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.
Without a body, Judge Travis was disinclined to declare Horace Winston dead. Although the Army insisted he had to be, none of the citizens of Four Corners believed them for their seven had warned them all to be on their guard. It was still cold at night, so locking doors and windows were not obstacles many had to deal with. Few people ventured out alone for any reason, and most men who seldom carried a gun could be seen with rifles or shotguns out in plain sight. Just as many had begun to think Horace might be dead, and the Army was preparing to leave Four Corners, when Chanu and several braves entered town pulling a litter.
On it was an old brave who had left the reservation to find a place in which to die. He died, but it wasn't the peaceful passing he had so desired. The man had been murdered the night before. His mutilated body was proof that Horace Winston was indeed alive and close. Travis wired Ft. Laramie and ordered Mary to stay there with Billy until they had captured the monster. It had been three days since Maude's return to town, and the knowledge of what was on the litter caused a shaft of fear to spiral from her stomach to her head. It was agreed that Nettie would continue to share a room with Maude across the hall from where the men were still staying. Casey stayed with the Bridgers helping out with the new baby.
Buck, Vin, Josiah, and Nathan made their presence known as they patrolled the streets in no less than three at a time. On the fourth day, Chris joined them. Even with his arm in a sling and Buck's slight limp, the townspeople felt safer with their presence. JD and Ezra were usually with Maude and Nettie, the saloon, or sitting in the jail together adding to the confidence of the town folk even if they were the worst of the walking wounded. Even the troopers kept together in threes and fours. Patience, however, was wearing thin. Tempers flared and brawls broke out, but the fines were paid quickly for no prisoners were being housed in the jail. The judge didn't want anyone behind bars and unarmed should Winston decide to pay a call.
On the fourth day there was a fire at the livery. A saloon girl turned up missing in the confusion as everyone tried to put the fire out. Her body was found by an Army patrol two miles from town. Horace had claimed another victim, this time proving he could move in and out of town unchecked. The town began to resemble a ghost town or a military base. Few citizens ventured outside their homes without a good reason. Children no longer played along the boardwalk or the streets. Only army blue could be seen on the streets. There was a gloom hanging over the small town that threatened to undo all the good the presence of the seven had done over the past year. Fear replaced confidence as the town began to draw in upon itself. Not even the men who were slowly recovering could do much to alleviate the pall that hung over the city.
It was the fifth day since Maude's return. Another body had been found. No one knew who the drifter was, his name buried with his remains. There was no marker for his grave, but there was a makeshift cross someone had placed on it. Chris walked outside of the jail in the afternoon sun. Vin watched him from the open door.
"We gotta get Winston soon 'fore folks decide to pack up an' leave."
"I know, Vin, but how? You still can't ride with those ribs, so we can't just chase after him."
"He's close, Chris. I could track him on foot. Done it before."
"Not alone, you ain't, not that animal. I ain't riskin' anybody's life." Chris's mouth had formed a thin line. He tried to inject a touch of humor to soften the harshness of his words. "Sides, I'd hate to have to shoot ya. I promised Nathan I'd do just that to the next one who got himself hurt."
His attempt was met with a lopsided grin. "Hell, cowboy. Who says I'm gonna stay put long enough for Winston to cut me? I was figurin' more like getting' my rifle an' findin' a nice perch. Then I'd wait for him to show his face in town." His eyes took on a hard edge. "Just need one clear shot."
Chris nodded. He understood the venom in Vin's voice. Lacy had been a favorite of everyone's because of her quick wit and pretty face. She didn't deserve what had happened to her just because she had tried to help put out a fire. They had also known the Indian that Horace had butchered. The old man had been particularly fond of the seven men he had labeled the truth seekers. Neither one, not even the drifter, deserved that kind of death, and Chris knew that Vin wasn't the only one who planned to shoot Horace Winston on sight.
"Might I suggest we lure Mr. Winston to his doom?" Chris and Vin both spun around surprised by the voice that had appeared suddenly behind them. It was Maude, and she stood there next to her son who was leaning on a cane, his arm still in a sling as Chris's was. Both men winced not only in chagrin at having been startled, but because their quick movements had aggravated their injuries. Josiah stood behind Maude and Ezra.
"Now, Mother, we have discussed this. You will not permit yourself to be used as said lure. I will not permit it."
Maude turned around and her eyes softened when she saw the concern in her son's eyes. She looked at him without talking. She let him discover on his own that not only was she determined that she get her way in this, but that it was indeed the only way to be certain Winston could be drawn out into the open. Ezra said nothing as he tried to find a way, any idea that would place his mother far from the danger, but he could think of none. He looked helplessly at Vin and Chris and then Josiah for help, but they too, realized that Maude had presented the one hope of successfully drawing Winston out. Maude was going to be the bait to catch a madman, but how did they convince Horace that she was indeed vulnerable to attack when no one had been able to get near her?
"What have you got in mind, Maude?" Josiah was the first to break the silence. She smiled at him, showing the same charm with which her son conned so many unsuspecting people.
"Quite simply, gentlemen, I am tired of running and hiding. I am exhausted from the efforts of trying to regain control of my life. I am determined that I shall no longer live my life in fear or live incarcerated because some animal had decided I remind him of his mother." Maude waited as each man listened to her. Then, she played her trump card. "I have not lived this long by playing it safe. I play to win, and with your help, I believe we can defeat Horace Winston."
