“I don’t imagine Mitch would be too happy,” Teddy countered.
“And then you’d be breaking the commandment about lying,” Adrik added, “and I know how that would just about break your heart.”
“I ain’t gonna rot in a jail. Not when this claim on the Bonanza is worth fifty thousand if it’s worth a dime.”
The front door, which had been left partially open after Adrik had passed through, now opened in full. Two Northwest Mounted Police officers entered looking for all the world as if they materialized out of thin air.
Adrik turned to the men. “Have you heard enough?”
“Indeed we have. We’ll take the prisoner into custody for the murder of Gumption Lindquist, as well as the kidnapping of Thomas and Miranda Davenport.”
Adrik chuckled. “Ah, I’m sure there are quite a few more charges you can figure out to pin on him. Just remember, lying isn’t one of them.”
“I have my serious doubts about that,” the sergeant said.
“Well, to tell you the truth, I have my doubts as well,” Adrik admitted.
Relieved at the Mounties’ appearance, Miranda longed for the horrid man to be taken from their cabin. She wasn’t at all pleased when her husband suggested the hour was too late to start back for Dawson.
“You’re welcome to keep him in the back room. There are no windows and only one entry.”
The Mountie nodded. “I believe it would be prudent.” He motioned for his subordinate to take Cec in hand.
“You ain’t gonna pin that murder on me,” Cec declared. “They’ll hang Jacob for sure now.”
Adrik crossed his arms and stared hard at the older man. Miranda saw his eyes narrow. He opened his mouth to say something, then turned and walked out the door. Miranda looked to Teddy. “I’d like to go talk to him.” Teddy nodded.
Miranda slipped away from her husband even as Cec continued with his protests—cursing them all for their stupidity. Following Adrik outside, she was relieved to see that the snow had stopped completely and the sun was out.
“Adrik,” she called after him. He had walked away from the house, but paused and turned.
“Sorry, I just had to get some air,” he said as she joined him.
“I can well understand. I’ve been in his company for three days now and feel like the only thing I want is a bath. The man is as bad as they come. He doesn’t care about anything but himself.”
“He’d have let Jacob die.”
Miranda shuddered. “Yes, he no doubt would have.”
“I can abide a lot of things, Miranda, but that isn’t one of ’em.”
“I know.”
Adrik pushed his hat back. “I’ve seen enough corruption and evil to last me a lifetime. Here we are on the verge of new century, and it seems the entire world is so wrapped up in itself that most folks can’t even see what’s right or wrong.”
“Teddy told me that many people believe the end of the world will come on the last day of the year.”
“I’ve heard the same,” Adrik replied. “They get all excited about dates on a calendar rather than focusing on what’s real and true. And that includes folks in the church as well as those who aren’t.” He paused and shook his head. “I just don’t get it. Makes me sorry I ever came north.”
“I’m not sorry I came north,” Miranda replied. “I might never have met Teddy. But I am sorry for the greed and the sins of the men who are driven by that greed. I rejoice in the Lord, however, that He made a way for Jacob to be found innocent without having to wait for a long trial. I’m sure he’s miserable enough in jail.”
“He is. His faith’s been really shaken. Leah’s, too. But I think they’ll come out of the fire proven as gold. They’re good folk and their hearts are right.”
“Karen’s done well with them, as have you. I know Jacob spoke to me of how much he admired you. You’ve become his only father figure. Do you mind taking on a ready-made family?”
Adrik grinned. “I hadn’t figured to even marry, to tell you the truth. Didn’t figure I’d find a woman up to the challenge. Karen proved me wrong on that. So I guess I can handle being father to a couple of orphaned kids. Especially when they’re as great as Jacob and Leah.”
“I’m glad. I wondered what would become of them since it’s pretty certain their father never made it past the avalanche.”
“I’ll offer them both a home for as long as they want it.”
Miranda smiled. “On the coast of Alaska?”
“Yes, ma’am. Back where I belong,” Adrik replied enthusiastically. He looked to the cabin and then to Miranda. “You’re good medicine. You’ve got me thinking back on what’s important and right in my life, instead of what’s wrong. Teddy’s a lucky man. You’re going to do him proud.”
“Thank you,” Miranda said, feeling suddenly embarrassed by his praise. “How about we go back now and figure what we can put together for dinner.”
Adrik nodded. “The Mounties and I brought a few provisions. I couldn’t rustle up much since we were struggling to keep pace with you, but what I have is yours.”
Miranda looped her arm through his and pulled him forward. The big man kept an even gait with her steps, neither saying another word. It is good to have friends like this, Miranda thought. She knew no matter where the future took them, she’d always be able to count on Adrik Ivankov. He was just that kind of person.
Later that night, Miranda stepped out for a walk with her husband. The air was cold but not uncomfortably so. They walked hand in hand for a time without speaking a single word. Finally, Miranda looked up to catch Teddy watching her.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“I was just remembering when you were brought to my cabin. You were so lifeless, I was sure you were already dead. Nellie was the only one who believed you’d make it. The men who brought you wouldn’t even stick around for a meal, they were so certain you would die while they were there. And being very superstitious people, they didn’t want to deal with your spirit being unleashed. Especially since it would be a most troubled spirit from having died so tragically.”
