Free Ransom of Love by Al Lacy Page A

this one?”
    “Yes there is, sir.”
    “Male or female?”
    “Male.”
    “What was his name?”
    “Nathaniel.”
    “Young? Old?
    “Young, sir. Twenty-nine.”
    “But why should I know about his death?”
    “Because he was murdered, sir.”
    Mulvey’s head bobbed. “Murdered?”
    “Yes, sir. He was beaten to death.”
    “By whom?”
    “Finn.”
    Mulvey smiled and shook his head. “C’mon, now. Why would Finn beat a man to death who cost him good money?”
    “To instill fear in the rest of the slaves, lest they forget the power Finn and his sons have over them.”
    “Kill the slave simply to instill fear in the others?”
    “Well, the beating Finn administered was supposed to be for insubordination on Nathaniel’s part. I knew Nathaniel, Chief. Not intimately, of course, but I knew him well enough to tell you that he wouldn’t rebel against the authority of Finn and his sons. Or any of the Colvin overseers, for that matter.”
    “So what makes you think he was beaten to death? And how do you know it was Finn?”
    “Because yesterday at the Three Lanterns tavern, George Colvin was bragging to some of his pals that his father had beaten Nathaniel to death for insubordination. He said that only he and Edward were allowed inside the barn where Finn did it. None of the slaves actually witnessed the beating, but you can be sure they heard it. Of course, I realize no slave’s word is any good to the law, but there were enough men in the tavern that if you did a little investigating you would find plenty of witnesses who heard what George said.”
    Mulvey pulled at an ear, cocking his head to one side. “Was George drunk?”
    “Word is that he had certainly put down a sufficient amount of whiskey to make a man slur his words.”
    “And what exactly do you want from me?”
    Dan leaned forward. “Chief, I want you to arrest Finn Colvin and see that he is tried for murder.”
    Mulvey showed no emotion, but only said, “Was Nathaniel married?”
    “Yes. He left a widow named Matilda. They had no children.”
    “All right, Dan. I’ll investigate it. Come back tomorrow morning and I’ll let you know what my investigation has revealed.”
    Rising from the chair, Dan said, “See you tomorrow, Chief.”
    Mulvey quickly rounded his desk and walked Dan toward the door. “Have you talked to Sheriff Washburn about this?”
    “Not yet, but I’m going over there right now. I want to get both of you on it.”
    “Well, with a charge like this, I would go to the sheriff anyway, Dan. I’ll go over there right now and give him the information you’ve given me. He and I can work together on it.”
    “All right. I’ll head on home then. See you tomorrow.”
    Hugh Mulvey stood on the boardwalk and watched Dan Johnson ride away. Turning back to the door, he stepped inside, hung a sign on the door that he would be back later, and hurried down the street toward the sheriff’s office.
    Edward Colvin was in the front yard of the mansion, giving instructions to two male slaves about trimming the shrubbery, when he saw a buggy racing down the lane from the road.
    Looking back at the slaves, he said, “Any questions about how I want it done?”
    Both shook their heads, saying they understood his instructions. Leaving them, Edward looked back to the oncoming buggy and saw that it was Chief Constable Hugh Mulvey. He angled across the yard toward the hitching posts near the porch.
    Seconds later, Mulvey skidded the horse to a halt near where Edward stood and said, “Is your father on the place?”
    “Yes, sir. He is administering discipline to a slave in one of the barns at the moment. I’ll escort you into the sitting room, then go tell Pa that you’re here.”
    While Mulvey waited, he admired the expensive paintings on the sitting room walls. In a couple of minutes he heard soft footsteps, then saw Martha Colvin come through the door.
    “Oh! Chief Mulvey! I didn’t know you were here.”
    He rose quickly to his feet.