DISCLAIMER: No profit is made in any way shape or form from this fan fic. All of the Magnificent Seven characters are the property of Mirisch, Trilogy, MGM, CBS, and now TNN. However I would like to state that I do not wish my characters borrowed without my knowledge or consent. If you are not certain a character is canon or mine, I will be happy to let you know. Just ask or look at my list of original characters.
WARNING: Some references are made to events in the episodes "The Trial" (Maude's jilting of her suitor), "The Collector" (Ezra's referring to Vin as a Robin Hood), "Sins of the Past" (with Vin's admission that he lived for several years with the Comanche and Kiowa), and one Bloody Hand Barnes in "Nemesis". I do borrow from canon quite frequently, and therefore must cite the entire MAGNIFICENT SEVEN series and its very creative writers.
RATING: PG 13
ADDED WARNING: Chapters 14 - 16 have major blood and might be too violent for some sensitive souls.
Many thanks to my beta readers Paula, Wen, and Judy.
They were standing on the boardwalk in front of saloon in Brecken, Ezra Standish, Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, and Josiah Sanchez. They had been called as witnesses for a trial in Brecken. It had been sheer chance they had caught Horace Winston in the first place, and since they had come across him as he still worked on his victim, they were the only witnesses Judge Travis had for the conviction of the traveling salesman for the various murders throughout the territory. Eight individuals had been found tortured and mutilated. It didn't matter to Horace, man or woman, white or Indian, as long as they were traveling alone. Residents in the surrounding areas were frightened by the brutality of the crimes. Sheriff Johnson had his suspicions, but no evidence on which to bring Winston to trial.
Three people, one working girl and two traveling salesmen, had been found within a mile of Brecken. Winston had been seen with each of the individuals, but all the witnesses swore the victims were alive when Horace had left them. Horace had killed four more people in the subsequent towns through which he traveled, but still there was no link except he had been seen earlier with each of the victims. It wasn't until Chris Larabee had received a warning from Judge Travis that this nondescript and deceptively timid man was a possible murderer that Larabee agreed to use the resources at his disposal in order to capture Winston before he killed again.
Vin Tanner had been given the job of shadowing Winston wherever he went. Buck, JD, and Nathan were given the jobs of warning all the citizens and folks in the surrounding area that there was a brutal murderer on the loose. Josiah and Ezra were sent to engage Winston in conversation in an effort to draw any secrets the man might have into the open. Chris provided Mary Travis with all the information on the murders that could be assembled in order for her to write as much as possible about the murderer in the CLARION. Important clues were withheld at the suggestion of both the judge and Sheriff Johnson in Brecken, but Mary educated the public as much as she could about the brutal murders. Few people walked the streets alone even during the day. Vin was rarely seen at all, but always shadowing Winston. The man had no idea that during his every waking moment, a hunter was nipping at his heels. It wasn't until Ezra conned Winston into a card game with Josiah and Buck that Winston provided them with their first break.
Chris and Vin had searched Winston's room at the hotel while he was playing poker with Ezra. They came across a box. Vin opened it and found lying on top an Indian medicine bag, finely woven with beads but covered in dried blood. He exchanged a look with Chris. Next he found a cheap piece of lace from what appeared to be the garter of a working girl. Vin had seen some of the saloon girls wearing the cheap garters similar to this one. It, too, was heavily covered in blood. Other items, seven exactly, were found all caked with dried blood. There was also a wicked looking butcher knife finely honed with a razor sharp blade that was blinding in its shiny cleanness. Vin understood that the man was collecting proof of his victories much like a Comanche collected the scalps of his enemies. Chris did, too. Then Vin and Chris put everything back as they had found it and swiftly headed for the saloon.
Vin entered first and ignored the men at the table playing poker. Chris entered next. Nodding at Ezra from the entrance, he walked over to the bar. Most people who would have greeted him took one look at his face and left him alone. He took an empty space next to Vin. Inez raised one eyebrow, saw Vin shake his head, and silently handed Chris a beer. It must have something to do with the warnings Buck had given her. Looking at the man playing cards with Ezra and several other men, she got a creepy feeling. There was something odd about that man. She made a note to stay as far away from him as she could.
It was Ezra's turn to work his magic. Chris had ordered him to keep the man busy while Vin searched the room. When he had nodded at Ezra, the gambler knew it was time for him to give the man a reason to act rashly. One hour later saw the man desperately offering to get a bracelet from his room to cover his last bet. Ezra had done a masterful job controlling the game so that only Winston had lost his money. Ezra saw Vin stare at Winston. He'd seen that look once before on the affable tracker's face. It was when Vin had been so determined to track down Eli Joe and force a confession out of him. Horace Winston was indeed the murderer. Now, he wanted to go and get a bracelet to cover his bets. By Vin's inaction, Ezra knew that the bracelet must be a key piece of evidence. Nodding benevolently at the man, he was allowed to go and retrieve the bracelet. Ten minutes later he was sweating out the hand Ezra had dealt him.
"Nice bracelet." Josiah picked it up from the center of the table. He made no mention of the dried blood he saw on the catch.
"Buy it for your wife?" Buck asked innocently. The man was beginning to sweat profusely.
