0764214101

by Tracie Peterson

  Harry perked up at this. “Jimmy’s my friend.”

  The man nodded. “I know, and I’m glad. Jimmy needs a good friend like you.” He smiled. “Harry, I also need to thank you for all you did to finish the irrigation ditch. That was a lot of hard work, and I’d like to pay you for your time.”

  Harry reached out and shook Jimmy’s pa’s hand. “Oh, no, no, no. You don’t have to pay me. I did it as a friend to help. Miss Lillian was out here digging, and I just wanted to be nice because she’s been so nice to me.”

  Mr. Colton laughed. “I bet that was a sight, watching Miss Lillian try to dig.”

  The tension was gone and Harry giggled. “Oh, she looked really funny. She was wearin’ . . . pants.” He whispered the last word, then spoke up once again. “But she really tried. She’s just not as strong as me.”

  “I can imagine.” The man put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You helped save my olive crop, Harry. I mean it. We wouldn’t have made it without you. Thank you.”

  “You are very welcome, Mr. Colton. Yep, yep, yep.”

  Mr. Colton frowned and Harry stepped back. Had he done something wrong?

  “Harry, why don’t you come to the house and get out of the rain? I’m sure Jimmy would love to see you.”

  “I . . . I . . .” Harry looked around, still anxious that Darwin would know where he was. “I can’t.”

  “All right. But since you’ve been around here, maybe you can help me. Somebody broke into my house and hurt Mrs. Goodman. She’s in the hospital now.” Lightning flashed across the sky, but Mr. Colton acted like nothing was wrong.

  “Who would hurt Mrs. Goodman? She gave me a hug!” Harry had a bad feeling in his stomach.

  “Someone beat her pretty bad after they dug around in our attic. That same person broke my windows. They were looking for something—a treasure that they’d hidden in my house.”

  Harry thought he might get sick and squatted down. Oh no, no, no. That meant . . .

  Mr. Colton crouched down next to Harry. “Have you seen anything, Harry?”

  He squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to help his nice friends. In fact, he was hoping to live with nice people like them after Brother left. They might let him live in the barn, and that would be so much better than the dark cave. Maybe he could tell them the truth. Maybe it would help them. Maybe Darwin could go away for good. “I don’t know for sure, Mr. Colton.” Rain mingled with tears to blur his vision.

  “It’s okay. You can trust me. Just tell me what you do know.”

  “But I promised.”

  “Sometimes you have to break a promise to tell the truth. Is that what you need to do?”

  Harry nodded and bit his lip. Mr. Colton was right. It was a bad promise he’d made to Darwin. Because it wasn’t the truth. He stood up, and Mr. Colton did, too. “My brother must be the one who hurt Mrs. Goodman and broke your windows.”

  Mr. Colton’s face turned really white, and when the lightning flashed, it made him look mad. “Is your brother Darwin Longstreet?”

  Harry lowered his face. Fear crawled up his spine. “Darwin is mean. He was in your attic looking for his gold. He wants all of it so he can go to Mexico.”

  “Where’s Darwin now, Harry?”

  Harry looked around for a minute. “I don’t know. He said he was comin’ here when the sun set. He told me to be here, too. Maybe he won’t come with all these people here. Maybe he’ll stay away until the rain stops.” He pointed up the hill behind the pond. “He comes that way and ties his horse up there, then watches until it’s safe.”

  Lillian was busy at the stove when Woody entered the back door. She paused momentarily to look into his eyes. “Woody?”

  He entered the kitchen and glanced to where Jimmy was playing with Mr. Whiskers. “I need you to go to town right now, Lillian. Fetch the sheriff, and take Jimmy with you. I’ve saddled a horse for you.”

  “What? Why?” She dropped the towel on the table and started to untie her apron. “Won’t it be dangerous?” She paused lest she worry Jimmy. “I mean what with the thunderstorm.”

  “I can’t explain now, but I ran across Harry while I was checking the grounds.” He held up his hands when Jimmy jumped to his feet. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. And I think I’ve figured out the rest of the puzzle. But I need you to go to town now. As fast as you can.”

  He could tell by the look on Lillian’s face that she was beginning to understand. She nodded very slowly, then smiled at Jimmy. “Go get your boots on.”

