TO BE YOU
By: Lady Angel
Maude smiled genially at the tall, stocky man behind the desk. "Mr. Kilgore, you are too kind to see me on such short notice."
Benjamin Kilgore smiled. "It is my pleasure, Mrs. Standish. Please have a seat. How can I help you?"
Maude's smile grew. "Well, sir, it seems that I am going to need to open an account. . . a rather large account. And I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about how to open one here."
Kilgore's smile was gentle – the kind one used for someone too simple to completely understand. "Mrs. Standish, perhaps we should include your son in this matter?"
Maude's smile never wavered. 'You oily little snake! I know more about money than you'll ever hope to learn!' "Oh, but Mr. Kilgore, Ah'm sure you could tell me everything Ah would ever need to know! A man of your obvious business acumen could surely explain it to li'l ol' me." She winced at the over the top 'southern belle' act but she continued to let her accent deepen. Maude was delighted that her perception of his gullibility was so accurate.
Kilgore preened. "Why, of course, Mrs. --"
"Please, call me 'Maude'." She smiled again, leaning forward just the tiniest bit.
Kilgore appreciatively took in her feminine form, encased in flattering deep violet silk. "Perhaps we can continue to discuss this matter over lunch?"
She smiled. Perfect! "Why of course, Benjamin – may Ah call you that? That would be lovely!"
Chris slid into his chair, nodding gratefully at Vin as he handed him a shot.
"Billy and the Travises okay?" Nathan asked, finishing the last of his lunch.
Chris nodded. "Ain't too happy, but at least he'll be safe."
The six other men nodded in agreement.
"So any idea who the woman was?" Josiah asked quietly.
"Not yet." Buck leaned back into his chair, watching Ezra.
The southerner was currently alternating between eating his lunch and watching the front doors.
Buck's impatience won out. "Waitin' for somethin', Ez?"
Ezra glanced up, surprised to see all of his friends watching him closely. Three of them out of curiosity, three others for his lead.
He smiled reassuringly. "Just for my mother, gentlemen, just for my lovely mother."
Chris studied his men and saw the looks of relief on the faces of Nathan, Josiah, and JD. He glanced over at Vin and Buck. His oldest friend's face was slightly confused, but he seemed to shrug it off.
Vin, on the other hand, wasn't buying it. The tracker raised an inquiring brow. Chris slightly lifted a shoulder. Vin nodded with a slight smile.
They would let sleeping dogs lie.
Maude sighed. 'And Ah am doing this why? For Ezra, of course.' Kilgore continued to drone on and on about the banking business. In the less than thirty minutes, Maude had concluded that Kilgore was the most unimaginative, procedure bound man on the face of the earth.
"Maude, my dear, would you excuse me a moment? I see an associate I must speak to."
Her smile was, quite frankly, brilliant. "Of course, Benjamin."
She sighed in relief as her unwanted dining companion left the table. Maude glanced around once before emptying the vial's contents into his wineglass. 'Mr. Jackson, I sincerely hope this concoction of yours works.'
"I'm sorry about that, my dear. It is never ending, you know."
Maude's smile was triumphant as Kilgore drained the glass.
"Hey Vin!" JD greeted his friend. He had drawn the evening's town patrol and had just finished his rounds.
Vin tipped his hat in greeting, meeting JD halfway. "Everythin' quiet?"
JD sighed a bit sorrowfully. "Yep, as a church mouse."
Vin stilled, movement catching his eye. He quickly straightened. "No, it ain't."
JD turned and saw the shadow moving about in the upstairs Clarion window. He shrugged. "It's just Miz Travis doin' some late work."
"Jus' saw Miz Travis havin' supper with Chris at the hotel," Vin said, pulling the Winchester as he crossed the street, JD following close behind. Vin tried the door, finding it open. Cautiously the two men searched the lower offices, finding nothing. At Vin's inquiring brow and pointed look up, JD nodded. Both men had their guns primed and ready as they silently crept up the stairs. Mary's room was still and silent as the night, only the fluttering of the lace curtains disturbing the early night air.
"No one here," JD breathed out in relief.
Vin crouched down on his hunches, carefully examining the floor. "Someone was."