She knew they wanted Winston stopped as badly as she did. They wanted to be relieved of the responsibility they felt as Horace claimed victim after victim. Maude had once been a victim. Once, and she had vowed that never again would she be a victim. Never again would anyone but Maude Standish determine Maude's fate. Horace Winston had kept her imprisoned in this little backwater town long enough. Life was a banquet and her feast was congealing as she cooled her heels waiting on Winston's next move. They had to stop him now, while Maude still had the courage to fight back. The longer she waited the more the fear took hold of her. It was now or never, and she knew that the Army could not protect her. The judge could not protect her. No one could protect her, but maybe, just maybe her son and his six friends could help her protect herself.
Maude looked at Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner. She looked at her son and Josiah Sanchez. She looked at the other three men who had come out to join them in the afternoon sun. There was a determination about them that made Maude feel invincible. Chris Larabee smiled at her. It was a smile that boded ill for Horace Winston. Maude returned his smile with one of her own. He had to admit that now he knew from where that stubborn streak that Ezra used to get him through many a tough time had come. Maude may have played fast and loose with her son when he was a child, but there was no doubt that this woman had, by herself, raised her son to be a survivor. If for no other reason than Maude was Ezra's mother, Chris Larabee would make certain that Horace Winston died before he ever forced this woman to live even another minute of her life in fear. It was time to force Horace Winston to dance to their tune.
It was a simple plan. Nettie and Maude were the two most unlikely women to share a room. A dustup was inevitable. So, being the amiable and pliant women that they were, they agreed to disagree, quite loudly in fact. Mrs. Bridger was quite shocked at the falling out of the two women whose ties to the seven were well known. After all Maude Standish was the mother of one of the seven and Nettie Wells was the unofficial mother of the others, especially Vin Tanner. When Nettie stood up from the table and threw her napkin down, she let Maude know exactly what she thought of being confined with the other woman.
"I've had enough of your high falutin' ways. If we ain't good enough for you, you can just take your fancy airs and get out of town!" With that, Nettie stalked away her head held high. Vin Tanner jumped up as quickly as healing ribs would allow and followed Nettie out the door.
His glare was not lost on Ezra Standish or the other men. Casey Wells and JD Dunne were the next two to stalk from the table. Then, Chris Larabee took his leave without finishing his lunch either. He followed on the heels of the others with some statement to the effect that someone had better go along to make certain that no one was alone for too long. In fact the only one who didn't seem to notice Mr. Tanner's disgust of her behavior was the woman herself. Maude Standish was oblivious to the stares, but Mrs. Bridger soon felt the same as Nettie did.
Maude soon had the good woman in a tizzy having pointed out what was wrong with each and every dish Mrs. Bridger laid in front of her. The dinner rolls, Buck's favorites, were too cold and too hard and heavy. Buck grabbed several buttered rolls, his plate, and got up from the table. The chicken was too dry and too tough, and Maude turned her nose up at the Świlted' vegetables. Nathan took his plate of food and followed Buck out of the door. Both men told Mrs. Bridger they were going to the jail. She stopped them and gave them enough food for the others who had left earlier. Buck patted her on the hand and assured her that no one could cook as well as she did. Nathan's echoed sentiments made her feel much better. She went back to her kitchen and took great pleasure in whacking the dough on the counter with her rolling pin. No one working back there with her wanted to mention who they thought she might imagine the dough to be.
Only Josiah and Ezra remained with the unrepentant Maude. They tried to finish as much of the meal as they could, but Maude had decided that she wanted them to agree with her to prove her point.
"Don't you think that this repast is by far one of the worst we have yet to endure in this godforsaken hellhole?" She plainly looked disappointed when Josiah rose with the excuse that he needed to have a word with the colonel and Judge Travis. Next her gaze pinned Ezra to the spot. He now knew what a deer felt like when Mr. Tanner had him in his sights.
"Quite frankly, Mother, I believe you are allowing your nerves to override your good taste and manners." Maude's eyes grew big in amazement at her son's words.
How dare he!
Ezra continued as if he hadn't noticed his mother's building fury. "I believe Mrs. Bridger's culinary skills are of the finest quality. Why, she even surpasses some of the better chefs whose fare I have paid handsomely for only to be disappointed." That statement did it. She had been kidnapped, chased, almost killed by a maniac, forced to stay in this horrible little town with a wizened old crone as her companion, and now her only child was contradicting her. It was humiliating!
Maude rose to her feet her eyes ablaze with anger. Throwing her napkin on the table, she vented all her frustrations upon the head of the nearest individual. Ezra took it all in stride, never once allowing his facial expression to change. The half smile on his face never changed, but it served to infuriate Maude even more.
"I have had enough of this town and you! I don't care what happens to these backwater hacks, but I am leaving before that maniac finds me!" She leaned forward until she was almost eye level with her son. "If you had any brains or ambition, you would leave with me, now!"
Ezra, never once allowing any emotion to appear upon his face, stood up and took his mother's agitated hands in his. "Now, my dear, I understand your dilemma. However, I believe that it would be more prudent to leave tomorrow on the stage. Let me escort you back to the hotel and get you settled in. I will make all the necessary arrangements in the morning." His attempt to placate her only infuriated her more.
Tearing her hands from his grasp, Maude looked at him and the rest of her audience with disdain. "I will not stay in this pest hole for one moment more! I am leaving now if I have to ride out of here on a horse by myself."
She stalked out of the dining room and out onto the boardwalk. The troopers standing guard and the townspeople hurrying home quickly moved out of her way. Maude made a show of walking over to the hotel scowling at anyone who looked her way. Several pairs of eyes watched her as she strode purposefully into the building. No one would ever know how fast her heart was pounding in her bosom. This was what she lived for. The exhilaration of a con coming to fruition. Soon Horace Winston would be dancing to her tune.
"What's she doin' now?" Nettie was sitting in the chair at the sheriff's office while Vin, Casey, and JD peaked out the window. The harsh sunlight made it impossible for anyone to see them peering out onto the busy street.
