Deadlier Than the Rest Read online

  ******

  Connor took a seat at the only empty table, ordering his usual from the man who walked out from the kitchen. The food was good but he returned for one reason, to see the red haired woman who worked there. He didn’t even know her name, yet she drew him like no woman he’d known in a long time. It was just a way to pass the time while he searched for his sister—at least that’s what he told himself.

  “You’ve been coming in pretty regular the last week. Thought I’d better introduce myself.” The older man wearing a well-used apron stuck out his hand. “I’m Jasper Bing. I own this place.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bing. I’m Connor MacLaren.”

  “Call me Jasper.” He watched as two customers dropped money on their table and left. “You like the food or is there some other reason you keep coming back?”

  The man was direct. Connor liked that. “Both. Food’s good and your help is easy on the eyes.” He took a sip of coffee and eyed Jasper over the rim of his cup.

  “I see. Well, I got to tell you that Grace is a nice girl and works hard. She’s been a real good addition to the restaurant. Customers like her and she’s dependable.”

  Grace, huh. At least he had a name. “I can see that, Jasper.” Connor wondered if there was some hidden meaning in Jasper’s words. Jasper didn’t let him wonder for long.

  “Lots of men come in here and watch her. A few have asked about her. I can tell you she’s got no use for men. Don’t know her reasons, it’s just the way it is. That girl keeps to herself more than any woman I know.”

  Connor sat back and eyed the man. He wasn’t used to anyone questioning him about his actions or motives. Most people stayed away. He’d been told he had a look about him that warned people off, made them wary. Maybe that was true, he didn’t know. But one thing for certain, he didn’t like being cautioned off anyone.

  “Thanks for the advice, Jasper. Tell you what, if I get to the point that I can’t resist your pretty little server, I’ll be sure to let you know.” Connor didn’t smile, just drank the remainder of his coffee and placed the empty cup on the table. “Nice to meet you.” He threw some coins down and walked out, leaving Jasper to wonder what had just happened.

  Connor was becoming more and more frustrated with his search, and the conversation with Jasper had increased his irritation. Not only had Grace not been at the restaurant but the owner had warned him off. Hell, all he wanted was to look. Connor enjoyed watching her and the way he made her uncomfortable. Whatever the reason, making her blush brought some sunshine to his otherwise grim life.

  The dinner he’d had with Smith the day after the men’s gathering brought him nothing. Although Parley listened to Connor’s story, the man was adamant he didn’t recognize the person in the sketch. He offered to pass it around if a copy was made. Connor had been a range detective and lawman before that. The man was lying, he knew it. That left him with one choice. He knew where Parley worked and he’d find where the man lived. Then he’d have him followed. Fred Helms and Roy Crowley were itching to make something happen. At some point Parley would make contact with the man in the sketch, Connor was convinced of it.

  He rode to a small general store several blocks from the restaurant. He’d learned that one of the men from the meeting owned the place. He was a staunch opponent to the new law and was the one who’d mentioned a name—Moser. Connor had no reason to believe that Moser was the man he sought, but it was a start. And he was desperate for anything that would lead him to Meggie.

  There was a bell over the door that chimed as Connor entered, announcing his presence. “Be right with you,” a man called from the back room.

  Connor busied himself looking at some of the items. It was basic, as stores went, with none of the luxury items you’d expect in the fancier emporiums. He picked up a woman’s hat with an emerald green ribbon. As he held it an image of Grace crossed his mind and the hat fell from his hand. He stared at it and shook his head as if to erase the image.

  “May I help you?”

  Connor looked at the same man he remembered from the meeting—medium height with thinning brown hair and a thin mustache. “I need some shave cream and a couple of boxes of forty-fives.”

  The man set the shaving cream on the counter. “The ammunition is in the back.” He was gone a minute then placed the two boxes down. “Anything else?”

  “That’s it.”

  The man named a price and Connor counted out the money before grabbing his purchases. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He placed the items down and pulled the sketch from his pocket. “Wonder if you recognize this man.”

  The moment the man’s eyes focused on the paper they widened. He was unable to hide the surprise that registered on his face. “Uh, what do you want him for?”

  “So you know him?”

  “Didn’t say that, mister. Just wondered why you’d be looking for him.” The man was flustered. That was a good sign.

  “Nothing much. Just want to speak with him.” Connor settled his hip against the counter and waited.

  The man’s eyes shifted to the image.

  Connor could see sweat form on the man’s forehead. Got you, Connor thought.

  “Uh, no, sorry. I don’t know the man.”

  “You’re sure? There’s no possible way you’ve ever seen this man?”

  “No, I’m quite sure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work in the back I need to finish.” The man disappeared behind a curtain.

  Connor tucked the drawing back in his pocket and left. He turned his horse away from the store, then a block later circled around to the alley, and waited. Within ten minutes, the man emerged, slipped on his coat, and climbed into a wagon. Connor stayed close enough to follow but far enough back so the man wouldn’t notice him. It didn’t take long before the man stopped in front of a jewelry store on a main street. He jumped down and rushed into the building, not noticing that Connor sat atop his horse a few yards away.

