Sarah had gone to bed alone, something she would have never dreamed would happen on her wedding night. Strong or not, she cried herself to sleep. Their cabin was still not finished. She was in what used to be Pope’s bedroom. Israel was sitting on the front porch in the dark, his Winchester across his lap. He was standing guard as his grandson asked, Scout alert at his side. Under the questionable circumstances of parts of the wedding party being shot up, he would have anyway.
Millie heard Sarah and tapped on the door before going in.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“No, I’m miserable. It’s my wedding night and my husband is off working.”
“Honey, he has a hotel in his generally peaceful county shot up during his first week or so as sheriff. Of course, he had to go. You of all people should understand it.”
“But I usually gun up and go with him!”
“You were his detective partner. Now, you are not a deputy sheriff. You are his wife. He wants to reduce your risk to danger. I think it’s a pretty sweet thought on his part. If you think it has anything to do with your ability to shoot or your bravery, you are wrong. You have different jobs. If you get a call about a stage robbery and it’s outside of Marin County, he won’t go with you. He will trust you to be careful and professional and do your job. You’ll see,” Millie said.
Sarah smiled. For the first time since the ceremony.
“Thank you, Millie. I know you are right. I guess because Mattie is where he is going worries me too.”
“I can tell you, knowing John and Mattie both, he loves you and not a little seventeen-year-old girl. She is with her parents who can control her. You need to work on some trust. You have trusted your life with him, why not your heart?”
Sarah was quiet and thought a while. Millie was right. At the end of the kidnap recovery, the villain pointed his gun at Sarah and was going to pull the trigger and kill her. Pope, with two bullets in him, forced the will to shoot the man in the back of his head and kill him instantly before losing consciousness. He saved her even though it could had caused his own death. Thank God, she thought, it had not, but it was very close. And, the girls, including Martha who she thought of as her little sister, had taken care of her John so she could get much needed rest. Taken care of him during very controlled hospital conditions. Done it very professionally for kids. So the young one cared for Pope. Was she any competition for Sarah? Hell no! Sarah committed herself to worrying about things worthy of her concern. She hugged Millie who then padded silently back to bed. Sarah was asleep soon.
She awoke on a strong shoulder. With a strong arm around her. She smiled before even opening her eyes.
“Good morning, husband. Or should I say Sheriff Husband?”
Pope, still asleep with the two hours he would get for the evening, mumbled something. She kissed him on the cheek. His mustache tickled her nose and she giggled. She took off her nightgown for some real, skin to skin warmth and went back to sleep herself.
Pope awoke later. Sarah was still on his shoulder but had lost her nightgown. He hoped he had not missed something important on this special night. He stroked her back and she purred. Purred in contrast to the Blue Tick hound snoring on the floor beside him. Could it get any better than this? He wondered for a second. Then, he realized it absolutely could not.
He patted Sarah gently on the bottom and went back to sleep.
The next morning, it was still raining. He put on his suit and a slicker and rode into his office at San Rafael. The Lanes, minus Harriett were waiting.
“Hi, folks. Long night.”
“Are you serious about hiring my eldest daughter as a deputy sheriff? I have plans to send her to college.”
“She has spoken with both Sarah and me about policing. We’ve tried to give her straight forward answers. The talks have not progressed any further.”
“Did you get the shooter, John,” Mattie asked, changing the subject away from her sister.
“We did get the shooter. Your shooter, as it turned out. A former suitor named Thomas Maupin.” He looked at Lane first and Mattie second. The latter turned crimson.
“I know the young man. He comes from a good family. Will he go to prison?” Lane asked.
“His sentence is up to the judge. He will be found guilty. We have his confession. I expect to dig a bullet out of the guest house and compare it forensically to the rifle I took away from him. I’m glad it was not more powerful. He could have accidentally killed one of you. He did say he figured the little .32-20 would not penetrate walls. I know it can, so he was lucky. So was everyone in the guest house.”
