Completed 30 January 2002
This is an Old West story which directly follows Sins of the Past
Spoilers: Sins of the Past, Once Day Out West, Witness
"So, Sheriff Hawkins, you were here when Vin Tanner escaped?" Travis asked.
"Yes, sir, I was. And I gotta tell ya, I'm kinda glad the man got away."
"Why is that, Sheriff?"
"Cause those men woulda hung him."
"What about Sheriff Butler? Surely he wouldn't have allowed that to happen."
"You gotta understand. Jess Kincaid was a friend of Zeke Butler's. And Kincaid didn't have many friends. He was quiet, kept to himself mostly. But he was friendly with some of the men in town, Zeke especially. When Tanner brought Jess' body in, Zeke about went crazy. He didn't want to hear anything that Tanner told him. He figured that if Tanner brought the body in, then Tanner musta killed 'im. He wouldn't listen to reason. He was willing to let those men hang Vin Tanner. That incident was the reason I left this town."
"What did you think about Tanner's story that he found the body?"
"Well, sir, I don't rightly know. But if he did mistake Jess Kincaid for Eli Joe, I can't say that it wouldn't have been an honest mistake."
"What makes you say that, Sheriff?" Travis asked.
Hawkins reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Travis. It was Eli Joe's wanted poster. Travis took a long look at it, than handed it to Traskey. The prosecutor just shook his head, not understanding the significance of the old poster. They had already known that Eli Joe was wanted for murder. He handed the poster to Judge Fuller.
"I took that poster off of Tanner when we arrested him. Ask anyone who knew Jess Kincaid who they think that looks like," Hawkins suggested. Judge Fuller stared at the paper, tapping his fingers on the table. He folded it in half, then gestured for Travis to continue. Vin and Chris exchanged confused looks.
"Sheriff Hawkins, do you think Vin Tanner killed Jess Kincaid?" Travis asked.
"Well, sir, I couldn't say for sure, ya understand. But if he killed that man, than he if by far the neatest bounty hunter I ever met."
Chris looked back over his shoulder at Buck and the others, seeing a smile on their faces at hearing their friend described as 'neat'. Tanner wasn't a dirty man, but he often managed to look scruffy and bedraggled even right after a bath.
"I don't understand."
"Well, after we put him in jail, I was putting his weapons up. Whenever I did that I always emptied them first. When I opened up Tanner's firearms, I noticed how clean they were. The barrels looked like they'd been wiped down and oiled. There was some dust, of course. Being on the trail on all that was understandable. But this was a man who knew how to take care of his weapons. And those weapons hadn't been fired that morning. Unless he was so meticulous that he cleaned them before he brought the body in."
Traskey questioned him next.
"Sheriff, is it possible that Mr. Tanner, knowing he'd killed the wrong man, cleaned his weapons in order to throw off any suspicions. He did run from custody, Sheriff, stealing a horse in the process."
"Yes, sir, he took a horse. But it was more borrowing than stealing." Hawkins smiled at Tanner.
"I don't understand," Traskey said.
"Well, sir, the horse came back. I reckon that once he got away, he released it, figuring it would return home. And it did. I found him outside the jail the next morning. Kinda glad too. That horse was the best one I ever had."
He smiled again as Vin head snapped up and his eyes locked with the former deputy's. Vin dropped his eyes, shaking his head and hiding his face in his hands. Chris heard him mumble something about being so stupid to steal a lawman's horse.
"So, Mr. Tanner stole your horse?"
"Yes, sir. And my saddlebags and my rifle. And I imagine the jerky that I always kept in the saddlebags was breakfast for him that morning." Hawkins' voice sound more amused than angry. Vin just shook his head. The deputy had just branded him a horse thief. "And Tanner did make good on the rifle."
"How so?"
"Well, he did leave an awful nice Winchester behind when he rode out. I started using it. I still carry that rifle. It's been good to me." Hawkins turned toward Judge Fuller. "Your Honor, I can't say for sure if Tanner killed Kincaid. But after all this went down, I did some checking, talked to several lawmen who'd dealt with Tanner in the past. I learned a couple things about him. One is that he never killed a man who didn't resist. And when he did kill, it didn't overdo it. He didn't use more shots then were necessary."
