Smiley had settled down after taking a few bites of Petra’s skillet dish and some clear broth. Afterward, Buck poured more of his secret remedy down the man’s gullet, which took effect within minutes. Now with Smiley sleeping like the dead, Buck sat on the floor, his back against the wall, to read his mail. Downstairs, the baby fussed for a few moments before Petra responded, her gentle voice singing through the house and up the stairwell. Buck longed to join her.
From the bottom of the stairwell, Petra called his name in a voice between a whisper and a hiss, “Mathias?”
Buck got to his feet, going out the bedroom door and standing at the head of the stairs to look down the stairwell into her upturned face, “I’m going outside to do a wash.”
“Bundle up. Take the mackinaw. I’m up here readin’ my correspondence.” She shook her head at him and giggled, then headed outside with Gabriel snug and secure in his sling against her bosom, and a bundle of soiled diapers wrapped in one of the baby’s flannel blankets under her arm, ignoring Buck’s order to bundle up.
He went back to his place on the floor and picked up a magazine, flipped through it, then exchanged it for one of the newspapers.
The Baker City Herald kept him up to date on local events. He hoped to find something about the Laski brothers. The date on the paper was two weeks old, but the headline at the bottom of the first page immediately caught his eye.
Missing Woman Sought In Mine Fraud Case.
In the December 28th issue of the Herald we reported that the investigation into the cause of the explosion at the Lucky Laski Brothers Mine, and the questionable conduct and businesses practices by the brothers, remained inconclusive.
With further excavation of the rubble from the explosion removed, authorities now know a cage stood near the opening of the mineshaft, a cage big enough to hold a large dog or a human being. Investigators also found evidence of a pitcher of water, a tin dinner plate, a fork, a drinking cup, dried blood and bits of burlap near the cage. The evidence suggests someone or something had been in the cage at the time of the explosion. It is the supposition of this reporter that whatever or whoever was in the cage escaped when falling debris tipped it over.
According to suppositions made to this reporter by Miss Yurvasi’s housekeeper, the brothers Laski, she believed, had locked Miss Yurvasi in her room and taken away her shoes and clothes, holding her a prisoner in her own home.
The housekeeper, and all of the staff at Miss Yurvasi’s residence, were dismissed two months before the explosion at the mine. None of them, that is the ones still in Baker City and still alive, had seen or heard from Miss Yurvasi.
The young woman, Miss Yurvasi, is now, officially, a missing person, and a person of interest in the Lucky Laski Mine fraud case.
According to the housekeeper, Miss Yurvasi was expecting a child, and she speculated the child’s father to be one of the Laski brothers. Miss Yurvasi is approximately twenty-three years of age, five-foot four, weighing one hundred and fifteen pounds, dark brown hair, blue eyes, and may or may not have a young child in her care.
Sheriff Raphael Bollo and his deputies are actively seeking this young woman as she may have vital information, and may be able to supply first-hand testimony concerning the Laski brother’s plot to defraud a number of prominent citizens of Baker City into investing heavily in the Lucky Laski Brothers Gold Mine.
The late Kurt Laski, who succumbed to injuries suffered during the explosion, leaves his elder brother, Beau Laski, to face trial at the Baker County courthouse on January 22 under the charges of fraud, assault and battery and intent to extort. Mr. Laski currently resides in the Baker City jail.
If Miss Yurvasi is not found, Mr. Laski may also be charged with Miss Yurvasi’s death, even though her body has yet to be discovered. If anyone knows of the whereabouts of Miss Yurvasi, or knows of her fate, they are encouraged to contact Sheriff Bollo at the Baker City jail immediately.
Buck read through the article again. He wasn’t sure, but he thought today’s date was January the 19th. He’d kind of lost interest in time with Petra here.
Kurt Laski—dead—that was good news. Beau in jail and going on trial. Good place for him. May he’d rot there.
Buck threw his head back against the wall, eyes closed, the newspaper slack in his hands.
Hell. What else did Petra know? She had to know something pretty damned important for the brothers to hold her captive like they had, and for the sheriff to be out scouring the countryside for her. Well, damn, she’d left a lot out of her story.
He asked himself what he should do about this newfound knowledge. The right thing would be to get Petra into Baker City and to the sheriff. There were people worried about her, worried about her and her baby.
In the back of his mind, Buck wondered about what had really happened, why she’d run. He’d asked her about it straight out, and she’d let on there wasn’t anyone who would care. He pulled his hand down over his face and shook his head, trying to stay awake. He’d show her the paper, watch her reaction and get the truth, the whole truth, out of her, then they’d decide what to do.
