Westcott's purpose in visiting the La Rosita mine was a rather vague
one. His thought had naturally associated Bill Lacy with whatever form
of deviltry had brought Beaton to the neighbourhood of Haskell, and he
felt convinced firmly that this special brand of deviltry had some
direct connection with the disappearance of Frederick Cavendish. Just
what the connection between these people might prove to be was still a
matter of doubt, but as Miss Donovan was seeking this information at
the hotel, all that remained for him to do at present was an
investigation of Lacy.
Yet it was not in the nature of the big miner to go at anything
recklessly. He possessed a logical mind and needed to think out
clearly a course of action before putting it into execution. This
revelation had come to him suddenly, and the conclusion which he had
arrived at, and expressed to the girl, was more of an inspiration than
the result of calm mental judgment. After she had disappeared on her
walk back to Haskell, Westcott lit his pipe and resumed his seat on the
big rock again, to think it all out in detail, and decide on a course
of action. He was surprised how swiftly and surely the facts of the
case as already understood marshalled themselves into line in support
of the theory he had advanced. The careful review of all Miss Donovan
had told him only served to increase his confidence that his old
partner still lived. No other conception seemed possible, or would
account for the presence of Ned Beaton in Haskell, or the hurried call
for Miss La Rue. Yet it was equally evident this was not caused by any
miscarriage of their original plans. It was not fear that had led to
this meeting--no escape of their prisoner, no suspicion that their
conspiracy had been discovered, no alarm of exposure--but merely the
careful completion of plans long before perfected. Apparently every
detail of the crime, which meant the winning of Frederick Cavendish's
fortune, had been thus far successfully carried out. The money was
already practically in their possession, and not the slightest
suspicion had been aroused. It had been a masterpiece of criminal
ingenuity, so boldly carried out as to avoid danger of discovery.
Westcott believed he saw the purpose which had actuated the ruling
spirit--a desire to attain these millions without bloodshed; without
risking any charge of murder. This whole affair had been no vulgar,
clumsy crime; it was more nearly a business proposition, cold-blooded,
deliberately planned, cautiously executed. Every step had been taken
exactly in accord with the original outlines, except possibly that they
had been hurried by Cavendish's sudden determination to return West,
and his will disinheriting John. These had compelled earlier action,
yet no radical change in plans, as the machinery was already prepared
and in position. Luck had been with the conspirators when Frederick
called in Enright to draw up the will. What followed was merely the
pressure of his finger on the button.
Enright! Beyond doubt his were the brains dominating the affair. It
was impossible to believe that either Celeste La Rue or Ned
Beaton--chorus girl or gunman--could have ever figured out such a
scheme. They were nothing but pawns, moved by the hand of the chief
player. Aye! and John Cavendish was another!
The whole foul thing lay before Westcott's imagination in its
diabolical ingenuity--Enright's legal mind had left no loophole. He
intended to play the game absolutely safe, so far, at least, as he was
personally concerned.
The money was to go legally to John without the shadow of a suspicion
resting upon it; and then--well, he knew how to do the rest; already he
had a firm grip on a large portion. Yes, all this was reasonably
clear; what remained obscure was the fate of Frederick Cavendish.
Had they originally intended to take his life, and been compelled to
change the plan? Had his sudden, unexpected departure from New York,
on the very eve possibly of their contemplated action, driven them to
the substitution of another body? It hardly seemed probable--for a man
bearing so close a resemblance could not have been discovered in so
short a time. The knowledge of the existence of such a person,
however, might have been part of the original conspiracy--perhaps was
the very basis of it; may have first put the conception into Enright's
ready brain. Aye, that was doubtless the way of it. Frederick was to
be spirited out of the city, accompanied, taken care of by Beaton or
some other murderous crook, and this fellow, a corpse, substituted. If
he resembled Frederick at all closely, there was scarcely a chance that
his identity would be questioned. Why should it be--found in his
apartments? There was nothing to arouse suspicion; while, if anything
did occur, the conspirators were in no danger of discovery. They
risked a possible failure of their plan, but that was all. But if this
was true what had since become of Frederick?