Hawkins fingered his hat. "When Sheriff Michaels wired me and told me that Tanner had come back on his own to stand trial, well I had to come and say my piece. I can't say for sure if Vin Tanner killed Jess Kincaid. If my opinion matters at all, I'd say he probably didn't. I reckon a guilty man would have kept on running."
"I would like to recall George Harper," Travis said. Fuller looked at Traskey, who had no objection, so Harper was brought back to the witness stand. Travis took the wanted poster and unfolded it, then re-folded it a different way so that only the drawn face could be seen. He handed it to Harper.
"Do you recognize this man, Mr. Harper?"
The merchant looked at the paper and then back to Travis. He cleared his throat. "Mr. Harper? Do you know him?"
"No, I don't know him," Harper said hesitantly.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Harper?" Travis asked with a smile.
"Well, it a ... well, it looks a bit like Jess," he said quietly.
"Speak up, Mr. Harper," Judge Fuller said.
"It, a ... it looks like ... " He stopped, then looked at the men on the jury. "It looks a little bit like Jess Kincaid, " he said loudly.
"Your honor," Travis turns to the judge, "I would like to show this paper to the jury members." At the Fuller's nod, Orrin walked over to the jury box and handed the paper to the first man there, who glanced at the paper and passed it on. As it made it's way from man to man, those who had known Kincaid were shocked at the resemblance. When the paper was handed back to Travis, he walked over and handed it to Larabee.
Chris looks down at the wanted poster. He recognized it as Eli Joe. He looked at Vin.
"Kincaid looked a lot like him, except without the fur on his face and a few years older," Tanner explained quietly. Chris nodded and laid the paper onto the table in front of him.
Travis then called up several other townspeople who had known Jess Kincaid. Almost all of them recognized the similarity between Eli Joe and Jess Kincaid.
Travis finally rested his case.
"Vin, the jury's in." Tanner looked up. Chris and Michaels were standing outside the cell.
"Already?"
"Yeah. C'mon, Cowboy." Michaels unlocked the door and Vin stood up, grabbing his hat from the bed next to him. He walked slowly from the cell and followed the two men outside. Buck, JD, Josiah and Ezra waited there, ready to escort him to court. He took a deep breath and started across the street.
Chris could tell he was scared. Hell Chris was scared too. This was his friend's life on the line here. The next few minutes would determine whether he'd hang or not. And Larabee wasn't sure if he could allow that to happen if the jury found Vin guilty. He didn't know what he'd do, but he knew he wouldn't let his friend hang.
Everyone settled into their seats. Chris looked over at Vin and could see the man's hands shaking, not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. Chris reached over and lay a hand on Vin's forearm. "It'll be okay, Cowboy."
Vin glanced up and gave him a small smile. He closed his eyes and nodded his head.
"Order in the court. Will the defendant please rise."
Vin stood on trembling legs. He didn't turn around and face the others. He didn't want them to see how really frightened he was. He swallowed and took another deep breath, grateful for the powerful presence of the man beside him.
"Gentleman of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" Judge Fuller asked.
The foreman stood. "We have Your Honor."
"Read your verdict."
The man cleared his throat. "We the jury, find the defendant Vin Tanner, Not Guilty."
The courtroom erupted in both cheers and yells of anger. Vin blinked, a confused look on his face. "Chris?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, Vin?" he replied, a huge smiled on his face.
"What did he say?"
"Not guilty. You're a free man, Tanner."
Vin trembling legs finally gave out on him and he sat heavily in his chair, Chris following him down, his hand on Vin's shoulder in support. Larabee could see the tears in Vin's eyes and knew there were a few in his own.
Buck and the others reached over and slapped Vin on the back in celebration. The Judge hammered his cane on the table, calling for order, and the room finally quieted down.
