Jacob’s head snapped back toward Ottie. “Why? Oh, let me guess, he’s your friend too? Wouldn’t hurt a fly, only attacks businessmen from out of town and that’s ok, right?”
Ottie remained composed despite Jacob’s searing accusations. “Well, he is a friend of mine, that I’ll always admit to, but we can rule him out because he was with me yesterday, right up until I happened upon Mr. Edmonds at the station.”
Jacob refused to sway. “He could have had someone grab him for her. Perfect plan, spend the day with the sheriff while someone else does your dirty work.”
“Alright, let’s not let our imaginations run wild now. Most important thing right now is gonna be finding Miss Laura safe and sound,” Ottie said, as he finished taking some notes. “Now, you said she was in town doing the shopping, where exactly?”
“She was going to the general store to get flour and coffee, and the butchers for some beef,” Dorothy offered.
“Alright, that’s a good starting point. I’ll get to town and start asking around there, maybe someone saw where she went,” Ottie said, as he stood up. “In the meantime, if anyone hears anything or has an idea, you let me know.” He then looked straight at Jacob. “But I don’t want no one playing vigilante, let me and my deputies deal with the folks around here.”
Jacob scoffed but didn’t say a word.
“Alright, ya’ll sit tight and try not to worry, I’ll be back soon and let you know what I find out.” Ottie tipped his hat at the room and strode out.
As the sheriff closed the door, Jacob started up again. “I don’t care what that one-horse town, sheriff, has to say, I’d bet my house Abe Mavor is involved in this.”
“Ethel, was something going on with him and Laura. Did you see anything?” Dorothy pleaded.
Aunt Ethel didn’t take her eyes off Jacob. “Not a thing, perfect gentleman every time he was around her. Even carved me this beautiful cane I’ve been using.”
“I didn’t much like the way he looked at Laura when he came by. I say we don’t rule him out,” Xavier said to Jacob.
“Finally, some sense, from someone not completely overcome by some cowpoke charm,” Jacob said victoriously.
“The sheriff is right, nothing is going to get done by us sitting around worrying. I’m going to try to get some sleep, hopefully we’ll hear some news in the morning,” Dorothy said, then she stood and headed into the bedroom, followed closely by Xavier.
“How can you stand up for that scoundrel, Ethel?” Jacob hissed.
“Known him a lot longer than I’ve known you, Mr. Fisher. Takes me quite some time before I trust a smooth-talking man,” She fired back, then slowly eased herself to her feet and headed to bed, leaving Jacob alone to stew.
* * *
Abe was in the barn when he heard the hoofbeats. He emerged to see Ottie and Midnight thundering toward him. They stopped a few feet from Abe and Ottie hopped off and strode toward him.
“What happened? Missus kick you out because you were out too late?” Abe asked jokingly, but his smile disappeared when he saw the look on Ottie’s face.
“Abe, is Laura Edmonds here?” Ottie asked sternly.
“What? No, why would she be?” Abe was completely taken aback by the question.
Ottie put his hand on Abe’s shoulder and looked him dead in the eye. “Look Abe, I’m asking you right now as your friend. I know things been going on between you two, so if ya’ll have some crazy plan to run away from that Jacob Fisher guy, that’s fine. I just need to know if she’s here and safe. We can figure the rest out.”
“Ottie…what’s going on?” Abe asked, as his blood ran cold.
Ottie took a deep breath. “Miss Laura never came home today.”
It felt as if a bull had rammed straight into Abe’s gut. His fists clenched and his mind began to race for answers.
Oh my God…what happened?
Immediately, Jacob Fisher’s face flashed through his mind.
If he has anything to do with this, I swear I’ll kill him with my bare hands.
“Let’s go inside for a minute and we’ll talk about this,” Ottie said, as Abe stood firmly rooted in place, his eyes searching Ottie’s face for answers.
The two headed inside Abe’s house and Ottie sat down at the table. Abe, however, continued to pace around.
“Where could she have gone? I can’t imagine she’d just…take off,” he said, as he scratched his head.
“How much do you know about her relationship with Mr. Fisher?” Ottie asked, as he pulled his notepad out.
Abe stopped short and looked at the notepad. “Wait, are you questioning me, Ottie?”
“Nope, I’m debriefing with my latest deputy. I’ll get you a badge when we go to the station tomorrow,” Ottie said, without looking up.
Abe sunk into the chair across from Ottie. He looked at him for a moment.
“I don’t have anything to do with this Ottie, I swear,” Abe said.
“Oh, I know, you’re stupid but not that stupid,” Ottie said flatly, but with just a hint of a smile, which disappeared as fast as it came. “But she may have said something to you that we can start with.”
“I mean, she didn’t like Mr. Fisher, that’s for sure. But everything she said to me gave me every reason to believe she was going to go through with marrying him,” Abe said, as he leaned back in his chair.
