LOST AND FOUND - PART III
LOOSE ENDS
Chapter 24
Thea was in the kitchen at eight o'clock the next morning waiting for Adam to wake up. He was normally up at a very early hour, usually about five o'clock, but his injuries had kept him in bed much later. She would have preferred that he stay in bed all day, but the enforced inactivity he had suffered through during his recovery had left him with an aversion to bed rest of any kind. So she was waiting for him to make an appearance.
About fifteen minutes later she heard someone coming down the back stairs slowly and knew it was him. He walked carefully into the kitchen and took his usual seat at the table. Thea brought him a steaming cup of coffee and sat down to his right. He wrapped both hands around the cup and quietly said "Thank you."
She looked him over noting how pale he looked, even with his naturally dark complexion. But his hands were steady, and his eyes reasonably clear. The blow to the head and the loss of blood had him weak, but already recovering. She reached out and put her hand on his right forearm and he put his left hand on top of hers. "I'm fine," he said and squeezed her hand while giving her a half-smile.
"I suppose you are going to insist that I eat something now, even though I don't particularly want to," he continued.
"Feeling a little nausea?" she asked and he nodded.
She stood, "Blood loss can do that to you. Do you think you could manage some egg custard?"
His eyebrows rose as he watched her moving around the kitchen, taking a small baking dish from the oven and opening a drawer to take out a spoon. When she came back to the table and placed the still-warm custard in front of him he smiled.
"You got up early this morning just to make this for me, didn't you?"
She nodded and sat down again after giving him the spoon and a napkin. "I know it's one of your favorites, and I knew how awful you'd be feeling."
He looked at her in wonder, "Nothing ever really overwhelms you, does it? A full house constantly, me coming home in pieces, and in-laws that are always here."
She smiled and shook her head. "I love it, Adam. You don't know what it's like to grow up without family. Yes, Doc made sure I was taken care of, but he was a very cold, withdrawn man. But now I have a father, brothers, children, friends that are chosen family, and most of all, I have YOU." Thea looked him right in the eye so he would know she meant every word she was saying.
He reached out to take one of her hands in both of his. "You really do mean that, don't you?"
Thea nodded, "Of course."
Adam searched her eyes, and his heart filled with gratitude that this unusual woman had come into his life and actually decided to stay. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the palm, his eyes dark and intense as he looked at her.
She laughed, "Now there will be none of that, mister, until you recover your strength."
He grinned at her, picked up the spoon, and took a huge bite of the custard. When he could speak again he said, "You just wait lady, those words will come back to haunt you."
"Oh, I certainly hope so," she sighed and they laughed together for a moment.
Thea began to fill him in then on where everyone was and what they were doing while he dutifully ate. Then they started discussing the fire.
"Do you think Jackson was behind it?" she asked.
"No," Adam shook his head, "mainly because it just isn't his style, but also because he would have no reason to make it look like an accident. Whoever did this had that aim in mind. Jackson wouldn't have knocked me out and left me there to burn. Believe this, if he had me he would kill me with his own hands, not by fire."
Thea shuddered, wondering how he could speak about being murdered so dispassionately. He seemed to understand what she was feeling.
"You feel right now the same way I feel when you are discussing surgery with Matt. I don't understand how you can cut someone open and go inside the way you do."
She nodded, understanding his point quickly and changed the subject, "Speaking of Matt, have you noticed how he uses any excuse to come and see Cassie?"
Her husband grinned and nodded his head as they laughed together again.
"I just hope he gets off his duff soon and does something about it," Adam said. "Cassandra is about to become a nervous wreck."
"I know, and I wish there was something I could do about that, but you know how stubborn he can be. If I try to talk to him he'll just dig in his heels." Thea sighed.
"Maybe he just needs to be reminded that Cassie came here to help and won't be staying on here permanently."
Thea grinned, "Ooo, there you go being devious again. I love it when you do that."
Adam started laughing and had just taken her hands in his when they heard the front door open and the commotion of people coming through the door and the babble of both adult and children's voices.
They both sighed and looked at each other with regret. "Meet me back here in another month?" Adam said with a wry smile.
Thea nodded, "And I'll keep every spot on my dance card open just for you."
He reached out to cup her cheek in his palm and stroked her lips with his thumb. Their gazes locked and Thea was again surprised that he could make her weak in the knees with just one touch. Then footsteps came toward the kitchen and they both sat back in their chairs to wait for the thundering horde to reach them.
Nate was the first one through the door and he said, "You're up!" to Adam and threw himself into the chair to his bosses left. His expression became puzzled when Adam and Thea exchanged a grinning, knowing look. Then Thea distracted him by asking if he wanted some coffee.
"Yes ma'am, I do, but I can get it myself," he said and stood to do as he said he would.
The kitchen quickly filled with friends and family, but occasionally Adam and Thea would catch each other's eye and exchange that look again.
When the women had taken the children upstairs, Adam's deputies assembled around the table and looked to their boss for an explanation of what had happened the night before.
"I made a stupid mistake," Adam stated flatly and suddenly had their complete attention. "First, I should have come home to get back-up. Second, I made the mistake even worse by falling for an old trick." He continued to explain everything. "So," he finished, "if you won't learn from your own mistakes you can at least learn from mine."
His deputies exchanged a look, all of them thinking they hadn't even had a chance to harass him. As usual, he must have considered how to handle the situation and had correctly chosen the best way to head them off.
Adam had been rolling his head to try and relieve some of the stiffness in his neck, but he was perfectly aware of the look they had exchanged and held back a smile at their frustration. "So Jerry, what do you think happened?"
"Oh the fire was definitely set, there's no mistaking the added smell of kerosene to the burned wood. And it was a case of overkill, if you'll pardon the expression. Whoever did this has some knowledge, but went way overboard. The first floor was doused as were the building materials stacked around. Then to top it off they used incendiary devices on the bottom floor. I just can't understand that one. The kerosene should have been plenty."
"Well," Adam said with narrowed eyes, "I'm glad they did, because that's what woke me up. Otherwise you'd be burying a bucket full of ashes today." He continued to look down, but he smiled his dangerous smile and his eyes became even narrower.
