A Man With a Pure Heart Read online

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  A Man With a Pure Heart

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

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  Chapter One

  A word about the author…

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  “Tell me where to look and I’ll find the animal who did this. Give me somewhere to start, and then you can be at peace with the angels,” the man whispered softly, as he gently uncovered her face. The photographer didn’t flinch, but the younger man was unable to hold in a shocked gasp. The only recognizable part of the woman’s face was at the corner of her left eye, where two moles were evident against white skin. The face had been punched, and punched again and again.

  Samuel Hinton rose to his full six foot five inches and looked slowly around the room. His eyes took in the four walls of the old abandoned cabin. The broken chair and three-legged table were covered in what was, probably, years of dust. Vines had welcomed themselves in through windows long ago broken, and some had even entered through the rotten floor.

  Only the dust in the corner where the woman lay had been disturbed. Samuel was careful not to step on the already present prints. The killer would be a large man. The foot that made those marks would be about the size of his. But it wasn’t really a boot…or a shoe, he thought. He could plainly see the outline of his own boot. The killer’s was more of a scuff, or a…moccasin! Ah, a moccasin. He looked at the bruises on the woman’s upper arms. They were larger than even his hands would have made. Yep, he was a big one.

  A Man

  With a Pure Heart

  by

  Linda Tillis

  A sequel to A Heart Made for Love

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  A Man With a Pure Heart

  COPYRIGHT © 2017 by Linda S. Tillis

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Debbie Taylor

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Vintage Rose Edition, 2017

  Print ISBN 978-1-5092-1360-3

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-1361-0

  A sequel to A Heart Made for Love

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To the men and women of Law Enforcement,

  who deal with death and mayhem every day,

  I salute your perseverance, your dedication to duty,

  and the courage which causes you

  to put your life on the line for me and mine.

  Thank you.

  ~

  And of course, to my Beau,

  who keeps me centered with his unwavering support.

  Chapter One

  There were three men in the room. That is, three men and a dead woman. They were deep in the woods, southwest of Tallahassee.

  Two of the men stood stiffly in the corner, just inside the open doorway. The door itself hung askew, held only by the rusted lower hinge. These two had been cautioned by their commanding officer not to move, speak, or otherwise disturb the third man. One was there to photograph at the direction of the tall man, and the youngest of the three had been told to be quiet and learn.

  The third, a very tall man, knelt by the woman. She was small in stature, and completely naked. Long, thick hanks of copper-colored hair covered her face.

  The two in the corner turned questioningly to each other. Was he actually speaking to the woman? It was just a whisper and neither of the two could make out his words.

  “Tell me where to look and I’ll find the animal who did this. Give me somewhere to start, and then you can be at peace with the angels,” the man whispered softly, as he gently uncovered her face. The photographer didn’t flinch, but the younger man was unable to hold in a shocked gasp. The only recognizable part of the woman’s face was at the corner of her left eye, where two moles were evident against white skin. The face had been punched, and punched again and again.

  Samuel Hinton rose to his full six foot five inches and looked slowly around the room. His eyes took in the four walls of the old abandoned cabin. The broken chair and three-legged table were covered in what was, probably, years of dust. Vines had welcomed themselves in through windows long ago broken, and some had even entered through the rotten floor.

  Only the dust in the corner where the woman lay had been disturbed. Samuel was careful not to step on the already present prints. The killer would be a large man. The foot that made those marks would be about the size of his. But it wasn’t really a boot…or a shoe, he thought. He could plainly see the outline of his own boot. The killer’s was more of a scuff, or a…moccasin! Ah, a moccasin. He looked at the bruises on the woman’s upper arms. They were larger than even his hands would have made. Yep, he was a big one.

  Samuel stood and spoke to the photographer. “Be sure to get the bruises on her arms.”

  Samuel leaned against the doorframe and stared out through the trees, as the photographer set up his equipment. He could hear the tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker somewhere close by. Samuel suddenly pushed off and crossed the clearing. He stopped near the edge of the forest and knelt slowly. The youngest man stared from the doorway as Samuel reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief-sized square of linen. He picked up something from the ground and held it close to his face. Then he placed it in the linen and carefully put it in his pocket. He walked back inside and knelt by the woman; with the thumb of his right hand, he gently raised her upper lip. He lowered the lip, raised her right hand, and looked at the long fingers for a while.

  The younger man cleared his throat, and the photographer shot him a warning look. Samuel turned to him. “Yes, you have a question?”

  “Y-yes, sir,” he stuttered. “Why did you look in her mouth?”

  “Well,” Samuel drawled, “I found a cigarette butt on the ground. It looks like somebody’s been smoking. Her teeth are very white, and her hands have no tobacco stains. If she smoked that cigarette, then it was probably the first one she ever smoked.” As Samuel stood and turned to the door, the young man spoke again.

