DISCLAIMER: The characters of the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN belong to MGM, Trilogy, CBS, and TNN. No profit is made from this fan fic in any way, shape, or form except fun. However, I do not want my original characters borrowed or used without my knowledge or consent. If you are unsure if a character is canon or an original, please click here on original characters for an extensive list of my characters and when they were first introduced in my fan fiction.
"So Noah, you knew Vin back when he was huntin' buffalo with Bull an' Big Foot?" JD was always eager to hear stories about Vin when he was hunting buffalo and bounties. Tales of those times, intermingled with tales of Vin's time with the Comanche and Kiowa, were all too brief glimpses of a life JD found as fascinating as it was different from his own childhood. Vin rarely told them much in his taciturn way, but every once in a while he would let a little piece of his past slip out into the open. It was almost as if the longer he knew and trusted them, the more he was willing to reveal. More often it was the twins who got him started. Sometimes Bull and Big Foot would regale them with a tale that was almost too impossible to believe until Vin would look up with those penetrating blue eyes and smile a feral smile. That smile was not too different from the self-satisfied smirk Chris Larabee was known to give an opponent right before said opponent dropped his gun, turned tail, and ran for his life.
"Knew 'im back then, knew 'im when he turned bounty hunter, and," with a sly wink at Vin which was answered with a matching grin by the man being discussed, "I knew 'im when he needed a hand in Tascosa."
Buck got a big grin on his face and clapped his hands together in glee. Winking at Ezra, Buck elbowed Vin and asked, "I thought you got out of Tascosa with a lynch mob on yer heels? You tellin' us you had help breakin' outa jail?"
"Weren't in jail, Bucklin. Sheriff was tryin' to get me ta step inside that cell like I was some kinda trained dog. Noah here created a diversion, an' I lit a shuck outa there like a grizzly with a bee up his ass." A delicate snort of laughter reminded Vin he had a little girl and her ma present. He blushed slightly as he tipped his hat and apologized. "Sorry ma'am, forgot about you an' yer little girl. Won't happen again." Sally Ann actually reminded him of the twins with the look on her face like she wanted to laugh, but she knew her ma might not like it. He winked at her and that did get a laugh out of the little girl that made everyone else grin.
Nell smiled at Vin, completely relaxed for the first time in months. These men were so completely different from the condescending men she had known all of her life. They treated her and her children as if they were rare and precious, but also as if her opinions were important to them. Only Josh Owens had treated her that way, but he had been older than her husband. These men were young and virile, yet not one of them had treated her as anything less than the lady she was. Nell had no idea that beautiful, young, single women were rare in the West where childbirth, disease, and attacks by men and beasts were often the cause of many an untimely death. The fact that she a woman of means now made her two children more appealing to would be suitors, and she would have had many by now, Justice Worth included, had she not had four very capable champions. Ezra had been quick to let the true story of her plight known far and wide on the train once Sheriff Barker had confirmed by telegram that Nell was not a fugitive from justice. The tale he wove was so flattering to the young widow that she had taken refuge in the private car from the many people who suddenly wanted to befriend her. Her reverie was interrupted by Buck who wanted to know the story as much as JD did.
"Well? What kind of diversion was it?" He saw Noah grin and nod at Vin and then watched as Vin looked over at Ezra and gave him a conspiratorial wink. He knew what was coming next. Leaning forward Buck shut his mouth and waited for Vin to tell them. Everyone grew quiet until the silence grew almost uncomfortable. Only then did Vin speak.
"Noah blew up the livery." The immediate silence was broken by the shouts of laughter mingled with questions.
Noah recovered first. "Now you make it sound like I did that deliberate like. Didn't even know you was in town or in trouble. Just got hold of some bad dynomite, that's all. Cain't help it that livery man lit that cigar right when he did." The burst of laughter from JD set everyone else off. Ezra tipped his hat to Noah while Buck slapped Vin on the back causing Vin's grin to grow even bigger.
Nell's bubbling laughter caused baby Evan to react. He began blowing bubbles, his happiness infecting everyone around him. Sally Ann climbed up on top of Buck's lap. She liked the big man with the mustache and wondered if he would really like to be her daddy. She smiled up at him, and the very brilliance of it caused Buck to hold her tighter. Little girls were to be cherished, so they could grow up into beautiful young women. Now if he could just get that nagging suspicion of dread to cease its litany, he could relax for the rest of the journey. Somehow he thought that sneaking suspicion that all was not right came from that damned telegram he had encouraged Ezra to send to Chris earlier. One of these days he was going to learn to quit getting the others to tweak Chris for him, but he sighed knowing he was having too much fun manipulating the three younger men to take every opportunity to give Larabee grief. Buck meant no harm, but the more the others did something to irk Chris or remind him how it was to be young and sometimes foolish, the more the old 'devil may care' Chris emerged. Chris wasn't the only one who had lost his family in that disastrous fire that Ella Gaines had paid Fowler to start. Buck now had six brothers, and he was not going to lose any one of them. If it took all of his time, Buck was going to make certain he and his other friends kept Larabee from turning into that solid block of deadly ice that he had become after the murders of his wife and son.
It was in this altruistic mood that Buck had encouraged Ezra to be as vague as possible in his telegram to Chris explaining the delay, and he had crowed in laughter at Ezra's wording. "This is really gonna make that vein in Chris's forehead throb while him an' the others try to figure out what it means. Hell, by the time they figure it out, we'll be home." Buck had clapped his hands together, and Ezra had smiled in satisfaction. Ezra was indeed the master of vague. The two returned to the train mighty pleased with themselves until JD told Vin about the message that Ezra had sent Chris.
Instead of laughing along with them, Tanner looked from Ezra to Buck, blinked, then blinked twice more in rapid succession. When he licked his lips and shook his head, Buck and Ezra both had looked from him to JD and then back to Vin.
"What?" The question sounded somewhat irritated and bemused as Ezra threw his open palms upward in exasperation. What was wrong with what he had sent to Chris? The truth had been cleverly couched in a riddle that would hold up to the premise that neither Ezra nor Buck had lied in any way to their fearless leader and surrogate big brother. It might take the combined efforts of Chris, Josiah, and Nathan to decipher what had been concocted and sent, but Ezra agreed with Buck. Their three friends could not fall into any trouble if they were too busy trying to figure out what the telegram meant.
"What Ezra said," Buck frowned at JD and Vin who had yet to smile. Exchanging looks, JD just shook his head at the other two. "Well? Ezra told Chris we were handlin' things just fine. No need to worry at all even if Chris'll do it until we get back home. Course, they might just have figured it out by the time we get home." Buck and Ezra were waiting to be congratulated on their cleverness.