  He peered through the window to see three men speaking near the back counter, the one from the general store waving his hands, and the others listening, their faces etched with concern. An older, tall man walked away, then rejoined the other two. They continued speaking for a few minutes before the owner of the general store walked out.

  Connor stepped away a few yards and waited. Half an hour, then an hour passed, but no one else left the jeweler’s. He stayed a little longer, then left, heading to his meeting with Roy and Fred.

  He rode Crusader toward the hotel, where the two detectives would be waiting. It was early afternoon and the streets were crowded. The hotel was just a block away, a few doors down from another saloon and a small bank. As he passed the bank he saw a man trying to conceal the gun at his side while closing the entry doors. Connor watched as the shades were closed. He checked the large clock above the bank’s entrance. Two o’clock. Too early for them to close. Something wasn’t right.

  He guided his horse down the adjacent alley and slid off, pulling his Colt from its holster. Three horses were positioned a few yards away. He guessed they belonged to the robbers.

  Connor made his way to a side window. Inside were three men, all with guns pointed at the teller, a man who Connor guessed to be the bank manager, and two customers, both women. The teller was pulling money from a drawer and placing it inside a sack.

  Connor dashed over to a back entrance. He turned the knob and the door popped open. Instead of leading him into the bank lobby it opened into a hallway with additional doors. One he presumed would open into the bank. He knelt before one, then another, looking through the keyhole. The door he sought was the third one. Again, the door opened with one turn. He slid through the opening.

  “Hurry up, old man,” one of the robbers shouted at the teller.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Connor could hear the voices as he inched his way along a back wall, trying to get a better view. He rounded a corner and found he was five feet from one of the robbers—the one who held his gun on
the two women.

  “Maybe we should take one of these women with us, as a hostage,” the man yelled over to the others.

  “Shut up, Del,” one replied.

  “Here,” the teller said and pushed the sack toward the outlaw holding a gun on him.

  The three started toward the back door. They’d have to walk right past where Connor stood.

  He moved back to the hallway, pulled open a door, and ducked out of sight. The three robbers ran from the bank, into the hall, and outside toward their horses. Connor followed, but stayed behind the alley door. Before the men could mount, Connor aimed and fired, then fired once more. Two of the outlaws lay on the ground.

  The third skirted around his horse, using it as a shield.

  “Put your gun down. There’s just one way out of here and that’s right past me. You’ll never make it,” Connor shouted.

  The answer was a gunshot that split the wood above his head. Connor held. He could wait the man out until the sheriff arrived.

  “You got them?” a voice said from behind Connor.

  He looked to see the sheriff standing a few feet away. The same person he’d met the night he’d killed the angry saloon patron.

  “Yeah. Got two of them, but the third is still out there.”

  “I have a deputy at the entrance to the alley. Even if he makes it on his horse, he can’t get past my man.”

  Just then the robber threw himself over his horse, stayed low, and tried to ride out. Connor raised his gun and fired. The last outlaw fell to the ground. He walked with the sheriff to check the bodies. All dead. The lawman glanced up at Connor.

  “How long you in town for, MacLaren?”

  “As long as it takes to find my sister.”

  “Not that I’m not obliged for your help today, but we haven’t had this many killings in months. Now there’s been four in a week, all by you. Might be best if you finished your business and left.”

  Connor nodded, mounted Crusader, and rode down the street to the hotel.

  Chapter Six

  Fred and Roy waited for Connor at a corner table in the hotel dining room. They’d been meeting with the marshal and the few town leaders who weren’t Mormon, passing around the sketch, and pressing for information.

  “What do you make of it?” Roy asked as he scanned the lists of names he’d compiled. They checked each man off the list once he’d seen the drawing. “Out of all these people there’s only two who think he looks familiar. Neither knew a name.”

  “I think the man stays to himself, lives outside of town, and frequents only establishments owned by people he knows well.” Fred stopped as Connor approached their table and took a seat.

  “Anything?” Roy asked.

  “Maybe. I’ll need your help.” Connor ordered dinner from the server who’d walked up. Once she’d left, he continued explaining his experience at the general store and what he’d observed at the jeweler’s. He’d gotten the store owner’s name from the millinery next door and provided it to the two men. “One of the three will get in touch with the man in the drawing, I don’t believe they’ll wait long. Seeing the face in the sketch shook up the owner of the general store. It wasn’t more than ten minutes before he left to meet the others.”

  “Roy and I’ll work out following the owner of the general store and Smith. They’ve both seen you, so it’s better if we follow them. What about the jeweler? You said his name’s Wallace?” Fred asked.

  “Yeah. I’ll stay on him. What about the others you were meeting with, Roy?”

  “Two men thought they recognized the face but didn’t have a name. Appears our man stays within a small circle.”

  “Anyone mention the name, Moser?”

  “No. They’ve heard of Parley Smith, though. Apparently the man’s pretty high up in the local leadership. He’s friendly with those outside the church, but no one knows much else about him, except he practices law. Smith is one of the Mormon leaders trying to work out how to divide families. Rumor is he has three wives of his own.” Fred threw his napkin down and leaned back in his chair. “Interesting dilemma for these folks.”

