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The Chief sighed and leaned back. “Look, son. It will go easier for you if you confess.” He lowered his voice in a man-to-man tone. “I understand—you meet a pretty girl, fall for her, then find out she’s married. She works up sympathy from you by telling you tales about her husband beating her. You try to get the man arrested on trumped up charges. When that doesn’t work you kill him.”
“I did not kill Louis Smith.”
“Then who did?”
“Isn’t that your job, Chief? To find the real killer?”
“I said I would ask the questions, and in my opinion I already have.”
The clock on the wall ticked loudly as they stared at each other. Hunter had used the tactic before himself. The first one who spoke, lost. It wasn’t going to be him.
Finally the Chief closed his notebook. “You can return to your cell.”
He stood and moved to the door. As he opened it the Chief said, “By the way, Henderson, it might interest you to know that a forty-four caliber bullet blew away half of Smith’s head.” When Hunter didn’t speak and kept his back to him, he added, “interesting that all the Texas Rangers use a Walker Colt forty-four. Isn’t it?”
Late Wednesday morning Jesse stepped off the train, going from smoky dimness to bright sunlight. He’d never been to Galveston before and was surprised at the size of the town. For some reason he’d always pictured it a sleepy little beach resort. Not so.
The train station bustled with commuters and tourists alike. Both horse drawn carriages and automobile taxis waited in line to sweep the travelers from the station to their destinations. Jesse waved one down and asked to be taken to a hotel closest to the jail. That caused raised eyebrows.
He gazed out the window as they traversed the area. A lot more traffic, both foot and vehicular, congested the area. Galveston was nothing like he’d expected. Why Hunter ended up here, charged with murder, still confounded him. Hopefully it could be straightened out. He knew in his heart there was no way his nephew would commit murder.
Self-defense? Killing in the course of a criminal’s arrest? Yes. But murder that would land him in jail didn’t fit the young man he’d known, and got to know even better during his recent time with him.
“Here you are, sir. Hotel Landers.” The driver got out of the automobile and opened the door for Jesse. He pointed about two blocks down on the other side of the street. “That’s the jail right there.”
“Thank you.” Jesse paid the man, grabbed his suitcase, and then entered the hotel. A brightly lit, warmly decorated lobby greeted him. Within minutes he’d been handed a key and directed to an elevator. He bypassed the contraption and headed for the stairs. If elevators became popular it would not bode well for society. People were getting lazier every day.
Dusty from his journey, Jesse washed up and changed his shirt and jacket. He didn’t want to leave Hunter in jail any longer than necessary. Hopefully he would be able to bond him out and keep him in the room with him. He ran a brush through his hair, and grabbing a notepad and pen, left the room.
There was a distinctive odor to jails no matter the location or population. He’d been directed to a small room where Hunter would be brought to him. Since he was his attorney, he was allowed access to the prisoner even outside of visiting hours.
“Jesse!” Hunter’s face lit up as he strode to where
Jesse stood looking out the window at the dismal scene of overfull garbage cans.
They hugged and then Jesse held Hunter’s shoulders and stared at him. “You look like hell.”
“Well, jail is not the most entertaining of places.”
Jesse gave him an encouraging smile. “Sit down, son. We need to get this sorted out.” He pulled out his notebook and pen. “Start at the beginning and don’t leave out any details.”
It took well over an hour, but finally Jesse laid his pen down and stretched. “That’s one hell of a story. You got yourself in pretty deep.”
“I know.”
Jesse rotated his stiff shoulders. “Why did you never tell anyone about witnessing your father’s murder?”
“I wanted to. In fact if I were to have told anyone, it would have been you. But the time never seemed right. You and Tori were trying so hard to keep your own relationship going, and then there always seemed to be others around.” He shrugged. “I guess I was arrogant enough to think I would find Smith, drag him off to jail, and see justice done.”
“The first thing we have to do is get you out of here.”
“No, Jesse, the first thing you need to do is see Emily. She must be a wreck, and at the same time trying to deal with the police questioning her, the funeral, the financial problems I’m sure Smith left her with. She needs help.”
“I’ll do both. We’ll apply for bail, and if it’s denied I have a few judges in Oklahoma Territory that will vouch for you being released into my custody. While that is in motion, I’ll see Emily and assure her she’s not alone.”
Hunter took a deep breath and hung his head, his shoulders slumping. “Thank you. That means more to me right now than getting out of jail.”
Jesse stood and rested his hand on Hunter’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “We’ll do both.” He knocked on the door as a signal he was finished. The guard opened the door and escorted Hunter back to his cell.
