An Agent for Wilhelmina: Pinkerton Matchmakers, #3

By Sophie Dawson

Wilhelmina Cutler had wanted to be a Pinkerton agent ever since she moved in with her aunt and uncle, who was an agent himself. Now's her chance. They are hiring women at the Denver Pinkerton Detective Agency. Already trained in most of the skills needed, Mina is confident she can handle any case they assign her.

Reece Galway is a veteran agent who has worked from the Denver office since the end of the Civil War. When his boss tells him his future employment hinges on marrying a woman aspiring to be an agent, he nearly quits. He's never had a partner and doesn't want one, especially some rookie woman who knows nothing about how to be a detective.

And there's something about his new wife. She seems to attract danger yet is able to stave it off. She's stiff, overly polite, and sometimes rather sarcastic. And she doesn't like his attitude.

Heading to San Francisco to solve an insurance fraud case, Reece and Mina butt heads. Can they work together to solve the case, or will their enmity make it impossible? Will this marriage continue once they are back in Denver or will either one demand an annulment?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barr26 Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Oct 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223439646

Book preview

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May 1871

What? I need to do what to keep my job? Reece Galway failed to keep the irritation from his voice. He couldn’t believe what his boss said.

All the agents from the Denver, Colorado Territory office of the Pinkerton Detective Agency had to get married and train their wives to be detectives. His shoulders gave a violent shudder as the word wife moved through his thoughts.

Reece paced in front of Archibald Gordon’s desk as the man sat calmly with his fingers steepled.

It was obvious his boss had recently had his hair cut. The previous week, when Reece had returned from solving a case, Archie’s hair was shaggy and sticking out in all directions. Now it was smoothed back with pomade holding it in place. His ruddy beard and mustache were well trimmed.

I believe you heard me the first time. I don’t want to repeat myself.

So, if I want to stay a Pinkerton Agent, I have to marry some young lady who won’t know her . . .

Language, Reece. You know how I feel about you men and your speech. Marianne Chapman, Archie’s secretary, entered the room scolding, as she often did when any agent expressed themselves in ways she disapproved of.

She set a tray with a silver service for coffee on Archie’s desk. I thought you men might enjoy a spot of coffee and cake. Pearl baked it this morning. It’s quite good, I must say.

Reece flopped down in the chair across the desk from Archie. Tucking the silver dollar he was rolling around his knuckles into his steel-colored vest pocket, he squinted one eye at Marianne as he took the cup of coffee from her. Was this your idea?

Marianne’s mouth dropped open. Oh my, no. I argued against it most fervently.

Reece swung his gaze to Archie. So you thought this up on your own? Archibald Gordon was somewhat addlepated, or he made out to be. Maybe he was cagier than Reece thought.

Archie studiously stirred his coffee. The idea was put to me by a very respected person. One who knows all about the criminal element, as well as society and its standards. As we discussed the issue, it became clear that marriage, at least a temporary one, was the answer to maintaining the reputation and the safety of the ladies.

That is true, Reece admitted to himself. An unmarried lady of good reputation couldn’t travel with a man and maintain their standing within society. But that didn’t make the thought of marrying some young woman any more palatable.

Why are you wanting to hire women agents at all?

Reece noted the new slits in the door of the cabinet behind Archie. Seems that Bronco Wauneka hadn’t liked the idea either.

Bronco tended to display his displeasure by throwing knives. The door, as well as the wall, bore evidence of many blade strikes.

That edict came from the main Pinkerton office in Chicago. They want more women agents. Seems they can ferret out information in ways men can’t. Archie cleared his throat when Reece shot him a smirk. Not in those ways. They can infiltrate society, as well as other places men can’t, and have a different perspective than men. They can be more astute in some areas.

What do the other agents think of this cockeyed idea?

There have been a few discussions.

Marianne coughed, but it sounded more like a scoff as she cut the cake and placed a piece on each plate.

Reece noted that there were three plates and another cup of coffee. It seemed that Marianne was staying in the office with him and Archie.

Well? What do the others think?

Archie still wouldn’t look him in the eye. They are coming around to the idea.

So they don’t like it any more than I do. How many have quit when they heard of this cockamamie idea?

Sitting sideways at the end of the desk, with her cake on top of a pile of papers, Marianne took a sip of her coffee. We haven’t had any of the agents quit.

At least not yet, Reece muttered.

So you think you will be the first, Reece? A bite of the chocolate cake slipped into Marianne’s mouth.

We still have agents out on assignments. I expect them all back by this time next week. We should know by then. I’ll expect your answer as to whether you’ll be staying as a Pinkerton agent or not as soon as you decide.

I want to understand exactly what this all entails. Let me know if I’ve got this right. I have to marry some woman who thinks she wants to do a man’s job by being a Pinkerton agent. I need to train her to do that job, and I’m stuck with this stranger for the rest of my life. You’re asking a lot here, Archie.

You won’t be stuck with her. The marriage can be annulled once the case is solved, provided that you and she don’t . . . Archie’s ruddy complexion turned ruddier.

When Reece glanced at Marianne, her cheeks were red, and she was studying her empty plate with great concentration.

Reece looked away, focusing on the plant that stood in the corner. It looked a little worse for the wear. He wondered why. Marianne diligently kept the plant watered, talking to it as she did so.

It was one of those quirks some people had. Plants couldn’t hear. Why would anyone talk to one?

Shaking his head, Reece brought his focus back to the topic at hand, as distasteful as it was.

