Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide. Please note that the character of Amanda in this story draws its inspiration from the short story written by SuLu of the same name.
Firelight, firelight
Come dance with me in the cool twilight
Sparkling embers follow my wake
Like a dream walk I often take
Carry me to a far away place
A fairy tale world hidden behind a veil of lace
Vin had no idea who had written that odd little verse. He only knew when he had been almost killed by Will Richmond some months before, he had fallen asleep listening to Alex reciting those misty words in his ear, while her hand had stroked his brow to sleep one night during his convalescence. Later on, he had asked her about it only to have her evade the question and he sensed that it was a mystery, like one of many locked away inside a woman's heart.
As he watched the embers dancing in the fire of his campsite, the glittery dance of fire reminded him of that verse once again and Vin found himself wanting to hear the rest of it because there was something in the soulful prose that was deeply haunting. At the moment, he wanted to be haunted because that was the only way he could overcome the terrible longing for Alex that was left in the wake of his abrupt departure from Four Corners and very possibly, the life he had built for himself over the last three years. When he had fled earlier, things had been so clear inside his head, his motivations even more precise, but time had a way of blurring the boundaries of what was a certainty into something vague and ambiguous.
Now, he felt like a coward.
When he had first broken away from that Federal Marshal and his deputies, Vin had thought he was doing the right thing. After all, how could he be assured of a fair trial when any hope of proving himself innocent had died with Ely Joe? It seemed as if he was willingly allowing himself to be a sacrifice on the altar of justice erected for Jesse Kincaid. At the time, he was still too filled with emotions after his anguished farewell with Alex to think straight about what he was actually doing. When Langstrom uttered those derisive words about Alex, something inside him snapped and the need to escape overrode all good sense. Suddenly, he was gripped with the terror of dying without ever feeling Alex's skin against his again, enclosed by walls or worst yet, to be strung up like an animal for all to see. By the time he had a chance to reason out all these fears with the notion of clearing his name once and for all, Vin was riding hard into the night with Four Corners behind him.
He had ridden for hours, uncertain at first where he was going before finally opting to seek refuge among Chano and his people, who had rebuilt their village after bandits had razed it to the ground some months ago. Vin had no intention of remaining there any longer than a night, wishing only to rest and contemplate his bearings. His course of action had precipitated the need to make some hard decisions and Vin had to address them immediately.
Initially, his ruminations had taken him no further than the need to send word to Alex to join him, as well as letting Chris and the others know he was not coming back. However, as Chano welcomed him with open arms and Vin was faced with the fine appreciation of his friendship, it begin to dawn upon the tracker what it was he would be leaving behind when Four Corners became relegated to his past. It was more than just a town, and those left behind were more than faces accumulated over a lifetime, they were not merely his friends, they were the closest thing he had to family. Not only Chris, whom he would miss almost as dearly as if he were losing Alex, but all the others as well.
As his stay at the Indian village lengthened, he suddenly realized that he did not want to leave, no matter how untenable remaining in Four Corners had become. He wanted to be see how the ranch that he had helped Buck and Chris build fared after all their hard work. Almost as much as he wanted to see little Elena take her first steps, or Nathan passing the exam that finally made him a real doctor, and whether or not Ezra would make a success of the Standish Tavern. Chano had been supportive of his decision to leave, understanding the need to stay out of custody since no one could appreciate better than an Indian what it was like to be trapped within the hell of walls. Still, after due consideration, Vin realized that his hasty decision to escape had been ill thought and the advice given by Chris Larabee and that damned Marshal returned to haunt him.
He could not run forever.
Four Corners was his home. It had become that after a lifetime of wandering, of fitting in nowhere. Finally, he had found a place for himself among people who cared deeply what became of him, with a woman who was willing to do anything to be with him. More than anything Vin wished he could get his hands on Ely Joe so he kill the man all over again. When he had framed Vin for murder, he had not merely put a price on Vin's head but created a cycle of vengeance that never seemed to end.
Loath as he might to admit it, Vin realized that Chris was right. He had to face this eventually, and this was as good a time as any. If the odds worked against him and they did find him guilty, he would know that at least he had tried to have a chance at a normal life. The risks were great, he knew that. If he took the gamble and lost, his life would be forfeit, but he could not go on this way. He had done all the running he was going to do. Now it was time to face the powers that be and pray that justice really could be done for not only himself but also for Jesse Kincaid. As he had once said to Chris when the gunslinger had asked if he had any proof of Chano's innocence in the death of Claire Mosely, the truth was proof enough.
For his sake, he hoped that would be the case when he turned himself in at Tascosa.
Vin remained at the village during the rest of the night, with the intention of going to Tascosa at first light. He left instructions with Chano to bring word to Alex, hoping that she would stay in Four Corners because if things went badly in the Texas Panhandle, he did not want her to see him hang. Never one to assume that safety was assured because of familiar surroundings, Vin did not stay in the village itself but at a suitable distance away from the community so he could observe from afar and vacate if necessary. He had no intention of bringing any trouble upon the folk who had given him refuge. Although Chano had declared that such measures were not necessary, Vin would take no such risks with the lives of others. The red man had enough troubles with the federal authorities without his bringing more difficulty upon them for harboring a wanted fugitive.
Besides, Marshall Jamieson struck him as a thorough man and if he had learnt enough about Vin to find him at Alex's, then it was possible that he might also learn about the tracker's relationship with Chano and the Indians at this village. While Vin was confident that Chano would never turn him in, that would not stop Jamieson from coming to the village in search of him, and Vin was not about to let more people become inconvenienced for offering him sanctuary. Vin set up his campsite close to the village so that he could view the arrival of any unexpected visitors.
He had sat around the fire warming his hands, debating his choices until finally reaching the conclusion that made him realize that he had to end his limbo existence by resolving the situation in Tascosa. Until he cleared his name, he could not go on with his life because he would forever be looking over his shoulder, wondering if that shadow was just that or another hunter coming to claim the bounty on his head. He could not put Alex through that kind of life, and he was tired of being trapped in amber, unable to move on. He wanted to marry her and have a family, like Buck and Chris were starting to do. He never saw any joy in being bound to land, as he had once told Charlotte, but there was an inordinate beauty in knowing that the choice to roam was his and not out of some need to keep one step ahead of a wanted poster.
