Midnight Secrets

by Janelle Taylor

  “What are you doing, Anna? I have it all figured out. We’ll be rich.”

  “I’ll be rich, Frank, but you’ll be in prison for murder. Put up your pistol, now. Don’t drop it, just holster it,” she warned.

  The banker gaped at her in disbelief. “You’re going to kill them and pin it on me? Use my plan to get everything for yourself?”

  “Of course not. You’re going to prison for murdering Clayton Cassidy.”

  “Are you a Special Agent working with Chapman?”

  “No. The gun, Frank, put it away. I don’t want your boys to attack. You could get shot by accident. I want you to go on trial and be punished.”

  “Are you Clay’s kin? Or his woman?”

  “Neither. If you don’t disarm yourself instantly, I’m going to shoot.”

  “Then why are you helping these men and doing this to me?”

  When Frank shoved the weapon into its holster, Ginny relaxed. Now she could tell him the shocking news. “I’m saving them because one is my father and the other is the man I love and am going to marry.” When Frank glared at her, she said, “Keep quiet or you’ll be trapped in the middle of a shootout with your men.”

  “You’re… you’re Virginia Marston Blake, Matt’s daughter? But you’re already married. Matt and Stone said so, to Robert Blake.”

  “No, and I’ve never been married, but Stone and I are to wed soon.”

  Frank paled and gritted his teeth aloud. “You bitch, you tricked me.”

  “That’s right, with my love’s help. Stone, if you’ll take over here, I can speak with my father; it’s been years since we’ve seen each other. Then we’ll have to figure out how to get away from Frank’s men.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Ginny, my friends have them in custody. Stone and I were enjoying your arrest so much that we allowed you to finish it. Take over, Stone, it seems my daughter has a few things to tell me.”

  In that moment of distraction for everyone, Frank growled like a wild animal, grabbed Ginny’s wrist, twisted the derringer around, and fired it as he shouted, “No man will have you if I can’t!”

  CHAPTER 21

  A bullet whizzed through Ginny’s jacket and past her side without wounding her. She didn’t even notice the scream that escaped her lips. Stone leapt on the enraged man, wrestled him to the ground, and pinned him there. Soldiers rushed forward from concealment and took control of Frank.

  The lanky officer in charge said, “You’re under arrest for the murder of Clayton Cassidy and the attempted murders of these three people.”

  “It’s a lie! A trick! I’m innocent!”

  The officer told the wild-eyed and shaking banker, “We heard it all, Mr. Kinnon, so save your breath for the trial.”

  Soldiers bound and led a mumbling Frank away to join his captured men. The defeated villain kept glancing back at the woman who had betrayed him, the woman he loved and had tried to murder.

  “Stone, you remember Captain Andrew Lynch, don’t you?” Matt said.

  The Special Agent and the man in blue shook hands and exchanged smiles. “I surely do remember who gave us orders every day for years after we reached Fort Wise. How have you been, Andy?”

  “Fine, Stone, a little saddlesore. Didn’t get to rest in Denver before Matt hauled me here to help -him. Seems we arrived at the perfect time.”

  “You certainly did. Sneaked up and took them without firing a shot. You still have your cunning skills,” Stone complimented, then glanced at his love. “Ginny, this was our commanding officer when we were released from that Union prison and sent west as Galvanized Yankees. He taught us plenty and kept most of the recruits alive with his skills and courage. Andy, Miss Virginia Anne Marston, Matt’s daughter and soon to be my wife.”

  Andrew and Ginny shook hands and smiled. “A pleasure and an honor, sir. Thank you for the rescue.”

  “Congratulations,” Andy responded. “Never thought to see the day when a woman, especially a fine lady, would snare this renegade. I hope you’ll be very happy. Does this mean you’ll be retiring?”

  Stone wondered if Matt was shocked by this news and would be disappointed with his daughter’s choice. “Yep. I’ve done my last mission. Gonna give ranching a try. My father has a large spread in Texas. He’s been trying to lure me home for years to join him.”

  “And she changed your roaming ways?” Andy jested.

  “Yep, she surely did. I’m lucky we met.”

