Untangling the Knot of Love, page 22
The woman in the store told them that Sanderson was now temporary sheriff and Larry was his deputy.
“What about Badger Hunt?” John asked.
“Nowhere to be found,” was the reply.
“Are Matt’s parents okay?” Val asked and it seemed that they were, but they were staying at home. Matt was with them. The customer went away and Melissa was about to ask if anyone wanted a drink when there was a definite and loud gunshot from the street.
“In the back everyone,” Mike said and John locked the front door. The two brothers looked out into the street and there was a body on the ground. They saw Rich Sanderson walk over to the body and then slowly look all around to see if he could spot where the shot had come from.
“I think that is Hatch MacMurphy on the ground,” John said and went through to tell Cilla. The women came back to look through the windows as well and there seemed to be no danger to anyone else. It looked like one shot had taken out the bounty hunter.
“So, he was right to be scared. I think he must have known that he was a target,” Cilla observed.
“I am betting it was that same heavy duty gun that got my leg and shot at Cilla. Now looks to have killed MacMurphy.
“He is taking out his opposition,” Mike said.
“And he still thinks that you are opposition, Cilla,” John put his arms around her.
“And I jolly well am his opposition. It makes me more determined to find him and prove that he is the robber and not my John.”
“It would suit him to have me put away and carted off to the county court,” John agreed. “We cannot let him win.”
They watched from the store as a small crowd at the scene saw the body taken off to the morgue. Then people came to talk to them and there was a lot of gossip. It was MacMurphy that had been killed and it was one shot in the heart.
“Who is hiding this monster? Where does he slink off to after shooting at folk?” Cilla asked but there was no answer.
“I think we should ride out and tell Uncle Charlie,” John said.
“Good idea,” Cilla said and bought the things that they needed from Mike. They walked back home and spoke to several people. Folk had been near the MacMurphy when he died. They saw him shot but never saw a shooter.
“He is really starting to annoy me now,” Cilla said. “This is Friday and the saloons will be busy. If Carl can manage to get men out there, we could start to search for him tonight.”
John was not happy but knew that it was going ahead. They saddled up and rode out to the oil field to break the news that the sheriff had resigned and the bounty hunter was dead.
Uncle Charlie sent for Carl who said that himself and one other man would be in the saloon in another hour. He went away to find the other man.
“Let us do this and get it over with,” John said and the two of them rode quickly back to town. Suddenly everything was moving faster and they stopped at the forge to ask Fiona and Earl if they were ready to try this out immediately.
Here was a sudden urgent flurry of activity in the Gracie house as well. John and Cilla went back to his house to meet up again very soon. Cilla was dashing off to change into some more suitable clothes and John caught her arm. She stopped and saw his worried face.
“Don’t get excited about this. Look at it as a job of work that you have to do. You will have two men in the Driller bar to keep an eye on you and we will be right outside but out of sight.”
She reached up and took his face in her hands. “I love you very much, John. I am not excited about a night out in a bar. I don’t really like bars and saloons very much. I would never look at another man and most certainly not the one who has your looks but nothing else.
He uses the charm that he has found works for him, but it will not work on me. What I will have to do is restrain myself from just shooting him.” She reached up and kissed him.
“I guess you have those acting skills,” he smiled and kissed her back. “I don’t want you to do this but if it gets him behind bars, we will have to give it a try. Go and change. I’ll take Bluey outside.” He did that and then checked his side guns very carefully and made sure that he had extra ammunition.
Cilla came out in a rather nice dark blue dress and a shawl that would keep her warm as the evening became chilly.
“You look too good for this,” he told her and then asked if she had the revolver and was it loaded.
“Yes,” she answered and took it out of her skirt pocket. “It weighs me down.”
There was a knock and Fiona came in followed by Earl. He was wearing two side guns as well and Fiona said that she had a pistol in her jacket pocket.
“Driller Saloon, here we come,” Fiona said.
“Carefully,” John reminded her. “We will be following out of sight.”
The two women stepped out of the house and went together to the main street. They spoke to one or two people and took a deep breath before pushing open the double doors and stepping into the bar.
