* * * * *
Reese woke early after a sleepless night. Rising, he paced the floor of his cell, his restlessness growing with each passing minute. Damn Jed Lynch.
He looked at the flyers tacked to the wall across from his cell, wondering if there was an old poster with his name on it among all the others. He gripped the bars. Dammit, he had to get out of here before the sheriff started asking questions he didn’t want to answer, before the lawman started going through those old flyers.
He paced for another half an hour, then stretched out on the lumpy cot, his hat pulled low over his eyes.
And that was how Kelsey found him a short time later.
“Reese? Are you awake?”
At the sound of her voice, he thumbed his hat back and swung his legs over the side of the cot.
“Are you all right?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
“Just dandy.” Rising, he closed the distance between them, his hand reaching through the bars to stroke her cheek. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
“How could I not when you’re here?” Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. He didn’t want her to see him behind bars.
“How’s Angelina?”
“She’s fine. Papa Joe is with her. He said he’d come by later.”
Reese grunted softly.
“They can’t keep you here, can they, not when it was self-defense?”
He shrugged. “I reckon that’s up to a jury.” His gaze met hers, his eyes dark and intense. “I won’t let them send me to prison.”
Her insides went suddenly cold. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. If they find me guilty, I’ll make a break for it.”
“No!”
“I’m not gonna let them send me to prison or put a rope around my neck, not for killin’ Lynch.”
“Please don’t talk like that. You’re scaring me.”
His hand slid down her neck and shoulder, then curled around her waist. Gently, he pulled her closer, closer. And then he kissed her.
Tears welled in Kelsey’s eyes as his mouth moved over hers. His kiss was exquisitely tender. They couldn’t find him guilty, they just couldn’t. She had such a short time left, she wanted to spend every minute of it with Reese.
She felt bereft when he took his lips from hers. “How long until they try you?” she asked.
“The circuit judge will be here at the end of the week.”
“They won’t convict you,” she said fervently. “I know they won’t.”
“I’m a half-breed, Kelsey. Lynch was a white man.”
“What difference does that make?”
“A hell of a lot.”
“But that’s not fair! It was self-defense!”
“I’ve got about two thousand dollars in the bank,” he said. “If anything happens to me, it’s yours, as my next of kin.”
“Nothing’s going to happen!”
His gaze moved over her. “All right, love, whatever you say.”
But he didn’t believe it. She saw the despair in his eyes, heard it in his voice. Somehow, some way, she had to get him out of there before it was too late.
* * * * *
“A jail break,” Papa Joe said, pacing the floor of his room. “It’s the only thing to do.”
Kelsey and Angelina exchanged glances.
Kelsey stared at her grandfather. “Are you crazy?” she asked, even though her mind had been flirting with that idea ever since she left the jail. “They can’t convict him for defending himself. Lynch tried to kill him!”
“I hope you’re right,” Papa Joe said, “but this is the Old West and Reese is part Indian…”
His words sent a shiver down her spine. Would a jury really convict Reese because of the color of his skin?
“I’m hoping I’m wrong,” Papa Joe said, “but if I’m not, have you got any better ideas?”
She didn’t, but she couldn’t help thinking that on the inside, her grandfather was jumping up and down at the thought of pulling off a jail break. He really had been born in the wrong time, she thought, but a jail break could be dangerous, not just for Reese, but for Papa Joe and anyone else who got caught up in it.
“It’s settled then,” Papa Joe said, and there was no mistaking the barely subdued excitement in his voice.
“But…” Kelsey shook her head. “Won’t breaking him out of jail just convince everyone that he’s guilty?”
Papa Joe made a clucking sound. “It’s a chance we’ll have to take.”
“I don’t know.” It would mean leaving town in a hurry, abandoning her coffee shop and any hope of finding the door to Nana Mary’s. And what about Angelina? “Let’s wait and see how it goes,” Kelsey said. “I have to believe they’ll find him innocent.”
