A Changed Agent (18 page)

“Don’t try to distract me with your words of concern. I know how you feel about me. I’ve seen the way you and your man look at each other.”

“You’re talking about Will?”

He nodded. “Get me what I came here for.”

She pulled open the top drawer of her dresser. Lifting a scarf, she felt around underneath the fabric. The envelope wasn’t there.
Where could it be?
She’d left it right here. Maybe she was mistaken. Perhaps she’d put it in the next drawer. Her fingers trembled as she went to the second drawer.

“Where is it?” Virgil moved toward her.

She saw him reach around his back.

“I need the envelope now!” He pulled out a gun, pointing it at Elsie. “Are you waiting for him?”

She shook her head.

“I think you are.”

She heard the children coming into the house. Elsie was afraid of what Virgil might do to them. She had to keep them safe.

“Miss Elsie!”

She didn’t answer Harry’s call. Instead, she concentrated on the man standing with a gun in his hand. “Virgil, I’m not waiting for anyone. I know I put the envelope right here. Please give me a few more minutes to search for it.”

He waved the gun in her direction, grabbing her by the upper arm and yanking her in front of him so hard her arm twisted in pain. She let out a yelp.

“Miss Elsie? Where are you? Are you upstairs?” Harry sounded upset.

“Let me answer him. I can tell him to wait for me downstairs,” she whispered as fear and a surge of a mother’s protectiveness tore through her soul. “I swear to you, Virgil, if you do anything to hurt those children . . .” Her words trailed off. The glint in his eyes sharpened, slicing through her reserve. “Please, let me give you what you want. Let go of my arm so I can open the dresser drawer.”

She thought he was going to do just that, and then Harry and Minnie appeared in the doorway of the room. She could see their reflection in her vanity mirror. Harry, seeing the gun pointed at her, dropped the eggs on the floor. They rolled out of the basket, their shells cracking and spilling yolk on the hardwood. Minnie’s mouth opened, emitting nothing more than a silent scream.

Chapter Sixteen

Elsie tried to hold back a sob.

Beside her she felt Virgil stiffen as he pressed the gun harder into her side. “Give me those papers! Now!”

Minnie screamed again, only this time Elsie heard her loud and clear. “Don’t hurt Miss Elsie! Don’t hurt her!”

And then the children were gone from her sight. She called out, “Harry! Minnie!” And hoping they could get to safety, she yelled, “Run! Run and get help!”

Will heard the child’s voice and then he heard Elsie yell. He signaled for Lily and John to back him up as he ran across the yard. He’d known the risk he’d taken had been great. After following Virgil here from the homestead, Will had watched him enter the Mitchell’s house. His hope that Virgil would find the bonds before Elsie arrived had evaporated like dew on a warm spring day.

Elsie and the children had shown up shortly after him. Staying out of sight had all but killed Will. He watched as Harry and Minnie ran off to chase the chickens and Elsie walked, unsuspecting, into her parents’ house. Making sure the children stayed put near the barn, Will had crept closer to the front door of the house. He saw Elsie climb the stairs, taking the same path Virgil had minutes before her.

With his pistol drawn, Will tiptoed into the house. He heard the faint sound of Elsie’s voice. Behind him the chickens squawked. Stepping into the shadows of the house, Will waited. And then the unthinkable happened. The children came into the house looking for her. Will raced up the stairs after them. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached what he assumed was Elsie’s bedroom door, gotten Harry’s attention, signaled for them to come to him, and pulled them out of harm’s way into the hallway. Then he’d motioned for them to hurry back downstairs.

Will’s carefully played-out charade was about to come to an end. He stood in the doorway taking in the scene before him. He’d never shot a man, but seeing the woman he loved being held captive brought out something very primal. He knew that if Virgil harmed one hair on Elsie’s head, he would shoot.

Virgil shook beside her. Following his slack-jawed gaze, she saw Will. His massive form filled the doorway to her bedroom. He had his gun leveled at Virgil’s head.

Clutching Elsie to his chest, Virgil pushed his gun harder against her side.

“I know who you really are, Benton.”

Her heart beat faster.
Was Will a part of this scheme of Virgil’s?
Was that why he’d been stealing away in the middle of the night?
No, she had to be wrong.

“Let her go, Virgil.”