Nate broke into his thoughts, "So what about Jackson? Do you think he did this?"
Adam shook his head.
"Why?"
Without looking up Adam said, "You tell me." Not just to Nate, but also to the rest of his deputies.
The four men fell silent to think this challenge over. Mike was the first to speak.
"It's not his style."
His boss nodded, "Very good. This is definitely not Jackson's style at all."
The other three deputies nodded. "So who was it?" John said and almost blushed at the approving look his boss gave him.
"Ah, the next logical question!" Adam said as he sat up. "But we have to consider 'why' as well as 'who'. Obviously the objective was to kill me, not to burn the office down, so we can rule out any arsonists." He paused to look around the table. "Now I know the list of people who would like to see me dead is pretty long, but just how many of those people are actually here?"
"Yeah, most of them live in San Francisco," Jerry said dryly. "And I hear they meet every Thursday night."
Adam grinned as he said, "Shut up, Jerry."
The other man just grinned back.
"I can't think of a single person other than Jackson," Nate said as he shook his head, but then his eyes opened wide as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, wait a minute. What about those two odd ducks that came from England to see you? You know, the redhead and the blonde."
Adam's sharp eyes zeroed in on Nate, "So you came to the same conclusion I did."
The other three deputies looked at each other blankly. "Who?" Jerry said.
Nate quickly described the showdown between Adam and the lawyer.
"But what could his motive be?" John offered.
"Think about it some more, why would he want me out of the way?"
John's brow furrowed, but then cleared quickly, "So he could get at Alexander?"
"Very good!" Adam laughed and the other deputies showed that they were also impressed.
"I've been suspicious of that man even before I actually met him. Consider all of these points: That it took seven years to find Thea after the documents confirmed she is Sir Richard's legitimate daughter; that the agent my solicitor's sent to take a look at the estate disappeared; and that the previous Lord died in mysterious circumstances. Something is just not right about this and we need to find out where they've been holing up."
"Obviously they aren't in town anywhere," Nate mused. "But I can't see them roughing it out in the wild, either."
"So what choice does that leave?" Adam prompted him.
"Carson City," Nate smiled.
"And that is where I want the four of you to go today. Talk to as many people as you can. Someone must have seen them, they stand out like a sore thumb," Adam finished.
The four men looked at each other and pushed back their chairs as they stood.
"Report in here when you get back, and for God's sake, be careful. These men are desperate and don't want to return to England and face the music there without having control of Alexander."
"What I don't understand is how he thinks he'll be able to do that, not with Thea still being alive."
Adam leaned back in his chair again, highly amused. "I have an idea about that. He struck me as a man who probably considers himself irresistible to women."
Nate started laughing, "You mean he thinks he'll be able to sweep Thea off her feet and marry the poor, grieving widow?"
His boss nodded, still highly amused. "That's what I'm assuming."
"God," Nate gasped, "she'd stick one of her knives in his black heart before she'd even let him within a mile of her!" He turned to the other deputies. "You'll understand once you get to see him."
"You could almost feel sorry for the poor bastard," Adam chuckled.
The deputies began to file out of the kitchen then, but Nate hung back for a moment and looked down at his best friend. "And what if they aren't there? They might actually be smart enough to realize you would figure it out."
Adam's face hardened and his eyes flared briefly with anger, "Then tomorrow, we all go hunting."
Nate nodded, his own expression angry as he squeezed his boss's good shoulder briefly then left to take charge of the other deputies.
Still sitting at the table, Adam took advantage of this rare moment alone and looked inward to let his agile mind work through and around this problem.
When he came back to himself, he went to stand, but groaned at the painful stiffness of his whole body, and the many stitches pulling at his skin. He paused for a moment then stretched as best he could before going upstairs to do something he seldom got the opportunity to do - spend the day with his wife and children.
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When the deputies returned Adam and Thea were waiting for them in the kitchen. The children were exhausted from playing with their father all day, so they had been put to bed early. Thea had naturally assumed the four men would be staying for dinner.
That night, it would be just the six of them. Marie was away visiting a friend, Cassie was having dinner with Matt, no one knew where Charlie was, and Wes and Dulcy were out for the evening.
The tired men had automatically stopped in the downstairs water closet to wash up, and when they assembled around the table they smiled at Thea gratefully. The food they normally ate left something to be desired and living above the Sage Brush was not the homiest of places to be.
Adam let them enjoy the food and relax, but when dinner was over he started to stand to help Thea, but she motioned for him to sit back down saying, "You need to rest and get your strength back." He was surprised that he almost turned red when she gave him a cheeky grin. But he regained control of himself and looked at his deputies expectantly.
"Well," Nate said picking up his coffee cup, "you were right, of course. They were there, but not anymore." He shook his head. "And no one has any idea where they went, but they did buy supplies for camping out, so they must still be around somewhere."
His boss nodded. "Just what I figured they would do," he paused for a moment. "Well, we know a few things about them. They are desperate, not completely stupid, and have committed themselves to this. Which also means it is doubtful they will cut and run; they intend to continue until they either succeed in killing me or are caught." He smiled, "And I'm sure you can understand that I would definitely prefer the latter option."
The four deputies laughed, but quickly sobered at the thought of someone actually succeeding in killing Adam. They turned their gazes back to their boss when he cleared his throat.
"Looks like we will all be going hunting in the morning, so I think it's best if we all turn in early." They rose and Adam walked them to front door.
"Daybreak, boys. We need to get an early start to catch up with them and I have no doubt that we can. They have lived in London most of their lives and I'm sure they won't be traveling too far from here. So give some thought about where you think they might go to wait until they have another opportunity to try again."
The deputies nodded and said "Good night" as they filed out the front door. Adam stayed in the doorway watching as they crossed the street and went up the outside stairs to the rooms over the Sage Brush. When the last man had gone in, Adam shut the door and returned to the kitchen.
"You're going to wait up for Wes aren't you?" Thea asked her husband and he nodded as he sat down at the head of the table again. She finished putting the last of the dishes away and came over to sit in the chair to his right. He took both her hands in his and stroked her palms with his thumbs while giving her that special smile he reserved for her alone.
"Now," he said with a wicked gleam in his eye, "where were we this morning before we were so rudely interrupted?"
