Breaking Matthew Page 15

  I reckoned it was wrong of me, but deep down I was just a bit excited that Mother’s brothers were coming to stay with us. I’d never met them properly, since she’d always been adamantly against their lifestyle choices. In fact, I’d only actually seen them once, and that was right after Daddy died, so I wasn’t in the frame of mind for paying attention. I did remember that they were dressed mighty fine, and they were all carrying guns beneath their coats. And I also remembered how the entire room went quiet when they entered. You see, the Kellum brothers were infamous around northern Alabama.

  I didn’t know all this when I was younger, but my uncles were moonshiners. They had stills stashed all over Rickwood Caverns over in Walker County, along with hideouts and plenty of firepower. Mother wouldn’t tell me much, but Asa had filled me in when I was sixteen and determined to find out about my family.

  Anyway, I couldn’t help the small sense of excitement I felt when Mother returned from her trip out to her brothers’ place near the caverns. It was the only time in my life I ever remembered seeing her drive herself anywhere. She wouldn’t even let Asa go with her. Said they’d never show themselves if they saw him.

  So on that following Thursday, when their trucks rolled up to the house, I had a strong sense that something big was going to happen.

  The house was already full, what with Matthew refusing to leave. He’d slept the past two nights out on the porch with Asa, which must have been freezing cold. I’d slept in the bed with Mother, while Asa and Matthew took turns sleeping and keeping watch. All this commotion combined to make me feel even more like a carnival sideshow.

  I was trying to read on the sofa, and doing a poor job of it, when I heard the trucks pull up. I glanced out the front window and saw four men in long coats get out of two trucks. Soon after I heard several pairs of boots shuffling across the front porch. Mother came from the kitchen and pulled the door wide open.

  A tall bearded man stepped into the living room and hugged Mother with such affectionate force that he clean picked her up off the floor. “Lizzy!”

  To my surprise, she hugged him back, and even seemed to enjoy him swinging her around like that. Two other men stepped inside, and they threw their arms around her too. She ushered them further into the living room.

  “Ruby,” she said. “These are your uncles.” She gestured to each one, starting with the first through the door. “This is Roy, Eddie, and Thomas.”

  They all smiled at me as I pushed myself up from the sofa and went to shake their hands. But we just ended up in one great big hug. I loved it. They smelled like dust and leather, and seemed just as excited to meet me as I was to meet them.

  Roy looked to be the oldest. His beard was gray, and I saw gray hair peeking out from under his hat. He had the same eyes as Mother. I couldn’t tell who was older between Eddie and Thomas. Eddie was a bit taller, with a loud laugh and dark curly hair. Thomas seemed more reserved. He smiled at me and hugged me just as the others did, but he seemed content to let Roy and Eddie do most of the talking.

  After a couple of minutes of welcoming them into her home, Mother stopped and looked around. “Wait, where’s Franklin?”

  Roy’s smile hardened into a serious frown. “Frankie done got himself into some trouble, and police are looking for him over in Walker County. He figures it’s best to lay low. He headed out to the barn with a bedroll.”

  The front door opened, and Matthew and Asa came inside. Mother introduced everyone again and they all shook hands, though the greetings this time were much more guarded. Matthew in particular looked uncomfortable. He kept wiping his hand on his shirt in between handshakes.

  He glanced over at me with wide eyes as the group made its way into the kitchen and dining room. Asa pulled out a chair for Mother, and Roy, Eddie and Thomas took the other three. Roy wasted no time getting down to business.

  “Lizzy filled us in on what’s been going on around here. Maybe not every detail, but I think I have a clear picture. So what can we do to help?”

  “I’m not sure there’s much you can do,” Asa said. “But Matthew and I’ve been keeping watch at night for anything suspicious, and it’s been quiet so far.”

  “We can definitely help out with keeping watch,” Roy said.

  “Yeah, that’s our specialty,” Eddie said.

  Mother leaned onto the table and pointed her finger at them. “Now listen here,” she said, her tone serious. “There won’t be any of your foolishness while you’re here. I came to you because I was afraid for Ruby, but I don’t aim to heap more trouble on top of trouble. You understand?”

  Roy put his hands up, weathered palms on display. “No trouble from us, Lizzy. We left every drop of ’shine at home. We’re just here to protect Ruby, like you asked.”

  The sound of wheels on the dirt road made everyone at the table freeze. But seconds later, they were up on their feet. Roy and Eddie headed for the window in the living room, while Thomas moved to the wall on the other side of the table. He pushed aside the curtain to peer outside. Matthew grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bedroom.

  I thought my heart might beat right out of my chest. Were the police already here for my uncles? Maybe it was the Klan coming. I imagined a violent confrontation, and immediately started praying.

  “Sit on the floor between the bed and the wall,” Matthew said.

  He made sure I was settled, and then he went to stand beside the doorway. It got so quiet, I could hear the tires spin to a halt outside. Then heavy footsteps crunched on the porch. Mother’s voice rang out through the house.

  “It’s just James!”