“I can’t do that. I need those bonds.”

“What are you talking about?” Elsie asked. “I don’t have any bonds.”

“I’m afraid you do. See, that envelope I gave you back in Albany is full of valuable papers.”

“Virgil.” Her heart ached for him. “What have you become?”

“Nothing more than who I was born to be.”

“You need to free her.” Will held the gun steady in his hands.

“Will . . . Virgil . . . What is going on here?” Elsie looked away from Will, squirming her body around, trying to get a clearer look at Virgil’s face. “Tell me, Virgil, what sort of bonds are in the envelope? You tell me right now!”

“Railroad bonds. It’s the only way I can get free of my gambling debts.”

“What on earth are you talking about? And what does Will have to do with any of this?”

“Do you want to tell her, lawman, or should I?”

“Lawman?” She swung her gaze to Will. “Will? What’s he talking about?”

“Virgil, let her go and then we can sort this mess out. I can make sure you get a good deal from the judge.”

“I’m going away for a long time, lawman, and you know it.”

“Elsie, you’re going to be all right. Everything is going to be all right. I promise. You just have to trust me,” Will said.

Finally, she stopped her struggle against Virgil’s hold. Looking from one man to the other, she still couldn’t believe what she was seeing or hearing.
Will was some sort of lawman? Virgil was a gambler?

“Are you a sheriff?”

“Oh, he ain’t no sheriff, Elsie. He’s a bona fide Pinkerton agent. Isn’t that right? He’s made a life out of slinking around pretending to be someone he’s not,” Virgil sneered.

“Is he telling the truth?”

Will nodded. “Virgil, I’m not going to ask you again to let Elsie go.”

An anger she’d never known existed inside of her exploded. Wrenching her arm out of Virgil’s hold, she spun around and yanked open the middle dresser drawer. Rummaging through her underthings, she found the envelope. Yanking it out, she tossed it to Will, who caught it in midair with his free hand. The other still had his gun leveled at Virgil.

“Both of you disgust me.” She stomped between them out of the room.

Her knees shook in the aftershock of what had just happened. Pausing at the top of the staircase, she leaned against the wall. Once she was certain she could get down the stairs in one piece, she left the top floor of her parents’ house. Behind her Virgil let out a yelp, and then she heard his gun clatter to the floor.

Making her way to the bottom of the stairs, she called out, “Harry! Minnie! Are you in here?”
Where are they?
She ran through the parlor and out onto the porch.

“Harry! Minnie!” she called into the wind, her words echoing around her.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm. Turning, she looked into the eyes of none other than John Oliver. He towered above her. She’d forgotten how tall he was. She also noticed that he had a gun in his right hand.

“Mr. Oliver?” Her muddled brain tried to reason why he’d be here. The sun glinted off something on his shirt. She looked away from his eyes and down the length of him, until she found the silver star pinned to his shirt.

“Elsie, are you all right?”

Mr. Oliver was a lawman, too.
How could this be?
Feeling betrayed all over again, she swallowed hard, forcing down the lump of disbelief in the back of her throat. Her voice came out in a strained whisper. “Where are the children?”

“They are in the barn with—”

She didn’t wait for him to finish. She ran from the front porch, through the flock of chickens pecking innocently in the yard. Sending up squawks of protest, they scattered in front of her in different directions. Pushing open the barn door, she raced to where Harry and Minnie were sitting on a hay bale beside a young woman.

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dark interior of the barn. Kneeling before them, she gathered their warm bodies to her. She felt their breath against her neck, felt them hugging her back.

In a coarse voice, she asked, “Are you both all right?”

“Yes, Miss Elsie.”

She gasped at the sound of Minnie’s voice, remembering now how the dear child had shouted when she found Elsie being held at gunpoint. She could only imagine the fear these children must have felt. She wished they hadn’t been a witness to any of this.

“Minnie! You have such a lovely voice.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hugged her close, never wanting to let her go. Sending up praise and thanksgiving to the Lord above for giving them this miracle.

Eventually Minnie wiggled, bracing her arms against her.

“You’re squishing me.” Minnie giggled.

Elsie released her but couldn’t resist the urge to hold her loosely to her side. “And Harry.” Reaching out, she smoothed a lock of hair off his forehead. “You were such a brave young man.”

