Sowing Poison: A Thaddeus Lewis Mystery

By Janet Kellough

When Nathan Elliott disappears, can a Methodist circuit rider discover what truly happened?

After an absence of many years, Nathan Elliott returns to the lakeside village of Wellington in Ontario’s Prince Edward County to be at his dying father’s side. Within a few days of his return, his brother reports that Nathan disappeared while the two were cutting firewood and no trace of him can be found. Shortly after, Nathan’s wife arrives in the village. Claiming that she can contact the dead, she begins to hold séances for the villagers.

Thaddeus Lewis, a Methodist circuit rider, is outraged. Lewis’s ethical objections propel him on a twisted path. On his journey, Lewis encounters towering sand dunes and a mysterious wild boy. After coming up against greed, fraud, and murder, can Lewis learn the truth about Nathan Elliott? Religious conflict and political dissension all play a part in this tale set in 1844 Upper Canada.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Jun 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781459700550

Janet Kellough

Janet Kellough is a professional storyteller who has written and appeared in numerous stage productions featuring a fusion of spoken word and music. Her five books in the Thaddeus Lewis series are On the Head of a Pin, Sowing Poison, 47 Sorrows, The Burying Ground, and Wishful Seeing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

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Chapter One

Nathan Elliott had been missing for twenty-four hours and everyone had pretty well given up any hope of finding him, including Thaddeus Lewis, who knew that an injured man had little hope of surviving a second night in what had been a particularly frosty Canadian autumn.

When the call went out, Lewis had answered immediately. He joined the meeting at Murphy’s Tavern, where the local constable was laying out his plan to organize the men into a search party. There were plenty of volunteers. The lakeside village of Wellington lost more men to the water than anywhere else, and search parties were often formed to comb the shores for the bodies of sailors or fishermen who had been reported lost from a vessel wrecked in a storm.

But a person who had gone missing on land was a novelty, and the tavern was full, with not only local men, but a number who had arrived from the neighbouring villages of Bloomfield and Raynor’s Creek.

Constable Williams sorted them into pairs, and then Reuben Elliott led them all out to where he said he had left the wounded man — his brother Nathan. They had been cutting firewood from the woodlot at the back of their farm, he said, when he had attempted to fell a widow-maker, one of those trees that falls the wrong way and gets hung up in the surrounding branches. They were tricky, these trees, for there was no way to predict how they would come down. Reuben was an experienced woodsman, however, and knew what he was doing. But it had been a long time, he said, since his brother had engaged in heavy farm labour.

I told Nate to stand well back. But the top branches wouldn’t budge at first. I cut away the trunk, but it just hung there. He ran forward to help just as it finally let go. A big branch landed right on his head.

Nathan had been unconscious and bleeding, but still breathing apparently, when Reuben ran to get help, but when he returned with a neighbour they had been unable to locate the body. They’d searched for hours, but found nothing, and by the time the constable had been contacted, it was growing dark. A further search was delayed until morning.

Reuben led them straight to a clearing in a heavily-wooded section at the back of his property.

I’m sure this is the right place, he insisted in response to a comment that they might be in the wrong part of the woods. Look, you can see the fresh cuts on the stumps, and there’s the pile of logs we were going to haul out. Besides, do you think I don’t know my own land? He was here, and now he’s gone.

The searchers fanned out from the body-less clearing, two by two, calling Nathan’s name as they went. Some of the men had brought their dogs, which barked and yapped crazily as they tore off through the underbrush, far more likely to run down a rabbit than anything else, Lewis figured. He hoped that if they did find Nathan Elliott, the dogs wouldn’t tear him to pieces before their masters were able to call them off.

Lewis was teamed with Martin Carr, a young lad of fourteen or so, and was grateful for the boy’s sharp eyes. His own eyesight had once been keen, but he knew that it was beginning to fail, and he found that he had to squint to see anything at a distance. Betsy had been urging him to get spectacles, but he resisted. He had to admit that there was a certain amount of vanity in this resistance; he didn’t like the notion that he was growing old and felt disinclined to advertise his creeping infirmities to the world.

He and Martin set off in a northwesterly direction, sweeping back and forth in a zigzagging motion, checking under bushes and in thickets.

