I’m happy to know that you’ve got a good place and a chance at marrying a well fixed man. But dear lady, I’ll miss you and the many enlightening chats we’ve had over the past few years, not to mention our dalliances between the sheets.
Since Leon’s execution things have been quiet. No one has been prowling ’round asking questions, so I’m told.
The coast is clear for you to come back to Buffalo if things do not work out for you there. The officials think that because Leon confessed he had the brains to do the deed by himself.
There is nothing to worry about now. The reason that I’m writing is to tell you that I’ll be coming to Harpersville July first for the day before I go on to Atlanta. I’ll be standing in front of the post office about half past noon. Walk by and tell me where I can meet you later.
Jack
Ethan chortled happily after he read the letter and passed it to Ralph, who read it quickly and handed it back.
“Now tell me what this is about.”
Ethan sobered. “It’s a big case. A really big one. When President McKinley was shot and killed up in Buffalo last September everyone thought that Leon Czolgosz had acted alone. He even said he did. But a few of us in the Bureau thought he must have had some outside help. In other words, a conspiracy. We concentrated on the rooming house where Czolgosz lived. The day McKinley was shot, one of our mon took a room there. The only boarders packing up to leave were Louella Lindstrom and this bird Dinsmore. We figured that they were afraid that Czolgosz would talk. He was executed a month later, but even with all the grilling, he still contended that he had acted alone.
“I trailed Mrs. Lindstrom to Knoxville, where she took a room in a rooming house and stayed about a month. She moved around several times and mailed several letters to Dinsmore but received no answers. I was really surprised when she came here and settled in.
“Another man in the Bureau trailed Dinsmore. He went to a place in New Jersey and then into the boroughs of New York City. He was hard to keep track of there. After a while he went back to Buffalo, where he must have received Mrs. Lindstrom’s letter. Dinsmore has done about everything criminal, including fleecing old ladies out of money. He worked in Sweden for a while, and probably met Mrs. Lindstrom there. He also signed aboard ships making the Atlantic crossing. We figure that’s where he got acquainted with Czolgosz. Dinsmore is a handsome guy, a snappy dresser and a charmer. I imagine he charmed the prissy Mrs. Lindstrom right out of her drawers.”
“What would the motive be for killing the president?”
“Who knows. The president made a lot of enemies by supporting high tariffs to protect the U.S. industry from foreign competition. He was not popular abroad.”
“I’m surprised Mrs. Lindstrom didn’t catch onto the fact she was followed.”
“You don’t have much faith in my ability, Ralph, or in my talent for disguising myself.” Ethan was in a good mood. This was the break he had been waiting for.
“You’re the one with the gift of gab. I suspect if you put your mind to it, you could charm the skin off a snake.” Ralph shook his head thoughtfully and went back to setting type.
Ethan was so lost in thought that he scarcely heard Ralph. He was busy copying the letter word for word and resealing the envelope, making sure it didn’t look as if it had been tampered with.
“I’ll take this back to Dick,” he said over his shoulder as he went out the door. “Then I’m going down to the depot to send a wire.”
CHAPTER
* 21 *
Wednesday morning came and, with it, the early morning train. Black smoke rolled from the smoke stacks on the engine and the wheels sang a protest as they sent out sparks and screeched to a stop on the iron rails. Mail bags were tossed onto the platform, and two men alighted from different cars on the train. One carried a large case of the kind that a drummer would use. The other man wore well-worn clothes and appeared to be a down-and-outer looking for work. The two men walked away without looking at each other and met again behind the newspaper office. A door opened and they slipped inside. Ethan greeted them with a handshake and introduced them to Ralph.
“Peterson, McGarvey, meet Ralph Marsh. He’s been a great help.”
“Howdy.” The men shook hands. “Thanks for the help. This wet-eared kid needs all the help he can get.” Peterson grinned at Ethan.
“I remember a time or two when this wet-eared kid saved your bacon, huh, McGarvey?”
“Yeah. I remember the time he was chasin’—”
“Whoa!” Peterson said. “If we get into reminiscing about the tight spots we’ll be here all day. I hear you’re about to be a former Bureau man, Bredlow.”
