Page 36 of The Pursuit of Elena Bradford

36

Rage had surged through Andrew at the sight of Kirby Frazier. He dropped Elena’s sketchbook and ran at him, fists up, ready to smash in the man’s face.

Frazier blocked his punch and shoved him back so hard, Andrew almost fell. “What is wrong with you?” The man glared at him.

Andrew regained his balance and went at him again. Somebody grabbed him from behind. “Easy, Andrew.”

General Dawson. Andrew took a deep breath and stopped fighting to get loose.

The general kept his grip on his arms. “This isn’t a fight you can win, son. Not this way.”

He was right. Frazier was bigger, stronger, a man who looked as if he knew about fighting, even if he was an artist. Frazier picked up the palette Andrew must have knocked out of his hands. Blue paint smeared his sleeve. He laid the palette aside and turned to face Andrew, his fists clenched and ready.

Backed against a tree behind the artist was Elena’s little sister. She looked scared. But of what? Him? He felt ready to fly apart, but something about how the little sister stared at him made him pull in another breath to calm himself. Frazier continued to watch him with wary eyes, and General Dawson kept a grip on his arms.

He glanced around. Where was Elena? If she’d made her choice for Frazier, Andrew couldn’t change that by fisticuffs, but he would make her tell him to his face. He wouldn’t accept it as true until she did.

“Do you have yourself under control now, young man?” The general slightly loosened his hold on Andrew. “Are you going to act like you have some sense and tell us what has you acting the fool?”

Andrew nodded, and General Dawson dropped his hands away from his arms. “I can’t find Elena,” Andrew said.

“Seems nobody can.” Frazier stared at him. “But why are you looking for her? What about your lady friend? I heard you were marrying her.”

“Were. Not am.”

The man smiled so knowingly that Andrew barely kept from charging at him again. “And now you’re after Elena, are you? Well, you’re too late. She’s going west with me.”

“She hasn’t said yes,” Ivy spoke up.

“But she will.” Frazier sounded as if it were a sure thing.

“Then I’ll wish her the best.” Andrew had to force out the words. “Both of you the best, but I want to hear it from her.”

Frazier shrugged. “Suit yourself. Where is she anyway?” He looked around. “She seems to have gone into hiding.”

“You should know. You were with her this morning. I found her sketchbook where she left it.” Andrew pointed to where he’d dropped it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Frazier frowned. “I haven’t seen her today.”

Ivy ran to get the sketchbook. She hugged it to her and began crying. “Something has happened to her. She would have never left this.” She turned toward Frazier. “If you know where she is, Mr. Frazier, please tell us.”

“I haven’t seen her, Ivy. Not today.” Frazier looked genuinely concerned. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, what any of you are thinking, but I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Elena.”

The man obviously did care about Elena. Andrew’s heart sank, but just because Frazier cared about her didn’t mean Elena was in love with him.

“We will find her.” General Dawson took charge. “Ivy, go back to the hotel to make sure she isn’t there. There could be a reason she lost her sketchbook.”

Ivy shook her head. “I don’t think so. What if it has something to do with Vanessa?”

“Vanessa?” Andrew frowned.

“With me seeing the man who gave Vanessa the poison.”

“The doctor said she wasn’t poisoned.” The general didn’t sound very sure of his words.

“What if he was wrong?” Ivy’s voice was small, uncertain. “What if whoever did give Vanessa that drink before the last dance knew I saw him but thought it was Elena instead of me? She might be hurt because of me.”

“We shouldn’t panic, Miss Ivy. Your imagination is running away with you.” The general sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “This surely has nothing to do with Vanessa.”

Frazier spoke up. “She could be right. A few days ago, I overheard two men arguing over some money. The man trying to get the other to pay up threatened to harm his daughter.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Andrew demanded.

“That was before this Vanessa was here at the Springs. Then no one has claimed to even know her, much less be related to her. I couldn’t see how those men could have anything to do with the young woman’s death,” Frazier said.

“Nor can I,” General Dawson said.

“They could have given the drink to the wrong woman.” Ivy’s voice wasn’t much more than a whisper.

What if it was true and Elena was in danger? Andrew’s heart sped up. He wanted to run in a dozen different directions to find her, but where to start?

“Who were the men?” the general asked.

“I didn’t see them. Just heard them, but one of them was Carson Sanderson. I recognized his voice.”

“Carson. Dr. Graham’s nephew.” The general frowned. “I think we best go talk to the doctor but first make sure Elena isn’t at the hotel.” He looked at Ivy, who nodded and took off up the path.

“You go talk to Dr. Graham. I’m going to keep looking,” Andrew said.

Frazier looked at Andrew. “So am I.”

“No.” The general had command in his voice. “Both of you are going with me to talk to Dr. Graham. If it turns out a search of the grounds is necessary, we will need to enlist more help and come up with a strategy to cover the area. The Springs has more than a hundred acres.”

Even though he knew the general was right, Andrew was reluctant to follow him. Frazier looked even more loath to go toward the hotel.

All the way there, Andrew hoped Elena would appear on the path in front of them. She did not. Nor was she on the veranda when they reached the hotel. Nobody had seen her.

Where could she be? His heart thumped with worry as Dr. Graham took them into his office and waved away their concerns. He dismissed the idea that her absence could have any connection to the mystery woman’s death or to the conversation Frazier had overheard between the two men.

