"The prosecution calls Chris Larabee to the stand."
There was a general sound of muttering and whispering as the gunslinger made his way to the witness chair and took a seat. Chris remembered watching the testimony in Obadiah's trial, how simple it had seemed. Looking out at the crowd, at the jury, at Harker and Jacob and, finally, at Ezra, he felt a sudden weight settle on him. There was nothing simple about this. Everyone would be hanging on his every word. Hanging…the word put a knot in his throat. His words could hang a man; could hang Ezra.
Jacob hooked his thumbs into his waistcoat pockets and angled himself perfectly between Chris and the jury. "Please state your name and occupation."
"Chris Larabee. I'm part of the law here."
"In fact, from what I hear, you're the leader?"
Chris shrugged. "More or less."
"So when there's information that could affect all of you—that could affect the entire town—then it's understood that you should be made aware of it."
Chris flicked a glance at Ezra, but the gambler was looking somewhere over Chris's shoulder. "Yeah, I suppose so."
"And were you made aware that the payroll for the Western Sky Mining Company was due to be held at the First National Bank?"
"No," Chris said, then added with a touch of defiance, "Bannister never mentioned it to me."
Jacob nodded as though he'd expected the response. "And no one else did either, is that correct?"
"Yeah."
"Turning your attention to the morning of the tenth, you were in Four Corners, were you not?"
"Yeah, I was."
"Please tell us what happened that morning."
"Vin and me saw Bannister outside the bank; he looked nervous so we went to see what was wrong and he told us the bank had been robbed. We went inside and found the safe open and empty, and whole lotta blood on the floor."
"Were you able to tell how the robber had gained entry?"
"Door was in one piece; so were all the windows. Looked like someone had a key or else picked the lock."
"And the safe?"
"Same thing; someone opened it with the combination."
"Or cracked it," Jacob suggested.
"Sure."
"How much was taken?"
"Bannister said about twenty thousand in cash; said it included the payroll for the Western Sky Mining Company."
"So what happened next?"
"Me and Vin went over to the saloon to talk to Ezra—"
"Sorry," Jacob interrupted, "Let's back up; what made you decide to go talk to Mr. Standish at that point?"
"Bannister said he'd told Ezra about the payroll."
"But that was the first you'd heard of it."
Chris's eyes narrowed but Jacob just looked at him impassively, waiting for his answer. "Yeah, that was the first I heard."
"I see. So you and Mr. Tanner went to the saloon and spoke to Mr. Standish. Did he mention the payroll at that point?"
"No, we asked him."
"And what did he say?"
"Said he didn't know about it." Chris felt himself shifting ever so slightly in his chair; Ezra hadn't actually said those words, had he? But that's what he meant, of course, wasn't it?
Jacob seemed to pick up on Chris's unease; he waited a moment, studying the gunslinger before asking his next question. "And…did you leave it at that or did you ask anything further?"
This time, Chris knew he shifted noticeably. "I asked him where he was the night before—but only because—"
"So you didn't believe him?" Jacob interrupted again.
"That ain't what I said."
"My apologies," Jacob replied. "Was anyone else with Mr. Standish at the time?"
"Yeah, JD Dunne."
"Did you ask him for an alibi?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because Bannister said he told Ezra about the payroll…" Chris could see the hint of a smile on Jacob's face as he made the third mention of Ezra knowing about the payroll. Damn lawyers, he thought, I'm playing right into his hands...
"Oh, that's right," Jacob said. "So you asked Mr. Standish where he was; what did he say?"
"He said…" Chris stopped himself, suddenly realizing: "Actually, he didn't say."
"He didn't say?"
"He didn't get a chance to say—Bannister came in, carrying the ring."
"Ah yes!" Jacob walked over to the evidence table and held up the item in question. "This ring?"
"Yeah."
Jacob stepped towards Chris, the ring still held up for the jury to see. "Had you seen this ring before that moment?"
"Yeah. Before you ask, it's Ezra's."
"And you know this because?"
"I seen him wear it; we all have."
"And do you know where this ring was discovered?"
"In the bank."
"In the bank," Jacob repeated, looking squarely at the jury. They seemed mesmerized by the shiny bauble in his hand, and he took advantage of the attention, holding their gazes for several seconds before returning the ring to the evidence table. "All right. What happened next?"
"Bannister wanted to search Ezra's room, so we did."
"Did you find anything?"
"You know damn well what we found."
"Mr. Larabee, please." Judge Travis warned quietly.
Chris glanced over at Harker, who gave him a subtle 'keep calm' gesture. Chris took a deep breath and then motioned towards the evidence table. "We found those clothes in Ezra's room."