  “But why did you take the cigarette, sir?”

  Samuel let out a long sigh. It wasn’t like he minded the questions. He didn’t. He just didn’t feel qualified to be training these boys. Shoot fire, he’d only graduated from the Academy in 1908 himself. He believed Captain Lance should have named an older, more experienced man to train these green ones. Two years on the job did not make him an expert. Besides, what Samuel had to share could not be spoken of, or written in a manual. There wa
s no way he could tell them about the feelings that washed over him, or the visits from his mama, who had died when he was eight. No one outside his family would understand.

  He turned to the young man again. “If the cigarette is not hers, then it probably belongs to the killer. The tobacco has an unusual aroma and might help us locate the man.”

  Samuel could tell when the young man made the mental connection. His eyes widened in surprise, then focused on Samuel in awe. Now that, Samuel did mind. Most of what he did was common sense; paying attention to detail and just looking at things with open eyes. He was no one special. He was just a man whose heart hated violence, especially violence to women.

  ****

  Samuel Hinton sat on a bale of hay, staring across the meadow. The sun had dropped below the horizon and the sky was streaked with orange and pinks. He held a chunk of wood in each hand, weighing one against the other. He waited for one of them to speak to him. He would listen; then whatever was locked inside the wood would call to him, and he would carve something beautiful, releasing the spirit hidden in the wood. It had been this way since he was a child. Things just spoke to him. Sometimes people spoke to him, and sometimes the people were dead.

  The woman he’d knelt by this morning had told him some things. It had been early morning, well before dawn, and she had been walking to the schoolhouse. A man with large hands had grabbed her. But where, where did this happen? She had smelled a strong yeastiness in the air. Had she been near a bakery?

  He would give this more attention in the days to come, but now it was suppertime, and afterwards he would have a few minutes to play with his beautiful niece before Mae put her to bed.

  ****

  Samuel woke from a deep sleep with all his senses immediately alert. He sensed the whisper of a voice, and it soothed him. He didn’t need his eyes to tell him Mama was in the room, but the strong smell of yeast caused him to bolt upright. She was seated on the bench near the large window. He sensed that when he spoke she would begin to slip away, so he just sat there, absorbing her presence.

  Then her melodious voice spoke. “You must hurry, Samuel. Another is in danger.”

  Even as he asked, she began to fade. “Who, Mama, who is in danger?” But she was already gone.

  Samuel checked the clock as he slipped out of his apartment over the garage. Three in the morning, and here he was starting his day. Mae would not approve. He pushed his motorcycle a good quarter mile down the lane before heading into town for an early walk.

  He had never spoken of Mama’s visits when he was a child. Even though he had never been frightened by her presence, he hadn’t been sure how others would react. Then the day had come when his sister had been in grave danger. Mama had appeared to him in front of others, but they hadn’t seen or heard her. Later, he’d tried to explain it to his Pa, who had assured him he was not crazy.

  Samuel laughed to himself as he strolled through the pre-dawn hours. He could laugh now, but that night, when Mae had been in danger of slipping away from them, poor Edward had met Mama. You could say it was a “come to Jesus” meeting. But all had gone well, Mae had recovered, and she and Edward had been married these past five years.

  Samuel suddenly stopped walking. He was in one of the narrow service alleys behind the Leon Hotel. There was a slight breeze coming out of the southwest, and on the breeze was the distinct aroma of yeast. He started moving in a southwesterly direction, tacking up and down the empty streets, pausing occasionally to make sure he had not lost the smell he followed. He was moving away from the hotels and boarding houses when suddenly it hit him. The brewery. Damnation, he should have made the yeast connection.

  He picked up his pace, being careful to stay in the shadows and walk softly.

  Hamish McDuff had a small alehouse about three blocks south, and Samuel was headed there when the now familiar feeling washed over him. He paused to lean against the side of a building and fight the nausea. He straightened up and took deep breaths, then tried to pierce the darkness with keen eyes. He never anticipated what he was looking for, but he always found something. He walked out into the intersection. The city had built the road on each side of a towering live oak whose canopy created a huge circle of blackness on this moonless night. Samuel walked to the base of the tree and knelt. He closed his eyes and let his other senses take over.

  After a few moments, his mind began to translate. In the far distance, he heard the faint crow of a rooster. Much closer came the almost silent whoosh of an owl’s wings and the tiny squeak of a mouse. Then, from very near, an odd aroma. Oh, not the smell of McDuff’s yeasty beer brewing. No, this was the curious fragrance of the cigarette butts he’d found by the cabin. Samuel opened his eyes and looked at the ground around him. Barely visible in the darkness were two cigarette butts. Samuel took another square of linen from his pocket and secured both in the square, then passed them under his nose. He actually smiled in the darkness. Now he knew where.

