Lady Deception

by Bobbi Smith

  He was glad that he'd spent the night working with Fred. He knew for certain now that the new sheriff was not the outlaw leader.

  "Then you know who El Diablo is?"

  "I've got a pretty damned good idea. Once I'm sure Jack's going to be fine, you and I are going to pay a call on one of the town's most upstanding citizens."

  "Who? How did you figure it out?"

  "Jack had been tracking down leads. He knew the names of all those who had advance information about the gun shipment. Larson had told him that two people in town knew about it-you and Jonathan Harris."

  "You mean I was a suspect, too?"

  "Everyone was for a while, but now we know the truth."

  "Harris couldn't have done this! He's paralyzed! There's no way he could have gotten up here undetected, let alone overpowered Jack," Fred pointed out.

  "True, but as El Diablo he has an entire gang working for him. He could order it done. He probably thought that no one else knew what Jack had learned, and that if he eliminated Jack, he'd be free. He figured wrong."

  Fred shook his head in disgust. "How bad is Jack?"

  "The doctor says he should make it. Come on inside; we'll wait until he's through."

  The two lawmen went back into the bedroom, to find the doctor washing his hands in the basin.

  "Is one of you going to stay with him?" the doctor asked Steve. "There should be someone here constantly until he regains consciousness."

  "I understand," Steve said. "I'll stay."

  The doctor nodded. "Good. I have to get back to my office. I'll send one of the women who works for me over to sit with you and watch him. Let me know immediately if there's any change in his condition."

  "Would it be better for us to take him to your office?"

  "I don't like moving him now. Let me know if he starts to show signs of coming around."

  "I will," Steve promised.

  He was torn by the need to go after El Diablo, but he could not leave Jack. Not now.

  "I'll go back to the jail and tell the deputy what happened; then I'll come back and sit with you. Do you want or need anything?" Fred asked.

  "The only thing I want or need right now is El Diablo," Steve ground out, not taking his gaze from Jack, lying pale and deathly still on the bed.

  Jack felt as if he were trapped by the excruciating pain he felt. He wanted to scream, to cry out to any and all who would listen the name of his betrayer, but he couldn't summon the strength. As if at a great distance, he could hear voices, but he couldn't reach them. It seemed hopeless. He fell back, down into the cold darkness, away from the warmth and light-and pain. Nothingness. Peace overcame him, and he drifted back into unconsciousness again.

  It was several hours later when Jack finally battled his way to awareness. He opened his eyes to see Steve seated near the window, staring out. Jack tried to call his name, but managed only a groan.

  "Captain Laughlin. He's starting to come around," the nurse called over to where he sat with Fred near the window.

  Steve hurried to Jack's side.

  "Jack! It's Steve. I'm here." He bent over him, leaning close to hear what Jack was trying to say.

  "Steve..." His voice was barely audible.

  "Who did this to you? Who stabbed you?" he demanded, wanting justice.

  Memories of the night before spun wildly through Jack's fevered mind. He closed his eyes as the pain of Elizabeth's betrayal stabbed at him. He had never suspected her. He would never have believed her capable of such treachery. But it had been Elizabeth. He had seen her. Elizabeth Harris had tried to kill him.

  "Harris..." was all he could say. The word was just above a moan and so softly spoken that Steve could barely understand.

  "You were right. All along, you were right," Steve told him. "I'll take care of it from here."

  Jack wanted to stop him, to tell him that it was Elizabeth, not Jonathan, but he couldn't muster the strength to call out to him again. He wanted to stop Steve from walking into her lair unprepared, but he was too weak to call him back and tell him which Harris was really El Diablo. The pain overwhelmed him again, and he drifted away once more into forgetfulness.

  "It was Harris," Steve said to Fred, who'd been sitting with him.

  "Let's go find out how the bastard did it. He must have had a henchman."

  "You'll stay with him?" Steve asked the nurse.

  "Yes, but you need to let Dr. Michaels know that he did regain consciousness for a few minutes."

