Chapter 16
“Sorry it took me so long,” Ben apologized when he rounded the corner at the bottom of the basement steps.
“You make a habit of apologizing to your prisoners, Sheriff?” Ambrose Gilbert asked.
Dropping the plate on top of a crate of canned peaches, Ben slipped the forks out of his interior vest pocket and plopped them down. “I figure you’re doing me a favor. Least I can do is be cordial.”
“Cordial,” Baxter Orville rasped, then coughed. “That’s funny. Don’t seem too ‘cordial’ to me, Sheriff. More like cruel and unusual punishment – being locked up down here.”
“What’d you think I’d do when I said I’d hide you, Orville? Did you figure I was going to rent you a room at the hotel?” Ben snapped. “I’m doing the best I can to protect your families from Rassbach’s threats, and our secret won’t be safe much longer. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Danbury knows you’re here.”
“You said you’d ask the judge for clemency if we’d help you,” Gilbert reminded.
“And that’s exactly what I’ve done. Sent word to him a few days ago, but I haven’t heard back yet,” Ben explained before sitting down on another crate. “Eat up. I’ve got to get back upstairs before someone notices I’m missing. But I also wanted to ask you if you know anything about some robberies. Got a bunch of the workers from Warehouse 3 locked up for stealing a wagon full of lumber from the sawmill.”
“Couldn’t say one way or another,” Gilbert answered between bites. “But I can tell you there are about a dozen men at the railroad’s rooming house. And all of them seem to have a lot more money than they should, considering their . . . vices.”
“Names? Specifics?” Ben prompted.
“I’ll write the names down for you,” Orville sighed, finally more content with some food in his stomach. “And I can tell you this . . . a few of those fellas lose more money in one game than they can possibly earn on the loading docks in a month.”
“Between that, the ‘sweethearts of the night,’ and their whiskey?” Gilbert added. “Well, it just don’t add up to anything good.”
Ben picked up the empty plate and turned to go. Still, something was nagging at him. “If you two knew all this, why’d you let yourselves get tangles up in Rassbach’s scheme to kill Sheriff Danbury?”
Orville looked up. “All the evidence pointed to Arnold Danbury. At least, that is how Rassbach made it look. And when the Sheriff drew his gun that day? Well, that just seemed to confirm it.”
Ben had only been back at his desk about twenty minutes when the front door thumped open. Simon Rassbach breezed in with three other men and stomped over to the Sheriff.
“You got a bunch of my men locked up.” After slapping down some money, the railroad representative demanded, “Now, let them out.”
“Sorry, Rassbach. But those men stay put until the judge gets here.”
“We say otherwise,” one of the burly fellows with Rassbach growled.
“And who are you?” Ben asked, pulling a sheet of paper from his desk, giving the appearance that he was prepared to take notes.
“Keep quiet, Cardwell,” Rassbach demanded before leaning forward and getting in Ben’s face. “Those men work for me, and I want them out of here. Now.”
“You’ll have to take that up with Judge Lemke when he gets here. I expect him early next week, but I’ll let you know if I hear otherwise.”
Eyes narrowing, Simon Rassbach braced his palms on the desk and said, “I don’t think you understand, boy. You either get those men down here, or I’ll be appointing a new Sheriff.”
Dark eyes glinting with something unexpected, Ben slowly pushed his chair back and stood. “You can take that up with the Town Council. But in the meantime, let me remind you that Roses Briar isn’t just a railroad camp anymore. This town is run by the good folks who live here, Rassbach, and your opinion is welcome at any of the meetings. Next one is in about two weeks if you’d like to register your grievance.”
“I made you the law,” the enraged man snarled.
“No, sir. A vote of the Town Council gave me this star,” Ben reminded, flicking a finger against the piece of tin. “And I aim to do right by it.”
The windows rattled when the door slammed behind the furious railroad man, and Roseanna peeked out of the back room. Then she slid his rifle around the door frame and propped it back up against the wall where he’d left it before going to the cellar.
Ben let out a breath, then asked, “You plan to use that?”
“If I needed to,” she solemnly answered.
He watched the young woman for a minute after she clasped her trembling hands against her stomach. “Did you get any sleep?” the lawman softly asked, searching Roseanna’s tired face.
“A little. Hilda was rocking Jacob, but they are both snoring now,” she replied. “So, I think I’ll lay back down with the baby, if you don’t mind.”
“You rest. I’m going to lock things up and catch a little shut-eye too.”
Roseanna disappeared behind the doorframe, but her head popped back around a moment later. “Sweet dreams,” she softly called.