Page 67 - Homestead By Ann Newhouse

That is why John and Bob had the altercation in the Hotel Rancho. Bob confronted him about the past. Tomorrow I hope to find out the truth at the lunch meeting. I’m expecting your mother to fill us in,” I told him anxiously.
Mitch told me he had applied for a job as a maintenance worker at the general hospital in Truth, with the help of Johanna.
At the lunch the next day, Margarete O’ Neilson became very upset when I handed her the papers and newspaper cuttings.
‘The letter was meant for me. I’m the woman who was devastated at losing her baby son, he died prematurely.” she reluctantly admitted. We all glanced at a shocked Mitch. “Where do I come into this,” he asked, glaring, at his mother.
“Please Mitch do not judge me harshly. I was a young foolish girl and was blinded by the attention of a very cruel man. Gus Tirrell was a womaniser, and old enough to be my father. I was having a bad time coming to terms with the realisation that I’d married the wrong man. I was so unhappy.”
She glanced at Mitch sympathetically. The rest of us sat and drank coffee in silence as she explained. “Your father, Buck, was a hard businessman and upset a lot of folk. He employed a couple hundred hands on his farm which ran alongside the Tirrell’s land. They were always having spats about this and that, to do with the land. One day Gus Tirrell found me crying about something your father had done. He promised he would sort him out and look after me, I foolishly went along with his plan. I hoped to persuade Gus to set me up away from Buck in another town, and it was not long before we became lovers. Unfortunately, I got pregnant.”
At this revelation Mitch collapsed into an armchair with Joanna going to comfort him. Margarete continued. “Gus did not want anything to do with me as soon as he knew about the baby, I had to confess to Buck, who immediately went to see Gus. Gus agreed to give us a large sum of money to keep quiet about the baby. Buck got greedy and wanted more from him. I was only a few months gone when I lost the baby. Buck was furious and threatened me, not to tell Gus the truth. Buck somehow stole a baby and the plan was to pretend it was the one I was carrying. Not long after their second meeting, where Gus told Buck he would not pay any more money, the Ranch was set on fire and Buck was found dead nearby.” Margarete paused, and sobbed deeply, and I went to comfort her. Josh and Sofie were in shock. She sat by Josh with her arm around him, in disbelief.
Margarete recovered and continued, “I believe Gus Tirrell was responsible for Buck’s death, but I equally believe Buck may have got someone to set the fire at the Ranch. I have no proof. I only know John Tirrell knows who is responsible. I have never told anyone about the baby. John Tirrell has