Love Everlasting

by Tracie Peterson

  “It’s all quite true.” Welby remained as nonchalant as if he’d just told them it was raining outside. “He is not a man to be trifled with. He belongs back in jail, if you ask me. I believe Mr. Greene should press charges immediately.”

  “I will instruct him to do so,” the councilman replied.

  “I wouldn’t wait long. Cunningham has a way about getting back at people who offend him.”

  “I will send him a letter this very moment.”

  Welby noted another man joined them. This one was another of the councilmen. Rather than dwell on the topic of Abrianna’s father, Welby changed the subject. “I understand the railroad has agreed to some additional free freighting as a means to aid the city.”

  The conversation turned to the rebuilding and generosity of many from all over the country. Money had poured in immediately after the fire, with additional pledges of free goods and other helps. It was the perfect topic with which to busy these men. Priam listened for a time, then excused himself and made his way across the room to speak for a moment with one of the local bank owners. By the time the ladies rejoined them, Welby was more than satisfied with the turn of events. The evening hadn’t been wasted after all.

  Reaching his home, Welby wasn’t surprised to find Carl there waiting to speak with him. He gave his report about Abrianna’s activities that day.

  “It would seem”—Welby poured himself a scotch and offered Carl one, as well—“that Abrianna’s father has been up to a little fighting. Apparently her visit to the property agent did not go well. The man managed to do something that upset the dear girl. Her father apparently beat the man.”

  “Well, like I told you, he did join her in the office, and then she came out alone and waited at the wagon for him. It would definitely have given the man time to start a fight.”

  Carl took the drink, tossed it back, and put the glass on the table. Welby grinned, then took only a sip of his drink. “I believe,” he continued, quite pleased, “we can use this. I encouraged the man’s friends to get him to file charges. We’ll get Mr. Cunningham thrown into jail and create a bit of a crisis for Abrianna.”

  “But, boss, that ain’t gonna amount to much. There’s folks scamming and lynchin’, thieving and killing. No one is gonna pay much attention to a poke in the face. They’ll fine Cunningham and turn him loose.”

  “I suppose that is true. We’ll have to up the stakes, then. I’ll speak to a friend of mine and see to it that Cunningham fits the description of several other crimes. We’ll keep him tied up for a while. Meantime, I have to figure out how to get Wade Ackerman in even hotter water.”

  Carl laughed. “Too bad he wasn’t the one who beat that man.”

  Welby turned to Carl. “That’s a wonderful idea. Only why stop at a beating? Our Mr. Ackerman seems like the type to defend his beloved’s honor. Perhaps we can further this matter to our benefit. I have an idea.”

  “I want a very simple dress.” Abrianna showed Aunt Miriam the style she’d settled on. “See, the front would be very flat. The bodice would be shaped with a sort of V draping. It will have tulle and lace to the neck. The sleeves will be long and slightly puffed at the shoulder but then belled at just above the wrist. The undersleeve would be of the same tulle and lace that trims the bodice. The skirt of the gown would be very simple, but the hem would be trimmed with pleated tulle.”

  “And what of the train and bustle?” her aunt asked.

  “I don’t wish for either, but I suppose it is rather difficult to eliminate the bustle. I still fail to understand why that has become so fashionable. It would seem to me that the silhouette is all wrong. I find nothing stylish or appealing about bustles. But, of course, no one in fashion has sought out my opinion.”

  Her aunt’s lips hinted at amusement. “Dear Abrianna, I’m certain that if they knew of your distaste, they would be most concerned.”

  “Oh, don’t tease me, Auntie.” Abrianna sat back from the drawing. “I found the proper pattern, and with the tiniest of alterations it will be the exact gown I want. There will be plenty of time to create it, but Lenore suggests I get right to it. She even had her mother bring me twenty yards of satin and another dozen of tulle, with the promise of the lace to be expedited from a place she knows in New York. It’s her wedding gift to me.”

