Secrets In The Shadows

by Sheridon Smythe

  In the center of the buckle was a pair of snake's eyes, pale blue in color.

  And then she remembered. Adam had worn the same emblem on his belt buckle the day she first met him. Something seemed vaguely familiar about the snake's eyes even then, but the memory had slipped away before she could grasp it.

  Now she did. Now it made sense. Snake River Ranch.

  With a calm she was miles from feeling, she said, “You must be Rudy Wagner, Adam's stepfather.” And the man who killed Colt Murddock. His presence in her kitchen brought the pieces of the puzzle together with crystal clarity.

  He was the one behind the shooting, and the most likely the burning of the jailhouse. And the fire to Silverstone's office the day of Sheriff Murddock's death. He must have been erasing evidence of the will, but apparently had been unable to discover Colt's hiding place.

  But she had, and now Rudy Wagner was here, holding the will in his hands.

  Wagner grinned, showing tobacco-stained teeth. Lacy thought he might have been handsome, if not for the signs of age and the unmistakable cruelty in his dark eyes. At some point, Adam's mother had certainly found him attractive.

  "So you know who I am."

  There was an underlying menace in the question that Lacy instinctively knew she should ignore. She had to play for time and reveal as little as possible until Adam returned. “Your belt buckle—the snake's eyes. Adam has one like it.” She lifted one shoulder in a matter-of-fact shrug. “It wasn't hard to figure out who you were, Mr. Wagner. Adam's mentioned you several times.” Which wasn't a lie.

  Wagner's smiled turned ugly at the mention of Adam. “I'll bet he has, the sneaky little bastard,” he spat. “You his woman?"

  Was she? And which answer would be the safest one? Rudy Wagner didn't look like a stupid man, she thought, and certainly not easily fooled. She had already admitted that Adam had mentioned him, which implied personal interest. Yet she feared Wagner would use the knowledge in any way he could.

  Either way.... The conclusion came after a long hesitation. “We know each other very well, but he certainly doesn't live here.” Her subtle probing seemed lost on Wagner. She wasn't going to find out how he knew Adam would be here—or should have been here. It would help if she knew how much he knew.

  Wagner chuckled. “He doesn't live at the jailhouse anymore, either."

  Lacy fought for composure, for an innocent look. She wasn't good at acting, but this was a life and death situation. “Oh, you've heard about the fire?” If she could convince him she knew nothing about him or his activities, maybe she could buy enough time to figure something out.

  She needed to warn Adam and Grandpa.

  One thing of which she was certain: she couldn't show fear. Adam had told her enough about Rudy Wagner for her to know this. Lacy knew his kind well.

  Summoning all the acting skills within her, Lacy forced herself to smile politely. “Would you like a cup of coffee, Mr. Wagner? Adam should return shortly. He went with my grandfather up to the mayor's house on business, but you're welcome to wait here for him.” As if she had a choice in the matter. “I'm sure he'll be glad to see you.” She moved toward the stove before he could see the lie in her eyes, trying to still her trembling. Just before she turned, she caught sight of his surprised expression and felt a rush of hope. It just might work.

  "Reckon I could use a cup.” Paper rustled; spurs jangled as he shifted.

  Lacy listened to the sounds, her mind racing frantically ahead. It would be disastrous for Adam and her grandpa to return, knowing nothing, yet she knew Adam would want her to detain Wagner as long as she could.

  She added kindling to the stove and struck a match to it. Watching the flames flicker and catch, she said conversationally, “I've been working on this old painting of Adam's.” She darted a quick glance at him. He had paused in his reading, his eyes narrowed on her. She swallowed and continued, once again focusing on the stove. “It was about the only thing he managed to save from the fire. I found those papers stuck between the backing and the canvas, but I left my darn glasses upstairs so I can't read a word it says.” Here goes nothing! Straightening, she shook the kettle to check the water level and asked with casual curiosity, “Is it anything important?"

  She heard movement, then the scraping of a chair as he drew it away from the table. Her back stiffened. Was he wondering why she didn't look at him? Dear God, please let him believe her!

  "You might say that,” Wagner drawled. “Are you tryin’ to tell me Adam doesn't know about these papers?"

