The Rightful Heir

by Angel Moore

  Jared leaned forward in his chair. “Judge, the thing we want you to consider is the accusation made by Elmer Finch that Andrew sold him these items. We don’t believe that. Andrew is a hardworking young man. He holds down three jobs and was meeting with a local foreman about a ranching job when the news began to spread that he might be a thief.”

  The judge’s eyes narrowed. “I understand Sheriff Collins found him in possession of an item that was stolen from the general store.”

  “Yes, but Andrew says he didn’t take it.”

  “Most folks who go to jail say they didn’t do the crime that put them there.” The judge wasn’t making it easy for him to plead Andrew’s case.

  Mary Lou sat on the edge of her chair. “Sir, the thefts didn’t start until the day Mr. Finch came to Pine Haven. Andrew Nobleson has been under my oversight for two years. I’ve never had a moment of trouble from him. Nor has anyone else in town.”

  Sheriff Collins agreed. “He’s never been in trouble before. And for an orphan that’s saying a lot. Of course, the people of Pine Haven have taken care of him. Given him odd jobs before he was old enough to work steady like he does now.”

  Mary Lou added, “There’s a young boy in town who saw Mr. Finch coming out of the general store at the time the mirror was stolen. We can take you there after we eat and show you where the boy saw him.”

  “I’ll walk by there, but I won’t promise it will have a bearing on the case.”

  Jared pulled the last telegram from the stack and showed it to the judge. “This says Finch was a pickpocket who tried to blame someone else when he thought he would be caught.”

  The judge read the missive and returned it to the stack. “I’ll think on it.”

  Jared nodded at Mary Lou. They’d done all they could. Now it was in the hands of God.

  Naomi brought their food with the help of Josephine, the girl who worked as a maid and waitress at the hotel.

  After they were all served, the judge picked up his fork and knife. “This ham looks delicious.” He looked up at Jared. “I will tell you both that I’m surprised you didn’t come here to try and sway my ruling for the two of you tomorrow. I will keep your compassion for another over yourselves in mind when I’m deciding.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mary Lou pinned her watch onto the green vest she wore. She stood before the mirror and fingered the delicate piece, remembering how happy she’d been on the day Mr. Ivy had given it to her. She’d questioned him about the inscription, but he’d only said she’d understand it in time. She wore it every day to remind her of his love. The love of a father who cared for a child he’d found and taken in and protected. She missed him today. More than any day since he’d passed.

  Lord, help me to accept Your will for my life today. No matter what happens, help me to honor You. And help me to remember that the love Mr. Ivy showed me was a love he learned from You.

  She went to the office like any Monday morning, only today could be the last day she’d go there.

  Jared sat at the desk, writing. After all these weeks she’d come to expect him to be there. Today she tried to memorize the sight of him, pen in hand, jotting notes and making lists. She’d learned he wouldn’t respond, but couldn’t resist greeting him. “Good morning, Jared.”

  To her surprise he put the pen down and smiled up at her. “Hello, Mary Lou. I was waiting for you. I’ve got the newspapers stacked and ready to go.” They had agreed the night before that it would be best to distribute the papers before they went to court.

  “I’m ready.” She pulled on the hem of her vest and picked up her pencil and notebook. “We’ve got time to go together if you’d like.”

  He stood and gathered a stack of papers. “I’d like that very much.” Was he thinking about this being the last day they would be working together, too?

  In less than an hour, they’d finished their task. People were milling around town in larger than normal numbers. It seemed everyone would be in court. Mary Lou and Jared stopped by the sheriff’s office to see Andrew.

  The sheriff had released the two saloon fighters on Sunday morning. Andrew was staring through the back window of the cell when they entered.

  Two men stood at the desk talking with the sheriff. Mary Lou recognized them both from previous sessions of court. They traveled into town to serve as lawyers whenever the judge showed up. One acted as prosecutor and the other as a defender. Pine Haven was a growing town, but the citizens were a law-abiding lot. No lawyer could earn a living there by the practice of law alone.

