Sean nodded. “That might work.”
Amelia met Tony’s gaze. “You’d have to change your name, of course. And grow a beard and change the way you comb your hair. Wear a different style of clothes.”
Sheriff Mather didn’t look convinced. “So what name do you propose he use?”
“Nothing even close to Tony Ward. How about . . . Keith Martin? Is there anyone in your family with either name?”
Looking dazed, Tony shook his head. “I have a second cousin named Marty, but no one else that I’m aware.”
Sheriff Mather glared at Amelia. “And how do you propose I pull off this death without a body?”
Amelia was stumped.
Sean said, “What if you have the coffin delivered here, then we put bags of sand and rocks in it and nail it shut? You could say his face was pretty well destroyed, no need for embalming. Then we could have a funeral for the late Tony Ward.”
Amelia smiled. “That’s a good idea. I’ll donate a headstone so it appears more official.”
Sheriff sent Amelia a penetrating gaze. “You’d trust this man with your money?”
“I would.” She smiled at Tony. “As I said, I wouldn’t even have the money without him.”
The sheriff stood with hands on his hips. “Do you have any idea how much is required to open a bank?”
“Not really, but I have quite a bit—or it seems to me I do.” She looked at Sean. “What do you think?”
“If it works, that would be a good return on your investment. Banks make money, that’s for sure.”
Looking hopeful, Tony said, “I promise to work hard and keep good records, Amelia. What do you say, Sheriff? Will you give me a chance?”
“If Mrs. Douglas is willing to trust you with her money and Murdoch here agrees, I’ll consider it. Give me a few minutes to weigh the pros and cons.” He pushed up from the table and paced back and forth across the small kitchen for five minutes while the others in the room watched in silence.
The sheriff reclaimed his seat and looked at Tony. “Where would you go? Where’s a place that your uncle has no connections?”
Tony appeared to mull over the question. “South of here toward Texas, Oklahoma, or New Mexico would be safest.”
Sean rubbed his jaw. “You know, I have a cousin in a nice little town in Texas about twenty miles from Bastrop. That’s northeast of Austin. Last I heard from him, he complained of having to go to Bastrop to do his banking.”
Tony laid his hands on the table. “That sounds good. Not much snow there. I sure hate cold like we had in Chicago.”
“Then you’d hate it worse here.” Sheriff Mather’s expression displayed his distaste for the idea of Tony going free. “Reckon I’ll go along with this tomfool notion.”
He pointed a finger at Tony. “I’ll be checking up on you so you’d better be on your best behavior.”
Tony raised his hand as if swearing in court. “You have my solemn promise, Sheriff. All I’ve ever wanted is a chance to lead a normal life. Watching Amelia and Charlie made me realize even more how much I’d missed in not having a decent family.”
He turned to Amelia. “You don’t know how much I envied you and Charlie. You’re good friends as well as brother and sister. Even buying ice cream was fun with you two. Going to church, reading in the evenings, it was as if I was a part of a good family. I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to have that in my life.”
Sheriff Mather said, “Oh, hell. Okay, we’ll have to get busy with the plan. Sean, can you get this man a set of clothes? He can’t leave town dressed like this. He stands out like an Easterner.”
“I can.” Sean directed his gaze to Tony. “Can you ride a horse?”
Tony shrugged. “Never tried.”
The sheriff shook his head. “Then that won’t work. How are we going to get you out of town?”
He waved a hand. “Never mind. You three can figure that out while I send a wire to the Treasury Department and let them know where to round up this gang. You know any specifics?”
“I do.” Amelia stood and brought a pencil and paper to the table then wrote out directions. “They’re printing at this address and the second one is where Charlie lives with Tony’s cousin.” She handed the paper to the sheriff. “Tony, do you have anything to add?”
He shook his head then sent her a dazed expression. “You know a lot more than I suspected. Good thing you’re on my side or I’d be a goner for sure. Hand me the pencil and I’ll add my uncle’s address.”
When the sheriff had gone, Amelia assessed Tony and shook her head. “I don’t know what to do about your clothes.”