"Mr. Tanner, I can only add that I wholeheartedly agree with the jury's decision." Vin gazed at the judge, his face still registering shock. "I will sign an order today that the bounty be lifted and no further charges await you. Congratulations, Mr. Tanner. You're a free man. And I must say, I respect the fact that you came here voluntarily to face this charge of murder, knowing that you could have ended up on the wrong end of a rope. Judge Travis was right to put his faith in you. I'm honored to have met you."
The Judge banged his cane on the table once more. "Court is adjourned. Barkeep, open up the bar!"
The group from Four Corners surrounded the defense table. Nettie and Mary, Casey and Mrs. Potter all gave Vin hugs and kissed him on the cheek. Billy tried to unsuccessfully work his way through the adults, finally crawling under the table until he stood next to Tanner.
Pulling on his shirtsleeve, Billy got the tracker's attention. "Hey, Vin, hey Vin." Tanner turned to Billy with a huge smile on his face. It was finally beginning to sink in. He grabbed Billy and pulled him into a hug. "Did I do good, Vin? Was I a good karaker witness?"
"You were the best, Billy. I think you're testimony probably saved my life." The young boy beamed at this praise from one of his heroes. "Thank you for coming all the way here to help me." Vin looked around at all the people surrounding him. "Thank all of you for coming here. I don't think I'll every be able to repay you."
"Son, consider this repayment for everything you and the others have done for Four Corners," Nettie said, tears streaming down her face. "There was no way we were about to let you go through this alone." Vin stood, still holding Billy and pulled Nettie Wells into a hug, murmuring "thank you", over and over again.
"I don't know about you, Cowboy, but I could use a drink," Chris commented.
"First rounds on me," Orin Travis stated. "Buck, go grab us some glasses and a couple of bottles of their best whiskey." The Judge handed Wilmington a handful of coins and he and JD headed for the bar. As the others headed for a table, Vin grabbed the Orin's arm.
"Judge Travis, thank you. You don't know what this means to me."
"Oh, I think I do, Vin and I'm glad I could be a part of it. Now let's celebrate!"
A cheer rose up from everyone surrounding the sharpshooter. Tears and whiskey were the order of the day. And sarsaparilla for Billy and the ladies.
"Tanner!" The group turned and looked at Harper and Butler. It was Butler who spoke. "You bastard! I know you killed Jess. You got away with murder, you lying sack of shit."
"Enough, Mr. Butler," Orin Travis said. "He was tried and acquitted. You got your day in court and the jury found him not guilty. It's over."
"It ain't over for Jess's family. They've had a hard time of it since he died. And it's this man's fault."
"No. Eli Joe killed Jess Kincaid," Tanner stated. "And Eli is dead now, so Mr. Kincaid's family won't get the justice they deserve. But no matter what, I know that I didn't kill him. I'm sorry for what his family is going through, but I didn't kill him."
"Damn it! Somebody has to pay for what happen to Jess!"
"There's nobody left to pay that debt, Mr. Butler," Larabee said. "Eli Joe is dead. I shot him myself. So you can at least tell his wife that the man who killed her husband paid with his life. A lot of folks don't even get that much satisfaction." His friends knew that Chris was thinking of his own family and the fact that the person who'd ordered them killed was still out there somewhere. "Now, we understand that you're upset, but justice has been done here and we'd appreciate it if you would just leave us alone."
Butler's hand hovered over his gun, but a hand on his arm kept him from pulling it from the holster. He looked over and saw George Harper.
"Leave it be, Zeke. Ain't nothing you can do." The former sheriff looked around and saw the others watching him.
Butler lingered for several more seconds, then pushed Harper away and stalked out the door. Harper followed him a bit more slowly, along with several others who had been vocal in their belief that Tanner had been guilty. None of them wanted to stick around to watch the celebration.
Three days later, Tanner, Larabee and Wilmington were getting ready to leave. The others had left the day after the trial was over. But the three men waiting until all the paperwork had been completed and notifications made to surrounding areas.
"Sheriff Michaels said to give you this," Horace said, handing a piece of paper to Tanner. "It's the judges verification that you've been cleared."
