Chapter Twenty
Stevensville Fairgrounds
Ten days before Christmas
The Stevensville Christmas Fair took place every year for one whole week leading up to the big day, and if Luke didn’t know better, he’d say the entire town had assembled here. And then some.
Despite the early hour, the air was abuzz with calls and chatter from different builders, organizers, and vendors, some of whom had come from neighboring towns and settlements.
Everybody was working hard to get everything ready because there were only three days left before the grand opening ceremony.
It was a good thing that the weather was cooperating; the sky was mostly clear.
Hundreds of townsfolk were rushing around in all different directions.
Banners were hung across several pathways, which had been cleared of the snow and reinforced with nailed-together sheets of wooden planks, so that the visitors wouldn’t have to walk through mud and more snow.
They had built a podium for the presentation of this year’s Santa Claus, and right at that moment, ten strong men were trying to pull up a rather large specimen of a beautiful fir tree, which would become Stevensville’s tenth official Christmas tree.
Crafty handymen and carpenters were working hard to erect all the different stands, which would be filled with all kinds of Christmas goods and wares.
A few would offer delicious foods and rare treats, such as roasted peanuts and chestnuts, as well as mulled wine and eggnog.
The air was filled with the sweet scents of sugary caramel and vanilla, as things were being prepared for the big opening day.
Others would offer arts and crafts, such as paintings and wood carvings or toys.
The excitement was palpable, and knowing that he would take Madelaine to the Christmas Fair Dance a few days from now made Luke very happy indeed.
Truthfully, he was thrilled. He couldn’t hide the smile when he thought about his encounter with Madelaine two days ago, and how close he’d come to kissing her again. He’d wanted to. More than he should.
But she was an evasive little creature, and the way she seemed to want him near but at the same time wouldn’t let him come too close to her only left him more determined.
It was an entirely new game of cat and mouse, and he’d be lying if he pretended it wasn’t fun to chase after her a little bit. He actually enjoyed it very much.
“What are you grinning about?” Caleb looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“We need to keep our eyes open. Pay attention!” he said with a knowing smirk.
Luke had told him that he’d taken his words in the saloon to heart, and that he had apologized to Madelaine.
Since that day, the atmosphere on the ranch had improved so significantly he didn’t even have to tell Caleb anything right now.
It was clear what had happened, and Evelyn and Caleb seemed just as pleased about it as he was.
“You’re right,” Luke said, as he schooled his face to a more professional, stern expression. “Let’s go to the horse barn to check out the traders.”
Caleb nodded, and they made their way through the chaos toward the largest building to the right.
There were several stalls on the inside, as well as some makeshift ones lining the outside wall, and beyond that were numerous paddocks and tents set up.
Those who could afford the spots indoors were the lucky ones, as everybody else was forced to set up camp outside in the elements. Luckily, today wasn’t such a bad day.
The horse show and auction would take place the day before Christmas Eve, and it was one of the highlights of the Christmas Fair.
It was usually the busiest day of the whole week when traders mingled with buyers, visitors, and vendors.
Seeing how busy this place was already, Luke could see they had their work cut out if they wanted to monitor them all.
Wandering around the area, Luke kept his eyes open for any irregularities.
Due to the rise in crime over these last few years—horse theft in particular—the town had recently begun to issue specific documents to monitor the legitimacy of all the people and animals involved, and everybody showing or selling horses at the fair was required to have these papers ready.
“How about I take this row, and you start asking those folks over there?” Luke suggested as he pointed to the two most prominent rows of stalls inside the huge barn. “If we split up, we’ll get it done quicker, and maybe find out more, faster.”
“Good idea. I’ll see you on the other side.” Caleb tapped his finger against the rim of his Stetson and walked off in the other direction.
Luke did the same thing, making his way to the first stall on the left. Two very young men immediately straightened their postures when they saw Luke approach them.
“Hello. How’s everything going over here?” he asked in a friendly but authoritative voice. One of the boys immediately pushed himself off the fence he was leaning up against, pulled the piece of straw he’d been chewing on out of his mouth, and threw it onto the ground before he smiled sheepishly.
“All well, Sheriff Cross! Is anything amiss, sir?” the other one asked with a nervous look on his face.
“Not yet,” Luke said, smiling. “Do you happen to have the ownership documents and the fair application for the show or auction handy?” he asked. The one who’d previously been chewing on the straw lifted his finger and nodded.
“Ah! Yes, we do! It’s right here!” he said enthusiastically as he stepped back toward their leather bags, which were hung on the outside of the stall. He pulled out a whole bunch of papers before he handed Luke three of them. “Are these in order, sir?”
Luke took them and looked through each document as he thoroughly scanned the information.
“Ownership… Fairground registration… Application… Breeder information… Yup! You did good! It’s all there!
” Luke checked all the relevant information on the papers and verified that they were indeed correct, so he handed them back to them with a nod. The two boys seemed relieved.
“Enjoy your stay at the fair and good luck at the show,” Luke finally said, moving on to the next stall, where he proceeded much the same.
