The day was unexpectedly peaceful. No holdups, no shootings, no appearances by Lee Ellsworth or anyone else dispatched by Frank McCook. I spent most of the day at the saloon, with a trip every couple hours to make sure Anderson was holding his own. Simon stopped by in the late afternoon and was pleased with the progress the wounded man had made. I'd personally convinced one of the part-time bartenders he could make some extra money by working a couple nights for me as a 'caregiver' for Anderson. Just until I got Billy Sunday trained.
The night passed the same way, more or less. The only difference was instead of looking after Anderson, I was looking after Billy. For someone that had purportedly done the job of Floor Manager before, he had a lot of questions. Right before the telegraph office closed, I realized I should have sent a wire to Jody to inquire about Billy, and I hurried down the street to do so. The telegram took care of another problem for now, and that was Jody. At least I'd know she was alive when she answered me.
There was no one in the saloon at three in the morning except Maude's personnel, and I sent everybody home. In spite of all the questions, Billy had done well for his first night, and I was pleased that I'd hired him. When I got home Anderson was asleep, and it wasn't long after getting undressed that I was, too.
I was startled awake the next morning by sounds emanating from the kitchen. I reached for my Colt just in case it wasn't Anderson and pulled myself out of bed. By the time I reached the bedroom door the noise had gotten louder and I fully expected to find an intruder in the house. Instead I found Lucy, who'd been forgotten in all the turmoil. I padded into the kitchen and lay the pistol down on the table, then proceeded to see what I could find for the cat. By the time she was chewing on what was left from the night before, I was making coffee.
A few minutes later Anderson made his way into the kitchen. He certainly looked better than I did, but only because he'd gotten enough sleep. He was moving stiffly because of the shoulder, but he was moving. "You always get up this early?" he asked me.
"Not usually. Lucy woke me and I figured since I was awake . . . " Just about that time somebody rattled the front door, and I grabbed for the gun I'd left on the table. For the second time that morning it wasn't what I expected; when the door swung open, Doralice stepped inside.
"That's a heckuva way to say hello," she told me as she came through the doorway. "A little jumpy are we?"
"Come on in and I'll tell you why. And what are you doin' here, anyway? It's not safe."
"I had to pick up some things for the girls. And why are you jumpy?" I filled her in on the events of yesterday after I left Maude's house. She listened without interrupting and then nodded. "Now I understand the jumpy. No sign of Ellsworth?"
That elicited a head shake from me. "None so far."
"He'll turn up," Anderson assured us. "He's probably got orders from McCook not to come back without the money. With any luck I can take the stage out of here before Mr. Ellsworth surfaces."
Just as I was about to say something Lucy let loose with a bloodcurdling "Meowr!" at the back door. By the time I got the gun and arrived at the door it was obvious someone had been back there; but who or what was impossible to determine. "Doralice, get what you need for the twins and go back to Maude's. It ain't safe here." I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for our bedroom.
"Where are you going?" she called after me.
"To get dressed," I answered.
By the time I was shaved and dressed, my lovely wife had retrieved whatever she was after and left again. I was sorry I hadn't gotten to kiss her goodbye but just as glad that she was gone. I'd told her the truth; it wasn't safe here. "Anderson, are you alright on your own for a while? I need to check in with the saloon."
He chuckled just a little; it was a welcome sound. "Now you look like the Bart Maverick I've always known. Sure, I'll be fine. How long do you think you'll be?"
"Couple hours. When I come back I'll bring lunch. That alright?"
A nod accompanied his smile. "Sounds good. I'll see you later."
I left a few minutes after that and went straight to the telegraph office, hoping there was an answer from Jody. There was, but it sounded nothing like her. 'Bart – Billy was an excellent employee. You're lucky to get him. Jody.' Now I was sure there was something dreadfully wrong, and I would find out just what it was as soon as the current problem was solved.
Everything was still peaceful at the saloon, but it felt like I was bein' followed the entire way back. I stopped at the bar for a few minutes and talked to Willie about last night; he agreed that Billy had done an excellent job on his first night. When I got to my office I discovered the door unlocked and the place trashed. Everything was ripped apart or turned upside down; the only thing that wasn't harmed was the portrait of Doralice that hung over my desk. I closed the door and went back to the bar. "Willie, did you see anybody head back towards my office?"
"No, boss, not since I opened today. Somethin' wrong?"
"Yeah, somebody broke in and destroyed the room. I'm gonna work in Maude's office for now."
Me and Maude had discussed my taking over her office and turning mine back into a storage room; now I was determined to do just that. Another thing to add to the list of tasks that would be completed after Anderson was once again safe. And then it hit me – the culprit was probably the man we were looking for – Lee Ellsworth. If he couldn't get to Anderson, he'd take it out on me. That meant he'd been inside Maude's at some point since I left at 3 o'clock this morning.
I spent about two hours balancing the books and finishing the bank deposit, then left for the bank, the sheriff's office, Sawyer's Café, and home. I told Dave about the break-in and the trashing of my office, and he headed to the saloon to take a look at it. I stopped at Sawyer's and picked up lunch for Anderson and me, then went straight home. Things were awfully quiet in the house; I assumed Anderson was napping. I got everything set out for us to eat and went to the spare room to wake him . . . and found the room empty.
Where in the world was Anderson Garrett?