Orphan Train Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 Page 15

  “Someone is asking Mr. Charles for lots of money if he wants to get Walter back.”

  “They are?” Cassie was stunned. “Why would they ask Mr. Charles for money?”

  Tony’s lip trembled and she was instantly contrite. She quickly overrode her own demands in order to deal with the boy’s concerns. “Come here, Tony,” she commanded softly, holding her arms open. With a soft sob he practically jumped into her arms.

  “What if he doesn’t want to pay it?” he asked in a small voice.

  “Why would you ask that? Of course he would want to pay it,” was her immediate answer.

  “But we just got here and it’s turning out to be too much trouble.”

  “Oh, my dear boy, Mr. Charles knows this isn’t Walter’s fault, or yours or Ross’s. You aren’t being too much trouble. I am absolutely certain he will want to pay it.” She placed gentle emphasis on the word want. She didn’t mean to, but she couldn’t imagine that the rancher would have any amount of extra money available to pay a ransom for the boy no matter how much he might want to pay it. She would have to contact her father. It would take considerable begging, but she would do anything for Walter. She just hoped she could be sufficiently convincing in a telegraph. And that he would be able to arrange the money for her quickly.

  When the boy seemed calmer, Cassie got up and went in search of Mr. Ainsworth.

  “Mr. Ainsworth?” she asked tentatively.

  “Oh, surely you can call me Charles by now, can’t you, Cassandra?”

  Her hot blush scorched her cheeks. His impatience combined with the use of her given name confused her. It wasn’t the time to argue so she pressed on, ignoring his words.

  “Tony said there has been a ransom demand.”

  He cast his searching gaze over her before handing her the sheet of paper.

  She couldn’t open it just yet. She had some questions first. “All this time I’ve been thinking he wandered off and is lost or a wild animal got him. But now that there’s a note from someone, it makes me wonder. Do you think this could be one of the townsfolk?”

  Charles’ gaze sharpened on her in question. “Why would you ask that?”

  “The first day I came out here to visit the boys, the man at the smithy said some strange things about you. About the size of your property. It struck me at the time that he was probably jealous of you. Jealousy can cause people to do some terrible things.”

  “I agree that jealousy can cause people to be cruel and awful, but I really don’t think the smithy had anything to do with Walter’s disappearance.”

  “How can you be sure?” Cassie wanted to trust his judgement, but all the possibilities terrified her.

  “For one thing, despite how he might feel about my land, I actually consider the smithy to be a friend. For another, I’m not completely sure the man is literate.”

  Cassie looked back down at the paper in her hand and finally forced herself to open it. Her eyes quickly scanned the missive.

  “One thousand silver dollars?” she exclaimed and then had to sit down. That was as far as her eyes had gotten. She gazed at him without comprehension. “How can this be happening?”

  “Don’t worry, Cassie, we’ll get Walter back. Don’t you see, this is good news?”

  “How can you say this is good news?” Her eyes had returned to the paper she held. “They are demanding the money by tomorrow evening. I can’t abide the thought of Walter being with these blackguards another moment, but I don’t know how I will be able to get the money by tomorrow evening.”

  She could feel tears welling up in her eyes but couldn’t turn away when she saw the arrested expression on his face. “What do you mean YOU can’t get the money?” he asked in an odd voice. “You might have noticed that it was not you from whom they have demanded the ransom.”

  Cassie felt hot color staining her cheeks once more. “Well, no, perhaps it was not addressed to me, but surely I must have access to more money through my father...” She trailed off, quailing under his incredulous stare. She returned her eyes to the paper in her hands.

  “Actually, it would appear that it isn’t addressed to either of us. Who is Gibby? And why would they be speaking to him about Walter?” She could hear her voice becoming shrill but was powerless to stop it.

  Charles knelt before her and grasped her hands. “Shhh, Cassie, it’s going to be all right, don’t worry.”

