Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
After what had taken place the previous night, Julia was hoping that the next day would be a little less dramatic than the one before it. When she had left her home, Maude was still breakfasting, confessing no desire to leave the premises. The lady appeared as she always did, on top of things even though the situation with Bosshard was not discussed in any detail. Their conversation at the dining table was polite and awkward and there was no denying they were dancing around the issue of Maude's attempted murder of Benjamin Bosshard. Ezra had told her briefly what had caused Made to behave so violently and she swore inwardly at the startling revelation that had become known to him because of it. Although Julia wanted badly to question Maude about the exposed truth, she kept herself from doing so until she was able to speak to Ezra first.
Instead of heading directly towards the Pemberton Emporium, Julia made her way instead to the Standish Tavern where she was certain Ezra would be at this time of the morning. He usually stopped there to have what he considered to be breakfast, in his case a cup of coffee embellished with something a little stronger than sugar. After his experience with Julius, it was more the other than coffee these days. While it made Julia uncomfortable to see him drink so much, she knew that it was one of the side effects of his terrible ordeal and one which she would have to tolerate until the pains he had suffered were not as acute as they still were. In the past two months, Ezra had made some way to recovery but he was far from being the man she had fallen in love with. Julia understood that it would take a long time for him to heal. After what he had endured, it could be no other way and she tried to help but being as undemanding as possible.
It was difficult to do this and have no one to confide to about it, not even her friends. Ezra already hated the fact that Chris, Josiah and Nathan was privy to his shame, expanding that circle would mortify him with horror and she would not put him through that for anything. However, Julia could not deny that it was difficult to be so strong when she could talk to any of those men because men simply could not understand how she felt being in the position she did. For them, it was a matter of being there for a friend who had been degraded and humiliated. For Julia it was far worse. It was having to prove that the assault would not change her love for him, even when he was unable to show any intimacy. For Ezra, a lack of desire on his part would mean that somehow, he had asked for what had happened to him, that somewhere deep inside the one experience with Julius could be compared to the other with her.
She knew that there were things about the ordeal he did not tell her, things so terrible that it simply could not escape him other than in flashes of blind panic in his sea colored eyes. The presence of a horror so profound would emerge and then disappear so quickly that anyone else might have questions its existence. However, Julia knew that it was real and understanding that, she also understood that she had to remain strong for him no matter what because one day, when that pain finally took its toll upon his psyche, he would crumble. When he did, she would have to be there to pick up the pieces if she ever wanted the man she loved back again.
However, fate it seemed was prepared to make that healing process as slow and torturous as possible with the skeleton that had fallen out of the Standish closet to land right at Ezra's feet. Part of the reason Julia had limited her conversation with Maude had been because she was somewhat angry with the woman for putting Ezra through this. It was not right that he should have been given such devastating news about his past when he had so much to cope with already. Almost every aspect of his life had been affected by Julius' attack and the one thing he could rely on despite all the damage inflicted was who he was. Now even that was taken away from him. Even though he had displayed an outwardly calm façade the night before when he had brought Maude to her house, Julia could see that he was shaken to the core by what he knew and with Maude present, there was no way for them to talk about it.
Julia entered the Standish Tavern and found Ezra at his usual table, staring into empty space while a cup of coffee stood motionless in his hand. The tavern was not very busy with Inez moving around the place, serving customers. She glanced at Julia with a smile but did not approach as she guessed Julia had come to see Ezra and would most likely prefer some privacy. Instead, she contented herself with a little smile of acknowledgement before going about her business once more. Julia thanked Inez silently and went to join Ezra at his table, wondering what must be running through her fiancée's mind at this time. He had endured so much lately that she wished he had been spared this calamity. Unfortunately, it appeared it was not meant to be and so she resolved herself to weather this storm with him as she had done so on many occasions prior to this.
"Ezra," Julia said with a warm smile showing that her spirits were nowhere as deflated as her thoughts when she reached his table.
Ezra blinked as if just noting her presence, the far away distant look in his eyes fading away to be replaced by the abrupt return to reality. "Julia," he said offering her a somewhat disjointed smile of response. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," she replied, sitting down next to him. "We did not have much time to talk last night."
"There is not that much to talk about," he sighed sipping his coffee. "Mother has pulled another sleight of hand and turned a riverboat gambler into a marshal."
"Ezra I'm sure there's more to it than that." Julia stared at him, wishing he would tell her what was on his mind. He was closing himself off again and she knew how dangerous that could be when there were so many open wounds inside him of late.
"Perhaps a little more," he confessed, aware that she was worried about him and was trying to help. "Everything I ever knew about her seems to have change Julia. I spent my life thinking that she had shunted me aside because she had not wished to be saddled with a child. I thought that I was an inconvenience she had to suffer. I never gave her the benefit of the doubt believing it could be any more than that. She has carried the truth inside of her and never exposed it because she feared for my life, she thought she would lose me just as she lost my father. I once told her that she cared for me as much as a cat cares for a litter, I was so wrong." He dropped his gaze to the tabletop, the emotions overwhelming him for a brief instant. He could not bear to face Julia until he composed himself.
"Walk with me," she asked standing up, her hand extended towards him.
Ezra took the gloved hand stretched towards him and allowed Julia to link her arm through his as they left the Standish Tavern together. Outside the tavern, it was a perfect spring day with the sun peering a wide eye over the town and such favorable weather usually brought people out into the open. Despite the comings and goings in the street, they were just another couple, a familiar sight to those who resided in Four Corners. Ezra applauded Julia's practicality since there was no better way to ensure their privacy by carrying on their conversation in a crowd where people were too concerned about their own business to pay much attention to them. Ezra was glad for the time alone from everyone, where he could show a little vulnerability to the one person who accepted him for what he was and loved him for all the things he was not but aspired to be.
