Chapter 10

"Not one piece of luck at all, good or bad," Jarrod answered his family when they asked if his idea of questioning people near the blacksmith's shop at lunchtime worked out. "People shaking their heads and moving on as fast as they could is all I saw."

Jarrod sipped at his scotch and sat down in his "thinking chair." He sat silently for a moment, hoping the chair would live up to its name and he might have some more ideas.

Nick exchanged looks with his mother. "You know, maybe Heath and I might have more luck learning something at a poker table or two," Nick said.

Heath was still cleaning up and hadn't come down yet. Audra was spending the night with a girlfriend on a nearby ranch and wouldn't be home until morning.

Jarrod shook his head. "I'd rather you stayed out of it, Nick. But if you do happen to hear anything, I wouldn't mind knowing about it."

"You just invited him to nosy in," Victoria said. "That's the latest lesson you need to learn about your brother."

"You know, Mother, you're eating away at all the things I was taking advantage of, what with Jarrod's memory being full of holes," Nick said. "I mean, he's been pulling things on me like suddenly being faster on the draw and more accurate a shot than me. I need to keep a few secrets of my own to pull out of my hat."

Jarrod chuckled. "Well, one thing I've relearned about you, Brother Nick – you don't keep your secrets very well anyway."

Nick looked startled.

"What?" Jarrod asked. "What did I say?"

"You called him 'Brother Nick,'" Heath's voice came, and they saw he was halfway to the refreshment table. "You used to call him that all the time, but you haven't since you came home. It's kinda nice to hear it again."

"Oh," Jarrod said, and then he smiled. "I guess it's just a way I always had with words. It's nice to know I've kept another affectation I didn't know I had. Thank you, Brother Heath."

"My pleasure, Brother Jarrod," Heath said and raised his glass in thanks.

"All right, it's starting to sound like a monastery around here," Victoria said. "Jarrod, is there anything any of us can do to help you with Archer's case?"

"Not really," Jarrod said. "Unless you have any ideas about who else I might talk to, other than the Hendersons. They're out of bounds for me for now."

"I have one idea," Heath said, and everyone looked his way. "Nobody knows a family's secrets like the men who work for them. You need to find a way to talk to a few of their hands. That might shake something loose."

Jarrod nodded. "They were next on my list. I just need to find a way to corner one or two of them. First I have to find out who they are."

"I can help you there," Heath said. "I've played poker with one of their men now and then. Fella name of Pauly Eaves. He tends to come into Harry's on Friday nights."

"How come I don't know him?" Nick asked.

"You don't go into Harry's on Friday nights," Heath said. "Not since that cute little redhead went to work at – " He stopped. He nearly said the name of the place in front of their mother, and that was taboo.

Victoria got the picture. She got up. "Pardon me while I go check on dinner."

After she left and was out of earshot, Heath finished his sentence. " – Big Annie's."

Nick did some quick thinking. "You know, the girls at Big Annie's are likely to know a few of Henderson's men."

"Want us to get you some names, Jarrod?" Heath asked.

Jarrod shook his head. "No. I'll start with trying to finger Pauly at Harry's – and go to Big Annie's myself if need be. I could stand to check out some of the places in town I haven't been to since I came back." He grinned.

"Just don't tell mother about them," Nick said.

Jarrod laughed. "You think she doesn't already know?"

Nick and Heath both looked uncomfortable.

Jarrod laughed harder. "Gentlemen, it's amazing what you learn when you have to learn things all over again."

XXXXXXX

Come Friday night, Heath went with Jarrod into Harry's to play a little poker. Heath took a look around, but he wasn't seeing who he wanted to see.

"He's not here," he said to Jarrod. "Maybe he'll come later."

"Go play some poker," Jarrod said. "If he doesn't come in, he doesn't come in. You might as well enjoy yourself."

"Where you gonna be?"

"Here, somewhere. If I leave, I'll tell Harry where I've gone."

Heath went off to play poker, while Jarrod went up to the bar and got a beer from Harry. Jarrod checked his watch – it was still fairly early. As he closed his watch, a tall, dark-haired saloon girl came up to him. "Hello, Jarrod Barkley," she said.

