The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,308

eyes bugged. “What the hell are you doing… trying to play me for a fool? You got money. Lots of money and don’t say you don’t cause I know better. You’re the woman who went and struck gold, so where is it?”

She pointed toward town.

“Down yonder in that bank, and in a bank in Philadelphia, and in another bank in New York City, and in a bank in Boston.”

A drop of spittle slid from the corner of the man’s mouth as his nostrils flared.

“You’re lyin’!”

“No, I’m not.”

“Why would you put your money in all them banks so far away?”

“So people like you couldn’t get their filthy hands on it.”

He reeled as if he’d been slapped. Before Letty could react, he had crossed the distance between them and put a knife to her throat.

The coppery scent of fresh blood went up her nostrils, as did the rotten smell coming from his body. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at his face for fear he’d see the terror she was trying to hide.

“I’ll teach you to smart-mouth me,” he said, and gave her a back-handed blow to the face.

Letty dropped to her knees as blood spurted inside her mouth. She bent over and spat blood into the dirt. The skin on her face burned, as if he’d pushed her too close to a fire.

“Now get up!” he yelled, and grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her feet. “You and me are goin’ inside that fancy house of yours and get me some money… a lot of money. If I find out you been lyin’ to me, I’ll shoot you where you stand.”

Letty didn’t argue for fear that if he hit her again, the baby might suffer. With one last glance toward the cellar, she let him drag her toward the house.

Robert Lee was hitching a team of mules to an ore wagon when one of the miners yelled out.

“Hey! Look there! Ain’t that Miz Letty’s dog?”

Robert Lee looked up to see the huge brown and white dog coming toward the mine at a lope. Although the dog had been here many times before, he’d never before come alone. Robert Lee dropped the harness and stepped out from behind the wagon for a better look.

Moments later, the dog ran up to him and dropped at Robert Lee’s feet. Robert Lee’s stomach rolled when he realized there was a long bloody cut on the dog’s back leg. Even though he knew Letty had been forbidden to ride until after the baby was born, that didn’t mean she was beyond defying orders. He stood up, searching the valley for sight of her, but saw nothing.

“Something’s not right,” he said, and pointed to one of the men. “Harness up the team and go ahead and take that load into town. I’m going to Miz Letty’s house to check on them.”

“Sure thing, boss,” the man said, and picked up the harness as Robert Lee mounted his horse.

Before he knew it, T-Bone was back, running at his side. He spurred his horse and then leaned into the ride as his horse broke into a gallop. Everything went through his mind and none of it good, but he wouldn’t give in to the fear.

He rode hard. By the time he got to town, his horse was heaving for breath. Flecks of lather from the horse blew onto the legs of his pants as he rode, and he could hear the heavy groan from his near-spent mount. He knew the animal was almost past going, and yet he didn’t dare slow down for fear that whatever was going on, he would arrive too late to help.

When he rode through town at a hard gallop, several people stopped, curious as to what was happening. More than one yelled out as he passed by, but he didn’t take time to answer. His gaze was fixed on the roof of Letty’s fine house that sat on the hill above the town.

When he was less than a hundred yards from the house, he heard a gunshot and immediately reined in his mount. The trembling horse was wild-eyed and snorting as he sat, listening for a second shot. He knew that the women had a rifle which Letty kept loaded. But the shot he’d heard was from a handgun, not a rifle, and as far as he knew, there wasn’t one on the place.

He spurred his horse forward and rode into the yard at a gallop. He didn’t know what was