“I am.” She straightened her shoulders. “And if he tries to kill Denton again, I’ll happily shoot the man again.”
Denton grinned, and his love grew for this special lady.
“I did as Mr. Tibbs and Mrs. Jackson requested. I kept Miss Louise handcuffed to the chair and went to check on the man you shot.” He shrugged. “You were right. He had a bag full of gold coins, and the bag was monogrammed with Miss Louise’s initials, and smelled of her perfume.”
Courtney beamed. “That’s wonderful. I’m glad he still had the money on his person.”
“The servants also told me that you witnessed the exchange between him and Miss Louise.”
“I did.”
His mouth tightened as he scratched his neck. “I’m having a hard time believing that you saw this.”
“Why?” Denton snapped, anger filling him quickly.
“Because you had run from a murder scene, which makes you look guilty.”
Panic crossed Courtney’s expression, and her face paled slightly. “If you had been forced to marry someone so much older than you, and then ridiculed and hated by that person’s children, then you found that person dead... You would be smart enough to know that if you didn’t get out of there, you’d be arrested for a crime you didn’t commit.”
Denton closed his mouth, realizing he couldn’t have said it any better. He studied the sheriff, and thankfully, the man appeared to be on Courtney’s side. Denton could only hope.
“Sheriff,” Denton said, “I don’t know if Louise had anything to do with her father’s death, but according to Mr. Tibbs, he knows who the killer is.”
The sheriff sighed again and scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands. “I cannot accept that it was Terrance.” He shook his head. “I’ve never known him to have a mean bone in his body.”
Denton thought back over his memories with Terrance, and although a few times the man had become upset, it never escalated into anything violent. “It’s difficult for me to accept, as well. He is my good friend. But Mr. Tibbs saw Terrance enter Albert’s study, and they quarreled, Tibbs heard the thud of Albert’s body crumbling to the floor, and then Terrance leaving. And let’s not forget that Terrance threatened Tibbs that if he said anything, he’d ruin him – or worse.”
“Yes. Tibbs is a respected man who was loyal to Albert Greenwood.”
“Then I suggest,” Denton said, “we travel to Stumptown tomorrow and find him.”
Sheriff Smith motioned to Denton’s bandaged arm. “Are you going to feel like riding that far?”
“Terrance is my friend. I want to get the truth out of him. His father’s death needs to be solved soon.”
The sheriff nodded. “Then, we’ll leave at sunrise.”