Vin tilted his head and spoke, "Why didn't you boys just ask Chris to come and rescue us?" JD watched amused as the realization that their cleverness was much more likely to arouse suspicion than appease any one of their friends' questions.
"Now, Vin."
"Easy on, Bucklin. JD, who'll they think is Robin Hood?"
"You or Buck."
"Little John?"
"Little John was a real big guy, so he'd be Buck for sure. That leaves you as Robin Hood. Ezra ain't known for his generosity."
Vin snorted at JD's response. Buck looked sheepishly at Ezra and frowned. The gambler shook his head. He'd been around these men too long if they could decipher his thoughts so easily. And if they could, wouldn't the others do it just as swiftly?
"Sheriff?" Vin set up his prey for the kill.
"Me." JD forced the hunted into the rifle sites.
"Pied Piper?"
"Could be you or Buck, but most likely Ezra since you're Robin Hood and Buck's Little John." Vin and JD were openly smirking at one another now. They couldn't have planned this better if they had set Ezra and Buck up from the beginning.
"Maid Marion?"
"Any woman needin' help."
"Chris, Josiah, an' Nathan?"
"Figure Buck an' you butted in to save some lady an' got in over your heads."
"And?" With no more than a few words at a time, Vin showed Ezra and Buck just how precarious their position was right now.
"Me and Ezra got you two out, an' now we're ridin' hell bent for leather home." JD crossed his arms over his chest and leaned opposite of Vin against the other side on the door.
"So?" Buck wanted to know, now.
The hunters went in for the kill. JD drew first blood. "They're probably already settin' out for Brecken now. Want to bet they're waiting for us tomorrow at the next stop?"
"Ain't gonna be happy they rode all that way fer nuthin'." Vin tipped his hat to the other two as he straightened up to allow Nell back in through the door. He swung Ethan under his arm much like he carried Belle. The baby started giggling reaching out and grabbing JD's hat from his hand.
Grabbing his hat back JD turned back to finish the kill. Not even wrestling his hat from a baby could make him leave off torturing the other two. "Yep, I hate to be in your shoes when Chris finds out you two bein' clever made him ride to Brecken and stay cooped up in a train for no good reason. They're gonna be pi,. . ." JD stopped and corrected himself as Sally Ann marched in behind her mother, "I mean real mad at the two a you."
He moved off to join Vin and baby Ethan at the table where a sumptuous feast was being laid out. JD thought it was really nice that the Terrells had thought to ensure that they were fed well on the train. He didn't mind having the twins as surrogate sisters as long as he got fed like this. He happily joined Vin who had given Ethan to the young girl who had been hired by Nell to help her with the children at the last town. Mary Louise was going to visit her cousin in Brecken, and the offer to earn extra money by watching two children was easy money to the young girl. She had six younger brothers and sisters at home, so when her dad, the Stationmaster, had offered her services she had been thrilled. Had she known she would be around all these nice gentlemen so much, she would have worn her Sunday best. She smiled brightly as JD enthusiastically joined Vin in stacking his plate high with food. Mary Louise had never been in a private train car before, so this was an adventure for her. Nell came forward to take Ethan back for his feeding while Sally Ann took her new friend's hand. They joined the men at the table all the while wondering why the older two were muttering and sniping at one another.
"I should have kept my own counsel in sending that missive to our friends."
"Would you quit sugar coatin' it Ezra? Why don't you just come out an' say it was a dumb idea?"
"I would never insult a man who derives such pleasure from abuse directed at his lack of intelligence."
"Yeah, well you're about as crooked as a pair of long johns caught in a twister. You should learn to lie better. Man in your profession ought to spot a lousy idea easier than breathin'."
"Shut up, Buck."
Buck opened his mouth to see two young girls staring at him with open mouths and eager to hear the next jibe. Both men abruptly shut up and elbowed JD and Vin out of the way, so they could eat. For once, JD enjoyed the silence as he and Vin kept trading amused glances. This was better than the time Molly left Buck stark raving naked in the storeroom of the saloon. Noah had arrived by the time they were finished eating, and that is when the problems were all forgotten and everyone settled in to enjoy the meeting of two old friends. No one knew that Justice Worth was getting ready to stir up enough trouble to make them glad the rest of the seven were joining them.
Life would never be the same for several of the people on the Temperance Train. As the train made its way without mishap towards Tombstone, several events occurred that set the wheels of fate in motion. Justice Worth had plans, big plans, but for that he needed money and lots of it. Justice at first decided marrying money was easier than working for it, but he soon discovered the fifty thousand was not a personal fortune but money ear-marked for the Temperance movement. If he could not marry money, then he decided marrying into the family who controlled the money would suffice until he could bleed enough of it into his personal account. Deserting a wife was not a conflict Justice's conscience would lose any sleep over. It was not until the word had spread amongst the newcomers that the train was carrying a fortune in cash and gold that Justice's plans took on a different shape.
Not all of the men with whom Noah had chosen to share his gold were as trustworthy as Henry Horse Little. Justice found that out when he returned to the rail car to retrieve his belongings. Ty Hendricks and Mark Watkins were waiting for him. They were, they said, keeping an eye on it for him. What they meant was that they had been keeping an eye on Justice. There was little to do on the Temperance Train with the ban on liquor and gambling, so idle time led to idle thoughts and gossip. The four men from Four Corners had a reputation many of these men had heard of, and it was common knowledge Noah wanted Tanner and his friends to join them. For the two men waiting on Justice, steering clear of Vin Tanner and his friends was a good idea.
Both had been in Purgatorio when Tanner had come hunting, so they knew the measure of the man. Knowing his reputation as a loner only made them speculate that if Tanner had decided to join up with the others in the private car, they had to be men who were just as good if not better than Tanner. Upon hearing their names both Watkins and Hendricks steered clear of that rail car completely. Buck Wilmington was good; Hendricks knew from personal experience when Wilmington had spent time as a lawman. He still had the slug in his shoulder to prove it. Plus, Mark Watkins had seen what Ezra Standish could do when threatened. His drunken friend had made the mistake of drawing first on the gambler after calling him a cheater back in Laramie. Watkins had stayed long enough to bury his friend and sell his horse and gear. Even the young sheriff was making a name for himself as he rode with and learned from none other than Chris Larabee. Larabee was the final deterrent. No man in his right mind wanted to cross Larabee unless he had a death wish. No, if four of the seven were on the train, Chris Larabee was bound to show up sooner or later.
Watkins and Hendricks had decided they wanted off this train, but they also needed the gold Noah had promised them. If they could not have the gold, maybe they could get their hands on the money that this train was carrying. As Justice was gathering his things Mark had casually asked if it were true that there was at least fifty thousand dollars on the train. Justice looked up immediately to see if these men posed a problem to his plans to marry into money. Their feral smiles answered that question, and one suggestion from Ty had changed Justice's course of action in one fell swoop. Out here between cities the railroad linked precariously together, a man could disappear never to be seen again. Many were loath to travel in small numbers in territories where Geronimo was known to raid with his fierce band of Apache warriors at any given moment. What if three men well armed with good horses and plenty of water and who knew the land like they knew the back of their hands were to help themselves to the money and then disappear into the desert?
