Nine ~ Tourniquet
The morning was glittering in its beauty. A few fluffy clouds skidded across the sky and the spring breeze gave a man a sense of renewal. Adam was on his way to the Running D, originally owned by Frank Dayton and then his widow, Laura. Although Laura and Adam had once been betrothed, he could only vaguely remember her face anymore and held no memory of her voice or even her touch. She had married Will Cartwright, his cousin, and they tried to make a go of the ranch but Will had no talent for ranching and the bank foreclosed on the second mortgage Will took on and was granted for no other reason but that he was a Cartwright. The money was intended to make repairs and to build up the stock but Will was less than successful and it seemed the Cartwrights, Will, Laura, her daughter Peggy and their young son Ambrose, would be left homeless. Ben offered to take them in for as long as needed and to stake his nephew on another project, but Will was demoralized and Laura's recriminations didn't make things any better. Eventually, they packed up what they could carry and left for San Francisco and the shelter of Laura's Aunt Lil. Now Colonel Mansfield had bought the place, slowly tightening the tourniquet around the Ponderosa. It appeared to Adam that if he could, Mansfield would surround the Ponderosa completely with his own properties.
Adam pulled up the long-legged dapple he was again riding, softly patting its neck. It was a good horse that he had found rider-less on the battlefield. It had a Union saddle and blanket and stood alone and lost among the fallen men. When Adam had approached it, he saw it was quivering, almost afraid to move lest it step on a corpse. Speaking softly to the animal, Adam led it away. His lieutenant-colonel allowed him to keep it after commending Adam on his bravery in battle. But now Beau, the name Adam gave the horse, was leery of loud noises and shied at sudden movements so Adam was always alert when riding it. But he had begun taking the horse out, sitting the saddle, and firing his gun, just to familiarize the animal to the sound, and then speaking in soothing tones until the animal settled down.
He came up the long road to the Running D, stopping just before the first fence separating it from the Ponderosa. The wooden fence had broken down and there was no indication of repair except where Joe had started to replace the poles. A hammer lay on the ground next to the stack of replacement poles.
The place was eerily familiar and silent; how much time he had spent there, pleasant afternoons planning on his taking over the Running D and making it a prosperous spur of the Ponderosa. He had worked about the place, bonding with young Peggy and romancing her mother Laura. But once Laura's affections turned to his cousin Will, Adam realized, surprisingly, that instead of feeling jealousy, he felt relieved.
A hawk glided above and Adam looked up, watching as it floated on the air. His mind wandered to the chickens scratching about the Ponderosa yard and if the hawk up above had been eyeing them. Many a hawk had swooped down and carried off a squawking prize and once when he was a boy, a piglet. Hoss used to tease Joe that if he didn't grow taller soon, a hawk might carry him off. Adam smiled at the memory and how their father would grab Hoss by the ear to get his attention while reprimanding him. Afterward, Hoss, rubbing his sore ear, once mumbled that he would have ears like a sugar bowl if Pa didn't stop soon.
Beau nickered, tossing his head, and Adam looked about. A horse and rider came around the corner of the dilapidated house and at first, Adam thought the blonde woman on the bay horse was Laura; she was as slender but once she rode closer, it was obvious to Adam she wasn't. Although the woman wore a fashionable riding habit—split skirt, vest and a form-fitting jacket with a top hat, Laura never rode a horse, never felt comfortable on one.
The two horses seemed more eager to meet than their riders but Adam sat and scrutinized the woman who slowly approached. He almost smiled as the thought came to him that her face was as long as her horse's and when she was close enough to tell him he was trespassing, her teeth seemed too big for her mouth; it seemed she couldn't close her lips over them for long.
"No, ma'am, I don't believe I am. I'm familiar with the parameters of the Ponderosa and the Running D and if you come any closer, you may be trespassing on my property." He noticed she held a crop in her right gloved hand and he wondered if she applied it and why she would need it. As far as he knew, crops were only required for a stubborn, recalcitrant horse and her horse seemed placid. Or perhaps, for her, it was a fashion accessory.
The woman stopped her horse. "You must be one of those troublesome Cartwrights, always looking to stir things up."
Adam grinned. "Yes, I suppose I am. And you must be one of those troublesome Mansfields who want to buy and sell all the land west of the Mississippi."
