Petticoat Detective (39 page)

She couldn’t believe her eyes. What in the world …?

The door to the house flew open and Miss Lillian stepped onto the porch and waved. “How do you like it?”

“I’m dumbfounded.” Amy hardly recognized Miss Lillian in the sedate gray skirt and white tailored shirtwaist. Her hair was still a ghastly red, but today it was confined in a ladylike bun that even Mrs. Givings and her friends would approve.

Jennifer let herself through the gate and started along the path. “Does this mean you’re no longer running a guesthouse?”

“That’s exactly what it means,” Miss Lillian said. “I decided to take my share of the reward money and start a new business in memory of Rose.”

The news made Jennifer want to jump with joy. “I’m sure that would have made her very happy.”

“Yes, and sleuthhounding looks to be more profitable. I’ve already got several clients. Unlike your former boss, I don’t have any trouble accepting jobs from suspicious wives.” Miss Lillian lowered her voice. “I have a feeling that with me and my detectives on the case we’re going to start seeing a lot of good men in Goodman.”

“Maybe there’ll even be one for you,” Jennifer teased.

“I doubt that, but I suppose anything’s possible. Speaking of which, you’re not going to believe this, but Monahan just hired me as his official fortune-teller.”

“Monahan did that? But he doesn’t even believe in fortune-telling.” Jennifer still felt bad for suspecting him of being the Gunnysack Bandit. She now knew that he came by his wealth through prudent investments and a fortunate marriage.

“He does now. After you told him about the storm at sea, he sent a wire canceling a shipment of goods his wife ordered special for their new house. It was a good thing, too, on account of the hurricane.”

Jennifer shook her head in disbelief. “There was a hurricane?”

“Yes, and the ship sank.”

Jennifer couldn’t believe her ears. “Incredible!”

The front door sprang open and Mrs. Givings stepped out of the house, followed by Buttercup and Polly.

The day just kept getting stranger. Jennifer leaned toward Miss Lillian and whispered, “What is Mrs. Givings doing here?”

“She’s now working for me,” Miss Lillian whispered back.

Jennifer drew back. “Are you telling me that Mrs. Givings—”

“Detective Givings,” the churchwoman said and giggled like a schoolgirl. “Investigating is so much more exciting than quilting.”

Polly was all smiles as she turned to show off her new attire. “I never thought I could be a real d–detective.” In her tailored blue high-collared dress she looked as proper as a schoolmarm. Her scrubbed, shiny face no longer looked sad, and with only an occasional stutter, she sounded more confident.

Buttercup nodded and beamed. Her navy-blue frock downplayed her weight and a light seemed to shine from within. “Detective
Betty-Lou
at your service.” She smiled and added, “No mirror needed.”

“Oh Buttercup. I mean Betty-Lou.” Jennifer threw her arms around her. Instead of the usual heavy perfume, today Betty-Lou smelled as fresh as a spring garden.

Jennifer released her. “What about Coral?”

Betty-Lou exchanged a glance with Polly. “I’m afraid Coral isn’t ready to change her ways.”

Jennifer lifted her gaze to the second floor and a curtain moved in one of the windows. “God’s not ready to give up on her yet, and neither am I. Promise me that none of you will either.”

“We’ll save her yet,” Mrs. Givings assured her. “Don’t you worry none, you hear?”

Just then Tom drove up in a rented horse and buggy. “Better hurry,” he called. “We don’t want to miss the train.”

After Jennifer embraced each woman in turn, Miss Lillian walked her to the gate. “You caught yourself a good one, there,” she said. “Even though you never did master the fine art of walking.”

Jennifer laughed. “I have a feeling I’ll be doing more riding on the ranch than walking.”

Miss Lillian patted her on the arm. “I don’t guess I can talk you into staying. Business is booming, and I could use a couple more good detectives.”

“Thank you for the offer, but from now on I’m devoting myself to being a wife and mother.” She gave Miss Lillian another hug before joining Tom in the buggy.

She took one last look at the old house as they pulled away. Everyone waved and wished them Godspeed. “Hurry back!”

