Vengeance Creek: The Sons of Daniel Shaye

16

When Cardwell looked out the window the next morning, he was surprised. Neither of the deputies were across the street.

“Wake up!” he shouted at Sean Davis, snoring in the next bed.

“Wha…?” Davis came awake and grabbed for his gun, which was resting on the dresser across the way. Cardwell had learned long ago that the other man’s first instinct upon waking was to go for his pistol.

“Wake up, Sean,” Cardwell said. “Come on, we need to talk.”

Davis looked at Cardwell and tried to focus his eyes. “Whatsamatta?” he asked.

“Were you followed to the saloon last night?” Cardwell asked.

Davis frowned. “I dunno.”

“Damn it!” Cardwell walked across the room, picked up the pitcher of water that was on the dresser, and dumped the contents over Sean Davis’s head.

“Hey—Wha—” Davis sputtered as he leaped from the bed. “What the hell are you doin’?”

“Tryin’ to wake you up.”

“Well, I’m awake!” Davis shouted. He ran his hands over his wet face, then looked down at himself.

“Then listen to me,” Cardwell said. “And answer my questions. Did the deputy follow you last night?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, think about it,” Cardwell said. “I saw him leave after you, but did he follow you? Did he watch you all night? Did he trail you back here? Come on, man!”

“I dunno!” Davis said. “I drank a lot. I can’t remember.”

“Well, they’re not outside today,” Cardwell said, looking out the window again.

Davis finally started to wake up. He began stripping his wet long johns off.

“That’s a good thing, right?”

Cardwell looked at him. “I adjusted my plan to include them. If they’re not around, I’ll have to adjust again.”

“Go back to the original plan.”

“It must be nice to have nothin’ goin’ on in your head,” Cardwell said.

“Least I sleep soundly.”

Cardwell was aware that he didn’t sleep well, tended to toss and turn most of the night.

“Get yourself dressed,” he said. “We have a busy day today.”

Naked, Davis reached down and scratched his crotch. Cardwell averted his eyes, said, “I’ll meet you downstairs,” and left.

Cardwell went down to the lobby, hoping to see one of the deputies there. He was disappointed. Now he wasn’t sure which plan to go with, which distressed him, but he was sure of one thing.

The Vengeance Creek bank was getting robbed today.

Shaye woke to the smell of bacon. When he got down to the kitchen, he found his youngest son making breakfast.

“James?”

“Eggs and bacon, Pa,” James said. “I remember watchin’ Ma make it.”

Shaye also smelled something burning, and wrinkled his nose at it. He looked over at the oven, where smoke was apparently in the process of dissipating.

James saw where his father was looking and said, “I guess I didn’t watch so carefully when it came to biscuits.”

“What’s that smell?” Thomas asked, coming into the room.

“Your brother made breakfast.”

“Made it,” Thomas asked, “or burned it?”

“Sit down, shut up, and eat,” Shaye said, taking a seat at the table.

James served out three plates of scrambled eggs and bacon, and then placed a platter of burnt biscuits on the table. He finished by putting out three cups of coffee, then sitting down himself.

“You came in late last night, Pa,” Thomas said.

“I was at the office.”

“Workin’?”

Shaye shrugged. “Thinkin’, mostly.”

“About what, Pa?” James asked, which drew a look from his older brother.

“About us, mostly,” Shaye said, not noticing the exchange. “What we’re gonna do, where we’re gonna go, that sort of thing.”

“Not thinkin’ about those two strangers?” James asked.

“Can’t suspect every stranger who comes to town, James,” Shaye said. “What’d they do last night, by the way?”

“One of them turned in early,” Thomas said, “the other one went to the Road House Saloon. We left him there and came home.”

“Just as well,” Shaye said. “There have probably been some other strangers who came into town while you boys were occupied with them and I was…well, distracted.”

“Maybe we should check into that today,” Thomas said. “Me and James can check the hotels and rooming houses, maybe even stop in at the saloons.”

“That sounds good,” Shaye said. “Why don’t you boys do that?”

“And what are you gonna do, Pa?” Thomas asked.

“Me?” Shaye asked. “I’m gonna work on gettin’ my head on straight.”