Catching Kent (27 page)

“
Alright,” her brother
replied. “I’ll keep Madeline company until you return.”

Without another word, she left the
mercantile. Though the man had slipped the gun in his pocket, he
had a firm grasp on her elbow. He took her to an unfamiliar
carriage as the driver hurried over to them.

“
Take us to that place
now,” the man told the driver and settled beside her.

She tried to scoot away from him, but
there wasn’t much room in the carriage. After the driver shut the
door, she asked, “Who are you?”

“
The only person who needs
to know my identity is your husband.”

The carriage jerked as the driver led
the horses forward, jarring her for a moment. Why the hurry? Why
the secretiveness? Why the gun? “Do you intend to kill me?” she
managed to ask over the rapid beating of her heart.

“
No. You’re worth more to
me alive.”

She wondered what he meant by that but
suspected asking more questions at the moment wasn’t the wisest
move she could make. Whatever this man wanted, it wasn’t good. And
she would find out what he wanted soon enough.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“
I look forward to doing
business with you,” Kent told his new client and shook his
hand.

After he saw his new client out of the
office, he returned to his desk and assembled the file he had
created. The meeting had proved to be far more fruitful than he
thought possible. He put the file away then turned his attention to
his logbook. Next month he was due to go to Kansas City to meet
with a potential client. He thought Rose might like to go with him.
Maybe they could take in an opera or symphony while there. With her
desire to experience new things, he thought she’d enjoy
them.

The door opened and he looked up in
time to see a boy enter his office. “Are you lost?” he asked,
trying to figure out why someone about ten years old would be
coming to see him.

“
Are you Mr. Kent
Ashton?”

“
Yes.”

“
I was told to give this to
you.”

Surprised, he took the envelope from
the boy. “Who sent you?”

“
I don’t know, sir. He gave
me a nickel and told me to give it to you.”

There was nothing written on the
envelope. “What did this man look like?”

The boy scrunched up his nose.
“Skinny. Tall. Probably my brother’s age—twenty. He was driving a
carriage.”

He thought over all the people he’d
met—even the men who had robbed him when he first arrived here—to
pinpoint who sent the boy to him, but no one came to mind. He
stared at the envelope, not wanting to open it but knowing if he
didn’t, he’d never find out who wrote the letter inside
it.

With a sigh, he thanked the boy and
waited until he left before opening it. This couldn’t be good.
Anyone who had to hide his identity was dealing in shady business.
And lucky for him, he happened to be the person’s
target.

Well, he wasn’t going to get anything
resolved unless he opened the envelope. He ripped it open and
unfolded the paper. Even before he read the words, he recognized
his father’s handwriting. Gritting his teeth, he set the letter
down and rubbed his eyes. How many years had it taken for him to
forgive the man for the misery he had caused? How often had his
uncle reminded him to stop looking to the past in case he missed
out on his future? He had a future here in Omaha. A future with
Rose. Sooner or later, he’d have a future with his children. And in
one moment, the resentment and anger he’d felt the day his father
sent him off to Ireland came rushing back to him.

“
Don’t let the past ruin
your future,” he whispered.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his
eyes and read the letter. His grip tightened on the paper as soon
as he read that his father had kidnapped Rose and wanted $5000 in
order to get her back. He swore and slammed the letter on the
desk.

There were many questions running
through his head. How did his father find him? Why did his father
need the money? Where was his mother in all of this? Why wasn’t his
father back in Virginia where he was supposed to be? How did his
father find out about Rose? But the most pressing thing he had to
deal with was getting his wife back.

Collecting the letter, he stood up and
grabbed his hat and coat then locked up his office before he headed
to the sheriff’s. If his father thought he was going to give him
$5000, he had another thing coming. His father hadn’t been
satisfied with any amount of money he acquired in the past. He
wouldn’t be satisfied with $5000. As soon as Kent gave him that,
he’d want more. And what was Kent supposed to do? Keep giving him
money for the rest of his life? If his father was willing to kidnap
Rose, would he resort to kidnapping his children? There was no
telling what the man would do.

By the time he reached the jailhouse,
he had most of his plan worked out. What he needed was for the
sheriff to go along with him on it. And if Owen Russell was
anything like Rose, he didn’t think that would be a problem. He
opened the door and paused when he saw Jacob and Madeline talking
to the sheriff.

As soon as Madeline saw him, she
bolted from her seat and peered around him. “Is Rose with
you?”

“
No.” Noting her
disappointment, he asked, “Did you get a letter, too?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“
What is this about?” the
sheriff asked, rising to his feet.

“
This.” Kent handed Owen
the letter. “My wife’s been kidnapped.”

“
I knew it,” Jacob
muttered. In a louder voice, he continued, “We saw a strange
middle-aged man escort Rose out of the mercantile. I didn’t have a
good feeling about him.”

“
I didn’t either,” Madeline
agreed. “That’s why we came right over here.”

Surprised they should report seeing
her with an older man while the boy had talked to a young one, Kent
focused on them. “What did he look like?”

“
Graying hair, long nose, a
handlebar mustache, cleft in the chin…” Jacob paused.

“
Brown eyes,” Madeline
added. “He wore a black hat and frock coat that looked a bit on the
worn side. They left in a carriage that had seen better days, too.
Back East, we’d say it was the mark of a person who once had money
but doesn’t anymore.”

“
That’s my father.” His
gaze went to Owen. “His name is James Ashton, and he sent me that
letter.”

