The Iron Horseman (8 page)

Levi
scrubbed his face with his hands. “There’s been a lot of growth in this town
since I brought people in, Sheriff. Of those, there isn’t a single person I
wouldn’t trust with my life. Why would anyone here want to see the bank
destroyed? It’ll be an important foundation for this town.”

“That’s
what we’re trying to find out.”

“Miss
Walker,” the sheriff turned his attentions to her, “I noticed you standing near
the bank when the train first arrived this morning, and—“

“Surely,
you don’t think I had something to do with it?” she asked him point blank.

“I
certainly do not, but,” he scratched his head, “we was wondering, that well,
with your pa being a Pinkerton and all, I expect you got some of his smarts and
thought you might have seen something suspicious while you were acquainting
yourself with our little town. What do you think? Did ya?” he asked.

Cadence
thought for a good long while before answering. She was just grateful she
hadn’t become a suspect. After all, she’d only been in town one day. Of course,
Taggert and Cole had only been here as long as she had, and a number of the
railroad crew had all arrived at the same time on the same train.

“I
don’t think your culprit lives in Flat Plains.”

She’d
expected them to laugh. Most people didn’t take well to women with
ideas—especially about the law. They didn’t.

“What
do you mean?”

“Well,
everyone living here has a vested interest in seeing this little town succeed.
I think the answer lies in who doesn’t want to see it succeed. I would start by
talking to anyone new in town—including me, the Redbournes here, and the crew
who arrived this morning.”

“Nicely
said,” Levi commented.

Cadence
couldn’t help being pleased by his words.

“Wasn’t
me,” Cole said.

“Don’t
look at me.” Tag raised his hands in the air.

“Well,
everybody is pretty new here, though I have seen a few unfamiliar faces over
the last couple of days. So, who is new to town?”

“Obviously,
it wasn’t any of us,” Cadence said, offering the Redbourne brothers a little
smile—which still hurt her face. She had to stop doing that until the cuts and
bruises on her cheek and below her eye healed. “But there are plenty of people
who arrived with the train—from the engineer and conductor to the boys keeping
the engine fueled.” She didn’t mention her discreet traveling companions who
had opted to stay back on the train.

“I
guess we’ve got a little work to do, deputy,” the sheriff spoke over his
shoulder.

Cadence
tilted her head until she saw the shadow of the dark figure behind Sheriff
Richards. The short man stepped into view, but with the fading light, it was
still hard to see him fully.

“This
here is my new deputy, Mathias Horn. He’s helping me out with this
investigation.”

Each
of the men shook hands, but he simply nodded in Cadence’s direction.

“There’s
a few of ‘em staying at Emaline’s place,” Deputy Horn spoke. “Some of the
others holed up in tents behind the station, and the rest, I heard, stayed on
the train. The way I figure it, if it was somebody from the railroad, they’ll
be headed out in the morning. Why don’t we just wait and see.”

Even
in the low light, Cadence could see the sheriff’s jaw clench. The younger man,
it would appear, still had a lot to learn about keeping the law.

“Thank
you all for your time.” The sheriff tipped his hat. “Ma’am. I’m sorry to have
interrupted your supper.”

Levi
stepped forward and placed a hand on the sheriff’s shoulder. “Let us know if
there is anything else you need.”

“Your
little lady here has been a lot of help. You should keep her around,” he said,
tipping his hat before mounting his horse.

Not
him too.

Once
the sheriff and his deputy left, they headed back into the house.

“Why
would somebody from the train want to start a fire in a new bank in this newly
sprouted town?” Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She couldn’t help
it. She wanted to know what had happened.

“That’s
exactly what I intend to find out.” Levi glanced at Cadence.

Was
that admiration she saw in his eyes?

Her
heart flipped over in her chest.

This
might be a problem.

“I’ll
be right in,” Levi told the others. He wanted to sit out in the fresh cool air
and think.

Cadence
stopped at the door before heading back into the house. When she caught his
gaze, their eyes locked for a few unspoken moments, then she disappeared
inside.

Miss
Walker was as smart as a whip. With the tidbit of information she’d been given,
she’d made a solid assumption. When the sheriff had asked about the townsfolk,
Levi had gone over each of their interviews in his head. Not one would be
capable of doing such a thing. He thought of all the new people he’d met over
the last week, including the green deputy. People had been moving in from back
East since the day Flat Plains built their first permanent structure after the railroad
had moved on.

Levi
sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair. Union Pacific officials
had received some threats over the last couple of months, but had deemed them
harmless. Now, given the incidents over the past few weeks, it seemed the
rumors were true. Someone was out to sabotage the railroad and he needed to be
prepared. There were plenty of Pinkertons on their payroll. He suspected Eamon
would be first in line to get to the bottom of the trouble, but his friend was
in Bryan.

Levi
leaned against the fence and glanced out across the flat prairie. The waning
sun splashed bright pinks and orange hues across the cloud-filled sky.
Detective or not, something bothered him about the whole situation, he just
couldn’t put his finger on it.

Why
the bank?

They
were lucky no one had been seriously injured or killed.

“Levi,”
Tag practically yelled.