"No, I'm not married. I've had it for years. Belonged to my sister. I carry it with me as a momento." Josiah nodded in understanding. He understood all right. This man had just offered them a key piece of evidence. One of the victims had purchased a bracelet for his wife in Denver. Its description matched the one held in Josiah's hand. Placing it carefully back in the center of the table, Josiah picked up his cards. Only Silas Jackson, Josiah, Buck, Winston, and Ezra remained. Josiah, looking at his cards shook his head.
"Ezra, if you weren't a friend of mine, I'd swear you didn't like me. I fold." He grinned to lessen the harshness of his words. He sat back and watched Erza deal two cards to Jackson.
Buck made a show of fussing over his cards for a while, but he too folded and leaned back in his chair.
"If I folded now, could I keep my bracelet?"
Ezra raised one eyebrow. Silas Jackson, who had been the main victor at the table, wanted that bracelet for his wife and answered before Ezra.
"Nope, you already bet it. What do ya have?"
Silas placed a pair of Aces on the table in front of him. Horace Winston grimaced as he placed a pair of kings on the table. As Silas reached for the pot, Ezra stopped him.
"I believe three of a kind, no matter how small in number, beats a pair." He smiled as he laid out three fours. Grinning ear to ear he took possession of the pot. He tucked the bracelet into his pocket. Then, he joined the others on the boardwalk as a disgruntled Silas stormed out. Winston, however, stopped by Ezra and Josiah.
"Would you sell me my bracelet back the next time I am in town?"
"Why certainly, sir. I will take excellent care of it until your return. May I assume you are leaving our fair city?"
The nervous man shook his head in response and walked off to the hotel. Vin materialized out of nowhere and followed the man without notice. The next day he boarded the stage to Eagle Bend. They had no real reason to hold him, since the judge had not yet replied to Chris's wire describing the bracelet in detail. They were forced to wire the sheriff and ask him to keep an eye on Winston. However, that afternoon, right after receiving word from the judge to arrest Winston, the sheriff from Eagle Bend wired them to tell them Winston had never arrived. A rancher who lived on the outskirts of Eagle Bend had turned up missing also. That set off a flurry of activity. After questioning the stage driver, Eagle Bend sent one more wire. Winston had gotten off the stage several miles just short of the town saying he had friends who lived this side of Eagle Bend. It was close to the missing rancher's spread. A request that they form a posse and start the search from their end received an affirmative reply from Chris.
The posse from Eagle Bend met theirs at the sight the stage coach driver had pointed out to the sheriff. Buck, Nathan, and JD took one area with one portion of the posse. The sheriff took another group, and Chris, Vin, Ezra, and Josiah took the remaining area. It took Vin little time to find a trail about a mile off the main road, past all the rocks that had prevented any prints so far. No one questioned if the footprints he found were Winston's. He had shadowed the man long enough to know his boot print anywhere. They followed them another half mile until Vin slowed his horse to a walk right before a bend in the road. His silence hushed everyone. Then they heard the blood-curdling scream of agony from right around the bend. Drawing their guns they barreled around the bend. What they saw stopped all four men in their tracks.
A man was hung spread eagle in between two trees. Whatever part of his body not covered in bloody clothing was covered in his own blood. Horace Winston stood in front of the man wielding a knife and stark naked. The untouched white skin of his back was a stark contrast to the blood that covered the entire front part of his body. His teeth shown in a yellow grimace from under a blood spattered face as he turned to see who had interrupted him. He held the knife in mid stroke slicing the man strung up in front of him across his mid section exposing part of his gut. Vin shot Winston in the shoulder as Chris and the others dismounted quickly. Josiah checked the man in front of him as Chris and Ezra stood over Winston with their guns drawn.
"He's alive, for now." Josiah's words had been prophetic. The victim died four days later after the judge had ordered the four to return Winston to Brecken to stand trial for the murder of the salesman with the bracelet. The four men were ordered to appear as witnesses as the judge tried Winston on a double count of murder. The trial was swift, the verdict given in quick time, and the sentencing pronounced. Winston would hang. There was no need to waste any more of their time in town. After a good night's sleep and a trip to the saloon to extricate Ezra from an all night but very lucrative game, the four were preparing to return to Four Corners. That's when Ezra looked up to see Josiah staring intently at the people coming form the train depot. He followed the look to see what had caught the big man's attention.
"Oh my Lord. It's Mother."
"I thought that was Maude."
"Hey, Ezra, we ain't seen your ma since she jilted that fella."
Ezra's look of disgust only made Vin and Chris start laughing.
"Now, is that any way to think of your ma?" Chris was enjoying himself. Maude Standish was never dull. Chris wouldn't trust her with his last dollar, but she did have a way about her. If nothing else, it was a pure pleasure to watch Ezra try to squirm out of any shady dealings she might think up while still maintaining his reputation as a con man. None of his friends had the heart to tell Ezra he had become a regular Robin Hood in his dealings with the lowlifes who would cheat honest people. It was too late to run anyway. She had spotted the four of them.
"Why Ezra, darlin, is that you?" Crossing the street without regard to the poor porter following her with her genuine French leather luggage, Maude presented her cheek to her son for a kiss. Her smile enveloped them all. Vin's hair on the back of his neck started to rise, Chris felt a deep sense of foreboding, Ezra looked speechless for once, and poor Josiah looked as besotted as ever. "I can't tell you how delighted I am to see all of you." They were doomed.
