The Treasure Read online

  “I haven’t found any information yet, Ray. They weren’t in the store or the restaurant.”

  “They returned the carriage and the horse sometime before dawn. Will found Melody’s blanket in the back and said their footprints headed to the train station,” Ray blurted. “We found a clue.”

  He scooped her into his arms because he couldn’t do anything else. He hugged her tight against him, stuck his nose in the crook of her neck and breathed her in deeply.

  “That’s wonderful,” she squeaked. “What are you doing?”

  He kissed her hard and set her back down.

  “Let’s go to the station and talk to Melvin.”

  Together they headed toward the station, elated by the crumb of information they had. If they were lucky, Regina and Melody were still there. Ray tried not to let it in, but hope crept its way across and nestled in his heart.

  The station was small, and only had two trains a day. One going east and one going west. The eastbound train came in the afternoon. The westbound train came in the mornings. As they walked up the steps, Ray remembered that this was where he’d met her. Lily.

  My woman.

  The feelings, fears and uncertainties echoed around him. He would never have guessed that the next time they were at the depot, they would be husband and wife. He squeezed her small hand in his and led her to the door.

  He opened it and they went inside, the heat from the small potbellied stove took off the biting edge of the cold. His stomach clenched when he realized there were no passengers waiting.

  Melvin Cassidy had taken over the train depot ten years earlier. A forty-something strange, bespectacled man who kept to himself, Melvin had no close friends in town. However, he was very observant and never missed a detail. Ray was counting on him for information on his ex-wife and the missing piece of his heart.

  Sitting on the stool next to the stove, Melvin glanced up from the book he was reading. Dressed in his standard white button-up shirt, vest and brown pants, he pushed the round glasses up on his nose and sniffed.

  “Good morning, Ray,” he said, then nodded at Lily. “Ma’am.”

  Lily nodded back at him.

  “Melvin, this is my wife, Lily.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you,” she said.

  “I had a feeling I might see you, Ray.” Melvin stood and laid the book down on the stool. “Had some passengers this morning.”

  Lily’s hand tightened on his almost to the point of pain.

  Melvin took his watch out of his vest pocket, looked at it briefly before snapping the case shut, then put it back in its place.

  “Round about dawn, Regina came in. I was a might surprised to see her here, but she asked for three tickets to San Francisco.”

  Ray’s stomach plummeted to his feet. The blood pounded through his veins furiously. He had to struggle to stay focused.

  San Francisco? How the hell am I going to find her?

  “There’s something else, isn’t there?” asked Lily from beside him.

  Melvin nodded. “Yes, ma’am, there is. Regina was acting rushed so I asked her what was waiting for her in San Francisco.”

  “What did she say?” Lily calmly put her arm around Ray’s waist. That’s when he realized he was weaving on his feet.

  “Paradise by the water. Don’t rightly know what that means, but that’s what she said.”

  Lily led him to the bench next to the window and urged him to sit. The world tilted and he was grateful to be able to sit his ass in a solid spot.

  “Did you see anyone else?” Lily continued.

  “When the train arrived, there was a man holding a child who came out of the shadows and stepped on board with her.”

  “Did you see what he looked like?” Lily was relentless, getting information they would need. Thank God he asked her to come to Wyoming. Thank God she said yes to being his wife. Without her here, he’d tear the place apart and end up in jail.

  Melvin thought for a moment, looking at the ceiling with his brows furrowed. “Medium height, but very large man. Built like a bull if you know what I mean. Was wearing fancy duds too and a bowler hat. He had dark hair. I couldn’t see much else because it was still sort of dark.”

  Lily smiled. “Thank you, Melvin. I cannot tell you how grateful we are.”

  “I had a feeling someone was going to come looking for Regina. She showed up out of the blue and hid in the shadows until the train came. What’s going on?”

  Lily squeezed Ray’s shoulder. “Regina and her male companion kidnapped Melody in the middle of the night.”

