Vengeance Creek: The Sons of Daniel Shaye

52

When Thomas rode into Blue Mesa, the main street was empty. He found that odd. Perhaps something had happened in town that sent everyone indoors. Or the threat of something. He preferred if the answer were the latter, not the former.

There were a couple of ways he could have played this, but he decided to go at it in a straightforward manner. If something had happened, the local sheriff would know it.

He continued to ride until he saw the sheriff’s office, then reined his horse in right in front. He dismounted, tied off his horse, approached the door, then stopped to turn and survey the street. He had the feeling he was being watched from windows. He wondered if any of those people were holding a gun on him.

He turned and entered the office. A portly man with a big mustache was seated behind the desk.

“Sheriff?”

“That’s right,” the man said. “Sheriff Gibney…and you must be Deputy Shaye.”

“That’s right, Thomas Shaye. I assume my brother was here?”

“He was,” Gibney said, “he and his two men.”

“Are they all right?”

“They’re fine,” Gibney said. “They had a hot meal and went on their way, but they left somethin’ behind.”

“What’s that?”

Gibney waved his hand and said, “In my cell.”

Thomas followed, saw a man still lying with his back to the outside of the cell.

“Who is it?’

“A man named Davis,” Gibney said. “Your brother seemed to think he was part of the gang that robbed your bank.”

Thomas looked at Gibney. “Tell me about it….”

After the lawman had told him everything he knew, Thomas asked him to open the cell door.

“And then what?”

“And then leave me alone with him,” Thomas said. “I’m gonna ask him some questions.”

“Your brother tried that.”

“I’m gonna ask a little more forcefully.”

Davis turned over and looked at Thomas as he came through the open cell door….

Ben Cardwell and Simon Jacks crossed into Colorado.

“You want to tell me where we’re headed?” Jacks asked. “Where this special bank is?”

“You’ll find out,” Cardwell said. “Just know that there’s a lot of money ahead of us, Jacks. More than you could imagine.”

“That’s ahead of us,” Jacks said. “What do you think is behind us?”

“What does it matter?” Cardwell asked. “Davis, a posse. By the time they catch up to us, we’ll have a dozen guns behind us. We’ll take care of them, and then my bank.”

“Your bank?”

Cardwell looked at Jacks. “Our bank, Simon. Our bank.”

“The trail is clear from here,” Ralph Cory said.

James and Colon had remained mounted. The Mexican had long since admitted that the ex-bounty hunter was a better tracker than he was. He was there mostly for his gun, when trouble came.

It had taken them some time to relocate the trail, but once they were far enough from town that the ground wasn’t filled with tracks from town traffic, Cory had picked it up again.

Cory turned and mounted up, accepted the reins of his horse from James.

“They’re still together,” he said. “Still heading northeast.”

“Colorado,” Colon said.

“Looks like it.” He looked at James. “We gonna follow them all the way?”

James nodded. “All the way.”

“You remember who I am?” Thomas asked Sean Davis.

The man sat up on his cot and stared at Thomas without answering.

“I’m the deputy who’s gonna beat you to death if you don’t start talkin’,” Thomas said to him.

Davis stared at the badge on Thomas’s chest, then looked past him.

“W-Where’s the sheriff?” he asked.

“He left,” Thomas said. “Went for a walk. I told him to leave us alone so we could…talk.”

“I—I got nothin’ to say to you.”

“Yeah,” Thomas said, “yeah, you do, friend…you just don’t know it yet.”

He took out his knife and moved closer. “I need to know what you know, Davis, but if you won’t tell me, then I don’t see that you have any need of your tongue…do you?”

Davis blinked at him and said, “Huh?”

“Let me make it simple,” Thomas explained. “If you don’t talk to me, I’m gonna cut out your tongue.”

“You—You can’t do that.”

“Sure I can.”

“Y-You wouldn’t.”

“Yes,” Thomas said, “I would.”

“B-But—”

“You ever hear of Ethan Langer?”

Davis’s eyes popped and he skittered back on his cot until the wall stopped him. “That was you?”

“Now let me ask my questions again….”