Though the sun had been down for hours, the afternoon heat still lingered in the Sheriff's office. There was a smell of urine and vomit from a Saturday night drunk that Mort had arrested. Mort sat at his desk reading. It would be time soon to make his rounds. Time to arrest more drunks.
Slim entered the sheriff's office with Jess lagging a few feet behind.
Mort looked up from reading the newspaper. Surprise colored his face. "Slim, didn't think I'd see you again tonight. Evenin' Jess."
Jess nodded.
Mort asked, "So Slim, what brings you here?"
"Mort, I think there's trouble out at the King's Ranch."
Mort eyed Slim carefully. "Slim, why don't you sit and tell me what's got you bothered?" He stood and pushed a chair towards Slim. He glanced again at Jess, studying the young cowboy for a long second. Jess was leaning against the closed door. Mort invited, "How about some coffee?" Mort ambled to the pot belly stove that stood in the middle of the room.
Jess' look to Slim clearly stated that Jess was unimpressed with Mort's interest.
Slim said quickly, "Mort, Jess and Mattie caught Jim rustling today."
"They what?" Mort slammed the coffee pot down on the stove.
The noise caused the drunk in the jail cell to yell, "What's wrong?"
"Shut up!" Mort replied. Again Mort studied Jess. He had seen Jess each Saturday night in town. It seemed odd to him that Jess worked for Slim. But what seemed even stranger to Mort was that Slim and Jess were friends; their behavior towards each other almost brotherly. "Jess, why didn't you come tell me about this before now?"
Jess' face became more guarded. His body tensed as if he expected to fight.
Slim glanced impatiently at Jess. "Tell him," Slim ordered.
Jess explained, "Mattie wanted to tell you herself. She was supposed to ride in tonight."
"Mort, I want you to ride out with us to see if everything is all right at the King's ranch."
"It's awful late to be paying a visit." Again Jess drew Mort's attention. Jess had been a puzzlement to Mort since he had arrived in Laramie and gone to work for the Sherman Relay Station. Mort had arrested men like Jess. Men who had walked both sides of the law. Still he couldn't decide about Jess, which side he was leaning towards. From what Slim had said, Jess was a hard worker. Good with horses, Slim had claimed. Still the peacemaker that Jess wore low on his hip showed that the young cowboy was equally good at using a gun. Mort had already decided that he should treat Jess like a rattle snake for the boy had a hair-trigger temper, and just like a rattler, Mort wasn't sure when Jess would strike out. "Jess, you sure it was Jim you saw?"
Slim frowned.
Jess nodded. "It was him all right."
Mort walked back to his desk and sat down. He leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of coffee. "You boys sure you don't want some? Awful good on a night like this."
Jess glanced with confusion at Slim.
Anger torched Slim's rugged face. "Mort, you don't act concerned about this."
"Well, if I was a betting man, I'd say Jess saw the cattle being rustled on the south range of the King's Ranch. That so, Jess?"
Jess' eyebrows raised with surprise. "I sure did."
"So you were there this morning?" Mort questioned.
Jess only nodded.
"Then by all rights, I should arrest you for rustling," Mort added.
"Me?" Jess' hand touched the butt of his gun as his body tensed with anticipation.
"Now wait a minute, Mort!" Slim said quickly moving to block Jess' aim. "Jess didn't-"
"And I'm not saying he did." Mort put his cup down hard on his desk. "What do you know about this, Slim? Where you there too?"
"No. I was at the relay station waiting for the stage to pass through."
"So it's just Jess' word," Mort concluded.
"Something wrong with my word?" Jess temper ignited.
"Simmer down. I'm just asking," Mort said calmly, but his hand moved to rest on the butt of his colt.
"Listen, sheriff," Jess said with an edge to each word, "I know what I saw. Jim was rustling the King's herd along with a man named Thorton."
Mort looked thoughtful. "Thorton, huh? I remember him. Arrested him a time or two for breaking up the saloon." Mort took a long sip of coffee.
Frustration marred Jess' handsome face. "Ain't you going to do something?" Jess shouted. "Or you just going to sit there drinking coffee all night?"
Mort's eyes stared for a quick second at Jess before he replied, "Jim came to see me awhile ago. Claimed he and Mattie saw you, Jess, rustling the King's cattle this morning on their south range."
