Luke Jensen, Bounty Hunter (15 page)

“All right, all right,” the doctor said. “You'll be better off if you just stay calm and quiet. I'll check on you again in the morning before the stagecoach leaves, and we'll see how you're doing then. For tonight, you need rest.”

Jessica nodded, then winced. The movement made her head hurt worse. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Is there anyone who can sit up with you?” Bismarck asked. “It might be a good idea if you weren't alone.”

Hobie opened his mouth to say something, but the stern look Luke gave him made him stop before any words came out.

Stephen Langston said, “My wife can sit up with Miss Wheeler. I'm sure Edna won't mind.” He smiled slightly. “She gets a little spooked when people are shooting at us, but normally she's very level-headed.”

“That'll be fine,” Bismarck said. “Now, let's help the young lady up.”

Hobie was quick to help. He and the doctor got Jessica on her feet again. With the blanket wrapped around her and the two men supporting her, she went slowly up the stairs. Luke followed, along with Langston. The crowd in the lobby began to break up.

Langston went to fetch his wife. Luke, Hobie, and the doctor accompanied Jessica to her room. Luke examined the lock where the door had been kicked in. It would need to be repaired before it could be fastened properly again.

While Bismarck was getting Jessica settled in bed, Luke took Hobie aside and showed him the damaged door. “We'll need to take turns standing guard tonight.”

“You think something else is going to happen?”

“It's not likely, but we can't rule it out.”

“I can stay up all night,” Hobie said without hesitation. “I'll get a chair and sit out in the hall. If anybody tries to get in, they'll have to go past me.”

“We can take turns,” Luke said. “Whoever is on guard will be more alert that way.”

“Well, all right. But I'll do whatever I have to, to keep her safe.”

The doctor told Jessica he would be back to see her in the morning, then left the room. Hobie shifted his feet awkwardly and held his hat in front of him as he said, “If you need anything, Miss Wheeler—”

“What you really need to do, Miss Wheeler, before Mrs. Langston gets here, is to tell us just why those hardcases keep trying to kidnap you,” Luke interrupted.

Jessica stared up at him from the pillows. “I . . . I don't know what you mean. Those men broke in here tonight, but I don't know what they wanted.”

Luke thought he saw fear in her eyes. “They wanted you,” he said flatly, “and they were part of the same bunch that jumped the stagecoach earlier today.”

“Wait a minute,” Hobie said. “How do you know that? Did you recognize them?”

“I didn't get a good enough look at any of them to recognize them,” Luke admitted. “But it's the only thing that makes sense. I saw the way those men were shooting at the stagecoach. They were being careful to keep you pinned down and not kill anybody. I think they planned to sneak up once it got dark and take all of you prisoner.”

Jessica insisted, “They must have been after one of the other passengers, not me. There's no reason anybody would want to kidnap me.”

“Then why did those two men try to carry you off tonight?” Luke shook his head. “I can't believe it's just a coincidence.”

“I'm sorry. I just don't know.”

Luke was sure she was lying. The fear in her eyes was obvious. He didn't like trying to browbeat her, but he was convinced the men who were after her would make another try. He and Hobie would be able to protect her better if they knew what was going on.

Hobie didn't seem to understand that, though. He said angrily, “Luke, the doctor told us that Jessica needs to rest. I think we should leave her alone.”

Luke frowned, but nodded slowly. “You think about it, Miss Wheeler. We can help you, but we need to know the whole story. Maybe you'll feel more like talking about it in the morning.” He shrugged. “In the meantime, one of us will be right outside the door all night to make sure that nothing else happens.”

“You mean in case anyone else tries to . . . to kidnap me?”

“That's right.”
And to keep you from sneaking off and trying to give us the slip,
Luke added to himself. He didn't know if she would do that, but when a person got scared enough it was hard to predict what they might do.

Edna Langston came in wearing a thick robe over her nightdress. She shooed Luke and Hobie out of the room, saying, “Let this poor girl get some sleep. She needs it.”

“Yes, ma'am. Hobie and I will be standing guard in the hall all night.”

She looked relieved to hear that as she pushed the door closed, even though the lock wouldn't fasten.

Hobie frowned at Luke and said quietly, “You shouldn't have jumped all over Jessica like that.”

“She's lying to us,” Luke said. “She's right in the middle of all this trouble. Do you think we ought to just ride off and leave her to deal with it herself?”

“Hell, no. But—”

“So we need to be ready for it to happen again, and to do that we need to know what's behind the whole thing.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Hobie admitted grudgingly. “I just don't want to upset her. She's been through a lot already.”