“So, she never talked about running away or anything like that?” Ottie pressed.
“No,” Abe said with a sigh.
“Alright, when was the last time you spoke with her?” Ottie asked.
“Last night,” Abe took a long pause, then looked down at his hands. “I offered, Ottie. I offered to take her away. She said no.”
Ottie stopped writing for a moment and looked at Abe. “You got a big heart Abe, and from my dealings with that Jacob Fisher fella, none of what you’re saying is going to surprise me. That being said, let’s keep that information strictly between the sheriff and his deputy.”
Abe nodded in agreement.
Ottie stood up and put his notepad back in his pocket. “Alright, nothing going to get achieved in the dead of night like this. Tomorrow morning, first light, we’ll meet at the station and start asking around town. See if anyone saw anything.” He strode toward the door, then stopped and turned. “I’ll tell you what I told the family, I don’t want any vigilante nonsense. We’re gonna do this right and we’re gonna work together until we find her, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Abe replied.
“Good.” And with that, Ottie was out the door and Abe was alone with his thoughts.
She wouldn’t run away on her own. Not after…she just wouldn’t. So, who would want to take her? She’s just…Laura.
Abe rubbed his eyes, trying to make some sense out of the situation.
Laura, whatever’s happened to you, I’m going to find you.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Oh, my head.
Laura began to come to, the edges of her vision returning. She was lying on a dirty floor, covered in straw. She tried to sit up, but her wrists and ankles were tied together, with a thick rope attached to them that was secured to an iron ring on the wooden wall near her. She was in some sort of animal stall. It was dark, and very, very quiet. Her heart started pounding and her body shook.
What is going on? Why am I here?
“Help! Is anyone there?” Laura yelled.
Immediately, she heard heavy footsteps coming toward her. The figure of a large, burly man appeared above the stall door.
“Hush, ain’t no one gonna hear ya,” he barked in an unfamiliar voice that turned Laura’s blood to ice.
“I don’t understand. Why am I here? What’s happening?” she pleaded.
“Ain’t for you to worry about. Things all go to plan, and you’ll be back home in no time,” he growled.
He unhinged the stall door and stepped inside. He stooped down, and Laura could see the glint of a pistol on his hip but couldn’t make out his face.
/>
“But if you keep making noise, I won’t hesitate to shut you up by whatever means necessary. You understand, missy?”
She could smell the stench of whiskey and cigars on his breath. She silently nodded.
“Good, get some sleep,” he said, as he stood up and left the stall.
Laura lay there, frozen. She could feel the tears starting to stream down her cheeks.
I don’t understand. None of this makes any sense.
She tried to silence the gasps of air between tears. She worked her wrists and ankles against the ropes, trying desperately to undo them, but they didn’t budge.
Help me, someone, please.
With effort, she managed to right herself so her back was resting against a wall of the stall. It was gritty and rough.
What am I supposed to do here?
She sat there, tears pouring down her face, until she eventually collapsed into sleep.
* * *
When Laura woke up, there was sunlight pouring in through the cracks of the wooden slats of what she assumed to be a barn. Her back ached and her throat was dry as sand. She looked around, trying to get a better sense of her surroundings.
Definitely some sort of animal stall. I don’t hear anything outside, so we must be way out of town. Oh, I’m so thirsty.
Outside the stall she could hear someone or something shuffling around.
“Hello? Is someone there?” she called out weakly.
The shuffling turned into heavy footsteps and the burly man from last night appeared over the stall door.
“Well, my guest is awake. You sleep well, ma’am?” he asked, with a smirk.
“Not the most luxurious accommodations of my life, I’ll have to say,” Laura said flatly. “Can I please at least have some water? I’m parched.”
The burly man let himself into the stall, unscrewed a small, silver hip flask and held it up to Laura. She could smell the pungent whiskey inside.
“Well, go on. This’s better’n water,” he said, with a grin, as he put it right up to her lips.
She craved the feeling of anything wet in her throat so badly, that she obliged and took a sip. It felt like a river of fire pouring through her and she immediately started to hack and cough.
“Aw, little miss can’t handle the good stuff,” he laughed, as he brought the flask back to his lips and took a big long swig.
Laura studied his face. He looked about Abe’s age, but with extra dirt, grime and a few more creases in his face that spoke of a hard life. He had a thick, dark, grizzly beard and deep brown eyes.
“Why am I here? I don’t recognize you at all, did you confuse me for someone else?” Laura pleaded with him.
“Laura Edmonds, originally of Tucson, living with your Aunt Ethel on the outskirts of Santa Clara. Trust me, miss, I know who you are.”
He stood up and walked out of the stall, latching it behind him.
“Now I told you, don’t you worry. As long as everything goes to plan, you’ll be home before you know it. So, hush and think of this as some time for quiet contemplation, hear it’s good for the mind,” he said, with a laugh, as he plodded off.
