Naomi smiled at Sarah.“I know you do. We all love Brian. But in this particular instance, I think Aidan’s cool headedness will be much more effective. He’ll be able to reason with the sheriff and get us out of this awful place.”
*****
Ironically, the sheriff was having similar thoughts, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aidan and Liam ride up outside the jail. He was hoping that Aidan McKenzie could reason with his stubborn wife and get her to go home with him.
The sheriff really didn’t like having the two women locked up, especially knowing that Mrs. McKenzie was expecting a baby. He was even starting to have doubts about the guilt of Sarah Martin. It was hard to believe, when he looked into her pleading brown eyes, that she could be a murderer. Still, it wasn’t up to him to decide her guilt or innocence, so there was nothing he could do.
Aidan and Liam entered the office and both of them raised their brows as they looked around at the mess. Papers were strewn on the floor, a chair was in pieces in one corner, there was a broken lantern, and the sheriff and the two other men were sporting cuts, bruises and blackened eyes.
“I’m assuming my brother has been here,” Aidan said dryly, pinning the sheriff with an expectant stare.
The sheriff hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward the cells in the back.“He’s here. He’s locked up in the back along with your wife and Sarah Martin. He tried to break them out of here, and got himself beaten up for his trouble.”
Aidan’s eyes flickered with smoldering anger as he raised a mocking brow.“It looks like to me that he got in a few good punches. In fact, from the looks of this place, you could have used more help to subdue him.”
The sheriff flushed with embarrassment, taking a seat behind his desk.“Nevertheless, we did subdue him, and he’s going to stay locked up until we get this mess sorted out with Miss Martin. I’m not going to release either him or her until a judge has heard her case. I wish there was something I could do for her, but it’s not up to me. Your wife, on the other hand, is free to go, but she refuses to leave without Miss Martin. I was hoping you could talk some sense into your wife. She’s been nothing but trouble this whole afternoon.”
Aidan bristled, but maintained a stoic expression.“Sounds like you don’t seriously think Sarah is guilty of murder,” Aidan said, watching the sheriff closely.
Sheriff Wilson sighed, scratching his head thoughtfully.“I find it hard to believe. She was telling me today that she knows who killed Mr. Henderson, and it wasn’t her. Now, I know everybody says they’re innocent, but to hear her tell it … well, let’s just say, she sounded pretty convincing. Still, like I said, it’s up to the judge to decide.”
“Why didn’t you get the judge down here today?”
Sheriff Wilson flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat.“Well, I just didn’t have time.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t have time?”
Sheriff Wilson puffed out his chest as he tried to look important.“Now see here, I’m a busy man. I have lots of other duties to tend to. There simply wasn’t time today to fetch the judge. I’ll get him tomorrow.”
“Looks to me like you had plenty of time to sit around jabbering with your friends,” Aidan growled, giving the sheriff a pointed glare.
“I was taking care of business,” the sheriff said with a defensive frown. He cleared his throat.“You know, I can’t just drop everything to see to the needs of one woman.”
Aidan felt like strangling the sheriff then and there, but he clamped down on his murderous impulse. He maintained an outward calm, propping a hip onto the top of the sheriff’s desk.“Then let’s go find the judge now and get this matter cleared up. I’m sure my wife is anxious to get home.”
Sheriff Wilson looked taken aback.“We can’t do that! Do you realize it’s almost eight o’clock at night? It’s nearly an hour’s ride to the judge’s house. Judge Hawthorne would skin my hide if I bothered him at this time of night.” The sheriff leaned back in his chair, confident that he had gotten his point across.“I’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”
Aidan had used up what little patience he had, and he lunged over the sheriff’s desk. He grasped Sheriff Wilson by the lapels and leaned close until their noses were mere inches apart. Aidan’s lips were curled in a snarl, and when he spoke, his voice was a deadly growl.
“There’s no way in hell that I’m leaving my wife to rot in this jail overnight just to keep from inconveniencing a judge. The judge’s reaction is the least of your worries, sheriff. Now, you can either get up off your dead ass and onto your dying feet and take us to see the judge tonight. Or, you can sit back and watch while I take my family home. Either way, we’re getting the hell out of here right now. Do I make myself clear, sheriff?”
