Chapter 42
There was not even a moon that night, and the clouds that poured continuous rain all evening also covered the stars that should be shining in the sky. The air felt damp, but the rain had given a truce for a few hours. The unsteady weather had emptied Seneca's streets, and tonight not even the regular drunkards could be seen roaming around the saloon or the brothels.
Only two figures broke the emptiness of the night. Jimmy and Cody casually sauntered along the covered walkway, and discreetly kept looking around, making sure that no eyes could spy them from the darkened windows in the surrounding buildings which in appearance looked safe and empty.
When the two friends reached the corner, they slipped into the alley. Jack had also given them the key of the back door to the store. That way it would be easier to access the Kellers' abode without being spotted. Cody unlocked the door, and they sneaked into the building. It was pitch black inside and they could not see beyond the end of their noses. They could not risk lighting a candle, fearing somebody might see the light in the store through its wide windows and raise alarm. Jimmy and Cody felt their way to the staircase, bumping against almost every object in the place.
When they finally started up the stairs and found themselves before the door separating the store from the house, Jimmy rummaged in his jacket pocket for the matches and the candle he had brought along. A loud thump suddenly echoed in the cavernous place, and the two friends almost jumped out of their skin in fright.
"What the hell was that?" Cody exclaimed in a whisper.
Jimmy pretended not to be bothered by the noise. "It must be the wind," Jimmy said non-chalantly.
"What wind?"
"Come on, Cody. Cut the chit chat, and light the damn candle. Let's get done with this so that we can go back to bed."
Cody struck a match and as he brought it to the candle wick, another noise, this time closer, startled then. Almost in unison both men turned around, and as the burning candle cast its light all over the length of the staircase, they finally discovered the source of the sound. "Gosh, Jack! You scared us to death!" Cody exclaimed loudly.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Jimmy asked in a calm fashion.
Wordlessly Jack made his way up the stairs, and stopped a step lower from where the two former riders stood. "I wanna help, and find out who tried to kill Louise."
Jimmy shook his head. "Please Jack, go home, and let us do the job. We don't need your help or anything from you."
"I ain't leaving, and nothing you say will persuade me," Jack replied stubbornly. "I really want to prove to you that I have nothing to do with the poisoning because I'm sure there's still a hint of a doubt about my innocence in this matter."
Jimmy just looked at him, silently conceding that there was still suspicion dangling over the young man's head. Yet, Hickok was not convinced by Jack's arguments to stay, but Cody stepped in, "Let's let him. Otherwise, we'll be arguing about it all night, and time is pressing."
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders in indifference, and turned to unlock the door, which opened into a long corridor. "Mr. Keller's bedroom is the second door on the right," Jack explained as they slowly advanced along the hall. "And his study is downstairs."
"Let's start there then," Cody suggested. "It's unlikely he keeps anything suspicious in the bedroom he shares with Tessie."
The study was a stuffy room, overcrowded with shelves packed with old books, a too big carved table, and several leather armchairs. There was not a single window, and since there was not a single inch of wall uncovered, the suffocating sensation was very palpable. In silence Jimmy and Jack started their search in the desk drawers while Cody had a look at the pile of papers and ledgers on top of the table. "There are just numbers here," Cody said. "Not really surprising. He's an accountant, ain't he?"
"And I know he works in this room quite often," Jack replied, likewise going through a sheaf of invoices and receipts.
"This is nothing, nothing at all!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Maybe we're barking at the wrong tree again."
"Don't look at me," Jack replied, lifting his hands above his head in mock surrender. "I told you. I have nothing to do with this horrible matter."
The three men shared a deflated look, realizing they were no closer to catching whoever had tried killed Lou. "Maybe he's just a sly fox who knows how to hide his tracks."
"He's not stupid, that's certain," Cody added.
As the two other men spoke, Jimmy kept deep in thought as he looked around the study. Cody noticed his friend's pensive mood, and his curiosity perked up. "What's in your mind, Jimmy?"
