Sweet Christmas Messages For Girlfriend
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“It’s snowing,” Charlie said. “I think it might be my favorite day of the year.”
The sheriff looked at him with concern in his eyes. “Why?”
Charlie’s face lit up and he grinned.
“It means Christmas is coming. It’s a miracle to me. It just looks so beautiful.”
Boyd stared out into the thick, white blanket as if he could see right through the powdery, light flakes that filled the air. They were both silent for a while until they heard a horse’s hooves gallop toward them from the direction of the corrals. The two men turned their attention to the sound.
“Is that a gray mare?” Boyd asked.
The gray mare slowed her pace and walked toward the sheriff with her head low, not wanting to meet anyone’s gaze.
“Do you think she has something important to tell us?” Boyd wondered. “Something like she saw a dead body or something?” He frowned. “That would make this case much easier.”
“Come on, let’s get back to work.”
Charlie returned his gun to its holster and climbed onto his horse. Boyd did the same but didn’t say anything else as he rode away from the corral toward the office building.
“Charlie?”
Charlie stopped at the door of the sheriff’s office.
Boyd called out, “What is it?”
“Can we ride together?”
“Sure, why not? I’m going there anyway.”
“We can talk about this case. We might learn something more.” Charlie reached out to grab his arm as he mounted his horse and said, “I have some ideas on how we could solve the case.”
“Great. What do you suggest?”
“You’re a good detective.”
“Thank you. What’s your idea?”
“Well, if you ask me, the most obvious suspect is the sheriff himself. Maybe he killed the woman, just as the newspaper said.”
“Why would he want to kill her?”
“Just look at the facts. First, he shot down the horse and the woman. Then, he didn’t show up at his own funeral. Now he doesn’t show up in the office building either. If all these things are true, then we’ve got to assume the sheriff did this crime. There’s no other choice.”
Boyd couldn’t believe what Charlie suggested. “The sheriff wouldn’t do that.”
“But why not?”
“Because he’s a good person.” Boyd looked at Charlie and frowned. “Does that mean you think he’s a bad man too?”
“Of course not,” Charlie answered. “I just know something strange is going on around here.”
“So what do you suggest we do about it?”
Charlie leaned over the side of his saddle and said, “We go to the salon and ask the people there for information.”
“I don’t see how asking questions will help us.”
Charlie lifted his chin as he stared straight ahead. “It just might. I hope so.”
***
“You want to talk with the bartender?”
“He might know something about the woman, but he doesn’t have any information on the horse that went missing.”
“But the woman didn’t die from being shot by the sheriff. We can’t tell anyone that.”
“That’s a good point.” Charlie walked toward the bar and sat down on a chair as if he were sitting on an invisible horse. The bartender raised his head from mixing a drink and smiled in response. Charlie waved to him.
“What would you like?” the bartender asked.
“A mug of beer,” Charlie answered.
The bartender filled the mug with dark red liquid. Charlie took a sip and set it back on the bar.
“What is the sheriff’s name?” Charlie asked. “I’d like to speak to him.”
“Why? You already know who it is.”
“I need to know what happened to the woman in town. I need to know why she died and what happened to her horse.”
“You already know.” The bartender turned away from Charlie and continued mixing another drink.
Charlie frowned as he watched the bartender work. “No, we don’t. Did you see where the dead woman was found?”
“I saw her body.”
“Did you see who did it?”
“Of course I did. It wasn’t the sheriff.” The bartender turned toward Charlie but kept his eyes on the glass in front of him. “It was a woman.”
“Was she alone?”
The bartender nodded. “She was the only one around here, and she had no friends or relatives.”
“Do you know anything else about her? Anything at all?”
“How about the name of this woman? Was it a married woman?”
“Yes, she was. We call her the widow.”
“Oh, really. She lived with the sheriff and she had a husband?”
“That’s right. She did.”
“Is there any other way we could learn the name of the widow?”
“Not for me to tell.”
Charlie picked up his beer mug and downed the rest of the beer. He returned the empty mug to the bar and said, “Thank you for your time.”
The bartender shrugged his shoulders and went back to mixing drinks.
Charlie jumped off the chair and walked out of the saloon. Boyd followed behind. As they walked along the street, Charlie asked, “What’s your name?”