  “It is a most generous gift. I had heard that Mrs. Fulcher came for a brief visit and brought you that. I appreciate Lenore’s determination, and I believe her advice in order. One can never tell what events might combine to interfere with the best-laid plans. If you would allow, Selma and Poisie and I would be honored to help in the creation. We could begin cutting out the gown in the morning.”

  “I would love it. To have you three involved will make it all the more special.” Abrianna leaned over to give her aunt a kiss on the cheek. “Not only that, but you know what a poor seamstress I am. Goodness, Wade will have neither mended clothes nor freshly baked bread.” A loud banging on the front door caused Abrianna to jump back, nearly knocking one of Aunt Miriam’s prized vases to the floor. She managed to catch it at the last minute.

  Liang arrived just as Abrianna put the vase to rights. She looked ashen faced and frightened. “The police here now.”

  Abrianna bit her lip while Aunt Miriam rose gracefully and moved to the vestibule. Abrianna already knew they had come to speak to her father. She slipped out the side door and hurriedly made her way through the house to the back door. It was dark outside, and the only real light afforded her was that given off from the windows of her home and the carriage house.

  It didn’t matter, however. Abrianna hiked her skirts and all but ran to find her father. She didn’t have far to go. He was in the stable securing the horses for the night.

  “The police,” she said gasping. “The police are here.”

  “For me?” He looked at her with a most grave expression. “Say nothing. I’ll handle it.” He went to a bucket of water and washed his hands.

  Abrianna could see the worry in his eyes, and it frightened her. She wished that Wade were there, but he’d gone with Kolbein to pick up a large bureau from Lenore’s parents. They were to have sent the servants with it in the morning, but Kolbein wanted to manage the matter himself.

  When her father finished drying his hands, he squared his shoulders. “Shall we?”

  Abrianna nodded and followed him. She prayed, or at least tried to pray. Her mind was a muddle of thoughts and fears, and it made finding any peace in communing with God impossible. Once back in the house she reached out to stop her father.

  “Maybe it’s not about you. Maybe you should go . . . go get help at Kolbein’s house. Surely they’ve returned by now.”

  Her father gave her hand an affectionate pat. “I know what you’re doing, and you don’t need to worry. It’ll all be fine. I did wrong and I have to account for it. I know that. Like I said before . . . just keep quiet and I’ll handle it.”

  She nodded, but even as she did Abrianna had a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

  An hour later Wade finally came home. Abrianna didn’t give him a chance to get to the carriage house, however. She’d waited and watched and the moment she heard him coming up the graveled drive, she hurried to greet him.

  “Oh, Wade, it’s terrible!” She burst into tears, unable to think of anything but the sight of her father being led away to jail. “The police have taken my father.” She threw herself into his arms. “You have to help him, Wade. I just know they aren’t going to treat him fairly. They were already treating him quite rough.”

  “Wait. What happened? Is this about him hitting the property broker?”

  She nodded. She couldn’t see his face very well. “Come to the kitchen so we can talk. I need to see your face. I take such comfort in it, and right now I desperately need to calm my spirit. I am in such a state.”

  He held her close and kissed her forehead. “All right.”

  Abrianna pulled him along, regaining control of h
er tears. “They just came storming in and demanded he come with them. They weren’t at all kind. They treated him like he was responsible for setting Seattle on fire rather than just punching an obnoxious man in the eye. Grief, but they didn’t even want to hear him tell what had happened. I tried to tell them, but nobody wanted to hear me, either. They simply dragged him from the house and hauled him off. It was terrible. I don’t know where he’s been taken, and I don’t know whether he’s all right.”

  She opened the back door and hurried into the lamp-lit kitchen. Turning, she could see that tender expression she’d grown to love. “Oh, Wade, what are we to do?”

  “I don’t know, but I would imagine it’s too late to find out tonight.” He shook his head. “Your father was afraid this would happen. He told me he knew he’d have to account for what he’d done. We even prayed it might go easy on him.”

