The Visitor - Colorado 1869 - 1871

by Barbara Svetlick

  “Stay there Matthew.”

  James had worked down in front of the mine entrance and listened before slipping into the opening. It soon became very dark with a lot of obstacles. He heard voices so he worked his way along the walls until they became clearer.

  “I don’t understand what you want. Please let me go.”

  “I want you to tell me which one killed my sister.”

  “But I don’t know who your sister is…”

  “You knew her as Maggie Tippes.” He watched her face as she attempted to hide her surprise. “See, you’re not as stupid as you look.” He was pacing nervously then would stop suddenly.

  “I didn’t know her at all except she…”

  Robert lifted her chin and looked at the bruise that was forming on her cheekbone. “Who Mirisa?” She turned away from him and he backhanded her causing her neck to snap back as she cried out. Matthew almost fell from the tree from the blow. He wiped the tears off his cheeks and told his mother that they were close. He no sooner said it then he felt the next blow. “Who?”

  The blood ran down her chin from the cut on her lip and her right eye began to swell shut. She was so angry that she kicked out catching him in the shin causing him to lose his balance. Mirisa slid backwards trying to get away from him but with her hands bound she didn’t make it very far as he grabbed her foot and pulled her back so he could tie her ankles together.

  Robert’s voice became calm as he talked to her. “You would die for murderers? That’s all they are and that is all they will ever be. Are you aware that your husband spends his nights with unclean foul women who spread diseases? Then he slips into your bed and exposes you to the filth of his behavior. They kill for money, they kill to keep from being discovered and they kill for the pleasure. The four of them are the most notorious group of killers to ever have been trained by the Army and if my sister had her way they would have hung for their crimes and I would have been released from prison.” He pulled her forward so that he was so close Mirisa could smell the perspiration clinging to his body. “One of them killed her and for that I am going to enjoy taking your life. I shall take you one piece at a time and before your last breath I shall treat you like they treat other women.” He started laughing as he stood and slowly unzipped his pants exposing himself. “And when they come to rescue you and they will, I will kill all four of them because you refuse to tell me who killed her.” She watched as he began slowly stroking while running the barrel of his gun along her cheek. “Do you like this? This will be the last thing you see before you die.”

  Robert pulled her closer to him and smiled. “You are a weak woman. Pampered and stupid. You don’t deserve to breathe air for you are a spineless, useless whore just like all those filthy women who sell themselves for gold or power.”

  “Your sister was…” The hit came so fast that Mirisa fell back against a large timber causing it to shift and dirt rained down over them causing Robert to back up a few feet. Conrad crouched down next to her and she chastised him for even appearing when there was nothing he could do to help her.

  “Breath slowly.” Conrad leaned back slightly. “I haven’t decided if he’s slightly touched in the head or gets off by being cruel. I think it might be a little of both. Mirisa.” Mirisa looked at him as he smiled. “The more fear you show the less he’ll do to hurt you because it is the fear he is seeking. If you watch, his left arm is weak. I want you to fill your hands with dirt because you’ll just have a split second to act. His eyes will respond before the rest of him so watch his eyes closely.”

  Robert zipped up his pants then put the gun to her head and slowly pulled back the hammer. He could see the fear in her eyes and he smiled with pleasure. “Don’t worry my dear; your children won’t see the sun rise either so they will never miss you.” Mirisa raised her hands with one motion and threw dirt into his eyes as he screamed out calling her every name he could think of while backing up trying to refocus. She rolled toward the dark corner of the opening as he raised his gun straightening out his arm. “I’ll make sure they know you died because of what those men did to…”

  The bullet entered the side of his temple with such an impact that he stood as though frozen then fell sideways as the gun went off. Meeks stopped at the sound of the two shots. He knew the sound of James’ gun but the second shot was unfamiliar then there was silence. He entered the opening at a dead run with his gun drawn. Dominic came in after him and Garnett stopped a few hundred yards inside the opening with his gun drawn. When they entered the opening they saw the doctor’s body crumpled against the wall and James was leaning over someone in the corner. Meeks holstered his gun and bent down next to James. He was untying Mirisa’s feet and hands before lifting her up as they moved to let James walk past them to the opening. He laid her on the wet grass to check her injuries.

