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“I was wrong to take my daughter from her mother,” Earl suddenly blurted out.
He looked over at Megan, who was still sleeping soundly. “I do regret taking the child to raise by myself,” he said. “I only took her to bring hurt into my wife’s heart. I’ve grown tired of her and the child. And now here I am, stuck with a child to raise all by myself.”
His words were so slurred Speckled Fawn could hardly make out what he was saying. But knowing so much about him from what Shirleen had told her, she could decipher enough of what he was saying to make sense of it.
He slid a slow gaze over at Speckled Fawn. His eyes glittered glassily. “Since you’ve lost your own daughter, would you like to have mine to take her place?” he asked thickly. “I’d gladly part with her. She’s done what I needed her for. Now I’d like a life of my own, alone.”
Speckled Fawn was stunned by the way things were happening. Never had she expected this. She realized now just how evilhearted this man was.
“If you don’t truly want her, why did you take her?” she asked cautiously.
“Don’t you hear well? Have you got cotton or something else in your ears?” he said, squinting at her again. “I told you I took Megan in order to hurt her mother.”
He leaned closer to Speckled Fawn. “I’m serious,” he said. “Would you like to have the child? Yours was taken from you by the heathens. Now you can have mine instead. Take my daughter and you’ll no longer be alone.”
He chuckled again and began talking even more erratically. “How’d you escape your captors?” he said. “You’re mighty clever to have done it.”
He didn’t give her a chance to answer because he didn’t really want an answer. He just wanted to ramble on and on. “I hate all redskins,” he said, glowering. “They are murdering, lice-infested savages.” He chuckled as he stared at the flask of whiskey. “I had me an Indian squaw one day. It was about a year ago. I’d been out alone hunting and there she was, all alone, picking berries. I recognized her. She was known to be the wife of a powerful Assiniboine Indian chief. She was Chief Blue Thunder’s woman.”
Afraid of what else this man was going to tell her, Speckled Fawn felt sick even before he confirmed her suspicion. She was almost sure that she was sitting face-to-face with the son of a bitch who had ended the life of her chief’s wife.
But Speckled Fawn had to play his game. She knew he enjoyed telling her what he had done. He deserved what he would eventually get. A man like him wouldn’t live long. Someone would take offense at his arrogance and silence him forever.
“I’ve not heard of that Indian chief,” she lied. “Or his wife.”
“Well, you’re hearing about her now,” he said, snickering. “I threw that squaw to the ground. My, oh my, did she plead and fight as I raped her. When I was done, I silenced her forever with my knife.”
Speckled Fawn tried not to show how horrified she was feeling. Oh, Lord, she was face-to-face with a rapist and murderer.
She flinched when Earl suddenly slapped the knife sheathed at his right side.
“This here is the knife that did it,” he bragged. “There’s one less savage squaw on this earth now because of me. I believe the Comanche renegades were accused of the crime, for no one ever came lookin’ for good ol’ Earl Mingus.”
He leaned even close to her. “See?” he said. “I did you a favor. The Comanche came and killed your husband and child, didn’t they?”
“Yes, Comanche, but not Assiniboine,” she dared to say. “They are known to be peace-loving people.”
He frowned. “Are you an Injun lover or what?” he said, his head swaying as the alcohol fully claimed him.
“No, you must know I’m not, after suffering such losses because of them,” she said. She rose from the chair and went to Megan. She looked over her shoulder at Earl, whose head was resting on the table. “Are you serious? Can I truly have the child? I promise to be a good mother.”
He shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. I just wanna get her outta my hair,” he said. “Take her.”
He lifted his head unsteadily from the table and gazed at Speckled Fawn through blurred vision. “But where will you take her?” he said. “Your home was burned.”
“I have a friend who lives in a small settlement not far from where my cabin had been,” she said, hoping that her lie was believable. “Until the child is older and better able to travel, I’ll stay there. Then later I will head for Boston, my true home. Don’t you agree with me that the long journey back East would be too hard on the child if I took her there now?”
“Probably so,” he said, shrugging.
“Then you agree to my plan?” she asked. “Can I truly take her? Take her now?”
He nodded and stood shakily. Then he watched Speckled Fawn gather Megan up from the bed and into her arms. The child slept through it all.
“Thank you,” Speckled Fawn said as she glanced quickly at Earl, then rushed out of the cabin.
She was glad there was no moon.
Everything was pitch-black as she headed toward the gate.
