Wilder saw Luke shake his head. "We're both lawmen," Luke stated. "So, you'll answer Mr. Armstrong's question. Where are you from?"
Bodie shifted in his chair and paused. "Minneapolis," he murmured eventually.
Wilder came around and joined Luke on his side of the desk. "Did you say, Minneapolis?"
Bodie just glared at Wilder, saying nothing.
"That's interesting," Wilder said. "I just came in from Minneapolis a couple days ago. You don't happen to know anyone in this town, do you?"
Bodie leaned his head to one side and looked without blinking straight into Wilder's eyes. Bodie said nothing immediately in response.
After a moment Bodie sighed. "I don't believe you have any cause to detain me. I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" he asked looking at Wilder.
Luke turned to Wilder. "Has anyone complained?"
"The guy back in the saloon was doing a whole lot of complaining," Wilder explained.
"He's just a sore loser and bad card player," Bodie blurted out.
"Guess you must have taken some money off the man," Wilder said.
Bodie smiled, showing his yellowed teeth. "I took a few dollars. Enough to pay for a few more nights in that fine hotel you and I are sharing," he said peering at Wilder.
"The question is, did you take that money fair and square. The fella seems to think you played a few tricks with the cards," Wilder said.
Bodie rolled his eyes. "Like I said. Some folks just don't have a good game," he said.
"Especially when they come up against someone who obviously has more experience?" Wilder asked Bodie.
Bodie shrugged. "This is a small town. Newcomers are bound to attract unfriendly attention."
"So why did you come here in the first place?" Luke asked.
Bodie smiled. "On my way to someplace else," he stated.
Wilder glanced at Luke and narrowed his eyes slightly. Wilder wanted to try one more time.
"How do you know that young man you saw out there?" he asked quickly.
Bodie didn't miss a beat. "What young man?"
Wilder leaned closer to Bodie, but the man didn't even flinch. "You know who I mean. The man accompanying those ladies."
Bodie's eyes locked on Wilder. "Don't believe we've met before," Bodie said shaking his head.
"Really?" Wilder asked.
Bodie grinned. "Sorry to disappoint you," he replied.
Wilder glanced at Luke. He saw Luke shake his head.
Luke sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Since there hasn't been an official complaint I guess you're free to go."
Bodie started to raise himself up off the seat, but Luke held up a hand and Bodie paused looking questioningly at the sheriff. "However. I don't want you leaving town for a day or two. Not until I've finished looking into this matter."
Bodie scowled at the sheriff.
"In the meantime," Luke continued, "I'd like you to be available in your hotel room." He smiled at Bodie. "In case I have to pay you a call."
Bodie frowned. "You ordering me to stay in my hotel room?"
Luke nodded.
"I'm not sure I want to stay in my room," Bodie snarled.
"We think it would be best for everyone, don't we, Wilder?" Luke said.
Wilder nodded and met Bodie's furious gaze. "Why don't I escort you to your room. After all, you and I are going the same way."
Bodie looked like he wanted to explode.
"Of course, if you don't want to stay in your hotel room there is always one of the cells." Luke smirked at Wilder. "Which would you prefer?" he asked Wilder with a smile.
Wilder grinned. "The hotel is a darn sight more comfortable. Even with the creaky beds."
Bodie sighed noisily and shook his head.
"Come on," Wilder said tapping Bodie on the shoulder. "Let's go."
Luke reached into the drawer of the desk. "By the way, Wilder. This telegram came for you."
Luke handed Wilder a small, sealed envelope. Wilder stuffed it into the inside pocket of his jacket. Plenty of time to read that once he got back to the hotel.
Luke spoke to Wilder just as he was getting ready to leave. "I'll send Silas, my deputy, over to watch Mr Bodie here. Don't want you wandering off until things are cleared up. It'll give you a chance to do other things, Wilder."
"That's kind of you, sheriff," Wilder said.
Bodie stood and Wilder led him out the door.
