The Range Detectives by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

At the HS Bar the previous night, Jessica Stafford ushered Dan and Laura into the parlor. Henry Stafford followed them with the shotgun tucked under his left arm and a suspicious frown still on his rugged face.

“Sit down,” Jessica told the two visitors as she gestured toward a divan. “You both look exhausted. Can I get you something? There might still be some coffee in the pot on the stove.” She smiled ruefully and added, “Although I’m sure it’s just about turned into mud by now.”

“You can be hospitable later, Jess,” said Stafford. “Right now I want to hear the story these two promised us.”

“It’s not that pretty a story, I’m afraid,” said Laura.

Stafford grunted and said, “Life ain’t pretty most of the time, and folks who thinks it is, or ought to be, are just foolin’ themselves.”

“Most of this mess is my fault,” Dan said. “Not what happened to Abel Dempsey, but the rest of it, so I should be the one to tell it.”

Laura laid a hand on his and told him, “Don’t blame yourself, Dan. I certainly don’t. I had just as much to do with everything that happened as you did.”

“Just get on with it,” growled Stafford.

Dan started talking. He told Stafford and Jessica about how he and Laura had known each other back in Saint Louis, how her father had come between them and pressured Laura into marrying Abel Dempsey, and how they had encountered each other again unexpectedly out here in Arizona Territory.

Stafford let out a skeptical snort at that and said, “You really want us to believe you didn’t know Laura was here, Hartford? That you didn’t come to these parts plannin’ to steal her away from her husband?”

“It’s the truth,” Dan insisted. “I know it’s quite a coincidence, but that’s not any more unbelievable than a lot of other things that have happened in life.”

“I was completely surprised when Dan showed up at the Box D,” added Laura. “Please believe us, Henry. We really didn’t plan to see each other again and . . . and rekindle all those old feelings . . .”

Stafford made a curt gesture and said, “You can leave out that part. Just get on with the rest of it.”

“No, you need to hear this, Henry,” Laura insisted. “I was never unfaithful to my husband. It’s true that Dan and I had feelings for each other. We still do. But I wasn’t going to cheat on Abel, regardless of the circumstances that led to our marriage in the first place. In fact, that’s what I was going to tell Dan . . . that day on Apache Bluff . . .”

“You were?” said Dan.

Laura swallowed hard and nodded.

“That’s right. I know we had talked about . . . running away to California. I was going to tell you that’s where you ought to go . . . but without me.” She shook her head. “But before I could say anything about that, we heard that shot . .

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