  Matthew leaned his back against the wall and blew out a long breath. “This is crazy.” Concern in his eyes, he walked over and offered me a hand up. “You all right?”

  I nodded, unable to form any words.

  “Come on,” he said.

  We walked into the living room just as Mother finished introducing her brothers to James, who had only come as far as a couple of feet into the house. He stood with his arms crossed and his brow mashed down as he looked everyone over.

  “Mother, did you invite them?” he asked.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Why? I thought…aren’t you just inviting more problems for Ruby? She’s already in enough trouble as it is. We don’t need more criminals holing up here.”

  More criminals? Was that how James saw me? As a criminal?

  Roy stepped toward James, and I saw a flicker of fear in James’s eyes. “Don’t worry about your mother or sister,” Roy said. “We ain’t bringing no trouble. Just want to be here in case someone tries something.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring,” James muttered.

  Roy turned to Asa. “Why don’t we finish our discussion, get some plans in place, and then get everyone settled?”

  The men all moved toward the dining table again. Matthew took my hand and squeezed it. “You all right with all this?”

  “Do I have much of a choice?”

  “I don’t reckon. But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable either.”

  My head was swirling with feelings, so I wasn’t sure how to answer. I just knew I didn’t want Matthew to let go of my hand. But he did.

  “It’s going to be all right,” he said. Then he kissed the top of my head and followed the others to the table.

  My legs felt just a bit wobbly as I followed. Mother was already pulling food out of the cabinets, so I went over to help her prepare something for all these men to eat. Meanwhile, Asa and Roy took over planning shifts for them all to keep an eye on things. When I glanced over at them all gathered around the table, I noticed James was the only one away from the action. All the others were either seated or standing at the edge of the table, leaning over as Roy used his fingers to draw imaginary maps on the table. But James stood over by the wall, his arms still crossed, his face still angry.

  I was sliding the biscuits out of the oven when I heard Thomas say something that caught my attention. “Look, thi
s is all well and good, but I think we’re avoiding the obvious solution here.”

  “What’s that?” Roy asked.

  Thomas gestured over toward me. “If they are railroading Ruby into a murder conviction, why are we just waiting around? We can take her out to the caverns for a while, get her set up with a new name and all, and she can just—”

  “No!” Mother said, slamming a pot of beans onto the counter.

  Thomas stopped talking, and all the men turned wide eyes at Mother. “She is not going to become some fugitive like you three. She didn’t murder anybody, and when the jury hears the truth, all this will be straightened out.”

  Thomas drummed his fingers on the table. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you, Lizzy. But we have to think about the reality of what Ruby’s facing here. Even if she’s found not guilty, she may still have a target on her. It might be best to consider it as a last resort.”

  “I think he’s right,” Eddie said. “We got some experience at hiding out. Might be best to plan for it, just in case.”

  James pushed away from the wall. “I can’t listen to another word of this garbage.” He marched over to the doorway that opened into the living room and faced the table. “This is about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Ruby is the one who created this mess because she has to go around saving the world, even Negroes. Now, we’ve got you all coming in here like it’s the wild west, preparing for hiding out from the law, and Lord knows what else! I can’t be a part of this.”

  That was enough for Matthew. His eyes blazed as he pointed an accusatory finger at James from across the room. “You can’t be a part of this? You haven’t been a part of anything! You haven’t so much as shown your face to Ruby since she was arrested, or even asked her how’s she’s doing.”

  “You got no right to blame me for anything!” James yelled. “I have a family to protect, a wife who lost her brother—”

  “That brother tried to kill your sister!” Matthew roared back.

  Asa stood from his chair and held out his hands toward Matthew and James. “Boys, let’s try to stay calm.”

  James turned his fiery glare on Asa. “You are not my daddy, and you have no say in what I do.”

  Eddie jumped up from his chair. “Why are you even here? You ain’t no Kellum. You ain’t even part of this family! Why, your mother was a Cass!”

  Mother gasped and flew over to the table. “Eddie, you shut your mouth!”

  Eddie slumped back into his chair like he’d been slapped. Mother turned to James, who stared at her with incredulous eyes. “What is he talking about?”

  “James,” she said with a shaky voice, “it’s a long story. Just come on back in here and let’s talk about this.”

  James backed away. “No. Just tell me the truth. Is he saying you’re…you’re not my mother?”

  No one said anything. The men around the table had all dropped their heads and were studying the floor or their hands. I didn’t know what to do, but I felt compelled to try.

  “James, please don’t leave,” I said, walking toward him. “We’re family, and we need to stick together. Everything can be explained.”

  “You…you know about this?” he said.

  I stopped beside Mother, whose eyes were wide in shock. Clearly Asa had not informed her what he’d shared with me in confidence, all those years ago. “I—I found out by accident. Just come back and listen.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want any part of this.” Then he stormed out the door and drove away.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Matthew

  I took Ruby out the back door while the others went back to planning things. She buried her face in my chest, and I held her while she cried. I could’ve punched James right in the mouth for tearing her apart like that. He’d always treated Ruby more like a burden than a sister. But I didn’t dare say anything against him.