“We will.” Odd as it seemed, Jennifer felt like she was leaving home.

Tom laid a hand on her lap. “Why so serious all of a sudden?”

“I was just thinking how I came here to find an outlaw and ended up finding a whole new life instead.” She snuggled close to him and laid her head on his shoulder. “God sure does work in mysterious ways.” He also showed up in the most unlikely places.

Something shiny caught her eye. “Are those new boots?” She leaned over for a better look. “Is that a rose?” She couldn’t believe it. “You let Miss Lillian talk you into buying new boots?”

“Three pairs,” he said.

“What!”

He flashed a sheepish grin. “I’m good, honey, but not
that
good. Five days of listening to Miss Lillian’s sales pitches made hay out of this cowboy’s resistance.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “I’m just surprised she didn’t talk you into singing lessons.”

“Eh.”

“What? Oh no, don’t tell me.”

For answer he opened his mouth and serenaded her all the way to the train station.

If every man was as true to his country as he is to his wife—God help the USA
.

—Needlepoint in a San Francisco brothel, 1891
*

1.  Jennifer/Amy didn’t expect to find God in a bordello. Can you think of a time in your life where you found God where you least expected?

2.  Posing as a woman of easy virtue was the hardest job Jennifer ever encountered. Not only was she forced to dress in a way that went against her Christian beliefs, she also had to keep quiet about God. How do you think this challenged or strengthened her faith?

3.  Jennifer’s disguise made her feel like she was an outsider and not welcome in polite society or even the church. Have you ever felt alone and isolated? How is the best way to reach out to someone who might feel like this?

4.  Denial is a powerful coping mechanism. Rather than face the fact that she was a brothel owner, Miss Lillian surrounded herself with various legitimate enterprises and insisted she was in the hospitality business. Denial can help us cope with distressing situations, but it can also keep us from receiving God’s healing grace. What are some of the ways that we can recognize and deal with denial in ourselves and others?

5.  Jennifer believed that everyone had a personal north stemming from a childhood trauma or early memory. Her personal north was the night her sister vanished. Buttercup’s personal north was the day she was robbed of her innocence. What are the dangers of letting earthly matters become our compass? What are some of the ways that we can make God our one true north?

6.  Who was your favorite character and why?

7.  Tom wanted to believe that his brother had changed. Do you believe it’s possible for a person to change? Why or why not?

8.  Which character underwent the biggest transformation during the course of the book?

9.  Do you think Coral has it in her to change? What do you think it will take?

10. Jennifer spent years searching for her sister. It’s why she became a detective. In what ways do you think this quest kept her from finding true love? How do you think the story would have ended had Jennifer not found Cissy?

11. In what ways did staying at Miss Lillian’s help Jennifer unlock the mystery of her sister’s disappearance?

12. Did you agree with Jennifer’s choice not to tell her sister the truth about the past? Why or why not?

13. In what ways did God work through Jennifer to change Miss Lillian and her girls?

14. Birds hold a valuable key to the mystery, but they are also a metaphor for faith. As one character puts it, God gave birds the gift of flight because they have perfect faith. What are some of the things we can do to perfect our own faith and move closer to the Lord?

15. A writer finds inspiration in the most unexpected places. Upon watching a group of young children of all nationalities hold hands in unity and joy, I wanted to re-create the scene in my book. When the women clasped hands, the walls separating them from God and each other came tumbling down—a “Jericho” moment. Name a Jericho moment in your life.

*
The needlepoint quote was published in
Pistol-Packin’ Madams
by Chris Enss.

After reading about the first known female detective, Kate Warne, the idea for my Undercover Ladies series popped into my head.

Kate worked for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency from 1856 to her death in 1868. Since women were not allowed to join the police department until 1890, the firm’s founder Allan Pinkerton was well ahead of his time in hiring her. Originally, he thought she was applying for a secretary job, but she convinced him to hire her as a detective.

Quick to see the advantage of female detectives, he put her in charge of the Pinkerton Female Detective Bureau. Formed in 1860, the purpose of the female division was to “worm out secrets” by means unavailable to male detectives. She also managed the Pinkerton Washington department during the war.

