I know exactly how strong Katie is. Margaret said softly. I was there when Morrison. Don't, Catherine's voice was sharp. Don't talk about it.
Not Not yet. More silence. Jake shifted slightly, trying to ease a cramp in his leg, and his boot scraped against the wooden crate. The voices in the barn stopped immediately. "Who's there? " Margaret called out, and Jake heard the distinctive click of a hammer being cocked.
"Just me," Jake said, standing slowly and stepping into the moonlight where they could see him. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd check on the horses. " The barn door opened and Margaret emerged. Indeed, holding a pistol, a Remington.44 by the look of it. She lowered it when she saw him, but didn't holster it.
How long have you been there? Long enough, Jake admitted. Morrison, that's who you're running from. Margaret's jaw tightened. Behind her, Rose and Catherine appeared in the doorway, their faces pale in the moonlight.
You should go back to the house, Margaret said. Forget what you heard. Can't do that. Jake moved closer, noting how Rose's hand had drifted to her hip where a knife handle protruded. So, they were all armed.
Good. "A man named Morrison killed your mother, and now he's hunting you. That about right? " The sisters exchanged glances. Finally, Rose spoke. Close enough.
Why? Because we saw it happen. Catherine said, her voice barely above a whisper. And because we ran instead of instead of letting him do to us what he'd done to her, Jake felt something cold settle in his gut. He'd known men like this Morrison.
Men who thought their money and power gave them rights to whatever whoever they wanted. "He forced himself on her. " "She fought," Margaret said, her voice steady, but her eyes bright with unshed tears. She always was a fighter, but he he was stronger. And when she kept fighting, he she couldn't finish. He killed her, Rose said flatly.
Beat her until she stopped moving. Then he turned to us and said we'd be next if we didn't cooperate. So we ran, Catherine added. That night, took his horse and what money we could find and ran. He's been chasing us ever since.
Margaret finished. 5 months now. Every town we stop in, his men show up within days. We've been living like animals, hiding, stealing when we had to. We're not We're not criminals, Mr.
Sullivan. We're just trying to survive. Jake studied them in the moonlight. Three women driven to desperate measures, carrying the weight of their mother's death and their own narrow escape. No wonder Margaret watched every shadow.