The Secret Saddle: Anna Troy's Emancipation (The Emancipation Series Book 2)

by Dani Larsen

  "What do you want? I didn't do anything. Leave me alone."

  "You were listening to Dolly and me at the window weren't you?"

  "I don't know what you are talking about."

  "Yes, you do. I saw your jacket as you popped back in the window. You were smoking a cigarette and listening to our conversation."

  "Are you going to hurt me like you did your mother, you beast?"

  "I knew you heard everything, you nosy old bitch. You just signed your death warrant."

  She turned and ran for the door, and he grabbed her arm before she could open it. Then she tried to scream, but he had his hand over her mouth again. They struggled, and he dropped the gun, but he got his hands around her throat. She kicked and scratched and tried to fight, but she was old and no match for the young strong ranch hand. He didn't want to leave marks on her neck, so he just took her head and made a quick jerk and broke her neck, and then let her drop to the floor. He looked at his arms where she had scratched him and decided he would be wearing long sleeves until they healed. At least, she had not scratched his face or neck. She was too short to reach his face.

  He saw her tobacco and rolling papers and rolled a cigarette while he figured out what to do next. He must make it look like an accident. He smoked most of the cigarette then put it to her lips so her rouge was on the cigarette, then he ground it out on the windowsill. He listened at the window and heard nothing besides crickets in the grass, behind the boarding house, and the low thrum of voices coming from the saloon.

  He picked her up, set her on the windowsill, and gave her a shove. She made a loud thump as she hit the ground. Then he threw the cigarette butt down by her body. He put the chair they had knocked over while they wrestled back into place, picked up his gun and put it back in its holster, and made sure everything else looked like it had when he entered the room.

  It was getting dark, and he needed to get home before he couldn't see, so he quietly opened the door and snuck down the back stairs, leaving the way he had entered. He ran through the back streets, his hat in his hand, making sure no one saw him. His horse was still grazing in the trees and no one was around. He was out of breath, as he climbed on his horse, and put his spurs in his horse's side and headed quickly back to the ranch.

  His heart was beating out of his chest as he unsaddled his horse and cooled him down. He heard the other ranch hands riding up as he ran into the bunk house, hung his gun on the end of the bed, stripped off his clothes, and climbed under the old blanket; pulling it up to his chest and pretending like he'd been asleep for hours.

  It was several hours later when Anton found Tilly's body. He was taking the garbage out to the back. Everyone had been asking about Tilly, as she was always at the saloon, watching over her girls. They decided she must not be feeling good, and no one had checked on her. It was dark out there, so Anton took the lantern with him as he pulled the can around the saloon. He held the lantern high, as he came around the corner and saw what looked like a leg over behind the boarding house. When he went over to her, he checked her pulse and saw that she wasn't breathing. He looked up and saw the open windows and the cigarette by her body. He knew she liked to sit in the window and smoke a cigarette, and figured that she lost her balance and fell out of the window. It wasn't that far down, but he figured she must have hit the ground just right, and she was quite a bit older and pretty fragile. Leaving the body where it was, he went inside and sent one of the men for the sheriff and the doctor. Then he told the girls what he had found. They started crying and Dolly got hysterical. Tilly had done so much for her over the years, she was like the only mother she had ever had. What would she do now?

  Anton told them he thought she had fallen out of the window, while she was smoking a cigarette, but Dolly had a horrible suspicion that something else had happened. She knew that she couldn't tell anyone her thoughts, because she might end up being the next one to fall out of a window.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Siringo Closes In"

  Fall, 1916

  Tilly's death shocked the community of La Grande. Even people who did not approve of the woman's life style came to the small graveside service. Many came with guilt in their hearts, as these good Christians wouldn't even acknowledge the woman when they saw her on the street or in the General Store. Her three girls cried out loud as her small wooden casket was lowered into the ground. None of the pastors would speak at her grave, so Anton got out his bible and read from it at the small ceremony. He quoted the part where Mary Magdalene washed Jesus's feet and became his follower, and also "he who is without sin cast the first stone." He finished with the 23rd Psalm, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil . . ." After the service, Anton invited all who were there to come to his Saloon for a wake and remembrance. Very few showed up, but those who did spoke of the woman in glowing terms.

