Chapter Twenty-one
I still can't believe you're here," Jim said as he sat down across from Walker at Roni's kitchen table.
"Neither can I," Walker told him.
"It's a miracle," Roni put in. "When he showed up last night, I didn't know what to think."
"Have you seen Stacy yet?" Jim asked.
"No. Other than Roni, you're the only one who knows I'm still alive," Walker said, "and we've got to keep it that way for now."
"How did you survive the flood? From what little we were able to find out, it sounded horrible."
"It was."
As Roni set about preparing dinner, Walker told Jim the story of his escape and trek back to Two Guns.
Jim listened to his harrowing tale of survival. He'd always known Walker was a strong man, and his friend had just proven it again.
"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," Jim said, finding Walker's return from the dead amazing.
"I feel the same way. I was beginning to believe the truth would never come out, but now I've been given another chance to find it."
"I guess Roni told you we haven't had much luck turning up anything new."
"I know, but I've been doing some serious thinking. And after what Roni told me last night about Chet—"
"So you know what happened with Suzie?"
"Yes, and while I trusted him at first, because he always seemed to be there for Stacy, now I'm not so sure he wasn't putting on an act," Walker said.
"I have to tell you, when he tried to put the Dollar up as collateral for a loan to buy the Thompson place, I got a bad feeling about him."
"What?" Roni and Walker were both shocked.
"What did he try to do?" Walker demanded.
"It wasn't too long after you were gone. He tried to get a loan on his own place, but he couldn't do it, so he offered the Dollar to back it up."
"Did you give it to him?" Walker was tense as he awaited the answer.
"No. His name isn't on the deed of the Dollar, so he has no right to any of it."
"Good."
"From what I understand, he's been trying to get Stacy to move the wedding date up ever since you left, but Stacy wouldn't do it. And then there's Suzie—"
"I think we need to talk to Suzie," Walker said, his mood grim. "I want to find out exactly what was said while Chet was with her."
"But Walker," Roni interjected fearfully, "you can't let her know you're alive."
Walker met her gaze. "I've got to get to the bottom of this."
"How?" Jim asked. "You can't just go walking into the Ace High."
"Why not?" Walker joked. "That'd start some talk going around town, wouldn't it?"
He managed to get a laugh out of them, in spite of the tension that gripped them.
"Look, she can come here." Walker went on, "You can go get her for me, Jim. Just take her upstairs and then sneak her out the back and bring her over."
Jim looked very uncomfortable. "Oh, no, I'm not doing that. There's got to be another way. Besides, after the beating she took from Chet, she's probably not back working yet."
"I know how we can do it," Roni offered as she began to set food on the table before them. "I'll go over to the Ace High first thing in the morning while it's quiet, and I'll tell Antonio that I need to bring Suzie back here to the office for a checkup to make sure she's recovering."
"I'll go with you," Jim offered. "Even in the morning, there can be trouble at the saloon."
"Thanks, Jim," Walker said. He didn't want Roni to be in harm's way.
"But even if we do get her over here, I don't want you to show yourself," Roni insisted. "Jim and I can question her, and you can listen from the next room. If she asks us why we care, since you're supposed to be dead, we'll just tell her it's important to us to clear your name and bring the real killer to justice."
Thinking of the real killer, Jim said darkly, "So, Chet might really be behind this whole thing."
"I didn't want to believe it at first, but now, after hearing about Suzie and then finding out from you that Chet was trying to use the Dollar to borrow money, I've got my suspicions. I've been trying to figure out who would gain by getting rid of me, and other than Stacy, Chet is the only one—once they're married, that is. And like you said, he has been trying to convince Stacy to move up their wedding date since I've been gone."
"It's just so hard to accept," Roni said, joining them at the table. "Especially after he saved you both from Ben that night."
"There's no way of knowing what Chet's thinking, but something's not right with him." Walker was serious as he considered what might happen to Stacy if she went through with the marriage. "I'm just glad Stacy didn't agree to move up the wedding date."
"So are we," Roni put in, giving Jim a quick, knowing glance. Then she looked at Walker, all the love she felt for him shining in her eyes. "Do you know how excited Stacy's going to be when she finds out you're alive?"
Walker smiled, thinking of his feisty little sister. "About the same way I'm going to feel when I see her again." Then his mood sobered. "But first I have to get this trouble with Chet cleared up."
"We will," Jim promised.
Jim stayed on a while longer as they made their plans for the morning. If they learned anything from Suzie that might help them, they would go for the sheriff and let him know. They all knew Walker was still at risk, but they had to take chances to find out the truth.
It was much later that Walker and Roni lay in each other's arms, enjoying the serenity of the night around them. They both knew it could all end tomorrow if something went wrong while they were talking with Suzie.
"I love you, Walker," Roni sighed as she raised herself up to kiss him tenderly.
He held her close. "You know, if we lived among the Comanche, you would already be my wife."
She smiled at the thought. "In a way, I wish we were there right now. It would save us from what we have to face tomorrow."
"No, tomorrow is going to save us. There will be no peace for us until this is settled."
"You're right." She hugged him tighter. "There is one thing Jim didn't mention to you tonight, that I think you need to know—"
"What is it?"
"I was really surprised when he didn't bring it up himself, but . . . Walker, Jim is in love with Stacy."
