Allan drew himself to his full height and scowled at her. “Betrothed or not, Mr. Chapman is here for his own protection, Miss Ralston,” he pronounced. “He will be released first thing in the morning.”
“You are an idiot!” Zelda began hotly. “By tomorrow morning this entire town–” She stopped abruptly, because Tom was finally able to catch her eye and shake his head from side to side, warning her against a statement that might land her in the cell next to his own.
“Corporal, could I have a word in private with Miss Ralston?” Tom tried to sound as humble and contrite as possible, even though it galled him.
Allan looked from Zelda to him. Before he could answer, the telegraph in the corner of the room began chattering, and with a muffled oath, he walked over to see to it.
Zelda at once moved close to his cell. Swiftly, he explained what she had to do, slipping her the closely written sheets of paper with the bank and credit cards folded inside. Allan had checked him for weapons but hadn’t taken his wallet. Zelda tucked them into her handbag.
Constable Liard came in from outside, and Corporal Allan called him over. Snatches of their conversation reached Tom and Zelda, and they exchanged a horrified look.
“Train robbery…gold shipment…three armed men…Pinkerton detectives….”
“You take over here, Constable. I’ll ride out and meet the detectives.” Without another glance at either of them, Corporal Allan hurried out.
Zelda reached her hand through the bars and convulsively grasped Tom’s. Then she turned to Liard, and suddenly became distraught and fragile and totally feminine. Her husky voice quivered and tears trickled down her cheeks.
“Constable, you know that my father, Virgil Ralston, is very ill. Mr. Chapman has been helping me with him…” Her hands fluttered helplessly. “With Tom behind bars, I desperately need Eli at home tonight. I’d be most grateful if you’d allow him to escort me back to our home now and stay with me tonight? He’ll be here first thing in the morning to tend to his duties, I assure you.”
Tom understood. She couldn’t leave Virgil alone all the hours it would take to accomplish what she had to do tonight. And she wanted to be certain as well that Eli was in a place she knew to be safe from the Slide.
Liard frowned. “We’re busy, I’m afraid it’s not---”
Zelda dissolved into loud, pitiful sobs, her face hidden in her hands.
Liard hastily agreed.
In the darkness, it took much longer for the horse and buggy to reach the top of the hill than Zelda had anticipated, but at last she and Leona arrived at the precise spot Tom had indicated on the map he’d drawn.
Nearby, the horse moved restlessly and whinnied, and far down in the valley where the village lay, dogs howled in a constant, mournful chorus. They sat side by side on a fallen log, and Leona huddled deeper into her warm cape.
“It’s absolutely freezing up here, Zel. Thank goodness we finally got this fire started.” Leona shivered again, and Zelda tucked the blanket she’d brought closer around their knees. “What time do you think it is by now?”
Zelda squinted in the firelight at the watch she’d pinned to the lapel of her coat. “One-fifteen.”
“Where the hell are they? Jackson said midnight at the latest.” Leona sounded on the verge of tears, near hysteria, and Zelda could feel her own determined optimism slipping away and utter abject terror taking it place. She made a herculean effort to calm herself and decided to distract her friend with chatter.
“Do you think the animals know what’s going to happen tonight, Leona? I’ve never heard the dogs howling this badly, and if it hadn’t been for Eli, I’d never have gotten the horse harnessed to the wagon. He was almost uncontrollable.” If only she herself could control the nerves that made her fingers tremble and her stomach contract. Unable to sit still, she got up and put another small branch on the fire.
Her thoughts, as they had done all evening, went to Tom, and she wished with all her heart that he was beside her right now. No matter what happened, his presence would have made everything easier.
“Do you think the police might have caught them?” Leona sounded as forlorn and terrified as Zelda felt.
Zelda reached down and grasped Leona’s icy fingers in hers, and against her arm she felt the baby inside Leona’s distended middle move restlessly. “Absolutely not. Tom was certain about that. He said that they got clean away.”
“Hush.” Leona squeezed Zelda’s arm, her nails digging in. “Listen.”
Far off, they heard the sound of horses’ hooves making their careful way up the narrow mountain trail, and then the muted jingle of harness.
