Chapter Forty-Seven
"All things are difficult before they are easy."
~Thomas Fuller
Jack crossed Main Street, which was quite busy with Saturday morning shoppers, and tipped his hat to Mrs. Ramsey and Mrs. Carter as he allowed them to pass in front of him. After they passed him, both ladies turned around to watch Jack continue toward the jailhouse. They had noticed that there was quite a bounce in his stride and that his face was filled with a wide smile. As Jack quickly climbed the steps to the jailhouse, they returned to to their walk.
"I wonder what he's so happy about?" Mrs. Carter asked.
"I'll give you two guesses!" Dottie Ramsey answered, with a knowing laugh. "He is coming from the cafe and I dare say his happiness has nothing to do with Abigail Stanton's baked goods!"
The two women continued up Main Street, both laughing.
Jack, who was unaware of the women's conversation, reached for the jailhouse door. The door suddenly opened, startling him and forcing him take a step backward. Pinkerton Richardson came through the doorway, exiting the jailhouse. He spotted Jack and apologized, "Sorry, Constable! Didn't see you there."
Jack shook his head. "That's alright. Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Richardson?"
Richardson shook his head and continued down the stairs. "No. I've already spoken with Inspector Avery."
Jack, bewildered, watched Richardson head down the street before he headed into the jail house. He spotted Bill sitting at his desk, writing in a small notebook. Jack removed his hat and set it on a hook on the wall. He watched Bill writing notes for several moments before he moved closer to his desk and asked, "So, what did Pinkerton Richardson want?"
Bill looked up from his writing. "Oh, Jack!" he replied, noting Jack's arrival for the first time. "What's that?"
"Richardson, what did he want?" Jack repeated as he took a sit in front of his desk. He sat very stiffly, on the edge of the chair, as he felt rather odd sitting there instead of in his desk chair behind the desk.
"Oh! He came to give me some information about Gowen's new assistant," Bill answered.
Jack's expression darkened. "What information?" he inquired.
Bill set the pencil down on the desk and tucked the small notebook into the inside pocket of his jacket. "It wasn't anything I didn't already know," Bill told him.
Jack exhaled his frustration with Bill's reticence. "What's going on, Bill?" he asked. "Last night, you told Abigail you were working, but I'm not aware of any case. You didn't mention you were working on anything when you arrived. And you're shrinking away from answering my questions."
Bill inhaled slowly before replying. "No, you're right, I wasn't working on any case when I arrived. Well, other then the deserter case." He glanced at Jack who was waiting expectantly. "Okay," he exhaled before continuing. "I've been investigating Wiley, Gowen's new assistant for a few days."
Jack's eyebrows lowered. "Why?" he asked. "What did he do that got your attention?"
Bill looked down and picked up the pencil. He began rolling it between his fingers. "He just seemed to be... I mean, he was..." Bill stammered, "He..."
Jack was surprised that Bill was fumbling for words. He watched his superior, clearly confused by his agitation.
Bill noticed Jack staring at him, which made him even more uncomfortable. After a couple minutes of awkward silence, he finally said. "He was acting suspiciously."
Jack's mouth drew into a straight line but his eyes widened with understanding. "You mean he was bothering Abigail?" he corrected.
Bill gave Jack a sharp look. "You knew he was acting like that?" he asked, clearly unhappy. "You knew he was harassing her?"
"I saw him flirting with her. I offered to talk with him, but Abigail wanted to handle it herself," Jack told him. "I'm sure she told you the same."
"He was very annoying and was quite disrespectful to Abigail," Bill replied, defending himself. "My instinct told me something was not right with Wiley and it turns out that instinct was correct."
Jack nodded. "So, what has he done?"
"He's been gambling with the miners, playing cards, in the saloon every night," Bill answered.
"Yes, I arrested him last week for fighting during a card game in the saloon," Jack added.
Bill nodded. "Abigail told me. So, I've been surveilling him. And I sent a telegram to the New York Police requesting any information they have on Wiley. And, now, Richardson shared his information."
"So what did Richardson tell you?" Jack inquired.
"He told me that Wiley is a big gambler and ran away from a very large debt in New York," Bill responded.
Jack studied Bill's face for a moment before stating, "You already knew all that. The police in New York had told you that."
Bill gave Jack a half a smile and chuckled mirthlessly. "Yes, I did. But, it seems that Richardson was not aware of another bit of information that the New York police shared with me."
"What's that?" Jack asked, intrigued.
"Wiley is Randall Fletcher's brother-in-law," Bill answered.
"Wait," Jack said, trying to process the information. "He's the brother-in-law of the head of the Northwest Mining Company?"