  The color drained from Melvin’s already pale face. “Little Melody? That’s who that man was carrying?”

  Lily nodded. “We’re not sure why, but at least now we know where they’re going. We’ll need two tickets for the next train to San Francisco.”

  Melvin gulped and went behind the counter. “Absolutely.”

  “How much?” Ray reached into his pocket.

  Melvin waved his hand in the air in dismissal. “No charge. This one’s on me. I let them get on that train knowing something was wrong.”

  “But you couldn’t have known they kidnapped Melody,” Lily said.

  “I could have contacted Jim at the sheriff’s office.”

  Ray shook his head. “They would have stopped you. Believe me, they knocked Trevor upside the head with a piece of lumber. He needed a dozen stitches to close it up.”

  Melvin began to visibly tremble. “Lord have mercy, who did Regina fall in with?”

  “The devil and his minions apparently,” answered Lily.

  After Melvin gave them their tickets for the following morning, Lily led Ray back outside. The snap of the frigid air cleared his head somewhat, but he still felt sick as hell. God, how were they going to find a five-year-old girl in a city the size of San Francisco?

  “You need to eat something. Both of us do. Let’s go down to the restaurant.”

  He blindly followed her, the only thought running through his mind was of finding Melody. The hopelessness sapped his strength, pulling him down until he thought he’d fall off the world.

  “We’ll find her.”

  Lily stopped and took his face between her hands. Her bright blue mittens were warm against his face. He stared into her eyes and saw love, determination and sheer stubbornness.

  “Understand me, husband? We will find her.”

  He nodded, trying desperately to swallow the lump of pity that appeared in his throat. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly. Her arms wrapped around him as far as they could go and she squeezed.

  “I hate to interrupt you two love birds,” came Trevor’s voice from behind him. “But we have found a whole lot of nothing.”

  He reluctantly let Lily go with one hard kiss on her cold lips.

  “I believe you,” he whispered.

  Turning to his brother and friends, he started filling them in on the information they’d gotten from Will and Melvin. They all headed for the restaurant to warm up and fill up. The Malloys needed to prepare for what would happen once they reached San Francisco.

  ———

  Billy and Regina traveled to San Francisco in style thanks to Raymond’s money. The kid started squawking the minute she woke up on the train so Billy fed her a constant bit of the precious stash to keep her sleeping and out of their hair.

  Regina was in high spirits when they pulled into the train station. Billy carried the girl off and right into his waiting carriage without a single question from anyone as to what was wrong with her, which suited them just fine. When they got to their apartment near the Barbary Coast, Regina asked Mrs. Ping who lived downstairs to keep an eye on the girl. Her dark eyes were disapproving, but she agreed to do it. For a price of course.

  Regina gleefully went to her favorite opium den, behind Shen’s restaurant. She paid her way in. No one greeted her or asked where she’d been, but she immediately felt at home. Plopping down onto the pillows, she joined the party of three smoking
from a rather large hookah in the Blue Room.

  Within minutes, she was floating on clouds, watching as the dark-haired man beside her fucked the woman passed out on the pillow next to him.

  Any thoughts outside the room fled as she enjoyed the smoke and the show.

  Chapter Fifteen

  They were nearly there. Lily recognized Oakland and knew that the bay was just ahead. She sat across from Ray in their compartment. Both of them looked like they’d been wrung dry and hung up to wrinkle. The last three days had been hard with no privacy, no respite from worry, and worst of all, the imagination of a parent knowing their child was in danger.

  Ray had a haunted gloom to his eyes, dark bags grew deeper and deeper beneath them. New lines appeared on his face, making him appear haggard and drawn. She doubted she fared any better than he did.

  “We’re going to arrive in about half an hour,” Lily said.

  “You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

  “I do. I was here a long time ago.”

  “I didn’t know you’d been to San Francisco before.” Ray raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, there aren’t many cities I haven’t been to with my father’s gambling.”

