The Rightful Heir (10 page)

“Do either of you know why Miss Ellison is accusing me of causing something that went on in the general store just now?”

His smile and familiar manner irritated Mary Lou. The ease with which he captured the attention of anyone who would listen, all the while deflecting any scrutiny from himself, was maddening. In less than two minutes the ladies had assured him that he could in no way have had a part in anything that Mrs. Croft was saying about Mary Lou.

He tipped his hat to them. “Thank you for your time. You ladies have a nice day.” The women walked away with their heads close together, sharing words that Mary Lou had no doubt would spread everywhere they shopped.

“May I?” He indicated the empty place beside her and sat when she didn't respond. “There seems to be a misunderstanding.”

She still didn't speak. He had branded Andrew as guilty from the moment Jasmine's cameo went missing. She wouldn't waste her time trying to convince him.

“You may be able to charm a silly girl who is enjoying your attention, Mr. Ivy, but your charm has no effect on me.” She stood and brushed her skirt smooth. “If you'll excuse me, I have business for the paper.”

* * *

Jared followed Mary Lou to the office. “I'll take the papers to the train depot. You can do whatever it is you're doing. I need to speak to the station master, anyway.”

“Whose reputation will you be out to destroy today? Someone new, or will you just be finishing the job of ruining mine? Is this all part of your plan to get the paper when the judge comes to town? Turn all of Pine Haven against me, so you can insist that the paper will collapse if you don't gain control?”

“I don't know what you're talking about. What happened in the last hour?”

“What happened is that you've sullied the name of a fine young man, and in the process you've sullied mine.”

“You're going to have to explain.”

Andrew slung the front door wide and stomped into the office. He stopped in front of Jared and pointed up at him. “You and your gossip cost me the best job I could have hoped to have in Pine Haven. I know you've been talking to the sheriff. Then all of the sudden he's asking people all over town if I was near their place when things got stolen. I don't know what gave you the idea that I'm a thief. But I'll be happy to meet you in the street and settle this like men.”

Jared held up both hands. “Whoa, boy.”

Andrew took a step closer. “I ain't a boy.”

Mary Lou came from behind the desk. “What's wrong, Andrew? This isn't like you.”

“On account o' him—” Andrew punched the air with his finger and didn't look away from Jared. Anger and pain filled his young face. “Señor Morales said he's gonna have to wait about offering me a job. Said the sheriff needs to finish investigating the thefts in town before they could bring me on as a hand. Said the rest of the men need to know they can trust the people who work with them.”

The thunderclouds in Mary Lou's eyes darkened. “Oh, no! This has gone too far.”

Jared could see the tide turning against him. The two of them had been skeptical of his motives since he'd first come to town. His goal had never been to destroy anything or anyone.

He took a step back. “First, I think we should all calm down.” The tension in Andrew didn't lessen, but he lowered both hands to his sides and clenched his fists. “Violence is not the answer.”

Mary Lou spoke to Andrew. “He's right about that. The answer is to find out who did steal those things and clear your good name.”

She spun to face Jared. This time it was her finger pointed at him. “And you are going to help us do it.”

He shook his head. “I never set out to prove Andrew was guilty—only to find the truth.”

“Well, if that's the case, you haven't been successful.”

“All I can do is search for the truth. What would the two of you do if I wasn't here?” He spread his arms wide. “The thefts would still have taken place. You'd still have a paper to publish. What would you do?”

“We wouldn't be accusin' one another of stealing the things.” Andrew's anger still boiled at the surface.

“No, we wouldn't.” Mary Lou twisted her mouth into a tight pucker. If she wasn't so angry with him, Jared would consider it adorable. “We might, however, ask you where you were when the things were stolen. It occurs to me that we had no theft in Pine Haven until you arrived.”

“What? Are you honestly accusing me?”

Andrew nodded. “That's right. How does it feel to be the one people are looking at?”

“But I didn't take anything. And no one has a reason to suspect I did.”

“You was at the hotel the same day as me. The day the cameo and dish were stolen!” Andrew seemed to latch on to this possible theory of Mary Lou's.

“Mary Lou, you know I didn't steal anything.” He couldn't believe they'd turned on him like this.