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Adam was awake at his usual early hour the next morning and was standing on the front porch with Balor beside him, waiting for his deputies to show up. Just as the first rays of the sun threw shadows down the street, the door at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor of the Sage Brush opened and all four men came trotting down the steps, saddlebags and weapons ready.
He smiled as he watched them cross the street. Nate, as usual, was leading the way with Mike and John walking side-by-side right behind him. Jerry brought up the rear and was yawning hugely. Adam briefly wondered if the older man had been up late reading again and smiled at that thought as he went down the steps with Balor close by his side and started around the house to the huge barn in back.
Adam had insisted that the deputies keep their horses there so they wouldn't have to pay livery fees. So the four men returned the favor by doing their share of taking care of the rest of the stock. All four also vied to get the chance to groom Adam and Thea's horses. Both were Morabs, half Arabian, half Morgan and Adam's was jet black so he had been appropriately named Onyx. And Onyx had one other unique feature they had never seen before - one eye so dark a brown it looked almost black, and the other one blue.
The men filed into the barn and no one spoke until they had led the horses out and Adam went to slide the door shut. When he turned around all four deputies and the dog were looking at him expectantly, waiting for their orders.
"We'll be heading south and when we get halfway to Carson City we'll be splitting up and sweeping as much of the flatlands to the east as we can. We'll divide that area up in three. John, Dylan, you take the third to the east. Mike, Jerry, you take the middle third and Balor and I will cover the rest. Stop at every farm or ranch you come across," he paused for a moment to let what he had said sink in. "Any questions?"
His deputies shook their heads and the dog continued to stare at him intently, so he said, "Let's go." The five men swung up into the saddle and Adam looked down at Balor. "Heel," he ordered and spurred his horse forward.
Thea was watching them from a second floor window as they took off across open country instead of taking the road. She didn't move away until they passed over the horizon and were beyond her sight.
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Around three o'clock that afternoon Adam paused at a small stream to water his horse and give both animals a rest. Balor lay down after drinking deeply and Adam tossed him a large piece of jerky. The dog caught it in mid-air then lay down to tear it apart before eating it. His master laughed then turned his thoughts to finding the two men.
All day the three of them had ridden back and forth across the open country without finding a single sign of them. He let his mind wander over the land that he knew so well, while trying to think like the two men they were pursuing. Where would he go if he were in their position?
He wasn't having much success in trying to think like them when the wind shifted and Balor sat up with a growl. Adam instantly came back to himself. "What is it, boy?" he asked and the dog stood, his tail up and his nose sniffing the breeze. Standing, Adam swung up into the saddle. "Balor, lead," he said and the dog started moving in a stiff-legged trot into the wind.
They kept going for a while and soon came to an old shack surrounded by brush. The dog stopped and whined, then shook himself before sitting and looking up at his master with a canine frown.
"Whatever is in there must be pretty nasty if just the smell has you this upset," Adam said as he dismounted and stood there listening for sounds of any activity. But the only thing he heard was the rustling of the brush and the creek of the open front door as it swung slightly in the wind.
Adam drew his weapon, told Balor to stay, and cautiously moved toward the shack. When he stepped up on the small front porch he tested each board before putting his weight on it and slowly moved toward the doorway. He peered inside and stayed in that spot to let his eyes adjust to the shadow.
He couldn't see anything in the small room except some old broken furniture. He stepped into the room, but was startled by movement overhead so he flattened himself against the wall next to the door as he raised his gun and looked up. When he realized what he had seen he sighed with relief then frowned as he stepped closer to the body hanging from a rope tied to the sturdy center beam.
There wasn't enough light to see the corpse's face so he decided to cut it down. He pushed the chair that was tipped over beneath the body away and took a folding knife out of his pocket. Holding the knife in between his teeth, he jumped up and grabbed the beam overhead. He moved a little closer then hung from one hand while he quickly cut through the rope. The body dropped to the floor with a thud and he let go to land next to it.
The corpse was lying face down so he nudged it over with his foot then crouched down to get a good look. There was enough of the man's face left for Adam to recognize him.
"So we meet again Mr. Jackson," he said softly and stood to go out and retrieve his rifle. Checking his pocket watch he saw that it was four o'clock and his deputies would have no doubt already met at the previously agreed on spot. That spot wasn't far from the shack so he timed three rifle shots two beats apart and sat down on the edge of the porch to wait.
Balor came up to him with his tail down, not liking the smell of human death. Adam took the animal's huge head in his hands to scratch him behind the ears and smooth his shaggy fur back from his eyes. "How do you ever see anything?" he said softly to the dog, who just whined and moved closer until he was almost in his master's lap.
"If people only knew what a big baby you can be," Adam laughed. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he said as he continued to pet the dog.
Soon, his deputies came racing toward them but then slowed down when they saw Adam apparently unharmed. Nate was the first to reach the shack and he dismounted as the horse was still moving. He started toward his boss, but stopped when he saw the body lying in the doorway. Adam stood and the two men went to stand on either side of the corpse.
'Well, at least we know Jackson won't be causing you any more trouble," Nate said with a grimace of distaste.
"No, he won't, and apparently did another cowardly thing and took his own life," Adam answered. "He must have realized that without his money he was nothing. I'm sure his men must have abandoned him."
The other three deputies pulled up and came to take a look, too.
"Suicide?" John asked.
"I'm assuming so," Adam said. "He was hanging from the center beam with a chair tipped over beneath him."
The five men just stared down at the corpse for a bit until Adam took a deep breath and sighed. "Looks like we'll have to take a detour and drop it off in Carson City before heading home. I don't want to be traveling with a dead body through the night, you never know what kind of animal will be attracted by the scent." He went to his horse and untied a tarp that was rolled up behind his saddle.
"John, you and Mike can double up," Adam said and they rolled the body up and securely tied it to the saddle on John's horse.
The four deputies mounted up as Adam looked down at Balor. The dog's tongue was lolling and he looked completely exhausted so he bent over next to his horse and braced his hands on his knees as he whistled three notes. The dog came running, jumped up onto his master's back and then from there, into the saddle.
Balor sat up straight and Adam swung up behind him. The deputies grinned at each other, never having seen this before. John laughed. "Doesn't he ever fall off?"
