The Outlaws: Jess (36 page)

"Are you Sheriff Diller?" Durant asked.

"No, sir, I'm Deputy Wayland. Can I help
you?"

"You're new, aren't you?" Jess asked
curiously.

"I moved to town two weeks ago from Topeka
and applied for this job when I learned that Sheriff Diller was
looking for a second deputy to help keep the peace. I got the
position because I had experience in the field."

"Where can I find the sheriff, deputy. I
brought a prisoner for him to deal with. His name is Jess Gentry.
He's wanted for bank robbery. I reckon you've heard of him."

"Can't say as I have," Wayland said. "Sheriff
Diller isn't available right now. Don't know when he'll return."
Wayland's curious gaze settled first on Jess, then on Meg. "I
reckon I can take charge of your prisoner, Sheriff Durant."

"I'd appreciate it," Durant replied.

"What about the woman?" Wayland asked. "Is
she wanted, too?"

"No. She's Gentry's woman. Insisted on
tagging along and I couldn't stop her. Is there an empty cell
available?"

"Yeah, follow me."

Wayland ushered them through a door into an
area holding several cells. Meg was right behind them. Wayland
removed a set of keys from his belt and opened the door to an
unoccupied cell. Jess stepped inside without being asked. He held
out his arms and Durant removed his shackles.

"Good luck to you, Gentry," Durant said as
the cell door closed in Jess's face. He turned to Wayland. "I'd
like to start back right away. Can you direct me to the livery? I'd
like to rent a horse."

"Sure thing," Wayland said.

He gave Durant directions then started to
follow him out the door. Suddenly he remember Meg, and he spun
around, scowling at her.

"You'll have to leave, ma'am."

Meg's mutinous expression told him exactly
what she thought of that idea. "I'm not going anywhere. Jess
doesn't belong in jail. The bank robbery was a trumped up
charge."

"I don't know about that, ma'am. I can't
recall hearing the sheriff mention anyone named Jess Gentry, but
that don't mean he's not a dangerous outlaw."

"That's not true!" Meg protested.

"Give it up, Meg," Jess urged. "There's
nothing you can do. I chose to return to Dodge, maybe not in
handcuffs, but it was still my choice."

Meg's chin firmed. "I'm not going to let this
happen, Jess. I'm going to pay a call on Mr. Wingate. If he's any
kind of man he'll listen to reason and vindicate you and your
brothers."

"Wait until the sheriff returns before you go
rocking the boat."

"Your man makes sense, ma'am," Wayland said.
"You can't stay here, it's not allowed. Come along quietly and I'll
you can visit the prisoner tomorrow."

"Go on, Meg, there's nothing you can do
here," Jess said.

Meg didn't want to leave, but it was obvious
Deputy Wayland wasn't going to let her have her way.

"Very well," Meg agreed with marked
reluctance, "but I'll be back tomorrow."

She communicated a silent good-bye to Jess
and followed Wayland out the door. The first order of business was
to find a room. Then she'd consider her options.

A short time later Meg checked into the Dodge
House, the best hotel in town. She was delighted to learn the hotel
had a bathing room and made use of it soon after she arrived. Clean
and fresh again, and feeling more like herself after days on the
road, Meg ordered dinner sent to her room. She paced until it came,
pondering Jess's dilemma and the various ways in which she could
help him.

Throughout her solitary meal, Meg's thoughts
led her to one conclusion. First thing tomorrow morning she would
call upon Mr. Wingate and plead with him to admit that he'd
fabricated the bank robbery. Other than that, there was little she
could do besides breaking Jess out of jail, and he was adamantly
opposed to that.

Though surprisingly good for jail fare, Jess
picked at his dinner, his mind in a turmoil. Deep down in his bones
he knew he was going to prison for a long, long time. A pompous man
like Wingate would never admit he'd lied. He might insist that Jess
marry his daughter, but Jess had only recently decided that he
couldn't do that, not when he loved Meg.

At first Jess had considered marrying Delia
in order to save himself from prison, but that option no longer
appealed to him. Nor did asking Meg to wait for him until he served
out his prison term. It wouldn't be fair to her. He loved her too
much to allow her to waste the best years of her life on a
jailbird. Yet the thought of Meg giving herself to another man was
like a kick to the gut.