  “And?” he asked, obviously sensing there was a lot more to the story.

  She shrugged. “He took me with him. A lot. That’s how I know how to play cards. He’d use me…as a distraction of sorts. Even though I was little, I was entertaining. I’d sing for them too.”

  He grunted. “You have a nice voice. Distracts the hell out of me.”

  She smiled thinly. “Really? I’ll have to remember that.”

  Ray stared out the window of the train. “Do you think she’s all right?”

  Lily’s heart clenched painfully. “I hope she is. Melody is a strong, smart little girl.”

  “I want to kill them.”

  Lily reached out and patted his stiff knee. “I know you do. I’m having a hard time controlling that impulse too. What we need to focus on is getting her back, no matter what we have to do.”

  Ray nodded and ran his hands down his face. “No matter what we have to do. That doesn’t sound good.”

  Lily knew they would probably have to do a lot of things she didn’t want to do, but experience from her childhood told her they’d be necessary.

  “It’s not, but we’re going to do it anyway.”

  “We’ll find her,” Ray said the words like a prayer.

  “Yes, we will find her. And we’ll get her back.”

  ———

  After they arrived at the train station, Ray and Lily spent some time finding a map of the city and talking to the San Francisco Police. All they promised to do was keep an eye out for her. Ray appeared ready to do murder by the time they left the police station. Lily was just as frustrated.

  Following another four hours of looking for information at City Hall for any establishment named “Paradise”, Lily gave into the urge to rest since they were both swaying on their feet. Her mind and her wits were not at their best, and neither were Ray’s. They needed sleep badly. It was getting dark and they didn’t have a shred of information. She had to nearly drag Ray to a hotel in a not-so-nice part of town. Lily convinced Ray it was necessary because of the need to be near the Barbary Coast and Chinatown. She was sure they’d find Lily there since the evils of humankind lurked within their streets. He grimaced, but acquiesced to her request.

  The Grand Hotel was not so grand, and it was pretty cheap. A dilapidated sign at the front heralded high quality rooms and beds. Lily knew that was an untruth, but it was what they needed. The front desk clerk looked like an escaped convict and she swore the woman they met going up the stairs was a prostitute.

  High quality indeed.

  When Ray and Lily got into the hotel room, they discovered a small bed with dingy sheets that certainly hadn’t seen a good washing in a while, a smell that would scare a dog, a scarred table and chair and a small washstand with a cracked pitcher.

  “I hate this place,” Ray grumbled.

  Lily stopped him and stepped into his arms. “So do I.”

  “Why are we here again?” he asked grumpily.

  “This is where we’ll find her. Everything and anything goes on within the confines of this area. Believe me, I know.” She knew all too well. Just being there gave her a bad taste in her mouth.

  “Do you know your way around?”

  Lily took a deep breath. “Yes, I think so. I know all the main streets and most of the side streets.”

  “Good. Don’t leave my side, understand?” It sounded like an order, but said in a soft tone that Lily understood. Ray was out of his element and out of control.

  “I know we’ll find her, but Ray…I’m still scared.”

  Silence followed her statement. She wondered if he even heard her, then he spoke. “I’m scared, too.” Ray’s whispered admission echoed loudly through Lily’s heart and soul.

  His hands started moving up and down her back. The warmth and pressure relieved some of the tension. She sighed and snuggled closer into the crook of his neck.

  “What’s the plan, General?”

  She smiled into his shoulder. “We’re going to get some sleep. It’s been two days since I saw you close your eyes. We need to be at our best to find her and we can’t do it if we’re tripping over our eyelids. Tomorrow we can go to the Barbary Coast and get some information.”

  He grunted. “I don’t like waiting and I sure as hell don’t like you being in danger.”

  “I can take care of myself, Ray. I lived in places like this for nearly half my life.”

  “I still don’t like it, but I’ll allow it…for now.”

