Chapter Ten

Heath stood inside the mine and began inspecting the damage. Beams made out of timber lay here and there, and one of the tunnels was partially blocked. "If those two disgruntled workers did this much damage in this part of the mine, I can only imagine what the rest of it is like." Heath turned to look at Bryan Jackson, who had entered the mine with him.

"Three," Mr. Jackson sighed, paused and then added quietly, "I've got reason to believe Mr. Campbell was in on the planning, but no solid proof."

Heath stared at the gentleman who had turned out to the mine's foreman. Due to Mr. Campbell's actions with Loretta, Heath knew the man wasn't the gentleman that he had once thought him to be. Still, the man had always been a hard worker and honest enough man. "What makes you say that?" Heath asked as he and Mr. Jackson continued walking around in the temporally closed mine.

"I saw the three of them talking a few hours before the explosion. Mr. Campbell was more than agitated. As supervisor of this mine, I figured I'd best find out what was going on only, by the time I was able to step away from the matter I was dealing with at the time, the other two men had disappeared. Mr. Campbell insisted it was simply a personal problem only later, when things had calmed down, I realized just how many times I'd seen the three arguing. And," Bryan looked around the mine and shook his head, "before you ask, the two men we hauled to Rockville, haven't said a word about Mr. Campbell. However," Bryan looked straight at Heath. "I tried mentioning his name and guess what happened."

"Their mouths went shut, and they refused to talk." Heath made the comment not knowing what else would keep their mine foreman thinking that Mr. Campbell was involved.

"More than that," Bryan stepped over a fallen beam that was lying his way; Heath did the same. "Pure fear appeared in their eyes for a split second." He continued telling Heath about small items that would go missing shortly after any of the three men were in the area, but how no one had been able to catch them red handed doing anything wrong.

By the time the gentleman was through talking, he and Heath were heading back to the front of the mine. Heath didn't like it. If Mr. Campbell was the type of man Bryan Jackson suspected him of being, what was to stop him from trying another attempt on destroying the mine? Also, as he thought on it, Heath felt cold chills run down his spine-as he saw the look Mr. Campbell had shot Loretta's way flash before his eyes. If he was guilty, the man would not appreciate being made a fool of in front of anyone…and having a woman beat you when you'd tried to approach her while others had been nearby enough to see what happened, things could get ugly.

Heath turned to face Bryan. "Get whatever you need to in order to fix this mine and get it running. I'll get a map of the mine and go over it again. However, before I do that. I have to go talk to... Dr. Snyder." He then hurried away from the mine.

~oOo~

Mrs. Jackson and Loretta were just finishing changing one of the worker's bandages when Mr. Campbell opened the front door of the cabin housing the patients. He looked around at the few men who were lying-or sitting-on the cots. The smell in the room wasn't near as bad as it had once been. Though, it wouldn't have mattered to the man who was accustomed to wearing two faces as it were. As Heath had feared, the man had only one thing in mind…making Dr. Snyder pay for making a fool out of him in the sight of those he worked with. However, before he could take his revenge, he had to get the doctor away from the cabin.

"What is it?" Loretta, who had the most uncomfortable feeling roll over as the miner appeared in the doorway. The fact that she wasn't the only one that felt that way was obvious to her when Mrs. Jackson also took on a rigid stance.

"Hate to barge in here like this," Mr. Campbell did his best to have an apologetic look on his face as he spoke. "Only there's been trouble down at the mine. One of our men was hurt; he needs your help." He lied through his teeth.

Again, Loretta felt an eerie feeling wash over her. 'I don't know how you do it, but you have a way of telling when someone is being honest or lying' The words spoken to her long ago by a young woman named Liberty Keene rang in her ears. Funny, the girl would admit that to Loretta…and then lie to her time and time again. Now, somehow, she knew Mr. Campbell was not being honest with her. Though, without any proof….Loretta's train of thought stopped when she saw Heath hurrying towards the cabin. Maybe Mr. Campbell wasn't lying. When she grabbed her black bag, Mr. Campbell grinned-feeling for sure she was going with him. Therefore, he was shocked beyond measure the good doctor turned and existed out the side door.

"How badly is he hurt?" Loretta asked as she hurried to meet Heath.

He? Hurt? What was Loretta was talking about? "No one's hurt. Why do you ask that?" Heath looked at his half-sister in confusion.

'I was right! The man was lying, but why?' Loretta thought even as she told Heath what had just taken place.

Heath didn't like it. It sounded as if his concerns about Mr. Campbell wanting to make Loretta pay back for any embarrassment caused by his own choices were right. "I think I best talk to …" Heath started to say only to hear the sound of a horse riding away from the other side of the cabin come ringing through the air. Heath and Loretta both started running, by the time they got to the other side of the cabin they could see Mr. Campbell, who had already traveled a fair distance, disappear around a bend in the road that led to the mining 'town'.

"For the rest of the time we're here," Heath paused, remembering what Jarrod had told him, and then said, "I think it would be a good idea if someone stayed near you," he paused and then added, "Dr. Snyder." He went on to say what he feared. "On top of that, Mr. Campbell just threw his job away, probably will blame you for that one as well."

While she didn't think Heath was speaking out of a concern due to their blood relation, she did appreciate the fact that Heath had, apparently, listened to Jarrod when it came to what to call her.

"Thanks, but I can defend myself." She turned and headed for the front door of the cabin housing the men.

A good portion of Heath wanted to tell her that she was being foolish. That, no matter how well she fought, she'd still be safer with a bodyguard. That portion might have won out only Jarrod's reprimand-along with a quiet talk Victoria had had with him before he'd left the boarding house and the tense argument he'd had with Nick, made it so he simply shook his head. He knew he was going to have to keep his eyes wide open. 'Just what I need," He thought as he made his way to the office to look over the map he'd talked to Mr. Jackson about.