They made their way to the hotel and Wilder followed Bodie up the stairs and down the corridor to Bodie's room. Wilder asked Bodie for his key and opened the door. He pushed the door open and gestured for Bodie to enter.
Wilder looked inside the room. "Your place is nicer than mine," he said with a grin. "How come?"
Bodie glared at Wilder and entered the room. Wilder watched Bodie slump down on the single bed. "You take care now. I'm just next door. You need anything, you just bang on the wall."
Bodie drew in a loud deep breath and exhaled. "You aren't going to stop me, you know," he grunted.
Wilder paused. "I'm not going to stop you doing what?" he asked firmly, staring at Bodie.
Bodie shook his head and looked toward the window. Wilder saw where the man was looking toward. "Don't get any ideas about jumping out that window. That's a narrow alley down there. You won't get far."
"I don't need a window to do what I have to do," Bodie muttered.
"There you go again, making me all curious," Wilder said. He jangled the room key in his hand. "You take care now. Holler if you need anything," he said to Bodie.
As Wilder started to close the door, Silas the deputy arrived.
"I'd just stay in the room and keep an eye on him," Wilder suggested.
Silas nodded and took the key from Wilder. "He ain't goin' anywhere while I'm in the room. He should be in the cells, as far as I'm concerned," Silas said.
Wilder glanced at the figure in the room. "Maybe he will be, soon enough. Once we know a bit more. In the meantime, holler if you need me."
Silas nodded and went into the room. Wilder smiled when he saw the grim look Silas gave Bodie.
Wilder went to his room and lay down on the bed. He opened the window to let some air into the stuffy room. It would also help if he was to hear any noises from the room next door.
He took out the envelope containing the telegram and opened it. He unfolded the thin paper and looked at the words.
NAME OF RINGLEADER LUCIUS BODIE.
LUCAS MONROE INNOCENT.
SENDING DEPUTY TO HELP YOU BRING BODIE BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS.
There it was. The truth, at last.
That confirmed his suspicions. There was no doubt now that the man locked in the room next door was the key to solving the crime back in Minneapolis. And the way he'd looked at Lucas tonight meant that both men had known each other.
Wilder felt a wave of relief surge through him. He'd known it from the start. Lucas Monroe was innocent. He had been an innocent dupe in a scheme that was getting to be all too commonplace, now that raising cattle was becoming one of the biggest businesses out West. But, why had Lucas fallen for it so easily? What had made the young man agree to get involved with a man like Bodie.
Wilder knew he had the evidence to lock Bodie up. The timing of the telegram couldn't have been better. He got up off the bed. There was a knock at the door. Maybe something had gone wrong next door. Wilder reached for his pistol and went to the door. He put his ear close the door and listened. He could hear fast breathing on the other side.
A cracked voice came from the other side. "It's me, Mr Armstrong. Lucas Monroe."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Wilder opened the door and saw the young man standing in the corridor, hat in hand, glancing nervously down the corridor.
Wilder frowned. "What can I do for you, Lucas?"
"Can I come in? I need to speak to you. I can't talk out here."
Wilder stepped away from the door and let Lucas enter. "Pull up a chair," Wilder said.
"I
won't take long. What I have to say won't take more than a few minutes."
Wilder put his gun away and sat down on the bed. "What you got to say to me?"
Lucas glanced around the room and then at the open window. "Is it safe to speak?"
Wilder nodded. "As safe as anywhere."
Lucas sat down on the chair and placed his hat in his lap. Lucas looked nervous. He wondered if it had anything to do with what had happened down in the street.
"I don't know where to start," Lucas said.
"At the beginning is usually a good place."
Lucas nodded. "I suppose you saw how I reacted to seeing that man."
Wilder nodded. "I think it was pretty plain to see."
Lucas' eyes widened. "Do you think Bethany noticed?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure. But I think Amelia did. Not much escapes her."
Lucas nodded. "Yes. Amelia is a sharp one, I agree. I just wouldn't like Bethany worrying."
"It depends on whether she has anything to worry about," Wilder said slowly. He looked into Lucas' eyes and saw real uncertainty there.
