Hawk stepped in line beside him. “Me.”
Rosalind couldn’t help noticing that his hands rested on his guns. The motion seemed to be almost automatic to Hawk, probably from years of training, but at some point, he was going to need another way to solve his problems. That was the trouble with his quest for vengeance. Not everything could be fixed with a gun.
Coveney didn’t look at him. “I understand you might be part of the problem.”
The stoic expression on Hawk’s face didn’t waver. “I’ve never killed a man who didn’t deserve it. And while I’ve been in my share of trouble caused by an overindulgence in the drink, I haven’t had a drop in almost two years. Any complaints you might have heard about my character all revolve around my violent actions when filled with whiskey.”
“And your trouble with Stiles?” Coveney asked.
“We got along fine until I decided to investigate Joe Creary’s murder against his wishes. Since then, he’s done nothing but spread lies about me, and I can’t figure out why.”
Rosalind admired Hawk’s matter-of-fact defense of himself. He didn’t make excuses and owned up to everything he’d done wrong. He might not want anyone saying so, but it was clear that he was doing his best to be a better man.
“I’ve had to wonder that as well,” Arthur said. Then he turned back and looked at the rest of them. “Can I speak freely here? I’d like to continue our conversation from last night.”
“Yes,” Hugh said. “But why don’t we go inside, where it’s warmer?”
He led them into the Assayer’s Office, and Cordelia greeted them all. “Oh good, you’ve returned. It’s so cold outside. I’ll just put some water on for tea and coffee.”
So they wouldn’t disturb Rosalind’s mother, Hugh arranged some chairs in front of the fire in his office. In the summer, it had been sweltering, with the furnace he used for his work running, but after being out in the cold, it felt refreshing.
Once they were gathered around the fire, Arthur questioned the men about what they knew and what they’d found. He nodded intelligently, but until he had all of his questions answered, he didn’t give away anything about what he was thinking.
Finally, he said, “I do believe Joe Creary was murdered. I don’t believe Hawk had anything to do with it, or with the trouble happening with the railroad. As for Richard Stiles…”
Arthur leaned in to the group. “It’s no secret that the man is deeply in debt. His wife is one of the greediest women I’ve ever met, and nothing satisfies her. My associates have told me that Stiles has approached them all over the past several months, asking for loans or leads on ways of making more money. It wouldn’t surprise me if Fink approached him, looking for assistance in kidnapping a young lady. I’m sure he took the money, paid a smaller amount to some of his loyal men, and pocketed the rest. Can I prove it? No. But I also know that Gaylord Penworthy has been breathing down his neck to get results, so if Penworthy were to get wind of Stiles’ actions, he’d be furious. I’m sure Stiles is desperately trying to cover up his actions so he can keep Penworthy happy and not lose his primary source of income.”
Arthur leaned back in his seat, looking proud of himself. Unfortunately, Hawk didn’t seem as pleased.
“If you can’t prove it, it’s of no use to us. It’s going to take evidence to convince anyone of our innocence, or at least the real culprit,” Hawk said.
That was the real trouble. Even though all of the accusations against them had been without evidence, it would take evidence to clear all of their names.
Justice was a funny thing. Sometimes she didn’t blame Hawk for seeking his own version of it.
“I had the chance to speak with Marshal Charles S. Gant in Denver,” Arthur said. “He’s quite the character.”
Rosalind thought she heard Hawk mutter something about him being a character all right, but Arthur had already continued talking about his meeting with Gant.
“The Marshal is afraid Hawk is going to do something stupid. I’m sure you can understand my concern with my daughter and grandchild being under the influence of someone about to do something stupid.”
Hugh gave a tiny snort of a laugh, then quickly regained his composure. “Arthur, I told you, Hawk’s stupidity has nothing to do with this case. He’s one of the best men I know.”
“Stupid is as stupid does,” Arthur said. “And if he’s going to be stupid about something, who’s to say it’s not going to roll over into the rest of his life? I don’t suffer fools, and I most certainly don’t tolerate them being near my family.”
