Golden Torment

by Janelle Taylor

  Landis stiffened and frowned. “This seat’s as good as any about now. What about my wife, Mounty Blitch?” he prodded.

  “Have you been drinking, Clint?” Bill quizzed his odd behavior.

  “Not yet, but I plan to very soon,” Landis drawled lazily. “You care to join me, Mounty Blitch?” he invited.

  Trace glanced at him. “Is something annoying you, Sergeant Marlowe? I sense bullets heading my way. Is it me? Or just a nasty mood and fatigue?”

  Landis glared at him. “The name’s Landis Jurrell around here, Mounty Blitch,” he caustically reprimanded his befuddled friend. “I suggest you recall that at all times, even during amorous circumstances.”

  Bill and Trace observed him. He was trying to score some point. But what? Why? “Amorous what?” Trace asked in total confusion.

  “You know what I mean,” Landis scoffed, his eyes stormy.

  “No, Landis, I don’t know. Mind explaining?” he hinted,

  “Kathryn Jurrell,” he stated concisely.

  “What has she got to do with this?” he asked curiously.

  “For your sake, I hope you haven’t told her anything.”

  “Kathy hasn’t asked me any questions, and I haven’t dropped any information. If you think I’ve flirted with her because I know you two aren’t legally wed, you’re wrong. I hate what you did to her, but it’s none of my affair. What are you implying, Clint?” he demanded, standing up.

  “You saying you haven’t dropped any clues during your visits to her?” Landis furthered the mystery rather than cleared it.

  “Of course not!” Trace snapped indignantly, stiffening.

  “Not even when you stole into my wife’s bedroom Saturday?”

  Trace’s face filled with enlightenment. “You saw me go in?”

  “Yep!” he stated succinctly, his expression accusatory and glacial.

  “So that’s what has you riled! You’re bloody jealous over an official visit! I was just comforting her. She was distraught, in tears. Or didn’t you take the time to notice?” Trace angrily snarled, provoked.

  “The old maiden-in-distress routine?” Landis surmised insultingly.

  Trace’s anger rose. “What was I supposed to do? She was hysterical, terrified. You couldn’t blame her after Slavin attacked her and tried to kill her moments earlier! She was shaking like a leaf during a storm. If Jack and I hadn’t arrived just in time, she would be dead right now. I arrested Slavin and brought him here. We couldn’t hold him: insufficient evidence. Plus, he threatened to blow your cover. I went up again to check on Kathy and to bring her earnings here. She plans to pick them up on her way home. You can imagine what she felt and thought when I told her we let Slavin go free. Kathy and I are friends, Landis, just friends. She could hardly fall for me when she’s already helplessly in love with you. Everyone knows it but you! When are you going to stop harassing her? She isn’t spying on anyone. She’s just a young girl, alone and troubled. She turned to me and Jack because we offered her help and friendship which should have come from you.”

  “Slavin attacked her? I saw her later; she didn’t say anything. Let me think,” he demanded, easing into moody reflections of that day.

  He had mentioned seeing Trace. Naturally Kathy had assumed he knew about Marc! When he recalled their conversation, he grimaced at what she hadn’t said clearly and what he had implied. He didn’t like the way he was thinking and feeling. He frowned as he realized how brutal he had been. Now her confusion and anguish made perfect sense to him.

  “When is she leaving Dawson?” he asked, his tone vastly altered after his deliberation, concern lining his face.

  “Sunday. Jack’s picking her up to head for Skagway. She’s leaving on the next ship out. Why, do you care?”

  “Where’s Slavin?” he asked, his voice and eyes frosty.

  “Jack’s keeping an eye on him until Sunday.”

  Landis met Bill’s intense stare. “You should have found a way to hold the bastard. She’s in danger, and you know it, Bill. Why didn’t you send word to me?” he demanded, filled with anguish.

  “Your cover,” Bill remarked, slightly vexed by Landis’s tone.

  “From now on, give her whatever she needs,” he added sternly. “I’m heading for Dawson at first light.”

  Bill commented, “I think you’re forgetting something, Sergeant Clinton Marlowe. I give the orders around here. You’re in my territory. You haven’t the rank to change them. Your cover’s vital; you can’t blow it.”

