She cocked her head to the side. What if he’d been too frightened to ride after the sheriff immediately? That certainly sounded like the deputy she knew and despised. The robbers might have had the best part of two hours to escape and hide the gold.
Shooting out of her chair, she rushed to the door and headed down the stairs. She could hardly wait to discuss the contents of the book with JP. When she reached the office door, she could hear the murmur of voices inside. Still, this was important.
Hesitating before she rapped on the doorframe, she pushed inside and came to an abrupt halt. Amy bumped into her back. Elizabeth drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but this is important.” She held up the ledger and sank into the chair Ham pulled up for her. “Amy found Franklin’s ledger in my satchel.”
JP glanced at Elizabeth before turning his gaze on Amy. “There’s a surprise waiting in the barn. Queen had her puppies.”
Amy made it to the door in a flash, holding the doorknob in a tight grip. “Can I pick one up?”
JP laughed. “You can look at the puppies. Queen may even let you handle one.” He added, “Be careful.”
Amy dashed into the hall, her running steps light against the floor. The back door slammed shut only seconds later.
JP leaned back in his chair. “Now, to this all-important information.”
Elizabeth handed the book to JP. “Franklin carried that ledger with him everywhere. I think that’s what the housebreaker wanted when he tore Franklin’s room apart. It must contain something really important because he hid his book in the secret compartment of my satchel.”
“If the pocket was a secret, how did he find out about it?” Ham demanded.
“I showed it to him once. It wasn’t really a secret. I merely kept important items inside. And my pistol.” She leaned across the desk, staring directly at JP. “Franklin hid his book through fear of something happening to him. Which it did, I might add.”
JP flipped through the pages, occasionally running his fingers over a passage. He looked up, his fingers still on a page. “It seems Rupert Landow owned another bank. It failed, thus the bank examiner. There was the stink of embezzlement, not proven, but possible.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Rupert . . . unbelievable. I didn’t read that part.” She placed her hand over her mouth for an instant glancing at JP. “Rupert did tell me he needed an infusion of cash from his grandpa, but his new step-grandma threw a fit and wouldn’t have it. His grandpa gave in to his bride.”
“So Rupert didn’t get the money. Maybe he decided to borrow some from his bank. Not known to the depositors, of course. Franklin hints at such a suspicion in his ledger.”
“Rupert was at the dance. Not making off with a gold shipment,” Elizabeth pointed out, trying to absolve him of any wrongdoing. She liked Rupert. He seemed such a gentleman, overbold, but always holding the line. Still, someone close to home was guilty. Trading Franklin for Rupert wasn’t such a long stretch.
“He has the brains to pull this off,” JP concluded with a frown. “He wouldn’t let his accomplices haul the gold very far out of his reach.” JP shot to his feet. “We have some searching to do.”
“You don’t know Rupert had anything to do with the heist,” Elizabeth insisted. She couldn’t give up on him yet. He held his bitterness against his grandpa close, but that didn’t mean he was guilty of this crime. “He may be a victim in the whole thing. It couldn’t be easy losing an entire shipment of gold plus all our money as well.”
“Maybe,” Ham said, “but JP’s right. We need to search. That gold would be too heavy to haul very far anyway.”
“Ham’s right. Let the search begin.” JP shoved the ledger into his desk draw. Standing, he prowled across the oiled floor, his shadow stalking behind him. “Ham, you, Hud, and I have some riding to do.”
JP stared out the window with his hands laced behind his back. “Where is the most likely place to hide bags of gold?” In a decided tone, he added, “We’ll split up and each began the hunt in a different place tomorrow morning.”
JP held up his hand before Elizabeth could say a word. “No, Elizabeth. You can’t join us. It’s too dangerous with Chester turning over every rock to see if he can dig up a reason to arrest you. Plus someone searched your room at the boardinghouse.”
