Rubies for Whitney

FOUR

Pulling out his gun and shooting was not an option. Neither was running through the docks and causing attention to himself. The only thing Jake needed to do was to follow Walter Conrad and not be seen. Blending in with the crowd was Jake's only choice.

Confusion filled Jake as he followed Conrad at a distance. Why wasn't the outlaw already on the steamboat? After all, Conrad wanted to get as far away from Montana as he could. Yet, from what Jake could tell, the man had just arrived.

First things first, Jake should ask around to find out what was on that boat. Conrad would definitely try to steal it.

As Jake neared the steamboat, he lowered his hat on his forehead, hoping to hide his face as he walked up the ramp and onto the vessel. A few sailors were polishing the rails and moping the floors. There were also three men who had come aboard to speak with the captain. Jake couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could definitely tell they were irate. The boat's captain tried to calm them down. Jake figured he would stay close just in case the captain needed his help.

Out of the corner of his eye, there was a movement from the back of the vessel as someone jumped over the side and landed on the shore. Immediately, Jake recognized the red hair. Fearing that he was going to lose the outlaw again, Jake spun around and rushed off the steamboat.

Conrad hurried through the crowd on the docks. Surprisingly enough, the man didn't appear to be carrying anything. So, perhaps whatever the man had stolen, was small and could fit inside the man's pocket.

Jake quickened his steps and tried to keep up. Conrad walked fast, but for some reason, the pier seemed to have more people than usual. In fact, they all seemed to be upset. It couldn't be quitting time yet. But Jake couldn't stop to ask questions. He zig-zagged around people, trying to keep Conrad in his sight.

"It's her, I know it," one man complained to another. They were walking in front of Jake.

"We are not shorthanded," the other man griped. "Laying us off is that woman's way of showing her power. I don't know what I'm going to do. My job is the only thing keeping my family afloat. My wife, she's ill. We are counting on my wages to pay for her doctor."

"Will that operation cure her?" the first man questioned.

"The doctor had given a good eighty percent chance of extending her life. If we do nothing, her symptoms will worsen, and she could die." The man shook his head. "That evil woman. She even knows that Melinda is not well."

Jake tried not to listen in on the conversation, because he was trying to focus on which way Conrad walked. These men apparently had just been laid off, and since they kept referring to the person as a her, only one cold hearted person came to mine. Cora. How could that woman have this much power to do that?

Although Jake was a tall man, he still had to look over the crowd toward Conrad. Jake noticed a redheaded man wearing a black shirt rounded the corner, heading down an alley. If Jake didn't stop him now, the outlaw might slip through his fingers again. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Jake assumed the alleyway was a shortcut that would take Conrad to Main Street. Jake pushed his way around the men so he can catch up. A few others turned down the same alley before him. Jake peered up the alley and noticed Conrad's red hair and black shirt, walking ahead of the crowd.

Quickening his step, Jake apologized as he pushed men aside. But none of them would know the real reason why he was in a hurry, and if Jake raised his voice to let them know there was a dangerous criminal ahead, the crowd would move much faster and perhaps trample each other.