  “We’ve been friends a long time, Bill. I was asking as a personal favor, not issuing orders.” He was tempted to inform both men he would soon be in full control of the entire area, but didn’t. Later, when things were neatly tied up, he would tell them he was resigning from the North-West Mounted Police to accept the appointment of Commissioner of the Yukon Territory from the Governor-General of Canada, which amounted to territorial governor, a position which offered power and excitement and the freedom to move about as he chose. Most of all, it didn’t require the Mounty rule of being single…

  At first light Friday morning, Landis left Log Cabin to head for Dawson and the truth. If he really pushed himself, he could arrive Sunday about midday. If she left early, he would pass Kathy on the trail between Stewart and Dawson. “Sharpen your teeth and claws, my Kat; well fight until this is settled!” he murmured, eagerly hitting the long trail toward his love.

  * * *

  Saturday morning began with a flurry of activity. Nelle brought Kathy lots of hot water for one last bath before starting out on the trail at nine o’clock. Kathy pressed her last week’s wages and the golden tokens of friendship and gratitude into Nelle’s quivering hand. “I want you to have this, Nelle. Someday, I hope you escape this horrible land, too. I love you, Silly Nelle. I’m going to miss you something fierce. If I had enough money, I would take you along as my chaperone. Please take care of yourself. You’ve done so much for me here.”

  Nelle stared at the money: nearly seven hundred dollars in money and gold. “I can’t, Kathy. Ye be ta sweet an’ givin’.”

  “I’ve already sent my money home last week with Mounty Blitch. If I carry it with me, someone will rob me and maybe injure me. Please keep it so I’ll be safe on the trail,” she wheedled.

  Nelle understood what she was doing. She cried. “Ye be an angel. Silly Nelle won’t e’er forgit ye.”

  Kathy hugged her. “Go hide the money while I finish dressing.”

  Just as Kathy was dressed and packed, Soapy came over. She was surprised and distressed to see him. “I was just about ready to leave, Mr. Smith,” she remarked with feigned courtesy.

  He looked at her with a rueful expression. “I’m sorry, Kathy. But I’ll have to inconvenience you for a moment.”

  She was perplexed and alarmed. “I don’t understand.”

  “You’re the only one leaving Dawson since the robbery. I’m afraid I’ll have to search you and your possessions before you go.”

  “Surely you jest! We’ve been all through this,” she argued.

  “Do you object to my search?” he challenged.

  “Yes, I do. But I doubt I could stop you.”

  Kathy sat down while Soapy checked her packs, then searched her entire room. Nelle promptly answered his summons. “Nelle, I want you to undress Kathy and search her for any papers.”

  Nelle gaped at him. “Search Miss Kathy?” she asked again.

  “I know you’re slow-witted, Nelle. But that order is clear.”

  “Miss Kathy?” she asked uneasily, eyes large and wary.

  “It’s all right, Nelle. Do as he says,” Kathy agreed.

  When Soapy stepped out, Nelle was about to say something, but Kathy placed a finger to her lips, then motioned to the door. She grinned and winked at Nelle. “Just do as he says, Nelle, and avoid trouble,” she stated, smiling conspiratorily.

  Just so Nelle could tell the truth, Kathy stripped and proved she had nothing to hide. She pointed out her clothes, which co
ntained nothing. She redressed, then opened the door. “May I leave now, sir?”

  “Nelle, did you find anything?” he demanded in an ominous tone to frighten the presumedly dense woman.

  Nelle played her part well. “I didn’t see nuttin’, Soapy. I felt ’er clothes; weren’t no papers or anythin’. Only a little gun in ’er pocket.”

  “Look at me, Nelle. Swear she’s carrying no papers.”

  Nelle looked confused, but complied. “I swears, Soapy.”

  “Satisfied, Mr. Smith?” Kathy indignantly asked.

  “For now. However, I do plan to search Jack’s things, too.”

  She gasped in fury and annoyance. “I don’t believe this. Have you even considered the possibility someone stole them during the night, right under your nose? When was the last time you saw them?”

  Kathy’s cunning ruse partially worked and Soapy began to think. He hadn’t seen the papers since the afternoon before. They could have been taken during the night! Still, he would make sure Kathy and Jack didn’t have them.

