Something Borrowed

by Rebecca Hagan Lee

  "Who?" Lee demanded.

  "We don't know," Pinkerton admitted.- "But we know he was very close to the family. Sarrazin confessed that up until a few weeks ago this man, whoever he was, was close enough to know David's every move—and had been for several months."

  "Then why didn't he just tell David where"—Lee nodded toward Lily—"she was."

  "We don't know. Maybe he thought David would continue the investigation even after he located the little girl."

  "Adoption," Lee said suddenly. "He was afraid of the adoption proceedings. Because in most states and in the territories a legal adoption requires an act of the legislature. Senator Millen was afraid that if David adopted L-I-L-Y, the forged marriage license might surface and David, of course, knew he hadn't married Caroline Millen. Most of Washington knew he hadn't married Caroline. There would have been no reason for the senator to ruin his own son-in-law."

  "But David's name was already legally recorded as the little girl's father."

  Lee grinned. "Yes. But Tessa wouldn't be satisfied with that. She wants to adopt L-I-L-Y as their own, the way they adopted Coalie—to become L-I-L-Y's legal guardian right along with David."

  "But women can't be the legal guardians of their children." Pinkerton pointed out.

  "That's correct in just about every state in the Union, but Wyoming is an exception. In Wyoming, woman can and do vote, sit on juries, and hold public office. In Wyoming, women are recognized as having the same rights as men."

  "And David and Tessa Alexander reside in Peaceable, Wyoming Territory."

  Lee nodded. "So if Senator Millen couldn't stop David from trying to locate L-I-L-Y, or hiring us to do it, then David posed a threat and had to be watched. But by whom?" Lee thought for a moment. "Did Sarrazin tell you anything about this man?"

  "Only that he received his share of the money for his work in the counterfeiting operation and left Denver before the others were arrested."

  "But Sarrazin doesn't know who he is."

  "Sarrazin doesn't know the man's real name. Only how to contact him when he needs a job done. But I suspect Sarrazin may have contacted the man before he was arrested. I suspect he may be aware that we're on his trail."

  Lee thought back. "The only man in the Denver ring who didn't get caught was the pen man. The forger. So that's how he escaped capture. He was paid early. He probably banked his money and ran. Money… bank. Banker!" The tiny hairs at the back of Lee's neck stood on end and he jumped to his feet, startling Lily, who was napping. "Holy Mary, Mother of God! I've got to go!" Lee started for the door.

  "Wait! What is it?"

  "Just a hunch. But I've got to go."

  "Don't forget to send me a full detailed report," Pinkerton demanded, sounding just like his father, Allan.

  "I resigned." Holding Lily tightly, Lee hurried out the front door and down the stairs.

  "Send me a report anyway!" Robert yelled after him.

  Lee had been gone five days. He and Lily Catherine would be arriving in Cheyenne on the morning train and Mary knew she wouldn't be there to greet them because she knew she would never make it to the train on time. And there didn't seem to be anything she could do to prevent it. She listened helplessly as the last train whistle blew one last time. The day had been a disaster from start to finish and appeared to be getting worse by the minute. Mary felt like crying when she realized she wouldn't be able to get to Cheyenne by early evening as she'd planned. Louisa had stayed home to take care of two of her children who had come down with the chicken pox. And although Mary had help from Nan and Birdie and Sylvia, the brunt of the work of preparing the meals fell to her. Breakfast was late. So was dinner. And Mary was trying desperately to salvage supper. She had sent one of the boys down to the depot to send a telegram to the Trail T to tell them she would be delayed. She wouldn't be able to leave Utopia until Sylvia arrived in the morning, and that was only if Madeline and Barker were feeling better. Maddy and Barker didn't have the chicken pox, but were suffering from the upset stomach they got when the two of them shared a plate of strawberry tarts when Mary was called upstairs to the schoolroom to help one of the new boarding students unpack and settle in.