"Thanks." Vin folded the paper and slid it into an inside pocket of his coat.
"Where's the Sheriff?" Chris asked. "We wanted to say goodbye."
"He got called out on something this morning."
"Well, tell him thanks," Chris said as he untied his horse's reins from the hitching post. He reached a hand out to the deputy. "And thank you for all your help, too, Deputy Biggins. If you or the Sheriff every need our help, you just let us know."
Horace shook hands with all three men. "I'm glad I could help Mr. Larabee," the young man replied. "It's nice to see a happy ending to this. Have a good trip back."
The trio from Four Corners mounted up. Turning their horses to the north, the waved and rode out of town.
After riding for about thirty minutes, they heard someone shouting up ahead of them. Exchanging quick looks, they urged their mounts into a gallop. As they rounded a curve in the road, they heard a shot, then saw a man drop from a rock outcropping on their left, a rifle following to the ground.
All three men had their weapons out and pointed them at another man who moved to stand on top of the rock. They lowered the guns when they recognized Bo Michaels.
Buck jumped from his horse and ran to the unmoving body on the ground. Feeling no pulse, he turned the man over.
"Butler!" he exclaimed. Vin and Chris joined him.
"What the hell ... " Chris began.
"Let me get my horse and I'll come down and explain," Michaels said.
Five minutes later the Sheriff rode up, pulling a second horse behind him. He dismounted and walked over to kneel down next to the dead man.
"What happened, Bo?" Larabee asked.
Michaels tiredly rubbed a hand across his face. "Damn it! He should have just dropped his rifle."
"Sheriff?" Bo looked up. "Sorry. He was going to shoot Tanner. I tried to get him to give it up, but he wouldn't." The three men looked at each other in surprise.
"He tell you that?" Chris asked.
"He got liquored up last night, started spouting off to George Harper about how Tanner got away with murder and how he was going to rectify the problems this morning. He's been staying with George and his wife. When George woke up this morning, Butler was gone. And so was George's rifle. Harper got scared, came knocking on my door at dawn."
"How come Harper came to see you, Bo? I would have thought he'd have been happy to see Tanner shot down. He was almost as angry as Butler that Tanner was found innocent."
"George Harper is a hot-head, that's true. But he's all talk. He wouldn't really lift a finger to actually do anything. Plus, his wife would have talked some sense into him. She's not about to let him get talked into something that would get him killed or jailed."
While he talked, the Sheriff and Buck lifted the now-deceased former Sheriff and slung the body across his horse. "I went looking for Butler, but his horse was gone. So I figured if he was gonna try anything, he was going to wait until you got out of town. This was the most logical place," he said, pointing to the rocks above him.
"When I found him, he was crouched behind a tree, aiming at the road," Michaels continued as he grabbed a rope from his own horse then returned and began tying the body down to the saddle. "I yelled at him to drop it, he refused. As I moved, he turned and aimed at me, yelling about seeing justice done for Jess Kincaid. I fired first." He walked over and picked up the rifle that had fallen with Butler.
"Sorry you had to kill him, Sheriff," Vin said. "But I'm grateful it's him and not me." Chris and Buck nodded their agreement.
"You get that letter from the Judge?" Bo asked.
"Yes, sir," Tanner replied, patting his coat where the letter was. He looked at Butler's body. "Can't say I'm sorry to leave this place. No offense."
"None taken," Michaels said. "Just be careful. No telling how many bounty hunters are out there with your poster. Some may shoot first."
"We'll watch his back," Chris assured him.
"Like always," Buck added.
"I don't doubt it," Michaels said with a smile.
"You need us to stick around?" Larabee asked, gesturing to the body.
"Naw, I can handle it. You boys got a long ride ahead of you. No use delaying it."
"I am glad we had the chance to say goodbye. Even if I don't like the reason we had to meet out here," Chris told the Sheriff.
"Yeah, me too. Tanner, good luck to you," he said, shaking hands with the sharpshooter.
