The Mystery of the Moonlight Murder Read online

  “The man has an alibi. He was in the hotel the night of the murder,” began Sergeant English.

  “Yes, but what if he wasn’t working alone?” surmised John. “What if someone else was in that field when Mr. Schneider died?”

  Sergeant English was regretting that he had tried to do any of this publicly for the sake of a good newspaper story. The reporter, Chester, was writing furiously now. Before the sergeant

  could reply, a quiet voice spoke up from behind the stage, just barely audible. “Duncan took them.” It was André.

  “I beg your pardon?” asked Sergeant English, turning towards his prisoner. The officers who held him brought him forward more so he could be heard more clearly.

  “John Diefenbaker is right. Duncan Rainey, a man I work with, took the pelts,” André said more clearly. “His job was to take things from the Indians and Métis and place them on the property of white settlers and then to do the same in reverse. One of those things was a Cree-made necklace he had found on the reservation.

  “The necklace!” said John.

  Andre continued. “When he found, and then stole, a valuable collection of pelts from the Cree man’s shed, I asked him to plant those in the Schneider’s barn.”

  “Why?” asked Constable Wood.

  “I had heard Hans Schneider was prejudiced against all Indians and I knew this would help to build up conflicts and disagreements between Indians and white settlers.” The crowd gasped.

  “I asked him to use the necklace he had also taken and plant it in the field of Hans Schneider. That’s when he went to drop the necklace in the field, but he…he found…”

  “He found Mr. Schneider working in the field late that night and was caught in the act. So he killed him,” said John, “rather than be captured.” André nodded.

  A surge of voices from the crowd ensued and the remaining police officers moved forward to prevent them from coming closer to the front where André was in custody.

  “No one was supposed to get hurt,” said André sadly and quietly all of a sudden, speaking only to John now. “I was very angry when he told me he had killed someone. I also told him to leave your family’s homestead alone, John. I told him to spare the Diefenbaker’s or he would answer to me.”

  John stared into André’s eyes as William and Ed looked at one another in astonishment. That explained why nothing bad had happened on their own homestead, other than the near-miss by the fire caused by the storm. The officers worked to contain the crowd again.

  Sergeant English shook his head in disbelief at the turn of events.

  “It seems as if we have a budding lawyer in our midst,” he said, looking directly at John and speaking over the noise.

  “At our earliest opportunity tomorrow morning…and given this new information…” the sergeant began, after a pause.

  The crowd noise abruptly stopped as everyone held their breath.

  “River’s Voice will be free to go home.”

  Cheers erupted across the field, and no one shouted with more joy than the Cree and no one among the Cree more than Summer Storm. John blushed as his father, uncle, Elmer, and Summer slapped him on the back and hugged him. Many of the Cree came forward to thank John. Chief Five Hawks nodded to John in silence, with just a hint of amusement playing about his face. The Métis, too, were pleased that André would no longer be impersonating the nephew of Gabriel Dumont, for the real Dumont was revered for his exploits across the prairies.

  Sergeant English jumped off the wagon to speak with André and two other officers. Immediately afterwards, a few other officers set about dispersing the remainder of the crowd. John inched closer and heard Sergeant English issue new orders.

  “Tessier, I want you and Howe to find Mr. Duncan Rainey who is apparently camped out on the northwest corner of the old Stinson farm, a few miles from here. Ask William or Ed Diefenbaker for more detailed directions,” said the sergeant, motioning the two men over to their group. William and Ed proceeded to share their knowledge of the area with the officers who were from out of town. Within a short time, the two officers leapt onto their horses and sped away, leaving small eddies of dust swirling on the ground behind their fast-moving steeds. Summer, surrounded by the Cree now, began to cry in relief as she struggled to absorb everything. Her father had not committed the crime he was accused of. She had always known this, and now, thankfully, everyone else did, too. A few Cree neighbours put their arms around her shoulders, giving her quick hugs. She felt exhilarated with what this meant—her father would soon be home where he belonged.

  While Summer talked with members of the Cree, John and Elmer looked over at Earl, who was uncharacteristically keeping to himself. Before John had a chance to say hello, Earl moved briskly to his trademark canary yellow wagon, looking over his shoulder once. He climbed aboard his wagon, pulled his hat on tighter and commanded his two horses to leave the area at a brisk trot.

  John wondered about his quick exit but his eyes were drawn to someone else right now. As the noise level continued unabated, John couldn’t help but notice André, who stood sullenly between two officers with his arms secured behind his back, looking small, frail and alone. He was a shell of the man John had observed before, looking worn out and very confused. André seemed to be in a different place now, a different time, even. John felt uncomfortable watching him when he realized the officers were taking him to their wagon. As he was being led away, André suddenly turned to John. “Have you seen my mother, John? I think she’s at home, don’t you?”

  John didn’t know what to say, so he nodded quietly. It didn’t seem right to argue with him when something this painful had changed him, something that had triggered his mind to deny the truth so deeply.

  “We’re going to get him some help,” said Sergeant English kindly to John, showing more compassion than John had expected. “He may even be sent to his home city of Winnipeg.”