“You know my name. I’m Boyd.”
“Boyd, the sheriff killed her and then buried her alive.”
“So what makes you think that?”
“Because he shot down her horse. That tells us he had the opportunity to do it, which means it probably happened.”
“If that were the case, then why would the sheriff lie about shooting down her horse when we’ve already seen him shoot down the woman?”
“I don’t know, but we should ask him.”
“Why would we want to bother him?”
“He’s our best lead to the murderer.”
“But why should we talk to him?”
“To get information. Then we’ll know if the sheriff did this crime.”
“Are you suggesting we follow the sheriff around until he does something wrong?”
“No.”
“Then what are you suggesting?”
“We just watch him and wait to see what he’s going to do next.”
“So you think the woman’s husband or a relative of the woman might kill the sheriff?”
“Not exactly.” Charlie shook his head. “We need to find the killer and the only way to do that is to watch the sheriff and see what he does.”
Boyd said, “That seems like a lot of work.”
“Yes, it does, but we’re not getting anywhere as we stand here talking about it. It looks like the sheriff is done for the day. Let’s go talk with him.”
***
The sheriff nodded toward two chairs in front of his desk. “Take a seat. Would you mind telling me your names?”
“We’re private investigators. We’re here on behalf of the widow. You can call her Mrs. Fletcher.”
“What brings you to our town?”
“Her death.”
“And who’s your employer?”
“None other than the widow herself.”
“Good for her,” he said. “Can I ask why you came to my office?”
“She needs help. She’s convinced the sheriff did the killing and she wants us to prove otherwise.”
“How about some identification?”
“You don’t have to ask.” Charlie reached inside his shirt and pulled out a badge. “This proves we’re authorized to be here. Our credentials are there in case you’re curious.” Charlie held the badge up and offered it to the sheriff.
Charlie smiled at the sheriff. He seemed honest enough, but it was hard for him to tell what the man might be hiding behind that pleasant smile. The sheriff glanced down at the badge and then back at Charlie. He reached into a drawer and removed another badge, which he handed over to Charlie. “Just so we know who we’re talking to and not some stranger trying to sell us something.”
“Thank you.”
The sheriff looked at the badge, but his eyes never left Charlie.
“We’d appreciate it if you could help us.”
“I already helped you,” he said.
“Then why haven’t we solved this crime yet? We were here three days ago and saw the body. It happened before that. Why do you think the widow thinks you killed her?”
“Maybe I did.”
Boyd leaned forward. “That’s enough.”
The sheriff glanced at Boyd and turned back to Charlie. “What makes you think we did this?”
“The woman’s husband was here just a couple of days ago and he told us the same thing.”
“Did he also tell you he had no connection to the murder?”
“No, he didn’t say that, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved.”
The sheriff pushed a chair away from his desk and walked toward the bar. He stopped by the bartender and asked, “Is there anything else I can get you?”
The bartender nodded and the sheriff returned to the table with two drinks in his hand. “Let me pour your drinks for you. I hope you’re thirsty because that’s what you’ll have to drink until you leave.” He set the drinks on the table and sat down across from them. “Your drinks will taste much better when they’ve been diluted a little bit.”
Charlie tried to hold his temper, but it was hard when people were constantly trying to trick him. “How is it your water tastes so bad?”
“It’s not the water. The water is fine.” He smiled and took a drink of the whiskey he’d poured for himself. “I’m only asking you to try our poison.”
“You said it wasn’t the water.”
“Why don’t you ask the bartender what he thinks about my water then you might want to go back to where you came from.”
Charlie said, “If he doesn’t like the taste of your water, why do you keep serving it?”
“He’s just a bartender. It’s up to him how he serves his customers.”
“So what would you like us to drink?”
The sheriff drained the shot glass before turning to Charlie and said, “It’s whiskey. What else could I offer you?” He reached across the table, grabbed both drinks, and shoved them toward him. “Drink and we’ll see what you say after you’ve had enough.”
Boyd said, “We’re not going to drink.”
The sheriff laughed. “That’s funny. We’re just trying to help you solve the murder.”
“And that’s the problem. You don’t want us to solve this case or maybe you already have solved it and you’re trying to hide the fact that you did the deed by telling the widow you didn’t.”
