Trail of Deceptions

Chapter Nine

 The next morning after breakfast Tim wanted in to see her citing  her two days were up. Sam dressed against everyone's protest telling her she should stay in bed. Sam thought talking to the man while she was in bed gave him an advantage over her as he looked down on her, which was something she wouldn't let Tim Martin do.

 She was sitting behind the desk in her office where Jim and Jake had placed chairs on either side of her when Tim was shown into the room. After he inquired  how she was feeling and Sam's reply Tim wanted Jim and Jake to leave the room.

"Mr. Martin we know who you are and no Sam didn't inform us. I told her I thought you were the law having seen you in several towns over the last few years. We were here in the house the night you came through the window. Sam's mother requested us to come and protect her daughter. We are staying here with her so now if you want to ask questions of her go a head and asked them," Jim told him. "But understand this that the moment we feel Sam getting tired we will end your questions and ask you to leave."

"Sam do you have any idea who these men are that you have protecting you?" Tim asked her.

Sam smiled at his remark.

"Yes of course I know who they are and what they do but know this Tim, Jim Harrison is also an old and dear family friend," she replied as she watched the surprise look come to Tim's face when she informed him of that fact. She didn't lie to the man, Jim Harrison was an old and dear family friend she just hadn't known anything about him until he and his men arrived at the ranch. "Now you said you had questions you wanted me to answer."

" I'm very upset with you Sam and my first question is why didn't you tell me about McGee the night I was here?"

"Up until Jim and his men came I've been the only one trying to find father's killer or killers. Sheriff Harper has done nothing and you just arrived here months after father's death." Sitting across from Tim, she wondered why she ever thought she was in love with the man.

"You still should have told me."

"Why.  Just because you've come back into town now? The night you came to the house I still wasn't sure you were telling me the whole truth about you are really are and I'm still now sure."

"I should have been watching McGee and if I had been he might still be alive. Your family friend here should have been watching him too or had one of his men doing it. If they had we all might know by now who killed your father and who is behind all the trouble that's been happening around here."

"I didn't think anyone knew he came here the other day to the ranch. Once the money was here we were more worried about a possible attack here than his being killed." 

"What all did the man tell you when he came here? Did he give you any clue as to the person or persons he would name?"

"I knew the minute I saw him who he was. McGee told me that once he named the killer and the reason I would know he was telling me the truth. He wanted the money waiting here at the ranch. I don't think he planned on returning to town once he told me all he knew I think he planned to get as far away from here as fast as he could."

"How did you know who he was?" Tim wanted to know.

"He was pointed out to me in town."

Tim wanted to know why the man was pointed out to her.

"The day I found my father dead I asked Cord to send several men back to where I had found father's body to look around  for any evidence as to who killed my father. In their search they discovered a spent rifle shell, several cigarette butts and a horseshoe. I knew Sheriff Harper wouldn't do anything about what they found. You know what the man is like, Tim. Once the men return I had a man ride into town to ask Rance Benton, the local blacksmith, to give us a list of the men he knew that had come to his place to have a new shoe put on their horses around the time father was killed. He sent a list back to me of men he knew. On the list are seven men I knew only some of them. One of the names was in fact McGee's."