Jacob carefully picked up the blood-stained garments and showed them to the jury before setting them back down. "This shirt and coat belong to Mr. Standish, do they not?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know how they came to be covered in blood?"
"No." Jacob raised his eyebrows, and Chris immediately realized his mistake. "I mean, he said he was in a fight."
"I see. It's odd that you forgot that. Did you look into it?"
"Yeah, of course."
"And?"
"And we couldn't find anyone who saw it. But that don't mean it didn't happen!"
Jacob nodded patronizingly, "No, of course not. It's entirely plausible that Mr. Standish was in a horrifically bloody fight that no one saw on the very night that Henry Erickson was murdered in the bank—"
"Objection!" Harker stood, "We don't know that Henry Erickson was murdered or that he was even in the bank that night."
"Sustained," Judge Travis replied.
"I apologize again," Jacob said. "Tell me, Mr. Larabee, have you seen Henry Erickson since the night of the robbery?"
"No."
"To your knowledge, has anyone else seen Henry Erickson since then?"
"No."
"Have you come across any explanation for the blood you found on the floor of the bank?"
"No!"
"Hm. I wonder what we should make of that."
"It don't mean Ezra killed him."
"So you do think he's dead?"
"Goddammit, quit twisting my words!" Chris growled.
There was a murmur in the crowd and Judge Travis banged the gavel. "Order! Mr. Larabee, please watch your language."
Chris looked over at Harker, who shook his head as if to say, This isn't helping. He sat up straighter in the witness chair and forced himself to try to get his temper under control.
Jacob paced for a moment, as if allowing some of the tension in the room to dissipate, then resumed his questioning. "Yet again, I apologize. I understand that Mr. Standish is a fellow lawman, and this is not a pleasant task for you. You've worked with him for some time, correct?"
"Yeah, I have," Chris said.
"Have you ever had cause to question his loyalty?"
"No!" Chris answered vehemently. Jacob pursed his lips slightly and Chris knew he'd walked into a trap.
"Really?" The lawyer strode over to his table and picked up a piece of paper. "Does the name Lucius Stutz mean anything to you?"
Chris glanced over at Vin in surprise; the tracker returned his unasked question with a slight shrug that indicated he also didn't know how Jacob had heard about the incident. Before he could answer, though, Harker interjected.
"Objection; relevance?"
Jacob turned to Judge Travis before he could rule. "Mr. Larabee has stated that Mr. Standish has never given cause to distrust him; I am ascertaining the truth of that statement."
Judge Travis appeared reluctant but said, "Overruled. Proceed."
"Mr. Larabee, please tell us who Lucius Stutz is."
Chris looked to Harker, but the lawyer was now conferring with Ezra. "Stutz was an assassin that was hired to kill Mary Travis."
"And am I correct in understanding that you and your men came across the money that had been used to hire Mr. Stutz?"
"Yeah."
"How much money?"
"Ten thousand." There was another murmur in the crowd; many of them no doubt remembered the chaos that had erupted in town over the money.
"And is it true that Mr. Standish took the ten thousand dollars?"
"Josiah gave it to him for safekeeping," Chris explained.
Jacob consulted his sheet of paper. "That would be Josiah Sanchez, another lawman, correct?" Chris nodded. "And did Mr. Standish attempt to leave town with the money?"
The best thing you can do for Ezra is just tell the truth. "Yeah."
"Had Mr. Sanchez told him to leave town with it?"
"Objection; calls for speculation," Harker said.
"Sustained."
Jacob rephrased the question, "To your knowledge, had Mr. Sanchez told him to leave town with it?"
"No, but—"
"Did you know he was planning to leave town with it?"
"No, but—"
"Did you want him to leave town with it?"
"No, but—"
"Were you angry when you found out?"
"At first, but—"
"How about surprised; were you surprised?"
"Not really, but—"
"So it sounds like you have had cause to question his loyalty, haven't you?" Jacob didn't give Chris a chance to answer before saying, "No further questions," and returning to his table.
Chris shifted forward in his chair. "What? Now just hold on—"
"Mr. Larabee, settle down," Judge Travis warned.
Chris sat back but stared at Jacob with the full fury of the fire he felt raging behind his eyes. The lawyer met his gaze with calm indifference. Chris looked over at Ezra and was surprised to find the gambler looking back at him. The ghost of a smile crossed Ezra's face and Chris saw…Sympathy? Regret?...It was fleeting and then it was gone. Ezra went back to studying the tabletop and Chris felt the fire die down as he realized how many nails he'd just put in Ezra's coffin.
