Love in Disguise (27 page)

Steven drew back, startled. “What about your aunt?”

Jessie pulled her hand away and wrapped it around her reticule. “She . . . she and my parents had been estranged for some time. It’s only recently that we’ve regained contact.”

She scrambled to her feet. “I had no idea it was getting so late. Our cousin is coming for dinner, so I need to get back to the house.”

He started to rise. “Let me escort you.”

“No, don’t bother. You needed some time alone. I can make my way back on my own.” With that, she hurried toward the path, dabbing at her eyes with her fingertips.

She disappeared into the trees a moment later, and Steven listened until her footfalls faded and silence reigned again.

Did she realize how much of herself she had revealed in those few sentences? Steven picked up a chunk of wood lying at his feet and turned it between his fingers, deep in thought. In the short time he’d known Jessie, he’d seen her shift from charming conversationalist to reckless thrill-seeker to sympathetic listener. But never once had he suspected she’d experienced such tragedy. Maybe that explained the contradictions in her manner.

He’d assumed her relationship with Lavinia was one of long standing, but obviously that wasn’t the case. Did that explain the tension between them? Maybe Jessie harbored some resentment about not being reared by her family after her parents’ death.

He stood and flung the chunk of wood into the flowing water below and watched it float downstream. Jessie had seemed different today. Softer, more open than he’d ever seen her before. He felt like he’d gotten a glimpse of the woman beneath the saucy exterior for the first time. And he felt drawn to what he saw, no doubt about it.

But then there was the way she behaved around Bascomb and Jake—not to mention her foray into the Palace. He didn’t want to let his heart become ensnared by a woman who was wrong for him.

Today, though, she’d exhibited some of Lavinia’s compassion and gentleness. How wonderful it would be if Jessie’s zest for life and Lavinia’s finer qualities could be found in the same woman. If that were the case, he could easily lose himself in those blue-green eyes forever.

21

E
llie pushed her spectacles higher on her nose as she turned left on Grant Street and wondered what Ted had in store for her that morning. Over the past four days, he had put her through her paces, not only repeating her shooting lessons by the river, but training her in various techniques of observation, ways to ask leading questions, and the finer points of shadowing a suspect.

At first the exercises proved stimulating, but as time wore on, she felt increasingly overwhelmed by the need to remember everything she’d learned. What could be left? She couldn’t imagine, but she had no doubt Ted would have more information to impart. The man seemed to be a never-ending fount of knowledge in the craft of detection, one who was willing to share his wisdom freely.

And that offered her a ray of hope. Surely he wouldn’t invest so much time with her if he planned to recommend her dismissal. But he remained closemouthed about his intentions every time she broached the subject.

When she reached the hotel lobby, she found Ted leaning against the counter watching Donald retrieve a rope from the floor.

Ted waved her over. “You have to see this.”

Donald’s face glowed as his audience doubled. Handing the rope to Ellie, he said, “Pass the rope under the arm of this chair, then cross the ends over the top.”

Mystified, Ellie did as directed.

Donald placed his wrists on top of the rope. “Now tie my hands together. Pull the knot as tight as you can.”

Ellie threw a questioning glance Ted’s way but received only an amused smile in response. Still puzzled, she tied a secure knot, then stepped back.

Donald turned to Ted. “Would you cover my hands with that towel?”

No sooner had Ted complied than Donald pulled his hands free, picked up the towel, and folded it over his arm.

Ellie stared, openmouthed. “However did you manage that?”

Donald gave a small bow. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

She turned to Ted, who merely chuckled. “It’s amazing how much a person can do with a little sleight of hand.” He lowered his eyelid in a conspiratorial wink.

Ellie held back a smile. He was a nice man. However things turned out, she couldn’t complain about Ted’s treatment of her. He had shown her nothing but kindness and respect.

The lobby opened, and a couple approached the counter. While Donald moved to register his new guests, Ellie looked up at Ted, trying to appear more enthusiastic than she felt. “What do you have planned for us today?”

“Today, dear cousin, I must take my leave.” Ted reached down and picked up a carpetbag Ellie hadn’t noticed earlier.

“You’re going? Now?”

Ted broke into a low chuckle at her surprise. “Yes, it’s high time I was getting back to Denver.” He crooked his elbow at her. “Would you care to stroll to the depot with me?”

Ellie took his arm, so nervous she could scarcely breathe. “Have you sent in your final report?” she asked in a low voice.

“Not yet. I will send it in Benson, before boarding the train—away from prying eyes.” He nodded and set off in the direction of the depot.

Not a word about her needing to start looking for new employment? Mustering up her courage, Ellie tugged him to a stop and faced him directly. “What will you tell them?”

Crinkles formed at the corners of Ted’s eyes. “If anyone had told me before I came here about this scheme you’ve cooked up, I would have said it was a recipe for disaster.”

Ellie drew a deep breath and braced herself for the worst.

“I’m still not convinced your plan will work, but one thing I am sure of . . . if anyone can pull it off, you’re the one to do it.”

Ellie clung to his arm, afraid her legs might give way. “Then you aren’t taking me off the case?”

“I will recommend they give you more time. We all needed a while to learn the ropes. You’ve already done a good job establishing yourself with the townspeople. Now that you have a better idea of how to carry out an investigation, I have a feeling you’ll do fine.”

They reached the depot, where the stage stood waiting, and Ted handed his carpetbag to the driver. Drawing her away from listening ears, he added, “If you carry it off successfully, this should be a great coup for you. It will rock them back on their heels in Chicago.”

