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.
Vin Tanner had one dream when he dreamed about Alex.
He dreamed about the day she walked into his life with no warning, about the impact she was going to create upon her arrival, just that incredible feeling of attraction that reached out of nowhere and shoved his heart into a box before hand delivering it to her forever. When Alex had stepped off the coach that first day, she had captured all their attention. They had stared at her like schoolboys, watching her sweep out of the carriage, skirt flouncing behind her with that wave of jet worn loose around her shoulders shimmering as she walked.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen as he watched her go about her business, determination in her face as she surveyed Four Corners for the first time and decided with a resolution of spirit that this was her home. He had only been that affected by any female once in his life, that had been Charlotte, but seeing Alex for the first time made that experience pale in comparison. He sat at the table with the rest of the seven, trying to look appreciative but not overly concerned, hiding the fact that inside his chest his heart was beating with the pace of a runaway train. He had wanted nothing but to go out there and introduce himself before the stark terror of actually speaking to a woman of this caliber impressed itself upon his brain. In light of what happened later on with Ezra, it was a decision Vin would spend many nights regretting.
Sometimes the dream would alternate between how it had been to how he would have liked things to have gone. There were times when he did have the courage to leave the table and introduce himself to her. Vin pictured himself interrupting Buck in his fruitless pursuit, tipping his hat to Alex as he revealed his name with no difficulty whatsoever in overcoming his shyness at that point. He envisioned Alex meeting his eyes and then giving him that smile, the one which would always make him melt in his boots with the knowledge that she loved him too.
In the dreamscape, she would have eyes for no one but him. Alex would ask him to escort her to the hotel and then invite him upstairs to her room. They would make such fiery and passionate love there that the sheets would literally be set on fire. After which they would lie together in a tangle of sweaty, warm flesh, breathing in the heady scent of their lustful pleasure in the aftermath of such a soul-searching experience. He would hold her in his arms and tell her that he loved her and hear the same words from her, spoken with the sincerity he had dreamed of always hearing when he first realized that his soul mate had walked into his life.
"Wake up Tanner!"
Vin opened his eyes as that sharp voice tore him from Alex's warm arms back to the cold reality of his jail cell. He heard Ritter dragging a tin cup across the bars of his cage, creating a sound that would wake the dead if they had not already risen from their graves. Flinching as the fog of sleep drifted from his mind, he lifted his head from the lumpy pillow of his cot and raised his eyes to the man, giving Ritter a dirty look for rousing him from such a satisfying dream.
"I'm up." Vin grumbled as he saw Ritter standing before his cell staring down at him with that same contemptuous expression he had been wearing since Vin placed himself in his custody. Ritter's mood had not improved with the arrival of Vin's lawyer the night before. The man had amazingly given Vin some measure of hope by his pointed questions to the sheriff about the caliber of the gun that had been used to kill Jesse Kindcaid.
"Thank you Sheriff Ritter for that charming wake up." Ezra Standish who had spent the last hour in the chair dozing lightly had been aroused from his repose just as abruptly. The gambler stretched in his chair before standing up to adjust his rumpled clothing.
"You got a visitor." Ritter muttered unhappily, giving the gambler a dark look as he walked away.
A visitor? Vin immediately sat up in bed and exchanged a glance with Ezra who shrugged his shoulders, being just as mystified at who it might be. There was one brief moment when a surge of hope surfaced inside Vin, thinking it might be Alex, before his senses returned and he told himself he did not want to see her and suspected she knew him well enough to make that determination on her own. However as he heard approaching footsteps, his gaze shifted to Ezra who caught first sight of his guest, who appeared pleasantly stunned by the new arrival.
"Why Madam, this is a surprise." Ezra burst into a smile of genuine pleasure.
"Howdy Vin." Nettie Wells stepped in front of his cell to his utter amazement.
"Ma'am." Vin immediately stood up, unable to deny that it was good to see the lady even in this unfortunate circumstance. "What...what are you doing here?" he stammered.
"Alex sent me here." Nettie explained as Ezra immediately vacated his chair and brought it forward for her use.
Somehow that did not surprise Vin. If Alex could not be here herself, it was natural that she would sent Nettie because the old lady had a tendency to make him feel better when things were at their worst. This situation certainly qualified.
"How is she?" Vin asked when Nettie had seated herself down.
"She's doing okay." Nettie replied holding a neutral expression on her face, remembering Alex's instructions to not let Vin know that she was here in Tascosa just yet. Although Nettie disagreed with Alex on that point, she was not about to betray the young woman's trust and could almost understand her reason for wanting her presence here to remain a secret. "I assume you've met the lawyer she got you by now."
"Yeah," Vin nodded. "Seems smart enough."
"According to JD, the man had the sheriff properly cowed." Ezra informed Nettie since Vin was never too specific about these things. "It does appear that he may have some kind of legal defense prepared to counter the charge of murder."
"She did say he was the best she could find." Nettie remarked. "She's mighty worried about you Vin but she was holding together the last time I saw her." Which was ten minutes ago, Nettie thought inwardly.
"Good," Vin nodded, trying to hide the longing he felt at wanting to see her from Nettie and Ezra. "I don't want her here in case anything bad happens."
"Now don't talk like that." Nettie said firmly, not wanting to even contemplate the possibility of Vin Tanner coming to that end. She cared about him dearly and the idea of him hanging was making her so fraught with worry she could barely stand it. Nettie could not even imagine what Alex must be going through, and hoped it would not come to that. Nettie was not certain how Alex could endure losing Vin in such a terrible way, if at all. "You're going to get out of here and you're gonna be with Alex in no time at all. She believes it and so should you."
