The Lightkeeper's Bride (32 page)

He held out his hands. “I had nothing to do with that. No one was supposed to be harmed. The men we hired took it into their own heads to deal with witnesses.”

More than ten men had died that day.

She doubled over and breathed through her nose. She tasted bile in the back of her throat and willed herself not to throw up. When her nausea passed, she slowly straightened and stared at Bart. “Why did you kill Eliza?”

He reached out to her. His face darkened when she flinched. “It wasn’t me. I cared about her. My partner got wind that she was going to sing about who was involved in taking the gold. He had her killed.”

She put her hand to her head and thought it through. The baby.

“You cared about Eliza? Then Jennie—”

“Is my daughter,” he said, finishing her thought. “But it means nothing. You’re the one I love.” His voice rose.

She stared at him. “She looks nothing like you.”

“She looks exactly like my mother,” he said.

Katie nodded, remembering his mother’s flashing dark eyes. “But I heard Eliza try to blackmail my father. Why would she—” Katie took a step back. It was all clear when she thought about it. “I understand. He wanted a marriage between you and me. Eliza was going to tell me about the baby and ruin everything if he didn’t give her money.”

“She wouldn’t have done it,” he muttered. “She wanted us to leave, start over somewhere else. Nothing I told her could make her understand I wasn’t marrying her.”

“No, you wanted this property to build your Macy’s,” she said.

“It’s more than that, Katie. Things can still work out. No one has to know about this. I have plenty of money to help your parents.”

“I’m not marrying you!”

“Then your parents will be destitute.”

She stared at him. “You refused to pay Papa unless I married you,” she said. “That’s why he’s still pushing me toward this.”

He reached for her and she stepped back again. He dropped his hands to his sides. “I care about you, Katie, but make no mistake. I mean to have this property.”

“No. You can’t have it. Or me.” She lifted her chin in defiance but the menacing look in his eye made her take a faltering step backward. “I’ll scream,” she tossed out. “The constable will come running.”

“You won’t tell him,” he said, his voice calm, still advancing. “You have no proof and I will testify that I saw your father kill Eliza. That would destroy your mother.”

Her back touched the glass display case. “You’re despicable. You allowed your own daughter to be abandoned.”

Pain darkened his eyes. “My, uh, associate didn’t realize she was there. When I heard about her disappearance, it was nearly midnight. I arrived to look for the baby and found the house empty.”

“I’m sure you were quite happy you were spared your duty.”

“This is getting us nowhere,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’ll sign that deed. Now.”

“I don’t have it,” she said.

“It’s in the safe. Your father told me that much.” He took her arm in a punishing grip and pulled her toward the back room. “You’re going to open the safe and get it for me.”

No amount of twisting lessened the tight grip on her arm. She finally gave up and allowed him to propel her forward. “My signature would need to be witnessed.”

“Then we’ll go to the county recorder and get that done and the deed transferred at the same time.” He shoved her, and she fell to her knees in front of the safe. “Open it.”

She rose and faced him. “No.”

“You’ll be an orphan by nightfall if you don’t do what I say,” he said through gritted teeth. “Open the safe!”

How could she have been so deceived? This man was a monster.

“What’s to prevent you from killing us the moment you have the deed in your possession?”

“Because you’ll know that if you say anything, you’ll all be dead.”

He touched her chin. “I don’t want to hurt you. Don’t you see? This didn’t have to come down this way. You could still marry me. I’d make you a good husband, I swear.”

“Don’t you touch me.” She slapped his hand away. “Don’t you ever touch me again.”

His eyes grew cold again. “Open the safe, Katie.”

“Very well,” she said. She twirled the dial until the safe clicked open.

Bart pushed her aside when she threw the lever and opened the door to the safe. “I’ll get it,” he said.

She watched as he riffled through the documents inside and then emerged, a small grin of triumph on his face. “Now we’ll get it transferred.”

She smiled, glancing at the clock. “It’s too late,” she said. “The county office is closed. Today is Wednesday.”

His face reddened and he swore. He raised his hand as if to strike her but she refused to cower and lifted her chin to stare him down.

He dropped his hand and grabbed her arm. “Then we’ll have to get your signature witnessed elsewhere.”