“It’s them. It has to be!”
With Zelda’s help, Leona struggled to her feet. They held hands, peering into the darkness at the edge of the small clearing.
“Jackson?” Leona’s call was anxious. “Is that you, Jackson?”
“Yeah, honey. Me and Bill.” He sounded infinitely weary.
There were only two horses. The riders pulled their mounts to a halt and all but tumbled from their backs.
“Oh, my God, what happened?” Leona shrieked.
Jackson was supporting Bill. A makeshift sling had been fashioned from the older man’s shirt, and it was stained with blood. He seemed only semi-conscious.
Jackson half-carried him near the fire and lowered him to the grass, propping him against a stump. Appalled, Zelda and Leona did their best to make him comfortable, wrapping their blanket around him, adding more twigs to the fire. He was shuddering, but in spite of his obvious discomfort, Bill tried to smile up at them.
“Just a scratch,” he declared in a thin voice. “Nothin’ to worry about. Survived plenty worse than this little bee bite in my time.”
Zelda knelt by the injured man, and Leona crouched awkwardly, unsure as to how to best help Bill. They had no water or bandages, nothing with which to cleanse the wound. The worst of the bleeding seemed to have stopped, so it was probably best to leave it exactly as it was and just keep him warm, they both decided.
“But where’s the gold? I thought you were bringing a wagon with the gold.” Leona heaved herself to her feet and moved close to Jackson, her arms clasped protectively over her abdomen.
Jackson reached out and drew her close, making a disgusted sound in his throat.
“What happened, Jackson?” Leona demanded. “And where’s Schraeger?”
Jackson snorted. “That miserable slimeball. Headin’ for the U.S. border, most likely, and good riddance. He’s the one who shot Bill. He was aimin’ for me, but Bill got between us.”
Leona gave a muffled shriek and put her hand over her mouth.
“The whole damned operation was a catastrophe,” Jackson said in a weary tone. He looked around and suddenly became alert.
“Where the hell is Tom?”
“In jail.” Zelda got to her feet.
“Jail? Sheeit.” There was a definite edge of panic to Jackson’s cursing. “What the hell is he doing in jail? Can we get him out in time? How long’ve we got, anyway?”
Zelda shook her head. “There’s no need. They’ll let him out in the morning. He’d already decided not to try and go with you, although he wanted to be here to say good-bye.”
“He’s staying here with Zelda,” Leona supplied. “They’re going to get married.”
“Can’t say I blame him for that,” Jackson said after a moment, but there was a world of sadness in his voice. “How’d he get himself thrown in the can?” He laughed harshly. “Wish I could josh him about that. He nagged me somethin’ awful, warnin’ that I’d end up in jail if I went along with Bill, and now he’s the one behind bars.”
Zelda quickly explained how Tom had been arrested, adding, “Please, tell us what happened to all of you.”
“Well, looked as though everything was going good at first,” Jackson began with a sigh. “We stopped the train just like we planned, smooth as clockwork, tied up the guards, not a shot fired and nobody hurt. Loaded
those blamed boxes into the wagon.”
“Heavy as sin they were, too.” Bill’s voice came thin and reedy from where he lay, but he chuckled as if the whole thing had been a fine joke.
Jackson took up the story again. “We had bandannas over our faces, but one of the guards snatched Bill’s off and recognized him. You’re just too damned well known to Pinkerton’s men, Bill.”
“Price of fame, I reckon,” Miner replied with an attempt at a smile. “They’ve been after me a long time.”
“We knew,” Jackson continued, “that as soon as the guards got loose they’d telegraph ahead and warn the cops, so we rode hard, hauled that damnable wagon clear to the outskirts of Frank.”
Absently, he rubbed his lame leg. “Stopped by the creek down on the flats. It was gettin’ dark already. We figgered on dividin’ up the gold there. The Slide would bury the wagon and Pinkerton’s men, and the Mounted would think we got buried along with it. Bill and Schraeger were gonna take their share and head to the border. I was gonna bring Tom’s and mine up here and bury it so’s we’d know where to look if this door we’re plannin’ on goin’ through tonight actually opens and lets us travel.”