Look over there. Martin pointed off to his right. The grass has all been flattened down.

Lewis squinted, but could see nothing. He walked over to where Martin had pointed. The boy was right, there had been something there, but it was almost certainly the trampling of deer as they made their slow autumn move into deeper woods. They followed the trail that led from this, and at intervals they found coyote scat and mounds of rabbit pellets scattered amongst the fallen leaves. It was obviously a well-worn thoroughfare for animals, but there was nothing to indicate the recent passage of a man.

The trail led them into buckthorn and spindly poplar. In places there were gulleys and swampy areas, where they had to pick their way around, the footing too unsure to risk climbing through.

If he came through here, he’d be pretty scratched up, Martin said. There isn’t much of a path.

Martin was in front, trying as much as he could to shoulder the hard work of breaking trail, but mostly managing to let go the branches at just the wrong moment so that they snapped back into Lewis’s face. Lewis was certain that Nathan could not have come this way. Even if he had regained consciousness and wandered off in some sort of dazed delirium, he would scarcely have been in any condition to battle his way through these thorns and brambles. Lewis’s hands were badly scratched after only a few minutes in the scrubby growth.

Finally, they reached a line of thick dogwood that stretched in both directions. Martin bulled his way through the dense bushes and Lewis followed his trampled path. Beyond the dogwood was a stream.

If he did come through here, surely he would’ve followed the crick along, Martin said. There’s only a little water in it and it would be easier than walking through the bush. Which way do you figure we should go?

It was not a wide stream, more, as Martin said, a creek, whose course dried in the heat of summer and at other times of the year flowed only strongly enough to prevent the dogwood from gaining hold. It could well peter out to nothing; if not, it would almost certainly flow into West Lake. If Nathan had followed it south, Lewis figured he would have soon reached the main road between Wellington and Bloomfield. He would have been able to find his way to a house easily enough from there.

If he had somehow crossed the road without being seen, he would then have been halted by the open water of the lake. It was true that at one end of this lake there was a vast reedy marsh, and if Nathan had wandered into this wild area and fallen, his body would probably never be found. But the marsh was well to the east. It was a possibility, but not very probable.

Lewis wasn’t sure how far the creek ran in the opposite direction, but if they followed it north he knew they would reach the road that divided the lakeshore lots from the farms on the next concession. There were pockets of woods on all these lots, but none of them were large, not big enough to swallow up a man. The inland concession was more sparsely settled, the farmhouses farther apart; even so, someone would surely have noticed Nate Elliott if he had wandered through the trees and come out on the road.

Better to look in the thickest part of the woods, he decided, and so they headed south.

There were no signs along the creek. Occasionally, they would climb the bank and cast about in the surrounding bush for any sort of trail, broken branches, or trampled grass. They found nothing.

This is getting us nowhere, Lewis said. They had followed the stream to where its course had been diverted to empty into a small pond behind the Elliott barn. The sun will be setting soon. We’d better rejoin the others and see if they’ve had any better luck.

They hadn’t. Most of the other searchers had returned to the clearing by that time, as well, but not even Lem Jackson, who was the best tracker in the district, had been able to pick up a trail.

Looks like a horse came through here and headed off north, he said. But we hit that ridge of hard rock that juts up and I couldn’t make out where it went from there. There’s no tellin’ how long ago it was either.

Well, we’d best leave it for today, Constable Williams said. If we can’t find a man in broad daylight, our chances will be next to nothing in the pitch black.

It was the right decision, but a difficult one. The risk of one of the searchers being injured by a misstep or losing his way in the dark was great and no one wanted to lose another man in pursuit of the first. But the cold north wind promised another heavy frost that night and they all knew that if Nate Elliott was still alive, he probably wouldn’t be by morning. Lewis could sense the spirits of the crowd plummeting, and they muttered as they began to shuffle down the path that led home.

Lewis glanced at the brother of the missing man to see how he was taking the news. Reuben’s features were crumpled into a mask of despair. We can’t leave him out here another night! he cried.

I’m sorry, Reuben, but we can’t risk it, the constable told him solemnly.