  The three women spoke about all the things she had done to help them in their time of need. Dolly was the last to speak. She couldn't stop crying as she blamed herself for the woman's death, knowing in her heart that her son was responsible for it.

  "Tilly was like a mother to me. She was the kindest woman that I ever knew. She took me in when I was without a place to sleep and big with child. She gave me a job and showed me much affection. She treated my little boy as if he were her own, with love and kindness." At those words she started sobbing. After a long pause where no one spoke, she finished her statement. "I will remember her always, and I hope that I will meet her again in the afterlife. I know that Jesus took her straight to heaven, and I pray that he will forgive me my sins, and that I will again see my dear friend, Tilly."

  "Beautiful words, Dolly. I could not have said them better. Let us all now have a drink in Tilly's name, and pray that she is resting in peace. The drinks are on me." Anton invited all up to the bar.

  Dolly had been so upset that she had not noticed that the Pinkerton man was at the funeral. He came over to her, after she sat down with the other girls and had a whiskey.

  "Ma'am, I am so sorry about Miss Tilly. I know this is a bad time, but can I speak to you for a few minutes."

  "No, sir, I don't feel like talking right now."

  "Please, Miss Dolly, it will only take a few minutes."

  "Maybe tomorrow, if you are here, please leave me alone tonight."

  "Of course, ma'am, I would appreciate that. I'm sorry that I bothered you at this time."

  Siringo went over to the bar and got a drink, but insisted on paying for it, and then he went over to talk with the Sheriff, who was sitting at a table with his deputy.

  "Sheriff, my name is Charlie Siringo; I am with the Pinkerton Agency. Can I join you for a few minutes? I have a few questions."

  "Certainly, Mr. Siringo, have a seat."

  He sat down and put his hat on his lap and took a sip of the dark amber liquid. Then he took a small notebook out of his pocket and opened it to a page with a list of questions.

  "I wanted to ask you some questions about Miss Tilly's death, Sheriff, if you don't mind."

  "There isn't much to tell you. It was an accident. She was known to sit in her window and smoke a cigarette, and she must have lost her balance and fell. The woman must have been in her early sixties and had a rough life as a prostitute for most of it."

  "Sir, it doesn't matter what her profession was. I investigate any deaths that seem suspicious. I also heard that Miss Dolly met with some misfortune earlier, and I wanted to see if there is some connection. Do you know anything about that unfortunate event, sir?"

  "Oh, you mean when somebody beat her up? Well, she finally said that it was a stranger that was in here that night. Some guy who lost his temper and took it out on Dolly. I've heard that happens a lot to 'ladies of the night'."

  "It is against the law to beat anyone up, you know, Sheriff. Did you investigate the case at all?"

  "Not much. The woman wouldn't name anyone at first. Anton said there were a couple of strangers in town that night, and she
finally said it was one of them, but only after they were long gone. By the time she admitted it there wasn't much I could do about it."

  "Was there any other fellers in the saloon that night?"

  "Yeah, some regulars were here and some of the Hempe ranch hands, but I think they had all left, except Gus, when the beating happened. Gus and Molly found her. He was the one who went and got the Doctor to help her. It was kind of strange though, as I heard he cleared out of the Hempe ranch the next day. I guess I should have looked at him a little closer."

  "Gus? What is his last name?"

  "I don't know that I've ever heard it. But, Mrs. Hempe ought to know. You can't ask Frank, you know. He had that terrible accident the next day, which left him in bad shape. He was hurt real bad and didn't wake up for a long time. When he did wake up, he isn't right in the head. I heard he can't even talk and doesn't even recognize his own wife. Poor guy, he was probably the most admired man in the whole area. That's Anton's brother, you know."

  "No, I didn't know that. I didn't hear about the accident either. That happened the day after Dolly was beat up? And the same day this Gus cleared out of town? That sounds pretty suspicious to me!"

