“Aw, him and his church was runnin’ from religious per-persah … Something.”
“Religious persecution?”
“Yeah, that’s it. They couldn’t practice their own religion where they was. Folks wouldn’t have it. So him and the whole bunch of ‘em up and moved to a place in Michigan that nobody else wanted.”
Longarm frowned. “What was his religion that he was persecuted?”
“They was Shakers.”
“Shakers?” Longarm thought for a moment. “I don’t reckon I ever heard of them. “What set them off, say, from Baptists or Lutherans or whatnot?”
She was busy brushing her hair. She said into the mirror, “Well, they believed in share and share alike. But what got ‘em into trouble was they carried that over about wives and such.”
“You mean they could have more than one wife?”
“They could have a bunch, I think. Anyway, Daddy didn’t mind that sharing all around so much, though he felt they was a bunch didn’t come up with their fair share. But then they went to poaching on his wives, so he just took him one and come to Texas. That’s what he said. He said he just grabbed up a wife and what kids there was and come to Texas.”
“Were you born in Texas?”
“Aw, yeah. This was all some years back. Better’n twenty I would reckon. My momma wasn’t a Shaker. Daddy come acrosst her here in Texas. I think his Shaker wife passed on over while I was a little girl. I don’t recollect her.”
“I see,” Longarm said slowly.
He didn’t say any more about it until they were mounted and riding into town. Then he said casually, “Anyone in your family got the given name of Wayne?”
“Wayne?” She looked at him and laughed. “Marshal, we is all girls. Wayne is a boy’s name.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Guess you’re right.”
When they walked into the jailhouse only Austin Davis was there. He was leaning up against a desk with his arms crossed. Longarm looked at him.
“Nobody here yet?”
Davis coughed slightly and signaled Longarm with his eyes. “Just Mister Diver. He’s back in one of the cells resting.”
“He ain’t sick, is he?”
Davis shook his head. “No, no. Not sick. That cell on the left as you go through is open. Door is open. He wanted it that way so he could get some air.”
Longarm stared for a second before he realized that Davis was telling him that the door to the first cell on the left was open. It was good information to have, Longarm thought. Miss Hannah was liable to turn into a handful when she realized she had been tricked and was about to occupy a jail cell.
She was looking Austin Davis over. “Who be this?”
Longarm said, “That’s another federal marshal, Marshal Smith. Honest John Smith.”
“Howdy do,” Hannah said. Austin Davis doffed his hat. “How do you do, Miss Hannah.”
“I hope my daddy ain’t ailing.”
“No, he’s just resting.” Austin Davis looked over her head at Longarm. “But I’d hurry on back. The other sisters might be getting here any minute. Might get crowded at the door.”
Longarm said, “I better take her in to her daddy.”
Davis said, “I’ll get the door.”
With Davis holding the big, heavy door that separated the cells from the office, Longarm took Hannah by the arm and escorted her through the door just as it opened. He saw the empty cell on his left with the door standing open, and was immediately aware of a sharp outcry to his right. Hannah tried to look around him toward the cell on the right, but he unceremoniously shoved her into the open cell and, while she was still startled, closed the barred door and locked it. As quick as he could, he jerked the key free and stepped back through the big door as Austin Davis shut it behind him.
The thick door cut off most of the screams and cries, but they were both aware of the tumult coming from the cells. Longarm ran his sleeve across his forehead. He said, “Wheee, I don’t much care for that brand of work.”
“About like putting a bobcat in a burlap bag. And nearly as noisy.”
Longarm said, “I got a little glance at Rebeccah. She’s as pretty as Hannah, though in a darker way. How’d you make out?”
Davis shrugged. “About like you, except I didn’t have nobody to open the big door for me and the cell door was locked.” He showed Longarm the side of his neck where it was severely scratched. “I had to hold her whilst I unlocked that cell door. She seen my intent and didn’t care for it. By then, of course, she knowed her daddy wasn’t here. But it was fine up until then.”
“You got here ahead of me.” Longarm was thinking guiltily of what had delayed him. “Guess you didn’t waste no time.”
Davis said, “I got lucky. She was just coming in from a ride when I got there. We just turned around and come on in, though she was suspicious as hell about what her daddy was doing at the jail.”
“So was her sister.”
Austin Davis reached in his pocket and came out with a cigarillo and a match. He lit the black little cigar and got it drawing. “We going to see ol’ Dalton Diver?” he asked.
Longarm nodded toward the cells. “I’d feel better if we waited and made sure we had all our chicks in the coop before we left matters to the sheriff and his boys.”
Davis said, “Am I right in thinking why you want the daughters penned up before we see the daddy?”
Longarm nodded. “I would reckon you are. Lord, I am hungry. Are you?”
“We ain’t ate since breakfast. But maybe Dalton Diver will give us some supper.”
Longarm looked grim. “I would doubt it. This could be a little rough, Austin. He’s got three hired hands out there.”
Davis was busy looking through the drawers of the sheriff’s desk.
“Aaah, I figured he’d have a little liquid courage in here.” He came out holding a bottle of whiskey. He uncorked it and gave it a smell.
“Ain’t too bad. Of course it ain’t that fancy whiskey of yours.” He put the bottle to his lips and took a short drink. He coughed a little and held the bottle out to Longarm. “Ain’t the smoothest I ever drank. You want me to hold a gun on you?”
Longarm took the bottle. “Naw, I reckon I can get a swig down on my own.” He took two quick swallows out of the bottle and then lowered it. He breathed out, “Aaaaah! For heaven’s sake, don’t strike an open flame. Whole place will go up.”
Austin Davis suddenly looked toward the door. “Sounds like our party has arrived.”
“It’s going to be a party, all right. I reckon we better get ready to help them. Though I ain’t sure if the six of us can manage it.”
Davis said, “I just wish I had me some little corks to shove in my ears. It is going to be a powerful racket when we shove two more in there.”
Chapter 9
They rode out of town through the gathering twilight. Longarm calculated it would take them three quarters of an hour to a full hour to reach Dalton Diver’s place. He said, “I doubt we’ll get there before seven.”
Austin Davis said, “After supper. Hell, my stomach thinks my throat has been cut. Maybe they’ll have some left over.”
Longarm glanced sideways at him. “I doubt you can expect Mister Diver to extend us much hospitality when he finds out what we are there for.”
“You reckon he’ll crumble?”
Longarm made a shrug. “I don’t know. That’s up to him. With the evidence I got I can send a number of people to jail. It’s all up to Diver what their names are gonna be.”
“How many girls left at home?”
“What I understand from Hannah, there are four. I think the oldest is around seventeen, maybe eighteen. The youngest is maybe twelve.”
“Then there’s four married, or kind of married, around here.”
“And the other two have married and moved off. I don’t reckon they count. Maybe Rachel, the one living at Rock Springs.”
Davis said, “That Shaker business is cute as hell, ain’t it? Who would have ever thought of such a thing. I never heard of no Shakers, had you?”