"So you were wrong," Julia answered now that they were alone and not as noticed as they were. "You're the not the first human being to suffer that indignity and you surely won't be the last. Heavens know we all make mistakes and you were more than justified in feeling as you did. Maude should have told you."
"She has given me compelling reasons why she could not," he responded, trying to be sensible about this.
"That does not make it right," Julia returned meeting his gaze. "Ezra, a great deal of what you are was shaped by how you feel about yourself and even though I love you and I think you are an exceptional man, you don't believe that."
Ezra turned away. "Because it is the truth."
"No it's not," she sighed, wishing he did not depreciate himself the way he did. "You are what upbringing made you as I am what my father made me. We have our demons the both of us that have blighted our pasts but we've managed to rise above that. I am what I am now because I wanted more and you are here for the very same reason. The difference between us is I know I deserve my second chance while you seem to think you're not worthy of it."
"I am not a good person," he declared. "I try to be but I am not like the others. I do not have Chris' strength or Vin's honor. I do not have Nathan's nobility or Josiah's empathy. I doubt I ever had JD's innocence and I certainly do not have Buck's boundless compassion. I am an oddity among them even now."
"Oh that's nonsense!" She said impatiently. "You may be a little jaded but I have never found you lacking in any of those qualities and neither do the rest of your friends. Before we came here, we were both drifters who never had a place we belonged and so we behaved like outcasts. We thought we could never be accepted for who we were until we met the friends who were willing to give us a chance who perhaps in some part understood that being befriended was something new to us. You have only to look at how Chris, Josiah and Nathan have protected your secret and rallied around you since Julius to know that."
"You know me so well its disconcerting at times," he remarked softly.
"That's because I love you and I've been where you are, though not to the same degree I suspect." Julia placed her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk down the boardwalk towards the Pemberton Emporium. "Your mother was wrong to hide what she did but she did it out of love. Yes, she lied to you and that was wrong but she did because she cared deeply, something that you never though she did before. Take comfort in that and also in the fact that you are also your father who was a good man who died to protect you. I've always seen that nobility in you Ezra, now you know where it came from."
"I followed in his footsteps and did not even know it," he managed a little smile.
"No wonder Maude had kittens when she found out what you were doing here," Julia responded. She tried imagining what it must have been like for the lady, all her efforts to keep Ezra bound to her that he had done exactly what she had feared he would do, follow in his father's footsteps after all.
"Yes," Ezra nodded in agreement, understanding so many things now. "Unfortunately, that leaves me with a rather unpleasant legacy. Bosshard killed my father and I cannot allow that death to go unpunished. Maude wants to kill him and she says it with such anger I know that if a way is not found to bring the man to justice she will kill himself even if it meant hanging for it."
"Is there nothing you can do to using a legal avenue?" Julia asked frowning, appreciating how Maude must have felt. If someone had killed Ezra in cold blood she would be more than prepared to kill that person with her bare hands.
"I doubt it," Ezra shook his head. "I cannot keep my mother's anger on hold forever and obviously killing him is not an option though he should deserve nothing less. I feel the same rage but I know that revenge by taking a life is no answer and once done, takes something out of a person that is not quite replaceable. Murdering in cold blood, no matter how justified takes its toll."
Julia did not ask him to elaborate because she knew he was referring to himself even if he did not say it. While she did not know the exact specifics, Julia did know that Ezra had killed Hannibal Julius. When Chris and Ezra had returned from Julius' hideout following the Indian uprising across the Territory, Chris had merely reported that Julius had been killed when they had attempted to capture him and bring him to justice. However, those who knew what Julius had done to Ezra knew that there was more to it than just that. One only had to look in Ezra's eyes to know that however Julius had met his end, it was Ezra who had introduced him to it. Julia did not blame her lover for his actions because if given the chance, she would have gratefully put a bullet between the bastard's eyes herself. Ezra had never spoken to any one of those who knew the truth about the killing and none of them asked. They did not want to know because they could not say they would have acted any differently than h e in his place.
"Then what is to be done?" Julia asked, hating to see Bosshard get away with the murder of Ezra's father.
"I do not know," Ezra said genuinely at a loss. "I know I have to do something. I owe it to my father to avenge him but I want justice."
"Well if what Chris says is true, he has been involved in a great deal of death. Maybe that's why he's here and it's just a matter of waiting him out."
"Mr. Bosshard is a crafty player Julia," Ezra said dubious that his father's killer would make a mistake that would allow Ezra the means to obtain justice for that murder. "I am certain that however he chooses to operate in Four Corners, he will do so taking the greatest of precautions. He knows Mr. Larabee is watching him closely. However he moves, it will be covertly."
"No one is infallible," Julia retorted with just as much skepticism that Bosshard could attempt any wrong doing in Four Corners and not be held accountable. The seven had their own way of dealing with their enemies, even if it was not always the most obvious methods. "He will make a mistake and then you'll get him."
"I hope so," Ezra sighed. "Or else I may end up being present at my own mother's hanging."