But what am I going to tell my father? Nate has only just come back again after all these years and now he’s gone again. Pa’s going to want to know why we’re not out looking for him.

The others edged away, uncertain how to react. It was Lewis who hurried his pace to fall into step beside Reuben. His years as a minister had given him experience in offering comfort where hope was scarce.

Perhaps he’s found shelter somewhere, he suggested as they walked. It’s possible that he came to while you were gone and wandered off in a stupor. He may have stumbled upon an old cabin somewhere and decided to hole up until he felt strong enough to walk out. Or maybe he drifted into someone’s farmyard and they’re looking after him even as we speak. For all we know, we could hear he’s been found when we get back to the village.

Reuben was unconvinced. I know he’s gone, I just know it, he kept saying, his voice hoarse from a day of shouting his brother’s name. Wolves got him, or a bear maybe.

It had been many years since the bigger beasts like wolves or bears ran thick in the settled Prince Edward District. Lewis couldn’t take this suggestion very seriously, and dismissed it as hysteria on Reuben’s part. He knew that it was important to keep the man talking, however, and so he asked, How long has your brother been away?

He left nearly twenty years ago and hasn’t been back since. I know my father is dying, and it was his one wish that he see his son again before he goes. I finally tracked Nate down in New York and persuaded him to come home. He’s only been here a few days … and now this has happened.

Don’t worry, we’ll look again tomorrow.

Reuben shook his head. Tomorrow’s going to be too late. He’s already gone.

Upon their return, there was no news in Wellington that would prove him wrong. No one had reported seeing Nate, no one had welcomed a dazed stranger, and no one offered any clue as to what had happened to the missing man. The searchers promised to meet again the next morning before turning away to head home.

Chapter Two

The woman pulled her cloak a little closer around her neck, but no clothing seemed able to protect her from the insidious damp that seeped into everything, even the bench she sat on, which still felt clammy underneath her after so many hours. Her neck was stiff and sore and her legs hurt from bracing herself against the roll of the vessel. She hadn’t expected the constant climbing and slamming as the steamer fought its way through the choppy water, nor the bitter cold that gripped the cabin in spite of the small stove that puffed away in the middle of the room. Even when she managed to ignore her discomfort long enough to doze a little, the steamer whistle would startle her awake whenever they approached another squalid little lake port, where she would straighten herself up in her seat as other passengers departed or boarded.

After the porter announced that Wellington was the next stop, she was ready for the shriek of the whistle and jumped only a little as it signalled the ship’s approach. She had never been so glad to see the end of a journey.

For her son’s sake, she had tried to make their travels seem like an adventure, and when they first set off he had been intrigued by the passing sights along the Hudson River and the wonder of watching the mules pulling the ship through the canal. This had soon palled, however, and he had become bored and whiney. They were both relieved when they finally disembarked and made their connection to Niagara Falls. Here their spirits had been revived by the sight of the great cascades of water rushing over the cliff to the whirlpool below, and she had taken off her hat and leaned as far as she dared over the railing so the spray could wash her face clean.

Her exhilaration had quickly worn off when she discovered that accommodation in the resort town was expensive, even for the tiniest of rooms. She and her husband had divided what was left of their money before they split up. There wasn’t nearly as much as there should have been — they had both spent lavishly in the mistaken belief that the flow of income would never end. She knew it would be unwise to try to augment her purse here in this border town — it would draw far too much attention and there were many Americans at the hotel. Niagara Falls was a popular destination for New Yorkers looking for a change of scene, and any one of them could give her whereabouts away with a casual comment once they returned home. Better to bide her time until they were all together again. Then they would test the winds of circumstance and set a course for their next destination.

Day after day she waited, as the money drained away. After a week, she decided that she could wait no longer. She was told that there was a fairly reliable coach service that would take them on to Wellington, but that there would be several time-wasting stops along the way. She was also informed that if the road was muddy, the passengers were expected to get out and walk. She found this an unappealing prospect.

The steamer was more expensive, but if they went by coach she would have to pay for an inn wherever they stopped, with no prospect of finding any customers during the short overnight stays. Besides, she didn’t think she could abide the jostling of a coach for so many miles.

