by Aileen Fish
“Then we might be safe sneaking into his house tonight.”
He nodded. “I certainly hope so.”
Ashton guided the horse to the back of the house and then dismounted. He reached up and held onto Nicole’s waist as she slid from the animal. It was nice to have her body bump against his, but he mustn’t think of how much he enjoyed being close to her. They were here tonight for one purpose only…and kissing had nothing to do with it.
Holding her hand in his, they sneaked toward the back door. He tested the doorknob and it was locked. He frowned and shook his head. “I suppose we’ll have to try and open a window.”
“No, we won’t.” She fished her fingers into her hair and pulled out some pins. Crouching to the level of the lock, she used her hairpins and wiggled them into the opening. Within seconds, the lock clicked and she was able to open the door.
“I won’t ask you how you did that,” he said in a low voice.
“Remind me one day to tell you all about my training.” She grinned.
Ashton followed her inside, but soon took the lead. He’d been here before, so she allowed him to go first. He knew where Glynn’s bedroom was located.
“You stay here,” he told her. “I’m going upstairs to see if by chance, he is in bed.
“All right. I’ll stay down here and look around,” she whispered.
Ashton crept on soft feet up the stairs toward Glynn’s bedroom. He really didn’t think his partner in the railroad would be here by now. If Glynn had rode the train back to New York, it would have had to be the same one Ashton and Nicole were on. If Glynn rode a horse… Ashton shook his head. No, his friend was injured, which meant he wouldn’t be able to ride a horse all the way from Virginia City to New York. So hopefully, he’d be able to find some other evidence that Glynn was the train thief.
However, if Glynn was in bed asleep—or in Staten Island right now—that would mean he wasn’t the train thief. Ashton frowned and rubbed his forehead. No, Glynn had to be the thief. He had the strongest motive.
Ashton reached the bedroom and peeked inside. The bed was empty. He released a relieved sigh. At least he knew Glynn wasn’t in the house, which meant searching for more evidence would be a little easier.
As he headed back down the steps, he heard Nicole gasp. It sounded more like a surprise gasp than being frightened, but he still hurried to find her. Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into her. Right away, he held onto her arms. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t look scared.
“Ashton, I found the money!”
“What?” He shook his head. “That can’t be…”
She took him by the hand and led him into the study. She had turned on a lamp, but the light was low. She pointed to the opened handbag sitting beside Glynn’s desk. Ashton hurried to it and peered inside. He had several bundles of money marked with red ink before loading it in the trunk to put on the train, and sure enough, these bundles had a red mark on them.
“And look,” she said, pointing to the floor. “Spots of fresh blood.”
Chapter 19
Within two hours, Nicole had her father, brother, and Mr. Banks, all at Glynn Nickerson’s house, combing the area for more clues. Her father also contacted the police, and they showed up as well. Nicole had explained to the police—and the other agents—what she and Ashton had done, and especially, what they had found.
Soon, Gordon took Ashton into another room to ask more questions. Nicole stayed by her father’s side. In amazement, she watched as he slowly made his way through the room, eying each piece of furniture, painting, and expensive rug and artifact carefully. She had learned so much from her parent, and it surprised her that she continued to learn from him even now.
However, there was still something in the back of her mind that didn’t connect. She couldn’t shake the feeling that a piece of the puzzle was still missing.
“Father?” she asked in a low voice.
“What, my dear?”
“There’s something I don’t understand about all of this.”
He had been kneeling on the floor, trying to find more blood, but so far, the only blood they had found was that which was near the handbag. He stood and faced her, swiping at the wrinkles in his trousers. “What is troubling you?”
“I have done plenty of thinking since finding this bag of money, and for the handbag to be here before Ashton and I arrived, that would have meant Mr. Nickerson rode the train back with us. There’s no way someone with an injured arm and losing blood would have been able to ride a horse that far and fast.”
“That is true.” He scratched his chin. “But, keep in mind that after you lost him near the building, there was still a good twenty minutes before the train left the depot. Isn’t that correct?”
