Ranch Life is Great

by Malone, Misty

  "Then we'll have the judge look at it the next time he comes through, but those two men are both very intelligent. That's why I had them both do the arithmetic separately. They got the same answer, and they both did it twice to check their numbers, so I feel confident. I'm sure the judge will, as well. But to answer your question, yes, I will let you know what Mr. Dempsey says."

  The sheriff went straight from the mercantile to the hotel. He didn't see Mr. Dempsey in the restaurant, so he went to his room. He met Mr. Dempsey as he was closing his door to leave. "Good morning, Sheriff. Something I can do for you?"

  "Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I wonder if I could have a moment with you, someplace where we can talk?"

  "Certainly. My room is terribly hot and stuffy. Perhaps downstairs in the restaurant, or your office?"

  "My office would offer more privacy so we could talk."

  "That's fine with me then," Mr. Dempsey said amicably. The sheriff led the way, hoping Mr. Dempsey was still this agreeable after their talk.

  Mr. Dempsey listened carefully as the sheriff explained that he'd gotten the dates and amounts of Ralph's payments he'd made, and then gave that information to two men and had them do the figuring. "According to both of them," the sheriff said in conclusion, "Mr. Wilson paid the loan off, including interest. Your lender is not entitled to anything further, so I've told Mr. Trenton to stop the paperwork to transfer ownership of the store."

  "This is all news to me," Mr. Dempsey said. "I wasn't given any information on payments that had been made, but I'll certainly send a telegram to the lender, Max Harper, and the attorney, Robert Henderson, in Philadelphia who I'm working for. Perhaps they have different figures, because when I asked, they assured me the loan had not been paid back."

  "Send the telegram, and let me know what you hear back, if you would, please, because the information we have indicates nothing more is due and owing."

  The sheriff watched as Mr. Dempsey went straight to the telegraph office. He waited until he saw him return to the hotel before going to the telegraph office himself to ask if he had received a reply back yet from the telegram he'd sent a couple days ago.

  He'd sent a telegram to the neighboring town, as instructed. He said he would be sending a letter with more information, but the only thing he needed as soon as possible was information as to whether or not all of these payments had been received and deposited into Max Harper's account. Mr. Avalon had explained that the money had been sent directly to the bank, with instructions that it was to be deposited in Mr. Max Harper's account.

  Sure enough, the telegraph operator greeted him as he walked in the door. "Sheriff Fitch, a telegram came for you just a few minutes ago." The sheriff thanked him and left, waiting until he got to his office to read it. He smiled when he read that he was able to get the information from the bank, since he had the exact amount of the deposit and the first and last month. He confirmed that every one had been received and deposited.

  Sheriff Fitch filed the telegram away in one of his desk drawers for safe keeping, just in case. He went to the mercantile and told Theodore Mr. Dempsey was going to check with his contacts and get back to him. He promised to keep Theodore informed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sheriff Fitch was glad he had the telegram, and expected he would need it. Sure enough, later that afternoon Mr. Dempsey was back in his office. "Mr. Henderson said he checked, and although a good portion of the money has been repaid, there is still some due and owing. However, he says that Mr. Harper is willing to settle the account for an additional $3,000. I'm sure he realizes that is much less than the store and its contents are worth, so it would seem to me that he would want to accept his generous offer rather quickly. Do you want to talk to Mr. Wilson, or would you prefer I pass the offer along to him?"

  "No need for either of us to," the sheriff said. "I have to tell you that I have spoken with Mr. Wilson about this possibility, and at my suggestion, he will vehemently refuse Mr. Harper's generous offer, as you labeled it. I believe the loan has been paid in full, and as sheriff, I will not allow the store to be transferred without an order from a judge. Therefore, if Mr. Henderson wants to pursue this, he will need to send a letter to that effect. It can be sent to me, here at the sheriff's office. When I receive it, I will contact the judge and tell him we have a case for him to decide. As soon as I hear from him I will send a telegram to Mr. Henderson so he and Mr. Harper will have time to arrive here in town for the trial. They can bring their evidence they want the judge to consider, and we'll let the judge decide what to do with the store."

