“I’ll show you out,” Serena said.
She led Evan and Jubal out into the hall, but Miller said, “Sam? Stay a minute.”
“I’ll be right out,” Sam said to the others. He turned to Miller and asked, “What is it?”
“Serena’s a little bull-necked about this, Sam,” Miller said. “Being on my back and all, I can’t protect her if Burkett decides to send some more men—”
“Don’t worry, Dude,” Sam said. “We’ll keep an eye on her.”
“I’d be much obliged for that, Sam.”
“It’s the least we can do, Dude, you sendin’ that telegram and all. Speakin’ of that, how the hell did you know where I was?”
“I didn’t,” Miller said. “I heard tell you were in Montana, and I must’ve sent out dozens of those telegrams to different towns.”
Sam thought that over a moment and then started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Miller asked.
“Well, if you knew how that telegram affected the people in Corozon, Montana, you’d laugh too at the thought that there were dozens of towns in Montana waitin’ for me to show up.”
“I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.”
“No trouble, Dude,” Sam assured him. “I’m obliged to you for sendin’ it, or we might never have known.”
“There’s some shame in that, Sam,” Miller said. “You probably never would have known because you boys never came around.”
“Now Dude, I heard enough of that from Doc.”
Miller raised his hand and waggled it, saying, “I ain’t gonna judge you, Sam. It’s just a shame, is all.”
“I agree with you, Dude,” Sam said, “there just ain’t a whole hell of a lot I can do about it now.”
Sam left the room and went downstairs, where Evan and Jubal were talking to Serena.
“Serena, would you be so kind as to tell us where our parents are buried?”
“Near the house.”
“The ranch house?”
“No,” she said, “the adobe house they…they died in.”
“Pa always talked about him and Ma being buried on the ranch,” Jubal said.
“I know,” Sam said. “Jubal, you know how to use that gun you’re wearin’?”
“Well enough, I reckon. Why?”
“You’re stayin’ here with Serena.”
“I am not!”
“Yes, you are.”
“That’s not necessary—” Serena started.
“I promised your Pa we’d look out for you until he got back on his feet. It’s the least we can do. Jubal? You gonna make a liar out of me?”
“Are you and Evan gonna spell me here?”
“We are.”
“Well, then…all right, but don’t take too long.”
“Well be back soon enough,” Sam said. “Evan?”
Sam and Evan left the yard, closing the gate behind them.
“Where to now?” Evan asked.
“Well, we can go to the bank and see if Pa left behind any unsettled accounts, then we can go over to the courthouse and check on the sale of the ranch. After that we’ll collect Jubal and go out to the gravesite, and look at the house where they died.”
“What about Serena?”
“Maybe we’ll just take her with us. After that, one of us will come back here with her.”
“And the other two?”
“By that time,” Sam said, “A visit to Mr. Lincoln Burkett will be in order.”
Soon after the McCalls had left his office Sheriff Tom Kelly left, went to the livery, saddled his horse, and rode out to what was once the McCall ranch and was now the Burkett place.
As he rode up to the house and reigned his horse in off a gallop, he attracted a lot of attention, including that of Chuck Conners, the foreman.
As Kelly dismounted and started for the house Conners intercepted him.
“Whoa, there, Sheriff,” Conners said. “What’s the hurry?”
“I got something to tell Mr. Burkett.”
“Well, you tell me and I’ll tell him.”
Kelly considered this for a moment, then nodded.
“They’re in town.”
“Who’s in town?”
“The McCalls?”
Conner’s eyes widened with interest.
“Sam McCall?”
“And his brothers,” Kelly said, and then added, “and they’re asking questions.”
“Well, of course they are,” Conners said, rubbing his lantern jaw. “Wouldn’t you if you found out your parents were dead?”
“Mr. Burkett’s got to know—”
“Don’t you worry, Sheriff,” Conners said. “I’ll let Mr. Burkett know, and I’ll tell him it was you who brought the information. He’ll be grateful.”
“Well…all right.”
“Now…what did you tell them?”
“What everybody knows, that their Pa shot their Ma and then himself.”
“Nothing else?”
“What else would I tell them, Conners?”
“I’m just asking to make sure, Sheriff. See, Mr. Burkett’s going to ask me.”
“Well, I didn’t tell them nothing else.”
“Good. And who else have they talked to?”
“They said they was gonna talk to Doc, and to Dude Miller.”
“Miller,” Conners said, nodding. “We know what he’ll tell them.”
“What should I do?”
“Just go back to town and keep an eye on them, Sheriff,” Conners said, clapping the man on the back. “That’s all you have to do—for now.”
Chapter Eight
As Sam and Evan McCall entered the small Bank of Vengeance Creek the bank president, James Boland, stood up behind his desk, but did not come around. He fidgeted from one foot to the other as the two brothers approached his desk.
“You the bank president?” Sam asked.
“That’s right,” Boland said. “What can I do for you gentlemen?”
There was only one other person in the bank, a bored-looking clerk standing behind a caged window.
“We’re the sons of Joshua and Miriam McCall.”
“I see. Terrible thing. You have my sympathy.”
“Thank you,” Evan said. “We’re here to see if our parents left any unsettled accounts behind. If so, we’d like to settle them.”
“Unsettled accounts?” the bank president said. “No, no unsettled accounts.”
“You know that without looking it up?” Sam asked.
“Oh, yes, yes indeed,” Boland said. “I am, after all, the president of the bank. I look at every account personally.”
“I see,” Evan said. “What about the house they were living in?”
“It was theirs.”
“Theirs?”
“Yes, they owned it outright. I believe it was included in the sale of their ranch.”
Evan looked at Sam, who shrugged.
“All right,” Evan said. “What about the estate? Did my father have a lawyer in town?”
“No, no lawyer,” Mr. Boland said, “and there was no estate.”
“What do you mean, no estate?” Sam asked. “What about the money from the sale of the ranch?”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Boland said. “All I can tell you is that there is no estate.”
“Did my father have an account here?”
“He did,” Boland said, “and he still does, but it’s empty.”
“Empty?”
“Completely.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything else to tell you, uh, sir.”
“It’s all right,” Evan said, cutting Sam off. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As Sam and Evan McCall left, John Boland sat down heavily behind his desk and heaved a sigh of relief.
Outside Sam said, “What the hell—”
“Let’s go to the courthouse and check on the sale,”
Evan said. “I don’t like the way this smells.”
They stopped at the courthouse next and told the clerk they wanted to look at some sale records.