Julia and Ezra went their separate ways just before she arrived at the Pemberton Emporium. Ezra was heading towards her home to see Maude and she supposed under the circumstances, they had a great deal to discuss which did not require her presence. Ezra had a key to her house anyway so he was more than capable of letting himself into home to wait for Maude in the event that she had left the house. Julia doubted it however. Maude should have been in jail for what she had attempted to do to Bosshard, even one as flamboyant and outrageous as Maude could sometimes be was not foolish to flaunt her freedom before the entire township who might yet demand that she be returned to the jailhouse. Besides, Julia had a business to run and if she left it to its own devices every time the seven was in crisis, she would run the place into the ground by now.
Julia entered the premises of her Emporium, now the largest mercantile store in the whole of Four Corners. Providing essentials from clothes to house wares and servicing the surrounding homesteads in the regions for those who found it too difficult to go to Sweet Water and Eagle Bend for such essentials. Julia had been careful not to overlap the services provided by Gloria Potter's Goods Store and the hardware stores that sold farming supplies as well. With the boom times that Four Corners was presently experiencing, there was prosperity for all of them and Julia felt it contributed to the sense of community if she did not take such a competitive edge to the business. Besides, she counted herself as a member of the commercial section of Four Corners and it would not do to alienate her comrades by stealing their patronage.
Julia swept through the main part of the floor, earning greetings from her staff; young women of Four Corners who would have otherwise left town in search of work elsewhere. Julia had a fondness for hiring women who had nowhere else to turn to perhaps feeling a sense of kinship with them in their displacement. It was good to know that whatever else may go wrong in her life, this place would continue to function and in functioning, always give her something in which to remind that life went on no matter what hardship that may come her way. Julia did not deny that she loved the place dearly because it was the first accomplishment of her life that she was truly proud of. Here, she had shown that she could be more than just the sum of her beauty, that she was capable of being intelligent and surviving on her own without a man to take care of her.
Reaching her office, Julia twisted the doorknob and entered her private sanctum to find that she was not alone. Seated before her desk was Benjamin Bosshard, waiting for her. The only evidence of his injury was the sling his arm was presently resting in and beyond that, he seemed almost relaxed in his manner. The two men with him, Marks and Spenser were standing. Marks remained next to Bosshard while Spenser took point at the door. When Julia had entered the room, Spenser had closed the door behind her and for a brief instance, Julia wondered if this was not some retaliation for what Maude had done the night before? Certainly, she had been in dangerous situations enough times in the past four years to recognize that this one had fallen into the same category.
"Miss Pemberton," Bosshard beckoned her in, as if this was his office and she were the visitor. "Please come in."
Julia tensed but did not wish to give them the satisfaction of allowing them to see her worry. Instead, she raised her head proudly and continued towards her desk as if she had nothing to fear from these men who were exuding sinister intent with every passing second. She placed herself behind her desk before she trusted herself to speak and the glimmer in the trio's eyes merely confirmed the menace of her situation. "Mr. Bosshard, I see that you are recovering following last nights' incident?"
"I am well even after your soon to be mother in law attempted to murder me, yes." Bosshard responded, scrutinize the woman before him carefully and finding himself confessing secretly to himself that she was indeed a ravishing beauty, one he would have enjoy having within his power.
"Did she have cause?" Julia countered.
"She is mistaken me for someone else I am certain," Bosshard responded with a smile. "A woman grieving husband may do strange things, I am willing to leave it at that for now if she does not attempt to repeat the performance."
"How kind of you," she answered sweetly. "Now what can I do for you?"
"To the point Miss Pemberton, I like that," Bosshard leaned forward, his lips pulling back into a smile that Julia recognized all to well as desire. She had seen it enough time in men who wanted something of her, who were willing to say anything just so she would bestow them with their favors. It made her skin crawl seeing it again after all these years.
"Your business is rather impressive." Bosshard continued as Julia eased back into her chair, preparing to absorb every word of his discussion. She did not like where this was going at all but resolve herself to hear him out before making any comment.
"Thank you," Julia said politely. "It has been a work in progress."
"I would agree," Bosshard resumed speaking. "In fact, given the right amount of working capital and direction, the store is capable of expanding beyond what it is now into something that could become a mercantile centre for the entire region, perhaps even eclipsing that of larger towns like Sweet Water and Bitter Creek.
"It probably does," Julia returned smoothly. "However, I am as expanded as much as I want for the moment. I have a healthy clientele and enough of a profit margin to keep the business and myself quite comfortable."
"Well let us get down to business," his voice became harder, losing a little of its initial charm. "I would like to buy the Pemberton Emporium. It is just the kind of investment opportunity I am looking for in Four Corners and I am prepared to pay very handsomely for it, enough to ensure that money is not a problem for you again."
Julia merely stared at him. "Money has never been a problem for me Mr. Bosshard and while I thank you for the offer, I am not interested in selling."
Bosshard exchanged a glance with Marks next to him before turning to Julia once more and his eyes became hard and Julia felt a knot in her stomach that anticipated that the civilized tone of this discussion was about to change. "You should take our offer. A lovely woman like you should be travelling the world, seeing the sights instead of languishing here in the desert. The lustre will fade from your petals."
"I have no desire to go anywhere," Julia retorted, with an edge of dislike to her voice. "This is my home. My friends are here and so is my family."
"Strange," Bosshard said nonchalantly, "I was under the impression that you had no family in Four Corners, that you originated from say, Philadelphia?" He looked her straight in the eye.
Julia was taken by such surprise that it was impossible to keep him from seeing how shocked he was by that statement. Even though she rushed to compose herself in order to keep herself from giving anything away, Julia knew that it was a redundant gesture. "Why would you say that?" She asked, clearly shaken.
