by Patti Berg
“So we have nothing,” Elizabeth said.
Alex shrugged. “What about this?” He reached into his inside coat pocket and withdrew an envelope. “I’d almost forgotten about it.” He took a piece of paper from inside. “Jedediah Dalton gave this to me the day he signed the property over. It was a copy of what he planned to say at the wedding, and he figured I might be too caught up in the excitement to hear his words. He wanted to make sure I knew how he felt.”
“Why didn’t you show it to me before?” Elizabeth asked.
“It’s one of those personal and private things I didn’t want to share. Guess maybe I should have.”
Alex slowly unfolded the stationery and began to read.
Alexander,
You are my partner, my friend, and the son I always wanted. The greatest treasure I could give you, for all you have meant to me, is my daughter’s love. But that she has given to you freely.
Now I have only one thing left to give, and I do so just as willingly. All that I own is yours—my home, my businesses, my wealth. Share them, as you will your love, with my daughter, your children, and your children’s children.
And be happy.
Your servant,
Jedediah Dalton
“Do you think this is enough proof?” Alex asked.
Jon felt a tightness in his throat for the pain, the loss, and the truth of what that piece of paper meant. He sought out words to say to Alex, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “That note won’t do us any good at all,” he said finally.
“And why not?” Alex fired back.
“Because the moment it leaves your hands, it will disappear. We see it only because you want us to, just the way we see you.”
“We need tangible evidence,” Elizabeth stressed.
“I died with it in my pocket,” Alex said. “That means I must have been buried with it.”
“You don’t want us to dig up your body, do you?” Elizabeth asked incredulously.
“Hell, no! But I don’t see any other choice.”
oOo
“Are you sure this is the right spot?” Jon asked, as he tossed another shovelful of dirt out of the four-foot hole he’d dug.
“Of course I’m sure,” Alex bellowed, as he paced back and forth. “Just keep digging.”
They were at the far end of the basement, a dark, cobweb-strewn place no one in his right mind would venture to unless he had a perfectly good reason. At least the dirt was easy to dig, Jon thought, as he shoveled another load, and another.
He hit something hard and closed his eyes, fearing he’d hit bone. As much as he wanted to uncover that letter Alex had carried in his vest, he didn’t want to find the body.
“What was that?” Elizabeth asked, leaning over to look into the pit.
Jon moved the lantern closer to the spot where his shovel was stuck into a good eight inches of dirt. “I don’t know.” He knelt down and began to dig more cautiously with his fingers, moving out only a handful of dirt at a time.
Something white came into view, and he swallowed deeply. He moved a few more scoops of dirt, then dusted a thin layer away with gloved fingers.
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the edge of the hole.
“What’s wrong, Jon?” Elizabeth called down.
He looked up into two pairs of worried eyes. “I found it,” he whispered. He turned his gaze downward again, and the empty eye sockets in Alexander’s skull stared back.
“Want some help?” Elizabeth asked.
He shook his head. “No, thanks. It’s bad enough that one of us has to do this. Maybe it would be better if you didn’t look down. You either, Alex.”
“You’re damn right I won’t look down. I’ve got a hell of a lot of memories about that dirt, and none of them are pleasant. No need dredging them up now.”
Jon went back to work, bit by bit tossing dirt into a bucket and handing it out to Elizabeth to dump. Slowly, he uncovered more. Tattered shreds of fabric, rotting leather shoes, a tarnished belt buckle, and a few coins that had fallen from where a pants pocket once had been.
“Have you found it yet?” Alex called out.
“Not yet.”
“Well, hurry up. I’m not particularly fond of this place.”
Jon dug around the edges of the skeleton looking for something, anything, but he knew his search was useless. What could he tell Alex? That it had been too long? That there was nothing here but bones? But he had no choice in the matter; he had to tell him the truth.
Standing up, Jon easily looked over the top of the hole. He smiled weakly when he saw Elizabeth. A deep sadness furrowed her brow, and he realized she knew.