The two men made it sound so easy, and Justice had to admit that he would rather have the money and not have to get married to do it. The only obstacles Justice could think of, since he had already started conning the reverend into thinking he was everything the man wanted in a son-in-law, were those four men from Four Corners. Plans were made, agreed to, and then three men set off to carry out their parts of the master plan. Justice left the rail car feeling triumphant. Hendricks and Watkins were right. Men did often disappear without a trace in the desert. Once he had the money, those four thorns in his flesh were disposed of, and they were well away from the train with their booty, Hendricks and Watkins could be disposed of and no one would ever know. They thought he was some fancy city boy who knew nothing about taking care of himself, but Justice had frequented the Barbary Coast too many times to be counted as a greenhorn city slicker. He had studied the map of the area into which he was traveling and could use knife or pistol with an easy skill that spoke greatly of a life that was far from sheltered.
Not only was Justice's life about to go in a direction from which he could never return, so too were the lives of the Cecil family. Until this trip, Cecil's daughters had been compliant and absolutely obedient to their father's will, so much so that he hated to part with them. He discouraged any would be suitors because his daughters took such good care to please only him. They had always seen to his creature comforts and waited on his every whim. They had also managed to turn a blind eye when his baser instincts needed release, and he disappeared once a week in order to purge them. He could have lived the rest of his life having three loving and gentle servants had it not been for that huge man that had quite literally swept his youngest daughter off of her dainty. little feet.
Charity had taken one look at Henry Little and saw past the buckskin and the beard to find the gentle giant beneath the wild trappings. He in turn had taken one look at the petite young thing and had seen the fire and grit behind those big, expressive eyes. They were, to use an old cliché, two halves of the same coin. The instant recognition mixed with the healthy lust of the young made the eventual joining of these two inevitable. It was, in short, a match made in heaven. It was a match that plunged the reverend into hell.
Reverend Cecil was a God-fearing man, but it just was not his day. In fact it might just be the worst day of his life. Every single day of his life he had concentrated on doing things that would ensure his place in heaven. He had delivered the Word to the deserving souls of his congregation. He had helped the poor see that their poverty was no one else's fault but a blessing that brought them closer to God, so why would they want to change their godly state? He had led his flock on a righteous path by his own unbending and pious actions. He was used to having all his needs catered by his wife whenever he felt in the mood, but he had refrained from marrying again when he found that a widowed preacher garnered more contributions. Once his wife had died, had he not selflessly deprived himself for six days a week by discreetly satisfying himself only once every Wednesday? These lonely women were so eager to become the vessel of his righteousness that they were willing to add large sums to his coffers. Had he not shunned his own happiness in order to earn more for his righteous cause? Cecil was also a stern but loving father; everything a man of God should be was the Reverend Cecil. So why had this day begun so badly only to end even worse?
First, his daughters were nothing but trouble. Two, not one, but two of his beloved daughters were actually dallying with young men, one of whom apparently possessed a questionable character that was only enhanced by his disreputable appearance. He had not known if he could bear the humiliation that his youngest daughter's despicable behavior had inflicted upon him when she had allowed that unsuitable vermin hold her hand in public without so much as a word of protest on her wanton lips! Her brazen and audacious behavior was a sin from which he would barely recover, so the good reverend had locked his youngest in their rail car. He had expressly forbidden any of the servants to give her any of the creature comforts, only bread and water, nor should they allow her access to that ruffian.
Next, his middle daughter had become very vocal in support of her younger sister's folly. She was locked in the same car with her sister for her display of disobedience. Then, there was his beloved eldest child. She was indeed his favorite, but she too had disappointed him because she had failed to allow her father to publicly approve of the young man who had escorted her to the prayer meeting. Only the fact that this young man was as extremely haughty as he was well dressed kept him from locking her into the rail car with her sisters.
Reverend Cecil had decided that the best thing to do was put a brave face on it and pretend he had given this young man leave to address his eldest child. He had decided that was the best course of action against the rumors now running rampant throughout the train after the disastrous confrontation with that dreadful man called Horse. As in most cases of love at first sight, the passions of Horse and Charity were fierce and unyielding. Henry Horse Little had taken exception to his beloved Charity being locked in the rail car with only bread and water. When Cecil had threatened to marry his youngest daughter off as soon as possible to the first man worthy of being his son-in-law, Cecil had been afraid the huge man would throw him from the train. At the last moment, out of nowhere, came his savior.
Under the guise of bodily removing the big man, Justice Worth had stepped in long enough to convince Horse that if he returned later when the reverend was otherwise occupied, then the porter would be more than happy to allow him access to his lovely lady. Horse had been grateful for the advice for he was determined to have Charity now they had found one another. There was no way the reverend was going to get the chance to send Charity away to marry another man, so war had been declared between the two men. He left with a stern warning that the reverend had better treat his daughter kindly or Horse would know the reason why. Justice managed to keep the reverend from demanding Horse be thrown off of the train until they reached Tombstone at least, thus enabling Justice to complete his plans. Things were falling into place nicely as Justice set about accomplishing his end of the bargain, and Horse had just made it easier for him.
After the altercation with Horse, it took little for Justice to worm himself into the reverend's good graces. Worth did much to ingratiate himself to the reverend, so it was understandable that the older man fell for Justice's act. By smiling and acting the gentleman and keeping his impatient temper in check, Justice managed to avoid being sent back to the rail car that carried his former partners. He had never belonged with them, and Miss Hope, although fervent in her desire to promote the cause of temperance, proved to wet Justice's appetite for compliant women with well-endowed pocketbooks. Hope Cecil had looks, too. It was a pity that he would not get to sample her before he and his fellow conspirators robbed her father of every penny he had collected for the Temperance movement.
It had taken Justice less time than it took for Chris, Nathan, and Josiah to reach Brecken and take the next train to Tombstone to weasel his way into Reverend Cecil's confidence. It was at Tombstone where the Temperance train would stop and take on passengers before taking a more north-easterly course on the Terrell rails to rejoin the Union Pacific line, so he had to work quickly. His glib tongue had enabled him to assist Horse in freeing Charity from her prison and spiriting her off to Nell's now empty rail compartment without anyone's knowledge. It enabled him to send Faith and Hope off on a wild goose chase searching for their sister before their father should find out. It enabled him to occupy the reverend elsewhere arguing with the conductor to have Horse removed from the train just long enough to find the fifty thousand dollars kept in neat stacks wrapped in paper with the amount of money in each stack neatly printed on the wrapper. It did not, however, enable him to successfully explain to the stunned and terribly betrayed reverend why he had two stacks of fifty-dollar bills in his hands while Ty Hendricks held open the stuffed money bag when that gentleman returned unexpectedly.