“This is a big resort,” the doctor said. “Miss Bradford must have gone for an ill-advised walk by herself this morning and gotten confused on her way back. If I understand you correctly, she’s only been missing a few hours. She will find her way and show up on her own. With that in mind, I see no need in alarming all the guests by organizing a search.”

When General Dawson started to protest, the doctor held up a hand to stop him. “At least not yet. Hear me out, Clive. Mr. Frazier’s story about my nephew may be true. Carson has had his struggles, but I can’t see how it can relate to Miss Hasting’s death or to Miss Bradford’s absence now.” He turned from the general to spear Frazier with a stare. “Why didn’t you report this earlier, Frazier?”

“It was none of my business. I didn’t know the men. I am here to paint, not police.”

“Then why are you telling it now?”

“Now it may matter to whatever has led to Miss Bradford’s disappearance.” Frazier didn’t shrink from the doctor’s glare.

“But it most likely does not. Carson is known for coming and going without bothering to inform me.” The doctor had sent a servant to fetch Sanderson, but the man was nowhere to be found. “If Miss Bradford doesn’t show up in the next couple of hours, we will determine if more drastic steps need to be taken to find her.”

When General Dawson started arguing with the doctor, Frazier moved over beside Andrew to speak close to his ear. “Let them argue. Take me to where you found the book. We can start there.”

Andrew nodded. While they might be rivals for Elena’s affections, they both wanted her safe.

They met Ivy in the hotel lobby. Her eyes were red from crying. She hadn’t seen Elena. Her mother hadn’t seen her. She had never gone off so long before.

“We’ll find her, Ivy.” Frazier patted the girl’s shoulder.

“We will,” Andrew added. “You tell General Dawson we’ve gone to look for her up toward the rifle range, where I found her sketchbook.”

He felt odd walking with the man he’d wanted to pound into the ground only a little while ago. They moved fast with a united purpose.

Frazier surprised him by asking, “Do you have money?”

Did he want money from Andrew? “My grandfather does.”

“You don’t?”

“I work for him with the horses. I have enough.”

“Enough. I’ve never had enough. Never had money.”

“That can be difficult,” Andrew said.

Frazier looked over at him with a laugh that was anything but happy. “You with your comfortable house, comfortable family wealth, can have no idea. I guess you stand to inherit plenty.”

“Money doesn’t make everything easier.”

“Maybe not. I wouldn’t know. I do know without it, everything can be hard.”

“Is that why you want to marry Elena? For her money?”

Another short laugh. “You are as blind as I was.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Thinking Elena comes from money. General Dawson just let me know her family doesn’t have two coins to rub together. Ivy says they came to the Springs for the sole purpose of Elena finding somebody to marry who was rich enough to keep them out of the poorhouse.”

“Then why would she pick you?”

Frazier blew out a sigh. “I didn’t say she did. I was the one to pick her.”

“Thinking she had money.”

“Yes. Life can throw a man some curves.”

“You love her.” Andrew looked over at Frazier.

“I think I do.” Frazier blew out a breath and met Andrew’s look. “Not something I planned on. How about you? You in love with her too?”

“I barely know her.”

“Maybe so, but you’ve got her snuggled down in your heart. After all, you must have thrown over that woman who came here hunting you, and you were ready to beat me into the ground because of Elena. Wouldn’t have happened, but looked like you were going to give it a try.” Frazier pulled in a breath and blew it out. “Might as well admit it. We’re both after the same woman whether we think we should be or not.”

“I’m not worried about her not having money, if that’s what you mean.”

“I don’t guess I’m worried about that now either. I just want her to go west with me.”

“Is that what she wants?”

Frazier smiled. “I guess I’ll have to see what she says if we find her.”

“Don’t say if .” Andrew’s heart froze at that word. Frazier was right. Whether he’d known Elena long or not, he did love her. Or at least knew he wanted to.

“Right. Not if. When.” Frazier clapped his hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but I think I like you, Harper.”

At the place where he’d found the sketchbook, the grass was still mashed down in a few places, but they couldn’t see a trail leading away. They decided to split up. Frazier went up toward the firing range. Andrew headed in the other direction. He stopped now and again to search for something that might indicate the best way to go. He didn’t find anything, but he kept moving. Kept hoping.

Every five minutes, or what she thought might be five minutes, Elena yelled until she was hoarse. Her fingernails were broken and her hands sore from pushing on the boards to see if she could loosen them. The shed might be old, but it had been well-built. There was no escape.

She peeked out of the cracks to try to determine how much time had gone by. The shadows showed it was past midday. She had to have been missed by now, but no one would ever look for her here.

She didn’t know how far the man had dragged her along. She’d been trying so hard to stay on her feet and not get sick with that gag in her mouth, she’d hardly noticed anything else.

The cat was suddenly coming toward her from the back of the shed again. “Hello, Princess. I hope you brought help.”

The cat dropped a dead mouse in front of her as though it were a gift. Elena laughed then clapped her hand over her mouth when she noted a hint of hysteria. She pulled in a slow breath to calm herself. “Thank you anyway, Princess. I’m not quite that desperate yet.”

But how long before desperation did seize her? The cat stared up at her with those beautiful blue eyes as though it knew all about desperation. Then it turned, stepped over the dead mouse, and disappeared back out its hole.

She stared down at the mouse. She didn’t like mice. Alive or dead. With a piece of the cloth that had bound her wrists, she gingerly lifted the mouse by its tail and held it far out in front of her to carry to the back of the shed. She dropped it in front of where the cat came in.