Outside of Virginia City – Tuesday Night:
This was not a good time for Roy Coffee to be riding the terrain. But the duties of his job called for him to leave the comfort of his office and ride into the night. The moon was only a quarter full with a thin covering of clouds over its surface. It didn’t offer any help in lighting Roy’s way. His eyes were getting older. He knew he would have to rely on the common sense of his horse to maneuver their way through the bushes, trees, and rocks. Judge Nathan insisted that Judd Wilson be informed that he would be needed to meet with the Judge before the trial resumed tomorrow morning.
The Wilson ranch was a few miles out of Virginia City. It was just off the main road that would take a rider across the valley floor and eventually to the Ponderosa. The ranch was plain with a small cabin, a barn, and a corral. It had some trees for shading, but it wasn’t the landscaped property like some of the small ranches nestled in the foothills.
When he approached the front of the cabin, he felt an eerie quiet that seemed to permeate the area. The entire ranch gave the appearance that no one was home. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been an evil presence there or maybe it still lurked in the darkness. The hair on Roy’s arms stood up. Everything seemed so dark with only a small lantern that burned inside and the front door stood wide open.
Roy tied his horse off to the side so he wouldn’t be directly in front of the house. He cautiously approached the front door with his gun drawn and ready to fire. He stood with his body on the outside of the doorframe for cover. He then stretched his neck around the door and peered inside. His eyes strained to see what might be there. It took a few seconds before his eyes adjusted to the dim light. But when they did, Roy couldn’t see anything obvious.
“JUDD?……..JUDD WILSON?” Roy shouted, but didn’t get an answer. The barrel of his gun was pointing inside the cabin while Roy’s finger rested on the trigger.
Roy then slowly stepped into the cabin. After taking a few steps, he could see the lifeless body that lay on the other side of the room in the dim light. The lantern flickered on the table next to the man who used to live there, but now lay dead. He was on his back, legs slightly a part, and his arms down to his sides. There was a large amount of blood and debris around his head.
Roy knew who this was although the left side of the face had a gaping wound that made the victim unrecognizable. It was Judd. Roy felt a slight sickness in his stomach at the recognition of his victim. He had seen the crudeness of death many times in his lawman years. But this was someone he knew. This was a man he had seen alive yesterday, but now had experienced a violent death. These circumstances made it harder on Roy than if the victim had been unknown.
He walked around the lifeless body cautiously and as quietly as he could. He tried to control his breath as it came in and out irregularly from being nervous. He was uneasy because the killer could still be around. It spooked Roy to think that someone so horrible knew every movement he made. Roy’s ears strained to try and hear the slightest movement. But all he could hear was his own breathing. The light inside the cabin had been so dim that it created several places of darkness that could hide anyone. He knew the killer could come out of the darkness anytime. He aimed his gun at no particular target, but ready to fire. Roy’s intention was not to be the next victim.
It took a good half hour to check the inside and outside of the cabin. But Roy could now be confident that he was the only living being there. He knew the killer was gone and he was not in any danger. Roy holstered his weapon, but his breathing stayed irregular. The horror of the crime stayed with him.
Questions without answers kept penetrating Roy’s brain. Who would kill Judd? Who would take his life so violently? Did it have anything to do with the trial? It had to be something like that. Judd was a quiet, well-liked man without any known enemies. So who hated Judd so much that they would take his life so horribly?
He surveyed the scene for any obvious signs of evidence. Roy needed something. It didn’t appear that there were any witnesses. Without that, he needed some evidence. Something concrete. But it didn’t look like there would be much along that line.
Roy frowned as his thoughts talked to him, ‘this may be a tough case. But I won’t give up hope. I didn’t become a lawman so I could quit because things weren’t easy for me.’
Inside the cabin appeared neat and clean. The only thing out of place was a broken coffee mug lying close to the front door. The broken pieces lie in a small amount of liquid that had partially dried. The only furniture that was disturbed was a chair that Judd’s body knocked over when the impact of the blast forced him backwards. He could see the obvious weapon of choice for the killer was a shotgun that was used at close range.
Roy took a deep breath as his breathing returned to normal. He felt very sad for Judd. It didn’t appear that there had been any struggle before Judd’s life was ended. It didn’t appear that Judd was given any chance to fight for his life before he had to give it up.
Roy took his hat off and sat down in a nearby chair. He wanted to have a moment of quiet and reflect on the young man that he had seen around town. The men on the jury seemed very happy that Judd was the foreman for their group. In a short time, he had impressed the entire town with his maturity, his patience in sorting the facts out, and his sense of humor. He never gave any hint of problems in his life.
Roy figured he should take Judd’s body to town in a wagon. He didn’t want to bring Judd back to town over a horse. Even though the darkness of night had fallen, he just didn’t need people coming up and asking a lot of questions before he could ask his own. This death was going to upset a lot of people who liked this popular man.
He would investigate the first thing in the morning and try to get some information. If the killer was in town or still in the area, he wanted to try and find some information that could be valuable to him. Roy had a hard job ahead. Both his deputies would not be available to help him. He stood up, put his hat back on his head, and began the process of investigating, what could become, a hard case to solve.
***********
Virginia City – Wednesday Morning:
Sheriff Coffee’s first obligation was to apprize Judge Nathan about Judd. He knew that he would find the Judge at his rented home located on the east corner of “A” and Taylor Streets. The Judge was always up early whether a case was being tried or not.
Judge Nathan was a man about fifty-three years old and was tall enough to look Hoss Cartwright directly in the eyes. His dark hair was peppered with gray showing his physical age was well beyond his youthful law school years. His physique stayed slim from his walking to get around town. He was easy going outside of the courtroom, but inside the courtroom he was all business and expected the attorneys to be professional in their presentations. He believed in fairness to all people no matter who they were.
The walk for Roy from “C” Street up a hill to the Judge’s house had him huffing. His love for pastries put extra pounds where he didn’t need them when hill climbing. As he stepped on the front porch, he could smell the aroma of fresh coffee escaping the house and filling his nostrils. The thought of Apple pie and coffee sounded good right now, but there just wasn’t time to indulge in his pleasures.
Mrs. Nathan opened the door and escorted Roy into the parlor where Judge Nathan sat behind a massive legal looking desk made of dark cherry wood. The chair he sat in was made of rich brown leather. The Judge looked a little surprised as he was expecting a visit from Judd Wilson, foreman on the jury for the case being tried at the time.
“Good morning, Roy,” Judge Nathan began to stand up.
