IN SEARCH OF DREAMS Page 8

  Which was a bald-faced lie. He didn't believe for a moment that she had fleeced her neighbors and friends. Zach? Well, he'd have to wait and see about him, but only an idiot could look at the wounded outrage in Kate's eyes and doubt her honesty.

  Her lips compressed tighter, but he could see her absorb the fairness of his statement, though grudgingly. That merely confirmed his faith in her.

  "What I expect is that you would give me the benefit of the doubt."

  "I have. I swear it. Just because I listened to the accusations doesn't mean I believe them. Now, why don't you come back and sit down and tell me your side of the story."

  "How big of you," she snapped, but J.T. paid no attention and firmly but gently nudged her down into the chair, then took the one next to hers.

  "Now then, what happened, Kate?"

  Her chin came up another notch. "I never discuss what happened. I didn't do anything, and neither did my brother, so I see no reason why I should have to defend myself to you or anyone," she replied bitterly.

  "Ah, Kate. Kate. There's that stubborn pride again."

  She sat with her back ramrod straight, her hands clasped together on top of the table, her face set. She was marginally calmer, but not ready to give an inch.

  He reached over and pried her hands apart and took them in his, ignoring her glare and her efforts to pull away. "Is this how you answer the charges your neighbors leveled against you? With stony silence? No wonder they're so convinced you're guilty. Hell, Kate, if you don't deny the charges, what are people supposed to think?"

  "These people have known Zach and me since we were children. I shouldn't have to deny anything."

  "True. But people do tend to get a little crazy when they've been fleeced out of their life savings." He squeezed both of her hands and gave her a coaxing look. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened. Why is everyone convinced that you and Zach were in on the scheme?"

  Kate's eyes were still shimmering with resentment, and for a moment he wasn't sure she would comply.

  Finally she turned her head and stared at the blaze in the fireplace. "It's a long story."

  "I'm listening."

  She sighed, her expression softening from anger into resignation. "The Reverend Bob Sweet came to Gold Fever eight years ago," she said in an emotionless voice. "The effect he had on the people of this town was incredible."

  "How so?"

  "He was the most charismatic preacher anyone here had ever encountered. He could hold a congregation spellbound with only his oratory and the sheer force of his presence.

  "To call him handsome was an understatement. He had a shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes, and when he walked back and forth before the congregation giving one of his impassioned sermons he looked like an Archangel, breathing fire and brimstone. He had an aura, I guess you would call it." Kate's mouth twisted. "And he knew how to use it. Mere weeks after his arrival here, everyone, even the most profane of the miners, thought that Reverend Sweet could walk on water.

  "I'll admit, I did, too, at first. It wasn't long, though, before I knew better. But as far as the good people of Gold Fever were concerned, the pastor was a saint and a godsend, and anyone who disagreed was a heretic."

  "I take it there were some besides you who disagreed?"

  Kate slanted him a look. "Just one."

  "Ah, I see. Let me guess. Zach?"

  "Yes. At the time, Zach was working on a ranch near Ridgeway."

  A thrill of excitement rippled the hair on the back of J.T.'s neck. Ridgeway was no more than an hour's drive from Gold Fever. "A ranch? You mean as a cowboy?"

  "Sort of. You see, from the time Zach was small he wanted to be a rancher, so in college he studied animal husbandry and business. I think Dad was a bit disappointed that he wasn't interested in mining, but he understood and supported Zach's decision. As soon as Zach graduated he went to work at the Double L as assistant ranch manager.

  "When our father was killed in a mining accident, Zach took a six-month leave from his job and came home to give Mom emotional support and help her start the Alpine Rose. I had just graduated from college myself and was in the process of looking for a job, but Mom was so grief stricken over losing Dad I thought it would be best if I stayed at home and helped her run the B&B.

  "We got through our first tourist season without too many disasters. When we shut down for the winter, Zach finally felt confident enough that Mom and I could handle things and returned to the ranch, but he came home almost every weekend.