"That's a lie!" Jess argued, his voice so loud that the drunk again asked, "What?"
Jess said in a rush of words, "Mattie was there all right. But she was with me, not Jim. She was supposed to ride in here tonight and tell you about Jim."
"Jim said Mattie was going to ride in tomorrow and tell me about you."
Slim said, "Mort, if Jess was rustling, he'd be long gone by now."
"I reckon Jim would be too," Mort reasoned. "But just like you, Jess, he was in Laramie tonight."
"Mort, I've known you a long time," Slim said, "and I've never lied to you."
"No, you haven't Slim. But I've just known Jess for a few weeks."
"You calling me a liar, Sheriff?" A dangerous look of rage raced across Jess' face.
Mort stayed seated but his hand tightened on the handle of his gun. "All I'm saying is I know the trouble between the two spreads. I know the accusation against you, Slim. Mattie's talked to me a time or two. So I got to ask myself why would someone who works for Slim and one of the King girls suddenly be riding together, turning on the King's foreman?"
"Jess!" Slim grabbed Jess' arm as he started forward.
"Mind you I'm just asking," Mort stated. "And I plan on asking that very same question to Mattie tomorrow morning when I ride out there. But tonight, without talking to Mattie, it's just Jess' word against Jim's. And with all the trouble you've been having between the two ranches, I can't take sides without proof."
Slim's frustration boiled over, "Mort, then ride out there tonight and ask Mattie."
But Mort didn't move from his chair as he said, "Morning will be soon enough to find out who's lying and who's not."
"I don't lie!" Jess snarled.
"Reckon that will be proved tomorrow." Mort's glare locked on Jess, watching his every movement. Mort's thumb stroked the butt of his colt as if to reassure himself he was armed.
But Jess turned towards Slim, "Slim, I told you that the law ain't going to listen. Come on, let's ride."
Mort sat up straight in his chair. "Now you boys, hold on! If you're thinking of riding to the King's Ranch-"
"That's exactly what we're thinking!" Jess answered. "If the law won't help us, then-"
"Slim, I'd expect something like this from Jess-"
Jess turned angrily towards the Sheriff. Slim stepped in front of Jess, stopping his movement.
"But I don't expect something like this from you," Mort finished. "Now I'm asking you, Slim, as a friend, not to ride out there tonight. I'll ride out there tomorrow mornin'. Crack of dawn if you like."
"Mort, by that time it may be too late!" Slim snapped tersely.
"How so?"
"If Jim finds out that Mattie and Val know that he's a rustler, he may just decide not to leave any witnesses behind."
"There's Jess."
"Like you said, Sheriff, it would be my word against his," Jess stated.
Slim added, "Mort, if something happens to Mattie, then there's no proof of Jim rustling. And Val ain't going to let someone hurt Mattie. So she just might get hurt protecting her."
Mort was thoughtful.
Slim urged anxiously, "Mort, you've got to listen! And if you don't, then Jess and me are riding out there by ourselves. But I sure would rather have you come along."
Mort's eyes shifted from Slim to Jess. Mort's glare at Jess was so piercing that Jess moved restlessly. Jess glanced uncertainly at Slim.
Slim waited but Mort said nothing. He just sat there at his desk, staring hard at Jess.
"Mort, you coming with us?" Slim finally asked.
Mort never glanced at Slim as his stare stayed locked on Jess. "Jess, you sure about what you saw?"
"Dead sure," Jess replied.
"Oh, all right." Mort stood. He retrieved a box of bullets from the desk drawer. He began loading his gun. "Not that I'm expecting trouble, mind you. And I think the best way to make sure there won't be any trouble is if I go alone."
Slim immediately disagreed, "Mort, I'm going with you."
"Slim, I want you to let me go alone. Less trouble that way."
"Mort, I got to go! I got to see for myself."
Mort saw the fear on Slim's face. He knew about Slim and Val. "Oh, all right." He glanced at Jess.
"'Spect you want to ride along too?"
Jess nodded.
"All right," Mort said reluctantly. "But I do the talking. Understand?"
Within minutes, Jess, Slim, and Mort were galloping towards the King's Ranch.