Westcott came back from his musings to this one important question.
The answer puzzled him. If the man was dead why should Beaton remain
at Haskell and insist on Miss La Rue's joining him? And if the man was
alive and concealed somewhere in the neighbourhood, what was their
present object? Had they decided they were risking too much in
permitting him to live? Had something occurred to make them feel it
safer to have him out of the way permanently? What connection did Bill
Lacy have with the gang?
Westcott rose to his feet and began following the trail up the cañon.
He was not serving Cavendish nor Miss Donovan by sitting there. He
would, at least, discover where Lacy was and learn what the fellow was
engaged at. He walked rapidly, but the sun was nearly down by the time
he reached the mouth of his own drift.
While waiting word from the East which would enable him to develop the
claim, Westcott had thought it best to discontinue work, and hide, as
best he could, from others the fact that he had again discovered the
lost lead of rich ore. To that end, after taking out enough for his
immediate requirements in the form of nuggets gathered from a single
pocket, which he had later negotiated quietly at a town down the
railroad, he had blocked up the new tunnel and discontinued operations.
He had fondly believed his secret secure, until Lacy's careless words
had aroused suspicion that the latter might have seen his telegrams to
Cavendish. His only assistant, a Mexican, who had been with him for
some time, remained on guard at the bunk-house, and, so far as he knew,
no serious effort had been made to explore the drift by any of Lacy's
satellites. Now, as he came up the darkening gulch, and crunched his
way across the rock-pile before the tunnel entrance, he saw the
cheerful blaze of a fire in the Mexican's quarters and stopped to
question him.
"_Señor_--you!"
"Yes, José," and Westcott dropped on to a bench. "Anything wrong? You
seem nervous."
"No, _señor_. I expected you not to-night; there was a man there by
the big tree at sunset."
"You saw him?"
"Yes, but not his face, _señor_. He think me gone at first, but when I
walk out on the edge of the cliff then he go--quick, like that. When
the door creak I say maybe he come back."
"One of the La Rosita gang likely. Don't fight them, José. Let them
poke around inside if they want to; they won't find anything but rock.
There is no better way to fool that bunch than let them investigate to
their heart's content. Got a bite there for me?"
"_Si, señor_, aplenty."
"All right then; I'm hungry and have a bit of work ahead. Put it on
the table here, and sit down yourself, José."
The Mexican did as ordered, glancing across at the other between each
mouthful of food, as though not exactly at ease. Westcott ate
heartily, without pausing to talk.
"You hear yet Señor Cavendish?" José asked at last.
"No." Westcott hesitated an instant, but decided not to explain
further. "He must be away, I think."
"What you do if you no hear at all?"
"We'll go on with the digging ourselves, José. It'll pay wages until I
can interest capital somewhere to come in on shares."
"You no sell Lacy then?"
"Sell Lacy! Not in a thousand years. What put that in your head?"
The Mexican rubbed the back of his pate.
"You know Señor Moore--no hair so?" an expressive gesture.
"Sure; what about him?"
"He meet me at the spring; he come up the trail from Haskell on
horseback with another man not belong 'round here."
"What did he look like--big, red-faced fellow, with checked suit and
round hat?"
"_Si, señor_; he say to Moore, 'Why the hell you talk that damn
greaser,' an' Moore laugh, an' say because I work for Señor Westcott."
"But what was it Moore said to you, José?"
"He cussed me first, an' when I wouldn't move, he swore that Lacy would
own this whole hill before thirty days."
"Was that all? Didn't the other fellow say anything?"
"No, _señor_; but he swung his horse against me as they went by--he
mighty poor rider."
"No doubt; that is not one of the amusements of the Bowery. Where did
they go? Up to La Rosita?"
"_Si, señor_; I watched, they were there two hour."
Westcott stared into the fireplace; then the gravity of his face
relaxed into a smile.
"Things are growing interesting, José," he said cheerfully. "If I only
knew just which way the cat was about to jump I'd be somewhat happier.
There seemed to be more light than usual across the gulch as I came
up--what's going on?"