Adam shook his head, "No," he answered and turned his horse toward Carson City, leading the way at a gallop as his four friends and one dead enemy fell in behind.
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The five men didn't reach home until close to eight o'clock that night and they were all thankful to see the kitchen was still brightly lit. Adam smiled; no doubt Thea was waiting for them.
They quickly took care of their horses and tiredly went up the path and through the back door. Thea turned to them with a smile and came up to Adam to put her arms around him as the deputies headed for the downstairs water closet as usual. Balor made a beeline to his dish and wolfed down the food she had set out for him then came over to nudge her leg with his nose. She let go of her husband and crouched down to put her arms around the huge dog's neck to give him a hard hug. The dog huffed in her face, gave her cheek a quick lick and turned to go up the stairs to take up his post again.
Adam laughed as she stood and used her apron to wipe dog spit off her cheek. Thea laughed too and said, "Go get washed up then you can tell me all about it after you've eaten."
He grinned, "Yes ma'am," he said, kissed her other cheek and followed Balor up the back stairs. He wanted to at least see his children for a moment after having been gone all day.
After stopping in the room he shared with Thea to take of his coat he stepped into the water closet attached to their bedroom to wash the dust off. He left the bedroom and stopped in Alexander's room first. As usual, the boy lay there sound asleep with his arms and legs spread out and the covers kicked back.
Adam laughed softly and came in to pull the covers over him and tucked them in. He smoothed his son's unruly dark hair back from his forehead then left the room silently to go to Annalise next.
The little girl lay curled up in a ball with the covers over her head. Adam gently pulled them back, wondering how she managed to breath that way. But his daughter had slept that way for as long as he could remember and it didn't seem to harm her. She stirred and opened her eyes slightly and smiled. "Pa," she said in a sleepy, small voice and stretched her arms out to him. He gathered her up and gave her a quick hug before kissing her on the top of her head and laying her back down.
"Go back to sleep, honey," he said and she giggled as he pulled the covers back over her head. "Night Pa," he heard her muffled voice say and he shook his head as he left the room and quietly shut the door behind him.
When he entered the nursery he took a quick look at Matthew and Thomas. As he expected, both babies were sound asleep. Benjamin, however, was wide- awake lying on his back and staring up at the shadows cast by the moonlight on the ceiling.
"Waiting up for me again are you?" Adam said softly and picked him up with his blanket. He sat down in one of the rocking chairs and looked down into his son's bright black eyes. The baby looked back making that cawing sound that was uniquely his own. He smiled and wrapped the child in his blanket then settled him on his shoulder as he began to rock.
Benjamin gurgled a little, popped his thumb in his mouth, and snuggled his head into his father's neck. Adam knew when the baby was asleep, but continued to rock, reluctant to leave and end this rare moment of quiet. As he rocked, his thoughts naturally turned to his own childhood, what there had been of it. Their circumstances had caused him to grow up quickly and early so he could be of a real help to his father by taking care of Hoss. He had seen very little of Ben during that time and he had vowed when the twins were born that he would be a constant presence in their lives. But business concerns had slowly taken over his life and when he realized this he had made the decision to concentrate on only one job. And he still felt he had made the right decision. There would be no getting bored with what he had chosen to do with his life and he would never become restless. He felt he was doing something very important that would make a difference in his part of the world.
Adam sighed and reluctantly stood to lay Benjamin back in his crib and spread the blanket out over him. The baby immediately turned over and pulled his folded legs up underneath him. His father smiled and patted the small bottom that now stuck up in the air before quietly leaving the room.
He quickly went down the back stairs and when he came through the doorway to the kitchen he saw his deputies were finished eating. Thea turned to him, "Benjamin still awake?" she asked with a grin.
"Of course," her husband answered her as he sat down at the head of the table and she brought a filled plate for him. Nate was giving him a puzzled look so he explained.
"Benjamin will not go to sleep unless he sees me first. He's been doing that recently and we don't know why he started." Thea came to fill his coffee cup and he smiled at his wife and said, "Thank you." She ran her hand across the back of his neck then went around the table re-filling cups. Then after filling one for herself she sat down at the foot of the table and looked at her husband.
"The boys told me what happened today. So you're sure Jackson hanged himself?" Adam merely nodded as he ate.
"Doesn't really surprise me any," she said with true venom in her voice. "That man has been a coward and a bully all his life and after what he did to Livvy he got what he deserved. I hope he's burning in hell right now."
The deputies looked at each other, a little startled by the hatred they not only heard, but could also see on her face. Adam glanced around at them and smiled to himself. So they were finally starting to understand just how hard and unbending Thea could be.
"Well," Adam finally spoke as he pushed his empty plate away, "today wasn't a total waste, at least we found Jackson. But we all need to do some more thinking about where that lawyer and his cohort are hiding. My problem is that I can't seem to get a handle on the way they think; it's completely foreign to me."
"Thank God for that!" Thea said, "You need someone who's a little odd, just like they are to do the thinking."
Immediately everyone turned to look at Jerry and the older man said, "Hey!" in protest as the rest of them laughed at his dismay.
Adam leaned back in his chair, grinning. "There's your assignment Jerry, we need you to think as oddly as you can. And I'm sure that can be pretty damn odd."
"Oh sure, now you WANT me to think that way after how many years of telling me to shut up?" the older man laughed, then laughed even harder when everyone gathered around the table said, "Shut up, Jerry."
Nate stood, a signal to the other deputies that they should be taking their leave. The other three stood and each one said good night to Adam and thank you to Thea.
Adam walked them to the front door and said, "Be at the office at the usual time tomorrow morning, we still have a lot to go over and other wanted people out there."
His men nodded as they filed out the door and he stayed, as was his habit to watch them cross the street and go up the outside stairs to their rooms. He smiled when he saw Mike and John with their heads together as usual then laughed when Mike smacked the smaller man in the back of the head. No doubt John had said something he considered to be stupid again.
Shaking his head, he watched as the last man - Jerry - reached the door at the head of the stairs. The older man paused with the door open and looked back at his boss, threw him a snappy salute and disappeared. Adam was still shaking his head as he stepped back and closed the front door.
