“He resides in your city, Sheriff. Mr. Dalbow is from Rippingate.”
Owen knew very well where he lived. And he wasn’t alone at that ranch. Hope! Suddenly, Owen had a very bad feeling that something might have happened to her. He could not believe what he just discovered. The owner of the land where Miss Jessamine was found belonged to no other than Mr. Dalbow.
Also, he was supposedly the last person she was to meet before disappearing. Mr. Dalbow claimed that meeting never occurred and had an alibi to prove it. Owen spoke with Mr. Dalbow’s foreman Jo Dawson, and he swore he spent the whole day working with his boss and had no visitors. He could have easily lied. Owen knew how easy an alibi could be obtained if a person was motivated. If Mr. Dalbow had something to do with Jessamine’s murder, that would certainly motivate him to lie and fabricate evidence about his whereabouts.
And then another thought came to Owen. What if Wyatt Dalbow is the Ghost?
What if the person Owen was searching for so long, worked and lived right under his nose? No wonder Ghost liked to taunt him that much, if he resided in Rippingate without anyone being the wiser.
Do not get ahead of yourself, you need proof. Owen reminded himself.
This could very well all be a simple coincidence. Owen did not believe in them. His job taught him that. Either way, Owen had a solid lead thanks to the attorney and he wouldn’t stop until he discovered the real truth.
“I will take this with me,” Owen informed the attorney, waving the legal deed. Owen did not wait for his reply and stood up.
“Thank you for all your cooperation.” Even though the attorney was reluctant to say anything, Owen was genuinely grateful since this piece of information may well have solved his case. Owen practically ran outside in search of his horse. He needed to return to Rippingate as soon as possible. Hope’s life could depend on his speed.
As he ran, Owen debated if he should send word to Kit again and ruled against it. He did not want Mr. Dalbow to be warned in any way that he was now Owen’s prime suspect. Things could turn bad rather quickly if he got scared. Owen was not prepared to jeopardize Hope’s life so he decided he would deal with this personally. He just prayed he would get to her in time. I will. I must.
Owen urged his horse to practically fly over the roads and fields on his way back home, and he still felt as though they were going at a snail’s pace.
Owen always loved riding yet in those moments he cursed the heavens there was not a faster way for him to reach Mr. Dalbow’s ranch since he felt like every second counted.
He couldn’t explain it, but Owen felt Hope was in grave danger. Hold on, Hope, I'm coming, he sent the message to the wind. Owen prayed he would get to her in time.
Please, God, do not let me be late. Not this time. Not again.
24
Owen successfully returned to Rippingate the next day. It was mid-day when he finally reached Mr. Dalbow’s ranch. He felt like jumping out of his own skin, thinking he could be too late if he rested or slowed down for even a second. Getting to the ranch, he jumped off his tired horse and ran toward the house. Taking two steps at a time, he didn’t even slow down before starting to bang against the front door.
“Hope? Hope? It’s me, Owen. Open up.” There was no reply.
Where is she?
Looking through the windows, Owen realized there was nobody inside the house. There were no signs of struggling so he hoped that was a good thing. That did not stop him from panicking, though.
Why isn’t she here? Am I too late? Did he do something to her? Oh, please Lord, no.
He wracked his brain what to do as he circled the house, pulling both his hands through his hair. He came too late.
No, don’t think like that. You will find her, Hope has to be here.
Owen started searching the whole ranch. There were no workers on it and no Wyatt Dalbow. This is not good. He spotted a broken-down barn, away from the house and he started walking toward it. That was the only place he did not look.
He spotted Mr. Dalbow near it, he had his tool belt on and a pair of working gloves. He appeared to be assessing the building if it was worth saving. Mr. Dalbow saw him as well and started walking toward Owen. For some reason, seeing him filled Owen with rage, and he doubled his pace.
“Where is she?” Owen demanded, getting into Wyatt Dalbow’s face. He felt like punching the other man. Owen managed to hold himself back.
Mr. Dalbow looked at him wide-eyed, as though he was startled by his outburst. “I knew something had occurred between you and Miss Hope,” he threw in Owen’s face with disdain.
“I asked you, where is she?” Owen growled. “What have you done with her?” Owen was panicking and he had to remind himself to calm down. He couldn’t let this man learn the depths of his fear because if Owen was right, then Wyatt Dalbow was certainly going to use it against Owen. Perhaps it’s already too late for that.
“She is not here,” Mr. Dalbow announced.
Owen’s worst fears came to life. “If you did something to her—” Owen grabbed the other man by the collar. Mr. Dalbow broke his hold.
“She left,” Mr. Dalbow snapped back. “And you better ask yourself what you did to her.”
That made Owen pause. “What?”
“Miss Hope went back home to Maryland,” Mr. Dalbow explained, straightening his shirt. The gesture was comical since he had his working shirt on that was already torn at places and heavily stained. The notion that Owen could do something worse to it was hilarious.