"She's makin' a real good show of it, Miz Nettie." Vin turned back to the desk and plucked the chicken leg Chris was getting ready to sink his teeth into right out of his hand. He glared at the younger man but got a wink and a grin in response. Buck and Nathan both handed Chris another piece of chicken to replace the one Vin had stolen. JD and Casey took one each.
Chris sighed and muttered where they all could hear, "I hope we catch Winston this time else I'm gonna have to shoot someone in frustration." JD and Casey each handed him the chicken legs they were getting ready to bite into. Everyone laughed relieving the tension that Winston's presence had engendered. Chris waved the two off with a grin. He looked over at Vin and got serious. "You gonna be able to get up in the hayloft without a problem?"
"Well, it'll be uncomfortable, I reckon, but I can do it. It's the best place to spot someone and stay hidden in there. Besides, I'll have Buck up there with me. Four troopers are gonna be stationed in the next buildin'."
"What about you JD?"
JD looked at Chris and swallowed the bite of chicken he was chewing. "I'll be with Miz Nettie and Casey at the Bridger's. Judge Travis and several troopers will be there with us."
Nathan spoke then, "The colonel is gonna have at least three groups of four men patrollin' and groups of four stationed throughout town in the different buildin's. He ain't leaving nothin' to chance, but he's gonna have some of his men start a brawl in the saloon at dusk. Figures if word don't get Śround soon enough to Winston, that he'll try then." At Chris's raised eyebrow he added, "There'll be troopers stationed upstairs and by the entrances just in case."
"Josiah and Ezra will be with Maude. Ezra says he and Josiah are gonna try one more time to change Maude's mind about leavin', and then make a big deal of gettin' their things and meetin' her at the livery." Buck paused and looked at everyone. "She'll leave the hotel right before the sun goes down draggin' one of her bags with her. She's gonna pretend she's too mad to let anyone help her."
"She will have a better gun that that pop gun she carries, won't she?" Vin nodded yes to Nettie. She had enjoyed her spat with Maude and wanted her safe from Winston. Running a con was rather exciting, and it was for a good cause. Nettie felt she understood Ezra and his ma a little better now.
"Colonel's got some men who'll watch her until she gets to the livery. That's when me and Buck'll take over. If Winston tries there, we'll get him. If not, we'll follow Maude and Ezra when they leave in the buggy. Josiah's gonna ride next to them." Vin was checking his rifle now, and so was Buck checking his weapons as well.
Chris nodded. "I've got my horse saddled outside the saloon. Nathan and JD'll join me and we'll follow you two. Watch your backs."
It might not have been the best plan, but they knew the key to getting to Horace was to make him think they were putting the object of his obsession out of his reach. Instead of waiting while he toyed with everyone playing cat and mouse, they were going to flush him out into the open. Maude had insisted on it. Nettie voiced what everyone was thinking.
"You boys be careful. I like Maude, and I like you boys. I hate funerals. You understand what I'm sayin'?"
"We'll get Śim, ma'am. You don't fret over that. Horace Winston ain't hurtin' nobody no more." Vin Tanner was ready to go hunting, and so were his friends. They all admired Maude's determination to take control away from Winston, and they knew Maude never bluffed unless she was certain she could pull it off. They had no idea that they didn't need the town to fuel the rumors of her departure.
The object of their hunt was already in town and waiting. In the shadows of the alley across from the hotel was a stack of unused crates and boxes. There was a space inside them just big enough for one man to crawl into. Horace Winston discovered it the night of the fire as he waited for someone to wander alone near it. Lacy Rogers had, and in the confusion and noise Horace had knocked the saloon girl senseless. She was an easy victim and had screamed long into the night. It was here that Horace had crept in the early morning darkness, slipping in between the changing of the Army patrols. Now he waited for his chance at the woman who had once again become his focal point. Horace could not leave this place until he had killed Maude Standish. No matter what, she would die tonight.
Vin and Buck made their way to the livery without incident or detection by anyone. The surreptitious route that Vin had chosen from the Bridger household was full of twists and turns, back doors and back alleys. Fortunately, Winston was all but cut off from most of the town unless someone passed directly in front of his hiding place. They reached the livery about an hour before Maude was to arrive. Sending the livery owner and his sons home was easy. The combination of burned and charred wood and the thought that Horace Winston might show up was enough to encourage them to leave the livery to Buck and Vin.
A brand new ladder leaned against the loft by the front wall. The old one had burned in the fire along with one of the doors. Stalls near the front were charred as were the upper boards, and the horses were left in the corral instead of inside. Some of the wood of the loft in the front above the missing door had big holes burned into it. There were openings in the front wall of the barn looking like windows among the black charred walls reaching all the way to the roof. For the most part, however, the livery was in great shape, the fire having caused mostly superficial damage. The smell of smoke was still heavy in the air.
"Stinks in here." Buck grunted as he moved the ladder to an area where the loft overlooked the whole barn area, door included.
"Get over it, Buck. Could be worse." Vin looked at the ladder and the rifle he was carrying. Climbing the ladder was not going to be pleasant with three broken ribs.
Buck had to ask. "What could smell worse than this?" Buck took hold Vin's rifle. "You go on up and I'll hand both of Śem to you. Then I'll come up."
Vin nodded at Buck's suggestion. Before he started up, Vin grinned at Buck. "You could be stuck up here with Top Hat Bob."
Buck laughed. "No way I'm sharin' a hayloft with the likes a him. Bad enough getting' stuck up here with you. If the ladies get wind of you an' me sharin' the hayloft, they're gonna think we're a couple of those funny cowboys."
