His Missing Piece of Happiness – Extended Epilogue

Just one month later, Jenny Rose, Malcolm, and Marie were on the train, traveling to Treebark. The trial would be held in the town so that everyone there could see justice done.

Jenny Rose was nervous. She hadn’t seen the man who’d killed her mother. She hadn’t looked in any newspapers. Malcolm had read the articles to her. She was afraid if she saw him, his image would invade her dreams. She didn’t want nightmares about it all.

She’d had a long discussion with Malcolm about whether or not she should come at all. After the initial excitement of the news, she’d settled into thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be good for her to see the man, to go to the trial and listen to the account of what had happened, spoken so bluntly and blatantly by the attorneys.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the defending attorney try and get the outlaw off the charges.

“What if he really isn’t the right one?” Jenny Rose had asked Malcolm one night.

“You can’t think like that. The lawmen know what they’re doing. Besides, didn’t they say they got a confession out of the man?”

“Yes, they did.”

“Then he obviously has to be the one who did it, right?”

Jenny Rose had reluctantly agreed. And even if it was the right man, she still felt like she might have nightmares about him.

Malcolm hadn’t tried to convince her to go. But he had mentioned that it was something she’d been talking about for a long time. He also reminded her that she was a strong-willed woman with a good constitution. He didn’t think she would be prone to nightmares. If anyone had them, he predicted, it would be Marie. And he hoped she was past that stage. She seemed to be.

The other thing that was on Jenny Rose’s mind as the train sped down the tracks through the varying landscapes of the middle states was Marie’s behavior since their marriage. Malcolm had picked up on it, too, and they had discussions about it over drinks a few times in the last month.

It was the opposite of what they’d both expected. Marie seemed happier than ever. It seemed as though she herself had gotten married.

Malcolm and Jenny Rose surmised she must be keeping a secret. But they hadn’t seen her going to town more often than usual and made no mention of a possible beau that could be lifting her spirits so much.

“Jenny Rose?”

The sound of a little girl’s voice calling her name brought Jenny Rose out of her thoughts. She turned and saw KellyAnne standing behind her looking shocked. Jenny Rose lifted her eyes and saw the little girl’s mother, who looked just as stunned as her daughter.

“Oh my goodness, what a coincidence!” Jenny Rose said delightedly, turning to introduce her husband and her sister-in-law to her travel-mates from her trip to Texas. “Malcolm, Marie, this is a woman who was on the train with her daughter when I first came to Texas. This is KellyAnne and her mother Catherine. I’m sorry, I don’t remember your last name.”

Catherine laughed, stepping forward to shake Malcolm and Marie’s hands. “Oh that’s perfectly understandable. It’s Swindel. Catherine Swindel. This is KellyAnne. Are you going back to Virginia, Jenny Rose?”

“I certainly am. Please, sit next to me for a bit. We must catch up.”

Catherine rolled her eyes and waved one hand around. “Well, there’s not a lot to catch up on. I’ve got to go back to settle some business for my husband and then we’ll probably be going back once again.”

“My goodness that’s a lot of traveling,” Marie said. “You must get tired of it.”

Catherine shrugged. “My husband needs me to do it for him and I really don’t mind spending so much time with KellyAnne.” She turned to Jenny Rose. “Did you tell them what you did for my girl on the train over?”

Jenny Rose felt her cheeks get hot. She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I did.”

Catherine turned to Malcolm and Marie. “She was amazing. KellyAnne had a fear of the trains, you see, the loud noises they make. Jenny Rose got her thinking about a story of adventure and KellyAnne has never minded the noise since. I can even get her involved in a book sometimes. We have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t been on the train that day.”

“Yes, Jenny Rose has a special effect on people, doesn’t she?” Malcolm boasted, pride in his voice and in his eyes when he looked at his wife. “She’s an amazing woman.”

“She certainly is,” Marie said, smiling at Jenny Rose.

“All right, enough of that!” Jenny Rose protested, waving her hand in the air. “You are all so flattering. Thank you. But it’s not really me. God made me this way. So it’s God you should thank.”

“Oh, I do,” Malcolm said confidently, making the other two women laugh. “Every day.” He grinned.

Jenny Rose laughed with him.

“Yes, I’m going back to Virginia. I have decided to go to the trial of the man that killed my mother,” Jenny Rose answered the woman’s earlier question.

“I’m so glad he was caught,” Catherine said. “I hope he stays in prison for the rest of his days and your mother and you get justice.”

“Thank you, Catherine. I’m sure there is only one way out of this for that outlaw and that’s dying in prison or being hanged.”

There were more people in the courtroom than Jenny Rose had expected. She stood at the doors, looking in, her heart pounding as she took in the serene scene. The judge had not yet come out. There were deputies standing on either side of the judge’s long, wide desk, staring everyone down.

A box in the corner would be where the outlaw would be seated when he was led out. Jenny Rose couldn’t help wondering at the last minute if she’d made the right decision.