“No, no, please sit down, Judge. I’m not happy to bring you the news that I have this morning. I think it’s best you be seated.” Roy sat in a chair on the other side of the Judge‘s desk without being asked to sit down. He wasn’t concentrating on his manners as his mind was fighting for the right words to tell the Judge the news.
The Judge stayed quiet to allow Roy time to give him whatever news he had. “I went out last night to the Wilson ranch to talk to Judd as you asked me to do,” Roy stared at his lap briefly not wanting to immediately look into the Judge’s eyes, “When I got there, I found Judd dead from a gunshot wound. He’d been murdered.” Roy now looked up at the Judge. He waited for the Judge’s reaction as he used his fingers to curl the edges up on his hat that he held in his lap.
“What? Judd Wilson? It doesn’t sound real.” A look of horror and confusion stayed on the Judge’s face, “Roy, I never got any feeling or heard anything that would indicate that Judd had problems with anyone.”
“I know, your Honor; even though my eyes were looking at his body, my mind did everything it could to push out the idea of the victim being Judd. It was dark, but I looked for anything that would indicate this was an accident.”
The Judge stood up and began to pace around his chair. “And I was just thinking that this trial would wind up by the end of this week.” The Judge stared at the books on the bookshelves. His logical mind was fighting some emotion that wanted to pour out of his heart. There was some hurt in his shock. He, too, liked Judd and liked him a lot.
“I need to know what you want me to do, Judge. What should I tell the members of the jury?”
“Nothing! Let them gather at the courthouse as usual. I’ll inform them as a group.“ The Judge stared at Roy with a look that he still didn’t believe what he had heard.
“Roy, are you sure that it wasn’t an accident or a suicide? Judge Nathan’s logic wanted to make sure that nothing was overlooked. Judge Nathan’s emotions hoped something was.
“No, your Honor. It didn’t look like it. I looked for a weapon and not a nary one was found. This is not a trouble-making boy with any kind of violence in his history that I know of.“
Roy left the Judge still standing in his parlor. He headed towards “B” Street. He passed the opera house where he knew he’d find Adam and Joe Cartwright in Martha’s Café next door. The boys usually ate there each morning as Joe loved the food and commented that he thought it was like home. Roy felt the outside air already warming. He would welcome the coolness inside the cafe.
Roy knew the Judge didn’t want the jury members told individually of the news and Joe was on the jury. But the Cartwrights were his friends and he needed to talk to Adam. He needed Adam’s help in his investigation since both of his deputies were unavailable for a couple more weeks.
When Roy poked his head into the door of the café, he saw Adam and Joe at a table in the corner. Joe was hunched over the table finishing his breakfast. Adam looked satisfied leaning against the wall in his chair sipping on coffee. Adam noticed as Roy approached that his appearance was stoic and his eyes looked strained.
“Hey Roy, you had long night in town?” Adam queried as he righted his chair.
Roy put a hand on Joe’s shoulder, “Joe, I need to talk to Adam for a moment. Do you mind, son?”
“Not at all. I need to go to the room before I head over to the courthouse. Adam, I’ll meet you at court. Oh, and thanks for breakfast.” Joe gave Adam a big grin as he told Adam earlier that he would buy Adam breakfast for a change.
Roy sat down near Adam and leaned slightly over the table so Adam could hear his lowered voice. “Adam, I got some real bad news. I trust Joe, but the Judge wants the jury to hear the news at the same time. I need to honor that request.”
“Sure, Roy. Joe wouldn’t expect you to dishonor a Judge’s request.”
“Adam, Judd Wilson was murdered last night.” Roy sat up real quick as the waitress bought him a cup of coffee. Adam waited until she left to respond to his news and tried to hide his look of surprise.
“What? Joe and I talked to Judd yesterday afternoon and nothing seemed to be bothering him,” Adam said.
“I know, Adam. Believe me, your eyes can see things so fast, but it sure takes your mind a long time to trust them,” Roy answered, “Adam, I’m gonna need your help whether I deputize you or not. I’ve got Wally Morgan to help me at the jail and do my normal town duties. But I need you to help me in this investigation.”
Adam recognized worry in Roy’s voice. “Sure Roy, I’ll do what I can. What can you tell me?”
“Well, after I looked around a bit, here’s what I kinda figure. Judd was inside his cabin and looked like he was reading and having some coffee or somethin’. Possibly a knock on the door happened and Judd got up and opened it. The gunman had the gun pointed it at Judd and just walked in causin’ Judd to back up.” Roy stopped for a moment to take another sip of coffee and then he went on. You could hear him softly slurp.
Adam leaned closer to Roy as the few customers in the café were leaving. None of the patrons seemed to pay any attention to either of them.
“Now, from here, I’m not too sure what exactly went on.” Roy slightly tilted his head and stared passed Adam as if he was looking at the small floral pattern on the wall for the exact answer.
Adam broke Roy’s concentration, “How’d he die, Roy?” Adam asked with a hard frown on his face. None of his family would want to hear about Judd’s death, but Adam knew that Little Joe liked Judd and they were both about the same age.
“It was pretty dark last night, but it looks like a shotgun at close range. From the looks of the wound, I figure the shooter might have been about 4 to 5 feet away from Judd. Don’t really need to get that close, but I figured that was about the distance.”
Adam drew in a deep breath. “At least at that range, he went quick.”
Roy then continued to fill Adam in on what details he had. “Adam, we need to see what the Judge is going to do with this case. But then I want us to ride out to the Wilson ranch and look over the scene in daylight.”
“All right, Roy, I’m with you. But right now, I’m gonna head over to the courthouse. I wanna be there when Joe gets the news.” Adam got up, put his money on the table, and left with Roy trailing silently behind him.
Before Roy went to the courthouse, he stopped by his office.
**********
Inside The Courthouse, Same Morning:
When Roy stepped inside the foyer of the courthouse, he saw Adam about to enter the courtroom. “Adam,” Roy approached him while pulling out a shiny badge, “you can wear this or keep it in your pocket. You know the words and I know you’ll swear by ‘em.” Adam took the badge and both walked in together sitting near the front.
The men of the jury were just getting seated. None seemed to notice or be concerned that only eleven chairs were filled at this time. When Joe saw Adam sit down, he smiled at him and Adam smiled back not wanting to alarm Joe that something was wrong. Something was very wrong and the smile on Joe’s face was going to go away and a look of disbelief and hurt would replace it.
The defense attorney, Ralph Conway, and the defendant, Cord Phillips, were seated at the front. The prosecuting attorney, Simon Duncan, was seated next to Wally, and he sat not far from the defendant. The Judge was seated behind the bench, but kept quiet until everyone was in their seats. The audience, this early in the morning, consisted of only a few of the town’s people. Most worked in the stores or the mines and were not present.
