| Subject: The New World - Part #29 |
Author:
Wanda
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Date Posted: 18:27:52 06/14/03 Sat
PART #29
Catherine was true to her word. Ten minutes later she appeared in the lobby. She was still a little woozy from the laudanum. She asked Dr. Paul if he would mind if she took his arm as they walked to the jail. When she stepped outside; and breathed some fresh air, her head seemed to clear somewhat. They walked to the jail, and Sheriff LeFleur asked her to sit down while he went to talk to the man in the holding cell.
Soon the sheriff returned and said, “Madame, he really does not want to see you.” Catherine’s eyes snapped; and she said, “I really don’t care if he doesn’t want to see me. If he could take the life of my husband, he can look me in the eye, and tell me why he killed him. Now, lead me to his cell.” Catherine stood up, and the sheriff said, “If you are sure you must see the man, follow me.”
Soon they were standing in front of a holding cell where a man was leaning against the wall. When he saw Catherine his eyes dropped to the floor. Sheriff LeFleur said, “Madame, this is Michel Meaux.” Catherine walked to the cell; and said, “Mr. Meaux, I have only one question for you. Why did you kill my husband?”
Michel looked at Sheriff LeFleur; and said, “Get this woman out of here, Sheriff. This is no place for a lady like her.” Catherine said, “You can stop that this moment; just answer my question. I feel I do have a right to know. Do you realize we were married just a few hours ago?”
Michel said, “No I didn’t know that. I do feel sorry for you; but, lady, your husband was a scoundrel. He was cheating at the game; I knew it, and confronted him. He began taunting me; telling me I didn’t know how to play the game. I told him he was trying to take my mind off the cheating he was doing. He kept taunting me, and I told him to either be quiet or face a gun. He laughed at me, and told me I would never shoot him in a public place for I was too much a coward. I stood up, pulled my gun, and pointed it at him. He continued to mock me saying, “Go ahead and shoot. I guess I got so angry I did shoot. I never expected he would die. I merely wanted to scare him a little. I’m not usually a good shot. I never do hit anything, but this time was different. I am sorry, Madame.”
Catherine thanked him for telling her, and turned to walk out of the jail. Dr. Paul was holding on to her arm as they walked outside. Catherine was trying to hold it together, but she dissolved in tears as soon as she was outside the jail. Dr. Paul tried to comfort her; and she said, “What hurts me the most is the fact I never really knew this side of Joshua. He kept this hidden from me.” The doctor led her back to the hotel, and walked her to her room. He said, “Catherine, please take some more medicine and just go to bed for awhile. The medicine won’t hurt you, and time will help you to deal with these things.” He reached in his bag, and handed her a small bottle of the laudanum.
Catherine thanked him for his kindness and also the kindness of his wife, Laetitia. She asked him to present his bill tomorrow, and she would be happy to pay him. “I will be leaving for Lake Charles as soon as Joshua’s ashes are ready to travel,” she said. Dr. Paul patted her arm, and said, “If there is anything else I can do for you, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
Looking at Dr. Paul, Catherine asked, “Would it be possible to take some form of written report of the shooting and your findings to his family in Lake Charles? I feel there are individuals who would want to know the particulars.” Dr. Paul said, “I will talk with Sheriff LeFluer; and between the two of us, we will prepare a written report for you to take back to Lake Charles.”
Catherine closed the door of her hotel room, walked over to the bed, and sat down. There had been nothing in her life to prepare her for this night. What sort of man had she married? Had his whole persona been a sham? She didn’t want to believe that for it forced her to realize just how gullible she had been to accept everything he had told her. She wondered if he had really loved her or simply wanted to best Bowregard by stealing her away from him. She hadn’t even been a wife long enough to know what being a wife meant. What man who loved his wife left the hotel room on the first night of their honeymoon? Now that she thought about it, Joshua had acted like he loved her only until they were married.
To be continued...
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