Page 27

A New Sheriff in Town

As he rode through the dusty streets of Laramie, Seth was amazed by how much it had changed.

What had once been a small settlement of tents along the overland trail had grown into a bustling town with thriving businesses and a flourishing population.

Main Street had a booming business district with new shops and restaurants, and it seemed like a church was on every corner.

To the north were several sprawling blocks of houses, all neat and quiet, with glass windows, flowers, and children’s toys in the yards.

South of MainStreet was the factory district, including the rail yard, a glass plant, and a slaughterhouse, to name a few—all new.

Nearby, the tents that he remembered still stood.

There were at least ten times as many now, though, overcrowded, squalid, and filthy.

Then came Sixth Street—a rough, disreputable block filled with saloons, brothels, and bathhouses.

He entered city hall past business hours, and no one was around. The mayor’s office door stood open. As Seth approached, a man suddenly came striding out. Aaron Jackson, the reason he was here, stood an inch taller, several inches broader, and weighed at least thirty pounds more than him.

“Walker,”he said, offering his hand. “You’re just in time.”

With lingering skepticism, Seth shook his hand, his eyes narrowed. This had been his state of mind since their chance meeting in Denver a week agowhen the formermarshal had made his outlandish suggestion.

Over the years, their paths crossed many times as they worked toward the same aim: capturing the most dangerous fugitives in the West. While their motivations differed, Marshal Jackson’s bringing them to justice and Seth’sthereward money, theyachieved the same outcome—putting the worst of the worst behind bars—and developed a mutual respect for one another.

Jackson had experienced several changes in the last few years, including getting married, having a baby on the way, and winning the recent mayoral election in a landslide.

Seth recognized the challenges he now faced—envying some and pitying others.

As mayor, he would need to share some of his burdens to succeed, which was why Seth was there today.

“Have a seat,”Jackson said, waving toward the ladder-back chairs in the sparsely furnished lobby. “I’m on my way to brief the council on the new agenda item.”

“Are you sure about this?”

The man’s face was shadowed beneath the lowbrim of hisblack hat, but Seth knew he was sizing him up.

“If we’re ever going to getthelawlessness inLaramieunder control, I need a competent sheriff.

The last man didn’t give citizens’ concerns the time of day and turned a blind eye to everythingsouth of Main.

He excused crime as decent, hardworking men letting off steam.

I’m not saying we shut down the saloons, dance halls, and brothels, just the kidnappings, nightly shootings, and opium rings. ”

“You’re painting a grim picture of the job you want me to take.”

Jackson nudgedhishat up with his thumb, revealing narrowed eyes. “Did I read you wrong, Walker? Are you saying you’re not up to it?”

“No. I’m the man to do it if your council doesn’t mind my history. As I told you when you made the offer, I don’t lie about my past, but I don’t broadcast it, either.”

“That’s firmly behind you, right?”

“Absolutely,” Seth replied.

Jackson said with a nod, “The council and townsfolk keep looking to me for answers, so they’ll just have to accept my solution.”

Watching the man lift his hat and run his fingers through his full head of hair reminded Seth that he was just three years his senior. To go from sheriff to marshal to mayor by the age of thirty-one was impressive.

“Be right back,”he said and strode across the wood floor and out the door, his boot heels echoing with determination.

Seth followed at a slower pace. Out in the empty hall, Seth didn’t sit and wait.

Instead, he crossed to the windows and gazed out atthe sun settingbehindthemountains inthewest. If approved for the job, reducingthelawlessness inLaramiewould consume every minute of his time.

The prospect was a mighty big“if,”given the heated conversation behind the closed door.

Since he was the topic of discussion, Seth didn’t pretend not to listen.

“We can’t have an outlaw as our sheriff!”a man exclaimed in a high-pitched, nasal twang.

“Former,”Jackson corrected him, his deep voice unmistakable. “He hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing, and there are no outstanding warrants for his arrest.”

“Not being convicted only means he never got caught,”grumbled the first man.