  When Kathy and Soapy joined Jack on the front porch, Jack was rankled as Soapy’s demand to search his belongings. At first, he adamantly refused. He and Smith argued. Kathy broke in with, “Please, Jack, let him so we can leave this awful place.”

  The note of exasperation in her voice made him yield. “Make it quick, Smith. We’ve got lots of walking ahead,” he snapped.

  Soapy’s search revealed nothing except a personal journal of Jack’s daring adventures and exploits in Alaska. To Kathy’s astonishment, Soapy fluctuated between relief and annoyance that the missing reports and papers weren’t with them. Smith bid them a hasty farewell, heading to his office to give Kathy’s ingenious suggestion some thought.

  By ten o’clock Saturday, April third, Jack London and Kathryn Jurrell were heading for Skagway, by way of Log Cabin. Jack had rented a dogsled and husky team, but the melting snows hindered their speed. Jack knew they were being followed those first two days, but said nothing. Kathy was delighted when he told her where he had hidden the reports and papers: within a mile of Log Cabin!

  Whoever was furtively trailing them made no appearance. The rivers were still icy this far north, so they were forced to take the overland route. The dogs were strong and sleek. Kathy marveled at their agility and strength. She enjoyed this swift and carefree journey.

  Saturday night, Jack and Kathy spent the night with a friend of Jack’s, within five miles of Landis Jurrell…

  Sunday dawned as the warmest and brightest day since winter had swooped down on this wilderness. Landis arose to head northward, while Jack and Kathy departed southward. Just past Whitehorse was when the blond adventurer relaxed. His tension subsided along with that keen instinct which warned: danger. Their ghost had vanished during the day; no doubt to report back to Soapy that nothing unusual was taking place with them.

  Sunday night would find Jack and Kathy camping within easy reach of Log Cabin on Monday about midday. By Tuesday night, they would make Skagway. By Wednesday, Kathy would be on a ship, while Jack headed for Stewart to profit from the spring rush up the Yukon for one last time before leaving himself. That was their plan to date…

  Landis entered Dawson shortly after lunch on this promising Sunday. Confident in his prowess, he headed for the boarding house to get his wife. He was surprised to see the guards removed. Odd, since he hadn’t seen Kathy on the trail. Maybe she was staying until Monday. He walked to the back door and knocked. Nelle answered it, smiling broadly at him. She glanced outside, then invited him to enter.

  His first query was, “Nelle, did you tell Kat I’d been here?”

  She replied, “Ye said ta say nuttin’. Nelle keeps ’er word.”

  He had hoped Nelle had accidentally dropped that clue for Kathy to mull over. Before he could say anything, she rushed into a flurry of talk, revealing the events in Dawson and Kathy’s abuse.

  “What was taken, Nelle?” he warily asked.

  “Tha bloody thief didn’t tak’ na money ’er them fancy jewels. All’s missin’ wuz ‘is papers. He’s madder ‘an a wolv’rine in a trap!”

  Landis wondered if Jake had done it. “How is Kathy, Nelle?”

  “Poor lass. An’ right atop tha’ Slavin animal attacking ’er right under me nose! Did ye hear how he tried ta kill ’er, right in there?” she stressed, pointing toward the hallway to Kathy’s room. “I thanks God Mounty Blitch saved ’er. If ye’d come sooner tha’ day, ye coulda been ’er hero to ye wife,” she stated romantically.

  “So do I, Nelle,” he responded enviously.

  Nelle chuckled. “Ye shoulda stayed or taked her ‘ome. When he took tha’ wild animal off, she stayed in me room for days, afeared ta sleep in hers. Had ter’ble dreams.”

  That news caught him unprepared: sleeping here with Nelle those nights! She grinned slyly. “Ye be frettin’ fur nothin’. She spoke ye name in ’er sleep,” she informed him, reading his jealousy.

  “My name?” he entreated for confirmation, smiling.

  Nelle grinned and nodded. So, the battle wasn’t lost yet! “Where is she now? I need to see her. Like it or not, she’s coming home today.”

  Nelle looked distressed. “She be gone since yesterdee.”

  “She left Saturday morning?” he asked in dismay, that would put them a day and a half beyond him. Still, Jack couldn’t travel as fast with Kathy as he could alone. He would catch up with them soon.

