Iris looked into Daniel’s eyes. “I never considered that, but you’re right. He’s five years older than me, but I don’t recall Eric doing anything except ‘working’ with Father. He hated school and he could barely read when he finished sixth grade. There wasn’t any chance of him going to college or ever opening his own business.”
“Is he handy with tools? Or does he enjoy working with animals?”
Iris shook her head. “Not that I’ve ever seen.”
“So Eric believed his only option was making a career of being a ne’er-do-well,” Daniel summarized.
“It would appear so.” Iris patted his arm. “What do we do now? If it wasn’t Father and Eric who robbed the Milestone bank, then who was it?”
“That’s the question of the day, isn’t it?” Daniel pulled the buggy up to the hotel entrance. “I’m returning to the jailhouse to discuss our next step with Sawyer. Milton says it wasn’t David and Eric, but is he telling the truth?” Seeing Iris much calmer, he decided to brave the question.
Iris gasped. “You don’t believe him?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But don’t worry about it. Get some rest and I’ll check with you at supper in the dining room.”
“I’ll be there. Six o’clock?”
“Six, it is.” Daniel kissed her lips and reached up to touch her cheek. “Should I come in with you?”
Iris smiled and shook her head. “I’ll go straight to my room.”
“That’s my brave girl. All right, I’ll see you for supper.” Daniel waited until she disappeared inside the hotel and then turned the buggy toward his destination.
Minutes later, Daniel walked into the jailhouse and Sawyer spotted him and rushed forward.
“What is it?” Daniel halted in his tracks.
“Eric Lake requested a meeting with us alone, without his father present.” Sawyer shook his head. “I don’t know whether to grant his request or leave the two of them in that cell and forget we ever saw them.”
Daniel tugged his Stetson off and scratched his head. “I don’t know what to make of it.” He settled his hat back in place.
“What would we gain by refusing to see him?”
“Well, nothing I guess.” Daniel shrugged. “You never know what he’ll try to convince us of. I don’t know as I’d believe much of what crosses his lips, but we’ll never know if we don’t agree to speak with him.”
“My thoughts, too.” Sawyer slapped Daniel on the back. “Let’s get him alone in a room and see what the fool has to say for himself.”
A half hour later, Daniel paced the floor of the meeting room, waiting for Sawyer to arrive with Eric Lake. What would the criminal have to gain by requesting a private meeting with them? Did Eric know something that his father hadn’t been privy to? Or was he spilling information his father wanted kept secret from the law? Daniel would drive himself crazy with these speculations. “I’ll know soon enough,” he muttered to himself.
A minute later, the door swung open and Sawyer entered, strong-arming Eric who was wearing handcuffs and a glum expression.
“Why the gloomy face, Lake?” Daniel demanded, standing at the head of the table.
“Told me I had ten minutes to spill whatever I had to say and then it’s back to the cell,” Eric groused, glaring at Sawyer.
Daniel crossed his arms. The man’s gaze shifted direction constantly. Daniel didn’t trust a man who wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Sounds reasonable, Lake. Start talking.”
Eric leaned back in his chair, his handcuffed hands resting in his lap. “When did this supposed bank robbery take place?”
Sawyer glared at him. “What difference does that make?”
“Monday, March 16th,” Daniel offered, skeptical that whatever tale Eric planned to spin would prove of any benefit to their case. But in the interest of leaving no stone unturned, he’d listen.
“I can prove it wasn’t us,” Eric stated, a smug expression on his face.
Sawyer seated himself across from Eric. “Go ahead. Convince me.”
“Iris didn’t know where we were, just that we’d left her tending to Ma who didn’t pass until mid-June. Pa and I were also back East in March. We never set foot in Montana until August after Pa overheard a conversation between me and the housekeeper. Not until then did Pa learn Iris had pulled a fast one on him and she moved to Montana.” Eric shifted in his chair. “Around the middle of March, I’m certain we were in Richmond, Virginia. I recall we were playing poker at some hotel, can’t remember the name now. Pa was arrested when one of the other players suspected he was cheating. Of course, they couldn’t prove anything, even though he was guilty as hell, so he wasn’t charged. But Pa and I couldn’t have been in two places at the same time.”