“You’re a lawyer, Frank,”the mayor calmly reminded him. “You should know better than anyone that a man has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.”

“Who else would you suggest instead?”a gruff, older-sounding man asked impatiently.

“Qualified men for the job aren’t exactly arriving in droves.

Would you rather have the twenty-two-year-old kid or the sixty-year-old farmer who applied?

Neither has even ridden out with a posse.

Do you really want one of themin charge ofcontaining the criminal element that runs rampant on 6th Street? ”

“There’s no call for sarcasm, Mr. Jackson,”the first man replied. “I’m only thinking of the town and the people who call Laramie home. How will they feel with a hired gunin charge oftheir protection?”

“Safer is my guess,”the older Jackson replied.

“Walker has hauled in dozens of dangerous fugitives for Pinkerton. Before that, working solely on his own, he captured three or four times that many. Sheriffs in nearly every territory west of the Mississippi have deputized him when those same fugitives were terrorizing their towns. Ain’t that right, Aaron? ”

“Maybe not every territory,Pa, but Ithink Frank gets the idea,”the mayor replied, explaining the relationship. “Based on his resume, I think you’ll all agree Mr. Walker has the experience we need to bring law and order to Laramie.”

The approving murmurs were so loud they silenced Frank.

“I move we take our new mayor’s recommendation and hire Seth Walker as our new sheriff before some other town snatches him up,”Mr. Jackson declared.

“I second,”a fresh voice called. “But of course, you’ll take Aaron’s recommendation, Henry. You two have always been in lockstep on everything.”

“That’s because he has brains and excellent instincts, which he came by honestly—from me,”the older manboasted proudly to a chorus of chuckles.

“Aaron has proved to this town for well over a decade that we can trust his judgment, which is why the folks hereabouts voted him in as mayor unanimously.”

“Not quite,Pa. But Ithink you’ve made your point.”

The elder Jacksonharrumphed before quieting.

“Shall we vote?”Aaron asked. “With a show of hands, all in favor of hiring Seth Walker—”

“Hartigan!” Frank interrupted.

“Not anymore. He legally goes by Walker now,”Aaron informed him, referring to the court document Seth had provided. “All in favor of Seth Walker as Laramie’s interim sheriff until the next election.”

“Which isn’t for another year!”

“Consarnit, Frank!”Henry Jackson erupted in frustration. “Will you let him finish? This quick council meeting has dragged on long enough. Letty’s making roast beef, and I’m already late.”

“I need a show of hands,”Aaron reminded them.

The next thing Seth heard was the bang of a gavel. Then chairs creaked, and boots scuffed on the floor. When the door opened, the six-man town council filed out.

The last man had to be Henry Jackson. He was gray-headed and not quite as tall, but otherwise, father and son were the spitting images of one another.

Aaron appeared in the doorway. “You heard?”

“I did. Your walls must be made of paper.”

“Mm,”he grunted, looking around. “There’s talk of a new courthouse and town hall, but who knows how long that will be? Until then—”

“You better take your private meetings elsewhere,”Seth recommended.

“Agreed. Come into my office,”Aaron said, on the move again. “I have your keys.”

“To the jailhouse,”he assumed.

“Yes, and to the house that comes with the job. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s centrally located on a quiet street and will spare you living in one of the boarding houses.”

“That’s a pleasant surprise,”Seth observed, having expected to take a roomat the innuntil he found a place.

Aaron circled behind his desk and pulled a ring with at least a dozen keys out of a drawer.

“We try to sweeten the deal to make up for the headaches. Most will come from cattle rustling on the surrounding ranches and Sixth Street, where anything can happen and usually does. But you’ve got a team of six deputies to help you, so you’ll occasionally geta full night’ssleep. ”

“Livingon the trailmost of my life, I only need a few hours. What are the other keys to?”

“Good question,”he saidwith a shrug. “One is to the gun case, but I don’t know about the others. Maybe your deputies can fill you in.”