It was a rather decent place that served food as well as the good quality whiskey that Tom Mason seemed to favor. There were a couple of families having dinner and two card tables playing quietly. A piano was gently being tinkled in the far corner of the room and the two women found a table at the side with a view of the whole place and especially of the door.
Propped against the bar looking for all the world like a man just having a quiet drink at the end of the week was Carl. With him was a man with curly hair going grey. Fiona went to the bar and asked for two sarsaparillas.
She spoke to one or two people that she knew and waved to one of the families eating. Then she carried the two glasses back to Cilla and they settled to what might be a long evening.
The man from the stagecoach office came across, apologized for interrupting, and handed Cilla a letter.
“I was going to deliver this for you but as you are here, I will hand it over.”
Cilla glanced at the writing. She smiled and put the envelope in her pocket.
Chapter 31
Fiona sipped her drink and surveyed the room. “Not a bad place, this one.”
“I bet he never shows up. That would be just like the thing,” Cilla remarked and Fiona looked at her in surprise.
“That is not like you to be pessimistic.”
Cilla shrugged. “I know, but I am getting to the stage of believing that we will never find him. Folk are starting to call them the ghost raiders. They have been getting away with robbery and murder for years now. They must be good at keeping out of sight.”
“How does the man do that? He climbed brazenly up the steps at the hardware store and took a shot at you. Then he just melted away.”
“He seems to believe that he will always get away with it.”
“We have to believe that he will make a mistake,” Fiona told her. “He could walk in that door at any moment. We have to be ready.”
“Oh, I am ready. I will be hard put not to take out the gun and shoot the man.” Fiona reached across and patted Cilla on the arm. She smiled.
“We are warm and dry and have a drink. John and Earl are outside in the cold and the dark.” She waved to the family who were leaving after their meal and a man came over to ask about some metal work that Earl was doing for him.
“I am pretty sure it is finished. Look in tomorrow,” she told him.
Over the course of a couple of hours, they talked to people they knew. Sometimes someone sat beside them for a chat and one or two asked about the school. It was all very peaceful and normal. The deputies looked in and saw that all was quiet.
“I suppose we knew that it might take time,” Cilla said after her third drink. The two women decided enough was enough and waved goodbye to the people they had spoken to. They walked back to the carpenter’s house and knew that somewhere in the shadows, Earl and John would be following. The two men did materialize and came inside with them. Cilla sank into a chair.
“Sitting and drinking for a couple of hours is exhausting. I never want to see another sarsaparilla.”
“Something to eat instead?” John asked. He produced some cold pie and chicken legs along with bread and coffee. The four of them sat and went over what they had seen. John and Earl had seen some surprising visitors outside of the saloon.
“Maybe us being outside will be more than just being on guard. It may be that we see some of the gang going to other places,” John remarked. “Made me feel more useful when I spotted that Red guy going into the saloon across the way.”
“I guess tomorrow night, Carl will send two different people to a different bar,” Fiona observed.
“Yes, he did manage to whisper that it would be the Golden Chance tomorrow,” Cilla added. She felt the envelope in her pocket and smiled. “I had a delivery from the stagecoach man as it saved him a journey.” She pulled the folded envelope out of her pocket and slit it open. “My dad’s handwriting.”
She scanned the writing and looked at the other three.
“Two things. First, he did find out who was paying MacMurphy.”
“MacMurphy won’t be able to claim the money now. Do we know who the money men are?” Earl asked.
“A firm called Fletcher and Carmody. They own a lot of the railroad.”
“What is the second thing?” John asked and she looked at him.
“Mom and Dad are coming next week.” She looked worried as she spoke.
“That should be exciting,” Fiona said. She and Earl stood up and left for home. “More sarsaparilla tomorrow night,” she added with a smile.
“Thanks for doing this, Fiona,” Cilla said and waved the couple off. Then she closed the door.
“You are not backing out of this ‘you may kiss the bride’ thing?” John asked and held out his arms for her. Cilla gratefully went and felt that wonderful feeling as she was enfolded in an embrace.
She leaned against him. “No. That is one promise I want to keep more than anything.”
“But?” he queried.
“Mom will go through the roof when she finds out I am living here and not at the guest house.
John burst out laughing. He pulled her to the sofa and tugged her to sit on his knee. “We have to hope that we catch the robber before next week and make everything look normal.”