Maude looked around at the four men in front of her. She actually was delighted to see them, even if Mr. Larabee and Mr. Tanner were both looking at her like she was a rattlesnake getting ready to strike. Good. She didn't want either of them to feel comfortable around her. It might give them time to think, give voice to one another about their suspicions, and she knew with their uncanny ability to communicate without speech that would make them a cunning foe. Her son would put up a fight; he'd almost bested her this last time. Filling out a nuptial agreement, where had he gotten that idea? It was a brilliant stroke of genius that had forced her to flee the town with Judge Travis still present.
Travis had been one of the few men that she had not been able to sway with her looks or her flattery. She strongly suspected that Larabee was another such person. Tanner, well, he was a quiet one. You had to watch out for those quiet ones. She suspected under that rustic appeal was a diamond in the rough. He had proved as cunning as a snake when he felt someone needed his help. Tanner was a wild card for her. However, she was almost certain she could seduce Josiah into cooperating as long as none of his friends were put in danger. Hurt one, you faced them all. Maude had discovered that her son had adopted these motley men as his surrogate family, his brothers. Well, she was not a woman who passed up a golden opportunity.
Had she only known Tanner was the long lost nephew of Alexandra Terrell! She was rather disappointed that her son had not milked that particular connection to his advantage. However, she had decided upon hearing the Terrells had named their youngest daughter Annabelle Maude in honor of the men who had saved their lives that she could forgive him one missed opportunity. From his letters and from what she had heard, Ezra and Vin Tanner were in the habit of working together in various ventures that had even Chris Larabee cautious of their alliance. It all boiled down to that handsome young wild card.
Those eyes and that smile made him a natural. She would have to tread cautiously in order to make him comfortable, to trust her. This young man was loyal. If it came to his choosing between Maude or Ezra, Maude knew his loyalty would lie with Ezra. But, he could provide her the opportunity for a very lucrative venture if she played her cards right. She just had to stay alive long enough to get the papers she had stolen from Clay Ainsley to Judge Travis. That judge had better be suitably impressed by all the trouble she had gone through to get her hands on the papers that revealed a plot by at least five wealthy ranchers to prevent statehood and keep this territory as lawless as possible. Once the plot she had stumbled upon had been turned over to the judge, she would insist that the judge release her son from any obligation he felt to the judge and those other men. She knew that she could never sever the ties that bound her son to the other six men, but she really didn't want to. Seven men to protect her could come in very hand, like now. What she had in her possession could get her killed, but the rewards and good will she would reap would be worth the risks. She would be safe with the seven.
"Now where are the rest of you? I happen to know it for a fact that you travel in sevens." She smiled charmingly. Ezra looked suspicious and looked over her shoulder for the mob that was chasing her with the tar and feathers. There was only the porter sweating profusely under the weight of the luggage.
"We were here for a trial, Mother, not a social call. And might I be so bold as to ask what brings you to this booming metropolis?"
"Why son, you look like you don't believe this is a chance meeting. If I didn't know where that handsome Mr. Wilmington and Mr.'s Jackson and Dunne were, would I know that only you four were here?" Damn, there were only four of them. How could four men protect her from the ten who had hounded her from Ft. Laramie?' Maude turned her most innocent gaze upon the four men. "I declare I am parched. Train rides can be so debilitating, don't you agree, Mr. Sanchez?" Maude put a tentative hand on Josiah's arm. The big man melted into a puddle at her feet. Ezra rolled his eyes at her blatant manipulation of his friend. Chris and Vin looked at one another silently then stepped out of the big man's way as he literally pivoted around holding his elbow out in order to escort Maude into the hotel. Ezra stepped forward to open the door for his mother. He stopped, effectively blocking the doorway.
"Once again, Mother, why are you here?"
"Here?"
"Yes, Mother." Ezra sighed. "Here, as in front of me here."
"Oh that. I heard Judge Travis was here, and I really must have a conversation with him."
"Bout what, ma'am?" Chris asked.
Maude turned a blank stare on the formidable man in black. "What is that, Mr. Larabee?"
"Judge is awfully busy with that Winston trial. He might not see you less you got a real good reason." Vin's voice was soft and non-committal. He was offering her information for free. In exchange he wanted to know what she wanted. Yes, this young man was loyal to his friends. Maude felt an odd comfort that her son had found men like these to watch his back. They might not trust him with their money, but they would trust him with their lives just as they would protect his. Maude turned her full attention on Vin Tanner. He was a wild card, but Maude had won many a lost cause with just one wild card. She decided to lay all her cards on the table.
"Take me to a secluded and safe place and then fetch Judge Travis." She had their attention now, and Maude knew how to work her audience. Patting the bundle she had wrapped in a plain brown wrapper, she lowered her voice for only the four men to hear and delivered the coup de gras. "I have documents that prove several key men have been targeted for death by some very wealthy ranchers. Two names, Judge Travis and John Terrell, both appear on the list."
Ezra pulled his mother into the hotel lobby and straight to the desk. Josiah and Vin followed as Chris spoke swiftly to the man. "We need the key to the Terrell suite and someone to fetch Judge Travis and Sheriff Johnson now." The look on his face was enough to galvanize the man into action. Without breaking stride he had the key in his hand and a bellhop running to deliver the message. Chris waited until the others had escorted Maude up the stairs. He looked over the crowd for anyone who looked suspicious. Tossing four bits to the porter, he sent him upstairs with Maude's luggage. He wondered for a moment if there were any bricks in any of the cases.
