“Umm… is it normal for Pinkerton agents to congratulate each other in such a manner?” he asked.
Without taking his eyes off her, Lincoln replied, “It is when they’re married.”
“You two are married?” John asked, glancing between them. “I just assumed that was a cover.”
Lincoln smiled tenderly at her. “It started off that way, but things have changed.”
“Have they?” she asked hesitantly.
Now she was truly confused. What was Lincoln implying?
“Haven’t they?” Lincoln asked, a small line appearing between his eyes.
“I don’t know,” she replied.
A quick flash of disappointment crossed his features as he dropped his arms and stepped back. “Why don’t we have this conversation after we speak to Sheriff Manley?”
John hung his head. “Does this mean I’m going to jail?”
Lincoln walked over and placed a reassuring hand on John’s shoulder. “I don’t know, but I am going to tell Sheriff Manley what you did here today. You stood up to Billy Joe and refused to take his orders anymore. That has to count for something.”
“I should have turned Billy Joe in right after he killed Doris,” John admitted. “But I was afraid of him.”
“As you should have been,” Amey said. “He’s killed many people over the years, including my brother.”
John frowned. “My father is going to be furious at me.”
“Most likely, but it’s over now,” she replied, feeling a tremendous weight lift off her shoulders. “Billy Joe is dead.”
As Amey said those words, she knew that chapter of her life was over. Her conquest for vengeance was done, and she was now free to start living her life again.
11
“Why did you have to kill him?” Sheriff Manley asked as he leaned back in his chair.
Amey didn’t shy away from the sheriff’s stern glare. “He left us little choice,” she replied, sitting straighter in her chair.
Sheriff Manley frowned. “As I mentioned before, Pinks are not above the law—”
John spoke up from his prison cell, cutting him off. “Billy Joe would have killed all of us, if it wasn’t for Mr. Hoyt,” he declared. “You should have seen these two in action—”
Sheriff Manley put his hand up, silencing him. “Thank you for that, John, but I don’t need your help.”
Lincoln leaned forward in his seat and said, “As we’ve said, multiple times, Billy Joe intended to kill us to keep his dealings secret.”
“Do you truly believe he would have killed John?” the sheriff asked.
“I have no doubt,” Lincoln answered. “If Amey hadn’t created a diversion when she did, he would have shot John.”
The sheriff removed his hat and tossed it onto his desk. “And Billy Joe was a wanted man?”
Amey nodded. “He was,” she confirmed. “He was wanted for a bank robbery in Tucson, Arizona, where he killed my brother.”
Sheriff Manley shook his head. “Billy Joe was a regular at the saloon in town,” he said. “I never once suspected that he was a wanted man.”
“I wouldn’t beat yourself up over that,” Lincoln encouraged. “We happened upon Billy Joe by chance.”
“Thank you for that,” Sheriff Manley remarked.
Amey shifted in her chair. “Besides, if it makes you feel any better, he has eluded capture for over two years.”
The sheriff rose. “I suppose I need to borrow a wagon from the livery and go get the body.”
“Do you need any help?” Lincoln inquired, rising.
“No,” Sheriff Manley said with a shake of his head. “This won’t be the first time I’ve had to carry a dead body a short distance.”
Unexpectedly, the door to the sheriff’s office was thrown open and Jacob Tiner stormed in. “Is it true?” he asked, his eyes wide. “Did you find my wife’s killer?”
Amey bobbed her head. “I see that you got the message we left with one of your cowhands.”
“I did.” Jacob’s eyes shifted toward the cell and asked, “John killed my wife?”
“No!” John shouted, gripping the iron bars. “I didn’t. I swear!”
Turning his questioning gaze toward Lincoln, Jacob asked, “Then who did?”
“A fugitive known as Billy Joe Campbell,” Lincoln shared. “He was making moonshine, and Doris happened to stumble across his operation.” He pressed his lips together before adding, “And he killed her for it.”
Jacob dropped down into a chair. “He killed her over moonshine?” he asked in disbelief.
“Sadly, yes. He was a wanted man, and he didn’t want the law to start asking any questions,” Lincoln explained.
Jacob’s gaze shifted toward the cell, again. “Then why is John in jail?”
The sheriff spoke up. “Not only did John help make the moonshine, but he was the one who disposed of Doris’s body near your home.”
“Why didn’t you go to the sheriff after Doris was killed?” Jacob asked John.
John hung his head as he admitted, “Because I thought Billy Joe would kill me if he found out. I was scared. I was a coward.”
Jacob’s eyes filled with tears. “No, you are just a boy, and you made a horrible mistake.”
“Billy Joe had ordered John to bury Doris’s body deep into the wood so she would never be found, but John did defy his orders,” Amey revealed. “John wanted you to find Doris so she could have a proper burial.”
A tear slid down Jacob’s cheek. “Thank you, John. If Doris had just disappeared, I would have spent the rest of my life looking for her.”
“I am so sorry,” John whimpered. “No one was supposed to die. I had no idea that Billy Joe was even capable of such a thing.”
Jacob rose and walked over to the cell. “I understand,” he stated. “I forgive you, John. I believe you are a victim in all of this, as well.”
Tears flowed down John’s cheeks. “Thank you, sir.”
“What do you intend to charge John with?” Jacob asked.
The sheriff tapped his finger onto his desk. “I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “There is a slew of crimes I could charge him with.”
“Go easy on him,” Jacob said. “Remember, he’s just a boy.”
“Noted,” Sheriff Manley replied as he turned his gaze toward Lincoln. “Now that the case is over, will you kindly get out