"Because the Averys originated from Philadelphia? Did they not?" Bosshard started to smile, knowing that he had her and was unafraid to use what he knew to force her cooperation.
Julia tried not to show her horror at his knowing her identity but she was panicking and slowly sliding into greater fear. This man was not like Mr. Clemens who could be threatened into remaining silent. He was a man accustomed to getting what he wanted and right now, what he wanted was her beloved Emporium. Forcing herself to remain calm for it would serve nothing if she lost her head and followed her first impulse which was to finish the job Maude had started, Julia regarded Bosshard once more. This time, she displayed a visage that was perfectly comfortable with what the man had stated, even if it had come wholly too late to be of any use other than to maintain what was left of her dignity.
"I will not sell." She said firmly, wishing to see what it was he would do when her refusal was made clear. Obviously, he meant some sort of coercion that much was clear but she wanted to see how far he was willing to take it.
Bosshard's shoulders slumped forward slightly, as if he were pretending to feign some disappointment in her choice. "I am determined to have this place one way or another Miss Pemberton. I was hoping that this would remain amicable, that I would not have to press the issue but my desire for this place will not relent me from the course I must take to acquire it."
"I do not respond well to threats, Mr. Bosshard." Julia glared at him.
"I was not threatening you Miss Pemberton, I was telling you a fact." Bosshard returned her gaze with just as much venom. "If you do not sell me this establishment, I will see to it that your father Donald Avery learns of your location. Unlike that Pinkerton lackey, Clemens, I cannot be sold or bought off, not unless its in accordance with my own terms and I think we have established the price for my silence."
"And if I sell you this place, what guarantee do I have that you will not expose me anyway?" Julia responded with her voice barely a whisper. This was her worst fear since coming to Four Corners, the possibility that her father might find her. She had more than enough money to ensure that whatever she had taken from her father could be replaced but even so, it would be exposing him to her life here and she wanted those separate worlds never to meet ever.
Bosshard's hand snaked over the table and began stroking her forearm lightly, a gesture that reeked of intimacy which she did not require any explanation. Julia's reaction was next to immediate, she pulled back her arm and spat at him, visibly disgusted. "Get out of my office!"
"I see that courtesy was a wasted effort on you," Bosshard wiped away the spittle on his face and stared at her hard, all pretext of civility having been abandoned now. "You have heard our terms. If you wish to bring your lover's friends into this situation, that is your affair but be warned. Even if Larabee does succeed in chasing us out of town, I will still ensure my last act in Four Corners is to ensure that your father knows where you are to be found. If I am not mistaken there is also a matter of a fiancée' is there not? One in Philadelphia that would be most interested in your whereabouts since you left him at the alter in humiliation?"
"I said get out!" Julia repeated herself, becoming angrier at the moment, her emerald eyes blazing in fury because each word had the desired effect of piercing through her skin and reminding her how vulnerable the foundation of her world was built upon. No one knew about her past Ð only Ezra and he was in no condition to deal with someone like her father and Roderick Packard, the man she had jilted at the altar when she ran from Philadelphia almost two years ago.
"Come on," Bosshard glanced at Marks and Spenser, a little smile on his face as he gestured to his companions that it was time to depart. "Let's give the lady a little time to consider her situation."
The triumphant gleam in his eyes convinced Julia more succinctly than any words that Maude might have been able to impart upon her, just how vicious a creature it was before her. Now she could believe that this was the man who had murdered Ezra's father and had earned Maude's undying hatred. At the precise moment, Julia was not that far from pulling a gun out on him herself. The three men left the room without saying anything further and for a few seconds after they had left her office, she could do nothing but stand there frozen in rage and dismay. She did not know her nails were digging into the polished wood of her desk until she was forced to draw breath and upon doing so realized that she was shaking.
Sliding into her chair, she considered what she would do. There was a time when news like this would have sent her running but she could not even think of that now. Ezra needed her and she had promised that she would not abandon him. After all that he had been through with Hannibal and now learning that Bosshard was now responsible for the murder of his father who was nothing like Ezra had thought he was, it would too much of a blow if she were to leave him. How would she be able to do so without his believing that it had something to do with what Hannibal Julius had done to him? She could not and that was all there is to it. However, the alternative in staying was to give up her Emporium and the only thing worse than running away was to see it in someone else's hand. Julia could not endure it.
Yet she had no choice. If she did not do as Bosshard asked, then her father would come here to Four Corners. He would bring Packard with him and with Ezra being less than capable of marrying her at this point, Packard might get into his head to think that she was still his access into Philadelphia high society. At the very least he would demand marriage and the at the worst, he might demand vengeance for making him a fool in front of everyone in Philadelphia when she had run away. In either case, there was no way she could win without hurting Ezra or herself and in this instance when faced with those choices, there was only one thing to do.
She had to give up the Emporium because nothing could be as important as Ezra knowing she would always be there for him.
The idea made her groan inwardly and she was almost driven to tears at the prospect of selling to an animal like Bosshard but what else could she do? Even if she did bring this to Chris Larabee, it would not change the fact that all Bosshard had to do was tell her father where she was and his revenge for her defiance would be complete. Giving up the Emporium would seem a small price to pay in comparison to the calamity her father could bring to her life if he found her. No, she could not go to Chris and frankly, she did not wish everyone she cared about other than Ezra and Mary to know that she had spent the last two years of her life in Four Corners lying to them about her origins. The price of their friendship was worth her Emporium, no matter how much it pained her.
