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

by Dani Larsen

  The three women showed up about six, and he noticed Anton fed all of them and wouldn't let the women pay for their meals. Dolly saw Charlie when she came in but tried to ignore him. He saw her get visibly nervous after she saw him. Finally, she came over to his table.

  "If you still want to talk to me, we might as well get it over with."

  "Please sit down, Miss Dampierre. Can I buy you a whiskey?"

  "Yes, you can."

  Charlie went to the bar and got her a drink and came back to join her.

  "I am very sorry to hear of Miss Tilly's death. I know how upsetting that must be for you girls."

  "Thank you, sir. That is nice of you to say." She had trouble getting the words out as her jaw didn't seem to be working right. Her eyes filled with tears at the mention of her friend.

  "I heard she was a very nice lady, and that she did a lot for you girls"

  "I don't know what I would have done without her. She took me in when I was pregnant and had been beat up and had nowhere to go." Her words came out slow, but she took her time and tried to speak perfectly, even though he could tell that it hurt her to speak.

  "I heard that you got beat up again not very long ago. I was sorry to hear that."

  She got a look of terror on her face for a split second, and then quickly tried to hide her face.

  "Thank you, sir. I appreciate your concern."

  "Is there a chance that the same person that beat you up the first time came back and beat you up again?"

  "No, no, I heard he died a long time ago."

  "Was it your son then, Dolly? Did he come back and beat you up?"

  "Oh, no! I told you I haven't seen my son since he was four years old. You told me he died in a fire."

  "No, I told you his foster parents died in the fire, his body was not found. Is Buddy around here, Dolly? You can tell me, I won't ever tell him you told."

  "No, no, he's not here."

  "Why won't you tell anybody who beat you up? Who did beat you up Dolly?"

  "I don't know his name. He was just passing through town. Just a mean man. That's all."

  "I didn't think you ever told anybody that before, did you?"

  "Yes, I told the sheriff that when I could talk, but he doesn't care anyway. That's who it was. He told me he'd kill me if I told, so I didn't say anything at first."

  "Okay, Dolly, if you say so. Do you know what happened to Tilly? Did somebody hurt her too?"

  Her eyes got so big that he saw the fear in her face and noticed she started shaking.

  "Tilly fell out of the window and broke her neck, Mr. Siringo. It was an accident."

  "Was it, Dolly? Are you sure? Or do you know more than you are telling me?"

  "I told you all I know. Now, I got to get to work. If I don't make any money I don't eat."

  "I heard that Mr. Frank Hempe sent you some money before he had his accident. Did somebody hurt him too? Do you know anything about what happened to him?"

  This time she looked totally surprised.

  "Mr. Hempe? Do you think that wasn't an accident?"

  He could see her mind working, as she was beginning to think about his words.

  "If you know anything about who might have hurt Tilly or Frank Hempe, I would sure appreciate it if you would tell me. Here is my card. You can write to me at this address, if you think of anything that might help me in any of these investigations."

  After Dolly left his table he went over to talk to Molly, but she couldn't tell him anything more than Anton had told him about the night Dolly got beat up. She hadn't heard from Gus and had no idea where he'd gone.

  The next day, Siringo decided to visit the Hempe Ranch. After getting directions from Anton, he rode out to the Ranch. He didn't see Jude Burden outside, so he went to the door of the house and knocked.

  A pleasant looking woman in her sixties answered the door.

  "Mrs. Hempe? My name is Charlie Siringo, ma'am. I am with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Your brother-in-law, Anton, gave me directions to your place. I hope you don't mind. I have some important questions to ask you, if you have a few minutes."

  "I have to tend to my husband, sir, if you don't mind a few interruptions, it's okay with me. He was in a bad accident about nine months ago and has not recovered since."

  "That's one of the things I want to ask you about, Mrs. Hempe."

  "Frank's accident? What about it?"

  "Can we sit down please?"

  "Yes. Just let me check on Frank." She opened the bedroom door which had been left ajar. He saw a feeble looking man asleep on the bed and a young woman sitting next to him reading a book. He did not look like the strong man he had met at the saloon that day. She invited him to sit on the couch and asked him if he wanted something to drink.

  "No, thank you ma'am, I will try to keep this short. Is Jude Burden still working here?"

  "Why no, sir, he suddenly quit a few days ago and left. The man had been such a help to us it came as a shock. I assume he had something important to do. He said at first that he would stay until the new owner took over the ranch. I thought he would want to talk to him about working for him, but something must have come up."

  "You said he was helpful to you, what has he been doing to be so helpful?"

  "He took over running the ranch after Frank's accident, and he would come in and spend an hour with Frank twice a day until he left. He was the nicest young man."

  "Really? Can you tell me about the day your husband was hurt? Just tell me everything that happened that day."

  "Certainly. It was a Sunday, and we came home from church and had a nice supper, and then he went into town to gas up his car and see his brother, and do a few other errands. He came home about an hour later, but I only saw him for a few minutes. He came in and said he had something important to take care of, and that he might have to run back into town. He said not to worry, and that he would be back before dinner." She got tears in her eyes before she added, "That was the last time I saw him before the accident."

