Blessed are the Merciful Read online

  The next morning Seth mailed the letter on his way to the police station.

  On the evening of August 15, Adam Burke and Philipa Conrad were seated at a table with her parents and other lawyers and their wives, enjoying a lavish meal.

  The convention had proven profitable and enjoyable for the three hundred lawyers who had gathered in Philadelphia to sharpen their skills, learn from one another, and enjoy the social functions that went with it.

  Everyone knew there was to be a special after-dinner speaker that evening, but the leaders of the convention had kept it a secret. George Benson, who was chairman of the convention, had not divulged the speaker’s identity even to his partners in the firm.

  When the meal was over, Benson stood to his feet, lifted his voice above the rumble of conversations that filled the room, and called for attention. Adam helped Philipa position her chair to face the head table, then turned his chair around. He glanced at the head table and saw a familiar face next to his boss, then leaned close to Philipa and whispered, “I just saw the speaker for the first time. It’s Dr. Manfred Welles, my favorite professor at Harvard!”

  “Oh, really? I recall you mentioning his name to me several times.”

  “Brilliant man,” Adam said.

  Welles spotted Adam, and when their eyes met, they smiled and nodded at each other.

  George Benson finished his introduction of Manfred Welles, and several attorneys—including Adam Burke—quickly rose to their feet, applauding. Soon the entire crowd was standing and applauding enthusiastically.

  Welles smiled and waited patiently for the applause to run its course. When everyone was seated, he thanked them for the warm welcome and began recounting some of his experiences with law students at Harvard. Pointing to Adam, Welles told of an experience in class that had made it clear to him Adam was going to be an outstanding attorney.

  Philipa reached over and took Adam’s hand, whispering, “He’s talking about my future husband! I’m so proud of you, darling.”

  Adam raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

  Dr. Welles looked at Adam, then said to the crowd, “Chairman Benson is Adam Burke’s boss, folks. During dinner he told me of Mr. Burke’s success thus far in his firm, especially the case he recently won involving a Philadelphia police officer who had been falsely accused of murder.”

  There were cheers and applause.

  “I have to tell you, folks, that except for my help, Mr. Burke would never have made it in the legal field. He would probably be pushing a broom in some Boston warehouse!”

  Everyone laughed.

  Welles went on with his speech, addressing the problems facing lawyers and challenging every lawyer present to serve his clients better than ever before.

  When the speech was finished, the crowd applauded vigorously. George Benson made a few remarks and then announced the end of the convention.

  Adam took Philipa by the hand. “Come on, honey, I want you to meet Dr. Welles.”

  They had to wait a few seconds for others who had reached Welles first, but soon Adam was able to introduce his former professor to his fiancée. Welles greeted Philipa warmly, saying he always knew Adam would find a beautiful and charming young woman to marry. He was also impressed when Adam told him that Philipa was the daughter of Philip Conrad III.

  “Sir,” Adam said, “I notice that Mrs. Welles isn’t with you. I hope she’s not ill.”

  “Oh, no. Martha would’ve come with me, but our youngest daughter, Patricia, is about to give birth, and Martha felt she should stay with her.”

  “I don’t blame her. Please greet her for me when you get home, sir.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “So when are you putting the ball and chain on this young man?” Welles said, looking at Philipa.

  “October, sir.”

  “We sure would be honored if you and Mrs. Welles could come,” Adam said.

  “We’d love to come, Adam, but it might not be possible.”

  “Oh?”

  “Mmm-hmm. Say, my train doesn’t leave until late afternoon tomorrow. I’m staying at the Pennsylvania Hotel. Could you meet me at the hotel dining room at noon? I’d sure like to spend a little time with you.”

  “I’ve got a court date in the morning, sir, but the judges in this city like to eat at noon, so I’m sure there’ll be an adjournment at about eleven-thirty. I’ll look forward to having lunch with you.”

