“How hard could it be to buy some and leave them around the stagecoach? People are always buying up Indian artifacts for museums. A white man who has the skill to make bows and arrows could easily paint them in the Sioux fashion and leave them around after the attack. The deaths were caused by bullets. A couple of people were shot with arrows, but anyone could have shot them if they had a bow. They might have even done so after the people were dead.”
“But the men were scalped.”
“A white man could do that as easily as a native.”
Laura looked as if she might be sick. She glanced around as if to make certain no one could overhear her next words. “Then my father might be responsible for ... all that happened?”
Will put an arm out to steady her as she swayed. He thought she might faint, but she straightened and looked at him. Her eyes were wide with fear. “Surely not. He can’t be that ruthless and cruel.”
But even as she spoke, Will could see in her expression that she already knew the answer to that question. Her eyes filled with tears.
“All of my life I’ve adored him. I thought he was the finest and best of men. He loved my mother so dearly, and when she died ... our world fell apart. He was heartbroken.” She sniffed back tears and used the edge of her shawl to wipe her face.
“I thought he was a good man. He always assured me of his love and kindness. People all around Cheyenne have told me what a wonderful man he is, but I know now for myself that he’s not. He takes and sells stolen goods. He lies to cover up what he’s done. And he ... he may have been responsible for killing innocent people.” She broke down, unable to hold back her emotions.
Will pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried, but the dreadful conclusion was playing out in his thoughts as well. Granite Evans very well may have staged the entire attack. There had been all sorts of Indian attacks along the stage routes. Both private and freight company wagons had been attacked, and it was thought Indians were responsible since they chased off the drivers and took the horses and wagons. The victims had fled for their lives, asserting that Indians had tried to kill them. What if all of it had been white men posing as Indians? Men who wanted the Indians to be blamed. But to what end?
Granite Evans was all about politics. He wanted the governorship for himself. He knew the Indians were a problem to the whites. They held reservation lands that might be good farm and ranch lands, and the whites were eager for homestead lands. Evans might have it in mind that he could turn everyone against the Indians and see them moved out of the territory altogether.
He put such thoughts aside and looked down at the woman in his arms. She was heartbroken. She had donenothing wrong, and he could not blame her for the deeds of her father. He cared too much about her.
As if hearing his thoughts, Laura looked up. “If my father is to blame ... if he’s responsible for the death of those people ... then he’s evil and must be made to pay for his actions. I will do whatever we have to do to see justice done.”
“Justice...” Will murmured the word. “I have just been reading in Micah six as I’ve been trying to figure out what God wants of me.”
She nodded. “‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORDrequire of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’”
Will nodded. “Exactly.” He gently touched her cheek. “I know this is hard on you, Laura. For that I am so very sorry, but I agree that justice must be done. We must find the truth and see that whoever is responsible pays for what they’ve done. Too many people have suffered.”
After dropping Laura off at her house, Will made his way to the city marshal’s office. He shared the information Laura had given him with Edward Vogel and waited to see what his thoughts might be.
“And that’s why I think it’s possible that Granite Evans has a gang of cutthroats who has been pulling all of these attacks around Cheyenne.”
From his expression, it looked like Edward was just as shocked as Will had been. “The man has a sterling reputation. He’s liked by everyone and has helped a lot of the local charities. Even the army esteems him.”
“I know. Laura thought him a hero as well, but she told me of things that have happened since she’s arrived that havechanged her thinking. This is just one more thing in a long line of discrepancies. She heard him threaten to kill a young employee, but he said he was just trying to drive home a point and scare the boy. Then she overheard him tell one of his men to drown a kitten she’d found—the one you have now.”
“From what you’ve said, it sounds like he’s power hungry.”
“I haven’t told you one other thing. It’s something that you’re going to have to take straight to the top of the law enforcement around here.”
Edward cocked his head slightly, and his brows came together in a worried look. “There’s more?”
“Unfortunately. Mrs. Duffy said she heard Granite Evans say that he plans to kill the new governor.”
“The governor?” Disbelief was evident in Edward’s tone, and Will gave a nod.
“Apparently Evans is making a plan to get the position for himself.”
20
That night Will sat up thinking about all that Laura had told him and all that had happened over the last few months. His relationship with God was on better footing, but there were still times when Will prayed in a more accusing fashion than he should. He always sought God’s forgiveness and knew his thoughts were already known to God before the words came out of his mouth, but sometimes he felt so ashamed.
God was good. Will knew that. He knew that God hadn’t ceased to be good or loving just because his mother and sister had died. God hadn’t stopped being in control just because bad things had happened and bad men were prevailing. They wouldn’t prevail forever.
“But what am I supposed to do now? My mother and sister were murdered, possibly by white men seeking nothing more than money. My lifelong desire to serve You is in tatters, and my faith is shaken.” He looked toward the ceiling as if he might glimpse God there. “What am I supposed to do now?”
He saw the letter he’d received sitting on the dresser. It was from the family lawyer. His mother’s will had lefteverything to him with the instructions to take care of his sister. With her dead as well, the small fortune came to him alone. He wouldn’t necessarily have to do anything for a while. But he’d never been one to sit idle.
