In the office at the Starr, a couple posters were waiting on the desk. The picture on one of them matched the blond robber. Ella read both posters, and went to the files. She pulled out a dozen posters to show Bobby. It took an hour, looking at posters, then pulling out paper on known associates, but they found paper on five of the robbers they had seen.
They went out to visit the horses before heading back. Ella decided to send a wire to Deputy Hayes to report the sighting of Perry White, so she turned Bobby over to Rose, and went into the telegraph office. Patches was feeding her son, and waved Ella over to the key.
TO AMBROSE HAYES
US MARSHALS OFFICE
HOUSTON
FROM EW COATSWORTH
EL PASO
SEVEN MEN TOOK 5000 IN GOLD COIN FROM BANK STOP
YOUR INTERESTING PERSON WITH SIX MEMBERS OF BEANPOLE GANG STOP
BEN POLE STOP
MAXWELL COLLINS STOP
FRED RICO STOP
GUS RODRIGUEZ STOP
JUAN SANCHEZ STOP
MUTUAL ACQUAINTANCE NOT SEEN STOP
Ella dropped Bobby off at his home on the way back. The boy was full of excitement over the visit to the foaling barn and over helping to train Solomon. He had been the first person to sit on the two-year-old son of Lucky, even for only five minutes!
The sight of their shingle over the front door, with the words "Coatsworth Family Doctors", still gave Ella a thrill. She was very content with the house. Alan almost left it off the list of possibilities, because he thought they couldn't afford it and the alterations and repairs needed. But Tensleep and Becca had convinced him to include it. The house was a large single-story square around a central courtyard with a well that was perfect for Ella' herb garden. The back side was the stables, the front had been converted into medical offices and surgery, one side was rooms for guests or patients, and the fourth side was their residence.
The riders from the Starr didn't leave the sides of the carriage until Ella drove around the house and through the gate into the stable yard.
Bella took charge of the carriage and told her, "Dr. Coatsworth wanted you to see him as soon as you got back."
Alan was in his surgery examining at an unconscious man with assistance from Eddie. "James Bradbury found his horse standing over him north of town. The man roused a little when James gave him water, and mumbled something. James heard 'El Paso' and 'Coatsworth', so Eddie and I left the posse and brought him back here. I think Bo and Jimmy recognized him, do you?" he asked.
Eddie spoke up, "Marshal Phillips looked like he recognized him as well. Jimmy said he was a friend of some outlaws you arrested."
Ella looked, and remembered. "Yes. How is he?"
"He got hit by two bullets, one went clear through. He's lost a lot of blood, but the wounds are clean. I'd like him to be stronger before I remove the second bullet."
"Did you find anything in his pockets?"
"His clothes are over there. I haven't looked at them. Can you give me a name to call him?"
"Call him Archie. Can he be moved to the infirmary out at the Starr tomorrow?"
"We've room for him here. Why do you want to put him there?"
Ella looked through the pockets of Archie's clothes. Finding the old badge helped her decide to tell Alan and Eddie more of the story. "He's a Deputy Marshal who went undercover a couple years ago. The person he has been watching was one of the bank robbers this afternoon. I'm going to the telegraph office. I won't be gone long."
Tinker's office was only a couple blocks away. Tink came out from the back when the bell on the door sounded, "Good evening, Miz Ella. What can I do for you?"
"May I use your key to send a message?"
Tink nodded, and opened the counter to let her through to the desk with the key. The uncoded message went to Houston, and was acknowledged by the operator there.
When Ella was through with the key, Tink commented, "Marshal Phillips was very insistent I tell him about anyone who has me send a message to the Houston Marshals office. Since I didn't send your message, I don't see any need to mention it to him."
"Can he legally request that information?"
Tink shrugged, "He can ask anything he wants, but he can't require me to tell him anything. Kicking up a fuss about his request would just rile him up more."
-------------------------------------
Houston
Ambrose Hayes was working late, looking up the names that Mrs. Coatsworth had sent in her report on the El Paso bank robbery, when the telegraph operator brought him another message. After reading it, he decided it was worth disturbing Marshal Thompson at home.
Ambrose Hayes knocked on the door of Luther Thompson's home. When he was admitted to Thompson's sitting room, he said, "I received a couple interesting wires from Mrs. Coatsworth this evening."
Thompson interrupted, "I am not going to recall Marshal Phillips."
"She didn't say anything about Phillips. Look for yourself."
TO AMBROSE HAYES
US MARSHALS SERVICE
HOUSTON
FROM EW COATSWORTH
EL PASO
A MUTUAL ACQUAINTANCE JUST DROPPED IN STOP
PLEASE COME VISIT STOP
Thompson read the telegram, then looked up at Hayes, "What is she talking about?"
"You have to give her credit for discretion if her meaning is unclear even to someone who knows why I met her. 'Mutual acquaintance' means Archie. She used 'your interesting person' to mean Perry White in her report on the bank robbery."
Marshal Thompson interrupted, "What did she say about the bank robbery? Phillips didn't have any real information in his wire, and there was an odd postscript from the El Paso telegraph operator."
Hayes handed over another telegram. "She identified six of the seven robbers. White was there, but not Archie. In her second wire,'dropped in' is a significant choice of words, although I'm not sure what she means. But I think she would have said 'stopped by' if Archie had arrived under his own power. He might be injured and under medical care, or he could be dead and there is information on his person. Although she might have been clearer if Archie were dead. I think she's asking for me to visit because she won't transmit information in any way that could be intercepted. I can catch the 10pm train, and be there by Thursday evening."
"Sounds good. Maybe the case will finally crack."
After Hayes let himself out, Mrs. Thompson came into the sitting room, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but were you talking about Izzy's school friend, Perry White?"
"What!" exclaimed Thompson. "Did Perry White also attend the Morgan Academy?"
"Yes. He and Izzy were great friends, even though Perry is a couple years older. They've kept in touch over the years."
Marshal Thompson headed for the door, saying, "I need to get to the office. I'll be back in an hour or so."