"I do agree with the lady on that account," Ezra added. Like the rest of the seven, the gambler hated the idea of Vin being trapped in this place and ending his days at the end of a rope. "You must not abandon hope Mr. Tanner, none of us have."
As much as Vin might like to believe that, he was too much of a realist to assume that hope alone would free him from this cage. Even though he did not like to express it to anyone, he utterly hated being inside this cell and wanted more than anything to escape these walls. He had spent the most of last night staring through the small barred window of his cell, trying to see the stars in the sky above, praying silently that his last view of it before his death would not be from inside this prison.
"How long are you staying Nettie?" Vin asked, wishing to avoid that particular subject now because he had no wish to share with them just how pessimistic he was about his chances of escaping this place alive. Despite Alex's employment of a lawyer for him, Vin knew that there was no real evidence to prove he did not kill Jesse Kincaid no matter how cleverly the man might use his words. He did not want feel any false hope, only to learn later that it was a wasted effort to begin with.
"Thanks to that gal of yours, I can stay as long as you need me." Nettie said firmly.
It did please Vin to hear that much. If Alex could not be here, it was nice to know that Nettie would be around. "Does Alex plan on coming here at all?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice but he could not help it. He wanted to see her badly and yet he did not want her to be here at the same time. He could not bear for her to see him like this, and yet he ached not being with her or seeing her. She was the only thing that could make his tenure inside this hell of stone and steel bars tolerable.
"I don't know." Nettie remarked. She felt her insides ache at having to lie to Vin but she had promised Alex. "She thought it would make it harder for you if she were here."
"It would," he said softly, trying not to let the disappointment show in his eyes even though Alex was right. It would make it so much harder, not only to see her but also to live with the decision he had made to stand trial and face judgement, however it ended. She was the only reason he had not put Four Corners behind him and made some attempt to clear his name before Jamieson had come for him. "Well, when the time comes and this thing don't go my way. I don't want her here."
"Vin..."Ezra started to say.
"I mean it Ezra." he said firmly and looked both Nettie and Ezra in the eye when he made this statement. "If it comes down to it that I'm gonna hang, I don't want her to know until its over. That's one thing I don't need to have her see."
"You cannot make us promise something like that Mr. Tanner," Ezra said just as firmly. "You may love her, but as her friend, so do I, and she would never forgive any of us, if we were to keep that information from her. I am afraid, if it does come down to it as you say, that is one task you are going to have to do yourself."
Strangely enough, Nettie said nothing to back Ezra's statement when everything about her told Vin that she would have. In any case, the gambler was right, with or without her supporting his statement. He could not ask his friends to perform a task like that for him, as this was one thing he had to do on his own. He just wished he did not have to look Alex in the eye and tell her when all hope had drained and there was nothing left for them but farewells, that it was time for her to let him go. Vin prayed that he had the courage to do that and Alex had the same to endure it.
While Nettie was visiting Vin at the jailhouse, Alex took the opportunity to seek out Chris Larabee. The gunslinger had not been surprised to see her in Tascosa, particularly after hearing from JD that she had hired a lawyer for Vin's defense. Chris had more or less expected such action from Alex, once the doctor had recovered her senses enough to act. Alexandra Styles was the most capable woman Chris had ever met, with the exception of Mary Travis. He sometimes sensed that she was more held together than his best friend, even though it served her to let Vin think otherwise. While she could be an emotional creature, after all she was female, Chris had found her to be quite resolute when she pulled herself together.
He had been in the saloon when Alex found him, the lady not caring at all that a saloon was no place for her. She was viewed mostly with distaste by the general public who saw her as nothing more than another colored woman and did not expect much from her in the way of morals, even though she was dressed with the finery of a lady. Chris spotted her immediately upon her entering the establishment, and felt some measure of relief in seeing her, knowing that it would certainly raise Vin's spirits to have Alex here. He spotted her first because it was his nature to keep an eye on anyone that came through the door of any new place he happened to be situated.
"Alex." Chris called out as he neared her.
Alex who looking about her self consciously as she moved deeper into the premises let out a sigh of relief at seeing her lover's best friend. "Chris." She said with a faint smile. Without thinking about it, she gave him a hug perhaps needing it. Chris returned the hug warmly. "How is Vin?" she asked immediately. Gideon Dunwill had told her last night that Vin appeared in good health but she could not rest easy until she heard it from Chris.
"He ain't happy about being locked up, but he's alright for the moment. He'll be happy to see you." he remarked.
"No he won't," she shook his head. "Chris I don't want him to know I'm here, not yet." she said quickly, wanting this established before any further conversation. "I don't want anyone telling him I'm here either."
Chris did not have to ask why, he understood that well enough. It would be too difficult for Vin to see her, especially if the trial did not go well. Vin was proud, and having the most important person in his life see him in jail was something the tracker could not abide. Obviously, Alex loved him enough not to make him endure such pain. "All right," he nodded quietly. "I'll tell the others."
"Good," she let out another sigh, glad that she did not have to discuss that particular topic in further depth. She was having enough trouble keeping herself from going to the jailhouse and being with him without having to debate the decision with his friends. "Can we talk? I don't feel particularly comfortable here."
Chris could appreciate that and quickly replied. "Wait outside," he instructed. "I'll be there in a minute."
Alex complied immediately and disappeared out the batwing doors as Chris returned to the others and appraised them of the situation. While they were confused that Alex did not want Vin to know that she was in Tascosa, they did not question it, particularly since Chris seemed to be supporting the decision and believed that it would make Vin's incarceration all the more difficult. Before leaving the saloon, Chris gave the rest of them orders as to what they needed do while he was with Alex. Certain events had piqued his interest after the near lynching the night before. Chris was starting to believe that the town of Tascosa was a place of secrets, and at the heart of it was Jesse Kincaid.
