West nodded his thanks and helped Julia from the stage.
Julia glared at West, her brown eyes flashing anger. “You lied about me. Do you lie often?”
“I say what I have to when I’m on a case,” West whispered. “Besides, I didn’t lie. You’re my wife, like it or not, you don’t enjoy stage travel, and I know you’d like to rest, not to mention we need a reason to stay here and not continue on with the stage.”
Julia bit her lip in thought and said, “I suppose you do have to stretch the truth on occasion while investigating. Be sure to ask forgiveness.”
“Sure,” West mumbled, wondering if Julia possessed more nun-like qualities than even she realized. He’d never considered asking forgiveness for any of the roles he had to play while out on an assignment. They were part of his job. They weren’t lies in the true sense, were they? Now, she had him double thinking about the identities he used as an agent. This woman was going to drive him to drink.
After West checked them into the small hotel and arranged for a bath to be brought up for Julia, he told her he was going to send Archie a telegram. He needed to let him know they arrived and then head to the saloon for a while.
“It’s barely mid-afternoon,” Julia replied.
“I know, and I’m not going for the whiskey but to listen to conversations. Men like to talk in saloons, and I might learn something about the attack on Father Dominic before we see him tomorrow morning. If I’m lucky, I might get a clue to where Kate might be. She disappeared without a trace. Someone must know something or saw something odd. Listening to men who’ve had a few drinks usually brings good results, and it’s the one place you can’t go safely,” West explained.
“I’m not afraid of going into a saloon,” Julia insisted.
West chuckled, “I’m sure you’re not. Going in is not the problem. Getting back out safely would be your greatest difficulty.”
“I have my gun.”
“I know,” West said, doing his best to hide his frustration. “Maybe you could shoot your way out, but men don’t want to talk to women in saloons about anything other than what happens upstairs. You’d be outnumbered.”
Julia blushed and nodded. “I didn’t think about that. You go. I’ll have a bath.”
“That was my plan all along,” West said as he slapped his hat on his head and headed out the door.
“I still can’t believe this place doesn’t have a sheriff,” Julia said over breakfast the following morning. “Even back home in the small town of Gentle Falls where I was born, we had a sheriff, and Milwaukee has a police force.”
“You’ll find the further west you travel the smaller the towns are less likely to have a sheriff, and if they have one, he won’t have a deputy or anyone to help. That’s why you hear so many stories of ranchers and townsfolks taking the law into their own hands. Smiley told me the next town has a sheriff. If he needs help, he telegraphs him, but he’s over six miles away,” West explained as he finished his breakfast of steak and eggs.
“Then, did you tell Smiley who we are?” Julia whispered. “I know we’re supposed to let local law enforcement know we’re agents when we’re in town on a case, but Smiley isn’t law enforcement, is he?”
“No, and I didn’t tell him. I sent a coded telegram to my mother, Marianne, in Denver, letting her know we stopped in Smiley before continuing our trip.”
Julia giggled, “I can imagine those types of telegrams make her laugh at times.”
“She’s been my mother, grandmother, sweetheart, and sister at times when I need to let Archie know what’s going on. She’s used to getting those types of telegrams from the agents.” West said and stood holding out his hand. “Ready to go and talk to Father Dominic?”
Julia nodded and allowed West to help her stand and continued to hold his hand as they strolled out of the hotel giving the impression of two lovebirds on their honeymoon.
“I still don’t understand why they built such a large church out here in the middle of nowhere,” Julia said as they walked toward the white church that sat just beyond the edge of town.
“I’m sure there is a good reason, and with luck, Father Dominic can explain it when we speak to him. It must have something to do with the murder in New Mexico, that golden chest, its contents, and why they sent Father Dominic to the middle of Wyoming with the chest,” West mused out loud.
“Probably, and it might explain why Father Dominic was also attacked and if Kate Mulligan is responsible.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” West answered as they approached the church doors. He paused for a moment before opening one of the two large doors and escorted Julia inside.
“It’s not as large as it appears from the outside,” Julia commented before blessing herself with the holy water from the font near the doors.
West watched her and shrugged. “Maybe it’s the white paint and the fact it sits alone on the small rise like it’s watching over the town.”
“It isn’t, but God is,” Julia said and smiled at West.
“Welcome,” a male voice boomed in the empty church. “Please come in and sit. Is there anything I can do for you? I’m Father Dominic.”
West approached Father Dominic and held out his hand. “I’m West Lange, and this is my wife, Julia. We’re the Pinkerton agents from Denver. Our boss is a friend of your uncle’s, and I believe you wrote Archie a letter asking for our help.”
“Yes, yes, I’m pleased you are here. Since I wrote that letter, I was attacked. I sent a telegram to Denver stating I was attacked and hoped to get help soon.”
“We received that information when we stopped in Cheyenne,” West said. “Do you have any idea who attacked you?”
