Chapter 2

After a few days of relaxation and doing nothing, Jarrod was happy to join his brothers at a poker table at Harry's saloon on a Friday night. One of the other players at the table was the one cleaning up, so Nick took a break and carried himself to the bar to talk to Harry. Harry was always up on the local news, even more so than the newspaper was, and it had been a while since the Barkleys came to town.

"So, what have I missed around here, Harry?" Nick asked straight out.

"Something I thought you'd have heard about," Harry said. "Somebody took a shot at Phil Archer again, and this time they got him."

"What?" Nick asked, straightening up and glancing at Jarrod, still at the poker table. "When did this happen?"

"Last night," Harry said. "He's still at the doc's, as far as I know. Pretty serious chest wound."

"Who did it?"

"Nobody knows and nobody saw. Last I heard he was awake, but never saw who attacked him. The sheriff is trying to figure things out, but he doesn't even have any leads yet. I'm surprised you didn't know all about it already."

"None of us has been in town today and nobody at the table mentioned it," Nick said. "I don't really know the other two at the table. Jarrod's gonna be in for a shock."

"Yeah, he's gonna wanna talk to Fred Madden, I'm sure," Harry said.

"I wouldn't say Archer's a friend, but he and Jarrod go way back and I know Jarrod doesn't wish anything bad on him. Give me another beer, will you, Harry? And a scotch for my big brother."

Harry poured both and set them up on the bar. Nick carried them over to the poker table and set the glass of scotch down heavily in front of Jarrod, who was just about to fold his hand. Jarrod was distracted by the delivery of the drink for just a moment but then laid his cards face down, saying, "Fold. What is this for?" he asked Nick.

Nick sat down again. "You're gonna need it. Harry just told me that Phil Archer was shot last night."

"What?" Jarrod asked.

Heath looked up, too, even though he was still in the hand. He called the bet one of the other players made.

"How bad?" Jarrod asked, genuinely concerned.

"Bad enough," Nick said. "Harry says he's still in the doc's office. I haven't seen Fred Madden around, but if he comes in, I think we'll want to find out what's going on."

"Who's Phil Archer?" one of the other players asked.

The Barkleys looked at him. They couldn't place him. "Are you new in town?" Nick asked.

"Just passing through," the man said. "I sell hand tools to local mercantiles. I'll be moving on in a day or so. Who's Phil Archer?"

"A local prosecuting attorney," Jarrod said.

"He made an enemy, it sounds like," the man said.

"Yeah," Jarrod said, thinking.

Heath took the pot, and because it was now his deal, he took the cards, too. "Is Archer gonna be all right?" Heath asked and began to shuffle the cards.

"Harry didn't know," Nick said.

Heath said, "Seven card stud. Are you back in, Nick?"

"Yeah," Nick said.

"I'm out," Jarrod said, and he got up as Heath began to deal. He went over to see Harry himself, carrying his scotch with him. "Harry, Nick just told me about Phil Archer. Have you heard how he's doing?"

"He's awake, that's all I know," Harry said.

Because he'd been away from Stockton for so long, Jarrod didn't even know what cases Archer might have been working on. "Phil is a man who makes a lot of other men mad, but I can't imagine who would want to kill him," Jarrod said, trying to think of who it might have been.

"Somebody he prosecuted, I guess," Harry said.

"I think I'll try to see him tomorrow," Jarrod said.

"Careful," Harry warned. "You might find yourself roped into taking over his cases."

"That's not likely," Jarrod said, but half wondered if Harry might be right. It seemed like the District Attorney and the county councilmen tended to come to him first when something happened to keep a prosecutor from doing his job. "Anything else going on around here I oughtta know about, Harry? I've been gone for three months."

"It's been fairly quiet except for that," Harry said and poured a beer for another customer. Then Harry looked up at the door. "Here comes the sheriff. You might ask him about Archer."

When Sheriff Madden spotted Jarrod, he came right over. "Jarrod, it's good to see you again," he said.

"You, too, Fred," Jarrod said. "What's this I hear about Phil Archer?"

Sheriff Madden sighed. "He got himself shot at the other night, and somebody hit him last night. He never saw who did it, and I don't even have any leads yet. We might never find this one."

"Have you talked to some of the men he's prosecuted lately?" Jarrod asked.

