by Cox, Carol
She’d had time now to think things through, to plan how to act rather than react. Undoubtedly he’d done some thinking about his own attitude as well. Today they could both start fresh and have the whole misunderstanding ironed out in no time.
And then there was Andrew. Just the thought of him being there sent a warm glow through Jenny. She had treated him abominably, yet he’d rushed to her aid without a second thought the moment he knew she was in trouble. His presence today meant more to her than he could possibly know. Red would have come if she’d asked him to, but Andrew had chosen to be there—insisted on it, in fact. He’d told her once he wanted to be her friend. That knowledge gave her the courage to straighten her spine and speak to Sheriff Randolph without a quaver in her voice.
“I assume that since you’ve had time to think things over, you no longer believe I’m guilty?”
Randolph took a seat behind his desk and regarded her a moment without answering, then leaned forward, his gaze boring intently into hers. “What do you know about rigging bids for army supplies?”
Taken aback by the sudden question, Jenny faltered. “Only what I told you yesterday, that I have reason to believe Evan Townsend has done exactly that.”
“Miss Davis, do you know a man named Zeke Waterford?”
Jenny shook her head, trying to follow the abrupt change of direction. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”
Randolph’s gaze never wavered. “He’s a tall fellow, thin, with sharp features.”
“I still don’t—wait a minute.” A picture formed in Jenny’s mind. “That sounds like the man who stopped at the restaurant on two occasions. He left an envelope for Evan both times, but I never knew his name.”
Randolph made a quick note of her response. “He’s been arrested for his part in the bid rigging. One of my deputies caught up with him last night. He admits his involvement, but said he gave the information directly to you. He never mentioned Townsend.”
“You mean that’s what was in those envelopes?” Jenny asked. “Well, yes, he did hand them to me, but I gave the envelopes to Evan without opening them. I had no idea what was inside.”
“What about Harvey Green?”
“The rancher? I ordered some beef from him for the restaurant. What of it?”
“You were seen passing money to him in the lobby of the Hodges House.”
“I told you,” Jenny said, her voice rising. “I was paying him for the beef I ordered. Beef from his ranch.”
“There is no ranch.” Randolph leaned his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers. “Your connection with Green is what drew our attention to you in the first place. Green’s only involvement with cattle is in rustling them and selling them off as his own. His big mistake was in trying to palm some of them off on the army by being the lowest bidder—information provided by you, Miss Davis.”
Jenny clutched at the seat of her chair with both hands. If she let go for an instant, she feared she would topple off onto the floor. “It’s Evan,” she whispered. “I gave the envelopes to Evan. And he’s the one who told me to order the beef from Harvey Green.”
“So you say.” Randolph’s grim expression didn’t alter. “Let’s see what someone else has to say, shall we?” He stepped to a hallway at the back of the room and called out, “Come in, Mr. Townsend.”
Evan stepped in and took up a position near the desk.
“You heard what Miss Davis had to say?” Randolph asked.
Evan nodded. “I heard it all.” He turned to Jenny. “Why? If you needed money, you should have come to me. I’m sure we could have worked something out. You didn’t need to go to such lengths. And I don’t understand why you felt it necessary to use my name to cover up your own misdeeds.” He dipped his chin and looked at her with a sorrowful gaze. “What have I ever done to you?”
Her grip on the chair loosened, and the floor rose to meet her.
❧
Andrew rushed to catch Jenny before she hit the hard plank floor. He scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. “Where can I put her?” he asked.
“Back here.” Randolph led the way to an empty cell containing a cot. Seeing Andrew’s glare, he protested, “This is a jail, not a hotel. It’s the only place available.”
Andrew growled under his breath but laid Jenny down on the thin mattress. He patted her cheeks and chafed her wrists until her eyes fluttered open.
