Chapter 7
Franklin flew to his lawyer’s office, frantically explaining everything that had happened. “No one gets by with doing me this way!” He slammed his hand on the desk.
“I will get to the bottom of this, Mr. Staley. Just let me get a copy of the papers and send a few telegrams. You stay calm and let me handle it. With it being so late in the day, I won’t be able to get answers until at least tomorrow.”
Franklin spun on his heel and left. Livid as he hurried down the street, he couldn’t help but think something was amiss. Usually, he was a good judge of character, not trusting anyone, but he couldn’t believe this about Leanne.
Had she duped him? Was someone setting her up? Was someone trying to get to him through her? No, surely not. No one would involve her three friends just to get to him.
Stepping into the sheriff’s office, his request to speak to her privately was denied. Before they would let him step near the cell, they searched him thoroughly.
He stepped to the corner and beckoned her to him, taking her hands and kissing them. He felt sorry for her when he saw her red swollen eyes and tear-streaked face.
Speaking barely above a whisper, he promised the lawyer was taking care of everything. “We will get you out of this mess. But darling, I must know, but I promise it won’t change anything. Are your tears from being caught or are they from being falsely accused? I will stand by you, no matter the answer.”
Her lip trembled and tears began to flow freely. “How can you ask such a thing?” She started to pull her hands away.
He tightened his hold and kissed her hand again. “I’m sorry, darling. I shouldn’t have asked.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, seeing a man step up and observe closely what he was doing.
“May I allow her to blot her tears?”
After a moment, he whispered. “What confuses me so, is that these friends of yours are also being accused. Darling, please help me understand. If you did do something together, even if it was unintentional, I want you to tell me.”
She looked at him and shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I can’t think of anything.”
He left the jail feeling confused and defeated. Two things he couldn’t tolerate. None of this made sense. As much as he wanted to believe her, it was much easier to believe she was capable of major deception. In the grand scheme of things, that would make her an even more valued partner.
But the scared look in her eyes was convincing. Tomorrow would bring answers; he would see to that.
Going through the motions of eating supper, he finally gave up and went back to his office, through his private entrance. He would rather not see, or speak, with anyone right now, and he didn’t want to take the chance of someone looking at him wrong. He would end up in jail, and right now, of all times, he had pressing business, the biggest business deal he had ever made.
“This is rotten timing,” he mumbled as he unlocked his office door.
Lighting the lamp, he was shocked to see his four business associates sitting there, waiting for him.
“We heard about your trouble, and we don’t want any part of it. We’ve come here to either complete or dissolve our relationship. We want our money, now, or our gold.”
Franklin bristled. “You hold on a minute. We have a deal. I’ve already set things in motion. The gold will be leaving here the day after tomorrow. This is not the time to back out.” He sat down and lit a cigar.
“Seems you’ve got it all figured out, and that‘s good for you. Just pay us what you owe us, and we’ll be on our way. We’re done. It’s your decision, but we’re out of here.”
Franklin laughed sarcastically. “You know I don’t have that kind of money here. The deal was to pay you when I get paid. A deal’s a deal.”
The roughest looking man stood and growled, “No. You just open that safe and give us our gold.”
Franklin knew that if this deal fell through, he would lose out on more than a hundred thousand dollars, not to mention the mark on his reputation.
“Okay. Give me until tomorrow. I’ll get your money from the bank.”
This was pressure he didn’t need right now. He had too many things on his mind. One nagging thought was about Leanne. Maybe she was a master at deception. She had been in tears the night he threatened her with Catherine, but within hours, she had become…and stayed, obedient and compliant, convincing everyone she was devoted to him. Was she somehow trying to beat him at his own game?
********************
This city was growing, undergoing major rebuilding since the war. Strangers seemed to appear every day, claiming jobs to help with construction and getting things back to some form of normalcy.
The town was swarming with undercover Pinkerton agents and lawmen. No one even knew it. They had been filtering in, a few at a time, over the last few months. They had taken jobs anywhere people were available to talk. Two had been hired by Staley to keep watch over his interests in town, becoming his goons, while another was hired at his brokerage business as an accountant. Several were on duty around the clock, every waking moment.
The women went to sleep that night, still having no answers. They couldn’t imagine what had happened to turn their world upside down. Leanne and Natalie kept urging them to have faith, God would see them through.
They were constantly under the watchful eye of a man who swore he knew them, and that they had duped him after he paid their bail.
Leanne looked at him one last time before she went to sleep, wondering what his role was in this big puzzle. She anticipated finding out the whole truth, and the entire plan that was taking shape. But most of all, she was wanting it behind her.
First thing the next morning, Franklin came to visit Leanne, still not allowed a moment of privacy. After assuring her he would have answers and solutions by day’s end, he left and made his way to the bank.
For a moment, he felt like he couldn’t breathe when the bank owner told him he didn’t have enough cash on hand to cover such a large loan.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Staley. I may be able to come up with half that amount, but it’s impossible to cover any more than that.”
Franklin agreed to take what he could get, knowing he was heading for trouble with his partners. It felt as if his world was closing in on him.
After locking the money in his safe, he spent the rest of the day finding out details of everything. There was something going on and he could feel it. Until yesterday afternoon, he was sitting on top of the world. What had happened to change it so drastically?
It all hinged on Leanne and her friends. Finding out from his lawyer that the charges were really true against the women, offered little comfort. These women were to appear in court, charged with extortion, theft, and assault with a deadly weapon, in the state of Arkansas. Now they had broken their terms of bail and had that added to their charges. He would have never dreamed they could be so deceitful.
He also found out the women would be leaving town the next afternoon on the train. He slapped his hand on his knee and stood across the desk from the lawyer.
