Breathless(79)

In Tucson the conductor verified that the train had been about an hour late. There’d been a couple of steers standing on the tracks. He also remembered seeing Portia. “She’s been riding with me pretty regularly the past few months.”

“Did you see which way she went when she got off?” the sheriff asked.

He hadn’t. “What this about? She in some kind of trouble?”

Kent said, “My wife is missing.”

The old man’s eyes widened. “If you need volunteers for a search party, let me know. She’s a nice little lady. Be glad to help.”

They thanked him and rode to the livery. The owner, Cassius Digsby lived up above the establishment. While the sheriff knocked on his door, Kent and Rhine walked to the stable. Arizona was there. Kent hugged her neck, needing the connection to his wife, and left her in her stall for the time being. He’d return for her once all the leads were exhausted. Where is my Duchess? He tried not to think about Portia being injured or tied up. He knew wherever she was, she was no doubt furious. He also knew she was tough and resourceful, two things in her favor. But he needed to find her before he lost his mind.

Sheriff O’Hara came down with the livery owner, Digsby. He’d known Rhine since they moved to the territory. “I’m sorry to hear about Portia being missing. I was just about to send somebody out to the hotel. It’s not like her to leave Arizona. I thought something might be wrong.”

“There is,” Rhine said. “Sometime between her getting off the train and walking here, she was taken.”

Digsby said, “I didn’t see or hear anything. It could’ve happened in the alley though. It can be pretty shadowy there once the sun goes down. Easy place for someone to hide. Talk to Raoul. Maybe he saw something.”

Kent didn’t know the man.

The sheriff said, “He has a small eating place that opens into the alley. We passed it coming in.”

They went immediately to the business and to Kent’s relief it was still open. Inside there was no one seated at the three small tables.

A tall Mexican man walked out from the back. “I’m supposed to be closing but the stove’s still hot, Sheriff.”

The sheriff nodded, introduced Kent and Rhine, and explained why they’d come. “Sorry to hear about your wife, Mr. Randolph, but she didn’t come in here. I would’ve remembered because that was right around the time I was arguing with Edward Salt and Charlie Landry.”

Kent froze. “Over what?”

“Them trying to weasel out of paying the bill. Salt’s done that to me twice now. Told him to never come back.”

Kent and Rhine shared a look, and O’Hara asked, “Do you think they may be the ones who have her?”

Kent nodded and explained why. The sheriff said, “Let’s go visit Landry first.”

The sheriff knocked. Kent and Rhine stood in the shadows flanking the door. Landry answered the bell. “Sheriff O’Hara. What can I do for you?”

“Want to talk to you about something, Charlie. Shouldn’t take but a few minutes. Can I come in?”

He hesitated for a moment, but pushed open the screen door to let him in. Only then did Kent and Rhine step into view. Charlie cried out, turned, and ran. Kent raised the lever action shotgun and blew out a wall. Charlie screamed. Kent fired again, took out the ceiling, and plaster and wood rained down. Charlie dropped to the floor, hands over his head, screaming, “Don’t kill me!”

Kent walked over determinedly, dragged Landry up by his hair, and stuck the Winchester between his eyes. “One chance. Where’s my wife?”

Charlie jumped like a landed fish. “She’s in the cellar. Outside! I—I . . . This was all Salt’s idea. Please!”

Kent slammed his face into the floor, breaking his nose. Without a word to Rhine or the staring O’Hara, he walked past them and outside.

In the cellar, both Portia and Salt looked up at what sounded like muffled thunder. Placing the lantern on the cellar floor, Salt hurried to the stairs and was halfway to the door when it opened and the working end of a long gun showed itself. “Back up,” she heard her husband growl.

Salt froze.

“You okay down there, Duchess?”

“I am,” she called happily, and tears of joy sprang to her eyes. The joy was quickly replaced by anger at Salt for putting her and her family through this ordeal, so she marched over to where he stood still frozen on the stairs, and without warning, grabbed the hems of his trousers and yanked. His feet flew off the stairs, his knees hit the wood followed by his chin, and he issued a high-pitched cry of surprise as he tumbled and bumped down the stairs. He was out cold when he landed in the dirt at her feet. Pleased, she stepped over him and began to climb. Now, she could go home.

A few days later, the sheriff stopped by to let them know that Landry and Salt were jailed, charged with abduction and extortion. According to them the abduction hadn’t been planned. Salt saw Portia coming and only intended to scare her with the gun. Landry was the one who bashed her over the head with his revolver and decided to hold her for ransom as a way to get back at the family for his wife’s sale of the land. Interestingly enough, there was a bevy of Wanted notices for the Salts from St. Louis to Boston for forgery, false impersonation, and other con artist activity. The parents weren’t in on the Salt and Landry scheme though. After being unable to fleece Rhine, they’d moved on, but the law was hot on their trail.