Page 85 of Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Emily eyed me. “That could be because you stopped your search.”

I licked my lips and lowered my voice. “I wrote to you about what Reverend Dwight said. He said if we continued that your family might be in danger.”

“We are the Dickinsons,” Emily said with the confidence of her class. “No one can harm us. There would be a great uproar if someone even tried.” Her face softened then. “But I do appreciate the concern even if it was unwarranted. Now that I am home, we will redouble our efforts. It could be that since you have been quiet the Reader will become complacent and slip up, making him even easier to catch.”

My brow knit together with worry, but I knew that Emily was determined to carry on, so I had no choice but to carry on as well to protect her the best that I could in this dangerous game we stumbled into.

“I have a feeling deep in my bones that it is just a matter of time before we discover the Reader’s identity.” She stretched. “Oh, how I loathe being cooped up in a train like that and with so many people. Let us take Carlo for a walk. I know he’s dying to go, for I can sense he has missed our daily walks as much as I have.”

I glanced at the doorway Margaret went through. “But Margaret will want me to start preparing meals for you all now that you have returned.”

She waved away my concern. “Margaret can start the meal and you can help her after the walk.” She opened the door. “Carlo.”

That was all the big dog needed to hear and he galloped out of the front door with a wide doggy grin on his face.

Emily laughed and followed him.

I shook my head and went out the door as well knowing that I was jeopardizing my rapport with Margaret by leaving with Emily so soon after the family had returned.

Emily headed south on North Pleasant Street in the direction of town. “Father was staying in Washington while we were in Philadelphia. His term is up in a few days, and we expect him home shortly after that. Sadly, Austin had to go back to Boston before we even went to the next city, and it is so hard to see him go. I know it’s harder still for Susan, as she didn’t get to travel with us to Washington. By the time Austin returns to Amherst, she will not have seen him for several months. I will have to make a call to her tomorrow to make sure she is all right. It must be very hard to be living with her aunt. I know that she is looking forward to starting a life with our family, and so are we.”

We made it to the other side of Main Street before I realized where we were going. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “Are we going to the stables?”

She grinned. “Of course we are. It’s always good to visit the scene of the crime.”

“Wouldn’t another visit to the stables bring more attention to what we are doing?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I need to get back into the investigation. Oh, I was itching to work on it while I was with the Hollands. They are lovely people, but by the end of the visit I was more than ready to return home. Five weeks was far too long to be away from Amherst. When I told you that we would discover what happened to your brother, I meant it. We need to see this through.”

When she said that I realized that despite the dangers, I needed to see it through, too, for Henry, for Emily, and for myself.

As usual when we walked into the stables, no one stopped us. Emily, Carlo, and I marched up to the main stable with no trouble. When we stepped inside, the smells of the barn hit me. I inhaled deeply thinking these were the last scents my brother had before he died. There was an ache in my chest. I wondered when that ache would subside or if it ever would.

“Carlo, stay,” Emily said, leaving the big dog by the door.

The curly-haired Carlo didn’t appear to be happy about it as he lay by the threshold, but he was an obedient animal and did his mistress’s bidding.

“It doesn’t look like anyone is here,” Emily said. “I would have expected Jeremiah to greet us at the door.”

“I haven’t seen Jeremiah since I have been back in Amherst, but I haven’t come to the stables either,” I admitted. An uneasy feeling fell over me. “Let’s go back and see Terror.”

She glanced at me. “You have a thing for that horse, don’t you?”

“I think he was used like a pawn in all this. I know that he wasn’t responsible for what happened to my brother.”

Terror’s back was to the stall door. He stared into the corner and didn’t move. On his flank, I could see the outline of his ribs. He was losing weight by the day because he refused to eat much since my brother’s death. An animal of this size had to eat often to be in the best physical shape.

“Terror?” I asked in a small voice.

The only indication I had that the horse heard me was the slightest twitch of his right ear.

“I’m going in the stall.”

Now his left ear twitched.

Emily grabbed my arm. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You could be hurt.”

I looked at her. “He won’t hurt me. I know it.” I unlatched the gate and slipped inside. I latched the gate after me. In his feed tray there was a carrot that looked like it had been sitting there for a long while since it was starting to whiten around the edges. I picked it up. “Terror, you have to eat.”

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