  "We'll tell him as we go."

  The two lawmen started from the hotel room, but Steve paused by the door to take one last look at Jack. As he did, he pulled out his gun and checked to make sure it was loaded. Sliding it back into his holster, he was ready to face the man who'd been identified as El Diablo, the leader of the notorious gang of killers.

  They stopped only briefly at the doctor's office to relay the news of Jack's condition before continuing on.

  "Do you think we need more deputies with us? Harris may be dangerous."

  "If he gives me any trouble at all, he's a dead man," Steve said quietly.

  Fred nodded and said no more as they strode the length of town toward the banker's house. They reached it in short order and moved up onto the front porch to knock on the door.

  "Do you think he left town?" Fred asked when no one answered.

  "I doubt it. If he thinks Jack is dead, why would he run?" Steve pounded on the door again, harder this time. When he heard shouting inside the house, he instructed Fred, "Check around the side of the house and see if you can get a look in any of the windows."

  Fred disappeared around the house. "Steve! Break in the door!"

  Steve put his shoulder to it and forced it open. Fred was behind him in an instant.

  "What did you see?"

  "It's Harris. He's in bed and yelling for help."

  Steve drew his gun. Charging into the master bedroom, they found the abandoned Harris.

  "Thank God you came!" Jonathan cried as they appeared in the doorway. Then he saw the gun and flinched. "So you know..."

  "Know what?"

  "About Elizabeth and that brother of hers!"

  "What are you talking about?" Fred asked.

  "I don't know how I could have been so stupid. It was her the whole time! Elizabeth was involved with that gang!"

  "Your wife?" Steve was shocked.

  "Yes! She's the one who was giving them all the information. She knew everything about the workings of the bank, and she was at dinner with us when the general and I discussed the details of the gun shipment."

  "That's no proof," Steve said, doubting his story, thinking he was trying to head them off in a false direction. "Where is she, Harris? I want to talk to her."

  "That's what I'm trying to tell you. She's gone! Her brother showed up last night. They were outside on the porch, but I heard every word they said. They didn't know I could hear them or I'd be dead right now." He turned red in the face with fury as he relayed all that he'd heard. "Have you checked on Logan yet? She was going to the hotel to kill him, and she must have done it, for she returned in a short time and they rode out."

  "You're saying you believe your own wife is part of the El Diablo gang?"

  "That's exactly what I'm telling you! In fact, I'll tell you more than that! Elizabeth is not only a part of the gang. She is El Diablo!"

  "El Diablo's a woman?" Fred was aghast as he remembered all the conversations he'd had with her since the bank robbery. She had fooled everyone.

  "Who better to get the information? Who would ever suspect her? I should have realized sooner, but I kept believing that..." His voice became choked with emotion and he couldn't say any more for a moment.

  "Kept believing what, Jonathan?" They hoped he was going to give them another clue.

  "I kept believing that she loved me."

  Steve and Fred glanced at each other, wondering at his story.

  "Ranger Logan was attacked last night, but he wasn't killed," Steve
informed him.

  "Thank God. He can tell you that I'm right! He can tell you that Elizabeth did it!"

  "Jack did speak to us briefly, but all he could say was 'Harris."'

  "And you think it was me? You think I'm involved in this? That's why you came in here with your gun drawn!" The sickly banker stared at them in outrage and confusion.

  "That's right."

  "You think I planned a robbery of my own bank and then told them to shoot me to make it look good? I'm too much of a coward to do anything like that. And if you think it was me, how could I have attacked Logan? There's no way I could have gotten to him, and even if I had, what could a man in a wheelchair do to a strong man like Logan?"

  "You could have had someone from the gang do it."

  "And that's why I left myself lying here all alone in this bed for more than twelve hours! I'm telling you, it was Elizabeth. She's the one. We've only been married a few years. She was using me."

  They knew he was right. They realized, too, that they had missed their chance to arrest the leader of the gang. Still, now that El Diablo's identity was known, they could find her and bring her to justice.

