Turner's Vision

by Suzanne Ferrell

  CHAPTER NINE

  Micah answered the front door at precisely noon the next day, ushering Cain inside. “Right on time.”

  “You know us military types. Punctual to a fault.” Cain shook Micah’s hand, removing his hat as he entered the house.

  “Don’t recall you being too punctual back during the war.”

  “Back then I had this captain who liked night raids into enemy territory.”

  “Excuses. Seems to me a certain brash corporal spent most nights in various ladies’ beds and that’s why he couldn’t make it to reveille.”

  “My mama didn’t raise a fool.” Cain laughed and clapped Micah on the shoulder. “Speaking of lazing about in bed with a beautiful woman, where is your charming bride?”

  “Behave yourself, Cain. She’s making us coffee for our meeting. Have a seat and as soon as she and Simon are here, we’ll begin.”

  “You really are planning to include her in on this? You know this could get very dangerous.” Cain grew serious as he sat in a wingback chair near the hearth still surrounded with flowers.

  “Yes, he does, Mr. Duncan.” Claudia entered the parlor, carrying a tray laden with coffee cups, a serving pot and a plate of hearty-looking sandwiches. “But my husband trusts my instincts and wishes my aide in this matter.”

  Both men rose to their feet at her entrance. Cain bowed to her, while Micah took the tray from her and set it on the table. Claudia blushed slightly at his assistance.

  When he awoke, he’d reached out to pull her to him, only to find her side of the bed empty. Fearing she’d sneaked out in the early morning to do more investigating, despite his threats and promises, he’d been in a near panic as he dressed and hurried downstairs, only to find her happily flipping pancakes in the kitchen.

  While he waited for his heart rate to return to normal, he’d watched her and realized that despite the feeling that marrying her was the most important thing he’d ever done, he knew little about his bride.

  She was beautiful, especially when the sparkle of adventure or curiosity filled her amber eyes. All her disguises showed her natural acting ability. She loved her strays—Laura, Henderson, Adam and Joey. And she had spunk. Her childhood should’ve left her scarred and afraid of ever leaving her house, yet she’d trusted him enough to agree to marriage.

  All morning, he’d been doing things for her, reminding her that she now had someone to depend on. At breakfast, he’d held her seat as a common courtesy and to show Adam and Joey how a lady should be treated. His reward was another of her charming blushes. After her morning bath, he’d insisted on buttoning up her dress just to watch her breath catch as he kissed his way along her shoulder and neck.

  Now he watched as she chatted with Cain about the weather. She was not only an accomplished cook, but a charming hostess, too.

  A knock on the door drew Micah out of his ruminations. As Claudia started to go answer it, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. The need to keep her safe, even in her own home, coursing through him once more.

  “I’ll see who it is, my dear.”

  Claudia watched Micah walk away, a small spark of anger beginning to form in her mind. Manners were one thing, but not allowing her to answer her own door was quite another.

  “You really shouldn’t, you know.” Cain’s voice startled her.

  It wasn’t so much the simple words the man uttered, but the change in his voice. In the limited contact she’d already had with Cain Duncan both today and last night, he sounded so flippant, his voice oozing with charm. Now it had a quiet, almost deadly calm to it.

  “He’s very concerned about your safety. Until he’s established that your identity hasn’t been discovered, you’ll only make him angry by trying to thwart his attempts to protect you.”

  “You know this from experience?” It was more of a statement than a question.

  “I’ve known your husband almost as long as Nathan Cantrell, Mrs. Turner.” Cain leaned back to sip his coffee before continuing. “We served together during the war. On one particular scouting mission, just before Vicksberg, I decided to try to get some glory for myself.

  “Micah asked for volunteers to scout out the farms two miles up the road for camouflage spots to make our stand until the main troops arrived. I went crazy trying to volunteer, but no matter what I did he wouldn’t call on me.”