“Andrew?” Her blue-green eyes looked at him uncomprehendingly. “Why am I. . .where am I?” She looked around at the surrounding bars and bolted upright, her mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
“It’s all right.” He gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “It’s all right,” he repeated, praying it was true. He pulled Jenny toward him, and when she didn’t resist, he sat on the edge of the cot and wrapped his arms around her. “Shh. Take it easy.” He stroked her hair as though comforting a child. “The sheriff wants to ask you a few more questions, but I won’t let that happen until you’re ready.”
“The sheriff,” she murmured. Then she stiffened. “Evan! He was here, wasn’t he?” She pulled back and looked at Andrew for confirmation. “Where is he now?”
“He left just after you passed out,” said Randolph, striding into the cell. “Said he had some other business he needed to see to.” The sheriff propped his hands on his hips and looked at the two of them. “Are you ready to do some more talking?”
“I think she’s had enough for one day,” Andrew began.
Jenny laid her hand on his arm. “No,” she said, “I want to be done with this.” She struggled to her feet, and he helped her walk to the outer room, marveling at her courage. This woman couldn’t be guilty of the charges Randolph kept heaping at her feet.
Could she? He didn’t believe it, or at least he didn’t want to. But the tiny seed of doubt planted by the mounting evidence and Jenny’s inability to refute the claims refused to be up-rooted entirely.
The one thread of hope that Andrew clung to like a lifeline was Evan’s earlier denunciation. Every instinct Andrew possessed told him the man could not be trusted. If Evan said Jenny was guilty, it gave Andrew reason enough to think the opposite might well be true.
❧
“You’re sure you’re up to this?” Randolph’s rumbling voice held a note of genuine concern.
“I’ll be fine,” Jenny replied. She took a sip of the water he brought her at Andrew’s request. “What else do you want to ask me?”
Randolph tapped his fingers on his desk and considered the notes before him. “You still contend you had nothing to do with any of this—the mining stock, rigging those bids?”
“No.” Jenny felt her former indignation return. “And I’m no rustler or claim jumper, either.”
“Settle down, now. I didn’t say you were.”
“No, but your implications have been clear enough. I’m the one who provided the information you were looking for about the mining fraud, remember?”
“You see, that’s just the problem.” Randolph scrubbed his face with his hand. “I never said a thing to you about the mining stock. You’re the one who brought that up, remember?”
“But you asked me—” Jenny stopped, remembering his earlier comments. No, he hadn’t. His interest in her lay in her supposed involvement with Harvey Green. She had been the one to draw Randolph’s attention to a possible connection with the sales of bogus mining stock. In her eagerness to bring Evan to justice, she had turned the eyes of the law on herself.
The door opened before she could say another word, and a portly man strutted in. He walked over to the sheriff and stuck out his hand. “Randolph? I’m the new owner of the Red Slipper Saloon. I understand you’re one I need to see about paying my taxes.” His gaze fell on Jenny and a delighted smile split his face.
“Well, look who’s here!”
Jenny stared at him, her mind a blank. “Do I know you?”
The man’s ample belly shook with his guffaws. “Know me? Why it’s Adrian Va
nce. From Prescott, remember?” He turned back to Sheriff Randolph with a jovial chuckle. “I’ll never forget this one, I can tell you that. The prettiest songbird who ever lightened the hearts of thirsty miners.”
No. This couldn’t be happening. Jenny laced her fingers together in a white-knuckled grip and fought back the waves of darkness that threatened to overwhelm her. She would not faint again. No one in Tucson knew of her days at the Nugget, save Red. She had left that life behind her. Or thought she had, until this talkative man showed up. She shot a quick glance at Andrew and saw his stunned expression.
Vance grinned at her again. “It’s no wonder I didn’t make much impression, with all those young bucks wanting your attention. I’d be a pretty poor choice in comparison, wouldn’t I?” His chest shook with laughter again. “No matter.” He sketched a wave at Randolph and walked back to the door. “I can see you’re busy now, so I’ll come back later. It was a pleasure meeting you, Sheriff. There’s always a drink waiting for you at the Red Slipper. And you,” he said, pointing a pudgy finger at Jenny. “If you’re ever in need of a job, be sure to look me up.”
