"I don't know. Circumstances would say he probably is, since my other deputy is, and the two of them are pretty good friends. But to be honest, I don't think he is. When we got in last night, he asked where Clark was, and I watched his face carefully as I told him he'd been arrested and was in jail in Collinwood. I think he was truly surprised. He asked what he did, and when I told him he tried to shoot me when I shot the man at the campsite, he didn't believe me. I described the whole situation, and he just sat there shaking his head."
"So, if he was actually surprised, who do you suppose J. Silas is?"
"I don't know."
"Did you tell him about the telegram?"
"I asked him if he knew anything at all about this, and told him if he knows anything at all, now is the time to tell me. He was hurt. I could see it in his eyes. He was hurt, and asked why I would ask him that. I showed him the telegram and watched as he read it."
"Did he have an answer for it," Austin asked.
"He said he understood why I asked, but assured me he had nothing to do with it. He pointed out that he never goes by J. Silas. He said that Joe's not a long name, and that's what he always signs."
"I never have known him to use an initial, now that I think about it," Clay said, "and we went to school together."
Austin ran his hand through his hair. "So, if it's not him, could it be a brother?"
Grant shook his head. "Joe says he doesn't think so. He has a large family, but he's the only one whose first name starts with J. He says he doesn't have any other relatives in this area at all, and he can't think of any J's."
"That's not good," Austin said. "If it's not him, who is it?"
"I don't know. I'm not even sure what my next step should be."
"Thinking back, he didn't seem to be familiar with the name Sam Wyler when Pete said that's who shot him," Austin recalled.
"That's right," Georgia agreed. "When Pete said Wyler shot him, it didn't seem to mean anything to Joe."
The sheriff agreed. "If he's working with Sam Wyler and Pete said Sam Wyler shot him, I would have thought Joe would have had some kind of reaction; at least a bit of a surprised look."
Georgia was obviously thinking something through in her head. "Sheriff, you're sure Clark wouldn't say anything at all to you?"
"Not a word."
"Any word on how Sam Wyler's doing? Is he going to make it?"
"I got a telegram this morning from Sheriff Johnson," Grant said. "Clark still won't talk at all, but he said he seemed interested, I think is the word he used, that Wyler seems to be waking up."
Austin's eyebrows rose. "So he's waking up? Maybe he'll be able to answer some questions."
"Maybe eventually, but probably not right away."
They discussed it a bit more, and Grant indicated he was going to go check on Pete and talk to him again. Austin cautioned him, though, saying they were afraid Ted or someone hired by him may be watching their ranch, still looking for Pete, and they didn't want to lead him to him. Grant agreed that was a possibility, and decided to check around and see if anyone in town knew if Ted and the group he assembled left, and where they were headed.
Grant stopped back at the Rippling Waters ranch the following night, anxious to share his new information. Several people told him Ted and his group of six men rode out a few days ago, headed for Ogden in search of Pete. Grant sent a telegram to the sheriff there, who he'd met a couple times and trusted. He warned him he may be coming, and to please keep an eye on him. He told him he is looking for evidence needed to arrest him.
Austin was surprised to hear that. "What evidence are you looking for, or what do you plan to have him arrested for?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Grant admitted. "But I do believe he's involved in this in some way. Why else would he show up right about the time this all happened, and Sam left? And why else would he be looking for Pete?"
Austin was shaking his head. "I see what you're saying, and I can't argue with you. But we know he's not the one who shot Pete, so you're saying he had some other involvement. What was it, and how do Joe and Clark fit in?"
"That's what I'm trying to work out. I don't know."
Georgia offered her thoughts. "That's if Joe is involved. We don't know yet that he is. Maybe it's just Clark."
"I'd like to think that," Grant said, "but how do you explain the name on the telegram?"
Georgia had been pouring more coffee for the the men, and she stopped. When she didn't move, both men looked at her. Austin knew that look on her face. "You just thought of something. What is it?"
