Page 101 of The Formation of Us
Friday afternoon was the first it hadn’t rained in days, and Duke was stuck inside at the town meeting. The good news in an otherwise dismal week was that Arthur Covey had been convicted of horse theft and sent to prison.
Wayne Archer stood up and addressed the Board of Trustees. “I want to register a complaint against the sheriff of our county,” he said. “It’s becoming painfully obvious that Sheriff Grayson is biased in how he upholds the law in our village.”
“In what way?” Duke asked, growing weary of Archer’s constant attacks. He had returned the fancy parasol to Archer weeks ago, but hadn’t told Archer where he’d found it, because it would have only confirmed the man’s suspicion that Adam was the thief.
Duke didn’t know who’d taken the parasol, but since it was returned, and both Adam and Rebecca claimed no knowledge of how the item got to her house, Duke had let the incident rest.
“Not only have two swindles taken place under your nose,” Archer accused, “but there is a thief in town who is living in your home.”
Duke shot to his feet, but he kept himself from planting his fist in Archer’s face. “Until you can provide a witness who saw Adam take your parasol, then you’d best not cast accusations, Wayne.”
“I’m not referring to the parasol. My best fishing rod was stolen out of my barn last Sunday afternoon. My daughter saw Adam take it.”
Duke’s gut twisted. Archer was playing dirty to bring this up at the town meeting days after the alleged theft, but the man had never before been a liar. “I’ll talk to your daughter,” he suggested. “Let’s get this business taken care of right now.”
“That’s just the beginning of my concerns.” Archer turned back to the board members, his chest puffed up, his fingers tugging on his vest. “I have reason to believe Sheriff Grayson’s wife is running a house of ill repute right here in our village.”
“What?” Duke grabbed Archer’s arm and spun the man to face him. “On what grounds are you making this ridiculous accusation?”
“Dr. Milton claims he’s been getting private massages from Aster Wilde on the second floor of the greenhouse.”
Maybe he was. Aster and the doctor had grown quite friendly, and Duke suspected they were past courting, but it wasn’t his business to chaperone a grown man and woman.
The board members stared, mouths open, eyebrows raised.
Duke released Archer’s elbow and faced them. “As you probably know, Dr. Milton suffered a carriage accident in early July. He was skeptical of my wife’s business, so he limped into her greenhouse after his accident and tried the herbal bath and massage to test her claim that it would help him. Since the doctor is still taking treatments, I assume it’s because he’s finding them beneficial to his health.”
“But the doctor isn’t the only man who’s enjoying those private treatments,” Archer said. “My wife stopped there to buy cooking herbs and saw Cyrus Darling at the top of the stairs kissing a blond woman quite passionately.”
President A. C. Cushing scowled at Duke. “Is this true?”
Who the hell knew? Duke didn’t. No doubt Archer had sent his wife to snoop, but if she had seen Cyrus kissing Tansy, then anything was possible. He should have stopped those damned baths and massages when he married Faith. But he admired her skills and knew her treatments improved painful conditions like his shoulder injury.
“I’m unaware of any sordid activity,” Duke said truthfully, but he was going to put a halt to the rumors immediately. Feigning calm, he nodded to Archer. “I’ll look into it along with your claim that your fishing rod was stolen.”
Archer spoke to the board president. “I would caution all of you that we are discussing the sheriff’s family, and that it’s very possible he will act with bias.”
Duke grabbed two fistfuls of Archer’s shirt and slammed him against the wall. “If you insult my integrity or my family again, Wayne, I’m going to take off this badge and answer your insults with my fists.”
Board member Gideon Webster gripped Duke’s shoulder. “Wayne not only underestimates your patience but our intelligence. We’ve depended on your integrity and judgment for eight years, and won’t be swayed by anyone’s petty rumors.”
His confidence rubbed salt in Duke’s festering conscience. Hehadbeen biased when he didn’t charge Dahlia with murder. And knowing Faith’s aunts, there probably was something tawdry going on in the greenhouse. Hell, for all he knew, Adam could be the thief Archer accused him of being.
He shoved Archer away from him. “Let’s go talk to your daughter about that missing fishing rod of yours.”
Duke excused himself from the meeting and strode alongside Archer to his house, feeling more like a criminal than a law enforcer for the first time in his term as sheriff. Archer was a pain in the ass, but he wasn’t all wrong.
Melissa Archer swore shed seen Adam sneaking out of their barn with her father’s fishing rod last Sunday afternoon. She claimed it was half past two when she finished her piano practice and headed outside to play. And she described Adam perfectly, even mentioning the shirt he had been wearing that afternoon.
Duke expected Archer to act smug, but the man gave him a look of pity. “I don’t envy you your position, Sheriff.”
Who would? What man wanted to discover that his son was a thief? Melissa’s detailed account made her a convincing witness.
Duke left and walked out Liberty Street, then cut through the field behind his mother’s house and followed the path down into the gorge where he kept his boat. He needed time to think before going home. His dad had always worked out his problems while fishing in the gorge or running the saw at the mill; Duke needed to do the same. But when he reached into his boat to get his fishing pole, his problems grew by one expensive fishing rod.
“Son of a bitch,” he said, lifting out the rod Archer claimed was stolen. Only Adam and Duke’s brothers knew where Duke kept his boat. Did Adam think he could stash the rod here and make Duke believe it was one of his own? Did the boy think Duke would be that gullible? Why not? Duke huffed in self-disgust. He’d never suspected Faith’s lies. Why shouldn’t Adam try to hoodwink the blind sheriff too? Faith would try to protect the boy, but it was time for Adam to face the consequences of his actions.
And for Duke to face reality.