Vin shook his head laughing at Buck's outrageousness and then turned toward the ladder Buck had set securely against the bottom of the loft. Putting one foot on the bottom of the ladder, Vin bit his bottom lip as he started up. He managed to climb up it without abusing the injured side of his body. Then he knelt and took one rifle and then the other as Buck's height made handing the rifles up an easy task. Once up in the loft, Buck and Vin shoved several hay bales that hadn't burned but were still wet from the water everyone had thrown everywhere with which to put out the fire. Once they had arranged them for sufficient cover, Buck allowed Vin to pick his spot. He then took a position near the tracker and settled down to wait. Talking was kept to a minimum until just before dusk. They watched the sun go down from a slit in the door.
At precisely six o'clock in the evening, Maude Standish exited the hotel carrying one small bag. Her son and Josiah Sanchez followed hurriedly behind her. Their voices carried throughout the boardwalk and the street. Horace woke from his doze with a start and listened carefully. The lack of food and shelter along with his festering wounds were slowly taking their toll. That drifter had fought hard to escape from him, and his wounds had reopened and bled anew. Winston could feel his strength draining from his body, but his purpose was still burning as brightly in him as the fever from his infected wounds. He had to kill Maude before he died, for dying he was. It had become the very reason he clung to life when dying would have been so easy. All the suffering he had endured, all the loneliness since his mother's untimely death, all the ruin of his secret life, he now placed it all at Maude's door. None of this was his fault, and he would kill his demon in order to ensure his salvation in the next life. Then he heard what might be an insurmountable problem to all his plans for he had planned to kill Maude and anyone who stood between him and his goal tonight in the darkness that was his friend.
"Mother, please reconsider and wait for the stage tomorrow morning."
"It will be much more comfortable, Maude."
"I told you I would not share another night in that room with that wizened old crone! I don't care what time it is. The hotel is full of soldiers, and there are no extra rooms. I refuse to stay at that saloon and don't even mention my staying anywhere else. There is nothing else habitable in this, this dump!" Maude turned to go off, but Ezra stopped her once again. Chris, Nathan, and JD appeared outside the saloon where they watched the fight with growing interest.
"Mother, wait. If you insist on leaving now I must accompany you."
"You can't ride a horse with two bullet wounds, Ezra. Maude, you both have to be reasonable." Josiah tried to act as the voice of reason. Mother and son turned slowly around and pinned Josiah with matching glares worthy of the Larabee glare. When he saw his suggestion fell upon deaf ears, Josiah capitulated. He was tired of the bickering between mother and son. "All right. Let me and Ezra get a few things and tell the judge, and we'll go with you."
"We'll take a buggy, Mother. Will that suffice?" Ezra looked out of patience with his mother.
Horace's heart began to race. She was leaving? They were letting her go when they knew he was waiting for an opportunity to take her? What kind of lawmen were they? What kind of son was this fancy dressed man who seemed more intent in getting his way than protecting his mother? Horace would never let anyone harm his mother. No, he had cherished his mother all those years. Her happiness had been everything to him until she had betrayed him. Maybe he had killed her, but that had been her own fault for betraying him. Now, these two men were going to let Maude go before he could punish her. It was not fair, not fair at all. Horace crept out from his hiding place and moved closer to the end of the alley where the noise of the street called to him. In the waning light he peered around the corner. There she was standing no more than fifteen feet from him. He had to kill her to stop the pain from which he could find no relief. If he died doing it, he would die a happy man. Either way he had to kill her before she could leave town. He didn't think he had the strength to follow her, and he knew he didn't have the strength to fight that big man. He had to think of a way to get to her, past the soldiers, past those gunmen before she left town.
Maude stood there her eyes looking everywhere for a sign of Horace. She didn't relish the walk by herself to the livery even if there were soldiers posted everywhere for her protection, but it was the only way to force Horace into the open. She took a deep steadying breath and felt a prickly sensation along her spine like she was being watched. He was here. She could feel it. The thought that soon this would all be over one way or another was a profound one for Maude. Terror combined with elation coursed through her. Their plan was working.
"Very well. I shall walk over to Mr. Larabee and tell him we are leaving tonight.
Ezra and Josiah nodded and stepped back to allow her to proceed. Maude had wished she had been able to foist the bag she carried onto one of the men. It was heavy and forced her to carry it with both hands, but she knew it was all for show. Horace needed to think she was unarmed and helpless with her hands occupied elsewhere. She would rather have been able to walk with one hand on the gun secreted in her pocket. She would have felt safer. That feeling that she was being watched grew stronger. She was on the street now a step away from the hotel with her son and Josiah just inside the doorway. She turned slowly, but the feeling of dread grew stronger.
It was now or never. Horace pulled his knife from its hiding pace. Lovingly he slid it over the palm of his other hand checking its sharpness. He would have to move quickly for he knew he hadn't the strength for a long struggle. It had to be fast and quick. He didn't have time to savor her slow death. She had to die quickly for Horace to find peace. The blade had to sever her neck right at the jugular before any bullets could find their target. Just the thought of the bullets tearing through his flesh as he drove home the blade ending her life made him week with pleasure. It was beginning. The need to satisfy his blood lust was upon him. He saw the world through a red haze. He prepared to launch himself at the one woman who could bring him ecstasy. They would die together, and Horace Winston would spend eternity in lustful satisfaction. Moving closer out into the open Horace drew attention from several different directions.
