As soon as Julia and Oliver headed down the trail to where they’d left their mounts, Adam had one of those feelings. What if they took their horses and rode off?
That was crazy, and he knew it. He looked at Clew Harrison. “I need to see if Mr. Gerry’s in his office. Will you stay here while I’m inside, and tell Oliver and Julia where I am when they get back?”
“Sure,” Clew said. “I’ve still got a few horses to tend.”
Adam went into the headquarters building. A young man sat at the desk inside the front door.
“May I help you, Sheriff?”
“Thanks. I’d like to see Mr. Gerry.”
“Just one moment, please.”
The young man disappeared through a doorway and came back a minute later. Right behind him was Gerry. He held out his hand as he advanced toward Adam.
“Sheriff Scott! Glad you’re back. I heard you were in pursuit of the stagecoach robber. What’s the word?”
Adam shook Gerry’s hand and stepped back. “I’m still looking for the outlaw. I wanted to ask you, sir, if anyone else besides Oliver Newman was absent from the mine on that day.”
“Well, I—What do you mean? Have you not found Oliver?”
“I found him,” Adam said. “And I think he’s innocent. So now I have to look at who else could have committed the crime.”
Gerry frowned. “I’m glad to hear that you found him—and that he didn’t do it, of course. I’ve been worried about that young man. Where is he now?”
“He’ll be traveling with me back to Ardell,” Adam said. “I imagine he’ll return to work soon. I wanted to stop in here and see you and assure you that it’s all right to let him do that. But I also need to know if any other mine personnel were unaccounted for on the day of the robbery.” Adam smiled and hoped it looked sincere. “Let’s start with you, sir. Where were you that morning?”
Gerry’s eyes narrowed. “Why, right here. What’s your meaning, Sheriff?”
“I’m just trying to establish the whereabouts of people concerned in this matter. Other than Bub Hilliard, you lost the most in that robbery. I’m told all the money in the treasure box on the stagecoach belonged to the mine. So I’m asking you and some of your other associates, where were you when the robbery occurred?”
Gerry stared at him. “I can’t believe this. Is this a game to you?”
“Just play along with me, sir,” Adam said.
After a tense moment, Gerry shook his head. “All right. I believe I was right here all morning. You can ask Mr. Denham at the desk in the entry. He schedules appointments for me and makes note of visitors who come in to see me. At lunchtime, I went home and ate with my wife. That was shortly before you came here.”
“Thank you,” Adam said. “I’ll speak to Mr. Denham.”
He went out to the entry. To his surprise, he found Oliver, Julia, and Clew inside. Oliver was leaning over Denham’s desk, talking to him.
“I thought you were waiting at the stable,” he said to Oliver.
“I wanted the mine people to know I’m all right.”
Adam frowned but could think of no reason to protest. “Mr. Denham, could you please check your records for me? On the day of the robbery, was Mr. Gerry here all morning? And if so, did he have any visitors?”
Denham paged through a book of lined paper on his desk. “It appears that he was, sir. He met with Mr. Cosgrove that morning, as is customary on Mondays, and after that he worked in his office.
He didn’t have any visitors until after noon, and that would be you, sir. And a Mr. Brink, who came in from Flagstaff on the stagecoach that day.”
“Thank you. And what about you?”
Denham blinked at him. “Me, sir?”
“Yes. Were you here all day?”
“Oh yes, sir. I ate dinner at my desk. Mr. Gerry took his usual hour to go home, though.”
“Very good.” Adam turned to the others. “Let’s go into town. I can come back tomorrow and question the rest of the mine’s personnel if I need to. We don’t want to ride into town after dark.”
They walked outside, and Adam squinted against the bright sunlight.
“So that pretty much clears Mr. Gerry,” Oliver said.
“Are you sure?” Julia asked.
Her brother shrugged. “Well, yeah. Denham keeps track of everyone who comes into the building—visitors, I mean. It’s not like he cares whether I’m there every minute, but if anyone who doesn’t work there comes in, he writes it down. And I’d say he’s pretty aware of Mr. Gerry’s presence all the time. And everyone who works there sees Denham when they go in and out, so in that sense, we all vouch for him. He was there when I left. He was there when Adam came to see the boss. Half a dozen other men who work in that building can tell you he was there when they walked through the entrance, too.”
“And yet you left, and he had no idea you weren’t in your little chicken coop of an office,” Adam said.
“Well, like I said, he doesn’t have to know where I am every minute. No one does.”