Papa Joe snorted. “Right. And maybe pigs will fly.”
The next three days passed quickly. Between running the coffee shop, hiring a lawyer and visiting Reese in jail every chance she got, Kelsey didn’t have much time to think about Papa Joe’s outlandish suggestion. She still didn’t think trying to break Reese out of jail was a good idea, but she hadn’t been able to come up with a better alternative. The one thing they agreed on was to talk it over with Reese before they did anything.
Jed Lynch was buried in the town cemetery on Wednesday morning. The circuit judge arrived Friday afternoon and Reese’s trial was set for the following Monday.
His restlessness grew with the passing of each day. Kelsey couldn’t blame him for being worried. Her nerves were stretched taut. Every time someone entered the coffee shop, she was afraid it was the sheriff coming to tell her that Reese would also be tried for bank robbery. She tried to convince herself that the odds of that happening decreased with every passing day. After all, if his past hadn’t caught up with him by now, maybe it never would.
Young Danny Hamilton showed up at the coffee shop to see Angelina on Saturday evening. Angie had told Kelsey that she had once contemplated seducing him so he would marry her, but now that Jed Lynch was dead, it was no longer necessary.
Angelina was smiling when she returned to the house that night. Danny had taken her to dinner at the hotel and then they had gone walking in the moonlight.
“He kissed me,” Angelina said. “Twice.”
“Oh?”
“I think he loves me,” Angelina murmured.
“He seems like a nice young man,” Kelsey remarked.
“Oh, he is. And he’s so polite. I never knew anybody as polite as he is. He opens doors for me and when we were at the restaurant, he held my chair for me.” She pursed her lips, her expression thoughtful. “Even though I don’t have to seduce him, I think I’d still like to marry him.”
“Are you in love with him?”
Angelina shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never been in love. But I’d like to have a husband and a home of my own. And no one to tell me what to do.”
“That’s hardly a good reason to get married. Besides, don’t you think you’re a little young to be thinking about marriage?”
“Of course not, I’m…”
“I know, you’re fifteen years old and you think you know everything.”
“I never said that!”
“I know you didn’t, but I know that’s how I felt when I was your age. I thought I was all grown up. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I realized just how young fifteen really is. All right,” she said, noting the mutinous expression on Angie’s face, “I’ll stop lecturing. But try to wait until you’re at least seventeen, okay? For me?”
Angelina sighed dramatically. “Is this how mothers behave? I mean, mothers who aren’t madams?”
“Pretty much,” Kelsey said, laughing.
“I’ll think about it,” Angie replied reluctantly, and Kelsey had to settle for that.
* * * * *
Kelsey spent most of Sunday going to and from the jail. She arrived early in the morning with a pot of fresh coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown pota
toes and muffins fresh from the oven.
The sheriff, in her opinion, was being a real jerk. He refused to let her spend the whole day with Reese, insisting she could only stay for twenty minutes every hour.
“He’s not in ICU, for heaven’s sake!” she said angrily.
The lawman stared at her as if she were speaking a foreign language. “Not in ‘eye see you’? What the dickens does that mean?”
“I’m his wife. Why can’t I stay?”
“Cause I’m running a jail here,” McCain said. “Not a hotel.” He jerked his thumb toward the door. “Go on now, get out of here. I’ve got work to do.”
She showed up like clockwork at the top of every hour. She brought Reese a roast beef sandwich and potato salad for lunch.
“Looks mighty good,” the lawman said when he checked the tray to make sure she wasn’t smuggling any weapons to his prisoner.
“It is good,” Kelsey retorted.
“I don’t suppose you could…”
“Not a chance,” she said.
Nothing she said or did seemed to cheer Reese. Not that she could blame him for being glum. He wasn’t the kind of man to take kindly to being locked up.
She persuaded him to play cards with her, hoping it would take his mind off his troubles, at least for a little while.
“Too bad we can’t play strip poker,” she said as she dealt a new hand.
