Authors: Connie Mason
Belle glanced at her wedding ring again and couldn’t help wondering if she and Casey would have married eventually if he hadn’t betrayed her. There were so many things to admire about Casey. Her body remembered his lovemaking. His tenderness had moved her and his sincerity at the time had seemed so real. She was so torn where Casey was concerned she no longer knew what she felt for him.
Love. Absolutely not, she thought. Well, maybe she had fancied herself in love with him at one time, but no longer. She knew he was loyal to his family by the way he had fought for his brother’s freedom. His loyalty to Mark was one of the reasons she had agreed to the marriage. It was an admirable quality, one she hoped would work in Tommy’s favor.
The sound of footsteps pulled Belle from her mental musings. She rushed to the bars and felt a rush of warmth when she saw Casey striding toward her. He wasn’t alone. He carried Tommy in his arms, and Belle was nearly overcome with joy when she saw her son.
“Tommy! Oh, my God, Tommy!” Tears flowed down Belle’s pale cheeks as she reached out to touch her son.
Tommy’s arms stretched through the bars to hug his mother, and they clung to one another with almost desperate urgency. When the first tide of emotional upheaval had washed over them, Belle turned her solemn gaze to Casey.
“Does this mean the judge made you Tommy’s guardian?”
“It does. I’ve been appointed Tommy’s guardian and overseer of his estate,” Casey added wryly. “I got more than I bargained for.”
Belle stared at him. Did that mean Casey had permission to spend Tommy’s money as he saw fit? Is that what he’d been after all along?
Casey must have read her thoughts for he said softly, chillingly, “You’re wrong, Belle.” Suddenly Casey had had enough. He was so damn sick of her accusations and so tired of trying to prove his worth, that he no longer cared what she thought. He’d continue his efforts to find McAllister’s killer, and he’d care for Tommy because he truly loved the boy, but he was through trying to prove his worth to a woman who didn’t love him and never would.
Casey had made a good living as a detective before Belle came into his life. Once he’d established Belle’s innocence she could do as she pleased.
“I … I didn’t mean …” Belle knew she had hurt Casey and felt a stab of guilt.
“I know what you meant. I’ll leave you and Tommy alone for a spell and return for him later. We’re staying in your father-in-law’s home. It’s Tommy’s home now, and as good a place as any to live. You can decide what you want to do with the house after you are freed.”
Casey turned and walked away. Before Belle could call him back or offer a proper thank you, Tommy was clamoring for her attention.
Casey, Mark, and Tommy moved into the McAllister mansion after Tommy’s visit with his mother. Wan Yo joined them later, happy to be reunited with his young charge. The first person to be dismissed was Miss Grundig. The two maids were next to go.
Each was given severance pay and a bonus. Kellerman had already moved into other quarters. The cook, who was Chinese and whom Wan Yo knew, was allowed to remain. Mark was placed in charge of hiring sufficient staff to run the place, and Wan Yo was given complete control of the household.
The following day Crowley came by with papers for Casey to sign, making the guardianship legal. Casey visited the bank shortly afterward and was briefed by Mr. Engle concerning Tommy’s inheritance. Casey left the bank in a daze, thinking he should have remained a simple detective with nothing to complicate his life save solving cases.
Still upset with Belle, Casey decided not to visit the jailhouse, assigning Mark the task of taking Tommy to visit his mother.
If Belle was surprised to see that Mark had brought Tommy instead of Casey, she was too happy to see her son to remark on it. Mark lounged against the wall, listening to the conversation between Belle and her son.
“I didn’t like the orphanage, Mama. I don’t ever want to go back. Casey said I didn’t have to.”
“You’re fond of Casey, aren’t you, Tommy?”
“He’s my new papa,” Tommy said proudly. “Wan Yo moved in with us. And Casey fired that old nurse. She smacked me when I told her I didn’t want to stay with Grandfather.”
Tears sprang to Belle’s eyes. “I want you to be a good boy for Casey, Tommy. It might be a long time before Mama can come home.”
Tommy searched her face. “Casey said you’d be home soon and I believe him.”
Belle could have cheerfully strangled Casey for giving Tommy false hopes. “I just want you to be
prepared if Casey is wrong. Just remember that I love you.”
