A/N I hope I don't confuse anyone with the difference between Heath and Nick's timelines. As I've said, eventually they will merge.

Chapter Eight

Heath and Jim watched as the sheriff rode away from the Walters' ranch with Mrs. Walters following behind him in her buggy. She had agreed to send a telegram to Lyman Walters asking him to send the combination to the safe. Jim turned his face towards Heath after the sheriff and Mrs. Walters had disappeared out of sight.

"You're not going to wait to ask Mr. Walters questions are you?" He asked only because of the look in Heath's eyes. He might not know Heath as well as he'd like to only Jim would still know 'that' look. He'd seen it too many times in Tom's, Nick's and Jarrod's eyes not to.

"No," Heath turned around and went back inside. Once inside he headed straight for Mr. Walters bedroom. Sure he knew what he'd been told concerning Mr. Walters' speech, but there was more than one way for the man to answer some of Heath's questions.

It didn't take long to walk through the living room, down the hall that started on the south side of the house and enter Mr. Walters' bedroom. All right, not knowing which was Henry's, Heath had to open two doors on his right before he came to the first door on his left which turned out to be Mr. Walters' room. Once inside Heath stood at the foot of the bed while his uncle, who had followed him into the house, leaned against the wall next to the open doorway.

Mr. Walters' eyes widened as he lay in his bed and looked at Heath. He had never expected to see Nick's blonde haired brother inside his room. He tried to talk, but the only word that he could get out of his mouth was 'what'…and even that was garbled.

Heath took a deep breath and then said, taking a few risks with the things he said as the majority of what he planned to say was simply a bluff, to see if he could get anything out of the Henry Walters. "You've admitted that Nick and you went into those hills together the day he disappeared only we now know you lied to us concerning what took place that day. Was it because you were afraid you'd be blamed for whatever took place? Simply lift one finger off the bed if that's the case."

Heath wasn't surprised by the shocked look that leaped onto the man's face. He also knew that, if the man could speak, he'd be demanding to know what Heath was talking about. As it was, Heath had the upper hand as he knew there was no way for Mr. Walters could verify if Heath was telling the truth or not. "You and Nick didn't go in two separate directions looking for that stallion; you were together." Again, he saw fear come into Mr. Walters' eyes as he struggled to talk. Heath didn't give him a chance to deny it. "Look, I don't know exactly what happened up there only tell me this…did whoever beat on you kill Nick?"

He and Jim kept an eye on Henry Walters as the man stopped struggling to speak. Jim spoke up and told their 'friend' not to try and talk. He told Mr. Walters to simply answer the question with a shake-or a nod- of the head. A look of resignation appeared in Mr. Walters' eyes and he shook his head. Heath had to remind himself that the bedridden gentleman couldn't give him detailed answers in order to refrain from demanding answers right then and there. "So, they beat on you and took him away, and you were afraid you'd get the blame." Heath made the statement knowing full well that, if Mr. Walters had been innocent, he would never have lied in the first place. Only there was no way Heath was going to admit that. He hoped that Mr. Walters would see his statement as a way to try to throw them off the truth.

Mr. Walters grew agitated and began struggling to speak only to fail.

"I'm not asking for details." Heath leaned forward just a little. "Simply shake your head for no or nod for yes. That or you can lift one finger for yes. Is what I just said the truth-whoever beat on you took Nick."

"Even if he's wrong about how I got the bruise on my face, how did they find anything out?" Mr. Walters thought as he looked at Heath and Jim. Though, telling himself they had no prove of his secret business deals, Henry took the only chance he saw to keep suspicions of his involvement off him. He slowly lifted the pointer finger on his left hand up and then sat it back down.

Heath's heart skipped a beat as he decided to see if he could get Henry Walters to tell them if there was any truth to the rumors some in Abbottsville had heard concerning the Johnson's various operations and the people who lived in the hills. Only, before he could, the nurse Mrs. Walters had hired entered the room and said it was time for Mr. Walters' medicine. Heath would have stayed in the room only Jim pulled him out and back onto the porch.

"He can't give you all the information you want. It's enough for now you got him to admit he and Nick never left each other as he's claimed for the past three years. And, more importantly, we know he was alive the last time Henry was with him. Once we get inside that safe, we'll learn just what upset Teresa Farrell so."

"He can tell us if there's any truth to those rumors." Heath snapped and then apologized.

"I doubt that he will go that far. Once he really thinks about it, Henry's going to realize how much hot water he's in by admitting he lied to us before. He's not going to add to it by confirming any rumors connected to the Johnson family. We'll need solid evidence for that one." Jim shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against the railing that wrapped around the porch of the Walters' home. "Are you going to wire Jarrod?"

Heath nodded and answered, "Of course, I am, but not before I talk to Sheriff Miller." He then walked towards his horse which was tethered to a nearby tree. Jim did the same.