Lorna Seilstad - [Lake Manawa Summers 03]

by The Ride of Her Life

  Nick found the staircase and began his ascent. On the first floor, he heard the banging of pots. It made sense for this to be the servants’ staircase. A swinging door barred anyone from inside the stairwell. He continued climbing. Lilly had said the nursery was on the second floor in the west wing. Levi couldn’t be far now.

  At the top of the second set of stairs, he paused to listen. Lilly said the household staff usually took care of the bedrooms first thing in the morning and then moved to the main floor. If they hadn’t finished here, he’d have to find somewhere to hide.

  Hearing nothing, he slipped into the narrow servants’ hallway. He followed it until it opened to the much brighter and wider regular hall. In front of him, he could see the expanse of stairs leading down to the main floor with a formal dining room and a parlor flanking it.

  Giggling on the main floor below halted him. He pressed his body against the wall, his heart beating like the wings of a bat. The sound of the maids’ chatter died off. Keeping one hand on the ivy-patterned wallpaper, he again started for the nursery. The thick Oriental rug muffled his steps.

  A board creaked. He stopped. Listened. Moved on.

  Lilly said the nursery was the fourth room on the right. With another prayer on his lips, Nick counted the oak-paneled doors as he passed them. He laid his hand on the ornate brass door handle of the fourth door and pressed his ear to the solid surface.

  Crying. His heart grabbed, and everything in him told him to burst into the room and scoop Levi into his arms. But what if Levi wasn’t alone?

  The room adjacent to the nursery on the left had been Lilly’s. She said a pocket door joined the two rooms. Since no one was likely to be in her old room, Nick abandoned the nursery door and eased the next door open.

  He glanced around the enormous bedchamber. Dusty blue wallpaper loaded with white chrysanthemums seemed to fit Lilly. A four-poster mahogany bed stood sentry in the center. A massive wardrobe lined one wall with a door to a water closet beyond. He pictured Lilly sitting in the rocking chair holding a sleeping baby Levi. The table by the window, he imagined, had been a sanctuary for the young couple to enjoy occasional meals together.

  He felt like a voyeur peeking into Lilly’s private world. He shook his head. To go from all this to a tent, and none of it ever hers. No wonder she wanted a home.

  His gaze fell on the pocket door she’d told him about. Easing it open ever so slightly, Nick surveyed the nursery. For a playroom, few toys lined the shelves. He’d expected hobby horses and trains and instead saw a single basket of blocks, a few cast-iron horses and carts, and a top. Where were the balls and bats? Where were the books?

  But what he did see excited him.

  Levi sat drawing at a child-sized table—alone.

  After pushing the pocket door into the wall far enough for him to slip through, Nick stepped into the room. Levi spun around. He started to squeal, but Nick held a finger to his lips. Levi ran across the room and launched himself into Nick’s waiting arms.

  The boy squeezed Nick’s neck so hard he could barely breathe. When Levi finished hugging, he delivered a plethora of slobbery kisses to Nick’s cheeks.

  “Are you okay, Chipmunk?” Nick whispered, brushing the hair from Levi’s forehead. Levi pulled back, and Nick grinned at the coal-dust-speckled boy. What a sight the two of them made.

  Tears glistened in Levi’s eyes. “I want my mama.”

  “I know, and I’ll take you to her as soon as I can.”

  “That mean man made me come here. I told Grandfather I need to go home, but he said we’re going on a big trip tomorrow.” Levi scowled. “I don’t want to go on a trip. I want to go home.”

  “Home? To your new house? The diner?”

  Levi shook his head. “Wherever you and Mama are.”

  When he heard voices in the hallway, Nick held up his hand to signal Levi to be quiet. Setting Levi down behind him, Nick strained to hear if those outside were entering or merely passing.

  A voice he recognized echoed in the corridor. Nick’s pulse drummed.

  They’d been betrayed.

  Telling Lilly no was the hardest thing Mark had done in a long time.

  He did owe her, but letting her get in trouble or get hurt wasn’t any way to pay her back. Besides, the last thing Mark needed was to give Nick Perrin another reason for punching him. Already he’d seen Nick’s struggle to keep from dealing with him in a very concrete manner.

