❧
When Gerda opened the Dress Emporium the next morning, Clarissa Jenson was her first customer. Gerda was glad that someone had come to the shop so early. It would help take her thoughts off the man who had invaded her dreams. Although they hadn’t made any sense, his presence was overwhelming, clouding her mind.
“Clari!” Gerda and Anna had picked up the habit of calling the twin sisters by the shortened names they used for each other. “What brings you out so early in the morning?”
Clarissa gave Gerda a quick hug. “Ollie and I have the house fixed up the way we want it. It’s a good thing, too.” A dreamy expression covered Clarissa’s face like a veil. “Soon there will be something else to take all my attention.”
“You don’t mean. . . ?” Gerda wondered if this couple was going to have a child before her brother August and his wife, Anna, would. The Nilssons had been married longer, and they wanted a child so much.
Clarissa nodded. “We’re going to have a baby. So I need you to make me some clothes to wear while I’m expanding.”
“I’m so happy for you.” Gerda hugged Clarissa again. “You’ve had too many bad things happen in your life. I’m glad that has changed.”
Clarissa stepped back and rubbed her hands down her skirt. “The good things started several months ago when Pierre was sent to prison—and when God brought Ollie into my life.”
She went over to the counter where several fashion books were arranged and started leafing through one. “Do you have any ideas about what I’ll need?”
“I always enjoy creating lovely clothing to help women hide their growing figures while they wait for the birth of their child.” Gerda must have sounded wistful, because Clarissa looked concerned. Gerda didn’t want her to think she was unhappy. “Why don’t we go to the ice cream parlor to celebrate when we’ve finished choosing styles and materials?”
Clarissa walked to the display of fabrics on the shelves behind the counter and started running her fingers over different pieces, feeling their textures. “Actually, Mari and I are meeting there at ten o’clock, but you could join us. I’m afraid I’ve been craving one of those chocolate sundaes.” She patted her flat stomach for emphasis. “Having a baby makes a woman want strange things sometimes. A couple of days ago, I mentioned to Ollie that I would really like one of the pickles from the barrel in the mercantile, and he came to town and bought some.”
It took until almost ten o’clock for Clarissa to make up her mind about what fabrics to use for her new outfits. Gerda couldn’t help remembering how concerned she and Anna had been when Rissa Le Blanc kept changing her mind about the colors and styles of the dresses they were making for her. How surprised they had been to find out that there was no Rissa Le Blanc! Instead, the twins were playing a part their stepfather had created. Finally, the two dressmakers understood. Although the twins looked a lot alike, their tastes were very different. Their styles fit their personalities. Clarissa was more outgoing, and Marissa was the quieter sister. And Gerda loved both of them.
❧
Frank fell into a deep, dreamless sleep just before dawn. When he finally awoke, he cleaned up and shaved before he went to the dining room to see if he could get a late breakfast. Some places served all day, and others only at mealtime. He hoped this restaurant was one that didn’t have specific hours.
Molly, who had waited on him the night before, met him at the door. “How can we help you, Mr. Daggett?”
“Molly, I’m afraid I overslept.” He smiled at the older woman. “Do you think I could still get some breakfast?”
“Let me go ask Cook. I know she has started on lunch, but maybe she can do something for you. If not, I can make you some toast.”
She headed toward the kitchen, and Frank sat down at a table near the window. He didn’t think he could make it until lunch on only a couple pieces of toast, even if he loaded them with butter and jelly. A newspaper was lying on the table, so he picked it up and perused it until she returned.
“It just so happens that there is still some flapjack batter left. How does that sound?” A smile accompanied the waitress’s question.
When Frank agreed, she returned to the kitchen. Before long, she came back, but she didn’t have just buckwheat flapjacks with a tin of maple syrup. The cook was kind enough to make him bacon and eggs, too. He left the hotel fortified for a full day’s activities.
