The Kissing Bridge: Cassie's Story (Hearts of Hays Series #3)

by Barbara Goss

  “So you’ll take the case?” Silas asked.

  “I will,” Bancroft said, standing. “I’ll visit again when I have more news or need more information.” He slid his notepad into his breast pocket.

  “How much will your services cost me?”

  “Nothing. Edna is footing the bill.”

  That fact puzzled Silas, but he had something more important on his mind at that moment. “Wait, can you do something for me? It’s important.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “The woman I love is in Hays, and she must think I’ve jilted her since they wouldn’t allow me to write her a letter. Would you post a letter for me, if I write one quickly?”

  Bancroft pulled out his notepad, opened it to a blank page, and handed it to Silas. “I’ll do better than that. I’m going to Hays to check out your story, so I’ll deliver it myself.”

  Silas scribbled a quick note and handed it to the attorney. “Her name is Cassandra Collins. Anyone in town can direct you to her.”

  The bake sale went well, and Jesse struggled to keep silent, and refused to let Cassie work the sale without him there. As Cassie and Jesse were cleaning up afterwards, she saw Alex put the money from the sale in a cloth bag. “Do you want us to take that to the bank, or give it to Laura?” she asked.

  “No,” he said quickly. “I have to recount it and record it into the church financial files first.”

  “Well, we’ll be going home, then,” she said.

  “Don’t forget, church tomorrow,” Alex reminded them.

  The Collins family paraded into the church and took seats toward the front. Meg and Carl were back from their trip; Jesse sat with Laura who held a squirming Jake, while Nellie sat with Cassie.

  Cassie and Jesse had confided the incident with Carter to Meg and Laura, but they agreed to keep it quiet until they’d heard from the church home office, as they had Cassie’s reputation to protect.

  Alex did not smile at Cassie as he took the pulpit and bungled the sermon worse than he had the first week. His message was short, disjointed and lacked a point. The congregation began exchanging looks, puzzled and disappointed at the unprofessional sermon.

  As the people filed out of church, the atmosphere seemed silent and sad. Cassie interpreted it to mean that the congregation was not pleased with the new minister.

  Cassie approached Josh and whispered, “Have you heard from the church home office yet?”

  “No, and I imagine they won’t answer right away, but I’m sure I’ll hear from them tomorrow. Something has to be done, because today’s sermon was the worst I’ve ever heard.”

  Cassie’s workload eased the following week. Since her mother’s return, she now had help with the cooking and gardening, and Carl had promised he’d do his share of ranch work when Silas returned. Midweek, Cassie dropped in at the lumberyard to see Josh “Have you any news?” she asked.

  “Yes. I received an answer this morning. The home office claims Alexander Carter had the best recommendations. I don’t understand it, Cassie.”

  “How can that be? Can a man change so much?” she asked.

  “I’m going to walk over to his hotel today and have a chat with him. I’ll tell him about the complaints and ask about his sermon writing.”

  Cassie's gasp was audible. “You won’t tell him what Jesse and I told you, will you?”

  “No, I’d never do that.” He smiled. “If I have time, I’ll stop at your place and let you know how I made out. Oh, and Kate asked me to send her regards.”

  “Tell her the apple cake was delicious.” Cassie waved at him and left the lumberyard.

  When Cassie returned home, her mother greeted her saying: “You had a visitor while you were gone?”

  “Me?” she asked. “Who?”

  “I don’t recall his name, but he said to give you this.” She handed Laura a sealed envelope. “He was a well-dressed man with perfect manners, but I don’t remember his name.”

  Cassie opened the envelope and scanned the note. She held it against her heart, and closed her eyes, and said, “Thank you, Lord.”

  “My goodness! Who’s it from?”

  “Silas!” she whispered.

  “What does he say?”

  Cassie read the note:

  Dearest Cassie,

  I’m alive and well. I ran into problems and could not write until today. Will explain all when I come home. Soon, I hope. I love you more than words can say.