Without explanation, he turned and hurried out of the office. He felt like punching someone before he pulled his hair out. The women were leaving the same day he was supposed to take the gold shipment to the buyer.
He paced his office and schemed, finally opening the door and motioning to four of his men. One was the Pinkerton agent that had been with him for over two months.
“Gather all the men except the office men. No excuses. I need everyone here in one hour.”
An hour later he faced all twelve of his bodyguard, gunslinging, rough, tough goons. He divided them into three groups.
“You four will be prepared to leave on that train with the women. I want to know every move that’s made. Don’t let them out of your sight.”
He pointed to the second group. “You four will accompany me on our own little trip at first light. Bring your gear, enough to last a week.”
He looked at the last four. “You four will watch over the town. That doesn’t mean make decisions in my absence or go about being thugs, understood?”
Motioning them out, he left by the back door and walked up the street toward the hotel. Someone was doing some major moving out of the hotel, with three men bringing arms loaded with boxes. He didn’t pay much attention until he recognized some of Leanne’s dresses tossed over a man’s arm.
Rushing toward the man he demanded to know what was going on.
“Sir, I advise you to take a step back and let us carry on our duty.”
“Which is?” Franklin retorted. “These are my fiancé’s things. You have no right…”
“Sir, we are sworn law officers.” The man opened his vest and showed his badge. “Everything is being confiscated. Anything of value will be sold to pay restitution and court fines. It is now the property of the State of Arkansas.”
“We will see about this!” He felt as if his head would explode. Storming through the door to the sheriff’s office, he immediately calmed himself. The room was filled with lawmen. He noticed there were always two Pinkertons, one deputy, sometimes the sheriff, and always the dark haired demon that stirred all of this up, Max Johnson.
“You people act as if these ladies are the worst and most vicious criminals!” He glared at the sheriff. “I demand to know why Leanne’s things are being confiscated for a crime she hasn’t been proven guilty of!”
“Settle down, Staley. This is over my head. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them.”
“I have spent a fortune on the things being confiscated! There are no charges against me, so I demand them be returned to me.”
Max walked toward him. “Anything in that room or in her possession is being confiscated. If you have claim to anything, file the paperwork with your lawyer. The same with all of these ladies’ possessions. Your woman isn’t being singled out or being taken advantage of. This is simply how it works.”
Franklin glared at him. “This is one big joke! I will bring charges against all of you. And you, sheriff,” he turned as he spewed. “You can take off your badge. You’re finished in this town.”
Without a word to Leanne, he went out the door, leaving it standing wide open.
At four o’clock, Mr. Deaton walked into the office with a pouch full of papers and the preacher accompanying him.
“Sheriff,” he greeted and tipped his hat. “We need to speak with Leanne privately, please.”
The sheriff nodded for the deputy to unlock the cell and escort her to the back room. Mr. Deaton and the preacher followed.
When the deputy left the room, Mr. Deaton looked at the preacher as they all sat down. “Preacher, you swore an oath of confidentiality?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then we shall proceed.” He turned to Leanne. “I hope you have gotten over your initial scare. I hate it had to happen like that. We had to make sure you and your friends were convincing. Your safety depends on it.
“You and your friends are about to leave here. Everything is arranged. You know where you are going, but no more details can be shared for safety reasons.”
“I understand, sir, and I’m genuinely thankful for my friends that are leaving with me, but I’m fearful for my two friends left behind.”
He took her hand. “It’s totally under control. I ask that you not write to anyone here until you get word that everything is taken care of. That goes for your friends also. No one can know where any of you are until this is over, which I hope will be soon.”
He stood and patted her back. “Any other concerns?”
She shook her head.
“Good, let’s get on with this, shall we? Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Natalie was ushered into the room, followed by Mr. Deaton and Max. Leanne knew it was time.
“Max, you did send the telegram letting Jerry know the date?”
“Yes, sir, and got a positive response.”
Mr. Deaton pulled some papers from his satchel and handed them to the preacher. “Everything is in order, I assure you. Leanne Comer is about to marry Jeremiah Durham by proxy, with Max Porter standing as the groom.
“Natalie and I will stand as witness.”
Max removed his hat as the preacher prayed over them. It was a long, heartfelt prayer, praying for safety, wisdom, and also for Jerry and Leanne’s marriage.
When the words were said and the preacher asked for a ring, Max handed the ring to Leanne.
“I’m not worthy to put this on your finger. That should be for Jerry to do, if you don’t mind. Plus, we don’t need to risk it being seen right now.”
She nodded and handed it back to him for safe keeping.
The preacher finished the ceremony, the papers were signed, and Max was the first to call her Mrs. Durham.
“You are getting one good man.”
“I truly believe that.”
They thanked the preacher, and the ladies were returned to their cell.
********************
Just after midnight, the ladies were silently led out the back door, through the darkness, a short distance to a freight car. They fumbled a bit in the dark car, holding on to each other, until the door was shut, and a lamp was lit.
They looked around at their rough surroundings. Max and another man moved the bails of hay around a bit and threw blankets over them.
“Sorry ladies,” he whispered. “This is the best we can do for now. It won’t be for long.”
They took a seat and waited in silence.
A train approached at half past one. Their eyes went wide, and they stifled a scream when the train backed up to the freight car and connected. It was such a hard thud, Catherine fell off her bale of hay.
Max rushed to help her up, catching a glimpse of the blush of embarrassment on her face.
He paced a bit and impatiently looked at his watch every few minutes. He wanted this to be over. There were still two thousand miles to travel before it was really over, but hopefully within a few hours he could breathe easier.