“There are fixings and a pan in there, if you don’t mind cooking. I never was great at that particular skill,” she told him, as he knelt next to the fire, going through the bag. Catalina loved to tease her that the only thing more lethal than the pearl-handled Colts she carried was her cooking. Cassandra sat on a log afterwards and drank water from her canteen. She watched him preparing the meal and simultaneously glanced over at her a few times.
“I really appreciate this, Miss Wilde. It’s true. The only reason I broke out was to prove I didn’t rob any stage coach!” he muttered after a while and looked down at the meat he was cutting up.
“It seems reasonable; why don’t you tell me about it?” Cassandra asked, deciding that she wasn’t stupid after all. He didn’t seem like he was dangerous, neither had he presented any sort of threat before or after she had discovered him.
He agreed to tell her everything though, and as he cooked the bacon, he opened his mouth and revealed all. First, he told her of how he had swum a long way upstream underwater fooling the guards. Before moving to the Godspell area he and his sister had grown up on the man-made body of water Lake Bliss and he was a strong swimmer. She had said nothing, but momentarily her mind flashed back to a brutal fight to the death she had won in that very town while trying to thwart a huge robbery.
At last he turned the story to his life before he wound up behind bars in the notorious Claymore Prison. Cassie leaned forward with extreme interest.
CHAPTER EIGHT
* * *
“I was the owner of a little two-bit cow outfit.” He began, “One day as I was riding to town from my ranch, I was thinking of how I may be in the wrong business. It was getting tough to make ends meet, ya know? Those big ranches are hard to compete with.” Momentarily Cassandra’s eyes glanced away. Under Lijuan’s tight reign and with Catalina heading up the cattle operation Cedar Ledge almost couldn’t help to be successful but still she felt sympathy for the man knowing how hard it must be. Sweeping away thoughts of something she could do nothing about she continued listening.
“Anyway, about then I heard the sound of horses and wondered who it was. Soon enough, the two riders came down the path towards me. It was my friend Sheriff Teal and a big ornery gent I never much cared for—the warden from Claymore Prison. Then the sheriff drew his gun. I was shocked and said so.”
“‘Howdy, Sheriff, hey what’s going on?” I asked him. Meanwhile that blasted warden man rode slowly around where I sat on my horse, without a word, looking at me like I was some criminal.
“‘Cover him, Sheriff and we’ll soon find out if he was a part of that stage robbing gang! the warden said. ‘One of the men on the stage when it was robbed swears one of the bandits was Novack when his blue mask slipped part way off,’ he also said about me.”
Novack paused; clearly going through the events of his arrest in his head while Cassandra continued to listen to him attentively. He sighed briefly now, continuing his rather odd tale, and with as much precise narration, it felt as if she had been there when it happened.
“Without hesitation, Carrington flipped open one of my saddlebags and rooted around in it Suddenly, Carrington’s face lit up like the sun. ‘Ah, ha! Gold coins from the Rio Verde Stage line. I told you he was one of the Blue Mask Bandits!’ the big warden said to the sheriff as he pulled out a handful of glittering gold. I had no idea what was going on! I can’t remember all the words that left my lips, but I can surely remember I began to ask all the questions that wouldn’t matter!”
“Where did those come from? I asked. They weren’t in my saddlebag a minute ago! I told the sheriff. It didn’t matter though. He sided with the warden, and that’s all I know. I was tried and convicted as a member of the Blue Mask Bandits. I swear the gold wasn’t in my bag before they came upon me and the warden is the only one who got close enough to touch my bags. I figure he was the one who framed me. I just don’t know why.”
Novack finished his tale as he was adding the last spices to the meat. Cassandra watched him work, thinking about his tale. She had heard of the Rio Verde stage robbery and another one prior to that, and both had been attributed to the Blue Mask Bandits. Thinking hard, she dredged up the memory that she had heard one member had been caught and sent to prison and no more robberies had occurred since. Novack was obviously that man. But though she wasn’t easily swayed, there was something authentic about this man and there was nothing authentic about the warden she had just met.
