Rebecca Hagan Lee - [Borrowed Brides 02] (31 page)

“We had to leave Chicago ’cause Tessa was afraid Mr. Clayburn was gonna beat me to death. She tried to buy me, but he cheated her. He took her money, then wouldn’t let me go.”

“Tessa Roarke tried to buy your work contract from Mr. Clayburn?” David said, paraphrasing Coalie’s testimony.

“Yeah. He took almost all of Tessa’s money, then wouldn’t let me go.” Coalie grinned. “But I sneaked out one night. We rode the train and came here.”

“Is it correct to say Tessa Roarke took you away from Mr. Clayburn because she wanted to help you?”

“Yes, sir, ’cause Tessa loves me,” Coalie said. “She didn’t want me to be hurt anymore.”

“Thank you, Coalie,” David said. “Would you answer one last question for me?”

“Okay.”

“Will you tell the court who hired me to defend Tessa Roarke?”

Coalie stood up. “I did,” he announced. “I ran to your office. I woke you up when I saw the men taking Tessa away. I heard it was your job to help people. I got you to help Tessa.”

David smiled down at Coalie. “Thank you, Coalie. I’m very proud of you.” He turned to Jeremy Cook. “No more questions.”

The prosecutor got to his feet, then walked over to Coalie. “I’ve got a few questions.”

“Okay.” Coalie climbed back into the chair.

“How much are you paying Mr. Alexander to defend Miss Roarke?” Jeremy asked.

“I ain’t paid him anything yet,” Coalie informed the prosecutor. “I’ll pay him when the job’s done. Not until.” He stuck his hand in his trousers pockets. “But he pays me good wages.” Coalie held out a silver dollar. “See.”

David groaned.

“Mr. Alexander paid you to testify in court?” Jeremy asked.

“He pays me for fillin’ the coal bin in his office and shining his boots. He says it’s my wages,” Coalie corrected. “I do chores and he pays me.” He leaned over and whispered to the county attorney. “I didn’t have any money when I hired him, but we made a deal. He pays me so I can pay him. We shook hands on it.”

“Coalie, isn’t it true that you would say anything Mr. Alexander asked you to say? Wouldn’t you say anything to help Miss Roarke even if it wasn’t the truth?”

Coalie thought about the question for a minute. He looked Jeremy Cook right in the eye. “I would have…”

The prosecutor glanced over at David. He was practically gloating until the boy completed his thought.

Coalie pointed toward Mary Alexander. “But Mary told me the only way I could help Tessa was by telling the truth”—he looked up at Judge Emory—“just like it says in the Bible.”

“He can step down,” Cook said to the judge. “I’m finished with him.”

Coalie hopped down.

“Take him back to the sheriff’s house,” Judge Emory said to the bailiff. Then he turned to Coalie. “You did a fine job, young man.”

Beaming with pride, Coalie practically skipped down the aisle. “Bye, Tessa.” He waved at her.

“Good-bye.” Tessa waved back.

“Do you have any more witnesses, Mr. Alexander?” the judge asked.

“One, Your Honor.” David turned to the gallery. Myra Brennan stared at him. “The defense calls Liam Kincaid.”

“What?” Mary and Tessa spoke simultaneously. Tessa clamped a hand over her mouth. Mary stared down at her shoes, too embarrassed to look at David.

Lee strolled up to the front of the courtroom. He placed his hand on the Bible and promised to tell the truth, then sat down in the chair Coalie had vacated.

David pulled the other chair out of the way. “Please state your name and occupation.”

“Liam Kincaid. I’m currently employed as a bartender at the Satin Slipper Saloon.”

“Is that your only occupation?” David asked.

“No,” Lee replied. “I’m also employed by the Pinkerton Detective Agency.”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the courtroom. Newsmen scribbled furiously on their notepads, and several artists hastily sketched pictures for their newspapers.

“Did you come to Peaceable on business or for pleasure, Detective Kincaid?”

“I’m here to investigate the death of Eamon Roarke,” Lee stated, staring at Tessa. “He was the brother of the defendant, Tessa Roarke.”

Tessa’s head began to spin. She felt dizzy, lightheaded. She thought she might faint.

“How did Mr. Roarke die?”

“He was struck and killed by a wagon outside the Pinkerton offices in Chicago. We don’t believe it was an accident. We believe he was murdered.”

David paced the distance between the witness stand and the defense table once again. “Will you tell us why the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency is investigating this man’s death?”

