Jake by C. Petit (top novels TXT) 📗

Jake hoped that whatever had prompted his father’s visit to Mister Wright would provide the motive for what he did but had no idea of what it could be.

Jerome asked, “Do you know Mrs. Margaret Kemper?”

“Vaguely. She’s the wife of the baker; isn’t she?”

“She was. Her husband disappeared at the end of May, and no one knew what had become of him. She was in trouble because there was still a mortgage on the bakery. Your father asked me to pay off the mortgage and add another five hundred dollars into Mrs. Kemper’s account without anyone knowing he was her benefactor. I told him I could do it, but never asked him why.”

Jake found it hard to believe that his father had suddenly become compassionate and generous, so that left only one other logical but unsavory explanation. He tried to picture Mrs. Kemper but failed.

He then asked, “Do you think that my mother discovered what he’d done and that was what triggered the fight?”

“I’d be surprised if she wouldn’t have noticed as she did the books.”

“When did you pay off the mortgage and make the deposit?”

Jerome sighed and answered, “June 30th. It was when her mortgage payment was due.”

Jake didn’t want to ask Jerome about his father’s motive for his generosity because he wasn’t sure the lawyer knew anyway. The most obvious reason was one he didn’t want to hear. He was already sickened knowing that his father was a murderer and didn’t want to add adultery to his list of sins. But he didn’t recall seeing any large entries among the last pages of expenses in the ledger either. He’d review the ledger again when he returned and see if the books balanced.

He put the review of the ledger aside for the moment and asked, “No one else knows what you just told me; do they?”

“No. You and I are the only ones who know or will ever know.”

“Let’s keep it that way. Is Mrs. Kemper still here?”

“She is. She still owns the bakery and seems to be able to run it on her own.”

Jake nodded and almost wished that he had never asked the question but knew it had solved the biggest mystery surrounding his mother’s murder. He needed drop the subject for now.

“So, if I don’t find my father, he still can return and take control of the Elk.”

“I’m afraid so. Maybe it’s better that you find him after all. You’re probably the only one who can do it. Where do you think he is?”

“My best guess is Helena. He rode west, but almost certainly turned south on the road from Fort Shaw. Helena has more to offer than any other town in the West because of all of the gold millionaires. He had less than a thousand dollars with him, but he was one of the smartest men I ever met. He’ll figure out a way to build another empire. If he just passed through Helena, I might give up the chase.”

“At least you have an idea of what to expect. When you return, stop by and let me know what happened,” then after a short pause, he added, “after you tell Sara, of course.”

Jake smiled as he rose, then as he shook Jerome’s hand, he said, “I’ll do that.”

The lawyer said, “Good luck, Jake,” before his most important client nodded and left the inner office.

When Jake had opened the door, he anticipated finding Steve Rhys close to the door eavesdropping, but the secretary was still busy with his papers at his desk. He could have been listening and rushed back, but Jake didn’t believe he had strayed an inch from his desk.

He waved to the secretary before he entered the outer hall and turned right. He was still reviewing all that Jerome had told him as he pulled on his hat and untied Vulcan. It was just a little past ten o’clock, but he decided to head down to Smith & Sons. He hoped that Sara was already there so they could spend a couple of extra hours on the bench. He was still undecided about whether or not he would tell her what he’d learned.

But as he walked Vulcan down the street, he pulled the black gelding to a stop when he reached Kemper Bakery. Maybe he should buy some biscuits or crusty bread for his trip tomorrow. He hoped to see Mrs. Kemper just to compare her to his mother, even though he doubted that she would be even close to matching her.

He dismounted, tied off Vulcan and stepped into the bakery. The intoxicating aroma of fresh breads and pastries announced the purpose of the business much better than the sign out front.

When he saw a woman behind the counter bagging Mrs. Appleby’s three loaves of bread, he hoped that she wasn’t Mrs. Kemper. Because he couldn’t recall ever having met the woman, he had already imagined her to be the epitome of a harlot who possessed none of his mother’s virtues. Yet, the woman behind the counter was smiling pleasantly at Mrs. Appleby as they chatted, and Jake hated to admit that she was almost as handsome as his mother. She appeared to be a good five or six years younger as well and still had a nice figure. While he could understand his father’s attraction, he still couldn’t accept his father’s infidelity.

Jake no longer wanted to talk to her, so he quickly turned around and left the bakery. He untied Vulcan, mounted and wheeled him to the east to head for the feed and grain. He didn’t think that Mrs. Kemper would recognize him but was sure that Mrs. Appleby would. She’d greet him and then Mrs. Kemper would know who he was and that could create a new and very unwelcome issue. He didn’t need another problem before he left.