For a moment they all talked at once, so no one could understand what anyone was saying. The proprietor brought their treats on a tray and set them on the table.
Marissa tasted the sundae, then looked from Gerda to Clarissa. “I am so happy. Both Lowell and I want lots of children. When I told him that I thought I might be expecting a baby, he wanted me to come right to town and have the doctor check. So I can’t stay too long. He’ll want to know what I found out.”
“Mari, this is so wonderful!” Clarissa clapped her hands. She glanced at Gerda, then at her sister. “I’m going to have a baby, too! I found out for sure yesterday. Ollie is so proud, his chest puffed out like a peacock’s.”
Marissa’s smile broadened more. “Oh, Clari, I’m so glad!”
Gerda watched the twins share a special look. They often did that, but today the look was different. Gerda knew it was because they were both expecting a child. Would she never get to share that feeling? Why was God denying her a husband and children when they were her heart’s desire?
“Do you girls always do the same thing at the same time? Your husbands proposed to you on the same day. You had double weddings, and now you’re both going to have a baby.”
“It’ll be wonderful for our babies to each have a cousin almost the same age.” Clarissa reached across the table and took her sister’s hand again.
“And one that lives so close, too,” Marissa added, returning the strong grip.
The sisters started giggling. Soon Gerda joined them. Even with her disappointment, she was happy for her friends. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the young worker behind the counter was smiling at them. Soon the word would be all over town that everyone was having babies. Of course, in a town like Litchfield, it was hard to keep secrets.
The man standing outside the building came into Gerda’s thoughts. She knew he was hiding something. She hoped that soon his secret would be revealed, too. Then the man could move on, and her thoughts would return to normal. Wouldn’t they?
❧
Frank couldn’t believe it. Not only did the beauty go into the ice cream parlor, she sat at the table with the Le Blanc sisters. They were obviously close friends. Could she be in cahoots with them? Was she part of the gang? He didn’t want to entertain that thought, but it wouldn’t let him go. Time would tell.
Was Le Blanc coming to join them? While Frank kept watch on the women in the shop, he also scanned the street looking for the confidence man who had hoodwinked so many people across the country. The man was a menace to society. Le Blanc insinuated himself into a community, making the citizens think that he was someone important. He flashed money around and hosted parties until everyone he considered special in that town knew him. Then Le Blanc pulled a fast one on his victims. Now Frank knew how he had accomplished it. Exactly the way Frank had figured it out a few months earlier. Today was the first time he had evidence that his theory was correct.
Le Blanc only let the people in town meet one of his daughters. Then during some kind of community event, the other daughter robbed many of the people who were in attendance. If anyone saw her, Le Blanc had proof that his daughter was with him at the event. He soon left town, and no one was sure who had committed the robberies. In some of the towns, the sheriff was still looking for another perpetrator of the crimes.
Frank wondered which of the young women at the table was actually Rissa. What was the other woman’s name? Did both of them participate in the crimes, or only one? He hoped he would find out when he took them into custody later today.
The only fly in the ointment was the presence of the other woman—the beauty. Last night he had been so sure that she was a decent, upright citizen. How could he have been so wrong? Was she Le Blanc’s mistress or accomplice. . .or just his friend? If she was a proprietor here in Litchfield, how did she fit in the picture of the other places where Le Blanc had been? Or was she just a new acquaintance of the gang? He sure hoped so. It was going to hurt him to have to take her into custody. But a lawman always did his duty, even when it hurt. And no matter if the Old Man had made him turn in his badge, he was still a lawman at heart.
Frank glanced up and down the street again. He had watched several people go in, then come out of the mercantile carrying packages wrapped in brown paper. Several people came and went at the bank. Wagons and men on horseback traveled up and down the street at frequent intervals. When Frank had first seen Litchfield on the horizon, it had looked like a sleepy town, but he had been wrong about that. It was a thriving, vital town. It seemed like a nice place to live and bring up a family. That woman in the ice cream parlor was affecting him. He hadn’t had so many thoughts about a family in a long time.
