Bad Land by Jonathan Yanez Read Free Book Online Page B

blood.
    Marshall’s eyes widened as black and white sketched pictures filled his computer screen. They were pictures of war and violence. American Indians held tomahawks, knives, and bows as they met one another, locked in a brutal struggle for life.
    Marshall continued to sift through information. Finally, he stumbled across an article that mentioned both founding families by name.
    On February 8 th, 1850, two wealthy families settled in the area and decided to build a community. Amongst their numerous duties, while establishing a city, one family took to protecting the settlement. The other family focused on governing the city as well as establishing a newspaper. Marshall’s eyes widened and he struggled to keep his composure as he read the names of the two families.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
     
     
    Scott Lloyd and Daniel Whitmer were the heads of the founding families and credited with laying the groundwork in the early days of the county. Marshall had to lean back in his chair and make a decision if he believed in fate or chance. Could Lieutenant Tom Lloyd be related to the family who founded the county? And what about his own boss? What about Diane Whitmer, the woman he’d worked for the past six years? Could she also be related to the founding families?
    This is crazy. It has to be a coincidence. The odds alone have to be a million to one that two people I know are relatives of the founding families of the county.
    The idea of simply asking Diane or Lieutenant Lloyd if they were members of the same family crossed his mind. But what if they were? That didn’t mean anything. Marshall decided to keep researching and reading before he made any hasty decisions or phone calls.
    The two families had grown together and created an oasis in the still early and dangerous West. People flocked to the city looking for opportunity, safety, and a new start. According to the article, everything had gone smoothly, both families working together to create a better existence until 1857, when there was a dispute among the families. The article wasn’t specific about what had caused the rift between the two, but soon the argument turned to bloodshed. The Lloyd family took the lead in city affairs and the Whitmers fell out of historical mention.
    Marshall scratched at his thick brown hair in frustration. There were still so many missing pieces. What had caused the families to turn against each other? What had the Lloyd family done to gain the edge and take control of the town?
    Marshall spent the rest of the afternoon and evening, searching for any other mention of the two families and what had happened. There was nothing. Besides a few sites mentioning the names of the families, there was no new information as to what had caused the families to feud.
    It was becoming increasingly apparent that if Marshall was going to get answers, he was not going to find them staring at a computer screen. He had to get someone to talk.  The old man and his daughter were the only ones in the area he had gotten any response from, and if he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind seeing Samantha again. Other than that, there was Lieutenant Lloyd, and his own boss, Diane Whitmer, he could approach. He could at least ask them for his own peace of mind if they were related to the founding families.
    Marshall gathered his things and then exited his office. The lights were still on in the large, open room that housed the cubicles, but everyone was already gone. Marshall reminded himself to keep better track of time as he looked out the window. He was greeted by the moon and stars.
    A door shut down the hall and his head jerked in that direction.
    “Hello? Is anyone there?”
    There was no answer. Marshall was forced to remember the note scrawled on the newspaper he had found in the back of his car. It had been written in thick red ink, no doubt meant to resemble blood. Marshall could feel his heart beat faster and faster. He faced