West walked closer to Julia and said, “I need to go back down to where we left the horses and get a rope and a few other things I need to go after that chest.”
“You’re going back into the cave?” Julia stammered in shock.
“I don’t have a choice. We need to find the chest. Sit on that boulder and keep your gun on Kate. I’m serious, if she runs shoot her. I’ll be back up here as soon as I can.”
West hurried away from Julia and left her confused. Shoot her? Julia had never shot anyone. How was she supposed to shoot a person? She dropped down on the small boulder and looked directly at Kate, hoping to sound convincing.
“I will shoot if you run,” Julia said.
Kate smiled. “I don’t think you will, but I’m not willing to take the chance.”
Julia nodded, hoping Kate meant what she said. She knew she would have to use her gun if needed but didn’t want to do it. After a moment of considering the situation, Julia decided she might get Kate to just sit and not cause trouble if she spoke with her.
“Tell me,” Julia began. “Did you really expect to just get a child from an orphanage. You know it’s illegal to buy or sell anyone.”
Kate shrugged. “Maybe, but the man I spoke to at the orphanage said for the right amount of money, a legal adoption could be handled. He said he would handle all the paperwork and had a judge that would sign the adoption papers.”
Julia shook her head. “That wouldn’t be a legal adoption. If I know the law correctly, you need to be married. A single woman can’t do much without a husband and certainly not adopt a child.”
“True,” Kate admitted, “but for the right amount of cash, a husband’s name and a marriage license proving a marriage existed could be acquired.”
“You sound as if you had this well planned. How did you decide to go after the chest?’ Julia asked as she shifted her weight on the boulder.
“I heard a rumor going around town that the priest at the mission had a treasure chest. I know it sounded ridiculous, but I was desperate. I knew I’d never be able to save the money from the job I had at the local dressmakers and a woman is limited in what she can do. I couldn’t walk into the saloon and gamble my way into a fortune, and I’m not strong enough to mine for gold,” Kate explained.
“I suppose I understand that,” Julia answered, and before she could ask anything else, she heard West returning.
West strode over to Kate and told her to stand. “Walk to that tree and sit down.”
Kate shrugged and followed directions. When she sat, West tied her to the tree, wrapping the rope around her chest and arms three times and then added two additional loops around her neck before securing her to the tree.
Julia walked next to West and asked, “Is that necessary?”
He nodded, “Yes, I have to go down into that cave and may need your help. I don’t trust her. She’s a killer, and as long as she doesn’t try to escape, she’ll be fine. If she does try to wiggle out of the ropes around her chest, the ones around her neck will tighten, and she’ll stop trying to get loose. Works every time.”
Julia bit her lip and looked between West and Kate and wondered if she would ever know as much about criminals as West did, and even if she learned, could she put it to use. A male criminal would have been much easier to deal with on her first case. She sighed and followed West to the chimney opening.
West tied another long rope to a nearby tree and then slipped it around his waist.
“I’m going down into the cavern and search for the chest.”
Kate called out, “If it helps since I’m never going to be able to sell it, you should find the chest near where you’ll land when you go down. Also, there’s an oil lamp close by to help you look if it hasn’t been damaged by falling rock. Be sure and tell the judge that I’m cooperating.”
“We will,” Julia assured, and West cast her a scornful look.
“What?” Julia whispered.
“Don’t promise anyone you’ve captured anything unless it’s to get them to tell you something you desperately need to know. Criminals are sneaky, and they’ll use every word you say against you if it helps them in court,” West snapped at her.
“All right, thanks for letting me know,” Julia said although she felt chastised and didn’t understand why.
When West disappeared into the chimney opening, Kate called out to Julia, “Your man sounds a bit boorish.”
“He isn’t,” Julia defended. “He’s only helping me learn what I don’t know.”
“Well, take my word, and the first time he hits you…run. Don’t wait for an apology or an explanation. Run and don’t look back. If he hits you once, he’ll do it again,” Kate said while wiggling to try and get comfortable but not strangle herself in the process.
Julia walked a few steps closer to Kate and said, “He’s not like that, and we’re not together that way.”
Kate laughed. “I can see the way you look at him. You love that man.”
Julia shook her head violently, trying to ignore Kate’s words but knew they were true.
Kate laughed again. “I see how he looks at you. I can’t say he loves you because I don’t believe any man is capable of love, but he wants you.”
Julia blushed and walked back to the chimney opening to call down to West and inquire about his well-being.
“I’m at the bottom and found the lamp,” Julia heard West call back.
Julia turned when she heard Kate roar with laughter.
“What is wrong with you now?” Julia asked.
“I was just sitting here wondering if I looked as sappy as you do when I first met that miserable excuse for a man that I married. I believed in him, too,” Kate confessed.
Julia tried to find some words to say, but when Kate’s laughter turned into heart-wrenching sobs, Julia decided to let her cry and wondered about the young woman’s emotional health.
West’s loud yells brought Julia back to the opening.
“I found the chest. I’ve tied it to the end of the rope. Pull it up and then toss the rope back down so I can get out. The other opening in this cavern is completely blocked,” West said.