The Judge turned to the members of the jury to begin what he had to tell them. “Gentlemen, I greet you this morning with a thank you for your patience on this jury, but I have some sad and serious news to tell you.” The Judge paused briefly. Adam couldn’t help but watch Joe’s reaction as the Judge continued.
“I’ve been informed that our foreman, Judd Wilson, has been killed sometime last night.” The Judge wanted to come right out with the information, but stopped again to let the jury absorb what he just said.
Various expressions of shock and grief appeared on the jury members’ faces. Joe particularly had a deep frown as he stared at the Judge. His emotions stirred and his breathing became faster. His head tilted slightly back when the Judge said this. It was like his words were a powerful force hitting Joe in the head and pushing it backwards.
“I know this has come as a shock to all of you as it did me when I was informed.” The Judge stood up. Sitting down when handing out grave information wasn’t something he liked doing. For some reason, standing made him feel more in control of the situation.
The entire room was quiet. The Judge continued, “This case will continue in spite of the tragedy that has come to us as the defendant is entitled to a proper trial and he deserves for it to continue.” The Judge put his hands into his front pockets as he walked around to the front of his bench. “Although Judd was on this jury, there is nothing to indicate at this time that it has any connection to this case. If there are no objections, I will be choosing a new jury member and this court will resume later today at 2 p.m.” He looked at the defense attorney and his client. “Do you have any objections, Mr. Conway?”
“No, your Honor,” the defense attorney stated with a grim look on his face. The defendant sat still as his face showed no emotion at all.
“Thank you, Mr. Conway,” the Judge then looked at the prosecuting attorney, “Mr. Duncan, do you have any objections?”
“The people have no objections, your Honor.”
The Judge now turned his attention to the jury, “Gentlemen, this court will recess until 2 pm this afternoon. We will reconvene with my announcement.”
The Judge then exited the courtroom while most people left the court without saying anything to others.
The reporter from the Territorial Enterprise wrote notes on his piece of paper frantically and then rushed out of the courthouse down to “C” Street to his office. Later the headline of the afternoon edition screamed, “JUDD WILSON BRUTELY MURDERED AS TRIAL CONTINUES.” This paper always out sold the other newspapers in town, but today’s headlines doubled what they normally did.
The jury scattered and left the room while Joe just sat in his chair. Adam approached him, “Joe, I’m sorry about Judd. I know you liked him.”
Roy came up behind Adam to talk to Joe over Adam’s shoulder, “Joe, “I figure since I saw you with Judd more n’ anyone else, you just might have somethin’ to offer. Somethin’ that Judd may have said that would shed some light on this whole matter.” Roy watched Joe hoping the younger Cartwright had something that might help.
“I’m sorry, Roy, nothing is coming to me right now,” Joe said, but looked very sad as he now slouched in his chair. His elbows were propped up on the arms of the wooden chair and his chin rested on his fisted hands.
Adam could see how bad Joe felt, but tried to help Joe recall his past conversations with Judd. “Joe, when you had a beer with Judd, what did you talk about?”
“Oh, we would exchange greetings out of tryin’ to be a good neighbors. He was interested in building a small horse ranch and usually wanted to ask me about horses. That was about all our conversations would cover. Sometimes, we shared fishin’ stories.” Joe looked at Roy, “Sorry, Roy, but I just can’t think right now.”
“I understand, Joe, maybe later when all this becomes more like reality. Right now, I wanna go out to the Wilson ranch and look at it in the daylight.” Roy ended the conversation.
Inside, Joe was hurting and wanted to scream out. The more Joe got to know Judd, the more Judd became a good, solid friend. Joe worked at his façade of handling this. Inside, this news was killing him. He knew he had to stay strong. This was not the time to fall apart.
“Joe? You O.K.?” Adam was interested right now in Joe and how he was than anything else. Joe’s act of being O.K. might fool most people, but Adam was his brother and Adam knew different.
“Yeah, Adam, I’m O.K.” Joe tried to give Adam a smile, but it was forced.
Adam leaned closer to Joe and spoke softly as if he only wanted Joe to hear him, “You want me to go with you somewhere? Want to go have a beer and talk?”
A natural small chuckle came from Joe. He knew Adam never touched anything stronger than coffee this early in the morning. Adam drank beer in the afternoon hours or to wash down dust that would collect in his throat after a long ride on the trail. So this offer was a big sacrifice on Adam’s part, as far as Joe was concerned.
“Thanks, Adam, I appreciate your offer. But I think I’d like to just go back to the room and rest a little and, you know, think.” Joe’s smile this time stayed on his face.
“I’ll go with you,” Adam reassured him.
“No, Adam, but if you would go with Roy and try and help him, I know I would like that. Maybe the two of you could find something. I’m afraid, right now, I wouldn’t be much company.” Joe got up from his chair and Adam put his hand on Joe’s shoulder giving him a little supportive pat.
Adam watched Joe as he left the courtroom. Joe walked a slow pace and held his head in a downward position. He had to deal with a friend’s death. Right now, he just wasn’t in the mood to lift his head up and face life in the same way he did before this grievous news.
**********
The Wilson Ranch – Wednesday Afternoon:
The temperature was still warm, but a Nevada breeze began to blow. As Adam and Roy rode up towards the front of the house, a dust devil frantically whirled in front of them. It scared Sport a little making him stop and begin to rear, but Adam was able to keep him under control and calm him. The men reached the front of the cabin and dismounted.
The sound of boots hitting the wooden boards was heard as the men bounced up onto the porch. When they reached the door, Roy pointed to the doorframe. “See, Adam, no force to the door. It had to be either open when the killer arrived or Judd opened it after a knock.”
Adam put his hand on the doorframe to see if it wiggled at all from being loose. But he found the doorframe intact and tight. “Yeah, you seem to be right about that.”
Adam walked inside the house looking around as he did. He took his hat off and dropped it onto a nearby table. On his third step forward, he felt something under his right foot and heard a faint crunching sound. When he looked down, he could see broken pieces of a cup. Adam stopped and stared at the pieces.
“Don’t worry about that, Adam; that doesn’t have much value to us.” Roy walked over towards Adam, “Now, I figure with that coffee pot on the table near where Judd was settin’ that he was having some coffee.” Roy rubbed his chin and sat down in the same chair he had the night before. His left eye squinted partially shut as he spoke, “When the shooter came in with the gun ready, Judd most likely had nothing to defend himself and just threw the coffee cup as some kind of spontaneous defense. I’ve seen that before.” Adam nodded in agreement.
