My name is Marley Maxwell when I was three years old someone killed my parents, they brought me to live with my grandmother.

I had a good life there until I was about eight years old, and then I had my first run in with the law. I was guilty of stealing a baseball from the bargin store.

But that big old deputy Brown scared me so bad I swore I would never steal again. I don't know why but he scared me so bad.

I had almost made it home when that cruiser pulled over, but it taught me a good lesson the life of crime was not for me.

I think he was going to put me in the cruiser, I was so scared then Deputy Lyons pulled up and a funny thing happened.

"Is there a problem here John?" Loyns asked.

"No, just chatting with the boy here, now run along home son," Deputy Brown said, almost cheefully, when before he had been talking to me in a threatening tone, asking me if I knew what would happen to me if I was caught stealing.

Right after that I met my best friend Dennis Kemmle. He had a big brother named Jake who was in high school. Dennis and I went fishing together and did lots of fun things.

I really liked his brother too, he wasn't like a lot of teenage guys who thought kids were a pain, he took time to teach us stuff.

I was always amazed that Dennis was allowed to play with me, a lot of kids weren't and I didn't understand that I was a good kid.

Heck I was the best third basemen on our little league team I could catch anything. Our team got more outs on third base then any team.

The other thing I loved was growing fresh vegetables in my grandmothers garden.

I did a good job too and won a prize for my tomatoes. One of my teachers said it was a good skill for me because I was never going to college. And oh boy did Dennis get mad at her. I didn't understand, I was used to having most adults treat me like I was a bad kid. When the worst thing I ever did was steal a baseball and my grandmother made me work for the money to pay for it when I told her. My grandmother liked Dennis, she taught him piano just as she taught a lot of folks, and me as well. She even invited him over, we always had a good time, having so much in common baseball and music.

I must say I was not so lonely now that I had Dennis as a friend.

Time passed I grew into a teenager, and I still enjoyed gardening, but now my specialty was herbs.

Dennis and I were still great friends and two of us had made another friend Charlie, Native American kid the three of us started a little rock band for fun. Called the Outcasts because the three of us basically were.

It was something we did for fun but ended up getting a little popular because we would play for parties and dances fairly cheaply and we were good.

Some girls were even starting to hang around and Dennis had a date after the gig with one.

I still was a bit too shy, but Charlie wanted to hang out, so I decided to go on home, my grandmother would worry.

So here I was walking home from a dance party where our little group had played, and Sherrif Brown pulled up on me.

"Where have you been, I have a report of a stolen car, and you fit the theif's discription," Brown growled.

"Ok I am poor, I am walking here, where is this car I stole?" I ask.

"Shut up kid what do you know about your mothers death?" he asks.

He is making me really nervous. I thought this was about this car, but I can see something else is going on.

"I don't know nothing, I was three years old," I cried, thinking what is going on, and why hadn't he said parents death. Something like a tickle in the back of my throat something like that except it is in my mind. I saw something but what? I was only three years old.

I was mulling this over when another car pulls up, just as Brown is about to grab me.

It was Jake, who just got on the sherrifs department Dennis's big brother, I was never so glad to see him in my life. I just stood there shaking as he convinces sheriff Brown I don't have the car and have an alibi I was playing a dance at the high school gym.

A few days later I see this stranger around town, we live in a small town, but this guy would stick out anywhere. He is looking for a house to buy and chats me up a bit.

He is a small guy or maybe a teenager, and Indian who looks like he just got off the rez.

Something is not right why would he come to this small dead end town where there are only two places to work the brewery and the nail factory, and neither one is hiring.

A couple of days pass and I forget about the stranger I have problems of my own Sheriff Brown is dogging me. This worries me I have always been scared of the guy since I was a kid but something about that day haunts me the way he said, what do you know about your mothers death. All I know is what grandmother had told me, someone had broken into the house and shot my parents, and would have killed me maybe too if Deputy Barnes had not been driving buy heard shots and scared off who ever it was.

Deputy Lyons, older kindly he had put a blanket around me I remembered that, but there was something else too.

Deputy Lyons was still with the sheriffs office, and I thought about asking him, but what if he said something to Sheriff Brown, it could open up a whole new can of worms.

I decided to take my dog for a walk and think, if that didn't work I would go in the garden and think, I did some of my best thinking tending my herbs.

Later I went by to ask Lyons about the night my parents died, he was on second shift manning the desk.

"Well Marley, they say your father shot your mother then tried to kill himself but that never made sense to me, lately I been thinking a lot about that night," Mr. Lyons said.

"What do you mean tried . . ." I stammered.

"Son, your father is in prison for killing your mother and robbing the bank he worked at as a janitor, you didn't know?" Lyons started, then looked upset the boy had not know.

"No my father would never kill my mother or rob a bank," I cried.

"Well he is alive in prison up in . . ." Lyons started.

Lyons was shocked, why hadn't June told the boy the truth about her son?

"My grandmother lied to me," I cried and ran out of the office.

"Son I don't think he . . ." Lyons called. But I didn't hear him really.