  Matt wanted to know every detail about how that event had occurred, but he would probe it later in private. “You’re a grown woman, Ginny, a beautiful woman like your mother. Lordy, how I’ve missed you, girl.”

  Ginny went to her father and hugged him. For a few minutes they remained in a loving and comforting embrace while they experienced the joy of being together again. Their hearts were full of love and their minds filled with relief. They leaned back to study each other with moist eyes.

  “You look wonderful, Father,” she said, though he had lost weight, half his brown hair had grayed, tiny wrinkles etched his tanned face, and he needed a shave from many days’ growth of wiry whiskers. “I was so worried about you when you didn’t write again.”

  Matt stroked her mussed hair, hugged her once more, and disclosed that he had written two more times, in October and in late February.

  “I didn’t receive either letter, Father, nothing since last July. The first one must have gotten lost and the second one would have arrived after I left London that month. I came by wagontrain and stagecoach. I’ve been in Colorado City since the middle of last month. It’s so good to see you.”

  Matt stroked his thick mustache as he grinned and said, “You and Stone took me by surprise being at my cabin and with your little ruse up there. We rode Kinnon’s tail almost the whole way here but didn’t expect to find you two present. We overheard your talk and carried on with our trap.”

  “How did you know to come here’ today?” Stone asked.

  “I was in Denver finalizing plans with my investors when Kinnon telegraphed the land office for information. It alerted us to his renewed interest and to possible trouble. I told the others he was the man who had assayed the ore sample and gotten all sparkly-eyed; then it was no time hardly before Clay was murdered. I suggested I hurry back to see what was going on with him because I was certain he’d had Clay killed. I’d already seen Andy when he arrived, so I explained matters to him and talked him into helping me settle this problem. When Kinnon left town with his men Sunday morning, we followed him. I decided the best place to trick him into confessing was at the very site he craved and in what he thought was privacy. Andy agreed. Kinnon fell right into the pit we dug for him.”

  “Thank goodness you came, Father. We were running out of ideas fast. Stone was talking about sacrificing his life to save mine.”

  Matt smiled at her and placed one arm around her shoulder. He looked at his old friend. “Thank you, Stone, for protecting her.”

  Stone’s dark eyes visually caressed Ginny’s face, and his gaze softened and glowed. “She would have given her life for me, too. She’s the bravest and smartest woman I’ve ever met. You should be very proud of her; I am.”

  “You won’t believe all the things he’s taught me, Father, or the adventures we’ve shared. We’ll tell you about them later.”

  Matt felt the powerful and tender bond between them and noticed the way they looked at each other: they were undeniably in love. “When Kinnon called out for Miss Marston to show herself, my heart almost stopped. Then Stone came outside with you as his captive and saying you were Kinnon’s fiancee. You were begging for help from the man I was trying to snare for murder. I was totally shocked and confused. I didn’t know if Stone was truly using you to outwit Kinnon or if you two had somehow connected and were attempting to entrap him yourselves.”

  Matt looked at the man who loved his daughter. “You were mighty rough with her, Stone, but I was certain you wouldn’t really harm her. You took a big gamble using her f
or cover to dupe Kinnon. I’m glad you gave him that deadline so we’d have time to outmaneuver him.”

  “I’m still dazed by seeing you, Father, and discovering this cunning hoax. Don’t blame Stone for our dangerous deception; we were hopeful our ruse would succeed. I’ve been letting Frank court me for weeks—as Anna Avery—so we were almost positive we could fool him. At least confuse him long enough to escape. We didn’t have any choice.”

  Matt sent her a smile of understanding and acceptance. “I gave Kinnon a false description of you because I had to keep him believing the woman with Stone was Anna Avery. I pretended to believe he was innocent of that trouble last summer. For a scary minute, Kinnon hinted that the three of us were working as a team. He suggested killing Stone, but I told him I’d clear your head. He’s the one who came up with the idea how to entice you outside so I could talk you down.”

  “I almost fainted, Father, when I heard your voice and name. I lost all hope of us getting away from that evil man.”