The ensuing struggle was a fierce one. The reverend was older but heavier and bigger than Justice. He easily knocked the younger man down, so strong in his wrath and disappointment was he. Cecil even got one good punch into the side of Hendricks' face and was turning to shout for help when a burning sensation and stabbing pain began with startling clarity and spread like wildfire emanating from his shoulder. He clutched at the wound with his other hand as he felt a crashing blow to his head. Roughly, he was shoved forward. Reverend Cecil saw nothing more as he fell crashing to the floor. Justice and Ty looked about and found a corner in which to drag the unconscious Reverend. Seeing no one had heard or seen anything, they finished filling the bags with money.
Latching the case and pulling the unconscious man into the back of the rail car, they made their exit to join Watkins who had the horses saddled and waiting for them to join him. They had planned it perfectly. Ten miles from Tombstone, they would have a moonlit night to aid in their escape. They had planned to catch everyone at their quiet hour of contemplation so as not to make their absence known. By the time the reason for stopping the train had been tracked down to them and Cecil's body was found, they would have had an hour of darkness in which to cover their tracks. The people on the train would have no choice other than to continue on to Tombstone and report the theft and disappearance of the money. Looking around and making certain there were no witnesses, Justice gave the signal to Watkins.
The train came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the desert. Several women were thrown against their companions. One man received a concussion as he was thrown against the door of one of the rail cars. JD went sliding across the room and managed to grab Sally Ann and pull her securely against his chest as he went thudding into the wall. Ezra and Buck became a tangle of limbs as they went careening into the same wall where JD and Sally Ann had already come to an abrupt stop. Vin had been sitting in the huge chair across from Nell when the train came to a screeching halt. He managed to pull the woman and the baby securely into his arms and brace them in the huge chair with him. The final stop nearly had them all tumbling back to their original places.
The baby was crying loudly by now as his mother's fear translated itself to him. Sally Ann joined her brother and climbed up into her mother's lap in the chair where Vin had secured them after he had gotten to his feet. He reached down and put his hand under Buck's right arm and helped the big man to his feet. As Buck stalked to the door to see what had caused their abrupt braking and final stop, he could hear the sounds of frightened people and animals. Vin was holding the handkerchief Ezra had given him to the cut on JD's forehead that was bleeding profusely. The boy's assurances that he was fine was met with a grim skepticism, but since he remained lucid, Vin took him at his word.
"He okay?" Vin nodded to Buck and Ezra in the affirmative.
"Gonna need a few stitches, have a headache, but he'll live. Bucklin?" Vin was frowning by now, and his eyes questioned Ezra as well. He did not want to upset Nell and the children any more than the incident already had.
"I'll go see what's happened, Vin. Ezra'll come with me iffen you'll take care of Nell and the kids." He got a nod from the tracker as he helped JD sit down. Getting the younger man to hold the folded kerchief over his wound, Vin turned to help Nell check out the children. He was too busy to look up, so he did not see the shooter. Neither did Ezra, but Buck had. They only heard the shot and then witnessed when Buck clamped his hand on his shoulder and cried out in pain. Ezra caught him and lowered his wounded friend to the ground. In an instant Vin was out the door, and JD was at Ezra's side checking Buck's wound.
JD's voice sounded scratchy as he called for reassurance, "Vin? You see anything? Ezra? Buck okay?"
Ezra had taken JD's hand with the kerchief in it and placed it on Buck's wound trying to staunch the flow of blood. "He'll live, but he will probably not care for the way he feels at the current moment. You hold this compress in place over the wound until I get back. If neither Vin nor I are back within the next few minutes, I expect you to have the train proceed without us.
Vin had bolted from the compartment mare's leg drawn. He felt the vibrations of thundering hooves on the packed, hot ground. Two horses, no, there was another one! He barely had time to move when a big blood bay mare came pounding by. It's shoulder barreled into Vin forcing the air out of his lungs and catapulting him to the ground at Ezra's feet. He hit right hip first as he twisted to keep from knocking Ezra over as well. His right hip hurt like hell. He knew he would find blood amongst the bruises, but one of those men had shot Buck. Gritting his teeth, he looked into Ezra's anxious face and nodded.
"Best go check for a doctor on board. Buck's gonna need one. Go on, I'm all right." Ezra helped him up from the ground where he had fallen and once he was sure the tracker was safely up the steps at the rail car door, he darted towards the other cars. One had to have a doctor on board.
The sight was not pleasant at all. It was, in fact, downright ugly. Nell was holding a clean diaper to Buck's wound attempting to staunch the blood, while JD held another one to his forehead. Vin shook his head in disgust.
"We got to find out what happened and who those men are." He tried to stand but took a short breath when a sharp stabbing pain lanced through his body. 'Damn, must have hit that hip harder than I thought.' JD was looking from him to Buck and back to Vin.
"Don't worry, kid. We'll find out who those men are, and they'll pay for shootin' Buck."
"We goin' after 'em?"
"You gotta ask?" JD grinned at Vin.
"First we mark the spot an' the direction they took off in, an' then we get the train to Tombstone. Chris and the guys will be there. We get us all patched up an' Buck settled, and then we'll. . . ."
"Run the bastards to ground." Vin smiled despite the pain. Someone was going to pay dearly for shooting his friend.
Ezra actually found a doctor with very little trouble. Doctor Samuel MacAffey was tending to Reverend Cecil while all of his daughters stood around wringing their hands in despair. Mrs. MacAffey was trying to calm Hope Cecil whose confidence had suffered so badly at Justice's hands. There were several other doctors who were going among the other wounded. The conductor had discovered that several of the baggage cars at the rear of the train had jarred loose and derailed. Fortunately, the train had not been traveling too fast and no one was in the last two cars. The train was immobilized, however, since the last baggage car was now lying on its side parallel to the one that had been in front of it.
Luggage was strewn everywhere and people were assisting the wounded. There were mostly people suffering from concussion and/or bruising, but there were several with broken bones and nasty cuts caused by the momentum of being thrown about the rail cars. One of the horses trasported in the cattle car right in front of the baggage cars had a broken leg and had to be put down by Noah and his men. The others were calming the rest of the frightened horses. Vin, having made certain everyone in the private car was being taken care of, left JD in charge while he slowly limped towards the door to go and check on the damage. He knew where they were, and that Geronimo had been making raids lately from across the Mexican border. The train and all its inhabitants were sitting ducks. Buck knew that, and despite the pain he was in, his words echoed the silent ones in Vin's head.