  "Reverend Sweet moved to Gold Fever the following January. The town had a church building, but, thanks to our remote location and dwindling population, we'd been without a pastor for several years, and I suppose people were hungry for religious guidance. The church was overflowing for his first sermon, and he packed them in every service after that.

  "Zach saw through Bob Sweet right away, though. He tried to tell our mother and some others that the man was a charlatan and a con man, but that merely infuriated everyone and made Zach an outcast. No one would hear a word of criticism about the man. It was as though Bob had cast a spell over everyone.

  "When he started courting our mother, Zach was furious. He tried in every way he could to get Mom to see the man for what he was, but she was in love—or at least, she thought she was—and nothing Zach said or did could change her mind. They had some terrible arguments during that period."

  Kate shrugged. "Mom was an intelligent and educated woman, but she had been a widow for almost two years, and she was lonely and a little scared. She and my dad had been college sweethearts who had married a week after graduation. Then suddenly, for the first time in her life, she was on her own.

  "She was flattered by the attention Bob showered on her. Added to that, everyone in town was constantly telling her how lucky she was to have caught the eye of such a wonderful man."

  Kate gave an inelegant snort. "What caught the good pastor's eye was this place. He saw this house and thought he'd found himself a rich widow. I believe he actually thought the B&B was just a lark, that Mom had opened it because she had nothing to do and was bored. Anyway, after a whirlwind courtship, Bob and Mom were married."

  For a moment Kate seemed to be lost in memories. If the grim set of her mouth was any indicator, they were bitter ones, J.T. realized.

  She was silent for so long he was considering whether or not to prod her when she gave a mirthless little laugh and added, "Imagine how furious Bob was when he discovered that the only money Mom had was what the B&B brought in. He was so angry I'm sure he would have divorced her, if he could have figured out a way to do it without tarnishing his image as the local saint and a man of the cloth."

  "I think Mom knew within days of marrying Bob that she had made a mistake. But she and Zach had had a terrible row just before the wedding, one that created a rift between them that they were never able to fully heal. After that, she would have died before she admitted that Zach had been right about Bob Sweet all along. Her stubborn pride wouldn't allow her to admit that, maybe not even to herself."

  "Hmm. So that's where you get it."

  "In public, he was charming and saintly and a devoted and loving husband and stepfather. At home he was a domineering, verbally abusive tyrant. I suspect he was physically abusive, as well, although I have no proof, and Mom would never have admitted it.

  "I do know that after the marriage she changed. She became withdrawn and quiet. Fearful even. Whenever Bob was home she scuttled around this house like a scared mouse, trying her best not to draw attention to herself.

  "That's why I stuck around after she married Bob. I thought about leaving several times." She gave J.T. a wry look out of the corner of her eye. "Thought about it? Lord, I was desperate to get away from Bob Sweet. But I was more afraid to leave Mom alone with him."

  "Did he ever abuse you physically?"

  "Just once. He backhanded me across the face when I disagreed with him over something. I don't even remember exactly what it was no
w, but he hit me so hard he bruised my cheek and split my lip.

  "Zach saw the damage during his next visit and demanded to know what happened. He was livid. He stormed into the library and punched Bob."

  Kate slanted J.T. a satisfied look. "Knocked him flat on his backside and broke his nose. Zach probably would've beaten him senseless if Mom hadn't intervened. While Bob lay writhing and moaning on the floor, clutching his nose, Zach stood over him with blood in his eyes and warned him if he ever laid a hand on either Mom or me again he'd kill him. Bob knew he meant it."

  J.T. stared at her, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. The thought of any man hitting a woman disgusted and angered him. Knowing the man had struck Kate filled him with rage. Good for Zach. If J.T. could have gotten his hands on Bob Sweet he would have pounded the coward into a pulp himself.

  "After that he never risked hitting me again, but I'm not so sure about Mom. He had her so cowed I don't think he worried about her telling Zach, especially with the strain that existed between them. But even without using his fists, Bob managed to make my life and my mother's miserable in other ways."

  "What kind of ways?"

