Homecoming

Chapter Fourteen: Change

I walked up to the Saint Denise hotel and look up to see Mary Linton looking over the edge of the balcony. She doesn't see me, obviously. Why would she? I was not the cowpoke she thought she'd see today.

"Mrs. Linton." I called out to her making her look down towards me. I chuckle to myself at the symbolism. "There was an emergency at camp and I came in Arthur's place."

She seems to pout and disappears into the room. I was about to think she wouldn't come back out and began to turn to leave when Mary walked out of the front door. "Miss Van Der Linde, what a surprise." She says very much not surprised.

"Mrs. Morgan." I corrected her with a sly smile threatening to form at the corners of my mouth. "But yes, I saw you needed help so I came to offer my services."

"Ah..." She seemed irritated. "Well, Arthur didn't need to send someone else."

"Oh, Arthur was too busy to even see your letter. So he doesn't know I'm here." I handed the letter to her.

Mary takes it slowly and gives me a rather mean look, "Did you come to gloat?" She asks.

"Not entirely, I did actually come to offer help if you needed it." I stepped a bit closer so only she could hear me. "But I did come to tell you that this will be the last letter you send to Arthur." I say in an even but almost threatening tone. She looks at me angry but I can see the fear that's hiding underneath. "What did you need help with, Mrs. Linton?" I finally say back in my normal tone.

"My... My father, he sold my mother's broach and I need help getting it back."

"Arthur said your father was quite a charmin' fellow." I sighed turning to Suzie and climbing up. I held a hand out to Mary who looks at you confused, "Come on."

The two of us quietly ride down the road until we get to the area near the stables. "Why was he tryin' to make money?" I asked as I helped her balance herself as she got down.

"Oh, he's been doing nothing but gambling and drinking lately." Mary waves her hands above her head.

"I thought he was always like that?" I asked thinking back to Arthur describing him.

"You and your ' husband ' seem to talk quite an awful lot about my family." She sighs. "I'll go in and get him." She slips in the stables. I stand there for maybe only a moment until the stable doors slam open making me and a stable hand nearby jump.

"Mary, I'm a grown man, I don't need my daughter to parent me!" Mr. Gillis erupts.

"Daddy please just tell me who you sold the broach too. It wasn't yours to sell!" Mary snaps back at him.

"He's a charmer ain't he?" I mumbled making him give me a dirty look.

"Mind your business girl!"

"Daddy, you be nice to Miss Van Der Linde she's just here to help me."

I suppress an eye roll at her saying my maiden name and instead held I hand out to the man. "I'm Etta Morgan I'm a student at Oberlin College." Slight lie, I had been a student there.

"Morgan?" He asked giving his daughter a dirty look.

"Yes, Arthur Morgan is my husband, I heard you two were... acquainted." Mr. Gillis made a 'bleh!' sound and began to walk away but I yanked his collar forcing him to look at both me and his daughter. "Listen, Mr. Gillis. Please just tell us who you sold the broach too. Would Mary's mother have wanted this?"

"It was mine!" He yelled like an immature child. "I gave it to a loan shark named Ashton to pay off my debt."

I knew the name, Ashton. He had been the man the school had sent to get money owed. "I know him." I dropped his collar turning to Mary. "I'll go get your broach."