THE GRAVE 16

mrs. slaughter stood up in the buggy and hauled back on the reins as she brought the team to a slideing halt in front of the sherrifs office. john slaughter had left the buggy before it was at a stop. shot gun in hand he marched into the office to find it empty. he stepped back into the hall way and saw blake sitting on his bunk holding his bandaged head in his hands. turnning back into the office he came face to face with shug. "if you wernt the county sherriff iwould have to write you and the mrs up for careless driveing on the streets."shug smilled. " i just got word about the aprehension of this culprit. you did well. ill talk to the county attorney and the judge and get a trial date. good job i say good job."slaughter was beaming." just dont relax around him or turn your back on him. he is a knowen back shooter. no one knows how many he has shot. his favorite victems is gamblers." back out on the side walk shug could see carrie comming. slaughter got back into the buggy and admonished his wife to rdrive slow in the city limits" shug has threatened us with a citation."mrs slaughter turned a hard eye at shug. " would you do that shug?" she asked. before shug could answer slaughter chimmed in" yes he would and he better! to the court house my dear." as the slaughters pulled away carrie stepped up to shug" is that man in there in jail tall and dark?" "yes why?" shug asked. " the man your father was playing cards with when he was killed was tall and dark if its the same man he killed neils wife at the same time he killed your father. maybe thats why he didnt rob your father he was afraid of what would happen if word got out he killed a woman."carrie was sniffling. " without any witneses it might be hard to prove, neil is the closest one we got and he just saw his wife shot not my father."shug took carries elbow and turned her toward home. but the thought remained. it was preying on his mind now. was blake his fathers killer?