  "Hmmm, I guess that is kind of suspicious. I never thought about that before. You think that guy, Gus, beat her up? I don't know, I thought he was with Molly here at the saloon most of the night."

  "Well, if he didn't do it, he might know more about what happened. I'm still looking for that guy that killed the Governor of Idaho. I said I wouldn't retire until I found him, and by golly, I'm going to catch him. I'm just wondering if he had something to do with these other incidents too. He is the son of Dolly over there. She swears she hasn't seen him since he was four years old, but I'm not so sure she is telling the truth about that."

  Siringo excused himself and went to a table by himself. He ordered a drink and started writing in his notebook. His mind was filled with thoughts.

  What is going on here? I thought that ranch hand at the Hempe Ranch might be Dolly's son, am I right about that? Who is this Gus, and what does he know about what has been going on? I need to get more information about these incidents.

  He started writing questions he needed to get answered, as he was beginning to think that somehow these events were all related.

  Who hurt D'Alene Dampierre and why?

  Who is Gus, and what does he know about the beating of D. Dampierre?

  Where did he go? Why did he leave so suddenly?

  Is he involved, or does he have information that can help in any of these investigations?

  How do I find Gus, and get these answers?

  What happened to Frank Hempe, and does it have anything to do with D.'s beating?

  Was Tilly's death an accident, or is there more to it?

  The next day Siringo showed up at the Saloon just after lunch. He waited until after the lunch hour, thinking that this would be the slowest time of the day for Anton.

  "Mr. Hempe, I'm sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you can spare a few minutes to answer some questions for me?"

  "Of course, Mr. Siringo, but I thought I answered all your questions the last time we talked."

  "You did, sir, but I'm not asking about the governor's murder right now, I would like to find out more about the beating of D'Alene Dampierre."

  "I'd be happy to tell you all I know, but it isn't that much. I didn't think anyone was going to do anything about that. The Sheriff has barely looked into the matter."

  "Yes, I noticed that when I talked to him last night. I had been in touch with him by mail, as I have been still looking to solve those old murders. I asked him to let me know if there were any strange things happening around town, especially anything involving Miss Dampierre. I got a letter back from him the last time I wrote telling me nothing was happening here, except for her getting beat up, which he didn't think had anything to do with my case."

  "That sounds like the Sheriff. He thinks those women aren't worth his time of day. He is a very opinionated man."

  "Yes, he seems to be. Anyway, please tell me what you know of that night?"

  "Not that much, I'm afraid. Gus and Molly came in about nine o'clock telling me they had just found Dolly beat up real bad. I left my cook in charge and went to be with her, until they brought the doctor to look at her. She was beat up so bad she couldn't talk, and she couldn't stop crying. She didn't tell me anything, just kept shaking her head back and forth and crying."

  "Who all was here that night?"

  "A couple of locals that come in here all the time, pretty tame fellas, two out-of-towners, and the four ranch hands from my brother's ranch."

  "Did anything happen earlier in the evening that might have anything to do with the beating?"

  "The only thing I can think of was the argument over the card game."

  Siringo's ears picked up.

  "Please tell me everything you can remember about that argument."

  "I felt lucky that I have everyone hang up their guns when they enter the saloon, or I think Jude Burden might have got shot that night. He was winning at first, but then he started losing big time, and he accused one of the fellers from out of town of cheating. That guy got mad, stood up, and reached for his holster. Lucky for Jude it was empty."

  "How did Burden react to that?"

  "I asked him if he had anything else to say, and he just got up, said 'no', threw down his cards and went over to a table by himself, ordered a drink, and sat there fuming. I gave him his drink and told him that was the last one. I wasn't going to serve him anymore, as I thought he had drank plenty. Then Dolly went over to his table and sat down. She didn't stay long. They spoke a few quiet words, and then he loudly asked her to leave him alone. He finished his drink and left. Dolly then went over to one of the strangers, and he bought her a drink. Maybe ten minutes later she left out the back door by herself, and the strangers left through the front door a few minutes later. It was a couple of hours later, when Gus and Molly left and Gus came back almost immediately to tell me they had found Dolly."

