The Story Of Red Dead Redemption

Chapter 25: The Furious Sheriff and the Old Sheriff

Faced with the enraged sheriff, Blake looked nervous, but Arthur remained unmoved. He smiled and sat down in a chair, watching as Sheriff Malloy raged for a while before Arthur finally spoke.

"Sheriff, you've gotten yourself into quite a mess," Arthur said.

It was a typical line for a con man, akin to saying, "You're as good as dead."

Sheriff Malloy pointed at Arthur, trembling with anger. "You damned fool! The trouble I'm in is all because of you!"

As Sheriff Malloy raged, throwing things and slamming his fists on the desk, Arthur took out a cigarette, lit it with a match that Blake promptly handed him, and took a drag.

"Someone should get the sheriff a glass of water. He seems a bit too excited," Arthur said. "We just helped him deal with two criminals. How is that our fault?"

Arthur stubbed out the cigarette after just one puff, silently reminding himself that smoking was bad for his health. It was a hard habit to break, especially in situations like this.

Surprisingly, Arthur's words calmed Sheriff Malloy down, perhaps because he had vented his anger or maybe because he needed to gather his thoughts. He took a sip of water that his deputy had brought him and sat back down at his desk. After composing himself, he looked Arthur and Blake up and down before addressing Arthur.

"Let's be direct. You probably think I'm in cahoots with the O'Driscoll gang because I took their money..."

Blake nodded along, as did the deputy. This reignited Sheriff Malloy's anger, but he managed to control it and continued, "Yes, I took their money, but it was all to protect this town, not for myself! Do you know how few official deputies we have in Valentine? And how many men the damned O'Driscoll gang has?"

"I allowed them to collect protection money from the merchants in town, but only because they promised not to rob the traders passing through Valentine or harm the townspeople. At least, not near Valentine..."

Sheriff Malloy seemed to have a lot of pent-up frustration and continued to vent. "I know they've been overdoing it lately, demanding more protection money from merchants who had already paid. I'm aware of this, probably because of the Cornwall train robbery. The Pinkertons have been cracking down on them recently... But that's not the point. This situation is only recent!"

"If we had just held on a little longer..."

Arthur disagreed. "You can't expect them to stop."

"You don't understand. They're like cockroaches that can't be killed or eradicated. When the heat dies down and the Pinkertons move on to other targets, the big shots will forget about them, and they'll rise again. Those who oppose them often end up dead or worse."

"The previous sheriff of Valentine tried to resist them. Do you know what happened?"

Arthur was about to interrupt but decided to let Malloy continue. He adjusted himself in his chair, preparing to listen to the self-justifying tale of the noble Sheriff Malloy.

"At that time, I was just a deputy, young and weak. The old sheriff was different. He was an upright man, a typical old-west lawman. He refused to compromise with these scoundrels. He arrested some of them and even hanged a few. We all thought that would scare the O'Driscoll gang away from Valentine."

"I guess the old sheriff didn't have a good ending?"

Sheriff Malloy glared at Arthur and continued, "Good? His family lived just outside town. He had a wife, a son, a daughter-in-law, and three lovely grandchildren..."

Arthur could guess what was coming next.

"One day, after work, the old sheriff returned home to find his entire family—five people—hanged from the tree in front of their house. Only his five-year-old granddaughter was left at the bottom, crying for her mother..."

Arthur frowned, and everyone present seemed to be hearing this story for the first time. Deputy Cole looked incredulous, and Blake was shocked. Children in tragedies always evoked sympathy.

Sheriff Malloy took a deep breath and continued, "Although the old sheriff was devastated, he had to stay strong for his granddaughter. She was all he had left. He was too worried about her safety to work, so he stayed home with her, and I brought them supplies."

"For a while, we were cautious, fearing the O'Driscoll gang would seek revenge. I would check on the old sheriff and his granddaughter after work."

"But you can't guard against thieves forever."

"I remember the night it happened. I was on the late shift at the station when I saw flames rising from the direction of the old sheriff's house. I rushed over, but it was too late."

Sheriff Malloy fell silent, lost in his memories.

***

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