Fielding’s face contorted into a rigid mask. ‘Anything you can prove?’
‘No one dares speak up; you said so yourself.’
‘I told you our hands are tied.’
Wyatt said, ‘If I could provide ironclad proof of murder, beatings and forcing women into intimate servitude? Could you act?’
‘With a federal warrant, we could arrest everyone involved. No legal contract gives anyone the right to commit those acts against their employees… or conscripted prisoners either.’
Wyatt got to his feet. ‘Then I’ll see what my family and I can do to provide you with the witnesses you need.’
Fielding groaned. ‘Every time I run into one of you Valerons, I find myself standing at the edge of a precipice.’
Wyatt grinned. ‘Just watch your step until we’re ready. We’ll keep a tight grip on your belt.’
‘That’s what I’m afraid of,’ he joked in a morbid fashion. ‘If you fall, you’ll take me with you!’
A familiar light tap at the door told Gaskell it was his secretary.
‘Yes, Jane?’ he said, loud enough that she opened the door.
‘Mr Sayles to see you, sir,’ she announced, smiling prettily.
‘Thank you, Jane,’ he replied graciously. ‘Send him in.’
Parker Sayles walked around Jane shaking his head. Once the door was closed, he took a chair opposite Gaskell.
‘Seems a waste of effort, Ward.’ Parker did not hide his annoyance. ‘Why spend the time of having her announce me? I can understand anyone else, but I spend half of my working day either with you or doing your bidding.’
Rather than answer his question, Gaskell got down to business.
‘Ronnie wired me from Denver this morning,’ he began. ‘Seems the Mackavoy family is on their way back east.’
‘We expected them to leave straight away.’
‘Yes, Parker, but Wyatt Valeron went to visit the Denver police.’
The man shrugged. ‘So what? It was probably just to make sure there would be no problems due to his being charged with murder.’
‘We can’t be sure of that. I don’t trust that Valeron character.’
‘You mean because he helped save that woman and her ranch? The one who had been stuck in a lunatic asylum?’
‘Don’t forget the rustling ring and slaughterhouse a few months back.’
Parker’s expression began to darken. ‘You don’t think Wyatt Valeron would try and take us on? I mean we don’t fall under any local law’s jurisdiction. We’re using duly assigned prisoners and legally binding contracts for everyone but the hired employees. We’re not breaking any laws.’
Gaskell harrumphed. ‘No laws! How about the graveyard west of town? How about a dozen cables or letters asking about missing loved ones the past year? How about the fact we’ve induced some of the women to serve in the saloon or submit to the whims of our enforcers?’
Parker was taken back at his passionate tone of voice and the reddening of his face. He suddenly realized Gaskell was scared. He didn’t like that, not one bit. If he was frightened, there was dire concern for his own neck and the others as well.
‘Do you know what Valeron had to say? I mean, when he went to talk to the law?’
‘No, but his next stop was the telegraph office. Ronnie claims it would mean a prison sentence to try and bribe anyone in that office for information. The owner is an honorable sort who would likely report him to the law.’
‘It sounds as if Valeron is staying in town.’
‘At the Grand Hotel. Ronnie did learn from one of the maids that Wyatt had rented a room without giving a date for when he was leaving.’
‘Could it be to check around for another job?’
Gaskell noted the hopeful look on Parker’s face. However, he didn’t trust luck or chance. ‘I told Ronnie to keep an eye on him. If he takes another job, OK. But if it looks like he’s going to make trouble for us, we will have to deal with him.’
Parker’s eyes broadened with alarm. ‘We’re talking about a Valeron, Ward. You don’t up and kill a man whose family has the ear of both the governor and the President of the United States!’
‘If it comes to it, I will make sure nothing leads back to us. Wyatt has tamed a few towns and made a number of enemies. I’m sure we can figure a way to put the blame elsewhere.’
‘For the sake of the company and both of our lives, I hope you know what you’re doing.’
‘Rest easy, my friend,’ Gaskell said, attempting to sooth his worries. ‘I didn’t get where I am today by risking my neck every time a problem arose. For the time being, we will sit back and watch the man. So long as he doesn’t try anything against us, we’ve no reason to retaliate against him.’