  After being gone for five days, Lee was scheduled to arrive with Lily at eight the following morning. David and Tessa and Coalie and Reese and Faith were waiting on the platform to greet him, but there was no sign of Mary, Judah, or Madeline. The train chugged into the station right on time and Lee held Lily in his arms as he exited the train. David and Tessa surrounded him almost as soon as his feet hit the platform. Once again Lily clung to him.

  "Oh, David." Tessa turned to her husband. "She's so tiny and so pretty."

  "And she's finally ours." David smiled at his new daughter.

  But Lily buried her face in Lee's collar.

  "It's all right, sweetheart," Lee soothed. "These are the people I was telling you about. This is your daddy and this is your mama. And this is your big brother, Coalie." He carefully introduced the little girl to David, Tessa, and Coalie.

  "May I hold her?" Tessa asked.

  Lee glanced at Lily. She looked to Lee.

  "This is your new mama," Lee repeated. "And she'll take very good care of you."

  Lily looked as if she wasn't going to let go of Lee, then suddenly, she changed her mind and reached, not for Tessa or David, but for ten-year-old-Coalie.

  Coalie turned to Tessa. "What do I do?"

  "Hold her," Tessa said, with tears in her eyes. "She trusts you."

  Lily slipped into Coalie's arms.

  "Why, she's light as a feather!" Coalie exclaimed, bouncing her up and down in his arms. "See?" Coalie showed David how he could lift her.

  Lily began to laugh.

  David moved closer and Lily reached out for him. He lifted her high into the air. She laughed again.

  Tessa stood watching as tears rolled down her face, then suddenly Lily reached for her.

  Tessa hugged the little girl to her breast and cried even harder. "Oh, Lily, Lily, we've waited such a long time for you."

  Lee stepped back out of the way so that David, Tessa, and Coalie could get acquainted with the newest member of their family.

  Reese moved forward and clapped Lee on the back. "Good work, Lee. Thanks for bringing Lily to her family."

  Lee nodded absentmindedly, as he searched the crowd for a sign of Mary before he finally turned to Reese. "Where's Mary? She was supposed to meet me here this morning."

  "She was delayed yesterday. She sent a telegram to tell us that there had been an outbreak of chicken pox among Louisa's children and that Maddy had a stomachache. She said she wouldn't be able to get here until this morning," Faith answered.

  "Mary isn't here? She's not in Cheyenne?"

  "She didn't mention being ill herself," Faith told him. "Only that Maddy had a stomachache. She said she couldn't get here until the evening train."

  "Come on, Lee, I'll help you get your bags and we'll ride on out to the ranch."

  "I don't have any bags, just my case." Lee lifted the leather satchel for Reese to see. "And Lily's things, what there are of them, are in here. Are you sure Mary's all right?"

  "Mary's fine. She'll be on the late train." Reese clamped his hand on Lee's shoulder. "We came in two carriages. Ours is parked in front of the depot. Is there anywhere you would like to go before we leave town?"

  Lee stared at Reese as if he didn't comprehend the simple question before he answered. "The bank." Lee didn't wait for a response, he simply started walking away from the depot in the direction of the bank.

  Reese glanced at Faith. "I'd better go with him," he said.

  And Faith quickly agreed. "I'll wait here with David and Tessa."

  Reese waved to his wife, then hurried after Lee.

  "Which carriage is yours?" Lee asked abruptly as they passed the row of buggies and carriages parked in front of the depot.

  "That one," Reese pointed.

  Lee walked over to it and tossed his satchel inside,
before he continued his march toward the bank.

  Reese lengthened his stride to keep up with Lee. "Do you mind if I ask why you're in such a damned hurry to get to the bank?"

  "Pelham Everhardt Cosgrove III."

  "What?"

  "I think Pelham Cosgrove III may be involved in the counterfeiting and forgery ring that operated out of Denver three years ago."

  "Mary's… I mean… our… Pelham Cosgrove HI?" Reese was stunned.

  "The same," Lee said. "When I saw him at the wedding, I knew I had seen him somewhere before. And while I was in New York talking to Robert Pinkerton, I finally remembered where. In Denver, three years ago."

