Doc Beck Westerns Boxset by Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Author:Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RockHaven Publishing

Rebekah was jolted by soft tapping on the office door. She glanced at the clock in the corner of the exam area. 2 p.m.

As the door creaked, she covered the body and began washing her hands.

Jimmy called quietly from beyond the blue curtain, “Miss Rebekah? Deputy Biggins is here. Says they want you over at the courthouse now.”

“Be there in a moment, Jimmy.” Rebekah paused by the exam table, drying her hands and composing herself.

Questions lurked in the recesses of her mind. The main question wasn’t in determining the cause of death. The girl was strangled. Rebekah had paused a moment when she discovered that, recalling what it was like to have Sancho’s hands clenched around her throat. This was how she would have died.

But there was more to Ruby Palmer’s death than the obvious. Rebekah needed more time to put her finger on it.

It didn’t look like she was going to get it. A man’s life was at stake, though there wasn’t anything useful in her testimony. If it were one of the bandits, he would surely hang for something else anyway. All of Sancho’s men were killers, except Edgardo.

Would she see him in the courtroom?

Rebekah removed the large gray apron and rolled down the sleeves of her navy-blue dress as she exited through the curtain.

The curtain securely in place, she checked her reflection in the mirror outside the exam area. Her hair was still neat although a few strands had gotten out of place from the train ride and her work. She tucked the dark brown pieces into her bun and tightened the pins.

This was the first time Rebekah was the lead doctor on an autopsy for a criminal case, and she should look professional—even when giving her testimony in a saloon.

Rebekah stepped into the fresh air outside, taking note of the older deputy, who helped carry the body, standing by Deputy Biggins.

She asked the older man, “Will you be staying here to make sure no one disturbs the body until I return, Deputy…?”

He nodded. “Deputy Wallace, ma’am.”

Wallace didn’t look quite physically capable of wearing the deputy badge, and his voice even cracked. But he did have a seasoned look, though not one that instilled complete confidence.

It was important to protect the vulnerable body, so Rebekah asked Jimmy, “Would you stay here as well and come for me if anyone has a medical need? I can treat patients that come in the doctor’s absence while we’re here.”

“You can count on me, Doc Beck,” Jimmy said, taking up his post in the doorway, arms crossed and six-gun in easy drawing position. She wondered how well he could shoot, though there was no reason for that to be tested in this town—unless Sancho Guerra showed up. She shivered. Jimmy did need to be on guard.

Deputy Biggins led Rebekah down the street to the saloon. The urgent hammering sounded again.

Rebekah asked him, “Town expansion?”

He glanced at her then away. “Gallows.”

They went in single file through the haphazard mess of horses and wagons, up the boardwalk, and to the saloon doors.

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