Jon looked across the basement to the place where Alexander paced back and forth, back and forth, twirling something on his finger.
The ring.
Amanda’s wedding ring.
Jon knelt back down and blew dust and dirt from the delicate fingerbones that lay haphazardly at the body’s side. Luke Winchester hadn’t laid Alex gently to rest in the bottom of the hole before shoveling in dirt. He’d dumped him, and Jon felt the sting of tears in his eyes for the treatment Alex hadn’t deserved, for the experiences—the wife, the son, the other children—Alex had missed.
At least the ring wasn’t missing. At least Luke hadn’t robbed Alex of that, too. Maybe it was that ring that had kept Alex and Amanda tied together forever.
Jon climbed up to the basement floor and Alex was immediately at his side. “Do you have it?” he asked.
Jon shook his head. “Most everything’s disintegrated. I’m sorry.”
Alex just stood there and stared at him, the corners of his mouth turned down in disbelief. “I thought this was my chance. I thought... hell, what does it matter? I was getting used to sticking around this place. Maybe you can take me out for a stroll once in a while, when you’re in need of a little pain.”
“Stop it, Alex,” Elizabeth snapped. “Stop it right now. We will get you out. We will prove your innocence.”
“How?” Alex thundered. “Do you think Luke Winchester left anything behind saying he killed me?”
“Maybe not, but...”
“But what?” Jon asked when he saw the look of intense concentration on Elizabeth’s face.
“Matt told me that Luke Winchester liked trophies, reminders of his conquests, and that half the animal heads hanging at Winchester Place had belonged to him. Maybe Luke kept all the property deeds when he robbed the bank, especially the one saying Alex was the rightful owner to the Dalton estate. Luke would have gloated over that victory.”
“And how do you propose we find something like that? Break into Matt’s home and search for it?”
Elizabeth smiled slowly and nodded.
“I don’t think so, Ellie,” Jon said. It wouldn’t look good for the mayor of Sapphire, Montana, to be caught breaking and entering.
“Do you have a better plan?” she asked.
“No, but...”
“But nothing,” Elizabeth tossed back. “I’ll go alone if you don’t want to help me.”
“It’s dangerous. It’s insane. Hell, Ellie, it’s illegal. But… I’ll go, but you’re not going with me.”
“You’re not going without me.”
Jon smoothed dirt from her cheek. She looked pretty, and he couldn’t imagine doing anything ever again without her. “You can go, but only if you do what I tell you to.”
“Would I ever do anything else?” she asked.
“Always.”
He grabbed the blanket he’d brought down to the basement, and lowered himself once again into the hole. Carefully he covered Alex’s body and stood silently for a moment, his hands folded in prayer. No one had said a prayer when he was buried, but Jon vowed that when all this was over, when Alex was reunited with Amanda, he and Elizabeth would give him a proper burial.
Suddenly he realized he’d said “when all this was over,” and for the first time he truly believed they’d find a way to help.
“Are you about ready to get out of here, Alex?” Jon called out.
“For one hundred years,” Alex yelled back. “Can’t you hurry it up?”
That’s what he liked to hear. He would miss the cantankerous old guy, but he’d have a lot of memories to hold on to.
Jon gripped the edge of the hole to pull himself out, but the ground caved away from around his fingers and he fell, slamming backward against the wall.
Dirt crumbled away, layer upon layer, and slowly, wood slats appeared where a solid wall of soil once had been.
Jon looked over the edge of the hole at Elizabeth and Alex. “I think I’ve discovered Luke’s tunnel into the bank.”
“Made a convenient grave, didn’t it?” Alex said, his laughter filling the basement. “I might have had a chance to struggle and get free if he hadn’t already had this thing dug.”
“Let’s see if it still leads into the bank,” Elizabeth said, looking far too eager for Jon’s comfort.
“I’d rather break into Matt’s house before we break into the bank. My chances of conviction might not be as high that way.”