Levi
had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t heard his brother calling.
“Sorry. Were you speaking to me?”

“Miss
Walker has a room in town. We believed seeing her home safely would be the
correct thing to do, but didn’t think it appropriate to have you escort her
without a chaperone.”

Eamon
would kill him if anything happened to his daughter on his watch.

“And
you two are the chaperones?” Levi asked with an air of disbelief.

“I
told your brothers there was no need, but they are insisting on escorting me
back. It’s only a couple of miles. Really, I will be fine.”

“Miss
Walker, if you think for one moment that our mama raised a bunch of hooligans,
well...”

“You’d
be right,” Tag chimed in with a chuckle. “But, she taught us manners too.
You’ll have an escort back to town one way or another.”

“Well,
gentlemen
,” she emphasized, “I would be happy for the company. Thank
you.”

Levi
and his brothers headed to the stable to retrieve their horses.

“I
guess there is some adventure in what you do, big brother,” Cole acknowledged
as he opened Mav’s gate. “But I still don’t know how you can travel from town
to town without a place of your own to hang your hat.”

“Maybe
you should join me at the marriage of the rails in Utah.” Levi finished
hitching the horses to the front of the wagon.

“There
is so much I could say about that statement.” Tag led his mount out into the
yard.

“One
ride on the train with me, kid brother, and I’ll have you convinced.”

“Ha!”
Cole snorted. “One Iron Horseman in the family is plenty.”

Levi
laughed as he climbed up onto the high buckboard seat.

“Now,
you’ll come back and see us again, won’t you, dear?” Mrs. Cavanaugh was saying
as he pulled up in front of the door. She squeezed Cadence tight.

Levi
hadn’t missed the edge that had seemed to accompany Bessie’s questions and
comments all night. He’d been surprised at her unusual bite and hoped the woman
was just being protective and not a busy body. Cadence had seemed to handle her
with poise and grace.

“It
would be my pleasure,” Cadence said with a polite smile. “And thank you for
showing me your quilts. You are very talented.”

Levi
couldn’t tell for sure in this light, but he thought Bessie’s cheeks looked
even rosier than before. She was pleased. He jumped down off the wagon seat and
ran around to help Cadence up. After saying his goodbyes to the Cavanaughs, he
joined Cadence in the wagon and they pulled out behind his brothers.

Only
the sound of crickets’ songs disturbed the otherwise quiet of the ride back
into town. The silence that passed between Cadence and him seemed comfortable
somehow. While the lantern secured between the horses kept the newly worn dirt
path beneath them lit, the waning moon offered enough light for Levi to see
Cadence’s pensive expression.

“How
long has it been since you’ve seen your father?” Levi asked.

She
was quiet for some time before responding.

“My
father has been a Pinkerton for as long as I can remember. He’s been working
with the railroad since I turned fifteen. I guess it’s been a while.” Her voice
was quiet, almost reverent as she spoke. “He’s been asking me to come out here
for ages, but my mother forbade it.”

“What
changed her mind?”

“She
died.”

Silence.

He
didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but that wasn’t it.

Levi
remembered what it had been like around the ranch when Sarah, Raine’s wife,
died. He’d seen what it had done to his oldest brother. What it had done to his
whole family. He’d seen plenty of death and loss during the war. It hadn’t been
pretty, and the memories still surfaced occasionally. It had taken years to
learn to control the terror and sorrow, but Levi had been determined to go
forward and do something positive. By working for the railroad he could help
people make a new start and find hope again.

“I’m
so sorry to hear that.” Levi said quietly. He wondered if Eamon knew. He
couldn’t imagine what her life had been like—growing up with only one brother,
barely knowing her father, and then losing her mother.

“Thank
you.”

Silence.

“What
is it like having a twin?” Cadence turned to look at him, the moonlight adding
soft blue highlights to her hair.

He
chuckled, thinking of a thousand different ways he could respond to that
question. He and Tag had been inseparable growing up.

“Let’s
just say there was never a dull moment around Redbourne Ranch.”

“Troublemakers,
huh?” she asked, a smile in her voice.

“Something
like that.”

When
they reached town, there was only a small glimmer of light coming from the
livery door. Levi climbed down, walked around to the other side, and held up
his hand for Cadence. Her foot caught on the metal step and she toppled awkwardly
into him. His heart beat a little faster, but he wasn’t sure if it was simply
from trying to catch her or if it was from the warm feel of her against him.

She
looked up.

“Here
you are.” Levi set her on the ground.

Cadence’s
fingers lingered on his chest before she pushed herself away from him and over
to where his brothers were tying their horses to a hitching post.

“It
was very nice to meet you, Mr. Cole Redbourne,” Cadence nodded at his younger
brother, “and Mr. Taggert Redbourne.” She extended her hand to them.

“The
pleasure was all ours,” Cole said, stepping forward, clasping her hand in his,
and bringing it up to his lips.

Levi
laughed.

He
pushed Cole away and kicked the air behind him as he followed Tag toward the
livery with the wagon. Levi walked Cadence across the street to the door of the
hotel. She stepped up onto the boardwalk and looked back at him.