He did not sleep at all that night when his mind was filled with such thoughts.
When sunrise came, Vin found that he had burned away all the irrelevancies in his mind until all that was left for him was the truth in its purest form, held in the crucible of understanding. He could not leave Four Corners behind because Four Corners was Alex, Chris, Mary and all those other faces that had become so much apart of his life during the last three years. He had spent most of his life alone, even before his mother had died. She had been his entire universe in life. When she had gone, there were new faces, but still his heart remained untouched and his soul condemned to an island of loneliness that had finally been shed, the first time he gazed across the street and saw friendship in the eyes of a stranger in black.
Vin could not go back to that again. Even if it meant dying. He could accept judgement in Tascosa, even if a court of law found him guilty of the crime. He could accept it because the three years that had led to this point had been the best in his life and he could accept dying knowing that he had actually lived. Vin was not certain what he had been doing before meeting Chris Larabee but he was certain he had not been living. Existing maybe, drifting across the plains like the mist that came with morning, having no real substance and leaving nothing behind.
His life had been that meaningless.
It was not quite dawn when he fell asleep finally, but that moment of slumber lasted briefly, for not long after he had descended into the dreamscape, he heard the sounds of riders approaching. The thunder of hooves beating against the ground resonated through the earth and roused him immediately from sleep. Instinctively, he reached for the Winchester he had retrieved from Langstrom and hurried from his bed roll to the lookout position he had scouted earlier and selected for that purpose. Below him, the Indian village seemed peaceful despite the rapid approach of the new arrivals.
There were six of them and Vin recognized the horses immediately, having become familiar with them all after three years of riding alongside them as one of their number. At the head of them, he could make Chris out quite clearly, and felt some measure of relief seeing his best friend. If Vin asked, he was sure Chris would accompany him to Tascosa. Normally Vin would not impose upon his friend this way, but he did not want the solitude to make him renege on his decision to turn himself in, and with Chris as his side, Vin was certain that the gunslinger would not let him do anything foolish.
Even though Vin would never openly admit it, he needed Chris to keep him from running when the fear became too much for him. Although courage was an emotion he had in great volume inside him, Vin would not underestimate his desire to run. He had much to stay alive for, the friends riding towards the Indian village factoring greatly as one of those things, not to mention Alex and everything else that had made his life in Four Corners so blissful. Enough time alone could erode anyone's resolve at having to lose such valuables, and Vin was determined to face judgement in Tascosa without letting it hamper his resolve.
Taking a deep breath as he saw them nearing the outskirts of the village, Vin Tanner let it out slowly before turning back to his campsite once again to put out the fire in order to go down there and face his friends.
"I can't believe we're doing this." JD grumbled, making obvious to anyone who would listen his distaste at what he thought about bringing Vin Tanner to Tascosa. If it had not come from Chris Larabee, he would not have believed it but the fact that it had, made it all the more unbelievable. Of all the people that JD had expected to fight to keep Vin free, he had expected it to be the gunslinger. Hearing Chris give his word to that Marshal was beyond his mind to comprehend.
"We're doing it because we have to." Buck Wilmington said sternly to the boy as their hard gallop towards the village had slowed to a light trot once the settlement came in sight. He offered the warning before Chris turned around and smacked the kid stupid. As it was, the gunslinger was barely maintaining his composure, even though to the others he projected his typical, brooding calm.
"We're turning him in to be strung up like a dog." JD blurted, unable to rein his youthful impulsion to say whatever was on his mind.
"Mr. Dunne," Ezra spoke, having heard the same arguments himself and feeling almost as frayed at the edges as Chris on this point. "It would help if you did not keep referring to this entire debacle as having that unfortunate conclusion."
"But it's true, ain't it?" JD demanded, defying any of them to say that this wasn't exactly what was going to happen when they brought Vin Tanner to Tascosa. Vin was his friend and the only member of the seven who did not treat him like a kid. The idea of taking him in was so appalling to JD the youth could barely understand why the others were going along with this insanity.
Buck saw Chris' jaw tighten and knew the gunslinger was nearing the edge of restraint, and spoke up quickly before that smack in the head JD was destined to get came a lot sooner than later. "Boy," Buck gave him a look that oozed with uncharacteristic sharpness. "Shut up before someone smacks you in the mouth."
"Look," Nathan broke in, recognizing that the mood was becoming decidedly ugly. They all had mixed feelings about this, but in some small part understood what Chris was attempting to do. "We don't like the idea of bringing Vin in any more than you do but its gotta be done. He's been walking around with this thing on his head for the last three years. How many bounty hunters have we killed trying to keep him alive?"
JD did not respond and Nathan continued. "Enough to weigh heavily on a man's mind, that's for sure. He can't do nothing with Miss Alex unless his name is cleared. Chris is right, it needs to be taken care of now, before it gets any worse. Better we take him in alive than some head hunter who couldn't care less if he gets to Tascosa still breathing. Texas law has changed, they can't just lynch a man for no good reason. With us and that Marshal protecting Vin, he'll get to a court of law and maybe we can be done with this mess once and for all."
JD was skeptical, but Nathan had a way of putting things clearly that elevated the issue above the provocative emotional symptoms it engendered. "I hope you are right, cause if he's proven guilty then what?"
"Then if I have to," Chris Larabee answered for the first time. "I'll break him out of there myself and send him to Mexico."
No one could tell whether or not Chris was joking, but judging by the steely expression in his eyes, no one dared ask him to elaborate. In any case, there was little time as the village was upon them and as they started to dismount, Kojay emerged from the collection of huts to greet them.
"Greetings." Kojay said pleasantly. "It has been many moons Josiah." The old man remarked as he and Josiah engaged him in a warm handshake. Both men had forged something of a friendship since the incident with the reverend, where the seven had taken a stand to defend Chano against the town after the death of Claire. Occasionally, Josiah would ride out here to visit with the man, sometimes bringing Lilith, who had confessed to wanting to meet real life Indians since Audrey was open minded enough to allow the excursion. Both would spend the day here, with Lilith absorbing all she could about a new society with an eagerness to learn that transcended the enmity that existed between the two cultures.
