The Officer and the Traveler (30 page)

“
He wasn’t alone,” Sarah choked on a sob. “Every now and then a troupe of loose women pass through and as it’d happen that was the day they’d come. They were on his sofa. It was the first time I’d ever seen my husband without all of his clothes. I’d never been so mortified in all of my life. His immediate response was to blame me, saying had I not denied him, he wouldn’t have sought company elsewhere.”
 

“
I’m so sorry,” Michaela said quietly, reaching to pat Sarah’s knee, the only form of comfort she knew to give a woman she was so uncertain about.
 

“
Don’t be. I made my choices. First by denying him in hopes of attracting him, then by trying the other extreme: seduction.” She frowned and exhaled. “It worked better, but not much. For about six months I tried different things to encourage him to see me that way and our encounters grew more frequent, but no more passionate.”
 

“
I’m sorry,” Michaela murmured, not really sure why she was apologizing to this woman for her lack of an intimate relationship with her husband other than to just be sympathetic.
 

“
I need to tell you something,” Sarah said abruptly, tears shining in her eyes. “It’s about me and your husband.”
 

A fist formed in Michaela’s gut. She couldn’t say why. She knew Gray wouldn’t have done anything to dishonor any woman, no matter who she was or how seductive. She twisted her lips in distaste.

“
About two months ago, I—” she lowered her gaze and started intently studying her nails— “started getting sick.”
 

Michaela wasn’t sure why Sarah was telling her this or what it had to do with Gray, but it did nothing to ease the pain in her gut. Actually, it just made it hurt worse.

“
Not a good kind of sick that holds the promise of a new life. No, Amos had picked up some sort of disease from one of the women who’d come through the fort a few weeks before and had passed it onto me.” Her face went the fiercest shade of red Michaela had ever seen and tears poured from her eyes. Instinctively, she went to wrap Sarah in a hug. “The medicine has stopped working,” she sobbed. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll have or how much worse it’ll get before—” Sobs wracked her body cutting off anything else she might have said as she went boneless in Michaela’s embrace.
 

Michaela gingerly patted her back. “Are you sure? Is there nothing else that might work?”

“
Not out here,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “Amos sought treatment as soon as he knew what he had. I was too stupid to know what was wrong with me at first and the medicine he gave me wasn’t strong enough to cure it.”
 

“
Not strong enough?”
 

Sarah nodded sadly. “I waited too long because I didn’t know what it was.”

“
Is there no other form of medicine that might work?”
 

“
I don’t know. He’s refused to let me go to Fort Smith. He claims it’s an embarrassment and I won’t shame him that way.”
 

Michaela hurt for her and continued to offer her what comfort she could. Life was never fair to women—especially those married to men who cared so little for them.

Suddenly, Sarah pulled away and swiped at the tears that covered her cheeks.  “Anyway, it was because of this...this disease that I answered Amos that way when he asked what was going on between Gray and me. Until then, I’d been on the mend and Amos had made some comment early that morning about returning to our home for lunch. The way he said it and the look he gave me made me think he wanted me to…Well you get the idea. I heard a noise and opened the door a crack to see if Amos was coming. But the noise I’d heard was Gray stomping up the stairs. I didn’t expect Gray to hear me close the door and come to investigate so I shed my robe and lay out on the bed to await Amos’ arrival. I was so startled when I saw Gray instead of Amos, I screamed.”

Blushing, Sarah tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “It was instinct and I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to drag Gray into everything or get him injured. But when Amos came in only a few seconds later, bent on accusing Gray of attempting to rape me and use it as further evidence against him in the trial about Soft Dove, I said the only thing I thought would help him.” She offered an apologetic smile. “Or at least hurt him the least.”

“
Why not just say the truth of why Gray was there?”
 

“
Amos wouldn’t have accepted that and would have been very upset that I’d have announced to everyone that I was waiting for him at noonday that way.  Not that anyone would have believed that
tale, even if it were true. Nobody around here is fool enough to believe that Amos and I have some sort of great love for one another that would lead me to present myself that way to him. Nor would he want anyone to think me easy and him lustful.”
 

Michaela nodded numbly. A general’s reputation among his men was very important to him. Her father had been no exception, hiding his relationship with Rebecca from anyone to avoid disgrace.

“
Anyway, I wanted to tell you everything while I still could and ask for your forgiveness for my lie.” The hurt evident in Sarah’s eyes crumbled Michaela’s heart.
 

“
There is nothing to forgive.”
 

“
Yes, there is, but I appreciate your willingness to forgive and hope I can ask you to do me one more favor.”
 

“
Of course.”
 

Sarah pulled out a folded paper from her bodice. “It’s a letter to my son. Amos has forbid me to have any contact with him since we married so I don’t have his address. But I’d hoped you could ask Gray or your father to use one of his sources to get this to him.”

“
I’ll see what I can do,” Michaela said, not taking the letter. “Why don’t you hold onto that—”
 

“
I can’t. If Amos finds it, he might kill me before this awful disease does.”
 

Michaela frowned. Something wasn’t right. “How long have you been sick?”

“
I don’t know. Around the time that Ella got here, I think. Why?”
 

“
And you were getting better at first, then you stopped,” Michaela confirmed.
 

Sarah frowned. “Yes.”

“
Did anyone have access to your medicine?”
 

“
No. The bottle is in our room.”
 

“
Do you take it daily?”
 

“
Yes. I pour a spoonful in my tea each day. It’s terribly bitter by itself.”
 

“
I’m sure,” Michaela murmured. “And when did you say the medicine stopped working?”
 

“
I don’t know exactly. Two weeks ago?”
 