The sheriff looked toward his shotgun, which was leaning in the corner of the room. Aidan shook him to regain his full attention. When he spoke, his voice was deadly calm, and all the more menacing.
“Don’t even think about it, sheriff. Try it, and I’ll beat you to within an inch of your life. Now, what’s it going to be?”
The sheriff glanced at the two townsmen for assistance. The two townsmen exchanged a nervous glance between themselves. Taking on one McKenzie brother had been daunting enough. They didn’t know if they had it in them to take on two more.
Liam sensed their thoughts and gave them a grin.“You know, Aidan’s as mean as the devil when he gets really mad.” His grin widened.“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this mad before. I’d stay out of this, if I were you.”
The two men exchanged another glance before sidling to the door.“I’d better get going, sheriff. The wife will be expecting me home.”
“Me too,” the other squeaked.“Good luck, sheriff.”
The two men high tailed it out of the jail, leaving Sheriff Wilson alone to face the music. Aidan’s narrow eyed glare had not wavered, and he still held the sheriff by the lapels.
“I’m taking my family home tonight, one way or another,” Aidan growled.“If you want Sarah’s case brought before a judge, it’s now or never.”
Sheriff Wilson gulped and nodded. Aidan released his lapels and straightened up in front of the desk.
“Liam,” Aidan said, not taking his eyes off the sheriff, “I thought I saw our wagon parked in front of the general store. Go get it. We’ll all ride together to the judge’s house. I’m not leaving here without my wife.”
Liam grinned and left to retrieve the wagon, while the sheriff stammered and whined.“Now listen here, Mr. McKenzie. You can’t just come in here and take over. I have your brother and Miss Martin under custody, and they don’t go free until I say so. I told you already, your wife is free to go anytime she wants, but she refuses to leave here without Miss Martin.”
“And I refuse to leave here without her. So like I said, we’ll all go together.” Seeing that the sheriff wasn’t going to give him any more arguments, Aidan nodded to the back door.“Now, get moving. You have some prisoners to free.”
Sheriff Wilson muttered something to himself about hard headed McKenzie men, but he reluctantly got to his feet. He led Aidan through the door to the holding cells, and Naomi sighed with relief when she saw him.
“Aidan,” she said with a smile, “I knew you would get us out of here.”
Aidan’s lips hardened when he took in Naomi’s disheveled appearance. Her hair looked mussed, and she had a small rip on one sleeve. Still, she was a sight for sore eyes. As soon as the lock was opened, Naomi flew into Aidan’s arms. He hugged her, kissed her temple, and placed a gentle hand on her belly.
“Are you alright,” he asked, scanning her gaze with concern.
Naomi placed her hand over his and stretched up to kiss him lightly on the mouth.“We’re fine, now that you’re here.”
Sarah ran to the other cell, impatient for the sheriff to open Brian’s door. Once he had, she knelt beside Brian, shaking him gently on the shoulder and tapping him lightly on the cheeks.
“
Brian? Wake up. Brian!”
Brian had a black eye, a bloodied lip and a large bruise on his jaw, lending him a thoroughly disreputable appearance. He moaned and rolled his head to the side, wincing. He cracked his eyes open and looked up at Sarah, then around at the jail cell. When he realized where he was, he sat up quickly, wincing again from the sudden movement.
“Sarah, we have to get you out of here,” he muttered.“You’re wanted for murder.”
“How did you know that?” Sarah asked, suddenly uneasy as another thought occurred to her.“In fact, how did you know we were in jail in the first place? Did the sheriff send for you?”
“I’ve known since two days after I found you,” Brian growled, getting slowly to his feet. When he was steady, he faced her with his hands low on his hips.“That’s why I didn’t want you to come into town. I knew you would be arrested.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped, but only for a moment. Her expression quickly turned to one of outrage and then fury. When she spoke, her voice fairly crackled with anger.