"I was thinking that if Albert has something to hide, I doubt he would be so careless as to leave proof where anybody can get hold of it. I imagine that Theresa cleans in here." The deputy lifted his hips from the desk where he had been perched, and walked straight to behind the majestic leather chair. There was a small cabinet, and above it there was a still life painting that showed a simple vase of flowers in bright colors. Jimmy removed the picture from the wall, and the three men discovered what was hidden behind it.
"A safe," Cody muttered in a flat tone.
"And here's where we'll find our prize," Jack added with a smile. "If there is a prize."
Jimmy shook his head. "Don't sound so chirpy, Jackie. Now we face a major problem."
"Find the way to open this thing," Cody filled in for his friend.
Jack grinned coyly. "Men of little faith. Please allow me," he said, and with a gentle push, he shoved Jimmy aside, and he repositioned himself in front of the iron safe. Pressing his ear against the cold metal front, he started turning the spinning tumbler. Cody and Jimmy exchanged a look, one amused and the other skeptical. After a couple of minutes, a click sounded in the room, and Jack pulled the safe door open. "Bingo, gentlemen."
Cody smiled in obvious surprise and awe while Jimmy frowned as he said, "But how…?"
"You better not ask," Jack cut off, and Jimmy nodded reluctantly. The deputy then started to take out the contents of the safe. There were a few sheaves of banknotes, a revolver, and some documents that Hickok left on the desk for further examination.
"Who's this Alfred Sanders?" Cody asked as he studied some of the papers on the table. "According to this, he has vast amounts of money in several bank accounts in San Francisco, Sacramento, and some other cities."
"Maybe he's one of his clients," Jimmy ventured.
Jack eyed the papers in Cody's hold, and read the figures. "Nobody in Seneca is so rich," he remarked. "And I doubt Mr. Keller has clients in other towns. He barely leaves the city."
"Forget about Alfred Sanders, and have a look at this," Jimmy said, as he opened the leather folder in his hands for the other two men to read. "You'll be surprised."
As soon as Cody's eyes registered the name written on the first sheet of paper, his bewilderment was evident just like Jimmy had predicted. "Boggs?" he said half way between a question and a stunned exclamation.
"Who's Boggs?" Jack asked.
"Lou's father," Jimmy replied. "He died over ten years ago. He was a despicable criminal, and his wife kept his children from him for a long time, even changing their names to McCloud."
"This is his will," Jack added, running his eyes throughout the document. "There's nothing strange in Albert Keller keeping it in his safe. After all, he's married to Boggs' youngest child."
"Jack, as far as we know, there was never a will," Cody continued. "Lou doesn't talk about her father much, but I know she thinks everything Boggs owned was taken over by the army, and consequently the government."
"According to this, there was… or is something that escaped the army's notice," Jack contradicted him as he read the rest of the pages. "There are several accounts in San Francisco in the name of Carl Staines with, I assume, Boggs' money."
"But how did this will find its way to Albert's safe?" Jimmy asked rhetorically. "I wonder if Theresa and Lou know this document exists."
Nobody could answer those questions, and Jack carried on reading the will. "According to this, in the event of Boggs' death, apart from some provisions left to his wife and daughters, everything else goes to Jeremiah, which would have made him a very rich man."
"Poor Miah is dead, and so is his mother," Cody added.
"Then his children would inherit everything. Yet, since Jeremiah had no offspring, the next beneficiary is Louise, and in her death her children."
"But if she died suddenly and childless…" Cody started as a cold chill ran down her spine.
"The money would go to Theresa and consequently her husband."
The three men remained in silence, trying to digest what this information meant. "Albert has a humungous motive to want Lou dead," Cody spoke up, finally breaking the silence.
"And I imagine that when she turned up with her husband, which was a secret for most people in this city, even Albert Keller, he would probably be afraid that she might conceive a child that could spoil his plans for that alluring wealth," Jack said, almost talking to himself.
"So he had to dispose of the problem as soon as possible," Jimmy concluded.