  Jimmy nodded and ran from the room. Lillian turned back to Woody. “Did Harry see something? Did he see Mr. Longstreet?”

  “Darwin Longstreet is Harry’s brother.”

  She went pale. “Oh . . .”

  He nodded. “Harry said he was supposed to meet him here at sunset. I’m going to get my men, and we’ll hide out around the property. I told Harry not to tell his brother that we’re here. I don’t want him spooked off. Harry said he always comes from the hill just beyond the pond. That should leave you and Jimmy safe to ride to town. Once you’re there, stay there.”

  She squared her shoulders as Woody had seen her do on many a trying occasion. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. “Ride fast and don’t stop for any reason. The storm’s nearly passed and hopefully the ground will soak up the water, since it’s so dry.”

  Lillian looked into his eyes and kissed him again. “Please be careful.”

  The hours ticked by. The storm was long gone and the sun moved across the western sky. Soon it would be dark. Woody and his men had taken up positions all around the grounds to wait for either Longstreet or the sheriff. But neither had come. Woody tried not to worry, but he couldn’t help it. He tried to pray, but all he could get out was, “Please God, help.” He hoped it was enough.

  After another two hours a real sense of fear set in. Twilight had fallen, and it wouldn’t be long before the skies grew dark. That would make it hard to see Longstreet and Harry when they came. Woody told his men all about Harry and admonished them to do nothing that would cause the boy harm. However, if it was dark outside, it would be almost impossible to know who was who. Not only that, but worse still was the growing sensation that something wasn’t right. Woody felt it all the way to his bones. The sheriff had plenty of time to get here. Where was he? More important, where were Lillian and Jimmy? Had they run across trouble on the way? Had Longstreet somehow fooled them all and come from a direction other than the one Harry had suggested?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Wake up, lady. It’s time to go.”

  Lillian struggled to open her eyes. Then the pain hit her. Her head hurt as if someone had hit her with the trunk of a tree, and her body ached from lying on top of the rocky ground. She sat up and realized her hands were tied in front of her and a kerchief had been placed around her mouth as a gag.

  “Now you’re gonna cooperate with me,” the fierce-looking man declared. He yanked her to her feet. “Understand?” He pointed to the crumpled body of Jimmy. The child had been bound and gagged just like she was, but also blindfolded. He wasn’t moving, and Lillian feared the worst.

  She tried to protest and edged toward Jimmy, but her words were nothing but garbled moans.

  “The kid is fine, lady. But he won’t be for long if you don’t do exactly as I tell you. Now the sooner you get that in your head, the sooner we can get to work.” He smiled and leaned in, nearly sickening her with his whiskey-scented breath. “And the sooner we get what I’m after, the sooner we can get back here to the boy. Understand?”

  Lillian had no idea if Jimmy truly was all right, but she nodded. She couldn’t remember what happened, but she remembered riding hard and fast with Jimmy. They were going after the sheriff. The rain had made the road slippery. The horse faltered, and Lillian lost her balance. She looked at her captor, all of a sudden realizing who he was.

  Darwin Longstreet grinned back at her. “I think you understan
d real good. Now come on.” He pushed her toward the mouth of the cave.

  Lillian looked around, trying her best to memorize where they were and how she might get back to Jimmy. Longstreet had made a fire and lit several torches, one of which was near the entrance to the cave—or was it a mine? Hadn’t Harry said he lived in a mine?

  Longstreet hoisted Lillian up atop the same horse she’d ridden earlier. She gripped the horn tight, fearful she might very well fall off. She glanced back in the direction they’d come and realized it was difficult to make out the light from inside the cave. It seemed Longstreet had created the perfect hideaway for himself. She worried about Jimmy and worried about what he would think when he woke up alone, blindfolded and bound.

  Longstreet mounted his own horse, then grabbed her reins and pulled the horse to follow his. “I’m figurin’ by now your men are out looking for you on the road. We’re gonna make our way back to that fancy house, and you’re gonna help me retrieve what’s mine—and if you dare make any noise, you and that kid will both be dead.”

  Lillian tried to remember the path they were taking, but it was dark and almost impossible to make out any landmarks. Please, God, keep Jimmy safe and help me to get back to him. He’ll be so afraid if he wakes up alone.