Ultimately, she decided that it was faster and cheaper to go by water. She briefly considered neglecting to settle her hotel bill, but decided that this would draw too much attention to the fact that she had been in Niagara Falls. Reluctantly, she handed over what she owed. The few coins she had left were barely enough to cover the steamship fare, with nothing extra for private quarters. So she and the boy spent the entire journey sitting up on the benches provided in the public cabin. As a result, she was sore and exhausted and the boy had begun to whine again. She looked at her son anxiously; he was pale at the best of times, but now his face had an ashen tinge to it that matched the slate-coloured sky that stretched away to the horizon.

As soon as the captain had signalled their approach, she had risen and gone to the cabin window. She could see that Wellington was no bigger or better than any of the other towns they had called at along the way, and she felt a twinge of homesickness for the chaotic bustle of city streets. There were several men waiting with carts at the wharf, and as soon as the gangplank was lowered she directed the porter to load their luggage into one of these. It was little more than a hay wagon, with a board laid across to serve as a seat, but it was no worse than any of the others, and the carter looked friendly.

Where to ma’am? he asked as he helped her up onto the seat.

She hesitated. Should she go straight to the farm or find a quiet inn where she could stay until she found out what had happened? But the village was too small for that. She could scarcely pass as a stranger. Best to talk to Reuben first. Besides, her husband could well be waiting there, delayed by some unforeseen event and his message to that effect gone astray.

Ma’am? The carter sat, reins in hand, waiting for her instruction.

She made her decision. Do you know the Reuben Elliott place? I’m told it’s not far from here.

The carter nodded and set his team in motion with a flick of the reins. He seemed uncurious about who she was or what her business might be with the Elliotts. She blessed the man’s stolidity as they rumbled down Wellington’s main street.

An hour later they were rumbling back again. Reuben had seemed annoyed when he realized who it was at his door. He had admitted her only as far as the front hall while the carter waited with the wagon. Reuben had imparted little information other than the bare facts that her husband had disappeared nearly a week previously, and that he had no idea what had happened to him after that. He had not offered accommodation, or any sort of assistance. Reluctantly, she had climbed back into the wagon and directed the carter to return her to Wellington.

Her mind was in a whirl. Something had gone wrong, that much seemed clear. But what? Until she knew what had happened, she decided, she would stay the course.

As they drove along the main street, she realized that the village was even smaller than it had appeared from the water.

The carter took her to a tavern. As he halted his team, the tavern door swung open and two men staggered outside. It was still only early afternoon, but it was apparent that they were already drunk.

Is there anywhere else? she asked her driver. A respectable inn, if such a thing exists. Somewhere a lady might stay with her son without fear of interference?

The carter wrinkled his brow and seemed to think deeply for a moment. Then his face brightened. Well now, there’s the new place. The Temperance House. It doesn’t serve liquor. It seems very respectable, although I don’t know of anyone who’s stayed there. It’s new, you see.

Perfect. Please take me there. No drunks to chase the women away, she thought, for she would have to work while she waited. Easy pickings. But I’ll have to be careful.

After days of searching, it was evident to all that although Nate Elliott’s body might yet be found, there was little hope that it would still be breathing. After the second day, the number of volunteers had dwindled. Many had either been called away by their own business or had become discouraged by the lack of progress. Lewis was among the stubborn few who continued to rendezvous at Murphy’s Tavern each morning, but as the constable could do little but direct them to go over the ground that had already been covered, it seemed a futile exercise, and after the fifth day the search was officially called off.

Lewis had found the long hours of tramping across fields exhausting, and, relieved of this duty, he settled in that afternoon to the pleasant pastime of looking through the papers that were provided for the convenience of the guests at the Temperance House Hotel. The dining room was deserted by two in the afternoon, as the hotel currently hosted only a single guest, who by that time had long since finished his dinner and departed. The morning chores were done, the evening chores not yet pressing, and Lewis spread the pages out on one of the tables and read while sipping his cup of tea. With this indulgence, his aches and pains began to subside. He felt only mildly guilty. In a way, he felt that he had earned this luxurious diversion. Prior to his recent exertions, he had spent four years tracking a killer, and when the chase had finally ended, he had continued to ride the circuits saving souls for the Methodist Episcopal Church. During it all, he had been aware of a profound sense of weariness. Part of it was physical; he had gone back to the travelling life too soon, he now knew, after a plunge into the icy waters between Kingston and Wolfe Island had nearly killed him. Every winter since, he had developed a hacking cough that plagued him until spring, and long hours on horseback through wind and rain and snow sapped his strength and made his bones ache.