To save Vin's life, they had to uncover those secrets.
"So tell me," Alex said, once Chris had joined her outside the saloon and they started walking to the hotel where she was staying. "How is Vin really?"
"Not good." Chris confessed. "He doesn't think he's going to leave that cell."
Alex let out a heavy sigh, wishing that she could be there to offer him comfort. "God I wish he had never come here." She tried to keep her emotions under control but it was impossible. "I wish he had just kept going. Anything would have been better than coming here to face judgement like a sacrificial lamb."
"He couldn't keep running forever Alex," Chris said gently even though he knew if the roles were different and it was Mary running for her life, Chris would feel the exact same way as Alex.
"I know that," Alex nodded, trying to sound brave but not quite managing it. "I just hope Mr. Dunwill can help him."
"That's the lawyer?" Chris inquired, having heard about Mr. Dunwill's conduct from JD the night before. He was glad that they had a legal expert to work in Vin's defense, because when it came down to it really, that was Vin's only real avenue of escape in the light of Ely Joe's death.
"Yes, he's waiting for us in the restaurant." she replied as they reached the boardwalk across the street from the saloon. The hotel was only a few yards further up the street. "I thought that it might be a good idea for you to meet him, maybe you can give him some insight into what happened with Ely Joe that could be useful when the judge finally shows up."
"Good idea." he agreed. "The evidence against Vin is pretty iron clad. The sheriff based his guilt entirely on Vin finding the body and using it to impersonate Ely Joe for the reward money."
"You know these towns better than I do," Alex replied shrugging her shoulders, unable to think of any argument that could be used in Vin's defense, other than ignorance. "They don't exactly follow the rules of due process here."
"Not when it wasn't so long ago they used to lynch people for murder." Chris admitted as they reached the hotel.
"Yes," she nodded grimly. "I heard they tried to do that to Vin last night."
"We stopped it." Chris pointed out, not wanting her to worry herself any more than she already was.
They entered the hotel restaurant, which was mostly empty at this time of day since the breakfast crowd had gone and the staff were preparing for the dining hall for the patrons that would soon be arriving for lunch. Gideon Dunhill occupied a table for four in the center of the room, the immediate space before his cup of coffee was covered in books and papers as he scoured all the information on the case before him. He had glanced upwards long enough to see his party arriving and immediately called out to Chris and Alex as if either of them could miss him.
"Doctor Styles!" He waved them over.
Alex and Chris exchanged glances and she could tell the gunslinger was not particularly impressed despite JD's glowing report. Then again, when was Chris Larabee ever impressed about anything, she thought to herself as they proceeded to the table and introductions were made all around. Gideon and Chris regarded each other as if they were two different creatures, from different worlds for that matter. Alex remained silent, even though she was tempted to smile at the difference between one man who looked as if he belonged in a library in his tweed suit and bow tie while the other was nothing less than predatory and completely menacing in his clothes of black.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance Mr. Larabee." Gideon extended his hand and did not complain when Chris merely tipped his hat in his direction and sat down.
"So," Alex said to Gideon once they had were all seated. "You've gone through the case, what do you think?" She asked him mostly for Chris' benefit. While outwardly most people would think Chris' intelligence extended only as far as the bullets in his gun, his friends knew better. Chris had one of the sharpest intellects Alex had ever known, and one of the most honed instincts as well. The man could smell a lie a mile away and spot a con even faster than Ezra could try to slip an ace up his sleeve.
"I think we have a good chance of acquittal if we can move the trial elsewhere." Gideon answered, taking off his glasses and starting to clean them with the big white handkerchief he had just retrieved from his pocket.
"Why?" Chris asked shortly.
"I do not think Mr. Tanner can receive a fair trial in this community. If the doctor I spoke with to get the report on the ammunition removed from the body, and the sheriff are any indication of public sentiment in this town, finding twelve impartial men to preside over this case is going to be next to impossible." Gideon replied.
"Well they were ready to lynch him last night." Alex pointed out. "That's hardly an impartial community."
"Precisely," Gideon agreed. "We're going to need to move the trial to another locality. I am aiming for Amarillo. Its close enough to Tascosa for the adjournment to be no more than a few days and far enough to keep gossip from hampering juror's prudence." His gaze shifted towards Chris. "That means..."
"I know what it means." Chris gave him a look.
"I apologize." Gideon cleared his throat, not missing the menace in those eyes. "If we move the trial to Amarillo, it is possible that we have a chance of freeing Mr. Tanner. As I indicated to you before, the question of ammunition is an important one. Mr. Tanner's habits, from a dozen witnesses in the surrounding towns where he had claimed bounties prior to hunting Ely Joe, indicate that he has always been partial to using a Winchester 30 Ð30 bolt action rifle. In fact, he is so adverse to using any kind of other firearm, he usually models his rifles to be used as a handgun, does he not?"
"He does." Chris agreed, aware that the first thing Vin had done after acquiring himself the rifle he would take to the Seminole village was to saw off the barrel and fashion a holster so the weapon could be worn on his hip, like a hand gun.
"Excellent," Gideon said pleased with that response. "If we can prove to the jury that Mr. Tanner is not likely to abandon the weapon of his choice to use a gun with a 45 caliber bullet to kill Mr. Kincaid, we might be able to plant a question of reasonable doubt."
"Reasonable doubt?" Alex looked at him, puzzled by the term.
"It means," Chris spoke up and surprised them both. "That there might be enough suspicious circumstance around the death to bring up the possibility that Vin might not have done it."
"Exactly." Gideon said with a smile, impressed with Chris' understanding of the situation, as well as his emerging acumen. "Also, the gun has yet to be found, which means that Mr. Tanner might have disposed of it which is a redundant gesture since the ballistic of the bullet is very clear to anyone who might look, or simply that its true owner might still be in possession of it."