“Yeah, kid.” McGarvey removed his billed cap and scratched his head. “What caused you to change your mind about staying with the service?”
Ethan grinned. “It’s about time I settled down. Hell, I’m not getting any younger and I don’t fancy catching a bullet. I want a loving wife and kids before I turn up my toes.”
“So do I,” Peterson said. “I keep thinking I’ll turn in my badge, but something like this comes along and the juices flow.”
“Dinsmore should be on the noon train. He said he’d be here the first of July.” Ethan showed the men a copy of Dinsmore’s letter to Louella Lindstrom. They read it and “the drummer” tucked it away.
“And the woman—?” Peterson asked.
“She’s still here. She has been employed by a doctor as housekeeper.”
“Is there a connection?” McGarvey asked.
“None. I’m absolutely sure. I had to give Ralph the story and he vouched for the Doc. I’ve been afraid the Doc would send her packing. His children are upset, and his home is in turmoil. That Louella has got more gall than any woman I’ve ever met.”
Peterson, the man with the large black case, chuckled. “She’s gutsy all right, and she’s got an air about her that makes folks think she’s somebody. I’m surprised she’d take a job as housekeeper.”
“She explains it to people around town that she’s a friend of the family and that she’s tutoring the children.” Ethan silently hoped Pauline, with her explosive temper, didn’t hear about that until they had LoneIla in custody.
“We need to tie her and Dinsmore together,” Peterson said. “We’d better wait until they meet to make the arrests.”
“I agree to that. Meanwhile, you two have been on the train all night and need some rest. Ralph won’t mind if you flop down in the back room.”
“Make yourself to home,” Ralph said and handed each of the Bureau men a bedroll. “I’ll go to the bakery as soon as it’s open. Ethan will make coffee. He ought to know how—he’s drunk ten gallons since he’s been here.”
The morning dragged until the whistle of the noon train sounded. Ethan took up watch at the window of the newspaper office. The passengers had to come this way to get to the hotel or the rooming house. Several buggies were lined up behind the depot. Ethan was sure none were waiting for Dinsmore. Several drummers passed by before Ethan spotted the man he was waiting for.
Jack Dinsmore, carrying a small carpetbag and dressed in a black serge suit, a stiff derby hat and shiny black patent leather oxfords, stepped up on the boardwalk. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and black slicked-down hair. His appearance was that of a well-to-do businessman. He paused to wipe the tops of his shoes on the backs of his trouser legs.
“Vain bastard,” Ethan muttered as he watched him swagger down the street.
Ethan stepped out the door fanning himself as if he were out getting a breath of air and watched Dinsmore enter the hotel. Remembering that the suspect planned to be standing in front of the post office at half past noon, Ethan looked at his pocket watch and then down the street toward the doctor’s house. In the distance he saw a woman coming toward town carrying a parasol. It was Louella Lindstrom. He stayed to watch Dinsmore come out of the hotel without his carpet bag, light a cigar, and casually amble toward the post office.
McGar
vey, in his worn pants and shirt and with a billed cap pulled low on his forehead, was no more than a dozen yards behind Dinsmore. His intention was to catch up with the man when Mrs. Lindstrom met him and overhear the conversation that passed between them.
He was lucky; for when Louella attempted to pass Dinsmore, he laid a hand on her arm to stop her.
“Well, forevermore, if it isn’t Louella Lindstrom,” Jack proclaimed pleasantly and tipped his hat. “How are you, ma’am? Imagine seeing you after all these years.”
“As I live and breathe, Jack Dinsmore. What in the world are you doing here?” Louella said, then whispered, “Where are you staying?”
“The hotel, room thirty-one. Don’t worry, dear lady, nobody in this hick town knows about us,” he whispered back. He glanced at the tramp looking in the store window, then spoke in a normal tone. “You are looking extremely well, Mrs. Lindstrom. Will you allow me to treat you to a cool drink in that quaint little establishment across the street?”
“I don’t know… I’m on an errand for the doctor.”
