What Do We Do With Darby?

Chapter 1

Sheriff Madden looked at the wanted poster and couldn't believe his eyes. The picture was familiar – too familiar – but the name, or actually names, were a complete surprise to him. "Gentleman Jack Darby?" "John Avon?" "John Stratford?" "Sir John Stratford Avon?" This had to be a joke. Some printer in this town had concocted this thing and mailed it to him –

Except he checked the envelope again, and it did bear a postmark from Dodge City, Kansas. But why would anybody send him a wanted poster from Kansas? And why in heaven's name would it have Jarrod Barkley's picture with such obviously phony names under it?

He turned it over and read a note on the back. Then he got up and immediately went over to Jarrod Barkley's office. He knew the lawyer was in town – he'd been here for several weeks now and wasn't due to go to San Francisco for another few weeks. The sheriff rolled the poster up as he carried it – he sure didn't want anyone else to see it. In minutes, he was hustling up the stairs to Jarrod's office.

Jarrod was alone, his secretary out sick. The door to his inner office was wide open, and Jarrod was at his desk, his nose buried in a law book, paper alongside the book and a pen in his hand. "Jarrod!" the sheriff said.

Jarrod jumped. He'd been concentrating so hard he hadn't heard the sheriff come through the door. "Fred, come on in." And then he noticed the sheriff's face, the worry lines, the frown. "What's wrong?"

Sheriff Madden unrolled the poster and put it in front of Jarrod. Jarrod looked at it. His eyes went wide, but then his face took on a look that said he didn't believe this for a moment.

"Well," Jarrod said. "Either someone has an odd sense of humor or I have a twin."

"I think your mother would have told you if you had a twin, but I don't think this is a joke, either," Sheriff Madden said. "It came in an envelope posted in Kansas, and there's a note scribbled on the back."

Jarrod turned it over and read the note. "'Reportedly coming to California, potential relatives in Stockton.' This has still got to be a joke," Jarrod said, shaking his head.

"That's what I thought, but when was the last time you were in Kansas?"

"Passing through on the train last year, but I never even got off. I don't know what this is, Fred, but this isn't me. I'm not wanted anywhere, much less in Kansas."

"I'll wire out there and see if this is legitimate, but damn, Jarrod, this guy looks exactly like you."

"He does, doesn't he?" Jarrod said. "Well, I heard somebody say once that we each have at least one double in the world. I guess Gentleman Jack Darby is mine." Jarrod read the poster over again, then flipped it to read the note. "I wonder who his relatives are supposed to be?"

"Do you think it could be the Barkleys?"

"It would make some sense," Jarrod said. "If we were related, the fact that we look alike wouldn't be so surprising." He handed the poster back to the sheriff. "I was going to be heading home in a few minutes anyway. I'll ask my mother about it, see if she knows anything. In the meantime, you wire Kansas. Maybe they've caught this guy already and you can stop worrying."

"You're not worried? There's a wanted man running around with your face."

"My face is already known in this part of California," Jarrod said. "People know who I am and they know I've been in California for all of my life."

"Except you do travel east fairly frequently."

"Not to Kansas."

XXXXXXXX

"I think if you had a twin, I'd know it," Victoria said when Jarrod explained the poster to his family.

"I certainly hope so," Jarrod said, "but the picture of this man is amazing. He and I look exactly alike, down to our haircuts."

"I can't wait to get a look at it," Heath said. "But you're right, it's got to be a joke."

"It's a pretty poor joke if it is," Audra said. "Someone who doesn't know Jarrod well might try to arrest him."

Nick looked the most concerned. "Or some bounty hunter might make a grab for him. Jarrod, you need to be watching your back for a while."

"I always watch my back, Nick," Jarrod said.

"What are you wanted for, anyway?" Heath asked.

"I'm not wanted for anything," Jarrod said. "This Jack Darby is wanted for fraud and murder."

"Murder?" Victoria said, and now she was as worried as Nick was.

"Fred's looking into it," Jarrod said. "With luck, it's just somebody's bad joke. If not, well then I have to get things straightened out or tattoo my name on my forehead or something."

"You have scars that will prove who you are," Victoria said, "like that one on your arm where you burned it that Christmas when you were a boy."

"There," Jarrod agreed. "I'm covered."

"If it's somebody's bad joke, I'd like to have at 'em," Nick said.

"No, I'll do that," Jarrod said. "You just keep an eye out and if you happen to see me, call me and if I don't answer – grab this guy and hold onto him."

"That would feel so odd," Audra mused. "I mean, to have someone sort of look like you, that's not very unusual, but to have someone look exactly like you – what are the chances of that?"

"Oh, by the way," Jarrod suddenly remembered, "this guy is supposed to have relatives in Stockton. They couldn't be us, by any chance, could they?"

Victoria shrugged. "Not that I know of, but I have cousins. I suppose this man could be the son of one of them."

"It would be handy if he came riding up to the door," Audra said.

"If he's wanted, he won't be doing that," Heath said.

XXXXXXX

After breakfast in the morning, the family split up to do the things they needed to do that day. Jarrod went back to his office in town, wearing his grey business suit because he had a court appearance scheduled. He made it in without anyone bothering him and stopped by the sheriff's office to touch base before he went to the courthouse.

But the sheriff shook his head. "I haven't heard back from Kansas," he said. "I don't have any idea when this Darby fellow might show up, and I don't have any confirmation that this poster isn't a joke to begin with."

"Well, we'll keep an eye out for him, just to be sure," Jarrod said.

The sheriff looked Jarrod up and down. "I don't suppose you thought much about the suit you were going to wear today."

Jarrod looked at himself. "It's my court suit. I'm due there in fifteen minutes. What's wrong with it?"

"It's the same color as the suit your twin his wearing in this picture."

Jarrod took another look at the photo. "The hat is different. Mine has a bigger brim."

"That's not gonna mean much if there's somebody out there ready to shoot Gentleman Jack Darby."

"Well, I can't change into something else now, and frankly, this is the only suit I have for court. My dark suit always makes me look like I'm going to a funeral – the judges don't like it. I'll be careful."

"Do me a favor and don't wear that one again until we clear this up."

"No choice, Fred, unless we get a tailor in town who can work a lot faster than Mr. Garrett. You're not gonna post this poster around town, are you?"

"No, of course not, at least not until I verify it's real, and then I might have to put it up on my wall. But posting it around – I'm not so sure I'm gonna do that even if we verify everything. But bear in mind, Jarrod – this poster probably went to some other sheriffs in the area, and I don't know what they'll do."

Jarrod frowned. "I know. I think, after I'm through in court, I'll wire my Pinkerton friends in San Francisco and see if they have anything on this Jack Darby. That should answer the question once and for all, if this is a prank or not."

"I'd still rather have Kansas confirm this wanted poster."

"As would I," Jarrod said. "But I'll tell you something. If this does turn out to be a prank, Fred, I'm gonna want my pound of flesh out of whoever is pulling it."

"I'll be happy to help you get it."