Chapter Ten

N Reminder…according to the internet source I looked at, Bodie was a mining town at one time only it no longer exists. If that information is wrong, I'm sorry.

Excerpt from Ch 9

"I'm just going on a bit of a hunt. Not sure I'll find anything more than someone willing to attend a wedding," Jarrod picked up his suitcase as the train he'd be riding pulled into the train station. "Like I said, I'll wire you when I get there."

Jarrod stepped out of Bodie's telegraph office after sending the promised wire. The first place he headed was the sheriff's office only to find the small office…which was barely big enough to hold a desk, some shelves and two jail cells…empty. Just as he turned to leave, the door opened and the sheriff, escorting a rather drunk thief, entered the room."Bill!" Jarrod exclaimed in surprise. He had not expected to see his old acquaintance from law school sporting a sheriff's badge or living in a mining town. "What happened? I mean, since when did you switch careers?"

"Since I realized I'd rather bring the culprits in rather than having the headaches you deal with a lot of days." Bill's grin spread over his entire face while he wasted no time getting the intoxicated prisoner into a jail cell. "Think old Pete would learn to keep his liquor intake down. Though," Bill chuckled as he locked the cell door and walked over to his desk, "I must admit. He sure can put on a show when he's drunk." He then leaned against the desk and asked what on earth brought Jarrod to Bodie. "Last time I heard, you'd made a name for yourself in Stockton and the San Francisco area."

Jarrod let out a silent sigh as he reached and pulled out a folded paper. Once he had it unfolded, Bill could tell the paper had been torn off from something. Jarrod handed his friend what turned out to be half a picture.

One look at the picture and Bill sucked in his breath, and then moved to the chair behind the chair, inviting Jarrod to pull the only other chair in the room away from the wall so that Jarrod could use it. "Who sent you here? Is she the reason you came here?" Bill leaned back in his chair and looked at Jarrod but kept the picture in his hands.

'Please, keep my name out of it if you can." Jerusha's words rang in Jarrod's ears, along with Nick asking for his help. "I can't answer the first question." Jarrod rested his forearms on the arms of the chair he was using, allowing his hands to hang downwards. "Only, yes, I came to talk to you about that woman. I also wanted to ask about the fire that killed her husband and injured her sister-in-law. Only, first, I need to know if you're one hundred percent sure that is the woman who everyone around here knew as Mary Ann Keaton Williams?"

Bill frowned as he took a second look. "Well, if I am to be honest, without actually talking to her," he handed the picture back to Jarrod, "I couldn't really say it without a shadow of a doubt." He paused and asked slowly, "Are you going to say you have enough proof that she was involved and need more evidence?"

"No, I don't have anything on anyone, just two people who have cause to want me to look into things. I wanted to talk to you before I started asking questions around town." Jarrod put the picture back in his inside pocket.

Bill let out one very frustrated growl. "To be honest, that fire's been bothering me from day one. Come with me." He stood up and headed out the door.

Jarrod quickly followed, not surprised when more than one person who passed them said hello to Bill. In a matter of minutes, he and Bill were standing in front of the shell of what had once been a general mercantile. "Family should tear it down. Well, in my opinion they should only they can't unless Mary Ann or Jerusha say so." Bill talked as he pointed towards the burnt building. "Family can't get Mary Ann's permission; she left town a long time ago. When it comes to Jerusha," he shrugged his shoulders. "Last I went out to check on her, her two friends who live with her wouldn't let me in. Told me if Jerusha broke any laws to bring a warrant with me. Jerusha may have done a few things in her life, only break any law that would put her behind bars isn't on the list."

"You said the fire bothered you from the beginning." Jarrod looked away from the ruined building. "Why is that?"

Bill walked towards the side of the building, knelt down and gestured towards the window in front of him. The window had no glass in its frame and its frame was opened. "There was a lantern there, found it tipped over. Wind was blowing awfully hard that night; I admit that. People could be right when they say it - the wind, I mean - could have blown the lantern over. After all, the lantern was the only thing down there that could have started the fire."

This part…the part of what may have caused the fire that killed her brother and hurt her, was something Jerusha had freely admitted she did not have. 'I can't remember anything except walking down the stairs with my brother'. Jarrod felt shivers go through him-the location might not be the same only the details… "And that's what's bothering you? The way the fire is supposed to have started?"

Bill stood up, as did Jarrod. "It wouldn't if it weren't for two facts. One, this is one of the few buildings in town that had electricity. That is, some of the buildings have electricity in the upstairs, but the basements? No, most of them don't. Why would Jerusha or her brother have had a lantern with them? All they had to do was flip a switch. Secondly…it was the first of October. Sure, the days had been nice enough, but the nights had started cooling off. Why on earth would the window be open?

"Did anyone see anything suspicious?" Jarrod looked around as more than one person passed in front of the alley he and Bill were standing in.

"It was late evening. All the business were closed; most people were in their homes. The few that were in town didn't realize there was a fire until it was too late to do anything but save Jerusha. All we could do for her brother was bury him. And, before you ask, we couldn't find one person who hated the Williams bad enough to want them dead." He then commented that Mary Ann had been fortunate that a family emergency on her side of the family had taken her out of town the week before. "She didn't get back in town until a week after the fire. Needless to say, she had a bit of a collapse. Wouldn't leave her home for close to a month. No, we couldn't come up with even one suspect only…" He again growled. "Something's just not right. I know it, but I can't prove it."

A horrible feeling washed over him as he remembered what Jerusha had told him when it came to her brother. 'He was a very wealthy man, Mr. Barkley.'

"Just so you know, I'm going to talk to people tomorrow. No matter what I find, or don't find, do you know anyone willing to go to a wedding with me? I need someone who can positively identify this woman in the picture. I mean, not just by her looks, but her voice as well." Jarrod knew that, even if they couldn't prove murder, no one -including Nick-would want the hot-tempered brother to marry a woman who was using more than one name.

"If you're saying Mary Ann may very well be using an alias in various places – or that the name Mary Ann was an alias being used here in Bodie, you bet your bottom dollar I'll find someone to go with you. People like that seldom have a good reason for doing so." Bill started back for his office, suggesting that Jarrod spend the night at his place. "My wife loves to cook for visitors."

Jarrod chuckled and accepted the invitation.