He also knew that part of his fatigue was emotional. He had caught a murderer and watched him die, and although the crimes had been stopped, he was still trying to make sense of them. He had come to realize how much he treasured his family and how transient life could be, for five women, including his own daughter, had been killed, and his granddaughter had almost been taken too, all because of the twisted passions of the Simms family. He had been deeply shaken by the evil he had uncovered.

As a result, Lewis had been mulling over his options as he attended to the constant round of prayer meetings and sermons, study classes and Sunday schools. For a long time he had persisted in what he had always considered his true calling, but it had been a struggle. And then his wife, Betsy, precipitated a crisis that put an end to his travelling days.

Nearly a year ago, just before Christmas, she had taken an alarming turn that had rattled him to the core. She had been fighting mysterious fevers and agues for several years, but he had been sure that she was on the mend. Then one terrible day, he had arrived home to find she had fallen, insensible. She had stayed that way for five days. At the time he thought he would lose her, and he tried to steel himself for what appeared inevitable. But just as mysteriously as it had arrived, the pall of unconsciousness had lifted. An apoplexy, the doctor said — a small one, but a warning of what was to come.

As with the fevers, her recovery was erratic. Some days she could barely move from her bed, and when she did she walked with a pronounced limp and had difficulty speaking or using her left arm. On other days her infirmity seemed slight, and as long as she didn’t overdo it, she could tidy up her own kitchen and direct both Thaddeus and their granddaughter Martha in the household tasks that they both performed clumsily. Lewis thought that eight-year-old Martha was actually more help than he was, but he tried to do Betsy’s bidding without complaint, for he knew that the next day could find her once again unable to stir from her bed.

Even so, he wasn’t sure how they could have managed without the help of their landlords, Seth and Minta Jessup, who lived in the other half of the house behind Seth’s smithy in the town of Demorestville. Minta had helped to nurse Betsy through the initial stages of her illness, but Minta had a young family who quite rightly claimed a great deal of her attention. Seth had not pressed Lewis for the small amount of rent he charged them, but it was clear that they could not continue to rely on the Jessups’ charity, as much as the couple appeared willing to help.

And then he had received a letter from his sister, Susannah. She wrote that she and her husband Daniel had leased a hotel in the village of Wellington, a small village some fifteen miles or so southwest of Demorestville. Although his father had left him a farm, Daniel was tired of farming and had fastened on the idea of entering the hotel business. Lewis wasn’t sure that it was a wise move; Daniel had never done anything but plough fields and milk cows. But the pair seemed determined. Furthermore, Susannah had written that there was a small house — nothing more than a cabin, really — at the back of the property, which he and Betsy could have if Lewis was willing to lend a hand now and then when business was too brisk for the two of them to manage.

It seemed a sensible arrangement. They could take their meals at the hotel, Susannah said, relieving them of the daily struggle in the kitchen. There would be no rent to pay, and surely Lewis could find something to do that would provide enough money for any of their other needs, which at the best of times were modest. Perhaps there were enough Methodists in the village to support a located preacher; if not, he was sure that someone in the bustling town would need occasional help — clerking or bookkeeping or private tutoring. He was too old for anything very physical, but as an educated man and a former minister and teacher, he was sure his skills could be turned into some source of ready cash.

As far as he could see, the only problem with the suggestion was a promise he had made to Betsy. He had been appointed to one different circuit after another over the years, and she had cheerfully moved from district to

Reviews for Sowing Poison

[jamesabride · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just read this book, the second in a series, and really enjoyed it. It's set in the 1840's in Ontario, and besides being a good story, provides a description of life in early Canada. Although the author is not a historian, she provides a list of references should the reader want to know more.