The Iron Horseman (23 page)

“Well,
maybe we can figure it out together. I’ve got to be headed out to the end of
the line, but would appreciate knowing what fire’s need to be put out before I
get there.”

“You
certainly don’t mean to do it alone? Didn’t Allan send any other Pinkerton
agents with you?

Cadence
dropped her head. “There was a derailment. They didn’t make it.”

Her
father shook his head. “Damn.” He hit the edge of the chair with his fist. “We
have got to stop them.”

“We
will.” She placed her hand over her father’s. “We just need to find the cipher
key and get to Promontory before something happens.”

“Without
the other Pinkertons you’ll need someone to be there to back you up. To be your
partner.”

“Agreed.”
Levi spoke up.

Cadence
turned the playful glower on him.

“I’m
a big girl, Daddy. I can take care of myself,” she said to both of them in
quick retort.

“No
question here.” Levi laughed, putting his hands up, palms out in front of him.

“So,
you’ll be escorting my daughter…” he looked up at Levi, then stopped as if just
seeing the strangers in their midst. “Who are you?” He looked from Jeb to the
Marshal.

After
brief introductions and Rafe’s assurance and confirmation of their identities,
her father seemed satisfied.

“Eamon,”
the doc said, drying his wet hands on a towel, “you need to rest.”

Elvin
looked sober, but tired. Cadence appreciated the time and effort he had spent
on her father’s behalf and she made a mental note to thank him before they
left. She was continually amazed at how Levi’s belief in people seemed to
incite a change in them. She’d experienced it herself.

“You
know how it will appear,” her father said, still looking at Marshal Stevens
before his gaze shifted again to Levi. “I would say you should cover as brother
and sister, but anyone who looks at the both of you together would see through
the lie right away.” He raised a brow. “You ready to marry my daughter,
Redbourne?”

Cadence
gasped, stealing a look at Levi. “Daddy!”

“Yes,
sir,” Levi said with a mischievous grin.

Cadence’s
mouth fell wide open. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just looked between
them. When the silence became thick enough to cut, she turned to Levi. “Don’t
you think I should have something to say about this?”

“You
wouldn’t have had to say vows, Cadie,” Levi smiled warmly. “Not yet anyway,” he
added with a wink. “We would just have needed to
appear
to be married.
Unfortunately, most of the men along the track know me, but I guess it wouldn’t
be too strange for some of them if I showed up with a bride.” His smile
widened.

Heat
flooded her cheeks, but she did not take her eyes from his. Of course she
should have thought of that, but it was getting harder to think straight when Levi
was around. That just wasn’t acceptable. “I have a job to do and that doesn’t
involve a husband,” she raised her brow. “Besides, I imagine a single woman
would gain more favor with Doc Durant than a married one.”

“Well,
that’s certainly true,” Levi responded.

“Come
on, Daddy,” she turned to her father, “we need to get you back to the hotel.”

“Allow
me.” Levi stepped to one side and Rafe followed suit and stood to the other
side. They each took an arm and hoisted Eamon from his seat. She didn’t miss
the slight wince that crossed Levi’s face at the effort. His shoulder had to be
hurting.

“We’re
going to head over to the jail and collect our prisoners,” Marshal Stevens
said. “But, we thought you might join us for an early lunch first?” His eyes
met hers with open challenge.

A
part of her wanted to say ‘yes’ just to see how Levi would react, but the time
for playing coy had long since passed. “It’s a lovely offer, Marshal, but it
appears I may have some courting to catch up on. Seems I may be getting married.”
She turned on her heel without looking at Levi and walked toward the door. She
stopped, turned back and captured her ‘beau’s’ attention. “And don’t
ever
call me Cadie. Only my father can do that.”

She
smiled at the sound of Eamon’s laughter as she stepped out of the doctor’s
office and into the street where she could catch her breath.

Wife?

