An Agent For Wilhelmina (The Pinkerton Matchmaker Book 2) Read online

  Denver was left behind an hour ago. Elizabeth choked out how she’d come to Denver and ended up married to Stephen between sobs. In Mina’s opinion, Stephen’s behavior bordered on criminal. Elizabeth didn’t want her saying anything to him, so she’d done what she could to comfort the poor dear.

  Fighting to find a way to turn the conversation in a more pleasant direction, Mina noticed the handkerchief Elizabeth was clutching. It was edged in wide crocheted lace. Mina wondered if she had made it herself, been given it, or whether it had sentimental significance.

  They fell into a comfortable silence with Elizabeth closing her eyes and dozing. Mina couldn’t rest, however. The familiar feeling skittered up her back. She gazed around at the people across from her and those she could see ahead. Something was going to happen. There was danger wafting its unpleasantness through the car.

  Mina slipped her hand into her pocket. Her fingers closed on her Derringer. She’d chosen this row and side of the car so her right hand would be along the aisle.

  Reece knew nothing of her gun or the other weapons she had concealed on her person. He’d most likely throw a fit if he did. After all, he was going to teach her how to shoot a gun when they were in Cheyenne. The thought made her smile, before her attention was again captured by the eminent danger approaching.

  The train slowed when the grade got steeper as they went through the mountains. The conductor had just moved to the next car forward. A man in the very first seat stood, pulling Mina’s eyes to him. He was unshaven and unkempt. He pulled two guns out, raising them high.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I aim to take what jewels and cash you have on your person. As I come down the aisle, stick what you got in this here bag.” Said bag was attached to his suspenders hanging slightly open in front of him. “Don’t try nothin’ fancy, gents. I ain’t afraid to shoot you or anybody else. Just fill up my bag and I’ll be off the train leaving you all healthy and alive.” He gave a wicked, gap-toothed grin and waved his guns around.

  Elizabeth woke at his first words and clutched Mina’s left leg. “What should we do?” she whispered.

  “Nothing at the moment. Do you have any money or other valuables?”

  “No, do you?”

  Mina wasn’t going to share what she carried, though she considered her knives valuable. “Nothing that would interest him.”

  People were depositing items and cash into the bag. The man was sauntering down the aisle with a smile on his face. He was paying more attention to the men as the ladies cringed from him.

  “Act scared,” Mina instructed quietly.

  “Not an act. I am scared.”

  As the man approached, Mina turned slightly in her seat toward the aisle. In her left hand she held a few coins she’d taken from her pocket. Her right hand still clutched the hidden Derringer.

  The robber stood next to them now. “Put what you got in here.” He turned so Mina could reach his bag and drop her coins in. “You got anything, lady?” He looked at Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth fluttered her hands in the air, eyes wide in distress. “Oh, no, sir.”

  Mina stuck her foot out into the aisle. When the robber moved to the next row, he tripped over her foot, falling flat onto the floor. Reece and Stephen were there in a moment, snatching his guns and securing his hands behind his back with handcuffs.

  “Pinkerton agents. Go get the conductor.” Reece yelled at a man in the first row who left in a hurry.

  “I know this man. He’s wanted in several states,” Stephen jerked the man to his knees. “Gerald Hawkings, you’re under arrest for attempted robbery.”

  Mina released her hold on her gun. Reece and Stephen could handle this now. “Well done, Elizabeth. You kept his attention,” she murmured, turning her focus.

  “You tripped him, didn’t you,” she whispered back.

  “Yes, that gave the men the chance to capture him. It wasn’t much. Just an opportunity we capitalized on.”

  When the robber had been secured in some other car, Reece and Stephen appeared at the ladies’ side.

  “Elizabeth, are you all right? You weren’t hurt or scared, were you?” Stephen’s concern for her was evident.

  “Would you like to sit with your wife,” Mina asked.

  “Yes, please.” He stepped back, allowing Mina to rise and move into the aisle.

  Mina glanced at Elizabeth who gave a slight nod and smile.