  “Needless to say,” he continued his story, staring at the fire as if he were back in the war, “I became more determined to show him. Just before the two men left, I spiked one of their canteens with a small root that caused the man to become violently ill. I stopped him before he could let Micah know he couldn’t complete his assignment, saying I’d be happy to do it for him. The man was so ill, he didn’t care who did it as long as it wasn’t him.”

  “So, you got your way after all,” Claudia said. Why didn’t that surprise her?

  “At the time I thought I was quite clever,” Cain smiled unabashedly. “I had just settled into some juniper and pine bushes bordering a side road to observe the activity on the farms, when I was jumped from behind by a renegade Yank who bayoneted me and left me to die. After they’d discovered I was missing, it took Micah and Nathan half a day to find me. I almost bled to death, and it took a month before I could join back up with them in Richmond.”

  A quiet laugh escaped him. “It was some homecoming, I’ll tell you. Nathan met me with a hearty hug and handshake. But not your husband. The Captain knocked me flat on my ass, pardon my language, ma’am. He wailed the living tar out of me. Told me he’d known I was going to get hurt and possibly die if he sent me. That’s why he wouldn’t let me volunteer. When I asked him how he knew, his answer was simply that I was too young for something that important. But Nathan told me later about Micah’s premonitions. When he has them, he listens to their warning. I learned to watch your husband after that and heed his advice. He’s kept me alive at least a dozen times.”

  Cain smiled up at her, that odious charm back in his face. “So let him have his way. He has his reasons and whatever they are, they’re justified.”

  Claudia nodded back, realizing there were many things she didn’t know about Micah. He regarded this special gift with the utmost care. Apparently he respected it, and therefore, so should she. She wondered what else he’d seen about her. Had he seen her or his sister in some sort of terrible dream? Was that why he was so concerned with her safety?

  Micah carried a packet of papers with him when he returned to the parlor with Simon Smith. “Now I believe we can begin. Simon, sit there.” Micah indicated the other wingback chair at the hearth. Seating himself next to Claudia, he handed her the paper on the top, loosely draping one arm behind her. “That is the complete list of people meeting with our group down at the dock saloon.”

  The list held ten names—most highly placed individuals in the government’s financial offices, along with a senator and congressman, both on the banking committee.

  “How did you ever get this so quickly? We just learned of their meeting place a few days ago.”

  “Last summer when your letter arrived to Laura informing her about Blackwood leaving the Washington area, he telegraphed the Pinkerton agency to begin a discreet investigation into Blackwood’s and Senator Anderson’s pasts.”

  Claudia smiled at Simon. “And that would be you?”

  The other man gave her a nod of affirmation.

  “Simon and his operative have had them under surveillance ever since he discovered where they were meeting two months ago,” Micah said.

  “Very good, Simon.” Claudia smiled up at the rotund man.

  “Nothing to it, ma’am. I am a Pinkerton man after all.” Despite his title, he puffed himself up with pride at her words of praise.

  “Of course.” Claudia hid her amusement as she turned to pour coffee for the men. When she handed Micah his cup she was caught off-guard by a wink. Trying to cover the sudden warmth it caused, she picked up a sandwich and nibbled it while the men conversed. She wasn’t
terribly hungry, but knew if she kept busy chewing she would listen and absorb the information better.

  “It would appear we have the majority of facts before us.” Micah began listing them. “We know the main group of men are dealing in opium. That in itself is not a crime. But it has come to light that they may also be dealing in white slavery, which we know is illegal. They’ve had secret meetings with a congressman, a senator, Department of the Treasury undersecretary, as well as several key members of the national banking community. We also know from a witness that they’ve had a very prominent senator killed, and an officer of the army intelligence kidnapped, possibly killed.”

  “Who was that?” This last bit of information caught Claudia’s attention.

  “Your Officer Howard.”

  “He worked for the army? I thought he was just a police officer.”