Mary Lou raised her eyebrows. “How would I know that, Mr. Ivy? You've only given me your word. I have no basis for knowing the value of that word.”

“You've worked with me all these weeks. I've given you no cause to question my integrity.”

She turned to Andrew and chuckled. “I think we're getting somewhere now.”

Jared was incredulous. “What?”

Andrew didn't seem to understand her, either. “What do you mean?”

She brushed her hands together and went to sit behind the desk. “Mr. Ivy, you have just used the very arguments I presented to you about young Andrew.” To her assistant she said, “Now Mr. Ivy understands how you felt when you were falsely accused.”

“You mean, you didn't actually think I stole the things, but you were making a point?”

“I sometimes have to remind myself to be objective. Your grandfather taught me to look at every situation without bias.” She picked up a pencil and opened her notebook. “I'll admit it's something I struggle to remember.”

Jared protested. “It's one thing to be unbiased and another thing to discount the facts you have. You know me.”

She shook her head. “Not for as long as I've known Andrew.”

“I see.” Jared dropped into a chair near the front door.

“I don't.” Andrew leaned against the press. “And I'm the one who doesn't have a job now.”

“You still have a job here.” Mary Lou asked Jared, “What do you think your grandfather would have done in this situation?”

He sat on the edge of the chair. “You tell me. You knew him a lot better than I did.” The sadness of the statement jarred his chest. He was trying to carry on the legacy of a man he barely remembered. She was carrying it on with full knowledge of Grump's likes and dislikes, his habits and opinions.

Andrew said, “He wouldn't think I did it. I've been working here too long. He trusted me.”

Jared met Mary Lou's confirming stare. “You're right, Andrew. I shouldn't have suspected you. I should have considered the respect you had from Grump and Mary Lou. Please forgive me.”

“I can forgive you—” Andrew slapped the side of his leg “—but that don't get me a job on the Double Star.”

Mary Lou leaned back in her chair. “I'd say we're making real progress in this investigation today. What if we all share what we know about the thefts and see if we can figure out who the guilty party is? Then Andrew can get his job and Mrs. Croft and the sheriff will focus on someone other than the two of us.”

They spent the next few minutes talking about what they knew. Mary Lou gave her opinions about who it wasn't, but she never gave a guess at who it could be. Was she hiding something? Some clue?

She closed her notebook and stood. “I'm glad we've cleared the air among the three of us. We're all going to have to keep an eye out for anything, or anyone, suspicious. At the same time remember, the townsfolk are thinking they know who did it. Andrew, don't do anything or go anywhere that might lend weight to their arguments.

“Jared, you said you would speak to the station master. Ask if he's seen anyone who might have been to Pine Haven on more than one occasion. Perhaps there's someone who came to town before the first theft and left after the others.”

“What can I do?” Andrew had calmed down and shared his thoughts about the thefts. Like Mary Lou, he had ideas about who was innocent but no clue about who could have committed the crimes.

“Bring the newspapers and come with me to the train depot. You can make the other deliveries like any Monday morning. I've already been to the saloon. I don't want you to go there.”

Mary Lou stopped. “You took papers to the saloon?”

“I did.”

“We don't sell our papers in the saloon.”

“We do now. Mr. Ledford was most helpful.” Jared put on his coat. “If a bit surprised.”

“You didn't discuss this with me.” The tension of their earlier conversations returned to her voice.

“We are in the business of selling newspapers. The fact that many of the men who go to the saloon want a paper made it a good business decision. I thought you'd want more sales.”

“I want to keep the reputation of the paper immaculate. Seeing it in the saloon could damage that.”

“The paper is for everyone in the community. Not just the churchgoers. The same people who frequent the saloon shop in the general store.”

“And that's where they can buy their paper.”

“Must we argue about this now? We've just come to agreement again about finding the thief. Let's not get distracted from that.” He put on his hat and opened the door.

“This isn't the end of our discussion.”

“A fact of which I have no doubt.” He closed the door and walked with Andrew toward the train depot.

“You should ask her stuff like that.” Andrew didn't look at him.

“Why do you say that? The paper is mine. I have as much, or more, right to make decisions as she does.”

