When Hoss and Adam arrived back at the hotel, they found they had been moved into another room, all their belongings having been transferred in their absence. Adam was outraged, furious but he held himself in check as the desk clerk cautiously handed him the new room key.
The desk clerk had hemmed and hawed and cleared his throat while explaining to the brothers that their room had been promised to someone else; he had forgotten about it but the traveler showed up so he had no choice. Hoss moved toward the counter and the man cringed and backed up against the wall boxes that held the room keys. The desk clerk again apologized profusely, said that he had no choice in the matter.
"So you're telling me," Adam said, leaning across the counter, "that you actually take reservations here."
The clerk looked at the counter as if praying that it remained between him and the two men. He pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his brow.
"Well, sir, you see—every few months the same drummer, well, he comes to town… and has afavorite room…um…"
"You can lie better than that," Adam said.
"Well, sir, I…please. I just work here and do what I'm told."
"Who owns this hotel?" Adam leaned on one elbow while Hoss stood glowering, his brow furrowed in displeasure.
"Dr. Branson."
Adam stood up. "Oh, the town doctor, he owns it."
"His father-that Dr. Branson."
"And he told you—he decided to put us in another room." Adam was beginning to realize that the people in Mules' Pass wanted them gone and there was that connection with the Rigbys again.
"Show us the room," Adam demanded. "I want you to be there when I check to see that nothing was taken"
"Yes, sir, yes sir." The desk clerk scampered from around the counter and walking sideways like a crab to keep an eye on them, led them to a side stairwell that went to a lower floor.
"Be careful, Adam," Hoss said. "He might piss himself iffen you scare 'im any more."
"I'll rip off his head and piss down his neck."
Finally they came to a narrow door. "This is it," the clerk said as they stood outside the room. "I assure you, sir, everything that you had in the other room is here. I supervised it myself and locked the door right after we put your things here. No one else came down here."
"That's probably only because no one else knows this room is here."
The clerk gave a quick nervous smile, unlocked the door and quickly stepped aside. Adam and Hoss passed by him and Adam heard the clerk rush off; he wasn't going to stay for their reaction.
A long, narrow window at the top of the room allowed the only natural light, a bit of moonlight to shine in but the building next to it blocked any view of the sky. Adam struck a match and holding it up, saw a lamp on a small table by the door. He lit it and it gave a circle of yellow light.
Adam scoffed and shook his head. Hoss took off his hat and threw in it on the only bed in the room, a double bed pushed up against one wall. The only other furniture was a three-drawer chest on which their belongings had been set.
"Hell, Adam, I been in outhouses bigger than this."
"It's Sheriff Murphy, that sonovabitch—this is his idea of a big joke, a way to get us out of town—or get us arrested. Stick us in the goddamn basement. Sonovabitch!" Adam fumed a bit longer, shaking his head and cursing. Hoss smiled; it wasn't often he saw Adam so flummoxed. There was nothing Adam could do about the situation and he couldn't bear it because as Adam always said about solving any problem, "There's got to be a way." But this time, there seemed no way. He couldn't threaten the desk clerk because he could be arrested for verbal assault and if he laid hands on the desk clerk, the charge would be battery. Finally, Adam sighed. "I'm getting something to eat. How about you?"
"That antelope stew was mighty good—mighty good-but I could eat." Hoss slapped his belly. " 'Sides, I ain't lettin' you outta my sight. If your ass is gonna land in jail, well, I might as well be right in there with you. Actually," he said looking around, "I think one of them jail cells is bigger than this room—two cots too. Maybe we'd be better off there." Adam smiled—Hoss was probably right. "Well, let's go eat." Hoss picked up his hat, settled it on his head and they went up the stairs to the main floor.
"Sleeping in a damn basement," Adam muttered in disgust as they entered the hotel's restaurant. It wasn't busy, only a fewsolitary men sat eating and one couple sat at one of the neat, round tables with white tablecloths. The brothers took a seat and a waiter came to them and asked them what they'd like. They looked at a board with the day's fare on it.
Hoss ordered steak and eggs and Adam had beef roast with fried potatoes and peas. He was disgusted with the food as soon as he tasted it.
"The beef is stringy—that is if it's really beef—the potatoes are burned and the peas are boiled to a mush." Adam pushed his plate away and picked up the coffee, sipping it and then making a face. "And the coffee is bitter."
Hoss reached over and stabbed a forkful of Adam's discarded potatoes. He stuck them in his mouth. "Taste nice and crispy to me."
