The Ridge: The Whisper of the Leaves - 37

As it turned out, “Johnny” was Ranger John Conners of the Texas Rangers. And Molly was the secretary of the Ranger’s office in Longview some twenty miles away. As a precaution, Conners cuffed Marshall behind his back and put him in the front seat with him.

It took just under thirty minutes to get to the Ranger office. Conners tried to make conversation with Marshall, but he said little. ‘Par for the course’ Conners would have thought if he had known Marshall as well as some East Arkansas law officers did.

When they got inside the office, Conners turned Marshall around, uncuffed him and motioned for him to sit down. He went into an adjoining office and talked on the phone for a little over ten minutes, then he hung up and walked back to where Marshall was.

“Ya know, Bentwood,” Conners said. “There’s a lot of people lookin’ for you.”

Marshall made no response. He sat in the chair, bent over, elbows on knees, hands clasped, staring at the floor.

“You probably think you know what’s goin’ on back in, uh, Wynne, is it,” Conners continued. “But it’s my bet ya don’t know everything. Let me read the telegram that went out.”

Office of the Sheriff,

Cross County, Wynne, Arkansas

Please be advised that this is an all-points bulletin for one Marshall Cecil Bentwood, seventeen, of near Wynne, Arkansas. He is wanted for questioning in the murders of two Wynne men on the night of March 10, 1937.

Conners stopped reading.

“This much I figure ya you know already,” he said. “But, the rest I don’t think you do.”

Additionally, this man is needed in a presently occurring hostage situation involving Jenny Bentwood. It is.....

“What did you say?” Marshall stood up. “Did you say Jenny?”

“Bentwood, sit down and I’ll tell you what I know.”

Marshall stood for a moment more then sat back down.

“That was Sheriff Talmadge in Wynne I was talkin’ to just a few minutes ago. It looks like somebody who’s got a connection with those two guys you’re supposed to have killed want to talk to you. You need to be gotten back to Wynne as soon as possible. Cause ya see, the ones who kidnapped this girl....”

“She’s my little sister. Six years old.”

“Okay, the ones who kidnapped your sister say you have to be back in Wynne by Saturday afternoon.”

Conners hesitated a minute then added, “If you don’t get back by then, they’ll kill your sister.”

Conners watched Marshall and he literally saw the blood drain from his face. He was so ashen in fact, Conners was afraid for a moment that the youth was going to pass out. Almost as quickly, though, the blood came back and in fact turned his skin almost red.

“What’s the quickest way for me to get back home?” he said, his eyes leveled at Conners.

“Well, we could fly ya back, but with driving time to airports and the like, driving ya there would be probably quicker.”

“What about the train?”

“Could go the train, but it’s not as reliable as what we need. If you’re just a little late and these kidnappers are good to their word, then......well, I don’t have to spell it out.”

“So, are you gonna drive me or what?”

“Yea, if I can clear it with my bosses. It would take too long if they came to get ya. It’s around 400 miles so your probably talkin’ a fifteen, sixteen-hour trip.”

“Okay, then. Let’s get goin’,” Marshall said and stood up.

“Hold on,” Conners said and stood with him. “We’re not goin tonight. It’s too late and I’m too tired.”

“What do ya mean not tonight,” Marshall flared at the ranger, fists balled up.

“Just exactly what I said,” Conners stood his ground and leveled his eyes at Marshall “We will get a good night’s rest and then we’ll leave tomorrow morning at first light. I know you want to get there as soon as possible, but if we’re so tired we have a wreck and you get killed, how’s that gonna help your sister?”

Conners and Marshall stood eye to eye for a long moment then Marshall relaxed his fists and sat back down. Conners patted the youth gently on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry son. I’ll get ya there in plenty of time. Right now, we need to get some rest.”

Conners reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a long key.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I’m gonna have to put ya in a cell for the night, since you’re wanted on suspicion of murder.”

Marshall stood and walked toward the jail cells at the back of the room. He went into the one Conners opened and sat down on a bench. There was no bed of any kind.