"Watch your back." With a nod Vin disappeared into the night carrying a lantern from the car. His right hip was killing him, and he knew the bruise that would be surfacing soon would turn Nathan into a hovering mother hen if he ever found out about it. Vin decided Nathan didn't need to know. Sitting and walking, however, were going to be unpleasant for a while. He resolved then and there that he would not limp in front of any of his friends. He thought he saw something flash in the darkness ahead of him. He stepped forward putting his weight on his right hip, and it buckled on him. The normally sure-footed tracker caught the heel of his boot on the outside of a rabbit hole. His ankle twisted as his foot slid into the hole. The next thing he knew he was on the ground cursing.
The lantern was out, and he was in the dark with a rapidly swelling ankle. Now, Vin had a sprained ankle to contend with. Disgusted with himself he slowly got to his feet and cursed silently as he tried to put weight on his right foot and failed. It would not support his weight. First his hip, now his ankle. What else could possibly go wrong? He hobbled around feeling for a stick he could use to help him walk and for the discarded lantern. It was then he heard something that made his skin crawl and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He stood motionless and listened again carefully trying to ignore the noise behind him and concentrate on the noise he heard in the dark distance ahead. It only made him sure his first instincts had been correct, and he pulled his knife from its sheathe, the lantern and walking stick totally forgotten. He was prepared when the body rushed forward, and the knife swung in an arc towards him. Despite his injuries, Tanner moved quickly. The same warriors who had brought down Justice Worth were now after another white man.
Justice and his fellow thieves had run straight into the advance group of an Apache war party led by none other than Geronimo. They had barely made one hundred yards from the train when an arrow had flown past Justice's head and embedded itself into the astonished Hendrick's chest. The horse had bolted with the mortally wounded man still clinging to the reins. Another arrow had pierced Justice's arm, and it fell useless to his side, his gun dropping to the ground. His horse bumped into the panicked man next to him, and the Apaches grabbed Watkins and pulled him to the ground. He was flung in a heap next to Justice who was blinking in astonishment at the numbness in his useless arm. Three Apaches broke from the advance party and went forward to check the area from whence the three men had come and from where the noise of a crash, the smell of burning metal, and the cries of injured people mingled in the night air.
Meanwhile back in the rail car Faith was upset over the harsh words she had exchanged with her father just hours before. Charity just clung to Horse drawing surprising strength from their bond. Reverend Cecil, although just a bit groggy and in pain from the knife wound to his shoulder, looked upon the young hunter in amazement. No one quite knew how to take the Reverend's sudden reversal in his attitude towards his youngest daughter's choice of husbands, but they had not reached the startling epiphany that Cecil had. He had been a proud and pompous ass, if only the good Lord would excuse him for his poor choice of words, but Cecil knew his vanity had made him partially responsible for the fiasco that had occurred.
Had Cecil not been so pompous and proud, Justice Worth would never have gotten near his rail car much less the money they had collected for their cause. Cecil never wavered from his belief that alcohol was the evil that drove men to violent outbursts and other nefarious deeds, but Worth and his accomplices had not been drunk when they had robbed and attacked him. Cecil took it as a sign from God that the money had been stolen to show Cecil just how proud he had become. He had actually assumed to sit in judgment on others, and his judgment was found to be faulty. For that Cecil vowed to make amends, for he really was an earnest man no matter how misguided his original views had been.
The doctor had reassured Cecil and his daughters that he would recover with rest and proper care. Cecil actually took the offered hand that Henry Little held out to him and allowed his future son-in-law to help him to the bed where he all but collapsed. He had just given his blessing to his now ecstatic daughter when Ezra Standish stalked through the door. The gambler's keen eye had already assessed the damage and the theft, but he noticed something in the reverend's face that made him stop and regard the man reclining on the pillows with a look just short of a smirk. His close call with death had given the reverend an epiphany, and Ezra couldn't wait to return and regale his friends with the news that Reverend Cecil had been humbled. Right now, however, he needed the services of the good doctor. Cecil had other ideas.
"Mr. Standish. I understand that you and your traveling companions are members of law enforcement? I need those thieves hunted, and the money returned immediately. I must insist that you help us!"
Reverend Cecil had had an epiphany all right, but he was still accustomed to giving orders that were immediately followed. Ezra turned a rather impatient frown upon the reverend and then turned back to MacAffey.
"We need the expertise of a physician. One of my compatriots has been shot. Your other colleagues are busy attending to the other wounded. Will you accompany me, Doctor?" Ezra had no time to witness Cecil's realization that he was not as good at character assessment as his youngest daughter obviously was.
The reverend almost interrupted again except Henry stopped him. "This is Apache country, sir. We can't stay here long."
Ezra turned at the door and gave the bad news. "The conductor is making an assessment of the situation and will report shortly, but I am afraid we will be here for a while. We have two overturned cars."
Henry had no idea how true his words were as Vin Tanner fought for his life. The battle was swift and silent as the two men struggled for control. They feinted and parried each trying to discern his opponent's weakness. Vin's ankle and hip were hindering his movements, but Vin had been taught by the best. He appeared to stumble and tire. Seeing his opponent was hobbled, the Apache made his move faking one way and then spinning around to take advantage of Vin's weaker side. Expecting this, Vin put all of his weight onto his left foot. Easily deflecting the knife and grabbing his opponent's arm, Vin threw him over his hip onto the ground. Vin lashed out and caught the warrior with the hilt of his knife stunning the man just as he tried to regain his feet and forcing him back onto the ground. Dropping his left knee to his opponent's chest, Vin pinned him to the ground and felt the knife slash his left arm as he brought his own knife down silently in the dark embedding it to the hilt in his opponent's chest. There was a slight gurgling sound and then nothing as the Apache warrior collapsed mortally wounded beneath him. Vin drew his mare's leg and fired at the next shape running towards him. He tried to pivot and get the next warrior when he stumbled, his right ankle betraying him. He waited for the knife to cut into his flesh but instead a shot rang out behind him, and Noah appeared next to him. The Apache on his left side was as dead as his fellow warriors were.
The element of surprise lost now, combined with the deadly aim of the two men before them, had the last two warriors of the scouting party breaking off from the fight and rejoining their comrades. They already had two prisoners for their chief, and the train was going nowhere soon. They had plenty of time. As they took their prisoners off, the body of Ty Hendricks slumped off of his horse, his heel still in the stirrup as the horse ran off into the night dragging the body behind him with the money still neatly tucked into the saddle bags.
Noah saw Vin turn to hobble back to the train and shouted for help over his shoulder as he grabbed the younger man to support him. Another man called out as he appeared and helped Noah pull Vin back towards the train. They shouted and yelled for everyone to get back onto the train cars and take cover. Men and women scrambled in fright, some knocking others down until calmer heads prevailed. The former buffalo hunters and miners, all wily Indian fighters, spread among the wounded and panicked people restoring calm and order.
