"Surprise, honey," the woman said as they all walked across to the freight station. "I'm going with you."
"You are? How did that happen?"
Ramona kept the parasol over her head while she reached down to haul one of Elizabeth's valises into the wagon bed. “I never stay in one place too long so here I am, moving again, and I couldn't be happier." She glanced in Ross's direction. "When your divine brother asked me to come, I just couldn't say no."
Elizabeth looked at her brother. “Ross?” She was answered with a sheepish grin and a slight shrug of his shoulders. So much for his concern over the split of potential profits, she thought. He'd been furious when he suspected Max might be cut in on their deal. Yet, suddenly he was perfectly willing to add another person to the venture. Obviously her brother was motivated by forces greater than greed.
Actually, Elizabeth didn’t mind that Ramona was coming along. Another woman could be a welcome addition on their journey, and Ramona had proven to be a cheerful sort. She had certainly supported Elizabeth's right to be at the Silver Spike, and even though that decision hadn't turned out to be the wisest one she could have made, it still was nice to have a champion.
From a reporting standpoint, Ramona's presence was a golden opportunity. What could be more riveting than a firsthand interview with a Colorado soiled dove? Even Elizabeth’s father would have to admit that such an article was an attention grabber...and paper seller.
Elizabeth climbed into the wagon and sat on top of a tarp next to Ramona. Ramona cast a scrutinizing look at Elizabeth's attire and expressed her opinion with a flit of her long fingers. "Oh, sugar, you're gonna have to give up those clothes."
Elizabeth thought she looked fine. She'd thrown on a wool skirt which was perfect for traveling and a long sleeved white linen blouse, always appropriate for any occasion. "What's wrong with my clothes?" she asked, noticing for the first time the brightly colored strips of cotton which made up Ramona's skirt and the low-cut elastic neckline of the woman's pink Mexican blouse. Ramona's long hair was tied at her crown with an equally colorful kerchief, leaving her neck exposed.
"You'll roast like a Christmas goose in that getup.”
Elizabeth imagined her woolen attire already growing scratchy. “I hadn’t realized.”
"Don't you worry. When we get to Georgetown, we'll get you the right things. By the time we start climbing that mountain, it will have turned cold, and we'll both be in britches anyway."
Britches? Men's clothes? Ramona was certainly an odd being.
The wagon driver came out of the building and secured the gate at the back of his load. "All aboard?" he asked, coming around to the front. "We're leaving directly."
"No, we can't leave yet," Elizabeth insisted as a tremor of panic coursed through her. Where in the world was Max? "One of our party isn't here."
Suddenly he appeared, sprinting around the corner from Main Street. Refusing to admit to herself that he was the most beautiful sight she could have seen, she sighed with frustration and urged him to run faster.
"Good morning, Cassidy," Ross said when Max climbed aboard. "What happened to your face? Don't tell me you met someone who didn't appreciate your charming Irish wit. Or did you have a run-in with a vicious door?"
"A little of both," Max said. He sat next to Elizabeth and greeted Ramona with a nod. "Good day, Miss Redbud. You're going with us?"
"Never was one to miss an adventure, Mr. Cassidy," she said.
"I'm sure that's true." He turned his attention to Elizabeth. "And how are you this morning, Betsy?"
"Were you trying to give me a heart attack, Max? We could have left."
"Truth to tell, I’m pleased that my absence could have that dire an effect on your tender emotions."
She straightened the folds of her skirt. "What nonsense."
"I had to go for my hat," he explained, and for the first time Elizabeth noticed that the flat-topped coachman was back on his head. It showed a few more scars and battle wounds but, all in all, was not too damaged from its ordeal.
"You went to the alley?"
"I did, and it's quiet as a Sunday morning. Didn't see the first sign of your beaux from last night, though I was reminded of one of them when I saw a dent in the garbage can lid." Giving a stealthy look around the wagon to make sure the others weren't listening, Max continued, "What about the last of your suitors, Betsy? Have you see the battered detective this morning?"
“No, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until he alerts someone to his confinement. I wish this wagon would get moving.”
Without warning, Max pulled her down and covered her with his body. Peeking under his arm, she saw Hildebrand at the front door of the hotel. Max covered his own face with his hat.
“What’s with you two?” Ross asked. “You forget to pay your bill?"
"Mind your own business," Elizabeth said.
"Driver," Max bellowed. "Let's go!"
The driver snapped the reins against the backs of his horses, and the rig moved away from the depot. When the last structure of Central City had disappeared behind the rolling foothills, Elizabeth came up for air.
Dooley rubbed his hand down his beard and squinted at her. "What's the matter with you, girlie? You're acting a mite peculiar this morning."
"Not for her," Max said. "She can be much more peculiar than this."