“I did sort of say that you were protecting me, but never said I was here at your house.” John laughed even more and told her that he could not believe that the brave and determined Cilla North was frightened of her mom. In the end she ended up laughing with him.
“Oh dear, at least we have something to make us laugh,” she said and felt the dog claim attention as well.
“I’ll take him to the door,” John said and they sobered up and became cautious again as the dog went outside and then came back obediently.
“You are a good boy, Bluey.” She gave the dog something to eat when he came back inside and then they locked up the doors. The windows were shuttered. The night was undisturbed.
*
The next day was a Saturday and they spent it doing everyday things. They visited the store and found Melissa looking better. They looked at other stores and when John said that he had to finish a job in the workshop, Cilla planned the lessons for the next week, made some dinner, and the two of them relaxed.
“Maybe tonight we will spot him,” Cilla wondered aloud.
“I hope we can trail him and find out where he is holed up,” John added. He grinned. “More sarsaparilla?” She pulled a funny face, then changed into the same clothes as the night before and Fiona arrived for their session at the bar.
“It seemed like a good idea to start with,” Cilla observed. “But it is really a most unexciting way to spend an evening.”Then she apologized to Fiona for insulting her.
Her friend shrugged. “We are all fed up with looking for this awful man. After he is in jail, the four of us can have a night out and enjoy it.”
“This is work, girls,” Earl told them. “Think of it as that and you will not be disappointed.”
“You are right,” Cilla answered. “Let us go and see if we can catch him.”
She and Fiona went to the second saloon and found a spot to sit with drinks.
“Lemonade tonight. I now hate sarsaparilla,” Cilla said and went to the bar to buy it. The barmaid said she was happy to see more women coming into the bar.
“This town is much more open than cowboy and mining places,” Cilla told her. “The oil well is bringing us up to date.” Two drinks later and a few conversations with people that Fiona knew, Cilla heard her companion draw in a quick breath.
“What?” she asked.
“By the bar. He came from nowhere.” Cilla did not look immediately but in a few seconds casually took in the man at the bar. He was completely alone and leaning over the counter to talk to the friendly barmaid.
Even from behind, she knew it was him. He was wearing trademark dark clothes and had his Stetson pushed to the back of his head. The black, curly hair was turning grey, and she could see the bandana he was wearing was a blue color.
“What will we do now?” Fiona asked in a steady voice. The two men from the oil well were at the other end of the bar and were not looking at the man flirting with the barmaid. Cilla stood up.
“Keep an eye out and if you have to, run and tell John and Earl. Let’s see what he says first.”
Cilla felt the fear of what she was doing flutter in her throat but determinedly pushed it to one side and remembered that this man was trying to have her John put in jail for things he had not done.
She walked across the saloon slowly and saw that the men from the oil well had seen what she was doing. She stepped across and whispered to let her talk to the man before they did anything. The two men nodded and put down their glasses.
“Hello, Mr. Mason,” she said calmly. “Not shooting at me at the moment?” She saw his body stiffen but he turned to face her without showing any concern.
“Miss North, if I am not mistaken,” he said. “But you have taken me for somebody else. I am not called Mason.”
“And what are you called? Liar? Robber? Murderer? Or just someone who uses women, kills folk who get in your way, and steals from anyone? You think you will get away with it all.”
“My name is James Douglas and I have interests in the railroad.”
“I bet you do. Six years ago, you took a treasured locket from my neck before jumping from the carriage. I was only sixteen.”
“I am sorry, miss, but you have the wrong man.”
“Oh no I haven’t.” She reached up and touched the scar on his forehead. He took her wrist and held it gently. The charming smile that he used as a trademark spread across his face and did make him look extraordinarily attractive. He knew what it did and kissed her fingertips. She pulled her hand away.
“You remembered what happened to you years ago. I will take that as a compliment. Are you going to call for help?”
“Help is already in the room, Mr. Mason.” She smiled at him and glanced around as she saw that Fiona had disappeared and the men from Charlie were at the ready. “You are not a ghost and not getting away.”
He winked at her outrageously and seemed not to have a care in the world. Then he threw a full glass of beer at the men from the oil well and when she turned back after seeing the glass land and explode with a crash, he was gone.