Maude felt his presence and turned and saw him. She gasped in terror as she froze for just an instant. Ezra saw her look of terror, and Josiah heard her gasp. They moved as one to protect her as they turned to look in the direction that she was staring. Like a whirlwind, Horace drew the last of his strength into his arms and his legs launching himself with a terrifying scream. The horrifying screech scared the hell out of everyone who could hear it, which was everyone. Buck and Vin looked once at each other and despite the pain from their injuries, they jumped down from the double door loft opening of the charred livery with rifles in hand. They hit the ground at a dead run. Before they got any further into the screaming and jostling crowd, Buck pulled Vin over to the closest building. He pointed to the roof, and Vin nodded in an instant knowing what Buck wanted him to do. Vin stepped into Buck's cupped hands and was catapulted onto the overhang as soldiers poured out of doorways into the street. He caught the rifle that Buck tossed him forgetting the ache in his side. He brought the rifle up looking immediately for a target and spotted the scene unfolding before him.
Chris Larabee had dropped the mug of beer he had been holding. He had seen the movement from the alleyway and moved into position drawing his gun as he jumped to the street from the boardwalk followed by JD and Nathan. Chris lost his balance as an over eager trooper barreled into him. He went down as he saw Maude throw her bag into the air between herself and Horace using it as a shield. He was back on his feet in an instant as JD put out a hand and lifted Chris up using his forward momentum as the catalyst. Nathan had also been knocked down by troopers too scared to let Horace loose again. In their effort to kill the man they had left for dead, they were only providing Winston with the time he needed to evade capture and reach Maude with his knife.
Gun shots were being fired haphazardly until Chris shot the rifle out of the hands of one trooper who had managed to hit one of his own men. Other troopers realized the shooting would only hurt them not help them in the confined area. Maude was moving backwards away from Winston as quickly as her dress would allow her. Ezra bought her some time as he pushed her further toward Chris and JD as he used his wounded arm to deflect the knife and its slashing movement. The blade cut neatly through the cloth and would have severed the arm completely had it not been for the derringer Ezra kept strapped to his arm. As it was, the blade cut deep enough to check Ezra's forward movement for an instant giving Horace the space to skirt around a soldier in his effort to reach Maude. His frustrated keening rose above the shouts and noises as people struggled to find some sanity in the madness moving around them.
Maude finally screamed as she saw blood spurt from the knife wound in Ezra's arm. She dropped the bag and reached into her pocket for her gun. Spun and pushed further away from Horace she fell into Chris Larabee's arms as a trooper rushed in to get Winston. Shoving Ezra out of his way into Josiah thus deflecting the big man's onslaught, Horace met the would-be hero with his knife neatly slicing the trooper's neck open. The trooper managed to get one shot off. Horace staggered for a moment and then pushed on. Chris shoved Maude towards Nathan and JD shouting at them to get her to safety. Horace was still keening obscenities now as he slashed wildly with his knife. Another and then still another trooper went down badly wounded by the madman; the rush of adrenaline coursing through his body giving him seemingly superhuman strength.
There were too many people milling about for Chris to get a shot off. That's when he heard a shout. He looked up and saw Buck tossing soldiers right and left along with Josiah. Josiah had pulled the wounded Ezra to the boardwalk and was helping Buck clear the street of the soldiers who were hindering more than helping. Buck pointed in the air, and that's when Chris spotted Vin on the roof. Chris found Nathan beside him and they both started moving men out of the way not caring if they were wounded or not. The knife-wielding maniac had managed to turn experienced soldiers into a panicked mass of men. JD had Maude at the saloon doors and was standing there with his guns drawn protecting her.
Finally, there was no one in the middle of the street but Horace Winston and the dead or wounded soldiers littering the ground beneath him. Vin took aim. Horace looked around trying to find Maude in the crowd. He spotted her on the boardwalk. There were guns everywhere but the men were under control once more, officers and sergeants restoring discipline. They couldn't afford to shoot randomly hitting the others opposite them, so they formed a loose circle around Horace just beyond the reach of that deadly blade. There was really very little room to maneuver now. He wanted to go to Maude but the soldiers had him in their sights.
Even a bloody bandage on his arm did not prevent Ezra from moving behind the crowd to stand beside his mother. She handed him a silk handkerchief to hold on the deep cut. The rest of the seven lined in front of Ezra and Maude while Vin stayed on the roof keeping Horace in his sights. Judge Travis had moved alongside of Maude. Vin had a clear shot as did several others. They all hesitated knowing somehow that the man had finally been pushed beyond human sanity. He was a rabid dog they all knew needed to be put down, but no one could bring himself to pull the trigger. It was as if they were afraid that killing Horace Winston at the height of his madness might somehow taint the man who pulled the trigger.
Colonel Rickman conferred with Judge Travis. Winston was obviously dying especially from the bullet wound in his gut. Blood welled up between the fingers of the hand he had pressed against it as he struggled to remain on his feet. He was obviously mad. The colonel actually believed killing Winston would be an act of cruelty since he was so far lost to sanity. The judge actually thought about it for a moment when his better judgment took over. In one short sentence he told the colonel that he could try once to take him alive, but the man was already under a sentence of death. If he did not drop the weapon at once, he would be shot. Colonel Rickman issued orders to two men who hurried off. Chris was frowning at the judge, but the older man just shook his head. As the two men approached him from either side, Horace looked around as the world settled and shifted in front of him. He swayed on his feet; the bullet wound in his lower abdomen began to slowly drain the life out of him.
Winston's element of surprise lost. However, Horace Winston was still on his feet. He couldn't die until he had killed Maude. Why didn't they understand that? She had betrayed him, and she had to die with him else he would be damned for all eternity. He looked around as the men came closer. They were holding leg irons and shackles. They were going to chain him up like a dog when he clearly had to complete his quest and kill Maude. She had been watching him from the boardwalk all this time, the guilt in her eyes clearly evident only to him. Then she added insult to injury. She turned her back on him when her son faltered at her side.