  Kate was so lost in the past she didn't seem to notice that J.T.'s voice had grown tight.

  She shrugged. "Constant berating and belittling, threats, vicious tirades, that sort of thing. Mom couldn't stand up to him, and I had no authority, so he took over—the running of the Alpine Rose, Mom's finances, our lives, everything."

  "What about your brother? Couldn't he do anything?"

  "Zach tried, but there was nothing he could do. Bob had browbeaten Mom into giving him total power of attorney. It was all legal.

  "He already hated Zach for opposing the marriage. And for seeing through him. Bob was accustomed to having people idolize him and fawn over him. After Zach hit him, he became obsessed with striking back at my brother and hurting him in any way he could.

  "Bob told everyone in town that Zach was no good and that my parents regretted adopting him. It wasn't true, but the gossip got back to Zach. It hurt him."

  "Bob even turned the fight with Zach to his advantage. He told everyone in town that my brother had attacked him without provocation. Bob put on a pious face and said that he'd forgiven Zach but to his sorrow the boy was unrepentant.

  "Every chance he got he insinuated that Zach was devious and untrustworthy, constantly getting into trouble. He would shake his head mournfully and tsk-tsk about Zach's so-called violent temper and claim that he was uncontrollable, though God knew, he was doing all he could to straighten the boy out. Bob even made a public plea in church for everyone to join him in praying for Zach to repent his evil ways.

  "Bob knew exactly what buttons to push with which people, how to twist and turn everything to his advantage." Kate shook her head. "He even used Zach's career choice against him by spreading talk that Zach thought he was too good to work in the mines. That didn't endear him to the people around here.

  "It was all lies, of course. Every bit of it. But everyone swallowed them, and the whole town hated Zach after that.

  "Ridgeway isn't that far from here, but Zach visited only rarely after Mom married Bob. I'm sure if I hadn't been here he wouldn't have come back at all."

  Careful to keep his voice neutral, J.T. cocked one eyebrow and looked at her with what he hoped was mild curiosity. "Is he still there? At the ranch?"

  "Oh, no. Zach saved all he could while he worked there, but he realized that if he was ever going to afford a place of his own he'd have to do something to earn large amounts of money in a relatively short time. So he became a rodeo cowboy. He's been following the circuit for almost seven years now. He's won some big purses, but he still has a way to go before his dream of owning a ranch becomes a reality."

  Disappointment settled over J.T. but he kept his expression neutral and steered the subject back to Reverend Sweet and the swindle.

  "The Alpine Rose has always done quite well," Kate explained. "But the profits fell far short of Bob Sweet's expectations. He always wanted more."

  "I thought preachers weren't interested in material things."

  She shot J.T. a pithy look. "Real preachers, maybe, but not Bob Sweet. As soon as he found out the true state of Mom's finances he wanted to sell the house, figuring it was worth a small fortune, but he couldn't.

  "To shield us from inheritance tax, our father had set up a trust with the house the main asset. Mom was the primary beneficiary and Zach and I were second in line. Bob couldn't touch it."

  "I'll bet that ticked him off royally."

  She answered him with a sidelong look, and the hard satisfaction in her eyes made J.T. chuckle. Bland and unemotional? This woman? Not hardly.

  "Bob's biggest talent was he knew how to work people, how to exploit their weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

  "About ten years ago the mines started shutting down, one after another. The Shamrock held on the longest, but a few months after Bob came to Gold Fever it closed, too. That was a disaster for this town. Most of the miners had to leave to find work elsewhere. Those who stayed had to switch to some other line of work or starve. The result was a lot of resentment and feelings of helplessness and yearnings for the old way of life."

  "Yeah, so I discovered last night."

  "I'm not surprised. You can't spend an hour at the lodge without learning that much.

  "It took him a couple of years, but Bob finally figured out a way to profit from the misfortune. He came up with a scheme and convinced everyone it would solve all their problems. He said he'd contacted Burleson Mining, the new owners of the Shamrock, and put out feelers. According to Bob, Burleson had no plans to reopen the mine or reclaim the old equipment abandoned here, but they were willing to entertain an offer. If we all pooled our money Bob was certain that we could purchase the Shamrock at a bargain."

