by Kaki Warner
Hearing footsteps behind him, he looked back to see Lt. Tom Millsap approaching, his saddlebags over one shoulder and a surly look on his deeply lined face.
“So where do we look first?” the older man asked, stopping beside him. “I want to get this over with as soon as possible.”
“Brackett’s Market.”
As Ty started up Main Street, that feeling of dread hardened into anger. He felt betrayed. Confused. Furious that he was having to do this—that he’d been lied to—that he’d been so easily fooled. He had questions. And by God, he would get his answers.
Ignoring the curious stares directed their way, he and Millsap strode purposely down the boardwalk, the thud of their boot heels signaling they were men in a hurry and not to be detained. Ty wished he could outdistance the man plodding along beside him. He didn’t like or trust Millsap. Especially since the older ranger was in charge of this detail, even though he and Ty were of equal rank. Now Ty would have to keep an eye on him, too.
They had both ridden under Captain Leander McNelly years ago when the Frontier Battalion patrolled the lawless Nueces Strip. But while Ty had been put off by their captain’s questionable and sometimes brutal tactics, Millsap had seemed to enjoy them. After McNelly’s retirement three years prior, Millsap had served in various capacities until he settled into prisoner escort last year. Since then, more than one prisoner had complained of harsh treatment at his hands. Which is why, when Ty heard about this detail and that Millsap had been assigned to it, he had volunteered to come along. He was determined there would be no harsh treatment this time. The idea of it sickened him. A sign of weakness that only added to the anger bubbling in his mind.
She should have told him.
She should have trusted him enough to let him help her.
Damn that woman.
The Bracketts hadn’t seen Lottie that day. When they realized he wasn’t going to tell them why two grim-faced Texas Rangers were looking for her, they suggested he check at Becky’s.
When they didn’t find her there, Ty crossed over to the Spotted Dog.
“This is more like it,” Millsap said, stepping through the swinging doors of the saloon.
Ty spotted Becky and the owner, Juno, talking at a table against the back wall. “Why don’t you have a drink while I ask around?”
Millsap didn’t need urging. When he headed to the bar, Ty walked toward the back table.
Becky grinned when she saw him. “Ty! What are you doing in town? As if I didn’t know,” she added with a wink.
“Where’s Lottie?”
Her grin faded. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to find her.”
Juno glanced at Millsap then back at Ty. “What is this about, Benton?” Those sharp eyes didn’t miss much.
Ty had come for answers, not more questions. He started to turn away.
Becky grabbed his arm. “She’s at Lady Jane’s. But I’m going with you.”
Juno pushed back his chair. “Then I guess I am, too.”
Ty couldn’t stop them. In truth, he was glad to have them along. This would be difficult for all of them, but mostly for Lottie, and she would need her friends around her. He just hoped they didn’t try to interfere with what he had to do.
When Ty asked Kearsey at the club where Lottie was, he told them to wait in the lobby and he would get Briggs. Millsap wouldn’t hear of it. So, the four of them walked past the doorman and down the narrow hallway to the offices in back.
When they came through the door, Lottie looked up from the ledger she was working on, saw Ty, and jumped to her feet. “Ty!” she cried with a smile of welcome surprise. “What are you doing here?” Then she noticed Becky and Juno and Kearsey crowding behind him, and something in their faces alerted her. “What’s wrong?”
Briggs had risen, too. As Millsap shoved forward, the Englishman came around his desk and planted his big body at Lottie’s side. “May I ask the reason for this intrusion?” His tone was calm, but Ty could see the steel in his gray eyes.
Ignoring him, Millsap addressed Lottie directly. “Are you Charlotte Weyland?”
Lottie looked at Ty. The confusion and fear he saw in her face ripped a hole in him. He almost went to her, desperate to shield her from what was to come. But he didn’t dare.
She looked back at Millsap. “Y-yes, I’m Lottie Weyland.”
He pulled manacles from his coat pocket. “Hold out your wrists, ma’am.”
“Why?”
Becky charged forward. “What are you doing?”
Ty put out an arm to stop her. “Don’t interfere.”
“You’re letting him do this? Juno, do something!”
Ty braced himself, half expecting the saloon owner to rush him.
Then Briggs’s voice cut through the room. “Kearsey, get the sheriff. Now!”
“Have him meet us at the jail,” Ty told the doorman without taking his eyes off the furious ex-soldier.
Becky began to cry. “Ty, what’s happening? Why are you doing this?”
Color left Lottie’s face as Millsap snapped the metal cuffs on her wrists. She looked at Ty in panic, but he couldn’t help her.
“Charlotte Weyland,” Millsap said in a rehearsed tone, “by the authority of the Texas Rangers and the State of Texas, I arrest you for the murder of William Franklin Lofton.” Then he took her arm in a firm grip and led her past the stunned onlookers.
Chaos erupted.
“Who’s William Franklin Lofton?”
“Ranger Benton, what is this about?”
“I’m going with her!”
When Becky tried to follow, Ty stepped into the doorway and blocked her from leaving. “There’s nothing you can do. And making a scene will only upset her more.”
“But she didn’t do anything! She’s not a murderer!”