Maude dropped to her knees as she slid to the boardwalk with her son. His shoulder wound had reopened, and his arm was still bleeding profusely. While the Army doctor tended to the other wounded Nathan rushed to Ezra's side. He had Maude press the cloth Inez handed him to Ezra's shoulder as he held another to the arm to help stop the flow of blood. Maude's full attention was on her son as she and Nathan worked together. Being ignored by the one person whose face he wanted to see the moment he killed her was just too much for Horace to handle.
First she betrayed him, and now she turned her back on him clearly preferring her own son to him. He threw back his head and a blood curdling scream issued forth. Raising the knife in his hand he made one more mad dash toward Maude. A shot rang out, and Horace Winston died instantly as the bullet pierced his brain. Vin Tanner dropped the rifle onto the overhang of the first floor roof and sat down abruptly. Every breath he took was agony. His ribs, abused once too often by that jump from the livery loft, had pushed the tracker beyond his endurance. He leaned back against the upper floor of the building from which he had been standing and watched the others begin to move about. It was all over. The only thing left to do was to bury the dead and tend to the wounded.
Horace Winston was dead. He was well and truly dead. Maude was sitting next to the bed where her son lay still while Nathan stitched the long and deep cut closed. She was still holding a compress to his shoulder. The cloth she was holding was soaked in carbolic acid, and she didn't even worry about what the solution would do to her lovely hands. Winston was dead, a bullet to the brain courtesy of Vin Tanner. Maude did not know whether to feel remorse so many had died or elated that she had survived the worst experience of her life. So she sat with her son and just basked in the feeling of being free. She had the luxury of feeling free, and that gave her the luxury to sit and think. It also gave her time with her son. The times when Maude had felt the need to act motherly were few and far between, but Horace Winston had made her evaluate her role and she quite honestly could find no major fault with the way in which she had reared her son.
Ezra was nearly perfect in her eyes. He was a master con man and gambler. He was a man who could excel in any field of business for he could make money out of nothing, and she had taught him how to do that. Maude had taught him how to accurately read a mark as well as find a way out of any dangerous situation with his life and possessions in tact. Of course she was not thrilled with these Robin Hood tendencies he had developed lately; but, looking around at the men gathered here because they were worried about his well being, she had to admit her son had chosen his friends wisely. In fact his choice of companions was a stroke of genius that secretly impressed the jaded Maude. At first she had disapproved and wanted nothing more than for Ezra to rid himself of his so-called obligations to this town and these men. However, she had witnessed firsthand the way the men all banded together to protect one of their own with a fierce loyalty Maude had never experienced for herself. She almost envied her son for it, but she also knew that because she was his mother, their concern and protection had extended to her as well. She had also seen the connections Ezra had made because of his companions.
There was at least one highly respected federal judge who trusted her son to uphold the law in this area. Not only that, but he and his six friends had created such a formidable reputation that they were named the Magnificent Seven. He was fast becoming a part of legend, something that would stand him well in later years. When one lost one's skills and adaptability, one could always fall back on one's reputation. Then there was that adorable young man who had, despite three broken ribs, climbed up on a second story roof and put an end to the monster who had wounded her son and tried to kill her. He was such a contrast to her son in appearance while exhibiting some of the most astonishing similarities in attitudes when it came to the ends justifying the means. Plus, and this is what made him so adorable to Maude, his aunt was not only a wealthy woman in her own right, her husband was filthy rich. The Terrell wealth and connections would come in very handy especially since Maude had risked her life to warn John Terrell of the man who would have tried to kill him. A man like John Terrell was not one to treat an ally shabbily. If she could get Vin Tanner to actually introduce him to his aunt, Maude felt certain she could so impress the Terrells with her business acumen that her and her son's futures would be all but guaranteed. She smiled, truly relaxed for the first time since she had stolen those documents and made a mad dash for freedom.
Nathan was too busy stitching his arm to notice, but Ezra had been observing his mother. He was in pain and filthy and covered in blood, but here his mother sat holding the carbolic-soaked cloth to the wound in his shoulder. It had stopped bleeding by now, but Maude still pressed it gently against his shoulder. It was almost as if she did not yet want to break physical contact with him and that worried Ezra to a certain extent. She had to know that her hands were turning an angry red color and that the skin might just peel from her hands in the next few days. Carbolic could really dry out the skin. She would have to use a great deal of lotion and wear gloves for many days to come to repair the damage to her lovely hands. Her total lack of regard for her appearance moved Ezra more than he would admit. Maude was actually behaving like other mothers who were concerned for their offspring. It was in short astounding.
Ezra knew that a large part of it was that Maude's world had been shaken badly by Horace Winston and his mistaken impression that Maude was his mother. There were times when the loneliness her prolonged absences had created for him as a child that Ezra had truly prayed for a different woman to be his mother. In hindsight, however, he had realized that his mother had reared him the best way she knew how. She had given him all the skills to survive in any world. It was Maude who had taught him the skills that turned him into the man he was. If he had a love and appreciation of money that far exceeded those of the men he called friends, he had to admit that it balanced their total disregard for it.
Ezra learned to survive from his mother. She had taught him to read a mark, to use slight of hand only when necessary and then proceeded to teach him the skills to ensure he would rarely need to resort to subterfuge. Maude had made Ezra the man he was, and even her apparent lack of compassion had taught Ezra that compassion at times was necessary. Above all, Maude had taught Ezra never to pass on a sure thing, and his six friends were sure things. Together they complimented each other's strengths and eliminated any weaknesses. These men had become family to Ezra, and although he was perplexed by it, annoyed by it, and sometimes just plain scared to death of it, he found that he needed this makeshift family.
