“Garnett, are there any other ranches out here?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“Dr. Bailey said he was out visiting another home south of the lodge.”
“There are actually no other homes except near the town and Dominic owns everything south of the lodge.”
“Garnett, he couldn’t be after me because if that were the case he would have done something in Texas when I was alone.”
“Maybe he didn’t know you existed until he got on the train.”
“He got on the train in Dallas. I remember seeing him standing on the platform checking his watch as they loaded his horse.”
“I want you to take Matthew to see him while we’re in town.”
“And what do I say is wrong with him?”
“Nothing. Tell him the twins have a cold and you need something to ease their coughing. I just don’t want you alone with him.”
“Alright.”
They pulled up in front of the general store and Garnett helped her shop having everything put in the back of the wagon with Dog. Garnett told her he would be nearby and walked away. She took Matthew’s hand and walked across the street to the doctor’s office. She walked in to find the front office empty. There were several chairs against the window so she sat down with Matthew and after a few minutes the door opened and Dr. Bailey walked in surprised to see her.
“Mrs. Lanfear, how wonderful to see you.”
“I promised I would stop in when I was in town.”
“Do you have a medical problem?”
“Oh no, we are in town shopping and Garnett had business to handle so we thought we would invite you to lunch.”
“It would be my pleasure but please allow me to take you both to lunch.”
She smiled as he held open the door for her. Matthew quietly walked holding her hand but kept looking at the man as they talked. They were seated in the front window of the new restaurant which made Garnett smile. He kicked back the chair and lit a cigar. It was a perfect view from the second floor to the table. He took out his gun and spun the cylinder enjoying the sound.
“Dr. Bailey?”
“Please call me Robert.”
She laughed because it reminded her of the first time she had lunch alone with Dominic. “Robert. I was wondering if you had any cough elixir that I can dilute for the children. I thought I brought mine but it seems I overlooked it when I was packing.”
Robert looked at Matthew who was busy trying to decide why his mother’s words did not match her thoughts then he was surprised when she responded to him. “Is one of the children sick?”
“No. Well, Maggie has been under the weather because I had her in the river too long the other day.”
“Then after lunch we will stop at the Chemists and I will have him mix up a bottle for you.”
“Thank you. We are so far out of town that I will feel better having it in the house.”
He ordered coffee and asked Matthew if he would like dessert. “Thank you but I don’t eat anything sweet unless it’s my birthday and that’s only so I don’t hurt Mommy’s feelings after she spends all day baking.”
Robert started laughing. “Is he always so serious?”
“Yes. He has decided to become a doctor.”
“I remember you said your father was a doctor. It’s smart that he wants to follow an honorable man like your father rather than…”
When he caught himself she just smiled and picked up the conversation. “My father is a good role model for a young boy and surprisingly only one of my brothers showed any interest in medicine. Matthew has already learned how to identify most herbs and roots as well as their uses.”
“May I call you Mirisa?” He continued before she responded. “As you know being a doctor takes a very dedicated individual. You might want to consider sending him to boarding school. I can recommend several good ones but they are all east and a trifle expensive.”
“I’m not sure I am ready to send him away.”
“Well, actually as long as he gets schooling then he doesn’t need to be in boarding school until he’s around eight or ten years old.”
“What age were you?”
“I was schooled at home until I was old enough to travel to New York and apprentice under a doctor.”
“You appear to be successful so I wonder why you would move from New York out to the wilderness.”
“I guess to a refined woman this does feel like it is in the wilderness. I actually find it magnificent with all the open ranges and wildlife. And if I am not happy here, I will just return to New York.”
“I’ve never been to New York.”
“Well, you will enjoy it as much as it will enjoy you.”
She blushed as Matthew just looked at this strange man. “Well, I appreciate your company during lunch and hope we can do it again soon.” Robert stood pulling out her chair. She waited for Matthew to get down then took his hand. “Do you have time to have the elixir made?”
Robert took out his pocket watch and when he opened it she saw the engraved “S” on the gold cover. “Unfortunately, you made me forget the time and I am late for an appointment. Please allow me to have it made and I’ll deliver it to you next time I am near the lodge.”
“Thank you and again thank you for lunch.”
He tipped his hat and headed for his office as she walked down to the General Store putting Matthew in the wagon. Garnett looked both ways before crossing the street and putting out his hand out to help her in. Robert watched from his office window and before they left she put her hand on Garnett and he stopped the wagon as she climbed out and went back into the store. Mirisa came out a few minutes later with a small box and they headed toward the lodge. She told Garnett the conversation and her request for an elixir for the children then she told him that his pocket watch was engraved with an “S” and she couldn’t make out if there were other initials but she thought it was just scroll work. When they got back to the lodge James came out and helped bring in the packages. Matthew heard Jonathan in the water so he stripped as he ran out the doors and down the steps. Mirisa followed him picking up his clothes until she was standing on the porch.
“Did you find everything you needed?”