Jon set the lantern on the basement floor and crawled out of the hole. Elizabeth put her hands on his cheeks when he finally stood before her. She brushed away dirt and mud from his nose and chin, and then she kissed him. “Maybe they’ll give us adjoining cells.”
Jon laughed. “I’m the mayor. Maybe I could talk the judge into a single.”
Alex cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, do you think you could give my situation a moment’s thought instead of jabbering on and on about prison accommodations? I’ve got a woman waiting somewhere for me, and I’d sure like to get to her before another century passes.”
Chapter 19
“How do you propose we get Matt out of the house?” Elizabeth asked, turning away from the window that looked out across the park next door and down to the end of the street. They’d taken turns watching Winchester Place. In the late afternoon Jon had seen Matt go into his all-too-ostentatious house, and together and separately they’d waited for him to exit, hoping some business or other engagement would draw him away. But the man wasn’t cooperating.
Just as Alex had said earlier, it seemed useless, Elizabeth thought. Surely there must be some better plan. Of course, from the looks of her companions, she was the only one who cared.
Alex sat on one end of the chesterfield, twiddling his thumbs, and Jon sat at the other, leaning back with his fingers wrapped behind his neck. His eyes looked closed, but she knew they weren’t. They watched her, and she felt the same shiver she’d felt that first day. This time, though, it wasn’t a fear of the unknown that sent that tremor through her body, it was anticipation of what was yet to come.
Slowly he rose and walked toward her, slid his fingers into the hair at her temples, tilted her face, and kissed her. “Maybe it’s time we asked someone else to help us out.”
“And who do you know besides me who’s willing to break into a man’s house to help a ghost?”
“I don’t want someone else to break in,” Jon said, laughing softly. “We need someone to get him out.”
“I could have done that hours ago if I’d wanted to put my body on the line. All it would have taken is a phone call, a dinner invitation, and a seductive dress.”
“You’re never going near him again,” Jon said, turning her in his arms and holding her tight so they could watch Matt’s house together. “I don’t even like the idea of you going into that house with me.
He rested his chin on top her head, and he felt so right, so good. She’d never liked being on the receiving end of orders, but she didn’t seem to mind when they came from Jon. After all, he wanted to protect her. And Lord, it felt nice to be protected.
Right now, though, she wanted this whole thing to end so she could go on with her life, so Alexander could go on to another stage of his. She didn’t want protection to be necessary any longer.
“I do know someone who wouldn’t mind spending time with Matt,” Jon said.
Surprised at his words, Elizabeth tilted her head to look into his eyes. “Who’d be crazy enough to want that?”
“Francesca.”
“Francesca? Your friend with boyfriend problems? The one who’s been seeing Matt?”
Jon laughed. “I get the sense you don’t like her?”
“Why shouldn’t I like her? I don’t know a thing about her.”
“You’re jealous.”
“That’s impossible. You said she’s just a friend, and I believe you. Of course, what kind of friend would want to help us break into someone’s house?”
“An undercover agent for Fish and Wildlife.”
Elizabeth twisted around to see the laughter in Jon’s eyes. Undercover agent? Francesca? That flame-haired beauty? The woman Elizabeth had despised the moment they met?
“Speaking of Francesca, it looks like help’s just arrived,” Jon said, and Elizabeth turned back to the window.
She saw the same olive-drab truck she’d seen parked in front of the cafe last night. She saw her brother climb out in army fatigues, and petite, pretty Francesca climbed out right behind, dressed in the same type of camouflage attire.
Tears welled in the corners of Elizabeth’s eyes. “He’s going to get arrested tonight, isn’t he?” she asked. She didn’t mention her brother’s name; she knew Jon understood.
“More than likely.” Jon pulled her more tightly into his arms. “There’s nothing we can do about it now, though.”
Matt came out of the house with a rifle tucked under his arm. He shook hands with Francesca and Eric; they talked for several minutes, then climbed into the truck and drove out of town.
She should have been happy Matt had gone. They could go to Winchester Place, hopefully find the missing deeds, and perhaps solve all of Alexander’s problems. But she wasn’t happy, not when her brother was up to no good, and he was on the verge of being caught.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to weep.
