Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(55)

“Rachel told me what to look for.” Molly felt her cheeks turning pink. It was wrong to take credit while Rachel lay upstairs unconscious.

“And you said there are more packets? Can you guess how many more?”

Molly thought hard, then lifted her hands helplessly. “I just grabbed those you have and shut the safe. I don’t know how deep the safe is, so there’s no way to guess how many packets he had. He was coming fast. I should have gotten more. I should have—”

“No, you did exactly right. Taking just a few increases our chances that your investigating hasn’t been detected by Hawkins. According to Rachel’s notes, the two new names you found are of his former housekeepers. And the objects he kept are mementos of those women. The poems about missing them, written as they are, this is the kind of thing we sometimes see in men who seem to live a fairly normal life, then kill for . . . well, for pleasure.”

Cheyenne scowled. Win moaned and buried her face against Kevin’s arm.

Molly gasped. “That’s just sickening. I can’t believe there are such people.”

“One of the things that is off about this case is that men who do that don’t usually let years pass between victims,” McCall said. “That’s why I asked about the number of packets. If he is that kind of sick killer, then it’s very unlikely he’s killed only three women.”

“Only?” Wyatt’s brows shot up.

“Yes, according to this, we have multiple women who died or went missing while they were involved in some way with Hawkins.” McCall nodded at Win. “That includes your mother, Mrs. Hunt. I’m sorry to discuss such things in front of you.”

Kevin’s arm came around Win. She turned, her face now resting on his shoulder, and said, “If it’s true, then I want him found out. I want him to pay for killing my mother.”

McCall studied her expression for a few seconds then, reluctantly, nodded. “The Hannah he mentions most likely refers to Hannah Monroe, a woman who worked as a housekeeper for your father right after he sent you off to school, Mrs. Hunt.”

“Please, call me Win. There are too many Mr. and Mrs. Hunts at this table.”

With a quick smile, McCall said, “That’s true. Everyone, actually, except Miss Garner.”

“Make it Molly,” Molly offered.

“Then it’s John.” John referred to his notes. “She worked there until she moved on, according to Rachel, but there was no record of her after her time there.”

“Then Lydia was employed there, too?” Win asked, her voice quiet but steady.

“Yes, Rachel found a record of a Lydia Trenear. She was known a bit around town. A faithful church attender, and she wrote steadily to an elderly uncle back east. When her letters stopped, the uncle was in failing health, and though he made some inquiries, he died before he could find out what became of her. He talked with the police. He was sure she’d come to a bad end somehow, or else she would have written. He made enough noise there was a record of her connection to Hawkins.

“Rachel has very thorough notes, including information from Amelia Bishop and from her own experience. Amelia most certainly believed she was in danger. Now we have your information, Molly, and the injury to your arm.”

“I’m mostly healed.” Molly heard herself trying to diminish how badly she’d been hurt. She still felt ashamed. Trying to study that strange truth, she remembered how her ma had tried to have the house and meals just so to keep Pa happy. As if his violent treatment were her fault. Ma had felt ashamed, too. Molly knew it wasn’t right. This was not her shame, so she squared her shoulders and refused to take any blame.

John looked as if he could read all that flashed through her mind. “If your bruises aren’t healed after a week, then that tells us a lot about how bad they were. And we have an eyewitness account from your family of how serious they were. Yes, I’ve got enough to ask the sheriff to arrest him, and if the sheriff hesitates, then I’ll take him into custody myself. Through the influence of Amelia’s father, we have the support of the Wyoming territorial governor in this, and I’ve been sworn in to work with the authority of the US Marshal’s office. So I can make an arrest myself. Then we’ll search that safe, see what other evidence we find. That will bolster our case.”

Molly’s spirits lifted. John McCall was going to handle this, and Hawkins would pay for his crimes.

She looked forward to the day.

“I didn’t ask questions in Bear Claw Pass. I thought it was wise to come out here first and talk to all of you, find out who I could trust. I’d like to get Hawkins arrested tomorrow. I’ll head home as soon as I’m sure Rachel is all right.”

“I’m better every minute.”

Everyone whirled to look at the door to the stairway. Rachel, pale and wobbly, stood there in her nightgown. It should have been outrageous for her to appear dressed as she was, but instead the whole room broke into motion.

Molly charged forward to lend an arm. John was up and at Rachel’s side in seconds.

“John McCall, our agent from the Wild West. They sent you?”

“Yep.” He slid an arm across her back. “Are you up to sitting?”

Rachel nodded, but neither Molly nor John quit supporting her.

John guided her forward. “Come join us at the table.”