After Rick walked out the door and closed it behind him, Katlin closed her eyes and began taking deep, cleansing breaths as she struggled to bring her accelerated heart rate under control. Her head was pounding in tempo with her heartbeat. She was nauseous, and she feared she was going to black out again.
She imagined how Mitch would react when he found her gone. Would he realize Rick had her, or would he believe she had returned to her own time, leaving what they'd found together behind? And there was Bart. She could still see him lying there bleeding, and the image broke her heart. Her eyes filled with tears. It would be so easy to give in to the despair threatening to overwhelm her. Unless she found a way to escape or Mitch found her in time, she would have been better off if Rick had killed her.
No! She couldn't afford to think that way. Katlin couldn't believe, she refused to accept, she had come this far to find happiness only to lose it this way. She had to get a grip. She had to think. Somehow, some way, she'd had to get back to the man she loved.
Precisely at two o'clock, as promised, bearing the first two buckets of hot water for Katlin's bath, the bartender knocked on the door of Katlin's room. "Miss Katlin, it's me, Tom. I've got water for yer bath." Receiving no response, he knocked again. "Miss Katlin, you awake in there?" He listened, put his ear to the door, and listened again. Not a sound, not even from the dog. Feeling something was wrong, Tom left the buckets of water on the floor by the door where he'd sat them and hurried down the stairs to get Ben who was playing a quiet game of poker with Phil Coe and two ranchers.
Even while concentrating on his poker game, there was little Ben Thompson missed. He'd watched Tom take the water upstairs to Katlin's room, and from where he was sitting Ben was able to see him knocking on the door. Ben was on his feet before Tom reached the table.
"I got a real bad feelin', boss," Tom informed him, a worried frown creasing his homely features. "Miss Katlin ain't answerin' the door, and there ain't a sound comin' from inside the room."
Needing no further urging, Ben rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He knocked loudly on the door. "Katie, open up. It's me, Ben." No response. Ben reached into his pocket for the key then remembered he'd given it to Katlin. He'd break down the damn door if he had to, but he knew it wouldn't be necessary. There was another way into the room. He'd instructed Katlin to keep the door locked at all times, but figured it wouldn't hurt to check. It was unlocked. " quick glance around the room confirmed his fears. Katlin was gone.
Ben turned to Tom. "Did you see her leave?"
"You asked me to watch out for her, Ben. I didn't leave the main room until I went to heat up the water for her bath, and then you were there. She didn't leave this room after she came up here to rest."
"Damn," Ben swore then raked his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Where do you suppose she got to? " body don't just disappear," Tom asked.
"No, they don't. Unless it happens to be Katlin McKinnen. With her, anything was possible," Ben added silently. There was another way out of the room, but few people knew about it. Mitch Cameron was one of them. Ben knew he hadn't mentioned it to Katlin, but maybe Mitch had. There could be a simple explanation for Katlin not being in her room. More than likely, she'd laugh about it, tease him about worrying needlessly, and call him an overprotective uncle. Ben tried to convince himself there was no real cause for alarm just yet. Unfortunately, like Tom, he had a very bad feeling.
"Tom, I want you to go find Mitch and get him back here," Ben instructed.
"You're wantin' me to tell Mitch Cameron his intended done disappeared?" Tom asked anxiously, not looking forward to Mitch's reaction.
Ben didn't relish the prospect himself but accepted imparting the news as his responsibility. Mitch trusted him to look out for Katlin, and now she was gone. If what he feared had happened, he only hoped his friend could accept there was nothing any of them could have done to prevent it.
"Just tell him I need to talk to him," Ben said, letting the worried bartender off the hook. "There may be no reason to worry just yet. For all we know, she could be in one of the other rooms with one of the girls. It is her wedding day after all. She might have felt the need to talk to another female, and we just didn't see her leave the room. I'll check it out while you're gone."