When Julia pulled the chest up from the opening and untied the rope, Kate shouted at her.
“Don’t toss that rope back down. Let him stay down there. Untie me, and let’s take the chest. When we sell it, they’ll be more than enough money for me to get a child and then for all of us to go to California and live a happy life without men. You can be my daughter’s aunt.”
“I can’t do that,” Julia retorted.
“Why not, I just want a child,” Kate pleaded.
“Because he’s my partner,” Julia said emphatically before tossing the end of the rope back down to West.
When West climbed out of the opening, Julia called him over to her. She was kneeling next to the chest in the shade of the large tree West had used to tie off his climbing rope.
“The lock is broken,” Julia said, looking up at West.
West spun to look at Kate. “Did you tamper with this chest? Break the lock and hid the treasure or sold it?”
“No, the cave-in might have broken it. I never opened it. I heard the true value of the box was that it contained a treasure more valuable left unopened and felt with the heart instead of being held in the hands. I thought it was some religious nonsense,” Kate tried to assure West.
West bent over next to Julia and slowly lifted the heavy gold lid. He reached for the piece of parchment paper he saw inside.
Julia grabbed his arm. “Don’t. You have no idea how old that paper is. We may have already damaged it by exposing it to the light and air.”
West looked at the paper again and asked, “What does that say? Amare? One word is a treasure? I think this is some kind of joke.”
Julia slowly shook her head. “It isn’t a joke. Amare is Latin for love. Who knows how old this is? It’s priceless.”
“Priceless,” West asked. “How can the word love be priceles
s?”
Kate snorted and laughed again. “He’s right about that. There is no such thing as love.”
Julia answered, “Neither of you understands. Love is important. I believe this is a message meant to be believed and not seen. In 1 Corinthians, it says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
West shrugged as Julia closed the golden lid, and he said, “I suppose you know best. You did spend all those years at the convent.”
Julia smiled, “I spent a lot of time reading my Bible before I went to the convent. I think you should spend a bit more with yours, and you’d realize how important love is.”
West didn’t answer but untied Kate and handed the end of the rope to Julia. “You can make sure she doesn’t run off while I carry this chest back down to the horses. It’s too heavy for you to carry.”
Julia knew she could carry the chest but allowed West his moment of masculine bravado and followed him with a subdued Kate as they headed down the hill.
Chapter 14
Colby was waiting for them at the bottom of the hill. He shook his head when Julia, Kate, and West came into view.
“I see you found Miss Kate. Did you need to bind her up that way?” Colby inquired. “She’s just a little bit of a thing and a lady.”
“She killed a priest,” West said. “She attacked another priest in Smiley. We can’t take the chance that she’ll escape.”
“Say it ain’t so, Miss Kate. You didn’t kill no priest, did ya?” Colby asked with sadness and confusion running across his face.
“It wasn’t intentional. The man fell and hit his head. I didn’t mean to hurt the priest in Smiley. Never mind. You’re a man you’ll never understand,” Kate grumbled as her eyes cast daggers in Colby’s direction.
Colby shook his head again as he carried his rifle and disappeared into the trees.
“You have a cruel streak, Kate Mulligan,” West commented. “I can’t wait until the marshals come and get you.”
“Marshals?” Julia asked. “We’re not taking her in?”
West shook his head. “No, she’s charged with murder. We’ll let the marshal’s take that responsibility, It’s a long ride to New Mexico.”
Kate groaned. “It was a long ride here. I don’t look forward to the ride back.”
“Maybe they’ll bring a tumbleweed wagon, and you won’t have to ride a horse,” West told her.
“Tumbleweed wagon?” Julia asked. “What is that?”
“It’s a jail cell on wheels. They use it to carry several criminals or ones that are considered extremely dangerous. Murder of a priest and the fact that she’s a woman makes her dangerous to transport,” West explained.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Kate shouted.
“Tell it to the judge,” West said. “C’mon, let’s get the horses and take this chest back to Father Dominic.”
They arrived back at Smiley’s station just before dusk. West hurried inside to speak with Smiley while Julia kept watch over Kate.
“Are they going to hang me?” Kate asked.
Julia stammered, “I, I don’t know. I didn’t know they hung women. I think you’ll go to prison for quite some time.”
“Maybe,” Kate replied. “The judge and jury will all be men. None of them will care why I needed that chest of gold.”
“You’ll have the opportunity to tell them,” Julia explained.
“It won’t matter. They’ll say it was intentional, and I killed the priest for no reason because the chest is empty. I suppose the chest itself is worth something, but not enough to get me a child. This was all a waste of time,” Kate whined.
Julia, at a loss of what to say to Kate, sat quietly and waited for West to return. Kate kept mumbling about her troubles, and finally, tears ran down her cheeks. Julia let her cry, hoping it might ease her mind.
West walked out of Smiley’s and strode to Julia’s horse. “No sheriff in town means no jail either. I sent a telegram to the marshals and told them we have Kate. Smiley said he’ll tell me when an answer comes in, and we can keep Kate in the barn. There’s a couple of empty stalls.”