"They have put on more men, _señor_--a night shift. Last night I went
in our drift clear to the end, and put my ear to the rock. It was far
away, but I hear."
"No, no, José; that's impossible. Why, their tunnel as over a hundred
yards away; not even the sound of dynamite would penetrate that
distance through solid rock. You heard your heart beat."
"No, _señor_," and José was upon his feet gesticulating. "It was the
pick--strike, strike, strike; then stop an' begin, strike, strike,
strike again. I hear, I know."
"Then they must be running a lateral, hoping to cut across our vein
somewhere within their lines."
"And will that give them the right, _señor_?"
Westcott sat, his head resting on one hand, staring thoughtfully into
the dying fire; the yellow flame of the oil lamp between them on the
table flickered in the draft from the open window. Here was a
threatening combination of forces.
"I am not sure, Jose," he answered slowly. "The mining law is full of
quirks, although, of course, the first discoverer of a lead is entitled
to follow it--it's his. The trouble here is, that instead of giving
notice of discovery, I have kept it a secret, and even blocked up the
tunnel. If the La Rosita gang push their drift in, and strike that
same vein, they will claim original discovery, and I reckon they'd make
it stick. I didn't suppose Lacy had the slightest idea we had struck
colour. Nobody knew it, but you and I, Jose."
"Never I say a word, _señor_."
"I am sure of that, for I know exactly where the news came from. Lacy
spilled the beans in a bit of misunderstanding we had last night down
in Haskell. My letters and telegrams East to Cavendish went wrong, and
the news has come back here to those fellows. They know just what
we've struck, and how our tunnel runs; I was fool enough to describe it
all to Cavendish and send him a map of the vein. Now they are driving
their tunnel to get in ahead of us."
He got to his feet, bringing his fist down with such a crash on the
table as to set the lamp dancing.
"But, by God, it's not too late! We've got them yet. The very fact
that Lacy is working a night shift is evidence he hasn't uncovered the
vein. We'll tear open that tunnel the first thing in the morning,
José, and I'll make proof of discovery before noon. Then we'll put a
bunch of good men in here, and fight it out, if those lads get ugly.
Come on, let's take a look in there to-night."
He picked up the lamp, and turned. At the same instant a sudden red
glare flamed in the black of the open window, accompanied by a sharp
report. The bullet whizzed past Westcott's head so closely as to sear
the flesh, crashed into the lamp in his hand, extinguishing it, then
struck something beyond. There was no cry, no sound except a slight
movement in the dark. Westcott dropped to the floor, below the radius
of dim light thrown by the few embers left in the fireplace, and
revolver in hand, sought to distinguish the outlines of the window
frame. Failing in this, he crept noiselessly across the floor,
unlatched the closed door, and emerged into the open air.
It was a dark night, with scarcely a star visible, the only gleam of
radiance coming from a light across the gulch, which he knew burned in
the shaft-house of the La Rosita.
Everything about was still, with the intense silence of mountain
solitude. Not a breath of air stirred the motionless cedars.
Cautiously he circled the black cabin, every nerve taut for struggle,
every sense alert. He found nothing to reward his search--whoever the
coward had been, he had disappeared among the rocks, vanishing
completely in the black night. The fellow had not even waited to learn
the effect of his shot. He had fired pointblank into the lighted room,
sighting at Westcott's head, and then ran, assured no doubt the
speeding bullet had gone straight to the mark. It was not until he
came back to the open door that the miner thought of his companion.
What had become of José? Could it be that the Mexican was hit? He
entered, shrinking from the task, yet resolute to learn the truth; felt
his way along the wall as far as the fireplace, and stirred the embers
into flame. They leaped up, casting a flickering glow over the
interior. A black, shapeless figure, scarcely discernible as a man,
lay huddled beneath the table. Westcott bent over it, feeling for the
heart and turning the face upward. There was no visible mark of the
bullet wound, but the body was limp, the face ghastly in the grotesque
dance of the flames. The assassin had not wasted his shot--José
Salvari would never see Mexico again.