Free Leaden Skies by Ann Parker Page A

that, Inez approvingly noted, did not contain an anemic, watered-down version of whiskey, but, judging from its clarity and dark amber color, appeared to be a bourbon of the first class.
    Ignoring the shot glass on her side of the table, Inez pushed the two sets of legal papers toward Flo, along with a pen. “Not until we have your signature next to mine on these papers. A signature with your legal name, I should add. No ‘Madam Frisco Flo,’ if you please. I’m not about to celebrate handing over hard-earned cash on this deal before all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed. Miss Florence Sweet, isn’t it? Or is that an alias as well?”
    The silver bracelets on Flo’s arm tinkled as she lowered the glass and smiled sweetly. “Why, Mrs. Stannert. Do you really think so little of me that you suspect me of trying to pull the wool over your eyes? Here we are, two of the most successful businesswomen in town. Wealthy by our own efforts, at that. I’d no sooner cheat you than my own sister.”
    Her smile stayed intact as she picked up the pen and drew the ink bottle to her, dipping the nib. “And actually, Mrs. Stannert, it’s Mrs. Florence Sweet. Mr. Sweet being departed a long time now.”
    Inez watched, trying to quell a niggle of misgiving, as Flo dipped the pen and signed twice. Inez was still uncertain what force had propelled her to this particular circumstance. Only a few days earlier, Flo had flounced into the Silver Queen’s kitchen, proposing that Inez join her in a “business deal” to move the high-class brothel to a better part of town. “Closer to the mines, the business district, and all that money,” was how flo had phrased it. Inez had put the offer aside.
    Or so she’d thought.
    But in some faraway corner of her mind, a little voice had begun whispering, so faintly Inez had barely noticed it in the wide sweep of events before Grant’s arrival. The voice said, You think you own a portion of the Silver Queen. That was a handshake deal between yourself, your missing husband, and his business partner. So, you want a divorce? What happens when you open this particular Pandora’s box? Will anyone believe that you, or Abe, own any part of the business? Suppose the law decides the business belongs to your husband’s heir, your son, now living with your sister? Or suppose Mark reappears? You could end up with nothing. You need something of your own. Something “just in case.” And what better business in Leadville than one that caters to men’s desires and impulses?
    On and on the voice whispered, seductive as a forbidden lover. And then, with her visit to Casey, all those little misgivings flashed over into doubt.
    When Flo’s doorman had appeared at the Silver Queen shortly after Inez arrived from her meeting with the lawyer, the whispers rose to a crescendo. So, she went. Splashing along in her galoshes, she ignored the chores awaiting her inside the saloon, wondering what deal Flo might offer. Her impulsive decision to accede to Flo’s request for a visit paid off. Flo was ready to move out of the State Street building, but she needed cash. Inez wanted the State Street building, but Flo was reluctant to part with it entirely. They haggled. Inez had, in short order, driven what she thought was a very good deal indeed. Their signatures, drying on the duplicate contracts, made her a silent partner, owning a third of Flo’s business, in exchange for a stake in the building on State and eventually sole ownership.
    “I’d only sell the building to someone I can consider a partner. A person I can trust,” she’d explained.
    Inez pondered this. “You trust me?”
    “Thanks to you, I was able to take over the boarding house and business last winter,” Flo pointed out. “You essentially ran the previous madam out of town. I’m grateful for that, even though I know your actions had nothing to do with me. Still, I always thought that we had the same goal—to become independent