“It ain't the same.” Andrew shook his head. “She's worked hard. If you're gonna change things, you oughta at least talk to her first. She ain't hard to get along with.”

“That's not true of my experience with Miss Ellison.”

“Hadn't seen her argue with no one but you. Seems like that makes you the problem.”

They walked in silence to the depot. Was Andrew right? Mary Lou did have a good rapport with just about everyone else.

Lord, if Doc Willis was right about needing to ask You for things, I'm asking for You to help us sort this out. It's not fair for Andrew to be falsely accused while a thief goes free. And I'd like to keep Mary Lou's reputation secure.

Grump had invested so much in her. For Jared to destroy it because he didn't think through his first attempt at uncovering a good story for the
Record
would be wrong.

He wanted ownership of the paper, but he didn't want to cause her pain. Somehow she'd burrowed her way into his conscience. What happened to her mattered to him.

In a few weeks everything he'd thought he wanted out of life had changed.

And Mary Lou had played a large—and unexpected—role in the changes.

Chapter Ten

M
ary Lou interviewed the sheriff and Mr. Warren again. Neither man gave a hint of anything that she or Jared hadn't already discussed. By the time she finished writing up her notes in the hotel lobby, it was well past the noon hour. Lunch in the hotel might warm her insides and cheer her mood.

“Here you go.” Naomi put a bowl of vegetable soup on the table in front of Mary Lou.

“Thank you.” Mary Lou put her napkin in her lap. “Would you care to join me? It looks like the lunch rush is over.”

“Don't mind if I do. I'll be right back.” The cook made her way through the empty restaurant and the swinging door that led to the kitchen. She reappeared in moments.

“I thought I'd get us some corn bread, too.” She set a plate of the golden-brown bread in the center of the table and took a seat.

Mary Lou offered a prayer of thanks and then dipped her spoon into the thick soup. “This is always delicious.”

“It's one of my favorites. Any time you see it on the menu, you can know one of two things has happened. Either I've had a chill to the bone or I'm thinking about my Elijah. It was one of his favorites, too.” Naomi often spoke of her deceased husband. “Today was his birthday.”

“I'm glad to share your meal on such an important day.” Mary Lou, like most everyone in Pine Haven, respected Naomi Grant. Her good food and sound wisdom had brought comfort to many people on more than one occasion. Sharing a meal with Naomi was like dinner with a wise grandmother or aunt.

“How are things going with you and the young Mr. Ivy?” Naomi took a piece of the corn bread and crumbled it into her soup.

“Not very well, I'm afraid.”

“Would you like to share? Sometimes saying things out loud takes the tension out of them.”

Mary Lou took a sip of her coffee. The fact that she'd forgotten to put sugar in it reminded her of how distracted she was today. “He's gone about the newspaper business with an approach that is opposite anything his grandfather did.”

“Opposite?”

“That might not be fair.” She added sugar to her cup and stirred the coffee until it dissolved. “He accused me of being biased because I didn't suspect someone I knew of theft.”

“Ah... Andrew.”

Her heart sank. “If you've already heard of this, too, then it's more widespread than I thought.”

“People do love to talk.”

“Especially Mrs. Croft.” Mary Lou still rankled from her attack this morning.

“She probably found it easy to talk to Mr. Ivy. Just like most of the men in town.”

“What are you saying?”

“Don't tell me you haven't noticed. If the two of you are talking about a story for the paper, folks just tend to answer him more than you.”

“I didn't know anyone else noticed.”

“Might be because he seems to ask in such a way that the person wants to give him the answer. More like he's charming it out of them than interrogating them.”

“A woman should have just as much respect as a man.”

“She should. But you and I both know it isn't often true. A man would rather tell a man a thing, and a woman will tell almost anyone.”

“I just wish he hadn't started people to thinking of Andrew as a possible thief.”

“Do you think Jacob Ivy would have suspected Andrew?”

“I don't. He would have eliminated him because he trusted Andrew.”

“So the real issue for you is the trust.” Naomi dipped her spoon into the bowl again.

“You have to trust your instincts in this business.” She couldn't remember how many times Mr. Ivy had told her that.
Follow your instincts. Train yourself to look for clues. Be observant. And follow the trail of clues to the truth.

