Five men sat on horses. The leader was Deputy Griggs. A man with a face like a hatchet and a reputation for enjoying his work too much. We have a warrant, Griggs said, not bothering with pleasantries. Search and seizure.
We have reports of stolen property and a fugitive harboring in this dwelling. I have no fugitive, Jonah said calmly. And I stole nothing. Griggs smiled. It was a lizard smile.
Then you won't mind if we look. He didn't wait for permission. He dismounted and pushed past Jonah. The other four men followed, crowding into the small cabin. They brought the cold and the smell of wet wool and aggression with them.
Griggs stopped when he saw Millie. He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her neck, her waist. He smirked. Well, now if it isn't the Laroo girl, looking a bit thin. Aren't we?
Millie met his gaze. She did not flinch. Get out of my house, she said. Your house? Griggs laughed.
This is a squatter's shack, and you're under arrest, darling. For what? Clara asked, speaking up from the fireside. Her voice was sharp as glass. Griggs looked at the doctor, surprised to see her.
Dr. Hargrove didn't know you made house calls to trash. I treat human beings deputy, which is why I rarely have cause to treat you. Griggs's face darkened. He turned to his men.
Toss the place. Find the money she stole from Mister Pritchard. The men began to tear the cabin apart. It was a performance of intimidation. They swept the jars of beans off the shelf, shattering them on the floor.
They ripped the blankets off the bed. One of them picked up Millie's sewing tin and dumped the needles onto the floorboards, grinding them under his boot heel. Jonah stood by the door, his hand hovering near his gun. Every muscle in his body was coiled tight. He wanted to kill them.
He wanted to draw the colt and empty it into Griggs's chest. But he knew that the moment he cleared leather, they would gun him down, and then Millie would be alone with them. He held his rage on a leash so tight it was strangling him. He spoke only when necessary. "Careful with the stove," Jonah said, his voice flat.
One of the men rummaged through a wooden crate near the foot of the bed. He paused, then stood up, holding a silver pocket watch. "Well, well," the man said, "look what I found. Engraved pee. " He held up the watch. It was shiny, expensive, and Jonah had never seen it before in his life.