After the attorney returned to his seat, the judge instructed the jury and called a recess while the jury deliberated. Once court was in session again, Richter faced Kiera’s twelve peers. “Mr. Foreman, have you reached a verdict.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“What say you?”
“We find the defendant, Miss Kiera Alden, guilty as charged of horse stealing, arson, and murder.”
The crowd roared its agreement. The judge banged his gavel until they quieted.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I thank you for your service. Be assured that justice will be carried out swiftly. You are dismissed.”
The jury filed out, but most of the observers remained in the room.
Judge Richter faced Kiera. “Kiera Alden. You have been found guilty as charged. As such you will appear before this court tomorrow at nine o’clock in the morning at which time I will pass sentence on you for your crimes. This court is adjourned.”
“All rise,” the bailiff called.
Everyone stood until the judge had left then they filed from the room.
Kiera’s guards surrounded her.
Ev watched as she was taken from him. It couldn’t happen. She couldn’t be hung. She was innocent. He had one avenue of recourse. The chances were slim, but he had to try.
Chapter Thirteen
Judge Richter hurried into the hotel, passing Ev as he stood on the boardwalk watching Boyd and Muh’Weda ride away. They were on their way to persuade the colonel commanding Fort Sanders to intervene in Kiera’s case. The army didn’t normally get involved in the legal wrangling of the courts, but the troops were enforcers of the law charged with arresting law-breakers and wrong-doers as part of their primary mission of protecting honest citizens.
Ev would have gone with his friends, but he wanted to be close to Kiera, in case Big Si and his cohorts tried anything underhanded, like sentencing her today instead of tomorrow. He also needed to confirm his growing suspicions that Judge Richter and the prosecutor were taking bribes from Van Demer. That confirmation would give the colonel grounds to overturn Kiera’s conviction and declare a mistrial as well as arrest the judge, prosecutor, and Big Si. However, unless Ev found proof of the bribes, the colonel could do nothing.
Forcing the judge to confess would get Ev the proof he needed. In Ev’s estimation the judge was the weakest link in Big Si’s chain of lies and collusion. The judge was the only one who flinched when Van Demer’s injury was announced in court. Throughout the part of the trial Ev had seen, Judge Richter behaved like a man afraid. Any threat to his authority or deviation from his pre-determined course of the trial resulted in gavel banging and shouting. Reason had rarely entered into any decision or question. The judge was afraid. Ev was certain of it and would use that fear to get a confession.
He stopped to confirm Richter’s room number with the desk clerk then mounted the stairs. He’d hoped the judge was on the third floor, far enough from the lobby to prevent any noise from drawing attention. Unfortunately, the man was lodged on the second floor in the far corner of the building and facing the street. If things got rough, anyone walking by might hear. Ev would just have to do whatever he could to keep Richter from hollering. To that end, he headed first for his own room. He opened the door and came to an abrupt halt.
“Hello, Marshal.”
“Miss Van Demer.” He removed his hat. “I believe you have something that you took from my room.”
Seated in the room’s one chair in a corner by the bed, she had the grace to blush and cast her gaze to her lap where her hands gripped a familiar oiled leather packet.
“Yes, Marshal Quinn. I want to return this to you and hope that in exchange you’ll give me your help.” She placed the packet on the bed then twisted her hands together.
Wondering what she could possibly want, he studied her. Then he put his hat on one of the three pegs provided to store clothing, reached for the packet, and opened it. He examined the contents to make certain all the photographs were there and in good shape.
“I’m surprised you think I’d be willing to do anything for you but arrest you for tampering with evidence and obstructing justice.”
“I’m willing to accept the consequences of my actions, but please hear me out first. Then if you want to lock me up and throw away the key, I’ll cooperate.”
“Do you know how your father knew about these pictures?”
“Oh, everybody knew. Seems Miss Alden asked the soldiers who arrested her to wait for you to bring them. One of the soldiers was talking about it in the saloon and word spread.”