"I don't think we're troublesome. I'm Cammie Mansfield and my father is Colonel Jarvis Mansfield and you're the one who almost encroached." Twisting sideways in the saddle, she moved her left arm in a wide, embracing gesture. "He's bought this tract of land and is letting me decide what should be done. I'm thinking of knocking the barn and house down and having it rebuilt to my liking, making it the main house of the Mansfield Ranch, the M Bar. I can see an arch over the road with the name and the brand." She faced Adam again. "What is your opinion of that."
Adam sat comfortably back but still held the reins firmly; it wouldn't do for Beau to shy due to the wind tossing some leaves about and his falling off and looking like a goddamn fool. He looked at the house, paused as if weighing his response, and finally said, "If it is your family's, you can do as you like with it. And since it's sat untended for a few years, I'm guessing it has rats and perhaps raccoons nesting inside. Maybe even a bird's nest or two. The roof has holes so the rain and snows have fallen in, probably rotted the floor boards as well. I'm guessing the wallpaper's peeled off. Why don't you just sell the property to the railroad?"
Cammie examined the man seemingly at ease and in control of himself. "You seem familiar with the place. Just which Cartwright are you?" She smiled smugly. "You must be Adam Cartwright."
Suddenly Adam no longer felt he had the advantage and realized the folly of having burned the dossier on Mansfield. He would have to be more careful from now on, be on alert and was glad he hadn't drunk any that morning although he had wanted to-badly. "Yes, I'm Adam Cartwright."
"Well, no wonder you're so familiar with the Running D. You were going to marry the widow Dayton, weren't you? A few years ago, I believe, and she threw you aside for your cousin." She smiled victoriously. "I suppose she broke your heart. But when did you return to the Ponderosa? I thought you were missing after the war, presumed dead."
"I guess you don't know everything then. I'm still very much alive. But I am curious how you know what you do about me?"
"Then I'm right. Well, Mr. Cartwright, I learn things the way most women do; I listen at doors," she replied, smiling again, showing her large teeth.
Adam chuckled and then leisurely turned his horse to go, touching his hat brim.
"Wait," Cammie called. He stopped and she rode to him. "I know I'm trespassing now, Mr. Cartwright, as I'm on the Ponderosa, but my hopes are you won't shoot me. I heard your brother…Joseph, correct?" Adam nodded. "I heard he had been roughed-up. I hope he's all right. The men said they didn't really hurt him, just wanted to send a message not to trespass. I'm sure you can understand."
"Actually, Miss Mansfield, I can't. From what he said, he was repairing the fence – right there." He nodded and Cammie looked at the spot. "Repairing it would have benefitted both of us. Besides, a warning or an explanation would have served better than kicking in his ribs."
"I suppose so but no one consulted me, nor would they. Please, call me Cammie." She smiled again. He wondered if in her youth she had been teased about having "horse teeth".
"All right, Cammie. But I doubt we'll meet again."
"Well, allow me to make amends…may I call you Adam?" Her eyes were pretty but not pretty enough to overcome the rest of her face.
"Of course."
"Why don't you escort me back to the house—our house; it's not much right now but, well, as I said, I think this would be a nice site. If you come to the house, you can meet my father and perhaps we can be friends. There's no reason, really, for a feud. The Mansfields and the Cartwrights." She laughed. "It sounds like the Montagues and Capulets and that would make us Romeo and Juliet, wouldn't it?"
An idea dawned on Adam but he had mixed feelings; he hoped it didn't show in his face. "Can you promise I won't be shot out of my saddle?"
"I'll be your protector," she said, smiling. "I'll see you through hostile territory. And if you'll stay for lunch, I promise you won't be poisoned."
"All right then," he replied. "It would be a pleasure." Cammie smiled her toothy grin and Adam rode alongside her onto Mansfield property, wondering if it was a trap of some sort. It hadn't occurred to Adam that Cammie Mansfield may be trying to trap him for herself.
~ 0 ~
Lost in thought, Adam almost didn't see the horse and rider waiting in the trees by the road. When movement caught his eye, Adam pulled his gun.
"You can put it away, Captain. It's only me." Agent Kelley's horse stepped out of the shadows and into the sun. "So, you visited the Mansfield's. Rode in with his daughter."
"Didn't know I was being watched, leastways by anyone but Mansfield's men…" Adam smirked and shook his head. How could he have been so stupid, think so slowly. He would have to keep a clear mind if he wanted to stay ahead of things. "How many men do you have on the M Bar?"
Kelley chuckled and grinned. "Now I can't share that information with you, Captain. For all you know, his daughter's one of us."
