showed up
along with his body. And, yes, at least part of it was buried with him.” He looked at Mikey. “My little friend found old Henry this morning.”

Apparently we’d neglected to tell Stu not to mention the gold. I glanced at
Essie , who very pointedly set her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her intertwined fingers, watching Stu intently.

“Now where was I?” Stu
asked, ignoring her.

“You were talking about love,” Mikey said.

“Oh, yes. Well, it’s really about love and jealousy and a friendship that turned into hatred.”

“Sounds like the stuff a dime novel is made of,” Chris said.

“Essie,” a male voice yelled from the kitchen. “Come pick up your order.”

“That husband of mine d
oesn’t give me a moment’s peace.” She pushed her chair back to the other table and left us, but her grin belied her complaint about her husband.

“So, anyway,” Stu continued, “Henry and Frannie made their way to San Francisco, and Melvyn followed them. He was bound and determined to have Frannie for himself, but old Henry told him to get lost.

“Melvyn tried changing his tactics. He started acting like he was over Frannie and he made up to Henry. Then he talked Henry into going in search of gold, thinking Frannie would stay in San Francisco and get tired of waiting for her husband. He’d come back into the picture and steal her away. But it didn’t happen that way.”

“I’ve got two questions,” Chris said. “Did Frannie tell her friends here all of the story or did you have another source? And why does everyone call him
old
Henry?”

“Most of this is what Frannie told the ladies, but we also found old letters and a journal. Surprisingly, the journal belonged to Melvyn, not Frannie. Why does everyone call my uncle old Henry? I guess it’s a combination of an old story and an old man. He was no spring chicken when he disappeared.”

“Okay, let’s hear the rest of the story. I shouldn’t have interrupted, but I was curious.” Chris leaned forward and worked on eating his dinner.

Stu cut a piece of steak and ate it before continuing. “Well, Uncle Henry figured out what Melvyn was up to, but not before he found a vein of gold. Once again, Melvyn said he was going in to town for supplies, and he didn’t come back.

“From what old Henry said, the gold practically leapt into his hands, so he left to file a claim and to find Melvyn. On a hunch, he rode back to San Francisco. Melvyn was trying to woo Frannie, Henry caught him at it, and they had it out.

“According to Frannie, Henry had murder in his eyes, but didn’t follow through. At the last minute he took pity on Melvyn which was just about his undoing.
Melvyn
had no sympathy and pushed my uncle off the front porch.

“Unfortunately, the house was on an incline and the porch was high. Henry landed on something – I don’t know what – and broke his leg. It was such a bad break that they almost had
amputate his leg. It took a long time to heal, and my uncle ended up with one leg shorter than the other.”

Mikey cringed at the thought.

I patted his knee.

“Melvyn disappeared that winter. He came back the next spring and told old Henry he’d seen the error of his ways and he wanted to be friends again. He’d hardly even look at Frannie. She must have been a remind
er of how close he’d come to killing my uncle.”

“But it still doesn’t sound like there was all that much gold,” Mikey said.

“And it doesn’t explain how they ended up here with old Henry in that grave,” I added.

“There’s more to the story. After the men made up, my uncle told Melvyn about the gold he’d found after they split up. They decided to go back that spring and make themselves rich
, which they did.

“Uncle Henry had put the original gold he’d found in the bank, and while the two men were off on their adventure, the bank was robbed.”

“So that’s why your uncle didn’t trust banks,” Chris said, finishing the last bite of his dinner.

“That and the fact that the bank had no sympathy. Frannie was left with nothing while my uncle was gone, and she only scraped through by
cleaning houses, taking in laundry and sewing.”

“But, obviously, the two men came home with more gold,” I said. “Otherwise there wouldn’t have been anything in the grave with your uncle. So how did they end up here
in Serenity?”

Chapter Nine

“I want to know how they ended up here, too. What happened next?” Mikey looked at me. “Can I have dessert?” His plate was clean and I nodded.

Stu waved
at Essie, who was cleaning the table next to ours. Thinking about it, I realized she’d been cleaning the table for quite some time. I realized she’d been listening and probably wanted to hear the rest of the story.

“Stu, what
did
happen next?” she asked, proving me right.

Before he could answer, Essie waved Charlie over to finish cleaning the table she’d been working on. The only thing left for him to do was pick up a couple of coffee cups and cart them to the kitchen. He was back in no time, listening as intently as Essie.

“Pamela, look around you. Have you noticed how quiet it got in here?” Chris was nonchalantly glancing around the room, more with his eyes than by turning his head. “It seems everyone wants to hear this story.”

I smiled when I noticed
that even Essie’s husband had come out from the kitchen to listen to our conversation, standing next to Charlie. But what could it hurt? It was an interesting story.

Stu looked down at the table and placed his hands on his knees. Lifting his head, he also glanced around the room. He didn’t look happy.

“You folks may have some problems out at the farmhouse,” he said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked, just as quietly.

“Gold fever. Now that my uncle has been found, everyone’s going to be looking for the rest of the gold again.”

“The rest of the gold?” Mikey asked, a bit too loudly.

Stu tried to ignore the eavesdroppers and spoke softly. All that did was cause them to step closer to our table so they could hear better. “Well, when old Henry and Melvyn returned and found Frannie working her fingers to the bone, they were furious. My uncle went to the bank and punched the bank manager, or whatever he was, on the mouth and walked out the door. He never went inside another bank as long as he lived, or so the story goes.

“He gave away their meager belongings and they headed for Sacramento. They spent a week there in the fanciest hotel they could find, and Frannie had a chance to catch up on her rest. They
shopped at the best stores and bought furniture. Then my uncle took my aunt to a seamstress and had her make Frannie a whole new wardrobe with lots of beautiful dresses. After that they headed to Serenity, where they would be the richest people in town.”

