DECEPTION

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

C.J. PETIT
 Copyright © 2019 by C.J. Petit

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the publisher

except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2019
ISBN:
9781072018490
 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECEPTION
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
EPILOGUE
 PROLOGUE
April 16, 1878
Southwestern Las Animas County, Colorado
 
Susanna backed away from her father knowing she was trapped and
screamed, “Get away! It’s not right!”
Bob Nelson pointed his finger at her and shouted, “It’s just you and me,
Suzie! I been feedin’ ya and put a roof over your head for years. You owe
me!”
She glared at him in a mixture of hate and terror yelling, “I don’t owe
you a thing! Leave me alone!”
Bob didn’t say another word as he slowly approached her, expecting her
to make a break to get past him but was ready for any sudden movement
and knew he could catch her before she could reach the door. The chase was
adding to his excitement. He had been waiting for this moment for months
and now his fantasies would become real.
Susanna could almost feel the rocks of the fireplace behind her even
though it was another two feet away knowing that once the hard surface
was pressed against her back, his enormous hands would grab her.
Why
hadn’t she run when she had the chance?
She knew this day was coming
and should have made her escape earlier, but she’d been too afraid to run,
and now the very real terror that she’d hoped would stay in her nightmares
was about to happen.
She could smell his foul breath already as she slowed slightly but he
didn’t. Then her right heel touched the fireplace base bumping against metal
and without even thinking, she reached down with her right hand and
grabbed the steel poker, yanking it out in front of her.
 “I told you to get away!’ she yelled again only this time her warning was
backed by the swaying, blackened steel rod in her hands.
Bob suddenly stopped and laughed as he looked at his daughter.
What
could she do with that?
But just as quickly as it had begun, his laughter died
and was replaced with a ferocious look as he snarled, “You drop that, girl,
or you’re gonna be sorry!”
“I said go away! Leave me alone!” Susanna shouted as she raised the
poker and grasped it with both of her shaking hands.
She urgently hoped he’d just back away to give her room to get to the
farmhouse’s only door, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t about to
give her the chance. He was almost a foot taller and outweighed her by
more than a hundred pounds, and she knew he wasn’t in the least bit afraid
of her.
Bob took one more, slow step and suddenly lunged at Susanna, thinking
he would take her off guard.
But she was focused on his face, saw the instant shift in his eyes, and as
his arms began to extend, Susanna swung the poker as hard as she could
catching her father on his left elbow.
He screamed in pain and automatically grabbed for the damaged bone,
but the impact knocked the poker from Susanna’s hands numbed from the
vibration of the contact with the bone.
Bob’s elbow was causing him intense pain, but his consuming anger
pushed the immense agony aside enough to allow him to grab for Susanna
with his good right hand yet only was able to catch the waist of her sorry
excuse for a dress, ripping it open.
But when the cloth gave way, it freed Susanna and allowed her to
quickly drop her hands to the floor, grab the poker firmly in both hands
again and take a single long stride away from her father, raising the poker
over her head as she backed away.
Over his howls, she screamed, “Let me go!”
Bob’s fury overrode the sharp pain from his damaged left elbow as he
tossed away the useless piece of flowery fabric and with fiery, insane eyes,
prepared to make another lunging grab at Susanna when he heard the
whoosh of the steel rod as it ripped through the air. He never heard the
sickening crunching sound as the angled, sharp end of the poker cracked
into the left side of his skull, penetrated his parietal bone, and punched into
his brain.
Susanna again lost control of the poker with the hard impact and for an
almost surreal moment before he fell, she was horrified, believing that she
wouldn’t be able to recover it in time. In her panicked state, she hadn’t even
realized that she’d hit his head but that moment of confusion was replaced
by the realization of what she had done as the poker clanged off the floor
and was immediately followed by the loud thump of her father’s enormous
body crumpling to the floor and a large pool of blood spreading around his
head.
She was breathing heavily as she stared at his lifeless body with his
lifeless, accusing eyes staring back at her. Susanna suddenly realized that
she had killed her father and turned, bent at the waist, and vomited.
 CHAPTER 1
June 9, 1878
Trinidad, Colorado
 
Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff Dan Hart rode his gelding into the
town with the afternoon sun behind his back. It had been a long ride from
Stockville, but his day wasn’t over yet as he headed for the sheriff’s office.
No one paid him much attention as he pulled his gray gelding to a stop
before the jail, dismounted, and just tossed the reins over the hitching rail.
He stepped onto the boardwalk, removed his light gray Stetson, and
smacked it a few times on his legs and chest to get rid of at least some of
the trail dust. After pulling his hat back on, he stepped through the open
door and was greeted by fellow deputy Joe Farmer.
“Howdy, Moose,” he said with a grin, “Did you have a good time in
Stockville?”
Dan hung his hat on his peg on the wall near the wanted posters, turned,
and replied, “Nope. It wasn’t much after all. Is the boss in?”
Sheriff Bill Hart had heard his son enter but had to finish his budget
request to the county, so he shouted, “In here, Dan!”
Dan strode past Joe, who rose from behind the desk and followed to hear
the story of Dan’s mission to Stockville.
Dan swung through the doorway, using his left hand as a pivot as he held
onto the jamb and took one long step, and plopped onto one of the two
chairs before his father’s desk.
Sheriff Hart didn’t look up yet, but Dan waited for him to finish.
After signing what he knew would be an ignored piece of bureaucracy,
Bill set the pen down, looked at his son, and asked, “So, what happened
over there?”
“It wasn’t much. I got there late yesterday afternoon and talked to the
general store proprietor, the one who sent the telegram. It turned out that the
shootings that he reported in the telegram were a bit of an exaggeration.
There had been a lot of gunfire going on for the past few days, but nobody
had even been targeted, much less hit.”
“That sounds queer,” his father said.
“I thought so, but it didn’t take long to find out why it was that way. The
store owner said that the shooter was in his bakery across the street just
firing randomly with his Winchester and everyone was hunkered down. The
first clue I had to the reason for the disturbance was when he called the
baker ‘Porky Parker’. I figured that wasn’t his Christian name, so I asked
why he used that name and he said that everybody called him that because
he was so fat. So, after listening to the man and a couple of others, I
guessed that the baker was just mad for being called ‘Porky’ and was fed up
enough to let them know.”
“With a Winchester,” the sheriff said.
“And the Winchester itself was a story. Anyway, I walked back outside
and just stepped out into the street and began looking at the bullet holes
across from the bakery and noticed that they were all high and it appeared
that Mister Parker was using the lettering on the buildings as targets. The
‘O’ in Nelson’s Hardware was almost obliterated. So, I left my Winchester
on Plano and just walked toward the bakery. When I was close, he shouted
a warning for me not to come in, but I could hear in his voice that he was
more afraid than threatening, so I stopped and talked to him. I introduced
myself and called him Mister Parker and things got better after he said to
call him Jack and we had a short talk before I went into his bakery.
“We shared some excellent doughnuts with coffee as he told me what
had driven him to do what he did. He said he had gotten adjusted to
everyone calling him Porky, because he knew he was too fat, but couldn’t
resist his own sweet goodies. But what triggered it was when folks began
making oinking noises as they passed him, or even when they were leaving
his shop. That lasted for a couple of days and the last straw was when
Mister Nelson, the hardware store owner, yelled ‘Sooeee! Pig! Pig! Pig!’ at
him as he walked past, and a bunch of other men laughed and began
repeating it.
“The irony of the Winchester came into play, when the very next day,
Parker walks into Nelson’s hardware store and buys the new Winchester
and eight boxes of cartridges. Nelson must not have seen how odd it was
that this obese baker wanted to buy a repeater and so much ammunition. I
guess he thought he’d take the opportunity to unload a ’76 musket and those
.45-85 centerfire cartridges that were gathering dust on his shelf rather than
selling him one of the ‘73s. He must have regretted that decision when
those .45s really did some serious damage to his sign.”
“How’d you end it? Or do we have to worry about it starting up again?”
his father asked.
“After we talked, he gave me the Winchester and the remaining three
and a half boxes of cartridges, then we left his bakery and walked to the
store. I had Mister Hill, the proprietor, call a meeting in the church and I
had each of them apologize to Mister Parker and told them that if they ever
made fun of him again, he’d send me a telegram and I’d go down there and
arrest them for disturbing the peace.”
Bill Hart grinned and asked, “You wouldn’t really make that long ride
for just that again, would you?”
“Yes, sir. I would and they knew it. I think they all knew they’d pushed
him too far anyway. Even Mister Nelson apologized, and I could tell that he
meant it, too. I don’t think we’ll hear from Mister Parker again.”
“Are you going to keep that Winchester?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll still carry one of the office’s ‘73s, but the ’76 only had
about sixty rounds pass through that barrel, so I’ll clean it and check it out.”
“Okay, Dan. Go ahead and write it up and then go and get a bath for
God’s sake. You must have an inch of Colorado stuck on you.”
Dan smiled and replied, “Yes, sir,” then rose and turned to leave,
following Joe down the short hallway to the main office.
Joe took a seat in the chair beside the front desk to give Dan room to
write his report and after Dan sat down, he said, “Moose, Margaret was in a
few times asking when you’d be back. I think she wants to talk to you about
something and she seemed a bit annoyed.”
Dan already had a pencil in hand and was beginning to write but
answered, “I can pretty much guess what she wants, so I’ll go and talk to
her as soon as I finish the report.”
“You going to the big dance tomorrow night?”
“Yup. Margaret is all excited about it, too. We haven’t had one in months
and she has a new dress she wants me to see.”
“She sure is one mighty fine-looking gal, Moose, and if you don’t mind
my saying, she’s got quite a figure, too.”
Dan smiled without looking up and said, “Trust me, I know. I’m a very
lucky feller.”
“It doesn’t hurt that her papa owns the bank, either. She’s got it all, Dan,
and I don’t see how she ever settled for a lowly deputy sheriff like you.”
“Neither can I.”
“When are you and Margaret gonna tie the knot? You been calling on her
for a while now.”
Dan set the pencil down, looked at his fellow deputy, and said, “I asked
her just last week, and she said, ‘I really want to, Daniel, but let me talk to
my father about something’.”
“She calls you Daniel?”
“Yup. It’s kind of odd, really. You, Tom, and most of the other boys call
me Moose while my parents, sisters, and most of the other folks call me
Dan, but my girlfriend calls me Daniel. At least she doesn’t call me Daniel
James.”
Joe snickered and said, “We just like you, Moose.”
Dan shook his head and continued to write his short report.
He was almost finished when Deputy Tom Henderson returned to the
office after handling a minor altercation in Barrow’s Saloon and Gaming
House.
 He hung his hat and asked, “Back from Stockville, Moose? How’d it
go?”
Dan was close to being finished, so he just said, “Give me a minute and
you can read the report.”
Joe gave Tom the basics of Dan’s non-shooting confrontation in
Stockville while Dan wrote, so when he finished, he just stood, walked
from behind the desk, and let Tom take the seat.
“Okay, you two, I’m going to go and unsaddle Plano and get him into the
barn. I’ve been ordered by our boss to get a bath, so I’ll do that before I go
and talk to Margaret. I don’t believe she would appreciate my arrival
wearing half of Colorado.”
“Say hi to Margaret for us,” Tom said as he lowered himself into the
chair.
Dan didn’t reply as he snatched his hat and pulled it on, crossed the
boardwalk, took Plano’s reins, and led him to the barn. He left both
Winchesters in the gun rack in the tack room in the small barn for now, but
he’d have to seriously clean the ’76 later. He knew that if Margaret was
looking for him, it was probably for the same issue that she’d raised when
he’d proposed. He hadn’t given Joe a full answer about the proposal
because he felt it was between him and Margaret, but he had a good idea
what it was.
As he was unsaddling the mottled gray gelding, he tried to come up with
some solution to what appeared to be a monumental obstacle to their long-
assumed marriage…his badge.
Margaret was, as Joe had just pointed out, an extraordinary young
woman. She was very handsome, had an amazing figure, and was pleasant
and intelligent. She was also a bit spoiled as her father had started and
owned the Trinidad State Bank, making him the wealthiest man in the
county. She’d never lacked for anything and that had been the root cause of
her reticence about getting married. Despite his salary of forty-five dollars a
month, plus room and board, it wasn’t enough for Margaret to live in the
style to which she’d become accustomed.
 Margaret had been dropping unsubtle hints almost from the start of their
relationship after the Christmas dance that if only he were to work for her
father in the bank at a higher salary, they could be happy. He had avoided
the subject as much as he could and because she had never asked point-
blank if he would take a job working for her father, he’d been able to spend
many pleasant hours with Margaret. With the upcoming summer dance and
social, Dan was sure that it would no longer be an ambiguous question. He
suspected that his reply would either cost him his badge or Margaret.
The question was:
which did he love more?
He slipped the saddle from Plano’s back and tossed it onto the nearby
stall board before sliding the blanket free.
After brushing down the gelding while he munched on the oat bin, he
took his saddlebags, hung them over his shoulder, left the barn behind the
jail, and headed for the barbershop to get his bath. He probably would need
a shave and haircut too, as the big dance was tomorrow night and he needed
to look his best for Margaret. He knew that when they entered, all the other
male eyes would be focused on her and he had to at least look the part of
the man who was worthy enough to be seen with her.
_____
Almost an hour later, a clean, newly shorn Dan Hart left Ralph’s
Tonsorial Parlor and headed east down Main Street for three blocks, turned
left on Second Street, and strode toward the very impressive Lawrence
house.
He turned onto the long, bricked walkway, climbed the four steps to the
covered, varnished porch, and used the eagle-designed brass knocker to
announce his arrival rather than the doorbell cord. It took almost a minute
for the door to open and when it did, he found himself looking at his
potential mother-in-law.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Lawrence. Is Margaret at home?” he asked.
“No, Dan. She’s with her father at the bank and asked that you see her
there. How was the job in Stockville?”
 “A bit odd, but otherwise pretty routine. The townsfolk were all making
fun of the rotund baker and he finally took offense and began shooting up
the buildings. No one was hurt and after they all apologized, order was
restored, and I came back.”
Fannie Lawrence smiled and said, “I imagine that must have been very
unusual. You’ll have to tell Margaret about it so she can tell me the full
story.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Margaret is very excited about tomorrow’s dance.”
“I know. It’s been months since the last one, and she does enjoy them.”
“Yes, she does. Well, you’d better head over there. Use the back door
because the bank is already closed.”
“I’ll do that, ma’am,” he said and then tipped his hat, turned, and headed
back down the porch steps as Mrs. Lawrence closed the door.
As he retraced his path back to Main Street, he wished that Margaret had
inherited a bit more of the common touch from her mother. He thought
Fannie Lawrence was much like his own mother and wondered how
Margaret had become so different. She had a lot more of her father in her
than her mother.
He turned onto Main Street and when he reached the bank, he turned into
the gap between it and the butcher shop, turned into the back alley, and
approached the bank’s back door.
He knocked loudly and just a few seconds later, Margaret opened the
door and smiled at him which always affected his concentration.
“Daniel! Come in!” she exclaimed, seemingly surprised to see him.
Dan took her arm and entered the bank, closed the door behind them,
and walked with her down the dark hallway before she turned him into the
office of her father, Mister Bryce Joseph Lawrence, President of the
Trinidad State Bank. He knew what to expect just by seeing his face. There
would be no more ambiguity now.
As soon as they entered, her father stood and offered his hand.
 Dan shook his hand as the banker said, “Have a seat, Daniel.”
He glanced at Margaret’s still smiling face as they both sat, and Dan
knew that the official offer of employment was in the offing and still didn’t
know his answer.
Her father didn’t really look like a wealthy, important man. He was
average height with dark hair streaked with gray and a full beard and
mustache. It was only his dominating gray eyes that identified him as a man
used to having his way. That and his choice of wardrobe complete with the
heavy gold chain strung across his growing belly.
“Daniel,” he began as he leaned back, “I’ve been very impressed with
your performance as a deputy sheriff. Now that alone would mark you as a
prime candidate for a position with the bank, but it seems that you have the
added advantage of having won my daughter’s heart.”
Margaret then said, “He’s done more than just that, Father.”
Dan again glanced at Margaret who was still smiling at him, so he
smiled at her, and returned his eyes to her father who was smiling at his
daughter. Smiles were in abundance in the room, but Dan’s inner turmoil
was far from being smile-worthy.
Then he looked back at Dan and said, “Now Daniel, I want you to be
able to provide for Margaret and avoid causing her any stress by getting
yourself into dangerous situations. I know the county is paying you forty-
five dollars a month plus room and board, but I’ll pay you a hundred dollars
a month to work in my accounting department and build a nice home for
you and Margaret on the lot adjacent to our home. I wouldn’t be making
this offer if I wasn’t confident that you could do the job and you could also
make Margaret happy.”
So, there it was, the no-wiggle-room question. Dan was really tortured
by the offer. It was more than double the salary and living with Margaret in
a nice house was an incredible incentive to agree to the proposition, but he
needed time. As much as he’d already weighed the idea in his mind, the
concrete offer of a hundred dollars a month, a house, and Margaret needed
more thought.
 Just as he was preparing to answer, Margaret reached over took his hand,
and said softly, “Say yes, Daniel. I want us to marry soon and then we can
fill our new house with my father’s grandchildren.”
He looked at her smiling, almost angelic face, and seeing the happiness
in her face almost pushed him to immediately agree to the offer.
Instead, he looked back at her father let out his held breath, and said,
“Mister Lawrence, I really appreciate your incredible offer, but would you
mind if I took a couple of days so I could talk to my parents? It’s just such a
momentous change in my life, and I’d like to take some time to think about
it.”
Margaret almost jerked her hand away from Dan as her smile died.
Dan quickly looked at Margaret and back to her father who seemed
almost relieved by his reply and wasn’t wrong in his perception.
Bryce Lawrence wasn’t sure that Dan Hart was good enough for his
daughter. He was a tall, handsome young man with a solid reputation and a
quick mind, but he was crude around the edges. Even as he sat before him
with a new haircut, he still seemed somewhat shabby.
While her father may not have been surprised by Daniel’s reply,
Margaret was stunned. She’d been preparing Daniel for this day for months
now. Ever since she’d decided that he was the one she wanted, she’d guided
him to accepting his role, and thought he was ready. She’d been allowing
him more liberties with her knowing that a marriage was imminent, and
they had been close to making it almost a necessity.
How could he possibly
turn her father down?
He may have not turned him down yet, but she
wanted to know his answer quickly.
Bryce Lawrence replied, “Of course, you can ask your parents, Daniel.
It’s the wise approach for such an important decision. You can let Margaret
know your answer at tomorrow night’s dance. Is that alright?”
Dan nodded and replied, “Yes, sir. That’s fine.”
“Good. Now, if you two young people will head out the back door, I’ll
lock up.”
 Dan stood and reached for Margaret’s hand, but she held it away before
they both turned, left the office, walked down the dark hallway, and stepped
outside to the bright Colorado sun.
After closing the back door, Dan quickly turned to Margaret and said,
“Please don’t be angry with me, Margaret. It’s not about you. You know
how much I love you, but I need to talk to my parents first. You understand,
don’t you? You wouldn’t do anything this important without talking to your
parents.”
Margaret had gotten past the surprise at his answer but sharply replied,
“Daniel, you know how important this is to me. Please don’t disappoint
me.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you, Margaret, but I don’t want to be
dishonest with you, either.”
As they began walking, she said, “Daniel, I don’t expect you to lie to me,
and I won’t lie to you, either. If you refuse, then there are others more than
willing to take your place.”
“I’m sure there are, Margaret. You’re a very desirable woman and I
always considered myself a very lucky man.”
Margaret sighed and said, “I thought I was the luckiest woman in
Trinidad, too. A lot of other young women had set their caps for you,
Daniel. I want us to be together and don’t know if I could tolerate seeing
you with another woman. Don’t make me feel that pain, Daniel. Please?”
Daniel didn’t reply as his brain was already assigning values to the
plusses and negatives in accepting the job and Margaret.
“You’ll be arriving at my house at seven o’clock tomorrow night to
escort me to the dance?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Are we walking to the hall?”
“Would you mind taking the buggy? I have my new dress and I’d rather
keep it from getting too dusty.”
“I’d be honored to drive you to the dance, Miss Lawrence.”
 After a few more steps, Margaret asked, “Are you staying in the jail
tonight, or are you going to stay at your parents’ house?”
“Oh, I’ll head over there for dinner so I can discuss your father’s offer
with my parents and sisters, but I’ll stay in the jail again. I don’t think I’ve
slept in the house three times in the past year.”
“I never understood why you don’t get a room at the boarding house.”
“There’s no reason for me to do it, really. Tom and Joe are both married
and obviously, so is my father, so I stay there for any emergencies, and it’s
no less comfortable than a rooming house. If I don’t go home for meals, I
eat at Happy’s café or Carlisle’s, or Mamata’s Cantina. It’s actually better
than having the same food at Richardson’s Boarding House and it saves the
county money, too.”
“Well, I still think you’d have more privacy at the boarding house.”
“I have more privacy at the jail except when we have a prisoner. When
it’s empty as it is right now, it’s like a tomb in there.”
Margaret laughed as she said, “Just don’t die on me, Daniel.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Margaret,” Dan said as he cringed internally at
her laugh.
Margaret was almost the ideal young woman, but that laugh of hers
drove him to distraction with its off-pitch nasal quality that always ended
with something that sounded almost like a snort, but it was only a minor
weight to add to the negative side of the scale.
_____
Ten minutes after leaving Margaret at her home, Dan stepped onto the
porch of his parents’ home on Eighth Street, then entered without knocking.
As soon as he stepped past the threshold, he stopped, saw his entire
family sitting in the parlor staring at him, and took one more step, closed
the door, and entered the room.
Rather than sit down, he asked, “What’s going on?”
 His father replied, “I don’t know, Dan. Why don’t you have a seat and
tell us?”
As he removed his hat and walked to the lone unoccupied chair, his
father said, “I hear you met with Mister Lawrence a little while ago about a
business and personal proposal.”
Dan sat down and replied, “It appears as if everyone else knew it was
going to happen before I did.”
“So, Mister Big Brother,” his nineteen-year-old sister Julie asked, “are
you going to work at the bank and marry Margaret?”
His younger sister, Pam giggled and said, “Of course, he is. He and
Margaret should have been married a month ago.”
Dan uncomfortably said, “Mister Lawrence offered me a job in the
accounting department at more than double the salary the county’s paying
me and will build a house next to theirs after we’re married.”
Both sisters squealed but neither of his parents reacted to the news, and
his mother appeared almost fearful of his reply.
“So, when’s the big day?” asked Julie.
“Um, I haven’t given him an answer yet,” Dan replied.
“Why not? I’m surprised that you even told him you’d think about it,”
Pam said.
“Because I’m just not sure. I need to talk to mom and pop first.”
Julie said, “I can’t figure you out, Dan. Any other guy in the county
would kill to be in your shoes.”
“I’m aware of that, but it’s a big decision and I don’t want to rush into
it.”
His mother asked, “Have you had anything to eat since you’ve been
back?”
“No, Mom. I’ll head over to Happy’s in a little while after I talk to you
and pop.”
 “We’ve already eaten, so let’s go into the kitchen and I’ll warm up some
leftovers while we talk.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Dan said as he rose.
Julie and Pam took the hint and went upstairs to Julie’s bedroom to chat
about Dan’s surprising response as Dan’s sheriff father and his mother
walked with him down the hallway to the kitchen.
Dan and his father sat at the table while his mother restarted the fire in
the cookstove.
“So, Dan, what’s bothering you?” he asked.
“A lot of things are giving me grief over that meeting with Mister
Lawrence, Pop. I knew it was coming because Margaret had been hinting at
the idea almost since we met, but somehow hearing him make the offer, and
the way it was presented shook me more than I had expected. I honestly
thought that it would be something different and less definite.”
“Different in what way?” he asked as Libby took her seat at the table.
“I expected him to offer me the job, but not as a requirement for
marrying Margaret. It’s as if it was just one offer, take the job and marry
Margaret or stay a deputy and go away.”
“I see. But even if it’s that, why would it be so difficult?”
“Because I don’t want to be a banker and go to a nice quiet office every
day wearing a dark suit and a tie. It’s just not me, Pop. I thought that with
the money I had in his bank, he’d know that I could provide for Margaret,
but I guess that wasn’t enough. He wants Margaret to keep living in the
high style to which she’s accustomed, and so does she. I can’t provide that
for her with my salary.”
Bill exhaled and looked at Libby who asked, “Dan, you know that we’ll
support you in whichever decision you make, but do you really believe that
Margaret will stop seeing you if you turn down the job?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m sure she will. After we left the bank, Margaret
reinforced the ‘take it or leave it’ offer, and even told me that there were
others willing to take my place.”
 His father then said, “So, you’d be giving up this chance for happiness
with Margaret and the opportunity to enjoy an easy life just to keep wearing
that badge and running all over Las Animas County risking your life?”
“Pop, you make it sound so horrible but you, more than anyone, know
that’s not true. You’ve been sheriff for twelve years now and you’re the
most respected man I know. How many people really respect Mister
Lawrence, the richest man in the county? But it’s not the respect that I’m
after, it’s just helping people that makes it worth the risk. Like yesterday
when I was able to help Jack Parker and smooth that difficult situation
without bloodshed. How much is that worth?”
Bill smiled at his younger son and said, “I’m glad you said that, Dan.
The danger is well outweighed by the good we can do. But that being said,
you’re giving up a lot by keeping that badge on your chest. I imagine you’ll
catch quite a bit of grief from a lot of the boys, too.”
“I know, Pop.”
“What are you going to do about the dance tomorrow night?” asked his
mother.
“I’ll walk to her house at seven and drive her to the hall in their buggy.
I’m not sure she’ll be riding back with me, though. She may not even dance
with me at all.”
Bill said, “It’s going to be hard, Dan.”
“I know, Pop. It’s going to be a lot harder on me when I see Margaret
with someone else.”
His mother patted his arm and said, “Maybe we’re getting ahead of
ourselves, Dan. She might be willing to tell her father to keep his job and
marry you anyway. She told you that she loves you, didn’t she?”
“Yes, Mom. She did, but there was something else that I noticed during
the meeting with her father, too.”
“What was that?”
“Her father seemed almost relieved when I told him that I needed to talk
to you both before I gave Margaret an answer.”
 His father’s eyebrows rose as he asked, “Are you sure? Do you think he
hopes you reject the offer?”
“I might be wrong, but I think he’d be happier with some other beau for
Margaret. Ever since she told him that I was calling on her, he seemed to
look at me differently. I mean, before, when he just knew me as some
overgrown deputy, he’d smile and was pretty affable, but after I began to
visit her seriously, he seemed to study me almost as if I was a prize pig at
the county fair.”
Bill nodded and said, “Well, Dan, eat your dinner and we can talk more
tomorrow at the office if you want unless you’re staying so we can talk later
tonight.”
As his mother rose to get his dinner, he replied, “I’ll be going back to the
jail. I need some quiet time to think.”
_____
At the Lawrence dinner table, the same topic was being discussed among
Bryce, Fannie, and their only child, Margaret.
Bryce asked, “Margaret, what will you do if he turns down the job? You
know he wouldn’t be able to provide for you in the manner to which you
are accustomed on his salary as a deputy.”
“I know, Father. But he hasn’t declined the offer yet. I told him that other
men would be willing to take his place.”
“I believe he will turn down my offer, and you’d better have your
decision made, young lady. I know that you are enamored of the boy, but
there are many fine young men in town that would be more than willing to
take his place and have a much more substantial footing for a marriage. I
know that John Anderson is hoping that you break off this relationship.”
Fannie glanced at her husband but held her peace as she cut into her
chicken.
Margaret sighed, put down her fork, and replied, “Father, Daniel is far
from being a boy. He’s very much a man, but I will agree that if he decides
not to work in the bank, I would have no choice.”
 Fannie’s eyes quickly focused on her daughter as she slowly chewed her
appropriately small piece of chicken.
“Well, you’ll have your answer by the time you enter the dance hall and
can tell me about it when you return.”
She picked up her fork again and said, “No, Father. After we eat, I’m
going to go to the sheriff’s office and ask him. He would have already
talked to his parents, and I do not intend to go to my bed tonight and not
know the answer.”
Bryce just nodded and took a manly bite of his chicken hoping that the
deputy turns him down as he expected he would. He’d seen it in his eyes.
Now John Anderson was almost the complete opposite of Daniel Hart. He
was the owner of Anderson Construction and the only sawmill in the
county, was a widower, and although closer to his age, he was still quite
handsome. Bryce knew his bank balance almost to the dollar and knew he
could provide for Margaret and he wouldn’t have to build them a house
either.
Now he just had to hope that Deputy Hart made the right decision.
_____
After Dan left the house and before Julie and Pam returned, Libby said,
“I know that Dan will be upset if she rejects him, but I think he will be
much better without her.”
“I agree with you, Libby. I believe if Dan had taken even a little time to
talk to Margaret through his lawman eyes and not the skewed vision of a
love-struck boyfriend, he’d understand her a lot better.”
_____
Dan was sitting at the front desk cleaning the ’76 Winchester, the eight
.45-85 cartridges that he’d ejected from the repeater aligned in a neat row
on the surface. He was going about the often-repeated chore mechanically
as he wondered if he was making the right decision. As much as he hated
the thought of wearing one of those suits and doing the boring job that he’d
been offered, it was the probable loss of Margaret that really tore him apart.
 He’d known Margaret before her father sent her to a private school in
Kansas City when she was thirteen and thought she was pretty even then.
When she returned last August, she’d sent every man under sixty into a
tizzy and had become the object of most of the unattached males' attention
in the county. She’d been to each of the social events after her return and
was the center of attention as she evaluated potential suitors. Dan hadn’t
been to any of them because of work but was able to attend the Christmas
social where he finally saw Margaret at her most spectacular and was
immediately smitten.
Those first few weeks, Dan had been almost embarrassed to be seen with
her because she was so extraordinary, and he didn’t believe he was close to
being worthy of her. But once he became more comfortable with Margaret,
she became all-important and the center of his world.
Was it worth giving her up for the opportunity to spend his nights in the
darkened jail interrupted only by bar fights?
Maybe she’d marry him
anyway. She’d told him many times how much she loved him and wanted
him, so perhaps he was worrying for no reason at all. He’d find out
tomorrow night when he talked to her in the buggy ride to the dance. Yet
even as he hoped for that possibility, his logical mind told him to recall that
almost threatening statement she’d made on the walk back to her house, ‘if
you refuse, there are others willing to take your place’. It had seemed like
nothing less than an ultimatum.
He was reloading the musket when the door opened and he looked up
and saw Margaret enter and close the door behind her.
“Margaret, what’s wrong?” he asked.
She didn’t reply until after she walked to the desk and took a seat.
Margaret’s brown eyes bore into his as she said, “I need to know your
answer, Daniel.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. I don’t want to spend a night wondering if you would be
foolish enough to reject my father’s offer.”
 Dan was stunned by her phrasing and asked, “Foolish? Do you think it
would be foolish?”
“Yes. What else would it be? It’s more than double your salary and
would give you a real future; a future you would spend with me. You would
have to be the world’s biggest fool to turn it down.”
Somehow, her almost insistent approach solidified his decision.
“There’s more to life than just money, Margaret. There’s satisfaction in
doing something that you believe is important.”
“The bank provides people with the ability to live better lives, Daniel.
Isn’t that important?”
“Yes, it is, but I wouldn’t feel any personal sense of fulfillment by doing
bookkeeping.”
“So, you are going to turn him down?” she asked as she glared at him.
“Yes, Margaret. I’m going to respectfully decline his offer,” he replied
and asked quietly, “Does that mean you won’t marry me?”
Margaret continued to glare, and Dan was taken aback by what he saw in
her eyes because he’d never seen it before. He’d expected to see hurt or
disappointment, but only saw anger and a touch of disgust. They were her
father’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Daniel, but I just can’t. If you won’t do this one thing for me,
then I’ll simply have to move on.”
Almost seeking confirmation in what his eyes just told him, Dan asked,
“You know I love you. Don’t you love me, Margaret? Isn’t that enough?”
“No, Daniel, it isn’t. I can’t live in a small house and do all that menial
work that women must do. I just can’t. If you won’t even do this for me,
then I have no other choice.”
“You have no idea how difficult it was for me to make this decision
because I did want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can’t spend
that life doing something that I don’t want to do. Each day that I’d go to
work feeling out of place. I’d miss what I love to do. Eventually, I’d begin
to resent being forced into it and I don’t want to ever feel that way about
you, Margaret.”
Margaret snapped, “Then we really don’t have any choice; do we? I
can’t live like a common wife and you won’t give up your badge.”
It was over and Dan almost felt like an idiot but still asked, “I assume
that I won’t be taking you to the dance?”
“No, Daniel. I’ll have to start looking for a new beau now.”
Dan nodded and said, “I could have made you happy, Margaret.”
Margaret replied, “I don’t doubt you could have made me very happy,
Daniel, but it’s not enough.”
“No, I guess not. Can you tell your father of my decision?”
“I’ll tell him. Personally, I think he’ll be happy knowing you hadn’t,”
Margaret answered and snapped to her feet, turned, and marched out of the
office.
After the door closed, Dan was sure that Margaret was now out of his
life and although he didn’t regret his decision not to take the job, he
seriously regretted losing Margaret. But that one look had chilled him
enough to make him believe that the real Margaret really wasn’t the same
woman with whom he’d spent so many hours.
Did he really lose the woman
he should have married, or did he dodge a bullet?
Only time would provide
that answer.
The biggest issue that he had now was that Margaret would be staying in
Trinidad and he was sure that as soon as she walked unescorted into the
dance, the queue for her hand would soon wind all the way across the
county and he’d have to be there to watch one of them claim the prize that
could have been his.
Then he’d hear about her marriage and would see her and her new
husband probably riding by in their fancy carriage almost daily. He knew
for sure that he’d probably be seeing the man every time he went to the
bank after he accepted the job that Dan had refused.
Any way he looked at it, it was going to be a difficult time for a while.
 _____
“So, he isn’t going to take the job?” Bryce asked his daughter.
“No, Father.”
“And you aren’t going to marry him?”
“No, Father.”
“Is he still taking you to the dance?”
“No, Father. I asked him not to because I’d be looking for a new
gentleman caller.”
Her father smiled and said, “Well, Margaret, make sure he’s a gentleman
this time. I have a suggestion for your escort for tomorrow’s dance, too.
John Anderson was asking about your availability just today, and I’m sure
he’ll be ecstatic if you allow him to escort you.”
Margaret stared at her father for a few seconds and in an almost resigned
voice, she said, “Tell him that I’ll be happy to have him escort me to the
dance.”
Her father smiled and said, “I’ll do that.”
Margaret then rose, walked quickly out of the sitting room, and headed
up the stairs to her room.
Fannie looked up from her embroidery and said, “You’ve spoiled that
girl, Bryce.”
Her husband was still staring at the vacant staircase as he replied, “I
don’t regret it for a moment, Fannie. She deserves the life of a woman of
class.”
Fannie just sighed and continued stitching.
_____
Two hours later, Dan blew out the last lamp in his sleeping room in the
back of the jail, took off his shirt, boots, and socks, and stretched out on top
of the blankets. He kept his britches on when he was sleeping in the jail in
anticipation of those late-night emergencies.
 As he lay on the bed, all he could think about was Margaret. He still
didn’t regret his decision for the reason he’d explained to her about the
potential for resentment, but even as he had told her his answer, he had still
wondered if it was worth it. Her reaction to his answer had simply
confirmed that it was the correct one.
It took quite a while for him to finally drift off to sleep, and even then,
his dream world was punctuated with dread.
_____
Dan awakened earlier than he’d expected, finally getting some sleep
after lying awake for a while knowing that he’d crossed his private Rubicon
and couldn’t go back even if he wanted to.
He had washed, shaved, and dressed in fresh clothes from the chest of
drawers he’d bought once he left the family home and thought he’d spend
most of his nights in the jail. Initially, his mother had been horrified, but the
other two deputies had appreciated having their nights freed to spend with
their wives, and when she realized her sheriff husband would no longer
have to spend any time in the jail at night her attitude changed.
He had coffee ready and his feet on the desk when his father entered the
office a little after seven o’clock.
“Up early, I see. Anything going on?”
“No, sir. It was another quiet night.”
“Good,” he replied as he reached for his mug despite having just finished
his breakfast ten minutes earlier.
His father didn’t want to ask about the difficult decision he’d made about
Margaret because he was sure that Dan would rather not talk about it, but
Dan figured he wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk to his father alone for
a while and wanted to tell him before word got out about his decision. He
suspected that Margaret’s father might even put an ad in the newspaper
proclaiming her availability…to a proper suitor.
“Pop, Margaret came to the jail after hours.”
 The sheriff almost dropped the entire pot of coffee but stopped for a
moment and continued his pour as he said, “Oh? How late after hours?”
“Just an hour or so after I got back. She asked about my decision, and
after I told her, she said that she didn’t want to see me anymore.”
The sheriff paused after his unexpected answer before he asked,
“Couldn’t she have waited until you showed up to escort her to the dance?”
“I guess not.”
“How are you doing?”
“I’ll be all right, but her reaction to my answer surprised me.”
He sipped his coffee and sat next to the desk and asked, “Surprised you
in what way?”
“She wasn’t hurt at all but was angry and resentful. I was almost hoping
that she would still agree to marry me, but she told me that she couldn’t
bear to live what she termed, ‘the life of the common wife’. Then just
before she left, she mentioned that her father would probably be relieved by
her rejection of me.”
“No offense, Dan, but that doesn’t surprise me at all. Bryce Lawrence,
even when he was just starting the bank, always had a high opinion of
himself. To be honest, I was a bit surprised that he even allowed Margaret
to spend any time with you in the first place.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ve learned a lot from the whole
experience, and I suppose I could say that it was worth it, but it wasn’t.”
“No, I suppose it wasn’t. I guess I’m expected to tell you that you’ll get
over it soon enough and find the right woman, but I think it’s a stupid thing
to say.”
Then Dan asked, “Pop, did you ever have a girlfriend before you met
mom?”
His father smiled and replied, “No, I didn’t. It was always Libby from
the first day I met her, and we were just fourteen when that happened. She
told me that she felt the same way and I have never even looked at another
woman,” then after a short pause, he said, “Let me amend that. I have never
even remotely considered being with another woman.”
Dan laughed and said, “I can understand looking, though.”
The sheriff stood, smacked Dan on the shoulder, and walked down the
hallway to his private office.
Ten minutes later, Tom Henderson was the first of his two fellow
deputies to arrive as he walked through the open door, hung his hat, and
plopped into the chair beside the desk.
“Quiet night, Moose?” he asked before sliding the Winchester ’76 from
the desk and beginning to inspect it.
“Yup.”
“This the Winchester you got from that baker down in Stockville?”
“Yes, sir. It’s a .45 caliber musket. You should see the size of those
cartridges. Go ahead and eject one.”
His interest aroused, Tom cycled the lever sending the unfired round into
the air before it was caught by Dan who handed it to him.
Tom held it between his thumb and index finger and said, “This is pretty
impressive, Moose, and with that long barrel, I’ll bet it’s got another
hundred yards range, too.”
“I’ll check it out later.”
Tom slipped the long cartridge back into the loading gate and set the
Winchester back on the desk.
As he stood to get his coffee mug, Joe Farmer entered, hung his hat, slid
past the desk, and grabbed his mug as Tom filled his and poured the
steaming black java into Joe’s.
Joe sat on the edge of the desk and asked, “So, what’s this I hear about
you turning down a job from Bryce Lawrence at the bank? I think you’re
plumb loco, Moose.”
Dan wasn’t surprised that the word had already gotten out, so he
answered, “Maybe so, but I couldn’t bear the thought of not showing up
here every morning to listen to you two boys whine about having to cover
the night desk.”
Joe laughed, but Tom asked, “What was that all about? I didn’t hear
about that.”
Joe replied, “Wilma said that Bryce offered our young friend here a job
at the bank that paid a hundred a month, but he turned the man down.”
Tom looked at Dan with raised eyebrows and asked, “Is that right,
Moose? Did you really say no to that much money?”
“I had to, Tom. I couldn’t see myself wearing a suit with a bowler hat
and sitting at a desk adding and subtracting numbers all day. Could you?”
“For that much money, I’d do it standing on my head. What does
Margaret think about it?”
“Margaret wasn’t happy about it and pretty much said that because I
didn’t take the job, she’d be looking for a new beau.”
Joe exclaimed, “You’re kidding! She’s really not going to marry you
because of that?”
“It makes sense, Joe. She’s used to living a life that’s a lot easier than
most women, and the idea of having to do laundry, clean house, and cook
was overwhelming. I don’t think she was happy about it, but she knew
she’d never be able to convince me to become what I didn’t want to be, so
she broke it off.”
“So, you’re not even going to the dance tonight?”
“Nope. How about you boys? Are you treating your poor wives to a
night on the town?”
Tom laughed and said, “At that time of night, all Mary wants to do is
relax for a little while. Chasing after those three young’uns all day is
enough work by itself. She can’t wait until Teddy starts school in
September. He’ll be the first and in a couple of years, they’ll all be in school
giving her the day to herself.”
Joe nodded and said, “It’s the same for Wilma, but we only have the two
and neither of them is close to heading off to school yet.”
 Dan grinned and said, “And that’s if you don’t put them in a motherly
way again.”
Dan thought he was done with the Margaret explanations, so he changed
the topic back to the Winchester ’76, which was a simple thing to do.
_____
By the time Dan walked to Happy’s Café for lunch, the rumor mill had
already been surging with the news of the breakup of Trinidad’s most
admired couple, so as he took a seat at his accustomed table, the other
diners would glance his way and whisper to their tablemates.
Dan expected that to be one of the many consequences that would result
from the news, so he wasn’t surprised. He also knew that speculation would
arise about the cause, but he didn’t care what was said. The gossip was the
least of those consequences of his decision to keep his badge, and they’d
only get worse with each telling.
But he soon discovered a consequence he hadn’t anticipated when the
young waitress approached his table with a wider-than-usual smile and said,
“Good afternoon, Dan. What can I get for you today?”
“Just the special, whatever it is, Jane,” he replied as he smiled back at
her.
“I’ll be right back,” she said before she quickly turned and headed for
the kitchen.
Dan didn’t really pay much attention yet but that changed when she
returned with the plate of meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes and
gravy just a minute later.
After setting them on the table with a pot of coffee, she asked, “So, are
you still going to the dance, Dan?”
“No, Jane, I don’t think so.”
“I don’t have anyone to escort me to the dance, Dan, and I’d be very
happy if you would.”
Dan suddenly recognized the unexpected consequence, but smiled at
Jane and asked, “You can understand why I’d rather not be at the dance
tonight; don’t you, Jane?”
“Yes, I can understand that, but I think that’s terrible what she did to you.
I’d never do anything like that, you know.”
Dan said, “It really wasn’t Margaret’s fault, Jane. It was me just being
stubborn, that’s all.”
“Well, I still think she made a big mistake.”
Dan nodded and poured his coffee, signaling to Jane that he was going to
eat his lunch.
She smiled again, turned, and walked to another table to take their order.
Dan ate his meatloaf faster than normal, left fifty cents on the table, and
left the diner to more whispers heading back to the office believing that the
new target on his back for many young women would be the most
noteworthy of the consequences.
The brief exchange with Jane had bothered him on several fronts. He
thought she was a pretty and pleasant young lady, but like every other
young woman in town, she couldn’t measure up to Margaret. He didn’t
want to be rude to them or hurt any of their feelings if they set their caps for
him, so he had no idea how to deal with what would probably be an
ongoing problem until the potential girlfriends got the message that he
wasn’t interested. Then there was that rude awakening that he hadn’t really
understood Margaret at all and had been almost ready to marry her. It was
almost as big a jolt as her refusal itself.
As he entered the jail, he spotted his father talking to John Pearson who
farmed a half section of homesteaded land about four miles south of
Trinidad.
His father looked up and waved him over. When he was close, he said,
“John, tell Dan what you just told me.”
Mister Pearson turned to Dan and said, “I had to come and get some
supplies, so my wife told me to stop by and ask if you could send somebody
to check on the Lawson place.”
“What’s the problem?” Dan asked.
 “It’s probably nothing, but my wife was worried. A couple of days ago,
the Lawson girl, Susanna, showed up at the farm with her mule asking to
trade it for some food. Now my wife, being the good Christian woman that
she is, could see the girl was a sad way, and just tried to give her the food
and let her keep the mule, but she wouldn’t have it.
“So, she took the mule and gave the girl a big bag of food. Now their
place is a good four miles south of my farm, and she just hefted that bag
that must’ve weighed forty pounds and headed off. She even refused the
help from one of my boys to carry it for her. What’s got the wife concerned
is that it was just that girl that showed up and not her giant father, mother,
or her big lug of a brother.”
The sheriff said, “Thanks, John. Tell Alice we’ll check it out and let you
know.”
John shook the sheriff’s hand and then Dan’s before turning and leaving
the office to get his supplies.
After he’d gone, Bill asked, “Do you know the Lawsons?”
“Not well, but I’ve seen the father a few times getting supplies and he
seems like an ornery sort but never causes us any problems. He just shows
up, fills his wagon, and leaves. Most of the time he showed up with his boy,
who’s almost my size. I’ve only seen his wife maybe three or four times and
the girl only twice, but I remember her. She’s about five feet and four
inches tall with long, sandy hair with an oval face, and the biggest blue eyes
I’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen her in a couple of years, though. I figured
she’d have gone off and been married by now.”
“I’ve talked to Bob Lawson a couple of times and I agree with your
assessment. Why his daughter showed up at the Pearson farm to barter for
food doesn’t sound right. I want you to go down there and see if there’s a
problem.”
“What if she’s alone and still under eighteen?”
“It’s going to have to be your call, Dan. If she tells you she’s eighteen
and wants to stay there, there’s nothing we can do. Other than that, you
need to work with the situation.”
 “Okay, Pop. It’ll be good to get out of town for a day. When I was at
Happy’s, Jane Murchison asked me to escort her to the dance tonight, but I
have a feeling it would be a real disaster if I did.”
“She’s a pretty girl, Dan, and you could do worse. But you’re right about
the potential for a real mess if you went, even without Jane. Let me know
what you find down at the Lawsons.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied as he walked to the gun rack, took down his new
’76, and snatched one of the boxes of cartridges before turning and leaving
the office.
After saddling Plano, he mounted and walked him out of the small barn
and headed east down Main Street, glancing at the bank as he passed by
before he turned south, and rode out of town across the southern bridge
over the Las Animas River.
It was a bright late spring afternoon and hadn’t reached summer heat yet,
so it was a pleasant ride. He passed the Pearson farm thirty minutes later
and thought about talking to Mrs. Pearson or maybe either James or Willie,
the two boys. He could see them out working in the fields of winter wheat
with their father and figured that they’d soon be going back to the house to
get changed for the dance. He knew both reasonably well. James was
twenty and looking for a wife and Willie was nineteen and just enjoying
being irresponsible. He liked James, but Willie was just still too much of a
boy, which was a bad thing. At that age, Dan was already a deputy.
Their two younger sisters, seventeen-year-old Jenny, and sixteen-year-
old Tammy would probably be joining them at the dance and were probably
already in the house getting their hair washed and brushed.
Dan smiled at the thought until he realized that once they arrived at the
dance and heard the news that Margaret was now available, he didn’t doubt
that both Pearson boys would join the long queue of her dance partners.
What would have shocked him would be if either of them would get a
second look. If she and her father didn’t think a deputy sheriff making
forty-five dollars a month was good enough, then two farmer’s sons weren’t
even worth a dance.
 He had a general idea where the Lawson farm was, having seen it only
once when he was passing from east to west chasing after two would-be
rustlers, so he’d just follow the wagon ruts south.
It was a half-section, like the Pearson farm, but Bob Lawson had planted
alfalfa rather than wheat and when he’d seen it last the fields seemed to be
doing well but that was two years ago. He was a bit surprised that he hadn’t
been by this way more often because it was so close to Trinidad, nestled on
the edge of the high hills and low mountains to the south before New
Mexico Territory.
He spotted the farm just fifteen minutes later and kept Plano moving at a
medium trot as he began his preliminary inspection of the place.
The fields were still growing alfalfa, but they didn’t seem to be well-
maintained. The barn was as large as the one on the Pearson farm, but the
house was much smaller and there was no smoke from either the cookstove
pipe or the chimney. Dan didn’t see any movement but hadn’t expected to
see anyone working the fields after hearing John Pearson’s story.
There wasn’t an access road, just a continuation of the wagon ruts that
led to the front of the house.
_____
Inside the house, Susanna watched Dan approach with a feeling of dread.
She had half-expected someone to come visiting after going to the Pearson
farm for food and thought it was probably going to be Willie Pearson who
had seemed to be interested, but this was much worse.
She could already see the badge on his chest and knew who he was. If it
had been the sheriff or one of the other deputies, it wouldn’t have been this
horrible. She had seen Dan Hart in Trinidad the last two times she’d been
allowed to go to town and had been shaken by just the sight of him.
He’d met her blue eyes with his browns for just a few seconds and she’d
felt her knees weaken which had never happened before or since. Now he
was just a few hundred yards away and she began rehearsing her story out
loud. If it had been one of the other lawmen, she knew she’d be able to lie
with conviction because she’d had so long to prepare, but if he looked at her
with those warm brown eyes of his, she didn’t know if she’d be able to do
it. Despite her sudden concern, she had to make it sound believable because
her very life depended on it.
Susanna glanced at the poker, the killing instrument that she kept near
her bed as her only defensive weapon, but then quickly resumed watching
Deputy Dan Hart through the window as he rode closer to the house.
_____
Dan soon reached the house and dismounted, tied Plano’s reins to the
hitchrail, stepped onto the six-inch high elevated boards that passed as the
porch, and knocked loudly on the door.
Susanna took a deep breath and approached the door, but left it closed as
she picked up the poker as a prop for the opening act in her crucial play.
She then shouted, “What do you want?”
Dan shouted back, “I’m Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff Dan Hart
and I need to talk to you if you don’t mind.”
She still didn’t open the door, but yelled, “About what?”
“Miss Lawson, our office was contacted by John Pearson, the owner of
the farm just north of yours, and he asked us to check on your welfare, so
that’s what I’m doing.”
Susanna was trying to get into character as she gripped the poker, opened
the door a couple of inches, blinked, and said, “Come in, Deputy Hart.”
“Thank you, Miss Lawson,” Dan said as he removed his hat and stepped
inside the room, noticed the poker in her hand, but gave the room a quick
inspection as he did.
The main room was tidy but seemed almost empty. There was a single,
small bed near the door, a small shelf near the pillow, a kitchen table with
four chairs, a sink, and a cookstove. There were two open doors to
bedrooms, but he couldn’t see any furniture at all inside either one.
He then stopped and turned as Susanna tossed the poker onto the bed and
walked past him, leaving the front door open and took a seat at the table.
He took a hard look at her before he asked, “How old are you, ma’am?”
 She kept her eyes away from Dan’s as she replied, “I’ll be nineteen in
October.”
“Are you alone, Miss Lawson?”
“Yes, I am now,” she answered quietly and dropped her face into her
hands and sobbed, “They came here two months ago at night and killed my
parents.”
Dan was stunned by her breathtaking statement and quickly asked, “Who
did?”
She kept her face hidden as she said, “There were two of them. They just
barged into the house with their guns as we were eating dinner and shot my
father. Then, they…they…”
She began to shake before half-shouting, “They raped me and my mother
and ate our food and just left like it was just a normal night for them. My
mother died an hour later because the one that raped her beat her badly
when he was finished.”
Dan took a seat at one of the four straight-backed chairs and quietly
asked, “Why didn’t you say anything? You should have walked to the
Pearson farm and let them know so we could have caught up with those
men.”
She jerked her head up and glared at him before she exclaimed, “
Don’t
you understand?
They killed my parents and they raped me! I had to bury
my own parents, and I couldn’t let anyone know what happened to me. I
was just so ashamed.”
Dan saw the fear in her eyes and said softly, “But you’re telling me
now.”
“Because it was two months ago, and I know I’m not pregnant now. I
was afraid that would happen, and I would be even more ashamed.”
Dan looked into those pained big blue eyes and wished he could have
found out about this sooner. To have such a despicable act perpetrated so
close to Trinidad without being aware that it had happened ate at him.
 “But there are still two murderers out there who have to be caught and
hanged.”
“Nobody would care about what happens to people like me. Don’t
pretend that you do, either.”
Dan was mildly offended by her accusation but accepted it as an
indication of her pain before he replied, “I’m sorry you feel that way, Miss
Lawson, but trust me, I do care. You’re in a sad state living here by yourself
and it’s not safe, either. I can’t make you leave because you’re an adult, but
I’d recommend that you return with me to Trinidad for your own welfare.”
Susanna had tried not to look at his face, yet she did and saw the
compassion in his eyes she almost blurted out a confession, but quickly
looked back down as she replied, “No, I can’t leave. I can’t.”
Dan wished he could talk her into coming with him but knew he
couldn’t. She seemed adamant about staying, but he hadn’t been
exaggerating her precarious situation in the slightest.
“Miss Lawson, I need to get descriptions of the two men so I can hunt
them down. It’ll be a lot harder after eight weeks, but it can be done.”
“I don’t care what you do,” Susanna snapped as she still looked away.
Dan sighed. He’d never seen a woman who’d been victimized nearly as
much as the young woman sitting three feet away from him who didn’t
even care if those responsible were punished.
“You may not care, Miss, but I do. I don’t want anyone else to endure
what you have suffered, so I’ll need as many details as you can give me,
and then I’ll head back to Trinidad.”
Susanna nodded and said, “Alright.”
Dan pulled out his notebook and pencil, opened it to a blank sheet, and
asked, “When did it happen?”
“April 16
th
at around seven o’clock in the evening.”
“Which way did they leave?”
“West.”
 “What is your full name and date of birth?”
“Susanna Anne Lawson. October 11
th
, 1859.”
“Your father’s name was Bob, is that right?”
“Robert, but he went by Bob. My mother’s name was Sarah.”
“You have an older brother, don’t you?”
“Yes. I have an older brother named Henry, but he ran away in
November after taking most of the household money. I haven’t seen him
since.”
“Describe the two men who broke into your home.”
Susanna closed her eyes and said, “I’m not too sure about what they
looked like. The room only had one lamp and a fire for light, but they were
both about average height with dark hair. That’s all I can tell you.”
“It’s not much, ma’am. Would you be willing to come to the office and
look through the wanted posters?”
“I’m not going to Trinidad.”
“Alright. Can I bring them by tomorrow for you to look through?”
Susanna hadn’t expected that he’d really try to chase down the fictitious
killers, especially not after two months, but assumed it would look bad if
she refused.
“Okay.”
“Fine,” Dan said as he closed his notebook and said, ““I’ll be back
tomorrow morning with the posters. Do you want me to bring you
anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Lawson, it’s pretty obvious that you’re in a bad way. You traded
away your mule for food and you won’t even go to Trinidad. I have two
younger sisters, and I’m sure that each of them wouldn’t mind sending
along one of their many dresses.”
“I don’t want any charity, Deputy.”
 “Don’t be so proud, ma’am. You need charity right now because you
sure haven’t had any in the past. Pride doesn’t fill your belly or keep you
warm. When I return, I’ll bring you what I think you need and you’ll take
them and just say, ‘Thank you, Deputy Hart’. Is that understood?”
She was ready to argue but wanted him to leave before she released her
demons and confessed the truth, so she quickly said “Yes.”
“Good. Now I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’ll knock just three times,
so you’ll know it’s me.”
“Alright.”
“Now, before I leave, I’m going to do some investigating outside. Where
did you bury your parents?”
“On the south side of the barn.”
“Okay,” he said as he rose, walked out the door and turned left toward
the barn, and heard her close the door behind him.
He found the grave where she said it would be and entered the barn and
found a sad-looking wagon and cracked leather harness, some hay, and
rusting tools but that was about it. It was worse for Susanna Lawson than
he’d first thought.
After leaving the barn, he did a wide perimeter check, examining the
ground while silently cursing the delay in discovering the murders. If she
had gone to the Pearson farm, embarrassment or not, he knew the killers
would probably already be hanged and buried.
He wasn’t surprised that no hoofprints were visible after two months but
was still annoyed by the lack of evidence.
Dan mounted Plano, took one long look at the closed door, then wheeled
him around, and headed north, feeling somewhat guilty for not being able to
talk Miss Lawson into leaving her farm at least temporarily.
As he passed the Pearson farm, he noted the lack of work in the fields
which meant that the boys were in the house joining their sisters in
preparation for the dance that would be starting in just a few hours.
 He was almost to Trinidad when he spotted Mister Pearson driving his
loaded wagon south and pulled up when he was close.
“Did my wife have a reason to worry, Dan?” he asked after pulling his
wagon to a stop.
“Yes, sir. Two men broke into the Lawson house a couple of months ago
and murdered her father and mother.”
“Why didn’t she or that brother of hers come and tell us? We would have
helped.”
“I know, but she was ashamed of what they did to her. Her brother had
run off in November, so she was all alone.”
“Damn. Maybe I’ll send one of the boys down there with some food and
things.”
“No, sir. I wouldn’t recommend that. She was pretty nervous and almost
didn’t want to let me in. I’ll be heading back there in the morning with
some wanted posters so she can identify the two men. I’ll bring her some
things when I do. She’s still too damned proud to accept any help, but I can
order her to take it anyway.”
“Okay. I’ll let Alice know. Thanks for checking on it, Dan.”
“Thanks for letting us know, Mister Pearson,” he said before he waved
and set Plano to a medium trot.
_____
After she’d watched Dan ride away, Susanna sat back down on the bed
and deeply regretted the fiction that she’d just created but knew that if she
hadn’t, she’d hang for murdering her father.
Despite her protests, she found that she was becoming excited about
getting some new clothes but knowing that she was profiting from her lie
made her almost sick.
She felt so incredibly guilty for what had just happened that she began to
think that maybe she should have just let her father have what he wanted. It
made her nauseous to even imagine it, but she wouldn’t have murdered him
nor would she be perjuring herself just to avoid the penalty that she
deserved.
Susanna hadn’t been the only one in the family to notice her father’s
growing interest in her as she began to fill out. She tried to hide the changes
as much as possible, but it never worked. The first indications of his designs
were when he began keeping her at home and refusing to let her meet boys.
It was reaching a critical point as she approached her eighteenth birthday
and he began to worry that Susanna might leave. But it was too cold by then
and all through the winter, the signs of his growing lust for his own
daughter became more evident as he spied on her as she bathed or dressed,
which made her find ways to avoid both as much as possible. Her mother
tried to help, but she was a small woman, even smaller than Susanna, and
feared her husband even more.
It was on that dark day in April when she and Henry were in the fields
and heard their parents shouting at each other and a sudden, spine-chilling
scream from her mother followed by the ominous silence.
Her father had then ordered Henry to help bury their mother near the
barn and even though Susanna had begged him not to throw away her
mother’s clothes, he’d tossed everything she owned, including the family
Bible, onto her body before he and Henry shoveled the dirt on top without
saying a word.
She thought her father would try to take her that first night, but Henry
was still in the house, so he hadn’t left his bedroom. That changed the next
day when he ordered Henry to leave, not even caring if he took one of the
two mules or half of the family’s money leaving only thirty dollars in the
jar.
She had cursed Henry for his cowardice knowing she had no protection
after he’d ridden off. The uncontrollable terror she felt that night still made
her shake when she recalled those hideous eyes. But as disgusting and as
sinful as it would have been if she’d let him have his way, murder was still
murder and it was the greatest sin. She had murdered her own father and
was now lying to stay alive.
 Susanna sat and tried to convince herself that she had no choice. She
couldn’t confess and had to maintain the lie when Dan Hart returned
tomorrow.
_____
When Dan arrived at the office, he turned the gray gelding into the barn,
dismounted, and then unsaddled the horse and brushed him down for all the
good it would do. With his mottled gray, almost kinky coat, his short tail,
and his ragged mane, Plano was simply not a handsome animal. In fact, that
was where he got his name. When he came into possession of the pony after
his father had arrested his owner for rustling, no one else had wanted him
and Dan, being the newest deputy was saddled with him. He may not have
been easy on the eyes, but he was a steady, smart animal that Dan found he
could trust. His name, Plano, came when the other deputies had called him
‘Plain Old Ugly’.
When he entered the office, he replaced his Winchester, dropped his
saddlebags to the floor, and waved Tom and Joe into his father’s office
before they could ask him what he’d found.
Once inside, he took the only chair before the desk as his fellow deputies
leaned against the wall.
“Well?” his father asked.
He pulled out his notebook and began narrating, “I found Miss Susanna
Lawson, age eighteen, with a birthdate of October 11
th
, 1859 living alone
in the small farmhouse. She was very defensive and kept the door closed
even after I identified myself. She finally opened the door so we could talk
more easily but had a poker in her hand for defense, which she
subsequently set on the bed after she was sure I was a lawman. She is about
five feet and four inches tall and her weight was about a hundred and ten
pounds. She had sandy brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a thin
dress and appeared to be reasonably healthy, but very anxious.
“She told me that on April 16
th
, at approximately seven o’clock in the
evening, as they were eating, two men broke into the house, shot and killed
her father, and then raped her and her mother. The man who raped her
mother also beat her severely, resulting in her death two hours later. She
only had a vague description of the two men, so I’ll be running some
wanted posters down to her in the morning because she said she was too
embarrassed to be seen in Trinidad. She said that the two men rode west
immediately after the crime.
“Her older brother left the farm in November, and I’m not convinced that
he wasn’t at least responsible for letting the killers know about the place. I
had to leave her there despite my concerns as she seemed adamant about
staying. Personally, I think she’s in a bad position if she stays. I’ll be
heading over to Morrison’s shortly to buy some things to bring down there.
I’ll take that Morgan mare we have in the corral as well and leave it with
her. She doesn’t have any way of leaving if she needs to get out of there
quickly.”
Sheriff Hart asked, “Do you think she’ll be able to identify the men from
wanted posters?”
“I’d be surprised if she did after listening to her vague description.
Anyway, I’ll write this up and head over to Morrison’s.”
“Good enough,” his father said.
Dan closed the notebook, then rose, and followed Tom and Joe out to the
front office.
_____
The report didn’t take long, so Dan saddled the deep brown Morgan
mare, adjusting the stirrups for Susanna’s short legs, and led the small horse
out to Main Street and turned west, heading for Morrison’s. He would
normally have just let the supplies stay at Morrison’s until he left in the
morning, but tomorrow was Sunday and the store would be closed.
He didn’t want to go overboard despite Susanna’s need for almost
everything. When he’d scanned the house, he’d made a mental note of what
was the top priority. The food consisted of ham, a slab of bacon, flour,
coffee, sugar, salt, then some assorted tins. He had Mrs. Morrison get the
clothes before he added other items like soap, toothbrush, powder and even
some privacy paper, which he was sure wasn’t present in the Lawson privy.
The last additions to the order were a can of kerosene, two boxes of
matches, six candles, and some towels.
 When he was finished, and Mrs. Morrison had set all that she thought
Miss Lawson would need on the counter, it was a considerable purchase and
Dan found himself somewhat embarrassed. He paid the hefty $36.15 bill
and he and Hector Morrison hung the four bags over the Morgan’s saddle
before he led the mare back to the now-empty sheriff’s office carrying the
can of kerosene in his other hand.
He returned the horse to the small barn in back, unloaded the supplies,
unsaddled her, and brushed her down. Before he left the small barn, he
pulled his cash out of his pocket, counted out thirty dollars and opened one
of the bags with clothing, and slid it between the folds of a light blue dress.
With the supplies and the horse handled, Dan headed for Happy’s for his
supper rather than face his mother’s wrath. He was certain that she’d be
displeased that he’d left a defenseless young woman alone in her home. He
knew she really understood that he had no choice, but was just as sure that
she’d give him a tongue-lashing and probably have his sisters join in.
_____
An hour later, Dan was sitting at the desk, leafing through the wanted
posters, concentrating on the violent men but checking them all. He was
talking aloud to himself as he sometimes did when he was alone in the jail.
“I need to pay attention to the ‘known associates’ section because we’re
looking for a pair of them. I don’t think there would be any more than two,
though. If the vague description she gave me was halfway accurate, it
sounds as if they were related, so I’m guessing that they were probably
brothers. One was more violent than the other because he’d beaten her
mother after he raped her but the one that raped Susanna didn’t. They were
also so cold that they ate the food after committing the murders and rapes.
“That narrows it down a lot. There are only four sets of brothers in the
whole stack and only two of them come close to those descriptions. The
first two,
Al and Harry Clark, seemed to spend their time down in New
Mexico, but Johnny and Earl Williams
are more local boys that might be
my best bet. They were spotted three weeks ago in Walsenburg after a
shootout with one of Sheriff Tippet’s deputies. If they ran south, they could
be the ones.”
 Dan picked up the two on the Williams brothers and then studied both of
them carefully, looking for anything that might stick out. All that was
noticeable was the violent nature of their crimes especially those committed
by the older brother, Johnny. Men like the Williams brothers were more
than capable of committing such a heinous crime and that was why they had
such high rewards on their heads.
Dan finally returned the two Williams brothers’ posters to the stack and
slid them into the drawer. He then stood, filled his cup with some old
coffee, and walked to the window to watch the passing traffic as couples
walked or rode to the community hall for the late spring dance.
He knew that Margaret would be rolling past the window in her family’s
buggy soon and wondered who would be driving. He thought it might be
her father because he couldn’t think of any other males that he would trust
to be with his daughter.
It was less than ten minutes later when he spotted the buggy and was
more than mildly surprised to see that it wasn’t her father driving, but John
Anderson.
How had that happened so quickly?
He slowly turned, walked back to the desk, and dropped onto the chair.
John Anderson?
It made sense on the face of it, considering Margaret’s
need to live a comfortable life.
John Anderson was almost forty now, a widower without any children
and the owner of the town sawmill and the bigger of the two construction
companies in town. He was still a handsome man but was already tending
to fat. He wore his hair slicked down and had a well-groomed mustache to
accent his face.
He hadn’t remarried after his wife had died four years earlier which had
surprised most folks in town, but he certainly had several well-known
dalliances even while he was married.
One of them was with a young lady named Cecile Richardson and that
liaison had created a bit of a buzz when she left town to stay with relatives
in Kansas City. She hadn’t returned and that was over a year ago.
John had made no secret of his intentions toward Margaret even while
Dan and Margaret had been seeing each other. Dan guessed that he’d heard
the news and swooped in before anyone else could stake a claim.
But it was the rapidity with which he’d been replaced that had stunned
him as much, if not more, than her choice. If he was her choice and not her
father’s. He hadn’t seen her face, so he didn’t know if she was smiling or
not. Either way, the fact that John Anderson was escorting her to the dance
was the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.
It was a hell of a big nail.
 CHAPTER 2
Dan skipped breakfast after cleaning up and shaving the next morning.
He knew he’d hear the buzz about the dance and Margaret’s arrival with
John Anderson soon enough and would rather let it lose some of its steam
before he returned from the Lawson farm.
It was Sunday, so nobody would be coming into the office. Everyone
knew where the sheriff lived if they had an emergency.
Dan walked to the barn, saddled Plano and the Morgan, then took twenty
minutes to get the four bags in place and secured over the Morgan before he
managed to hang the can of kerosene on Plano without too much
interference with his gait and returned to the jail for the wanted posters.
After taking the stack and closing the door, he was preparing to leave
when he stopped and then walked to the gun rack, pulled open the bottom
drawer, and pulled out a gunbelt and pistol. It was a Colt Model 1862
Pocket Navy pistol chambered for a .36 caliber round. It was an old
percussion pistol that had been there for years, but nobody wanted to throw
it away. It was a small revolver with only five rounds, but it would be good
enough to give Susanna some measure of protection.
He walked out the door with the gunbelt and posters closed and locked
the door and, after putting the wanted posters in Plano’s saddlebag, he put
the gunbelt in the Morgan’s before mounting and riding out of town.
_____
Susanna had been awake before dawn and hadn’t eaten simply because
she was beyond nervous; she was petrified. She knew even as she was
laboring to put her enormous father into the same hole where he’d buried
her mother that sooner or later, someone would find her.
Now Dan Hart would be returning and asking more questions. If she had
any place to go, she would have run after he’d gone yesterday, but she
didn’t even have that scruffy mule any longer and the household money that
Henry hadn’t stolen, her father must have hidden so well that she couldn’t
find it anywhere. It was probably just to make sure she couldn’t run as if
she had anywhere to go. She now had almost nothing and must have made a
fine appearance to Dan Hart yesterday.
Then she laughed as she stretched out the hem of her almost transparent
dress and looked at it. She had another dress, but it was in even worse
condition. She wore her only equally thin nightdress underneath, or she’d
feel almost naked.
So, now she was alone, just pacing in the main room waiting for Dan
Hart to arrive. As she made her repetitious path, she kept reviewing her
story in her mind perfecting details and trying to convince her mind that it
had actually happened the way she’d described it.
_____
Dan passed the Pearson farm, noting the two boys already out in the
fields with their father, and saw one of the girls, probably Jenny, lugging a
pail of milk from the barn. The sisters were almost the same size, so at three
hundred yards, the only noticeable difference was that Jenny’s hair was
darker than her younger sister's.
Jenny must have spotted him because as he was looking that way, she set
the pail down and waved.
Dan waved back and then looked south again. Both Pearson girls were
nice, reasonably pretty, and, unlike Margaret, they didn’t mind hard work,
even on a Sunday.
He shook his head, annoyed with himself that here it was just the second
day without Margaret, and he was already comparing other young women
to her. He knew he’d have to get over her and do it soon because she
wouldn’t be unattached very long,
but John Anderson?
That short glimpse of Margaret riding past the jail still gnawed at him,
and he hoped it was just a matter of convenience although he suspected it
wasn’t. He was sure that when he returned, the gossip mill would provide
the answer.
For the second time in less than a minute, Dan shook his head to clear
the cobwebs that were never a good thing even in an area where being
drygulched was remote. He wore his badge on the outside of his jacket for
jobs like this and in the early morning sun, it was like a beacon for hostile
bullets.
He’d only been caught in an ambush once, and it had been a learning
experience, one that almost cost him his young life.
Less than a year after pinning on the badge, he’d been sent to investigate
the theft of a pair of goats from a farmer southeast of Trinidad, near the
town of Riceville. It had all the earmarks of a case of wandering critters, so
he’d been riding along on Plano just having a grand time when he should
have died. A .44 fired from a Winchester-wielding outlaw named Chancy
Coolidge passed right under his right bicep through his shirt sleeve and
went someplace that wasn’t part of Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff
Daniel James Hart.
Dan had immediately dropped onto Plano’s ugly mane and kicked the
gelding to speed as a second shot was fired. He found the shooter’s location
as Plano swerved off the trail and Dan yanked his Winchester ’73 out of the
scabbard.
Chancy was in a great location for a drygulch, but a lousy one for a
gunfight.
Once he’d spotted Dan approaching from the west with his badge, he’d
quickly turned his horse into a small copse of young cottonwoods,
dismounted, and tied off the horse while he grabbed his repeater. None of
the trees really provided full cover and if Dan had been attentive, he would
have spotted him easily at eight hundred yards. Chancy should have killed
Dan, but that incredibly lucky miss had vaporized Dan’s fog and put
Chancy in a bad situation. The thin tree trunks provided him with limited
protection but did restrict his view.
Dan quickly realized Chancy’s problem and kept Plano running to the
northeast as Chancy kept moving from tree to tree to get another clear shot.
When Dan suddenly pulled Plano to a surprising stop, Chancy was in
between trees and quickly turned to take another shot, but Dan had planned
the stop and the timing, so by the time the outlaw realized what was
happening, it was too late. He took Dan’s .44 just to the left of center below
his rib cage, ripping through his stomach and dropping him to the ground.
Dan then quickly had Plano moving again as he rode toward the fatally
wounded outlaw with his Winchester still aimed and cocked but soon
realized that the man wasn’t a threat any longer. Dan was furious with
himself for being caught unaware, but he’d spend time reviewing that
failure later. But he needed to know the identity of the man who had almost
killed him.
When he stepped down near Chancy, he recognized the man from a
wanted poster and understood why he was there because of a recent
telegram. The shooter had nothing to do with the missing goats but was just
leaving Riceville after robbing the small bank in Las Animas three days
earlier.
Las Animas, the town, was the county seat in Bent County to the north,
which could be confusing at times. It had just been a coincidence that
they’d traveled the same road and for Dan, it could have been the last day
he’d be traveling anywhere.
After dropping off Chancy’s body at Riceville for burial, Dan
investigated the missing goats and found that they had returned on their
own volition two hours after he’d left Trinidad.
When he returned with Chancy’s horse and possessions to the office,
he’d written his report confessing his failure, but his father hadn’t
admonished him for the mistake telling him that it was an important lesson
learned. His mother, however, had been horrified.
Yet here he was again riding along not paying attention to his
surroundings just because of Margaret and vowed never to let himself be so
vulnerable again. That promise didn’t just apply to the possibility of being
ambushed either. He’d be sure that the next prospective Mrs. Daniel Hart
wasn’t going to break his heart.
The Pearson farm had just disappeared behind him when the Lawson
farm buildings slowly rose from the southern horizon.
_____
 Susanna had been looking out the one window that faced north for the
past half hour, so when the deputy’s dust cloud made its appearance her
level of anxiety ratcheted up a few clicks.
She kept her eyes to the north and soon noticed that he was leading a
second horse and her empty stomach dropped. He must have already
discovered her lie and was coming to arrest her, but he was too close now
for her to run.
She stepped away from the window, walked quickly to the fireplace, and
picked up the poker. But even as her fingers closed around the cold steel,
she knew that she could never use it again. When she’d killed her father, it
was her terror that had made her commit the murder. She knew she simply
didn’t have it in her to so much as kick that mangy mule,
so how could she
even think of hurting a lawman, and Dan Hart at that?
She simply dropped the poker to the hearthstones with a loud ringing
clang and turned back toward the door and stopped before the closed
entrance. Now she just waited, preparing to accept the punishment that she
knew would soon be coming in the form of Deputy Hart.
_____
Dan slowed Plano to a walk when he was close to the house having
noted the lack of smoke from the chimney and wondered if he hadn’t
frightened Susanna away or maybe she’d gone to the Pearson farm for
protection. That made sense to him, so he was half-expecting no reply after
he knocked on the door when he got there. After dismounting, he removed
his saddlebags, draped them over his shoulder, removed the can of kerosene
from Plano, and then stepped toward the house.
He never was given a chance to knock. As soon as his foot struck the
boards making the almost-porch, the door swung open and Susanna Lawson
was standing there looking for all the world like a surrendering suspect with
her downcast eyes and her hands by her sides.
Dan asked, “Miss Lawson, may I come in? I have some wanted posters
for you to review.”
His question and its soft tone made Susanna want to laugh in relief, so
she didn’t notice the kerosene as she lifted her eyes, blinked in
astonishment at the sudden reprieve, then exhaled sharply and tried to avoid
shaking.
She finally replied, “Yes, yes, of course.”
She turned around quickly with her arms wrapped around herself and
took three rapid steps to the table and sat on one of the four rickety chairs
before her weak knees failed to support her.
Dan stood in the doorway for a few seconds having been set back by
Susanna’s big blue eyes at close range and entered the house and set the can
of kerosene down before dropping his saddlebags on the floor. He took a
seat across the table noticing the change in her mood from just moments
before.
She now seemed almost happy but not quite. There was enormous relief
in those big blue eyes, and he wondered if something else had frightened
her after he’d gone yesterday and was glad that he’d added the pistol. He
remembered her face from the two times he’d seen her, and it was quite
different now. Of course, that had been two years ago, but it wasn’t because
she was more mature. There was something else, something sad but
understandably so, and he felt an enormous sense of compassion for
Susanna Lawson.
But compassion had to wait as he quickly returned to his official role
when he reached down, opened his saddlebag, then took out the stack of
wanted posters and set them on the table face down.
He waited for a few seconds until he had her attention, then said, “Now,
Miss Lawson, I’m going to start flipping these wanted posters over so you
can look at them. Wanted posters aren’t usually very well drawn, so look at
the descriptions, too. If you recognize any of them, let me know. I
understand that you didn’t get a good look at them in the bad light and with
the horror that you must have felt, so don’t be upset if you can’t identify
them. I already have a good idea who they might be. Okay?”
Susanna just nodded as she stared at the almost two-inch thick stack of
heavy paper.
Dan watched her eyes as he began to flip the sheets looking for that flash
of recognition.
 As Susanna saw face after face of killers and rapists placed before her,
she wanted to be able to just point quickly at one of them and say, “That’s
him!” but was worried that the man she identified might be in prison or was
already dead. So, she just kept staring at them as the deputy slowly flipped
them over after giving her a few seconds to study each one.
Dan had been watching her confused blue eyes examine each poster and
again felt enormous sympathy for Susanna. He felt that he was almost being
cruel to be showing them to her and making her relive the terror of that
night, but after two months maybe she would be able to handle it. She
already had displayed remarkable courage to be able to behave so normally
after having witnessed the brutal murder of her parents and her own assault.
Then to bury them and go on with her life was nothing less than
extraordinary.
Susanna realized that she was probably undergoing scrutiny as she
scanned the wanted posters and did her best to appear to be reading the
descriptions but just saw the bigger print proclaiming: WANTED DEAD
OR ALIVE FOR MURDER. She was surprised how many of the murderers
were also being sought for rape and other crimes but didn’t even bother
reading the descriptions once she had decided not to identify any of them.
These men were all monsters and the thought of sending Dan Hart or any
lawman after them just because of her lie made her stomach churn.
Dan flipped over the last sheet of heavy parchment and then after a few
seconds, Susanna looked up at him.
“I’m sorry, Deputy. I just didn’t see either of them.”
“No, that’s alright, Miss Lawson. I really didn’t expect you to, but I do
appreciate your looking for them.”
Dan then stood the stack on end tapped it on the table to put them back
in line and slipped the posters back into his saddlebags knowing the more
difficult part of the visit was imminent.
Susanna expected him to stand, thank her again, and leave but when he
stayed sitting at the table, she began to fret again.
Dan immediately spotted the new emotion in those big, round blue eyes
but misread the worry about being caught in her lie as concern that she had
failed to find the perpetrators.
“Miss Lawson, it really isn’t that important that you didn’t identify them.
We’ll catch them. Don’t worry.”
She nodded again but didn’t reply. Dan Hart was already making the
possible repercussions from her lie much worse.
Dan then said, “Miss Lawson, I brought those supplies that I promised,
so I’ll unload them now. Okay?”
Susanna hadn’t noticed the four bags on the Morgan either but asked,
“Do you need help?”
“They’re too heavy, Miss. I’ll bring them in so you can put them away.”
“Okay.”
Dan stood, picked up his saddlebags, and then left the house and after
tossing his saddlebags back over Plano, he began unloading the heavy bags
from the Morgan.
He was able to lug two of the weighty bags in at a time, so just ten
minutes later the Morgan mare was empty, and the bags were sitting on the
floor near the can of kerosene. Susanna hadn’t moved from the chair yet as
she was simply stunned by the quantity. She’d expected a single small bag
with some used dresses inside but not this.
After setting the bags on the floor, Dan took his seat again and looked at
Susanna’s face trying to read her emotional state and getting nowhere.
Finally, Susanna turned those giant blue eyes to Dan and asked, “Why so
much? You said you were just going to bring some used clothing.”
“You needed a lot more, Miss Lawson. I’m still very concerned that
you’ll be staying here alone, too.”
“I’ll be all right.”
Dan then asked, “Miss Lawson, I’ve seen you in Trinidad twice but not
in the past two years and thought you’d gotten married and left the county.
Have you come into town very often?”
 Susanna felt as if an interrogation was forthcoming and quickly replied,
“No. Not often because I had so much to do on the farm and had to help my
mother. Why do you remember me? I’m not anybody special.”
“I remembered you because of your eyes. I can recall both of the times I
saw them because they were so startling.”
Susanna blushed and couldn’t reply but felt the threat of losing her
focus. Dan Hart was just so disarming and his gentle nature was making it
much more difficult to keep the truth from exploding from her mouth and
began to think that she may as well confess and be done with it. She finally
took the safe course and said nothing.
After almost a minute of silence, Dan said, “Can we go outside for a
minute? I need to show you a couple of things.”
“Alright,” she said as she stood and glanced at the bags, wondering what
surprises were inside before she followed Dan through the open doorway.
Dan untied the Morgan mare from Plano, led her to the hitching post,
and tied her reins as he said, “This is your horse now, Miss Lawson. She’s a
nice horse and will give you the freedom to come to Trinidad whenever you
want to. If you come into town, you’ll usually find me at the sheriff’s office
even at night. I sleep there so everyone else can go home. If you want to
avoid being seen, you can ride west until you reach the north-south road
near the tracks and then ride north into Trinidad. It’s a little longer, but a lot
more private.”
She was stunned by the gift but glanced at Plano and asked, “Why did
you give me the pretty horse?”
“The sheriff’s office usually keeps a half dozen horses in our corral for
our use, and the mare hasn’t been used in months and needs to be exercised,
so you’d be doing us a service by riding her to keep her fit. I’ve already
adjusted the stirrups for your height.”
She tilted her head slightly and asked, “Thank you. But what I asked was
why did you take such a homely one? The mare is much nicer.”
Dan smiled and replied, “I’ve had him ever since I’ve worn this badge.
His name is Plano, which is short for ‘plain old ugly’.”
 Despite her worries, Susanna laughed and asked, “Why did you pick
him?”
Dan was pleased to hear her laugh because she seemed to be coming out
of her shell and was almost enchanted by her almost melodious, gentle
laughter. It was a far cry from Margaret’s snort.
“Because I was a new deputy and no one else wanted him. I’ve had him
for almost three years now and despite his rather hideous appearance, he is
a very good horse. I’d rather have an ugly horse that I could trust than some
magnificent stallion that I couldn’t.”
As she rubbed the mare’s neck, Dan reached into the saddlebags and
pulled out the gunbelt as Susanna watched.
“I’m leaving this pistol for you as well, Miss Lawson. Have you ever
shot a gun before?”
“No.”
He handed her the gunbelt and said, “Don’t do anything fancy, just point
it and pull the hammer back and squeeze the trigger. It works like my bigger
pistol.”
Dan then pulled his Colt and showed her how to hold it with her smaller
hands, cock the hammer and then release it.
“Do you think you can do that?” he asked as he slipped his pistol back
into its holster and pulled the hammer loop into position.
“Yes.”
“Good. This pistol has all five cylinders loaded but doesn’t use
cartridges like most do. It means you can’t do any target practice. It’s just
yours for emergency use. Okay?”
Susanna nodded as she stared at the gunbelt in her hands.
Susanna wanted to keep talking but was becoming so comfortable, she
knew it was only a matter of time before she said something that would
expose her lies, so she just ended the conversation with a nod.
 After a few seconds, Dan could tell that it was time to leave but said, “I
really do wish you’d reconsider staying here, Miss Lawson.”
“I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
Dan stared into those giant blue eyes looking up at him but knew he had
no answer.
“Well, you take care. I’ll head back now, but don’t be surprised if I
swing by sometimes to check and make sure that you’re all right. I’ll keep
you apprised of any progress I make in catching those killers, too.”
Susanna was horrified and quickly asked, “But you don’t know who they
are, and it’s been so long. How can you possibly find them?”
“I’m pretty sure I know who they are. Finding them will take me some
time, but I’ll catch them and make sure the law punishes them for what they
did to you and your parents.”
“
But you can’t…
” she exclaimed before stopping herself.
“Can’t what?” Dan asked.
Susanna realized how close she’d come to blurting out the truth and
quickly recovered and said, “You can’t risk your life for this. It’s not worth
it.”
“It’s my job, Miss. It’s worth it to me. I have one more confession to
make before I leave, Miss Lawson and don’t take it badly. I put some cash
in one of the bags. It wasn’t much, but with the horse, you’ll be able to buy
whatever I forgot to put in the bags.”
“Why are you doing all this? It makes me feel like a beggar.”
“I apologize, Miss Lawson, as that was not my intent. You had a terrible
experience and needed a lot of help. I will be honest with you and admit
that if you hadn’t been such a handsome young woman with your amazing
blue eyes, I might not have gone to such lengths. But even if you had been
an old matron in similar circumstances. I would have provided as much
assistance as I could.”
Susanna wanted to protest again, but she needed to have him leave
quickly now as she could feel her resolve weakening again.
 After she didn’t reply, Dan said, “If you don’t come into Trinidad, I’ll
swing by and keep you informed about my progress in catching those two
men.”
She asked in a quiet voice, “Will the others be looking for them, too?”
“Only if they come into Trinidad. I’ll be the one who does the pursuit.
It’s what I do. You stay safe, Miss Lawson.”
Susanna nodded feeling close to vomiting as Dan untied Plano, mounted,
and tipped his hat to Susanna before wheeling the gelding around and
heading north.
Susanna watched him leave and was suddenly stricken by the immense
weight of guilt that suddenly was released onto her shoulders. Not only had
she murdered her father and lied about it, those lies were going to send Dan
Hart out after hardened killers for no reason. If he died in that pursuit, it
would be her fault.
She quickly turned and entered her house, slamming the door behind her.
She ignored the large bags of supplies as she dropped onto her bed put her
hands to her face and began to cry harder than she had even after her
mother had died.
_____
As Dan rode toward Trinidad, he wished he could have done more for
Susanna. He’d given her supplies, a horse, some cash, and even a gun but
still felt as if he was leaving her vulnerable. He didn’t want to admit to
himself just how unsettled he’d been by her blue eyes. When she wasn’t
afraid or nervous, she was a very pleasant young lady and almost the
complete opposite of Margaret. He doubted that Susanna Lawson would
have any objection to doing laundry and now even had some clothes to
wash.
When he passed the Pearson farm, he thought he might as well give them
an update, so he turned right and just a minute later, pulled up in front of the
farmhouse before he dismounted, Jenny Pearson popped out through the
front door smiling at him as her sister Tammy appeared behind her.
“Hello, Dan,” she said.
 “Good morning to you, Jenny.”
John and Alice then exited the house followed by James and Willie.
“Mister Pearson, I wanted to let you know that I just visited Miss
Lawson to bring her some supplies and see if she could pick out the men
who murdered her parents. She couldn’t identify them, but I’ll still see if I
can’t track down the most likely suspects. I left her a horse and a pistol for
her protection, but I’ll be swinging by periodically to keep her abreast of
anything that I find.”
“Thanks for letting us know, Dan. I hope you catch those animals.”
“If I have to ride all the way to Canada, I’ll find them,” Dan said and
then gave the family a short wave and turned Plano away from the porch.
Alice then said, “I wonder if he’s already sweet on Susanna. She’s an
awfully cute girl and after that debacle with Margaret Lawrence, I think he
needs a good woman.”
Jenny smiled and said, “I’d be more than happy to take her place,
Mama.”
Alice laughed and replied, “You and half the eligible women in Las
Animas County, dear.”
The family then turned to head back to the house to finish their late
breakfast. They always put off having their morning meal until they’d
returned from church services.
_____
After she stopped crying, Susanna finally began to unload the bags. She
wasn’t surprised to find that none of the clothes were used but was
surprised by the things that he’d bought for her that she hadn’t expected.
She stared at the toothbrush and toothpowder in her hands, having been
cleaning her teeth with salt and her fingers for months now. It was such a
simple thing, but it meant so much to her. It was like a long stride back into
a normal existence. The privacy paper had a similar impact.
But when she discovered the thirty dollars, her perspective suddenly
changed. Instead of being pleased to be able to live better in the house, she
began to wonder if it was enough to let her leave the farm. She had clothes,
the pistol, and with the money and a horse, she suddenly had an opportunity
to go someplace where they wouldn’t find her.
The biggest reason she decided to stay was Deputy Dan Hart. She knew
that he’d be leaving Trinidad soon to hunt those fictitious killers, and
Susanna felt an obligation to know that he hadn’t died in the attempt.
_____
Dan left Plano in the barn and returned to the empty jail, leaving the
door open to let some air in. After setting his Winchester ’76 in the rack, he
took a seat behind the desk, put the wanted posters back in the drawer, but
took out the four for the Clark and the Williams brothers. He had studied
them well enough before but still wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed
anything.
The Clark brothers were bad, but those two Williams boys were in a
totally different class. He’d see if he could track the Williams brothers, but
if he picked up any whispers of the Clarks, he’d switch to them.
It was early afternoon and he knew that each Sunday the family sat for a
big dinner, so he left the jail closed and locked the door, and headed to
Eighth Street.
As he met and greeted the citizens of Trinidad dressed in their Sunday
best along the way, most were their usual cordial selves but some of the
adolescent boys snickered as he passed by which made him curious more
than angry. The first time, he disregarded the merriment as a snide joke
about Margaret leaving him for the much older John Anderson, but the
second and then the third time, he suspected that the rumor mill had ground
out something else about him personally.
When he entered the back door of the Hart home, he heard the chatter of
the family at the table and as he was removing his hat, all eyes turned to
him.
“Where were you, Dan?” asked his father.
“I took some supplies down to Miss Lawson. I also gave her that Morgan
mare and the old Colt Pocket Navy pistol, if that’s alright,” he replied as he
hung his hat on a peg.
“That’s a good idea. How is she?”
“She’s doing better than I would have expected, but she’s still afraid, and
I don’t blame her.”
“You couldn’t convince her to return with you?” asked his mother.
“No, ma’am. I tried several times, but she insisted on staying there.”
Julie then asked, “You weren’t in church today, so I don’t suppose
you’ve heard the latest gossip, have you?”
Dan set his plate on the counter rather than trying to find space at the
crowded table and answered, “I noticed that some of the boys were
snickering as I passed them on my way here. Can I guess that these new
rumors have something to do with it?”
“I’m sure they do. I think they started at the dance last night, but I don’t
know the source. Somebody pointed out that you didn’t go to dances or
socials and before you met Margaret, you didn’t even seem to spend much
time with girls.”
“That’s not true, Julie. You know that. Heck, I even met Margaret at the
Christmas dance last year. I probably missed more of those events than I
attended, but that’s the nature of the job. And unless I just dreamed it, I did
have two girlfriends in school, Annie Shallcross and Mary Whitman.”
“I’m just telling you what’s floating around, Dan. We all know better,
but what I don’t understand is why they even started. Margaret was at the
dance and could have put them to rest but must not have even tried.”
“It doesn’t matter. Let them talk. I’ll be leaving Trinidad tomorrow to
begin my search for the Williams brothers and may not be back for a week.
By then, they’ll find something else to gossip about.”
Dan began eating as Julie asked, “What do you think of Susanna
Lawson? We were trying to remember her, but she didn’t go to school in
Trinidad and none of us recall seeing her in town, either.”
Dan swallowed his roast chicken and replied, “She’s about your height,
Pam, maybe a bit shorter with long, sandy-brown hair, and the biggest blue
eyes I’ve ever seen. If you’d met her once, you’d remember her. She has an
oval face, and with those enormous blue eyes, she has the appearance of the
most innocent person I’ve ever met.
“As you might expect, she seems to be afraid most of the time, but when
she isn’t, she’s a very pleasant young lady. I even got her to laugh a couple
of times, and it was an almost magical sound. I’ll admit that I felt an
enormous need to set things right for her and let her return to a normal, safe
life.”
He stopped talking, took a bite of his mashed potatoes, and looked at the
smiling faces of his family, realizing that his description might have been
excessively personal.
“Why, big brother, it sounds as if you’re smitten with Miss Susanna
Lawson,” Pam said as her eyes laughed.
Dan blushed which he hadn’t done since he was twelve and answered,
“Miss Lawson needs help and justice, Pam, and I aim to give her both.”
There was some light laughter but the conversation soon veered away
from Susanna directly as Bill asked Dan how he was going to go about
finding the Williams brothers.
Since Dan had been deputized, he’d been the one who did most of the
work out in the vast expanses of Las Animas County. It wasn’t because he
was the newest deputy, but because he wanted the work. He felt his greatest
satisfaction in stopping criminals and helping people with the added
gratification that he was giving the three married lawmen, including his
father, more time to spend at home with their families. It was also the
biggest reason he opted to spend almost all of his nights in the sleeping
room in the back of the jail.
Dan outlined his plan which was almost vaporous, and his father helped
to give it some more substance.
After spending another hour at home with the family, Dan made his
farewells and returned to the jail without hearing any snickers on the way.
He was at the main desk, writing out a list of things he’d need when he
started his search tomorrow. He wasn’t under any illusions about the
difficulty in tracking and finding the Williams brothers. They weren’t stupid
and without physical features that made them stand out in a crowd, they
would simply disappear after a job. That exchange of gunfire in nearby
Walsenburg three weeks ago would be the starting point.
After writing down the list of supplies, he rose and began to set aside the
few weapons he’d be taking with him. He’d take the ’76, which he still
hadn’t fired yet, a ’73, and his Colt. He’d bring two boxes of .44s and one
of the .45s for the new Winchester. He didn’t want to be overloaded with
anything, including the supplies he’d be taking with him.
He planned on spending most of his time near towns rather than in the
empty eastern half of Las Animas county, so he wouldn’t be bringing any
camping gear. He’d pack one change of clothes, his shaving kit, a sewing
kit, his comb, toothbrush and powder, two bars of white soap, and two
towels. He’d complete his packing with some food, two canteens, his
compass, and his field glasses. He wanted to move fast and often, covering
as much area as he could in his search. It was a big county, about the same
size as Connecticut, but he wasn’t shy about passing those borders into
another jurisdiction if he found it necessary. None of the other sheriffs had a
problem with it either. With as few lawmen available to keep the peace in
the surrounding counties and even New Mexico, lines on a map had little
meaning.
______
At the Lawrence home, Margaret was disturbed by the rumors about
Daniel.
She knew that they weren’t true and had wanted to laugh when she’d
first been asked by John Anderson but hadn’t denied them because she
didn’t want to admit to the immoral lust she had felt when Dan had been
with her. They hadn’t been intimate, but she had wanted him. It was only
the barrier of her corset that had prevented them from going too far.
After church services this morning, more than one friend whispered the
same question about Daniel asking if it was true. Even then, she hadn’t
denied the gossip but simply refused to talk about it not realizing that she
was in essence, confirming the story.
 Now she sat on her bed wondering if there was any way she could set
things right without ruining her reputation.
The horrible secret was that she didn’t like John Anderson very well. He
was a proper gentleman and treated her with complete courtesy and
deference, but he wasn’t close to the man that Daniel was. Just thinking
about Daniel gave her goosebumps, but it all came down to her inability to
give up her comfortable life. As much as she wanted to be with Daniel, the
thought of doing laundry and other chores simply was too hideous to even
contemplate.
What made that irrevocable decision worse was knowing that Daniel
wouldn’t be unattached very long. Even some of those same friends who
had asked her about his hidden desires expressed an interest in attempting
his conversion.
She finally took in a deep breath, let it out, and stood knowing there was
nothing she could do and thought it would slowly fade away, but actually
felt a measure of resentment toward Daniel for being so stubborn.
Margaret then went downstairs to have dinner with her parents.
_____
That night as Dan lay on the bed in the back of the jail, he wondered
why he had described Susanna Lawson to his family as he had. He began
his reply intending it to be a simple, lawman’s physical description but the
moment he’d tried to say ‘blue eyes’, he’d pictured those marvelous eyes in
his mind and slid into the much more personalized portrayal.
Why had that
happened?
He didn’t believe, as Pam had suggested, that he was smitten. He always
hated the word because it sounded so shallow. Besides, Susanna Lawson
was a victim of a crime and he needed to do his job. He also hoped she used
the Morgan to ride into Trinidad. Maybe if she met his father, he could talk
her into staying with the family, but he doubted she’d even stop by the
office in the first place. If she came to Trinidad, it would be to buy
something at Morrison’s before scurrying back to her house.
Still, he did admit to himself before he drifted off to sleep that once this
was over, he’d like to see her in a less stressful situation.
 CHAPTER 3
Dan had started his preparations for departure and was in the barn when
his father and fellow deputies arrived at the jail. After saddling Plano,
sliding both Winchesters into their scabbards, and hanging his loaded
saddlebags in place, he led the gray gelding around to the front of the office,
tied him off, and walked inside.
Tom Henderson turned when he saw Dan enter and said, “I figured
you’d be coming in the back door to hide your face in shame.”
Dan rolled his eyes and asked, “Why would I be hiding in shame, Tom?”
Joe snickered and answered, “Because, Moose, it seems everybody in
town wants to know if you’re either stupid, blind, or don’t like girls at all.”
“I heard about that. Do you figure it started at the dance?”
“I reckon so. The word is that Margaret arrived with John Anderson of
all people and spent the entire night dancing with him. None of the other
fellers even got a single turn with her. She looked pretty spectacular too,
from what I hear, and with Margaret, that’s saying something.”
“Well, I don’t have any control over what she does or who she sees,
Joe.”
Tom laughed and asked, “But John Anderson? What does she see in
him?”
“Well, whether we want to admit it or not, he’s a good-looking man with
fancier ways than we have, and he’s pretty well off. That’s a lot more than
any of us can say. I don’t know how you two were lucky enough to find
pretty wives, either.”
Tom then said, “I kinda figured that there would be a buzz about you
making a bad decision not to take that job, but I don’t know where that
story came from about you not liking girls.”
 Dan said, “They wouldn’t have said anything if they’d been around me
and Margaret the past few weeks, but it really doesn’t matter to me, Tom.
Let them talk. I’ll be out of town for a while anyway.”
“We know better, Moose, but it really surprised me to hear it from more
than one feller.”
“Well, I suppose now that Margaret seems to have accepted John
Anderson as my replacement, I’ll have to find hers to squelch those rumors.
I just hope I don’t have to bed my new girlfriend in the middle of Main
Street to do it.”
Tom and Joe both guffawed as Sheriff Bill Hart entered the office.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as he removed his hat.
“We were just telling Moose here about the gossip that he doesn’t like
girls.”
“I heard that as I was walking in, and I swear I was this close to locking
Lou Chalmers up for saying it.”
“Don’t worry about it, boss,” Dan said and added, “Well, I’ve got Plano
out front and ready to go and I’ll be heading to Walsenburg first to see if I
can pick up more information and I’ll try and track those boys. I’ll send you
wires about where I am if I’m gone more than a couple of days, and I might
swing through town if I’m close enough.”
“Good luck, Dan,” his father said as he shook his hand, “and stay safe.”
After Tom and Joe each said the same, Dan nodded and headed out the
door, mounted Plano, and turned him to the west with the morning sun at
his back.
The ride to Walsenburg was about five hours and after he talked to
Sheriff Art Tippet or Deputy Ed Fletcher, who’d put a few .44s into the
direction of the fleeing Williams brothers, he’d have lunch, and begin his
manhunt. But even as he rode northwest along the road that ran parallel to
the tracks, he was already hoping to catch a break.
He kept up a medium trot and as he passed by an access road to a farm
or a ranch, he’d slow down and give it a once-over to see if anything
seemed out of place. At this time of day, the farmers or ranchers would be
out taking care of the herd or working in the fields. Only about a fourth of
the working ranches and farms were close enough to the roadway for him to
do his inspection, but it kept him busy until he got more information in
Walsenburg.
_____
Dan reached Walsenburg just a little after noontime and headed for J.L.
Smith’s Restaurant, which was a block away from the Huerfano County
Sheriff’s office, having decided to fill his stomach before he hopefully was
able to fill his head with information on the Williams brothers. He’d
skipped breakfast that morning to do his preparations and his stomach
forced the decision.
He stopped at the community trough, let Plano drink, and walked him to
the restaurant where he dismounted, tied him off at the long hitchrail, and
popped onto the boardwalk.
Walsenburg wasn’t as big as Trinidad, mainly because Trinidad was at
the junction of both the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and the Denver &
Denver & Rio Grande Railroads, but it was still a decent-sized community,
especially when compared to most towns in southern Colorado and northern
New Mexico.
Just thirty minutes after entering the restaurant, Dan exited, then just
unhitched Plano and led him the block to the sheriff’s office and tied his
reins outside.
He entered the jail, leaving the door open in the rising heat of the late
spring day, and saw
Deputy Ed Fletcher
behind the desk smiling at him.
“Howdy, Dan. What brings you to our fair city?”
“Howdy, Ed. I need to know what you can tell me about the Williams
brothers. I heard they caused a ruckus here a few weeks ago but needed a
lot more details.”
“Yup. That was me that almost caught up with ‘em, too. I was just doin’
my rounds and one of ‘em, I think it was Earl, gave me one of those looks
that gives you the willies. So, I pulled off my hammer loop and turned to
ask ‘em who they were ‘cause I hadn’t seen ‘em before.
“Well, the one who gave me the look nudges the other one and they just
start walkin’ away real fast. I begin walkin’ faster and they pick up their
speed a bit, then climb onto their horses. I’m real close by now and just
when I start to ask ‘em their names, they whip those critters south and the
other one pulls his pistol. I yanked mine out and we exchanged a few shots
as they raced away. We went through the wanted posters and identified ‘em
as the Williams brothers. We sent that telegram to your office ‘cause they
were headed your way. Why are you lookin’ for ‘em?”
“They’re suspects in a multiple murder just south of Trinidad.”
“Bad one, huh?”
“Yup. Can you tell me about their horses?”
“Sure, one of ‘em was riding a black gelding with two white boots on the
back. I didn’t see his nose. The other one was on a piebald gelding that
should be pretty easy to spot.”
“Really? Why would one of them pick such an easily identified animal?”
“Maybe they don’t care if somebody sees ‘em or not.”
“Did you trail them at all?”
“We followed them into your county but lost ‘em in the traffic when they
reached the Santa Fe Trail.”
“Thanks, Ed. That’ll help a lot.”
“Are you really gonna chase ‘em down by your lonesome, Dan?”
“Yup. I figure it’ll take me time to catch up with them, even if I can. I
don’t want to waste either Tom or Joe’s time.”
“You may wish you had ‘em with ya if you find those two. They’re a
nasty couple of boys.”
“I know. Well, I’m going to take Plano down to the livery and let him
have some oats and then I’ll head down to the Trail and figure out where to
go from there.”
 “Good luck, Dan.”
Dan gave him a short salute, turned, and walked back out the open door.
He stopped at the Western Union office and sent the following:
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
ONE WILLIAMS RIDING BLACK
WITH TWO REAR WHITE BOOTS
SECOND ON PIEBALD
LOST AT SANTA FE TRAIL
HEADING TO PLACITA
 