LOOSE ENDS
Chapter 24
Thea was in the kitchen at eight o'clock the next morning waiting for Adam to wake up. He was normally up at a very early hour, usually about five o'clock, but his injuries had kept him in bed much later. She would have preferred that he stay in bed all day, but the enforced inactivity he had suffered through during his recovery had left him with an aversion to bed rest of any kind. So she was waiting for him to make an appearance.
About fifteen minutes later she heard someone coming down the back stairs slowly and knew it was him. He walked carefully into the kitchen and took his usual seat at the table. Thea brought him a steaming cup of coffee and sat down to his right. He wrapped both hands around the cup and quietly said "Thank you."
She looked him over noting how pale he looked, even with his naturally dark complexion. But his hands were steady, and his eyes reasonably clear. The blow to the head and the loss of blood had him weak, but already recovering. She reached out and put her hand on his right forearm and he put his left hand on top of hers. "I'm fine," he said and squeezed her hand while giving her a half-smile.
"I suppose you are going to insist that I eat something now, even though I don't particularly want to," he continued.
"Feeling a little nausea?" she asked and he nodded.
She stood, "Blood loss can do that to you. Do you think you could manage some egg custard?"
His eyebrows rose as he watched her moving around the kitchen, taking a small baking dish from the oven and opening a drawer to take out a spoon. When she came back to the table and placed the still-warm custard in front of him he smiled.
"You got up early this morning just to make this for me, didn't you?"
She nodded and sat down again after giving him the spoon and a napkin. "I know it's one of your favorites, and I knew how awful you'd be feeling."
He looked at her in wonder, "Nothing ever really overwhelms you, does it? A full house constantly, me coming home in pieces, and in-laws that are always here."
She smiled and shook her head. "I love it, Adam. You don't know what it's like to grow up without family. Yes, Doc made sure I was taken care of, but he was a very cold, withdrawn man. But now I have a father, brothers, children, friends that are chosen family, and most of all, I have YOU." Thea looked him right in the eye so he would know she meant every word she was saying.
He reached out to take one of her hands in both of his. "You really do mean that, don't you?"
Thea nodded, "Of course."
Adam searched her eyes, and his heart filled with gratitude that this unusual woman had come into his life and actually decided to stay. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the palm, his eyes dark and intense as he looked at her.
She laughed, "Now there will be none of that, mister, until you recover your strength."
He grinned at her, picked up the spoon, and took a huge bite of the custard. When he could speak again he said, "You just wait lady, those words will come back to haunt you."
"Oh, I certainly hope so," she sighed and they laughed together for a moment.
Thea began to fill him in then on where everyone was and what they were doing while he dutifully ate. Then they started discussing the fire.
"Do you think Jackson was behind it?" she asked.
"No," Adam shook his head, "mainly because it just isn't his style, but also because he would have no reason to make it look like an accident. Whoever did this had that aim in mind. Jackson wouldn't have knocked me out and left me there to burn. Believe this, if he had me he would kill me with his own hands, not by fire."
Thea shuddered, wondering how he could speak about being murdered so dispassionately. He seemed to understand what she was feeling.
"You feel right now the same way I feel when you are discussing surgery with Matt. I don't understand how you can cut someone open and go inside the way you do."
She nodded, understanding his point quickly and changed the subject, "Speaking of Matt, have you noticed how he uses any excuse to come and see Cassie?"
Her husband grinned and nodded his head as they laughed together again.
"I just hope he gets off his duff soon and does something about it," Adam said. "Cassandra is about to become a nervous wreck."
"I know, and I wish there was something I could do about that, but you know how stubborn he can be. If I try to talk to him he'll just dig in his heels." Thea sighed.
"Maybe he just needs to be reminded that Cassie came here to help and won't be staying on here permanently."
Thea grinned, "Ooo, there you go being devious again. I love it when you do that."
Adam started laughing and had just taken her hands in his when they heard the front door open and the commotion of people coming through the door and the babble of both adult and children's voices.
They both sighed and looked at each other with regret. "Meet me back here in another month?" Adam said with a wry smile.
Thea nodded, "And I'll keep every spot on my dance card open just for you."
He reached out to cup her cheek in his palm and stroked her lips with his thumb. Their gazes locked and Thea was again surprised that he could make her weak in the knees with just one touch. Then footsteps came toward the kitchen and they both sat back in their chairs to wait for the thundering horde to reach them.
Nate was the first one through the door and he said, "You're up!" to Adam and threw himself into the chair to his bosses left. His expression became puzzled when Adam and Thea exchanged a grinning, knowing look. Then Thea distracted him by asking if he wanted some coffee.
"Yes ma'am, I do, but I can get it myself," he said and stood to do as he said he would.
The kitchen quickly filled with friends and family, but occasionally Adam and Thea would catch each other's eye and exchange that look again.
When the women had taken the children upstairs, Adam's deputies assembled around the table and looked to their boss for an explanation of what had happened the night before.
"I made a stupid mistake," Adam stated flatly and suddenly had their complete attention. "First, I should have come home to get back-up. Second, I made the mistake even worse by falling for an old trick." He continued to explain everything. "So," he finished, "if you won't learn from your own mistakes you can at least learn from mine."
His deputies exchanged a look, all of them thinking they hadn't even had a chance to harass him. As usual, he must have considered how to handle the situation and had correctly chosen the best way to head them off.
Adam had been rolling his head to try and relieve some of the stiffness in his neck, but he was perfectly aware of the look they had exchanged and held back a smile at their frustration. "So Jerry, what do you think happened?"
"Oh the fire was definitely set, there's no mistaking the added smell of kerosene to the burned wood. And it was a case of overkill, if you'll pardon the expression. Whoever did this has some knowledge, but went way overboard. The first floor was doused as were the building materials stacked around. Then to top it off they used incendiary devices on the bottom floor. I just can't understand that one. The kerosene should have been plenty."
"Well," Adam said with narrowed eyes, "I'm glad they did, because that's what woke me up. Otherwise you'd be burying a bucket full of ashes today." He continued to look down, but he smiled his dangerous smile and his eyes became even narrower.
Nate broke into his thoughts, "So what about Jackson? Do you think he did this?"