  Chapter Two

  Samuel was headed to Captain Lance’s office for a status meeting when he heard the woman. She had a lovely voice, but right now it was raised in anger. He turned down the hallway to the office, and there she was, standing in front of Edith Hampton’s desk. She was a sight to behold. She was at least six feet tall, wearing a dark blue traveling suit with a small matching, but useless, hat. No hat would ever be able to tame that hair. He had never seen such riotous, curly hair, and it could only be described as flaming.

  Edith turned to him in relief. “Miss, this is the detective who is handling your sister’s case. He will be able to answer all your questions.” Edith raised pleading eyes to Samuel. He considered trying to duck into the captain’s office, but he was too late.

  The statuesque redhead turned and pinned him with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen.

  “Well, sir, your name, please?” Samuel had been right. When her voice was not raised in anger, it was low in tone, and musical.

  “My name is Samuel Hinton, miss, and you are?”

  She extended her hand. “I am Kathleen Campbell. I have traveled from Boston to find out what happened to my sister…” Her voice faltered as she swayed, and those beautiful eyes became pools that dripped tears down her porcelain cheeks.

  Samuel immediately pictured the late Mary Elizabeth Campbell in his mind, with her battered face covered by the swath of red hair.

  The woman’s tears tore at his heart. “Miss Campbell, please have a seat here.” He directed her to a chair. “Edith, can you get Miss Campbell a glass of water, or maybe some tea?”

  “I’m sorry, I’ve been traveling for two days. I don’t remember when I last ate or slept.” She looked up at Samuel, and he could see her inner pain reflected in her eyes.

  “Miss…”

  She interrupted him. “Please, call me Kathleen.”

  “All right, Kathleen. We have time to discuss your sister. Right now, I think maybe you need some food.” As Edith returned with a glass of water, Samuel said, “Edith, tell Captain Lance I’ll be back in an hour.”

  He could almost feel the look he suspected Edith was giving his back as he helped Kathleen Campbell to stand. One of these days, they were going to have to talk.

  Twenty minutes later, he had Miss Campbell seated in a small diner a few blocks away. Samuel told the waitress, “Some orange juice, scrambled eggs, and buttered grits, for two, please.”

  Kathleen started to protest, but he cut her off. “I insist, Miss Campbell. My brother-in-law is a doctor, and he swears you have to have a good breakfast if you’re gonna make it through the day.”

  Kathleen gave a weak smile. “You’re too kind. I’m sorry to be so…so…darn girlish. Mary Elizabeth was half my size, but she was twice as strong.”

  Samuel smiled at this. It was the first time he’d ever known a woman to apologize for being a woman, especially one as beautiful as this one.

  “Kathleen, sometimes it’s enough to just be who we are.”

  She took a long look at the m
an across the table. She’d been so upset earlier that she hadn’t paid much attention to him, other than to notice how tall he was. He was ruggedly handsome, with a chiseled jawline, dark wavy hair, and eyes so light a brown as to appear gold. His slow, southern drawl made her hang on his every word.

  The waitress arrived with their food, and Kathleen realized she’d been staring into Samuel’s eyes for a good long minute.

  They ate in silence. Kathleen finally swallowed the last of her juice, wiped her mouth, and then folded the napkin on the table.

  “Thank you. You were right. I was in need of strength, and breakfast was delicious.”

  Samuel leaned back in his chair and nodded his acceptance of her thanks.

  Her look turned somber again. “Now, sir, can you tell me what happened to my sister?”

  “Tell me what you already know, and I’ll try to fill in the gaps,” he answered. He needed to know what she’d been told before he started to blurt out things that might hurt her.

  “One of the local police officers came to our home with a telegram. He told us Mary Elizabeth had been reported missing and the resulting search had located her body. They advised foul play was suspected. My father is in Ireland on business, and my poor mother has taken to her bed. I made all the necessary arrangements.” Kathleen clasped her hands together on the table to stop their trembling.

  Samuel reached out and took her hands in his. She seemed to take strength from his touch and continued, “We held a small service and then laid Mary to rest. Father will be home in a few weeks, but Mother could not bear the wait…so here I am.” She raised her face to him expectantly.

  Samuel hated telling her the things she wanted to know. It was the part of his job he took to heart. “Your sister was teaching primary classes at a small school, on the western edge of town. As best we can tell, she would leave her small cottage in the early morning hours and walk to school. When the children arrived that morning, the school was still locked up. After an hour or so, one of the older ones walked home and told his mother the teacher had not shown up. She walked the mile or so to where Mary lived, but she couldn’t find her. That’s when we were contacted.”