DAN HART WALSENBURG COLO
 
After letting Plano eat his fill of oats at the livery, he headed south for
the Santa Fe Trail. The old trail ran right through Las Animas County and
had been in use for hundreds of years as far back as the days of the
conquistadors. Only with the coming of the railroads has the traffic on the
trail diminished noticeably. There was still enough horse and wagon traffic
to make tracking difficult, but Dan wasn’t going to try and track the
Williams brothers on the trail because it would be impossible. What he
would do is start asking around in the smaller towns if anyone had seen the
two men.
While they might not be easily identified, those two horses certainly
should be. He still found it difficult to believe that not only one of them
rode a piebald horse, but that valuable fact hadn’t been added to the wanted
poster. The only explanation was that the one brother had just obtained the
animal. Why he had chosen such a noticeable critter was a question he’d
probably never have answered.
 As he rode, he continued his surveying of farms and ranches but didn’t
see anything that seemed out of place.
It was late afternoon when he reached the trail, turned east, and soon
crossed the tracks of the Denver & Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and
continued in that direction arriving in Placita just in time for dinner. But
before he headed for the local diner, he walked Plano to the town’s only
livery.
He dismounted outside and led the gelding through the big doors.
“Howdy, Deputy. What can I do for ya?” asked the liveryman as he
looked up from his sweeping.
“I’ll be leaving my horse with you for the night, but I was wondering if
you’d seen any piebald horses come through in the past few weeks. He’d be
accompanied by a black gelding with a couple of white stockings in back.”
“Yes, sir, but they didn’t stay long.”
“You don’t know where they headed, do you?”
“I didn’t see ‘em leave, but after they dropped their horses off, they
headed down to Sully’s and I think they were gonna visit the ladies, too.”
“I appreciate it,” Dan said as he pulled off his saddlebags and slid the ’76
from its scabbard.
The liveryman took Plano’s reins and said, “Don’t be insulted none, but
this is one homely critter you’re ridin’.”
Dan grinned and said, “I’m not offended. That’s why he’s called Plano.
It’s short for plain old ugly, but he’s a good horse. I’ll be leaving a little
after sunrise tomorrow. Is that okay?”
The liveryman chuckled and said, “I’ll have him ready for you in the
mornin’, Deputy.”
Dan flipped him a silver dollar which was more than double his fee, but
well-deserved for the information he provided.
After he had a less-than-tasty supper at a dive called Jimmy’s, he took a
room at the small hotel and leaned his Winchester against the wall, and
dropped his saddlebags on the floor. He stretched out on the lumpy mattress
to relax for a while before he’d head over to Sully’s in a couple of hours to
have a chat with the bartender and maybe some of the working girls.
____
The Lawrence family had a guest at their dinner table. John Anderson
had suddenly become an almost permanent add-on to the Lawrence family
after having joined them at church services on Sunday before spending
most of the day with Margaret.
That morning, he’d stopped by the bank and formally asked permission
from Margaret’s father to call on her. He hadn’t asked Margaret yet but
wanted to do this properly. Of course, Bryce had been thrilled with the idea.
John Anderson had been his choice before Dan Hart had thrown a stone into
the gears.
After receiving her father’s approval, John rode to the Lawrence home
where he made his first official call on Margaret. After the dance and then
his constant attention yesterday, she had expected his visit and wasn’t
surprised when he asked permission to call on her. She knew that she
wouldn’t find a better match and readily agreed.
So, just three days after Dan refused her father’s offer to work in the
bank and marry her, Margaret Louise Lawrence was now being officially
courted by John Ralph Anderson.
As they sat at the table, John told Bryce that he was very excited to be
seeing Margaret as if she wasn’t even in the room. Margaret noticed and
wasn’t happy about it.
After Angela had set their food on the table and disappeared, her father
smiled at Margaret and then looked at John.
“Well, I guess all we need to do now is set a date for the wedding.”
Margaret was stunned.
John had only asked to call on her yesterday and
now they were talking about a wedding?
“Father, don’t you believe that it’s too early to set a date? John only
started officially calling on me yesterday and hasn’t even proposed. I don’t
know him nearly well enough to start preparing for a wedding.”
 John then looked at her and said, “Margaret, I’ve admired you for years
and was heartbroken when you took up with that…deputy. It was with the
greatest of joy when I received the news that he had cruelly rejected you.
When I held you in my arms at the dance, I knew that I couldn’t live
another day without you. I know that this may seem sudden, but I must ask
and even implore you to do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
With that stunning announcement still hanging over the dinner table, he
almost magically produced a small blue box, opened it, and displayed a
gold ring with a large diamond surrounded by eight equally large, deep red
rubies. He removed it from the box took her hand and slipped it onto her
finger.
Margaret was simply rocked by the sudden sequence of events but stared
at the enormous ring that blazed on her finger. She’d never seen anything
like it before.
Bryce was almost giddy as he waited for Margaret’s reply. Surely, she
couldn’t refuse him.
John asked again, “Margaret, please send my heart into the heavens and
say yes.”
Margaret looked at John, smiled, and said, “Yes, John. I’ll marry you.”
John smiled broadly at Margaret and turned and smiled just as widely at
her father.
Fannie just sat staring at them wondering what had just happened.
_____
Dan walked into Sully’s Saloon and headed for the bar with his badge
displayed to add some weight to his questions.
He ordered a beer and after it was delivered, he left a silver dollar on the
bar and asked, “A couple of weeks ago, you had a couple of strangers stop
by. They were brothers, so they looked alike.”
Strangers were unusual in a town like Placita, so he was sure that the
bartender would have noticed them, and he wasn’t mistaken.
 “I remember ‘em. They got pretty loud and figured they could do
whatever they wanted.”
“Did they say where they were going?”
“Not to me, but they went upstairs with Annie and Rose over there, so
they might be able to tell ya.”
“Thanks,” Dan said, then took his beer and headed for the table closest
to the two painted ladies leaving a substantial tip for the bartender in
payment for the information.
Neither of the women was young or overly pretty, but they were
certainly well-figured and were advertising that enticing feature.
“Ladies,” Dan said when he was close.
They turned and smiled at him even after noticing his badge.
“What can we do for you, Deputy? Or should I make that ‘to’ you?”
asked Annie.
Dan grinned and replied, “Call me Dan, ma’am, and normally, I’d be
more than willing, but I’m trying to hunt down two bad boys who paid you
some attention a couple of weeks ago. They looked a lot alike because
they’re brothers. The bartender said they were making a bit of trouble
before they went upstairs with you.”
Rose lost her alluring smile and said, “I remember them. If you find
them, don’t be gentle when you meet them, either. The one who was with
me hurt me and the one that went with Annie was even worse.”
“I’ll be more than happy to make them both sorry for that. I know your
work is bad enough without having to put up with bastards like that.”
“Why are you looking for them?” asked Annie.
“Multiple murders. They killed seven men and two women.”
Rose asked sharply, “
They killed women?”
Dan nodded and said, “I won’t tell you what they did to them before they
ended their lives.”
 “Bastards,” Annie said under her breath.
“Did either of them tell you where they were going?”
“Mine didn’t say much at all,” Rose said and looked at Annie.
“The low-life that was with me didn’t name a town or anything but said
that he might want to take me with him when they headed east because
there weren’t any good whore houses out there.”
“Thanks, Annie. I wish I could stay and enjoy your favors, but I’ll be
heading out early in the morning to chase down those sons-of-bitches.”
Both women then stepped closer to Dan giving him a clear view of their
personal Grand Canyons and each kissed one of his cheeks before giggling.
Annie said in a husky voice, “You take care, Dan. Don’t let those
bastards hurt you. If you want to come by and visit, we’ll both be willing to
make you happy that you did.”
Dan smiled and asked, “At the same time?”
Rose laughed and said, “It will be our pleasure.”
Dan laughed himself and surprised them by giving them each a real kiss
that was well beyond a simple smooch. Then he handed each woman a five-
dollar gold piece surprising them even more.
“Believe me, ladies, it will definitely be my pleasure.”
“We only charge a dollar, Dan,” Rose said quietly as she stared at the
gold coin resting on her palm.
“Consider that payment for that future visit, Rose,” Dan said as he
smiled.
As they worshipfully watched, he quickly downed his beer and he
popped Mary on her impressive behind before Annie turned and presented
her posterior but instead of swatting it, he slid his hand across her very nice
bottom.
Both women were still laughing as he turned and left the bar really
hoping he did come back and the sooner the better.
 Dan had actually given it more than just a passing thought, too. It had
been a while and those few minutes had been the most fun he’d had in some
time and wished that some of those idiots in Trinidad had seen him with the
two buxom women.
Once he was out of the bar, he had to forget Rose and Annie despite the
temptation to return and make good use of their offer because he did have to
prepare for tomorrow’s ride.
As he headed for the hotel, he tried to think of where the Williams
brothers would have gone. East of Placida were a few small towns that
didn’t have whore houses, so he’d head that way but wondered what they
were planning to do.
After he entered his room, he set his hat on the chest of drawers and then
undressed including his britches this time as he didn’t believe anyone would
be pounding on the door late at night in the hotel. As he lay on the top of
the blankets in the stuffy room, he found his mind wandering again but not
about Margaret which almost shocked him. She had been the focus of all of
his mind’s free time from almost that first moment that he’d seen her and
some of the time it should have been dedicated to something much more
important. When he closed his eyes, he saw the smiling face of Susanna
Lawson as he told her about Plano and heard that delightful laugh.
Why he was even thinking of her in the boyfriend-girlfriend context
made no sense to him at all. But that smiling face wouldn’t leave even when
he tried to replace it with the very recent memory of Annie and Rose.
Susanna just wouldn’t leave his mind.
She had been through so much yet still was capable of smiling and
laughing. Margaret’s irritating laugh had almost pushed him away and he
had to avoid saying anything funny around her. Now he was grateful for
that hideous laugh as he recalled Susanna’s.
But Dan knew he had serious business ahead if he wanted to make things
right for Susanna, and finally pushed her image out of his mind and tried to
envision where those two Williams brothers were headed.
_____
 Johnny and Earl Williams had indeed ridden east out of Placita thirteen
days earlier but then after staying one night in the poor excuse for a hotel in
the small town of Hog Back, they departed the next morning riding east but
changed back south once clear of the town. It was because of a joking
comment that Earl had made the night before.
That night after leaving Placita as they were drinking in the saloon, Earl
had joked about how he’d told his whore that he’d bring her with them. But
Johnny didn’t laugh. Instead, he reminded his joking younger brother that
after the shootout with that deputy in Walsenburg, they had to lay low, and
telling some whore where they were headed hadn’t been very smart. It was
far from a mild rebuke and was what had driven them out of Placita in a
different direction,
So, as Dan lay on the bed in Placita, the brothers had already ridden
south of Trinidad and were spending a much better time in San Luis, the
largest city and county seat of neighboring Costilla County.
_____
Susanna had her house’s windows open, so it was comfortable and
allowed her to sleep under the blankets. She was wearing one of three new
nightdresses that she now owned.
Three!
There had been three dresses as
well, but it had been the nightdresses that had surprised her. She lay with
her eyes open luxuriating in the soft flannel caress of the nightdress
knowing that stacked nearby were more clothes than she could have
imagined.
And what had she done to deserve it?
She had lied. What was
almost ironic was that she couldn’t recall ever having told a falsehood of
any magnitude in her entire life yet now had told the biggest one
imaginable.
The reason she’d never lied before was because of her mother; the gentle
woman her father had murdered and buried before she had murdered him.
Susanna recalled her mother’s soft eyes and her bruised face and arms
from her father’s abuse as tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes and
traced down the sides of her head onto her hair before they reached the
pillow. Her mother had been the focus of her life, her protector and
confidant. Everything she had ever learned was from her mother, Sarah.
 When her father had told her almost conversationally of her mother’s
horrible death without explanation, she had been so shocked by his manner
that she hadn’t shed a tear. She knew what he had done and seemed to have
no more concern than if he’d just squashed a mosquito on his arm. It was
only after he and her brother had taken her body to the barn to bury her that
she succumbed to her overwhelming sense of loss, almost certain that her
father had murdered her just because he was tired of her and wanted his
daughter to take her place in his bed. But it was his lack of remorse that had
added almost mind-numbing terror to her fear.
When she’d murdered her father, she had initially tried to convince
herself that it was really nothing more than justice for what he had done to
her mother. It was that tenuous belief that had kept her going for the past
two months. Now she was living a lie just to keep the noose from around
her neck, and that lie may cause harm to the man who was now providing
her with so much.
She had no doubts about how she felt about Dan Hart. He was much
more than a source of protection. He had become her dream and her biggest
fantasy, one that she knew would never happen. Each moment that she was
with him, she had been closer to unburdening her troubled soul. She knew if
she did, he’d be disgusted with her crime and her sham. He’d have to arrest
her and put her on trial, and suddenly being hanged wasn’t the worst thing
that could happen to Susanna. Losing Dan’s compassion and respect was
much worse.
_____
Margaret was trying to fall asleep but was deeply troubled by her almost
automatic reply to John’s proposal.
Why had she assented without even
taking the night to decide?
She knew that her mother wasn’t very pleased
with her decision, but her father was ecstatic. John wasn’t a bad man, but in
all honesty, wasn’t half the man Daniel was. Yet once she had seen that
exquisite, jewel-encrusted ring, it had been like a bright light, illuminating
her future.
She still wasn’t sure what had really tipped the scales in that moment,
whether it was her father’s ebullient face, John’s measured words of love, or
the magnificent ring that she now wore, but it was done. Before John had
left the house, they’d set the wedding date for the first day of summer, June
21
st
, just eight days away. Not two weeks after the heart-wrenching break
with Daniel, she was going to marry John Anderson. Why it had to be so
soon was almost a secondary question.
What made the night even more unusual was that when she walked with
John onto the porch to say goodnight, he had finally kissed her, in a manner
of speaking. The first time he’d pressed his lips to her skin was when he
gently kissed her hand as he bowed before smiling, wishing her a good
night’s sleep and stepping from the porch.
Now as she lay on her bed, she recalled those passionate private times
with Daniel and wished she hadn’t been wearing that prohibitive corset. It
had been so close.
_____
Dan had managed a quick breakfast at the café before leaving Placita just
after seven o’clock riding due east into the blinding sun with his badge
hidden as he had Plano moving at a medium trot. With his limited vision
and the sunlight facing him, that piece of shiny metal would be like a bright
bullseye for any troublemakers. He didn’t think the Williams brothers
would be anywhere close but had to follow the only clue he had and ride
east.
The first town east of Placita that wasn’t serviced by the railroad was
Hog Back. He’d been to the small town twice before because they had no
law enforcement but did have a telegraph office. Only one of the two visits
was really worth the trip when he had to arrest a man named Orville
Thatcher, an out-of-work cowhand who had gotten into a heated
disagreement in the small saloon with a local. The disagreement revolved
around what the resident considered unwarranted and inappropriate
comments directed at his wife.
After remarking on the spouse’s caboose, the cowhand had gone into the
saloon for a beer and had been followed by the irate husband, so the
disagreement was soon well underway. Dan had been in nearby Linwood
delivering a subpoena when he’d received the telegram from his father
sending him to Hog Back, and he’d arrived just forty minutes after he was
handed the message. He was directed to the saloon where he found the
man’s wife tending to her husband’s stab wound.
Orville was still in the saloon having his third beer, unconcerned because
he knew there was no lawman in the town. So Dan had simply walked
behind him with his Colt drawn and bound his wrists with pigging strings,
taken statements from the not-so-badly wounded husband, the bartender,
and the one patron in the saloon who was sober enough to write and
returned to Trinidad with Orville. It hadn’t been much of a trial, and Orville
only served ten days in jail.
_____
By the time Dan was almost to Hog Back, Trinidad was abuzz with the
news of the sudden engagement and upcoming marriage between the two
most socially admired singles in the city. It was the incredibly short
courtship and engagement that gave true impetus to the blazing gossip fires.
Ironically, it was that impossibly short gap between the dance and the
wedding date that did what Margaret hadn’t done and effectively put the lie
to the rumors about Dan.
Almost universally, the gossipers whispered that Dan had put Margaret
into a family way, which meant she had to marry quickly. The supporting
rumor of Dan’s refusal to accept her father’s offer for a better-paying
position to allow the pampered Margaret to maintain her lifestyle only
added credence to the much juicier story. The fact that she had immediately
accepted the well-to-do John Anderson only bolstered the titillating
whispers.
As a result, Margaret’s much-valued reputation took a nosedive, and
even as she walked Main Street’s boardwalk to have her hair done at
Harriet’s Beauty Salon, she could sense that something was amiss. She
initially believed it was because the women that glanced at her were jealous
of her new status and she had made a point of flashing her diamond and
ruby ring in the morning sunlight. It was only when Harriet was
shampooing her hair that she heard the real reason.
“Congratulations, Miss Lawrence,” Harriet said as her hands worked the
thick suds.
 “Thank you, Harriet. I’m surprised that word has gotten around so
quickly.”
“Well, Miss, you are the most admired young woman in the city.”
“Thank you again, Harriet. Would you like to see my ring?”
“Oh, yes!” she exclaimed as Margaret lifted her left hand and splayed
her fingers.
“Oh, my! That is very impressive,” she said as she wrung Margaret’s
hair.
“I know. John told me that he’d taken the train to Denver the day after
the dance to buy something worthy of me. Isn’t that sweet?”
“Yes, Miss Lawrence. It’s very sweet.”
As she began rinsing Margaret’s hair, she asked, “Have you heard about
what Dan Hart did?”
Margaret’s stomach twisted at the mention of his name, but replied, “No.
I’ve been too busy.”
“Well, he rode south after hearing a young woman whose family had
been murdered and has ridden out of town to hunt down the killers.
Everyone seems to think that he’s smitten by her.”
She replied, “Oh. I guess it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m going to
marry John in a few days.”
“Yes, Miss, but I just thought you might want to hear about it, especially,
well, you know, because of the rumors.”
Margaret sighed and said, “Yes. I heard the rumors, but I won’t comment
on them. It’s beneath my dignity.”
“I can understand that, Miss. With your reputation, I’m sure that they’ll
all soon fade into silence.”
Margaret was confused and asked, “My reputation? Why would rumors
about Deputy Hart affect my reputation?”
 Harriet suddenly realized that the proud Miss Lawrence hadn’t heard the
gossip and felt a rush of pleasure at being the one to break the news.
“You must not have heard the newest gossip, Miss, but I’m sure that’s all
it is. Those clucking hens in town are already saying that, well, how can I
put this delicately? They’re suggesting that Dan Hart, um, that, well, you
are carrying his child and had to marry Mister Anderson after he turned
down your father’s offer.”
Margaret bolted from the chair with her soaking hair dripping onto her
shoulders and back as she shouted, “
How dare you? How dare anyone
suggest such a thing?
I am most certainly not carrying Daniel’s child nor
any other man’s! I am still quite intact, Miss Olsen!”
Harriet quickly shifted to the defensive and said quickly, “I didn’t
believe the stories, Miss Lawrence. I was just telling you what was being
said because I think you ought to know.”
Margaret was furious but still needed to have her hair done, so she sat
back down and lowered her hair into the sink.
“You tell anyone that you meet that it is not true. I may have granted
Daniel certain liberties as all healthy young women do, but nothing beyond
that. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Miss Lawrence,” Harriet replied as she continued to wring out
Margaret’s hair with a great deal of satisfaction.
The only news that Harriet would be spreading was that Margaret
Lawrence claimed she was still virginal but had granted Dan Hart ‘certain
liberties.’ It was a great piece of gossip.
_____
As Dan rode east to Hog Back, Susanna saddled her Morgan mare to go
for a ride of exploration. She’d found a pair of boy’s britches and two shirts
among the clothes and found them to be much more practical than the
dresses. She had her gunbelt around her slim waist and had tied her hair
behind her with a short piece of ripped fabric from one of her old dresses
that had finally reached the end of its useful life.
 She wasn’t going to ride all the way to Trinidad but wanted to see how
long it would take to ride to the tracks and turn north until she could see the
town. Susanna knew she had to ride into Trinidad soon if Dan Hart didn’t
stop by after three days. She had to know if her lies had caused the
unthinkable.
She rode west fifteen minutes later and felt an amazing sense of freedom
as she felt the wind take her long hair and the bright sun warmed her back.
She felt even guiltier knowing how much pleasure just riding was giving
her, but managed to let the overwhelming sense of enjoyment push it away
until she returned to her empty house.
_____
Dan arrived in Hog Back just after noon and headed for the town’s only
livery where he stepped down and led Plano inside.
“Howdy, Deputy Hart,” the liveryman said as he dropped a mule’s hind
leg.
“Howdy. I’m hunting two men that might have stopped by here a couple
of weeks ago. One of them was riding a piebald gelding.”
“Oh, sure. I remember ‘em. They didn’t stay long and rode out of here
the next mornin’.”
“You didn’t hear where they were headed, did you?”
“As a matter of fact, I didn’t have to ask. After they got on them horses,
one of ‘em waved and said they were gonna be ridin’ clear into Kansas.”
“Really? Why’d you remember that?”
“Well, aside from them bein’ strangers and all, it struck me as kinda
funny that they’d be headin’ all that way with no packhorse. They didn’t
have much else in the way of supplies, neither.”
Dan nodded, handed Plano’s reins to the man, and said, “Give him some
oats and I’ll be back after I have something to eat.”
“Sure thing, Deputy.”
 Dan tossed him a quarter and tipped his hat, turned, and headed for the
diner.
As he walked, he thought about that piece of information. There was no
doubt in his mind that they weren’t about to ride to Kansas. It was a good
hundred and fifty miles of nothing in that direction before they hit another
good-sized town. He’d ride a while in that direction to see if he picked up
any hoofprints just to be sure. The only rain they’d had in the past two
weeks hadn’t been anything more than a light spring shower, so they should
still be visible if they headed any other direction than west, which was the
only road in or out of Hog Back.
Forty minutes later after stopping, Dan was back on Plano with a full
stomach and walking the gray gelding east out of town. It didn’t take him
long to find the hoofprints of two horses in the hard dirt and after another
five minutes, they turned south and then west again heading for the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe tracks between Pulaski and Hole in the
Prairie.
Dan followed the trail easily wondering where they were headed. After
two weeks, they could have just ridden anywhere, but they were riding west
again toward Placida, but he knew they hadn’t returned there, so now the
question was, when did they make a turn and in which direction?
He wasn’t concerned about them setting up an ambush, not after almost
two weeks, so he kept a good pace as he followed the easy trail. He knew
that in just a few hours, he’d be reaching the Santa Fe Trail and its higher
traffic where he’d lose them again.
The nearest town was Linwood another twenty miles away, but to reach
Linwood, they’d have to make a southerly turn soon and Trinidad was just
another twenty miles past that. Dan began to wonder if they had passed
through Trinidad without being spotted but knew that they’d stay away
from his town. Regardless of their destination, their presence in Las Animas
County added to his conviction that it was the Williams brothers who had
murdered Susanna’s parents and raped her.
He kept up the pace wondering when they would shift south again.
Surely, they couldn’t keep going straight west, unless they were planning on
taking the road that paralleled the AT&SF tracks to hide their hoofprints in
the traffic.
_____
While the targets for his search were still almost eighty miles west in
San Luis another totally unexpected crime was about to happen just eleven
miles away, directly in front of his current path.
Gray Trotter, Dick Berger, Jack Stark, and Hal Schmidt had just finished
setting up for their first attempt at a train robbery.
They were as unlikely a group of outlaws that had ever hit the trail and
gave themselves the moniker of The Canny Crew which was Dick Berger’s
invention.
What made them unusual is that each man had been a civil servant in
either Denver, Boulder, or Pueblo and had been convicted of embezzlement
or malfeasance. The longest sentence had been given to Dick Berger for
malfeasance in Denver, and it had only been for a year. It was at the prison
where he’d met the others, and due to the nature of their crimes and the
short sentences, each had been released within a few weeks of the other.
Unable to find work that suited their perceived talents, they’d decided
that with their higher level of intelligence and knowledge, they’d do well in
the true criminal arena.
So, just two months ago, they’d formed the Canny Crew in Pueblo where
they quickly discovered that their lack of experience gave them a decided
disadvantage. The first job they attempted was the holdup of a stage just
outside of town and the shotgun rider hadn’t been cowed into throwing
down his weapon. The subsequent shootout had put several lead pellets into
Jack and Hal, but they’d made their escape and vowed to do better.
They rode east to La Junta and three weeks ago had successfully robbed
one of the upscale saloons, which boosted their confidence as they left town
heading south, following the AT&SF tracks. They stopped at Iron Springs
and repeated their success at a much smaller saloon adding to their growing
sense of assurance.
 As they were heading south again, they had to pull to the side of the road
to let a southbound train pass, and it was Dick Berger who had the
inspiration that they should up their game and rob a train. For the next few
days, they stayed in Hole in Prairie as they planned the job. It seemed so
simple that they wondered why more trains weren’t being robbed.
Now as Dan rode just ten miles to their east, they were ready to collect
their biggest haul yet.
After familiarizing themselves with the train schedule, they rode to a
point halfway between the two small watering stations. After finding the
ideal location, they cut down two large pines from a small forest almost half
a mile from the tracks and towed the heavy logs onto the tracks with their
horses. It has been a difficult job, and their biggest concern was that
someone would see them but that hadn’t happened, and it added to their
belief that the plan was perfect.
Once the two thick trunks were stretched across the track, they sat on
their horses just fifty feet away, two on each side. When the train stopped,
they’d have their Winchesters ready, then Jack and Hal would order the
engineer to shut down the locomotive, keep him and the fireman under
control and disable the steam engine while Dick and Gray robbed the
passengers and the express car. After they had their loot, they’d ride to
Linwood, get rid of their horses and take the stagecoach to Trinidad.
What
could go wrong?
They had just taken their positions when Gray spotted the smoke in the
distance.
“Here it comes!” he shouted.
“We can all see it, Gray,” Dick said in his nasal, almost squeaky voice as
he ran his finger over his small moustache.
Hal looked across the tracks and shouted, “You’re so short, we thought
you might not see it for another five minutes, Dick.”
The only one who didn’t laugh uproariously was Dick who was terribly
sensitive about his five foot and zero inches of height.
“I see it, you idiot!” Dan yelled back.
 The train that was due in Trinidad at 11:10 was rolling at thirty-eight
miles per hour as it barreled southward. Engineer Carl Davenport was at the
throttle and had his head out the window checking track as he always did.
One never knew when a gully washer or landslide would cause him grief
and he’d need every inch to stop the massive train at this speed.
The four rookie train robbers were getting ready and had pulled their
Winchesters when they spotted the train itself slowly appearing over the
horizon.
Aside from the obvious mistake of believing that two tree trunks, no
matter how large, would stop a hurtling locomotive, Dick and the others had
made one more critically important error because they all believed that their
obstacle would make the engineer pull the train to a stop and they wanted to
be close to the locomotive’s cab when it did.
They were all sitting on their horses on the wrong side of the logs.
Granted, their horses were still another twenty feet beyond the cut ends of
the two mammoth logs to give them fast access to the train after it stopped,
but it would have been a lot safer if they’d stayed on the train side before
their obstruction. They just didn’t think it mattered as each of them
expected the train to stop long before the locomotive’s cowcatcher touched
the logs.
Carl spotted the logs and the four men and their rifles from over a mile
away and quickly pulled the chain to the steam whistle, making three short
blasts followed by a pause and then two more long blows. The signal
alerted the conductor of a potential threat, who then warned the passengers
to be ready for a nasty jolt.
Carl shouted to his fireman, “Vern! We got some logs across the tracks!
Give me all you’ve got!”
Vern didn’t reply but began shoveling coal into the firebox as fast as he
could scoop while Carl opened the throttles, but not all the way. He didn’t
want to risk losing control after he blew through those logs.
Gray, Dick, Hal, and Jack each cocked his Winchester in anticipation of
the slowing of the train. It wasn’t until the locomotive’s massive cowcatcher
was just eight hundred yards away that Jack shouted, “He’s not stopping!”
 The four men sat almost hypnotized by the onrushing behemoth,
unaware of their own imminent crisis until it was only a hundred yards
away and their horses unanimously overruled their riders and began to bolt
in fear.
Just as the horses started to race from the rails, the locomotive’s steel
cowcatcher rammed into the first of the two logs at forty-six miles per hour
and a small fraction of a second later, blasted through the second.
The train was jolted by the collision but soon roared past as chunks of
wood and splinters exploded into the air, many of the pieces slamming into
the horses and riders.
The few passengers who were looking out the windows watched in
horror as they saw the men and animals pummeled by the debris, most
unaware that the men had placed the obstruction on the rails.
Carl and Vern had pulled away from the locomotive’s windows before
the collision and as soon as they were through, they stuck their heads out
again, looking backward at the damage that had been left behind. Neither
felt any sympathy for the four men but did feel bad about the horses.
Carl blew the whistle twice, paused, and yanked it once more as the train
continued hurtling south and eased off on the throttle.
_____
Two of their horses were dead from the blast and Gray had taken the
most abuse but miraculously, none of the Canny Crew had suffered a
serious injury as they stumbled around the ground in shock. But they had to
recover quickly knowing that their failed attempt would soon be reported,
so they spent the next five minutes ripping out the splinters that had
embedded themselves into their skin before they began to recover as well as
they could from the disaster.
Gray led his hurt, but functional gelding across the tracks as Hal walked
behind him carrying his Winchester with his saddlebags over his shoulder.
Once they met with Dick and Jack, who had the other working horse, the
accusations began as each blamed the other for the mistakes that led to the
failure.
 Finally, Gray said, “We have to get out of here. That engineer is going to
stop at the next station and tell them what happened.”
“Alright,” Jack said, “I’ve got my horse and Gray has his, so we’ll have
to double up until we can find someplace to hide out for a while. It can’t be
a town, though.”
Dick said, “I’ll ride with Jack, but we’ve got to go now.”
With no further discussion, Jack mounted and Dick hopped up behind
him. Hal climbed up behind Gray and they set the poor animals east at a
slow trot. The direction was the easiest choice as north and south were both
out and west was across the tracks. Hal and Dick each still had his
Winchester in his hand and his saddlebags over his shoulder.
As the overloaded, still injured horses walked east, they discussed their
limited options and figured their best bet was to find a farm or a ranch and
hold up there for a while.
_____
Dan had heard the distant whistle blasts and thought it was an odd
pattern. Then even at eight miles, he heard the horrendous sounds of the
crash but was unable to identify it.
Ten minutes later, he was still thinking about what could have created
such a loud, sharp sound when he picked up movement on the horizon.
He forgot about the sounds and watched the specks about four miles
ahead of him and knew that it had to be riders, which was odd because there
were no settlements of any sort in that direction. He’d only been following
those tracks left by the Williams brothers and suddenly wondered if they
had decided to backtrack. It wouldn’t have made any sense given the long
delay, but he wasn’t about to take any chances.
First, he moved his badge to his shirt, so they wouldn’t know he was a
deputy yet, and released his Colt’s hammer loop.
He had both Winchesters fully loaded, so he was in good shape for
firepower. His only questions now involved the riders who were coming his
way.
 _____
The four members of the Canny Crew weren’t looking straight ahead as
they alternated trying to figure out what they should do next and still
blaming each other for the wreck of a plan that they’d all agreed was
perfect.
It was Jack who finally glanced forward and spotted Dan at just around
two miles.
“Somebody is coming!” he said loudly as he pointed east.
The other three stopped talking and looked.
“What do we do? We can’t run,” Dick said as he leaned around Jack to
see better.
Gray replied, “It’s not likely that he’s the law, not this soon. He’s
probably some ranch hand or something.”
“Fine,” replied Hal, “He’s not wearing a badge, but that’s not an answer.
What do we do?”
Dick said, “Well, we sure look stupid riding double, so I think we stop
and act like we’ve got a problem. Maybe he’ll want to ask if we need help.
When he gets close, we shoot him.”
“
Shoot him?
” exclaimed Gray, “
Just like that?
”
“We don’t have any choice. I’ll do it. We need his horse and we can’t
have him go and start telling people that he saw us.”
“Alright,” replied Jack, “Let’s dismount and look pathetic. Dick, we’ll
hide you as best as we can. If he gets close, you should be able to pull your
pistol without him noticing.”
“What if he doesn’t get close?” asked Hal.
“Then we have to use our Winchesters,” Dick replied.
No one answered, but Gray and Jack pulled back on their reins, stopped
the horses, and Dick and Hal dropped to the ground. After Gray and Jack
dismounted, they led their horses to a nearby bush and tied them off.
 The four men then faced each other in a small group as if they were
having a discussion, while Jack watched the oncoming rider.
_____
Dan wondered what the men were doing because it was nothing less than
bizarre. When he’d noticed that they were double-mounted, it had tweaked
his suspicious bone but also removed any possibility that they were the
Williams brothers. It was odd enough that they were riding where they
shouldn’t be, but with only two horses and four riders that smacked of real
trouble.
Then the other pieces began to fall into place, or at least fall into a more
logical pattern. That loud noise he heard hadn’t been made by an explosive
charge, but maybe they’d tried to stop the train somehow and the
locomotive had blasted through their obstruction. He’d heard of it
happening before but had never seen it yet wished he had. The thought of
watching a powerful locomotive blast through some big obstruction must be
an impressive sight.
But now he needed to figure out how to approach the four men, he’d
already assigned as criminals. He hadn’t heard any gunfire, but it was still a
long distance to the tracks, so it was possible they’d fired their Winchesters.
It didn’t really matter right now as he was certain that he had an outlaw
gang before him and for some reason, they were now standing near their
horses waiting for him.
The fact that they had dismounted and were standing in a tight group
actually spooked Dan more than if they’d kept riding because it made no
sense at all.
He slowed Plano to a fast walk as he kept his eyes on the men who
appeared to be talking. He could see rifles in the two horses’ scabbards but
assumed the other two had theirs hidden in the group. When he was six
hundred yards out, he spotted the revolver at each man’s waist, which
meant he was severely outgunned if he got too close, but that untried
Winchester ’76 musket should give him an extra fifty to a hundred yards of
range and a serious advantage in killing power.
_____
 “Where is he?” Dick asked as he hid behind Gray with his hammer loop
off.
Jack replied, “He’s about four hundred yards out and watching us. I think
he’s suspicious.”
Hal said, “Then wave. When you do, we all turn around like we’re
surprised and wave too.”
“Okay,” Jack answered and took off his hat, and waved it high over his
head.
The others all turned and just waved while leaving their hats where they
belonged.
_____
Dan returned their wave and nudged Plano up to a slow trot but was
more nervous than he’d been before. He was sure that they were trying to
lure him in to shoot him, but he wanted to get closer before he let them
know who he was.
They were still watching him intently as he passed the three-hundred-
yard mark when Dan suddenly threw open his light jacket exposing his
badge but never got a chance to announce himself.
_____
“Son of a bitch!” shouted Hal who immediately ripped his Winchester
level and aimed it at Dan.
Dick just slid behind Jack for cover but lost it when Jack suddenly
trotted to his horse to get his Winchester as did Gray.
Soon all four men had their repeaters drawn, cocked, and aimed at Dan,
but Dick had returned to stand mostly behind Jack with his Winchester’s
barrel almost resting on Jack’s right elbow.
“If you want us, Sheriff, you have to come and get us!” shouted a defiant
Hal.
Dan yelled back, “I’m Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff Dan Hart!
Drop your weapons!”
 “You come and take them!” screamed Jack.
Dan had Plano back to a slow walk as he pulled the Winchester ’76 and
cocked the hammer. It was a terrible time to take the first shots with a
weapon that had previously only been used by a baker to shoot a sign, but
he needed the range advantage.
When he passed a hundred and sixty yards, it was Jack who took the first
shot, but it wasn’t long before the other three began firing.
Dan still waited and was counting on Plano to stay calm as the first
group of .44s arrived. Most were short, exploding into the ground just six to
eight feet in front of his gelding’s hooves.
He couldn’t afford to wait much longer when their second shots were
even closer, one of them passing by his left thigh.
He was about a hundred and twenty yards out when he aimed at the big
man who was hiding the smaller man and just as they fired the third time,
Dan squeezed his trigger.
His .45 caliber bullet had barely cleared his muzzle when one of their
shots smacked into Plano’s chest, just inside his left shoulder making him
rear in pain but Dan’s bullet still slammed into the left side of Jack’s chest,
crashing through his ribs and tumbling through his heart turning it into
ground meat. He dropped to the ground in a heap, exposing a terrified Dick
Berger.
As Dick suddenly turned and raced to the two horses, Hal saw him run
and sprinted behind him leaving only Gray standing with his Winchester
still firing.
Dan got Plano back under control unsure of the damage that he’d
sustained and just as had steadied his aim, Gray’s next shot hit his saddle
horn and then ricocheted slightly, slipping across Dan’s right thigh.
He grunted in pain, but Plano had maintained his poise, so as Gray fired
again, Dan released his second shot. Where Gray’s last .44 passed without
hitting him didn’t matter, just that it did. Dan’s .45 slammed into the right
side of Gray’s gut, pulverizing his liver, including his hepatic artery, left his
body, and exploded into the dirt just eight feet behind him.
 Gray wobbled and dropped his Winchester before his head rolled back,
his back arched and he folded into the ground.
By then, Dick and Hal were mounted and racing away to the west on
their tired, injured mounts.
Dan quickly cycled his Winchester’s lever and began rapidly sending .45
caliber missiles at the rapidly moving riders. One of them caught Hal’s
horse in the right rear haunch making the gelding scream in pain as he
reared back wildly, throwing Hal into a high arc.
Hal landed awkwardly in a heap bounced once and then stopped moving
with his neck broken.
Dan watched the last outlaw making his break now eight hundred yards
away and knew that Plano had been hit but had to ask him for whatever he
had left.
He leaned forward and slapped his heels against Plano’s sides. The ugly
gray gelding responded as best he could, and in a jarring, ungainly gait,
managed a medium trot.
Dan didn’t know how long Plano could keep this pace but still thanked
him for the effort as he still lost ground to the galloping, diminutive outlaw.
Dick glanced behind him and felt safer now that he was pulling away but
knew the horse couldn’t last long after suffering from the tree trunk
explosion and then having to carry two of them.
He needed protection and spotted it just another six hundred yards away,
so he quickly turned the gelding north and maintained the gallop as he
headed for the rocky collection of boulders and granite slabs.
Dan had seen the turn, and angled Plano to the right to cut the angle but
could feel his gelding beginning to stumble more as his breath began to
fade.
“Just a little more, Plano,” he said loudly.
Dick’s horse was laboring and just fifty yards from the safety of the
rocks, it finally dropped to the ground in a nose-first collapse.
 Dick had anticipated his horse’s demise and because he was so short,
hadn’t even had his feet in the stirrups which made it easier for him to just
leap from the horse as it began to go down. He still had his Winchester in
his hand when he hit the ground, lost his balance but quickly regained his
feet and began to run to the nearby rocks as he glanced over his shoulder.
Dan was still two hundred yards away when Plano finally slowed down
and simply stopped. Dan quickly dismounted looked at the massive damage
to his homely mount and touched his wheezing friend’s chest.
“Thank you, Plano. I’m sorry.”
He turned his Winchester to Plano’s head but couldn’t look into his eyes
as he squeezed the trigger.
Dick had watched him shoot his horse and had seen the patch of blood
on the deputy’s leg, so he thought he had an advantage even as he wormed
his way into the boulders. Once he was squeezed safely in between two of
them and under a large shelf of granite, he waited.
Dan’s leg wound wasn’t that bad, but it still hurt as he limped toward the
last outlaw. He may not have been the one to have put the bullet into Plano,
but as far as he was concerned, they were all guilty of killing his equine
friend.
He could see the Winchester’s muzzle and about six inches of barrel
jutting out of a space between two boulders and under a flat slab of rock.
He couldn’t imagine a worse place to try and hide, but he didn’t really care
how stupid the man was as he angled to the right until the barrel and then
the muzzle disappeared behind the boulder. Now if the last one wanted to
take a shot, he’d have to expose himself.
Dick lost sight of the deputy and slid forward slightly to see where he
went when the boulder next to his right shoulder exploded as a .45 slammed
into the rock, splattering sharp shards everywhere, some striking his
forehead.
“Son of a bitch!” he swore as his hand left his Winchester and he
grabbed automatically for his pained head pushing the rock splinters deeper
into the tissue.
 He swore again just before another bullet struck just a bit lower than the
first, creating a bigger onslaught of debris and more pain.
Dick suddenly realized how bad his situation was, so he had to ignore
the pain and after grabbing his repeater, he slid further down into the hole
created by the rocks. It wasn’t a true cave, but just a hole left by the
positions of the boulders and that big slab overhead.
He turned and looked inside for another way out when Dan’s third
ricochet slammed into the boulder, but this .45, after bouncing from the
rock, found a home in Dick’s right buttock. He screamed and crawled
another twelve feet even deeper into the dark. He thought he might have
found an exit, so with blood already coating the back of his britches, he
began throwing aside all of the rocks that were blocking the potential
escape route.
Dan had been working his way closer to the entrance taken by the last
outlaw and knew that his last shot had scored a hit but didn’t know how
much damage it had caused. He reached the entrance, stopped to listen, and
could hear rocks being tossed aside.
“Come out of there!” he shouted, “Don’t make me have to shoot again!”
Dick didn’t answer but did glance behind him, surprised by how close
the deputy sounded.
He had just tossed aside the last of the rocks and found what looked like
one last rock, so he put both hands around its edges and tried to yank it free,
but it was too heavy for him to break it free. He rolled onto his side and
began to giggle as if it was all one big joke and pulled his revolver, cocked
the hammer, and pointed it at the opening.
“I’m not giving up, Deputy,” he shouted and fired.
Dan ducked automatically as the .44 ricocheted high over his head, but
then set his Winchester down pulled his Colt and as Dick’s second shot
bounced off the flat slab above his head, he began firing into the hole.
Dick felt the first .44 punch into his gut just below his navel but after the
second one hit his neck he felt nothing more.
 Dan stopped after four shots, leaving one in the cylinder in case he
needed it, then leaving his Winchester leaning against the boulder, he began
his own careful crawl into the hole to make sure that the last man wasn’t
playing possum. He could have just left him there, but he felt he owed it to
Plano to make sure they were all dead.
He spotted Dick’s foot after just a minute and knew seconds later that the
man wasn’t faking his death. He was so small, that Dan was able to drag
him out of the deepest part of the hole. He then began going through his
pockets to see if he could identify him. But in the low light simply stuffed
whatever he found in his pockets for examination in the sunlight.
Once the body was out of the way, he slipped deeper into the hole to
retrieve his weapons. The Winchester was easily found, so he laid it on top
of the body for now and had to crawl deeper into the hole, past the rocks
he’d tossed aside to look for his pistol.
He finally spotted the revolver lying on the ground next to a big rock. As
his hands closed over the pistol and he was getting ready to turn back, he
stopped and looked at the last rock that the man had pulled out to try and
escape. It looked very different. As his eyes grew more adjusted to the low
light, he realized that it wasn’t a rock at all. It looked like a big box.
He slid the revolver into his waist and put both hands on the sides of the
box and pulled expecting it to move, but it didn’t budge. Now he was
intrigued and challenged. After he tightened his grip, he braced his boots
against the rocks on either side of the box and strained as he leaned back
and pushed with his legs ignoring the recent wound and using every bit of
strength in his arms.
He was grunting from the effort and was ready to give up when the box
suddenly popped free of the earth that was keeping it in place. It only
moved an inch or so, but the compacted earth had lost the contest. He
thought it should just slide easily now that it wasn’t locked in by the soil,
but it must have wanted to stay where it was because it fought for every
inch that Dan had to move it.
Dan had it a foot and a half away from its resting place when he finally
had to stop and take a few quick breaths. He really needed some water as
the sweat was pouring off his face and his back, but he wasn’t about to give
up. Whatever was in the box must have weighed close to a hundred pounds,
if not more.
As he kept his heavy breathing, he recalled the times he and his friends
used to hunt for buried treasure, like the time he’d earned the Moose
nickname. When they had returned home, his father had told them that there
couldn’t be any buried treasure in Colorado, unless you counted the
precious metal that Mother Nature left for us to find. All the buried treasure
was in the Caribbean.
Dan laughed and said aloud, “I’ve found buried treasure, Pop!” but
expecting what he’d found was a cash box from a stagecoach robbery.
He pulled it out another foot before he had to stop to clear out the body
of the small outlaw.
After all the effort of moving the heavy box, dragging the body out of
the hole was almost easy. Once he had it onto the flat ground again, he
returned to satisfy his insatiable curiosity about the box. If he had a horse
available, he could use a rope to drag the damned box into the light, but that
was another problem for later. Every horse involved, including Plano, was
dead.
It took him another ten minutes to get the large wooden chest into the
light and then he sat and looked at the thing unsure of what it was anymore.
It didn’t look like any stagecoach cash box he’d ever seen.
At one time, it must have had leather straps wrapped around it to secure
the top, but they had mostly rotted away, which meant it had been in the
ground for decades. The wood itself was surprisingly strong for having
been buried long enough to have the leather rot away like that. He had no
idea how long it had been there, nor had he ever seen the type of wood that
made it so durable. It was so dark that it almost looked like it was made of
iron.
After he finished his examination of the fascinating exterior, he took a
deep breath and tried to open the top of the box, expecting that it might still
be locked somehow.
With the late afternoon sun blazing over his right shoulder, Dan yanked
open the top and it popped free. With a bit of drama, Dan raised the cover
expecting to see thousands of lead balls ready for a muzzle loader, which
would be the only thing that would account for the weight.
The cover passed vertical and Dan dropped it in shock. The cover
banged against the back of the chest as Dan stared at its contents. The big
chest was filled with gold coins, but there was another box taking up about
a quarter of the volume.
He slowly reached into the massive pile, took one of them, and inspected
its almost glowing surface. It was written in Spanish, but he identified the
year as 1798. He knew they were Spanish doubloons, so they were almost
pure gold, and guessed that there had to be at least eighty pounds of them in
the box. He then picked up the smaller box inside, almost afraid of what he
would discover when he opened it. It was heavy as well and he slowly set it
on the ground between his thighs. He simply stared at the lighter wood and
hesitated. The box was stamped with a crest that he couldn’t identify, but
that didn’t mean much as he hadn’t seen any marks of heraldry before.
He took in a deep breath and opened the smaller box and was almost
relieved to see a sheet of leather covering its contents. Dan pulled up the
stiff leather sheet and then his eyes popped wide as he gazed at a horde of
finished jewelry. There were necklaces, brooches, hair combs, and all sorts
of other accessories with a dazzling array of precious stones. He had no
idea what they were worth as he studied the gems in their gold and silver
mountings.
There was nothing he could do with either of the boxes now but before
he closed the jewelry box, he set the leather sheet back on top, but had put it
back upside down and then realized that it wasn’t just a protective sheet at
all. It was a letter.
It wasn’t in Spanish, which he could read somewhat, but in French and
he knew less about French than he did Spanish.
After returning the leather note, he closed the box set it back in the
bigger box of doubloons, and then took one of the doubloons and slid it into
his pocket before he slid the box deep into the hole and covered it with the
rocks again. It wouldn’t be so difficult to remove the second time, but he
had to take care of his official job first.
 Dan then left the hole carrying the outlaw’s Winchester, picked up his
’76, and then walked to where he’d left the small man’s body. He doubted if
anyone would be coming this way for a while, but he still decided to move
the man’s body to where his horse had died about sixty yards away from the
boulder cave.
That took him longer than he expected as his leg began to throb, but
when he reached the first dead horse, he was able to finally get some water
when he took the man’s canteen and emptied it.
He walked back to Plano, left the small man’s Winchester next to his
’73, then took his canteen, hung it over his shoulder, and pulled his
saddlebags free. After putting the doubloon and the leather letter inside, he
finally took the time to examine his wound. He knew it couldn’t be that bad
because it didn’t hurt as much as the other one from two years ago.
He dropped his britches, cleaned the wound with water from his canteen,
and thought it wasn’t even worthy of any stitches. The bullet must have
glanced off the saddle horn, and at the range they were firing, it lost most of
its energy and almost slid across his thigh. It had barely broken the skin, but
it sure would be a bruise tomorrow.
He yanked his pants back up and began to walk to the other bodies a half
mile away to see if he could find out who they were. After emptying all
their pockets, he didn’t find much other than a total of $162.45 among all of
them. He did remove their gunbelts and then carried all of them and their
four Winchesters and his ’73 to the rock cave and stored them there before
leaving the scene.
He began heading for Linwood about five miles southeast. They may not
have a railroad, but it was closer to Trinidad and they had a telegraph. He’d
wire his father, buy two horses with the outlaws’ money and return to the
scene.
_____
His father and his fellow deputies were already aware of the attempted
robbery. After the train arrived, the engineer reported the attempt and gave a
brief description of the men and the havoc they’d left behind.
 After the engineer left, Sheriff Hart said, “Okay, boys, we have four men
who tried to rob the train and failed. It sounds as if they’re real amateurs,
too. From what the engineer said, they were sitting on their horses near the
logs and took some hits. He thinks they lost two of their horses but wasn’t
sure. I want each of you to get ready to ride that way. Bring some food and
expect to be out a couple of days trying to run them down. Now let’s head
over to the map and see where these four idiots might be headed.”
“Okay, boss,” Tom said.
After a review of the county map on the wall which they all knew well
enough to make it almost unnecessary, they had their route set.
“We’ll be ready to go in an hour,” Joe said.
“Make sure you go and tell your wives, too.”
“Yes, sir,” Joe replied as they walked to the gun rack to retrieve a couple
of Winchesters and some ammunition.
_____
Dan had spotted Linwood in the distance as they were reviewing the
map. He’d made better time than he expected and would be in town in less
than an hour.
As he walked along, he wondered what change would come to his life
after discovering the treasure. How it even found its way to southern
Colorado was a mystery he hoped he could get answered with the leather
note, but that would come after he’d taken the contents to Denver. There
were several reasons for that easy decision: they were much better equipped
to handle the coins, there were more jewelers in the city to appraise the
stones, and the biggest was that he didn’t want Margaret’s father to have the
money in his bank.
What had surprised him almost as much as finding the cache was that he
never once thought about telling Margaret about it. He knew that if he did,
she’d forget all about John Anderson in a heartbeat. But maybe that was
why he hadn’t even contemplated telling her. She’d made her decision and
it was final. It also revealed the real Margaret behind that corset-filling
façade.
 But he imagined that there was an enormous amount of wealth in that
big box. He had run a quick estimate of the value of the gold alone and
came up with almost thirty thousand dollars. He knew he had no need for
that much money but knew he could do a lot of good with it, too.
Surprisingly, he already had an idea of what to do with some of the
jewelry. He had a mother and two sisters that would giggle themselves to
death if given the chance. There was more than enough to make every
woman in his life exquisitely happy.
And then he suddenly thought about Susanna.
What could he do for her?
He’d just have to play that one by ear.
That was for later, though. He needed to get to Linwood, send the
telegram, buy horses, and almost as importantly, he knew that his stomach
was demanding food.
Once he had transportation, he’d pick up the treasure and return to
Trinidad and talk to his father before taking it to Denver and renewing his
search for the Williams brothers. He knew that those four men he’d just
killed had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened to Susanna’s
family, so his mission wasn’t over. He may be the wealthiest lawman in the
country, but he was still a deputy sheriff.
_____
He arrived in Linwood and entered the Western Union office while it
was still open, wrote out his message quickly, and handed it to the operator.
His eyebrows rose slightly as he said, “This will be sixty-five cents,
Deputy.”
Dan handed him the change and after it was sent, he turned and left the
office and headed for the livery to see what he could find. He didn’t expect
much and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice, tan gelding with a black
mane and tail and four black stockings. He was only six years old and
seemed to have a pleasant disposition. The second was a non-descript
brown mare with a white stripe down her nose and a black mane and tail.
She was older but still in good health.
 Just thirty minutes after arriving in town, he had his new gelding saddled
with his saddlebags over his rump and his ’76 in the scabbard. He tied a
trail rope to the mare and walked both horses to the Linwood Diner for his
supper before he headed back west, stopping at the mortician on his way to
have him pick up the bodies.
_____
Sheriff Hart was walking out of the jail with Tom and Joe, heading for
the barn, when Hank Clooney spotted him and yelled, “Sheriff! I got a
telegram from Dan!”
They stopped and the sheriff held out his hand and accepted the telegram
as Joe and Tom waited to see what Dan was reporting. They didn’t expect it
to impact their job, though.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Bill said as he smiled and handed the telegram to
Joe.
“How the hell did he do that?” Joe asked as he gave it to Tom.
Tom read:
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
GUNFIGHT WITH FOUR MEN WEST OF LINWOOD
ALL FOUR DEAD
BODIES TO BE PICKED UP BY MORTICIAN
NO HORSES LEFT AFTER SHOOTOUT
THINK THEY TRIED TO STOP TRAIN
NO IDENTIFICATION
WILL BE HOME LATE
 