Chris Larabee had once told Ezra never to run out on him again. It had been a turning point in his life. Larabee knew Ezra was a con man and a gambler. He should not have trusted him out of his sight, but since that day he had returned to help free the others Ezra had begun to realize that he was tired of being alone and relying only on himself. Ezra Standish had wanted to be found, and he had needed to know he was the kind of a man who could and would put his life on the line for something and someone more important. He needed to know that he was not the ŚThird Kind' he had described to the children in the Seminole village. He was a man who would protect his family to the last breath. This had been a rough and tumble week, but it made Ezra realize that he was proud of himself, proud to be one of the seven, and even prouder to be Maude's son. He knew his mother loved him, and it dawned on him that maybe she was proud of him as well. He could see it in that serene but beautiful poker face. He could also see those wheels turning. Maude was up to something, and if Ezra read his mother correctly, it just might involve Vin Tanner.
Maude was smiling benevolently upon the young man that Josiah and Chris were in the process of removing the bindings from around his ribs in order for Nathan to examine them before he wrapped them again. It was obvious he had aggravated if not re-broken the healing ribs. Vin was John Terrell's nephew by marriage, and Maude had yet to meet or cross swords with the railroad baron. Alexandra and John Terrell were the ultimate connections for Maude. She was too shrewd to try and con them, but she would not be above using them to introduce her to others she could turn a profit from. Vin Tanner was her connection to the Terrell's. Ezra became concerned again, but only for a moment. Somehow he knew that although Maude might think Vin was an easy mark, Ezra knew his fierce loyalty to family, and Vin just might present a formidable challenge to Maude. Ezra sat back against the pillows. This would be something to see. Maude trying to con Vin Tanner under the watchful eyes of Chris Larabee and Ezra would be the entertainment of the year. Ezra looked up and saw his mother looking at him. They grinned at one another each realizing the other was scheming. They were on opposite sides, and the gauntlet had been thrown down and accepted. Ezra never knew having so large a family would prove to be so interesting.
Nathan finished the stitches and bandaged Ezra's arm. He had not been so tired from tending so many wounded since the war. He had worked side by side with the Army doctor doing what he could to help the wounded men. Only three had serious wounds from Horace's knife. The others had gunshot wounds courtesy of their comrades who had panicked at first shooting at Horace no matter who he was near. Three men needed to be buried besides Horace Winston, one of them the trooper who had died shooting Horace in the gut.
It had taken twelve stitches to close the cut in Ezra's arm. The apparatus used to strap the derringer to his arm was what prevented Ezra from losing his arm right below his elbow. Both Maude and Ezra watched Nathan carefully stitch the wound closed to make certain very little scarring occurred. Like mother like son Josiah had pointed out.
That remark had earned a bubble of laughter from Maude. Miz Nettie who was watching Vin Tanner to make certain he did not try to move from the bed joined in the laughter as relief allowed both women to relax both mentally and physically. As soon as Nathan finished the arm he bandaged Ezra's shoulder. Maude handed him whatever he needed as he worked. He had a feeling that Maude had nursing skills that few knew of or she was willing to share. Her wry grin told him he was on the right track. Shaking his head, he finished Ezra's shoulder and moved on to Vin. He was lying propped up on the other bed. He had not argued once when Nathan ordered Josiah and Chris to remove the bandages.
"Well?" Chris was getting impatient as Nathan poked and prodded the man lying on the bed.
"Ezra's gonna be fine, but he's lost a lot of blood. I want him in bed and still for the next few days." He stopped as Vin gasped and batted at Nathan's prodding fingers. "This one feels like two of the ribs snapped in the same place. We rewrap him and he stays down and quiet for the next coupla days too."
"I ain't," Vin stopped when he saw Nathan lean back. The healer folded his arms across his chest. Nathan mouthed the word 'morphine'. Rethinking what he was going to say, Vin tried again. "I ain't gonna like it, but I won't move till you say I can."
Josiah and Chris looked at one another. Nettie patted Nathan on the shoulder.
"I don't know how you did it and I don't want to know. You boys hungry?"
Having guessed what threat Nathan used on Vin, Ezra offered that he could eat a little. Their earlier theatrics at Mrs. Bridger's had left him without lunch. He actually was hungry despite the pain in his arm and shoulder. Vin grimaced as Nathan wrapped the bandages tightly around his aching ribs. Once completed though, his breathing evened out and he felt better. Food might not be such a bad idea.
Maude stood and offered to join Nettie on her walk to Mrs. Bridger's to order enough food for everyone crowded in Nathan's clinic. The hotel was full of wounded soldiers, so Nathan had sent Ezra and Vin to his clinic. Buck was also there with his leg propped up on an upturned crate as he sat in the chair. Maude actually patted JD on the back and indicated Josiah should stay as she walked out the door laughing at something Nettie had said to her. Both women needed to make certain that Mrs. Bridger understood Maude and Nettie had been acting at lunch.
The jump had aggravated the healing muscles in Buck's wounded leg and now it was swollen. His pants leg had to be cut open to ease the pressure from the swelling, and cold wet cloths were being packed on it to reduce the swelling. JD and Casey were applying those cold wet cloths with gusto, laughing every time Buck yelped when the icy water hit his leg. His responses were enough to bring an occasional grin to Larabee's face. Chris was still too edgy to try and sleep, but too tired to just walk over to the saloon and get a bottle of whiskey. Josiah must have read his mind for he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a full bottle of fine whiskey and a tray of glasses. He started pouring a generous amount in each. He handed the first one to Chris and the second to Nathan who had finished with Vin. Josiah took two more over to Buck and JD before pouring his own. He raised an eyebrow nodding toward the two invalids and despite protests, Nathan shook his head negatively. Vin managed to grab a cloth and toss it at Chris and Buck who were grinning at him. They all pretended not to see JD give Casey a sip of whiskey from his glass. Her gasp for air and coughing were also ignored by everyone but JD who patted her on the back. He was glad this was all over and everyone was more or less fine. This day had scared the hell out of him. In all his life JD had never encountered a man like Horace Winston.
