Serena continued her story, filling the marshal in on all the facts and most of the supposition that had gone on during the week.
When she was done Carson asked for another cup of coffee and waited until he got it to speak again.
“As I understand it, then,” he said, looking at Sam and Jubal, “your parents were killed, and you didn’t believe the official verdict. Rather, you believe they were murdered.”
“That’s right.”
Doc Leader entered the room at that point and Carson looked at him.
“Well, Doctor?”
“Nobody back there’s gonna die in the next twenty four hours. They can stay there, if that’s where you want them.”
“That’s what we’re discussing now,” Carson said.
Someone was shouting from the back, and Carson asked the doctor who it was.
“Who is that?” Carson asked.
“That’s Lincoln Burkett,” Doc Leader said. “He’s lookin’ for someone to scare, I reckon.”
“Tell me, Doctor,” Carson said, “you examined the bodies of Joshua and Miriam Burkett, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“What was your verdict?”
“I didn’t give the verdict.”
“Who did?”
“The sheriff, Tom Kelly—but I suspect he was told by Lincoln Burkett.”
“Burkett gave the verdict?”
“If you ask me,” Leader said, “yeah.”
“Well, what did you think? Did Joshua McCall kill himself?”
“You’re askin’ me?”
“That’s right. Does that surprise you?”
“It sure does,” Doc Leader said. “Nobody asked me before.” “Well, you’re bein’ asked now,” Carson said.
“No, he didn’t kill himself, and I doubt that he killed his wife.”
“On what do you base your findings?”
“There were no powder burns around his head wound,”
Leader said. “If he had shot himself at point-blank range, the hair around the wound would have been singed. It was not.”
“So then he was killed by someone else?”
“Yes.”
“Would you put that in writing for me, sir?”
“I’ll be happy to.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Sam said.
Doc Leader scowled and said, “I suppose I owe it to you.
I was as cowed by Burkett as anybody in this town. Does me good to see him in jail.”
“It’s where he belongs,” Jubal said.
“Well, we haven’t established that, yet,” Marshal Carson said.
“What?”
“We’ve established that someone killed your parents,”
Carson said, “but not who.”
“It had to be Burkett,” Serena said. “Remember, he ended up with the McCall ranch.”
“I know, and I know you told me there’s oil on the land, but there’s still no proof that Joshua McCall didn’t make a legal agreement with Burkett to sell the land, and the house—”
“I have proof,” Sam said.
Carson looked at him.
“What proof?”
“A letter,” Sam said, “written by my father before he died.”
“Where is the letter?”
“Right here.”
Sam took it out of his shirt and handed it to the lawman.
“Where did that come from?” Serena asked.
“We found it yesterday,” Sam said, “but in all the excitement we didn’t have a chance to tell anyone.”
They all stood silently as Carson read the letter. He looked up at them when he was done. Dude and Serena Miller and Ed Collins had expectant looks on their faces.
“According to this,” Carson said, “Joshua McCall was coerced into trading his land for a worthless shack because of a threat to his wife.”
“I knew it!” Jubal said.
Sam looked at Serena and said, “Burkett told Pa he’d have Ma raped and killed if he didn’t agree. Pa wanted to stand up to him, but Burkett had too many men.”
“Your father’s men,” Serena said, “the ones who wouldn’t work for Burkett, were run off, so he was alone.”
“That’s right.”
“It also says here,” Carson said, “that in the event of his death we—you,” he amended, looking at Sam and Jubal—”and your brother should consider that he had decided to call Burkett’s bluff and go to the law.”
“Pa probably decided to go to the law outside of Vengeance Creek, and Burkett found out about it and had him and ma killed.”
“And they tried to make it look like Pa did it himself,”
Jubal said.
“Does it say there whether or not your Pa knew about the oil?” Dude Miller asked.
“No,” Sam said. “My guess is Pa didn’t know anything about it.”
“He never knew what a rich man he was,” Miller said.
“Well,” Carson said, folding the letter, “if this handwriting can be identified—”
“It can,” Miller said. “I’ve got samples of Joshua’s handwriting in my store.” He looked at Sam and said, “I.O.U.’s after they moved into that shack. Your Pa wouldn’t take charity, he insisted in giving me an I.O.U. for everything.”
“That’s just like Pa.”
“Well then, with what happened here today,” Carson said, “I think I’ve got enough to hold Lincoln Burkett over for trial. I’ll send for a circuit judge and we’ll hold the trial right here.”
“Good,” Serena said. “I want to see him go on trial.”
“You people had better get out of here and let me get started with my job,” Carson said. “It looks like I might be here a while.”
Dude Miller, Serena, and Ed Collins all made for the door.
“Uh, McCall—” Carson said.
Both Sam and Jubal turned.
“Both of you, stay a minute.”
They waited until the others had left.
“I’ll need deputies while I’m here,” Carson said. “I’ve got a full house back there. You interested?”
Sam and Jubal exchanged glances, and when Jubal nodded, Sam said, “Sure, Marshal, count on us.”
“Pickup your badges, then. Sam, I’m namin’ you interim sheriff of Vengeance Creek.”
Sam hesitated, then picked up the badge.
“One more thing.”
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“I want you to understand that I don’t know if we have enough to convict Burkett for having your parents killed—not without a witness. We all can get him for trying to kill you, and for stealing your father’s ranch, but murder? Don’t count on it.”