Bill nodded, "Yep!"
Jack contemplated the news for a few moments before speaking. He squirmed in the chair, clearly unable to get comfortable. "Okay, so Fletcher sent his brother-in-law to keep an eye on Gowen?"
"Maybe," Bill replied. "Fletcher probably threatened Wiley to clean up his act before he shipped him out here. He may have asked him to spy on Gowen. Or he may have just wanted his no account brother-in-law to go as far away as possible. It appears Wiley followed the advice for a few weeks. According to some of the miners, he worked hard and wasn't gambling or drinking when he first arrived. Lately, though, he's been drinking heavily each night and playing cards, losing most of the time."
Jack's eyes widened with realization. "That's what you were doing at the mine, asking questions about Wiley." Dill nodded. "So, when did the police contact you."
"Earlier this morning," Bill answered. "I stopped by the Mercantile on the way here and Yost told me the telegram from New York arrived very early this morning."
"Who is he indebted to back in New York?" Jack asked, shifting in his chair, again.
"Several bookies who are tied to one of the biggest crime families there," Bill responded. "I'm betting they were threatening Wiley and his family, including Fletcher and his wife. The New York police had been watching Wiley because of his ties to those bookies. Their sources told them that Fletcher paid off his brother-in-law's debt and then sent him way out here to work it off."
"And you already knew everything Richardson told you, right?" Jack queried.
"Most of it," Bill conceded.
"So, what does Richardson want us to do?" Jack asked. "Gambling here is not a crime. There are no assault charges against Wiley since Gowen paid off McIntyre, the miner that Wiley attacked last week. Does he have any outstanding warrants in New York?"
Bill shook his head. "No."
"So, why did Richardson come to you?" Jack queried.
"Well, it seems Pinkerton Richardson suspects that Wiley is stealing from the mine company," Bill explained.
"Stealing money?" Jack asked as he stood, giving up on ever getting comfortable in that chair, and took a step closer to the desk.
Bill nodded. "Money and files."
Jack met Bill's gaze. His eyebrows lowered and he frowned. "What? Corporate spying?"
"Perhaps," Bill replied. "My guess is that he's hoping to gather information on Gowen to give to Fletcher to try to gain passage back to New York."
Jack shook his head. "That's incredible," he said a bit flatly. "And I suppose he stole money from Gowen to fund his card playing."
"Yeah, that's what Richardson said he believes is happening," Bill related. "Funny thing, though," he continued. "Richardson didn't mention Gowen at all. Gowen's name never came up the entire time he spoke with me."
"Really?" Jack asked, his eyebrows arching in surprise. "I can't imagine Pinkerton Richardson doing anything without Gowen's consent."
"Oh, I agree," Bill told Jack. "In fact, I believe Gowen sent him here to share the information. Gowen is ready for Wiley to get out of his business."
Jack put his hands on the desk and leaned in. "Alright, Inspector Avery, what do we do with this information?" he asked.
"I think we need to catch him red-handed," Bill answered, smiling.
Jack nodded. "Okay, then." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Any idea how to do that?"
Bill contorted his face with a frown. "No, no idea at the moment."
"Well, I'll see what I can come up with. In the meantime, why don't you give me back my desk so I can type my daily report?" He gave Bill a smile.
Bill laughed. "Alright, Jack, you can have your desk back," be conceded. "I'm going to see Abigail. Want anything from the cafe?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I just came from there."
Bill stood but stopped before moving away from Jack's desk. "I assume things are still planned for this evening?" he asked, his mouth curling into a teasing smile.
Jack nodded, "Yes, they are." He motioned for Bill to move away from the desk.
"And Elizabeth has no clue?" Bill inquired as he walked towards the door, still facing Jack.
"No, she doesn't," Jack answered as he sat in his desk chair. "And she's at the cafe now baking a cake with my mother. Don't spill the beans!" he warned Bill, his face very serious.
"My lips are sealed, Constable," Bill assured him, smiling widely. "And you're ready for this?"
Jack looked down at his desk and exhaled slowly before looking back up at Bill. "Yes, I am," he told Bill. "I can't believe that everything is just falling into place."
"I bet," Bill agreed, grinning. He continued to study Jack, looking quite smug.
Jack grew uncomfortable under Bill's stare and smirk. "Well, go on," he ordered Bill.
Bill laughed, opened the door, and headed to Abigail's cafe.
Author's Notes: I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story! I really appreciate the story follows, favorites, and reviews! It's very nice to know people are reading and even better that y'all like the story. Writing can be very solitary and I always wonder if anyone is enjoying the chapters. Please write a review if you have a few moments. Also, 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!