If Le Blanc were going to join the women, Frank wished the scoundrel would do it soon. Frank was getting tired of standing in this spot. He peeked into the window. The young women were busy talking. It didn’t look as if they would be ready to leave any time soon. Frank decided to stroll up and down the street. He could look into the windows of other businesses to see if he could spot Le Blanc. Maybe by the time he got back here, the women would be finished visiting. He would keep a sharp eye on the place and not get too far away, in case they came out.
❧
Gerda saw the cowboy when he walked past the front of the store. It was all she could do to keep from shouting, she was so glad to see him go. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that he came along when he did. He just happened to choose to lean against this building. That’s all.
“What do you think, Gerda?” Clarissa’s words brought Gerda’s attention back to the conversation at the table.
“About what? I’m afraid I was distracted.”
Clarissa looked toward the window. “What distracted you, Gerda? Was it that cowboy walking down the street?”
Gerda hoped she wasn’t that obvious. “Of course not.” After a good laugh, she asked what they had been talking about.
“Marissa wants you to make her some clothes, too. Will you have time to do both?”
“It would be my pleasure. Besides, Anna still comes in to work a couple of days a week. She has her hands full keeping up that big house, and she helps Olina with the children sometimes.”
“Let’s go back to the Dress Emporium so Marissa can pick out her fabrics and styles,” said Clarissa. Gerda stood and glanced across the shop toward the now-empty counter.
“I’m going to pay for our treats. Just wait for me.”
When she got back to the table, both of the sisters were standing. As they trio stepped out into the sunlight, their eyes had to adjust to the brightness.
“Just hold it right there!” The rich baritone voice came from behind Gerda, and expressions of horror covered Marissa’s and Clarissa’s faces as they stared over her shoulder.
Gerda turned to see what was going on and came face-to-face with the cowboy. The man had both of his six-shooters trained on the women!
Five
Frank watched the three women finish their treats. When they seemed ready to leave the building, he pulled his hat lower on his forehead and turned to wait for them. His body was wound tight as an eight-day clock as he watched them glide toward the door as though they were walking on clouds. His hands hovered near his pistols while he tried to figure out how to handle the next few minutes. He hadn’t seen the sheriff or Le Blanc, and now that he was so close, he worried that the women were about to slip away from him. How was he ever going to keep up with three women? If they split up, which one should he follow? Which one would lead him to Le Blanc? Before he could decide, the women were at the entrance. Making a lightning-quick decision, he pulled his guns. It would be better to have the three women in custody than to let any of them get away to warn Pierre. Maybe Le Blanc would come out of hiding to rescue them. Frank hoped so. The women stepped outside and froze with shocked expressions on their faces.
“Just hold it right there!” Frank bit out. “You’re all under arrest.”
The beauty was the
first to react. “Arrest!” she screamed as she whirled toward him. Frank was surprised at the volume of her shriek. “You can’t arrest us! We’re not criminals! Besides, you aren’t a lawman!”
Frank didn’t know what kind of reaction he had expected, but it wasn’t this. Why couldn’t they just come quietly? He didn’t want to create a disturbance. He planned to simply apprehend them, take them to the sheriff, then slip out of town. There was no need for anyone besides the sheriff and the Le Blanc gang to even know why he was here—or that he wasn’t a real lawman anymore. Because he didn’t want any of them to get away, Frank didn’t dare look to see if anyone else in the street had noticed the hullabaloo.
“I’m a retired U.S. Marshal, and I’m taking you to the sheriff.” Frank tried to keep his voice low, but authoritative.
“We’ll go to the sheriff with you,” the beauty said just as quietly, then took a deep breath as if fortifying herself. “He’ll straighten this all out.”
Suddenly, a strong arm snaked around Frank’s neck, almost choking him. Who could it be, and how did the man get there without making any noise on the boardwalk?
