Sean Donovan (The Californians, Book 3) (7 page)

Two days later Sean was handcuffed and led to the
courthouse. The small building was packed and stifling.
Sean's mouth had never been so dry, and he longingly
eyed the pitcher of water sitting on the judge's table.

Judge Thomas Harrison entered, going straight to his
chair. Sean was surprised by his appearance, for he was
very small in stature, not even up to Sean's shoulder. The
most remarkable feature about him was his full beard; it
nearly obscured his face.

The next two hours would forever live in Sean's mind.
The sheriff gave a full report on all Sean had told him,
including his behavior as a prisoner, his background,
and the way Hartley had used naive young men in the
past to rob banks with him.

Franklin Witt was not so benevolent. He proclaimed
that Sean was no better than a two-bit thief, and that the
country was better off without such vermin. He reminded the court that one of his guards had been hit on
the head and could have been killed. After this he announced, in a voice heard by all, that Sean Donovan
should die.

"Might I remind you," Witt nearly shouted, "that this
will continue to happen? And when Hartley and his gang are done with the bank, they'll start on our homes.
Are you going to set this man free to rob again?" Witt was
in his element, and he was determined to convince the
judge that Sean needed to hang.

Franklin Witt was a man in his forties with a full head
of gray hair and a distinguished air of authority about
him that captured everyone's attention. He took great
pride in his position as town banker, and even greater
pride at the amount of property he owned.

When it came to his business dealings, some said
there was a demon behind his smile. He was more than
willing to loan money, but if a mortgage or rent payment
was overdue, he was merciless. It was said that he had a
special book in his pocket where he kept track of how
many homes and properties he had repossessed since
coming to town five years ago. The joke around town
was that whenever Franklin Witt was smiling, he must
have been reading in his little black book.

"All right, Witt, I've heard enough. Do you have anything else, Duncan?"

"He's already had his say!"

The judge stared Witt back down into his chair and
Duncan stood.

"Only this, judge. Sean needs to pay for the crime he's
committed, but not with his life."

Witt came out of his chair once again, but one look
from the judge and he kept his mouth shut. Judge Harrison's eyes swung from Witt to Duncan, and finally to
Sean. The regret Sean saw in those eyes made his heart
pound.

"The prisoner will stand."

Sean complied.

"You're a man, Sean Donovan," the judge began. "No
one forced you to rob that bank. As much as I grieve this
course of action, this court sentences you to death."

The noise of the court was deafening with protests and
cheers alike. It really is a shame, the judge thought to
himself, that this young man has to be the example. But Witt is
right, it'll continue to happen unless I step in and put a stop to
it. None of the judge's feelings showed on his face as he
held Sean's eyes with his own. He spoke when the room
quieted.

"The building of the gallows will commence immediately and tomorrow afternoon, at 4:30, Sean Donovan
will be hanged by the neck until dead. This court is
adjourned."

Duncan caught Sean as his legs began to buckle beneath him. "Steady, son." The softly whispered words
were just enough to keep Sean upright. Knowing that
someone in this room cared for him was all he needed.
The Lord had given him that much, and for that he was
thankful.

"Thomas is coming for supper," Duncan told his wife
as he came in the kitchen door.

"Good. I made extra, hoping you would ask him."
Lora paused and studied her husband's face. She didn't
need to ask what the verdict had been for his young
prisoner; it was written all over his face.

The ladies from the church had been over that day, and
they'd all taken time from their quilting to pray. Most
had prayed for the prisoner and the judge's decision, but
Lora had remembered her husband. She had prayed for
his peace of mind, as well as strength to do his job, even
if the worst happened and Duncan would be called upon
to hang a man.

"Are you all right?" She asked softly when Duncan sat
at the table.

"Yeah. It's going to be rough, but I'm trusting the
Lord."

Lora moved away from the stove and put her arms
around him. Duncan's eyes slid shut at the feel and smell
of her. She was stability when his world felt shattered.
She was logical when his emotional strength was at an
end. Without a doubt, she was God's most precious gift
to him.

He told her as much, and then they took time to pray
before supper. Duncan asked God to sustain Sean in the
hours to come. Lora asked the same for Duncan, wishing all the while that her husband could be spared from
such a task but never dreaming that it could really happen.