"That it has chief." Josiah tipped his hat. "Unfortunately, this ain't no social call."
"I believed it might not be," Kojay nodded. "You come for Tanner?" he asked, sweeping his wizened gaze over the rest of the seven.
"Yes," Josiah nodded, glancing briefly at Chris. " Is he here?"
"That depends." Kojay said reluctantly. "On whether you wish to bring harm to him."
Chris immediately stiffened at the suggestion that he or any of the men with him would bring any danger to Vin. Josiah caught the anger in the gunslinger's gait and immediately made an attempt to diffuse the situation. Tempers were running high enough as it was without innocent words becoming incendiary. "We do not wish to bring him harm, but he needs to come with us."
"To face judgement in a white man's court is not an enviable position." Kojay replied. "I would call that bringing him to harm."
"He has to face his troubles," Chris spoke up, understanding Kojay's desire to protect Vin because he felt the same way himself. Chris hated the idea that he was forced to hunt down his best friend and bring him to Tascosa but the fact of the matter was that Vin had to stop running some day. This was as good a time as any to make an effort to remove this price on his head. "He needs to come with us before men who care less about him than we do start coming after him. They won't care if he gets to Tascosa, dead or alive, nor will they care about keeping him alive once he gets there."
"Kojay," Josiah appealed to the man. "I don't like it any more than you do. In fact, none of us are too happy about this but we have to find him."
Kojay looked decidedly uncomfortable about keeping silent, bound by his loyalty to Vin and the debt that was owed to young man for saving his son's life but the knowledge that these men were Tanner's closest friends and would never willingly wish him ill confused him.
"Its okay Chief," Vin stepped out from behind the huts and appeared before them all with Chano at his side. "They ain't here to do me no harm, just knock some sense into me I reckon." Vin tipped his hat slightly at his friends upon his arrival in a gesture of greeting.
"Close enough." Chris remarked, unable to hide the small smile of relief that sneaked across his hardened features at the sight of the tracker.
"Its good to see you partner." Buck said boisterously, with more enthusiasm than he felt because the tension needed its edge taken off, and if anything, that was the one area in which Buck excelled, since the poison Alex had administered to him had negated his other exceptional talent. He strode towards Vin and offered the younger man a heavy pat on the shoulder.
"We thought you might have absconded permanently Mr. Tanner." Ezra remarked, wearing a similar look of pleasure at seeing the tracker.
Vin took a deep breath and released it. "I thought about it." he admitted, meeting Chris' gaze as he made that confession. "I was all set to keep riding and not come back. I got as far as here," he gestured to the village, "and started really thinking about what I was doing."
"Came to some conclusion I hope." Buck asked hopefully, preferring it if Vin's choice to come with them to Tascosa was his own and not because they were going to take him there out of fear over what a Federal Marshal would do in their place.
"You're right Chris," Vin admitted reluctantly. "I gotta face this thing." he said, not happy about the decision or what it could mean if things did not transpire the way he hoped. "One way or another, its gotta end for me sometime."
"But they could hang you Vin!" JD exclaimed, wondering why no one but him could not see that any chance of life was better than simply capitulating to the certainty of death. Vin had said it a dozen times, Ely Joe was the only way to prove that he did not kill Jesse Kincaid. With the death of that outlaw, it was Vin's word against overwhelming evidence that he had not been responsible for the crime with which he was charged.
"JD." Nathan groaned softly. "Enough." the black man said with gentle authority, the same voice he used when demanding they rest after being injured and making certain that they obeyed his orders.
JD fell silent although his dislike of the situation showed clearly.
"They could hang me JD," Vin agreed with the youth. "That still don't mean I can turn tail and run." he replied, hoping JD understood that he was making a choice to live, not to die. "I got to face it sometime, now is a good a time as any."
"I'm glad you feel that way pard," Chris said, clearly relieved that he would not have to convince Vin that it was necessary to travel to Tascosa in order for Vin to be finally rid of this price on his head. He had given the Marshal his word to bring Vin to Texas, but in truth, he had no idea what he would have done if Vin had refused to go. He felt too much for the younger man to bring him in against his will. "I managed to talk Jamieson into letting us take you in."
Vin nodded, deciding he preferred that to being taken into custody in the hands of a Federal Marshal. "I appreciate it." he said in his usual understated manner, even though he was brimming with gratitude. "How is Alex doing?" he found himself asking.
"She's pretty broken up," Chris saw no reason to lie because any other response from Alex over this crisis would have been improbable. "I left her with Mary, so she'll be fine." Chris assured him and saw the gratitude in the tracker's expression, knowing that the woman he loved would not be alone at this dark time.
"She's a strong woman," Nathan assured him. "She'll pick up faster than you know and probably be in Tascosa before we are, if I'm any judge of character."
"You're right," Vin agreed with a faint smile, completely aware of how tenacious Alex could be, and her determination to save him would sometimes lead her into more trouble than she knew what to do with, but Vin would have her no other way. He did not know how he felt about her being in Tascosa, but there was little to be done about it now.
"Chris also fixed it so that Jamieson stays in Tascosa during the trial," Buck added. "So that we can all make sure there ain't no lynching."
"Thanks cowboy." Vin met Chris' gaze again. "I reckon we better be going if we're going to go."
"I reckon." Chris said quietly, wondering if anyone had any idea how hard this was for him. Vin was his best friend and delivering him to Tascosa to face trial, quite possibly death, was one of the hardest things he had been called upon to do in his life. He was glad that Vin was making it easy for him.
"If one of you give me a ride up to that ridge," Vin glanced in the direction of his campsite. "We can get going, Peso's hitched up there."
"I am sure Chaucer would have no difficulty fulfilling that role." Ezra offered magnanimously.
"Thanks." Vin offered the gambler a faint smile and turned to Chano and Kojay who had been so kind with their hospitality and had touched Vin with their efforts to protect him.
"I wish you well Tanner." Chano said shaking his hand. "I hope the truth serves you as well as it served me," sincerely hoping that he would see the tracker again.