  "Why are we going to the bank instead of the police?" Reese asked.

  "If Cosgrove's at the bank, we'll send for the police. If he's not at the bank, Mary may be in trouble."

  "Mary? Why?"

  Lee stared at Reese. "I remembered where I'd seen him before, and he's bound to remember where he saw me. And it's no secret—at least it's not a family secret—that you and David and I were all Pinkerton men. And Robert Pinkerton learned from one of the suspects in the current counterfeiting incident that Senator Warner Millen had a man very close to the Jordan-Alexander clan and that the late senator paid that man to watch every move David Alexander made with regard to locating Lily Catherine."

  "Damn!" Reese muttered, picking up his pace. "We'd better pray he's at the bank."

  But he wasn't. The bank president informed them that Mr. Cosgrove had resigned his position at the bank and left town the previous evening without giving sufficient notice.

  "Any idea where he was heading?" Reese asked.

  "I think he mentioned Denver," the bank officer replied.

  Lee practically ran out of the bank and all the way back to the depot where he immediately got into a discussion with the station manager. "I need to get to Utopia, Colorado. When's the next train?"

  "This afternoon."

  "What about that one?" Lee pointed to the train he had just exited.

  "We've got to unload the cars and back them up on a sidetrack, then turn the engine around before that train can go east or south."

  "Forget the cars. What about an engine? Can you get an engine on the track to Denver?" Lee asked.

  "Yeah, we can do that, but I need authorization."

  "How soon?"

  "Forty-five minutes. But I can't do it without authorization," the stationmaster insisted.

  "What do you need as authorization?" Reese asked.

  "A Union Pacific official, a stockholder, or a federal marshal," the stationmaster replied.

  "I'm a stockholder in the U.P. and so is he." Reese pointed to Lee. "He's also a Pinkerton detective. Is that good enough?"

  "I don't know."

  "Turn an engine around," Lee ordered. "In forty-five minutes, I'll have authorization from President Grant himself, if that's what it takes."

  "Yessir."

  "I'm going with you," Reese announced.

  "No, stay here. Get the damned authorization. But don't let on to David and Tessa that anything's wrong. They've waited a long time to get their daughter and we don't want anything to spoil Lily Catherine's homecoming."

  "Where are you going?" Reese demanded.

  "I'm going to wire the Denver police to be on the lookout for Cosgrove, and wire Mary, and then I'm going to check every hotel and boardinghouse in this town just to make certain he's not hiding out. Do whatever you have to do, but get that damned train turned around. I'll be back in twenty minutes and I want to be ready to go."

  Darkness had settled over the tiny town of Utopia. The last meal of the day was over and everyone had made their way back to their own homes. Maddy and Barker were asleep upstairs, as were the three boarding students, and Mary and Sylvia were sitting in the kitchen savoring a pot of hot tea before Syl had to return to the Silver Bear for the evening crowd.

  "I never thought we'd finish these darned uniforms you're so set on having the students wear," Syl announced. "I should have remembered how much I hated sewing my own clothes before I volunteered to make all these dresses and pants."

  "We could have hired a seamstress and a tailor from Denver," Mary reminded her. "But we would have missed out on all this fun." She smiled at Sylvia. "And it has been fun, hasn't it, Syl? Go on, admit it. You've enjoyed being a part of this project and working with the other women in town as much as I have."

  "Yes, it has been nice," Sylvia agreed. "I've forgotten what it was like to be accepted into town society. To have women friends who aren't in the business, so to speak. But I've enjoyed it. I never really minded doing what I do for a living until now. But suddenly I find the normal life appeals to me lately. Besides, I hate being an outcast."

  "I know what you mean," Mary said. "The only other people who've ever fully accepted me for what and who I am is my family and Lee."

  "And now, the town of Utopia," Sylvia added.

  "Except for Hugh Morton at the Ajax."

  "Yes, well, I don't know why he thinks he can look down his nose at other people. He's not as much of a prize as he thinks he is! Trust me," Syl told her. "I know."