Tears blurred Ellie’s vision, and she blinked them away. “I can’t thank you enough—”

He dismissed her gratitude with a wave of his hand and led her back toward the stage, where he bent to give her a hug. “Good-bye, dear Lavinia. I can’t remember when I’ve had a more pleasant visit.”

Ellie recovered enough to call out to him as he climbed into the stagecoach. “Have a safe journey, Theodore. And give my best to the family.” She waved her handkerchief until the coach was out of sight, then squared her shoulders. She had been given a second chance. It was time to prove herself.

Ellie pushed open the door of the Grand Hotel and stepped inside the lobby for the second time that day. “Hello again.”

Donald looked up from polishing a brass sconce near the doorway to the dining room. “Mornin’, Mrs. Stewart. Good to have you back.” He took a second look at her and crossed the lobby and reached out as if to brush something off her collar. “What have we here?” Withdrawing his hand, he held up a gold piece before palming it and returning it to his pocket.

Ellie stared in astonishment, then burst out laughing. “What a wonderful trick! You’re very clever with your hands, Donald. If only money would really materialize out of thin air like that.”

She peered around, disappointed not to see any sign of Myra. “How is your wife today?”

Donald shook his head and tucked the dustcloth into his back pocket. “Not so well, I’m afraid. She has good moments from time to time, but on the whole she seems to be getting weaker.”

“I’m so sorry.” At a loss for anything more comforting to say, Ellie gave him a solicitous pat on the shoulder. Up close, she could see the fine worry lines that creased his forehead. “I guess she isn’t up to coming out for a visit?”

“She’s sleeping right now. Has been doing that more and more. She’s enjoying that book you dropped off, though. She reads it whenever she’s awake. Says it helps her pass the time and gives her something pleasant to think about.”

“I’m glad. I hope she regains some strength soon.” Ellie paused a moment. “Do you mind if I sit here and knit awhile? After having my cousin around the last few days, and with Jessie out most of the day, my house seems too quiet right now.”

Donald pulled out the dustrag again and flicked it over an already spotless spindle-leg table. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be puttering around here, so let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” On impulse she decided to ask for something that would greatly assist her surveillance. “Mr. Tidwell, the breeze is lovely. Would you mind if I opened this window?”

“Not a problem, the lobby could use a little fresh air. Let me get that for you.”

As he raised the window, Ellie repositioned one of the upholstered chairs to give herself the widest viewing angle possible. “Thank you. I do enjoy watching people pass by.” True enough, but not for the reason he might think.

She settled herself in the chair, feeling a quiver of anticipation. After her haphazard attempts at sleuthing, the thought of putting Ted’s advice into practice exhilarated her. The one bit of counsel she chose not to accept was his admonition to carry the gun with her. That she simply could not bring herself to do.

After talking it over with Ted, she had decided to let her characters work in shifts. Lavinia would take the morning hours, letting her use her observation post at the hotel to best advantage. She would save Jessie’s appearances for the afternoons and evenings, when those involved in Pickford’s seamier side would be more likely to be available to talk with the younger woman.

She set her knitting bag at her feet and pulled out the tan scarf she’d started the night before. She slipped the soft yarn from one needle to the other, grateful for the simple pattern that let her fingers work without much thought on her part while she focused the bulk of her attention on the goings-on outside.

Keeping Ted’s lessons in mind, she kept a close watch on the passersby, alert for any suspicious activity or anyone who looked more prosperous than they should. Three matrons entered and exited the mercantile. Ellie scrunched her lips and shook her head. Everything about them looked quite normal.

A couple of miners made their way back from the saloon district, talking about a new singer who graced the stage at the Palace. They didn’t seem to be plotting anything other than their own degradation. And they certainly gave no appearance of having an abundance of cash. If they did, they would surely have been able to afford clothes with fewer holes and look like they’d bathed sometime within recent memory.

Ellie sighed and turned her knitting to begin a new row. Ted had warned her that surveillance required patient vigilance, but he hadn’t mentioned how utterly tedious it could become. Her fingers found a hole where she had dropped a stitch, and she bent her head to go back and correct her mistake.

She jumped when the hotel door banged opened, and she looked up to see the man whose tryst she’d interrupted stride into the lobby. Ellie averted her face, wishing she could make herself invisible.

He glanced her way, and she caught sight of piercing dark eyes that regarded her with distaste. She swallowed hard and avoided his gaze until he moved beyond her field of vision.

A flicker of movement caught Ellie’s eye when he rapped on the desk. Looking up, she noticed the mirror that hung near the door to the street, giving her a clear view of the desk and the man standing there as Donald came out of the dining room and joined him. Keeping her head bent toward her knitting, Ellie surreptitiously slanted her eyes upward and watched the reflection.

“I need to talk to you,” the visitor said.

Donald wiped his hands on the dish towel he carried. “Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“Not here.” Ellie saw the new arrival jerk his head in her direction, then motion toward the office. After a quick glance her way, Donald nodded, and the two men walked into the other room and closed the door.

Why was he so anxious for them to talk where they couldn’t be overheard? Ellie felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand up. She turned in her chair to look directly toward the desk and saw that the door hadn’t latched and still stood open a crack. She tried to rein in her mounting excitement.

It might be nothing. Again.

On the other hand, after weeks of fruitless effort, she couldn’t afford to ignore any suspicious activity. She needed to check it out.

But how? She couldn’t just get out of her chair and sneak over to eavesdrop. What possible reason could she give if someone came in and found her with her ear pressed against the crack in the door?

She looked down at her knitting and smiled. No one could blame her for retrieving a ball of yarn that slipped off her lap and rolled across the room. She picked up the tan ball and let it slide off her palm. It bounced on the floor and rolled all of three feet before it came to a stop. Ellie grimaced and leaned over to retrieve it.