He’s about as helpful as a rock. Though he did kidnap me, so I don’t know what I was expecting.
She began to move the hay around with her feet, looking for anything sharp that she could use to cut the rope. As she moved aside one pile of hay, she heard the most ominous sound in the desert.
A high-pitched, persistent rattle.
She froze as the brown, triangular head of a rattlesnake appeared in the hay. Its beady black eyes stared right at her as it shook its rattle rapidly. Her heart was pounding as she tried to remain as still as possible.
The two of them sat there, locked in their positions. Her mind flew back to what her father had told her when she saw a rattlesnake back in Tucson and nearly jumped out of her skin.
The rattle is a warning. Rattlesnakes are the most fearful creatures on earth, so God gave them that rattle to shake at whatever’s scaring them, so it turns and runs the other way. Rattlesnakes don’t want to bite anything unless they have to.
Slowly, Laura tried to inch herself toward the other side of the stall, keeping her eyes on the snake. It kept perfectly still, except for the rattle. Inch by inch she moved, until there were several feet between them. The rattle began to die down and the snake just sat there, staring at her. She could still feel her heart pounding, her shallow breathing, and her palms sweating.
It’s afraid. Someone barged into its home. Trust me snake, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here.
After what felt like an eternity, the snake slowly began to uncoil. Laura pulled her knees to her chest.
Please don’t come my way, please.
To her great relief, the snake turned and slid through a small knot hole in one of the wall planks and disappeared. Laura felt her entire body release as if someone had let her out of a vice. She began to cry again, both from relief and from the impossibility of the situation that she found herself in.
Imagine if I never left Tucson. I’d probably already be married to Jacob now. I’d be fixing up his home, and mother would come by every now and again to help. I’d get to watch as he brooded in his own self-importance day in and day out. That would be my life.
She looked around and let out a small laugh in spite of the tears.
But instead, I’m here. Kidnapped by some highway brigand, probably out to make some ransom money.
She pondered that fact for a moment.
But, if he was just a bandit, how did he know so much about me? He knew my name, knew about Aunt Ethel, knew about Tucson. How? And why?
She racked her brain for something, anything that could explain what was happening, but still came up empty. Her stomach let out an impatient growl.
What I wouldn’t do for a nice slice of bread and Aunt Ethel’s marmalade.
Her mind drifted back to a memory, the day she first met Abe.
The whole house smelled like peaches and oranges. When he walked in, I could smell the tobacco on him. His face, from that moment, it struck me as so kind.
Her heart pounded. Her family must have noticed she was missing by now, they’d be looking for her for sure.
I wonder if anyone told Abe.
She closed her eyes and offered up one simple, silent prayer.
Abe, please come find me.
She heard the footsteps returning. Her kidnapper reappeared and let himself in, dropping a sack on the floor and squatting down.
“Hungry, missy?” he asked, as he pulled out an apple.
Laura looked at the plump red fruit, transfixed. She nodded slowly. He put the apple into her hands, leaving them tied. She slowly brought the apple to her lips, trying not to drop it, as her bound wrists made keeping a grip on it challenging. She took a big bite. It wasn’t toast and marmalade, but it was still heaven. She began to bite away with enthusiasm.
The kidnapper laughed. “Yep, definitely hungry. See, I ain’t a bad guy. I’m not gonna let you starve while we spend time together. Now, seeing as this is probably the first time you been kidnapped, let me go over some basics with ya.” He looked at her intently. “First, ain’t nobody gonna hear you if you scream. We’re miles and miles from the next soul, so all screaming is gonna do for you is irritate me, and I ain’t pleasant when I’m irritated.”
He then pulled out a large hunting knife. Laura immediately stopped eating and stared at it. “Second, I’ll be sending along a little ransom note to your folks. Just so I make sure that they know it’s you beyond any doubt, I’m going to need to borrow a little bit of that pretty hair of yours. Hold still, or don’t, I’m gonna do it either way.”
And with that, he leaned over and pulled out a long lock of her hair. He placed his blade inches from her face and with one swift slice he cut off the lock of hair. Satisfied, he tucked it into his breast pocket. Seeing him take a part of her sent a shiver radiating all the way down her spine.
“
Lastly, not that there’s gonna be much opportunity for it, because my rope tying skills are excellent, but don’t try to run. As I said before, ain’t nobody around for miles, nothing out there but desert. You’d likely die of exposure before anyone could rescue you. And I’d also come find you, and I’ll be a lot less gentle afterwards than I’m being right now.”
He rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a tattoo of three stars. He smiled at Laura with a terrifying, stomach-turning smile. “One star for each man I’ve buried alive. So, you be a good girl and we’ll get along just fine, otherwise, I get a new tattoo. Either way, I win.”
The Salvation 0f A Runaway Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 16