  "Did he tell you what the important thing was that he had to take care of?"

  "No, he didn't. I didn't think anything about it. I got busy around here and made dinner, and Jude came in and said not to set the table for Gus, because he had quit earlier in the day, and I told him to come in for dinner about an hour later. He and the other two came in, and we waited and waited, but Frank didn't show up. Then my son, Sylvester, came in telling us he had found Frank, and that he had had a bad accident. His future father-in-law went for the doctor and Jude went to get the priest after they carried Frank inside. He was unconscious."

  "Did Jude say why Gus had left?"

  Caroline looked at him strangely, before answering. "Gus? He said something about him having to go help his brother on his ranch. Did Gus have something to do with this?"

  "I don't know, ma'am. Do you know where Gus went?"

  "I do. I found his name and address in Frank's pants after the accident. I sent him his pay. I have that address in my address book. Would you like me to get it?"

  "Yes, ma'am, if you don't mind. Do you have a forwarding address for Jude Burden?"

  "No, I don't. I paid him on the spot. He said he was going to go up by the Montana territory border with Canada. Something about finding an uncle that lived up there. I didn't pay much attention."

  "Thank you, ma'am, I'm going to see if I can find Gus, to see if he knows anything about the beating up of Miss Dampierre in town. I appreciate your help."

  "Of course, I will write down that address for you. I'll be right back." She returned in a few minutes with a sheet of paper for him.

  "Just a couple more questions, ma'am. What happened to the car that was in the accident?"

  "Oh, the Knights of Columbus were nice enough to pay to have the car restored to its original condition, and they took it into town, where the Farmer's Machine Company took it in and sold it for me."

  "Did they restore it themselves, or have it done?"

  "I don't kn
ow, sir. But I'm sure that company will know all about it, and they will have the name of who they sold it to."

  "Do you know exactly where Frank's accident happened, ma'am?"

  "Sylvester said they found him just before the entrance to the Pyle Creek Bridge. The car had flipped over, and he was half in and half out of the water. I guess we are lucky he didn't drown." Tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice choked up with those words.

  "Thank you, ma'am, you have been most helpful. Here is my card. Please let me know if you hear from either one of them. It is very important."

  As he rode his horse down the road toward La Grande, he knew he was finally onto something.

  Part II

  Chapter Twenty

  "Following the Clues"

  On his way back to La Grande, Charlie stopped by the Pyle Creek Bridge; to see if he could find any evidence at the scene of the accident. He got off of his horse and walked all around the left side of the bridge. He didn't expect to find anything, as it had been several months since the accident, but he thought it was best to take a look. The only thing he found was some shattered glass down the embankment next to the river. It looked like it may have come from the windshield, but if there had been any evidence of something more than an accident, he was sure it had washed away in the many storms that had taken place since that day. He thought an animal could possibly have run in front of the vehicle and caused him to swerve toward the creek, but then again he had a suspicion that something more sinister could have happened.

  When he finished checking all around the entrance of the bridge, he rode back into La Grande and went first to the Farm Machinery Shop where Frank Hempe had purchased his REO. He went inside, introduced himself, and asked to speak to the owner. Herb Johnson came out and invited him into his small office.

  "Sit down, Mr. Siringo. How can I help you, sir? Are you looking for a vehicle, perhaps a new car?"

  "No, Mr. Johnson, I'm looking for some information. I'm investigating the accident that Frank Hempe had with his car a few months back."

  "Are you with the insurance company? There was nothing wrong with that car! I checked it over myself very carefully, before Mr. Hempe took possession of it."

  "I'm not with the insurance company, Mr. Johnson. I am with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. I have been looking for a suspect in the murder of the governor of Idaho in 1905, which led me to this area. In my investigation, I have become suspicious of a couple of other incidents that have taken place here in the area, and I'm just checking to make sure they are not connected to the same suspect. I believe you resold the car after the men from the church had it repaired. What can you tell me about who did the repairs? What the damage was? And who purchased the car?"

  "Why we did the repairs here, sir, and the Knights of Columbus organization paid for it with contributions from the church. Let me get the papers on the car out of my files." He went to the cabinet in the corner and shuffled through some papers inside and pulled out a large envelope. "Here it is. This should have all the information about the accident and who purchased the car, if you would like to take a look at it."

  Charlie went through the papers, carefully, and found nothing out of the ordinary. The repairs were listed individually, but shed no light on how the accident happened.

  "Did they find any bullet holes in the upholstery that you know of, Mr. Johnson?"

  "No, I didn't see anything. I did see the vehicle when they brought it in. I think there was a rip that had to be repaired but nothing that looked like a bullet hole. Who would want to hurt Mr. Hempe? He was one of the kindest men in this area. I was really sorry to hear of his injuries, and that he and his wife will be moving to Walla Walla."

  "Yes, I have only heard good things about the man. It's a real shame. Is this the bill of sale?"