DAN HART LINWOOD COLO
 
 “Well, boys, it looks like you’ll be spending tonight in your own beds.
I’ll wait for Dan to arrive, but I’ll head home first and tell my wife.”
“We’ll wait until you get back, boss,” Tom said as he handed the
telegram back to the sheriff.
Bill accepted the telegram, belatedly handed the patiently waiting Hank
his nickel, and turned to make the six-block walk to his house.
As they watched their boss leave, Joe said, “That’s one proud papa.”
“I’m kind of proud of Dan myself, but I’ll bet there’s one hell of a story
in there.”
Neither of them could have realized just how extraordinary the story
actually was.
_____
Dan returned to the scene of the gunfight with another four hours of
daylight courtesy of the almost-summer sun. He first rode to Plano and
extricated his own tack and saddled the mare. Once she was ready, he rode
from dead animal to dead animal gathering saddlebags and canteens. He
needed the saddlebags’ volume and the canteens’ water.
Once the mare and the new gelding had all of the saddlebags hanging in
place, he rode to the granite bank and stepped down, tied the tan horse to a
straggly bush and took three of the sets of saddlebags, and climbed into the
boulder cave. He left the saddlebags near the entrance and spent another ten
minutes working the heavy box out of its burial site.
After it was in the light, Dan removed the jewelry box set it aside then
began scooping the doubloons into the saddlebags. He didn’t fill any
because he doubted that they could handle the weight but by the time he
had emptied the box, two sets of saddlebags were half full of doubloons. He
then slid the last empty set close, opened the jewelry box, and after
removing the leather note began to empty it into the saddlebag’s open
mouth.
As he did, he examined the pieces almost deciding which ones should go
to which sister or his mother but would leave that to his father. But when he
pulled out a pearl necklace with one large, iridescent light blue pearl in the
center and almost as large ivory-colored ones on either side, he was stuck in
awe. It wasn’t as sparkly as the gemstones, but the almost glowing effect of
pearls mesmerized him for a full minute before he slid the pearl necklace
into his jacket pocket and continued emptying the box.
It was only when he reached the halfway point that he noticed the loose
precious stones that filled the bottom two inches of the box, so he found it
easier to upend the box and pour them into the last empty saddlebag.
The transfer complete, Dan set the small box back into the big black one
and replaced it back into the stone cave, and covered it with the rocks.
After backing out, he hung each of the doubloon saddlebags over his
shoulder feeling their massive weight, picked up the jewelry set, and
carefully climbed back over the rocks.
His last act of reclamation was to move all of the Winchesters into one
place or another on the two horses and put the four gunbelts into his own
almost-full saddlebags. He emptied another canteen mounted the buckskin
gelding and began riding southwest to meet up with the south road to
Trinidad.
As he rode, he was finalizing how to deal with the contents of the chest.
The only one he could really trust with the information was his father and
he’d want his input anyway. He knew that he’d be able to provide a
comfortable life for the whole family now on just the interest on the gold
alone.
What concerned him was having it in the first place. Wanting it and
having it were totally different things, and he could already see problems if
anyone knew about what he’d found, especially Margaret.
_____
Bill was sitting in the parlor with Libby, Julie, and Pam after letting each
of them read the telegram.
“They tried to rob the train and had a shootout with Dan?” asked Libby.
“It sounds like it. We won’t know the details until he gets back. He said
he’d be back later tonight, so I have no idea when he’ll be here.”
 “Do you think he was hurt?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know. He did report that he had no horses after the shootout,
though.”
It was Pam who dropped the bit of news that her father hadn’t heard yet.
“Pop, did you hear that Margaret has already set a wedding date?”
Bill’s eyes popped wide as he asked, “With John Anderson?”
“Yes, sir. The one and the same. Not only that, but it’s only a week from
tomorrow. The rumor that’s making the rounds is that she’s carrying Dan’s
child and had to get married quickly after he turned down her father’s
offer.”
“Good lord! I know that Dan hadn’t reached that level of familiarity with
her, but that is still one fast courtship.”
“Are you sure, Sheriff?” Julie asked with a grin.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m positive for reasons known only to us boys.”
Libby said, “I’ll let you be the one to break that news to him. How do
you think he’ll take it?”
“Better than you probably expect. I think he’d already accepted her
decision, but he’ll be as shocked as I was by the instant courtship. Well,
ladies, I’m going to head back and wait for our Dan to return. I assume that
you’ll be cooking him the fatted calf?”
“Oh, just go to your jail, Sheriff,” Libby said as she stood and walked to
her husband, kissed him, and after he turned, she swatted him on his rear
end as she laughed.
Bill turned, smiled back at her, and said, “Thank you, ma’am,” before he
headed out the door to the sound of his giggling daughters.
_____
The sun was setting as Dan turned onto Main Street on the west end of
town, passed the train station, and thought about heading to the house first,
but decided he needed to empty the horses and change out of his damaged
pants as he was sure that he was filthier than his mother would want in her
house. It would probably be too late by then, anyway.
He noticed the lamp lit in the jail and assumed his father was waiting for
his report, so he pulled the horses to a stop, dismounted, and tied off the
gelding before stepping up onto the boardwalk.
Bill had been expecting him but was surprised to see him with two
horses as he stood behind the front desk and waited for Dan to enter.
Dan smiled at his father pulled off his hat and said, “Good evening,
Sheriff.”
“Dan, you’re a real mess. Sit down and tell me what happened.”
“Yes, sir,” Dan said as he took a seat beside the desk.
His father had noticed the blood on his thigh and the ripped pants but
hadn’t observed any limp, so he lowered himself to the bigger chair.
Bill said, “We just got word from that train’s engineer about an attempt
to stop the train, and I was getting ready to send Tom and Joe out there
when we got your telegram. So, tell me what happened.”
“It was just a coincidence, really. I was tracking the Williams brothers’
movements out of Hog Back and was going cross-country toward the
AT&SF tracks when I heard a booming noise that wasn’t from an explosion.
Then about twenty minutes later, I saw these four boys on two horses ahead
of me and it looked suspicious.
“So, I moved my badge outside, then they pulled their Winchesters at
about two hundred yards and began firing. Plano caught one bullet right in
the chest, but he stayed with me long enough to run them down. Another
one hit my saddle horn, ricocheted, and creased my thigh, but it’s just a
little more than a bruise.
“I got two of them and the other two rode off, but one of their horses
took one of my .45s and went down. I guess the rider took a nosedive and
didn’t land well. The last one holed up in a boulder fort of sorts and Plano
gave out. I think the last one’s horse died of exhaustion.
 “Anyway, he was in a really bad place, so I wound up sending in a few
ricochet rounds and asked him to surrender, but he squirmed down into the
deepest part of the pile and then he tried shooting it out with pistols.
Without any horses left, I walked to Linwood and bought two horses, and
rode back.”
“Do you know who they were?”
“No, sir. I went through their pockets and except for about a hundred and
fifty dollars or so, they didn’t have anything to identify them. I used that
money to buy the horses outside. There was nothing with their names in
their saddlebags, either.”
“Why did you buy two horses?” his father asked.
“That leads me to the other part of the story that will not show up on my
official report because it wasn’t part of the action at all.”
Bill’s eyebrows rose as he asked, “And what was that?”
“Pop, remember how you would tell me and Dennis that there was no
buried treasure in Colorado?”
“
You found buried treasure?
” his father exclaimed.
“I want to keep it quiet, at least for a while, but that’s exactly what it
looks like. When I tracked that last one deep into those rocks, I found a box
near his Colt and pulled it out of there. It was really wedged in there and
probably weighed over a hundred pounds.”
“A hundred pounds of what?” Bill asked quietly.
“Well, sir, this sounds ludicrous, but most of that weight was in Spanish
gold doubloons.”
“You’re kidding!
In Colorado?
”
“Yes, sir. And the other odd thing is that I found a leather note that is
written in French inside the box. I haven’t taken the time to try and decipher
any of the words yet, though.”
“The letter was in the box with the doubloons?”
“No, sir. It was in a smaller box filled with jewelry and precious stones.”
 Bill was dumbfounded as he leaned back in the chair and put his right
hand on his forehead.
“How many?” he asked.
“A lot. I filled one saddlebag with the jewelry and the other is about
half-full of the loose gemstones. They’re all outside on the mare.”
“What are you planning on doing with it?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Pop. I thought I’d take the
train to Denver to get the doubloons converted to American money and
leave it in a bank up there with most of the jewelry. I wanted you to choose
some of the pieces for Mom, Julie, and Pam first.”
“I think that’s smart about taking it to Denver. It would cause a real
fiasco here.”
Then after a short pause, he asked, “What about Margaret, Dan? You
know she’d drop John Anderson like a lit stick of dynamite if she knew you
had all that money.”
“I know, Pop, but that would be a terrible thing for her to do. Even if it
was what I wanted, it would make her look like a gold-digger.”
“Dan, speaking of Margaret, did you hear the latest news?”
Dan looked at his father and said, “Let me guess. Margaret has already
agreed to let John Anderson call on her.”
Bill smiled and shook his head, “That’s just the start of it. Their wedding
is set for the first day of summer, the 21
st
of June.”
That did shock Dan as he blinked twice and asked, “They’re getting
married next week?”
“Yup. Julie just told me. She also said that the gossip is that she’s having
your baby after you turned down her father and had to marry quickly, which
is why it’s happening so fast.”
“Pop, if Margaret is pregnant, and I seriously doubt that she is, I had
nothing to do with it.”
 “I know that, but I’m just preparing you for the gossip that you’ll be
hearing.”
“I’m not sure if it’s better or worse than the last rumor about me.
Bill nodded and said, “Enough of the Margaret news. Where will you put
them until you go to Denver?”
“In the back room under the bed. It’ll only be for a day or so.”
“Okay, let’s get it unloaded and once that’s done, we’ll bring your horses
to the barn, and you need to clean up.”
Dan smiled and nodded before he and his father stood and left the jail.
Despite knowing what was in the saddlebags, Bill was stunned by their
weight as they lugged them into the office and then into the sleeping room.
After all three sets were in back, they moved the large number of
Winchesters, gunbelts, and ammunition into the jail before the sheriff
locked the door and they led the two horses to the barn unsaddled them, and
let them feed from the oat bins as they were brushed down.
“You did a good job, Dan. I’m proud of you. Do you want to come back
and have dinner now?” Bill asked as they left the barn.
“No, sir. I need to clean my Winchester and the others and write my
report. If it’s all the same with you, I’ll just stay here. I’m kind of tired. You
can choose the jewelry tomorrow sometime. I’ll head to Denver on
Wednesday.”
“I’ll tell your mother, but she won’t be happy.”
“I know. Just tell her I’m filthy and need to sleep.”
Bill then stood and said, “I’ll tell your mom that you needed to rest, and
you’ll stop by in the morning.”
“Thanks, Pop.”
_____
Julie and Pam were setting the table as Libby set the big bowl of boiled
potatoes on the table and Bill began carving the baked ham.
 “He’s not even joining us for dinner?” Libby asked.
“He’s tired, sweetheart. He said he’d be by in the morning before he
left.”
“He’s leaving again already?”
“He needs to tidy up some loose ends. He’ll be back in two or three
days.”
“What have you turned my son into, Sheriff?”
“A good man, Mrs. Hart, and you did your part to make him that way as
well.”
“Well, I’ll take a big plate of food down there when we finish.”
Julie quickly said, “I’ll take it to him, Mom.”
Libby smiled at her and replied, “Thank you, Julie.”
As they all sat, Bill began repeating Dan’s shortened version of the
surprise gunfight.
“He was shot, too?” asked Pam.
“He said it was just a crease, and he wasn’t even limping noticeably.”
Libby cut a piece of ham and snapped, “Men!”
_____
Dan had washed himself of most of the filth changed his britches and
shirt and was cleaning his third Winchester when the door opened, and he
looked up to see Julie entering with a tray of food.
He quickly stood and trotted across the floor, took the heavy tray from
her, and said, “Thank you, Miss Hart. The food is much appreciated.”
“How are you, Dan? Pop said you’d been shot.”
Dan sat down and replied, “I’m fine. Really. It was nothing more than a
bruise.”
“He said you were going to leave right away, too. Did you find those
outlaws?”
 “No, but I picked up their trail. I’ll start tracing it again soon enough, but
I’m taking tomorrow to recover and get reorganized after losing Plano.”
Dan finally began to eat as Julie said, “Pop said he told you about
Margaret. I think she’s making a big mistake. I don’t know what she sees in
John Anderson. He’s so old, too.”
“He’ll provide for her, Julie. It’s what she needed more than anything
else, and I’m happy for her.”
“I don’t think it’s enough, but it’ll be too late for her to discover that.”
Dan looked at his younger sister and said, “You’re a very smart lady. I’m
sure that George Abernathy is a very lucky young man.”
Julie smiled and replied, “You’re not so bad yourself, Deputy. You’ll be
joining us for breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure I’ll get a proper scolding from our mother when I
arrive, too.”
“I doubt it. She’ll be happy just to see you in one piece.”
Dan smiled at her and quickly finished his food and asked, “Would you
like an escort back to the house, Miss Hart?”
“No, I’ll be fine. You need to finish cleaning those guns.”
“And write my report.”
Julie smiled and stood, picked up the tray, and left the jail. Dan walked
behind her, then watched her head west along the boardwalk until she was
out of sight before he closed and locked the door and returned to the desk.
It was another hour before he was finally ready for sleep. It would have
been much faster if he only had to write one short report about the gunfight,
but he had to write another one about his ongoing search for the Williams
brothers.
In that report, he even named Annie and Rose as witnesses.
Dan was so exhausted when he finally slipped under the blankets that he
didn’t think much before he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
 CHAPTER 4
Dan’s eyes popped open and he knew he’d slept too long. He hopped out
of bed and quickly began to wash and shaved and dressed. He totally forgot
about what was under the bed as he pulled on his boots and after wrapping
his gunbelt around his waist, he headed out for the front office and stopped.
Nobody was there, so either the world had come to a fiery end without
his knowledge or it wasn’t as late as he thought it was.
Dan then walked back to the sleeping room, took down his light jacket,
and put it on before taking the pocket watch out and finding its thin black
hands giggling at him. It was just 6:47 in the morning. He slid it back into
his pocket and stuck his hand in the right side and pulled out the pearl
necklace. Even in the shadowy back room, the pearls practically glowed.
He slipped it back into his pocket returned to the front office started a
fire in the heat stove and then filled the coffeepot with water.
He was walking to the front door to unlock it when that job was done by
his sheriff father from the outside.
Dan waited for the sheriff to enter and said, “Good morning, Sheriff
Hart. You’re earlier than usual, so can I assume we’ll take this opportunity
to make those selections?”
“We’ll do that and then we can head to breakfast and you can explain to
everyone what happened. I assume you'll want the family to know.”
“Yes, sir. I figure it’ll leak out sooner or later anyway, but we can still
slow it down.”
“Let’s get started,” Bill said as he and Dan walked to the back room.
Dan slid the jewelry saddlebags from under the bed and just dumped the
expensive trinkets onto the bed which made Bill laugh at the sight.
It didn’t take long for Bill and Dan to make their selections. Bill had
selected a nice diamond and emerald necklace for Libby, while Dan chose
some diamond earrings for Julie and Pam before they began scooping the
jewelry back into the saddlebag and Dan slid it back under the bed.
Neither Tom nor Joe had arrived yet, so after Bill took three envelopes
from his desk, he slid the jewelry into each one and slipped his wife’s
envelope into his pocket. Then they left the office, locked the jail again, and
began walking west along the boardwalk with the bright sunrise behind
them.
As they walked, the conversation was all professional lawman talk
surrounding Dan’s gunfight yesterday and the new information he’d
uncovered about the Williams brothers.
When they entered the house via the back door, Dan found his sisters
and mother looking at him from their seats around the kitchen table.
“Good morning, Mom, Julie, and Pam,” Dan said as he smiled and
removed his hat.
“I’m glad to see that you’re still walking, Deputy,” his mother snapped
before she stood to finish fixing breakfast.
Dan glanced over at Julie, raised his eyebrows, turned back to his mother
kissed her on the cheek, and said, “I’m fine, Mom. If I’d been hurt, I would
have shown it to you.”
She then handed the spatula to Julie before saying, “Into the bathroom
with you, mister, and I want to see that wound.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan replied before heading down to the hallway and
turning into the bathroom.
He didn’t bother closing the door as he removed his gunbelt and dropped
his britches to his knees and let his mother inspect the damage.
“It’s not so bad,” she said before turning and leaving the small room
while Dan slid his pants back into place.
He felt like a properly scolded little boy as he pulled on his gunbelt with
its deadly piece of steel.
After returning to the kitchen, Dan took his customary seat next to Pam
as Julie and his mother set out their plates of eggs and ham.
 As they ate, Dan spent ten minutes providing details of everything that
had happened and another ten answering questions.
They were finished eating by the time he broached the other topic and
didn’t bother with any flowery prologue.
“Mom, after I finished with the gunfight, I found a box buried in the
boulders where the last one had made his stand. It was filled with gold
doubloons and jewelry.”
Bill had been anticipating Dan’s shocking announcement and wasn’t
disappointed when all three of the Hart women sat with wide eyes and
arched eyebrows in stunned silence.
Dan didn’t pause as he continued, saying, “I’m going to Denver
tomorrow to convert and deposit the money in an account up there and I’ll
leave most of the jewelry there as well. But before I do, pop and I picked
out something for each of you.”
All three sets of eyes turned to Bill who pulled out two envelopes and
handed one to Julie and another to Pam before standing and stepping behind
Libby and slipped her diamond and emerald necklace from his pocket and
carefully hung it around her neck.
After he closed the clasp, he leaned forward kissed her neck, and
whispered, “I always hoped I could give you something like this, my love.”
Libby began to silently weep as she touched the necklace and let her
fingers reach to her husband’s cheek and caress his face.
She didn’t say a word nor was any verbal response necessary.
Julie and Pam had just held onto their envelopes watching their parents
until Libby smiled at them and said, “Your turn.”
With her permission granted, the girls ripped open the end and poured
the large diamond earrings into their palms, and squealed in excitement.
Julie was the first to stand rush to Dan and kiss him on the cheek. Pam
followed seconds later.
“Thank you, Dan! They’re so beautiful!” Julie exclaimed as she let the
beams of sunlight flash on the diamonds’ faces.
 “Thank you, Big Brother!” Pam added as she began to mimic her older
sister’s use of nature’s spotlight.
Libby finally rose slowly stepped over to her son and just took his hands
in hers and said, “Thank you, Dan. But the necklace isn’t the greatest gift
you’ve ever given to me. Each day, you make me proud to be your mother.”
Dan smiled and kissed her on the cheek and after another quiet minute,
they all sat down again.
Dan said, “I want to keep the discovery as quiet as possible, so the news
of the treasure itself has to be kept secret. As far as anyone else knows,
those are just pieces of costume jewelry.”
“We’ll do that, Dan,” Julie said as she began to put her earrings where
they belonged.
Dan looked at their happy faces and he looked at his father who was still
smiling at his mother and knew that he had received the best gift of all.
_____
By the time he returned with his father to the office, Tom and Joe were
there drinking coffee, so Dan had to repeat the story of the shootout before
he was allowed to start his preparations for the trip to Denver.
But before he did that, Dan had another trip to make, he just wasn’t sure
what he was going to do when he got there.
He left the office carrying the Winchester ‘76 and one of the donated
‘73s as he walked to the small barn where he began saddling his new
buckskin gelding.
As he tossed the saddle blanket over his back, Dan said, “I suppose I
need to give you a name, seeing as we’re going to be spending a lot of time
together. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it, either. I found you the
day I found that box of stuff, so how about it if I call you Boxer?”
The horse stared at him without any reaction, so Dan laughed and said,
“Okay. How about Chester? You know, not a box, but a chest?”
After the saddle was in place with still no comment from the horse, Dan
shrugged and finished the one-way conversation, saying, “Well, I’m not
going any further. Chester it is.”
He finished saddling Chester. mounted and walked him out to Main
Street and headed west toward the train station.
_____
Each day since that first ride on her Morgan gelding, Susanna had been
riding the same route, west to the tracks, then north on the road before
returning. She never made it all the way to Trinidad but did get closer. She
used the route that Dan had suggested for the reason that he’d made it. She
didn’t want anyone, specifically Willie Pearson, to see her ride past their
farm.
As Dan was turning south at the train station, Susanna was turning north
onto the same road six miles south of Trinidad.
She was still exhilarated by the sensation of moving quickly on
horseback and the temporary ability to forget her worries as she simply
enjoyed her newfound sense of freedom. The pistol at her waist gave her an
added sense of security.
She’d just picked up the buildings when she slowed the mare as she
spotted a rider on the horizon heading her way. She hadn’t encountered any
traffic on the first two rides, but now she had to make a fast decision.
Did
she turn her horse around and race back home, or did she continue as she
had planned?
Her fears of being discovered as a murderer didn’t play any
part in the decision, but her much more common fear of a young woman
alone on the road did. So, just fifteen seconds after spotting the oncoming
rider, Susanna wheeled the Morgan around and set her to a medium trot.
_____
Dan had identified Susanna almost immediately because of the Morgan,
the rider’s size, and long hair. He had almost expected to see her on the road
and was glad that she was taking advantage of having the horse.
When she suddenly made her U-turn, he wasn’t surprised at all and was
pleased that she was exercising caution.
He kept Chester at a medium trot as he followed Susanna, the buckskin’s
longer strides cutting the gap slowly.
 _____
Susanna swiveled her head to see if the rider was still coming but wasn’t
expecting him to change direction. She didn’t know where he would be
going, though. She knew that New Mexico was just another ten miles down
the road, but wasn’t sure which towns were there. There had to be one so
the trains could add water to the thirsty locomotive tanks but she wasn’t
sure how far away it would be.
She kept her Morgan going and then made her left turn to head back east
to the farm hoping that the man would continue south along the road.
_____
Dan watched Susanna turn east and was now concerned that he might be
scaring her. He was riding a different horse, and with her all-too-recent
attack still very fresh in her mind, he didn’t want to push her into a shell.
So, he pulled his badge from his shirt and moved it to his light jacket. Once
he turned east, that badge should reflect the morning sun well enough to let
her recognize him.
He made his own turn ten minutes later.
_____
Susanna was almost three miles ahead when she saw the rider make his
turn and felt the bile of fear rise in her throat.
He was following her!
He
surely wasn’t intending to rob her, and she almost laughed at the thought
that he was going to do to her what she claimed to have happened in her lie.
Instead of laughing, she nudged the mare into a fast trot, then glanced
behind her again. In that short look back, she witnessed a bright flash as
something reflected the sun’s bright light. Her first terrified conclusion was
that he was aiming a gun at her but quickly dismissed it as ludicrous.
Who
would pull a gun at this distance?
She slowed the mare and looked back again at her follower and again
saw the short blaze of light. Susanna kept her eyes on the rider and noticed
that the light flared and disappeared at regular intervals. The man was
wearing something shiny, and she decided it must be Dan Hart. He did say
he was going to stop by to tell her of his progress and it had been four days
since he’d gone, so maybe he was coming to tell her that he’d caught those
two men.
That possibility created a new problem for Susanna.
What if he caught
them and she’d have to go to their trial and point them out as her parents’
killers?
Those men might be wanted murderers, but she’d be perjuring
herself after swearing on the Bible and she knew that even she couldn’t go
that far. If he’s coming to tell her about a trial, she’d leave and ride south on
that road into New Mexico.
But he might have just shot them and was coming to tell her that it was
all over, too. That possibility gave her hope that she might be able to return
to a normal life after all. If the two men that Dan Hart had chased after were
dead, her self-serving fiction would simply die.
Yet as it died, so would any chance of spending more time with Dan. He
wouldn’t visit anymore, and she couldn’t see him in Trinidad, either. She
was convinced that the more time she spent with him, the greater the
likelihood was that her guilt and shame would force her to tell him the truth,
and then her life would be over.
Now she just needed to hear what he had to tell her, so she slowed the
Morgan to a walk as the farm appeared in the east.
_____
It took Dan a few minutes to notice that she’d slowed and then reduced
speed again as he began making up the gap quickly. She must have seen his
badge.
He took that opportunity to see what Chester could do, so he tapped his
sides with his boots and leaned forward. Chester responded immediately
and charged off at a gallop, churning up the dirt into a massive dust cloud.
Chester’s raw speed surprised Dan because he hadn’t expected it. The
buckskin’s pounding hooves chewed up the Colorado soil in great gulps and
after a minute, Dan slowed the gelding down and listened to his breathing.
His breaths were deep, but he wasn’t laboring, so Dan was more than
pleased with Chester’s performance.
 “You’re a good horse, Chester,” he said loudly as he patted the gelding’s
neck.
The mad dash had put him just a few hundred yards behind Susanna, so
he pulled his hat and waved it over his head, getting an acknowledging
wave in return.
Since he’d returned from Linwood, he’d been anticipating this meeting
and trying to write a script for what he’d tell Susanna but had never gotten
much past ‘Hello, Miss Lawson’. In the end, he decided it would depend on
her reaction when he arrived at her farm.
When he reached the farm, he turned Chester to the barn after he’d seen
Susanna walk the Morgan inside.
He dismounted and led Chester to the open doors where he spotted
Susanna standing beside the still-saddled mare looking at him with those
innocent blue eyes.
“Good morning, Miss Lawson. I came by to give you an update on my
manhunt for the Williams brothers.”
Susanna’s heart was pounding against her ribs for a variety of reasons as
she quietly asked, “What happened?”
“Well, ma’am, I trailed them to a few towns north of here and was
getting closer but lost them when they crossed the tracks heading west.”
Susanna relaxed somewhat from the news and asked, “So, are you
ending the chase now?”
“No, ma’am. I’m heading out again in the morning. I just had to return to
town because of another incident, which is why I have a different horse.”
“I was wondering about that.”
Dan nodded and after a few seconds of awkward silence, he asked,
“Would you like me to unsaddle your horse, Miss Lawson?”
“Um, no. I can do it. Is that all you needed to tell me?”
This wasn’t going at all as Dan expected. She sounded as if she wanted
him to mount Chester and ride away as quickly as possible.
 “Well, no, Miss Lawson. I brought you a Winchester and a box of
ammunition that would give you better protection than the pistol that you’re
wearing. I’m glad to see you have it with you, too.”
“Is it one of the sheriff’s rifles?”
“No, ma’am. It was one of the Winchesters I picked up in the incident
that made me postpone my search for the Williams brothers.”
Susanna had wanted Dan to leave, but not for the reasons he believed.
She suddenly reversed that decision and almost desperately needed him to
stay and talk to her.
“On second thought, could you help me unsaddle my horse while you
tell me what happened?”
Dan smiled and replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
Susanna smiled back giving in to her fantasies and stepped aside slightly
to give Dan access to her mare.
Dan hitched Chester to a support post and took three long strides to the
Morgan where he dropped to his heels to release the cinches and began his
narration.
“As I said before, I found the trail of the Williams brothers as they made
their way east out of Walsenburg three weeks ago. They’d had a shootout in
town with a Huerfano County Deputy Sheriff named Ed Fletcher. He’s a
good man. Nobody was hit, but I picked them up in the towns they passed
through until they turned back west. I was west of Linwood when I heard
this loud noise…”
Susanna leaned against an empty stall as Dan told the story of the
shootout but without mentioning the treasure. As he talked with almost cold
detachment about the numerous bullets that had been sent his way, her
stomach flipped almost non-stop. He’d almost been killed and from what he
said, they weren’t even dangerous men.
How much worse would it be if he
ran into those killers who he believed had murdered her parents and raped
her?
Dan finished unsaddling the mare as he finished his story and as he
began brushing down the mare, he asked, “Miss Lawson, would you mind if
I let Chester stay here for a little while? I rode him pretty hard a little while
ago just to get a feel for his capabilities.”
“Of course. Did you want to come into the house and talk?”
Dan smiled at her and said, “I’d enjoy that, Miss Lawson.”
Susanna had vowed not to allow herself to get too close to Dan but broke
it when she said, “Could you call me Susanna?”
Dan nodded, then replied, “I’ll do that, but only if you call me Dan.”
“Is that your full name? Dan Hart?”
“My full name is Daniel James Hart, but most folks call me Dan. Of
course, if you ever come to Trinidad, you’ll find that I’m also called by
another name by some of the other fellers.”
Susanna’s lips curled into a slight smile as she asked, “Is it an acceptable
name?”
“It is, but it’s a bit odd, too. They call me Moose.”
“Moose? Why Moose?”
He set the brush down and looked into those now smiling blue eyes and
said, “I love to read, especially about places I know I’ll never see. So, when
I was nine, I was out north of town about three miles with four of my
friends on the other side of the hills. We were exploring some old caves that
we thought might have buried treasure because boys do stupid things like
that. Which pirate would leave buried treasure in a cave in southern
Colorado?
“Anyway, as we were heading home, we walked through this small
forest and when we popped out of the other side, we startled this big buck
antelope. He was enormous with a giant rack of antlers. Now I had just read
a book about Minnesota and the upper Mississippi River a few days earlier,
so I pointed at him as he sprang away and yelled, ‘It’s a moose!’. The other
boys began laughing really loud and told me it was just an antelope. One of
them, Dennis Smith, started calling me ‘Moose Dan’, but that was too many
syllables, so it became Moose. I guess they thought it was funny, but I’ve
gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother me. So, if you hear one of them call
me Moose, don’t be surprised.”
Susanna laughed and replied, “I won’t.”
Dan led Chester into the barn and let him drink at the trough and then
slid the Winchester ’73 from its scabbard before taking a box of .44s from
his saddlebag.
With the repeater in hand, he followed Susanna out of the barn and
trotted to walk beside her as they neared the house.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” she asked.
“Just sisters. Julie is the older of the two, her full name is Juliette Emily,
and she’s nineteen, about three inches taller than you with light brown hair
and brown eyes. She’s smart, inquisitive and a real joy to be around. She’s
got a steady caller named George Abernathy and I figure she’ll be getting
married within the next few months, but they haven’t set a date.
“My other sister is Pamela Jane, or Pam. She’s younger than you and
won’t turn eighteen until February. She’s only an inch or so taller than you
are with darker hair and brown eyes. Pam is a mischief-maker, and always
has a smile ready to explode.”
“What about your parents?”
“As I mentioned before, my father, Bill Hart, is the Las Animas County
Sheriff and has held that position for twelve years. He’s the best man I’ve
ever met and I’m eternally grateful to be lucky enough to be his son. He’s
about two inches shorter than I am, he’s already got some gray streaks in his
dark brown hair but looks younger than he is. What makes him so
admirable is that he has an incredible sense of justice and fairness.
Everyone in the county knows him and respects him for that. I’ve been
learning from him for as long as I can remember which is why I’m wearing
this badge.
“My mother, Libby, is tall for a woman, about five feet and eight inches,
but still slim, which is amazing after having given birth to eight children.
Like my father, her hair is beginning to gray, but it’s a much lighter shade of
brown, about the same as yours. She’s a very strong-minded woman, as you
would expect her to be, but she’s got an immense amount of compassion in
her, too.”
“She lost five children?”
Dan nodded and replied, “Three at childbirth, one when she was three
months old, and an older brother who died when I was three.”
“That must have been terrible for her.”
“It happens a lot, Susanna. She’s just happy to have three healthy, happy
children to boss around. She tries to act like the family dictator, but she’s
really a softy inside.”
They stepped onto the porch and Dan waited for Susanna to open the
door before following her into the house.
Once inside, Dan noticed the stocked shelves and the stacks of clothing
on a shelf near the bed and was happy he’d made the decision to buy them.
As if reading his mind, Susanna said, “I never did thank you for buying
everything for me, Dan. I know I should be saying things like ‘you
shouldn’t have’ or ‘I don’t accept charity’, but I’ll just stick with that thank
you that you forced out of me the last time, only now it will be a much
more sincere, thank you, Dan.”
“You’re entirely welcome, Susanna. I’ll show you how to use the
Winchester and remind me before I go to leave you the scabbard for your
Morgan. Did you give her a name yet?”
“No, I didn’t know that I had to.”
“You should. She’s your friend and your symbol of freedom, so you owe
her that.”
“I’ll do that, then. Is there a reason you named your new horse Chester?”
Dan was about to give her a different reason but with her isolation, he
didn’t think it would matter, so he replied, “Yes, ma’am. After I finished the
gunfight and had no horses left, I had to walk to Linwood which is where I
bought Chester and a brown mare as well. She’s back in the barn behind the
sheriff’s office. I needed the mare to act as a packhorse because of
something that I discovered when I was dragging the last outlaw out of that
boulder cave.”
Susanna was expecting something grisly in keeping with the nature of a
shootout but then his next question changed her expectations.
“Remember I told you that my friends and I were always looking for
buried treasure, but everyone knew that there was no such thing in
Colorado?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what I found…”
Susanna sat with her big blue eyes even bigger as she listened to him
describe what he’d discovered.
When he finished, she asked, “What are you going to do with it?”
“Take it to Denver tomorrow, leave it there and chase down the Williams
brothers.”
Susanna was stunned enough by the revelation of his discovery, but then
his almost incomprehensible decision to continue searching for those killers
numbed her.
“Why?” she asked quietly.
“It’s my job, Susanna. It’s what I do.”
“But with all that money, you don’t have to do it anymore. You could do
anything you want to do. You don’t need to chase murderers.”
“That is what I want to do. I don’t want to sit around in a fancy suit and
talk to proper gentlemen at some fancy club. I already turned down a job
that paid twice as much and would make my life much easier. Making
people safe and finding them justice for the pain that has already been
inflicted upon them is what gives me true satisfaction, Susanna.”
“Is that other job the one about Margaret Lawrence?”
“I’m surprised you heard about that. I thought you just stayed in the
house.”
 “When I went to get the food from the Pearsons, Mrs. Pearson said that
she’d heard that you had been offered a job at her father’s bank so you
could marry her, but nothing more. Is that what happened?”
“It did. I turned the job down for the reasons I just explained, and
Margaret then told me that she couldn’t marry me unless I took the job. I
rejected the offer the day before the late spring dance, which was the same
day, I came here to see you the first time. After that, strange things
happened that still surprise me.”
Susanna just looked at his face, trying to read how he felt about losing
Margaret Lawrence. She’d never seen Margaret since her return to Trinidad
but had heard how beautiful she was and that every young man in the
county had been angling to be her beau.
Dan smiled at Susanna before continuing.
“The first strange occurrence was when she was escorted to the dance by
John Anderson. Do you know him?”
“No.”
“John Anderson is just about twice her age but is fairly well off because
he owns the sawmill and the bigger construction company in Trinidad. He’s
not a bad-looking sort, but he tends toward ostentation and some misguided
belief that he’s in the upper crust of society, which is a bit silly in a town
like Trinidad. He behaves like one of those gentlemen at a club that I didn’t
care for. He’s a widower without any children and lives alone in his big
house two blocks down from the Lawrence home.
“He does have a housekeeper named Jessica Dandridge who cooks and
keeps the place clean. She’s about fifty and there were some rumors about
him taking advantage of her, but those would be expected even if she was
seventy. He has had a few dalliances even while he was married that were
fairly obvious. One of them, Cecile Richardson, suddenly left town about a
year ago to live with extended family in Kansas City. The gossip mill was
in full roar after that one.
“I knew that John always had his sights on Margaret, but even I was
surprised when I saw her riding past the office with him on their way to the
dance. Then when I returned yesterday, I was downright shocked to
discover that not only has she allowed him to court her, but agreed to marry
him on the 21
st
of June.”
“
She’s going to marry him already?
Why?” asked a startled Susanna.
Dan smiled and said, “The rumor was that I had put her into the family
way and after I turned down the job offer, she had to marry John quickly,
but that was nonsense. I have no idea why she agreed to the almost instant
wedding, but she did.”
“Doesn’t it bother you? I mean, you were close to marrying her and now
she’s going to wed another man.”
“It hurt for a little while but once I came to terms with it, I just hope
she’s happy.”
Susanna didn’t want to pose the question but felt an urge to know the
answer, so she asked, “But with the money you found, can’t you get her to
change her mind?”
“I wouldn’t want her to change her mind. That’s one of the reasons for
keeping the discovery secret. I learned a valuable lesson from Margaret. I
thought I understood her, but I didn’t even come close. I missed so much
that I felt like a fool. She never lied to me, but she wasn’t real, either.”
Dan’s answer twisted a knife in her heart before she asked, “Are you
seeing anyone else now?”
Dan smiled and replied, “Just you, Susanna. I’m looking at you right
now.”
“That’s not what I meant. Are you visiting any other girls?”
“I know what you meant, and I gave you the correct answer.”
Susanna found herself simultaneously elated and horrified by his answer
as her fantasies and fears violently collided in one short sentence.
“But you can’t. You can’t. You don’t know me at all.”
“I know that, Susanna, but I’d like to get to know you better. It’s the real
reason I came down to see you before I left. I wanted to ask you if it would
be alright if I began to see you socially and not as Deputy Sheriff Dan
Hart.”
Susanna was wrestling with herself as she looked into those
compassionate, warm brown eyes. She wanted this so badly but knew what
a disaster it held.
If Margaret had disappointed him without lying, how
much worse would his reaction be if he found out about her?
She shook her head and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t. You need to find
some other girl. I’m not who you think I am.”
Dan wasn’t surprised by her answer and had been expecting her to refuse
to be visited by any man believing her to be a victimized innocent and
totally misunderstanding the real reason for her refusal.
He nodded and replied, “I understand, Susanna. But before I head off to
Denver, I want to tell you something.”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“If you come to Trinidad while I’m gone and don’t want to go to the
sheriff’s office, which I could understand, my parents’ house is on the right
side of Eighth Street. It’s number eight, and it’s a two-story house painted a
dark green. If you need to talk to someone, you can go there and talk to my
mother or sisters. I’m sure it will be better for you to talk to a woman.”
Dan then slipped his fingers into his jacket pocket and while her eyes
were still closed, he set the pearl necklace quietly on the table.
“I gave a piece of jewelry to my mother, sisters, and sister-in-law, but
when I saw this necklace, I knew you were the only one who should wear
it.”
Then he rose and said, “The Winchester is easy to use. Just cycle the
lever, aim it, and pull the trigger,” then he smiled down at her wishing he
could see those big blue eyes once more, and said, “Goodbye, Susanna.”
With her eyes still closed, Susanna whispered, “Goodbye, Dan.”
Dan turned and quickly left the house turned left and trotted to the barn.
Susanna kept her eyes closed until she heard Chester’s hoofbeats fade
away and kept them closed as tears began to slide across her smooth
cheeks.
It wasn’t for another two minutes before she slowly opened her eyes and
beheld the amazing iridescent blue pearl and its ivory companions laying
before her. Her small fingers slowly crossed the dry pine tabletop, picked
up the gold and pearl necklace, and held it out before her letting the
morning sun bathe it in its powerful light. It was much too beautiful for her
to wear around her neck. She was worse than nothing. She was a murderer,
a liar, and a fraud. She hoped Dan Hart never returned, but she would keep
the necklace close to her to remind her of what she had lost. The constant
pain would only be a small fraction of what she deserved.
_____
Dan returned to Trinidad via the direct road past the Pearson farm and
saw the three men in the fields east of the house as he rode by.
Although he’d expected Susanna to tell him that she couldn’t see him
socially, he was still saddened by her reply but also curious why she would
tell him that she wasn’t who he thought she was. She had lived on the farm
for as long as he could recall, so it wasn’t as if she wasn’t a Lawson.
He was still trying to understand her meaning when he arrived in
Trinidad and walked Chester into the barn.
After unsaddling him and settling him in his stall, he removed the ’76
and headed into the office.
“Where have you been, Moose?” asked Tom as he entered.
“I had to give Miss Lawson an update on the search for those killers.”
“Are you heading out to look for them tomorrow?” asked Joe.
“I’ll actually be leaving tonight. I may be gone longer this time. It didn’t
make a lot of sense in the direction they were headed when I ran into those
other four.”
Dan then hung his hat returned his Winchester to the rack and poured
himself a cup of coffee. He needed to forget about Susanna for a while and
start planning for his trip to Denver and then his renewed manhunt for the
Williams brothers.
 _____
Susanna was out in the barn looking at the Morgan mare. She had
decided to name the horse Pearl because she was the first real gift that Dan
had given to her. Even as she fingered the pearl necklace in her pants
pocket, she wished there had been some way she could have given him a
different answer. Once the news of his discovery was out, he would have
every young, unattached female’s attention and had no doubt that he would
find Margaret’s replacement in the next couple of days. Despite what he’d
said, she suspected it still could be Margaret who would soon replace
herself.
_____
Dan’s first step in preparation for the trip was to pick up some cash.
He’d have to pay for the train ticket and transport for the two horses, meals,
a hotel room, and other incidentals. He estimated that would run him about
forty dollars, but with the massive amount of gold under the bed in the jail,
he wasn’t worried about degrading his balance in Bryce Lawrence’s bank.
He left the jail and trotted across Main Street at an angle, reaching the
boardwalk before the bank and then walking inside and stepped to one of
the three cashier windows.
“Afternoon, Dan. What can I do for you?” asked Bob Abercrombie.
“I need to withdraw two hundred dollars, Bob. I’ve got an extended
search coming up.”
“Doesn’t the county cover those costs?” he asked as he pulled a ledger
from the shelf behind him.
“Some of them, but not others. I lost my horse and saddle and had to buy
a new one.”
“I heard about that. You killed those four outlaws that tried to stop the
train.”
“Yes, sir. It wasn’t too bad, though. They made a lot of mistakes.”
He was counting out the currency as he asked, “I assume you heard
about the big wedding on June 21
st
?”
 “Yup. I don’t expect an invitation, though.”
Bob snickered and slid the bills across to Dan who signed the receipt and
folded them and stuffed them in his clean pants pocket.
“Good luck, Dan,” the cashier said as Dan nodded and turned around to
cross the lobby.
As he reached the door, he almost bumped headlong into John Anderson
and the contrast between the two men couldn’t have been greater. Dan was
dressed almost as a ranch hand minus the chaps while John was dressed
impeccably in his dark gray suit with his carefully styled black hair. He
wasn’t wearing a bowler hat but had a shortened version of Lincoln’s top
hat with a black silk band around the crown.
“Excuse me, John,” Dan said as he smiled and stepped aside.
John returned his smile and replied, “That’s quite alright. I am glad that I
bumped into you, Daniel, although I’d rather not have actually bumped into
you.”
After he snickered at his joke, he said, “I wanted to let you know that I
don’t hold any grudges against you for your interest in Margaret.”
Dan blinked and asked, “Excuse me? Why would you believe that I
would even think such a thing?”
John cleared his throat and answered, “It was obvious from the start of
your pursuit of Margaret that you wouldn’t be able to properly provide for
her, yet you still persisted. I had expected to start courting her shortly after
she returned to Trinidad, but you usurped my position.
“Being a gentleman, I graciously stepped aside, knowing that eventually,
Margaret would realize the error she had made. I was concerned, however,
that you might harbor some resentment after she rejected you and it would
cause you to take some misguided actions against either Margaret or
myself.”
Dan smiled and said, “No, John. I’m just an ignorant lawman who is
barely smart enough to know that he’s lost to the better man.
Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming nuptials.”
 John smiled back in relief and bowed slightly as he said, “Thank you for
setting my mind at ease and Margaret’s as well. She hadn’t mentioned it,
but would you accept an invitation to the wedding?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll probably be out in the field. That gunfight near Linwood
wasn’t with the outlaws I’ve been trailing, so I’ll be leaving again soon.”
“A pity. I’m sure that your presence would have pleased Margaret.”
Dan repeated, “A pity,” with a straight face and gave him a short salute,
and headed out of the bank.
He was sure that every customer and employee of the bank had been
watching the conversation with interest and some probably heard it as well,
so the gossip mill would soon be humming with the probably distorted
story. By this time tomorrow, it would probably include him pulling his Colt
and sticking it in John Anderson’s face.
As he jogged back to the office, he said to himself, “A pity,” and laughed
out loud.
The short, unexpected meeting with John Anderson gave Dan some
things to think about during the long train trip to Denver. The invitation
question was one of them. He knew that he would be the last person that
Margaret would want to see in the church, so the offer was at least odd.
Then there was the stated concern over his expected, violent reaction to
the news of their betrothal. He couldn’t see Margaret thinking any such
thing and knew that he should really talk to Margaret to clear the air. Once
she was Mrs. Anderson, he wouldn’t be able to avoid her. This wasn’t St.
Louis or even Denver. He decided that he’d go and see her when he
returned.
The rest of the day fell into a routine for Dan. He had normal deputy
sheriff duties to perform, including sweeping the office, even the back room
with its treasure-filled saddlebags. He’d bring the brown mare with him to
serve as a packhorse, but then give her to some liveryman before he left. He
didn’t think his manhunt would take him far enough away from a town, so
he wouldn’t need to carry supplies. The Williams brothers rarely were away
from the comforts of a warm bed, often occupied by female company.
 He was right about their preference for a warm bed and a soft
companion, but there were other, more dangerous characteristics
surrounding the Williams brothers now.
_____
In San Luis, in Costilla County and almost exactly eighty miles due west
from where Dan was sitting, Johnny and Earl Williams were playing poker
in the Big Winner Saloon and Gambling Hall with their new comrades, Al
and Harry Clark. The two sets of brothers had a collective payout of more
than two thousand dollars on their heads, and it had only been by one of
those quirks of fate that they had met yesterday afternoon.
Al and Harry had arrived in San Luis after being identified in Santa Fe
and raced out of town ahead of a six-man posse that trailed them all the way
to the Colorado border. Their horses were spent in the long chase and
they’d barely made it to San Luis. When they reached the largest of the
three liveries in town, they began dickering with the liveryman for
replacement mounts when Harry Clark spied and liked Earl’s piebald
gelding.
Just as the liveryman was explaining to Harry that the gelding belonged
to another feller, Earl and Al entered the livery to check on their animals in
preparation for tomorrow’s departure.
When Al Clark joked that only an idiot would buy a horse that was so
easily identified, Earl had taken offense and let him know that he was the
idiot.
Under normal circumstances, two pairs of Colt-armed men with their
ready tempers, the insult would mean that lead would be flying, but that
hadn’t happened.
Johnny had met Al Clark a few years earlier and the two sets of brothers
wound up shaking hands, joking about the piebald gelding named Pie, of
course, then headed to the saloon to swap stories and down some beers. The
beer-fest had blossomed into a partnership in short order.
They had decided that four was safer than two, so they began to plan a
job that had previously been beyond their scope. Neither pair had done
anything as big as a good-sized bank holdup before because they couldn’t
do it without a lookout, but with four experienced killers, it should be no
problem at all. The only question was the target and the prime targets were
Trinidad or Walsenburg. It turned out to be a quick choice as the Williams
brothers wanted payback and the ride to Walsenburg was closer as all
they’d have to do was follow the tracks. The other added bonus was that
there were only two lawmen in town as opposed to the four in Trinidad.
With the home of their bank selected, it now just came down to planning,
and because the Williams had been in town so recently, it was a much
simpler job.
_____
The news of Dan’s engagement with the four would-be train robbers was
making the rounds in Trinidad but still took second place behind the news
of the Anderson-Lawrence engagement and almost immediate wedding.
At the Lawrence home, preparations were well underway for the
wedding now just a week away. If it had been just a normal union of two
regular townsfolk, it wouldn’t have required such intense, extensive
planning. They could just talk to the minister or even just wander into the
county courthouse, but this was going to be the biggest wedding Trinidad
had ever seen.
Margaret’s doubts were limited to the nights as she lay alone in her bed
but were pushed aside as she worked with her mother and friends to make
everything right, regaling in the attention and delighted by the fabrics and
accessories that would create the grand setting.
The only one who seemed to be displeased with the idea was her mother,
Fannie. Ever since that day that Margaret had returned from talking to
Daniel, she had seen a change in her daughter. Just as most of the others had
thought, she had expected that she’d marry Daniel Hart and be as happy as
she’d been when she had first met him.
When she had rejected Daniel’s proposal immediately after he’d rejected
her husband’s job offer, she had been stunned. Then John Anderson had
dropped from the ether into the picture adding to her confusion. She
suspected that her husband was behind his sudden appearance because she
knew that he didn’t really want Margaret to marry Daniel in the first place.
 None of this was really her business any longer, but this whirlwind
courtship and engagement created a good deal of downright hostility toward
John Anderson. She was pretty sure that John hadn’t so much as kissed
Margaret yet and given his reputation that had astonished her almost as
much as the proposal at the dining table. Everything about this pending
marriage was wrong.
_____
Dan’s Denver & Rio Grande train departed Trinidad at 8:10 that evening
and was scheduled to arrive in Denver at 4:50 in the morning.
So, after his father, Tom and Joe had gone, he removed his ’76 from the
rack, set it on the desk, and added a ‘73 alongside. His two boxes of .45s
were still in his saddlebags along with a couple of boxes of the donated
.44s.
He then returned to the back room and slid the heavy saddlebags out
from under the bed, opened one, and pulled out the leather note. He had
pretty much ignored it once he knew it was in French but now, he took
some time to see if he could decipher at least some of the common words.
He sat on the bed and studied the still reasonably legible writing.
The numbers on the date were clear enough, so he knew it had been
written in 1837. That was the easiest thing to understand.
The other part that he found simple to decipher was the name at the
bottom: Jean Bouton or that’s what it looked like. Some of the letters had
aged more than others leaving gaps. There was one other word he
recognized because it was the same word in English…pirate.
What in blue
blazes was a French pirate doing up in Colorado back then or ever for that
matter?
After that, he didn’t have too much luck other than recognizing what
must be another name because it was capitalized in the middle of a
sentence…Moutte. If it had been written by a pirate, then it might be the
name of his ship.
Dan slid it carefully back into the saddlebag and began carrying the
heavy bags out the back door to the barn followed by the Winchesters. Once
they were all in place, he saddled Chester and the mare and grunted as he
placed the gold-filled saddlebags over the riding saddle’s seat. After putting
the jewelry-filled saddlebags in their normal position he tied them down.
Then he secured the flaps on each of them with additional pigging strings to
make sure he’d be able to tell if anyone peeked inside. It wasn’t likely, but
he’d watch the stock car at each stop to make sure no one lingered near the
mare.
He then mounted Chester and led the mare down Main Street, stopped at
Happy’s Café for a quick dinner, and resumed his short ride to the train
depot where he bought his ticket and horse tags before leaving the animals
in the stock corral.
Dan spent some time talking to the stock manager and other employees
about the gunfight with the four men who had tried to stop a train with two
logs which caused the railroad men no small amount of chuckling.
By nine o’clock, as the almost summer sun was still low in the sky and
beginning to touch the distant Rocky Mountains, Dan was sitting in his seat
watching the impressive display. His two horses were in the stock car, so all
he had with him were his personal saddlebags and a copy of the
Trinidad
Coloradan
that he’d picked up at the train station.
It had another story about the wedding, but it had been pushed onto the
bottom of the first page having been supplanted by the article about the
attempted train robbery and his shootout with the four unknown outlaws.
He was impressed that it read almost like his official report rather than
having any embellishments that he normally found in stories about
gunfights.
He spent more time reading about Margaret’s wedding because of what
John had told him. In just a few days, he’d gone from being certain of his
future with Margaret to relegating it to nothing more than memories and not
even front-page memories at that.
After the sun had disappeared and the train rolled north through the
night, he munched on a biscuit he’d taken with him from Happy’s and kept
reviewing his time with Margaret wondering how he could have been so
wrong. If he’d known from the beginning that she’d never be willing to
give up her comfortable life, he wouldn’t have started down the path in the
first place.
How could he have misread her that badly?
Even as the other passengers began to nod off to sleep, Dan kept musing
about the failed relationship. At each stop, he’d step outside and watch the
stock car but finally realized the futility of it by the time the train stopped in
Pueblo. If someone stole the treasure, then he wouldn’t be any worse off
and maybe it would even be better if someone did.
As the train pulled out of Pueblo, Dan shifted his thoughts to Susanna
and wondered what she thought of the pearl necklace. He wouldn’t have
been surprised if she tossed it into nearby San Francisco Creek. Again, he
realized that the expensive piece of jewelry meant nothing to him, but he
was concerned about the young woman who may have tossed it away.
After having spent hours ruminating about why he hadn’t understood
Margaret, he began to apply that lesson to Susanna who seemed to be much
more complex than Margaret which would make it harder to figure out what
was wrong. That line about not being who he thought she was still tickled
his mind.
He then had to confess that he’d been so taken by those big blue eyes
that he’d failed in his job as an investigator, so he began to look at the crime
through an objective filter that he hadn’t done before. He’d been so angered
by the sight of the poor, abused cute girl that he’d just taken her word for
gospel.
He closed his eyes and pictured Susanna as she’d talked to him that first
day, with a look of fear and almost dejection when she’d opened the door.
Dan realized then that he was seeing a mixture of bad emotions, but the
most prevalent was guilt.
Why would Susanna feel guilty?
He began to develop scenarios that would create such a confused
emotional mess and returned to the night of the attack.
She was ashamed and guilty yet was too afraid to say anything about it.
The train was still roaring north, but Dan didn’t hear clicking from the steel
wheels as they passed over the spaces between the rails or the occasional
whistle as he imagined different plausible explanations that might even
answer that new nagging question about why she believed she wasn’t who
he thought she was.
Finally, the one that made the most sense to him was that when the two
men broke in and killed her father, and raped both her and her mother,
Susanna had given herself readily to one of them to avoid being beaten
while her mother fought the other and died.
After they left, Susanna would have been so ashamed for giving herself
away and allowing her mother to die that she’d feel an enormous sense of
guilt. Then she had to bury her parents by herself to add to the pain.
Was
that enough to behave this way?
Maybe the men had killed both of her
parents first and she had given herself to both of them so she could live.
Dan opened his eyes and shook his head and knew that no matter what
excuse he could imagine, he just couldn’t make Susanna into anything more
than the innocent young woman he believed her to be. When he saw her
laugh and those bright blue eyes sparkle, he just couldn’t conceive of her
being a lying witch of a woman who would do anything to protect herself. It
was bad enough that he’d misread Margaret and lost her as a result, but if
Susanna turned out to be anything less than a victim, he’d be ready to throw
in the towel.
Dan eventually drifted off to sleep somewhere between Spring Valley
and Greenland just three hours out of Denver.
 CHAPTER 5
Dan was startled awake when the conductor tapped him on his shoulder,
saying, “Denver, sir.”
Dan nodded, yawned, and rubbed his eyes before slowly rising from his
seat, twisting his neck and rolling his shoulders before taking his
saddlebags from the floor, leaving the newspaper on the bench, and walking
down the aisle.
The predawn was providing enough light for Dan to walk to the stock
corral to wait for Chester and the packhorse feeling a bit odd knowing what
the packhorse was carrying.
The stock manager took his tags and led the two horses to the gate and
handed him the reins.
“Thank you,” Dan said as he swung into the saddle and walked Chester
out into the cobbled streets of Denver.
He headed for the Railway Hotel Restaurant, which was always open for
passengers stepped down, and tied off Chester before walking inside. He
chose a table near the window so he could keep an eye on his horses and
removed his hat and set it on the nearby chair.
After he placed his order for a large breakfast, he knew he’d have a few
more hours to get out of the way before the First National bank opened and
tried to come up with something constructive to do.
The waitress brought him his breakfast and a full pot of coffee just
minutes later before he took a decent amount of time making his stomach
happy. But it was just a little after sunrise when he left the restaurant and
figured he might as well head over to the Denver County Sheriff’s office to
see if they had any news about the Williams brothers. It would be a real
stretch if they had because the brothers operated almost exclusively in
southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, but it would give him
something to do.
 In his office, his father and the other deputies arrived around eight
o’clock, but in Denver County, they had six deputies in addition to another
eight deputy city marshals. The area that the sheriff covered wasn’t quite as
big as his county, but they had a hell of a lot more people but because they
had so many deputies, one was always on duty.
After he dismounted and tied off Chester, he glanced down the road and
could see the impressive structure of the First National Bank in the bright
morning sun.
He then stepped onto the boardwalk and entered the office, startling the
deputy behind the desk who’d been busy reading a novel.
“Mornin’, what can I do for you?” he asked as he folded a page and
closed the book.
“I’m Dan Hart, a Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff and I was
wondering if you had any recent word about Johnny and Earl Williams, a
pair of brothers that usually operate down my way.”
“Have a seat and a cup of coffee. I was gettin’ kinda bored anyway.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass on the coffee. I just had three cups at the Railway
Restaurant after spending the night on the train.”
“I hate trains,” the deputy said as he offered his hand, “the name’s Mike,
Mike Evans.”
Dan shook his hand before taking the seat.
“I haven’t heard anything about the Williams brothers, at least not for a
while. You probably know more than we do.”
“I figured that, but I needed to waste a couple of hours, so I figured I’d
take a shot.”
“What were the particulars about that big shootout down your way a
couple of days ago? We only got bits and pieces.”
Dan smiled and said, “I was the one who met those four boys.”
Mike Evans leaned back and said, “Well, I’m just gonna sit here and
listen to the story.”
 Dan spent the next fifteen minutes telling him about the four wannabe
train robbers and all of the mistakes they had made which amused his
fellow lawman immensely.
By the time another deputy arrived, Dan and Mike had swapped other
stories and then Mike introduced him to the new arrival and told the second
deputy that Dan had been the one to take down those four pathetic outlaws.
Dan may have wanted to eat up some time, but he declined to tell the
story again until more deputies arrived.
By the time he finally left the large office, it was after eight o’clock and
even the sheriff had heard the tale. His last word to Mike was to let him
know if he heard anything about the Williams brothers before he left
Denver. It was meant as a joke and received the expected laugh.
He then boarded Chester and turned him west to the First National Bank
and by the time he pulled up near the bank and dismounted, he was still
trying to figure out a way to get the three sets of heavy saddlebags into the
bank without causing a ruckus. Before he did anything else, he stuck his
hand into one of the doubloon saddlebags and removed three of the coins,
and slipped them into his pocket.
After tying off his tan gelding, he climbed the eighteen granite steps to
the big building and passed through the impressive doors into an even more
impressive lobby.
He scanned the big room and found a clerk at a desk who seemed to be
almost as bored as Mike Evans had been, so he headed that way, stopped as
he reached the desk, and read his nameplate: Stephen Goff.
The clerk had heard him approach and asked, “How may I help you,
sir?”
Dan took a seat and said in a low voice, “I need to open an account, but
what I need to deposit is, um, a bit bulky and I wonder if there was some
way that I could bring it in without causing a commotion.”
The clerk was intrigued and asked, “How bulky?”
“I have six saddlebags worth of bulk items. They probably weigh over a
hundred pounds.”
 “May I ask the nature of these bulk items?”
“I must be completely convinced of your bank’s complete discretion
before replying.”
“I can assure you, sir, all transactions are strictly confidential. No one,
except with the power of a warrant or subpoena, may obtain that
information.”
Dan nodded and said, “A few days ago, I was involved in a shootout in
Las Animas County where I am a deputy sheriff.”
“I read about that. That was you?”
“Yes, sir. Anyway, the last surviving outlaw hid in a rock formation and I
had to chase him inside. After dragging his body out from the small, cave-
like cavity, I found a chest that was quite old that contained gold Spanish
doubloons and a lot of jewelry.”
The clerk blinked and said, “How much do you think you have?”
“That’s what I need to know. I don’t even know how much they’re
worth.”
“Well, the doubloon is no longer accepted as currency, but the gold is
still gold. It’s not pure gold, but it is 92% pure. Let’s get this process started
with the easy part. We’ll create an account.”
Dan nodded and watched as the clerk quickly pulled the necessary forms
to start a new bank account.
After Dan printed his name and address and signed the forms, he slid
them back across the desk.
The clerk scanned the form, then slid a dozen blank bank drafts for the
new account to Dan.
Dan slid them into his jacket pocket and the clerk rose and said, “Let’s
go and bring your bulky items around to the back entrance.”
As they walked back across the lobby, Dan could tell the clerk was more
than anxious to see the doubloons but wouldn’t have any idea of the
quantity of jewelry. He still wasn’t sure if he would leave them here or
elsewhere. He knew the big bank would have no problem converting the
doubloons to American money but had no idea if they could help him with
the jewelry.
After reaching the horses, Dan untied Chester and followed the clerk
down a side alley and around the back to a large loading platform where he
tied him off again. He was impressed that the clerk hadn’t asked to see the
gold yet, but led him onto the dock and took out some keys, and unlocked
the door before waving Dan inside.
After Dan entered the small hallway, the clerk closed the door and
knocked three times on a door that had no handles at all, paused, and
knocked once more. There was a delay of about a minute before the door
swung open and an armed guard nodded and waved the clerk inside.
Once past the guard, the clerk turned to Dan and said, “We need to see
Mister Rupert Smith. He handles all of the non-standard deposits. As you
can imagine, with all of the gold and silver mines in the area, we get quite a
few.”
They began walking again and then he turned left into another corridor,
then right into a large office where Dan spotted a large, bulky man with a
face full of whiskers behind a big desk.
“Rupert, this is Deputy Dan Hart from Trinidad. He has a large cache of
gold doubloons he wishes to deposit.”
“Doubloons? I haven’t seen any of them in years. Do you need some
help carrying them in?”
“I think so,” Dan replied.
The three men then left the office and Dan brought up the rear as they
wound their way to the loading dock passing the guard on the way.
Dan said, “The two sets of saddlebags on the saddle contain the
doubloons. The other set contains the jewelry. I have no idea what I’ll do
with them yet.”
Rupert turned to Dan and asked, “All four of them have gold
doubloons?”
 “Yes, sir.”
He shook his head and the three men then walked to the packhorse and
began to unload the gold-filled saddlebags. Dan let Rupert manhandle one
set and the clerk handled one while Dan took the jewelry saddlebags.
They re-entered the bank without having to wait for the guard who had
left both doors open and was watching them unload the horse.
After returning to Mister Smith’s office, Rupert opened one of the heavy
bags, whistled, and looked at Dan.
“This is going to take me about an hour to get it weighed and give you a
value. Did Steve tell you that the gold is worth more than the doubloons?”
“He did.”
“Well, the advantage of having it in doubloons is that I don’t have to
have it assayed. I just weigh it and run the numbers.”
“That’s fine. I need to ask about what to do with the jewelry, too.”
Steve Goff asked, “Those saddlebags are filled with jewelry? Both of
them?”
Dan nodded and opened the one with the mounted jewelry and pulled out
a handful as both men stared.
“Lordy!” exclaimed Rupert, “I can’t imagine what my wife would do if
she saw that.”
“I did give some small pieces to my mother and sisters before I left, and
they were happy.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be a popular young man down in Trinidad when you get
back.”
“I’m not letting anyone outside of my family know about it. It would
turn our house into a circus, and it was the main reason for me to come to
Denver.”
“I have a suggestion for you about what to do with the jewelry. We could
just rent you a safe deposit box, but letting it sit in a steel box would be a
waste, in my opinion.”
 “Any suggestions would be appreciated,” Dan said before they left
Rupert Smith’s office.
Steve Goff led him to a room by the door to the lobby that looked like a
cross between a small kitchen and dining room.
“Would you like some coffee while we wait for Rupert?” he asked.
“Sure,” he replied, then asked, “You don’t know anyone who can read
French, do you?”
Steve grinned and replied, “Oui. My parents were from Louisiana,” then
poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Dan before they took a seat.
“So, what do you have that needs translating?” he asked.
Dan slipped the leather note from the jewelry saddlebag, slid it across
the table, and said, “I found this in the chest with the doubloons. I could
understand his name and probably the name of his ship and I saw the word
‘pirate’, but I don’t know the rest.”
Steve was intrigued as much as Dan was as he picked up the leather
sheet and began to read aloud:
“October 1837. I am the captain of the good ship Seagull. I am not a
pirate but have a letter of marque from his majesty. I have taken three
galleons and collected much wealth for my king, but the storms have forced
me to beach our ship and now we are hunted by our enemies. We are few
now and can no longer carry our treasure. We leave it here with the hope we
will return but if not, live well on my crew’s courage and generosity. Jean
Bouton.”
He looked back at Dan and slid the leather sheet back to him.
Dan asked, “Have you ever heard of him or the ship?”
“No, but that’s not unusual. There were a lot of pirates and privateers
that sailed the Caribbean, but only those who bragged about their exploits
were remembered. But it appears that Captain Bouton understood that it
was unlikely that he’d live much longer.”
“It appears that way,” Dan said as he slipped the sheet back into the
saddlebags and asked, “So, what was your recommendation about what to
do with the jewelry?”
“The market for precious stones isn’t like gold or silver because the
value of each stone is dependent on a rating. What I’d recommend is that
you take them to a gemologist. There are four in Denver, but I’d
recommend T.L. Greene’s on Boulder Street. It’s just three blocks west.”
Dan nodded, pulled out his notebook, and wrote down the information.
“While we wait for Rupert, tell me about that attempted train robbery,”
Steve said before taking a sip of his coffee.
Dan was happy to oblige having at least partially settled the question of
the treasure.
It didn’t take Rupert an hour to get the total for Dan, but he used the
entire hour because he had to double and triple-check his calculations.
Steve had told him that he and the client would be in the coffee room when
he finished, so once he was sure he hadn’t made a mistake anywhere, he left
his office and headed for the coffee room.
Steve saw him enter and could tell by his expression that it was a
significant amount. He’d already assumed that it would be just by the
weight of the saddlebags he’d carried inside.
Rupert poured a cup of coffee and walked to the table, took a seat, and
pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Mister Hart, you had ninety-four pounds and eleven ounces of
doubloons. The price of pure gold is $23.40 per ounce, so one ounce of the
doubloons is worth $21.53. That gives you a total of $32,617.95. I checked
the figures several times.”
Dan was surprised that he’d been that close in his first estimate when he
was in the hole but replied, “That’s a lot of money.”
“Yes, sir,” Steve said as he accepted the official evaluation from Rupert
who stayed to finish his coffee.
“What’s next?” Dan asked.
“We’ll go and get this amount added to your account and if you can
think of anything else you need while you’re here, we can handle that, too.”
 “Thank you,” Dan replied as they stood and returned to his desk to
complete the deposit.
Ten minutes later, Dan exited the bank with another six hundred dollars
plus in cash in his pocket just to keep his new bank balance at the easily
remembered amount of thirty-two thousand dollars, understanding that it
wouldn’t stay there very long after they started adding interest. They even
provided him with a nice wallet for the cash which he thought was a nice
touch.
He had to walk to the back of the bank where he’d left the horses. When
he arrived, he found the two empty saddlebags on the loading dock and
flipped them onto the packhorse’s saddle before adding the jewelry
saddlebag mounting Chester and returning to the street, and turning right to
head for Boulder street.
_____
As Dan was leaving the bank, the Clark and Williams brothers were
riding out of San Luis heading for Placer where they would stay the night
before hitting the bank in Walsenburg on Friday. It was going to be a
smooth operation because they had every advantage.
_____
 