  “Howard was one of my men, ma’am, just as Micah is an agent for the army out west.” Cain set his cup aside, leaning forward to speak candidly again. “Senator Anderson approached me on one occasion to talk about how someone could overtake our government if they so desired. At the time, I believed we were talking about a hypothetical situation. That was, until he disappeared three weeks later. Noah—that’s Howard’s first name—approached me about the incident your friend witnessed, and since he was in a place to investigate the senator’s disappearance without it being associated with the army, I felt it best to use his skills until I knew what we were dealing with. And now he’s missing, too.”

  “Do you think he may be dead?”

  “He’s one of my best men, ma’am. His body hasn’t shown up anywhere, so I’d like to believe he may just be missing.”

  “So would I. He was the most pleasant man, Micah. He was as concerned with Laura’s safety as I.”

  At the small catch in her voice Micah drew her nearer. The small act comforted her. Even though she didn’t know Officer Howard well, she didn’t want to think yet another person had been killed at the hands of this murderous group.

  “If he isn’t dead, we’ll have to wonder where he’s been all this time, my dear.” Micah’s voice sounded a little angry and she felt him squeeze her tighter, as if he thought the young officer somehow a threat to her or him.

  Could he be jealous? Surely not.

  “He’s a good man, Micah. If he isn’t dead, there will be a good reason why I haven’t heard from him. Of that I can assure you,” Cain said.

  “Until I meet the man, I’ll take your word on that. Both of yours,” he said, squeezing her shoulder again, this time letting up in a more relaxed mode, and she had to wonder at her previous reaction.

  “Let’s see, what else we know. This Crystobal is apparently from the orient. Chinese, perhaps?” Micah turned their attention to another of the conspirators.

  “Given his facial features I’d guess him to be of mixed blood.” Simon joined the brainstorming process. “His accent is definitely British, so perhaps British and Chinese. And according to my operative, not very interested in women.”

  “Your operative wouldn’t happen to be one well-rounded blonde named Rosie, would it?” Claudia asked.

  “That’s my girl, all right.” Simon smiled a wicked grin at her. “You wouldn’t believe the information she gets out of men between the sheets, if you’ll pardon my meaning, ma’am.”

  “Oh…oh… You mean…?” Claudia’s embarrassed thoughts sputtered out.

  “That’s right, my dear. And if I hadn’t come along, you might have been forced to get information in the same manner.” Micah’s grip on her shoulder tightened.

  Understanding what a precarious position she’d placed herself in the other night and needing a little reassurance, Claudia leaned into Micah’s solid frame. His grip on her loosened.

  Speaking of the tavern incident, she still wanted to ask Micah about the uncanny resemblance the cretin who’d grabbed her had to him.

  Something about the man and Micah’s reaction to him made her decide to table her curiosity for a more private conversation.

  As the men continued their discussion, Micah idly stroked up and down her arm. Claudia wondered if he even knew he was comforting her. Without warning, her eyes filled with tears. In all her life she’d never had someone physically comfort her, and it evoked strange feelings within her. She swallowed hard, willing herself not to let them continue. She hoped he hadn’t noticed the tears threatening to spill. If he had, her embarrassment would be complete.

  “The people on this list have something more in common than just being in the financial community of our fair city.” Micah directed Claudia’s attention once again to the paper in her hand.

  “Oh, my Lord, these men are all involved with the National Gold Reserve.”

  “Damn.” Cain sat up on the edge of his seat.

  Simon set his cup aside. “Captain,” he addressed Micah, “I believe you may be on to something. The one thing I haven’t included in this report is a meeting that didn’t take place.” The short man had everyone’s undivided attention.

  “A meeting that didn’t take place? With whom?”

  “General Wallace.”

  “Tell me about it.” Micah leaned back into the seat, pulling Claudia back with him. Despite his relaxed posture, she felt the wary tenseness of his muscles pressed against her body. There might be many things she didn’t know about her husband, but right now she was certain of one thing. He was worried.