  “Andrew.” Mary Lou approached the cell. “How are you doing?”

  He kept his back to her. “I’m powerful nervous, Miss Ellison.”

  Jared said, “I can understand that.”

  “You’ve got good cause to be scared.” Elmer Finch spewed the words from his bunk. “I’m going make sure they know you sold me all those things. I had no idea you were stealing from the people of this fine community.”

  Sheriff Collins took the cell keys from the wall as the front door opened. “Save it for the judge, Finch. No one in here believes you.”

  Judge Sawyer entered. “Save what for me?”

  The lawyers and the sheriff laughed.

  Mr. Finch persisted. “Judge, I was just telling these folks how upset I am to be accused of stealing. This young man sold me those things. I had no way of knowing he was a thief.”

  The judge held up a hand to stop him. “There’ll be time enough for your arguments once we choose a jury.” He looked around at everyone. “Are we ready to begin?”

  “Yes, sir.” The sheriff opened each cell in turn. “I was just about to walk these men to the church.”

  Mary Lou gave Andrew’s hand a squeeze when he walked by her.

  Lord, please help him. He doesn’t deserve to have his future stolen from him. He’s worked so hard. Please bring justice today.

  On the street people moved like a herd of lazy cattle in the direction of the church. The shop owners stood in their doorways to watch the processional of prisoners and men representing the law. Children had been dismissed from school for the day so the church could be used for the trials. They ran along the sidewalks, jumping up and down in an effort to see over the heads and shoulders of the adults.

  Mary Lou was saddened to see the spectacle, but she’d have been one of the gawkers if Andrew weren’t at risk.

  Jared walked beside her. As if sensing her pain, he slid his hand under her elbow. The comfort of his support was bittersweet. She needed it, but after today she would no longer have access to it.

  “Mr. Ivy!” Reilly Ledford stood on a porch rail, waving and shouting. “That’s the man I saw at the general store!” He pointed to Elmer Finch. “See his funny hat!”

  Milly Ledford pulled her son by the arm. “Shush, Reilly!”

  “But it’s him, Momma!” The noise of the crowd covered anything else Reilly may have said.

  People jostled along Main Street for the rest of their journey. It was only a matter of minutes, but to Mary Lou it seemed like hours. She knew she was walking into her unknown future.

  The church was crowded. Someone had opened the windows to the fresh, fall air. Men stood around the walls of the room while the women were seated on the benches. The first two benches on one side were reserved for the jury.

  Sheriff Collins led Andrew and Elmer Finch to the first bench on the opposite side. “Quieten down, everybody.” The conversations around the room died down to a whisper.

  Judge Sawyer took a seat behind the table that served as the teacher’s desk. He thumped his gavel on the table twice. “That’ll be enough talking, folks. We’ve got a lot of work to do today.” A ripple of chuckles went through the room. Judge Sawyer was new to their area, and no one knew what to expect from him. He was much more relaxed t
han the last judge who’d required complete silence before he entered the room and lost all the respect of the people by demanding it.

  Mary Lou sat on the end of the bench behind Andrew, and Jared stood against the wall beside her. She glanced up at him and he winked. He winked. She put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. In all the tension of this day, he’d known exactly what she needed.

  The judge addressed the crowd. “Good morning to you all. I’m Judge Solomon Sawyer. It’s my first time to Pine Haven, so we’ll have to get to know one another. I don’t know what you’re accustomed to here, but this is how we’re gonna do things.

  “We’re gonna offer these gentlemen a chance to end these cases before we put a jury together. If we can’t make that happen, then some of you will be needed to form that jury. I like to make things run as smooth as possible. It’ll bode well for all of us if we can do that today.”

  Liza Croft spoke out from the other end of the bench where Mary Lou sat. “Your Grace.” She waved a hand and sat tall in her seat. “May I ask a question?”

  “I think you just did, ma’am,” he answered.

