Only when he was sure that there was no danger did he open the door all the way and step out onto the boardwalk in front of the hotel. Pausing, he nodded and tipped his hat to an older woman walking with her husband. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him strangely. The husband was more open in his curiosity.
Luke put it aside and started to cross the street. Twice more men studied him. Never disrespectful. More curious like. As if they found it strange to see a dead man walking about them. It took him a moment before he realized that the story about his disagreement with Felton had spread through town like water running downhill.
These people were wondering how long before he was killed. It wasn’t ghoulish or hateful. Just more curious like. A country that was used to death just naturally gravitated to stories about such things and they were wondering how his would end.
A small grin creased his face as he shook his head. It was going to be a shame to disappoint them.
Chapter Six
Luke knocked before opening the jailhouse door and stepping in. The big sheriff sat behind a desk, his feet up as he leaned back in his chair his hands folded across his chest. He quickly assessed his visitor as his eyes narrowed. Luke took a moment to examine his new surroundings. An adobe brick building split in two. The front half set up as an office with a desk and a bunk off to the side. A heavy door in the back led to a small room and a single jail cell with thick iron bars.
Four years of war had taught him about defenses and this place looked like it could survive a bombardment by Mead’s best artillery.
“Sheriff,” Luke said. “I’m Luke Parker. Do you got a minute?”
The man scowled as he put his feet down and brought his chair forward then nodded for Luke to sit. “You the one who braced Felton and Cooper?”
Luke shrugged.
The sheriff continued to scowl “Not the smartest of moves.”
Luke stared back. “This town think it’s acceptable to be bothering good women?”
“No,” the sheriff’s scowl shifted over to a deep frown. “No, I don’t think it does. But I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“Becky, Rebecca Johnson, was telling me you looked into her uncle’s killing.”
The man paused for a moment. “Yep. You could say that. But not a lot a good it did me. Couldn’t find anything. It had rained and the tracks were long washed out. Never found his horse. No one was about town spending money like they found it. But I made sure the sale was all square. Doc Weaver swore he saw it from his seat behind the poker table. Saw Travers hand over the silver and Old Tom Johnson count it out right there on the bar.”
“Which saloon?”
“The Red House. Bill Frost, the tender saw it too. Said how he was surprised but Tom hadn’t been drinking.”
Luke’s mind scrambled to try and understand. “And then this Travers up and disappeared. After selling the spread to the Feltons.”
“He weren’t here but a month or so before the sale. Stayed in one of the rooms above the Red House.”
A quiet settled over them as they both tried to think of something hidden that they hadn’t seen.
“Becky said there was three men who witnessed it. Who was the third?”
Now it was the sheriffs' turn to pause as his eyes looked into Luke’s. “Cooper. Troy Cooper.”
Shaking his head, Luke took a calming breath. “Those Felton’s sure seem to turn up a lot. Especially when it concerns Becky’s ranch.”
Sheriff Reed shrugged his shoulders. “It ain’t her ranch no more. The bill of sale was legal.”
Luke’s brow furrowed. “After I kill Tom Johnson’s murderer, then we can start arguing who owns what.”
The man across from him snorted. “This town is filled with hard cases. I swear it’s mind-scrambling every day it don’t blow up. Drunk miners and drunker cowboys fighting in the streets. I keep telling the mine owners and the ranchers to spread out their paydays so we don’t get everyone in town at the same time. But they don’t listen. No one around here listens. If’n I was you, I’d be careful, boy.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Sheriff, I had the boy burned out of me at Shiloh. And three more years to make sure it stuck.”
The sheriff blanched for a moment then tipped his head in a silent apology.
“What about other robberies?” Luke asked, deciding not to make it more of an issue. “Has this happened before? Since?”
“Nothing like what happened to old Tom. Miners winning too much at the poker table might find themselves waking up in a ditch. Their pockets empty and a serious bump on the back of their head. The Cowboys are usually armed so they don’t get robbed as much. But then they ain’t any good at poker and their pay goes for whiskey and girls before they can get robbed.”
Luke shook his head. Nothing to go on. It was what he had feared.
“Someone tried to rob a stage a couple of weeks ago,” the sheriff added. “Not three miles from town. Big mistake with Chester Polk up on the box. And Slim Winters at the reins. Between Chester’s scatter gun and Slim’s Fifty Sharps. Not a well-planned moment. Especially when you add one of them Pinkerton men inside the stage. The three of them opened up before the heathens could finish their speech. Plugged one of them if Chester is right. They disappeared into the desert and ain’t been heard from since.”
“Any ideas?”
The sheriff paused. “Ideas, but no proof.”
That was it, Luke thought as he let out a long sigh. He had hoped for more. A starting point.
“You looking for work?” Sheriff Reed asked as he opened the top drawer of his desk and removed a shiny gold star. “I could use a deputy. And anyone faster than Troy Cooper meets the criteria.” He tossed the badge over, forcing Luke to catch it.
The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “If I was a betting man - which I am by the way. I’d say Union Army officer. So, I know you got the smarts.”
“You didn’t know some of the officers I knew,” Luke scoffed.
