Angel in My Arms (24 page)

Tate turned slowly to Fox as if he barely deemed him worthy of a
response. "Yeah, I looked into it. Talked to Reb. He says he was just
funnin' with Miss Kennedy. Besides, he was at Kate's most of last
night. I've got witnesses."

Kate gave a nod of her fleshy chin. "Aye, Reb was at my place all right. Nearly drank me dry."

Celeste glanced at Ace, who still held her hand tightly, and then back at Tate. "You going to let him out or not?" she demanded.

"First some questions." Tate studied his prisoner. "Ask the half-wit
where he was last night. How he got the blood all over him?"

"Don't let that blubber wind scare you," Rosy said, approaching
Ace's cell from the other side. She looked directly at him so that he
could read her lips. "Tate don't really think you killed that poor
girl. He just wants the town to think he's doing something about these
murders, only we all know he ain't."

Ace looked anxiously into Celeste's eyes.

Celeste gently took her hand from Ace's."What happened?" she asked.
She touched her own face. "The cuts on your face." She touched the
bodice of her striped blue and green morning gown. "The blood on your
shirt."

Ace looked anxiously at the sheriff, then back at Celeste. He drew
back his fist, punched the air slowly, and then pulled his head back as
if he'd been struck.

Celeste glanced at Tate. "He got in a fight."

"When? Where? Who are the witnesses? He was seen down by the tracks last night. He can't deny he was there."

Celeste met Ace's gaze again. "You were seen near the train station
last night. A woman in a tent was murdered. Did you see the woman?"

Ace nodded adamantly.

Celeste's face went hot. "You saw her?" She wondered now if she was
doing Ace more harm than good by questioning him in front of the
sheriff.

Ace nodded again, and then drew his hips back and thrust them forward in an obscene gesture.

Celeste's eyes went wide with surprise. Rosy and Kate chuckled.
Joash drew in a deep breath and began to mutter under his breath.

Celeste gripped the bars. "You were
with
the woman in the tent?"

Ace nodded and made the same gesture again.

"See that," Tate exclaimed. "Told you he'd seen her."

"Being with a whore doesn't make a man a murderer," Fox said, stepping into the room.

Celeste could tell by the look on his face that he'd been patient and quiet as long as he possibly could.

"You can't convict a man for murdering a woman on the basis that he
screwed her," Fox continued. "Seems to me I heard that first one that
was killed at Sal's was a favorite of
yours."

Tate huffed and took a step back.

That was news to Celeste, but she didn't doubt Fox's word. She only wondered how he knew.

"You damned well know I didn't have anything to do with Mealy Margaret's murder," the sheriff sputtered.

"No. I don't think you did. Not any more than I think that Indian boy had anything to do with the whore's death last night."

"Then how'd he get that blood all over him?" Tate seemed to be taking the defensive now.

Fox's gaze met Celeste's. Celeste turned back to Ace and touched her bodice again. "Where'd you get the blood?" she asked.

Ace flung a fist in the air again.

"He got in a fight," Celeste said.

The sheriff moved his wad of chewing tobacco from inside one cheek
to the other. "Before or after he was with the girl in the tent?"

"Before or after the woman?" Celeste questioned.

Ace blinked. He didn't understand. He was scared, and he was having a hard time following the conversation.

"The fight, before or after," Celeste repeated.

Ace shook his head in confusion.

"Wait a minute," Fox said. He stepped up to the jail cell, made a
swinging motion with his fist, and then copied Ace's hip thrusting
motion. Then he repeated the gestures in the opposite sequence.

A light seemed to go off in Ace's head. He broke into a grin. He
thrust his hips, tipped back an invisible drink, then swung his fist.

Fox glanced at Sheriff Tate. "He was with the woman and got in a fight later after drinking at one of the bars."

"You got all that out of that half-wit?"

Just then the door to the cell room swung open and one of Tate's
deputies, Addie Morris, walked in. He was sporting a black eye and a
swollen lower lip.

"You're late. What the hell happened to you?" Tate barked.

Addie stroked his bruised chin. "Got in a little brawl at that new
saloon at the end of Peach. Had to crack a man over the head a few
times to get him to see things my way." The clean-cut deputy craned his
neck. "Hey, what you doin' with Ace locked up?" He walked toward the
cell. "You all right, boy? That was a mean lickin' those men gave you
last night."

"You were with Ace last night?" Fox asked.

"Sure. Down to the saloon, like I told the sheriff." Addie hooked
his thumb in Ace's direction. "The boy get into more trouble this
morning?"

Celeste lowered her hands to her hips in relief. "The woman who set
up shop near the tracks was murdered last night. Our good sheriff
brought Ace in for questioning."

The deputy scrunched his nose."How the hell is Ace gonna kill that
hurdy-gurdy girl when he was with me all night? We slept together in a
livery stable stall."

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Tate.

"Hell," the sheriff muttered under his breath. "You understand I got
to bring people in for questioning." He glanced up meaningfully at Fox
as he turned the lock on the cell door. "Anyone I might be suspicious
of."

"We understand that perfectly, sheriff," Celeste said as she stepped
back to allow the door to swing open. "Carrington's just glad they've
got a sheriff as fine and upstanding as yourself."