  Mrs. Croft did not seem to appreciate the laughter that erupted in the room. She stood and clasped her hands together at her waist. “I’d like to know if we’ll be able to have the things that were stolen returned to us today. You see, I run the general store.” Mr. Croft cleared his throat and she added, “My husband and I run the store, and this thievery has cost us quite a bit of money.”

  “Take your seat, ma’am. I promise you’ll get your stuff back. Seems from the list the sheriff gave me that most of your stuff didn’t sell anyway.”

  The laughter was uncontainable now.

  Liza Croft sat down in a huff. “Well, I never!”

  The judge had to use his gavel to capture everyone’s attention. “If you folks don’t mind, we need to move along. Sheriff, please read the charges against these men.”

  Sheriff Collins stood. “Andrew Nobleson is charged with the theft of a small mirror with a value of less than one dollar. He’s been in the jail since Mrs. Croft here sent for me and I found the mirror in Andrew’s pocket.”

  “How long has that been?”

  “Ten days.”

  Judge Sawyer looked at Andrew and motioned for him to stand. “I’d say that’s quite a long time for a man your age to be in a cell.”

  Andrew kept his hands at his sides and met the judge’s look with a steady eye. “Yes, sir. It is.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I went to the general store and asked Mrs. Croft if I could see a mirror she had on the shelf behind the display case.” He pointed to Mrs. Croft. “She let me hold it, but she stood close by the whole time.” He pointed to Mary Lou. “Miss Ellison came in while I was there. She saw me with the mirror.”

  The judge held up a hand. “You’re not helping yourself, Mr. Nobleson.”

  “But it’s the truth. I wanted to buy the mirror for Miss Ellison. She’s been mighty good to me since my ma died.” Nods of agreement went through the room. “You see, I was hoping to get a job on the Double Star Ranch. A good job so I could have a real bunk and not sleep in the livery.” He turned to Jim Robbins. “I do appreciate you letting me stay there for the last two years and work for my keep. But I want a real bed and a man’s job.”

  Mrs. Croft’s hand shot into the air. “I object!” She was on her feet again. “Is this a court of law, or are you going to listen to this tale of woe from a boy who admits he had the mirror—my mirror—in his hands, with witnesses to prove it?”

  The gavel hit the desk again. “Sit down, Mrs. Croft.”

  Mary Lou could hear laughter coming from the churchyard now. People had gathered close to the open windows to listen to the new judge.

  Mrs. Croft looked around the room and sank onto the bench. Mr. Croft sent her a warning glare from his place against the wall.

  Judge Sawyer leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk. “This is my court. In it, I seek the truth. If you don’t care for the way I do it, you may leave. But I will get to the truth.” He pointed at Andrew. “As for this young man, given the limited value of the mirror and the time he’s already been in the jail, I’m going to let him go. Ten days is long enough to pay for a trinket.”

  Mrs. Croft gasped.

  “As for you, ma’am. I won’t warn you again to be quiet. It seems that’s not something you do well, but you’ll do it in here or you’ll be leaving.”

  The chuckles settled to quiet. Judge Solomon Sawyer might be relaxed, but he was also serious.

  Mary Lou slumped forward in relief that Andrew would be free, and Jared dropped his hand onto her shoulder. But Andrew still had the stigma of theft hanging over him.

  “Now, Andrew Nobleson, I want you tell me the rest of your story.”

  “You’re letting me go?”

  “I am, but I need to hear what happened. Because if I just let you go, you’ll walk out of here with folks wondering if you really stole that mirror. If you did, you’ll deserve all the hardship that would bring to you. But if you didn’t, we need to know that so we don’t let a good man carry a bad reputation out of here.”

  Mary Lou sat straight again and put her hand over Jared’s. They’d worked so hard for the last two weeks to clear Andrew’s name. Today, in front of all of Pine Haven, he was getting a chance to prove his innocence.

  “Well, I didn’t have enough money to buy the mirror that day, so I put it on the counter and left. It was time for me to be at my job at the Pine Haven Hotel. The general store was full of passengers from the train. I guess one of them picked it up.”

