Truth Be Told

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Truth Be Told Page 25

by Carol Cox


  It was Amelia’s turn to blink. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your stepfather. Before he left town, he told me he had something planned that was sure to convince you to give up that newspaper and go back to Denver.” A smirk twisted Merrick’s lips. “For all his boasting, he obviously doesn’t know you as well as he thinks he does.”

  The statement hit Amelia like a blow. Merrick’s words carried the conviction of truth. And the cowardice involved in that sneaky act was just the kind of thing she would expect of Thaddeus Grayson. But that didn’t put Merrick in the clear, not by a long shot.

  When he put his hand upon the doorknob as if getting ready to go inside, she hurried to close the gap between them. “My stepfather wasn’t in town when you first warned me about the dangers of digging up information, back when you were laying the groundwork for springing your big news about that supposed agreement. He couldn’t have been involved, so that places the scheme to make me question my father’s character right at your doorstep.”

  Merrick’s jaw clenched, but his voice was calm when he spoke. “Miss Wagner, you’re deluding yourself. I’m just a businessman, trying to promote opportunities for my investors and serve the people of this community . . . not unlike your father. What could possibly give you the idea that I’m responsible for a document you claim is a forgery?”

  It was time to lay down her trump card. Unable to keep a note of triumph from her voice, she leaned forward and enunciated clearly: “Because I am aware you have additional forged documents in your company files, showing transactions that never took place.”

  A slight tightening of the skin around his eyes convinced her she was on the right track, and she pressed on. “Do you happen to know where Gabe Rogers and Josiah Smith are now? If you’ll recall, you once reminded me that a good journalist wants to know more than one side to a story. I’d like to hear what they have to say about the property you supposedly bought from them.”

  Merrick’s face went ashen. He clamped his lips together, and the doorknob turned under his hand.

  Before he could disappear, Amelia stepped up close and pointed her finger straight at him. “Just be aware, this is not over. I’m not going to stop until—”

  “Just a moment.” Merrick held up his hand and let out a long sigh. “You leave me no choice. If you’ll step in here for a moment, I have some documents you need to see.” He opened the door and ushered her inside.

  Thrilled by the thought she had just beaten the man at his own game, Amelia stepped into a narrow passageway. Merrick joined her and indicated a door to the right. “My office is through there.”

  He led the way, and Amelia followed, hope bubbling up inside her. Had she broken the arrogant man down so easily? Merrick pushed the door open, and Amelia took in a large, well-appointed office. She stepped toward the desk and fumbled in her reticule for her pencil and notebook.

  “Just a moment.” Merrick opened a door on the opposite side of the room and called, “Eddie, could you come in here a moment?”

  He stepped back to allow a tall, wiry man with sandy hair to enter the room. “A situation has come up, and I need your help.”

  The newcomer eyed Amelia with a look of appreciation. “Where did you come from? I didn’t see you walk through the office.”

  “I met Miss Wagner outside and brought her in through the back door.” Merrick took up a stance in front of the desk and turned to Amelia with an air of renewed confidence. “Miss Wagner, let me introduce Eddie Franklin, my most trusted employee. In addition to land purchases, Eddie takes care of some of the more . . . delicate issues that arise in our business dealings.”

  Franklin hooked his thumbs in his waistband and nodded. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He ran his eyes up and down her figure with a look that reminded her of Thaddeus Grayson, and she shivered.

  Keeping her eye on Franklin, she spoke to Merrick. “What’s all this about? I thought you had some papers to show me.”

  Merrick smiled. “Since you seem to be so interested in the way we conduct business here, I thought you might like to meet the man who finalized our arrangements on those land purchases. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to contact Josiah Smith or Gabe Rogers in person. I’m afraid they have departed this mortal coil.”

  The breath whooshed out of Amelia’s lungs. “They’re dead? Both of them?”

  A silence settled over the room, and she darted a glance back and forth between the two men. Of all the shady dealings she thought Merrick might be involved in, murder had never entered her mind . . . until now.

