“You don’t know what it’s like, Mr. A.J.,” whined the one on the floor, Rufus.
He slammed his hand against the cell door. “Oh, you blockheads! How many times did I have to tell you about the money you’d earn on the trip downriver?” He shook his head, as he turned to look at Seamus with frustration.
Rufus rose to his knees. “You’ll still take us with you, won’t you, Cap’n? We can go home this year an’ leave this place behind.”
“Only to throw you overboard,” A.J. snapped. “Not worth wasting cargo space on the likes of you.” He saw them pale at his threat. “You wasn’t expectin’ that from me, was you?” A.J. asked, mimicking how they spoke, as he talked with them.
“No, Cap’n,” they said, with ducked heads. “We thought you’d get us out of here. We’re loyal crewmen.”
A.J. shook his head. “No, you ain’t. Now tell me everything, and I might keep the O’Rourkes from butcherin’ you, as is their right.” He stood as tall as his wiry frame allowed, and his brown eyes shone with determination, as he snorted at the two men who had been members of his crew the previous year, before they had disappeared into the Territory. Although it was a common occurrence for crewmen to give in to the temptation of remaining in the place they had traveled to, A.J. had never suspected they had aligned themselves with anyone who would harm his friends, the O’Rourkes.
The two men spoke, their words tripping over each other, as they talked about traveling into the Territory the previous year and meeting Jacques. They had thought him wise, as he was a trapper and wealthy, although he didn’t depend on mining. Soon they had agreed to help him recover his bride, who had run away from him.
“Bride?” A.J. asked, as he stood with fists on his waist. “Are you boys that plumb dumb?” He shook his head, before kicking the bottom of the cell door. “That man ain’t ever been married.”
“Well, he said he was. Why’d he lie?” Clem asked. “Said some man was intent on stealin’ her away, and we had to ensure he never got back to her.”
“What?” Ardan asked, as he stiffened beside his father. “What more did you do?”
“How is it that you two, as dumb as a pile of horse dung, managed to meet the man intent on hurtin’ Maggie O’Rourke?” A.J. asked on an exasperated sigh.
“Yeah! That’s the girl. Said she was pretty, an’ she is,” Rufus said, wincing when Clem hit him on his head. He glared at his friend. “You thought so too, although never could understand why we needed to steal two red-haired ladies. They have such bad tempers.”
“If she was his bride and eager to have him back, he wouldn’t have had to steal her, you idiots,” A.J. snapped. “Did you ever think of that?” They paled at his words. “No, you were too blinded by your thoughts of a bag of gold.” He clamped his jaw shut, and his gaze glowed with anger.
“What did you do to Dunmore?” Ardan demanded, taking a step forward to stand beside A.J.
Clem shrugged. “We was in on the search party, helpin’ to find the survivors from that crash. Wasn’t any surprise there were none.”
“Well, except for him. Ol’ Berg wanted us to kill him, but he was already dyin’. Didn’t seem right killin’ a man already on his way to bein’ dead.” Rufus scratched at his greasy head. “So’s we just moved him a ways. Kept him out of sight.”
Seamus rubbed at his head and turned to speak to A.J. “Are they your relations? Friends? Responsibility in any way?” When A.J. continued to shake his head at every question, Seamus nodded. “Aye, ’tis good to know.”
“We was only savin’ the women from their fates that was worse than death,” Clem said, with an innocent helpfulness in his gaze. “That’s what that other man said. The pompous one with the big belly.”
“Chaffee,” Kevin breathed.
“Yes! Him,” Rufus said, pointing at them. “We’s not responsible for any of this. We’s just helpin’ out some friends.” He and Clem nodded, as though that were sufficient to excuse the role they played.
“Did you even know where you were goin’ in the Territory?” Ardan asked. When they stared at him blankly, he said, “You were headed into the Territory. Did you know where you were going? Where to change horses? What to do if you broke an axle?”
Clem and Rufus exchanged glances and shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. “We ain’t stupid, Cap’n,” Clem said, having decided that A.J. was the most receptive man in the group staring at him. “Without the trapper, we didn’t know up from down in this country. We was talkin’ about headin’ back. An’ then they showed up. With another one. Mad as a hornet’s nest.”
A.J. leaned forward. “Because you stole his wife.”
“That’s what the man claimed, but she wasn’t supposed to be married.” Clem scratched at his head. “We was transportin’ a tart to Virginia City.”
“A tart?” Seamus breathed.
“Why?” Ardan asked, as he stared at his father.
Seamus shook his head, before focusing on the sheriff. “Keep ’em locked up. If you don’t, I can’t promise what won’t happen to ’em.” He saw Wilcox nod in understanding, as Seamus strode from the jail, his sons and A.J. behind him.
Holding up his hand, he silently asked for quiet as he stood still and attempted to control his rage. After a long moment, he rasped, “Let’s go to the warehouse.”
After arriving, he slammed the door shut and began to pace. “Chaffee and Jacques are workin’ together. Why?” he muttered. “An’ why take Lorena to Virginia City?”
A.J. rocked in place, as
