by Laura Beers
“It is against the law, and just because some people are doing it, doesn’t make it right,” Lincoln argued. “Are you a bootlegger, too, or do you have a partner handling the distribution of the moonshine?”
John gave him a defiant look. “I’m not saying.”
“Who are you selling to?” Lincoln pressed.
“I ain’t saying nothing,” John stated with a firm set of his jaw.
Lincoln cocked his head. “What I want to know is, are you and your father working together to make moonshine?”
“No,” John replied in a firm tone. “My father knows nothing about this.”
“Do you truly expect me to believe that, especially since we are so close to his property?” Lincoln contended.
John swallowed slowly. “It’s true. My father would kill me if he ever found out.”
“Why is that?” Amey asked, walking closer to John.
John shifted his gaze toward her. “I approached my father about a year and a half ago to start making moonshine with me, and he got very aggravated. Not only does he consider alcohol to be the devil’s brew, but he stated that he never wanted to be a criminal like his cousin.”
“Yet you went ahead and did it anyway,” Lincoln pointed out.
“My money goes to help out my family,” John declared. “Without me, the bank would have foreclosed on our property months ago.”
“Where does your father think the money is coming from?” Amey asked curiously.
John sighed and lowered his gaze. “He thinks I work at the general store.”
“Do you?”
“I did, but I discovered there was more money in moonshine,” John confessed.
Lincoln shook his head. “I’m assuming you’re selling to the owner of the general store, as well as to the saloon owner.”
John opened his mouth in amazement. “How did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” Lincoln replied. “You just confirmed my suspicions. Besides, why else would the owner of the general store keep your secret?”
“That ain’t fair,” John said, pointing at him. “You’re trying to trick me.”
“Clearly, you are not the brains of this operation,” Lincoln stated dryly. “So, who gave you the money for the contraptions?”
John just pressed his lips together. “I’m not saying anything.”
“All right,” Amey replied. “We’ll just march you down to Sheriff Manley’s office and inform him that you’re making moonshine in the woods.”
John gave her a haughty look. “He can’t do nothin’ to me except report me for unpaid taxes.”
“True, but he might book you on murder charges, as well,” Amey replied nonchalantly.
John’s face paled. “Murder?” he questioned.
Amey lifted her brow. “You are aware that Doris Tiner died somewhere in these woods, and we can prove that she was near here on the day that she died.”
Putting his hands up in front of him, John rushed out, “I… uh… had nothing to do with her death.”
“But do you know who did?”
John diverted his gaze as he muttered, “No.”
Lincoln stepped closer to John. “Why is it that I don’t believe you?”
“I… don’t know, but it’s… uh… the truth,” John stammered.
Amey was about to open her mouth when an arm wrapped around her neck, and a gun was pressed against her temple
“Don’t move, or I will kill you,” a man ordered, his foul breath lingering against her cheek. “Now, drop your gun like a good girl.”
Not daring to move her head, Amey relaxed her hold on her revolver and let it drop to the ground.
The man then pointed his gun toward Lincoln. “Your turn,” he said. “Toss your gun over here.”
“No, don’t!” Amey exclaimed.
The man tightened his hold around her neck. “He has no choice,” he remarked. “If he doesn’t put his weapon down, then I will kill you.”
Lincoln kept his revolver pointed at them. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Why is that?” the man asked.
“If I put my weapon down, there will be nothing stopping you from killing us both,” Lincoln explained.
“But if you don’t put your weapon down, then I will kill your partner,” the man declared.
Lincoln shrugged. “If you do that, then you will be dead before she falls to the ground.”
“Not if I shoot you first,” the man stated.
Chuckling, Lincoln replied, “Good luck with that. I am more than proficient at shooting a gun.”
“As am I.”
Lincoln gave him a look that implied he didn’t believe him. “Are you?”
“I am,” the man answered proudly. “I’ve killed many people over the years, and some never even saw it coming.”
“Did you kill Doris, then?” Lincoln asked.
Amey could feel the man turn his head to look at John. “Is that the woman you were crying about? The one I found wandering in the woods near here?”
John pursed his lips together. “You shouldn’t have killed her,” he insisted. “Doris was a nice woman.”
“She nearly found our hideout,” the man argued. “I needed to ensure her silence.”
“No!” John shouted. “You should have let her go free. The worst thing she could have done was report us to Sheriff Manley.”
“And I couldn’t let that happen,” the man stated.
“Why?”
“Because she saw my face.”
John shook his head. “No one knows who you are here, Billy Joe. I already told you that.”
Amey’s heart began racing at the mention of that name. It couldn’t possibly be the same Billy Joe that she’d been searching for, could it?
“Don’t say my name,” Billy Joe seethed.
John huffed. “It doesn’t matter. You deserve to go to jail for killing Doris.”
“No one is going to jail,” Billy Joe insisted.
Lincoln spoke up. “Either you will go to prison, or you will be dead. It’s your choice.”
“Aren’t you being a little too cocky?” Billy Joe questioned. “I’m the one holding a gun to your partner’s head.”
“It’s of little consequence,” Lincoln said.
