“He bought it,” Miller said. He looked at Sam and said, “He already owned it when your parents were killed. Killing them didn’t benefit him that I can see.”
“Unless our Pa was opposing him, too,” Evan said.
“Was he?”
Miller looked away.
“Dude?” Sam said. “There’s somethin’ stickin’ in Doc Leader’s craw. Do you know what it is?”
“Again,” Miller said, “I suspect…”
“Suspect what?” Evan asked.
“Doc examined your parents,” Serena said quickly. “He knows your father didn’t kill himself.”
Sam started to look annoyed.
“There seems to be a lot of suspectin’ and supposin’ goin’ on here.”
“Then maybe you’d better start trying to find out the facts,” Serena suggested.
“That’s what we came here to do.”
“Then the quicker you do, the quicker you’ll see that your fight and our fight are the same.”
Sam looked away from Serena toward her father.
“Dude, where were Ma and Pa livin’?”
“A small adobe house about three miles out of town,” Miller said. “They moved there after your father sold the spread.”
“I don’t understand this!” Jubal said. “Pa would never sell that ranch.”
“Well, he did,” Miller said. “The sale is on record at the courthouse.”
“Well, we’ll look into that as well,” Sam said. He put his coffee cup, barely touched, down on the end table.
When Evan and Jubal put theirs down they were empty.
“Dude, we’ll look in on you again.”
“I’ll show you out,” Serena said.
She led Evan and Jubal out into the hall, but Miller said, “Sam? Stay a minute.”
“I’ll be right out,” Sam said to the others. He turned to Miller and asked, “What is it?”
“Serena’s a little bull-necked about this, Sam,” Miller said. “Being on my back and all, I can’t protect her if Burkett decides to send some more men—”
“Don’t worry, Dude,” Sam said. “We’ll keep an eye on her.”
“I’d be much obliged for that, Sam.”
“It’s the least we can do, Dude, you sendin’ that telegram and all. Speakin’ of that, how the hell did you know where I was?”
“I didn’t,” Miller said. “I heard tell you were in Montana, and I must’ve sent out dozens of those telegrams to different towns.”
Sam thought that over a moment and then started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Miller asked.
“Well, if you knew how that telegram affected the people in Corozon, Montana, you’d laugh too at the thought that there were dozens of towns in Montana waitin’ for me to show up.”
“I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.”
“No trouble, Dude,” Sam assured him. “I’m obliged to you for sendin’ it, or we might never have known.”
“There’s some shame in that, Sam,” Miller said. “You probably never would have known because you boys never came around.”
“Now Dude, I heard enough of that from Doc.”
Miller raised his hand and waggled it, saying, “I ain’t gonna judge you, Sam. It’s just a shame, is all.”
“I agree with you, Dude,” Sam said, “there just ain’t a whole hell of a lot I can do about it now.”
Sam left the room and went downstairs, where Evan and Jubal were talking to Serena.
“Serena, would you be so kind as to tell us where our parents are buried?”
“Near the house.”
“The ranch house?”
“No,” she said, “the adobe house they…they died in.”
“Pa always talked about him and Ma being buried on the ranch,” Jubal said.
“I know,” Sam said. “Jubal, you know how to use that gun you’re wearin’?”
“Well enough, I reckon. Why?”
“You’re stayin’ here with Serena.”
“I am not!”
“Yes, you are.”
“That’s not necessary—” Serena started.
“I promised your Pa we’d look out for you until he got back on his feet. It’s the least we can do. Jubal? You gonna make a liar out of me?”
“Are you and Evan gonna spell me here?”
“We are.”
“Well, then…all right, but don’t take too long.”
“Well be back soon enough,” Sam said. “Evan?”
Sam and Evan left the yard, closing the gate behind them.
“Where to now?” Evan asked.
“Well, we can go to the bank and see if Pa left behind any unsettled accounts, then we can go over to the courthouse and check on the sale of the ranch. After that we’ll collect Jubal and go out to the gravesite, and look at the house where they died.”
“What about Serena?”
“Maybe we’ll just take her with us. After that, one of us will come back here with her.”
“And the other two?”
“By that time,” Sam said, “A visit to Mr. Lincoln Burkett will be in order.”
Soon after the McCalls had left his office Sheriff Tom Kelly left, went to the livery, saddled his horse, and rode out to what was once the McCall ranch and was now the Burkett place.
As he rode up to the house and reigned his horse in off a gallop, he attracted a lot of attention, including that of Chuck Conners, the foreman.
As Kelly dismounted and started for the house Conners intercepted him.
“Whoa, there, Sheriff,” Conners said. “What’s the hurry?”
“I got something to tell Mr. Burkett.”
“Well, you tell me and I’ll tell him.”
Kelly considered this for a moment, then nodded.
“They’re in town.”
“Who’s in town?”
“The McCalls?”
Conner’s eyes widened with interest.
“Sam McCall?”
“And his brothers,” Kelly said, and then added, “and they’re asking questions.”
“Well, of course they are,” Conners said, rubbing his lantern jaw. “Wouldn’t you if you found out your parents were dead?”
“Mr. Burkett’s got to know—”
“Don’t you worry, Sheriff,” Conners said. “I’ll let Mr. Burkett know, and I’ll tell him it was you who brought the information. He’ll be grateful.”
“Well…all right.”
“Now…what did you tell them?”
“What everybody knows, that their Pa shot their Ma and then himself.”
“Nothing else?”
“What else would I tell them, Conners?”
“I’m just asking to make sure, Sheriff. See, Mr. Burkett’s going to ask me.”
