Chapter 4

Nick and Heath made it home just a bit before five o'clock. They went inside and saw their mother in the living room. Victoria turned when she heard them come in. She did not have a happy look on her face.

It was a look Nick didn't like at all. "Is Jarrod here?" he asked.

"No," Victoria said, "and you know he doesn't usually spend the whole day in the office when he goes in on Saturday."

Nick grunted a little put-out grunt. He knew Victoria knew Jarrod was in town looking for Askin. He said, "Maybe he's just taking his time."

"Nick, don't do this," Victoria said in response to her son's attitude, that she didn't like. "Jarrod went into town intending to see this man Askin you saw last night, and I know right now you don't trust Askin or Jarrod. Now, I don't know what that man wants. I just know you left this problem up to Jarrod, and he's not here, and whether you trust him or not, he is your brother and he's in town on your behalf."

"Do you want us to go find him?" Heath asked.

"Yes," Victoria said. "If all I can get is one less thing to worry about, I want it, and when you find him, I want you to clear up everything that needs clearing up. Do you understand, Nick?"

Nick nodded. "We'll go fetch him home."

Nick and Heath headed out again. Heath hadn't said anything to Nick about Jarrod saying Macklin had something hanging over him and he knew Victoria hadn't told him either. Heath debated whether to mention it as they rode into town, but he decided to keep leaving it alone, at least for now. He really didn't think Jarrod was in trouble in town, but Heath was anxious to find him, to find out what he'd learned if anything – and to keep Nick under control.

When they got to town, they went straight to Jarrod's office first. They didn't see him at his desk when they looked up at the window. Nick said, "Maybe he's gone for a drink."

"We oughtta check up there first," Heath said.

They hitched their horses and went upstairs. Nick expected to find the office door locked, but it was open. He and Heath gave each other looks and went in.

Concern turned to alarm when they spotted Jarrod tied to the chair, his mouth gagged now. Jarrod looked alarmed himself at first, but as soon as he recognized them he started pulling on his tied wrists. Nick and Heath hurried to him, Heath getting the gag out of his mouth while Nick untied him.

"It's about time you showed up," was the first thing Jarrod said. "What time is it?"

"Five thirty or so," Heath said. "How long you been like this?"

Nick had his wrists untied, and Jarrod rubbed them. They were bloody. His shirt was sticking to his neck too – the blood from the wound on the side of his head had dried. "Most of the day," Jarrod said, and got up to loosen up unhappy muscles, but nearly fell over. "Your friend Askin visited me this morning and stayed. Where's my gun?"

Heath caught him and steadied him. Nick said looked around quickly and found Jarrod's gun in the seat of his desk chair. He picked it up and gave it to him. "You got blood on your head. Did he hit you?"

"Yes," Jarrod said, "but that was this morning. He and I did some talking. Then about four I got an answer to a telegram I sent this morning. He read it, gagged me, and took off."

"What was the telegram about?"

"I sent a wire to Agent Macklin this morning, and he sent a response, I guess. At least that was all Askin appeared to be interested in. He made off with the response and I never saw it. We need to get to the telegraph office and find out what it said."

"What did you ask Macklin for?" Heath asked.

"Information. I need to clean myself up."

They didn't want to leave Jarrod out of their sight, so they went with him to the wc and waited outside the door while he took care of himself. When he came out, his hands were washed and the blood was mostly washed off his neck, but some remained dried in his hair.

"Maybe you ought to see the doc," Heath said.

"No, the telegrapher," Jarrod said and headed right by them. "I'll lay odds one of the things Macklin's wire to me today said was that Askin's name had come up when they questioned Alderson. Askin knew the jig was up, kept the wire and probably headed out of town."

"Of course it came up," Nick said. "He was Alderson's messenger."

Jarrod said, "But from the way he talked, I couldn't tell if he was for Alderson or against him, now or back then. I don't know how he's tied up in anything."

"I never did see much of the man with him going back and forth all the time," Nick said. "I just assumed back then he was running messages to our troops, and now that Alderson's been found out, I'm just assuming Askin was running more messages that we knew about."

"I only know my head hurts and my wrists hurt and I'm mad as sin," Jarrod said, and they all went into the telegraph office.

The telegrapher was a little alarmed Jarrod hadn't gotten the telegram slipped under his door, but Jarrod explained everything and the telegrapher gave him another copy, saying, "I ought to be reporting this."

"I'll tell the sheriff," Jarrod said after reading what the man gave him. "If you need to report it to the telegraph company, you do that. Tell them it's not your fault and I have no complaints against you or them. The wire was stolen."

Jarrod went out into the street and stopped, reading the telegram from Macklin a second time. "What's it say?" Heath asked.

Jarrod said, "Macklin confirms it. Alderson gave them Askin's name. Askin was running messages to the confederate side for him, even as he was meeting with Booth about killing Lincoln."

"We probably ought to check this all out with the sheriff," Heath said.

Jarrod nodded. "And then see if we can figure out where Mr. Askin went."

Nick said, "The law or the federals like Macklin or both can do a better job than we can."

"I have a bone to pick with Askin," Jarrod said. "I've been held hostage in my own office, my head hurts, my wrists hurt, and I intend to find the man who did it to me."

Nick and Heath looked at each other. This seemed like another case of Jarrod is gonna do what he's made his mind made up to do and frankly, this time, neither Nick nor Heath could blame him. Maybe Jarrod wanted to get Askin for whatever he was doing for Alderson, but it was more personal than that. Like Jarrod said, he had a bone to pick with Askin himself now.

"If I were Askin, I'd have left town as soon as I read that telegram," Heath said.

"Well, let's go talk to the sheriff and figure out what we're gonna do next," Nick said.

Jarrod looked at him. "We, huh?"

"Maybe I've been rough on you," Nick said, "but I'm not letting you handle Askin alone. After we take care of him, we'll clear up the rest of it. At least I'll try better to do that."

Jarrod's eyes took on an uneasy look, and Heath wondered if clearing things up was going to involve Jarrod talking about everything that had happened, including Macklin having something on him that forced him to help getting Alderson to confess. But Heath didn't have time to wonder long. Jarrod was already heading for the sheriff's office, with Nick right behind him.