Chapter Two

Previously:

Nick turned only when he heard footsteps running down the alley way. He had hoped to at least see the back of the woman who had stopped him only the stranger was wearing a long black hooded cape. Her words about a fire rang in his ears. She had to be pretty scarred up. He looked at the bank and then at the saloon which stood not all that far from the bank.

"Because, I fear for your life." His unseen visitor's words rang loudly in Nick's ears. He slid the papers in his hands back into his inside coat pocket and turned around, wasting no time in going to the livery stable or saddling his horse.

"Hey, you best leave some of that for Nick. He might not like finding the bottle he paid for last night empty." Heath laughed as McColl and Barrett simply reminded him that they had already paid the bartender to save another bottle.

"Not our fault Nick wasn't up first thing this morning getting that business of his done." Barrett was grinning from ear to ear and talking in a tone that told everyone he was only joking…as the bachelor party had run quite late and had more than one man stumbling out of the saloon drunk. "Though, to be honest, I'm a bit surprised Nick agreed to a second, smaller, get together." Barrett put down his glass and looked directly at Heath. "Thought in between his business and thinking on his wedding tomorrow, he'd have told us no."

"Nick always likes a party." Heath replied even as he threw a glance towards Jarrod…as if to ask if he thought they needed to go looking for Nick.

Jarrod waited until Barrett left the table and went to play poker with McColl…who had walked away as Barrett was talking…to verbally answer Heath's unspoken question. "He should have been here a good hour ago. I have a small matter of business at the general mercantile. Afterwards, I'll go to the hardware store and then the bank. They were to be Nick's last stops. If anything, he's lost in conversation with Frank or Anthony." Frank Carson was a fairly new employee at the bank; he and his wife got along with Nick and Theresa quite well. Anthony worked at the hardware store and like to talk with anyone who gave him a few minutes…which Nick was famous for doing.

"I'll stay here, in case the two of you cross paths." Heath did his best to smile at the waitress who had begun flirting with him.

Jarrod stood up and, after telling their friends he'd be back, walked out the saloon doors. It didn't take long for the famous Stockton attorney to go to the mercantile, get what he needed, and then to head for the hardware store. Once inside, he could see Anthony. The gentleman was standing behind the counter.

Walking up to the store employee, Jarrod wasted no time in questioning him. "Has Nick been in here today?"

"Why, yes, he has. Only, that was a good hour and a half ago." Anthony paused and then, out of genuine concern, asked, "Is he missing?"

Knowing Anthony well enough, Jarrod didn't want the man spreading anything throughout Stockton before he- Jarrod- had a chance to check the bank. "I'm just trying to catch up with him. Not easy to do now a days."

Anthony laughed. "Yeah, I would guess he's been kept busy." The laughter in the man's eyes would tell anyone listening that he was thinking about Nick and Theresa. "Can I get you anything while you're here?"

"Not today, thanks." He walked out the door and looked up the street-just in case Nick was entering the saloon. Upon seeing nothing, he crossed the alley, walked up the few steps that led to the front door of the bank and entered.

He looked around and frowned. There was more than one person talking to the various tellers in the bank, but his middle brother was nowhere in sight. He barely had time to wonder where Nick was before Frank Carson – who was in one of the side rooms in the building- stepped into the foyer and called out his name.

Jarrod wasted no time closing the distance between himself and the bank employee. "I'm sure glad to see you come in. I thought Nick was coming in with the papers we need though; I didn't expect to see you."

Jarrod's eyes widened. "Nick hasn't been in here?"

Frank shook his head. "Not that I know of, never saw or heard him."

Jarrod felt the hair on the back of his neck crawl. This wasn't like Nick. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go find that brother of mine. Please, keep your eyes open. If he makes it in here, feel free to tell him I want a word with him."

"I'll do that." Frank couldn't help but chuckle…as he'd heard Jarrod give Nick a piece of his mind on an occasion or two.

Jarrod hurried out of the bank. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fred heading his way. While he couldn't report Nick officially missing, he could still ask for Fred's unofficial help. He started walking towards Stockton's sheriff.

"Hello, Jarrod." Fred spoke before Jarrod had the chance to. "How is everything? Ready for that wedding of your brother's?" the lawman couldn't help but grin at the thought of Nick's upcoming marriage. However, his grin vanished the moment Jarrod started talking.

"Have you seen Nick, Fred? He never made it to the bank, and he was supposed to meet us at the saloon long before now." Jarrod's eyes were full of concern.

"I saw him there." Fred pointed towards the alley next to the bank. "He was looking at some papers. After he put them in his pocket, he looked towards the saloon and then that way." Fred pointed towards the end of town. "I figured he'd forgotten something and was going to go back to the ranch and get whatever he was missing."

"That doesn't make sense." Jarrod shook his head. "I looked through those papers before handing them to Nick myself. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, was missing." The fact that he knew something was off, could be seen as his facial expression changed to one of someone who was deep in thought. "Did he do anything else before he walked away?"

Fred thought a moment and then nodded ever so slightly, "He turned and looked down the alley; however, don't ask me what – if anything – he saw. I wasn't in a position to see anyone or anything that might have been between the buildings."

Jarrod thought for another moment and then asked Fred to go talk to Heath at the saloon. "Tell him I've gone to the livery stable. If Nick was leaving town, that's the first place he'd head."

"Sure thing, and I'll keep my eyes and ears open as well." Fred, who didn't like the idea that something might be seriously wrong, agreed. "But, for everyone's sake, no matter what you learn at the stable, promise me you'll get back to that saloon and talk to Heath. The last thing I need is him coming to me all worried about both his brothers."

Jarrod smiled, agreed…and then hurried down the street.