“I see that you’re displeased at being assigned a partner,” Mr. Gordon started, “but I assure you that it’s only for this case. Once you’ve proven yourself to Mr. Hoyt, you can start working cases on your own again.”
“I understand,” she said. “Then I hope we can solve this case quickly.”
Mr. Gordon nodded approvingly. “I hope so, as well.” He cleared his throat. “This brings us to a difficult topic.”
“Which is?”
He shifted his gaze to somewhere over her shoulder, appearing almost anxious. “We do things slightly differently here in Denver.”
“Differently?” she questioned. “In what way?”
Archie leaned back in his chair. “We generally assign a new female agent to work with an experienced male agent.”
“That practice is common in Chicago, as well,” she said, not understanding the hesitancy in his voice.
“Yes, well, here…” His voice trailed off. He took a deep breath and continued. “We require you to be married to your partner.”
“What!” she shouted, jumping up from her chair. “You want me to marry my partner?”
“I do.”
“But I’m not a new agent,” she argued. “I’ve solved many cases on my own.”
“I understand your situation is different, but I can’t offer you an exception. It wouldn’t be fair to the other female agents.”
Turning her heated gaze toward Lincoln, she asked, “You aren’t opposed to marrying a woman you just met?”
“Not particularly,” he said with a shrug. “After the case, we can get an annulment and go our separate ways.”
She turned her attention back toward Mr. Gordon. “Is it easy to obtain an annulment?”
“It is,” he replied. “I’ve been told it’s a fairly straightforward process.”
“That’s a relief. After all, I have no intention of staying married to a man I hardly know,” she stated, glancing over at Lincoln. “No offense intended.”
“None taken,” Lincoln replied, “especially since I have no desire to be married at all.”
Mr. Gordon picked up a file and extended it toward Lincoln. “Here’s the case file,” he shared. “Mr. Tiner will meet you at the hotel in Longworth tomorrow morning to discuss the case.”
Lincoln accepted the file and rose. “We’ll depart at once.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something, agent?” Mr. Gordon asked with a smirk.
A frown came to Lincoln’s lips. “Oh, right. We’ll depart after we get ourselves hitched.”
3
Lincoln gripped the reins loosely in his hands as they drove toward the train station. He glanced over at his partner… his wife. His newfound responsibility. As much as he hated the thought of having a partner, he knew it would be better for both of them if they started working amicably with each other.
Amey was busy reading the case file which allowed him a moment to admire her without her knowing. She was a remarkable beauty with an oval face, high cheekbones, and beautiful blue eyes. Her hair was piled into a loose bun around the base of her neck, and he admired its elegance. He’d immediately been attracted to her and recognized that he could have done worse for a temporary wife.
But he had no intention of courting his wife. No, that was definitely not part of his plan! His strategy was simple. He was going to solve this case, prove that Miss Amey Barney was somewhat adept at her job, and get an annulment.
Perhaps if he asked nicely, she’d give him a kiss as a parting gift, he thought, then smiled. One could only hope.
Amey’s voice broke through his musings. “It says that Mr. Tiner and his wife have been married for two years.”
“Is that so?” he replied, attempting to appear interested. He’d much rather be thinking about kissing the lovely Amey.
“Yes, and Mr. Tiner wrote down that they were happy together.”
Lincoln kept his gaze focused on the road. “Clearly, he’s lying.”
“I agree,” she replied, closing the file.
“You do?”
She nodded. “Most marriages are unhappy.”
Lincoln shifted on the bench toward her. “May I ask what’s caused you to be so cynical about marriage?”
Amey gripped the sides of the file tightly. “I don’t believe it’s possible for two people to fall in love and stay in love for the remainder of their days.”
“Interesting,” he commented. “And why is that?”
“Because people are constantly changing and growing. I think it’s more logical for two people to grow apart than together.” She glanced over at him. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What’s your view on marriage?”
Lincoln tightened his grip on the reins. “I have no intention of getting married.” He smirked. “Well, not a real marriage, anyway.”
“And why is that?” Amey asked, shifting on the bench toward him.
His smile dimmed. “Need I remind you that we are partners and not friends?”
“True, but I was hoping to make some conversation,” she replied.
Lincoln clenched his jaw. “I prefer silence over useless chatter.”
Rather than argue with him as he’d been expecting, Amey opened the file and said, “Fair enough. I’ll just continue to go over the case.”
His eyes scanned the bustling Denver street as they rode in silence. It was comfortable. It was perfect.
Unfortunately, Amey couldn’t help but ruin it by talking. “There’s a lot of relevant information here,” she said, closing the file.
“Is that so?”
She nodded. “I still think the husband is the killer, but I’ll know more tomorrow.”
He gave her a side glance. “Why do you say that?”
“I can generally get a good read on people when I first meet them,” she replied.
“Meaning?”
Her eyes drifted toward the sidewalk where crowds of men and women were walking down the street. “I can usually tell when someone is lying.”
“Most Pinkerton agents have that ability.”
“Do you?”
He nodded. “Most of the time when people are lying, I can tell because of the direction of their eyes or a fluctuation in their voice.”
“Well, then we’ll both be able to tell if Mr. Tiner is lying, won’t we?” she observed.
He glanced down at the file. “What else did the case file tell us?”
She reopened the file. “I was teasing before,” she replied. “Actually, this file tells us very little.” She pulled out a piece of paper. “Mr. Tiner hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency because his wife’s
