Investigating a Shadowy Crime – Extended Epilogue

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Meg held the pitcher close to her body and peeked around the corner of the building. She’d
grabbed the pitcher as a distraction in case she was seen. There were two men on the porch of the
saloon, and one of them looked familiar. She wished her sister was there to help out.

After Grace and Jefferson were married, they’d taken an extended vacation that had prevented
them from being able to work. She wouldn’t be surprised if she found out her sister had gotten into
some kind of shenanigans while on her honeymoon, probably solving a mystery or a crime with her
detective husband.

The thought brought a smile to her face. It also gave her a bit of extra courage, knowing Grace
wouldn’t be nervous.

Then again, as a dark-skinned woman, Meg had a tendency to stand out. Her father had told her
as she was growing up that it would be that way, and he had instilled in her a deep respect for herself, despite the color of her skin. He told her that God made everyone, no matter what they looked like, and that everyone’s blood was red, regardless of what they looked like on the outside.

But if she rounded the corner and walked up the steps to the saloon, the men would look at her.
Their eyes would linger, like most did. Sometimes, that was useful. In this situation, it wasn’t.

She needed to avoid being seen. That was why having Grace there would have been good. Meg turned back and pressed herself against the side of the building, her heart beating hard. She didn’t know what to do. Should she wait until the men went inside? What if they didn’t go inside?

As she was frantically trying to come up with a plan, she heard the doors of the saloon swing
wide on squeaky hinges and a familiar voice came to her ears, flooding her with relief.

It was Vincent, the partner she’d been given at Pinkerton when Grace and Jefferson married and
ran off on their vacation. Vincent was a good man. Meg was impressed with him. Not only was he
handsome in a dignified sort of way, he was the most intelligent man Meg had ever met. He also didn’t seem to notice her skin was the color of chocolate. She couldn’t remember ever seeing that look in his eyes, the one that was sometimes intended to make her feel like she was the odd man out. Not everyone gave her that look, but most did.

Vincent, though, looked at her with eyes that truly saw her for who she was.

Meg wasn’t going to admit to anyone but Grace that she had feelings for her new partner. Her
sister was probably the only one who would understand.

“How’s it going, boys?” she heard Vincent say in a cheery voice.

“Howdy,” both men replied at the same time.

“Seen Engleman around?” Vincent asked.

Meg waited, staring at the building across from her in the alley, clutching the pitcher tight to her
chest.

“Think he went that way.”

Meg couldn’t see which direction the man indicated.

“Much obliged,” Vincent replied. Moments later, Meg watched him pass the small alley she was
hiding in. She wanted desperately to let him know she was there, but didn’t know how to do so without
drawing attention to herself.

Just before he disappeared in front of the building across from her, she hissed softly. He stopped
and glanced over his shoulder in her direction. He had no reaction to seeing her, which gave her another
wave of relief. He was always so good at that. He couldn’t be caught by surprise and wouldn’t reveal
anything on his face, regardless of the circumstances. Meg didn’t know how he did it. She couldn’t keep
her emotions from showing on her face no matter how hard she tried. It was a trait she would have
loved to master, but her natural instincts took over every time.

Vincent’s eyes glanced toward the front of the saloon before he turned and came toward her.

“Hey,” he said in a low voice. “They went inside. You don’t have to hide. Come with me. Leave that
pitcher, you won’t need it.”

Meg looked down at the ceramic jug she was still holding tightly against her chest. “Are you
sure? I might need to clock someone over the head with it and save your life.

Vincent grinned at her, showing a line of straight, white teeth. His brown eyes twinkled with
humor. “More likely it will get in the way and hinder you from movement. Ain’t you got a gun? I know
you do. You don’t need that big, heavy pitcher when you can shoot a gun better’n most men.”

“All right now, mister,” Meg replied, turning to set it on the ground next to her. “Flattery will get
you everywhere.”

They both chuckled and moved to the edge of the alley to peek around and make sure the doors
in front of the saloon were clear.

“Where is Engleman?” Meg asked.

Vincent turned his head from left to right, looking down the long dirt road that would take them
out of the small town they were in, searching for a bank robber named Engleman. The outlaw worked
alone and hadn’t killed anyone yet, but he was on the wanted list and his poster was spread all over
south Texas.

He’d been dubbed the “Gentleman Thief” because of his method of operation. He was polite
when he demanded that everyone move to one side of the room while he used one of the tellers to
clean out all the money in the safe and the bank drawers. He had the teller put the cash in a sack and
never took more than the one bag could carry.

There had only been one instance where someone hadn’t immediately complied with his
request and, instead of killing anyone, Engleman had gently coaxed the man to come closer and then
had hit him on the side of the head with the butt of his gun, effectively knocking the man unconscious.
That simple act had scared people enough to make them easily surrender to Engleman’s wishes.

Meg and Vincent had tracked the bank robber to West Bancock, a town not nearly as big as
Collinsville, which had grown quite a lot since she and her sister had gone there undercover. West
Bancock was barely a dot on the map.