Dan pulled up before T.L. Greene Jewelry just fifteen minutes after
leaving the bank dismounted and tied off Chester before taking the only
valuable saddlebags left from the packhorse stepped onto the boardwalk
and entered the surprisingly large jewelry shop.
As he passed the glass display cases he noticed an armed guard watching
him, so he smiled flipped open his jacket to show his badge, and proceeded
to a counter where two men wearing dark gray suits were helping two
customers. One was older, almost fifty, and the second was half his age, so
Dan assumed they were father and son.
He continued to scan the displays as he waited, and as he did a sudden
notion popped into his mind that made him smile.
 One of the customers turned and walked away leaving the older man
available, so Dan approached the counter.
“How can I help you, sir?” the gentleman asked.
“I have some jewelry that needs to be appraised. It’s a fairly large
amount.”
“My brother is the gemologist, and he’s in the back. Would you follow
me, please?”
As he walked toward the end of the glass-fronted counter, Dan walked
parallel on the outside and after reaching the end, he turned and trailed him
through a doorway into a well-lit room with worktables, racks of small
tools, and lenses of all sorts. Sitting behind one of them was a large man,
almost as big as Dan, with a thick shock of black hair but clean-shaven and
obviously concentrating his attention on a stone, so he didn’t turn when
they entered.
He finally shifted his eyes from the precious stone to look at his brother
and Dan.
“Thomas, this gentleman has a large quantity of jewelry that needs to be
appraised.”
Thomas sat up straight and asked, “Do you have it with you, sir?”
“Yes, sir. Some of it is mounted into various pieces and some of it is in
loose stones. It could be glass for all I know, but I’m pretty certain that it’s
not.”
“May I ask as to its provenance?”
“Provenance?”
Thomas smiled and said, “Where it came from, its history.”
“That, sir, is a very interesting question. I found it in a big chest a few
days ago when I had to chase some outlaws. I’m a deputy sheriff in Las
Animas County, by the way. The chest contained over ninety pounds of
gold doubloons which I just dropped off at the bank. According to a note
left in the box, the box was left there by a French privateer who’d taken
them from Spanish galleons about fifty years ago but his ship went aground
and he was chased up here where he buried his treasure.”
Thomas had his eyebrows arched but didn’t seem stunned by the story as
he said, “That’s a very good background, and it confirms that what you
have is not costume jewelry. The Spanish would have tested it before
packing it to return across the ocean.”
Dan asked, “I was surprised that there was so much jewelry, especially
the loose stones. I didn’t think there were any of them here.”
“I’m sure that the jewelry belonged to the upper crust of Spanish and
French ladies that accompanied their husbands who had been appointed
over the years by their kings to rule Mexico. You’d be surprised how much
they brought with them. The loose stones were probably removed from
settings so they could melt down the gold.”
Dan shook his head and replied, “That’s still a lot of jewelry. I didn’t
think there were that many rich women in Mexico back then.”
“It was like a European court transplanted in Mexico. They had big
haciendas, held fancy balls, and pretended to be kings and queens
themselves.”
After a short pause, he asked, “What do you want to do with them?”
“I have no real need for the jewelry, but I was hoping that you could
provide both a value and a solution.”
“May I see the collection, please?”
As Thomas and his brother watched, Dan laid his saddlebags on the long
table and opened one flap, and scooped out the finished jewelry onto the
table. That did have an effect on both men who were startled by the quality
and quantity.
As he flipped it over, he said, “I’ve got to be careful with the loose
stones,” then began taking out handfuls of gems and setting them on the
table as well adding to the disbelief in the eyes of the two jewelers.
When he finished, Dan looked at the mound of finished jewelry and after
a few seconds of poking around, found a massive, inch-wide collar necklace
with two rows of diamonds flanked by two outer rows of rubies, took it
from the pile and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
“I’ll keep this one with me,” he said as he looked at Thomas.
“This is quite a collection, Mister…?”
“Oh, I apologize. I’m Dan Hart. Please call me Dan.”
“Well, Dan, I’m sure we’ll be doing business in the future. I’m the T.L.
Greene in the store and this is my brother Latham. Call me Tom and he goes
by Latham.”
Dan shook their hands and asked, “So, Tom, what do we do next?”
“It will take me a few days to go through so many pieces, so you’ll have
to leave them here. Is that acceptable? I can only give you a general receipt
by weight.”
“Tom, I know this really sounds silly, but those things are only worth
what people say they are. If I were to lose them all, I’d be no better or
worse off than I was before I found them. I don’t even need a receipt, but I
do have to return to Trinidad on tomorrow’s morning train. So, I’ll leave
them with you, and you can just send me a letter with the results. I’ll leave
my address.”
“That’s very trusting, Dan, maybe overly so, but I’ll still give you a basic
receipt. This won’t take long. Now after the appraisal, I’d recommend that
we sell the finished pieces on a commission basis. Their provenance will
increase their value. Do you have proof that we can show to prospective
customers?”
Dan pulled out the leather note and slid it onto the table near the loose
stones.
“This was in the chest. Steve Goff at the First National translated it for
me.”
Tom picked up the note and smiled as he said, “Excellent. Now I can sell
the loose stones to a cousin in St. Louis. Is that alright?”
“Whatever you think is best, Tom.”
 “Thank you for your trust, Dan. Now if you’ll write out your address, I’ll
weigh these and give you a receipt.”
Dan nodded, took out his notebook and stubby pencil, then quickly
wrote out his address, ripped out the small page, and handed it to Latham as
Tom rose and walked to a nearby bench where he picked up a larger scale
than the small one on the bench where he’d been working.
Dan then removed the collar necklace from his pocket and said,
“Latham, do you have a nice case that would work with this necklace?”
Latham laughed and replied, “We’re a jewelry store, Dan. We probably
have a case that would fit the crown jewels of England. Let’s go find one.”
Dan followed Latham out to the main store as Tom began piling jewelry
on the scale.
It didn’t take long for Latham to find a long, deep red velvet case that
matched the rubies of the necklace and highlighted the diamonds. He then
stretched the necklace into the case, closed it, and held it out to Dan.
“Latham, I’d like to have this delivered by courier to Trinidad, but I’d
like to keep it anonymous. Can we arrange that?”
“It’s not a problem. We can probably get it there before you arrive.
We’ve sent pieces all over Colorado and some even to Wyoming. Do you
want to write a note?”
“Yes, I do. I’ll just put it in the case. I would prefer to use a pen on some
nice parchment, though.”
“I thought you might. We have a desk for that over at the other end of the
store. Quite a few customers make that request.”
Dan nodded and followed Latham to the desk before he had to quickly
return to the counter to help an older woman who already wore an
impressive brooch on her lapel.
For some reason, she was what he expected Margaret to look like after a
couple of decades as a proper matron.
Dan sat at the desk and took one of the small pieces of heavy ivory-
colored parchment paper.
 He carefully wrote:
Dearest Margaret,
Please wear this as you float down the aisle as a small enhancement to
your own perfection.
He didn’t sign it, so she’d believe that it came from John, but remained
sitting at the desk waiting for the ink to dry. The inspiration for the gift had
been when he’d realized that he’d given jewelry to each of the important
women in his life but had neglected the one woman who had almost been
the most important.
He’d selected the necklace because it was probably the most expensive
piece in that pile yet was too gaudy for his taste, but he knew that Margaret
would love it. In a way, the necklace was a final exclamation point to the
end of their romantic involvement and symbolized the chasm that had kept
them from spending their lives together. It was too showy for him and
perfect for her.
He folded the note to fit in the box, then stood and walked back to the
counter where Latham was showing the matron a pair of sapphire and
diamond earrings. He opened the red jewelry case, slipped the note inside,
closed it, and walked behind the counter to the work area.
Thomas was still weighing the jewelry but had finished with the set
stones and was halfway through the loose gems which he’d divided into
groups of like gemstones.
He didn’t look up as he said, “Almost finished, Dan. It will only take me
another couple of minutes.”
“No rush, Tom. I have the rest of the day to wander Denver and see the
town. It’s growing really fast.”
“It is. The good news for us is that a lot of the new residents are men
who’ve struck it rich in gold and silver or those who profited from their
sudden wealth. They woo their prospective brides with trinkets and then
shower them with more after they’re married, at least for the first year or
so.”
Dan laughed lightly and asked, “What happens after that?”
 “It winds down until they start buying more for their mistresses.”
Dan laughed louder and shook his head knowing that it was probably
true.
_____
Twenty minutes later, Dan left the store with his receipt, having barely
glanced at it, and mounted Chester and began a riding tour of Denver. He
spent another half an hour in the saddle until he stopped at a large men’s
clothing store, dismounted, and walked inside. He had to bypass all of the
suits and nice shirts to find the more useful style that would suit his taste.
He selected four new shirts, four pairs of denim britches, two vests, another
light jacket, then some underpants and socks. As he was carrying his load to
the counter, he passed through the accessories section he added a new belt
as well.
He carried the two cloth bags out of the store, hung them over the
packhorse and mounted Chester, and headed for the Railway Hotel to get a
room for the night. It was well after noon when he walked him into the
hotel’s livery where he dismounted and removed his saddlebag with his
personal things and another of the empty sets he could use for his new
clothes and the two bags as the liveryman approached.
“Howdy. Leavin’ your horses?”
“Yes, sir. Can I leave my Winchesters with you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you. I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning on the 9:10 train.”
The liveryman took Chester’s reins and Dan turned and headed for the
hotel to get his room. After lunch in the hotel’s restaurant, he’d take a nap
to make up for the lack of sleep on the train ride.
It had been a very interesting day so far.
_____
In Placer, Johnny and Earl Williams were playing poker with Al and
Harry Clark in the Gold Nugget Saloon which was not even close to earning
the name, but it did suit their purpose as they finalized their plans for
tomorrow’s heist.
Johnny was the unelected leader now, mainly because he was recognized
as the most violent and was capable of anything.
He said, “Harry, you’re gonna be the distraction. There’s a decent-sized
saloon on the west side of town called Thornton’s. Just go inside and after
we’re in position, unload a few shots. Don’t go killin’ anybody, just get ‘em
on the ground. Watch out for the barkeep, though, he might pull a shotgun.
After you empty your spare pistol, back out and watch east for the two
lawmen to come runnin’. When you see ‘em, throw a shot their way and
hop onto your horse and ride west out of town about a mile.
“Earl, you’re the lookout. You’ll be sitting on a bench in front of the
barbershop watching. When you see the sheriff and his deputy mount up
and ride off, wave and we’ll go into the bank. Then you mount and chase
after them with your Winchester ready. After we get the money, we’ll head
east into Las Animas County. It’s just five miles away.”
“I ain’t so sure I like bein’ left out there by my lonesome, Johnny,”
Harry complained.
“You won’t be that way very long, Harry. Just west of town, there’s a
creek with a bridge. Set up there. You can let your horse rest and get some
water. They won’t be able to get out of town that fast anyway and Earl will
be right behind ‘em. You’ll get ‘em in a crossfire. After they’re down, circle
around to the south and meet up with us. We’ll wait for you on the other
side of Santa Clara Creek.”
Earl then said, “C’mon, Harry. It’ll be fun picking off those two badge
wearers. That deputy almost got me when we had to make a run out of
there. I owe that bastard.”
“Okay,” Johnny said, “Let’s go get a packhorse and load him up with
supplies. After we hit the bank, we’ll make a long ride across Las Animas
County and go to Kansas for a while. Things are getting too noisy around
these parts for all of us. They don’t know us in Kansas yet, but they will
soon enough.”
The other three laughed and Earl shuffled and dealt the cards.
 _____
Susanna sat on her bed with the pearl necklace draped over her fingers.
Why did this happen this way?
It would almost have been better if her
father had caught her and done the unspeakable, turning his own daughter
into his new wife. Her stomach twisted at the thought, but her current
situation was becoming intolerable. What really bothered her was believing
that Dan would somehow figure it out now that she’d told him that she
wasn’t such an innocent young woman. It was as close to a real confession
as she could get, but the conviction that he’d soon know she was a murderer
and liar crushed her. The iridescent pearls that almost glowed in the sunlight
coming through the window mocked her.
She closed her eyes and sighed and opened them again, slid the necklace
back into her pocket, and stood and left the house through the open front
door heading for the barn to saddle Pearl and go for a ride.
_____
As Susanna rode away from the house, Fannie was at the dining room
table having tea with Margaret having finally managed to pry her loose
from her planning and other preparations.
“Margaret, last night, your father mentioned something that caused me
some concern.”
“What was that, Mother?” she asked before taking a sip of her tea with
cream and sugar.
“He said that when John came to see him yesterday, he told him that
he’d met with Daniel and they had words.”
“
They had words?
What happened? Did Daniel threaten him?” Margaret
asked.
“No, not at all. John said that he had told Daniel that he wouldn’t hold a
grudge against him for essentially usurping his position as your suitor and
that he hoped that Daniel would control himself and not seek any form of
retribution against him.”
“He actually believed that? Daniel would never do such a thing.”
 “I know that, and Daniel told him so and congratulated him on the
pending marriage.”
“Oh. Is that all?”
“No. That happened before John visited your father and it’s what he
asked that bothered me, but it didn’t seem to upset my husband. He asked
about your dowry.”
Margaret’s eyebrows rose noticeably as she asked, “My dowry? Why
would he be concerned about my dowry? I didn’t know I had one.”
“You don’t, but your father agreed that as John already has a fully
furnished house and even a housekeeper, he did need to provide a lavish
wedding gift. John declined each of the gifts as he either already had them
or didn’t need them before your father offered him a cash dowry of two
thousand dollars which John accepted.”
Margaret didn’t know what to make of it but replied, “I suppose that’s a
nice gift.”
“My concern was why he had asked for a dowry in the first place. Aside
from the fact that he doesn’t need the money, you should have been more
than enough of a reward. If I recall, Daniel was more than willing to marry
you without any gift at all.”
Margaret sighed and said, “Yes, I know, and that was part of the
problem, Mother. He had so little to offer me except his love. It just wasn’t
enough.”
“That’s a sad thing, Margaret. Most women would give up anything to
have what you were offered, yet John Anderson, who already has money
and property was looking for more. Has he even kissed you yet?”
“Yes, Mother. He kissed me last night before he left, on the lips, too.”
“And was it a passionate kiss as any woman would expect from the man
she was about to marry?”
A frustrated Margaret snapped, “Mother, it doesn’t matter. I’m marrying
John next week and we’ll move into his house. He’ll be everything a wife
could hope for in a husband.”
 Fannie knew that she’d pushed Margaret too far, so she just smiled and
sipped her tea.
_____
 
Susanna returned to the farm forty minutes later and walked Pearl into
the barn. She unsaddled the Morgan and brushed her down and made sure
that she had enough to eat before returning to the house.
Before she entered the doorway, she scanned the horizons, paying
particular attention to the north and after finding them reassuringly empty,
walked inside and closed and locked the door behind her.
Susanna then unbuckled her gunbelt and hung it on the bedpost before
laying down on her back, then slid the necklace from her pocket and
tortured herself by watching it almost glow before her eyes.
_____
Dan awakened from his nap sooner than he’d expected, swung his feet to
the floor, and stretched his arms wide as he leaned back and yawned. It was
just ninety minutes after he entered his room when his eyes popped open.
With a few hours to fill, he left the room, walked out of the hotel, and
headed for the sheriff’s office which had seemed like a larger extension of
his father’s in Trinidad. It was pretty much the same way with most of the
law enforcement offices he had visited, but there were a lot of exceptions as
well.
He walked through the open door, not surprised to see three of the
deputies huddled around some wanted posters. Six eyes all turned to him as
he stepped across the floor.
“We were just thinkin’ about you, Dan,” Mike Evans said, “Normally,
we wouldn’t have bothered with this notice, but I figured you’d be
interested. Me and the boys were just checking out their wanted posters.”
“What did you get?” Dan asked as he removed his hat and neared the
desk.
 “We just received a bulletin from Marshal John Pittack in San Luis,
down in Costilla County. He thinks he recognized your Williams brothers
down there a couple of days ago but wasn’t sure. He was pretty sure that
they were with the Clark brothers, though, which is why he sent the
message to all counties in Colorado.”
“Why just Colorado?”
“He said the liveryman saw them heading north when they left town this
morning.”
Dan looked at the clock on the wall and said, “I may still have to wait for
the morning train but I need to do some shopping for supplies first because
I don’t think I’ll find them in any towns.”
“Good luck, Dan. I kinda hope you don’t run into that bunch, though,”
Mike said as he handed the notice to Dan.
Dan scanned the message and didn’t get any more details, but it was the
best information he’d had on the Williams brothers since he’d started the
search. Not only that, they were with the second-best set of suspects, the
Clark brothers. Why they were in Colorado and had joined up with the
Williams brothers didn’t matter. The fact that all four were in one group
was both terrifying and fortunate.
He began to suspect that they might be heading to Trinidad but knew his
father would already have a copy of the telegram, so he’d be warned.
After giving the telegram back to Deputy Evans, he waved and quickly
left the jail, and began jogging to return to the hotel.
_____
“What are we going to do, boss?” Joe asked.
“We’ll just have to keep an eye out for those killers. I don’t think they’ll
be coming into Trinidad, especially if they know that they were spotted.
What we’ll do is make sure that one of us is always mounted and watching
the approaches to town. They won’t be riding on the train, so I’ll set up a
schedule.”
“Okay, boss,” Tom replied.
 Bill reread the warning and wondered if he should send a telegram to
Dan letting him know about it, but decided it was unnecessary as he’d be
limited to the train schedule and the two-hundred-mile distance anyway.
_____
Dan just led the packhorse to the greengrocer rather than saddling
Chester. He’d only buy food that could be eaten cold because he didn’t want
to bother with fires. It didn’t take as long as he’d expected and was a bit
surprised to find that the store remained open until seven o’clock at night,
so he hadn’t had to rush in the first place.
He loaded up the spare saddlebags with his supplies and led the mare
back to the Railway Hotel livery and after removing them and leaving them
with the liveryman, he headed for the restaurant to have his dinner.
Before filling his stomach, he made a quick stop at the Western Union
office at the train station and sent his father a telegram.
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
LEAVING DENVER IN MORNING
IF ANY NEWS OF WILLIAMS AND CLARK BROS
AFTER SAN LUIS SIGHTING
SEND TELEGRAM TO NEXT STATION ON ROUTE
 
DAN HART DENVER COLO
 
He reread the message to make sure it wasn’t too ambiguous but figured
his father would understand what he meant. If those two pairs of killers
reappeared before he reached Trinidad, he’d exit the closest station and
chase them down.
Satisfied he hadn’t missed anything, he left the office and walked to the
restaurant to have his dinner.
 As he ate, he wondered why the outlaws were heading north and tried to
picture the map of southern Colorado that was posted on the jail wall. The
nearest town after San Luis was Fort Garland, so they might be headed
there to cause mischief, but Dan didn’t think the rewards would be enough.
The closest town that was big enough to be worth their talents was
Walsenburg, but he didn’t think that they’d go there because the Williams
brothers had recently been chased out of town.
His suspicions that they’d be going to Trinidad were stronger as he
began to eliminate other possibilities. Luckily, his father, Joe, and Tom had
been warned and would be on the lookout for them.
After he finished eating, he returned to his room to try and relax,
expecting that more excitement was in his future.
_____
Sheriff Hart walked into the house and as he was removing his hat, he
said, “We got a warning notice from the marshal in San Luis that the
Williams brothers and the Clark brothers were seen leaving town this
morning heading north and may be heading our way.”
Libby replied, “That’s bad news, especially with Dan gone.”
“We just got a telegram from Dan a few minutes before I left. He must
have received the same notice up in Denver somehow and is leaving on
tomorrow’s train. He’ll be here in the afternoon.”
“That’s a relief.”
Bill nodded and headed to the bathroom to wash for dinner not relieved
in the least. Knowing that those bastards had ridden north meant they might
be heading to Rosita and if they hit that town, he knew Dan would chase
after them by himself because he was so close.
 CHAPTER 6
Dan was pacing the broad platform in Denver’s enormous train station.
His train was just arriving from Cheyenne, so he’d be heading south in
about twenty minutes after it took on coal and water, but he was anxious to
get back to Las Animas County to renew his manhunt for the Williams
brothers, now the Williams-Clark brothers. He was well aware of the
enormous danger that this pursuit would have, but this time, he’d ask his
father for either Tom or Joe to join him.
After the train finally came to a stop, he watched until he’d seen Chester
and the packhorse loaded into the stock car. Once he saw them being led up
the ramp, he stepped onto the passenger car platform and then walked down
the aisle, and took a seat. It was going to be a long and frustrating day being
cooped up on the train.
_____
Dan’s train was already forty miles out of Denver when the Clark and
Williams brothers started the three-hour ride to Walsenburg. They were
confident in their abilities knowing that each of them was a hard, ruthless
man who would kill without hesitation. There would be no panic or
indecision. This was going to be a fast, angry job leaving two dead lawmen
in its wake.
_____
In Walsenburg, Sheriff Art Tippet had the desk because his only deputy,
Ed Fletcher, had to head all the way to Rosita to serve notice of a
foreclosure. It was those kinds of jobs that almost drove him to drink. He’d
lost Ed for most of the day yesterday and wouldn’t be back for hours
because some farmer thirty miles away had failed to pay his mortgage for
three months and the bank wouldn’t give him any more time. Why they just
couldn’t send some lazy bureaucrat to serve the notice was beyond him.
The warning from Marshal Pittack that the two sets of nasty brothers
might be heading in his direction arrived after Ed had gone. So, he had
patrolled the west of town for most of yesterday afternoon, but when he
hadn’t seen them suspected they might have avoided Walsenburg altogether
because of that shootout with Ed.
He’d finish his coffee and stay outside on the bench with a shotgun
nearby and just watch the street in case they did make an appearance, but
after a day in which they should have arrived if they were coming into
Walsenburg without seeing a hair on their chins, Art was pretty sure they
were heading elsewhere.
_____
The train had just pulled into Castle Rock, but Dan stayed on his bench
seat. Since getting on the train, he’d been trying to think as the Clark and
Williams brothers thought.
Where would they go and why?
There hadn’t
been any reports of either pair committing any crimes ever since the
shootout in Walsenburg. But even that incident hadn’t been because of any
criminal activity, Ed Fletcher had just spotted them. Now that they’d joined
forces, they must be planning on doing something serious. With that much
firepower and lack of conscience, whatever they did would almost
assuredly be bloody.
The obvious incentive was naturally money. The location was the next
question. His mind kept returning to Trinidad and his absence that would
leave them more vulnerable. The only two banks of any size within a
hundred miles of San Luis were in Walsenburg and Trinidad.
Like Sheriff Tippet, Dan didn’t think they’d be returning to Walsenburg
so soon after that brush-up with Ed and that meant Trinidad and Bryce
Lawrence’s bank.
The moment he thought of the banker, his mind shifted to Margaret and
her marriage next week. He smiled when he visualized her face when she
opened that red box and was surprised that he’d already progressed to the
point where he was just happy that she would be overjoyed to find the
gaudy trinket. He may still believe that she’d made two bad decisions,
rejecting him and then accepting John Anderson, but maybe she would be
content and have the life that she really wanted.
 His next surprise was that his wandering mind then slid from Margaret’s
smiling face to Susanna’s troubled one. There was still such a mystery
behind that face and it still bothered him that he couldn’t understand what it
was. He could read men without a problem, but he seemed to have severe
difficulties with women, at least the two important ones.
His inability to understand Margaret had cost him, but that was past now.
If he’d learned one lesson with Margaret was that he’d need to ask the hard
questions before, not after. When he returned to Trinidad, he’d have to go
and see Susanna again, but this time he would question her almost as if she
was a suspect, something he normally would have done that first day he’d
met her on the farm. He’d looked into those big, sad blue eyes and left
objective investigation behind. It might mean that she’d never want to talk
to him again, but he’d have to ask. He’d probably never hear that wonderful
laugh again, either.
_____
After she’d had her breakfast, Susanna had spent most of the morning
outside doing chores but mainly watching for riders, believing that anyone
coming to the farm would be a problem.
She had spent most of the night reviewing as much as she could recall of
her conversations with Dan, searching for the clues that she might have let
slip. She had been so close to confessing several times in that long talk, but
that thick barrier of fear always prevented it. Added to the terror of her
being hanged for the murder was the dread of seeing the disappointment in
Dan’s eyes for lying to him from the start.
She missed him terribly and desperately wanted to hear his voice telling
her a funny story to make her laugh. Susanna had never felt so completely
comfortable with another person before, not even with her mother. She
knew that she deserved the heartbreaking pain that dominated her even
more than the omnipresent guilt and fear.
As she walked to the barn to fill the trough, she shifted the Colt around
her narrow waist as it tended to slide to the front. She hoped she never had
to use the pistol but knew that she was never going to use that poker again
for anything more than moving logs in the fireplace.
 _____
“Okay, Harry,” Johnny said after they had pulled to a stop three miles
outside of Walsenburg, “You go into town and head into Thornton’s Saloon
and have a beer. We’ll swing around to the south and Earl will ride in from
that direction while me and Al ride in from the east. Take your time
drinking that beer and after about fifteen minutes, walk out and start firing.
When you see the law chasing after you, make your break west. Got it?”
“We’ve gone over it a dozen times, Johnny.”
“It never hurts to do it once more,” Johnny replied.
Harry didn’t comment but set his horse to a medium trot and headed for
Walsenburg while the others headed east to ride south of the town.
_____
Sheriff Tippet was sitting on the bench with his hat tipped back and his
legs stretched out in front of him as he watched the busy street traffic. He
scanned both directions but kept them focused to the west most of the time.
Deputy Ed Fletcher had presented the eviction notice to John Crenshaw
outside of Rosita late yesterday afternoon, feeling like a heel as he did, and
had started his return ride early in the morning.
He was just five miles north of Walsenburg when Harry Clark entered
the town and turned his horse to the saloon, dismounted and tied his mount
to the hitching rail, and walked through the batwing doors.
_____
Earl Williams made his turn to enter the town from the south but would
wait on the side street to give time to Johnny and Al to swing around from
the east. They’d have to swing wide enough to tie off the packhorse before
entering town, so there would be a bit of a delay.
After tying off the packhorse a mile southeast, Johnny and Al turned
back to Walsenburg to begin the robbery. The plan was flowing smoothly so
far, but each of them knew that would change once bullets started flying.
_____
 Sheriff Tippet didn’t notice Harry enter town or the saloon as he’d been
distracted by a rider coming in from the east, but soon recognized him as a
ranch hand from the L-D Connected and resumed his scan.
The timing for the robbery couldn’t have been better when Harry
finished his beer stood and walked to the doors, turned, pulled his left-hand
Colt, and began firing. His first shot wasn’t the innocent warning shot that
Johnny had expected but was aimed at the bartender, not because he was a
potential threat with the shotgun but because he had served Harry a warm
beer. As the other six customers began dropping to the floor in terror with
that first shot, the bartender dropped to the mat behind the bar after Harry’s
.44 ripped through his chest, exploding a bottle of gin behind him.
Harry was smiling as he almost emptied the Colt randomly into the
tables as he backed outside. Once he cleared the doors, he glanced down the
street where he saw the sheriff running along the boardwalk, took aim, and
fired his last shot in that direction before turning and quickly untying his
horse, jumping into the saddle, and racing west.
“Son of a bitch!” Art Tippet shouted as he automatically ducked from
Harry’s shot.
He didn’t waste any time but kept running toward the saloon as he
watched the shooter race away in a cloud of dust.
When he’d heard Harry’s gunfire, Earl had pulled his Winchester,
cocked it, and aimed it at the intersection with the main street expecting that
deputy or the sheriff to appear momentarily. He wasn’t wrong.
The sheriff dropped to the dirt from the boardwalk as he ran and as he
was just a third of the way across the gap created by the side street, he felt
the hammer blow of a .44 slam into the left side of his chest as the sound of
a Winchester reached his left eardrum. He spun to the ground with blood
already flooding his shirt.
Earl didn’t fire again as he trotted past but glanced down at the sheriff
who was gasping for air as he writhed in the street.
There was panic in the streets of Walsenburg as Johnny and Al quickly
rode into town, stopped near the bank, hurriedly dismounted, quick-tied
their horses’ reins at the hitchrail, pulled their pistols, and entered the bank.
 Earl then pulled his horse to a stop looking for the deputy.
Where was
he?
_____
Ed Fletcher was just two miles north when the sounds of repeated
gunfire reached him, so he quickly pulled his Winchester and set his horse
to a fast trot as he surveyed the town. He was less than a mile out when he
spotted Harry racing west out of Walsenburg and angled his horse to give
chase.
Harry hadn’t been looking north but had his attention focused on his
backtrail, expecting the sheriff or deputy, maybe both, to be racing out of
town after him. He heard Earl’s shot and slowed but kept looking backward.
Earl was supposed to leave the town and cover his exit, but he’d taken a
shot, so maybe that’s why no lawmen were coming.
Ed had heard the lone shot as well but expected that his boss had been
the shooter and continued his pursuit of the outlaw, who had slowed down
but still hadn’t seen him.
He was just four hundred yards out when Harry caught sight of him at
the edge of his field of view and swiveled to get a better look.
“Damn!” Harry swore as he snatched his Winchester and realized that
the deputy was probably the only lawman in Walsenburg, so he suddenly
reversed direction to get the added protection from Earl’s repeater.
Ed was surprised by the move and missed about five seconds before he
pulled his horse to the southeast to cut off the rider.
In the bank, Johnny and Al were making the most of the unexpected
bonus of having no lawmen in town and having Earl serve as their
protection while they took their time stripping the bank of as much money
as they could find.
When they finally backed out of the door, they had two cloth bags with
over eight thousand dollars in their free hands.
Earl saw them exit and throw the bags into their saddlebags, wave,
mount, and ride east out of town. He gave them a few seconds and looked
west and was stunned to see Harry come racing back into town.
 He didn’t do anything rash but waved to Harry and backed his horse into
the side street again before putting his Winchester’s sights on the left side of
the intersection.
Harry was grinning as his horse pounded down Walsenburg’s main street
and shot past the side street seeing the sheriff’s body on the ground.
Earl watched Harry fly past and knew the deputy wasn’t far behind. He
really wanted that deputy for taking those shots at him and Johnny.
Ed wasn’t gaining on the shooter and was thinking of stopping to change
horses before continuing the pursuit when he spotted Sheriff Tippet on the
ground lying in a large pool of blood. He forgot about the shooter as he
slowed his tired gelding and then as he was preparing to dismount, Earl
fired.
Ed’s right shoulder took the hit at thirty yards, but the .44 didn’t stop
after shattering the head of his humerus. It pulverized the bone destroying
the joint and exploded into several chunks that ripped into his neck and
surrounding tissue. He fell off the left side of his horse and crashed into the
dirt.
Earl then fired twice more into his unmoving body and followed Harry
down the main street daring anyone to show his face as he slowly rode past.
Harry had slowed his horse after leaving Walsenburg and watched the
deputy die before he stopped to wait for Earl.
When he was close, Harry laughed loudly and shouted, “Earl, you are
one sick son of a bitch! Why’d you put two slugs into that boy? He was
already dead.”
Earl replied, “I felt like it. Let’s go and see what Johnny and Al got outta
that bank.”
Harry was still grinning as the two outlaws set their horses to the
southeast. Things had worked out even better than they had planned.
Johnny waved when he spotted Harry and Earl as they left town having
already retrieved the packhorse. Al had taken the time to do a preliminary
count of their take and both were very happy with the amount which was
four times what they had expected to get.
 After Harry and Earl reached them, Johnny asked, “Are either of those
lawmen gonna be able to set up a posse?”
Harry laughed and replied, “Nope. Earl here got ‘em both.”
“Okay. The good news is that we got over eight thousand dollars from
that bank. The bad news is that pretty soon the whole state is gonna be
lookin’ for us. Let’s head to Kansas, boys.”
“Lookout, Kansas,” Al shouted, “the four brothers are headed your
way!”
The group then turned their horses east, leaving the road to ride cross-
county across the northern stretch of Las Animas County knowing that
when they reached Beaver Creek, they’d be in another state that couldn’t
care less about what happened in Colorado.
_____
They were still in Huerfano County when an urgent telegram arrived in
Trinidad. The operator quickly wrote it down, then handed it to Paul
Ullman and said, “Get this over to Sheriff Hart right away, Paul.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy said as he snatched the telegram and raced away.
Bill Hart was the only one in the office as both Joe and Tom were riding
the perimeter of Trinidad keeping an eye out for the Clark and Williams
brothers. He was still reasonably sure that they would avoid a big town and
look for an easier target.
That changed when Paul rushed through the open door saying, “Sheriff,
this just came in for you.”
Bill took the telegram and read:
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
SHERIFF AND DEPUTY DEAD
AFTER BANK ROBBERY
FOUR MEN HEADED EAST
 BARTENDER MURDERED
 
ELLIOT JOHNSON WALSENBURG COLO
 
Bill had no idea who Elliot Johnson was, but it didn’t matter. Those four
bastards had left Walsenburg and most of Huerfano County without law
enforcement.
Paul was still standing in front of him, so Bill said, “Hang on for a
minute, Paul. I need you to have Mister McFadden send a telegram for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bill snatched a sheet of paper and a pencil and scrawled:
 SHERIFF FARSWORTH PUEBLO COLO
 
DEPUTY HART ON SOUTHBOUND TRAIN
NOTIFY HIM CLARK AND WILLIAMS BROTHERS
MURDERED SHERIFF AND DEPUTY
IN WALSENBURG
ROBBED BANK AND HEADED EAST
 
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLORADO
 
He handed it to Paul and said, “Tell him to mark this urgent and ask for a
reply from the sheriff.”
“Yes, sir,” Paul said as Bill handed him a silver dollar.
“Keep the change, Paul,” Bills said as Paul grinned and turned, and shot
out of the office.
Bill then stood, grabbed a Winchester and pulled on his hat, and left the
office, locking it behind him. He wasn’t sure where Tom and Joe were, but
he’d have to find at least one soon.
He walked to the barn, quickly saddled his brown gelding, and mounted
and rode west out of town.
When he was about a mile out, he stopped, scanned the horizons, and
spotted Joe Farmer about two miles to the north. He raised his Winchester
and rapidly fired three times into the air.
Joe hadn’t seen his boss as he’d been facing west, but when he heard the
shots, he turned quickly, recognized the sheriff’s horse, and set his mount to
a fast trot to meet him. Whatever it was, it had to be important.
_____
 Dan’s train had already reached Pueblo and he’d left the train to get
some lunch even as the telegraph wire was carrying the dots and dashes
from Trinidad with the news of the terror in Walsenburg.
He entered Cochran’s Café near the station rather than using the larger
Railway Hotel’s restaurant, set his hat down, and was approached by an
older waitress who took his order and left to get him some coffee.
As he always did out of habit, he made a quick observational scan of the
other diners and was a bit startled to see a man just staring at him just ten
feet away. He wasn’t as big as Dan but was still good-sized. It wasn’t a
malevolent stare, but one with a mixture of curiosity and indecision. His
face looked vaguely familiar, one of those faces you may have seen a few
times but just in passing.
Dan ignored him as the waitress brought him a pot of coffee and left.
Dan was pouring his coffee and glanced at the man who continued to stare
at him. He wasn’t armed, so there was no threat.
He wondered if it had to do with his badge and the news stories about
the Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff who’d gotten into a gunfight with
four outlaws and killed them all. He had been surprised how widespread
that story had gotten when he was in Denver, so being an object of curiosity
in Pueblo wasn’t out of the question.
The waitress returned just minutes later with his food, set them on the
table, smiled, and left. As Dan cut into the slab of meatloaf, he caught
movement out of the corner of his eye and then noticed the curious man
leave his table and walk towards his.
He stopped a yard away and asked, “Are you a Las Animas Deputy?”
Dan looked up into his face and replied, “Yes. What can I do for you?”
The man was still obviously fighting his decision to approach Dan, so
Dan smiled at him and said, “Have a seat.”
He could see some measure of relief in the man’s eyes as he smiled back
and sat down keeping his hat on his lap.
Dan took a bite of the good meatloaf and swallowed and said, “My
name’s Dan Hart. Call me Dan. What can I do for you? You seem a bit
nervous.”
“I’m not so much nervous as I am ashamed of myself.”
“What’s your name?” Dan asked before shoveling in a forkful of mashed
potatoes and brown gravy. He still had to catch a train.
“Henry. Henry Lawson.”
Dan blinked and asked, “Do you have any family down around
Trinidad?”
Henry nodded and replied, “That’s why I came over to talk to you. I did
a terrible, shameful thing a couple of months ago that I really regret, and I
want to make it right. It wasn’t against the law or anything, but it wasn’t
right, either.”
Dan stopped eating, train or no train. He knew he was looking at
Susanna’s brother which would explain the vague memory of his face. He’d
never met the man but had probably seen him around town. He also noted
that Henry had said he’d done something shameful a couple of months ago,
not in November when Susanna had said he’d left and stolen the family’s
money.
“That’s alright. I’ll do what I can to help.”
Henry exhaled and kept his eyes on the table as he said, “I was living on
our family farm south of Trinidad until April. It was just me, my pa and ma,
and my younger sister, Susanna. It wasn’t much, but it was all we had.
Anyway, we had a hard winter and it was gonna be a bad year. Now, you
gotta understand my pa. He was a big man with a nasty temper and always
got his way. I’m surprised you didn’t throw him in jail.”
“I remember seeing your father, but he didn’t give us any trouble in
town.”
“Well, he gave us a lot of trouble at home. I’ll be honest, Dan, he scared
me to death. I know I’m big and everything, but I wasn’t like him. My
sister, Susanna, was just about the sweetest person I ever knew, and my ma
was nice, too. But they were both small women and were even more afraid
of my pa than I was.
 “Anyway, come springtime, my pa seemed to get madder with each
morning, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Me and ma both noticed that he
was paying a lot of attention to Susanna. You know, watching her when she
got dressed and things like that. Ma finally confronted him one day while
me and Susanna were doing some early weeding. We could hear the
arguing, and we both knew what was going on. Then we heard a loud noise
and the arguing stopped. We looked at each other and knew what had
happened, but we were both frozen where we were because we were so
afraid.
“Then my pa comes out and tells us that ma fell and we needed to bury
her. So, me and pa dug the hole near the barn and he just dumped her into it
like he was tossing away garbage. After he got all her clothes and tossed
them on top, he finally threw the family Bible on her body and didn’t say a
word before we just shoveled the dirt back on top of her.”
Dan watched his tears drip onto the table as he spoke already knowing
what was coming next. The mystery of what had really happened two
months ago was no longer a mystery, nor was Susanna’s statement about
not being what he thought she was.
“I tried to keep him away from Susanna and when Susanna was already
out in the fields, he grabbed me by the shirt and told me to leave or he’d
make me sorry. I didn’t even answer I was so terrified. Dan, his eyes, his
eyes were like the devil himself. So, after he left the house, I grabbed my
clothes, took some money out of the household bank and walked out to the
barn, and saddled one of the mules while he glared at me. I guess he didn’t
care if I took one of the mules as long as I left.
“I rode away from that place as fast as I could but was so afraid of him
that I didn’t even ride to Trinidad. I headed north and kept going. I stopped
in some small towns but was running low on money, so I stayed in Pueblo. I
feel horrible for what I did to Susanna. I left her there with my pa knowing
what he was going to do to her.”
“You could have come into our office, Henry. We would have arrested
him for murder, and he’d hang.”
“I know that now, but once I was free of him, I thought that I’d get in
trouble for not protecting Susanna. It was a terrible, terrible thing that I did,
Dan, and I’ll never forgive myself.”
Dan shoved his plate away and said, “Henry, Susanna is fine. I left her
just a few days ago with food, new clothes, and some guns for protection.”
Henry’s head snapped up as he asked, “
What?
”
“She must have run out of food and traded the last mule for food at the
Pearson farm. John Pearson came to our office the next day and said his
wife was worried about her, so I went down there and found her alone.”
“
Alone? What happened to my father?
” he asked in surprise.
Dan replied, “I’m guessing that your father tried to make Susanna his
wife and she protected herself. Somehow, she must have killed him. But
then she had to have buried his body probably in the same hole that you’d
recently dug for your mother. I only found one gravesite when I looked.
“I can’t imagine how difficult that had to be, aside from just the physical
part of getting that big corpse into the ground. But she had to think she was
guilty of murder, which explains a lot of her behavior since I met her. She
told me that two men had broken into the house, murdered your parents,
and raped her. She was terrified when she told me the story and I accepted it
as fact, probably because she looked so innocent and afraid.”
“
She killed pa?
” Henry asked in astonishment.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You can’t arrest her, Dan! She’s so innocent. I’m the one who did
wrong by leaving her in that horrible place.”
“No, Henry. You’re not to blame for any of this. Your father is the only
one who should have faced a jury and then the hangman. I have no intention
of arresting Susanna. When I see her again, we’ll have a long talk and she’ll
finally be free of that monstrous fear that has probably been living inside
her since she killed him. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you again when you
return. It’s your farm now.”
If Henry had been relieved to hear Dan say he wasn’t going to arrest
Susanna, he was shaken by his last statement.
 Henry shook his head and said, “I can’t go back there, Dan. I can’t see
Susanna again. I’m so ashamed of being a coward and not protecting her. I
should have been the one to kill that monster who called himself our
father.”
Dan was about to tell him that he was sure that she’d be very happy to
see him again when he was interrupted by a higher-pitched voice.
“Are you Deputy Hart? Sheriff Farnsworth said to look for you here.”
asked a young man holding a yellow sheet.
Dan turned and replied, “I am. You must have a telegram from my
father, Sheriff Hart in Las Animas County.”
“Yes, sir,” he said as he handed the telegram to Dan.
Dan absent-mindedly handed a dime to the boy who grinned and waited
for a reply.
Dan read the message and growled, “Those bastards!” under his breath,
then turned the page upside down, pulled his pencil stub from his shirt
pocket, and began to write.
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
WILL DISEMBARK AT SANTA CLARA
PICK UP TRAIL THERE
HAVE SUPPLIES AND PACKHORSE
 
