Chapter 16
The ride to Judge Hawthorne's house took nearly an hour. Sheriff Wilson chose to ride his horse beside the wagon, and he looked increasingly uneasy as they got closer to the judge's house. Still, he didn't try to sway the McKenzies from their purpose. He knew that would be a waste of his breath. He was just hoping he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire between them and the judge.
By the time they arrived, Brian was chilled from more than the frosty temperatures. Sarah had given him the cold shoulder during the entire trip. He wasn't sure why she was angry at him. He had done what he had to do to protect her. If anything, he should be angry with her for going into town after he had warned her against it!
Liam set the break as Aidan lifted Naomi down from the wagon bed. Brian reached to help Sarah, but she gave him a cold stare.
"No, thank you," she said tersely.
She did allow Aidan to assist her, and Brian's brows lowered into a scowl. Once they had dealt with the small matter of a murder charge hanging over her head, he was going to have a stern talk with his angel!
Aidan and Naomi led the small procession to the front door, and he knocked loudly. The house was dark, the occupants obviously retired for the night. When no one answered after a brief wait, he knocked again, rattling the door with his fist.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," came a muffled voice from inside. "Hold your horses." The door was finally snatched open, and an elderly man in a thick robe glared down his nose, first at Aidan and then at the others. "You'd better have a damn good reason for disturbing me at this hour!" he growled. "I was just going to bed when you started pounding on my door."
"I'm sorry Judge Hawthorne. I tried to tell them that we should wait..." Sheriff Wilson began, in a whiny voice.
Aidan silenced him with one raised brow before turning back to face the judge. "I realize it's a late hour, sir, but we have a problem, and we understand you are the man who can help us solve it."
"Well, couldn't this problem wait until the morning?" the judge demanded gruffly.
"No sir," Aidan said firmly. "We need to sort this out tonight, so I can take my family home. We need a few minutes of your time, and we need it now."
The judge studied the stubborn set of Aidan's jaw and then scanned the faces of his companions. With the exception of Sheriff Wilson, who was looking decidedly uncomfortable, the others all returned his stare with the same calm but determined expression. Judge Hawthorne heaved a resigned sigh and opened the door wide, waving them inside his home.
"Alright, alright," he grumbled impatiently, "but hurry up and come inside. There's no sense letting my house get any colder while you dilly dally on my front porch." When they hesitated in the foyer, he ushered them into his study. "Come in and take a seat."
The judge lit a lamp and turned the wick high, bathing the study in soft light. He muttered under his breath as he took a seat behind his massive desk and dug for his glasses in a drawer. Naomi and Sarah perched on the two chairs in front of his desk, with Brian and Aidan standing behind them. Liam and the sheriff remained standing near the door. The judge beetled his bushy brows above a stern frown and cleared his throat.
"Now, young man," he said, piercing Aidan with a stern frown. "Tell me who you are and what this is about, and be quick about it for heaven's sake."
"Sir, I'm Aidan McKenzie, and these are my brothers, my wife and our friend, Sarah Martin," he said, indicating each of them with his hand. "We believe there's been a mistake..."
"We know there's been a mistake," Naomi corrected, cutting him off. "Why, there's no way that Sarah..."
"Sarah's not a murderer," Brian interrupted firmly. "She's simply not capable of..."
"Just a minute!" The judge roared. When everyone was silent once more, he gave a satisfied humph. "I can't understand a word you're saying if everybody talks at once. Now, one at a time."
Sarah cleared her throat to get his attention and met the judge's forbidding gaze unflinchingly. "Sir, please allow me to speak for myself. I'm Sarah Martin, and I've been arrested for the murder of my former boss, Mr. Jared Henderson. I didn't murder him, sir, but I know who did."
"Young lady..." the judge began, with a deepening frown.
Sarah was frustrated that the judge was going to brush her off, just as the sheriff had been doing all afternoon. She rushed on, anxious to convince him that she was not guilty of murder. "Sir, honestly, I'm innocent. I know how it must look, because I've been a wanted woman for nearly two months. I would have come forward sooner, but I had an accident and lost my memory. I only found out today, when Sheriff Wilson arrested me, that I was wanted for murder. As soon as I saw Mr. Henderson's name on the wanted poster, my memory came back, and I remembered what had happened. I've been trying to explain to the sheriff, but he hasn't given me the chance. If you'll just listen, I can explain what happened."
