Monica's Mystery

by Kate Cambridge

  “Avery Boggs." She breathed his name and backed up to peer around the half-wall partition. There he was, in the back corner, surrounded by men she could only assume were loyal to him. With cautious steps, she did her best to stay against the wall and out of sight, but that was hard to do in a tavern filled with mostly men. The closer she came to his table, the more loud and belligerent his voice became. He was clearly drunk and running his mouth. It was the perfect time to find out information that might help Jacob and Gabriel capture him. She ducked into the shadows behind a large wooden beam and listened closely.

  "All we have to do is cut off the head. Then we won't have any troubles nomore, boys. That's who I want. Gabriel Randall. Whichever one of you brings me his head, you'll be a very wealthy man." He sloshed some beer into his mouth and laughed. She shuddered with disgust.

  "His head? How am I going to cut off his head?" One of the other men nearly choked on his beer.

  "It's just a saying, you fool, I don't care how you do it, so long as he is dead. I want proof of it, too. Those rangers are slippery. Bonus if you get any of the others along with him." He lifted his drink into the air. "Kill the rangers!"

  "Here, here!" The other men raised their drinks, as well. Her stomach churned at the thought of Avery getting anywhere near Jacob or Gabriel. That was something that she could never allow to happen.

  "So, here's how we do it." Avery lowered his voice and leaned in close to the others. "We take something, something that is precious to him. We set a trap. Hm?"

  "Yes, right, sounds good." The man beside him nodded. His speech was slurred, and his cheeks were bright red, but that only made him more dangerous in her eyes.

  "No, that's not going to work," another man piped up. "Gabriel's a cold fish. He's got nothing. He don't care about nothing."

  "Oh, yes, he does." she ventured a peek as Avery Boggs’ smile spread wide across his lips as he rocked back in his chair. A shiver ran along her spine in reaction to the creak of the wood as she feared he might be standing up. Instead, he folded his hands behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling. "I know just what it is, too." When he sat forward again, his gaze swung in her direction. She was certain that she was well hidden, but his gaze threatened to penetrate the thick shadows. Fear froze her in place, and when he looked away she turned toward the exit of the tavern. Before she could make it fully outside, Gabriel was before her, with his lips tight he grabbed her by the arms, his fingers digging into her flesh. She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a finger to his lips to silence her. He glanced past her toward the sounds of drunken men, then grasped her by the elbow. He didn't say a word as he led her out of the tavern, but she could feel his fury with every step and in the iron grip of his hand. The moment they were safely outside, she whipped around, equally furious with him.

  "Gabriel, I have to tell you—"

  "What do you think you’re doing?" He spat as he propelled her away from the tavern and toward the alcove of a closed shop. "What were you thinking, coming here unescorted?"

  "It's not what you think, Gabriel. I took a carriage here, and when I arrived, I heard Avery Boggs’ voice as I passed the tavern. He didn't see me, but I saw him. I thought I'd listen to his conversation with his men. I thought it might give us a lead to where they have been hiding out. He never saw me. I was just eavesdropping."

  “Us? What do you mean ‘give us a lead’, haven’t you been told to stay away from this? Not once, not twice, but several times now? Is that all it is, really?" His voice grew quiet, deliberated, laced with anger. "Because I heard what he said to you, just before I rescued you in that alley. I heard what he offered you. Perhaps that's what you really want? As you've told me before, you'd detest the idea of being a wife, so instead might you prefer to roam the earth with a band of criminals. Perhaps you thought you'd take him up on the offer?" His eyes bore into hers. She could not believe he was saying this, or that he could think this! When she whirled away, he moved in front of her blocking her retreat. "Tell me, Monica, is that the plan? Is that the life of freedom you talk about so much?"

  "No, Gabriel, it isn’t.” she declared with barely disguised fury. “Yes, I want freedom. There's nothing wrong with that. I won’t apologize for it. I’m angry that women don’t have it in the same way men do, and I think that’s wrong. But I would never become a criminal to get it. I would never do harm to anyone else in order to have what I wanted. It may go against your old-fashioned ideals for me to say it, but of course I want my freedom." She straightened her shoulders and backed a few steps from him. His muscles tensed, and for an instant, she thought he might try to restrain her. Instead, he folded his hands behind his back and watched her as she edged another step away.

  "I won’t warn you again. There's no point. From now on, you will not be involved in any aspect of this investigation. No more helping out, or giving advice. No more prying information from me, or from Jacob. I promise you this, if you do not respect that, I will have you arrested and you can sit in a jail cell until this is solved and it’s safe for you to be free. Do you understand?”

  "Gabriel, you're being unreasonable!" she huffed as she crossed her arms.

  "No, you are!" His voice raised so suddenly and sharply that she took another step back at the sound of it. He took a step toward her to make up for the distance as he continued. "I will not see you hurt or killed because of your need to prove something! I will not have that on my conscience, do you understand?" He stood so close that she thought he might wrap her in his arms, or even toss her down, but the only pressure she felt was from the weight of his gaze as it settled on her. "Have you even considered the consequences of your actions on those that care for you? Or is the only thing that matters to you, your ego?"