Little is known about Kate’s early life. She was supposedly a widow when Allan Pinkerton hired her, which may or may not be true. Her job was often to elicit sympathy and therefore confessions from the criminal element, and widowhood might have been part of her charade.

No known photos exist of her, but Allan described her as a “brown-haired woman, graceful of movement and self-possessed.”

A master of disguise, Kate could change her accent as readily as she could change her appearance, and her “Southern belle” disguise helped save president-elect Abraham Lincoln’s life.

After verifying a plot to assassinate him, Kate wrapped Lincoln in a shawl and passed him off as her invalid brother, thus assuring his safety as he traveled by train to Washington, DC. Kate never slept the whole time Lincoln was in her charge. This may or may not have been the inspiration behind the Pinkerton logo:
We never sleep
.

Since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 wiped out Pinkerton records, little is known about those early days. What
is
known is that Kate caused trouble between Allan and his son Robert. The two argued over Kate’s expenses, which Robert thought were excessive. He didn’t think it right for the company to pay for his father’s “sordid affair.”

There’s no question that Allan cared deeply for Kate, but biographers are split on whether there actually
was
an affair. What’s not in question is Kate’s reputation as an excellent detective; her trailblazing efforts helped the Pinkerton Detective Agency rise to fame.

I hope you enjoyed reading Jennifer and Tom’s story. The next book in the series,
Undercover Bride
, is a mail-order bride story with a twist. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Until next time,

Margaret

Coming Summer 2015!

Enjoy this sneak peek
….

Arizona Territory
1882

M
aggie Michaels spotted the thief the moment she stepped off the Southern Pacific train and onto the open-air platform.

As a Pinkerton operative she’d dealt with her share of pick pockets through the years, but this one put the profession to shame. He made no attempt at discretion; he simply bumped into a male passenger and walked away with the man’s gold watch.

Normally Maggie wouldn’t hesitate to pursue the culprit, but today she had bigger fish to fry. Chasing after a third-rate thief could jeopardize months of work and careful preparation, and she couldn’t take the chance.

That is, until he appeared to target a young mother with three small children. Maggie changed her mind. He had to be stopped.

Threading her way through the crowd, she reached the woman before the thief and picked up the drawstring handbag she’d carelessly left next to a carpetbag.

“Your purse, ma’am. There are thieves around. Better keep an eye on it.”

The harried mother took the bag from her. She looked no older than nineteen or twenty. “Thank you,” she murmured as if thieves were the least of her problems.

Satisfied that the pickpocket’s latest attempt at larceny had been thwarted, Maggie pushed him from her mind and swung her gaze over the crowd. Never before had a new assignment filled her with such anxiety. But then again, never had she attempted such a daring venture.

Would she recognize the suspect on sight?

According to Pinkerton files, Garrett Thomas stood six feet tall, was forty-five years of age, and had dark hair and blue eyes. His one outstanding feature was a scar along the side of his face—a war wound. He was also extremely clever. Some said even lucky. A suspected thief and murderer, Thomas had endured a major war battle and a year in the Andersonville rebel prison—an impressive record of survival by anyone’s standards.

Though he was suspected of committing a daring train robbery, his most notable achievement was evading Pinkerton’s best detectives for nearly two years.
We’ll see how long your luck holds out this time, Mr. Thomas
. Eventually even a cat runs out of lives.

After checking that her feathered hat was angled just right, she pushed a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and smoothed the bun at her nape. Her wardrobe had been chosen with utmost care, and her demeanor meticulously polished.

The goal was to look fashionable but not ostentatious: to act domesticated without appearing dull. At all times she had to be charming, well-spoken, and industrious. In matters of politics, religion, and finances she must take care not to express a contrary view as she was often inclined to do. In other words, she had to look and act like a woman that any man would be proud, and indeed, anxious to wed.

Given her somewhat opinionated and independent spirit, curtailing her impulsive nature would be her greatest challenge. She couldn’t afford to do or say anything without careful consideration of the consequences. Not this time.