Adam wanted to state once and for all that he was no longer a captain and to stop referring to him as such but he also knew he had never been discharged, honorably or not. "And on the Ponderosa, how many men?" Adam cocked his head, his hands resting on the saddle horn.
Kelley just shrugged his shoulders as answer, then sat forward in the saddle as if someone might be listening. "Good idea to play up to Mansfield's daughter. Did you get a good layout of the inside of the place?"
"No," Adam brusquely replied. "By the way, two of Mansfield's men—maybe even two of your men, now that I think about it-stopped us and Miss Mansfield dismissed them, but they only dropped back a few yards and followed us to the house. As far as the inside of it, I went no further than the dining room off the parlor. I had lunch with Miss Mansfield—her father never showed.
"Now, let me ask you this: If you have agents there, why can't you have one of them do your dirty work without using Miss Mansfield as a way in?"
"Well, we wanted someone inside, considered replacing the cook or maid with a female agent. And although I have no qualms about killing either woman to get them out of the way, there's always the possibility Mansfield wouldn't necessarily hire anyone we sent to apply. So, we sent one of our agents, a young, handsome man chosen just for the purpose of romancing Miss Mansfield. We were sure he'd finagle a way into Cammie's heart and he did—also made some progress under her petticoats as well; reported she was quite the passionate woman despite her looks. But his efforts at romance were quickly shut down by Mansfield and he was summarily fired—at rifle point. They reported Mansfield bellowed that his daughter wasn't going to have anything to do with a ranch hand who had horse shit on his boots and no money in his pockets. But you, Captain, you'd be quite the catch for Cammie Mansfield; I imagine she's tired of her spinsterhood by now. And you are one of the wealthy Cartwrights and keep your boots clean." Kelley glanced down at Adam's black boots; Adam had polished them just the night before. "And some women like your type. Cammie Mansfield might be one."
"Actually, the idea of courting Cammie occurred to me when I met her today. I figured eventually I'd be able to check out the house, look for places the gold might be hidden."
Kelley was now eager. "Yes, that's what we want, sketches of the interior, let us know what is where, you know, the bedrooms, Mansfield's office, anyplace a safe might be kept or hidden. You're a trained architect and can do the sketches better than anyone else could."
"Has it ever occurred to you the gold may be buried somewhere on the property?" Adam waited.
"We thought of that but no one has seen Mansfield dig up anything and our men have searched within a half mile of the property looking for any fresh dirt. He's had expenses, his daughter's piano teacher who comes twice a week from Carson City, horses he provided for his men, their salary, the lumber for his house and barn and basically no income, leastways not that we could find. And he's been buying a few expensive heads of cattle from Montana. We've been auditing his expenses to income and the numbers don't jibe. He has to have at least part of the gold where he can get it."
"I see," Adam said.
"I'm glad you're taking this assignment seriously."
"Don't be so sure. My meeting up with Cammie Mansfield today was an accident, nothing more. But I don't cotton much to the idea of misleading her."
"How you handle things is up to you. Just find out what we need to know. I'll find you again later sometime and we'll talk again. Have something for me." Kelley turned his horse and rode off into the trees.
Adam prodded his horse with his bootheels and slowly rode home; he had quite a bit to think about before he reached the ranch house. But before he turned up the way to the ranch house, he held his horse which danced about, knowing the barn was close by.
"Not going home yet, Beau," Adam said to his horse. "I need to have some answers first." And he rode to Virginia City. The streets were busy and no one noticed him. Two older men sat talking on the bench in front of the courthouse and they nodded to Adam as he walked up the step and into the building.
A heavy woman behind the counter smiled when she saw him. "Adam, I heard you were home! So good to see you. You look well. I was telling Beverly I heard you were back and now I can tell her I saw you and how good you look. Dropped a few pounds, though, didn't you? Well, most men get fat as they age—and women too!" She laughed. "But you look just as good as when you signed up. I imagine your father must be overjoyed to have you home. I always asked about you whenever I saw him. You know there's been all that business about land purchases; your father always came in to check the records of the sales—price and such. Wanted to see for himself that there was nothing spurious going on."
"Thank you, Mrs. Thomas, for asking. My father's very happy I'm home. Now, I was…"
"And how is everyone else at the Ponderosa?" She tapped a pencil on the counter, smiling.
Adam knew why she asked and he obliged in the reciprocal social niceties. "We're all fine, thank you. And how is Beverly doing?" He had squired Beverly Thomas for a short time and had the feeling her parents wanted him as a son-in-law almost more than Beverly wanted him as a husband—and Beverly did, trying all her wiles to win him over.
