The marshal settled himself behind his desk and drew up another chair for Mallory. As Justice of the Peace, Mallory also functioned as the Notary Public and the coroner. The latter was a job that he and Doc Huddleson had been sharing for years. “Now y"all give your details of what happened this morning to Mr. Mallory, who will write them down, read them back, and then y"all make your mark underneath,” he said to the boy.
The young man was still defiant, but puzzled by the legalities. “Mark? Hell, iffen y"ll mean name, ah can write that.” That came out as theat.
Full of surprises, thought Franklin, and turned to Rolfe. “Rolfe, put his guns on the shelf over there for now.” He motioned toward the built in cabinet holding the spare shotguns and rifles. “Here"s some paper and a pencil. Will