She still didn’t trust him not to dispose of her once he had control of the property. As he shoved her out the back door, she prayed for a miracle.

Will froze when he realized who the property owner was. He started to shrink back behind the corner of the house when he felt a hard metal object in his back.

“Hands up,” a hard voice said in his ear. It was a dauntingly familiar voice. Will raised his hands. The fellow shoved him forward. “Move.”

Masters turned as they approached. His eyes flickered but he said nothing when he saw Will. Will glanced at the driver and saw he was unaffected. Apparently, his boss was paying too much for him to notice Will’s compromised situation.

“Mr. Jesperson, you’ve caused me untold misery lately,” Masters said. “But your interference has come to an end today.”

The man behind Will grabbed a rope. Will flexed his wrists as best he could as the man bound his hands behind him and shoved him toward the lorry. “Take him to the mine and shoot him. You can dump his body down a shaft.”

The driver nodded toward the lane. “Wait a second, boss. Someone’s coming.”

A horse pulling a buggy came cantering up the drive. The sun was in Will’s face so he couldn’t see who was in it until the conveyance stopped and the occupants stepped out. His gut clenched when he saw Katie’s white face. Bart had hold of her arm and she winced as he marched her toward the group. Will clenched his fists.

Bart shoved her and she fell to her knees in the dust. Will started to leap forward but the man behind him grabbed his arm and pushed him the other direction. He stumbled and went down on one knee then struggled upright. “Katie, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She rose and brushed the dirt from her skirt. “That was unnecessary, Bart,” she said.

Will had never seen the urbane young man so agitated. His face was flushed and he was breathing hard. Bart clenched and unclenched his fists. Katie started toward Will but Bart grabbed her arm again, the muscles in his jaw flexing.

“What’s all this?” Masters demanded. “Why is she here?”

“She turned me down!” Bart said, his voice aggrieved.

Masters snickered. “You weren’t as charming as you thought. What about the deed?”

Bart held up a paper. “Right here. But her signature needs to be witnessed. Then I can get it recorded.”

Masters sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Foster, once again, you’ve brought me into something that you should have handled yourself.”

Bart faltered. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I only—”

“You have two witnesses right here,” the businessman interrupted, flinging his hands in agitation. “Just get your foolishness resolved so we can move on. Do you have a pen?”

Bart felt in his pocket. “No.”

Will had no idea what they were talking about but his pulse leaped when he heard Katie had refused Bart’s marriage proposal.

His gaze locked with hers but his elation faded when he saw the despair in her eyes. They were both in mortal danger and his hands were bound behind his back. She was free though. And Katie was a fighter.

Masters motioned to the driver. “Get a pen from my desk.” The big man nodded and headed for the house.

That left three against two. If only Will had his hands free. “What deed are we talking about?”

“Shut up,” Masters said, his voice bored. “If he says anything else, shoot him.”

If Will could free his hands, he’d disarm this guy in a second. He twisted his wrists. Did they give just a bit? He thought so. The other guy was watching his boss, and Will flexed his arms again. Nothing.

The driver returned. “Here’s the pen.” He handed it to Bart.

Bart grabbed Katie’s arm and thrust the pen into it. “Sign.”

“No.”

He struck her and she fell to the ground. Will leaped forward, driving his chest into the other man. “Big man,” Will yelled in Bart’s face before the man in overalls could drag him off. “Hitting a woman. Does that make you feel strong? You’re scum!”

Katie was back on her feet. Her cheek was red but her head was high. She put her hands behind her back.

“Don’t sign it,” Will said. “It’s the only way for you to stay alive.”

“A lot you know,” Bart said. “If I have to, I’ll get her signature forged. But I’ll make sure she sees her parents are killed in front of her. She’ll go to her grave knowing what she caused.”

Tears leaked from Katie’s eyes. “I can’t believe you’d do something so horrible,” she said, her voice low.

“I will,” he hissed. He grabbed her arm and took a few steps toward the buggy. “Come on. We’ll go fetch them right now. They’re expecting the happy couple anyway.”

“No,” she said, wrenching her arm from his grasp. “No. I’ll sign it.”

