A Miner’s Deadly Secret (Preview)

Chapter One

Henry Wylie smiled as he stared at the first two white bits of snow of the winter. It was only early October, and no one in Silver Ridge, Colorado, was expecting a snow storm yet. The weather, of course, was not always predictable. There had been early snow storms in Silver Ridge. Folks liked to talk about the storm that piled three inches of snow in the town just a dozen years ago.

But this was not a storm. This was just two flakes of flying, tumbling snow that gave Wylie something to smile about. He had just come from saying good morning to Sara Applebee and having a good breakfast at her house. She was used to his eight o’clock knock on the door.  When she opened the door, it always delighted him how she said a gleeful good morning and invited him for breakfast.  He was pleased that she was a wonderful cook. Every breakfast was exceptional. Of course, he would have loved her even if she had been a  bad cook, but it was delightful that she was an expert in the kitchen.  He hoped to marry her soon.

But as he walked toward the livery stable, he thought about the possible marriage. He wanted to get another job before they exchanged rings.  Like many people in the area, he worked for the tin mine owned by Gustaf Mack.  Mack was a local pivotal businessman and the richest one in town because he owned the mine.

Henry remembered the first time he had seen Mack. It was a winter day, and about two feet of snow was on the ground.  He walked with a cane but had a haughty stare on his face, and he looked at the townspeople with utter disdain. He had heard the stern and hard Mr. Mack had only one trait that seemed to be human. He loved his young daughter, who was about twenty. In fact, he doted on his daughter, who was almost as greedy as her father, if that were possible. But Wylie had a degree of sympathy for the daughter, Alessandra. Her husband was sickly, and it was whispered he would die soon.   He knew her husband, Buck, although not well.  In childhood, the two roamed the forests around the town, sat around the oak trees, and swapped tales of what they would do when they grew up.

But Buck had his future drawn out for him. His father, John Derek, was wealthy, and when he died, Buck inherited the money, but it wasn’t nearly as much as Buck thought it would be.  His father had drunk too much during his later years and spent too much.  In fact, he still remembered one of the conversations he had had with Buck, a conversation he had never told anyone about.  It was after the first decent snowfall of the year. About three feet of snow lay around the town and spread over the hills.

The oak tree they sat under was surrounded by three feet of snow when Buck broached the subject.  He grabbed some snow in his hands and molded it into a snowball, which he tossed at a squirrel, missing by a wide margin.

“Dad doesn’t know about the gold mine. He was there some years ago to check it out but thought nothing of value was there. I think he went to the mine after one of his binges when he got drunk.  He checked the mine before he came back home. It was about a three-day ride. I think he drank the three days traveling to the mine and woke after he fell in there and didn’t really give it a decent thought. I went up there sometime later, and there is gold there.”

“Wow, congratulations. You are going to be even richer than you are now,” he told his friend.

“I’m not going to say anything about it now. I’m going to keep it a secret.  Dad has been spending money too fast lately. It’s the drinking. He’s making decisions when he’s drinking, but when he drinks, he makes bad decisions. I want him to sober up before making any more fiscal choices.”

It was not too long after that when Buck’s father died. After, he had asked about the tin mine and if his friend would develop it. “Not right now,” Buck had said. He didn’t seem too interested in it.  “It’s in Clayton County, which is a ways, but I do have a map to it.”

“You were very near it at one time. But let’s let that go. I’ve found greed can change people, and it’s not for the better.”

Henry thought that he had known Buck for some years and looked the best and the most content when he was twelve and sitting under that oak tree with his friend. The two of them had some good times. But then Buck married Alessandra and didn’t talk much with Henry afterward.  And he still didn’t look happy, even though he had money and a lovely wife.

Perhaps it was true that money didn’t buy happiness. In his friend’s case, it appeared it couldn’t rent happiness either. He spoke to Buck occasionally through the years but usually just briefly.

Now he heard his friend was getting sicker and sicker. The doctors didn’t give him long to live.  Whatever the illness was, the cold winter would not be good for Buck. Before his friend became bedridden, Henry had seen Buck occasionally out with his wife, and he didn’t look happy. He rarely smiled. The one-time twinkle in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. Henry looked for it for a long time, but it never seemed to have come back. Not the way it was when the two of them laughed and smiled, sitting under that oak tree.

