Sins of the Father by Robert J. Thomas Read Free Book Online

his rocker, watching Jess. Jess walked over to talk with the sheriff.
“Sheriff, I’m here in town looking for a man by the name of Eddie Sloan.”
The mention of Eddie Sloan’s name made the sheriff sit forward in his rocker. “What’s your business with Eddie Sloan?”
“It’s kind of personal.”
“Well, I’m making it personal and I’m making it my business.”
“He’s my father, although I don’t like to admit it, and I’ve been on his trail for a long time. I’ve never actually met him. I found out a few years back that he was my natural father.”
The sheriff leaned back in his rocker again. “Well, Eddie Sloan left town three days ago on the train. Who knows where he is by now. He cleaned up on a poker game here in town over at the Blue Diamond Gambling House. He won about eleven thousand dollars in that game. He also managed to kill a drifter who came through in the middle of the game. He shot the man twice and went back to his poker game as if he had stepped on a cow chip. If Eddie Sloan is your father, I feel sorry for you, young man.”
“Don’t feel sorry for me, Sheriff. I didn’t say I liked the man, only that he was my natural father.”
“What are you going to do when you finally catch up with him?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think that anything good will come of it.”
“I think you might be right about that. I know all about you, Jess Williams. I know about you killing your own brother. Why did you go and do something like that?”
“Because he was a bad man.”
“And you always go around killing bad men, don’t you.” It was a statement, not a question.
“That’s right.”
“There are a few bad men in town right now. If you stick around, I’m sure you’ll run into one of them before long. Are you going to shoot them, too?”
“Only if they start it or if they have a bounty on their head.”
“If there was someone in my town with a bounty on their head, I would have already collected it myself.”
Jess smiled. “Sheriff, can you point me to the best hotel in town and the best place to get a meal?”
The sheriff gave Jess the information he had asked about. He found the Star Hotel and got himself a room. Then he treated himself to an extra long hot bath. He then headed for Jensen’s Café, where the sheriff had told him he would find the best meals in town. One smell and a few looks at the plates of food on the tables when Jess walked into the café assured him that the sheriff had given him the right tip. He sat down at a small table, and it wasn’t even a minute when a young woman with dark hair and brown eyes walked up to his table.
She handed him a menu and explained what the special of the day was. “Hello, my name is Candice. Can I get you something to drink while you decide?”
“Hot coffee will be fine, but I’ve already decided to take your special, Candice.”
“Good choice. My mom does most of the cooking in the back and she makes the best fried chicken anywhere in town.”
Jess looked around the café. There were several people eating and most of them Jess figured for locals. Only one man was wearing a pistol, he was dressed nicely, and Jess didn’t figure him for any trouble. Probably only carried a gun for protection. He liked the place. It was clean and there were even white tablecloths on the table. He was not usually accustomed to eating in such a decent place, but it was nice for a change and he liked it.
Candice had re-filled Jess’ coffee a few times before she finally came out of the back with his platter of food. She placed it on the table and delivered some silverware along with salt and pepper and a plate of warm rolls and a slab of butter. It looked and smelled absolutely wonderful.
“I’d wait a few minutes before you bite into that chicken because it’s fresh out of the pan and very hot. Can I get you anything else?” Candice asked.
“I’ll take your advice,” Jess said, as he touched the chicken. If you keep the