Chapter 4

Jarrod came home late, knowing full well that being out on the street in Stockton at night was becoming risky for a lawyer, but he had ended up doing more things than he planned. He looked haggard and felt worse.

"Not a good day, I take it," his mother said when he came in the door, long after everyone had finished dinner.

He hung his hat and gun belt up with a sigh and came into the living room, where he poured himself a brandy. "Some things have happened in town," he said. On the way home, he wondered how to tell them what was going on – he didn't want them to worry. But he couldn't keep what was happening a secret. It wouldn't last until Sunday afternoon anyway. It would be the talk of the church, and definitely the subject of prayers.

"What things?" Nick asked.

"I talked to Phil Archer. He's coming along, but he had no idea who might have shot him," Jarrod said. "From there I got a cup of coffee, but I ran into Sheriff Madden on the street. They found Tom Kemper dead in an alley on the waterfront."

Everyone straightened, alarmed. "Tom Kemper?" Victoria asked.

Jarrod nodded. "I talked to Archer again but he hasn't had any cases lately with Kemper. After that, I arranged for Kemper's funeral – he has no family around here. I ran into a couple of other lawyers in town and while we drank and played cards, we talked about what was going on and whether there was actually someone who was after all of us. I ran into Sam Davison late in the afternoon and talked to him. I talked to the sheriff again – "

"We get the picture, Jarrod," Nick said. "But back up. Somebody is after all of you?"

"We haven't been able to connect Phil Archer and Tom Kemper in any way," Jarrod said. "The sheriff believes that somebody seems to have it in for lawyers in general."

"What are you gonna do about it, Jarrod?" Heath asked.

"You've got to do something to protect yourselves," Audra said.

Jarrod said, "We've lost a very promising young lawyer, and he's lost a very promising young life. But we can't all hire bodyguards, and we can't go around keeping each other safe. We have to be in too many diverse places at a time."

Nick and Heath were looking at each other, and Jarrod could see the wheels turning.

"You're taking Archer's cases," Nick said, still looking at Heath.

Jarrod sipped his brandy. "Yes, I am. I'll go into the office Monday morning to get myself acquainted with what he's doing."

"Then you ought to have one of us with you," Nick said.

Jarrod said, "No, Nick, I don't think there's much of a risk in the daylight."

"Then you had no business staying out so late tonight," Victoria said.

"I'm sorry," Jarrod said. "Time just got away from me, and Fred was with me a lot anyway."

"Nevertheless, you need to be very careful," Victoria said.

"Especially since I'll bet Fred has no suspects at all," Nick said.

"That's right, he doesn't," Jarrod said. "I'll be as careful as I can be."

"Have you eaten?" Victoria asked.

Jarrod nodded. "And I'm pretty tired, so if you'll excuse me." He finished his brandy and kissed his mother and sister. "I'll see you in the morning."

As Jarrod trudged up the stairs, Nick and Heath stared at each other. The message was unspoken, but clear. Jarrod might be in danger, and he wasn't going to let anyone be with him to protect him. Nothing new. That was his initial reaction whenever he was threatened, but it was almost never a wise one.

Victoria read their expressions. "He won't let you go to the office with him. There are just too many things he does that are confidential."

"We'll talk to him in the morning," Nick said.

Victoria gave a heavy sigh and got up, approaching Nick and Heath. "You can talk to him until you're blue in the face, but you know as well as I do, he won't let either one of you be his shadow all day. Forewarned is forearmed, and he and every other lawyer in town is forewarned now. That's how he's looking at it."

"You'd have to watch him on the sly," Audra said, "and that never works out very well either."

Nick and Heath looked at each other again. Heath said, "It's pretty risky to be a lawyer in Stockton right now, Mother, riskier than usual. He let us keep an eye on him when Joshua Cunningham was after him."

"In his office, when the threat was known – and that didn't work out very well either, did it?" Victoria asked. "In the end, Jarrod protected himself from Joshua Cunningham. I hate to say it but if he wants to look after himself now, you'd better let him."

Audra got up and stood beside her mother. "The lawyers in town are probably going to be looking out for each other now, even if they're not following each other around."

"And as Jarrod said, there's probably not much risk in the daylight," Victoria said.

Nick and Heath looked at each other again, surprised at their mother's reaction to this. Nick said, "I'd be a lot less concerned if he wasn't out alone after dark."

"Then tell him that, and he'll probably agree with you," Victoria said.

The next morning at breakfast, when Nick did tell Jarrod that, Jarrod did agree with him. "I have every intention of either being in before dark or being with company after dark," Jarrod said. "And today, it's a moot point. It's Sunday. We'll go to church, come home, and I will continue my vacation. Work starts up again tomorrow, and I will be very careful."

Nick and Heath both gave him a nod.

XXXXXXX

As expected, the church services were full of prayers for the murdered lawyer and Phil Archer. The minister announced that services for Tom Kemper would be on Monday afternoon and asked that as many as possible attend. He also announced that he had visited Phil Archer and the doctor was looking for someone to take him in while he recuperated. The Barkleys started looking at one another, and Victoria quietly said to her family, "We should do it. He'll be safer out at the ranch."

"If he can be moved that far, and if he wants to come with us," Jarrod said. "I'll talk to him and Dr. Merar after services."

As the Barkleys said good-bye to the minister, Victoria told him that Jarrod would be talking to the doctor about bringing Archer home. Jarrod immediately headed up the street toward Dr. Merar's office, leaving his horse hitched near the church. Nick and Heath had also come into town on horseback while Victoria and Audra came by buggy. Heath helped his mother and sister into the buggy and was heading for his own horse when he caught sight of Turner Powers, riding toward them. Turner was in church clothes and attended the local Catholic church. Heath figured he was heading home.

"How you doing, Turner?" Heath called as he mounted up.

Turner pulled up beside him. "A little worried about these shootings, the lawyers. Do you boys have some protection for Jarrod?"

"No, he's planning on taking care of himself and avoiding trouble spots and times," Heath said.

"That's him walking down the street, isn't it?"

"He's going by the doctor's office to see about Phil Archer."

"Yeah, our priest mentioned the doc is looking for somebody to take Archer in. Would that be the Barkleys?"

"Depends on what Archer wants," Nick, coming up on his own horse, joined into the conversation. "How are you, Turner?"

"Pretty good after all that money I won Friday night," Turner said. "Can I fleece you again this Friday?"

Nick chuckled. "Maybe we'll see who fleeces who."

Turner gave a wave and rode off toward the ranch he worked at. Heath was ready to catch up with the buggy, but Nick hesitated, watching Turner. "What?" Heath asked.

"Turner seemed kind of interested in where Jarrod was gonna be and who was protecting him," Nick said, suspicious.

Heath got the message. "Turner ain't the one shooting the lawyers."

"Are you sure?"

"He doesn't have anything to do with lawyers, and he wouldn't hurt a flea."

"Are you sure?" Nick asked again.

"Well, what do you want to do? Hang around here until Jarrod is ready to come home? Follow Turner around to see if he's gonna try to shoot somebody?"

Nick spotted the buggy waiting for them further up the street. He thought quickly about it. "No. You're right. Turner's not the type, and Jarrod can probably take care of himself in the daylight."

"Let's go then," Heath said, and they took off to catch up with their mother and sister.