Wanted

Chapter 60

"In here, Mr Patterson?"

It was Carter and not the Sheriff, and not McCarthy's voice either that asked the question from behind the locked door.

At last, he knew who his jailor was, although only by name.

When at first, he woke up from the noise of someone working in the barn next to him, he'd thought it had been Delaney who had locked him in, but then when the person didn't respond to his knocking and calling, he had a look around and realised that Delaney must have packed up and gone. From what he could see in the windowless dark room that was lit only by the little light that came in through the gabs in between the wooden slats of the walls, except the sparce furniture that consisted of a dresser, a bed, a chair and a small table, it was completely empty and cleared of any personal belongings.

Only once did the man answer John calling him to be let out.

"Quit your darn hollering boy. You'll be let out soon enough," he called back, and then when John wouldn't stop shouting and demanding to be let out, the man told him that if he didn't quit it, he'd get the sheriff and reminded John that his office was only across the road. John didn't want that, so he piped down and waited, hoping that whatever awaited him was going to be less unpleasant than being handed over to the sheriff.

"Come on John, let's get you home," Carter called as he removed whatever it was that had been put in front of the door to keep it shut.

"I'm not going back. McCarthy's going to kill me," John called back from inside as he quickly barricaded himself into a corner with whatever was available to him.

"McCarthy's not going to kill you, but I sure will so help me God if you are not coming out from behind there," he then heard Lee shout into the room. "We've got better things to be doing than go looking for you all over in the freezing cold. My balls are shrivelled to the size of walnuts and I tell you this for nothing, if McCarthy is just going to send you back out to sweep up some leaves again, and is not giving you a proper hiding this time, I'll do the fucking job myself, no matter what he or his missus are saying," Lee ranted angrily, standing beside Carter in the entrance to the shack.

"Well, I'm not coming, and you guys can't make me, and McCarthy doesn't want me anyway. Just tell him you couldn't find me. He'll be glad about it," John called out from his hideout. He wasn't scared of Lee nor Carter, even if their silhouette in the doorway against the early morning sun made them appear older and more like real men. Of course, they were stronger than him, but McCarthy had told them several time they weren't allowed to touch him, no matter how much he rubbed them up the wrong way.

"You need a hand?" the other man that Carter had called Mr Patterson earlier, asked as he appeared behind them. He sounded old and seemed a good bit smaller but also wider than McCarthy's lads.

"Nah," Carter answered. "McCarthy is on his way and should be here any minute. He got talking to the sheriff on the way and send us ahead."

"A handful, is he?" he heard the man ask with a light chuckle in his voice, and Carter laugh in reply.

"Ark, you know. He's not that bad. Just a bit 'high-spirited' if you know what I mean. Not unlike that filly you sold me when I came here first," Cater laughed. Carter loved that horse despite it being troublesome and only he was able to ride it. He believed it a good thing. He wouldn't have to worry about horse thieves, he told everyone including the farrier who told him to have the horse shot because she kept trying to bite him and wouldn't stand still for him.

Patterson laughed with him. "If you ever have enough, working for that grumpy old carpenter, you come to me boy. I could do with someone like you," Patterson said, and then turned to head back into the barn.