Reed smiled. “Can you read and write? That puts you in front of nine out of ten men in these parts.”
Luke nodded that he could read but still he hesitated.
“This town has gotten too big and too hard for one man,” Reed said. “Especially an old codger like me. What do you say? At least this a way, when you take out Tom Johnson’s killers. You’ll have the law behind you.”
Luke looked down at the star in his hand. He hadn’t anticipated this. It hadn’t been in his plans. Should he take it? But would that constrain him? Working for the law might stop him from doing the things that needed to be done. Rules might need to be broken if he was going to find the truth.
What would Becky think of him being a deputy?
“I ain’t planning on being here long. Just enough time to get Becky what is hers and justice for Tom Johnson. There’s a nice spread up in the Cascades I’ve been dreaming on for the last four years.”
Reed’s brow furrowed as he nodded slowly. “Let me know if you change your mind. I already talked to a couple of the town council and they’ll back me if you want the job.”
“I forgot how fast news travels in a small town.”
The sheriff grinned. “I knew about your run in with Felton before he and Cooper were in their saddles.”
Luke sighed as he laid the star back on the desk before standing up. “If you hear anything. I’d be obliged if you shared it with me. Especially where I can find this Travers fellow.”
Reed nodded. “I understand you got to do what you got to do. But if you cross the line, I’ll have to bring you in.”
Luke smiled for the first time in hours. “Where is this line exactly? Seems to me it shifts a lot in these parts.”
Sheriff Reed smiled back. “That it does. But when you cross it. I’ll be there.”
“Good enough,” Luke said as he turned for the door. He couldn’t blame the man for warning him.
“And Parker,” the sheriff said. “It aint’ Cooper or Mark Felton you need to be worrying about.
It’s the older brother, Joshua I’d be concerned with. Don’t let the fancy clothes fool you. The man is tougher than a miner’s mule and quicker than an angry snake. And he knows how to use his hands. Saw him beat a man half to death and not even break a sweat.”
“Why didn’t you arrest him?”
Reed laughed. “The man deserved it. Made a play for Felton’s sister.”
“Does that warrant a beating in these parts? You lot are rather touchy if you ask me.”
The sheriff's smile turned into a quick frown. “Happened about four years ago, She wasn’t more than fourteen at the time. I figured I couldn’t blame Felton.”
“All right,” Luke said. “The man is good with his fists. Thanks for the tip. But does that mean you think Felton was behind all of this?”
“I don’t know what I believe. And can prove even less. But …”
Luke nodded. “My Brother-in-law, Zion Campbell, used to say, a string of coincidences make up a trail that can be followed to a firm fact.”
“Maybe, but we don’t hang men around here without proof. At least not usually.”
Smiling, Luke nodded. “So, you're telling me, don’t bring them in for hanging? I should take care of it out on the range? Might be difficult. Ain’t many trees in these parts.”
“No! that ain’t what I’m saying,” the sheriff said as his face turned red. “I’m telling you. Don’t do something unless you got the proof. I liked Tom Johnson. And that Rebecca is sweeter than a spring foal. What happened to her is not right. You get the proof and I’ll take them. Regardless of who they are.”
Luke nodded that he understood but he didn’t agree to the conditions. No. When he found the killer. He’d deal with them himself.
As he stepped off the boardwalk, he looked up the street and shook his head. He could see what the sheriff was dealing with. Men in rough clothes. A few loitering, looking for trouble if he was any judge. Others in a hurry, not really caring who was in their way.
While he stood there, the doors of the Red House burst open as two men tumbled out into the street wrestling and punching at each other like crazed wolverines.
A small crowd of cowboys formed to watch, some yelling encouragement. Others’ grumbling, obviously wanting to jump in and help.
Both of the men rolled over each other until the larger one gained a purchase and held the man down as his fist plowed into his opponent. Only when one was out cold, did two men pull the top man off and away. Then the entire group turned and walked back into the saloon, clapping each other on the back. Leaving the fallen man in the dirt.
Luke shook his head as he crossed the street to the fallen cowboy. The man couldn’t be twenty with a battered face turning black and blue.
The man squinted up through swelling eyes. “Did I get him?” he croaked.
“Next time,” Luke said as he held out a hand to help the man up.
The cowboy tried to focus on the hand before him and had to swipe at it twice before he could take the grip and pull himself up to his feet. Once standing, he wobbled over to the trough and plunged his head in to try to clear the cobwebs.
“God, the man punches like a mule.”
Luke smiled. “Never get in a fight with a mule. They’re too stupid to know when to quit.”
“Hey, it weren’t my idea,” he said before he held out his hand to shake. “Name’s Bill Carver. Thanks for the help.”
Luke shook the man’s hand and made a quick assessment. Cowboy, young, probably in over his head. “Luke Parker,” he answered.
The young man’s eyes grew big as he quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching. “Heard about you,” he said as a concerned, hesitant look came over his battered face. “Heard you was looking into Tom Johnson’s murder.”
“Doesn’t this town have anything else to talk about?”
The cowboy bent to pick up his hat from the dirt, dusting it against his leg as he studied Luke for a moment. “I can tell you one thing. It weren’t Troy Cooper that done the killing.”