  “Was she hit?”

  “His shot went up as he fell but he beat her pretty bad trying to find out who killed his sister.”

  Meeks walked out with Robert’s horse. “Garnett, there’s a box under the first big timber that has very old dynamite. Blow the shaft.”

  Garnett nodded then went back in climbing over the timber and pulled the box further into the cave setting it on top of the saddle that Meeks had removed from the doctor’s horse. He picked up one stick and walked back to the entrance. “Move her at least up by the horses.” Dominic picked her up as they moved up the ridge where they had left Matthew. Garnett put the stick of dynamite under his arm, pulled out a cigar and lit it. The air was starting to get that refreshing coolness that he loved about the mountains. He took a long drag on the cigar and lit the wick on the dynamite throwing it into the cave with a perfect aim as it landed next to the box. He turned and ran as fast as he could when the explosion shook the ground and dark smoke came billowing out of the opening as it collapsed closing off the entrance.

  “I see you haven’t lost your touch.”

  Garnett picked up and dusted off his hat. “How’s she doing?”

  “She’ll recover but I don’t know if I will.”

  Mirisa tried to sit up as Dominic lifted Matthew down from the tree. James put his hand on her back as he put the canteen up to her lips. “I thought you weren’t going to do this again.”

  “I keep forgetting that just because the four of you are close it doesn’t mean I’m safe.”

  “Do you doubt our ability to protect you?”

  “Protect me? I’m of the opinion that you much prefer to rescue me then prevent me from being in danger. In fact, I am beginning to think I am paying for the bad things you do.”

  James sighed but her anger was a good sign. “Can you ride?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Mirisa, I think I just saved your life.”

  “James I do believe I was holding my own.”

  “Well, then next time I will not come to rescue you but I did love the part where you threw dirt and rolled. I’m beginning to think someone is training you.”

  “Exactly how many more times am I going to need to be rescued?”

  “Until you learn not to get in trouble.”

  “Mirisa?” She looked up at Dominic. “Can you ride bareback?”

  She stood up with Garnett’s help and walked over kissing her son thanking him for being so brave. Dominic mounted his horse pulling Matthew in front of him as Garnett helped her up on his horse before he mounted Robert’s horse bareback. James knocked the dirt off of his hat, lit a cigar off of Meeks’ and mounted. They made it back to the lodge before the sun set.

  Meeks didn’t dismount as Garnett helped Mirisa down before he mounted his horse. They headed east with Robert’s horse until they found a large herd of wild horses grazing east of the river. They took the bridle off of the horse and hit it with the strap sending the horse into the herd which became spooked and headed east with Robert’s horse in the midst of the herd.

  Garnett sat down under a big tree looking out over the countryside. “I guess some things you
do take longer to hunt you down.”

  “I don’t think I’m going to go back to Texas.”

  “You’re going to let her go?”

  “No.” Meeks smiled to himself. “I’m going to marry her.”

  “That’s a powerful statement considering she’s already married and I don’t see you shooting Dominic even if you don’t like him.”

  “He’s already shot himself.”

  “Well, we still have a mess to clean up.” They rode into the back side of town and tied their horses up behind the saloon. Garnett went in and stood at the bar as the bartender poured a shot placing it in front of him. Garnett picked it up then surveyed the room. The regulars were there and everything seemed to be normal. Meeks walked up the back steps to the rooming house and listened before opening the door. The room fortunately was right next to the stairs. He took the key out of his pocket and slipped into the room. He made sure the curtains were drawn before lighting the lantern. He turned it down and then walked around the room. The drawers were empty except for some very neatly folded shirts and socks. Other than a small book on the night table, there was nothing in the room that would indicate anyone was renting the room. He ran his hand behind the drawers, under the dresser and lifted the mattress where he found a slit along the edge. He reached in and pulled out a flat leather pouch. Meeks pulled out the satchel under the bed and cleaned out everything in the room. He placed the key on the table and slipped out without being seen.