"Thanks for all your help, Sheriff," Vin said. His gratitude was echoed by Wilmington and Larabee.
The four men mounted their horses, Michaels grabbing the reins of Harper's horse. The Sheriff nodded farewell, and rode off toward Tascosa.
The others watched him for a few seconds. Chris looked over at Vin, a grin slowly growing on his face.
"Well, you ready to go home, Cowboy?"
Vin smiled. "More than ready, Cowboy," Vin replied.
"You just call me a cowboy, Cowboy?"
"Not me, Cowboy."
"I'm going to shoot both you Cowboys," Buck threatened.
"Who you calling a Cowboy?" both men asked in unison.
Buck shook his head and nudge his horse forward. "Why do I put up with you two?"
"Whatsa matter, Bucklin? Don't ya love us no more?" Vin asked. Tanner pulled his horse close to Buck's and leaned over, puckering up and making kissing noises at the big man.
"Get outta here," Buck said, pushing the smaller man away.
"I don't think he likes your long hair, Vin." Chris asked, pulling up on the other side of the mustache-wearing gunfighter.
"Now don't you start, Chris," Buck said, slapping at Chris' shoulder and trying not to grin.
"You know, Tanner, I don't think Buck likes us anymore. Maybe we should just leave him here."
"I reckon. But who's gonna tell Lizzie?"
"Lizzie was last week, Vin. This week it's Hannah."
"Oh, right. Hannah. Well, I s'pose I could tell her. Reckon she'd need comfortin'?" Vin asked, leaning forward to look at Chris across Buck's body.
"Reckon she might. You up for it?"
"Reckon."
"Now you just leave Hannah alone, Vin," Buck insisted. "If anyone's gonna be comforting her it'll be me."
"Ya know, Bucklin, if you're there, she might not need comfortin' after all."
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that, Vin," Chris said.
Tanner nodded, thoughtful. "Yeah, you're prob'ly right. After all, she has had to put up with him. I bet she could use some time away. Maybe when we get back I'll call on her. Reckon she might like someone less talkative for a change?"
"Reckon she might," Chris said, nudging his horse ahead. Vin joined him, leaving Buck a few feet behind them.
"Now, lookee here, Tanner. Hannah just ain't your type. She likes 'em tall."
"All the same height lying down, Bucklin."
Chris laughed. "He's gotcha there, Buck."
"Don't help him out, Chris. Now, look, Vin, I've been working on Hannah for over a month and a finally got her to agree to let me take her on a picnic. So you just find your own gal."
Vin just laughed and kneed his horse into a gallop. "Wonder if Hannah might like a man without a caterpillar on his upper lip," Tanner called back over his shoulder as he rode off.
"Vin Tanner, you get back here!" Buck yelled. "You and me gotta have a talk about this!"
Larabee laughed again and urged his horse faster, catching up with Tanner.
"Larabee! Don't encourage him! Larabee!"
Buck started after the pair, their laughter echoing off the rocks.
Chris, Vin and Buck rode into Four Corners two weeks later. They'd taken their time getting home, stopping to relax along the way. And giving Vin as much time as he wanted in the wide open spaces, away from any jail cell or town.
As the men and horses moved down the main street that afternoon, several people on the boardwalk called out hello and waved at them. As they neared the saloon more and more townsfolk gathered along the street. Then they noticed a huge banner stretched across the street.
WELCOME HOME, VIN!
Someone began to clap, then others joined in until everyone along the street was clapping. Vin pulled his hat down low over his face, embarrassed by the attention.
"Vin! Vin! You're back!" yelled Billy Travis as he ran out the door of the Clarion newspaper office and ran down the boardwalk, keeping up with the mounted men. The three men reined in when they got to the saloon.
Chris and Buck dismounted and started walking onto the boardwalk before they realized that Tanner hadn't joined them.
"Vin, you coming?" Chris asked. Tanner looked around at all the people, everyone looking at him and smiling.
"Ah, maybe I'll just head out for a few days." He looked uncomfortable. Larabee knew that Vin didn't like crowds, even more so when he was the center of attention. But the townspeople had come out to welcome him back and had gone to a lot of trouble.