He sighed and wanted to see “Dr. Franklin.” The term doctor was honorary because although Jim Franklin was the nearest thing the town had to a veterinarian, he did not have a degree, but he did know a great deal about doctoring horses. Henry did not want to work for Mr. Mack, and he didn’t want to work in a mine. He thought he might make a good veterinarian. He liked horses, and horses seemed to like him. He figured if they liked you, they would be better patients than if you treated them badly.  And it would keep him out of the mine.  Henry had never broached the subject with Jim Franklin, but he thought his friend could train him to be a vet. After all, Henry thought he was intelligent and already knew a fair deal about horses.  Caring for horses, who he loved, would be a better job than mining.

The doctor listened with his stethoscope to Buck’s breathing.  The breathing did not sound good to Alessandra, who was also in the room. It was more a series of sharp coughs than normal breathing.  Each cough seemed to rack her husband’s body.  Not that she cared.  When she talked to people, she added a trace of sympathy to her voice, but alone, she directed a cold stare at Buck.  He had brought some money into the family’s account, but she didn’t think it was enough, and she also suspected her husband knew about more money, a possible gold mine, but was not telling her where it was.  They had gone their separate emotional ways after only a short time of being married.

She was a greedy woman, a trait inherited from her father. She embraced wealth, figured it was her birthright, and was aware of her husband’s heritage. His father was wealthy, but all that wealth had not been accounted for.

He coughed again and shook his weakened body.  Her husband had lost about thirty pounds during the illness.

The doctor put away his stethoscope.

“Well, you’re about the same, Buck. I had  hoped you would have gotten rid of some of that congestion. But it sounds as bad as ever.”

“It’s as bad as ever from this side, too. The coughing is clinging on.”

The doctor reached into his pocket and put a small packet into Alessandra’s

hands. “Those are potions, and I want you to mix them with warm water and then have Buck drink them.” He looked at his patient. “They don’t taste all that good, Buck, but they’re not terrible. I trust these will eliminate that coughing. I think you can do much better if the coughing is eliminated.”

“I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing much is going to help,” Buck said.

“Don’t say that, Buck. Patients who recover tend to have one thing in common. They expect to recover, and they want to recover. Don’t get depressed and give up. You are still young, and you can beat this thing. I’m glad you have that small fireplace in your room, but I want you two to turn it up. I wouldn’t mind if you increased the temperature in the room a few degrees. Buck won’t heat to death.”

“I’ll do that, doctor,” Alessandra said.

“OK, I’m going to let you drink that portion for two days and see what that does for you. But I will be back in three days to see how you are. If anything changes, then your wife can come get me, and I’ll check on you. I do expect to see improvement in a few days.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Buck said.

“I want you to get well. I don’t like losing patients, so make sure you are better when I get back,” the doctor said.  He looked at Alessandra. “Don’t bother to show me out. I know where the front door is.”

Alessandra tapped the packet the doctor had given her with one finger.

She walked over to him and bent slightly over. “Now, honey dear, where are you hiding the gold mine?”

Buck frowned. “I should never have told you that I thought my father found such a mine.”

“But you did, sweetie, back when we were sweet lovebirds. You told me about the mine. At least that you had one, and now that you seem to be passing from this world, the mine will be mine. I should at least know where it is.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Yes, you do. You have a very good memory.”  She deftly touched his skin. “Oh, you are cold, honey. Your skin is cold.”

“And your heart is cold. You share that with your father. He has a cold heart, too,” Buck spat out.

“He, like I, have a very practical heart when it comes to money. We both appreciate money and the things it can buy for you. Tell me where the mine is.” She strolled over to the fireplace and touched the grate. “When you tell me, I can do what the doctor advised and turn up the heat. You don’t want to die in the cold, do you?”

“Since I’m going to die anyway, I might as well do it in the cold. You were brought up in the cold and learned it from your father. I guess no one can blame you much if you don’t have any humanity. But I wonder how your father learned to be so heartless.”

