Chapter 10

"Where are the other people from Done In?" Jarrod asked.

Wright smiled. "You mean the drifters and drunks. The drunks – it took a while to clean them up, but they're all out riding herd now. So are the drifters we hired. The girl who teaches the children, she also milks the dairy cows three times a day. I suspect that's where she is."

"Who picked the apples yesterday?" Heath asked.

"Migrants, mostly," Wright said. "They finished and moved on last night."

The sheriff turned and looked at the Barkleys. "What else do you want to see?"

"The men riding herd, and I want to talk to Mrs. Locklater," Jarrod said quickly.

Wright hesitated, but just for a split second. "Of course," he said.

Jarrod would have preferred to talk to the woman alone, but as they went back into the house, he decided it might make Wright dangerously uncomfortable, and it wasn't really necessary anyway. He would be able to understand what he wanted to understand even if everyone were watching. They went back into the living room, where the women were still working.

"Hattie?" Wright said to the women.

They both looked up.

"Mr. Barkley has a few questions," Wright said.

Mrs. Locklater looked wary, but she stopped working and came closer to them. She was fingering her dust cloth nervously.

"Feel free to tell him anything you want," Wright said.

Jarrod smiled to try to ease the woman's concern, but he could tell she was out and out afraid. Jarrod tipped his hat again. "Mrs. Locklater, when did you come to work here?"

"A while back, I'm not sure how long," she said quietly.

"Why did you leave Done In and come here?" Jarrod asked.

She looked at Wright, then back at Jarrod. "My husband was sheriff over there. He decided I should work here to earn us more money."

"You brought your children with you?"

"Yes. We all live here now."

"Do you know where your children are now?"

"The kids are picking vegetables."

"Mrs. Loclater, do you feel free to go with your family if you want?"

The directness of the question put everyone on edge. Mrs. Locklater looked at Wright before she said, "Of course," very quietly, then looked back at Jarrod, her eyes cast slightly downward.

Jarrod decided he had to let her go now. Besides, he understood what she was really saying. "Thank you, Mrs. Locklater," he said, tipping his hat again, and then he said to Wright, "I'd like to see where you have your people living."

Wright smiled. "Of course."

Wright took them out the front door and across the compound to a group of small cabins not far from the stables. There was also a larger bunkhouse there.

"The single men stay in the bunk house," Wright said as they passed it. Then he stopped in front of the cabins. "We only have the two families here, the Henrys and the Locklaters. They each have a cabin of their own and so does the only single lady we have."

"May we look inside?" Heath asked.

"Well, I think you'd have to get permission from Mr. Henry and Mr. Locklater – I don't like to threaten their privacy."

Jarrod suspected that was a lie.

Wright said, "But you can take a look inside one of the empty cabins."

They did that. It was not much more than a line shack on Barkley property would be, but it did have a wood floor, a stove and a sink, a table and chairs, and bunk beds. Nick took a peek into a separate room, which held another bed and two dressers. When he came back out, Nick eyed his brothers. This place was modest, to be kind about it. To be honest, it wasn't much more than the slave cabins he and Jarrod had seen in the South.

"What else can I show you gentlemen?" Wright asked.

Heath noticed something outside the open door. Two men with rifles had followed them here.

"The men riding herd," Jarrod said.

Wright nodded. "Mount up and let's go."

It took fifteen minutes or so to find the herd and the men working it. Right away, the Barkley men saw that there were two men with rifles riding around the edge of the herd while several other men tended it. The Barkley men looked at each other.

"Did you want to talk to any of my men, Sheriff?" Wright asked.

The sheriff looked Jarrod's way. Jarrod said, "I don't think that's necessary. I think we've seen what we needed to see."

"I think that ought to do it then," the sheriff said. Then he looked at the Barkleys. "Don't you?"

The Barkley men looked at each other. Jarrod nodded. "I think we can be on our way."

They returned to their horses, mounted up and rode out without much fanfare. Wright gave them a big wave good-bye – too big. They all breathed easier as soon as they were off the property, and easier still as soon as they rejoined the men they had waiting in reserve.

The sheriff turned to them then and said, "Are you satisfied now?"

"Satisfied?" Nick asked, sarcastically.

"I've never seen an unhappier group of working people," Jarrod said. "Or a group better guarded."

"Happy or not, there's nothing there that I can prosecute Wright or anybody else on," the sheriff said.

"You can't really think those people are free to go if they want," Jarrod said.

"I saw better cared for slaves in Virginia," Nick said.

The sheriff turned icy. "There is nothing there for me to prosecute. I suggest you men go back to Stockton and leave us to ourselves here. Dr. Lane's tale is all spun out."

The sheriff abruptly turned his horse and rode off alone.

The Barkley men looked at each other, and then at Sloan and Ewell. "What did you men think?" Nick asked.

"You got it figured right," Sloan said.

"Well, Jarrod," Heath said. "I think you're gonna have to go run this by your DA friend."

Jarrod nodded. "I'll be on my way. You boys head on home. I'll send a telegram as soon as I get to Merced."

"You look out for yourself," Nick said.

Jarrod nodded and went on his way. The road to Done In turned off to the west only a few hundred feet down this main road. The rest of the Barkley men watched him go. They didn't start on their way until he had crested a hill and disappeared down the other side.

Heath hesitated, wanting to bring up the rear, but wanting even more to look around and see if anyone was watching them, and especially watching Jarrod. He didn't see anything, so he went off with the rest.

He didn't see the man on horseback in the grove of trees about a mile back toward the house. The man turned and went back to the compound.

XXXXXXX

Wright met the man he'd sent to watch the Barkleys as soon as the man came back to the house. "Well?" he asked as the man dismounted.

"The sheriff went back toward Millertown. One other fella peeled off and went toward Done In," the man said.

"Which one?"

"The black-haired Barkley, the one wearing the blue shirt," the man said.

Wright nodded. The one who did most of the talking.

"What do you want me to do, boss?" the man asked.

XXXXXX

Jarrod rode into Done In about a half hour after leaving his brothers. The place was as quiet as ever, not unexpected. Jarrod pulled up to the doctor's office, but had a good look around before he dismounted. He wasn't taking his safety for granted. He didn't think Wright would have him followed, but then again, he didn't think the man would start a slave fortress here in California, either. I could always be wrong, Jarrod said to himself, and then he wondered if he should have had Nick or Heath come with him. Maybe he should have.

Jarrod dismounted and found the doctor coming out to meet him.

"You again," Dr. Lane said. "What do you want now?"

"I've just been out to the Wright place with my brothers," Jarrod said.

"And you saw a perfectly normal ranch."

"No," Jarrod said. "I saw a bunch of scared people and a nervous Dan Wright."

Dr. Lane straightened up. Somebody finally believed him. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm headed over to Merced to see the DA. I want you to come with me."

Dr. Lane took a deep breath and let it out.

Jarrod pressed. "Dr. Lane, it's time for you to put up or shut up. If something is going on out there, there's never going to be another chance to stop it."

Dr. Lane hesitated.