“I suppose a clever man could have had some coins up his sleeve so he could slip them into your bags and pretend he found them there,” Cassandra said thoughtfully as the food was done and he handed her a plate. She thanked him and he thanked her, mostly because she believed him.
“I appreciate what you said, Miss Wilde. It’s a theory I’ve had in the back of my mind all this time. To hear someone else say it out loud gives me the conviction to expose Carrington for the criminal he is!” Novack said firmly, meeting her eyes.
They ate the cornbread and bacon in silence for a moment, neither of them having something else to say.
“A good theory is one thing, but it’s a long way from making it so. You’re still a fugitive,” Cassandra finally said, thinking about how difficult it would be for him to clear his name.
He didn’t have the time to answer her, though, for she placed her finger on her lips to silence him, after noticing a shadow in the trees beyond. It was going to be one of those nights, she thought to herself wryly. She had to think quickly and suddenly the words came easy.
“I figure we can split that $50,000 Godspell gold shipment tomorrow, don’t you think, Brent? That shouldn’t be a problem?” She asked the startled man.
“What? What are you saying, Miss Wilde, I don’t follow?” he began, looking around anxiously. She nodded behind him though, getting him to notice the approaching men behind the bushes.
“Warden Carrington!” She shouted as Carrington and two men came out of the shadows. She launched herself into the fight quickly, knocking the first man back as Novack struggled with the second. Having gotten the first man temporarily out of the way, she turned and kicked the warden’s left thigh, knocking him down. She swung just in time to hit the first man who was back to his feet and rushing towards her. This time, she could feel a crack when she connected with his jaw, delivering a blow that he wouldn’t get up from.
For a brief moment in time her mind traveled back once more to the day she got her ass handed to her by her teenage enemy who had performed just such punch across her face. Not long after they were the best of friends and she and her family, the Masondales, were teaching Cassandra just how to fight like that! A cry of pain returned her to 1873 in time to see Novack knocking out his opponent who had made the cry.
Cassandra made a wild kick towards the warden’s jaw, sending him into the air and right back to the ground with a loud thud. It had not been her friend who had taught her that maneuver but her beloved sister. She silently thanked Lijuan for the training, amazed at how skillfully she had made the kick. She was nowhere near as good as her younger sister and had nearly missed. But with satisfaction, her foot connected enough so that he reeled from the blow and fell unconscious. Perfect, she thought to herself.
“Let’s get packed up and out of here quick! I imagine their horses are down the hill from where they snuck up on us. Go ahead and grab one of theirs. I think the warden had a pretty good animal from what I saw of it. Look for a Palomino.” she commented as she dumped the food and saddled Lily. By the time Novack came back with the warden’s horse, she was ready to go. The three men were loosely tied so they could get loose with some effort. She didn’t want to leave men helpless in the night.
She took off in the direction of the nearby town of Godspell with Novack riding side by side.
“You really put yourself in the thick of it, Miss Wilde. Aiding a fugitive, resisting arrest, stealing a horse, and now they may have heard you talking about some gold robbery you just made up. What the
hell was that all about?” Novack asked, getting her to chuckle to herself. She couldn’t blame him for being confused.
“I hope they heard me, Brent. I said it for them. I knew they were there, and it was bait for them. There will be a stage leaving Godspell, just not with a gold shipment,” Cassandra told him.
Novack laughed, finally in on the plan.
“I get it. Hopefully Warden Carrington will prove himself a crook and go after it. We can trap him and prove my innocence. Why are you doing this for me, Miss Wilde? You have no reason to.” Novack asked, looking her straight in her eyes as they rode.
Cassandra had a strong sense of right and wrong and she did not get the criminal feeling from Brent Novack. She most definitely did not like the warden, and he felt for all the world like the criminals that were in his charge. When she saw things like this, she always felt like she had to help. She smiled slightly at the big handsome man just to get him to see the sincerity in her eyes. Cassandra turned Lily off the road towards a crook between two high hills before coming to a stop, with Brent following suit.