  "My ego?" His words startled her so deeply that she didn’t now how to respond. Was he right? Was her need to prove herself more about her ego than her drive for equal rights? Before she could come to a conclusion, he flagged down a carriage.

  "Go home, Monica, before I regret saying more than I already have. Before either of us say something we shouldn’t. But make no mistake, I mean what I say. Every word.” He held the door to the carriage open for her. "Please."

  That single word wasn’t a request. He was not forcing her, but he could not have been more clear that he wanted her to leave him. Maybe she’d taken things too far. She didn’t understand what to do with the emotions that coursed through her when she was near him, and she suspected he experienced the same thing. Sometimes his eyes were expressive, but in the next instant they would change as though a curtain shielded them, determined not to let her inside.

  Though she wanted to protest and insist that he listen to what she had to say, she decided to give in this time. She couldn't stand the anguish in his expression, and felt certain that she had disappointed him, possibly for the last time.

  In the carriage on the way to Ellen's house, it dawned on her that he'd lost his family, and she wondered if placing herself in dangerous positions reminded him of that loss. Perhaps he did care for her far more than she realized. Her heart ached with the hope that it was true. Despite her determination not to fall in love, she couldn't deny that Gabriel's voice—his pain, his joy, his stubbornness, his kindness, his intelligence, his strength, all of it—plucked at places buried so deep within her that she hadn't known they existed before she met him.

  As the carriage lurched to a stop, she closed her eyes and remembered the texture of her grandmother's quilt beneath her fingertips. It gave her the strength to make it through the front door and hand over the provisions to Ellen.

  But she could not stomach the thought of food—not while Gabriel was in danger, and furious with her, to top it off. She declined dinner, pleading a headache.

  She spent the entire night in her room trying to come up with ways to convince him to give her another chance.

  10

  “What’s going to happen now?” Ellen asked with a sigh as she sat down next to her husband at the dinner
table. All her plans and preparations for a special meal seemed lost in light of the danger surrounding Monica. She reached for his hand, and waited, watching emotions flicker over his handsome face, weary from the long hours and efforts of trying to catch Avery Boggs and his band of men.

  He opened his mouth, but then hesitated. She wanted to reassure him that he could tell her anything, but decided it would be best to give him space. When he did speak, he spoke slowly, quietly, as though he weighed every word with caution. “I’m sorry, Ellen. I can’t explain everything. It’s just for the best if you don’t know all the details. What I can tell you, is that Gabriel is doing everything he can to try to find Avery Boggs. Avery is a very dangerous man, much more dangerous then Monica or you understand. If this weren’t enough, there’s also at stake the opinion of the people of Galveston and our surrounding area. As a new Ranger unit, these early cases are critical in garnering the support and confidence of the people that live in this town and the surrounding areas. I know you love your friend, and I understand why… She’s a strong and fearless woman and it’s easy to see how close the two of you are—”

  “She is strong and fearless, Jacob. It’s hard for many people to understand Monica, because she doesn’t fit the typical mold, and quite frankly, she never will. When I decided to leave our hometown and come here to Galveston as a mail order bride, to be your wife, she was devastated. I realized then that even though she felt that she couldn’t support what I had chosen to do, she still supported me. She stood up for me when people laughed at me, she stayed by my side when I packed my belongings and got them ready for the long trip, and even though I know she didn’t understand my decision, she was with me every step of the way until I stepped foot on that train.”

  “I don’t question her loyalty, Ellen. It’s her methods that have many in our town concerned, up in arms, and the other rangers are frustrated with her. She may be trying to help, but up to this point she has been more of a hindrance than anything…”

  “I can see why you think that, Jacob. It’s just that I see so much more. I see what’s beneath the surface. I understand her choices in a different light. You see, in our town, most people didn’t understand her. When we were children it didn’t really matter because we were kids, and people were more tolerant of the fact that she wanted to be able to do what the boys did; as we grew older, it was less acceptable to many in our town that she continued to push the boundaries on what she could and couldn’t do. Even though it was difficult, she stood up for herself and for what she believed was right, and even though people whispered behind her back, and many girls made fun of her — Monica always stayed true to what she believed. I guess in some ways it’s like she had a chip on her shoulder, and she always felt like she had something to prove. Over time, most people began to accept her, especially as the news of the Suffragette Movement and all they were trying to accomplish became more common. Well, I guess her father was never fully able to accept it, but he loved her, and she knew that.”

  Jacob interrupted. “While it is helpful to know this, it doesn’t change the fact that what she’s doing by trying to involve herself in this manhunt is complicating things for everyone else, and truthfully, I hope it doesn’t end up getting someone killed. Our work is dangerous enough without having to worry about amateur sleuths getting involved and creating more work for us.”

  “I see your point. Now that Monica is in a new town with the same or similar beliefs and biases as before, it’s like she’s beginning the fight all over again. That adds a layer that most people just aren’t aware of. She’s not all that different from the rest of us, Jacob, it’s just that she’s a woman, and if she were a man most people would see her behavior differently. Isn’t that right?