Most men wouldn’t have put up with being called stupid so many times, in so many ways, but Hawk just sat there, a blank expression on his face. When Arthur was finished, Hawk looked him straight in the eye.
“I didn’t ask to be near your family. Hugh is an old friend, but his family is more important to me than anything else. As soon as I solve Joe’s murder and clear the Creary name, I’ll be on my way, off to pursue the stupidity everyone is so afraid will taint their lives. So if you know something that would be of help, I suggest you share it quickly so I can be out of everyone’s hair.”
From Rosalind’s surprised gasp, Hawk wondered if he should have spoken so freely. But he knew enough about Arthur Coveney to know that the older man would appreciate him coming straight to the point. After all of the previous hinting about Rosalind’s marital status, and Rosalind’s claims of wanting true love, he needed to make sure everyone was clear that he didn’t intend to stay in Noelle. Nor did he want to cause any trouble for Hugh and Minnie.
Coveney nodded. “It’s a shame you’re set on being stupid. The world could use more men like you, minus the stupidity. But I’ve always said, let a man be who a man’s going to be, so long as they don’t mess with my family. I can’t help you with any proof on Stiles, other than to give you a list of his creditors. Gant told me to tell you that your suspicions were right about the man you had him look into not being who he said he was. He said to tell you to proceed with caution, even though he doesn’t think you will.”
Wasn’t that just like Gant? “Did he give you anything specific?”
“Just that if you can keep your cool long enough to wait this one out, and to investigate without acting on your knowledge, he’ll be back with the answers you’re looking for, and it will make all the difference.” Coveney leaned in to him and spoke softly. “Basically, don’t be foolish. Whatever stupid thing you have planned, don’t do it.”
Well, that didn’t make any sense. The only stupid thing he had planned was going after Beth’s last killer. But that, according to Gant, was the height of stupidity.
Gant clearly hadn’t known whether or not he could trust Coveney or whoever Coveney would send to deliver the message, but Hawk had understood his cryptic message. Gant had looked into Reggie and found something unsavory.
“I appreciate you passing on the message,” Hawk said. “I know what he’s talking about, and while I can’t make any promises regarding my stupidity, I won’t go after this guy alone.”
It was funny, saying those words, realizing that he meant it. If Reggie was behind it all, or at least partially so, that meant everything Hawk believed about who and what he could trust in the railroad was false. He’d already been acting upon that assumption, but knowing it was true meant that he had to proceed more carefully. Not just for finding Joe’s murderer, but also because whoever was behind it all knew exactly how to destroy the railroad.
The door to the shop opened, and Liam Fulton, the owner of Cobb’s Penn, entered, looking frantic. “Did you hear? Stiles has been going around town, making it known unofficially that the railroad was going to be here on Thursday. But then, I just had one of the foremen working on the railroad in my shop today, and he said that he was ordered to pull up a bunch of the track because it hadn’t been laid right. He was saying that it would take at least a week to get those repairs made.”
Hawk had spoken to Liam a number of times about the stress of try
ing to run a business that relied on regular shipments to Noelle and not knowing when they would have the train. The other man was extremely concerned about keeping his store stocked, particularly when Sheridan’s hardware had opened up across the street and offered many of the same items at a lower price. Liam had complained that it seemed like Sol Sheridan was trying to bankrupt him.
“I don’t know what to do,” Liam continued. “We are running low on a lot of things, and even though Peregrines’ prices are fair, shipping via rail is so much less expensive, so I’ve been holding off, wanting to give my customers better prices. Since Stiles was the one who told me that the train was coming on Thursday, I thought it was safe to go ahead and place a large order. In fact, he encouraged me to do so. If it has to come over the pass by wagon, instead of the train, it’s going to ruin me. The extra cost of shipping via wagon versus what I’d planned on paying for the railroad is just too much.”