  “But how?” She wanted to trust him and found his warm grasp comforting but was overwhelmed by her fear for Walter. “Do they even say where he is or why they are doing this?” She still held the paper, but it was crumpled with Charles holding her hand. “And where are we going to get the money? And where are we supposed to leave it?”

  Again Charles tried to quiet her fears. “Shhh, you have to calm down, Cassie. Take a deep breath.”

  Cassie did as he said. She joined in his laughter when he started to laugh and reminded her, “All right, now let it out or you’ll faint on me.”

  She almost squirmed under his penetrating gaze while she continued taking deep, fortifying breaths. He must have decided she was calm enough because he got up from the crouch he was in before her and sat beside her while still holding on to one of her hands.

  “Thank you, Mr. Ainsworth.” Upon noting his censorious expression she colored slightly and corrected herself. “That is, Charles, I appreciate your patience with me. I’m sure you are just as anxious as the rest of us about Walter and have had just as little sleep. I shouldn’t have lost my composure like that.”

  “I shan’t hold it against you. It was perfectly understandable.”

  “But what ARE we going to do, Charles? I’m relieved to read that Walter hasn’t been carried off by some wild animal as I had feared, but if someone is holding him for ransom, we need to get him back.”

  “I agree with you wholeheartedly, Cassandra, but I don’t think paying the ransom is the answer.”

  Cassie could only stare blankly at him. “Whatever do you mean? Of course we have to pay it!”

  Charles patted her hand, reminding her not to lose her presence of mind. Cassie kept her voice low, not wanting the boys to hear their discussion.

  “Walter has been missing for almost three days. We cannot be sure this note is actually from a kidnapper. It could be someone taking advantage of our tragedy. We cannot just bring a large sum of money and hand it over without proof that Walter is alive.”

  Cassie could see the wisdom of his words. “But how are we going to arrange that?” While waiting for his answer, she disengaged her hand from his grasp and spread open the ransom note, scanning it for more information. “It’s not signed. I wonder if that’s a message in itself. Have you ever encountered a situation like this?” She searched his gaze. “I have to ask, Charles, why are you so calm? Is it just that you’re trying to be manly and strong for me and the boys or are you somehow experienced in these types of matters?”

  This prompted another laugh from Charles. “No, I cannot say that I have ever had anyone demand ransom money from me before.”

  Cassie felt like she was in a fog and kept staring at the paper in her hands. “Why would they write Dear Gibby?” she mused. “That is decidedly strange. Do you know anyone named Gibby?” She finally looked up at Charles and was surprised to see the discomfort on his face that he was trying to hide from her. “What is it, Charles? What aren’t you telling me? Who is Gibby?”

  When he didn’t immediately answer her, she turned the paper over, hoping there would be more information on the other side. There was. In a messy scrawl, where it would have been visible when the page was folded in three, was a name – Gibson Charles Ainsworth Emerson – and she felt certain pieces of the puzzle shift into place and all the blood drain from her head.

  “You’re Gibson Emerson?” she asked, accusation evident in her tone. She wanted to laugh hysterically but tried not to get sidetracked from the point at hand. It was obvious by his continued silence that he didn’t want to talk about his nam
e issues. “Since this is apparently not the name you go by, whoever sent this letter knows more about you than you would like. Who in these parts might know this? And are you aware of anyone who might call you Gibby? Which is a horrible appellation, if you ask me.”

  Again Charles laughed. It had a hollow tone to it, but at least he was no longer keeping silent. “You aren’t nearly as empty headed as you would like New York society to think, are you, Cassandra Morley?” he asked in a quiet, admiring voice.

  Cassie could only stare at him disdainfully. Charles sighed. “I would have to agree with you. I’ve always hated it if anyone calls me Gibby. The only person who insists upon it is my cousin, Cedric.”

  “I know he is the black sheep of your family, but do you think he would stoop so low as to kidnap a child?” she asked. She could hear the chill in her tone but couldn’t be bothered to disguise it.