  Meeks put the satchel on his horse and walked to the back of the doctor’s office picking the lock and slipping in what appeared to be a small surgery room. Enough light was coming in the front windows that he could see clearly without a lantern. He went through the desk then the bookshelves without finding anything that belonged to Robert. Then he went through the appointment book and he had not scheduled any appointments for the next few days so obviously he thought his plan would keep him occupied for a few days. They disposed of everything before heading back.

  When they got back to the lodge it was quiet and Dominic was in the library talking to James.

  Meeks picked up the bottle and poured a shot handing it to Garnett. “How’s Mirisa?”

  “She’s angry. She told James to change her tickets because she was going back to Natchez as soon as she was able to travel.”

  “Think she will change her mind?”

  James considered the question. “Hopefully she will heal slowly so that I can convince her to stay.” He smiled to himself. “You would have been proud of her in that cave. She was not going to go out easily nor was she going to tell him what he wanted to know.”

  Garnett sat forward. “Mirisa never knew Maggie was dead nor when or where she died.”

  “She does now.”

  They closed down the house and decided they all needed a good night’s sleep. When James came down the next morning, he found Mirisa in the kitchen baking. She had her back to him rolling out dough on the counter. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck causing her to stop, turning in his arms.

  James reached up and examined her eye which was swollen shut. The cut on her lip had quit bleeding but you could tell it wouldn’t take much to open it back up. “You are a very beautiful and brave little girl.”

  “James, at the moment I am neither but I am definitely not a little girl.”

  He smiled because the fat lip gave her a slight lisp. “Mirisa, I don’t want you going back east yet.”

  “It’s just a few weeks early.”

  “Meeks is staying in Colorado.” She looked up into his eyes then untangled herself before picking up the rolling pin. “What do you want?”

  “Right now to lock myself in a room with you but that is probably not going to happen.” James pulled her back around as she fought the tears. He held her until Garnett walked in and asked James if he was taking advantage of an injured woman.

  “No, I am trying to talk her into lying down so I can put a pack on her eye and cheek.”

  “Can you wait until she finishes the pies?”

  “James, can you take your hands off of my wife?”

  “No. I think I get some leeway considering I saved her life.”

  Dominic fixed a cup of coffee then lifted her chin looking at the injuries. “I thought you learned last time to take cover.”

  “It was hard to do when he was using his fist.” She pulled away from Dominic and turned to the sink where she had been washing the blueberries. “Now if you will all just go away I will finish baking.”

  Garnett walked over to the stove and poured a cup of coffee before kissing her on the good cheek. “If you feel up to it, I’ll take you into the foothills this afternoon to pick blackberries.” She nodded. Garnett walked out onto the porch to find Meeks sitting with his feet on the railing. “Have you talked to her?”

  “I was with her this morning.”

  “Is she staying?”

  “She is thinking about it but I have no doubt that she will.”

  “We’re heading to town tonight to play poker, care to join us?”

  “No, if you were interested in only cards you would play here.”

  “True.”

  AT THE END of the week, the swelling had gone down considerably and she could see out of her eye again. Garnett had taken her out several times to find blackberries and raspberries so she could put them up for winter.

  Mirisa was sitting on the porch when she heard James answer the door. She got up and walked into the house to find an older man following James to the library. He met her eyes and nodded as she noted the Silver Star pinned on his vest. James closed the door as the sheriff took off his hat.

  “Gentlemen. It appears that our young doctor has vanished.”

  “How can we help you sheriff?”

