Miner's Daughter

by Duncan, Alice

  “Is there a ladder or anything out there?”

  “Don’t see one.”

  Mari frowned and, tossing propriety aside in favor of satisfying her curiosity, joined Tony at the window. “Oh, but look.” She pointed at the earth beneath them. “Doesn’t it look as if the ground’s been disturbed?”

  Tony squinted for a moment and said, “How can you tell?”

  Mari leaned farther out of the window. Actually, it was pretty difficult to tell if the dirt below was disturbed or not. “Um, I’m not sure. It looks a little lumpy.”

  “It always looks like that,” Tony grumbled sourly. “This is the god-awfullest place I’ve ever been in. Don’t know how you stand it.”

  Mari tried not to take offense, remembering for the umpteenth time that a gentleman accustomed to luxurious surroundings, including green growing vegetable matter and mowed lawns, might find Mojave Wells a little hard to take. “You get used to it,” she replied calmly. She craned her neck to look up at the roof, balancing herself halfway out the window.

  Tony huffed. Tiny had joined them. Sensing a game in which he desired to take part, he jumped on Mari. She lost her grip on the windowsill, felt her balance teetering, and cried out.

  “Damn!”

  That was Tony, and as he said it, Mari felt his big, strong hands go around her waist. He pulled her back inside the room, and she was safe. From falling. She discovered she wasn’t safe from Tony when, as soon as her feet were on his bedroom floor, he tugged her around to face her and wrapped her in his arms.

  “Damn that dog of yours,” he said savagely. “He’s going to kill somebody someday from sheer exuberance.”

  Although she enjoyed the sensation of being in Tony’s embrace, Mari knew it wasn’t proper and pulled back. He didn’t release her, which gave her a good excuse not to do that anymore. “I’m okay,” she said in a voice that shook only a little.

  “The hell you are. You’re all alone in the world except for that damned dog, and he seems determined to injure you.”

  “That’s not fair.” She had an almost ungovernable impulse to wrap her arms around him and snuggle closer. The sensation of being protected was as new to her as it was exquisite.

  “The hell it’s not.” Tony’s voice had gone softer and less ferocious.

  Mari felt his hands, which had been clutching her tightly, loosen and start to caress her back, and she was almost positive his lips were kissing her hair. She was as close to swooning as she’d ever been. She felt wonderful. Superb. Magnificent. She wished he’d keep on stroking and kissing her in just that way until sometime next week. Maybe next year.

  It was Tiny who came between them, nudging them both with his cold, wet nose and whining piteously. Mari gave a start. So did Tony, who released her so suddenly she nearly fell backward out of the window. Sticking her arm out and grabbing the window frame just in time to prevent disaster, she stood upright, licked her lips, and straightened her skirt.

  Tony cleared his throat and glared down at Tiny. Mari was sorry the infinitesimal idyll had been so abruptly terminated, but she knew it was for the best. She patted Tiny’s head and muttered, “Good dog.”

  She didn’t mean it. If it weren’t for propriety’s sake—and for the sake of her heart, which had never been tested and was, therefore, most likely vulnerable to breakage-—he’d as soon stay here with Tony in his bedroom, come what may. Which probably meant she was a hussy underneath. She sighed.

  “Well, I can’t really tell if a ladder was propped against the wall or not, but if somebody did come through the window, it would explain the ruckus Tiny caused.” Because she meant it this time, she added another pat on Tiny’s head and a more hearty, “Good dog.”

  “I suppose so.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times, as if he were trying to reestablish some sort of inner composure.

  It was a gesture Mari found interesting, since she couldn’t imagine why he should have been discomposed by her, of all people. Why, he must have women by the score. By the hundreds. Thousands, even. She tried to work up some indignation that he had taken a liberty with her, but couldn’t. Being in his arms had felt too darned good for indignation to get a toehold.

  That made her think of something else. “Say, let me look outside again.”

  “Be careful this time,” Tony growled, and took Tiny’s collar in a hard fist.