She patted the medical package again with her finger. “Oh, don’t be concerned about that. Father is doing well.”

“And will be until he goes to hell,” Buck said.

She patted the packet again.

“You should be more worried about the afterlife than my father. You are going to be there long before he is. But I will tell you what …” She walked back to the bed and traced his jaw with one finger.  “If you just tell me where the mine is, I will turn up the fireplace.” She eased over to it and reached out but turned it down. The fire flickered.  “It will be a lot better for you if I turn it up. You will be shivering soon.” She raised the packet.  “And if you just talk a bit, I can give you this medicine the doctor left. It’ll probably make you feel a whole lot better. Now … where is that mine, sweetheart?”

“You’ll never know, sweetheart,” he said sarcastically.

She smiled. “Then die, my dear.”

As the fire slowly died out, she sauntered out of the room.

“I married her because of her looks.  I didn’t think about her cold heart. My mistake.” Buck paused for a moment. “Henry, remember what I told you. It will lead you to the mine. I don’t want Alessandra to have it. Nor her father. He’s going to be in trouble soon. Before long, the tin is going to run out. He needs my mine if he wants to stay rich.  Henry, you’ve come by to say hello a few times. Drop by  one more time, and I’ll give the directions. I won’t tell my wife, and I won’t tell her father. But I will tell you.  If you don’t make it, remember what I told you. Remember.”

Chapter Two

Henry was a bit jittery as he walked toward Sara’s house.  He was carrying a ring in his pocket. He had changed his mind and was going to propose to her tonight. He was totally in love with her and realized his great fortune in finding a wonderful woman like Sarah in Silver Ridge. Not that there was anything wrong with Silver Ridge. It was a routine Western town, probably better than most. But in a small town, there were not that many beautiful women and, to Henry, Sara was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was also smart and funny and, he hoped and believed, was in love with him. Her house was just outside town, and he smiled as he walked toward it.

He saw another two snowflakes akin to the ones he saw in the morning. They floated through the air as if dancing in the wind.

Must be a good sign, he thought.

He knocked on the door, and Sara answered it with a boisterous hello and flung her arms open. He hugged her and lifted her off her feet.

“Hello, beautiful!” he said,

“Henry! My favorite of all men,” she said. “Dinner is all ready. Come and eat it while it’s hot. We’re getting to the time when meals get cold fast.”

They kissed and walked to the table where a pot of stew sat. A beer bottle sat at Henry’s place while a cup of coffee was by Sara’s plate.

“Let’s say grace first,” Sara said. “I would like you to say it.”

Faith was a key to Sara’s life. Her father had been a merchant before his death, but he had always regretted not going into the ministry. He was a man of faith. Any man who knew Jonathan Applebee thought he had walked with the Holy Spirit. No one talked with him for any period of time without hearing a Bible verse come from his lips.

They sat down and clasped their hands in prayer.

“Lord, we thank you for your goodness and kindness toward us. We know you are moving in our lives, and although we can’t see your Spirit move, we know you are here, and we thank you. Father, I bless the food on the table with the grace of God, and with thanks.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“Amen,” said Sarah.

Henry dished up some of the stew and immediately dug in, bringing a piece of stew meat to his lips.

“Delicious,” he said. “You are a wonderful cook. But you have many talents, not just cooking.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the compliments. Not sure I deserve them, but I appreciate them.”

“You deserve them. You are a marvelous cook and an all-around wonderful woman.”

“Thank you. I must say, you are not a complainer, Henry.  I’ve met many men who were. They would complain all the time. You couldn’t stand to be around them.”

“Well, I hope you can stand to be around me.”

“I definitely can. I love to be around you.”

He wanted to whip out the ring and ask her to marry him but thought maybe they should finish dinner first. But when he reached for his beer, his hand shook in anticipation. Possibly, he should ask her now, even though he hadn’t found another job before he spilled something with those trembling hands. He got up and walked over to her.