  “I wouldn’t have thought so, but I wouldn’t put it past him, either. On the other hand, since he has been highly resentful of my successes in life, he could just be taking advantage of this adversity and may not actually have Walter but is just hoping to relieve me of some of my funds, since he is always with his pockets to let.”

  Cassie was furious but was trying valiantly to keep it in check. It wasn’t Charles or Gibson or whatever his name is, it wasn’t his fault his cousin was a wretch. “Do you have any idea how we might get in touch with dear cousin Cedric?” she asked in a restrained voice. “Or if we could ascertain if he does, in fact, have Walter?”

  “Do you remember the men who were watching us when we went for a ride the day before Walter went missing? I know you noticed them even though you didn’t say anything.”

  Cassie frowned, unsure why he was answering her question with more questions. “Yes, I remember.”

  “I’m pretty sure those men are associates of my cousin.”

  Cassie felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She had been hoping that somehow this situation could be cleared up easily. Those men had made her uncomfortable that day. She hated to think how terrified Walter must be if he were in their clutches. She went back to the slow, deep, measured breaths she had been taking in an effort to control her reaction.

  When she felt that she had herself in hand she asked, “Why did you not say something sooner? Did you suspect them from the beginning?”

  “One never wants to suspect their own family of stabbing them in the back, metaphorically speaking. I was suspicious of those rough looking men. It was too coincidental that he disappeared the day after they were watching us, but I wouldn’t have imagined Cedric’s involvement until I received that letter. I still cannot say for sure if he actually has Walter or if he’s just wallowing in my pain. I would expect kidnappers to demand ransom immediately, not wait a few days.”

  “He was always into torture, if I recall correctly. You should have seen what he did to my doll on the one occasion that I had the misfortune of meeting him when I was a child.” Cassie paused and watched Charles assimilate the fact that she knew who Cedric was. “So tell me, Gibby,” she said with sarcastic emphasis, “what are you going to do now?”

  She was surprised and slightly mollified to see color creep into his cheeks but would not allow herself to soften toward him. She had been so worried Walter’s disappearance was her fault, but it had been his all along. He should have known his terrible cousin had a hand in this. But then she was horrified by the remembrance as he had pointed out that Cedric might not have Walter at all. She tried not to panic and waited to see what he had to say.

  “I’ve already dispatched messengers to wherever I can think of to find Cedric. And I will send telegraphs to my aunt and parents to see if they have any information on his whereabouts if my messengers come up empty handed.” He paused and searched her face. “I swear to you, we will get to the bottom of this and bring Walter home safely before much more time has passed.”

  “But what if, as you say, Cedric doesn’t actually have him and this is just an unnecessary diversion?” Cassie grimaced over the quaver she heard in her voice, but it could not be helped. She held Charles’ gaze and willed her lips not to quiver.

  “I know I said that, and I cannot say why he would wait to send the ransom note, but we have looked everywhere. Surely someone has taken the boy and no one else has claimed responsibility, so it is only reasonable to think Cedric must have him.”

