Chief woke early. He hoped for a few hours of quiet before the chaotic preparations of the wedding demanded his attention. The daylight that washed into the room was heavily shadowed and gray. He looked down at his daughter. She slept peacefully now, but during the night her sleep had been interrupted with fits of shaking and trembling. Chief did his best to hold onto her during the night, hoping that his comfort could be felt even there, in Kelly’s Dead Place.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead before leaving the bed. In his bathroom he showered and shaved. Then, after wrapping a robe firmly around himself, he left the room and wandered downstairs.

Once Chief reached the kitchen he went about making coffee, his mind still preoccupied with the worries at hand. He set the pot on the stove to brew, while he went to the front door and collected the morning paper. He opened the paper at the sink and read while the coffee finished brewing. Once the rich aroma filled the kitchen, Chief poured himself a mug and retreated, paper tucked under his arm, for the solitude of the back porch. Hoover was already waiting by the back door to be let out.

Chief opened the door partway, blocking the dog with his shin. He tucked the paper under his arm  and taking the dog’s collar in his left hand, while holding his coffee in his right, he managed to negotiate his exit. He set the coffee and paper down on the table to the right of the swing and led the dog to the tree where he tied the animal securely.

Hoove looked at him, his brown eyes ensuing sadness.

“Sorry, boy.” Chief pet the dog. Then he returned to the porch where he read his paper and looked out after the hound.

At six-thirty Martha entered the kitchen. She noticed the coffee warming on the stove and poured some into a mug. She went to the window and spied Chief on the porch swing.

“You ready for some more coffee?” she asked out the window.

“Yes, thank you, Martha,” Chief said over his shoulder.

Martha brought the pot out to him and refilled his mug. She returned to the kitchen briefly to replace the pot on the stove. After taking her own mug in her hands, she joined Chief on the porch, taking a seat next to him.

“It’s pleasant out here this time of day,” she remarked.

Chief looked up. The sun’s golden spray highlighted the new leaves of the trees at the edge yard making them appear brighter and more yellow. The night’s rain had left the air smelling fresh along with a rich scent of tilled earth.

“Would you like part of the paper?”

“No, thank you. I think I’ll just sit here and enjoy the quiet. It’s due to get quite hectic, shortly.”

Chief smiled.

Martha turned to him. Her own expression held trepidation. She contemplated him for a while before asking, “So how did the little one sleep, Robert?”

His smile faded. “She had another nightmare... but not as intense. She shook most of the night.”

They were quiet; each entrenched in their own thoughts. In the yard Hoover was digging by the tree. A mockingbird sang a morning song above him.

Chief took a deep breath. “Martha?"

“Yes?”

“When you get her to Four Oaks, would you make sure she sees Dr. Geats?”

“Of course.”

Chief told her “thank you” and returned to his paper. He finished reading it and set it aside. He glanced at the dog busy in the yard and sighed, “I better go call Mort. See how things went last night.”

Chief dialed the phone at Elly’s. It was Moss who answered.

“How’d it go last night?”

“Everything went just fine. There was no activity here. I called my man at the hospital, though. Perretti’s still there, but checking out at nine today.”

“That would give him plenty of time to get here by eleven. He’s making his move, isn’t he?”

“It would appear so.”

“Maybe we should just call this off, Mort. Go after the log today instead, nail him with it first.”

“You do that, and you’ll have one disappointed young lady on your hands.”

“That’s better than a dead one, Mort. What are her chances at the church, anyway?”

“I have six men covering the inside of the church and five on the outside. Plus the deputy, you and I. We’ll get him before he has a shot at her, Bob. On that you have my word.”

“I’ve been making a lot of promises lately myself, Mort. I can’t back them up, either.”

“It’s your call, Bob.”

“Put Elly on.”

There was a click as the receiver exchanged hands.

“Bob?” Elly’s voice was musical, not a hint of fear. “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?”

“No. I just want a warm bride by the time this is over, El. I was thinking it might be a better idea if we put you under wraps until we nail Perretti. We’ll get married after that.”

There was a long pause, but Chief could still hear her breathing. “El?”

“Not on your life Bob Broden!” Elly shot back. “I’m not afraid of him and the church will be well guarded. Besides Tony doesn’t like a crowd. And he’ll want the ledger back first– he won’t kill me before he gets his hands on it.”

Chief stared at the wall. He felt constricted. It just didn’t sit well with him.

“I just don’t like it, El.”

“Bob…I just want to wake up in your arms tomorrow morning. Don’t let him take that away from me.”

“Then that’s final,” Chief whispered.

“It is.”

“I’ll see you at eleven.”

“You can count on it.”

Chief replaced the receiver. He sighed heavily as he stared at the wallpaper in front of him. It just didn’t sit well with him. In his heart he felt the dread; it seeped through him like a slow suffocation. He shook it off and returned to the porch.

At seven-thirty Maggy descended the stairs, still dressed in her bedclothes.“Good morning,” she said out the window, when she noticed her aunt and father on the back porch.

“Good morning,” Chief said over his shoulder.

“Would you like me to start breakfast? Joe’s awake, he’s brushing his teeth upstairs.”

“That would be fine, honey. Would you like some help?” Chief offered.

“No, sir. I can manage. Would bacon and eggs be okay?”

“That’s sounds fine.”

Maggy went about preparing the morning meal. A few minutes later, Joe came down and helped her by setting the table, while Chief and Martha talked quietly to themselves outside.

“Chief?” Maggy called out the window.

“Yes, honey?”

“Breakfast is almost ready, should I send Joe to wake Kelly?”

“No. She had a rough time last night. I want her to sleep as much as she can.”

“Oh... I saw her bed. What happened? Did she wet it?”

At that Chief turned to her. “No. She threw up.”

“I see,” Maggy said quietly. “What about her breakfast?”

“We’ll give her a bowl of cereal when she wakes. She likes that better, anyway.”

Maggy nodded and went about completing the meal.

Chief and Martha brought the hound in when it was time to sit down to eat. Martha occasionally caught Chief feeding the animal under the table and scolded him with her eyes.

“You’re setting a poor example,” she stated quietly. 

Chief looked up and innocently smiled. 

It was quickly approaching eight-thirty. After breakfast, Joe took his turn in the bathroom first, while Martha and Maggy cleaned up the kitchen and Chief dressed in his own bathroom. After running a comb through his hair, he gave his bathroom to Martha, while Maggy bathed in the hall bathroom.

Later, downstairs Martha went about last minute pressing of Chief’s tie and handkerchief, as well as Joe’s trousers. The utility room was thoroughly searched for clean socks for both Chief and Joe. The house was a bustle of activity. The comings and goings of the family however, went unnoticed by Kelly who slept through them all. The activity came to a close, once everyone was ready, at ten o’clock.

Chief was in the kitchen doing some last minute buffing of his shoes when Maggy entered.

“I think we’d better wake Kelly, Chief,” she said clipping on an earring. “It’s getting late. I need to get on over to Elly’s pretty soon.”

Chief looked up. “What do you mean? Do you have to go over there?”

“Of course,” Maggy answered contemplating her father closely. “I’m her maid of honor, Chief. I have to help her get ready. You should see her dress. Button hooks from neckline to the hemline. I also have her train.”

Chief nodded solemnly. “I see,” he muttered, his mind re-computing the added risk. He looked at his daughter. “Go ahead and wake Kelly. But I want to talk to you before you leave. I want to give you something.”

Maggy stared at him. She nodded slightly, “All right, Chief.” She shrugged and left the kitchen.

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