  XXX

  All my love, Silas.

  P.S. I miss you like crazy.

  “What’s going on, Cassie?” her mother asked softly. “I know I came on strong when we talked about this before, but I had time to think things through while I was away. Tell me what’s going on.”

  Cassie sniffed into her handkerchief, and tears ran down her face. “He’s married, Ma.”

  “What?”

  Cassie related the story as Silas had told it to her. When she finished, her mother enfolded her, and hugged her tightly.

  “You poor dear. You should have confided in me.” She patted Cassie’s back. “Well, it isn’t really his fault. He did say he’d marry you when he got the annulment, so there’s nothing to cry about, right?”

  “I love him, Ma. I have to wait for him no matter how long it takes. I tried a courtship with Alex Carter, but it wasn’t the same. Silas is the only one to make my heart pound and set my stomach aflutter.” She laughed despite her tears.

  “After what you told me about Alex Carter… well, Silas is a better man by far. I guess he’s worth the wait.”

  “Now who could that be galloping down the path?” Meg said and looked out the window. “Why, it looks like Josh Redfield.”

  They both scurried out to meet him and they invited him to sit on the porch.

  Meg asked, “Lemonade, Josh?”

  “No, I can’t stay. I wanted to inform you both that I stopped to talk to Alex at his hotel, but discovered that he’d checked out this morning, and I have reason to believe he has left town.”

  “Could he be at the parsonage?” Cassie asked.

  “No. I checked and besides, it’s still under construction.” Josh stood. “I’m afraid he took all the church money with him. I’m going now to inform Higgins and then contact the church home office.”

  Cassie and Meg were shocked and silent as they watched Josh gallop down the lane toward town.

  “I don’t believe it!” Cassie exclaimed, finally. “That rotten—”

  “There must be an explanation,” Meg said, “there has to be.”

  “I need to saddle up and let Jesse know,” Cassie yelled over her shoulder as she sprinted to the barn.

  Sheriff Higgins wasted no time forming a posse to go after Alex Carter.

  Jesse allowed Cassie to ride with the posse, since she’d demanded to ride with them, but Jesse warned her that if fighting broke out she would have to stay well away. Thirteen of them rode out of town together until they came to the crossroads.

  Higgins yelled to the posse, “There are only two directions he could have gone—east toward Kansas City or southwest toward Dodge. We’ll have to split up.”

  Six went east and seven went southwest. Cassie and Jesse went south toward Dodge, riding hard and fast.

  Silas paced his cell. This was his third month in jail, and he felt more frustrated each day.

  Oliver said little when he dropped off his clothes from time to time.

  Silas heard Clark holler, “Martin, visitor!”

  Silas stood, straightened his bed and awaited his visitor to enter the room. This time it was a man wearing a clerical collar. Clark opened the door and placed a wooden chair in the cell. The man entered the cell, sat down, and folded his hands on top of the Bible on his lap.

  “Edna Rogers sent me to pay you a visit.” Silas must have looked confused, because the man continued, “She said you’ve become a bit depressed by your incarceration, and she thought I could offer some comfort of a spiritual nature.”

 
Silas felt grateful for Mrs. Rogers' thoughtfulness. “Thank you,” he told the minister. “I have been praying, but so far, I haven’t received any answers.”

  “She tells me you’re an innocent man,” he said solemnly.

  “That’s true. It’s frustrating enough being locked up for months, but to know that people believe I could do something so horrible, is depressing.”

  “God knows you are innocent,” he said.

  “Then why doesn’t God help me get out of here and on with my life?” Silas said with a touch of bitterness.

  “I understand your frustration, but God doesn’t always work on our schedules. If you’re innocent, and I believe you are, you won’t be here long. I’d like to pray with you to that end, if I may.”

  Silas nodded.

  “Before our prayer, I would like to read the story of Job to you.”

