“Anyway, Rex won’t talk to you. You’ll need me along.”
“He has an eye for beauty, then.”
“Why, thank you. But no, that isn’t it at all. I knew him growing up before he was a recluse. He was an usher at our church and I sang in the children’s choir. Once a week I bake bread for him and bring it over.”
“Makes sense. But just because he’ll let you in—us in—doesn’t mean he’ll tell us anything.”
“I think he can be persuaded.” She tapped her purse. “I’m bringing him this week’s bread. And not just one loaf but two.”
“A very enterprising young woman.”
“Well, if I don’t keep busy, I’ll lose my mind. Thinking about Clete—” She choked back tears.
Holding her arm closer to his side, he said, “Then let’s go see Rex.”
Eyes.
A few weeks ago when Ned Lenihan walked down a Cawthorne street everybody had a smile and a hello for him. Made sense. Lenihan was generally a mild and friendly man to just about everybody. From helping people build their barns to giving money to those in need, Lenihan was known to care deeply about the welfare of other folks.
A few weeks ago that had all changed. The secret strongbox filled with money. The robbery. The murder of the Englishman and driver. The murders of the three boys. And now it was all changed and likely changed forever.
Eyes.
As he walked to the sheriff’s office he stared into the faces of old friends and found strangers. Found in those eyes distrust and contempt. Found in those eyes anger and a certainty that he had been involved in all of it.
The gazes lashed him. Even the few who spoke to him only grunted, as if they were embarrassed to even acknowledge his existence. What was the word in the Bible? Pariah. Yes, that’s what he’d become. A pariah to his own town.
When he finally reached the sheriff’s office, he noticed that people stopped in their tracks to watch him. Did they think he was going in there to confess? Wouldn’t that be a good show for them all?
He opened the door and pushed in.
Pete Rule sat behind the small desk to the right of Tom Cain’s. Lenihan was both disappointed and relieved. Disappointed that he wouldn’t have his confrontation with Cain and relieved that the confrontation wouldn’t happen. His feelings were all crazy these days.
Rule had been writing on a large pad of paper. His eyes showed surprise when he saw who it was. “Morning, Ned.”
“Cain not around, Pete?”
“Over to the courthouse.”
“Oh.” Lenihan stood there looking around as if he’d never seen the sheriff’s office before.
“Something I can do for you, Ned?”
Lenihan appreciated Rule’s tone. The two had never been close friends but they’d always been friendly. Rule had had to suffer Cain’s arrogance the way everybody else in town had and Lenihan often found himself feeling sorry for the deputy.
“Well, I was going to talk to Cain.”
“Maybe something I can help you with?” Rule dropped the pencil he’d been using and leaned back in his chair. “You all right, Ned? You look pale.”
“I feel pale.”
“Why don’t you sit down in that chair there? How about some coffee?”
“Coffee would be good.” Lenihan’s voice was faint and he felt dizzy. He’d begun to sweat. He inched his way to the chair and sat down while Rule got him coffee.
“Here you go, Ned. You sure you’re all right?”
Lenihan took a deep breath as he accepted the tin cup of coffee. “It’s getting to me, Pete.”
“What is?” Rule said as he took his place behind his desk again.
“You know what I’m talking about. You know damned well what I’m talking about.”
Rule nodded. “It’ll blow over, Ned. You know how people are. They reach for the easiest answer. And for some reason right now you’re the easiest answer.”
“But it’s the wrong answer.”
“I know that and I tell everybody that.”
“The way I figure it, Cain’s behind this. He’s the one stirring this up.”
“Well—”
“You know it’s true.”
“How’s the coffee?”
“C’mon, Pete. Help me. You know Cain’s behind this.”
“It isn’t just Cain, Ned. It’s everybody. You work there. You’re in charge of things. It’s logical in one way— even if it’s wrong.”
“Is it logical that I killed those three boys—even if I was involved in the robbery, do you really think I could kill those three boys?”
“It isn’t logical to me. But people start talking and”—he leaned forward on his elbows—“you need to tell me everything you know, Ned.”
Exasperation in his voice, Lenihan said, “You’ve known me for twenty years. I recommended you for the job when Cain first came here before I knew what he was like. You’ve known Amy and her family longer than I have. And you’ve still got doubts about me, Pete?”
“I’m just being a deputy, Ned. That’s all. If you tell me you didn’t have anything to do with it, I’ll believe you.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“All right. I’m throwing in with you. I’m going to bring it up with Cain the next time I see him. He should be back here in a while.”
Lenihan paused. “You ever consider the possibility that Cain is behind all this?”
“Aw, c’mon now, Ned. Just because you didn’t have anything to do with it doesn’t mean that Cain did.”
“He’s still after Amy.”
“He gave that up.”
“That’s what he says. But think about it. With me out of the way he might still think he has a chance with her. He’s not the kind of man who gets turned down very often. And it embarrassed him. A lot of people sort of laughed about it and he knew that. Maybe this is his chance to get up a lot of money and take another crack at Amy. He’d have a clear field if I was out of the way.”
Rule went over and poured himself more coffee. He tipped the pot in Lenihan’s direction but Lenihan shook his head. Rule came back and perched himself on the edge of the desk. “You’re wasting your time thinking about that, Ned. And I’m saying that as your friend.”
The door opened and Tom Cain walked in. His eyes reflected his surprise at seeing Lenihan sitting across from Rule.
“You stop by to confess, did you, Ned?” The rueful, condescending tone Lenihan was used to hearing.
“You might be the killer yourself, Cain.”
“That’s just like a guilty man, isn’t it, Pete? Trying to put the blame on somebody else. We see that a lot, don’t we?”
“We were just having a talk, Tom.” Rule’s eyes met Lenihan’s. “And he wasn’t confessing to anything. He’s just worried that so many people think he’s the man we’re looking for.”
Lenihan was already on his feet. “I want you to stop spreading rumors about me.”
“And what makes you think I’m doing that?” He brushed past Lenihan, making sure he nudged him on the way over to his own desk. He took off his Stetson, hung it on the hat rack and then seated himself. “The people in this town aren’t stupid, Lenihan. They know you need money and they know you knew all about the money in the strongbox. Doesn’t take much to figure out who might be behind it.”
“How about you, like I said? Or the Raines brothers?”