DAN HART PUEBLO COLORADO
He then reached into his pocket again, handed him a silver dollar with
the message, and said, “Keep the change and the dime, son. Have this sent
as urgent.”
“Thank you, sir!” the boy said as he accepted both and zipped out of the
diner.
“What was that all about?” Henry asked.
 “Four men just killed the sheriff and deputy in Walsenburg and then rode
east. I’ve been chasing two of them for almost a week now because I had
them as my top suspects for murdering your parents. Now I just want them
for what they’ve just done.”
“You’d better finish your food, Dan. You’ll probably need the energy.”
Dan nodded and slid his plate closer and quickly began wolfing down
the rest of the meatloaf, potatoes, and gravy but left the peas. He grabbed
the last biscuit dropped another silver dollar on the table and rose, shook
Henry’s hand, and headed for the door.
Henry followed him and soon caught up with him just before he reached
the train station.
“Are you going after those four men alone?” he asked.
“If I pick up their trail, I’ll follow and will hopefully be joined by one of
the other deputies,” he replied as he stepped onto the platform.
“If you don’t get another deputy to help, will you still go after them?”
Dan turned and said, “It’s my job, Henry.”
Henry nodded and shook Dan’s hand again and said, “Make sure she
stays safe, Dan.”
“I will, Henry, and I think that not giving her a chance to forgive you is a
mistake.”
“It seems like I’m always afraid of something.”
The train whistle sounded announcing its pending departure as Dan said,
“It didn’t do you any good the first time, Henry. Don’t let it ruin your life.”
Henry just shrugged as Dan turned and headed for his passenger car,
hopped onto the steel platform, and swung inside. By the time he reached
his seat and looked back at the platform, Henry Lawson was gone.
Once the train was moving again, Dan settled into deep thought about
Susanna. He had been almost pessimistically anticipating that when he
interviewed her as a suspect, she would break down and confess something
truly reprehensible and so unforgivable that would drive her to constant
deceit.
But after hearing Henry’s explanation of what had truly happened to her,
he found himself even more sympathetic to her plight. First, she had to
protect herself probably with that poker that was on her bed when he had
first arrived at the house and she had killed her own father. He may have
been a monster, but he was still her father. That must have been soul-
crushing for someone as innocent as Henry had described her and as he had
believed her to be.
Then for two months, she’d lived with the guilt, probably believing that
she’d hang for the murder. No wonder she lied about what had happened.
But still, that lie and the entire façade bothered him. He’d fallen into exactly
the same trap as he had before with Margaret, only this time, he’d
discovered his failure much earlier.
He still had no idea what he’d do about Susanna other than telling her
she wasn’t guilty of any crime, but even that was now secondary to tracking
and stopping the Williams and Clark brothers.
_____
The two sets of brothers had crossed into Las Animas County but stayed
north of Santa Clara and then Placida as they kept moving, only stopping
for breaks to let the horses rest and get some water and graze.
_____
Dan’s train had to slow to walking speed as the brakeman trotted ahead
to throw the switch that would send the train to the south and Trinidad
rather than west to Walsenburg. It was just one stop away from Santa Clara.
_____
Bill had corralled Tom and Joe and while they all sat on their horses
about a mile west of Trinidad, he told them about what had happened in
Walsenburg and that they’d keep one of them in the steeple of the First
Baptist Church rather than keep a roving patrol. That would give them a
good ten miles range of view to the west but would be blocked by the tall
hills to the north.
 “Are we going to try and pick up their tracks, boss?” Joe asked.
“After we get back to town, I’ll pack some food and head north and
climb Prospect Peak and see if I can pick up any movement. Whoever is in
the steeple will be able to see me and if I wave three times with my hat, I
want whichever of you is on the ground to head north to meet me.”
“Okay, boss.”
“I sent a telegram to Sheriff Farnsworth in Pueblo to let Dan know, but if
he didn’t get the telegram, his train will be arriving in another hour and a
half anyway.”
“We sure could use him,” Tom said before they turned their horses back
east and headed back into Trinidad.
When they reached the jail, they found Paul Ullman sitting on the bench
out front with a telegram in his hand.
He stood and waited for the lawmen to step onto the boardwalk and held
it out to the sheriff.
Bill read it, then smiled and handed it to Joe, who scanned it and gave it
to Tom.
“He’ll probably pick up their trail before I will,” Bill said as he reached
into his pocket.
Paul said, “That’s okay, Sheriff. I made forty cents the last time.”
Sheriff Hart smiled at Paul and said, “You earned it, too, Paul. I don’t
need to send one back.”
“Okay, Sheriff,” Paul replied and then turned and began trotting back to
the telegraph office.
They all returned to the jail where Bill took another box of cartridges
and left immediately, mounted his horse, and headed back to the house to
tell Libby what was happening and to get the food he might need for the
next couple of days.
_____
 Within fifteen minutes of the train coming to a stop in Santa Clara, Dan
was mounting Chester before having to ride around the caboose, stepping
them carefully over the rails and then heading east-northeast to improve his
chance of finding their trail. If they headed more to the south, he expected
that they’d be spotted by his father, Tom, and Joe.
When he left the town, he was just twelve miles behind the four outlaws.
When Sheriff Hart left Trinidad riding north to climb Prospect Point, the
gang had already crossed the AT&SF tracks eighteen miles northeast of his
position and even from that lofty position, he wouldn’t be able to spot the
four killers because of the terrain.
_____
The escaping outlaws had been watching their backtrail closely since
leaving Walsenburg and once they were reasonably sure that nobody was
behind them, they took the precaution of spreading out, leaving a hundred
yards between them so their tracks wouldn’t be so obvious.
They expected that the Las Animas County sheriff’s office had probably
been notified about the robbery and murders by now and would dispatch a
couple of deputies to the north and if they showed up, it would be in the
next couple of hours. If the deputies didn’t see them, they’d have to find the
tracks and would be looking for five sets of hoofprints, so they might miss a
single set. That assumed that none of them were that good at tracking and
that none were behind them, either. They knew that they had eliminated the
only law enforcement threat before they left Walsenburg, so there couldn’t
be anyone back there. Once they were another thirty miles or so east, then
the only law would be up in Las Animas in Bent County, but they were sure
that they wouldn’t be doing any searching into Las Animas County even if
they left the town at all.
The eastern half of the county was relatively flat compared to the
western half, but it still had shallow hills and low buttes and ridges to
provide cover. It may have obstructed their ability to see the deputies for
some stretches of the ride, but it also meant that the lawmen couldn’t see
them.
_____
 Dan kept Chester moving at a medium trot because he was well-rested.
He had two major concerns as he kept his eyes roving: the potential for an
ambush and the remaining six hours of useable daylight.
He still hadn’t come across their trail, and the possibility that they might
still head to Trinidad began to weigh on his mind. Even though his father,
Tom, and Joe knew they were heading in their direction, he hoped that they
didn’t. He couldn’t imagine the chaotic melee that seven men engaging in a
running gun battle would cause inside the town.
Dan was thinking of shifting south when he crossed their clear trail that
had been created when all four men and their trail horse were still in one
group and felt an enormous sense of relief. At the same time, the five sets of
hoofprints created some more questions.
Did the Clarks and Williams
brothers add another outlaw, or are they trailing a packhorse?
He would
have been surprised if they’d added a man but having a packhorse with
them was almost as unsettling.
It was a fresh trail and he didn’t need to check their horse dropping to
estimate how far behind he was. They’d left Walsenburg during the late
morning, and it was already late afternoon, so they wouldn’t be much more
than forty miles or so east of the town. He knew the AT&SF tracks were a
couple of miles ahead and the trail was tracking just a mile or so along the
northern border of the county.
Hole in Rock was a little southeast, but they weren’t headed for any
towns by the look of it. He expected them to be making a turn to the
northeast soon to head for the town of Las Animas, not realizing that they’d
keep going east. Once they crossed the Las Animas River, there was simply
nothing there until Kansas and even then, there wasn’t another good-sized
town until they reached Cimarron and that was another hundred miles into
the state.
Dan was convinced that they’d soon turn out of his county but
maintained his pace, closing the gap to under ten miles.
_____
Bill had pulled his horse to a stop and stood in the stirrups to get a better
look. He couldn’t see any movement on the northern horizon and just as
Dan believed, thought they had turned northeast and entered Bent County.
Even though county lines meant little when it came to hunting killers, he
realized the best thing he could do was to warn Sheriff Adcock in Las
Animas that there was no sign of the four men in Las Animas County and it
was likely that they were heading for his town.
He wished he’d be able to help more, but he had his own county to
protect, so he turned his gelding around and headed back down from the
high point to Trinidad where he’d send a telegram with the warning. He
figured that Dan would be riding into town later that night, although he
might have picked up their trail and followed them into Bent County. He’d
let Sheriff Adcock know that Dan might be behind them if they did show
up.
_____
In the midst of the dramatic chase and confusion that was happening
north of Trinidad, there were fewer ominous events happening in the south.
Less than an hour after Dan’s train arrived in Trinidad, a courier arrived
at #22 Second Street, stepped onto the porch, and knocked on the door,
ignoring the bell.
The cook/maid, Angela, opened the door and asked, “May I help you?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have a delivery for Miss Margaret Lawrence.”
“She’s having her wedding gown fitted. May I accept it for her?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll need you to sign the receipt, though,” he said as he
handed her a pencil and laid the receipt on the back of the satchel that he’d
used to transport the package.
Angela quickly signed and accepted the paper-wrapped package as the
courier tipped his hat, turned, and left the porch.
She closed the door and walked slowly into the house, hefting the box
wondering what it could be. There was no return address or anything else
on the outside to indicate it was for Margaret, which struck her as odd.
Angela stepped into the sitting room where Margaret was standing in her
ivory satin wedding gown as her mother tugged at the back.
 “Who was it, Angela?” Fannie asked.
“A courier, ma’am. He dropped off a package for Miss Lawrence.”
Margaret looked at the plain brown box and asked, “Could you open it,
Mother?”
Angela then handed it to Fannie and stayed to discover the contents.
Margaret watched as the paper was pulled away and saw the dark red
velvet box and knew that this was no ordinary shipment.
Fannie came to the same conclusion and after removing the paper
handed it to Margaret.
With excitement that she hadn’t felt in weeks, Margaret opened the box,
removed Dan’s note and each of the three women gasped.
“My God, Margaret! I’ve never seen anything like that before!”
exclaimed her mother.
“It’s exquisite, Mother!” Margaret gushed as she handed the box and the
note to her mother and let the necklace drape over her fingers.
Her dress fitting forgotten, she walked slowly to the window to let the
afternoon sun ignite the fire of the rubies and make the diamonds erupt in
light.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” Margaret said slowly as she
tilted the necklace.
Fannie then asked, “Do you want to read the note?”
Margaret pried her eyes from the necklace looked at her mother and
asked, “There was a note? I thought that the paper was there to protect the
necklace.”
Fannie handed the folded parchment to her daughter who unfolded the
paper and read it aloud in a soft voice.
“Dearest Margaret, please wear this as you float down the aisle as a
small enhancement to your own perfection
.”
 Then she smiled at her mother and said, “I underestimated John. I didn’t
believe he was this romantic. It even matches the ring he gave to me.”
Fannie smiled at Margaret and found it hard to believe as well, or that he
would have spent that outrageous amount of money on her. She had
discovered only yesterday that the diamond and ruby ring that he’d given to
Margaret at the dinner table was his mother’s ring before she’d passed and
had been worn by his deceased wife as well.
If she didn’t know better, it had Daniel Hart written all over it, but there
was no way he could have afforded that piece of jewelry unless it was glass,
and she was sure that it wasn’t.
Margaret was still in awe as she said, “I’ll only wear this when I walk, or
rather, float down the aisle as John expects.”
Angela was too awestruck to comment, but like Fannie, she couldn’t
imagine Margaret’s fiancée being its source. But that note sounded like
something her ex-boyfriend would have said.
_____
Jenny watched Willie heading for the barn and just by the quick glances
he was making, assumed he was up to no good and followed him inside
where she spotted him reaching for a bridle.
“What are you doing, Willie?” she asked loudly startling her brother.
Willie turned around and said, “I’m just gonna go for a ride. That’s all.”
Jenny glared at her older brother and said, “You’re going to bother
Susanna Lawson, aren’t you? You leave that girl alone, Willie.”
“I just wanna talk to her, Jenny. I like her and figure if I can help her
then maybe she’ll let me visit her. I wanna marry her, Jenny.”
Jenny snapped, “Leave her be, Willie. She’s had a bad time of it.”
Willie didn’t reply as Jenny whipped around and left but began to put the
bridle on the mule that Susanna had traded for the food.
He had only managed to spread the saddle blanket across the animal’s
back when he heard his father’s voice behind him.
 “Where do you think you’re going, Willie?”
Willie’s head whipped around and knew that Jenny had spilled the beans.
“I was just gonna go and see if Miss Lawson was okay, Papa.”
John Pearson held out one gnarled, farmer’s finger and said, “You are
not to go to the Lawson farm, not unless you are invited. Did you forget
what Deputy Hart said? So, take off that blanket and come with me.”
Willie nodded and turned, slid the blanket from the mule, and replied,
“Yes, sir.”
_____
Dan had reached the spot where they’d split up and pulled Chester to a
stop. This wasn’t what he expected after tracking them almost in a straight
line running due east.
What were they doing?
He still couldn’t see them but with the hills ahead, he wouldn’t have
spotted them unless they were less than two miles in front of him, even
from horseback.
While the split didn’t have the effect that the four murderers had
intended in causing any searching lawmen to not pick up their trail, it did
have an even better impact.
The split greatly increased the possibility of an ambush, which would
mean he’d have to be more cautious and slow his pace. Then there was the
other possibility, although remote by now, that they’d soon go in different
directions and he’d have to choose which ones to follow.
He started Chester again following the two sets of hoofprints, which
confirmed that they were trailing a packhorse.
Dan kept his eyes scanning the eastern horizon, which seemed to be rife
with ambush sites understanding that he was no longer gaining on his
targets, but he’d fail completely if he stumbled into a trap, not to mention
he’d be dead.
_____
 The four outlaws weren’t even thinking of setting up an ambush as they
were certain that no one was trailing them now.
They were almost to the Las Animas River and once there, they’d turn
south rejoin and continue to ride in the water for a mile before they turned
back east.
In three or four days, they’d be well into Kansas and have enough money
to do some serious work.
_____
Sheriff Hart waved Joe down from the steeple while he was still almost a
mile north of Trinidad, so by the time he dismounted before the office both
deputies were waiting.
He slapped the trail dust off his clothes with his hat before stepping onto
the boardwalk.
“I’m pretty sure those bad boys are headed for Las Animas. I didn’t see a
damned thing and could see clear into Bent County. I was kind of surprised
not to see Dan, but he might have passed by already. I imagine we’ll be
seeing him before sunset. Anyway, I’m sending a telegram to Sheriff
Adcock to let him know that they’re probably going to show up in Las
Animas.”
Then he said, “Joe, I want you to get ready to go to Walsenburg
tomorrow to see if they need help before they can get some permanent law
in there, but that’ll only be if Dan doesn’t get back tonight. There’s a chance
that he picked up their trail further north and is trying to give some help to
Sheriff Adcock, but there’s also a chance they’ll head back to Walsenburg if
they’re sure that it’s unprotected.”
“Okay, boss,” Joe replied.
“Tom, I don’t believe they’ll double back and come here, but we need to
keep an eye out in case they do. I’ll take the night duty but right now, let’s
head home and get some food and tell our families what is happening.”
Tom said, “Yes, sir,” and then the two deputies left to head home while
Bill Hart locked the office door and led his gelding to the small barn in
back.
 _____
Dan had been following the trail for almost six hours now and knew that
there were only another couple of hours of sunlight left if that. He’d shifted
northeast away from the trail he’d been following and found another single
set of hoofprints parallel to the rider trailing the packhorse, losing some
time taking a wide zigzag but had eventually concluded that all four of them
were still headed due east.  He knew he wasn’t getting any closer, but that
didn’t concern him nearly as much as the easterly direction that the outlaws
still maintained.
He was almost to the Las Animas River and they should have turned
north by now if they were going to the town of Las Animas, forty miles
away
. Where were they headed?
Forty minutes later, he reached the river, stopped, stood in his stirrups,
and scanned the horizon. He could only see about three miles to the south
before the river disappeared between some bluffs and a little further to the
north, but all directions were clear. He had to guess and with his firm belief
that they were going to use the river to mask their approach to Las Animas,
decided to go northeast after crossing.
Once across, he turned northeast following the eastern bank of the river
looking for their exit point. They wouldn’t have stayed in the water for very
long for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the much slower speed
they’d have to take.
With each step that Chester took the gap between him and the four
killers grew.
_____
“Where do you think he is?” Libby asked as she spooned some peas onto
her plate.
“My best guess is that he picked up their trail and is going to follow
them to Las Animas to give Bob Adcock a hand.”
“You don’t think that they’re going to come back here, do you, Pop?”
asked Pam.
 “It’s not very likely. I’m sure they know that we’re looking for them and
wouldn’t want to ride into a bunch of cocked Winchesters. If they don’t go
to Las Animas then it’s more likely that they’ll go back to Walsenburg or
some small town without any law.”
_____
Dan was almost out of light when he realized that they weren’t going
north at all. He’d re-crossed the river but still hadn’t found any tracks
headed toward Las Animas before he turned south again. The lack of
hoofprints created more than just confusion, it added the deep worry that
they were just making a wide turn and heading to Trinidad.
He had Chester moving at a rapid pace as he searched for any signs of
the four riders before the sun set. There was almost a full moon tonight, so
if he found their tracks, he’d continue south for a mile or so to check if they
did backtrack.
Fifteen minutes later, he crossed the first set of hoofprints, then kept
going until he’d passed by the last eastbound set. He was fighting the dying
light as he leaned over Chester’s neck, peering into the ground as it rolled
past. He was risking riding into an ambush, but that was secondary now.
He rode for another ten minutes before he sat straight and pulled Chester
to a stop. It was decision time for the best way to make use of his limited
sunlight.
Did he keep riding south or did he cross the river and see if he
could pick up the trail on the other side?
Either way, there was a real
chance he’d lose the trail.
Dan quickly decided to cross the river. If he didn’t find a trail again
soon, he’d camp for the night and try to pick it up in the morning. He may
have wanted to return to Trinidad to help his father knowing that he’d
probably be sending either Tom or Joe to Walsenburg, but he was the only
lawman with a chance to stop those killers. This was no longer a search for
the fictitious men who had murdered Susanna’s parents, but four soulless
murderers who had taken the lives of Sheriff Art Tippet and Deputy Sheriff
Ed Fletcher.
He crossed the river as the sky grew pink and once on the eastern bank,
he looked left and then right without seeing any signs of them and walked
Chester to the east scanning the ground. He’d ridden almost two hundred
yards when he hit pay dirt.
He was relieved and almost started laughing when he saw the mass of
prints riding south which was an unusual reaction for a man who had just
discovered five sets of hoofprints that belonged to hardened killers.
It was too late to continue the chase much longer. His horses were tired,
and he needed some rest himself knowing that he had to be at his best when
he found them, anticipating that confrontation would be sometime
tomorrow.
So, Dan turned Chester toward the river and the trees along its bank.
Twenty minutes later, as the sun exploded in the western sky over the
distant Rocky Mountains, Dan had both horses unsaddled and as they
grazed, he set up his camp for the night.
_____
Eighteen miles east-southeast of Dan’s position, the four men were
sitting around a small, well-hidden campfire a few hundred yards into
Higby Canyon. In the remote possibility that some lawman still might be
looking for them, Earl was sitting on a boulder with his Winchester staring
at the nearest bend in the canyon, about two hundred yards north.
The canyon itself was a meandering, snakelike gouge in the earth that
had probably been carved by an ancient river. It followed a tortuous route
from the northeast end where they had set up camp and ended some thirty
miles away to the southwest. What made it especially comforting was that if
an entire posse showed up at the mouth of the canyon, one Winchester
could keep them from entering while they saddled their horses and made a
winding escape. The posse couldn’t follow quickly because an ambush
could decimate their numbers at each turn. There were several exits along
the way that they could use, too.
As Harry cooked their supper, Johnny and Al did an accurate count of
their loot.
“Eight thousand, four hundred and thirty-two dollars!” Al exclaimed as
Johnny slapped the last dollar bill onto the stack.
 Earl looked down from his boulder and shouted, “Lordy! That’s a lot
more than we figured we’d get.”
Harry continued to stir their food in the large skillet and just giggled
after hearing the total. Even in their biggest haul before this one, they’d
barely cleared four figures.
_____
The moon was bright overhead as Dan leaned against a sycamore,
chewed on a sausage, and thought about the expected showdown. His only
advantages would be surprise and the added range of his Winchester ’76,
but once they knew he was there, the musket’s advantage would probably
be quickly negated by their superior firepower. He knew that he’d have to
forego any warning if he even stood a chance of beating them.
As he reviewed his limited options, Dan believed his possibility of
staying alive would be to use his ’76 to take out as many of them as
possible before making a hasty retreat to a defensible position in the hope
that the others would try to kill him. If he could put two of them out of
action, then he liked his odds. It was a dangerous game, but he knew that it
would be the moment he realized that he was alone in the pursuit.
_____
Margaret was sitting in her bedroom after dinner admiring her necklace.
After her initial startled belief that John had bought it for her, she revisited
the notion. Just as her mother and Angela had hours earlier, it was the note
that had created the doubt.
She knew it wasn’t costume jewelry, and if John had bought it for her, he
would have been more than willing to present it to her with an appropriate
grand display. She slowly set the necklace on her lap and picked up the
note. She hadn’t seen John’s handwriting, so it could be his, but it looked
remarkably like Daniel’s penmanship. If it wasn’t for the incredible cost,
there wouldn’t be a doubt in her mind that Daniel had sent it to her.
But
even if he could afford such an incredible piece, why would he send it to
her?
She finally folded the note, stood and walked across her room, pulled
open a drawer to her dressing table, and dropped it inside. The mysterious
note would stay there because all it did was cause her doubt and confusion.
John was the only man in town with the resources to buy such a piece and
the only man who could provide her with the life she needed.
Margaret picked up the necklace again before sitting down, knowing that
in just a few days, she’d be wearing the extraordinary accent to her wedding
ensemble as she floated down the aisle of the First Congregational Church.
_____
Susanna lay on the bed with the only door closed and locked and the
pistol sitting on the shelf near the head of the bed. She heard every noise
that echoed in the darkness outside the house: the crickets, owls, coyotes,
and wolves. They didn’t scare her at all, but her own imagination terrified
her as it reminded her of what had happened in this room just a few feet
from where she lay. Last night had been bad, but she’d been so worried that
someone would arrive at the house, it had supplanted the recalled visions of
the murder of her father.
Now even the sound that the poker had made as it cracked into his thick
skull was so real that she shuddered. If she had any means to leave, she
wouldn’t hesitate, but that wasn’t going to happen. She had to stay in the
house and live with the nightmares of her own creation but believed that it
wasn’t close to being sufficient punishment for her crimes.
And yet the worry that Dan Hart was out there, hunting for killers
because of her lies haunted her even more. She knew that she’d told him not
to return but needed to know what was happening. Maybe she should ride
to Trinidad and visit the green house on Eighth Street.
At least then she’d know.
 CHAPTER 7
Dan’s pocket watch alarm awakened him as the predawn sunlight began
to push away the stars. He pushed in the small pin silencing the alarm and
slid out of his bedroll, turned his boots upside down, and shook them to
empty any crawlers that had entered before he pulled them on.
He was chewing on some jerky as he saddled Chester, and by the time he
had the packhorse’s three sets of saddlebags hung over his back, the edge of
the sun was just breaking the horizon.
Ten minutes later, he was following the trail as it continued east. He’d
finally concluded that the outlaws weren’t heading for either Las Animas or
Trinidad. It was the weight of the packhorse that had convinced him. The
prints were as deep as any of the horses that were carrying riders, so that
meant it had to be carrying about two hundred pounds of supplies. That was
too much if they were just planning on spending a couple of days on the
trail even with four of them consuming the food. As they were still going
due east, it appeared as if their destination was Kansas where they were
unknown.
That revelation meant he’d have to catch up with them soon, not because
of the jurisdiction issue, but because of his own limited supplies. He’d only
packed for three days and there was no place to replenish what he used, so
he picked up the pace to cut the gap.
_____
It was Earl who had the job of cooking breakfast as they all chatted
about how well the robbery had gone and the disaster they’d left behind.
“Where are we goin’ in Kansas, Johnny?” asked Earl as he pulled the
bacon from the frypan.
“I figure once we get past the border, we head north, pick up the Santa
Fe Road, and head to Sherlock. We rest for a while, get rid of the
packhorse, take the train east to a good-sized town and spend some of this
cash.”
 Al said, “That sounds pretty good to me, Johnny. What are you gonna do
with your share?”
As Earl continued to cook, they began describing their intended
purchases with their sudden infusion of wealth. Needless to say, both
whiskey and women were at the top of all of their lists.
_____
Dan had cut deeply into their lead as he had Chester moving at a medium
trot following the obvious trail. He was still watching for an ambush, but
with them back together and seeming to be moving at a decent pace, it was
less of a concern.
What was a concern was the growing cloud cover that was threatening a
late spring rain that could cause him some problems, but the weather
change did at least drop the heat to much more pleasant temperatures which
would cause less stress on the horses.
He thought that the four must already be moving again as he was just
two miles from the mouth of Higby Canyon. He’d actually ridden the length
of the canyon twice before, once when he was sixteen and taken a full week
to explore the eastern half of Las Animas County with his father’s blessing,
and a second time when he’d chased down a fugitive from a stage holdup
that had gone awry.
When he was just a mile away, he slowed Chester as the boulder-strewn
ground alongside the ridge that made up the northwestern wall of the
canyon drew close and provided an excellent site for an ambush.
He kept Chester moving at a walk and two hundred yards from the
boulders as he kept his eyes scanning the mass of rocks for any movement.
When he was just four hundred yards from the mouth of the canyon, he
pulled Chester to a stop and stood in the stirrups. He swore that he’d
smelled bacon frying a few seconds ago, but then put the idea aside as
wishful thinking as he dropped back down into the seat and set Chester
walking again.
Chester had moved just fifty yards when Dan halted again. He hadn’t
smelled bacon again, but he knew he’d heard distant voices and loud
laughter echoing from the canyon. He pulled his Winchester musket from
its scabbard, cocked the hammer, and nudged Chester forward again at a
slow walk.
The loud chatting continued as he closed toward the two-hundred-yard-
wide mouth of Higby Canyon, sure that was the four outlaws. If it had been
a box canyon, he’d leave Chester and the packhorse outside, but he didn’t
know how deep they were into the canyon and if they were more than a few
hundred yards, they’d race away, and he’d have to follow them into that
deathtrap. His plan of taking out at least one and falling back was still in
place and might work if he stayed near the end of the canyon and they
decided to exit this way. It was still going to be a sticky business. If they
suddenly popped out of the canyon, he’d be in trouble anyway, so he kept
Chester moving.
_____
Inside the canyon, the four had just saddled their horses, still loudly
joking about what they would do when they arrived in Kansas as each man
tried to outdo the other in his imagined excess revelry.
That shifted to the ridiculous as they mounted. Harry started it, and soon
all of their voices, amplified by the walls of the canyon, added to their
merriment as they actually began singing a ribald version of
Jeannie with
the Light Brown Hair
, amused by the sound as it echoed from the rocky
surfaces.
_____
Dan was just fifty yards from the canyon’s opening when the loud
singing began, and he ripped Chester to a stop and turned him toward the
nearby boulders. He dismounted, wrapped Chester’s reins around a young
pine, and trotted to one of the large rocks for cover.
He listened as the singing grew closer, the ludicrous decision to
announce their presence confusing him as he set his Winchester’s sights on
the canyon’s mouth.
Were they that convinced that they were safe?
Regardless of their reason, he knew that this was his opportunity to take out
at least one, and if he was lucky, two. They’d spot Chester and his
packhorse soon enough and hoped that they didn’t shoot horses.
 _____
The song died when the echoing dropped because they were approaching
the end of the tall walls and would soon make their right turn to continue
their long escape into Kansas.
They’d just cleared into the flat ground when Al Clark spotted Chester
and the packhorse, pointed, and shouted, “We got company!”
As the others turned to look, Dan’s ’76 blasted its first .45 out if its
muzzle from ninety yards away slamming into the still-pointing Al just
below his extended arm and punching through two ribs, his left lung’s upper
lobe, and crossing through into his right lung before slamming into the ribs
on the right side and coming to an abrupt halt. He shook twice and fell to
the ground as the survivors wheeled their horses around to seek the
protection of the canyon while reaching for their rifles.
Dan fired his second shot just as they wheeled but missed Earl by three
inches. He was cocking the Winchester again when they disappeared into
the canyon, so he left the boulder and raced over to Chester, ripped his reins
from the tree, and hopped into the saddle. He realized that it was going to
be a big problem now as he trotted Chester toward the opening.
_____
Johnny, Earl, and Harry may have been shocked by the sudden
appearance of a lawman, but the need for survival quickly pushed them into
a heightened demand to find safety, which wasn’t difficult in the canyon as
they raced into its curving path.
Dan reached the end of the canyon and pulled Chester to a stop again,
staring into the now empty first stretch, knowing that he’d either be a dead
man if he rushed in or could lose them if he didn’t.
He then walked Chester to the outlaw’s horse which hadn’t gone far,
took his reins, and tied them to his packhorse, realizing that he’d chosen the
wrong target and should have fired at the one that was trailing their
packhorse to deprive them of their supplies.
He dismounted, picked up the dead outlaw’s Winchester, slipped it back
into the empty scabbard, and walked to the man’s body. He was reasonably
sure that it was Al Clark but checked his pockets for identification found
fifty-one dollars, stuffed it into his pocket, and found his scratched, silver
pocket watch inscribed with AC inscribed in fancy script on the outside. He
slipped that into his pocket and pulled his gunbelt from his waist, wrapped
it and walked back to the horses, and stuck it in Al’s saddlebags.
After checking the saddlebags for the bank’s money and not finding it,
he stood and looked down the canyon. The other three would either keep
riding until they took one of the dozen or so exits or they’d be setting up for
an ambush.
Dan knew he shouldn’t chase after them into that mess, but couldn’t let
them escape, either. He had to gamble, so he returned to Chester, mounted,
and rode east for almost three miles before the ground rose enough to let
him turn south and ride parallel to the canyon. If they insisted on heading
for Kansas, he’d meet up with them again soon enough, only this time,
they’d be expecting to see him.
_____
“Damn it, Johnny! Where did he come from?” asked Earl loudly enough
to echo.
“Quiet! We need to hear if he’s comin’,” Johnny replied.
They’d ridden for ten minutes through the winding path demanded by
the canyon before pulling to a stop eighty yards after the last turn and
brought their horses around to face the other way where they expected the
deputy to arrive.
They sat quietly on their horses as they listened, but after not hearing
anything for a few more minutes, Harry asked as loudly as he dared, “What
do we do, Johnny?”
“If he found us this far out of any town, he’s no idiot. I figure he’s not
gonna follow us into this canyon unless he’s got a death wish. I don’t know
where this canyon comes out, but it could be a box canyon and we’d be in
trouble if it did. We can’t go back out that way either, cause he’s probably
waiting for us. He probably knows this country better than we do, too.”
“So,” Harry persisted, “What do we do?”
 “He’s probably from Las Animas cause it’s the closest town. They
would’ve gotten word about what happened. That means he’s probably
gonna head back and get more help. It’s only about thirty miles north of
here. We’ll keep riding down the canyon and look for another way out.”
“Alright. Let’s go. This place is giving me the creeps,” Earl said as he
pivoted his horse and started him heading south.
Harry followed with the trail horse in tow. It had been his turn when
they’d saddled the animals that morning. In addition to their critical
supplies, it also held the sack with all of their money. Even though he’d just
lost his older brother, Harry, like Johnny and Earl, each was already
calculating what a third of $8432 was rather than a fourth.
_____
Dan was walking his horses along the eastern edge of the canyon, but in
a straighter line as he let the squiggly, wide cut in the earth make its way to
the southwest. Even though he was traveling slower, he knew that they had
to ride further and there was no water down in the canyon. There was a
small creek that ran about eight hundred yards to his left which he could use
for his animals when he took a break.
It was mid-morning when the threat of rain became reality and the first
drops splattered on his Western hat’s brim. Dan quickly pulled his slicker
from his bedroll and donned it just as the rain picked up its intensity, and he
soon realized that this was no gentle spring shower. It was going to be a
full-blown downpour and seriously compromise his chase.
_____
The pounding rain made Susanna’s dilemma about a possible ride into
Trinidad moot. She just remained indoors and watched steady drips of water
splash into the floor from leaks in the roof. She didn’t bother putting any
pans or buckets underneath to catch the rain but just slipped into a deeper
sense of isolation.
She’d quickly become accustomed to having Dan to talk to and hadn’t
realized how much she had missed just being with another person since her
mother died. Now he was gone, and that loneliness returned with a
vengeance.
 _____
Dan was cursing the rain more for blocking his visibility than the
chilling water as he led the two horses south. It had to be close to noon
already and he began to think that they’d continue to ride down the canyon
to the end, some twenty-five miles away.
Every few minutes, he’d angle toward the canyon and look down into its
open gap to see if they were there but hadn’t been so lucky. If he’d spotted
them, he’d have been able to pick them off easily.
He couldn’t pick up signs of their passage from this height, but the
longer he rode, the more he began to think they’d just keep riding to the end
and then turn west to go to Trinidad or New Mexico.
_____
The three outlaws, while not happy with the deluge, did find an exit out
of the canyon after just riding another three miles south and managed to
complete the treacherous climb out of the canyon. They didn’t see Dan who
was still four miles north and quickly rode east hoping that the heavy
downpour would quickly obliterate their tracks. None of them suspected
that the deputy would still follow but would either head back to the town to
make a report rather than risk continuing the chase or would sit at the
mouth of the canyon waiting for them to reappear.
Even with that firm belief, they still kept their horses moving at a fast
pace in the storm.
_____
Dan was almost shocked when he saw the deep hoofprints in the mud,
just a few minutes after convincing himself that they’d continued down the
canyon. He turned his horses east to follow but had to keep it slow to avoid
bumping into the three men.
When he made the turn, he was already five miles behind and they were
pulling away.
_____
 The avalanche of water finally began to shift into a lighter rain in the late
afternoon, but the separation between Dan and his prey had grown to more
than six miles. He had taken two breaks for the horses and managed to get
some food into his stomach but wasn’t in a good frame of mind as he kept
Chester squishing though the mud still following the water-filled hoofprints.
The constant patter of rain had made his mind wander as nothing seemed
to change, not the weather, the landscape, or the light. It was as if he was
locked in one spot and not moving at all.
He knew it was dangerous to be woolgathering, so whenever he found
himself doing it, he’d take off his hat, put his face into the sky, and let the
rain remind him to pay attention to the mission or find a .44 in his chest.
Dan estimated he had another sixty miles of Las Animas County to the
east before he arrived in Kansas and was getting so frustrated even with the
lessened rain, that he set Chester to a medium trot. If they were setting up
an ambush, he’d ride right into it, but he didn’t think they would. He simply
couldn’t understand how they thought.
When he picked up the pace, he was still six miles behind them, but they
had a problem. Just ten minutes before Dan decided to go faster, Harry’s
horse slipped off of a slick, half-buried rock, snapping his ankle and
dropping Harry into the deep, semi-liquid dirt.
“Son of a bitch!” he shouted as he struggled to free himself from his
screaming, writhing gelding.
As the horse continued to cry out in pain, Johnny walked his horse near
the injured animal’s head, pulled his Colt, and shot him through his eye. It
solved the immediate problem, but he and Earl dismounted and had to help
Harry out from under the dead animal.
As the three outlaws all stared at the dead horse, Harry asked, “What do
we do now?”
Johnny, the Colt still in his hand, answered his question by simply
cocking the hammer turning the muzzle toward a shocked Harry Clark, and
pulling the trigger.
 As Harry staggered backward and fell onto his back, splashing mud in
every direction, Johnny turned to his brother and said, “That solves more
than one problem, doesn’t it?”
Earl grinned and said, “Half of that money is a lot better than a third.”
Johnny smiled back as he slid his pistol into his holster and replied, “You
got that right. Let’s salvage what we can and move that trail horse to yours.
We still got a long way to ride and it looks like we’re gonna have a wet
campsite.”
Earl glanced to the west and said, “You don’t figure that badge toter is
still behind us, do ya?”
“Nope. He probably ran home to tell his boss how brave he was for
killin’ Al and wants that reward for doin’ it. He’s not about to chase us
down in this weather, not this far away from any towns.”
Earl nodded and said, “Let’s get goin’.”
Less than thirty minutes after Harry’s horse fell, they were riding east
again.
_____
With the rain muffling any sound, Dan hadn’t heard either pistol shot at
that distance, so just thirty minutes later, he was stunned when he spotted a
dead horse and rider on the ground about eighty yards ahead of him.
He quickly dismounted when he reached the killing, and quickly figured
out what had happened when he saw the horse’s snapped bone. That left
just the Williams brothers and his odds of staying alive had just increased
dramatically. If they hadn’t been worried about the sound carrying from
killing their partner, then they didn’t know they were still being followed.
His element of surprise had been restored.
He could tell that the horse’s saddlebags had been stripped, but he still
went through Harry’s pockets but found nothing to identify him. He had no
gunbelt or anything else worth bringing along, so Dan quickly mounted
Chester and set off east following their tracks.
He was just three miles back as he renewed the chase.
 _____
Joe had made it to Walsenburg in the late afternoon and was welcomed
by the anxious townsfolk who showed him to the jail and filled him in on
what had happened. The county commissioner swore him in as the acting
sheriff to give him jurisdiction and Joe spent the rest of the wet day getting
a better feel of the situation before sending a telegram to Sheriff Hart.
_____
Dan had been closing the gap without realizing it as his visibility was
still only about a thousand yards. After seeing the dead horse’s snapped leg,
he was worried that Chester might suffer a similar fate, but he now had two
saddled horses trailing him that he could use. He just didn’t want to lose the
tan gelding so quickly after Plano. He was already fond of the buckskin and
decided when he took his next break, he’d adjust the stirrups on the brown
gelding that Al Clark had ridden and ride him for a while to give Chester a
rest and if bullets started flying, he could cut Chester loose.
_____
After they’d dispatched Harry and his horse, the Williams brothers felt
more comfortable being without partners again. The Clark brothers were
kindred souls and Johnny and Earl both half-expected either Al or Harry to
shoot them in the back, so it had worked out as it should.
It was just an hour from sunset when the rain stopped and patches of
blue began to appear overhead, putting them both in a good mood.
_____
As the mist cleared, Dan was stunned to see the Williams brothers about
a mile in front of him.
He’d almost ridden right into them!
He quickly pulled Chester to a stop and watched them ride away. That
would have been a disaster and thanked his lucky stars that the rain had
stopped when it had.
After they passed over a rise ahead and disappeared from sight, Dan
began riding again. He knew when he reached the top of that rise, he’d be
visible, but he had no intention of going that far. He’d go just far enough to
spot them again and see where they were going. There were enough hills
and low buttes in the area that could provide them cover, but there was also
a branch of the Two Buttes Creek that was a few miles ahead with some
trees that would make a good campsite, and he guessed that’s where they’d
stop for the night. If they did, that’s where they’d die.
_____
As Bill entered the back door, Libby looked at him and asked, “Any
news?”
“I got a telegram from Bob Adcock and he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of
either the gang or Dan.”
“So, you think he’s chasing them?”
“That’s the only reason it could be. There have been no sighting reports
from any towns in Las Animas, Bent, or Huerfano Counties.”
Libby asked quietly, “Bill, you don’t think that Dan’s been hurt, do
you?”
As much as he would like to calm her concerns, he knew he had to be
honest and replied, “Yes, Libby, it is possible. But it’s always possible in
our line of work. Dan’s the best lawman I know, and that includes yours
truly. If anyone can track down those bastards and return unscathed, it’s our
son.”
“I hope your confidence isn’t misplaced.”
Bill nodded and said, “It isn’t. After you feed me, ma’am, I’ll be
handling the night desk tonight. With both Dan and Joe gone, that leaves
me and Tom to protect the entire county of Las Animas.”
“Well, Sheriff, you sit down, and I’ll fill your stomach.”
As he took his seat, he asked, “By the way, where are our daughters?”
“Julie went off with George and Pam is upstairs. I think she’s worried
about Dan.”
She set a plate in front of him as Bill said, “I hope she has nothing to
worry about.”
_____
 Johnny and Earl reached the tree-lined branch of the Two Buttes Creek
and with the pending arrival of sunset, couldn’t have found a better place to
stop for the night. The ground was still muddy, but under the trees, it wasn’t
so bad, so they entered the line of cottonwoods and dismounted.
“Are we makin’ a fire?” asked Earl.
“We need to dry everything, so we’ll have to. There ain’t nobody around
for fifty miles anyway.”
“Alright,” Earl said as he began unsaddling his horse.
Johnny may have decided to build a fire, but mother nature was making
it difficult. Aside from the soaked wood, his plan to build it on the banks of
the creek was shattered when they found the creek threatening to run over
its banks.
So, after they’d unsaddled all three horses, Johnny and Earl began
hunting for burnable firewood in the dying light. Once the fire was strong
enough, they could burn some of the wet wood, but it would make a lot of
smoke, which neither considered an issue anyway because they were so
isolated.
_____
When he knew he was within a few hundred yards of the creek, Dan
shifted to the south and approached a low hill. He’d parked the three horses
on the west side and let them graze as he climbed the incline and when he
neared the summit he dropped into the mud, removed his soaked hat, and
slid closer to the top.
There wasn’t much light, but it was enough to see the two brothers in the
trees moving around in the shadows. He didn’t know what they were doing
at first but when one of them grabbed a long branch, he was astonished to
realize they were building a fire. If they were just regular travelers, he could
understand their need to have a nice, heat-providing fire, but they hardly fit
that category. They were hunted men who had encountered a lawman just a
few hours ago.
As he continued to watch their preparations, he tried to put himself in
their shoes, but couldn’t imagine making such a poor decision. He finally
just put it down to arrogance or belief in their own invulnerability.
Despite his own discomfort, Dan stayed watching even as the sun
disappeared, taking the light with it. He really wanted to see if they were
going to build the fire, knowing if they did, it would make his job a lot
easier.
Forty minutes later, he saw a match flare, and then a small fire rose from
the wet ground as the kindling began to burn. He was mesmerized as they
began tossing the branches that they had broken over their knees onto the
growing flames.
Just how big were they going to make it?
Their creation
was approaching bonfire size and Dan thought they might even set some of
the trees ablaze.
When they finally stopped adding fuel, Dan could see them begin to strip
their wet clothes and thought he’d never get a better chance.
He snatched his hat and quickly slid back down the hill a few feet before
he stood and walked quickly down the slope to Chester, hung his hat on his
saddle horn, and slid the Winchester ’73 from its scabbard. He didn’t need
the range of the ’76, but he’d appreciate the much shorter barrel of the
carbine.
He loosened his Colt’s hammer loop and walked around the base of the
hill and when he cleared the incline, the fire was like an enormous beacon
drawing him to the outlaws. He only saw one of them outlined against the
flames as he strode carefully to their campsite less than eight hundred yards
away.
Dan was reasonably sure that they couldn’t see him as their night vision
would be ruined by the flames but had to keep his eyes focused on the dark
ground in front of him, taking just quick glances at the fire to keep from
being blinded.
_____
Completely unaware of the approaching lawman, Johnny had already
changed into dry clothes and Earl had taken a seat on a wet log to change
his socks, so he was still barefoot while his older brother began hanging
their wet clothes over nearby branches.
 “That’s a mighty big fire, Johnny,” Earl said loudly as he finished pulling
on his second sock.
“It’s good and warm. I’ll even make us a good supper. I never did like
Harry’s cookin’.”
Earl then snickered and said, “Did you see the look on his face when you
turned your pistol to him?”
Johnny laughed as he replied, “I sure did. I was ready for it, too. I’m
glad we got him before he tried to drygulch us for that money.”
_____
Dan could clearly hear their voices ahead of him and wished he had
cover to hide his approach. The full moon was rising, and the light had
already filled the ground in front of him as he walked carefully toward their
camp. Between the moon’s light and the fire, he’d be clearly visible when
he was within Winchester range, but his was already cocked and ready to
fire while theirs were still in the scabbards somewhere near their saddles.
He didn’t believe that their pistols’ hammer loops were off even if they’d
bothered to strap on their gunbelts.
He kept his eyes on the ground using his short glances at the fire to keep
their silhouettes in sight as he continued his nerve-wracking approach.
Dan never made it to the hundred-yard mark before Johnny caught the
glint of light reflecting off his badge in his peripheral vision and turned to
see what had created the flash.
“Shooter!” he shouted as he raced to get his Winchester.
Earl was stunned and rotated to see what Johnny had seen rather than
just run to their saddles.
Dan had been surprised to be discovered so quickly, but quickly brought
the ’73 to bear and as soon as the sights steadied, fired just as Earl was
pivoting to run.
The .44 was dropping as it neared the end of its effective range but still
slammed into the outside of Earl’s right thigh, sending him corkscrewing
into the mud screaming as he reached for the sharp pain.
 After hitting the soggy ground, Earl forgot about the Winchester and
rapidly pulled his Colt, cocked it, and ignoring the pain in his leg aimed it at
Dan still over a hundred yards away.
Dan then began a fast zigzag to get closer to the camp, cursing his
decision to leave the ’76, but wanting to end this now.
Johnny Williams yanked his Winchester from the scabbard, then cocked
it and disappeared into the shielding darkness of the trees.
Earl wished he had his Winchester, but that deputy was just eighty yards
away now and he knew he had to take a chance. He steadied his sights as
well as he could and fired.
Dan had seen Johnny run into the trees and had mistakenly believed that
Earl was out of the fight when he saw the muzzle flash of Earl’s Colt and
cursed himself. He knew he had to finish off the first one, so he quickly slid
to a stop, then barely took time to aim and fired.
He was already reaching for his Winchester’s lever when his second shot
drilled into Earl’s neck, exploding his carotid artery and dropping him to the
ground with one loud scream before he died.
Dan quickly turned into the trees himself but quickly began moving
south away from the camp and parallel to the direction that Johnny had
taken. It was him against the last of the Williams brothers and probably the
most vicious man in the state. They were both in the dark with no idea
where the other man was. Neither could make a sound and whoever fired
first would be a dead man.
_____
In his mad dash into the trees, Johnny had lost sight of the lawman but
had heard Dan’s finishing shot and then slowed down to reduce the
likelihood that he’d expose himself and stopped behind a big tree trunk and
just listened. The loss of his brother meant only one thing to Johnny
Williams, every penny of the money was his now. All he had to do was kill
that damned, annoying deputy. They had seriously underestimated the
man’s tenacity, but Johnny wasn’t about to make another mistake. Let the
deputy make the first move, then once he’d shown himself, it would all be
over.
 _____
Dan had stopped about sixty yards away behind a smaller tree and just as
his adversary was doing, he listened for any sounds other than the crackling
of the large fire a hundred yards to the north. While the two men were
hidden in the shadows of the trees, just thirty yards away the open ground to
the northwest was now brightly bathed in moonlight. Dan knew that sooner
or later one of them would have to reveal his location either intentionally or
in a fatal mistake. It was an incredibly tense few minutes.
Dan’s mind was racing with ways out of this silent standoff and after
almost five minutes of mind-numbing silence, decided there was only one
way to end this.
He lowered his Winchester, took a long, slow breath steadied his feet,
then shot out of the shadows into the open, running as fast as the mucky
ground would allow in a shifting pattern to reduce the likelihood of a hit.
Johnny hadn’t heard him running, but when his shadow suddenly
appeared in the open ground, he cursed realizing the deputy was already
close to two hundred yards away, but still brought his Winchester to bear
and began firing, no longer concerned about exposing his position to the
retreating lawman.
Dan heard the gunfire, then glanced behind him and saw the
Winchester’s flares in the trees about two hundred yards away, but he
wasn’t moving out of his protection. He needed the last outlaw to chase him
into the open, so he could lure him to the horses where he’d be able to get
to his ’76, but it wasn’t working.
Then as Johnny continued firing, Dan suddenly grabbed for his leg,
spinning to the ground as his Winchester flew into the air, the moonlight
reflecting off its steel.
Johnny was stunned by his good luck at that range and quickly raced
from behind the tree to get closer for a finishing shot at the wounded
deputy.
Dan didn’t bother retrieving his Winchester but scrambled to his sliding
feet and began limping away, glancing behind him. He pulled his Colt and
cocked the hammer as he hurried toward Chester, still four hundred yards
away.
Johnny knew he had him as he began closing the gap.
Dan kept glancing behind him as he hobbled along, but the halting run
wasn’t because he couldn’t run, it was to bring Johnny Williams out of his
sanctuary. When he had first realized that the surviving outlaw wasn’t
leaving the darkness, he knew he had to give him an incentive, and the
recent image of Earl taking that shot to the leg was his inspiration for the
ruse.
He held his fire and maintained his limp as he watched the last outlaw
gain on him and threw two quick Colt rounds his way to slow him down
just a bit but didn’t receive any return fire. He was just two hundred yards
away from Chester now and the last Williams brother had only flinched at
his two pistol shots and was getting too close, so he suddenly dropped the
limp and used his last burst of energy to get to Chester and the Winchester.
Johnny didn’t notice the loss of the limp or increase in speed at first
because he was already breathing hard and his eyes were jarred from the
run but when he did, there were a few more seconds of confusion before he
realized that he had been duped.
But to what end?
The best the deputy could
hope for was a face-to-face showdown and he had the only Winchester, so
Johnny continued the pursuit but had to slow down as he was badly winded.
Dan glanced behind him, saw the killer slow and pulled up, and began
walking at a fast pace to let his breathing return to normal, so he’d be able
to make a better shot. He had less than a hundred yards to go and could see
Chester and the other two horses ahead.
When Johnny realized that the deputy had begun to walk, he decided to
take the opportunity to get his breath back and slowed to a walk himself but
kept his eyes focused on the lawman. It was only then that he noticed the
extra horses and understood why he was headed that way. He must have Al
Clark’s gelding and Winchester, which meant he had to get the deputy
before he could reach the horses.
He began to run again, calculating how much time he’d have to get the
deputy before he reached the horses.
 When Dan peeked back again, he cursed and began running again, but he
was younger and in better shape than the outlaw and regained his lost
distance from Johnny and began to pull away.
Johnny knew he’d lost his advantage and stopped and as he huffed, he
tried to come up with a way out.
What other choice did he have now?
He
was a good two hundred yards away from any protection and outlined by
the full moon’s reflected sunlight.
He knew it would come down to Winchester against Winchester now and
he was sure that the deputy wanted to finish him almost as much as he
wanted to kill the deputy. That was one lawman who wasn’t going to leave.
Johnny suddenly ripped off his light gray hat and tossed it twenty feet to
his right before dropping to a prone position into the mud and young prairie
grass. He was still breathing hard as he centered his sights on the still-
running deputy two hundred yards away. He’d have a lower target profile
when the deputy returned with his Winchester as he knew he must.
When Dan glanced back again, he saw Johnny tossing his hat away and
dropping to the ground and slowed to walk the last thirty yards to catch his
breath. The standoff had shifted from the dark trees to the moonlit plains,
which required a whole new set of tactics. But now he knew he had the
advantages…all of them.
Johnny Williams was stuck in the open with no water and when he had
to relieve himself, he’d have to do it right there without moving. Dan knew
he could just wait him out now, but as Johnny had concluded, Dan knew he
wouldn’t. He wanted this to end, and end now.
A minute later he’d pulled his Winchester ’76, cocked it, and walked to
the south, away from the horses to keep them safe. He then shifted to the
east but kept his eyes where he could see Johnny Williams’ shadow against
the dark ground.
Johnny had expected the deputy to walk straight at him as if it was some
gunfight in the streets of Dodge City like they portrayed in those dime
novels that Earl liked to read. But the deputy wasn’t wearing jingling spurs
nor twin, ivory-handled Colt Peacemakers as he circled about two hundred
yards away. He had his Winchester and was stalking him, like a hunter
trying to get the best shot at a wolf.
He knew that he had to move to keep his sights on the deputy or the
lawman would be able to flank him and make a rush to get in range, so he
began to wiggle himself in a counterclockwise turn to keep the deputy in
front of him. He wouldn’t be able to fire for a few seconds while he moved,
but the deputy still was out of range, so he thought he was safe.
Dan could have started firing now as he was about a hundred and sixty
yards out, but he didn’t have any spare ammunition and he wasn’t that sure
of his target. He’d seen Johnny slowly rotating his Winchester and hoped
that the outlaw would send a shot his way, so he’d be able to pinpoint his
location.
He stopped his eastward direction and took four long strides directly
toward Johnny Williams, almost sure that was who he was facing now
brought his Winchester to bear.
Dan kept his Winchester on the distant shadow as he shouted, “I’m Las
Animas County Deputy Sheriff Dan Hart. I’m assuming that you’re Johnny
Williams.”
There was no harm in replying, so Johnny yelled back, “I am, but you’ve
got a problem, Deputy. You’re a better target than I am. So, why don’t you
just get on your horse and ride away? You can tell ‘em that you got us all
and I ain’t gonna make you a liar.”
“You know better than to say anything that stupid, Johnny! I can’t let
you go. But you’re wrong about me having the problem, it’s you that is in
serious trouble. What I’m pointing in your direction is my Winchester
Model 1876 in the thirty-six-inch musket version. It fires a .45-85
Winchester cartridge that gives me the range and power to shoot you right
where you are. I don’t have to take another step. Now you can either toss
your Winchester away and get on your feet with your hands in the air, or I’ll
send a few of my .45 slugs your way.”
Johnny was sure that Dan was lying, so he laughed and shouted, “I ain’t
about to walk up no gallows steps, Deputy, so you’d better come and get
me.”
 Dan’s had been sure that his warning would be snubbed, so he set his
sights on the shadow and gently squeezed his trigger. His Winchester’s
muzzle lit up in flame before the bullet spun free of the rifled barrel
followed by its roar and the large cloud of gunsmoke.
The aerodynamic lead slug pushed aside the night air as it jetted toward
Johnny at over a thousand feet per second, slowing as it fought the air’s
resistance and succumbing to the pull of gravity.
Less than a second later, the bullet creased Johnny’s right buttock before
it slammed into the ground behind him.
Johnny was too stunned to scream. The bullet hadn’t done any serious
damage, but its mere arrival had made him realize that the deputy hadn’t
lied. That Winchester’s flare had been a lot bigger and it sounded different,
too.
With no other options, Johnny let his sights settle after reacting to the hit
and fired.
Dan saw the muzzle flare and heard the Winchester’s report, but didn’t
know where the .44 had gone as he fired directly above the flash.
His second shot was also high as he’d overcorrected for the range, and it
simply passed harmlessly over Johnny’s bare head as he fired his second
shot.
Dan didn’t fire his third shot yet because he didn’t want to run the
Winchester dry. After all, if he did, he’d really be at a disadvantage as his
other Winchesters and ammunition were now a hundred yards away, so all
he did was shift to the left or the right, keeping his sights on Johnny.
Johnny continued to fire at Dan but slowed down, knowing he’d have to
reload soon. He had a dozen .44s on his gunbelt and another five in his
Colt. He didn’t know how many shots he’d already taken, so he stopped
firing to take the opportunity to ram a few more cartridges into the
Winchester’s loading gate.
Dan saw him reloading and began his own calculations about how many
rounds the outlaw had fired altogether and came up with eleven. That meant
he probably had at most another twenty or so cartridges with him and knew
he could wait him out if he could get Johnny to start firing again. But then
Dan took that one more step to a different conclusion if Williams ran out of
ammunition, he couldn’t shoot him, and Dan didn’t want to make the long
ride back to Trinidad with the outlaw.
Dan finally decided the hell with tactics, and just as Johnny had
originally expected him to do, began walking directly at him. This may not
have been high noon, but closer to low midnight with the not-blazing full
moon overhead as Dan strode forward almost anticipating taking a .44
before he got a shot off.
Johnny had just shoved his fourth cartridge into the loading gate when he
glanced up and was shocked to see the deputy walking straight at him, so he
quickly leveled his Winchester and squeezed the trigger.
Dan was only a hundred and twenty yards out when Johnny fired, and
knew he could suffer a fatal hit at that range, but he never knew where the
last bullet ever fired by Johnny Williams went as he stopped and pulled his
own trigger.
A fraction of a second later, his .45 ripped through Johnny’s black hair,
then essentially took off the top of his head as bone and brain tissue
exploded across the muddy Colorado ground.
Dan didn’t even move his Winchester’s lever again as he began walking
toward Johnny, creating eddies in the cloud of gunsmoke as he moved the
particle-laden air aside. He knew when he’d fired that he hadn’t missed but
didn’t know the extent of the damage caused by the fatal shot.
When he was twenty yards out, he grimaced at the sight but kept
walking. When he reached Johnny’s body, he rolled it over and went
through his pockets to find some cash and change which he stuck in his
pocket, but nothing else. He then removed his gunbelt, picked up his still-
hot Winchester, and headed back to the horses.
He was numbed by all of the tension of the last hour or so, but had a lot
to do before he prepared for his return tomorrow,
or was it later today?
He
looked up at the man in the moon and smiled. He’d be going home without
any new holes.
 Dan put the Winchester and rolled gunbelt on his packhorse, then
mounted Chester and rode to the big fire that had already begun to die.
It took him another ninety minutes before he felt he’d done all he could.
He found the Bank of Walsenburg’s cash stashed in one of their packhorse’s
panniers and was grateful for the large supply of better food, but he wasn’t
going to eat until he was ready to leave.
He’d found forty-one dollars and change on Earl’s body and after
removing his gunbelt, just left it with the other weapons he’d collected. He
dragged Earl’s body away from the campsite just so he didn’t have to see it.
He wasn’t about to dignify any of them with a burial as none of them
deserved it. They were no better than the animals that would soon consume
them.
It was probably just a few short hours before the predawn arrived, but
Dan finally stretched out on what was probably Johnny’s bedroll and stared
up at the night sky through the trees.
By the time he returned to Trinidad, Margaret’s wedding would be just
three days away and he wondered if she’d be wearing that necklace he’d
sent and smiled when he envisioned John Anderson’s reaction to seeing it.
Maybe he’d take credit for it. It would probably be better if he did. Still, he
hoped that it worked out for her.
But then there was Susanna and her own fears, fears that were
unfounded yet capable of ruining her life. He tried to see her as she really
was behind that wall of guilt and deception and was finding it more difficult
to see her as the innocent young woman that he’d become to believe her to
be.
The massively long adrenalin rush had taken its toll and Dan finally
almost passed out into a dreamless sleep.
 CHAPTER 8
By the time Dan had the four riding horses saddled and the two
packhorses loaded, it was mid-morning. He’d fixed himself a hot breakfast
and had to make four trips to the creek to fully extinguish the massive fire
the Williams brothers had built.
It was a much different weather pattern over southeastern Colorado
when he set off as the sun blazed in the east warming his back as he headed
west. He had his compass in his hand and wasn’t going to follow the trail
that they’d taken in their ride to escape because it would eventually take
him too far north of Trinidad. He’d angle to the southwest and by this time
tomorrow, he would reach Stockville where he’d send a telegram to his
father. There were closer, smaller towns north of Stockville, but they’d be
out of the way and add time to his return.
But with his decision to leave the bodies and not carry them back for
identification or burial, he’d be able to ride faster, the packhorses and other
trailers being the biggest drag.
_____
In the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Bill Hart and Deputy Sheriff Tom
Henderson were having coffee and reviewing the small stack of telegrams
that had been delivered that morning. None had been marked urgent, so
they hadn’t been dropped off the previous night.
“Still no word about Dan or those four killers and that bothers me,” Bill
said as he just stared at the top message.
“He’s all right, boss. He’s been gone for longer than this before.”
“I know, but that was when we knew where he was going and what he
was doing. This morning when I went home for breakfast, I had to lie to my
wife and tell her that I was sure that Dan was okay, but I’ve got to tell you,
Tom, I’m scared stiff. Those bastards were the biggest curse ever to set foot
in Colorado. Not one of them had a lick of conscience and would shoot
anybody for not laughing at one of their jokes.”
 Tom didn’t want to admit that he agreed with the sheriff’s belief that Dan
was probably dead, so he didn’t say anything.
Bill then said, “Well, at least Joe seems to have a good handle on things
in Walsenburg.”
“Do you figure they might offer him the sheriff’s job for keeps?”
“I’d be a bit surprised if they didn’t, Tom. He’s an experienced lawman
with a solid reputation and it would mean more money for his family, too.”
“We’d be really short, boss.”
“We already are, Tom, but right now, we need to find out where those
four killers went. If they didn’t go to Las Animas, then they most likely
curled around to the south to go to New Mexico where the Clark brothers
spent a lot of time. I’ll send a telegram to the Colfax County sheriff down in
Cimarron to warn him of that possibility.”
“What do you need me to do, boss?”
“Just follow our routine and keep an eye out and hopefully, we’ll get
news sometime during the day.”
Tom nodded and they each finished off their coffee, snatched their hats,
and left the office.
_____
The news about Dan’s apparent disappearance had spread through the
town even as the
Trinidad Coloradan
featured a story of the horror inflicted
on nearby Walsenburg by the dreaded Williams and Clark brothers and that
Deputy Sheriff Joe Farmer had gone to Walsenburg to control the resulting
chaos. The article ended by reporting that their own Deputy Sheriff Dan
Hart was in pursuit of the murderers.
Margaret read the news story as she sat in the sitting room as Angela
made the final adjustments to her wedding gown. They’d just fitted it while
she wore her corset and Angela found it needed to be taken in more at the
waist.
“Daniel is out there with four killers,” Margaret said.
 “I’m sure he’ll get them, Miss Lawrence,” Angela replied as she slid the
needle through the satin.
“I’m worried about him, Angela. This isn’t like anything else he’d had to
do before, and I’m not sure any one lawman has had to do before, either.
What if he’s killed?”
“I’m sure he won’t be, Miss, but it is the nature of his job.”
“I know. I feel so bad about rejecting his proposal. If he only had
accepted my father’s offer, he wouldn’t be out there risking his life or
perhaps already losing it. He would have been comfortable, and he would
be with me.
Why did he have to be so damned stubborn?”
She ended her rhetorical question by slamming the newspaper to the
floor.
Angela didn’t look up but thought that perhaps Miss Lawrence shouldn’t
have blamed Dan Hart and believed that Margaret’s own stubbornness was
much stronger and would cost her even more.
_____
Susanna looked out at the sunshine and decided she had to ride to
Trinidad to find out what had happened to Dan. It had been five days since
he’d gone, and she was worried.
Twenty minutes later, she was riding Pearl north rather than the longer,
western route. As she passed the Pearson farm, she spotted Willie Pearson
and thought that maybe she deserved someone like him after all. She was
sure she didn’t deserve to be with Dan.
Less than forty minutes later, she rode into Trinidad and walked her
Morgan down Main Street feeling out of place as she saw people walking
about the town.
She almost stopped at the sheriff’s office but took Dan’s advice about
talking to a woman and continued until she turned left on Eight Street and
immediately saw the big green house. She knew it wasn’t a mansion, but its
size did intimidate her somewhat.
 Susanna steeled herself and pulled up in front of the house, dismounted
and after tying off Pearl, took a deep breath and strode down the bricked
walk, stepped up the four porch stairs, and crossed the porch.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again and
knocked.
Thirty seconds later, the door swung open she knew instantly that she
was standing before Dan’s mother.
Before she could say a word, Libby smiled and said, “You must be
Susanna. Please come in.”
Susanna was surprised that Mrs. Hart knew who she was but stepped
into the house as Libby closed the door.
“Would like some tea, Susanna? I just made some for Julie and Pam.
They’re in the kitchen.”
“Tea would be very nice, Mrs. Hart.”
“Please call me Libby,” she said as she walked with Susanna down the
long hallway.
Julie and Pam had heard the exchange and were anxious to see the young
woman who had seemingly captured their brother’s attention.
As Susanna entered the kitchen, she smiled at Julie and Pam, and said,
“You must be Dan’s sisters. He described each of you to me.”
Julie and Pam rose, shook her hand and Julie said, “He told us about you
too, Susanna.”
She smiled nervously and took a seat as Libby set a cup of tea before her
and sat down herself.
“What brings you by, Susanna?” Libby asked.
“I was worried about Dan. He said he’d stop by after going after those
killers and he hasn’t. I know he was going to Denver first, but I’m still
worried. Did you hear from him?”
Libby sighed and replied, “I’ll be honest with you, Susanna. We’re all
worried, even his father. It was not only those two killers that he chased but
four of them. They killed the sheriff and deputy in Walsenburg and then
robbed the bank before escaping to the east and disappearing. No one has
seen or heard anything about them since.
“Dan sent a telegram saying he was leaving the train in Santa Clara and
chasing after them. That’s the last we ever heard from him and that was
three days ago. It wouldn’t be so frightening if we heard something. He
would have gone to the closest town to send a telegram if he’d been hurt,
but we haven’t gotten a word.”
Susanna was in a guilt-obsessed state of shock as she sat staring at Libby
with her blank blue eyes.
She finally whispered, “Nothing?”
“No. Nothing. Are you all right, Susanna?”
She slowly said in a distant monotone, “This is my fault. I’m the one
who caused this. It’s all my fault.”
Libby took Susanna’s hands and said softly, “No, Susanna, it’s not your
fault. If nothing had happened to you at all, Dan would still have done what
he did. Don’t make the mistake of blaming yourself for this.”
“I’m a terrible person,” she said as she slowly stood and without another
word, she quickly turned, jogged down the hallway, burst out the front door,
and before Libby could even reach the parlor, she had mounted her Morgan
and set her toward Main Street at a fast trot.
Libby, Julie, and Pam watched her as she turned east and then
disappeared from view.
“Do you want me to go after her, Mom?” Julie asked.
Libby shook her head and answered, “There’s nothing we can do, Julie.
If Dan doesn’t come home, then she’ll have to live with whatever guilt she’s
created for herself. If he does, he’ll be the one who can make things right.”
The three Hart women then returned to the house to finish their
lukewarm tea.
_____
 Dan had taken three breaks already, stopping at every stream he passed,
and soon crossed the Chaquaco River, enormously pleased with this
progress. He hadn’t stopped for lunch but simply eaten from Chester’s back
as they trotted along. He knew that he was only about twenty miles out of
Stockville, and it was only mid-afternoon.
That would put him into the town well before sunset, the same place
where he’d gotten his ’76 from Jack Parker just a couple of weeks ago. He
wondered why his original estimate was so far off and began to rethink the
numbers and finally just attributed it to the weather and having to modify
his speed and direction so often. He was riding in essentially a straight line
and not following the winding path he’d taken earlier, and no one was
shooting at him either.
Three hours later, the sun was in his eyes and he didn’t pick up the
buildings of Stockville until he was just three miles out, and even then, he
had to tilt his hat’s brim down to block the sun to be sure.
When he rode into Stockville trailing the five horses, he created
somewhat of a stir. He hadn’t shaved in three days and even with his clean
clothes, he knew that he must have looked like a displaced cow hand if it
wasn’t for his badge.
He pulled up in front of the Western Union office, stepped down from
Chester, stretched his aching back, and twisted left and right before tying
his reins, stepping onto the boardwalk, and walking through the open door.
The operator was snoozing and was startled awake when Dan entered.
“I need to send an urgent message,” Dan said as he turned to the waist-
high shelf, slid a blank sheet of paper from the stack, picked a pencil from
the cup, and began to write.
He finished the long message and handed it to the operator.
Discarding any sense of professionalism, he asked quickly, “You killed
all of them, Deputy?”
“Yes, sir, but I need to let the sheriff know, so I’d appreciate it if you
could put that on the wire to Trinidad.”
 The telegrapher grinned and replied, “You bet!”, then whipped around,
sat before the key, and sent a quick wake-up alert to Trinidad. After he
received a three-click reply, he began tapping out the long telegram.
When he’d received the reply, he stood, then turned to Dan and said,
“That’ll be eight-five cents, Deputy.”
Dan gave him a dollar bill and collected his change as the operator
asked, “May I keep your sheet?”
“Sure. I’m going down to get something to eat and then head over to the
livery. I’ll swing by before going to the hotel to check for a reply.”
“I’m sure there’ll be one, sir.”
Dan smiled, tipped his hat, turned, and left the office. It was time to get
some good food into his stomach but decided he’d take the poor animals to
the livery first. He’d considered leaving them with the liveryman rather
than making the thirty-mile ride to Trinidad but realized that they were the
only real evidence he had that all of the outlaws were dead.
He knew that his father would believe him as would most of the folks in
Las Animas County, but he needed them to make sure that those who
offered the substantial rewards would pay the money.
So, he led the animals down the street to the closer of the two liveries to
get them free of their leather trappings and burdens before he went to the
café.
_____
Tom had night duty and was alone in the jail with his feet on the desk
when Paul Ullman shot into the door his face ready to explode.
Tom jerked his feet from the desk and popped up as Paul shouted, “He’s
okay, Deputy! He got ‘em! He got ‘em all!”
Tom snatched the message from Paul’s bouncing hand and as he read, he
absent-mindedly reached into his pocket for a nickel, gave him a quarter,
and couldn’t have cared less.
“Thanks, Paul. I gotta run.”
 He grabbed his hat and followed Paul out the door, not bothering to even
close it as he ran west crossing the street at an angle as he headed for Eighth
Street.
_____
There was a somber cloud hovering over the dinner table as the Hart
family avoided talking about Dan’s absence. The longer the day had gone
without news, the more they each came to accept the fact that he wouldn’t
be returning. The arrival and hasty departure of Susanna had added to the
miserable atmosphere. The depressed mood made any conversation difficult
so when Tom called out as he rounded the back of the house everyone heard
him and turned to stare at the door.
Tom bounded onto the back porch knowing that the family would be
eating supper and with a giant grin on his face, he plunged through the open
door, spotted his boss, and without saying a word thrust the telegram out to
him.
Dan saw his deputy’s joyful appearance, then snatched the telegram,
unfolded it, and read:
SHERIFF BILL HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
TRACKED ALL BROTHERS ACROSS COUNTY
CAUGHT UP WITH THEM IN HIGBY CANYON
SHOT AL CLARK
RAINS CAME BUT TRAILED OTHER THREE
HARRY CLARK SHOT BY WILLIAMS
AFTER HORSE DIED
GUNFIGHT WITH WILLIAMS BROTHERS
NEAR TWO BUTTES RIVER BOTH DEAD
WILL RETURN TOMORROW
TOOK NO HITS
 LOVE TO ALL
 