“Honey, I can’t stand this any longer.” He reached into his pocket and showed her the ring. “Sarah Applegate, will you marry me? You are the most wonderful woman in the world, and I …”

She rushed over, jumped in his arms, and kissed him. And when she came up for air, she kissed him again.

“May I take that as a yes?” he said.

“Yes, of course!”

She took the ring and eased it onto her finger.

“When would you like to have the wedding?”

“Tomorrow!”

“Er … tomorrow?”

“Yes, why waste time? As my mother often said, ‘Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today.’ I heard her say that hundreds of times during my childhood. So I’ll take her advice.”

Henry laughed and laughed. “Well … if you want to.”

She laughed with him. “No, of course, I’m kidding. But I will begin making plans for the  wedding. But we can do it relatively quickly.”

“I’ll go along with that,” he said.

The house almost shook when a heavy knock hit the door. The echo from the bang spread through the house.

“Who could that be? Just a minute,” she said as she hurried toward the door.

The banging came again as she walked over and opened it without asking who was outside. When she saw the three men with badges, she stepped back in shock.

The burly man who wore the sheriff’s badge didn’t greet her but walked into the house, followed by his two deputies. He turned and looked at Peter and walked over to him. There was a gruffness in his voice.

“Are you Henry Wylie?”

“Yes,” Henry answered.

“I’m Sheriff Hamish Clayton. You’re under arrest!”

“For what?”

“Stealing tin. A few men saw you stealing at the mine and told Mr. Mack about it.  And he told me.”

The two deputies grabbed Henry’s arms and locked them behind his back. They affixed handcuffs on him.

“I didn’t do anything!” Henry yelled. “I didn’t steal any tin! I’m innocent!”

“That’s what they all say!” the sheriff said. He nodded at the deputies. “Take him down to the jail, boys.

“No, no!” Sarah yelled. “Henry wouldn’t steal any tin. He’s not a thief! He’s an honest man!”

“Tell it to the judge,” one of the deputies said.

“I sure will!” Sarah said. “And I want to come down and see Henry.”

“Not until tomorrow,” the sheriff said. “Visiting hours are in the morning and afternoon. I’m sure he will be glad to see you, but it won’t be until tomorrow. You might as well stay here until tomorrow.”

“What time can I come down?”

“Ten in the morning,” the sheriff said.

“I’ll be there! You can be sure of that.”

. He took one last look at Sara.

“Yes, ma’am. I think I can,” he said.

Sara thought for a moment. Even if the door was closed, she yelled at it.

“Besides, how the heck can you steal tin!  It doesn’t come in bars.  You can’t just pick it up!” she yelled.

She thought she better get a lawyer. She had lived her entire life in Silver Ridge  and knew almost everyone there,  including the lawyers. But there wasn’t much to choose from regarding the lawyer. There was an older lawyer in Mr. Mack’s pocket, and an older attorney who had lived his whole life in the town, which was a plus, but he was also a drunk, which was a minus.

There was also Bert Devlin, a young lawyer who had just been in the town for three months. She had met him briefly but had heard good things about him. Sara sighed. Well, he was better than nothing. Besides, having a lawyer for one of the jail inmates might make the sheriff and the deputies stand up and take notice.

In the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Clayton sat at his desk. His two deputies stood before him with the prisoner.

“Your official name?” the sheriff asked.

“Same thing it’s always been. Henry J. Wylie.”

“Ever been in prison  before?”

“Nope. I’ve been working in Silver Ridge for three years and have never been in trouble.”

“Well, there’s always a first time, isn’t there,” the sheriff said.

“There shouldn’t be. I’m innocent. I didn’t take any tin,” Henry snapped.

The sheriff leaned back in his chair.  “Well, you can make your case out to the judge. He will be here in about a week. Hopefully, sober.”

“Well, that makes me feel good. I’ll have a case heard by a drunk judge.”

“Only occasionally. Usually, he stays sober until after all the cases are heard.” The sheriff waved at the two deputies.  “Take him on back.”