  “Ye know wha’ she did? When she left, she gave Nelle nigh seven hundred dollars, all ’er money from tha’ last week.”

  “You really liked her, didn’t you?” he asked. He smiled, thinking what a good housekeeper Nelle would make for them. Too, Kathy would need help with their children and company when he was away, for he planned lots of children with Kathryn Marlowe.

  Before she could answer, Soapy Smith stalked in. “I was told you were in here. How dare you come into my house!”

  “I came to take my wife home, but Silly Nelle tells me she’s already left,” he informed the astounded Smith.

  “Take her home? Your wife?” Smith scoffed tauntingly.

  Landis’s grin was mocking, and his dark eyes were mysterious and playful. “About time, since she wasn’t safe or happy here.”

  Smith glared at him. Jurrell certainly was in a cocky mood! Did Jurrell have both sets of papers? Smith might be tempted to think Jurrell and Kathy had been in this theft together! There was no way she could haveopened the safe or gotten the papers out of his saloon!

  Smith laughed at his foe’s self-assurance. “Hell will freeze over before Kathryn Hammond goes home with you. Since ships anchor nearly every day now, you’ll never lay eyes on her again. She couldn’t leave fast enough after I told her about our bet. She left convinced that you were after her for only two reasons: to use her and to best me.”

  Landis was riled by Soapy’s lies, as Smith knew he would be. A dark scowl lined his handsome features and settled ominously in his ebony eyes. “You play dirty, Smith. What else did you tell her?”

  “Only the truth, Jurrell. You wanted to use her like Michelle!” he retorted in uncontrollable ire.

  “How did I use Michelle?” Landis scoffed.

  “We both know! But Michelle was greedy, wasn’t she? What did she do, demand marriage in exchange for evidence against me?”

  “Is that why you killed her, afraid she would offer me your secrets? You don’t fool me for an instant, Smith. But why would I be interested in your secrets, ‘evidence’ you called it?”

  Smith laughed heartily. “You think I killed my best harlot?”

  Landis scrutinized him closely. “Who else?”

  “Since you have no proof I had anything to do with Michelle’s death, I suggest you stop making wild allegations.”

  Landis alertly noticed Smith never denied a hand in Michelle’s death. Landis also knew Soapy was lying about badmouthing him to Kathy. Soapy had wanted them together. Some day he would know why. Yet, Landis feared Soapy had darkened hi
s image after their last talk. “I’m going after Kat. You’d best pray it isn’t too late to catch her,” he icily warned, thinking it safe now to expose his feelings.

  “Catch her for what?” Soapy sneered, as if impossible.

  “I don’t plan to lose her; she is my wife,” Landis stated.

  “You mean you do love her?” Smith asked in disbelief, a look of thwarted revenge etching his harsh features.

  “Why else would I marry her?” Landis sarcastically sneered, unaware of offering Soapy a second chance at victory.

  Soapy couldn’t suppress his pleased smirk. He quickly concealed it, bursting at the seams to gloat, but knowing that unwise. It was imperative to prevent Kathy from leaving Skagway!

  Landis shrewdly observed the curious emotions which flitted over Smith’s face. He fiercely scolded himself. He had to get to Kathy before Smith tried!

  Landis drilled his trenchant gaze into Smith’s ecstatic one. He warned with a truculence which caused Soapy to think twice about his imminent plans, “Don’t go near her, Smith. If anything happens to her, there’ll be no place for you to hide. You’ll be begging for the sweet mercy of death before I finish with you.”

  Smith glared hostilely at him. No, youll be the one begging to tell me anything to save your love from me and my men…

  The look in Smith’s eyes sent chills of warning and worry, over Landis. “Mark my words, Smith, you’re a dead man if you try to use her to get to me,” he threatened, as if reading Soapy’s mind.

  “You’ve heard my safe was robbed,” Soapy abruptly changed the subject. “Wonder how I’ll get my papers back,” he mused. “Any chance you know something about them?” he asked casually.

  “Why would I be interested in your papers?” Landis coldly reasoned.

  “Odd, those were Kathy’s exact words when I questioned her. I wonder what the thief would be willing to trade for their return.”

  Landis came to full alert. “You think my wife took them?”

  “I think you did. I wonder what I have that you might want in exchange for them,” he said.