Horace Winston was unlike any savage he had ever heard of. JD would never have thought it possible that a monster like Winston existed had he not seen his work first hand. It troubled him that someone could do the things that Horace had done. The very fact that the man was crazy enough to latch onto Maude thinking she was his mother was beyond JD's comprehension. He grew quieter as he thought about it. When Casey touched his arm to get this attention he jumped. Then he blushed in embarrassment, but he saw no one was laughing. They all felt the same way he did. Living on the edge as they had since Horace Winston became their worst nightmare had each man asking the same questions JD asked himself. Where had this monster come from? Someone knocked at the door. The loud noise was compounded by the silence in the room. Judge Travis opened the door and entered the room carrying another bottle of whiskey. He was ushered in and given a crate to sit upon much like the others.
"I was told by the ladies to tell you that you did not have permission to get drunk in front of Casey." Casey started to protest when she saw the judge was teasing her. Her response was cut off when the door opened and Maude and Nettie returned.
"Mrs. Bridger said she would send us a feast. Trooper O'Dey and her sons will bring it over directly. Maude had her sweet talked into within two minutes. I declare, Maude's even fancier than you at connin' folks." She went over and sat by Vin in the chair Josiah had pulled over for her. She looked him up and down.
"Stars and garters, you look as bad as that fancy gambler over there." She got no comment from the occupant of the bed. There were times when silence was the best option. Besides, Vin had already decided to shift the attention from him to someone else. Buck looked like the prime candidate.
"Least my leg ain't so swollen my pants had to be cut off." Buck was already scowling when JD slapped another cold cloth on his leg.
"Would you stop slappin' that on me! And you, it wasn't my idea to jump down from the loft at a dead run."
"I didn't jump. You pushed me out that loft openin' into the street."
The battle lines were drawn and the war just started in earnest when the judge raised a hand for silence. Chris opened the door just as Mrs. Bridger showed up with two of her sons. She was carrying a pot of coffee that had the steam curling up out of the spout. The delicious smell made Chris stop at the door and look wistfully at the two heavy trays her sons were carrying. She knew a hungry man when she spotted one.
"Hungry, are you?" Her sons grinned at him knowing that Chris would not be permitted to leave unless he was so full of their ma's cooking that he could barely walk much less ride. Nathan caught their grins and moved out of the way as Tom and Seth Bridger were putting trays of food out. Josiah and JD helped them. Buck threw open his arms and acted as if he was going to hug the older woman.
"Miz Bridger, there ain't nobody in this world who cooks as good as you. Why if I didn't know how much you loved Mr. Bridger, I'd steal you away from him just so I didn't have to share yore cookin' with none of these ingrates." Mrs. Bridger just laughed and swatted at Buck with her hands. The man could be her son, but his outrageous flirting always made her smile.
"You best sit down before my boys light outa here and go fetch their pa and his shotgun." Seth and Bob both grinned at the unrepentant ladies' man. They knew Buck and their pa were friends, and that honey dripped off Buck's tongue just as easy as melted butter slid off of a knife.
"Well, they wouldn't be good sons if they left you alone in a room full of men who worship the pans you cook with, ma'am."
Ezra moaned at that comment. Vin and Chris snorted, and JD stopped with a plate of steaming rolls in his hand, "It's the ground she walks on, Buck, not the pans she cooks with. Geez, even I know that." Casey nodded her approval.
"Pay no mind to those uneducated louts, Mrs. Bridger. I for one am a devoted connoisseur of your delectable culinary skills."
"He also appreciates the fact that you brought him meat he don't have to use both hands to cut." Vin smiled at the woman. Chris dumped a large spoonful of potatoes on one of the plates. He winked at Ezra knowing that Mrs. Bridger would personally slice and butter several rolls for Vin and then fix him a huge plate of food. Chris decided that maybe Vin had the right idea. He looked up at Mrs. Bridger as she was picking out two golden rolls. Then, he hit her with one of his rare smiles.
"Buck's right ma'am. Your cookin' makes a man thank God for a good woman."
"Why Mr. Larabee. You put that plate down. I'll fix Mr. Tanner's plate so you can eat while this food is good and hot. Mrs. Standish, would you like to prepare your son's plate or can I fix one for both you and your son?" Maude knew that Mrs. Bridger was delighted by Maude's apology and her explanation. It wouldn't do to upset the woman, so Maude graciously accepted.
Nathan nodded and smiled. He finished his food in record time having promised to run by and check on the new mother and her son. He told Josiah where he was going and left with the Bridgers. Buck finally noticed that he was gone several minutes later.
"He's gone again. Man's getting' as bad as Vin sneakin' in an' out without makin' any noise. I say we make Vin and Nathan wear bells while they're in town."
JD looked over to check Vin's reaction. The tracker nodded and JD took the cloth that had been soaking in the water. He took it from the pail and slapped it on Buck's leg. The man yelped as the cold water splattered all over sensitive areas near the wound.
"Hey! What the hell are you doin' to me?"
"Watch your language, please, Mr. Wilmington!" Maude was trying to act offended.
"Really, Buck, must you use profanities while there are ladies present?"
"Young man, you watch your tongue!" JD and Vin were grinning in unholy glee at the hot water Buck found himself in. Josiah and Casey were laughing along with Chris. Things were definitely back to normal.
FINI
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