“It is,” she answered hesitantly.
“Well, that’s enough time to change his clothes and board the train. He could have added padding to his arm to help stop the flow of blood.”
“But why had we not seen him on the train—either boarding or unloading?”
Her father shrugged. “I’m assuming both you and Mr. Lee were mentally exhausted from the trip, and of course, Mr. Nickerson was probably in one of the other rail cars. He could have been in disguise.”
“You’re probably right.” She expelled a heavy sigh. “I’ve just been trying to make sense of all of this. But I can’t shake the feeling that the timing is all off. Why wasn’t Mr. Nickerson here with the handbag full of money? Because he was injured, wouldn’t he have been weak?”
“Good point.” He nodded. “Mr. Lee had mentioned that Mr. Nickerson was a man who had a very active lifestyle. Perhaps he went to find a lady friend who could help him bandage his arm.”
Suddenly, a woman’s face popped into Nicole’s head and she gasped. “Mrs. Browning!” She touched her father’s arm. “I’m sure he went to Mrs. Browning’s house. He’s been seeing her a lot lately…according to Ashton, anyway.”
“Then I’ll send Banks and one of the policemen to check it out.” Her father rushed out of the room to find the men.
Nicole wandered out of the room, hoping to find where Gordon and Ashton were talking. She found them in the kitchen…eating. She rolled her eyes. Mrs. Phelps had once said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Watching her brother and Ashton eating right now, Nicole could definitely understand what the older woman was referring to.
When Ashton noticed her, he quickly stood. He pointed to the tray of bread and slices of meat. “Are you hungry?”
“Actually, I am, but I think I’m more tired than anything.” She walked to the table and picked up a chunk of bread. “Tell me, Ashton, will Mr. Nickerson appreciate you and my brother raiding his ice box?”
“Does it matter?” Ashton shrugged. “He’ll be arrested soon, won’t he?”
“He most certainly will.” Gordon said with a mouthful of food, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at the display.
A movement toward the window caught Nicole’s attention. As she studied the object, it appeared to be a person peering in the window. It was a woman…and she was looking right at Nicole. In a split second, the woman’s eyes widened just before the person ducked away from the window.
In a flash, recognition struck. What was Mrs. Larson doing at Mr. Nickerson’s house this late at night?
Nicole growled under her breath and darted toward the door, determined to discover Mrs. Larson’s secret. Even though Nicole was tired, she found the energy to rush out of the house, down the few steps on the porch, and around the back. The full moon offered enough light for her to spot the other woman running from the house.
“Mrs. Larson,” Nicole called out, moving her legs faster.
The other woman seemed to have more speed, and for a moment, Nicole thought she would lose her, just as she’d done Mr. Nickerson in Virginia City. But the woman tripped and landed on her knees, giving Nicole the advantage. She reached the woman just as she rose to her feet. Mrs. Larson gasped and took a
step to get away again.
Nicole grabbed Mrs. Larson’s arm, keeping her from going anywhere. “Oh, no you don’t.”
“Let me go!”
Mrs. Larson jerked her arm, trying to be free of Nicole’s hold, but she held tight, refusing to let another suspect get away. “I’m not going to release you until you explain what you were doing at Mr. Nickerson’s house—in the middle of the night, no less.”
“No…no,” she sobbed and covered her hands over her face.
Heavy footsteps pounded on the grass behind her, and Nicole looked over her shoulder just as Gordon and Ashton ran up to them.
“What’s Mrs. Larson doing here?” Ashton asked.
“I’d like to know the same thing.” Nicole narrowed her gaze back on the older woman.
“And what I’d like to know,” Gordon said, bending down to pick up a pistol on the ground by the woman’s feet, “is what Mrs. Larson is doing with a weapon?”
Growling, Mrs. Larson dropped her hands to her sides and glared at Gordon. “I don’t have to answer your questions.”
