Before the Dawn by Beverly Jenkins
“Cheyenne braves don’t pout.”
She smiled. “My apologies. We can have dinner when you return.”
“I know.” Ryder also knew he was being selfish. However, he resigned himself to not seeing her tonight and not being able to hold her again until he returned from Virginia City. He wasn’t happy about it though. “I want you to have Sam telegraph me if any trouble comes up.”
He looked over at Daniel Morton. “Couldn’t the judge have sent you someone older?”
“He’s supposed to be very good,” Leah assured him.
Ryder didn’t appear impressed. “Well, I’m going to head home. I’d kiss you good-bye, but I don’t want to shock the children.”
She grinned, then said genuinely, “Have a safe trip.”
He stroked her cheek and stepped off the porch. Walking by Morton, he growled, “Represent her well, or I’ll have your hide.”
Hearing that, Leah’s hands went to her hips and she shook her head with mute amusement. As he disappeared from sight, she missed him already.
Leah showed the young lawyer into her small residence. He looked around at the sparsely furnished space, then, at her request, sat on one of the chairs. He pulled out his papers and pen. “I already know some of the details surrounding your marriage, but I need to be clear on everything.”
Leah began by explaining the relationship between Monty and her mother, Reba, then told the truth behind her own marriage.
Morton asked, “So in reality, the marriage between you and Mr. Montague was a sham.”
“Essentially yes. He hoped it would ensure my future.”
“A noble gesture,” he voiced while he wrote on his tablet, “but let’s hope our worthy opponents don’t find out.”
Leah asked, “Will I be called upon to testify?”
“More than likely. We’re going to try and prove that the thirty-year lien on Mr. Montague’s assets and the subsequent confiscation of the estate by the court to pay the lien was improper. If I were they, I’d challenge your right even to inherit the estate, so we must be prepared to counter that.”
They talked well on into the evening about strategies, how he wished her to dress, and the demeanor she needed to maintain while being questioned by their opponents.
“Now, this matter with Mr. Damien.” He held her eyes. “I have no idea how his presence in your life will affect our chances of regaining the estate. Honestly, it can’t help, especially if everyone already knows the two of you are—involved.”
Leah sighed. “Well, we can’t wave a wand and make it disappear.”
“I know, but they’ll have trouble seeing you as the deserving young widow when you’ve taken up with your late husband’s illegitimate son.”
Leah’s jaw tightened.
He smiled kindly, “I mean no offense, but I want you to be prepared to hear exactly that, and more, because they’ll undoubtedly attack your character.”
He gathered up his tablets and papers and placed everything back into his small black valise. “They’re also going to challenge your rights to the estate because of your race.”
Leah nodded. “I know.”
“Just so you’re prepared.”
He stood and put on his rumpled coat. “We’ll be waging an uphill battle and I have no idea if we’ll prevail, but I will them give them a fight. I don’t want to hand my hide to Mr. Damien.”
Leah smiled. In spite of the awkwardness of their initial meeting, she felt confident having this young man on her side.
It was dark when she walked him to the door. “Thank you, Daniel.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
He gave her the name of his hotel, then said, “We’ll get together again before Wednesday but I’ll be doing some investigating on my own in the meantime.”
Leah nodded. “If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know.”
“I will, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
After he was gone, Leah stood with her back against the door. She was admittedly nervous about Wednesday’s proceedings but vowed to face it with her head held high no matter the outcome.
By the time Ryder made it home, he’d already decided to cancel his trip to Virginia City. An underling could be dispatched to the stockholders’ meeting and the Nevadans who wanted his money to invest in their mine would simply have to wait. He had more important business here. The creditors who had been awarded Louis’s estate would undoubtedly mount a formidable campaign to keep it. If he were they he’d have already conducted an investigation into the widow’s past, so whatever dirt was unearthed could be presented to the judge. Failing that, her race would be attacked next, along with her relationship with him. With that in mind he planned to alert his own lawyers in the morning, just in case the back East cub needed reinforcements.
Ryder also needed to find out what the hell had happened to the Pinkerton he’d hired. If there was some damaging news, he wanted to know before her opponents. In reality, though, he didn’t care about the Pinkerton’s report or how the hearing turned out; he just wanted everything over so he and the Morenita could concentrate on the future. He had more than enough money for her to live comfortably by his side for the rest of her life, so the monetary value of the estate and the fifteen thousand he’d lost meant little. Leah, however, had come to mean a lot.
Leah got ready for church the next morning, then went to the house to see if Eloise were ready as well. The house was quiet, though, and no one answered Leah’s knock on the studio door. Deciding to see if Eloise might be with Alice, Leah went back outside.
Moving as quietly as she had done before, Leah peeked through the tress bordering Alice’s domain, and sure enough there sat Eloise.
She was saying, “I know it has to be done, but this will be the hardest one.”
Leah wondered if Eloise was referring to her studio work.
Eloise quieted as if listening to Alice, then responded, “Well it’s going to be finished soon. Then we’ll both feel better.”
