Escorting Emma by Amelia C Adams

Author:Amelia C Adams [Adams, Amelia C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Dan tied his horse up at the mine office and went inside to check with Mr. Fellows, Mr. Wilson’s second-in-command. “I’m back,” he said, pulling off his hat. “Ben at the gate told me you wanted to see me.”

“That’s right. I noticed this report you filed about some suspicious activity a little while ago.” Mr. Fellows tapped on a piece of paper on the desk.

“Yes, sir. A couple of men were skulking around the edges of mine property, but our guards chased after them one night, and they haven’t been back.” Dan raised an eyebrow. “Or have they?”

Mr. Fellows passed a hand down his face. “Just after you left this morning, Frank came running in and told me there had been another sighting. Two men on the northern edge of the property. Frank said they spooked pretty easily, but thinks we should add a few more guards just in case.”

Dan nodded. “Will do. I don’t know what these trespassers think they’re doing, though. They couldn’t possibly put enough rocks in their pockets to make the risk worth it, and we don’t refine the silver here. There’s nothing pure to take.”

“I don’t understand it either, but our task is to stop them from doing it, whatever their reasons might be.” Mr. Fellows turned and looked out the office window toward the mine. “This is a hard business to be in without the added complication of thievery.”

“Agreed.” Dan took a step toward the door. “Did you need anything else, or should I go arrange for those extra guards now?”

“Go ahead.”

Dan gave a nod and left, pulling the office door closed behind him.

Men creeping through the woods toward the mine . . . What could they want? Again, it wasn’t as though they could steal a pile of silver like they could from the bank. Dan wondered if they had another objective in mind. Were they hoping to sabotage the place? Did they want some kind of revenge?

He stopped by his cabin and picked up his pistol, checking to make sure it was loaded before he holstered it. Then he headed toward the northern edge of the property to speak with Frank.

The guard nodded when Dan asked him what he’d seen. “Two men dressed in dark clothes creepin’ through the trees right over there.” He indicated with a jut of his jaw. “They were stickin’ to the shadows, but the sun was comin’ up and I could see ’em plain as day. Seemed like a foolish time to be sneakin’ onto mine property—if it were me, I’d choose full dark.”

“So would I,” Dan replied. He looked around, wondering why their crooks had chosen this particular spot to try to get in. It was a ways off from the shaft, if that was their target. “Were they carrying anything?”

“Didn’t seem to be.”

“So, you saw them, and then what happened?”

“I aimed my rifle and called out that they’d best get goin’. They turned and ran right back the way they’d come.”

“So they weren’t looking to get into a fight.

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