“Yes and no. I was here in the church when a young cowboy came in asking f I had a minute to talk. Of course, I said I did. We sat here in the front pew, and he said he had some troubles, and maybe I could help. When I inquired as to the nature of the troubles, the cowboy said he needed money and asked me for the gold chest. When I refused, he hit me with the butt of his gun,” Father Dominic explained.
“Did he find the chest?” West asked.
“No, it’s hidden well and not anywhere near here,” Father Dominic answered.
Julia looked at the white bandage on his head and asked, “Were you badly injured?”
“Not too badly. He did knock me unconscious, and when I woke, I noticed that my office and living quarters in the back were thoroughly searched.”
“Did he take anything?” West asked.
Father Dominic’s face saddened, “Only the map, but I doubt he would be able to find where I hid the chest.”
“Map?” West said. “Then, she has the chest.”
“She? No, I was attacked by a young cowboy, and I did make a map, but unless you ride to where I first noticed the hills, you wouldn’t be able to follow the map.”
West began to explain about Kate Mulligan and asked, “Is it possible your young cowboy was a woman in disguise?”
Father Dominic nodded and said, “Yes, now that I think about it, it might have been a woman in men’s clothing.”
Father Dominic rubbed his head and said, “My memory of his or her face isn’t good. I remember being hit on the head, but the face of the person who hit me seems blurry in my mind.”
Julia noticed blood on the bandage around Father Dominic’s forehead and said, “Your head is bleeding. Perhaps you should have the doctor look at that.”
Father Dominic shook his head. “We don’t have a doctor. After I woke, I stumbled to Smiley’s for help. He sent someone to the boarding house because they are the only ones in town with any medical knowledge, and they sent a young girl to stitch up my cut. That’s’ another thing I want to talk to you about.”
“I don’t think we can help you bring a doctor to town, but we can get you on a stage to the nearest town with a doctor,” West said.
“No, it’s not the doctor, it’s Meg.”
“Who’s Meg?” Julia asked.
Julia, shocked at what Father Dominic had just told them, silently vowed she’d do something to help that innocent girl.
Chapter 8
Julia’s anger grew the more she heard about the young girl working at the supposed boarding house across the street. She couldn’t stand by and let a young girl’s life be ruined forever. Turning around, she stormed out of the church, ignoring West’s calls for her to stop.
Julia crossed the road and rushed up the stairs of the boarding house, stopping just long enough to catch her breath before she began pounding on the door.
The door was opened by a giant of a man who glared at her and said, “It’s too early to be waking folks up. What do you want?”
“I demand to speak to the owner of this establishment,” Julia answered.
The man shook his head, and started closing the door when a female voice behind him asked, “Who is it, Rudy?”
Rudy turned his head and said, “Some woman who says she demands to speak to you.”
Julia heard the female voice tell Rudy to let whoever it was in, and Rudy moved and held the door open wide.
Julia entered the dimly lit room and saw a woman wearing a pink satin robe who appeared old enough to be her grandmother sitting on a sofa smoking a cigarette.
“What can I do for you?” the woman asked. “You looking for a job?”
“Absolutely not. I’m here to discuss you holding a young girl by the name of Meg against her will to pay off a gambling debt,” Julia said, taking her best defensive stance.
The older woman snorted. “You dare to walk in here and demand anything. Do you know who I am?”
“No, and I don’t care,” Julia retorted. “I’m here to make sure you release that young girl immediately.”
The woman shrugged. “That could be arranged if you take her place. She’s not doing me any good, and she’ll never pay off that debt. All she does is cry whenever one of the men goes near her, and they all walk away, mumbling about her reminding them of a baby sister or cousin or someone.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud knocking on the front door and a near breathless West storming into the room. “She’s definitely not going to work for you. She’s my wife, and she’s leaving now.”
West grabbed Julia’s arm, and Julia yanked it free. “I most certainly am not leaving without Meg.”
The older woman laughed. “That girl has been nothing but trouble and hasn’t earned one cent, but I’ve fed her since she’s been here. She owns me more than the hundred-dollar gambling debt now.”
“How much can a girl eat in two weeks? I’ll give you the hundred dollars now, you forget about the cost of food, and she comes with me immediately.”
The woman shook her head. “I think she’s worth more than that. In time I can get her to stop crying.”
Julia nodded and responded, “That might be, but before you’re able to accomplish that, I’ll wire my cousin, Vance. He’s a U.S. Marshal. I know he’d be interested in this place, especially since slavery is illegal, and keeping a young woman to pay off another person’s debt is definitely slavery.”
The woman blew a smoke ring and shrugged again. “For a hundred cash, I’ll let her go now.”
Julia turned and pulled up her skirt, turning back around with five twenty-dollar gold coins in her hand.
“Get Meg now, and you can have the money. If not, I’ll leave, but I will return with help,” Julia insisted.
The woman tossed the coins in her hand and said, “Rudy, go get Meg.”
The large man nodded and hurried toward the back of the house.
“You know, you’re quite lovely,” the older woman said. “You could do well here. Are you sure you don’t want a job?”
Julia shook her head and answered, “I would never. I just left a convent where I lived for several years. Now, I’m on my wedding trip with my new husband.”
