The Unknown
by Patricia Henry
Chapter Eleven
By the time the casket was uncovered, Muller was covered with sweat. Perspiration ran down the sheriff’s face like streams of water.
“All right, Sherman. Let’s load your friend in the buckboard and you can...“
“Open up the casket,” Slim ordered.
“What?” The lawman threw down his shovel. “You don’t need to...“
Jonesy moved close to Slim. “Boy, he’s right. In this heat, riding back to Laramie, flies will surely...“
Slim cut in, “Jess didn’t own much. A horse and a gun. And this.” He held up the pocket watch. “This is his. We gave it to him. And it belongs with him. Now open up the casket.”
“You ain’t making sense!” Muller snapped. “A good watch like that. He’d want you to keep...“
Slim’s eyes narrowed to slits. Anger radiated off of him like fire from a burning log.
Jonesy said quickly, “Best do as he says. Slim ain’t been one to argue with ever since Jess died.”
The sheriff used the shovel to pry the casket open. He then slowly lifted the top of the pine box.
“That’s not Jess!” Slim cried out. “That ain’t him, Jonesy!”
“I know, boy, I know!”
Staring at the body they had just dug up, the lawman looked puzzled. “He had the watch on him.”
“That’s ain’t Jess!” Slim repeated.
Jonesy asked, “You reckon one of the others buried...”
“If I have to dig up every one of them-” Slim threaten.
“No...uh...I can describe them,” Muller said quickly. “One is taller than you...”
“Ain’t Jess.”
Muller described the second man, “Another had a mustache.”
“Ain’t Jess.”
‘Well the third one, blonde hair.”
Slim laughed. “It ain’t Jess! Jonesy, it ain’t Jess!”
“I knew that boy couldn’t have been killed. He’s like a cat. Has nine lives.”
Slim smiled, the first grin he had worn since he had heard the news. “We got to telegraph Andy.”
“Now wait a minute, Slim!” Jonesy said quickly. “We first got to find out where Jess is.”
“But Andy’s sick to heart about this and...”
“I know he is. I stayed up most of that night with him. And I don’t like that Andy’s suffering. But what if Jess wandered away and-well, I hate to say it but died in the woods or headed towards town and died close to the road. And just ain’t been found yet. We got to make sure. We don’t want to get Andy’s hopes up, then have them crash again. He couldn’t take it twice hearing that kind of news.”
The happy expression on Slim’s face crumbled. “So Jess could still be dead?”
“Maybe...maybe not. Ain’t like Jess not to stay close to the road, waiting for some help to come along. But it sure seems that someone should have seen him by now. ‘Course he could have gone looking for help,” Jonesy reasoned. “Maybe he’s holed up at some farm house. Got hurt and couldn’t go no further. Why knowing Jess, he could have gone after the robbers. Might be on their trail right now. We just got to check. And we got to hope.”
“How many farmhouses are around here?” Slim asked.
Muller took a handkerchief and wiped his face. The white cloth turned dirty with sweat and grime. “Enough to take a few days to search. And if you count the ones that are abandoned...”
“I do. I need you show us each one. Let’s get started.”
“Lose daylight in another two hours.”
“Listen sheriff-” Slim began, his face blotted with anger.
Jonesy interrupted, “Slim, he’s right. Let’s start in the morning.”
A frown formed on Slim’s face. “I hate to think of Jess out there, maybe hurt, needing help.”
“Well there could be another possibility of where your friend is,” Muller suggested.
“And what’s that?” Slim asked.
“Maybe he was part of the robbery.”
Slim’s face blacken with rage. “Jess wouldn’t...”
“He ever been jailed?”
Slim hesitated. “That was a long time ago.”
“So your friend has been in trouble with the law?”
“I told you that was a long time ago.”
“How long?”
“Look Jess has been working for me for five months and...”
“Five months!” Muller mocked. “That’s all the length of time you’ve known him. And before that?”
Slim frowned. “All right. He was in trouble once. But he served his time.”
“Maybe he got tired of working for the stage line and thought he’d strike out on his own,” Muller
suggested.
Slim grabbed Muller by the collar of his shirt.
“Slim!” Jonesy cried out. “Let him go!”
“Now you listen and you listen good,” Slim snarled, dragging the sheriff close to his face. “I ain’t never had a better friend than Jess Harper. I think of him like a brother. Jess wouldn’t rob the stage line. Mostly likely he got hurt trying to protect them passengers. And he probably went after the robbers. Now I’m going to find him with or without your help!” Slim pushed Muller so hard that the sheriff fell backwards.
Muller slowly stood. He wiped the dirt off his pants. “Sherman, I was mighty tolerable about digging up the grave, even if it did go against town law. But you take note, that I am the law, and. And you cross me again, I’ll jail you and throw away the key. And that ain’t going to do your friend Harper no good. You’ve been warned; you best heed what I say.”
Jonesy spoke quickly, “We’re just anxious to find Jess.”
“I want to find him too. I want him to explain how he survived when all them others died. As far as I’m concerned, your friend Harper is looking like the prime suspect in this robbery. How else can you explain why he ain’t lying here dead with them other passengers and the driver? Just know when I find Harper-and I will find him!-I’ll be ready to shoot if I need to. And if you try to stop me, then I won’t hesitate to turn my gun on you.”
“Well on thing we do agree on, Sheriff,” Slim answered back, “is we both want to find Jess alive, not dead.”
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