‘When do you expect another shipment of bodies for the jobs we need filled?’
Glad to move on from the Valeron topic, Gaskell looked at a calendar of the month, courtesy of Jane’s limited handiwork, which he had pinned to the wall. Although it looked like a child’s paper from primary school, it did have the right number of days for the month.
‘The next ship is due in about a week,’ he surmised. ‘Should be at least a dozen or so new people coming.’
‘With ships arriving almost daily from other countries, it’s a shame we only have one man signing people up.’
‘Van Stokes has to be careful,’ he reminded Parker. ‘One wrong word to a ship captain who won’t take a few dollars to turn a blind eye . . . that’s all it would take to shut us down.’
‘The law doesn’t prevent people from signing and fulfilling a contract,’ he argued. ‘We are well within our rights.’
‘So long as no jackleg lawyer sticks his nose into the details. Even indentures could be bought, traded or sold, and anyone could buy one for the right price. I don’t think our contracts would stand up in a real court of law . . . say, before Congress or a state-appointed attorney.’
Parker threw up his hands in exasperation. ‘But we let the kids go, Ward! It’s proof that we are within the guidelines of contracted employees!’
‘Yes, under pressure from both the state and federal government. Not exactly a voluntary endorsement of the law.’
‘Then we do what – sit on our hands and wait?’
‘Ronnie will keep an eye on things in Denver. If the wind starts to blow our direction, we will know ahead of time.’
‘OK. Fine.’ Parker harrumphed. ‘Business as usual, except we are another two bodies short.’
‘If need be, hire the next people who come through looking for work,’ Gaskell said. ‘Once we get a few new contract employees from Van Stokes, we can always let one or two of them go.’
Parker rubbed his chin. ‘I don’t know, Ward. All of the people working for us know the situation and are willing to keep their mouths shut. New hires might not see the treatment by some of the job foremen or enforcers as humane.’
Gaskell was growing tired of the conversation. With some irritation he barked, ‘Just do it!’
The sharp tone of voice was enough to cow Parker. Again, he raised his hand, this time in a gesture of surrender. ‘Sure, Ward. Whatever you say. I’ll tell Drummer to keep an eye out for any job hunters who come through.’
‘Contact the prisons and jails again,’ Gaskell suggested. ‘We have several inmates whose time is about up. We don’t dare keep any of them beyond their release date.’
‘I’ll do it, but some of the judges are getting soft. They give these people such short sentences it’s hardly worth the price of transporting them here.’
‘I agree,’ Gaskell said. ‘Anyone serving less than sixty days, let’s not bother with. By the time they are trained to do a decent job, it’s time to turn them loose.’
‘I haven’t kept track – how many miners are due to leave this month?’ Parker wanted to know.
‘Three prisoners and one of our first contract workers.’
He flinched from the news. ‘We better hope a lot more people can’t pay their de
bts or get caught for non-violent crimes. Otherwise, we’ll have to hire more miners.’
‘We can hope Van Stokes has several replacements coming, but don’t count on it. Like I said, hire a few workers that are needed and pay the going rate.’
‘I’ll speak to Drummer; he can spread the word.’
‘How about a replacement for Decker?’
‘We’ve a couple guards who might do the trick. None of them are as good with a gun as Decker, but he was a little overzealous.’
‘Too damned overzealous,’ Gaskell agreed. ‘He killed that one Spaniard for calling him a murderer.’ The town owner snorted. ‘Tough way to win your point, being shot down in cold blood.’
‘I’ll have Drummer pick a couple of men to talk to. He knows which ones he can control.’
‘You and Drummer both handle the interview. I don’t want another wild man like Decker.’
‘My thinking as well, Ward. We’ll make sure the replacement understands the job.’
Gaskell waved his hand to dismiss Parker. The man left the room and Gaskell walked to the window that overlooked his city, his compound, his corporation. The misfortune of having Wyatt Valeron show up should be but a single bump in his road to wealth and position. He would hope the man was satisfied with having helped Mackavoy get back his children. However, the Valerons had a reputation for sticking their noses into other people’s business, especially when there was something awry with that business. He would stay watchful and keep on his toes until he was certain the wandering do-gooder was out of his life.
