Chapter Fifty-Three
"And call upon me
in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you,
And you shall glorify me."
~Psalm 50:15
Jack exited the livery and headed across Main Street toward the jailhouse. He'd just finished his morning rounds and was anxious to check in with Bill. As he crossed the street, he glanced toward the mine company office and frowned. There was no sign of Wiley. In fact, there was no sign of any activity there. Gowen's car wasn't parked out front and there were no Pinkertons guarding the door. He turned back and quickened his pace. As he approached the jailhouse, he spotted Bill sitting on the porch.
"How are things going?" Jack asked as he climbed the steps.
"Let's talk inside," Bill said as he stood and headed for the door.
Jack followed him inside. "When?" Jack asked.
Bill shook his head as he turned around to face Jack. "I'm not sure. Richardson told me earlier that Wiley would likely be working at the mine for much of the day today. That was already planned and they couldn't change it without making him suspicious."
Jack exhaled with frustration. He was anxious to get Wiley into a jail cell. The plan he and Bill had made was the only one that they thought had a chance of catching him. It required considerable help from Gowen and Richardson. Jack was very uncomfortable with that not just because he despised and distrusted Henry Gowen. He, also, was very concerned that relying on the cooperation of Gowen and his Pinkertons could heighten the danger to the rest of the townspeople. He was worried that there were too many ways this could turn into a very bad situation.
"We'll need to watch the mine office for his return. Then, we'll have to move into position quickly," Bill explained.
Jack nodded, but was frowning.
"What's wrong?" Bill asked.
Jack shook his head. "I just have a bad feeling. My intuition is telling me that this could go very bad," Jack admitted.
Bill nodded. "I know. But it was the only plan we could come up with. Gowen believes he's hiding everything in his desk at work. He's the only one with the key so..."
"I know," Jack agreed, nodding. "There was no other wY we could come up with to catch him."
"We'll just do everything we can to make sure it doesn't go bad," Bill stated, trying to assure Jack and himself.
Jack exhaled, still very uneasy.
"I'm going to head over to Abigail's and watch the mine office from there," Bill announced. "I'll bring back some lunch in a little while. Anything in particular you want?"
Jack shook his head. "Whatever Abigail wants to send is fine with me," he answered.
Bill smiled. "I know. I haven't yet had a meal she cooked that was bad," he said with a laugh.
Jack smiled and nodded in agreement.
Bill grabbed his hat from the rack and left the jailhouse. After Bill shut the door behind him, Jack walked over to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. Rip was laying nearby, sound asleep. Jack shook his head and wished he were as relaxed as Rip. Rip let out a rather loud snore. causing Jack to chuckle as he headed for the door. When he opened the door to walk outside, he was surprised when Rip beat him through the doorway. "Well, I guess you weren't asleep, after all, were you, boy?" he laughed. "You want to join me on the porch, I see."
Before Jack was seated in the porch chair, Rip was already sprawled out about three feet away with his eyes closed. Jack studied the dog and laughed before he took a drink of his coffee. He glanced down to the mine office and noted that there was still no activity. He frowned. The delay was really unsettling him.
After lunch, Pinkerton Richardson had sent Pinkerton Kent over to the mine to check on Wiley. Kent returned with news that Wiley was almost finished with his job checking the weekly yield sheets at the mine and would be heading back to the office in town shortly. After Kent left, Richardson walked over to the window and looked outside. He studied the street for a moment before turning back to his boss. "So, we're going to do this just like Avery and Thornton planned, right?"
Gowen looked up from the ledger he'd been studying. He pursed his lips before answering, "No."
Richardson's eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly with surprise. "What?"
Gowen shook his head slightly. "No, we are not."
Richardson's expression revealed his shock and displeasure with Gowen's statement. However, Gowen was still his boss. "Okay," he replied. "What's your plan?"
"It's pretty similar to theirs, except that you and I are going to be the ones to catch Wiley red-handed," Gowen explained.
"You and me?" Richardson asked, clearly confused. "Why not let the Mounties arrest him?"
"Oh, they will, eventually," Gowen explained. "But I want to know what information he's stolen from me. I need to know that so I can control the damage he's caused."
Richardson was confused. "How are we going to catch him?"
"With just one minor change to Avery and Thornton's plan," Gowen explained.
Richardson frowned. "Boss, I'm not sure changing the plan is such a good idea."
Gowen returned to the ledger. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Mr. Richardson. You just need to follow the order."
Richardson turned back to the window and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, he spotted Wiley and realized that he was just moments away from the office. "Boss!" he called, glancing back at Gowen. "He's here!"
