Chapter 20

When the Barkleys went up to Jason Ipswitch's door, they let the sheriff take the lead, and Sheriff Tolson knocked. The sheriff and Jarrod were both surprised that Ipswitch's houseman didn't open the door – Ipswitch himself did. He gave the sheriff a polite smile, but then gave Jarrod a look full of hatred that wasn't lost on him or anyone else.

"I saw you coming, Sheriff," Ipswitch said. "You're welcome here, but Jarrod Barkley isn't, and I don't know who these two others are."

"Jason, I know how you've been feeling because of Aaron," the sheriff said, "but Mr. Barkley and these other men have told me about some things that have happened lately, and they concern you, so I think you better let us all in so we can talk."

"What things?" Ipswitch asked.

The sheriff said, "We can talk out here on the porch if you want, but out here or in there, we're gonna talk. And I think you might rather have it be in there."

There were three or four ranch hands working by the stable, and they were watching, but they looked away and went back to work when Ipswitch looked their way.

"It's about Burt McFarland," the sheriff continued.

And Ipswitch finally said, "Come in."

He opened the door, and all four men came in. The house was not as big as the Barkley mansion, but it had a large foyer and a parlor beyond that. A small Chinese man waited at the entrance to the parlor.

Ipswitch pointed the sheriff and the Barkleys to the parlor and spoke to the Chinese man. "Lang, we'll need some privacy."

The Chinaman bowed slightly and disappeared up the stairs.

The men went into the parlor, but no one sat down. On the way here, they had decided to let the sheriff do the talking once Jarrod filled him in on everything that had happened and how they came to bring Ipswitch into the picture. The sheriff turned and faced Ipswitch. "Jason, first I need to tell you that Burt McFarland is dead."

Ipswitch did not look shocked or even surprised. He didn't say anything.

The sheriff went on. "He was killed after he threw Jarrod Barkley here and another man off a moving train, about two weeks ago. He came back, he pulled a gun on Mr. Barkley, a fight happened and McFarland was killed. Jason, the other man he threw off the train was also killed."

Now Ipswitch gave away a small tell. His right hand started to move into a fist, but stopped. "What does that have to do with me?"

"McFarland worked for you."

"Everybody knew he was one of my hands."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Jason. Since McFarland beat up his wife, she's told a lot of people how you came to see her looking for him and saying he was doing some special job for you."

"Looking around at some stock," Ipswitch said. "What's wrong with that? I went to talk to her because I didn't know where Burt was and I needed to find him."

"And you went to a woman he split up with more than a year ago?"

"I didn't know where else to go."

"Jason – you lost Aaron not long ago," the sheriff said.

Ipswitch swallowed.

The sheriff went on. "Mr. Barkley here was his attorney and you weren't happy with the result he got. Everybody knew that."

"Are you trying to say the job McFarland was doing for me was killing Barkley?" Ipswitch said, getting louder.

"I'm trying to say that things are not adding up in a way you want them to," the sheriff said.

"Did you come to arrest me?"

"I came to ask you to explain."

"I had McFarland looking at some stock for me. I didn't have him going after Barkley, and you don't have any proof that I did, or you'd arrest me right now."

"Jason," the sheriff said, very calmly, despite the fact that Ipswitch was yelling now. "The other man McFarland threw off the train was killed. His name was Carson. Whoever hired McFarland to kill Mr. Barkley is gonna be complicit in Carson's death, too."

"It's not me!" Ipswitch shouted. "Now you either arrest me or get out of my house!"

"All right," the sheriff said, still calm, "but Jason, you better get yourself a lawyer and do it fast."

Ipswitch actually started for the sheriff, but Nick quickly moved toward him, and Ipswitch stopped. "Get out," Ipswitch snarled.

The Barkleys turned and went out the front door, the sheriff following them. Outside they mounted up and rode out of Ipswitch's yard and a good half mile down the road before the sheriff stopped them.

"I'm glad you boys didn't say anything in there," the sheriff said.

"We didn't want to interrupt you," Jarrod said. "You know this man. What do you think?"

"I think he's hiding plenty," the sheriff said. "Otherwise I wouldn't have told him to get a lawyer."

"Do we have enough to take to the district attorney?"

"I'll take it, but I don't know. I hate to ask this, because I don't know what Ipswitch is gonna do right now, but can you stay in town at least until tomorrow? I might need you to talk to the district attorney or to one of the judges."

"We're ready to stay," Jarrod said. "I know Ipswitch too, and I don't think he's about to try to do anything himself."

"And I don't think he'll be hiring anybody else to do anything today either," the sheriff said. "But Mr. Barkley – that son of his meant the world to him, and he's been as unpredictable as they come since that boy died. I can't guarantee he won't try something to get to you, especially if he thinks he's gonna be arrested for a murder anyway."

Jarrod nodded toward his brothers. "I have my protection, Sheriff."

The sheriff smiled a little at Nick. "Yeah, I got the picture."

XXXXXXXX

They went back to town, and the sheriff went off to see the District Attorney. Jarrod offered to go with him, but the sheriff thought it best to leave the victim out of the discussion, and Jarrod understood.

"Let's find a drink and some food and maybe a card game," Nick suggested. "Take the edge off and keep Pappy's busy mind occupied."

Jarrod smiled a little. "Don't worry, Nick. We're getting to the end of this. I can tell."

"Let's just hope the end is with Ipswitch in a cell and not anything else," Nick said.

Jarrod headed down the street toward a saloon he knew of. "We'll be all right, at least for today," he said as they walked. "Ipswitch isn't gonna try anything himself, and even if he doesn't get arrested, he knows the sheriff is watching now. If anything were to happen to me, Ipswitch is the first man Tolson would go after." Jarrod's attitude was clearly easing up.

"That puts a lot of pressure on Ipswitch, though," Heath said. "Not only to toe the line – like the sheriff said, he could try to get you because he knows he's already being looked at for one murder."

"I'm betting he'll back off rather than come after me harder," Jarrod said. "That's the kind of man he is."

"That's the kind of man you knew before he lost his son," Heath said. "He might not be the same man now."

They reached the saloon, and as they went in, Jarrod said, "Regardless, he won't be coming in the daylight, and Nick's not the only one who's hungry."

Jarrod led the way inside and up to the bar, where the plateful of sandwiches was already out.

"Beer!" Nick said lustfully. "Three of 'em!"

"And three sandwiches," Jarrod said and handed one to Heath. Then he winked at Nick. "You know how I get when I don't eat."

Nick snorted, and Heath laughed.

They ate and drank. They joined a card game a man Jarrod knew in passing, a local lawyer, started up. In less than half an hour, two other men dressed in work clothes joined in, and the serious card playing got underway. The lawyer had to leave for a court session, but by three o'clock the game was serious again, and by four o'clock there were enough people in the place that bystanders were forming their own games and the saloon girls were handing out beer and whiskey and making lots of tips.

By six o'clock Nick was getting hungry again. He asked one of the saloon girls, "What's for dinner, hon?"

"We've got some real good beef stew cooked up," she said.

"Sold!" Nick said.

"You've been nursing that one beer for an hour and a half. Do you want a new one?"

Nick looked up at his brothers. Jarrod said, "Refills all around when the stew comes."

"I'm just about out of money," Heath said.

Nick had won a fair share and passed about twenty dollars Heath's way. "You can pay me back when you turn that into forty."

They played. They ate. They got fresh beer and they relaxed and didn't even notice that it was turning dark outside, until someone came in and pulled up a chair from another table. He sat down between Jarrod and Heath and heaved a sigh.