Sean took out his pocket watch. “I barely have time to go the mercantile and buy a couple of shirts and pants before they close. Let me see your feet.” Sean peered under the table. “Appears to me you could wear my boots.”
Sean removed the bullets from Tony’s gun. “I’m trusting you to sit right there until I get back.”
Tony held up his hands. “I won’t move from this spot.”
Amelia couldn’t sit while her brother’s life was still in danger. She cleared the table and washed the dishes. “How long do you think it will be before the arrests? How long before I know Charlie is safe?”
“If he’s working for the law, they’ll know he’s in trouble. Might not take long to round up my uncle and his gang.”
Amelia paced the small kitchen.
Tony caught her hand as she passed. “Sit down. No point worrying now that rescue is on the way.”
She sat across from him. “You’ll need a valise, but you can use mine. I hope Sean has an idea to get you from here to Crenshaw. You can catch the train there after I get you a letter of credit to take to the Bastrop Bank.”
“You’re being awfully nice to me. There’s no way I can tell you how much I appreciate your help. I thought I was a dead man.”
“I remember at the ice cream parlor that I thought if I weren’t aware of the fact you spied on Charlie, you looked like best friends.”
“He’s an all right guy. Reckon he’s the only one I’d trust with my life. I guess he is my best friend.”
Sean returned with a large package. “The Cobbs weren’t too happy I came in so close to six o’clock. Sorry, Tony, but I’ll have to wear one of these shirts so gossipy Mrs. Cobb won’t be wondering who got the clothes. Pick the one you want. Let’s step into the spare room and change clothes.”
“My valise is in there. Tony can use it for spare clothes.”
When the swap had been made, the two men emerged. Tony walked as if uncomfortable.
Amelia compared the two men. “Tony, you look entirely different.”
Tony tugged here and there adjusting his clothes. “I feel like I’m wearing a costume. Hmmm, guess I am, huh?”
Sean stood where he could assess Tony. “You can pass for a cowboy or rancher now. I hate to waste good clothes, but we have to bury the others in the coffin.”
“I emptied the pockets. Feels odd to be wearing these—like I’m someone else.”
Amelia pointed at him. “You are another person, remember? You’re Keith Martin. After working on a Montana ranch, you moved to warmer climes. You’ll have to come up with a background that’s different from your real one.”
Sean folded Tony’s old clothes and put them on a chair.
When Sheriff Mather returned, Logan was with him.
Worry lines left Logan’s face when he saw Sean. “Seth Flanigan rode to the ranch to let me know Amelia was in trouble. Since I knew you were going to see her, Sean, I worried about what had happened to both of you.”
Sean nodded at Tony. “This man was Tony Ward but is now Keith Martin. He’s the one who was living with Amelia’s brother in Salem. Now he’s a different person and is going to Texas and open a bank where our cousin Andrew lives.”
Logan plopped onto a chair. “I seem to have missed a lot but you can fill me in later.”
“You ride or come in the buggy?”
&nbs
p; “I brought the buggy in case we needed to take Amelia to the ranch. Pa’s likely following me in his rig. He was trying to talk Charity and Edwina into staying home. Don’t image that worked and expect the three of them will be here in a few minutes.”
Sheriff Mather held up his hand for silence. “Everything is in motion but I don’t know how long before they round up the gang and your brother is freed, Mrs. Douglas. The authorities promised to send me a telegram when they have things under control.”
“I hope it isn’t long. Good thing I have things to do here or I’d go crazy.”
“Then it’s time to kill off the old man so the new one can live. Mr. Ward, I hope you can play dead.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Stretch out on the floor. Mrs. Douglas, we need a towel to put over his head and something that splatters like blood.”
“Oh, I hate to use Lina’s delicious sauce, that’s all I can think of that’s red and could be mistaken for blood.”
Sean chuckled. “I know it’s not funny, but a side benefit is the place will smell delicious.”
“I’ll open a jar of her minestrone, too, and heat it on the stove to account for the aroma of spices.” Amelia quickly got the minestrone heating and opened the jar of sauce.
