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"According to this, he didn't interview anyone but the saloon owner. There's no proof she was murdered by a drifter."
"If it wasn't a drifter, then it had to have been someone in town," Wyatt said. "That doesn't make sense. Who would want to kill her?"
Justin had no answer for that. He glanced over the paper once more, then focused on her name.
Laurie Smith. The cold knot in his stomach tightened. She was the same woman who had been beaten up seven years before. She was the reason he'd been run out of town. He'd been accused of the crime. He hadn't done it and as soon as she'd regained consciousness, she'd cleared his name. But it had been too late. He'd already left Landing, swearing he would never come back.
Well, he was back now. And a saloon girl had been murdered. In keeping with this town's attitude about someone they thought was less respectable than themselves, no one gave a damn. But he did. It was possible the two crimes had been committed by the same person. And he damn well wanted to find out who.
"I want to reopen the investigation."
He glanced up at Wyatt. The deputy shrugged. "You're the boss."
Justin set down the paper. He had something to prove to the town and himself. He would solve this. He had no choice. The case hit far too close to home.
Chapter Four
It was late afternoon when Justin left the livery stable and stood alone on the boardwalk. The blue Kansas sky stretched on forever. It was warmer than it had been the day before. He buttoned up his lined coat and adjusted his hat.
Two women carrying overloaded baskets walked along the boardwalk. He stepped back out of their way and touched his hat brim. The younger of the two smiled and nodded until her companion leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Then both of them glanced at him and hurried away.
He'd had that kind of trouble all the day. Most of the old-timers remembered him and weren't pleased to have him as their sheriff. And, as Megan had told him, the newer settlers didn't much care about him or his past, as long as he kept the peace. Neither group had any information about the dead saloon girl. They'd answered his questions patiently, but he'd seen the questions in their eyes. Why did he care about the likes of her?
One or two people had tried to be helpful, but most couldn't bother. He hated that some lives were valued more than others. As long as he was in charge of justice in this town, that wasn't going to happen. Unfortunately, he was too late for Laurie Smith.
"Will there be anything else, Sheriff?"
Justin turned back toward the stable. "No. If you think of anything, I'd be obliged if you'd come tell me about it. Or one of the deputies."
"I'll sure do that."
Rumors about his presence in town and what he was asking everyone about had spread so quickly that by the time Justin got to the livery stable, Zeke had simply come out shaking his head. Said he'd never met the girl, hadn't known she was dead. Zeke man was so frail that Justin doubted the old man could have raised his hand against a good-size dog, let alone a woman. But as far as he was concerned, everyone else was suspect.
4 'Afternoon, Zeke."
"Afternoon, Sheriff."
He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and surveyed the town. He'd sent Wyatt to speak with the other saloon girls, and Thomas to find out what he could from nearby farmers. Justin had asked questions at every business in town. Except one.
He started down the boardwalk, then jogged across the street between two wagons. He wished he knew if he'd been putting off talking to her, or saving her for last. Better for both of them if he hadn't had to think about it at all. Best if she hadn't still been in Landing, or if he hadn't have given a damn about seeing her.
It was too late to change what had already happened between them, he reminded himself. Too late to take back the kisses that had kept him up half the night. If only she'd gotten old, fat or bald. Even a husband would have been enough to keep him at bay. Now there was nothing between him and Megan Bartlett except his good intentions. They would provide as much protection as cotton sheet in a blizzard.
His boots clunked on the boardwalk outside the general store. He wished he didn't have to go inside. He didn't want to look at her and know that she was still bent on protecting her reputation more than anything in the world. He didn't want to know that just seeing her was enough to make him act like a fool. Megan had been nothing but trouble for him. From the moment he'd first laid eyes on her, he knew he had to have her or die. In the end, she'd almost destroyed him.
