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

by Dani Larsen

  "Where did you hear about that route, Steve?"

  "I was reading about it in the Blue Mountain Gazette before we left."

  "I think it sounds like an easier ride. That route over the mountain was pretty dangerous. We better get a move on, if we want to make it back to the ranch by the time it gets dark."

  "Okay, let's get going."

  They loaded the baskets back in the vehicles, made sure the fire was out, and the water and electricity were shut off, and piled in the cars. It was just getting light out when they headed down Orient Road, hoping to find a gas station soon as both vehicles were low on fuel. They finally found one just before they entered the highway in Troutdale. They had filled up in The Dalles, which was midway on their trip the night before and planned to fill up at the same station on their way back.

  John, Helen, and Joe came out to greet them when the vehicles pulled up to the ranch house. The men were exhausted, and the women had hot food waiting for them. The three older children had been allowed to stay up a little later than usual to greet the men. Everyone was happy to see them back safe and sound.

  "How was the trip, George?" Anna asked. "And how is our new place?"

  "The trip was long but much easier than in a covered wagon."

  Everyone laughed.

  "We will be taking the longer route that we took on our way home to go up there. The roads were better and so was the weather. I think you will love the new place, Anna. It is perfect for us, and it has running water and electricity."

  "It is really nice, Anna, I know ye will like it." Her father added. "I have something for ye, George. Ye can call it a house warming gift."

  He left the table for a few minutes, and when he returned he handed George an envelope.

  "What is this, John?" George said as he unsealed the envelope.

  "Mary and I talked about it and decided that we could spare a hundred dollars to help ye and the family get a good start in yer new home."

  Anna's eyes welled up with tears, and George was a little choked up too.

  "Mama, Da, thank you so much."

  "This will help so much. I can't tell you how much we appreciate it." George finally spoke. "We will pay you back when we can."

  "No, ye won't." His mother-in-law spoke adamantly. "That is a gift. We don't want our grandchildren starving."

  The family laughed and talked for a couple more hours before retiring.

  Two days later, the family piled into their new car with two more baskets full of food and the extra clothes and things they had taken earlier to the Troy Ranch. They had a tearful goodbye, before they left on their new adventure.

  In the middle of March, Jude saw some Troy ranch hands come into town and head for the saloon, just before he got off work, and decided to have dinner at the saloon, and to see if he could confirm his suspicions about the whereabouts of his father's saddle.

  He went to the bar and ordered a sandwich and a beer and took it over to a table next to the one where the three men were drinking. When they started talking about their work on the ranch, he put on his friendliest act and entered their conversation.

  "Aren't you guys ranch hands at the Troy Ranch? I think I've seen you before. I heard you talking and thought I'd introduce myself. Jude Burden, I used to work on the Hempe Ranch in Union. George is a good friend of mine. You know George Hempe, the one who married the oldest Troy daughter."

  "Howdy, Jude, it is nice to meet you. I know George, he's a nice guy."

  "Yeah, the Hempes were really good people."

  "I heard his father got into an accident and isn't doing too well."

  "Yeah, he died a few years back. Nice man, I was sorry to see him give up the ranching business, He was quite successful."

  Jude joined their table and they laughed and talked and drank for a few hours. Two of them decided to try their hands at poker and went over to join the games at the far end of the saloon. The one they called Bubba stayed to talk to Jude. He had been drinking a lot, so Jude decided to see if he could get some information out of him.

  "How long you been working at the Troy Ranch?"

  "I been there a long time, about seven years now."

  "That is a long time. George said something about the ranch having a break-in around the holidays."

  "Yeah they did. Funny thing, I've never heard of them being broken into like that before. But they got one of the guys. Young Steve shot at them when they were leaving and I guess he got him, because I heard they found him dead in the woods a few days later."

  "I guess it serves him right for what he did."

  "That's what happens when you go after good people."

  "Did they steal a lot of stuff?"

  "No, that was what was funny about it. They didn't take anything. I heard they were after one thing and couldn't find it."

  "What was that?"

  "Some old saddle."

  "What would they want with an old saddle? You can buy a saddle anywhere."

  "This one had some initials engraved in silver on it. I remember seeing that saddle in the stable a few years back. I was looking for something and found it under a blanket thrown over a rail. It was old and dirty, so I don't know why anyone would want it."

  "If it was there then, why didn't these guys find it?"

  "Oh, it disappeared shortly after that. The Hempes were visiting one day and the Troy girls took the oldest boy riding. The next day, they were going to take him again and asked me to saddle a horse for him, so I did. The kid came out and was real chatty. Told me he was going to get a new saddle in a few years, and that his grandma had given a pretty saddle with initials on it to his ma and she was going to give it to him someday. I don't remember seeing it after that."

  "Well, no wonder that guy couldn't find it. It wasn't there anymore."

  "There were two guys, I heard. The story is that Steve Troy only wounded the guy who got shot, and that his partner finished him off. Hope that guy isn't still around. I sure wouldn't want him for a friend."

  "Yeah, he doesn't sound like someone I'd want for a friend either. Well, thanks for the conversation, but I've got to work in the morning, so I think I'll turn in."