Travis and Johnson wasted little time on speech when they saw Chris. His curt nod told them something was up and they went straight up the stairs to what had become their home in Brecken. Vin was waiting for them outside the door, holding it open for the departing porter. Once he was gone, Josiah rapped once on the door to the adjoining room. Ezra appeared with Maude. Vin took position at the window, Josiah the door Maude had just emerged from, and Chris stood at the door to the hallway. Maude didn't smile or even say anything. She merely walked to the judge and handed him the newly opened bundle of papers. With a questioning look, he took the papers and began to read them. He abruptly sat down on the couch and handed the first page to Johnson who handed it to the other men to read as well. After the fourth page began to make its way around the company of men, Travis stopped to look at the woman who had taken a seat opposite him.
"Where did you get these papers? How?"
"I got them from the office of Clay Ainsley. He was interested in making me a proposition. When I refused his paltry offer, he threatened to have me arrested for stealing money from him. He said it would be his word against mine. I pretended to give the matter some private thought, and when he left me alone I looked for something to encourage him to reconsider."
"You were looking for something you could steal and use to blackmail him."
"Let's say I was looking for something with which to encourage his cooperation." Maude smiled at the judge's frown. He really was a straight-laced old man. She wondered fleetingly if he ever had any fun at all.
"Does he know you have them?" Ezra now knew why she had been so delighted to see them and why she was disappointed all the seven weren't present.
"Unfortunately, I took them before I read them. Once they were in my possession and I realized what I had stumbled onto, I came to the conclusion that my only salvation would be to give them to you and thus eliminate Mr. Ainsley in a legal manner. I believe as many as ten men are after me." Judge Travis shook his head. No wonder Ezra Standish was so damned good at what he did. Hs mother was brilliant.
"You will have to be under constant guard until we can wire the army and have these men taken into custody."
He was interrupted by gunshots in the street. Vin took one look out of the window and spotted the trouble. "Someone's set the jail on fire! Look's like a jail break!"
Chris looked over at Johnson. "It's a trap! They want a chance to get to Maude in the confusion!" It was a brilliant strategy, because no one else would try and break Horace Winston out of jail.
Horace Winston! Someone was letting the animal go just to get to Maude! This day couldn't get any worse! Sheriff Johnson ran out of the room to try and stop the escape. One look from Chris and Vin was right behind the man. If Winston had gotten out, they would need the tracker for more than just protecting Maude. As Vin ran down the stairs to catch up with the sheriff, Chris yelled down an order.
"Wire Buck!" Then Vin was at the bottom of the stairs and through the doors nipping at Johnson's heels. They reached the now burning jail where the majority of the towns' people were gathered keeping the flames from spreading. Vin caught the glint of a rifle barrel in the sunlight. He fired while he was running. Now there were only nine men chasing Maude. He saw two men being pulled from the jail. Both were unconscious, but they were alive. There was no sign of Winston. The man had vanished. With all the people milling about, the nondescript killer could be anywhere and there would be no prints for Vin to track. He made certain Johnson didn't need him and then he took out at a dead run. There were only two ways Winston could get out of town relatively unnoticed. As he raced for the livery, he spotted a movement in the alley. He crossed the street and flattened himself against the wall. Then, he carefully looked around the corner. A man was lying there, his throat sliced open. Despite the blood, Vin saw the cut. It looked as practiced as a surgeon's. A shudder went up his spine. Horace Winston had just killed his ninth victim, and he was on the loose. Vin reached down and checked the man's pockets. There were three one hundred dollar bills in one pocket. Now there were eight men after Maude, possible contract killings out on Judge Travis and his aunt's husband, and a demented killer on the loose. Vin didn't know how the situation could get any worse. Then he spotted the boot prints in the dirt. Winston had just taken off in the direction of Four Corners. Now, it was worse.
Vin returned to the hotel room just after he checked with Sheriff Johnson and told the man where he thought Winston was headed. With the new crisis developing and injury to his deputies, it would take some time to raise a posse. Johnson sent out wires to all the towns and cities warning of Winslow's escape. Then he went to warn Chris before he wired Buck to meet them in Brecken. It might be more prudent to leave the rest of the seven in Four Corners. He also wanted the judge's permission to wire John Terrell, so the man could take precautions. There was no way in hell Vin was going to do nothing while his twins' daddy was in danger. He spotted a man in the lobby. He knew that face; it was Bloody Hand Barnes. Vin pretended he didn't notice the hired killer. He took the stairs cautiously, walking slowly, taking his time. Sure enough, Barnes was coming up the stairs behind him. Vin figured he had someone stationed on the third floor where the stairs took a sharp turn to the left. He stopped on the second floor and went to one of the rooms taking a big chance. Knocking once, he tried the door. It wasn't locked.
