Mountain Woman Snake River Blizzard (7 page)

“No
,
ma’am,” Roy
replied.  “But we build a new heavy door for the cabin and put a board across the inside.  Without a battering ram, nobody can get in.
  We drilled
a hole so mom could peek outside if somebody knocked.”

“That was smart,” Kate said.

“We should have thought of that long before now, but we didn’t know what Engledow was doing.  She kept it from us.”

“That would be embarrassing to discuss with her sons,” Kate added.

“There was a robbery at Gem Mine
and a man was murdered,” Man said.  “Engledow is the night watchman at the mine.  He could have been on duty at the time of the robbery and we want to talk with him.  If you see him, get word to us
as fast as possible.  The police are
watching his home and will bring him in should he come back.”

“We thought you should know,” Kate
said
.
  “Be very cautious if you see him.”

The two boys lo
oked at each other, and then Roy
said, “We’re worried about M
om being at home alone.”

“I don’t think she’s in danger,” Kate said.  “With the policeman watching for Engledow, with
the new door
and board across it, she’ll be safe
if she doesn’t open the door
.”

They left the two boys at work and went home.
Kate started going through their packs and replacing needed items.  The packsaddles for the mules would be ready should they need to leave in a hurry.

Man started digging holes for the pol
es for the shed and walkway.

At noon, Kate came out a
nd waved at
Man.  “Signal the boys
it’s time to eat.”

He went out where they could
see him and waved his hat.  Roy
returned the gesture and the two boys jogged to the house.  Man was busy at the well washing his hands and face.  He tossed the soap to
Dan, dried his hands,
and handed the towel to Roy.

“Kate has food on the table, come in when you finish.”

As they ate, Roy
asked, “Who was murdered at the mine?”

“A man named Highsmith
,” Man replied
. 
“
He was the accountant and in charge of making payroll.  However, the robbers didn’t get in the big safe.  Highsmith didn’t know the combination.  They only got some petty cash.”

“If it was Engledow,” Kate said, “
he’
s a very brutal man
.   Highsmith was tortured
before he was murdered.
”

“He wanted the co
mbination
to the safe?” Roy
asked
.

“That’s the way we read it,” Man said.

At mid
-
afternoon, Kate came out to talk wi
th Man.  “I’m going to
ride into town and check with the telegraph office and Chief Kincaid.  I need a few things from the store
,
as well.”

Man stopped and wiped his face with a bandana he had in his back pocket.  It was unseasonably warm for this time of year.

“That’s a good idea.  I hope to be ready to put the
poles in the ground soon
.  This weather can’t hold much longer.  We should
already
have a snow cover by this time of the year.”

“I know,” Kate said.  “I’ll be back before quitting time and put something hot on the table for you.  I know you’ll need it after all the holes you’ve dug today.”

She took one of the mules and loped away.
  Man watched
, admiring how gracefully she rode, her
a
uburn
hair blowing behind her. When she disappeared from
sight
, he
went back to work.”

Kate rode
slowly down North First Street enjoying the sights and
sp
eaking to people.  Dunlap, the assistant police c
hief
,
saw her and stepped out on the street.  Kate turned Red Bird toward him and waited until he was close enough to speak.

“Good morning Deputy Marshal Kate.  As you requested, we’ve been watching the home of Lucille Shobert and looking for Bob Engledow.  She’s fine
.  Chief Kincaid has notified every law enforcement office in the area.  So far there have been no sightings of Engledow or Alejandro Valdez.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a genuine smile.  “If Bob Engledow was involved in the robbery and murder, I expect he’s gone.  We’ll have to wait until we get a lead before we can do any
thing.  He may be headed in any direction, including
north into Canada.”

“How is that husband of yours doing today?”
Dunlap
asked.

“He’
s busy digging holes for a shed and wa
lkway to the barn
.  There was no place to put our winter firewood to keep it from being covered with snow and he wanted a covered way to get
from the house to the barn.  Roy and Dan
Shobert are cutting the poles.  I expect by the time I get home they’ll be putting them in place.  We hope to finish before the first big snowfall.”

“You had better hurry,
then.  I
f the signs are right, it’s going to be a bad winter.  Mother Nature is giving us more time to prepa
re.  I’ve been busy cutting extra fire
wood.”

“Then I’d better get moving so I can get home and help.  I came in for
supplies and
to check if there were
any telegrams from Chief Meek.”

She gave him a wave and turned Red Bird back on the street.  Her next stop was the telegraph office.  There were no w
ires
.  She composed a short report and handed it to the agent.  “If anything urgent comes in for us, please let a policeman know.”

