Morning Sky (20 page)

“Of course. I told him if he keeps taking money out of that safe, one day there won’t be enough to send the boys to college—that’s my dream, you know. A good education at a fine eastern college for my boys.”

“Your husband takes money from the bank? Isn’t that considered stealing?”

“Whatever are you talking about? I said no such thing.”

“You said he took money from the safe.”

Mrs. Nelson gazed heavenward. “From
our
safe, not the bank safe.”

Hairs on the back of Lilly’s neck prickled. A safe! She hadn’t seen a safe in the house. That piece of information was a very good reason to begin cleaning more thoroughly—and soon! With a little prodding, Mrs. Nelson might even reveal the general location of the safe.

“I apologize. I didn’t realize you had a safe in the house. I improperly assumed . . . Of course, Mr. Nelson would never consider pilfering funds from the bank. . . . I do apologize for even mentioning . . .” Lilly hoped her stammering reply was convincing. She was weary, and it took every bit of effort she could muster to continue this charade.

“No apology needed. I truly wish George would place our personal funds in his bank. However, he insists upon keeping them separate. I believe it has something to do with a bank failure and depression years ago. His father lost everything, and he instilled this fear in George—at least that’s what I believe.”

“Very strange that a man who distrusts banks would enter the banking profession.”

Mrs. Nelson nodded her agreement and then explained the plan she had devised years ago to help her husband overcome his doubts. When a position had become available at a local bank, she had insisted her husband apply for it. Soon thereafter, Mr. Nelson was offered the position, and though he had been loath to accept it, his wife had insisted. Mrs. Nelson had thought the new job would put an end to her husband’s worries. Much to his wife’s chagrin, Mr. Nelson’s fears and mistrust remained intact, and through the years the banker continued to place a safe in each of their homes. Although delighted by the turn of events, Lilly offered the woeful responses Mrs. Nelson obviously expected.

When Mrs. Nelson offered nothing further regarding the location of the safe, Lilly forged onward. “One of the families I worked for in New Orleans had a safe. They installed it directly into the wall of their mansion. I found the concept fascinating.” She hoped the remark would spur a clue from Mrs. Nelson.

“At least George hasn’t gone that far. I don’t want holes carved into the walls. George purchased a steel safe shortly after we married, and when we moved to Hill City, he had it shipped by train—likely cost a fortune to have it delivered.” Mrs. Nelson pulled the drapes back and peeked out the window. “I believe Alma is calling me, and you’re probably eager to clear off and wash the breakfast dishes.”

Breakfast dishes were far from Lilly’s mind. Instead, she was concentrating on locating Mr. Nelson’s safe. With a flitting wave of her hand, she encouraged Mrs. Nelson toward the door and her young daughter. She emitted a sigh of relief as the woman headed outside.

Intent upon surveying the room, Lilly startled when Mrs. Nelson returned and grasped her by the arm. “I was pleased to hear about the Emancipation celebration, Lilly.Mr. Nelson and I may attend next year and bring the children—unless we wouldn’t be welcome.”

“Everybody is welcome at Emancipation celebrations, Mrs. Nelson. And I know the committee would be pleased to receive a contribution from your husband.”

Mrs. Nelson laughed as she returned to the hallway and headed toward the back door. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”

Once the door closed, Lilly hurried to Mr. Nelson’s office. She’d spent little time in the room, giving it only a cursory dusting from time to time. Unlike his wife, Mr. Nelson didn’t appear to notice whether Lilly dusted or swept the floors, and Mrs. Nelson seldom entered the room. Lilly entered the office and carefully pulled back the edge of the draperies. Good! Mrs. Nelson was busy in the flower garden with one of her frequent horticulture projects while Alma had busied herself picking blooms from several plants. No doubt Mrs. Nelson would be distressed once she discovered Alma’s unceremonious ruination of her prized blooms.

Turning away, Lilly shook the draperies into place and began to search for anything that resembled a safe. She peeked into the large kneehole of Mr. Nelson’s desk and then moved on. Dropping to her hands and knees, she flipped back the imported tapestry cloth that draped the library table. She crawled underneath, thinking the safe might be hidden in the dark recesses beneath the heavy table. Finding nothing, she stood and walked the circumference of the room, tilting several paintings that hung on the office walls as she circled the room. Perhaps Mr. Nelson
did
have a wall safe and Mrs. Nelson had been attempting to lead Lilly astray.

