Chapter Five

"The Lights Went Out"

Daisy followed the mob at a distance, her heart in her throat. She could tell now that the mob was heading for the jail, and something told her it wasn't just to lock Bo up with Luke. Men would step away from the group as they went along, pounding on doors to the darkened houses. Some doors stayed closed and the men came back alone, but all too often they returned with another angry-looking citizen in tow. She gradually moved closer to the edge of the growing crowd, following along behind. If anybody recognized her, they gave no notice.

The mass of people stopped at the bottom of the town hall steps. Sheriff Parker was standing in the doorway. He waved his arms above his head until the din of voices lessened enough for him to be heard.

"What's all this about?"

"We found this fella inside a garage on the other side of town," someone said. The man climbed the stairs and dropped a bulky sack at the sheriff's feet. "And we found this with him."

Parker stooped and rifled through the sack. His round face grew grim as he inspected the contents, and he looked up to fix Bo with a mean-eyed glare. "Drugs," he announced. "This man has been runnin' a drug lab in my town."

"That's a lie!" Bo burst out. The men holding him gave him a sharp shake, but he ignored it and said, "I don't know what any of the stuff in that bag is, and I ain't never been here before yesterday!"

"So why were you hiding in the garage?" Parker demanded.

"I wasn't hiding. I was tryin' to figure out exactly what my cousin saw there last night. You've got him locked up in there because you say he's a killer. Well, I say you've got him because he saw somethin' he wasn't supposed to and these bum charges are just a cover-up!"

"You better shut up, boy. The people of Washburn don't like to listen to criminals," Parker said angrily. "I'll tell you what happened. We got another man in jail, too. Goes by the name of Avery. He's been livin' here this past year, runnin' that drug lab for you Dukes. You come into town yesterday to see how he's doin', only you didn't get away clean. Four of our good people saw you, and you had your cousin and Avery kill 'em to keep 'em from talking."

"You filthy liar! That's—" Somebody hit Bo hard from behind and he was silent.

"You'll get your chance to talk at your trial, Duke," Parker said.

"He's on trial now!" one of the men holding Bo said. "I say we get the other two out here and finish it right now!" An enthusiastic and angry cheer echoed off the darkened buildings.

Parker, you idiot, take Bo into custody and get him in jail! He's not safe out here! Daisy cast a distressed look around. Surely not everyone in this town is loco. Where are all the level-headed people? A sudden flicker of movement from across the street caught her attention, and her question was answered. There had been a light at one of the windows, but it had suddenly gone out and the curtains had fluttered closed. They're all scared. Am I the only one out here who doesn't want anything to happen tonight? God, please let Parker make the right decision…

XXXXXX

Luke suddenly rose and cocked his head, listening. "Sam, you hear that?"

"Sure do." The older man sighed. "Luke, I think we're in trouble. That's the sound of a lot of angry people outside."

The door to the cell block banged open again for the third time that night. Dread settled in Luke's stomach like a brick as four men barged in carrying the keys and two pairs of handcuffs. He shot a quick look over at Sam. Yep. We're in trouble. He tensed as one of the men started to unlock the door. You ain't gonna get me that easy.

He retreated to the back of the cell, forcing the men to follow him in. Just as he'd hoped, one of them was still carrying the keys. If he could manage to get the two men out of his cell and keep the keys locked in with him, it would buy some time for both him and Sam. He lunged forward, knocking one man to the ground before flinging himself at the man who was carrying the keys. All of his weight bore down on the man as he was slammed back against the bars. The keys dropped to the floor as the man cried out in pain.

If it had just been two men, Luke would have been able to do it. As it was, the other two were inside the cell before the keys hit the ground. They pulled Luke away and wrestled him to the floor where they cuffed his hands behind his back.

"Don't even think about tryin' what your friend did," one of them warned Sam. "If you don't come outta there peaceful like, this guy is gonna 'accidentally' break his head open against the floor." They grabbed Luke's arms and hauled him roughly to his feet. The second pair of handcuffs clicked shut on Sam's wrists. The two prisoners were pushed out of the cell block and through the office onto the steps of the town hall. Luke felt a thrill of fear race along his nerves as he saw the unfriendly and restless crowd gathered in the street. Then he froze.

Bo was right at the foot of the stairs looking up at him. His hands were bound as well, and he stood flanked by two tough-looking men. Luke immediately grew alarmed as he saw the trickle of blood running down the side of Bo's head and the slightly disoriented glaze in the wide blue eyes. Then he was moved forcibly down the steps with Sam, and found himself next to his cousin at the head of a mob of people moving rapidly down the dark streets.

Luke shot a concerned look at the younger man. "Bo, you hurt?"

"I got a whale of a headache, but I'll live." Bo looked past his cousin at the second dark-haired man. "I'm guessin' that's Avery."

"Yeah, that's him. What happened to you?"

"I found that garage you saw." He broke off as one of his captors gave him a rough shake.

"No talkin', now! Y'all just shut up and keep walkin'!"

Luke ignored the command. "Where's Daisy?"

"I told her to go home if I wasn't back soon. I wasn't, so I hope she did." Any further conversation between the cousins was then stopped as Bo's captors pulled him away where his words couldn't reach Luke.

