The Lawman's Agreement (Entangled Scandalous) (13 page)

“I’ll have the wagon hitched and either you or I can drive. The other will ride the horse Suzanne arrived on,” Zack told them. “We should be back in Greenville by dinner time. I’ll stop by the telegraph office on the way to the livery and let Jake know we’re on the way. I should also give him a heads-up on who to watch for in the meantime.”

“Won’t he be going out on the
River Maiden
tonight?” Suzanne asked.

“No, we’ve canceled the rest of the week because of the incident at the hotel site,” Matt explained. “Jake will be free to help us figure this out.”

“What about Felicity and the baby?” she wondered. “Virginia’s there as well. Will they be safe?”

“Jake’s already posted a couple of guards at the hotel site. I’m sure he’ll put someone at the house when he’s away, just as I’m doing here in Vicksburg with Miri and Molly.”

Standing up, Zack motioned toward the door. “If we’re finished here, I say let’s get started. We want to cover as much ground as we can while the weather’s clear.”

The three of them left the hotel, Matt and Suzanne to the livery, Zack to the telegraph office. Within the hour, they were on the road leading from Vicksburg to Greenville.

Suzanne’s apprehension grew with every mile they covered. The idea of riding into a trap even more intricate than the planned ambush set her heart racing and adrenaline coursing through her body.

Chapter Fifteen

The ride back to Greenville was fast and uneventful, for which Suzanne was extremely grateful. As bumpy as the road could be, and as hard as the wagon seat was beneath her backside, it was still preferable to the horse.

They arrived at the jail at half-past four to find both deputies and Jake waiting for them.

“Have there been any problems while I was gone?” Zack asked.

“No,” Bailey confirmed. “All’s been quiet here. Jake’s got two men posted at the hotel site and another at his home. If these fellows are planning anything against one of you boys, they’re being mighty patient about it.”

Zack nodded his head, obviously satisfied with his deputy’s report. “Have you been out to the mill today?”

“Tom took a ride up there early this morning. Everything seemed to be in working order. McLeary was there, but not his new partner. According to McLeary, this Collier fellow has gone to Memphis on business.”

“A better guess is he’s hiding out,” Matt said. “Once the second fellow from the ambush got back here with the news they were unsuccessful, there was no way he’d stay around to face your wrath given that he outright lied to you.”

“Let’s go over this again,” Jake suggested. “We know Ripley has it in for the McCades, mostly me and Zack, but he’d be happy to ruin Matt, just for spite. Collier obviously has some vendetta against McLeary or he’s just trying to run him out of business and take over himself. Or he’s working for someone else.”

“It can’t all be about the poker game, can it?” Suzanne asked.

“It cost him everything he had,” Zack reminded her. “That’s reason enough for any man to seek revenge, even if it’s unfounded.”

“Let’s head over to the house for supper,” Jake suggested. “We can lay out a plan for catching Ripley and Collier over a plate of Aunt Ginnie’s roast beef.”

“A good meal sounds about right to me,” Matt agreed.

“Pete, would you like to join us?” Zack asked.

“No thanks, Zack. The missus would have my hide if I went somewhere else for dinner after she’d cooked for me.”

They left the jail on their way to Jake’s house. They’d barely made it off the main street when one of the guards Jake had posted at the hotel came riding into town on full tilt.

“What’s up, Harley?” Jake asked as the man pulled his horse to a halt.

“There’s been a fire at the hotel site. It started at the tree line and then moved in toward the main structure. We managed to get it out before it did any real damage.”

Jake turned his horse from the main road toward the hotel before asking, “Was anyone hurt?”

“No sir, but the men are getting a bit skittish.”

Zack reined his horse around as well. “Matt, why don’t you and Suzanne go on ahead to the house and make sure everything is okay there. Jake and I will ride out to the site.”

“I should really go back to the clinic to see if I’m needed,” Suzanne said.

“Doc Miller’s looking after everything,” Jake confirmed. “I think Zack would agree, it’s not wise to let you out of our sight until this is wrapped up. The entire town is aware you rode out after Zack, so it’s likely both Ripley and Collier know as well.”

“I can’t just forsake my patients for my own safety. I have to be allowed to attend at the clinic and hospital.”

“I’ll escort you to and from the hospital,” Zack conceded. “Then, either my deputies or Jake’s men will stand guard outside.”

Suzanne met Zack’s intense gaze, willing him to understand how trapped she felt. Rather than voice her displeasure with being guarded, she smiled serenely and placed her arm in Matt’s for the walk to Jake and Felicity’s home.

