Free A Love to Cherish by Connie Mason Page B

choice but the one he had already made.
    “I said you’ll get your money back and I meant it. You have my IOU. I’ll deal with Allan Pinkerton. If he wants my resignation he’ll get it. Good day, sir.”
    “Damn you to hell! I want my grandson. You won’t get away with this, Walker. I’ll hire a hundred men to find him if I have to. No one cheats T.J. McAllister. No one!”
    McAllister was still raging when Casey left. He knew he’d made a serious enemy, and that his job was on the line, but he couldn’t betray Belle, not for all the money in the world. He depended on his long association with Allan Pinkerton to stand him in good stead. When he left McAllister he went directly to the telegraph office.
    As concisely as possible, Casey told Pinkerton he was dropping out of the case and that he needed a loan of three thousand dollars. Several hours later Pinkerton wired back, stating that he trusted Casey’s judgment but expected a full report at his Chicago office. A bank draft would be mailed to him in care of General Delivery in San Francisco.
    The next day Casey boarded the Placerville stagecoach. Upon his return he was determined to tell Belle about his association with McAllister and his reason for being in Placerville.
    If Casey hadn’t been so distraught, he would have realized that McAllister wasn’t going to let the matter drop. Shortly after Casey left his office, McAllister hired two thugs to watch Casey and report on his movements. When told Casey had boarded a stagecoach, McAllister hurried to the Wells Fargo office and learned that Casey had purchased a ticket to Placerville. He dispatched histwo hirelings forthwith to Placerville, giving them precise instructions and a letter that was to be left for Casey Walker.
    “Hello, Belle.”
    Belle’s heart leapt with gladness at the sight of Casey. “You’re back!”
    “Did you think I wouldn’t be?”
    She forced a smile. “It had entered my mind.”
    He returned her smile, though he felt little like smiling. What he had to tell Belle was bound to make her hate him.
    “Are you going to stay, Casey?”
    Casey’s smile faltered. He had wired Simon Levy before he left San Francisco and told him to contact him in Placerville if the missing witness was found. If the witness failed to respond to the reward soon, Casey knew he had to return to Arizona and conduct his own search. Mark was depending on him and he couldn’t let his kid brother down.
    On the other hand, he didn’t want to leave Belle and Tommy at the mercy of a man like McAllister. Refusing to tell McAllister where to find Tommy was the most selfless thing he’d ever done, and the most foolish. It did little to enhance his reputation as a Pinkerton detective or endear him to the agency. What it did was restore his honor. Did he still have a job? he wondered. Almost every penny he had to his name had gone toward lawyer fees in Mark’s behalf.
    “Belle, there is something …” Christ, he couldn’t tell her. Not yet. Call him a coward, call him foolish, but he didn’t want Belle to think of him as a betrayer. “I can stick around a while longer,” hefinally said. “To make sure your father-in-law doesn’t get wind of your whereabouts.”
    “Why would he? It’s been a year since I left. I’d appreciate it, however, if you could stay until Wan Yo is on his feet again.”
    “I’ll try, Belle, but I can’t promise. There are things I haven’t told you. Things that … You see, my brother is in prison for a killing he didn’t commit. I’m waiting for his lawyer to wire me about a missing witness. As soon as I hear something I’ll be heading back to Arizona.”
    “Oh, Casey, I’m so sorry.” At last she was learning something about Casey Walker. “Is your home in Arizona?” she probed gently.
    “Not exactly,” he hedged. “I travel a lot. I promise to tell you all about it before I leave.” And hope you don’t hate me, he thought but did not say.
    Casey had no inkling