Carl glanced at the wall clock and Iris followed his gaze. Two-thirty. “The bank’s still open. Let’s go, ladies.”
“I have no interest in the bank. I need to know when Daniel will be back in Milestone.”
“Couldn’t even wager a guess. It’s my thinking they’re still tracking the horse thieves,” Carl speculated. “Wish they’d taken A. J. McLennon with them. That man could track a squirrel for a hundred miles.”
“Where’s Daniel’s father?”
“Went to Deer Lodge with Sawyer Manning.”
Mrs. Landers huffed and puffed as she attempted to keep up with the two of them as they strode down the wooden sidewalks heading for the bank. “This is all very interesting, but the whereabouts of my money holds more interest for me.”
“It’s in the bank vault, Mrs. Landers. Same place everyone’s money is.” Iris spoke to the most irritating citizen in Milestone through gritted teeth.
“That remains to be seen.” Mrs. Landers hefted herself up the steps as they all entered the bank together.
“Sheriff Robertson,” Milton called from behind the enclosed teller cage. “I couldn’t get away from the bank, but Mrs. Cochrane gave me the message you wanted to talk to me.”
“Seems Mrs. Landers has taken issue with Harold leaving town.” Carl stood hands on hips. “Where did your boss go?”
“To Butte.” Milton smiled. “A personal matter, I believe.”
Mrs. Landers shook her head. “A likely story if I’ve ever heard one. We need to see inside the vault.”
Milton peeked over his eyeglasses and his mouth dropped open. “I… I can’t allow that.”
“Why not! Are you covering up the theft?”
“Theft!” the bank clerk blurted, his face paling considerably. He met the sheriff’s eyes. “What theft?”
“Relax, Milton. There hasn’t been any theft.” Carl moved closer to the door of the wood and steel enclosure surrounding the manager’s office and the vault. “Please allow us into the vault to ensure Mrs. Landers that Mr. Watson has not absconded with everyone’s money and left town.”
Milton burst into laughter. “That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!”
“Then prove it, young man.” Mrs. Landers pushed Carl aside and waited by the entry.
Carl nodded and Milton opened the door. “Come this way, please.”
“I’ll wait here,” Iris muttered, moving toward a chair near the wall.
“No. No. The more witnesses the better,” Milton insisted, waving her toward the others.
Reluctantly, Iris followed Carl and Mrs. Landers into the vault. Milton turned in a circle. “As you can see, nothing is amiss. No evidence of a robbery.”
“Where’s the money?”
“Mrs. Landers, all of the cash is locked in these compartments.” Milton pointed to rows of metal drawers.
“Open them. I’m certainly not taking your word for it. You could be involved in this as well.” Mrs. Landers looked down her nose at Milton.
“Oh for the love of…” Iris muttered.
“Open a few of the drawers, please,” Carl instructed.
Milton fumbled with the keys and then opened a half dozen drawers. “There are substantial funds here,” he said, waving his hand at the contents showing stacks of cash. “If Mr. Watson was absconding with bank funds as you suggested in your imagined robbery, he would have taken this money.” Milton looked over his eyeglasses at Mrs. Landers.
Iris gaped at the thousands of dollars. She’d never seen so much cash before. No wonder folks attempted to rob this bank!
The gossipy woman huffed and peeked in every open compartment. “What’s in the other drawers?”
“Mostly important papers. Some of our clients keep expensive jewelry, family gems and the like, here for safe keeping.” Milton quickly locked up the drawers again. “This has been highly irregular. I hope when Mr. Watson returns from Butte, he’ll understand I was forced to open these.”
“I’ll put in a good word with Harold. There won’t be any reprimand from your boss.” Carl slapped Milton on the back. “Thank you for easing Mrs. Landers’s worries. When do you expect Harold to return?”
“Told me he’d be back in a few days.” Milton shrugged. “I’m thinking early next week most likely.”
Mrs. Landers shook her head. “And he left you in charge?”
“Surprised me also.” Milton’s chest visibly puffed out. “I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels, being trusted again. I won’t let my employers or our customers down. Of that I can assure you.”