  Lacy let her breath out very slowly. “No. Like I said, I thought I would surprise him by flattening the buckles out of that painting.” She laughed as if she didn't have a brain in her head. “He's probably not interested in any old papers, anyway.” Hoping he didn't notice her shaking hands, she retrieved the coffee tin from a shelf above the stove and measured the beans into the hand grinder before spooning the ground mixture into the kettle.

  She waited for Wagner to respond, but all she heard was the ominous sound of a gun being cocked, followed by a distinct thumping noise as he placed the gun onto the table.

  She could feel terror drawing the skin tight across her face and knew she didn't dare turn around.

  "I think he might be a bit more interested than you think, little lady. Now why don't you take a seat while that coffee's cookin'. You look nervous."

  Nervous? Oh, she was more than nervous. Frightened out of her wits—but not for herself, for Adam and Grandpa because she knew what that gun was for.

  Rudy Wagner planned to shoot Adam when he walked through the door.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The game was over and she had lost.

  Lacy moved stiffly to the chair as Wagner gathered the documents together and slid them into the envelopes before tucking them into an inside pocket of his jacket.

  Lacy stared at the gun lying on the table, considering her chances of snatching it up. At his nasty chuckle, she jumped, her gaze flying to his face.

  "You could try it, but you wouldn't make it,” Wagner sneered. “A little lady like you, goin’ up against a man like me. Seems Adam doesn't take after his Pa. I'd have showed you what you get for having thoughts like that."

  The blood drained from Lacy's face as the meaning of his words sank in. “You're not his Pa!” she hissed. Surprisingly, she felt more anger than fear. Adam was nothing like this man and it enraged her to hear Wagner make such a comparison.

  Wagner studied her for a long moment, but Lacy refused to quake. “Looks like I've got two options—no, make that three. If you were tellin’ the truth about Adam not knowing about these papers, then I could kill you and leave.” His eyes narrowed. “I could do that, or I could kill that sneaky stepson of mine."

  Lacy moistened her lips, determined not to show how much his options scared her. “And—and the third option?"

  "I could kill both of you. That way I wouldn't be leavin’ any witnesses."

  But what about Grandpa? she nearly asked aloud. Had he forgotten that Rusty would be returning with Adam? Oh, no, Takola! Takola would be with them, too!

  The sudden banging on the front door startled them both. Their eyes locked. Lacy struggled to keep all traces of fear from her expression.

  "Appears the decision has been made,” he said, rising from the chair. He motioned her with a jerk of his head, scooping the gun from the table. “Go answer the door. I'll be right behind you and if you try anything, I'll shoot you, then I'll shoot whoever comes through that door."

  He would. Lacy saw this certainty in the mean squint of his eyes. She rose and walked slowly into the living room, praying Ben wouldn't come racing down the stairs. He might startle Wagner and Wagner might shoot before thinking. The image hastened her steps. When she reached the door, Wagner nudged her in the back with the gun.

  "Ask who it is."

  Lacy closed her eyes and prayed as she obeyed. “Who's there?"

  The banging ceased at the sound of her voice. “It's
Rusty. Let me in."

  "It's my grandfather. I told you he was with Adam."

  The gun poked her again. She jumped. “Ask him where Adam is,” Wagner ordered in a whisper.

  "Where's Adam, Grandfather?” Oh, Dear God, please let him notice she called him grandfather, and not Grandpa as she normally did. She never called him Grandfather.

  There was a brief silence on the other side of the door. Lacy forced herself to keep breathing evenly. Finally her grandfather's voice came to them, sounding impatient, “Adam's still at the mayor's house. Everythin’ turned out fine. You gonna let me in or am I gonna have to stand out here all night?"

  Same old grumpy man, Lacy thought. Yet she wondered why he didn't mention Takola. He would know how concerned she was.

  "Let him in,” Wagner whispered. “And remember, one wrong move and he's dead. So are you."

  Lacy unlocked the door and pulled it open.

  "What's gotten’ into you—” Rusty broke off as he caught sight of Wagner behind Lacy. His eyes rounded. “Who's that?"

