"It's taken care of," Dusty reported to Caulfield as soon as he saw the buggy drive away. "I got rid of the body, too. Let 'em wonder what happened to her. No sense givin' 'em another murder to investigate."
"Good. Maybe it's time to do something with the nosy nellies that just left here, too."
"What did they want, anyway?"
"Found some kind of a note in Temperance's handwriting about a business meeting with Adele. She denied knowing anything about it, so they came to see what they could get out of me." Sherman looked at Dusty with gratitude and just a touch of regret. "At least we don't have to worry about Adele opening her mouth anymore."
"Don't you wanna wait till after Friday when we get the formulas to take care of those two? Just so we've still got some leverage over Maverick?" It was a point well-taken, and something that Sherman hadn't given much thought to.
"You're right. No use throwing away our insurance policy when we might need it later. Let's see if we can make it until Friday and get what we've been after all this time. Then you can get rid of all three of them. Or maybe you won't have to. Maybe our patsy will just slink off when he's off the hook, and take the wife with him."
"That still leaves the brother."
"Easier to kill one than three," Caulfield replied.
XXXXXXXX
"He was lying." There was no doubt or hesitation in the statement; Mavericks knew a liar when they encountered one.
"You're sure?" Ginny probably should have believed Bart without question, but she needed his assurance that Sherman Caulfield was involved in the whole scheme they'd begun to uncover.
"Sure as my name's Bart Maverick."
"Do we have any way to prove it without Bret turning over the fake formulas?"
Bart chuckled. "No, Beauty, we don't. I'm afraid he's gonna hafta play the part that's been written for him."
A loud sigh accompanied Ginny's response. "I was afraid of that." She paused for a moment, thinking out their next move. "Bart, go back to Adele Mueller's house. I have an idea."
At this point he was willing to try anything. "Alright." He turned the buggy back around and headed, for the second time that day, to the Mueller residence. When they arrived everything looked the same as it had earlier, but Bart was wary and on edge. "Somethin's not right, Beauty," he told Agent Malone as he helped her down. Ginny knocked on the door and got no answer. She waited a few minutes and then knocked again, but there was still no response. "You got your gun with you?" Malone nodded and pulled out the Peacemaker. "Good. I'm goin' to check the barn. Stay here and stay safe."
She watched him move towards the barn, then turned and tried the door. It opened, and Ginny walked into the house. "Adele!" she called out, but everything was silent. "Adele, it's Ginny Maverick. Are you here?" The agent found herself in the kitchen, where nothing seemed unusual or out of place. Then she noticed a small drop of something on the floor, and she bent to take a closer look. It was black and sticky, and Ginny came to the only possible conclusion. The drop was blood.
"Ginny!" Bart called from the front of the house. "Where are you?"
"Out here, Bart, in the kitchen." She stood up and waited for him to appear. "I found something."
Ginny pointed to the floor and Bart's eyes followed her hand. He stooped as she had, then carefully touched the spot. "Blood?"
"Yes. What did you find in the barn?"
"Nothin' outta place. The horses are there, the buggy's still there. It's like she just vanished."
"Or someone made her vanish," Malone clarified. "You think somebody was waitin' for us to leave earlier?"
The gambler nodded. "Think we mighta seen the last of Adele Mueller. Let's check upstairs, just to be certain she's not here." They searched the rest of the house but found no further trace of the missing woman. When the search was completed, they both returned to the kitchen.
"I guess we better go see Chief Mildour. Maybe he can turn up some answers."
"Or not," Bart added as he helped Ginny back into the buggy. Without further hesitation he headed the buggy for St. Louis.
XXXXXXXX
It was late that evening before everything was once again quiet. Chief of Police Mildour and his officers had returned to St. Louis after investigating the Mueller house and talking to Bart and Ginny. Burnell Mueller had fallen apart when he was called to the Busch estate and informed of his wife's disappearance. Adolph insisted that Burnell remain at the house and wouldn't let him return to the brewery; Doc Whatley finally came out and sedated the presumed widower. As he drifted off to sleep Burnell kept insisting that he was the cause of whatever had happened to his beloved Adele.
When the three 'detectives' were alone, Bret asked the question that was on everyone's mind – "Any idea what Burnell's talkin' about?"
"Something was goin' on between him and Adele that he blamed himself for," Ginny volunteered. "Lily Busch told me that much, but it's all she knows. We're gonna hafta get the rest from Burnell."
"We may not have answers, but I'd say the disappearance confirms suspicions," Bart stated.
"About Adele bein' mixed up in all this somehow?" Bret asked.
"I'd say so," the younger brother answered. "Somebody was watchin' the house, and when we left they saw their chance and took it."
"Mr. Jackson, possibly?"
Bart turned to his brother. "Was Dusty here anywhere?" After Bart and Ginny left for the Mueller house, Bret had taken a horse out on the pretense of riding.
Bret was quick to answer. "I never saw him. But remember, that doesn't prove anything. It is a big estate."
"We've got to find out who's behind this, Bret. Any ideas?" Ginny had a hopeful look on her face as she asked the question. Ever so slowly one of those 'deep-in-my-soul-I'm-a-con-man' Maverick grins spread across his face as he answered her.
"You won't like it. Neither one of you'll like it. But I'm pretty sure it'll work."