“You’re doing a good job, Mr. Brown.” Iris smiled at him. “I’ve never worried for a minute that my money wasn’t safe.”
Mrs. Landers glared at Iris and stomped out of the bank, muttering to herself as she left.
“Now that she’s gone, can you tell me why Harold left?” Carl inquired.
Milton shook his head and shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. Told me it was a personal matter, that I was in charge, and he’d see me in a few days.”
“Has Mrs. Cameron spent any of the cash she received following the capture of the bank robbers?”
“Not one penny. Told me she had plans for the money but she couldn’t explain yet.” Milton smiled. “I truly like that woman. She’s such a gracious lady and a kind soul.”
“Unlike someone else we know,” Iris muttered, begrudging the waste of time caused by the woman she’d alluded to.
“We’ve taken enough of your time, Milton. We’ll see ourselves out.” Carl guided Iris through the bank and out to the street.
“Now, please tell me more about Daniel.” Iris paced in front of the bank. “Is he in danger? Is he nearby? Or have they traveled some distance? Has he—”
“Iris, I don’t know anything other than what I told you.” Carl touched her arm. “We’ll just have to wait until they all return. Hopefully, with the horse thieves and all those stolen horses in tow.”
Iris stopped pacing and wrung her hands. “I should get used to this, shouldn’t I?” She recalled her promise to Sawyer to patiently await Daniel’s return. Today’s demonstration hardly fit the bill.
“If you plan on a future with Daniel that would be a wise decision.” Carl touched the brim of his Stetson. “You take care now, and I’ll send word to the schoolhouse or to Mrs. Carter’s home the minute Daniel is back in Milestone.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.” Iris trudged toward home, heartsick with worry. But if she intended to marry a Pinkerton, this situation could be the tip of the iceberg. “You’d better straighten up, Iris. Make a good showing for Daniel and prove you deserve to be his wife,” she muttered the encouragement to herself. Because she most certainly had every intention of becoming his wife. Of course, Daniel didn’t know that yet. But as soon as her handsome lawman returned to her safe and sound, he’d be the first to know.
Whenever that was.
Iris entered Mrs. Carter’s home, knowing the waiting would continue and not particularly liking it. She did accept the fact though and she’d bide her time until his return. Frankly, she hadn’t any choice.
Chapter 30
November 1885
Daniel pondered why he and his colleagues couldn’t have been tipped off to the whereabouts of the horse thieves last September when they’d first heard about the culprits being in the Milestone area. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so cold. Feeling-sorry-for-himself thinking wouldn’t do for a future Pinkerton who’d be searching for criminals from who knows where to hell’s half acre and back. He should consider this effort good practice in endurance.
The cold temperatures were certainly providing an extra challenge for everyone. Thank goodness, the men had outfitted themselves for winter despite experiencing only a few cooler days in Milestone until now. But in these higher elevations, several inches of snow had accumulated and the bottom fell out of the temperature every night.
They’d investigated every valley along the way finding nothin
g on four hooves but deer. Now, he and Honor topped the ridge that overlooked the valley which Shorty had described. He almost toppled over his horse’s head when the animal stopped abruptly. Below them more than two dozen horses leisurely grazed in a sparsely grassed area almost free of snow. They’d finally found them! Daniel recognized several mares wearing the Double M brand. Hopefully, the horse thieves hadn’t ventured off. Daniel prayed immediate arrests could be carried out and they could bring this entire matter to an end.
Daniel turned in the saddle, preparing to call out to the others when the sound of a gunshot broke the silence. He inhaled as a sharp pain ripped through his left side. His hand moved instinctively to the area and he looked down at his palm red with his own blood.
Dang it! Someone shot him!
Daniel pulled back on the reins, guiding Honor behind a cluster of bushes.
Idiot! Standing there in full view of the valley, he might as well have shouted, ‘Here I am. Go ahead and shoot me’. Jim Snow and some of the others raced by him, pistols drawn, as their mounts headed down into the valley. Daniel grimaced, wavering in the saddle as a rush of dizziness overtook him. Should he pursue the thieves? Follow his colleagues into the valley? Or stay put and faint from light-headedness while falling off his dang horse?
