Innocent to the Last (The Innocents Mystery Series Book 6) by C. A. Asbrey

Author:C. A. Asbrey [Asbrey, C. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Prairie Rose Publications
Published: 2020-07-15T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Rebecca stared off to the corner, swamped by the utter wretchedness weighing down her soul. Part of her still struggled to grasp the idea that she had been responsible for a man’s death. And not just any man. A good man who worked for the law and who risked his life for people like her. How could she have been so stupid? She should have cried out. She should have gone to fetch Abigail. She should have done just about anything other than the things she actually did. The scene replayed over and over in her head, wishing a different outcome could become reality. Deep inside, she had convinced herself that the dead Pinkerton had been sneaking up on Sammy to rescue him. After all, the boy was in an outlaw hideout. A lawman had every reason to worry about a child in that situation.

“What’s wrong, Auntie Becky?”

She glanced up at the boy whose fingers were curling around her own. The big blue eyes stared straight into hers as his bottom lip jutted out in concern. She pasted on a weak smile. “I’m just a little bit sad about everything that’s happened. It’s been upsetting.” Her clasp tightened around the child’s fleshy hand. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, Sammy. I’ll be fine. We have each other.”

Sammy’s enormous eyes widened. “I was going to say that to you. The bad men are all gone. We can go home now. Where is home? Can I come?”

Rebecca caught her breath, unsure how to answer the question, but unwilling to rob the lad of hope. “We—well, we haven’t quite decided where, yet. Wherever it is, we’ll make sure you like it.”

“Can Melvin come?”

A rueful chuckle lightened her voice. “I don’t think so. He has his own friends to play with.” She released his hand and rubbed his arm. “We’ll find you some new friends to go fishing with.”

“Melvin’s funny. I like Melvin.”

“Yah do?” Jake leaned on the door jamb, his weight on his left leg. “Why don’t you go find him? He’s feedin’ the horses. I’ll bet he’d like you to help.”

“Horses?” Sammy’s face lit up with rare joy as he made for the door. “Can you make Auntie Becky smile? She’s upset.”

“I’ll do my best.” Jake ruffled the boy’s golden hair as he slipped by him. He walked over and grabbed a chair, before swinging a leg over it. He sat astride it, resting his chin on the back, staring deep into her. “You’ve been cryin’.”

“I killed a man.”

He held her gaze. “No, darlin’, you didn’t. Abi killed him. We had a look. All you did was wing him slightly. The Whitfield has hexagonal bullets so we know which ones did the damage. It wasn’t yours.”

“But if I hadn’t shot him—if I’d gone to get Abi.” She dropped her head and sobbed. “—she’d probably have recognized him. He’d have recognized her. Nobody would have been shot at all.”

“You don’t know that, darlin’.”

“I do. They knew one another. He was a Pinkerton.

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