  “Okay… I see your point. But we all have to choose the timing of our battles. I’m not against what she stands for, and you know that, but she has to take a step back. She has to stay out of this case and out of the way, because if she doesn’t she, or someone else, could end up hurt or dead.”

  Silence hung in the air. Ellen didn’t know what to say to that, so she changed the subject. “Let’s eat our dinner. It’s a new recipe, and I’ve been looking forward to our chance to enjoy a meal together. I don’t want to spoil it, and I don’t want to argue with you.”

  Small talk filled the next few minutes as they ate and caught up on the events of the last few weeks that didn’t involve Monica. Ellen was reminded again why she loved this man with all her heart, and more than a little in awe of his kindness and openness, so different from many of the men she had known.

  “I received a letter from Elizabeth Sharpe today.”

  “Did you? How are she and Joseph?”

  “They seem to be doing well. She inquired about whether or not a trip was in order, and asked if I knew of any eligible bachelors in the area. She has a few mail-order bride applicants who have expressed an interest in Texas as a destination, and well— she knows how well her agency did for you and me, so she and Joseph are considering a trip in the near future if you think we can find some potential bachelors for them to interview.”

  “Hm. Okay, I’ll give that some thought. There are two new rangers in our unit who might be prospects, but it takes a very special woman to marry a ranger…”

  “Are you fishing for a complement, my handsome ranger husband?” she asked with a sly smile, her body moving closer to his.

  “I might be fishing for something, Mrs. Howe, but it’s not necessarily a compliment.”

  Ellen’s heart soared, her smile suddenly captured by a kiss that took her breath away. He loved her. She was so lucky, and all her dreams had come true and been surpassed by her life with Jacob. She pulled away long enough to look up into his eyes, her lips swollen from their passionate kiss, watching as his eyes devoured her face, his hands cupping her chin, holding her captive. He licked his lips and she shivered at the passion and desire that consumed her, as his hands moved down her back, leaving a trail of sensations that made her breathless. A sigh escaped as she melted into his embrace. With a heavy groan, he pulled her tight, Ellen returning his kiss, their bodies molded as closely together as their clothes allowed.

  A thought tickled the back of her brain, she pushed it away, unwanted, but suddenly it dawned on her that Monica could come out of her room at any moment. It brought her back to the present, and she dragged herself apart long enough to whisper, “Let’s take this to our room.”

  He groaned, with frustration this time, and pulled her up from the chair, keeping her close as though they were dancing on a crowded dance floor. She understood. She didn’t want the magic of this moment to disappear, either. She risked a glance at the dishes on the table, but he gently moved her gaze back to him. “We can get those later, Mrs. Howe. Right now there are other, more important things to tend to.”

  For the second time that night, his kiss captured her smile.

  * * *

  "I’ve given some thought to what I can say to Monica that might convince her to lay low,” Ellen proposed as she cleared the final dish from the table. “I think putting this entire situation in the light that she may be endangering others despite her good intentions is probably a good approach. She may not care about her own safety, or be blinded to the danger she is in, but she won’t overlook the safety of others.”

  Jacob wiped the dish in his hands and set it on the counter. “Do whatever you need to do to convince her. I think Gabriel is reaching his limit with her, and the last thing he needs is a distraction in the middle of a case like this.”

  “I know. Can you talk to him, Jacob, ask him if he could try to not be quite so gruff with Monica?”

  “No. There’s no point in doing that right now. I don’t want him to perceive that my loyalty to him is in any way compromised because of Monica’s presence with us. He needs to know that I respect his wishes and will support him without question. He deserves that. If you can get Monica to see the wisdom of staying out of sight for awhile, that alone
may make a difference in how he treats her. He’s used to being obeyed, Ellen, and although I’ll admit it’s a bit amusing at times to see his interactions with Monica, now is not the time.”

  “Alright. I’ll talk with her in the morning, then.”

  11

  Monica woke early in the morning, before there was any other movement in the house. As her mind raced with thoughts of how to get through to Gabriel, she knew one thing for certain, she could not allow him to be harmed. She had no idea what knowledge Avery Boggs had of what was important to Gabriel, but if the words he spoke were true, he could very well set a trap for him. Perhaps it was Jacob, or even Ellen, as they were his closest friends. She couldn't allow them to be in danger, either.

  She dressed and took the time to prepare coffee and breakfast for Ellen and Jacob. It was the least she could do after everything they had done for her. She placed the satchels she purchased for Ellen next to her place at the table, along with a note that she decided to go into town early.

  Once she was in the carriage, her confidence that Gabriel would be reasonable faded. She recalled the fury in his eyes the night before. Did he truly believe that she would ever go off with Avery Boggs in the name of freedom? Even in the darkest parts of her heart, she never for an instant considered a life of crime. The freedom it afforded wasn't true freedom, or true equality.

  In town, she stepped out of the carriage and observed the shops coming to life. It was just after dawn, and many of the shop owners were just opening their doors and putting wares out to draw the attention of shoppers. She knew exactly where she would find Gabriel and headed in that direction. As expected, he stood beside his horse in the small compound that was reserved for the rangers. However, he was not alone. Three other rangers were gathered around him.