Several shots rang out and he heard thundering hoofbeats and frightened whinnying as the stolen horses scattered down the valley in both directions. Dang it all! It would prove a heck of a job finding them again, but eventually they would. Silence had returned to the valley. Had Jim Snow and the others arrested the culprits?
Daniel closed his eyes, waiting for another bout of dizziness to pass.
“Where’d the bastard get you?”
Daniel’s eyes flew open, startled by Jim’s voice.
“In the left side. Hurts like the dickens. Bleeding pretty fair also.”
“Let me see.”
Daniel raised the corner of his jacket, grimacing. Jim performed an admirable job of inspecting the wound, poking and prodding him until Daniel saw black spots while trying his best to remain in the saddle.
“If I had to guess, I’d say the bullet went right through.” Jim met his eyes. “You’re losing blood. We need to get help. Can you ride?”
“Think so. You might try tying me on though as pure precaution.” Daniel grimaced again, feeling himself wavering. At least, the black spots had thinned out. “Did you get them?”
“You bet.”
Daniel attempted to blink away the remaining spots that stubbornly refused to cease dancing in front of his eyes. He’d never been shot before and he didn’t much like it. He grimaced again, knowing Iris would be ready to throttle him when she learned about this turn of events. He vaguely remembered that he’d assured her he wouldn’t be hurt on the job as a Pinkerton. Already he’d failed to make good on that promise and he still remained a deputy. Which wasn’t the ideal way to start a life together with the woman he loved. Hopefully, she’d prove the kind of woman who willingly forgave a fellow. Otherwise, he’d be in a peck of trouble.
He heard Jim curse a moment before a strong arm grabbed him as he started to tip sideways. And then everything went black.
Chapter 31
Iris peeked at her lapel watch. Ten minutes after ten. She’d lost herself in another reading of Wuthering Heights and she hadn’t realized the late hour. Bedtime for certain. She set the book down and threw the quilt aside. Moments before heading to her bedroom to turn in for the night, a loud knock on Mrs. Carter’s front door startled her.
Who would be calling at this hour?
She pulled aside the lace curtain to check who stood on the other side of the door.
Sawyer Manning? She swung the door open wide. “Hello, Mr. Manning!” she exclaimed. Carl had promised to send word to her the moment Daniel returned to Milestone. “Is Daniel back? Did they find the stolen horses?”
Sawyer shook his head. “I’m here to fetch you, Miss Lake.”
“Me? Whatever for?”
“The men found the horse thieves and the missing mares.” Sawyer shifted on his feet. “They’re back in Milestone, but I’m afraid there’s been a shooting. Daniel has been wounded.”
Iris wavered on her feet. Daniel has been wounded. The words echoed in her brain and her mind couldn’t formulate an intelligent thought. She should be doing something. But what that something was she hadn’t any idea.
“Come with me, Miss Lake. Doc Bennett is tending him right now. I don’t know how serious the situation, but you should see him… just in case.”
Iris gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “You mean… he could…”
“I don’t know, ma’am. I haven’t seen him. Daniel has been shot. That’s all I was told when Carl sent me to fetch you.”
Iris glanced around the room, searching for her reticule. Mrs. Carter had turned in shortly after eight o’clock, and Iris wouldn’t wake her. There wasn’t a thing she could do anyway, and Iris wouldn’t worry her until she learned more about Daniel’s condition. “All right. We’ll leave now,” she muttered.
When she headed out the door, Sawyer reached out a hand and stopped her. “You should put on your coat, Miss Lake.”
Iris glanced at herself. She wore a sky-blue dress and a pair of gray mittens she had no recollection putting on her hands. She needed to think clearly if she hoped to survive this. “Yes, I should,” she muttered, slipping her arms into her warm winter coat sleeves and sticking a knitted hat on her head.