“I believe in justice, Brent. If you were convicted for a crime you didn’t commit, then something needs to be done. Also, to be completely honest, Warden Carrington is slimy and feels more like a criminal than you do. Now if you could wait here, I am going into Godspell to meet up with an old friend who runs the stage line. I need to check the schedule.”
He hesitated, but nodded in agreement.
Cassandra rode hard off into the night, feeling prepared to get justice back on course once more.
CHAPTER NINE
* * *
Cassandra snuck into Godspell the way any experienced investigator, or thief would. She used back alleys and hid behind crates to keep from being seen. Eventually, she made it to the back of the stagecoach office and climbed up the fire escape ladder to the roof. She then made her way stealthily to the other side and smiled slightly. Her luck was holding as her two African-American friends Quillan and Katie Dodge were standing below, talking to a short young woman with flowing brown hair.
“Look, Melinda, I done told you a hundred times that what you’re asking is impossible…” Katie was saying just as Quillan held up his hand to interrupt her.
“It’s okay, Katie, I want to hear what Melinda has to say,” he said. The young woman, Melinda spoke up eagerly. She looked to be about twenty-one years old.
“I know Katie from back when we worked the restaurant kitchen together, and I know you are good and generous people. That is why I came here. It was my brother, Brent Novack, who escaped from the prison. He is on the run, and I’m worried he will be gunned down without question at any time. I want to go looking for him in the countryside first though. So, I want to hire your stage to help me find him before he gets killed. Here, I have money, it’s all I have…” she stopped talking and pulled out a wad of paper money. “You can have it all if you will help me, please?” the young woman asked softly. It was obvious to Cassandra that the woman was scared and badly frightened for her brother.
“I can understand your need, Miss Novack, but we can’t change our schedule. Our franchise license is up for renewal, and it would be disastrous if we didn’t keep to the schedule. The last time we were up for renewal, if it wasn’t for some very special friends, we never would have made it and lost our franchise. I can’t risk that happening again,” Quillan explained gently to the scared Melinda.
“Is there anyone in town you can hire a horse from?” Katie asked her.
“No one trusts me because they think my brother is a criminal. Besides even if I got a horse or a wagon by myself, everyone would try and follow to find my brother,” Melinda explained while twisting her hair without realizing it.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Melinda, but we can’t risk helping you and losing our franchise. Go on home now and try and get some sleep. It’s getting late and maybe something will come up in the morning.” Katie told her with a hug.
Melinda dejectedly walked away. As Katie had been consoling Melinda, Cassandra had slipped down the side of the building by the waterspout and stepped up behind her friends. They turned to go back into the office and were shocked to see her standing behind them. Katie started to squeal Cassandra’s name in surprise, but Quillan quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. Cassandra noticed Melinda turning back, alerted by Katie’s aborted squeal, and then the young woman hid behind a barrel in the shadows along the front of the office.
“It’s sure good to see you, Miss Cassandra, but what’s going on? We heard rumors that you are a wanted woman?” Quillan asked with a probing gaze.
“I am trying to clear Brent Novak’s name, but I could use your help. Both of you actually,” Cassandra told them.
“Whatever you need, Miss Cassandra! We would have been out of business long ago, and dead, too, if it was not for you and your sisters.” Quillan said to her and Katie nodded vigorously in agreement.
“I don’t want to say too much. You could be implicated if I do. I need to know what time you are running your stage through Cobalt Canyon,” she asked him.
“I will be going through Cobalt around five o’clock tomorrow afternoon on the run to Leland Gulch,” he said.
“Hmmm, Leland Gulch is nowhere I want to see again for a long, long time,” Cassandra muttered shaking her head at the memories.
“What you mean, Miss Cassie?” Katie asked.
