Corsets and Cuffs: (Sweet Historical Western Romance) (Baker City Brides Book 3)

by Shanna Hatfield

  “The bad man that shot Mr. Gordon was in your apartment. I followed him there and he almost caught me. I ran straight here, but he was right behind me.”

  So stunned by the fact the child could talk, it took them all a moment to gather their wits.

  Tully was the first to come to his senses and took Sammy, sitting him down on the corner of his desk. Kneeling in front of the child, he stared at him. “I thought you couldn’t talk?”

  “I can talk and you better listen right smart to what I’m saying. The man who killed Mr. Gordon turned Brianna’s apartment upside down looking for something. I snuck up the stairs and watched him. One of the boards squeaked and he saw me, but I ran lickety-split down the stairs. He almost had me until I lit a shuck through Mrs. Jepson’s yard.”

  “What did the man look like, Sammy?” Tully’s voice sounded low and pleasant, as though life and death didn’t depend on the child giving them a helpful answer.

  “He was big and mean-looking and he had a bald head. His hat flew off when he was chasing me.”

  “How do you know it was the same man who killed Mr. Gordon?”

  Sammy rubbed a finger along his freckled nose. “Well, I was on my way home last night when I saw Mr. Gordon grab Brianna’s arm and pull her into the alley, so I decided I best keep an eye on her. A man stepped out from the other end of the alley, like he’d been waitin’ there all along. Mr. Gordon went to slobbering all over Brianna like she was a piece of candy.” Sammy glanced at Brianna then back at Tully. “She wasn’t enjoying it, Sheriff. Not like when you kiss her.”

  Maggie stifled a giggle while Ian, Seth, and Ben did their best to hide their chuckles.

  Absently, Tully wondered how many times the child had seen him kiss Brianna. “Then what happened?” he asked, hoping to direct the conversation back to the matter at hand.

  “Brianna was struggling against Mr. Gordon when another man put a cloth over her face and she went as limp as an overcooked carrot.” Sammy demonstrated by suddenly going lax and flopping back on the desk before sitting upright again. “While she was down for the count, the bad man stabbed Mr. Gordon in the back. Mr. Gordon stumbled forward and the other man grabbed him and turned him. The bad man stabbed him in the chest. I closed my eyes and heard gunshots.” Sammy held out his thumb and index finger, pretending they were a gun. “Pow! Pow! When I opened my eyes, the two men were gone. I was gonna follow them, but they’d already disappeared. I hid across the street to make sure someone came to help Brianna then you done hauled her here.”

  “What did the other man look like, Sammy? The one who held the cloth over Miss Brianna’s face?”

  “He was short and he smelled bad, like he forgot how to use soap.” Sammy’s little nose wrinkled on the end. “And he had a scar on his cheek.”

  “Thank you for telling us what you saw, Sammy.” Tully patted the child on the back and glanced at Seth and Ben. “I know you two are tired, but do you think you could help me?”

  “Sure, boss,” Seth said, rising from where he’d leaned against the desk he shared with Dugan. “Whatever you need.”

  “Let’s go find our killer and his friend.” Tully glanced at Ian. “If you can stay a little longer and keep an eye on these two hardened criminals, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Am I gonna go to jail?” Sammy asked, his lip rolling out in a pout and tears filling his eyes.

  “No, Sammy, but we do need to have a talk about some things when I get back.” Tully took the stubborn little chin in his hand and winked at the child. “You stay out of trouble and help keep Miss Brianna safe.”

  “I can do that,” Sammy said, sliding off the desk and taking Brianna’s hand in his.

  Tully, along with Seth and Ben, hurried outside.

  “What’s the plan?” Ben asked, tugging his hat down as he walked beside Tully.

  “I think a well-dressed bald-headed man in his thirties would stick out, now that we know who it is we’re looking for. He has to be staying somewhere in town. Ask at the hotels. If we don’t find anything, we’ll start checking the saloons and brothels. I’ll take everything on the east side of Front Street. The two of you divide up the west side.”

