She smiled a dazzling smile that made his heart skip a beat and then closed the door.
Dan Shaye was impressed by Pearl River Junction and its people. They stared at him as he went by, but he didn’t let that bother him. They were just curious. He understood that.
One by one the businesses closed up as the last customer left and the merchants locked their doors. People went home for supper.
He found a wooden bench in front of the mercantile store and sat in it for a while, just watching folks walk by, listening to the locks being turned on doors. Finally, the owner of the mercantile store came out and looked at him.
“Can I help you?” Shaye asked.
“The chair,” the man said. He was an older man, balding, pot-bellied, wearing an apron. “I got to put it away.”
Shaye stared at the man for a few moments and could tell it would be useless to ask him to leave the chair out just this once. He stood up and the man took the chair and carried it into the store without a word. Seconds later Shaye heard the door lock.
Suddenly the streets were kind of quiet and empty. Occasionally someone rode by on a horse or a buckboard went by, but the amount of foot traffic on the boardwalks had dropped significantly.
It was time to meet the boys, so Shaye stepped into the street and headed for the saloon.
19
When Shaye reached the front of the saloon, he saw James coming toward him from the south end of town.
“I thought you had the north end,” he said when his youngest son reached him.
“I did,” James said. “I’ll tell you about it inside.”
Shaye nodded and they entered through the batwing doors. They became immediately aware that something was going on. Most of the men in the place were standing and they were all facing the same way.
“What do you want to bet your brother’s somewhere in the middle of that?” Shaye asked.
“No bet,” James said.
“’Scuse us,” Shaye said and he and James started to make their way through the crowd.
Thomas had just about made up his mind that there were better things to fight over than a table when he saw his father and brother break through the crowd of men who were fronting him.
“Are you having a problem, Thomas?” Shaye asked.
“Not really, Pa,” Thomas said, standing up, “but I think we better pick someplace else to have a drink.”
“Oh sure,” James said, pointing to his brother’s empty mug, “now that you’ve already had one.”
“Believe me, brother,” Thomas said, “you don’t want to have a beer in here. Take my word for it.”
“Let’s get going, then,” Shaye said. “That is, if none of your new friends has any objection.”
Amazingly, the men had already started to sit back down at their tables now that Thomas had stood up.
“I don’t think anybody minds, Pa,” Thomas said and led the way out of the saloon.
“What was that all about?” James asked when they were outside.
“Well, supposedly, a table,” Thomas said, “but to tell you the truth, I ain’t really sure.”
“I spotted another saloon down the street,” Shaye said. “Let’s go there and then we can compare notes.”
“You were really gonna fight all those men over a table?” James asked as they started walking.
“It was the strangest thing…” Thomas started.
When they got themselves a table at the Wagon Wheel Saloon and nobody objected, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why didn’t you just get up and walk out?” Shaye asked. “Wait for us outside?”
“I was about to when you both arrived,” Thomas said. “I’m still not sure what the hell was goin’ on in there.”
“You were tryin’ to change their routine,” James said. “According to Elizabeth, folks hereabouts don’t want to change their routines.”
“Elizabeth?” Thomas asked.
“I met this schoolteacher…” James started and continued on to explain how he’d walked her home.
“I almost got in a bar fight over a table and you’re walkin’ a pretty school marm home?” Thomas said in disbelief.
“Took me all the way to the south end of town too,” James said.
“Which I already checked,” Thomas replied. “Nothin’ but houses there.”
“I know,” James said, “she lives in one. But here’s somethin’ else. We passed the sheriff’s house.”
“At the south end of town?” Shaye asked.
“No,” James said, “the north end, near the schoolhouse. He and his wife have got Belinda Davis livin’ with them.”
“What?”
“They took her in, I guess,” James said. “Elizabeth really ain’t sure of the details.”
“Is she related to the sheriff?” Thomas asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“And the child?” Shaye asked.
“He’s there too,” James said. “I saw him.”
“Does he look like Matthew?” Thomas asked, anxiously.
“I couldn’t tell,” James said. “I only got a glimpse. They were in the sheriff’s backyard.”
“Well,” Shaye said, sitting back, “maybe that explains the sheriff’s reluctance to talk to us.”
“What do you think he’ll say when we go and see him?” James asked.
“I guess that’ll depend on what this Belinda says,” Shaye answered. “If she don’t want to talk to us—”
“She’s got to at least talk to us, Pa,” Thomas said. “Maybe now that she’s livin’ with the sheriff, she won’t want our help anymore, but she’s got to at least talk withus.”
“I think so too, Thomas,” Shaye said. “I just hope she feels that way.”
20
The Shayes finished their beer at the Wagon Wheel and then left to walk over to the sheriff’s office. They stopped just outside.
“Some office, huh?” Thomas asked.
“I wonder what it would be like to come to work here every day?” James said.
“Let’s just get inside,” Shaye said gruffly. His sons gave him an odd look, then followed him into the office.
Sheriff Cotton was seated behind his desk, waiting for them.
“Come on in, gents. Did you have supper?”
“Yes,” Shaye said, “we went to the place you suggested.”
“Good, good,” Cotton said. “Just got back from having supper myself. Come on, have a seat. Can I get you some coffee?”
“No,” Shaye said, answering for the three of them. “We’re fine.”
Shaye sat in a chair opposite the lawman and Thomas and James remained standing.
“We’d like to know what Belinda said about seeing us,” Shaye said. “We know that she’s living with you and your wife.”
“Somebody talked, huh?”
“James saw you with her out behind your house,” Shaye said, deciding to play it straight. “And with the
