Page 50 of Charlotte's Reckoning
“Former,”Jackson corrected him, his deep voice unmistakable. “He hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, and there are no outstanding warrants for his arrest.”
“Not being convicted only means he never got caught,”grumbled the first man.
“You’re a lawyer, Frank,”the mayor calmly reminded him. “You should know better than anyone that a man has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.”
“Who else would you suggest instead?”a gruff, older-sounding man asked impatiently. “Qualified men for the job aren’t exactly arriving in droves. Would you rather have the twenty-two-year-old kid or the sixty-year-old farmer who applied? Neither has even ridden out with a posse. Do you really want one of themin charge ofcontaining the criminal element that runs rampant on 6th Street?”
“There’s no call for sarcasm, Mr. Jackson,”the first man replied. “I’m only thinking of the town and the people who call Laramie home. How will they feel with a hired gunin charge oftheir protection?”
“Safer is my guess,”the older Jackson replied. “Walker has hauled in dozens of dangerous fugitives for Pinkerton. Before that, working solely on his own, he captured three or four times that many. Sheriffs in nearly every territory west of the Mississippi have deputized him when those same fugitives were terrorizing their towns. Ain’t that right, Aaron?”
“Maybe not every territory,Pa, but Ithink Frank gets the idea,”the mayor replied, explaining the relationship. “Based on his resume, I think you’ll all agree Mr. Walker has the experience we need to bring law and order to Laramie.”
The approving murmurs were so loud they silenced Frank.
“I move we take our new mayor’s recommendation and hire Seth Walker as our new sheriff before some other town snatches him up,”Mr. Jackson declared.
“I second,”a fresh voice called. “But of course, you’ll take Aaron’s recommendation, Henry. You two have always been in lockstep on everything.”
“That’s because he has brains and excellent instincts, which he came by honestly—from me,”the older manboasted proudly to a chorus of chuckles. “Aaron has proved to this town for well over a decade that we can trust his judgment, which is why the folks hereabouts voted him in as mayor unanimously.”
“Not quite,Pa. But Ithink you’ve made your point.”
The elder Jacksonharrumphed before quieting.
“Shall we vote?”Aaron asked. “With a show of hands, all in favor of hiring Seth Walker—”
“Hartigan!” Frank interrupted.
“Not anymore. He legally goes by Walker now,”Aaron informed him, referring to the court document Seth had provided. “All in favor of Seth Walker as Laramie’s interim sheriff until the next election.”
“Which isn’t for another year!”
“Consarnit, Frank!”Henry Jackson erupted in frustration. “Will you let him finish? This quick council meeting has dragged on long enough. Letty’s making roast beef, and I’m already late.”
“I need a show of hands,”Aaron reminded them.
The next thing Seth heard was the bang of a gavel. Then chairs creaked, and boots scuffed on the floor. When the door opened, the six-man town council filed out.
The last man had to be Henry Jackson. He was gray-headed and not quite as tall, but otherwise, father and son were the spitting images of one another.
Aaron appeared in the doorway. “You heard?”
“I did. Your walls must be made of paper.”
“Mm,”he grunted, looking around. “There’s talk of a new courthouse and town hall, but who knows how long that will be? Until then—”
“You better take your private meetings elsewhere,”Seth recommended.
“Agreed. Come into my office,”Aaron said, on the move again. “I have your keys.”
“To the jailhouse,”he assumed.
“Yes, and to the house that comes with the job. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s centrally located on a quiet street and will spare you living in one of the boarding houses.”
“That’s a pleasant surprise,”Seth observed, having expected to take a roomat the innuntil he found a place.
Aaron circled behind his desk and pulled a ring with at least a dozen keys out of a drawer. “We try to sweeten the deal to make up for the headaches. Most will come from cattle rustling on the surrounding ranches and Sixth Street, where anything can happen and usually does. But you’ve got a team of six deputies to help you, so you’ll occasionally geta full night’ssleep.”