"There's something else," Chris brought up the subject of something that had been bothering him since the incident of the previous evening. "Last night, someone tried to stir up a mob to lynch Vin."
"I heard." Alex shuddered at the news, grateful that Chris and the others were here to prevent that from happening.
"Yes, frightful business." Gideon remarked, clearly disapproving. "Unfortunately, not unusual in small frontier towns like this."
"I don't know about that," Chris did not want to go into a discussion about law in small towns, considering his unique position in Four Corners as lawman. "But the man who fired everyone up was gone when the mob when to the jailhouse."
"What do you mean gone?" The lawyer looked at him, not understanding.
"He stirred them up but he didn't lead them to the jailhouse. Someone else did."
"That's strange." Alex said with her brow knitting in confusion. While the whole idea of a lynching sounded just plain awful, particularly when it related to the man she loved, she could see Chris' concern. "Why go to all that trouble?"
"Unless you wanted Vin to die before he went to trial so no questions were asked." Chris pointed out because this was where his ruminations had led him. "I've been thinking lately about what if Ely Joe didn't kill a random victim? He came out of his way to Tascosa to frame Vin, he could have just done it because he had reason to kill someone here."
"I say, that is an interesting point." Gideon remarked, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he sat up in his chair and started scribbling in his notebook. "If we could prove that a third party might be involved, even to the slightest degree, that would assist our cause quite effectively. Are you able to find out who this person that instigated the action last night might be?"
"The sheriff gave me a name." Chris answered automatically. "His name is Caleb Patterson, apparently he is rancher in these parts."
"Mr. Larabee," Gideon looked at him seriously, confident now that he was dealing with no fool and that the gunslinger might be able to ferret out information that was invaluable to his friend. "It might be prudent to see if there is any history between Mr. Kincaid and Mr. Patterson. If there is a reason why Mr. Patterson does not want questions raised at a trial, it would serve us very well to know that they might be."
"I've got Buck asking around" the gunslinger replied, having given those instructions to his old friend prior to his departure from the saloon earlier. "Buck tends to be kind of easy going so people don't mind talking to him."
"In the mean time," the lawyer replied, closing his notebook after making more notations. "I shall attempt to gain an interview with Mrs. Kincaid. While your associate attempts to get information from town, I will see about questioning the widow Kincaid on that same point. She may know something that was previously incidental to her but of great assistance to us, if Mr. Patterson is somehow involved in foul play. I believe her name is Amanda, she owns an establishment called Amanda's Sewing Circle."
Chris looked up sharply. He remembered the woman who had been watching Vin closely as they rode into town. There was something about the way she had stared at the tracker had captured Chris' notice almost immediately. When everyone else had been glaring at the tracker in unmasked dislike, she was different. She had merely stared at him with something akin to compassion and sorrow, and Chris had come away not understanding why that would be. In light of what they were learning about Patterson and Kincaid since arriving in Tascosa, had that look been engendered by a secret knowledge that might shed light on Vin's innocence?
"You do that." Chris said quietly. "I think you're right." he said not knowing why he was so absolute on this. "I think she does know something."
"Amanda, you don't got to do this." Ritter said to her as she stood before his desk.
"I have the right to see my husband's killer." Amanda Kincaid replied firmly as she stared at Ritter's face, full of determination to have her will done. This argument had gone on for a few minutes now, ever since she had entered the jailhouse and made her intentions known. "Please Joshua." She repeated herself. "I need to see him."
Ritter did not like this. He cared a great deal for Amanda, who had managed to pull her life together following the death of her husband Jesse. Although she was always a quiet little thing, he had respected her ability to endure in a place like Tascosa, where most women of her ilk would have packed up and left for greener pastures where a woman might get along better. Not Amanda. Following Jesse's death she had only improved her situation by selling his farm and starting herself a little business that was doing quite well.
"All right," he conceded, unable to see any reason to deny her request and she was right, she deserved the right to face Vin Tanner. "Just for a few minutes."
"Thank you," she smiled slightly and that was quite a display for Amanda for she always so silent and so devoid of happiness. He figured she must have really loved Jesse and not recovered from his death.
Ritter led her to the cells where Tanner's colored friend sat watch that nothing unfortunate took place while he was in custody. Although Ritter was offended by the insinuation, the man in black was absolute on this point and Jamieson had ordered him to tolerate the imposition just to keep the peace.
"On your feet Tanner." Ritter announced their arrival as he reached the cell in question. "You got another visitor and you better be on your best damn behavior for her or there'll be hell to pay."
Vin did not recognize the woman as he got to his feet and saw Nathan do the same, watching the proceedings carefully as she came before his cell. Her eyes had difficulty meeting his and Vin recognized her as the one who had been staring at him when he had first come into town.
"This is here is Amanda Kincaid." Ritter said gruffly. "The wife of the man you murdered."
Both Nathan and the widow Kincaid flinched at that term and the healer threw the sheriff a look of disgust at making Vin endure this punishment, especially when he did not commit the crime of taking this woman's husband from her. She met Vin's gaze with her soulfully blue eyes and Vin found himself thinking that she was indeed a fragile looking creature that looked as if she needed protecting. However, there was no anger in her eyes, no hatred or any visible hostility, which only served to confuse him.
"Josh," she said quietly, not meeting the sheriff's gaze when she spoke. "Do you think I can have a moment with him alone?"
"Amanda, I don't think that's such a good idea....." Ritter started to protest.
"Please Josh?" she asked, turning those eyes on him and losing him in their blue depths. Vin could see submission in the older man's face as soon as she looked at him.
"Sure." He nodded and turned to Nathan. "That means you too."
