Two Cowboys To Protect Her by Lacey Davis

Chapter 20

The sun was beginning to sink as the three men stood on the doorstep of the old woman’s home and knocked.

Her servant answered the door. “Yes.”

The woman did not look nearly as friendly as the day before. In fact, she seemed nervous.

“It’s urgent we speak to Granny Bailey,” Seth said. “This is official business.”

“Come into the parlor and I’ll bring her out,” she said. “She’s not having a good day, gentlemen.”

What did the servant mean?

The three men stood in the parlor where they had been the day before. Would she give up the map? Had Harley and Clayton misconstrued her meanings.

The old woman shuffled into the parlor.

“Good evening, gentlemen. What do I owe the pleasure?”

Clayton hoped she would give him the map. “This morning my wife was taken by Jack Bell and Tray Lander. The ransom they are asking for her is the map. From what you said the yesterday, I thought you might have it.”

The woman sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what map you’re talking about. A city map?”

“You acted like you were the one with the map for the silver your father stole from Jean Lafitte. You told us it was a family heirloom.”

She gazed at them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Map? A map to where?”

Clayton was starting to lose his patience and he knew he couldn’t. Rena’s life depended on him finding that diagram.

“Remember, you told us your father took the silver from Jean Lafitte and hid it somewhere along the Guadalupe River. You had a map that would lead us to the silver.”

“Jack Bell is going to kill my wife Rena if we don’t bring the map tomorrow morning to the hangman’s tree on the bank of the river. She’s young. She doesn’t deserve to die.”

Feelings so intense filled Clayton, and he feared at any moment, he was going to break down and cry. It was like this woman sitting before him was a different person. Like she didn’t remember speaking to them.

“Then you better go save her,” she said. “I don’t know of any silver. My papa was a sly man, but he never stole any silver I know of.”

He glanced up at her caretaker and she shook her head.

“Now tell me what you young men are going to do to save this man’s wife,” she asked.

Stepping back, Clayton had never felt such despair. Anguish filled him. The woman had lost her mind. Yesterday she seemed fine, and today, she had no memory. Maybe it was all lies and she had nothing to do with the silver or the map.

Seth took him by the arm. “Thank you, Granny Bailey, but we should go.”

They walked down the hall to the door and out. Once they were in the yard, Clayton shook his head. “She doesn’t remember speaking to us.”

Just then the door to the house opened and the servant walked out.

“I’m sorry, gentleman. She had a good day when you spoke to her yesterday. Some days she’s fine, and other days, she doesn’t know her own name. I remember what she said to you. You’re right. I think she has the map. I’ll try to press her further later today.”

“Thank you,” Clayton said.

Harley ran his hand over his face. “That poor woman.”

The sheriff shook his head. “Sad. She was fine just the day before.”

As they walked back to the sheriff’s office, they were silent. Once inside, they all glanced at each other.

“What do we do now?”

The three men flopped down in chairs and stared at one another.

“Anyone got a plan?” Harley asked.

There was no way he was going to let them kill Rena, but how could he stop them, and for that matter, was she still alive even now? Their other victims, they had tortured to death.

“I’d like to tell them that Granny Bailey has the map, but then she doesn’t remember anything. That wouldn’t be right, but damn, I’m tempted. If they came into town, it would be easier to catch them,” Seth said.

“I’ll trade myself for her,” Clayton said.

“Why would they want you? You’re not the map,” Harley said. “They want the map.”

“Maybe I should break into Granny Bailey’s house and find it,” Clayton said.

Seth shook his head. “Think about all the knickknacks and shelves and drawers she has and it could be locked up in a safe somewhere.”

“What if we draw a map and make it look authentic by making it look old? Once we have Rena back, then we try to capture them.”

There was silence as the three sat contemplating this latest plan. A plan that didn’t feel safe by any means, but then even if they had the map, would they just hand over Rena? No, it felt like a setup that they were blindly going into with nothing on their side.

“That’s the best idea we’ve had so far. Can any of you draw?"

“I can,” Clayton said, thinking of how he used to draw in school.

“We need some landscape marks that will help make it appear real,” Seth said.

“I say we ride out and camp along the Guadalupe tonight. Maybe we could find them in advance. You can add in what you see that would make the map look authentic.”

The men began to stir. Seth went to find paper and Clayton a charcoal. Right now, he’d draw a map straight to hell for Jack Bell to follow if he would give him Rena.

Seth cleared his desk, and after several tries, Clayton had drawn the river and some possible land features.

“Let’s go,” Clayton said. “I can finish this when we get to where we want to camp.”

Soon they were riding toward the area of the Guadalupe that the outlaws were to meet them. As Clayton rode, all he could think about was Rena. In the short time they had been together, he realized that if something happened to her, he would be devastated. He wanted a life with this woman. Children and a place to raise them together. With or without Harley. Somehow he’d fallen in love with her and he couldn’t live without her.

With an ache in his chest, he rode into battle to save his love.