  On a hunch, Tully made a quick detour that took him into Chinatown. Often times, if there was trouble he’d find whoever was behind it hiding there.

  Tully had just walked past the Joss house when he noticed several people gathering at the banks of the nearby river. Breaking into a run, he pushed through the crowd and sucked in a breath at the sight of a body floating in the water. Most likely, it would have floated down the river undetected, but the jacket the man wore had snagged on the root of a tree.

  Quickly removing his gun belt, Tully slid down the bank to the edge of the water. He waded in waist deep and untangled the body. When he reached the bank, several people helped lift the body from the river. A strong hand reached down and clasped his, pulling him upward.

  He smiled at Thane. “You following me?”

  “Yep. I was on my way back from Doc’s office when I saw you head this direction. Glad I tagged along?”

  “Always.” Tully turned the man’s body over and noticed the scar on his cheek. He hated to make Sammy identify the body, but he had a strong notion this man helped the bald-headed man get away with murder.

  Experience taught him that most criminals didn’t like loose ends and generally tied them all up before they finished their dirty work.

  “Someone fetch Godfrey Williams, please,” Tully shouted as he strapped on his gun belt. He noticed two children take off running and assumed they’d bring back the undertaker.

  Once Williams appeared with his wagon, Tully and Thane walked downtown. Tully informed his friend of the details Sammy shared.

  “I can’t believe that little scamp can talk,” Thane said, incredulous the child had fooled them all. “Did he say why he pretended to be mute?”

  “Nope, and I didn’t take time to ask. There are a few more pressing matters to handle today.”

  “How are we going to find this mysterious bald man?” Thane asked as they walked into the Hotel Warshauer.

  “He has to be staying somewhere in town. Seth and Ben are checking everywhere he could possibly have a room. Since Davis was staying here, I thought we might luck out,” Tully said as they approached the front desk.

  “Good morning, Sheriff. Mr. Jordan.” Mr. Isaac greeted them with a friendly smile. “How may I be of assistance to you gentlemen?”

  “I’d like to take a look in Davis Gordon’s room. Can you give us a key?” Tully asked.

  “I’d be happy to, but his friend took the key and went up a few minutes ago.”

  “His friend?” Thane asked.

  “Yes. Mr. Smith has also been staying with us. I assumed he and Mr. Gordon were business associates.”

  “What are their room numbers?”

  “Mr. Gordon was in room 212 and Mr. Smith is staying in room 203. Would you…”

  Tully and Thane raced up the stairs and around the mezzanine to the second floor rooms. Guns drawn, they hurried down the hall on silent feet, approaching Davis Gordon’s room. The noise of drawers slamming alerted them to someone inside.

  With a glance at each other, Tully kicked open the door and ducked as a knife flew so close to his head, it drew blood from the rim of his ear before embedding itself in the hallway wall.

  The shot he fired hit his intended target. Booker Smith grunted in pain before snatching a ledger from the desk and diving out the open window.

  Thane had the sense of mind to grab the knife and race back down the stairs while Tully followed Booker out the window.

  Like a ghost, the man had seemingly disappeared in the seconds it took Tully to jump down to the ground.

  Thane raced out the door of the hotel and met Tully on the boardwalk. “Where’d he go?”

  “It’s like he vanished,” Tully said, studying the ground and noticing a few drops of blood. “Or maybe not.” Although the drops wer
e light, they left a trail down the alley and around a corner leading into an area full of fine homes.

  The drops were closer together and easier to follow. They’d gone another block when they caught sight of a limping figure duck behind the bushes in someone’s yard.

  Silently, Tully motioned for Thane to go around to the back of the house while he came in from the front.

  Swiftly opening the gate, Tully stepped around the shrubs with his gun pointed at the fugitive. “It’s over, Booker. Put your hands in the air and surrender.”

  “Not while I’m still breathing,” the man said, slowly sliding his hand downward.

  Tully pulled the trigger and shot him in the hand.