  Reece settled Mina next to the window and studied her serene face. She didn’t appear rattled at all by the robbery attempt or her part in stopping it. Her face was a bit pale. Maybe she was hiding her distress from him, afraid he’d be critical.

  He didn’t understand why Hawkins fell over, but he thought she might have had something to do with it. She’d held her poise. Reece was impressed.

  “Are you all right?” He didn’t call her Bill, not wanting to upset her if she was hiding distress.

  Mina turned to him. “Yes, it was stressful and somewhat alarming. I was positive you and Agent Randall would capture the man. I didn’t want anything to happen to any of the passengers.”

  “Do you know why he fell?” Reece had an idea but wanted her to confirm it.

  “When he was talking to Elizabeth, I stuck my foot out and tripped him. She distracted him.”

  Her voice wobbled a bit. That’s when he noticed her hands clutched tightly in her lap trying to hide their shaking. Studying her a bit more closely, he could see the paleness of her cheeks. The event had rattled her, though she was covering it well.

  He wanted to comfort her. Take her hand in his. Hold it until it stilled. Hold it all the way to Cheyenne. That wouldn’t be proper. Although, she was his wife. He could hold her hand. He’d held her entire body close to his last night.

  It had surprised Reece at how quickly she’d fallen asleep once she settled in his arms. Keeping her there had kept him awake longer than normal. Then he’d roused when she rolled away to lie on her stomach. Reece fought a grin as he remembered waking up this morning with her tucked against his back with her arm around his waist.

  Yes, it was okay for him to hold her hand even while he wondered why he wanted to so much. The silver dollar he always had was slipped back into his vest pocket.

  When he laid his hand on hers, Wilhelmina glanced at him, searching his eyes. She didn’t pull her hands away.

  “Well, you both did a good job. It gave us the opportunity we needed to capture him. It means Stephen and I will have to haul Hawkings to jail when we get to Cheyenne. We’ll also have to testify at the trial, but that won’t be until we are finished with this case.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “COME ON BILL, let’s get some supper and start your training.” Reece stood by the door to their hotel room.

  They were staying in a nondescript hotel near the train station. Mina wondered if they’d get any sleep with the railroad tracks so close. She ignored his order since she’d told him she would not answer to Bill, continuing to arrange things on the vanity. She meticulously set each item as she preferred to have them, making her nighttime routine easy to perform.

  “Bill, did you hear me? Let’s go eat.” Reece’s voice held a tad of irritation.

  Mina dug in her carpetbag and drew out her nightgown.

  “Wilhelmina!”

  “Oh, were you talking to me?” She straightened and turned toward him.

  “You know I was.”

  “Hum, I thought you were talking to some man named Bill. I respond to Mina if you don’t want to say Wilhelmina.” She heard teeth grinding and hid her smile by draping the gown over the dressing screen.

  An aggrieved sigh came before the words, “Mina, will you please come with me to get our supper?”

  “Of course, I thought you would never ask. I am quite hungry.” As she passed him heading out of the room, Mina patted his chest. “That wasn’t so difficult now, was it?”

  Once the train reached Cheyenne, they had all checked into a hotel near the train station. Mina wondered
if she’d get any more sleep than the night before. And if Reece would insist they share a bed again. Reece and Agent Randall had left them there and taken the outlaw to the jail. The ladies spent the afternoon in Elizabeth’s room while the men were in Mina’s. Mina and Elizabeth laughed at how their new husbands had bungled up their first days together.

  “I want to begin training you now. You need at least the fundamentals before we leave Cheyenne for San Francisco,” Reece told her once they’d placed their orders. Instead of the hotel restaurant, they’d gone down the street to a cafe Reece said served good food at reasonable prices.

  “I see. You haven’t told me any details about the case, nor have you let me see the files. Am I to be kept in the dark about them the entire time we are together?”

  “I’ll give them to you tonight. I want you to read and memorize them before we get to San Fran.”