The dark of night and the lightly falling snow gave Jon and Elizabeth the cover they needed as they headed down the street to Winchester Place.
“That’s the butler’s room,” Jon said, pointing to a lighted window on the second floor. They stood still for a moment at the edge of Matt’s property and watched a darkened silhouette moving about in the room, finally shutting off the light.
Elizabeth sighed with relief and Jon clutched her hand as they soundlessly made their way to the back of the house.
Jon had once told Elizabeth there was no need to lock doors when you lived in Sapphire because the crime rate was pretty close to zero. She’d laughed at the notion of leaving a door unlocked anywhere, but tonight she rather liked the idea as Jon turned a knob at the rear of the mansion, and they easily walked inside.
“Where should we begin?” Elizabeth whispered.
‘It’s a big place, but I keep thinking about those trophies you mentioned. My guess is we start in the drawing room.”
Jon held a flashlight out and shined the thin beam down at the floor. He reached behind him and captured Elizabeth’s hand. “Don’t go anywhere without me.”
She squeezed his fingers in answer, trying to make as little noise as possible.
When they reached the drawing room, her stomach cramped, partly in fear, partly in remembrance of the vile way Matt had touched her and the way she’d broken a glass and held it to his neck. She loathed the man. With any luck, they’d bring his little game to an end tonight.
Sadly, her brother was going to be caught in the trap, too.
They went from table to desk, carefully sifting through drawers so nothing would look out of place. They lifted carpets and bearskin rugs and checked for hidden doorways leading to a basement, but they found nothing.
“Let’s try another room,” Jon said, pulling Elizabeth after him.
“Wait.” Elizabeth tugged on his hand to make him stop.
“Why? We’ve looked at everything.”
“We must have knocked into that moose head. It’s crooked. Just give me a second to straighten it.” Elizabeth twisted the oak mounting and heard a groan. She swallowed hard and looked at the animal whose glass eyes stared aimlessly across the room. She twisted the mounting a little more to the left and heard the same groan. She watched the gun cabinet slide along the wall.
“I can’t believe Matt’s stupid enough to put the control behind a moose head,” she said. “It’s so obvious, that’s the first place anyone would look.”
“We almost overlooked it,” Jon whispered, then held a finger to his lips to silence anything else she might say.
Smiling with some degree of victory, he took her fingers and led her through the passage.
They descended a narrow staircase, the beam from the flashlight the only thing keeping them from walking in total darkness. They reached the floor and Jon shone the light across the walls.
Hundreds of eyes stared back at them. Bald eagles sat with talons wrapped tightly around fake tree branches that protruded from the plaster. A bobcat poised on the edge of a boulder, and a California condor perched on a tree branch above it. “He’s made this place into a gallery,” Jon stated.
“More like a mausoleum, if you ask me.” Elizabeth stepped away from the displays, and tripped. She fell to the floor, feeling fur beneath her.
“Are you okay?” Jon asked, giving her a hand and pulling her up.
“I think so.” She looked sadly at the head of a grizzly she’d tripped over, its fur flat against the floor, its legs and paws spread out with the claws extended. What other horrors would she find, she wondered, if all the lights were on?
Jon pulled her away from the bearskin. “Let’s see if we can find what we came for and get out of here.”
He managed to locate a desk and pulled on the drawer. “It’s locked.” He tugged harder. “Maybe this is where Matt’s records are hidden. Nothing else is locked around here.” He pulled out his jack-knife and wedged it against the catch, jimmying it around until he heard a click. Slowly he pulled and the drawer slid open.
He rummaged around inside, careful not to displace the contents, and took out a ledger. Opening the book on top of the desk, Jon shone the flashlight onto the paper. “Look at this, Ellie. Dates, names of hunters, amounts paid, and what animals they wanted to kill. Not one legal hunt listed here, and a lot of protected species. There’s enough here to hang him.”