  Cassie nodded but felt sick to her stomach. “So now there’s nothing to do but wait, it would seem.” She felt as though she had aged at least a decade in the last three days. “I had best go and see if I can distract Ross and Tony while we try to keep our hopes up. Thank you for your patience with all my questions.”

  ~~~

  Charles watched as the young woman left the room, admiring as she tried valiantly to hide her mixed emotions. It was obvious she was furious with him for hiding his identity from her. And of course, she was sick over his involvement in Walter’s disappearance. But he was impressed that she had the sense to realize that now was not the time to raise a fuss about it. All their energies needed to be focused on rescuing the boy. Recriminations could wait until he was safe. He hoped she would be able to keep the brothers busy while he saw to dealing with Cedric. It turned Charles’ stomach to think that his own cousin would be so nefarious, but he couldn’t focus on that at the moment or he could lose his mental dexterity. He would have to keep his emotions at arm’s length to see them all through the next days and bring Walter home. He thought again of Cassie and realized that it would take more effort than he would have thought to hold back his feelings. Who would have thought that he would care about a socialite’s opinion?

  Chapter Twelve

  C harles stood in the hallway listening as Cassie read to the boys. It was a story of rollicking adventure, sure to keep the boys’ minds occupied while the adults dealt with their missing brother. And her manner of reading would keep them captivated, he thought as he realized that he too was becoming preoccupied.

  Shaking his head, he walked quietly away and left the house. He hated to leave them but he was hoping to keep the rest of the proceedings away from those three. He didn’t want them marred by the ugliness that might follow. He knew Cassie would probably want to be involved, but he thought it was for the best if he could keep her from it. His heart constricted slightly at how natural it was to leave his boys in her care. Perhaps Walter had been right, and we need to keep Cassie here with us, he thought wistfully. He pushed the thought from his mind — he needed to keep his focus on the task at hand.

  It was perfect timing. As soon as he stepped onto the porch he spotted one of the men he had sent out for information returning and looking purposeful. He was glad to intercept him before he could knock on the door.

  “You look like you have some news, Brad.”

  “I do, sir. I found where Cedric and several others are holed up in a rundown shack on the outskirts of the next town over. I asked around as discretely as possible. Seems they were asking for milk at the mercantile. I doubt that sort has taken to drinking milk, so I’m thinking they do have the boy after all.”

  Charles almost sagged with relief but couldn’t give in to the wave of emotion. Now the really tricky part was to begin. How could they rescue the boy without anyone getting hurt?

  ~~~

  Sitting back firmly into his saddle, Charles looked around at the men. Those he could see were all in position. The ones he couldn’t see, behind the small, rough building, he trusted implicitly so he knew they were where he asked them to be. All would go as well as could be hoped when dealing with a rough customer like Cedric and his associates. Charles couldn’t figure out for the life of him why the bounder had chosen to follow him to Missouri. They had never gotten along. With the vastness of this land it was ridiculous for his cousin to seek him out. Of course, it could just be, as he had told Cassie, that his cousin just wanted to cause him trouble.

  Glancing to his right, Charles was glad to have the sheriff by his side. His
family back East wouldn’t be happy about it, but he wasn’t going to give Cedric a pass when he had attacked Charles right in his home – there was no forgiveness for taking one of his sons.

  The plan was simple. They were counting on the element of surprise. And outnumbering their opponents. He just prayed Walter would have the sense to take cover and not get hurt in the process.

  After a nod from the sheriff, Charles dropped his raised hand and all the men advanced at once upon the shack. Within minutes it was over. Seeing as it was late in the afternoon, Cedric’s men had already drunk themselves into a stupor. They couldn’t respond quickly enough when Charles and his men had broken in from all directions. The shack had completed its collapse when some of Charles’ ranch hands had kicked a space for themselves to enter from the back. Thankfully, Walter had been huddled in a corner and didn’t sustain any injuries. The sheriff’s deputy had a grin on his face as he quickly tied up the three men who had been following Cedric. Of course, Cedric was nowhere to be found. Charles gritted his teeth at the thought that the brute might get away free. As long as he kept himself far from Charles’ family, he supposed he didn’t much care what became of his cousin. And for the sake of family relations it might be for the best if he wasn’t responsible for his cousin’s arrest. Charles shook his head. He wasn’t responsible in any case. He had certainly not asked the ruffian to make off with his son.

  Speaking of the boy, Charles quickly gathered the youngster into his arms and strode from the debris of the shack while his men helped the sheriff with the criminals. Settling himself against a tree, he took a deep breath before looking intently at the boy. He would’ve fallen over from the shock if he wasn’t already sitting.

  Having expected to see fear or panic on the boy’s face, Charles wasn’t prepared to see Walter’s bright shining eyes and huge grin. He burst into laughter.

  “Shouldn’t you be panicking or something?”

  “That was swell, Mr. Charles!!”