  “You’re bossy.”

  “So are you.”

  “I guess we’re a good team.”

  Sounds from the street and the hotel echoed through the small room. Fear had sunk its talons into Lily, but knowing Ray supported her helped a great deal. Their connection had grown deeper, richer. The love flowed through them.

  As she lay on the bed, she watched Ray undress. Aside from looking like a Greek statue come to life, Ray was peppered with small scars here and there. He ran his hands through his hair and stared through the window.

  “We will find her. I promise.”

  His sad eyes looked down at her until her optimism apparently touched him. He sat on the edge of the bed, kissed her forehead and hugged her close.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  Ray leaned back and scowled. “That’s a hard question for me to answer. I don’t trust many folks, most especially women. I…” Ray paused and took a deep breath. “I…trust you, Lily.”

  The hesitancy of his response hurt a bit, but Lily took his words and held them close to her heart. She was sure Ray hadn’t ever planned on trusting a woman again.

  He hugged her once more, then let go and climbed over to the other side of the bed. He wrinkled his nose and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

  “Sleep on your clothes.”

  Ray nodded and snagged his shirt and pants, then lay them down on top of the pillows. Within moments, he was asleep. Lily lay awake for hours, praying they would find Melody in time.

  ———

  The day dawned quiet and gray, typical for San Francisco. The sun hadn’t fought its way through the morning fog yet so the room was draped in shadows. Lily lay there for a few minutes, then the urgency of finding Melody hit her. She needed to find information without her towering husband glowering behind her, scaring folks. Before she changed her mind, she rose quietly and dressed in one of her newer dresses and left the room, trying not to make any noise. Ray said he trusted her, so he’d just have to understand that some things she needed to do alone. She sauntered downstairs, her street smarts coming back like an old friend.

  When she reached the front desk, she had transformed into Lil. Her top five buttons were undone and her hair hung in waves down her back. />
  “Hey, handsome,” she purred at the desk clerk. “I met this friend who said I could find paradise by the water. Ever hear of it?”

  The young man’s beady eyes widened as he eyed her cleavage hungrily.

  “Paradise by the water? Nah, I don’t know it.”

  Lily made a small moue with her mouth. “Oh, that’s too bad. I really wanted to find it.”

  “I’ll take you to a happy place. Let’s go in the back.”

  She shook her head. “My man’s asleep now but he can smell it when another man’s been on me. Maybe tomorrow when he goes out?”

  He shook his head jerkily, greasy hair flopping back and forth on his grimy forehead.

  “I want a bath,” Lily said.

  “There’s a bathing room on each floor, end of the hall. Water’s probably not ready for the morning baths though.”

  “Hmmm… Can I go into the kitchen and check?”

  He ran his hand along the bulge in his trousers. “Sure thing, doll. Want some company?”

  “Tomorrow,” she said as she winked and sashayed through the door to the kitchen. She felt his eyes on her behind and fought the urge to run. Instead she turned around and waved at him with her fingers. His hand fastened on his cock, pumping up and down slowly as she sauntered away.

  Suppressing a shudder, Lily walked into the kitchen and winced as something crunched under her foot. Likely one of those big awful cockroaches. A young Chinese girl stood by the stove with four large pots on it.

  “Hello there,” she said.

  The girl nodded, her dark eyes wary.

  “I was hoping you could help me. I have a friend who says that paradise by the water is a place to go to be happy. Do you know it?”

  The girl’s eyes widened slightly and she stepped back, bumping into the stove. She yelped at the contact and stared at Lily with fear in her eyes.

  “You no want to go there. Mr. Shen is bad man. Blue Room for bad people.”

  Blue Room? That must be the name of the opium den known as paradise by the water.

  Trying not to smile at her success, Lily kept her face blank. “I know what it is. I need to find it though.”

  The young girl shook her head vigorously.

  “You won’t tell me where it is?”