“Eamon Roarke was also employed by the agency. He was working on a case centered in Peaceable when he died. I followed the man suspected of running Mr. Roarke down.”

“Who was that man?”

“Arnie Mason.” Lee looked out over the sea of faces until he found Myra Brennan’s.

The crowd in the courtroom reacted, buzzing with excitement.

“How long have you been in Peaceable?” David asked.

“Five, almost six weeks.”

“And how long have you worked at the Satin Slipper?”

“About a month,” Lee replied. “I worked at two other saloons before I applied at the Satin Slipper.”

“Was there any reason you chose Myra Brennan’s establishment?”

Lee met David’s gaze. “There were two reasons.” He paused a moment, weighing his words, before he continued. “The first was that I knew Tessa Roarke had taken her brother’s room at the saloon; Eamon was staying there before he died. I knew that because the agency had reimbursed him for expenses, including three months’ rent at the Satin Slipper. The second reason was that the agency had reason to believe that a large-scale robbery and smuggling ring was operating out of the Satin Slipper. Eamon was investigating that operation. I was assigned to complete Eamon’s case.”

“You speak as if you knew Mr. Roarke well,” David commented.

“Eamon and I were partners on several cases,” Lee answered. “He was my friend.”

“Did you know Miss Roarke, too?”

“No, we’d never met.”

“But you followed her to the Satin Slipper,” David reminded him.

“I was with Eamon Roarke the day he died.” Lee saw the shimmer of tears in Tessa’s blue eyes. “I promised to watch over his sister.”

David turned to face Lee. “Eamon Roarke asked you to look out for his sister?”

“Actually”—Lee’s face reddened—“he asked me to marry his sister.”

“What?”
That revelation shocked David. He glared at his friend.

“I decided to look her over before I committed myself,” Lee said. “When she left Chicago, I followed her.”

“What happened next?”

“She walked into a vipers’ den without realizing it,” Lee explained. “Arnie Mason was managing a band of thieves. Running it out of the Satin Slipper. The gang was responsible for robbing trains and stagecoaches throughout Wyoming and Nebraska. They smuggled guns to renegade Indians, and they sold illegal and poisoned whiskey to the Indian reservations.”

“All of that was going on in the quiet town of Peaceable? That seems incredible.” David walked a short distance away from Lee, then turned back to face him. “How do you know all this?”

“I infiltrated the ring.”

“Detective Kincaid, do you have any idea who murdered Arnie Mason?”

“The person who had the most to gain,” Lee said. “The leader. The brains behind the organization. Arnie controlled the gang, but he was getting too big for his britches, shooting his mouth off. He suspected Eamon of being a lawman from the start, and he traveled to Chicago to kill him. But he made a mistake. He acted without orders, and that made the boss very angry.”

“You said Miss Roarke walked into a den of vipers,” David reminded him. “Will you elaborate on that statement?”

“She upset the delicate balance,” Lee said. “She walked in and announced that she was Eamon Roarke’s sister and that she’d come to take his place. Miss Roarke meant that she would rent his vacant room, but Arnie didn’t know that. He thought she meant she’d come to investigate his criminal activities.” Lee paused in his narration. “The night Arnie Mason died, he went to Tessa Roarke’s room to kill her, but someone killed him first.”

“The boss?” David suggested.

“Yes.”

David walked to the evidence table, picked up the note Tessa was supposed to have sent to Arnie, and handed it to Lee. “Do you recognize this note?”

“It looks like the piece of paper I saw Myra Brennan give to Arnie Mason the night he died.”

“Do you recognize the handwriting?”

“Yep. It’s Myra’s. I’ve seen her sign invoices and papers dozens of times.” Lee glanced over at Myra.

David reached into his waistcoat pocket and removed a length of gold chain. A tiny Celtic cross dangled from the end. “What about this? Have you seen it before?” David asked. “It matches the piece of gold chain found on Arnie Mason’s body.”

Lee grinned, a beautiful triumphant grin that illuminated his entire face. “I sure have.”

“Do you know who it belongs to?”

“Yes,” Lee answered. “Anybody who worked at the Satin Slipper can tell you that.” He searched the faces in the crowd once again. “It belongs to Myra Brennan, the owner of the Satin Slipper. She wore it on her right wrist until the day after Arnie Mason’s murder. The clasp was permanently fastened. She couldn’t take it off.” Lee couldn’t contain his smug smile of satisfaction.

