The Streel Read online

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  An older woman ushered me into the sheriff’s office, and after a moment

  he looked up from his big rol - top desk and turned his wooden swivel

  chair around. He looked me up and down and then said, “Please sit, Miss

  Reardon.”

  I gave him the same perusal. When he had come to our house, he had

  seemed imposing, but here in the quiet sanctum of his office he seemed

  like a clerk poring over his papers. A pained expression sat on his face as if he already doubted all I had to say and would only suffer to listen to me because it was his job.

  “What might I do for you?” he asked.

  “I’m here to talk to you about an incident that I feel absolves my brother from having anything to do with Lily’s death.”

  “Really?”

  He was wearing wool pants tucked into tall boots and a vest buttoned

  over a large stomach. On the dark vest was pinned his sheriff’s badge, a large silver star set in a gold background.

  “That’s an impressive badge you’re wearing.”

  “Made by Mr. Gillette from our very own city of Deadwood. Given to

  me in honor of my actions in this office.”

  “And well deserved, I’m sure.”

  He nodded his head in recognition of the compliment.

  “I’ve come to you for your help. Both for my brother’s sake and my

  own.”

  “I’d be obliged to help you, miss.”

  “I have looked into Lily’s death, having, as you must understand, a

  difficult time believing my good brother had anything to do with it.”

  “I fear I have no such problem.”

  I continued. “I have discovered a number of men who were interested

  in Lily.”

  “All for the same reason, I imagine.”

  “Be that as it may. Since I have checked into the matter, I feel like I

  have tumbled into a wild bee’s nest. I have been shot at on one occasion.

  The French dressmaker can affirm this. And then, three nights ago, I was abducted from the New Year’s Eve ball.”

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  “What can you tell me of the man who stole you away?”

  I wished I had more to tell him. “I’m afraid not enough. I heard his

  voice in a whisper and then I was knocked out. When I came to, I had been left alone in a mining shaft, tied to a metal rail.”

  He pursed his lips, then asked a question. “Did you get paid as much

  as Lily usually got for her charms?”

  At first I thought I had not heard him right. When I listened to his

  question again in my mind, my blood boiled. That he could think that of

  me showed the narrowness of his mind. I shot out of my chair and stood

  shaking. “How dare you, sir!”

  “Easily. You’re your brother’s sister. What more do I need to know?

  You’ve even bewitched Charlie Hunt. But then he always did have the

  taste for the sporting woman.”

  Taking myself in hand, I spoke loud and clear. I would not lose my

  temper to such an evil man. “I’ll have you know that I’m no sporting

  woman, not that it should concern you. What you should be concerned

  about is that there is a man out there, roaming your streets, who has killed Lily and tried to do the same to me. He is not my brother. That should be obvious. I will let it be known that we have had this conversation, and it will be upon your head if anything happens to me.”

  He seemed unmoved by my words. I did not know what more I could

  say to him so I turned to go.

  “I saw you came here with Padraic.”

  I had turned to the door, but I answered him. “Yes, he was kind enough

  to accompany me.”

  “I’ll tell you this. If I weren’t so dad- blamed sure that Seamus had

  killed Lily, I’d be looking at Padraic for the crime.”

  He had caught me. I turned and asked, “Why would you do that?”

  “He’s got a terrible temper. Doesn’t take much for him to go off

  half- cocked. I’ve seen him in a fight or two when the spirit took him.”

  “He doesn’t have much good to say of you either, sir.” I turned on my

  heels, slamming the door behind me.

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  I stood in the shelter of the door, wondering where Padraic was. The an-

  ger was still boiling up in me from the conversation. I thought of going back into the sheriff’s office and slapping his slack- jawed face. I thought of taking his badge and sticking that sharp pin right into his chest. Then suddenly the anger dissipated and I felt sickened by what he had assumed of me. Was there no hope for a woman in this town?

  I heard my name said and lifted my head, thinking to see Padraic.

  Charlie Hunt came dashing across the street toward me. My first reac-

  tion was to retreat back into City Hall, but I would not take the chance of running into the sheriff. My second was to step toward him. Being pulled between these two actions, I stood quite stil , poised on the top step as if on the brink of a precipice.

  “You are out and about.” He stood below me on the sidewalk and gave

  a small bow, taking off his hat.

  “I appear to be, as do you.”

  “Brigid, are you really, truly fine?”

  “I am.”

  “I cannot forgive myself for what I did to you that night, so I would

  not dream of asking you to forgive me, but I hope shortly you will not

  think of me too unkindly.”

  “What are you going on about?”

  “I was teasing you about marriage, and yet again, I wasn’t.”

  “Please, let’s not talk about it here in the street.”

  “You are, as ever, right. When might I see you?”

  “I believe we will meet soon to discuss the claim.”

  “That is not what I mean.”

  “For the time being, Mr. Hunt, let us get through this business before

  we move on to anything else.”