  That wasn’t fair. She’d been careful. It had been Tiny who’d almost caused a calamity. She opted not to point out the obvious to Tony, sensing he’d pick a quarrel if she did. Instead, she leaned out the window again, making sure Tony had a tight grip on Tiny’s collar, and inspected the clapboard siding. “There are marks out here. Look, Tony.”

  She indicated some scratches and dirty scuff marks on the wall directly beneath the window. Tony said, “Hmmm.”

  “Does it look like maybe a ladder had been placed there?”

  “Maybe.” He drew back and frowned into his room. “But if some thief climbed a ladder and got in here, wouldn’t the ladder still be there?”

  “Not if he climbed back down again when Tiny scared him”

  He shook his head. “Then how do you account for the open door? I know the door was locked when I left.”

  “Oh.” Marie felt foolish. Naturally, Tiny couldn’t have opened the door. “I see what you mean.” She thought for a second and posed a tentative question. “Maybe there were two of them?”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “One to hold the ladder and one to do the dirty work?” She shrugged. “It’s only a suggestion.”

  Silence settled over the trio as they pondered Mari’s suggestion. Martin showed up at the door, along with George and Ben, and Mari smiled and gestured at them to enter the room. She was glad as all get-out that they hadn’t arrived a couple of minutes earlier, when she and Tony had been wrapped up in each other.

  “What’s going on in here?” Martin asked, panting. “Why was Tiny carrying on?”

  Observing his newest friend, Tiny bounded over to greet Martin. Martin handled him well, Mari thought, petting and talking softly to the huge beast, while easing his paws from his shoulders and setting them on the floor. She approved of people who weren’t intimidated by Tiny’s size but knew him to be a pussy cat underneath.

  Really, Tiny was much more amiable than, say, Mrs. Glenfelder’s dachshund, who tried to murder Tiny every time they met. Mari had thought for a long time now that it was a very good thing Tiny had a sense of humor, or Mrs. Glenfelder’s dog would have been lunch by this time.

  “We’re not sure,” Tony said, still frowning in thought. “Somebody might have climbed through my window. He left a jacket behind.” He lifted the jacket up and showed it to the new arrivals.

  Martin looked grave. “I don’t recognize it. Do you know who it belongs to?”

  “No.”

  “Did he take anything?”

  “Haven’t looked yet. I’ll do that now.” As Tony started with bureau drawers, he said, “I think Tiny scared him off before he could do anything.”

  “Oh!” said Mari, having had another thought. “What about footprints in the hall?”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you go look?”

  So, as Tony opened the door to the room’s small closet, she excused herself to the men and went out into the hall again. She didn’t notice any footprints on the carpeting and was disappointed until she spotted something a couple of yards down the hall in the direction opposite that of the stairway. When she went to investigate, she saw a small shiny object lying against the wall. She picked it up and carried it back to Tony’s room.

  When she reentered the room, she guessed Tony hadn’t found anything missing, because he was standing there shaking his head. He looked up when she entered. “What did you find?”

  “I don’t know. It looks like a token or a coin or something.” She held it out for general inspection.

  The four men gazed down at the gold-colored object in her palm,
then Tony picked it up, narrowed his eyes, and peered at it closely. “It’s Canadian,” he announced after a moment. “It’s old and worn, but it’s definitely Canadian. We see a lot of these in New York and up north, closer to the border.”

  “Canadian? Honest?” Mari reached for the coin again. “May I look at it? I’ve never seen a Canadian coin before.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you have. You’re more likely to get Mexican coins in this part of the country.”

  She shrugged. “Haven’t seen any of those, either. I expect Canadians are richer than Mexicans.” It was supposed to have been a joke, but nobody laughed. She didn’t care, but squinted hard at the coin. “Oh, yes, I see it now. Oh, my! Is that Queen Victoria?”

  “I expect it is.”

