* It will be a few weeks before I will be updating this story again.
Never Alone
Chapter Four
Because Jarrod had pushed Jingo as hard as he dared, he was in Lodi long before Heath and Nick thought he would be. Having left his horse in the livery stable, Jarrod made his way to the saloon. He had purposely dressed in clothes that looked more like that of a ranch hand than that of an attorney. He sat in the corner of the saloon, next to the stairs leading up to the top floor, unobserved by the establishment's occupants.
Once he'd received Heath's telegram, Jarrod had sent off a few of his own and then talked with Fred. Once he'd received replies, he headed off to Lodi and caught up with Sheriff Greene to concur and compare the information he had. Now, he turned all that information, bit by bit over in his head. The last bit being the last part of the conversation he'd have with Lodi's sheriff.
"The Barnes and McKinley ranches both connect onto the Anderson ranch." Sheriff Greene had sat behind his desk and leaned back as he talked to Jarrod. "From what our singin' jailbird says Jake Anderson is the force behind the attacks. He wants to push both families off their land so he can buy it."
"Why don't you arrest him; you have a witness?" Jarrod asked confused. "Why let the fighting go on?" That he could not understand. It just didn't make any sense. "And where's my brother, Heath? He was supposed to be helping you."
The good sheriff rubbed his head in frustration. "The witness has a history of criminal behavior and has been caught in more than one lie. We need solid proof from at least one or two witnesses who are of sound reputation to make the charges stick. Your brother and two of my men rode out to the McKinley place last night. I expect him in this afternoon, if not him; your other brother, then." The lawman had then suggested Jarrod go to the saloon and simply sit and listen. After all, the place seemed to attract all kinds of people, who may well have something to say about the raids goin' on around here.
The noise in the saloon was loud, but not so loud that Jarrod, sitting close to the corner, did not hear the low voices coming from behind the wall. He was shocked and glanced off to his right. There was small hole, very small one, in the corner. Jarrod simply acted as if he was taking his time with the drink he'd ordered all the while listening to the conversation going on behind the wall. What Jarrod heard first surprised him quite a bit, what he heard second shocked him beyond measure.
"I tell you you're wrong. Mr. Barnes and that injun he talked into leaving the reservation to work for him are dead, and they're the only eye witnesses with clean records to pin the incident on us or Mr. Anderson." The voice he heard was quite husky and sounded too sure of himself.
"What about that injun's daughter? Did you get her too?" a second voice, thick with a German accent, asked.
"I tell you Benjamin River's had no daughter with him! He was a widower! That's how come Mr. Barnes was able to get him to leave that reservation, change his name and start working for him." the first man remained adamant on his stand. However, the second one grew firmer in his conviction.
"Benjamin Rivers, Raging River's Friend, whatever you wish to call that Shoshone Injun had a daughter I tell you! I saw her! If you didn't see a squaw with him, then you're either blind or she was hiding! We have to find her! Her word is as good as gold to the sheriff and Marshall! She's helped them on more than once occasion. If she's found that iron box that holds all the evidence Mr. Barnes and that injun friend of his found and hid, we're all in trouble! I just wish I knew if that box was hid on the Barnes place or the McKinley ranch!" The second man argued.
"Don't we all!" the first man's voice was rising and sounded quite irritated, "As it is, we're stuck looking as indiscreetly as possible ourselves. I think it's all so stupid when all he has to do in and buy the Barnes place. We could search without a problem then."
"I don't know why either, but I don't suggest you question Mr. Anderson on it. I might not follow his line of thinking, only I know better than to fight him either!" The second man barked.
"Well, we can at least suggest the man continue to have the Barnes ranch watched." The first man answered.
Jarrod had to keep his head bowed to hide the shock he knew was on his face. Could the men he was listening to actually be talking about his late wife's brother? Was the man dead? Did he have a daughter? These and a thousand questions flooded his mind. He also started going over all the options the young woman would have, if she was running from men like this. In a matter of seconds, Jarrod figured her only course of action would have to get to the McKinley farm…as it was the closest to the Barnes or was she still hiding out somewhere on the Barnes' ranch looking for the evidence these men thought existed?
If his supposed niece went to the McKinley's, then Nick or Heath would at least be there and with her now. Waiting until the voices had stopped talking and heard a sound of a distance door shutting, Jarrod stood up and walked calmly, but quickly, down to the sheriff's office. He'd send word to the McKinley ranch that he had arrived and was taking a ride out to the Barnes ranch. That way, both ranches would be covered when it came to his niece, if indeed that was who she was.
As Jarrod moved down the street as fast as he dared, not wanting to attract any undue attention, he turned things over his mind. Before he reached the sheriff's office he knew one thing for sure. If the evidence was on the Barnes ranch, they had to make sure Anderson had no reason to have it watched.