Nathan did not like leaving Vin but the tracker did not sense danger from this woman and quickly spoke up to reassure him. "Its okay Nate," he answered, uncertain what made him believe that. "I think I'll be all right."
Nathan frowned, disliking the idea, but not wanting Vin to think that he had no control over anything and complied reluctantly when he proceeded to follow the sheriff out into the next room.
Amanda did not speak until the two were gone and she was completely alone with Vin. Vin let her speak first because it was she who requested this audience. He expected her to ask for an apology for her husband's death and hated to disappoint the woman but he had no intention of admitting that he killed Kincaid when he had not.
"I am sorry." she said softly and left him speechless for a moment with her words.
"Sorry?" Vin stared back at her in confusion once he had recovered enough to respond.
"I am sorry you were caught." Her voice became slightly louder and he had the impression that she did not speak much. There was a reservation to her voice that he could identify with, and it reminded Vin of how he used to be when he had first joined the seven. It had been exceedingly difficult for him to converse with the others when he was so used to being alone all the time. A flash of insight told Vin that she so soft spoken because like him, she was accustomed to staying in the background where she would not be noticed. There was something inside of her that had known great restraint in her lifetime and Vin wondered why that was.
"Why?" Vin managed to ask perplexed by her apology. "I'm supposed to have killed your husband" he pointed out.
"They said you killed him," she continued to speak just as quietly as before. "I don't know that you did. I didn't see it with my own eyes so I'm not going to accuse you. I just wanted to say I'm sorry that you got caught."
This was confusing him. "I don't understand."
"He wasn't a good man." she said softly, her lips quivering when she made this admission as if it was something deeply personal and difficult to reveal. "When he died, I was free for the first time in a long time and I am grateful for that." Her eyes started to fill with tears and she couldn't look at him any more, needing to turn away from him to compose herself.
And suddenly Vin understood.
"Did he hurt you ma'am?" he finally asked, once she had faced him again. Her cheeks were still damp, even though she had wiped the moisture away. Vin Tanner knew nothing about Jesse Kincaid, even though he had been accused of his murder these past three years, but meeting his widow now explained much about the man, and Vin decided that perhaps in some way, though not beneficial to himself, Kincaid deserved what he got.
She stepped away, unable to answer, even though her eyes told him everything. "I am sorry Mr. Tanner. I hoped they would never catch you. I was just happy to have him gone."
With that, she hurried away leaving him new questions and no answers.
When Chris returned to the others inside the saloon, he had decided that perhaps Alex's selection of a lawyer was indeed the best chance for Vin's eventual freedom, even though he had not been entirely impressed with Mr. Gideon Dunwill to begin with. However, Dunwill's suggestions and attention to the minor details that most might forget was quite logical and astute. While Chris did not know that this was altogether enough to secure Vin's freedom, or capable of clearing his name, the gunslinger had to admit that he had more hope of that happening now than he did this morning.
When he returned to the saloon, Chris learnt that Buck had gone to take his turn guarding Vin at the jailhouse but had spent the hours before quite productively in his search for information about Caleb Patterson. As expected, none of the townsfolk had been willing to talk to them because they were Vin's companions, however, Buck had used that amazing charm of his to coax several working girls and one barmaid to impart what was known about the man in regards to general gossip.
As Chris bought himself a beer and sat down to join the others at their table, he noticed that the furtive glances and icy looks had yet to fade away. Tascosa still saw them as nothing more than outlaws protecting a murderer, but last night's display had ensured that tangling with any of Vin Tanner's companions was a fatal mistake. The gunslinger nestled himself back in his chair, preparing to listen to what Buck's digging had turned up, since he had passed the knowledge acquired to those at the table prior to leaving.
"So what do we know about Patterson?" Chris asked, eager for some information that Dunwill could use in a court of law.
"Well the man is a rancher, but also a rather wealthy landowner. His spread has swallowed up a number of smaller properties in recent years, including the Kincaid place." Ezra said, reciting what Buck had told him before the man's departure when he had gone to assume his turn at guarding Vin Tanner.
"His wife must have sold up after he passed on." Chris commented, assuming that was the natural order of things when a woman alone was left a property like this.
"Apparently so, however, Patterson had been after the place for quite some time." Ezra said exchanging glances with Josiah and the others at the table, which immediately incurred Chris' immediate suspicion.
"Why?" he demanded, wondering if this was the history Dunwill had mentioned earlier.
"If Mr. Wilmington's information is to be assumed as correct," Ezra continued after taking a sip of his beer and wetting his throat in order to continue, "four years ago, the only source of water on the Patterson place went dry and the ranch found itself in dire straits by not having an adequate supply of water for its livestock. This state of affairs caused quite a bit of difficulty for Mr. Patterson and a few of the neighboring homesteads, except for the Kincaid place, whose water supply did manage to survive the drought."
"Makes things kind of interesting, don't you think?" Josiah drawled meeting Chris' eyes with a clear gleam of suggestion.
"Very," Chris agreed. "Go on."
"Mr. Kincaid was not one to let a golden opportunity slip by him and was willing to allow his neighbors access to his water, naturally at a tidy profit. The monetary restitution was reasonable to begin with but as time progressed, Kincaid became enraptured by avarice and began making more exorbitant demands. Patterson, who had the most to lose by this, eventually offered to buy the property for a very generous amount."
"Let me guess," Chris remarked, stopping Ezra for a moment because he could just imagine what was coming without having to hear it from the gambler. "Kincaid refused."
"Kincaid refused, much to Mr. Patterson's annoyance." Ezra confirmed his supposition somberly. "Patterson, as most men trapped in a corner are inclined to do, employed more aggressive methods of convincing Kincaid to sell but the man held fast."