Mark felt moved to speak in Casey’s defense. “Casey doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean, Belle. He’s working very hard to gather the evidence to set you free. If you recall, he refused to accept my guilty verdict. I’m living proof of Casey’s determination.”
“I respect your loyalty, Mark. I’d expect no less from Casey’s brother. But we both know I’m doomed. Unlike your case, there is no witness to testify to my innocence.”
She wanted to ask where Casey was, but didn’t. She knew she had angered him yesterday and couldn’t blame him for avoiding her. She truly was grateful to Casey. She didn’t know why she continued to harbor doubts about him, after he had done so much for her and still continued to work in her behalf. She supposed it was because she wouldn’t be in this position in the first place if Casey hadn’t led McAllister’s men to her.
“Don’t give up,” Mark encouraged. “Casey will get you out of this.”
After promising to return again the next day, Mark and Tommy left the jailhouse. Belle waved them off with a misty smile.
Casey spent the following days poring over old newspapers and documents pertaining directly to T.J. McAllister’s business dealings. He found one piece of information that intrigued him. The winery wasn’t McAllister’s first venture into the business world. Years earlier McAllister bought one-third interest in a gold mine. Eventually it produced a fortune before playing out. McAllister’s two partners in the venture were Harry Hopkins and Arnold
Jones. Hopkins had sold his interest to McAllister and disappeared before the rich vein had been discovered. Jones had died in a mine accident, and McAllister had purchased Jones’s share from his widow.
Later that week Casey’s anger had cooled sufficiently for him to visit Belle without losing control.
“Have you been enjoying your visits with Tommy?” He searched her face and found his answer. “Yes, I can see you have.”
“I … didn’t thank you properly. I truly am grateful, Casey. I wouldn’t have agreed to this marriage if I didn’t believe you’d take good care of Tommy.”
“Yeah, the lesser of two evils,” Casey said with a hint of sarcasm. “I’m through trying to prove myself to you, Belle. A man can be pushed only so far and I’ve reached my limit. Once you’re free I won’t stick around where I’m not wanted. I’ve come to ask a question of you. Did you ever hear Tom mention either Harry Hopkins or Arnold Jones?”
Belle repeated the names. “Hopkins does sound familiar but I don’t think I ever heard Tom mention anyone bearing those names. Is it important?”
“It could be. I’ve run across the names a time or two in my investigation and they aroused my curiosity. I have a nose for these things. Send for me immediately if you think of something or remember the names in connection with McAllister. I’d best get on with my investigation, I have another lead or two to follow.”
“It doesn’t look good, does it? My trial is in seven days and you have found nothing to prove I didn’t kill my father-in-law.”
“You give up too easily and have too little faith.
I’m not going to let you go to prison.” Turning abruptly, he stalked off.
Prison. The word brought a rush of fear and the bitter taste of bile to her mouth. She clutched her stomach, trying to keep from spewing out its meager contents. She’d heard vile things about prison, and how women prisoners were treated. Maybe Casey was right. Maybe she did give up too easily. Perhaps she should have more faith in her husband.
Husband
. It was difficult to think of Casey as her husband, and more reasonable to consider him as the man she had married for Tommy’s sake. The sickness building inside Belle finally erupted and she reached the slop bucket without a moment to spare.
The longer Casey dug into McAllister’s past the more he became convinced that Harry Hopkins was the key to the case. He had too much experience in the field of investigation not to trust his gut feeling about such things. With less than a week before Belle’s trial, he had no idea where to look for the man, or if he was even in San Francisco. The first thing he did was place an ad in the newspaper, requesting one Harry Hopkins to contact him at the address of the late T.J. McAllister, stating that it was a matter of life and death. While he waited for a response, he and Mark each took different streets and made the rounds of cheap inns and boarding houses in the area.
It was during this time that Belle recalled where and when she had encountered Hopkins, and she told Mark when he brought Tommy for his daily visit that she needed to see Casey. Casey arrived at the jailhouse a short time later.
“Mark said you remembered something,” Casey said, staring at her with an intensity that made Belle’s throat go dry.
