Prime Catch (7 page)

“Two sugars, please. You should remember how I like it.”

She restrained herself from throwing the tea in his lap. “You have the gall to come in here and tell me I should remember, when you lit out on me? I’m trying to be civil, because I want an explanation, but I
will
show you out the door.”

He laid his hand on her arm as she set the cup down. “I had a good reason. Sarah, sit and listen. You won’t need to use that gun tucked into your sash.”

“At least you realize I told you the truth.”

“My mother sent me out before I was ready to find a woman. I know the tradition is to find a wife in another village and settle there. You would own everything and I would just be your protector and provider. I couldn’t do that. There was so much I wanted to experience, and having a family was far down on the list.” He sighed. “I wanted a business of my own, and I joined the Americans in their world.”

Sarah was silent a few moments. “As you can see, I don’t hold to the Tlingit traditions, either. If you had bothered to tell me then, I would have understood. You hurt me.”

“I’m sorry. I was too young to think about anyone else, but I’ve changed.” His fingers caressed her cheek. “Will you take me back? Please?”

Strangely she wasn’t moved by him anymore. “I’ve changed, too. I’m not the wide-eyed child you left. I’ve made my own way in the American world.”

“That’s what makes us so right for each other. We know how to take care of ourselves. Is there anyone else courting you?”

Sarah’s mind flashed to Amos for some reason. “Not really. I’ve married my job.”

“Then let me try to win you back. Dinner tonight?”

“George, no―”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Sarah hesitated. “All right, but I want to be home early. I just got back from a trip.”

“I promise I’ll have you here before ten.” She’d forgotten how wonderful his smile made him look. She walked him to the door and watched him go down the street.
What the hell have I done? I don’t want anything to do with him. Well, I’ll go tonight and tell him I’m not interested.

Later, she readied herself for the outing she was dreading. She slipped her new dropped-waist silk dress on, adjusted her new cloche hat, and slipped on her white gloves. Just as she put on her pumps, the doorbell rang. When she opened the door, Sarah took in the handsome man, clean and fresh-shaved.

“Are you ready? I thought we’d go to Golden North for dinner and a movie.” He made a motion to come in.

“I’ve got my coat right here.” She slipped it on as she came out. “I want you to know right now I’m only going because I want some answers.”

He tipped his hat and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

They were silent as they walked to the theater. Sarah was trying to come up with explanations in case anyone happened to ask tomorrow. The brightly lit theater marquee advertised
The Sheik,
with Rudolph Valentino, as the main feature.
Wonderful. A passionate movie, to boot.

George nodded to the young girl in the ticket booth. “Dinner and a movie for two, please.”

“That will be thirty cents for the tickets, and the feature will start at eight-thirty.”

He gave her the money and picked up the tickets. “Thank you.” After checking their coats, they hurried through the lobby doors and into the adjoining restaurant. The hostess at the door seated them and slipped the menus into their hands. After she left, George leaned in. “How’s the food here?”

“The cook here is exceptional. Anything will be good.” Sarah was secretly hoping that no one she knew would see her. After George ordered two Swiss steaks, she glanced at him. “I want more of an explanation than I got earlier. Why did you choose now to have a change of heart?”

He lifted his glass of ginger ale toward her in a toast. “You’re such a fascinating woman.”

“This isn’t getting you very far with this woman.” She raised her glass. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“A detective to the end. Okay, I started a business I could make a king’s ransom on. I lead expeditions into the back country for rich scientists and explorers. Also, I have been hired by bored rich people who want a fashionable outdoor experience.”

She glared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me this in the first place? I would have understood. You chose to disappear without a word.”

“I thought you would lean more to the traditional life.”

She rapped her fist on the table. “Then you didn’t understand me at all. Maybe it’s better that way. You should have left it as it was.”

As soon as the waiter had served their food. George patted her arm. “Calm down. Let’s enjoy our meal.”

She picked at her food. “I think this was a big mistake. I thought you cared for me. I gave myself to you because I thought we would be married.” She felt her cheeks burn. “I guess you got what you wanted.”

George sighed. “Do you think so little of me? Let’s start fresh. Please give me another chance.”

