“Not hardly,” Kate said. “Open your pants and put the knife on the table.”
“I ain’t got no knife,” he said with a couple of curse words thrown in.
Kate kept the pistol aimed at his nose and pulled the other Walker, stepped forward, and hit him in the side of the head. He moaned and fell to his knees from the blow.
Kate pushed him on his back, jerked his pants open, and found the knife.
“You’ll pay for this, Lucille,” he shouted.
“I think not,” Kate said.
“I have a note for two hundred dollars. I was giving Lucille and the boys time to raise the money. But now, I’m going to foreclose and this cabin will be mine. They ain’t got no place to go with winter coming on.”
“I want to see that note,” Kate said.
Engledow managed to stand and reached in an inside pocket on his jacket. He pulled out a sheet of paper. “It’s properly filled out and signed by Roscoe Shobert.”
Kate took the paper from his hand and walked back close to the lamp where she could see. She glanced down and then back at Engledow every couple of seconds, not giving him the opportunity to charge her.
“This note will never be upheld in a court,” Kate said.
“Sure it will,” he argued. “I’m an upstanding citizen and everybody will take my word over Lucille. She’s a woman.”
“When I tell them that Roscoe Shobert couldn’t read or write and it was impossible for him to sign that note they might have a different opinion. Lucille, how do you spell your last name?”
“S-h-o-b-e-r-t,” she said.
“Hum,” Kate said. “Then why is it spelled S-h-u-b-a-r-t here? I’m taking you into town and charging you with forgery and fraud.”
Before Kate saw him move, Engledow lunged forward and grabbed the paper from her hand as he shoved her backward. By the time Kate regained her footing, Engledow had whirled around and tossed the document in the fireplace.
“Now you got nothing,” he gloated. “The proof is ashes.”
Kate stared at him, angry at herself for not reacting fast enough. The man had short stubby legs with a barrel chest and a shaved pointed head. A scar started under his ear, extended downward across his cheek, and ended at the point of his chin. His dark eyes squinted with drooping eyelids giving him an evil look that would terrify little children. Two teeth were missing and tobacco juice stained his handlebar mustache. He wore heavy miner boots with tweed pants stuffed in the top. Her finger twitched on the trigger of her gun, but she forced herself to calm down.
“You may have destroyed the evidence on forgery, Mr. Engledow, and I’ll include that in my report to Chief Kincaid. But, I have a far more serious charge to bring against you.”
“And what’s that?” he asked.
“Rape,” Kate said. “And whose word will they take on that? When I testify I saw the bruises and marks on her body you inflicted. You took advantage of a widow woman by using blackmail. In addition to that, I’m opening an investigation into the death of your wife. When word spreads around town that that federal marshals suspect you murdered her, that’ll do wonders for your good reputation.”
“You ain’t got no proof of anything like that,” he shouted. “Nobody saw what happened. She was out looking for the calf.”
“I have witnesses that the calf was in the lot when you first reported her missing. Why would she be out looking for a calf that was in the lot?”
“The calf came back and I put him in the lot,” Engledow said, his eyes focused on his feet, a sure sign he was lying.
“That may be true,” Kate said, “but I doubt it. I think you’re lying. But, the damage will be done to your reputation. It’s only fitting after what you’ve done to Lucille. Everybody in Coeur d’Alene will know you are charged with rape of a fragile widow woman. I’ll make sure the newspaper has a reporter on hand when you are hauled into jail in handcuffs.”
Engledow suddenly bolted for the door and raced out. Kate walked to the door and shouted, “I could drop you right there, but I won’t. If I ever hear of you bothering Lucille again, I’ll take you into town wearing cuffs or stretched face down over your saddle.”
Engledow spurred his horse into a run as he looked back, expecting her to shoot.
Kate went back inside and found Lucille huddled in a corner of the cabin. “It’s over,” Kate said in a calming tone of voice.
“What if he comes back when you’re not here?” she whimpered.
“We’re going to watch your home,” Kate said.
It wasn’t long until Man, Roy and Dan arrived. Man was leading Red Bird and the two boys were on the mule. They instantly jumped down and ran into the house.
Man tied Arabian and Red Bird then followed them in. He found Lucile and Kate seated at the table. The two boys were on either side of their mother hugging her.
Kate stood, picked up her rifle, and met Man. “She can tell her sons what happened. They need time alone now.”
She went by Man and he closed the door softly. She stepped up on Red Bird and slid the rifle in the scabbard. Man urged Arabian to her side and they set the horses off at a walk. When they passed Engledow’s house, Kate and Man watched closely. The horse was gone and the barn was empty.
“I expect he went to work after he ran out of Lucille’s house,” Kate said.
“Care to share what happened?” Man said.
“Of course, but please wait until we get to the police station. I want to relay what happened to Chief Coy Kincaid. You can hear it at the same time.”
They found Chief Kincaid in his office reading a report. He looked up and gestured for the two marshals to sit. Two chairs were in front of his cluttered desk.
“We have stumbled onto a situation here in Coeur d’Alene,” Kate said. “I want to make an official report to you and send a copy to Chief Marshal Joe Meek.”