Seth pocketed the keys with a jingle. They would need to be pared down or would interfere with his holster and slow down his draw. A fraction of a second could mean the difference between life and death, and the mayor would have to begin his personnel search over again.

It seemed a good time to give voice to his lingering doubts. “The council didn’t sound as convinced as you are that I’m the man for the job.”

“You received five votes. Six if you include mine, but the mayor’s vote usually only counts in a tie.”

This meant there was still one vote against. “Earl was the lone holdout, I take it.”

Jackson waved off the lone dissent with a dismissive scoff. “Earl Rhode’s middle name is cantankerous. If he ever stops griping, you better call Doc Morgan or my wife because he’s stopped breathing.”

“Your wife?”Seth asked, intrigued.

“Doc is a good man, but if you’re seriously ill or injured, it’s best to call Janelle. She’s college-trained and the best healer in the territory.”

He had heard of healers and medicine women but never one who had schooling to learn their craft. But he trusted the man at his word, biased though it might be. “I’ll remember that.”

“She’s a damn fine cook, too. Once you’re settled, we’ll have you over for supper. You should also try to attend the monthly barn dance to socialize with members of the community you won’t normally encounter while on duty.”

“You’re not trying to discourage me, are you, Mayor?”

“Call me Aaron. I don’t stand on ceremony. I also don’t want to sell you a pig in a poke.”He grimaced. “Don’t tell Janelle I said that. She says I’m becoming more like my pa every day.”

“Your father seemed confident in your abilities. Maybe that’s a compliment.”

The young man’s smile revealed his deep affection for his family. “As fond of as she is of Henry Jackson, it may very well be.”

The outside door suddenly burst open with a bang, and a shout pierced the air. “Marshal Jackson!”

A young man, his face flushed and covered in sweat, rushed into the room, breathing hard. “There’s a man at Doc Morgan’s creating a ruckus.”

No longer marshal, but Mayor Jackson asked, “Why is he at Doc’s?”

“He says he was shot outside the Red Eye,”he exclaimed between ragged gasps. “By one of the upstairs gals, only he didn’t use such a polite term. He’s demanding justice. Wants her locked up and tried for attempted murder when Judge Simpson comes through next week.”

Closing his eyes, Aaron sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Any idea what really happened, Davey?”

“Word is, he got rough with one of Miss Charlotte’s ladies, so she shot him in the, uh…”Red-faced, he shifted, clearly searching for a word.

“Shot him where, Davey?”Aaron demanded.

“In the plums, Marshal. I mean, uh, Mayor.”

A surprised laugh slipped from Seth. “Seriously? She must be a deadeye.”

The kid looked at him in surprise, as if becoming aware for the first time since entering there was someone else in the room. Not much older than he was when he set out on his own, Davey had a silver star on his shirt with DEPUTY etched into it.

“There was a lot of blood,”he explained, “but when I left, Doc was assuring him he still had all of his parts. The bullet mostly grazed his inner thigh.”

“Sounds like he got lucky,”Seth murmured, while he and the other two men shifted uncomfortably at the thought of an injury in such a delicate location.

“If Charlotte shot him. I guaran-damn-tee he deserved it.”Aaron declared. “Congratulations, Walker. The job starts now.”

“This is what some would call a trial by fire,”Seth observed.

Jackson’s gaze met his. “Here in Laramie, we call it Friday night.”

The deputy snickered. “He ain’t kidding. Are you going with him to investigate, Marshal?”

“Nope. I’m going home to have supper with my wife for the first time in a week.”He walked around his desk, ready to leave. “Davey will show you to Doc’s and the Red Eye.”

Aaron offered his hand. Seth took it, prepared for a handshake, but he pressed something into his palm. Seth looked down at the star, similar to Davey’s, except it was brass with SHERIFF across the front.

“Since we haven’t made an official announcement, you’ll need that.”Jackson clapped him firmly on the shoulder then whistled as he strode out the door.

Outside, as Seth put his heels to his horse and followed Davey at a gallop, he had to wonder what the hell he’d gotten himself into.