"It will or it won't," Vin replied holding no real expectations of that hope before turning to Kojay who surprised him with a warm embrace, the way he would a member of his tribe or one of his own sons. Vin was taken back by the show of affection from someone who was normally so stoic about death and everything else that surrounded his existence.
"Good journey Tanner," Kojay answered, keeping his passive mask in place even though his eyes were fluid and sad. "May the spirits guide you in your quest and bring you back to us soon."
Vin swallowed, feeling the emotion threatening to choke him before he forced it away again. He had no idea that his farewell was having the same effect on the men behind him who were trying not to let their own feelings about what was happening overwhelm them. It was hard to take anything lightly when the farewell Vin made to Kojay and his son could very well be the first of many such goodbyes if Tascosa found Vin Tanner guilty of murder.
Vin had returned to the Indian village on foot and rode behind Ezra on his horse Chaucer when the seven made their way to his campsite to get his belongings and Peso. Unlike their usual journeys where there was always lively chatter, no one felt in the mood to talk, not with such a grim prospect awaiting them at the end of their travels. Even Buck, who often made lengthy treks tolerable by his ability to capture the interest of everyone with inane but strangely enough interesting subjects of conversation, remained silent. Like the others, the purpose of their journey to Tascosa preyed on his mind and he worried about Vin just like every member of the seven.
The sun was just beginning its climb across the sky when the seven took the worn and wind blown trail towards Texas, with each possessing mixed feelings on what should be done. Despite their agreement with Vin that it was time he resolved his situation in Tascosa, they could not help be apprehensive over what would happen to the tracker in the event his bid to prove his innocence failed. They had endured too much together to see their fellowship broken by a hangman's noose and there was a mystical power of being the seven which would not survive the loss of one.
Buck found himself thinking about the time that he and Vin had barged in on Chris the night after his stag party. Both men had barely been able to hold in their laughter as they tried to convince the groom to be that he had spent the night with a dancer named Salome in a fit of drunken lust. Although Ezra had played a part in that bit of amusement, it was mostly Buck and Vin who had devised the prank and had been on the receiving end of a bullet when Chris realized that he had been the victim of a joke. That had been only one of the pranks in which Vin had been his co-conspirator, and between the two of them; it was a wonder that either had their skin since the butt of their jokes always seemed to be Chris.
Josiah was just as involved in his own thoughts about the tracker. His mind kept swirling around the secret that Vin had kept for him and still did, during the time he himself had been accused of murder. Josiah felt somewhat ashamed by how willing he had been to accept the responsibility of those deaths when here was Vin, who had not committed the crime, saddled with it at the cost of everything else in his life. Josiah had allowed himself to be a creature of guilt and until he purged his sorrows to Vin, had no idea how much his remorse had helped to shape his life. Speaking out about his sister had made him realize that his secret could be revealed and the world would still function after that disclosure. There was no need to bury her away as his father had attempted. Why could he not pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat and save Vin the way the young man had saved him?
Nathan watched Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner riding ahead and tried not to think what would become of them if they were unable to convince a judge that Vin was innocent. Better than anyone present, Nathan knew what it was like to be at the blunt end of injustice. He had faced the dilemma every day of his life until he had escaped from the plantation, and was more realistic over the outcome of Vin's day in court than anyone else, save Chris perhaps. If they could not find any new evidence that might cast doubt on Vin's complicity in this matter, it was more than likely that the tracker would indeed hang. The fellowship would never survive such an outcome; even Nathan was realistic about that. They were what they were because each was a vital part of a bond that had been forged in seven parts steel and largely soul. Losing one was like losing a part of one's soul, and no matter what they might tell themselves later, things would never be the same again.
Ezra let his gaze sweep over his companions and knew that they were all engaged in ruminations of their own regarding the fate of the tracker. While he confessed to feeling some concern over Vin's unfortunate situation in Tascosa, it would have surprised everyone to know that Ezra held more optimism about Vin's eventual freedom than anyone else in the entire group. The gambler could not ascertain what motivated the insight that had him believing without a shadow of a doubt that Vin would leave Tascosa with them when all was said and done. The odds were against them and Ezra was not fool enough to play against the house, but he had learnt much during his time as part of the circle. The one lesson that always seemed to penetrate far better than all others was the presence of something unseen guiding them.
He liked to think of it as Lady Luck.
JD was not so introspective about anything that was transpiring. He was a bunch of emotions awaiting release because he felt fear. How could he not? Vin was his friend and the situation in Tascosa was serious business indeed. Facing things was all when and good, but there was also such a thing as a fool's errand and JD could not help but think they were engaged in an undertaking that would make them all rue the day they ever suggested bringing Vin back to Tascosa. The six men with whom he rode were the family he had always wanted, the one his ma had tried so hard to be all at once. He could not imagine the void that would be if they were gone, and he knew that if one of them were to die, the others would drift off just as surely as if death had taken them too. The heart of what they were would be lost if one of their number were depleted. Even JD knew that.
And then there was Chris.
Chris who said nothing as he rode alongside the young man, trying to decide what his life would have been like if he had not looked across the street that dust blown afternoon and seen Vin Tanner. Vin who appeared as if he were wrestling with his conscience at standing by while a mob threatened to lynch an innocent man, probably identifying with the situation a little. After all, who knew better than he what it was like to be judged for a crime he did not commit? So much had happened since that unspoken agreement had passed between them to deliver Nathan from his would be killers, and it was hard to ignore that Chris' own voyage of healing had begin with that simple act of compassion shared between himself and the tracker. Vin's friendship had done what bullets and a bottle had not. It had allowed him to leave Sarah and Adam behind and begin living again. Chris was not sure how he would fare if he lost that friendship now, even with Mary in his life.
He prayed he would never have to find out.