"Some, but so far none seems too likely," the sheriff said. "Most got off with light fines. One got time served in my jail and he's gone home and had an alibi. Archer only had two serious charges since you've been gone – bad assaults – but they're both off to prison."

"Relatives, maybe?"

"Maybe, but I haven't had much time to look into this yet, and so far I can't place any of these people anywhere but their own comfortable homes at the time it happened – that or jail. It's a real puzzler, Jarrod. I'd appreciate any light you can shed on it. You know Archer as well as anyone. Is there anybody you think might have a grudge?"

Jarrod shook his head. "Nobody I can think of off-hand. I think I'll go see Phil tomorrow. Maybe he'll be up to talking with me a bit – assuming, of course, he's willing to."

"You two have never settled your differences, have you?"

Jarrod raised an eyebrow. "Don't go thinking I shot him, Fred. We don't see eye to eye on much, but I'd never hurt the man. He hurts himself enough."

"I know better than to think you did it, Jarrod. I'm just not sure he'd open up to you much, but then he probably isn't all that interested in opening up to anybody about anything."

"Well, I'll look in on him anyway, and see if he can shed any light at all on this."

"Sam Davison knows you're back in town, Jarrod. He might try to get you to take Phil's caseload until he's back on his feet."

Davison was the current District Attorney. Jarrod smiled. "That's what Harry said, but I don't think that will happen."

"Well, then, maybe I'll rope you into helping me figure out who shot Archer. Any chance?"

Jarrod opened his mouth, smiling more, but wasn't sure how to say what he really wanted to say. "Let's talk about that after I talk to Phil," he finally came up with. "I'll see him in the morning."

Jarrod went back to the poker table then and took his seat back in time to be dealt in for the next hand. Heath asked, "Did the sheriff have anything more about Phil Archer?"

"No," Jarrod said. "I'll go see Phil in the morning and see how he is."

"Better look out," Nick said as he dealt. "Somebody's gonna want to rope you into taking Archer's caseload."

Nick was the third one to suggest that. Jarrod figured now he was doomed. "Thanks a bunch, Nick," Jarrod said.

"Anytime, Big Brother," Nick said. "Anytime."

XXXXXXX

Victoria Barkley was astonished to hear the news at the breakfast table the next morning. "Phil Archer shot? Why didn't we hear anything about that?"

"Fred's been too busy investigating to spread the word and it just happened the night before last," Nick said.

"I'll go see him this morning," Jarrod said. "So far, Fred Madden doesn't have any suspects at all. Archer didn't see who shot him. I'll talk to Phil about some of the cases he's been handling. Maybe we can figure something out."

"If he'll talk to you," Victoria said. "You're not his favorite man in the world."

"I can only try," Jarrod said.

"Don't get talked into taking on his caseload," Audra warned.

"That makes four," Jarrod said, a little bemused.

"Four what?"

"People who have warned me about being approached to take over Archer's caseload," Jarrod said.

"You do need a break," Victoria said. "You had a long hard trial in San Francisco."

"I know," Jarrod said. "Don't worry. It'll take some mighty fancy talking to get me to take Archer's job until he's well enough to take it back."

"If you do get talked into it, you'd better be careful when you're in town," Victoria said. "If Archer being shot had anything to do with the cases he's been working on – "

"Don't worry," Jarrod said. "I've been keeping a close eye out and I will keep doing that, especially when I'm in town and whether I take Phil's cases or not."

"Remember you promised to help us out in the field," Nick said.

"I never made any such promise," Jarrod protested.

"Yes, you did," Nick said. "Heath heard it too, didn't you, Heath?"

"I did," Heath said. "Objection overruled."

Jarrod grumbled. "Maybe I will take over Archer's cases."

Silas brought coffee in while they were talking, and he listened carefully when he heard Archer had been shot. He didn't like Phil Archer very much either, but he didn't like the idea of Jarrod becoming a target too. For some reason, Silas was definitely bothered by someone taking a shot at Archer and missing, and then trying again and hitting him. Silas didn't say anything – he knew better than to jump into family business too quickly – but he didn't let his concerns slip away too easily either. It sure seemed like something was going on that might not stop, and the one thing any Barkley had in common with Phil Archer was that Jarrod was a lawyer.