DEPUTY DAN HART STOCKVILLE COLO
 
Bill looked up at Tom as he fought back tears of absolute joy, smacked
him on the shoulder, and handed the telegram to Libby as he said, “Dan’s
safe and coming home. He got every one of those bastards!”
Julie and Pam joined him in laughter fueled by their incredible relief, but
Libby just wept as she tried to read the words.
Bill then said, “Libby, keep my food warm. I’m going to send a reply to
Dan.”
Libby nodded, wiped her eyes, and waved.
Bill then followed Tom out of the door and once on the ground, began
fast walking back to his office.
“I can’t believe he did this,” Libby said as she stared at the telegram.
“I can,” replied Julie, “Now, we can have a nice, normal dinner and just
gossip about Margaret and John Anderson.”
Pam laughed and started a much happier chat.
_____
Dan left the diner with a full stomach and a bunch of new friends. After
he’d found a table, there was an unending line of people who approached
him to ask what had happened. He cordially answered their questions
because it was part of his job. He knew it was important for the citizens of
Las Animas County to understand the lengths to which the lawmen who
accepted their taxes for their salary would provide the best protection
possible.
The pursuit and stopping of the four killers were just that to Dan and
nothing more. Since his conversation with Henry Lawson, he’d no longer
blamed the killers for what he’d thought they’d done, but they were still an
enormous threat to the good folks in Las Animas County and a lot of other
places, including Kansas.
He was heading for the telegraph office when he met Jack Parker, who
had just heard the news from a customer and was looking for him.
After telling Jack the story, he told him that it was the Winchester ’76
that he’d given him that had provided the edge allowing Dan to kill the
worst of the bunch. Jack was enormously pleased with that news and told
Dan to be sure and stop by his bakery before he left Stockville in the
morning. Dan promised he would and shook the rotund baker’s hand before
continuing his walk to the Western Union office.
He stepped through the doorway, correctly assuming that the only reason
the door was still open at all at this hour was that his father had replied.
“You received a reply right away, Deputy Hart,” the man said as he held
out the telegram.
“I figured I would,” Dan replied as he accepted the yellow sheet of
paper.
Dan read:
DAN HART STOCKVILLE COLO
 
WE CAN ALL BREATHE AGAIN
ANXIOUSLY AWAIT STORY
INCREDIBLE JOB
JOE ACTING SHERIFF IN WALSENBURG
 
BILL HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
Dan replied, “Thanks. I’ll head to the hotel and you can lock up.”
“I was just waiting for you.”
 Dan waved and left the telegraph office as exhaustion overtook him
while he slowly walked to the hotel where he got a room and was barely
able to pull off his boots and gunbelt before flopping onto his back and
falling asleep.
_____
Susanna had been in such a horribly distracted state on her hurried return
to the farm that she hadn’t even paid attention to the Pearson farm or
Willie’s notice of her passing. She was alone and as Willie watched her ride
past, he knew that he had to leave the farm now or he’d never be free of this
place.
Tomorrow morning, he’d pack his things and saddle the mule that
Susanna had left them, and then he’d go to see her and take her away from
Las Animas County.
_____
The sun was down, and Susanna hadn’t even bothered eating supper or
lighting a lamp. She was lying on her bed and wondered who else would die
because of her. Her mother died because her father wanted to make her his
new wife. She’d murdered her father rather than let him have his way with
her, and now she’d caused Dan Hart’s death with her lies.
As she remembered those warm brown eyes, the compassion for her
imaginary hurt had soothed her yet made the lie much worse.
Why couldn’t
he be some stern, heartless lawman who wouldn’t believe her and forced
her to confess her crime?
By now, she’d be dead, and Dan would still be
alive. She didn’t believe Libby when she’d said that Dan would have
chased after the four killers alone just because he felt it was his job. He’d
gone because of her.
She was so upset, she no longer cared if the devil himself walked
through the open door, ravished her, and left her dead. It should have
already happened.
_____
Dan’s pocket watch alarm had almost made its last ding when he
silenced it, sat up in the bed, and yawned before swinging his feet to the
floor stretching his arms wide, and yawning again before standing.
The morning sun was already streaming through the window, and he felt
immensely better after the long sleep. He found his shaving kit and left the
room with the kit and headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall.
He scrubbed his face and painfully scraped the hard whiskers from his
face, creating more wounds than he’d received in the gunfights with the
four dead outlaws. He returned to his room, understanding he’d need a real
bath when he returned to Trinidad. Then he’d ride down to the Lawson farm
and have a serious talk with Susanna. The long sleep or bright sunlight
hadn’t done anything to push away his disappointment and concerns about
her duplicity regardless of the reason. Yet losing Susanna before he even
gave her a chance was worse than losing Margaret.
He shook his head and finished dressing, strapped on his gunbelt before
he exited the room, dropped his key at the desk, and left the hotel to get
some breakfast.
_____
The bright sunshine ameliorated Susanna’s despondent mood somewhat,
so she ate breakfast and then did some cleaning in the house before she
walked through the open door and stepped out into the pleasant chilly air.
Then the lack of any riders which would have made her happy two
weeks ago, sent her back into despair knowing that Dan would never be
riding to the farm again.
She turned and headed back into the house, leaving her gunbelt hung
over the bedpost.
_____
At the Pearson farm, a family bruhaha was well underway after Willie
had told his father that he wasn’t going into the fields to help today and that
he was going to leave the farm and start his own life.
The hostilities commenced when his father reminded him that he had an
obligation to the family, and if he was going to leave, he could do it after
the crops had been harvested. Then it went from just two males shouting to
assert their dominance to an all-out chaotic melee as John, James, Alice,
and both daughters began to add their loud voices to the intense debate.
The argument ended when Willie shouted, “To hell with all of you!”,
then whipped around, snatched the cloth bag with his belongings, and
stormed out of the kitchen heading for the barn.
James began to leave to talk sense into his younger brother when his
father caught his arm and said, “Let him leave, James. He’s got no place to
go.”
Jenny then said, “He’s going to go after Susanna. I know he will.”
John replied, “I warned him not to see her because she was protected by
Dan Hart. He’ll leave her alone.”
Alice said, “John, maybe James should follow him to be sure. He’s really
angry and I don’t think your warning mattered to him at all.”
“It doesn’t matter if I said it, Alice. It’s the fear that he’d run afoul of
Dan Hart that would keep him away from the Lawson farm.”
“No, Papa, I don’t think that will make any difference at all,” Jenny said
as she stared at the open door.
“We have a lot of work to do and only two sets of hands now. I can’t
afford to send anyone to follow him,” John said, then turned to James and
said, “We’re running late, so let’s get out into those fields. The weeds are
threatening to take over.”
“Yes, sir,” James said as he followed his father out the door.
Jenny looked at her mother who said, “He’s a grown man, Jenny. Let
him go.”
Fifteen minutes later, Willie felt a measure of satisfaction as he rode the
mule out of the barn, crossed the access road, then turned south. He had
twenty-six dollars in his pocket and two bags containing everything else he
owned in the world. Now, he just needed a wife.
Dan had enjoyed a big breakfast and stopped to see Jack Parker who
gave him a big bag of doughnuts to take with him before he headed for the
livery.
 When he entered, he found Chester and the others already saddled, and
the liveryman in the process of loading the panniers on the packhorse.
“Morning,” Dan said as he walked through the entrance.
“Mornin’.”
Dan walked to the remaining pannier put the doughnuts inside and hung
it on the other side of the packhorse before tying them down, not even
bothering to check if all of the bank’s money was still inside.
Dan mounted Chester and waved before walking him out of the barn and
turning the long parade of animals west to leave Stockville. He should be in
Trinidad by two o’clock.
Susanna was still in the house, sitting at the table just staring at the dull
wood surface. She had been thinking about going to the barn to saddle Pearl
and just ride away, never to return but that was too cowardly, even for her.
She deserved to suffer.
So, she just stayed in the chair almost oblivious to the sounds outside as
she let grief over Dan’s death exacerbate her enormous guilt. She’d never
been so miserable.
Willie had the mule moving at a fast trot and was less than a mile from
the Lawson house and looked for movement. She had to be either in the
house or in the barn but wasn’t sure how she’d react to his request that she
come with him. When she’d dropped off the mule, she’d acted as if he had
disgusted her, but maybe he’d misunderstood.
Susanna’s head jerked to the right at the sound of the approaching
hoofbeats and quickly stood and hurried to the window with joyful tears
already forming in her eyes knowing that Dan was alive. She’d already
promised herself that she’d have to confess to him, regardless of the
consequences. She couldn’t keep living like this.
When she reached the window, her joy evaporated when she recognized
Willie Pearson riding her mule. He had two big bags behind the saddle, so
she thought he’d been sent by his mother to bring her more food which she
didn’t need.
 She exhaled and slowly walked to the doorway and stepped onto the
porch to tell him that she didn’t need the food.
Willie spotted Susanna when she suddenly appeared at the door and
slowed the mule to a walk as he neared the house.
He was dismounting when he said, “Good mornin’, Susanna.”
Susanna had her arms folded as she replied, “You can go back home,
Willie. I don’t need anything.”
“Sure, you do. You need me, and I need you. I’m I’ outta here and I’m
takin’ you with me.”
“
What?
” she asked in surprise unsure of whether to laugh or run back
inside and slam the door.
Willie stepped onto the porch just three feet before her and said,
“C’mon, Susanna. You ain’t got anybody and I aim to head to Walsenburg
and start a new life for myself. I need a wife and you’re the prettiest girl I
know.”
Susanna was ready to laugh at the idea when his words ‘you ain’t got
anybody’ echoed in her consciousness and Dan’s death slammed into the
front of her mind. Suddenly Willie’s appearance and repugnant idea seemed
to be an almost divine punishment for her sins, the murder, lies, and now
Dan’s death. All of them committed just to keep herself alive, and Willie
was sent to make the rest of her days as painful and meaningless as
possible.
She looked at him and said, “Alright.”
Willie was stunned by her quick agreement and grinned as he said, “We
gotta get goin’ right away. I kinda got my pa mad at me before I left. Let’s
get your things.”
Susanna turned and entered the house with Willie close behind. He’d
never been inside the Lawson home before, so once inside he did a quick
inventory of what she had and was more than happy to see the Winchester
and box of cartridges near the table.
As he strode to grab the gun, he asked, “You got any money?”
 Susanna didn’t answer but pulled the thirty dollars Dan had given to her
from her pants pocket and left it on the table as she began to gather her
clothes and stuff them into two of the original two cloth bags Dan had
brought. Dan had given her everything that she owned, and she’d been the
cause of his death.
She didn’t pay attention to Willie as she packed her other necessities.
After stuffing the bills into his pocket, Willie found her gunbelt and
strapped it around his waist feeling like a real man for the first time in his
life as he began to practice drawing the Colt.
Susanna tied the bags’ drawstrings and said, “I’ve got to saddle my
horse.”
Willie forgot about the pistol as he excitedly asked, “
You have a horse?
”
“She’s in the barn,” Susanna replied as she hefted the two bags and left
the house.
Willie snatched the Winchester and cartridges, then trotted through the
open door and quickly caught up with Susanna.
“You ride the mule. He’s yours anyway. Where’d you get a horse?”
Susanna kept walking to the barn as she replied, “Dan Hart gave her to
me.”
“He’s dead, you know,” Willie said, almost gleefully having heard the
news that had raced through Las Animas County the day before.
Susanna couldn’t reply as she entered the barn and saw Pearl turn her
head to look at her with those enormous brown eyes.
“She sure is pretty,” Willie said as he leaned the Winchester against the
wall and set the box of cartridges on the floor nearby.
Susanna felt so empty inside as she replied, “I’ll saddle her.”
“You go ahead. I’ll get the mule.”
As Susanna mechanically began saddling the Morgan, Willie raced out
of the barn to bring the mule inside checking for any riders in anticipation
of either his father or Jenny chasing after him. Finding the pistol and
Winchester was exciting and the thirty dollars was an unexpected bonus,
but the horse was the real surprise. Riding a mule painted him as a dirt
farmer, but with a horse and a pistol, he’d be a man to be reckoned with.
His newfound persona meant that he wouldn’t really need a wife, but he
sure could use a woman.
Willie untied the mule and led him to the barn where Susanna was still
saddling the horse.
There was even a scabbard for the rifle!
He watched Susanna as she finished saddling the Morgan and
appreciated what he saw. He briefly thought of making her his woman right
now, but he was concerned that his father would soon appear and that could
be a disaster.
So, he picked up the Winchester and the box of cartridges, and as soon
as Pearl was saddled, he slid the repeater into the scabbard and moved his
bags onto the horse while Susanna hung her two bags on the mule.
But as she was preparing to mount, Willie quickly pulled her close and
kissed her hard as he let his free hand slide over her.
Susanna was repulsed but accepted her fate as justice.
Willie then released her and said, “You gotta do better than that,
Susanna.”
Susanna just mounted the mule and turned him out of the barn as Willie
adjusted the stirrups on the saddle for his longer legs.
By the time he’d mounted, Susanna was already two hundred yards west
of the barn following the path she’d been riding to get to the road beside the
tracks that would take them to Walsenburg.
Willie soon caught up with her and appreciated the mare.
When he was riding beside her, he asked, “Does the horse have a name?”
“Pearl,” she replied.
“Pearl? That’s a girlie name.”
 “She’s a mare,” Susanna replied as she slipped her fingers into her right
pants pocket and felt the smooth surface of the pearl necklace.
She knew she’d never wear it, but she couldn’t leave it either. Soon it
would be all she ever had from_____
As he trotted west, Dan had a lot on his mind, the least of which
involved what he’d done over the past three days.
Foremost was Susanna.
How had he misunderstood her so badly?
She’d
played him like a fiddle with her duplicity and lies. He thought he’d seen
into her soul through those big blue eyes, but he’d only seen what he
wanted to see; an innocent, injured, and tortured young woman. If he’d
done his job, he would have seen the truth, but he hadn’t.
Who was the real
Susanna Lawson?
Would he ever really know?
He knew he’d have to go and talk to her, just to let her know that she had
no more reason to lie or be afraid,
but what then?
He desperately wanted
her to be that innocent young woman with the wonderful laugh who could
make him smile from the inside out,
but was that even possible anymore?
Then there was Margaret’s marriage in two days. Suddenly, the necklace
seemed like a bad idea.
What if she realizes that he’d sent it to her and gets
wind of the treasure?
He knew that he didn’t want to resume their
relationship, but she might expect him to do just that.
But Margaret was secondary to Susanna. He just didn’t know if there
was any chance of overcoming the lies.
It was early afternoon and he knew that Trinidad would soon appear on
the horizon as he led the four horses along the road. Once he returned, he’d
write his long reports and have his father file for the rewards on the
Williams and Clark brothers. Some of the more populous counties already
passed ordinances prohibiting lawmen from receiving posted rewards, but
Las Animas County, like many of the sparsely populated ones, understood
that it would be more difficult to keep good law officers if they did. He had
plans for that money, which he knew was around twenty-four hundred
dollars. He’d have to run the bank’s money back to Walsenburg, too.
With Joe gone to Walsenburg, there would have to be adjustments in the
office until his father hired a replacement deputy. So, in an effort to push
 aside the concerns about Susanna, he began to concentrate on potential
replacements to waste the last hour of the _____
For the first three hours after leaving the farmhouse, Susanna hadn’t said
a word as she bounced on the mule’s saddle wishing she’d adjusted the
stirrups. Willie had been babbling about how great it would be to be away
from the farm and he’d make her happy that she’d come along. Although
she hadn’t noticed that he no longer referred to her as his wife, just his
woman, it really didn’t matter. He could have called her his whore and it
wouldn’t matter. She was just serving her sentence.
When they were just five miles south of Santa Clara, she finally asked,
“Where are we?”
Willie replied, “We gotta go to Santa Clara and then turn west to
Walsenburg. We’ll be there in a couple of hours. Then we’ll get something
to eat and I’ll find us someplace to stay.”
Susanna didn’t reply, understanding what would happen after he found
them someplace to _____
Dan turned the convoy into the main street, immediately attracting the
attention of pedestrians and riders alike. He had to return a few waves, but
most of the townsfolk simply gawked, having already heard the news of the
shootout.
He pulled Chester to a stop in front of the open door of the sheriff’s
office and didn’t have to announce his arrival when he heard Tom’s shout.
“Boss! Dan’s back!”
As he was dismounting, his father and Tom Henderson shot out of the
jail but didn’t ask any questions yet. He wasn’t in a particularly good mood
to provide answers.
So, he just said, “Boss, the story is a long one, and I’d rather not repeat it
too often, so can we return to the house so I can tell it to everyone just
once? Tom can come along, too.”
“That’s a good idea, Dan. What do you want to do with the horses?”
 “Let’s just drop them off at Wally’s Livery on the way to the house. You
and Tom can ride one of their horses.”
“You have all of theirs?”
“No, sir. Harry Clark’s horse broke his leg and they finished him off and
the Williams brothers finished off Harry.”
“All part of the story, I guess,” Bill said before returning to his office to
retrieve his_____
As the three lawmen entered the Hart home through the front door, Dan
wasn’t surprised to find that his mother must have anticipated his return and
had a covered plate on the parlor table waiting for him. But he never
reached it before he was engulfed by Hart femininity as his mother and
sisters embraced him.
“You scared us to death!” his mother exclaimed after kissing him and
stepping back.
“I’m sorry, Mom. There just weren’t any telegraph lines out there.”
“Well, you sit down and tell us what happened. There’s some ham and
potato salad under the cover.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Dan said as he removed the cover and took the fork
and the plate, sat down, and waited for the others to sit.
He then took out his notebook and began the narrative about the chase
and the shootouts in the concise, official language that it deserved. He
mixed bites of the ham and potato salad in with the story, which took almost
twenty minutes including the time to answer questions.
When he finished, he said, “I’ve got to head back to the jail to write my
reports, but before I do that, I need to ride down to the Lawson farm to talk
to Susanna.”
Libby said, “She came here yesterday, Dan.”
“She did?” he asked in complete surprise.
“Yes, and she seemed very upset and then asked about you. I told her
that we were all concerned because we hadn’t heard a word from you in
three days. I think she understood that we all believed you had been killed.”
“I really am sorry, Mom.”
“I know. But tell that to her. She kept saying that what happened to you
was her fault.”
Dan sighed and said, “I think I know why she might believe that, too.
When I was returning from Denver, I stopped at Pueblo to get something to
eat. I was approached by a man I found to be her brother, Henry. He spotted
my Las Animas County badge and asked me to check on Susanna because
he’d deserted her and felt guilty about it.”
Bill said, “That was in your initial report. Wasn’t it?”
“In my report, it said that he’d left the farm in November of last year
because that’s what Susanna told me, but it was really just April of this
year.”
“
She lied?
” a startled Libby asked.
Dan nodded and said, “About that and a lot more. Two months ago, the
Lawson farm wasn’t visited by the Williams brothers or any other pair of
bad men. A few days before that horrible night, her father, Bob, had
murdered his wife. He had Henry help him bury her behind the barn.
Susanna and Henry both suspected, but hadn’t witnessed the actual killing,
but heard the struggle and the sudden silence.
“Then, according to Henry, Bob Lawson threatened him and told him to
leave the farm, which he did, taking some of the household money with
him. The reason he approached me in Pueblo was that he’d felt so guilty
leaving Susanna alone with their father. Henry said that Bob had made it
clear that he wanted to make Susanna his wife, even before he murdered
their mother. He was so afraid of their father, that he ran all the way to
Pueblo and never even bothered to notify us to protect her, which is why he
felt so guilty and ashamed of his cowardice.”
“So, her entire story was fabricated?” Bill asked.
“Pretty much,” Dan replied, “but I believe I can guess what happened
after that because I’ve been giving it a lot of thought and it’s the only thing
that makes any sense.”
 “Go ahead,” his father said as he was already trying to come up with a
valid reason for the false report.
“The fact that she was still alive and there was no sign of her father, I
believe that she killed him when he tried to make her his new wife. I can’t
imagine how horrible that must have been. It really is beyond my ability to
comprehend. I don’t know how she killed him, but she had to have dragged
that big body out to the barn where he’d buried his wife and buried him in
the same hole. That was two months ago, so she’d been living with that
nightmare for all that time, terrified that someone might come and find her
alone.
“For two months, she lived alone until she ran out of food and had to go
to the Pearson farm. She had to know that someone would show up at her
door, so when I showed up the next day, she made up the story about the
two killers arriving at night. The only reason for her to make up that story is
that she believes that she committed murder and would hang. Other than
that, she would have just told the truth.”
Bill asked, “So, you’re heading down there now?”
“Yes, sir, but I’d like to talk to mom for a little while before I do.”
“Alright,” the sheriff replied as he stood and looked at Tom and said,
“Let’s get back to the office, Deputy. We’ll stop at the livery to pick up the
horses. I need to send out telegrams to the folks that offered those rewards
and one to Joe that the bank’s money will be returned within three days.”
Bill then headed out the front door with Tom trailing as Dan rose and
waited for his mother to follow him into the kitchen leaving Julie and Pam
alone to talk about Susanna’s story.
After they sat down, Dan asked, “Mom, I wanted to talk to you about
Susanna. When I first talked to her, I saw those big blue eyes and forgot my
job as a lawman. I only saw her as an innocent victim and believed every
word of her story without question. I began to have doubts about her story
when she kept acting as if she was guilty about something, but still didn’t
press the issue.
“It was only after I talked to Henry that I realized she’d deceived me
from the start. If she was just another case, then it wouldn’t bother me this
much, but I really thought that I had found the right woman to marry after
that debacle with Margaret. She seemed so honest and, well, innocent. I
enjoyed talking to her and her laugh made me smile inside. Now I feel like
a fool for the second time. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I get down there
and tell her that I know what happened. What do you think?”
Libby smiled at her son and replied, “Dan, you’re looking at this as a
lawman and not just a man. Yes, Susanna lied to you, but if you’d seen her
face when she said that it was all her fault, you’d understand how much it
hurt her to do it. She was terrified that you might have died and thought she
was to blame for sending you off after those killers, even after I’d told her
you would do it even if she hadn’t been hurt. It’s not like the situation with
Margaret at all. To be honest, I never really trusted her and was relieved
when she chose to not marry you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s your life, Dan, not ours. Your father didn’t care for
Margaret, either. I guess you were just blinded by her appearance.”
“What do you think about Susanna?”
“I think she’s just how you first described her. She’s an innocent, sweet
girl who was put into an unimaginably bad situation. Try to picture yourself
as a petite young woman facing a brute of a man who intends to rape you.
The added revulsion that he’s your father would make it even worse. How
she was able to defend herself was nothing less than miraculous, but she
did. How do you think she’d feel about killing her own father?
“As you concluded, she probably believed she’d murdered her own
father and for two months, that festered inside her. I’m sure that she’s in
love with you, Dan. I could see it in her eyes when she discovered that you
might be dead. She was heartbroken and believed she was the cause. I saw
the real Susanna and liked every bit of what I found.”
Dan nodded and said, “I suppose I’ll find out when I get down there.”
“Do you love her, Dan?” Libby asked quietly.
“Mom, right now, I’m not sure about anything. I thought I was headed
that way before I talked to Henry, and I hope it turns out that way, but I
won’t know until I talk to her again.”
“Then get Chester on the road south and talk to Susanna. Maybe you can
bring her back with you to Trinidad and she can stay in your room so we
can all get to know her better.”
Dan smiled, rose, kissed his mother, and said, “Thank you, Mom,” then
turned and walked back down the hallway.
He grabbed his hat, waved to his smiling sisters, and left the house to
head to the office.
When he arrived, he found his father and Tom in the barn, unsaddling
the horses.
“What do you want to do with all of these supplies, Dan?” asked his
father.
“The money you can keep in your locked cabinet. Tom, you can take
most of the food to your house, just leave some of the trail food. The guns
and ammunition will go into the office, of course.”
“We’ll do that, but I reckon you’ll be taking Chester for a ride. Is that
right?”
“Yes, sir,” Dan replied as he took Chester’s reins and mounted and after
waving to his father and Tom, walked him out of the barn and headed east
to pick up the southbound trail.
_____
An hour later, acting Sheriff Joe Farmer had a telegram delivered to his
office and grinned when he read its contents.
He quickly left the office and headed for the bank to let them know that
every penny of their stolen money would be returned in a few days,
courtesy of Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff Dan Hart. The news soon
ripped through the town faster than a summer tornado as fretful depositors
realized that they wouldn’t suffer the fate to which they’d resigned.
By late in the afternoon, Walsenburg was almost in a party mood, despite
the loss of their sheriff and deputy, who had already been buried with a
large ceremony.
 _____
Other telegrams had gone out to the many agencies and individuals who
had added to the rewards on the Williams and Clark brothers, and the lone
reporter for the
Trinidad Coloradan
had paid a visit to the sheriff’s office
and was told that the report would be finished by the morning.
Just as it had in Walsenburg, the news of the tracking and successful
elimination of the four killers whipped through the town reaching every ear
by the middle of the afternoon.
_____
Two of those ears belonged to Margaret, who was writing invitations to
the wedding at her father’s desk when Angela arrived with the news.
She quickly set her pen back in its holder and asked, “Daniel returned
and got them all?”
Angela replied, “Yes, Miss. He rode in with all of their horses and even
got all of the bank’s money back, too.”
Margaret didn’t ask another question, but said, “Alright. Thank you,
Angela. I need to get these invitations finished today, so they can be
delivered tomorrow. The wedding is just two days away and it seems like
we still have a thousand things to do.”
“If you need any help, Miss, let me know.”
“Thank you, Angela,” she said as Angela left the office.
Margaret didn’t pick up the pen again but revisited an earlier decision
she’d made about asking Daniel about the necklace. She hadn’t mentioned
the necklace to John because she was sure that he’d say that he’d bought it
for her even if he hadn’t. Daniel would tell her the truth, and if he had
bought it, that would demand further explanations. When she’d believed, as
most had, that he had died in a distant gunfight with those killers, she hadn’t
thought about the necklace again. But he was back now and she decided
that she’d go and visit him later when he was alone in the jail, as he
probably would be. With her wedding on Wednesday, she needed to know.
If he somehow had the money to buy the necklace, that would change
everything. Marie Antoinette had been wrong. Margaret could have her
cake and eat it, too.
_____
Willie and Susanna arrived in Walsenburg and headed for Underwood’s
Diner to have some lunch and even Susanna noticed the jubilant mood in
town.
After taking seats and placing their orders, Willie smiled at Susanna and
said, “When we were comin’ into town, I saw a place on the right that had a
sign sayin’ ‘room for rent’. I figure we’ll head over there after we eat.”
Susanna just nodded, her mood growing even more morose by the
minute as her fate loomed nearer.
When the waitress arrived with their food, Willie asked, “How come
everybody seems like it’s a holiday or somethin’?”
“Oh, they’re all excited because the bank is getting its money back from
that robbery last week. It doesn’t matter to me because I didn’t have any
money in there anyway, but a lot of people would have been really hurt if
they’d lost their life’s savings.”
Susanna almost missed it, but then looked at the waitress and asked,
“How is the bank getting its money back?”
She grinned and said, “You didn’t hear? A Las Animas County deputy
trailed those four killers almost a hundred miles and caught up with them in
that horrible rainstorm and had it out with them in a gunfight. He killed
them all and is bringing back the bank’s money.”
Susanna felt an enormous burden fly from her shoulders as she quickly
asked, “Is he okay? Did he get shot?”
“Not that I heard. He should be back in Trinidad today sometime.”
Susanna felt like laughing, forgetting her other concerns for the time
being as she said, “Thank you for the news.”
“Do you know the deputy?”
“Yes, I do. He’s an incredible man.”
 The waitress smiled and said, “He must be to do that,” then turned and
walked to another table.
Willie saw her face and said, “It don’t make any difference if he’s alive,
Susanna. You’re my woman now.”
Susanna was ripped back into the reality of her situation as her
temporary joy dissolved and was replaced by her somber acceptance of her
destiny.
“I know,” she replied as she began to eat.
Willie wasn’t happy with the news, but Susanna had agreed to be with
him, so how she felt didn’t matter.
_____
Dan passed the Pearson farm and noticed John and James out in the
field, waved, and after they waved back, he wondered where Willie was.
Since talking to his mother, Dan was determined to let Susanna tell her
story without passing judgement. He’d listen and try to truly understand her.
He wanted to be able to love her without reservation but wasn’t sure that it
was possible. Everything depended on what would happen in the next hour.
Twenty minutes later, he was approaching the Lawson farm and
immediately noticed the open door and lack of movement. He guessed that
she was in the house, probably still upset about his prematurely conceived
demise.
He found himself surprisingly nervous as he neared the house, more than
he’d ever been when engaged in a dangerous situation even that last one
with Johnny Williams.
Dan dismounted, tossed Chester’s reins over the hitchrail, and wondered
why Susanna hadn’t appeared at the doorway. Surely, she must have heard
the hoofbeats.
He shouted, “Susanna! It’s Dan!” but there was no response.
He trotted across the porch, entered the house, and froze. It wasn’t
because Susanna wasn’t there, but because all of her clothes were gone
along with the Winchester.
 He whipped about, and then left the house and jogged to the barn finding
it empty as well. Susanna had run away, and he felt sick.
Dan was about to return to Chester when he stopped and became a
lawman again. He had to determine what had happened and why she’d
gone.
As long as he was in the barn, he began his investigation by examining
the dirt floor. He found Susanna’s small footprints and larger, man-sized
prints left by boots with severely worn heels. His first thoughts were that
they’d been made by Willie Pearson. The conclusion was pretty simple
because Susanna had said that he seemed interested when she’d traded the
mule for the food, and he wasn’t in the fields as he’d passed the farm just a
little while ago.
He dropped to his heels and inspected the footprint evidence more
closely. There had been no signs of a struggle at all, so Susanna hadn’t put
up a fight. If she’d killed her father, he didn’t doubt she’d try to fight off
Willie if she was afraid.
He stood again and followed the prints outside and found the mule’s
hoofprints. What was odd was it appeared that Susanna’s smaller prints led
to the mule and not her Morgan. Willie must have taken her mare while she
rode the mule that Willie must have ridden from the farm. Like many
farmers, the Pearsons didn’t have any horses. He probably used the mule
she’d traded for food.
His question was,
did she go willingly?
He really wanted to believe that
she hadn’t and that Willie had pulled a gun on her and forced her to
accompany him, but he had to step back and examine the evidence,
something he hadn’t done the first time.
He’d stop by the Pearson farm on the return trip and ask if Willie had a
pistol. Susanna had the pistol and the Winchester, so she’d be able to
protect herself. If Willie was unarmed when he arrived, then she had to have
gone with him of her own free will.
Dan finally exhaled and mounted Chester and walked him to the west
side of the barn and picked up the fresh trail heading west. The two animals
were a good fifty yards apart at the start of the ride so that almost
guaranteed that Willie didn’t have a pistol pointed at her.
His investigation into Susanna’s disappearance was almost complete, he
rode away from the farmhouse leaving the door open.
Thirty minutes later, he turned into the Pearson farm access road and
after reaching the house, stepped down and tied off Chester as Alice
Pearson exited the house with Jenny and Tammy behind her.
“Good afternoon, Dan. I heard about you catching up with those four
killers, and I can’t tell you how happy we are to see that you’re all right.
Can I guess you’ve stopped by to ask about Willie?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What has he done?”
“Nothing as far as I know. I just wanted to ask if he has a pistol.”
“No. When he left, he said he wasn’t coming back and took all of his
things, and rode off on the mule that Susanna Lawson traded for the food.
Did you find him?”
“No, ma’am, but it appears that Miss Lawson rode off with him
voluntarily.”
Jenny asked, “Why would she do that? She didn’t even like him. When
she was here to trade for food, Willie tried to talk to her, but she just gave
him a hostile look and then ignored him.”
“I wish I knew, Jenny. Well, I’ve got to get back to the office and write
my reports. That’s going to take me a while.”
“I’d invite you in for coffee, but I imagine you do have a lot of work
ahead of you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan said as he smiled at the ladies, tipped his hat, and
mounted Chester.
“Stop by more often, Dan,” Jenny said as she smiled.
Dan didn’t reply but gave them a short wave, wheeled Chester about,
and headed back down the access road.
 As he turned north to Trinidad, he wondered what if anything, he could
do about Susanna. He knew that she didn’t like Willie, and that had been
confirmed by Jenny, but she’d gone away with him without hesitation, even
letting him take the Morgan he’d given to her. The Morgan was hers and the
thought of Willie in the saddle irritated him.
_____
After they’d finished their lunch, Willie and Susanna had returned to the
outskirts of Walsenburg where he’d seen the sign in the window saying
there was a room to rent, where they stepped down and tied off their horses.
They stepped onto the porch of the small house and Willie knocked on
the door, anxiously waiting for the homeowner to appear so he could be
alone with Susanna.
When the door opened, a woman of about thirty looked at him and then
at Susanna before asking, “What can I do for you?”
Willie smiled and said, “I was wonderin’ about the room you had to rent,
ma’am.”
“Oh, then come in and I’ll show it to you.”
Willie waited until Susanna entered the house and followed her inside as
the woman closed the door.
“It’s the bedroom on the left. The rent is ten dollars a month. Can you
afford that?”
Willie replied, “Yes, ma’am. What about food?”
“I can give you meals, but that will add another ten dollars a month.”
“That’s okay. Me and my woman need a place to stay.”
She glanced at Susanna again and asked, “Are you married?”
Before Willie could lie, Susanna quickly answered, “No.”
The woman surprised Susanna by smiling and saying, “That’s alright. I
live alone now because my husband left me two months ago.”
 Willie then spent more than a few seconds inspecting the older woman
with her more mature, abundant curves and she smiled back at him as he
did.
He then reached into his pocket, pulled out the fifty-plus dollars, handed
her two tens, and said, “That’s for the next month. What’s your name?”
She stared at him and replied, “Karen. Karen Randall.”
Willie held out his hand and said, “I’m Willie. Willie Pearson and that’s
Susanna.”
She took his hand, but didn’t shake it as she said, “It’s nice to meet you,
Willie.”
Susanna just stood and watched, unsure of what was happening. It really
didn’t matter to her whatever it was. She doubted that it would prevent what
would soon happen.
Willie kept Karen’s hand in his for another ten seconds as he
intentionally let her see him staring at her chest.
Karen thought that Willie might be the answer to her problems, if only
he didn’t have that girl with him.
When he finally released her hand, he said, “We’ll go and get our things
and be right back, Karen.”
“I’ll be waiting, Willie.”
Willie didn’t say a word to Susanna as they left the house and unloaded
their bags and returned two minutes later, leaving the Morgan and the mule
standing outside still saddled.
While they were outside, Karen popped free the top two buttons of her
dress letting Willie know her intentions, in the off chance he hadn’t
recognized them yet.
When Willie and Susanna reentered the house, Willie noticed the change
and hadn’t needed the modification to understand her designs and he
wanted his woman to be willing, unlike the young woman behind him.
Suddenly, Susanna had become a problem, not the answer. The question
was how to get rid of her.
 “Karen,” Willie asked as he stared at her exposed cleavage, “could you
give me a few minutes to talk to Susanna in private?”
“Go right ahead, Willie. Why don’t you use the bedroom?”
Willie smiled and turned to Susanna and said, “Let’s talk,” then took her
elbow, guided her into the bedroom, and closed the door.
She turned her big blue eyes to him and simply asked, “What?”
Willie then surprised her when he said, “Take off your pants.”
Susanna closed her eyes accepting the inevitable and took off her shoes
before loosening her belt and unbuttoning the britches before sliding them
down and dropping them to the floor.
Despite having an obviously lusty Karen waiting to be satisfied outside
the bedroom door, Willie still took time to admire Susanna’s legs and then
slid his hands along her thighs, despite Susanna’s holding them tightly
pressed together. But the reason he’d had her drop them wasn’t what she
believed. Her readiness to give him the thirty dollars made him believe that
she really had more money in another pocket.
Susanna shuddered when she felt his fingers and rammed her eyelids
together as tightly as possible.
So, as she stood with her eyes closed, he said, “Step back, Susanna.”
She took two steps back and waited for him to touch her again.
Willie then snatched up her britches, and after finding nothing in one
pocket, he discovered the pearl necklace in the other and was stunned. He
didn’t believe they were real, but still, even fake pearls of this size must be
worth thirty or forty dollars.
“Where’d you get these?” he asked as he held them out.
Susanna snapped open her eyes and was startled when she saw him with
the necklace dangling from his fingers. The sight of Willie with Dan’s gift
offended her as nothing else could.
“Give them back! Those are mine!” she exclaimed as she made a stab for
them.
 Willie quickly pulled them back and snarled, “I asked you where you got
them.”
“That’s none of your business. I should never have come with you,
Willie. Now, give them back!”
“The hell, I will. Now, pull on your britches and get out of here. I don’t
need you anymore. I have a real woman out there that I’m gonna enjoy.”
Karen heard the argument and was almost giggling, even as she
wondered what Willie had found that the girl didn’t want him to have.
Susanna knew that there was nothing she could do. Willie was bigger
and stronger than she was, and that other woman was outside, too. She
glared at him as she yanked her pants off the floor and quickly pulled them
on. She was still putting on her shoes when Willie slid the pearls into his
pocket and opened the door.
As she walked out of the room, Willie handed her five dollars and said,
“You can get a room for the night, and after that, I figure you can go back to
where I found you and then go crawlin’ back to Danny Hart.”
Susanna snatched the bill from his hand and as she passed Karen, she
grabbed her bags and left the house, slamming the door behind her.
After crossing the short porch, she stopped and let everything sink in.
She now had even less than she’d had this morning back at the farm and
most importantly, she’d lost the pearl necklace that Dan had given to her.
She had sworn that she’d never wear it and now, as bad as that was, the
realization that the despicable woman in that house would be hanging them
around her neck made it even worse.
She then walked to Pearl, tossed her bags over the Morgan’s back and
untied her reins, mounted, and headed back into Walsenburg to find
someplace to stay, still unsure of what she would do tomorrow, but knew
that she couldn’t return to the farm.
_____
Dan entered the office after leaving Chester in the barn and headed for
his father’s office, waving to Tom as he passed.
 “What did Susanna say, Dan?” the sheriff asked as he entered.
“She wasn’t there, Pop. I’m sure that she rode off with Willie Pearson
this morning heading west.”
Bill exclaimed, “
He kidnapped her?
”
“No, sir. I’m sure that she went along voluntarily. She’s an adult and
there’s nothing we can do.”
“That’s the lawman talking, Dan. You’re just going to let her go and let
her live with the belief that she murdered her father?”
“I don’t know that’s what happened, Pop. If I can’t talk to her, then it’s
just a guess.”
Bill sighed and said, “I think you’re making a mistake, son. Your mother
was very impressed with Susanna, and I thought you were as well.”
“I was, but that was before I discovered her lies. I’m still bolloxed about
that.”
“Well, you think about it, but if I were you, I wouldn’t give up so easily.”
Dan nodded and said, “I’ll go and get that report done.”
“I sent out those telegrams for the rewards. That’s a lot of money, Dan.”
“I know. What I was going to do is when I go to Walsenburg to return
the bank’s money, I’ll write two, twelve-hundred-dollar drafts on the
Denver account and give one to Art Tippet’s widow and the second to Ed
Fletcher’s. Those bastards took their husbands’ lives and that money should
go to them.”
“I’m proud of you for thinking that way, son.”
Dan just stood, turned, and left the office to get that long report done
freeing Tom to do the rounds.
_____
Susanna took a room at Musgrove’s Boarding House and realized that
her five dollars would last her exactly two full days, so she had to decide
immediately what to do about Pearl when she rode the mare to the Archer’s
Livery for boarding. She couldn’t afford to keep both, so with a heavy
heart, she agreed to sell the mare and saddle for seventy dollars. She now
had no way of leaving town unless she took the train or stagecoach, but she
had enough money until she could find work.
But what was she qualified to
do? And what jobs were even available for a young woman?
She shuddered
at the obvious answer but thought it was the ultimate in true justice. She
would lose her maidenhood in a whore house.
_____
Willie had none of those questions once the door had closed. Within
minutes, he had Karen’s dress off and she was ripping off his clothes. She
hadn’t taken time to ask about what that girl had that was so important but
would ask later when her needs were satisfied.
_____
Dan was finally finished with his six-page report and stood and stretched
but didn’t even think about leaving the jail to get supper. He had coffee on
the heating stove and some of the supplies from the manhunt and that was
enough. Now that his mind was free again, he returned to his dilemma
about Susanna.
He was pacing the floor, chewing on some venison jerky when he heard
someone enter the jail, turned and froze when his eyes beheld Margaret
passing through the doorway.
He recovered quickly and said, “Good evening, Margaret.
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. That’s the day after tomorrow,
isn’t it?”
“Yes, Daniel. I came by to see how you were. I thought that you’d been
killed.”
“Everyone seemed to have had that opinion.”
“May I talk to you for a little while?”
“Of course,” he replied as he held out the chair for her.
After she was seated, Dan stepped behind the desk and took the deputy’s
chair.
 “What would you like to talk about?” he asked.
“Can you tell me about the chase and gunfight?”
“I can. It wasn’t too bad, all things considered,” he answered.
He then gave a condensed, but factual account of the long hunt and the
exchange of gunfire.
When he finished, he asked, “How about you, Margaret? Are you happy
now?”
“Yes, I suppose so. I have one question though.”
Dan knew what it would be but didn’t know its format, which could be
critical.
Margaret reached into her purse, laid the necklace on the desk, and
asked, “Did you buy this for me?”
Dan looked at her and honestly answered, “No, Margaret, I didn’t buy
that for you. It’s an expensive piece of jewelry, isn’t it?”
She knew that Daniel wouldn’t lie to her, so she replied, “Yes, it is very
expensive. I only asked because when it was delivered, there was a note
included that sounded like something you would say, and it bothered me.”
“Why would it bother you, Margaret?”
“Because if I knew you had the means to buy this necklace, then I would
have married you, Daniel. Your answer removes that doubt. Knowing it
came from John makes everything right.”
“Good. I hope you have a good life, Margaret. We were never really
right for each other, you know.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I never really understood you, Margaret. I was dazzled by you and
never really took the time to know the real Margaret, which was my fault,
not yours. Our values are completely different and if we’d married, sooner
or later, that would have caused serious problems.”
 “You should have taken the job, Daniel,” she said as she slipped the
necklace from the desk, returned it to her purse, and stood.
“No, Margaret, that was the wisest decision I’ve ever made. I just wish
I’d made it sooner so I wouldn’t have made it so difficult for you.”
Margaret replied, “It wasn’t difficult for me at all, Daniel,” then turned
and left the jail.
Dan watched her go and realized that he understood her even less than
he’d thought.
He decided to delay his ride to Walsenburg until after the wedding,
wanting to make sure that Margaret and John were safely married before he
left town. He was concerned that somehow, the amount of money he had in
Denver would leak out. After all, her father was a banker.
Right now, even his own father didn’t know exactly how much he had on
deposit, but even if it was a third of what he actually had, it might be
enough to cause Margaret to have second thoughts and that would be a
disaster. Once she was married, it wouldn’t matter.
_____
After their hectic romp in bed, Karen lay curled up next to her new
bedmate and finally asked, “What did that girl have that you took from her,
Willie?”
Willie had no intention of giving the necklace to Karen, so he replied,
“Oh, just a bracelet made out of her mama’s teeth. Want to see it?”
Karen made a face and said, “No, thank you. Why did you even take
them?”
Willie had to come up with a quick answer, so he slid his hand across her
damp behind and said, “Because I enjoyed her mama a few times.”
Karen laughed and asked, “Well, aren’t you a bad boy?”
Willie kissed her and was happy that she hadn’t asked to see the
necklace.
_____
 Susanna lay on the bed in her room in the boarding house and tried to
keep her mind from returning to everything that had just happened. She’d
lost Pearl and the pearls, was stuck in a town she didn’t know, didn’t know
anyone, and even Willie had abandoned her. Granted, she’d been almost
fortunate that he’d discovered a willing woman to satisfy his urges, but that
was only a temporary respite and he might return. She was alone and
vulnerable.
She knew that Dan was back in Trinidad by now and might have gone to
the farm to find her. She found it ironic that she desperately wanted him to
find her yet at the same time was terrified that he might. She knew that
she’d have to confess if she did see him, and she would not only lose him,
she would hang for her crimes.
She finally pushed aside her insurmountable problems, and just decided
to slip into that fantasy world where Dan didn’t hate her but loved her. She
had her eyes closed as she imagined his arms around her and his lips on
hers. She had never even been kissed by a man before, so it took a vivid
imagination. Her mind provided sound to his voice and the sight of his
compassionate brown eyes to her vision.
She found herself smiling as she softly said, “Moose.”
_____
Dan wasn’t even in bed as Monday night turned into Tuesday. There was
no light in the jail as he paced in the back room, trying to decide what he
should do about Susanna. If she hadn’t gone away with Willie so
peacefully, he would have trailed them down right away and probably
caught up with them by now. But she had made her own decision and he
couldn’t understand it.
Why had she gone with Willie Pearson?
He finally decided that he might think better lying down, so he stripped
off his shirt, then stretched out on the bed and let his mind step back to
examine the bigger picture.
Susanna had killed her father and probably thought it was murder, not
justifiable homicide. Not many folks outside of law enforcement had ever
even heard the term. So, when he arrived to talk to her that first day,
what
were her options?
She believed she would face the noose if she confessed
to murder, so she lied.
What would he have done?
He’d like to believe that
he’d still tell the truth, but he finally admitted that he was looking at it as a
deputy who understood the law and not as an ignorant, frightened young
woman. It was when he finally put himself into her position that he realized
that she had no real choice at all. She had to make up a story and lie.
Once he crossed that hurdle, he let the next sequence of the story unfold,
when he’d shown up with his badge and the wanted posters. He recalled the
fear and indecision in her eyes as she looked at them. At the time, he
thought she was afraid because she might see the men who had committed
the crime. But if she knew they didn’t exist, then she’d have other fears and
understood that one of them would be that she was worried that he would
be hurt in pursuing killers based on her lie.
Dan felt his mind’s gears meshing as he continued the memory path. He
reached the point where he began to have feelings for Susanna and thought
she felt the same way and understood how that would make her feelings of
guilt even worse. Then he gave her the pearl necklace and told her that he
wanted to see her socially when this was all over. It was almost as if he was
saying, ‘if I live through this’ and putting an even greater burden on her.
He finally concluded that Susanna didn’t really want to go with Willie
but had decided that she had to leave or she’d either confess to Dan or
continue living the lie, which would have been almost impossible.
With his newfound belief that Susanna hadn’t really done anything
wrong at all, and that she really was the innocent, sweet young woman that
Henry had said she was, Dan decided that he’d get the money to
Walsenburg tomorrow, then he’d conduct a much more personal search for
Susanna. She couldn’t have gone far. He needed desperately to talk to
Susanna and hear the truth from her lips. He could look into those big blue
eyes and then he’d know if he needed to bring her back with him to
Trinidad and spend time understanding her.
 CHAPTER 9
Dan already had Chester saddled before his father or Tom arrived at the
jail. He knew he’d be carrying a lot of money with him on the ride to
Walsenburg and could have just sent the money via the coach or even the
train, but the stagecoach was following a schedule and he suspected that
news of the money’s return was well known in both Trinidad and
Walsenburg.
The train would take three days because it had to go all the way to a
large bank, probably in Pueblo where they’d store the money to wait for the
train to Walsenburg to pick it up the next day, and he believed the bank
needed the cash sooner than that. They’d already been short the money for
too long. He’d be traveling at an unscheduled time and shouldn’t attract too
much attention.
But as he was saddling the brown mare to use as a packhorse, an
additional safeguard crossed his mind. He had just placed the riding saddle
on the horse before he pulled it back off, then put the Williams brothers’
pack saddle on instead. He then hung two empty panniers on the pack
saddle, tied them down, then stuffed some hay inside to give them the
necessary bulk.
If he ran into trouble, he’d release the mare and probably be able to buy
himself some time. He almost laughed at the idea, though.
He attached the mare to Chester with a slip knot and led both horses to
the front of the jail, walked back inside, and took the Winchester ’76 and a
’73 from the rack, along with a box of cartridges for each weapon.
As his father entered the office, he said, “I see you’re ready to head to
Walsenburg.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll just need the saddlebags full of the bank’s money and head
that way. I should be there by one o’clock, then just drop off the money, talk
to Joe, get a quick lunch and come back. I should get back by seven.”
 Bill nodded and asked, “Have you decided what to do about Susanna?
Your mother is anxious to know.”
“I spent a lot of time last night thinking about her and what had
happened and decided that I’d have to find her and talk to her. I believe I
understand why she had to lie and even why she went with Willie. I just
hope I can find her before anything else bad happens to her. No matter
what, I want to help her make things better.”
“Good. Let’s get that money out of this office. I still think we should
send it by coach.”
“That would put them at serious risk, Pop. There’s only one route
between here and Walsenburg and they follow a schedule. The longer we
keep that money here, the more likely they’ll be facing a possible holdup.”
Bill didn’t reply as he entered his office, walked to the back wall, then
dropped to his heels to unlock the thick oak cabinet. He slipped the
saddlebags with the cash out of the cabinet, closed the door, and just slid it
across the floor to Dan, who snatched it up and hung it over his shoulder.
"If Joe is offered the sheriff’s job, let me know,” the sheriff said as he
stood.
“Yes, sir.”
As Dan crossed the front office, Tom entered and said, “Are you heading
out, Moose?”
“Yup. I’ll see you tomorrow, Tom. I’m pretty sure I’ll be coming back
with the news that we’re going to be needing a new deputy, too.”
“That’s what I figure. Good luck and avoid those .44s.”
Dan grinned, waved then headed out the door put the money saddlebags
on Chester, and secured them tightly, before mounting and turning him west
with the morning sun sending their shadows sixty feet before them down
Main Street.
_____
Susanna had breakfast in the boarding house with the other six guests
and felt out of place with so many strangers. There were two couples and
two single men who both smiled at her throughout breakfast.
After she finished eating, she didn’t know what to do, and thought the
safest place to go was the library, but didn’t know where it was, so she
asked Mrs. Musgrove, who gave her simple instructions.
So, as Dan was already five miles out of Trinidad and riding northwest
along the tracks, Susanna entered the public library almost as a sanctuary.
_____
Willie had shared more bedtime with Karen, then after having breakfast,
told her that he’d be getting rid of the mule now that he didn’t need it
anymore, but would be back soon.
He left the house, still annoyed that the horse had gone, but led the mule
down the street, and after selling him and the saddle for sixty dollars,
pushing his new balance to over a hundred and ten dollars, he decided to rid
himself of the pearl necklace that he’d gotten from Susanna.
He still believed it was just glass but headed into town to see where he
could sell it. They didn’t have a jeweler, but he did find a pawn shop on the
corner of Main and Jackson Street and went inside.
After a serious amount of dickering, he settled on twenty-eight dollars
for the necklace and left seriously annoyed. He’d expected almost fifty
dollars.
The pawnbroker made the same assumption about the necklace, based on
the appearance of the man who’d brought it to him, but admired the piece,
so he placed it in his window. The seller hadn’t wanted a ticket, making it
available for immediate sale, so he put a tag of eighty dollars on the
necklace as a starting point. He’d take fifty.
_____
Three miles east of Walsenburg, Jimmy LaPierre and Billy Barr sat on
their horses looking east.
“You sure he’s gonna come that way?” Billy asked.
“Unless he takes the train up to Pueblo and then takes the other one
south to Walsenburg, it’s the only way. I don’t figure he’ll waste any time
taking the train, either. He’s gotta come that way, even if he takes the train
to Santa Clara and rides the rest of the way.”
“We ain’t gonna just sit here, are we?”
“Of course, not. We’re gonna start riding toward Santa Clara and then, if
we still ain’t seen him, we head south on the road until we find a good place
for an ambush and set up.”
“What if he doesn’t come today?”
“Then we wait. We got enough food for a couple of days, but those folks
back in Walsenburg are gettin’ kind antsy about not havin’ their money. It’ll
be today or tomorrow at the latest.”
“You sure it’s only gonna be one of ‘em?”
“They only got three now and they ain’t gonna waste two for this job.
I’m tellin’ ya, Billy, it don’t get any easier than this.”
Billy nodded, then said, “Okay, let’s go.”
Jimmy grinned and set his black mare to a medium trot toward Santa
Clara, just another three miles away.
Jimmy LaPierre and Billy Barr weren’t hardened criminals with wanted
posters, but just local thugs who made a nuisance of themselves in
Walsenburg with petty thefts and by creating disturbances. Sheriff Tippet
had tossed each of them in jail multiple times over the years, but neither had
ever received anything more than a ten-day sentence. For that brief time,
before Joe Farmer arrived from Trinidad, they had caused more grief than
usual, then had quickly stopped making trouble altogether when they heard
about the pending return of the eight thousand dollars stolen from the bank.
With that much money, they could go where they wanted and with a
serious reputation, do whatever they wanted, too.
Now, all they needed was to find the deputy bringing the cash and kill
him.
_____
 Having this much cash with him made Dan even more diligent. When
he’d been riding back from the eastern half of the county, no one knew he
was coming, but he was sure that everyone in Walsenburg would be
expecting him, including maybe one or two who didn’t want the money to
get there.
Dan had been checking his backtrail every minute or so after leaving
Trinidad but was now examining the terrain for possible locations for an
ambush with much greater attention. He’d made this same ride recently
after meeting with Ed Fletcher just a couple of weeks ago, but he’d ridden
the same route dozens of times before, too.
The difficult thing about trying to ambush someone this close to the
tracks was that you had to have someplace big enough to hide your horse,
which limited those locations.
As he rode, he envisioned the landscape that lay between Trinidad and
Santa Clara and was grateful that the land was reasonably clear of serious
hiding spots near the road. The road ran just thirty yards to the east of the
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad’s tracks, and the ground on both sides of the
rails had been cleared to about fifty yards.
He knew of only three potential drygulch locations along the route he’d
be taking. Eight miles north of Trinidad there was a small pine forest
growing about a hundred yards on the eastern side of the tracks. That was
the first one he’d encountered. The second was a gulch, about thirty feet
across and eight feet deep another six or seven miles along the road. There
was a railroad trestle there that would provide good cover for a shooter.
The last one was a man-made creation that was very close in appearance
to the boulder cave where he’d found the treasure. It was a pile of rocks and
boulders just forty yards on the western side of the tracks that he hadn’t
noticed before the railroad had gone through. He assumed that the ground
crew must have encountered the boulders in their path and had decided to
have a little fun with them after moving them out of the way. It was a guy
thing.
That last major hiding spot was just five miles south of Santa Clara.
After he made the turn west on the Walsenburg-Santa Clara road, there was
nothing but a straight ride into Walsenburg with no place to hide a
drygulcher.
_____
Jimmy and Billy had made the turn south and were now just twenty-one
miles due north of Dan’s position and were almost three miles south of
Santa Clara when Jimmy spotted the boulder formation, pointed, and
shouted, “That’s where we’ll go, Billy!”
Billy just nodded as they set their horses to a fast trot to get in place for
the ambush.
_____
Twenty minutes later, Dan was nearing the first potential problem spots
and began to scan the trees for any movement. It wasn’t really an ideal
location because of the distance from the road, but Dan still moved Chester
to the far edge of the road to add extra space.
If anyone tried a shot from there, it would be difficult, unless he had a
long-range rifle like a Sharps and was back in the trees, but that was very
unlikely.
He was still on edge as he had Chester moving at a medium trot as his
eyes continued to scan the trees. Ten minutes later, he was past the forest,
and after a few more minutes with no one on his backtrail, he relaxed and
kept watching ahead for the gully which should be in sight within an hour.
_____
Jimmy and Billy had dismounted and after Billy hammered a tent stake
into the ground, they tied off their horses in a spot behind the boulders that
hid them from the roadway on the other side of the tracks. Then Jimmy
noticed a bonus that he hadn’t anticipated.
“Look at that!” he exclaimed as he pointed across the tracks.
“What is it?” Billy asked as he squinted at the four-foot-high black pile.
“It’s a bunch of broken ties. I guess the track layin’ crew couldn’t use
‘em, so they just dumped them there. I figure I can hide behind those ties
and when the deputy comes by, we can get him in a crossfire.”
 “How’s that gonna work?”
“Easy. I’ll be hunkered down behind those ties. You’ll be over here
behind those boulders with the horses, but you’ll be able to peek through
the cracks and see when he’s comin’. I won’t be able to do that, or he’ll spot
me. But you keep watchin’ and let him get real close until he spots ya. Then
you fire. If you kill him, that’s a bonus, but once I hear your shot, I’ll pop
up and start firing. He’ll be lookin’ your way and we’ll get him for sure.”
Billy smiled and said, “That’s a good idea, Jimmy. You goin’ over there
now?”
“Yup. Just need my Winchester and my canteen. I’m gonna leave my hat
over here, too.”
Billy was very pleased with Jimmy’s tactics and watched as his partner
removed his hat, hung it on his saddle horn, and removed his canteen and
Winchester before trotting to the tracks, stepping across, and continuing to
jog to the ties. Once he reached the pile, he waved back, then disappeared
from view.
_____
Dan spotted the gully ahead and again, watched for movement as he
approached, but this was a much more dangerous location than the forest. A
shooter, or shooters, could be anywhere within a hundred yards of each side
of that trestle. The road itself dipped down into the gully before returning to
level ground on the other side.
He kept Chester at a slow trot as he drew near and then pulled the
Winchester ’73 from its scabbard as he neared the gully but hadn’t seen
anyone.
When he reached the decline into the gully, he was already pretty sure
that it was empty because the shooter would have lost his advantage and he
could see the gully’s bed in front of him.
Once he was back on the other side, he breathed easier again and set
Chester and the brown mare back to a medium trot before he pulled his
pocket watch to check the time and found it to be almost three o’clock. The
afternoon train to Trinidad that he’d been taking before he made his hasty
exit in Santa Clara had already passed almost two hours ago, so he didn’t
expect to see any more traffic.
There was just one more potential ambush location and then he’d pretty
much be in Walsenburg.
_____
Thirty minutes later, Jimmy spotted Dan’s dust cloud three miles away
and almost shouted to Billy that the deputy was coming but was worried
that his shout might carry. Besides, Jimmy knew what he was doing. He
was going to wait for that first shot.
Billy then relaxed and continued to watch the deputy as he held his
cocked Winchester in his hand.
_____
As much as the gully had spooked Dan, that boulder formation bothered
him more because it could provide better cover for a shooter and allow him
to take the shot from behind the rocks without showing himself.
He was thinking of riding cross country to the east to put more distance
between him and the rocks when he noticed a black cloud on the horizon. It
had to be an unscheduled freight or coal train that was heading this way, but
the train’s arrival provided Dan another option. He could time the passing
of that boulder formation with the train acting as cover. He found the idea
tickled his fancy as much as anything else because he’d have to start his
calculations now.
The boulder formation was already in sight about two miles away. He
had Chester and the mare moving at a medium trot, so they’d pass the
boulders in another ten minutes or so. The train was probably five miles
north and might be just leaving Santa Clara after taking on water, so it
wouldn’t be up to full speed yet. But if it was already doing thirty miles per
hour, it would pass the rocks in just six minutes, so he’d have to pick up the
pace. He’d be able to slow if he had overestimated the train’s speed, but he
wouldn’t be able to make up for lost time if he was wrong.
So, he kicked Chester up to a fast trot as he kept his eyes focused on the
oncoming train.
 Billy hadn’t seen the train yet as he was focused on the deputy who
would be in range in just a couple of minutes.
Jimmy hadn’t seen Dan but was watching the oncoming train more out
of curiosity than anything else. He liked trains and thoroughly enjoyed
having them thunder past making the ground shake. He wished he had
thought ahead and put a penny on the tracks as he had crossed over to the
pile of broken crossties. It was too late now.
_____
Dan recalculated his convergence with the train and slowed Chester to a
medium trot again. He’d spotted the pile of broken ties on the right side of
the tracks but couldn’t see anyone and it surely wasn’t big enough to hide a
horse, so he maintained his focus on the boulders and the train.
He was just four hundred yards from the boulders now and the train was
less than a mile away, so he maintained the medium trot.
Billy was now well aware of the train and had been shifting his eyes
from the train to the oncoming lawman with his trailing horse that had the
bank’s money and was running his own calculations realizing that he had a
problem. That deputy had the luck of the ages because the train would
block his shot. He couldn’t fire early to let Jimmy know because it would
alert the deputy. Then he thought his best choice was to fire at the deputy
through the cars. He might get a lucky shot, but Jimmy would hear his
Winchester and be able to get the deputy much easier.
His decision made, he returned to watch the deputy as the ground began
to shake.
Jimmy was grinning as the train roared closer and he could already see
the engineer’s face as he watched the track and almost waved but managed
to hold back.
_____
Dan saw the cowcatcher approaching the boulders now just a hundred
yards away and set Chester to a gallop, startling the mare who hesitated,
throwing Chester off stride until she began to run. It was only a short delay,
but a costly one.
 As Chester and the mare blasted north, the engineer waved but Dan
didn’t take time to acknowledge his greeting. He had been almost
nonchalant before he left the office that morning, but now he was almost
convinced that there was a bushwhacker behind those boulders.
His new belief was confirmed when Billy saw him flash past through the
gaps between the second and third coal car and fired. He kept firing to make
sure that Jimmy could hear the reports over the loud rumbling of the train.
Dan heard the first shot because he was almost expecting it and as it had
come from the expected location, almost grinned as Chester’s hooves
pounded the roadway.
Jimmy heard Billy’s Winchester, but not until the second shot because he
hadn’t been expecting it, then even as Dan blasted past, he cursed and
popped up from behind the ties and leveled his Winchester at the receding
deputy.
Dan was hunkered down over Chester’s neck just out of reflex as if lead
was flying his way, even though he was past the boulders and there were
still more train cars passing on his left.
Then he heard another crack from a Winchester on the other side of the
road behind him and immediately felt the punch of the .44 as it slammed
into his back, skipping off his left shoulder blade and flying off into the
Colorado sky. He dropped his arm to the side as his left shoulder went
numb and he could feel warm blood beginning to pool on his back.
He was in serious trouble as he heard two more shots fired from behind
him, but neither hit as his range was growing rapidly, but he knew that
neither of the two horses could keep this speed for much longer.
Dan glanced behind him and swore when he spotted the shooter who
must have been hiding behind the pile of ties racing across the now empty
track and his partner led their two horses out to him. He had about an eight-
hundred-yard gap now but would lose it soon enough. He needed to find a
defensive position and with his left arm useless, he wouldn’t be able to fire
his Winchester. He’d never been in a worse situation and his mind was
racing for a way out as he slumped forward over Chester’s neck and slowed
him to a trot. He was already laboring.
 _____
“Did you get him?” Billy shouted as he led their horses to Jimmy.
“I got him, but I don’t know how bad. I saw the blood on his back, so I
hit him in the chest. I don’t figure he’s gonna get far, but we gotta run him
down before he gets to Santa Clara.”
“Okay,” Billy said as he quickly mounted.
Jimmy was in his saddle a few seconds later and they were quickly up to
a canter as they chased after Dan, knowing he couldn’t go far with those
exhausted horses and that wound.
_____
Dan didn’t glance behind him, assuming the two ambushers were
gaining on him now, but he’d come up with the only option available to him
as he suddenly veered Chester off the road to the east and headed for an
unnamed feeder stream to Santa Clara Creek. It dried up by mid-summer
but should still have some running water now, but it wasn’t the water that
mattered. It was the shallow streambed.
When he made the cut toward the northeast, it took Jimmy and Billy by
surprise because it made no sense. They thought he’d be trying to get to
Santa Clara.
Then Jimmy shouted, “I think he’s dyin’, Billy. He can’t control his
horse anymore. See the blood and how his arm’s hangin’?”
“Yeah! Let’s get him.”
Dan’s last movement that they saw was a ploy to give him just a few
more seconds because he knew they had to be close, so with a barely
perceptible movement of his right hand, he yanked the slip knot to the mare
and dropped the trail rope. The mare was grateful to be able to rest and
quickly slowed to a walk. She still followed to get to the water she could
smell ahead, but Chester pulled away with a seemingly almost-dead Deputy
Hart on his back.
_____
 Jimmy saw the separation between the mare and the deputy and
whooped.
“Looks like we got the money already, Billy!” he shouted.
As Dan continued toward the nearby stream, Jimmy and Billy arrived at
the walking mare and Billy grabbed her reins while Jimmy dropped down
and ripped open one of the panniers, stuck his hand inside where his fingers
told him that they were touching hay, not greenbacks.
“Son of a bitch!” he yelled, “There ain’t nothin’ in here but hay. He’s
gotta have it with him.”
As Jimmy was remounting, Dan was sliding off Chester, but couldn’t
afford to let him stand there untethered. He needed to have those two
bastards close enough for a pistol shot.
So, he took Chester’s reins, stumbled awkwardly toward a young
stripling, and tied him off before turning to face the two men with his left
arm obviously non-functional. Then he tilted his head, collapsed to his
knees, and rolled to the side, dropping into the three-foot-deep streambed.
There was just a rivulet of water running past his side, but it didn’t matter.
His shoulder had passed being numb and was now screaming at him in pain
as he lay on top of the injured scapula. He knew he hadn’t lost that much
blood and was grateful for that at least. He was still alert and ready to make
his move, which he may never even get a chance to make.
He lay flat on his back and with his unseen right hand, he slipped his
Colt free, cocked the hammer, and rested it on his stomach with his finger
still on the trigger while he kept his eyes wide open as if he was dead. He
could see Chester’s head, back, and the saddlebags with the money out of
the corner of his eyes. He just hoped those two bastards’ faces would show
up soon.
_____
Jimmy and Billy had walked their horses close to Chester and stopped
about twenty feet away. They could see Dan’s feet, but nothing else.
Jimmy was thinking about the eight thousand dollars that were probably
in the deputy’s saddlebags but wanted to be sure the deputy wasn’t playing
possum.
But rather than shoot Dan himself, as he gazed at the fat saddlebags, he
made the fatal mistake of shouting, “Billy, shoot that deputy’s boot and see
if he’s dead.”
His options gone, Dan suddenly sat upright, whipped his Colt around to
face Jimmy, who was the closest, and pulled his trigger, sending the .44
drilling cleanly through Jimmy’s chest, obliterating ribs and lung tissue, and
then exiting through his thoracic spine.
Before Billy could even get his Colt free, Dan had cocked his Colt’s
hammer and fired his second shot at Billy, the rising trajectory entering
Billy’s upper gut on the left side and just hitting the bottom of his heart
before leaving his body through the left lower lobe of his lungs and a rib.
Even though he’d been shot second, Billy was the first to hit the ground
when he rolled over backward and flopped onto his back in a big cloud of
dust.
Only after Billy’s dust reached ten feet in the air did Jimmy succumb to
gravity and fall headfirst into the Colorado soil, landing with a loud,
snapping noise as his body crumpled into an awkward pile.
Dan sat in the streambed for another thirty seconds as the smoke from
his second shot curled out of his Colt’s muzzle. He’d been very lucky. If the
one who’d ordered that boot shot had done it himself, he’d be the one
who’d be visiting Saint Peter and explaining how he’d screwed up. Now,
he’d just have to make that confession to his father.
He stood and managed to get some motion out of his left arm, but it hurt
like the dickens in the back.
_____
It took Dan almost forty minutes to get the horses all joined together and
let them drink out of the stream before he climbed onto Chester to head for
Santa Clara. He hadn’t bothered even looking in the pockets of the two
bodies. He had their horses and guessed that someone in Walsenburg could
identify their owners. He wasn’t going to stay in Santa Clara very long.
They didn’t have a real doctor in town, but Walsenburg did. He’d send a
telegram to his father and another to Joe Farmer to let him know he was
coming and needed medical treatment.
An hour later, his schedule seriously disturbed, Dan walked Chester and
the three trailers into Santa Clara, drawing the interest of the townsfolk as
he headed for the Western Union office.
Once there, he dismounted, tied off Chester, and entered the office where
he sent his telegrams and returned to his buckskin gelding, stepped up, and
wheeled him west for the hour’s ride to Walsenburg.
_____
Ten minutes later, Paul Ullman made a mad dash to the sheriff’s office
and as he turned through the open doorway, saw Sheriff Hart talking to
Deputy Henderson at the front desk.
Bill and Tom both turned as Paul held out the telegram, still breathing
hard, and said, “This just came in, Sheriff.”
Bill took the telegram while Tom handed him a nickel.
“Damn!” Bill exclaimed under his breath before he handed it to Tom.
“No reply, Paul,” the sheriff said.
Tom read:
SHERIFF HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
AMBUSHED SOUTH OF SANTA CLARA
BOTH ATTACKERS DEAD
WILL SEEK MEDICAL HELP IN WALSENBURG
SORRY
 