As they rode together side by side, Chris spied Vin on occasion even when both were silent and lost in thoughts of the moment. Vin's eyes faced the road ahead, seeing something Chris could not see but the gunslinger could easily imagine, if it were he who was faced with the same circumstances. He had no knowledge of the law, but he had given Mary instructions prior to leaving to wire the judge, to see if Orin could do anything to help. Of course, if the judge had been able to aid them in their quest, he would have done so long before it came to this. Unfortunately, Orin's appointment as a territorial judge ensured that his influence was limited to the area to which he was assigned. Tascosa was in Texas and Vin's case, when it finally went to court would be in the purview of the Territorial judge counterpart to that town as Four Corners was to Orin Travis. What influence Orin might have over one of his colleagues would be meager, and it would all come down to evidence, which unfortunately, they had little of.
Prior to leaving Four Corners, Chris had prepared Mary to expect him gone for at least a week if not more. While he felt uncomfortable leaving Four Corners for such a lengthy duration and taking all the others with him, they had no choice. When they had first met, Vin had believed that the residents of Tascosa had been ready to lynch him had he not departed when he did. Laws in place to protect such a thing from happening did not offer an iron clad guarantee that it would not happen if folks got it into their minds to make it a reality. Vin needed the protection of them all, including the weight of a Federal Marshal to keep the more determined citizens at bay.
Despite all these other considerations, what concerned Chris most of all was not the lynching or the jurisdictional realities of the situation, what really made Chris fear for his friend was the lack of evidence to prove Vin did not actually commit the crime. Ely Joe had killed Jesse Kincaid and exchanged clothes with the man so that Vin would believe he was taking Ely Joe's body back to Tascosa to claim the bounty. He had arrived there with the body and a motive, and while the murder weapon was not the gun that Vin carried, the fact still remained that Vin was the only suspect. Chris worried that even in a fair trial, the judge was still going to find him guilty.
"What do you know about Kincaid?." Chris finally broke the silence between them.
The question took Vin completely by surprise. "Not much." Vin admitted. "I know he was a farmer, had a wife and a place, but not much else."
Chris nodded and absorbed the information, trying to find something they could use in a court of law to cast doubt on a decision that Vin might be guilty of this crime. As it was, they were going to Tascosa with nothing to add, and the evidence available seemed to indicate the irrefutability of Vin's culpability in the matter instead of exonerating it. "Tell me what happened when you were tracking Ely Joe."
Vin frowned in concentration, giving the gunslinger's request due consideration, even though he was doubtful about uncovering any new information simply from his recollections. He was skeptical about gleaning anything from what he had remembered, after all, it was not as if he had not replayed the sequence of events in his head a dozen times already. How many times had he followed the same path, repeatedly in his head, wondering why the man had done what he had done and reproaching himself for being stupid enough to be led so blindly? Still Vin could not begrudge Chris' opinion that a fresh perspective might aid him in seeing something that he had missed through the sheer repetition of the search.
"Not much," Vin replied, recalling the events that had led him to the day when he had discovered Kincaid's dead body, half immersed in the water trough for his horses. Taking the path often traveled inside his mind, he cast his mind back to the first time he had encountered the name of Ely Joe. "I had tracked him across most of the Texas Panhandle where he'd been hitting the banks in every small town he came across. Left a lot of people dead, but by the time I started tracking him he had big head start over me. There were other bounty hunters after him, but I was the one who was closest on his trail and even then, I never actually saw him, other than his picture on the wanted poster."
"So he was wanted in Tascosa for bank robbery?" This came from Buck who had edged his horse beside the duo now that the ice had broken and someone was actually talking. Prompted by his actions, they were soon joined by the others who were just as pleased to be rid of this somber atmosphere that had been following them since leaving Four Corners.
"He started in Tascosa, probably thought it was remote enough not to cause much trouble." Vin said, retrieving memories he had not thought of in almost three years. Following the ruse that saw him framed for murder, Vin's thoughts about Ely Joe had mostly centered around that crime and not the events prior to that day. In retrospect, Vin wondered that had he paid more attention to those details, might he have avoided the situation he now found himself in? It was a fruitless debate since the deed was done and he could do nothing to change it. "He robbed the bank there and killed the teller and two customers."
"Charming man." Ezra frowned, his dislike of the brigand having lowered another notch in an already less than stellar opinion.
"Yeah, he was a stone killer alright." Vin agreed with Ezra's assertions on the man's character. "The original arrest warrants were drawn up in Tascosa, but eventually just about every town he came across had reason to write up one of their own. As I said, I got on the trail after he hit Amarillo and I tracked him across most of the Panhandle, got pretty close to catching him a couple of times."
"He must have been good." Josiah had to comment. Vin's tracking ability was uncanny at times, as the man could read marks in the dirt that were incomprehensible to most. If Ely Joe had managed to evade Vin as long as he had, the outlaw had to be credited with having some skill himself. It was also understandable why Ely Joe had been driven to frame Vin if the tracker was the only one who had come close to catching him.' "Staying ahead of you like that and all." the preacher added.
"He was one the smarter ones I've tracked." Vin had to concede to that much, as well as having to admit that Ely Joe was one of the slyest bastards he ever came across, Vin thought inwardly. "By the time he headed out west, most of the towns in the Panhandles knew who he was. I figured he was going to head for Mexico with whatever loot he had. Ely Joe had partners, but they tended to wind up dead so he was alone for most part. He liked staying close to towns, even though he didn't always ride into them. I had nearly caught up to him when suddenly, he headed towards Tascosa again. I couldn't understand why at first, because they knew him well enough there to shoot him on sight if they saw him."
"Perhaps it was for that very reason," Ezra suggested. "He selected Tascosa to perpetrate his trickery on you because the citizens of that community would immediately recognize a body that did not belong to Ely Joe."
"That's what I figured." Vin grumbled, wondering if it was obvious to everyone as it should have been to him back then. However, he supposed he could not have foreseen Ely Joe to be so crafty because the skill in which he had framed Vin took the tracker completely by surprise. Although Ely Joe had shown his adeptness at avoiding capture, he had not displayed that level of Machiavellian intrigue. "Anyway, I followed him there and the tracks I saw seemed to show that his horse had thrown a shoe. I thought I had him then until I came across Kincaid's place the next morning and found the body. He hadn't been dead long so I figured that some farmer might have recognized him and put a bullet in him."
"That's when you took the body in and found out it was not Ely Joe." Nathan concluded.
"That's about the size of it." Vin nodded, hoping the others might have an insight into something he might have missed.