“Come now. You can spare me a few minutes of your delightful company—for old times’ sake.”
Without waiting for an answer, he cupped her elbow and they walked to the corner and crossed the street. As soon as they were inside the restaurant, McGarvey entered the store that housed the post office and walked rapidly through to the door leading to the alley.
“They’re together in the eatery across the street,” he said as soon as he entered the newspaper office. “We don’t have to wait until night.” Then he repeated word for word the conversation he had overheard.
“All right, let’s go,” Ethan said. “Ralph, do you want to be in on this?”
“No. Keep it as quiet as you can. I’ll run headlines tomorrow and shock the hell out of this town.”
“I’ll go in the front and greet Mrs. Lindstrom and chat a minute. She knows me. While I have their attention, you two come in from the rear of the building.”
“If this goes well, we can be on the six o’clock back to Buffalo,” Peterson said gleefully.
It did go well.
Ethan walked into the restaurant and acted surprised to see Louella.
“Well, hello. It’s nice to see you out of Doc’s kitchen for a change. Are the kids giving you fits again? Who’s your friend?”
“Mr. Dinsmore, Mr. Bredlow. He works for the newspaper.” Louella made the introduction reluctantly.
“How do you do?” Dinsmore said politely.
“Are you going to be in our town very long, Mr. Dinsmore?”
“No, I’m just passing through.”
“Did you know that this woman makes the most delicious pies you ever ate in all your born days?” Ethan said, moving closer to Louella after seeing his fellow officers enter from the back door and move up behind Dinsmore.
“Well, I guess this is it.”
As soon as the words were out of Ethan’s mouth, Peterson slapped the handcuffs on Dinsmore. At the same time Ethan grasped Louella’s arm.
“You’re under arrest,” Peterson said and jerked the man to his feet.
“What the hell is goin’ on? Is this a joke?” Dinsmore asked belligerently.
“It’s no joke. Move.”
Ethan cuffed Louella and snapped the other cuff around his own wrist. He placed money on the table to pay for the drinks the couple had ordered.
The diners sat in stunned silence as Ethan opened the screen door for Louella to pass through.
“This is an outrage. You’ve embarrassed me to death,” Louella protested when they reached the walk in front of the eatery. “You have no right—”
“I’ve every right. The United States Board of Inquiry wishes to chat with you, dear lady.”
“It’s about McKinley, isn’t it? I had nothing to do with that. I was unfortunate enough to live in the same rooming house as that… fellow.”
“Save your breath, Louella. My job was to bring you in and not to judge you. Peterson, the city jail is there at the end of the street. You can stash Dinsmore there until time for the train. I’ll take Mrs. Lindstrom to the doctor’s house to get her things.”
Ethan’s heart was light. The job was done and now he was free to make a life with Pauline.
Louella was sullen and quiet as they walked the few blocks to the house. Luckily, they passed no one on the way. Ethan was glad. It wasn’t his intention to embarrass the woman.
All was quiet at the doctor’s house when they reached it. Since the front hall was empty, Ethan knocked on the surgery door. Doctor Forbes opened it and saw the handcuffs. He looked at Ethan with a puzzled frown.
“What’s going on, Ethan?”
“I work for the United States government, Doc. I’ve been trailing Mrs. Lindstrom for months. I’ll explain after I see her off on the train with my two partners. We’re here to get her things.”
“Go ahead. Do what you have to do. I guess my children were right about this woman.”
“You didn’t appreciate a thing I tried to do here, did you, Hollis?” Louella declared angrily. “I took your brats’ back talk and Jesse’s interference and tried to bring refinement into this home. The fact that you let your children associate with a nigger was appalling. I never told a soul about that. I wish I had now.”
“Your definition of refinement is different from mine, Mrs. Lindstrom. My children were happy before you came here. I will say that the meals you served were good, and I enjoyed them, but my family and I will be glad to see the last of you.”
“Bastard! Well, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“We’ll get her stuff, Doc,” Ethan said and tugged Louella toward the stairway.