“You better have a damn good reason for this, Benton,” Juno warned, “if you expect to leave this town alive.”
Ty felt like howling. Slamming his fist into the wall. But he couldn’t protect Lottie if he was in jail, too. He fought to remain calm, as he’d been trained to do in tense situations. “Are you threatening me, sir?”
“Bloody hell. Stand down, Juno,” ordered Briggs.
Ty looked from one furious face to another. He knew how they felt. The shock, the confusion, that sense of betrayal. But events were now in motion that none of them could stop. All they could do was watch helplessly as they unfolded and hope for the best. “I know you have questions. And I’ll answer them—”
“Then start talking,” Juno snapped.
Ty looked back to check the hall and saw that Millsap and Lottie were already in the lobby. “Later. I need to see her safely settled then I’ll come back and talk to you.”
“Safely settled?” Briggs advanced, his bull neck red with fury. “Don’t you trust your own man?”
Ty had no doubt the ex-soldier could do serious damage with those clenched fists. He almost wished the Englishman would try, so he could act on the rage churning inside. But he couldn’t. He had to see this through. It was the only way to protect Lottie and get the answers he needed. “I have to go. Now.” He started down the hall.
“Who is William Franklin Lofton?” Juno called after him.
“Her grandfather. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Chapter 16
Lottie sat stiff-backed on the cot in the back corner of her cell and watched the late afternoon sun slide past her barred window. Low voices drifted down the narrow hall from the sheriff’s office in front. Probably the ranger who had handcuffed her and brought her here. Maybe Sheriff Dodson. Was Ty there, too?
She pictured the look on his face—the hurt, the bewilderment. The anger. She should have told him. But after waiting so long for the past to catch up with her, when it didn’t, she had allowed herself to believe the dan
ger of being found out was past. Why bring up something that was behind her forever? But when she saw his face, she knew she’d made a terrible mistake.
She should have told him. Another if only strewn in her wake.
Angrily, she brushed her tears away. Crying wouldn’t help. She would have to wait and explain everything to him later. But for now, she had to think. Figure out what to do next.
It was a struggle to focus her thoughts. She could hardly grasp what was happening to her, even though in the back of her mind she feared this day might come. But why now? Almost four years after she’d set the fire and when everything she had worked toward was almost within her reach? What had changed?
The people nosing around Grandpa’s ranch must have found his body and reported it. But wouldn’t the flames have destroyed everything? Unless the fire had burned out too soon or the storm had doused it. Did they find his blackened bones? A charred skeleton with a chain around its neck?
The images were so vile they sent bile shooting up the back of her throat. Gasping, she bent over and retched. Nothing came up. After a moment the cramping stopped and she sagged weakly against the wall that the cot was pushed up against.
Would she be hanged? Locked in a tiny cell for the rest of her life? Would she have to stand up in front of everyone and tell what happened? Shame rolled through her. The staring. The questions. Having to dredge up every wretched detail of those last awful days and her grandfather’s endless suffering. Unable to face it, she dropped her head into her hands.
Grandpa . . . I’m so sorry.
From the office came the sound of a door opening and closing. Heart thudding, she lifted her head as a new voice joined the two others. She recognized the low rumble. Hope shot through her. She tried to make out what Ty was saying but couldn’t. Awareness that he was near filled her with both dread and longing. He knew now what she had done. Did he know why? Would he forgive her? She waited, praying he would walk back to her cell and tell her that they were wrong, it was all a mistake, and she was free to go.
Instead, the outside door opened and closed again, and hope died.
What would her life have been like, she wondered, if not for that one awful decision—command, really. What if she had simply said no? But if she had, there would be no Greenbroke, no farm-boy-ranger, and a different kind of guilt.
Silence pressed against her, making it hard to breathe. Had they left her? Needing distraction, she looked around, saw names scratched into the stone, and felt the despair that had seeped into these walls. The air smelled faintly of urine, sweat, alcohol. Desperation. Was she doomed to this for the rest of her life?
Tears threatened again. This time, she hadn’t the strength to hold them back. Slumping onto the stained mattress, she curled into a ball and wept for Ty and for Grandpa and for all that she had lost.
Ty stood in the shadows under the boardwalk overhang and watched Millsap walk toward the Greenbroke Hotel to get something to eat. When he saw him disappear inside, he waited a few more minutes to make sure he didn’t come back out, then hurried on to the Social Club. After he dealt with Lottie’s friends, he would go back and relieve Sheriff Dodson. He didn’t trust the elderly sheriff to stay awake through the night and Ty couldn’t leave Lottie unguarded with Millsap around. Plus, with both men gone, he could get the answers he sought.
When he walked into Briggs’s office a few minutes later, he found it empty. Then he heard voices across the hall.
“In here,” Briggs called. “Lady Jane’s office is more comfortable.”
And more elegant, Ty noted when he entered. Becky and Jane Knightly sat in upholstered chairs that had been turned to face the room, rather than the cold marble fireplace. Briggs and Juno stood beside a delicate table topped with a silver tray holding three glasses and a cut glass decanter. “Drink, Ranger Benton?” Briggs asked, pouring amber liquid into one glass.