Adam shook his head.
"Why?"
Without looking up Adam said, "You tell me." Not just to Nate, but also to the rest of his deputies.
The four men fell silent to think this challenge over. Mike was the first to speak.
"It's not his style."
His boss nodded, "Very good. This is definitely not Jackson's style at all."
The other three deputies nodded. "So who was it?" John said and almost blushed at the approving look his boss gave him.
"Ah, the next logical question!" Adam said as he sat up. "But we have to consider 'why' as well as 'who'. Obviously the objective was to kill me, not to burn the office down, so we can rule out any arsonists." He paused to look around the table. "Now I know the list of people who would like to see me dead is pretty long, but just how many of those people are actually here?"
"Yeah, most of them live in San Francisco," Jerry said dryly. "And I hear they meet every Thursday night."
Adam grinned as he said, "Shut up, Jerry."
The other man just grinned back.
"I can't think of a single person other than Jackson," Nate said as he shook his head, but then his eyes opened wide as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, wait a minute. What about those two odd ducks that came from England to see you? You know, the redhead and the blonde."
Adam's sharp eyes zeroed in on Nate, "So you came to the same conclusion I did."
The other three deputies looked at each other blankly. "Who?" Jerry said.
Nate quickly described the showdown between Adam and the lawyer.
"But what could his motive be?" John offered.
"Think about it some more, why would he want me out of the way?"
John's brow furrowed, but then cleared quickly, "So he could get at Alexander?"
"Very good!" Adam laughed and the other deputies showed that they were also impressed.
"I've been suspicious of that man even before I actually met him. Consider all of these points: That it took seven years to find Thea after the documents confirmed she is Sir Richard's legitimate daughter; that the agent my solicitor's sent to take a look at the estate disappeared; and that the previous Lord died in mysterious circumstances. Something is just not right about this and we need to find out where they've been holing up."
"Obviously they aren't in town anywhere," Nate mused. "But I can't see them roughing it out in the wild, either."
"So what choice does that leave?" Adam prompted him.
"Carson City," Nate smiled.
"And that is where I want the four of you to go today. Talk to as many people as you can. Someone must have seen them, they stand out like a sore thumb," Adam finished.
The four men looked at each other and pushed back their chairs as they stood.
"Report in here when you get back, and for God's sake, be careful. These men are desperate and don't want to return to England and face the music there without having control of Alexander."
"What I don't understand is how he thinks he'll be able to do that, not with Thea still being alive."
Adam leaned back in his chair again, highly amused. "I have an idea about that. He struck me as a man who probably considers himself irresistible to women."
Nate started laughing, "You mean he thinks he'll be able to sweep Thea off her feet and marry the poor, grieving widow?"
His boss nodded, still highly amused. "That's what I'm assuming."
"God," Nate gasped, "she'd stick one of her knives in his black heart before she'd even let him within a mile of her!" He turned to the other deputies. "You'll understand once you get to see him."
"You could almost feel sorry for the poor bastard," Adam chuckled.
The deputies began to file out of the kitchen then, but Nate hung back for a moment and looked down at his best friend. "And what if they aren't there? They might actually be smart enough to realize you would figure it out."
Adam's face hardened and his eyes flared briefly with anger, "Then tomorrow, we all go hunting."
Nate nodded, his own expression angry as he squeezed his boss's good shoulder briefly then left to take charge of the other deputies.
Still sitting at the table, Adam took advantage of this rare moment alone and looked inward to let his agile mind work through and around this problem.
When he came back to himself, he went to stand, but groaned at the painful stiffness of his whole body, and the many stitches pulling at his skin. He paused for a moment then stretched as best he could before going upstairs to do something he seldom got the opportunity to do - spend the day with his wife and children.
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When the deputies returned Adam and Thea were waiting for them in the kitchen. The children were exhausted from playing with their father all day, so they had been put to bed early. Thea had naturally assumed the four men would be staying for dinner.
That night, it would be just the six of them. Marie was away visiting a friend, Cassie was having dinner with Matt, no one knew where Charlie was, and Wes and Dulcy were out for the evening.
The tired men had automatically stopped in the downstairs water closet to wash up, and when they assembled around the table they smiled at Thea gratefully. The food they normally ate left something to be desired and living above the Sage Brush was not the homiest of places to be.
Adam let them enjoy the food and relax, but when dinner was over he started to stand to help Thea, but she motioned for him to sit back down saying, "You need to rest and get your strength back." He was surprised that he almost turned red when she gave him a cheeky grin. But he regained control of himself and looked at his deputies expectantly.
"Well," Nate said picking up his coffee cup, "you were right, of course. They were there, but not anymore." He shook his head. "And no one has any idea where they went, but they did buy supplies for camping out, so they must still be around somewhere."
His boss nodded. "Just what I figured they would do," he paused for a moment. "Well, we know a few things about them. They are desperate, not completely stupid, and have committed themselves to this. Which also means it is doubtful they will cut and run; they intend to continue until they either succeed in killing me or are caught." He smiled, "And I'm sure you can understand that I would definitely prefer the latter option."
The four deputies laughed, but quickly sobered at the thought of someone actually succeeding in killing Adam. They turned their gazes back to their boss when he cleared his throat.
"Looks like we will all be going hunting in the morning, so I think it's best if we all turn in early." They rose and Adam walked them to front door.
"Daybreak, boys. We need to get an early start to catch up with them and I have no doubt that we can. They have lived in London most of their lives and I'm sure they won't be traveling too far from here. So give some thought about where you think they might go to wait until they have another opportunity to try again."
The deputies nodded and said "Good night" as they filed out the front door. Adam stayed in the doorway watching as they crossed the street and went up the outside stairs to the rooms over the Sage Brush. When the last man had gone in, Adam shut the door and returned to the kitchen.
"You're going to wait up for Wes aren't you?" Thea asked her husband and he nodded as he sat down at the head of the table again. She finished putting the last of the dishes away and came over to sit in the chair to his right. He took both her hands in his and stroked her palms with his thumbs while giving her that special smile he reserved for her alone.
"Now," he said with a wicked gleam in his eye, "where were we this morning before we were so rudely interrupted?"
