"As sure as I can be," Jackson replied. "Once we heard them throwing things around, we all came running. That's when we caught them. It felt more like they were just trying to destroy stuff than steal it."
It kind of did. If I hadn't known they had attacked Ajag, calling him Jackson, that's what I'd assume. Pictures had been ripped off the walls, dishes lay shattered on the floor. Even the couch cushions had been tossed around. The place was a wreck.
"I can charge them with breaking and entering," the sheriff stated, "but that might not get them a lot of time. If theyhad actually stolen something, they'd be looking at a few years behind bars."
Okay, that was somewhat reasonable.
Jackson shook his head. "My cousins took most everything after Aunt Clara passed away. I don't know why they would break in here to steal. There isn't anything left."
"We're going to get it all back, Jackson," Ze'ev said. "The lawyer said we had a very good case."
The sheriff's eyebrows drew together as he squinted. "Lawyer?"
Jackson huffed as if he was greatly put upon. "When Aunt Clara died, she left a will and in that will she gave me the ranch and everything on it except for items she specifically wanted to go to other people. My cousins decided that they weren't satisfied with what she left them and cleaned me out."
"They left him with less than three hundred dollars, some chickens, a horse, and a duck," Ze'ev stated. "They took everything else that wasn't nailed down."
"Ze'ev helped me get a lawyer so I could sue them." Jackson suddenly gasped and turned to Ze'ev. "You don't think Emma and William could be behind this, do you?"
Bravo!
I felt like clapping. Jackson's acting deserved a Golden Globe nomination. I knew they wanted to get the sheriff interested in investigating Emma and William. I just didn't know this was the way they planned to do it.
"You think this is a scare tactic?" Ze'ev asked.
Even I stared at him.
His acting wasn't as good as Jackson's.
"You think your cousins could have hired these idiots to scare you and make you drop the lawsuit?" the sheriff asked.
"Well, I didn't before, but I do now." Jackson frowned. "I knew they were upset that Aunt Clara left me the ranch, but Inever thought they'd harm me. Of course, I didn't think they'd steal from me either and look at this place. They took almost everything."
"I'll need to see a copy of that will so I can add it to the case file."
"I can call the lawyer and have him fax you a copy."
The sheriff nodded. "Have him send it over first thing in the morning. If Ms. Clara really left you the ranch, she must have wanted you to have it for some reason. That woman did a lot for this community. I won't let her legacy be destroyed by a bunch of money hungry morons."
A decent sheriff? Not sure I'd ever run into one of those.
I glanced toward the staircase when I heard footsteps. Lu was coming down with one of the deputies. When I glanced behind them, I didn't see anyone else. I couldn't exactly ask, but I was pretty sure Lu had hidden Ajag and Sy somehow.
The sheriff turned in their direction when they reached the bottom of the stairs and started toward us. "This is everyone from upstairs?"
The deputy nodded. "I searched every room, Sheriff. This guy was the only one upstairs."
"What is your name?" the sheriff asked.
Lu made a couple of hand gestures.
"My apologies, Sheriff," Gunny stated. "My brother is mute. He can hear, but he can't speak."
"I still need to know his name and I can't understand whatever he just did with his hands."
"His name is Ludulf Volkov."
The sheriff glanced at Gunny, me, and then Ze'ev. "You guys related?"