Tony lay down but Amelia hurried to his side. “No, you have to be wearing the old clothes for this part. Quick, go back and change.”
He jumped up and grabbed his old clothes as he hurried to the spare room. Minutes later, he emerged wearing his brown suit, shirt, tie, and shoes. He lay down again and Amelia splattered him with sauce.
He licked his lips. “Man, that tastes good.”
Amelia stared down at him. “You’re dead and can’t speak.” Then, she covered his head with a tea towel.
Sheriff Mather cautioned, “Brace yourselves.” He fired four shots.
His deputy came running into the room but by that time, the sheriff was kneeling beside the body.
Sheriff Mather looked up and signaled to the deputy. “Get a coffin sent over. No point embalming him. We’ll take the coffin to the cemetery for burial right away.”
“Sure thing, Boss.” The deputy hurried away.
As Sheriff Mather stood, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his face. “This gets more and more complicated but I didn’t lie to my deputy, only misdirected. I hope you folks know what you’re doing.”
Amelia touched the sheriff’s arm. “Thank you for your help recuing my brother. You’ve protected the town as sheriff, but this evening you saved this man’s life. No, actually you’ve given him life—his chance to live as we do and perhaps someday have the family to match his dreams.”
The lawman appeared embarrassed at her praise. “Reckon we’d all like that.”
She pressed her hand to her throat. “I pray you were in time to save Charlie’s life.”
Sean tugged her close. “Be optimistic, Amelia. We’re doing everything we can to get your brother from harm’s way.”
During the night, Logan and Sean trolled the edge of town filling burlap bags with rocks. After being told he needed to stay out of sight, Tony bedded down on a quilt pallet in the spare room. In her bedroom, Amelia tried to catch a few hours’ sleep with only limited success.
By dawn, the men had the coffin ready to move for burial. While Tony was tucked away in Amelia’s spare room, the Murdoch’s, the sheriff, his deputy, and a few curious townspeople gathered around the gravesite where the coffin resided.
Reverend Norton conducted a brief ceremony before the gravediggers piled dirt on the coffin.
The pastor stopped in front of Amelia. “We didn’t know the deceased, but you’re thoughtful to give him a Christian burial, Mrs. Douglas, especially when he harbored bad intentions for you.”
Embarrassed to deceive the minister, Amelia said, “We can’t know what inner demons drove him. Everyone deserves a decent burial, don’t you agree?”
The minister nodded. “I’ll offer prayers for his soul. Since we don’t know his religious beliefs, I’ll ask Father Frederick to light a candle for him.”
“Thank you, Reverend Norton. You’re very kind.”
“I’ll hope to see you on Sunday. Good day.” The kindly minister ambled toward the church parsonage.
The sheriff walked with Amelia from the cemetery. “I’ve had a wire that the gang was rounded up and your brother is safe. I let them know Tony Ward was dead, so that should take care of my end of this stage show.”
“I’m so relieved to know Charlie is all right.” Amelia sent him a sad smile. “As for our ‘stage show’, Keith Martin and I thank you, Sheriff. Easter is the time of resurrection, after all.”
With what sounded like a snort, the sheriff strode toward his office.
Chapter Fourteen
Back in her rooms, the Murdochs gathered for breakfast. The newly created Keith Martin joined them, dressed in his western clothes and boots. Sean had kept the new set of footwear and had given the old ones to Tony.
Sean asked him, “How do the boots feel?”
Tony shuffled from one foot to the other. “A bit long, but pretty good. I can see why they’re popular out here.”
Amelia wrinkled her nose and opened a window. “The place still smells like an Italian restaurant. Although I adore the food, I hope the smell dissipates soon.”
Standing at the stove, Edwina stirred the bacon frying in the skillet. “Our breakfast will introduce new smells to cover the Italian spices.”
A knock reminded Amelia that Howard Pershing was due to clean. She opened the door and let him inside. After giving him the broom and dustpan, she sent him to sweep the boardwalk in front of the shop.
Charity asked, “How’s he working out? He didn’t appear happy.”