“And the fact that they were all surprised that you weren’t in the building tells me that anyone who works there—at least the management chaps—could most likely slip out for an hour or two and not be missed. You stayed away longer, and that’s what made it remarkable.” Adam sighed, feeling rather useless. “Let’s go.”
“Sheriff, it’s almost my time to quit work for the day,” Clew said. “What do you want me to do this evening?”
“Do what you normally would, Clew. Just don’t plan any out-of-town trips without telling me, all right?”
“You got it.”
“Thank you for all your help,” Julia told the old man.
“T’weren’t nothin’. You still want me to come for supper?”
“Sure,” Oliver said. “Come with us now if you’re able.”
Clew grinned at him. “Kin you wait just a minute? I’ll get Ol’ Blackie.”
The others mounted and waited while the old man hurried to the corral for his horse. He was ready in just a couple of minutes.
“You know,” Julia said as they guided their horses toward the road that led to Ardell, “you had that notion about me possibly helping the robber—”
“Forget that,” Adam said quickly. The last thing he wanted was for her to bring that up and start fussing at him again.
“No, listen to me.” Julia moved her horse up beside Socks. “The idea of an accomplice inside the stage isn’t so very crazy. What if one of the other passengers was there for that purpose? If things got too dangerous, he could make himself known and keep the rest of us in line while his partner got away with the money. But the man outside had the situation in hand, so he didn’t make a move.”
Adam frowned at her. “You mean Hinze or Chesley, or that guy visiting Mr. Gerry? Brink—was that his name?”
“Any one of them could have been in on it,” she said. “You fixed on me because you thought the man outside was Oliver. But what if you’d thought he was Denham, from the mine’s headquarters? In that case, I suspect you’d have looked harder at either Chesley or Brink, because they’re both connected to the mine.”
Adam let that sink in.
“She’s right,” Oliver said, from his other side. “And if the robber was a ranch hand, you’d have suspected Ike Hinze.”
“I can talk to them again, but I doubt I can get any more out of them than I did before.”
“It would probably be a good idea to ask a few more questions,” Oliver said. “For instance, did you ask Chesley why he was on the stage and not working in the mine that day?”
“Well, no.” Adam felt about as low as a horseshoe nail.
Oliver grinned at him. “I can tell you.”
Adam reined in his horse. “You can?”
“Sure. It was payroll day, remember? I had to add up every man’s hours for the month. I remember that Joe Chesley’s pay was docked because he’d been out for six days.”
“What for?” Julia asked. “He looked healthy, though he slept most of the way from Flagstaff.”
“His sister died. He’d been to the funeral. But he doesn’t get paid for his time away.”
“Huh,” Adam said. “Well, he wasn’t even armed, so I didn’t really think he was in on the holdup.”
“How do you know that?” Julia asked. “Just because he didn’t pull out a gun doesn’t mean he didn’t have one.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Did you search him?” she asked.
“No, I didn’t search anybody.”
“Maybe you should have.”
Julia was starting to sound belligerent again, and Adam didn’t like that.
“Calm down,” Oliver said. “He had no reason to search any of you. Jules, you and Brink and Hinze all admitted you had guns, and each of you could testify that the other two had them. Adam wouldn’t need to search you to know you were armed. If he’d had any indication that Chesley was involved, I’m sure he would have searched him, or at least questioned him more closely.”
“All right,” Adam said. “I admit I didn’t do a very good job on the investigation that first day. Let’s get into town.”
They rode along in silence for about ten minutes. As they approached the outskirts of Ardell, Julia piped up again.
“I don’t see how you can figure out who did it. There are too many people who can’t prove where they were.”
“You don’t have to look at everybody,” Oliver said.
“Don’t I?” Adam asked. “I don’t want to make the mistake I made before.”
“No, but look at all the clues. Maybe talk to Chick again about what the robber looked like. Did he really look like me? Was he the same height and weight? What about the way he walked, or his voice? Were they like mine?”
“There’s the matchbook, too,” Julia said.
Adam gritted his teeth. “Let’s face it—there’s no proof the matchbook has anything to do with it.”
“You said you found it right beside where the treasure box landed,” Oliver reminded him. “It’s pretty unlikely that it got there after the robbery, and if it had lain there too long, it wouldn’t be in such good condition.”