Amey could feel Billy Joe turning his head back toward John. “I want you to pick up the woman’s gun, and shoot this man,” he ordered.
John’s brow shot up. “Are you crazy? I’m not going to shoot a Pinkerton agent.”
Billy Joe cursed under his breath before asking, “Are you both blasted Pinks?”
“We are,” Amey replied, seeing no reason to deny it.
Tightening his hold around her neck, Billy Joe shouted, “Pick up the gun, John!”
With a shake of his head, John replied, “I won’t do it.”
“You would refuse me, then?”
Straightening to his full height, John met his gaze. “Yes. I was wrong to help you dispose of Doris’s body—”
Billy Joe cut him off. “I told you to bury her deep in the woods, but instead, you took her to be discovered.”
“She needed a proper burial,” John argued.
“No, she needed to disappear.”
“Doris didn’t deserve to die,” John said, his voice hitching. “She was a good, kind woman.”
Billy Joe growled, “Don’t get soft on me, boy. We’re in this together.”
“No,” John declared. “You went too far when you killed Doris. I won’t go down with you.”
Amey had remained quiet long enough, but she had a few questions of her own. “Are you Billy Joe Campbell?” she asked, holding her breath.
She could feel Billy Joe tense before he answered, “I am.”
Just as she thought.
“You’ve been on the run for two years,” she began. “How did you end up in Longworth, Colorado?”
Billy Joe loosened the pressure of the gun against her temple. “Jonathon Croft is my cousin, twice removed. But
that doesn’t seem to matter to him.”
“Why do you say that?” Amey asked.
Billy Joe let out a soft sigh. “When I showed up on his doorstep a little over a year and a half ago, he turned me away. He said he refused to house a criminal. So, I took up residence in his woods and bought the copper contraptions to make moonshine.”
Lincoln glanced over at John. “How did you get involved with Billy Joe?”
“I was setting traps and ran into him,” John shared. “We started talking, and he offered to give me twenty percent of the profits if I helped him make moonshine.” He looked forlorn. “It was easy money, and I was able to help out my family.”
“None of that matters,” Billy Joe barked. “If you don’t kill this agent, then we’ll both go to jail.”
John met his partner’s gaze. “I would rather go to jail then commit murder.”
Billy Joe turned his weapon toward John and shouted, “Do as I say, or I’ll kill you, too!”
“No!” John exclaimed. “I won’t do it.”
Amey heard Billy Joe cock his weapon, and she had no doubt that he’d act on his promise. She needed to create a diversion! She slowly lifted her foot up and slammed her heel back down onto Billy Joe’s weathered boot.
He howled in pain and loosened his grip around her neck. Amey took advantage of that and dropped down low, hoping that she’d given Lincoln a decent shot. A split second later, she heard Lincoln’s pistol discharge and felt Billy Joe fall to the ground.
She turned around and saw that Lincoln had shot the fugitive right between the eyes. His vacant eyes stared back up at her.
“Are you all right?” Lincoln asked from behind her.
She nodded automatically, not trusting her voice, not knowing what to say.
Lincoln placed his hand on her arm and turned her to face him. “I need to hear you say the words, Amey,” he said, his words filled with compassion.
She brought her gaze up to meet his. “I’m all right,” she replied. “I’m relieved that it’s finally over.”
“Yes, we successfully closed the case of Doris’s murder.”
Knowing he misunderstood her, she clarified, “What I mean is that Billy Joe has finally paid for killing my brother.”
“That he has,” Lincoln said, wrapping his arms around her. “He won’t be able to hurt anyone, ever again.”
She relaxed into his warm embrace. “Thank you for saving me.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” he murmured into her hair.
“Truly?” she asked, looking up at him. “You’ve never been in a standoff before?”
Lincoln chuckled. “Oh, I have been in standoffs before.” He reached up to trace a finger over her temple, right where the gun had pressed into her skin. “But I’ve never had so much to lose.”
Unsure of his meaning, she continued to stare deep into his brown eyes. So lost was she in his eyes that she barely registered John’s voice.
“Umm… is it normal for Pinkerton agents to congratulate each other in such a manner?” he asked.
Without taking his eyes off her, Lincoln replied, “It is when they’re married.”
“You two are married?” John asked, glancing between them. “I just assumed that was a cover.”
Lincoln smiled tenderly at her. “It started off that way, but things have changed.”
“Have they?” she asked hesitantly.
Now she was truly confused. What was Lincoln implying?
“Haven’t they?” Lincoln asked, a small line appearing between his eyes.
“I don’t know,” she replied.
A quick flash of disappointment crossed his features as he dropped his arms and stepped back. “Why don’t we have this conversation after we speak to Sheriff Manley?”
John hung his head. “Does this mean I’m going to jail?”
Lincoln walked over and placed a reassuring hand on John’s shoulder. “I don’t know, but I am going to tell Sheriff Manley what you did here today. You stood up to Billy Joe and refused to take his orders anymore. That has to count for something.”
“I should have turned Billy Joe in right after he killed Doris,” John admitted. “But I was afraid of him.”
“As you should have been,” Amey said. “He’s killed many people over the years, including my brother.”
John frowned. “My father is going to be furious at me.”