Gordon arched an eyebrow and cocked his head. “No? Well, I work for the government, so you’ll either answer my questions or you’ll find yourself behind bars and then you’ll have more to answer for.” He folded his arms. “Which shall it be?”
The sour expression on Mrs. Larson’s face soon dissolved as sadness covered her features again. Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she slowly shook her head. “I wanted Mr. Nickerson dead.”
Nicole sucked in a quick breath. She hadn’t expected something like that to come from the other woman. “Why?”
Mrs. Larson turned her attention to Nicole. “Because he’s an evil man. He finds women’s weaknesses and uses them against us to do his bidding.”
“What was Mr. Nickerson having you do?” Nicole asked, using a softer tone. Obviously, this subject hit a sore spot for the other woman.
“He…he…” She covered her face again, shaking her head.
“Please, Mrs. Larson.” Nicole touched her shoulder gently, hoping to soothe the lady’s nerves just a little. “By telling us, we’ll be able to help you a little more.”
Mrs. Larson wiped the moisture under her eyes. “Have you arrested Mr. Nickerson?” She motioned her head toward the house. “Is that why the police are there?”
“Is there a reason we need to arrest him?” Gordon asked.
The woman glared at him. “Of course there is, you imbecile. He is the one responsible for the train robberies.”
“Mrs. Larson,” Nicole quickly took hold of the woman’s hands, in hopes of calming her down a little. For some reason, Gordon seemed to be irritating Mrs. Larson. “Are you certain he is robbing the train?” Nicole asked.
“Yes.” Mrs. Larson sniffed. “He was blackmailing me. He knows about my um…problem,” she said in a low voice. “He threatened to tell my husband if I didn’t do something for him.”
“What was it?” Nicole urged.
“He told me to find a man who resembles Mr. Lee.” She glanced at Ashton briefly, and then returned her focus on Nicole. “Mr. Nickerson wanted the train robbery to look as if Mr. Lee was the thief. Apparently, Mr. Nickerson is still put out with Mr. Lee’s father taking away the family farm during the war, and Mr. Nickerson is taking it out on Mr. Lee.”
Ashton grumbled and swiped his fingers through his hair, but remained silent.
“So you found someone who looked like Mr. Lee?” Nicole asked.
“Yes,” Mrs. Larson whispered. “I paid him money to be on the train during the times it was robbed. Mr. Nickerson told me what days the train would be robbed, and I made sure my man was on the train at that time.”
“Mrs. Larson?” Gordon asked in a softer tone. “Do you know for certain if Mr. Nickerson stole the money himself, or did he hire someone else to do it for him?”
“I doubt he did it himself,” she snipped. “The man is a coward in all sense of the word. He would pay someone to do it for him, just as he’d paid me.”
“Glynn didn’t do it himself,” Ashton stated, aiming his stare at Gordon. “He was always at the office during the train robberies.”
Gordon blew out an agitated breath. “So now we need to find the person who was paid to do the robberies.”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Nicole told her brother. “Ashton and I saw someone who resembled Mr. Nickerson on the train yesterday. Although we didn’t see his face, he was the same height and build, and had the same color of hair.”
“Indeed, that is odd,” Mrs. Larson spoke up. “Why would he do it himself?”
“Unless…” Ashton scratched behind his ear and shook his head.
“Unless what?” Gordon inquired.
“Well, this last transport of money wasn’t set up by the government as the other ones had been. I was the one who arranged for the money to be there, and I only let a few people know about the delivery. The other times the government had shipped the money, we had known about it several days in advance. Perhaps Glynn realized this, which is why he decided to rob the train himself.”
“That’s an interesting thought.” Gordon nodded. “And when we find Mr. Nickerson, we’ll get the truth out of him one way or another.”
Another person walked into their circle, and once he stood in the light, Nicole recognized him as one of the policemen. “Sir,” she said to him, “would you please take Mrs. Larson into the house and get her some tea? I fear she is exhausted.”
“Yes, miss.” The policeman hooked his hand around Mrs. Larson’s elbow.
