The Fire in Ember - DiAnn Mills [86]
“I’ve got my gun aimed at you,” John said. “Come on out of there, or I’m opening fire.”
The rustling increased, and a gray-haired woman crawled out of the hay with a rifle in her hand. “Please, mister, don’t shoot me. I don’t know where Ralph is.”
John took her rifle, then helped her to her feet. “If you have nothing to tell me, why are you hiding?”
Her eyes widened. “Because I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Are you one of them?” Her lips quivered.
“You heard the US Marshal. We’re here on law business.”
Her eyes darted back and forth across the loft like a frightened animal.
“Ma’am, let’s climb down the ladder so we can talk. We’re not here to hurt you but to find out information on Ralph’s whereabouts.” He took her hand and led her to the ladder.
The woman didn’t look over ninety pounds. She picked at the pieces of hay sticking to her faded brown dress. With a sigh she followed John to the ladder. Once she was near the barn floor, Wirt helped her the rest of the way.
“Miss Hanson, I’m US Marshal Wirt Zimmerman, and the young man climbing down the ladder is the deputy from Rocky Falls. Your brother is missing, and we have reasons to believe he’s a part of a cattle rustlin’ gang.”
Her eyes pooled. “I haven’t seen him.”
“When did you see him last?”
She moistened her lips.
“Miss Hanson.” Wirt’s voice softened. “Is Ralph running from the law or someone else? Or both?”
John thought how much Wirt’s questioning sounded like the unanswered questions he’d posed to Ember.
“Ralph is my only brother.”
“Yes ma’am. Has he been here?”
She hesitated and looked from Wirt to John and back again. “I know my brother has broken the law, but I don’t know what he’s done. He said if I told anyone he’d been here, we’d both be killed.”
The similarities between Miss Hanson’s and Ember’s circumstances reinforced John’s thoughts about the thieves. The connections … the man or men who used manipulation and fear to accomplish what was needed. Granted, most lawbreakers used clever tactics to outsmart the law. But what Ember refused to state was linked to fear, not only for herself but for the entire Timmons family. “Who would kill you?” John said.
“I don’t know who they are. Ralph said he had a job to do for them; then he would have enough money to leave the territory. But if he made a mistake or if I told, those men would kill us.” Her voice cracked, and she sucked in a sob.
In his gut, John knew she spoke the truth. He’d seen the same terror in Ember’s eyes. “Miss Hanson, I believe you.”
“I’m weary of watching the road and not lighting the lantern at night and hiding in the hayloft.” She lifted her chin. “I’d rather be dead than be a prisoner in my own home.”
John breathed in regret for the woman. Once he helped bring in the rustlers, he was devoting his time to Ember. If she didn’t tell him what and whom she feared, someday, someone would be pulling her down from a hayloft. And she’d be a frightened old woman who’d rather be dead than live another day looking over her shoulder. John turned his attention to Wirt.
“Ma’am,” Wirt said, “did Ralph tell you what he was doing? Or the names of who might harm you?”
She shook her head. “I’m so afraid.”
“Is there a place where you can go until this is over?” Wirt said. “A relative or friend?”
“My … my niece lives in Nebraska.”
Wirt smiled. “I understand you don’t trust us, but John and I would like to help you find safety.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“I’ll pay for it,” Wirt said. “You pack your things, and we’ll take you to the marshal to make arrangements.”
She gasped. “Why would you do that for me? I could be lying.”
“If you’re deceiving us, one day it’ll catch up to you. But what I see is a woman who wants to live free from the bondage of