“I brought Doc’s buggy so we’ll arrive at his house in no time.” Sawyer guided her down the path to the waiting conveyance.
“Thank you for your consideration. But I would have ridden a donkey to get to Daniel.” She clambered into the buggy and slumped on the seat beside Sawyer.
Within five minutes, they pulled up outside Doc’s house. Iris almost leapt out of the buggy and headed toward the side door where patients accessed Doc’s medical clinic. Iris paused to take a deep breath and then walked inside, Sawyer at her heels. She glanced around the room where Carl Robertson stood pacing the floor. Jim Snow sat in a chair in the waiting area and A. J. McLennon slumped on a lumpy sofa.
“How is he?” Iris blurted.
Carl rushed to her side and guided her toward a chair. “He’s alive. That’s all that matters at this point.”
Iris heaved a sigh. “Thank goodness. What happened?”
Jim Snow leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. He met Iris’s eyes. “The horse thieves ambushed us. Daniel rode ahead of the others and he took the first bullet. Shots buzzed around everyone and total chaos broke out. No one else was wounded.”
Iris closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the deputy’s words. She met his eyes and listened intently.
Jim continued, “There were three of them. One of the ranchers killed the man that shot Daniel. I shot the other two during the melee following that first shot which alerted us to their location. These fellows weren’t interested in being arrested and fought to the death.”
“My boy shouldn’t have been shot. I should have taught him better,” AJ muttered.
Carl rested his hand on the rancher’s shoulder. “He was ambushed, my friend. No amount of talent would have prevented that shooting. Could have been me or Sawyer took that bullet. And we got the man who shot him.”
“I agree,” Jim added. “Those cowards intended to kill all of us and they would have, had we not been alerted by Daniel unfortunately taking the first shot.”
“How is he now?” Iris searched Jim’s eyes. He’d been there. He should have some information.
“We won’t know until Doc returns.” Jim looked at AJ. “When the shooting stopped, the other fellows rounded up the spooked horses who’d scattered with all the gunfire. I loaded Daniel into our supply wagon and took him to a nearby ranch we’d spotted a mile back. The rancher’s wife doctored him as best she could after determining the bullet had passed right through Daniel. She staunched the bleeding, cleaned the wound, and
bandaged him up. Then we headed to Butte where a proper doctor tended to him and sewed him up.”
“What did Doc Bennett say when he initially examined Daniel?” Iris glanced from one man to the other.
“He hasn’t come back to tell us anything.” Jim shook his head and pointed to the closed examination room door. “He’s been in there for a while now.”
“He can take all the time he needs,” AJ stated. “If he’s still busy, then my son is still alive.”
Iris prayed to the heavens that Daniel’s father was right. She couldn’t lose Daniel now. Not when she’d decided to accept his proposal, to live wherever in the world his work took him, to love him for the rest of her days.
Doc opened the door and stepped into the waiting area. He silently closed the door behind him. “He’s alive, but he’s burning up with fever. Delirious most of the time.”
Iris’s eyes filled with tears. “Does that mean there’s infection?” She’d known men to die from an infected gunshot wound.
“Most likely. But I’ve cleaned the wound again and I’m hoping for the best. Whoever operated on him did a good job. Couldn’t have done better myself.” Doc dragged his hand down his face. “But Daniel will be staying here until that fever breaks. The rest of you should head home and get some sleep.”
AJ shook his head.
“I’m staying, too,” Iris interjected.
Jim waved off the idea. “I’m staying right here. The man saved my life.”
Carl stuck his Stetson on his head. “Sawyer and I will be at the jailhouse writing up our reports if anyone needs us.”
“If you need more details, I’ll answer your questions when I know Daniel is all right. But I’ve told you most everything I can remember,” Jim said to Carl.
“You did a great job, Jim.” Carl shook his deputy’s hand. “Couldn’t have handled it better myself.”
“Thanks, boss.” Jim appeared a bit embarrassed by the praise.
As soon as the men left, Iris reached out and clasped Doc’s arm. “Can I see him?”
A Reinvented Lady (Sons Of A Gun Book 2) Page 18