When Eloise rose, Leah came out of hiding and casually revealed herself as if she’d not been eavesdropping, “Good morning, Eloise.”
A startled Eloise swung sharply around. For a moment Leah saw something strange in the old woman’s eyes, but it vanished so quickly, Leah thought she must have imagined it.
The eyes were now shining with the familiar kindness. “Good morning, dear. You startled us. Didn’t she, Alice?”
“I’m sorry. I just came to see if you’re ready for church?”
Eloise smiled. “Sure am. You go on around to the front. Let me grab my Sunday school books, and Ol’ Tom and I will be there in a minute.”
Leah nodded then left to go wait out front.
When they returned from church, Eloise went back into her studio, and Leah journeyed on to her cabin. A folded note had been tacked to the door. Hoping it might be a parting note from Ryder, she took it down and hastily opened it. The letters of the words had been cut from newsprint and were glued to the paper. Ice filled her veins as she read:
Death to all the Montague Whores. Three times is the charm. You’re next!
The words filled her with such fear, she thought she’d be sick. Her hands were shaking, and a cold sweat ran down her back inside her blue dress. Not knowing what else to do, she ran to the house yelling, “Eloise!”
Eloise met her in the kitchen. She took a look at distressed Leah’s face and asked with alarm, “What’s happened?”
Leah handed her the note.
Eloise read it and whispered, “Dear Lord. Where’d you find this?”
“On the cabin door.”
“We have to tell the sheriff. Come on, I’ll hitch up Ol’ Tom.”
For a moment, Leah couldn’t move. The raggedly spaced words kept echoing in her head. Someone wanted her dead!
“Come on, Leah!” Eloise called urgently.
Her voice seemed to free Leah from the spell. She shook herself and followed Eloise out to the barn.
Because it was Sunday, many of the shops and businesses in Denver were closed. There were fewer people on the streets than during the week, but there were plenty of folks in front of the sheriff’s office. Late last month, a mob had attempted to storm the jail with the intentions of lynching Andrew Green and his accomplice, a Black man named Withers, but had been turned back by Sheriff Cramer and the city police. As a result, a large contingent of law-enforcement officers was now guarding the facility around the clock.
Leah and Eloise were stopped by one of the guards far short of the jail. When they showed him the note, he looked between the Black women, and said, “I’ll let the sheriff know. He’s at home right now.”
“But—” Leah began.
He cut her off. “I said, I’ll let the sheriff know.”
“Isn’t there anyone else I can speak with?”
“No.”
Realizing she’d get no satisfaction there, at least not today, she asked, “When can I see him?”
“Try back in a couple of days. This Green thing’s got everybody’s hands full.”
“And if I’m dead before those couple of days are here?” Leah asked.
He didn’t even flinch. “I’ll let the sheriff know.” That said, he turned away and went back to his post beside the door.
An angry Leah shared a look with the tight-lipped Eloise. They returned to the wagon.
“Maybe it’s just a prank,” Eloise voiced as she drove them home.
“Some prank.”
Pranks brought to mind Seth. “Seth said telling Ryder we’d slept together had been a prank. You don’t think he do something like this, do you?”
Eloise shrugged. “I wish I could say no.”
Leah knew she could also add Cordelia and Helene to the short list of enemies she’d made since coming here, but what if the note had been penned by someone she didn’t know, someone still holding a grudge against Monty? He and Cecil had left behind many enemies. Thinking about it a bit more though made her tend to believe this was a nemesis she knew, someone who’d known she and Eloise attended church on Sunday mornings and that they’d be gone long enough for the perpetrator to leave the deadly calling card without fear of being discovered.
“Eloise, how much do you know about the deaths of Bernice Montague and Ryder’s mother, Songbird?”
“Not much, except Bernice died very slowly. I couldn’t save her, and neither could the big fancy doctors Louis brought in.”
“Do you think both women could’ve been murdered?”
“Now, we know Songbird was murdered, but Bernice’s death wasn’t so cut-and-dried. There were rumors that she was poisoned, but it was never proven.”
“I’m going to have Cecil’s body exhumed.”
Surprise filled Eloise’s face. “Really? When did you decide that?”
“At the church social. I was telling Ryder about Helene’s belief that both Cecil and her sister were poisoned, and he suggested exhumation as a way to put my mind to rest.”
“Do you really believe his death was unnatural?” Eloise asked.
“I don’t know what I believe at this point, but having an autopsy performed will let me know one way or the other—at least I hope so.”
Eloise waved at a couple passing them by on the other side of the road. “You know some folks thought Helene was responsible for her sister’s death.”
Leah was surprised. “Didn’t they get along?”
“In public yes, but not in private.”
“Why not?”
“Bernice had Louis, his money, and his grand house. Helene had nothing that Bernice didn’t give her, and Bernice never missed an opportunity to point that out. Helene resented being treated like a poor relation.”
“Could she really have poisoned her sister?” Leah asked.
“Louis was convinced it was her.”