  Mina nodded. “Have you read…”

  “Look around the room. Once you’ve had enough time, I’m going to quiz you on what you’ve seen.”

  She really hated it when he interrupted her. It seemed to happen most when she was inquiring as to whether he’d read the file on her and the letter from Allan Pinkerton.

  They were seated in the back corner so both could look out over the room. She’d sat with her right side open so it would be easy to pull her Derringer if necessary. She wasn’t anticipating any danger, but her Uncle Dan had instructed her to sit with her back to the wall and always have a clear path to her gun.

  Mina took a sip of her tea, looking over the rim to survey the room. She wondered how long Reece would wait to quiz her. This must be typical Pinkerton training. It was a game they’d played in Chicago whenever they went somewhere. The other agents would also quiz her about their surroundings when they met either on the street, at social gatherings, and at the office.

  It wasn’t long before she heard. “Look at me, Bill… er… Mina.” She did so, pursing her lips to keep a broad smile from them.

  “Keep your eyes on me. How many other diners are in the cafe?”

  “Twelve, seven men, three women, and two children. One a baby in arms.”

  “Very good. How many tables?”

  “Including this one, fourteen. They have red checkered tablecloths and a daffodil in a small vase as decoration. Very nice if you ask me.” Mina touched the flower with a gentle finger, not taking her eyes off her husband. He was a very handsome man. The memory of sleeping with him last night flitted through her mind. Then the upcoming night, moving the flittering to her stomach. She pushed it away.

  Reece continued asking her questions about the furnishings, customers, decor, and servers. Several times she paused to be certain she remembered correctly before answering.

  “What is the man at the table by the window eating?” Reece had a small smirk on his face. He must figure she would miss this one.

  “He hadn’t received his meal yet when I turned to looked at you. If you want me to see if he’s been served, I will.”

  “No need. I’m impressed. You have good observation and recall skills.”

  “Thank you.” Mina thought about telling him about the game she’d played, but decided since he most likely hadn’t read about her background she’d just keep that to herself.

  Their meal arrived turning their focus, especially Reece’s to the food. Partway through, Mina asked, “What kind of pie did the man by the window have for dessert?”

  “Huh?” Reece’s fork stopped half-way to his mouth.

  She repeated the question. She watched Reece’s cheeks color. “Aren’t you supposed to keep aware of your surroundings at all times?”

  “Well, um, yes.”

  “It was cherry.” Mina smiled at him. “I’d like a piece too. It looked very good.”

  Reece chuckled. “You got me, girl. Don’t think you will again.”

  Later, as they climbed into bed, Mina made sure to stay as far away from Reece as she could and still be on the bed. Waking up this morning pressing herself against his back had embarrassed her to no end. There was no way she wanted to repeat the sleeping so close to him.

  Unfortunately, her plan didn’t work as she’d hoped. In the middle of the night Mina woke up spooned against him with his arm wrapped around her middle. Very carefully, so as not to wake Reece, she’d lifted his arm and rolled away, moving again to the edge of the bed.

  In the morning, while the men went back to the jail, Elizabeth and Mina went to a dressmaker shop to purchase brown dresses on orders from Agent Randall. He wanted her in drab clothing to make her blend in for their case. The beauty of his new wife didn’t lend itself to fading into the background, Mina wasn’t confident a brown dress would help with that. The pink dress Beth bought didn’t fit in with the orders for drab brown. Mina wondered how Stephen would react when he saw his lovely wife in the beautiful dress.

  Reece had spent an uncomfortable night though he must have slept well as rested as he was. Mina hadn’t argued with him about sleeping in the same bed, but neither had she snuggled against him. In fact, she’d stayed as far away from him as possible. It was a wonder she hadn’t fallen off onto the floor, she’d lain so close to the edge. That one night of her lying close to him seemed to have spoiled him for sleeping without her body touching his.

  He pushed that thought from his mind. This marriage was for a few weeks at most. He’d be sleeping alone once they returned to Denver and they got the annulment.