  “Yeah, the marshal’s in the thick of it. Arrested two men this week on charges of polygamy. The government sent in about a dozen more lawmen to help out. Guess they expect more arrests of those who refuse to go along with the new regulation. One man we spoke with expects their church will hunker down to protect their own for as long as they can,” Roy said.

  “From what I heard at the meeting, there are those who plan to defy the order and go underground. Our man will be part of that faction.” Connor pushed back from the table. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out to watch Wallace. I’ll be in touch.”

  ******

  Grace had gotten up early. She’d made friends with one of the customers at the restaurant. She was an older widow who owned a good-sized ranch outside of town, but also kept a place not far from where Grace lived. Grace figured the woman was in her late fifties, but you wouldn’t know it from watching her. She preferred to ride her horse and wore pants instead of a skirt. Ruth Dix was a woman who knew her own mind and lived life the way she wanted. Grace admired her a great deal.

  Ruth had offered to let Grace borrow of one of the horses the woman kept in town. Her small house was on a half-acre, fenced all around, with a corral and stable in the back. There was room for a wagon, but not much else. Her husband had set it up years ago so they’d have a place in town when he needed to come in for business. His ranch was too far out to travel back and forth in a day and it had become their getaway when they wanted privacy. With five children, all grown and living around the ranch property, Ruth now stayed in town a week or two each month and always made it a point to visit Grace.

  The morning had gone by fast. She rode through the countryside recalling the numerous trips to town the wives and children had made with Jeremiah before he’d decided that isolation was the best way to keep them safe. At least that’s how he’d phrased it. It was late morning when she spotted the farmhouse indicating she’d made it to Moser’s property. Grace spotted a couple of horses grazing, about half a dozen cows, and the pigpen. He kept three or four pigs plus a few dozen chickens for the family’s use. The animals and the garden provided most of their food.

  She dismounted and tied her horse to a nearby branch. The rest of the way would be on foot. Grace knew the place by heart, every bush and tree, the stream, and how the pastures were laid out. She’d come today for one reason—to see Meggie and make sure she was all right. The memory of the morning she’d left, snuck out without her friend, still caused a ball to form in her gut. At the time, it had been the only way to break free. Now she wished she’d taken Meggie with her.

  Jeremiah had always treated the youngest wife in a different manner than the rest. Although he’d never beaten or purposely inflicted pain on Grace, she knew he’d been rough on Meggie. He’d always seen her as different—more of a throwaway than the other three. Grace had left to get away from the absolute control he exerted over the family. Meggie needed to leave for her own safety. Someday Jeremiah would go too far and Grace was determined to get her friend away before that day came.

  She hid in the trees and waited. When she continued to see no activity she crept forward, staying low but moving as fast as she could. A door slammed. She looked up to see the three girls storm out of the house and run toward the back of the barn. They must have just broken from their morning lesson with Meggie. Now it was time to play.

  Grace hunkered down. She knew Meggie would be out within minutes of the children leaving. It was her job to keep them schooled, entertained, bathed, and clothed. Nina and Ada tended to the household needs and garden, while Jeremiah took care of the animals.

  Within a couple of minutes Grace spotted her friend open the back door. She held it ajar a moment before stepping out and closing it behind her. She followed the same path as the children, disappearing behind the barn.

  Not a minute later Jeremiah appeared
at the door with Ada. “Meggie, come back here. Ada’s going to watch the girls.”

  Meggie walked from behind the barn to see Ada strolling toward her. “No need, Jeremiah. I can watch them. I have a new game I’d like to teach them.” Grace could hear the combination of hope and fear in Meggie’s voice.

  “I said Ada will watch them. You come into the house. Now.” Jeremiah’s command and meaning were clear.

  Meggie left the children, passing Ada who looked at her with sympathy. There was nothing anyone could do when Jeremiah gave an order. The youngest wife walked up the steps, ignoring her husband who held the door open. It slammed behind her like a death knell.

  Grace’s gut clenched. She knew why Jeremiah had called Meggie to the house, and could almost imagine what was happening right now in his upstairs bedroom. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Grace looked down to see both hands clutching her dress in tight fists. She said a silent prayer and made up her mind—this would be the last week Meggie spent in that house with that man.

  ******

  “You go to your room now. Clean up then come down to help Nina with supper.” Jeremiah’s voice was curt as he buttoned his trousers and pulled his suspenders back up over his shoulders. He looked at the girl, his youngest wife, and shook his head. She sure wasn’t strong. Not like the women at the brothel he used to frequent. But she was what God had provided and he was going to take advantage of it. “You hear me?” he glared at her.

  “Yes, I hear you. Give me a minute and I’ll get dressed.” Meggie didn’t mean to leave the security of the covers until her husband had left the room. She heard the door close and looked up. He was gone. She reached for her dress and chemise, quickly put each on, then silently walked to her room a couple of doors away.