Ezra pushed the doctor back into the car and demanded that they dim the lights and close the shades. He quickly assessed the situation and waited until he was certain it was Vin being helped back to the private car. He was limping badly, and Noah and another man were practically dragging Tanner between them. Without hesitating Ezra grabbed the doctor and his bag and dragged the bewildered man to the next car.
"We appear to have been attacked by Indians, Mr. Little," were the last words Henry heard from Ezra as he drew his gun and went to peer into the inky black of the night.
The wounded were carried or pulled back onto the train and carried into the Reverend's private car where his daughters and the doctors present continued giving medical aide to the wounded. Noah and a man named Sikes helped Vin up the steps where the door was slid open by Ezra. The gambler moved to help Vin to the big chair he had been sitting in before the train was forced to stop. Vin waved the doctor off to continue helping Buck, but he grinned in relief as Ezra knelt in front of him and gently lifted Vin's booted foot onto the footrest. They both knew the boot would have to come off very soon, but they also knew the knife wound needed to be tended to first to avoid infection. JD, his head neatly bandaged, began to strip away the sleeve of Vin's shirt exposing the slash across his forearm. Vin waggled his eyebrows as much at JD's bandaged head as an attempt to let the kid know he looked much worse than he was.
"At least it wasn't my left side this time." JD grinned back at Vin and took the whiskey soaked rag from Jacob to clean the wound on Vin's arm. Vin bit back the hiss as the whiskey burned. He turned to watch as the doctor quickly looked at the wound and declared it didn't need stitches if it were bandaged tightly. Nell took over as JD went back to help the doctor with Buck. Jacob had the potbelly stove boiling water for the doctor's instruments. The bullet was going to have to come out. Buck steadfastly refused any morphine or laudanum for the procedure, explaining quite honestly that he could still shoot a rifle if he was under the influence of laudanum. JD shook his head in affirmation and offered Buck a piece of leather wrapped in a linen napkin to bite on. Buck grinned at his younger friend.
"Hell, JD, I been shot worse than this and was still up to dancin' a jig till midnight. We're gonna come through this just fine." Buck snorted and winked at his friends. "I ain't getting' scalped an' lettin' Chris have the last laugh."
"Don't look at me, Buck." Vin grinned following Buck's lead. "I ain't even worth draggin' my body back to Tascosa no more. Chris is libel to leave us to the buzzards if we don't get out of this mess."
"I myself am not worried about Mr. Larabee's reaction. It's our esteemed Mr. Jackson who's wrath I do not wish to suffer from should we get ourselves killed."
"Thanks, Ezra, I feel all better now." JD's look of disdain, and his satirical retort reminded them all so much of one of Vin's wisecracks that they all found themselves laughing. The doctor smiled looking at the tight knit group of men and ventured a question to Nell.
"Are these gentlemen brothers?"
Nell, having gotten used to the four of them shook her head as she pulled Sally Ann away from the window and sent her back to sit beneath the bed where they had placed the sleeping baby. "That they are, doctor." Her statement drew wry grins from the four men. Individually they were wishing for the appearance of their missing three. If the seven were complete and all present, they knew Geronimo would not stand a chance. As it was they would be lucky if this was all the damage they would endure. Ezra moved forward handing both Vin and Buck each a healthy shot of whiskey. They nodded their thanks as Buck tossed off the whiskey and lay back against the pillows on the bed. The doctor began probing the wound on Buck's shoulder. Ezra moved to pull the boot from Vin's foot.
"This is going to hurt, my friend. Would you rather I cut it off?"
"Like hell I do. I reckon I can handle it as good as Bucklin." Vin couldn't seem to stop the grin that appeared on his face. He hurt like hell, but he'd had just fought hand to hand, mortal combat with one of the fiercest of all Indian warriors with an injured hip and ankle, and he had won. The only father he remembered would have been proud of his warrior son. "Let's do this." Vin grabbed hold of the chair and clamped his teeth shut. Sweat beaded on his forehead as it was beading on Buck's. Both men's knuckles were white as they gripped the arms of the chair and the bed sheets respectively.
No one knew if it was fate or if it was pure luck, but Ezra got the boot off of Vin's foot just as the doctor found the bullet. Vin slumped against the chair gulping in deep breaths of air. A minute later, Buck followed the same action as a metal ping sounded in the porcelain bowl next to the bed. The bullet was out. As the doctor used his small supply of carbolic to clean and pack the wound, Ezra was taking cloths dipped in cool water and draping them around Vin's foot.
Noah Devlin had left Sikes to help after he had gone out to check on the fortifications his men were making now with help from the passengers and railroad employees. He re-entered the room to find Buck's shoulder neatly bandaged and the man lying back and resting quietly. Vin's eyes opened at the same time as Buck's when the faint but horrific screams startled everyone in the night.
"What the hell is that?" Buck thought he knew but until the others verified it, he held his breath.
Vin didn't even bother to look. He handed his spyglass to JD and sat back his eyes meeting Buck's across the room. Both men kept silent, but they knew with a certainty that this situation was going to get worse before it got better.
The screaming was heard from the hill above and every eye on the train looked out into the moonlight expecting to encounter shapes moving or the specter of death coming for them, but the majority of them were not prepared for what they did see. They could not see the two poles slashed together with the man gagged and bound spread eagle to it on top of the wood and brush that had been gathered together and placed beneath him to form a funeral pyre. All their eyes were riveted to the man next to him bound in a similar fashion but left ungagged. The flames had engulfed him, and as the warriors fed the blaze, the heat of the flames burned into his flesh. His screams of agony rose louder and louder until his body could take no more, and he collapsed unconscious to his fate. His screams had died with him, but the fear the Apaches wanted their prey to feel had not died. It had in fact grown in fantastic proportions until terror ran rampant on the Temperance Train.
Some tried to offer money to Noah and his men for their horses to carry them to safety. Others demanded that men be sent for the Army, or that the men go out and fight the Indians while they rode to safety on the train. They did not seem to care how many; even if there were over two hundred or more Apaches out there waiting for their chance to strike and rid their world and their land of the hated white men. They did not seem to understand that the train was going nowhere until a work party could separate the broken cars from the rest of the train. No one except the engineer and a few others even considered that there might be more obstacles in their path making a quick getaway impossible. Were the tracks even still in tact in front of them?