  "What are you going to do to me?" Jonathan demanded as the two conferred in low voices.

  "Nothing, Jonathan. We're going to send someone over to take care of you."

  "Are you going after her? They rode out late last night, but I don't know where they were going."

  "We'll be riding out as fast as we can arrange it."

  "I hope you catch her. I hope you hang her." There was vengeance on his mind. The woman he'd thought loved him had been responsible for his injuries. She was a thief, a liar, and a murderer. He hoped they caught her soon.

  Luke was almost glad when he saw Del Fuego in the distance. He wouldn't exactly call it home, but at least he'd reached Jack again and he could finally put things straight. He hoped Jack was in the sheriffs office when they arrived, for with Gregory dead, he didn't know who else was aware of his undercover work.

  "Look! This time someone really is bringing in Majors!"

  The shout went up and people rushed out of the buildings to get a look at him as he rode by with Cody and Stalking Ghost. A crowd was soon following them through town.

  "I knew it was bad from what Logan had told me, but I didn't know it was this bad," Cody said quietly to Stalking Ghost as she drew her revolver. She kept the weapon close to her leg as they rode up to the sheriff's office.

  Stalking Ghost dismounted, went to help Luke down, and then the three of them entered the office together. Cody glanced around at the deputies who were there, but she did not recognize anyone.

  "I'm looking for Ranger Logan. Can you tell me where I can find him?"

  One of the deputies looked at her skeptically. "Why do you want Logan?"

  "I'm bringing in Luke Majors. I need to talk to him."

  Excitement stirred within the deputies as they recognized the captured man. "Let's get him locked up, and then I'll tell you about Logan."

  "What's to tell? The man owes me money. I want my reward," she stated firmly.

  "There's been trouble, ma'am."

  "The name's Jameson, Cody Jameson. What kind of trouble are you talking about?"

  "It's Ranger Logan. He's been injured."

  "How bad is he?" she asked immediately, sensing Luke tense beside her.

  "We don't know yet. They just found him this morning. You can leave Majors here and we'll lock him up while you go check with Sheriff Halloway and Ranger Capt. Laughlin. They're both over at the hotel, waiting to see how Logan is."

  "I'll do that. You just make sure nothing happens to my prisoner, or there'll be hell to pay."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  The deputy had heard of Cody Jameson and knew better than to try to cross the bounty hunter. "We'll keep a close watch on him. He won't get away from us."

  "Good.I'll be back."

  Cody stayed until Luke was locked up safely in the back; then she started from the office. She paused once at the door to glance back toward Luke and saw him standing in the cell, watching her. There was no love for her in his expression. If anything, the look in his eyes revealed the contempt and hate he felt for her. Regret stung Cody, but she could waste no time. She headed off with Stalking Ghost to locate Logan.

  Worry consumed her as she considered what had happened. This didn't look good. How could the Ranger have gotten injured right there in town? Something strange was going on.

  Luke stood alone in the cell, trying to figure out what to do and knowing there was nothing he could do but wait. With Gregory dead and Jack injured, he was in an impossible situation. Tension filled him. If none of the lawmen but Jack knew of his cover, and Jack wasn't able to tell the truth, Luke didn't know if he would survive until morning. He'd heard the excitement in the streets, and he feared a mob would come for him before everything could be straightened out.

  Pacing nervously, he realized he was helpless. That didn't sit well with him, but the truth was he couldn't do anything until Jack showed up. Only then would he be free again. Luke sat down on the edge of the hard, narrow cot to await word of his friend.

  Jack swam up from the depths of darkness again, and though pain enveloped him, he knew he could hide from it no longer. He was weak and exhausted, but he had to pull himself back to consciousness; he had to.

  With an effort, Jack opened his eyes to stare about the room. The curtains were drawn and the room was dark. He felt disoriented, not sure whether it was day or night. He didn't know why he was there or who was with him. He glanced around and caught sight of a woman sitting in a chair nearby, reading.

  "Water," he croaked, his throat parched.