  As André was led closer to the wagon, he continued to talk to John.

  “Did you hear that, John? I’m going home. We’re lucky to have such loving parents, aren’t we, John? You and I will do great things some day. Great things.”

  He looked serene as he climbed into the wagon, believing with all his heart that he was going home.

  Chapter 17

  The Chief

  Mesmerizing wheat fields danced promisingly in the cool prairie morning as the Diefenbaker Schooner made its way to Borden. Everything seemed especially quiet after so much upheaval. The night before had left few people unaffected.

  William and Mary were up front, talking quietly, while Ed, John and Elmer were squeezed into the back. Summer was not with them. She had gone home with relatives after the rally, in time for her father’s triumphant return the next morning. The Cree had let William know that they would retrieve her things, including her horse, in a day or two.

  John and Elmer were exhausted but it wasn’t as if they were allowed to sleep in. In fact, if the police had not asked William and Ed to make a statement at the station today and to bring John and Elmer with him, they knew they would likely be working double-time for Mary Diefenbaker, after all that had happened.

  However, if Mary was still angry that William had allowed

  the boys to attend the rally, she did not show it. It probably had a lot to do with the outcome—the establishment of the innocence of River’s Voice, the capture of several criminals, and, perhaps, the prevention of a full-scale rebellion.

  As for John, he was still basking in his father’s praise from the ride home last night. He played it over in his mind.

  “I’m very proud of you, John. The way you were able to hold the crowd with the conviction of your words and your insistence on finding out the truth. We’re going to support your education when the time comes, no doubt about it. Good work, son.”

  Once at the police station, it only took about twenty minutes for the Diefenbakers to make their official statements.

  “When was River’s Voice let go?” asked
John.

  “We released him at dawn,” the sergeant replied. “We offered him a ride but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said he just wanted to walk the fields and watch the sun rise on his way home. We apologized for the time he spent in here and all he did was shake our hands and smile. We watched him walk down the steps and then he turned west toward the reservation, singing the entire way.”

  Everyone looked happy with the description of River Voice’s release from prison.

  “Were your men able to catch that Duncan Rainey fellow, the one Dupont said actually killed Hans?” asked Ed.

  Sergeant English snorted as if there was a good story behind his answer.

  “Oh, we got him alright. But not without a chase. My men pursued him all the way to Borden. He had himself a good horse, that’s for sure. When he got to Borden the late train was there. It had stopped for a few minutes before it went on through, but it was about to leave. So then he gets an idea into his head how to escape my officers.”

  “What kind of idea?” asked John.

  “He thought he’d get off his horse and jump into a train car that he saw was open on both sides. He planned on closing the doors once he jumped off onto the other side. That way he could make his escape with the long train blocking my officers.”

  “But it didn’t work?” asked Elmer.

  “Well, it probably would have but he didn’t count on what happened next. As he shut the first door on my officers who were getting closer, he turned to jump out the other side. But the other door was slammed in his face and then locked from the outside. Thing is, some young kid who was working on the train at the time…”

  The sergeant paused as he checked his notes.

  “…a Matthew Carver, saw the man being chased down by the officers. So when Rainey entered the train and shut the first door, the kid locked the other side and trapped him in there

  until my men caught up. Can you imagine?”

  “Matthew!” yelled Elmer. He explained to everyone how he and Summer had met Matthew Carver.

  “Well, good thing for us that he found employment on the railway then,” Sergeant English said with a smile.

  Before the Diefenbakers left the station, Sergeant English thanked everyone for their assistance in the case, singling out John for the way he had taken control of the crowd before the police had a chance to arrive.

  “From what I heard, you may have been the difference between a riot and the outcome we ended up with,” said the sergeant.

  “I think Mr. Dupont meant for everyone’s anger to be channeled against the government, not to turn against one another. His dream was to be a famous rebellion leader like Gabriel Dumont, his hero. But he wasn’t able to contain all of the passions people felt on all sides,” John reflected. “He didn’t know what to do once he unleashed it all, kind of like the story of Pandora’s box from Greek mythology, right, Father?”

  William nodded. “It’s a good analogy, son. When people start pointing fingers at one another, a lot of undesirable traits can come out, that’s for sure.”

  Sergeant English shook his head. “Stealing things from some people and leaving them in one another’s property as a strategy to create distrust and chaos. Who would have thought of that?”

  As the Diefenbakers left the police station, John spotted Earl T. Wright’s carriage in front of the printing shop. The main street of Borden, dirt brown and dusty, allowed his canary yellow wagon to stick out easily. Seeing the Diefenbakers approaching, he tipped his wide-brimmed hat toward them.

  “Howdy, William, Mary, Ed,” said Earl, as they jumped out. “Howdy all,” he added, seeing John and Elmer.

  “You disappeared on us last night,” Ed said. It was obvious that everyone, other than Mary who hadn’t been there, was wondering why Earl had been on stage with André in the first place. John had a feeling the police were wondering as well.

  “No, no, I left once all the action started,” said Earl. “This old heart can’t take that kind of excitement anymore,” he said, his silver hair peeking out from behind his hat onto his shoulders. Ed nodded, unconvinced.