Georgetown was smaller and less culturally endowed than Central City. Its leading citizens had made their fortunes in silver, not gold. What the Fair Day party found late that afternoon was a narrow main street bedecked with hanging baskets of pansies and geraniums, a few populated side streets, one small hotel, a bank, a courthouse and, of course, several saloons. Of most importance to Ross Sheridan was an outfitter which would meet their prospecting needs.
Since it was too late to begin the trek up Devil's Fork Mountain, Ross decided they would purchase their supplies that afternoon, and start out at first light the next morning. Even Max found the dollar fee at the Dakota Hotel within his budget and joined the others in front of the building after their satchels had been stowed inside their rooms.
Ross took a tablet from his attaché case and read over the long list of supplies he'd been jotting down for days. "Okay, this is what we're going to do," he said with authority.
"I hope it's get a decent meal," Dooley said.
"I hope I’ll get a hot bath and clean clothes," Betsy said, pushing back unruly strands of hair that swirled around her face.
"I could use a good strong shot of whiskey," Ramona offered, though everyone knew she'd been taking swills from a flask all day.
Ross stared at his partners. "What is the matter with you people?" He rattled the tablet in front of everyone’s' noses. "We're not doing any of those things until we’ve purchased every last one of the items on this list. The store will close in a couple of hours and then we'll have lost a whole day! Let's not forget why we're here, after all."
Max cleared his throat and said, "If I may make a suggestion, Ross..."
"Oh fine, Cassidy. What is it you want to do...brawl with some of the locals so you can add more scars to your face?"
"No, I'm satisfied with the ones I’ve got. I do think it would be wise to have Dooley's claim verified at the courthouse however. Before spending any more money, shouldn't we see if the Faraday brothers actually had the rights to the Fair Day Mine registered with the county, and if the document Clyde gave Dooley is worth the paper it’s scribbled on?"
He glanced over nearby rooftops at the three peaks of Devil's Fork Mountain topping two thousand feet of solid rock. "Before any of us scale that beast, wouldn’t you like to be pretty damn sure that if we do find something of value up there, you’ll get to keep it?"
No one said anything for a moment as all four explorers looked at each other and back at Max. "I ain't much on legal matters," Dooley said first, "but it can't hurt to do what the young fella says." When he saw the annoyance on Ross's face, he quickly added, "though I'm sure as can be
that the mine belongs to none other than Dooley Blue."
"Yes, Ross," Betsy agreed. "I think Max has a good idea."
Ramona shrugged. "Makes sense to me, though I guess I'm not really entitled to a vote."
Ross tossed his tablet back into his case and snapped the latch shut. "All right, then, we'll do as Cassidy says...this time. But so help me, Dooley, if this paper turns out to be worthless, I'll make you eat it for your last meal!"
Minutes later they faced the clerk of county records over a well worn oak counter. The little man adjusted his glasses on the end of his nose and read Dooley's document signed by Clyde Faraday. "This looks legal enough," he said, "as long as we can compare Mr. Faraday's signature with the original claim...and as long as we can confirm Mr. Faraday's demise." He peered suspiciously over his glasses at Dooley.
"Of course he's dead!" Dooley proclaimed, looking toward his friends for support. "I held him in my arms till he breathed his last."
The clerk left them and wandered between two rows of filing cabinets. In a short while he returned with a folder in his hand. He cast a tight little bureaucratic smile on the anxiously waiting prospectors.
"It seems you are right, Mr. Blue," he said, and a collective sigh filled the room. "In the spring of 1890, the bodies of Ian and Clyde Faraday were found on the east side of Devil's Fork Mountain. Both men were quite dead and still frozen solid."
"Great news!" Ross exclaimed bringing a disgusted look from the clerk and a jab to his ribs from his sister.
"Further, we have the original claim to the Fair Day Mine on file, and the signature matches the one on Mr. Blue's deed. The mine is yours, Mr. Blue, and you're welcome to it according to the laws of Clear Creek County." He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "Not that you'll find anything," he added. "Devil's Fork Mountain ran dry years ago."
Chapter Thirteen
A somber group of prospectors left the Georgetown City Hall. A gloom had settled over the Fair Day Five, and it seemed that no one wanted to be the first to address the ominous comments of the county records keeper.
Finally Dooley broke the silence by thumbing his nose at the city building. "That little man in there ain't got the sense of a doodle bug," he said. "There ain't no such thing as a dry mountain in all of Colorado. It's all in knowing where to look for the metal and how to sniff out the good ore."
Ross spun around and glared at the old man. Elizabeth readied herself to come to Dooley's defense. "Now, Ross, don't say anything you'll wish you hadn't..."
Ignoring her, Ross puffed out his chest and stuck his face nose to nose with Dooley's. "You darn well better pray that Devil's Fork isn't dry, Dooley, and you better hope your sniffer's working. I'm in no mood to find a dusty hole after climbing two thousand feet in the air."
The old miner didn't back away an inch and matched Ross bluster for bluster. "You'd do well to remember whose name is on that piece of paper, Mr. Fancy Pants Know-It-All..."