“It’s nothing, Katie. I’m trying to estimate the time it takes to ride from Alamieda to Godspell. I think it will be doable. Katie, can you send a telegraph for me first thing in the morning?” Cassandra asked as her plan began to solidify in her head. Katie nodded, eagerly willing to send her message. Next Cassandra’s eyes traveled to the stagecoach, noticing for the first time, how it was different from what she used to know it to be.
“I see you recently painted the stage. Would you have any red paint left over?” She asked Quillan.
“Yes.” he answered nodding slowly.
“Great! May I have some, please?” she asked, getting Quillan to get it from the storage room in the back. While he was gone, she turned to Katie and told her what she wanted in the telegram as she flipped Katie a silver coin to cover the expense.
“Do you got all that?” Cassandra asked her friend as Quillan was coming out with the paint.
“Yes, ma’am you can count on me!” Katie said with a firm smile. Cassandra smiled too and turned to take the paint from Quillan. She raised a hand to his shoulder, trying to be compassionate about the trouble that might be coming his way.
“There may be some trouble during the run tomorrow, but everything will be alright. Do you trust me?” She asked, pretty sure of his answer.
“Of course, with my life, Miss Cassandra.” he answered proudly. Cassandra smiled at his handsome dark features. It was no surprise to her why her sister Honor was once embroiled in such a passionate relationship with the man. One that had not completely cooled or ever would, she suspected.
“Then there is no need to worry. I should be getting back to Novack now,” she said. He stopped her though, getting her to look at him before she could disappear as swiftly as she had appeared.
“How is Honor Elizabeth? he asked.
“She is well…very well…but you would know this if you visited Cedar Ledge more often,” she answered. He nodded, but said nothing more. Cassandra walked a few feet down the clapboard walkway in front of the office and then reached down and pulled Melinda out from her hiding place. She gasped, surprised. Katie and her brother were shocked as well as Cassandra laughed quietly.
“Seems it’s Miss Novak’s lucky day. Now that she has heard everything, I will take her back with me. It will be too dangerous for her to remain in town now,” Cassandra said.
“Oh, thank you. I want to see my brother, but how long did you know I was there?” Melinda asked.
“You really don’t want to know,” she told her and led her off into the night.
They got back to her horse easily s
ince it was so late, and after securing the paint can, Melinda climbed up and rode behind her. Cassandra took it slow to make sure there was no one following her and was satisfied when it seemed no one was. They reached the hiding place of Melinda’s brother about sunrise. Brent and his sister were overjoyed at their reunion, though he was a little nervous about his sister now being in the middle of things.
“Your sister overheard everything, and that puts her at risk. Besides which, I understand that sometimes, family just needs family,” she told him and he hugged his sister again, letting go of mixed feelings.
Cassandra could only hope that everything went according to plan.
CHAPTER TEN
* * *
Cassandra and Brent took a walk around three o’clock after bathing separately in a nearby stream and then getting some sleep. After walking a few minutes, searching for the perfect spot to rest and talk, they journeyed up the gently sloping sides of Cobalt Canyon until they gained the top and found it to be a comfortable place with lots of grass and decided to lay there for a while. Brent told her to wait for him as he went back down the canyon side. It was only a few minutes’ walk back, and Brent soon returned bringing a horse blanket and a canteen for drinking with him. He spread the blanket on the grass, offering her a drink with a gentle smile.
“Melinda is so exhausted; she is sleeping like a baby, still,” he said, sitting beside her after she had gotten comfortable on the blanket first. “She has been so worried she’d had nearly no rest at all until now,” he said.
“She is a good sister, Brent. But why did you want to come up here on a walk?” She asked turning to him more fully, so they were face to face. She studied his strong jawline and sharp green eyes. He really was quite handsome, she decided.
“I thought we might need some privacy, in case Melinda wakes up. I have some questions and want you to be able to speak freely,” he told her.
In Danger's Shadow: Cassandra Wilde Western Adventure (Half Breed Haven Book 2) Page 9