"You've done it again haven't you, Lucas?"

The sheriff didn't answer the judge. He took the bowl
of potatoes Lora was passing him and served himself.
The judge was right-he had done it again. He had
grown overly compassionate in his job. It had never
made him err in judgment, but it made the inevitable,
such as Sean's hanging, feel like a knife in his side.

"I'm staying for the hanging."

Duncan looked at him in surprise. The implication
was clear, and he resented it.

"I can handle it."

"I know you can, but I've decided to stay and spare
you.

Duncan felt badly for his presumption. Praising God
that Duncan would not have to pull that handle, Lora
swallowed hard against a sudden rush of tears.

"Thanks, Tom." Duncan said the words aloud; Lora
said them in her heart.

Nothing more was said on the subject, and when the
meal was finished the men left. Duncan told Lora that he
would be home around midmorning. Judge Harrison
walked with Duncan as far as the hotel where the men
bid each other goodnight.

Duncan's deputy had been expecting him, and other
than Sean's not eating his supper, he had nothing to
report. Duncan knew how easy it would be to try to coax
Sean into eating, but given the same circumstances, he
knew he himself would not want to be patronized.

He picked up an extra chair and carried it down to the
front of Sean's cell. After turning it around, he sat astride
it and looked at his prisoner where he sat on the cot.

"I'm sorry about today, Sean. I prayed it would be
different." These words and the actions of the past two
days told Sean that the man across from him was a fellow
believer in Christ.

"I did too, but I know that since it wasn't, that's the
way-it's- supposed to be."

All of Duncan's suspicions were confirmed. "How did
you get this far from God, Sean?"

"It didn't happen overnight," Sean admitted quietly.
"I fought Him every step of the way; in fact I fought Him
so much that I was certain He had given up on me. I
found out today that He hadn't given up at all." Considering that Sean had been sentenced to hang, most
people wouldn't have been able to make any sense of his
statement, but Duncan understood.

"Want to tell me about it?" Duncan asked quietly.

"It's a long story."

"I've got all night."

Sean stared at the older man for just a moment, and
then began to speak in a reminiscent voice, not about all
he'd been thinking on that day, but further back, back to
his childhood in Hawaii.

"I was born in Hawaii where my parents were missionaries. I went to school there and of course church,
and I really believed I'd live there forever. It was my
world.

"Then on my sister's twentieth birthday, when I was
14, my father announced that we would be sailing to
California for a rest and family vacation. I'd never known
such a mixture of fear and happiness. I'd also never
really known the definition of the word seasick.

"I prayed for death on that trip. My stomach heaved
until it was empty and then heaved some more." Sean's
whole body shuddered with the memory. "I was certain I
would be dead by the time we arrived in San Francisco.
That's where my aunt lives. We moved in with her, and
then my parents revealed the real reason we'd left Hawaii. My mother was ill. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis. It was only a matter of weeks and she was gone.

"Father felt burdened to return to the islands and
gather our things." A slight tone of anger entered Sean's
voice. "We were to stay with Aunt Maureen, and we did,
but then my cousin Percy came home."

Questions came to Duncan's mind as Sean talked, but
now that Sean had begun, he stayed silent and sensitive
to the young man's need to tell his story.

"I swear I could have killed him when I walked in and
saw him with his arms around my sister. Kaitlin had
tried to warn me, but I thought she was overreacting."
Sean took a deep breath as he remembered the pain he
felt over Percy's actions and his father's absence. But
then Rigg's face came to mind.

"She has a good husband now. He loves her and their
little girls. Oh," Sean realized he hadn't explained. "It
was after we moved to Santa Rosa that she met Rigg.
When Kate felt that we couldn't stay in San Francisco any longer because of Percy's advances, we took the stage
north and she got a -job teaching school.

"Moving without being able to talk it over with Father
was the hardest thing we'd ever done. We were all right
though, and I believed my father would come any time,
but he didn't. Weeks went by before we heard from him,
and then his letter.said he was needed in the islands and
wanted to stay.

"It was worse in some ways than when Mother died,
because we waited in anticipation of each letter, only to
be disappointed. My heart grew more bitter with each
passing month. When he'd been gone for two Christmases in a row, I felt so full of pent-up anger I thought I
would explode.