They opened the door to the jail and marched Henry in. Silver Ridge was a small town, so he didn’t expect to see many prisoners.  He was half right. There were about eight cells, and what was surprising, at least to Henry, was all of them were full, and the prisoners didn’t seem to be happy. They spit and yelled obscenities at the jailers.  The two stopped at the cell with only one prisoner, an Indian, Henry guessed, due to the man’s long hair and reddish complexion. He looked angry and tough but ignored Henry as the deputies opened the door and tossed him in. He hit the floor, groaned, and rolled over.  He sat against the wall and nodded at his fellow inmate.

“Hello,” Henry said. “What are you in for?”

“The typical charge. Being an Indian.”

The man leaned back on the wall and didn’t look at Henry. A guard walked by, and the Indian inmate spat out a word at him.

The guard stopped and looked hard at the Indian.

“All right, I’ve had it with you, Kai. What exactly does that word mean?”

Kai shrugged.

“One more chance,” the deputy said as the second deputy came and stood by him. Now furious, the first deputy pulled out the keys and opened the cell. He slammed the door open and pulled Kai up.

“Now, what does that mean?” he said.

Kai was silent for a moment, then he almost laughed.

“It means you’re a wonderful human being.”

Henry couldn’t help laughing, and the the second deputy joined in.

“You dumb Injun …” the first deputy said, slapping Kai.

“Hey, stop that,” Henry yelled.  He jumped and grabbed the deputy’s arm. The second deputy jumped in to help his friend and knocked Henry back.  The first deputy punched Kai again and raised his arm back for another punch, but the second deputy grabbed him.

“The sheriff doesn’t like any fights,” the man said. “You made your point. Let’s go.”

He opened the door, and both deputies strode toward the jail door.

Henry pointed to the two and looked at Kai. “Are they always like that?” he said.

But Kai said nothing, so Henry waited several minutes before speaking again.

“Hello? Don’t you want to talk?”

“What is there to say?” came the answer.

“I’m new here. I was going to ask you about the place,” Henry said.

“Think this jail is about the same as any jail. It’s not as bad as some and probably is worse than others.”

“You sound like you’re familiar with the jail.”

“I’ve been here before,” Kai said.  “The meaner-looking deputy is Sutton. He would rather hit you than look at you. The other one, Otter, occasionally shows signs of being human. Not all the time, but once in a great while.”

“What are you in for?”

“Fighting, the guy hit me first, but the deputies never care. When I hit back, I go to jail. Officially, I have three more days to spend here, but, at times, the sheriff forgets when your time is up. I might be here for an extra week. It has happened before. What are you in for?”

“Stealing tin.”

“Stealing tin?”

For the first time, Kai showed some expression. A laugh. It was the last thing Henry expected.

Chapter Three

Alessandra flicked the flame into the fireplace again. The temperature had gone down quickly. She watched as the flames spread out over the logs. She closed the window and hoped the room would warm up quickly.  Her soon-to-be-dead husband had many friends, and many had dropped by to see him. If she was on her deathbed,  she didn’t think she would have as many friends inquire about her health as her husband did.  Her father shouldn’t expect many visitors either if he was in a bed awaiting death.  If she forbade anyone to enter, that might look suspicious. She knew there were already rumors of nasty goings-on in the house. She bit her lip when she remembered the rumors of how greedy she was. That was a second benefit of opening the bedroom door. It was a sign that there was nothing questionable going on.

Many people in the town liked her husband and had knocked politely on the door and asked to see him.  She smiled and said yes, had a servant escort the man or woman to her husband’s bedroom, and stayed there until the visitor left.

After the maid had taken breakfast to her husband, although he didn’t eat much, a servant told her that Sarah Applebee was at the door. At first, she groaned. She did not particularly want to talk to Sarah, the sweet and obnoxious Little Mary Sunshine. It grated on her that Sarah was highly respected in town and she wasn’t liked at all. Even so, she marched to the door and opened it.

“Sarah, how good to see you again,” she said. “Come in. I assume you would like to see Jim. Please come in.”

“Thank you.”

Sarah walked in and brushed a few snowflakes off her dress. Winter may come early this year, she thought.

“I apologize for coming so early. But Henry was arrested yesterday on a trumped-up charge. He was accused of stealing tin from the mine, but he didn’t do it,” she said.