"But why Lou, and not Kid?" Cody wondered. "It would have been easy to get rid of him."
"If Albert hoped to lay his hands on that money, Lou would have to die sooner or later so that he could have the road unobstructed. So I guess he thought he could tackle the problem from the very root instead of getting himself into a bigger hassle."
Cody nodded, understanding Jimmy's reasoning. "In any case, this really doesn't prove anything, only that he has a very strong reason to benefit from Lou's death."
"Yet, that's true, I'm afraid," Jimmy agreed.
There was a moment's pause, and Jack asked, "Do you think he might be behind Jeremiah's death too?"
Cody and Jimmy exchanged a look, realizing they hadn't thought of that. "It's a possibility," Hickok muttered.
"And now what?" Jack asked, his eyes excited and lively as if he was living the most thrilling experience in his life.
Jimmy snorted derisively, and Cody couldn't conceal an amused smirk. "Look, Jack," Hickok stated not very happily. "What we do or don't do from now on, it ain't none of your darn business. But…" he paused intentionally to fix his brown eyes into the store assistant's grey ones. "But when we ride out of here tomorrow afternoon, you're coming to Rock Creek with us, understood?"
Jack stared at him in confusion, not understanding what Hickok was up to. First, he told him to stay away and now he wanted to have Jack along. The store assistant did not long for anything else more than to join these two men in their quest for the culprit in this matter, but he also had his responsibilities. "I can't leave the store. Louise counts on me."
"I'm sure Lou will understand," Cody added. "You're still on our list as a suspect, and we can't leave you out of our sight."
"But I've proved I have nothing to do with this. I'm willing to help."
"Maybe help yourself to put the blame on others," Jimmy continued. "What we have found in Keller's safe tonight might be fake for all we know. Who can say that before leaving the store you laced this safe with all these documents to frame Keller? After all, you've shown us how easily you can open this thing."
"I swear I…"
"Keep your oaths for those ears that might care. Just make sure you're at the hotel tomorrow afternoon, or we'll hunt you down," Cody said, pointing a menacing finger in his direction. Jimmy had already stuffed his pocket with the documents found in the safe, and both friends simply walked way, leaving a stunned Jack behind, who was cursing the day these two had appeared in his life.
It was another morning, another day… a long, anguishing day lay ahead, and even at this early hour Kid was already feeling totally exhausted. Last night he had been up until very late, hoping to see some improvement in Lou, but she was still the same after he had done everything Dr. Sullivan had told him to. Kid feared the poison had done too much harm, and now it was too late to bring Lou back to health. The previous night the Southerner had watched her like a hawk, checking every reaction, listening for any sounds coming from her lips, or counting every breath. It had been almost three o'clock that he had finally given in to tiredness, and today all his body was sore and stiff after sleeping on the chair he had crashed in.
Some knocking sounds had woken him up, and he realized they came from the door. "Come in," he called groggily and his eyes automatically shifted to check on Lou, who continued as unresponsive as in the last few weeks.
"Good morning," Ari greeted him as she stepped into the bedroom. "I've brought you some breakfast."
"Thanks," Kid muttered with a small smile. Rising to his feet, he walked to the dresser, poured some water in the wash bowl, and splashed some on his face. After drying himself, he turned to Ari, who had placed the tray with his breakfast on the bedside table. "You shouldn't have bothered. I ain't hungry."
"Kid, you need to eat something."
Without a word, the Southerner shrugged his shoulders in indifference, and just took the cup of coffee from the tray. That would help him get through the day. Yet, the liquid did not taste much like coffee, and left a sharp bitterness in his mouth. The problem was not really the coffee, but his whole body. Since Lou had fallen sick, his body was acting up, and he felt as if it didn't belong to him.
Kid cringed in disgust as he downed the coffee and put the cup down. Ari was right, he mused. He needed to force some food down his stomach if he wanted to be strong for Lou. He just could not falter. So even though he did not have any appetite and felt like gagging, he picked up a flapjack and started nibbling at it. His eyes moved to Ari, who gave him a satisfactory smile, and then they simultaneously turned to Lou.
