“Good to meet you.” Charlie shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for what you did.” He turned to his side. “This is my father, Bertram Decker. He’s the bank’s owner.”
Sweeney and Barnes gave a nod. Sweeney used his thumb to motion back over his shoulder. “The money’s been recovered. All of it’s there. Lane had an additional two hundred dollars and some change on his person, but the amount you told me about from the safe was all together in his suitcase. I’ll send a couple of armed men with you if you want to take it back to the bank.”
“That would be wonderful,” Charlie’s father answered.
“Where did they find him?” Charlie asked.
“We learned he’d gotten off the stage in Fort Collins,” Barnes replied. “He paid a fella to pose as him and get back on the stage and continue to Denver. The fella took the money and then changed his mind. From that we learned Lane bought a horse and gear. We were able to track him from where he bought it and followed a trail up into the mountains. Apparently, his pa owned the cabin where we found him.”
Charlie wasn’t surprised that Jefferson had planned it all out. Lane didn’t strike him as someone who would act willy-nilly.
“May I speak with him?” Charlie asked.
Sweeney shrugged. “Don’t know why not. Ed, take Mr. Decker to Lane’s cell.”
Edward nodded. Charlie turned to his father. “I’ll be rightback, I just want to ... I don’t know ... say something to Jefferson. I hate how this all turned out.”
“Go ahead. I’ll be here.”
Charlie followed Edward to the cells. Jefferson sat on a cot, staring at the wall. “Jefferson, I’m sorry things came to this,” Charlie said, gazing through the bars of the jail cell.
Jefferson barely glanced up. He quickly went back to looking at the wall. “I don’t want to sit here and listen to your lecture or have to endure your gloating over me.”
“I didn’t come for either of those reasons,” Charlie replied. “I came to tell you that I was sorry things went the way they did and that I’d be praying for you.”
“Don’t bother. I don’t believe in God.”
“Well, I do, and since I’m the one doing the praying ... I think that’s enough for the time being.”
Jefferson fixed him with a hard look. “I’m not sorry for what I did.”
“Not even a little sorry?” Charlie asked in surprise. He couldn’t imagine being in Jefferson’s position without having a great deal of regret.
“I’m sorry I got caught,” Jefferson replied. He got up and walked over to where Charlie stood. “You don’t know anything about anything.”
“I know that you’re about to face a worse life than what you had. It seems like such a waste for someone like you. You’re obviously capable, even smart in some ways.”
“I’m very smart,” Jefferson countered. “Smarter than most.”
“I don’t know that I would say that.” Charlie could see his comment irritated Jefferson. “A smart man wouldn’t have landed himself here in jail.”
Jefferson’s eyes narrowed. He seemed on the edge ofspeaking, then returned to his place on the cot. “Like I said, you don’t know anything.”
“I suppose when it comes to throwing your life away, you’re right. I don’t know anything about it, nor do I want to.” Charlie looked to Edward. “I guess I’m done here.”
Two hours later, the money was back in the safe at the bank, as well as the keys. Charlie’s father had agreed to an interview with Nathan Baker, while Charlie finally showed Melody the property he wanted to purchase for their future.
The builder worked upstairs while Charlie escorted Melody through the downstairs rooms. She was amazed at the size of the place.
“It’s bigger than Marybeth’s house, and I thought that was huge.”
“You’ve been living in a tent for what, two or three years? Any other place would seem big,” Charlie said, laughing. He showed her to the second of two parlors. “This could be a library or music room or whatever you want it to be.”
“It’s beautiful, Charlie. I can’t imagine living here.”
“But would you like to? I won’t buy this house and the property next door if you don’t like it.”
“I like it very much. It would be a wonderful home.”