Disgruntled at having been left out, Elizabeth shrugged and folded her hands in front of her. She watched Ham and JP hurry out the door to prepare for the search. Well, she wasn’t done yet. Rushing over to JP’s desk, she gathered a pen and paper from a drawer and sank into his chair. She knew a lot about the area, enough to consider a likely place to hide gold.
She needed a list of handy spots, secret, hidden, and not much chance someone would stumble on the loot. Putting pen to paper, she began to plan her own search of the area.
~ ~ ~
Early the next morning, JP assigned the places to inspect. One after another the dilapidated properties were searched. Every conceivable space to hid coins was visited. The barns, smokehouses, and even the outhouses were explored. The men spent several discouraging days hunting for the bags of gold.
At a late supper, JP and the other men relaxed around the table in the breakfast parlor, smaller and cozier than the formal dining room.
JP ran his fingers through his hair. “Since we’ve explored nearly every abandoned root cellar, barn, and house in and around town, maybe we should take our search farther afield.”
Hud pulled bread apart, his fingers restless, letting the crumbs fall in his plate. “Do you think someone in town has it tucked away safe and sound until the folks get on with their lives?” He sat straighter and glanced at JP. “Not that anyone would forget about the theft, but folks move on.” He grimaced. “Nothing else they can do.”
Ham stared at the handle of his knife. “I’d hate to think a friend and neighbor robbed everyone. Destroyed lives, ruined whole families. The robbery is most as bad as the yellow fever was, devastating and hurting every last one of us.”
JP pushed his plate away. “Let’s try farther afield. If we find no trace, we’ll start a discreet search in town.” He noticed a small shadow, still, intent, hovering on the wall in the hallway. He shook his head and let the eavesdropping pass. That little miss prissy would be certain to inform Elizabeth of every word spoken. Good, then his wife wouldn’t hound him for answers.
Chapter 30
Elizabeth found Amy alone in the front parlor. The smell of fresh lemon wax and lamp oil lingered in the room. The young girl sat on the floor with her chin propped on one knee while she flipped through a catalog. Intent on the page before her, she failed to look up when Elizabeth entered. Light from a table lamp haloed around her.
Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Did the men say anything?”
Amy glanced up and shook her head. “Not much.”
Drat. Elizabeth had thought to learn more about JP’s doings, things he wouldn’t share with her. Naturally, she didn’t condone eavesdropping, but she couldn’t very well reprimand Amy and ask questions at the same time. “Do you know where JP wants to look next?”
“He said farther afield.” Amy jumped to her feet leaving the catalog where it lay. “I wouldn’t leave gold in a broke down old house or barn neither.”
“There’s a powerful lot to think about in that statement. Where would you hide the gold? It isn’t yours, and if it is discovered in your possession, you are likely to land in jail?”
Amy cast a disgusted glance at Elizabeth. “I’d hide the gold in a dark, still place, maybe with some scary spiders. Like a dungeon with stone walls and such.” She gestured with her hands. “Nobody could see the trap door. Nobody could find where, and nobody could break into it, neither.” She plopped down on the sofa. “I wouldn’t touch the loot ’til everybody forgot about it. Then I’d grab it and run.”
Elizabeth sank into a chair next to the sofa when a thought struck her. Amy’s description of a perfect hiding place reminded Elizabeth of the root cellar at her old home. Hopeful excitement tightened her stomach. Papa had built the walls and floor out of stones, deep in the earth, with the stairs and trap door hidden under the kitchen floor.
Did the thief find the cellar and use the space to secret away his cache of gold coins? Last time she was there, she hadn’t noticed any disturbance of the burned timbers. Still, the crook could have easily covered his tracks with all the turmoil marking the entire skeleton of the house. The more she thought about the root cellar, the more plausible her idea became.
Why not ride over there and take a look? It couldn’t hurt. She laughed under her breath. No, it couldn’t hurt unless JP found out about her attempt to go against his wishes. Her stomach clinched. To her way of thinking, that was all the more reason to venture forth. She’d need to plan her actions carefully if she wanted to succeed.
