Chapter 14 - The Courthouse TrapTucson had never looked more dangerous.
Crowded streets.
Freight wagons.
Soldiers passing through.
Merchants.
Travelers.
Too many windows.
Too many rooftops.
Silas refused to bring three hundred riders into town.
He stationed most outside.
Cole entered with Nora, Lily, Caleb, Bell, Gideon and six witnesses.
They went directly to the United States marshal’s office.
Marshal Nathaniel Ward was fifty-two, gray-bearded and unimpressed by reputations.
He listened for twenty minutes.
Then said:
“You’ve brought me a retired judge, a banking fraud, sixteen-year-old murders, forged deeds, a compromised sheriff, an outlaw and half a newspaper.”
Nora replied:
“Three-quarters.”
Ward almost smiled.
Then he read Ezra’s letters.
His expression changed.
“These are serious.”
Gideon said:
“They’re genuine.”
“You’ll swear that?”
“Yes.”
Ward looked at Silas.
“And you?”
Silas had entered despite the existing murder warrant.
“I surrender.”
Everyone turned.
Lily stared.
Ward frowned.
“For Red Mesa?”
“No.”
“For two men I killed afterward.”
Silas’s voice remained steady.
“One was innocent.”
Lily’s eyes filled.
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Ward studied him.
“You understand what