Shaking his head slowly, Liam let out a long sigh. “Maybe I should have just taken Mr. Sharp up on his offer when he was in the shop earlier this week. He’d been trying to buy the place for the railroad, but Avis and I are committed to life in Noelle. But if we have to pay the extra freight charges, I don’t know if we can afford to stay. Talking to a lot of the business owners, it seems like many of us are in the same boat.”
“Has Sharp asked to buy your land before?” Hawk asked.
Liam nodded. “Yes. All of the business owners on Main Street have been approached. The railroad would like to use the land for their own restaurants, shops, and hotels. It’s become very popular in many cities, where the railroad owns all the businesses near the depot to maximize the profits. So many people come straight off the train and patronize the first business they see. It makes sense for the railroad to want to capitalize on that, but we were here first, and even though Sharp tried all sorts of sleazy tricks and made ridiculous offers for buying our land, none of us are going anywhere. At least I hope not. Maybe I can talk to Charlie about buying back my share in the mine so we can stay afloat. Stiles has offered to buy it from me, but Charlie has said that he doesn’t want any of us to sell to Stiles. He doesn’t trust him, and I have to say after Stiles got our hopes up about the railroad, I no longer trust him either. He had to have known about that track. What was he doing, setting us up with a false hope that the railroad would be here when he had to have known about the track?”
Stiles would have known for sure. With what Hawk had heard over the past couple of months, and the various rumors that seemed to have begun with Stiles, it was almost like the other man used rumors as his way of controlling things. It’s how he’d turned people against Hawk and the Crearys, and it seemed like the men were always riled up over one rumor or another. But maybe this wasn’t Stiles being malicious. Maybe he was being clever. If people acted on the rumors started by Stiles, it would be to Stiles’s advantage.
For example, if some of the businesses in town had to close down because they were counting on the railroad, and the railroad didn’t go through, Sharp and Stiles could buy up land that wouldn’t otherwise be for sale.
Hawk looked over at Hugh. “The boarding house is right across the street from the depot. That’s pretty valuable land to the railroad. I’m surprised Sharp didn’t buy it up so the Crearys couldn’t build on it.”
“He couldn’t,” Rosalind said. “Charlie owns the land. He told my father that if he promised to settle here and build a life and business in Noelle, after a year, Charlie would sell it to him at a fair price. Even though Father is gone, Charlie has promised us that if we remain with the same intention, he’ll offer us the same deal he offered our father.”
“So if you leave, Charlie still owns the land? Who else knows about your deal?” Hawk asked, trying to understand what was happening. Based on what Fulton said, the land the boarding house sat upon was one of the most valuable pieces of land to the railroad.
“No one,” Horatio said, casting a glare at Rosalind. “Rosalind shouldn’t have said anything at all. Charlie asked us not to tell anyone about our arrangement. He said he would rather people just think we’d purchased it, rather than expecting Charlie to hand out land deals to everyone who came to Noelle. He only made this deal with our father because he knew our father’s reputation in St. Louis, and he felt that if we could offer something similar to the people who visited Noelle, Noelle would grow and thrive.”
Which meant neither Stiles nor Sharp knew that if the Crearys left Noelle, the land still wouldn’t be available. They probably figured that if they could drive the Crearys out, Sharp could buy the land for the railroad at a discount.
Another theory he couldn’t prove, but it made sense why the Crearys were still being targeted.
Hawk turned to Coveney. “How does this match up to what you know about the land deals the railroad makes?”
“Sharp has a reputation for being cutthroat. That’s probably why Penworthy hired him. Rumor has it that he lost a lot of money on the initial land deals to Noelle, and now he’s kicking himself because, with the other nearby silver mines that have popped up, he could’ve bought land elsewhere, started a new town, and come out ahead. But, if the railroad fails in its commitment to Noelle, and the town dies, Penworthy has spent a lot of money for nothing. He has to find a way to recoup his losses.”
Coveney looked thoughtful. “It makes sense that Stiles and Sharp would be working to lower the value of the property in Noelle so that property owners would be desperate to sell, offload their property at a lower price, then, when the railroad comes, they own all the property and can make all of their money back.”
