Left Hand of the Law by Charles G. West

Author:Charles G. West
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-06-10T04:00:00+00:00

There was little trouble in finding the Homestake Mining Company, the operation founded by Fred and Mose Manuel and their partner, Hank Harney, recently bought out by George Hearst. When directed to the engineering office, they were met by Arnold Freeman. “Oh, you can’t talk to Mr. Hearst,” Freeman told them when asked to speak to the owner. “He don’t hang around here. What is it you want? Lookin’ for a job?”

Jonah spoke up. “No, sir, we’re looking for my son-in-law and wondering if he works here. His name is Garth Beaudry.”

The mention of the name brought an immediate reaction from Freeman, although he quickly tried to disguise it. He cocked a wary eye, foremost in Ben’s direction, before a cautious reply. “Your son-in-law,” he repeated, while he paused to choose his words carefully. “Garth Beaudry did work here at one time.” He hesitated again. “And still does some work for Mr. Hearst from time to time.”

Ben was not comfortable with the man’s obvious reluctance to talk about Victoria’s husband. There was more to the story than Freeman seemed willing to discuss. “Do you know where we can find him?” he asked.

“Well,” Freeman responded, still hesitant, “I don’t know if he’s in town or not.”

Growing more impatient by the moment, Ben said, “That ain’t what I asked you. Where’s he live? Has he got a house? His wife and son have come all the way from Omaha to find him, and you’re actin’ like you don’t want to tell us where the hell he is.”

Seeing the anger building up in the menacing face, Freeman sensed that he might be dealing with a powder keg with a very short fuse. Two other men at the other side of the office, upon catching the irritation in Ben’s voice, began to shift around nervously. Just as a precaution, Cleve sidled over toward them and smiled. “How you fellers doin’?” It was enough to discourage any action they might have been considering.

“I’m sorry,” Freeman said. “I can’t tell you where Mr. Beaudry lives.”

“Can’t, or won’t?” Ben pressed.

“I mean I don’t know for sure,” Freeman quickly replied. “He was livin’ in the hotel for a while, but I don’t know if he’s still there or not.”

Ben was rapidly losing his patience with Arnold Freeman. He had a feeling that Freeman knew exactly where to find Garth Beaudry, and for some reason, he didn’t want to tell them. He glanced briefly at Jonah, who stood motionless, astonished by Freeman’s lack of cooperation. It only made him madder. He shifted his gaze back to fix on Freeman again. “I’m gonna ask you one more time, and this time I expect an honest answer outta you. If you wanted to talk to Garth Beaudry, where would you go to find him?”

The look of the scar-faced man was terrifying to a man of mild nature like Arnold Freeman. Thinking it in his best interest, he answered at once. “He’s got a little office next to the Bella Union in Deadwood.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.