"What do you have to tell me, Lucas?"Wilder asked slowly.
Lucas drew in a deep breath. Wilder saw him grab a hold of himself. It was time for Lucas to come clean.
"I did something stupid," Lucas said slowly. Wilder looked at him and kept quiet. The man needed time to figure out how to say what he had to say.
Lucas continued. "When I was in Minneapolis I got involved with some bad people."
"The town's full of them, Lucas. It's not hard to do."
Lucas smiled at Wilder's encouraging comment. "Anyway. I was intending to only be there to arrange some business for my pa. To do with cattle. I was approached by a man about a deal. He explained to me that if I promised to sell him an option to buy some cattle he could guarantee a price that was way above what we could get in the open market. He said it was a sure thing. Easy profit."
Wilder shook his head. "There ain't no such thing."
"I know that now. I didn't know it when I met that man."
"Who is the man we're talking about," Wilder asked.
"Him. The guy you took to the jailhouse."
"Lucius Bodie?"
"Is that the name he gave you?" Lucas asked. "He gave me a different name."
"That's the kind of thing men like him do. What happened next?"
"Bodie told me not tell my pa about the deal. He said it would be best that I didn't."
"And you agreed?"
Lucas sighed. "I didn't think what I was doing. I wanted to come home from Minneapolis with a special deal. Something that would please my pa."
"Is that important?"
Lucas frowned."What?"
"Pleasing your pa?"
"I guess so. He's always been good to me. And now that Landon has gone, I'm the only son left at the ranch. He kinda relies on me. I wanted to impress him. Show him I'd grown up. Changed."
"Go on," Wilder instructed Lucas.
"After I agreed to make the deal with Bodie he kinda disappeared."
"What do mean?"
"Just that. I signed the agreement to supply the cattle and he was gone. Just like that."
"He didn't give you any money?"
"Not a dime. He said it was to do with the nature of the deal. I'd only given him permission to use an option to buy the cattle."
"So what did you do?"
"I waited just wondering what to do. And then, one day, some men appeared at my hotel demanding I honor my agreement."
"For what."
"Cattle. Seems like Bodie had promised that I would supply cattle at a reduced price, instead of the high price I thought I was getting."
"Arbitrage," Wilder said bluntly.
"What?"
"Bodie was acting as a front. A middle man. He was taking the agreement for your cattle and selling to multiple bidders, leaving you to deal with the buyers. Bodie probably pocketed a huge amount of money in the process."
Lucas sighed. "I figured something like that was going on."
"I suppose the buyers weren't too happy with you," Wilder said.
"That's putting it mildly," Lucas admitted. "We nearly came to blows."
"And, I assume no-one believed you when you claimed you'd been fooled by Bodie."
"Nobody would buy that excuse," Lucas said. Wilder could see that the memory of dealing with the angry buyers still caused pain to Lucas.
"I suppose you got threatened with the law."
Lucas nodded.
"So what did you do?"
"The only thing I could do. I didn't want to wind up in jail in Minneapolis. It's a strange place for me. I don't have any friends there. And it's a long way from pa. He was up to his eyes in all the trouble Landon was causing. So, I did the only thing I could do and left."
"Didn't you realize how bad that would look?"
Lucas nodded. "Sure I did. But I intended to sort things out, once I got home and figured out what to do. Then there was the whole business of Landon. I knew I had to settle down and build a better life for myself here. Figured on taking me a wife. Then, Miss Hardie started arranging for me to meet a possible wife and Bethany came, and then you were around and I knew there was something going on," Lucas said, his voice starting to sound panicked.
"Hold on there, Lucas. You haven't got anything to worry about."
Lucas sat bolt upright in his chair. His eyes almost popped out of his head. "What do you mean?"
Wilder peered at Lucas. "I came here to try and find the man I thought was responsible for a darned serious case of fraud. Looked like an open and shut case. You'd come to Minneapolis and taken a few folks for a few thousand dollars."
Lucas gasped. "A few thousand dollars? That much?" Lucas ran his hand through his hair. Now he was starting to look real nervous, Wilder thought.