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Adam was awake at his usual early hour the next morning and was standing on the front porch with Balor beside him, waiting for his deputies to show up. Just as the first rays of the sun threw shadows down the street, the door at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor of the Sage Brush opened and all four men came trotting down the steps, saddlebags and weapons ready.
He smiled as he watched them cross the street. Nate, as usual, was leading the way with Mike and John walking side-by-side right behind him. Jerry brought up the rear and was yawning hugely. Adam briefly wondered if the older man had been up late reading again and smiled at that thought as he went down the steps with Balor close by his side and started around the house to the huge barn in back.
Adam had insisted that the deputies keep their horses there so they wouldn't have to pay livery fees. So the four men returned the favor by doing their share of taking care of the rest of the stock. All four also vied to get the chance to groom Adam and Thea's horses. Both were Morabs, half Arabian, half Morgan and Adam's was jet black so he had been appropriately named Onyx. And Onyx had one other unique feature they had never seen before - one eye so dark a brown it looked almost black, and the other one blue.
The men filed into the barn and no one spoke until they had led the horses out and Adam went to slide the door shut. When he turned around all four deputies and the dog were looking at him expectantly, waiting for their orders.
"We'll be heading south and when we get halfway to Carson City we'll be splitting up and sweeping as much of the flatlands to the east as we can. We'll divide that area up in three. John, Dylan, you take the third to the east. Mike, Jerry, you take the middle third and Balor and I will cover the rest. Stop at every farm or ranch you come across," he paused for a moment to let what he had said sink in. "Any questions?"
His deputies shook their heads and the dog continued to stare at him intently, so he said, "Let's go." The five men swung up into the saddle and Adam looked down at Balor. "Heel," he ordered and spurred his horse forward.
Thea was watching them from a second floor window as they took off across open country instead of taking the road. She didn't move away until they passed over the horizon and were beyond her sight.
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Around three o'clock that afternoon Adam paused at a small stream to water his horse and give both animals a rest. Balor lay down after drinking deeply and Adam tossed him a large piece of jerky. The dog caught it in mid-air then lay down to tear it apart before eating it. His master laughed then turned his thoughts to finding the two men.
All day the three of them had ridden back and forth across the open country without finding a single sign of them. He let his mind wander over the land that he knew so well, while trying to think like the two men they were pursuing. Where would he go if he were in their position?
He wasn't having much success in trying to think like them when the wind shifted and Balor sat up with a growl. Adam instantly came back to himself. "What is it, boy?" he asked and the dog stood, his tail up and his nose sniffing the breeze. Standing, Adam swung up into the saddle. "Balor, lead," he said and the dog started moving in a stiff-legged trot into the wind.
They kept going for a while and soon came to an old shack surrounded by brush. The dog stopped and whined, then shook himself before sitting and looking up at his master with a canine frown.
"Whatever is in there must be pretty nasty if just the smell has you this upset," Adam said as he dismounted and stood there listening for sounds of any activity. But the only thing he heard was the rustling of the brush and the creek of the open front door as it swung slightly in the wind.
Adam drew his weapon, told Balor to stay, and cautiously moved toward the shack. When he stepped up on the small front porch he tested each board before putting his weight on it and slowly moved toward the doorway. He peered inside and stayed in that spot to let his eyes adjust to the shadow.
He couldn't see anything in the small room except some old broken furniture. He stepped into the room, but was startled by movement overhead so he flattened himself against the wall next to the door as he raised his gun and looked up. When he realized what he had seen he sighed with relief then frowned as he stepped closer to the body hanging from a rope tied to the sturdy center beam.
There wasn't enough light to see the corpse's face so he decided to cut it down. He pushed the chair that was tipped over beneath the body away and took a folding knife out of his pocket. Holding the knife in between his teeth, he jumped up and grabbed the beam overhead. He moved a little closer then hung from one hand while he quickly cut through the rope. The body dropped to the floor with a thud and he let go to land next to it.
The corpse was lying face down so he nudged it over with his foot then crouched down to get a good look. There was enough of the man's face left for Adam to recognize him.
"So we meet again Mr. Jackson," he said softly and stood to go out and retrieve his rifle. Checking his pocket watch he saw that it was four o'clock and his deputies would have no doubt already met at the previously agreed on spot. That spot wasn't far from the shack so he timed three rifle shots two beats apart and sat down on the edge of the porch to wait.
Balor came up to him with his tail down, not liking the smell of human death. Adam took the animal's huge head in his hands to scratch him behind the ears and smooth his shaggy fur back from his eyes. "How do you ever see anything?" he said softly to the dog, who just whined and moved closer until he was almost in his master's lap.
"If people only knew what a big baby you can be," Adam laughed. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he said as he continued to pet the dog.
Soon, his deputies came racing toward them but then slowed down when they saw Adam apparently unharmed. Nate was the first to reach the shack and he dismounted as the horse was still moving. He started toward his boss, but stopped when he saw the body lying in the doorway. Adam stood and the two men went to stand on either side of the corpse.
'Well, at least we know Jackson won't be causing you any more trouble," Nate said with a grimace of distaste.
"No, he won't, and apparently did another cowardly thing and took his own life," Adam answered. "He must have realized that without his money he was nothing. I'm sure his men must have abandoned him."
The other three deputies pulled up and came to take a look, too.
"Suicide?" John asked.
"I'm assuming so," Adam said. "He was hanging from the center beam with a chair tipped over beneath him."
The five men just stared down at the corpse for a bit until Adam took a deep breath and sighed. "Looks like we'll have to take a detour and drop it off in Carson City before heading home. I don't want to be traveling with a dead body through the night, you never know what kind of animal will be attracted by the scent." He went to his horse and untied a tarp that was rolled up behind his saddle.
"John, you and Mike can double up," Adam said and they rolled the body up and securely tied it to the saddle on John's horse.
The four deputies mounted up as Adam looked down at Balor. The dog's tongue was lolling and he looked completely exhausted so he bent over next to his horse and braced his hands on his knees as he whistled three notes. The dog came running, jumped up onto his master's back and then from there, into the saddle.
Balor sat up straight and Adam swung up behind him. The deputies grinned at each other, never having seen this before. John laughed. "Doesn't he ever fall off?"