  She had to get away from these men. Thank heaven the back door was only a few steps away. She edged toward it, focusing on Owen Merrick. “You killed them?”

  Merrick smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t take credit for that.” He nodded toward his taller companion. “Eddie is a man of many talents.”

  Amelia swung her head around in time to see Eddie Franklin grin as if accepting a compliment. “But why?”

  Merrick shrugged. “They wouldn’t agree to sell, and we needed those properties. We have plans in motion, Miss Wagner—bigger plans than you could imagine—and those two were in our way.” His eyes grew cold. “Just like you are.”

  A roaring sound filled Amelia’s ears. Whirling around, she bolted for the door. With the speed of a striking snake, Eddie Franklin blocked her way and reached out to cover her mouth with his right hand while his left arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her side.

  Amelia struggled against his confining grip, but it was like being held in an iron vise. She tried to scream but could only force a muffled gurgle from her throat.

  Still holding her tight, her captor turned to face his employer. “What now, boss?”

  Amelia kicked backward as hard as she could. She had the satisfaction of feeling her heels connect with his shins, but it didn’t seem to affect him any more than if she had been a struggling kitten.

  “We can’t let her go now. She knows too much. But we can’t take her back outside, not in broad daylight, in full view of everyone on the street.” Merrick tilted his head to one side. “Do you think we can find a place for our guest in the storeroom?”

  Franklin let out a curse as Amelia ground her heel into his instep. “As long as we make sure no one hears her.”

  “I’m certain we can take care of that.” Merrick’s manner became brisk as he approached them and pulled a large handkerchief from his pocket. Stretching the fabric from corner to corner, he held it at the ready. The instant Franklin slipped his hand from Amelia’s mouth, Merrick rammed the improvised gag between her lips and pulled it taut while he tied the ends behind her head.

  He checked to make sure it wouldn’t loosen and nodded as if satisfied. “Bring her back here.”

  The tight fabric bit into the corners of Amelia’s lips, and the sharp tang of bay rum cologne filled her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes, and her breath came in quick gasps as an overwhelming fear enveloped her.

  Eddie Franklin held her upper arms in a cruel grip while they followed Merrick through the open door and back along the passageway to a small storage space at the other end.

  Merrick stood before a set of shelves, unrolling a coil of heavy twine. He measured out a length and sliced it off with his pocketknife, then held it out to Franklin. “Would you do the honors?”

  Sliding his grip down her arms, Franklin yanked Amelia’s hands behind her back and wrapped the twine around her wrists several times before knotting it tight.

  Freed of his constricting arms around her body, Amelia managed to jerk away. Pivoting quickly, she aimed a forward kick straight at his knee.

  Franklin evaded the move with a quick sidestep and swung his arm in a backhanded arc that struck her squarely on the side of the head. She staggered backward and crashed against the opposite wall.

  Franklin stepped forward with his mouth set in a hard line and spun her around again. “I’ll need another piece for her feet.”

  A
soft whimper gurgled from Amelia’s throat as he shoved her down to the floor. While Franklin bound her ankles fast, she cast a pleading look up at Owen Merrick. She had considered him capable of all sorts of skullduggery and fraud, but she never suspected the depth of evil that lurked behind that self-satisfied demeanor.

  Rather than softening, he seemed devilishly amused as he leaned against the shelves, watching Franklin work. “I once reminded Thaddeus that women are held in high regard out here in the West. I have always tried to abide by that, but as you can see, Eddie doesn’t share my finer feelings.”

  Franklin jerked the last knot tight, then stood, panting slightly. “What do we do next?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” Merrick straightened and consulted his pocket watch. “I have a meeting with a client soon, but the rest of the afternoon is free. That should give me plenty of time to consider our options.”

  Eddie Franklin dusted his hands. “There’s that old mineshaft up near the reservoir. The ore played out in that vein long ago, so there’s no reason for anyone to poke around in there.”

