Chapter Ten

Excerpt from Ch 9

"I thanked Jarrod and your mother, and I'll thank Heath when he gets back. I am indebted to you as well." Mary, who was very much grateful for the support being shown by the Barkleys smiled at Nick. "I don't know how I can ever thank any of you."

Nick smiled back. "Well, can't speak for the rest of the family only I wouldn't mind taking you to dinner tonight. Mother and Silas can watch Bonnie while McColl and the others can watch the house." Again, he got the impression he was going overboard, and that nothing would happen to warrant anyone guarding the house. 'Oh well, I've been known for going over the top before.' He told himself-even as he kept his eyes on Mary.

Mary didn't know what to think as she and Nick walked into one of the finest restaurants in Stockton. The tables and booths were almost filled to capacity while a gentleman walked around playing a violin. "When you said a nice dinner, I didn't know you meant this nice!" A part of her wanted to tell him going to such a restaurant that had to cost a fortune wasn't necessary only she didn't want to be rude. Though, she hoped he didn't plan on too long of a night. After all, Victoria might be able to feed Bonnie with a bottle only Mary wasn't willing to deal with the side effects the time away from the child would mean to her. Maybe, someday, someone would come up with a way to give an infant mother's milk while enabling the woman to be away from the child for longer periods of time.

"After what you're doing for Jarrod-taking care of Bonnie and wet nursing her, you deserve it." Nick said as Mary and he followed the waiter who had approached them to an empty booth. Soon they were ordering their food and enjoying visiting each other.

It was almost dark as Fred, Jarrod and Heath drew close to Lodi. It was a good thing they all wore heavy coats, as the air was nowhere close to warm. Still, they were grateful it wasn't storming either. It would have made the trip practically unbearable. Only when they saw a campfire and two men stand up, did Fred, Jarrod and Heath stop their horses.

"George? George Miller?" Fred asked in astonishment as he looked upon the oldest of the two men.

George's once brown hair was now whiter than any other color. At six foot seven inches, the barrel-chested man was a giant. He stepped away from the fire and took a few steps forward. "Yes, it's me. In spite of some people's wishes, I'm not dead."

Fred couldn't help but laugh, and then introduced George to Jarrod and Heath… and why the three of them had left Stockton to travel to Lodi. "I received a telegram from the Pinkerton Agency. The telegram said Lodi's sheriff needed all the help he could get, said if I could bring a couple of men they'd have enough. They said more information would be given once we got to Lodi. Do you know what's going on? Were you sent for too?"

The gentleman with George-a thin man with just as thin hair by the name of Wayne Jensen, stepped away from the fire as well. "While I'm happy to see the three of you- and we could use your help- it wasn't the Pinkerton Agency who sent that wire. We know; we've been watching the 'good sheriff' for the past few days due to reports we ourselves have gotten over the past few weeks." He paused and then admitted he'd taken a chance and gone into town hoping to check on a few things the day the sheriff sent the wire to Stockton. "I was in the alley that runs alongside the telegraph office and the window was slightly open. That idiot was talking low-to himself- as he sent for Fred here. I heard enough to know he intends to frame you-along with whoever is with you-in order to take the heat off himself."

Neither Fred nor either of the Barkleys knew what to think only they knew none of them liked what they heard. "You were fortunate he didn't know you were listening."

"He would have only, I quickly sat on the ground, leaned against the side of the building and closed my eyes. I acted like I was asleep until he took a hold of my shoulder and shook me in order to wake up." Wayne smiled. "I made sure I responded slowly-so to make him think I'd been asleep for a while."

"There's got to be a way to figure out what's going on without allowing that to happen. Only, before we say or do anything else, tell us what on earth is going on." Jarrod looked from Wayne to George.

"How much do you know about the area around here, particularly the nearest woods to Lodi?" George asked.

"Enough to know how dangerous the place can be at night, has been for quite a while. Why?" Jarrod asked-even as he thought on Bonnie at home, and the fact that Franklin Arnold had died there.

"Long story short, we finally have a couple of men willing to testify that those woods didn't become so dangerous until our 'good sheriff' started illegal businesses though them -such as drugs and kidnapping humans to sell them as slaves outside the United States. They said he's even sold children-so they would grow up not knowing any other life. He started all that before he actually become sheriff. Only," he grew frustrated and scowled. "The witnesses do have a bit of a history. They, and we, are afraid without concrete evidence-any proof is all circumstantial- their testimonies won't stick."

Jarrod remembered everything that Mary had told him, and he felt instantly felt sick to his stomach. He was absolutely sure now that Mary's 'sister' had not been answering Mary when Mary had entered the home. No, the 'sister' had, in her fevered state of mind, simply made it sound that way. Sheriff Reed had to be Mary's sister's rapist and, having found out about the child -wanted to get rid of her. Not knowing what Mary had told Nick, and convinced it was the sheriff who had put Bonnie in the woods, his mind went in another direction. He figured Sheriff Reed had said nothing to Jarrod because he'd have had to explain why the child was in the woods in the first place. "What we need to do is lure him to those woods, and get a confession out of him, in broad daylight. I will be the one talking to him while all of you will be hidden behind trees to keep him from escaping." He could see curiosity appear in all the men's eyes...and he began explaining how he was sure they could lure Sheriff Reed into the woods.