JD came up from behind Vin, looking over the tracker's shoulder, watching as he pointed to the slightly muddy imprints. JD's eyes narrowed. "A woman?"
Vin nodded, a pleased little smile on his lips. "Go git Chris. Tell him I'm trackin' her."
JD wavered, not waiting to leave his friend without help.
Vin saw his hesitation. Smiling in reassurance, he nodded towards the door. "Go on, JD. Don't worry 'bout me."
JD nodded, hurrying out the door.
Chris glanced up from the long arrow marked into the dust. "Vin say anything, JD?"
"No, sir," JD shook his head.
"Buck, JD, Ezra, mount up. Josiah, Nathan, make sure that Mary isn't alone."
Josiah and Ezra exchanged swift glances. "Actually, Mr. Larabee," Ezra's drawl halted all movement.
Chris swung his black around, pinning the Southerner with his eyes.
"If at all possible, Mr. Larabee, I would like to remain here."
Chris sighed. "Ezra, I need -- "
"I'll go, Chris." Nathan volunteered, exchanging quick looks first with Josiah, then with Ezra.
Chris studied the three men from his lofty position. He knew they, along with JD, had been up to something. But now wasn't the time to question them. He nodded and wheeled his mount around following the visible trail Vin had left marked.
"Damn, he's heavy!" Ezra grunted quietly, as he dragged Kilgore into his bedroom.
"Here, let me, brother." Josiah easily hefted the man before gently depositing the banker in bed.
Maude smiled. "I always did love a strong man."
Ezra silently groaned and rolled his eyes as Josiah sent his mother a blinding smile. 'God, save me!' "Back to business, Mother."
Maude leaned over the slumbering man. . . he was dead to the world. "Well, that concoction of Mr. Jackson's certainly did the job. . . I wonder if he would be so kind as to --"
"Mother!"
Maude rolled her eyes, then smiled when Josiah winked at her. "Josiah, I trust you can take care of things here?"
Josiah nodded with a smile. "I am merely a foot soldier following his lovely general's orders." He sketched Maude an informal bow. Maude, ever the consummate lady, curtsied with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, good Lord!" Ezra couldn't stand it anymore and dragged his mother out of the room, leaving Josiah to his work.
"So y'all want us to lie?"
Ezra sighed. "Not exactly. Think of it as. . . misinformation."
Casey Wells tentatively raised her hand. "A what?" She and Aunt Nettie had ridden in for dinner when they had heard about the town meeting.
Ezra sighed. . .again. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are not asking for much – only that you help us with this small -- "
"Con." Mr. Weston voice was challenging. The mayor of Four Corners didn't want anything to do with this mad scheme and made his position very vocal.
Maude smiled persuasively. "Yes, it is a con." Sometimes the truth did work better than lies.
"And why should we help you?" A man's voice from the back shouted.
"Actually," Mary said, appearing by the Standishes' sides along with Ed Matthews. Mary's presence lent an air of respectability to the proceedings. "You would be helping Mr. Matthews."
At that, many people stirred. Ed Matthews was a nice man. . . one of the first settlers in the area.
"What's goin' on, Ed?" Yosemite, the blacksmith said.
Quietly, with humbled pride, the rancher told his peers. And then waited.
Weston was the first to speak. "We understand your problem, Ed -- "
"And we would be glad to help!" Mrs. Weston smiled at Mrs. Matthews, while Nettie emphatically nodded. The three women had been long time friends.
Murmurs of agreement sounded throughout the crowd.
"Thank you," Matthews said. Both he and his wife were visibly moved by the town's generosity.
Kate Matthews hugged Abigail Weston, while Mr. Weston simply threw his hands up in the air. Sometimes, he felt as though the role of mayor of Four Corners was simply to be a figurehead; more often than not, it was one of the seven peacekeepers that ran the show. "So," he said. 'If you can't beat them. . . ' "What do you want us to do?"
Maude and Ezra smiled.
JD looked up from the ground. "He's still pointin' north."
"Must be headin' for the mountains," Buck mused. "Lots of places to hide there."
Chris nodded, then urged his mount into a slow canter. Silence reigned until he broke it. "Anything you boys want to tell me?"
JD and Nathan exchanged swift glances.
Buck looked back, a small smile on his lips . . . nothing got by Chris.