"Then along comes Vin, supposedly," Nathan took over the narration. "Kills Kincaid and Patterson's problems are over. Within a month of his death, Mrs. Kincaid sells the place to him. He was good enough to keep the original offer on the table so she got a lot of money for her losing her husband."
"So there's the connection." Chris mused, seeing it all come together with that bit of information.
"What connection Chris?" JD asked, never seeing the big picture unless it was explained to him. He assumed that when he had few more years under his belt, he would see the darker side of things as these men did so easily.
"That lawyer of Vin's reckons that there might have been some history between Kincaid and Patterson. Might explain why he was so fired up to get Vin lynched last night and not take part in it." Chris replied. "It makes sense if he had something to do with Kincaid getting killed. Now we put it on the table that Ely Joe might not have picked his victim at random. What if he didn't?" The gunslinger looked at his friends with that proposal. "What if Ely Joe was paid to kill him?"
"He wanted to frame Vin to get him off his back, so he used the victim he had to kill anyway to do it." Josiah nodded, theorizing out loud. "Makes things mighty convenient."
"It certainly does," Ezra agreed with their line of reasoning. "Unfortunately, how do we prove it?"
"Trust you to rain on a perfectly good plan." Nathan frowned because there was no easy answer to that question.
"But he's right," Chris sighed. "We do have to prove it."
"There's something else though," Nathan mentioned, now that they were on the subject of proof and possibilities. Vin had told him something of the encounter he had earlier that day with Mrs. Kincaid when she had come to see him at the jailhouse. "I don't know what it means, if anything at all, but Kincaid's wife came to see Vin today."
"At the jailhouse?" JD inquired somewhat warily, unable to imagine that meeting would be anything but unpleasant for Vin.
"How unfortunate." Ezra sighed. "Is Mr. Tanner alright?"
"He's fine." Nathan said realizing they expected the worse and quickly continued to alleviate any concerns about Vin following the meeting. "She told him that she was sorry he was caught and that she had prayed that he would stay free."
"That's weird." JD exclaimed. "I kind of thought she would be mad at him."
"You would not be wrong in that assumption JD." Josiah looked at Nathan quizzically. "Strange behavior from a woman mourning her husband."
"Unless there was no reason to mourn." Nathan replied. "She told Vin that she was freed when Kincaid died so she was not that sorry to see him go."
"What a man does with his wife behind closed doors is for no one to know." Chris said quietly, starting to understand now the sadness and tragedy etched in the face he had seen. She had appeared to him so wounded, and with her description of Kincaid's death as her freedom, he could appreciate why that was. "I've known wives who suffered a lot of things because they married the wrong men."
"Then she'd be likely to help Vin if she could." JD remarked.
"I don't see why not." Chris replied. "If Patterson had something to do with the murder, the more I know about him, I'm becoming pretty sure of it, she could be the only person who could get Vin out of this mess."
Gideon Dunwill and Alexandra Styles found themselves outside the establishment known as Amanda's Sewing Circle later that day. Judging by the number of women entering and leaving the premises, it was obvious the business was doing brisk trade. It was a rather cozy looking establishment with nice brush script printed across the glass window and a blue awning that stretched across the walkway. Through the window the duo could see Amanda herself, dealing with her customers, and waited until the room had emptied considerably before choosing to enter themselves.
"She's doing well." Alex commented as they watched the patrons coming and going, all wearing expressions of satisfied service on their faces with their departure. Amanda had not noticed the two strangers who were outside her door and had disappeared into the backrooms, taking momentary advantage of the solitude to tend to some business beyond the main shop floor.
"She has had considerable time to perfect the art." Gideon pointed out. "She's been on her own for almost three years, I suppose it must have been necessary to develop a good business sense."
Alex could not argue with that. Living in the west had taught her one thing very quickly, the weak did not survive long in such harsh frontier territory. That Amanda Kincaid had survived well enough to arrive at this point was a testament to her mettle. Alex sincerely hoped that she would be able to give Gideon some information that might assist Vin in his upcoming legal battle. She knew she probably should have stayed in the hotel room and let the lawyer handle this on his own, but Alex had insisted on accompanying Gideon to this interview with Kincaid's wife because she was going crazy with nothing to do. While Nettie kept a vigil on Vin in jail, Alex could do nothing but linger inside her room, with nothing more than her thoughts to occupy her, and too many of those were screaming the futility of her actions for her to tolerate them.
The bell attached to the door announced their presence when they walked through, and by then, she and Gideon were the only ones left in the shop. The main trade was done in the knitting, darning and other garment repair services provided by the proprietress and as they entered the establishment, she emerged from the backrooms to greet them from behind the counter.
Gideon had instructed Alex to let him conduct the interview prior to their entrance here. While he understood his client's need to occupy her mind, he did not wish her to complicate matters by any unsolicited opinions at this delicate encounter. She was intelligent woman, this Doctor Styles and was able to appreciate the need for her silence. Thus while Gideon took center stage, she busied herself by browsing through the selection of material that made up the store's merchandise.
"Can I help you?" Amanda asked in a too soft voice that made Gideon's skin tingle for reason. She was not what one would call a stunning beauty but there was something about her that left one thinking she was ethereal in her appearance.
"Yes," he replied politely. "Permit me to introduce myself, I am Gideon Dunwill. This is my associate, Miss Alexandra Styles." Alex turned around enough to offer a slight nod of greeting at Amanda before fading into the background and allowing Gideon to continue.
"I am acting legal counsel for Vin Tanner, the man accused..." Gideon started to say.
"I know who he is." she answered automatically, that mask of passive indifference holding firm over her face even though her eyes were fluid with emotion.
Alex said nothing as she observed Gideon and Amanda without offering comment, pretending to keep her focus on the merchandise instead of their conversation. It was understandable of course if she held some hostile emotions towards the lawyer and Vin, after all, it was her husband who was killed and Gideon was the one defending the man accused of that crime.