The reason for Casey’s scrutiny was due to the fact that Belle looked unwell. Her pasty complexion alarmed him. He hadn’t seen her in days and she appeared to have lost weight. His concern turned to fear. Could she have caught something in this pest-ridden place? “What’s wrong? Are you sick? You should have said something. I would have sent a doctor around to look at you.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Perhaps jail food doesn’t agree with me. I haven’t been able to keep much of it down lately.”
Casey’s concern increased. He
had
to get Belle out of here before she wasted away. “Mark said you remembered something about Harry Hopkins.”
“After you returned to Arizona I took to lingering outside at the McAllister house, hoping for a glimpse of Tommy. One day I saw Tommy leave the house and get into a carriage with his nurse and his grandfather. I ran beside the carriage, calling Tommy’s name. The carriage didn’t stop and I was hurled to the ground.”
“The bastard,” Casey bit out, smacking the clenched fist of one hand against the open palm of the other.
“A man appeared from nowhere and came to my aid,” Belle continued. “He said his name was Harry Hopkins, and that he used to know my father-in-law.”
“I knew it!” Casey all but shouted. “Did he say where he was staying? Did he mention …”
“He didn’t say anything else,” Belle interrupted.
“I thanked him and he left as suddenly as he had appeared. I don’t know where he came from but I got the impression that he was there for a purpose.”
“It’s been a month since T.J. was murdered. If Hopkins knew anything about McAllister’s death he would have come forward. Unless …” Casey grew thoughtful as some of the pieces of his investigation fell into place.
“What do you think it means?” Belle tried not to show her disappointment. After all, what could she expect? Harry Hopkins wasn’t a suspect, merely an acquaintance from McAllister’s past. Casey wasn’t a miracle worker.
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” He didn’t want to give her hope where none existed.
“I don’t expect anything to come of this, I just thought you should know,” Belle said.
Distracted by this small breakthrough, Casey nodded absently. “I have to go, Belle. There is a lot of work to be done yet before your trial.”
He would have liked to kiss her but knew Belle wouldn’t welcome his attention. She’d made it abundantly clear from the moment Tommy had been abducted that she didn’t want him, didn’t trust him, and felt nothing for him. And she looked so ill he feared kissing her would add to her distress. His kisses hadn’t always upset Belle, he recalled. At one time she had enjoyed them.
He turned to leave, feeling sadness and regret at the sorry state of their relationship.
“Casey!”
He stopped and looked back over his shoulder, waiting, hopeful, needing to hear the words he longed for.
“Tommy appears happy with you. No matter
what happens between us I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Bitter disappointment made his voice gruff. It wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for. “Not grateful enough to forgive me for something that’s not entirely my fault.” Then he whirled on his heels and left.
Belle wanted to call him back but something stopped her. What was the use anyway? A long prison term was inevitable and her marriage to Casey would soon be even more of a farce than it already was. The terrifying thought of prison life brought a spurt of nausea into her mouth and she reached for the slop bucket again.
The next day Casey found Harry Hopkins. He had taken a room at a rundown boarding house close to the waterfront. Casey had arrived at dinner time and the landlady had pointed Hopkins out as he sat at the table with his fellow boarders. Jubilant over his success, Casey waited until the meal was concluded before asking the landlady to inform Hopkins he had a visitor waiting in the parlor. When Casey finally faced Hopkins, his gut told him he had found his murderer.
It would have helped had Hopkins looked more like a killer, Casey thought. Hopkins was of medium height, too thin to be considered healthy, and had a sickly gray complexion. His shoulders were bent beneath the cheap material of his jacket, and in both posture and looks he appeared to be at least sixty-five years old.
“Who are you?” he asked uncertainly. “I don’t know many people in San Francisco anymore. I’ve been away.”
“Sit down, Mr. Hopkins,” Casey invited. “My name is Casey Walker. I’m a private investigator.”
Hopkins looked startled. “What do you want with me?”
“The answer to a few questions. To begin with, did you know T.J. McAllister?”
Hopkins sank into the nearest chair. “I did at one time.”
“Did you know he’d been murdered?”
“Read it in the papers.”
“And are you aware that a young woman has been charged with the murder?”
“What are you getting at?”
“The young woman isn’t guilty.”