Sawyer leapt off his chair and charged out the door.
Daniel stood, arms crossed glaring at Eric. “I should thank you for helping your sister escape from your father and his criminal life. She’s making a new start in Milestone. Our new teacher in town is very well liked by both her students and their parents.”
“That’s good. She told me about the teaching job. I knew where she’d be living. I’m happy she made a new life for herself, accepted and liked.” Eric smiled wickedly. “And seeing the way you doted on her when she was here, I’d bet she’s well liked by you, too.”
“Of course, I like her. Iris is a lovely young lady.” Daniel figured he sounded more defensive than he intended, but his friendship with Iris was none of Eric’s business. And Daniel considered Iris much more than a friend. “And she volunteered to help us solve this bank robbery case.”
Sawyer stormed back into the room and slumped onto the chair. He glared at Eric and then glanced at Daniel. “We’re sending a telegraph to Richmond. Hopefully, they keep detailed records of arrests there. We’ll know soon enough if he’s telling the truth.”
“Then we can prove whether or not Milton’s claim that it wasn’t them holds water also.” Daniel dragged his hand down his face. His theory that Milton was covering for the Lake men because he’d been in collusion with them might have been ill-advised. Maybe the bank clerk had spoken the truth about the robbery and his innocent involvement in it.
“Were you questioning whether that scrawny little fool told the truth?” Eric sat, shaking his head. “You lawmen wouldn’t trust your own mothers.”
Sawyer stood, walked around the table, and grabbed Eric’s arm. “Time’s up. Let’s go.”
Eric resisted. “I haven’t told you the reason I asked to meet alone.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Sawyer tugged Eric toward the door.
“Wait,” Daniel blurted before he could stop himself. He shouldn’t be issuing orders to his superiors, but for some reason he felt Eric might be harboring important information. “I’d like to hear him out, if you don’t mind.”
Sawyer stood with his hand on the doorknob. He glanced at Daniel and then released Eric. “Take your seat.”
Eric sauntered back to his chair and settled in. He looked at Daniel with a smug expression. “Now, that’s better. The voice of a reasonable man.”
“Skip the flattery. What do you need to tell us that’s so dang important?” Daniel moved closer to Eric.
“You mentioned the robbery in Milestone.” Eric smiled. “Odd thing about that. A few weeks back, Pa and I were sitting in the Pick Axe. We weren’t playing poker, just having a beer and… talking.”
“Planning your next job would be my guess,” Daniel scoffed. “That didn’t go too well.”
Eric met Daniel’s eyes for the first time. “I recall overhearing a couple of fellers talking about robbing a bank. Didn’t think much of it at the time. If I had a dollar for every fool I heard planning to rob a bank or boasting how he had robbed a bank, I’d be rich and kissing pretty ladies down in Mexico.”
“Two fellows?”
“An old man and a younger one. Weren’t dressed too fancy. Thought maybe they was ranch hands or worked in the mines or something.”
; “And they were planning to rob a bank?” Sawyer chimed in.
“Don’t recall their exact words. They may have already robbed one, now that you say a bank was robbed in March. The older man said something like ‘too bad about that fellow in the bank’.” Eric held up his hands, clasped together with the handcuffs. “I didn’t hear anybody admitting to a killing, just ‘too bad about him’.”
“You think he meant about a man being shot during the robbery? About him dying?”
“Could be. Just saying what I heard.” Eric smiled. “Was hoping maybe you’d put in a good word. Maybe get my sentence reduced a mite.”
“Or maybe not.” Sawyer hefted Eric out of the chair again. “Thanks for your time, but we know the robbers were an older man and a younger one. Why do you think we suspected you and your father?”
