Vengeance Creek: The Sons of Daniel Shaye

44

Thomas found Hal Forbes’s horse and then waited while the man mounted up. It may not have been absolutely necessary for him to go to the Double W ranch, but if there was even a chance he might find out something to help them get ahead of robbers, he wanted to take it.

“We’re not that far from the house,” Forbes said. “Just ride along with me.”

They rode side by side, and in the course of asking questions, Forbes heard Thomas’s full name. “Shaye?” he said.

“That’s right.”

“As in Sheriff Dan Shaye of Vengeance Creek?”

“Right again.”

“I heard about you and your father,” Forbes said. “You tracked down the Langer gang.”

“More people have heard about that than I thought,” Thomas said.

“Well, that was something for you and your pa and your brothers to do.”

“It wasn’t such a somethin’,” Thomas said.

“Well, Mr. Wilson’s gonna be glad to meet you.”

“Why’s that?”

“He likes meetin’ men with reputations.”

“I don’t have a reputation.”

“You outdrew Ethan Langer,” Forbes said, “and then you didn’t kill him. You crippled him and sent him to prison.”

“I know what I did, Mr. Forbes.”

“It’s Hal.”

“Hal,” Thomas said, “I ain’t proud of what I done to Ethan Langer. More and more I think I shoulda just killed him.”

“What you did was worse,” Forbes said, with undisguised admiration, “much worse.”

“I know….”

“They’re headin’ for Colorado,” Cory said. “No doubt about that.”

“I agree,” Colon said.

“Maybe they’ll stop someplace first,” James offered.

Cory and Colon were on their feet, while James was still mounted and holding the reins of their horses.

“They’ll have to,” Cory said. “They’re going to need supplies.”

“That is when they might split up,” Colon said, “and we will have to decide which trail to follow if that happens.”

“I know that, Berto,” James said. “When that time comes, I’ll make the decision.”

“Sí,” Colon said. “You are el jefe now.”

The two men mounted up, and the three continued on in silence. James couldn’t help but worry about Thomas.

Simon Jacks found Ben Cardwell in the hotel dining room, having breakfast. He had both sets of saddlebags with him when he sat down across from the partner.

“Found yours under the bed,” Jacks said. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave them in the room, though.”

“Just as well,” Cardwell said. “We’ll have to get movin’ right after breakfast.”

“Headin’ where?” Jacks asked. “You ain’t told me where this other bank is yet.”

“It’s in Colorado.”

“But where in Colorado?”

“You’ll just have to keep ridin’ with me to find out, Simon.”

“I’m ready to do that, Ben,” Jacks said. “Just let me get a little somethin’ into my stomach first.”

“Flapjacks are okay,” Cardwell said.

Jacks called the waiter over and ordered a tall stack of flapjacks on Cardwell’s say so.

Sean Davis had risen while it was still dark and got an early start. He figured he’d make Blue Mesa by noon. If Cardwell and Jacks were there and they got a late start, he just might catch up to them. If not, then he’d buy a few supplies and just keep going. Davis knew he was the better tracker, and he could see that the trail he was following was growing fresher.

He was getting closer and closer….

“Blue Mesa,” Ralph Cory said.

“What’s that?” James asked.

“It’s a town I know, nestled right in the corner of Arizona, so that you got your choice of where you want to go, Utah Territory or Colorado.”

“That’s where you think they’re goin’?”

“It makes sense.” He looked at the Mexican. “What do you think, Berto?”

“Sí, Señor Cory,” Colon replied, “as you say, it makes sense. I too know of this town. It is not large, but it is the biggest in this part of the country.”

“So they’d be able to outfit there,” James said.

“They can do whatever they want there,” Cory said. “What we have to hope is that they take a rest.”

“How long before we make it?”

“If we push,” Cory said, “we could get there by nightfall.”

James turned in his saddle without stopping his horse and looked behind him.

“He’ll be along, James,” Cory said. “Thomas will be along.”