Once convinced there was no wall safe to be found in the room, Lilly dropped into one of the tapestry upholstered chairs and cupped her chin in one hand as she surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze settled upon the large oak cabinet she’d dusted on several occasions. The open upper shelves contained books and ledgers, but she had no idea what was behind the lower doors. Surely a safe would be too heavy to place inside such a cabinet. However, unable to find another place to investigate, she moved to the cabinet and knelt down. With a tug, she pulled on the knob, surprised when the door opened to reveal a black metal safe fronted by a large combination lock. There was little doubt the cabinet had been built to specification for the sole intent of hiding Mr. Nelson’s safe. Lilly would give him credit—the cabinet was ingenious. And the safe was locked.

After another quick peek out the window, Lilly hastened from the room. If Mrs. Nelson returned inside and the breakfast dishes were still sitting on the table, she would expect a full explanation. Best to get the table cleared and then further assess the situation.

As she performed the mindless tasks, Lilly brooded over where the combination might be concealed. Mr. Nelson had gone to great lengths to hide his safe, and Lilly knew the combination would not be easily found. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine he would leave his wife without access to the steel monstrosity. What if something happened to him? Mrs. Nelson would need explosives to retrieve her inheritance! Lilly attempted to picture Kate Nelson setting fire to a stick of dynamite. The notion was more than even Lilly could imagine. The befuddled woman would blow up the entire household in the process.

Of course there was the remote possibility Mr. Nelson had documented the combination in his last will and testament. Lilly hoped he hadn’t decided upon that alternative. Surely he wouldn’t have given the combination to his lawyer. Or would he? The very thought that Mr.

Nelson might have chosen such a plan was exasperating. No! She would not surrender to such a deflating thought until she’d conducted a thorough search. Besides, a positive attitude was always a stronger ally in the midst of difficult circumstances—and finding the combination was going to be tricky.

Lilly had nearly completed the dishes when Mrs. Nelson returned to the kitchen holding Alma’s hand in a firm grasp. The woman’s features tightened into a scowl as she announced Alma would be spending several hours in her room. As if to emphasize the child’s misdeed, Mrs. Nelson declared both she and the boys would soon depart for an outing to the general store while Alma served her penance.

Though Lilly experienced a fleeting ache for Alma’s misfortune, she was pleased to know she’d have the house to herself for at least an hour. The proposed outing would afford her time to scour Mr. Nelson’s office. Once Mrs. Nelson was gone, she would mollify Alma with cookies and milk and then begin her search.

Lilly paced the length of the kitchen as she waited to hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs. A short time later, Georgie bounded into the kitchen with his hair wetted down and combed into place. He was immediately followed by Joseph, who was wearing a clean shirt and holding his mother’s hand.

“We’re off. Make certain Alma remains in her room. Do not take pity on her, Lilly. She must learn respect and proper behavior.”

Wiping her hands on the worn apron, Lilly nodded her agreement and escorted the threesome to the front door. She waved until they were out of sight and then turned to find Alma sitting on the top step, her eyes swollen and red as she sniffed a remorseful apology for her misdeed.

“You don’t owe me an apology, Alma. It’s your mother who’s unhappy with you. Now, I can’t let you come downstairs, but I’ll bring you a cup of milk and some gingersnap cookies if you promise to stay in your room until your mama comes home.”

The child promised and then sniffled. Lilly handed Alma a handkerchief and then ordered her off to await the cookies and milk in her room. Alma obediently wiped her nose and trotted off down the hallway. Within a few minutes Lilly supplied the child with her promised treats. Appeased by the indulgence, Alma took a bite of her cookie and waved the damp handkerchief toward Lilly.

Retrieving the limp offering, Lilly tucked the hankie into her pocket, admonished Alma to remain in her room, and proceeded directly to Mr. Nelson’s office. Leaving the door slightly ajar, she began her search in earnest, first going through the desk drawers and then pulling out each book and flipping through the pages.With each shake of a book or ledger, she hoped to see a scrap of paper descend like manna from heaven. But none was forthcoming.

