“It really wasn’t intuition,” Helaina replied. “I can’t say for sure what it was. Jacob Barringer kept talking to me about mercy and compassion. I told him I believed in justice, and he accused me of seeking nothing but revenge.”
“Sometimes I think we do seek revenge. I know I have felt that way about Kincaid. I wanted him to pay for not only what he did to me, but what he did to my fellow agents. I know it’s better to remain at a distance when dealing with these criminals, but I couldn’t help it.”
“Still, the law is the law,” Helaina replied. “I’ve always felt confident that, in serving the purpose of the law, mercy was unimportant. I suppose this case has changed my mind somewhat. But I’m still uncertain as to how the two are reconciled without someone paying a steep price.”
She considered her next question carefully. “Stan, what are your thoughts on God?”
“What in the world causes you to ask something like that?” he replied. “God is God. What else can I say?”
“Do you see a need for Him in your life? Have you ever thought to turn your life over to Him?”
“In what way?”
She shrugged. “I’m not completely certain. Jacob and Leah, and even Kincaid—they are all Christians. But not just the kind of people who go to church on Sunday, making sure they’re seen by all the right people. These people really believe in God—in doing what He wants them to do. They read their Bibles every day, and when people are troubled and hurting, they talk about things from that Bible. They use Scriptures to help each other overcome difficulties.”
“Some people need that kind of crutch,” Stanley answered. “I suppose I see nothing wrong with it, but neither do I feel a need for it.”
“So you’ve never felt the need to turn your life over to God?”
Stanley strained to see something out the window, then eased back against the leather upholstery. He looked at Helaina and shook his head. “No. I believe man has to make his own way in the world. We alone are responsible for our actions. We can’t be blaming things on supernatural beings—be they divine or evil.”
“Then God plays no part in your life?”
“I’ve never really considered it, to tell you the truth. Why would He care about me?”
“Jacob says He cares about all of us. That He showed us mercy even before we existed on this earth and sent His Son to die for us.”
“I’ve heard all of that, but I think it rather pretentious to imagine that God would sacrifice His Son for us lowly sinners. Why would He do that? Why not just make everything right with the snap of His finger?” Stanley smiled. “If God has fingers.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m confident that man controls his own path. He must. He must make choices good or bad. When he makes bad ones, then I get involved.”
Helaina had heard it all before, but in the back of her mind she was confused. She had hoped in hearing it again that her convictions might be reestablished. But instead, Stanley’s words only troubled her more. Because in spite of Stanley’s assurance in his theories and thoughts, Jacob Barringer seemed far more confident of a truth that was not of his own making.
————
“These are the men I promised you,” Stanley said. He turned to introduce the larger of the two first. “This is Big Butch Bradford. He’s been in the service of the Pinkertons for nearly ten years. He’s a good man to have in your corner.”
Leah watched as her brother and Jayce shook hands with Big Butch. The man’s thick barrel chest and broad shoulders reminded her of Adrik Ivankov.
“And this is Sam Wiseford, and the name is quite appropriate. He is very wise—too smart for his own good. He’ll be a good asset to you. He’s only been with the Pinkertons for a year, but he’s already distinguished himself several times.”
Leah thought the man looked too young to even be allowed a job as a Pinkerton. He was athletic in appearance with sandy brown hair that fell in a boyish manner across his face. She smiled when he realized she’d been watching him. He blushed furiously.
“Where’s Helaina? We’ll be late if she isn’t ready,” Stanley said.
Leah looked around the room, realizing for the first time that Helaina hadn’t joined them. “I’m sure she’s just packing lastminute things. Let me go see if I can lend her a hand.”
Leah heard Stanley grunt an approval and continue talking about his men and what their duties were to be. Leah could hardly contain her joy at returning to Alaska. She missed the summer in her village and now longed for her friends and little house. She particularly missed Ayoona and Emma.
“Helaina?” she called from outside the woman’s closed door.