As she sat at her desk, coming to grips with what she was going to be forced to do, Julia could only curse at the fact that Maude had not killed the bastard when she had the chance.
"So did you send a wire to the judge?" Vin Tanner asked as he met Chris outside the telegraph office later that morning.
"Yeah," the gunslinger nodded somberly as he walked down the steps to join Vin as they made their way to the jailhouse. "I doubt he will be here any sooner than a day though."
Chris wanted something of a judicial decision made on the situation with Maude and Benjamin Bosshard sooner rather than later. He hoped that they might be able to convince the Judge that Maude had been acting under severe mental stress when she had seen Bosshard and did not shoot him in an act as cold blooded as it initially appeared. Unfortunately, there was only her word that Marshall Reeves met his end at Bosshard's hand and the Judge though fair was often reluctant to act without evidence. Aside from that, Chris did not want to see the lady imprisoned for the crime when her son's emotional stability depended on his being able to protect her.
"I guess Maude's going to keep staying at Julia's." Vin shrugged, appreciating the situation as it stood but he did not think the town was going to sit still for Maude being given such luxury accommodations during her incarceration, particularly if Bosshard planned to make an issue out of it.
"I guess so," Chris frowned. "I wonder if Bosshard knows who she is yet."
"I doubt it," Vin offered. "If Bosshard is as fired up to wipe out the whole family after killing Ezra's dad, as Maude says he is, then he would have killed her as soon as she accused him. My guess is he doesn't know and that's probably the only thing that's keeping her safe."
"I wouldn't bank on that being a secret for much longer," Chris pointed. "By now, Bosshard is turning over every rock and talking to anyone he can about who Maude is. He's not made his move simply because he's gathering information. Once he knows who he is dealing with, he'll try to kill her and Ezra too."
"We won't let him get that far," Vin pointed out.
"No we won't," Chris agreed firmly on that point as they crossed the street and stepped on the boardwalk that led towards the jailhouse. "However, Bosshard has powerful friends left over from the wars in Lincoln county. When the fighting was at its worst, they didn't care who they went through to kill the people who stood up to them. I know a couple of sheriffs and marshal who didn't survive thanks to Bosshard's friends and their hired guns. He has money to hire a lot of them. Marks and Spenser were probably working for the Santa Fe Ring themselves, for all we know. Bosshard was their enforcer and I don't doubt those guns answered to him for them."
"Still don't understand what they're doing here," Vin retorted. "I mean with the new governor and everything, that kind of thing is done with. Hell even the President has done something to put a stop to it. So what do Bosshard and the men he works for, want with Four Corners?"
"I don't know," Chris replied, disliking the fact that he had no answer for Vin or for himself for that matter. His gut instinct told him that Bosshard was up to no good but he could not just go up and accuse a man of committing a crime when there was no evidence to the fact.
"They there are, moving through town like they were tourists or something," Vin remarked, glancing towards the Potter Goods Store.
Strolling past the store was Benjamin Bosshard with Marks and Spenser in tow as usual. It appeared as if the man had been coming from the direction of the Pemberton Emporium. Other than a sling, Bosshard show no further signs of the violence that had involved him and Maude Standish the night before. Bosshard in particular appeared very proud of himself as he tipped his hat in Gloria's direction. However the lady did not seem at all pleased to see the man. Her expression was dark and she glared at him with such intensity that both Vin and Chris could tell that there was real hatred behind her eyes. Turning on her heels the moment they past, Gloria disappeared into the store with an almost visible cloud of anger following her.
"What was that all about?" Vin asked.
"I don't know," Chris' jaw tightened. "But I don't like it. Did you see how she was looking at him?"
"I reckon I did. It looked like she was angry as all hell with him." Vin replied.
"I think I'm gonna go find out why." Chris retorted and abruptly changed direction from the jailhouse, heading towards Gloria's store instead.
"I think I'll come with you." Vin responded in support of that decision. The two lawmen strode through down the boardwalk, capturing Bosshard's eyes before he disappeared into the hotel. For an instant, Chris thought he might have seen some concern moving across the man's face as he and Vin approached the widow's store but the moment was fleeting and Bosshard was soon out of sight.
It did not take either of them very long to enter the premises of the Potter store where they found Gloria behind the counter, attending a gaggle of housewives as they completed their purchases. The women chattered frivolously about the usual gossip and topics indulged by those of their ilk, paying little attention to the gunslingers in the store. However, despite Chris and Vin's efforts to fade into the background in order to allow the widow time to deal with her customers, they noted that Gloria was very aware of their presence, even though she said nothing to them in greeting when they first entered. She raised her gaze furtively but upon making eye contact with them, turned away quickly, almost as if there were danger in holding that connection for too long. Vin knew enough about body language to know that the woman was extremely uncomfortable about them being near her. The tracker did not mention it but her behavior did not escape Chris' attention either. While Chris did not have his tracking skill, the gunslinger was capable of reading people just as perceptively and Chris could see that Gloria was troubled by their presence eve if he could not fathom why.
Eventually the customers departed the store and the two lawmen were afforded some privacy in dealing with the widow. Gloria seemed even more anxious at their presence and said nothing as she pretended to be overly concerned with arranging some stock on her shelves as she continued to ignore them. The behavior was very unlike the woman they had come to know and call a friend the last four years. It was finally Chris who broke the silence, in an effort to understand the problem.
"Gloria, is something wrong?" Chris asked.