“Yeah,” Julia said. “Maybe you should ask Chick and the other passengers if they’ve ever seen a matchbook like that. You could rule out one of them dropping it while they were helping get Bub into the coach.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Adam said. “Thanks.” They were coming up on Main Street, and he thought about what he would say to the people. He’d promised to tell them that Oliver was innocent. He was firmly convinced now that Julia had nothing to do with the robbery, and that she arrived the day of the robbery purely by coincidence. But was he a hundred percent sure that Oliver wasn’t in on it? He might be suggesting other people who could be guilty in order to throw suspicion off himself. Adam didn’t like even the shadow of the thought. And yet, the question remained: If Oliver wasn’t guilty of the crime, who was?
He felt drained, unwilling to again cast his best friend in the role of a thief and murderer, but too exhausted to work out an alternative tonight. Tomorrow he would follow up on the possibilities they’d talked about, and maybe put his doubts to rest. A good night’s sleep was what he needed, and then he’d be ready to deal with this.
The chance of heading to bed early disappeared as soon as they reached the end of Main Street. Lucas Morley spotted them and yelled, loud enough for it to echo off the mountainside, “Sheriff! You brought him in!”
Folks began to stare, and soon shoppers were pouring out of businesses and gathering along the edge of the street. People who’d gone into their houses for supper came out to gawk at them. By the time they reached the jail, half the town seemed to be crowding them. Adam kept Socks close to Oliver’s horse, and Julia and Clew followed close behind.
“Sheriff, where’d you find him?” somebody yelled.
“Why h’ain’t you got him tied up?”
“Hey, we was wondering where Miss Julia got to. What’s going on, Adam?”
Adam was going to ignore them all, but when somebody shouted, “When we gonna string that killer up?” he knew he couldn’t do that. Julia’s face was pinched, and she looked pale for a woman who’d spent the last two or three days out in the sun.
He leaned toward Oliver and said over the hubbub, “You and Julia get inside my office. I’ll disperse the crowd.”
He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt. Sam Dennis worked his way through the spectators and came to stand beside Socks.
“You need any help, Sheriff?”
“Thanks, Sam. Maybe you can help these three get inside and make sure they don’t come to harm while I talk to the people.”
“Sure,” Sam said. “I can guard the prisoners for you.”
Adam didn’t try to correct his assumption. Sam was already at Julia’s side, offering her a hand down. Adam watched long enough to make sure Oliver got to the ground and up the steps to the sheriff’s office in one piece. Then he turned Socks around and faced the crowd.
“Settle down, folks.” Most of them calmed down and waited for him to speak again. From his vantage point on Socks’s back, he watched their faces. These people were angry. Some of them registered fear or frustration. Mostly they looked ready to tear someone limb from limb.
He glanced over his shoulder at the door to his office and the jail. Sam was leaning in the doorway, his hand hovering near the butt of his pistol. Oliver, Clew, and Julia had disappeared, apparently safe inside. It struck Adam how many of the men in the crowd were wearing sidearms. Normally you might see two or three walking around Ardell armed, but now nearly every man wore or carried a weapon. The robbery had done this to them.
“We don’t need to wait for any judge, Sheriff Scott,” called the owner of the Red Bear saloon.
“That’s right,” said somebody else on the fringe of the mob. “We can hoist Newman right now and be done with it.”
“I got a rope in my wagon,” said one of the ranchers.
“Did his sister try to help him escape?” came from another quarter—Adam was surprised that a woman said it.
He held up his hands. “Hold it, folks. Just calm down and hear me out.”
The faces were stony hard, grotesque in their rage. If he had to, he’d lock the Newmans up overnight for safety. Sam would help him, but how many other people in this town were interested in finding out the truth? Most of them seemed to want vengeance, and they weren’t too picky about justice.
“It’s true I went after Oliver Newman, and I found him. I’ve heard his story, and I’ve compared it to the evidence I have. And frankly, I don’t think he’s our man. Now, I’m going inside to tend to business. If anybody’s got any new evidence since I left town on Tuesday, you can come around and talk to me. But I’m not charging anyone with the crimes that took place on Monday until I’ve had a chance to sort through everything. Is that clear?”
The replies were mostly disgruntled mutterings. A few more men yelled comments.
“You know he’s guilty, Sheriff.”
“Why are you protecting him? He killed Bub Hilliard.” He recognized that speaker—Lucas Morley, the mercantile’s owner.
“Now, Lucas, you can’t know that. If you’ve got some evidence, like I said, bring it to me. But Oliver Newman has not been proven guilty of any crime. So quit that talk.”