He knew it would be uncomfortable for the tracker, but felt it would let the man know exactly how the town felt about him. He walked back to Tanner and talked quietly to him, so that no one else could hear their conversation.
"C'mon, Cowboy. Everybody went to a lot of trouble to put this shindig together. You don't want to disappoint them, do ya? Mary and Nettie and the others worked real hard to have everything ready. Trust me, it'll be okay. Everybody just wants to celebrate with ya."
Vin looked down at him, then at the expectant faces around them. Mary, Nettie, Billy, Casey, the Judge, his fellow peacekeepers, were all there of course. So were many of the folks that lived in town. What surprised him were the folks that lived outside the town limits, but had made the journey in to welcome him home.
The Baxter family was there. He remembered helping Mr. Baxter round up some loose cattle that had gotten loose during a storm. And the Fergusons, new to the area, were saved from bandits when Vin and Buck, who were out riding patrol, spotted the family being robbed and arrested the men involved.
Vin spotted several others in the crowd that he and his friends had assisted since they'd gotten together to keep the peace in town. Feeling a hand on his leg, he glanced back down to see Chris still standing nest to him.
"You deserve this, Vin. You've done a lot for the people of this town and they're all happy for you. Let 'em give ya this. They're trying to repay you for everything you done for 'em." A long look passed between the two men before Vin nodded and slid out of the saddle.
"Mr. Tanner, I'd be honored to take care of your horse for ya," a young man told him. Tommy Beecher was the youngest son of the man who ran the livery and like Billy Travis, he looked up to Vin, Chris and the other men who kept the law in his town.
"Much obliged, Tommy," Tanner told he teen. "Would you mind taking Chris and Buck's horses too?"
"Sure, Mr. Tanner," the young man beamed, proud of the responsibility of caring for the horses of men he so admired. He gathered up the reins of all three mounts and started down the street, followed by two of his friends, eager to help.
Vin stepped onto the boardwalk and followed Chris and Buck into the grange hall, a couple doors down from the saloon. Nathan, Josiah, JD and Ezra were right behind them. Inside the large room a couple dozen townspeople waited. The walls were decked out with streamers and several tables were filled with food. Vin stood and stared at the festive decorations.
"This is all for me?"
"Yep. Most of the people in town knew you were innocent, Vin," Josiah explained from behind him. "Since getting to know you, they knew that there was no way you could have killed that man. While we were riding back with Nettie and Mary, they got to talking about having a celebration. After we got back, they mentioned it to several others in town, and well, we decided to have a town party."
Vin turned in a circle, taking in all the decorations and watching the people fill up the room.
"Yeah, Vin," JD said. "Everyone in town has been working real hard to have it all ready by the time you got back. I spent all morning up on the hill south of town waiting to see some sign of you, then I raced back here so we could have it all ready by the time you rode into town."
"Even Ezra helped," Nathan added.
"Ezra?" Vin questioned as the three new arrivals turned and stared at the gambler.
"Menial labor, Ez?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Indeed, Mr. Larabee. On certain occasions, those deemed of particular importance, I find myself relishing the opportunity to assist in any way."
"So, this was important enough?" Vin asked quietly.
"Yes, Mr. Tan ... Vin, very important," the southerner replied.
"Thanks, Ezra. It means a lot to me that you would get your hands dirty for my party," Tanner told him with a smile.
"My pleasure, Mr. Tanner."
The seven men sat down at the table in the middle of the room, the one that had been saved just for them. Inez, the beautiful Mexican bartender, carried a tray over to the table and set it down near Chris. Then she leaned over and kissed Vin on the cheek.
"Welcome home, Senor Vin." Tanner blushed, much to the delight of his friends.
Larabee grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the tray, while the others each grabbed a shot glass. The other men in the room gathered up their drinks.
"Inez, could you bring another glass please," Vin requested. "Judge, will you join us?" Six heads nodded in agreement. Travis smiled and walked forward, dragging a chair with him and settled in between Buck and Josiah.