Adam walked over to where Judd had laid and looked around the floor area. He stooped down to get a closer look. He could see the tiny lead pellets lying around the floor and embedded in the nearby furniture. This indicated the weapon was a shotgun. It was close range, as Adam recognized the spread of the pellets was a tight pattern with most of the force hitting Judd.
Adam was very knowledgeable about shotguns. He recalled one time when he took a shotgun to a meadow and fired at pig fat from different distances. When Adam saw this pattern, he remembered that a full-choke shotgun would deliver a pattern of a thirty-inch circumference at forty yards. If the killer was only 4 to 5 feet from Judd, then why a shotgun, he asked himself? His background knowledge on this provided a foundation for the theory he just developed. Adam began to share his theory with Roy.
“You know, Roy,“ Adam stood up and lifted his eyebrows as he turned to face Roy, “a shotgun is interesting, isn’t it?”
“What’d you gettin’ at, Adam?” Roy quizzed. He was not quite sure where Adam was heading.
“Well, when we were riding out here, I couldn’t help but think about the weapon.” Adam rubbed his chin as if he were still in deep thought while he turned to pace, “I think it’s logical that the killer would come here at night so darkness would hide him and Judd wouldn’t be able to see him coming. Whether Judd knew him or not.”
“Yep, but what about the weapon? Ya got my interest.” Roy was anxious to know and knew Adam was smart enough to pick up on something important.
“If you knew you were coming out here to kill a man, you’d probably just use your revolver. You wouldn’t need a shotgun because close range with a revolver could kill a man… provided…” Adam was silent. The expression on his face revealed that his brain was active in critical thought. Adam walked in Roy‘s direction. “Provided that you were a good shot with a revolver. Some people just aren’t good with a revolver, so a shotgun would give them the confidence they would need to know their victim would die.”
Roy’s eyebrows wrinkled together as he leaned forward to make sure his ears captured all of Adam’s words, “Yeah, come on,” like a kid waiting for the ending of a good story.
“Roy, you and I wouldn’t need a shotgun to kill. We’re accurate enough to hit our target at close range in a deadly way if we meant to do that. But a shooter who, for whatever reason, wasn’t good with a revolver, but wanted to make sure he didn’t miss, would want to rely on something like a shotgun.” Adam rested his hands on his hips.
Roy was smiling and he knew he was looking at a smart boy who just gave him something to chew on. “Good thinkin’, Adam. Even if someone favored a shotgun over a revolver it wouldn’t be in his favor to carry a weapon he didn’t need. Shotguns don’t miss much, do they?”
“Nope, and they certainly cut a man’s chances of survival down to nothing,” Adam said matter-of-factly. He was confident that this supported his theory.
Roy then changed the direction of the conversation, “What the Judge is gonna want to know is this killin’ connected in anyway to the trial. Now, that’s what’s gonna be hard to prove without some evidence or a witness.”
“I’ll try and question Joe more on anything he might remember or know about Judd’s business. Off hand, I sure can’t think what Judd and this trial would have in common.”
“Let’s look around some more. I’ll check in here and you go outside and see if there is anythin’ of interest.” Adam agreed.
Adam put his hat on his head and walked to the door. He then noticed something that he didn’t see before. There was a small piece of light blue material wedged into some splinters of the doorframe.
“Roy, come look at this.” Adam stared at the piece of material. Roy walked over to him and both leaned closer to the item that was foreign to the doorframe.
“Well, look here. Now, what in the Sam Hill do you think this is?” Roy’s voice had a sign of optimism in it, “Light blue material maybe from a coat or shirt. It’s caught too high in the door to be from pants.”
Adam responded as Roy picked the material out of the doorframe, “Looks like the suspect wanted to get away fast after the shot, so his clothing swiped the doorframe enough to tear a piece off.”
“Things are sure gettin’ interestin’.” Roy continued his search inside.
Adam stood on the porch and looked around the immediate area, including the ground just off the porch. After a few minutes, he saw some footprints in the dirt near a water trough. Adam sat down on his haunches. The dirt had moistened from a slow leak from the trough. He saw partial shoeprints imprinted in the soft dirt. He pushed his hat back on his head and stared at the impressions looking closely.
The more Adam looked at the impressions, the more he noticed something a little different than he would expect. The visible print indicated that the boot didn’t have a pointed toe that most boots have. It had more of a rounded toe. A small circle was noticed cut or punched into boot sole near the edge.
Adam was studious in his examination of the impression. He saw a distinct wear on the heel. The owner of the boot appeared to walk heavily on the outside of his heels. The possibility of the owner being somewhat bow-legged was a strong one. Even if the bow-legged posture were slight, it would cause the person to put his weight on the outer edges of his feet when walking. If he could see the bottom of Judd’s boots, then he might have another clue if this wasn’t made by Judd’s boot. Adam took out a small pencil and a piece of paper and sketched the pattern he saw in the dirt that included the notch and the heel-wear.
Roy came out of the house, “Well, I sure can’t see anything inside that tells us anymore than what we were able to determine.”
“Look, Roy,” Adam pointed to the impression he found in the soft dirt. “Has more of a rounded toe than a pointed one. And see this? A notch in the sole that is almost perfectly round.”
“Looks like we have some possibilities and that’s better than what I had last night.” Roy looked satisfied. He had some leads.
“The cloth and this sketch of the impression will give us a little more solid evidence than the theory about the revolver. However, we need to hold onto that idea. Might become a tool for elimination,” Adam stated with a lawyer-like presence.
“I know you wanna keep a close eye on Joe since he’s on the jury. I’ll ask some questions around town with those I know that don’t carry revolvers while you check the shoe impression against Judd’s boots and anyone else you can think of.”
The ride back to Virginia City seemed like it took less time than it did going to the ranch.
**********
Virginia City at Martha’s Café – Wednesday Afternoon:
By the time Adam parted Roy’s company, returned Sport to the Livery, and found Joe at Martha’s Café having some lunch, it was only an hour before the Judge wanted the trial to resume.
Joe looked up and saw his brother enter the café. He said nothing as he chewed his lunch. He was trying hard to continue his life in a normal way. Earlier, he grieved for his friend and cried a little. Judd wasn’t just a loss of life. Judd was someone who added to a person’s day. Judd could make Joe laugh or make him think about something more than Joe might normally do. By losing Judd, Joe’s world became lonelier. Joe had his family and his many friends. But the loss of Judd would impact Joe’s life for a long time.
Adam sat down across the table from Joe. “Joe, you know that if it’s going to be too hard for you to continue on this jury that Judge Nathan will excuse you from it.” Adam hoped that Joe would accept this idea.
Joe still said nothing, but shook his head vigorously to indicate a negative answer. He chewed a little more and then swallowed.
