"No, I think you've got something. I've been wracking my brain, trying to think why Newell--or anyone--should be doing this to Eagleton, and I couldn't make sense out of it. He swore to me he's never made the sort of enemies who'd do harm to any person."
"Maybe," Lulu said slowly, hesitantly, "it's not Eagleton who's the target. Maybe it's you."
"Why? I've done nothing to...Hell!" He sat up, pulling the covers away from her. "The bridge! What if--"
"A relative of one of the people who was killed? That doesn't make sense. You said you were absolved of blame."
"Not before my name was spread all over the papers. God! You should have seen the headlines in the Dayton Locomotive. 'Bridge Designer Fails Test.' Or how about 'A Boy Who Failed at A Man's Job.' My favorite was 'Incompetence or Deliberate Negligence?'" His attempt at laughter was a pathetic failure. "You know what the really funny thing was? When they printed the results of the investigation, it was two paragraphs on an inside page, headed, 'Shoddy Construction to Blame.'"
"So anyone who lost a loved one in that disaster might blame you?"
"I'm afraid so. But to believe what's been happening here is related to that--no, it's too far-fetched!"
"Do you have any of the newspaper articles? One with a list of the casualties? I'd like to read them." She couldn't help but think doing so might spark her memory of who the voice belonged to.
"I did, but they were in the rooming house."
"That's unfortunate, but not irremediable. Tomorrow I'll telegraph Professor Stelzner and ask him to look up the relevant articles. He can abstract them for me."
"Who's he?"
"He was my professor of American History at Oberlin. Before the War, he was involved in the Underground Railroad and he is still active in the Equal Rights movement. I guess you could call him my mentor, too." Her yawn stretched the last word out. "I really should go to sleep, but I know I won't be able to stop thinking about this."
"Perhaps I can help." His fingers found the buttons of the nightshirt she still wore to sleep in. "But first I have to get this off of you."
"I'll freeze," she protested, as she raised herself so he could slide the garment from under her. "Besides, it's the middle of the night." Was that husky, whispery voice hers?
"And we do need our sleep. I'm only trying to help you relax," he murmured into her ear, just before nipping at the lobe.
"Cribbage is very relaxing," she told him, while she molded her body even closer to his.
"Yes, but we'd have to turn on the light. A waste of coal oil."
"By all means," she whispered, as she found him, "let us conserve our coal oil." She squeezed, then trailed her fingers along the raised vein on the underside of his shaft. It surged against her hand.
Perhaps it was because they'd both recently felt the chill breath of danger. Or perhaps they had both come to accept that they were building their future now. Whatever the reason, Lulu knew this time, this night, was different. She sensed Tony's passion, yet she knew it would not rule him. Nor would the hot need she felt make her impatient. Not yet, at least.
With gentle fingers, she teased, exploring the length of him, tangling her fingers in the sleek, wiry hair whence his shaft emerged, scraping her fingernails lightly against the inner flesh of his strong thighs.
His breath hissed between his teeth, yet he lay quietly under her delicate probing. When she had explored as much of him as she could reach with her fingers, she began kissing him, starting with the angle of his jaw. It clenched under her touch, and she knew he was fighting his body's demand for release.
His skin was hot, smooth. Under the skin was a layer of muscle she had never appreciated before. "You don't look like a fighter," she said, tracing the curve of his shoulder with her lips. It was hard, steely, yet not bulging like the miners' muscles had been. "You don't even look particularly strong."
"I don't like to fight, and no, I'm not particularly strong. That's why I fight dirty when I'm forced to."
"Facing seven men with empty hands and winning is not fighting dirty. It's skill." Her palm flattened against the ridges of his belly, and she realized again what a sleek, strong body he had. Like a panther, sinuous and lithe. "I've never seen some of the moves you made. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Here and there," he said, catching her hand and bringing it to his mouth. One after another, he took the tips of her fingers into his mouth, nipping, then suckling each one in turn. "It's a long story, and one I'll tell some other time."
Since she was entirely incapable of rational thought, later suited her just fine.
Tony wanted to explore every delicious, rich inch of her. Lulu slim and supple had been his ideal, the standard against which he measured every woman. Lulu ripe and fecund made him feel as if he'd stumbled on a treasure far greater than the cave full of gold he'd found as a child. Treasure enough to build fortunes for all the families. This--his wife, his children--was incalculable wealth, beyond anything he'd ever dreamed of.
He kissed her, drinking her soft, breathy sighs. Taking her lower lip between his teeth, he bit gently, then soothed the tiny hurt with his tongue.
She caught his tongue and sucked it inside the furnace heat of her mouth, wrapping her own with it. A surge of need rose in his groin, so strong, so imperative that he pulled back from her. "Too much," he gasped. "Slow down."
She pushed him onto his back and draped her upper body across his. Her eyes gleamed in the scant light within the room and he saw the flash of her white teeth. "We have all night, don't we?" A silence, and then, "Tony, I'm sorry. I've fought you every step of the way. I thought I'd never marry, had made up my mind to let other women be mothers, while I made the world a better place for them to live in. And I would have, if you hadn't come back into my life."