"So what happened to his horse?" JD inquired.
"He took it with him JD." Buck replied automatically.
"So it took him almost a day to fix a shoe on a horse?" JD pointed out, trying to show Buck and the others that he was not stupid.
Chris turned sharply to the young man because what he brought up did make sense. A vague thought surfaced inside his mind and although he knew that he was grasping at straws, there was something noteworthy about what JD had brought up that had inspired him to consider deeply an avenue which they previously neglected to pursue. However, before Chris became overly excited by the prospect, he wanted further clarification before he even started to raise Vin's hopes.
"Wait a minute," Chris said hushing Buck and JD because he needed quiet to work this out in his head. "You said his horse threw a shoe."
"Yeah." Vin nodded, not seeing the significance of it yet but taking note of the intensity of Chris' voice, knowing that the gunslinger had a specific reason for the inquiry. "I reckon that's why he had to stop."
"How long between you finding out his horse had thrown a shoe and actually catching up to him?" Chris asked, staring at Vin in anticipation of his response. Instinct told him he had stumbled upon something important if Vin could only give him confirmation with his answer.
Vin, who now saw that Chris was very serious, took a moment to answer his question carefully. In fact, they were all looking to their leader, wondering what insight their leader had stumbled upon with his very pointed questions. "A day maybe more."
"And the body," Chris probed further. "How long had he been dead before you found him?"
"He was in the water," Vin replied, examining every facet of the scene which saw his discovery of Jesse Kincaid, sensing the urgency in being exact over the details. "But the part of him that wasn't wet was still warm. So I don't think he'd been dead for very long."
"But you didn't hear a gunshot." The gunslinger asked.
"No," Vin shook his head. "I heard nothing like that. What is it pard?"
"What kind of wound was it?" Chris asked again, his suspicions furrowing deeper into his mind because there was something odd about the scene that opened all kinds of possibilities. "Did it kill him instantly or would he had taken time to die?"
"It was straight through the heart." Vin replied, recalling the grisly scene with some distaste. "He wouldn't even have known what hit him."
"He took his time leaving." Josiah remarked.
"Well he had to," Nathan interjected. "He had to be sure that it was Vin who found him not someone else."
"This Kincaid had family?" Chris asked again, since Josiah and Nathan had brought up the anomaly he was focussing upon so succinctly.
"A wife." Vin replied automatically, understanding now what Chris was getting at. The time difference had never occurred to him because he had not thought it important. "She was in town when he died."
"So Ely Joe waits around all night until Vin catches up to him and kills Kincaid when the wife leaves?" Buck looked at Chris, wondering if that was what Chris was alluding to.
"It takes time for a horse to mend after a new shoe," Chris mused. "I doubt that he would have chanced waiting for the wife to leave and after he killed Kincaid to get his horse fixed up. If Vin was still far enough away not to hear a gunshot but close enough to reach him before the body got too cold, then that's a very narrow margin to chance on tending to a horse with a broken shoe. If his wife saw nothing out of the ordinary before that, then Ely Joe would have to have had his horse shod elsewhere, and that's unlikely." he pointed out.
"Or he could have undertaken the task at Kincaid's property itself," Ezra declared, his quick mind crossing the gulf between Chris' speculations and the rest of the seven's to join the gunslinger in his discovery. "Before he killed the man, perhaps even before the wife left."
"Which means..." Buck's eyes widened in understanding.
"That's right," Chris nodded quietly. "She might have seen him."
She was better now.
When Vin had first been taken from her, she had been far from composed. In fact, she had almost gone to pieces. Alex did not remember being so distraught about anything since her father died. The possibility that she might lose Vin was beyond her ability to accept, and the words of comfort Mary had tried to offer in her despair had done nothing to convince her otherwise. Alex was never good at accepting a strong shoulder to cry on and she preferred to endure her grief alone. Taking herself home, she did not realize until she closed the door behind her that she had willingly walked into another nightmare almost as potent as the one that faced her now. She had stopped crying after he had been taken away and to her embarrassment, she had wept in front of Chris Larabee when she was telling him what had happened. When she left Mary, Alex was determined not to shed any more tears, to be strong because Vin needed her to pull herself together.
However, when she walked into her empty house and smelled the aroma of dinner they had not shared, or the sight of one of those colorful scarves he always seemed to be wearing draped on the edge of the bed post, Alex felt her resolve shatter into a thousand pieces. She let herself fall onto the soft mattress, clutching the pillow he had used the night before that was still filled with his scent and wept in loud ragged sobs. She could not be without him! She did not know how Vin had become such an ingrained part of her existence that Alex could not imagine her life without him. She would have willingly become a fugitive for him, followed him anywhere he wanted to be if it meant just being with him. She loved him that much.
Alex had not known how long she had been this way but she had fallen asleep with that scent in her lungs and that at least, gave her some measure of comfort far more effectively than Mary's words. Thankfully, her mind had decided she needed a momentary respite from her waking day troubles and had not filled her dreams with him, even though she would have thankfully accepted any presence of him at this time. When she woke up, Alex's first thought that he was next to her and it was almost as heart wrenching to realize that it was his lingering scent on the bed that had led her to that mistaken belief rather than his actual presence.
She knew he had made his escape and that Chris had been sent to find him and bring him to custody in Tascosa. While Alex had been initially angry at the gunslinger for suggesting such a thing because it felt as if it were a terrible betrayal of his best friend, in the light of day when she was better able to accept the situation, Alex knew Chris had done the right thing. There needed to be an end to this. For three years Vin had lived with the specter of Tascosa over his head and it had affected their relationship almost from the beginning. They could not even think of marriage with that damned price hanging over him and the future they had sought to build together could unravel the moment someone decided to claim the bounty.
With morning, Alex found herself calmer and able to focus with more clarity. She had no doubt that Chris would catch up to Vin because he was the only person who could. No doubt, the gunslinger would convince Vin to journey to Tascosa and face the charges of murder. With Chris in Tascosa, Alex could be assured that Vin would be safe from a lynching, which meant the only way to fight this would soon be in a court of law. She might not be able to protect him the way Chris and the seven could, but she could certainly help him in that regard. However, long term protection was something not even Chris Larabee could provide if Vin was found guilt of murder.