  Mr. Dempsey was obviously surprised, and Sheriff Fitch had to turn his head to hide the bit of a smile he was fighting. Mr. Dempsey recovered quickly, however, and very professionally told the sheriff he would relay the message. The sheriff nodded his agreement, and watched him return to the hotel.

  The sheriff went to the mercantile to pass the information along to Theodore, but again told him not to worry. He didn't think they would actually pursue it. It sounded to him like they were trying to bully an extra $3,000 out of Theodore, but when it came right down to it, they didn't have a case and they knew it, so he wasn't expecting to hear anything further from them. If they did persist, the sheriff felt sure the judge would take the word of Mr. Trenton and Mr. Avalon, especially when he read the shady terms of the loan agreement to begin with.

  * * *

  Sheriff Fitch never heard anything more from Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Henderson, or Mr. Harper, but he did receive some rather unsettling news from Sheriff Montgomery in Philadelphia. He sent a telegram saying he sent a letter that explained it in more detail, but he wanted him to know that he was pretty sure he found out why Ralph took out the large loan. The sheriff didn't see any need to say anything until he received the letter, so he waited, anxiously.

  When the letter arrived, Sheriff Montgomery explained what he'd discovered. He was more than willing to look into the matter, because he was concerned when the Wilsons left Philadelphia. He was convinced at the time that there was more to the story than he'd been told. The Wilsons sold their mercantile store rather quickly in his opinion, and left town shortly after the other mercantile in town built their store back and reopened it.

  The witness who said he thought he saw Ralph running from the store shortly before it went up in smoke felt sure it was Ralph. Sheriff Montgomery intended to pursue that, but the owners of the store that had been burned to the ground stopped him. Although they initially wanted Ralph arrested, they backtracked and said his family said he was home all evening, so they saw no reason to interrupt their lives if, in fact, there was a chance it wasn't him. The sheriff was concerned with the abrupt change in their attitudes, and his concern increased when Ralph sold his store and left town rather abruptly.

  In his letter, he explained that he did some checking into the matter and came across the reason for their sudden move. The owner of the mercantile that had burned down passed away a few years ago, and his son, James, was now running the store. He was very hesitant to answer questions until the sheriff told him Ralph had recently passed away. Then he admitted that his father told him there were in fact three people who saw Ralph running from the store just minutes before flames erupted. His father was upset because he didn't have the money to rebuild. Two of the witnesses went to him first, so he asked them not to tell the sheriff what they'd seen quite yet.

  His father approached Ralph, telling him he had two other witnesses who were willing to go to the sheriff if Ralph didn't agree to his proposition. He pointed out to Ralph that he would spend years in prison. If he wanted to avoid that, he would accept $20,000, which he would use to rebuild and restock his store. Ralph tried to negotiate the amount, saying they just found out his wife was ill, and he wanted to be there for her, but he didn't have that kind of money. The storeowner was only willing to come down $2,000, but gave him the name of someone who would probably lend him the money.

  According to James, Ralph checked with the bank
, but couldn't get a loan because he didn't have anything to put up as collateral. So he did, in fact, go to Max Harper, who did agree to lend him the money. He paid it to James' father, but was afraid the other two witnesses would still come forward, so he sold his store and moved away, hoping Sheriff Montgomery would drop the investigation, which he did.

  Sheriff Fitch read the letter and stopped to think about it. He owed it to Theodore to let him know what his father needed the money for, but he knew it would be hard for him to hear. Taking it a step further, though, he debated how much he should tell him about his father here. He felt real sure he was the one who canceled Harold's order. He was also sure now that Ralph paid two schoolboys a dollar each to throw the rock through the window of the Wintock Mercantile.