"Vin comin' in," he called as he flattened once more against the wall. The doorknob rattled and then slowly opened. Vin bought the butt of his mare's leg up and clipped Barnes hard on the chin. The man dropped like a rock. Vin used the heavy cord for tying back the curtains to tie the man up. Rapidly disarming the unconscious bandit, Vin discovered three sticks of dynamite and a small coil of fuse along with three more one hundred dollar bills. Ezra would have loved this part of the game. He hoisted the man on his shoulder and went out the door looking to see if anyone else was around. Then, he went up the back stairs to the suite thus avoiding the questionable spot on the stairs. He almost fell into the room out of breath when Ezra opened it. He dropped Barnes in a heap on the floor.
"Stairs, might have one more waitin'," he managed to get out breathlessly. Barnes was heavy. Josiah took off to check it out. It was bad enough carting Barnes up the stairs and he'd be damned if he cared if the man was hurt. Vin slammed the door shut with his foot. He looked up the others and spoke again. "It's Bloody Hand Barnes. You sure stirred up a hornet's nest, Maude." He held up the dynamite and the money. Maude looked in disgust on the man on the floor. Taking the water pitcher she walked over and threw it on Barnes. The man sputtered awake.
"I hate running. Let's ask this miscreant what he's up to." Maude smiled as Chris moved over to stand by Vin and Ezra.
"Sounds like a plan, ma'am. Judge," Chris lifted Barnes by his collar until the man was standing in front of the judge who had moved to stand beside Maude, "you got any questions you want to ask this man?"
"I ain't sayin' nothin'!" Barnes' bravado faded quickly as Josiah came through the door with one more unconscious hired killer over his shoulder.
"Figured if one didn't talk before you boys killed him, another might." Josiah grinned at Barnes and walked up to him pulling out the blade of his big Bowie knife. He used the sharp tip to clean under his nails.
"Well, let's get on with it then. Mr. Barnes, I'm a federal judge and I know that I am on a list of men targeted by your employers. That's a hanging offense. You helped a convicted murderer escape. You planned to kill this woman and any of these men who got in your way. With your history, you'll hang." The flicker of anger across his face indicated that the judge had Barnes' attention. "You tell me what you know, and I'll see if we can't give you life in prison instead of hanging."
Barnes wasn't scared of much, but he had never wanted to hang. He always figured he'd die with his gun in his hand and his boots on, but no sane man wanted to hang. If he told the judge what he knew he might have a chance to escape when they transferred him to prison or while he was there. However, the men he rode with in this endeavor had been warned that if they talked, someone would kill them before the sun went down. Barnes believed them, so he kept his mouth shut. He didn't expect what happened next. Jase Cooper, his accomplice, was regaining consciousness, and just as he became aware he was trussed up like hog awaiting slaughter, he heard the fancy dressed man speaking to Barnes.
"You have been most helpful, Mr. Barnes. Please sit down. May I offer you some refreshment?" Ezra made it sound as if Barnes was an honored guest.
Cooper could not believe his ears. Barnes had squealed? He'd never have thought the hardened criminal would ever break. He was a dead man, and so was Jase if their employers thought Jase had let Barnes talk. He barely heard Barnes' protests even though Barnes yelled at the top of his lungs that they were liars. All he heard was the fancy man thanking Barnes for saving his mother and the judge. Then he saw Josiah and Vin both grinning at him like he was a turkey they were getting ready to carve. Both men were holding big, very sharp looking knives. Almost as if they had read his mind, Josiah used his knife to slice easily through the cord that bound Cooper's legs. He was pulled to his feet as Vin pulled him by one of his bound arms to the adjoining room.
"We'll question this fella in here. You want a piece of him, Ezra? It's your ma he tried to kill."
Cooper started to struggle but Josiah easily subdued him and drug him into the next room. If Barnes wouldn't talk to them now, this one would. He was just a nudge away from his breaking point. Josiah picked up the stone Vin carried on him that he used to sharpen his knife with. They had pulled this scam before. Slowly and deliberately while Vin gagged Cooper, Josiah used the stone to swipe across the blade honing it until it was razor sharp. The man's eyes grew wide in fright. Josiah winked at Vin who had caught the stone Josiah tossed him and proceeded to mimic Josiah's actions with his knife.
"Now, let me ask you a question. Are you afraid to die?" Cooper gulped whatever words he said muffled by the gag. "I ask you this because my friend here was raised by Comanches. Mrs. Standish and Judge Travis are friends of his. He don't like folks killin' his friends. You understand what I am tellin' you?" Cooper looked at Vin All color drained from his face. He looked back at Josiah and shook his head yes.
"Now, I'm going to leave you with him for just a minute." Cooper frantically shook his head no. "Now, Vin won't hurt you if you give me your word you'll tell the judge everything you know when I bring him in here." Cooper gulped again and looked from the crazy looking man raised by the Comanches back to the calm man with the booming voice who was smiling at him like he was a big cat playing with his dinner. He thought of the threats Ainsley had made if they talked. Then, he thought that these were the same men who had forced Bloody Hands Barnes to talk. Cooper shook his head in the affirmative bringing a look of disgust to the tracker's face.
"All hell, Josiah. I ain't got to cut nobody lately. Only took a couple of Comanche tricks to get Barnes to talk." His disappointment made Cooper try to talk with the gag in his mouth. The point of the Bowie knife pressed next to his throat. "You say somethin'? Like you don't want to talk to the judge?" The eagerness in Vin's voice was the final straw. Cooper was spilling his guts as the judge came into the room with a man whose icy glare did nothing to make Cooper feel safer.
