Roy Coffee
opened the door and threw his prisoner a glance that spoke volumes.
Adam
wondered whether he should keep quiet, then decided against it.
“Why don´t you
let me out?” he asked calmly.
Roy sighed.
They had talked about that already yesterday, and the day before that,
going
from discussing to arguing to full-grown temper tantrums. Now it seemed
that
Adam Cartwright for once chose to show the good manners he was famous
for. He
even looked at Roy with a slight smile on his lips, expectation in his
eyes.
His whole posure was one of relaxing:
Leant back
to the wall he had pulled up one knee onto the small cot, looking for
all the
world like he had no worry at all.
But Roy
knew better than to approach him. He knew his friend´s reflexes, and he
saw
cool calculation simmering in the deep whiskey-coloured eyes. If it
hadn´t been
for his deputy sheriff coming in at the right moment, Adam Cartwright
would
have been out of the cell already yesterday morning.
He warily
took one step into the room. Adam didn´t move.
“Adam, you
know quite well I can´t let you out. Your Pa brought up charges against
you.
Mentally he
braced himself for the cot flying against the bars again, but nothing
happened.
Adam still leant back, resting against the wall. He looked almost as if
he
seemed to enjoy himself, the sheriff thought.
“Roy, you
know as well as I do that the charges are ridiculous.”
Roy just
shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of sympathy. He knew that the
charges were
indeed unusual – Ben had called it a precedent, and the fear and anger
in his
voice had overruled Roy – but they were charges nevertheless. He had no
choice.
Adam seemed
to sense his distress.
“And how am
I going to do what my father wants if I´m in here?” He leant forward
and put
his arms on his knees. “Tell me that!”
When Adam
had sat up, Roy had taken a step back. Now he lifted his hands in
frustration.
“I KNOW,
Adam, but your Pa´s words were clear: You´re NOT gonna leave the
Ponderosa
until he has at least ONE grandchild! And until then, you stay in here,
in case
you want to disappear without an heir like last time.”
With that, Roy
Coffee turned on his heel, and slammed the door shut, but not before
he´d heard
the telltale sound of wood breaking. He smiled to himself. Well, he´d
never be
alone anymore, he thought. And Adam Cartwright would stay on the
Ponderosa
forever.
~
Nanuk
End