Ten minutes later they came down. Ethan carried her suitcase, which had already been half-packed. Doctor Forbes waited at the bottom on the stairs.
Louella stopped and looked at him, her face a mask of hatred.
“You thought your Dora was so righteous. You couldn’t see me for her. You considered her far above me. Well, I’ve been welcomed into homes of royalty. And I’ll tell you another thing. I knew your precious Dora long before you did and believe me she was no angel. As a matter of fact I found a note from her lover in her secretary.” She enjoyed seeing the color leave the doctor’s face. “Here it is.” She drew the note from her pocket and handed it to the doctor. He took it and crushed it in his hand.
“We’ll be going, Doc. This she-cat and Dinsmore will be leaving on the six o’clock with the two agents that came in this morning. Tell Pauline I’ll see her tonight.”
Doctor Forbes scarcely heard the words. He walked stiffly down the hall to his bedroom. It was hard to breathe. His heart thudded painfully. The paper in his hand crackled as his fingers tightened around it. The woman’s words echoed in his head. He would have scoffed at them if not for the unread note he held tightly in his fist. He was tempted to destroy it, but he could not, because not knowing would haunt him for the rest of his life.
CHAPTER
* 22 *
Doctor Forbes smoothed the crushed paper. As it was written in pencil, he had to put on his spectacles to read it.
Dora,
I saw Hollis get on the train a few minutes ago and if Jesse takes Susan to the May Day party at the school, I’ll be over. I have something for you. Take heart. I’m sure Hollis doesn’t know.
Dusty
The doctor looked at the note for a long time. He felt sick. Sick at heart and sick in his stomach. No, he hadn’t known or even suspected. Dusty had been in their home, and had eaten at their table time and again. He had considered him an honorable man—until now. He could not imagine his Dora practicing deception. Someone had delivered the note. Was it a stable boy who had bragged to his friends that the doctor’s wife had a lover? Lord! Why did that wretched woman have to find the note and shatter his belief in the wife he had adored?
He heard the sound of the screen door being slammed and hurrying footsteps coming down the hall. They paused at the surgery
door, then came to his room. Susan appeared in the doorway, not really expecting him to be there.
He was sitting in his old chair beside the bed where he had spent hours, days and weeks before her mother died, his head sunk on his chest. The hands that had saved so many lives lay limp in his lap.
“Papa! I saw Ethan walking with Mrs. Lindstrom. He had her suitcase. What ever has happened? He’s not running away with her, is he? Pauline would die of heartbreak. She likes him a lot. But you know Pauline, she doesn’t want anyone to know and acts like she don’t like him a’tall.”
Doctor Forbes lifted his head and stared at his daughter as if she were a stranger.
“Papa!” Susan went to him. “What’s the matter? Is it… Jesse?” There was a sharp edge of panic in her voice.
He shook himself and cleared his throat.
“Jesse is doing fine. Ethan is a federal agent. Mrs. Lindstrom is a suspected criminal. He’s taking her away.”
“Well! I’ll be a homswoggled billy goat!” Susan said excitedly. “Did you know, Papa?”
“No, I didn’t know. I took her on thinking—well, never mind that now. After I realized that you, Todd and Jesse were unhappy, I was trying to figure a way to ease her out without causing a to-do about it.”
“Oooh! A real honest-to-goodness crook living right here in our house! I can’t wait to tell Mary Sue and Jeff. You don’t mind if I tell, do you, Papa?”
“Tell whoever you want. It’ll be all over town by nightfall.”
“You’re not to worry about the house, Papa. We won’t depend on Jesse like we used to. I think Mrs. Klein will come days and she’ll do the washing too. Half-days would be fine until school starts because I can help. She’ll want to go home nights. That’s all right with me. I want my room back.” Susan stopped talking when she realized that her father wasn’t listening.
Something else had happened. Her heart beat faster. Surely her father wouldn’t be sitting like this and hurting because old Ghost-face had left. Maybe it had something to do with the old piece of tablet paper with writing on it that lay on the table beside the chair. Even as her eyes found it, her father reached for it, folded it and put it in his pocket.
Tenderness Page 26