At Harper's Ferry
Chapter 15
Jack sat on the moth-eaten bed, studying the rain as it splashed on the open windowsill. Ezra stood, listening for the return of Stevenson. The roof was old and started to leak small droplets of water on the dust-laden floor. Both were still feeling the effects of seeing Lawrence dead. After a few minutes of silence, they began to talk in low whispers.
“It’s a damn shame that Miss Hanson will never see her brother again,” Ezra sadly said.
“I feel bad about that. I never would have guessed this would be the outcome of our case. Faith may not want to talk to me after I tell her the news.”
“It’s not your fault, Jack. I’m sure she won’t hold you responsible.”
“You never know with women,” the detective said stiffly.
“Did you ever think of getting married again?” his partner suddenly asked.
“Why are you asking me that?” Jack asked, taken aback.
“You seem to have more than a passing interest in her. From what you’ve told me, the feeling is mutual. Why don’t you go ahead and take a chance?”
He shook his head. “Maybe she does have an interest in me, but there’s not much I want to do about it.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever been the same since your wife died,” Ezra said. “It would be good for you to find someone else.”
Jack stared at his friend, any thoughts broken by the sudden mention of his dead wife. “Well, Ezra, my Mary was a special woman. She didn’t try to make anything out of me that I wasn’t. I’m not sure if there is anyone else like that in the whole damn world.”
“You can’t be alone your entire life.”
“A woman like Miss Hanson will want to make something out of me. Someone she would be proud of, someone who she could walk in the street with. I don’t think I’m that kind of man for her. Do you really think her father would let her marry someone like me?”
The storm was fading and the rain was diminishing its patter on the roof.
Ezra said, “Life is too short to worry about what people might think. She might try to change you, but you can also change her. It might work out for the both of you.”
Jack shrugged. “I’m too old, too poor, and too set in my ways for Faith Hanson. There’s no future in it.”
“There’s no future in the way you’ve been treating yourself.” Ezra replied quietly.
“Ah, Ezra, are you my partner, or my mother? Let me be. I can take care of myself.”
“Now wait…” his partner’s voice trailed off as they both heard the front door open.
They both stopped and waited silently so they could listen. They heard a group of people entering the house. Two voices were raised in argument. Jack raised his finger to his lips and quietly walked over to the hallway door and looked through the open gap. He could just see into the front room and make out three figures.
Stevenson stood in front of the fireplace, lighting the lamp. A leather satchel was in his hand, which he placed on top of the mantelpiece. He then turned and faced a woman standing next to a shorter man. Jack recognized the rat-faced man as the same who had attacked him after the first visit to the Gay Lady Saloon.
The woman took off her hat, revealing graying hair. She was well-dressed, still pretty, and spoke with a slight southern drawl. At the moment she appeared to be angry over her reception from Stevenson.
“I don’t know why we had to come here,” she said. “A little rain shouldn’t have stopped you from seeing me to Davis’s house.”
“Mister Davis wanted to do it this way,” Stevenson replied with a matter-of-fact sneer.
“It’s essential that I get the papers tonight so I can be on my way. This information will be invaluable to the cause.”
“I’m not about to let you lead me into a trap, Miss Edmonds. Mister Davis doesn’t care about the Rebels. He just wants to be paid for getting these plans into the right hands.”
“What about his loyalty to the cause?”
“Jacob, go take a seat,” Stevenson ordered. “I can see that this is going to take a while.”
The little man meekly complied and sat down in a corner chair.
Returning his attention back to Edmonds, Stevenson then said, “We were promised payment for the papers.”
Edmonds sighed and put her hands on her hips. “We have your money, but we want to be sure we’re paying for real goods.”
“They’re real alright. It took some work, but these are the detailed Anaconda plans straight from the War Department.”
“We know what kind of person your Mister Davis is, and we are well aware of the sort things he – and his associates – have done in the past. Before I part with any money I need to see the papers you have.”
Stevenson leaned on the mantle-piece and studied Edmonds as if she was a pinned butterfly. He finally said, “You should trust Mister Davis - he’ll do right by you.”