Felicity opened the front door the moment they arrived. She grabbed hold of Suzanne’s wrist and pulled Suzanne into her arms. “What were you thinking?” Felicity said. “You could have been killed.”

Suzanne was concerned that she’d worried her friend. “Luckily, I wasn’t. And, I couldn’t let Zack just ride into an ambush.”

“You should have come and got Jake. He could have gone in your place.”

“No,” Suzanne explained. “He needed to stay here to protect you, Virginia, Chance, and the hotel.”

Virginia came to join them a moment later, asking, “What can you tell us about this entire affair? And, where are Jackson and Zackary?”

“There’s been a fire at the hotel site,” Matt explained. “Nothing major, more of a distraction, I suspect. They rode out to investigate and should be home within the hour.”

“We’ll wait on them for supper,” Virginia said. “Then I want to know everything that’s going on.”

…

It was closer to two hours before Zack and Jake returned. After washing the smell of kerosene off their hands, they joined the rest of the family at the table.

“The fire started, as Harley said, over by that small stand of trees where we’d planned to build the gazebo.” Sighing, Jake added, “We’ll definitely need to rethink that piece of planning.”

“They used kerosene to start the blaze,” Zack explained, his gaze moving from one family member to another, finally settling on Suzanne. He could see the concern as well as fatigue in her beautiful features.

“Who’s behind all this?” Virginia asked. “Felicity said something about that Ripley character from Vicksburg.”

“One of the men involved is Charles Ripley, the fellow who lost the hotel to Jake in that big stakes game of poker,” Zack confirmed. “The other fellow’s name is Butch Collier. We’re not certain what his grudge is, but it definitely has something to do with McLeary. And there’s also a fellow named Tucker McGinty who seems to be Collier’s hired gun. He got on as a foreman at McLeary’s a month or so before Collier showed up and right before the accidents starting happening.”

“Collier,” Virginia repeated. “There’s something familiar about that name.”

Zack watched his aunt closely, her brow furrowing as if she were trying to pull up a memory. As was her habit, she tapped her fingertip against her lips, a sure sign something was going on in her head.

“Could it have been an old business acquaintance?” Matt prompted.

“Yes,” Virginia said. “I believe that’s it. Years ago, your father sold off what was left of your grandfather’s lumber interests. There were a number of bidders on the equipment and land rights. It came down to two men. One I know for certain was Mr. McLeary’s grandfather, Phillip. I’m not positive but the other bidder could have been named Collier. The name Butch doesn’t seem right, but it could possibly have been his father or even grandfather. Perhaps this Collier fellow blames McLeary for beating his family out of a lucrative business venture.”

…

The men left shortly after dessert, leaving Suzanne in the company of Felicity, Virginia and their armed guard.

“This all feels so strange,” Suzanne commented. “I’m afraid I’m not used to all this danger. The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done, prior to chasing after Zack, was to travel unescorted from New York to St. Louis to here.”

“Is that when you bought the derringer?” Felicity asked. “I can’t believe you actually own a gun. It’s so…so…surprising.”

Suzanne laughed, then stood from the table and began clearing the plates and coffee cups. “What surprised me most is that I actually fired the darned thing. I was positive, if it came down to it, I wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger.”

“But you did,” Virginia said softly. “When Zack needed your help, you gave it wholeheartedly.”

“When I saw that man, McGinty, taking aim at Zack, I just raised the gun to a spot above his head and squeezed. I suppose he’s lucky I’m a poor shot.”

“Personally,” Felicity began, coming to stand at Suzanne’s side at the sink, “I’d have been just as happy if you’d hit him.”

Once the dishes were done, Suzanne and Virginia went into the parlor while Felicity went to get Chance from his bassinette.

“I swear,” Felicity said as she came to join the other women, “this boy eats night and day. I can’t make enough milk to keep him happy.”

“It’s a bit early, but if he truly is hungry, you could supplement with a little mushy oat cereal,” Suzanne suggested. “No more than a teaspoon or two, though.”

They sat in companionable silence for the longest time, the only sounds the ticking of the grandfather clock in the entranceway and the suckling sounds of the baby at Felicity’s breast. Suzanne was amazed by how relaxed she felt among her friends. With no patients to worry about, it seemed almost as if she were part of the family.

…

Zack, Matt, and Jake arrived at the hotel site just as the evening shift guards were arriving. Jake handed each of the men from day shift a pay packet and then came to stand where Matt and Zack waited.