  Wagner stepped out from behind Lacy, grabbing her arm in a rough grip as he pointed the gun at her grandfather. “Get in here, old man, and shut the door. I'd just as soon shoot you, so be quick about it."

  When Lacy heard the soft click of a gun being cocked, she dropped her surprised eyes to the gun in Wagner's hand. She thought he'd already cocked it back in the kitchen.

  "You're not as smart as you used to be,” Adam said, pressing the barrel of his gun against Wagner's temple.

  Lacy stared at Adam in amazement, blinking her eyes to make sure she wasn't conjuring him up. No, he was there, standing behind Wagner. He had obviously snuck in through the back door while they were distracted with her grandpa at the front door. Too sure of himself, Wagner never considered Adam might find out he was here waiting on him.

  Beyond him, she saw Ben hovering in the kitchen doorway. His excited face was flushed with pride.

  Ben. Ben had discovered Wagner and slipped out to warn Adam and Grandpa, Lacy realized. A thrill of pure joy thrummed through her.

  It quickly vanished as Wagner said, “Put your gun down, or the old man gets it."

  Lacy thought she might faint as Adam laughed. “Go ahead. I'm mighty tired of his grumbling anyway."

  Wagner muttered a foul curse and dropped the gun.

  * * * *

  Takola had been waiting on the porch for Grandpa's signal. She came in now, her oval face flushed with the night's victory. To her, there had been no danger, only the need to do what must to be done.

  Lacy hugged the little figure tight with a mixture of pride and exasperation. Later, they would have a long talk about little Indians sneaking out to take big men hostage.

  She didn't object when Adam instructed Ben to tie the prisoner to a chair Grandpa fetched from the kitchen, but when that was done, Lacy sent both Takola and Ben upstairs with stern orders to remain there.

  The four adults gathered in the living room, with Wagner in the center. The scene resembled an inquisition, which, in fact, it was. Lacy watched from her position on the sofa. Her grandfather stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. The air seemed thick with tension.

  Adam walked slowly around Wagner. “You killed Colt Murddock, didn't you? Killed him so you'd have the ranch."

  "I didn't kill anybody,” Wagner growled, struggling against the rope. It was a useless gesture; Ben had tied him well.

  Adam's voice remained even, almost casual—but relentless. “There was a witness, Wagner, so you might as well tell me how you managed to get my grandfather to write the note, and to put that rope around his neck."

  "I don't have to tell you anythin'! You're talkin’ about something that happened fifteen years ago, and there isn't a judge alive who would convict me."

  Adam propped his booted foot on the bottom chair rung right between Wagner's legs and leaned in close to his face. Softly, he asked, “Judge? Who said anything about a judge?” Without breaking eye contact with Wagner, he asked her grandfather, “You've got plenty of rope left, don't you deputy? Enough to hang this man?"

  Her grandfather grinned. “Yep. Plenty of rope. You're the sheriff, I'm the deputy. Won't nobody stop us."

  Wagner began to show the first signs of genuine fear. “You can't do that."

  "Oh? Like the deputy there said, who's to stop us? Everyone will know you set fire to the jail, and everyone will know you killed Colt Murddock.” He clucked his tongue. “People will be mighty angry at you when they find out. All these years they've been believing their hero hung himself."

  Wagner's face filled with blood. He looked frustrated enough to knock Adam down with his spit. “Yes!” he hissed. “Yes, I killed Murddock!” He laughed wildly. “It was easy, all I did was describe to him what I was gonna do to your Ma—and you—if he didn't go along with me."

  Lacy tensed at Adam's murderous expression. She started to go to him, but her grandfather held her back. It shamed her to realize her grandfather trusted Adam's temper more than she did. Biting her lip, she tried to relax against the back of the sofa, telling herself she understood his rage. Because of Rudy Wagner's greed, Colt Murddock gave his life for his daughter and grandson.

  Because of Rudy Wagner, Colt Murddock's reputation had all but shriveled and died.

  Adam's voice was harsh with suppressed emotion. “And you followed me here to Shadow City?” When Wagner nodded once, Adam continued, “Because you were afraid I'd discover the truth even after all these years. So you tried to kill me that night on the outer road, and yesterday, you tried to burn me alive. You also killed Brody Peters because he saw you. But you made the mistake of letting the other man get away."