“Please, tell this man all you know,” Nicole told the other woman. “I promise we’ll find Mr. Nickerson and have him arrested.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Larson said in a weak voice.
Gordon followed the policeman, leaving Nicole and Ashton alone. The night was quiet; even the insects weren’t chirping loudly to disturb the stillness. Several tall trees surrounded them in privacy. Only the full moon gave them light to look upon each other.
She stepped closer to him and touched his hand. “How are you holding up?”
Ashton shrugged. “With all of the surprises we have received in the past twenty-four hours, I suppose I’m holding up rather well.” He sighed. “So tell me, will Glynn be charged for all the train robberies, or just this last one?”
“He’ll be charged as a conspirator, because it was his plan to frame you for the thefts.”
“Just because of something my father did.” He shook his head. “It all seems so senseless.”
“Yes, it is.” Her heart tugged with emotion seeing Ashton torn apart like this. “But at least it’s out in the open now. Because of what you’ve done yesterday, you have proven you are not the thief.”
As he looked at her, his expression changed from irritation to relief, and then finally to contentment. Smiling, he stroked her cheek. Although the night was a little chilly, his touch warmed her skin quickly.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your help, you know.”
She shivered, but not from the cold. Instead, it was his caring voice that made her react. As always, whenever his eyes displayed such tenderness, her body couldn’t help but melt. “I was more than happy to do it. I knew you weren’t guilty.”
“Not the whole time,” he reminded. “I know you had doubts.”
“I doubted my doubts.” She swept her fingers against his hair. “Deep in my heart, I knew you hadn’t done the crime. My mind wanted to argue, which was why the doubts were able to sneak in.”
He snatched her hand away from his hair and held it against his chest. Immediately, the mood between them changed. Nicole’s heartbeat hammered just as quickly as his was doing against her hand at this moment.
Taking a step closer, he closed the space between them. “Nicole, do you know how hard it is to desire a woman I can’t have?”
His words made her breathless, and weak all over. “What makes you think you can’t have her?” She stroked his cheek. “
She’s right here and she wants you just as much…if not more.”
Groaning, Ashton wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him as his mouth captured hers. Heavily, she sighed and met his hungry kisses with those of her own. Back and forth, his mouth slanted over hers, deepening the kiss. His hands moved all over her back and shoulders, and she clutched at his shirt, wanting him closer—so close that they’d be one, because her heart was already his.
The words Nicole had wanted to say for so long were on the tip of her tongue. More than anything, she wanted to confess her love. Right now would be a good time, but she couldn’t tear her mouth away from his long enough to announce her feelings. Kissing him was so enjoyable—and healing.
His mouth left hers as his kisses trailed down her neck. Breathless, she tilted her head back to give him better access. Warmth stirred in her limbs, and in her soul. She never wanted this to end.
“Oh, Ashton.” She took a ragged breath. “I love—”
“No.” He interrupted and raised his head, releasing her at the same time.
She stumbled back, but quickly regained her footing. “Ashton?”
“No,” he repeated and scrubbed his face with his hands. “I cannot do this. I cannot allow your sweet, tempting kisses to sway my mind. You have broken the trust between us, and that’s a hard thing to get back.” He breathed slower. “Nicole, I cannot trust you, for as soon as I do, you’ll be free to break my heart again.”
“No, Ashton.” Her voice broke and tears stung her eyes. Her chest tightened with emotion, making it hard to breathe. “It won’t be like that.”
“It will for me.” He stepped away. “I’m sorry, Nicole. I won’t go through this again.”
Slowly, her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She didn’t stop Ashton from walking away. But what killed her even more was knowing she might not get him back.
~*~
Nicole couldn’t sleep due to heartache and crying. Although extremely weary, she still rose with the sun and finished packing her trunk in preparation for leaving Ashton’s house. She dressed in a gold and black traveling dress, and wound her hair tight at the back of her head, before placing black netting over it to keep it in place.
