Tarnished Angel (60 page)

    "I'm done talking, Carter, and you're done with my arm, so you can leave now."

    "Ross…"

    Turning, Ross called toward the outside office, "Five minutes are up, Sheriff! It's time for the good doctor to leave."

    The outer door opened in almost immediate response, but Charles tried once more. "Ross…"

    Ross stared directly into Charles's eyes, his expression resolute. ''Don't come back, Carter."

    "But"

    "I said don't come back."

    Watching as Ross turned toward the window, Charles paused a moment longer. The hard voice coming from behind him was simultaneous with the sound of a key grating in the lock.

    "Listen to what the
fella
says, Doc. He don't want you here no more, and that's that."

    Charles slowly turned away.

    Jake pulled his hat lower on his forehead and continued along Sixth Street in a casual step that belied his inner agitation. He swallowed against the knot of tension in his throat as he glanced toward the jail.

    Christ, he couldn't rid his mind of the scene he had witnessed yesterday. It had been a real circus, Sheriff Bond's posse riding back into town carrying an unconscious Harvey Dale. Ross riding amid an army of guards, his face smeared with blood. And Charles Carter, a mirror image of Ross except for the cuts on Ross's face, riding close beside the beautiful, expressionless Devina Dale.

    Jake remembered his panic when he first thought Harvey Dale was dead. He hadn't wanted that. The town would be all for hanging Ross. But now he realized the stupidity of that thought. Being sent back to Yuma would be worse for Ross than hanging.

    Damn it all, the town was buzzing. The old story about Ross having caused the death of those miners had been stirred up all over again. Ross was being condemned a second time for a thing he had never done.

    Jake's frown tightened. He had gone over everything again and again. There was no way out. He and Ross had the payroll money stashed away and were ready to make a fresh start, but now everything had gone wrong. Jake had more money than he'd ever know what to do with, but he didn't give a damn. Ross was the only family he had, especially now that he'd lost Lai Hua.

    Jake's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as a tall, familiar figure emerged from the front door of the jailhouse. Jake gasped, only to realize his mistake a moment later. He stepped into the nearest doorway to avoid being seen as Charles Carter turned down

    
Toughnut
and began walking in the opposite direction. Christ, he'd never get used to seeing Carter with Ross's face.

    Waiting until Carter was out of sight, Jake lifted his hat, ran his hand through his, perspiration-soaked hair, and replaced it firmly on his brow. He stepped down into the street and walked with slow deliberation toward the jail. Strolling slowly past, he cast an assessing eye toward the sturdy structure. His thoughts ran riot. He had to get Ross out of there. Ross wouldn't stand a chance in this town. It would be back to Yuma for him, as fast as Harvey Dale could manage it, sickbed or not. He knew the desperation Ross was feeling.

    He and Ross could have used the help of Mack and Harry, both of whom were reliable and loyal, but those two had left town some time back and could be just about anywhere by now. Without them, Jake stood little chance of getting Ross out of that jail.

    He knew, if the situation were reversed, Ross would never leave him to rot in Yuma. He had to do something.

    Attempting to shrug off her exhaustion, Devina drew herself from the chair in the corner of her father's room and took a few steps closer to the bed. She watched Dr. Hastings as he finished his examination.

    "Your father's condition is stable, Devina, but I can't give you a prognosis just yet. We'll know in a few days whether the paralysis is permanent."

    Devina fought the sob she felt rising in her throat as she looked at her father's pale face. The high flush of color had faded, leaving him pale and gray, but the grim reminders of his condition were only too apparent. One side of his handsome face was cruelly twisted, his lips pulled into a grotesque angle, his eyelid similarly affected. His left arm lay useless at his side, and she knew his left leg suffered the same affliction.
Oh, Father, if Mama were here she'd love you no matter the extent of your disability. She'd care for you
.

    "Devina…"

    Her father was mumbling in his sleep, uttering a slurred pronunciation of her name. His eyes flickered open, finally focusing on her face, and his twisted lips parted as he struggled to speak again. Devina leaned toward him, attempting a smile.

    "Yes, Father. You're all right and you're at home now. Dr. Hastings says"

    "Where is he?"

    Devina shot a short glance toward Dr. Hastings. "He's right here, beside me, Father."

    "Morrison…"

    Devina swallowed tightly. "He's in jail."

    "Did he hurt you?"

    "No, he didn't hurt me."

    "He'll pay."

    "Father, please. It doesn't matter."

    "He'll pay, I'll make him pay."

    "Father, you mustn't excite yourself."

    Glancing toward Dr. Hastings for support as her father's agitation increased, Devina felt her father's hand close over hers and tighten almost to the point of pain.

    "Harvey, calm yourself," the doctor said. "You're not doing yourself any good. Devina's here, and she's going to stay here. Morrison's in jail, and that's where he's going to stay, too. All you have to do now is rest and allow your body to heal. You're a strong man, with excellent recuperative powers."

    But Harvey continued rambling. "He took my daughter… all I have… He'll pay…"

    Conflicting emotions assailing her, Devina searched her father's face. The threat he mumbled in his weak, slurred voice was not negated by his present physical state. A sharp stab of fear pierced her, even as she squeezed his hand in return, her voice a low whisper.

    "Rest, Father. I'm here."

    "So it's true." Devina gave a short, mirthless laugh and raised her shoulders in a gesture of helplessness. "I knew it. I just knew."

    Covering the few steps between them, Charles curved his arm around Devina's shoulders and slowly drew her to the settee at the side of her father's study. He sat beside her and took her hand.

    "Ross told me, but I didn't really want to believe him," Devina continued in a low, dead tone. "I didn't want to believe my father could have taken advantage of anyone in the way he took advantage of your father."