  Sheriff Fitch had been approached by two men, who wanted to talk to him about something important. They went on to explain that one of their wives overheard their son talking to the other boy, who were friends, about what to do with their whole dollar they had. They were afraid if they bought something their parents would want to know where they came by that much money. She told her husband, and they sat their son down and asked what he was talking about. He confessed that a tall man with gray hair paid them each a dollar to throw the rock through the window. The man talked to the other boy's father. He talked to his son, and his son knew the man's name was Mr. Wilson and he used to work at the store.

  Both fathers disciplined their boys, but they felt they needed to tell the sheriff. The fathers insisted on paying for the window, assuring the sheriff they would make their sons do extra chores to work off their debt. They also made their sons go to Mr. and Mrs. Stone and apologize.

  The Stones saw no reason to say anything to Theodore, so no one did. The money for the window was returned to Cade, since Sheriff Fitch knew he'd been the one to donate the money. He now wondered how much of this information about his father he should pass on to Theodore. He hated to tell him he had evidence against his father, who'd recently passed away. On the other hand, he had always sort of thought in the back of his mind that Theodore was more likely the one who spread the rumor, since his father didn't often go out.

  There was a niggling thought in the back of his mind that if he was, in fact, the one that spread the rumor, did he know anything about Henry and Velma being killed? It still seemed very coincidental that the rumors started so soon after their deaths, as if it were preplanned. Sheriff Fitch really didn't think Theodore would have killed them, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of the plan. And as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't too far fetched to think Ralph could be behind it, considering what all he now knew Ralph had done.

  The last thing he thought about, which he couldn't get out of his mind, was the fact that if Ralph did, in fact, kill the Wintocks, or hired someone to do it, which to Sheriff Fitch seemed more likely, if Theodore was aware of it and could verify that, it would help Elsie get over her loss. It was a tough spot to be in. He'd like to be able to tell Elsie who killed her parents so she could start to put it behind her. On the other hand, if Theodore knew it was going to happen and planned to spread the rumor, that put him into legal trouble, right after finding out his father borrowed the large sum of money to cover up a serious crime in the past.

  In the end, Sheriff Fitch knew what he had to do. He waited until the store was closed, and went to visit Theodore at his home. He told him about the letter he received, and explained what his father had needed the large sum of money for. He watched Theodore's reaction, and was a little surprised. He seemed disappointed, but not especially surprised. The sheriff had to ask about that. "Theodore, my understanding is you would have been a teenager at that time. Were you aware of what your father had done?"

  He lowered his head and thought a moment. "I was not aware that he set fire to their store. I was aware that he must have done something, because he told me several times that if anyone asked, I was to tell them he had been home all evening."

  "But he wasn't?"

  "I don't know. I wasn't home that evening. I was with a friend until late that evening. But when I got home, my father told me he'd been home all evening, and if anyone asked, I was to tell them that. I remember it because it was such an odd thing for him to tell me, and he repeated it several times. He also seemed nervous. Then the next day, I found out about the other mercantile store burning down. I never put those events together until we were suddenly selling the store and moving. That thought crossed my mind then, but I wasn't really in a position to ask my father if he'd set fire to their store."

  "You were in a tough spot."

  "I was. A big part of me didn't really want to know the answer to that question."

  "I'm sorry to have to tell you now, Theodore."

  "Thank you. But I'm glad I know." After a few seconds, he looked at the sheriff. "So the rumor around town is true then, as well, isn't it?"

  "What rumor is that?"

  "I heard my father paid two boys to throw the rock through Wintock's Mercantile shortly after they took over the store. He did that, didn't he?"

  "Yes, he did." The sheriff sighed before going on. "I guess this would probably be as good a time as any to tell you what else he did."

  Theodore's eyebrows shot up. "What else he did? That certainly doesn't sound good." He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "All right, I'm ready. I want to know anything and everything he did that I should know about."

  "The day he rode to visit his friend, George Preston, did you know he was going?"