The story was plausible and explained a puzzling piece of the crimes circling Kiera like buzzards. He considered Elise for a moment. She seemed calm, almost resigned, but the twisting hands and a tiny tremor in her voice put the lie to all other signs of outward serenity. “Why don’t you start by telling me where you’ve been?”
“I went to see my grandfather.”
“Grandfather? Big Si never gave any indication that his father was alive.”
“He’s not. Pappy is my mother’s father.”
“I see. You went to see him because … ?”
The hands stilled for a moment, and she spoke without hesitation. “Because I wasn’t certain what to do, and Pappy always helps me see my way clear.”
“Okay.”
“My father is a man determined to found a dynasty. To that end he demands unquestioning obedience from me and all his employees. He has managed my life down to the very clothing I wear and over the years has allowed me little freedom or choice of my own.”
Ev eyed her. Her gaze was steady. Her hands remained motionless in her lap.
“Like any young person,” she continued. “I resented his restrictions, but I’m not stupid. I knew most of my father’s rules were for my safety and well-being, even if I chafed at them. However, I’m human enough to want my way in some things. Especially in the man I love and marry. My choice was very different than my father’s.”
Impatient to confront the Judge, Ev tried to hurry the girl along. “Do you have a point to make, Miss Van Demer?”
“My point, Marshal, is that my father is the person who shot Sheriff Boswell and tried to cover it up by burning down the horse barn.”
The weight of fear and worry pressing on Ev’s heart shifted as the last puzzle piece clicked into place. Now Van Demer’s actions made sense. However, Ev wanted to be certain the girl was telling the truth. “That’s a mighty serious accusation. If you’re mad at your father, I’d suggest a different way of getting back at him rather than making false accusations.”
“The accusations are not false. I witnessed the argument between my father and Sam, Sheriff Boswell, but Daddy didn’t see me. He was too busy starting the fire. I wanted to go to Sam, but I knew he was dead. I’d seen the life go out of him the minute he was shot. So I ran.”
She looked out the window. “Daddy may have pulled the trigger, but Sam’s death was my fault. I was about to go into the barn to try to stop the argument. Sam was standing about eight feet away from my father who had his back to me. Sam saw me and pulled his shot to keep me out of danger. That’s why I ran.
“I went to my grandfather then too. Pappy was away in Cheyenne on business, and I didn’t know what to do. So I kept silent, waiting to find out what happened to the woman Daddy had accused.”
Ev nodded to himself. He’d be confused too, if he wasn’t used to making his own decisions and the person who ran his life did murder in front of his eyes, especially if that person was his father. He knew exactly what it felt like to be the child of a man who disregarded the needs and wants of those dependent on him, a man who wielded his love like a club, a man who used violence and guilt to compel obedience from the very loved ones he abused. Only in Ev’s case it hadn’t been a lover that his father killed. It had been Ev’s mother.
Ev closed his eyes on the remembered pain, on the ever-present memory of finding his mother dying at his father’s hand
s. The agony of finally giving in to rage and beating the old man senseless then dragging him to the local law. The disgust of watching the slimy bastard wriggle out of the charges because a man, especially a preacher, was allowed to discipline his wife in any way he saw fit. It wasn’t his fault if the woman was too far gone in drink to keep her balance and had hit her head when reeling from a backhanded blow. The sheriff and the townsfolk hadn’t cared that no one had ever seen Ev’s mother take a drink stronger than tea. That day Ev had put his sister on the train to Chicago and left his father and his town. He’d never been back. Determined to see justice done whenever possible, he’d become a marshal and spent his life hunting down criminals in an attempt to right the wrong done to his mother—a wrong that could never be put right.
“Marshal, are you all right?” Miss Van Demer’s words pulled him from his memories. She’d moved to stand beside him, and he hadn’t seen her.
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “I’m okay. Tell me the rest.”