The sun was high in the sky when he stepped onto the boardwalk. He pulled the brim of his Stetson low to shade his eyes from the glare off the windows across the street.
Frank glanced down toward the saloon. All seemed to be quiet on that end of town. When he looked across the street, he was astonished to see Rissa Le Blanc exiting that dress shop he had noticed the night before. It had to be her. She looked exactly like the drawing one of their victims had made of her. He was right. Pierre and the other girl, if there was another girl, must be nearby. Here in Litchfield, Minnesota. When Frank had first headed this direction, he had been afraid it was too far north for this Southern family. His gut instincts kept urging him on. And he had learned long ago to trust his instincts.
Frank had even started to wonder if he had lost his touch, but since they were here, now he knew he hadn’t. All he had to do was keep an eye on this girl and let her lead him to Pierre. He wanted to catch that villain and make him and his accomplices pay for all the crimes they had committed.
Trying to act nonchalant, Frank sidled down the boardwalk in the direction the girl took. He kept his head down, so she wouldn’t notice that he was watching her from under the brim of his hat. Soon the Le Blanc woman went into the ice cream parlor. He continued walking toward the store. When he reached it, he leaned against the wall and pulled his knife and a small block of wood from his pocket. While he whittled on the wood, he could keep up with what was going on inside.
After he took a few small shavings from the wood, he studied the ice cream parlor from the corners of his eyes. Rissa Le Blanc sat at a table near some planters that looked remarkably like brass spittoons. She looked at the door as if she were waiting for someone. Maybe Le Blanc. Frank’s senses sharpened and his blood pumped through his veins at an accelerated rate. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He could almost smell victory.
❧
From the doorway of the Dress Emporium, Gerda watched Clarissa walk across the street toward the ice cream parlor. When she started to turn back into the store, she saw the cowboy head up the street. He seemed to be watching Clari. Of course, she couldn’t blame him. Clarissa was a very beautiful woman. When Clari went into the ice cream parlor, he sauntered toward it as if he were following her. He didn’t look eager, as he might if he wanted to flirt with her. It was more like he was stalking her. Gerda got a funny feeling deep inside. Something wasn’t quite right. She felt that Clarissa was in danger or. . .something. Maybe he was someone from Clarissa’s past, someone who had been swindled. Gerda didn’t think he was a lawman. Didn’t they usually wear badges? He wasn’t wearing one, although he did look more like a cowboy than he had at dinner last night. She could hear his spurs jingling as he walked down the boardwalk.
When he stopped and leaned against the building outside the ice cream parlor, she studied him intently. She wasn’t sure, but she thought he was watching Clarissa, even though he looked like he was whittling. He looked as if he were a spring that was wound really tight.
She stepped back inside and rushed into the back room for her wool cape and her reticule, then went out the front door, trying to appear nonchalant. Gerda locked the door to the Dress Emporium and hurried across the railroad tracks toward August’s blacksmith shop. He would know what to do to protect Clarissa and Marissa.
❧
When he noticed the beauty exiting the dress shop, Frank was distracted from both watching the Le Blanc girl and whittling. The woman turned and locked the front door of the store. She must be the proprietor. No wonder the dress in the window would look good on her. She probably created it.<
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The image of a woman pulling down the window shade above the dress shop returned to Frank’s mind. It was probably her. Now that he thought about it, the bit of skirt he had seen did resemble what she’d worn at dinner last night. He had watched her long enough that he should have recognized it when he saw it later. He just wasn’t thinking of her being there, so it hadn’t occurred to him. Again, Frank wondered if anyone else lived there with her—like a husband or children.
When the woman swept down the street and past the depot, he wondered where she was going in such a hurry. He glanced back into the confectionary shop. Rissa Le Blanc still sat at a table by herself. He started whittling again. Someday, he needed to learn how to really make something when he whittled. For now, it was merely a ploy he used in order to appear busy when he was tailing someone. No one knew he just chipped small pieces off the block of wood until it was as small as a toothpick. Then he’d throw it away and start on another block.