"Now, Vin, Josiah said this man was ready to talk to the judge. You ain't havin' some fun without us, are ya?" The feral grin that crossed the man in black's face only made Cooper try to talk more. Vin nearly caused Cooper's heart to stop beating as he felt the flat of the blade next to his cheek and then the gag was neatly slice in two and Cooper was free to talk. And talk he did. Any and every question the judge asked was answered in as much detail as Cooper could recall. It was enough to corroborate the evidence in the letters. Now they just needed a plan.
Both Cooper and Barnes were chained and secured in the hotel basement guarded by two of Johnson's deputies. They weren't going anywhere as they had been stripped down to their long johns. No one knew they were there but the hotel manager and the men plotting in the Terrell suite. They were planning on turning the tables on Ainsley and his men and coconspirators as quickly as possible. Terrell had been wired as had the other five men on the list to be killed. They were now prepared and ready for any attempt. If they worked swiftly, Travis and his people could get the warrants and the army ready to move on the five ranchers before they could accumulate their own army of cutthroats, thieves, and murderers. It was decided therefore that the judge, the Standish woman, the four men she met, her evidence, and the two men sent to kill her in the hotel all had to die.
Sheriff Johnson would be left to investigate murders he had no clue why they occurred, only that he had been called from the Terrell suite before he could find out why Maude Standish had insisted on talking to the judge. Besides, he had a burned out jail, two wounded deputies, and a crazy killer on the loose. Sheriff Johnson would report that he had no idea why Judge Travis and the others had left the hotel suite and gone to the old house at the end of town near the river and a thick grove of trees. Nor did he see the two men following them. He didn't have time to investigate the murders right now. He could do nothing to help the woman, the judge, or the four peacekeepers from Four Corners. Their murderers had apparently died with them, and Maude Standish and her son were known cons with enemies everywhere. Besides, the sheriff had a convicted killer to hunt down and innocent citizens to protect. The men who had freed Horace were dead. There were no witnesses that the sheriff could question.
Ainsley would be left with a false sense that his plans were still in tact and viable, while the others went about the task of rounding him and his cohorts up and put away where their plotting would result in nothing but their ruin. Now, it was up to Vin and Ezra to kill everyone involved as painlessly as possible.
They waited until night to make their move. Johnson had horses ready just beyond the grove of trees. As the others slipped out the back door into the black night, Vin wearing Barnes' coat and hat sneaked up to the front of the house and entered a window off to the right of the room that was ablaze with light. Another man wearing a black hat and jacket with fringe followed him in the window. Johnson made sure a witness saw that and, as the young boy who was going home from his job at the hardware store came running into the gutted jailhouse to warn the sheriff, the old Fenshaw house exploded. Once more the citizens of Brecken worked to keep the fire from spreading. Fortunately, the old house was close to a water source and the citizens were successful. Not much damage had been done to the area outside the house, but the house itself was completely destroyed. The young witness found the intruder's black hat blown clean across the street. Without much fuss, a man detached himself from the crowd and walked at a slow pace to his horse outside the saloon. As soon as he saw no one was paying any attention to him, he rode hell bent for leather out of town.
Chris and Josiah were helping two winded and soot covered men to their horses in the cover of the trees. Maude gasped at the condition in which her son appeared. Ezra was rumpled almost beyond recognition. Her fright was checked as she saw his white teeth bared in a huge grin.
"I declare, Mr. Tanner, that was one hell of an explosion. You timed it perfectly." His voice still held a breathless but triumphant quality to it.
"Hell, Ezra, you see how that house just crumbled in on itself? Where'd you learn demolition?" Their mutual admiration society was cut abruptly short.
"Five sticks of dynamite! What the hell were you two thinking! You barely got out of there alive!" Chris was seething. He'd nearly had a heart attack when the house exploded sending Vin and Ezra flying through the air from the force of the explosion. Maude nearly screamed in fright, and Chris and Josiah barely got Vin and Ezra out of sight before the first townspeople got there. Judge Travis looked on in bemused wonder as Josiah shook his head at the antics of his two friends. He happened to look at the judge right before Chris could finish his tirade.
"They've done this before?"
"Play with dynamite? Unfortunately, yes. You see, Judge, I believe these two could cause a lot of trouble if left to their own devices." That statement from Josiah got a snort of laughter from Vin and a glare from Chris. Ezra's smile disappeared as he saw his mother's face from the light of the burning house reflecting through the trees. She had actually looked taken aback, almost frightened for him, his safety. He had never really seen that reaction from her before. It gave him an enormous sense of satisfaction mingled with a slight feeling of remorse. Good Lord, emotional thoughts like these were not prudent for a man in his line of work. Maude must have noticed the look on his face because she quickly masked her own emotions. She resorted to the polite yet distanced affection she practiced in public.
"If you two gentlemen are finished playing games, do you think we could be on our way before the other cutthroats Ainsley has hired find and kill us all?" The last part of her sentence was said with such disdain even Chris Larabee turned around and shoved the two men he had hold of towards their horses. Ridding themselves of the borrowed clothing they quickly donned their familiar coats and hats and mounted their horses. Vin looked over at Ezra and grinned at him. Then he took Ezra's silk handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Maude who dabbed at one eye before realizing what she was doing. This time she glared at Vin. He had to admit; it was almost as good as the Larabee glare.