“Trouble was,” Bill said quietly, “the gold was already gone.”
“Gone?” Leona’s voice was horrified.
“Somebody else had stolen it. Probably somebody back in Vancouver, but they’d been damned clever.” Jackson took off his hat and rubbed his hand wearily over his forehead. “They’d substituted bricks for the gold bars and nailed the boxes shut again.” He gave an ironic chuckle. “We risked our asses for a couple of boxes filled with bricks.” His voice dropped, husky and filled with regret. “Too bad Chapman isn’t here. He’d get a real kick out of that. He kept telling me this was a rotten idea, and he was right. Anyhow, when Schraeger saw those bricks, he flew into a black rage and blamed me. Pulled his gun and was about to kill me, but Bill saved my life.”
“Oh, say, I doubt that, Jackson.” Bill still sounded amused. “Schraeger was always a lousy shot. He likely just missed and hit me by accident.”
Zelda was trying to fit this into what Tom had told her. “So the whole story of gold buried under the Slide was nothing more than a myth?”
“Appears so.” Jackson sighed. “According to the research Tom did, Schraeger’s gonna end up in San Quentin for rustlin’ cattle and murderin’ a rancher.” He gave a grim chuckle. “Serves the bastard right. He was questioned about this robbery, but he wouldn’t say a word. He let the authorities believe that his partners and the gold got buried by the Slide.”
Again, Bill Miner chuckled. “Too humiliatin’, I’d say, even for Schraeger, to have to admit we went to all this trouble just to steal a box of bricks.”
“He got tuberculosis in jail. He may be dumb, but he still realized he could barter some favors from old Doc Lawrence if he spun a tall tale about the gold bein’ buried here.”
Bill’s voice was somber. “San Quentin’s a hell-hole. A man would trade his soul for decent food and warm blankets in there. I know, I spent nineteen years, five months and twenty-seven days inside.” He shuddered. “I ain’t fond of the idea of goin’ back, I can tell ya.”
“You’re not.” Jackson’s tone was hard-edged. “You’re comin’ along with Leona and me, as long as this bright idea of Tom’s works, and I hope like hell it does. Otherwise, way things are goin’ tonight, we’ll maybe both end up in San Quentin.”
They were all silent for a moment, aware that what Jackson said was nothing less than the truth. The doorway to the future had become the only certain freedom for Jackson and Bill Miner.
Jackson was the one who broke the tense silence. “Thing was, Tom’s research was dead accurate. The facts all fit Schraeger’s story. The gold bars missing, the train robbed, the Slide burying everything.” Jackson sighed. “Damn, I wish I could see Tom’s face when he hears the real story. He always said you couldn’t trust what history books said was fact. Tonight sure proves him right.” His voice became choked with emotion. “Tell him I wish you both all the happiness in the world, Zel.”
She suddenly remembered what Tom had asked her to do. She hurried and retrieved her handbag from the wagon, extracting the packet Tom had entrusted to her. “He wanted me to give you this, Jackson. He said he has no need for any of it, and he wants you and Leona to use whatever you can. He said it’s a belated wedding gift, and he wants you to take good care of his motorcycles.”
Jackson struck a match and quickly perused the power of attorney and the letter Tom had written. He stared at the bank and credit cards, the money, and the keys and then shoved them into his pocket. He cleared his throat, but still his voice was thick when he spoke. “I’m gonna miss him real bad, you tell him that, Zelda. And tell him thanks. Tell him....” He had to swallow before he could go on. “Tell him we’ll have a burger and fries on him when we get back.”
He dug out his own wallet, extracting all the cash he had. “This won’t be any good to us. It’s little enough but you might as well use it.” He handed the bills to Zelda.
Bill had been paying close attention. “I take it money’s changed somewhat, where we’re goin’?”
Jackson explained briefly what had happened to him and Tom when they tried to use their money the first day in Frank, and he showed Bill the credit cards Tom had given him. “These will give us access to all Tom’s accounts. He’s given us a lot of money.”
“Give me a hand, here, young feller.” Jackson knelt beside Bill and helped him unstrap a money belt Bill had concealed under his clothing. The old bandit held it out to Zelda.