  They wound round and round. It seemed the trail went in circles as far as Lillian could figure out. Most of the trip was downhill—at least she felt like it was from the way she was pulled forward.

  Longstreet finally halted, and after wrapping her reins around his saddle horn, he jumped down and walked away. Lillian stiffened at the sound of an owl from a nearby tree. Longstreet was gone only a few minutes before he came back and dragged her from the horse.

  Pulling on the rope in his hands, Darwin tugged her closer. “Come on. And not a peep outta ya, ya hear? If anybody is still down there, I don’t want them to hear us comin’.”

  She nodded, still gagged and bound. Lillian didn’t know if he could actually see her nod, but he moved out and took her with him. She smelled the pond as they passed close by. There wasn’t even so much as a sliver of moonlight to help her see, but her eyes were adjusting to make out the dark shadowy trees overhead. They were heading for the house. That much she was sure of. Apparently there was still something there that Longstreet was after.

  When they reached the well, however, he stopped and whispered into her ear, “Not a sound.” She shivered and pulled away. “Just wait, missy. I’ll really make you cringe later.” He tightened the rope around her wrists.

  “I have a fortune in gold down this well. There are two bags, and you’re gonna go down there and get them for me. Now I’m gonna put a rope around your waist and lower you down. As soon as you have the bags, yank on the rope and I’ll pull you up.”

  Lillian wanted so much to cry out, but she knew if she did, she’d never see Jimmy or Woody again. She prayed without ceasing for help—for courage—for strength.

  Longstreet fastened the other rope, then lifted her and set her on the edge of the well. She almost slipped into the abyss because of her bound hands, but Longstreet grabbed hold of her. To her surprise, he untied her hands.

  “Now turn around and slide in there. I’ll let you down slow, so don’t worry. I ain’t gonna let you fall. You wouldn’t be able to get my gold if you did.”

  Lillian was small enough that she swung free of the wall only to crash back against it. Darwin was none too careful in his lowering. He might not intend to let her fall, but he was in a hurry all the same. She tried not to think of what all might live in the well. They’d seen snakes near the pond, but surely a snake wouldn’t get itself down a well. Would it? She shivered.

  Cold water swirled up around her. She feared momentarily that she might drown before she found the bags of gold. What if the well water was really deep? But just as she began to fret, her feet hit something solid. She tested the bottom and realized she’d come to the end of the well. By now the rope had slipped up just under her armpits. She pushed the annoying constraint down and tried to figure out what to do next. There wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver, so she squatted down in the water and felt for the bags. It took some doing, but she finally managed to find one of them. Lifting it, however, was an entirely different matter.

  She worked and worked to bring the bag to where she could have it in front of her. She got the idea of tucking the bag in between her and the waist rope. It was really heavy, but it just might work. Hugging the bag against her, she tugged the rope. Lillian’s body hurt from the pull of the rope against her waist. She very nearly cried out against her gag as Darwin yanked her up out of the well. This was one time she would praise God for her corset. At least it had kept the rope from tearing apart her midsection.

  He grabbed the bag. “That’s one. Now go get the other.” He all but pushed her into the well.

  Lillian repeated the grueling process. The second bag wasn’t any easier to lift. Exhausted and hurting, she didn’t bother to do anything but tug on the rope and cradle the bag like a baby.

  Darwin had her out of the well in nothing flat. Lillian began to shake from the cold of the water and her fear. Longstreet didn’t seem to notice or care. He heaved the bag over his shoulder, then turned and yanked her off the well’s edge. He didn’t untie the rope from her waist, but instead yanked it hard to point her in the right direction.

  Lillian gave a quick glance around. Surely Woody had left someone there. But only silence and darkness could be found. She faltered in her steps, and Darwin gave the rope another hard pull. In no time at all he had her back up the hill to where the horses waited.

  “Now, I’m gonna tie you to this tree, and you’re gonna wait here all nice and quiet-like.” He put the bag of gold down at her feet. He tied her to the tree and rebound her wrists before picking up the gold and tying it to the saddle of her horse.