  Lilly finally backed down from her demands after Marguerite reminded her that Levi could still be at the park and not at the Hart estate, and Mark left, promising he’d telephone the lake with word as soon as he heard anything.

  “Miss Fallwell, good morning.” Mark tipped his hat in greeting to Mr. Hart’s stenographer.

  “I’m sorry, but Mr. Hart’s not been in today.”

  “That’s okay. I’m supposed to collect some papers from his desk to deliver. Mind if I go on in?”

  Miss Fallwell worried her lower lip between her teeth. “He doesn’t usually let anyone in, but given as you work here, I guess it would be okay.”

  “’Course it’s okay, beautiful.” He flashed his best college grin, and the full-faced, bespectacled, middle-aged woman turned as crimson as the draperies.

  Inside Claude Hart’s office, Mark went directly to the rolltop desk and slid the louvered door up. He scanned the many drawers and the desktop for train tickets. Seeing none on the surface, he began to go through the tiny drawers, starting in the right corner.

  Miss Fallwell rapped on the doorjamb. “Mr. Westing, did you find what you were looking for? I could come in and help you search for them.”

  “No, no. Don’t trouble yourself on my account.”

  “It wouldn’t be any trouble.” Her singsong voice made her wishes clear.

  “I’ve found the papers, Miss Fallwell, and I’m merely reading through them to make sure they’re in order.”

  “Oh, all right,” she said, the disappointment in her voice clear.

  Mark rifled through the central pigeonholes on the desk. Nothing. He stopped. Something was off. He went back to the three stacked center drawers and pulled them all out. They were shorter than the other drawers.

  He studied the wood panel behind them. One board seemed a bit different. He leaned close and examined it. With the three drawers extended, it allowed for him to slide the one panel over. Would it move?

  Pressing his fingers to it, he found it slid easily, revealing a hiding space. He reached inside and removed a set of folded papers.

  Mark opened the documents and gave a low whistle. Wait till he showed these to Lilly and Nick.

  Hiding would serve no purpose now.

  Nick crouched in front of Levi and took his hands. “Any second, I think your grandfather and some other men may be coming in here. It may look like I’m in some trouble for coming to get you, but no matter what happens, I don’t want you to be afraid. I’ll come back and get you as soon as I get things straightened out. And, Levi, I promise you’ll be back with your mama by tonight.”

  Levi put his arms around Nick’s neck. “Please don’t go. Please.”

  The door opened, but Nick didn’t release Levi. Instead, he held him tighter and whispered, “Remember, I love you, and I will be back.”

  Nick let go of Levi and turned toward the doorway, where Claude Hart stood like a judge ready to deliver a death sentence. Behind him stood three other men.

  “Percy, why?”

  “Mr. Black forced me to tell him where you’d gone. He said he’d tell the sheriff what I’d done.”

  “Which was?”

  Percy dropped his gaze to the floor.

  “It was you? You cut the chain on the coaster? Why would you do that?”

  “I—”

  Claude Hart cut him off. “Enough idle talk. Officer Morris, please arrest this man. I will be pressing charges.”

  Nick met Claude’s gaze. “You know this boy belongs with his mother.”

  The officer lo
oked from Claude to Nick to Levi. “Sir, what’s he talking about?”

  “Nothing of consequence.”

  “I’m taking Levi home.” Nick scooped the boy into his arms.

  “I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands, Mr. Perrin. Breaking and entering is a serious crime.”

  “So is kidnapping.”

  “Give me the child.” Claude held out his arms.

  “No!” Levi cried. “Please don’t let them take me, Mr. Nick.”

  Rivers of tears rolled down Levi’s cheeks, and Nick’s heart splintered.

  “Officer, as you can see from the child’s address, this man is not a relative,” Claude said. “I’m his grandfather, and the boy is under my protection. Do your duty. Arrest this man and get him out of my house.” He pointed to Percy. “And take him as well. He confessed to sabotaging the roller coaster at Lake Manawa. I’m sure the sheriff there will be happy to deal with him.”