“This is where the fire started,” Jake said, showing Matt the trail of burned wood and grass. “Bastard lit the fuse and then took off through the woods, no doubt.”

Matt sorted through the pile of lumber, setting aside anything too damaged to use. “Fortunately, there’s plenty of good wood to keep building. The men you hired did an excellent job of dousing the fire quickly.”

Zack walked about twenty feet into the woods and then called back to the others, “Matt, Jake, come here a minute.”

“What’s up?” Jake asked as they came to where Zack waited.

“Someone’s been perched out here,” Zack explained. He pointed toward a pool of tobacco juice on the ground.

Matt scrunched up his nose at the prevailing odors. “Obviously, he was here for a while and had to relieve himself as well.”

“We should probably go a bit further into the woods on foot and see if there’s a clear pathway that leads anywhere important,” Zack suggested.

“Let me go tell the men on duty what we’re doing,” Jake said. “So they don’t try to shoot us when we come back out of the woods.”

The guards alerted, Zack led the way deeper into the trees and along a well-worn path. They’d gone barely a quarter mile when the hairs stood up on the back of Zack’s neck. Silently, he motioned Matt and Jake to either side of the trail.

As Zack took his spot, a shot rang out, ricocheting off the tree branch just above his head. “Come on, McGinty, surely you’re a better shot than that,” Zack taunted.

“There are three of us, Marshal, even odds,” the man called back.

Zack motioned for Matt to move closer to where he stood. “Don’t seem so even to me, McGinty. My cousins and I can shoot circles around any one of you. Especially you, Ripley. If I remember correctly, you can’t even draw a gun without fumbling.”

No response came and Zack realized he’d likely hit the mark with his guess. Zack moved deeper into the woods while both Matt and Jake kept a steady stream of movement within the confines of the trees. Zack grinned, the idea of an entire troop of McCade Marshals an appealing thought.

He’d managed to work his way another hundred feet forward before he saw the first of the three men. Zack closed his eyes briefly, drew in a full, deep breath to calm himself, and crept forward until he stood directly behind the man he assumed to be McGinty. The man was looking right and left, angling for a clear shot when Zack pressed the barrel of his gun to the back of the man’s head. “Say a word and you’re a goner.” Zack uttered the threat quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of the other two men. “Now, stand up slowly with your hands above your head and don’t say a word, or I’ll shoot you right where you’re rooted.”

McGinty raised his hands, his gun dangling from one finger. Zack reached for the pistol and holstered it at his hip.

“We’re going to make our way back to where my cousins are waiting,” Zack instructed. “And don’t try anything funny. My trigger finger is itchy enough as it is.”

Zack retraced his steps, his grip tight on McGinty’s shoulder. If the bastard dared twitch, Zack intended to pinch the nerve that would incapacitate the man completely.

They reached the stand of trees where Matt and Jake waited. With his cousins there as backup, Zack took the time to handcuff McGinty.

“Ripley, you and Collier might as well give it up,” Zack called out. “I’ve got McGinty in custody, so the odds are now overwhelmingly in our favor.”

“You’re a lying bastard, McCade,” Ripley called back, the man’s angry rant and raspy voice the confirmation Zack needed to assure himself they’d suspected the right person.

“Tell him,” Zack said, shoving McGinty in the shoulder. When the man refused to speak, Zack put the gun barrel to his head again. “My cousins here will swear you tried to jump me from behind and I shot you in self-defense. Now speak up.”

“It’s true,” McGinty called out. “He’s got me.”

A shuffling off in the distance told Zack the other two men were swiftly abandoning their posts. “You’ll not get far,” Zack called after them. “Now that we’re sure who we’re looking for, you’re both as good as caught. Or better yet, dead.”

“If you think we’re the only three you gotta worry about, McCade, you’re in for a surprise,” McGinty threatened. “You all got families to think about.”

Matt closed the distance between himself and McGinty and grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck. “You threaten our families, you weak bastard, I’ll kill you myself.”

McGinty turned his head sideways and let out a long stream of tobacco before he chuckled. “Even you, Marshal, got something to think about. That pretty doctor lady, she’s no safer than a McCade.”

“Let’s shoot him now,” Jake suggested. “I don’t like the look of him.”

As badly as Zack wanted to follow through with Jake’s suggestion, he shook his head. He needed more information and to get that, McGinty needed to remain alive. Or at least half alive.