“I thought the newspaper business was all about asking questions. It seems young Mr. Ivy was seeking answers without the advantages you had. You already knew Andrew. He didn't.”

Mary Lou put her spoon down with a sigh. “I was unfair.”

“That's not like you. Do you feel threatened by Mr. Ivy?”

“I could lose everything. The judge could come at any time. If he decides to honor the old will, the
Pine Haven Record
will no longer be mine.”

“So are you worried about Andrew or are you worried about losing the paper?”

“Both.”

“Would you say being worried about losing the paper intensified your anger about Andrew?”

Mary Lou looked up from her soup. “Naomi Grant, you have a way of digging out the core of a problem. I could have helped Jared see the truth about Andrew if I hadn't been so determined to best him at every turn.”

“While we're searching for the truth, have you thought that Mr. Ivy may be just the kind of man God would send your way? Sometimes we put up a powerful defense against something we didn't expect, when it may be just what God has in mind for us.”

Mary Lou choked and sputtered on her coffee. “Mrs. Naomi!”

“This soup sure is good.” Naomi's dark eyes twinkled. The smooth, brown skin of her face and the beauty of her spirit defied her years. The joy that resonated from her was a reminder that God could do anything. She winked at Mary Lou.

“It sure is.” Mary Lou spent another hour with the wise cook. By the time she left, she knew that Jared Ivy wasn't just a man after her paper. He was a man she could lose her heart to if she wasn't careful.

* * *

Friday morning dawned and they were no closer to solving the mystery of the stolen items than they had been on Monday when they'd shared their ideas.

Well, most of their ideas.

Mr. Robbins had told the sheriff on Wednesday that one of his finest crops was missing from the livery, and then Mr. Ledford had reported some cigars stolen from the saloon. Both places had insisted that Andrew had been seen nearby before the items went missing. The poor youth couldn't go anywhere in town without being suspect.

Mary Lou decided she'd been right to withhold a few of her ideas from her conversation with Jared outside the general store on Monday. She had followed up on several of her possible suspects to no avail, but she wouldn't give up hope.

Jared was at the desk when she went to the office. It was a good opportunity to speak to him without Andrew present.

“Good morning.”

A grunt was his only reply.

“What are you working on?”

He kept writing. “Just making some notes.”

“I think I owe you an apology.”

The pencil dropped to the desk and he closed his notebook. He leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath. “I'm ready.”

“You don't have to make such a big deal of it.”

“It's more that I'm savoring the moment.” He put his elbows on the arms of the chair and waited.

“I was unfair to be upset with you about Andrew.”

“I see.”

“And I think if I'd have told you more about him, you might have seen him like I do.” She drew an imaginary circle on the top of the desk with her fingertip. “Like your grandfather did.”

“Hmm.” He stared at her. Not an accusing stare. Not a forgiving one, either. “Then I think it only fair for me to apologize to you, too. If I'd asked for your insight, I might have spared the poor boy a lot of grief.”

“If he hears you calling him a boy again, I'm not going to stand up for you. You'll be on your own.”

They both laughed.

“Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry.” She tucked a pencil over her ear.

He stood and joined her in front of the desk. “Where are you off to today?”

“I want to follow the steps of the thief, map it out in my mind. Someone had to see something. No one could be so unobtrusive as to never be seen.”

“May I join you?” He took her coat from the coat tree and held it for her.

Having him along could be distracting. She couldn't recall a single instance since he'd come to town where she'd done her best work with him present.

Naomi's words came back to her. Her defensiveness against Jared's presence could be the reason for that. If only she could convince herself that he wasn't indeed a threat to her. For the paper—or as a man God may, or may not, have sent to her.

“Why not? Neither of us has succeeded alone. Perhaps together we can arrive at the truth.”

* * *

Jared held the door open for Mary Lou to enter the train depot that afternoon. All morning they'd retraced the thefts. No new information surfaced. No one seemed to be looking for anyone except Andrew.

They approached the ticket window side by side. Chester Meadows looked up through the metal grate that separated his office from the lobby area.

“What can I do for you folks today?”

Mary Lou offered Mr. Meadows one of her friendliest smiles. “Good afternoon. How is Mrs. Meadows these days? I don't think I've seen her for at least two weeks.”