~ ~ ~
JP gazed at Elizabeth, the firelight caressing the satin smooth curve of her cheek. His woman, his wife, Elizabeth Honeycutt. The desire to stoke her lovely face, and much more, surged through him. She’d tied her thick hair up away from her face with a pink ribbon matching the tiny rosebuds on her sprigged muslin gown. Lovely beyond doubt, but at the moment the most compelling thing about her was the twinkle of amusement in her eyes. She was up to something, definitely, but what?
He knew she would never tell him. He must resort to a different tactic if he wanted to learn more. “Amy. What have you been doing, besides listening at keyholes and the like?”
“I didn’t listen at any old keyhole.”
“No, you didn’t, but you were lingering outside the breakfast parlor.” He raised his brows. “I saw you, so don’t bother to deny it.”
Amy shifted from one foot to the other. “Yes, sir. I was there.”
“By any chance, were you and Elizabeth discussing the conversation you overheard?”
Amy glanced at Elizabeth and back at JP. With a great deal of hesitation, she nodded.
He narrowed his gaze at Elizabeth. “What are you planning?”
“Nothing.” Elizabeth shrugged.
Her expression was innocent enough, in fact, too innocent for belief. She never listened to reason, even when he had a perfectly acceptable explanation for caution. He instilled an intimidating threat plus a warning in his voice. “Elizabeth!”
She clasped her hands together and averted her gaze. “All right. I thought to ride over to the burned-out shell. We had a root cellar made of stone. Papa built it under the house. It had a trap door and everything. Amy listed certain criteria before the place could be considered a great hiding place. Our old root cellar met her requirements exactly.”
He shook his head. With his wife courting danger again, apprehension knotted his stomach. Would she never learn? He wanted her safe. “Elizabeth, what have I told you about the danger? I don’t want you near that place. At least until the robber—and the rustlers—are caught.”
Elizabeth edged closer to him and captured his gaze. “I understand your concerns. I really do, and I agree, but the latch is difficult to find.”
He lifted his chin, still holding her gaze, intimidating, and serious. “You can tell me where to look.”
“I know exactly how to open the trap door. Actually, there’s a locking mechanism in the chimney.” Her voice low and intent, she added, “Why don’t we go together tomorrow morning?”
“Me too?” Amy cried.
JP raised his hands in defeat and rolled his eyes. Women. “Might as well take the entire family. If the crook happens to notice us, we’re on a family outing.”
Amy beamed. “Yes, part of a family.”
He didn’t hold out much hope of finding the gold. How would a crook have discovered the latch to the door? He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. It was worth a look, just to satisfy Elizabeth if nothing else. How he loved that woman.
Standing, he stretched and yawned behind his hand as a hint to Amy.
Starting for the stairs, he said over his shoulder, “Time for bed, lambkin.” He grinned at Elizabeth and motioned her forward with his head.
JP and Amy traipsed up the stairs with Elizabeth on the next step down. Giving Amy a kiss on the cheek and sending her on her way, he entered his bedchamber. On occasion, he regretted allowing Elizabeth to disrobe in the other bedroom. At the moment, he’d love to observe her shedding her clothes for him. Still, he had the rest of the night with her in his arms.
~ ~ ~
The next morning dawned bright and cloudless with a decided chill in the air. JP lifted Amy, then Elizabeth into his buckboard. To please his wife, he headed the horses across the cobbled stable yard and down the wide dirt road.
After several miles, he pulled his team to a halt next to the burned-out shell. Amy scrambled down before he could help her. Knowing how much Elizabeth rejected his help when descending, he grinned and lifted her down. Served her right for always being so prickly.
Elizabeth slowly climbed over a fallen timber in the middle of the structure. A pile of charred beams covered a spot at the side of the destroyed kitchen next to the hearth.
Amy pointed. “Look. Boot tracks in the ashes.”