"Of course not," Gloria retorted. "I'm just pretty busy today Chris, I don't rightly have time to stop and chat."
"That's fair enough," Chris nodded while Vin stepped back, allowing Chris to speak to the woman while he kept watch out in the street to see if their presence here sparked any interest in Mr. Bosshard. "I just thought you looked a little upset."
Gloria looked up from the shelf where she had arranged the packets of sugar into neat rows and produced a rather forced smile; "I'm fine Chris. There's nothing to worry about."
"I see," Chris replied, not all accepting that answer as the truth but not about to plunge in with an accusation. "I see you've met Mr. Bosshard."
"Yes," she answered, her back facing him. "He has come in here on occasion."
"I hear he is interested in investing in businesses here," Chris replied. "Was he interested in yours?"
"Mr. Larabee," Gloria whirled around and glared at him. "I don't think its any of your business."
"Gloria, I'm just curious." Chris answered, garnering the reaction he had almost predicted when he made that statement. He did not miss how she suddenly referred to him as 'Mr. Larabee' again. Suddenly, it appeared as if he had just taken on the task of protecting Four Corners again.
"Your curiosity is not my business to satisfy. If Mr. Bosshard and I have business, that is our affair not yours. Kindly leave me store." She said hotly.
"I apologize," Chris responded. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"I am not upset!" She hissed. "I am busy! I thank you to know the difference. Now Good day." With that, she stormed away from him into one of the backrooms, leaving Chris and Vin behind, gleaning all they could from the encounter. Both men exchanged glances for a few seconds before they left the premises, not about to speak about what they had seen or suspected until they were outdoors and away from the woman.
"Okay," Chris said with a long drawl. "What do you make of that."
"She's pissed off." Vin retorted as a matter of factly, gaining a look from Chris as he said it.
"Besides that." Chris returned sarcastically.
"She ain't pissed off at us." The tracker said firmly. "She was pissed off something else but we just happened to be there."
"If you were in the army, they'd call that officer thinking." Chris shook his head and muttered with a little smile. "You're right though, she was plenty mad and it weren't at us. It was at Bosshard."
"Yep, I reckon you're right." Vin agreed readily enough. "Question is why?"
"Not just why," Chris answered, his body tensing in anticipation of danger when he thought about Gloria and her reaction to them in her store. "I want to know why she's so afraid of us knowing that she's angry at him."
Since Maude was more or less under house arrest at the Pemberton home, Ezra felt it his duty to remain there and keep an eye on his mother during her incarceration. Although he was still very angry with her, he did not wish to see her act any more rashly than she had and jeopardizing her future such as it was already. Inwardly, he feared what would happen when Judge Travis arrived in town and a trial did move on ahead. Evidence against Maude was damning. She had walked into a crowded room and pulled the trigger before a dozen witnesses with the intention of killing Bosshard. She also believed him to be her husband's murderer, which meant that her actions were premeditated with Maude being in control of her faculties at the time. Travis was a good man but he was also a judicious man and there was not one ounce of proof to implicate Bosshard in the crime of murdering Ezra's father. Maude had not even known his name until yesterday.
That aside, the identity of his father has almost a surreal quality about it all. All his life he had believed one thing about his father and had accepted the man for what he was; a riverboat gambler. It made perfect sense to Ezra that his own life had turned out almost the same way because the traits of both parents were in him and hard to circumvent. Now he learnt differently and in learning the truth began to understand why it had been so easy to stay here and play peacekeeper because that too was a part of his lineage. He did not come entirely from stock whose entire purpose was the acquisition of money by duping and deceiving those who had had it but also from that which protected the weak. In understanding the truth, he also understood himself. Did the idea of staying here to protect Four Corners strike a chord in him because it was some subconscious homage to the father he no longer remembered?
"Ezra, you haven't said two words to me for the last hour," Maude gazed over the edge of her cards where they had been playing a game of poker for the last two hours.
Ezra did not raise his eyes to meet hers and continued sorting out the cards in his hand as they were seated at Julia's table. "What would you have me say?"
"Anything." She replied softly. "Tell me what has happened to your life since I last saw you."
"Nothing of consequence," he said indifferently, hoping she did not intend to go down that road where she wanted to know what was wrong with him. On top of everything else, he did not think he had the patience to endure that too.
"Something has happened to you my darling boy," she insisted, seeing the flicker in his eyes that was more than proof that some calamity had befallen him. Josiah would not speak of it to her but Maude knew that it must be bad because the preacher had wanted very much to tell her but was bound by the promise he made to Ezra to remain silent. "I gave birth to you Ezra, I know that there is something about you that is different."
Ezra shrugged feeling uncomfortable about the whole subject. "Its nothing I wish to discuss mother."
"Why?" She asked, unable to understand what could be so awful that he could not confide in his own mother.
"Because I cannot." He swallowed and threw a number of cards down as his discards and replaced them just as quickly.
"Is something wrong between you and Julia?" She ventured a guess even though it felt as if she were grasping at straws. There was a rift between her son and the woman he loved; she had seen it since her arrival but the nature of it confused her. While there was distance between them, there was also love, just as strong as before.
"Heavens no," Ezra conceded that much to her. "If there is one thing upon which I have been able to rely upon it has been Julia's love."
"There seems to be a curious sort of detachment in your relationship." Maude pointed out.
"I suppose," Ezra shrugged, hating the fact that Maude had seen so clearly through it. "It is only temporary, until I am..."
"Better?" Maude finished off his sentence before he could.