Ben knew it was a slim possibility at best, but one he checked out nevertheless. After Tom left the saloon, he questioned the girls, even Phil and the ranchers he'd been playing poker with just in case they'd seen or heard something he had missed. He was in Katlin's room when he heard the sound of Mitch's boots against the steps as he ran up the stairs. Damned if he wouldn't rather be facing a showdown on Texas Street than to face his friend with the news he had to deliver.
"What the hell is going on, Ben?" Mitch demanded before he had even crossed the threshold of the opened door. "Tom wouldn't tell me a damned thing, but it's as plain as the nose on his face that he's worried sick about something."
"She's gone, Mitch." Ben didn't know of an easier way to say it.
Mitch flinched as if he'd hit him. "What do you mean, she's gone?"
"Katlin's gone," Ben repeated, then explained how they discovered her disappearance. "Tom brought up water for her bath at two o'clock like she'd asked, and she wasn't here. The dog is gone too."
Mitch grabbed Ben by the collar, glaring at him with burning, accusing eyes. "I trusted you to watch out for her," he hissed through clenched teeth, his need to do violence unmistakable.
In one swift movement, Ben brought his arms up between Mitch's and broke his hold on him. "Don't you think I know that?" Ben snapped in response. Once crossed, Ben's temper could become almost uncontrollable, and no one recognized Ben's faults better than he did himself. He understood Mitch's anger, his need to lash out at someone, but Ben was holding on to his own control by a very slender thread. "Either Tom or I were within view of the stairs at all times, and I'm telling you she didn't come down, and no one came up here," Ben told him firmly. He wasn't making excuses. He was simply telling it like it was. "If you think it will help us figure out exactly what happened, and if it will make you feel better to take me on, then lets go outside and have at it."
Dear God, what was he doing? The moment he'd heard the words "She's gone," his ability to reason deserted him. No, that wasn't exactly true. For the better part of the morning he'd felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Several times he'd been tempted to come to the Bull's Head to check on her, but he'd convinced himself he was being overprotective, and he knew Katlin wouldn't appreciate it. He'd rationalized that his feelings were to be expected considering the uncertainty hanging over their heads. The moment Mitch saw the worried expression on Tom's face, he'd known he should have trusted his gut feelings. Even as he jumped from his bath and threw on his clothes without taking the time to dry, somehow he had known. Hearing Ben confirm his fears, he'd lost it. As insane as it was, he was damned tempted to take Ben up on his offer to go outside. Not because Ben was responsible, but because every instinct in him urged him to fight back, and Ben had offered an opportunity.
"I'm sorry, Ben," Mitch apologized, something that had never come easily to him in the past, but since Katlin came into his life many things had changed. He had changed. Mitch stepped back, closed his eyes, and struggled to get his emotions under control.
"Me too, Mitch," Ben responded. "She warned both of us this might happen."
"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier." Tears glistened in Mitch's eyes as he sank down onto the side of the bed and dropped his head into his hands. "I love her, Ben."
Ben believed he could actually see the life draining out of one of the strongest men he'd ever known. Damned if he didn't have a lump in his own throat. As impossible as it was, he'd only known Katlin a few days himself, but he'd felt a lifetime connection to her. He loved her too, like one of his own family.
Downstairs behind the bar, Tom was washing glasses and still trying to figure out how Katlin had managed to get out of
the saloon without anyone seeing her. Sensing someone beside him, he turned to speak and found no one there. The hair stood up on his arms, and a chill ran down his spine.
Sing leaned forward and whispered into Tom's mind, "You have to go out into the alley behind the saloon."
Tom shook his head in an attempt to shake off the eerie sensation.
Again Sing repeated the mental suggestion.
After wiping his hands on the towel across his shoulder, Tom caught Phil Coe's attention. "I'm goin' out back to get some air, Phil. Give me a shout if someone comes in." Phil nodded and returned his attention to the cards in his hand.
* * * *
"You know, Mitch, I've had a little longer to think about this than you have. Could be the possibility of Katlin being returned to her own time has been in the back of our minds, and that was the first conclusion we would naturally jump to when we found her missing," Ben suggested, knowing the odds were mighty slim, but he'd seen slimmer odds pay off in the past. "What if we're wrong?"
