Wellington. As he waited there, he studied the colorful banners that hung over the hall, including the Union Jack of Great Britain, the Stars and Stripes of the United States, and the Wellington family crest.
Gilmore was a little nervous about the visit because he had recently represented the plaintiff in a lawsuit against Mrs. Wellington. Mrs. Wellington won the lawsuit, so he hoped she hadn’t sent for him to give vent to her anger. Mrs. Wellington was a very important woman in Owyhee County, and someone in his position could not afford to make such a powerful enemy.
“Mr. Gilmore,” Mrs. Wellington said, smiling sweetly when she came to greet him. “Thank you so much for coming.”
Gilmore was a little taken aback by the smile. It seemed genuine. He relaxed a little.
“Yes, well, you said you had need of my services. I must confess to being a little surprised.”
“Why surprised?”
“I thought you might be angry with me.”
“Because you represented the other party in a lawsuit against me? Don’t be silly. I know that’s what lawyers do. I also know that you are an honest and trustworthy man. You could have bent the facts in the case, but you did not.”
“That wouldn’t have been ethical,” Gilmore said.
“Exactly,” Kitty said. “And right now I need someone who is both ethical and discrete. Can you be both?”
“As long as the two requirements aren’t contradictory,” Gilmore replied.
Kitty laughed. “Good, good, that is exactly the answer an honest man would give. Now I know I have the right man.”
“What is the task, Mrs. Wellington?”
Kitty picked up a folded copy of
Gilmore glanced at it, then he looked up. “Yes, it has a very nice article about you.”
“It also has an article about Matt Jensen,” Kitty said. “The task I am assigning you, Mr. Gilmore, is to find Matt Jensen. Once you learn where he is, I want you to contact him and tell him that an old friend needs help, and ask him to meet you in American Falls. Once you meet him, bring him to me.”
“You tell me to bring him to you, but I can only bring him if he is willing to come,” Gilmore said. “I have heard of Matt Jensen. I get the feeling that he is not a man who can be coerced into doing something he doesn’t want to do.”
“I will give you a personal letter to carry from me to him. Once you show him the letter, he will come,” Kitty said, confidently.
“All right, I’ll contact him, and I’ll carry your letter to him,” Gilmore replied. “But I’m curious. Why do you want me to meet him in American Falls? Why not meet him in Medbury?”
“I want to keep the meeting secret,” Kitty replied. “I think we can better do that in American Falls. Besides if, after you meet him, he doesn’t want to get involved, he won’t have come so far. That is, assuming he is still in Green River.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Mr. Gilmore, I especially do not want Poke Terrell to find out about this. If Prew is right, if Mr. Terrell is the one behind the rustling of my horses, he might try and stop Matt from coming.”
“Matt? You are on a first name basis with Matt Jensen?”
“I was once,” Kitty said.
“Well, in that case, maybe he will come,” Gilmore said. “And don’t worry, I will be extremely guarded in my mission.”
“You sent for me, Joel?” Marcus Kincaid asked.
“Yes,” Matthews said. He slid a letter across the desk, and Marcus picked it up.
“What is this?”
“This is a letter from Kitty Wellington. I thought it might give you comfort to know that the loan will be repaid and you will recoup your investment, as well as the interest due. It’s addressed to me but, under the circumstances, you being the one who now owns the loan, it is really your letter.”