  “Wonderful!” Welles shook hands with Adam, told Philipa how glad he was to have met her, and turned to other people who were waiting to talk to him.

  At noon the next day, Adam Burke and Manfred Welles sat at lunch, enjoying their time together. After talking about Adam’s days at Harvard, Welles said, “Last night when you said you would like for Martha and me to come to your wedding, I said it might not be possible. I’d like to explain what I meant.”

  “Good. You’ve had me wondering about that.”

  “I haven’t told anyone here about it, Adam, but I recently resigned my position at Harvard.”

  “You … you resigned your professorship, sir?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But you’re too young to retire.”

  “I turned fifty-one in May, Adam, but my resigning at Harvard doesn’t mean I’m retiring.”

  “Well, good, I’m glad to hear that. What are you planning to do, sir?”

  “Let me preface my answer by first telling you that several years ago I took Martha on a trip to Cheyenne City, Wyoming. We had some friends who moved there, and they asked us to come visit them. Well, we did … and I fell in love with the West.”

  Adam inched forward on his chair. “Really, sir?”

  “I’ve had a hankering to move out to the wide open spaces ever since.”

  Adam smiled. “So you’re going out west?”

  “That’s right … to Grand Island, Nebraska. We had to cross Nebraska to get to Cheyenne City, and that big sky and the openness of it captured me. I have a lawyer friend who has been in Grand Island for some fifteen years. The town has grown steadily, and so has my friend’s practice. He wrote me a couple of months ago, asking if I would come out and become his partner. I took him up on it. This is why I couldn’t commit to coming to your wedding.”

  Welles looked closely at Adam and said, “You seem excited about something I’ve said. What is it?”

  “Well, sir, right after I graduated from Harvard, my uncle in Boston took me with him on a trip to California. Those wide open spaces captured me, too. I see the western frontier as a place where a man can breathe free. I’ve made up my mind that I’m taking Philipa out there to start our married life. I’m going to find a growing town and establish my own law firm. The way people are moving west, I’m sure if I choose the right town, I can build a successful firm. It’s my dream.”

  “I have no doubt you’ll do fine, Adam. At my age I’m glad I don’t have to start from scratch. The partnership sounds great to me. But you’re just the one to build your business from the ground up.”

  “Dr. Welles, how about your wife? Is she as excited about moving to Grand Island as you are?”

  “Well, she wasn’t too excited about it at first. But when she saw how much it meant to me, she said she would gladly move out there.”

  “I’m sure that means a lot to you.”

  “I’ll say.” Welles paused. “And how about Philipa? Is she happy about your plans?”

  “Well, sir, I … ah … haven’t talked to her about it yet.”

  “Isn’t the wedding set for October?”

  “Yes, sir. The latter part of October, but I know it’s not very far away. The reason I haven’t talked to her about it yet is because living out West will be vastly different from living here in Philadelphia. It will be quite a change. I … I just haven’t found a way to bring it up to her.”

  “Well, Adam, you need to do that soon. But from what I could see last night, that girl adores you. If a woman loves her man, she’ll go along
with his big dream.”

  Adam grinned. “That’s what I think, sir.”

  Welles snapped his fingers. “I just thought of something.”

  “What’s that, sir?”

  “Before I tell you, have you got some growing town in mind?”

  “I’ve done a little reading, but I haven’t set my mind on any particular location yet. I figured that once I told Philipa about it, I’d get down to business about just exactly where to go. What were you going to tell me?”

  “It just came to me. When my friend in Grand Island wrote about coming out there, he mentioned that North Platte, Nebraska, is in dire need of a law firm. The people there have to go all the way to Grand Island for legal help. You ought to seriously consider North Platte.”

  “I will, sir. Thank you for telling me about it.”

  “Let me write down the name of the law firm in Grand Island. I want you to write and let me know wherever you end up. Will you do that?”

  “I sure will, sir. And if it’s North Platte, maybe we can see each other once in a while.”