"Maybe nothing, but it's a thought. Anyone can put a name on a telegram. Clark's a smart man, and a deputy. Maybe he didn't want his name involved, so he used Joe's."
Both men were silent several moments while they thought. "She's right, Grant. Clark could have sent the telegram and put Joe's name to it."
"But then Sam would know him as Joe Silas, not as Clark Byner."
Austin shrugged. "Maybe he does. If he's just waking up, maybe that's the first thing Sheriff Johnson needs to ask him, is who the man is in the cell next to him."
"I'll send a telegram to him as soon as I get back into town. It's kind of a far fetched idea, but it's easily discounted if he identifies him as Clark Byner. I've been thinking about this, and Clark did take a week or so off about the time all this started. He said he was going to see his dad, but now I think it was to go to Collinwood to meet with Wyler. But maybe he went as Joe, and not as Clark."
Austin began thinking out loud. "Do you suppose this telegram telling Sam about the spot on the Black Creek came from Collinwood?"
"I don't know," Grant answered. "Why?"
"If it did, do you suppose the telegram operator would remember what the guy who sent it looked like? The two men don't look anything alike. Clark's not too tall and has light hair. Joe's a big man with dark hair. If he remembers the guy that sent the telegram, maybe that would help."
"I'll suggest that in the telegram to Sheriff Johnson, too," Grant said. "Maybe he can do some investigating for us down there."
"If he wakes up and says the man in the cell beside him is Joe Silas, that will be all you need for that, won't it?"
"Yes, that would pretty much clear Joe," Grant agreed. "But we would still have to figure out Ted's part in this. I don't trust the guy, and the quicker I can figure it out and get him behind bars, the better I'll feel."
Georgia was starting to pour the coffee again, but she stopped again. "There's one thing I keep coming back to, that I just don't understand."
"What's that, honey?"
"Assuming Ted's involved in this, what could his involvement be, and why would he care so much about Pete being alive? If he wants to get rid of him so badly that he's hired a bunch of guys and is going clear out to Ogden looking for him, he must have a pretty good reason. What could that reason be?"
"That's a good question, Georgia," Grant said. "I've asked myself that, too. If he didn't shoot him, why is he so concerned about him talking? You would think Wyler would be the one who's worried."
"Wait a minute," Georgia said suddenly.
Austin could tell she was deep in thought. "What is it?"
"Again, maybe nothing, but let me ask you something. Pete said Sam Wyler is the man who shot him, didn't he?"
"Yes," both men mirrored.
"How did he know that?"
Both men were confused. Austin set the coffee pot she was holding down and studied her. "What do you mean? I assume he saw him."
"But he couldn't have," she said. "He was shot in the back."
Both men were silent as they looked at each other again. "She's right, Grant. He may have been the one who shot him, but how does Pete know that?" He thought a moment before turning to his wife. "But what are you suggesting, Georgia? Do you think maybe Ted shot him?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I'm just trying to come up with any possibilities. I think Grant's right that it's probably not a coincidence. But if that's true, who is he and why wo
uld he be after Pete? If Sam isn't the one who shot Pete, but Ted is, that would certainly be a good reason for Ted to hunt down Pete, just in case he thinks he saw him."
"That does make sense," Grant said. "I think maybe I need to go see Pete and ask him about that. I also need to ask him if he knows Ted Braxton. He never mentioned him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know him."
Grant left shortly afterward. He was going to town to send a telegram, then out to talk to Pete.
After he left, Austin and Cord started toward the door to go out and start their day. Georgia put her hand on her husband's arm to stop him. "Can I talk to you a minute, please, Austin?"
"Cord, go on out and get the men working on replacing that fence in the north pasture. I want to get that done so we can move the young herd into the pasture. I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Sure thing, boss."
Once he left, Austin turned to his wife. "I'm proud of you, Georgia. You've just been one surprise after another since you got out here, with all the things I'm finding out you're good at. I never dreamed I'd have a wife who can ride like you, or track as good as any man I've met, not to mention take care of a house, and is a wonderful teacher. Now you're proving to be a good little detective, too. I feel I should ask, is there anything you're not good at?"