Amelia shrugged. “He’s surly but less so than the first day. Actually, I don’t think he minds, but he has his pride so he puts up a good front.”
They ate a hearty breakfast before the women cleaned the kitchen. Logan, Sean, Charity, and Amelia scrubbed at the red sauce on the floor. The stain grew fainter, but was still visible.
Logan helped Charity to her feet. “What’s left looks like a bloodstain so that should be good enough for now.”
Sean threw out the scrub water.
Kevin took Edwina’s hand. “We’re no longer needed here, Sweet One. Let’s go home.”
Logan kissed Charity on the cheek. “You go with them, My Love, and I’ll go to Crenshaw with Sean. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
At nine, Paulette arrived. “There were a lot of buggies here earlier. I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“A man tried to kidnap me, but he died resisting arrest.”
Paulette rushed to Amelia, alarm on her face. “Were you harmed?”
Amelia shook her head. “Sean and the sheriff arrived in time to save me. We’ve already had his funeral with Reverend Norton performing the ceremony.”
“My, I missed a lot.”
“Now, I need to go to Crenshaw on business and Sean and his brother are driving me. I hope you won’t mind managing the store alone today.”
“Of course not. I enjoy being here among so many pretty things. I also like talking to customers.”
“I’ll explain more when I return. There won’t be many, if any, sales today but there are bound to be a lot of nosy lookers trying to learn what happened.”
Paulette held up her hand. “The less I know, the less I can tell.” She giggled. “Won’t that frustrate Mrs. Cobb and Mrs. Pershing?”
Amelia hugged the other woman’s shoulders. “Thank you, Paulette. I’m so lucky to have you here.”
***
Outside the shop, curious people mingled with those who had business in town. Looking like one of the Murdoch cowboys, Tony casually climbed into the buggy’s back seat then Logan joined him. Tony’s saturnine complexion gave the appearance he was tanned from working in the sun. Sean helped Amelia into the front then hopped in beside her. He snapped the reins and
they headed for Crenshaw.
They arrived there near noon. When they purchased Tony’s ticket, the stationmaster said the train would depart at three.
Logan nodded toward the restaurant. “Let’s eat and then Sean and I need to talk to the lawyer.”
Amelia laid her hand on Sean’s arm. “I need go to the bank before Tony . . . I mean Keith leaves. He needs a letter of credit from me and I want to move the rest of my money here from Salem. I’ve lost any affinity I might have had for that town.”
As they passed a store, Sean stopped and clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Our Keith here needs a suit if he’s going to be a banker. You have to look successful to be successful.”
Tony said, “Can we eat first. I’m starving—but no Italian, please.”
Amelia laughed. “You’re always hungry. I’ll bet you wouldn’t turn down Italian food if that’s what was offered.”
After a leisurely meal of steak and potatoes, Amelia blotted her mouth with her napkin. “Time for our errands, bank first.”
When they’d completed everything on their list, they had only a few minutes wait at the depot.
Amelia brushed a piece of lint from Tony’s shoulder. “You look very bank presidential now.”
Tony raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure that store owner will be taking his wife to dinner tonight to celebrate selling so many clothes and a second valise for me. I sure appreciate your and your friends’ help selecting them. Totally different way of dressing.”
Amelia smiled at him. “You’re a different person now.”
Sean put his arm around her shoulders. “Hey, remember me? I’m the guy you’re engaged to.”
She kissed his cheek. “Poor baby, have I neglected you?”
Logan pretended to pout. “I’m the one who’s been neglected. No new clothes, same old name, no bank draft.”
Amelia chuckled. “I could give you a new name. How about Horatio or Othello or Algernon?”
He rolled his eyes. “Forget I said anything. I’ve suddenly decided to stop feeling neglected. Besides, I did get something accomplished. Sean and I formed Murdoch Properties.”
Tony held up his hand and assumed a lofty expression. “I think being a bank president tops a property company or millinery shop. Pay proper homage, please.”
Montana Sky: Bride's Adventure (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Loving A Rancher Book 4) Page 11