“Well, my name ain’t Shorty and Pa’s name is not Fred,” Eric stated with finality.
Daniel rounded the table and grabbed Eric’s shirt. “You heard their names? And you just thought to mention it now?”
“The pair of them got into a shouting match, cussing at each other before the night ended. Shorty sounded agitated with Fred and he wasn’t having any of it. Fred told Shorty that it wasn’t his fault what happened.” Eric shrugged. “Didn’t mean beans to me at the time. But if it was them, old Fred might have intended on killing the fellow in the bank or it could have been an accident. Who was he? Some innocent customer?”
“Bank manager,” Daniel blurted without thinking.
“I’d hate to be in old Fred’s shoes when he’s caught.” Eric shook his head. “Killing a bank manager ain’t good.”
“Killing anyone ain’t good.” Sawyer threw up his hands, having been goaded by the man.
“Want to return him to his cell now?” Daniel released his hold on Eric’s shirt and met Sawyer’s eyes.
Sawyer nodded. “We’re done with him.”
“One last thing,” Daniel stared at Eric. “Can you describe anything about either of these men? What they were wearing? Anything that stands out about them?”
Eric stared at the ceiling for a moment. “Looked like a couple down-on-their-luck fellows. Shabby clothes with boots close to falling off their feet. The old man had a nasty gapped-tooth grin, mean-looking sonofabitch. The young one stood tall and skinny as a pole and would blow away in a good windstorm. He had a bit of a hitch to his step as I recall. Like he’d been kicked by a horse or something. Or could be he was born that way.”
“Thanks. That might prove important.” Daniel waved Eric toward the door.
“Let me know if anything helps you out.” Eric held up his hands. “Whatever you do, don’t tell Pa I told you nothing. He’d have me hung if he knew I’d gone out my way to help the law.”
“It’ll be our little secret,” Sawyer muttered, shoving Eric through the doorway.
“Lake, when you’re done serving your time, you might consider getting a proper job and earning honest money instead of returning to a life of crime.”
Eric looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, maybe. No promises, though. And there’s no convincing Pa to go straight and narrow.”
“Something you’d best consider while you still can. Might be your luck runs out during your next job, like it did for that bank manager.” Daniel wouldn’t hold his breath about the man changing, like Iris had. Some people would never change their ways. No matter, Iris was done with the pair of them. Even if her brother turned his back on his father and the criminal life, Daniel doubted Iris would make the effort to keep in contact with either of them again. And good riddance.
When the door closed behind Eric and Sawyer, Daniel slumped into a chair. His mind raced, reviewing repeatedly every detail Eric had told them. He pulled his little notebook out of his pocket and wrote down as much as he remembered of their conversation. But was Eric pulling their legs, checking their gullibility? Purposely leading their investigation astray? Or was he telling them the truth? With a substantial prison sentence ahead of him, he hadn’t anything to lose by lying. No doubt, his sole motive was the possibility of a reduced sentence.
Daniel doubted Eric had shared everything with them. Had Eric and David engaged the other two men in conversation? Had they shared war stories and boasted about their criminal shenanigans? Could Eric be holding back even more pertinent information than what he’d fed him and Sawyer? Did Eric know where this Shorty and Fred could be found? Most criminals kept on the move, and having killed a man, if the pair of them had any brains at all they would have headed for the hills. Or Texas. Or Mexico. Most likely, Eric hadn’t a clue where they were. Otherwise, he wouldn’t hesitate for a second to betray them to the law in order to benefit his own situation.
Daniel glanced at the wall clock. Two o’clock. He and Sawyer needed to formulate a plan and coordinate their next steps in finding this Fred and Shorty. The local lawmen would certainly help in any way possible. At least now they had names and could ask around in hopes someone knew these two or had some idea of where they were holed up. If it even proved the robbers in question were them. Daniel never believed the merits of coincidence. In his opinion, Eric’s offerings suggested the makings of a wild goose chase.