“Our money is in short supply, and I’m not about to throw any of it away for a pile of worthless papers.” Her expression hardened.
Stevenson shook his head. “It took a lot of hard work to get these plans, Miss Edmonds. The U.S. government may be onto us, and we’ve had some trouble keeping the papers in our possession. And there's a detective hired by the Hanson family who has been some trouble. We’ve managed to keep him busy chasing his own tail, but he may wise up soon.”
“That’s your concern, not mine. I just want to see what we are dealing with here. I can’t afford to bring back worthless goods to my friends.”
To Jack it was obvious that this man thought that this was mere business, but to Miss Edmonds it was a matter of life and death.
“The papers are real alright,” Stevenson replied. He reached over and pulled the leather satchel off the mantel-piece and opened it. Removing some sheets, he handed them over to her. “This is just a small sample of what you will get. As you can see, this is good information we got for you- troop and ship movements – the whole layout of the Federal war plan.”
Sarah Edmonds looked over the sheaf of papers slowly, turning her body so the light was behind her. After a minute of studying the few papers, she returned them. “These do look good, but without seeing them all, I can only offer you half of the agreed sum.”
Stevenson laughed as he put the papers away. “It’s all or nothing, Miss. You get your money together, and we’ll meet at the arranged location tomorrow. You can bring one man to meet with Davis and me. No surprises and no extra guests. Anything out of the ordinary and I’ll make sure you never leave this town alive.”
“Don’t threaten me,” she said. “I’ll have the agreed amount for the swap, just be sure not to double-cross me. There are plenty of sympathizers who would be more than willing to get revenge if you betray our cause.”
Stevenson snapped, “That will be enough, Miss Edmonds. The plans will be delivered as promised.”
Jack tugged on his partner’s sleeve and pulled him deeper into the darkness of the backroom. He then whispered to him, “Now is our chance to get some revenge for Lawrence.”
Ezra nodded and pulled out the Navy Colt from his belt. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Good. Follow me in, and keep an eye on his friend Jacob in the corner. I’ll take care of Stevenson. Any trouble, shoot ’em– these aren’t the kind of people to go easy on.”
“My pleasure,” his friend replied through gritted teeth.
Jack opened the chamber on his Starr and checked the loads. He gently closed the chambers and crept towards the door.
Stevenson was still talking to Miss Edmonds. “You’ll have a hard time leaving the city. Davis knows a few people that might be willing to help, but it will cost you a little extra.”
“I can find my own way out of Washington,” she answered stiffly. She turned and nearly ran into Jack as he entered the room. Her eyes widened with astonishment as he roughly shoved her aside.
Jack had his gun at the ready. E
zra stood next to him, his own pistol pointed at Jacob sitting in the chair. “Nice evening we’re having tonight.” the detective said with a small smile. He was glad to have this man at a disadvantage – the death of Lawrence needed to be avenged.
Stevenson frowned, his hand slowly inching for the gun sticking out of his waistband.
“Just give me an excuse,” Jack said pointing his Starr at the man’s stomach. “You grab that gun, and I’ll blow a hole right through you.” He then waved his gun at Edmonds. “Miss, I want you to hold very still – if you are carrying any weapons I’ll just use it as an excuse to kill you. I’m not honorable enough to stop myself from plugging a woman if need be.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have anything.”
“As for you, Stevenson, after what you did to Lawrence Hanson, it would be my pleasure to end your life. Now with two fingers on the butt, slowly put that gun of yours on the floor and kick it away.”
With a scowl, he did as commanded.
Jack then said, “Now I want you and the woman to put your hands up and tell your friend to get out of that chair.”
Edmonds raised her hands slowly and looked at Stevenson with disgust. He put his hands up and nodded to his friend to follow suit. Jacob stood up and slowly slid his hands up in the air with a curse.
“Was all of this a trap to get me arrested?” Edmonds asked angrily, her voice rising. She then stared at Stevenson. “I thought you had taken care of everything!”
Jack chuckled. “Now don’t worry, he isn’t as clever as he thinks he is.”
Stevenson looked at him woodenly. He spat, “Enough of the jokes. You should know better than to speak to me that way. Get out of my house and stay out of my business.”
