Chapter 34James had been rocked to the core by the death of Bella and the boys. He wept from his soul for two days before repairing to tend Andre and me—Andre through his overwhelming grief and me through my rage.
“It makes no sense, Otter,” he said to me the third day after the tragedy. It was Abel Brown who sent the militia to Trickling Water. If you must assign blame, he was responsible for killing Dull Lance’s wife and companions.”
I stared at him. “Brown, Smith…Hardcastle, even. They are the same snake in a different skin. Brown started it, but Smith pressed the issue. If they had eased off and allowed me to reason with Lance, maybe…”
“I’m no defender of the likes of Sam Smith, but it’s you I am concerned with. You are a logical man, but this is not logical. Dull Lance killed Brown