Julia nodded, “I take it we keep her tied up until the marshal’s arrive since there’s not a jail cell to lock her in.”
“That’s about it,” West answered. “I’ll stay in the barn to watch her, and you can get some sleep back in our room.”
“Absolutely not,” Julia insisted. “She’s as much my prisoner as she is yours. We’ll take turns watching her and sleeping in one of the stalls. I already told you I’m not opposed to sleeping in a barn.”
After they made Kate as comfortable as possible in a stall tied to a post, West left to check on any incoming telegrams and to bring food back for both Julia and Kate.
Julia sat on a wooden crate, not knowing what to say to her prisoner. Her heart felt for the young woman, but she did cause the death of the priest and attacked Father Dominic. Was it her place to question Kate or have a conversation with a prisoner? She remembered from her training that she could write down anything Kate said as evidence, but was it correct to play on the young woman’s emotions to get her to talk? She didn’t have to make that decision. Kate began talking again.
“I was serious before,” Kate stated. “I know you love that man, and you don’t have to kill him. Just hit him over the head and tie him up. The chest is worth money, and we can get away and sell it. I’ll share it. I can always find another way to get enough money to get back to that orphanage or find another. There are always people willing to turn a blind eye when cash is involved.”
“You have a very cynical view of the world. You should have spent some time in a convent the way I did learning more about love and peace than hatred and greed,” Julia admonished.
“Maybe,” Kate shrugged. “But I didn’t. I married an evil man and paid for my stupidity, as did my daughter. All I wanted was another chance to get what I lost.”
“There were orphans at the convent. The nuns cared for them. You could have gotten a job at an orphanage and made those children happy. All children need love. Buying a child is wrong, and West assured me the man who offered you a child will be prosecuted. You had a chance to do some good in this world and decided to break the law. You had a chance but took the wrong path,” Julia said.
“I suppose,” muttered Kate. “But it’s too late now.”
Kate stopped talking when West returned with telegrams and two plates of food.
“We received two telegrams. The marshals should be here in two days to escort Kate back to New Mexico for trial. I have to speak to Father Dominic and see if he wants to press charges against her for the attack. I know he said he didn’t, but he might have changed his mind. There is also one from Meg’s family. They want her to come home as soon as possible. She can ride the stage back to Cheyenne with us and we can make sure she arrives safely,” West said before returning to Smiley’s for his own plate of food.
“Who’s Meg?” Kate inquired.
“A young lady I’m going to do my best to help so she doesn’t end up taking the same path in life that you did,” Julia answered. “She’s young and impressionable.”
“I hope you can do that. Be sure to tell her to stay away from men.”
Julia didn’t answer but knew that Meg had already learned a lesson about men, at least the wrong type of men.
Two days later, shortly after dawn, a U.S. Marshal and his deputy rode up to Smiley’s and took possession of their prisoner and the coveted gold chest.
“West explained to Julia, “They are going to travel overland instead of taking the road back to Cheyenne and then catch a train to New Mexico. The marshal said he didn’t want to expose innocent citizens to Kate on the stage, and he didn’t want to wait for the tumbleweed wagon to make its rounds.”
Julia nodded. “I suppose that makes good sense. Kate may try and escape. They are better off taking her somewhere she can’t cause any trouble.”
“I agree. Sm
iley said the stage is due here in about an hour. We have time for breakfast, and then we can catch the stage back to Cheyenne and catch a train to Denver.”
“Will we have to travel to New Mexico and testify at her trial? She told me all the reasons she wanted that chest,” Julia asked.
“That will be up to the prosecutor. If he needs us, he’ll send a telegram to Denver after he reads our written reports,” West explained.
The stage ride back to Cheyenne was peaceful, and Julia felt calmer than she did the first time she took the stage at the start of their assignment. The job had gone well, and she had learned quite a bit about being a better agent. Helping Meg had been a plus to her feeling of accomplishment.
Julia knew that either in Cheyenne or on the train back to Denver, she and West would have to discuss the timing of the annulment, but she did her best not to think about it.
Annulment. Her heart ached each time the word forced its way into her thoughts. Why did she have to fall in love with West? It was foolish of her not to guard her heart, and healing from her heart breaking would be the price she’d pay.
Once they arrived in Cheyenne, Julia gave Meg her address in Denver and told the girl she could write her anytime. Julia’s heart filled with joy when she saw Meg’s family waiting for the stage and embracing the girl with tears and kisses. Julia felt that Meg had learned a valuable lesson, and would move forward in her life a more confidant yet cautious young woman.
West booked them back into the same hotel they stayed in before they left for Smiley’s. After a bath and supper, Julia was sure she would feel much better.
“I’m certainly happy this case ended without either of us having to shoot Kate,” Julia said as they returned to their hotel room after supper. “I’m not sure how well I would sleep, knowing she was hurt or worse.”
“At least tonight, you can sleep in a soft bed and not on the ground or in the barn at Smiley’s,” West answered.
“Yes, but I do believe it’s your turn to sleep in the bed.”
West strode up to Julia, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her deeply. When he dropped his hands, he whispered, “I hoped we might share the bed tonight.”
An Agent for Julia Page 7