“Should I get his father to send a lawyer over?”
“Everybody is entitled to the best defense they can get,” Pope said.
“We will be leaving on the first ferry in the morning,” Lane said.
“Thank all of you for coming. Sarah and I feel you all are special to us after the kidnapping and helping after I stepped in front of a couple bullets.”
“Is Miss Harriett alright?” Pope asked.
“She’s in one of her moods,” Martha responded before her father could stop her.
“I hope she gets better,” Pope said, concluding his thoughts with the simple sentence.
“We have really missed Millie. She gave a sense of balance to our household,” Lane said.
“She is truly a gem beyond compare. She seems very happy living in a cabin in the woods, collecting berries for pies, growing a small vegetable garden, and looking after my grandfather. Trying to keep him from climbing tall trees and jumping wide creeks is a full-time job, and she does it like nobody else could,” Pope said.
“Certainly, the impression all of us got seeing her yesterday,” Lane said, the two daughters nodding their agreement.
“Does Mattie have to be at the trial to testify, since she knows Maupin?” Lane asked.
“No, I doubt it. I think we have a tight enough case. Of course, anyone is welcome to come and watch it.”
“No, I think we have seen quite enough of Thomas Maupin for a lifetime,” Lane said as they left. His youngest daughter was quite subdued. Pope reckoned the two girls would sway their father to bring them back, albeit for different reasons.
Maupin was moved to the jail before Pope arrived. He went over to the prosecutor’s office and introduced himself. The prosecutor seemed young, but Pope realized he was approaching thirty like Pope himself. They hit it off well.
Pope warned him a likely big shot San Francisco attorney might be coming across the Bay to represent him. They spoke about the fact he was a smart aleck but did not truly resist, said he was trying to scare the Lanes and not hurt anybody and thought his lower power rifle would not penetrate the walls of the house.
The prosecutor suggested aggravated assault and holding drunk and disorderly as a plea agreement with the defense attorney. Both knew he did not appear to be inebriated but thought it may be an acceptable compromise.
A magistrate heard the charges later in the day and sent it “upstairs” to the higher court for adjudication. Not much crime was happening in Marin at the time, so the case was set for a week hence. Pope sent Lane a telegram advising him.
When Pope got back to the office, Kane was waiting for him. They went into Pope’s office and closed the door.
“Anything new on your ‘father in law’?” Pope asked.
“Yes, actually. He left a note for me at the guest house this morning. He said he hoped we were not harmed in the shooting last night. He may have been in the crowd. Remember, as an actor, he is a past master at disguise.
“He said he would meet us two miles north of town today. I have already gotten a horse from the livery stable for the ride. Unless you think we need a buggy.”
“The use I had in mind for a buggy or buckboard was more of a body disposal nature than we could do in daylight,” Pope said. His friend grinned evilly.
“John, he wants to meet at three o’clock. He was insistent I come alone. I don’t
know how we will hide you.”
“Don’t worry. I will ride out before two and hide myself. Was he specific about the location beyond just two miles north?” Pope asked.
“Yes, he said by a big oak tree with a branch going all the way across the road.”
“I suspect I can find it with no trouble. Just in case, take this police whistle to signal me if you don’t want to signal by Colt,” Pope said as he handed the whistle from Washington to Kane.
“Sarah is coming into town today to stop by her new office. She should be here anytime. Why don’t you go get Rita and we’ll eat lunch together? Mind you, I have not told her any details about your matter.”
“Sounds like a plan to me!” Kane said and left to pick up his wife. Pope picked up on the Colt and the butt of his Bowie knife printing in the back flap of Kane’s suit coat as he walked out of the office. With the badge pinned on his lapel, Pope did not have to worry much about such things anymore. Of course, he never had anyway.
Sarah rode in on horseback a few minutes later, instead of driving Grandpa’s buckboard. She tied up outside the office next to Caesar.