The woman dropped back down on the sofa and laughed. “A newlywed nun? My friends will never believe this. Here’s Meg. Take her before I change my mind.”
Julia saw a young girl in a tattered nightdress enter the room, the fear etched on her face palpable.
Julia spoke to Meg. “You’re coming with me. You’re safe now. I’ll help you get back home. Do you have anything else to wear?”
Meg shook her head. “No, they sold some of my things and burned the rest. I have this and a dress I can’t wear in public.”
Julia turned to West, “Give her your coat.”
West obliged and slipped his coat off and helped Meg into it while staring at Julia, who seemed to be in control of the situation.
Julia took Meg by the hand and led her toward the front door. She looked over her shoulder and said to the other woman, “We’re done here. You have your money. Don’t send anyone after us or come near Meg again.”
“Are you threatening me,” the woman scoffed.
“No, I’m telling you that you will not like what happens if you try to hurt this child again,” Julia insisted just before leaving the house with a wide-eyed Meg and a speechless West.
West found his voice as they walked closer to the church. “Have you lost your mind? No one other than Father Dominic is supposed to know why we’re here.”
Julia said, “No one does. That woman thinks I’m a newlywed nun and most likely a bit crazy.”
West spoke quietly, so Meg couldn’t hear him. “You lied to that woman. Are nuns supposed to lie? She could have killed you.”
Julia stopped in the middle of the road and glared at West. “I said what I needed to get Meg out of there. That woman thinks I’m just a newlywed. I never mentioned that I’m an agent or on a mission, and I’m not a nun.”
“But are you supposed to lie that way?”
Julia blew out a breath. “If I need to lie to cover us when we’re working, God understands, but I still ask for forgiveness. It’s part of my job. People think we’re happily married. That’s a lie, too, but it’s part of our job.”
“All right, all right, but what about that story about calling your cousin the U.S. Marshal? You can’t say things like that to criminals. It doesn’t go over well. If you’re going to weave a story, it needs to sound realistic,” West insisted.
“Who said it was a story?” Julia said.
“What?” West stammered.
“My cousin Vance is a U.S. Marshal working out of Texas. He told me if I ever needed help to send a telegram to him and if he’s not available, someone will come and help me. You have to stop looking at me as just a naïve nun,” Julia smiled. “I had a life before I went to the convent. I have family and friends. I’m more capable than you give me credit for. Now, let’s get Meg safely to the church.”
Julia turned and continued walking toward the church, leaving West speechless again.
Meg whispered to Julia, “Are you in trouble with your husband? I don’t think he likes that you helped me.”
Julia assured Meg, “He’s just learning he married a strong woman. He thinks I’m weak and dependent on him for everything. I lived in a convent for two years after my mother died, and he still thinks I’m more nun than woman.”
“But nuns are women, and they have to be strong to do all the things they do,” Meg said.
“You know that, and so do I, but West is still confused.”
Father Dominic looked up when he heard the church’s door open and smiled when he saw Julia enter with Meg.
“I wasn’t sure what you were planning to do when you left, but I prayed whatever it was that it worked. It seems my prayers were answered. Welcome, Meg. I’m pleased to see you here,” Father Dominic said.
Meg nodded and wrapped West’s coat tighter around her slim shoulders and said, “thank you, but what do I do now.”
“Now, you sit and let me get you a blanket to cover with,” Father Dominic instructed before he hurried to his office, returning with a warm wool blanket.
Julia asked, “Can Meg stay here until we can get her back home?”
“Of course. The church can offer sanctuary to any soul in need, but from what I know of the town, it would be beneficial to help her leave as soon as possible.”
“We can do that,” Julia said. “Will you stay here with her now while West and I return to our room and get some clothes for Meg. They burned all her things.”
“I assure you she’ll be safe with me. When you leave, I’ll lock the doors, and while I do my best to spread love and kindness, I was given a rifle when I left New Mexico for the ride here, and I have kept it. Protection is also important.”
Julia smiled at the kindly priest and hurried off with West to find some suitable clothing for Meg. On the walk back to the hotel, West tried to get Julia to understand they didn’t have time to help every lost soul she found.
“Our cover is that we’re newlyweds and are taking a wedding trip. Who comes to someplace like Smiley and stays for any length of time on their wedding trip? Staying here to help Meg gives us an excuse to be here, and we’ll have time to investigate,” Julia explained.
Before West could utter a word, Julia smiled and added, “Stick with me, and you’ll learn something.” She winked at West and continued walking toward the hotel, leaving him speechless for the third time that day.
Chapter 9
West watched Julia fill a small traveling bag and asked, “Does she need all of that?”
“Of course, she does. Did you see what she’s wearing? She can’t go out in public dressed that way, and we can’t send her home without some clothes. I have more back in Denver and can always buy a few new dresses and underthings. You’ll need to measure her feet. They look bigger than mine, and she’ll need you to get her a pair of boots,” Julia explained as she closed the bag.
An Agent for Julia Page 4