  The next day, after getting some help at the county courthouse, Adam wrote to Ben Colter, sheriff of Lincoln County, Nebraska, for information about North Platte.

  SETH COLEABAN ENTERED POLICE HEADQUARTERS and headed for Chief Bennett’s office with an envelope in his hand. Two officers were coming down the hall toward him.

  “How was your day, Seth?” one of them asked.

  “One of the quiet kind. Nice to have a quiet one now and then.”

  “For sure,” the other officer said. “Everything back to normal for you?”

  “Not quite,” Seth said as they passed in the hall.

  “Little more time yet?”

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  Seth drew up to the chief’s door and knocked, and he heard a muffled command to enter. Seth opened the door and paused, setting his gaze on the man behind the desk. “Would you have time to see me, sir?”

  “Sure,” said Bennett, laying down a paper in his hand. “Come in and sit down, Seth.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk. “What can I do for you?”

  “I hate to say this, Chief, but … I’m still having a problem with the treatment I’m getting from some of the men on the force.”

  “I take it it hasn’t improved?”

  “Oh, two or three of the men have quit giving me dirty looks and will at least speak to me. But other than that it’s gotten worse. It’s not much better with the people out there on the streets, either. Sir, I really think I need to move somewhere else to go on with my career as a law officer.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Seth. I still think that in time this attitude will disappear.”

  “Sir, I’ll be honest with you. I’m just not willing to give it any more time. I don’t mean to contradict you, but the way I see it, the problem is only going to get worse. These people have their minds made up that I murdered Lawrence Sheldon, and nothing is going to change that. I’ve got to get out of Philadelphia.”

  “I know you don’t have family to be concerned about, but you do have friends here. Would it be that easy just to pack up and leave? Besides, where would you go?”

  Seth laid the envelope on the desk.

  “What’s this?” Bennett asked.

  “It’s a letter from the U.S. marshal’s office in Washington. I wrote and asked for an application form. I’m going to apply to become a deputy United States marshal. They sent me an encouraging reply and the application form. They’ve also enclosed papers for you to fill out. I have to have your recommendation in order to proceed with the application.”

  Bennett took the papers out of the envelope, gave them a quick once-over, and said, “I hate the idea of losing you, Seth, but I assure you, you’ll get the highest recommendation from me. But won’t you reconsider staying?”

  “I really need to get away from here, Chief. There’s more to it than you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I was about to ask the young lady I’ve been courting for some time to marry me. But—” Seth swallowed hard. “But when I went to jail she turned against me and wouldn’t believe me when I told her I was innocent. Nothing changed when I was acquitted. She still thinks I murdered Lawrence.”

  “I’m sorry about this. You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

  Seth nodded.

  “Well, it seems to me that if she loved you like you thought she did, she’d believe you.”

  “Yes, sir. I … I just need to get away from here, sir.”

  Bennett sighed. “I understand. Like I said, I hate to lose you, but I’ll fill out this report and send it to the U.S. marshal’s office right away.” As he spoke, he handed the envelope and its other contents back to Seth.

  Seth rose from his chair and reached across the desk to shake Bennett’s hand. “Thank you for understanding, sir. You’ve been very good to me.”

  Bennett gripped his hand firmly. “I’ll miss you, Officer Coleman.”

  “I’ll miss you too, sir. And please know that until I leave, I’ll strive to be the best officer you have on the force.”

  “I have no doubt of that.”

  Seth stepped out of the chief’s office and headed for the front door. Hank Moldow and Keith Dailey were just coming on duty, and when they drew abreast of him, they stopped.

  “Well, whattya know, Keith?” Moldow said. “Here’s Lawrence Sheldon’s old pal. I wonder if he misses him like we do.”

  “I doubt it,” Dailey said.

  “I don’t have time for this,” Seth said. “Kindly get out of my way.”

  Moldow sneered. “He wants us to be kindly toward him. You know … like he was toward Lawrence.”