He couldn’t read another word, he had to rest, just for a few minutes. He’d close his eyes, rest, then he’d go down and have a little talk with Petra.
»»•««
Petra had begun to think she could stay with Mr. Hoyt forever—live here in seclusion, raise Gabriel with nothing more to worry about other than a passing guest from time to time. But Mathias had her questioning her reasoning. Maybe hiding wasn’t the answer. It wouldn’t be fair to Gabriel.
A light snow had started to fall. She stuck the last clothespin over the corner of the last diaper on the line and turned her head up to the sky. It had been weeks and weeks since she’d gone any farther than out here to the cistern or around back to the outhouse. She looked over her shoulder to the path leading out to the hot spring. On some days, she could smell it. Today, with a light wind whispering through the sage, the air smelled sweet even though it was snowing. Patches of blue opened up amid the billowy clouds, allowing the sun to burn through. The snow, when it hit the ground, barely made a wet spot in the dust.
With Gabriel asleep against her bosom, she hoped Mathias would sleep for a while. She didn’t think she would be missed if she walked down to the hot spring. She needed some exercise, some time to think. She hadn’t slept much last night, alternately worrying about being discovered by Mr. Cummings and wishing she had no need to hide any longer.
She almost started down the path, but turned back to the house and went upstairs. If Mathias was awake, perhaps he would go with her to the hot spring. It would be nice to have his company. She peeked around the doorway. His long legs stretched out across the room, his back against the wall, his head drooping to one side. He had newspapers in his lap and all about him; he’d fallen asleep. He looked cold. She reached over and pulled a blanket off the footboard, then carefully draped it over his legs and chest.
She stood there for a minute looking at him, a smile on her face. How she loved this man, so very good, not just to her, but to everyone, animals included.
“You one of Buck’s whores?”
Mr. Cummings voice sounded more like a croak. But it had the power to stop her heart quicker and more surely than a bolt of lightning.
His question went in one ear and out the other, of little consequence, making no sense. After all, the man had been hallucinating most of the previous night; he couldn’t be expected to make much sense in his condition.
“Mr. Cummings,” she said before putting a finger to her lips to shush him, “is there anything I can get you? Water perhaps, or something hot—maybe soup?”
“If I felt better, I’d go a couple of rounds with you under the sheets. Didn’t think Buck kept any hens in the house over the winter. You must be somethin’ special.”
Alarmed, she glanced over to Mathias to be certain he remained asleep. She drew herself up and gathered her composure. She could deal with one randy, sick old man on her own, surely.
“Hens, Mr. Cummings?”
Blinking at her, his bloodshot eyes peering at her, Smiley pulled back. “He’s keepin’ you, ain’t he?”
It was just as well Mr. Cummings followed his audacious question with a sneeze, as Petra fought against her urge to slap him.
Squaring her shoulders, her arms wrapped around her son, who had started to stir in the sling against her body, she felt compelled to defend her presence. “Mr. Hoyt has offered his home to me and my son as a refuge. He has shown me nothing but kindness and generosity.”
Mr. Cummings found her outburst amusing and started to laugh; unfortunately, this brought about a fit of coughing, which consequently sucked the poor man’s breath out of him. For a few moments, Petra feared he might pass out for lack of air. He had started to turn blue.
With his eyes wide, bloodshot and watery, he wheezed and snorted while Petra patted him on the back. He calmed enough to take a few tentative sips of water before falling back against his pillows. His eyes closed.
“You’re kind’a uppity, ain’t’cha, for a whore.”
When he opened his eyes, he looked right at her bosom and the sling where Gabriel kicked and squirmed. “Hey, you got a kid.”
Petra pulled back, her body protecting Gabriel. Gabriel let out a little squeak of protest.
“You got a kid there, don’t yah? You look kind’a foreign with all that hair and them eyes. Hey, wait a gal-darned-minute, I bet you’re that Yervasi woman?”
Behind her, Mathias struggled to his feet, rubbed his eyes. “What the hell is going on?”
The room began to close in on her, and the roiling acid in her stomach rose up like lava into her throat. She swallowed hard.
Turning her attention to Matt, she said, “I…I inquired if Mr. Cummings required anything. I’m sorry we woke you.”
She started to back up to the door, then turned and rushed down the stairs and out the front door, tears blinding her, she stumbled down the path to the hot springs with no clear destination in mind.