  Owen Merrick pursed his lips as if pondering nothing more serious than what he would like for dinner. “That might work. As I recall, it’s quite a drop to the bottom of that tunnel. We own the property, so it won’t raise any questions if we close that mine permanently.” He nodded and smiled at his companion. “Good thinking, Eddie. That should work out fine.”

  Franklin stepped over Amelia as though she were nothing more than a pile of rags and walked out of the room. Merrick paused at the door and looked down at her. “Thanks to your meddling, it looks like we have a full afternoon ahead of us.”

  She scraped her cheek against the wall, trying to force the gag from her mouth. There had to be some vestige of decency left in the man. If only she could reason with him!

  “None of that, now.” Reaching down, Merrick gripped the rope around her ankles and dragged her away from the wall. “And if you have any notion about making a racket to summon help, put that out of your mind right now. If I hear any noise coming from this room, I’ll have Eddie make sure it’s the last sound you ever make.”

  With that, he closed the door, leaving her in darkness.

  “That’s one loose end we won’t have to worry about anymore.” Eddie Franklin beamed as they walked down the passageway. “Once she’s taken care of, that means no more newspaper, no more stories.”

  Merrick studied Franklin, taking in the glint of anticipation in his eyes. The man didn’t seem at all put off by what they had just done . . . or what they were now committed to doing. He wished he could feel as confident he had done the right thing. He cast a glance over his shoulder at the closed door to the storeroom. Right or wrong, the choice had been made. There was no turning back now.

  Once in the office, Franklin loitered by the desk. “Do you need anything else from me?”

  Merrick sank into his chair and shook his head. “You might as well go about your normal routine. I don’t want to let on that anything unusual has happened. I won’t need you until later, when . . .” He jerked his head in the direction of the door to the passageway.

  Franklin nodded. “When do you want to take care of our little problem?”

  “We’d better wait until after dark. I don’t want any prying eyes to see us.”

  Franklin frowned and shook his head. “The last stretch on that road to the reservoir is mighty rough. You don’t want to try that in the dark.”

  Merrick drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment. “All right. Bring the buckboard around later this afternoon . . . say about four o’clock. We’ll just have to find a way to get her out of the building without anyone noticing.”

  Franklin’s mouth quirked up on one corner. “I’ll figure something out, boss. You leave it to me. It’ll all work out.” With a wink, he strolled into the outer office with a jaunty step.

  “That’s what you said about dropping that brick on Crenshaw,” Merrick muttered. He stared at the door long after Eddie Franklin closed it behind himself. No doubt about it, the man enjoyed the violent part of his job. Perhaps too much. Merrick hadn’t gotten where he was without knowing when to cut a liability. Once everything was in place and money started rolling in, he wouldn’t need Eddie anymore.

  He pulled his attention back to the moment. Right now, he had a more pressing matter on his mind. Leaning back against the rich leather upholstery, he closed his eyes, the better to consider his options.

  His earlier conversation with Grayson played through his mind again. He had been the one to upbraid Thaddeus about the very notion of harming a woman, yet now he had crossed that line. What had he gotten himself into?

  Rage boiled up inside him at the thought of how his well-laid plans had been altered in only a few moments. Stupid, nosy woman! If only she had minded her own business.

  He had checked every issue of the Gazette that had come out since she took over. Every week, he’d been relieved to see no further mention of the company or accusations against it. He had allowed himself to believe that the diversion provided by Ben, coupled with his own subtle warnings, would keep her from probing further.

  But young Ben turned out to be a Judas rather than a loyal follower. Merrick’s teeth clenched so tight his jaw ached. Somehow, that confounded female had managed to sway Ben’s thinking, instead of the other way around. Why else would he have been snooping through the company files and turning up those falsified sales documents? He had to be the source of the Wagner woman’s information about the Smith and Rogers properties.