Perhaps there was a secret compartment in the desk. She’d heard of such things though she’d never actually seen one. Returning to the desk, she pulled the center drawer out and up, hoping to remove the drawer. Unfortunately, it wedged and wouldn’t budge further. Excitement pulsed through Lilly’s veins in a heady rush. There must be something hidden behind or under the drawer. She tugged and shifted, but to no avail. Time was passing much too rapidly. She crawled under the desk and turned onto her back to see if she could push the drawer from underneath. Prodding with her fingertips, she stared at the bottom of the drawer. She couldn’t believe her eyes—penciled onto the bottom of the drawer were the directions.
Spin lock three times, turn R to 35, turn
L to 22 . . .
Without taking time to read any further, Lilly scrambled to fetch a piece of paper. She banged her head twice in the process, stopping only long enough to rub the sore spot or utter a curse.When she’d copied the directions precisely, she edged from beneath the desk, tucked the paper into her pocket, satisfied herself the room was in proper order, and departed.

Pleased with her success, Lilly hurried upstairs, retrieved the plate and cup from Alma’s room, and headed off toward the kitchen. The satisfying events of the past hour had wiped away her weariness. Now that she had located the necessary funds to leave town, she needed only the proper opportunity. She must get word to Charlie Holmes. He could provide her with transportation, and she could provide him with a substantial boost to his income. With any luck, she would be out of the state prior to Bentley’s arrival and before Mr. Nelson discovered his loss.

CHAPTER
18

New York City

T
ruth remained awake most of the night. With each new idea came an overwhelming obstacle. Sometime during the night she’d resorted to prayer and shortly thereafter had fallen into a fitful sleep.

“Best get up and get to Miss Macia’s room afore Mr. Laird comes snoopin’ around.” Truth rolled to her side, and Daisy’s voice faded. “Come on, Truth, you gotta get up. I’s leaving to go over to the kitchen.”

Truth forced herself to an upright position and waved Daisy on. “I promise I won’t go back to sleep.”

Daisy exited the room and then came back. “If you ain’t over to the house in half an hour, I’s gonna send Silas to come get you. You hear?”

“No need to send Silas. I’ll be there in no time.”

Forcing herself out of bed, Truth washed the sleep from her eyes and tucked her hair into place before donning a lightweight cotton dress. No telling how long she’d be permitted to remain at the school, but so far Mr. Laird had not forced her to leave.

Though she’d slept little for several nights, Truth had failed to develop a practical plan to get Macia away from Rutledge. Should Truth be required to immediately leave the academy, she had no strategy to save either Macia or herself.

After stopping in the kitchen long enough to prepare a tray of food, Truth hurried up the back stairs and into Macia’s room. The drapes were closed, and as usual, Macia remained sound asleep. She placed the tray on a bedside table and gently attempted to rouse Macia.

When her gentle whispers were unsuccessful, Truth pulled back the covers, opened the heavy drapes, and began to vigorously rub the girl’s arm. “Wake up, Macia!”

Macia’s eyelids fluttered and then opened. “Truth?”

“Yes. Now let’s get you up so we can have us a nice visit and eat some of this fine breakfast I brought for you. I know you’re hungry.”

Macia clutched the sheet and attempted to cover herself. “Why don’t I just sleep a little longer?”

“I can’t allow that. You need to eat and regain some strength. The only way you’re going to do that is to get up and begin doing a little more each day. We’ve got to get back to Kansas, Macia. Your folks are plumb worried to death about you. They’re not going to rest easy until I get you back home.”

“Marvin will take me. We’re getting married.”

“You been talking ’bout marrying Mr. Laird off and on since I been here. You must be having some terrible hallucinations if you’re thinking you want to marry that man.”

Macia sunk back against her pillow and frowned. “Marvin’s been learning all about me. He’s been very nice to me.”

“How do you know if he’s nice to you? And how can he learn anything from you? All you do is sleep. We need to put an end to all this sleeping. Come on, I’m going to help you out of this bed.”

Truth had managed to feed Macia only a small portion of her breakfast before she heard footsteps in the hallway. She held her breath, hoping one of the girls had returned from class to retrieve a book or pen. Instead, a light tap sounded at the door, and Mr. Laird entered. Truth waited for him to order her from the room. Instead, he warmly bid her good morning and encouraged Truth to continue aiding Macia with her meal. Mr. Laird sat down near the fireplace and watched until Macia had eaten her fill—which had not taken much time or food.