DAN HART SANTA CLARA COLO
 
 Tom repeated his boss’s expletive, then gave it back to the sheriff.
“There’s nothing we can do but wait until we get another message from
Joe or Dan.”
“I’ll watch the shop while you go and tell your wife,” Tom said.
Bill nodded, then snatched his hat off the desk and was pulling it on as
he left the office at a fast walk.
_____
Acting Sheriff Joe Farmer received his message almost at the same
moment, but his was simply a notice that Dan was arriving within an hour
and needed medical attention.
So, he left his office and headed to see Doctor Hockenberry to let him
know he had a wounded lawman coming.
_____
Dan kept the horses moving at a medium trot as he tried to get his arm
working a little better, but not seeing any improvement. He didn’t think that
he’d lose the arm, but he couldn’t see the damage that bullet had done back
there. Why he hadn’t lost much blood after the initial flow was a mystery to
him, too. Infection was the lurking monster that worried everyone, and he
wouldn’t know about that for another few days.
The buildings of Walsenburg were in clear sight now, and he’d be there
within fifteen minutes.
As Dan entered Walsenburg, Susanna was still in the library and Willie
was in the house with Karen. He’d shown her his impressive wad of cash
and she was more than just mildly impressed.
_____
Sheriff Joe Farmer had seen Dan riding in and waved to him to get his
attention and then as he drew near, he asked, “How bad were you hit?”
“Not too bad, but I’m going to need some stitches.”
“Let’s get you to the doc. Is the cash on the packhorse?”
 “Nope. She’s just carrying hay and it turned out to be a good idea. The
other two horses belong to the two bushwhackers, but I left them south of
Santa Clara with instructions for the mortician to go and pick them up. I
don’t know who they were, either.”
“I’ll take care of that. Come and see me when you’re finished getting
sewed up.”
Dan nodded as they turned down a side street and he dismounted and
walked inside, letting Joe take the horses.
_____
An hour later, Dan lay on his stomach as Doctor Leopold Hockenberry
finished sewing his wound.
“That’s a very lucky thing, Deputy,” he said, “That bullet hit your
scapula, that’s your shoulder blade, by the way, and deflected away after
taking a nice-sized chunk of skin and meat with it. The scapula itself is
cracked, but not all the way through. It’s not displaced at all, either. It will
heal nicely and because it’s not part of the shoulder joint, you won’t lose
any range of motion after it repairs itself.
“I’ve never seen a fractured scapula before, and I doubt if I’ll ever see
another. Before you leave, I’ll give you a sling that will help it heal. Wear it
as long as you feel it’s necessary. At your age, it should heal quickly. There
wasn’t any foreign material in the wound, so the risk of infection isn’t as
bad, but keep an eye out for signs. You’ll have to take the sling off at night,
of course, because you’ll have to sleep on your stomach, or your side.
You’ll soon discover how annoying it will be to sit in a chair, too. The good
news is that almost all of your pain and discomfort is from the soft tissue
damage above the bone. Have those sutures removed after two weeks and
you should be doing a lot better by then.”
“Okay, doc. I appreciate it. How long before I can head back? I have to
go on another search.”
The doctor replied, “What you do now is up to you. Your pain will let
you know when you’ve done something you shouldn’t. And, Deputy, I want
to let you know how much I appreciate what you’ve done. Sheriff Farmer
has already returned the money to the bank and all those depositors can
breathe easily again, including yours truly. I wouldn’t have been in as bad a
shape as most of them, but it would have hurt to lose my savings.”
“I’m glad I could help the folks, Doc.”
The doctor stepped back, allowing Dan to swing roll onto his side, sit up
and then slowly step onto the floor. Joe had left him a clean shirt, so the
doctor helped him put it on, then slid his sling into place. Dan had to admit
he didn’t feel as bad as he had expected but understood that he’d be
sleeping on his stomach for a while.
He left the office and stepped into the bright Colorado sun, took a deep
breath, and headed for the sheriff’s office. He knew that Joe had to leave to
start paperwork on the ambush, and hopefully, by the time he arrived, he’d
know the identity of the two men he’d just killed before they killed him. It
had been a lot closer than it should have been.
The Western Union office was just two doors down, so he shifted his
direction slightly, then crossed onto the boardwalk and entered the small
office. It was already crowded as six people were lining up to send
telegrams.
After he wrote the message to his father, he stepped behind the last man
in line, and as the telegrapher looked up after taking payment for the first
man’s message, grinned and said, “Boys, I think Deputy Hart deserves to
move to the head of the line.”
The other men all turned like a dance chorus line and smiled as they
stepped aside.
Dan felt a bit embarrassed but could understand it as he said, “Thank
you,” then took two long strides and handed his sheet to the operator.
Dan was reaching into his pocket when the telegrapher said, “No charge
on this, Deputy Hart. We all are really grateful for what you did and sorry
that those two low-life bastards tried to keep you from returning the
money.”
Dan just nodded, tipped his hat to the telegrapher, and smiled at the other
men before leaving the small office and heading to Joe’s new office.
 When he entered, he found Joe talking to a gentleman wearing a dark
gray suit, and Dan correctly assumed he was the bank president.
He turned when Dan entered and broke into a mammoth smile as he took
a step closer and almost rammed his hand into Dan’s stomach.
Dan shook his hand as he said, “That was a heroic effort, son. Heroic!
Tracking those killers halfway across Colorado in that day-long storm. You
didn’t even lose a penny of the bank’s money, either. I can never thank you
enough. When Joe showed me the wire, I was beyond astonished. I was
almost ready to close our doors before I read that telegram.”
While he talked, he continued to pump Dan’s hand.
Dan finally said, “Just doing my job, sir. I need to talk to Joe about a few
things and I have to write my statement, too.”
The man finally released Dan’s hand and said, “Of course, of course. If
you ever need anything, Deputy Hart, just come by and see me.”
Dan smiled and nodded before the grinning banker stepped away, then
pulled on his black hat as he passed through the open door having never
told Dan his name.
Joe laughed and said, “You should have been there when I showed him
that telegram, Dan. I swear he almost kissed me on the lips before he
proposed.”
Dan laughed and said, “We have a lot to talk about, Joe.”
“Have you sent a telegram to your father?”
“Yes, sir,” he replied, then asked, “How come I’m Dan now and not
Moose.”
“That was because I was just one of the boys. I just was appointed the
permanent sheriff for Huerfano County. I haven’t even had a chance to tell
Wilma yet. She’s bringing the young’uns on the train tomorrow anyway. I
think she was expecting it. You’ll see me around Trinidad setting up to get
our things moved though.”
“That’s great news, Joe. Let me sit down, and before I write my report
about what happened south of Santa Clara in your county, I’ll fill you in on
everything that happened.”
“Are you hungry?”
Dan grinned and answered, “I could eat.”
“Let’s walk down to Mabel’s Restaurant and we can talk over lunch.”
Dan nodded and the two lawmen left the sheriff’s office and headed
down the street as Dan began telling Joe about the ambush first, then
shifting to the Williams and Clark brothers chase as they entered the
restaurant.
Just minutes later, Dan realized the obvious truth in what the doctor had
told him when he sat down and leaned back against the chair back and the
fresh wound let him know it was a bad idea.
After they returned to his office, Dan wrote his statement and then
explained what he intended to do for Art Tippet and Ed Fletcher’s widows.
After writing the drafts, he just left them with Joe as he planned on leaving
early in the morning. He learned the names of the two troublemakers that
had tried to kill him, but Joe didn’t know them, either. It did seem that most
of the folks in Walsenburg regarded their departure into the Great Beyond
as a good thing.
Dan had to go to the livery where Joe left Chester and the brown mare to
get his saddlebags, so he left the jail, turned left, and was taking it slow as
he stepped along the boardwalk and just glanced through the window of
Larry’s Pawn Shop, almost not seeing the pearls as he continued to walk.
Then something in the back of his mind made him stop and return to look
through the window, spotting the pearl necklace on display. His stomach
twisted into a knot as he gazed at the blue pearl and he suspected that Willie
had killed Susanna. He couldn’t imagine her parting with them willingly.
He entered the shop, catching the eye of Larry Foster.
“Good afternoon, Deputy. I hear that you returned the bank’s money just
a little while ago and were shot in the process.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be okay, though. I was passing by and saw that pearl
necklace in the window and thought it would be a nice gift for my
girlfriend. Can I take a look at it?”
 “Yes, sir. I just got that piece this morning and the young man who
brought it to me sold it rather than pawned it, so it’s available for sale.”
Dan waited for the pawnbroker to hand him the necklace, noticed the
eighty-dollar tag, and asked, “Who sold it to you?”
“Just a moment,” he said as he turned, pulled the top pawn receipt, and
said, “His name was Willie Pearson and his address is listed as #6 Grove
Street here in Walsenburg.”
“Isn’t that at the eastern end of town?”
“That’s right.”
“You have a tag of eighty dollars on the necklace, but that seems a bit
high to me.”
“Well, Deputy, I’ll be honest and tell you that I would have taken fifty
dollars for the necklace, but as you saved me quite a bit of money, I’ll let
you have it for forty.”
Dan almost wanted to laugh at the price but nodded, then pulled out the
wallet that the First National Bank had given to him, slid two twenty-dollar
bills out, and gave them to the pawnbroker.
“Would you like a receipt?”
“No, thank you,” Dan replied as he slipped the necklace into his jacket
pocket.
He then smiled, turned and left the shop, and headed for Grove Street.
As he strode purposefully toward the east end of town, he tried to control
his mammoth rage at what Willie had done and hoped that he hadn’t hurt
Susanna because he didn’t know if he’d be able to keep from shooting him.
He reached Grove Street and didn’t have to go far before finding #6,
turning down the short walk, stepping onto the porch, and knocking on the
door.
It took almost a minute before the door opened and he saw Karen
Randall’s smiling face.
“Hello, Deputy. What can I do for you?”
 “Is Willie Pearson here?”
“Um…no, no he’s not.”
Dan almost pushed his way into the house, sure that she was lying, but
instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the pearl necklace, and said,
“He left these in his saddlebags, but never mind, I’ll find him.”
Karen’s eyes went wide, but immediately knew that it had been no
mama’s tooth bracelet that he’d taken from that girl, and her eyes quickly
closed to slits as she whirled around and shouted, “Willie, you have a
visitor!”, then opened the door wide to let Dan enter.
He shoved the necklace back into his pocket and stepped past the irate
woman and saw Willie in the back bedroom pulling up his britches. He
spotted Dan and looked for a way out, but there wasn’t one as Dan marched
across the room, pulling his Colt as he did.
“I didn’t do nothin’, Dan. Really!” he exclaimed as he backed away.
“Where is Susanna? What did you do to her?”
“Nothin’! Ask Karen. She left here yesterday with that mare. I ain’t seen
her since.”
Dan glared at him and growled, “You’d better pray to almighty God that
she’s all right, Willie, or you’ll wish you’d never been born,” then turned to
Karen and asked, “Is he telling the truth, ma’am?”
“He is about the girl, but not much else.”
Dan nodded and left the house to find out where she’d gone, suspecting
that she’d headed back to the farmhouse and somehow, he’d missed her
along the way.
He ignored his throbbing back as he took long strides down Main Street
and headed for the nearest of the three liveries to see when she’d left, or
maybe if she had boarded the Morgan.
He didn’t have to enter the livery to get his answer when he spotted her
mare in the corral with some other horses. The sight of the animal gave him
hope that Susanna was still somewhere in Walsenburg.
 Dan entered the wide doors, found the liveryman forking hay into a stall,
and called, “Afternoon.”
The man turned and replied, “Howdy. What can I do for you, Deputy?”
“That Morgan mare you have in the corral. Where did you get her?”
“Is she stolen?”
“Not exactly. I gave a young lady that mare a few weeks ago and I was
worried about her.”
“Oh. She seemed okay when she brought the horse here. I gave her
seventy dollars for the mare and the rig.”
“I know you’re in the business to make money, so I’ll give you a
hundred dollars for the Morgan and the same set of tack. Do you know
where she went?”
“I appreciate it, Deputy, but eighty will be fine. She said she was stayin’
at Musgrove’s Boarding House.”
Dan nodded, opened up his wallet and gave him eighty dollars, and said
that he’d be picking up the mare in the morning.
“I’ll have her ready to go, Deputy. You gonna go and find your
girlfriend?”
“I hope so,” Dan replied as he slipped the wallet back into his pocket.
He knew where the boarding house was and was reasonably sure that she
was still there, so he was light on his feet as he stepped along Main Street.
When he entered Musgrove’s Boarding House, he was met by Mrs.
Musgrove just after crossing the threshold and was removing his hat.
“May I help you, Deputy?”
“I hope so, ma’am. I was told that Miss Susanna Lawson was a guest
here and I need to speak to her.”
“She’s out at the moment, but she should return soon. You can wait in
her room if you’d like.”
“That’s fine.”
 “She’s in room eight, that’s upstairs on the right side.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She gave him a pleasant smile before he turned and climbed the stairs to
the second floor, found room eight, opened the door, and went inside,
closing the door behind him.
He stepped to the dresser, pulled open a drawer, and found her clothes
neatly folded inside, then closed it again before moving the room’s only
chair close to the bed and sitting down, taking care to keep his back from
touching the chair’s back. It wouldn’t have been a happy meeting.
_____
Susanna had missed lunch because she’d been reading
Through the
Looking Glass
and had lost track of time. Reading had kept her mind away
from her real-world troubles as she lived in the fantasy land envisioned by
Mister Carroll.
She set the book aside rather than checking it out and would return
tomorrow to pick up where she’d left off.
When she left the library, she glanced both ways to make sure Willie
didn’t see her and hurried back along the boardwalk to the boarding house.
After entering, she turned left and quickly climbed the staircase to the
upper floor and walked to her room, opened the door, and closed it before
she realized that someone was inside.
She almost yanked the door open again when she heard the one voice
that had the power to keep her in place.
“Susanna,” Dan said softly.
She turned to look at him and whispered, “Dan.”
When he rose, she saw his arm in a sling and quickly asked, “What
happened? Were you shot?”
“I took a hit from some ambushers on the way here, but I’ll be okay. I
had to find you, Susanna. I need to talk to you.”
 She nodded as she stepped to the other side of the bed, then slowly sat
down, lowered her eyes, and took a deep breath. The time had come to
confess to her crime and her unforgivable lie.
Dan knew that if he found Susanna, it would be crucially important for
her to admit the truth before he told her that he had talked to Henry, so he
just watched her as she wrung her hands, convinced that she was about to
release her demons.
Susanna held on for another fifteen seconds of agony before she blurted,
“Dan, I have to tell you something first. It’s too important to hide anymore.
I’ve…I’ve been lying to you, to everyone.”
She thought she’d be able to make the confession quickly without losing
control of her emotions, but she couldn’t do it as tears welled in her eyes
and she began shaking.
Dan wanted to be able to help her, to comfort her but knew she had to let
it out, so he let her continue as he felt his heart melting for her.
Her big blue eyes were still focusing on the floor as her tears dripped
onto the dry wood.
“I…I lied because what I did was so horrible that I knew I’d hang for it.
I deserve to hang, and I wouldn’t respect you if you didn’t arrest me for my
crime. Dan, I…I murdered…I murdered my own father. He was coming to
make me his wife and I grabbed the poker and hit him on the elbow to get
away, but he got even madder and kept coming!
“I swung even harder and hit him on the side of the head. I murdered
him with that poker and then I buried him. I should have gone to Trinidad
and confessed right away but I was so afraid of dying that I didn’t. I just
stayed there and hid. Then when I needed food, I thought I could just starve
myself to death, but it was just as bad as hanging. I’m such a coward and
hated myself for it.
“Then you came and I thought you’d arrest me, and I wanted to tell you
what I did, but that fear of hanging stopped me again, and I made up that
big, gigantic lie about two men coming and killing my parents and raping
me. I watched the sympathy and compassion in your eyes, and I was more
ashamed than before. But did I do the honorable thing and confess? No!
Even when you left to chase down killers that had never walked through
that door, I let you go and lived the lie. You treated me like a sweet,
innocent young woman, but I was a lying murderer! I lived that lie as long
as I could but had to leave because I knew it was only going to get worse.
“Now, you know, Dan. You can’t see me socially or for any other reason
because I’ll be hanged and buried soon as I should have been months ago.
Even if I’m not hanged, I’ll be in prison for the rest of my life. As badly as I
felt for murdering my father, I felt much worse for the lie that I used to live
a life that I didn’t deserve. Each day was a mixture of hope and moments of
joy that I’d never experienced before. The time I spent with you was almost
magical. You made me laugh and forget about everything else. But now,
you know it all, Dan. You have to arrest me and make me pay for my
crime.”
Dan looked at her downcast face, slipped his arm out of the sling, then
reached over and took her small hands into his.
Then he asked softly, “Where is your pearl necklace, Susanna?”
She didn’t raise her eyes as she replied in a whisper, “I didn’t deserve to
wear them and never have. I couldn’t. I kept them because you gave them to
me, but Willie took them.”
Dan reached across the table, softly placed his fingers under her chin,
and raised her face so her big blue, still tearing eyes, looked at him. Then he
lowered his hand to hold hers.
Dan smiled at Susanna as he said in a soothing voice, “Susanna, you are
the most innocent young woman I’ve ever met, but you are also ignorant of
the law. You aren’t a murderer or even close to being one. You’ve done
nothing wrong, not in my eyes or the eyes of the law. Even if I were to write
a report detailing exactly what you’ve told me, and I will, our county
prosecutor will just write ‘justifiable homicide’ for his determination of the
case and hand it back to me.”
Susanna was stunned and sputtered, “But...but…I murdered him. You
don’t know what happened. How can you say that?”
“Because, Miss Lawson, I talked to your brother, Henry, a few days ago
in Pueblo and he felt just as guilty as you had because he ran away and
didn’t stay to protect you from your father. He told me more than you
probably even know. I just didn’t know how you’d managed to kill your
father.”
“
You talked to Henry?”
she asked in astonishment.
“I was having lunch while they were watering and coaling the train from
Denver and he approached me at my table because he saw my Las Animas
County badge. First, he asked if I knew you and then after I told him that
you were safe and your father was dead, he almost broke down, confessing
what had happened.
“He said that your father had murdered your mother while you two were
out in the fields and you both suspected it, but he was the one who helped
bury her and was sure that’s what he did. He also said how your father had
probably done it so he could have you for his wife. I imagine on that
horrible night, he intended on consummating the unholy marriage and you
defended yourself with that poker.”
Susanna nodded and whispered, “Yes. I was so afraid. I knew what he
was going to do, but I had to stop him. I had to.”
“I can’t imagine how terrifying it was for you, Susanna. But it wasn’t
murder and, to me, barely reached the level of justifiable homicide. Your
father was a murderer and was about to become a rapist. Henry said that
even he was petrified of your father, and he is a big man. For a petite young
woman like you, the fear must have been unbelievable.”
She then said, “But I lied, not just once, but so many times. You should
hate me for those lies.”
“I could never hate you, Susanna. I’ll admit to some doubt about whether
I could ever trust you again, but after I returned to Trinidad, I talked to my
mother and then spent a long time thinking about you. It was only after I
put myself in your position and with just that little bit of understanding of
how terrified you must have been, I realized if I was honest with myself, I
knew that I would have done exactly the same thing. You really are
blameless in all this, Susanna.”
“But my lie almost got you killed.”
 “No, it didn’t, Susanna. I chased down those four murderers already
knowing the truth. It’s my job, and it’s what makes me feel useful. It’s why
I turned down that job to work in the bank. But as much satisfaction that I
get from doing it, it doesn’t make me happy. What would make me happy is
if you were to return with me to Trinidad and then stay in our family house.
You can stay in my empty room, and then, Miss Lawson, if you’ll do me the
honor, I would like to court you.”
Susanna was lost in an incredible world of exploding relief, freedom and
now the amazing thought that somehow, Dan still wanted to visit her, and
maybe he’d even want to marry her. The incredible joy that overfilled her
heart and soul was too much to comprehend.
Dan watched her almost radiant big blue eyes and knew that Susanna
would soon return to the innocent, sweet girl Henry had described to him,
and couldn’t wait to spend some serious time with her that would no longer
have any barriers.
He then stood, took her hand, and guided her to her feet, then turned her
around before taking the pearl necklace from his jacket pocket.
He held it with both of his hands and with concern about his painful
shoulder, lifted it over her head, grateful that she was so short, then lowered
it before her big blue eyes.
“My pearls,” she whispered.
“No one deserves to wear them more than you, Susanna,” he said softly.
Susanna’s fingers were trembling as she lifted her long hair and Dan
lowered the necklace to her throat and fastened the clasp.
After she lowered her hair, she turned back around, then slowly sat back
down on the bed as Dan sat back down.
“Susanna, I know that you have gone through a lot and you’re probably
going to be dealing with the hurt and pain for some time. Even though you
know that you didn’t murder your father and that what you did was nothing
less than what the law would have done to him if he’d been charged with
your mother’s murder, it will still hurt. It’s because you are a
compassionate, soft-hearted woman. I want to be there for you to help you
return to the sweet, innocent girl that Henry described. I saw glimpses of
the wonderful young woman and I know that the longer that I can make you
happy, the less pain you will feel.”
“I still feel guilty for what I did, Dan, and I hope you’re right that it will
all go away eventually. But I have been trying to act as I used to when I
wasn’t so womanly and had to start hiding from my father. You’ve brought
that out in me, almost from the first day. You made me laugh when I
thought I’d never laugh again. You gave me dreams and fantasies that filled
my nights even though I thought they’d never really happen. I want so
much to be happy with you and be the woman that you want me to be.”
“Then come back with me to Trinidad, live in my old bedroom, and
spend as much time with me as you can. Let me court you and when you
feel it’s time, just give me a date for our wedding.”
Susanna’s voice failed her, and her eyes were misting as she slowly
nodded.
He then stood, lifted her slowly to her feet, and looked down into those
magical blue eyes that told him that she was already becoming that
wonderful young woman he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his
life making happy.
Dan leaned down, as she lifted her face and he kissed her softly.
Susanna felt an odd mix of a chill up her spine and a warm flush rush
through her as she reveled in the sensation and without hesitation, threw her
arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him and added much more
passion to that gentle kiss.
Dan was more than surprised as he felt Susanna pressed against his
chest. There was so much information in that one kiss that he was
overwhelmed.
It was Susanna who finally ended the kiss as she let her feet down to the
floor, then sat down quickly on the bed and just smiled at Dan.
Dan lowered himself to the chair, avoiding leaning back, and just stared
at Susanna. Just when he thought he might have understood her, she
surprised him, but this time, it wasn’t an unpleasant surprise at all.
 Susanna thought that maybe her sudden desire to show Dan that she was
ready to accept him as her beau had somehow been too enthusiastic, so she
asked, “What’s wrong, Dan? Did I get carried away? It was the first kiss
that really mattered to me, and I was so happy, I wanted to get closer to
you.”
Dan smiled at her, took her hand again, and said, “No, Susanna, you
didn’t get carried away or do anything wrong. You just surprised me in a
good way. I guess I’d spent so long seeing you as a sweet, innocent young
girl, that I forget that you’re a young woman and, well, inspirational.”
“I’m not so sweet or innocent, Dan. I’m a farm girl who spent all of her
life either out in the fields like a man or doing housework like a woman.
I’ve dreamt about being kissed and held since I was ten and never had an
opportunity. I never could go to socials or even school. But I saw you look
at me those two times when I was still girlish, and you became the focus of
those dreams and fantasies. Then when I met you, I’ve fantasized about
little else, despite my enormous guilt. So, when you kissed me, I needed our
first kiss to be all that I hoped it could be.”
“Was it?”
“Oh, yes,” she replied as she smiled, “that and much, much more.”
Dan smiled back and said, “That’s good, because you took my breath
away, Susanna.”
“Really? Are you just saying that to be nice?”
“No, I’m not. You can imagine that I spent quite a few hours with
Margaret these past few months engaging in all sorts of hanky-panky, but I
never felt that much passion before. You literally left me breathless, and
that was just our first kiss. I’m almost afraid of what will happen the next
time. You might get my heart to stop.”
“I hope not, but I am looking forward to at least as much of that hanky-
panky as you spent with Margaret.”
“You have no idea how much I’ll be anxiously awaiting for the same
thing, Susanna, but I do want to make our courtship last at least long
enough so I can understand you even better. I already feel as if I know you a
lot more than I ever understood Margaret because I’m convinced now that
I’ve seen the worst of you. I can’t wait to see the best.”
“I hope I don’t disappoint you, Dan.”
“I don’t believe that’s possible, Susanna. Only make me one promise?”
Susanna knew she could deny him nothing as she answered, “I’ll
promise anything that you ask, Dan. What is it?”
“Never, and I repeat, never wear a corset.”
Susanna, who had expected a solemn request, laughed again and asked,
“Why in God’s green earth would I ever wear a corset?”
Dam smiled as he answered, “After I felt you pressed against me and
recognized that you were, as I said, inspirational, I had a flash of memory
about recent nights with Margaret. When she did the same thing, her corset
always felt so hard and artificial. You felt so soft and natural and I never
want that to change.”
“She wore a corset when she was alone with you?”
“I never knew a time when she wasn’t corseted. I’m sure that she always
wanted everyone to see her with a slim waist and enhanced bosom. I
assume she sleeps without it, but I sometimes wondered. I wouldn’t be
surprised if she wears a chastity belt, either.”
“What’s a chastity belt?”
“From what I read, during the medieval times, and even today, some
noble, unmarried women wear these stiff undergarments to protect them
from losing their virginity to undesirable young men.”
Susanna laughed and said, “That must make it difficult to do other
functions.”
Dan nodded as he listened to that soothing laugh and never wanted to
hear her cry in pain again.
“Then,” Susanna said, “I promise never to wear a corset, Deputy Hart.”
“It’s so ironic, isn’t it, Susanna? Since I’ve known you these past two
weeks, you’ve been ashamed and guilty for your one lie, but unless I’m
mistaken, it was your only serious untruth. Is that right?”
“Yes. I never lied before because my mother said it hurt people, mostly
the person telling the lie. But why is that ironic?”
“Because, Miss Lawson, your one lie hurt you so much because you
don’t lie, but the more that I really understood Margaret, I discovered that
her whole life is just one big lie. She pretends to be a gentle, caring young
woman, but it’s all a well-built façade. I almost fell into that trap of
believing it because I never took the time to understand the real Margaret.
“It was only when she rejected me because I refused her father’s job
offer that I started to see her as she is. But you, Susanna, have been just the
opposite. Your one lie was what almost kept me from seeing the real you,
the sweet and compassionate woman who I had first thought you to be.”
“You’re making me out to be a saint, Dan. I’m not.”
“I didn’t say that, Susanna. I know you have faults, as do I. But your
basic goodness is what defines you and that’s who I will be courting. But
there is another bit of irony in our future, too.”
“What is that?”
“If our courtship goes as planned, and we marry, then you could have the
life that Margaret always wanted, but I don’t think you would. You could
have maids and housekeepers and cooks to do all the work because of all
that money I found.”
“I’d hate that. I wouldn’t mind getting someone to do the laundry, but I’d
feel useless otherwise."
"That’s what I thought. Now that you’ve gotten past all of your demons
and have graciously agreed to let me court you, we need to make some
plans.”
Susanna smiled and said, “When did I agree to let you court me, sir? I
seem to recall that you’ve offered but I have not accepted.”
Dan stared at her cherubic face in disbelief. Not about what she said, but
that she had already seemed to have demonstrated her deep desire to push
her fears aside. Just a minute ago, she was a sobbing wreck as she
confessed her self-appointed crime, but here she was tweaking him with her
wonderful sense of humor, and he could see the real Susanna emerging.
“Well, then, Miss Lawson, I suppose you leave me no choice. I guess I’ll
just have to handcuff you and return you to Trinidad in my custody until
you agree to my demands.”
Susanna laughed as she squeezed his hands and said, “I’ll spare myself
the humiliation and just agree to your offer of courtship then, Deputy Hart.”
“I love your laugh, Susanna. Now, can you tell me why you came here
with Willie Pearson?”
She sighed and said, “I thought you’d been killed when you were
chasing those murderers and I felt as if I had been the cause. I was so
despondent that I believed I deserved to be punished, so when he showed
up, I thought it was as if God sent him to serve as my punishment. Does
that make any sense?”
“It does. What happened to the pistol and Winchester that I gave you?”
“He took them. I think they’re still in that house with the woman.”
Dan nodded, storing that piece of information away, but didn’t think it
would be a problem. Willie hadn’t even had a gun before he took Susanna’s.
“You know what’s odd about my finding you? I had planned on just
dropping off the bank’s money, grabbing a quick lunch, and riding back to
Trinidad today. I was going to look for you after that, but I might not have
been back for three or four days, and a lot could have happened by then. So,
those two ambushers kept me in Walsenburg longer than I’d expected and
slowed me down enough that I saw the necklace in the pawn shop window.
Getting shot was worth it, Susanna.”
“No, it wasn’t. I would have probably returned to the farmhouse anyway.
If you don’t mind my asking, how much did you have to pay to get the
necklace back?”
“Forty dollars. They must not have thought they were real.”
“They’re worth more than that?”
“Much more, I believe. I can ask Mister Greene when we go to Denver.”
 “We’re going to Denver?”
“Yes, ma’am. After I get a letter from him with the value of the jewelry,
we’ll have to go there so I can sign a contract. I thought you could come
and probably bring Julie and Pam to act as chaperones. You ladies could do
some shopping, too.”
“Can we stop at Pueblo and find Henry?” she asked quietly.
“That was already part of my plan, Miss Lawson.”
Susanna smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Then he said, “Speaking of irony and fate, I have a very interesting story
that might mean a lot to you. Ever since I read it, I wanted to tell it to you.”
“Is it a fairytale?”
“No, ma’am. But it does have a certain mystical quality to it. It
surrounds your name, Susanna. Who gave you the name?”
“My mother named me after the song.”
“That makes sense but let me tell you about a different Susanna. One
whose name is from a story in the Bible.”
“I’ve read our family Bible quite a lot and never saw it.”
“It’s probably a King James version, but the chapter with Susanna is
only in the Catholic Bible. I found it in my hotel room in Denver, probably
because the hotel owner was a Catholic. Anyway, I was reading it and
found your name. It’s an interesting story.”
“So, now you’ll tell me?”
Dan smiled as he held her hands and gazed into those incredible blue
eyes.
“Susanna was a beautiful woman and a mother who was married to a
wealthy man but was desired by two powerful Hebrew judges. They caught
her alone in her bath in the garden in her courtyard and said if she didn’t
submit to their lust, they would use their power to condemn her. But
Susanna refused to give herself to the two men, even knowing the
consequences of that denial, and screamed. Her handmaidens rushed into
the garden and the judges claimed that they had seen Susanna cavorting
with a young man.
“They called an assembly to condemn Susanna and after their combined
testimony, she knew she was lost. No one would believe her word against
the important judges, and she was facing a death sentence. But her faith in
God was strong, and she prayed for deliverance. God heard her prayers and
inspired a young man to stand and argue on her behalf.
“The young man sent one of the judges away and asked where he had
seen Susanna laying with her unidentified lover. The judge pointed to a tree
and said, ‘under the mastic tree’, whatever that is.  The young man then sent
that judge away and recalled the first one. Again, he asked the judge where
he had witnessed Susanna’s sin, and he replied, ‘under the evergreen oak’.
The assembly then released its wrath against the two judges for their false
accusation and put them both to death. Susanna was then restored to her
position of respect and honor in the community.”
Susanna was enthralled as she asked, “How did you find the story? Was
the Catholic Bible indexed?”
“No, Susanna, it wasn’t. I found it because I was reading a familiar book
in the Bible and noticed that I hadn’t seen chapter thirteen before. The
young man who God had inspired to tell the truth of what had happened to
Susanna was Daniel.”
Susanna’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Dan for almost a minute
before she asked softly, “Is that story really in the Bible, Dan?”
“Yes, ma’am. I may joke about some things, but not that.”
“But I wasn’t like her. I lied to protect myself.”
“There’s that, and you aren’t married yet and as far as I know, you don’t
have any children.”
Susanna smiled and said, “No, I don’t. I don’t have any handmaidens,
either. But you did save me. You’re my Daniel.”
“Not exactly. The Biblical Susanna returned to her husband while Daniel
just went off to be a prophet, but other than that, I’ll always be your Daniel.
Just call me Dan if you don’t mind. Margaret always called me Daniel, just
like she prefers Margaret and not Maggie, or Marge.”
“Dan, I really want to spend a lot of time talking to you now that I don’t
have to hide anymore, but I don’t think Mrs. Musgrave will let us spend all
this time in my room behind a closed door.”
“I’m aware of that, ma’am. She probably only allowed us this much time
because I have a badge. How about if I treat you to a long lunch and we
find someplace to just talk for a while? I have a lot to tell you.”
“I’d like that very much,” she replied.
Dan stood, then just removed the sling altogether, stuffed it in his pocket,
and said, “Shall we dine, Miss Lawson?”
He offered her his right arm, and she smiled as she took his arm they
crossed to the door, and after Dan opened it, then closed it behind them,
they walked down the hall, stepped down the hallway, and exited the
boarding house.
Once outside, Dan said, “Susanna, let’s swing by the sheriff’s office on
the way. I want to introduce you to Joe, then I can stop by the livery to get
my saddlebags. I’ll take a room at the boarding house for the night and we
can leave in the morning.”
“Dan, I’m sorry. I had no money and I sold Pearl.”
“You sold the pearls? I thought Willie sold them.”
“No, Pearl is the name I gave the Morgan mare. It seemed right.”
“Oh, then don’t worry. I bought her back a little while ago. She’ll be
ready for you in the morning.”
Susanna smiled and said, “Thank you, Dan. I really felt sad for leaving
her there.”
The stop at the sheriff’s office didn’t take long, but when Joe asked to
join them at the restaurant, Dan suggested that it would be a bad idea
because he and Susanna needed to talk. Joe didn’t take offense and said
he’d see them in Trinidad when he returned to move the family’s
belongings to Walsenburg. Dan also told him about Willie Pearson’s
behavior but told him not to press charges for theft of the necklace. Joe
understood the reason for Dan’s request and said that he’d keep an eye on
Willie.
After leaving the office, they stopped by the livery for Dan’s personal
saddlebags and then continued to the restaurant, chatting about what had
happened in the past few days. Most of it was from Dan as Susanna wanted
to hear about the long chase across Las Animas County.
As they ate their steak dinner, Susanna asked, “Isn’t Margaret getting
married tomorrow?”
Dan had lost track of time and replied, “You know, I’d almost forgotten
that it’ll be tomorrow morning. By the time we get back, she’ll be Mrs.
John Anderson and will probably be home in her new house.”
Susanna grinned and said, “And maybe out of her corset.”
Dan smiled back and replied, “Maybe not. You never know.”
“Do you wish you could be there for the wedding?”
“Heavens, no. But I am curious about how John will react when he sees
the necklace that I had delivered to her.”
“What necklace? You never told me about it.”
“Susanna, we really haven’t talked a lot since I returned from Denver,
have we?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, ma’am. Anyway, I told you about the jewelry in that
box, and that I gave one piece to each of the women in my life, my mother,
sisters, and you. But when I was in Denver, I realized that I really should
give something to Margaret because she was important to me. So, I chose
the most expensive, ostentatious piece in the collection, a diamond and ruby
collar necklace. I was sure that she’d love it and she did. I included a note
but didn’t sign it. That way, she’d think that John had sent it. She showed
up at the jail last night and asked me if I had bought it for her. I think she
was hoping that I would say yes which would mean that I had the financial
resources to afford it and she’d be able to marry me after all.”
 “What did you tell her?”
“I told her no, and she left convinced that John had bought it.”
“You lied to her?” Susanna asked in surprise.
“No, I didn’t lie. I was worried about how she would ask the question
that I knew was coming after she laid the necklace on the desk. If she’d
asked if I’d sent it to her, I would have had to confess that I had, but she
asked if I had bought it for her, so I was able to say that I hadn’t. She knew
that I wouldn’t lie, so she accepted it and she told me that it made things
right.”
“Oh.”
“Then before she left, I told her that I was sorry for not understanding
her well enough at the start of our relationship because if I had, it never
would have gone that far. Then after I apologized for making it so difficult
for her, she replied as she left that it hadn’t been difficult at all. That really
shook me and made me realize how close I’d come to a life of misery.”
Susanna then asked, “Dan, do you know how much that treasure is
worth?”
“The doubloons came out to just over thirty-two thousand dollars. I have
no idea how much the jewelry and precious stones are worth until Mister
Greene sends me that letter.”
Susanna felt weak when he told her the stunning amount, then asked
quietly, “What will you do with all that money?”
“Not much, really. I hadn’t really decided to do anything beyond giving
the jewelry away, but now that I’m officially courting you, Miss Lawson, I
believe we’ll need someplace to live. What I’d like to do is to buy four lots
of property on Eighth Street near my parents’ home. Two of the lots, that’s
ten acres, will be for our new house. Then when each of my sisters marries,
we’ll build them a house on the adjacent lots. That’s all I can think of right
now.”
“But you’ll still be a deputy, won’t you?”
 “Of course, I will. Don’t forget that I already knew how much I had in
the Denver bank before I chased after the Williams and Clark brothers. I
have no intention of living the life of a country gentleman with his corseted
lady.”
Susanna’s blue eyes sparkled as she laughed and took a bite of her steak.
There had been just a brief moment of concern that Dan might change
because of his discovery, but that had quickly disappeared.
Dan just watched Susanna and was already designing their new home in
his head as he cut his own thick steak.
After dinner, they strolled back to the boarding house, taking a detour for
Dan to send one more telegram to Trinidad before he took a room near
Susanna’s. He just didn’t trust Willie after seeing how angry that woman
had been.
_____
He shouldn’t have worried about Willie at all, because after Dan had
gone, he’d spent some time soothing Karen with lies about Dan and the
pearl necklace that he claimed never to have seen before. If he didn’t have
the thick wad of currency, then perhaps she wouldn’t have believed him, but
she finally forgave him and fixed him supper.
_____
Forty minutes later, a telegram arrived at #8 Eighth Street that created a
bigger stir than the earlier telegram about the ambush.
It had been sent to Libby, not the sheriff, and read:
LIBBY HART 8 EIGHTH STREET TRINIDAD COLO
 
WILL RETURN TOMORROW AFTERNOON
PREPARE MY BEDROOM FOR GUEST
MISS LAWSON AGREES TO COURTSHIP
HECK OF A TRIP
  
DAN HART WALSENBURG COLO
 
Libby, Julie, and Pam had immediately set to work converting Dan’s
empty bedroom into one that was more suitable for a young lady as they
tried to imagine how his trip to Walsenburg to return the bank’s money had
wound up with his returning with Susanna and reaching the point where he
was courting her already. Libby wasn’t complaining, though.
When Bill heard the news, he was just as pleased as his wife had been.
_____
Dan and Susanna had stayed in the boarding house’s sitting room still
talking, and the conversation had finally shifted to Susanna’s childhood and
her revelation that her father was spying on her. As she told Dan the story in
a surprisingly calm manner, each sentence gave him a greater understanding
of the young woman he intended to marry and not one had caused him the
least bit of doubt in that decision.
It wasn’t until Mrs. Musgrove began turning out the lamps that they
walked up the stairs and entered their separate rooms. Before they parted,
they shared one more kiss, being careful not to cause Dan’s fresh stitches to
come loose.
_____
The lamps in the Lawrence house were still burning as the last-minute
preparations for tomorrow’s wedding were finished. John hadn’t stopped by
that day, so Margaret hadn’t mentioned the necklace, but then thought it
would be better if he didn’t see it around her neck until she floated down
the aisle.
The last lamp wasn’t extinguished until almost midnight, and a corset-
less Margaret slipped beneath her blankets, finally excited about her
upcoming nuptials.
 CHAPTER 10
Wednesday, June 21, 1878
The day of the Lawrence-Anderson Wedding
 