  “I know. He said the same thing to me about accounting for it, but I don’t understand why the police were so cruel. They even hit him at one point and told him to cooperate. But, Wade, he wasn’t being uncooperative. They were just being mean.” She felt her emotions change from grief to anger. “If I’d been a man, I would have thrown them out.”

  Wade blew out a long breath. “And they would have thrown you into jail. There’s a lot of crime going on. Has been ever since the fire. Maybe they were just expecting trouble and acted out of line. It’s possible your father will return tonight, so don’t get too worked up.”

  She let her breathing even and her fears abate. Wade’s presence calmed her and gave her hope. “I suppose you’re right. He’s only been gone an hour or so. It’s just that it was so late when they came for him, and now it’s nearly ten. I’m sorry I acted the way I did.”

  Wade reached out and brushed back a loose curl. “You never need apologize to me for being afraid. I will always take care of you, and if it’s in my power to do so, I will keep you from ever being afraid again.”

  “I do love you so.” She allowed him to take her in his arms. Aunt Miriam and the others would be scandalized, but Abrianna eagerly yielded to him for a long passionate kiss. How she wished they were already married and could just remain in each other’s arms throughout the night. She feared this comfort would leave her the moment he went his way and she went hers. It was times like this that she wished they’d eloped, as Wade had suggested.

  14

  When Abrianna’s father didn’t come home that night, Wade took it upon himself the next morning to see what he could learn. He dressed in his work clothes, hoping that once the matter was resolved, he might head off to his duties. Abrianna was inconsolable.

  “I just know they have locked him up somewhere without regard to his welfare,” she told him.

  “Well, since the jail burned down and they’re using the armory to keep law and order, I would imagine he’s there with the other prisoners. Try not to fret. I’ll see to getting to the bottom of this. He’s bound to have bail set by now. Maybe they’ve even processed the matter for dealing with it quickly. I’ve heard that in some of these lesser cases, that’s the way it’s done.”

  “Do get word to me as soon as possible,” she said as he finished loading his tools in the buckboard.

  “I promise I will.” He turned before climbing up. “How about a kiss for luck?”

  She frowned. “We neither one believe in luck, so kissing for it seems completely uncalled for. I would have expected—”

  Wade drew her into his arms and kissed her into silence. “There,” he said and pulled away, “that was a kiss for love—and silence. I’ve got to go now.” He climbed up into the wagon. “I’ll send word.” He took up the reins and gave them a snap.

  The road system was still in upheaval, although the city made a little more progress each day. The obstacles of debris were gone for the most part, although here and there they had been piled up for removal. The newspaper said that a good portion would be used to fill in and level up the low-lying parts of the city.

  There was plenty of activity when Wade arrived at the armory. An increase in looting, pickpockets, and scam dealers kept the police force busy, despite over two hundred men having been added to the force. After looking at his pocket watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, Wade was relieved to hear his name called.

  “I’m here to see about James Cunningham,” he told a uniformed officer who acted as clerk.

  The man looked through a stack of papers. “I don’t see him here.”

  “He was just brought in last night. He never came home, and we’re quite worried about him.”

  The man nodded. “That would account for it. I haven’t yet received that information. I can have you taken to where we keep the new prisoners, and you can see if he’s there.” He motioned for an older officer. “Sergeant Clemont will take you to the new prisoner holding area.” He looked to the sergeant. “This man is seeking a James Cunningham. Know anything about him? He would have come in last night.”

  “I weren’t here through the night. Just came on this morning.” The man’s gruff response made it clear that he thought this all a great annoyance. “But I’ll take him.”

  He led the way past the front office and down a long corridor. The older man said nothing as he unlocked a door and ushered Wade inside. Two other officers were there guarding the prisoners.

  “This fella is looking for a James Cunningham. Would’ve come in last night.”