  “So there is a chance that we will move on?” he asked with what I took

  was hope in his voice.

  “I cannot say. I am still not sure that you weren’t behind my abduction.”

  “Lord, Brigid, how can you say that to me? Why, I went mad looking

  for you. Ask anyone. Ask Padraic.”

  “What should you ask me?” Padraic stood on the sidewalk next to

  Charlie Hunt.

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  “Tell her that I couldn’t have abducted her.”

  “I would like to, but I didn’t see you until a good half an hour later.”

  “Wel , someone did. I will find someone who will tell you that I was

  searching for you at the ball.”

  “I look forward to hearing from them,” I said.

  Close to our house, Padraic asked me how my visit with the sheriff had gone.

  I answered, “I fear I have now much the same opinion of Sheriff John

  Manning as you do.”

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  “I’m glad for the chance to talk to this Charlie Hunt,” Billy said as

  he pulled on his boots. “Seamus has done all the talking before,

  and I’ll be happy to speak my mind.”

  “You have so much to tell him?” Paddy asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  For my part, I had decided I would keep rather quiet at the meeting

  but listen hard. We had all agreed that Padraic would do the talking; even Billy knew that Paddy was a more considered speaker. But I had also told myself that I would speak up if need be. There was no sense in being dumb when you aren’t deaf.

  I dressed with care for our meeting. I wor
e my old black skirt with a

  new waist I had ordered. I pulled my hair back more severely than I usually did and pinned it tight to my head, wanting to appear, as much as possible, a practical businesswoman. I wore the locket that Padraic had given me,

  and I noted that he was pleased to see it on me.

  Both Padraic and Billy had shined themselves up, but not like they

  had for the ball. They both were wearing their heavy boots with wool pants tucked into them and heavy wool shirts. They were clean and tidy looking, but they also looked like mining men. I was sure they hadn’t done it consciously, but they would certainly stand out against Mr. Charlie Hunt’s

  debonair look as the working men they were.

  We had arranged to meet at seven at the Grand Central Hotel where

  Charlie was lodging.

  As we walked over, I could tell that Billy was nervous. He went on and

  on about the other big mining claims in the area, the enormous amount

  of gold that was being pulled out of them, the money to be made. The

  Homestake was one he kept mentioning.

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  “I’d like a piece of that in exchange for our claim,” he said, kicking at a clod of dirt that had formed in the mud.

  “Oh, aye, that would be fine,” Padraic responded.

  “Hearst and Higgins bought that mine about the time we come to the

  Hil s. That was in late ’77, I think. Wasn’t it?”

  “As I recall.”

  “Remember, Paddy, they paid over a hundred thousand for that claim.

  Can you imagine? They shipped in a huge mill to work it and went into

  production right about this time last year. Since then, I’ve heard, they’re pulling out about forty thousand dol ars’ worth of gold bullion in one

  month’s time. Wouldn’t I like a piece of that pie?”

  “Our claim isn’t on level with the Homestake, Billy.” Padraic tried to

  calm him down.

  “You can’t be too sure about these things. I think the ore sample might

  surprise everyone. I’ve been finding some pretty good veins in the latest shaft we’ve dug.”

  While Padraic had been attending to me, Billy had been out at the claim

  nearly every day. Some days were awfully raw with just a trace of snow, but he said once he went underground it didn’t really matter what the weather was like outside. He called himself “a rat digging in his burrow.” His hands would not come clean, no matter how much scrubbing with lye soap he did.

  I thought of Charlie Hunt’s soft, clean hands— hands that I was sure

  had never done a day’s worth of physical labor. For once I would see him at work, and negotiating the deal together would give me a chance to judge

  his worth, what kind of man he truly was out in the world.

  Reaching the hotel front, we scraped the mud from our boots and walked

  into the lobby. A splendid place it was. Dark paneled walls with lovely paper cuttings festooned from the picture board. The floor had a runner of dark flowered carpet leading right up to the registration desk.

  Directly we were shown into a small room where a fire was blazing.

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  Two men sat facing it, sitting on a long burgundy couch. There were a pair of antlers over the fireplace, which gave the room the feel of a man’s study in a private home.

  The two men stood as we entered and came toward us. Charlie looked

  comfortable in a light vest over a heavy wool shirt. He was dressed more informally than I had ever seen him, and I wondered if he had done it to make us feel more comfortable.

  “Allow me to introduce you all to Professor Underwood. He’s come

  out from Chicago to oversee the ore sample.”

  The professor was a strange, bony man who looked to be in his mid-

  forties. His face was splotchy, probably from the heat of the fire, and his hands were knobby and long.

  We all shook hands and Charlie showed us to the fire.

  “It’s a cold evening,” he remarked. “Gentlemen, may I offer you some-

  thing to drink? The professor and I did not wait your arrival but are imbib-ing some excellent Century whiskey. Please join us.” He sounded ever the grand host as he offered the men some libations.