Throughout her speech, the judge had been trying to get a word in edgewise. When she finally finished, he sighed with relief. "Young lady, do you mean to tell me that Sheriff Wilson has had you locked in jail all day for the murder of Mr. Henderson?" When Sarah nodded with a puzzled frown, the judge glared at Sheriff Wilson. "Ed, you are without a doubt the sorriest excuse for a sheriff I've ever met! I can't believe you put this poor young lady through such an ordeal."
The judge's statement was met by surprised gasps. Everyone turned to the sheriff, expecting that he would know why the judge had reacted as he had.
Sheriff Wilson's eyes bulged, and he quickly came forward, hands stretched out in appeal. "What do you mean, Judge Hawthorne? I was only doing my job!"
"If you were doing your job," the judge growled, "you would know that Jared Henderson's wife was convicted for his murder two weeks ago, over in Salem!"
"What?" the sheriff squawked.
"You heard me, you idiot! Thank goodness Sheriff Dobbs was in charge of the investigation instead of you." the judge roared. He cleared his throat and looked back at Sarah. "Dobbs knew from the start that something about the family's story didn't make any sense. Turns out Mrs. Henderson murdered her own husband. She found out he had been fooling around with the maids and flew into a jealous rage." Judge Hawthorne's face looked far less harsh as he smiled apologetically at Sarah. "The Henderson's housekeeper told the sheriff what had happened to you, Miss Martin. She was convinced that you didn't murder Mr. Henderson. She said you were leaving your job at the Henderson's to return to your father's home, is that right?"
"Yes," Sarah said with an eager nod. "How did you know that?"
"She went to Sheriff Dobbs and told him everything. She found out that Mr. Henderson had tried to," Judge Hawthorne cleared his throat nervously, clearly uncomfortable talking about such things in the presence of ladies, "well, that he had tried to take advantage of you. She said she helped you pack your things the day you left."
"That's right," Sarah said, leaning forward in her excitement. "Mrs. Baker was kind enough to pay me my wages out of the household funds. I went to Mr. Henderson's study, to turn in my notice, but when I got there, his door was slightly ajar. I heard him and his wife arguing, and I could see him sitting behind his desk. Mrs. Henderson was crying and screaming at him. She found out what he had done to me. She said she was tired of turning a blind eye to his affairs, and that she wouldn't stand for it anymore. Then Mr. Henderson leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head and laughed at her." Sarah shuddered, remembering that day. "His voice was so cruel and mocking. He told her that what he did was none of her business. He said he would enjoy any woman he wanted, and there was nothing she could do about it. That's when..."
Sarah clenched her eyes shut, and put a trembling hand to her throat. Brian squeezed her shoulders, leaning over to offer her comfort.
"What happened then, Sarah?" Brian asked quietly.
Sarah drew in a shaky breath and opened her eyes to meet the judge's kindly gaze. "Mrs. Henderson flew into a rage. She grabbed his letter opener off his desk and stabbed him in the chest. When I saw her do it, I must have screamed or something, because she whirled around and saw me. I was so frightened by the look in her eyes...she looked crazy, like a maniac. I ran, just as fast as I could. I didn't even think, I just ran."
Naomi clasped Sarah's shaking hand in hers, and Sarah gave her a grateful smile. She took another deep breath before continuing.
"As I was running down the stairs, I could hear Mrs. Henderson yelling for someone to stop me. She was screaming that I had murdered her husband. I panicked. I had only been working there a few days. I didn't know whether anyone would believe me. The only thing I could think about was reaching my father. I knew he would help me. I snatched my suitcase that I had left in the foyer, and I ran until I could barely breathe."
Sarah took a steadying breath. "I didn't have a horse, so I figured I would have to walk to Papa's house. I was walking along the road, and it was snowy and icy. I remember being afraid because I was already feeling tired and cold and I had a few more miles to go. I wasn't sure whether I could make it to Silverton, but there was no where to take shelter."
"Your father lives in Silverton?" Brian said with surprise.
"Yes," Sarah said with a nod, "he's a school teacher, and he had just taken a job there."
"That's only a few miles from our farm," Brian said thoughtfully.
Sarah turned back to face the judge, frowning as she remembered. "I was walking along, when I heard horses approaching from behind. I saw a coach, and I panicked again, thinking that it was someone from the Henderson's coming for me. I started running, but I must have slipped on the icy road. The last thing I remember is tumbling down the hill...then, I woke up at the McKenzie farm and my memory was gone."