From their seats on the front porch of the jailhouse, Jack and Bill had been surreptitiously watching Wiley since he'd rounded the corner onto Main Street. They'd been eating their lunches outside, as they watched for Wiley's return. Now that he was heading back to the mine office, they knew it was only a matter of minutes before they'd apprehend him and get him in a jail cell.
Bill finished the last bite of his sandwich while Jack stuffed the last quarter of his sandwich back into the wrapping paper. He'd lost his appetite. He took a swig of his coffee and glanced down the street as Wiley began ascending the stairs to the mine office. Jack surveyed the rest of the street and told Bill in a low voice, "Won't be long now."
Bill watched Wiley open the mine office door, walk through, and close it behind him. "No it won't be. Things should move quickly now," he confirmed, his voice only audible to Jack. "We need to be ready to go."
Jack glanced back at Bill, his mouth a straight line and his expression gravely serious. He nodded before he took a last gulp of his coffee and set the cup down on the table between their chairs. He followed Bill's gaze toward the mine office as they waited.
"Afternoo...," Wiley started to great his boss as he opened the office door, but stopped abruptly when he saw that Gowen was counting money and hadn't noted his entrance. He pulled the door back so it partially hid him as he watched his boss count what seemed like a large amount of money. Wiley's eyes widened with surprise when he saw the wad of cash Gowen held in his right hand. He pulled back slightly, wanting to be sure he was hid from Gowen's view , and observed the mine boss return the money to the money box. Gowen looked up and Wiley quickly pushed the door open and continued his entrance, acting as though he'd just arrived. "Good afternoon," he called to Gowen as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
Gowen eyed him suspiciously before gruffly asking, "How are things at the mine?"
Wiley eyed at Gowen. He could swear he heard anger in Gowen's voice. He wondered who his boss was mad at now. "Things are well out there," he answered. "Herbert Ansvil is working on the inventory of the supplies. And everyone else appears to be doing their jobs."
Gowen nodded but the scowl remained in his face,
Suddenly, Pinkerton Richardson burst into the mine office from the back room. "Mr. Gowen! There's been an accident out at the mine! You need to get out there!"
Wiley's eyes narrowed. "What? I just came from there! Everything was perfectly fine," he replied, defensively.
"Just came from there? Now?" Gowen asked Wiley, pointedly.
"Well, I stopped for a bite of lunch at the saloon," Wiley admitted, somewhat reluctantly. Then, he looked at Richardson and asked, "What kind of an accident?"
Wiley hesitated for a moment, clearing his throat. "Uh... One of the retaining walls collapsed and several miners have been injured," he replied before turning to Gowen. "We need to go now!"
Gowen's jaw clenched with anger as he pounded his fists on his best once. Then, he stood, grabbed his hat and headed for the front door.
"No, sir!" Richardson called. "I parked out back. Didn't want to get everyone's suspicions up, yet."
Gowen turned and followed Richardson through the back room and out the back door.
Wiley stood watching where his boss and the Pinkerton had just made their exit. He was a bit flabbergasted by the turn of events. Then, he looked back at Gowen's desk. He walked over and his eyes widened when he realized that Gowen, in his haste to leave, had forgotten to close the money box, much less lock it. His eyes grew even wider when he saw how much money was inside. He quickly moved around the desk and began collecting money from the box. He counted the money and was astounded that there was five hundred dollars in the money box. Previously, there had never been more than one hundred or so. He counted the bills again and pocketed seventy-seven dollars. It was his practice to steal just a portion of the money in the cash box. He hoped that Gowen wouldn't be suspicious and might think that he'd just miscounted the money. He, also, believed that seven was his lucky number so perhaps seventy-seven would be a lucky amount to take.
As he placed the remaining money back in the box, his gaze was drawn down to the desk. He noted the ledger that Gowen had been working on before he'd rushed out to the mine. Then, he realized there was another book underneath the ledger. He pulled it out and was shocked to see that it, too, was a ledger. He opened the second ledger and flipped through some of the pages, checking out the entries. He glanced up quickly and looked to the door and the back room, his nervousness getting the better of him. Satisfied that he was still alone, he returned to studying the ledgers.
Meanwhile, Gowen and Richardson stood at the back door. Gowen looked down at his watch.
"How long...," Richardson began to ask but stopped when Gowen raised his hand and scowled at him.
Gowen looked back at his watch. Then, he motioned for Richardson to move to the window and peek inside. Richardson did as instructed. All he could see was the back room, which was empty. There was no sign of Wiley. Richardson looked back at Gowen and shook his head. Gowen's frown deepened as he checked his watch again.