"Oh, haven't you heard? My Beverly's married. She and Creed Sanders married four years ago and have twin boys. Law! What little hellions they are! Peter and Paul are their names. I said, Beverly, couldn't you think of anything else to name them? Well, she said that they were named after apostles but I said, Beverly, you know the old saying, 'To rob Peter to pay Paul.' I was sure everyone would think of it or say it as a joke and you know, they do. But I suppose one can't go wrong with Bible names—why like yours. Can't get much more biblical that Adam."
Adam smiled indulgently. "No, I suppose not. Mrs. Thomas, I was wondering if anyone has been in here over the past year or so doing record searches on the Ponderosa or on any of us Cartwrights, particularly Joe."
"Oh, well. Let me get the log." Just by the look on her face, Adam knew someone had. She came back with a large, thick book and asked, "What particular date do you want?"
"May I look at it? It's not private is it?" Adam reached for the book.
"Well, I…" Mrs. Thomas was hesitant and she became uneasy; she knew she couldn't deceive Adam as he had a way of looking at a person that made their stomach knot.
"It's just signatures and what document they're viewing, correct?" he asked smiling disarmingly. "Nothing private."
"Well, if you don't take it from the counter, it's all right. I mean you'd have to open it to sign if you were looking at a record. You'll see your father's name in there quite a few times."
"Thank you." Adam smiled and turned the book to face him and flipped through until he reached the last page with signatures. He flipped backwards and he saw that Jarvis Mansfield had been there a month ago checking on the Running D. "This person, Jarvis Mansfield, did you talk to him?"
"Oh, well, yes, of course. I mean he asked a few questions about the property. Noticed it was owned by your cousin Will Cartwright before the bank foreclosed. He asked if Will was living on the Ponderosa and …he was very interested in the history of the Running D. So, I told him about Frank Dayton and his death and then his widow, Mrs. Dayton, owning it alone and how…"
"The Running D does have an interesting history, doesn't it? I suppose you told him that Mrs. Dayton and I were to be married?" Adam asked.
"I may have…I really don't remember as you can see by the date that it was almost two months ago."
"Yes, I see. Well, let me ask you this—at any time, did Mr. Mansfield or anyone else ask to see birth certificates or such on my family?"
Mrs. Thomas' heart was pounding. These were public records and anyone could access them, just sign the log and look at them here. But Adam knew she had talked far too much to the men who came in researching the Cartwrights, had enjoyed gossiping about them. She decided she had better answer him as truthfully as she dare. "Yes. A man came in, said he was an investigator and had a client who was interested in any birth certificates for the Cartwright family and any marriage certificates. There aren't any marriage certificates here and the only birth certificate is Joseph's. I told him that but he asked to see it so he signed and I found it in the files."
"Can you show me where he signed?"
"Yes." Mrs. Thomas couldn't look Adam in the eye as she remembered how she had regaled the man with stories of the beautiful and haughty Marie Cartwright who was reputed to have been a harlot in New Orleans. She herself hadn't been around then when Ben brought her home with him, but had arrived with her husband, Mr. Thomas, and their small daughter shortly after. "Oh," she had told the man who listened intently, "that Marie was supposed to be an orphan who married into a wealthy family and after her husband died, well, she clung to Ben Cartwright, I was told. It's said that she, well, she was free with her favors and even visited the bunkhouse nights Ben Cartwright was away. Why I heard she even seduced his eldest son, Adam. That boy was handsome, grew to a handsome man but I would imagine he laughed behind his hand at cuckolding his father. He and his step-mother must have shared a few laughs together. There were even rumors that as young as Adam was, he is the real father of young Joseph." Mrs. Thomas knew she was gossiping based on people's envious observations long ago and was certain none of it was true but the man was so interested, she kept talking. Her husband often warned her that gossip would do her in and the Clerk of Courts himself had once reprimanded her for speaking out of turn.
"Here," Mrs. Thomas said, turning the log so Adam could see. "His name is James Costello." She waited while Adam ran his finger across the page and saw the code for birth certificates.
"Thank you, Mrs. Thomas," Adam said. "Give Beverly and her little family my best."
As the door closed behind Adam, Mrs. Thomas had to sit down; she needed to recover her composure. She had told too many people, both that Mansfield who had filed all those property purchases and then that Costello who had charmed her. She hoped Adam never found out all she had said. But she felt he already knew.