Deputy Wayland returned for Jess's dinner
tray, saw that Jess had eaten little, and asked, "Not hungry,
Gentry?"

"You could say that," Jess muttered. "The
prospect of a long prison term does little to enhance one's
appetite. Especially when one is innocent."

"I'm sure Sheriff Diller will straighten
everything out when he returns. For now, however, there's little I
can do but keep you behind bars."

Suddenly a thought occurred to Jess. It might
not work but it certainly was worth pursuing. "Deputy, do you know
Mr. Wingate from the bank?"

"Everyone knows Mr. Wingate. He's a mighty
important person around here."

"It's imperative that I speak with him.
Immediately. Can you send someone to fetch him?"

"If you robbed his bank, how do you know
he'll want to talk to you?"

"I don't. But my future is at stake and I'm
willing to take that chance. Could you just ask him to come down
here? What can it hurt?"

"Nothing, I reckon," Wayland said, sounding
not at all convinced, "except I'd hate to interrupt an important
man like Wingate at his supper."

Jess gave it one last shot. "I'm not a bank
robber, deputy. I'm a doctor."

Wayland stared at Jess a long time. "You sure
don't look or act like any bank robber I ever saw," he admitted.
"All right, I'll fetch Wingate here myself. But there's nothing I
can do if he refuses to come."

"I know, and I thank you for listening to me.
I'd appreciate anything you can do to convince Wingate to see
me."

Jess plopped down on the hard cot after
Wayland left to marshal his thoughts. He had no idea why he'd
insisted on seeing Wingate when he was unlikely to change the
banker's mind about the robbery. But he couldn't just sit here and
do nothing.

Steeped in misery, Jess's morose thoughts
continued as his mind turned to Meg, the only bright spot in his
otherwise dismal life. The fact that Meg loved and believed in him
demanded that he restore his name and reputation and clear his
record of the crime he did not commit. He wanted to settle down
with Meg, raise their children, and use his medical skills to help
people. Was that asking too much?

Minutes lengthened into a half hour. Just
when Jess gave up all hope of challenging Wingate face to face, the
door opened. His spirits fell when he saw Wayland enter alone, then
hope was restored when Wingate appeared in the doorway. Wayland
immediately unlocked the cell door and swung it open.

"You're free to go, Gentry. Mr. Wingate will
explain everything to you. If the sheriff was here this wouldn't
have happened. I hope you understand that I was simply doing my
duty."

Jess took a tentative step beyond the cell
door and stopped, as if fearing this was all a hoax, that he'd be
thrust back into the tiny cell if he tried to leave.

"It's all right, Gentry," Wingate said,
motioning him forward. "I explained everything to the deputy. There
was no bank robbery. I lied. Sheriff Diller is aware of the whole
fiasco and how it came about."

Still unable to believe he was a free man,
Jess followed Wingate from the cell area into the sheriff's office.
He didn't let himself hope this was for real until Wayland unlocked
the desk drawer and handed him his gunbelt and guns.

"I really am a free man?" Jess asked
skeptically. "What about my brothers?"

"This needs to be discussed in private,"
Wingate said. "Come to my house and I'll explain everything over a
snifter of brandy."

Jess strapped on his guns and followed
Wingate out into the cool night air. What he really wanted was to
find Meg and tell her his good news, but he was owed an explanation
before he could put this matter behind him. And he needed to know
that his brothers were no longer wanted men.

Wingate's home was only a short walk away.
Wingate ushered him inside and led him to a room Jess assumed was a
study. Wingate said nothing as he poured brandy for both of them
and asked Jess to have a seat. Jess sat down in a comfortable
leather chair, but he was far from relaxed. Wingate handed him the
brandy and took a chair behind the desk.

Jess sipped appreciatively, letting the
smooth liquid slowly roll down his throat. "Good stuff," he said.
"Now about that explanation."

"Have you seen your brother, Rafe, recently?"
Wingate asked.

"Not since we left Dodge with the posse
breathing down our necks."

"Then you don't know he turned up in Dodge a
month or so ago with his wife. That wife of his is some woman."

Surprised, Jess splashed brandy on his lap.
"Rafe is married?"

