Page 74 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
Or take a chance on life instead of running from it.To go find a real preacher and marry her all proper like.
The sheriff walked into the jail before he could contemplate it more.The look on his face wasn’t pleasant.The deputy on duty stood and moved away from the desk when the sheriff started toward it and when the man sat and blew out a breath, he could see how tired he looked.
Elkin wasn’t nearly as large as Durango, but compared to Silver Falls, it was every bit as populated.He could only imagine what sort of things the man had to deal with on a daily basis.
When the sheriff looked his way, his eyes lifting to the window in his cell and the gallows beyond it, he blew out a tired breath and shook his head before looking at his deputy.“Go out there and get those idiots off the gallows.I don’t want the sight of them out there stirring up trouble we don’t need.”
They all watched the deputy leave.When the door shut, the sheriff looked at them.“The circuit judge isn’t due until the end of next month.”
The statement was innocent enough, but the look in his eyes told him everything he wasn’t saying when he glanced out that window to the gallows at his back.
He might not be alive to even have to worry about proving himself innocent.The townsfolk might make that decision for him.
Her stomach soured at the sheriff's words.Would the people in this town really hang Josiah for a murder he didn’t even commit?
She closed her eyes as the sheriff and Josiah talked, only half listening as the sheriff mentioned sending a wire to the next town over, asking for a judge to be found and sent to Elkin.Having a judge in town would stop any vigilante hangings, but it also meant Josiah would go on trial.And for what?Because some old bitty who couldn’t mind her own business heard him say something in anger?
Her thoughts went back to that day, replaying it all over again in her head, and kept going back to the four men she’d seen with Edwin that morning inside his store.Were they the same men in the mercantile now, taking money for goods they didn’t even own?
She opened her eyes and focused on the sheriff, interrupting whatever he was saying to Josiah.“Who are the men running the mercantile now?”
The sheriff turned his attention to her and frowned.“What men?”
“The ones over in the mercantile.They’re running the store.Josiah said you told him Edwin’s father died a few months back, and I wasn’t aware he had other relatives who lived in town.”
“He doesn’t,” the sheriff said.“None that I’m aware of.”
“Well, there are two men over there, taking money for goods and neither of them looks like anyone you’d find running a store.They look like your average saddle bums to me.They’re both dirty, and I don’t think they should be in there.”
The sheriff turned in his seat and looked out the window toward the mercantile.She could see it as well from where she was standing and people were still going in and out of the store.
The sheriff made a “hump” noise before standing and heading for the door.She glanced at Josiah over her shoulder and said, “I’ll be right back,” before running after him.
“Violet!”
She stopped at the door and looked back at him.“I won’t get in the way.I’m just going to go see what he finds out.”
She stayed far enough behind the sheriff he didn’t realize she was behind him and slipped into the mercantile behind another lady, following close enough to hear him say, “Who are you and why are you running Edwin’s store?”when the men behind the counter stopped to stared at him.
Everyone went still at the words and she had to wonder if the people inside buying goods had wondered the same thing and if so, why were they giving them their money?
Edwin’s mercantile had been there for years and people get used to seeing the same faces, so they had to be wondering the same thing she was.
The men behind the counter glanced at each other before the one she’d spoken with earlier gave the sheriff a smile and straightened.“The names Enis.This here,” he said, nodding his head toward the other man, “Is Jake.We’re associates of Edwin’s.”
The smile on his face fell away, his head shaking back and forth while blowing out a breath.“It's a damn shame what happened to Edwin.I hope the man you’ve arrested is hung by morning for it.”
Whispers rippled across the store at his words.Violet watched as heads bent toward the closest to them, the murmurs growing in volume.Surely they wouldn’t take matters into their own hands like Josiah suggested they might.
The sheriff walked closer to the counter and whatever he and the men behind it were saying was lost in a sea of hushed conversations.She tried to get closer, but by the time she made it to the front of the store, the sheriff was turning and heading back outside.
She chased him across the street and caught him at the sidewalk in front of the jail.“Well?”she said, when he turned his head to look at her.
“Well, what?”
Frowning, she said, “Who were they?”
“I don’t know.”