Jared and Brett discussed the message from Wyatt as they sat down to eat supper.
‘What about involving the Pinkertons?’ Desiree spoke after setting a plate of roast pork on the table. ‘They could slip a man inside the Paradise company and get the evidence you need.’
‘You know they don’t usually get involved with much other than railroad trouble this far from their headquarters,’ Brett replied. ‘I’m sure you recall the combination praise and cussing out you received when you helped us at Brimstone.’
She laughed at the memory. ‘Couldn’t very well reprimand me. I quit to marry you.’
‘The baby still asleep?’ Jared wanted to know. ‘I haven’t held the little nipper since he was born.’
‘He’s still a baby,’ Desiree said meaningfully. ‘He isn’t ready to go hunting with you or learn to shoot a gun just yet.’
Jared grinned. ‘There are other things I can teach him – gambling, teasing girls, or knowing when to wet on his daddy’s lap.’
‘He already knows that trick,’ Brett quipped.
‘But he can certainly do the same for you,’ Desiree joked. ‘I’ll let you hold him after he’s drank a bottle of water. It goes through him like a hollow tube.’
‘Speaking of tricks,’ Jared said, grabbing hold of Brett’s use of the word. ‘Whose idea was it to put an ad for a nanny in the local paper?’
Desiree displayed a playful mien. ‘Did the girl show up? Did Cliff hire her?’
‘Yes to both questions, though you missed seeing the most perplexed expression ever to cross cousin Cliff’s face.’ He laughed. ‘For all of his charm and beguiling ways with women or girls, Cliff was completely dumbstruck when he met the new nanny.’
‘Got to hand it to Nessy,’ Brett said. ‘Tish left her to visit with us while she went to talk to Skip about working at his store. The little tyke complained to Desiree how she was really going to miss her. Seems that Tish has been doing most of her tending around the ranch.’
‘So she asked if I could sometimes visit,’ Desiree joined in on the story. ‘I told her that I had to care for the baby, and she said something about wishing she had a big sister to look after her all the time.’
‘Next thing,’ Brett chimed back in, ‘the two of them are writing an ad for the paper.’ He grunted his surprise. ‘Wasn’t an hour after the paper was printed that Miss Bruckner was knocking at our door and asking directions to the ranch. I knew Charlie Gates was going to the sawmill, so I got her a ride.’
‘She looked pretty young to be out on her own,’ Jared pointed out. ‘Bet she isn’t much over sixteen.’
‘We didn’t have a lot of time to talk to her,’ Desiree said. ‘Brett had to catch Charlie before he got out of town.’
‘Well, she’s a fixture now. The girl and Nessy really hit it off. By the time Cliff got home from work, the decision had been made. He pretty much had nothing to say about it.’
Desiree said, ‘I hope she works out. She seemed a nice girl.’
They had continued to eat while they talked. When Brett finished his meal he pushed back from the table.
‘What do you think, Jerry?’ he wanted to know. ‘It sure looks like Wyatt is going to try and help those people at Paradise.’
‘I’ve an idea that might help the cause,’ Jared replied. ‘You might need to call in a favor or two from the US Marshal’s office. And it will take a few volunteers . . . Faro as well.’
‘Faro?’ Desiree inquired. ‘But isn’t your cousin about as bungling with a gun as I would be trying to rope a wild mustang?’
‘Won’t need him for his fighting prowess,’ Jared said. ‘Wyatt will sure enough keep an eye on his younger brother.’
‘You’ve piqued my interest,’ Brett admitted. ‘Tell me what you have in mind.’
Locke had asked Faro to join Jared, Cliff, and the family for dinner. Faro spent most of his time up at the coalmine, although they did have a smaller mine that produced enough ore to turn a profit. Between the two places, he hardly ever had time for family get-togethers. He knew something of importance was brewing, as Locke didn’t often include him in family problems.