"That's right, and she's quite a woman. Her
name is Angela. She's a missionary or evangelist of some kind."

Jess gave a hoot of laughter. "Rafe married a
woman with a religious calling! That's rich. Are you sure you're
talking about my brother, Rafe Gentry?"

"Very sure. Rafe was in jail here, awaiting
trial. Mrs. Gentry pleaded with me to tell the truth about the bank
robbery." He gave Jess a sheepish look. "I refused, of course. But
she wouldn't give up and finally enlisted the help of my
daughter."

Delia helped Rafe's wife clear up this
travesty of justice?"

Wingate took a long sip of brandy. "Delia
didn't know I'd tried to blackmail you and your brothers into
marrying her. She set me straight about her feelings on the
subject. By the way, Delia is married now, to the father of her
child."

"So you finally admitted the truth," Jess
said bitterly. "Had you done that from the beginning, none of this
would have happened. Does Sam know?"

"Not to my knowledge. Do you know where he
can be reached?"

"No, and I'm sure Rafe doesn't either. What
about our farm?"

"I'm sorry. The bank repossessed it and I
gave it to Delia and her husband as a wedding gift. They love the
farm and are restoring to it's former productiveness. There's no
way I can restore it to your family."

"What did Rafe have to say about that?"

"He didn't seem troubled by it. He and his
wife own a gold mine near Canyon City, Colorado, where they intend
to settle down."

"What about those wanted posters in
circulation?" Jess asked.

"Sheriff Diller took care of everything. He
saw to it that they were removed from circulation, but he couldn't
guarantee one hundred percent success. He gave Rafe a document
absolving him of the crime. He'll probably do the same for
you."

"If you hadn't lied, we wouldn't have been
pursued by the law," Jess charged angrily. "Do you have any idea
what it feels like being pursued by the law? All I wanted to do
after the war was practice medicine and settle down. Because of
you, I was able to do neither of those things."

"I'm not proud of what I did, but you'll
better understand my motives when you're a father. The thought of
Delia having a baby out of wedlock completely unstrung me."

"I can't say I'll ever forgive you, but
perhaps I'll understand when I have a child of my own. At least I
know Rafe is safe. Now all I have to worry about is Sam. Lord knows
what he's up to."

"How can I make it up to you?" Wingate asked.
"Do you need money, or..."

Jess's lips flattened. "I don't want a damn
thing from you. I left a thriving practice in Cheyenne, and I
intend to return to it as soon as possible. I also have a woman I
love beyond all reason. We'll be wed soon."

"Then I wish you good luck," Wingate said,
holding out his hand.

Jess ignored Wingate's extended hand. "Good
night, Wingate. I'm going to find my fiancée now."

After the way Wingate had disrupted the
Gentry brothers' lives, shaking hands with the man was too much to
ask. All Jess wanted now was Meg. He needed to hold her, to tell
her they were free to live their lives without interference. A
home, a viable practice, and family were no longer just dreams, and
it felt damn good.

"I'm sorry," Wingate repeated as he saw Jess
out the door. "I nearly lost my wife and daughter because of my
pride, and that fabricated bank robbery. If Rafe hadn't returned to
Dodge to clear his name, I might have let the lie continue."

No answer was forthcoming. Jess was anxious
now to get away from Wingate and all he represented. The door
closed behind him and he strode purposely out the front gate. Then
he stopped, suddenly aware that he had no idea where to look for
Meg. Obviously she had gotten herself a room for the night, but
where? Dodge sported several boardinghouses and hotels.

Jess knew Meg wasn't hurting for money, so he
figured she'd probably head for a decent hotel instead of one of
the rundown boardinghouses usually found on a side street. Using
his prior knowledge of Dodge City, Jess decided to try the best
hotel first and work his way down. The Dodge House was at the top
of his list.

Jess's steps were light and springy as he
continued down the street. He felt as if an immense load had been
lifted from his shoulders, and he supposed Rafe had felt the same.
If only he knew where to find Sam. Thank God they had all agreed to
meet in Denver in a few months, so they could share their
experiences and assure one another of their survival.

The lobby of the Dodge House was quiet this
time of the evening. Jess walked up to the desk. The haughty clerk
took one look at Jess's rumpled clothing and bristly chin and
sniffed disdainfully.