The Telegraph Proposal by Becca Whitham

Author:Becca Whitham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2019-09-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

As soon as Sheriff McCall left Mrs. Hollenbeck’s house, Jonas headed straight for the downtown telegraph office to send the prearranged signal to Smith, his man in Bear Gulch. A message with one STOP meant “be careful, law enforcement is suspicious,” two STOPs meant “move the press to a new location,” and three STOPs meant, “Abandon operations. Save what you can. Burn the rest.”

Depending on how hard they pushed their horses, Sheriff McCall and his deputies would reach Bear Gulch in ninety minutes to two hours. Barely enough time to move the press. Jonas mentally composed his two-STOP message as he hurried closer to the telegraph office, cursing under his breath when he saw the CLOSED sign in the window. Stupid mistake on his part. Of course the office would be closed for the holiday.

What reasonable explanation could he give for going all the way down to the train station to send a telegram? He’d stretched credibility already by saying he’d forgotten his reading glasses at his office and couldn’t sign a search warrant he hadn’t read. Stopping by the telegraph office to send a message—another thing he’d forgotten—along the way was believable as long as no one thought too hard about it.

Jonas turned toward City Hall. When he was done there, he’d have to go to the train depot. He was a man who did what was necessary, from figuring out an excuse for delaying his return to the brunch to sending a three-STOP message. The press would be lost, but hopefully, the men could save the plates and latest run of counterfeit bills.

He passed Wood Street, glancing up the hill at Madame Lestraude’s Maison de Joie. He couldn’t be certain the madam had informed her son about the counterfeiting operation—Sheriff McCall was an excellent lawman—but Jonas couldn’t afford to underestimate the woman. Whether or not this strike was of her hand, he needed to put more pressure on Mr. Green. Who knew a brothel accountant would be so difficult to break?

If only she hadn’t thwarted his best move by involving Jakob in her rescuing ring before Jonas even knew they were at war.

Had he erred by telling her he’d orchestrated Hendry’s death? Jonas regretted the necessity more than she could know. Unlike most of his peers, Hendry was that rare newspaper man interested in truth rather than sensationalism. It was why people believed him when he wrote that Madame Lestraude and Finn Collins were kidnapping women into prostitution. Lestraude had used the reporter’s reputation to manipulate the truth in order to save her own skin. Jonas had planned to use it to disqualify Isaak from running for mayor as a last resort to get him out of the campaign and make way for Hale.

Hendry would have believed a carefully worded hint at scandal from a man close enough to the Gunderson twins that they called him Uncle Jonas. And it would have done no harm, not in the long run. Isaak might have suffered some initial embarrassment,

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