“We aren’t going to steal anything from your home, we’re just trying to return some property back to their rightful owners. And what happens? We find a dead man, a Rebel spy, and two thieves.”
Edmonds turned to look at the detective. “A dead man?” she gasped in surprise.
Stevenson shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Lawrence gave us the papers and took off to save his own neck. Just ask Jacob here.”
The little man nodded nervously, sweat on his rat-like features as he eyed Ezra’s gun.
“I’m not asking him anything, Stevenson; I’m only talking to you. So far you’ve managed to stay one step ahead of the government, but if you know anything about the way I work, you will know that I’m not the type to give up to easily. Lawrence is dead, and you’re the man who killed him.”
“You can’t prove anything,” Stevenson spat out. His eyes betrayed him as he flicked a glance towards the shut door.
“All I have to do is open that door there, and then we can all take a good look at a dead man. You tortured and then killed him, and I wouldn’t mind shooting you down like the sick dog you are. Hanging is too good for vermin like you. Now hand me those papers.”
Stevenson gave a minute nod to his partner Jacob, before putting his hand on the leather satchel. He then made a sudden move and shoved Edmonds into Jack. “Here, catch!” he shouted and threw himself to the side, clutching the satchel.
Jack had to step to the side quickly to avoid being hit by the stumbling lady. At the same time, Jacob rushed towards Ezra. Edmonds flung herself to the ground, afraid of being shot in the melee. Stevenson dropped to one knee, while pulling a derringer out from his boot.
Ezra shot once, hitting Jacob in the chest. The small man stumbled, holding himself, and then fell to the floor where he twitched in pain. Stevenson’s little pistol fired, hitting Jack in the arm. The detective clutched his arm in pain, causing his pistol to fall to the ground. Stevenson then ran past him while Ezra tried to line up another shot, but he held his fire in fear of hitting his friend. The door was flung open and Stevenson disappeared outside.
Miss Edmonds looked up from the floor, and it appeared that she was getting ready to flee. She stopped when she saw the black man pointing a gun her way.
Ezra then ran out the front door into the rain and took two shots at Stevenson who was already far away, mounted on his horse. The two shots missed. He quickly ran back into the room. “I suggest you hold very still, Miss Edmonds” Ezra said, his voice as cold as winter. “There are some people who wish to talk to you.”
She nodded and waited silently, her eyes wide and face pale.
“Jack, how is that arm of yours?” Ezra asked.
"It hurts like hell.” He shook his head and squeezed his arm tightly with his free hand, causing blood to drip on the floor. He told himself he was a fool for thinking that Stevenson had enough honor not to risk the life of a woman. He leaned up against the wall, and slowly pulled his jacket off. “I don’t think it hit the bone. The bullet just went through the flesh.”
Ezra could see that his friend was in pain but not in any imminent danger. “Good, we’ll take you to the doctor just to be sure.”
“Is Stevenson’s man still alive over there?”
Ezra kneeled over the small man and felt for his pulse. “He’s dead. It was foolish of him to try to take me like that.”
“Never mind,” Jack said through gritted teeth. “We have to leave here quickly.” He shook his head and bit his lip as he rolled his sleeve up as high as it would go. “See if you can find me some clean cloth and I’ll wrap this arm up. And then we can get Davis.”
“Do you think we will have a chance?”
“I imagine they will try to leave the city as soon as possible. Go get the horses, Ezra. I’ll make sure she won’t get away.”
“Are you sure you can manage that with your arm?”
“Don’t worry about me. We’ll drop her off at Garrett’s and then hurry on to Davis’s to see if he was warned in time. We must hurry.”
Ezra took off running to the livery, leaving his friend behind. Jack leaned sickly against the door frame but held his gun steady on Edmonds.
The spy studied the detective. “Are you sure you can really shoot me if I try to run away?”
“Go ahead if you want to take the chance.”
She shook her head and instead stared at the ground in front of her. “Why don’t you let me go,” she pleaded. “I have a small bit of money here.”
“Just be quiet and wait,” Jack said roughly, his voice cracking with pain.