    Charles hesitated. "It still feels strange when anyone refers to Brad Morrison as my father. I suppose a part of me still doesn't accept it. Wilson Carter was the only father I ever knew, and I    loved him. I didn't find out the truth until just before Mother died. I never received any of Brad Morrison's letters. Mother confessed she destroyed them. She said she never got over her guilt for leaving Ross, and she was certain if she told me the truth, I'd hate her. She said that in the end she had only compounded her guilt by hiding the truth from me, and she wanted me to know the truth before she died. I suppose at first I was too shocked to react. I followed through with the burial, waited until the legal aspects of her death were cleared up. When I found myself clear of all those problems, I decided to look for Ross and Brad Morrison."

    Charles shrugged his broad shoulders. "I put detectives on it. They finally located Ross and Brad Morrison for me, so I started out for Tombstone. I don't have to tell you, the timing of my arrival was damned poor. When I got here the town was up in arms against Ross and my father, and your father was regarded as the victim. I don't know why I reached the wrong conclusions and decided to take your father's word over Ross's. When I look back on it now, I can't imagine how I didn't see through your father."

    Charles shrugged again. "I suppose I considered the files your father allowed me to read, the paperwork he had altered concerning his purchase of Brad Morrison's mine as conclusive evidence. And then there was Ross. He was so damned angry. He resented me for never having acknowledged my real father. He didn't want my interference and he offered no explanations. I suppose I reacted with
similiar
resentment. In any case, I didn't lead the sheriff to Ross, as he thought, not purposely. I was just too damned stupid to know I was being followed when I went to meet with Ross the second time. When the sheriff showed up, Ross was certain I had betrayed him. I don't suppose I can blame him for jumping to that conclusion. When I look back now, I can see that I was pretty damned pompous and insulted by his accusation. And I felt it was best that he was finally safe in jail, Devina. The town was out to get him. If the rabble in the town had gotten hold of him, he'd have been lynched.

    "It all went from bad to worse after that. Ross was convicted and Brad Morrison died without Ross being able to see him to say his last good-byes. He said he'd never forgive me for that, and I don't expect I can blame him. But when it was all over and Ross was taken to Yuma, I couldn't make myself leave Tombstone. The whole thing nagged at the back of my mind. Somehow I felt I had to see it through. I deliberately cultivated your
 
father's acquaintance, I suppose so I could prove to myself I had done the right thing. He didn't let me get too close, but he seemed to approve of me in a way he never approved of Ross. So I stayed on."

    Charles gave a short laugh. "It's amazing what a short memory a town has. Ross was written off within a year, and I was accepted into the community. Your father lent me his support while still keeping me at a distance. I suppose he figured he had an ally in me, or maybe he figured he had taken me in too completely for me ever to be a danger to him. As for Ross, I attempted to visit him a few times, but he wouldn't see me. I kept track of him, though. He had vowed to get revenge on Harvey Dale, and I think I always believed he would. When he was released after serving three years of his sentence, I figured he would return to Tombstone, and I would be able to talk him out of doing anything he'd be sorry for. I thought maybe we could be friends. But he never showed up. And then the robberies began."

    Charles took a deep breath. "I suspected from the beginning that Ross was behind the robberies. No one in Tombstone was aware that Ross had been released, so his name never came up. When you arrived in Tombstone after the stagecoach robbery and had that violent reaction the first time you saw me, you just about confirmed my suspicions."

    He paused and shot Devina a short smile. "I'm ashamed to say this, but I decided to use you, Devina, as an excuse to get closer to Harvey. I wanted to be in a position to help Ross. You know how things worked out. I inadvertently gave Ross just the opportunity he was looking for, and when you gave that party, he took my place. It was only afterward, when Harvey was forced to open his files to me, according to the demands of the ransom, that I found out how rich my father's claim really was and discovered how Harvey had duped Brad Morrison.

    Devina rose to her feet. "I have to see him, Charles."

    Charles stood beside her, his expression concerned. "He doesn't want to see you, Devina. He said"

    "I don't care what he said, I'm going."

    "I'll go with you."

    Devina shook her head. "No, Charles, please. That would be a mistake. Ross thinks… Well, it doesn't matter what he thinks, I want to see him alone. Maybe I can convince him at least to accept your lawyer."

    "And if he won't talk to you?"

    "He will, Charles. I'll make him talk to me."

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    "I don't care what he says, I want to see him."

    "I'm sorry, Miss Dale, Morrison don't want me to let you in. I'm
thinkin
' that's the way it should be. This
ain't
no place for a lady like you. And if you're
wantin
' to rail at him for
doin
' what he did to you and your father, then the place to do that is in court. He'll be
comin
' up on trial real soon. This town
ain't
goin
' to stand for a
fella
like him
stayin
' in this jail for any more time than he has to. The place for him is Yuma Prison."

    A knot tightened in Devina's throat. No, Ross couldn't go back there.

    "I want to see Ross Morrison, Sheriff."

    "I'm
tellin
' you, Miss Dale"

    "And I'm telling you, Sheriff… Her voice regaining its old imperiousness, Devina raised her chin and stared directly into Chester Bond's eyes. "You are closely acquainted with my father, aren't you?"

    "Closely acquainted, ma'am?"

    "My father told me you were 'in his pocket.'"

    Sheriff Bond flushed hotly. "Well, I don't know
nothin
' about that."

    Devina gave a short laugh. "Perhaps I misunderstood him, but he seemed certain you would help me, that you'd go out of your way to do so, as a matter of fact."

    "Just when did he say that, ma'am?"