“And that’s how they ended up in this tiny
place?” I was surprised.

“The name of the town is what motivated old Henry. He was ready for some peace and quiet. He’d found his fortune and just wanted to live
out his life in Serenity.”

“So where did he end up finding all his gold?” Chris asked.

“No one knows. There was so much gold that old Henry and Melvyn didn’t even fight over it. There was plenty for both of them. Uncle Henry talked Melvyn into keeping the location a secret. They never filed a claim. The story goes that the site was so far off the beaten path that they knew no one would ever find it. They were afraid if they filed a claim someone might come along and steal from them because, of course, they couldn’t be there to guard it all the time.”

“That’s quite a story,” Chris said, “but it still doesn’t explain why we found your uncle’s cadaver
at the farmhouse this morning.”

“Okay. Here’s the rest of the story. When Melvyn found himself in possession of so much money, he reverted to his old self. He’d never
really
given up on Frannie, and he never quit trying to win her away from old Henry. I guess he was a never-say-die kind of guy.

“
The years went by and my aunt and uncle were old, by the standards of those days, although every once in a while Henry and Melvyn would disappear and return with more gold. That gold seemed to be the only thing the two men had in common by that time.

“But my
uncle had had enough and for years he wouldn’t allow Melvyn anywhere near my aunt. One day Melvyn showed up looking for old Henry. Frannie told him to go away, and he left to search for my uncle, saying he’d be back.”

“Did he come back?” Mikey asked. My
son seemed to be entranced by Stu’s story.

“
Well, Melvyn came back but old Henry was never seen again. Melvyn tried to take my uncle’s place, but Frannie wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”

“The grave?” Chris prodded.

“Like I said, old Henry never came back. The Town Constable looked for him, but there wasn’t a trace. At that time the acreage you’re staying on was just fields of nothing, except maybe weeds. No one lived near that spot. My best guess is Melvyn found Henry burying his gold, killed him and stuck him in the ground right where you found him.”

“What happened to Melvyn and Frannie?” I asked.

“That’s where the story ends. Melvyn tried to have his way with Frannie – I guess you’re never too old – and she shot him dead. She wasn’t arrested because they called it self-defense. I guess they figured she’d found justice and, really, Melvyn deserved it. My aunt lived her days out in mourning for old Henry.”

“What’s Melvyn trying to
have his way
mean?” Mikey asked.

Chris quickly changed the subject. “Okay, now what about all the gold?”

Essie, her husband and Charlie seemed to lean a bit closer to our table.

“Like I said, old Henry and Melvyn had found a fortune in gold and silver. Since my uncle didn’t believe in banks, he buried his treasure around Serenity and the surrounding area.
Every once in a while he’d dig some up and Frannie would cash it in. I’m not quite sure how he ended up buried with some of his gold, but I have a feeling, like I said, that Melvyn found him burying it and just threw it in the hole with the body after he killed him.”

“Holy smoke,” Mike
y said. Apparently that was his new favorite phrase.

“Yeah, holy smoke,” Charlie said in a deep baritone voice. Catching himself, he
grinned and picked up his cleaning rag before heading toward an empty table to clean it.

Essie and her husband slowly walked toward the kitchen. Her husband was a good match for her. Also a little overweight, he had dark brown hair with strands of grey brushed through it. He was only a few inches taller than his wife.
I saw him turn back and give Charlie an odd look, like he was afraid the busboy wasn’t quite doing his job.

Stu slowly turned and watched the crowd of listeners. “And that’s the end of the story,” he announced. “I don’t expect y’all to go nuts and start searching for old Henry’s gold again. Right?”

No one said a word, but several people averted their eyes.

Mikey finally had a chance to place his order for ice cream. While he was eating, Chris and I watched the room. There were hushed conversations, and every once in a while someone would look at us and then turn away quickly when they saw us watching them.

Chris stood and I wondered if we were leaving, but when I asked him he shook his head and pulled on his ear lobe, Bogey style. “Cool your heels for a few minutes. I want to jaw with Essie’s hubbie for a tick. This little diner is cookin’ with gas. I’m thinking maybe we should add a few home cookin’ dishes at the Bogey Nights. That was the best roast beef dinner I’ve ever had.”

“Not a bad idea, Bogey Man. My chicken was baked, not fried, and it’s the best
I’ve
ever had.”

Stu chuckled. “Good luck talking to
Joe. I don’t think he actually uses recipes, and if he does, I don’t think he’ll share them.”

Chris left the table and I asked Mikey how his dinner was. He’d had macaroni and cheese. “Sorry, Mom, but it was even better than yours.”

“Chris,” I called, “ask about the mac and cheese.”

He waved at me in reply.

“So,” I said, turning back to Stu, “do you really think people around here will start searching for the gold again?”

“Not a doubt in my mind, Pamela. And after today, you can guess where they’ll start looking.”

“Oh, dear. Chris’s brother will have a fit if they start digging up his property. He owns the Perry farmhouse. He bought it for the peace and quiet.”

“Mooother, there’s gold at stake here. I have a feeling we’re going to have some visitors soon.” Mikey can be pretty savvy sometimes.

“Say, has anyone ever told your husband he looks like Humphrey Bogart?” Stu glanced toward the kitchen.

“Yes, and he’s even become involved in solving mysteries
because of the resemblance. Wait until he walks the walk and talks the talk. You’ll think you had dinner with Bogey tonight.”

“Hmmm.”

Mikey smiled and curled his upper lip under, imitating his father, the Bogey Man.