For His Own Protection

by

Beppina

I’ve got the headache from hell!

Pulling myself into a sitting position, I realised I was behind bars. I recognised Roy Coffee’s jail; I’d been here before. I felt the lump behind my ear. Whoever had cold-cocked me had done it well. I couldn’t remember where I’d been after leaving the saloon.

“Roy,” I called, flinching at the sound of my own voice. “Hey, Roy, let me outta here.”

The keys jangled as Roy unlocked the outer door.

“What’s going on, Roy? You gonna let me out?”

“I can’t, Joe. There’s a mob out front bayin’ for your blood. Threatenin’ to hang you.”

“What?!”

“Sadie Green’s dead. Bart an’ Jimmy Hoffer from the Circle D found you and her out back of the livery. Said she’d been beaten and raped.”

I couldn’t find words. I’d seen Sadie at the mercantile. She wanted to tell me something, but her ma called her back into the store, so I’d gone straight to the stage office. “I’d never hurt her, Roy. Heck, we’ve been friends since we were kids. I weren’t anywhere near the livery.”

“They brought you in, son. Said Sadie had a handful of your shirt when they found you both. Take a look. There’s a rip and some missing at the side. Look at your hands, there’s blood on ’em. Any idea how that happened?”

“No. I don’t have a clue.”

“Where’d you go after seeing her? Anyone account for you?”

“The stage office. Pa’s going to Sacramento; they’ll confirm that. Then I went to the saloon.” I stopped and pressed my fingers to my head. “I had a beer, Sam’ll tell you. There were a couple of poker games. I was tempted, but Pa wanted the mail. There were some other men, but I didn’t pay ’em any mind.” I swallowed hard. “Roy, is my Pa here? I’d like him here.”

“I sent Clem out to get him. Shouldn’t be too long.”

The door swung open, and Doc Martin strode through. “What’s Joe doing in the cells?”

More heavy footsteps pounded across the doorway.

“What’s going on here, Roy? Why’ve you got my boy locked up?” Pa’s bellow could probably be heard at the opposite end of town. My brothers crowded in behind him.

Friend or not, my father was a force to be reckoned with.

“Now see here, Ben. Joe was found with a dead girl…”

“What? Who? Joseph?”

“Let me see to Joe,” Doc interrupted. “Maybe we can shine a light on things.” He checked my eyes, then examined the lump behind my ear. For once, I held my tongue. “You been sick?”

“No, not yet. Feel a bit nauseous, though. Like when you give me that drug to knock me out.”

Doc cleaned the blood from my hands. “You’ve got a slight concussion. That explains the memory loss.” He paused, studying my pupils. “And I think you were drugged.”

“Drugged?”

The word came from Roy and Pa together. I couldn’t help grinning at their expressions.

“His pupils are constricted. That’s a sure sign. Laudanum, most likely. A few drops would have done it.”

Hoss stepped up to the cell door, anger blazing in his eyes. “Who’s tryin’ to frame Joseph?”

“If’n what Doc says is right, we need to find out before that mob gets outta hand,” Adam declared.

“Roy,” I said, “Sadie’s been seeing Bart Hoffer. Her ma don’t know about it, but she told me a couple of weeks back. She said he was coming on a bit strong. Pushing for… well, you know what I’m getting at.”

Roy’s face hardened. “I’ll get Clem to bring ’em in. First I need to quieten that mob. Ben, I’d be obliged if you’d back me up.”

Pa nodded. “They’ll listen to me.”

After they left, I rubbed my head.

“Joe, anything else you remember?” Doc asked.

I frowned. “Jimmy brushed against me in the saloon. Didn’t take any notice at the time. It was just before I left.”

“Could he have drugged you?” Adam asked.

“It’s possible,” Doc cut in. “If the laudanum was in Joe’s beer. Jimmy had the opportunity. But Roy’ll want proof.”

“The beer was warm,” I remembered. “I only drank half of it.”

Doc raised an eyebrow. “That’ll be worth remembering.”

For the first time, I felt more confident. My family would clear my name.

That took most of the afternoon.

Roy questioned Bart and Jimmy separately. Their stories matched, but Adam noticed an important discrepancy. Bart claimed they’d found Sadie near the livery just after noon, in bright sunshine. Jimmy said the alley was already in shadow when they arrived.

Roy sent Clem to check with the livery owner. When he returned, there was more. “The liveryman saw Jimmy in the alley before Joe arrived,” Clem explained. “He also saw Bart arguing with Sadie that morning.”

Bart shifted uneasily. “That don’t prove nothing.”

“It proves you lied,” Adam said quietly.

Jimmy looked at Bart. Whatever passed between them broke his resolve. “I didn’t mean to kill her,” he blurted.

Bart lunged towards him. Hoss caught him by the collar and hauled him back.

“Tell ’em the truth, Jimmy,” Hoss growled.

Jimmy’s face crumpled. “Bart said she was going to tell folks he’d forced himself on her. He said Joe would make a perfect scapegoat. He put the blood on Joe’s hands and tore his shirt.” Jimmy admitted. “I slipped some laudanum into Joe’s beer so he wouldn’t remember anything.”

The truth spread as quickly as the accusation. By evening, the mob had mostly disappeared, leaving a few townsfolk milling about, hanging their heads in shame.

Roy unlocked the cell. “Guess you’re free to go, Joe.”

I stepped outside and my eyes adjusted to the twilight. Pa put a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, son. Let’s get you home.”

I looked back at the jail. “Roy?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time you want to protect me, how about you try locking me somewhere with a decent bed?”

Roy grinned. “Can’t promise that, Joe. How about you stay outta trouble?”

The End

Word count 1000

General Audience.

22.08.2026