Part three
There was an unspoken urgency to the two riders as they entered Morro Coyo. Both men knew the longer it took them to find out the real reason behind Johnny's sudden departure from Lancer, the harder it would be to find him. The only person they could think of whom would be most likely to hold any answers for them would be Sheriff Birch. Wasting no time, they tethered their horses in front of the jail and hoped he was in his office that day.
Just about finished hanging the last of the new batch of wanted posters on his wall; Sheriff Birch turned at the sound of his office door opening. "Murdoch, How are ya? Scott," Sheriff Birch greeted the rancher and his eldest son.
"Fine, Horace, and you?" Murdoch shook the officer's offered hand and tried to get the everyday pleasantries over and done with quickly.
"Fine, fine. What can I do for ya, Murdoch?" Birch asked before realizing that the rancher could only be there to check up on the shooting which had involved his youngest. "If yer worried about the incident with Johnny, I already told Johnny and Scott here, it was a righteous shoot. Johnny ain't in any trouble with the law. Well, not 'this' lawman anyways."
Scott and Murdoch both recognized the sound of trouble.
"But you're saying he 'is' trouble with the law in some way?" Scott asked before his father had time to voice the identical question.
Birch shrugged his shoulders as he walked to his desk and pulled open one of its draws. "Well, I can't say that for sure," the Sheriff said as he withdrew a folded piece of paper, "I wasn't sure what to do with this. When another Sheriff sends ya a poster of a fella, ya usually post it, but this one--well, it seemed kinda personal to me and it just didn't seem right."
"A reward poster--on Johnny?" Murdoch asked, trying not to voice the fear he held for his son's life.
"Of sorts," Birch replied as he passed the folded poster to the rancher. "It's from a Sheriff Bede Cale, from down Los Almos way. I found the same poster in the dead boy's money pouch."
"And Johnny saw it?" Scott asked as he scanned the unfolded warrant.
"Is this legal?" Murdoch asked, waiting for either man of the law to answer as he continued look over the reward poster for Johnny Madrid.
"Johnny took the other copy," Birch answered Scott's question, before turning his attentions back to Murdoch, "and as far as I know it 'is' legal. That is if Johnny as Johnny Madrid broke a law as far as this Sheriff Cale is concerned," Horace shrugged. At forty-two-years, he had been a lawman for only ten of them, and then the job only came by as a way to put food on the table for his family. He knew the basics of law and that was about it. "But it don't mean I have to post it."
"Scott?"
"Legal or not, Sir," Scott said as rubbed at the nape of his neck, concern for his brother seemingly etched now permanently on his face. "Any gunfighter looking for a name and five hundred dollars is going to be trying to collect on this. What are we going to do?"
"Can I have this?" Murdoch asked, gesturing to the wanted posted.
"Sure," Birch nodded. "Take it. It was hard enough these days when you're a Sheriff to stay alive, let alone having Johnny mad at me."
Scott watched as his father ignoring the sheriff's remark, pocketed the poster with determination as if he'd already made up his mind on a course of action. He nodded his thanks to the Sheriff before heading to the door.
"Sir?" Scott called after his father, "Murdoch? Where are we going?"
"Los Almos," Murdoch answered as they reached the horses. "We going to find out why this Sheriff Cale finds the life of your brother to be worth five hundred dollars."
TBC
There was an unspoken urgency to the two riders as they entered Morro Coyo. Both men knew the longer it took them to find out the real reason behind Johnny's sudden departure from Lancer, the harder it would be to find him. The only person they could think of whom would be most likely to hold any answers for them would be Sheriff Birch. Wasting no time, they tethered their horses in front of the jail and hoped he was in his office that day.
Just about finished hanging the last of the new batch of wanted posters on his wall; Sheriff Birch turned at the sound of his office door opening. "Murdoch, How are ya? Scott," Sheriff Birch greeted the rancher and his eldest son.
"Fine, Horace, and you?" Murdoch shook the officer's offered hand and tried to get the everyday pleasantries over and done with quickly.
"Fine, fine. What can I do for ya, Murdoch?" Birch asked before realizing that the rancher could only be there to check up on the shooting which had involved his youngest. "If yer worried about the incident with Johnny, I already told Johnny and Scott here, it was a righteous shoot. Johnny ain't in any trouble with the law. Well, not 'this' lawman anyways."
Scott and Murdoch both recognized the sound of trouble.
"But you're saying he 'is' trouble with the law in some way?" Scott asked before his father had time to voice the identical question.
Birch shrugged his shoulders as he walked to his desk and pulled open one of its draws. "Well, I can't say that for sure," the Sheriff said as he withdrew a folded piece of paper, "I wasn't sure what to do with this. When another Sheriff sends ya a poster of a fella, ya usually post it, but this one--well, it seemed kinda personal to me and it just didn't seem right."
"A reward poster--on Johnny?" Murdoch asked, trying not to voice the fear he held for his son's life.
"Of sorts," Birch replied as he passed the folded poster to the rancher. "It's from a Sheriff Bede Cale, from down Los Almos way. I found the same poster in the dead boy's money pouch."
"And Johnny saw it?" Scott asked as he scanned the unfolded warrant.
"Is this legal?" Murdoch asked, waiting for either man of the law to answer as he continued look over the reward poster for Johnny Madrid.
"Johnny took the other copy," Birch answered Scott's question, before turning his attentions back to Murdoch, "and as far as I know it 'is' legal. That is if Johnny as Johnny Madrid broke a law as far as this Sheriff Cale is concerned," Horace shrugged. At forty-two-years, he had been a lawman for only ten of them, and then the job only came by as a way to put food on the table for his family. He knew the basics of law and that was about it. "But it don't mean I have to post it."
"Scott?"
"Legal or not, Sir," Scott said as rubbed at the nape of his neck, concern for his brother seemingly etched now permanently on his face. "Any gunfighter looking for a name and five hundred dollars is going to be trying to collect on this. What are we going to do?"
"Can I have this?" Murdoch asked, gesturing to the wanted posted.
"Sure," Birch nodded. "Take it. It was hard enough these days when you're a Sheriff to stay alive, let alone having Johnny mad at me."
Scott watched as his father ignoring the sheriff's remark, pocketed the poster with determination as if he'd already made up his mind on a course of action. He nodded his thanks to the Sheriff before heading to the door.
"Sir?" Scott called after his father, "Murdoch? Where are we going?"
"Los Almos," Murdoch answered as they reached the horses. "We going to find out why this Sheriff Cale finds the life of your brother to be worth five hundred dollars."
TBC