“These cells are meant for just short-term holding,” Conners explained. “I’ve got a cot in a back room somewhere. Let me go find it.”

Conners found the cot, put it in the cell with a couple of sheets he found, then locked the cell for the night.

“I figure you know,” Conners said. “that the best way to save your sister is to let me get you back to Arkansas. So, since I don’t think you’ll try to escape, I’m gonna go home for a few hours and get some sleep. I’ll be back around six tomorrow mornin’ and we’ll head out. See ya then. Good’nite.”

Marshall sat on the bench for a while, then got up, opened the cot and laid down, disregarding the sheets. He had so much to think about, so much to get straight in his mind. Unfortunately, though, his body took over and within a minute he was snoring. It had been a long day.

“Mr. Lampkin?”

“Yes,” Lampkin looked up from his desk and saw Gerald Borden standing on the other side of the police counter. It was 9:30 p.m. and Lampkin was working late, otherwise he would not have been at the office at that time of night. “Borden! Didn’t think I’d see you for a while, especially this time of night. What can I do for ya’?”

“I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d see if you’as here. I think I got some things I need to tell ya.”

“Zat so?” Lampkin stood up and pulled a chair over by his desk. “Come tell me about it.”

Gerald sat down and over the next half hour, told Lampkin everything that had happened from the incident in the pool hall, to the point where he was picked up by Lampkin the previous Sunday.

A lot of the things Gerald said, Lampkin had surmised. Many things, though, were a revelation to him. One thing Gerald did not specifically tell Lampkin, however, was that Marshall had killed Lawrence and Prichard. Gerald had caused enough harm to Marshall and his family, and this was one thing he was not going to do. He knew, though, that only a total idiot would not have been able to figure out what had happened and who had done what.

After Gerald finished telling his story, Lampkin stood and walked over to the window. He stared out onto the dark, virtually vacant streets of Wynne and didn’t speak for a good two minutes. Gerald began to grow nervous, suddenly feeling he might have made a big mistake by coming there.

“Ya buddy’s on his way home.” Lampkin said, still facing the window.

“Ya mean Marshall?” Gerald said excitedly which soon abated as he realized he was going to have to face his friend.

“Yea, I mean Marshall,” Lampkin turned around and walked back to his desk. He propped himself on the corner next to Gerald and looked down at him. “And you better not tell a livin’ soul what I’m about to tell ya.”

“No, sir. I won’t.” Gerald said, shaking his head quickly.

“A Texas Ranger is bringin’ him in from Longview, Texas. Should be here late tomorrow night or early Saturday morning. You and the Bentwood family are the only ones that know this. If you let this out, it could get ya friend killed along with his sister. Ya understand?”

“Yessir,” Gerald nodded again.

“We had a good idea Cubby Lawrence was involved, but now you’ve confirmed it. You just might have helped us save that little girl…….and your pal.”

Lampkin stood up.

“Why don’t’cha go on back home now. What you’ve told me’ll be a big help. Thanks for commin’ in. And remember what I told ya.”

Gerald stood, smiled weakly and left.

Once Gerald was out the door, Lampkin called the sheriff and told him about what the youth had said. He already knew about Marshall coming in.

“Do ya want to call the state boys in?” Talmadge asked his opinion.

“I don’t know,” Lampkin said. “I still think the best way to handle this is with just our own people. I mean there’s you and your three deputies, plus Barnes and me, so that makes six. And I don’t think Lawrence has anybody with him but his two girls.”

“The only thing I’m thinkin’s is that the state boys had a lot of experience with hostage situations.”

“I know, but we also both know they’ll tell ya themselves that every case is different. And actually, I don’t think they’ve had too many like this one so we’d be in just as good’a shape to handle it as they’d be.”

There was silence on the other end of the line as Tallmadge considered Lampkin logic.

“Okay,” Talmadge finally said. “I think you’re probably right, but this is a county situation so I’m the one callin’ the shots. And if I see at any point that we can’t handle it, I’m callin’ for help.”

“Fair enough.”