  "Yes, that is it. A Mr. Richard Sampson bought it. He is fairly new to the community, so I don't know much about him. He lives on the outskirts of town, just outside the city. The address should be on that paper if you need it, or want to go see the car."

  "Thank you, I believe I just might do that." Siringo took out his notebook and copied down the address, then stood up and shook hands with the man before leaving.

  A half an hour later, he was at the man's farm and saw the car parked outside the small corral. A tall skinny man came out of the house. Siringo assumed he was Richard Sampson.

  "What can I do for you, mister?"

  "Howdy, are you Richard Sampson?"

  "Yes, sir, that's me."

  "My name is Charlie Siringo. I'm with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Here is my card. Sorry to bother you, but I just want to take a look at your car, if it is all right with you. I'm investigating the accident that happened to the former owner of this car."

  "That is fine with me, Mr. Siringo. I was sorry to hear the man was hurt in this car. I plan to drive it real careful because of that accident."

  "Have you had any problems driving it, since you purchased it? Does it pull to the left? Has it broken down? Or have you noticed anything else that I should be aware of?"

  "No, the car has been just fine. They did a good job of fixing it, I guess, because it drives real nice."

  "Well, it certainly is a beauty. I don't see anything wrong with it either. I thank you for your time, Mr. Sampson."

  "You're welcome. Hope you find the information you are looking for. If someone caused that accident and hurt that poor man, I hope they get their just dues."

  "Have a good day now."

  Siringo got on his horse and rode back into the city to Anton's place.

  He spent the night at the La Grande Hotel, after talking to Anton and Dolly one more time. Dolly still wasn't talking. She didn't know anything about any relatives of hers or her parents who lived up by the border between the Montana Territory and Canada, and Anton couldn't add anything Siringo didn't already know.

  After he ate breakfast in the hotel the next morning, he got his horse out of the stable and headed to the railroad station in La Grande. When the train arrived at eleven a.m., he put his horse in the stock car and boarded the train which would arrive in Pendleton, Oregon in a little over two hours. It was worth it at his age to save the long horseback ride to that town by taking the train.

  After getting off the train, he ate lunch at the small café in the center of town, and then asked if anyone knew where to find Gus Schmidt, or his brother Henry. He showed the café owner the name and address that Caroline Hempe had given him, which was a post office box in Pendleton. The man knew the brothers well and gave him directions to a small ranch, which was about ten miles outside of town. He arrived at the place around three in the afternoon and found Henry Schmidt rounding up his goats in the side pasture.

  "Howdy, are you Henry Schmidt? My name is Charlie Siringo, sir. I'm with the Pinkerton Detective Agency."

  "Yes, I'm Henry. What can I do for you?" The man took off his hat and wiped his arm across his forehead to get rid of the sweat that was dripping into his eyes. He was short, stocky, balding, and wearing blue overalls with a brown plaid shirt underneath them.

  "I'm investigating an accident that happened in La Grande a while back. I understand your brother, Gus, may know something about it. I was told that he had come here to live with you a few months back. I also heard you were sick and he came to help you out. Is that true, sir?"

  "It's true that my brother, Gus, is living with me, but I'm not sick, nor have I been. Do I look like a sick man to you?"

  "No, sir, you look pretty healthy to me. Is Gus around? I'd like to talk to him if that is possible."

  "I'll go fetch him out of the back pasture. You head on in the house and ask my wife to get you some refreshments. We will be back here in about forty-five minutes. You might as well plan on having supper with us, as it'll be about that time shortly."

  "Thank you, sir. That would be real nice."

  Henry pushed two of his goats out of the way, went to the stable and came out riding his horse. Charlie ti
ed his horse to the fence and let him graze on the tall grass that was growing there, and then he went to the door of the old ranch house which was ajar. He knocked on the door, and a small portly lady with frizzy blonde hair answered the door almost immediately. She had a pleasant smile and welcomed him politely.

  "I saw you talking to my husband out there and figured he would invite you in for some refreshments and probably supper. I'm Elsa Schmidt, Henry's wife."

  "How do you do, Mrs. Schmidt? My name is Charlie Siringo, ma'am. I've come to talk to your brother-in-law, Gus, about an event that happened in La Grande before he left there."

  "Would that be what happened with the foreman on that ranch back there?"

  "What do you know about that, ma'am?"

  "Only what Gus told me. Come on in, sir. I just made a pitcher of lemonade. Let me get you a glass, then we can talk."

  "That would be very nice, ma'am. Thank you."

  She poured them two tall glasses of lemonade, left the pitcher in the middle of the kitchen table, and sat down across from him. The delicious smell of roasting beef came from the stove and made his stomach growl.

  "What did Gus tell you that happened at the ranch, ma'am?"

  "Well, first of all, he was all beat up when he got here. His nose was broken, and his eye was all swelled up, so bad he couldn't even open it. Just so you know, Gus has always been a real good guy. My husband thinks the world of him, and says he never heard his brother tell a lie. He's six years younger than Henry, and you'll not find a more upstanding fellow anywhere around."