Mitch looked up at Ben, more than willing to grasp at any glimmer of hope. "What are you getting at?"
Ben walked to the dresser, picked up Katlin's pistol, and extended it toward Mitch. "Only Katlin and Bart are missing. "ll of her things are still here. I checked while I was waiting for you to get here. If she came with Bart and the things she had with her, wouldn't it make sense they would be gone too?"
Taking Katlin's pistol, Mitch sat looking down at it as he attempted to get past the painful sensation of loss that was eating away at his insides. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But damn it all, Ben, I don't have a clue as to how this time travel thing works."
"What about the hidden stairs? Did you tell Katlin it was there?"
Remembering the circumstances surrounding the last time he'd personally used those stairs, Mitch felt his heart clench. "No, I didn't mention it."
"Damn, I didn't either," Ben muttered more to himself than to Mitch. "Guess I'm clutching at straws, trying to think of every possibility."
Mitch got to his feet and walked toward the hidden panel then looked over his shoulder at Ben. "The fact remains, it is here. What if . . . ?"
Before Mitch could finish his thought, through the opened window they heard Tom shout from the alley behind the saloon. "Ben, you and Mitch best get down here, quick."
They found Tom on his knees bending over Bart. "He's been shot."
Dropping to his knees beside Tom, Mitch asked, "Is he dead?"
"He's still breathing, but he's lost a lot of blood. Look," Tom responded then pointed toward the back end of the alley where there was a noticeable trail of blood. "This fella's got a strong heart. You can see how he tried to get back here to get help."
Reaching down, Mitch smoothed his hand along Bart's neck, noting the animal's labored breathing. "I'll get her, boy, I promise you that," Mitch said then rose to his feet and turned toward Ben. His jaw was clenched, a vein was pulsing in his cheek, and absolute icy resolve glittered from his eyes.
Ben recognized the look his friend was wearing. He imagined more dead men than he cared to remember had faced that same look in his own eyes. Just like Mitch, the thought of Katlin in Westfield's hands made his stomach churn with rage. He'd been the one who found poor Jenny. The one who witnessed first hand the results of Westfield's sick perversions. Ben also remembered what Katlin told him when he wanted to go after Westfield himself.
"Don't do something you'll regret, Mitch," Ben warned. "If you go off half cocked, you could get her killed. Katlin gave me a smart piece of advice. She said, "You have to think things through, weigh your options, then react smart not emotionally. We have no idea how long she's been gone or where Rick might be holding her."
As much as he hated to admit it, Ben was right. He had to act with a cool head for Katlin's sake. If he made a mistake, she'd be the one to pay for it.
Mitch turned, leaned down, and lifted the hundred pound German shepherd into his arms. "Tom, go get the doctor, but don't tell him the patient is a dog. Once he gets here, I'll pay him anything it takes."
"Don't go, Tom," Ben countered then looked at Mitch. "During the war I saw Tom save more wounded soldiers than the company saw bones. If Bart were mine, I'd rather have Tom looking after him than the snake oil pusher we have in town."
Nodding his agreement, Mitch's eyes met Tom's. "I'll do my best for him, Mitch. There ain't nothing' that would give me more pleasure than to see Miss Katlin return to find her dog still alive."
"Lets get him upstairs then." Before Mitch turned toward the saloon with the dog in his arms, he suggested to Ben, "Why don't you see if you can back track to where Bart was hit. That has to be where they grabbed Kat. Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to figure out which direction they headed."
"Consider it done," Ben stated then headed off down the alley, following the trail.
Tom raced up the stairs ahead of Mitch and had a soft pallet of blankets ready for the wounded dog.
Remembering the first aide kit Katlin had showed him that first night at the pond, Mitch went through her supplies looking for the compact, bedroll type bag with the red cross on the side. She had things in there Mitch had never heard of. Thank God everything was labeled and there was a book explaining the proper use.