He’d gotten the idea from watching his grandfather whittle, when he was a small boy. The things that emerged from the blocks of wood Gramps worked on were wondrous. The toy soldiers, small animals, even sailing ships his grandfather had whittled had given Frank hours of enjoyment as a child. It was too bad he had never learned the craft from Gramps.
❧
It was still a cool spring, but before Gerda arrived at the blacksmith shop, she wished she had left off the wool cape that matched her dress. She hurried, because she didn’t want to be too late meeting with Marissa and Clarissa. By the time she arrived at the open door of the smithy, she was almost out of breath. Her shadow must have alerted her brother to her presence, because he turned from what he was doing.
“Gerda, come in.” A smile spread across August’s face. “What can I do for you? Do you have something for me to fix?”
She put her hand to her throat and took a deep breath. “No, I don’t need anything repaired. But I do need your help. I don’t know what to do!”
August rushed over to her and looked deep into her eyes. “What has upset you?”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s anything or not.” Her words tumbled out in rapid succession. “But that cowboy is following Clari, and I don’t want anything to happen to her. Especially now that she’s going to have a baby.”
August looked confused. “Slow down, sister. You’re talking too fast. Now what cowboy?”
Gerda pulled off the cape and draped it over her arm. “Well, there’s this cowboy. He’s new in town. He was at the hotel last night when we had dinner.”
August nodded. “I saw him, but I didn’t pay that much attention to him. Why do you think he’s following Clarissa?”
Suddenly, Gerda wondered if she had made too much out of what she’d seen. He could just be a drifter. Maybe he just happened to walk down the street after Clarissa did. It could all be merely a coincidence. What if she was mistaken? Deep inside, the worry wouldn’t go away.
“He watched Clarissa go to the ice cream parlor. Then he followed her but stopped and leaned against the outside wall and started whittling. Then I got this uncomfortable feeling about it. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to Clarissa or Marissa. They’re meeting there for a treat.”
August put his arm around her shoulders. “I’ve learned to trust women’s intuition. Even if there isn’t anything wrong, I’ll go check it out.” He went to the table and took off his apron. Then he banked the fire in the forge. He turned toward the door. “You go back to the store, and I’ll take care of it.”
Gerda shook her head. “I can’t. I’m supposed to meet Clari and Mari at the ice cream parlor. We’re going to celebrate together.”
August laughed. “Oh, yes, you did mention something about a baby, didn’t you?”
“Yes, she and Ollie are expecting. You don’t think it’ll make Anna feel bad, do you?”
“Don’t worry about that.” He closed the door and dropped the board into the holders. “She’ll be happy for them. Our time will come. You go ahead, and I’ll follow at a slower pace. I don’t want the man to know we’re together. Just be careful.”
Four
While Frank watched the beauty walking rapidly down the road, he mechanically continued to work on the block of wood with his knife. He liked the way her hips swayed with each quick step. If only his life wasn’t so complicated. He shook his head. The woman surely was a temptation to him. Suddenly, he felt the tip of the sharp blade nick his finger. The words that came to mind weren’t suitable for mixed company, and there was more than one woman in his vicinity, so he kept them to himself. He looked down in time to see a large drop of blood leave his finger and make its way to the toe of his boot. He quickly closed his pocketknife with his other hand and shoved both it and the block of wood into his pocket.
Frank didn’t want to leave his post, but he needed to take care of the wound he had carelessly inflicted on himself. How could he have been so stupid? He knew better than to let his mind wander. His finger was bleeding pretty fast now. He pulled out his bandanna and wrapped it around his fingertip. After glancing in the window of the ice cream parlor to make sure Rissa was still there, Frank started toward the hotel. She was sitting at the table and looked as if she were waiting for someone. Maybe Le Blanc would be here soon. But they couldn’t know that he was looking for them. He should be able to make it to his hotel room and back before they were ready to leave the store.