  Merrick took a deep breath to calm himself. At least Ben had only found those two documents. Apparently, the rest of Eddie’s handiwork still lay undiscovered—but that was small consolation under the circumstances. What those two snoops already found was enough to bring his and Grayson’s bright dreams for the future crashing down around their ears.

  He pushed himself upright and listened for any sound from the storeroom. When he heard nothing, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just a few more hours, that was all. Then Amelia Wagner would no longer be around to cause any further worry. With her out of the way, he could turn his attention to young Ben.

  He chuckled at the memory of Thaddeus Grayson’s disdain for his supposed lack of action. For all Grayson’s blustering and his “grand idea” to call in those thugs from out of town, the man’s puny efforts had done nothing. So much for all your bragging, Thaddeus. When it comes right down to it, I’m the one who is getting things done.

  He rolled his neck from side to side, trying to ease the tension in his taut muscles. He found the idea of killing a woman distasteful in the extreme. But she had brought it on herself, threatening their success when the endgame was so close and the stakes were so high.

  As he had told Grayson, harming a woman would be the equivalent of signing his own death warrant. But that would apply only if he were caught—and he would make sure that didn’t happen. No one would ever stumble across Amelia Wagner’s remains . . . or Ben Stone’s, either.

  Chapter 30

  Ben swallowed the last bite of a late lunch and pushed the plate away. Settling back in his chair in the Hotel Burke’s dining room, he sipped at his coffee, trying to keep his impatience under control. He had hoped to have an answer from his father that morning, but nothing had arrived as yet. Now it was nearly the middle of the afternoon.

  A young boy who looked to be a little older than Jimmy Brandt walked into the room and glanced around. When he saw Ben, his face lit up, and he walked over to him with an air of self-importance. “The desk clerk told me I’d find you here. I’m supposed to deliver this to you.” He held out a yellow envelope.

  Ben sprang to his feet and took the envelope from the boy, handing him a coin as a tip. Breathing a quick prayer, he slit open the envelope and pulled out its contents. His eyes widened when he saw the brief message:

  SOUTHWEST LAND DEVELOPMENT OWNERS OWEN MERRICK AND THADDEUS GRAYSON STOP CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON STOP

/>   So he’d been right. Ben lowered himself back into the chair and leaned back, pondering his next course of action. The sheriff’s office was located in the basement of the courthouse in the center of the tree-lined plaza across the street. Tossing down his last swallow of coffee, he scooped up the telegram, picked up his satchel, and headed toward the town square.

  It didn’t take him long to trot down the stairs leading to the basement of the redbrick building and find the office he sought. The rugged man behind the battered desk looked up when Ben approached. “Something I can do for you?”

  “I certainly hope so.” Ben introduced himself.

  “I’m Sheriff James Lowry.” The other man stood and took Ben’s hand in a firm grip, sizing him up with a brief, no-nonsense glance. “Sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Taking a seat on the wooden chair, Ben leaned forward. “I’ve come across some information that may be of interest to you.” In a few well-chosen words, he outlined his work at Great Western and his investigation on Amelia’s behalf. Then he laid out the telegram he’d just received. “My father made some inquiries for me, and this is what he found. It’s obvious Grayson and Merrick are planning something big.”

  The sheriff glanced at the telegram, then settled back in his chair and eyed Ben. “I’d have to agree with you that they’re big operators, but that doesn’t make it anything I can—or would—act upon. Acquiring a lot of land isn’t illegal.”

  “But I believe some of their methods are.” Ben pulled out his notes about the spurious contracts. “I have a list of names here, people who supposedly sold their land to Great Western recently. I have reason to believe the signatures on at least two of those contracts were forged.”

  Lowry sat up, his interest sharpening. “You have some proof of that?”

  “Not with me. Those documents are still in the files at the office.”

  The lawman blew out a puff of air and settled back in his chair again. “Without any evidence, you’re not giving me much to go on. What about those former owners? Why haven’t they made any complaint?”

 

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