Max put a hand on each man's chest and pushed them apart. "Now gentlemen, let's remember our manners. Even though I never put much stock in this get rich quick scheme in the first place, I'm not willing to believe the off-hand comments of that bookworm in there. My instincts tell me that man has never been ten feet up the Devil's Fork, and his opinion is based solely on hearsay."
"That's right," Elizabeth said. "We don't know what we're going to find. I think we should be happy that the claim is real and whatever we do find is ours. Besides, it's still a thrilling adventure and a good news story."
"Easy for you to say, little sister," Ross groused. "You didn't borrow..." He cut his words off and smoothed the front of his rumpled shirt. "Well, never mind about that. The point is, we've come this far. There's no turning back now."
Dooley snapped his fingers with renewed vigor. "That's the spirit. Let's get those supplies so we can sit down in one of them cafes. My belly's been growling for hours."
He set out toward the purveyor and the others trailed behind.
The owner of the mercantile was delighted to see the eager customers. “Too happy,” Max observed to Elizabeth. “As if he hasn’t had many customers lately.”
They purchased picks and shovels, drillers, dynamite, blasting powder, timber scraps and a wheelbarrow in its original crate to be assembled at the Fair Day Mine. Smaller items were packed in cast iron ore buckets.
Once the mining necessities were taken care of, there was still the matter of numerous personal goods. They needed tents, cooking utensils, and non perishable food...enough to last at least two weeks. The men bought rubber boots, denim pants and work shirts, and after much persuasion, Elizabeth let Ramona talk her into three pairs of the dreaded britches.
The problem of getting the supplies up the mountain was solved by purchasing five sturdy backpacks and renting four burros to carry the heaviest goods. Three might have sufficed, but Elizabeth insisted on one extra so no animal would be over burdened.
The substantial bill was paid and arrangements were made to pick up the supplies and pack the burros early the next morning. Then Dooley cut a direct path to the nearest cafe, Elizabeth went back to the hotel for a bath, and Ramona disappeared into the Buzzard's Roost Saloon until Ross picked her up for supper. The entire party, knowing they faced the first of a difficult three-day climb up the Devil's Fork decided unanimously to retire early.
Max insisted on walking Elizabeth to her room, saying he didn't want to worry about her being sidetracked to any barrooms or alleys.
"As if I would do that again," she said. But when she opened the door to her room, she allowed Max to stick his head inside for a quick inspection.
"All clear," he proclaimed. "And once we're on the mountain, I doubt Hildebrand will follow us. He'll be much too afraid that you'll toss him over the side of a cliff. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's waiting here in Georgetown for you when we come back down."
She shivered at the thought. "You don't really think so, do you Max? Surely he'll grow tired of chasing us."
"Not us, darlin’, you. I've got enough of my own devils to worry about without adding yours to my list. I’m practically blameless in the Hildebrand caper."
She affected an indifferent shrug though her insides were quivering at the thought of the detective's revenge. "Well, no matter. If he does show up here, I'll think of something."
"I'm sure of that." Max stepped away from her door and into the hallway. "Well, goodnight, Betsy. See you in the morning."
He hesitated a moment and then added, "I'm right down the hall you know...if you need me."
"I know." She stopped him before he reached his own room. "You know, Max, it's funny."
"What's that?"
"The way things turn out. Back in New York I tried my darndest to get you to come out here with me, and you'd have none of it. You scoffed at the idea of Dooley's mine. And now here you are, smack in the thick of everything anyway. It's just funny, that's all."
"Yeah, I guess it is." He gave her a lopsided grin. "To tell the truth, I still don't believe you'll find anything up there, and back in New York, I meant what I said. I didn't want to come. But it was never because of you. And now, like you said, it's funny...now I'm even glad I'm here."
She smiled back at him. "See you in the morning, Max."
Once in her room, Elizabeth sat at a small desk, took out her writing utensils and turned up the gas jet on her lamp. She wrote down recent events using her most professional reporter style. But she ended with a very personal observation.
"Yesterday I found myself in a most precarious situation. I might even have lost my life at the hands of nefarious Central City hoodlums who tried to rob me. My life and property were spared due to a daring rescue by the dashing and brave Max Cassidy, reporter for the True Detective Gazette. This man singlehandedly and without regard for personal wellbeing, defeated the unscrupulous ruffians and delivered me to safety. My gratitude cannot be measured in mere words."
Satisfied with what she'd written, she replaced the cap on
her inkwell and removed the metal tip from her pen. Everything she'd said was true, but even those flowery sentiments did not fully or accurately express her feelings for Max. He had come to her rescue more than once since she'd left New York. Even as the close-mouthed, conservative Mr. Dree, he had helped her out of a difficult situation.
She put on her nightgown and climbed into bed. When she extinguished her light, she was still thinking of Max. She'd decided that she definitely wouldn't want to be here without him. And she was beginning to realize that the feelings she had wouldn't change once they were back in New York.
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