  Meeks offered him a cigar which he took as James struck a match against the fireplace as the Sheriff bit off the end lighting it. He took a couple of tokes then looked at it. “Excellent blend. Anyway, he had appointments, the doctor that is, all day yesterday. When he didn’t show up I went up to his room and it was empty. The clerk said he was paid up for the month and didn’t say anything about leaving. I questioned old doc but he has been down with gout and bedridden for weeks. Said the last time he saw Doc Bailey was the first of the week and that he indicated he would be gone a few days. No one in town recalls seeing him after he left the saloon.”

  Dominic listened more to the infliction in his voice then the words. “When was that?”

  “It was either Monday or Tuesday. I understand he knew your wife.”

  Dominic walked to the door and called Mirisa. He stood in the doorway until she walked in and stopped a few feet into the room. “The Sheriff wants to know if you have seen Dr. Bailey or spoke to him.”

  She looked at the Sheriff. “The last time I saw him was in town when Matthew and I had lunch with him.” She looked from the Sheriff to her husband. “Is something wrong?”

  The Sheriff looked at her closely. “How did you get injured?”

  “I was picking herbs and fell down the incline east of the house.”

  He walked over and turned her face in both directions looking at the injuries. They all knew that he didn’t buy her story. “You were fortunate. I’ve seen a grown man misstep in the foothills and he never got back up.”

  “That’s what everyone has told me.”

  “Women do a lot better staying in the kitchen and I noticed some very nice pies on your window sill.”

  “Please forgive my bad manners. Can I offer you a fresh cup of coffee and blueberry pie? I just baked it this morning.”

  He thanked her and followed her out into the kitchen sitting down at the bar. She took down a cup and filled it with hot coffee then cut him a large piece of pie. They all came out and sat at the bar as she served everyone finishing off one pie and cutting the second one. He watched every move she made with great interest. “Mrs. Lanfear?”

  “Yes sheriff.”

  “Did he say any
thing unusual the last time you saw him?”

  “He said that he didn’t like the amount of travel that was required as a country doctor and if it was too much he would just return to his practice in New York. We also talked about the benefits of putting my son in boarding school out east and he was going to write me up a list of top schools.” She kept eye contact with the Sheriff. “And he was going to have the chemist fix a cough elixir for the children.”

  “Did you get the elixir?”

  “No.”

  “And how are the children?”

  “I’ve kept them quiet and they seem to be feeling a lot better.”

  “Well, I appreciate your cooperation and the pie is delicious.” The Sheriff put on his hat and bid them good morning.

  Garnett went back in to finish his pie. “Hopefully, he believes your covering up that your injuries are because your husband beats you.”

  Mirisa looked at him surprised as she cleared the dishes off the bar. “Does that happen often?”

  “More then you realize.”

  “Do you think Robert beat me because he enjoyed it or because I wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to know?”

  “You tell me.”

  She sat on James’ lap and put her head on his shoulder. “I think he not only enjoyed it but it excited him in a very ugly improper way. The more I fought back the more he seemed to get pleasure from it. I don’t think I would have liked what he was going to do if James hadn’t killed him.”

  James had described Robert’s behavior and words with perfect detail when they discussed it but she had yet to open up to anyone about what happened in the cave. They all knew that it would take time for her to process everything.

  The Sheriff continued to interview town people then he wired New York to see if he returned to the city. He was surprised when the response from the authorities indicated that the real Doctor Bailey did not match the description or age provided and when contacted the real doctor had indicated he had never travelled outside of the State of New York. The Sheriff revisited the old doctor and discussed whether he had provided any documentation. After an hour, the Sheriff left with the feeling that his good friend was not functioning well and that maybe this flim flam man left when the job was more than he anticipated. He then went through the appointment book and spoke to several folks who as well indicated that he didn’t seem to know a lot about healing but was a very fine talker. The Sheriff closed the investigation based on the fact that there was no indication of foul play. The town posted back east again for a new doctor and weeks later the old town doctor passed away.