“It was that bad, eh?”
Teddy nodded. “Gravely so. You were so very sick. With each passing day and no response from you, I felt confident that all I could do was pray for you to pass easily into God’s awaiting arms.” He stopped walking and pulled her into his embrace. “I’m so very glad He didn’t take you then. I cannot imagine my life without you in it.”
“I spent so many months angry that God would allow such a thing to happen to me. I imagined my grieving parents and friends and just thought what a horribly cruel joke it was to play on them,” Miranda admitted. “Now, with that time behind me, I see how God took the bad and made it come together for good. He gave me you and he brought my brother back together with Grace. He was worried about leaving me here alone—about my being stranded and penniless. That’s what brought him up here.”
“Your brother is a good man,” Teddy said, gently tracing Miranda’s jaw with his thumb.
“He’s changed a good deal—for the better, I’m happy to say. He never would have picked you to be my husband— not with the way he used to think and evaluate the potential suitors in my life.”
Teddy dropped his hold and stepped away feigning hurt. “You mean I wouldn’t have been good enough for you?”
Miranda laughed and the sound was lyrical and lighthearted. How good it was to be happy. To laugh again and have everything come together in proper order.
“To the way Peter Colton used to think, no one was good enough for me,” she said, still smiling. “But he changed his thinking and suddenly realized I knew what was best for myself all along.”
“And what was that?”
“You,” she replied, stepping forward to wrap her arms around his neck. “Only you, Thomas Edward Davenport.”
—[CHAPTER THIRTY TWO]—
JACOB HEARD THE COMMISSIONER say he was free to go, but the words barely registered.
His soul soared on wings—the wings of freedom. Leah jumped into his arms, laughing in her excitement.
“Did you hear that! You’re free! I told you God would work it all out. I told you He wouldn’t let us down.”
“Yes, you told me,” Jacob said, chuckling. Leah’s laughter was contagious.
“We’ve been after this man for a long time,” the commissioner said, leaning back in his chair. “Of course, we had no idea that the man who killed the true owner of the Bonanza claim and the man who killed Mr. Lindquist were one and the same.”
Jacob loosened Leah’s hold on him and sobered. “So he killed more than Gump?”
“Indeed he did. Mr. Blackabee killed the rightful owner of this deed.” The man held up the paper as if for evidence to his statement. “We had witnesses to the crime, but no one knew the killer by name. We even had a drawing made up. See here?” He pulled a paper from his drawer. The likeness was very much like that of Cec Blackabee.
Adrik stepped forward. “We’d like to leave Dawson as soon as possible. How long before this can be cleared up? What with Jacob being a witness to Gump’s killing, and all.”
“It shouldn’t be more than a matter of weeks at the most,” the commissioner declared. “We’ll do what we can to see the matter resolved in an expeditious manner. We have Mr. Barringer’s written statement, as well as the statement of the Mounties who overheard Mr. Blackabee’s confession. With the other charges against Blackabee, Jacob’s testimony may well not be needed. Cecil Blackabee will most likely be hanged.”
Jacob shuddered. It could just as easily have been him they were talking about. In spite of the way Cec had left him to take the blame for Gump’s death, Jacob pitied the man. After all, he had saved Jacob’s life. His mind protested too much concern, however, as Jacob knew Cec would have let him die in order to save his own neck.
Adrik and Karen led the way outside, with Jacob and Leah following close behind. Jacob drew in a deep breath as soon as his feet hit the muddy street. Freedom. How very precious it was. He had taken for granted the privilege and joy of just being able to come and go as he pleased.
Thank you, God, he prayed silently as they made their way to the Dawson Lucky Day Hotel. I feel so blessed that you have delivered me from jail—from the possibility of death.
“Peter Colton said to tell you that you could have a job with his shipping company whenever you were ready,” Leah told Jacob.
Leah’s news was just an added bonus to the day. “That’s good to hear.”
“What’s this all about?” Karen questioned. “Are you making plans behind our backs, again?” She smiled and winked, making it clear she wasn’t serious.
“I think I’m going to have to make some plans sooner or later,” Jacob said, quite serious. “I’ll be seventeen in January. I ought to find a decent job. I kind of figured if I got work with Peter, I could learn some kind of trade.”
“That’s good thinking, Jacob,” Adrik said, slowing his pace to allow Jacob to pull up even with them. “Peter would make a good teacher. He’d be fair and honest, and those are traits you don’t always see in your authorities on earth.”
Jacob knew this to be true. He’d always admired the way Peter worked with Grace and Karen when the tent store had been a part of their lives. He didn’t understand what had happened between Peter and Grace in their marriage, but he figured it wasn’t his concern. He’d prayed for them both, however, as he had come to care about Grace as if she were family.