For that, he would need a lawyer.
As Alex started outlining her strategy the way she would outline a campaign for a battle she had to win, she found herself at the telegraph office sending out a series of wires. The first would be to Doctor Briggs in Sweetwater, informing him that she was leaving for an undisclosed time. On the rare occasion when neither she nor Nathan was able to be in Four Corners, Doctor Briggs had assumed the responsibility of health care in Four Corners. Briggs would ensure that Four Corners would not be lacking in the services of a doctor for the time she was required to be away.
Following the telegram to Briggs, Alex sent a message to Gideon Dunwill, a notable criminal defense lawyer whose practice was mostly centered in Silver City. When Alex had first become aware of Vin's bounty, she had not given it much thought. However, with the realization that their love was no passing infatuation and that she had wanted to spend the rest of her life with the tracker, she had made inquiries into the possibility of requiring the services of a lawyer at some point. At the time, she had not known why she had taken the time and effort, since the murder charge and Tascosa seemed so far away from their life in Four Corners, but Alex was never one to play chances. Telling herself that the information was useless and she would probably never have use of it, Alex filed the list of names away and had forgotten about it.
However, after last night Alex realized how deluded she had been, and the first thing she had done this morning upon waking was to rifle through her papers to find that list. At the head of that list was Gideon Dunwill. The information she had secured about the man seemed to indicate that he was a brilliant trial lawyer and was usually called upon to defend upper crust clients with legal difficulties that required complete exoneration to save their reputations. His services did not come cheap and getting him to Tascosa was going to cost a considerable amount, but Alex did not care, she needed the best legal mind that money could buy to save Vin from a hangman's noose, so money was no object.
After she had sent her telegrams, Alex made the necessary preparations to depart for Tascosa on the next available stage leaving Four Corners. She had never been to Texas and wished she was not forced to journey there under such circumstances, but neither heaven or earth was going to stop her from being with Vin when he needed her most. Once she had booked passage out of town, Alex made her way to the bank. Judging by the looks she garnered the moment she stepped into the premises, it was obvious everyone in town had learnt of Vin's fate. Although the other clients in the bank glanced her way surreptitiously from the corner of their eye, no one said a word to her, however, she did see some measure of sympathy in their faces.
Alex did not join the queue, instead moving to the window that would capture the attention of the bank manager. She did not want to deal with an underling with what she required of the establishment today and her transactions needed to be carried out fast. Dane Crandall, a short pudgy man with thick fingers who wore a dark suit no matter what the occasion, immediately came to greet her at the counter.
"Doctor Styles," he said politely. "How nice to see you." He smiled with that false front presented only to those with a large cache of money entrusted to his bank. "I am sorry to hear about Mr. Tanner." He oozed sympathy that did not seem very sincere, but Alex ignored it since she did not require compassion of him, only compliance to her requests.
"Thank you," she returned tautly. "I need some transactions taken care of Mr. Crandall. I expect you to handle them personally."
Taking note of her tone, Crandall acquiesced without any protest. She was one of his best customers and he was prepared to oblige any request. "Of course Doctor, what can I do for you?"
"I want," she fished into her purse and pulled out a scrap of paper. "One thousand dollars wired to Silver City Bank in the account name of Gideon Dunwill for his retainer and travelling expenses. I want it done before day's end. Use whatever resources necessary to get it to him, I am willing to incur the expense. I also want three thousand dollars wired to an account in my name at the main bank in Tascosa. I will be leaving for Tascosa on the stage some time today so I want it there when I arrive."
Crandall was busily scribbling down all her instructions, careful not to make an error on any of her instructions because Doctor Styles seemed unusually impatient and surly today. Of course, if the rumors about a federal marshal were true then he supposed she would need this money to clear her fiancée's name. "I am not certain how much time it will take to wire that kind of money to Texas, Doctor Styles."
"You will find a way to have it there by the time I arrive Mr. Crandall," Alex stared at him with a gaze of intensity, obviously in no mood for refusal at the moment, "or when I get back to Four Corners, I will pull all my money out of this bank and set up my own if I have to. We both know I am in the position to do that."
Crandall swallowed visibly, having carried out enough transactions for her in the past to be aware that Alexandra Styles did come from money if not lineage. "Of course Doctor Styles," he nodded. "I will see to it personally. Is there anything further?"
"Yes," Alex nodded, feeling a little guilty about being so abrupt with the man since it was no fault of his that Vin was in trouble. "I will need some travelling money. Have five hundred dollars in cash ready for me this afternoon when I come back. I have a few more things to take care of in town before I need to leave."
"Certainly," he replied.
Alex was about to leave the counter when she paused and added. "Your service has been exemplary Mr. Crandall," Alex found herself saying with a small smile. "I should not have questioned that."
The gesture had the desired effect of smoothening the unpleasantness earlier and she saw him soften with sentiment at her remark. "Thank you Doctor Styles," he answered, surprised that she had offered those words. "I will have everything ready for you when you come back. I hope it will be enough to help Mr. Tanner."
Alex let out a deep breath and met his gaze. "I hope so too."
Alex had one more stop to make before she went home and started packing to meet the stagecoach that would be arriving in Four Corners in a few hours. Riding hard out of town on Phoebe, who was probably not happy about the exertion since her mistress was not accustomed to making her perform so swiftly, Alex arrived at her destination less than an hour after departing Four Corners. It was a track she had taken numerous times before which added to her confidence when making the journey because she was not the best rider.
Before leaving town, she had stopped and spoken to Casey Wells who had an afternoon job at one of the stores in town and confirmed that her aunt Nettie was at their homestead out of town. Despite her money and her professional status, Alex had to face certain realities. She was not a white woman and in Texas, which was one of the states where slavery had been allowed, she needed someone to act on her behalf in any undertaking she attempted to carry out in Tascosa to help Vin. She could not ask Mary or Julia who had responsibilities here, and Inez was in the same situation as she was, that left only Nettie.