“Helaina, Stanley says you must hurry. Can I help you pack?”
She knocked when there was no reply and found that the door was open. Looking inside, Leah called again. “Helaina, are you here?”
There was no sound. Leah went into the room and looked around—all of Helaina’s things were gone, and there was no sign of the woman anywhere. Leah noticed a folded piece of paper on the nightstand and saw a name on the outside. Stanley. The script was flowery and feminine, no doubt from Helaina. Leah got a strange feeling that trouble was on the horizon. She hurried downstairs and held out the note to Stanley.
“I found this, but it appears Helaina is gone.”
“Gone?” Jacob asked. “Gone where?”
Stanley read the note and growled. “Gone to Alaska. The foolish ninny has bribed passage on a freighter bound north. She left last night.”
Jayce looked to Leah. “She’s gone after my brother.”
“She’s gone to get herself killed, is what she’s done,” Jacob declared, his anger evident. “I can’t believe she’d put herself in harm’s way like this.”
“Oh, she thrives on it,” Stanley replied in disgust. “I can’t begin to tell you how many times she’s done things like this.”
“So what do we do now?” Jayce asked.
“We don’t have a lot of choices. Captain Latimore won’t be ready for another two days,” Leah replied. “I think we’ll simply have to try to catch up with her before she finds trouble.”
“I’ll find her—I promise you that,” Jacob told Stanley. “We’ll do what we can to keep her out of trouble, but knowing your sister, she’ll probably attract it to herself like a magnet to metal.”
Stanley shifted his weight. “I wish I could come with you, but I’m needed in Washington. My supervisor wasn’t happy I even came here.”
Stanley handed him a card. “Here’s the address where I can be reached. Please let me know as soon as possible if she’s all right. Then send her home. Hog-tie her if need be.”
“I doubt we’ll get her out of Alaska until next spring. We’ll be lucky if we can just get ourselves into Nome without great difficulty,” Jacob said, taking the card. “But I assure you we will get there.”
Later, Leah found Jacob in the music room. He hadn’t seemed himself for days, and she chalked it up to him being out of his element. But after seeing his reaction to Helaina’s secret departure, Leah couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t something more to this.
“Are you all right?” she asked her brother.
“I’m about as mad as a person can be with Mrs. Beecham.”
“She’s really managed to . . . well . . . attract your attention.”
“I’d like to give her some attention all right. She wouldn’t like it, of course.”
“Jacob, what’s this all about? Why are you so upset with Helaina? Sure, she’s thrown the wool over our eyes and set herself up for trouble, but she’s a grown woman. She’s done jobs like this before. Why torment yourself over her getting to Nome first?”
“Because if she gets there first, she just may get herself killed. Jayce has told me that once his brother feels threatened, he’ll stop at nothing to be rid of the threat. He wouldn’t think twice about killing Helaina.”
“I wouldn’t want to see her come to harm either, Jacob. I didn�
�t mean to sound calloused. I just think your feelings for her are stronger than you’d like to admit.”
Jacob looked at her oddly for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “I fear she’s in trouble. She used to have her firm belief in the law and justice to drive her through times of peril. But I’ve been talking to her about the Lord’s mercy and compassion. It’s given her a lot to think about, and I know she’s troubled by it. I’m afraid it might affect her judgment in dealing with Chase Kincaid.”
“But you did nothing wrong, Jacob. You shared God’s truth with her. That’s what we’re supposed to do. She still has to make her own choice. If she decides against choosing God, it won’t be your fault any more than it will be to your credit if she does choose Him.”
“I know all of that, but . . . well . . . I feel that before she had an inner strength that made her fearless and capable of dealing with desperate situations. I’m not sure she still has that. She’s doubting herself now, which is good on one hand but may end her life on the other.”
Leah began to see his reasoning. “I think I understand. But even in knowing this, we are helpless to do anything but pray. And you know even better than I do that prayer is our most powerful tool.”