She sat silent for a few moments. “After this outing, I’ll think about it. Don’t press the issue.”

“All right. I won’t push you into anything tonight.”

Sarah nodded. Later, in the theater, she found it hard to concentrate on the dashing sheik trying to lure the innocent maiden into his ridiculously lavish tent in the desert. The young woman she was years ago had adored George, but now time and wisdom had come into play. Something about him troubled her, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Were her detective instincts simply working overtime?

The sun hung low on the horizon as they strolled back to her house, and shafts of red-gold rays cut between the buildings. George came up onto the porch with her, and she offered him her hand. “Thank you for the outing. I enjoyed the dinner and movie.”

George cupped her chin. “I enjoyed the company. I forgot how enchanting you are.” He leaned down and kissed her. Sarah didn’t stop him. It had been a long time since anyone had kissed her.

She stepped back and took a quick breath. “Goodnight, George.”

He smiled. “Goodnight, Sarah.” She opened the door, then turned back to watch the figure disappearing down the street. Her feelings were in a turmoil. On the surface, she knew he had treated her like dirt and she shouldn’t give him the time of day. Then there was that breathless young woman who had fallen in love with him. She wanted one more chance.

****

Sarah hummed to herself as she stepped into Millie’s for a fast breakfast early the next morning. She chose one of the stools at the counter, and Sally gave her a menu.

“I’ll have a doughnut and coffee.”

When Sally served her, she thrust a folded paper into Sarah’s hand. “I found this on the side table by Billy’s coat at home. I thought you might be interested.”

When Sally moved down the counter to refresh the customer’s coffee, Sarah unfolded the sheet. It read:

Men of the ANB

We can’t trust the Americans to fix the problem of the canneries trying to starve us out. A group, Revenge Ravens, needs members to either fight for our fishing rights upstream or to eliminate the problem ourselves, once and for all. Able-bodied men are encouraged to join. Ask for the members in each ANB camp.

Sarah refolded the paper and slipped it into her coat pocket.
Amos is going to want to see this!
She put fifteen cents down by her plate and waved to Sally. “Thank you for everything!”

Sally acknowledged her and went back to work as Sarah exited the restaurant.

She hurried to the sheriff’s office and ducked in the door. “Sam, is Amos in yet?”

He nodded and waved his hand toward the door. “Got here a few minutes ago.”

She knocked at the door. “May I come in?”

“You’ve got something?”

She opened the door. “Yes.” Closing it behind her, she gave Amos the notice. “Sally found this on the table by Bobby’s coat this morning.”

Amos took a look at it. “This might be quite a network of saboteurs. Is there any way you could question some of these people?”

“Just men are allowed at the meetings.” Sarah hesitated a moment. “Maybe I could go undercover.”

“Trouble is, the men at the camp know you. They could see through any disguise.”

“My cousin, Will, lives in Angoon. I’m not well-known there. Maybe I could go as his guest and take a look around. Most of the people there are Tlingits, so there isn’t as much suspicion.”

Amos paused and rubbed his forehead. “Think you could pull off going as a man?”

“I had two older brothers and a father. I think so.”

“No, that isn’t what I meant. Physically.” He flushed a bit.

Sarah laughed. “There are things I can do to become more masculine. I won’t stay very long, so the lav won’t be a problem.”

“Do you think you can get your cousin to go along with this?”

“I think so. If he gives me any reason to doubt, then I won’t go through with it.”

Amos seemed resigned. “All right. I’ll let you set it up.”

****

Sarah headed to the family home where her mother and Aunt Jane lived. As she reached the modest log cabin she’d grown up in, she saw her mother working in the kitchen garden and hailed her.

Her mother hurried over and hugged Sarah. Sarah breathed in the warm earth smell before her mother pulled back. “Well, child, I wasn’t expecting to see you. This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Is Aunt Jane here? I need to ask her a favor.”

“She’s in the house. Come, I’ll get some refreshments.”

The wood plank door squeaked on its hinges, and the aroma of smoked salmon and seaweed cooking on the stove caressed her nose. Sarah called out, “Aunt Jane?”