“She's quite well, thank you.”

Jared got straight to the point. “Have you remembered anything you didn't tell us before that might help find the thief?”

Mary Lou shot a frown his way. The speed with which her expression changed was comical. She whispered at him, “I was getting to that.”

He spoke low to her. “Yes, but I'm already there.” To Mr. Meadows he said, “Were you able to think of something else?”

“Nope. Sorry I can't help. Even asked the missus. It's a mad rush in here when the trains are coming and going. The in-between times, there's only people from town buying a ticket or a straggler who missed his train—”

Mary Lou interrupted. “What about while the train is in the station? The people who get off to walk around. Did you notice anyone in particular?”

“No, Miss Ellison. The only people I recognize are the ones who come all the time. I know the conductors, the engineers, the newsagent and such. You see the same people I do. They might go to the hotel for a meal or to the saloon for a drink, but most of the time they aren't here long enough to leave the station for more than a few minutes.”

Jared listened to every word. There must be a clue in something they'd heard today. “Have any of the regular train workers said or done anything that stuck in your craw?”

Mr. Meadows scratched behind one ear and thought. “Not as I can think of.”

The door opened and two men entered the depot.

“If you folks don't mind, I need to see to the paying customers.” Mr. Meadows gave a friendly wave of dismissal.

Jared and Mary Lou were almost at the door when he called them back. “I just thought of something. If you can wait a minute, while I take care of these tickets, I'll be glad to tell you all about it. Not sure it will help, though.”

Mary Lou sat on a bench by the door. She pulled out her notebook and made several notes. The pencil she wore over her ear was tucked back in place when the two men left and Mr. Meadows signaled for their attention.

“The engineer came in a couple of weeks ago. He was asking for a copy of the paper. I got it for him, but asked why he didn't just buy one of the ones the newsagent sells. He gave a snort and said he didn't like the fellow. Said he was new to the line but carried himself like he owned the whole company.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Meadows.” Mary Lou's face lit up a bit too brightly at his words.

“I don't know if that matters, but it's the only thing I know that was out of the ordinary.”

Jared tapped his hand on the ticket shelf. “Thank you, just the same.”

When they stepped outside, the whistle for the afternoon train sounded in the distance and Mary Lou put a hand on his arm.

“If we hang around the depot while the train is here, we may notice something untoward for ourselves.”

“I'm not sure there's anything to notice.”

“If it hadn't been odd to him, Mr. Meadows wouldn't have called us back to tell us about it.”

He didn't think there was much point, but they'd tried everything they could think of in town. “I'll stay for a few minutes, but I don't know if it will matter. I'm of a mind to agree with Mr. Meadows. A highfalutin' attitude doesn't make a man a thief.”

She spun on him. “Neither does a fancy horse and saddle.”

“All right. You win. I'll stay with you. We'll see if we can catch the thief among us.” He dipped his head near her ear. The sweet floral scent she favored filled his senses. “I meant it when I said I was sorry for misjudging Andrew. I really do want to help find the thief.”

The train chugged into the station and squealed to a stop. In no time at all, passengers streamed from the cars.

The conductor paced on the platform and called out in a loud voice, “Departing at four o'clock sharp. Departing at four o'clock sharp.”

Mary Lou opened her pendant watch. “It's only three now. We have a full hour.” She looked first one way and then another. “Do you think our presence would cause a thief to change his pattern?”

He pivoted and leaned in close again. “How do you know we are looking for a man?” Mary Lou would have backed away from him but he held her elbow. “Don't move away. Look over my left shoulder.”

Her eyes grew wide. “What do you think is happening?”

“I'm not certain, but it seems as though the sheriff is questioning the personnel from the train.”

“Why does that mean you have to stay so close to me?”

“If the workers think we are on the same mission as the sheriff, they'll never talk to us.” He nodded in the direction of the conductor. “But if they think we're a young couple asking questions about the best place to go on a trip together, they may cooperate.”

She stiffened. “But we aren't a young couple. That would be lying. I will not use a lie to learn the truth.”

“I didn't say we were going to lie.”

He guided her toward the conductor. “Excuse me, sir.”