Chapter Three

Previously:

Sheriff Lawson took the book and looked over the names. The fact that the man bit his lip a time or two told Jarrod the man had noticed something only, when Jarrod pressed him to tell him what he'd seen, the sheriff shook his head. "I think, with what you've told me…" he shook his head, "Go talk to them. Talk to others. Maybe, without a badge on your chest, they'll tell you something. Maybe you'll actually uncover something I've missed."

Jarrod had a funny feeling there was more being left unsaid. Only, it would soon be getting dark. He needed to start hunting the people on Abigail's list and trying to get some answers. He took his small book and walked out of the office.

By the time Jarrod had walked past a small store that was closed, the 'post office' (more like a shack if anyone asked him) which was also closed and the saloon, Jarrod had noticed more than one person looking at him and whispering; though, he had no time to really think about it as he had reached Brighton's General Mercantile. The large sign in the door read OPEN. He opened the door and walked in.

Jarrod took a sweeping glance around the establishment. As with most stores, there were shelves and a couple of tables that held various items for sale. A few buckets stood along side one wall, though he didn't care to go read the labels to find out what the containers held. Just as he finished surveying the room, a woman with her hair done up in a bun who appeared to be at least in her early thirties walked out of a back room off to the right of the front counter. A heavy set gentleman was right behind her. The fact that the man was upset could be heard in the way he was talking to the woman-that is, until he saw their customer. The talk immediately stopped.

"May I help you, sir?" The woman, who hadn't had many customers that day, smiled politely as she walked behind the counter and stopped by the cash register. The last thing she wanted to do was chase away anyone who had the potential of spending money in the store. Not that she was greedy or money hungry, she wasn't. She simply had a family to support. The more sales she had, the easier time she had with that part of life.

"I hope so." Jarrod closed the gap between the woman and himself, explaining why he was there in the first place. He wasn't all that surprised when the woman stiffened ever so slightly. "Can you, or will you, vouch for her character or not?"

"I…" the woman hesitated and then turned her hands up in frustration. "I would have had one time. I never thought she'd be involved in anything like that. I mean, the robberies. Only, when she was arrested and the robberies stopped…"

"They haven't stopped." Jarrod spoke up when the woman's voice trailed off. Again, he wasn't surprised by the shocked looks that leapt onto the woman's face or that of the man's.

"Since when?" The gentleman who had stayed where he was asked abruptly.

Jarrod might have told the man everything only he couldn't…not when he was taken aback to have an uncomfortable feeling wash over him, probably to such a quick, strong reaction. With that being the case, he simply told the man he'd have to talk to the sheriff. "If you ask him, he'll tell you Abigail has had no visitors pass through his doors. With that being the case," he looked at the woman. "Are you willing to vouch for her character, Mrs…" he stopped. While he knew the name that was on his list, he didn't want to assume anything. After all, the woman before him could simply be an employee. That being the case, he wanted to give the woman an opening to introduce herself.

"Widow…I'm known as Widow Beulah Timmons. This is my brother, Eric." She shook her head. "Going to be strange to say this only I'm glad to hear the activities haven't stopped."

"Beulah!" Eric barked. Again, there was something about the man's body language that bothered Jarrod.

"Don't Beulah me!" The woman turned on her brother. "If they haven't stopped, and the sheriff says he's had no one visit Abby, then I'd say there's a high chance she's telling the truth!" She'd wanted that from the start. That is, Beulah liked the young woman and had hated it when she'd heard the young woman had been arrested and for what. "Someone's had to have framed her." Beulah looked back at Jarrod. "Though, I have no clue who would want to do that to her or why."

Jarrod would have asked the woman's brother how he felt about things only the man had disappeared into the back room. It might not have bothered Jarrod only the man's departure was a bit too hasty in Jarrod's book. He thanked Widow Timmons for her time and then quickly exited the building. He was surprised, but not totally shocked, to see the woman's brother talking to a young man outside another building. However, the moment the young man began fidgeting and tapping his foot, Jarrod stiffened. For a split second, he was back on the road looking at the youngest of the three robbers. Since the young man had blonde hair, the image in his mind was ten times stronger. He had to find out who that young man was. Jarrod knew that only, before he could decide how to go about doing such a thing, he got the shock of his life. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the sight of another young man dismounting his horse, tying it to a hitching post near the livery stable and then hurrying towards a back alley-one near the livery stable and one that led to the back of the sheriff's office. Though, the biggest shock of all was to realize just who he was seeing. While he knew he would have to find out who Eric was talking to, Jarrod turned and hurried towards the same alley Abigail's friend had just disappeared into…and there was no way anyone could convince him the young dark haired lad wasn't the friend the young woman had been talking about.