“I may have committed the murder,” the sheriff admitted, “but I’m not trying to hide it. The only reason anyone would want to cover it up is if they didn’t do the killing. You saw the body. If there was another killer, why haven’t you found them yet?”
Charlie shook his head. “You were here a few days ago. Why did it take you so long to discover the man’s body? Where are the other bodies?”
“There are no more bodies.”
“Then why isn’t the woman happy with the work you’re doing?”
“Because she has her own motives for wanting to solve the murder.”
Charlie said, “Let me ask you something. Can a person commit murder and then come back and live his life just as it was before?”
The sheriff took a drink of whiskey and nodded his head. “It happens all the time. You think about the murder every waking moment until you find the killer and bring him to justice.”
“But it doesn’t mean he can live his life. That’s impossible.”
“If the murderer thinks that way, then why do people go on with their lives after they’ve done such horrible things?”
Charlie said nothing. He glanced at Charlie. The man seemed so sincere, but he knew better. His real motive was probably money and if the sheriff didn’t know this man had killed, Boyd would have told him that when the sheriff had asked him questions earlier. But Boyd could only answer so many questions without the sheriff realizing what he was doing.
The sheriff leaned over and said, “If you don’t want any drinks, I’ll be happy to take these from you. We don’t want them to get in your way. And it will make our job easier.”
“We’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t.”
“You’re right. You’ll need the water to see the sights.” The sheriff got up and walked away, returning to his desk. He sat down and wrote something on the paper before pushing it across the table toward Charlie. “There is only one way to leave town. You can go around by the railroad tracks or you can go out through the back gate of the hotel.”
“Which way do we go?” Charlie asked.
“I thought you were going to ask me why I sent you here.”
Charlie ignored his comment and said, “It seems as if you’re trying to confuse us. You keep giving us directions to different places that all lead back to where you came from.”
“Then maybe you should just turn around and go home. This town isn’t for you.”
“You’re trying to confuse us and that’s why you want to send us away.”
“That’s not true.”
“Well then, why are you so adamant about sending us somewhere else? What are you hiding from?”
“Nothing,” he snapped, “and if you don’t believe me, come on. Let’s go to bed.” He slammed the desk drawer shut. “I’ve worked too hard on this case to let some outsiders interfere. And we’re not the only ones who think so. The woman we’re after is coming here tonight.”
The sheriff rose from his seat and said, “Good luck finding her. If she isn’t already inside the saloon, she won’t be there much longer.” He started walking out of his office, but stopped in the doorway and turned. “And we’ll see what happens when she finds you and your friend here.”
***
It was a short walk from the sheriff’s office to the saloon. As soon as they passed the front door, Charlie felt uncomfortable and the feeling didn’t leave until he glanced back and saw the sheriff’s horse standing at attention.
The horse didn’t move after the sheriff left. Charlie didn’t know if it was because it wasn’t trained well enough to go anywhere by itself or because the animal had something to do with the sheriff’s desire to keep them out. It didn’t matter now. Charlie knew the sheriff wouldn’t have wanted Charlie and Edna to stay in the hotel and would have given them directions on how to get into town.
There were a few men and women standing outside the saloon when they stepped inside. One man said, “Hey, Charlie, where have you been?”
He walked over to a group of people and waved to them before making his way to the bar and sitting down.
The bartender said, “You sure took your time getting here. You almost missed it.”
Charlie shrugged his shoulders and said, “It took us a little while to find the right direction.”
“What direction would that be? The sheriff sent you here to check out the saloon, but he didn’t tell me what for.”
Charlie lifted the whiskey glass and downed the last of the drink. “Why did you come to the sheriff’s office?”
“Because we’re looking for the woman who killed her husband and then ran off and left her three children to starve to death. I figure if she’s here, then you must be too.”
The bartender looked around at the men and women in the saloon, but they all ignored the question. The bartender shook his head and then said, “I don’t know what else to say other than the sheriff told us to take you to the saloon where we can talk in private. But the sheriff also said that we’re not to leave the saloon without telling him.”
“That’s fine with us,” Charlie said as he started to stand up. “We’ll take you to the sheriff. Maybe he’ll tell us where to find this woman.”
As soon as they got to the door, Edna put her hand on his arm and said, “Charlie, why do you want to see her so badly?”
