The Redemption Of Jake Scully

Scully did not look pleased.

“I’m not going to quit, Scully.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

Scully’s chest began an angry heaving. He said tightly, “You tried and did your best, but working at the restaurant was a bad idea in the first place.”

“It isn’t.”

“You saw what happened this morning.”

“I could’ve handled it, Scully.”

“Really.”

“I could have! Sadie warned me about Jud. He causes trouble every now and then, but he’s always been manageable in the past.”

“In the past…before you started working there.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You have a mirror, Lacey.”

“I don’t understand.”

Scully paused a moment, then grasped Lacey by the shoulders and turned her toward the washstand mirror. He held her facing her reflection as he demanded, “What do you see when you look at yourself, Lacey?”

“Scully…”

“Tell me.”

Lacey frowned as she studied her image, then said, “I see a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes whose hairdo needs repairing and who looks confused.”

Standing behind her, Scully stared at her reflection as he said, “I’ll tell you what I see…what every man in that restaurant saw this morning. I see a young woman whose fair hair and womanly figure catches a man’s attention even before he gets a closer look that stops him in his tracks.”

“Scully…” Lacey gave a short, embarrassed laugh. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it? Look at yourself more closely. Is there another woman in this town who looks as good as you do?”

“Of course there is!”

“Who?”

Momentarily taken aback, Lacey stuttered, “There’s…ah-ah…Noelle Leach, the blacksmith’s daughter. She’s a natural beauty.”

“Right, and she smells like horses.”

“Scully!”

“Go ahead, name another.”

“There’s Rita Johnson, the apothecary’s niece. I haven’t met her personally, but I’ve seen her, and she’s lovely.”

“Lovely? She’s also so snobbish and impressed with herself that she repulses any man who might think of looking her way.”

“You’re not being fair.” Lacey shook off Scully’s grip and turned back toward him with a touch of irritation. “What difference does that all make, anyway?”

“What I’m trying to tell you, Lacey, is that you’re different from the women in this town. You’re kind and innocent, and too friendly for your own good. You trust people too much. You don’t seem to realize that some of the men who look at you in that restaurant don’t have the best of intentions.”

“Oh, pooh!”

Scully’s expression darkened. “Take Gould, for instance.”

“Barret?”

“He can’t be trusted.”

“How can you say that? He’s a lawyer.”

“Is that supposed to prove something?”

“He’s educated, and dedicated to serving the law.”

“Is he?”

“He’s also a member in good standing of Reverend Sykes’s church.”

“Oh, so that’s supposed to mean something?”

“Of course it does!”

“Lacey, Reverend Sykes arrived in town only a few weeks before you. He doesn’t know the townsfolk any better than you do.”

“Scully…”

“But even Reverend Sykes accepts that people aren’t always what they represent themselves to be. And as far as our town lawyer is concerned, I’ve seen too many peculiar things happen over the years after some poor fellows wandered into town and went to Barret Gould for advice. He isn’t to be trusted, Lacey.”

“No one else in Weaver seems to feel that way.”

“I’m in a unique position in Weaver, Lacey. I see people come and go that the respectable members of the community don’t give a second glance.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“You should, and the fact that you don’t is just my point. You’re too gullible to be exposed to the element that frequents the restaurant.”

“You and I have eaten there every morning since I arrived!”