Adam shook his head, "No," he answered and turned his horse toward Carson City, leading the way at a gallop as his four friends and one dead enemy fell in behind.
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The five men didn't reach home until close to eight o'clock that night and they were all thankful to see the kitchen was still brightly lit. Adam smiled; no doubt Thea was waiting for them.
They quickly took care of their horses and tiredly went up the path and through the back door. Thea turned to them with a smile and came up to Adam to put her arms around him as the deputies headed for the downstairs water closet as usual. Balor made a beeline to his dish and wolfed down the food she had set out for him then came over to nudge her leg with his nose. She let go of her husband and crouched down to put her arms around the huge dog's neck to give him a hard hug. The dog huffed in her face, gave her cheek a quick lick and turned to go up the stairs to take up his post again.
Adam laughed as she stood and used her apron to wipe dog spit off her cheek. Thea laughed too and said, "Go get washed up then you can tell me all about it after you've eaten."
He grinned, "Yes ma'am," he said, kissed her other cheek and followed Balor up the back stairs. He wanted to at least see his children for a moment after having been gone all day.
After stopping in the room he shared with Thea to take of his coat he stepped into the water closet attached to their bedroom to wash the dust off. He left the bedroom and stopped in Alexander's room first. As usual, the boy lay there sound asleep with his arms and legs spread out and the covers kicked back.
Adam laughed softly and came in to pull the covers over him and tucked them in. He smoothed his son's unruly dark hair back from his forehead then left the room silently to go to Annalise next.
The little girl lay curled up in a ball with the covers over her head. Adam gently pulled them back, wondering how she managed to breath that way. But his daughter had slept that way for as long as he could remember and it didn't seem to harm her. She stirred and opened her eyes slightly and smiled. "Pa," she said in a sleepy, small voice and stretched her arms out to him. He gathered her up and gave her a quick hug before kissing her on the top of her head and laying her back down.
"Go back to sleep, honey," he said and she giggled as he pulled the covers back over her head. "Night Pa," he heard her muffled voice say and he shook his head as he left the room and quietly shut the door behind him.
When he entered the nursery he took a quick look at Matthew and Thomas. As he expected, both babies were sound asleep. Benjamin, however, was wide- awake lying on his back and staring up at the shadows cast by the moonlight on the ceiling.
"Waiting up for me again are you?" Adam said softly and picked him up with his blanket. He sat down in one of the rocking chairs and looked down into his son's bright black eyes. The baby looked back making that cawing sound that was uniquely his own. He smiled and wrapped the child in his blanket then settled him on his shoulder as he began to rock.
Benjamin gurgled a little, popped his thumb in his mouth, and snuggled his head into his father's neck. Adam knew when the baby was asleep, but continued to rock, reluctant to leave and end this rare moment of quiet. As he rocked, his thoughts naturally turned to his own childhood, what there had been of it. Their circumstances had caused him to grow up quickly and early so he could be of a real help to his father by taking care of Hoss. He had seen very little of Ben during that time and he had vowed when the twins were born that he would be a constant presence in their lives. But business concerns had slowly taken over his life and when he realized this he had made the decision to concentrate on only one job. And he still felt he had made the right decision. There would be no getting bored with what he had chosen to do with his life and he would never become restless. He felt he was doing something very important that would make a difference in his part of the world.
Adam sighed and reluctantly stood to lay Benjamin back in his crib and spread the blanket out over him. The baby immediately turned over and pulled his folded legs up underneath him. His father smiled and patted the small bottom that now stuck up in the air before quietly leaving the room.
He quickly went down the back stairs and when he came through the doorway to the kitchen he saw his deputies were finished eating. Thea turned to him, "Benjamin still awake?" she asked with a grin.
"Of course," her husband answered her as he sat down at the head of the table and she brought a filled plate for him. Nate was giving him a puzzled look so he explained.
"Benjamin will not go to sleep unless he sees me first. He's been doing that recently and we don't know why he started." Thea came to fill his coffee cup and he smiled at his wife and said, "Thank you." She ran her hand across the back of his neck then went around the table re-filling cups. Then after filling one for herself she sat down at the foot of the table and looked at her husband.
"The boys told me what happened today. So you're sure Jackson hanged himself?" Adam merely nodded as he ate.
"Doesn't really surprise me any," she said with true venom in her voice. "That man has been a coward and a bully all his life and after what he did to Livvy he got what he deserved. I hope he's burning in hell right now."
The deputies looked at each other, a little startled by the hatred they not only heard, but could also see on her face. Adam glanced around at them and smiled to himself. So they were finally starting to understand just how hard and unbending Thea could be.
"Well," Adam finally spoke as he pushed his empty plate away, "today wasn't a total waste, at least we found Jackson. But we all need to do some more thinking about where that lawyer and his cohort are hiding. My problem is that I can't seem to get a handle on the way they think; it's completely foreign to me."
"Thank God for that!" Thea said, "You need someone who's a little odd, just like they are to do the thinking."
Immediately everyone turned to look at Jerry and the older man said, "Hey!" in protest as the rest of them laughed at his dismay.
Adam leaned back in his chair, grinning. "There's your assignment Jerry, we need you to think as oddly as you can. And I'm sure that can be pretty damn odd."
"Oh sure, now you WANT me to think that way after how many years of telling me to shut up?" the older man laughed, then laughed even harder when everyone gathered around the table said, "Shut up, Jerry."
Nate stood, a signal to the other deputies that they should be taking their leave. The other three stood and each one said good night to Adam and thank you to Thea.
Adam walked them to the front door and said, "Be at the office at the usual time tomorrow morning, we still have a lot to go over and other wanted people out there."
His men nodded as they filed out the door and he stayed, as was his habit to watch them cross the street and go up the outside stairs to their rooms. He smiled when he saw Mike and John with their heads together as usual then laughed when Mike smacked the smaller man in the back of the head. No doubt John had said something he considered to be stupid again.
Shaking his head, he watched as the last man - Jerry - reached the door at the head of the stairs. The older man paused with the door open and looked back at his boss, threw him a snappy salute and disappeared. Adam was still shaking his head as he stepped back and closed the front door.