Not one of the frightened people on the train thought anything other than they did not want to die as that man had died. There were around twenty men on board the train who could fight. All of them had faced Indians and lived to tell the tale. Some like Noah and Vin and Horse had even lived with different tribes and learned their ways, but every single man would have admitted that they would rather face hell itself rather than Apaches. They were the fiercest of the fierce, and they were respected albeit grudgingly by the Army. Of the one hundred men, women, and children on the train, it all came down to the men who were with Noah and the four peacekeepers from Four Corners.
Ezra was with Noah as the older man tried to explain to the frightened people that staying put and arming themselves was the best course. These men were preachers from back east and had little knowledge of weapons, but between Noah's knowledge and Ezra's silver tongue, they began to see reason. They had no way of knowing how many of the enemy they faced. They had no way of knowing if they were surrounded or not. They had no way of seeking help for one of the few men who could disappear and move out into the darkness and slip past the Apaches was unable to. Besides, Vin Tanner's reputation as a sharpshooter was going to be needed very shortly.
Slowly, but surely the people on the train began to follow the directions given to them by the men who knew about what they were talking. The men were split up with weapons and ammunition. Lights were dimmed or put out completely. Only the car with the wounded was allowed light, and those windows were heavily shaded while men took position on top of the car. All the people were moved as close to the engine as possible while a detail under the engineer went to try and separate the overturned cars that hung on their necks like an albatross. Four men volunteered to take position in the exposed engine car to protect the engineer and his mate when it came to finally taking leave of this place. The rest of the men took positions in the three remaining rail cars in order to protect as many as they possibly could. The Reverend's private car was packed with wounded and several doctors and temperance workers acting as nurses. Others were sent to the other private car.
Vin was propped up against one of the windows where he could shoot while keeping his throbbing ankle and hip propped up. He was carrying the Sharp 50 that Jacob had given to him the day before. His aunt had asked the porter to present her nephew with the rifle as soon as they were close to Brecken. The card with it had explained that she wanted to present him with something that would be practical yet still convey how much he meant to her. This was practical, as the twins would say, something that would keep him fed, save his life, and bring him safely home. He had planned to use it when hunting, but now he was going to use it to take lives in order to save lives.
It was a beautiful rifle, although most women would not have made over it as beautiful, and right along the barrel was engraved his full name. He ran his fingers lightly over his name almost caressing it. It was as beautiful as it was powerful, and Vin realized just why his aunt had chosen such a gift for him. It was just as powerful as the weapon they had found with Lucius Stutz's body, and yet it was profoundly different. Sometimes the fact that he could so easily take a life with such a fine weapon made him pause and ponder the world in which he lived. It was harsh and deadly, but it also held a beauty that was utterly free and transforming.
Folks like his aunt and her husband, although they tried to tame it with railroads and civilization, also held a respect for the land and its natives that was unusual in most of the people from the railroad he had met. Vin looked once more at the rifle he turned over in his hands the moonlight streaming in from the window glinting off of the steel barrel. His aunt was telling him in her own way that she was proud of the man he had become, and she knew he could be trusted with a weapon as deadly as this one. It came to him as innocent and wild as this land, and she expected him to treat it with the same respect he treated the wild wilderness he loved so well.
"Who woulda thought that somethin' so beautiful could be so damn deadly?" Buck was grinning at him as if he understood Vin's thoughts, but Vin also knew Buck was speaking of his aunt. Beautiful and refined, she was the picture of elegant civilization. She was also as fiercely loyal and protective of what was hers as was her nephew. Buck knew it, and he admired her for it just as he admired that quality in Vin. He recognized it because Buck Wilmington, once he had given his loyalty and friendship to someone, was a man who would watch your back to hell and beyond.
Vin winked at him and returned the grin. Buck nodded satisfied that Vin and JD and Ezra were here with him. That put the odds in their favor even if two of them were not mobile. His shoulder hurt like hell. He thought he might have a touch of fever, but it was better than dead. So, he leaned back against the wall behind him and rested his rifle on the open window. Now if Chris and Nathan and Josiah were here, Buck would have no worries they would get out of this alive. He looked over to check where Nell and Mary Louise had taken the children. They were safely under the bed along with several other children, most of whom were fast asleep. They were innocents and Buck aimed to keep it that way. The car was packed and JD was at the door watching for Ezra's return.
"They'll come first light, but they'll kill the other one slow so he'll make a lot of noise dyin'; that's if he's still alive." Vin's voice was barely a whisper, but Buck heard him clearly.
"That should scare them people enough. From what Ezra said they were ready to run and take their chances, first come first serve."
"Wouldn't get more than a hundred yards. They're out there now, waitin' for someone to do somethin' stupid."
Buck nodded in agreement. "They don't know why we're here an' what happened to stop us less they got one of 'em to spill what he knew."
"That's the only reason they haven't attacked, yet. They'll want to know if someone's already on their way to help, or if no one knows why we ain't showed up yet."
"Probably the one that's left will spill his guts soon enough if he's still alive, or he told 'em so they'd kill him quick." Buck had heard stories of what the Apache did to their captives, but he had never seen a man burned alive. "How far away do you think that man was?"
"About a mile. Wind's blowing this way otherwise we wouldn't of ever heard him. Wouldn't put it past 'em to have someone out there close screaming for him to make it sound worse and scare more folk."
"You could be right, pard. He sounded awful close to me."
"I hope the other one's already dead. Ain't no way to die even for a thief." Buck nodded to Vin in agreement. Anything he would have said to Vin in return was cut off as two men approached.
JD and Ezra came to stand beside their friends. JD was torn. He was glad Chris, Nathan, and Josiah were safe, but he also wished they were here with them now. Somehow the seven were as good as a regiment when they were together. Ezra was carrying a box and had a wide grin on his face despite the gravity of the situation.
"Noah said he would join us here after he had deduced how quickly we can extricate ourselves from the derailed cars. They have already solved that dilemma by unhitching the car with the horses. Two men will set them free and stampede them. We hope to use that distraction to our advantage. Besides we don't have the manpower to protect that car as well. I confiscated this to even the odds."
Buck, JD, and Vin looked at the box and then at Ezra's grinning countenance. All three nearly burst into laughter as they recognized what was in the box.
"Aw geez, Chris is gonna have a stroke, Ezra." That didn't stop the evil grin of anticipation that lit up JD's eyes.
"Hell, JD, he's probably already pissed as hell at us now." Buck was beginning to feel the adrenaline. Geronimo had no idea what was about to happen to him and his warriors. He flexed his shoulder and noticed this time it didn't hurt so much. It was his mind focusing on what was going to happen that put the pain aside. Later, when he had time, he was going to hurt like hell.
"Well, better blown to bits than shot full of holes by a pissed cowboy. Hell, if we had him here now, all's we'd have to do is have him glare at 'em."
"I wager our Mr. Tanner is correct in his assessment. As Mr. Wilmington would say, the Apaches would turn tail and run so fast back to Mexico it'd make you'd think you were on the heels of a tornado."