Ty shook his head. He needed to stay focused when he questioned Lottie. “It’s Lieutenant Benton now.”
After pouring drinks for him and Juno, Briggs pulled the chair from behind the desk and set it in the middle of the room and facing the women. “Have a seat,” he ordered, then took up a position behind Miss Knightly, while Juno stood beside Becky’s chair.
An inquisition. Dreading what was to come but knowing he couldn’t avoid it, Ty took off his Stetson, set it on the desktop, then sat. He looked at the hostile faces staring back at him and waited for the questioning to begin. At least no one was crying. Yet.
“What is the basis for these murder charges against Miss Weyland?” Briggs asked, signaling he was in charge of this interrogation.
Ty was glad. Even though Briggs might be a dangerous man, he also seemed levelheaded, which was good. If they were to help Lottie, they would need to think calmly, and not get sucked into an emotional shouting match.
“She’s accused of setting fire to her grandfather’s ranch then disappearing.”
“There’s no law against torching your own place,” Juno argued.
“There is if a man is left chained inside one of the burning buildings.”
Shock. Disbelief. Disgust. Ty recognized them all. Felt them all.
Jane Knightly made a sound of distress and pressed a hand over her mouth.
Briggs murmured something, his big hand resting on her shoulder.
Juno would have comforted Becky, too, but she was already out of her chair.
“That’s ridiculous! She didn’t do it, Ty! You know she didn’t! Why are you doing this to her? I thought you cared about her!”
“Sit down, Becky.” Juno put a hand on her arm.
She shook him off. “But he said he loved her! How can he do this if he loves her? This is wrong! You know it is! Lottie would never hurt anybody!” Her voice ended on that screechy high note women make when they try to talk and cry at the same time.
So much for calmness.
Ty crossed his arms and waited for the shouting to stop. It was disconcerting to have his private declarations made public—especially now, when he was so confused he didn’t know what he felt anymore.
Once Juno had Becky under control and back in her chair, Briggs asked how they knew the body was her grandfather’s, especially after so long. “What’s it been—four years?”
“About. The fire didn’t burn everything. Lofton had distinctive false teeth. Two were metal and survived the flames. So did his pocket watch. It was a gift from the school back east where he had taught before the war and was inscribed on the back with his name. Reportedly, he never went without it. Then there’s the fact that Lottie ran.” Which was the part Ty didn’t understand. She must have known how that would look. And if she was innocent, why didn’t she report the fire?
Juno’s voice cut through his thoughts. “How did they track her here?”
“Mr. Lofton had been through Greenbroke in the past. He mentioned it to several parishioners at the church he attended in San Angela, saying he might want to move here someday when he tired of ranching. After they quit coming to town, folks figured they’d left. It was a long shot. But when your Sheriff Dodson was contacted by investigators after the remains were found, he confirmed she lived here.”
Becky looked at him, tears streaming down her face, her eyes reflecting the same bewilderment Ty felt. “But why you? Didn’t they know what it would do to her to send you to arrest her?”
“No one sent me. I volunteered. That’s the only way I could ensure that Lottie would be safe.”
“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned her safety,” Briggs said. “What’s your concern?”
Ty hesitated, not sure how to answer. Millsap hadn’t said or done anything of a hostile nature. Still, Ty didn’t trust him. Or maybe, he was just using that as an excuse to stay close to Lottie. “There’s been no threat. But it’s a long way to San Angela, and she doesn’t know Ranger Millsap. He’s a
rough old cob and might not treat her as courteously as she deserves. I’m there to see that he does.”
“The poor dear.” Miss Knightly dabbed a lace handkerchief to her eyes. “Someone should go with her.”
“I will!” Becky shot to her feet again. “If she has to stand trial, she’d want me to be there.”
Ty shook his head. “You can’t travel with her, Becky. She’s not allowed to associate with anyone outside of law enforcement while she’s in transit.”
“You mean I can’t see her at all?”
“You can see her at the jail. But I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone about her arrest until after we leave. Even the Bracketts. She’s like a daughter to them. They’ll take it hard, and the last thing Lottie needs is a weepy send-off or to be bombarded with a bunch of questions.”
With tearful reluctance, Becky returned to her seat.
Juno asked when they were leaving.
“On the morning train. But I’ll stay on guard all night.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Jane Knightly asked.
“There is.” Leaning forward, Ty rested his forearms across his bent knees. “Tell her not to discuss what happened to her grandfather with anyone. Especially Millsap and the sheriff. And me. We have to report anything she says to us, and it could be used against her if this goes to trial.” He would tell her that, too, if he had the chance. But if Millsap overheard and thought Ty was interfering, he might use that as a reason to kick Ty off the detail, which would leave Lottie unprotected.
“If? You mean there’s a chance there won’t be a trial?”
“It depends on how the preliminary hearing goes and what the judge decides. If he thinks there’s not enough of a case against her, he’ll drop the charges.”
“What are the chances of that?” Juno pressed.
Ty shrugged. “So far, there are no witnesses, no proof that she even set fire to the shed, much less knew her grandfather was chained inside. Remember, the charge against her is murder, not arson.”