  “One night Rosie was with the blond—Stephen, I believe his name is.” Simon began his story.

  “That’s correct.” Claudia felt a small tremor pass through Micah.

  “Well, it seems their meeting broke up earlier than usual because the general didn’t show. By the time Rosie had gotten Stephen up to her room, he was very drunk and spewed forth information like a geyser. He said that if the general didn’t want to cooperate, they could find someone who would. They’d replaced bigger men than him. Rosie tried to find out who it was they’d replaced, but the drunken fool slipped into dreamland.”

  Simon reached for a second roast beef sandwich Claudia had provided. “I didn’t include it on the list of names since the general didn’t actually meet with the men.”

  “At least he didn’t meet with them at the Whaler’s Reef. There’s every possibility they met somewhere else.” Micah spoke up quietly.

  “He’s not that kind of man, Micah.” Cain stood up, pacing the room in thought. “He’d never sell out his country.”

  “The man is in charge of protecting the gold reserve, Cain. That’s a big temptation for anyone, despite his dedication. And our conspirators are so confident about not being caught, they aren’t even posting guards. They must feel nothing will stand in their way. Therefore, their contacts must go high enough to protect them.”

  “No, I won’t believe it of him,” Colonel Duncan argued. “When Garfield was shot last year, he was the least flappable man in the government. Even President Arthur was more nervous over the country’s future. But not Wallace. He convinced everyone the nation was stable and everything was going to run as usual.”

  “Cain, maybe he wasn’t upset as the others because he was in on it.” Micah’s voice was calm, too calm.

  Cain stopped his pacing to look steadily at his friend. “Do you know something?”

  “Given the facts, it wouldn’t be an implausible conclusion.”

  “Sometimes the facts can be misleading, Micah. I don’t want to accuse Wallace without some sort of proof. He’s been an honorable man for many years.”

  “Cain, you know me better than that. I don’t move on anything without some kind of tangible evidence. In fact, that’s what I wanted to discuss with all of you.” Micah leaned forward on the seat, leafing through the papers on the table.

  “We know that the latest shipment of opium is being stored at their warehouse on the wharf across the Potomac. According to Simon and Rosie, the group has several houses where they’ll ship the opium. I believe we have to obtain the location of the
se houses, then try to infiltrate them. We need to find out which other government officials are mixed up in this conspiracy and what their plans are.”

  “Do you think they have records of these houses at that warehouse we were in the other night?” Claudia sat forward to join the conversation.

  “It’s as good a place as any to begin looking for the information, my dear. I sent Henderson and the boys out to obtain a few things we will need tonight.” Micah studied her a moment, as if making a decision, then addressed the two men.

  “Claudia and I are going to get into the warehouse to see if there is any information there as to the houses’ whereabouts. Then we’re going to find some way to get inside them in the next few days.

  “If it’s at all possible, Cain, I’d like you to find out as much about the general, the men guarding the gold and any meetings that might have taken place with our people as you can. Simon, you and Rosie will need to see if you can find out when they plan to make their move on the gold. I’ll need some sort of time reference. I have the distinct feeling things will be happening much faster after next Friday.”

  “What’s happening next Friday?” Micah had Claudia’s complete attention.

  “Why, the ball in honor of our marriage, my dear.”

  “What does that have to do with the gold reserve?” Claudia couldn’t help the confusion in her voice.

  “There will be some rather interesting guests at that ball,” he answered her cryptically.

  Before Claudia could ask any more questions, Adam and Joey erupted into the room, arguing about who had eaten the most ice cream at the parlor. Henderson followed more sedately, carrying three cloth bags.

  “I hope we gave you enough time for your meeting, Micah.” The older man placed the bags on the floor. “The lads were ever helpful. Their knowledge of the marketplace is remarkable. All the items on your list were obtained in record time.”

  “I doubt an ice cream bribery had much to do with their enthusiasm.” Micah chuckled as the boys began filling them in on their afternoon.