The foursome came to a stop on Second Avenue, as if the spot were some previously agreed upon destination. Adrik and Karen looked at Jacob as if searching for answers to unspoken questions. Jacob felt the need to continue.
“I want something better than what my pa had. He was a dreamer. Everything was always better one town over or at the next discovery of gold.” He pointed down the deserted street. “You couldn’t move along this street last year this time without running into someone or having to get out of somebody’s way. Now it’s almost worse off than when it started. That’s always the way it seems to be. I’ve seen dozens of towns just like it. Leah has, too.”
Leah nodded, as if to confirm his statement. Jacob reached over and gave one of her braids a playful tug. “I want something better. Something that offers more security to my family.” He grew rather sheepish and added, “And someday I want a family—a wife and children. But I want to give them a home where they can live and know that every day there will be food on the table and a roof over their heads. I don’t want them to worry about having to pack up their few belongings and head off to some new discovery of prosperity.”
“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Adrik said. “It also sounds like very wise planning.”
“I figure it fits with what God wants for me, as well.”
“Then God will point the way, Jacob,” Adrik assured. “You can be guaranteed He’ll show you the right direction.”
October brought more snow and the promise of a cold and tiresome winter. Already there was less and less sunlight. Karen looked out the window of their hotel room and wondered how soon they would be able to leave. She was anxious to be settled in Dyea. Especially now.
She put her hand to her abdomen and marveled at the knowledge that she was to have a child. She hadn’t told Adrik yet. She’d been waiting for a special moment. The baby, best as she could figure, would be born in May. It seemed a perfect month for a new life to come into the world. Even in the frozen north, new life could be found in May.
Karen thought of her mother and father and wished they could have lived to see her married to Adrik. They both had held him in such high regard, and Adrik had loved them even before Karen was a part of his life. Surely they looked down from heaven, happy for the union and proud of the choice she’d made.
She hoped they’d also be proud of her desire to pick up where they left off. After long hours of discussion with her husband, Karen felt confident that they were being called into ministry work with the Tlingit Indians. She particularly wanted to work with the children—teaching them everything she could so that they might be better equipped if and when they wanted to be a part of the White world.
“Well, it’s settled,” Adrik said, coming through the adjoining door to their sitting room. “Jacob is free to leave. The government released him.”
Karen looked at Adrik and saw the joy in his face. He had been so worried about Jacob. He loved him as much as a man could love a son, and this warmed her heart. She knew he would be a good father.
“You look very pleased to hear the news,” he said, sitting down to pull off his boots.
“I am. I’m also very pleased about the love you’ve shown Jacob and Leah. You have been so very good to both of them in the absence of their real father.”
“They’re easy to care about. Easy to love,” he said, putting his boots aside. He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. “I didn’t realize it was getting so late. The commissioner kept me even after announcing the news. He kept talking about the changes in the area.”
Karen smiled. “It’s no bother. I was too excited to sleep.”
“I can well imagine. Waiting for this news has stretched our patience. But now that we have it, we can go back to Dyea and build us a cabin. Or, from the sounds of it, take one that’s been deserted. I guess Dyea is hardly more than a few folks keepin’ company these days. Skagway’s suffering, too. I feel bad for the folks who poured so much time and effort, not to mention money, into building up those towns.”
Karen nodded and unfastened the tie on her robe. “So do you think we can leave Dawson right away?” She slipped out of the robe and carefully draped it across the end of the bed. Turning down the covers, she waited for Adrik’s answer, but none came.
She paused and looked back to see what had suddenly silenced him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, getting to his feet. “I was just watching you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. I st
ill can’t believe how blessed I am. I couldn’t be any happier.”
“Don’t count on that,” she murmured, getting into the bed. Her strawberry blond curls spilled out across the pillow as she leaned back. She watched her husband, memorizing each detail—his broad, strong shoulders, trim waist, and thick, muscular legs. He was a powerful man of great physical stamina. She wondered if they had sons if they would take after him. She smiled again at the thought of the child. How very blessed she was. God had given her the desires of her heart—so much more precious than rivers of gold or mountains that glittered with ore. A child!
Adrik quickly finished undressing and picked up the Bible on the stand beside the bed. It was their habit to read from the Word every night before retiring. He slid under the covers and eased back against the headboard of their bed.
“I have a request for tonight’s reading,” Karen said. She thought this the perfect way to break her news. “Read from the Psalms. Specifically Psalm 127.”
“All right,” he said, turning the lamp up a bit before flipping through the well-worn pages.
“Psalm 127,” he began. “ ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.’ ”
He smiled over at her and Karen reached out to tenderly touch his bearded face. He continued reading. “ ‘It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.’ ”
Adrik grinned. “Now I see why you wanted me to read this. You’re hoping I’ll be quiet and let you go to sleep.”
Karen giggled. “Not at all. I quite like being in your company Mr. Ivankov.”
Adrik turned back to the Bible. “ ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’ ”
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