Pemberley Ranch - Jack Caldwell [103]
“Darcy—” he began.
“No, Sheriff,” Darcy barked, “don’t start. Like I said—this is war. Don’t argue with me.”
Lucas shrugged. “Just ask me next time, all right?”
Darcy nodded. “Let’s get Miss Lily out of this night air.” He took her by the arm and brought her back inside. “Miss Lily, I mean to take you home. Let’s go and get your things,” he suggested, moving towards the stairs.
She stopped cold, resisting going upstairs.
“We can leave now, if you want,” Darcy offered.
Lily looked into his eyes again. “You really mean to get me out of here?”
“Yes.”
“You’re George’s enemy?”
Darcy nodded slowly. “Does that make a difference?”
Lily bit her lip, deciding. She abruptly took Darcy by the hand and began pulling him down a hallway. “You better come with me. I’ve got something to show you.”
Darcy and the sheriff sat in Whitehead’s office, the safe open and a pile of papers spread before them. At that moment, he felt he could have kissed Lily.
“Unbelievable,” Lucas muttered again as he perused the stack.
Darcy read one sheet after another. “The missing piece. I knew there was more to this. Now it all makes sense.”
Fitz walked in the door. “The girl’s finally gettin’ decent. What are you so happy about, Will?”
Darcy grinned. “I finally know what Whitehead’s been up to,” and he explained what he and Lucas had found—money, papers, telegrams, letters, bank books, and most importantly, the deeds from the foreclosed homesteads. Fitz had to sit down, shaking his head.
“Where did Whitehead get the money to pull this off?”
Lucas passed him a sheet. “Can’t say for sure, but there’s this train schedule for a Federal payroll back in ’64.”
Fitz took the paper. “You think Whitehead robbed a train?”
Darcy shrugged. “Where else could he get over twenty thousand dollars? It doesn’t matter, anyway. Everything’s tied up in these deeds.” He waved at the table.
Lucas thought. “When Mrs. Burroughs finds out about this, it could ruin Rosings Bank. Collins has been a slick bastard.”
“It would serve her right,” Darcy said darkly. “She’s been in on this for months, thinking she’d sell to the railroad. She just didn’t know that Whitehead and Collins have been double dealing.” He tossed the papers on the desk. “This is partly my fault. If I had been minding business and watching what was going on in Rosings, none of this would’ve happened. Those poor settlers, the Washingtons… none of it. Damn!”
Fitz changed the subject. “Was Whitehead stupid enough to leave his safe open?”
Darcy smiled again. “Miss Lily’s smarter than you think. She watched Whitehead and learned the combination. She thought it might come in handy.”
“Well, it surely did. So, now what?”
Darcy looked at Lucas. “Whitehead and Denny are due back from Fort Worth tomorrow?”
“That or the next day’s what I heard.”
Fitz whistled. “When Whitehead sees all this, all hell’s gonna break loose.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.” Darcy spoke quietly to the other two. “First thing he’s going to do is go after Miss Lily. She knows too much. Then, he’s coming after me. So, this is what we do. I’ll take Miss Lily to the Bennet place and convince the women to hole up at Pemberley until this is over. Meanwhile, I’ll set a little ambush for Whitehead and Denny at the farm. They won’t be expecting anything like that from Bennet.”
Fitz grinned. “I think I’m gonna like that.”
Darcy shook his head. “No, you won’t, Fitz. Whitehead might do the unexpected, so I want you in charge of Pemberley’s defenses, just in case. You send a wagon with supplies and a few extra men to the Bennet place. We’ll use that to transport the women back to Pemberley. Send José. We’ll arrange the ambush.”
“Can’t say that I like that idea, boss.”
“I understand, but I’ll rest easy knowing that Gaby and the Bennet women are under your protection.”
Lucas gestured at the papers. “I’ll take all this evidence over to the