"How did you find that out?" He, too, was surprised.
"It became obvious to me the night we met to discuss Chet's encounter with Suzie. When I confronted him about it and asked him the truth of his feelings for Stacy, he admitted he did love her."
"He certainly kept it hidden well."
"Stacy was so in love with Chet, I guess he thought there was no use saying anything to her."
"Has he told Stacy how he feels?"
"I don't think so. Since she's still engaged to Chet, I think Jim is waiting for her to make her decision about their engagement before he says anything."
"They would make a fine couple," Walker said, knowing Jim's calm manner would be good for his feisty sister.
"I wonder if she's made up her mind yet about Chet. She's had so much heartache lately. It just about destroyed her when the news came that you were dead. That was so horrible . . ."
Walker kissed her. "Tomorrow, we're going to change all that."
"Stacy is going to be thrilled to see you, but not as thrilled as I was," Roni told him in a sensuous voice.
And then she showed him just how much she loved him.
It was well past her usual bedtime, but Stacy was too tense to even think about calling it a night. She stayed up, sitting in the parlor, trying to read a dime novel, but found she couldn't concentrate. In frustration, she finally gave up and put the novel aside.
Stacy knew there was no denying she was worried about what was going to happen in the morning. She'd always considered herself a take-charge kind of person who wasn't afraid of much, but she was dreading the upcoming confrontation with Chet, especially since she knew what kind of temper he had. In the morning, she was going to send one of the ranch hands over to Chet's place to let him know she wanted to see him right away. And then, when he showed up, she was going to give back his engagement ring and call off the wedding.
Stacy had thought about making the ride over to Chet's and breaking the engagement there, but after what he'd done to Suzie, she knew it would be much safer to take care of it at home. That way Zach and the boys would be close by in case Chet tried to get rough with her. She believed she could handle him herself, but it never hurt to be prepared.
Sighing, Stacy got up from the sofa to pace around the room. She would breathe a sigh of relief after she'd faced Chet. She was heartsick over all that had happened, but she was also thankful that she'd found out what kind of man he really was before they'd gotten married.
Thoughts of Walker came to her then, and she hoped her brother would have been proud of her for making the right decision about Chet. Walker had always encouraged her to be strong, and she was going to have to be when she faced Chet.
Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day, no matter how she went about it. She only hoped that Chet would just go away without making a scene or causing any trouble.
Knowing she needed to at least try to get some rest, Stacy made her way to her room and got ready for bed.
It was going to be a long night.
Since she had been beaten, Suzie had taken to staying in her room at the Ace High. The swelling from her injuries had gone down some, but her vivid bruises were still a harsh reminder of the horror of that night. The other girls brought food up to her and Antonio looked in on her occasionally to make sure she didn't need anything, but she'd been so terrified that she didn't want to leave the room for fear of running into Chet. She knew Antonio had pledged never to let him set foot in the Ace High again, but she was still afraid.
So when the unexpected knock came at her door rather early that morning, Suzie wasn't sure what to expect.
"Who is it?" she called out, not about to open the door until she knew who was on the other side.
"It's me, Antonio," the bartender told her.
Suzie opened the door, only to find Dr. Reynolds standing there in the hallway with the bartender. "What is it?" She looked between the two of them questioningly,
"Dr. Reynolds has come by to check on you this morning," he explained, wanting to ease her fears.
"Hello, Suzie." Roni stepped up so the girl could see her better. "I've been worrying about you and wanted you to come over to my office this morning so I can make sure you're healing properly."
Suzie was touched by her concern. "Can we go out the back way?" she asked Antonio.
"Of course," he assured her, understanding why she didn't want to pass through the saloon on her way out.
The bartender saw them safely out the back door of the building before returning to let Jim know where they were. Jim had decided to wait downstairs in the bar after Antonio had told him that Suzie had become reclusive and unwilling to see anyone. Once he'd learned they were on the way back to the office, he left the saloon to accompany them.
Suzie was a little nervous when Jim joined them, but Roni quickly explained he had come along as an escort and posed no threat. When they reached the office, Jim went on upstairs while Roni took Suzie into the examination room.
Roni was concerned about Suzie's health and did check her over to make sure her injuries were healing properly.
"You look like you're coming along," Roni said.
"I am feeling a little better."
"That's good to know. Just keep getting a lot of rest and take care of yourself," Roni advised. "Have you ever thought about giving up the kind of life you're leading now?"
Suzie looked at her, a bit puzzled. "But what would I do? How would I support myself?"
"You could leave Two Guns and start a whole new life in another town. There are other ways you could make a living. You could become a cook or a housekeeper," she suggested.
"I don't know . . ."
"Think about it. I'd be glad to help you get a new start."
"You would?"
"Yes. I would."
Suzie nodded, unsure what to do. "I will think about it. Can I go now? Are you done?"
"There is one more thing. I need you to come with me for a moment." Roni led the way from the room.
"All right." She was a bit hesitant, but she trusted the doctor, so she followed her upstairs. "Why are we going up here?"
"Jim and I want to speak with you privately," Roni explained. She took Suzie into the sitting room and had her sit on the sofa.
"Why?"
"Because we believe Walker was framed for Ben's murder and we think you can help us prove it," Jim answered.