"Amos?"
"Well look who decided to show up," the lawman greeted, smiling as he stood from his desk. "It's been quite a spell since we've seen you around here! You just bring the stage in?"
"…I'm afraid so."
The sheriff eyed the driver curiously as the man fidgeted with his hat. "…Nick, what's wrong? The stage get held up?"
"No, it's… it's Mrs. Moore."
"What happened? Is she alright?"
"…She's dead."
"Dead?!" The sheriff took two steps forward as he stared at the man in disbelief. "What do you mean, dead?!"
"…I thought it was awfully strange that she wasn't there to greet the stage. I was showing the passengers inside and… we found her in the kitchen… shot. I didn't know what to do… I hurried everyone back outside and came here."
"Show me!"
The men ran back to the stage stop where the shaken passengers still stood waiting on the porch. Driver and sheriff made their way to the kitchen, their stomachs turning at the bloody sight.
"…This… this is how you found her?"
The man nodded.
"…See if Mrs. Varney has room for the passengers at her boarding house tonight and…" The man suddenly stopped, again turning to face the driver. "What about the boy?"
"What boy?"
"There was a boy staying with Hannah!"
"…We haven't seen a boy anywhere around here."
"Help me search the house!"
Nick nodded, quickly following the sheriff out of the room. The pair searched the house, barn, and surrounding property before finding themselves back in the kitchen.
"Just who was this boy? What would anyone want with him?"
"He was the son of a friend of hers. As to what anyone would want with him…" The man quieted, catching a glimpse of a shadow from the corner of his eye. He started forward, kneeling in front of the sink as he pulled back the curtain.
With tear stains on his cheeks, the child sat, blankly staring at the body across from him. Legs drawn to his chest and arms wrapped around them, the boy silently rocked back and forth, oblivious to the men in the room.
"…That him?"
"…It's him." The sheriff wracked his brain, trying to remember the child's name. He reached out to place a hand on the boy's tense shoulder, causing him to abruptly pull back. "…It's alright; I won't hurt you. It's Martin… no… Mark, isn't it? Mark, do you remember me? I'm Sheriff Sharp… I was here just a few days ago. Mrs. Moore and I talked out on the porch, remember?"
The child stared at him for several moments before again settling his gaze on the prone body.
"Mark, can you hear me? …Mark?" The man lifted the boy's chin in an attempt to obtain his attention, only for the child to continue staring past him.
"…Amos, what's wrong with him?"
"…I don't know. …Go… go ahead and get your passengers to the boarding house. …Send Carpenter back to help me with the body."
"But what about the kid?"
"…Send the doc out, too. …I don't know what's wrong with him, but I don't think it's gonna just go away on its own."
Lucas tossed the last bag down from the stagecoach, surprised that his son had yet to emerge from the house. "…Ralph, you need any help with the horses?"
"I got it. Just ask Hannah to put some coffee on for me when you get inside."
"Will do."
Lucas jumped down from the stage and followed the last passenger inside. To his surprise, an elderly man stood in the front room greeting the guests and assigning them to their respective rooms.
"And you, young man, what's your name?"
"I already have a room… where's Hannah?"
The gentleman's smile slowly faded as he looked at Lucas. "…You mean you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"…I sure am sorry to have to be the one to tell you… Mrs. Moore passed away a few days ago."
Lucas's eyes grew wide as he took another step towards the man, clenching his fists. "…What… what happened?"
"They don't know for certain. There are whispers her husband killed the poor woman. I hear-tell there was a boy in the house when it happened, but I-"
"Where is he? Is he alright?!"
"…Last I knew, he was with the sheriff. They're waiting for… say, you his father?"
Lucas didn't answer the man's question. He ran to the barn and saddled Razor, ignoring Ralph's questions as he kicked the horse into a gallop. Reaching the sheriff's office, the man jumped down and ran inside the building.
"The boy that was staying with Hannah Moore; where is he?!"
Startled, the sheriff looked up, slightly intimidated by the man's looming figure. "…Lucas McCain, I presume?"
He nodded, bracing himself against the desk. "My son, is he alright?"
"Please, Mr. McCain, take a seat."
"Is he alright?!"
"I had our doctor look the boy over and he couldn't find any physical injuries. …But I am prone to believe your son may have witnessed Mrs. Moore's murder… and whatever he did see… it's done something to him, on the inside. He won't talk to anyone… we can hardly get him to eat anything… he just sits all day and stares."
"Where is he?"
"My wife's been minding him during the day." The sheriff stood, gesturing for the father to follow him. "We live just a few streets over."