“Will do, Deputy
Marshal
Kate.  S
ince I send all of
the telegrams, I know what you’
re waiting for.  I’ll get word to you one way or the other.  I didn’t know Highsmith
that well, but he came in
to send wires.  Being tortured that way was awful
, and
for nothing.  I mean, since he didn’t know the combination to the safe.”

Kate bid him goodbye and went to the store for supplies.  The merchant helped carry her purchases out to the mule and helped load them.  “Thank you,” she said.  “I talked to
Dunlap
and he said all the signs pointed to a really bad winter.  Should we get snowed in, I wanted to have a good supply of food.”

“I hear the Indians are saying that
,” the
storeowner
said
. 
“
They have a lot of signs they use to predict the weather and I’ve learned to listen to them.  I ordered extra merchandise to be on the safe side.
  There
have
been times the wagons that bring in supplies couldn’t get here.
”

Kate mounted Red Bird and turned toward home.  She noticed a man watching her and when she was
closer,
he stepped out and held up his hand.

“Deputy Marshal Kate,” he said.
  “I know who you are, of course.  E
verybody in Coeur d’
Alene knows about you and your m
arshal husband.  It’s no secret anymore about Bob
Engledow
and Al Valdez being suspects in the murder of Highsmith
.  My name is
Clifton Landers, but most call me
Cliff
.
”

Kate waited.  S
he knew
Cliff
had something he wanted to say.

“What I’m trying to put into words,” he stammered.  “I knew Lucille and her husband.  Lucille and my wife were friends.  I lost her about t
he same time
Lucille lost her husband.”

He paused, searching for what to say.

Kate saw his dilemma and helped him out. 
“
You wonder if
she would welcome you calling on her.”

A huge smile crossed his face
as he nodded his head
.

“That I don’t know,” Kate said.  “But, I suggest that you ta
ke some candy or flowers and
knock on her door
and
you could find out.  Maybe invite her out to something.  While the weather is pretty,
you could have
a picnic or take her to eat.  I know she has been cooped up in her cabin and has had a rough time of it.”

“I know she has,” Cliff said.

“I can’t speak for her,
of course,
” Kate added.  “B
ut
,
if I were you, I would give it a try.  If you don’t, you’ll never know.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“I finished my shopping and I’
m on the way home.  I’ll drop by and see
her
. 
I need to do that
,
anyway
.  A
nd
,
if you want, I’ll mention that you asked about her.  I can casually mention that you would like to see her.  That way,
when you knock
on her door
, it won’t be a surprise.  She’
s very cautious now, so if
she knows to expect you, she’
ll be more prepared.”

“Thank you,” Cliff
said. 
“Tell her I’ll be by about six
this afternoon.
  As soon as I close my
store.
”

“You own a store?”

He pointed over his shoulder.  “Landers Mercantile.”

Kate nodded. 
“I’ll
tell her to expect you. 
It
was nice meeting you,
Cliff
Landers.”

She smiled as she rode toward Lucille’s home. 
Cliff
seemed like
a nice
man
and maybe he was what Lucille needed
.

She slowed Red Bird as she approached the home of Bob Engledow.  There didn’t appear to be anybody at home, but she decided to check.  She rode to the barn
,
tied Red Bird and the mule
to the fence
,
and went into the barn.  It was empty.  She checked the stall and the manure was older.  There wasn’t a horse here last night.

Kate pulled her Walker
Colt, slipped another bullet into it,
and
returned it to her holster.  She walked to
t
he back door of the house,
put her ear to it
,
and listened for a full minute.  There were no sounds from inside.

She pulled her pistol and tried the door.  It was open as expected.  Her eyes darted around the dark room, but saw nothing.  Cautiously, she went inside and left the door open for light.

She was in a covered porch that was more of a junk room
than porch
.  A door to the house was on the other side and she made her way to it and listened again.  No sounds came from the main part of the house.  She opened the door and stepped in quickly.  A kitchen table with piles of dirty dishes greeted her.

The room
was empty, so she went on through
an opening into a parlor
with a huge fireplace and chairs.  She knel
t,
felt the ashes
,
and
they were cold.

There was another door.  S
he went to it
,
peeked inside
,
and saw
the bedroom.
It was empty
,
as well.  A lamp was on a table and she needed light to see.  She lit it and held it up.  T
he bedroom was void of clothing.  I
t appeared Bob had fled and took his clothes.  She made a q
uick search, but found nothing.

She carried the lamp and went back through the house.  It was obvious somebody
had taken
everything but the furniture.  Bob
had fled and
was in a wagon. 
He couldn’t carry everything on a horse. 
That information could be useful.

She blew
the lamp
out, put it on the kitchen table,
and went out the way she came in.  Red Bird was waiting, watching her.

Since Bob
had
apparently t
aken
a wagon, she went back to the barn and look
ed for tracks.  There was none. 
S
he’d have to find out where
the wagon had come from.