  “I’m sorry I frightened you, Ginny, but I had to get you two to come down. I knew you wouldn’t be in much peril, not with soldiers hidden in the woods and ready to defend us. I was sure Kinnon would get cocky and chatty and unmask himself. It was a risk, I admit, but I had to take it to clear up this matter. He confessed, thank goodness. I was only worried Stone wouldn’t understand and cooperate.”

  “You were cunning with your words, Matt. I caught your clues about Perry’s Ford, Andrew Lynch, Virginia Blake, and the deceitful description of Ginny. At least, I hoped I was reading your hints right.”

  “I was praying you’d catch them and trust me, Stone. I was certain you’d remember you were the one who saved me and Clay from those Indians and how you’d done it with hidden soldiers. I hoped using the same name you had for her would tip you off that I’d been eavesdropping.”

  “You did a good job, Matt, Andy. So did your daughter. It was Ginny’s idea to send Kinnon’s men upstream out of firing range. I wanted to let her know not to worry, but I couldn’t risk Kinnon seeing us whisper.”

  “I had no clue it was a trap, even though Stone mumbled for me not to worry,” Ginny said. “I was afraid you’d be so shocked to see me, Father, that our deception would be exposed. When Stone holstered his pistol and made no attempt to attack Frank, I was petrified.”

  “I guessed that Matt had been lurking nearby from the start when he used the name Blake.” Stone looked at the observant Captain Lynch. “I’m glad Kinnon exposed himself before witnesses, Andy; the law may have thought I had selfish reasons to let Matt go and to use Kinnon as a scapegoat. I’m sorry, Ginny, but I couldn’t alert you to what was going on.”

  “I tried to keep my head down and my back to you, Father, to conceal my identity. I finally realized something was afoot when I turned before thinking and you didn’t react to me. At first, I thought maybe it was to protect me, but then I sensed it was something more. I thought Stone wasn’t attacking because he was afraid of endangering me. I shouldn’t have let down my guard after Frank holstered his weapon. Stone will tell you I have a bad habit of being distracted at the worst times. He’s tried to cure me of it, but I have occasional relapses.” She wiggled her finger in the bullethole in her jacket. “We’re lucky none of us got shot.”

  “We sure are, Miss Marston,” Andy agreed. “It’s good to see my past troops haven’t lost their skills or forgotten their training. Stone, Matt, and Clay were three of my best soldiers. We shared good and bad times.”

  “That’s the most you’ve said since we arrived, Andy,” Matt teased. “He’s still not much of a talker, is he, Stone? ‘Course we haven’t given him a chance to get many words in.”

  “Papa always said a boy couldn’t hear and learn when he was running his mouth like a racing horse, so I guess it became habit ‘ to be quiet. Except when I’m giving orders, then I can out shout the loudest of men or women. Times like those, my men wished I’d stayed quiet.”

  Everyone laughed at Andy’s amusing grin and tone.

  “It’s good to see you again, Andy,” Stone repeated his earlier words.

  “I’ve missed you riding with me, Stone,” the officer responded. “I always knew I could depend on you more than anybody to obey without thinking about any peril involved. No matter what happened, I knew you would never take off and leave any of us in danger. Some of the boys I’ve had since you left would desert their own mothers to save their hides. My duty is up next month. I’ll have to find me something like ranching to do. And find me a pretty lady to marry like you have. You’re lucky.”

  “More than lucky,” Stone amended. “She’s perfect in every way.”

  Ginny felt a flush race over her body as he complimented her. Not only had he learned to express his feelings to her but he no longer concealed them from others as if they were something to be ashamed of. She read love, pride, and happiness in his expression. She had her father and future husband with her, and all were safe. She felt alive and aglow and bubbling with energy and anticipation. “You’re biased, Mr. Chapman. Besides, I’m the fortunate one. If not for you, I’d be in terrible trouble by now. You’re right about him, Captain Lynch, he’s the bravest and most dependable man I’ve ever met.”

  “When did you two meet?” Andy asked. “How? Where?”

  “On Sunday morning, March the twenty-fourth in Savannah, Georgia,” Ginny answered with a radiant smile. The officer had earlier referred to Stone as being a Special Agent, so she didn’t think it too revealing to explain that he was on a mission and was posing as the guide and leader for the wagontrain she was taking west. “Are you the one who taught him to be such a tough and demanding teacher?” she laughed and asked. “He worked us women every day as if he was drilling soldiers until we almost collapsed each night. But it was worth every pain and irritation. By the time he finished our lessons, we could do anything the men could do, and sometimes better. We owe our lives, safety, and success to him.”