  Reece and Stephen went to the jail in the morning to make reports. Their wives had gone shopping. He had hoped Mina would find something suitable so they wouldn’t have to stop in Sacramento, no garments finished enough to be done quickly. They’d have to spend too much time in Cheyenne. He wanted to get Mina’s training done as soon as possible. They didn’t have weeks to wait on dresses.

  “Let’s get going. I’ve got a buggy hired. We’re heading out of town for a while. I’m going to teach you to shoot. I don’t think we’ll have need for you to have the skills, but as you know from the train, anything can happen.” Reece pulled his holster from his carpetbag and strapped it on. Then he took the gun Archie had given to all the women out, spinning the revolving chamber.

  Reece had made Archie give him Mina’s gun since he didn’t want her handling the dangerous weapon without some training. They’d have the shooting lesson and he’d take it back from her until they’d practiced enough for him to be sure she wouldn’t shoot herself or him.

  Though Mina’s skirts were the same, she’d put a different bodice on this morning. He knew it was common for women to have a second one, especially for a traveling suit. The green wool was becoming to her coloring. It was simply cut without a lot of the ruffles and furbelows women’s clothing often were covered with. The overskirt was striped green, rust, and gold. The stripe was used as trim on the bodice. This one had a wide lapel with the stripes diagonally leading his eyes to her narrow waist.

  Bringing his eyes back to her face, Reece saw a quizzical expression. She was standing, ready and waiting for him. “Let’s go. I don’t want to keep the horse waiting.”

  “Of course not.” Mina grinned at him.

  When they were far enough from town, Reece pulled the buggy off the dirt road into a clearing. A hill of dirt rose sharply at its rear. “This will be a good place to teach you to shoot.”

  He helped her down and tied the horse to a bush. They walked further into the clearing, the dry grass making a shooshing sound as her skirts brushed over it as she moved.

  “Here’s a good spot. Let’s go over gun safety first.” Reece lectured her about how to handle, load the gun, and all the safety rules he knew. Mina stood patiently listening without asking a single question. She didn’t appear to be nervous either. Most women were around guns. “Any questions?”

  “Not at the moment. Will we shoot now?”

  Reece cleared his throat. This woman baffled him. She seemed unflappable in tense or awkward situations. She’d masked her distress over the robbery
attempt on the train. She’d insulted him so very subtly every so often. Yet, she nearly threw a fit over sleeping in the same bed and over what he called her. Well, not a fit really. More passively resisting, making her point without raising her voice. That could be an asset on a case.

  She was very observant, at least when warned he would quiz her. He’d have to quiz her later without telling her to observe their situation.

  “Yes, let’s see how you handle shooting and the recoil of the gun.” Reece looked at the hill. There was a large barren area where the steep side had caved off. “See if you can hit that bare spot. I’ve loaded the Navy Pocket Revolver, so don’t point it at me.” He held the gun out, grip first, allowing her to take it. Thankfully, Mina pointed it at the ground.

  “So, you want me to shoot at that spot there? That big one?”

  “Yes. It gives you plenty of space as a target. It has five bullets.” Reece stepped behind her, ready to catch her if the recoil knocked her off her feet. “It’s a smaller revolver so it’s not as heavy.”

  He watched as Mina brought the gun up, cupping her left hand around her right.

  “Keep your eyes open. Don’t close them when you squeeze the trigger. Don’t be afraid of the noise or the recoil. I’ll be right here to catch you.”

  “Well, that makes me feel much more secure.” It was hard to ignore the sarcasm in her voice.

  Suddenly, five shots rang out in quick succession. Dirt blasted from the hill, the shots in close proximity to each other at the center of the bare spot. Mina spun around to face him, gun pointed to the ground.

  “How’d I do?” She was fighting to keep a smirk off her face.

  That’s when he knew. She already knew how to shoot, and darn well too.

  “You know how you did, Mina. How come you didn’t tell me you knew how, and so well too?”

  “You never asked. You wouldn’t have believed me if I had, would you?”

  “No, I don’t suppose I would have. What else haven’t you told me?”