  Paddy and Billy agreed to this, and Charlie poured them each a tum-

  bler full.

  “I would not mind a taste of this fine liquor you are offering,” I said. I had heard that a small amount of liquor can often calm the heart, and I felt like I could use such a drink in me that night.

  Charlie raised his eyebrows.

  “Brigid?” asked Paddy.

  Billy turned his head to look at me.

  Their surprise decided me. “Yes, please,” I said.

  “May I pour in a small amount of water?” Charlie asked.

  “If you think that would add to my enjoyment of it, by all means,” I

  said.

  Charlie handed me a lovely cut- glass tumbler with a golden liquor

  mixed with a splash of water. I smelled it and the scent made me catch my breath. I would need to be careful with this beverage. But I did not want to start the evening left out by all the men.

  We all held our glasses up to each other, said “Cheers” or “Slainte” and then took a swallow. I was glad I had smelled it and was prepared for the

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  strength of it. The drink reminded me of a horrible remedy my mother’s

  mother had given us for the croup. I let the liquid sit in my mouth for a moment, and when it was more diluted, I slipped it down my throat. The

  liquor burned but had a rich sweet aftertaste. I took another small sip and smiled.

  “And I have with me some good cigars.” He brought out a dark

  wooden box and offered it around, coming first to me. “Miss Reardon, do

  you smoke also?”

  “No, thank you kindly, Mr. Hunt.”

  They all poked a big cigar in their mouths and lit up. The air plumed

  with their smoke, and the smell was rich and strong. I remembered the

  smell from cleaning Mr. Hunt’s den in St. Paul. I could see that Billy and Paddy were relaxing and enjoying themselves. I reminded myself not to

  get too relaxed. We were here to get as much money as we could out of our claim, and unfortunately, Charlie and his man meant to do the opposite.

  “We have some business to go over, gentlemen and miss.” Charlie

  saved a smile for me and flourished a small bow in my direction.

  Charlie sat next to Professor Underwood on the couch and said, “I

  think we all want the same thing— a fair price for your claim— and to that end I have asked Professor Underwood to oversee the extraction of the

  ore sample. He has had much expertise in this area. Correct, Professor?”

  “Oh, yes, I would say, certainly so. Why I’ve been up to British Co-

  lumbia, down to South America. Wherever there’s gold and other valu-

  able minerals to be found, I have worked, calculating the worth of many a mine. I consider myself well educated as a mining engineer, and I dare say I know this business as well as anyone.” He seemed to swell as he spoke, his chest coming out a bit higher in his clothes, and he arranged his tie just to make sure we had time to take all his glory in. And yet, for all that, he seemed a nervous fellow to me, fidgeting and almost shaking when speaking. I wondered if he was really up to the job.

  “Have you been here to Deadwood before, Professor Underwood?”

  I asked, curious if he would know his way around this rough- and- tumble place.

  “No, my dear lady. I have not previously had the pleasure. But I think

  the mining here is just in its infancy. I have great hopes for this town.

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  Indeed, I gave a fine interview with the Journal in Rapid City, so that people might know that I have arrived in the area. I am sure there’s a great deal of work in this town for an educated mining engineer like myself.”

  The men discussed how they would go about getting the ore sample.

  They decided that they would all ride into the claim the next day. The professor was vehement that he would gather the ore samples by himself and

  keep the bag with him at all times, bringing them back to be tested in St.

  Paul.

  “Swindles have been known to happen,” he declared.

  Billy stirred in his chair. Paddy spoke, “We just want what we’re due

  for our claim. We’re not saying it’s going to be another Homestake, but it’s been good to us, and we think if a mill were brought in and it was worked as it should be, it would produce well for many years to come.”

  “That’s certainly my wish and my father’s wish also,” Charlie lifted his glass again in a toast.

  “Just the same, I will keep this sample to myself, and I want no one

  else’s hands on it. I must have this agreed upon,” the professor stated.

  Slipping into our mother tongue, Billy whispered to Paddy, “He looks

  like a large turkey, sticking out his chest.”

  Not wanting to encourage him, I stifled my laugh. I drank a bit more

  of my whiskey to keep them company, then decided that I had had enough

  of the burning liquor. The men, on the other hand, kept helping them-

  selves to more.

  “Before we go on to more pleasantries, I have a question.” I wanted to

  ask it before the men got too comfortable.

  Charlie looked my way and said, “Miss Reardon, please continue.”

  “It strikes me that you are taking all these precautions to guarantee

  that your ore sample is not tampered with, but what guarantees do we have on our side that you will let us know truly what the results of it are? Might you not undercut the amount of gold in it and pay us less for our claim?”

  All the men turned my way.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “That we, at the same time, send in a similar sample to be tested and

  we compare the results.”

  Paddy clapped his hands. “Just the thing.”

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