“
It’s not signed,” Owen
replied, still holding it in his hand. “Are you sure it’s from
him?”

“
I’d recognize the way he
curves the letters ‘L’ and ‘C’ anywhere.”

“
Those are distinguishing
characteristics in his handwriting,” he admitted then crossed his
arms. “I can’t say I’ve ever had to deal with a kidnapper who
wanted a ransom before.”

“
He’s desperate,” Kent
said. “Usually, he befriends wealthy individuals and tries to
wiggle a way into good business deals or financial advice,
especially if there’s a promising stock he can buy. Resorting to
kidnapping Rose means he’s exhausted all other options.” He
released his breath and slipped his hands in his pockets. He didn’t
know if it was supposed to be scary that he understood his father
so well, but it scared him all the same. “I don’t have any
intention of giving him the money, but I need to make sure we get
Rose back. And safely.”

“
Oh, I agree. The last
thing you do with an outlaw is give them what they want. It only
makes them want to break the law again.”

“
Exactly. And kidnapping is
a crime.”

“
Yes, it is.”

“
One which will put him in
jail.”

Owen nodded.

“
Good because that’s where
he needs to be.” Kent realized some bitterness crept into his
voice, so he took a deep breath to calm down. The worst thing he
could do was let his emotions override good judgment. “I can’t let
him get away with this.”

“
He won’t. I
promise.”

Kent watched as Owen thanked Jacob and
Madeline for their help and did likewise. After they left, Kent
said, “I have an idea of how we can catch him. No doubt, he’s
already figured out a way to escape once he gets his money.” And
the last thing he wanted was for his father to escape.

“
We’ll get him, Kent. It’s
just a matter of how. You said you have a plan. I’d like to hear
it.”

With a nod, Kent told him.

***

Two hours later, Rose coughed in the
dust of the abandoned small building that was in an older part of
town. There was little light filtering in through the boarded
window in the room, and she was tied to a chair so there was no
chance of escape.

Her kidnapper peeked between the two
boards covering the window. Up to now, she hadn’t said anything. He
had tipped the driver of the carriage and walked with her several
blocks to where she was now. She had contemplated screaming for
help, but he still had that gun pointed at her. She’d read enough
books of people drawing attention to themselves while at gunpoint
and they never ended well. Her best bet might be to talk to him.
That worked in several stories.

She cleared her throat and he glanced
in her direction. Good. That was a start. “Who are you?” Might as
well start with the easiest question.

“
Who I am is none of your
concern.”

Alright, so that didn’t go as well as
she hoped, but could she be surprised? She decided to try another
question. “What are you going to do with me?”

“
Nothing. As long as your
husband does what I tell him to.”

“
What do you want with
him?”

“
That’s none of your
concern.”

She debated whether or not to point
out that since she was married to Kent, it was her concern, but she
decided against it. The worst thing she could do was anger him. The
stories where the kidnapper was angered didn’t end well either.
After a moment, she ventured, “Will you let me go?”

“
Not yet.”

“
Then when?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
Do you mean that you might
keep me for hours? Days? Weeks? What if I get hungry? What if I
have to…you know?” She couldn’t bring herself to mention the
privy.

He let out a long sigh. “I’m not
keeping you for long. You needn’t worry about getting hungry or
seeing to more personal matters.”

Well, that was good. A relief, really.
“Then whatever business you have with my husband, it’ll be
quick?”

“
It can be. I suppose that
depends on how much he loves you.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What a silly
thing to say. Of course, he loves me. He married me.”

He snorted. “Just like he loved other
ladies in his past? You’re not the first one he wanted to marry. At
one time, he had wanted to marry Wilma Harding in New York and Ann
Statesman in Virginia. In fact, he traveled all the way from
Virginia to North Dakota for Ann. Except she was already married to
someone else. Though,” he smirked, “it didn’t stop him from trying
to run off with her. Did he tell you about that one?”

She held his gaze, not sure what he
hoped to gain from telling her about Ann but chose to tell him the
truth. “Yes, he did.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed
his face, and she experienced a mild sense of satisfaction in
knowing she didn’t give him the reaction he wanted.

“
Shamefully,” he continued,
“he often chooses those without any financial means. I don’t
suppose you supplied any money to the marriage, not with all those
beans and corn your father grows on his farm.”

She drew in a sharp breath. “How do
you know so much about me?”

He turned back to the window,
blatantly ignoring her. It took her a moment before she could
breathe again. Knowing someone had been watching her and her
family, learning everything he could about them… She shivered. And
how long had he been watching? Why had he been watching? “That
driver,” she began, “is he coming back?”

“
You think I’d be so
careless as to let anyone know where you are? My dear girl, I hired
that driver to take us to the post office. From there, I took you
here. No one knows where you are. When I get what I came for, I’ll
let you go.” He took out his pocket watch. “As much as I’ve enjoyed
our conversation,” he rolled his eyes, “it’s time for me to
go.”

“
Where are you
going?”

Walking over to her, he pulled a piece
of cloth from his pocket. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head
about it.” Before she could protest, he tied the cloth around her
mouth. “Soon we’ll know whether or not your husband loves you
enough to part with his money. What do you think, Rose? Are you
worth $5000?”

He patted her on the shoulder and
left. She knew it would be pointless to try to get out of the
chair, so she remained still. Money? He had kidnapped her for a
ransom? She had only read one story where something like that ever
happened. And that story had a sad ending.