Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(57)

“We would’ve come back to talk to you, Greg. You didn’t need to haul him over here.” Cheyenne stepped forward and offered her hand to Gatlin. “But I’m glad you did. We’ve got some serious questions for Kingston, and they concern our interest in having Oliver Hawkins arrested.”

Wyatt noticed both John McCall and Rachel eased back and let Cheyenne do the talking. It was smart of them. Let the locals, who were well known to both sheriffs, open this ball.

“Hawkins?” Corly leaned forward and placed both hands flat on his desk. “What did he do?”

Cheyenne did some fast talking to explain why they were after Hawkins. She showed them the notes Molly had found.

Wyatt noticed the word found. Which skipped over some important details.

Corly had some sharp questions for Rachel, and she took over. Wyatt noticed her clear, calm way of talking about all she’d found. She produced her notes and talked about the Jeffers House of Refuge.

“And Kingston is connected because we’ve found proof he, Clovis, and Hawkins knew each other, might even be brothers. They’ve been real careful to keep that a secret,” Cheyenne said.

“I can tell you right now, Hawkins was a regular visitor to Kingston and so was Clovis,” Gatlin said. “I never thought much of it, but now that Kingston shot someone, and with your suspicions about a connection between them, brothers makes sense. A connection they kept quiet.”

“We’re expecting a letter with more details about Jeffers, but it’s not here yet,” Rachel said.

“We haven’t checked this morning. I’ll go.” John darted out of the building.

“The letter will tell us what sent them to prison as youngsters. What we do know is that they filtered into this country one at a time. Hawkins first with his young wife and child.” Rachel gestured at Win. “Then Clovis, who took up with Katherine Brewster and married her faster than was wise. And a while later, Randall Kingston with his wealth and no real ability to explain where it came from. Their goal was to cheat people, and all three of them have been real successful at it.”

“Kingston wasn’t much liked in Casper,” Sheriff Gatlin said. “Finding out he’s gotten his money in a dishonest way wouldn’t surprise none of us.”

John came in carrying a packet of papers. “I’ve been reading as I walked and found out Clovis and Randall Hunt and Jethro Pervis were brothers sent to the boys’ prison—and make no mistake, that’s what it was, not some school for orphans or such.”

“Pervis?” Wyatt asked. “One of the brothers had a different name?”

“Looks like it. It doesn’t say why.”

“Jethro must’ve changed his name to Oliver,” Falcon said.

“You said Randall had eyes that matched Pa’s and ours,” Kevin said. “I bet we’ll find out their pa married a woman with a son. Oliver doesn’t look like the other two.”

“Randall was a known thief in his small town.” John went on reading. “Clovis had cheated a few honest folks, and they’d forgiven him. But all three of them got arrested at once when it was . . . was . . .”

John looked up. His eyes locked on Win.

“Go ahead.” Win squared her shoulders. “I already believe the worst about him.”

“Your pa killed his parents.”

Win turned away. Kevin pulled her against his chest and held on tight.

A line of furrows appeared on John’s brow as he looked between Win and the letter.

“We need to hear the rest of it,” Kevin said quietly.

John nodded. “Their pa had a mean temper and was given to taking a fist to them. Their ma was quick with a switch, too. The townsfolk knew it, and that’s why they let the boys get away with small crimes many times, felt sorry for them. But when their parents went missing, folks noticed because their pa was always at the saloon. He swept up in there and kept his family fed but only just.”

“How long were they missing?” Sheriff Corly asked.

“About a week. Finally, a sheriff came to the house, and the boys all claimed their parents had run off, abandoning them. But the sheriff didn’t believe it. It didn’t take long to find two graves dug in the root cellar. The boys’ story changed, and they claimed their folks killed each other, and the boys’ only part in it was burying them. But the questioning went on until Randall confessed that Oliver had killed them in their sleep. They all three got sent to Jeffers. But they were young, and there was some sympathy for them, so they stayed a few years, finished growing up, got fed better than they had at home, and learned to read and cipher. Then they were let loose.”

John looked up. “Clovis had been out a year when he married your ma, Falcon. Randall and Oliver left the area. I suspect they headed north, got rid of their Tennessee accents, and set out to get rich however they could.”

“Oliver was always the worst of us.” A voice turned them all around. They watched Randall Kingston sit up on the cot in the jailhouse. He rubbed both hands over his face. “I was a thief. Clovis a liar and a cheat. Oliver a killer. A fine lot we were. The one thing we came away from our childhood with was loyalty to each other. That’s why I’ve kept quiet about Oliver all these years. I had my doubts about how his wife died, but I wasn’t around and didn’t really know about it. I could let myself believe she’d died birthing a child. I never heard tell of the housekeepers.”