The Night of the Absentee Agent
Chapter 11
The Old Woman
Once in Washington, Kate left the train and made her way to the exit. She had arranged to meet Clara, who was travelling from Kansas. Marsh had included her address in his letter so it had been easy enough to contact her. She had met Clara before, when she was in Kansas with Marsh and Sam; she spotted her immediately.
"Clara, my dear, it's so good to meet you again, but who is this with you?" Kate asked, looking at the tall, dark-haired, young man by her side.
"I'm Joshua Manning, Clara's brother," the young man said, holding out his hand.
"I'm Kate Treadwell, and am I glad to meet you? We're going to need a strong man," Kate said.
Clara put a hand on Kate's sleeve, "You said in your letter that Marshall needs me, but you didn't say why. Tell me, is he all right? Nothing's happened to him has it?"
"He's fine," Kate said, "but he's in England."
"England!"
"Yes, he was kidnapped and put on board a steam ship. It's Sam who's in trouble. He's being held by the Secret Service." She turned to Clara's brother. "We have to get him out of there."
"Have you brought me here for that?" Clara asked.
"No, no, Marsh wants us both to join him in England, and I'm to bring the money with me. It looks like he's decided to settle down and breed horses, like he always said he and Sam would. But I'm not going without my husband."
"Let's get you ladies to a hotel first and then have something for lunch," Manning said. "We can form a plan, after we've eaten."
Kate nodded in agreement and the three of them went to find a carriage.
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Over lunch, Kate got to know Manning a little better. He had been working on a horse ranch in Kentucky, trying to save money for a spread of his own.
"Why is it all the men I meet are mad about horses?" Kate complained. "Will you lose your job, coming to New York, without any notice?" she asked him.
"I guess they'll keep it open for me; I'm due a might of holiday," Manning replied. "Besides, Clara said she needed me and that's all that matters."
Kate decided she liked Joshua very much.
"Now what's this scheme you have for breaking your husband out?" Manning asked, getting down to business.
"Well, I don't really have a scheme. I thought I'd try to speak to him first and spy the lie of the land, so to speak."
"Do you know where he is?"
"He's being held by the Secret Service, that's all I know."
"So he's not in an actual prison?"
"No, do you think that's a bad thing? You don't think they're going to hang him do you?" she asked, suddenly alarmed by thoughts of his strange place of incarceration.
"What did he do wrong?" Manning asked.
"I don't think they can have any real evidence that he did anything," Kate said, "but they might just think that he carried out some jewel robberies."
Manning whistled. "That's some husband you've got yourself."
"Yes, but you don't understand. They only ever stole from people who deserved it. They never harmed an innocent person."
"They?"
Kate looked at Clara, who nodded. "Marshall was in it with him," she admitted.
Manning looked at his sister. "This is the man you wish to marry," he said, just to make sure.
"Yes, he's a good man and anyway, he's finished with all that. It was just bad luck that Sam got caught when he did. I don't know what they were doing in New York but it wasn't against the law."
"Do you know what they were here for, Mrs Treadwell?"
"No, but I agree with Clara; and you can call me Kate."
"Well, Kate, I guess we'd better see about getting you in to talk to your husband."
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Artie was bored. He had been back at Mayberry's house for over a week and he couldn't stand the inaction caused by his injured leg. Marsh spent as much time as possible with him, playing cards or board games but he had work to do, helping to manage the stud and learning all he could about horses, even questioning the vet, when he visited, and looking over the man's shoulder, while he worked.
Artie wished he could be doing something useful.
He was lying on the sofa in the sitting room, his leg up on a bank of cushions, when Cat came waltzing in, beaming at him the while.
"Oh oh," Artie said, "I don't trust that look on your face."
"I've found something to keep you occupied," she announced.
"I definitely don't trust you," Artie said. "What have you signed me up for?"
"Here," she said, tossing a cloth bag in his direction.
Artie opened it. "What's this?" he asked, removing a ball of wool and a pair of knitting needles.