“Seen your little girlfriend yet?” Sarah said with a mischievous, though not malevolent grin.
“I have, in fact. She was a bit subdued since the shooter I put in jail last night is one of her disappointed suitors. Stupid kid. May have ruined his life over a teen romance.”
“Well, I’ll be! The little minx.”
“Harriett did not come. Lane all but admitted his wife’s moods were sickness related. He said they really missed Millie.”
“Well, they have to get past me to get her back,” Sarah said.
“You, me, Grandpa, Scout and Caesar you mean.”
“Do you have a big day planned?” she asked.
“Not really. I have to ride north on business after lunch. Otherwise, continue to become oriented to the job and the citizens. I still don’t know my way around too well. All my visits here to Grandpa have been local to his property. Things like building the cabin, hunting with him and all. I need to know where things are. I have to be able to respond quickly if something happened,” Pope said.
“Exactly. Who would have ever believed somebody would shoot up a guest house in San Rafael? Amazing the effect Mattie has on men,” Sarah observed.
“Well, boys at least. Soon, I suspect her wiles will affect men. We will see significant effects then.” Sarah held her response.
“Is this your official first day at the office?” he asked.
“No. We are still on holiday. But your holiday passed when you resigned. Thank goodness, Hume does not appear to hold the grudge now he did earlier.”
“Especially for your sake,” Pope said.
“He never seemed agitated with me. Only you. I suspect he was grooming you to succeed him one day.”
“I think I’d have to wait thirty years to succeed him. He will signal retirement when his lifeless head hits the desk,” Pope said, unaware how prophetic his words would prove to be.
“We have lunch with the Kanes later this morning or early afternoon,” Pope said.
“I’m glad. You going to pick me up?” she asked.
“I will. See you shortly actually.”
“Well, I am going to arrange my new desk and see what supplies I might need. I have my new, small twenty-gauge sawed-off scattergun in my purse. It’s awfully handy. I didn’t know they even made buckshot for such a small gauge,” Sarah said.
“They do. It’s more popular than you might realize. With the reduced recoil, you can get your second shot off faster. And, if you need to touch off both barrels at the same time, it won’t fly back and knock you unconscious like the old ten gauge could. I almost wish the ten was a loose powder and shot percussion. Then, we could reduce the powder charge. It was fine when it was four feet long. Whacking off the barrel and stock was a mistake. Made it almost unusable.”
Pope’s comment gave Sarah an idea. She would look into it later in the day. Perhaps when Pope rode north on whatever mission he had. A similar gun might be handy for a county sheriff. He was a difficult person for whom to choose gifts.
She went on to the office and set up her desk. She had assembled an investigative satchel like Pope’s. It had a magnifying glass, sketch pad and pencil, tweezers, small evidence sacks, ruler and measuring tape and more. Pope had surprised her with a Dietz police lantern and metal fuel bottle upon her appointment to the regional detective position. He also urged her to keep her saddlebags filled with coffee, rudimentary cooking gear, a knife and hatchet, ammunition, and a blanket. She already had the shotgun, carbine, and poncho. She was ready to hit the trail. Sarah had watched and helped Pope pitch camp under various and often bad circumstances. She knew how to survive. The weather in Northern California in her counties never got as bad as they had faced on the plains and mountains further east.
She went through her case file at the office. She had six investigations related to claims, either false or exaggerated, against Wells Fargo. Though boring, these legal matters to be investigated were the bread and butter of Wells Fargo detectives. They kept her in a job between stage and train robberies.
Pope walked around town, greeting merchants as they unlocked doors and flipped their signs to “open”. He planned to go to each town in the county at this time of day and do the same thing. The two years before the next election would come quickly and he wanted to start off right. More importantly, he thought, it was simply good policing. Even at Martha’s age, patrolling San Francisco, he had done the same thing. It paid off for him many times.