"I know it is a terrible imposition but I wonder if I could have a moment of your time. I need to ask you a few questions about the day your husband died." Gideon responded contritely, hoping that she was not going to be too distressed by the request. He expected a refusal or some protest because it was usually the way with spouses. Two decades of experience had taught him that much. However, she displayed no signs of anger as she nodded slightly in that unassuming manner that made him wonder why she was so reserved and what forces had taken place in her life to drive the spirit inside her so deep beneath the surface.
"What do you need to know?" she responded to his surprise and Alex's.
"Uh," he shook his head recovering from her unexpected cooperation. "I just need to hear from your recollection, what you remember of that day."
"All right," she nodded slowly as she looked away, attempting to bring up the information that would help him. "There is not much to tell though." She began slowly and took note of Mr. Gideon's companion paying very close attention to her words, having forgotten all about the floral pattern she had been busily perusing.
"Anything you can remember will assist us." Gideon remarked quickly.
"I doubt it," she shrugged. "I got up early that morning because I had some errands in town. Jesse said something about fixing a broken fence or gate," her brow knotted as she tried to remember what exactly had needed mending that day. "He took off before I left and he seemed fine then. It was the last time I saw him." she concluded, turning away for a moment as she made that statement.
"I am sorry for your loss." Gideon offered with genuine sincerity.
"Thank you," Amanda said quickly, taking note of his associate who was watching her closely as she made that response. "But he's been gone for three years and you get accustomed to putting things in the past."
"I can understand that." Gideon nodded. "I suppose you did not see anyone about that day that might have stood out in your mind. Anything unusual at all?"
"No," she shook her head after giving it another moment of consideration. "Nothing at all."
"Well, we did try." Gideon glanced over his shoulder at Alex.
"Do you think you will be able to convince a judge that he did not do it?" Amanda inquired with more interest in her voice than there should be.
"We're going to try." Gideon answered, somewhat surprised by her inquiry. She was taking it rather well and showing Mr. Tanner an inordinate amount of cooperation, considering he was accused of killing her husband. Even Doctor Styles had noticed it, even though she was keeping her opinions silent, content merely to observe the proceedings. "It will be difficult of course and dire if we fail."
"Yes," Amanda seemed troubled at that thought. "They'll hang him if he is found guilty."
Instinctively, Alex reacted, even though she had not meant to reveal her relationship to Vin. Just the idea of him being strung up like an animal for a crime he did not commit, made her sick to her stomach, and the anguish she felt showed in her face. With that one instance of surfaced despair, she revealed to Amanda Kincaid exactly what her relationship was to Vin Tanner. "We're hoping it doesn't come to that." she said quickly, hoping to cover her reaction.
"You're his wife?" Amanda asked, certain of what she had seen in Alex's face.
Alex exchanged a look with Gideon in which she conveyed a silent apology to the man for revealing herself to Amanda this way. However, there did not seem to be much reason to lie, especially when it was obvious to Amanda what the truth was. "Not yet but we were hoping soon." She swallowed hard and forced away the sadness in her heart.
"I'm sorry." Amanda found herself saying. "It must be very hard on you."
"It is, but no more than it must have been when you lost your husband." Alex replied, grateful that Amanda was being so generous with her compassion. She would not have expected it from someone who believed the man she loved to be a murderer.
"I've coped with him being gone, but I am sorry about Mr. Tanner. They say he killed him, I don't presume to make that judgment myself." Amanda admitted.
"That's very good of you," Gideon replied, having said nothing all this time because he was keeping Mrs. Kincaid under tight scrutiny. He had not been pleased that the nature of Alex's relationship had been revealed to Amanda, but her reaction was not what he would have expected. In fact, nothing about Mrs. Kincaid seemed to make any sense. "Thank you for your time Mrs. Kincaid, Alex it is time we were leaving."
"Yes," Alex offered the woman a look of warmth. "Thank you for your help."
"If I remember anything," Amanda offered, feeling sympathy for the sadness she saw in Alexandra Styles' eyes because it was obvious she loved Tanner very much. "I'll be sure to find you Mr. Dunwill."
"We would appreciate that." Gideon said with a smile. "We have lodgings at the hotel. Anything at all would be useful, no matter how insignificant it might seem."
"I'll keep that in mind." Amanda nodded, feeling her breath quicken and her heart start to pound as she watched the duo take their leave of the shop. For a few seconds after they left, she continued to feel the heavy rumbling of her heart moving along at its juggernaut pace. It took a few minutes before she felt settled enough to continue her day, but the fear when it had come was palpable and paralyzing at the same time.
"Why did he give himself up!" Amanda exclaimed out loud, daring to speak because no one else was in the room with her. For thee years she had lived a blissful life of forgetfulness where she did not have to think about Jesse or the hell that had been her life before his death. She had walked away from that cursed farm a woman with a small stipend that allowed her to purchase this building and set up her business. It was all as perfect as she had always dreamed. Why did it all have to be dredged up again? She did not want to have to think about Jesse or his death!
When she had seen Tanner this morning, she had looked into his face and known that he had not killed Jesse. though Amanda had always known it was Ely Joe who had been responsible. However, meeting the tracker for the first time changed her perspective considerably, and no matter how she tried to dispel the thought that his fate had nothing to do with her, Amanda knew better. It had everything to do with her and she was the only who could keep him from hanging. It did not help that he was a good man. Amanda could tell that by how fiercely his friends defended him, not merely by their action of keeping a guard on him to ensure that no harm came to him in Ritter's custody but also by how they had accompanied him here to Tascosa. They were determined that he had his day in court so that he could be proven innocent. However, even Amanda knew that with Ely Joe dead, that was going to be near impossible.