Levi
stared out the window of the restaurant dining area, watching thick droplets
pound against the earth with relentless fervor. “It doesn’t look like it’s
going to let up anytime soon.” The curtain swung back into place when he
released it.

“Mr.
Redbourne, I’m so glad I found you here. This came for you and I wanted to see
it to your immediate attention.” The telegraph clerk placed his hands on his
knees, took a deep breath, then stood and handed Levi a small folded piece of
paper.

“Trouble
in Piedmont STOP Not safe for railroad STOP,” Levi read the telegram aloud.
“Telegraph compromised STOP.”

“Do
you think that is where the next attack will be?” Cadence sat forward in her
seat, staring up at him.

“There’s
obviously something going on farther up the track. I’ve heard that there are a
lot of grumblings amongst the graders and track layers.” Levi wiped his mouth
with his napkin, tossed it onto the table, and pushed his chair back to stand
up. He pulled out his watch and clicked it open. Twelve o’clock. “Durant’s
special train is not supposed to be here for a couple more hours,” he said,
looking at the watch he’d pulled from his vest pocket. “He and Dodge will both
be on it for the ceremony on Saturday along with a dozen or more officers and
dignitaries.”

“Then,
we’ll just have to get to Piedmont before the train.” Cadence looked at Levi—no
hesitation. Her unfailing courage continued to surprise him. She stood up next
to him and looked down at her father.

“I
couldn’t agree more.” Eamon gingerly pushed himself away from the table, his
chair scratching the floor, and he attempted to stand.

The
deputy had agreed to let Eamon go in light of the new information about the
sheriff and with the Marshal’s encouragement, there wasn’t going to be a trial.
Levi just hoped that the townsfolk who had been out for the man’s blood could
make peace with it. Either way, Levi doubted Bryan was a good place for Eamon
to settle. Especially now that his ranch house was all but destroyed. Stevens
and Jeb had already picked up Mr. Adwell, whose name had been on the list, and
taken off for Cheyenne with their prisoners.

“Don’t
get up like you’ll be coming with us, Daddy,” Cadence said, placing her hands
on his shoulders and guiding him back down into the chair. She pursed her lips
and glowered at him playfully, a hint of a smile curving her mouth. “You’re in
no shape to ride for that long and I’m afraid we don’t have much time.”

Levi
held his breath. He’d never heard anyone speak to Eamon that way. He didn’t
expect his friend would appreciate someone telling him he wasn’t fit to travel,
least of all his daughter. The old coot was as stubborn as a mule.

“Eh,
I’d just slow you down anyway,” Eamon responded gruffly.

Levi
could hardly believe how easily his friend had given in. While the man still
had a long recovery ahead of him, Levi had thought him to be back to his obstinate
old self. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if the emotional strain Eamon
had experienced over the last few weeks had finally taken its toll.

Levi
glanced over at Cadence. He could see the wheels turning in her head, then,
suddenly a spark lit up her eyes. Heaven help them, but by the expression on
her face it looked as if she’d come up with a plan.

“Mr.
Redbourne,” she turned to his brother who hadn’t said much of anything all
through their morning meal, “would you kindly help my father board the train
when it comes through?” The lilt in her voice had undoubtedly come from much
practice.

Rafe
nodded, taking another bite of the potatoes he’d ordered.

She
turned to Levi. “You and I can ride on ahead. It can’t be more than a couple of
hours from here.” She turned to look at Eamon. “You can be our eyes and ears on
the train. I remember how skilled you are with that Smith and Wesson revolver
strapped to your side.”

Eamon
leaned back against his chair with a knowing smile. “My daughter’s got a right smart
head on her shoulders, gentlemen. I suspect this hole in my side hasn’t
affected my aim.”

Well
played
.

Just
as Levi had suspected. He guessed that joining Durant and the others on the
train to Piedmont had been Eamon’s intention all along. He’d just needed his
overly protective daughter to think it had been her idea.

Smart
man.

