Free When Love Comes by Leigh Greenwood

after his death. I found no mention of any debt.”
    Judge Pike seemed to have no doubt a debt existed. The Liscomb family and the sheriff were equally certain there was no such debt, which left Broc in a quandary. If there was no debt, he had no choice but to go back to Crystal Springs and serve his time in jail. However, if there was a debt, how was he going to prove it when everyone was convinced it didn’t exist? He didn’t think they were all in collusion. It was a lot of money, but it wasn’t enough to get so many people tolie. He had to have time to think, and he couldn’t do it with the sheriff glaring at him.
    “I don’t know what to say,” he said to the sheriff. “I can only repeat that I was ordered by Judge Pike to see that the debt was paid, or I had to go to jail. I advised Mrs. Liscomb to send someone to Crystal Springs to talk to the judge. My only interest is to do what I can to get this debt settled.”
    “I don’t know what’s going on here,” the sheriff said, “but I would advise you to leave town. I don’t care whether you go back to Crystal Springs or somewhere else as long as you don’t cause trouble here.”
    Something was wrong, and Broc didn’t intend to suffer because of it. “I haven’t caused any trouble, and I don’t intend to. If you don’t believe what I said, you can send someone to Crystal Springs to talk to Judge Pike. Or,” he continued when the sheriff started to speak, “you can wait until he comes here in two weeks on his circuit.”
    “We have no cases for him to hear, so he’ll bypass us.”
    “You have one now.”
    The sheriff bridled. “Are you trying to threaten me? Because if you are, you’ve chosen the wrong man.”
    Broc smiled, though he didn’t feel like it. “I’m relating facts. Whether you choose to believe them is your business. Though you might consider what you’re going to say when the judge does arrive and learns you’ve done nothing.”
    The sheriff was getting angry. “I don’t need advice from some drifter.”
    Broc didn’t wear his best clothes when he traveled, but didn’t think he looked like a drifter. He supposed it was his scar. He stood. “I’ve said what I came to say.” He returned the sheriff’s stare. “I won’t be leaving town just yet. I expect I’ll be here to welcome the judge.”
    “I’ll be watching you,” the sheriff promised.
    “I hope you will. I want you to know that whatever wrongdoing is going on, I have no part in it.”
    Broc paused outside the door of the sheriff’s office to consider what he should do next. The logical place to look for substantiation of the debt would have been Aaron Liscomb’s papers, but the sheriff said he’d seen them. Broc was certain Amanda had seen them as well, so there was nothing there to tell him what had gone wrong. The bank wasn’t going to give him any information, and no lawyer would speak to him except to tell him this was none of his business.
    He started walking back to the hotel, his thoughts so taken up with his situation, he didn’t notice Corby Wilson until the man spoke to him.
    “Why the hell are you still here?”

Chapter Five
    Dressed all in black, Corby appeared out of the twilight like a bird of ill omen.
    “At the moment I’m headed to my hotel,” Broc replied. “Is there something I can do for you?”
    “You can leave town.”
    “Sorry. You’ll have to choose something else.”
    “You said you were leaving.”
    “My plans have changed.”
    “Then change them back.”
    Broc couldn’t decide whether he was angry this overdressed twig thought he had a right to tell him what to do, or amused because Corby looked so absurd. There was so much grease in his hair, the strong breeze whistling down the street couldn’t blow a single strand out of place. He smelled so strongly of pomade that Broc moved to get upwind of him. And his suit had been tailored to fit his body so snugly, he looked like he ought to be uncomfortable wearing it.