“Henry? I can’t believe it,” said Alessandra, who matched the compassion in her voice with a sweet smile.

“It was your father who accused him. I’m sure there is a mistake. Could you talk to your father about this?”

“Ahhhh … I certainly will. I’m sure this can be rectified.”

“Henry has been arrested. I’m on my way to see him, but I wanted to stop here to see Buck. Henry is a good friend of his, and I wanted to check on his condition. They’ve known each other since childhood.”

“Of course. This morning, Buck was very drowsy. Let me check on him and see if he’s up to visitors. He sleeps a lot of the time, but I’m sure he will want to see you. Please sit down, and I will go check on him.”

Sara eased down into a chair while Alessandra headed toward her husband’s bedroom. He sipped a cup of coffee.

“Glad to see you shut the window and turned up the heat. You really are a  vicious little woman. But I should have known that before I married you.”

Alessandra gave a snide smile. “Yes, you should have. Everybody else in town seems to. Sara is here and wanted to check to see how you were. So tell her you are fine but still weak. Or tell her you’re on your deathbed. Tell her anything you like, but don’t tell her about last night. I will be listening.”

“Can’t bear to be without me. You are so nice to me that I might leave you something in the will.”

Alessandra didn’t answer but went out of the room. She walked back in with Sara. Buck was so thin and pale that she gasped, but Buck just smiled.

“No matter how I look, the doctor says I’m going to live. But I think he may be optimistic. He gave me some medicine to make sure I do. And unlike some medicine, it doesn’t taste bad.”

Sara rushed to his side and put her hands on his shoulder. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Henry would have come, but he is currently in jail.”

“Henry! Henry can’t be in jail. He’s a nice guy. He wouldn’t commit any crime. He’s too nice.”

“And he had just proposed before the sheriff broke in.”

“What? There is some mistake.”

“Your father-in-law had him arrested.”

The statement floored Alessandra. “What? I didn’t know that.” She stared at Sara. “Really, I didn’t know! I’m sure I can straighten that out. Sometimes my father gets so busy he … he …”

“Well, if you could talk to him about it and assure him Henry would not steal anything, much less tin. That makes no sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Buck said. “If someone said they saw Henry steal some tin, they are either lying or have terrible eyesight.”

Alessandra looked flustered. She looked back and forth, opened her mouth, but then closed it immediately. “Sara, I will  talk to father about this.”

“Why don’t you do it now, honey,” Buck said. “Your father may not have left for the mine yet.”

“Yes, I will. Just wait, Sara,” Alessandra said.  She rushed out of the room.

“Thank you, Sara. This is one of the few, if the only time, I’ve seen my wife flummoxed. She didn’t know what to say, and my wife always has something to say.” He held out a folded piece of paper. “Quick, put this in your purse. Read it at your house. It’s valuable.”

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“A Miner’s Deadly Secret” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

In the tranquil yet deceptive town of Silver Ridge, shadowed by the Colorado Rockies, Henry Winkler finds himself at a life-altering crossroads. When a close friend gives him a map pointing to a hidden gold stash, he embarks on a journey fraught with danger and mystery. Alongside his devoted love and a courageous native ally, Henry ventures into the unknown… But as they pursue this fortune, one can’t help but wonder: what perils lie in wait for them, and at what cost does this quest come?

Can Henry navigate the treacherous path to the gold, or will his pursuit lead to unforeseen consequences?

Meanwhile, Alessandra Mack, the bold and defiant daughter of the town’s powerful mine owner, stands against her father’s oppressive rule. As she confronts him, the tension in Silver Ridge escalates… Her defiance not only questions her father’s authority but also stirs the winds of change.

Will her courage be enough to reshape their town?

As Silver Ridge teeters on the brink, a vengeful figure from a forgotten mine disaster emerges, threatening the mine owner’s iron grip. Will this battle for control unravel the very fabric of Silver Ridge? Amid the chaos, what startling secret about the gold stash awaits to change everything?

“A Miner’s Deadly Secret” is a historical adventure novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cliffhangers, only pure unadulterated action.

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