The two men quickly made their way to a small home on the edge of town. As they entered, the sheriff called for his wife.
"Amos, what are you doing ho…" The woman quieted as she entered the room, her eyes meeting Lucas's before she turned to her husband in askance.
"Faye, this is Lucas McCain, the boy's father."
"Oh, Mr. McCain, please come in." The woman gestured to a seat as she went on, "Is there anything I can get you?"
"I just need to see my son."
"Of course. He's in the bedroom; Amos can show you. …Mr. McCain, I… we've tried everything. I've never seen a child so… so shaken. It's as if he's shut the entire world out."
Lucas nodded in understanding, thanking the woman before following her husband down the hallway. The sheriff stopped in front of the last door before turning to the concerned father. "I know this is your last concern at the moment, but if he did see anything…"
"When it's the right time, we can both sit down with him. But not a moment sooner."
The sheriff nodded. "After what happened, that stage stop is no place for the boy to stay. My wife and I would like to invite the two of you to stay here until you're ready to move on."
"Thank you."
"…We'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."
As the sheriff walked away, Lucas took in a deep breath, saying a short prayer before opening the door. He looked across the room to see his son curled up on the bed, eyes tightly closed as he clutched his hat to his chest. The tall man strode across the room and took a seat beside his son, reaching down to wipe away the tears that sat on the boy's face.
"…Mark?"
The child's eyes shot open and stared at the figure hovering over him. Lucas watched as more tears welled in the boy's eyes, pulling his son into a protective embrace as sobs began wracking the child's small frame. "P-Pa… Pa!"
"Shh… it's alright…" Lucas gently ran his hand across his son's back, rocking him back and forth. "You're safe… everything's going to be alright…"
The boy shook as he pressed himself closer to Lucas, clenching his father's shirt. "D-Don't leave… leave me," he cried. "P-Please, Pa… don't g-go a… away! Please! I don't… don't want you-you t-to go!"
"Shh…" Lucas bent down, gently placing a kiss on his son's head; tears in his own eyes. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere. It's over, Mark… it's all over… you're safe…"
"I… I d-don't want t-to go… go back! P-Please, Pa… d-don't make… make me! I… I d-don't like it-t th-there! I… I d-don't like… like h-him! He… he h-hurt Mrs… Mrs. Moore! D-Don't make me… me go, p-please!"
"It's over, Mark… you don't ever have to go back there again. It's all over…"
The child continued to sob, wrapping his small hands around his father's neck. "I w-want to go h-home… I want m-ma!"
Lucas tightened his arms around his son, another piece of his heart breaking with every tear that slipped down his child's face. "She… she's in heaven now. She's helping take care of Mrs. Moore. …I know everything seems frightening and confusing right now, but I'm here, and I promise I'm not going to leave you."
"P-Pa… don't… d-don't go a.. away… p-please do-don't leave m-me!"
"I'm here, Mark. I'm here…"
For the next hour, Lucas held his son as the boy cried himself to sleep. His heart ached as Mark trembled in his arms, over and over again begging his pa to not leave him.
When a soft knock sounded on the door, Lucas tucked his son underneath the covers and crossed the room to answer it.
"Sheriff," he greeted in a whisper.
"Please, Amos is fine." The lawman looked past the father to see the sleeping figure on the bed. "…How is he?"
"…Terrified. He didn't give me any details, but from what little I could understand of what he said, I'm fairly certain he saw what happened. …But again, I won't ask him to talk about it until the time is right… he's too scared right now."
"I understand. …I cannot tell you how sorry I am that your boy got caught up in all this…"
"…I shouldn't have left him. …Is it true that Paul killed her?"
"…There wasn't anything around the stage stop to really tell us what happened for certain, but Moore did escape custody not too long ago. …But unless your boy can tell us something… I don't know if we'll ever be able to bring her killer to justice… whomever it may be."
Lucas nodded. "…I want to thank you and your wife for taking care of Mark in my absence. We'll be out of your way as soon as possible."
"No thanks necessary. The two of you are welcome to stay as long as you like… I'm sure the boy is going to need more time to come to terms with everything."
"…What can you tell me about the day she died?"
"Not much. …I had planned to ride out there and check on her that morning, but got caught up with other responsibilities. It happened sometime between the noon and five o'clock stage. Driver and passengers found her. We later found the boy hiding in the kitchen… shaken and… distant. Like I said before… he hadn't said a word since we found him."
"…What do you think the likelihood is that they'll catch Moore?"
"…The man makes an art of avoiding the law. It's a miracle they caught him the first time."
"He was bound to make a mistake, eventually. …I just hope that this time, it's sooner rather than later."