  “Now, now, don’t be guessing at anything,” Judge Sawyer admonished him. “That’s probably what started this whole mess in the first place. Someone guessed at an answer and got it wrong.”

  “Yes, sir.” Andrew swallowed big. “I left the store and went to the hotel. I’m not sure what happened or how, but a little while later the sheriff came to talk to me.” Sheriff Collins nodded when the judge looked to him for confirmation. “He asked me if I’d been to the general store. Said something was missing and Mrs. Croft said I was the one who had it last.”

  A rumble of murmuring went through the room and carried into the yard beyond the open windows. The judge cleared his throat and brought the room to silence. “Go on.”

  “I told him I didn’t take anything from the store. He said he knew I didn’t, but he had to search me to prove it to Mrs. Croft. I told him to go ahead, he wouldn’t find nothing.” Mary Lou cringed. Andrew was so nervous he’d reverted to speaking as he had before he’d come to work for the paper. She hated the strain he was under.

  Andrew dropped his head. “I don’t know how that mirror got in my pocket. It was just there. It was so small, I didn’t even feel it.” His voice faded to silence on the words.

  “You told the sheriff to search you?” The judge sat back in his chair.

  “I didn’t have nothing to hide. I didn’t steal it, sir. You’ve got to believe me.”

  Judge Sawyer tapped a finger on the desk. “Where is the mirror? I’d like to see how big it is.”

  Sheriff Collins pulled the mirror from the trunk of evidence under the window near the front of the room. Reilly Ledford hung on to the windowsill from the outside and peered into the trunk. When the sheriff pulled out the mirror, Reilly exclaimed, “Hey! I seen that before! But it weren’t Andrew holdin’ it. It was that fella there with the funny hat.” The boy pointed to Mr. Finch.

  Conversations broke out in hushed tones throughout the crowd.

  Judge Sawyer inclined his head to one side. “Who are you?”

  Reilly stood tall. He must have been standing on the woodpile to be so tall in the window. “I’m Reilly Ledford. I’m the one who seen that man coming out of the general store the day
Andrew got took off to jail.” The pride he exuded while he spoke puffed his little chest out.

  The judge crooked his pointer finger at Reilly. “Come inside, son.”

  “Yes, sir.” Reilly heaved himself up on his hands and swung his feet over the sill. He landed with a thud beside the trunk and spun to face the judge.

  Mary Lou smiled at his exuberance. He was clearly enjoying being in the spotlight. Probably because he had no man at home to show him attention.

  A grin creased the judge’s face. “Where’s your pa, son?”

  Reilly dropped his head. “In heaven, sir.”

  “I’m right sorry about that, Reilly Ledford. What about your ma?”

  “I’m here, Judge Sawyer.” Everyone turned to see a breathless Milly Ledford come in through the open doors at the end of the aisle. “I’m so sorry Reilly interrupted your court. When I came onto the churchyard, I saw him slipping in the window. I was working and didn’t see him leave the house.” She sent a stern look in her son’s direction. “I promise it will never happen again.” She took Reilly by the hand to leave.

  “Just a moment, ma’am.”

  Reilly looked more afraid of facing his mother than the judge. Mary Lou pulled her lips in and clenched them together to keep from laughing. The poor boy was in for a terrible scolding when he got home.

  The judge asked, “Is your son one to lie?”

  Mrs. Ledford stood straight and held her son’s hand. “No, sir. He knows the Lord doesn’t tolerate lying.”

  To Reilly he said, “How did you know it was this exact mirror that this fellow had?” He pointed to Elmer Finch.

  A blush crept up Reilly’s neck and turned his face pink. “’Cause I seen it in the store. I wanted to buy it for Ma’s birthday, but Mrs. Croft said it cost too much money.” He leaned in close to the judge. “It was s’posed to be a secret.” He put a hand up beside his mouth in an effort to keep his mother from hearing him. “Pink is her favorite color.”