  “Please, Grandfather, don’t make Mr. Nick go away.” Levi clung to Nick’s neck, his breath hot against Nick’s skin.

  Nick smoothed Levi’s hair, trying to soothe the boy’s sobs shaking his six-year-old frame. “Hey, Chipmunk, remember what I said earlier. Now you have to be brave for a little while longer for your mama—and for me.”

  “Sir.” The officer’s tone said the time had come.

  Pressing a final kiss to Levi’s sandy hair, Nick pried Levi’s arms away from his neck and handed him to Claude Hart. Hot tears burned the back of his eyes.

  The officer rattled a set of handcuffs.

  Nick swallowed hard. “Please, not in front of the boy.”

  “Sorry. That’s the way it has to be.”

  Slowly Nick placed his arms behind his back and felt the cold metal rings clink around each wrist. But it was the dejected look on Levi’s face that tore his heart to pieces. How was he going to get out of this and get Levi back to Lilly?

  41

  From the outside, Council Bluff’s three-story Squirrel Cage Jail looked more like a gothic brick church than a prison. Lilly adjusted her hat pin, then allowed Mark to lift her from the carriage to the ground.

  “Have you been in there?”

  Mark took her elbow. “Not as a prisoner, but yes. There are three floors of revolving pie-shaped cells inside a large cage. The jailer can rotate the cells so only one cell on each floor has access to a door at any time. A regular marvel of ingenuity.”

  “But it sounds like something for an animal.”

  “It’s not so bad. There are some windows for sunlight, and they feed them pretty well.” Mark raised his eyebrows. “But it is nearly impossible to escape.”

  “Will they let me see Nick?”

  “I’m going in as his lawyer, and you’re with me, so it should be fine.”

  “But you aren’t an attorney yet.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t think there will be a trial.” Mark patted his coat pocket. “I think Mr. Hart will be willing to negotiate a release.”

  Lilly climbed the stairs and preceded Mark inside. Mark told her to wait while he spoke to the jailer. She surveyed the entry and wished she could see more of the jail, but from her vantage point, she could only see the kitchen on the left and the offices on the right.

  A few minutes later, the jailer joined them. He gave her a critical once-over. “I’m not sure this is a fit place for a lady. I won’t be responsible for how the men act toward you.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “So be it. He’s here on the first floor. Follow me.”

  They followed the jailer down a hall. Lilly glanced upward at the “cage” holding the cells. The brick, the sparse windows, and the cold metal bars made her shiver. The unmistakable stench of unwashed bodies caused her stomach to turn. How was Nick handling this horrid place?

  The jailer went to the wall and connected a crank to a large gear. As he turned the crank, the cells turned on their axes with a groan. Metal grated against metal with an eerie screech. Lilly could see each of the prisoners housed in the small, pie-shaped cells as they passed by. Several made ungentlemanly comments to her in the process. Finally Nick’s cell appeared. She started toward it, but Mark grabbed her arm.

  “Can you let him out so we can talk?” Mark asked the jailer, nodding toward Lilly. “She shouldn’t be subjected to seeing him here.”

  “Sorry. That’s against the rules.”

  Mark released her. “Go ahead. I’ll give you some time alone first.”

  Lilly’s heels clinked against the metal floor, and she wrapped her fingers around the thick metal slats.

  Clothes blackened and face smudged, Nick met her, covering her hands with his own. “He has Levi. I found him, but I got caught before we could get out.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s upset, but he’s fine. I told him to be brave.”

  “Why is Percy here?” She glanced at the boy sitting behind Nick.

  “It’s a long story.” Nick cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I failed you.”

  “How can you say that? You said you’d do anything for Levi and me, but I never dreamed it could come to this.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  “Hey, none of that.” He laughed, but it sounded hollow and sad. “I’ll get out of this, and I’ll make sure you get Levi back. Then I think you and I need to have a nice long talk.”

  “Nick, I still don’t know how we can make it work. Levi needs a home. He needs security now more than ever. Think about what this has done to him, and you have a job that takes you all over the country.” She dropped her gaze to the chipped paint on the metal floor.

