“And if she hadn’t?” Lincoln questioned.
Jacob’s steps faltered as he answered, “Then, in time, I would have sold my ranch and moved to Boston to be with her.”
“It’s evident you loved your wife very much,” Amey stated.
“I did,” Jacob replied.
Amey watched him closely as she questioned, “She was pregnant, wasn’t she?”
Jacob placed the bucket on the ground and sighed. “She was,” he replied. “That’s why she was leaving. She didn’t want to have a baby in this ‘godforsaken place’.” He winced. “Those were her words, not mine.”
“Had she told anyone yet?” Amey asked.
Jacob shook his head. “No one,” he shared. “Doris was only a few months along, and she grew increasingly worried about how there was no doctor in Longworth. She was convinced that she was going to die during childbirth.”
“Why was that?” Lincoln asked.
“Because her mother had some complications during her pregnancy, but she was under the care of a doctor in Boston,” Jacob explained. “Doris wanted the same care as her mother.”
“That’s understandable,” Amey said.
“It was,” Jacob agreed. “Which is why I knew I had to let her go, albeit temporarily.”
Lincoln came to stand next to her. “Now this is making more sense,” he remarked. “But why didn’t you let the townsfolk know about Doris’s pregnancy?”
A despondent look came to Jacob’s face. “I suppose if I said it out loud, it would become real. And I didn’t want it to be real. Not only did I lose my wife that day, but I lost my unborn babe,” he murmured. His words were laced with sadness.
“Did Sheriff Manley know all of this?”
Jacob nodded. “He did,” he confirmed.
Amey placed her hand on her hip. “I don’t approve of your secrecy, but I understand the reasoning behind it.”
“Thank you,” Jacob said, reaching down to pick up the bucket. “Are you hungry? I could whip you up some pancakes.”
“We just ate at the hotel.” Lincoln walked over to the barn door and opened it. “But thank you. We won’t keep you any longer.”
Jacob gave him a weak smile as he started to walk out the door. He stopped and spun back around. “One more thing,” he started, “my wife was actually going to make a baby blanket out of the fabric. If you find the fabric, may I have it back?”
Amey nodded. “Of course.”
“Thank you,” Jacob said. “I know it’s something inconsequential to you, but—”
Cutting him off, she stated, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
“I appreciate that.”
Lincoln spoke up. “We intend to leave our horses tied out front while we search the woods, assuming that’s all right with you.”
Jacob nodded. “I wish you luck.”
As they watched Jacob walk toward his cabin, Lincoln asked, “How did you know that Doris was pregnant?”
“By a few comments he made. Jacob was so adamant that she was going to come back,” she replied. “It made me think there had to be a reason.”
“Well, I’m impressed.”
She smiled. “You’ll find that I can be quite useful.”
“I have no doubt.”
Lincoln grew silent before saying, “I wish Jacob had told us the truth before now. It could have saved us a considerable amount of time.”
“I agree, but I believe he has finally told us everything.” Amey turned to face him. “Shall we search the woods now?”
“I think that’s a splendid idea, agent.”
“Good,” she replied. “Let’s get out of here. This barn smells like an outhouse with hay.”
“It isn’t that bad.”
“I disagree,” she said as she walked out of the barn. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Even a cattle ranch smells better than the inside of a barn.”
Lincoln chuckled. “Now you’re just being overdramatic,” he teased.
They started walking side by side toward the woods and fell into a comfortable silence.
Once they stepped into the cover of the trees, Amey asked, “Do you think there are bears in these woods?”
Lincoln shrugged. “I suppose it’s possible.”
“Have you ever seen a bear?”
“I have,” he replied, “but I was smart enough not to stick around. I high-tailed it out of there and didn’t look back.”
“That was a wise move.”
“It was,” Lincoln said, puffing out his chest. “That’s why I am the lead agent on this case.”
She rolled her eyes. “I seriously doubt it was because you were smart enough not to engage a bear.”
“I guess we will never know,” he joked.
“This is nice,” she said, waving her hand between them. “Two friends scouring the woods, looking for clues.”
“No, it is not nice,” he replied dryly. “We are colleagues, not friends, and we are looking for clues to help us find a murderer.”
Amey opened her mouth to respond when the sound of a shotgun discharging in the distance could be heard.
“Get down!” Lincoln shouted as he grabbed her and tossed her to the ground. Then, he fell on top of her, using his body as a shield to protect her.
Another shot was fired, and it splintered off the side of a tree near them.
Someone was shooting at them!
9
Before the second shot was even fired, Lincoln had already drawn his weapon, his alert eyes scanning the trees. He couldn’t see the shooter, but he knew he wasn’t far off.
He could feel Amey squirm underneath him as she reached for her revolver. “You can get off me now, Lincoln,” she urged in a hushed tone.
Without saying a word, he moved to get off her, but stayed in a crouched position. “We need to get out of the open,” he remarked.
Amey nodded as she rose and hurried to reposition herself behind a tree. “Can you see the shooter?”
He shook his head.
Another shot went off, but the round wasn’t being directed at them. It sounded as if the shooter was traveling in the opposite direction.
“Follow me,” he ordered.
With quick steps, he started weaving between the trees, being mindful to remain low. He stopped by a large pine tree and turned back toward Amey.
“Stay here,” he directed, his tone brooked no argument.
“No,” she replied.
He gave her a baffled look. “Why not?”
“Because I refuse to stay back while you rush into danger alone.”
“I am