“Is Uncle Will going to capture that bad man?”

“Yes, he is.”

A rustling of skirts beside her reminded Elsie that they were not alone in the barn. The woman who’d been caring for the children stood. She gestured for Elsie to take her spot. Elsie sat on the edge of the hay bale next to the children. Slowly, it dawned on her that she’d seen this woman before, only the last time it had been at the saloon, and she had been standing in front of the swinging doors yelling for Will.

Their eyes met. There was no wariness in this woman’s eyes, only the same alertness she’d seen in Will’s upstairs minutes before.

“Let me guess, you’re one of them, too?”

“Yes.”

Tilting her head to one side, Elsie pondered this development. “You look different. Your face has changed.” She remembered seeing pockmarks and a mole near her nose.

“The saloon girl is one of my disguises.”

“Oh.” What else could she say?

Sighing, she concentrated on the fact that Minnie’s silence had been broken. It almost didn’t matter how it had happened. Almost. Elsie’s heart began to beat faster as she thought about all the lies and deceit they’d been living with.

“I’m Lily Handland.” She extended her hand to Elsie.

Though she preferred not to accept her kindness, Elsie knew how to act politely even in the face of adversity. She shook Miss Handland’s hand, surprised to find strength in her grip.

“My name is Elsie Mitchell.” It seemed silly to be introducing themselves like they were attending an afternoon tea rather than being involved in the apprehension of a much-sought-after criminal.

Elsie released the woman’s hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement on her parents’ front porch. She watched Will bringing Virgil out of the house. Mr. Oliver came out behind them. Even from here she could see the hardness in Will’s face. Virgil looked almost relieved to have finally had his burden lifted, though she still had no idea why he’d stolen those railroad bonds. Mr. Oliver came up behind Will and said something to him. Nodding, Will released Virgil, handing him over to Mr. Oliver, who took him to a waiting wagon. In all the excitement, she hadn’t even noticed there was an extra one in the yard. Will looked straight ahead at her. She shivered, and then Lily laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Elsie, are you all right? You’ve been through quite an ordeal. Perhaps I could bring you a cup of water.”

She tore her gaze away from Will, fully aware that he was coming to talk to her. Looking at Lily, she replied, “I’m fine.”

Will’s shadow fell upon her. Elsie wanted to pull the children close to her; she wanted to keep them near where she could touch them, to reassure herself that they were truly unharmed. She didn’t know what was going to happen to them now. What would become of the family life they’d worked so hard to build?

Harry ran to Will, throwing himself into his arms. “Uncle Will!” he shouted. Will swung him up into a bear hug.

“Harry.” His voice was muffled against Harry’s neck.

Elsie blinked back tears.

Minnie sprang from her seat next to Elsie and joined her brother. “Uncle Will. Pick me up, too.”

He scooped Minnie up so he was holding a child in each of his strong arms. Elsie felt her world shift.

Will spoke softly: “Minnie, your voice sounds like music to my ears.”

Her face beamed. “I thought that terrible man wanted to hurt Miss Elsie. Is he gone now?”

“Yes. He won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.”

Setting the children on their feet in front of him, he said to Lily, “Would you mind taking the children back to town?”

“I’d be happy to do so. Shall I wait for you at your house?”

He nodded. Harry and Minnie ran to give Elsie a hug and then left with Lily. Will stood about halfway between her and the door. She thought about fleeing but then realized he probably wouldn’t let her leave, so she sat on the hay bale with her hands folded neatly in her lap. The sun’s rays slanted through the open doorway. Dust motes danced in the air. Outside, the land looked fresh and clean from the recent storm.

She heard a woodpecker pounding its beak into a nearby tree. She felt Will watching her. Pressing her lips together, she finally lifted her eyes to meet his. From this distance she could only imagine what his thoughts were. Meanwhile, hers were swirling around and around in her mind like a tornado. So many thoughts, and not one of them made any sense.

He broke the silence. “Are you certain you’re not hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

Walking through the sun’s rays, he came to where she sat. She noticed the mud caked to his boots and staining the lower portion of his black pants. His long duster coat rested loosely over his muscular frame. She looked at the lips that had kissed her. The hands that had held her face. She sighed, closing her eyes, blocking out his image.