Jamie and Octavia had just finished their lovemaking and were laying in bed and talking. Octavia trying to get up the nerve to tell him about Jeremiah, when the dogs started barking and someone riding a strange stallion entered the lane. Jamie heard Juniper scream a challenge.

"Oh no I forgot to put him in the barn, since Quentin hasn't been running him he is very restless and has jumped the fence yesterday." Octavia said.

Jamie slipped on his buckskins and went down to see what was going on down on the lane. He looked in at the three girls all sleeping, the girls he barely remembered,

Then there was Lissa in Quentins old room, a pallet in the corner, must be where his son Jeremiah slept.

He really needed to build another room onto the house, the girls would need more room.

He smiled remembering how Lissa had been Quentin's favourite, because she rode and fished and did all the things he enjoyed, and she could throw rocks like a boy. Wenday was a lot like Lissa.

He went down stairs thinking Juniper was sounding even more upset and wondering if there was another stallion near.

"Quentin," Seth called, hoping that fence held he had to dismount his horse he had been fighting the bit so much.

"No, it's me Jamie," Jamie said, thinking the man looked familiar as he lit one of the yard lights.

"Jamie, everyone thought you were dead, where were you? What happened?" Seth said forgetting he had came to question Quentin. He was one of the few people that knew about Whitney Timberlanes threats to Octavia,

Jack had came to him, but Jack hadn't known much himself, Seth had found out how far it was going talking to Whitney himself. He had tried to Amberly or Neils to do something, they had both refused. Amberly was upset at Octavia for refusing his advances and Neils was upset at her for allowing his son to set up shop at her Inn. He wished he would have went to Oly, he had a sinking feeling Quentin had killed Whitney.

"It's a long story, go on in, I will put Juniper in the barn," Jamie said.

"Quentin wasn't in town, he just came back," Octavia said.

Seth looked at her.

"He went to look for Jamie, some trader told him Jamie was living with the Indians north west of town about 20 miles or so. Jamie lost his memory and he thought someone was out to kill him," Octavia said, leaving out the part about Jamies fear of being charged as a run away servant.

"Oh my this was about the time of the rustlers, were these white men?" Seth had suspected they were. Someone in Arcadia had told Captian Ferrin that three men, and Bean was one he was pretty certian had driven cattle there for sale. But the papers seemed in order. But then Arcadia was not known for lawfulness. Three times they had been attacked by the Indians for breach of treaty. The past ten years they had been trying to keep their noses clean.

Captian Ferrin had told him also that Sargent Starke the man he had stationed there was a good one to turn his head if someone one offered him a bit of brass. There was nothing Ferrin could do about it since Starke was General Starke's cousin. The man was too worthless to assign anywhere else.

"Where is Quentin now he is not in town?" Seth asked.

Jamie shrugged I think he went back." Jamie said rejoining them.

"This looks bad his horse was spotted near where Whitney was killed. You know the flashy black with white socks. Your son had a motive to kill him because of the debt," Seth said.

"No Quentin didn't know about that." Octavia said.

"Why would Quentin kill a man over a hundred pounds and odd change?" Jamie asked.

"What?" Seth asked, Witney had shown him the document with Jamie's signature.

"What?" Octavia asked her eyes big, "We owed him three thousand!"

"No, only a hundred," Jamie said.

"I still have to look into this, his horse was seen on Wednesday night," Seth said.

"That was the night Jamie came to town and saw me with my brother Ethan. We paid Whitney's son the money," Octavia said.

Seth scratching his chin, so Jamie was on the horse, "I am sorry but you need to come into the office in the morning for questioning."

"Office?" Jamie asked

"I tell you what Ferrin and I will meet you at the pub I want to take a look at the papers on this debt," Seth said.

"All right," Jamie said and looked at his wife.

"Oh where is Ethan bring him along as well." Seth said thinking it made no sense they would kill Whitney then pay the debt, a debt that now sounded very suspicious.

"Sorry he has gone back to England," Octavia said.

Seth nodded, he doubted the brother would kill Whiney anyway, neither would Jamie, but he had to question Jamie officially or their could be accusations later.

They said goodnight, and Jamie and Octavia went back to bed.

The next day Jamie went to the pub and was surprised to see so many people here so early, but then it was Saturday market day. Oly hugged him.

"My grandson told me you were back," Oly said.

"Yes it is good to see you Oly," Jamie said forcing a smile.

"You should see Orsen, Victor, and Ivan, they are all getting so big," Oly said smiling.

"Your sons," Jamie said smiling, he remembered Orsen, but not the other names, then he saw Ferrin.

"Come with me," he said in a cool voice.

After the documents were examined, Ferrin arrested Jamie despite Seth's arguement.

Jamie could not believe he was to be arrested after all this.

Seth thought Whitney was stealing from the Warwicks as well as many others.

"Seth I have to arrest someone, and he is our best suspect those men of Whitneys are about to tear up the town," Ferrin said.

Jamie sighed what could he do.

"Dammit, take him out the back way then, and I will see what I can find out about this Ethan the brother, and look around for other horses that fit the discription," Seth sighed.

