The Unknown
by Patricia Henry
Chapter Ten
The cemetery was even more desolate than the town. There were twenty graves, five of them freshly dug. One or two of the graves had flowers. But the people who died in the stage coach robbery only had fresh dirt in a mound to mark where each laid.
“I know it don’t look like much but-” the sheriff glanced worriedly at Slim. “It was a nice ceremony. The preacher, he said some nice words over each.”
Slim swallowed hard. Until this minute he had not believed that Jess was dead. He had hoped. He had even prayed. But seeing the grave, he felt sick. His heart beat so fast that he was sure the others could hear. “Dig him up.”
“Now I’ve tried to be understanding,” Muller said, his voice turning harsh, “but I ain’t digging up no grave. I told you in Carter Springs once a man is buried then he stays-”
Slim drew his gun.
“Son, you don’t want to do this,” Muller advised, his hands raising in the air.
“Dig him up,” Slim repeated.
“Slim-” Jonesy began.
“You stay out of this Jonesy. I come to take Jess home. And no one, not even the law, is going to stop me. Jess would have done the same for me. Now dig him up.”
Jonesy turned towards the sheriff. “I guess we got no choice.”
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