Page 14 of Earning Tia’s Trust

FOURTEEN

The next few days were hectic. Posters were hung all over town, and gossip was widespread. When the Higginses realized that no one in town would support or excuse their behavior, they sent a messenger to Moose Ridge, a town sixty miles away, and hired a lawyer named Ralph Pencock. The response was that it would take him five days to arrive by stagecoach. The meetings were postponed until his arrival.

At that turn of events, Robert became the bank and school board’s attorney on record. The meetings hadn’t yet become official trials and were postponed until Pencock arrived. Judge William Bentley had no problem keeping the Higginses incarcerated until the lawyer arrived.

When he did arrive, Pencock tried to talk his clients out of jail, but Sheriff Silas Kent wasn’t having it. Judge Bentley had jailed them and was the only one with the authority to release them. The meetings were rescheduled, and only word-of-mouth spread the news this time.

The Higginses had been in jail, in separate cells, for nine days. On the day of the meetings, Judge Bentley allowed the prisoners a bath and clean clothing brought in by friends. Silas had inspected the packages thoroughly.

The meetings were to be in the schoolhouse, as it was the only building in town large enough to hold the townspeople. Preacher Niken agreed for once and announced the hearing after his sermon.

First on the agenda was the reinstatement of Silas Kent as Sheriff, and it was simply a formality, as all hands were raised. He had already accepted the job and was wearing the badge appointed by Judge William Bentley. No one was going to challenge the Judge.

Martha and Thomas Higgins had the only objections and were shouted down immediately. The Higgins-hired lawyer sat down with a frown. He realized quickly that his clients had lied to him. This wasn’t a trial but an uprising of town residents against the mishandling of town funds. He excused himself to Judge Bentley, picked up his leather case, and walked out of the schoolhouse. He would leave Stone Falls the following day on the stagecoach.

William called for order and took over the questioning. “Now that that decision has been made, we will continue with this meeting. Would the Stone Falls school board members please step forward and stand against the wall. Miss Mason, would you join them.”

Three women and three men stood up and took their positions against the schoolroom wall. Martha Higgins remained at the first desk because she, like her husband, was handcuffed to the front row desk. Francine joined the members of the school board.

“I will be asking a few questions,” William said. “Miss Mason, what has been your involvement with the Stone Falls school?”

“I was the teacher until my contract was completed after this last semester. I informed Mrs. Higgins that I would not be signing a new contract,” Francine answered.

“Why did you give up your job?” William asked.

“Because I was tired of being mistreated. My salary was inconsistent. One week, I would receive the nine dollars I was promised; the next, it would be five or less. I’ve heard every excuse known to mankind as to why I wasn’t paid what my contract promised. I was also told repeatedly that the school board didn’t have the money to provide books, tablets, and supplies needed to teach the students. When I complained, I was told I should be thankful to have a job and a roof over my head.”

“So the school board wasn’t fulfilling their responsibilities. I assume you have found other employment?”

“Yes, sir, that is correct. When Mr. Bishop offered me a job at the bank, I accepted it,” Francine continued. “Sunday, two weeks ago, I was moving my belongings back to my mother’s house when Martha Higgins barged in and claimed I was stealing from the school and couldn’t remove the furniture or the books. I told her I bought them, and they were my property.”

“What was her reaction?” William asked.

“She accused me of lying and said I had no claim on the furniture or the school supplies I had purchased. Most of the furniture came from my mother’s home. Martha Higgins started screaming that I would regret the dereliction of my duties.”

“What was your response?” William asked.

“I reminded her again that my contract expired on May 24, the last day of school before the summer break. I did so out of courtesy so the school board would have time to find a teacher before September.

“I repeated to her that the furniture I was using belonged to my mother. I also told her I had proof that the school materials and books were purchased by me. With the assistance of Rainer Bishop and Robert Grayson, we continued to move my property to my mother’s house.”

“And how did Mrs. Higgins respond to your actions?” William asked.

“She and her husband had Sheriff Briggs drag me from my bed, arrested for theft, and locked in a jail cell.”

There was a notable gasp in the room at Francine’s words.

William turned to Martha Higgins. “Do you deny these accusations?”

Martha shook her head. “She was abandoning the children! I was trying to teach her a lesson!”

“How so?” William demanded. “You had until September to find a new teacher.”