She took hold of Jacob’s hands and squeezed them tight. “Jacob, you need to stop feeling guilty and use that energy to pray.”
He nodded. “I know.”
Leah could see that she’d accomplish nothing more in talk.
She would pray for Jacob and trust God to guide his heart. So many times in life they’d done this for each other. . . . It had never failed her.
Chapter Thirty-two
The rocking motion of the Homestead nearly sent Leah from the bed. In fact, had Jayce not held on to her tight, she might have found herself sleeping on the floor.
“The weather is getting rougher,” she said, snuggling against her husband.
Jayce pulled her close and murmured sleepily. “Soon we’ll be home and we won’t have to worry about it.”
“But there’s a lot to do before we get home. I hope you know how proud I am of your decision.”
Leah looked up as Jayce opened his eyes. “Having you at my side gives me a strength I don’t think I would have otherwise had. I feel so mixed in my decision. On one hand, he has to be stopped. He’s a killer and seems to have no regard for anyone. But he’s also my brother.”
“I know. I kept thinking to myself: how would I respond if this were Jacob?”
“But there’s a difference. You and Jacob grew up close to each other. You cared for each other and stuck it out together. Chase has avoided me since we were five. He’s always gone his own way and has spent most of his life blaming others for his problems.”
“Well, I’m proud of you for not hating him. You’ve treated him well, considering how he acted toward your mother—not to mention others.”
“Not always. When I saw him in Last Chance this summer, I hid from him. I was so stunned to find him there. I figured he would only cause me trouble. I would like to know how he learned of my whereabouts, but I suppose he’ll never tell me.”
Leah sighed and placed her head on her husband’s shoulder. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m homesick.”
“Your taste of big-city life and fancy clothes didn’t change your mind about remaining in Alaska?”
She laughed. “Just like it changed your mind? After all, you got to sleep in a plush bed in a warm house with servants. You never once had to hunt or look for wood to fuel your stove.”
Jayce kissed the top of her head. “I’m at home wherever you are,” he whispered. “I just never realized it until now.”
————
Jacob knew Captain Latimore was deeply worried about his ship. They’d reached Nome, but the waters had roughened considerably, and now early ice was threatening to keep the ship from returning to Seattle.
After overseeing the last of the loads being taken into Nome, Jacob went to meet with the captain. “It seems to me,” Jacob told him, “that unless you are hard-pressed for a return on your money, you should leave that in our hands. We can arrange sale of the goods and collect the money for you. Of course, it might be spring before you see it.” He grinned.
“I’m agreeable to you handling the procedure and keeping ten percent of my share for your troubles.”
Jacob reached out and shook hands with the captain. “Consider it done.”
“Then we will endeavor to leave as soon as possible. Pray for us to make it safely back.”
“I will. Oh, and they tell me there are a group of passengers who have asked if you will allow them to return with you. A couple of them are hoping to get to San Francisco, but most are content to get to Seattle.”
“I would be glad to do so. It hardly seems like a sound business decision to return empty.”
Jacob looked down the shoreline. “I’ll let them know they should talk to you. You can settle on the cost of passage and such.” He shook hands once again with the captain. “I’ll see you in June.”
Jacob went about the business of arranging for the sale of the goods. It took some time to manage the account and inform the proper authorities of how they might contact him and arrange the sales.
“I’ll take all the canned goods you have,” a merchant told Jacob as he checked his invoices. “Of course, with all the trouble of late, we might see a lot of people leave this town, and I’ll be left holding the goods.”
“What kind of trouble?” Jacob asked, counting the remaining inventory.
“Didn’t you hear? We just had a double murder and a kidnapping. Two of our deputies were gunned down—ambushed. A lady who’d just arrived in town was taken hostage by the madman.”
Jacob looked up. “Was the woman’s name Beecham?”
“I don’t recall. I just know it’s scared a good many people. Maybe not bad enough to leave Nome, but bad just the same.”
