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When she was out of sight, Cody went back into the detention section where his jailer was sitting, looking frightened and uncertain.
“Problems with the inmates?” Cody asked him.
“No, sir. It’s all quiet.”
The man looked so anxious that Cody pulled him to one side.
“Okay. What’s wrong?” he asked curtly.
“Nothing...”
“Don’t lie to me,” Cody said shortly. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s that blonde lady,” he ground out.
“Which one?” he asked, fearing it might be a threat to Abby.
“That one who says she’s a trooper.” His eyes met Cody’s. “She’s no trooper, sir. I know one of the troopers who works Carne County. I asked him about her. He says they don’t have any blonde lady troopers.”
Cody wasn’t surprised. Small communities thrived on gossip. “What about her?”
He grimaced. “She keeps making me do stuff.”
Cody’s eyebrows arched. “What sort of stuff?”
“Well, she made me give that soda to Mr. Whatley, and it was already opened. You know, that time he was poisoned. I said something, and she asked me if I...” He broke off.
“If you...?” Cody prompted.
The jailer took a deep breath. “I’ve got a record,” he confessed and flushed. “I hacked the files and changed a felony to a misdemeanor in my record. I’m sorry,” he added. “My wife’s pregnant and she can’t work. I had to get a job and who’s going to hire an ex-con?” he asked miserably.
Cody felt bad for him. The man was obviously troubled by the lie he’d told. “What were you in for?” he asked.
“I hit a man who insulted my wife,” he said heavily. “He fell onto a pile of wooden pallets and broke his hip. I didn’t mean to hurt him that bad, but I hit him with a big piece of lumber instead of my fist. They said it was a weapon and I couldn’t afford a lawyer. So I went to jail. I got out in a year on good behavior, but that record will follow me forever.” He took a breath. “The little blonde found out. She said if I didn’t do what she said, she’d tell you.”
“Well, good on you for confessing first,” Cody said bluntly. “And just for the record, I don’t look at what a man’s done, I look at what he’s doing. What else did she make you do?”
“She had me try to listen to what you said to Mr. Whatley. And she sent me out to get her some coffee when I was fixing lunch plates to serve to the inmates, when you weren’t here. It didn’t look like she’d done anything, but that was when Mr. Whatley ate the pie and got so sick.”
He looked at the sheriff with dead eyes. “So if you want to go ahead and fire me, it’s okay. I deserve it.”
Cody put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve just become a material witness in a murder investigation, and I have no plans to fire you.”
The other man looked stunned. “You mean, I can still work here?”
“Of course you can,” he replied. “For God’s sake, do you realize how many ex-felons we have in Catelow? And they’ve all got jobs. We’re not a community. We’re a big family.”
The jailer looked near to tears. “That’s what my wife and I are finding out. People have brought her baby blankets and little baby clothes, and even a car seat for when the baby’s older. People who don’t even know us! It wasn’t like this in Phoenix. That’s where we’re from. I thought when I got out of jail, this would be a good place to live. She and I picked Catelow on the map with a pen. Out of nowhere.” He smiled at the sheriff. “Gosh, didn’t we do well?”
Cody grinned. “You did, indeed. Now how about seeing to the prisoners while I go talk to Mr. Whatley?”
“Sheriff, it will be my pleasure.”
Cody patted him on the back and went on down to Horace Whatley’s cell.
“Good to see you, Sheriff,” Horace told him, smiling. “How are things going out at my ranch?”
“Fine,” Cody said. “I had to interview Julia about the pie. I knew she didn’t poison you, though,” he added.