“Take it,” he insisted. “It’s a grubstake fer you and that young man of yours.” His sardonic grin came and went under his moustache. “I never did trust banks none, so I always carry cash and bury gold. It’s gonna be fun, seein’ if the gold I hid here and there’ll still be underground.” He thought about it. “Mind you, if this plan don’t work no better than the robbery did, I’m gonna need that all back again.”
Zelda thanked him and took the heavy canvas belt. After a moment’s hesitation, she strapped it on her own waist, under her coat.
“It’s late. What time is it getting to be?” Leona’s voice was anxious.
Once again, Zelda checked her watch, and her heart gave a great jerk and began to hammer when she read the hour. “It’s three fifty-five. The slide will come at four-ten. There’s only fifteen minutes left.”
“Time to move.” Jackson stamped the fire out and looked around the clearing. “We need to be right over there. That’s where Tom and I ended up the last time. Zelda, you come with me. We’ll take the wagon and the horse and get you good and safe way over there. The Slide came real close to the Center and we’re not takin’ any chances.”
Leona threw her arms around Zelda, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Good-bye, my dearest friend. If this baby’s a girl, I’m naming it for you,” she said brokenly.
Zelda planted a wet kiss on both Leona’s cheek and Bill Miner’s.
Jackson tied the saddle horses to the back of the wagon. “Hurry up, Zelda.”
She ran after him. At the last moment, she remembered the snapshot Tom had asked her to find. She dug it out of her coat pocket and handed it to Jackson. “Tom asked if you’d give this to a woman named Evelyn Lawrence, if she’s still alive when you get there.”
It was the picture Zelda had taken in the summer, using a timing device Tom had made for her. The two of them were standing in front of the little cave, high on Turtle Mountain. Their clothes were rumpled. They were looking, not into the camera’s lens, but at one another, and their expressions made it plain they were in love.
Jackson took the photo. “Was there a message along with it?”
“Tom said just tell her good-bye and thanks, and that he found the real gold.”
Jackson tried to speak and couldn’t. He hugged Zelda hard, and she could feel hot tears on his whiskery cheek before he limped back to where the others were waiting.
The moon was bright, and Zelda could see them all clearly.
The horses moved this way and that, stamping their hooves and rolling their eyes, and somewhere below her the dogs were still howling in an endless chorus.
She turned and glanced across the valley. Turtle Mountain was a dark and silent mass against an indigo sky.
A Distant Echo: Chapter Thrity-Seven
When Constable Liard came in from patrolling the town at 2:30, Tom made one last urgent plea to the weary young policeman.
“The corporal said I could go in the morning. Technically, it’s morning already. Let me out now, please.”
Liard shook his head. “Sorry, can’t do that. When the corporal says morning, he means more like seven or eight. Why don’t you try to get some sleep now?” He poured a cup of cold coffee and grimaced as he drank it. When Tom didn’t move from the cell bars, Liard sighed and said, “Y’know, I remember the day I arrested you and your friend, must be a year ago now.”
“Exactly a year ago, April twenty-eighth.” Tom confirmed.
Liard nodded. “I often think of that money you had. Still can’t understand how that could be, you having money that looked like it was printed in the next century.”
“There’s one simple explanation, Constable. I was telling the truth then, and I’m telling the truth now. That Slide I talked about?” Tom knew his voice rang with truth. “It’s going to happen tonight. Soon, in fact. What time is it now?”
Liard pulled out a pocket watch. “Two-thirty.”
“There’s one hour and forty-five minutes left. Please, Constable, let me out of here.” Tom racked his brain for something – anything – that might work on Liard. “You ever been in love, Constable?”
Liard didn’t answer, but his neck and face flushed pink, and he didn’t meet Tom’s eyes.
“You know how that feels then, wanting to be with someone you love, needing to take care of them,” Tom said softly. “I’m in love with Zelda Ralston,” he stated. “I’m going to marry her. I need to be with her and her family, now, tonight, when this happens. Please, Constable Liard, please, let me out of here. Even if I’m the raving lunatic Allan thinks I am, what the hell can I do at this hour?”
Now and Forever: Time Travel Romance Superbundle Page 94
