Her One Desire

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-one

Brookton One Week Later

"I am I found you two together," Mort Jennings told Worthington Schofield and Dan Hansen. Two days ago Jim Harrison and Sam Morgan had come to him with quite a wild tale but the more they told him the more he wondered if what they said wasn't the truth. They told him he would be receiving a telegram today from a Sheriff Harper in Providence saying Hays Dorgan was under arrest down there for attempting to murder some prominent person and sure enough he received one.

He knew who Hays Dorgan was but not who he worked for. They went on to explain why Dorgan was in Providence and how they got him to talk. They told him to about the card with Schofield's name on it. They weren't sure if Dorgan told the truth about Hansen or if both Hansen and Schofield were working together. It was interesting how Dorgan told them Hansen had been married to that Sarah Houser who's name was on those papers they showed him before.

"What is up?" Hansen asked him.

"Well the funny thing is I got this telegram from a sheriff in Texas today," Mort told the two and carefully watched for any reaction. He said he had Hays Dorgan there under arrest and wanted to know more about him."

"How can we help with that?" Schofield asked Mort.

"Well I have seen the man around town enough to know his name but not where he works. I was wondering if you two knew anything about him."

Schofield shrugged his shoulders. "I only met him once," he told Mort. "He came to my place about some land I had up for sale a while back. When I quoted him a price he said it was more then he had, thanked me and left. I have got no idea where he lives or how he makes a living."

That matched what Dorgan had told them in Providence about why he had Schofield's card on him. But could that have been prearranged? Mort wondered.

"Dan?" Mort said turning toward the attorney.

"Like you I have seen him around and know who he is. What they arrest him for?" Dan Hansen asked.

"Attempted murder of someone down there," Mort replied. "Well I guess I will have to ask around some more and see what anyone knows about him before I answer the sheriff's telegram. See you," Mort said and left their table.

He wondered around town asking different people questions about Hays Dorgan and no one could tell him any more then he already knew before he went back to his office. Later tonight he would pay a visit to The Golden Lady and ask a few questions there to cover his visit. When he left the café where Schofield and Hansen were eating he knew it would be up to Jim Harrison's people to see what the two men did after learning about Dorgan's supposed arrest in Providence.

* * *

Damn! Damn! Just what in the hell caused Hays to try to murder someone there in Providence, he wondered as he sat behind his desk.

Would Hays talk about him to try and win his freedom there?

No because Hays was just as responsible for the murders of those ranchers and cowhands as he was.

Maybe he should send some men to break Hays out of jail?

Maybe better still someone to eliminate Dorgan.

If he knew more about Providence he would but what if he sent more of the men down there just to get arrested. How many deputies did this Sheriff Harper have to defend the town he didn't know?

The more he watched Sheriff Jennings questioned people all over town he didnt think it was a trap set just for him.

Should he ride out the ranch and pay those men off and tell them to leave?