“Do you mean to tell me, Brian McKenzie, that you have been keeping this from me all along? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
At the moment, Brian’s head was pounding, his ribs were hurting, and he was just beginning to recover from his initial panic at the thought of his angel being hanged. He was definitely not in the mood for a scolding.
“What I’ve done is try to protect you,” he growled.“I told you not to come into town. You promised that you wouldn’t. If you had kept your promise, this would have never happened.”
“And if you had been honest with me,” Sarah returned, her voice every bit as furious, “I might have regained my memory two months ago!”
Brian’s anger abruptly dissipated somewhat, to be replaced by cautious excitement.“You regained your memory?”
“Completely!” Sarah hissed.“Just seeing Mr. Henderson’s name was enough to trigger my memory, and I remember every detail of my past. If you hadn’t been keeping this from me, we could have cleared up this mess a long time ago.”
Aidan cleared his throat to get their attention.“Do you two suppose that this conversation could wait until after we go to see the judge? We’re not finished untangling this mess yet, and I, for one, would like to get out of here. Shall we?” Aidan motioned toward the front door.
Sarah nodded stiffly, and Brian nodded with relief. Naomi grasped Sarah’s arm, and they led the procession out to the wagon, where Liam was waiting patiently.
Chapter Eleven
The ride to Judge Hawthorne’s house took nearly an hour. Sheriff Wilson chose to ride his horse beside the wagon, and he looked increasingly uneasy as they got closer to the judge’s house. Still, he didn’t try to sway the McKenzies from their purpose. He knew that would be a waste of his breath. He was just hoping he wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire between them and the judge.
By the time they arrived, Brian was chilled from more than the frosty temperatures. Sarah had given him the cold shoulder during the entire trip. She would neither speak to him nor look at him. She certainly wouldn’t allow him to touch her.
He wasn’t sure why she was angry at him. He had done what he had to do to protect her. If anything, he should be angry with her for going into town after he had specifically told her not to. She had given him her promise, and then she had broken it. They would have to address that later.
Liam set the brake as Aidan lifted Naomi down from the wagon bed. Brian reached to help Sarah, but she gave him a cold stare and lifted her nose to a lofty angle.
“No, thank you,” she said tersely.“I don’t need your help. You have helped me quite enough.”
She did allow Aidan to assist her, and Brian’s brows lowered into a scowl. Once they had dealt with the small matter of a murder charge hanging over her head, he was going to take one very naughty angel over his knee and give her a good spanking!
Aidan and Naomi led the small procession to the front door, and he knocked loudly. The house was dark, the occupants obviously retired for the night. When no one answered after a brief wait, he knocked again, rattling the door with his fist.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” came a muffled voice from inside. “Hold your horses.”
The door was finally snatched open, and an elderly man in a thick robe glared down his nose, first at Aidan and then at the others. He held an oil lamp high, so he could see their faces better.
“You’d better have a damn good reason for disturbing me at this hour!” he growled.“I was just going to bed when you started pounding on my door.”
“I’m sorry Judge Hawthorne. I tried to tell them that we should wait …” Sheriff Wilson began, in a whiny voice.
Aidan silenced him with one raised brow before turning back to face the judge.“I realize it’s a late hour, sir, but we have a problem, and we understand you are the man who can help us solve it.”
“Well, couldn’t this problem wait until the morning?” the judge demanded gruffly.
“No sir,” Aidan said firmly.“We need to sort this out tonight, so that I can take my family home. We need a few minutes of your time, and we need it now.”
The judge studied the stubborn set of Aidan’s jaw and then scanned the faces of his companions. With the exception of Sheriff Wilson, who was looking decidedly uncomfortable, the others all returned his stare with the same calm but determined expression. Judge Hawthorne heaved a resigned sigh and opened the door wide, waving them inside his home.
“Alright, alright,” he grumbled impatiently, “but hurry up and come inside. There’s no sense letting my house get any colder while you dilly dally on my front porch.” When they hesitated in the foyer, he ushered them into his study.“Come in and take a seat.”