The flapjack slid off his finger and fell to the floor when he realized that her eyes were open and looking at the ceiling. "Lou!" he called urgently, stooping and stroking her face, eager to let her know he was there with her. Ari had also run to her, and stood framing the other side of the bed.
"Lou!" Kid repeated in a softer tone.
Louise's eyes traveled from the ceiling and gradually lowered, and when Kid's concerned face appeared before her, she tried to smile, but realized she had no energy to even move her lips. "Kid," she breathed in such a soft tone that all Kid saw were her lips mouthing his name.
"How are you feeling, baby?" he asked.
Lou breathed in, trying to muster up some strength if there was any left in her body. "I dunno," she managed to say. "I… I feel hungry, strangely famished."
Ari and Kid shared a smile. "That's good to know," Ari replied. "I'll rustle up something for you. Won't be a moment."
"Thanks, Dana," Lou whispered, this time with a weak smile. As the older woman left the bedroom, Lou lifted her eyes to find Kid's that stared at her unblinkingly. "Where are we, Kid? Are… are we in Fort Kearney?" she asked, feeling totally lost.
It was logical assumption for her to make after seeing Ari here. Kid shook his head. "We're at home… at our old home in Rock Creek just like you asked me. Don't you remember?"
Louise tried to take her mind back to her memories, and multiple overlapping images in a tangled succession came back to her. She remembered the sweet moments she and Kid had shared after their reconciliation, and suddenly, she recalled getting very sick. "How long have I been ill?"
"Three weeks… almost four."
Lou's ragged breathing was her surprised reaction to his revelation. It felt as if it had been just yesterday that she and Kid had arrived in Seneca, and apparently weeks had gone by, and she wasn't even in Seneca anymore. The images that rolled in her mind became clearer and clearer, and she asked, "Kid, am I… am I gonna die? Please tell me the truth."
Kid caressed her tousled hair, and smiled sadly. "For a while I thought I was gonna lose you, but now I'm positive you're gonna get well."
"I feel tired and… and weird," Lou croaked.
"I know, honey."
Lou kept quiet, and stared at him. Her eyes felt heavy, but she stubbornly resisted the strong temptation to give in to sleep. She wanted and needed to keep looking at her husband, and imprint his image in her mind. Despite what Kid had said, she was afraid she might die and leave this earth and Kid forever. These moments were too precious, and she needed to keep awake as long as possible. There was also something else she longed to ask. "Kid, what's wrong with me? Why have I been so sick?"
The question triggered an instant reaction in Kid, and Lou noticed his troubled and distraught countenance straightaway. For a few seconds the Southerner debated with himself what he could tell Lou. She was still unwell, and learning that there was somebody who wanted her dead would not do her good now. "Lou, honey, I promise I'll tell you in good time, and what you now need to worry about is to get well. That's all."
"Kid, what ain't you telling me? You're scaring me."
"Honey, trust me. Nothing's gonna happen to you, but before we have this conversation, you need to get your strength back."
Lou was not convinced, but she did not have the energy to insist. A yawn escaped her control, and she could not resist her tiredness any longer and closed her eyes. "I'm so tired," she muttered again weakly.
"Get some sleep then," he said with a smile, bending over, and pressed a kiss on her hair. "I'll watch over you, and I'll be here when you wake up."
With her eyes closed, Lou stretched her lips into a small smile as she drifted back to sleep. Kid dragged a chair closer, and sat down. Not once did he avert his gaze from Louise. For the first time in weeks his lips shaped into a genuine smile. Now there was hope in his life, and he really believed Lou was going to regain her health. They would overcome another obstacle in their way to happiness, a huge one. Life could be so fragile, and he had learned the hard way not to take Lou and her well-being for granted. Hopefully, this was once again another chance they were given, and Kid swore to himself that he would make the most of it, and live every day as it were the last one. That had been his lesson, and from now on all he cared was to enjoy and be thankful for the blessings his wife was to him.