  Theodore glanced at the sheriff. "Recently?"

  Now it was the sheriff staring at Theodore. "Within a week of when he passed away. Did you know he visited Mr. Preston in Ironton?"

  "I did. He and Mr. Preston had been friends for a long time in Philadelphia. When he moved here, the two of them liked to get together and visit. My father hadn't seen him in quite some time, and I think he knew his days were drawing to a close. The doctor told him at his last visit to enjoy the good days he had, as they would become fewer and further between. That morning he felt good and said he wanted to visit his old friend. He assured me he felt up to a quick visit with him. He left sometime after I left to open the store, and was home when I got home at the end of my day, but I knew he visited him. He told me how George was doing." He was quiet a moment. "How did you know about his visit with George?"

  "I thought he had, and Tom, over at the livery, confirmed he had been gone that day. I think I need to tell you what he did before he went to Ironton."

  Theodore's eyes were rather large. "That same day?" The sheriff nodded. "I'm still finding it hard to believe he was able to go to Ironton, but you're saying he did even more than that on that day? I knew he said he felt good that day, but it's still hard to believe. What else did he do?"

  "Actually, I know he went to Mr. Preston, because I talked to Mr. Preston, as well. It turns out we have a mutual acquaintance."

  Theodore looked at the sheriff with squinted eyes. "Why did you go talk to Mr. Preston? What are you telling me?"

  "That morning your father went to Springdale before he went to Ironton."

  "What? Are you sure? Why would he go to Springdale? We don't know anyone at Springdale."

  "He went to Springdale and sent a telegram to the supplier the Stones use. He said they were experiencing some temporary money issues and asked that they please delay their order by one week. He signed it Harold Stone."

  "My father did that? Why?"

  "I'm sorry, Theodore, but I'm sure it was your father. I started from here, waited until after the store was open, then went to Springdale. I talked to the operator, and he told me he had indeed sent the telegram to cancel the order. I asked for a description of the man who sent it, and he said an older guy that was tall and thin, looked rather pale, with gray hair. I asked if he was riding a brown horse, like most people around here, and he said, no, it was black with a white diamond on its forehead."

  "Yes, that would be him," Theodore admitted.
<
br />   "After talking to him, I rode to Ironton and met with Mr. Preston. It was a much easier ride than I remembered it being, and I got there just about the time Mr. Preston said your father arrived the day he stopped in to visit. According to Mr. Preston, he left in plenty of time that he could be home before your store closed."

  Theodore cocked his head to the side and thought a couple minutes. "So he canceled the order so that the other store, with the new owners, would run out of supplies." There was a spell of silence before he went on. "And he started that awful rumor that was going around right after the Wintocks were killed, as well."

  The sheriff's eyebrows shot up. "He did? You know that to be true?"

  "I do. I heard him talking to that busybody Mrs. Peters, the day after they were killed. He was in the store, something he hardly ever does."

  "But he was in the store the day after they were killed, and you heard him suggesting such a thought to Mrs. Peters?"

  "Actually, it wasn't the day after they were killed; it was that same day. I was rather surprised to see him in there, because he hadn't been in for some time. When I heard him talking to Mrs. Peters, I pulled him away from her, asking for his help with something. After she left, I told him I couldn't believe he would say such a thing, right after they were killed. He said—" He stopped and turned around, facing away from the sheriff.

  "He told you what, Theodore?"

  Theodore slowly turned around, and the sheriff noticed his eyes were red, and he was fighting tears. "My God, Sheriff, did my father kill them?"

  The sheriff sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, it was sounding more and more like he may have. He certainly hadn't been aware that Ralph had been in the store later that same day, spreading the rumor. "I don't know, Theodore. I honestly don't know. Things have made me ask that same question, though."

  They were both quiet, deep in thought, for several minutes. "Theodore, what did your father say when you asked him what he was doing when he was spreading that rumor?"