Finally, Joe responded to Adam’s comment. “Adam, this was my friend and I’m not going to quit just because something happened to him. That wouldn’t be like Judd. No matter what, he stuck to his goals and any duties he took on. If someone else had been killed, then Judd would still be the foreman and would carry out his duties.” Joe’s words had determination in them.
Adam was pleased with Joe’s convictions, but he still worried about Joe’s safety. “Joe, you knew Judd better than I did and I have to admire you for sticking in there. But I can’t help but think of Pa and…”
Joe snapped, “What’s Pa got to do with this?”
Adam turned a little sarcastic. “Well, Joe, besides the fact that he’s our father, he would expect me to look out for you.”
“I don’t need a nurse, Adam. I have responsibilities and I expect to live up to them. I’ve been in danger before.” Joe gave Adam an angry look. The same look that Adam and Hoss usually get when Joe feels a little smothered by his brothers.
Adam pushed his anger down that tried to surface. He took a deep breath. “Joe, can we work together on this? I can’t just push aside any thoughts or feelings Pa would have. You know that.”
Joe compromised. Not because he wanted to give into Adam, but Joe knew his Pa and knew Adam was right. “As long as you understand that I’m not removing myself from this trial.”
“I can see that. All right, I’ll go along with it. But I’m sticking with you like a saddle that’s strapped tight on a horse’s back,” Adam said in his parental way.
“Adam…” Joe started to protest a little, but Adam interrupted him.
“Joe, will you think about this?” Adam asked hoping Joe would see a little logic, “What if it were me in your position? Would you just sit back and do nothing?”
Joe spooned some dessert into his mouth. “No. I haven’t in the past and I wouldn’t do that now.” Joe was calmer. No matter what he was feeling now, he knew Cartwrights looked after Cartwrights.
“Actually, I don’t know if you or any of the others are in danger. There’s nothing, so far, to indicate why Judd was killed.” Joe looked curious at Adam when Adam said this.
“Wouldn’t it be assumed that Judd’s death and the trial be related?” Joe quizzed. He assumed that.
“It’s possible, but nothing really ties this to the trial. Judd’s death could have been caused by a drifter. We know that’s happened.” Joe listened and listed possibilities in his mind as Adam talked. “Think about the trial. Does it seem like it’s the kind of trial that would cause someone to kill someone else?” Adam went from big brother to now sounding like an attorney.
“Well, then the trial doesn’t have anything to do with the murder.” Joe wasn’t that sure. “Cord and Purity. Purity and Judd.” Joe shook his head on that last one.
“Judd and Purity as sweethearts doesn’t seem to make sense, does it?” Adam wondered.
“Nah!!! I tried to consider that myself, but thinking about how Judd was, he wouldn’t touch her.”
“From what I’ve learned about Judd, that makes sense,” Adam pondered possibilities.
“I know Judd was more interested in building his horse ranch. Women didn’t interest him, right now. Once he got his ranch together and going, then maybe. But I know she wouldn’t be like Purity.”
“Now, little brother, you hit on something interesting.” The man killing for a woman caught Adam’s attention. Joe had a “who me” look on his face. Adam continued, “I heard what you told me, but other than Purity, could Judd have been killed over a woman?”
Joe thought of something. “The only thing that comes to mind was the time I dragged Hoss out to the Wilson ranch with me to help Judd build that corral next to his barn. Hoss starts talking about some new woman in town who was quite attractive. Anyway, Hoss and I were laughing about it, but Judd made some kind of comment that he had met her. I remember he seemed bothered by the whole conversation.”
“Did he say anything about her or why he was bothered?” Adam’s eyes were pinned on Joe trying to help him remember.
Joe was in full concentration about what he just said. “He made a comment that he thought she was very strange. None of the other men said anything like that about her, but Judd did. And then he ended the conversation saying something like he was glad she was gone.”
“Did he mention what happened or where she went?” Adam thought he was about to find another lead as he helped Joe remember this conversation with Judd.
“No, never did. He didn’t mention her again and I seemed to know better than to ask. I just figured at the time that she might have liked him and was pushy and he didn’t like it,” Joe recalled.
Adam’s eyebrows went up and then down again into their normal position. “Yeah, maybe.” Adam dropped the subject, for now, but this was just as much a possibility as the murder being connected to the trial.
Joe wanted to end this part of the conversation and offered a final statement, “Adam, let’s see what happens. But try to understand why I can’t just quit and why I have to stay with this.”
Adam nodded in agreement and said nothing. He knew what Joe was saying. He’s been in the same kind of situation himself. Cartwrights don’t saddle up and ride off home just because a situation arises that’s difficult to solve. Joe was just being a Cartwright. Their Pa would expect this from both of them.
Joe then changed the direction of the conversation, “So, you and Roy find any interesting?”
“Uh-huh,” Adam nodded. “Very little, but it’s something that could lead to some possibilities. We found a boot print that’s a little different from a normal boot. Then we found a piece of cloth that had been wedged in the doorframe.”
“Now, all you have to do is match these things with a person,” Joe said to Adam. “Good luck.” Joe was feeling a little better. But he was also smart enough to know that finding evidence on a scene doesn’t always mean it leads to a suspect.
The brothers walked to court together.
**********
Later in the Courthouse:
“Court is now in session,” Judge Nathan announced while he banged his gavel once on the top of the bench, “Wally, please escort the jury into the courtroom.”
The jury entered and, as soon as they were seated, he made his announcement. “After careful consideration in this matter, I have asked George Woods to become the foreman for the jury and we now have Calvin Ford as our new jury member.” No one in the courtroom objected to either and the Judge continued the trial without any further delay.
“Mr. Conway, I do believe, Sir, that it is your opportunity to call a witness.” The Judge leaned back in his chair and placed his reading glasses on his nose.
“Your Honor, I would like to call Miss. Purity Bridges to the stand.” Mr. Conway didn’t look at his witness as she made her feminine walk to the front.
All the men, including both Cartwrights, watched her sway under her skirt to the chair to give testimony. Her claim to singlehood wasn’t clear to most people, but her personality towards most men kept her a spinster. She never said, “I do,” unless it was her response to being sworn in on the witness stand. Didn’t matter. Men’s eyes still watched her walk around town, as all the petty skirts under her dress couldn’t hide the wiggle.
Mr. Conway began his questions with confidence. “Miss Bridges, I would like you to brief us regarding the incident.”
Purity sat straight and in a pleasant normal voice she began at the beginning.” Well, as I have stated before, I was a wake and couldn’t sleep when I heard a noise outside my bedroom window. When I got up to make sure the wind wasn’t just jarring it, I saw a man come climbing through the window and into my room.”