“I dithered, waiting, hoping Pappy would return from Cheyenne early, but he didn’t. Miss Alden was arrested and put on trial. I knew I should do something, but couldn’t figure out what. My father had murdered the man I love. I should have turned Daddy in, but he’s my father. I couldn’t.” Her hands twisted, and she looked almost wildly about the room.
Ev put a hand on her shoulder hoping to stave off her agitation. “It’s okay, miss. Calm down and keep talking.”
She swallowed, clutched her hands together and nodded. “The night you came back to town, Daddy told me to steal that packet from your room. The habit of obedience to him was strong, but so was the hate and anger that had been building since he killed Sam. I took the packet, but I didn’t give it to Daddy. Instead, I went to see Pappy to try to work out what was the right thing to do.”
“I gather you’re here because of what your grandfather said.”
She ducked her head a little. “Sort of. Pappy said that nothing was more important than family and certainly not some stranger’s life. Then I asked him if real family would ever hold back love and affection to guarantee obedience.”
“What’d he say?”
“He smiled and said I was pretty smart for a girl then told me to go do what I thought was right.” She held Ev’s gaze. “Murder is wrong, and making other people pay for your own wrong doing is evil. Daddy was wrong to kill Sam, but making Miss Alden pay for that killing is evil. Giving you that packet is the right thing to do, Marshal. I know my father may hang for what he’s done, but I’ll remember him better for it.”
At a loss for words, and anxious about the coming encounter with Judge Richter, Ev retrieved his hat. “I have to be going, Miss Van Demer. Earlier you asked if I would do something for you in exchange for the return of these photographs. I’ll be happy to discuss that with you at another time.”
She set her jaw. “Another time won’t do, Marshal. You see, I want you to allow me to help you arrest my father. That’s what you’re about to do, isn’t it?”
“Not quite, but why do you want that?”
“For Sam.”
Ev considered her. Alone, the confrontation with Richter could become a shooting matter. He doubted that the judge would try to kill two people, especially if one of them was daughter of the man giving him bribes. Some men might, but Richter wasn’t one of them. Ev was as certain of the man’s cowardice as Ev was certain he loved Kiera. But could Miss Van Demer pull off what he had in mind?
“How much do you know about your father’s dealings with Judge Richter and the prosecuting attorney?”
“Not much. They had business together, and they seemed to be friends.”
Ev wasn’t so certain about the friendship. Men like Van Demer would see friendship as a weakness. “You don’t know any of the details of their business?”
“No.”
“Could you pretend that you did?”
Her brow wrinkled in question. “How so?”
“Miss Van Demer, I suspect that your father paid the judge and the prosecutor bribes to guarantee the outcome of Kiera’s trial. He may have done the same in other legal proceedings.”
“My father is certainly capable of that.”
“I can’t prove it without a confession from one or both of them. I don’t think your father is likely to confess. The judge, however, is a weak man and may tell us everything if he thinks we already know enough to prove he took the bribes.”
Her brow eased, and she nodded. “I can do that. I did a deal of dissembling to hide the fact that I was seeing Sam when Daddy had forbidden it.”
“Then let’s go, Miss Van Demer. I want to get this over with now.”
As they headed for the stairs leading to Judge Richter’s room they heard angry murmurs coming from the room at the end of the third floor hall. A glance in that direction showed Ev that the door was ajar.
“That’s Daddy’s room.”
“Whoever he’s talking to, he doesn’t sound happy. We’d better go see if everything’s okay. Stay behind me.”
As they got closer, Ev recognized Richter’s voice.
“I won’t do your dirty work anymore, Van Demer. I don’t care how much money you offer me.”
“You’ll do anything I want and be grateful that I allow you to keep your seat on the bench. Those government boys owe me favors. I won’t hesitate to use one of them to get you thrown in prison. What do you think will happen to you when some of those criminals you’ve put behind bars get their hands on you?”
Ev turned to Miss Van Demer and pulled her back toward his room. “You heard all of that?”