Once the meal was out of the way, Locke led the other three men into the family room. Nessy went to play in her room until Mikki joined her. Mikki had stayed to help Wanetta clear the table and do the dishes.
‘OK, Uncle Locke,’ Faro spoke, unable to wait any longer. ‘What’s going on? Why the invite?’
Jared was the one to reply. ‘We need your expertise, cuz,’ he said bluntly. ‘How’d you like to become a mine inspector for a few days?’
That put a shocked look on his face. ‘Me?’ He laughed at the notion. ‘Geez, Jer, I don’t know beans about being an inspector. Our two mines are the only ones I’ve ever been around.’
‘Yes, but I remember Uncle Udall telling me you did a lot of reading on the subject. And the one time I went with you to the ore mine, you told me all about sulphides, heavy metals, pyrite and all that stuff. Plus, you can spout the right terms about support beams and the use of narrow gauge rail cars.’
Faro shrugged. ‘Yeah, I know a little, but not enough to fool an actual mine inspector. They know how to look for stress points and can name most every kind of different rock at every level of a shaft.’
‘You can spout technical jargon,’ Jared countered.
‘It isn’t that easy,’ Faro argued. ‘Some hard-rock mines need almost no supports and other have to be propped up every foot of the way. Then there’s the chutes, and chimneys, the ladder-ways or shafts, cross-cuts or winzes – a dozen more things like that, stuff I’ve never had to deal with. Our mines are about as simple as you will find anywhere.’
‘But they are safe,’ Locke interjected. ‘Not one major cave-in or loss of life since we started mining. Not many companies can claim the safety rate you’ve managed.’
‘Yes, but that’s because we’re not trying to get rich. We don’t cut corners. We don’t blast without taking every safety precaution. No big mining operation would spend the extra amount of time and resources we do. They want to earn the maximum dollar on ever ounce of ore.’
‘Come on, Faro,’ Jared jibed. ‘You’ve always been something of a prig. When the aunts and Mom were teaching us our history, English and math, you made a point of always getting the best scores.’
‘Not in math,’ Faro argued. ‘Martin had the brain for that.’
‘All right, maybe
not in math, but he never lorded it over us like you did.’ Faro put on a look of affront, but Jared prevented his rebuke by raising a hand. ‘And I’m not complaining one bit. In fact, that’s what we need – someone who can pass as being college educated, the kind of guy who thinks he knows it all. It’s exactly what we want.’
‘Holy cats, Jer!’ Faro snorted. ‘You really know how to sugarcoat an offer! I’ve got to throw in with Wyatt. He once told me that no woman would ever be able to live with you because you’re too dad-blamed blunt!’
‘This is for a good cause,’ Locke spoke up. ‘Jared might have the tact of a charging buffalo, but he has the right goal in mind.’
Faro’s face worked as he thought over the notion, then he glanced at Cliff. ‘What’s your part in this, Clifford? Do they have a girl they want you to seduce?’
He rewarded the question with a wry grin. ‘Nothing so glamorous, Faro. I get to hold down the ranch, along with my adopted daughter and our new nanny!’
Wyatt and Martin’s younger brother finally cracked a grin. ‘I do believe Uncle Locke is offering me the easier chore.’
Cliff grunted. ‘Of that, cuz, I haven’t the slightest doubt!’
Chapter Five
Brett Valeron, Sergeant Fielding and a government investigator named Bryles were among those waiting at the dock when the transport ship arrived from England. As soon as the gangplank was in place, the three men boarded.
There were a sizable number of people gathered about, awaiting the crew to allow them to disembark. However, Fielding spoke to the man in charge and told him there would be a ten-minute delay. The ruse was that they had to check for any disease on board and needed time to inspect the passengers.
The captain, a man named Preston, arrived in a huff. Rather small in stature, the man made up for it with bluster.
‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ he bellowed. ‘We’ve no plague or pox aboard. I know the rules. I would have informed the authorities upon our arrival if. . . .’
‘Ease up on the helm, Captain,’ Bryles said, raising his hands to stop his protest. ‘Let’s have a word in private and then we will shortly be out of your hair.’
Valerons--Beyond the Law! Page 5
