The Bridge

38

Lonnie was too weak to be moved, so we kept him warm and let him rest up for the night. Through the evening the sky cleared a little and some stars came out.

Virgil and I drank coffee by the fire. The night was bright with the opening skylight reflecting off the snow. With the exception of the golden glow of the campfire, our snow-covered surroundings were a glistening steel blue.

“What the hell, Virgil?” It was a combination of a question, a query, and downright dismay.

Virgil stared at the fire for a moment before he answered.

“Them two men,” Virgil said, “the Cotter boys. They didn’t do this for shits and grins.”

“No,” I said.

“Somebody hired them,” Virgil said.

I nodded.

“Paid them pretty good, too, I figure,” I said.

“Yep,” Virgil said. “They didn’t spend two weeks working on the bridge because they were honest bridge builders.”

“Who are they, I wonder?”

“Whoever they are,” Virgil said, “they got hired by someone that wants the bridge gone.”

“They hire on, get the lay of the land around the bridge,” I said. “Plan the attack.”

Virgil nodded.

“Those soldiers you saw riding into town,” Virgil said. “They have mules?”

“No.”

“Somehow they managed to get a shitload of dynamite,” Virgil said. “We ain’t talking about a little dynamite in saddlebags.”

“No,” I said. “That was a massive structure. Took a bunch.”

“More than what a few horseman carried,” Virgil said.

We thought about that for a moment.

“Then,” Virgil said. “They cut the telegraph line at the way station so they give themselves as much distance as possible.”

“It was damn sure thought out,” I said.

“Was,” Virgil said.

“Then they get picked up by the five other riders and hightail it,” I said.

Virgil nodded.

“Get into Union uniforms,” he said.

“They did.”

“Like I said, gives them validation,” Virgil said.

“Just like what happened here with Lonnie,” I said. “He thought Good when he saw blue. Bad never crossed his mind.”

“Yep,” Virgil said, looking over to Lonnie, who was sleeping.

“Till they goddamn told him to run, and shot him in the back,” I said.

“Yep,” Virgil said. “And then they ride into Appaloosa for one night.”

We thought about that for a bit.

“Why ride to Appaloosa?” I said.

Virgil looked at the fire for a long moment, then looked to me.

“Get paid,” Virgil said.

“Paid by who is the question.”

“Why is the question,” Virgil said.

“We find out why, we find out who,” I said.

Virgil nodded.

“You think this Swickey fella did this?” I said.

“Maybe,” Virgil said.

“Cox?” I said.

“Don’t think so,” Virgil said.

“Something about him, though,” I said.

“There is,” Virgil said.

“Why would he blow up his own bridge?” I said.

Virgil shook his head.

“Like you said,” Virgil said. “We look at the why and will find the who.”

“’Spect we need to pay this Swickey a visit?” I said.

“We do.”

“Just need to figure out where his place is,” I said.

“Him running a big cattle outfit,” Virgil said. “He shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

We watched the fire for a moment, then Virgil looked around as if he was looking for something. After a moment he looked back to the fire, staring.

“Should have come across something by now?” Virgil said.

He didn’t say it, but I knew he was talking about Sheriff Sledge Driskill and his deputies Chip and Karl.

“Damn should have,” I said.

“You think maybe they run into them Cotter brothers and company,” I said.

“Don’t know,” Virgil said.

“Something,” I said.

“Yep,” Virgil said. “Goddamn something.”

“One thing for sure,” I said. “Somebody in the Cotter and company knew about this shortcut.”

“They did,” Virgil said.

“Maybe we’ll run into something on down the road here,” I said.

“Maybe,” Virgil said, “maybe.”

After a while Virgil and I got some blankets and prepared us a place to sleep. I let Virgil share the warm overhang where Lonnie was bedded, and I cleared a section of snow and lined it with wool.

When I laid down the night sky was brilliant, bright and clear.

I saw Orion’s Belt and thought about Séraphine. I wondered what she was doing tonight. I wondered if maybe she was looking at the same stars I was looking at. I thought about her, remembering her... her smell, her skin, her hair...