There was one street with all the businesses and shops one might need for a comfortable
existence. It had a barber shop, mercantile, saloon, hotel, supply store, saddle shop, fashion store for
the ladies… Meg actually considered it a place she wouldn’t mind raising children in.

The first time she’d thought that, it had made her blush. Could it be because of her growing
feelings for Vincent?

Meg shook her head to clear her thoughts, following Vincent as he moved back out into the
street, beckoning to her. She left the pitcher behind and hurried to be by his side.

“He pointed in this direction. But the only thing I see is the church.” Vincent turned his eyes to
Meg. A feeling of affection washed over her and she pushed it away. Now was not the time for such
things. “You think he’s in the church?”

She scanned the other buildings in the direction Vincent had indicated before shrugging. “I
suppose a Gentleman Thief might spend some time in the church. What do you think?”
Vincent narrowed his brown eyes and stared at the tall building in the distance, a church that
boasted one of the biggest crosses that Meg had ever seen piercing the sky at the top of the steeple. It
was a beautiful structure and probably a source of pride for the people of West Bancock, all 245 of
them.

She grinned. “I have a feeling that’s just where he is,” she said.

They moved quickly down the street toward the church, both searching around them as they
went. The street was fairly empty; it was nearly dusk, and the sun was just beginning to set behind the
tall mountains in the distance.

The air was crisp, as winter was setting in. Meg would be glad when they found the Gentleman
Thief. She didn’t enjoy the colder weather and preferred to stay inside as much as she could during
those months. If she wanted to do that this winter, she would need to wrap up this case as soon as
possible.

Why would the thief be in the church, though? Meg’s curiosity helped distract her from the soft,
cold breeze that blew past her face. As soon as the sun was gone, the air would be even colder and any
breeze would begin to feel like ice against her skin.

She hurried alongside Vincent. He was moving quickly. She couldn’t help wondering if that was
because he knew how she felt about the cold or because he was equally overwhelmed by curiosity.
Meg took a moment to glance at the man and admire his profile, but didn’t let her eyes linger
too long. Just long enough to make an imprint of what he looked like at the moment in her mind’s eye,
so she would be sure to remember it later. He was such a handsome man.

When they finally stepped up to the church, Meg’s heart began to race. Was Engleman in the
church? Was he the Gentleman Thief? He certainly resembled the wanted posters they’d seen.
When they’d arrived in West Bancock that morning, they had been surprised to find out that
Engleman had a home in the small town. None of the residents seemed to know that he’d been robbing
banks around south Texas. In fact, several of them denied it, saying there was no way it could be him.
He was too nice.

In Meg’s mind, that fit the profile of the man they were chasing quite nicely. He was, after all, a
gentleman, or he wouldn’t have been given that nickname.

She waited a few seconds for Vincent to pull open the door. He held it for her and she slipped
through quietly.

The interior of the church was bigger than the outside indicated. It was one large room, with
painted glass windows running along both sides and a large podium on a small stage. Rows of pews
faced it.

There was no preacher that Meg could see. There was one man standing with his hands folded
behind his back in a casual way, facing the large cross hung on the wall behind the stage and podium. He
was wearing a dark red vest and trousers, and had his hat on, despite the fact that he was inside a
church.

Meg lifted her eyebrows, turning her head to look up at Vincent. He was staring at the man, as
well. He looked back at her and shook his head, shrugging.

Before she knew what he was doing, Vincent had walked up the middle aisle toward the man,
leaving her behind with a pat on the shoulder. That usually meant to stay where she was until he
needed her.

Vincent stopped when he was a few feet away from the stranger. He put one hand on the butt
of the gun at his side.

“Excuse me, sir,” he said in a stern voice. “Are you Phinneas Engleman?”

The man turned to look at Vincent. His eyes moved beyond the detective to Meg and a look of
curiosity came across his face. He walked to Vincent with his hand out. “I am. And you are?”

“Vincent Delacroy,” Vincent replied, shaking Engleman’s hand. “I’m afraid I’ve got to place you
under arrest, sir, for suspicion of bank robbery in three towns near here.”

Engleman’s eyebrows lifted, the look of curiosity deepening. “Really? How odd.”

The outlaw moved past Vincent to walk to Meg. She stiffened but did not back away. She had a
gun stashed in one of the pockets Grace had sewn into her dress. Its weight against her thigh always
made Meg feel more secure. Plus, she was a crack shot and a quick draw, even from a dress pocket and
not a holster.

When the outlaw was a foot or so away, he stopped. She could feel his eyes examining her.

Then, he lifted one hand and brushed his knuckles softly against her cheek.

“Well, look at you,” he said. For the first time, Meg noticed a soft accent in his voice. She
couldn’t place where it was from. She didn’t know much about the countries outside the United States.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t been taught by the tutors her father hired. She just hadn’t cared much to learn
about them. Geography hadn’t interested her.