“It must be serious,” Coy said.
“It has the potential to be very serious. In fact, I suspect a murder has been committed. Blackmail and rape are also a possibility.”
This brought Police Chief Kincaid to the front of his chair. “If you would,” he said, “please wait until I get my assistant chief in here to hear this.” He stood, went out the door, and came back with a man wearing a uniform. “Captain Daughtry Dunlap,” Chief Kincaid said. Man and Kate stood. “Daughtry, this is United States Marshal Manchester and his wife, Deputy Marshal Kate.”
Kate and Man shook the offered hand of Captain Dunlap. “Kate has a report she wants to make that I felt you should hear firsthand. Kate would you tell give us the facts?”
Kate started at the beginning and continued through the events of the day. “I would have been justified in putting Bob Engledow down when he ran, but chose not to until we got more facts on the case.”
“I saw the bogus loan document with the fraudulent signature,” she said, “but Engledow grabbed it from my hand and threw it in the fire. Lucille Shobert told me that Engledow came to her home, produced the loan document, and demanded sex with her or he would foreclose and take their cabin. I saw marks and bruises on her body. She said he hit and slapped her when she didn’t comply. In addition, I have a strong suspicion he murdered his wife. However, without a witness, it would be impossible to prove at this late date.”
“We had that same feeling when we investigated,” Chief Kincaid said. “But like you said, without proof, our hands were tied. The body was at the base of the cliff and after the fall, there was no way to tell if the abrasions on her face and body came from a beating or were caused by the fall.”
“As of now, the rape allegation would be his word against hers,” Kate said. “Her two sons, Roy and Dan, have seen the marks on her, but have never witnessed Engledow take her forcefully. He always comes to her home when he knows the two boys are away working.”
“How do you want to
handle this?” Chief Kincaid asked.
“I would like to have more proof before bringing him in,” she said. “Could you have policeman patrol that road on a regular basis for a few days? Especially, from about two or three o’clock in the afternoon until the boys get home. Bob Engledow is a night watchman at a mine and gets off at daylight. Lucille said he sleeps until mid-afternoon before going to her home. She says he is very abusive and she’s afraid of him.”
Chief Kincaid turned to Captain Dunlap. “Put that out to our people. Have them ride down that road. Knock on her door if she or Engledow are not in sight.”
“Will do,” Captain Dunlap said.
“Roy and Dan ride an old mule,” Kate said. “If your men see a horse at her home, investigate.”
Dunlap nodded.
“May I use a table or empty desk to write up an official report?” Kate asked. “I would like it to be a matter of record here and at Chief Meek’s headquarters should further developments occur. I have a feeling this situation if not over.”
“Of course. Captain Dunlap will show you to a desk and there is writing material there.”
Man visited with Chief Kincaid and Captain Dunlap while Kate wrote the report. The two police officers wanted to hear more about their trip to Texas and the apprehension of the Bright women.
Kate came back and handed her report to Chief Kincaid. “I’ll send the same report to our headquarters,” she said.
The next day, Captain Dunlap decided to visit Lucille’s home first and have police officers follow up every couple of hours for a few days to establish the fact that she was being protected.
He spotted Engledow peeking out the window and stopped. The face disappeared from the window, but he knocked loudly on the door.
“What do you want?” Engledow shouted through the closed door.
“Just to let you know that we’ll be patrolling this road and keeping a close watch on Lucille Shobert. If we see you farther down this road toward her home, you’ll be taken into custody.”
“On what grounds?” Bob cursed.
“On one or more charges and none of them you’ll enjoy. We have no sympathy for a man taking advantage of a widow woman.”
Captain Dunlap turned, went back to his horse, and went on down the road to the Shobert cabin.
He tapped on her door and said, “Captain Dunlap, Coeur d’Alene police. We’re patrolling this road. Are you okay?”
She opened the door a crack and peeked out. “I’m fine, thank you. That nice lady, Deputy Marshal Kate, said Bob wouldn’t bother me anymore.”
“We’re going to have patrolmen ride down your road several times a day. Should you need anything or if Mr. Engledow bothers you in any way, tell them.”
“Yes, sir,” Lucille said. “And thank you.”
On Saturday at noon, Man brought Roy and Dan inside the house to eat. As soon as they finished, Man handed each boy six dollars. “Go home and take your mother into town shopping. You have money now to buy things you need. There’s no need to save money to pay Mr. Engledow. That has been resolved.”
Roy looked at the money in his hand. “This is too much. On Monday, it was well into the morning when we started and it’s only noon now. We put in a full day’s work for our pay.”
“You have put in enough hours for a week’s work. You two never use the hour at noon and never take a break in the morning or afternoon. I figure we’re even.”
“Take the money you earned and do as Man said,” Kate added. “Buy her two or three more lamps and oil for them. She’s ruining her eyes sewing in the dark. Buy food and anything else she needs.”
Man stood and gestured toward the door. “I’ll see you Monday morning. If the snow holds off, I have a couple more projects in mind.”
“Yes, sir,” Roy said and the two boys hurried out the door.