The locals all knew him and were happy to chat with him.
Any newcomers or out-of-towners were very respectful and most presented their paperwork without any problems. Glancing over to Caleb every now and again, he didn’t seem to have any problems either.
They met on the other side of the barn in front of the open back door, where the outside stalls began, and decided to proceed the same way as before.
As soon as Luke stepped outside, the atmosphere immediately changed, but it wasn’t just the cold and the fact that everyone was out in the elements.
Some of these people were horse traders, used to living in the rough countryside, and it showed in the rough way they’d set up their stalls and camps.
Most of them were compliant, having all the necessary documentation at the ready, but there were the odd ones who either needed to register—which was still possible until later today—or whose paperwork needed to be properly completed.
It was here that Luke recognized a particular group of people hanging out in a paddock furthest away from the horse barn.
This time, there were more of them, not just the three trappers he’d encountered in the saloon the other night when they’d been asking questions about Madelaine and the children.
Luke was instantly on high alert, but at the same time, he was curious to find out what these men were up to here, since this setting was an entirely different one than before.
When he approached their stand, his reception wasn’t all that friendly, which was immediately noticeable after having visited all the nice folk previously.
As soon as they saw him coming, four men formed a small wall right in front of the paddock where the horses were located.
There were about five more hanging out in the back, but Luke wanted to focus on the same tall man from the saloon, who was one of the four in the front.
All of them were clad in the same patchy fur coats he had seen them in the last time.
Tipping his hat with his fingers in greeting, Luke stopped directly in front of the tall man he’d spoken to that night. The man looked exactly the same, including his raccoon fur hat.
“Sheriff! What a pleasure to see you again!” he said with a fake smile, before he spit a fat dollop of chewed-up tobacco on the ground.
“What brings you here today?” Luke got straight to the point. “I’d like to see your fair application, registration, and ownership documentation, if I may.”
The tall man turned around to one of the five in the back and whistled sharply.
While he was distracted, Luke took the opportunity to have a closer look at the horses behind him to see whether he could make out any branding on their flanks or shoulders. Unfortunately, they were all dirty and caked in wet mud. This alone was suspicious.
The tall man spun back around to Luke within mere seconds as a stocky older man with a frizzy gray beard hobbled toward them. “Yeah?” he asked, showing only a single bottom tooth in his mouth as he grinned.
“Do you have the papers, Bob?” the tall one asked, somewhat harshly.
He was at least two heads taller than the old man, who nodded enthusiastically.
He shoved his gnarly, dirty hand into his inside pocket and pulled out a bunch of folded papers before holding them up to the tall one. “Give them to the sheriff, Bob!”
“Oh, yes. Yes, of course,” he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.
Luke took the papers from him, unfolded them, and as he got them sorted, he noticed dirty fingerprints and stains on them, which was also suspicious.
These documents had been issued less than three days ago, when the office had opened to take in the applications and to process all the new registrations.
Given the importance of the papers, everybody else had kept them safely and neatly in a place where nothing could dirty them, so that the ink and stamps would be easy to read if they were checked.
These men had done the opposite, and Luke had the inkling that this was part of a possible plan to make the papers less likely to be recognized as forgeries. So far, his gut feeling had never betrayed him, and it was particularly strong with this group.
“I can see that you got the registration and the application from the office yesterday,” Luke said calmly, pointing at the dates. The tall man smirked, overly smug.
However, what Luke did not tell him was the fact that the ownership document was missing the breeder or seller’s information, which they would have if they had legally bought the horses prior to the auction.
He was itching to point out the flaw, just to wipe that smirk off the man’s face, but his gut feeling told him not to. So, he didn’t.
“Perfect!” Luke said, holding out the papers with an even smile. “Enjoy your stay.”
The tall man grinned from ear to ear, baring his yellow teeth as he pulled the papers out of Luke’s hand. Luke didn’t find a trace of nervousness in this man.
He immediately thought about the pamphlet he and Caleb had found in that abandoned house when they’d followed that group of horse thieves. Could they be linked to these men? In fact, what if these men were the ones they’d chased that day?
Luke turned away and went to find Caleb. He found his deputy at the far end of the other side of the barn.
“I think we might have a lead,” Luke said quietly as he stepped closer to Caleb. “Remember the men from the saloon that one night, who were asking questions about Madelaine and the children?”
“The trappers?” Caleb asked in a hushed voice, as his eyebrows shot up. “Are they here?”
“Yes.” Luke lowered his head. “There are at least nine of them. Their papers looked awfully suspicious. No breeder information or where their horses came from. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to verify the horses’ brands. They keep them dirty,” he explained.
Caleb pulled a face. “Well, that’s suspicious! Do you think they’re the horse thieves we were looking for?”
Luke tilted his head slightly. “It’s very possible. But I need more proof.”
“What’s your plan?” Caleb asked.
“Prepare for a long night, buddy. We’ll follow them when they leave to find out where they’re hiding out.”