Martha shook her head and refused to answer. William looked to the school board members. “You may remain here after this hearing or postpone your duties to find a new teacher later. You have time, but you also must discuss Mrs. Higgins unlawfully having Miss Mason arrested and detained in jail. Miss Mason has filed charges against Mrs. Higgins and the school board since Mrs. Higgins represents the board. Miss Mason can also demand compensation for an unlawful arrest. That is up to her! You are dismissed!”

The school board members were looking at each other with expressions of fear, and they returned to their seats.

William then turned his attention to the townspeople. “The second issue on tonight’s agenda is that Thomas Higgins has been embezzling money from the town coffers.”

“That’s not true!” Thomas shouted.

“It is true,” Rainer said, standing up. “The town council members need to meet and decide what they want to do about it. As the bank manager, I have thoroughly reviewed the past and present accounts. I have discovered discrepancies going back three years. Exactly when Thomas Higgins became the mayor of Stone Falls.”

“Lock both of them up,” a man shouted from the back of the room. “They’re thieves and liars!” There was a lot of grumbling in the room.

William held up a hand. “Mrs. Higgins will remain in custody until the school board decides her fate. The same applies to Mr. Higgins until the town council members review the evidence and decide whether to press charges against Mr. Higgins or not. Since there have not been any formal complaints, I will allow the heads of the committees to make those decisions once they have time to review the evidence.”

“Ain’t that your job?” someone yelled from the back of the room.

“As a District Judge, no, it isn’t. However, I can make decisions if the people in charge can’t agree,” William answered. “I will give the town of Stone Falls and the people involved a week to decide what you want to do. Until then, Mr. and Mrs. Higgins will be allowed to live in their home but under house arrest.”

“What is house arrest?” Tia whispered into Robert’s ear.

“That means they can go home but can’t leave their house,” he whispered.

“That’s stupid!” Tia hissed. “They’ll take off and disappear.”

“Shhh,” Robert whispered. “William and Rainer know what they are doing.”

A few minutes later, the Higginses were marched out of the schoolhouse by Sheriff Kent still in handcuffs.”

“If he’s going to release them, why keep them handcuffed?” Tia asked as they followed the dispersing crowd from the school.

“He’s shaming them in front of the people who relied on them to be honest,” Robert said. “They own one of the largest houses in Stone Falls. They also own a fancy buggy. It won’t take them long to make a run for it. William is hoping they take the bait and leave town.”

“I don’t understand. The Higginses owe the town money,” Tia said.

“Stone Falls will get their money back,” Rainer said, coming up behind them. “Their private accounts, as well as the town’s assets, have been locked down. The Higginses don’t have access to them. If they leave town, they leave with whatever cash they have stashed at home. After they are officially gone, I will release whatever is in those accounts to the township and the school board. When they’ve been gone thirty days, their house and everything in it will be confiscated. It can be sold to replenish the accounts they stole from.”

“What if they don’t have cash at home?” Tia asked.

“People like the Higginses always have hidden cash,” Rainer said. “I wouldn’t put it past them to have records of breaking the law.”

Robert lifted Tia into the buggy to go home and gave Rainer a lift to the bank. Rainer lived in the apartment above the bank.”

“So, you planned these meetings, and the townspeople simply fell into line with what you, Rainer, and William wanted them to do?” Tia said.

Robert smiled. “I wasn’t involved except for a bit of legal advice. Sometimes, it works to play against a felon’s ego. The Higginses have been humiliated. They have been detained in jail and have lost the townspeople's respect for them. My bet is that they will be gone before dawn.

“This way, they think they are sneaking off and getting the best of the town. But they’ll leave without their bank accounts. After they’ve been gone thirty days, those assets can be claimed by the school board and the mayor’s office. Of course, the mayor and head of the school board positions must be filled by then.”

“It was a sneaky plan, but I think it’s going to work,” Rainer said. “Francine has kept exceptional records. Her bookkeeping will be accepted over Martha Higgins’s doctored records. Once the school board gets its finances in order, Francine will be reimbursed the salary she was cheated out of over the last couple of years, and they will have to locate a new teacher before school convenes in September. Francine has already promised to help find a replacement.”

Robert stopped the buggy in front of the bank, and Rainer jumped out. “If anything happens that you should know about, I’ll send word.”

Tia was quiet for a long time as they returned to the ranch.

“Is something bothering you?” Robert asked.

“If I’d planned and executed what you men pulled off, you would be furious with me!” Tia said.