Adam was about to make a comment on Hoss' taste—or lack of-when his attention was drawn to the entrance-Evangeline Rigby stood in the middle of the drawn portieres, looking around. Adam rose and Evangeline saw him and strode over. Hoss, once he realized who Adam saw, stood as well, wiping his mouth with his napkin.
"Miss Rigby, won't you join us? Please." Adam pulled out a chair and Evangeline sat down, thanking him and acknowledging Hoss. Hoss, still chewing, nodded in return. The waiter came over and addressing Evangeline as Miss Rigby, asked if she would like anything but she declined.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner…" she looked at Hoss' plate. "Oh, my, you do have a prodigious appetite don't you?"
"Yes, he does," Adam said. "For everything. But you're here for a reason, Miss Rigby. I'm assuming your father doesn't know you're here?"
"No, he doesn't. He's retired for the night and I'm ashamed to say I snuck out. Mr. Cartwright, I …." She reached inside her reticule and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "This was written by my sister before she left that night to meet your brother. I haven't shown it to anyone else—saw no reason to and I wavered earlier about whether to show you, but, well…." She handed it to Adam. He unfolded it and read the immature script which revealed a schoolgirl's outlook on life and love.
My dearest sister,
By the time you read this, I shall be Mrs. Joseph Cartwright and on my way to meet my in-laws in Nevada. Evie, I am so happy! I tried to tell you before I left but you were charming Frank on the front porch and I didn't want to interrupt. So did he finally kiss you, Evie? If he has, I'm happy for you, sister, and the pleasure you felt is only a taste of what it's like when Joe kisses me! Oh, Evie, share my joy with me!
I have packed a bag and will ride Maybelle for the journey; father will be upset but smooth things over for me, will you? I hope you won't be cross but I borrowed your tan and red riding habit for the trip. I will return it the next time I see you and can then give you the parting kiss I so wanted to bestow tonight as well as a kiss upon greeting you—two kisses for my darling sister!
I am meeting Joseph at Black Water Creek and then we are off to spend the rest of our lives together. True love triumphs over all impediments! Nothing is more important in life than romantic passion and I have it—at last. I have become one of the heroines in the novels we so enjoyed reading.
I hope that you and father will come visit us once we are settled. Oh, Evie, I am exultant as I will be the mistress of a mansion sitting among regal pines and will have the handsomest husband in the world. I'm sure we will eventually have sons as fine-looking as their father. On, and I will also be rich!
My life has turned out better than I could have imagined as there is no one in Mules' Pass who I would have ever have considered as a husband. It was fate that Joe Cartwright and I met and I have never been happier. Well, at least not yet. I cannot help but blush when I think of our wedding night to come. I'm sure it will be an ecstatic experience.
Please be happy for me, sister, and explain to father what I have done. Give him a kiss for me and ask him not to worry for my sake.
All my love to you both,
Mrs. Joseph F. Cartwright.
Adam refolded the letter and handed it back to Evangeline. Knowing what he now did about young Melora Rigby, that she was on the cusp of living the type of life she dreamed about, that she held the same romantic ideals that most young girls did, her death affected him even more—it was too much like Amy Forrester's—both being young girls who had been robbed of their adulthood, of their chances to find love and happiness. And he was taken back to the day he discovered young Amy's body. His breath became caught in his throat again and his nostrils filled with the sickly-sweet smell of the fortuneteller's tent—he became light-headed again..
"I don't understand why you're showing this to me?" Adam said quietly, trying desperately to compose himself.
Evangeline slipped the letter back into her small purse. "Mr. Cartwright, if Joe wanted to kill my sister, if he had plans for it all along, why wait until after people had seen him with her so many times? Why not do it the first time he walked her home? And there's one other thing—how did the killer know where she would be? She hadn't even told me. The only person would be Joe but as I said, I don't believe he killed her. Do you think he told someone he was meeting her?"
Adam paused—the fog in his head receded and then it came to him. Were all the killings just matters of opportunity? Did the killer just roam the countryside looking for victims? Adam believed there was a pattern even in chaos. Besides, nothing a human does is completely random—nothing. Even an insane person follows what to them, is a logical thought process.
"I'll find out," Adam said. "Thank you. I should have thought of it myself."
Evangeline rose from the table and so did Hoss and Adam. "You're welcome, Mr. Cartwright, and I meant what I said. If I can be of any help…"
"You already have. Let me walk you out."
Hoss watched Adam place a hand on the small of Miss Rigby's back to guide her. Hoss smiled. That was the way it always was—Adam could charm any woman if he made even the slightest effort. Then he went back to his food. He couldn't understand how Adam could even focus on sparking a girl with an empty stomach.