  "Okay, have a good one."

  "You too!"

  Jude tipped his hat to the guy name Bubba, and went back to his room with a big smile. Anna does have the saddle. He spent the rest of the night thinking about how he could retrieve it from the Hempe's place without someone hearing him.

  He decided he would try to get George to invite him for dinner, and then he could scope out the place or talk to the oldest boy and he might slip and tell him where it was. George usually stopped by about once a week, but he hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks when a different policeman walked in to the hotel.

  "Howdy, officer, where's George?"

  "George Hempe? He is no longer with the police force."

  "He's not? What happened? I always look forward to him stopping by. He and I go way back."

  "George moved last week. Quit his job and took his family and moved somewhere outside of Portland, up by Mt. Hood. Decided to open a dairy farm over there and found some land at a reasonable price."

  "I can't believe he didn't tell me. Darn it, would like to keep in touch. Could you find out exactly where he went?"

  "I'll see what I can find out. Since you are a friend, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt."

  "I would really appreciate it. What is your name, officer?"

  "Frederick Steinmueller. Officer Frederick Steinmueller, I just joined the force a few weeks back. My family and I just arrived from Ontario a couple of months ago."

  "Nice to meet you, Fred. Is it okay if I call you Fred? My name is Jude."

  "Of course, Jude, nice to meet you too. I will let you know if I find out anything." The officer turned around and continued on his beat.

  Jude was so upset he could hardly work the rest of the day. George had ruined his plans again. He wanted that saddle, no, he needed that saddle, and it belonged to him. Jac
k Bane hadn't ever done anything else for him, he owed him that much. The saddle was his legacy, and he wouldn't stop looking for it, he would find it, if it was the last thing he did.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  "The Puzzle Comes Together"

  Charlie Siringo was still recovering from the attack in Montana almost three years later. He walked with a limp and still used a cane, which was really irritating to him as he didn't like feeling like he was crippled. His right arm ached a lot, especially if he slept on it wrong, or he spent too much time writing. After about an hour of using a pen to write, sharp pains ran from his fingers straight up his arm. His jaw and nose had healed, but he saw a different person when he looked in the mirror. A crooked face with a nose that now leaned a little to the left, and a jaw that stuck out more to the right looked back at him. Louise told him he was just as handsome as ever, but he knew she was just trying to appease him. His collar bone seemed to have healed nicely, but it ached a lot in cold weather, as did his right arm and leg. Louise surprised him the week before when she brought home a brand new typewriter that she had ordered by mail.

  She also brought him a letter from his old friend, Wyatt Earp, in which Wyatt had again raved about the neighborhood where he and his wife had bought a home outside of Los Angeles. He said the weather was so nice there that he hardly felt the aches and pains he had complained of when they lived farther north. Louise and Charlie had been talking about selling the ranch and moving to Los Angeles, not only because of Charlie's injuries, but because they were getting older and the ranch was feeling too big for them.

  Charlie wanted to finish his book before they looked into moving to California, but he was having trouble with the last few chapters. It still bothered him that Jude Burden was free to wreak havoc on society, He had finally accepted the fact that he was not going to be the one to bring that criminal to justice. His one last try at getting the man arrested was by writing about the man and his crimes, with hopes that getting his book out to the public would somehow help catch him. The ending was not working for him though, as he didn't have evidence about three of the crimes that he was sure Jude had committed. He wanted to mention those crimes but didn't think he should without proof. His publisher would want to edit those out in fear that they would get sued without proof. It was nagging at him and stopping him from finishing the story.

  Then the letter came from La Grande, Oregon. He wasn't sure who it was from until he opened it, but he got more and more excited as he read the letter from Anton Hempe.

  Dear Mr. Siringo,

  I hope this letter finds you and your family well, and that you have found the man you were looking for. If you haven't, I think I have some information that may help you in your search.

  Last week Dolly Dampierre passed away. She has been very ill for quite some time. The poor woman never seemed to get over the loss of Tilly as she was like a mother to her. Dolly's health had been deteriorating ever since she was diagnosed with consumption over a year ago. The doctor sent her to the Hot Lake Sanatorium three months ago when her illness had her bedridden most of the time.

  The week before last, I received a message from her asking if I would come to see her. As I always liked Dolly and had much sympathy for her situation, I of course went to see the poor woman before she left this earth. When I arrived, she seemed very happy to see me. She said that she had to tell me some things that had been torturing her for years, and she asked me to please pass this information on to you. I promised her that I would. Now I know how a priest feels when he hears someone's last confession. If the woman had been Catholic, I would have called a priest to ease her soul.

  When I saw the poor woman, I was aghast to discover how sick she looked. Her face was so thin that the bones in her face resembled a skeleton. The once lovely black hair was spread out across her pillow and had not been washed or brushed for some time. She wore a thin, holey nightgown and was covered with a ragged blanket which didn't even cover her. A sick odor permeated the entire facility and an over powering smell emitted from her mouth as she spoke. I thought I should bring her home and take care of her, but I knew that doctors and nurses were there and more capable of caring for her than I was. I decided to speak to a nurse when I left about washing her hair, and to go and purchase a warm blanket and bring it back to her. I did not tell her how bad she looked. When I smiled at her, she smiled back and thanked me for coming. I pulled a chair close to her bed and she started talking.