He would have spoken, but she put her palm over his mouth. "Let me finish. Last night, when for an instant I thought you were...were dead--"
He felt the pressure on his chest as she took a deep breath.
"It was like the sun had gone out. At that instant, I knew--knew in my heart and my mind--that we'd been destined for each other from the moment of our conception. If I hadn't married you, I would have withered away into a sour old maid, because sooner or later I would have seen what I'd thrown away."
"We should have married ten years ago," he said, believing it no less tonight than he had then.
She pushed herself upright. "Oh! Won't you ever learn? If we'd married then, we'd have never grown up. I would have become a docile little wife--"
"Never," he said, with complete assurance. "Not ever."
"You think not? 'A woman doesn't need a college education like a man does.' That's what you said. I can still hear you saying it, can still feel the sick sensation in my belly when you did."
"Lulu--"
"Do you realize what you were doing, Tony? You were denying my dreams, devaluing them because of my sex. I can understand that, because we were both so doggone young. I'm just glad I had the sense to hold on to them. But let me tell you, Tony Dewitt, you broke my heart that night, and it was a long time mending."
Part of him wanted to be angry, because she seemed to be blaming him for ten wasted years. But only part of him. What he regretted was the time together they'd lost, not the results of that time. "I'm sorry too, Lulu. I admit I was wrong about that. Young and foolish. Intent on what I wanted and the hell with everything else. But I still believe we wasted ten years."
Spearing his fingers through her wild hair, he pulled her face so close to his he could feel the moist warmth of her breath on his mouth. "So now that we've both apologized, do you suppose we could get back to what we were doing?" To demonstrate, he stroked the length of her spine and cupped her bottom in both hands. "Or do you need reminding what it was?"
She tossed the covers back and climbed astride him. Sitting just below his groin, she spread both hands on his belly, slid them up across his chest, and around his neck. Lying full length atop him, she wig
gled just enough that he sprang to full turgor instantly.
Tony rolled, pinning her under him. When her legs separated, he slid inside her welcoming heat. For a long moment, he lay there, content. Until she tightened around him and moved her hips.
"Oh, God, Lulu! Don't do that. Unless you want--"
"I want, Tony. Now. Please, now!"
He began to move, and she met his every surge with one of her own. Tony held off the inevitable as long as he could, feeling the force build.
And build.
And build, until he could no longer contain it.
As he emptied himself inside her, he felt the spasms of her completion, milking him. Pulling at his very soul.
A long time later, when he hovered on the edge of exhausted but restful sleep, he heard her soft whisper.
"Tony? Are you still awake?"
"Barely."
"The voice on the telephone? He came from the South. Listening to Patrick Newell tonight...there was something about the way he spoke that sounded the same. A hint of a drawl..."
She seemed to fall asleep then.
Tony didn't, because she'd given him something new to think about.
* * * *
Six large batteries, connected in series, powered the switchboard. The next morning Tony connected the two fully charged batteries into the set and sent a second pair to the smelter in Ketchum for charging. This morning he'd received a reply to his telegram ordering a spare set. Unfortunately it hadn't been good news. With so many new telephone systems being built, the demand for batteries of any sort was far exceeding the supply. With any luck, his order might be filled in a month.
In the meantime, he had two spares, and once he got all eight batteries charged, he would be able to operate with some leeway. The dynamo was beyond repair, although there were some parts he could salvage. A new one would be expensive, the cost more than he was authorized to spend without Eagleton's approval.
The man had sure picked a rotten time to travel.
Lulu entered, carrying a handful of mail. "We have a letter from your parents," she said, waving it at him. "Can you stop long enough to read it?"
"Sure." He laid down the electrometer and motioned her to sit at the small desk against the wall. "You said 'we.' That must mean they got our cable."
"I don't think so. This is postmarked Boston. Ellen must have told them." She ripped open the envelope and extracted the single sheet. "Shall I read it?"
He leaned over her shoulder, one hand on the desk. "Go ahead." His eyes followed along as she read, stumbling a bit over an occasional word written in Silas's back-slanting hand.
We're absolutely thrilled, of course, and consumed with curiosity about the circumstances leading to a marriage in March and a baby due in June. Soomey reminds me she always predicted you would marry, and promises she will raise hell if anyone says a word of criticism.
Mostly we're excited, and already making plans to be in Idaho by the first of June. Nothing will prevent our being at the birth of our grandchild. We'd planned to connect up with the Lachlans and Kings in London next month, so perhaps we can all travel back together. I can't imagine Hattie and Flower staying away from such a momentous occasion.
The rest of the letter was news about their travels--Silas still oversaw his shipping empire personally, although Buffalo Lachlan was gradually taking over the day-to-day operation. "The thought of all the family coming for the birth of our children is daunting," Tony said. "Oh, hell! Nobody knows it's twins. We'll have to--"
"No, we won't. I think we should keep this our secret. As long as we can, anyway." She tilted her head back and looked up at him. "What do you want to bet that Mamma, Aunt Hattie, and Soomey will all insist on helping with the birth?"
"I never bet on sure things. They can be there, as long as they don't try to keep me out."
"You want to be there?"