The judge lit a second lamp and turned the wick high, bathing the study in soft light. He muttered under his breath about young people and their wild ways as he added a couple of logs to the dying embers in the fireplace. When the flames had been rekindled and warmth began to bathe the room, he took a seat behind his massive desk and dug for his glasses in a drawer. He motioned to the two ladies to have a seat.
Sarah and Naomi perched on the two chairs in front of his desk, with Brian and Aidan standing behind them. Liam and the sheriff remained standing near the door. The judge donned his glasses, beetled his bushy brows above a stern frown and cleared his throat.
“Now, young man,” he said, piercing Aidan with a frown, “tell me who you are and what this is all about, and be quick about it for heaven’s sake.”
“Sir, I’m Aidan McKenzie, and these are my brothers, my wife and our friend, Sarah Martin,” he said, indicating each of them with his hand.“We believe there’s been a mistake …”
“We know there’s been a mistake,” Naomi corrected, cutting him off.“Why, there’s no way that Sarah …”
“Sarah’s not a murderer,” Brian interrupted firmly.“She’s simply not capable of …”
âI donât need your help,â Sarah said sharply.“Iâm really quite capable of …â
“Just a minute!” The judge roared. When everyone was silent once more, he gave a satisfied humph.“I can’t understand a word any of you are saying if everybody talks at once. Now, one at a time.”
Sarah cleared her throat to get his attention and met the judge’s forbidding gaze unflinchingly.“Sir, please allow me to speak for myself. I’m Sarah Martin, and I’ve been arrested for the murder of my former boss, Mr. Jared Henderson. I didn’t murder him, sir, but I know who did.”
The judge gave her a startled look, and he examined her closely through his wire-rimmed glasses.“You’re Sarah Martin?” he asked. When she nodded, he continued.“Young lady …” the judge began, with a deepening frown.
Sarah was frustrated that the judge was going to brush her off, just as the sheriff had been doing all afternoon. She rushed on, anxious to convince him that she was not guilty of murder.
“Sir, honestly, I’m innocent. I know how it mus
t look, because I’ve been a wanted woman for nearly two months. I would have come forward sooner,â she flashed a pointed glare at Brian, âbut I had an accident and lost my memory. I only found out today, when Sheriff Wilson arrested me, that I was wanted for murder. As soon as I saw Mr. Henderson’s name on the wanted poster, my memory came back, and I remembered what had happened. I’ve been trying to explain to the sheriff, but he hasn’t given me the chance. If you’ll just listen, I can explain what happened.”
Throughout her speech, the judge had been trying to get a word in edgewise. When she finally finished, he sighed with relief.“Young lady, do you mean to tell me that Sheriff Wilson has had you locked in jail all day for the murder of Mr. Henderson?” When Sarah nodded with a puzzled frown, the judge glared at Sheriff Wilson.“Ed, you are without a doubt the sorriest excuse for a sheriff I’ve ever met! I can’t believe you put this poor young lady through such an ordeal. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The judge’s statement was met by surprised gasps. Everyone turned to the sheriff, expecting that he would know why the judge had reacted as he had.
Sheriff Wilson’s eyes bulged, and he quickly came forward, turning his hat nervously in his hands.“What do you mean, Judge Hawthorne? I was only doing my job!”
“If you were doing your job,” the judge growled, “you would know that Jared Henderson’s wife was convicted for his murder two weeks ago, over in Salem! I presided over the case myself. Didn’t you know about it? The story was front page in the newspaper.”
“What?” the sheriff squawked.“No sir. I hardly ever read the paper. I don’t have time.”
“You numb skull! Thank goodness Sheriff Dobbs was in charge of the investigation instead of you.” the judge roared. He cleared his throat and looked back at Sarah.“Dobbs is the sheriff in Salem. He knew from the start that something about the family’s story didn’t make any sense. Turns out Mrs. Henderson murdered her own husband. She found out he had been fooling around with other women and flew into a jealous rage.”
Naughty Angel: Brian's Bride (The McKenzie Series #2) Page 21