  The men exchanged a look. “That’s the troublemaker we have set out by himself. You can have five minutes, nothing more. And we’ll need to search you before you see him. He’s a dangerous one. They didn’t even set bail for him.”

  Wade thought surely they had the wrong man, but he said nothing. Holding out his arms he submitted to the search, and when they found nothing amiss, he remained in place until they directed him where to go. He didn’t want to give them any reason to believe he was anything other than cooperative. From what Abrianna said of the men who’d come the night before, it very well might be that the entirety of Seattle’s police force were more than a little anxious.

  One of the officers motioned Wade to follow. They moved past several rooms and finally came to a door. The man took out a set of keys and unlocked it. “I’ll be back for you in five minutes.”

  Wade nodded.

  The man opened the door and all but pushed Wade into the dimly lit room. He slammed the door behind him and relocked the door. “Five minutes. No more.”

  The only light provided emanated from the narrow rectangular window over the door. “Jay, you here?” He waited for his eyes to adjust, then saw something stirring on the floor. It appeared to be a man.

  He went closer to inspect. “Jay?”

  “Wade?” The word came out muffled as if the man had cotton in his mouth.

  “What’s happened to you?” Wade tried to help Jay to a sitting position, but the man let out a moan of pain, and he stopped. “Are you hurt?”

  “They . . . they beat me bad, Wade.” He could barely speak. “Said . . . I wasn’t cooperating with . . . the officers. But . . . I swear I was.” He slumped against the wall.

  Wade knelt beside him. “This is uncalled for. Just because you punched Greene in the eye, this doesn’t make sense.”

  “They said they . . . were gonna . . . keep me for some . . . some other things, too. Wade, I ain’t done anything . . . else.”

  “I know that, Jay. Look, I’ve only got a couple of minutes. They won’t give me longer. I’ll go right away and talk to Kolbein. I have a feeling you’re going to need a lawyer to get out of this.”

  “Don’t . . . don’t tell Abrianna about . . . the . . . beatin’. She’ll . . . she’ll just worry.”

  “I’ll not share the details with her, but she is already worried. When you didn’t come home last night, she insisted I find out where they’d taken you. I don’t think any of us expected to find you like this.”

  “I know. Me either.”

  Wade reached out and gently touch
ed the older man’s shoulder. “Why don’t we pray?”

  “I’d like that. Been . . . been doing just that.”

  Wade bowed his head. “Father, we don’t know why this has happened or how your purpose will be served, but we put our trust in you and ask for guidance. Help us to know the direction we’re to take and help Jay to heal from his wounds. Amen.”

  “Amen.”

  As if the guard had been listening outside, the door opened. “Time’s up.”

  Wade rose, and as the light spilled across the room, he could see Jay’s battered face. The brutality had been fierce, and it was little wonder the man could barely speak. “I’ll take care of this, Jay. Even if I have to go see that Mr. Greene myself.”

  He left the crumpled man and turned to the officer. “What are you holding him on?”

  “Attempted murder,” the man said matter-of-factly.

  “Attempted murder? Because he punched someone in the eye? That’s ridiculous. I demand to see your superior. Better yet, take me to the chief of police.”

  The man looked at Wade and shrugged. “I’ll take you there, but don’t expect to be seen. The chief is a busy man and don’t brook interruption well, especially these days.”

  “I don’t care. That man has been gravely injured and needs a doctor’s care.” Again the man shrugged but this time said nothing.

  Wade was led back toward the front of the building where he’d entered and then directed to the office of the chief of police. A uniformed clerk looked up at Wade’s approach. “What is it you need?”

  “I want to see the man in charge.”

  “You have an appointment?” The man narrowed his eyes. “He doesn’t have time to see you if you aren’t here by appointment.”

  “I don’t have an appointment, but he will see me.” Wade moved past the man’s desk and headed straight for the door. He opened it to find an older man behind a large mahogany desk.

  “Who are you? What’s the meaning of this?” the man demanded.