Just then they all heard the school bell ring and echo. Clay almost tipped his chair over as he pushed back from the table. Ham went sideways over his chair. Hannah politely excused herself before she dashed off.
Lily called after them, “No stories at school about anything you saw last night.”
“Or thought you saw,” Roen said.
There was a chorus of “yes, sir” and “yes, ma’am” that indicated they’d heard and understood. Whether they would listen was an entirely different matter.
Sighing, Lily wet the corner of her napkin and wiped Lizzie’s mouth. She examined her daughter’s plate. More than half of everything was gone. “Are you finished?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Go play in the front room.” Once Lizzie was gone, Lily said, “None of what you heard surprised you, did it?”
“Only the part about jail. I didn’t know that. I suspected the rest.”
“I thought Ben might have said something.”
Roen shook his head. “A regular Sphinx, our sheriff.”
“I suppose he is. You know, last night I couldn’t help but think that guilt is what prompted Buzz Winegarten to give the toast. Ben tried more than once to encourage Buzz to cut Jeremiah off after a few drinks. I don’t blame Buzz for not being able to do it, but I think he blames himself.” Her smile was a bleak curve. “I heard that Buzz was one of those who came to put the fire out. Gouty foot and all. That’s impressive.”
“You heard?” asked Roen. “You didn’t see?” Something about that struck him as odd, and he knew he was right to think so when Lily changed the subject.
“Do you want an egg? It will only take a moment.”
Roen shook his head and reached for Lizzie’s plate. “I’ll eat what she didn’t.”
Lily tried to stop him, but he hugged the plate and she had to give up. She stood and began to clear the table. “About last night,” she said. “Thank you.”
He nodded but said nothing.
“I told the children before you came down that you weren’t sleeping in because you’d been drinking, but then you came to the table looking the way you did and that’s why they laughed.They’re comfortable with you. When Jeremiah came to breakfast looking much as you did, no one laughed. No one would have dared. You have a bit of a cowlick, you know.”
Roen put a hand on top of his head and smoothed his hair. “I thought I’d taken care of it. Is it gone?”
“Almost.” She freed up a hand to tamp it down. “There. Now it’s gone.”
He glanced up, suspicious. “Did you spit on your fingers?”
“No. I only do that when I need to tame Ham’s hair. Relieved?”
“Yes.”
She laughed and continued removing items from the table and setting them in the sink. “Where are you going today? Clay didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t tell him. I’m more comfortable if he doesn’t know. There’s less chance of him following. I told Ben and Hitch last night. Are you familiar with a place called Thunder Point?”
“Familiar with the name. I’ve never been there.”
“The way I understand it, it used to belong to someone named McCauley. He was an early prospector and later just a hermit.”
“Mm. Old Man McCauley. I’ve never heard him called anything else.”
“That’s right. Remington Frost owns the property now. Purchased it from the government after no proper deed for the place could be found. Ben got permission from his brother for me to look around out there. There’s a cabin and that parcel is off limits, but Ben thinks there’s more property that might be of interest to the railroad. I’ve looked at the maps, and I think there’s good reason to believe he’s right.”
Lily pumped water into the sink. “Will you be here for dinner?”
“Back before dark.”