  She looked up sharply because she’d detected amusement in Tony’s voice, and she’d be darned if she’d let him laugh at her. He might not find anything interesting in a coin with a queen on it, but she did. Heck, she’d dreamed for years about visiting England and seeing how royalty ran things. “Do you mind if I keep it?”

  “Not at all.” He stopped grinning and frowned again. “I don’t suppose we can be sure if our intruder dropped it.”

  “I suppose not” Mari wished she’d unearthed some more telling clue than this. Still, at least she now possessed a Canadian coin, which was something of an oddity. She dropped it into her pocket. “You didn’t discover anything, I suppose.”

  “No. Thank God nothing’s missing, but whoever it was also didn’t leave anything behind by which to identify him.”

  “Too bad,” Mari muttered.

  “Do you think this has anything to do with the cameras?” Martin asked in a voice tight with worry.

  Tony shook his head. “Who can tell? This whole thing is getting very mysterious.”

  “It sure is.”

  “How can you secure things?” Mari asked. The men all turned to stare at her, and she got embarrassed. She persisted though, because it was important. “I mean, you can’t always have Tiny in your room in case somebody’s out to steal stuff or interfere with the making of the picture. For one thing, there’s not enough of him to go around.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Tony muttered, eyeing Tiny without favor.

  “Don’t you dare say anything bad about my dog,” Mari told him, lavishing pats upon Tiny. “He saved the day, don’t forget.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re right. Good boy.” Tony gave Tiny’s head a perfunctory pat. Tiny, who had no discretion whatever, wagged his tail as if Tony had fed him a steak bone.

  “Stupid dog,” Mari whispered, hugging Tiny hard. She loved her dog, even if he wasn’t the brightest candle in the box.

  “You know, Mari has a good point,” Martin murmured. “We’re going to have to do something about securing our rooms if there’s a thief around, even if he isn’t out to undermine the picture. I’m sure no one wants to return to his room after a hard day’s filming and discover he’s been robbed.”

  “I’ll be happy to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson,” Mari offered. “They’re good friends of mine.”

  “Thanks, Mari.” Martin beamed at her. “That would be very good of you. Please let them know that I’ll pay for any added security measures they take. Like, locks on the window and so forth.”

  She grinned at him. “That’ll make them happy.”

  “Are you going to do that now?” Tony asked her. “I’ll go with you. That’ll make it look more official.”

  Mari looked up at him, wondering what his game was. “Why does it need to look official? Or is it that you don’t trust me to carry out my mission?”

  “For goodness’ sake! Of course, I trust you. So does Martin. I just thought you might like someone to tackle the Nelsons with you. You know, to give you some support.”

  He scowled at her, but the expression looked to Mari as if it were meant to cover something else, something he didn’t want to acknowledge openly. She didn’t understand what it could be, unless he really didn’t trust her, and that possibility rankled. And it hurt.

  As if something had suddenly inspired him, Tony added, “Besides, I’m the one who suggested you leave that dog in my room. I don’t want you to catch any blame for that.”

  “The Nelsons know me, Tony. They won’t blame me for anything. They’ll probably be grateful to Tiny for preventing a burglary.” She frowned. “Or whatever that intrusion was meant to be.”

  “I’m going with you.” His voice had gone louder and, harder. “And I don’t intend to entertain any more arguments.”

  She threw up her hands in defeat. “Okay. I’m not arguing. If you want to come with me, fine.” And if she ever learned that he’d done so because he didn’t believe her capable of getting her message across coherently, all by herself; she’d let him know what she thought about that. More, if he was tagging along because he believed her to be somehow connected with whatever had happened in his room, she’d scratch his eyes out.

  “I’ll look after Tiny if you’d like me to,” Martin offered.

  Mari said in something of a huff, “Don’t be silly. Tiny comes to town with me all the time. The Nelsons know him and like him.” She cast a so-there glare at Tony, who frowned back.

  As Mari stomped off down the hall to the Nelsons’ quarters, she grumbled, “I hope we aren’t going to be waking them up.” She only said it to be perverse; she knew good and well that the Nelsons couldn’t have slept through the uproar Tiny’d set up. In fact, she was rather surprised they hadn’t come upstairs to find out what all the excitement was about.

