"Shut the hell up," the judge ordered the complainer. "What I was saying before you tried to fast-talk me into rushing, Floyd Manning, is that I got a little problem with this here legal paper. The law is the law, but telling me I don't have any recourse, well, now, that's mighty bold talk coming from an outsider. Let me set you straight. I'm the law here. What I say goes, and now I'm saying Adam Clayborne isn't going to be handed over to you. You want to see him hang, then you'll have to wait around to find out if he's rendered guilty or not."
"But, Judge, in South Carolina…" Manning began.
"We ain't in South Carolina," came the shout from the back. "Go on ahead and try him now, Judge. It's getting on to noon."
The judge looked as if he wanted to shoot someone. Since he was the only one with a gun inside this courtroom, he figured he might do just that if folks didn't settle down pretty soon.
He glared at the crowd before turning back to the citified lawyer with hundred-year-old relatives. "We're in a territory, not a state, and like I told you before, what I say goes."
Mary Rose bowed her head. She was desperately trying not to cry. Her anger made her shiver so much her arms had goosebumps everywhere. Would this nightmare ever end? Her brothers had hoped that Judge Burns would hand Adam over to the southerners. They planned to grab him outside of town and hide him up in the mountains until future plans could be made.
The crowd was in a frenzy waiting for the judge to tell them he would go ahead and try Adam then and there. Burns wasn't about to lose control of his court. He reached down into his lap and pulled out his six-shooter. He was going to put a couple of bullets in the ceiling to get everyone's attention.
The tactic turned out to be unnecessary. Just as he was cocking his weapon, a hush came over the crowd. Burns looked up and spotted Harrison roughly shoving his way through the angry men.
Mary Rose noticed the silence and gripped her hands together even tighter. What more had happened? Were they bringing in Douglas and Cole? She was afraid to look.
Harrison walked right past her. He didn't spare her or her brothers a glance as he made his way to the table Judge Burns sat behind.
"I have business with this court."
Her head jerked up. She blinked. He didn't disappear. Harrison? Harrison was in Blue Belle? She couldn't seem to catch her breath, couldn't make herself understand.
"State your business," the judge commanded.
"My name is Harrison Stanford MacDonald…"
Burns didn't let him continue. "Why are you telling me your name? I know who you are."
"For the record, Your Honor."
"What record? We don't keep records here, leastways we don't very often. We're more casual in the Territory. State your business," he repeated.
"I represent Adam Clayborne."
A sparkle came into the judge's eyes. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his jaw. "You do, do you?'
"Yes, Your Honor, I do."
"Then you might as well get on over there and represent him. I'm about to try him for murder."
"Is a man entitled to a fair trial in the Territory?" he asked.
The judge knew Harrison well enough to understand he wasn't trying to bait him or insult him.
"Yes, of course he's entitled."
"Then I request sufficient time to confer with my client."
"How much time?"
"One month."
A roar of discontent went up. The judge calmly shot his gun into the air. "Can't wait a whole month, Harrison."
"Your Honor, I must have sufficient time to build my case."
"Where we gonna keep him until you figure out what you want to say?"
"He should be released into my custody," Harrison said.
"He'll run, Judge. The darkie will run. Just you wait and see."
Judge Burns leaned to the side so he could see past Harrison. "Is that you, Bickley, disrupting my courtroom? I swear to God I'm gonna put a bullet in your butt if you don't shut your trap. You got two weeks to prepare, Harrison. You willing to put up money in the event Adam runs?"
"Everything I own."
"A hundred dollars will do me now. You can pay up the rest in two weeks, unless of course he doesn't run."
"Yes, Your Honor."
The judge slammed the gavel down once again. "Adam's got to stay under house arrest until trial. Anyone doesn't like it can watch he doesn't leave from the edge of the Clayborne property line. All of you hear what I'm saying? Bickley, if you don't have anything better to do with your time than sit around and watch, you do it from the trees. You got that? I'm declaring here and now if any of you set foot on Clayborne land, it's legal for them to shoot you. We're going to have us a trial in two weeks. Court's adjourned."
The judge slapped the gavel down against the tabletop one last time. "You've got your work cut out for you, Harrison," he remarked in a low voice. "I have a folder full of evidence against Adam. You can have a gander at it until I leave to go fishing. I'll be at Belle's place until Sunday next. Bring your hundred dollars over there."
Floyd Manning walked over to Harrison. "Nigger lover," he hissed.
The judge heard him. "You got no more business here, Manning. Go on back home. I do my own prosecuting here. It'll be trial by jury, and I'll be the one picking the twelve."
Manning's bushy eyebrows came together in yet another scowl. "That boy don't deserve a fair trial. They all ought to be dragged out of here and strung up."
The attorney's face had turned a blotchy red. He was furious the hearing hadn't gone his way.
Judge Burns looked at Harrison. "Who exactly does he think we ought to string up? The town or just the Claybornes?"
Manning was happy to answer him. "The Claybornes, of course, especially that white girl living under the same roof with the nigger. She's trash."
"You got something to say about that, Harrison?" the judge asked.
He counted to ten before he answered the judge. Stalling didn't help him change his mind. "How much for the charge of assault, Your Honor?"
Burns's eyes sparkled with merriment. "Five dollars, given the special circumstances."
Harrison reached into his pocket, pulled out five dollars, and dropped the money on the table.
What happened next so surprised the southern attorney, he didn't have time to protect himself. Harrison punched him hard in the face.
He coldcocked him. Manning collapsed on the floor in a dead faint. The judge leaned over the table to get a better look at the man, then turned back to Harrison.
He was trying hard not to smile. "Well now, that's premeditation. Cost you a dollar more."
Harrison handed him the money and went to his wife and her brothers.
He kept his attention on the crowd. The men were slow to leave, and Harrison had plenty of time to study their faces. He didn't recognize any of them.
Travis started to get up. Harrison ordered him to stay in his chair. "Mary Rose, get up and come over to me. Look damned happy to see me."
She didn't hesitate. She quickly got up and walked around the table. He pulled her into his arms, leaned down and kissed her brow, and then hugged her tight.
"Welcome back, Harrison," Adam whispered.
"When the hell did all this happen?" he asked.
"They woke me up yesterday," Adam answered. "And here I am. You got here in the nick of time. In another hour, it would have been too late. They would have waited until tomorrow to hang me, but once a sentence is handed down, no one can do anything."
The last of the strangers filed out of the storefront. Douglas and Cole came charging inside.
"Shut the door," Harrison called out.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Cole muttered. He tossed Travis his gun as he came storming down the aisle. "Adam, you okay?"