Chris filled everyone's glass and the room fell quiet. He looked at Vin and raised his glass.
"A toast, to Vin Tanner. A sharpshooter with the eyes of an eagle. A tracker to rival any Indian scout I've ever met. And a friend as good as any I've ever had." Chris turned and smiled at Buck, who winked back at him in understanding. "And now, a free man, who never forgot what being a Tanner meant. Your ma would be proud of the man you've become. And I'm proud to call you friend." Chris slung his shot down.
"Hear, hear!" Buck yelled. A chorus of calls followed from around the room, voicing their agreement, and everyone emptied their glasses. Everyone but Vin.
"Drink up, Tanner," Chris said to the man sitting next to him. When Vin looked up, Chris saw the emotions in his eyes. "You okay there, Vin?"
"Yeah," he breathed softly. "Those were some real nice words you said, Chris. Thank you."
"So drink up," Larabee said, nudging the hand that held Vin's drink. Vin smiled and lifting his hand, emptied his own glass.
"Well, alright!" Buck said, slapping Vin on the back. "I'm starvin'! Let's eat!"
The next few hours were filled with good food and merriment. Many of the townsfolk made it a point to seek Vin out and tell him how grateful they were that things had turned out so well. Vin shyly excepted their congratulations while the others teased him every time one of the women kissed him or hugged him.
After the main party died down, the seven headed to the saloon. Ezra pulled out his ever-present deck of cards and began a game of poker with his friends. They played until the wee hours of the morning. Inez finally gave up trying to get them to go home. She left, handing the keys to Ezra with a request to lock up when they were through.
Chris leaned back in his chair and watched as Tanner raked in the pot. The tracker had won the last three hands. Larabee wasn't sure if he was just getting lucky or if Standish was shuffling the cards in Vin's favor. Judging by Vin's inebriated stated, he figured the gambler was being magnanimous.
But it didn't really matter to Chris, he was just happy to see his friend able to relax and let his guard down. Now that the bounty had been lifted, maybe Vin wouldn't have to live his life constantly looking over his shoulder for the next bounty hunter to come along.
Tanner had been drinking all night and was well on his way to a huge hangover come morning. None of the others had ever seen him drunk since it was unsafe for a hunted man to lose control like that.
Larabee had been nursing his own glass of beer, staying relatively sober. It gave him a chance to not only keep an eye on his friend, but relish this look at an intoxicated Tanner. He was a happy drunk, laughing and telling bad jokes. And Chris had never heard him laugh so much.
Now it looked like the tracker might be losing steam. Chris watched as Vin's eyes closed, his hands dropping into this lap, still holding his cards. His chin hit his chest, the movement walking him from the doze. After the third time Chris reached over and pulled the cards out of Vin's slack grip and tossed them on the table.
"He folds," Larabee said. He stood up, bending down to grab Tanner's arm. "Let's go, Cowboy, time to get to bed."
Vin slowly opened his eyes, blinking several time, then focused on Larabee's face.
"Chriiiisssh! Chrish Larabeeeeeeeee! Hey pard." Vin's words were slurred and he had a huge smile on his face.
"Hey, Vin, I think it's time for you to turn in. Let's get you on your feet okay."
"OOOOkay," Tanner said, but didn't move. Larabee shook his head and pulled on Tanner's arm. With his friend's help Vin got to his feet. Chris steadied him as he swayed then tried to take a step.
"Wait! Wait! Where's my hat?!" Vin cried.
"It's on your head, Vin," Chris answered, the others chuckling at the inebriated tracker.
"Oh. Okay," Vin said, taking another step before he stopped again. "You sure?"
Chris laughed. "Yeah, Pard, I'm sure."
"Well, awright then," Vin mumbled. The two men stumbled slowly toward the door.
"Hey, Chris, maybe we should put him in the clinic," Nathan suggested, joining the two men on their uneasy walk. "He's gonna have a helluva hangover in the morning'."
