Revenge Requires Two Graves

  Chapter 15

  Closing the Mill

  Samantha Foster slammed her fist down on her desk like a little girl having a tantrum. “Why have I not had word from at least one of my shooters? They should have killed Ray Cooper by now. I bet they took my money and just rode off. I can’t trust anyone anymore. Everyone in this town is against me and they have made that little shit Ray Cooper out to be some kind of a hero. I wonder if they would be so high and mighty if I were to shut the mill down.”

  “Oh you can’t do that, Miss Foster,” said Phillip, the butler that had met Ray at the door the night her Pa was killed.

  “Phillip, you have been with the family for as long as I can remember, but this is none of your business!” shrieked Samantha.

  “Yes Miss Foster, I spoke out of turn. It’s just that I care about you and want you to be happy,” pleaded Phillip.

  “Phillip, you are not my father, nor are you my mother. You have been and always will be an employee of this house. If you exceed your boundaries again you will be released from your position,” cautioned Samantha. “Now, as you know, I had the sheriff set up a town meeting this afternoon, and until just now, I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to say. But after talking with you Phillip, my mind is made up. Now leave me alone!”

  Phillip had seen that look in Samantha’s eyes before but had dismissed it as the product of a wealthy, spoiled child who had never heard the word. "No." For the first time he saw it for what it really was. Samantha was losing her mind. She was filled with such anger and vengeance that what could have been a precious young woman was consumed with hatred. Samantha Foster was quite mad.

  “I SAID YOU WERE DISMISSED!” screamed Samantha, bringing Phillip out of his thoughts.

  He now feared her more than loved her, but out of respect for the family he had served all his adult life, he would try to stand by her until the bitter end.

  -CKS-

  “You can’t do this Miss Foster! The people of this settlement have worked hard at your father’s mill to build a future for themselves!” pleaded Doc.

  “I am well aware of what my father’s mill has meant to this town,” responded Samantha standing on her front porch addressing the settlement. “But my mind is made up. The mill will be closed by the end of the month.”

  “But why?” cried out several members of the small crowd. “Where are we going to go?”

  “I don’t care where you go,” spoke Samantha coldly. “I guess you’ll just…go.” With that, Samantha entered her house slamming the door behind her.

  The town’s people stood in shock and dismay. Some of the women began to cry, causing many of the children to begin crying as well. The men began to gather together and discuss their alternatives, being few and far between. The lumbermen had not seen this coming and were not prepared for it.

  Phillip met Samantha at the front door and approached her like one would approach a wild animal. Trying to keep his voice low and steady, he said, “Miss Foster, why are you doing this? You could easily sell the mill to someone else and no one would have to suffer. In turn you would increase your wealth by a substantial amount.”

  “First off, I will not discuss my affairs with the help. Where were they when that boy murdered my Pa? No one in this settlement raised a single finger to try and capture that murderer and his filthy friends and bring them to justice. They did not respect my family or me and therefore I will not respect them. They can all starve to death as far as I am concerned.”

  “But Miss Foster, when the marshal rode through the last time, you told him that it wasn’t murder?” questioned Phillip.

  “I know what I said. If the settlement had pursued Mr. Cooper and brought him back, then I would have had my revenge. But by the time the marshal showed up, Ray Cooper and his gang was long gone. So I am now taking care of the matter myself.”

  “By taking care of it yourself do you mean hiring those three gun man?” Phillip asked sarcastically.

  “YOU FORGET YOURSELF, PHILLIP!” yelled Samantha as she saw red. “Leave me, now!”

  “Yes Ma’am,” said Phillip as he scurried from the room.