Whispers on the Wind (14 page)

As they drove down Main
Street, Mary was surprised at how large Windy Bend looked. It
wasn’t as big as Denver, but it was a good-sized city compared to
most little towns. “What is that?” Mary asked.

“It’s the Victor, our
newest five-story hotel,” Carter told her.

“It boasts one hundred
fifty guest rooms," Judith added.

Mary gazed at the hotel.
“It is hard to believe that you have so many visitors to this small
town.”

“After
the gold strike two years ago, the town
has
been growing,
"Judith said.

As they continued down the
street, Mary noticed the lampposts with gaslights on top of each
one. They lit up the entire street In the middle of town the Butte
Opera House stood, an impressive three- story brick building
nestled between all the wooden structures.

Carter pulled back on the
reins. “I’ll help you ladies out, and then I’ll park the buggy down
at the livery.” He jumped down and walked over to his men. “You
boys enjoy yourselves for a few hours. Just be sure you stay out of
trouble.”

“Yes, boss,” they said
with a nod, and rode off down the street.

“Carter, you go with the
ladies, and I’ll park the buggy,” Rick suggested.

“Fine,” Carter replied as
he reached up to help Mary down. She hadn’t taken one step before
she was jerked roughly back. Her skirt had caught on
something.

She tugged on her skirt.
“I’m afraid I’m stuck.” Carter chuckled. Then he reached around
Mary and pulled the material free. “There you go.”

His closeness heated her
face more than any fire could. “Thank you,” Mary
murmured.

Carter offered his arms to
both women, “Ladies.” One on each side and holding his arms, they
walked into the building past a man taking up money.

Mary looked around Carter
to Judith. “People are paying good money to hear us
sing?”

“Yes, they are, a whole
thirty-five cents. The money goes to keep the opera house in good
condition,” Judith said. She glanced up at her son. “Did Hank say
that he was coming tonight?”

“Yes, he did. He’s still
moving a little slow, but I’m sure he will perk up when he sees you
after the performance.”

“Well, then. "Judith
stopped and turned toward a hallway that seemed to lead behind the
stage. “We’ll see you after the performance.”

Carter leaned down and
kissed his mother on the cheek. “Good luck. We’ll be in the fifth
row.”

Mary sighed. “Good. I might
need rescuing if the audience starts throwing things.”

Carter and Judith both
laughed, and then Carter said, “Not a chance. I’ve heard you
sing.”

Mary watched him walk away.
He’d actually given her a compliment, but he hadn’t kissed her on
the cheek. She quickened her steps to catch up with Judith. Carter
probably hadn’t realized what he was saying.

Mary followed Judith as she
walked down a short hallway to the back of the stage, growing more
nervous with every step. She prayed she wasn’t going to embarrass
herself when she stepped out on stage.

She also prayed that no one
would jump up and holler, “Murderer!” And at that thought, she
realized she was doing a very foolish thing.

Chapter Eight

Backstage, Mary stood next
to Judith while she chatted with some of the locals who acted as
stagehands during performances at the opera house. Judith explained
what she and Mary would be doing, and two of the men moved a piano
into place.

The murmur of voices grew
on the other side of the curtain as the auditorium filled. Mary
thought about peeking out between the curtains to see how many
people were out front, but then reconsidered. She was already
nervous enough. She just might flee if she saw a bunch of strangers
staring at her.

“How many seats are out
there?” Mary asked.

“A thousand,” Judith said
without a second thought. Then she had the stagehands push the
piano again, to where Judith thought that they would have better
lighting.

Mary wished she hadn’t
asked. She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking as
she glanced around, trying to keep her mind off her jitters. The
theater was impressive. It looked like something she imagined one
would find in a city like Boston or New York. Mary had read about
such places, but never dreamed she’d be performing in such an
impressive building.

There were several men
milling about, checking on the curtains. She was watching them when
she caught a glimpse of a stranger in a green plaid coat standing
in a corner, apparently doing nothing but staring at her. His hair
was slicked back with pomade and he was smiling at her.

A plaid coat
?

Her heart raced. Quickly,
she looked away. What was it about the plaid coat that nagged at
her memory? It was true that one usually didn’t see such brightly
colored material, but that wasn’t it—it was something that she
couldn’t put her finger on.

She glanced at him again.
His hand started toward his face. Her stomach tightened. A box fell
with a big crash, drawing her attention away. She jumped and swung
around.

Mary gasped and reached for
Judith. “W—who is that man over there?”

Judith turned in that
direction. “Who, dear? I don’t see anyone.”

Mary looked again, but the
man was gone. She sighed. “Perhaps I just imagined him.”

Judith shrugged, then
returned to her conversation. Mary didn’t really listen because she
knew she’d seen the stranger and something about him made her feel
very sick. What a strange reaction to have, she thought

Green plaid.
She squeezed her eyes shut to help her remember.
Where had she seen a coat similar to the one he had on? In the back
of her mind, there was a vague memory just out of reach. Again she
tried to bring the picture forward, but the image of the coat was
replaced with blood.

Her eyelids popped open
and her breathing quickened. She tried to keep her fragile
control.
My God!
It matched the piece of fabric she’d found in the cabin.
She’d forgotten all about it. Could that stranger have been in the
cabin that night? But who was he?

When she returned to the
ranch she was going to search the pockets of her old dress for the
scrap of material. Maybe holding the slip of fabric would help her
remember who the man was.