"Mother please," he stared at her, almost pleading. "Do not ask me. I cannot bear for you to know. I have never asked you anything in my whole life but I am asking you this now, if you love me as much as you say you do."
"There is no if," Maude returned, feeling somewhat hurt that he could be so cruel in his demand. "I do love you."
"Then do not inquire any further into this." He replied. "It gives me comfort to know that you see me as you always have, I do not want that to change."
"It could never change Ezra," Maude responded, almost shocked by the intensity and the need in this demand of his. "I love you, you are my son.
"Mother, please..."
"Alright," Maude found herself acquiescing to his wishes even though she hated the idea of it. She needed to know what was wrong because she was almost certain that she might be the one to help him and he did need help, no matter how much he despised admitting it. She knew she was much to blame for his solitary nature. In leaving him with relatives who had treated him as outcast, he could be molded no other way. She had taught him to keep his emotions inside himself, to never show one's true feelings because that would only compromise the deception they were attempting to carry out in the eternal shell game that was their lives. However, she expected that he would always trust her but somehow it did happen in that fashion. Somehow, in his efforts to shut out everyone, he had also locked her out of his heart and no matter how much she tried, Maude had never really been let back in. She had lost him a long time ago and part of it was her own fault.
"I won't ask again," Maude sighed.
"Thank you," Ezra responded with relief even though he was not naïve enough to think that was the end of this discussion. His mother, if anything, was persistent and she would continue to hound him about this issue until one of them gave in or until they went their separate directions. Ezra hoped it was the latter because he just could not bring himself to tell Maude what had happened to him and how he had behaved in the wake of that assault, especially now, when the subject of revenge was so prolific with the appearance of Benjamin Bosshard. How could he tell her that it was wrong to simply shoot Bosshard after what he had done to Julius in vengeance? The hypocrisy of it was too much for him and even now, as much as Ezra hated Julius for what he had done, Ezra did not know whether he had done the right thing by killing the man. While he could not deny that he wanted the man dead, he still was uncertain whether or not he had wanted to be the one to do it, especially in the ma nner in which he had. There were still too many nights behind him where he had spent the night pondering that question and too many ahead where he would be plagued with the nightmares of what he had done.
It was ironic, Ezra thought to himself. In killing Hannibal Julius, Ezra had ensured the man would be with him forever.
Nine year old Robert Potter or Robbie as his mother and most of Four Corners knew him knew that he was late home. He had not meant to be, aware that his mother did not think it appropriate for a boy his age to be out after dark. He had not meant to stay out so late but he was playing with Jeremy Conklin and the time simply slipped away from him. However, Mrs. Conklin had invited him to have a little bit of cornbread and before he knew it the sun had set on the horizon and it was almost supper time. Mr. Conklin had ushered him off, citing that his mother would not wish him to be out in the streets after dark. Robbie did not see what the problem was; after all, the town was nowhere as rife with lawlessness as it had been when his father had been murdered. Bad men did not last long in Four Corners with the Magnificent Seven around, he had told Mr. Conklin who had snorted in annoyance by the suggestion and told him to get going.
Mr. Conklin did not care very much for the seven but fortunately he was in a minority. Whether or not he knew it, Chris Larabee and his men were the subject of hero worship to many young boys in the town of Four Corners, Robbie included. Billy Travis was considered unimaginably lucky to have the hardened gunslinger as his step father and the game of cowboys and Indians had taken on a slightly more personal edge by it becoming the game of the seven against outlaws. Some liked to play Chris for he was most impressive of all with his dark clothes and his seasoned look, while others like to be Vin Tanner, the tracker whose equal could only be Davy Crockett. Robbie personally liked the personal of the gentlemen gunfighter and gambler that was Ezra Standish and had been practicing the card tricks though he never managed to do the tricks he saw the gambler performing when the man was bored and seated outside the jailhouse.
The streets of Four Corners were not entirely devoid of people despite sunset. Stragglers left from the day's shopping remained in the boardwalks, making final purchases while the regular saloon goers began drifting towards their favored watering holes. Robbie glanced at the jailhouse and saw no sign of the gambler and decided that Ezra was probably already inside the Standish Tavern, playing cards like the suave gambler he was. Robbie was a little disappointed but he would spy a glimpse at the gambler tomorrow. The Potter house was on the other side of town and Robbie noted that the Goods Store had already closed for the night. With a hint of dismay, he realized that his hopes of reaching the house before his mother were dashed. He did not like incurring her anger but supposed he had it coming. She did worry about him and his siblings for good reason. After all, with their father gone, they were all she had.
The memory of his father was fading away in his mind even though Robbie wished it were not so. He remembered what the man had looked like and that he had loved his family but the more specific memories were starting to fall prey to time and Robbie feared one day he would forget altogether. He supposed as long as he remembered that his father was a brave man who had died standing up for himself, Robbie would never really lose the essence of what he was and it was important for the young man to keep that much alive in his heart at least.
He was approaching the Standish Tavern, within sight of the beam of light pouring out the bat wing doors and just on the edge of sight of those entering the establishment, when suddenly he felt someone emerge from the crack between the buildings like shadow play in the moonlight. His young mind had little time to register the shape when he felt a large hand cup over his mouth, lifting him off the ground as he was pulled back into the darkness. Robbie opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out through the thick palm keeping his silent.
"Got him." An unfamiliar male voice stated once they were within the shadows again.
Robbie struggled hard, every ounce of strength fighting the unseen abductors who had him well and truly in their power. Kicking and trying to scream, the boy was seized by terror until he felt his head slam into the wall and everything went black in a burst of pain.
