Chapter 5

Jarrod left Martin, thinking heavily as he left the jail, stopping outside to think even more heavily before he accidentally walked in front of a wagon and was run over. This was no regular burglary case by a long shot. This had more complications than almost any other trial he'd handled, not to mention more complications that were more personal for him.

Maybe I should withdraw. No, no, I can't do that. Not without getting Carol back to her husband, and damn it, I'm going to find the way to do that. I owe it to Beth. I owe it to you and me, my darling. I owe it to us, to find a way to help this love survive. THIS is the man you married, not some out of control vigilante. I'm a man who wants to help a friend get his lost wife back. That's who I am.

"Jarrod – "

Jarrod looked up and saw Sam Davison, the district attorney, coming up beside him. "Hello, Sam, how are you?"

"I hear you're representing Arthur Martin," Davison said.

"That's right," Jarrod said. "Will you be prosecuting his case yourself?"

"I'm short-handed, so yes, I will. And I need you to understand something. If you can't get his wife to come to Stockton and testify, I'm going to subpoena her."

Jarrod's eyebrows went up. "Subpoena his wife?" He didn't say anything more, like you can't make a wife testify against her husband, because she wasn't his wife and Davison didn't know that.

But Davison said, "I know they're not married. An easy check in San Francisco confirmed that Arthur Martin isn't married."

Jarrod thought carefully about what he was going to say next. "What information do you think Karen Martin has that you want?"

"Until I talk to her, I won't really know, but I would like to know why your client came all the way to Stockton to rob a house of some jewelry," Davison said. "You and I both know it makes no sense – although I suspect you know why he did it."

"I can't talk about what I know, Sam, you know that," Jarrod said.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to get whoever Mrs. Martin really is here to answer some questions. It would be a proper subpoena if I got one and you know that. I'm just giving you the chance to escort her here rather than having a marshal do it."

Jarrod nodded. "I appreciate that, Sam. I'll see what I can do."

Davison nodded his thanks and went on his way, while Jarrod checked his watch. He could still catch a late train to San Francisco and be there before morning. His family didn't even know he was back in town –

"Jarrod!"

Nick's voice again. Jarrod looked up to find his brother heading toward him, frowning. "Hello, Nick," he said.

"You're supposed to be in San Francisco," Nick said.

"And I'm on my way back. This case I picked up here has just gotten complicated. I had to talk to my client again."

"You're gonna run yourself ragged again, aren't you?"

"Trying to catch trains, yes, I am. And it's likely I'll be back here again tomorrow or the next day, maybe with a guest, so alert Mother, will you? Right now, I have to arrange for some more travel."

Jarrod gave Nick and slap on the arm and headed for the train station, not giving Nick the chance to ask even more questions. Nick let him go, figuring he'd find out what was going on in a day or two anyway.

XXXXXXX

The whirlwind of this case deposited Jarrod back in San Francisco before the sun came up, so he headed to his home and caught a couple hours of sleep before he changed into some fresh clothes and headed for the house where Carol Payson was living. He wasn't sure how he was going to bring up the probability that she would be subpoenaed if she didn't go back to Stockton with him. Regardless of how she went there, one thing was absolutely certain to happen - Joe Payson was going to find out his wife was still alive. Carol was going to have to face that, and face it before her leg could be corrected.

Jarrod knocked on her door again and answered, "Jarrod Barkley," when she asked who was there.

Again, Carol opened the door just a crack and one brown eye peered out. Jarrod smiled softly. "We need to talk."

Carol let him in and closed the door behind him. "I didn't think you'd be back this quickly."

"Neither did I, but something has come up in Arthur's case that you and I have to deal with right away," Jarrod said. "And please believe me when I say I'm sorry about this. I did not reveal anything about you or Arthur in any way, but Sam Davison is prosecuting Arthur's case, and you know what a thorough man he is. He found out that you and Arthur are not married."

Carol sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa.

Jarrod sat beside her. "He's very suspicious because Arthur came all the way to Stockton to rob a house of jewelry, and you can't blame him for that."

Carol shook her head.

"He's given me an ultimatum," Jarrod said. "Either you come with me to Stockton, or he'll get a subpoena and have a marshal escort you there."

Carol stiffened like a board.

And Jarrod read her mind. "Carol, running away from this is not what you want to do, believe me. It would be disastrous in every way and end up with you in jail, too."

Carol shook her head and started to cry.

Jarrod reached for her hands. "Come with me to Stockton. We can get this over with, and if you and Joe decide you should come back here, I'll escort you back here. Regardless, I'll get you back here for the surgery on your leg."

"Oh, Jarrod," she sighed. "This has all gone so wrong."

"Yes, but we can improve things," Jarrod said. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, looked so intently at her face that she wanted to squirm away. "Listen to me. Listen to what I'm about to tell you, because it comes from my heart and it's more important to me than it may end up being to you. After you disappeared, I met someone. Her name was Beth. We were married, and I loved her more than anyone at any time in my entire life. But she was killed. She was murdered. She died in my arms."

Jarrod started to choke up, and Carol reacted. She straightened again, her face falling in sympathy, her eyes growing wetter.

"Carol, I'll never see Beth again," Jarrod said. "I'll never hold her again. I know exactly how Joe's been feeling all these months. Exactly. And I know – I know he'd give anything in life, anything at all, to have you back. Can't you imagine it?" Jarrod smiled, a wistful smile. "To have back in your arms that one person who lit up your entire being, that one person you thought you had lost forever but here she is, in front of you again, in your arms again – "

Jarrod couldn't talk anymore. He pulled Carol close again. They just sat together that way for several long minutes before Carol could only say, "I'm so sorry."

Jarrod said, "You have to come back to Stockton. You don't want it to have to be with a marshal. Let me – let me go buy you a bonnet that might help you with your scar – "

"There's no need, I have one," Carol said. "Arthur bought it for me, to help me make up my mind to have the surgery."

"Then let's pack a few things for you, and let's go catch the first train back to Stockton. You'll be safe with me. No one will harass you, and if the police bother us, we'll just explain who we are and that we're leaving town to see the District Attorney in Stockton, at his request. It'll be all right."

Jarrod tried to smile reassuringly. Carol closed her eyes, and on impulse, Jarrod lifted her chin again and kissed her on the cheek, on the cheek with the scar. Carol rested her head on his shoulder and said, "All right. I'll go."

It was scarcely half an hour later that Carol was packed and Jarrod had her valise waiting by the front door. She dressed for traveling in a long blue dress with enough skirt that she could keep her leg and her gait both hidden even though she'd have to use the cane. As they were preparing to leave, she fetched the bonnet Arthur had bought for her.

She put it on carefully, looking in a mirror above her dresser, a mirror that she usually tried to avoid. Jarrod watched from the doorway. The bonnet was a soft blue, nothing fancy that would attract attention itself. It tied on around the chin with veiling material that matched the color of her skin, and Carol tied it on in such a way that it covered the scar completely. She turned toward Jarrod. "What do you think?"

Jarrod smiled. "I think you're the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and I am not just saying that. You're every bit Carol Payson. I can't see the scar at all."

Carol picked up her cane and walked toward him, trying to walk normally.

Jarrod smiled. "We'll be fine. No one will notice a thing out there."

"I'm still scared to death," Carol said.

"I know," Jarrod said. "I'll be right beside you, all the way."

Carol took a deep breath. "Well, then, let's go to Stockton."