“That’s a possibility,” Robert admitted. “If they don’t leave the area, we’ll have to file charges against the Higginses and put them through court trials. If that happens, the results might be different. In fact, we might be forced to release their bank accounts over to them. If that happens, the town and the school board will be hard-pressed to be reimbursed for what they stole. Trials could change the end results of what we are trying to do.”

“So they could fight back,” Tia said.

“True,” Robert agreed. “We’ll know one way or another in a few days.”

* * *

Tia stormed out of the barn, almost running into one of the wranglers. She dodged him and kept running.

Robert watched her from the open barn door, frowned, but went inside to give the horses a rub-down. He’d let his wife calm down before trying to talk some sense into her... again.

“Problems, Boss?” the wrangler teased as he picked up a brush and began to groom Tia’s mount.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Robert said.

“She was a handful when her Pa was alive, but we didn’t blame her. Old man Hayward was a drunk and a bastard, but she stood up to him!”

“I’ve noticed,” Robert said. “It’s my job to take care of her now, but if she does something that isn’t safe, I want to know about it.”

Robert was planning on talking to his wife, but Hank needed assistance stitching a stallion that had acquired a foot-long gash on his flank. They stitched the cut and discussed a treatment. By the time he’d reached the house, it was almost supper time, and Mrs. Putney was setting the table. She told the children to go wash their hands.

“Where is Tia?” Robert asked.

“Last I saw of her, she was going upstairs,” the housekeeper grumbled.

“I’ll tell her supper is ready,” Robert said. He didn’t bother knocking on the closed door. “Are you still pouting?”

“I’m not pouting!” Tia snapped.

“If you’re mad about getting spanked this afternoon—get over it. I told you no jumping the barbed wire fences. I’ve seen the damage it can do. It’s too dangerous, and I’ve warned you several times. Maybe this time you’ll listen.”

“Just like that!” Tia exclaimed. “You’re not the one with a sore... with a sore...”

“Bottom,” Robert said, finishing the sentence.

“Yes!” Tia exclaimed. “I’m your wife, not your child!”

“Then stop behaving like one,” Robert said bluntly. “I spanked your bottom because you earned it. Hopefully, you’ll think more before doing something dangerous and not do it again.”

“I’ve jumped that fence a hundred times!”

“I don’t care if you’ve jumped it a thousand times. I told you several times not to jump the barbed wire. I want you to be more careful! Why are you making such a big deal about it? I spanked you last night while we were having sex, and you sounded like you were enjoying yourself.”

“That was different,” Tia sniffed.

“Yes, it was different,” Robert agreed. “Tia, I won’t apologize for setting your bottom on fire. I’ve warned you several times about being careless. You earned a spanking, and I delivered it. I hope you learned a lesson. Now we have children waiting for supper, and I’m hungry.”

Tia realized she wouldn’t change Robert’s mind, so she followed him into the dining room, although she was too upset to eat much.

After dinner, as he did every evening, Robert played with the children and read them a story before sending them off to bed.

There was a knock on the door, and Robert opened it to find Rainer and Francine.

“I thought you’d like to know that the Higginses have left town,” Rainer said. “That fancy fringed buggy they paraded around town in is missing. The house wasn’t locked, and they emptied the closets and took whatever they could fit in the buggy. Most of the furnishings and the house were left behind. A letter on the kitchen table declared they were leaving town and wouldn’t be back. It was a nasty letter blaming everyone in town except themselves for their troubles.”

Rainer said he had to talk with Robert, and the men wandered off to the office.

“Come in,” Tia said to her friend, leading her to the parlor.

“Those awful cherub clocks and lamps that Martha was so proud of were some of the things they took with them,” Francine reported. “Judge Bentley said to shutter the house for thirty days, with a notice on the door. If the Higginses aren’t heard from by then, the town can auction off the house and contents to pay back what they stole from the town.

“What if they do come back?” Tia asked.

Francine shook her head. “Even the Higginses aren’t that stupid. Judge Bentley says they are fugitives of the law. If they came back, they would be slapped back in jail with a whole bunch of charges that could put them behind bars for a long time. Judge Bentley can be a little scary.

“The Grovers are showing interest in buying the house, and that money can reimburse the town coffers and what the school board owes me.”

“Will you go back to teaching?” Tia asked.

Francine shook her head. “No. I’ve complained for years about Martha Higgins, but everyone ignored my complaints. They’ve already asked me to sign a contract, and I refused. I also told the committee I would advise anyone applying for the position not to sign a contract until it is changed. Female teachers have a right to personal lives beyond the schoolroom. I also told them that decent accommodations should be provided, and the rooms above the schoolhouse should be used for supplies.”