“Did you recognize the man or scream for help?”
“I…uh…No, I didn’t recognize the man. I didn’t scream because my uncle was ill and I didn’t want to startle him. But I did turn and I tried to run from the room.” Purity squirmed in her chair a little while the prosecuting attorney gave her a frown and noted her being uncomfortable.
“Go on, please.” Mr. Conway was trying to move Purity on and not have her dwell on details of her being inside the room. Purity had made some small changes in her testimony and he was afraid that these changes could give the prosecuting attorney something to use against her.
“Well, I left my room, as quietly as I could, so I wouldn’t disturb my uncle.”
“For clarification, Purity, how did you leave your room?”
“Oh, I climbed out the window. When we got to the small grove of forest, we went into this cave where we tied me up.” Purity’s expression froze on her face. She waited and hoped this would be over soon.
Joe was slightly slouched in his chair. His right index finger rested on his lower lip and he was focused on Purity. When she stopped her statement, he shifted his position, but kept his full concentration on her.
Something inside Joe told him her testimony was a little unemotional for such an event to happen. Most girls he has been with would be hysterical over something like this. Purity was calm and almost too prepared. Joe glanced over at Adam who glanced back at him. Right now, both minds were in the same place.
“I see,” Mr. Conway continued. “Did you see who the man was in the cave?”
“No, my eyes were blind-folded and I never saw him.”
“What about his voice, Purity; did you recognize the voice?”
“No, he talked very little, but when he did, it wasn’t Cord’s voice. I’m sure of that.” During this statement, Purity wasn’t looking at anyone. Her hands nervously moved around on her lap a little and she made no eye contact with anyone.
The trial continued with Purity Bridges fidgeting on the stand for almost the entire afternoon. It ended for the day about a half hour before the supper hour.
Just before the court was adjourned for the day, Mr. Conway made a request. “Your Honor, I ask the court that Mr. Phillips be released to my custody for this evening. He will stay at my residence. After all that has happened, I would like to spend time with him and go over this case. I will take the responsibility to see that Mr. Phillips is in court as he should be when it resumes.”
Judge Nathan looked directly at Cord Phillips, who seemed to be very good at hiding his emotions regarding anything. The Judge stated, “Mr. Phillips, I am willing to agree with your attorney and allow this with some restrictions.” Cord Phillips now looked directly at the Judge, “You will be in his custody which means that you will not leave his residence for any reason, you will obey his directions, and you will not socialize in any of the establishments in this town as you are just as much of a prisoner in this man’s house as you are in Sheriff Coffee’s jail.” The Judge was absolutely no nonsense and Cord Phillips knew that.
“Yes, your Honor, I understand and will agree to everything you asked of me.”
“Alright then, Mr. Conway, I’ll agree to this with the understanding that this is not something that I normally grant, but I do feel this is a special circumstance. If your defendant breaches any of these restrictions or leaves town, he will immediately be dealt with as any prisoner trying to escape justice.”
“We understand and agree to the terms, your Honor,” Mr. Conway answered for both he and his client.
The Judge made one last statement before the court was dismissed. “I’ve been informed that Mr. Wilson’s funeral will be held tomorrow. This case will rest the full day tomorrow and will resume first thing the following morning. This court is adjourned until Friday morning, promptly at 10 a.m.” The gavel struck and everyone left the courthouse.
**********
Sheriff Coffee’s Office – Wednesday Evening:
Roy was alone in his office. Wally was more than happy to go post some wanted posters before the sun went completely down. Roy had just beat him at checkers. They didn’t play for money, but Wally wasn’t happy. Roy had a way of laughing at the end of a game he’d win that always made the opponent’s ego feel a little flat. Roy enjoyed winning and he didn’t mind showing it.
He got up from his desk and poured a cup of coffee to wash down the cold ham and cheese sandwich that was his dinner for the evening. Some of the testimony today bothered him and to eat in a restaurant wouldn’t give him the privacy that he wanted. He wanted to think and chew on what he saw and heard. After he posted some of the posters, Wally would go on home and Roy had the office to himself. Or so he thought.
The door to the office swung open and Adam’s tall slim body dressed in black strode into the office. His dark eyes peered from under the brim of his hat until he removed it and hung it on a nearby wall peg. Neither one said anything to the other as Adam headed for the coffee pot. Then he sat in the chair in front of Roy’s desk. Roy smiled while he chewed his sandwich and was glad to see him, but didn’t give Adam a formal greeting. Instead, he began to speak to Adam as though Adam had been in the office for a while.
“Yep, I was gettin’ ready to mull this whole thing over.” Roy took another bite and chewed it at the side of his mouth so he could keep talking. “I’m havin’ a hard time puttin’ this murder with this trial.”
Adam leaned his chair back that he was sitting in and balanced it on the rear two legs while he sipped on fresh coffee.
Roy also leaned back in his chair and occasionally stared at the ceiling while he chewed and talked to Adam. “I always felt that this job was like a poker game. You don’t get cards of choice, but then you try to get cards to make a winnin’ hand. Evidence and witnesses, Adam, are like those other cards you need. Maybe you get ‘em and maybe you don’t. Yep, this job sure has a lot of maybes.”
Adam then remembered. “Oh, I got a chance to look at Judd’s boots. They don’t match the print we found. Now I find myself looking at everyone’s shoes as I walk down the street. I focus on the toe.” A task Adam didn’t enjoy, but understood its value.
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” Roy took another big bite of sandwich. “Tryin’ to solve a crime means you use the logic your head supplies, along with your eyes, your nose, and your ears. Sometimes logic and theories just ain’t enough. So you look at everythin’ with your eyes, listen with your ears, and poke your nose into everybody’s business.” He bit again and glanced at Adam. “It’s all in the name of solvin’ a crime.”
Roy got up from his chair and got the coffee pot from the nearby stove. He filled Adam’s cup and then his own before he put it back.
Adam was still leaning in the chair with his feet on the floor keeping him from going back too far or forward. “What really rankles me, Roy, is people who think that they are the voice of the town and use their gun to just eliminate someone. Whether they personally know the victim or not.”
“Murder’s always personal. Even if the person is only a by-stander. As soon as that bullet hits a victim, it’s personal. But I know what-cha mean. Motive isn’t always what’s important. Just the fact that someone picks up a gun to solve a problem.”
Adam’s plain expression changed to a serious stare as he listened to Roy.
“You sip on that coffee, Adam, ‘cause I’m gonna fill your ears with a little theory. Somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ about since the trial ended today.”