"I'd like to live to see that, Ezra, I truly would." Buck had it all figured out just what Ezra and Vin were going to do with what was in that box. He couldn't wait to see the expression on Chris's face when his old friend found out what they were going to do to save the train. The four men huddled, and by the time Noah returned to the car with the news that the train was down to the engine and four cars packed with people, they were ready to implement their plan. It was two hours till dawn, so they took their positions and waited just as their friends had been waiting in Tombstone.
Chris Larabee was smoldering. The train was late, not overly late but late enough to make him wonder if he was too old for this. He didn't like trains, especially trains packed with people, and he hated Tombstone. The little boomtown was growing quickly due to the silver mines cropping up all over. The train had added to its growth bringing more and more miners and people searching for wealth and power. Tombstone would grow and thrive and remain strong even after the mines played out, or it would never grow beyond the dirty little mining town and fade into ghost status when the mines ran dry. Either way it was not a town Larabee wanted to stay in for very long. He had come to retrieve his men. His men, those two little words held a wealth of meaning in them.
They weren't just his men. They were his friends, his family even; and to tell the truth, he had actually missed them. Of course, he missed that Army horse he once had that could outrun any other horse in the regiment, but he didn't miss its tendency to flatulate every hour on the hour. Just the thought of Buck and JD arguing about something brought a smirk to his face. Better yet, thinking of all the trouble those four could get into without him disgruntled the man in black just a tad. He wasn't so old he couldn't enjoy a good tangle now and then.
Exasperating, argumentative, stubborn, ornery, loyal to a fault, men who would watch his back and march into hell right by his side. And right now he knew something was wrong. Call it a hunch, call it intuition, call it any damn thing they wanted, but no one seemed too bothered by the telegrams they had received earlier that more than one marauding band of Apaches had crossed the border. A band of more than one hundred warriors had been spotted not very far from Tombstone near the junction the train would pass. Telegrams to several Army posts had made it clear ranches, stage coaches, small farms, and even one train had already been hit by two different Apache raiding parties, one of which was led by Geronimo.
A drunken miner stumbled into Larabee. The man was not so drunk that the glare he received went unnoticed. In fact the Larabee glare sobered that man up so quickly that he bounced off first Josiah and then Nathan in his haste to get as far away from the scowling man as he could. Both men flanked Chris as they stood looking beyond the lighted boardwalk into the inky darkness beyond.
"Somethin's wrong. Stationmaster said the train shoulda been here four hours ago." Nathan did not know if it was the hasty dinner they had consumed disagreeing with his stomach, or the feeling of dread that had been eating at him since they arrived to find the train late.
"Got that feeling somethin's not right, brother?" Josiah could tell that Chris was feeling exactly how Nathan was feeling, and he had to admit it was a relief to know he wasn't the only one to have this nagging worry in the back of his mind telling him their younger friends needed them. "Met a young couple over at the hotel. They told of their discovery of what was left of the stage from south of here. Bodies everywhere. They didn't leave anything alive."
Chris turned and looked at Josiah. "They able to tell if the raidin' party was headin' back to the border?"
"Boy's lived in this area for a coupla years. He and the girl were eloping because her pa don't cotton to him. He says the tracks were headed west of here."
"Damn, that puts them right in line with the Temperance Train. There's an officer over at the hotel who was talkin' 'bout his orders changin' on account of the Army thinks Geronimo an' the other raidin' party are gonna meet up an' join forces. Got some troops he's gonna head out with that way in the mornin'."
"Train don't get here soon, we're goin' with 'em. I don't like this at all. Too many things coulda happened, and they don't have that many folks on board who can put up a good fight." Chris had turned to look out into the darkness again. It was actually brighter than it looked due to the moonlight and the cloudless sky, but the bright lights at the station negated that brightness. "Somethin' bad is gonna happen if we don't get to 'em quick. Where is this Army officer now, Nathan?" The healer grinned knowing that Chris was going to want to talk to the man.
"He's waitin' for us in the dining room with a pot of coffee and his orders. Seems Trooper O'Day is now Sergeant O'Day. Captain Collins says the sergeant has nothing but good to say about Chris Larabee and his men."
"Nothin' but good? What the hell have I been doin' wrong, lately?"
"I guess you shoulda shot him that day he wouldn't let you outa that hotel until I said ya could go." Nathan was too smug for Larabee who looked at Josiah and after getting an encouraging smile was all the incentive Chris needed to yank Nathan's hat off of his head and send it flying out into the darkness. Nathan's laughter belied the threat.
"Next time I'm gonna leave the bullet in you, Chris."
Josiah's booming laugh could be heard mixing with Chris's lighter one. They waited until Nathan appeared from out of the darkness before they walked side by side to meet Captain Collins. They had plans to make and what few people were left on the streets of Tombstone quickly got out of their way. They were trouble with a capital "T", and no one wanted to mess with any of them. It wasn't until the three miners rode into town shouting at the top of their lungs for the law that they saw what was left of Ty Hendricks strapped across the saddle of his lathered and exhausted horse ,the moneybags still safely tied to the saddle.
Nathan saw the arrow protruding still from the chest, and he turned bleak eyes upon Chris and Josiah. Both men remained silent but refused to budge when the portly sheriff came out to investigate. The arrow, and what it could mean, was easily recognizable even though the top part had been broken off. Captain Collins and Sergeant O'Day joined them as the torn and tattered clothing was gone through searching for clues as to who the man was and what had befallen him. "Name's Hendricks, an' there appears to be more than forty thousand in these here saddle bags."
"Hendricks, sir, wasn't he listed as one of the passengers on the Temperance Train?"
Chris narrowed his eyes sizing up the sheriff who nervously shifted his feet under Larabee's icy perusal. "Then those bags should have exactly fifty thousand in them."
"Robbery, brother?" Josiah was frowning at the possible implications. "They wouldn't have sent him ahead with the money and no protection."
"He shouldn't be alone on horse with an arrow sticking out of his chest either, Josiah. Had to be stealin' it an' he ran into the Apaches."
"Chris is right. The Apaches must have gotten whoever was with him if he did have help."
"Then what happened to the train and all of the people?"
"That's what we're gonna find out. Captain, you ridin' with us?" The captain regarded the three men before him and wondered how his sergeant had not died of heart failure if the glare that was burning into him now had ever been turned in O'Day's direction. Chris Larabee was a formidable man.
"As soon as the sheriff puts this money in safekeeping. Sergeant, get the men ready to ride, now."
The three men were already on their horses and waiting impatiently when the Captain and his men rode forward. With a nod of acknowledgment Larabee, Jackson, and Sanchez turned as one and rode out into the waning night to find their lost friends and God help anyone who stood in their way.
Continued in Part Five
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