A
loud boom of thunder rumbled in waves across the darkening sky and everyone
looked to the window, which was now splattered with masses of fat wet droplets
streaking down the pane.

“There’s
only one glitch to your little plan,” Levi said, placing his hat atop his head,
preparing to head out into the seemingly endless storm. “There’s not a horse
alive that can make the sixty mile trek to Piedmont in just a couple of hours.
Not even Apollo. And in weather like this on top of it, we’d never make it
there by nightfall, let alone before the train.”

He
was honestly surprised to have heard Cadence even mention a horse. After all
the traveling they had done over the last couple of weeks, he didn’t reckon the
memory of a saddle sore hind end was easily forgotten.

Cadence’s
shoulders slumped, but rigid determination quickly spread through her entire
stance. “It’s time to go through the cipher passages in the journal and figure
out what they, whoever
they
are, have planned.”

“Well,
you still have it, don’t you?” Levi asked.

Cadence
reached into the pocket sewn into the folds of her dress and produced the
leather wrapped journal. She held it up with a smile, pulling out the chair
next to Rafe, and sat down again at the table.

Levi
removed his hat, set it down on one of the empty chairs at the table, and took
the seat next to Eamon, across from Rafe. “Are you sure there is a message
inside the journal?” he asked, running a hand through his limp hair. “When we
looked at it earlier, it just appeared to be a collection of love letters
written to a woman during the war.”

Rafe
looked up from his food and stopped chewing a moment. He graciously guided meat
to the side of his mouth. “I always considered you and Tag experts at creating
and deciphering hidden messages.” He turned to look at Cadence. “Our little
sister, Hannah, once stole their little book of tricks and the lot of us spent
days trying to figure out what tomfoolery they were up to.” He laughed. “I
still remember the look on Hannah’s face as she came screaming out of her room
when she met Genesis, the twins new pet
lizard they’d hidden in her bed.”

Levi
and Tag used to send coded messages to each other all the time. Mostly the
missives had just been childish plans for the monkeyshines they pulled on their
unsuspecting siblings, neighbors, or just about anyone else who’d cared to stop
by Redbourne Ranch.

Levi
smiled and
chuckled
to himself
,
surprised that he was not at all embarrassed by Rafe’s retelling of the
account. “What? I think he was more scared than she was.”

Both
Redbournes laughed.

“Never
did figure out what that book said.”

“And
I’ll never tell,” Levi said with a smirk, moving to the chair next to Cadence.

She
met his eyes with a raised brow, her lips curving upward on one side. “Well,
then it seems you should be able to help me figure this out in no time.”

“Eddie
wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to destroy it if there was nothing in it to
hide.” Cadence undid the leather straps surrounding the book and removed the
list, setting it aside for a moment. “There has got to be something here.”
Cadence started flipping through the pages, stopping occasionally to scan the
entries. Levi followed along. It only took a moment and he saw it.

“No.
It can’t be this easy,” Cadence said as she turned another page. “We’ll need
some paper and a writing utensil.”

Levi
had already pulled a small notebook from his vest pocket along with his
favorite stub of a pencil and placed them on the table in front of her. She
picked up the instruments, flipped through a dozen or so more pages. “Here,”
she said, holding the journal open to a specific page with multiple entry
dates.
May, the seventh, eighteen hundred sixty-four
. The last date on
the page. Odd. It would be exactly five years ago today. It couldn’t be a
coincidence.

While
Cadence quickly began jotting down letters that coincided with the other
entries. Levi couldn’t help but decipher the last of the entries on the page.

“Impressive,
isn’t she? My daughter?” Eamon nodded his head in approval, an encouraging
smile playing with his face.

As
if Levi needed any more encouragement.

“It’s
all here,” Cadence said excitedly, still not looking up from the pages. “The
derailment. The fires. Everything.

Levi
looked over and read the current passage. It was short and he noticed
immediately how the capital letters were slightly exaggerated.

