Chapter Ten Two Weeks Later

The fourth Monday of every month the same room serves as the meeting place for the town’s council.

Tonight all seven of the members are present. Randy Beecham, the owner of the general Store, Jake Stark, the saloon owner, Henry Duncan, the stage station manager, Peter Simms, the hotel owner, Jeff Proctor, the town’s blacksmith, Doctor William Keller, the physician and dentist, and Joshua Rodgers, the barber and funeral director.

Peter gets the conversations rolling, “In the past two months we’ve had two local families murdered and burned out. Not even mentioning their herds being run off. The sheriff has posted both of those properties with no trespassing signs trying to keep off nosey folks. He is riding out to each of the sites twice a week to keep an eye on things.”

Henry says “Has the sheriff found any sign at the Evan’s place? We couldn’t figure out any at the Martin’s but I think that’s because we found them long after it happened.”

Jeff replies, “He told me that he couldn’t make out any sign of who did it when he went out there. It was two weeks after the incident happened, so that’s possibly why he couldn’t read any signs. He was fortunate the rider buried the bodies.”

Doctor Keller states, “Why didn’t he go out there as soon as that cowhand reported it to him, is what I want to know?”