  Booker howled in pain and dropped to his knees as Thane rushed into the front yard. A sigh of relief rolled out of him as he helped Tully get the criminal to his feet then held him while the sheriff fastened handcuffs on his wrists.

  “I won’t talk and nothing you do can make me,” Booker sneered as they made their way to the jail.

  “I have an eye witness who not only saw you rifling through Miss Dumont’s apartment this morning, but also watched you stab Davis Gordon. We already found your dead accomplice in the river, so it seems to me there isn’t much more for you to share.”

  “There is the matter of this,” Thane said, holding up the ledger he’d grabbed from Booker. “What were you trying to find in Brianna’s apartment?”

  “I told you I’m not talking.”

  “Well, that’s too bad,” Tully said, coming to a stop and staring at Booker. “I was planning to have Doc give you medical attention, but if you really plan to make things difficult for me, I’ll make them hard for you.”

  Thane smirked. “The wounds will get septic and the pain will drive you right out of your mind. Gangrene sure is a nasty way to die.”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” Booker said uncertainly.

  “You sure you want to try me? I’ve done it before and I’d be happy to do it to you,” Tully said. The cold, ruthless gleam in his eyes left Booker completely unsettled.

  “Fine, I’ll talk, but you have to let the doctor see to my wounds.”

  “Talk first then I’ll have someone fetch Doc.”

  Thane opened the door to the jail and Tully marched Booker inside. The conversation died as they entered. Brianna rose to her feet while Sammy yelped in fear and moved to stand beside Ian.

  “Sammy, is this the man you saw kill Mr. Gordon?” Tully asked.

  The child nodded and pointed a finger at Booker. “He’s the one. He chased me this morning and called me names my mama would make him suck soap for saying.”

  “I’ll be sure to wash his mouth out later,” Tully said, winking at the boy before turning to Brianna. “Miss Dumont, do you recognize this man?”

  “Yes. His name is Booker Smith. He worked at the bank with Davis as his personal assistant.” She took a step closer to the criminal. “Why did you kill Davis?”

  “Same reason I killed your father — they got in my way.” Booker looked surprised when Brianna slapped him across his face.

  The man would have lunged at her, but Tully strong-armed him into a cell and locked the door.

  Tully shut the door to the cell area and turned in time to watch Brianna’s legs give out on her. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her close and kissed her cheeks, murmuring words of comfort.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I still don’t understand why you killed Brianna’s father,” Tully said to Booker as the doctor treated the bullet wound in the man’s hand. Tully questioned the criminal while Brianna silently listened from the doorway of the examination room at Doc’s office.

  “George Dumont, like his daughter, wouldn’t mind his own business.” Booker sneered at Brianna then sucked in a gulp of air when the doctor poured disinfectant over the wound. He ground his teeth, took a breath then continued speaking. “I don’t know how he found out Davis had a few less than scrupulous enterprises on the side, but he did. He’d kept detailed notes of it in a journal. Davis found out about it the day George came in to make the final payment on his loan.”

  “He made it to the bank?” Brianna asked, taking a step into the room. “Davis said he was robbed on his way there.”

  “Of course he did,” Booker said, looking at Brianna like she was the dumbest female he’d ever encountered. “Your father came in, made the payment in full, and was on his way out the door when Davis made some off-handed remark about you. Your father told Davis he wanted him to leave you alone. That’s when he said he had written proof of Davis’ illegal schemes and would take them to the old man if Davis didn’t stay away from you.”

  “And who is the old man?” Tully asked.

  “Bertrand Gordon, Davis’ father. The old geezer thought Davis could do no wrong and turned a blind eye to most of his dealings.”

  Brianna clenched her hands at her sides, wishing she could pummel the man who murdered her father instead of calmly questioning him. “Father said as much, more than once. So you stabbed my father after he left the bank?”

  “Yeah. Davis told me to take care of him, so I did. I pulled the receipt for the payment and his wallet, to make it look like a robbery.” Booker appeared quite pleased with himself as he recalled the details.

  “The factory, the house, and all of Father’s holdings are mine, free and clear?” Brianna asked in a quavering voice.