  William picked up on this theme.

  “Well, I have to say, Earl, the boys actually thought you might have been involved in something suspicious.”

  Earl glanced up with a peculiar expression. “Suspicious? Me? Now why would you think that?” he asked, although he somehow managed to look the part, at least a little.

  John cleared his throat. “Well, with all due respect, Mr. Wright, it was for a couple of reasons, sir. First, after the fire when we saw you go by that day, you were trying to hide something in your wagon from us. You even told us it was blankets

  when we could see it was a collection of various things. You also said you were going to stop in at the house to see if Uncle Ed needed anything for his arm, but you never did.”

  Earl didn’t say anything, so John took this as an invitation to continue.

  “The next day,” John continued, “Elmer and Summer were in Langham with Uncle Ed. They saw you shake hands with Mr. Dupont. As well, Elmer and Summer overheard you say: ‘I liked Hans, but, as I said, he surprised me. But enough about that. What do you need from me if I agree to this?’”

  Earl looked both pale and fascinated as John painted his understanding of the last few days’ events.

  “Only one day later, you were here at the rally created by Mr. Dumont, er, Dupont. Right up on the wagon with him, in fact.”

  “Now hold on, hold on,” said Earl with his hands up in the air defensively. “Now what you saw in the wagon was just an old salesman trying to make a living.” He sighed and looked around. “And I expect you’ll all keep this information to yourselves, you hear?” Everyone nodded, unsure of what he was going to say.

  “A man has a reputation to uphold,” Earl added for good measure.

  “For your information, under the blanket were some tools, a bucket of Saskatoon berries and a Ridpath encyclopedia set, or at least thirteen out of fifteen volumes anyway. The set’s broken.”

  “That’s what I saw last night at the rally!” said Elmer. “Oops!” he added, realizing he had just given away the fact that he and Summer had snooped in Earl’s carriage during the rally. Mary didn’t look impressed.

  “You boys really get around don’t you?” said Earl. “Well…why were you trying to hide those things?” asked Elmer, feeling embarrassed.

  “Because I took them in trade for some tonics, kitchen spices and salves from various customers. But I can’t make a living if everyone thinks they can just pawn their stuff off on old Earl T. all the time! I just can’t earn a living that way if everyone thinks they can trade with me,” he said. “Then, why did you do it?” asked John.

  “Because I was feeling kind of sorry for the Turner’s and the Wentzell’s. They got hit by the fire, too, and I was trying to do them a good turn, that’s all. Then, I got to thinking so much about those trades and what that would do to my business if folks found out I was open to trades and then told others…well, I just got lost in thought and plumb forgot to stop in to see you Ed, and for that I’m sorry.”

  “I understand,” said Ed.

  “Well, that was sure nice of you to help the other families,” said John. “You gave up your profit on those sales.”

  “It’s nothing,” said Earl sniffing.

  “But what about seeing you in Langham with Mr. Dupont?”

  began Elmer.

  “And,” added John, “the fact that you said Mr. Schneider surprised you. Well, for a while we thought you meant in the field, you know, on the night of the murder.”

  Earl burst out in laughter. His face revealed that he felt a combination of amusement and disbelief at the accusation.

  “Old Earl T.? Kill someone? You must be joking! I was talking about the fact that I was surprised old Hans could work that late at his age! We were just talking about current events, that’s all.”

  John was glad he realized in time that André Dupont was more of a
suspect than Earl. It could have been very embarrassing if they had gone to the police first.

  “Then just what were you talking to Dupont about in Langham?” asked Ed.

  “Well, that André fellow approached me with two things. First, he had a cut on his arm. Said he did it saving someone from drowning, which I highly doubted. You have to get up pretty early to fool old Earl T.”

  John and Elmer looked at each other and tried to keep a straight face.

  “Anyhow,” Earl continued, “he wanted to buy a salve for a cut on his arm. Said it was a little worse than he thought. So I helped him out there. But then he proposed an idea to me, that I come out to this rally of his where there would be a whole lot

  of customers just waiting to be served, all in one place! How could I pass that up?”

  “But what did he want in return?” asked John.

  “He said he just wanted me to deliver messages from time to time in the next few weeks, since I travel so much. He said he had plans to send messages of meetings and so on.”

  “Didn’t you want to know what the messages were about?” asked Ed.

  “No,” he said quietly. “The truth is I didn’t, and I didn’t ask to know, either. I guess deep down I knew this fellow was up to no good. I even told you so at the funeral.”

  “But you didn’t know who Mr. Dupont really was, right?” asked John.

  “No, that’s true,” said Earl. “But I ended up getting involved anyway…and nearly ended up getting in trouble myself by being there,” he concluded. “Guess at my age I should know better.”

  “So, why were you up on that stage then?” asked John. “Because he told me in Langham that I could be first to say a few words to the crowd if I attended. I wanted to let them know what new products I had and where I’d be set up afterwards. I was ready to make a small fortune in one night, that’s all. But he hogged the whole stage and then the crowd went crazy…then young John here jumped up and gave the best darned speech I’ve ever heard in all my days…”