“Are you holding him for the judge?”
“If the evidence calls for it, I will hold him. But if it doesn’t, then he’ll go free. And I expect him to be able to walk these streets safely.”
Adam dismounted, secured Socks to the hitching rail, and checked the others’ horses. A few people shuffled away, and he hoped they would all go about their business. Maybe if he wasn’t there for them to heckle, the rest would leave.
“You all right to stand here a few more minutes, Sam?” he asked the livery owner.
Sam nodded. “Take your time, Sheriff. I’ll yell if I need ya.”
Adam went inside and shut the door.
Julia waited impatiently with Oliver and Clew. She hadn’t seen the inside of the jail for two years. When Adam first took the job, she’d been over here a couple of times. During her absence, he hadn’t added a thing to his office, unless it was an extra stool and new wanted posters. His desk and chair, with a small woodstove and a couple of shelves, completed the spartan furnishings. A doorway opened on the back room, where Adam lived now, according to Oliver’s letters. He used to live with his uncle after his father’s death, but apparently he wanted to stay closer to his work now. The cell held two narrow cots with straw ticks, quilts, and pillows. A washstand with a metal basin, pitcher, and cup stood near the far wall, with a galvanized bucket beside it.
She turned her back to the cell door, determined to forget where she was. Adam had better take care of this mess, and fast.
The door opened, and he walked in scowling. She could still hear people talking outside, and through the one small window, horses and pedestrians were visible, milling about.
“Why don’t they just go home?” she asked.
“They’re not satisfied.” Adam took his hat off. He walked over to his desk and tossed the hat on it. With a weary sigh, he sank into his chair. “They think there’s still a killer running around loose.”
“Isn’t there?”
“They think I’m it,” Oliver said, and Adam didn’t deny it.
“Them people are plumb crazy,” Clew said.
“Maybe so, but I think you ought to stay here tonight,” Adam said, eyeing Julia warily.
“Is that necessary?” Oliver asked.
“If you go home, I’d have to place a guard around your house.”
“Well, in that case,” Clew said, “I’m going to go get me some grub, and then I’m going home. I suggest you folks sleep on it, and mebbe tomorrow you’ll think of something else, Sheriff.” He stepped toward the door.
Adam sat straighter in his chair. “Don’t you go far, Clew. I may need to talk to you again.”
The old man looked back at him. “Sure thing. You know where my cabin is?”
“I do.”
Clew nodded. “Reckon I’ll stop at the Red Bear for some supper, and after that I’ll be at home.” He opened the door. “Howdy, Sam.”
Dennis said something, and more voices could be heard, raised in comments that Julia couldn’t distinguish. Clew backed into the room and shut the door.
“Sheriff, it don’t look too good out there.”
Adam got up and went to the window. “You’re right. If anything, there’s more people out there now than there were when I came in.” He turned and eyed Julia and Oliver thoughtfully. “I’m sorry, but I think it would be best if I lock the two of you up for tonight—for your own safety. And that way, folks might settle down, knowing I had someone behind bars.”
Julia caught her breath. “You said you believed us.”
Adam hesitated then said, “I do. But I don’t want folks bothering you in the night, and I don’t want to see this crowd moving over to your house. Could you sleep with them outside, yelling that Oliver should be lynched?”
Julia gulped. “No.”
Oliver said, “Guess not. But are you going to charge me with the robbery and shooting Bub?”
“No,” Adam said firmly. “Unless more evidence is found, I’m not arresting you again. That was…Well, all right, I admit it. I made a big mistake out there, and I’m sorry. You’ll have to trust me, Oliver. As a friend.”
Julia could tell from the strained expression on Adam’s face that he was struggling. He was right, they did have to trust him. And right now, she had more faith in him than she did in the fickle people of Ardell.
A shout from outside pierced the walls. “Sheriff, we want to talk to you.”
Adam looked toward the door. “Sounds like I’ll have to go out there again.”
The door opened a foot, and Sam Dennis stuck his head in. “Adam, things are getting a little dicey out here, but Bob Tanner’s come to help out.”
“Good. I’ll be out in a minute. Tell the people to hold on.” When Sam shut the door, Adam turned back to Oliver. “I’m sorry it’s this way, but I think you’re better off in the cell.”
“Bob Tanner,” Julia said. “Isn’t he the barber?”
“Yes. He rode with me the day of the robbery. He’s a good fellow.”
She nodded. “Will he and Sam be enough to help you keep the peace?”