When she had spoken to Casey, the young woman had only just heard about Vin's predicament because she lived out of town. JD and the rest of the seven had departed yesterday evening, so it was likely that news about Vin had yet to reach Nettie Wells. Considering how Nettie felt about Vin, Alex knew that she would want to help Vin in any way possible, and was confident about asking Nettie for assistance by journeying with her to Tascosa. Besides, Nettie was fiercely protective of Vin Tanner and she had no doubts that Nettie would speak very well for her in Tascosa on any matter concerning his life.
Nettie was sweeping the front porch of the house that Vin and some of the seven had helped to build after a campaign of terror by bandits had seen the previous dwelling razed to the ground. Aware that Nettie could easily be left destitute by the loss, Vin had rallied the seven, amazingly enough including Ezra Standish, to erect a new home in place of the one that had been lost. While Nettie had offered her thanks with a few words and warm meals for all whenever they were out this way because she was not a woman who expressed sentiment, it was easy to see that she was greatly touched by their efforts.
She waved at Alex with a wide smile as the young doctor approached, bringing Phoebe right to the front of the house before Alex dismounted and started up the walk that led to the house. When Nettie saw the absence of a return smile on Alex's face, the old woman guessed immediately that the reason for her arrival was not social. Immediately, Nettie felt a surge of concern, centering mostly on her niece Casey or Vin Tanner because nothing else could bring Alex here wearing such a grave expression on her lovely features. Immediately, the old woman stopped what she was doing, setting down the broom and hurrying toward Alex to meet her half way.
"Alex, dear what it is?" Nettie as soon as Alex was near enough to answer.
"Its Vin, Nettie," Alex said, wasting no time because it was not a commodity that she had in great abundance at present. With the stage leaving Four Corners in a few short hours, she had no time to waste and she needed an answer from Nettie immediately. "A Federal Marshal came for him last night. He got away but Chris and the others have gone after him."
"What do you mean gone after him?" Nettie asked, her face registering her shock at the news that Vin's past had finally caught up with him. Vin was like the son she never had, and to hear that he was in such dire straits was an arrow through her heart that any mother could appreciate.
"They had no choice," Alex answered quickly, not wanting Nettie to believe for a minute that Chris Larabee would willingly betray Vin, she felt guilty enough about thinking ill of the man when she had first heard what he had planned to do. "Vin needs to deal with this and if Chris did not take him to Tascosa, the marshal was going after Vin himself, and he might not be too particular about bringing Vin to Tascosa alive or dead." she pointed out.
"I see." Nettie frowned unhappily, hating the waiting game almost as much as Alex probably did at this point. "Come on inside," she started to lead Alex towards the house, not missing the deep grain of worry in the doctor's attempt to maintain a brave face. "I'll put the coffee on." Nettie offered.
"There isn't time Nettie," Alex remained where she was. "I need your help. I've got Vin a lawyer to fight this in court when he finally gets to trial. I'm planning on going to Tascosa myself on the stage, but it would help if you came along with me."
"Why?" Nettie looked at her, unable to imagine what use she could be to Vin in Tascosa, other than providing moral support. Alex however, appeared very serious about the request and seemed to have a deeper purpose for which she reluctant to speak out, even though it was necessary for Nettie to understand fully why she was needed.
"Texas used to be a slave owning state," Alex said after a moment of hesitation, realizing she could not make Nettie understand why her assistance was so vital if she did not tell her the truth or the reservations she held about her presence in Tascosa. "I'm not white and if I go into Tascosa paying his bills and giving instructions to his lawyer, it will just make things worse for him. Nettie I need your help down there, I don't want to be another liability to Vin. He's going to have a hard enough time as it is."
Nettie thought quietly for a moment, then came to the conclusion that there was no debate needed. Ever since she had met him, Vin had gone out of his way to make her load easier to bear. He had once said that she reminded him of the mother he had lost as a child, and while Nettie had never come out and said it, he reminded her of the son she had always wanted but was never meant to have. After he had saved her farm from Guy Royal, he had been a regular fixture on the property, often turning up out of nowhere to mend a broken fence or to help her with whatever chores needed doing around the place. Vin's presence had made her small family grow just a little and Nettie liked seeing him at her table, sharing supper with her and Casey after he had spent a hard day working on the farm.
Although she had never come out and said it to him, she loved the boy and would do anything to protect him. It was Nettie who had encouraged Vin to express his feelings about Alex when no one else was aware that he harbored feelings for the doctor, and no one was prouder than she when they announced their engagement. Suddenly, Alex became the fourth addition to her family and Nettie considered the young woman family as much as Casey or any of her kin. If Alex needed help, and it took a great deal to prompt such an able woman as Alexandra Styles to admit it, then there was no question that Nettie could do anything but provide it.
"When do we leave?" Nettie asked.
Alex let out a sigh of relief and found herself embracing Nettie in sheer gratitude because it was no small thing that Alex was asking. "Thank you Nettie." she whispered softly as the old woman held her and stroked her hair softly in a way that reminded Alex of how her father used to hold her when she was troubled as a child. She held no such memory of her mother. "I know this is a great deal to ask." Alex remarked as she pulled away from Nettie to speak.
"You hush now," the older woman stopped her from offering thanks because Nettie was grateful of any opportunity to be able to help Vin during this crisis. She certainly preferred to take an active role in aiding him rather than sitting at home, wringing her hands with worry while she waited for an outcome to reach her ears. "I know you wouldn't ask unless it is important and you're right, Texas is no place to make enemies, especially in a town looking to lynch Vin for murder."
"Well," Alex let out a deep breath. "Chris and the others are going to stay in Tascosa and see to it that Vin gets a fair trial. The marshal seems to be a good man and he claims he's going to uphold the law and see justice done, so Vin's safe for the moment."
"Assuming they don't find him guilty." Nettie frowned, voicing just how precariously the illusion of safety truly was.
"Exactly." Alex nodded, very well aware of that fact. "That's why I got him a lawyer. The stage will be leaving in a few hours and I intend to be on it."
"And so will I." Nettie said confidently. "If you want me."
There was no question of wanting Nettie, as far as Alexandra Styles was concerned. She needed her to be on that stage when it left Four Corners.
Alex needed her and more importantly, Vin needed her.