Uncertain: Day 15

Word Count: 90,002

Year to Date: 90,002

Summary of Events:

After breakfast Hazel, Joseph, Ruby, Teddy, and Mr. Averill headed back to Santa Fe, where Mr. Andrews had reported Hazel missing and told the sheriff about Joseph's having served in the Confederate Army — something the sheriff wasn't pleased to hear, seeing as he'd been in the Union Army with Mr. Waller. Joseph had meant to leave before the rest of the search party from Cimarron did, but Hazel ended up telling Mr. Waller and Mr. Andrews when they'd be leaving so everyone departed at once and Joseph was verbally abused by the majority of the search party the whole trek. Back in Cimarron again Joseph was approached by the mayor, who recommended Joseph resign his position, which Joseph refused to do . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Exactly five minutes after Mayor Vernon had left Lavern appeared in the doorway. It made Joseph wonder if Mayor Vernon’s strange head-shake had been a cue to Lavern that he’d refused to resign.

“I’m impressed,” Lavern said.

Joseph raised his eyebrows in mock intrigue.

“The tide of popular opinion regarding you has shifted completely,” Lavern said. “I can’t say you have a friend in town. You’re the enemy of everyone here.”

“At least I’ve always told the truth,” Joseph said. “That’s more’n you can say.”

“You’re the one who’s going to be run out of town,” Lavern said. “Although you’re the law now it’s not much longer you’re going to be.”

“And just what do you think you’re going to gain by running me out of town?” Joseph asked.

“I’m not running you out of town,” Lavern replied, the innocence he expressed palpably forged.

“You’re too natural at lying,” Joseph said. “You did all of this.”

“You didn’t tell them the truth,” Lavern said.

“I most certainly did,” Joseph replied. “I didn’t necessarily put it all into words, which I ought to have, but what you told them wasn’t the truth. You told them what suited you, not the truth, and there’s a difference.”

“You wish there was,” Lavern sneered.

“There is you two-bit liar,” Joseph spat, standing up. “I was the one that didn’t want to fight in that bloody war. You couldn’t get enough of it. You loved it. You are everything you described me as. And I am going to prove it to these people, not only to clear my own name, but to have served to you what’s some ten years overdue.”

“Are you still jealous that I managed to get promoted higher than you did in one fell swoop?” Lavern asked. “Oh grow up you overseer’s whelp.”

“Like I cared,” Joseph spat. “I didn’t want to be in that war anyways. But fear is an awful effective motivator.”

“You’d think it would motivate you to leave before you’re forced out,” Lavern quipped.

“I was here first,” Joseph replied. “And you ain’t making me go anywhere.”

“We’ll see about that,” Lavern replied.

Immediately he turned and strode away.

“We will,” Joseph said to the empty room, and Deputy, who was sleeping in his usual corner, tired out after all the walking he’d put in over the past week.

Based on Lavern’s comments Joseph was hopeful. He was hopeful that Lavern didn’t suspect he still had that proof after all these years, and that he meant to find a way to use it.

In fact, Joseph wondered if he shouldn’t bring it out from where he had it hidden and see what he could do to get some more proof, some reliable voices, to back up his own.

Next Post: February 2.