That, at least, brought a fleeting smile to his face.
* * * * *
Monday morning came all too quickly. Kelsey, Angelina and Papa Joe arrived at the courthouse a few minutes before ten. Kelsey was surprised by the number of people who showed up to watch the trial. Shades of O.J. Simpson, she thought. Apparently it didn’t matter what century it was, murder trials seemed to draw a crowd.
She took a place on the side where she would be able to see Reese. Angelina and Papa Joe sat on either side of her. Kelsey had no sooner taken her seat than Reese was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs. Apparently the courts in this day and age weren’t concerned about what kind of image that put in the jury’s mind. In her day, most defendants weren’t handcuffed for fear it would make them look guilty in the jury’s eyes.
Reese sat down, his expression impassive.
Kelsey glanced at the jury. Twelve white men, most of them middle-aged. She didn’t recognize any of them.
The first witness was Sheriff McCain. He testified that the man identified as Jed Lynch was stone-cold dead when he arrived on the scene. He stated that the deceased had been wearing a gunbelt but that no gun had been found on or near the body. He further stated that to the best of his knowledge, no one had witnessed the shooting.
McCain was dismissed and Doctor Hunter was called to the stand and sworn in.
When questioned, he stated that he was at home on the night of the shooting. He had been in his parlor, reading, when he heard two shots. When he went outside to investigate, he saw the defendant standing over the body of Jed Lynch. Shortly thereafter, the sheriff arrived on the scene.
The doctor was dismissed and the bailiff called Reese to the stand and swore him in.
Reese’s lawyer, Robert Kohl, approached the witness stand. “Now then, Mr. Reese,” he said in his best Perry Mason voice, “tell us in your own words what happened on the night in question,”
“I was crossing the street when someone took a shot at me from the alley between the newspaper office and Doc Hunter’s house. I turned and fired at the muzzle flash and Jed Lynch staggered out and collapsed in the street.”
Kohl turned to the jury. “What we have here, gentlemen, is a clear-cut case of self-defense.”
The judge looked at the prosecuting attorney. “Questions, Mr. Beard?”
“Thank you, your honor.”
Rising, Beard walked to the witness stand. “Do you know of any reason why Mr. Lynch wanted to kill you?”
“We’d had a disagreement earlier.”
“About what?”
“About a girl I was looking after.”
“You mean Angelina Ridgeway?”
“Yea.”
“And why were you looking after Miss Ridgeway?”
“She ran away from home and didn’t want to go back. Her mother sent Lynch to fetch her.”
“How old is Miss Ridgeway?”
“Fifteen.”
“I see. So you refused to send the girl back to her mother? A girl who is underage and for whom you have no legal responsibility?”
“Yes, but…”
“And when Mr. Lynch insisted on taking the girl, you killed him, isn’t that right?” Beard turned to face the jury. “There were no witnesses to this crime. All we have is the defendant’s word that the killing was in self-defense, which seems unlikely, since the dead man was unarmed.” Beard turned and looked down his nose at Reese. “One can only wonder at the defendant’s interest in a child of that age.”
A muscle twitched in Reese’s jaw. “Why, you dirty-minded…”
The judge banged his gavel. “That will be all, Mr. Reese.”
With a smile, the attorney sat down.
Reese’s lawyer gained his feet. “Your honor, if I may, I’d like to ask the witness a few more questions.”
“Granted.”
“Mr. Reese, please tell the jury what kind of home Miss Ridgeway ran away from?”
Kelsey slid a glance at Angelina. They hadn’t counted on anything like this. Angie’s cheeks turned bright red.
“A bawdy house in Colorado,” Reese answered.
“Any why had she run away?”
“Her mother was going to put Angelina to work in one of the cribs when Angelina turned sixteen.”