"Try and keep me away." He dropped a kiss on her lips. "I'll walk you to the office, then I've got to come back here. Lots to do."
"You don't need--"
"You're not going anywhere alone, not until we catch whoever's been trying to kill us."
"Tony!"
"Let's go." He crossed the room to get his coat, hanging on a corner of the switchboard.
"I am not helpless."
"But you're pregnant, and not as agile as you used to be. Now, can we go? Or are we going to fight about it?"
She strode to the door, opened it. "What," she demanded, "are we waiting for?"
Chapter Thirty-four
The Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company has hardly completed the purchase of the sole right to the Territories of Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Idaho, yet it has already taken steps to bring the telephone into use all over its territory. It now has 11 exchanges, with an aggregate of about 1,000 instruments in use.
Wood River Times
~~~
They were eating dinner in Tony's office at Eagleton's place of business on Friday when someone came in the front door. Since he had left it locked, Tony immediately went to investigate. Lulu reached for the shotgun, which she had stood in the corner, and put it into the kneehole of the desk, keeping one hand on the barrel.
She heard voices, indistinct. Neither held threat or anger, so she relaxed a little. "I've a lot to tell you, sir, and you won't like most of it," Tony was saying as he ushered Mr. Eagleton himself through the doorway.
"Well, boy, I've some news of my own, and I've a feeling some of it'll be welcome and some won't. Dinner, you said? Have you enough to share with a tired, hungry traveler?"
"Of course, Mr. Eagleton," Lulu said, standing and motioning for him to take her chair. She tried to set the shotgun back into the corner unobtrusively, but failed. Eagleton's eyebrows went up, but he said nothing.
They had ordered far too much food from the Nevada Chop House, having planned to take the remainders home for supper, so there was plenty for Mr. Eagleton. He refused to talk business while they ate, so they spoke of events in town. Lulu related some of the tidbits she'd heard from Mrs. Graham, leaving the news of the destruction of their belongings for later.
While Lulu took care of the little food that was left and packed the plates and silverware for return to the restaurant, Tony quickly summarized the situation at the telephone exchange. To Lulu's surprise, for her impression of him was that he was highly volatile, Eagleton listened without interruption until Tony said, "We'll manage, but it's going to be expensive, having a man take the batteries to Ketchum every day. I sure wish the railroad went all the way."
"Yes, it's going to cost me a little, but not because of wages. You see, as of the first of May, I won't be the owner of the Hailey Telephone Exchange any longer. I sold out to Rocky Mountain Bell, seeing as how they have exclusive rights to the whole Territory."
Tony looked as if he'd been struck a blow. Lulu clasped his shoulder, wishing she could demand why Eagleton had betrayed her husband this way. Before she could more than open her mouth, he went on.
"I stopped over in Boise on my way back. The fella there told me he'd talked to you in Denver. Said he'd offered you a job, anytime you wanted it. I told him I'd send you on over as soon as you could get packed up."
"Mr. Eagleton--"
Tony caught her hand, squeezed it. "Thank you, Mr. Eagleton," he said, forestalling her protest at his high-handedness. "I hadn't intended to leave you short-handed, but I won't deny I'd welcome a new challenge. I'll have to talk it over with Mrs. Dewitt, and find out more about what position I'd hold. Naturally I'll stay here until you can find someone to take over my responsibilities."
Biting her lip. Lulu went back to her housewifely duties. Whatever Tony decided, she would agree to, but oh, how she wanted to move to Boise. The legislature was there, so even tied down with two children, she could make a difference.
"We'll manage, don't you worry. It'd be a shame for me to hold you back. Now then, you say you think all the problems we've had are related? Any reason why you think that?"
"Nonsense," Eagleton told him. "None of that was your fault. I'll take care of it. Now, let's talk about what we have to get done before you go off to Boise." He clapped Tony on the shoulder. "In my office, I think. I've missed my chair."
"Oh, dear, let me get the typewriter, then," Lulu said, wanting to work on the article she'd been writing this morning. "I've been using your desk while you were gone. I hope you don't mind."
"She's a dab hand at the typewriter," Tony said, "much better than I am. I've been having her take care of all the correspondence."
Eagleton's next words reassured Lulu, who'd been afraid he'd disapprove of her helping Tony with his job.
"You are? Good. I'll put you to work, then, if you're willing. I've got a lot of letters to write in the next few days."
"I'll be happy to help out, if I can," she agreed, wondering what she was letting herself in for. Secretarial work was not to her taste.
* * * *
Eagleton's return seemed almost to be a calming influence on the town. Tony spent most of his time at the switchboard, overseeing Jack as he took on more and more of the responsibility for day-to-day operations. Privately Tony wasn't sure the young man would be able to perform satisfactorily for the new owners, but he was willing to give Jack the benefit of the doubt.
The aftermath of the League's meeting surprised him. A few men about the town shunned him, and he knew some were speaking of boycotting Eagleton. He didn't know what good it would do. None of them had signed up for telephone service, and Eagleton's other business ventures were not such that local investors were common. Only once was he refused service in any establishment, and that had been at the barbershop. So he simply took his business down the street to Tom Holmes, and found the man far more pleasant and friendly than his previous barber had ever been.
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