  Here is how our conversation went:

  "What is it you want to talk to me about, Dolly?" I asked.

  "It's about my son, Anton. I have kept this secret for far too long, but as he is my son, I wanted to protect him, and I am also afraid of him. He can't hurt me anymore, and my conscience is hurting me badly as I know there are people that might still be alive, if I had told Mr. Siringo what I knew about him back then."

  "Dolly, you shouldn't blame yourself." I said.

  "Oh yes, I should. Wait until you hear what I have to say. You will probably be mad at me too."

  "No, Dolly. I will not be angry with you, no matter what you tell me." I replied.

  She was having trouble speaking as her breathing was very shallow, but when she started telling the story, she didn't stop until she had finished what she wanted to say.

  "Jude Burden is my son, and his real name is Jude Dampierre, or Buddy, as I always called him. I am so sorry about the way he turned out. I tried my best, but he was just so angry, even from the time he was a little boy. When that couple came along and wanted to take him, I thought he would have a much better life with them so I let him go. I was broken hearted, but knew that I couldn't give him a good life.

  "I am sure that he killed them both, as Mr. Siringo told me they had died in a fire, and Jude said he had lit the drapes on fire before he left them. I knew then that he was responsible for their deaths. Mr. Siringo also said he suspected my son in the death of the governor of Idaho, and I believe he was guilty of that too. He mentioned something about them looking for him for what happened in Idaho.

  "I thought that when he found me in La Grande that he had come to see me to mend fences, and I hoped he wanted to be close to his mother, but I found out that wasn't the reason he came to town. All he wanted to know was who his father was, and why I hadn't told him more about him. As his father was an evil man, whom I heard died deservedly after murdering and robbing several people, I did not want to tell him who the man was. He beat me up because I would not give him that information. I did tell him what I could before he was done with that beating. I hoped he would leave me alone after that, but he didn't, he stayed around and hurt more people.

  "I believe he pushed Tilly out of that window and killed her. I don't think it was an accident at all. He told me not to ever tell anyone who he was, but when she came into the saloon that night she overheard him threaten me and saw my frightened look. She glared at him, which let him know that she knew he was the one who had beaten me. It was that night she died. I just know it was him.

  "That is not all, Anton; I think he was somehow responsible for your brother's accident."

  My ears perked up at that information, as if they weren't already listening carefully.

  "Why do you think that, Dolly?"

  "Because I think Gus figured out that Jude was the one who beat me up. He and Molly found me that night, and Gus asked me if Jude had done it, because of something he had overheard Jude say. I was so scared of Jude I said 'no'. The next day, Gus suddenly left his job and went back to his brother's ranch. That was the same day that Frank had his accident. I think Gus told Frank that Jude had beat me up, and that Frank was on his way into town to report him to the sheriff. I don't know for sure what happened but I'm sure Jude had something to do with it.

  "I'm so sorry, Anton. I wish I would have said something, but I didn't know for sure about the accident, and then Tilly was killed. I was so scared of him and he kept threatening me. I wish I had been stronger, but I guess I have always
been a weak person."

  "No, Dolly. I understand why you were afraid of him. If you are right and he had already killed several people, you had good reason to be afraid of him. I always thought something was funny about my brother's accident, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Charlie was looking into it but I never heard if he found any evidence."

  "Frank Hempe was such a nice man, he even paid for my doctor bills after that beating, and I didn't say anything to stop Jude from hurting him. If I had told on him right away, maybe your brother and Tilly would still be with us."

  "Stop beating yourself up over this, Dolly, we all make mistakes, and wish we had done things differently. You have always been a kind, caring person, I am just sorry that Jude did not inherit your personality instead of his father's. By the way, who was Jude's father?"

  "Yes, that is the important information I want you to tell Mr. Siringo. Jude finally got the information out of me. Jude's father was Jack Bane. He and his gang robbed and murdered many people, and he finally died in a gunfight somewhere outside of Baker City, or so I heard. Some of his gang died too, and the others went to prison. That all happened after Bane beat me up and left me pregnant with Jude lying alongside the road. I walked here, and Tilly found me and saved me. You know the rest. I should never have told him about the saddle though. I'm sure that is what he is after."

  "What saddle?"

  "Bane had a saddle with his initials on it engraved in silver. It was very fancy, and when he was drinking one night he told me that he had secret compartments in those saddle bags where he kept money and valuables. He was always after gold, and that was what he intended to store in those bags. He hated people of color and that was why he beat me up. I accidentally told him that my mother was Indian. He had it in for the Chinese and was after a gold mine out of Baker City. Anyway, Jude thinks that saddle belongs to him, and the last time I saw him that was what he was after."

  "I'm glad you told me, Dolly. I still have the business card Mr. Siringo left me, and I will write to him right away, and tell him everything you told me. Since we don't know for sure that he had anything to do with my brother's accident, I don't think I will tell my sister-in-law about that, unless Charlie has come up with more evidence. It will just upset her. Frank died about three years ago from the injuries of that accident."