  Once she’d settled down some, I sat with her on the back steps. “Listen, James is gonna be all right,” I said. “He never seemed too attached to the family.”

  She wiped the last tears from her face and looked out over the fields. “No…You’re right, I know James will be fine. But what if I never get to see little Abner again? He’s my nephew, and I love him like crazy.”

  “I know everything seems all messed up right now, but let’s not worry too much about the future. Let’s focus on the next week or so. You don’t need to be concerning yourself with all the fuss going on in there. You need to be going over in your mind what your story is, and exactly how to answer the questions that are going to come up.”

  “You’re right about that. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to sit in front of all those people and lie. What a mess I’ve gotten myself into!”

  “You know…you could just tell the truth.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I can’t put Samuel in that kind of danger. Just look what’s happening to me. It would be a hundred times worse for him, and there would be no uncles or friends to stand up for him.”

  I had a feeling she’d throw herself right in between Samuel and any mob after him. I had to consider that maybe that would be even worse. So I decided to shift topics.

  “You got a meeting with Mr. Oliver soon to get everything straight, right?”

  “Monday morning.”

  “Are you going to tell him about Samuel?”

  She shook her head again. I didn’t really expect she’d say yes, but there was always hope.

  “I’ll come over and pick you up and drive you into town,” I said.

  Ruby’s eyes darted over to me. “You aren’t staying here?”

  “I figured with all these bodies around, I should go on back to my parents’ house. Your uncles are more than capable of keeping you safe.” The disappointment on her face made my insides warm. She wanted me to be with her, something I’d not yet gotten used to. Was it safety she yearned for? Or was it me? “But if you want me to stay with you, I will.”

  “No, you should be with your family. I’m sure they want you home.”

  I hated the thought of leaving her, but what I really needed to do was to find out what was going on with Father, and if he was indeed trying to build up evidence against Ruby. It was time for us to have an honest conversation. I especially wanted to know why he was putting my name on land deeds. And I’d have to face his fury over selling them to get the money for Ruby’s bond.

  I gave her a hand up and walked with her back into the house. The meeting had broken up, and her uncles were taking bedrolls out to the barn. I found Asa sitting with Mrs. Graves on the sofa. They held hands, and I could see Mrs. Graves had been crying as well.

  “I’m going to head on back and stay at my parents’ place now that you have more help,” I said. “I have some family matters to tend to, but I’ll be back Monday morning to take her to her meeting with Mr. Oliver. I promise I’ll be right by Ruby’s side through this.”

  Asa stood and offered me a hand. “Thank you so much for everything. I really don’t know how to show you how grateful we are.”

  “There’s no need. And if anything comes up, I’m just a few miles away. But I got a feeling once word gets around that Ruby’s uncles are here for a visit, you won’t be getting any more suspicious messages.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Mrs. Graves stood and gave me a hug, thanking me as well. “You are such a blessing to all of us.”

  Ruby walked me out to my car. We stood there staring at each other with awkward half smiles. “You sure you don’t need me to stay? I could come back later tonight.”

  “No, really. I’ll be fine.”

  I shouldn’t leave her. I shouldn’t love her.

  “Try and stay out of trouble, just for one night,” I said.

  She laughed. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”

  I got into my car and waved goodbye as I turned around to drive up the dirt road. When I turned left to head back toward Hanceville,
she was still standing right where I left her, watching me drive away.

  I spent the ten-minute drive home wondering what in the world I was doing. I wasn’t just falling for Ruby; I was betraying Vanessa. And I was setting us all up for pain if I didn’t do something about it. Was a future with Ruby even possible?

  Thomas was right about one thing. Once the trial was over, and Ruby was cleared, that didn’t necessarily mean she was safe. I could take her away from Cullman. She’d always wanted to travel and see the world. We could move west. I could make a life for us. But how?

  Father was sure to cut me off completely if I married Ruby. I’d have no job, no money, and no family to help us out until I could get those things. I’d be ensuring a life of poverty for us, at least for a while. But I wasn’t afraid of being poor. I’d never cared for money anyway. Too many expectations came with it. But Ruby deserved a life so much better than she’d had so far.

  And what about Vanessa? I did truly care for her, though I had to admit it was completely different from the way I loved Ruby. Vanessa and I were a good fit, and we never fought. I couldn’t remember the last time she had a cross word for me.

  I turned onto the dirt lane that wound along our property and caught a glimpse of the stately white house I’d grown up in. Giving it all up would be as easy as breathing. But hurting the people I loved? Mother. Mary. Vanessa. Could I hurt them so deeply as to cut them out of my life? Because I knew deep down, that was where the path with Ruby would lead.

  When I pulled my car in front of the house I noticed another car already parked in my usual spot. It was the Paschals’ car. I’d have to face Vanessa and her family a lot sooner than I’d thought.

  I trudged up the steps, dreading both conversations I’d be having that evening. When I opened the door, Vanessa was the first to greet me. She came toward me with her hands outstretched for mine. “Sweetie, I hope you don’t mind our surprise, but I couldn’t sit around waiting any longer.”