Page 310 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Did you threaten him?”
“I suppose I did, Sheriff. I told him if he ever sent another letter like that to Felix, we would take the argument to the street.”
“Did another letter arrive for Felix from his father?”
“No, Sheriff.”
“Have you been here all afternoon, Grover?”
“Yes. Me, Mabel, and our two young men arrived around two o’clock. John and Erna will verify we have been here since.”
“And you haven’t left?”
“No. You know I love my family and am trying to protect Felix. Did you see him set that new record in calf roping?”
“I was there.”
“His father said the accomplishment was not important.”
“When did he say that?”
“The other day. Standing in my parlor.” Grover crossed his arms. “I asked him if he had complimented Felix on his win, and he waved his hand dismissively and said those things were unimportant to him.”
Sheriff Jackson shook his head. “The whole town knows Felix went from bookworm to record-setter in a few weeks. And it was due to the coaching from you and your Joey, who came close to tying that record. How can Cornelius not realize how amazing that is?”
“That is my point, Sheriff. After I brought Felix to the ranch, he became a third son to Mabel and me. He and Joey became fast friends. He’s like a brother to Joey, and we like having him around.”
“Thanks, Grover. That’s all I needed. I suspect Bonner did this himself. You go back to your visiting and leave him to me.”
Back at the house, the sheriff said his goodbyes to the Bowdens and nodded to Mabel. He mounted up and started back toward town, waving to the smiling young men as he rode past the orchard.
Sheriff Jackson stopped at the Bonner place in town to check on Cornelius. He tethered his horse to the hitching post in front of the house, then climbed the front steps onto the wide front porch to knock on the door.
Hattie Bonner greeted him. “Hi, Sheriff.” She opened the screen door and motioned for him to enter. “Do you have any news about the attack on Cornelius?”
“Yes, I do, ma’am.” He removed his hat, nodded, and stepped inside. “Is Mr. Bonner available?”
Guiding the screen door closed, she nodded toward the living room. “Yes. Right this way.” She led the sheriff into the living room and motioned to a chair. “Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He sat and looked at Cornelius, noticing the bandage on his head and the purple bruises marking the inside of his arms.Hmmm, that’s odd. If Bonner were holding his arms defensively to protect himself, wouldn’t the underside of his forearms have been the place most bruised?“Looks like the doc fixed you up. You hurting?” The sheriff rubbed his own arm, feeling a phantom pain of sympathy.
Cornelius touched his fingers to the bandage on his head. “A bit of throbbing, but I’ll be fine. Did you arrest Sterling?”
The sheriff shook his head. “I rode out and chatted with him, and no, I didn’t arrest him.” He shifted in his chair and sat forward, elbows on his knees, hat in his hands. “A couple of things puzzle me about this incident, Bonner. May I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure, Sheriff. Anything to get to the bottom of this.”
The sheriff looked down as he rotated his hat brim in his fingers. “As I walked into your store after the attack, I noticed that the items on the counter seemed pushed off toward the front of the store.” He looked up at Cornelius. “Why would Sterling walk past the counter, then turn around and push things off?”
Cornelius met the sheriff’s eyes and shrugged. “You’re asking me to guess the motives of an angry man, Sheriff. I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you.”
“True enough.” The sheriff nodded and sat back in his chair. “I noticed a shelf of items was pushed over and fell toward the back of the store. This would appear normal for someone walking toward your office stairs from the front entrance.” He crossed his legs and rested his hat on his knee. “What doesn’t make much sense is why he would push over the shelf with the inexpensive items. If you were trying to do damage in a shop, wouldn’t you find the more expensive items and shove those to the floor?” He watched Cornelius for a reaction.
Cornelius shook his head and spoke with a chuckle. “Again, sheriff, you’re asking me to determine a madman's motives.” He took a breath. “He was probably too angry to think about what was expensive and what was not.”
Sheriff Jackson nodded, then scratched his chin before waving an index finger. “Another question. Did you not hear the items crashing to the floor? Surely, a concerned shopkeeper would rush to see what was happening.”
Cornelius huffed out a breath. “The saloon down the street can get very noisy sometimes, sheriff. I thought it was something outside.”