Myra Brennan leapt to her feet, pointing a finger at Tessa. “She stole the chain! You got it from her!”

David faced the judge. “Your Honor, I found this chain on the floor of Tessa Roarke’s room the day after the murder. It was wedged in a crack in the floorboards under the washstand,” he explained. “If you check Miss Brennan’s right arm, you’ll find the remains of the marks left on her wrist when Arnie Mason ripped the bracelet off while she held the knife to his throat.”

Myra slipped from her place and headed for the front entrance of the courtroom.

“Bailiff, stop that woman!” the judge shouted, pounding his gavel on his desk as the room exploded in chaos.

“It’s all right, Your Honor,” David said to the judge. “We took some precautions; that’s why Detective Kincaid arrived late.” He watched with supreme satisfaction as Myra opened the door. “A federal marshal and several deputies are waiting to arrest Miss Brennan on a number of charges. Detective Kincaid concluded his investigation this morning.” David turned to the prosecutor, Jeremy Cook. “I think this constitutes reasonable doubt.”

Judge Emory banged his gavel again. “Case dismissed.”

Tessa remained where she was, not quite comprehending what had happened. Newspapermen crowded around. Townspeople clapped her on the back offering their words of congratulations.

“Miss Roarke, you’re free to go.” The judge smiled at her. “And don’t let me see you in my courtroom again,” he admonished, “unless it’s for jury duty.” He motioned to David. “Mr. Alexander, I’ll see you in my chambers immediately. We need to talk about Coalie’s future.”

The judge left his place on the bench and walked down the hall to his chambers. David followed him.

“Tessa?” Mary touched her shoulder. “Let’s go. The trial’s over. You’re free.”

Tessa looked up. She was free. This was what David wanted—her freedom and his own. Hadn’t he said he wanted his apartment, his office, and his cat back? He wanted his life to be the way it was before Tessa and Coalie arrived. There wasn’t any room for her or Coalie in it.

David didn’t love her, didn’t want her to stay, and now there was no reason for him to take care of her. He’d won the case, and she’d lost him. Her dreams of making a home with him and Coalie were gone. The trial was over. It was time to go home.

If she only knew where home was.

“Where will you go?” Mary asked when Tessa marched into the office and began packing her few belongings. Coalie sat on one corner of the bed watching her, Mary on another.

“I don’t know,” Tessa admitted, stuffing the green calico into a cardboard box. “The hotel, maybe. I can’t stay here. I’m free.” She turned to look at Mary. “I’m no longer in David’s custody or his life.”

“I think you should talk to my brother before you make your decision,” Mary reasoned.

“I’ve already talked to David,” Tessa said.

Mary got up from the bed and went to David’s room. She opened the armoire, took out a leather suitcase, carried it back across the hall, and plunked it down at Tessa’s feet. “If you’re going to check into a hotel, at least do it with luggage,” she said. “It looks better.”

Tessa laughed. A sharp, high-pitched, bitter laugh. She’d just been acquitted on a charge of murder and Mary Alexander was concerned about her reputation. That fact eloquently illustrated the differences between the well-to-do Alexander family and Tessa Roarke.

“You’re becoming hysterical,” Mary said. “I’m going to make you some nice hot tea.” She left Tessa packing and went to put the kettle on.

A knock at the front door interrupted her. Mary opened it.

Lee Kincaid stood on the threshold. “I want to talk to Tessa,” he announced.

He certainly hadn’t wasted any time coming to propose, Mary thought. But maybe Detective Kincaid didn’t see any reason to wait. He’d already told the whole town of Peaceable he was prepared to marry Tessa Roarke and fulfill her brothers dying wish. Maybe Kincaid felt justified in coming to claim his intended. But if he thought he could do it with Mary around he was sadly mistaken. David was in love with Tessa, and if he wasn’t there to protect his interests, she’d do it for him.

Eyeing Lee Kincaid with the distaste she reserved for worms and spiders, Mary reached into the pocket of her skirt for the derringer.

Lee was faster, though. “Not this time.” He grinned.

Mary glanced down. He held a Colt Peacemaker in his right hand.

“Take your hand out of your pocket. Very slowly,” Lee instructed.

She followed his orders, withdrawing her hand from her skirt pocket, the little gun held firmly in her grasp. “Looks like we’re at an impasse,” Mary said.

“Yeah, it does. But you’ve only got two shots. I’ve got six.” Lee winked at David’s vixen of a sister. “And I’m faster.”