He looked at Edna and then down at the floor. “Well, first of all, I’d like to know who she is. It seems as though you know her already. Second of all, we were hired by the victim’s brother to find her and bring her back to face justice.”
“Do you have any idea who it was?”
“No, but I’m hoping she’ll tell us something when she sees us.”
They walked into the sheriff’s office and found the sheriff sitting in his chair with his feet up on the desk and the papers in front of him. He didn’t look up until Charlie said, “Good morning.”
“Morning. So how did things go? Did you get in and out of town without a hitch?”
“Yes, we made it in and out of town without a problem.”
“I guess you didn’t see the sheriff’s horse standing outside the saloon. That’s probably because it belongs to your friend, Sam,” the sheriff said, nodding toward Edna. “She told me about the woman who killed her husband and ran off. He also mentioned that you’re looking for her.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What?” the sheriff asked. “You didn’t get that information from Edna, did you?”
“It wasn’t from her,” Charlie replied. “If anything, we learned more about the woman by searching for the victims’ killer. And what do you mean when you say Sam’s horse has something to do with the sheriff wanting us here?”
The sheriff stood up from his chair and moved around to the side of the desk and put his hands on it. He leaned over so far that the other men in the room could hear him. “When we got here this morning, the sheriff wanted me to keep a close eye on you two until you left.
That was when I heard the sounds coming from the saloon and figured it was time to bring you here. You don’t think the sheriff knew he had a saloon full of people listening to every word you said in his office, do you?”
Charlie looked at Edna and she nodded her head. He knew then that they would never be allowed to leave this saloon until they answered some questions and took a ride out of town in the back of the sheriff’s wagon.
As soon as the sheriff sat down, Edna walked up to him and said, “Sheriff, we were hired by Mr. Collins to find his wife’s murderer.”
“What makes you think this woman killed her husband?”
“Mr. Collins told us that he had been away for two weeks, and when he came home the man who was supposed to feed the children was gone. The kids were starving and there was nothing to eat. The only way the children were fed was by the woman’s older sister. It seems as though she was afraid to tell anyone what was going on. She didn’t even want her mother to know.”
“Sounds like your client is a fool,” the sheriff said. “He should have let the law handle it. But if he wanted justice, he would’ve sent a sheriff out here to arrest the killer.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Charlie replied. “We did what we were hired to do.”
“Did you find her?” the sheriff asked.
“Yes, we did,” Edna said. “She’s here, but we don’t know how long she’ll be allowed to stay. I’d say that you won’t see her for a while because we’re still waiting for the judge to show up in court to give her some kind of punishment.”
The sheriff rubbed his chin as he stared at them. “What makes you think the judge will come? You know how long it takes to get out here from town. And who knows how long it might take to find someone willing to ride out here to hear about this case?”
“The judge was very insistent, Sheriff, that you have the woman brought back and then to the jail. We’ll just have to wait for her,” Edna said. “I can’t imagine the judge is going to let the woman walk out of here with so much evidence against her. He probably has other cases he’s more interested in.”
“So you don’t think the woman killed her husband?” the sheriff asked.
“No, we don’t,” Charlie said. “I guess the reason the sheriff was so insistent on us coming here is to make sure the judge doesn’t get so mad he just gives her away to another family.”
“It would be a shame to see someone go down for a crime she didn’t commit,” the sheriff said. “It’s probably best we get this woman out of here before the judge hears all this and gets curious and asks why you two are so interested in her.”
“Thank you,” Edna said. She walked around the front of the desk and gave the sheriff a quick hug. Charlie could tell she was trying not to show how happy she was about the idea of getting this woman out of town. The sheriff pulled her back from him and said, “Now, get your horses saddled. We’re leaving.”
Charlie followed Edna out of the office, and the sheriff followed behind them. They passed through the saloon to where their horses were tethered, and the sheriff reached out and gave the reins to Edna. He went over to the other side of the bar and made himself busy.
Charlie watched the men watching him. One man was standing at a table talking to one of the waitresses as he picked up a bottle from the center of the table. A few other men were sitting at the bar drinking beer. As soon as Charlie left the office, several men got up and moved over toward the back of the room. It seemed like there was a lot of whispering and talking among these men.
The End