A few minutes later out on the street, Fox, Celeste, Ace, Rosy, and
Kate all stood in a tight knot. Joash had reprimanded Ace for his
participation in fleshly sins, and then tottered off to see what
arrangements he could make for the poor dead woman who no one knew
except by the name Lacey.

Celeste laid her hand on Ace's arm. "You all right?" she asked.

He nodded and made a sign with his hand, thanking her.

Celeste knew she had a soft spot for Ace and guessed it was because
of her own dear Adam. She understood how frustrating it could be to try
and communicate without the benefit of hearing.

"Joash is right, though," she told Ace. "You should stay away from
women like that. Stay away from bars. You belong at Kate's, not rippin'
up the town with men like Addie. You understand me?"

Ace nodded and hung his head.

She patted his arm again. "Now go on home with you and let Kate or Rosy clean you up."

"Thanks, Celeste." Kate took Ace by the arm. "Now don't be a
stranger our way. Just because you're gonna be a rich woman, don't mean
you don't have to call on old friends."

"I'll be by." Celeste waved.

Rosy stayed put as Kate and Ace walked away. She appeared dressed to
travel in a becoming gray gown with a black overskirt and a black and
gray hat. It was probably the most conservative gown Rosy owned.

"Now that Ace's taken care of, Celeste, I gotta say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Celeste stood beside Fox and stared at Rosy in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm getting the hell out of here while I still got any life
left in me. That's what I mean. And if you had any sense, you'd do the
same."

"You're leaving Carrington?" Celeste breathed.

"Aye, and I'd guess Sally won't be far on my heels if that miner of hers is willing to take her away."

"What miner?"

"Didn't she tell you? Sally's found herself a live one. Proclaimed
his love and wants to take her out of here once he makes his fortune."

"Don't they all?"

"No. I think Sally's right. This one's different. Anyway." Rosy took
Celeste's gloved hand. "I wanted to say goodbye, but I didn't want to
make no fuss."

"Oh, Rosy. I'm going to miss you." Celeste released Rosy's hand and
flung her arms around her friend's neck. They hugged and she stepped
back. "Do you know where you're headed?"

Rosy lifted one meaty shoulder adorned in gray ruffles and grinned. "Far as my change purse will take me, I reckon."

Celeste smiled sadly. "I wish I had some money to give you, but I
don't have any cash yet. It takes time to bring up the silver and have
it processed."

"I wouldn't take your money anyway."

"Good luck and please let me know you're safe. Get someone to write
a letter to me for you, will you? And if you get into money troubles,
you send me a telegram. The telegraph office here in Carrington
reopened last week."

Rosy nodded, her eyes filled with tears. "If I need you, I'll let
you know. Take care of yourself. Good luck with the silver mine."

Celeste stood on the dusty sidewalk and watched Rosy walk away.

"She's wise to go," Fox said. "Tate doesn't know who the murderer is. I'm afraid more women may die before the killer's caught."

Celeste's eyes brimmed with tears as she watched Rosy fade from sight and from her life.

Fox leaned down. "Ah, sweetheart, don't cry." He pulled a
handkerchief from his pocket and offered it awkwardly. "She'll be fine."

Celeste didn't know why she felt emotional. "Oh, it's not just Rosy. I know she'll be all right," she sniffed.

"Then what's wrong?" They started back toward Plum Street and home.

It was still early enough that there were few people on the street.
Stores were just beginning to open their doors. A man swept the
sidewalk in front of his general store. A horse and wagon filled with
barrels rolled down the street.

Celeste dabbed at her eyes, hating to show her own weaknesses with
tears. "It just seems like nothing is turning out the way I thought it
would." She gripped the handkerchief. "I thought hitting silver would
be the answer to all my troubles, but it isn't. Someone's killing my
friends, we can't get the damned silver out of the ground, you—"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't put up the money to finance the operation."

She fluttered his handkerchief, damp with her tears. It wasn't just
the silver, of course. It was Adam, too. Now that she would be
financially secure, she didn't know what she would do with Adam. She
had always thought that someday they would live together as mother and
son, but now she was having second thoughts. No boy deserved a whore
for a mother, even a retired whore. He would probably be better off at
school with decent folk.

"I understand about the money," Celeste said, once again tabling her worries over Adam.

"You don't."

They walked under the trees that lined Plum Street, past white
picket fences. It was warm, but there was a breeze blowing out of the
mountains that made the loose strands of hair that framed her face
flutter. "I understand that you don't trust me with that kind of money."

"Celeste—"

She held up her gloved hand. "It only makes sense that a man like
you wouldn't loan money to a woman like me. I understand completely.
And you're right. You're absolutely—"

"Celeste!"

She halted on the front steps of her porch. "Yes?"

"Will you listen to me for a minute?" He tugged at his earlobe. "I'm trying to tell you why I won't— why I
can't
loan you the money. Why I can't put any money into the operation myself."

She met his gaze. "Yes?"

"Celeste…" He glanced away as if he couldn't look her in the eyes. "Celeste, I can't finance the operation because I don't
have
any money."