“I don’t know, Julia. I wish I did, but I can’t predict what will happen.”
What they did was up to her. Gazing at Adam, she made her decision. She walked over to the cell, and the door swung open at her touch. “Come on, Oliver. Adam is right. We’re safer in here.” She stepped inside and faced her brother.
Slowly, Oliver walked over and entered the cell.
“I promise you, I will do everything humanly possible to keep you safe,” Adam said.
Oliver nodded, but his teeth were clenched and his face pale.
Julia put her arm around him. “It’s going to be all right.”
“Well, I’m not going in there,” Clew said. “Nobody’s mad at me.”
“You don’t have to,” Adam said. “You can probably get through the crowd with no problem.”
“All right, then.” Clew paused. “Do you want me to come back and help you hold this place down, Sheriff?”
“Only if you want to, Clew. Go get something to eat.”
Clew glanced at Julia and Oliver. “Good night, kids.”
“‘Bye, Clew,” Julia said, “and thank you.”
When he’d slipped out the door, Adam came over and closed the cell door. “If you need anything, just say so. I’ll stay here all night. If Bob and Sam want to stay, I’ll be happy to have their company. But right now, I’ve got to go out there and convince the good people of this town to go home and stay there.” He put the key in the lock.
“Hold it,” Oliver said. “What if we need to get out?”
“You mean, like a trip to the outhouse?” Adam asked.
Oliver winced. “I was thinking more of someone touching a match to this place.”
Julia caught her breath. She hadn’t considered anything like that happening. They’d be trapped if it did.
“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “I’ve got two stout men now. We’ll keep a good watch on the building.”
“Adam,” Julia said, before he could turn away.
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be praying.”
Adam looked deep into her eyes, and Julia felt the same flutter in her stomach that she’d felt last night when he held her outside the cave. Did he really love her? She wanted to believe that. And that he had Oliver’s best interest at heart.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll pray, too.” He turned the key in the lock of the cell door and nodded at them. “Just to keep out anyone who gets past me.”
Julia walked over to one of the cots and sat down. Oliver hovered near the door, until she said, “Come over here. Let’s pray together.”
He slowly walked to her bed and sat gingerly on the edge. “Think this thing will hold both of us?”
“Oh, I imagine Adam gets some pretty husky prisoners in here. Rowdy ones, too. He needs sturdy furnishings.”
“Guess you’re right.” Oliver swallowed hard and rubbed his hands on his knees. “Are you scared, Jules?”
“Yes, in a way. If some of those men get liquored up, we may have some fireworks tonight.”
“I wish we’d stayed at the Diné village.”
“Well, it’s too late to think about that.” She patted his arm. “It’s going to be all right.”
“I hope so.”
“Where’s your gun?”
Oliver grimaced. “Adam’s got it, I guess.”
“Didn’t he give it back when he untied you last night?”
“Nope. I didn’t think of it. He’s probably got it in his saddlebags.”
“I saw your rifle in your room at home, but that won’t do us any good.”
“Yeah. Wish I’d taken it to the mine that day. I don’t always take my revolver, but it was payroll day, so I had it along.”
“That was a good thing,” Julia said, “though I guess you didn’t need it.”
Oliver smiled. “I shot a snake on the way to Canyon Diablo. But I didn’t figure I’d need a rifle on Diné land, and if I ran into trouble on the way—well, I don’t know what I thought. Just that it would be too dangerous to go home and get it.”
Julia nodded. “That’s understandable. My gun’s right here.” She pulled her small pistol from the pocket of her wool jacket. “Adam didn’t search me or ask for it. You can take it, if it’ll make you feel better.”
“Do you really trust Adam?” He reached for the gun.
Julia bit her bottom lip and nodded. “I do. I think he’s on our side now. But I don’t trust the other people out there.”
“What about Sam Dennis and Bob Tanner?” Oliver asked.
“I think they’ve picked sides, and they’ll stand by Adam. But you know them better than I do.”
Oliver went to his cot and stuck the pistol under his pillow. “I hope they’ll stay loyal to him. Maybe we should do that praying.” He sat down beside her.
Julia bowed her head. A moment later, Oliver’s hand touched hers. She turned her hand over and clasped his fingers.
“Dear Lord,” Oliver said, “thank You for bringing Julia home. Now please, if it’s not too much trouble, could You get us out of this mess?”
Outside, the clamor of voices rose again, and Julia could barely hear her brother’s quiet petitions.