“Don’t do it, Katie!” Will burst out. “He’ll kill you the minute you’ve signed.”

She looked at him with regret and resignation in her eyes, then took the pen Bart handed her and signed the document.

Bart grabbed it from her hands. “Get rid of both of them,” he told Masters. “I’ll get this recorded tomorrow.”

“What about Jennie?” Katie asked. “What will happen to her?”

Will glanced from her to Bart. “Why would he determine what happens to her?”

“She’s his daughter,” Katie whispered. “What about Jennie, Bart? Don’t hurt her.”

Bart shrugged. “Maybe your friend Addie will adopt her. If not, I suspect she’ll end up in an orphanage. Or perhaps I can convince your mother she is Albert’s daughter.” He laughed. “I have no interest in her.”

T
HIRTY-FOUR

T
HE SEA BREEZE
ruffled Katie’s hair and tugged at her bonnet. The sky showcased hues of magenta and indigo as sunset approached. The boat rounded a finger of land and she saw Wedding Cake Rock looming in the distance. Terror replaced her elation from earlier in the day when she thought the rock might be a clue. But now the only thing ahead of them was certain death.

She sought solace in Will’s gaze. If she had to die, at least they would die together. He smiled but his eyes were dark pools of regret. The sailboat dropped anchor in the bay and Bart lowered the dinghy.

“You first, my dear,” he said, smiling. He grabbed Katie’s arm and helped her down into the boat. “Now your poor knight.” He practically shoved Will into the boat, and he fell heavily onto the bottom. “Chesterton, get down there and make sure they don’t jump overboard.” The man in overalls nodded and jumped into the boat.

Katie knelt beside Will. She helped him to a seat as Bart and Masters descended to the dinghy. The men guided the boat past Wedding Cake Rock to the wild shoreline.

“Try to loosen my ropes,” Will whispered.

She sat closely beside him and slid one hand around to his wrists. Her fingers tore at the rough rope, but if she’d managed to loosen them at all, she couldn’t tell it.

“Get away from him,” Bart ordered.

Katie moved to the center seat. It was only moments until the boat scraped bottom at the shore. The men piled out and Bart helped her into the water. The waves soaked her skirt to her knees as she slogged to land.

“That way,” Masters said, pointing to a barely perceptible trail through the ferns and weeds.

Their captors marched them through the vegetation that crowded in on every side. Birds were beginning to find their night perches in the trees and the forest was silent except for the snap of breaking twigs and the tromp of feet. In a clearing up ahead, Katie could just make out the remains of the old gold mine. How long before the men shot them? Surely they would wait until they were close to the shaft that they intended to hide their bodies.

She prayed to meet death with courage. Now that it faced her, she found the peace she’d been looking for. It had been here all along. All she’d had to do was trust in God and remember that her future wasn’t here in this place but in heaven. She’d looked at this temporary world too much and at eternity too little. Such a revelation, and it came too late to change her actions with other people. The control she sought had all been an illusion.

Fred stepped past them to what appeared to be a cellar door. He heaved it open to reveal a yawning darkness. When he turned back around, his pistol was up and pointed at Will’s chest.

“No!” she screamed, throwing herself in front of Will. Her movement was mistimed and she barreled into Will. They both went down in a heap as the revolver discharged. She felt the wind of the bullet as it passed.

“Imbecile!” Masters snapped. “Get them in front of the shaft. I don’t want blood on the ground.”

He moved toward them but Will erupted in a flurry. He leaped onto Chesterton and both men fell into the shaft. One of the men shouted as they fell and Katie’s throat closed. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the open shaft.

“Perhaps we can let the mine itself do the job,” Bart said. He moved toward her.

Katie knew he intended to throw her into the shaft as well. She could do nothing for Will now, so she dodged Bart and ran for the forest. The darkness was falling fast. Perhaps she could escape Bart and Masters then circle back to the boat and get help. She found a thick swath of ferns and dived into them, burrowing into their covering.

Holding her breath, she listened for footsteps. She was about to think they’d taken another path when she heard the stealthy snap of a twig three feet from where she lay. Barely daring to breathe, she strained to see through the deep shadows. There, was that a boot? Yes. The man moved on past her then came back. It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized it was Bart.