"You're welcome." Vin smiled even bigger at Maude. Damn, his eyes even twinkled in the dark. Maude waved Vin off, but not before the others had seen her smile. Ezra's delighted look even had the serious Judge Travis grinning. Maude made a note to pay the young man back for being so bold as to point out that she was worried for her son's safety. And she would just as soon as her heart stopped beating double time. She actually had felt just a little apprehension as her son sailed through the air. She convinced herself she was just worried over all the money and time she had spent educating and perfecting his God given talents. A mother's lot was a thankless one.
It took less than an hour until she decided that she was not looking forward to a mad dash in the night. They should have gotten a carriage for her instead of expecting a lady such as herself to ride astride throughout the night. The more she thought about it, the more she decided she didn't like this one little bit. She seethed over the discomfort for all of a mile when she yanked the reins and came to a full stop.
"I refuse to go another step."
"Mother, might I remind you that you are astride a horse in the middle of nowhere with God only knows how many murderous gunmen searching everywhere for you?"
"And may I remind you, son, that those murderous individuals think I am dead thanks to you and your friends' penchant for playing with explosives."
"Nevertheless, it is imperative that we continue to Four Corners with the utmost speed and secrecy." Ezra leaned over and laid his hand over his mother's. She looked up into green eyes that held both affection and concern. "I would be loath to lose your interference in my life."
Maude thought about that very carefully. He had learned from her so well to hide his feelings that this display, and for him it was a very emotional display, actually made her determined to get out of this scrape alive and very richly rewarded. The others waited impatiently ahead of them. They were allowing Ezra to cajole his uncooperative mother into continuing with this mad dash to safety.
"Very well, I shall continue riding astride this uncomfortable cow someone has falsely accused of being a horse. But I won't like it at all, Ezra. I expect the appropriate recompense for my cooperation upon our arrival."
"And what would that be, Mother?"
"I expect a bath, a complete change of clothing suited to my station and tastes, and champagne for breakfast." With that she gave her horse its head and cantered off with Josiah as her escort. Ezra was left shaking his head. He joined Chris and the judge.
"Why the hell would anyone want to drink that stuff for breakfast?" Vin looked perplexed and a lot like JD at the moment. Maude was a puzzle Vin didn't know if he wanted to solve or not.
"Well, my friend, if you get the right vintage and name, champagne can be quite refreshing in the morning.
Vin snorted, "Yeah, right, Ezra." The others laughed as they took off after Josiah and Maude. The judge hadn't had this much fun in years, no matter how desperate the situation.
It was more desperate for they were closer to Horace Winston than they had imagined. Hidden behind the rocks, the insane man looked on the beautifully elegant woman sitting astride the horse like she was a queen issuing her imperious orders. She reminded him of his own beloved mother who had passed on this last winter.
Louise Winston had been the love of her son's life. Since his father's foolish death months after his son was born, Louise Winston had pinned all her hopes and dreams on her son. He became her little man in more ways than one. Her physical and emotional tyranny over her son had left him adrift without a dominating influence who told him when he could speak or eat or where he could go and when. Horace had always abused animals and smaller children taking his anger and frustrations out on them. It wasn't until his mother's death that he realized that she had left him alone in this world. Every attempt he had made for friendship and the same intimacy he had shared with her always ended with rejection even when the individuals were as alone as he was. He had been forced to punish those who had rejected him.
The first time he had buried the Indian trader's own knife into him, he had felt an exhilaration that exceeded the most passionate encounters between his mother and himself. It became a need he could not satisfy unless he used his new knife on his chosen victims. The more they screamed in agony the more satisfaction he found in the act of killing. He had become very proficient in the use of his knife, prolonging the victim's death until the last possible moment and bathing in the wet warm blood that splattered all over him. Now, before him he saw a vision of beauty. It must be his mother come back to him to give him the ultimate act of pleasure. To kill his mother in the slowest possible way, to give her the same torturous pleasure she used to inflict upon him. He had to have this woman. He only needed a horse to follow her to Four Corners.
Horace knew that was their destination because he recognized the man who had stolen his money and his bracelet forcing him to leave town. And among them was the man who had shot him depriving him of the ultimate pleasure in killing the man he had come across right outside Eagle Bend. Then, there were the others who had help imprison him and the man who had declared he would hang. They would all pay when Horace took the woman. He was Horace Winston, and he was invincible. Right now, however, he needed a horse. The one he had stolen had pulled up lame hours ago. It had been so simple to plunge his new knife into the beast and listen to its last harsh gasps for life. Horace had never felt so incredibly powerful. He walked along the trail staying to the side hidden by rocks and trees. Eventually, he came across a lone cowhand checking the herd. He waited hidden by the fork in the road when the man rode by. It was so simple to pull him from the saddle half-asleep he was. Hours later, once he had appeased his blood lust, he was ready to follow the woman. He dreamed of how loud she would scream. Horace couldn't wait to get to Four Corners and claim his destiny.