  Booker nodded. “Davis was counting on you agreeing to marry him so he could rightfully claim ownership to everything.”

  Brianna took another step forward but Tully gave her a subtle glance that kept her at the door. He turned to Booker with an impassive look. “It’s quite fortunate you prefer to stab your victims once in the back then in the chest because your local police have a long list of unsolved crimes that tie you to more than a dozen deaths.”

  Booker’s countenance fell at this bit of news.

  Tully tapped his pencil against the tablet. “Why did you come to Baker City? What did Davis hope to find?”

  “The ledger George kept that implicated him in numerous crimes. The evening of the funeral, we searched all over the library at the house for it, but we couldn’t find anything.” Booker narrowed his gaze toward Brianna. “Apparently, Miss Dumont found it before we did and packed it, along with the jewels, before Davis could find them.”

  “Jewels?” Tully asked, looking to Brianna.

  Ignoring Tully’s question, she focused the conversation back on Booker. “How did Davis find me?”

  “Your father had mentioned his partnership in the mine to old man Gordon. Davis kept prying information out of him about George’s various investments and finally concluded Baker City would have been a perfect place for Brianna to hide from him. He sent me ahead to make sure she was here. The article she wrote for the paper in New York provided the perfect excuse for him to arrive.”

  “What article?” Tully glanced at Brianna again.

  “Later,” she said, refusing to meet his gaze. “Why did Davis bring my trunks with him?”

  “That gave us an excuse to be at the house and search for the ledger. At that point, Davis only speculated that you had it. While your idiotic staff packed the trunks, Davis and I went through every inch of your father’s library and found his empty safe.” Booker winced as the doctor started digging out the bullet in his leg. “That’s when Davis knew for sure you had the ledger. I was supposed to figure out where you kept it while he distracted you. With the dressmaker always at the shop, the first opportunity I had to search the apartment was this morning and then that bratty kid snuck up on me.”

  “And what about the ledger you stole from Davis’ room when Thane and I caught up to you?” Tully asked, writing meticulous notes.

  “It’s a record of all the dealings he’d rather no one know about. My name is mentioned in there, as well as our associates.”

  Tully’s mouth thinned to a hard line. “And the associate I pulled out of the river? Where did you meet him?
”

  “I needed some help when I decided to off Davis. With him out of the picture, I could have taken care of old man Gordon and everything they had would have been mine, after I doctored a few documents and their attorney mysteriously disappeared. The other night, I ran into a miner down on his luck. He seemed willing to do anything to make a few bucks, so I enlisted his help last night. He handled Miss Dumont while I took care of Davis. I sent him to that saloon to stir up the men then joined him once the group was drunk and thirsty for blood. My hope was that they’d either turn on him and take care of that loose end for me, or they really would hang her from a tree. I’ve hated her and her father since the first time I met them.”

  “You cowardly…” Brianna stepped toward Booker, but Tully moved to block her.

  “Would you please go to Maggie’s and check on Sammy while I escort the prisoner back to his cell. A U.S. Marshal will be here in the morning to transport him to Rhode Island.” Tully gave Brianna a gentle nudge out the door.

  “You can’t put me on a train in my condition. What if I get an infection?” Booker gave the doctor a worried glance. “He can’t do that, can he?”

  “He’s the sheriff.” Doc shrugged as he wrapped a bandage around Booker’s leg. “He can do whatever he likes.”

  “Go on, Brianna. I’ll catch up with you soon,” Tully said, giving her another push toward the door.

  She scowled at him, but stomped down the hallway and out the door.

  When Doc finished wrapping the bandage, Tully thanked him for his help then hauled Booker back to the jail where Seth kept watch over him.

  “You look dead on your feet, boss. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Seth asked as Tully dropped the tablet he’d taken notes on into a desk drawer.

  “I’ve got one more criminal to interrogate and another matter to attend then I might sleep for a whole day.” Tully thumped Seth on the shoulder as he walked past him. “Thank you for all your help. I appreciate being able to depend on you and Dugan.”