Katlin told him that a year ago she'd been camping alone and had stepped on a rusted tin can. The cut on her foot got infected, and she became seriously ill. As a result, her cousin who was a medical student, put together a special first aide kit with supplies to cover almost every emergency.
Realizing there was nothing he could do for Katlin until Ben returned and knowing how much the dog meant to her, Mitch tried to focus on what he could do to help Tom. He turned to the index in the book and was surprised to find an entire chapter titled, Emergency Treatment For Hunters. Gunshot wounds was in section one.
Unrolling the first aide kit with everything carefully organized and within reach, Mitch turned to the appropriate page in the book and extended it toward Tom. "This should be everything you'll need."
Tom scanned the page then looked glanced up at Mitch in surprise. "Where did all this come from?"
"Trust me, Tom, you don't want to know. Just do the best you can." Without further question, Tom began reading then removing the items from the bag as he went. From this point on Mitch figured he'd be more hindrance than help, so he backed off and let Tom do his thing. Thanks to Katlin's cousin, Mitch suspected Bart would be receiving better medical treatment than most human patients in his time. Nevertheless, he feared the animal would need more help than Tom could supply, that Bart was too far gone.
Accepting that he'd done all he could do for Bart, Mitch began to pace the room, attempting to think things through. It was an exercise which had always come so easily to him in the past . . . before his emotions got in the way of his clear-headed objectivity.
The first priority was to find Katlin. Ben was right. They could be holding her anywhere. As much as the thought sickened and enraged him, Mitch knew how twisted Rick had become. Especially after what Katlin told him about Jenny Logan. Rick would be in no hurry to get rid of Katlin, as long as he believed his activities remained hidden. Considering that Rick had never been forced to face the consequences of his actions in the past, he had become too arrogant to believe he'd be caught. That bought them some time to find Katlin. Mitch dared not allow himself to even imagine what she'd been through already. Once Katlin was safe, his old childhood friend would be a dead man.
"How's he doing?" Ben asked. Mitch had been so lost in thought he hadn't heard him heard him enter the room.
"Not good. I'm afraid he's not going to make it."
"I'd be surprised if he did," Ben admitted. "He got hit north of town just past the railroad tracks. There's a trail of blood all the way. It's a miracle he made it back this far."
"Like Tom said, the animal has heart," Mitch responded. For Katlin's sake, he prayed heart would be enough to pull the fiercely loyal animal through. "Did you find a
trail?"
"The ground is so dry it's hard to say for sure, but I'd guess two horses headed west out of town parallel to the tracks."
"Any thoughts as to where they might be holding her?"
"I wish I did," Ben responded, frustration evident in his voice. "If I were trying to cover my tracks, I would continue west then cross the railroad tracks and double back through the areas heavily traveled by the trail herds. We could search every farm and homestead to the west of town, when they are in the opposite direction. The only safe bet we've got is that he would keep her away from the ranch, yet close enough for easy access."
"That's it!" Mitch's voice was filled with exasperation. "If I'd been thinking with my head instead of my heart, I'd have thought of it sooner."
"Thought of what?" Ben demanded.
"What do you know about the trouble some of the farmers and homesteaders in the area have been having?" Mitch asked.
"Rumor has it that a few trail herds have been deliberately driven through selected properties, destroying everything and forcing the owners to sell out dirt cheap. There have also been a couple of incidents of unexplained brush fires north of the tracks," Ben answered, then, picking up on Mitch's train of thought, asked a question of his own, "You think Rick is involved?"
"Up to his ass. I believe he's the person who has been buying up the land."
"Then it's a safe bet Katlin is being held on one of those properties."
"Exactly," Mitch answered, anxious to get moving now that they had an idea of where to search. "How many properties have been hit?"
"Six I'm aware of. I've got a map in my office. It should be easy enough to pinpoint the exact locations, but they're so widely spaced it's going to take some time getting to all of them."
"Then we'll split up to save time."
"Lets get moving then. When I got back, I sent Phil out to get our horses saddled. They should be here by the time we're ready to move out."
* * * *
The Bond Unbroken Page 26