The cowboy Horace had killed was not really a cowboy after all. The three hundred dollars he offered Winston to kill him quick was put to good use in an obscure little trading post where Horace bought himself a brand new knife, much bigger and sharper than before. He also bought a different set of clothes, so as not to be discovered before he had fulfilled his quest. It was a quest now that the image of the golden haired woman and her queenly carriage haunted his every waking moment. Maude had become his obsession. Nothing and no one would stop him from having her. Even his slow torture of the old man who ran the trading post no longer gave him the ecstasy he needed so badly. He finally left in the early hours of the morning while the trader breathed his last painful breath. He now had three horses, six hundred dollars, and as many knives as he could carry. No one would recognize him now. Four Corners called to him just like a mother would her child promising love and security.
That there was one less man to alert Ainsley that his quarry was indeed alive only ensured the sextet's safe arrival in Four Corners. If it hadn't been for the fact that the governor was secretly aware of the plot and actually supported it then Clay Ainsley would never have known that Maude Standish still lived as did Judge Travis and four of the seven peacekeepers. The other conspirators like Stuart James had distanced themselves the moment they had received the news that Maude Standish had taken the documents that held Ainsley's name and had alluded to but had not named four others. James had been up against the seven twice and lost both times. He was beginning to think a colder climate like Montana would be more suitable to his health. He washed his hands of the plot, as did the others. Ainsley was on his own and his stubborn need to avenge himself on the woman who had ruined all his plans was all consuming. The message delivered from a man sent by the governor at dawn alerted Ainsley to the fact that the woman, the judge, and the documents were still alive and in custody. Clay Ainsley wasn't about to lose the empire he had built out of nothing and the power that went with it because a woman had bested him. He sent the word out and by noon was on his way to Four Corners with at least twenty men heavily armed with orders that Maude Standish and Judge Travis were to die along with anyone else who stood in their way.
Five exhausted men and one exhausted but demanding woman reached Four Corners in the early dawn hours. Riding all night, they had managed to get there without mishap. Vin was disappointed that they had not come across Winston on their way, so too was the judge. Both had surmised that maybe Winston had gotten lost on the trail or turned off towards another town where no one could identify him. They would have someone wire the neighboring cities to watch out for him. They entered the back of the hotel and went to a room on the top floor. Maude was too angry to recognize the redecorated room that she last saw riddled with the bullet holes that had been used to stop Eli Joe from killing Vin. She stormed into the room. You could almost feel the anger radiating from her.
"I will not be confined to this room with these men! May I remind you that I have put my life in danger to warn you? I want my own room, my own clothes, and my freedom!"
"Mother, you must be reasonable. The very heart of our plan requires that people think we are dead. If you do not lower your voice, everyone in this hotel will know we are alive and our whereabouts. We are trying to save your life at great risk to our own!" Ezra was out of patience.
Maude had complained of the heat; it was cold out. She had complained that the horse was temperamental; the horse was docile. She complained that Vin kept leading them off the trail; he picked the easiest route possible. The twins had loved it the night they rode to Four Corners. Josiah was more interested in what the judge and the other men were saying instead of flirting with Maude; he was too busy looking out for hired guns and crazy killers to hold a scintillating conversation with Maude. Chris Larabee did not know how to hold a decent conversation; Ezra had to agree with that one. Now, at five o'clock in the morning, she wanted a hot bath and champagne. It was the final straw. Chris walked up to her and let the Larabee glare silence Maude.
"I think you'd better lie down and get some sleep. It looks like it's gonna be a while before we leave this room." He turned around and stalked off to find the other secluded corner apart from everyone else. Vin had already staked his out by flopping on the floor and leaning against the wall. His hat was pulled down and his mare's leg was lying across his legs. He was already asleep. Buck looked on in amusement as Judge Travis took the couch and Ezra stole a blanket and a pillow from Maude's bed. He dropped it on the floor at the foot of the bed. Josiah took the big chair by the window. Like Chris and Vin, his gun was lying within easy access. Maude frowned at Ezra. He smiled at her, that totally engaging smile that had turned many a con into a successful venture.
Maude's lips twitched and the anger drained from her. She didn't know why she felt so worried, why she felt like someone unknown to her was watching her every move. She decided that it was because she feared that Ainsley would never give up until one of them was dead. Maude knew she was safe with the seven men, but she still couldn't shake this feeling that someone was out there waiting for her to be alone. Ezra must have seen something in her eyes because he walked over and put his hand on her arm. He squeezed it gently.
"No one, absolutely no one will lay a hand on you. We, I, will not permit it." Maude looked up into his eyes and knew her son meant it and that he spoke for all of these men. She smiled, not only because she was actually proud of him, but also because she saw Vin Tanner sneak over and steal Ezra's pillow without making a sound. The others watched grinning at her, even Nathan and JD who were going to be watching from the room across the hall from where Buck would take first watch. Maude smiled back at her earnest son.
"Well, I do hope you take better care of me than you did your pillow." She tossed another pillow to her son who was trying to decide whether to shoot Vin or just throw him out of the window. He settled on listening to his mother's laughter and that of his friends' good-natured ribbing. Before Maude put her head on the remaining pillow on the bed, she tried for the last word.
"I expect to be entertained by a game of chance during my incarceration. I do hope all of you gentlemen brought your money."
Ezra won the last word. "Save us all," he sighed out loud. He saw Chris wink at him, and Vin grinned and tipped his hat. Ezra just knew they were doomed, every one of them.
Continued in Part Two
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