The man holding him was much larger than, and too strong to be, Le Blanc. Muscles bulged as the man’s arm tightened around Frank’s neck. Quickly, Frank holstered one gun and fought to pull the arm from around his neck so he could breathe easier. It tightened even more. Breathing was becoming more difficult for Frank. Black spots danced before his eyes, and he dropped the other gun. He heard it bounce off the boardwalk and hit the dirt street.
A deep voice sounded from over his shoulder. “Gerda, take the gun from his holster, and I’ll let him go.”
Frank hoped she would hurry. He didn’t want to pass out right here in the middle of town. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he felt the gun being lifted away. The arm around his neck loosened slightly, and his vision cleared in time to see the beauty raising the pistol, which she then pointed straight at him.
Frank was glad no one he knew lived in this town. He would never be able to live down the fact that he’d let a criminal, a female one at that, get the drop on him.
❧
When August told her to get the gun, Gerda straightened her spine and stood taller. She didn’t have to be afraid of the man while August held him. She reached over and took the weapon gingerly. When she felt its weight in her hand, something happened. It gave her a sense of power. She lifted the barrel and turned it toward the cowboy. Let’s see how you like having a gun pointed at you. She glanced at August and nodded.
“All right, Cowboy, I’m going to let you go, but don’t make any sudden movements or Gerda will shoot you.”
Gerda couldn’t believe what August said. She would never shoot anyone. And even though she knew she shouldn’t, Gerda felt something for this cowboy. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she couldn’t shoot him, even if he did make a sudden move. Whatever she felt for him, it made her uncomfortable. A vision of the barrel of a gun pointed at her temple returned, and something inside her snapped.
“How could you?” She waved the barrel of the gun toward him. “What were you trying to do with these guns? Kill innocent women?” The look on the man’s face would have been comical to Gerda if she hadn’t been so angry. “I can’t believe I felt so drawn to you when I first saw you. You’re nothing but a common criminal yourself.”
Gerda glanced from the gun in her hand toward the man’s face. The expression in his eyes reached out to her, and she burst into tears. Clarissa grabbed the gun from Gerda and turned it back toward the cowboy. August pulled the man’s hands behind his back and held them with one giant hand. He turned the cowboy toward the sheriff’s office, and they started walking.
Marissa pulled a handkerchief from her reticule and gave it to Gerda. Then she patted her friend on the back. Gerda was mortified. People were staring. Some were whispering among themselves. She didn’t think she would ever live this down. Marissa took her arm, and they followed the others toward the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Bartlett must have heard the disturbance, because he was running toward them.
❧
Frank didn’t know when he had ever been so glad to see a sheriff. Now the man would rescue him from this gang. But something wasn’t quite right. If they were criminals, why did the strong man want to take him to the sheriff—unless he was part of the gang, too? Maybe the whole town is in on this with the Le Blancs. Stay calm, Frank. Don’t lose your edge.
When they were all inside the small office, the sheriff offered his only two chairs to the Le Blanc sisters. “I’m sorry I don’t have another chair, Gerda.” He smiled at the beauty, and Frank didn’t like the way it made him feel.
Gerda. Frank liked the sound of her name. It fit her Scandinavian good looks.
“It’s all right.” She paced across the small space. “I’m too upset to sit down.”
The burly man who had grabbed Frank in front of the ice cream parlor put his arm around Gerda. Frank didn’t like that either. Was this woman some kind of doxy? How could she seem so pure and untouched if she was that kind of woman?
“Calm down, Sis.” The big man’s words were a balm to Frank’s troubled heart. She was the man’s sister. But that didn’t clear up anything. They could still both be part of the Le Blanc gang.
The sheriff took Frank’s gun from the Le Blanc girl. He laid it on his desk. At least it was no longer pointed at Frank.
“Now who’s going to tell me what’s going on?” The sheriff held up one hand. “And I want to hear one person at a time. Clarissa Jenson, since you were holding the gun on this man, why don’t you start?”
