Leaving Epitaph: The Sons of Daniel Shaye

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They rode through the night and most of the day, and then camped for the second night about ten miles outside of Hays.

“Are we goin’ into Hays tomorrow?” Ethan asked.

“We can’t,” Aaron said. “They’re bound to have sent word from Salina by now.”

“Then where do we go?”

They were sitting around the fire drinking coffee. They’d finished eating, and Morales and Branch were watching the two brothers. Aaron’s anger since finding out about Dan Shaye had been growing. They could all feel it.

“I don’t know where you’re goin’, brother,” Aaron said, “but I’m gonna head north, into Nebraska.”

“Why north?”

“I like the North,” Aaron said. “I know the country. I can get lost. I can also find some men and get started all over again.”

“I like the South,” Ethan said. “I could go south, through Dodge and back into Indian Territory. I could find some more men too, and start over—”

“No, Ethan,” Aaron said, “when I said start over, I meant it—without you.”

“Wha—What are you talkin’ about?” Ethan asked. “Why? Is this about Shaye?”

“This is about stupidity,” Aaron said. “You’ve got too much of it, brother. I can’t deal with it no more. In the mornin’, you go your way and I’ll go mine. Morales will be comin’ with me.” Aaron looked at Branch. “I don’t know what you want to do, Branch, but take my word for it, go off on your own.”

“I can’t come with you?” Branch asked.

“I don’t want you.”

“What about the money?” Ethan asked.

“We’ll split it four ways,” Aaron said. “We got four sets of saddlebags, so I’ll do it tonight.”

“Four equal shares?” Branch asked.

Aaron turned and looked at him coldly. “Four shares,” he said.

Branch shrugged and subsided. After what happened in Salina, he knew he was lucky to be alive.

“Aaron,” Ethan said, “you can’t blame me—”

“I do blame you, Ethan,” Aaron said. “You got Dan Shaye on our trail. Now, I don’t know what kind of lawman he turned into, but he was a stubborn sonofabitch when he was riding with me, and that kind of thing don’t change.”

“What if I take care of him?”

“Like how?”

“What if I kill him?”

“You?” Aaron asked. “Kill Dan Shaye?”

“That’s right,” Ethan said. “Can we join up again if I do that?”

Aaron hesitated, then said, “I don’t know, Ethan. Why don’t you let me know if it happens, and then we’ll see? Right now I want to turn in. You set up three watches with Branch and Morales. In the mornin’ we’ll split the money up and go our separate ways.”

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Aaron wasn’t listening anymore. He decided to let his older brother sleep on it. Maybe by morning he wouldn’t be so pissed off and he’d change his mind.

“I’ll take first, if you like,” Morales said.

“Fine,” Ethan said. “Wake Branch for second, and I’ll take third.”

“As you wish.”

“What about you, Branch?” Ethan asked.

“What about me, Ethan?”

“Gonna go your separate way tomorrow, or ride with me?”

Branch thought it over only a moment. Riding alone would mean making all his own decisions—and he wasn’t so sure that all that had happened was Ethan’s fault…entirely.

“Reckon I’ll stick with you, Ethan.”

“Okay,” Ethan said. “Okay, then. Have a pot of coffee made when you wake me for my watch.”

“Sure…boss.”