“I see.” Kohl approached the jury. “T. K. Reese killed a man in self-defense. Not only that, gentleman, but he saved a young woman from a terrible fate. Yes, Angelina Ridgeway’s mother is legally responsible for the child but would any of us want to see an innocent young woman…” Here he stopped and pointed dramatically in Angelina’s direction. “Used in such a foul manner? I think not! Instead of condemning my client, we should be thanking him. As for Mr. Lynch’s missing weapon, anyone passing by could have picked it up. That’s all I have to say.”
The judge spoke to the jury for several minutes, then the jury was dismissed to reach a verdict. The judge left the room. Moments later, Sheriff McCain ushered Reese out of the building.
Kelsey turned to her grandfather. “What do you think?”
Papa Joe shook his head. “Hard to tell.”
Angelina tugged on Kelsey’s arm. “Please, let’s go.”
“All right.” Of course the girl was eager to leave the courthouse, Kelsey thought. Everyone in the room was staring at her. Kelsey was outraged that Kohl had identified Angie but she knew she’d forgive him on the spot if it convinced the jury that her husband had done the right thing.
“I’m going to see Reese,” Kelsey said when they were outside. “Papa Joe, why don’t you take Angelina home?”
“Will do.” He patted Kelsey’s arm. “Try not to worry.”
With a nod, she hurried down the street to the sheriff’s office.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Angelina lay curled up on her bed, her cheeks damp with tears. Soon, everyone in town would know about her, about how she ran away from her mother’s brothel. Danny Hamilton and his parents would know. The thought brought a fresh wave of tears. Danny would never want to see her again when he found out. No decent boy would look at her now. Even though she wasn’t sure she loved Danny, she still wanted to be his friend. She wished she could just crawl into a hole and disappear! She couldn’t stay here any longer, couldn’t face the condemnation or the pity she was sure to see on everyone’s face. She just couldn’t.
She jerked upright as a new thought occurred to her. Her mother knew where she was. She had sent Lynch to find her. When Lynch didn’t return, Charlotte would send someone else.
Angelina wrapped her arms around her middle. She had to leave Grant’s Crossing a
s soon as possible. Where to go? She had no money. If she wanted to leave town, she would have to walk.
She shook her head. She would never make it to the next town on foot. Maybe she could convince someone to take her, someone like Papa Joe. She could trust him. She bit down on her lower lip. The sheriff had told her not to leave town. Would he come after her if she did? Would he lock her up? Notify her mother?
Caught up in her fears, she began to cry. Sobs racked her body. She was afraid and she didn’t know what to do. Reese was in jail and it was all her fault. They might hang him. Kelsey was her only friend in the world, but Kelsey would hate her if they hanged Reese.
“Angelina?”
She stilled at the sound of Papa Joe’s voice.
“Angie, honey, open the door.”
Sniffling, she let him into her room.
He took one look at her and drew her into his arms. “Honey, what is it?”
Her fears poured out of her in a torrent of words. Though most of them were incoherent, he seemed to understand.
“There now,” he said, patting her back, “don’t you worry your pretty head about going home. Kelsey and I won’t let anyone take you back there. Your mother ought to be horsewhipped for even thinking of selling your favors. By damn, if I had a horsewhip, I’d do it myself!”
The idea of Papa Joe taking a whip to her mother brought a smile to Angelina’s face.
“There now, that’s better.” Papa Joe pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and dried her tears. “And don’t you be worrying about what the people in town will think about you, either. It’s not your fault that your mother is a…” He cleared his throat. “Well, what she is, any more than it’s your fault that your hair is blonde and your eyes are blue.”
Angelina rested her cheek on the old man’s chest. She had never known her father or her grandparents, never had anyone take her side, especially against her mother. Papa Joe was right. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Feeling better now?” Papa Joe asked.
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Come on, let’s go over to the sweet shop. I’ve got a hankerin’ for some peppermint.”
* * * * *
For once, Sheriff McCain didn’t send Kelsey away after twenty minutes. He even let her visit with Reese inside his cell.
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