Will calmed. “Why did he seek you out?”
“As I said, things like that happen all the time. I often get fellas stopping by to sell me items. It just happens when you own a store. Folks figure you might buy goods similar to what you carry and then resell them. We have a section of jewelry in our store, and the man probably assumed I would be interested in seeing what he had.”
“Besides the necklace, did he have other jewelry? Like rings? My sister would have been wearing a pearl ring. My mother would have worn two rings. Her wedding ring was an engraved gold band. The other ring was a large emerald, square cut. My mother might also have worn other jewelry.”
“No, he didn’t show me anything like that. Just the necklace. It reminded me of Laura and her love of Scripture, so I purchased it. The rest of the things were of no concern to me.”
“And he said nothing about where he was headed? Are you sure he didn’t stick around in town?”
Granite shook his head. “No, he told me specifically thathe was on his way out of town. Just needed to get some supplies, but first needed to make some money.”
“So he would have gone to other stores. Maybe someone there learned more about him. What did he look like?” Will knew he was again sounding more demanding than curious.
“Very much like every other drifter in this town. Dirty, threadbare clothes. He wore a faded blue shirt, and I couldn’t tell you what color the pants were. They were filthy. He smelled horrible, as most of those men do. I tell you, Will, I just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. I didn’t even argue when he asked me to give him two dollars for the necklace.”
“It was worth twenty,” Will muttered.
“I know. I recognized the value of it. I’m certainly sorry I failed to pay the man much heed. He was just unremarkable, and like I said, I was focused on moving him along.”
“He must have gone to at least one other place to get the supplies he needed. Did you happen to notice the direction he went?”
“He got on his horse and headed south. That was the last I saw him.”
“Have you talked to the sheriff about this?” Will shifted and leaned forward. “They need to be able to find this man. We need to know how he came by the necklace.” Will paused and fixed Evans with a look. “Did he say where he got it?”
The older man seemed to consider that. “I think he said he traded with some Indians.” Evans thought a moment longer. “Yes. Yes, I’m sure that’s what he said. Met up with some Sioux up north and traded them. He had food, and they were hungry. Yes, I remember him saying that.”
“Where up north was he when he made the trade?”
“I can’t tell you that. Honestly, Will, it’s fortunate that Ieven remember that much. We didn’t do a lot of talking. He was in a hurry, and so was I.”
“Well, we need to go speak with the sheriff. The army needs to know all of this since they’re out looking for the Indians.”
“Yes, I understand, and as soon as I finish up here, I’ll stop in to see him on my way to the store. I have just a few things that I must tend to first. I hope you know how sorry I am. I’ve already apologized to Laura. Pretending I had purchased the necklace and had it engraved for her was wrong, and I’m deeply ashamed.”
“I appreciate that you care about getting this figured out,” Will said, getting to his feet. He could see that Evans was anxious to get back to his work. “I’ll let myself out.”
“Just a moment, Mr. Porter. I had hoped to find out how you’re doing. Have you given any thought to my offer of a job? I can always use industrious, honest men such as yourself.”
“I haven’t thought about it. I’m rather caught up with this and some other projects.” But even as he spoke, Will knew he had little desire to work with Evans. There was something about the man and his ambitions that was off-putting to Will.
“Well, just know that the offer stands. Come see me if you need a good-paying job.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the offer.” Will walked to the open doorway and paused. “And thank you for your help.”
Evans stopped fussing with the papers in front of him. “That’s quite all right, Mr. Porter. I’m afraid it won’t give you much to go on. Drifters show up here every day, especially now that the weather has warmed up. There’s just no way of knowing who this fella was or where he’s gone.”
Will nodded. “I know the odds are against us, but I have to try to find him.”
“Why?”
Evans’s simple question caused a momentary sense of confusion in Will. Why was he looking for this man? What could he possibly offer Will? It wasn’t like he was responsible for his mother’s and sister’s deaths, nor did he have any of their other items. At least not according to Evans.
Will met Mr. Evans’s questioning gaze. “I don’t exactly know. I just know I must do whatever I can to get justice for my mother and sister.”
“Will, it won’t change what’s already happened. You can’t bring them back by finding the things that were taken from them. That drifter can’t help you with identifying the Indians responsible. One Indian looks pretty much like another, and if they’re wearing war paint, it’d be even harder to separate them out. And if they know someone is trying to find them, they’ll protect their own. I’m telling you, it would be better for you to just give this up.”
“I can’t give up. My mother and sister were killed only two months ago. Those Indians are around somewhere, and I intend to see the guilty parties brought to justice.”