Unless she spoke up.
But she could not! Her guilt was eating her inside out but despite that she could not bring herself to bring the truth out in the open. No one knew what Jesse had been like behind closed doors. Part of her entrapment had been the clever way he had carried out his torture. He seldom left bruises where they could be seen, and when he had, he ensured that she did not come into town until they healed. Outwardly he behaved like the doting older husband with the young, beautiful wife. Amanda had heard the whispers about how Jesse was a wonderful husband, not knowing that behind their backs he was a monster.
How many times had he raped her when she had said no to him, like she was some possession who had no rights, not even upon her on body? How many beatings and cigar burns did she have on her body? How many times had he made her scream when the sheer despair of her situation had almost driven her to suicide? She had not even been strong enough to end her life because there was inside of her something that refused to give up on herself or her life, even after so many years of abuse. How could she tell people what she had endured and face their disbelief? How could she tell them all that when Jesse had died it was not a day of mourning for her but of relief where she had dropped to her knees in the privacy of her home and wept from the sheer joy of freedom.
She could not because they would never believe her. They knew he was a cold and greedy man for holding them ransom over the water on the farm, but they had not the slightest concept of the terror she had experienced during her marriage to him. And now, because she was not strong enough to face their doubt, an innocent man was going to die. Worse yet, she had now met the woman Tanner was to marry and the pain she had seen in Alexandra Styles was not the false projection she had displayed to everyone when news of Jesse' death became known. The grief felt by Tanner's woman was real, the kind of affection she herself had longed to feel for someone, until Jesse drove away any need for a man in her life ever again.
Amanda wished she could be that selfish. She wished she could forget the love she had seen for Tanner in his fiancée's eyes and forget that in a number of days, a judge would decided his fate and sentence him for a crime for which he was not responsible. Tanner was young, not much older than she was actually, and his entire life would end because she was too weak to make the choice to save it.
Even in death, Jesse Kincaid still knew how to hurt her.
"I am sorry about what happened in there." Alex apologized to Gideon once they left the building behind them and made their way back to the hotel.
"Its perfectly all right." Gideon said gently, not wishing to admonish the young woman when she was already so troubled about her fiancée'. "If I were in your position I could not say I would fare much better."
"Thank you Gideon" she answered, genuinely touched. "I'm trying not to give up hope or to let it get to me, but I love him and every moment that he is in that cell just tears at me." Her voice dropped an octave as the emotions threatened to take hold of her again. "He has to be acquitted, Gideon. He can't be hung for something he did not do, and he cannot be caged up for the rest of his life either. He'll die in a cell, just as surely as a hanging would kill him."
"I promise you," the lawyer said with uncharacteristic feeling. It was not his habit to become so emotionally involved in his cases, but his clients, both Alexandra Styles and Vin Tanner, had touched the sentimental side of him more than he would like to admit. "If it is all possible, I will not allow that to happen."
"I know you won't," she said turning away from him to compose herself while they continued walking to the hotel. "Vin has lived most of his life outdoors. He gets nervous if he has to spend more than an hour inside four walls. I can't imagine what he must be feeling trapped inside that jailhouse." Alex knew she was losing her battle to contain her overflowing emotions, but Gideon did not seem to mind and it was strangely liberating being able to talk to a stranger who had a fresher perspective than most on things.
"Why don't you go see him?" he asked, knowing that Tanner would very much like to see his ladylove, judging by the way he spoke about her. He was as much in love with her as she was with him. Gideon, who had been married for ten years to his dear wife Anica, could appreciate the intensity of such affection between two people."
"No," she shook her head, not even willing to contemplate the possibility. "No matter what he says, it would kill him for me to see him like that. Vin's proud and I won't take his dignity from him no matter how much I want to see him." And she did want to see him very much but each time she told herself that she was going to the jailhouse, Alex reminded herself that it was not her feelings she had to consider, it was Vin's. "Besides, I could not stand to see him caged up like that. It would tear me apart," her voice started to tremble a little. "And I'm no good to him if I don't hold together. What I have in here is what he needs right now most of all." She gestured to her head. "If I lose that, then I can do nothing to help him and that would be almost as bad as letting him die."
Gideon nodded in understanding and made a tactful change in subject so that she could collect herself once more. "Well I think that interview with Mrs. Kincaid was quite productive. I must admit her reaction was not at all what I expected" he confessed.
Alex nodded in agreement, with complete understanding of what he was talking about. When they had initially made the decision to see the woman, they had not expected as much as they had received in her cooperation. In fact, Alex was certain they would be turned out on their ear as soon as it was announced who they were and what they required of Mrs. Kincaid. Amanda Kincaid had surprised them both with her response. "I know what you mean. I really expected her throw us out."
"Quite." Gideon replied, thinking along those lines himself. "However, Mrs. Kincaid's reaction was..." he paused briefly while attempting to find the right word to describe the entire encounter. "Interesting."
"Yes," Alex nodded, having noticed that with far more clarity that Gideon could possibly imagine. "It was very illuminating." She thought for a moment as the wheels of her mind began turning and suddenly what had previously been assumed by them all regarding the murder had taken on a very different aspect.
"She knows something." Alex declared with more certainty about this than anything else that had happened since this whole situation came to light once again.
"What makes you say that?" Gideon inquired, prepared to be astonished by Alexandra Styles once again. She had been a revelation upon revelation since their meeting and he was starting to be unsurprised about anything she came up with.
"Call it instinct if you like," Alex replied, unable to describe her perceptions with any more clarity than that. What she suspected was taking root and bringing forward a facet of Jesse Kincaid's murder that no one had previously suspected. "I think there is more to it than she's telling."