After the Ashes(111)
Lorelei sleepwalked in the direction of her hotel, letting Wade follow her if he liked. She had assumed the deputy would want retribution and that Douglas, Christopher’s friend, would be on her side.
“They’re going to get what’s coming to them, Lorelei. I’m going to see to that.”
She didn’t know who “they” were, nor did she care. She was tired of fighting. Tired of pleading her case to anyone who would listen. “They’re not worth it, Wade. The only person you can prove anything to is yourself.”
She didn’t know from where the sudden insight came, but it was true. She was good for Christopher. She knew she’d make him a good wife. That was all she needed to know. It didn’t matter who Christopher Braddock’s parents were.
“I have to see that justice is served. It’s not right for him to get away with wrongdoing just because his daddy’s a senator.”
Lorelei halted in the middle of the deserted street, suddenly caring a great deal about who “they” were. “What do you mean?”
Langston pushed his hat back, leaning closer so as not to be overheard. “I’ll hold my tongue while he’s recuperating, but I can’t stay silent forever. Withholding evidence is against the law.”
Her dawning horror must have shown on her face, because Wade gently touched her shoulder to steady her. “Don’t be afraid, Lorelei. I know you were his pawn just like your brother. I have it all in writing. Braddock’s writing.”
“You must be mistaken.”
“He confessed that he planned the stagecoach robbery. He forced your brother to persuade Mulcahy into doing the dirty work. Says he held you hostage to make sure your brother gave him the gold. Braddock’s the reason we didn’t find the gold at Specter Canyon. He knows where it is.”
“None of that’s true.”
The pitying look he’d given her earlier returned. “I know you’re in love with him. He’s a strong man in his own right. He’d be something to reckon with even without his father’s influence. I’ll give him that.”
“Wade, you know him. You know he wouldn’t do any of those things.”
“He stole my horse. Saw it with my own eyes. I don’t want the Hartmans to come to any harm, seeing as Jay’s crippled and all, but he should have considered that before he hid a stolen horse. If Jay didn’t know what Braddock was doing, he can say so in court. For once Braddock’s going to have to own up to his actions.”
Dear God, Christopher had taken Wade’s horse, and he’d willingly go to jail to keep Jay out of trouble.
Lorelei paused to lay a hand on Wade’s arm. “I’m sorry about your horse. We just borrowed it. We took the best of care with him. Christopher was desperate to find Mulcahy, but he had nothing to do with the robbery.”
Wade shook his head. “I was as shocked as you when he told me his tale…”
“Because it’s nothing but a tale. He made it up.”
“They haven’t found the gold, Lorelei. There is something to it. Besides, I’m not a judge. I’m a lawman, and honor bound to turn in any evidence I have. And let me tell you, Christopher Braddock’s signed confession is pretty strong evidence.”
“No one will believe it.”
“Douglas said there are men in Washington who have staked their whole fortune on the Rio Grande Railroad making it to Santa Fe. They need that gold. They’ll want to believe it.”
“But it’s not true,” she argued, knowing she was going in circles.
He held up his hand to stop her plea. “The truth will come out in the trial.”
“A trial? Christopher’s name would be dragged through the mud.” And God knew what would come out about her and Corey and their unscrupulous father. If Jay was implicated too, Lorelei would never forgive herself. And she feared that neither would Christopher.
“Corey can clear this up.” Lorelei gathered her skirts and strode in the direction of the hotel.
Wade hurried to keep pace with her. “I’m sorry, Lorelei. I’m a man of the law, and it’s my duty to turn over the confession as evidence. I’d be breaking the law if I didn’t.”
The Crystal Palace, Arriba’s only hotel that didn’t also serve as a bordello, looked more like a prison than it had before. The squat, two-story adobe’s peeling plaster and cockeyed sign heightened Lorelei’s sense of desperation. She turned her back on the gloomy reminder of her situation.
“Give the confession to Douglas. Let him handle it. He’s your boss, isn’t he?”
Wade glanced past the end of Arriba’s one street and out into the empty miles of dry desert brush. If Lorelei suspected that his desire to see the confession exposed to public scrutiny was more than following the letter of the law, his evasiveness confirmed it.