  Tony made a point of pulling his watch out of his pocket and checking the time. “For God’s sake, it’s only nine-thirty. Nobody goes to bed at nine-thirty.”

  “People who have to work for a living do,” she snapped back. “We aren’t all blessed with lives that allow us to sleep until all hours and then fritter our time away.”

  He didn’t speak at once. Mari suspected he was using the time to think up a cutting remark to fling back at her. She was, therefore, surprised when he laughed.

  “Very well, Mari, I give up. You win. I’m an idle wastrel who fritters away my time on frivolous enterprises.”

  Now she felt stupid. “I didn’t mean it that way,” she grumbled.

  “Sure, you did. And I guess you’re right. Personally, I really do think the pictures are a waste of time.”

  “You do? I didn’t know that. How come you’re working on this one?”

  “You already know the answer to that. I’m supervising the spending of my father’s money. Also, Martin and I are old friends from college. We just have different notions about the pictures, is all. I’m really happy to be helping him make a success of Peerless.”

  “Oh.” She’d be darned if she’d tell him she thought that was nice of him, even though she did.

  “Besides,” Tony continued, “maybe he’s right and I’m wrong. Maybe the pictures are the conduit to world understanding and peace. I suppose it’s possible that once folks get to know each other, worldwide harmony will break out. I doubt it, but you never know.”

  “Hmmm. I suppose so.” It seemed more likely to her that the pictures would seduce people away from their rightful jobs and useful work and create a nation or a world of idlers, but what did she know?

  They continued on their way to the Nelsons, and Tony began whistling. The tune was again “Beautiful Dreamer,” and Mari wondered if the song held any particular significance for him. She was on the verge of asking, when she decided not to. For all she knew, the song reminded him of a girl he’d left behind in New York.

  It occurred to her that for all she knew Tony Ewing was engaged to be married to some aristocrat back East. The idea settled into her heart and burned there. She was pretty depressed by the time they reached the Nelsons’ small suite of rooms at the back of the hotel.

  She did her duty, however, and Mr. Nelson agreed to install security locks on all windows and doors, beginning tomorrow. He also offered to re
nt Martin a room in which to store Peerless’s expensive equipment.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tony was impressed by the way Mari expressed herself to Nelson. She was an articulate little baggage, considering she’d had no exposure to life’s finer things.

  He wished he could get over this absurd and insistent impulse to lavish gifts upon her. It had been dogging him ever since they’d gone to Los Angeles, when he’d bought her those clothes and compelled her to accept them.

  Ever since their sojourn on Olvera Street, he’d been plagued by the mad desire to see her clad in diamonds and emeralds and satins and silks. He wanted to buy her a roadster and watch her tooling down the avenue clad in driving gloves, goggles, and a long, flowing scarf. She’d be elegant. Superb. Tony imagined young girls watching her breathlessly and wishing they could be just like her

  Especially if she had a handsome fellow like him at her side. The image of the two of them, carefree, gay, and laughing, appeared in his mind’s eye like one of those modern cigarette advertisements one saw in periodicals that pandered to young people.

  Good God, whatever was he thinking? He shook his head to dislodge the errant images and, as they walked away from the Nelsons’ door, said, “I’ll take you home as soon as I place a long-distance call to my father, Mari.”

  “You don’t have to do that, but thanks “

  Dammit, why did she always have to argue with him? “I know I don’t have to do it, but I’m going to. It’s pitch-dark outside. Besides, it’ll take less time in the motorcar.”

  “It won’t, either,” she said tartly. “You’ll blow a tire because you won’t be able to see where you’re going. Besides, I’m used to it.”

  “Damnation, Mari, don’t you understand yet that there are bad people hanging around here?” He hadn’t meant to yell and lowered his voice. “I’d be worse than a cad to allow you to walk home alone under these circumstances, and you’d be a damned fool to do it.”