In her 29 years of living, Meg had never wished she’d paid more attention in her schooling
before that moment.

“You’re an exotic beauty, aren’t you?” Engleman continued. Meg was taken aback by how
harmless he seemed. No wonder no one but that one man had confronted him in all the robberies he’d
staged in the last six months. He had a natural charm that could make anyone do whatever he wanted.
Meg was overcome by the feeling herself.

“Thank you,” she replied, staring up at him. She was grateful when Vincent came up behind
Engleman.

“This is my partner, Detective Ridley.” Vincent’s voice was bold and loud. Engleman seemed
unaffected. He never took his eyes from Meg’s face.

“Detective Ridley,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a fine
beauty. I do hope we will have more opportunities to talk.”

Meg wasn’t quite sure what to say. She looked at Vincent, who looked a little peeved and very
curious at the same time. She moved her eyes back to the outlaw, getting a tighter grip on herself and
blinking to clear her mind of the hypnotic stare coming from the man in front of her.

“I’m sure we will have plenty of time when my partner arrests you and you come with us to
Collinsville to stand trial for your crimes, sir,” she informed him in a confident voice.
An immediate smile came to Engleman’s face.

“Now, what makes you think I will allow either of you to arrest me?” he asked, his voice no more
threatening than it had been when he was complimenting her.

It threw Meg off her game for a moment but she quickly recovered. “Because you are a bank
robber and you must pay for your crimes.”

Engleman shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not, my dear. You see, there’s something you don’t
understand.” He stepped to the side so that he was no longer between Vincent and Meg and could see
both of them just by turning his head. “There is a reason for what I do.” He chuckled. Meg didn’t
understand the reference.

She pulled her eyebrows together and gave the man a confused look. “What do you mean?” she
asked, while Vincent said, “Explain yourself, sir.”

It was probably the calmest, strangest arrest Meg had ever been involved in.

Engleman looked around Vincent toward the front of the church and beckoned to them with
two fingers. “Let’s sit down, shall we? If you still want to arrest me when I am through explaining, I will
go with you willingly. If not, we will all leave this church unharmed and unafraid.”

Meg doubted very much Engleman was afraid of her or Vincent. He didn’t seem like the type to
be afraid of much.

She and her partner willingly walked behind Engleman to the front pew, where he sat down and
turned around so they could sit behind him.

He began talking as soon as they did.

The story he told fascinated Meg and Vincent to the point that they said not a single word while
he spoke. Neither asked questions, which was typically their habit when interrogating a suspect.
Engleman wasn’t like any other suspect.

“You see, all of the banks I’ve robbed in the last six months have held the funds of rich and
wealthy men in south Texas who have been exploiting the locals in their towns for too long. When I take
from their bank, I redistribute what I’ve taken to the poorest folks – those who have had their time,
health, their very souls, exploited by the richest men in town. I reside here and this is my church. I built it with my brothers when we first came to West Bancock twenty years ago. My brothers were extorted
and exploited by a man who used to live here. He was the mayor, and he controlled the town for years.”

Meg blinked rapidly, amazed by what she was hearing. He was a modern-day Robin Hood.

“That’s why you have not heard a great outcry for my arrest.” Engleman smiled at them. “Have
you not noticed that? I come back to West Bancock because it is my home, and no one in this town will
let you take me away. They are my friends.”

“So they know what you’ve been doing?” Vincent asked. Meg glanced at him. She didn’t get the
impression they would be making an arrest today.

Engleman nodded. “Oh, yes. Of course they do.”

Vincent looked at Meg. She couldn’t decipher what he was thinking by the look on his face. She
was somewhat surprised by what he said next. “But, sir, you’ve broken the law. We must arrest you.”

Engleman raised his eyebrows, still looking unconcerned. “Oh? And why is that, when I’ve done
no harm to anyone other than the wealthiest and the worst men in south Texas?”

Meg tugged on Vincent’s sleeve. “Do we have to arrest him?” she asked. For some reason, she
felt a sense of justice in what Engleman was doing.

Vincent’s eyes moved from her to the outlaw and back. “It’s our job… isn’t it?”

Engleman smiled at Meg. “If you’d like, I can marry the two of you here and now.”

Meg almost choked. She coughed into her hand to clear her throat.

“I’m sorry?” Vincent’s voice was curious once again.

Engleman’s smile grew larger. “It’s obvious the two of you are in love. I am a preacher, and this
is my church. I can marry you, here and now.”

Vincent’s wide eyes turned to Meg. “I think that’s rather abrupt, since I haven’t asked you if you
want to marry me.”

Meg chuckled. “I can’t get married without Grace, anyway. You know that.”

Vincent smiled. “Are you saying you want to marry me?”

Tilting her head to the side, she gave him a warm smile. “I think that’s something to talk about
after we leave here. We’re not going to arrest the Gentleman Thief, are we?”

They both turned their eyes back to the man sitting in front of them, suddenly looking much
more like a preacher than an outlaw.

Vincent sighed. “Not today.”

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