"The local parish church has set up a knitting circle to help the elderly. We all knit squares and then put them together to make one big blanket. We should be able to produce dozens by the time winter comes."
She seemed so pleased with herself that Artie hated to disappoint her. "I don't know how to knit," he said.
"Nonsense," she said, "I'm not letting you off that easily. You have plenty of free time to learn and nothing better to do."
"There are quite a few books in the library..." Artie began.
"So why aren't you reading one? Because you're bored not doing anything useful," she said, answering her own question.
"You make a very good argument," Artie said, examining the needles as if he'd rather fall on one of the sharp implements than knit with it.
"You'll enjoy it, once you get the hang of it," Cat said, taking the needles from his hands. He was happy to give them up.
"Sit up a little, so I can put my arms around you."
Artie did so, with alacrity. Cat leaned over behind him and placed the needles in his hands, in the correct position. Her breasts were pressing against his back.
"Are you comfortable?" she asked.
"Oh yes," Artie replied.
"Good, now I'll show you how to cast stitches on," she said.
"I can tell I'm going to enjoy this," Artie said with a smile.
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Joshua and Kate had left Clara at the hotel and were making their way to the Federal building where Sam was being held. They walked around the corner and straight into the path of a little old lady who was coming in the opposite direction.
"Watch where you're going," the woman said, in an Irish accent.
"Sorry," Kate said.
The old woman stopped in her tracks and turned to face them. "Kate?" the woman said.
"Sam!" Kate cried.
"Ssshhh, keep your voice down," Sam whispered. "Thank, you," he continued with the same Irish lilt to his voice, "I would be grateful if you could take to for some refreshment."
He took them both by the arm and walked them away, down the street to a hotel. They entered and Sam took a seat, keeping up his impersonation. "I'll have a glass of porter," he said, sitting at one of the tables. Kate sat down opposite him while Joshua went to fetch the drinks.
"What are you doing here? How did you escape?" she demanded.
"It was easy." He spoke quietly, so as not to attract attention. "Getting hold of this disguise was the hard part. Do you have somewhere nearby where we can speak freely?" he asked.
"Yes, we're staying at a hotel a short walk from here."
"Who's 'we'," Sam demanded, "you and that fellow?" he nodded in Joshua's direction.
"No, Clara and I. Joshua is her brother and I only met him this morning. He has a separate room." She was obviously amused. "I can't believe you're jealous after the way you treated me when we met in that hotel in Lexington," she said.
"Damn!" was Sam's reply to that. "Let's get out of here!"
Sam and Kate stood up and made for the door. Joshua paid for the drinks he had just ordered and hurried after them.
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Back at the hotel Clara and Joshua mad themselves scarce so that Sam and Kate could speak in private. Sam removed the wig, shawl, and bonnet he was wearing and stretched his limbs.
"I don't know how you can appear six inches shorter like that," Kate said.
"Forget that, I want to talk about you," Sam interrupted her, "and Lexington."
"What about it? Are you going to apologise, because it's really not necessary."
"Kate, that wasn't me in Lexington," Sam said.
"Don't I know it? You weren't at all yourself."
"No, I mean I wasn't there."
"Then who was it?" she asked, confused.
"My twin brother, Artemus Gordon."
"You have a twin brother? You never said anything. Why does he have a different name?"
"We haven't seen each other for about forty years. I was abducted and brought up by a different family. But that's not important right now. I want to know what happened in Lexington, did he hurt you or do anything to you? You must tell me, I won't be upset."
"Oh Sam, you are so sweet, but so was he and that explains why. He wouldn't come near me and he acted all surprised when I kissed him." She laughed.
"You kissed him?"
"Well, I thought he was you and I only gave him the same one any wife would when she hasn't seen her husband for a long time."
Sam grabbed her to him and kissed her long and hard on the lips.
"Yes a bit like that," she said breathlessly, when she had surfaced.
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