Jacob tried to focus on the transaction but found it impossible. “Look. Here are the tallies.” He showed the man his papers. “I can let you have all of this.”
“I’ll take it. Come by in the morning, and I’ll have a draft for you.”
Jacob nodded. “I’ll do that.”
With business concluded and his heart full of dread, Jacob hurried into town to find Leah and Jayce. When he caught up with them at the hotel, there was no doubting they’d already heard the news.
“A woman’s been taken hostage,” Leah said in a hushed voice. “The police chief was injured and two men were killed.”
“So what do we do?” Jacob asked Jayce.
“We were just heading over to the jail. The Pinkerton men are already there. I want to talk to the police chief and see what insight he can offer. I’m sure the offender was Chase, although I suppose I could be wrong. Fights and killings go on all the time up here.”
“But kidnappings don’t,” Jacob nearly growled. “I just know that ninny got herself taken hostage.”
Jayce and Leah exchanged a look and nodded. “We do too,” Jayce replied.
The police chief confirmed their fears. “We were approached by Mrs. Beecham two days ago. She showed us her documentation and discussed the situation at length. She said it was imperative that we catch Chase Kincaid as soon as possible.”
“So what happened after that?”
“Well, we helped her find the man. He was calling himself Jayce Kincaid. Mrs. Beecham said this was normal procedure for him.” Jayce nodded and sighed. The chief continued. “He seemed to have a penchant for playing cards, so I arranged a game with a couple of my deputies. There were also a couple of other townsmen in on it too. Mrs. Beecham insisted on being involved as well.”
“I’ll bet she did,” Jacob muttered.
The police chief shrugged. “There didn’t seem to be any harm in letting her at least be there. I figured she could identify the man. We set it up in the hotel lobby last night—gaming goes on there all the time.”
“So what went wrong?”
Jayce asked.
“Kincaid seemed to know what was going on.” He looked hard at Jayce. “I’ve never met twins before. It’s almost spooky.”
Jayce nodded. “In more ways than you know.”
The chief seemed mesmerized for a moment, then continued his story. “Like I said, Kincaid seemed to know what we were up to. It was like someone had given him the information for the entire plan. We let the game play out for most of the night. Thought he’d be drunk and tired by the time we jumped him. But instead, he seemed just as fresh as when he’d sat down.
“A couple of the guys left the game. They cut their losses and exited the hotel, as did I, to maintain a position from the street. Pretty soon it was just my men and Mrs. Beecham. She was sitting close to the front of the room reading a book. When my men decided the time was right, they went into action. But Kincaid was two steps ahead of them. He shot them both on the spot—dead on, right through the heart. That brought the hotel owner running. Kincaid winged him and sent him diving for cover. Mrs. Beecham, however, was not to be undone. She pulled a derringer and pointed it right at Kincaid’s head. According to the hotel owner, the man didn’t seem at all disturbed by this. In fact, as he handed over his gun, he smiled at her.”
Jacob barely held his temper. He felt a rage burning inside that he couldn’t even begin to explain. Maybe he did care for Helaina more than he should. Maybe she had somehow wormed her way under his skin.
“Well, Mrs. Beecham thought she’d march him to jail holding that derringer on him. Kincaid pretended to go along with it at first. I was in the street, trying to position myself to catch him when he came out. But when I called to him, it distracted Mrs. Beecham and Kincaid took control of her gun and grabbed her as a shield.”
“And then what?” Jacob sounded more demanding than he’d intended. “Where did he take her?”
“I’m really not sure. There was a bit of a crowd gathering in the streets by this time, and Kincaid threatened to kill anyone who followed. I tried to talk him into letting her go, but he ended up shooting me in the foot as a warning. He took off with Mrs. Beecham and disappeared into the darkness. Wounded as I was, I had to let him go—at least momentarily. I knew I’d need to put together a posse of men to go after Kincaid, and that was going to take some time.”
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