A Changed Agent

by Tracey J. Lyons

  She could hear Will’s voice speaking in gentle tones. Moving closer, she realized he was reading aloud to Harry and Minnie. They sat on the top step of the back stoop. Will sat between them with the book resting on his lap. Minnie had one arm looped through the crook of Will’s elbow, and Harry was using his finger to follow the words along the page as Will read them.

  She didn’t recognize the book. She could see a picture of a train on the cover. It didn’t matter what the book was because at that very moment Elsie felt her heart bursting with so much contentment, so much love for the children, for this home they were creating. And for Will. She knew without a doubt, no matter what happened, that she wanted this to last forever.

  Elsie decided the kisses from Will were just the beginning of wonderful things to come for them. She now believed the Lord had brought them together to make a home for Harry and Minnie, and more importantly for them to find each other. But how could she make this her future with Will when he seemed so reluctant to open his heart and mind to fully accepting the Lord into his life? She knew he had faith, she just had to get him to trust in that. And there was this unfinished business with Virgil gnawing away at her. She needed to settle things with that man once and for all.

  Elsie had to find a way to put everything right.

  Finally coming to the end of the story, Will looked up at her. “Did you have a nice visit with Amy?” he asked.

  “Now, how did you know that’s where I went?”

  Leaving the book with Minnie, he stood. “It’s where you always go when you’re in need of a good friend to talk to.”

  “Amy’s parents are going to be coming home soon. She’s very excited about seeing them again.” Stepping around Will, she retrieved the laundry basket from where she’d left it at the back door.

  He accompanied her to the wash line, where she began taking down the sheets.

  “The children seemed to be enjoying your storybook.”

  He helped her with the sheets.

  “I bought it for Harry to replace the one his aunt Mary Beth took from him. I probably should get a special book for Minnie, too.” He frowned. “When do you suppose she’s going to talk to us?”

  “Soon, I hope. I pray for her every day.” Stacking the last folded sheet on top of the full basket, she added, “She’ll come around.”

  “I don’t know if I have the patience like you do to wait for that day to come.”

  Watching him pick up the basket, she replied, “You need to leave it in the hands of the Lord and believe that when the time is right, Minnie will find her voice again. Will, if you could just trust in him and trust in me when I tell you your faith can carry you through even the most unimaginably hard times.”

  Just as she thought he might, Will didn’t respond. Instead, he turned and walked up the back steps into the kitchen, leaving the basket by the table. It was as if a dark cloud had descended on them. His entire demeanor changed. She could see him closing himself off from her like he’d done so many times before. She longed to reach out to him, to touch him, to hold him close.

  “Tell me what caused you to lose faith, Will. Please.”

  “Elsie,” he warned. “This is not a subject I wish to discuss.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  “Let’s just say I’ve traveled around a lot and seen the things people do to one another.” He shrugged. “Their actions have left me thinking that sometimes faith isn’t enough to get a person through life.”

  “Oh, Will! You’ve never been more wrong.”

  “I need to go into town for a while.”

  She stilled. And then she started tapping her toe. Why wouldn’t he tell her what he was thinking and feeling?

  “Will, you just have to turn to the Lord again.”

  He shook his head. When Elsie reached her hand out to try and touch his arm, he took a step back.

  “I have work that needs tending to over at the lumberyard.”

  She knew he wasn’t being truthful with her. Determination and pride kept her from calling him on the fact. “Should I wait on supper for you?” she asked.

  “Don’t hold it for me.”

  Will walked away from the house feeling like the biggest of cads. But the moment he’d seen Elsie’s face, he knew he had to get to the bottom of the bond thievery as soon as possible. He wanted to close the case. He couldn’t move forward until this job was finished. Being a Pinkerton had been his life for so many years. Will could barely imagine not doing this job. How could he possibly fit someone like Elsie into his life? He also knew Elsie’s strong feelings about the church and her faith. She deserved a man who could give her the world she desired. And that man was not him.

  He heard the ruckus even before he came in sight of the saloon. The closer he got, the greater the feel of the tension filling the air became. Stepping between two lumberjacks, he elbowed his way into the room. Here the din was much louder. He squinted his eyes, looking through the brown haze of cigar smoke into the crowd, until his attention fixed on one man.

  Dwarfed by the dozen or so lumberjacks standing around him in a loose circle, Virgil Jensen had one hand in his pocket while another gripped the handle of a beer mug so tightly Will could see the whites of his knuckles. He could make out the grumblings of a few of the men. Seemed there was a poker game about to start. Virgil wanted in.

  “You still owe me for your last game,” a tall, burly man snarled. Will recognized him from the lumber camp.

  He saw Virgil reach into his pocket and pull out a thin roll of bills. It didn’t look like there was enough there to cover his debt and the next game. He was curious about how and if Virgil would get himself out of this mess. Deciding to keep his distance, Will stepped away from the group. He glanced toward the stage where the next show would be starting.

