Chapter 2
Jarrod didn't stay at A.K.'s Court very long. Sandra verified that A.K. didn't know anything more about their relationship than anyone else around did, but the longer she sat with Jarrod, the longer A.K. watched them. Jarrod finished his drink and said, "We won't know where Buster goes unless he shows up here. We'll just have to keep our eyes open, and I'll have Sheriff Madden looking out too."
"I'll tell A.K. my husband is out of prison," Sandra said. "He'll keep an eye out for me here."
"If Buster contacts you in any way, make sure A.K. and the sheriff both know, and let me know, too," Jarrod said. "I don't know if he'll talk to me, but if he knows that three men are keeping an eye on him, it might keep him corralled."
"Maybe he's not as bitter as he was."
"Maybe," Jarrod said, "but my experience with men just out of prison has taught me that their attitude rarely improves. If Buster comes here, the sheriff and A.K. and I will lean on him."
Sandra got up and went back to work. Jarrod stood up with her, but they did not shake hands or even touch each other in any way. Jarrod just picked his hat up, bowed slightly, then put his hat on and left.
He headed for the sheriff's office, and when he got there wasn't really surprised to find out that Sheriff Madden had gotten a letter like his. "I can't say I'm looking forward to another ex-inmate involved with you coming back here, even if he was a client and not somebody you put in there," Sheriff Madden said.
"Sometimes the ones who went in there because I failed to keep them out are pretty angry with me too," Jarrod said. "I'd appreciate you having a word with him if he shows up, Fred – just a 'welcome home' to make sure he knows you know he's here."
"Are you planning to talk to him?"
Jarrod nodded. "Just to let him know I've seen him."
"You're not gonna try to help him get a new start? That worked out all right with Keno Nash."
"It also gave me a crushed ankle I thought was gonna give me a permanent limp," Jarrod said.
"Do you ever wonder – no, nevermind."
Jarrod had a feeling the sheriff was about to ask if he'd ever considered helping Cass Hyatt out the way he'd helped Keno. He was glad the sheriff decided not to ask, but the damage was done. He'd succeeded in keeping Hyatt out of his mind until now.
Buster Shane going off to jail had occurred while Hyatt was in prison the first time around. Everything that had happened with the Shanes happened before Hyatt had completely disrupted Jarrod's entire life forever. Now that Hyatt was back in his mind, Jarrod couldn't help but wonder if what happened with Hyatt was going to affect how he treated Shane if he showed up here.
The sheriff didn't know everything that had happened with the Shanes. Jarrod couldn't talk to him about his wonderings about Shane now, after Hyatt. There was no one he could talk to about that, not without talking about everything that happened ten years ago. The only one he could talk to about that was Sandra, and that was not going to happen. Neither one of them wanted to revisit it.
"Don't worry, Fred," Jarrod said after giving it a little thought. "This won't be a repeat of Cass Hyatt, or even of Keno Nash. If Buster Shane shows up in town, I intend to tell him I know he's here and then give him a wide berth."
"Does Sandra know he's getting out?"
Jarrod knew he'd ask sooner or later. He nodded. "She knows, and so does A.K. by now."
"She ought to be pretty well protected, then, if Buster has any ideas we don't want him to have," Sheriff Madden said. "What are you going to tell your family?"
A loaded question. Jarrod answered it as honestly as he could, given the sheriff didn't know everything. "I'm going to tell them he's out, the people who ought to know about it do, and you're keeping an eye on the matter."
"Well, there's not much else to say, is there?"
Jarrod couldn't answer that honestly.
XXXXXXX
"You're home early!" Victoria said in surprise when Jarrod came in the door at just after four.
"Who's here?" Jarrod asked as he put his hat up on the hat tree in the hall.
"No one but me and Silas," Victoria said. "Nick and Heath aren't in yet, and Audra has gone out to see them and the herd. I expect they'll be here in an hour or so." She squinted and looked at him. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"I just need everyone to know that Buster Shane has been pardoned and will be released tomorrow."
Now Victoria frowned. Jarrod headed upstairs to clean up and change clothes, so they didn't talk any more about it. When Nick, Heath and Audra came in, though, Victoria was still wearing the frown. "We have a problem. We'll talk about it after you clean up," Victoria told them.
"Well, let's hear it," Nick said, after everyone was gathered for their usual pre-dinner talk. He looked straight at Jarrod. "Mother's unhappy about something and it's not me or Heath or Audra, so that leaves you."
"Nick, don't start off belligerently," Victoria said. "The problem is that Buster Shane has been pardoned and will be released tomorrow."
Nick and Audra both stopped, looked at Jarrod, then at each other, then back at Jarrod. Heath didn't know who Buster Shane was, but he could tell right away it was another bad apple from Jarrod's past. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of them. "Who's Buster Shane?" Heath asked.
"A former client of mine I couldn't keep out of prison," Jarrod said. "Ten years ago, he was accused of murder. He was convicted on a lesser charge and put away for fifteen years."
"What's he doing getting out in ten?" Nick asked.
"The governor pardoned him," Jarrod said. "I don't know why. I don't get consulted on these things."
"He holds a grudge," Heath said.
Jarrod shrugged. "I don't know if he does now. He did then." Jarrod left it at that. He was not going to talk about what Shane held a grudge about.
Then suddenly he wondered if Shane was going to talk about it if he came back to town. Jarrod's whole body suddenly changed at the thought. He stiffened, his eyes took on that blocking stare he could get when he didn't want to be read, and most telling, he stopped raising his glass to his mouth and just stood there.
"Jarrod?" Victoria said.
It snapped him back, in every way but those eyes. He relaxed, sipped his drink, but still had that blue wall up. "I just – hadn't thought about it so graphically until just now."
"Did he threaten you before he went off to prison?" Heath asked.
"Yes," Jarrod said.
"Jarrod did a good job for him," Nick said. "The jury just didn't buy it. They went with the one witness the state had. Shane's wife."
"I thought wives didn't testify against husbands," Heath said.
"You can't force them to," Jarrod said, but left it at that.
Heath looked at Nick, who's eyes said best not go any farther with that line of thinking.
"But you thought Shane was innocent," Heath said instead.
Jarrod began to tense up more, just talking about it. "Shane never blamed his wife for the killing though he resented her testimony. Look, I really don't want to rehash the trial. That's over and done."
"There are too many other things to think about right now," Victoria said.
Jarrod avoided looking at her, or at anyone else, and sipped his drink again before saying, "Yes."
Even without him looking straight at her, Victoria could see that blocking in his eyes. She knew it well. She didn't see it often, but when it was there, there was something disturbing behind it that Jarrod was not going to let loose.
Nick said, "So, what are you gonna do about this?"
"Fred Madden knows Shane is getting out," Jarrod said. He had to pull himself in to steady things before bringing the next part up. "I spoke to Shane's wife. She works for A.K. Torrence. He'll keep an eye out for Shane too."
"His wife – is that Sandra Shane?" Heath asked.
"Yeah," Jarrod said.
"She hasn't married anybody else, has she?"
Jarrod hesitated but said, "No, she hasn't – at least that I know of." Then he took another sip and went on. "But today was the first time I've seen her in years. I don't have any idea what her life is like now. And frankly, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just didn't want you to think I was keeping Shane's pardon from you. I don't even know if Shane is gonna come back here, but if he does, the proper people know about it and we'll handle it."
No one said anything to that. The silence was brief before Audra went on to another subject – but the silence was heavy, and Jarrod's blue eyes still formed a wall.