Malcolm stopped with her just outside the doors. Marie saw that Jenny Rose was struggling and continued into the building, whispering, “I’ll save some seats.”

Malcolm turned her to him and looked in her eyes. “Are you all right with this? Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to. They don’t need your testimony. You aren’t even going to stand up or say anything. Are you?”

“No,” Jenny Rose replied in a harsh tone. “What would I even say? What could I say?”

Malcolm nodded, pulling her forehead first to his chest so he could kiss the top of her head and then to his forehead so he could look in her eyes. “You’re going to get through this. You only have one opportunity to do it. You can’t change your mind later. You have to decide now. Didn’t you think it would be helpful?”

“I do. I do think it would be helpful.”

“Then you can do this. Lean on me. I’m right here for you. No matter what happens. And if you don’t want to look at him, don’t look at him. It’s totally up to you.”

“I’m not going to look at him,” Jenny Rose murmured.

“Then don’t. You don’t have to. But you should be in there. You should witness his punishment. I really think it would be good for you.”

Jenny Rose pulled in a deep breath and nodded. “All right. You’re right. I do want to be in there. I want to see him get punished for what he did to me and my mother.”

She turned to go in when she heard her name behind her. She turned to see Nora and Benjamin hurrying toward her. A tingle of excitement lit her skin and she cried out. “Nora! Benji!” She went down the few steps to the ground and hurried toward them, her arms outstretched. They both hugged her at the same time, at first laughing and happy and then becoming serious and solemn as they pulled out of the hug.

“Oh my goodness, you came to see it. Do you want us to come in with you?”

“Yes, that would be lovely,” Jenny Rose said enthusiastically, terribly happy her friends had shown up for moral support.

“Malcolm and Marie both here, too?” Benjamin asked, a little too intensely for Jenny Rose not to be suspicious.

“Of course, yes.”

“So Marie did decide to come along?”

Jenny Rose blinked at her friend, tilting her head slightly. “Yes?” she responded in a light voice.

Benjamin smiled a little too much.

“Oh my,” Jenny Rose said as her friend leaned over, kissed her cheek and hurried to the courthouse, leaving Jenny Rose and Nora to stare at each other with their eyebrows raised.

“Did you know…” Nora and Jenny Rose both started the question at the same time.

“No, I didn’t!” they both responded at the same time, too.

Laughing, the two women hurried over to where Malcolm was patiently waiting, his hands in his pockets, looking like a man who wasn’t used to feeling out of place.

“Hello, Malcolm!” Benjamin said, stopping to shake Malcolm’s hand. “How have you been?”

“Fine, just fine, Benjamin,” Malcolm said. “Thank you for coming to support Jenny Rose. I know it means a lot to her.”

“Yes, she’s always been such a good friend.” He hesitated before continuing, “So… is Marie already inside?”

Malcolm froze for a moment before saying, “Yes, she’s reserving seats. We’ll be in shortly.”

“Wonderful!” Benjamin said emphatically, clapping his hands together. “I will… go see if I can find her.”

He pointed through the doors, gave Malcolm another smile and bounced inside like a man on a mission.

Malcolm turned to Jenny Rose, a confused look on his face.

“Did I just see what I think I saw?”

Jenny Rose shrugged, “I’m not sure. I guess we have some questions for Marie.”

They didn’t have time to question Marie, however. The trial was starting by the time Jenny Rose, Malcolm and Nora got to the row Marie had saved for them. She was seated next to Benjamin already so she stayed where she was, telling Malcolm and Jenny Rose she was fine where she was.

Malcolm and Jenny Rose shared a look.

“I’ll just bet she is,” Malcolm said, laughter in his voice.

The trial was not as long as Jenny Rose had expected it to be. It started at nine in the morning and the jury was released for their decision by four.

She’d listened to the description the outlaw gave of how he had killed Amy Rose Campbell in cold blood because she wouldn’t let him in the house. He said the woman had told him she knew she couldn’t, that she knew what kind of man he was and what he would do. So she stood her ground and let him shoot her dead.

Jenny Rose was devastated to hear the details. She held on to Malcolm’s hand the whole time, squeezing sometimes to the point where he would wiggle his fingers so she would release her grip.

They were all told to go get something to eat until the jury reached their decision. Jenny Rose rushed to one of the deputies after the trial was over and asked how long it usually took for a jury to come back.

“It depends, miss,” the deputy said in a kind voice. “Sometimes they take hours. And sometimes days.”

“Have you been doing this a long time?” she continued.

He nodded. “I have, yeah, last fifteen years, this been my position.”

“So what would be your guess for this trial? How long do you think it will take?”

The man gave her a soft grin. “I’m thinkin’ it ain’t gonna take long, Miss. You just go grab a bite to eat and stay close. We’ll come out callin’ that the jury’s in.”

“Thank you, deputy.”

“Not a problem.” He tipped his hat to her and she turned away.

