He Came to Redstone to Forget His Past — Then a Dying Sheriff Whispered His Father’s Name
CHAPTER 2
The sheriff survived.
Barely.
But by morning, everyone in Redstone knew he’d been shot.
And everyone knew nobody would arrest the shooter.
Tom wanted to leave.
Caleb agreed.
Then they saw a little girl crying outside the courthouse.
Her father had been taken by the Black Spurs.
Caleb stopped.
Tom knew immediately.
“Don’t.”
Caleb sighed.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking it.”
Caleb walked toward the courthouse.
Inside, five deputies sat drinking.
None would help.
Then a woman entered.
She wore a dark blue dress and carried a small leather case.
“My name is Clara Monroe.”
Tom smiled.
“That sounds important.”
“I’m a performer.”
Caleb looked at her.
“You picked a dangerous town for theater.”
She smiled.
“I didn’t know.”
“Now you do.”
Clara glanced toward the sheriff’s office.
“I came here because my troupe was attacked outside town.”
“What happened?”
“Two men were killed.”
“Black Spurs?”
“Yes.”
She looked at Caleb.
“You know them.”
“Unfortunately.”
She stepped closer.
“Then help me.”
Caleb shook his head.
“I’m done with guns.”
Clara smiled.
“That’s unfortunate.”
She walked away.
Tom looked at Caleb.
“You’ve been alive for two minutes and already someone’s asking you to save them.”
Caleb ignored him.
By afternoon, another man had been killed.
This time, the townspeople gathered.
They wanted revenge.
Caleb watched them drag a captured outlaw into the street.
Someone shouted:
“Hang him!”
Caleb stepped forward.
“Stop.”
The crowd turned.
The outlaw stared at Caleb.
“Mercer.”
Everyone knew his reputation now.
Former marshal.
Former gunfighter.
A man who had once cleared entire towns with a badge on his chest.
Caleb looked at the crowd.
“You hang him without a trial, you’re no better than the men you’re afraid of.”
Someone shouted:
“You don’t live here!”
Caleb replied:
“Then maybe someone should start.”
Samuel Mercer, Caleb’s cousin, stepped forward.
He had been quiet until now.
He took the marshal’s badge from the table.
“I’ll do it.”
Caleb stared.
“Samuel.”
Samuel pinned the badge to his chest.
“Someone has to.”
That night, Samuel announced a new law.
No firearms inside Redstone.
Every gun had to be checked at the town station.
For three days, it worked.
Then, on the fourth morning, twenty armed riders entered town.
At the front was Silas Crowe.
He smiled.
“Marshal.”
Samuel looked at him.
“You know the law.”
Crowe laughed.
“I do.”
He rested his hand on his gun.
“And I don’t care.”