"Looked like you'd come running back to Montana with a bag full of cash. It didn't look good for you."
Lucas' face turned pale. Then a flash of understanding lit up his eyes. "You say "didn't"? You mean you believe I'm innocent?"
Wilder smiled and reached into his pocket and took out the telegram. Wilder waved the paper as if it were the key to Lucas' freedom. "I know you're innocent."
Lucas peered at the paper in Wilder's hand. "What does that say?" he asked.
"It says you're in the clear. I had my suspicions about Mr. Bodie and asked for my office to check into his affairs. Seems he's well known in Minneapolis and around those parts for swindles of this kind. You are a witness now, not a suspect. And Mr. Bodie is in a whole lot more trouble than he thinks."
Lucas exhaled and his shoulders sagged with relief. He gazed at Wilder and then his brows furrowed. "But, why did Bodie come out here?"
Wilder didn't want to answer that question immediately. He figured the reason for Bodie's presence in Montana Falls might be pretty obvious. Maybe Lucas didn't want to think about that too much. But, it was something that was going to prey on Wilder's mind if he didn't just come out with the truth.
"You really want to know?" Wilder asked.
Lucas nodded but still seemed entirely clueless.
Wilder sighed. "Bodie came out here to get you, Lucas."
"Get me?"
Wilder looked deep into Lucas' eyes. "Silence you. Stop you from testifying. He knew he wasn't going to be a free man for much longer and you were the key to having any chance of staying out of jail."
"You're saying he came here to silence me? For good?"
Wilder nodded his head solemnly. "Maybe."
Lucas was silent for a moment. Wilder could see that the young man was having trouble getting the truth to sink in. It was best that Lucas understood just how much danger he had been in, Wilder thought. Bodie's weakness for taking advantage of those he saw as weak had got the better of him. Cheating the man in the saloon had been Bodie's undoing. Lucas had no idea how lucky he was.
"We've got Bodie next door," Wilder stated.
Lucas' eyes flashed wit
h sudden panic. "Next door?"
"Don't worry. There's a deputy there, keeping an eye on him. I'll have him taken to the jailhouse. Luke will sort the rest out. Looks like Mr. Bodie will be going back to Minneapolis to face charges."
Lucas peered at Wilder. "What should I do, Mr. Armstrong."
Wilder went to Lucas and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You get back to the ranch. Get yourself ready for tomorrow. I understand it's going to be a big day," he said.
Lucas smiled. "Bethany's coming over. Amelia's coming too. Ma and Pa are really looking forward to meeting Bethany at last."
"I'm sure they are."
Lucas stood. "I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Armstrong."
"You don't have to thank me. You just concentrate on making Bethany as happy as you can."
Lucas's features lit up. "I'll certainly do that. I take it you'll come calling before you leave."
Wilder frowned. "I'm not too sure about that. There are one or two things I have to clear up before I do anything else."
Wilder saw Lucas hesitate before asking for any more details. Wilder didn't want to start talking about Amelia. He didn't know where that conversation would lead.
Lucas held out a hand. "Thank you," he said.
Wilder shook Lucas by the hand. "You take care, Lucas." He smiled at Lucas. "Don't let that woman of yours out of your sight for a minute. She's a real treasure."
Lucas grinned. "I know that. Tomorrow's going to be a fine day."
"I'm sure it will be, Lucas."
Wilder opened the door and watched Lucas head down the corridor. The young man couldn't resist one quick glance at the door behind which sat the man who had nearly ruined his chances of happiness. Wilder felt a rush of satisfaction as he saw Lucas racing down the stairs.
With that Wilder closed the door to his room and got himself ready to give Silas the good news that it was time for Lucius Bodie to be escorted to the jailhouse where he belonged.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"I tell you, Miss Hardie, it was very strange," Bethany said.
"I'm sure there's a perfectly simple explanation," Miss Hardie replied.
Amelia's Montana Wedding (Love In Montana Falls Book 1) Page 14