At the jailhouse, the eyes of both Mounties were fixed on the mine office. For several minutes they'd been silent, waiting for Pinkerton Richardson to rush in through the front door, as planned. However, he'd yet to appear. As the minutes ticked by, Jack glanced between Bill and the mine office. Finally, he spoke, "Bill?"
Bill nodded but didn't take his eyes off the mine office. "I know. Let's give them a couple of minutes more," he offered.
Jack looked back at the mine office, his eyes revealing his concern that their plan had gone wrong, as he'd feared.
Wiley continued studying the ledgers and a wicked smile filled his face. "You devil!" he whispered in astonishment. He, again, looked around and listened to be sure no one was going to surprise him. By his calculations, he should have plenty of time. The accident at the mine meant that Gowen and Richardson should be gone for at least an hour. However, his discovery of Gowen's separate ledgers had made him nervous. He'd suspected Gowen had kept two ledgers, but he never in a million years thought he'd find them. He thought Gowen was too clever not to keep the second ledger under lock and key. However, the announcement of an accident at the mine must have discombobulated the mine boss so that he ran out without locking away the ledger that would prove his misuse of company money.
Wiley considered what to do with his newfound treasure. He quickly realized that Gowen's secret ledger was all he needed to get whatever money he needed to make a fresh start in America. He could either make his brother-in-law pay to get the evidence of Gowen's embezzlement or he could bribe Gowen to make him pay not to send the ledger to Pope. He quickly decided the former would net him more funds as his brother-in-law had far more money that Gowen.
His decision made of what to do with the ledger, he now had to figure out how to get it out of the mine office. This he could not hide from Gowen. He'd have to leave town immediately. He closed the ledger and headed to his desk across the room. He gathered a few things, including a file folder, and started toward the door. He stopped short and turned back to Gowen's desk. He reached into the money box and grabbed the remaining bills.
"In for a penny, in for a pound," he mumbled to himself, smiling. As he shoved the money in his pocket and turned back to the door, he heard a creaking sound from the back room. He swiveled around and was shocked to see Gowen and Richardson standing in the doorway between the back room and the front office.
"What have you got there, Mr. Wiley?" Gowen asked in a menacing voice.
Wiley shoved his left hand, which held the ledger and file folder, behind his back. "Mr. Gowen! Back so soon from the mine? Is everything okay out there?"
Gowen ignored the questions and slowly moved toward Wiley. "What do you have behind your back?" he demanded.
Wiley stared at Gowen and cooly replied, "Oh, well, I found the emergency procedures file and I was heading out to the mine to help you with the accident."
Gowen's eyes narrowed and he growled. "You are a liar!" He stopped walking and stood about four feet from Wiley, his eyes flashing with anger.
The fake smile on Wiley's face faded quickly. "Liar? What are talking about, Mr. Gowen? I was just heading out to help you. Was there not an accident at the mine?"
"Show me what you have behind you back!" Gowen ordered.
Wiley frowned and returned Gowen's cold stare.
"I know you've been stealing from me," Gowen spat at Wiley. "Constable Thornton and Inspector Avery know, as well. They'll be here momentarily."
Wiley's eyes widened slightly but he didn't break his gaze with Gowen.
"Now, you are going to tell me exactly what information you stole from me. I want every detail that you sent Pope!" Gowen commanded.
Wiley continued glaring at Gowen and did not respond.
"And hand over that ledger," Gowen barked. "And my money!"
Wiley didn't move.
"Mr. Richardson?" Gowen called without taking his eyes off of Wiley.
Wiley's eyes flew behind Gowen to Richardson. He quickly realized what Gowen was calling for Richardson to do. Wiley made a quick move downward, keeping his eyes on Richardson, and pulled a gun from his boot. Before Richardson could unholster his gun, Wiley was aiming his at both men.
Jack looked at his watch and then back at the mine office. He shook his head in frustration.
"Let's go, " Bill told him.
"What?" Jack asked, surprised.
"Something's not right," Bill replied. "Let's go see what's going on down there."
Jack followed him from the porch. They walked side by side down the street. Jack glanced around and was relieved that there was little activity on this side of town. He didn't want any Coal Valley citizens in harm's way. He looked back at the mine office. "You think Gowen double crossed us?"
Bill shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe," he mumbled angrily.
As they neared the mine office, Bill motioned for Jack to go left while he moved to the right. Bill tried to peer inside through the window on the right, but the curtains were pulled closed and he couldn't see anything. Jack peeked into the other window. The curtains were separated slightly, as it was the window through which Richardson had been watching for Wiley's return. Jack's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Gowen and Richardson facing Wiley. Wiley's back was to the window. Jack pulled back before he was seen by any of the men. He quickly rejoined Bill at the foot of the mine office stairs.