  The sound of dozens of voices swirled around him, mingling with loud laughter and the occasional cheer as the dancing girls started assembling in a line along the low stage placed at one end of the narrow room. Candlelit sconces were set up in a row at the edge of the stage, casting the girls in hazy light. Their long shadows swayed on the wall behind them. Making his way to the bar, Will got his usual—a glass of dark ale—which both he and the bartender knew Will wouldn’t touch. He laid a coin in the bartender’s hand. The bartender inclined his head in the direction of the stage. Turning, Will rested his elbow on the bar and looked over the heads of the lumberjacks just in time to catch Lily lowering her head. Will followed her gaze. He saw Virgil still standing in the mix of men.

  Virgil shifted from foot to foot. His eyes were wide, and he looked afraid. Virgil’s wild gaze shifted between the doorway behind them and the man standing in front of him with his hand out. Will couldn’t tell if he was more afraid of the men or of not getting in on the game.

  The pieces of the puzzle Will had been fighting to solve were all falling into place. Virgil had a gambling problem.

  The piano player started up a loud, upbeat dance tune that set the girls in motion. Their mid-calf-length skirts swirled and waved around their legs, riding above their knees to show off their frilly, thigh-high garters.

  As Lily danced in step with the saloon girls, Virgil’s little group of men moved through the crowd, going through a side door. Leaving his beer on the bar, Will followed them. As he moved quietly through the narrow, dimly lit hallway, he stopped in front of a single door. On the other side he heard the men talking in low voices. Virgil kept assuring them that he had the money to ante up. When he was about to be tossed out for his lie, Will pushed through the doorway.

  Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a wad of money. Tossing the bills on the table in front of Virgil, he said, “I’ve got him covered.”

  Virgil’s face lost all color as he stared up, recognizing his benefactor. At first glance, Will expected the weasel to bolt from the room. Instead, he reached out with a surprisingly steady hand and gathered the money in front of him on the table. After Will assured the group he was just ther
e as an observer, he stepped back into the shadows, finding a spot along the wall to rest his back against.

  The winnings of the first few hands were split evenly with the five players, which didn’t come as a surprise to Will. Most of the men had so many tells that even an amateur could spot them. He listened as the music out in the saloon changed from a quick tempo to a lighter one. The cheers died down. Will assumed the women had finished their show. He waited for Lily to come to him.

  In the meantime, he watched as Virgil started losing hand after hand, until just one coin remained in his stash. Recognizing the signs of a gambling compulsion, Will thought it no surprise that he’d broken off his engagement with Elsie. The man clearly needed this to survive. While most of the men were gathering up their winnings, Virgil remained at the table, running the coin through his fingers. The last man looked across the table and cocked an eyebrow. Virgil nodded. The man dealt out another hand of five-card stud.

  It was hard for Will to remain silent at his post. He wanted to reach out and throttle some sense into Virgil. But he knew it would do no good. Virgil was so far gone, and Will seriously doubted anyone could make him see the error of his ways. Will sent up a prayer of thanksgiving that Elsie hadn’t married Virgil. Knowing how strongly devoted she was to her friends and family, he feared she would have stayed with this man to the bitter end.

  Virgil had done the right thing by leaving her.

  A light tap on his shoulder had him look behind him. Lily had slipped unnoticed into the room. She inclined her head, and Will followed her out into the dark hallway.

  “What do you have for me?”

  “Virgil has been in the saloon all day. He came in as soon as Hal unlocked the doors. I heard him tell one of the girls that he was going to be leaving town soon.”

  “Did he mention where he’d be going?”

  “No. But he said something about getting back some papers he’d left with a friend of his.” Lily tugged the front of her saloon dress up in an effort to cover herself. “Why do I always have to be the saloon girl?”

  “Because I wouldn’t look as good as you do in that getup.”

  She swatted his arm. “Virgil Jensen is big on whatever those papers are, Will. He said getting them back could be a matter of life or death.”

  “From the looks of him, I’d guess he’s left a trail of debtors. Maybe those papers are worth enough to pay off his obligations and then some. There’s only one thing I can think of right now that might be so valuable.”

  She leaned in toward him, lowering her voice as a pair of drunken lumberjacks stumbled past them, going out the back door into the alleyway. “Some stolen railroad bonds perhaps?”

  The timing fit. Virgil had been in the Albany area at the time of the bond theft. Elsie had already told Will how she’d met Virgil while visiting her aunt and uncle. He’d given her a package. A whoosh of humid air rolled down the hallway as the back door opened and closed.

  Will rolled his shoulders, trying to get rid of the nagging tension stuck between his shoulder blades. From the way he’d been playing that game in there, Virgil was getting desperate. And if Will knew one thing about desperation, it could make a person do things they’d never thought about before. If Elsie had those bonds, she was in danger. Harry and Minnie could be in danger, too.

  Lily must have been thinking along the same lines because she said, “You’ve got to follow him. I’m afraid I can’t. The girls are probably wondering where I am right now. I told them I needed a break from the noise. The men seem to be a bit bawdier than usual tonight.”

  “Take care of yourself, Lily. I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

  “Now don’t you be worrying about me, Will. Remember, I’ve got my best friend strapped right here against my leg within easy reach if I need him.” Lily grinned into the dimness of the hallway, patting the spot high up on her leg where she kept a small pearl-handled revolver.