Roy sat down and this time, he shoved a cookie into his mouth. “Purity’s testimony. Now I think motive is real important here. Purity is no victim. I think she got kidnapped and taken to the cave, but I think she went willingly.”
Adam sipped some more coffee while he nodded his head in agreement. “Purity and Cord are in this together. When she testified before today, I got that feeling.”
“You got that right. She’s desperate for a man and he’s desperate for some money.” Roy grabbed another cookie and popped it into his mouth. The look on his face had some satisfaction in it. He was obviously thinking while he pushed a cookie at Adam.
Adam glanced at the chocolate on top of the cookie before he bit into it. “Roy, I don’t think this is any theory. I think it’s a fact that this case isn’t connected at all. I didn’t get a hint that Judd had anything to do with these two. Joe knows Judd and he didn’t think so either.”
Roy looked at Adam and smiled. “I agree. But this decision sure doesn’t move this murder investigation any further. I think Purity is going to make the prosecution’s case without his help.”
“It seems that all they wanted was to get some money out of her uncle. Probably neither thought they would get caught. Purity would just show up in town and claim the person responsible let her go and left town,” Adam commented.
“Yeah, I think so, too. For a credible witness, she was too anxious to me. Early in my career, a good ole Judge told me to always listen to what a person says and, most important, Adam, how they say it.”
Adam’s right eyebrow went up again and usually did when Roy said something that interested him.
“Yep, as she went over the incident, I heard a lot of changin’ words that kept botherin’ me.” Roy rubbed his chin and now stared across the room, “When she was talkin’ about bein’ woke up and bein’ taken from her bedroom, her testimony had a lot of “I” statements. Like she was actually alone or a participant. There was no ‘we climbed out of the window’ or ‘he forced me to climb out.’ Referrin’ to herself and Cord. Then when she talked about bein’ in the woods and taken into the cave, she changed to ‘we.’ As if she was then with someone.” Again, Roy leaned back in his chair to contemplate.
Adam now had that little smile on his face as if he was the cat that cornered the mouse and knew the mouse’s future. “I think she firmly placed herself in this scenario when she said that ‘we tied me up.’ That came out of her mouth before she realized what she said.”
Roy chuckled as he had picked up on that too, “Adam, it’s always in a person’s words. Some people can put on a face that can hide the truth. Some people practice that all the time if they just can’t help but walk through the door of trouble. I’ve seen it in some of my prisoners over the years. But you can find the truth in their words and the way they say it. That old Judge taught me a valuable lesson.” Roy washed the last of his supper down his throat with his coffee.
“Roy, although we agree with each other, I’d rather just put this case and theory off to the side, but not totally dismiss it. What if there’s a surprise down the road? Purity has surprised us once and she could do it again. Besides, I have a brother on this jury and we still don’t have any idea why Judd was a victim,” Adam said with determination.
“Good thinkin’. Let’s don’t start bein’ foolish and totally dismiss everythin’. You just keep that keen eye and mind open for somethin’ here in town as you go about your business.“
Adam then mentioned his earlier conversation with Joe. “Joe said something to me that was interesting. He told me about a woman that came into contact with Judd. The woman apparently bothered Judd. Sounds like before she left, she and Judd just might have had some kind of a disagreement.”
Roy’s face had a surprised, but interested look. “A woman? Now that kind of motive for murder has been a part of history for a long time. Maybe she was a little in love with him. He rejects her, she leaves, meets another man, and manages to eventually get him to kill Judd.” Roy was speculating, but lawmen do that.
“Could be.” That’s just what Adam had thought. Love situations can easily lead to murder when one is seen as betraying the other.
“I need you at the funeral tomorrow, Adam. Let’s position ourselves at different places in the church. We need to look into every face, listen to every word said, do what we can to move this case forward.” Roy told Adam seriously and Adam nodded in agreement.
Adam got up, took care of his cup, and retreated back to his hotel room. He wanted to think about things a little before Joe got back from his meeting with the other jury members and filled him in on all the details.
Roy called it a night. Tomorrow would be a big day in Virginia City. The whole town was taking some kind of part in Judd’s funeral.
**********
The funeral for Judd was held in the church on the south end of “C” Street. Everyone seemed to be happy that the funeral would be early in the day with the burial taking place before the high noon temperatures reached the cooking stage. It appeared as if the entire town was going to attend. The walls of the church bulged with people who were standing because the seating was all taken. Some had to stand outside the front doors.
The black shiny hearse stood out against the yellowish exterior of the church. The hearse was the best Virginia City had. The wealth of the Comstock made it possible for Virginia City to get one trimmed in 24K gold and sterling silver. Inside where the casket would rest for its final journey, the ceiling and walls were lined with red silk and rich mahogany was on its floor. The driver and his assistant would sit on a red leather bench at the front of the hearse and above the rears of the two horses that would pull it.
Inside the church just below the pulpit, was the casket. There were many sizes of bouquets of fresh flowers setting around the front of the church. The scent of the flowers could be smelt all over. A large bouquet of wild flowers graced the top of the coffin that was made of the finest pine. The wood used came from the lumber brought up from the Ponderosa. It was a fine grade and the people were happy with the donated lumber to build a fine casket. Inside where Judd’s mutilated body lay was cream colored silk. The only thing missing was Judd’s awareness of how much the citizens of Virginia City thought about him. How much they cared. Joe remembered Judd’s family was somewhere back east, but no one knew where or how to reach them. One attempt was made that didn’t get any results. It was unanimous. Virginia City became his family for the day.
It was only 10:00 a.m. and the church was already warm. The preacher had opened as many windows as possible. Many times Nevada would offer a brisk wind blowing through the City, but today the wind abandoned this town and the air seemed as solemn as the mourners inside. The choir had taken its place and was ready to start the service.
Roy stood against the wall to have a better view of the crowd. He and Adam agreed that they would watch for any unknown mourners or keep an eye out for anything strange.
Joe sat up front with the other jury members. All of them volunteered to be Judd’s pallbearers and those not carrying the casket would be escorts.
Adam leaned against the east wall at the rear of the church. He held his hat in his hands. While he waited, he slowly rotated his hat in a circle letting his fingers feel the leather band inside. He looked down at his hat and then occasionally looked up to watch someone in the crowd.
The choir began with a favorite hymn of Judd’s, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” with the clank of the fifteen-year-old piano accompanying them. The sound of crying could be heard with an occasional sniffle or blowing of the nose.