She chuckled. "Lots of things. I'm not good at big parties."
"Big parties?"
"At school we learned how to plan a big party and be the perfect hostess. I hate big parties, so I wasn't any good at planning them, or being hostess. I always thought I'd rather not be there at all."
"Well, you'll be glad to know you don't have to worry about that. Out here we occasionally have a barn dance, but that's about it for parties. They're more laid back, and everyone brings a dish or two. We eat, dance, and have a good time."
"I can handle that kind of party," she said with a grin and a kiss for her husband. She got serious then. "I want to talk to you about starting to go back over to Vera and Elliott's on Saturdays again. I miss not going over there, and I miss Maria. If Grant said Ted left, is there any reason I can't start going back over there to work with them again? And if he's gone, should we bring Pete back over here?"
"Let me give that some thought. I might talk to Grant about it the next time I see him. It would probably be easier to have Pete back here where you and Maria can look after him, and Amos can come in sometimes to visit with him. I know Vera and Maria are there, but he's probably eating by now, and I don't know how much of a hardship the extra mouth to feed is, or if they have enough room for all of them over there. Let me think about that and talk to Grant. Thank you for bringing that up." He gave his wife a tender kiss, enjoying the big smile he got in return, before going out to join Cord and his men.
Chapter Sixteen
Grant came out the next evening, full of news. Joe Silas with with him. "Georgia, your hunch was right," Grant said. "I got a telegram from Sheriff Johnson this afternoon. When Wyler was awake enough the sheriff asked him what the man's name in the cell next to him is, and he said Joe Silas."
Joe couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Thank you, Mrs. Barrington. I know that made it look like I was involved in that, but I didn't know how to clear my name. I can't tell you what a relief that is. I feel like a weight's been lifted from my shoulders."
"I'm glad we were able to clear it up, too," Georgia said. She looked back to Grant. "Do we know why he was using Joe's name?"
"I think we might. Sam said Clark approached him, wanting to sell information on where to mine gold in the area. Wyler wasn't sure if he could trust Clark, who he knew as Joe, but then he said he was a deputy here. Wyler came to town and asked if people knew Joe Silas. Of course people did, and they gave him a good report. They said Joe Silas was indeed a deputy here and was very trustworthy, so Wyler believed him and started dealing with him. He never met the real Joe Silas, and every time he met Clark they were always alone, so he never knew he wasn't Joe."
Austin clapped Joe on the back. "So being a good man with a good reputation is what got you in trouble, huh?"
They all chuckled, but Grant nodded. "Basically, yes. Clark didn't want to use his real name, but he needed someone Wyler could check up on and then believe, so he used Joe."
Austin got serious. "I'm glad Grant was able to clear that up, Joe. We were having an awful tough time thinking you were involved somehow. I'm glad to know the truth."
"Me, too," Joe said with a smile. "Thank you, though, for helping."
"That's okay. Now you're free to help us from here on out."
"I've brought him up to date on what all we know now that he's not a suspect any longer," Grant said with a bit of a smile.
"Any more news?" Georgia asked.
"There is, as a matter of fact," Grant said. "Pete said he's heard Wyler talk about Ted Braxton, but he didn't think he personally had ever met him. He said he was supposedly on his way out to meet up with Wyler."
"Are they good friends, relatives?"
"Pete didn't know. He said Wyler told him a story about how this Braxton got himself in trouble. He thinks he said they accused him of stealing something, but Wyler got a couple guys and a lady who owns a saloon to lie for him. They went to court and Wyler told the judge he and Braxton and this other guy were in a saloon all evening on the night this thing was stolen. The one guy testified the same thing, that he was there with them all night. The lady said she was working at the bar all that night and the three men were there all night, and she served them a few drinks. The other man said he was in the bar that night and saw them there. He didn't know who they were, but he saw them in there all night. The judge found him not guilty. Wyler laughed and laughed as he told the story. He said he paid them all the money he promised, and left town."
