Texas Twilight by Caroline Fyffe Page B

for a moment,
thinking furiously. Slowly, she took the sock and reached inside.
Her fingers closed around a wad of soft fabric. Instantly her heart
quailed in trepidation. When she withdrew her hand and unwrapped
the mysterious lavender cloth, a glimmering blue stone lay in the
palm of her hand. It was the size of a buffalo nickel and had a
little gold loop so it could be put on a chain. It looked
incredibly expensive.
    Quickly, she re-wrapped it and stuck it back
in the sock and replaced it in her aunt’s bag. She backed away from
the bed, still staring at her aunt. She’d heard hushed stories
about opium and laudanum before, but no one in her family’s history
had ever suffered from any kind of dependence. Was the white powder
medicinal? And where had the gem come from? Was it stolen? Was that
the reason for their hasty departure?
     
    ***
     
    “I don’t take kindly to anyone barging into
my office, Dr. McCutcheon, no matter who they think they are.” The
shocked look on Mr. Shellston’s face was worth the regret John
would feel later over his temper-fueled actions. “I’m a busy man
and can’t abide being sidetracked every other minute of the
day.”
    “What I have to say will only take a minute.
I’m sure we can come to an understanding. Rio Wells isn’t so big
that you don’t have a moment for me. Or Miss Anthony, for that
matter.”
    Mr. Shellston’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, you’ve
come about her. There isn’t anything more I have to say on the
subject. If her aunt was careless enough not to check references
before wiring such a large amount of money across the country, then
she deserves what she gets.”
    “She’s an eighty-five-year-old woman, for
God’s sake. Have some compassion. This bank can easily make their
bad situation better if you choose to.”
    Both men stood glaring at each other with the
massive desk between them. The tick of the lobby clock and their
breathing was all that was heard in the small office.
    Mr. Shellston features softened. “If I’d have
received those funds from Mr. Bartlett, then of course, I’d be apt
to rethink my decision. But, am I just supposed to give them use of
a building for a whole year free?”
    “With the many places I see vacant that they
could use, and I know must be owned by this bank, yes. Your bank
could easily afford it.”
    “Even if I saw fit to agree, the board of
trustees would never concur. Besides, as a result every person
would come in here looking for charity. This bank does not give
away free handouts. My answer remains as it did yesterday, Dr.
McCutcheon.”
    John left the bank as frustrated as when he
had entered. He strode down the walk on his way back to his office,
his mind racing over every possibility he could think of. He could
lease a building for them himself, and he would if it came down to
it, although he knew Lily and her aunt wouldn’t like feeling
beholden to him.
    He could ask his uncle to talk to the mayor
and city council. Surely Uncle Winston had some pull in this town.
His ranch was the largest spread around these parts and was one of
the major reasons this town was prospering. If either of those
ideas didn’t pan out, he might be able to help Lily find a job.
That would be a shame, though, given her skills as a seamstress.
John lightly fingered the stitches on his face. They pulled when he
drew his mouth up into a fake smile to feel the tautness of his
wound. The tiny, well placed knots were a testament to her fine
needlework. He wasn’t going to just roll over and give up.
    He rounded the corner and stopped, facing the
doctor’s office. As he waited for a wagon to pass he stared at the
dilapidated place, then his gaze moved across the small alley on
the left side of the building to the structure next door. Was it a
storeroom? Striding behind the wagon, he hurried the rest of the
way and tried the doorknob, finding it locked.
    Bixby and Tucker were back from taking Martha
and Candy Brown home, and startled when he