Elizabeth rushed over. “That is about where the trapdoor is located. Maybe someone stacked the wood on top to conceal the entrance.”
JP moved the timber and noted the charred remains of a rug, out of place, old, and weathered. His throat tightened. “Is this the spot?”
“It should be under that rug. Let me turn the latch.”
He removed the rug waiting for Elizabeth to open the hatch at the mantle. The groan of a chain moving over a pulley moaned a moment before the charred flood boards swung away revealing a dark pit of a room below.
The smell of dank earth and rotted vegetation puffed out of the root cellar. He lit a lantern and peered down into the room below. Before JP could enter the pit, he noticed the lamplight gleaming off a gold coin lying on the stone floor.
A thrill of surprise pounded his chest. Yes, more than likely this was the government gold, bags and bags of coins. JP descended into the hole, his boots scraping against the stone steps. He hung the lantern on a hook over the stairway and ventured deeper into the pit. Long, swaying shadows cast by the lantern followed him grasping, reaching for his back.
Elizabeth clamored down the stairs with Amy at her heels. She moved to where the bags were stacked, looking over JP’s shoulder.
“You are blocking the light. Move over a tad.” Opening several of the bags, JP inspected the content of every leather container. “At least one bag is missing. The rest of the gold is here.”
Elizabeth lifted a coin out of an open pouch. Examining the gold piece carefully, she said, “So, this is the gold, all shiny enough to tempt a robber. I almost wish we hadn’t found it.” Without hesitation, she added, “You tell the deputy. I can’t. He’ll think I robbed the bank too.”
JP cussed under his breath. He tightened his lips for a brief second. “We won’t. At least for the time being. I’ll find a way to secure the coins without informing Chester of the location. It’s not that I don’t trust him.” His voice heavy with disdain, he glanced at Elizabeth and said, “But I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t trust him either,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Chester. That scurrilous dog. He must have waited ages before he found enough courage to ride out to the ranch and tell us about the holdup. He allowed plenty of time for the crooks to hide the gold here. Could be why he’s so fired up to blame you for, eh, things.”
“I know about the murder,” Amy chimed in, “so you don’t need to try and hide it from me. The other kids at school are talking about the killing, too.”
Elizabeth gasped, her eyes wide. “You don’t think he’s mixed up in the robbery, do you?”
JP shook his head. “Let’s not cast aspersions on anyone, yet. Besides, I don’t think he has enough gumption or courage to participate in anything as dangerous as a robbery. But we’ll keep the discovery quiet for now. We’ll watch and see what happens next.”
Personally, he was glad the gold had been discovered. Having one problem off his plate sounded pleasant. The only thing clouding the issue was the robber and how to catch him. He drew a deep breath, covered the pit door again, and edged his family toward the wagon. There was still a mountain of things to do before the day eased into night.
Chapter 31
JP strode into his office at the ranch with the letter in his hand. He slid into the seat behind his mahogany desk, large and imposing. The sun slanted through the window at his back bathing the room in afternoon light. He’d briefly read the troubling message before he entered his office. Smoothing the paper open, he read the letter again. Not that perusing the contents gave him any further insight into the reason US Marshal Duncan requested a meeting. JP had yet to send for a lawman or inform anyone of the discovery of the gold.
A coffee stain at the top right-hand corner seemed ominous. A careless marshal, sloppy or dismissive, with little thought to the reader of his message was a complication JP did not need in his life. He needed a dependable lawman.
The marshal did apologize for the deplorable state of his message. JP grimaced. Not so thoughtless after all, but what could the marshal want? The letter didn’t say much. Surely he wouldn’t come to Bittersweep to investigate Franklin’s murder. JP didn’t want any more questions thrown Elizabeth’s way. That blasted deputy with his senseless suspicions was enough of a pain in the ass, always viewing Elizabeth as the culprit when he couldn’t find anyone else to blame.
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