  The woman practically jumped at his speaking and she rushed to tend to his needs, bringing him a drink of cool water. "You're awake! The doctor is going to be very pleased."

  Jack sipped from the glass she held to his lips. "Who ...who are you?"

  "I'm Matilda Knowles. I work for Dr. Michaels. I'm sitting with you to keep track of your condition."

  "And just what is my condition?" he managed to ask, though each word was painful to utter.

  "You were stabbed in the back." She watched him closely as she spoke and saw the flash of pain that shone in his eyes at her words. "Dr. Michaels wasn't sure if you were going to make it. I'll have to let him know right away that you've improved."

  Jack nodded and closed his eyes. She would have killed me. She wanted to kill me. An image of Elizabeth played in his mind: innocent, abused, needing protection. It had all been an act designed to deceive him, and he had fallen for it. He cursed his own stupidity, wondering how he could have been so blind. But he knew how. She had mesmerized him, hypnotized him. She had used him for information.

  A stark, horrible thought seared through him: He had confided in her about Luke! He hoped to God that his friend had survived, that Jameson had captured him and gotten him out of the outlaw camp.

  The torment of knowing he might have been responsible for Luke's death haunted him and made rest impossible. Jack lay in misery, wishing he had the strength to get up off the bed and go after Elizabeth himself. He did not know where she'd gone, but he would search to the ends of the earth to find her, and he would not rest until he did.

  "Are you all right, Mr. Logan?" the nurse asked, seeing the fierce look on his face and wondering if his pain had worsened.

  "No, and I won't be until I'm out of this bed," he said.

  "You must rest. As severe as your injuries are, I'm sure you'll be restricted to bed rest for some time."

  Jack knew she was right. He couldn't have gotten up if he'd tried, and he didn't even have the strength to try. Not yet, anyway, but he would.

  A knock at the door drew the nurse to answer it.

  "Yes?"

  "My name's Cody Jameson, and I need to speak with Ranger Logan."

  "I'm sorry, but-"

  "Let her in," Jack managed to call out to her.

  The nurse glanced back at
him, saw his look of determination, and opened the door to admit Cody.

  "Jameson. You're back." Jack's voice wasn't strong, but his will was.

  "Here," the nurse said, pulling up a chair next to the bed for Cody.

  Cody sat down, shocked by the Ranger's appearance. His back was heavily bandaged and his coloring was pale. "What happened to you?"

  "Later. Did you bring in Majors?" Jack waited tensely for her answer.

  "Yes, he's locked in the jail right now. That's why I came here. I wanted to let you know."

  Jack couldn't believe that things had turned out so well. "Good... good. It had been so long that I was afraid something had happened to you."

  "It was tricky, but I managed to pull it off. I definitely earned my money this time." She thought of Luke's accusation that she was only doing this for the money. It saddened her, for she needed that money to support her family. Why else would she take such risks?

  "I'll see that you get paid. Will you be staying here in the hotel?"

  "Yes."

  "Good." Jack lay back down, closing his eyes for a moment.

  "What happened to you?" Cody asked.

  "I had a run-in with El Diablo."

  "El Diablo was here?" She was shocked. "Who is he?"

  Jack opened his eyes and glanced at Cody. A thought formed in his mind. If she could bring in Luke Majors, she was the best. Maybe, just maybe...

  As Steve and Fred returned to the sheriff's office from the Harris house, they were surprised to see strange horses tied up out front and a crowd gathering at the entrance.

  "What the hell is going on?" Steve asked.

  "You think somebody brought in one of the gang?"

  They hurried on.

  "They got him this time!" one voice shouted at them as they elbowed their way toward the door.

  Steve was the first one inside, with Fred on his heels. He saw the man in the cell and realized he must be Majors.

  "Who brought him in?"

  "Cody Jameson, the bounty hunter," the deputy supplied. "She wanted to talk to Logan, so we locked Majors up."

  Steve nodded and strode to the back of the room. Fred and the deputies tensed as they waited to see what he was going to do.