So the sheriff had lied during Bobby Lee’s trial. He had received the letter. She knew it! Oh, why hadn’t the judge let her testify?
“Whatever you are going to do, do it,” Sheriff Wallace called back to the bricklayer. “And don’t take all day to do it.”
Minnie’s heart leaped to her throat and with nervous hands she replaced the letter in the envelope, then put it back in the drawer. But her hand was still in the drawer when Sheriff Wallace came back into the room.
“What are you doing in my desk drawer?” he asked.
Seeing a pencil and a blank piece of paper, Minnie pulled both from the drawer.
“I was going to leave you a note telling you that I was going back to the Gold Strike,” she said.
“You ain’t goin’ anywhere until I tell you that you can,” Wallace said. “Just put the pencil and paper back in the drawer.”
“All right,” Minnie said, relieved that he had not actually seen her with the letter. “It doesn’t matter now anyway, you are back.”
“Now, I’m going to ask you one more time,” Wallace said. “And if I find out you are lyin', I’ll send you to prison for helpin’ Cabot escape. He smiled. “Women don’t do well in prison.”
“I haven’t lied to you, Sheriff.”
“Did you send a telegram to Buck West?”
“Yes.”
“Did he reply to the telegram?”
“No, and if you knew I sent it, then you also know that he didn’t reply. I’m sure you checked with the telegrapher.”
“Did you meet Buck West?”
“No.”
It was easy for Minnie to say that she hadn’t met with Buck West because, although she thought she had, she quickly learned that his real name was Smoke Jensen.
“Look here, Miss Smith, are you telling me that Buck West did not come to Cloverdale in answer to your telegram?”
“I’m telling you there was no Buck West,” Minnie said.
“Do you know the penalty for lying during an official investigation?”
“Yes, I do. Do you?” Minnie asked pointedly.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You said you didn’t get a letter from Bobby Lee. I know that you did.”
“How do you know?” Sheriff Wallace challenged.
Minnie caught herself. She had almost given away the fact that she had seen the letter in his desk. If he knew that, all he would have to do is destroy it.
“I know it because Bobby Lee told me he mailed it to you.”
“No, all you know is that he told you that,” Sheriff Wallace said. “That didn’t work for Cabot during the trial, and it isn’t going to work now.” Wallace pushed himself back away from the desk, ran his hand through his hair, and sighed. “Get out of here, Miss Smith. I don’t have any more questions for you.”
“That works out fine then, doesn’t it, Sheriff?” Minnie said. “Because I don’t have any more answers for you.”
“If you hear from him, Miss Smith, I’ll know about it,” Wallace said. “Whether it’s a letter or a telegraph message, I will know about it. So I’m tellin’ you right now, if you do hear from him, you had better let me know right away.”
With an angry glare at the sheriff, Minnie left the sheriff’s office.
The gallows was still in place in front of the sheriff’s office, but the sign had been taken away. Now it was little more than an ugly piece of construction.
Chapter Twenty-two
Doc Baker was gone by the time Minnie returned to the Gold Strike Saloon.
“Minnie! Thank God you are all right! “ Nabors said. “Doc and I were worried about you.”
“Where is Doc?”
“One of the workers down at the mine was hurt, Doc went to tend to him,” Nabors said.
“Nate, I saw the letter,” Minnie said.