"Nothing to worry about, Nathan. I'm taking him to my room. I got everything I need to nurse him through a hangover. Believe me, I've been through this myself too many times to count."
The others nodded in agreement, each knowing that Larabee had done his share of hard drinking. Nathan bowed to his expertise.
"Alright, but you come get me if ya need me."
"I will, Nathan, thanks."
Just as the two men got to the door, Vin stopped. He looked at Chris with a shocked expression.
"Chris?"
"Yeah, Vin?"
"Am I dreamin'?"
"Nope, not yet. But soon, buddy, soon."
"Chris?"
"Yeah, Vin?" he asked again, using the same kind of patience he had always used with his son, Adam, when the boy had been at his most curious.
"It's real, isn't it?" Chris looked closely at his friend. Vin appeared almost sober, a serious expression on his handsome face.
"Is what real?"
Vin looked around, checking to see who was nearby. He lowered his voice a bit, but was still loud enough for the others to hear.
"I'm free? I'm really a free man, Chris?" He grabbed Larabee's shirt with both hands, his fists clenched tight, and stared at Chris, his eyes intense. "Please, Chris, tell me I ain't dreamin'," he pleaded.
Chris looked Vin directly in the eyes, wanted the younger man to see the truth there.
"You ain't dreaming, Vin. It happened. You were found innocent of murder. You are a free man, Tanner. A free man, ya hear me?"
"Free? No more boun'y?" Vin asked.
"That's right, Vin, no more bounty."
Several long seconds passed with Vin's now unfocused eyes starring at Chris' face, as if he was trying to comprehend the meaning of Chris' statement.
"Chris!" he cried. "Chris, pardner! I'm a free man!" He grinned and, still clutching Chris' shirt, he shook the gunfighter, almost pulling them both off balance.
Larabee grabbed his wrist to stop the movement. "Yep, you're free. You're also very drunk. So how about we get you to my room so you can sleep it off?"
"I'm no' drunk, Larabee," the tracker said, smiling. "I don't git drunk."
"You don't, huh," Chris said, glancing at the others seated around the table, all of whom were grinning at the two men standing by the door. "Well, I hate to tell you, pardner, but you been drinking all night and I am an expert here. You are drunk."
"Oh. Are you sure?"
Chuckling, Chris released Vin's hands from his shirt. "I'm sure. But it's okay, you had good reason."
"I did?"
"Yep."
"Wha' reason?" he asked confused. The other five men burst out laughing.
"Oh, Chris, you got your hands full with that one," Buck stated.
"Who would have thought our normally taciturn tracker would be so verbose a drunkard," Ezra remarked. The others burst into another bout of laughter.
"What?!" Vin asked, turning his face to look at his laughing compadres. "Whatzo funny?"
"You are, Vin," JD said as he stood and walked toward the pair. "We've been celebrating all night because you're a free man. Remember?"
"Oh. Oh yeah," he said, smiling again. "Hey, Chris! Didja hear? I'm free. No more boun'y hunners chasin' me."
"Yeah, I heard," Chris chuckled. "Now, let's get some sleep, so you can be up before dawn tomorrow. You got early patrol."
"Huh. Patrol? Oh, yeah." Vin smiled then. "Night, boys," he said, reaching up to tip his hat and missing, twice. "Hey, where's m' hat?"
Chris grabbed the brim of this hat and pulled it down over his eyes. "Right here, Vin, right here."
'Okay. Thanks, Chrish. You're a goo' frien'."
"You too, pardner, you too." Larabee slipped Vin's arm over his shoulder and the two men walked out into the night. Behind them, the other five returned to their card game. They laughed when they heard Vin again from outside the door.
"Hey, Chrish, Chrish, I'm free, pardner."
"Yeah, Vin, you're free."
Shaking his head, Buck ante'd up. "Yep, Larabee's got his hands full with that one."
"Yep," Josiah said. "And ain't it great to see."
The others nodded and continued their game.
"I'll take two."
"I'll see your nickel and raise you a nickel."
"Geez, Ezra, this is a really crappy hand ... ."
The End
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