  Chapter 6

  The posse riding toward Dodge City had galloped ten miles before Higgins called a halt. “There’s no way we’ll catch up to him. He’s had too much of a head start. And… we don’t even know for sure if we’re riding in the right direction.”

  The men argued, especially Jesse, who was adamant that they precede, even if just for a few more miles.

  Who's that?" Cassie asked, pointing straight ahead.

  “Why, it’s a man,” Higgins said. “I wonder why he’s on foot when we’re no where near a town. Maybe his horse is injured. C’mon, he’s staggering, and needs our help.”

  Jesse hoped it was Carter, as his fists were itching for his fleshy face, but it turned out to be a stranger. The man’s face was bright red, he had good start on a beard, and his clothes were dirty and had been ripped to shreds.

  The posse rode to meet the unfortunate man.

  “Do you need some help?” Higgins yelled when they were within hearing distance.

  The man put his hand up and answered, “Yes, help!”

  Jesse jumped down from his horse to help hold the poor man on his feet. Cassie jumped down and offered the man her canteen of water. He drank so fast that water splattered all over his face, smudging the dirt. He mumbled, “Thank you,” and wiped his face with his sleeve. “Been walking for days,” he said, panting.

  “Goodness,” said Cassie. “We’ll get you to Hays right away.”

  Cassie offered to ride with Jesse to give the poor man her horse, but the man was too weak to ride alone, so Higgins put him on his horse, and they rode, double, back to Hays with him. Higgins held him up as they rode.

  Once back in Hays, Higgins took him directly to Doc Hall, who put him to bed after washing him and helping him into a clean gown. Higgins waited outside the room while the doctor examined him.

  “How is he, Doc?” Higgins asked when the doctor had finally come out of the room where the man lay.

  “He’s doing better than I expected. He is mostly weak, tired, hungry and thirsty, but he is also dehydrated. He's resting now, but he should be up to answering questions tomorrow.”

  The next day when Higgins returned, the man was sitting up in bed eating oatmeal. He recognized Higgins and smiled as he entered the room.

  “Thank you so much for your assistance yesterday, for I would surely have died had you not come along. I prayed someone would find me.” He pushed his food tray away. “I expect you want to know who I am and where I came from.”

  Higgins nodded. “I must admit, I’m curious.”

  “I’ve a story to tell that you may find difficult to believe, but it’s all true,” he said. “Weeks ago, I was on my way from Chicago to Hays. When my train stopped in Kansas City, the two men I’d been traveling with since Missouri grabbed me from the depot, gagged me, and tied me to a tree under the cover of night. They came back for me a little later, tossed me into a buggy, and took me all the way to Dodge City, while the other one disappeared. I was kept in a sort of shanty, tied to a bed, though the man brought me food and water twice a day.

  “I have no idea why they did this. I had very little money on me and they’d already taken that. Besides, if all they wanted was money, they could have left me in Kansas City.”

  Higgins scratched his head. “That does sound rather odd, but go on.”

  “A few days ago, the man who'd fed me put me back in the carriage. We rode for two days before he stopped and ordered me to get out. He tossed me a canteen, half filled with water, and he rode off. I walked for days until you kind people found me.”

  “So you traveled from Chicago to Kansas by train? For what purpose, if I may ask?” Higgins wanted to get as much information as possible.

  “My new job in Hays, and since I understand this is Hays, I guess I finally made it.”

  “Job? What job?” Higgins asked.

  “As the new minister of the Methodist Church, hired by the Methodist home office and Josh Redfield.”

  Higgins’ mouth dropped open in surprise. “You are Alexander Carter?”

  “I am,” he replied.

  “Well, I’ll be horsewhipped and hog tied,” Higgins said, slapping his leg. “He wasn’t a real minister!”

  “Excuse me?” Carter asked.

  “I think I can put the rest of your story together.” Higgins said. “The man who didn’t take you to Dodge came to Hays in your place. He claimed to be Alexander Carter, and he took your job, messed it up terribly and before anyone could question him, he’d disappeared with the church money.”