  He didn't wait for Wagner to deny the charges; he already knew the truth from the mayor's henchman, the one who was with Brody Peters the night of the fire. Shoving himself away, he turned his back on Wagner to give himself time to control his deep, bitter rage. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. Finally, he faced Wagner, but his harsh words were for Rusty. “Get him out of my sight before I kill him with my bare hands."

  The pressure on Lacy's shoulders eased, then disappeared as her grandfather released her. “Where do you want me to take him? We don't have a jail."

  "To Hell, for all I care.” Adam sighed heavily. “See if Matt's got an empty stall. Keep him tied, and appoint someone to watch him until we can take him into St. Louis to stand trial."

  Her grandpa nodded and began the task of untying the intricate series of knots Ben had taken great pains to create. After a considerable amount of fumbling and cursing, he freed Wagner from the chair and jerked him to his feet. When he would have led him out the front door, Lacy stopped him.

  "Wait—Grandpa.” Lacy leaped from the sofa. She almost forgot! Or did she simply want to forget? “He's got something that belongs to Adam, something I found in the back of the painting.” Crossing to Wagner, she reached her trembling hand inside his jacket and removed the envelopes. Her eyes were shadowed, somber, as she handed them to Adam. “The will, the deed to the lumber mill, a bank deposit, and the deed to the ranch."

  Adam's stunned expression should have made her feel good inside. Instead, she felt as if she had lost something more valuable than all the riches he held in his hands. She turned before he could see the pain and the tears.

  Fled before he could guess how thoroughly he had managed to capture her heart, only to break it into a million pieces.

  She knew he would leave now. He had accomplished what he came here to do and now he was free. She wasn't enough to hold him, and her pride wouldn't allow her to beg him to stay.

  Reaching her room, she shut the bedroom door and dropped across the bed, burrowing her face into the pillow to muffle the sound of her ragged sobs.

  * * * *

  August crawled slowly by. September arrived and temperatures began to cool, much to the relief of the townspeople preparing for the celebration.

  In her bedroom, Lacy held herself still
as Carrianna worked on pinning the hem of her new dress. She stroked the satin material, her eyes growing misty as she recalled the look of sheer pride on Ben's face when he had presented the gift. The story unfolded then, of how Takola drew him a picture of the dress in the window and made him understand that Lacy wanted the dress.

  Lacy was stunned, to say the least—and suspicious. She doubted Ben could have saved enough to pay for the dress, and she suspected Adam had helped.

  Adam....

  She had known there would be an empty hole in her heart, but she hadn't reckoned on it being so large. Throwing herself into the preparations for the town's anniversary with a fury that bordered on madness helped, but there were too many long lonely nights when all she could think about was Adam. He said his goodbyes over a month ago, promising to return after he took care of business at the Snake River Ranch.

  Deep in her heart, she feared she would never see Adam again. She could hardly blame him. Shadow City held nothing but bitter reminders for Adam. And now there was the responsibility of the ranch.

  She wasn't the only one who suffered from the sheriff's absence. Ben moped around the house, as did Grandpa. And Takola ... Takola spent long hours drawing for Adam. Lacy knew the Indian girl was attempting to make up for the drawings Adam had lost in the fire. The stack of papers grew steadily, in anticipation of Adam's return.

  Lacy felt a very real, physical pain clench her heart. She was afraid Takola was going to be disappointed. She feared they all were.

  "Lacy?” Carrianna's gentle voice brought her back to the present. “You look like you're a thousand miles away."

  A wan smile curved Lacy's mouth as she looked down at Carrianna crouched at her feet. “I was. Are you about finished?"

  "Just about. Then I'll start on the waist. You've lost too much weight lately, you know, and you were thin enough as it was."

  The subtle rebuke made Lacy wince. Carrianna was right, her appetite had steadily declined since Adam said goodbye. Nothing could tempt her, and some of foods made her stomach lurch with nausea. Grandpa was threatening to haul her in to see Dr. Martin if she didn't start eating more.