To Know Her by Name (45 page)

McKay stared at his mother. He had never heard any of this before.

“One night the situation became very bad. I said such awful things that I was sure your father would never want to come home. He rarely grew angry with me, and I'm ashamed to this day over the way I acted, but this night as he was leaving, he snapped. He shouted at me, scaring you to tears in the next room.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, ‘I have a job to do, Liz. Will you please just let me go and do it!' It doesn't sound like much right now, but he got my attention. Your father had a job to do, and so did I. I didn't have to figure out how to do his job or even answer for him if he didn't do well. I just had to do
my
job. That was all God would ask of me.

“I'll never forget that night of understanding. I put you to bed early and then fell on my knees. I didn't pray long—I was too tired to last—but when I climbed into bed, I'd given it all to God. That night I slept through the night for the first time in six weeks. When I woke in the morning, your father was in bed with me. I hadn't even heard him come in. I left the room as quietly as I was able and came down here to pray. I decided then and there that I would start and end every day by praying and asking God to help me do my job, and my job alone.”

McKay could only stare at her. How wrong he'd been to think she wouldn't understand his worry. How foolish and naïve to think that all problems disappear once a person is married.

“Thanks, Mom,” McKay said sincerely. “I told God on the train today that I would let Him do His job, but I still don't have it right. I just have to do my job.” McKay said the last words with the feeling that he had finally gotten the point.

“Will you try to see Callie on your way back through Boulder?” Liz couldn't resist asking.

“She's not in Boulder. She's working in Denver, and I don't know when I'll see her.”

Liz was more curious than ever but didn't press the point. McKay was silent for a time, his mind on other things. Thinking they could both use some quiet and something cool to drink, Liz gave him his peace. She had just brought tall glasses of cider to the living room when Harry came in the back door.

37

Denver

“The desk sits here.” Pup gestured to the simple map she'd drawn of the office. “There are bookshelves back here,” she put a finger behind the mark which stood for Duncan's desk, “and over by these windows are the filing cabinets. The door is here, on this paneled wall.” Again she pointed.

It was Sunday evening. Pup had rested all day and was now ready to talk about the layout of the house.

“It's a well-done job, Nick. You'll really have to look. The door sits on the same wall as the hallway, so the room can't be very wide. It might be full of the filing cabinets you really want, or possibly it leads to a stairway that could go either upstairs or into the basement.”

“What about Duncan's bedroom? Have you ever seen it?”

“I don't think so. When he's in the house, there are men everywhere. I do know that all the bedrooms are upstairs.”

He tapped the paper. “This is excellent. You've done a great job, Pup.”

She nodded. It had been fairly routine for her, but she was still pleased.

“Just take it easy in the days to come,” Nick told her, but without warning Pup's mind wandered. She had been so uncertain if she was even to continue the job, and now she sat as pleased as a child with candy over the praise Nick was giving her. She suddenly realized Nick was still speaking to her.

“It hasn't gotten dangerous, has it?”

“No,” Pup answered truthfully, albeit absently.

Nick nodded, telling her she'd probably be out of Phipps' house by the middle of the week, if not sooner. But again Pup's mind was on other aspects of the case. This time Nick didn't notice. He never did become aware that Pup had missed his comments about the job finishing soon. And since she'd missed them completely, she asked no questions. Pup left for her apartment just before dark with no plans to see Nick until Monday or Tuesday night.

By the time Pup returned to work Monday morning she was ready to be back on the job. Her goal: the paneled door in the office. She hadn't lifted a finger on Sunday, and she now felt refreshed and more than ready to complete the job. Part of her enthusiasm stemmed from the fact that after arriving home from Nick and Camille's, she had spent two hours praying and reading her Bible.

She was coming to the very solid conclusion that spying was not a job she could continue with a clear conscience. At the same time, she could not justify walking out on Nick. As soon as this case was wrapped up, she would talk to him and try to explain. This above all else gave her a strong reason to penetrate the office and the hidden door. But no one at the mansion would accommodate her this day.

She cleaned in the upstairs, the library, and the formal dining room, and then worked in the kitchen. Since there were men everywhere, she surmised that Duncan was in the house, but she saw nothing of him. The few times she needed to pass by the office, the door was closed and a man, someone she hadn't seen before, sat on a chair outside. The closest she came was the library, where she cleaned at a snail's pace in an effort to be near the office. It was no use. The door remained shut and guarded all day.

“You need to go to Longmont,” Duncan told the man sitting across the desk from him. “You need to see a banker for me.”

The man's dark eyes regarded him with little interest, and Duncan asked himself, not for the first time, why he knew he could depend on Jubal Hackett. There was nothing overly flashy about him that would draw attention, but in his quiet way he was rather amazing. There was little Duncan didn't know about the people who worked for him, and the reports back from his closest men told him that Jubal was his type of employee.

With his light brown hair, dark eyes, baby-smooth complexion, and shy smile, he could cajole an old lady out of her life savings or work a man over with his fists until he was ready to agree to anything Jubal demanded.

He and his brother had been doing jobs for Duncan for years. Govern had been the more brutal of the two, more easily riled and violent, but Jubal was cool, keeping his head in the tensest situations. Men like Govern were a dime a dozen, and Duncan had not even missed him, but Jubal's talents were a treasure. Duncan knew well that Jubal would get Richard Stuart to Denver if he died trying.

“Tell Richard Stuart I'd like to see him as soon as possible,” Duncan went on smoothly. “You can give him this. If that doesn't convince him, do what you need to do.” Duncan handed Jubal an envelope. Pup's brother put the message in his coat pocket without even looking at it.

“I'll expect you both back no later than tomorrow night.”

Jubal saw no reason to answer. He rose and moved toward the door. He had a job to do and he would get it done. It was just after two o'clock now. He knew that a train left at three. He'd be in Longmont that evening and at the door of the Rocky Mountain Savings first thing Tuesday morning.

Nick could not believe he'd forgotten his anniversary. It was the first time in 34 years. Camille had met him at the door, dressed for an evening on the town, and she could tell by the look on his face that he had not remembered. She fought back the tears, but they would not be stemmed. He had always bought her flowers, she reminded him. The only years he'd missed had been during the war. And now his head was so full of this case that she almost didn't know him anymore. Nick had to admit that it was all true.

There had been no choice for him—he had to repair her heart. He'd held her, told her they would go to dinner anyway, and made himself push the case from his mind. He'd been headed to see Pup to tell her she didn't have to go back the next day, but one more day probably didn't matter. Word had come from McKay that Stuart hadn't made a move. Nick forced himself to relax. He was tense enough about this case, and Camille was right—it wasn't fair to her or their marriage when he brought his work home with him.

In spite of such a dreadful start, the evening ended like a lovely dream. The meal at the Brown Palace was perfect, and with the stars bright overhead, the ride through the park in the open carriage set the mood for the rest of a lovely night.

As for Pup, she came home at the regular time, not quite as tired, and fixed herself a good meal. She gave Nick little thought. He had said he'd be by to see her on Monday or Tuesday, so his absence meant nothing. After dinner she read for a time and then began another letter to McKay, missing him more than ever. A walk in the park was tempting, but it was already dark. She turned in a little early and went back to the mansion first thing Tuesday morning.

Longmont

Jubal crossed the threshold of the Rocky Mountain Savings as if he'd lived in Longmont all his life. He had on a clean shirt and string tie and had taken time to have his jacket and pants pressed. Not one teller looked at him with suspicion. However, Richard Stuart's face blanched white upon seeing him.