Reece set his fork down after taking the last bite of cake and drained his coffee cup. I’ve got some thinking to do. I’m not sure detective work is suitable for women. He held up his hand to stop Archie from interrupting. I know. There have been female Pinkerton agents before - mostly during the war. But we aren’t in a war anymore. Most of the cases we deal with now have even more elements of danger to them. Rough, immoral men we are trying to apprehend. How can I focus on them when I have to keep a clueless rookie, and a woman at that, safe?

Reece stood and leaned over to give Marianne a peck on the cheek. Tell Pearl, ‘Thank you for the cake.’ It was delicious, as always. Thank you for the coffee and your lovely company. Please forgive my unpleasant demeanor. I’m not pleased with this turn in my career, but you needn’t suffer for it.

Think nothing of it, Reece. I’ve known you a long time and know your character. Please think this over carefully before you make a decision. Marianne wanly smiled up at him from her chair.

No apology for me? Archie asked giving Reece a one-eyed squint.

No, old man, I think not. You’re the one forcing me to decide the future of my career. Reece turned on his heel and marched out of the office. When he exited the building it was all he could do not to slam the front door.

Get married or lose his job? What kind of an order was that?

Reece stomped down the porch steps and walked around the house, thinking of heading to the dormitory where agents could stay when they were in Denver.

Reece, liking his privacy, kept a small apartment in the city above a shop downtown. Sometimes he slept in the dormitory when he was at the office late, or the weather was too bad to return to his apartment.

But Reece bypassed the building behind the Pinkerton office. He needed to walk off some of his irritation. Talking with the other agents didn’t appeal to him, at least not until he decided what he would do.

Reece pulled the silver dollar from his vest pocket, rolling it over his knuckles as he strode from the Pinkerton office.

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Wilhelmina Cutler’s eyes gazed at the Nebraska plains as the train headed west. She did not watch the buffalo, the wagon trains, or any other scenery as they passed.

She’d closed the curtain in her section of the Pullman car to maintain her privacy. Fortunately, no one occupied the other seat, and a closed curtain went a long way toward keeping it that way.

Wilhelmina was traveling without an escort, so discouraging male passengers from choosing that seat was high on her priority list.

The flat land they traveled over rose gradually. In the distance, she could have seen the purple shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

Instead, her mind’s eye replayed the discussion she’d had with her Uncle Dan Cutler, the man that had raised her since adolescence. They were in the parlor of their small house, she seated on the settee, he standing in the sunlight shining through the window.

Mina, this is the best opportunity for you to become a Pinkerton agent.

But I’d be so far away. Why should I move all the way to Denver when I know everyone at the Pinkerton Agency here in Chicago?

That’s precisely why. Most of the men here have known you since you were thirteen - when you came to live with us. There’s no way they’d allow you to take cases that might be the least dangerous. That means you’d be stuck in the office doing secretarial tasks rather than the detective work you want and I trained you for. I know that’s not what you want. Dan took out a tobacco pouch and began packing the chopped leaves into his pipe.

You’re correct, as usual. The agents look at me as a daughter to be protected from all the outlaws of the world, not a well-trained agent capable of capturing them myself. Mina sighed. I’ll just be so lonely without you. She stood and hugged the man whom she’d lived with for ten years.

Already a Pinkerton Security Agent at the time, Dan had asked if one of his nieces could move to Chicago to help with his ailing wife. Thirteen-year-old Wilhelmina had jumped at the chance to leave the mountains of Kentucky, even if it meant leaving her beloved family behind.

When her aunt passed away, Mina stayed in Chicago to tend Dan’s house while he was away on a case. She loved every minute she could be with him, especially when her uncle took her to the office or on a case.

Dan taught her how to observe and listen. Few people noticed a child, and fewer thought a child would listen or notice what was happening around them. Mina learned how to observe at an early age.

Dan also ensured Mina could defend herself – with or without a weapon. Though she was smaller and weaker than a man, Mina could stop an assailant long enough for someone to come and help.

She also kept multiple unconventional weapons stashed around her person. Of course, every woman had at least one hat pin. Mina normally had two or three, keeping her hat firmly connected to her head. She loved jeweled stickpins and had a vast collection suitable for each of her outfits, no matter the time of year.

The train lurched, jerking her thoughts back to the present.

Mina planned to apply as a Pinkerton Agent at the Denver office. Her satchel held a letter of recommendation from Mr. Allan Pinkerton himself. Mina called him uncle, just as she did all the agents working from the Chicago office.

Mr. Pinkerton had outlined her background, experience, and how she’d been trained by one of his best agents. He also strongly indicated that Mr. Archibald Gordon, who headed the Denver office, was to hire her. And Mr. Gordon was tasked with her safekeeping.

The curtain screening her from view was yanked open. A man with an unlit cigar tucked between his teeth flopped down onto the rear facing seat across from her.

Greetings, dear lady. I’ve seen you in the dining car and thought you might enjoy the company of a gentleman.

Noticing he failed to introduce himself, Mina stared at him. And you think you are that gentleman? Not that I am confirming your supposition. She slipped her hand into a pocket in her skirt.

You are traveling alone, are you not? The man’s eyes were mocking, telling Mina he considered her less than the lady he’d pronounced her to be.

That may be the case, but I see no reason for you to approach me whether I am or not.

He rose partly and moved to sit next to her, placing his arm on the back of the seat behind her shoulders. I thought we might spend the time getting to know each other better.

I think not, sir. She pulled her Derringer from her pocket, pointing it at his chest after she cocked it. "I know how to use this and am not afraid