Sam's breath suddenly hissed between his teeth as he gasped. "Luke…look."

"Oh, no." It could have just been a coincidence, but the tall cluster of oak trees up ahead was beginning to look more and more menacing as they approached. The knot of fear in Luke's gut clenched tighter as sweat began to bead on his forehead. Lord, we could sure use some help right about now!

XXXXXX

Bo and Luke hadn't seen Daisy as she followed along in the shadows at the rear. Her heart was pounding wildly as the mob passed the edge of town and stopped beneath the heavy boughs of a grove of trees. After Parker had let the crowd have their way back at the town hall, he had fallen back and simply followed along on the fringe, out of sight. This was a lawless, angry crowd, and Daisy knew if they weren't stopped, Avery and her cousins wouldn't survive the night.

One of the men, a burly man even taller than Bo, stepped forward and waved his hands over his head. "Y'all wanted a trial," he announced. "So we're gonna have one!" He pointed at Sam. "This here man has been makin' poison right in our own town. You all knew John, Teller, Lou, and Paul." Angry rumbles greeted the names of the four men who had been murdered. "Well, they saw Avery. He knew he'd been caught, so he sent this man…" he pointed at Luke. "…to make sure our friends didn't talk!"

"He's right," someone shouted from the crowd. "I saw him myself."

"Don't listen to him!" Sam spoke up. The pieces were rapidly falling into place in his mind. "He's the one who's in the drug ring. He's the one who had your friends killed—because they were in on it too. They were competition, weren't they, Tom?"

"The people of Washburn know better than to listen to a stranger, Avery," Tom shot back. "And I'll tell everyone that I found this man…" he pointed at Bo. " …in Avery's drug lab tonight. He was packin' up everything getting ready to leave town! Kyle and Nelson can back me up. They were there, too. Ain't that right, boys?" The two men who were restraining Bo shouted their agreement.

Tom grinned triumphantly. "Looks to me like we have a verdict, don't we, Sheriff Parker?"

"I think you're right, Mr. Harmon," the gray-haired lawman replied, stepping into view from the shadows beneath the trees. "Guilty." Daisy's mouth went dry as a small group of men stepped forward carrying a ladder and coils of rope.

"No!" She screamed over the cry of approval that followed. "No, stop it!" Immediately every hostile eye was fixed on her. Bo and Luke recognized her voice instantly and looked up in surprise and alarm. "Can't you people see what you're doing? This isn't a trial, it's a lynch mob!"

Parker pointed a thick finger at her. "You watch who you're callin' a lynch mob, Little Sister! These here people want to see that justice is done."

"She's their kin!" someone hollered. "She's in on it, too!"

"Daisy, run!" Luke shouted. "Get out of here, now!"

As much as she hated to do it, Daisy knew she didn't have a choice. She saw some of the men start to move towards her, spun on her heel and bolted away. She heard footsteps pounding behind her as she ran back towards town. Her eyes burned with angry tears as she heard the commotion at her back grow louder. No, no, no! Please, don't let Bo and Luke be—

"We've wasted enough time," Tom snapped. "Let's get this over with." He and two other men took hold of Sam and started dragging him toward the trees.

Sam wrenched violently against the hands that held him. "Dammit, no! Parker, you miserable excuse for a lawman—I'm a Federal agent!" Luke saw Tom flinch, and he winced as his captors' hands clamped even tighter on his arms. One of the men behind him bit back a strangled curse.

Parker almost succeeded in hiding his surprise. Then he took a few shallow breaths before his face hardened and he said, "That's too little, too late, Avery."

"Wh—what?"

"Do you really expect me to believe a cock-and-bull story like that?" the sheriff asked snidely, regaining hold of confidence as he recovered from the shock of Sam's revelation.

"I'm telling you the truth!" Sam insisted. "Take me back to my house and I can prove it to you!"

"Even if you could, you wouldn't be the first good agent to go sour," Parker replied. "More's the pity." Sam turned pale at the cold finality in the other man's voice.

Then Tom found his voice. "Quit stalling!" he interrupted viciously. "You ain't gonna tell no more lies. We're doin' ourselves a favor by gettin' rid of you, and don't think you can pull the wool over our eyes no longer!" He strode forward and grabbed Sam's collar, joining the other men in dragging the prisoner away.

"No!" With a powerful lunge, Luke broke away and charged at the knot of men. He knew his attempted attack was futile at best—he could do next to nothing with his hands shackled, but he didn't hesitate. Tom saw him coming, turned to meet him, and struck him hard enough that, strong as he was, Luke staggered and dropped to his knees, stunned. He was picked up again and hauled away to stand next to Bo.

"Luke, you okay?" Bo hissed.

Luke just bowed his dark head and gave it a dismissive shake. "I will be…but it ain't gonna matter much before long," he said in a low voice that sent fearful chills racing down Bo's spine.

XXXXXX

Daisy had had a head start on her pursuers but she could tell they were gaining. She didn't dare look behind her to see how close they were. By now she had reached the edge of town, and she was ducking down every dark street, turning every corner she came to in an attempt to shake the men who were chasing her. If she could just get back to the General she'd be able to drive it right through the mob of people and get to her cousins before it was too late.

Then someone grabbed her from behind and dragged her down a black alley.