“Darn nice young men,” Kate said. “They remind me of Jeb.”
Chapter 3
Monday morning, Roy and Dan were at work soon after sunrise. Man started the boys cutting poles to build a shed over the firewood and a walkway from the house to the barn.
He saw a rider coming at a lope and as soon as he was close enough to see, the man was wearing a police officer’s uniform.
He pulled up and jumped down. “Chief Kincaid asked me to advise you there was a robbery and murder at the gem mine.”
Kate heard him and ran to change into her work clothes. Man came in and she tossed his clothes on the bed as she pulled on her skins.
The police officer was waiting when Man and Kate came out wearing their twin Walker Colts on their hips and hurried to the barn to saddle Arabian and Red Bird.
They rode by where Dan and Roy were working and Man said, “A case. We’ll be back when we can. You know what I want.”
“Yes, sir,” Roy said.
They found several horses in front of the office building at the mine. They dismounted and the police officer took the reins for the horses.
Chief Kincaid was standing inside the room with several men around him. He saw Kate and Man and said, “Excuse me,” to the men and hurried to the door to meet them.
“What do we have?” Man asked.
“Robbery. And the accountant was murdered. He did other jobs, as well, like purchases and payroll. Four others work here. They found the body when they came to work.”
“Where is the body?” Kate asked.
“It’s in his office. I have it sealed off until you got here. Kate, it’s a mess. He was apparently tortured before he was killed.”
“After seeing what Bull Blevins did to his victims, I can take it,” Kate said. “I don’t like seeing mutilated bodies, but I can handle it.”
Kincaid led the way to a door, opened it, and let the marshals enter first. He closed the door and waited for them to inspect the body.
He was in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. “Who is he?” Man asked.
“Wilburn Highsmith. He’s been with Gem Mine for fifteen years,” Kincaid said. He gestured toward a small safe that was open. Another, massive, safe was on the back wall. “From the marks on it, somebody attempted to open it with sledgehammers. They were not successful.”
Man walked over to take a look.
“I talked with one of the owners of Gem Mine,” Chief Kincaid said. “He said only four men had the combination for that big safe. The four are owners. They use the small safe for what they call petty cash. Highsmith used it for purchases and supplies. The money for payroll was kept in the big safe.”
“So they tortured him to get the combination, but he couldn’t give it to them because he didn’t know it,” Kate said.
“That’s the way I see it,” Kincaid said. “We have no idea how many were involved. The body is cold. It could have happened Saturday night or Sunday. By the time we got here, there were a dozen horses in front. The only door is the front.”
“Did you look in back of this office building?” Kate asked.
The question surprised Chief Kincaid. “No, we didn’t. Why should we?”
“If the robbery was on Saturday night or Sunday, horses in front might attract attention. I would think they would put them behind out of sight. Apparently they were here for a while.”
“I’ll go look,” Man said.
Kate went to the body, knelt down, and examined him. “They used something hot on him. I see burn marks on his arms and legs. His feet were burned.”
“The way I see this,” Kincaid said, “Highsmith gave them the combination for the small safe, but they kept on, not believing he didn’t have the combination for the big safe. They finally killed him and tried to open the safe with hammers.”
“Where did they get the sledgehammers?” Kate asked. “They had to know Highsmith was here. Or did they abduct him? Where does he live?”
Kincaid shook his head and
left the room.
She was looking at the body when Man returned. “Right on Kate. I found where two horses were tied. I got a good look at the tracks. Where is Chief Kincaid?”
“He went to find out where they got the sledgehammers and where Highsmith lived. Did they abduct him, or was he here? If he was here, somebody had to know when to strike.”
Man nodded. “I saw a small house behind this building. It could be where he lived.”
“If this took place at night, where were the night watchmen?” Kate asked. “We need to question them.”
Chief Kincaid came in and heard her question. He did an about face and went back out the door.
“There’s nothing more we need with the body,” Kate said. “If they want to take it, I want to examine this room to see if they left anything. Was there forced entry into the front door?”
She went to the door of the office and examined the latch. “There’s no lock on this door.” She went through the door to the front and knelt to examine the lock. “It wasn’t forced,” she said.
An older man came to her and waited until she stood. He spoke with a heavy accent. “I’m Jason Defee, one of the owners.”
“Deputy United States Marshal Kate Manchester,” she said. Man joined them and she introduced them.
The two men shook hands.
“How much did they get?” Kate asked.
“From the books, four-hundred-seventy dollars,” Jason said. “We never keep more than five hundred in the small safe for incidentals.”
“How much is in the big safe?” she asked.
“I don’t have the exact amount, but I would think about sixty-thousand. As we make sales, we put enough in the safe to make payroll.”
“Who does that?” Kate asked.
“Highsmith is in charge of payroll. The four men that work here each have a table on payroll day. The men come here for their pay. We have two shifts. On payroll day, it’s hectic.”
“And only the four owners have the combination to the safe?” she asked.
“That’s right,” Jason said.
“Who knows this?” Kate said.
Mountain Woman Snake River Blizzard Page 3