My
heart is full today as correspondence finally arrived from my beloved Albert.
Today gave me hope that he will come back to me one day. The war continues and
has taken him even farther from me at this time. 16 months is too long to be
separated from my love and my fear is that it will be many more before we are
reunited. 18 is too young to be left alone in times like these and it is my
prayer that he will be home soon.

M 
 A   T   
T
 
 16   18

It
had been a long time since Levi had picked up a bible, but there was no
question in his mind what it could mean. The answers he needed would be found in
the book of Matthew, chapter sixteen, verse eighteen.

It
only took Cadence a couple seconds before she looked up and locked eyes with
Levi. “We need a bible,” she echoed his thoughts.

Levi
glanced over at Rafe who shrugged. “Don’t look at me. It’s not like I carry one
wherever I go.”

“Is
there a preacher in town?” Cadence asked her father.

Levi
remembered the old parson who’d agreed to come live in Bryan.

“Pastor
Nichols.” Eamon nodded. “I think he and his new bride, Edna, live in the space behind
the church.”

“Bride?
The man has got to be eighty years old,” Levi said in disbelief.

“Nope.
This pastor can’t be much older than you.” Eamon waved a hand in his direction.

It
had been months since Levi had been out this way, but it was hard to believe
just how quickly things changed. He wondered if the old man had simply died or
if he had decided to move on up to Green River like so many of the other
townsfolk.

“Well,
I’m guessing you won’t need my help anymore, Eamon,” Rafe said, pushing his
chair backward. “Since you’re catching the train and all. I think it’s time I
head out. Unless you still need me,” he added, looking at Levi with a measure
of uncertainty.

Levi
knew that Rafe would be collecting his bounty for the imposters from the
Marshals in Cheyenne. After being left at the altar last year, his brother had
refused to take any more of their parent’s money and had left medical school to
set out on his own to deal with his demons. Rafe had a job to do and this time
it wasn’t policing the railroad. “Thanks, little brother, but I think we’ll
manage from here.”

“Thank
you, Mr. Redbourne,” Cadence said, leaning over and placing a kiss on his
brother’s cheek.

Rafe
cleared his throat. “It was my pleasure, ma’am.” He moved to tip his hat, but
must have realized it was still hanging on the side of his chair because he
simply smiled and nodded, his hand waving haplessly at the air. He stood up,
placed the last bite of his food into his mouth, and reached back for his
Stetson.

Levi
also stood. “It’s been great to see you, Rafe. You headed home anytime soon?”

“It’s
been a while. I reckon Mama’s missing us both. She tried to make me promise to
be home for Christmas, but I’m not quite sure if I’ll make it this year.”

Levi
nodded, then pulled Rafe into a firm hug. “Take care of yourself.”

“You
too.” He leaned in a little closer to Levi’s ear. “And don’t you let that one
get away.” Rafe cleared his throat as they pulled apart. “I don’t think this
rain is going to let up anytime soon. I imagine the good preacher will be home,
but if there’s trouble in Piedmont, you’ll want to be ready.” He slapped a coin
down on the table, shook Eamon’s hand, and tipped his hat at Cadence. He walked
over to and out the door, turning on the boardwalk toward the livery.

“He’s
right,” Levi said, grabbing his Stetson from the chair.

“Well,
what are we waiting for?” Cadence asked as she closed the journal and secured
the bindings. She returned it to the folds of her skirt.

Levi
wondered just how big the pockets were in that dress, but thought better than
to ask.

“If
it’s all the same to you, I’m a bit tired. I think I’ll just wait over here
until the train arrives.” Eamon pointed to a thickly stuffed chair in the
corner of the room next to the stone fireplace. A small leather traveling case
peeked out from the side. Levi smiled. The old Pinkerton hadn’t planned on
staying in Bryan no matter what Cadence had said. His friend’s eyes looked more
sunken in than usual and Levi hoped that he hadn’t overdone himself. The last
thing they needed was for Eamon to collapse. Or worse.