The room fell quiet, then suddenly Sarah’s eyes flared wide as if she’d just solved a puzzle and didn’t like the results.

“
That bastard!” She leapt up off her seat. “I knew he didn’t care for me, but I never would have thought he’d purposely kill me.” She paced the floor. “It was only two days after the incident with Gray that my sores started to spread and flare up again.” Tears clogged her throat and she picked up her pace. “I should have known he’d do something when he never even confronted me about my claim that afternoon. I suppose he’d decided to just pay me back this way for embarrassing him.”
 

Michaela stood and walked over to Sarah. “Shhh,” she soothed, glancing toward Aunt Lucille who was starting to stir from all the commotion. “Sarah, it’ll be all right.”

“
No, it won’t,” she cried, pounding her fists against her sides. She crumpled to the floor and put her head in her hands, silent sobs wracking her body.
 

Sinking down to join her, Michaela tried to sooth her again. “Sarah, this might not be as bad as you think.”

“
I have no medicine. I’m going to die.” She said the words with such conviction it was almost like she’d been holding out some sort of hope of recovery until Michaela made her realize the truth of what was going on.
 

“
No, you’re not,” Michaela said firmly, a genuine grin pulling at her lips. “For once, my husband’s consorting with women of ill-repute might be of use.” She had no inclination to offer any sort of explanation for the real reason Gray was so familiar with strumpets. That was his secret to tell, not hers. She blinked away her wayward thoughts and reached for Sarah’s hands. “I’ll ask him tonight what he thinks might work and how we can get it.”
 

“
But what if Amos knows I’m getting better and throws out the medicine again?”
 

“
He won’t be able to. I’ll keep it in my room and bring it to you.”
 

Her face lit, but then suddenly was filled with shadows. “What if he catches on and has your room searched?”

Michaela sighed. Who knew Sarah was such a worrier? “What if I ask my father to keep it? General Ridgely wouldn’t be so bold as to search my father’s things.”

“
No, he wouldn’t. But what am I going to do after I’m better? What if he tries to do something else?”
 

Michaela didn’t know and was spared from having to give Sarah an answer when a chorus of screams and shouts sounded just outside the window.

Gray reminded himself to remain calm and keep walking.

He didn’t know what would await him later tonight, nor was he in any hurry to arrive and discover it. He was, however, not fool enough to blindly go where he’d been summoned without securing at least one person looking after him from the outside. There were only a few men out here whom Gray had enough faith in to act as a sharpshooter for him, but the best of all would be General Davis.

Putting aside his personal feelings for the man, Gray knew the truth: General Davis was the best there was, and pride be damned, that’s who Gray wanted looking out for him.

Gray knocked on the door and didn’t bother to wait for his father-in-law’s voice before opening it.

“
Why, Grayson, just come on in,” General Davis said sarcastically.
 

Now wasn’t the time for pleasantries or exchanging less-than-polite banter. He let himself inside and closed the door. “I need a favor.”

General Davis stared at him unblinkingly. “Yes?”

Gray handed the man the mysterious missive he’d found in his room earlier. “I don’t like the look of this.” He said as General Davis picked it up. “It’s a trap of some sort and I have no desire to be caught in the middle. I don’t know who else to ask who I know can handle it—” he swallowed his last ounce of pride and forced himself not to scowl at the keen look of interest on the general’s face— “can you hide out in the trees and act as a sharpshooter for me?”

“
No.”
 

“
No?”
 

“
I went to the rounders game this afternoon and this was waiting when I returned.” General Davis pulled out an identical note and tossed it on the table. The only difference between the two notes was the time. General Davis was asked to arrive fifteen minutes later. Gray tensed.  A lot could happen in fifteen minutes.
 

“
How could this possibly involve us both?” Gray asked at last.
 

“
I don’t know.” General Davis ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t like the look of this at all.”
 

“
Neither do I. I’ll go through the underground tunnel between the store closet and the blockhouse first while you stand by the wall and listen for my signal.”
 

“
Does that mean if I hear a gunshot as soon as you’re through that you’re dead and there’s no need
for me to come, too?” General Davis asked.
 

Gray went completely still. That had to have been the first time Gray had ever heard the general try to be humorous. His remark wasn’t of course, but he’d tried. How very strange. Shrugging it off, he pulled out his watch. “In ten minutes dinner will be announced. We’ll go then and wait together in the back of the store closet until it’s time.”

General Davis nodded his agreement.

Once inside the store closet, General Davis went immediately over to the wall adjacent to the blockhouse and tried to peer through any crack he could find. But the windows in the blockhouse had been covered and without a ray of light coming in it was impossible to see anything in there.

They each took a seat and waited.

If the person responsible for this scheme was of a mind to put both Gray and General Davis in an uncomfortable, tension filled situation, they’d succeeded. For the next three hours they sat in silence, staring at one another until the sun had fallen completely from the sky and they could no longer see one another. How strange that Gray didn’t have any of the usual urges to want to murder the man. Was it possible his relationship with Michaela had eased some of the hatred he’d once felt for her father?

A loud noise jolted them to the present. Gray almost said a silent prayer of thanksgiving that his thoughts had been interrupted before they could go so far as to him being willing to reconcile with the man. A second later, there was a whisper, then another. The second one a little faster than the first.

Gray’s heart picked up pace. He pulled his pocket watch from his trousers and held it up to let the moonlight illuminate it. Whoever was in there wasn’t expecting him for another hour. Gray’s heart slammed his chest. What if there were others who were expected to join the group and thought to use the tunnel? Would they find it odd that the door to the storage closet appeared to be unlocked from the outside? He slipped his gun free from its holster and cocked it, aiming it at the door.