Malcolm was waiting for her at the end of the aisle. He walked with her to the front doors, where their friends were waiting.

“I wonder how long this will take?” Benjamin asked, his eyes on Jenny Rose. “You all right?”

“I’ll be okay, thank you, Benji.”

“I’m thinking we should go to the café over there. That’s the first place that will hear the call from the courthouse.

“I’ll walk with you,” Marie said, smiling up at him.

When he smiled back with a, “That’s a good idea,” Malcolm, Jenny Rose, and Nora froze in place.

Malcolm turned his blue eyes from the backs of Benjamin and Marie, who were immediately immersed in conversation, to his wife.

“What did I see right there? What just happened?”

“I’m not sure,” Jenny Rose said with a smile, “but I think our Miss Marie is reaching out for her happiness.”

“What? With someone thousands of miles away?”

“I’ll bet they’ve been corresponding,” Nora said excitedly. “That’s why he’s been so distracted lately. Distracted and always in a good mood.” She laughed, “Have you noticed any difference with Marie?”

Jenny Rose turned her eyes up to her husband. “Well, as a matter of fact…”

Malcolm had a strange look on his face. The three of them crossed the street and stopped at the door of the café. Benjamin and Marie were already inside, seated at a table by the big front windows. Malcolm could see her through the glass.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” he said, jokingly. “I just got her out of that shell and she’s already flying the coop.”

Both Nora and Jenny Rose laughed. “Oh you’ll be fine, Malcolm,” Jenny Rose said. “You’ll be just fine.”

“But he’s thousands of miles from her. What if she decides to come live here in Virginia?”

Nora closed her eyes and shook her head. When she spoke it was with a confident voice. “It won’t be like that. If they decide they want to be together all the time, Benji will find his way over to where you are. He doesn’t want to stay in Virginia.” Nora looked at Jenny Rose. “You should have heard how much he talked about you going to Texas and how much he envied you. If he thinks he has a chance to come out there and be with a woman, he’s gonna take it.”

“Well, they certainly seem to be getting along well.”

Jenny Rose couldn’t remember ever seeing Marie look at a man the way she was looking at Benjamin. It made her feel strange inside. She wasn’t unhappy for the couple, but the distance worried her. In reality, what Nora had said was true. Benjamin had often expressed the desire to travel.

Remembering that fact made Jenny Rose gasp. She grabbed Malcolm’s arm. “Let’s get inside. I want to tell you something but I want to sit down and get out of the sun.”

They went through the doors and chose a larger table just a few tables away from Benjamin and Marie to give them privacy. They were deep in conversation and didn’t even see the others come in.

Jenny Rose leaned over the table and said in a low voice to both of her companions, “I remember talking to Marie about traveling. She said you didn’t want to sell the ranch and move because you thought she didn’t want to travel. But it wasn’t traveling that bothered her, it was the thought of leaving the ranch completely, giving it over to someone else. She’s always wanted to travel. And when Nora reminded me how often Benji talked about traveling, well… they could be a perfect match!”

Malcolm grinned, “Just like us.”

“Awww. You two,” Nora said with a grin, tilting her head to the side.

Jenny Rose giggled.

“But he’s right, though. I felt like I knew he was the one for me, sent straight from God, really with the first letter. It was the Lord who made me send that first letter. I’m telling you that right now, I’m sure of it.”

“I remember how excited you were,” Nora said. “But things were different then than they are now. I know you were excited and you had feelings for him early on but you were so vulnerable and now you are on solid ground. You have a wonderful husband and a beautiful home… You won in the end, didn’t you?”

“I suppose I did,” Jenny Rose said. “I suppose I did. And you’re right I do feel like I’m on solid ground now. It’s nice.”

They heard yelling from outside.

Jenny Rose frowned, moving her eyes from Malcolm to Nora. “They can’t possibly have a verdict yet.”

“I think they do.”

Malcolm sounded as surprised as she did. She was on her feet seconds later, heading back for the door.

“We’ll see you in a little bit,” Marie called out. “Come back and tell us what they decided.”

“We will,” Malcolm replied as the three of them spilled out the door.

They crossed the street and filed into the courtroom with the rest of the town. When everyone had settled down, the judge brought the outlaw back out to sit in his isolation booth. The jury filed into the court. Every man stood up and gave his verdict of guilty.

When they were done, the judge banged his gavel for attention because there were murmurings in the courtroom.

He read the final verdict of the jury and imposed a sentence to be imprisoned for life for the murder of Amy Rose Campbell.

Jenny Rose didn’t know she would break down but she did. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she leaned into her husband’s arms.

“Everything is going to be good now, Jenny Rose,” Malcolm said, leaning over her and whispering in her ear. “We all found our happiness now. Your mother would be proud. Smile, my love, be happy. I know your mother wants you to. And I do, too.”

Jenny Rose pulled in a deep breath and turned her eyes up to her husband.

And she smiled.

THE END

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