“Most likely, but it’s over now,” she replied, feeling a tremendous weight lift off her shoulders. “Billy Joe is dead.”
As Amey said those words, she knew that chapter of her life was over. Her conquest for vengeance was done, and she was now free to start living her life again.
11
“Why did you have to kill him?” Sheriff Manley asked as he leaned back in his chair.
Amey didn’t shy away from the sheriff’s stern glare. “He left us little choice,” she replied, sitting straighter in her chair.
Sheriff Manley frowned. “As I mentioned before, Pinks are not above the law—”
John spoke up from his prison cell, cutting him off. “Billy Joe would have killed all of us, if it wasn’t for Mr. Hoyt,” he declared. “You should have seen these two in action—”
Sheriff Manley put his hand up, silencing him. “Thank you for that, John, but I don’t need your help.”
Lincoln leaned forward in his seat and said, “As we’ve said, multiple times, Billy Joe intended to kill us to keep his dealings secret.”
“Do you truly believe he would have killed John?” the sheriff asked.
“I have no doubt,” Lincoln answered. “If Amey hadn’t created a diversion when she did, he would have shot John.”
The sheriff removed his hat and tossed it onto his desk. “And Billy Joe was a wanted man?”
Amey nodded. “He was,” she confirmed. “He was wanted for a bank robbery in Tucson, Arizona, where he killed my brother.”
Sheriff Manley shook his head. “Billy Joe was a regular at the saloon in town,” he said. “I never once suspected that he was a wanted man.”
“I wouldn’t beat yourself up over that,” Lincoln encouraged. “We happened upon Billy Joe by chance.”
“Thank you for that,” Sheriff Manley remarked.
Amey shifted in her chair. “Besides, if it makes you feel any better, he has eluded capture for over two years.”
The sheriff rose. “I suppose I need to borrow a wagon from the livery and go get the body.”
“Do you need any help?” Lincoln inquired, rising.
“No,” Sheriff Manley said with a shake of his head. “This won’t be the first time I’ve had to carry a dead body a short distance.”
Unexpectedly, the door to the sheriff’s office was thrown open and Jacob Tiner stormed in. “Is it true?” he asked, his eyes wide. “Did you find my wife’s killer?”
Amey bobbed her head. “I see that you got the message we left with one of your cowhands.”
“I did.” Jacob’s eyes shifted toward the cell and asked, “John killed my wife?”
“No!” John shouted, gripping the iron bars. “I didn’t. I swear!”
Turning his questioning gaze toward Lincoln, Jacob asked, “Then who did?”
“A fugitive known as Billy Joe Campbell,” Lincoln shared. “He was making moonshine, and Doris happened to stumble across his operation.” He pressed his lips together before adding, “And he killed her for it.”
Jacob dropped down into a chair. “He killed her over moonshine?” he asked in disbelief.
“Sadly, yes. He was a wanted man, and he didn’t want the law to start asking any questions,” Lincoln explained.
Jacob’s gaze shifted toward the cell, again. “Then why is John in jail?”
The sheriff spoke up. “Not only did John help make the moonshine, but he was the one who disposed of Doris’s body near your home.”
“Why didn’t you go to the sheriff after Doris was killed?” Jacob asked John.
John hung his
head as he admitted, “Because I thought Billy Joe would kill me if he found out. I was scared. I was a coward.”
Jacob’s eyes filled with tears. “No, you are just a boy, and you made a horrible mistake.”
“Billy Joe had ordered John to bury Doris’s body deep into the wood so she would never be found, but John did defy his orders,” Amey revealed. “John wanted you to find Doris so she could have a proper burial.”
A tear slid down Jacob’s cheek. “Thank you, John. If Doris had just disappeared, I would have spent the rest of my life looking for her.”
“I am so sorry,” John whimpered. “No one was supposed to die. I had no idea that Billy Joe was even capable of such a thing.”
Jacob rose and walked over to the cell. “I understand,” he stated. “I forgive you, John. I believe you are a victim in all of this, as well.”
Tears flowed down John’s cheeks. “Thank you, sir.”
“What do you intend to charge John with?” Jacob asked.
The sheriff tapped his finger onto his desk. “I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “There is a slew of crimes I could charge him with.”
“Go easy on him,” Jacob said. “Remember, he’s just a boy.”
“Noted,” Sheriff Manley replied as he turned his gaze toward Lincoln. “Now that the case is over, will you kindly get out of my town?” He softened his words with a smile.
Lincoln chuckled. “Gladly.” He went and opened the door. “Is tomorrow soon enough?”
The sheriff’s smile widened. “I suppose that will do.” As they turned to leave, the sheriff added, “I guess not all Pinks are bad.”
Lincoln smirked. “That’s some mighty high praise, sheriff.”
They stepped out onto the boardwalk, and Amey took a deep breath. “The case is over,” she said as they started walking on the rickety planks. “I think Archie will be pleased with our success.”
“Not only did we complete our assignment, but we killed Billy Joe Campbell.”
She smiled. “He was wanted, dead or alive.”
“I think dead is much more fitting for a man like him.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Lincoln stopped outside of the post office and said, “I need to wire Archie.”