Vance exited and a heavy silence settled over the room. After a moment, Randolph got to his feet and reached for the large ring of keys that hung near his desk. “I hate the thought of locking up a lady,” he said. “But under the circumstances—”
“That’s exactly the word for it.” Andrew stepped forward. “Circumstantial evidence is all you have.”
“But I need to be sure she’s around to answer any more charges that may come up,” Randolph said.
“Miss Davis has a business to run,” Andrew told him, helping Jenny to her feet. “If you need to speak with her, you’ll find her either at home or at the Pueblo Restaurant. If you want more assurance than that, I’ll vouch for her.”
The two men locked gazes, then Randolph put the key ring back on its hook. “All right,” he said. “But you see that she checks in with me tomorrow.”
twenty
“I have to get back to the restaurant,” Jenny said. “I need to help Jacinta and Manuel.”
“You need to go home and rest,” Andrew countered. He took her elbow and steered her through the streets in the direction of her home.
Jenny complied, too tired to argue. “Thank you for standing by me today,” she told him.
“I said I wanted to be a friend to you, and I meant it.” Andrew squeezed her elbow and gave her a warm smile, then his gaze turned sober. “Randolph isn’t going to let go of this anytime soon, you know. You’re going to need more than just my friendship to see you through this.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, although she had an uneasy feeling she knew the answer.
“I mean Jesus,” Andrew answered, confirming her suspicion. “You need Him as your Savior. We all do. But right now you also need someone to help you carry this burden, and He’s the best one to do that.”
“What if He doesn’t want to?” The words were out before she could stop them.
Andrew halted in the middle of the street and caught her hands in his. “He does, Jenny, you can trust me on that. He loves you.” He opened his mouth again as if to add more, then pressed his lips together. “Think about that while you’re resting this afternoon.”
Red jumped up from the bench outside her door when they approached the little adobe house. “How are you, Lass? Did that bully of a sheriff come to his senses?”
“I sent Manuel over last night to tell Red what happened,” Andrew said in response to her questioning look.
“I’m all right, Red. A little worse for wear, perhaps, but doing well enough.” She propped her hand on the doorpost, glad of its support. “I really do need to get back to the restaurant.”
“Not on your life.” Andrew folded his arms and set his jaw. “You’re going to go inside and lie down. Red and I are going to sit out here and make sure no one comes by to bother you. And to make sure you don’t get any notions about sneaking out and going to work.”
She tilted her head and mustered up a weak smile. “Afraid I’ll run away and leave you to face Randolph alone?”
“I have no doubt at all about you keeping your word.” His gaze bored into hers with an intensity that made her knees go limp. She nodded, too shaken to resist further, and went inside. Alone in her room, she took off her dress and laid it across a chair, then stretched out on the bed. She felt her eyelids close as soon as her head touched the pillow.
When she woke, the sun had traveled far down in the western sky. Jenny lay still for a moment, wanting to savor the first moment of peace she had known that day.
Red’s and Andrew’s voices filtered in through the curtains of the open bedroom window. “So now you know the whole story,” Red was saying. “I wouldn’t have told you if that fat saloon keeper hadn’t opened his mouth and given things away.”
“It explains a lot,” Andrew said. “No wonder she doesn’t trust anyone.” He paused a moment, then went on. “I talked to her about needing Jesus.”
“Did you now?” Excitement was evident in Red’s tone. “And what did she say?”
“She has the notion He wouldn’t want to help her. And from what you’ve told me of all she’s been through, I’m beginning to understand why. It’s a wonder she believes anyone truly cares for her.”
Jenny heard him heave a deep sigh. “I wish I knew people as well as I know rocks,” he said. “Rocks don’t lie to you.”