"Gowen and Richardson are in there with Wiley. It looks like they're confronting him themselves," Jack informed Bill in a low voice.
Bill frowned. "Gowen," he exhaled angrily.
"We need to get in there," Jack urged in a whisper, glancing up at the mine office door.
Bill nodded in agreement. "You go around back," he whispered. "I'll give you a few moments to get into position, then I'll go in through the front."
Jack nodded and headed around the building.
Inside the office, Gowen was livid. "I am really going to enjoy watching the constables arrest you, Wiley."
Wiley's eyes flashed with anger. "Shut up! Just shut up or I will shoot!"
"You're threatening me?!" Gowen countered. "I told you the Mounties will be here in a moment and you will be arrested. Now, if you tell me what I want to know, perhaps we can work a deal. I know you like deals."
"Shut up! You're not in control anymore. I have the gun, Gowen," Wiley reminded. "I'm in control now."
"Mr. Richardson!" Gowen ordered without moving his gaze from Wiley. "Get your gun out now!"
Richardson looked between Gowen and Wiley, clearly unsure what to do. After a few moments, his hand moved toward the gun.
"Don't do it!" Wiley yelled. "I will shoot him!"
Gowen's eyes widened as Wiley pointed the weapon squarely at his head.
"You wouldn't dare," Gowen chastised. "Richardson!"
Richardson unsnapped the holster and began to remove the gun from his holster.
Wiley pulled back the hammer of his gun. The clicking sound reverberated through the office. "Don't do it, Richardson! Not unless you want me to shoot your boss!"
At that moment, Bill swung open the front door. Wiley, startled, swiveled around and fired. Bill jerked backwards against the door frame as his left arm fell to his side. His face grimaced in pain. Wiley's eyes were wide with panic. It was clear he hadn't planned to fire the weapon. Movement behind him caught his attention and he quickly pivoted around. Gowen dove behind Wiley's desk as Richardson moved toward Wiley, his weapon drawn.
"Lower the gun!" Richardson ordered.
Wiley's eyes moved wildly, searching for a way to escape, but there was none as Bill was blocking the front door.
"Lower the gun!" Richardson called again. "Now!"
Instead of lowering the gun, Wiley fired it again. This time, it struck Richardson's right hand forcing him to drop his gun. He fell to his knees as he cupped his injured hand with his left hand.
"Put the gun down!" Bill yelled from his position in the doorway. After being shot, he'd pulled himself back, using the door to shield him from Wiley. Wiley turned and aimed at him but Bill fired first. Wiley dove to the side and the bullet just missed him. He was now wild-eyed, as he spun away from Bill, rushing past Richardson, toward the back room. However, as rounded the corner, he was stopped in his tracks by Jack, who had his his gun aimed at Wiley. Wiley quickly pointed his weapon at Jack.
"Put it down, Wiley!" Jack ordered.
Wiley shook his head and yells, "I already shot them! You want me to shoot you, too?"
Jack's eyes narrowed as he studied Wiley. He noted that Wiley's breathing was rapid and his gun shook slightly. He was clearly terrified. Jack knew that made his behavior unpredictable.
"Put the gun down, now!" Jack ordered, his voice calm and deliberate.
"Not a chance!" Wiley yelled back. "You wanna help your friends who are in there bleeding?" He motioned with his head to the mine office. "Then let me outta here!"
Jack inhaled with frustration and continued studying Wiley. After several tense moments, movement behind Wiley in the mine office drew the attention of both men. Gowen had left his hiding place behind Wiley's desk and was rushing for the door, hunched over. Wiley swiveled to take a shot at Gowen but Jack pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Wiley's right shoulder. Wiley yelled with shock and pain, but instead of dropping his gun, as Jack had hoped, he jerked around to face Jack again. Jack saw the panic in Wiley's eyes just before Wiley pulled the trigger, again.
Author's Notes: I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story! I know I left you hanging, but the next chapter is coming soon! I really appreciate the story follows, favorites, and reviews! It's very nice to know people are reading and even better that you are enjoying the story. Please write a review if you have a few moments. I noticed that some of you may not be Hearties, yet! If you like my story, I urge you to check out the series, When Calls the Heart, on which it is based. Season One is available for download on iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Or DVDs can be purchased from Walmart, Fishflix, Christianbook, and other retailers. Check it out! Season Two starts April 25th on Hallmark Channel! My goal is to wrap up this story before the premiere. Stay tuned!
