“This was an accident,” she said. The men all looked at her. “Plain and simple, it was an accident. When Crockett hit my pa, he didn’t intend to kill him.”
Crockett nodded. “She’s right. I wanted to slow him down so we could talk some sense into him. He was going after Ben pretty fierce.”
“And Ben won’t hit back when Pa does that,” Jane added.
“Janie.” Ben shook his head, his eyes not focusing on any of them.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but it’s the truth.” She put her hand protectively on Ben’s shoulder. “Pa’s been mean to us for a long time. Pretty much since Ma died. At first, I guess we were too scared to hit back. We’d try to hide and stay out of his way. But now … well, we kind of feel sorry for him. We wouldn’t want to really hurt him. And he doesn’t come at us as often as he used to.”
Crockett’s expression darkened, and she stopped talking. Her face heated, and she wished she hadn’t said so much. What would he think of her now?
The sheriff let out a long sigh. “That about right, Ben?”
“Yes, sir.” Ben blinked hard and looked away.
The sheriff walked over and crouched beside the body. He spent half a minute or so looking closely. Jane guessed he was eyeing the bruises. Houston came back from the corral and stood by Bowie, waiting in silence.
At last the sheriff stood. “So, Boyd had been drinking?”
“I don’t know about this morning,” Jane said. “He had a snootful Saturday, when we had the house-raising. Like Ben said, some of the men brought bottles. I’m afraid Pa got some off them, because Ben and I went to church yesterday, and when we came home, he was curled up in the barn with an empty.”
“I found a couple more out back,” Ben said. “We thought he was sleeping it off this morning when we got talking. But I guess he woke up and heard us. He came out here…”
“He came out here at the worst possible time,” Jane said fiercely. “We were discussing with Crockett how that money could have gotten in the cave, and whether Pa might have—” She broke off and shook her head. “Best you talk to Ranger Hart about that, I guess.”
“I’ll do that.” The sheriff looked at Crockett, then at Houston. “I don’t think you boys need to worry much. I’ll let it be known it was accidental. In fact, we might be able to keep folks from knowing it was a fight. He appears to have hit his head when he fell back, and that’s what my report will say.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Crockett said sincerely.
Jane swallowed hard and reached for Ben’s hand.
“Now, have you got a wagon?” The sheriff looked around.
“That one’s ours,” Houston said quickly. “We brought some shingles this morning.”
“Where do you want him taken, Sheriff?” Crockett asked.
“Giles Brown can make you a coffin. I’ll tell him to expect you. All right, Miss Jane?”
He looked toward her, and she nodded. Mr. Brown did carpentry work for people, including coffins when needed.
Houston walked over to stand in front of her. “Is there anything else we can do? Would you like me to ask Reverend Longley to do a service for Boyd?”
Jane nearly choked. Pa hadn’t been in the church as long as she could remember.
“Pa wouldn’t like that,” Ben said.
“Maybe at the cemetery,” Jane ventured, looking sidelong at her brother. “For us, Ben. Not for Pa.”
Ben shrugged. “I guess.”
Bowie walked over to the corral and brought Watson’s horse to him.
“I can drive Boyd into town,” Houston said.
“Fine by me.” The sheriff mounted and fixed his gaze on Crockett. “If I need anything else, I’ll come by your father’s place—or will you be here?”
“If I’m not here helping with the roof, I’ll be home.”
Watson nodded and lifted his hand in farewell, then turned his horse and trotted off toward Hartville.
“While we load your pa, you might want to think about clothes for him,” Houston said softly to Jane. “What he’s got on is pretty dirty.”
She hadn’t thought about that. Of course they couldn’t bury him in the clothes he wore when he slept in the filthy barn. But he didn’t have much else.
“He’s got a shirt someone gave him up at the cave,” Ben said. “I’ll fetch it.”
“I’ve got some extra pants in my room,” Crockett said.
Houston nodded. “I’ll stop by the house and get ’em.”
They settled a few details, and then the Hart brothers loaded Pa’s body into the wagon bed and hitched up their horses. Ben returned with the extra shirt someone had given Pa and decided he’d better go into town with Houston and speak to Mr. Brown.
After they left, Jane didn’t know what to do or say to Crockett and Bowie. She wanted to collapse, but she didn’t even have a bed, or a chair to sit on. She walked slowly over to the bench in front of the barn and sank onto it.
Bowie said, “I’ll lay a few shingles.”
“If you think so,” Crockett said.
Jane looked up at him. “You don’t have to put good trousers on my pa for burying. Nobody will be able to see them, anyway.”