  “That was a lucky coincidence, you two meeting like that so far away.”

  “More than luck, Captain Lynch, destiny. Stone’s sister and I were best friends during our years at boarding school in London. We were heading for the Chapman ranch after we docked in Savannah. Since we met, our lives have been entwined. Haven’t they, Stone?”

  He chuckled and concurred. “The strange part is, I was working as Steve Carr and she was traveling as Anna Avery; we didn’t know for a while we had two connections: her father and my sister.”

  Andy was intrigued. “Why under a false name, Miss Marston? Didn’t Stone’s sister burst his cover?”

  Ginny related her connection with Johanna and her subsequent ruse. When she had finished, she was aware her father hadn’t asked any questions or made comments. Stone hadn’t stopped any disclosures yet, so she assumed all she’d said so far was all right with him; in fact, he was smiling and nodding agreement. But the next part of the story was too personal to tell someone who was a stranger to her, so she laughed and raced beyond it to all that had happened after and how she finally connected with Stone in Texas and wound up here in search of her father.

  “That is quite an adventure, Miss Marston.”

  “Please call me Ginny.”

  “If you’ll call me Andy.”

  No one spoke for a few minutes as Ginny pondered if she’d talked too freely before telling her father such important things.

  “What happened here last summer, Matt?” Stone finally asked in reluctance. “Between you and Clay, I mean.”

  “I’ll explain everything later, Stone. Andy wants to eat, then head for Denver. He has to be back by Monday night. He can make it by using Kenosha Pass and getting started soon. If you don’t object, I’ll offer Andy the job of heading up our mine and transport guards, if he’s interested in being a boss, choosing his own men, and making a good salary.”

  “A great idea, Matt. What about it, Andy? Need time to think on it?”

  “Nope, sounds good. I’ll give it a try. Thanks.”<
br />
  The men shook hands on the deal. “I’ll contact you from town later,” Matt said. “We’ll spend the night here and discuss a few family and business matters. It appears I have a lot to learn about my daughter and partner.”

  Ginny saw her father glance back and forth between her and Stone and knew one topic that intrigued him was the extent of their relationship. She wondered if it was obvious how far it had gone. Would he be angry with her and Stone? Would he, she fretted, object to their marriage?

  By two o’clock and with about seven hours of daylight left, the soldiers and prisoners were on their way to Denver. The three left behind for the night were relieved to have privacy. Ginny, Stone, and Matt sat near a campfire and sipped coffee. It seemed as if each of them was waiting for another one to begin their long-anticipated conversation.

  “Well, Matt,” Stone prompted, “you ready to talk about Clay?”

  “You realize now that I didn’t kill him. I understand why you’d suspect me and I don’t blame you. I know how bad it looked. After we made our strike here, we took a sample of the ore to Frank Kinnon. We’d met him a few times when we were in town and we both liked him, thought he was trustworthy. But I saw how Kinnon eyed the ore. He told us the truth about it being high grade and almost pure and what the mine would be worth. He asked to become an investor and we told him we’d think about it. I could see his palms itching and his eyes burning to have a stake in our diggings.” Matt leaned forward on the rock seat as he recalled that time.’

  “I was worried because I knew we were being watched and followed. I tried to explain the dangers to Clay, tried to convince him we needed to file our claim in Denver and to be careful. He couldn’t seem to grasp or accept what I was saying. It was as if he’d also become blinded by the idea of wealth. I’d never seen Clay act like that before. He changed after Kinnon told us the value of our strike. After being poor all his life and living hand-to-mouth as we did while prospecting, I guess I can understand how such news could affect him like that. I told him we needed investors we could trust, but he wanted to file in Colorado City, bring Kinnon in on the deal, and start mining immediately. I convinced him to pan and dig here and there for two weeks to get enough gold for supplies and to dupe anybody trailing us. But he got impatient and downright nasty with me on a few occasions.”