“And you?”
Eloise shrugged. “Helene lived in the house, so she had the opportunity, but who knows? Would she really have killed her own sister?”
“What a mess.”
Eloise nodded. “It certainly is. We need to let Ryder know about that note.”
“He left this morning for Virginia City. Sam can wire him though.”
“Good. Do you know how to shoot a rifle?”
“No,” Leah said.
“Well no sense in giving you one for protection then.”
“Probably not, I’ll just wind up shooting myself.”
Eloise smiled. “Glad you still have your sense of humor.”
“That’s about all I have. It isn’t often I have my life threatened.”
Eloise nodded her understanding. “Well, let’s go by Helene’s and talk with Mable. Maybe she’s seeing Sam today and can have him wire Ryder in Virginia City.”
“Good idea.”
But Mable wasn’t there. According to Helene it was Mable’s Sunday off.
A curious Helene asked, “Why do you need to speak with her?”
Leah gave her the note and carefully watched Helene’s expression, but the woman only raised her usual eyebrow.
Helene handed it back. “When did you receive this?”
“It was on my door when we returned from church this morning.”
“And I assume you have no idea who it’s from?” Helene asked.
“None.”
Helene sighed. “As I said before, by coming to Denver, you’ve awakened something that’s been asleep for thirty years. It killed my sister, the Indian woman, Songbird, and probably Cecil Lee. You’d best be careful.”
She then closed the door and left them standing on the porch. Leah tried to shake off her fear as she and Eloise returned to the wagon, but found it impossible.
Since Ryder had changed his plans about going to Virginia City he decided to pay the Morenita a surprise visit. It would be dark in a few hours, but he didn’t care. He saddled his stallion and rode off.
He went to Eloise’s door first in case Leah was there and was rewarded by her answering his knock on the screened door.
Leah’s face filled with surprise. “I thought you were leaving town.”
“Changed my mind.”
Relieved, she sagged against the doorjamb. “Thank goodness.”
A bit puzzled by her response, he opened the door and stepped inside. “What’s the matter?”
“This.”
Ryder took the folded paper from her hand. As he read, his eyes widened. “Where did this come from?”
She told him.
“Where’s Eloise?”
“In her studio.”
“You go and gather up your things. You’re coming back with me.”
Leah nodded. She had no intention of acting like an addle-brained heroine in a dime novel and arguing with him about being able to handle this situation alone only to wind up dead. She knew without a doubt that he’d protect her with every fiber of his being. Anyone wanting to harm her would have to come through him first. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and hurried off to pack a carpetbag.
While Leah went to the cabin, Ryder knocked on the door of Eloise’s studio. “Eloise?” he called.
“Ryder, is that you?”
“Yes. Can you come out a moment?”
“Be right there.” Eloise appeared in the doorway, and he caught a quick glimpse of the artistic clutter inside before she stepped out and carefully closed the door behind her. “Glad you’re here,” she said. “Did she show you the letter?”
“Yes. I’m taking her back to Sunrise with me.”
“That’s probably wise. Whoever it is will probably think twice before trying to harm her there.”
“Any idea who might’ve put that trash on her door?”
“Not a one.”
“Well, I intend to find out.”
Anger rose inside Ryder. He wouldn’t allow anyone to harm her, not and live. “Will you be all right here by yourself?”
She waved him off. “Sure, you just keep Leah safe.”
“I will.”
Moments later Ryder placed Leah in front of him on the horse and then galloped them off into the fading light of the day. Neither spoke. No words were necessary. She needed protection, and they both knew he would provide it or die trying.
After arriving at Sunrise, they entered the kitchen to find a worried Sam and Mable seated at the big wooden table.
Sam stood and surveyed Leah anxiously. “Helene told us what happened. Are you all right, Leah?”
“I feel better being here. Evening, Mable.”
“This is so terrible,” she replied. “Helene’s convinced it’s all tied to the past.”
Ryder said, “She could be right, but for now, I’m going to take Leah upstairs so she can relax. We’ll see you two later.”
They nodded in response.
Once inside his room, she set down her carpetbag. He took her into his arms and whispered against her hair, “You’re safe here.”
Leah held him tight. She did indeed feel safe. His strength seemed to be flowing into her, easing her anxieties and fears.
He leaned back a bit. Looking down into her eyes he made a solemn pledge, “We’ll find this person.”
“I know.”
Leah placed her head against his chest and basked in his nearness.
Ryder wanted nothing more than to stand there and hold her until dawn, but knew that to be impractical, so he led her over to the black-velvet settee in front of the fireplace.
“Come on, let’s sit down.”
She sat in his lap, and they were both content.
“Now,” he said, “I want you tell me everything that’s happened since you found the letter.”
So she did. When she related the treatment she’d received at the hands of the sheriff’s deputy, Ryder’s jaw tightened. “I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow.”
She then told him about the encounter with Helene, and Helene’s words.
Ryder admitted, “I hate to give that old harpy any credence, but in this instance—”