  Will chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of your wrath, Agent Handland.” Becoming serious, he added, “Look after Elsie and the children for me. I’m going to be tracking Virgil from here on out.”

  “Is there something I should know about, Will?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like are you finally falling in love with something, or should I say someone, other than this job?”

  He shook his head.

  The door to the hallway opened again. One of the saloon girls called out to Lily. “I need to be getting back.”

  He watched her move through the doorway into the saloon. He reentered the dark room where the poker game had been played to find only the dealer left at the table. His head was slumped over and Will heard him snore. Laying a hand on his shoulder, he gave him a quick shake, waking him up.

  “Hey. Where’s the man who was sitting across from you?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “He left.”

  “Do you know where he went?”

  “Nope. Now leave me in peace so I can get some shut-eye. I gotta go clean up that mess in a bit.”

  Will headed back out into the saloon hall. Looking around the room, he didn’t see any sign of Virgil. At the bar, he gave the barkeep a description of the man. The barkeep informed him he’d left a few minutes ago. Virgil was probably heading back to his family homestead. But Will worried he might backtrack to see Elsie again. Leaving the saloon, he stepped out into the humid air. Off in the distance he could see flashes of lightning illuminating the mountain peaks. Thunder rumbled. The first spring storm lit up the night sky. Picking up his pace, he hurried to the house.

  Standing in the shadows of a lilac bush, he looked at the house. He saw a flicker of candlelight moving from the kitchen into the parlor. Elsie’s silhouette appeared at the front window. The curtain moved as she peered out into the darkness.

  Will wanted to go inside and confess everything to her. He yearned to tell her the truth . . . to free himself from the subterfuge he’d been living in for so long. But he couldn’t do that. Confessing could bring harm to her and the children. Once this assignment was complete, he’d tell her who he really was. And if her faith in the Lord and life was as good as she claimed, she’d understand why he’d done the things he’d done.

  He watched her light a lantern and then set it on the roll top desk. He’d come home many a night to find the welcoming light left on for him. He watched her walk through the doorway into the kitchen. The candlelight moved through the room and into her quarters until it disappeared.

  Satisfied that Virgil wasn’t there, Will went over to the livery to get a horse. Rousting the watchman, he had him get the black gelding. Then he set off for the Jensen place. More thunder rumbled, spooking the horse. He pulled on the reins, controlling the animal. “There, there, boy. It’s just a storm, nothing more. Just the angels in heaven bowling.”

  The words stilled his movements. He closed his eyes against a memory so vivid it made his heart ache. His mother had told him he shouldn’t fear the thunderstorms because they were nothing more than God letting the angels play.

  Up ahead a bolt of lightning shot through the sky, splitting open the darkness. The horse shied.

  Sliding from the saddle, Will took the reins in one hand, patting the horse’s fear-dampened neck. “I promise you, boy, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  He led the horse along an old overgrown pathway. It didn’t take them long to come to the edge of the Jensen homestead. Will used the next flash of light to look for any signs that Virgil had been here. Off to one side of the pathway, he saw a few spots where the grass had been trampled down.

  Still leading the horse, he ventured farther onto the property. He could just make out a trail of smoke coming up the dilapidated chimney. Light flickered from the center of the house. Virgil had come home.

  The air stilled as the storms moved around the sky. Perhaps the rain would come and break the humidity. Or maybe the storms would eventually move out. Either way, Will would be here wait
ing, watching. Sooner or later Virgil was going to get what he’d come back to Heartston for. Wanting to make this a solid case, he needed to catch Virgil red-handed with those bonds in his possession.

  Elsie, being true to her word, would be going out to her parents’ house to retrieve Virgil’s stuff tomorrow after the church service. He felt certain the bonds were there. Beside him the horse pawed at the ground, then finding a bit of grass, nibbled away on it.

  He suspected Virgil was feeling a bit overzealous since he’d promised those men back at the saloon that he could pay off his debt. There was nothing worse than a desperate person. Will needed to be on the watch for what Virgil might do the next day. Taking an oilskin duster from his saddlebag, Will found a spot underneath a pine tree. He sat facing the house. Pulling the coat around his shoulders, he settled in for the night.

  The sound of the rain splashing against the window pane woke Elsie. Lying there with her head against the soft feather pillow, she listened to the sounds of the house. It was quiet. She’d tried to wait up for Will last night, but the hour had grown so late. She’d finally given up and, leaving the lantern burning low in the front parlor, gone to bed.

  She’d been silly to think that after the kisses they’d shared that he would stop his late nights at work. If indeed that was where he’d been going. She thought about the last time he’d stayed out till all hours, coming home reeking of the saloon.

  Realizing she wasn’t going to fall back to sleep, she found her robe at the end of the bed and put it on. Tying the sash tightly around her waist, she wandered out into the kitchen to begin the day’s chores.

  The lamp’s flame still sputtered on the low setting. Will hadn’t come home again. Frowning, she went into the parlor to blow out the flame. After all that had passed between them yesterday, she had thought Will was changing—that things between them were changing.