Her aunt came out of their small kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Sarah! How good it is to see you!”

Her mother nodded toward the kitchen. “Is the tea still in the pot?”

“Yes. And I still have some berry bread in the cupboard.”

They settled around the dropleaf table with the snack, and Sarah laid her hand on her aunt’s arm. “I have a favor to ask. When are Will and Mary coming from Angoon again?”

Aunt Jane hesitated. “I believe they’re going to be here on Friday.”

“I need to talk to him. Is it all right if I come over then?”

“You know you’re welcome here any time.”

Sarah thanked her, and they spent the hour chatting until Sarah bade them goodbye. She had to make her plans on the undercover work, and next on her list for that was a visit to Kata.

****

Sarah grinned as Kata studied her skeptically. “You want me to help you look like a man?”

“I want to go to the meeting of the ANB in Angoon with Will. It’s undercover. I can’t tell you anything else.”

“Has Will agreed to this? You know how he was at the social.”

Sarah shrugged. “I can use my powers of persuasion on him. He’s the only male family member I can go to, since your father passed on.”

Sitting in the parlor of Kata and Ivan’s home on the edge of downtown, Sarah looked at her cousin with a plea in her eyes. “I don’t know―” Kata began.

“You’re the head of costumes at Golden North. Surely you know something about make-up, as well.”

Kata shook her head. “This won’t be playacting. If it’s not convincing, you could get hurt. The sheriff wants you to do this?”

“I twisted his arm.”

Kata sighed. “Well, if Will says yes, I’ll see what I can come up with.” Just then, Kata’s infant son, Joe, put up a squall in the back room. Kata disappeared and came back with the baby.

Sarah chucked him under the chin. “My, he’s getting big. He’s going to take after his poppa, I’m sure.” She collected her things. “I have to go. Plans to make. Thank you for your help.”

Chapter 9

Friday, as her shoes squished through the damp soil on the way to her aunt’s house, Sarah carefully thought what she could say to convince Will to get her into the meeting at the ANB. Will’s truck sat on the level ground next to the house. She swallowed nervously and sucked up her courage.

As she rapped on the door, calling out, “It’s Sarah!” Mary’s two-year-old girls ran up, giggling. Soon, she was surrounded by her family. Sarah hoisted the two girls in her arms. “Oh, Mary, they seem to have grown an inch every time I see them!”

Mary laughed and plucked one of the girls from her, then gave Sarah a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

Aunt Jane took the other girl. “Go sit at the table. We were just getting tea ready.” Sarah’s mother hustled her to a chair.

Will sat across from her at the round dinner table. “Will, after tea, could I speak to you in private? I need to ask a favor.”

He nodded. “They said you wanted to talk to me.”

After tea, Sarah joined him on the porch, where he was filling his pipe. “What favor do you want to ask?”

She explained what she wanted to do, while Will puffed the smoke. When she was finished, she waited for an answer.

He took a long draw and blew out the smoke slowly. “Was this your sheriff’s idea?”

“No. It was mine. He wasn’t too keen on it.”

“It seems like spying to me.”

“Will, I wouldn’t ask you to do this for me if I didn’t think it was important. Whoever is doing this is causing more harm than good. We should be proving we can be upstanding citizens, not acting like the savages some people think we are. I, for one, would like to have some say in our government.”

He sat for a long moment gazing out over the horizon. “The next meeting is Tuesday evening at seven. I’ll get you in, but after that you’re on your own. Come to our house at six-thirty.”

She put her hand on his arm. “Thank you. I won’t get you in trouble, I promise.”

He gripped her shoulder. “I worry about you working for the Americans, but I do agree with you about wanting to have a say in the government.”

****

Early Tuesday morning, Sarah rapped on the stage door at Golden North. Kata opened it and bid Sarah to come in. “Are you sure this is all right with the Shafers?”

Kata nodded. “I explained I was helping you in undercover work, and they agreed to anything you needed.”

“Be sure to thank them for me. And thank Ivan for the use of his truck.”

Kata led her to one of the dressing rooms, then picked up some items. “Take everything off. I’ve got all male clothes for you, right down to the underwear.”