"What d'ya mean, Chris?" JD asked cautiously.
Their leader slightly turned in his saddle and even in the waning light, his expression was clear.
"Don't worry about it, Chris," Nathan assured his friend. "We ain't doin' anythin' illegal."
"Not what I'm worried about, Nate."
The sheriff and the healer grinned at each other.
"Mary, my dear, how is that paper coming?" Ezra breezed into the Clarion, a smile lighting his face.
Mary laughed while Casey giggled. The man was certainly in his element. "It's going fine, Ezra."
Ezra glanced over the newspaper in her hand. With an approving smile, he noticed that while the date stayed the same, the events were different. "Perfect!" His every movement was infused with energy and excitement.
She couldn't help it, she laughed again. Ezra loved his role as master puppeteer. "Why, thank you, Mr. Standish!"
With a roguish grin, he swept her a courtly bow before rushing out the door.
Mary and Casey returned to their work with easy laughs.
Ezra quietly breezed into Kilgore's office. "How is it proceeding?"
Josiah grinned. "Take a look, Ez."
The southerner moved forward, studying Josiah's handiwork. The new calendar, courtesy of Mrs. Potter, had replaced Kilgore's old one, and now had the 'correct' date showing. Kilgore's secretary, Benson, had rearranged his boss' schedule accordingly and was helping Josiah create the necessary illusions.
"I've got his Wednesday meetings all rescheduled for tomorrow and all of his Thursday meetings set for Friday," Benson said, nervously awaiting Ezra's judgement.
"And I made sure everything at his house has been changed too," Josiah added in.
"Perfect!" Ezra grinned. "Just perfect, gentlemen. Now, let us go see how Mother is doing." They found her presiding over several of the townspeople in the saloon.
"Inez, my dear, you have a Wednesday special, don't you?"
Inez and Maude shared similar smiles. "Si, Senora."
Maude nodded, then turned. "Now, who else?"
Mrs. Potter hesitantly raised her hand. "Well, every Wednesday, several of the ladies and I have our sewing circle meeting."
Maude beamed. "Perfect! Can you organize it?"
The widow nodded determinedly.
"Good, good!" Maude smiled once more at all the townspeople assembled. "Remember! Act as you always would for any normal day! The only thing that changes is that you must remember that tomorrow is Wednesday! Otherwise, nothing else changes! Is that clear?"
Nods from everyone had Maude dismissing her 'class'.
She turned to see her son in the doorway and smiled. "Just like the old days, mah darling."
Ezra flashed a dimpled smile and rubbed his hands together with glee. Everything was falling into place.
Simultaneously, Chris and Buck pulled up short, hearing another horse. Then a single, familiar trill sounded. They all relaxed.
"Anything?" Buck asked as Vin rode up.
He shook his head. "Nope, too damn rocky. Got halfway to that ledge there." Vin pointed to the Northwest side of the mountain where an outcropping was still visible despite the light. "Then lost her trail."
"Her?" Nathan asked. "You sure it's a woman?"
"Unless it's one of them funny cowboys," Vin grinned, while the others chuckled. "It's a woman."
JD frowned. "But why would some woman be after Miz Travis?"
"Well, kid," Buck said, wheeling his horse back towards home. "Maybe Miz Travis wrote somethin' that pissed her off."
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why she's goin' around pretendin' to be Mary." Nathan pointed out. "Like going to Lightfoot's hotel room."
"To ruin her reputation, maybe?" JD chimed in.
The older men nodded – it made sense.
"Hurry, Nate!" JD flew from the jailhouse, running for his horse.
"Wait a damn minute, JD!" Nathan was still struggling into his coat.
"We gotta get goin' or we'll miss it!"
"Kid! That stage don't move more than at a snail's pace!"
"NATE!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
The two riders shot off, never once glancing around the already busy town.
"There it is!" JD's excited shout had Nathan spurring on his mount.
"Woah!" Both peacekeepers raised their hands, showing the driver and his shotgun-wielding partner that they meant the coach no harm.
"What do you need, Sheriff?" Albert Finnigan, the driver, finally recognized the two Four Corners' lawmen.
JD grinned. "Gotta talk to your passengers."
Finnigan nodded. "Sure."
