Chapter Eleven

By the time Nick and Jarrod walked back into their hotel room they were both bone tired. They and Heath had spent hours inspecting a portion of the mine and looking for any hidden goods. They'd found absolutely nothing when it came to any stolen jewels. However, what Jarrod and Nick did find increased their anger towards Mr. Glover tenfold. Some of the beams in the mine were starting to show signs of wear; they needed to be replaced. Heath had told them he had talked to Mr. Pryer about it only 'he won't do anything without Mr. Glover's say so'. As far as the three brothers were concerned, it was a problem that should have taken care of weeks ago.

"There's still the other half of the mine to inspect tomorrow, plus I need to confront the man about what we did find." Jarrod growled as he dropped onto his bed and pulled off his shoes. Then thinking about their family, he said, "Maybe one of us should go home and talk to mother, tell her in person what's actually going."

Dropping onto the chair that set next to the hotel window, Nick pulled off his gloves and then began removing his boots. He wasn't about to leave Rimfire without Heath. "Go ahead if you want. I'm staying here."

Jarrod smiled as he lay down. He should've have known better than to suggest such a thing. Truth be told, Jarrod knew he'd have answered the same way if Nick had made the suggestion. As he started to close his eyes, Nick spoke up. "I don't see why Heath couldn't tell us who Bill is. It's not like we're any danger to the man."

Jarrod rolled over and looked at his brother who had moved onto the single bed he would be using for the night. While it still bothered Jarrod that he felt he should know the man, there were definitely more important things to worry about. "It doesn't matter right now. As long as he's on our side, we have other things to worry about."

Nick didn't like it when people weren't what they appeared to be, though in cases like this it was more than understandable…even if it was driving him up a wall. "Guess you're right." Then sliding his hands underneath his head, Nick looked up the ceiling. Nick went over their plans for tomorrow in his mind; he frowned, and then said, "I don't like the idea of me and Heath going to inspect the rest of the mines by ourselves tomorrow while you go talk to Glover. If he had a hand in killing Chad and shooting at the posse like Frank and Heath seem to think, the man won't hesitate to try the same thing on you… especially if he catches you looking at any paintings he might have."

Nick wasn't telling Jarrod something he didn't already know. In fact, he'd already thought that one out. "Heath said if we needed Bill's help all we had to do was speak up. The way Heath, and that boy that met us after we left the office, you know the one called Timothy, Mr. Glover has only poked his head in the office twice this week, and even then it was only for a few moments. I'll just say Bill is one of the mine workers, and he can back me up on the condition of the beams."

While Nick had to admit it would make him feel better if Jarrod had someone with him, he hated the thought of not being the one to be with his elder brother. The more he thought on the matter, the more Nick wished he could feed his fists to Mr. Glover and his associates."Someday, Mister Glover, you're going to feel the full weight of my fury. That is, if I have any say in it you will." Nick swore silently to himself. It was a vow that he would have heard repeated in Jarrod's mind had Nick been able to read others thoughts.

~oOo~

While Nick, Jarrod and most of Rimfire slept, Heath had slipped away from the housing unit where he was staying and rode into town. Wasting no time, he made his way to the back of the saloon and slipped in through a side door. Except for the lone occupant that sat in the farthest corner of the room, the establishment was completely empty. Ironically, the two men had not only met to discuss the events of the day, but were there to discuss the same exact problem Nick and Jarrod were concerned about…Jarrod not having anyone with him the next day.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it." Bill tapped the cigarette on the side of an ashtray as Heath pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. Both men kept their backs to the walls.

"Mr. Pryer stopped by unexpectedly." Heath scowled as he lit his own cigarette. "I had to go through the mine's paper work with him. Well, that or arouse his suspicions by insisting on coming into town when I should be in bed."

Bill nodded and then asked about the search at the mine. "Find anything at all?" While he had hoped the Barkleys had found something, he wasn't surprised when Heath shook his head.

"Nick and I are going to look again tomorrow. By the look in Jarrod's eyes when I talked about Mr. Glover, I suspect he wants to get into the man's house as soon as possible." Heath was greatly concerned; he didn't trust Grover and he feared for Jarrod. "I'm not comfortable about that."

Having followed Mr. Muriel to Mr. Glover's home and seeing Mr. Glover practically chase Mr. Muriel out of the house, yelling at him to be careful, or it wouldn't be anyone outside Rimfire that the telegraph officer would have to worry about, Bill agreed. Jarrod could not be allowed to go anywhere near Glover by himself. "I was going to tail Muriel tomorrow, only I think I best talk to the sheriff and ask that he or his deputy do it. Then I'll go see your brothers."

Before things got too heated, Heath decided to get ask Bill a couple of questions. "Why do you insist on wearing that disguise and acting the part of mute? You weren't doing that when I first met you. You were only going by a false name. And, don't you think Jarrod and Nick have the right to know who you really are?"

Bill's own, somewhat, crooked smile appeared. "You want the honest truth?"

"Of course," Heath asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I didn't need a disguise at first because no one around here knows me, but when I heard that you'd had Dave send for your brothers I had no choice." Bill chuckled at the surprised look that spread over Heaths' face. He knew the blonde haired cowboy hadn't expected to hear such a thing. "Remember, as an attorney, Jarrod has had many dealings with the Pinkerton Agency." Heath started smiling as he acknowledged what the man was saying. "I've met Jarrod a few times in the past, not often enough to really get to know each other well; still, we have met. The last thing I needed was to have him recognize me and blurt out my real name. As it is, I'm sure that if, by some wild chance, he figures it out he'll corner me and demand answers."

Heath couldn't argue with that one. Jarrod did have a way of stubbornly going after something once he got a burr under his saddle; they all did. Still…. "I don't understand. I mean, yes, I can see your point when it comes to when they first got into town, but now? What difference does it make now?"

For a moment Bill did not answer. Finally, tapping his cigarette on the ashtray again, he shrugged his shoulders. "Probably doesn't, but old habits die hard. I'll think about it, okay?" Bill's eyes repeated the question as he looked at Heath.

"Fair enough," Heath answered as he and Bill then continued talking for another thirty minutes before going their separate ways, both praying for better luck the next day.