While he was in his hotel room, he called himself all kinds of unflattering names for the harebrained stunt he had pulled. The tip of his finger was awkward to bandage, and now the digit throbbed enough to make him extremely uncomfortable. He might have a hard time pulling his gun with it, but at least it was his left hand. If he needed to use his guns quickly, he might only have one good trigger finger, but it should be enough. His aim was always on target. In his business, you often only had one chance before someone else shot you.
Frank glanced toward the ice cream parlor when he exited the hotel. Another girl, who looked remarkably like the one sitting at the table, was just going through the door. Only this young woman had on a different dress. Her hair was in a more simple style, too. He was right. How he wished the Old Man could see them. He’d change his tune now. There were two girls, and they were in that building together! Frank paused. Something didn’t feel right. He had never heard of both of the young women showing themselves at the same time. He’d have to be careful. Maybe Litchfield was their base of operations and everyone here knew both of the young women. Maybe their neighbors didn’t know what they did for a living.
He took up his post against the ice cream parlor, but this time, Frank had left the block of wood in his hotel room. He started to pull out a cheroot. However, he didn’t want to be smoking when they exited the shop. Frank reached up and pulled the brim of his Stetson lower.
Before his hand reached his headgear, the beauty from the Dress Emporium walked past him. She looked him straight in the eye. The disdain in her expression cut him just as much as the knife blade had cut his finger—maybe even more. Why did he care what she thought of him? She was just a pretty woman he had enjoyed watching. Nothing more. Right?
❧
When Gerda first glanced toward the ice cream parlor, the cowboy was gone. She had probably bothered August for nothing. She wondered if she should go back and tell him. But she wasn’t exactly sure where he was right now. She slowed down after she crossed the railroad tracks. It wouldn’t look ladylike for her to rush down the street.
When the stranger emerged from the hotel and started down the street, she hoped he was going somewhere else. By the time she arrived at the ice cream parlor, he had taken up his post again, leaning against the wall. She gave him her most withering expression as she passed. Maybe he would take the hint and leave. Unfortunately, he just stared back at her, but his expression was unfathomable. If only his eyes weren’t so blue. Each time she looked into them, they touched a place deep inside, piercing through all her defenses. Even though
she suspected the cowboy of stalking Clarissa, Gerda felt drawn to him as she had never felt with any man before.
Gerda really wanted to enjoy her time with her friends, but it would be hard to forget that the cowboy was just outside the building. All the worries she harbored about him returned. . .and brought a few friends with them.
“Gerda.” Clarissa smiled up at her when she stopped by the table where they sat. “I was about to think you weren’t coming.”
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting.” Gerda pulled out at chair and sat with them. “What shall we order?” She always felt as if she were sitting in a park every time she came to the ice cream parlor. The flowers on the mural painted around the wall were so realistic she could almost smell them.
The friends discussed all the offerings, then Gerda went to the counter to order a phosphate for herself and ice cream sundaes for both Marissa and Clarissa. Gerda had to wait behind a woman and young child who were having a hard time deciding what they wanted. After ordering, Gerda returned to the table where Clarissa and Marissa sat talking.
While they waited for the treats to be concocted, Marissa blurted, “I have a surprise to tell you.” Both young women leaned forward, eager to hear. “I’ve just been to see Dr. Bradley.”
“Oh, Mari, are you sick?” Clarissa exclaimed. She reached across the table and took her sister’s hand.
“I hope not.” Gerda cared about the twins as though they were her sisters.
“It’s nothing like that.” Marissa smiled and glanced down before raising her head again.
Clarissa looked worried. “Then why did you go to the doctor? Is something wrong with Lowell or Mother Jenson?”
Marissa laughed. “I can’t keep the secret any longer. Lowell and I are going to have a baby.”
Gerda's Lawman Page 3