The cars and trucks that passed by him as he made his way through the downtown area were all relatively new. He gazed up at the two-story jail, constructed of red brick with white columns out front and tubs of pansies guarding the entrance, and Coke and snack machines set against the wall. It was the most inviting entrance to the shackled life Stone had ever seen, though. Next door was a larger building, built of red brick too, with a clock tower and “Court House” stenciled on the outside.

A jail and a courthouse in such a little hamlet? With a supermax prison not that far away? But the supermax was for the deadliest of the deadly, not small-town criminals who probably stole car batteries and hit their bar mate while shit-faced.

As he was thinking this a small man with snowy white hair came out of the courthouse, perched a soft felt driving cap on his head and ambled down the street away from Stone.

“Want me to introduce you to the judge?”

Stone turned around and saw Tyree standing behind him. He must have come out of the jail. The big man moved quietly. Stone didn’t like that stealth.

“The judge?” A lawman and a judge. Just what he needed. They could both arrest and try him for murder right now.

Tyree nodded and called out, “Dwight, got somebody here you might want to meet.”

The small man glanced around, saw Tyree and smiled. He headed back toward them.

“This here is Ben,” Tyree said. “You got a last name, Ben?”

“Thomas,” Stone said quickly.

“Okay, this is the Honorable Dwight Mosley.”

Up close Stone had the impression that he was talking to a smaller version of Santa Claus with a trim beard in place of the bushy one.

Mosley chuckled. “I’m not sure how honorable I am or ever was, but it does indeed come with the title of a judge.”

“Ben was the one who saved Danny Riker’s butt when he got into some trouble on a train.”

“I heard Danny was back. Well, thank you, Ben. Danny can be, well . . .”

“Hotheaded?” suggested Stone.

“Impetuous.”

“A nicer word, but means the same thing,” Tyree pointed out with a laugh.

“Fine-looking courthouse you have there,” said Stone, glancing away from the judge. “I guess you have a lot going on?”