I nodded. "I guess so… but—"
"Ain't no but about it."
"That's all well and good," Mr. Hawes said, jumping into the conversation. "We have bigger fish to fry right now. Billy can deal with his conscience once we are safely away from here."
We fell silent for several minutes, watching the house. Finally, Mr. Hawes spoke up.
"Perhaps the first thing to try is appeasement," he said. "We have a spring wagon, and we can offer to transport Mrs. Kimble to a doctor."
"If she ain't dead," Ben said.
I winced at that comment. After some discussion, we decided that Mr. Hawes should walk toward the house carrying a white handkerchief. When he got to within shouting range, he should offer to transport Mrs. Kimble to a doctor in the spring wagon.
"I make a less threatening figure than you two," he