  "I don't get it. How would buying a played-out gold mine help the miners?"

  "Oh, there's a bonanza of gold left in the Shamrock. Probably more than has already been taken out. Everyone knows that, including the people at Burleson Mining. They closed the mine because volatile gold prices and high operating costs had cut into their profit margin and investors started pulling out. So the company shut down operations. When, or if, conditions become favorable again, mining will probably resume.

  "But according to Bob, the owners were tired of waiting and willing to sell. He argued that if everyone owned a piece of the mine and they all worked together and kept prices down, we could make it worthwhile. Everyone would be shareholders as well as workers."

  "It sounds good," J.T. mused.

  "Yes. It might even have worked if someone other than Bob Sweet had been in charge. But everyone had complete trust in him. He was their minister, after all. And the man who was going to return their jobs to them. The people around here handed over every penny they had or could borrow. Even some who I thought had precious little managed to scrape together enough to take part. And not just the locals, either. Bob hit up people all around this part of the state."

  "How much did he collect?"

  "Just over two million."

  J.T. gave a low whistle.

  "Ironically, the day Bob left to meet with the mining company officials the whole town turned out to give him a big send-off. The trouble was … there was no meeting scheduled. He never had any intention of buying the Shamrock. We found out later that he'd never even contacted anyone at Burleson Mining."

  "When a week passed with no word from Bob, people wondered what was taking so long. Another week went by, then another, before they accepted that their beloved Reverend Sweet had absconded with their money. Which gave Bob plenty of time to flee the country. When the FBI finally caught up with him, he was living the good life on the island of Antigua.

  "His arrest and return were videotaped and splashed over the news. Bob took one look at the cameras and used the opportunity to whitewash himself and lash out at Zach one more time."

  She shook her head at the
memory. "With crocodile tears running down his face he looked straight into the camera and begged forgiveness and sobbed that he had been led astray by his stepson in a moment of weakness. He swore that the scam had been Zach's idea."

  "The authorities picked Zach up for questioning, but other than Bob's word, there was not one shred of evidence connecting him with the scheme. That didn't seem to matter with the faithful of Gold Fever. They preferred to believe Bob Sweet."

  "Why, for Pete's sake?"

  "I think it was easier to blame Zach, and by association, me, than to admit that they were rotten judges of character. Also, the money was never found. Bob swore on his Bible that Zach had it."

  "Ah, so that's why they think the money is here."

  Kate nodded and looked away, her face solemn as she stared into the fire once more. "Mom died shortly after the scandal broke. The doctor said it was heart failure, but I think it was shame. The whole town turned against us after Bob's arrest. I couldn't even get anyone to work here. Mrs. Womack, the lady who helps me with the cleaning during tourist season lives in Ouray."

  "Surely there are some others in town who didn't believe Sweet."

  Kate shook her head and smiled sadly. "Maybe at first a few had doubts, but six months ago Bob Sweet died in prison of cancer. To the end he swore that Zach planned the swindle and had the money.

  "It was his final act of revenge against Zach. Around here a deathbed confession carries more weight than hard evidence."

  "The money isn't hidden on this property, but until it's found elsewhere—which seems unlikely after all this time—my former friends and neighbors will always believe it is."

  He knew there was more to the story and waited for her to tell him, but she fell silent and stared at the tabletop and nervously traced a pattern on the surface with her forefinger.

  Finally J.T. realized he would have to broach the matter himself. "Kate?" he said gently. "You want to tell me about Kurt Hattleman?"

  Her head snapped up. "They told you about him, too?"

  "Actually, I met him."

  "Oh, God." She closed her eyes. When she finally opened them again she couldn't seem to look at him, focusing instead on the cold fireplace ashes, her faraway look full of pain. "Kurt was my fiancé—or at least, I thought he was, but that turned out to be a lie.