  “That’s appalling! I hope you apprehend them. I’m sure at least one of them must still be in Dodge. Maybe you could alert the sheriff there.”

  “I will, right away.”

  “You know the strangest thing…while conversing with the men on the train, the one who pretended to be me, said he’d studied theology in Missouri and almost became a minister.” He shook his head. “I’m afraid I told those fellows too much about myself.” He shook his head sadly. “How much money did he steal?”

  “Quite a bit. Two weeks of church offerings and all the money from a bake sale. He also took money from the church poor fund box, and some valuable gold statues—I’d say he made off with hundreds of dollars.” Higgins stood. “I’ll let Josh Redfield know right away, that you’ve finally arrived.”

  It wasn’t long before all of Hays knew what had happened and that the real minister had arrived. Most were relieved they finally had the right man—all except Meg Collins.

  “Ma, what’s wrong?” Cassie asked, after telling her the news about the mystery man who turned out to be the real Alex Carter.

  “This means Carl and I are not married!”

  “Oh-h-h, no!” Cassie couldn’t help but laugh at the unusual situation.

  “How can you laugh?” Meg cried. “I’m living in sin!”

  “It wasn’t your fault—” Cassie sobered, and tried to reason with her.

  Meg shook her head. “This is horrible!”

  “Ma, I’m sure the real minister will marry you as quickly and quietly as he can. What about me? I was courted and kissed by a bandit!”

  “How can I ever face anyone ever again?” Meg stormed up the stairs. Cassie heard her bedroom door slam shut.

  Cassie left the house to ride and tell Jesse.

  “Ma is horrified.” Cassie said. “What can we do about this, Jesse?”

  “I’ll see whether the real Carter can marry them promptly, but I’m sure everyone who knows the circumstances will understand. I’ll speak with her later today.”

  Jesse glanced at Laura, who stifled a laugh, and then he started to laugh and Cassie couldn’t help joining in.

  “We are terrible,” Laura said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “Poor Meg.”

  The visit from the minister restored Silas’s faith, giving him hope. The story of Job was the perfect example of what he was presently forced to endure. He decided he needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and put his faith in God. The minister promised to return to him weekly to continue to boost his spirits.

  Silas felt confident when Warren Bancroft ret
urned to see him. When Will Smith escorted him in, Silas noted with relief that Bancroft was smiling, which seemed promising.

  “Good news,” Bancroft said by way of greeting as he shook Silas’s hand.

  “I'm in need of that,” Silas said.

  “I’ve checked, and your facts are accurate. You couldn’t have killed Belinda, and I can prove it. “

  Silas sighed with relief. ““That is good news!”

  “I found the livery where you changed horses, and the owner remembered you because you had nothing smaller than five dollars, and you left a mighty generous tip.” Silas nodded, and the attorney went on. “I checked, and you did purchase your house on the day you said. The people I questioned in Hays had nothing but praise for your character, and they said you never even carried a gun.”

  “That’s right, I don’t. I own a rifle, but I don’t carry it.”

  “I have a sworn statement from the livery in Topeka, and certified evidence of your home purchase. This accounts for your exact whereabouts during the time in question.”

  “What happens now?” Silas asked.

  “I’m going to show this proof to the sheriff. We may be able to avoid court if he drops the charges. This evidence should show that an expensive court trial would be a waste of time and money. I'm sure you’ll be released soon.” Bancroft stood and shook hands again with Silas. “It shouldn’t be too long now. I’ll do everything in my power to get things moving quickly.”

  “Thank you, but what about the real murderer?” Silas asked.

  “Right now I’m only concerned with getting you out of here.” Bancroft said, as he called for Will Smith to open the door. “Maybe next time I’ll have even better news.”

  “Were you able to deliver my letter to Cassie?” he asked anxiously.

  “I did. She wasn’t at home, but I left it with her mother in a sealed envelope.”

  Silas felt disappointment surge through him. He was hoping he’d have received a reply from Cassie through the attorney.