  “Now,” he came much too close for comfort, “I’m gonna go get the other bag. You want that boy to be unharmed, you’ll do nothing but stand here like a good girl.”

  She watched him disappear in the dark and immediately began squirming to free herself from the rope. He wasn’t going to allow either her or Jimmy to live. That much was clear. Lillian felt the rope cut into her wrists as she moved against it. She thought the rope around her waist gave a little and turned in the direction that felt loose, but it was no use. Before she could do much of anything Longstreet was back with the other bag.

  He secured the gold, then untied her from the tree and carried her back to the saddle. Her wet skirt clung to her, but Lillian knew there was nothing to be done about it. She held tight to the horn and prayed.

  She had to come up with a plan. Once they made it back to the mine, she knew Darwin would kill her. And then he’d kill Jimmy. Lillian couldn’t stand the thought of the little boy going through any more anguish. She had to do something. But what?

  The ride back went fast. Darwin pushed their horses hard, and she had a difficult time staying astride with her hands bound and her skirt and legs wet. Lord, help. Please send help.

  Maybe Jimmy had woken up and escaped. She could at least hope.

  But when they dismounted and climbed up to the cave that was the opening to the mine, she saw him still asleep on the ground. Blindfolded and tied up. His little body curled into a ball.

  Darwin kicked rocks and dirt at the boy. “Wake up.”

  He threw Lillian to the ground and tied her feet again. Then he pulled out a gun. “Now, we are gonna wait for my idiot brother to get here, and you two are gonna do exactly as I say, got it?”

  Jimmy squirmed on the ground next to her. He seemed agitated.

  Lillian wished she could comfort him, but she couldn’t reach out to him or even speak to him.

  The boy wiggled some more and grunted through the gag.

  Darwin laughed, leaned over Jimmy, and yanked off his blindfold. “That’s right, kid. Ya know me, don’t you? Recognized my voice, didn’t you?”

  Jimmy’s eyes adjusted to the light and
then narrowed in anger.

  Lillian’s stomach tied up in knots. Jimmy’s reaction confirmed that this was the man who had killed Rebecca Colton. He’d witnessed it.

  His face was no longer pale and drawn but red with anger. He grunted through the gag some more. Wiggling his jaw and mouth, Jimmy finally managed to move the gag and screamed. Loud and strong.

  Darwin slapped the boy and tried to replace the gag, but Jimmy bit him and then screamed some more.

  Lillian lunged forward on her knees, trying to get between Darwin and Jimmy. Longstreet slapped her down, but the action caused him to lose his grip on the pistol.

  “Put your hands up, Longstreet!” the sheriff’s voice boomed from the opening of the mine.

  In one fluid motion Darwin’s arm was around Lillian’s throat, and he pulled her to her feet, using her as a shield. He’d lost his gun, but he now held a knife to her face, the cool of the blade pressed against her cheek. “Back off, sheriff, or I cut her to pieces.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Longstreet. We’ve got you outnumbered.”

  “I don’t rightly care. But I think you do care about this pretty lady here, and I’ll kill her.”

  “Don’t hurt her, Longstreet!” Woody’s voice echoed off the walls.

  A gun cocked behind them. “You killed my mama!” Jimmy’s voice. Scratchy but strong. It brought tears to Lillian’s eyes. She’d never heard him speak.

  Darwin turned sideways and backed them up against a wall of the mine. She could see the sheriff, Woody and his men at the entrance, and Jimmy with a gun in between his bound hands on the other side. Pointed directly at them.

  “You killed my mama!”

  Darwin laughed. “And I’m gonna kill her, too, if you don’t put that gun down.”

  Lillian felt the blade move to her throat.

  “No. I won’t let you. She’s my new mama and you won’t hurt her. I won’t let you.”

  She felt her heart race. She’d never seen Jimmy like this, and it scared her more than anything else ever had. He was so small, but he was holding a gun, and while she knew Woody had taught him how to handle it, Lillian also knew the stress of the situation would only serve to make Jimmy careless. Without giving it another thought, Lillian sucked in a breath and slammed her head back into Darwin’s. She heard the cartilage of his nose snap. The jolt knocked them both around, and Lillian lost her balance. With her hands and feet still tied, she couldn’t do anything but fall.