  He tipped her chin up until her eyes met his. “I have a job. It’s not my life. There are other things I could do.”

  “But—”

  He pressed his fingers to her lips. “Not here. Not now.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Mark.”

  The younger man strode over. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m fine. Levi has to be your priority, not me. How can we get him out of that house?”

  “Lilly, has anyone been a witness to the problems you’ve been having with Claude Hart?” Mark asked.

  “He spoke to Mr. Thorton and threatened his diner if I didn’t let him see Levi, and Marguerite and Emily were there when Claude and Evangeline dragged the sheriff in to accuse me of being an unfit mother.”

  “The sheriff? I take it he didn’t find any of their allegations true.”

  “Heavens no! He wasn’t a bit happy with them and told them to leave me alone.”

  “Perfect.”

  “And I can testify.” Percy joined them at the cell door. “Mr. Black paid me to sabotage the roller coaster. He was careful not to use Mr. Hart’s name, but I think he’d turn on Mr. Hart before he’d take the blame himself.”

  “Good.” Mark cupped Lilly’s elbow.

  “Mark, what do you plan to do?” Nick asked.

  The soon-to-be attorney turned to Lilly. “You and I, Lilly, are going to make a little deal with the devil.”

  An hour later, Lilly and Mark found the sheriff at Lake Manawa’s jail. Thankfully he’d gotten the message that Levi had been found, but he was furious to learn why the morning’s search had been unnecessary. He readily agreed to come to the city to help them straighten out the whole affair.

  Once they reached the police department, they followed the sheriff inside.

  “Sheriff Walter Boone, what can I do for you?” The police captain set down his papers and leaned forward at his desk.

  Sheriff Boone held a chair for Lilly, then took a seat himself. “Andrew, I’m here about a missing little boy.”

  “My men will be glad to help you find him.”

  “Actually, he’s been found. He’s at the home of Claude Hart.”

  The captain picked up the sheet of paper on top of his pile and passed it to the sheriff. “We arrested a man for breaking and entering there today. Any connection?”

  “The man you arrested was trying to get the
boy back. Hart had arranged for the boy, his grandson, to be taken from his mother.”

  The police captain turned toward Lilly. “Is that you?”

  She pressed her hand to her wildly beating heart. “Yes, sir.”

  “And who are you?” He studied Mark.

  “Mark Westing. I’m a friend of the family, and I work for Claude Hart.”

  “You another lawyer?” The captain’s eyebrows rose.

  “Not yet, sir.” Mark shifted. “Sir, we’d like to ask you to release Nick Perrin.”

  “Based on what? He still broke the law.”

  The sheriff nodded. “You’re right, he did, but so did Mr. Hart. I’m thinking I might be able to look the other way concerning the kidnapping if you can get Mr. Hart to agree not to press charges against Nick Perrin.”

  “You can’t charge Claude Hart with kidnapping. He’s a powerful man. No judge in this city would find him guilty if the child was his own grandson. Besides, you said he arranged to have the child taken. Who did the actual kidnapping?”

  “Clifford Black. But he’s either at the Hart residence or long gone.” The sheriff rubbed his peppery beard. “You’re right, though, about Hart and the judges of this town, but the kidnapping happened at Lake Manawa, my jurisdiction. I have no problem arresting the arrogant man and keeping him in my jail as long as I possibly can.”

  The police captain turned to Lilly. “Are you agreeable to not pressing charges?”

  “I only want my son returned and Nick released.”

  “Then maybe this will work. We’ll go talk to Mr. Hart first thing in the morning.”

  “No!” The word burst from Lilly’s lips. “We’ll talk to him now.”

  “We?” The police captain looked from Lilly to the sheriff.

  The sheriff smiled. “Andrew, the lady’s been through enough today. First she couldn’t find her son, and we all feared he was lost or drowned. Then she found out he’d been kidnapped, and now the man she loves is in jail. I don’t know about you, but I think we shouldn’t put her through any more. What do you say? Shall we reunite a child and his mother?”

  “What if Hart won’t go along with the exchange?”