I was so upset I didn't sense one of the other deputies see me leave at a run.

All I could think about was getting home and asking my grandmother for the truth. It was getting dark and I did not want Brown to catch me out after dark but I lived two miles from town.

Half an hour I was still running down the lane when Sheriff Brown caught up to me.

"You are under arrest for shooting deputy Lyons,"

"What I don't even have a gun," I said wide eyed, I had never held a gun much less shot one, and I liked Deputy Lyons.

He pitched me a gun, and instinctively I caught it.

I saw what he was going to do shoot me right here. But before he could the gun in my hand went off.

The surprise on his face was more then mine, the gun he had given me was the one who killed my mother and shoot Lyons he had thought the bullets had all been removed. But there was one in the chamber.

I watched him fall and stood there in dumb shock but before I could think what to do the stranger and Jake were there.

"I have to arrest you but don't worry," Jake said, "Your fathers lawyer will take care of it, you shot him in self defense."

I was in shock, my fathers lawyer. The young man I had seen around asking questions was a private investigator, everything seemed so unreal. Surely grandmother would wake me up for school in a few minutes and this was all a very bad dream.

No dream here I was in jail, and no one would tell me anything.

The only thing I knew is that my fathers lawyer was on his way. I hoped he would be a good one.

I was in shock still when the deputies brought me in to sit by this woman.

"Say do you know when my fathers lawyer is getting here?" I asked I had never been so scared in my life. "I am your fathers lawyer, and this is my son River, he is my investgator," she said smiling.

"Hello," I said to the man I had seen around town and had chatted me up he smiled and nodded.

"We are working on your fathers appeal, and I don't think we will have any problem now," the lawyer said.

"All rise for his Honor Judge Thorne." someone said. The judge was a scary looking dude, I thought.

"The case of State verses Marley Maxwell, is there a plea?" The judge asked.

"Your Honor, my client is not guilty by reason of self defence witness saw the Sheriff toss the gun to my client," the lawyer said.

"I see, may I have the arresting officer?" the Judge asked.

"Officer what about the deputy that was shot?" the judge asked.

"The sheriff shot him as well, he is recovering in the hospital or would be here to give testimony," the lawyer said.

"I see and Mr. Prosecutor?" The judge asked.

"Yes sir, the state wishes to drop all charges, and wishes to charge former Sheriff Brown in the murder of Mrs. Ella Maxwell and the attempted murder of Deputy Lyons." the prosecuter said trying not to smile.

"Is there any other charges against this young man?" The judge asked.

"None your honor," the prosecuter said.

"Well then case dismissed," the Judge said not looking as hard as he had looked.

"Congratulations, now River and I have to get back to your father," the attorney said smiling broadly.

"Brown is alive?" I asked, thinking I had done the deed.

"Yes barely, you are a good shot," Jake said smiling, "You might think about joining the department after high school.

"No mon I would have to cut my hair," I said and grinned."Really though if I never have to touch another gun I will be happy."

"I am sorry I lied to you Mar, but your father wished it," grandmother said when I returned home.

"I don't understand grandmother, I have felt like an outcast since I can remember and I didn't know why," I cried.

"I guess it was the wrong thing to do, but you know now, I have wanted to tell you since you were fourteen," she sighed.

I hugged her, I loved her so much, she could have turned me away when I was a toddler and she had done her best. How could I be angry with the only parent I knew.

"I want to go meet him the lawyer is working on his appeal now that Brown has been arrested," I said, "I remember that night the gun woke me and dad was crying and begging Brown not to shoot me."

"We don't need to go anywhere your father is coming home." she said smiling.

My father's lawyer and her son the private investigator, had met my father in prison when they were there to help one of their relations who had the misfortune to end up there.

When my father was working as a janitor at the bank, he walked in on John Brown stealing the money from the bank, he didn't know what to do. So when Brown was looking for gold in the big vault, which he never got, my father quickly hid the money in a statue.

Brown could not get into the big vault and he saw the money gone and figured out what happened and went to the Maxwell house.

My father said that Brown had shot my mother because he refused to tell him where he had hid the money. Brown had then shot him as well, and was about to kill me when Deputy Lyons showed up.

Deputy Lyons became the new sheriff and everyone did pretty well after that, Dennis and I went to college on a baseball scholarship. Charlie went on an Native grant, and we all are studying different things.

My father told the bank where the money was and got his job back, they understood why he couldn't have turned it in earlier it would have made him look guilty. But they had good proof that Brown had robbed it because he had cut himself opening the small vault and a new thing called DNA proved it was his blood. My father could have kept that money and no one would have known. But he is an honest man.

Of course ex-sheriff Brown is in prison where my dad was. Dad was a good worker and smart man who studied a lot and helped a lot of poor men out as well as did taxes and accounting for some of the guards. So everyone likes my dad and hates Brown there and does their best to make sure Brown is not having a good life.

Now that we are in college the Outcasts are even more popular, we are tempted to quit college and take a record deal, but we all agreed a degree is a good thing to have.

The End