Owen slapped himself mentally for those unnecessary thoughts. “When? Why?” Owen blurted out in confusion. From all the scenarios he had in his head these past couple of days, her returning home was not one of them.
“Yesterday afternoon. She sent word to her family, and departed.”
Owen could not believe it. “Why would she leave?” And without a word.
It was Wyatt Dalbow’s turn to get into Owen’s face. “At first I thought it was because of her friend, Jessamine. Miss Hope was very distraught from the moment she learned her dear friend was missing. Perhaps she couldn’t bear to stay here and decided to seek solace with her family.”
That doesn’t sound right, Owen rebelled.
“As I said, she left without an explanation. Seeing you now, I wonder if there is another explanation for her sudden departure,” Mr. Dalbow practically accused him and Owen recoiled.
They did have an argument before she left for Black Creek. She appeared a little rattled by his revelation. Would she truly leave without even saying goodbye, after everything they shared?
“I do not believe you,” Owen said eventually.
Mr. Dalbow shrugged, spreading his hands wide. “That is your right, but I am telling the truth.” He gestured around himself. “You can even search the entire ranch. You will not find her,” Wyatt Dalbow offered generously. “She left both of us.”
Owen felt like strangling him with his bare hands. You need to stay sharp, he reminded himself, and that helped rein in his bad temper.
Owen realized that if he acted rashly now and discovered nothing, then Wyatt Dalbow could hurt Hope in retaliation. And Mr. Dalbow did appear rather confident at the moment. Owen had to retreat for now. No matter how much he hated it, that was his only option.
“I know you are lying,” he informed Mr. Dalbow. “I am leaving for now. Rest assured I will be coming back.” And he wouldn’t be alone.
“How lovely,” Mr. Dalbow said cheerfully, making Owen’s skin crawl. “If you announce your visit in advance I will make sure to have biscuits and tea.”
Owen turned on his heel and started marching back toward his horse before he actually killed the other man, and then he would never find Hope.
He is lying about everything. Owen was sure of that. He could practically feel it in his bones. Owen never liked Mr. Dalbow, that was for sure, and now he knew why.
It always felt as though the other man was too good to be true. His manners, conduct, cheerfulness... it
was all just a mask he was hiding behind. Owen knew better than to fall for such an act. The question was, what would Owen discover underneath it?
Ridding back to Rippingate, Owen went straight to the post office to send a telegram. Wyatt Dalbow mentioned Hope sent word to her family before departing, so Owen was going to verify that piece of information immediately.
However, he couldn’t simply ask Hope’s father if she was indeed returning home. Owen knew in what manner she left the house she was born in. She ran away without a word to escape an unwanted fiancé. So come to think of it, her return home made no sense at all. She wouldn’t seek any kind of solace from the people who tried to sell her to the highest bidder.
Regardless, Owen decided to write to Mr. Robert Trousdale and obtain information in an indirect manner. He wracked his brain for a while, trying to figure out what he was to say. Eventually, he settled for half-truths.
He wrote in the capacity of Rippingate Sheriff, making inquiries about an open investigation. He informed Mister Trousdale that Miss Jessamine Reynolds was missing, a daughter of his former employee, and asked if his daughter, Hope, was perhaps still in contact with her as he learned they were best friends.
It was vague enough yet honest and Owen hoped Mr. Trousdale’s reply would help him learn about Hope’s whereabouts. Or prove once and for all that Wyatt Dalbow was a liar.
You already suspect him to be a cold-hearted murderer, do you honestly believe him to be incapable of lying as well? The problem was, Owen did believe he was capable of that, and so much more. He had to prove it. Owen had the legal document showing he was the owner of that land. Somehow that didn’t feel like enough. If he could prove he lied about Hope’s whereabouts, and disprove his alibi, then that would be enough to confront him and force a confession out of him.
Despite all this, something Wyatt Dalbow said stuck with Owen. It couldn’t be helped; he had doubts. What if Hope truly left because she was troubled by him, and what he said to her, how he acted.
First, she saw him drunk and angry. Then they quarreled when he said some rather overwhelming things. Is this all my fault? Suddenly he had trouble breathing. No. She would never do this. He knew her well enough to be certain of that fact. Hope would never leave without a word.
She already did that to her family, a small voice reminded him.
This is different. Owen was sure, Hope would not return home, and never in such a manner. Even if she was cross at him she would say goodbye to other people. June, Kit, Mrs. Pharis, those were the people who became dear to her. It would be unthinkable that she decided to ignore all of them before her departure.
Even if she did not want to see any of them in person, some kind of goodbye note would be left behind. He rushed to his house to make sure. June looked at him as though he spoke in some foreign language when he asked if she received anything from Hope.
“Why would she leave anything to me?” June inquired.
“Please, June, I don’t have the time to explain, simply answer the question.”
“No, I did not receive anything nor have I seen her.”
Hearing that, Owen ran out of the house without further delay. The same thing occurred in Mrs. Pharis house. Both women must think him mad. Owen did not care at the moment.