"Sounds like a couple guys that deserve to be off the streets," Austin said. "Do you suppose Ted could be looking for Pete to pay Sam back for helping him out of trouble? Maybe they figure it's too dangerous for Sam to be in this area in case Pete's talked to the law, but nobody knows Ted, so this is his chance to pay him back for helping him out of trouble?"
"That's what I'm thinking," Grant said. "The problem is, that's not enough to get him arrested, taken off the streets. He may be planning on killing Pete, but unless he actually does something, you can't arrest him."
Georgia was appalled. "Surely you're not saying we let him know Pete's okay now, and invite him back to kill him?"
"Of course not," Grant said. "I'm just saying we have to keep checking. Maybe we'll find something he did that we can prove, and have him arrested. The sheriff in Ogden said he's out there and he and the men that came with him are asking around about Pete, using the story that Pete is Ted's missing cousin. We've got to find something we can have him arrested for before he assumes Pete's not there and he moves on and we lose him. I don't think Pete will be safe until Ted's behind bars."
"I won't feel the ranch is safe until then, either. He may have hired someone to watch the ranch now, especially if he hasn't found Pete yet."
"I tried to buy us a little time," Grant said. "I asked the sheriff if he could have a man or two say he met a guy just the other day that fits that description."
"Good idea," Clay said. "Maybe that will buy us the time we need to find some illegal activity we can connect him to."
"I'm hoping it will keep him there looking an extra day or two, but we've got to find something, and soon."
Georgia asked what seemed an obvious question to her. "So Sam admitted he shot Pete?"
Joe looked at Grant, and Grant looked pale. "I'm not sure they actually asked him. I wanted to know who he thought Clark was, so that's the first thing the sheriff asked him. I'll have to send another telegram and ask him that. I assume he's asked him, but maybe he just assumed he did and hasn't actually asked."
Georgia persisted in her questions. "Did you ask Pete how he knows Sam is the one who shot him?"
"I did ask that," Grant said. "Pete said he and Sam were talking,
or arguing. After their argument he left, and it wasn't real long after that that he was shot, so he said he figured it had to be Sam. Who else would have shot him? It was just the two of them out there."
"Unless Ted was there and Pete didn't know about it," Joe said. When all heads turned toward him, he explained. "What if Ted had just gotten there and overheard the argument? He could have followed Pete and shot him. Or maybe he came right after Pete left, and Wyler told him about Pete. Maybe he saw Pete as a threat and followed him. I'm just saying there are some possibilities there. They may not be the most likely, which of course is that Wyler shot Pete after they argued, but Grant, you always told me the first thing to remember when trying to solve a case is not to assume anything."
"You're right, Joe, I did tell you that. Maybe it's time I took my own advice. Thank you, both of you, for pointing that out. I'll send another telegram and ask him to ask Wyler point blank if he shot Pete. Come on, Joe, let's go do that right now. I'll let you know as soon as I get an answer back from him. In the meantime, if anyone thinks of any other possible scenarios, or anything we can check on—"
"I'll come find you and let you know," Austin promised.
The sheriff and deputy arrived the next evening just as Austin and Cord were going in for supper. Georgia set two more plates, and they talked while they ate.
"I've got very interesting news again tonight," Grant started. "I received a telegram back from Sheriff Johnson. He asked him if he knew what he was going to stand trial for, and he said kidnapping Olivia, and mining on other people's land. When he told him, and shooting Pete Sanders, he said he honestly looked stunned. He insisted he didn't know anything about Pete being shot. He said he was fine the last time he saw him."
Austin's eyebrows rose. "So he denied shooting Pete, but he admitted kidnapping Olivia?"
"He not only admitted kidnapping her, he admitted using her, as he put it."
"So if he didn't shoot Pete, did Ted?"
"That's what I'm thinking," Grant said. "Sheriff Johnson says he believed him because of the look on his face, plus the fact that he isn't denying anything else. It makes sense, too, because Pete said Sam said Ted was on his way to meet up with him."
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