Judith touched Mary’s arm.
“This is Mayor Higgins. He will introduce us, "Judith explained.
“Mayor, this is our houseguest, Mary.”

“Welcome to our town,”
Mayor Higgins said with a smile. “Folks are mighty pleased to have
you perform for us.”

Mary returned his smile and
some of her tension eased. “They haven’t heard me sing yet, Mayor.
They could change their minds.”

The mayor’s eyes twinkled
with amusement. “As long as you don’t sound like you’re calling
cows, they’ll love you.”

“Take your places,” the
tall stagehand on the far left called out

The mayor ducked in front
of the curtain to announce the upcoming performance. A flicker of
apprehension coursed through Mary as she nervously clenched her
hands again.

Judith moved around the
piano and took her seat on the piano bench. “Mary, I want you to
stand to my left beside the piano. I want our audience to hear that
lovely voice loud and clear.”

Mary began to tremble. “I
like that idea because it will give me something to hold on to,”
she said. “I feel like I’m going to faint.”

“I know you’re nervous,
Mary, but once you begin to sing you’ll forget all about it. Just
remember the folks from Windy Bend are simple townsfolk, and they
will be happy to hear your beautiful voice. This concert is a real
treat for them. "Judith sighed. “I’m feeling a little queasy
myself, so I must be just as nervous as you are.”

“Your face is a little
flushed.” Mary peered at Judith. “I know I asked you before, but
are you sure you’re feeling all right?” And then a thought occurred
to Mary. What if Judith was sick and couldn’t perform, leaving Mary
to sing by herself? That was a quick and disturbing thought which
made her stomach clench tighter.

Judith gave her a slight
smile, one that really didn’t reach her eyes. “I will be fine. I’m
just a little tired from getting everything ready. Besides, if
something happened to me, I know you’d be glad to entertain our
audience.” She had a sly smile on her face.

Mary laughed, easing the
tension for the moment “I wouldn’t count on it” She didn’t think
Judith was telling the truth, but the curtain had started to rise
and Mary couldn’t say anymore.

Judith began playing as the
curtain slowly rose and they glanced out at the audience. Mary was
so glad that she didn’t have to sing the first song because if she
wasn’t holding on to the piano, she’d have crumpled to the floor in
a heap. Her legs were shaking so badly, they could hardly hold her
up. Where was the brave adventuress she used to be?

Not only did she see a sea
of people with all eyes focused on them, there were three stories
of seating, and four box seats with hand-painted angel medallions
on the front The two balconies were something she’d never seen
before. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes as Judith led her
into the next song.

Mary opened her mouth to
sing but nothing came out. She stood there, blank, amazed, and very
shaken. Her gaze darted to Judith, who smiled and nodded to her.
She played the opening phrase again.

Mary shut her eyes and
began to softly hum the melody. Then she grew more confident and
began to sing. Her voice came out clear and crisp, showing none of
the nervousness she felt As she lost herself in the lyrics, she
discovered that she enjoyed singing. Funny, she’d never sung much,
but she found it was different from anything she’d ever done before
and she was surprisingly good at it

And, thank God, the
audience wasn’t throwing anything at her—yet.

Carter watched Mary
closely. She appeared scared to death, and for a moment he thought
she was going to be sick. When she opened her mouth and nothing
came out, his heart ached for her. He was certain she was going to
dart behind the curtain.

But she didn’t.

And for some reason, he
felt his chest tighten with pride. The girl had gumption. She stood
proud. Mary was breathtakingly beautiful, and it was really hard
not to watch every move that she made.

“I’ve never heard a voice
like that,” Rick said from beside Carter. “She could be a
professional singer for all we know.”

“Could be, but I doubt it
If she were experienced, she wouldn’t be so nervous. Instinct
would kick in. However, I do agree the woman can definitely sing.
It is almost like we’re listening to an angel.”

The audience oohed and
aahed through several songs, and finally, after the last song, the
audience leapt to their feet for a standing ovation. The clapping
continued until Judith agreed to one more song.

When the final note had
been played, Judith held out her hand to Mary, and they both went
to center stage to take their bows.

The clapping and cheering
were very loud and seemed to go on forever. Mary couldn’t believe
the reception that they were receiving. She wanted to share her
happiness with someone. She searched the first few rows for Carter,
and there he was. He was smiling at her as if he were very
proud.

Mary smiled with sheer
pleasure. She was so happy to have not made a fool of herself. The
applause was still thunderous as Mary looked further to the back.
There, she glimpsed a man in the very back of the center aisle
wearing a green coat.

“There he is again,” Mary
whispered to Judith as they took yet another bow.

Suddenly, two loud
explosions rang out, drowning out the applause. Mary screamed as a
burning fire entered her body. She reached out for Judith as she
crumpled to the floor.

Mary looked around in
confusion. What was happening? Somebody had shot her. Panic was
rising within Mary, but she wasn’t quick enough to catch Judith
because Mary was slowly sinking to the floor. Her legs refused to
hold her up any longer.

The audience
panicked.

Mary heard the commotion
all around her. She tried to hold on, but she was slipping fast
“Somebody help me,” she whimpered as she sank to the
floor.

Chapter Nine

Carter leapt out of his
chair.

His heart had lodged
somewhere in his throat, but his gaze never left the prone forms of
Mary and his mother. From where he stood, he could see blood on
Mary. My God, had someone just shot them both?

He had to shake himself out
of this stupor he seemed to be in. He hadn’t even looked for the
shooter as any good lawman should because he wasn’t able to take
his eyes off the people he cared for on the stage.