“I should have known better than to trust Stiles,” Liam said. “Charlie has been saying that he’s not trustworthy, but I really been trying to give people a chance. It doesn’t seem fair to judge people based on rumor, suspicion, or outward appearance. But thinking about what the other business owners have said about Sharp and his offers, every time we think the railroad is coming, and it doesn’t, it seems like Sharp is always right there, offering to buy our businesses.”
Charlie entered, Draven in tow, both looking angry. “Have any of you heard any of the railroad rumors?”
Hawk nodded, gesturing the men inside. “Liam was just here to tell us about how, if the railroad doesn’t come as planned on Thursday, it’s going to ruin him. I imagine those are the conversations you’ve been having as well.”
Charlie’s nod gave Hawk all the answers he needed. “We’ve been asking what the railroad’s motivation in delaying the arrival to Noelle is,” Hawk said. “It seems to me, if the businesses spend more on items, thinking they’re getting cheaper shipping from the railroad, then end up having to pay for overland freight because of the railroad delay, going out of business as a result, the railroad can snap up the properties cheaply, and then, when the railroad finally does come, the railroad owns all of the prime real estate.”
Charlie and Draven looked confused, so Hawk explained what he learned from Liam, and the pieces he’d put together. By the time he was finished with his explanation, both men had looked even angrier than they’d been when they’d first come into the assayer’s office.
“I knew the railroad wanted the land for themselves, but I never thought they’d stoop so low to get it.” Charlie said.
“I can’t prove it,” Hawk said. “But it’s the only thing that makes sense.”
He turned his attention back to Arthur. “Do you think, if Stiles were to help Sharp acquire these properties for the railroad at a better price, thus reducing the railroad’s losses, would Penworthy be likely to give him a bonus that would cover his debts?”
Looking thoughtful, Arthur nodded. “I’m sure Penworthy would be willing to offer the men bonuses. But I can’t see him doing something so low as to encourage the men to tamper with the railroad to achieve that end. There’s no guarantee that it would be successful, and all of the sabotage, especially the bridge destruction, is so costly that it could ruin Penworthy in the process
. He’s not enough of a gambler to be willing to take those risks.”
At least they had some level of motivation for the situation. “How do we prove it?” Charlie asked.
“We have to figure out who’s on the inside, helping them,” Hawk said. “I believe I have a suspect, at least if I’m reading into the message Gant gave Arthur correctly. I’ll send a message to my friend Moses, who we can trust. Now that my suspicions are confirmed, we can lay a trap or at least know will who we’re looking at to get evidence.”
“And just how are we supposed to get evidence,” Draven said, sounding disgusted. “I agree with your theory. There is no other reason why the railroad would refuse to let me investigate on their property. Any evidence is going to be on railroad property. Gant is talking to his superiors about finding a way to legally operate on the railroad property, but so far, he’s also running into brick walls.”
Even though the other men looked discouraged, Hawk had never felt more encouraged about the situation.
“But at least now we know what we’re looking for,” Hawk said. “We understand the motivation, which means it’ll be much easier to narrow down who is doing what, and why.”
His answer didn’t appear to make Charlie any happier. “But if they keep sabotaging the railroad until our business owners sell, we’re almost at a standstill. We can find things out all we want, but that doesn’t get the railroad here any sooner.”
Hawk looked over at Arthur. “How long do you think Penworthy can afford the cost of delays and repairs to the railroad?”
The older man thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Not long,” he said. “The cost of the bridge repair set him back quite a bit. A few of us were discussing it in our club, that even though the bridge is considered something of an engineering marvel, we wondered if it was worth the expense. He tried to laugh it off, but I could tell he was under a great deal of stress. His past few coal payments have been late, and I suspect he’s having cash flow problems.”
Rosalind: A Thanksgiving Day Bride (Brides of Noelle Book 8) Page 16