“How can you be sure?” Luke asked.
“Because Cooper shoots them in the front. It’s a point of pride with him. Besides, we were working the west range the week Johnson was killed.”
“You work for the Feltons?” Luke’s gut tightened. The man appeared to be telling the truth. At least as much of the truth that he knew.
The cowboy nodded then glanced down quickly. “The Circle B, yes I do, for the last two years.”
Nodding to himself Luke looked off into the distance. “You headed back that way?”
“Tomorrow,” the cowboy said. “I still got money in my pocket and a night off.”
“Mind if I tag along when you ride back? I think I want to talk to this Joshua Felton fellow. Told he’s the big man in these parts.”
The bruises in young Carver's face suddenly blanched. “That might not be real intelligent. I don’t think you would be very welcome. Not after today’s trouble with Mark Felton. He don’t take easy to being backed down.”
Luke stared into the man’s eyes. “What they going to do? Shoot me in the back and leave me to the coyotes?”
Carver swallowed hard. Luke could see it in the man’s eyes. He believed his outfit was involved in Tom Johnson’s death and was ashamed of that fact. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“Good, then you mind me tagging along? I mean if not, I can just go out there on my own. But it’s a long ride and I wouldn’t mind the company of someone who knows the territory.”
The cowboy shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, if you want. It’s a free country. Can’t stop you from coming along.”
Nodding to himself, Luke felt a sense of progress. It wasn’t much but at least he was moving and maybe by kicking over the apple barrel he might find a rat or two.
Chapter Seven
Rebecca sighed as Helen locked the front door and dropped the key into her apron pocket before she shifted the food hamper to her other arm. The cool of the night had settled over the town. Moonlight mingled with the yellow lamp glow from windows to show enough of the street.
Another day done, Rebecca thought. A remarkable special day that she knew would change her world.
The two women turned to start for home when Luke stepped out of the shadows. “Ladies,” he said as he tipped his hat. “Mind if I walk with you a bit?”
Rebecca’s heart jumped. The man was so handsome mixed with a hint of a quiet strength. The thought of walking with Luke seemed like the most perfect way to spend her time.
“We would be honored,” Helen said as she frowned at Rebecca when she didn’t answer him. She then shot Rebecca a quick knowing smile then added, “I’m only going as far as the stage station.” She held up the food hamper. “Chester is pulling the evening shift for guard duty. The mines are making a shipment tomorrow and the strongbox is waiting for tomorrow’s stage.”
A nervous flutter flashed through Rebecca’s stomach at the thought of being alone with Luke. A dozen worries mixed with excited anticipation. What would they talk about? What did he think of her? He probably only saw her as the little girl he had known years ago. A friend. Almost a sister. Somehow, the thought of Luke thinking of her that way sent a shaft of disappointment through her.
She gave him a quick smile before folding her hands in her apron and studying the ground. Why hadn’t she taken off her apron? It made her look frumpy. Swallowing quickly, she raised a hand to check and make sure her hair was in place. After twelve hours of waiting tables, it had a habit of falling.
Then she winced thinking about how she probably smelled like seared steak and stale coffee.
Luke fell in next to them, keeping himself to the edge of the boardwalk, staying between them and the street.
“I hear that Sheriff Reed offered you a job,” Helen said across her to Luke.
“What?” Rebecca gasped. Why hadn’t she heard this? Of course, her head had been in the clouds all day as she constantly recalled every memory ever associated with
Luke Parker.
Luke laughed and shook his head. “I swear, you people need to find something else to talk about besides me.”
“What did you tell him?” Rebecca asked as she held her breath. The thought of Luke being a deputy bothered her to her very core. He needed to stop all of this. Once again, she rethought her asking him to help. She should have realized the danger it would put him in. Now, being a deputy would add to that danger.
“Told him I wasn’t going to be here for long. Only enough time to find Tom’s killers and get you your ranch back.”
Her stomach dropped. First with the thought of him staying and getting killed and then with the thought of him leaving and once again disappearing from her life.
“I told you,” she said as she stopped and pulled him around to make sure he understood. “I don’t want you to get involved. It isn’t worth it.”
Luke shrugged his shoulders. Then once again started walking.
Rebecca grumbled under her breath. She had just been dismissed. Her concerns. Her wishes were of no matter to this man. What is more. He wouldn’t even discuss it.
An anger began to build inside of her. She would not be the cause of him getting hurt. Too many people had been lost. Not again.
Helen shot her a strange look then shook her head before indicating she should come along.
Rebecca hurried to join them. The three walked in an awkward silence, with Helen glancing at him, then at her. Rebecca knew the woman thought she was being foolish, but she couldn’t shake this feeling of doom. This gut-level certainty that Luke would be killed and she would be truly alone in this world.
What Helen didn’t realize was for the last eleven years, no matter what bad thing happened. Always, in the back of her mind was the idea of Luke. The boy who stood with her when her world crumbled. The boy who had given her an arrowhead and promised to come if she needed him.
Silver Creek (The Parker Family Saga) Page 4