Chapter 13

Epilogue

Jarrod was the last to recover, but his fever broke and he was well enough that they lifted the quarantine a few days after he talked to the men responsible for Keener's death. He stayed at the ranch a while longer, though, and talked to his clients again. They were scared, of course, and he tried to settle them down. He convinced them that their best and cleanest course of action was to surrender, confess everything, and let him defend them in court.

It was Barlow who made the difference. The men gave Jarrod permission to talk frankly to him, and he told Barlow why they did what they had done. Barlow immediately sought them out in the bunkhouse. "I will stick by you," he said. "I understand why you did what you did, and you may be right. I might have gone off the deep end and killed Keener myself. I should never have hired the man in the first place. If I'd known - " He got stuck on the words and just finished up. "You saved me from myself. I won't forget that."

Jarrod felt even more compassion for his clients. "We need to go to the sheriff and you need to confess," he told them, "but Mr. Barlow and I will be beside you all the way."

Jarrod and Barlow took the men into Alto themselves. They surrendered. They confessed everything just as they had confessed it to Jarrod. Dr. Soper confirmed that Jenny had been raped, and he confirmed that Keener had been poisoned with rat poison.

"Why didn't you just shoot him?" the sheriff asked.

Shields said, "Too much noise, too much law just outside the gate. I thought I could just do this and get everyone to think he had died of the influenza." He looked contrite, but then he also looked like he'd have done it again.

"We know we tried to hide it all," Hill said. "We know we did wrong in the whole thing, but we just didn't feel like we had any choice."

The sheriff arrested them and jailed them. The whole matter was put in front of the district attorney from Modesto, who immediately went for indictments that surprised everyone. On Shields, he recommended and got an indictment for first degree murder, but on the others he only recommended and got charges of accessories after the fact, since Shields had done the poisoning and the others had only helped him cover it up. The other men actually felt bad about that, but Shields smiled and said, "It's fitting. It's all right."

Jarrod immediately said, "We're going to work on this. We'll fight. We're let the jury decide what the justice is."

Behind the scenes, away from the men and from Barlow, the district attorney quietly said to Jarrod, "I hated to have to go for first degree murder, but given the way Shields killed Keener and the cover-up, I had no choice."

"I know," Jarrod said. "Now, how about we talk about some plea bargains, at least for everybody but Shields?"

"For the other men, sure, but I can't let Shields off the hook. Only a jury can do that."

Jarrod understood. The district attorney was very cooperative on the other men. They actually settled on a 60-day sentence in the county jail for them, which they accepted. Barlow told them right away, "There's a job for you when you get out, if you're interested." They all were.

Then Shields came to trial. He was scared to the point of trembling when the trial started, but Jarrod stayed with him and Barlow was right behind them in the gallery. The trial was held in Alto. The jury was chosen, the case was well tried by both Jarrod and the district attorney. Both Jarrod and the district attorney decided not to ask Jenny to testify – she was still suffering from what had happened to her.

Dr. Soper explained both Jenny's injuries and Keener's poisoning. Shields explained everything he was involved with – seeing Keener rape Jenny, planning and carrying out his execution of the man rather than see Barlow explode in revenge and ruin his family. He took complete responsibility, but he refused to have or show any remorse. Jarrod had to make that come out the best he could.

What sealed the question was when Barlow testified. He said Shields was right, he might well have killed Keener himself for what he'd done to Jenny. He explained how difficult it was for Jenny, who was still recovering from the trauma. He explained the stress of the influenza epidemic going on at the time. He actually begged the jury to go easy on Shields. "He's saved me and my family," Barlow said. "Please understand that. He saved us."

Jarrod's closing argument was as genuinely passionate as any argument he had ever given. "This was a tragedy brought about by the actions of a man who raped a defenseless girl who was only trying to help him. The tragedy should end right here." He pleaded for Shields to be acquitted, although he knew full well acquittal was unlikely. He was begging for as much leniency as he could get for his client.

The jury deliberated for several hours and came back with a verdict of just plain homicide in the lowest degree possible. They recommended leniency in sentencing, as Jarrod had asked.

The judge had Shields stand, and Jarrod and Barlow both stood up with him. The judge said, "The defense has described this incident as a tragedy, and it appears the jury agrees. And so do I."

The judge sentenced Shields to a year in prison at San Quentin, then immediately suspended six months of it and ordered the incarceration to be at the county jail in Modesto. Shields practically fell down into his chair in relief.

"There's a job for you when you get out," Barlow told him.

Shields nodded his thanks, and shook his lawyer's hand.

And it was done. Jarrod bid his clients and the Barlow family good-bye, and after weeks of time spent in Alto and at the Barlow ranch, Jarrod headed home.

As soon as he came in the door, his mother and sister rushed into his arms. "Oh, Jarrod!" Victoria said.

They had wanted to come down to Alto as soon as Jarrod was out of quarantine and stay for the trial, but in an exchange of many telegrams, he talked them out of it, telling them he needed to concentrate on his clients. Now, as his mother and sister hugged him and he got slaps on the back and handshakes from his brothers, he explained the verdict and said, "It was a good one. It was a just one."

They took him to his thinking chair and sat him down. "And you're all healed up now?" Audra said.

"Completely," Jarrod said. "I have been for some time. Thank you for letting me be gone for so long. I really had to concentrate on this case, but it was worth it."

"And I was right again," Nick said with a grin.

Jarrod looked suspiciously at him. "You were right? About what?"

"About you getting in trouble again out on your own," Nick said.

"Oh, come on, Nick," Jarrod said. "I was where the good Lord intended me to be and I was never in trouble myself."

"You caught influenza," Victoria reminded him.

"A minor inconvenience," Jarrod said. "I'm not sorry about what happened to me. I'm sorry for Jenny Barlow and her parents and Shields and the other men involved, but for me? No. This case is a good example of why I wanted to be a lawyer. Why I'll always want to be a lawyer. BUT – Nick, Heath, I need to tell you. Dr. Soper in Alto mentioned something to me about a deal he made with you."

They looked curious.

"As soon as I'm through with this trial coming up here," Jarrod said, "Dr. Soper is coming fishing with me and my two brothers here, up at the lodge."

Nick and Heath remembered. "That deserves a toast," Nick said, and fetched Jarrod a glass of scotch.

Jarrod took it, and offered the toast. "To Dr. Soper, and to my family – to my brothers who helped me out in Alto, to my dear mother and sister who kept the home fires burning for me. And to justice."

The End