“I’ll set up a meeting,” James continued, “but just you and me, David,” for now.
“I want to go,” said Jason.
“Really? You hate those things!” said James. “And this one will be nothing like the ones before. This one is high stakes and deadly serious.”
“Oh,” said Jason. “I forgot, but I’ll still be there if you need me.”
“It’s okay. I need you here, watching the ranch. Okay?”
“Sure, James, whatever you need,” replied a relieved Jason.
* * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-four
Second Chances Ranch
Weston, Colorado
“Hold on just a few, David. Let me try to get hold of my friend, one of the deputies. I’ll get him to set up a meeting—tomorrow, if possible.”
James got his old friend on the radio, who was headed home from work.
“I’ll be there in ten and have some information…and it’s not good,” the deputy said. “You may want to break out a jar, maybe two, of the good stuff for what I have.”
“I think we’ll stick around to hear this,” said David. “Okay with you, Mel?”
“Oh yeah… I’m not going to sleep tonight if I don’t hear what he has to say.”
* * * *
They greeted the deputy, with Jason opening the ranch gates, and Janice had a drink ready for him.
“Thank you, ma’am,” the deputy said.
“I’m staying,” she announced. “So am I,” said Lauren, asking Carla to watch her sisters and little Billy.
“You want everyone here to hear this, James?” the deputy asked. “No disrespect to anyone here—just asking, is all.”
“Yep, they’re all family now.”
“Okay,” he said, puffing his cheeks out and blowing air, as anyone might with big news. “Just for the record, James, I was already headed over here to tell you when you radioed.”
“Okay, old friend. I understand,” replied James.
He could see that Jason was getting nervous and fidgeting, same as every meeting they had before with Sheriff Johnson and Judge Lowry.
“Okay, deputy. Hit me with it!”
“They plan to arrest you and Jason tomorrow afternoon on conspiracy charges.”
Janice gasped, as did Lauren and Mel.
“Conspiracy of what?” asked James calmly.
“Excuse me…pardon me,” said Jason, pushing his way through the small porch crowd and to the side railing, just in time to vomit over the railing.
“Should we wait for him?” asked the deputy.
“No, let’s get this all out now,” replied James.
“All right then, on charges of conspiracy to undermine law enforcement and the Courthouse of the town of Weston. It sounds like a made-up charge to me,” he added.
“Okay,” replied James, “but you still haven’t told me what this is about.”
Janice and Lauren sat on the stairs, still within listening distance but whispering to each other.
“Honestly, James, I don’t even know what this is about,” replied the deputy. “We had a little girl and her family, who I guess just wandered into town. Hitched a ride with a local farmer from somewhere out this direction, they said. One of the kids got hurt playing outside, and they came to town asking for a doctor. Anyway, the Sheriff…well, she seemed to know the girl and brought her and the dad in for questioning. Not ten minutes later, they called all of us in and told us to come and pick you both up tomorrow afternoon. I don’t get the connection, and they never told us. That’s the God’s honest truth, James.”
“I know,” James replied. “Long story short, that little girl witnessed the new Sheriff murder the old one with a gunshot to the head. We brought her and their little family out here to stay in Jason’s old trailer. They were supposed to stay put until we could sort this whole thing out.”
“Her brother busted his arm pretty good—or bad, I guess—and got some deep cuts, from what I could see. Doc Walters could tell you more, though.”
“Mark!” said David. “He’s at the hospital!”
“I’m sure he’s all right. I didn’t hear anything about him or you—just James and Jason,” the deputy said, looking at a still-calm James and a pale-faced Jason, who had rejoined the conversation but remained silent.
“Then what?” asked Janice, with her first question of the day.
“What, ma’am?” responded the deputy.
“With the notable exception of the Judge last week and the former Councilman…what’s his name? Every other arrest ends in a hanging or some type of fight,” replied Janice.
“Ken, ma’am. Ken’s the old Councilman’s name, and they haven’t told us anything beyond bringing you two in tomorrow.”
“Are you just supposed to surround the house or ask us to come in peacefully?” asked James, wanting to get ahead of this business.
“Well, neither. You’re both due in town tomorrow for work, and she just wants us to pick you up from your office after lunch.”
“That’s actually a smart idea, rather than trying to bulldoze your way on to my property. Not you, but you know what I mean.”
“I do, and that brings me to the next part, so it’s no surprise. I’m the lead guy, I’ve been told.”
“For the arrests?” asked Jason in a squeaky voice.
“Yep, I’m afraid so.”
James chuckled, getting a look out of everyone on the porch, including his wife. “What could possibly be funny right now?” asked Janice, clearly upset.
“Well, it’s just that it’s better to be arrested by a friend than a foe, is all I was thinking, honey. Yeah, I guess it’s not that funny, after all,” he added.
“James, this is serious,” said Janice, with everyone else nodding in agreement, except for David.
“You don’t agree, David?” she asked.
“Well, ma’am...of course it’s serious business, we would all agree. But I see it as your husband…I’m guessing, and tell me if I’m wrong, James… The