“Don’t be giving in to doubt, yourself,” Red cautioned. “Keep on believing in our Jenny. She needs true friends who’ll stand by her, no matter what. If she doesn’t see Jesus for who He is, you’ll have to show Him to her by your actions.”
Jenny lay in her bed long after the sunlight paled and the two men crept away from their post for the night. She watched the shadows lengthen across her bedroom floor.
So she could now add Andrew to the list of those who thought all her problems could be solved by God. Did he think she wouldn’t welcome that? Didn’t any of them—Andrew or Red or Elizabeth or Michael—realize she longed for an acceptance she knew could never be hers?
She pushed herself up off the mattress and donned her nightdress. Tucson was no longer her haven, no more a sanctuary in which she could hide from the echoes of her past. Adrian Vance’s coming had changed all that. Her hands trembled as she reached for her hairbrush. She could almost hear his booming voice describing her history in Prescott to Sheriff Randolph and Andrew.
Andrew. Her fingers tightened on the brush handle when she remembered his stricken look upon hearing Vance’s words. Yes, he’d told her he wanted to be her friend, but wasn’t the whole purpose behind that to persuade her she needed to turn to Jesus?
Her eyes welled with tears, and the brush clattered to the floor. Everything she had worked so hard to achieve threatened to crumble around her in ruins. First the restaurant, then her reputation, and now Andrew’s regard.
She slipped to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, the ache of loneliness stabbing at her like a heavy blade. She had gained valuable experience running the Pueblo; she could duplicate that success elsewhere if she had to. And assuming the next few days didn’t find her in Sheriff Randolph’s custody, she could start anew in another town, one so far away that no one from Prescott or Tucson would ever find her.
Those things would cost her in time and trouble, but the pain that tore at her heart the most came from the thought of losing Andrew’s friendship.
Jenny let out a low moan and hugged herself tighter, trying to alleviate her misery. She had pushed Andrew away for most of the time she’d known him. How could his loss now feel like such a blow? Whether it made sense or not, without Andrew, she felt more alone than she’d ever been.
“God, help me!” The cry burst forth before she realized she was going to utter it. The words hovered in the air, mocking her. Hadn’t she cried out the same plea dozens of times before?
That didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now except her knowledge
that the only hope she had lay in the slim possibility that God would listen this time.
“God, I need You. I know I’m not good enough for You, but Andrew says You love me. So does Red. So does Elizabeth. If that’s true, if You love me in spite of all the things that have happened and all the things I’ve done, won’t You let me know it?”
A faint stirring fluttered in her heart, a whisper no stronger than the brush of air from a butterfly’s passing. Could it be? Jenny gathered up her courage and whispered, “Is that You, God? Are You listening?” The flutter grew more insistent, spreading throughout her innermost being until it filled her with a flood of joy.
“You do love me! I believe it now. Thank You so much for not giving up on me.”
Tears streamed down Jenny’s cheeks. From the brink of ruin, she had been lifted up to a pinnacle of belief. Whatever happened in the morning, whatever new treachery Evan might devise, this certainty of God’s love was now hers, and nothing could take that away.
❧
Jenny stepped into Sheriff Randolph’s office the next morning with a light step and her head held high. The sense of forgiveness that filled her soul still amazed her. She smiled at Andrew, who had accompanied her once again. He looked perplexed by her calm demeanor but smiled back.
Even the sheriff seemed startled by the change. “You look happy today, Miss Davis. Did you find out something that will prove your innocence?”
“No, Sheriff. I found peace.” Randolph stared as though he thought she’d lost her mind, but Jenny didn’t care. It was true. Becoming a child of God hadn’t made all her problems go away as she once believed. The problems still existed. But now she had a place to take them. She looked at Andrew again and caught the hopeful look in his eyes. She appreciated Andrew’s continued support more than she could ever tell him, but even if he changed his mind and left her on her own, she now had another Friend who would help her through her ordeal.