“…In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a sol-ace there.” As the choir sang this last verse, the preacher faced the crowd and raised his open hands towards the heavens. When the last note was silenced, he began his sermon. “What a friend, in deed, we have in Jesus!” he declared with excitement in his voice. A couple of “Amen’s” could be heard at different locations in the church. With his hands down, he walked over to the pulpit and stood directly behind it. “Our tears are tears that also flow from heaven. Oh, God! We are suffering in the loss of our brother, Judd Wilson. Help us cope with the tragedy that has befallen us. We know that you will not abandon us in our time of suffering.”
A couple more “Amen’s” were heard, along with the short cry of a baby and a gentleman’s cough.
As the preacher continued his sermon, Roy’s eyes began to survey the sitting members of the crowd. He noticed Millie Sayers crying. She was a saloon girl from the “Ace In The Hole” gambling hall on Sutton near “D” Street. Roy didn’t like this area much as a part of “D” Street was the embarrassment of Virginia City. A block or two was the “red light” district that kept Roy a little too busy when the cowboys got their pay. Roy noticed that people around Millie were also crying, but the depth of her crying was more intense.
His eyes narrowed a little as he focused on her across the room. ‘Judd wouldn’t hang around a saloon girl. But she cries like she knew him well,’ Roy thought to himself and was suspicious of anyone who did anything out of what he thought was ordinary. ‘I need to know why a saloon girl would cry over a man that only frequented bars when having a beer with a male friend.’ The whole town was grieving, but her hard crying was out of Roy’s sense of ordinary.
Adam began to move around passing through the men that jammed the rear of the church. He was looking at faces, hair, and clothes trying to see if anything was out of place. He had heard that some killers would show up after the crime to gawk at their results. Kind of like giving themselves an invisible reward for accomplishing their deadly goal. He slowly moved between the men and occasionally bumped someone’s shoulder because the space was too small.
“Praise the Lord,” the preacher belted out. “We know that you, Lord, suffer with us and that you cry because we hurt. Our Father has called him home.” The preacher wiped sweat from his forehead with a hankie before he continued. The people responded from different parts of the church, “Amen…Amen…Amen…”
Adam stopped briefly only to look into eyes and then returned to the spot where he started. Then he noticed something different. Something he thought was odd. Adam noticed someone standing behind one of the post on the North side of the church. He couldn’t see the entire person, but what caught his interest were the pants of the person. They appeared to be the same light blue material he and Roy found out at Judd’s ranch. Adam tried to move closer to see if he could reach the person, but there were too many people between him and the stranger. Adam persisted and pushed through until he reached the post. Adam sighed; whoever it had been was now gone.
Adam looked around to see where the stranger may have moved when he saw the door that led to the outside of the church. He made his way to the door after bumping into a few people. Adam opened the door and went outside to look around. He was sure that he saw something. Adam walked to the center of the alley, put his hands on his hips and swung his head from left to right. Suddenly, a pair of hands landed on his back and he was shoved forward. Adam lost his balance and tumbled forward into some crates stacked at the side of the next building. As he fell forward, he felt the rough edge of a wooden crate against the bottom part of his hand. He tried to use his hands to stop his head and upper body from crashing into the crates. But his efforts were lost. Another rough surface of a crate brushed his left cheek causing the skin to break and become red. He rolled over onto his back and drew his gun ready to fire. Adam looked around as he got up onto his feet, but whoever pushed him was gone. He was the only one in the alley. After he briefly checked the area and found no one, he placed his gun back into his holster, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and re-entered the church through the same door. Once inside, he made his way to the back of the church and this time stood at the church entrance.
As the preacher continued his sermon, a dead silence from the spectators prevailed over the room. Only the occasional cry of a baby would be heard. The only movement from the people was the mother patting her baby’s back and a few people fanning themselves with their funeral announcements.
The hour passed fast and the service ended with a prayer. The choir sang, “Amazing Grace” accompanied, once again, by the clank of the piano and sniffles of sadness. The pallbearers led by Joe Cartwright positioned themselves to lift the coffin and then carried it to the waiting hearse.
When the crowd inside the church began to leave, Roy stayed where he was against the wall. Millie was on the other side of the church and he would have to talk to her at another time. Roy could see Judge Nathan and his wife slowly maneuvering their way up the narrow aisle. When Judge Nathan arrived at Roy’s position, Roy began walking with them towards the doors to exit the church.
Adam was one of the first to leave the church. As soon as he was completely outside, he put his hat on low on his forehead. Adam then walked across the street to the covered sidewalk in front of the cabinet making business that had closed for the service. He leaned against the post while he watched the crowd pour out of the double doors. His eyes looked like he was in deep thought as they squinted from the brightness the sun created. He crossed his arms over his chest becoming comfortable in this position that was familiar to those who knew him. His eyes looked at the men standing outside like a hawk searching for prey.
It didn’t seem long until the hearse began to move down “C” Street. In this elegant vehicle, Judd Wilson headed for the cemetery that would cradle him in her Earth for his eternal sleep. Like a mother cradling her baby in a blanket.
Judge Nathan guided his wife towards their buggy. They weren’t going to attend the burial, as Mrs. Nathan felt ill from the heat inside the church. Roy shook the Judge’s hand and then followed the crowd of people who walked behind the funeral procession.
Adam decided not to attend the burial and knew Joe would be all right and do a proper job of being one of Judd’s pallbearers. He headed down the shaded side of the street towards the International House to wait for Joe. In all this madness, a little quiet time was welcomed and he would get together with Roy later.
The funeral procession moved slowly to the other side of town. People not attending the burial stopped on the wooden sidewalks and watched the procession go by. The wild flowers on top of Judd’s casket were beautiful through the window that was surrounded by the gold and silver trim. The procession turned right onto Carson Street that wound around a couple of curves and finally ended at the gate that was the entrance to his final home. The pallbearers carried Judd up a small hill where the open grave waited its occupant.
The pallbearers set the casket down next to the 6-foot deep hole. Joe stood up straight and smiled and kept his thoughts to himself, ‘If Judd could open his eyes he could watch the city and its people. He’d like that.’ He then took his place next to the other pallbearers. Today, they weren’t members of the jury. Today, they were just friends doing the right thing for their fallen leader.
When the short service was over, Roy turned to leave when he saw Millie. He walked over to her for an opportunity to talk.
“Millie,” Roy removed his hat as he greeted her, “Millie, I need to talk to you and ask a question.”
Millie wiped her red eyes that were puffy from her crying. “Sheriff, have you found anything that would tell us who killed Judd?” Her crying ceased as she sniffled with a runny nose.
Before he answered her, he took her by the elbow and led her out of the hot sun and into the shade of a nearby tree. “No, I’m afraid this is a tough one, but I’m always confident. In fact, I’m always talkin’ to people to see what they might know.” His look was more like a glare