To make things even more maddening he found Riley back in the corral. When Owen asked the keeper if he saw Hope returning the horse, he couldn't remember. So there was still the possibility Mr. Dalbow himself did that to mislead Owen.
On his return to the sheriff's station, Owen ran into Kit. “You are back,” his friend looked happy to see him.
“Thank God, Kit,” Owen said with palpable relief.
Kit will help me sort this mess out.
Kit instantly got serious. “What is the matter?”
“Did you get my telegram?” Owen asked in return without answering.
Kit nodded. “Yes. That is rather unfortunate,” he commented on the fact they found the body of Miss Jessamine. He would act in such manner no matter who was discovered, they all would, since that was yet another innocent life lost.
“Hope will be distraught when you break the news to her. I already spoke to the Reynolds. It broke my heart I had to break theirs, it really did,” he confessed. Owen knew very well how that felt, and sympathized.
“Does that mean you haven’t seen Hope?”
“No, Gibson escorted her to the ranch after Black Creek. She hasn’t stopped by since.”
Damn it.
“I have more news, Kit. Mr. Dalbow is the owner of the place where Jessamine’s body was found.”
While he filled Kit in, he watched all the different expressions Kit showed. Disbelief, anger, suspicion. Kit was showing everything Owen was feeling on the inside. Owen finished his story with what just happened on Wyatt Dalbow’s ranch.
“You were right to distrust him all along. It’s him. He killed Jessamine Reynolds.” Kit exclaimed while his hand went to rest on his revolver.
“One legal document is not enough, Kit. And Jessamine’s murder was staged just like the rest of Ghost’s killings were.”
“Do you believe him to be the Ghost?”
“I don’t know yet,” Owen replied carefully. He was highly motivated to find out, though.
“I am sorry, Owen. I know I promised you I would look after Hope, it just slipped my mind,” Kit said, realizing the potential dangers if Wyatt Dalbow was actually their guy.
“It’s not your fault, Kit.”
“We must save her, Owen, I am certain he has her.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Owen replied as his heart gave a painful squeeze. He was beyond worried about Hope.
“What are we going to do?” Kit demanded.
“I have a plan but we must be careful. We do not want to act too soon and alarm him, forcing him to do anything rash. This has to be precise.”
“Agreed.”
“I sent words to Hope’s parents,” Owen said as an afterthought.
“You cannot believe Dalbow was speaking the truth.”
“Of course not. It would be another nail into his coffin if we can prove he lied.”
It pained Owen he had to wait and bide his time. He wanted to march right back to that damn ranch and turn it upside down until he found her.
“I know it’s hard, but we will find Hope and we will catch our killer,” Kit tried to reassure him, guessing his thoughts.
Owen simply nodded. That was the only outcome he could live with, at any rate. “Come, Kit, let’s talk to Jo Dawson, Mr. Dalbow’s foreman. Something is telling me he will tell a different story now that his boss isn’t standing beside him.”
“I know where he likes to drink and gamble,” Kit provided. Owen knew that as well. Nevertheless, he said to his right-hand man. “Lead the way.”
Owen was determined to do anything it took to have Hope safe and by his side again, and so help him God, if anybody tried to get in his way.
* * *
A whole agonizing day passed until Owen received a reply from Robert Trousdale.
What saved him was the fact that he was not idle. Just as they planned, Kit and Owen spoke with Jo Dawson. At first, he repeated the same story he said before. That he and Mr. Dalbow worked all day at the ranch and that nobody paid them a visit. After a little coaxing, he changed his tune, remembering he was passed out drunk in the barn most of the morning, and that the only reason Mr. Dalbow did not fire him was because he forced Jo to lie in exchange. Jo was prepared to swear that was God’s honest truth in front of a judge.
“We got him,” Kit was pleased after their chat with the foreman, and so was Owen. “All his lies are crumbling down, one by one.”
Owen couldn’t agree more. The telegram Owen got from Hope’s father was predictable, in a way.
Mr. Trousdale was not aware Jessamine Reynolds was missing. She couldn’t have been in contact with his own daughter since Hope had been missing as well. The police in Aligate suspected her to be kidnapp
ed on her twenty-first birthday. Since there were no demands delivered to the family, Mr. Trousdale started to suspect his daughter ran away. He questioned Owen if the two cases could be related and implored him to share any pieces of information he possibly had since Hope’s family was beyond worried for their daughter’s well-being.
Owen couldn’t fathom how Hope’s father managed to sound so arrogant in the telegram but he did. Hope’s father was even worse than Owen imagined he would be, although precisely how Hope described him. Still, he felt sorry for them, for not knowing where Hope was at the moment.
Owen did not know that either, although he had strong suspicions. He was determined to reply to her parents when he knew more. The not knowing was sometimes worse than knowing, and no matter how much they hurt Hope, Owen did not want them to keep experiencing such pain. That was a task for later, though, now he had more pressing issues, like rescuing Mr. Trousdale’s daughter in the first place.
The Redemption 0f A Hunted Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 23