"You can't arrest Jamie," Lewis shouted angrily, "You do and . . ."

Seth was half way out the front when he heard Lewis confront Ferrin evidently Jack and Lewis were on Ferrin like wolves on a rabbit, and Seth was going to let it go, he was upset.

"What is that they have arrested James Warwick?" Parnum asked

"Yes do you know anything?" Seth asked, thinking Oly had bragged on the honesty and hard work of this man.

"Yes the night Whitney was killed Fredrick and I were watching the Warwick house, because I took a man there and I didn't trust," Parnum said.

"The brother Ethan," Seth said.

"Yes I suppose, I saw Jamie ride up, tether the mare with the tall stockings in the yard then go to the door, he stopped and looked into the window, then he left, and Fredrick followed him on his horse, but lost him in the canyon outside of town, it was the direction he came from he never went south of the Warwick farm," Parnum explained.

"You would swear this in court?" Seth asked.

Parnum paused for a moment and then nodded, "Of course."

"This is great, now tell me of anything else odd or unusual you have seen since the murder," Seth said.

Parnum thought a long time and Seth knew the man was trying to remember something.

"The morning the body was discovered I made a run to Rivers Edge and brought back Robert Hunter, and I talked to Boyd and Carlson and neith of them took him there, and he was here the night of the murder, but late Lewis was closing and I had came to ask him for a bit of his headache powders, and Robert was buying some whiskey for his flask, he asked me what time the coaches left and I told him." Parnum explained.

"That is odd," Seth said.

In the kitchen Ferrin had still not got the shackles on Jamie.

Jack had almost attacked the officer, and had only backed down when Jamie had told him Ferrin would arrest him.

Roland threated to write this up and send the article to Boston and Portland.

But what stopped Ferrin was Lewis. Who said, "William if you do this you will be sorry, I mean it, Jamie no more killed that man than I did."

Both Roland and Jack were astonished when William dropped the shackles, at such a softly spoken threat.

Ferrin get your horse and release Jamie," Seth boomed, thinking he knew where the horse with the white stockings was. But they had to get to Rivers Edge fast.

Jamie was amazed when Ferrin released him, and Seth asked if he wanted to go with them since he knew what Quentin's mare looked like. Terrence saddled a horse for him, and the three men rode off.

Lek Sandoval owned the livery in Rivers Edge, he remembered Jamie from the time that he rescued Jack.

"Did you buy a horse from a man with dark brown hair a few days ago," Seth asked.

"I bought three horses last week good thing too, I had to retire four of my old ones." Sandoval said, "Don't tell me these horses were stolen."

"They might be but since you bought them in good faith and are assisting us and the owner will not be complaining to get them back, they are yours," Seth replied, thinking Timberlane had a lot of horses and Westly would most likely not care.

The horse looked a lot like Posey, and the other horse was the one Timberlane always rode, Seth nodded and turned to Ferrin, and said, "Now then you see how the witness was mistaken, in the dark the bay would look black."

"So Robert Hunter killed Timberlane, his boss why?" Jamie asked.

"That my friend is a question we must ask him." Seth said.

It was Lewis that convinced one of the men who worked for Whitney to come forward and he admitted to hearing Timberlane and Robert argue, Timberlane fired Robert. If he had been innocent he would have moved out of the overseers cottege and gone to look for work, not stayed and pretended all was right with his job.

Seth realised who Parnum was, no other than Morris Sherry, but the man had done nothing but good, and told Seth who the rustlers were and how he had been involved until Bean had tried to kill Jamie, and then Sherry became Parnum a man he had met and who had died of the yellow eyes disease. Parnum had told Sherry he must go back and watch over Jamie's family he owed the man even though he had not been the one to kill him.

Seth knew then why Parnum would never go to Oly's home even though the man had invited him several times. Oly's wife would have recognised him.

Jamie felt good as he went home that evening he had promised to sit down and talk to Maylissa, who said she had to talk to him badly. Westly had given back all the money but a bit he had spent. Jamie told him he would take the balance in wood.

"Da I am so glad your back, I am so angry at mum," Maylissa said.

"Why are you angry at your mother?" Jamie asked thinking Maylissa was getting so big.

"Are not you angry at her for sending Jeremiah to England with uncle Ethan?" Maylissa said.

"She did what? Why?" Jamie asked.

"So he can be a duke," Maylissa said looking confused as Jamie felt.

"I need to go talk to your mother," Jamie said trying to get his anger under control.

Octavia looked up at him and smiled.

"Why did you give my son away?"

"Jamie, your brother died, your father is old and frail of health, and Jeremiah will get all the benefits of a good education and the estate and title when your father passes away and my brother will watch over him . . ." Octavia started.

"My son in the hands of my father, oh Octavia, how could you, you know how cold and heartless he is," Jamie cried.

"But Jamie I . . .

"I am going to the Inn," Jamie said.

"I am going with you father," Maylissa said and hurried after him, Octavia broke down in tears, what had she done, only what she had thought best.

The Inn?