She didn’t turn. “What I need is right here.”
Mirisa went back in the house and put Matthew’s clothes on the table then went to get towels in the hopes that this time they would use them before they slipped their jeans back on. She walked over to the counter picking up the small box and went into the library coming out without it. When she walked back into the kitchen, James put his arm around her and brought her up close before kissing her. “What is in the box?”
“A surprise.”
“Sweetheart, nothing you do is a surprise.”
She put her arms around him as he lifted her off the ground and kissed her so deeply that all she could think about was the weekend in Texas. She whispered in his ear and he told her to let him know. Garnett cleared his throat and she turned as James set her down. “James, for the life of me I don’t know what you do but her eyes haven’t been that green in a long time.”
“I think I need to go into town tonight.” She moved her fingers along James side then along his belt until he stopped her. “Definitely need a night out.”
Mirisa fed the children then took them to the nursery to get ready for bed. James and Garnett decided to head to town for a few hours while Dominic decided he needed to keep Mirisa away from Meeks. Mirisa was in bed when they came back so they went into the library but left the door ajar. They spent the evening discussing her lunch conversation.
“The doctor is coming back out to the lodge?”
“That’s what he said but if he does it won’t be for a nice visit.” Garnett waited. “He plays cards at night as well as enjoying other entertainment.”
Dominic narrowed his eyes. “The blonde?”
Garnett nodded. “While we are investigating him, he is investigating us.”
&nb
sp; “Who do you think is the target?”
“James spent a little time with Lottie though I think he was extracting more than information.”
“I didn’t see you footing the bill Garnett.”
“Anyway, the good doctor was more interested in me but because I’ve never had the pleasure Lottie was of no use to him. She also said he had a scar on his shoulder that was deep and which made the range of his arm muscles to be restricted.”
“Which arm?”
“Left but he is right handed so you don’t realize it.”
James was walking back and forth in front of the fireplace chewing on his cigar. He stopped and looked over at Meeks. “What are you eating?”
“Some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted.”
James walked over and took a piece out of the little white box sitting on the corner of the desk. “I think you are spoiled.”
At the end of the week, Garnett brought back the mail which included responses to their inquiries. The description from the sheriff along with a rough drawing was close enough to the doctor that they had no doubt he was one and the same. He had been in town under the guise of looking for a job as a doctor but he was also asking about the ranch and who owned it. He told people he wanted to invest in something and really loved horses. The second response was from Tom Ross regarding several conversations he had with the doctor but it was more about Natchez and the war. The final response was from the investigators.
There is a record of a Robert Bailey who was licensed as a doctor in New York before the war broke out. He enlisted into the Army and served as a camp doctor until sometime in late 1864 when he fell into the hands of the enemy and was placed in a prisoner camp. He continued to work as a doctor and returned to New York at the end of the war. According to his family, he returned with a sever limp in his left leg and is still practicing. He never married and is 48 years old.
We then interviewed him at the hospital and asked him if he had ever met another doctor with his name and he said he hadn’t but it was a big city and he didn’t know all the doctors. We went down to the city to see if there was any registration and only the above doctor appeared on the records using that name.
A complete background check was done on Jacob Smith who disappeared during the war but an exact date is unknown. His last know assignment was in Natchez where he was involved in a civilian issue and disappeared for a month or two then reassigned by Washington to northern Mississippi but he was never heard from again. He comes from a Northern Virginia family with eight brothers and three sisters. Of those, three of the brothers are still alive though two could not be located and their whereabouts is currently unknown. The parents have since passed on. The father was a doctor and the mother a housekeeper. We spoke to an older sister who said they lost four brothers during the war and that her father died angry and broken. We asked her about Jacob and she said he was the only one who joined the Union breaking off all contact with the family.
You as well requested a background on Maggie Tippes, which was not her real name. Her real name was Margaret Sullivan. She began working during the war after it was rumored that her husband had been killed in the line of duty. We followed these rumors to discover that she was never married. She came from a poor family in North Carolina where she had only two siblings. Her sister, Sally, was murdered during the war and her brother, Robert Sullivan, worked under her in the capacity of liaison and informational officer but it is unclear of the allegiance. He was taken into custody as a spy during an infiltration and shortly afterward she disappeared. It is thought that she was either eliminated or fled when her cover was exposed as being a double agent. Her brother was released a few years after the war with a pardon and his current whereabouts is unknown. No photograph is available but the government records indicate he was 6 ft tall, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He also has a noticeable scar on his shoulder from a bayonet.
There is no indication of a hired hit of any sort. Please advise if we can be of further service to you.
Dominic read it and passed it to James. “Garnett, what made you check on Maggie?”
“There were very few incidents that happened close to Natchez and I think that those would be the only ones where we would fall under suspicion.”
“I would have never thought of Maggie.”