“It sounds like you gave them an earful,” Tia grinned. “Are they listening?”

“They’re listening,” Francine said with a satisfied look.

“How is the new job at the bank working out?” Tia asked.

Francine blushed. “Very good. I’ve only been working for a short time, but I’m good with numbers. A few male clients have objected to being serviced by a woman, but Rainer has scoffed at their comments and told them I’m more accurate than he is. That’s not true, I’m still learning, but when he backs me up, they shut up. It’s certainly different from my last three years of employment.”

“No one can complain because Rainer’s bank is the only one in town,” Tia laughed.

Francine nodded. “It’s been a little difficult living back at home with my mother. I liked being independent.”

“I have the same problem,” Tia agreed.

“Aren’t you happy with Robert?” Francine asked.

“Most of the time,” Tia agreed. “But, sometimes, I’d like to kick him in the ass!”

“Hush,” Francine whispered, looking around quickly. “Let’s go into the kitchen and make some coffee.”

Tia made the coffee and pointed Francine to the cupboard where the cups were stored. They didn’t attempt to continue their discussion with Mrs. Putney cooking and listening. They carried a tray into the parlor. Robert and Rainer joined them a few minutes later.

“I thought I smelled coffee,” Robert said, pouring himself and Rainer a cup. He looked at Tia, who still wouldn’t make eye contact with him. The conversation mainly centered around what Stone Falls as a town would do now that the Higginses were gone. Rainer spoke of Silas Kent doing a good job as the reinstated sheriff.

As the summer sun began to drop, Rainer said they had to leave. They didn’t want to be caught out after dark. Robert and Tia waved their friends off and went inside together.

“Rainer and Francine seem to be getting along well,” Robert said.

Tia nodded; she didn’t turn around to face him. She felt him step behind her.

He turned her to face him. “Are you still upset about this afternoon?”

“Yes! I’m your wife, not your child!”

“Then stop behaving like one,” Robert said firmly. “Darling, there are going to be times when I’m going to be mad at you, and there are going to be times when you are mad at me. I was raised to believe that men are sworn to protect their families. The most important thing is to protect them, even if it is from themselves! What would your reaction have been if you caught Sammy jumping barbed wire fences?”

Tia opened her mouth to protest but realized she couldn’t. If Sammy had been jumping the fences, he would have been punished.

“I’m your wife, not your child!” she repeated stubbornly.

“I recognize that,” Robert said, wrapping his arms around her. “I also recognize that I am responsible for my family. We aren’t going to agree all the time. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s true of all marriages.

“Besides, sweetheart,” he bent and whispered into her ear. “There are times when you don’t mind one bit when I’m spanking your sexy little bottom.” He kissed her ear and moved down to the nape of her neck. “When we’re in bed, a little spanking makes you get excited, and when I slide into you, you’re ready for me.”

“Shame on you,” Tia whispered, blushing at his teasing words.

“There’s no shame in my wanting to make love with my wife,” Robert said, kissing her on the lips while his hands were pulling her shirt out of the waistband of her split skirt. “It’s getting dark outside, and the children are already in bed.”

Tia blushed. “We’d better go upstairs. This could be embarrassing if Mrs. Putney comes back inside and sees us.”

“Now that sounds like a good idea,” Robert agreed.

* * *

Work began on the new house, and Robert hadn’t realized how much on-site attention it would require. Every load of pink granite had to be inspected, and a road had to be built before the flatbed wagon loads of supplies could be moved on-site. He’d authorized Jim Hawthorn to hire four more men to keep the building on schedule and was surprised at how many decisions he had to be on-site to approve or disapprove. Purchasing his former house had only required signing contracts and deeds.

In addition, he’d been voted de facto into the temporary position of Mayor of Stone Falls until the fall elections. With a little effort, Robert discovered it was William Bentley’s idea, and he vowed retribution to his friend because that meant he had to go into town at least three times a week to stay on top of what was happening.

Francine had the same issues because she’d been appointed the temporary Head of the School Board. The difference was that she was delighted and relished being in charge. Francine was determined to make changes when the Higgins accounts were released from the bank. She had a long list of supplies, slates, books, and materials needed for the students. She was also put in charge of finding a new teacher. As she took charge, the other board members backed off and let her do it. They whispered among themselves that Francine would be voted in as the Head of the School Board.