Luke couldn't argue with that. His instincts told him that there was a good chance Jessica Wheeler's problems would get worse before they got better.

 

 

Hobie insisted on taking the first shift on guard duty.

Luke relieved him after several hours. He sat in a straight-back chair outside the door of Jessica's room, with only the glow from a wall-mounted lamp turned low lighting the corridor. He didn't doze off. He had stood watch too many times in his life, going all the way back to the war, to allow himself to go to sleep on duty.

But he was tired the next morning and had to stifle a yawn as he knocked on the door of Hobie's room a little before dawn.

Hobie looked sleepy, too, when he came to the door in a pair of long underwear. “Any problems?”

“No, everything was quiet. I thought you might want to go across the street to the café and get some breakfast and coffee for Miss Wheeler.”

That idea perked Hobie up and he nodded. “I'll do that. Should I bring some for us, too?”

“That's an excellent suggestion.” Luke handed three silver dollars to the young man. “That ought to cover the bill.”

Hobie didn't waste any time. He dressed quickly and fetched the food and a pot of coffee. He held the big tray from the café while Luke rapped on Jessica's door.

Edna Langston opened the door. She had a wary look on her face, but relaxed when she saw Luke and Hobie.

“How's Miss Wheeler?” Luke asked.

“She was a bit restless, but she slept. She's awake now, waiting for the doctor to come by.”

“We brought some breakfast,” Hobie explained.

“I see that.” Mrs. Langston turned and asked, “Do you think you could eat, dear?”

“Actually, I'm famished,” Jessica replied.

Mrs. Langston stepped back and ushered the two men into the room. Jessica was sitting up in bed with pillows propped behind her, wearing a dressing gown. She was still a little pale, but Luke thought she looked considerably less shaken.

“I'll leave the three of you to enjoy your breakfast,” Mrs. Langston said. “I'm sure, being older, that you'll be a proper chaperone, Mr. Jensen.”

Luke wanted to point out that he wasn't exactly ancient, but he thought it would be smarter to just nod and say, “Of course, Mrs. Langston. Thank you for your help.”

“I was glad to do what I could.” The older woman patted Jessica on the shoulder. “You take care of yourself, dear, and if we don't see you again, I wish you all the best.”

“You'll see me again,” Jessica said. “I'm going to be on that stagecoach when it leaves.”

Luke wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't see any point in arguing with her about it before the doctor had even been there.

They ate the breakfast of flapjacks, fried eggs, and thick slices of ham, washed down with cups of hot coffee. That made Luke feel considerably more human after the long night and not enough sleep. He was sipping the last of his coffee when Jessica said, “I've been thinking about what you asked me last night, Mr. Jensen.”

“You mean about trusting us enough to tell us why those men are after you?” he asked, ignoring the warning frown that Hobie gave him.

“That's right.” She directed a cool, level look at Luke as she went on. “And you were right. They were trying to get their hands on me. Those men who attacked the stage, I mean, not just the ones last night. They work for a man named Milton Dietrich.”

That name meant absolutely nothing to Luke. He glanced over at Hobie. The young man shook his head to indicate that he didn't recognize it, either.

Jessica said, “I'm not surprised that neither of you have ever heard of him. He's a wealthy, powerful man, with interests in railroads and shipping and Lord knows what else, but he likes to conduct his business behind the scenes, I suppose you'd say. He lives in Boston. That's where I'm from, as well. My father . . . well, he used to do business with Dietrich before he died.”

“I wasn't aware that your father had passed on,” Luke said. “I'm sorry.”

“There was no way you could know about my father or any of the rest of it. But my mother died when I was a little girl. After my father was gone, I didn't have any relatives in Boston. I have an older brother who lives in California, though. He's actually my only relative that I know of.”

“That's unusual. Most people have large families.”

“I know,” Jessica said. “I would have loved to have a large family. If I did, Dietrich might not have decided that he could just announce out of the blue that he and I were to be married.”

“Married!” Hobie exclaimed. “How old is this fella, anyway?”

Jessica smiled, but there was no warmth in the expression, only disdain. “At least twice my age. But it's not uncommon for men of his years to marry much younger women, especially successful men.”

“Maybe not,” Luke said, “but I can understand why you weren't all that enthusiastic about the match, especially if it was all Dietrich's idea.”

“It was, I assure you. Like I said, my father had done business with Dietrich. He built ships for Dietrich's line. So Dietrich had been to our house. I've known him for years. Evidently he's had his eye on me for . . . quite some time.”