Jarrod didn't recognize her. Maybe she knew him from before, or maybe she just knew his name. He said, "Hello. Don't look on this as just a pick-up line, but do I know you?"

She laughed. "You got me off a petty theft charge once a few years ago, but word is you don't have any memories of the old days anymore. I'm Elena. I just moved back to Stockton from Modesto. It's good to see you again, Counselor."

Jarrod smiled. "I'd say the same thing if I remembered, but my past is long gone, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry. That's got to be tough."

"I've pretty much gotten used to it," Jarrod said. "What brings you back to Stockton?"

Elena smiled at Harry, who smiled back and moved on to another customer. "Harry. I wanted out of Modesto – not enough money to live on in that town. Harry offered to take me back."

"Planning to stay for a while, then," Jarrod said.

"Hoping to. I hear you've been looking for information on the charge they have Phil Archer in on."

"Do you have any?"

"Can't say I do. It was Archer who prosecuted me when you got me off."

Jarrod took a swallow of beer. "So you're not very interested in seeing him walk on this charge of attacking a young woman."

"Let's just say I'd tell you if I knew anything, but I'm not going to go out of my way to find out anything to tell you."

"Seems you're not alone in this town."

"You were never a good friend of the man, either."

"Well, that's the funny thing," Jarrod said. "Apparently we went to law school together, and we were friends there. I have no idea why we fell out. Could be I never knew."

"Maybe the Saxhorn got to you."

Jarrod laughed. "You know about the Saxhorn, do you?"

"Who doesn't? You can hear him up on the main road if you happen to go by while he's playing, the thing is so loud."

Jarrod suddenly learned something new. "Really? You've heard it yourself?"

"Not me, but the subject came up the other night right after Archer was taken in," Elena said. "A couple cowboys who work out that way were complaining they could hear it late at night when they were heading home."

Jarrod wasn't getting his hopes up. Hearing it late at night was not the same as hearing it during the day, and it would take a fantastic coincidence for someone to be passing by just as Archer was playing on the day he was accused of attacking Bonnie Henderson. But then – "I wonder how long he plays when he sits down to play?"

"Too long, from what I hear," Elena said. "I guess it's not something you just pick up and noodle on for five minutes at a time."

"Guess not," Jarrod said. "Who were the cowboys who remembered hearing him?"

Suddenly, Elena clammed up. "Oh – just a couple of cowboys. I don't even remember who they were. Sorry."

She wandered off then, and Jarrod knew he'd run up against someone whose tongue had been loosened but not enough. He sighed.

Harry had caught the tail end of the conversation. "I'll bet that isn't the first time you've run into that wall."

"People really don't like Phil Archer, do they?" Jarrod said, already knowing the answer.

Harry just chuckled and went on to another customer.

Time went by. Heath played cards without giving any indication that he'd run into Pauly Eaves. Jarrod nursed a couple beers and chatted idly with a couple of the other working girls at the bar. He was beginning to believe there was no information for him here when a man came up next to him and said, "Don't look my way."

Jarrod wasn't even sure the man was talking to him, but he did not look to see, just in case. He just asked, "Why not?"

"I got something you might want to hear," the man said. "You need to talk to Bonnie Henderson."

Jarrod swallowed some beer. "What will she tell me?"

"I'll leave that to her," the man said. "Just ask her about Pauly Eaves."

There was that name again. Jarrod could feel the man leave. He never did see exactly who it was, and Harry was not nearby to see him, either. But there was a lead, and it involved Pauly Eaves and Bonnie Henderson.

Jarrod waited for a few moments then finished his beer and went over to the poker table where Heath was playing. Between hands, Jarrod said, "Heath, I'm heading home. You staying?"

Heath looked at his pile of money. "No, maybe not, my pile is shrinking too fast. 'Night, gentlemen."

Jarrod and Heath went outside together and were mounted up before Jarrod said, fairly quietly, "Somebody I didn't see told me to ask Bonnie Henderson about her and Pauly Eaves."

"Huh," Heath said. "Pauly wasn't in tonight."

"Guess I'll talk to Michael Quinn and Sheriff Madden tomorrow," Jarrod said. "How much did you lose?"

"Too much," Heath said. "You think you can get it back from Archer as expenses?"

Jarrod laughed as they turned to go home.