This activity made the woman a little uneasy. It was still very difficult to determine if the behavior was that of nervousness for being discovered, or fear for his life. She pressed further and tried to get more information from him.
"Pardon me for saying this Sir, but you seem quite nervous at the mention of the gentry gang. And now I feel as though there is something you are keeping from me."
"I don't know who you are, or what you are implying Ma'am, but I suggest you head on out of town. We have enough trouble in these parts with the Gentries without you poking around stirring up new business."
The salesperson was definitely aggravated at this point. But his aggravation was hard to pinpoint. Perhaps he too had been muscled by the gang. He did mention they had enough trouble in the area with them, but yet, he also seemed very eager to shoo her out of town. This behavior was very unsettling. Part you you wants to help, but then another part feels he is one of the men you are after.
The Stolen Soul
Chapter 3
The Butcher's Daughter sensed there was something off with the clerk's responses and couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. Perhaps the outspoken retort was a way to call alarm to the Gang who may have been close by. Perhaps the Outlaws has instilled enough fear in the townsfolk that they are too nervous to speak about them in an ill manner. Then the thought occurred to her that the distancing the clerk just exhibited was due to the fact that he himself may be part of the Gentry Gang.
She scanned the room again and the gentlemen that were once there had now gone. Perhaps they had left through a different door she had yet to discover. They were no longer in the shop though and this left her and the store clerk alone. She decided to ask the question that was rattling through her head. She wanted to know where his nervousness stemmed from.
"Just now...when I asked you about those men, you became very defensive." She said to the shop keeper. "I can't help but sense there is something you aren't telling me."
"I already said that there isn't." He responded. He started to shuffle about and fidget behind the counter.