“Yes.”
“Will you testify to it?”
“I will.”
“Then stay here in my room. Keep the door locked and don’t go out. They don’t know you’re in the hotel, and I want it to stay that way.”
“What will you be doing?”
“Making certain that your Daddy and Judge Richter get what they deserve.”
• • •
Manacled hand and foot, Kiera surveyed the noisy courtroom. Where were Ev, Boyd, and Muh’Weda? Ev had promised he’d be with her for the sentencing. Muh’Weda was her friend and not one to shy from unpleasant necessities. He at the least she had expected to be present, offering his silent support. Finally she yielded to the pressure of her guard’s hand on her shoulder and took her seat.
Judge Richter entered with the usual formalities then pounded his gavel and called for order. When the room quieted, he looked at Kiera a contemptuous sneer on his face.
“Before I pronounce sentence, does the Wyoming Wildcat have any final words for the court?”
How ironic, he denied me the chance to defend myself, but allows me a say now. Her thoughts racing, Kiera swallowed and stood. Could she delay long enough for Ev to arrive? She didn’t want to die without seeing him one last time. So she would speak, but what to say? She wouldn’t apologize or confess. Should she defy the court and expose it for the pack of lies and liars that it was? Would anyone listen if she did?
“Well?” queried the Judge.
“Cat’s got her tongue,” hollered someone from the back of the room.
The gallery erupted in laughter. The judge smirked and waited for the mockery to die down.
“If you’ve nothing to say, I’ll get on with … ”
“No, wait! I do have something to say. To you and everyone here.”
Still sneering, he gave a nod of his head. “Proceed.”
“I’ve done nothing in my life that I regret.” It was a lie. She very much regretted that she’d spent more time trying to escape Ev and less time loving him. “I committed no horse-stealing, arson, or murder. You may hang me, but the truth will out. When the citizens of Laramie discover how they’ve been manipulated and hoodwinked, I pray that in my memory they will see justice visited upon the truly guilty parties. I leave no worldly goods, only the love and affection for … ”
The double doors fronting the saloon burst open. Arme
d soldiers filed through double-time, taking up positions along the walls, next to Kiera, the prosecutor, and the judge. Four soldiers remained at the back of the room guarding the doors.
The crowd remained hushed, but Richter rose and pounded his gavel anyway. “What’s the meaning of this?”
For perhaps the only time, Kiera wanted the same thing as the judge.
Boyd, Muh’Weda, and the colonel from Fort Sanders strode down the aisle that split the room.
Her friends stopped and moved in behind Kiera. The colonel didn’t stop until he towered beside the judge. “I’ve been informed by these two gentlemen that this woman’s trial has been conducted in an illegal manner and that the charges against her are false.” The colonel gestured toward Kiera’s friends.
“Hmmph. Chicanery, pure chicanery. You’ve been fooled, Colonel. That woman,” Richter pointed his gavel at Kiera, “is a horse-thief, an arsonist, and a murderer. She’s been tried and convicted of her crimes by a jury of her peers. Bringing you here is just some fool delaying tactic. It won’t stop the hanging I’m about to order. In fact, it may just get her hooligan friends thrown in jail for obstructing justice and contempt of court.”
“Those friends presented compelling arguments to me along with the promise of evidence of this court’s misconduct.”
“Lies. All lies. Exactly what one expects from the Wyoming Wildcat’s criminal associates.”
Boyd stood and retrieved papers from his inner coat pocket. “I hate to disappoint you, Judge, but I’m no criminal. My full name is Boyd Alvarez. I’m a sworn representative of the Pinkerton Agency sent to Wyoming Territory to locate Kiera Alden on behalf of her family. I’ve been informed by the main office that Miss Alden’s sister Edith is on her way from San Francisco as I speak.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kiera sat with an astonished thump. Edith is coming here? From San Francisco? What was she doing there, and how did she know that I need her?
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