  "I'll bet you do."

  "Oh, the things I could tell you if you weren't a lady!" Sylvia laughed. "Sometimes, it's all I can do to keep a straight face."

  "Tell me anyway," Mary invited. "I may be a lady, but I'm old enough to learn about the sinful side of life. Besides," she reminded Sylvia, "I'm married."

  They spent a few minutes swapping stories about their past, with Sylvia sharing the most colorful stories, while Mary related the antics of Reese and Faith's and David and Tessa's courtships. She finally concluding with the story of how Lee had burst into the church in Cheyenne and interrupted her wedding to Pelham Cosgrove III.

  Finally Mary looked down at the watch pinned to her dress. "You'd better be going, Syl, or you won't have time to transform yourself into Silver Delight."

  Sylvia chuckled. "I know. And believe me, it's taking a lot longer to do it these days. I had forgotten about the early mornings when I volunteered to help you. At the time, I didn't have as many customers, and I wasn't staying up until all hours of the morning."

  "So business is improving?"

  "Yes. Word has gotten out about you and Lee hiring those engineers to come back to work at the silver mine, and that they've discovered newer and bigger veins of silver. The miners are beginning to trickle back into town. You might say the saloon business is booming."

  "What about the other?"

  "That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I was thinking of letting one of the other girls take over the running of the upstairs business until she earns enough to buy me out."

  "What will you do?"

  "I'd like to invest in the mine, and—" Syl looked down at her teacup and actually blushed. "I'd really like to help you teach here at the school. I think I'd make a good teacher. I'm educated, I read, my penmanship is very good, and I know my arithmetic, spelling, history, and literature. I even went to a ladies' finishing school." She looked over at Mary. "You don't have to give me an answer now. Just say you'll think about it."

  "I'd be pleased to have you teach in my school, Syl. Very pleased."

  "Thank you," Sylvia said. "I'm… thank you." She stopped abruptly when the words she tried to say stuck in her throat. She put her hand out and reached across the table.

  "You're welcome." Mary clasped Sylvia's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know. Now go before you make me cry or you're counted tardy. Or both."

  Sylvia got up from the table and gave Mary a quick hug.

  Mary rose and walked with her out the kitchen door and down the back steps.

  "You know, Mary," Sylvia managed at last. "It's lucky for us that Lee Kincaid burst in on your wedding. I'm real glad he carried you off and brought you to Utopia."

  "So am I," Mary said. "And I can laugh about it now, because everything worked out for the best. But I was furious at the time. I thought Lee h
ad ruined all my beautiful plans."

  Sylvia nodded in understanding, then turned and walked around the house. Mary stood in the darkness of the backyard watching until she saw Syl pass beneath the street lights halfway down Main Street, then she went back into the house. Mary removed the cups and saucers from the kitchen table and earned them to the sink, then went back to the table to retrieve the china teapot.

  "He did ruin all my beautiful plans."

  Mary looked up from the table at the sound of a man's voice and discovered Pelham Cosgrove III standing in the doorway of her kitchen.

  "Pelham, this is a surprise." The tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood on end and Mary fought to keep from sounding frightened. She lifted the teapot from the table and held it in her left hand. "What are you doing here? And why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

  "I came to see you, Mary," Pelham said. "Because there's no place left for me to go. And I didn't send a message ahead because I really didn't want to spoil the surprise." Pelham stepped into the room.

  He was Pelham, Mary told herself, just Pelham. She thought she had no reason to be afraid of him, but her instincts told her otherwise. Pelham was different. He had changed in the weeks since she'd last seen him. He looked older. Colder. And desperate.

  "What do you want with me?" Mary asked.

  "I'm not sure," he admitted, "but since your Pinkerton detective husband has made it impossible for me to show my face in Cheyenne or Denver any longer, I decided to come here."

  "Why would Lee do anything to you? Did you leave Cheyenne? And why can't you show your face in Denver?" Keep him talking, Mary told herself. Keep him talking until she found out what he wanted, and why he was in Utopia.