“Why, that randy old goat!” Hobie said. Instantly, he looked embarrassed. “I'm sorry, Miss Wheeler—”

“You can call me Jessica,” she told him. “As much as you've both done for me already, even though we haven't known each other for twenty-four hours yet, you've earned the right.”

“So Dietrich decides the two of you are going to get married,” Luke said, “and you don't agree. That prompted you to leave Boston and head for California to live with that brother you mentioned.”

“That's right, but how did you know?”

“It's not very hard to figure out,” Luke said with a shrug. “Then, when Dietrich realized what you'd done, he sent those men to find you and bring you back to him.”

Jessica nodded solemnly. “Yes, that's exactly what he did. He's so arrogant he thinks he can do whatever he pleases, and if anyone defies him, he'll just crush them and take what he wants.”

“In this case . . . you.”

“Yes.” Jessica's voice was little more than a whisper.

“Well, by God, we have to put a stop to this,” Hobie declared. “Why didn't you go to the law? It's illegal to make people do something they don't want to do.”

“Dietrich doesn't just have hired gunmen working for him,” Jessica said. “He has a small army of lawyers, too, along with plenty of judges and other officials who are in his pocket. He'd just make it sound like he was trying to help the daughter of an old friend and business associate and didn't have any ulterior motives. He . . . he'd paint me as unstable and claim that my grief over my father's death had driven me mad.” She looked back and forth between Luke and Hobie. “I honestly don't think he would hesitate to have me placed in an asylum or something until I agreed to go along with what he wants.”

“We've got to figure out some way to stop him,” Hobie said.

Jessica reached over and put a hand on his arm as he sat in a chair beside the bed. “I can't allow you to get mixed up in my troubles any more than you already have. Those men are killers.”

“Well, they don't know who they're dealin' with,” Hobie blustered. “Why, Luke here is a famous bounty hunter!”

Jessica's eyes widened a little as she looked at Luke. “Is that true?”

“Never mind about that. What makes you think that Dietrich would leave you alone if you reached your brother in California?”

“He wouldn't have nearly as much influence clear on the other side of the continent. He can't tell judges and lawmen out there what to do. And my brother has been pretty successful himself. Nowhere near the level of Milton Dietrich, of course, but Jacob has a fine ranch and plenty of friends. I think I'd be safe there.”

“More than likely you would be,” Luke agreed. “But first you've got to get there.”

Jessica's chin jutted out defiantly as she said, “I won't let that horrible man stop me. I'll find a way to get there. I will.”

“Darn right you will,” Hobie said. “We'll—”

A knock on the door made him pause before he could promise anything. In the long run, though, that wouldn't help, Luke thought. He knew what was going through Hobie's mind just as well as if it were printed on the young man's face.

In the meantime, Luke drew his right-hand Remington as he stepped over to the door. “Dr. Bismarck?” he called through the panel.

“That's right,” the medico answered.

Luke opened the door and looked out into the corridor. The tall, spare doctor was alone. Luke holstered the revolver.

“My patients don't usually meet me with a gun,” Bismarck said.

“I'm not your patient,” Luke pointed out. “Miss Wheeler is.” He stepped aside to let the doctor come into the room.

“If you two gentlemen would give us some privacy . . .” Bismarck said.

“We'll be right outside the door,” Hobie told Jessica.

When they were out in the hall and the door was closed, Luke crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and said to Hobie, “You were about to tell her we'd take her to California, weren't you?”

“Well, somebody needs to. With a bunch of hired killers after her, you don't think she can make it there alone, do you?”

“Actually, I'm rather surprised that she's made it this far. Boston is a long way off.”

“So if we don't help her, who will?”

“I don't know. But if we don't track down Gunner Kelly and Dog Eater and get the bank's money back, who will?”

“That's just money,” Hobie said.

“A necessary evil in this world we live in.”

“But it's not important compared to a young woman's life, is it?”

“That depends who you're asking, I suppose.”

“I'm asking you, Luke.”

“Let's wait and see what the doctor says,” Luke suggested.

Hobie looked like he wasn't satisfied by that answer, but he didn't argue any more. They stood there waiting in a somewhat tense silence until the door opened and Dr. Bismarck stepped out into the hallway.

“Miss Wheeler appears to be in remarkably good condition for someone who took a header down a flight of stairs twelve hours ago. She has some bruises and sore muscles, and I'd feel better about that knock on the head if she was agreeable to spending the next few days resting in bed. But she's determined to resume her journey, and medically, I can't really forbid it.”