Gloria Potter could not eat.
She noticed her children occasionally stealing glimpses from her as they rose their eyes furtively from their food to note her demeanor. She supposed they believed she was angry with Robbie from being late back for supper, not understanding that it was the last thing on Gloria's mind. She loved her son dearly and she knew him well. He may be a little late for supper on occasion but never to this extent. At first she was merely annoyed that he was absent when they had sat down to the meal. However, as dinner continued pierce through the next hour, she started to fear the worst. Bosshard's threats had been in her mind ever since the man had insinuated himself into her life with his demands but they did not seem real until Robbie failed to appear for supper.
It was bad enough that Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner had come into the store today, obviously guessing that there was something wrong and Gloria felt ashamed at being so rude to them but she simply could not confide in the two men. She had hoped to avoid endangering her family by remaining silent, aware that Bosshard would make good of his threat to harm her children simply out of spite if she spoke to the lawmen of her troubles. She would have liked nothing more than telling Chris of her situation but he could not offer round the clock protection for her children to ensure Bosshard did not harm them and that was a risk to their lives she was not willing to take. However, the point seemed moot now with Robbie's absence growing lengthier with each passing second and Gloria prayed inwardly that Bosshard was not the reason for it.
There was no cause for him to harm Robbie; she had not spoken to Chris or Vin. In fact, her rudeness ensured that they would not be visiting her store any time in the future. Bosshard had no reason to take such steps with her. The more Gloria debated the situation in her mind silently before the dinner table, the more fearful she became about where Robbie was and the extent of Bosshard's vengeance upon him. She tried to tell herself that he would not harm Robbie until he acquired what she had - her store. However, the motives of such man were beyond her ability to understand and she found herself coming to the unhappy conclusion that she could not predict what Bosshard would do with Robbie, what he would do even if she sold him the store. He just as might kill her and her family to ensure her silence.
Suddenly she heard a soft sound on the back porch and before she knew what she was doing, Gloria had left the supper table and was running to see if it was Robbie returning home. Her heart pounded with hope as she reached the doorknob and twisted open, praying that her son would be standing before her. Unfortunately, her arrival into the back porch was met with silence and only dark shadows appeared in place of her son. Her shoulders sagged visibly and she wanted to let out a cry of anguish and disappointment but could not because she did not want to frighten the other children. She stared for a few seconds at the darkness, trying to compose herself because she could not return to the table appearing distraught.
"Hello Gloria." A voice reached out of the shadows and forced her to stay.
Gloria froze; knowing without any doubt who it was that had spoken and had her suspicions confirmed when Bosshard stepped out into the dim light emanating from the house a second later. The man was alone and Gloria searched the darkness briefly, wondering if perhaps Marks and Spenser were somewhere out there as well, watching and waiting to do their master's bidding. Had they waited in the shadows for Robbie and snatched him on his way home? Is that why they were not visible now? Because they were somewhere out there with her son?
"Where is he?" She asked, not even bothering to make the accusation because she knew he had taken Robbie. There could be no other reason for it.
"Safe." Bosshard retorted, not about to hide what he had done. He wanted her to know that he had power over her and was unafraid to use it.
"You bring him back!" She came towards him but Bosshard grabbed her by the throat, less than vulnerable even with one arm in a sling. He held on fast, keeping larynx trapped between his fingers as she started to choke, her hands pulling away ineffectually at the arm who had had her firmly in its grip. Bosshard let go abruptly and Gloria fell onto the porch, a small cry of despair escaping her lips when she landed.
"What did you tell Larabee?" Bosshard demanded.
"Nothing!" Gloria wailed. "I told him nothing! Please don't hurt Robbie. He's just a little boy."
"He will never get beyond that unless you tell me what I wish to know," Bosshard retorted, not at all prepared to believe that her conversation with the gunslinger was as benign as she made it out.
"I swear!" Gloria cried out. "I told them nothing. They asked me about you investing in the area and I said that I didn't know anything at all."
There was just enough desperation in her voice for Bosshard to believe that she was telling the truth. Besides, she was too terrified to let any of her children come to harm. However, he enjoyed the power over her and he liked making one as strong as she squirm under the pressure. "Then why would they seem so interested in you?" He persisted. "Larabee did not just decide to question you for nothing."
"I don't know!" She started to sob. "He just came in and I didn't say anything. Please don't hurt Robbie, he's only nine years old."
Bosshard smiled at her disintegration, enjoying the moment for all it was worth. "I am not completely heartless madam, I will not harm the boy but he'll stay with me for awhile."
Gloria raised her tear stained eyes to Bosshard. "What do you mean?" She asked fearfully. Her lips were quivering in anticipation of the answer.
"Until I conclude my business in Four Corners, I think that it would be best if young Robbie were to remain with me for the time being, as insurance." Bosshard replied.
"No," Gloria shook her head. "You can't do that!"
"I'm afraid I can." Bosshard started to turn away. "It will give you incentive to remain silent. I do not wish to have Larabee calling before I conclude my business in town."
"Please don't do this." She begged.
"Don't worry," Bosshard smiled, pleased at the way this meeting had gone. "As long as you keep your mouth shut, Robbie will be safe. Know that if you mention this to Larabee, I will send him back to you one piece at a time."
Gloria watched him disappeared into the shadows, still weeping and desolate in the fact that she could confess her agony to nobody. He had her and he knew it. To get Robbie back, she would remain silent.
She had no other choice.