His thoughts turned to Iris again. At least, she could rest easy knowing that despite how contemptible her family members were, neither her father nor brother murdered Sid Cameron. But based on Eric’s information, could the killer be either this Fred or Shorty? Daniel and his colleagues needed to locate these men and arrest their sorry behinds. Then hopefully, they’d learn the truth. And if Fred and Shorty were the men responsible, would it be too much to hope he and Sawyer would recover at least some of the money and close the case?
Sounded easy in his head. Much harder in reality. Especially if they’d just been fed a load of fanciful nonsense.
Chapter 16
A few miles northwest of Milestone, Shorty Mason tossed another log on the campfire, just inside the mouth of the cave where they’d holed up. They’d discovered the cave by accident when they’d first planned to rob the bank in March after talking with the crooked manager outside the saloon. They’d dang near froze to death in this cave back then, and now, here they were the second week in October with the prospect of snow any day. If a feller planned to rob a Montana bank, he should do it in August.
Damn his Uncle Fred anyway! Talking with them two fellers named Lake in Butte and seeing the pair in their fancy suits and polished boots had him and Fred taking a look at themselves. Afterward, Fred had finally agreed to purchase some new duds, sturdy boots, and thick bedrolls to keep them warm. Before changing into his new denims, the bath in the creek near froze him solid, but being clean again seemed a turn in the right direction. They’d cut each other’s hair so their new hats fit better, and there’d been no getting used to being clean-shaven. The new growth of whiskers was getting a mite itchy already. Neither of them bothered shaving regularly, especially with the temperatures falling these days. But those two Lake fellers had put dang fool ideas in his uncle’s head and Shorty was suffering for it.
“When are we going to do this? I’m not staying in this icebox much longer,” Shorty complained, poking at the fire with a long stick.
“We’ll do it when I says we’ll do it.” Fred lit his cheroot and flicked the match into the fire.
“I wish we never run into those two fellers in Butte, putting crazy notions into your head,” Shorty scoffed.
“Ain’t nobody laughs and calls me no dunderhead.” Fred’s expression darkened. “Tellin’ me I’m crazy, settlin’ for twenty thousand dollars when there’s thousands more in that bank.”
Shorty shook his head. “That’s just on David Lake’s say-so. Nothing guaranteeing he’s telling the truth.”
“Think on it. A bank that size with them wealthy minin’ folk livin’ in town and some of them big ranchers.” Fred laughed, with an edge of insane hysteria. “Bet they’s got more money in that bank than ya can count. I’ll show them Lake fellers who’s the dunde
rhead. Not wantin’ to help us rob it.”
“They know what they was talking about, claiming robbing banks wasn’t their thing. Easier to just con a feller to get his money. Even pickpocketing can yield a man a good sum of money if you spot a man with a fat wallet.”
Fred shook his head. “Seems a lot easier to just have folks in the bank hand over the money.”
“Maybe so. Just don’t kill nobody like last time.”
“Dang it, boy. I told ya that were a mistake,” Fred shouted. “I ain’t no killer. Dang artiritus. Got my finger twisted on the trigger and the darn gun went off.”
“And you killed the dang bank manager!”
“I knows that. Same feller who talked to us outside the saloon.” Fred tossed his cheroot butt into the fire. “Pure accident that killin’. But nothin’ we can do ’bout it now.”
“You sure we shouldn’t just head out for another place? We’ve got a lot of money now, been successful the last few months. Could go down to Texas where it’s warm for the winter, enjoy life. Even cross into Mexico.” Shorty feared he was losing his nerve, but he wasn’t hanging for no killing, especially when it wasn’t him that done it.
“And we will, right after we’s finished this last job,” Fred promised. “Then we’s gonna be set for years. Depends on how much money’s in that bank.”
“Well, the Lakes said there would be thousands. And they wouldn’t have any reason to lie to us, would they?”
A Reinvented Lady (Sons Of A Gun Book 2) Page 10