Jenson. Her name was Jenson, not Le Blanc. Frank’s jumbled thoughts kept him from hearing all the woman said.
“And he was pointing his guns at us,” she finished.
“Where is his other gun?” The sheriff looked at each person in turn.
The other twin, who seemed more reserved, spoke up. “I have it. When August grabbed him, it fell into the street, so I picked it up. . .in case we needed it, too. I didn’t like touching it, so I put it in my reticule to carry it over here.”
“Mari, you hate guns!” The Jenson woman looked at her sister with a worried expression on her face.
“I know, but I couldn’t let him hurt Gerda or August.”
The woman was trembling like a maple leaf in the breeze. She pulled the gun from her handbag and, holding it between her thumb and forefinger, gave it to the sheriff. He placed it beside the one on his desk.
“Thank you, Marissa.” The lawman looked at Frank. “All right. Who are you, and why are you bothering these fine folks?”
Frank stared the man straight in his eyes. They weren’t shifty. The corrupt lawmen he had known before wouldn’t look him in the eyes. This man did. Maybe he was honest. Frank had to take that chance.
“Frank Daggett, former U.S. Marshal. I’ve been on the trail of a gang of robbers who have carried out confidence games in many states. I have documents detailing their crimes which I intended to deliver to you once I had placed the gang in your custody.” He stopped at the irony—it had turned out a little different than he’d anticipated.
Frank looked at the sisters as he gestured toward them. He was sure they would be cowering in their chairs. Instead, they were smiling. Maybe he had made a mistake. His glance shot back to the sheriff, and he was smiling, too. A sense of doom settled over Frank. Why hadn’t he stopped when the Old Man told him to?
He heard a burst of laughter. The brother and sister were almost doubled over with mirth. The sheriff’s guffaw joined theirs.
When Frank turned to look at him, the lawman was holding Frank’s guns out to him. “You might as well take these, since you’re not a criminal.”
Frank returned his weapons to their holsters, then asked, “Is anyone going to let me in on what’s so amusing here?”
The sheriff sat on the corner of his desk. “You drew your guns on these three women because you thought they w
ere criminals. Right?”
Frank nodded.
When he did, Gerda glared at him. “You thought I was a criminal?” She placed her fisted hands on her waist, with her arms akimbo.
He nodded again, unable to voice the answer to the question.
“I’ve never been so insulted in my life.” She whirled around and started toward the door.
Her brother followed her, and the sheriff turned toward the twin sisters. “I wouldn’t want Lowell and Ollie to think you were in trouble. You can go, too. I’ll explain everything to Mr. Daggett.”
The door closed behind them, and the sheriff looked at Frank. “This is really something! You’re about,” he said as he counted on his fingers, “eight months too late.”
Frank felt as if he had stepped into the middle of a discussion and had been asked a question about what had gone on before. “I don’t understand. Eight months too late for what?”
“Maybe you should sit down while I tell you all about it.” The sheriff motioned toward the chair that had recently been vacated by one of the twins. “Actually, I admire your tenacity—to follow Le Blanc’s trail so faithfully.”
Frank ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Tenacity. That’s what he had all right. The Old Man had often told him that he was like an old dog with a bone.
“Pierre Le Blanc is a very evil man.” The sheriff propped his booted feet on the corner of his desk and leaned back in his chair. “He planned to rob the good folks of Litchfield, just as you figured.”
“What stopped him?”
“Well, it was a lot of things. People in this town had become fond of Rissa Le Blanc—especially the Nilsson family.” The sheriff dropped his feet back on the floor and leaned forward as if eager to get on with the story. “None of us knew that there were two girls, and neither one of them was really Rissa Le Blanc. Pierre, their stepfather, called whichever one was in town with him ‘Rissa.’ It was part of each of their names. Clarissa and Marissa. Is this getting too confusing for you?”
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