  "Was Gus here all night?"

  "Yes, he was. He and Molly were drinking and laughing most of the night. The two out-of-towners haven't been seen since then. Dolly is now saying it was the stranger who bought her a drink, but she wasn't saying anything right after it happened. That is about all I know, Mr. Siringo."

  "That helps a lot, Mr. Hempe. By the way, what happened to your brother? I heard he was in a bad accident right after that."

  "Thanks for asking. Yes, he was. That was the next day, in fact. Frank had come to town that morning after church and stopped in to have a beer."

  "Did he know about Dolly's beating?"

  "Why yes, I told him while he was here. He is such a nice guy. He gave me forty dollars to give to her, and he asked me to have the doctor send him all of her bills."

  "Did you tell him his ranch hands were in here the night it happened?"

  "Yes, I did. I told him everything I just told you. I was real upset over it and told him all about it."

  "Do you know why Gus up and left the next day?"

  "No, I don't. I wondered about that. I never got to talk to my brother after that day." Anton put his head in his hands and got tears in his eyes. "My brother was the nicest person, and now he is in terrible shape. He was unconscious for a long time, and when he finally woke up he is not right in the head. He can't communicate at all and acts like he is scared of everyone. Now, Caroline is selling the ranch and moving to Walla Walla, where their daughter lives. There is a hospital up there that she thinks might be able to help him."

  "So, as far as you know, no one knows what happened from the time he left here until he had that accident?"

  "Yes, that is about it. I asked Jude when he finally came in what happened to Gus, and he said something about Gus saying his brother was sick and he was going to help him on his ranch somewhere, I'm not sure he said where."

  "You've been very helpful, Mr. Hempe. I am going to investigate M
iss Dampierre and your brother's accident. Oh, what about Miss Tilly's death, do you know anything about that?"

  "I was the one who found her. I think she just accidentally fell out of her window. She used to sit on the window sill and smoke a cigarette all the time. But she was getting older, and I thought maybe she lost her balance getting off or on the sill. It is a big window. The doctor said he thought she broke her neck when she fell. A real shame! She was a really nice lady too. I don't know what those girls are going to do without her."

  "How many feet would you guess she fell from that window?"

  "Oh, maybe fourteen or fifteen feet. It's right next door if you want to take a look. It's in the back of the place, the first window."

  "Not that far down really. You would think she might have just put her hands down and broke an arm or a leg."

  "Yeah, but the doctor said it was possible if she hit just right to break her neck. Her cigarette was right next to her body, smoked all the way down. Funny, now that you mention it, when she would smoke in the saloon she would only take three or four puffs. I always found her half smoked cigarettes in the spittoon when I emptied them. I didn't think about that until now."

  "Mr. Hempe, I thank you for your time. You have been most helpful. I think I will go take a look. I'll be back a little later to talk to Miss Dampierre, if that is okay with you."

  "That is fine, Mr. Siringo. I hope you find what you are looking for. You have got me doing some thinking now."

  Siringo went next door, looked at the back of the boarding house, and then went to the back door and knocked. No one answered the door, so he tried the knob and found it unlocked. There was a set of stairs that led directly upstairs to the door that he was sure had been Tilly's room. The door was open and the window was open as someone was airing out the room. He spent a few minutes looking around the room, and he could tell that Tilly's things were still there. He couldn't find anything suspicious, but did find her tobacco and rolling papers. They were thrown on the floor, which seemed strange as the rest of the room was nice and neat. He knew that didn't prove anything as anybody could have moved the tobacco and papers after her death. But, when he looked out the window, he saw that the backyard had soft grass beneath the window, not hard dirt, which would have made the fall a little more dangerous. After checking everything over carefully, he left the door open and quietly went down the stairs and back to the saloon. He had another drink and an early dinner, as he waited for the girls to come in from next door.