“Well, if she was in contact or working with her brother then he knew about the safe house as well as both Dominic and Garnett. He would also know about Colonel Smith since she was working with him. It also makes sense that he would show up now if he had been in prison as a war criminal. The description fits along with the letter scribed on his watch and the scar.”
“How do you want to handle it?”
“He’s smart to establish himself in the town but he has also been inquiring into our business which would put the spotlight on us if he disappeared suspiciously.”
MIRISA PUT the twins down for their nap and took Matthew out to look for roots and mushrooms along the riverbank. She strapped on her gun and told Matthew not to wander away from her. They were about a hundred yards from the porch when Matthew found a fresh outbreak of mushrooms growing close to the water. He picked one and showed it to his mother. She looked at the underside then broke it to see the center before handing him the basket. He squatted and started to gently dislodge the mushrooms from the tree bark. When he stood to hand it to his mother he saw the doctor standing behind her with his hand over her mouth and he froze. He looked at his mother and stilled his mind so that he could listen to her. She met his eyes telling him to quietly back up but not to run. Robert pointed his gun at Matthew and pulled back the trigger while dragging Mirisa toward his horse. Mirisa bit his hand causing him to let her go as Dog jumped at him tearing his sleeve while sinking his teeth into his arm leaving deep puncture wounds. Matthew left at a dead run as Robert kicked Dog and put Mirisa in a choke hold cutting off her scream.
Dominic was in mid-sentence as his scar flared at the same time he heard Mirisa scream. He ran for the porch as Matthew was running up the stairs and into his arms hysterical. “Where’s your mother?”
James ran down the steps to the spot where there was an obvious struggle then found Mirisa’s gun thrown in the underbrush, the torn cloth and Dog laying on his side whining from the blow to his ribs. Garnett’s horse was still tied up in front of the lodge so he mounted and picked up the trail which headed north crossing the river before heading west. James carried Dog up to the porch and told Matthew to make sure Dog didn’t move as Dominic saddled the horses. James said he was staying with the children and would bind up Dog. James took Matthew’s hand and put him up at the bar as Meeks and Dominic followed Garnett’s trail.
“James he wants to kill my mother.”
“We’ll find her Matt.” He poured Matthew a cup of milk then walked over to take care of Dog. James couldn’t believe that he grabbed her with all four of them sitting in the house. Matthew climbed down from the chair and walked up to James putting his hand in James’ hand.
Matthew closed his eyes and reached out for Conrad who told him to find the trail of the hawk. Conrad no sooner said it when Matthew could hear the cry as the hawk flew high over the trees and soon he could see all that the hawk could see. He was soaring higher and higher toward the mountains and Matthew concentrated on the tree line.
“James.”
“What Matthew?”
“He’s in the tree line near where we entered the mountains. He is heading up near the big boulders where we turned north. We need to go find her.”
“Matthew, we have to stay here with the twins.”
“No. We have to go now because Daddy won’t find her in time and we’re closer. We have to go.”
James went to the nursery and told Jasmine what happened and to keep the house locked up. She nodded then handed Matthew his jacket. James mounted his horse and pulled Matthew up in front of him. They headed north across the river and rode hard along the tree line. When they reached the boulders, J
ames stopped as Matthew looked around then pointed to the north. They went up around the west side of the boulders where there was an old mining trail that was overgrown. James stopped again and looked for fresh tracts finally finding one horse that was carrying either more than one rider or a heavy set rider. The further they travelled along the trail the darker the forest became but the evidence of a horse travelling faster than advisable was obvious by the broken foliage. James finally slowed down his horse as the trail became narrower.
James turned off the trail and worked his horse between the trees always climbing higher but keeping the trail in sight. Matthew pulled on his jacket and whispered that he went into the rocks. James dismounted and told Matthew to remain quiet as a mouse. He walked about a thousand yards before he saw the opening of the old mine shaft. He returned to Matthew and told him he needed to climb up in the tree and wait for him but under no circumstances was he to let anyone know where he was hiding. James gave him a boost up the tree and told him to be brave then he disappeared into the trees. Matthew closed his eyes and reached out for Conrad asking him to find his father because he had never been able to communicate with Dominic like he did with his mother.
Garnett had dismounted. “The tracks turn back which means he made these as a diversion before he snatched her. We need to backtrack and see if we can pick up the new tracks.” They headed back then stopped again.
Dominic was on the ground looking for the tracks when Matthew’s voice startled him. He stood and looked around then heard Matthew again. “He went above the boulders then headed west.”
“How do you know that?”
“Doesn’t matter. James is tracking him with Matthew.” Dominic mounted his horse and they back tracked until they got back to the outcrop of rocks finding the old trail. Garnett bent over and saw the two sets of tracks.
“One set is James’ horse.” They broke out in a full gallop until they saw James’ tracks leave the trail. They worked through the trees until they found James’ horse then dismounted.
“Daddy.” They all looked up finding Matthew hiding in the branches of the tree.
The Visitor - Colorado 1869 - 1871 Page 12