  “I said I don’t have time for this.” Seth started to move past them.

  Dailey started to say something but stopped when four officers came through the front door. When they were out of earshot, he said, “So you don’t have time for this, eh? Lawrence’s time on earth was cut short, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, it was,” Seth replied, “but not by me.”

  Moldow smiled. “Marvelous what a sharp lawyer can do with a jury, isn’t it?”

  “Get out of my way.”

  “Why don’t you make me?” Moldow said.

  Seth’s right fist connected solidly with Moldow’s jaw. Moldow was down on his back in a split second, dazed and wondering what had happened.

  Seth ducked Dailey’s fist and smashed a wicked uppercut to Dailey’s jaw. The blow lifted the man off his feet, and he joined his friend on the floor.

  “What’s going on here?” came a familiar voice from behind.

  Moldow rubbed his jaw and said, “Chief, I don’t know what got into Coleman. We were talking to him all friendly like, and he up and punches both of us, taking us by surprise.”

  “That’s right, Chief,” said Dailey, rising unsteadily to his feet.

  Bennett’s face flushed and his eyes narrowed. “Both of you are liars! I’ve been watching this scene from my office door since it started. I heard every word. And I saw exactly what happened. Moldow, Dailey, I want your badges and your guns right now. You two are on suspension until you face the internal affairs committee for what you did to Officer Coleman!”

  Dailey rubbed his jaw. “But, sir, we—”

  “You heard me! I want those guns and those badges this instant! You’re on suspension!”

  “Chief Bennett, sir,” Seth said, “may I … may I ask you not to do this? I’m willing to forget it if you will.”

  “Officer Coleman, I appreciate your attitude, but the conduct I just witnessed is inexcusable, and it’s not going to be tolerated in this department. These two men must be disciplined.”

  As the officers handed Bennett their guns and badges, he turned to Seth and said, “I understand even better now why you made the decision that brought you to my office today.”

  The next day, dark clouds were hovering over Philadelphia. The air was hot an
d muggy, and though the wind was picking up, it did little to cool the air.

  Adam Burke left the courthouse after a long, tedious day in court. When he reached the stable, he glanced up at the heavy clouds and took the time to put the top up on the buggy. He drove through the streets of the city and felt closed in by the tall buildings on every side. For the last few days, Adam had rushed home in eager anticipation of the letter he was expecting from Sheriff Ben Colter. If the letter held what he thought it would, he would soon be free from the confines of Philadelphia.

  Adam arrived at his apartment and hurried to his mailbox. He sifted through the envelopes until his eyes fell on one from North Platte, Nebraska. He rushed inside the apartment and set his briefcase on the table, dropping his other mail beside it.

  Adam noticed in the upper left-hand corner that it was from William C. Dauntt, chairman of North Platte’s town council. He tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

  Dauntt explained that Sheriff Ben Colter had passed Adam’s letter on to him. He told Adam that the town had no lawyer at all. The people of North Platte were traveling to Grand Island to get legal advice or help, a distance of a hundred and twenty miles. Dauntt encouraged Adam to come and establish his law firm as soon as possible, assuring him that he would have plenty of clients in a hurry.

  Adam let out his pent-up breath and shook the letter excitedly. “Yes! Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for and dreaming about!”

  Adam read the letter again, then carefully placed it back in the envelope and went to the washroom. He had a dinner date with Philipa tonight. He would tell her of his dream during dinner.

  It was pouring down rain as Adam pulled the buggy up in front of the Conrad mansion. He opened his umbrella and bounded up the front steps. The wind was whipping the rain about as he lifted the door knocker and let it fall.

  Delmar opened the door. “Good evening, Mr. Burke. Please come in out of the weather.” Adam stepped inside, and Delmar took the umbrella. “I’ll keep this here for you, sir.” He placed it in a cane and umbrella holder and headed down the hall. “Follow me, sir. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad are in the library. Miss Philipa hasn’t come down yet.”