During his patrol, he spotted Kane and Rita coming out of the café where they had breakfast.
“All set?” Kane said.
“All set. I’ll be heading out before two,” he responded, not sure of what Rita, or rather Sally, knew. Kane nodded.
They picked up Sarah for lunch. An hour later, Pope told Chief Deputy Bill Isakson he would be riding north some this afternoon and rode out of town.
He found the tree described as the meeting place. There was a small, but thick copse of trees about a hundred yards further on. He tied Caesar in the middle. Pope took his poncho and carbine. He set up behind a tree facing the meeting place. He was sure Booth, now going as David E. George according to Kane, would not be able to see him or the horse. He put a feed bag with some oats on Caesar. It all but guaranteed the horse would not snicker or whinny.
Pope settled into his hide and waited. Twenty minutes before the appointed meeting time, he saw a small rental carriage called a shay. It was approaching from the direction of San Rafael.
One man was in the two-seater. He wore a black suit. It matched his hair and thick mustache. Pope had seen newspaper photos of Booth. In them, he was a handsome young man with dark hair and a thin mustache. This man was just an almost twenty years older version. He was surprised the man had not used his theatrical talents to disguise himself. Under cover during the kidnapping case, he and Sarah had both used professionally applied disguises. Pope was made to look older and Sarah to look pregnant. Why wouldn’t, ostensibly dead or not, the most wanted man in America not disguise himself?
The man climbed out of the shay and tied the reins to the tree. He walked in a circle, checking for watchers hidden by nearby trees and undergrowth. He walked part way to Pope’s hide but turned around before getting there.
Almost exactly at three, Pope saw a tall man in black approaching on horseback. He knew from the way he was sitting in the saddle it was Kane.
Kane dismounted and shook hands with Booth. Pope could not hear a word of the conversation.
“Wilkes, I came. What’s all the hurrah about?”
“I want to know why an imposter is pretending to be my Ogarita!”
“Then, you need to talk to your Ogarita. But I will save you the trouble.”
“Go ahead, Kane.”
“After the rescue in Mexico, your daughter asked me to help her drop out of sight. She had an idea. Her best friend wa
s an actress who looked passably like her. Her friend was willing to assume her identity and act for a while. After, she planned to fade away. As it ended up, fading away was marrying me. Your daughter is happily living in Texas. She is with the young man she met from the posse.”
“Where in Texas?” Booth demanded. Kane was getting more riled by the minute at his demeanor.
“Send the Circle in Dallas a letter for her. They will make sure she gets it. It’s not up to me to tell you.”
“You sure as hell will!” Booth screamed, almost loud enough for Pope to hear.
“Or, what? You’ll make me kill you dead right here, right now?” Kane asked.
Booth reached inside his suit and Kane drew the long barrel Colt and smacked Booth’s hand hard with it.
Kane reached into Booth’s coat and removed a Remington revolver. He tossed it into the bushes.
“You had your one chance to draw on me and live. You don’t have another. You are looking a gift horse in the face and are too damn crazy to know it. I am helping your daughter hide from the horrendous legacy you laid on her.
“You have three options to consider right this second. One is to consider yourself lucky and ride away, never to contact me again. Two is for me to kill you, make it look like a robbery and I’ll ride away. Three, my friend the sheriff could make the greatest arrest in American history and put the man who shot Abraham Lincoln on the gallows. He’s just the man for the job. He worked in Washington for Robert Todd Lincoln. The secretary of war would say your trial is an extension of the ones for the conspirators hung at the Navy Yard. He’d pull the lever himself.
“Think fast, Wilkes. I am giving you far more than you deserve. My choice would be to just kill your ass right now.”
Booth turned and untied the shay. Booth favored the sore hand. He would return and get his revolver later. Without a word, he rode out of Kane’s life.
Once Booth was out of sight, Pope joined his friend.
“I guess it went alright. You didn’t kill him.”
Shooting For Justice Page 18