Dan and Susanna were on the road out of Walsenburg just thirty minutes
after finishing their breakfast at the boarding house, her bags of clothes in
the hay-free panniers on the brown mare.
The ride served as a continuation of their previous night’s conversation
of discovery and understanding. Dan was finding it easier to make Susanna
laugh and was thoroughly addicted to the sound and to the young woman
herself before they reached Santa Clara.
_____
Even as they rode into the bright morning sun, the Lawrence house was
in pre-wedding chaos as Angela prepared Margaret for the ceremony while
her parents dressed in their finery upstairs. The family’s carriage was being
polished outside the carriage house and preparations were being made for
an after-ceremony party in the same community hall where the spring dance
had been held two weeks earlier.
Most of Trinidad was operating in a routine, middle-of-the-week mode
with street traffic, shoppers, and workers treading across the boardwalks, all
producing the noise associated with a normal workday. Only the baker and
the cooks at the Trinidad House, who were catering the food for the party
were as hectic as the invited guests were outfitting themselves in their suits
and finest dresses, only two other women were corseted, though, and both
were in dire need of the waist-thinning devices.
Many of the guests came from out-of-town, having arrived on trains over
the past few days.
_____
 Margaret had focused on the wedding and hadn’t paid another moment’s
thought to Daniel or the source of the necklace. It didn’t matter now,
anyway.
Angela stepped back and examined Margaret for any flaws, but not
finding a single blemish. She was simply breathtaking in her ivory satin
gown with her large veil. The necklace was a perfect complement to the
lack of color in her dress and as Dan had written, it enhanced her natural
beauty.
Everything was ready as Angela scooped the train and followed
Margaret out the back door to the waiting carriage. Her mother was already
inside, but her father held the door for her as he smiled.
Margaret managed to climb into the carriage without incident and her
father joined her as Angela turned to go back into the house.
_____
John was already at the altar waiting for Margaret’s arrival and was
scanning the guests, who all seemed to have their eyes focused on the
doorway as well. Everything was progressing as smoothly as possible.
Reverend Oberon was standing near him with his prayer book in his
hand, smiling gently in anticipation of the ceremony. John’s best man, his
cousin Charles, who had arrived on yesterday’s train from Kansas City, was
standing beside him and had the rings in his jacket pocket.
Then the carriage carrying his bride stopped before the church and
everyone’s necks craned to get a glimpse of Margaret as her father exited
the carriage and her mother stepped outside. Finally, Bryce reached his
hand into the carriage’s door and Margaret stepped into the ground in her
dazzling glory as the sunlight reflected from her off-white gown and the
precious stones around her neck.
She was smiling as her mother took her train and they walked up the four
steps and after she stopped at the doorway, Fannie walked quickly inside
and strode down the aisle to take her place at the altar as Margaret’s
witness.
 The organist began playing
The Bridal Chorus
as Margaret took her
father’s arm and they slowly glided down the aisle. Each guest was in awe
of the bride as she seemed to float effortlessly over the wooden floor with a
radiant look on her face. It was almost a fairy tale wedding.
John saw the necklace and assumed it was a family heirloom, but his
attention was on Margaret.
After her father gave Margaret’s hand to John and stepped back,
Reverend Oberon began the ceremony.
There were no surprises and no mistakes as not a single misspoken word
or even an errant cough interrupted the perfect event.
When they were pronounced man and wife, John kissed Margaret gently
and the couple turned to smile and wave to the guests before sedately
strolling back down the aisle.
Once outside the church, the couple greeted each of their guests as they
exited and when the First Congregational Church was empty, they entered
the waiting carriage to take them to the hall for the celebratory meal.
As Margaret sat in the carriage with her new husband, she reveled in the
perfection of the wedding. It had been everything she had hoped it would be
and was now anticipating her wedding night. John had been a perfect
gentleman since they’d been together and not at all like those frantic, lust-
filled times she’d spent with Daniel.
But those private times with Daniel had aroused her into a frenzy and if
it hadn’t been for her corset, she would have undoubtedly given in to her
base desires. Now that she was married, she expected nothing less than the
final step into nirvana.
_____
Dan had pointed out the spot of the ambush as they passed the man-
made rock fort and he was glad that the mortician from Santa Clara had
picked up the bodies. He hadn’t been sure until they made the turn south
and he didn’t see any vultures ahead.
“How bad was it, Dan?” she asked.
 “I’ll admit that it was a lot closer than I wanted it to be. They would
have had me in a crossfire if it hadn’t been for that train, and then, if one of
them hadn’t told the other one to shoot me in the foot, I wouldn’t be here
riding with you.”
“Thank you for not pretending it wasn’t dangerous, Dan. I knew that if
you’d been shot a second time, it would have been fatal. If I’m going to be
lucky enough to be your wife, then I need to let you understand that I’ll
always worry about you, but I’ll understand why you have to do it.”
“Women of farmers, ranchers, railroad workers, and just about every
other endeavor become widows every day, Susanna. My job isn’t that much
more dangerous. Women die in childbirth too often, too.”
“I know, but that’s a risk that I’m willing to take, Dan.”
Dan smiled down at her and asked, “How often are you planning on
having babies, Miss Lawson?”
She laughed and replied, “How big of a house do you want me to fill,
Deputy Hart?”
Dan continued to smile at Susanna and began mentally adding more
bedrooms to their imaginary house.
_____
Margaret had changed out of her wedding gown at the Lawrence home
but still wore the necklace as she took John’s arm and they walked out of
her family home to her new house. Her things had already been moved over
that morning while the ceremony and reception were taking place.
It was only two blocks away, and as they walked arm-in-arm, John said,
“I hoped you noticed that your necklace matches the ring I slipped on your
finger that night I proposed. It was as if it was our fate to be together.”
Margaret smiled, his vague statement confirming her belief that he had it
sent to her, and replied, “Yes, it does. Doesn’t it?”
“When I saw you wearing it as you walked down the aisle, it was a
perfect choice,” he replied as they turned down Fourth Street and soon
stepped onto the porch.
 “You mean ‘floated down the aisle’, don’t you, John?” she asked.
“Yes, Margaret,” John replied not having a clue about why she had
asked.
He took out his keys, unlocked the door, and smiled as Margaret entered
and then stepped inside before closing and locking the door behind him.
It was only two o’clock in the afternoon, but it was their wedding night
and he’d been anxiously awaiting this moment since she’d stepped off the
train platform. He had maintained his gentlemanly demeanor with Margaret
knowing that this day wasn’t far off, but it had been excruciatingly difficult.
Margaret was walking through her new home, inspecting the rooms as
John walked behind her. She was already planning on changes when they
reached the downstairs bedroom and she walked inside and then turned to
go upstairs, but found John standing before her.
“I gave Mrs. Dandridge the day off so we could be alone. I love you,
Margaret, and I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I first saw you. I
want you so very badly, wife.”
“I’m ready,” Margaret whispered pleasantly surprised that John was just
as anxious as she was.
John nodded and he pulled her close, pressed his lips to hers, and began
to grope her with surprisingly strong hands, almost bruising her in the
process.
Margaret was stunned by his brutish nature compared to Daniel’s soft,
inspiring caresses, but still wanted this.
After almost a minute of almost angry massaging, John stepped back and
said, “I want you to undress for me, Margaret.”
Margaret was uncomfortable with the idea of undressing before him in
the sunlight-filled room, and asked, “Can’t we just go to the bed where you
can make love to me, John?”
“I will make you scream in pleasure, Margaret, and to do that, I need to
be inspired. I want to watch you reveal what my fantasies have told me
await beneath that fabric.”
 Margaret sighed and began unbuttoning her dress as John took off his
jacket. By the time he’d removed his shoes and pants, always keeping his
eyes on her, Margaret had dropped her dress to the floor and began
removing her petticoats and her underpants until there was a pile of lacy
white garments on the floor, leaving her clad in only her corset. She tried
not to look at him as he removed his undergarments, feeling like a common
whore.
When John was totally naked, Margaret kept her eyes averted as she
turned her back to him to let him untie the restrictive garment. For years
now, she’d worn the corset to keep male hands from touching what she
didn’t want them to touch, now it was no longer needed.
John knew he was ready now as he looked at Margaret’s almost nude
body. All he had to do was to remove that damned corset, but he was
already anxious and needed to hurry. His hands were fumbling with the
knots as he tried to release the treasure that was Margaret. He’d never had
to deal with one before, but the delay was making him even more excited
and even as he was working the difficult ties, he began to squeeze the soft
parts of Margaret that were exposed.
Despite the continued discomfort from John’s hard gropes, Margaret
found herself getting excited and the memories of the time she’d spent with
Daniel revived her lust. Now, she just wished he could get the damned
corset off.
Finally, she turned, and said quickly, “Get a knife! Cut the damned ties!”
John had reached the point where it no longer mattered as he picked her
up, laid her on the bed, and with her corset still keeping her from taking
deep breaths, consummated the marriage in a rush that astonished her. She
barely had time to put her arms behind him when he was finished and
flopped onto the bed beside her.
What had just happened?
She was lying
there in her marital bed still strapped into her corset with her necklace
around her neck, but no longer virginal. He hadn’t even kissed her.
She waited for almost five minutes for John to apologize for being so
frenetic, but he just lay there with his eyes closed. Margaret had anticipated
this moment for so long now that she couldn’t believe that it had even
happened. She looked down at the bed, understood that she was no longer
intact, then stared at John, who was now sleeping.
She finally just sat up and stood and left the bed to get dressed. She
glanced back at her satisfied husband and gave him the benefit of the overly
quick act as the result of his prolonged celibacy after his wife died.  He’d
do better in the future.
Margaret removed the necklace, laid it on the dresser, and left the
bedroom, closed the door, and continued her inspection tour of her new
home.
_____
It was just after three o’clock when Dan and Susanna rode down Eighth
Street and then turned their three horses onto the drive beside the green
house. Unsurprisingly, as they began the turn, the three Hart women
bubbled out of the front door onto the porch and just grinned at them.
“Good afternoon, Mom, Julie, and Pam,” Dan said loudly over the dozen
hoofbeats.
“Hello, Deputy Hart!” his mother shouted, “I see you’ve brought a
prisoner.”
Susanna laughed as Dan replied, “I did have to threaten her with
handcuffs.”
Libby laughed and said, “We’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Dan waved his acknowledgement and turned to Susanna and said, “I’m
only going to stay for a little while, then I need to get to the office and talk
to my father and Tom Henderson, the other deputy.”
“Okay. I need to talk to your mother anyway,” she answered, then asked,
“Dan, are you going to write a report about what really happened at the
farm in April?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have to get Mister Castor’s approval so I can close the
case officially.”
“Good. I was worried that it might just linger. Should I tell your mother
and sisters what happened?”
 “I’ve already told them what Henry told me and suggested that you’d
killed your father. It’s up to you if you want to tell them more, Susanna. I’ll
be back with my father in a while, so if you want to wait for me to get back,
you can.”
“Okay. I’ll see what happens.”
Dan nodded as they reached the back porch, then dismounted and tied
off the horses.
Five minutes later, Susanna’s question was answered when he was
explaining to his mother and sisters about how he’d found Susanna in
Walsenburg and the long time they’d spent together talking.
Libby said, “Dan told us what really happened at the farm, Susanna. I’m
assuming that he was right about your having to stop your father, and if you
don’t want to talk about it, then we understand.”
Susanna smiled at Libby and replied, “No, it’s okay now, Mrs. Hart.
Dan’s going to write the truth about it in his report anyway. I don’t feel
ashamed for what I had to do anymore because of Dan, but I still feel
somewhat guilty for having to do it. Dan told me that it will go away over
time, and I hope he’s right.”
Dan stayed to listen as Susanna told his mother and sisters what had
happened in a very soft voice that only had a tone of sadness, not the
panicked horror when she’d first confessed in Walsenburg. He watched
those big blue eyes and was certain that Susanna was healing even more by
telling his mother and sisters.
She was almost finished when she slid her hand over to Dan’s, smiled at
him, then completed the narration.
Libby then said, “Now that you’re here, Susanna, we can spend more
time talking about that lummox of a deputy sitting over there. I assume he’s
leaving already.”
“Yes, Mother, I am going to have to tell my sheriff father about the
ambush, Joe’s acceptance of the permanent sheriff’s position for Huerfano
County, and then write Susanna’s report.”
 “How bad is your wound, Dan?” Libby asked in her mother’s concerned
voice.
“It’s sore and I can’t do much with my left shoulder until the stitches are
removed, but unless it gets infected, I’ll be back to normal by the middle of
July.”
Libby nodded but didn’t ask to examine the wound this time because a
doctor had already treated it.
Dan stood, smiled at Susanna, and said, “I don’t know if I’ll be back
until tomorrow. Then we’ll head over to the Matthews Brothers Land and
Property Company and see about buying those lots before we go to
Bradley’s Construction.”
Libby asked, “What is this about land and construction?”
“I’m going to buy those lots further down the street and have a house
built, Mother. Then if my courtship of Miss Lawson follows to its intended
conclusion, we’ll move in and proceed to give you grandchildren.”
Julie and Pam both giggled as Libby laughed and Susanna blushed.
Dan just grinned and knew that Susanna understood that the purchase of
the other two lots and houses for his sisters was going to be a surprise.
Julie was close to marrying George Abernathy so it probably wouldn’t
be a secret very long, but Pam was still playing the field.
_____
After leaving Chester still saddled in the sheriff’s barn, Dan carried his
Winchester and saddlebags into the office and found Tom and his father at
the front desk.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Dan said as he approached the desk.
“We’ve been expecting you, Deputy,” his father said before asking,
“How bad was it?”
Dan set the Winchester on the desk and as he lowered the saddlebags to
the floor, he replied, “It was close, boss. They almost had me in a crossfire
and after I took that .44 in the shoulder blade, they could have finished me
off in a streambed.”
“Well, sit your butt down and fill me in on the details. According to the
telegram, you brought Susanna back with you.”
Dan sat down and spent a few minutes explaining the ambush and then
the discovery of Susanna in Walsenburg.
He finished by saying, “I need to finalize that report about what
happened at the Lawson farm. As I already told you, there had been no
murders or rapes. Susanna confessed the truth to me before I told her that
Henry had already confided much of it to me and I’d already concluded that
she’d killed her father and what had motivated it.”
“Was it what you suspected?”
“Even worse. She tried to stop him with a poker and hit his elbow to try
and escape, but it just made him madder. It was the second swing that hit
his head and I guess the angled sharp end punched into his skull. We could
dig up the two bodies and have them autopsied, but I don’t see any point in
doing that. I’ll ask Mister Castor tomorrow when I let him read the report.”
“Okay, Dan. I agree with you, too. I doubt if Hiram Castor is going to
want to waste any of the county’s money to exhume those bodies. What did
you hear from Joe?”
“We’re going to need a new deputy, boss. Joe’s already accepted the
sheriff’s position.”
“I figured he would, and I’ve offered Ned Thornburg the job on a trial
basis.”
Dan nodded and said, “He’s a good kid, but I don’t think he’s ever fired a
pistol.”
Ned looked like a twelve-year-old, even though he was only two years
younger than Dan. He was a good man and Dan knew with the training he’d
receive from his father that he’d be a good lawman. Ned’s father was a
chemist and he had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. He’d been
asking about becoming a deputy for a while and now he had his chance. He
should have spent some time with a Colt and a Winchester, but that was
easily remedied.
Bill said, “You just take care of that shoulder, Deputy. I need you to help
me and Tom train the new deputy.”
Dan nodded, then rose and turned to Tom and asked, “Could you help
me unsaddle Chester?”
“Sure thing, Moose. How long are you gonna be laid up?”
“I have to wait at least another ten days to get the stitches out, and then I
should be okay.”
The sheriff said, “Desk duty till then, Deputy Hart, but you can still do
the rounds.”
“Yes, sir. When is
Ned Thornburg
going to start?”
“I’ve already talked to him and he’ll begin on Monday.”
“That’ll work,” Dan said before asking, “How did the big wedding go?”
Bill shrugged and answered, “I have no idea other than seeing the fancy
traffic on Main Street. I assume that John Anderson is at his house with his
new wife by now.”
Dan was heading for the door when he said, “I wonder if he got her out
of that corset.”
Tom snickered as they exited the jail and headed to the barn to get
Chester out of his own leather corset.
_____
When John awakened from his post-consummation nap, he dressed, left
the bedroom, and walked to the kitchen expecting to find Margaret having a
cup of tea, but she wasn’t there.
He stopped and realized that she was in the bath, so he returned to the
bedroom and walked to the dresser, and picked up the diamond and ruby
necklace. He examined it in the afternoon sun and was impressed with the
quality and quantity of precious stones. He estimated that it would be worth
more than four hundred dollars before he returned it to the dresser.
 He then walked to the outside of the bathroom, tapped on the door, and
said, “Margaret, I’m going to retrieve Mrs. Dandridge so she may resume
her duties and prepare our supper.”
“Thank you,” Margaret replied as her voice echoed from the other side
of the door.
As he walked away, she sat in the cold water with her soap, annoyed that
she hadn’t had anyone to warm the bath, but felt it was necessary. John had
made her feel so dirty.
_____
Dan decided to write Susanna’s report first because it was more
important than the one about the ambush and was a lot longer. Despite his
deep feelings for Susanna, he wrote the report as factually and as concisely
as he usually did. Aside from it being the way his father had trained him; he
knew that Susanna would have expected nothing less.
He had just finished that four-page report, set it aside, and was halfway
through the second when he heard footsteps approaching the open door. He
looked up and smiled as Susanna entered with a tray and a smile.
“Good evening, Deputy,” she said as she approached the desk, set the
tray down, and took a seat.
“I suppose I should say this is a pleasant surprise, but it isn’t at all. I was
hoping you’d stop by.”
“I would have come sooner, but I lost track of time talking to Julie and
Pam. It’s like they’re my sisters already.”
“So, you’re comfortable with everyone?” he asked as he uncovered his
late supper.
“Very much. I’ve never had a sister before, and your mother makes me
feel as if I were just another daughter. Even your father seems happy to see
me there.”
“He is. When I was having that talk with my mother before I left, the one
where she told me that you weren’t doing anything different than I would
have done in your situation, she told me that neither she nor my father even
liked Margaret. They hadn’t said anything, hoping that I’d notice that she
wasn’t what I believed her to be. She said that you were everything I
thought you were before I talked to Henry and she liked you. My father felt
the same way.”
She saw the stack of paper on the desk and asked, “Is that the report that
you’ll be taking to the prosecutor in the morning?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied before taking a bite of smoked sausage.
“May I read it?”
“Of course, you may. It’s public record, you know. If the reporter for
The
Trinidad Coloradan
walked in here and asked to read it, he could.”
She picked up the pages and asked, “Is that possible?”
“Possible, but not likely. But I do want you to know that after I talk to
the prosecutor, I don’t doubt that the story will make the rounds anyway.
There was a lot of chatter about what you told me had happened before. It
was worse when I chased down the Anderson and Clark brothers.”
“I suppose I deserve it, then.”
Dan looked at her and said, “Susanna, people talk about anything. When
I refused Mister Lawrence’s job offer and Margaret went to the dance with
John Anderson, the gossip was that I didn’t like girls and the boys all
thought it was true. Then when she suddenly agreed to marry him in just a
week, they shifted into my putting her into a family way, and she had to
marry John quickly because of it. Your story, once it gets out, will be a topic
of dinner conversations and bridge games for a while until it’s replaced with
something better.”
“They said you didn’t like girls?” Susanna asked in surprise.
Dan smiled that she’d noticed that piece of gossip among all the others
and replied, “Yes, Miss Lawson, they said that.”
“Did it bother you?”
“I’ll admit that it did. I even planned on a smart-aleck reply to the next
one who said it, too.”
 She smiled as she asked, “What would you have said?”
“I would have stared the man in the eye and said, ‘If you believe that,
mister, then I’ll just drop my drawers and show you the real reason they call
me Moose.’”
Susanna laughed loudly as Dan snatched a bite of his sausage and
watched her happy face.
He continued to eat but also continued watching her as Susanna finally
slowed down and began reading the report.
When she finished, she slid it back to him and said, “That’s an
amazingly accurate report.”
“It’s how I always write my reports. My father would be disappointed in
anything less.”
“So, tomorrow, when you return to the house, you’ll already have shown
it to the prosecutor?”
“Yes, ma’am. Then I’ll file it before walking to the house and escort you
to the Matthews Brothers Land and Property Company before we head over
to Bradley’s Construction. After we get that all settled, Miss Lawson, I will
leave it to you and your future sisters-in-law to handle the inside of your
new home.”
“I’ve never done that before, Dan.”
“I’m sure that Julie and Pam will enjoy every second of it. If you’d like,
I’ll even let you break the news to them about the next two lots. That will
be fun, don’t you think?”
She smiled and nodded before saying, “I think so.”
They spent another hour and a half talking about the house and other
aspects of the future that now seemed unquestionably to be theirs as a
married couple. In two incredible days, Dan had gone from debating about
even trying to find Susanna, to accepting that their courtship would be not
only successful but short.
It was past sunset when he escorted her back to the house.
 _____
Margaret lay under the blankets in her nightdress with John sleeping
beside her after bedding her a second time. This time, she hadn’t put her
corset back on after the cold bath, believing it had been the obstacle to a
more passioned lovemaking but if anything, the second one had been even
more uninspiring. John had again asked her to undress, which she had, but
then he had commented that her figure wasn’t as comely as he’d expected,
which had angered and wounded her, yet hadn’t prevented him from
pawing her and then quickly taking her again.
Now she lay next to her husband as he slept and wondered how long it
would be before she became pregnant. It would be almost an insult when it
happened.
_____
Dan was sitting in Mister Castor’s office as the prosecutor read his report
about the events at the Lawson farm. Despite his own firm belief that there
had been no crime committed, it wasn’t his call, and there was always the
chance that there could be a trial.
Hiram Castor finally set the report down and ran his hand through his
black hair before asking in stunned disbelief, “
He was going to rape his
own daughter?
”
“Yes, sir. Her brother’s statement, which I included, confirmed what she
told me. Now I know we could exhume Bob Lawson’s body and then her
mother’s remains to get absolute confirmation, but I don’t see any benefit to
that.”
“Nor do I, Dan. This is obviously a case of justifiable homicide. I’ll
write it up that way and send my recommendation back later today.”
“Just to let you know, Mister Castor, I am courting Miss Lawson and
hope to marry her soon. It had no influence on the case at all other than
delaying my asking her more directly those first few days.”
“Well, congratulations, Dan. I guess Margaret is now living happily in
her big house with John Anderson.”
 “I hope so,” Dan said as he rose and added, “Thank you, Mister Castor.
I’ll tell Susanna.”
The prosecutor smiled at Dan as he turned and left the office, relieved
that the case was now officially closed.
He returned to the jail first to tell his father and when he entered the
office, he spotted the sheriff at the front desk, apparently waiting for him.
“Mister Castor agreed that it was justifiable homicide, boss,” Dan said as
he approached the desk.
“Good. I got the last of those rewards in this morning, so they’re all in
here and I’d like to get rid of them,” he said as he offered a thick envelope
to his son.
Dan took the envelope as his father said, “It came to twenty-six hundred
and fifty dollars altogether.”
“That’s more than I’d figured.”
“We had old wanted posters and the new ones added a bit more.”
Dan nodded, then said, “I’ll go and deposit these and then get Susanna
and see about buying those lots and getting a house built.”
“That sounds like a good idea, Dan. I really like Susanna and I think you
made a good decision to find her.”
“After almost making a few disastrous ones,” Dan said as he grinned and
turned and left the office to head to the bank.
He entered the bank two minutes later and walked to the cashier window
and said, “Good afternoon, Fred. I need to deposit these vouchers into my
account.”
Fred Everhart nodded then as Dan signed them with some measure of
awkwardness as he tried to hold them in place with his left hand, he asked,
“Fred, how are you doing?”
“I’m okay, but how are you doing with Margaret getting married
yesterday?”
 “I’m actually happy for her, Fred. I’m already courting Susanna Lawson
and I’m sure that she’s the right woman for me.”
“Congratulations, Dan,” Fred said as Dan slid the signed vouchers across
the shelf.
“Are these for those four killers that you trailed across the county?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You sure earned every penny, Dan. That must’ve been pretty bad.”
“You know, Fred, those two that ambushed me on the way to
Walsenburg were a lot worse. They almost had me and it was just dumb
luck that I avoided catching a few more .44s and I’d have to leave this
money to my father.”
“We heard about that shootout, too. You gotta stop attracting so many
bullets, Dan.”
Dan laughed as Fred began making entries into a ledger and said, “I hope
so. I have some desk time now until I get better, so I won’t be shot for a
while.”
Fred wrote out Dan’s receipt with his new balance of $3431.77 and slid
it back to him.
Then he leaned forward and said quietly, “That makes you our second
biggest depositor, Dan. You would have been the biggest, but John
Anderson just deposited his dowry from Mister Lawrence.”
Dan raised his eyebrows and asked just as quietly, “A dowry? Why the
hell would he need a dowry?”
Fred shrugged but said, “He got two thousand dollars is all I know. It
kinda surprised me, too.”
Dan knew that Fred shouldn’t be telling him the information, but
appreciated it, nonetheless.
“Well, you take care, Fred. If you need anything, you come and see me.
Okay?”
 Fred nodded as Dan turned and left the bank, already deep in thought
about why John Anderson would want a dowry. When Fred told Dan that he
was now the bank’s second biggest depositor but would have been the
biggest if John hadn’t deposited the dowry, it had surprised him on several
fronts. That meant that the most John could have had in his account before
the wedding was around three thousand dollars. He knew that many of the
businesses kept their money in other banks but asking for the dowry made it
sound as if John Anderson’s total cash assets were in the Trinidad State
Bank.
Then there was the obvious question about Bryce Lawrence himself, and
Dan figured that as the bank owner, he might not be considered a depositor,
but John Anderson asking for a dowry still made him curious.
He reached the house ten minutes later and found an excited Susanna
already waiting for him on the front porch. She’d been sitting in one of the
rocking chairs and, as soon as she spotted him, she bounced out of the chair
and hurriedly scooted down the steps and met him at the street end of the
walk.
"Anxious, Miss Lawson?” Dan asked with a smile as he took her hands.
“Very. What did the prosecutor say?”
Dan almost wanted to make a joke and tell her he’d come to take her to
jail, but quickly realized it wouldn’t have been very funny.
“He agreed it was justifiable homicide and your case is now officially
closed.”
Susanna breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes joined the rest of her
smiling face before she asked, “Can we go to get the lots now?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered and turned as she took his right arm before
they stepped back toward Main Street.
_____
Purchasing the four lots didn’t take much time at all as Ernest Matthews
and Dan settled on a price of six hundred and forty-eight dollars for all four
five-acre lots because Dan was paying cash in the form of a bank draft on
his recently engorged Trinidad State Bank account.
 After leaving the Matthews Brothers Land and Property Company
offices, they stopped at the land office and had the deeds registered before
they had to walk ten blocks to the western edge of town to the offices of the
Bradley Construction Company.
When they entered the office of Bradley Construction, they found Alex
Bradley, the owner at the front desk talking loudly to one of his two
foremen. He wasn’t happy about a misplaced support beam on an addition
to the feed and grain.
Dan and Susanna waited near the door until Alex had finished his
tongue-lashing and then noticed the couple and said, “Good morning, Dan.”
After sending the chastised foreman on his way, Dan and Susanna
walked to the desk and Dan held out a chair for Susanna.
Once she was seated, Alex asked, “What can I do for you, Dan?”
“I just bought some lots at the north end of Eighth Street and I need a
house and barn built.”
Alex grinned and asked, “Didn’t feel like giving John Anderson your
business?”
“No, sir. And I wouldn’t have even if he didn’t just marry Margaret. I
think he overextended and hired too many men that didn’t know their
trade.”
“You’re exactly right. Let’s go to the working office and we’ll see what
we can come up with.”
Susanna stood and walked with Dan behind Alex as he stepped down a
short hallway and entered a much larger office with drafting tables, working
desks, and filing cabinets with a scattering of papers and drawing
instruments.
They managed to find three chairs and after arranging them around one
of the nicer work desks, Alex asked, “So, what are you looking to build?”
“We don’t want one of the two-story houses that everyone seems to
want. What we’d like is a large, single-story house like a big ranch house.
What’s important to me is that it’s well-built, keeps out the cold winters,
and gives us a lot of room.”
“That won’t be difficult. Give me some more details,” he said as he
pulled out a large sheet of paper and a thick pencil.
Dan glanced at Susanna smiled and said, “We want four, no make that
five bedrooms, a library, an office, a big kitchen, a dining room, a parlor,
and a bathroom with a big bathtub. I’ll have them run water and gas lines
down there as well.”
Alex wrote down the basic information and said, “I’ll have my engineer
draw up a basic design this afternoon, and if you’ll stop by tomorrow, we’ll
modify it.”
“We’ll do that. Just to give you an advance warning, Alex, I bought the
two adjacent lots as well and when each of my sisters marries, I’ll be
building them houses, too.”
Alex smiled and said, “Now that’s music to my ears.”
Dan then asked, “Alex, I’m curious about something. I was told that
John Anderson asked Bryce Lawrence for a dowry before marrying
Margaret, and that surprised me. I know that he’s still the largest depositor
in the bank too because after I made that deposit from the vouchers, I had
briefly been the biggest. After he got the dowry, we switched positions. I
figured that he probably overextended his operation in anticipation of a
building boom when the railroads arrived, but I didn’t think his income had
dropped that much. He still has the sawmill, too.”
Alex wasn’t at all surprised to find that Dan knew about John Anderson
so well, so he quickly replied, “You’re right about how he jumped the gun
on the expansion of his company. He spent too much in setting up the fancy
new offices and then adding to his workforce before he even had any more
contracts. Even when those jobs didn’t materialize, he didn’t cut any
workers because he couldn’t understand that the boom wasn’t coming.
“Now he has a cash flow problem. He offered to sell me the sawmill, but
it was too much, even at half the price he asked. I can get my lumber from
my supplier in Butte Valley for less than he’s now paying for his own
boards. That’s because he contracted for that forest southwest of town from
the AT&SF. They really took him to the cleaners over that deal, too. He
really needs to shut down the sawmill and then shed some of that excess
manpower in the construction company.”
“Do you think there’s any chance that his business will fail?”
“All businesses can fail, Dan. It’s the risk we all take when we start one.
My philosophy has always been to do the best job I can, charge a fair price,
and make a reasonable profit. I’ll always lose a bid to John if the customer
is only concerned about the bottom line, but if they want solid work, I’ll get
the job.”
“That’s why I came to you, Alex.”
“Good. Now let’s talk about the barn. It sounds like what you want is
more like a carriage house than a barn. If you stick a tall barn next to a
single-story ranch house in town, it’ll look goofy, don’t you think?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll let you and your engineer come up with something. I’ll
need it large enough for eight horses, a buggy and carriage, and enough
storage for the tack and feed.”
“Okay, Dan. Come back around ten o’clock tomorrow morning and we’ll
start hacking at the first drawings.”
Dan rose, shook Alex’s hand, waited for Susanna to stand, and they
followed him out of the work office before leaving the construction yard.
Once outside, Susanna asked, “How did you know about John
Anderson’s situation?”
“I didn’t. I did know about the dowry and his bank balance, and I was
curious about his companies. I didn’t know how bad it was, though. I
figured Alex would know because he was his only competition in town. The
other question that you should have is why am I one of the top depositors in
the bank?”
“Now that you mention it, why is that? I mean, you’re just a deputy and
despite your enormous bank balance in Denver, even with those rewards, I
was surprised to hear that you were momentarily the largest depositor in
Mister Lawrence’s bank.”
 “Aside from the fact that most businesses have most of their wealth in
the business itself, some of them, like Alex, don’t use Bryce Lawrence’s
bank for most of their money for the simple reason that he doesn’t pay as
much interest on their money as most of the other banks in the state.
“They keep some money there for operating expenses, but I know that
most use banks in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, or even Denver where they get
double the interest that Bryce Lawrence gives them. I guess he figured he
had a captive audience and didn’t have to pay them that much to use their
money. He sure charges high enough interest on the loans he makes,
though.”
“I have a lot to learn, don’t I?”
“You’re doing fine, Susanna. You didn’t even look at me funny when I
added another bedroom to the initial request.”
Susanna laughed and said, “That’s because I know that you’re planning
on filling them with our children. You should have asked for six.”
Dan laughed as they turned on Main Street and headed back to the
house.
_____
The rest of the day was the first of what they would later refer to as ‘The
Quiet Time’, lasting from Thursday, the 22
nd
of June until another Thursday
two weeks later, the 6
th
of July. There were significant events in those
normal times but nothing that individually could have predicted the
explosive days that started two days after Independence Day.
_____
Friday, June 23, 1878
Dan and Susanna were sitting with Alex Bradley and his engineer, Elvis
Wheaton, as they reviewed the preliminary plans for the new house. They
weren’t full blueprints but did provide a good starting point for
modifications, and there were definitely modifications.
The first change was the addition of two more bedrooms, which led to a
few pointed questions and jibes aimed at Dan by both men, leaving Susanna
almost beet-red.
When they were finished, Susanna wound up with a bigger kitchen and
cold room, just to keep the house rectangular in shape. It was going to be a
sprawling house with a carriage house of the same height and design, but
larger than Dan had originally imagined to keep it in proportion with the
expanded house.
When they were satisfied with the new house design, Dan asked, “With
the changes, what’s the final cost going to be?”
Alex had been keeping track of costs as they’d made the modifications,
so he quickly replied, “It’s not going to be cheap, Dan. You’re looking at
two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars.”
Dan nodded and asked, “I know you need to start buying materials,
Alex, so let me ask you, would you rather accept a draft on my Denver bank
account or wait a few days for the cash?”
Alex’s eyebrows peaked, as he asked, “You have a Denver account?”
“Yes, sir. It’s with the First National Bank. We’ll be heading to Denver in
a few days and I know that you’d have to wait for the draft to clear if you
deposited it here.”
Alex smiled and replied, “Strangely enough, I have an account with the
First National in Denver. I keep enough here for my operating costs, but I’ll
write a draft on that account from time to time if things get dicey. Can you
just transfer it to my account there when you make the trip?”
“I can. I’ll bring you a receipt.”
“That’ll make things easier,” Alex said.
“Alex, I heard that a few business owners keep their money elsewhere.
Do you think that John Anderson does that?”
“John Anderson again, Dan?” Alex asked as he snickered and said, “I
doubt it. John doesn’t really have a head for business, unlike his father,
Jimmy, who watched every penny. When John took over eight years ago, he
had grandiose ideas about becoming a king of industry and when he heard
about those two railroads coming here, that’s when he prematurely
expanded the operations. But he never bothered to pay attention to things
like operating costs or how much interest he was getting from his bank
account. I’d be downright amazed if he had money anywhere else.”
“That’s what I thought, too. It’s the only reason he’d ask for a dowry.”
Alex smiled at Susanna and said, “I don’t believe you asked about a
dowry before courting Miss Lawson.”
“No, sir.”
Alex, like most of the rest of the citizenry in Trinidad, had already heard
the recently modified story of what had happened at the Lawson farm, and
as most had, cursed the name of Bob Lawson and had sympathy for
Susanna. Not everyone did, of course.
_____
“
She murdered her father and now Daniel is courting her?
” Margaret
exclaimed as she sat in her parlor with her teacup in her hand.
Her friend, Emma Hilliard, nodded and replied, “That’s what I heard,
and it’s not just all rumors, either. Daniel even wrote an official report that
the prosecutor accepted as the truth and didn’t charge her with any crimes at
all, even though she’d been lying for weeks.”
“
What is wrong with him?
She murders her father, lies to him, then he
goes off on wild goose chases to hunt for killers that don’t even exist,
and
now he’s courting her?
”
“I know. If you ask my opinion, she took advantage of him when he was
at a loss when you married John. Isn’t that when this all started?”
Margaret set her teacup down and had to recall the timing of events but
had a problem because after she told Daniel she wasn’t going to marry him,
she only caught snippets of what he was doing. Yet, after a few minutes,
even those snippets were enough.
“You’re right, Emma. He started chasing after suspected murderers just
two days after the dance.”
Emma smiled as she sipped her tea.
 Then Margaret said, “It really doesn’t matter, I suppose. I’m a happily
married woman now.”
Emma just nodded. She’d known Margaret long enough to see that she
was far from happily married but just couldn’t understand why she wasn’t.
_____
Saturday, June 24, 1878
“When are you going to Denver, Dan?” asked Bill after Tom left the
office.
“Probably on Tuesday if that’s okay. I figure that’ll give Ned Thornburg
a day to get adjusted and things are pretty quiet now. Besides, I’m pretty
useless.”
“What did Mister Greene say in his letter?”
Dan sighed as he pulled the opened envelope from his jacket pocket and
removed the six sheets of paper.
He had to go to the bottom of the third page before he replied, “The
jewelry he broke down into similar pieces, but there were still a hundred
and twelve lines. He valued the finished jewelry at $8,765.”
After flipping to the last page, he said, “He did the same thing with the
stones, and he said that his preliminary estimate at the value was $11,380,
but that was, as he put it, ‘a crude guess’ and would probably be more when
he received the exact amount from his cousin in St. Louis.”
“Lord, Dan! That would give you over fifty thousand dollars!” Bill
exclaimed.
“I know and it really is kind of creepy. I have no use for that much
money. Granted, it’s nice to have it, but it still makes me feel odd.”
“And yet, Deputy Hart, you’re still keeping the badge and will be riding
off after outlaws after your shoulder heals. You’ll adjust to the money and
now that you and Susanna seem to be well along on your courtship already,
you’ll be fine.”
Dan smiled as he folded the pages and slid them back into the envelope.
 “She’s pretty special, isn’t she?”
Bill smiled at his son and replied, “She is, and you’re not too bad
yourself.”
Then he asked, “Are you coming home for supper?”
“No, sir. I’ll stay here. No offense, but I look forward to the private time
with Susanna when she brings me that tray. She’s becoming an addiction.”
“Normally, I’d suspect some shenanigans going on, but with that hole in
your back, I’m pretty sure that nothing serious is happening between you
two.”
“Don’t be so sure, Pop,” Dan said with a grin.
His father grinned back and rose, grabbed his hat, and left the jail.
Dan hadn’t exaggerated when he told his father that Susanna had moved
into the realm of addiction. He now anticipated seeing those blue eyes as
she entered the jail carrying the tray and wearing a smile. It had only been a
few days since they’d been back, yet he couldn’t imagine a life without
Susanna.
As he sat at the desk, his back away from the chair, he looked at the door
and realized that even though he’d asked to court Susanna, was having a
house built for them, and even talked about marriage and children, he
hadn’t told her that he loved her. He understood why he hadn’t, but it
wasn’t a good enough excuse anymore. He’d told Margaret he loved her
dozens of times, and she’d said those same magical words. He hadn’t told
Susanna how he felt because he believed that he’d cheapened the
meaningful expression,
but was that fair to Susanna?
He sat at the desk almost in a trance when he was startled back into the
real world by heavy boot steps approaching the doorway, then he smiled at
Ned Thornburg as he walked into the office.
“The sheriff is gone, Ned,” Dan said as the new deputy removed his hat,
walked to the desk, and took a seat.
“I know. I kinda wanted to talk to you, Dan.”
Dan noticed his anxious demeanor, so he just waited.
 “I wanted to be a lawman for a long time now and I was really happy
when the sheriff asked me to be a deputy. But I’m worried that I won’t be
good enough now that it’s about to happen. I’ve never even fired a pistol
and, well, with all that you’ve done, I don’t know if I could handle it.”
Dan didn’t reply but rose, turned, then took two steps to the gun rack,
pulled open the drawer underneath, and removed the gunbelt that had
belonged to Al Clark. He set it on the desk, then closed the drawer and
returned to his seat.
“Ned, take this gunbelt. It’ll be yours now. When I started training for
this job, I knew less than you probably do right now. My father taught me
everything I know, and between him, me, and Tom, we’ll turn you into a
good lawman. Ever since my father mentioned that you were interested in
the job, I’ve watched you, Ned. You’re already way ahead of most men who
pin on a badge. You understand folks and how to deal with them. The gun
part is easy. Tracking and thinking ahead is a lot harder and that’s where
we’ll be doing most of the training.”
“But I’m afraid of being shot. You were shot just riding to Walsenburg,
Dan.”
“When you get involved in a shootout, fear is the last thing on your
mind, Ned. In the drygulch shootout, I was searching for ambush sites, so I
didn’t have time to worry about being scared. Then once bullets started
flying, I was too busy trying to figure out a way to shoot those bastards. It’s
always that way. With the Williams and Clark brothers, it just took longer.
That’s Al Clark’s gun, by the way.”
Ned pulled the gunbelt closer to him as he asked, “Do you really think
I’ll be okay, Dan?”
Dan smiled and replied, “You’ll be a great lawman, Ned. Maybe you’ll
even be sheriff one day.”
Ned finally smiled and said, “I think I’m looking at the next sheriff.”
Then he rose, pulled on his hat, picked up the gunbelt, and said,
“Thanks, Dan. I’ll see you on Monday.”
 “See you Monday, Deputy,” Dan replied as Ned waved and headed out
the door.
Dan was sure that Ned would get over his case of the jitters after he
gained some confidence but felt a bit awkward for having told him that he
hadn’t been any further ahead than Ned when he’d started training. His
training had begun before he was ten but was pleased that he was able to
help their newest hire.
_____
Ten minutes later, when Susanna did arrive with his tray, he waited until
she’d taken her seat, looked into those big blue, happy eyes, and knew it
was time to put the last remnant of the time with Margaret away.
Susanna asked, “Has anything exciting happened today, Deputy?”
Dan took her hand, met those smiling eyes, and replied, “You happened,
and I will be forever grateful that you did. I love you with all my heart,
Susanna.”
Susanna had craved to hear those words and expected that she’d hear
them when they’d been locked in a warm embrace, having just expressed
their passion for each other with a meaningful kiss, but this was so much
better. The routine and everyday setting seemed to place even greater
meaning on his declaration.
She smiled slightly before saying, “You know I love you, too, Dan. I just
didn’t want to say it because I didn’t want you to tell me feeling as if you
had to.”
“I wanted to tell you before, but I had told Margaret that so often that it
felt watered down and almost meaningless to me. It was only a few minutes
ago that I realized that it wasn’t the same at all. Whenever I said it to
Margaret, or she said it to me, we were always in private and involved in
mutual exploration. That’s why I thought it was important to tell you that I
loved you while you were just sitting in a chair in the front office of the jail.
I love you, Susanna, all of you. I don’t need to be excited to tell you how I
feel.”
“I’m very happy that you did it this way, Dan. It meant a lot to me.”
 Dan just smiled and didn’t even kiss her as he pulled off the cover to his
dinner.
Susanna asked, “Did you know that the story about what I did is already
making the circuit in the gossip telegraph?”
Dan picked up a chicken drumstick and replied, “Yes, ma’am, but I also
know that most folks that told me that they’d heard about it thought you
were a brave young woman.”
“It doesn’t hurt that they know that you’re courting me, either.”
Dan swallowed a bite of the chicken and replied, “I’ll bet that not
everyone’s happy about it, either.”
“Margaret?” she asked in surprise, “Why would she care?”
“Simple jealousy, that’s all. I’m sure that she believed that I’d be so
devastated by losing her that I’d become a hermit or something.”
Susanna laughed and said, “I can’t see you as a hermit, sir.”
“Nor could I, Miss Lawson,” he replied and said, “Oh, we’ll be going to
Denver on Tuesday to see Mister Greene and transferring the money for the
house to Alex Bradley’s account. I want to get some extra cash to pay for
the furnishings as well. I’d rather keep from writing drafts on the Denver
account and having them deposited in Bryce Lawrence’s bank if I can avoid
it.”
“You don’t think he’ll find out eventually?”
“Eventually he probably will, but I’d prefer to postpone that day as long
as possible.”
Susanna nodded and asked, “What about Henry?”
“We’ll stop at Pueblo on the way to Denver and I’ll see Sheriff Temple
and ask him if he knows where we can find Henry. It won’t take long. The
train stops for about forty-five minutes to take on coal and water and do
some routine maintenance. If he knows where Henry is, then we can stop on
the way back and talk him into coming along.”
“Do you think he will?”
 “I’m not sure. He seemed afraid and so guilty that I wouldn’t be
surprised if he ran away again.”
Susanna didn’t say anything for almost a minute before she spoke again.
“Dan, if he’s run away again, then I don’t want you to try to find him.
It’s not that I don’t want to see him, but it has to be his decision, not mine.”
“Okay. Let’s hope that he took my last piece of advice before I got on the
train. I told him not to let his fear ruin the rest of his life.”
Susanna nodded and just waited for Dan to finish eating. She knew
Henry well enough to expect that he had probably left Pueblo the day after
Dan’s train left.
After he finished, Dan and Susanna talked for another hour before he
escorted her back to the house.
_____
Sunday, June 25, 1878
After he and Susanna had attended services with the rest of the Hart
family at St. John’s Anglican Church that morning and had created a bit of a
stir among the congregation as they sat together in the pew, but nothing was
said by Reverend Babcock when he greeted them as they exited the church.
Later that day Dan realized that if they took the morning AT&SF train to
La Junta, they’d be able to get to Pueblo a lot earlier but would still have to
wait for the Denver & Rio Grande train to Denver that he’d taken on the
first trip. He asked Susanna, Julie, and Pam about the possible change
which would give them a six-hour layover in Pueblo but extend their time
on the train by another six hours, and all had agreed to the modified
journey.
_____
Monday, June 26, 1878
Ned Thornton arrived that morning for his first day wearing his gunbelt
with his first Colt pistol and was sworn in by Bill in a casual ceremony that
was attended by his parents and his two younger brothers.
 After the family had gone, it was up to Dan to begin his orientation and
training, beginning with a review of the laws and ordinances that they were
sworn to enforce. As they progressed, Dan would explain the reasons for
most of them, and which ones were routinely ignored and why. Even that
basic training lesson was an eye-opening experience for Ned.
Ned stayed with Dan learning all he could until Susanna made her
appearance sending Ned back to his family house for the night.
Since those first few passionate kisses in Walsenburg, Dan had managed
to refrain from repeating them for the simple and very logical reason that he
wanted his wound to heal and was concerned that if he and Susanna became
too amorous, he’d pop his stitches and his recovery would be delayed. He
explained it to Susanna, who had been disappointed in the lack of passion
and was happy that it was for that reason and no other.
_____
Tuesday, June 27, 1878
The AT&SF train pulled into Pueblo in mid-afternoon after departing
from Trinidad at 8:10 that morning. It had been an uneventful trip and the
only highlight was when Susanna and Julie were talking about their new
house and Susanna gave her and Pam the news about the adjacent lots and
the new houses that would be built when they were needed. That tidbit was
made just an hour out of Trinidad and kept the three young women chatting
about little else since the happy revelation.
Dan was pleased that Susanna had told his sisters because it gave her
something to take her mind off the meeting with Henry. He didn’t think that
Susanna was right about his running away again, but wouldn’t have bet
against it, either.
After having a delayed lunch in the same diner where he’d met Henry,
Dan left the three young ladies drinking coffee and still chatting about the
new houses to walk to the sheriff’s office to ask if they knew where Henry
could be found.
He entered the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, thinking how nice it
would be to have the county seat and county share the same name, then
approached the deputy at the desk.
 “What can I do for you, Deputy?” he asked noticing Dan’s badge.
“I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find a man named
Henry Lawson. He arrived here a couple of months ago. He’s about an inch
or so shorter than me but heavier with sandy brown hair and blue eyes.”
“Are you Dan Hart?” he asked.
“Yup.”
The deputy opened the right-hand drawer, pulled out two envelopes, and
handed them to Dan.
“I think Henry Lawson is the one who dropped these off. He said that
you might be stopping by looking for him and, to be honest, we were gonna
toss ‘em, but he told us why he wanted to give them to you, and I kept ‘em
in the drawer in case you showed up.”
Dan accepted the envelopes, one addressed to him and the other to
Susanna.
“Thanks for keeping them. I have a feeling it’s not good news.”
He didn’t sit, but simply opened his envelope, pulled out the single sheet
of paper, and read:
Dan:
I know you think I’m a coward because that’s what I am. I can live with
that, but I can’t live with seeing Susanna again. I know she’d forgive me
because that’s how she is, but I know that for the rest of my life, seeing her
would remind me of the most shameless act I ever committed.
Susanna is a very special person. She deserves so much better than what
she had. If you are really as smart as you seemed to be, you should spend as
much time as you can with her and then you’ll know how special she is.
You’re a good man, Dan. Take care of my sister and tell her that I really do
love her and wish I had been more of a man and protected her.
I don’t want the farm, so she can do whatever she wants with it.
Please don’t try to find me again. I’ll just run away.
Henry Lawson
 Dan folded the page and slipped it back into its envelope before putting
his letter into his inner jacket pocket.
“Was it what you expected?” the deputy asked.
“Pretty much,” Dan answered and said, “Thanks again for keeping
them,” then turned and left the office.
As much as he hated to admit it as he strode to the diner, Dan thought
that it might be a better thing for her brother after all. If Henry felt that
strongly about his cowardice, maybe he’d be more miserable around his
sister than he would be on his own.
When he entered the diner again, Susanna and his sisters looked at him
and waited for him to take a seat.
Susanna asked quietly, “He’s gone. Isn’t he?”
Dan nodded and slid her envelope across the table as he replied, “He left
us each a letter with the sheriff.”
Susanna opened the letter, and slowly unfolded the short missive, as her
blue eyes scanned the page.
My Dearest Sister,
I know that you’ll forgive me for what I did and what I didn’t do, but that
doesn’t matter. I’ll never forgive myself. Please grant me this one request,
Susanna. Let me live my life on my own.
I wrote a letter to Dan Hart, too. I was very impressed with him when I
talked to him about you. In his letter, I asked him to take care of you, and I
know it’s pretty stupid, but I told him that if he spent time with you, he’d
understand how special you really are. I hope that he does because then I
know that you’d be protected.
I really wish the best for you, Susanna. I’m glad that you somehow
stopped our father from hurting you. Don’t feel bad about it at all. He
deserved to die, and it should have been me to do it.
I told Dan that I don’t want the farm and I didn’t want him to try and find
me again. I’ll be all right, and I can be happy if I know that you’re happy,
too. Maybe one of these days, I’ll read
The Trinidad Coloradan
and see a
notice of the marriage of Susanna Lawson to Dan Hart. That would be the
best news I could hope for.
Henry
Dan had been watching her as she read the letter, understanding what
most of it probably contained, and could see a mixture of relief and sadness
in her eyes.
She folded her letter looked at Dan and asked, “Do you want to read it,
Dan?”
“No, Susanna. I’m pretty sure it’s a lot like mine. You should read mine,
though.”
She nodded before he pulled out his envelope and gave it to her.
Susanna read it quickly and after putting both letters back into their
envelopes, she gave them to Dan for safekeeping.
Dan then asked, “Well, ladies, we have another eight hours to lose before
the Denver & Rio Grande train arrives to take us to Denver. What would
you like to do while we’re in Pueblo?”
“Can we buy some books?” asked Julie.
“Great idea,” Dan replied, “It’s going to be another fourteen hours before
we arrive in Denver.”
Dan and the ladies left the diner and walked down Main Street to
Lungren’s Department Store, where they spent more than two hours
browsing the aisles even after making their selections. Susanna was pleased
to find a copy of
Through the Looking Glass
, so she could finish reading
the book.
The rest of the time waiting was spent exploring Pueblo, which was just
a little larger than Trinidad.
As they strolled the boardwalks, Susanna asked, “I always thought
Trinidad was big, but Pueblo seems even bigger.”
Dan replied, “It’s bigger, but not much. Wait until you see Denver. It’s
almost scary already. Did you know that they have two high schools now?”
 “Two? I thought it was impressive when we got one,” Julie said.
“They’ll probably need another one soon, too.”
The conversation then shifted to the expectations of what awaited them
in Denver.
Unlike the last time he was in the big city, Dan figured that he’d spend
more time exploring the city with Susanna and his sisters after visiting Tom
Greene and had a request to make from the jeweler while he was there, too.
_____
Wednesday, June 28, 1878
The train had pulled in during the early morning hours and less than an
hour later, they arrived at the Windsor Hotel where Dan secured four rooms.
It seemed to be wasteful to the three young ladies but appreciated,
nonetheless, once they spotted the services provided in each of the lavishly
appointed rooms.
Each of them took a leisurely bath and changed into clean clothes after
the long train ride, then went downstairs to the hotel restaurant and had a
long and pleasant breakfast to wait until the bank opened.
Then it was off to the First National Bank via one of the hotel’s
carriages. Susanna, Julie, and Pam were all gawking at the tall, stone
buildings and were overwhelmed by the size of the city. Dan just smiled as
he watched Susanna’s big blue eyes get even bigger as she was awed by the
growing metropolis.
They let the carriage return to the hotel as Dan escorted Susanna and his
sisters into the colossal bank and walked to the desk of Steve Goff, who
spotted him when he was twenty feet away, and rose from his chair.
“Well, it’s good to see you again so soon, Dan,” Steve said as he shook
Dan’s hand.
“Steve, I’d like to introduce my sisters, Julie and Pam. And this cute
young lady is Susanna Lawson and will soon be joining our family as my
wife.”
 Susanna was tickled with his introduction and blushed as she smiled and
he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet each of you, and congratulations to you,
Miss Lawson.”
“Thank you,” Susanna replied, still a deep pink.
“What can I do for you, Dan?” he asked as each of the young ladies took
a seat.
“I need to transfer payment for the new house we’re having built in
Trinidad. The builder, Alex Bradley, has an account here.”
Steve pulled out the necessary forms and slid them to Dan who filled out
the amount and Alex’s name. He assumed that Steve would find the account
number.
“Do you need anything else before I take care of this?” Steve asked.
“I’ll need about a thousand dollars in cash to furnish the house and take
care of incidentals.”
“You could just write a draft in Trinidad, Dan, and not carry all that
money with you.”
“I’m trying to keep my balance here a secret for as long as I can.”
Steve nodded and said quietly, “If you can keep a secret yourself, the
First National will be adding a branch down in Trinidad in a few months.
Mister Bradley isn’t the only one from Trinidad who has an account here.
Your deposit kind of was the final kick to make that decision. We already
have branches in Boulder, Colorado Springs, and La Junta. Pueblo will
follow Trinidad, too.”
Dan smiled and said, “Well, that will be interesting to Mister Bryce
Lawrence. He’s had the town all to himself for a while and doesn’t pay
much interest on savings but charges more on loans.”
“That’s going to change. We keep the same rates at all of our locations.
Did you still want that thousand dollars?”
“How soon will they make the announcement of the new branch?”
 “In a couple of weeks, I believe. They’ll start construction of the new
building when they do.”
“Well, don’t have Anderson Construction build it when you do if you
want it to still be standing after the first heavy rain.”
Steve laughed and said, “We’ve already arranged for Alex Bradley for
the work because he’s a depositor.”
“I wonder why he didn’t mention it to me.”
“He’s not supposed to and the fact that he didn’t will probably score
points with the bosses.”
“Then I won’t need that thousand and I still have most of the six hundred
from the last trip here. I guess that’s all we’ll need.”
Steve nodded and stood, walked to the long cashier’s window, then five
minutes later, he returned with a receipt for the transfer and handed it to
Dan.
Dan slipped it into his wallet and shook Steve’s hand as the ladies stood
and Steve gave them a short bow and a smile before they turned and walked
across the bank lobby.
Once outside, Susanna asked, “Is that news going to bother Mister
Lawrence?”
They were carefully walking down the granite steps as Dan replied, “It’ll
bother him because he’ll have to either change his rates or lose customers.
He’ll lose customers anyway just because folks will feel their money is
safer, and Bryce Lawrence hasn’t done anything to make himself popular
either. But he’ll be okay, at least for a while.”
Dan then turned Susanna and his sisters toward Boulder Street and T.L.
Greene’s Jewelry.
When they entered the large shop, Julie and Pam’s eyes lit up as they
began to wander the store, gawking at the display cases. Susanna stayed
with her arm linked with Dan’s as they approached the long main counter
where Latham was helping a man in a long-tailed suit, which was odd for a
Wednesday afternoon, even in Denver.
 Latham glanced at Dan, smiled, and said, “Go on back, Dan. Tom’s been
expecting you.”
“Thank you, Latham,” Dan replied as Susanna released his arm.
“I’ll stay out here with Julie and Pam if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine. I may be a while, though.”
Susanna smiled and turned to find Julie or Pam, who’d separated and
drifted to different sections.
Dan watched her leave, smiled, walked to the end of the counter, and
entered the workroom under the watchful eye of the armed guard.
Tom was looking through his eye loupe at a ring when he heard Dan’s
approach but didn’t look away.
Dan stood by the bench and waited until Tom set the ring onto the
scratched wooden surface and smiled at him.
“Dan, it’s good to see you again. We have a lot to talk about.”
“I figured as much after reading that letter.”
“Grab a chair,” he said as he pointed at one of the tall, stool-like chairs.
Dan slid it over, sat down, and waited for Tom to explain what he
thought was the best approach to handling the jewelry.
“As I wrote in the letter, the finished pieces are pretty well sorted. If
you’ll sign a contract for us to act as your selling agent, we’ll take ten
percent of the retail price, but if we discount it, it will come out of our ten
percent. You’ll just have to trust us that we’re asking a fair price.”
“It would be in your best interest to get the best price you could,
wouldn’t it?”
“It would unless we sold it to ourselves or a relative in St. Louis.”
Dan laughed and said, “As I told you before, Tom, it’s only worth what
someone is willing to pay for it.”
Tom shook his head as he grinned and replied, “Lord, Dan! I swear I’ve
never had another client with your attitude. So, that’s the easy part. I’ve
already drawn up the contract and you can have an attorney review it if
you’d like. It’s pretty simple, though.”
“That’s not necessary, Tom. I’ll read it and unless you said that all of the
stuff is yours if I meet my untimely end, I’ll sign it.”
“I hope that doesn’t happen, Dan. I read about all that’s happened to you
since you left here the last time. You’ve done some dangerous, but amazing
things.”
Dan nodded and then asked, “What about the harder part?”
“The precious stones. The question is whether you want to sell them in
one bulk sale to our cousin in St. Louis or a wholesaler in New York or
leave them here for mounting. It would take much longer to sell that many
precious stones, but you’d get more for them, and even with the cost of the
mounting and gold to fashion the necklace, ring, brooch, or pin, I know that
you’d see more profit. It would provide you with a steady income for the
next ten years or so, in my estimation.”
Dan nodded and replied, “I think that’s the way to go, Tom. I can’t see
Denver getting any smaller and I have no need for the money right now
anyway. I have too much as it is. So, we’ll write up a contract for that, but I
do have one request.”
Tom smiled and asked, “Has it something to do with a young lady?
Perhaps the one you had us deliver the necklace to in Trinidad?”
Dan returned his smile and answered, “It has everything to do with a
young lady. She’s in the store right now, but she’s not the one who wore that
necklace as she floated down the aisle on her wedding day a week ago
today.”
“Do you have time to tell me how that happened? With all that time
chasing killers all over the state, I’m surprised you had time to meet any
young women.”
“I’ll give you the basics but first, let me tell you what I need to have
done with some of those precious stones, and I need to have you do
something with this,” he said as he handed Tom one of the doubloons he’d
saved.
 “Go ahead,” Tom said as accepted the doubloon and pulled over his
notebook and a pencil to take down Dan’s requests.
While Dan was telling Tom of the extraordinary events that had led to
having Susanna with him, Susanna was approaching Latham, who’d finally
shed himself of the gentleman who had taken twenty minutes of his time
and bought nothing.
Latham stared at Susanna as she stepped toward the counter, but not
because of her striking blue eyes or anything else that most men would find
worth their attention.
After she stopped, but before she could say anything, Latham asked
quietly, “Excuse me, Miss, but where did you get the pearl necklace? Did
Dan give it to you?”
Susanna lifted the pearls and looked at them as she replied softly, “Yes.
He gave it to me when he returned from Denver. I never thought I’d wear
them until he hung them around my neck.”
“Those are the most extraordinary pearls I’ve ever seen, and I didn’t
recall them being in the pile that Dan showed us. I would have remembered
if I had.”
Susanna looked at him and said, “He said when he found them among all
of the jewelry, that he felt that I was the only one who should wear them.”
“The blue pearl is almost exactly the shade of your eyes, so I imagine
that made it more obvious to him, but the value of that necklace puts it into
a class of its own.”
Susanna was surprised and asked, “Is it worth that much?”
“Oh, yes. The size, perfection, and color of the blue pearl is almost
priceless, and the two ivory pearls that accent it are very valuable
themselves. I’m not sure that we could price that piece if we had to.”
“Is it worth more than the diamond and ruby necklace that Dan sent to
Trinidad?”
Latham smiled and replied, “Yes, quite a lot more. That necklace was an
expensive trinket, but it wasn’t nearly as intrinsically valuable as the one
you’re wearing, nor is it nearly as exquisite. You’re a very fortunate young
lady.”
Susanna smiled and said, “It’s not because of the value of the necklace.
It’s because of the man who gave it to me. He’s much more precious to
me.”
“I can understand that, Miss. Do you need something?”
“Yes, I do. I want to order something for Dan, but I don’t have any
money.”
“That’s not a problem, Miss. We’ll just subtract whatever costs you incur
from the sales of the jewelry that we’ll be selling for him over the next few
years. What do you need?”
Susanna glanced at the workroom entrance and described what she
wanted to Latham who took out his own notebook and wrote down the
particulars. He didn’t need Dan’s address, of course, but did take down her
name so she would get the package, not Dan.
By the time Dan exited the workroom after having signed the contracts,
he found Susanna walking beside Julie as they looked at the displays.
“Find anything you like?” he asked.
“There are lots of things that I like, big brother,” Julie replied, “but I
have my diamond earrings, and that’s more than enough. I won’t even
mention the promise of a new house.”
Dan smiled as Pam arrived and waved to Latham before leaving the
shop.
_____
In Trinidad, the preliminary work on Dan and Susanna’s new house had
started, and Alex had all three of his crews assigned to the job. He knew he
couldn’t get the house and carriage house built before they started on the
new bank building, but he’d ordered a lot of material for that job, so they
could use some of it for Dan’s house while he waited for the new order to
arrive.
 Naturally, any new construction in town came to the attention of John
Anderson fairly quickly, but he didn’t pay that much attention to it at first
because he had his own problems.
The two-thousand-dollar dowry had been added to his account, but he
was facing a large payment for that property he’d contracted with the
AT&SF. He’d foolishly paid eight thousand dollars for the timber rights to
the full section of heavily wooded land and harvested about two hundred
trees, but most of that lumber was sitting in his sawmill near the Las
Animas River. He had only three major clients for his construction business
over the past year, and that hadn’t been enough to use the boards he already
had sitting in his big warehouse.
John sat in his office, drumming a pencil on his polished oak desktop,
wondering what he should do. The infusion of the dowry money had bought
him time, but when Alex Bradley had turned down his offer for the sawmill,
he knew he was in trouble. He could just cut his losses and just fire half of
his workforce, but that damned contract with the railroad was like a dagger
to his throat.
Even his marriage to Margaret was turning out not to be at all as he’d
expected. She just wasn’t the exciting, curvaceous woman he’d been
fantasizing about since he’d seen her step from the train. She seemed to
resent his amorous attention for reasons he couldn’t understand, but that
wasn’t important. It was just that there seemed to be a wall between them.
Whenever they talked, it was as if she didn’t care what he was saying. He
had no intentions of telling her about his financial difficulties unless it
became necessary.
John had to come up with a plan for handling that two-thousand-dollar
payment and really didn’t want to use the dowry money.
_____
Margaret was sharing tea with her mother in the Lawrence kitchen. She
hadn’t shared any of her disappointments or frustration with her mother
because she didn’t want to hear the ‘I told you’ comments that she was sure
would follow.
 Fannie said, “I was in Morrison’s yesterday and bumped into Libby
Hart.”
“Oh?” Margaret said, feigning a lack of interest in anything to do with
that family.
“She said that Daniel had gone to Denver with his sisters and Susanna
Lawson.”
Margaret’s apparent disinterest evaporated when she quickly asked,
“Daniel went to Denver with that girl? What for?”
“I have no idea, but I did notice that his mother was wearing a very
elegant diamond and emerald necklace.”
“Was it real?”
“I have no idea, nor was I going to be rude enough to ask. It wasn’t as
expensive as yours, but it was still very nice.”
Margaret’s eyes narrowed slightly as she said, “I asked Daniel if he
bought me the necklace, and he said that he hadn’t.”
“Then he didn’t. You know he would never lie to you.”
“For a man who told me that he didn’t tolerate lying, I’d say his
standards have slipped. Emma Hillard told me that he’s courting her despite
all those lies about outlaws invading her house, killing her parents, and
raping her. She even murdered her own father, yet Daniel is apparently
willing to overlook her lies. Maybe he did lie to me.”
“I don’t believe he did, dear. Just because he forgave Miss Lawson for
her lies doesn’t mean he would lie himself.”
“It really doesn’t matter to me anyway. I’m happily married now.”
“Yes, dear,” Fannie said before she took a sip of tea.
_____
 
Thursday, June 29, 1878
 After the long return train ride, Susanna, Julie and Pam all decided to go
to their rooms and have a nap while Dan walked to the office. As much as
he enjoyed being with Susanna and his sisters, he needed the company of
men. He had an urge to talk about guns and horses.
It had been just a week since being shot, and his back was either not
hurting as much or he’d gotten used to the pain, but whatever the reason,
Dan kept having to remind himself that it hadn’t healed yet before he leaned
back in chairs. It had made the long train rides even harder for him as he
had to sit on the edge of the bench to let his left shoulder stick out past the
backrest.
When he entered the jail, Ned was at the desk talking to Tom, and both
turned when he stepped past the doorway.
“Welcome back, Moose,” Tom said with a grin, “How was the trip?”
“Too much time on trains, Tom. Anything exciting happen while I was
gone?”
“Not much. We had some barfights and Al Johnson filed a complaint
against Joe Popovich for running his buggy into his wagon, but nothing
bad. The stories about you and Susanna sure are lively, though.”
“I figured that would be happening, but it’s okay.”
The sheriff entered the main office from the back and asked, “How is
your back, Dan?”
“Better than I could hope for. I’ll get these stitches out on Monday if
Doc Chambers says it’s okay.”
“That’s good. Are you staying here tonight?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take care of the rounds, too.”
Ned quickly said, “I’ll come with you, Dan, if that’s alright.”
“That’s fine, Ned.”
Dan then walked to the heat stove, poured himself a cup of coffee and
planted his butt on the edge of the desk to tell them about Henry’s letters,
and his visit to the bank and the jewelry store. He didn’t see any point in
keeping any secrets from his fellow lawmen, even the fresh-faced Ned, who
was enormously pleased to be included in the group.
Dan then said, “I was told in confidence that the First National Bank is
going to build a bank here in the next few months. Nobody is supposed to
know yet, though. I’m just telling you so you can be ready for the change
that it’s going to have on Trinidad. Competition is a good thing.”
Bill grinned and said, “Not to Bryce Lawrence. But it’s a good thing to
know. We’ll keep it in the office until they make an announcement.”
Dan said, “I need to head over to Bradley Construction to drop off a
receipt to Alex and I’ll just come back here and hope that nobody feels like
taking a shot at me for the next couple of days.”
The laughs faded as he left the office and began the long walk to Bradley
Construction. He hadn’t noticed that the work had already started but when
he left the receipt with Alex, he was told that they might finish the
construction before the first of August, which surprised and pleased him
because it meant that maybe there wouldn’t have to be such a long
courtship after all.
On the way back, he thought about stopping at the house to pick up
Susanna, but thought she was still napping, so he walked to the lots and was
amazed just how much work had already been done in just a day. The
ground had already been leveled and the drive had been cleared.
After he returned to the jail, the rest of the day slipped into a comfortable
routine for Dan as he resumed his deputy duties and the office emptied.
_____
Susanna arrived at the expected time with his supper tray, and after she
sat down, he asked, “Did you see the work that’s already started on our new
home?”
“Julie, Pam and I went there before supper and we were all surprised to
see that the ground had already been prepared.”
“Alex said that they’d probably have it done before the first of August.
After I told him that I knew about the First National Bank, he told me that
was why he was planning on getting it finished so quickly. That will mean
we’ll have our house done and our courtship will be only five more weeks.”
Susanna smiled and asked, “And when will you be healed well enough
to make our courtship more interesting?”
“I’ll be getting these stitches out next week, but the injury doesn’t hurt as
much as it has been, so if you promise to be gentle, Miss Lawson, perhaps
we could spend some private time in the back room.”
“After you eat, Deputy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan replied as he grinned and began wolfing down his
food under her watchful blue eyes.
After he finished, Dan stood, walked to the front door and closed and
locked it before returning and taking Susanna’s hand and leading her to the
sleeping room.
Susanna hadn’t had any real alone time with Dan since leaving
Walsenburg, and this was going to be much more private. She felt her
excitement rising as Dan closed the door behind them and then turned to
face her.
As she looked up at him, Dan surrounded her face with his hands and
said softly, “I love you, Susanna.’
She just nodded before he leaned down, slid his arms around her, then
kissed her as she quickly threw her arms around Dan’s neck and pulled
herself against him. She had been waiting for this moment to return since
that one last kiss a week ago in the boarding house. It was what kept her
awake at nights, waiting for Dan to hold her again.
Despite his worries about his stitches, Dan wanted to please Susanna,
and she was asking him to please her without saying a word.
Susanna wanted every single one of her fantasies fulfilled in the worst
way as she felt Dan’s lips slide to her neck, sending chills down her spine
and making her breathe faster.
Dan knew that it was getting dangerous, but it didn’t matter anymore. He
loved Susanna and that was all that did count for anything.
 He stepped back slightly and gently lowered her until she was sitting on
the edge of the bed and then sat beside her as their eyes remained locked
together.
“Is that all of our hanky-panky for tonight, Dan?” she asked softly.
“Not unless you want it to be, Susanna.”
She whispered, “If it won’t hurt your back, I want so much more. I want
everything that you can give to me and I promise to give all of my love
back to you.”
Dan leaned forward and as he kissed her again, she felt his hand gently
caress her right breast and gasped.
Dan pulled his hand away quickly believing he’d misunderstood
Susanna, but she quickly reversed that belief when she pulled his hand back
to where it had been and said, “It’s just so new to me, Dan. I want you to
touch me, to feel me. I’m yours.”
Dan whispered, “And I am yours, Susanna. Forever.”
She kissed him again and as he began to let his hands wander across her,
she began her own exploration of Dan’s body, something that she’d wanted
to do even longer than he could have imagined. Ever since that first time
he’d looked into her eyes, she’d wanted him to do what he was doing and to
feel his masculinity with her own fingers.
Dan was still adjusting to Susanna as he began to unbutton her dress. For
all those months with the beautiful, curvaceous Margaret, he’d been so
frustrated at times that he thought he’d lose his mind. Now here he was with
the sweet, innocent Susanna who wanted him as much as he wanted her.
There were no barriers between them, no false fronts or invisible facades,
and definitely no whale-boned corsets. Susanna was real and passionate,
and each knew that what was happening was not only right, but necessary.
When Susanna felt his fingers against her skin, goosebumps erupted
everywhere, and as he freed the last button on her dress, she stood slowly
let it drop to the floor and after he’d risen from the bed, she took off his
shirt, just tossing it aside before she began to unbutton his britches.
 As Susanna worked the buttons, Dan slipped her camisole above her hips
and began to rub her soft bottom.
Susanna yanked his pants down and waited for him to kick off his boots
before stretching her arms in the air so Dan could slide her camisole over
her head, revealing nothing but Susanna.
Dan felt as if he was unwrapping the greatest gift he would ever receive
as the camisole slid past those big blue eyes and the only adornment left
was her pearl necklace.
Then in yet another surprise an unabashedly naked Susanna stood before
Dan put her hands on his hips and asked, “Are you disappointed, Dan?”
Dan blinked and replied in a low voice, “I’m guessing that you’re fishing
for compliments, Susanna, because you are incredible. You’re perfect.”
She then pressed herself against his hard body and whispered, “You are
my perfect dream, Dan. I never thought I’d be like this with you.”
Dan kissed her again and their passion exploded as he leaned her back
on the bed and they began a chaotic exchange of kisses, touches, and
fondling which included verbal and other vocal sounds that announced their
lust.
For nearly twenty minutes, they continued to explore and arouse each
other, Dan’s injury long forgotten by both.
When Dan knew he couldn’t last any longer and Susanna implored him
to finish this they finally entered the last few minutes of ecstasy in a
writhing, noisy crescendo.
Dan finally collapsed next to an exhausted Susanna on the small bed and
as they tried to regain their breath, he just looked at her wide blue eyes and
smiled.
He kissed her softly and said, “I guess that means I’ll have to marry you
now.”
Susanna laughed and swatted his behind before saying, “Why is that? I
don’t mind just coming to the jail and satisfying my urges every night.”
 “You surprised me again, Susanna. I should have guessed after that first
kiss that we shared and that was only a week ago. Now, here we are in bed.”
“Very happily in bed.”
Dan kissed her and said, “You know that I have to escort you home
soon.”
She sighed as she slid her hand across his slippery chest and replied, “I
know. I wish we could spend the night together now that I know what to
expect.”
“Soon, Susanna. Maybe we should just get married and move down to
the farmhouse until our house is built.”
“As much as I want you now, Dan, I would rather wait until the house
was done. I can’t explain it, but I want to be your wife in our own house,
not that one.”
“You don’t have to explain anything, Susanna. Let’s get dressed and I’ll
walk you home.”
“Can I watch?” she asked with a grin.
“Only if you reciprocate, ma’am. You are one inspirational woman.”
“You’re just being nice.”
“Still fishing for compliments, are you? Well, if you don’t believe me,
then I could bring Margaret in here, have her remove her corset and do a
side-by-side comparison.”
Susanna laughed as she poked his good shoulder before saying, “Now,
you’re just being silly.”
“About getting Margaret in here, I am, but I don’t think she’d stand a
chance in comparison to you.”
“But you said you’d never gotten her past her corset.”
“I haven’t, but looking at you, Susanna, in your glorious nakedness, I
can’t imagine that she could be any more feminine. That corset is designed
to squeeze the middle and push up the top, but you don’t need anything to
modify what I saw when I slipped the camisole over your head. You really
are perfect."
Susanna kissed him and as she slipped away, she said, “Thank you for
that, husband.”
Dan watched Susanna as she stood and kept her eyes on him while he
slipped out of bed.
“Dress me, Dan,” she said suddenly.
“I’d wind up pulling those clothes right off and bedding you again,
Susanna. It’s already difficult enough to have to get dressed myself.”
She smiled as she touched his chest and said, “I know. I was kind of
hoping.”
Dan gave in and forgot about dressing as he pulled Susanna close to him
again.
Susanna kissed him, then whispered, “Make love to me again, Moose.”
_____
It was already well after dark when Dan and Susanna left the jail to
return to Eighth Street.
When they arrived at the house, Dan escorted her to the porch and set
down the tray, took her into his arms again, and kissed her with every bit of
passion that they’d shared as he slid his hand across her smooth posterior.
He’d barely freed her when the door opened and his mother asked, “Are
you two finished?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan said, surprisingly embarrassed to be caught by his
mother.
Susanna giggled as she picked up the tray, smiled at Dan and followed
Libby into the house.
Dan smiled himself as he trotted down from the porch and headed back
to the office. It had been one hell of a surprising day and he couldn’t see
anything bad in the future.
 _____
Friday, June 3, 1878
Friday turned out to be a genuinely quiet day for the sheriff’s department
and for the Hart family.
Joe Farmer arrived just before noon and spend a long lunch with his
fellow lawmen filling in the news of what was going on in Walsenburg.
He’d already hired a deputy named Gardner Lupus, who was eight years
older than Joe and had even fought for the Union in the War Between the
States. Joe’s family had moved into Art Tippet’s house after his widow and
three children had moved back to the family farm. Ed Fletcher’s wife was
remaining in Walsenburg. He said that both widows were very grateful for
the money that Dan had sent to them because it would provide for their
children.
He told Dan that Willie hadn’t caused any problems and was still living
with Karen Randall and had even found work at the flour mill.
That piece of news surprised Dan, and he would pass it on to Susanna
later when she arrived for her even more anticipated visit.
_____
After Joe had gone, Tom and Ned responded to an altercation at the train
station when a stranger tried to take a horse from the stock corral that
wasn’t his. It turned out to be a case of the man’s horse having the wrong
tag from when he’d been put into the stock car in Colorado Springs.
That night, Susanna showed up earlier than usual, which wasn’t a
surprise, but Dan still managed to eat his food while Susanna made full use
of her big blue eyes to let him know that she was ready.
Dan locked the office door just after six o’clock, which gave him and
Susanna more time than they’d had the night before. At least this time when
he escorted her home, the sun hadn’t quite set yet.
_____
Even as Dan and Susanna were getting to know each other in the
Biblical as well as every other sense, John and Margaret were sitting at the
dinner table as Mrs. Dandridge brought them their soup.
“I had some interesting news the other day, dear,” John said.
“What was that?”
“I was told that Daniel Hart is having a house built near his parents’
home on Eighth Street. He hired Alex Bradley to do the work.”
“He’s having a new house built? How much does that cost?”
“It varies by size and modifications, but most cost about fifteen hundred
to eighteen hundred dollars.”
Margaret dipped her spoon into her bowl of mushroom soup and said,
“Well, I suppose with the rewards he just deposited, then he could afford to
build a house for that lying, crude farmwoman that he’s going to marry.”
“I hadn’t heard about the rewards. How much did he get for killing those
outlaws?”
“Twenty-six-hundred and fifty dollars,” she replied before sipping the
soup.
“That much? I guess he can afford it, then,” John said before putting his
own spoonful of soup into his mouth.
Margaret didn’t reply, but she’d ask her father about Dan’s balance
tomorrow. Her father had told her about the reward but hadn’t said if he’d
spent any of it yet. Between the house and her mother’s mention of Libby
Hart’s necklace, she was beginning to wonder if Daniel hadn’t been keeping
a secret from her. The idea that he had been deceiving her, even more than
the thought that he was insulting her by courting that woman, disturbed
Margaret.
_____
Monday, July 3, 1978
After an uneventful weekend, Monday began as yet another routine day.
Dan convinced Doctor Chambers to remove the stitches, which wasn’t
difficult as the wound was well healed. The doctor did some pressing on the
bone which gave Dan some serious discomfort but was given the clearance
to resume normal work as there could be no additional damage.
The normal day began to shift after lunch when Susanna, Julie and Pam
went to Morrison’s to look through the catalogs to make their lists for what
they would need for the new house.
They spent a good part of the afternoon flipping pages and making the
selections, adding the item, catalog number and price to their long sheet.
When they were leaving the store in a very good mood, they encountered
Margaret as she was entering, and the four young women stood frozen near
the store’s entrance.
Margaret suddenly saw the pearl necklace around Susanna’s neck and
despite her immediate decision to just pass by, she said, “I’d like to talk to
you, Miss Lawson.”
Susanna could see the anger in her eyes, but wasn’t worried and believed
she understood the reason, so she simply nodded and replied, “Alright.
Where would you wish to have our conversation?”
Margaret glanced at Julie and said, “Someplace private would be
preferable. I wish to talk to you alone.”
Julie looked back at Susanna and was going to advise her to leave but
Susanna replied, “We can sit at one of the outside tables at Happy’s.”
“Alright,” Margaret said and turned and waited for Susanna to catch up
before exiting the store.
Julie and Pam followed but had to continue to the house after Susanna
and Margaret stopped at the café and sat down at one of the four outdoor
tables. Margaret ordered tea for them as she watched Julie and Pam walk
away.
After they were out of hearing range and their tea had been delivered,
Margaret asked pointedly, “I’ve been told that Daniel is courting you. Is that
true?”
Susanna wasn’t surprised by the abruptness of the question nor the
question itself as she replied, “Yes. We’ve been courting for a week and a
half now.”
“How did you do it?”
That question did surprise Susanna, who asked in reply, “What do you
mean, ‘how did you do it’? We fell in love and he asked to court me. There
was no planning involved.”
Margaret laughed ending with her snort before she said, “Fell in love,
that’s a joke. Do you know how many times he told me that he loved me?”
After hearing Margaret’s laugh she finally understood why Dan would
make so many comments about her own laugh, but replied, “I know he did.
He tells me everything. There are no secrets between us and there never
will be.”
Margaret laugh-snorted again and said, “Oh, is that true? You lied to him
from the start. You murdered your own father and then sent Daniel on a
wild goose chase all over Colorado trying to find those imaginary killers.
Your whole courtship is one big lie.”
“Dan knew before he started after the Williams and Clark brothers that I
had lied about killing my father. He told me that it almost prevented him
from seeing me socially, but his compassion allowed me to confess what I
had done before he told me that he already knew the truth. It was the only
real lie I’ve ever told, and it almost cost me more than you could imagine.”
“But it was that lie that probably made him feel sympathy and pity for
you, then you twisted them into making him believe that he loved you. I’m
sure that you let him bed you to cement his delusion, too. Maybe if I’d told
him one lie or so freely given myself to him, I would have married him, but
I didn’t sink to your level. I was honest with him when he asked me to give
up my gentle life.”
Susanna’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Margaret and said, “You’ve
never been honest with him, Mrs. Anderson. He explained to me that he
never really understood you until he turned down your father’s offer and
blames himself for that, not you. You always put on airs of being the refined
lady, but underneath that corset, you’re no different than any other woman,
and probably much worse.”
 A startled Margaret snapped, “So, you think you’re a better woman than
I am?”
“No. I don’t claim any such thing. But I do know that Dan loves me for
who I am, not for a phony vision.”
Margaret quickly let that subject drop as her eyes focused on Susanna’s
necklace.
“Did Daniel give you that necklace?”
“Yes, and I’m sure that you knew my answer before you asked.”
“I suppose he gave it to you after you spread your legs to him.”
“No. He gave them to me before he made that manhunt, but I never wore
them because I was so ashamed and filled with guilt. It wasn’t until he
found me in Walsenburg, and I confessed my crime and lies that he hung
them around my neck.”
“And you let him bed you, didn’t you?”
Susanna knew she should be incensed for Margaret’s very personal
question, but the vivid memories of being with Dan overrode that concern,
and she didn’t doubt that Margaret could see the answer on her face
anyway.
She smiled before she sighed and softly answered, “Not until Thursday
night when neither of us could wait any longer. Until then, I’d only dreamed
of what it could be like, but still believed that nothing could be as
wonderful as my fantasies. But Dan made me feel so special and I wanted
to be with him so much that I discovered that even in my most vivid
dreams, I hadn’t been close to how amazing it truly was.
“I’ve never felt so completely lost and overwhelmed. I can’t really
describe it the incredible passion and joy that he gave me. After our first,
rushed lovemaking that didn’t even last for half an hour, I thought I would
never experience such a level of passion and excitement again, but our
second time, just minutes after the first, was so much longer and even much
more exciting.”
 Margaret stared at Susanna’s face as it radiated ultimate satisfaction and
something she couldn’t understand, but whatever it was, it ignited a bonfire
of jealousy. What made it worse was that she finally understood what she
could have had and compared it to what she did have. But even that didn’t
prevent her from trying to get answers to her other questions.
Margaret stared at the necklace, then asked, “Are those real pearls?”
“Yes. The jeweler in Denver said he’d never seen anything like them
before.”
She then asked the question that Susanna had thought would have been
her first.
“Did Daniel send me a diamond and ruby necklace?”
Susanna knew that Dan expected her to find out anyway and compared
to the other subjects that Margaret had introduced, this was almost benign.
“He did. He sent it on his first trip to Denver in the middle of June. And
yes, I know the contents of the note he included."
Her answer stunned Margaret before she quickly asked, "Why didn’t he
sign it? Was he trying to hide that he bought it for me?”
“In a manner of speaking. He thought if he didn’t sign it, you’d believe it
was given to you by John Anderson, whom you had already agreed to
marry.”
“He lied to me, then. I asked him if he bought it for me and he said he
hadn’t.”
“He didn’t lie, Mrs. Anderson. He didn’t buy it. He found it along with
my pearl necklace and some other jewelry. It was when he had that gunfight
with the four men who tried to stop the train.”
“
He found a box of jewelry?
” she asked in astonishment.
“Yes. He gave one piece to each of the women in his life, his mother and
sisters, me and you.”
“And that was all of it?” she asked sharply.
 “No. It was just a small part of what he found in the large box. The rest
he left in Denver with the jeweler to sell on commission. We talked to him
last Wednesday and he said it would take years to sell them all.”
“
Years? There was that much jewelry?
”
“Yes,” Susanna replied not expanding her answer to include the
doubloons, as it really didn’t matter anymore. She understood that Margaret
now realized she could have had everything and lost.
Margaret’s mind was in stunned chaos as she stared past Susanna. This
confrontation wasn’t close to what she’d anticipated. She had thought that
Susanna would be intimidated and by the time they’d finished talking, the
farmgirl would be reduced to a slobbering mess. She knew she couldn’t
leave without restoring her position, so after fifteen seconds of mental
uncertainty, Margaret raised the curtain to begin the play.
She then sipped her tea, smiled and said, “Well then, with your future
now certain, I offer you my heartfelt congratulations, Miss Lawson. Have
you and Daniel set a date for the wedding yet?”
Susanna was unsettled by Margaret’s sudden shift in demeanor but
replied, “No, but with the house’s expected completion by the first of
August, it will probably be around then.”
Margaret set her teacup down smiled again then rose and said, “It was a
pleasure talking to you, Miss Lawson. I must return to my home now to
prepare for my husband’s return.”
Susanna smiled back and said, “It was a pleasure to talk to you as well,
Mrs. Anderson. Congratulations on your recent marriage.”
“Thank you,” Margaret replied before turning and floating away on the
boardwalk.
Susanna kept her eyes on Margaret wondering what would happen as a
result of the unusual conversation. She was trying to be polite after
Margaret’s unexpected return to a civil manner but had a horrible thought
that she might be slipping into becoming like her. She shivered and vowed
never to use an excuse of being polite to say something she didn’t mean.
 She left a quarter on the table and walked quickly to Eighth Street to talk
to Julie, Pam and Libby about the Margaret discussion. She’d tell Dan later
this evening.
_____
As Margaret strode along Main Street to her house on Fourth Street, she
was deep in thought about the almost humiliating conversation with that
woman. She’d learned so much and none of it was good. Despite what that
girl had said, she didn’t doubt for a moment that she’d given herself to
Daniel to almost coerce him into courting her because nothing else could
explain how she’d convinced him to accept her.
Daniel was such an innocent about such things. But that girl’s
description of how she felt when Daniel had given in to her seduction had
been genuine and had revolted her at the same time that it fueled her raging
jealousy.
Then the almost prideful way that girl had announced that Daniel had
found a cache of jewelry irritated Margaret almost as much. It was as if she
was bragging about her catch just like those men did when they caught a
big catfish in the Las Animas River.
But the jewelry itself was a revelation, too. John had never claimed to
have given her the necklace, but hadn’t asked about it, either. She wasn’t
sure how she would deal with that issue. By the time she reached her new
home, Margaret harbored a deep hatred for that blue-eyed, innocent-looking
murderer. She had entrenched into her mind the belief that Susanna Lawson
had murdered her father and lied before she seduced Daniel into clearing
her name. That nothing of a girl had used a constant web of deception to
avoid the noose and claim what she didn’t deserve.
With her own recent marriage, she knew that there was nothing she
could do about it, so as she stepped onto the porch, Margaret let herself find
a measure of satisfaction, expecting that after Daniel married the girl, he
would eventually discover the truth and be miserable for the rest of his life.
_____
Later that evening, as Dan ate his supper, Susanna repeated the
conversation, word-for-word, including Margaret’s tone and demeanor.
 When she finished, Dan said, “I’m not surprised, Susanna. With as many
stories floating around about us, I’m a bit surprised she waited this long. I
was expecting her to come charging into the office some evening, maybe
catching us together, too.”
“That would be bad. Wouldn’t it?”
“Not at all. I would have answered her questions just as you had. I
probably would have told her about the doubloons, too. She’ll find out
about that soon enough.”
“Does it bother you that I told her that we’ve made love?”
Dan smiled and replied, “That, least of all. I doubt if she’ll be passing
along that bit of gossip.”
“Do you think she’ll do anything?”
“I’m not sure. If she does, it won’t be anything violent. It’s not in her
nature.”
“But you said you didn’t understand her at all.”
Dan was about to tell her that he understood Margaret at least that well
when he stopped and said, “You’re right, Susanna. I don’t understand her,
but it’s a big stretch to see her doing something seriously bad.”
“Would it be okay if we didn’t, you know, go in back for a while? I don’t
want her to stop by the window and look inside.”
“I understand, Miss Lawson. I think it’s a good idea anyway. I didn’t
want to say anything, but all that exercise is making my back worse.”
Susanna laughed and said, “That’s as good an excuse as any.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with the farm?” he asked.
She nodded and replied, “This sounds odd, considering what happened
with Willie, but I’d like to just give it to the Pearsons. It’s close to their
farm and either James, Jenny or Tammy could use it to start their own
families. Is that okay?”
Dan smiled and answered, “It’s your farm, Susanna. I’ll see Judge
Hancock in the morning, show him the letters from Henry, and ask him to
sign a court order giving you the rights to the farm. Once you have that, you
can do what you wish.”
“Thank you, Dan.”
“Now that hanky-panky is off the table, ma’am, what would you like to
talk about?”
Susanna pulled folded sheets of paper from her pocket and after
spreading them on the desktop, said, “Here’s what Julie, Pam and I decided
the new house would need before I ran into Margaret.”
Dan grinned as he ate, and Susanna reviewed the extensive list.
He escorted her back to the Hart home ninety minutes later, scanning for
the watchful eyes of Margaret as they walked, but didn’t see her spying
eyes.
_____
Wednesday, July 5, 1878
After a happily raucous Independence Day in Trinidad, ending in a
massive fireworks display using Raton Peak to the north as a backdrop, the
last quiet day arrived with the threat of rain.
The work crews on Eighth Street were back on the job in top form after
enjoying the holiday break. The foundation was complete and main joists
and support beams were in place as they began to frame the new house. The
size may have added some time for the load bearing supports and the heavy
joists, but the single floor meant the framing wouldn’t take as long.
Susanna had shown Julie and Pam one of her suggestions for the house
that had caused both sisters an endless source of suggestive hints. Her
modification was a large skylight in their enormous bedroom.
_____
Bryce Lawrence had heard a rumor of the First National Bank’s
proposed arrival and had gone to his son-in-law’s construction offices to ask
about it.
“You haven’t heard about them coming here at all?” Bryce asked.
 “No, Bryce. Not a word, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.
They’ve been expanding throughout the state.”
Bryce was well aware of his rival’s tentacles spreading into other
counties but hadn’t expected that they’d reach this far south.
It was two
hundred miles to Denver!
John then said, “Bryce, I’d like to make you a business proposition.”
The banker was still thinking about the potential problems an
encroaching competitor could cause, and was unsure of what John had said
so he asked, “What?”
“I’d like to make you a business proposition. Now that Margaret and I
are married, I thought it would be a good idea if I made you a partner in my
company as well.”
Bryce was finding it difficult to make his mind complete the switch and
asked, “What do you mean, John?”
“I’d like to give you the opportunity to become a partner in Anderson
Construction and Anderson Sawmill and Lumber. For a cash investment of
ten thousand dollars, I’d make you a twenty-five percent owner.”
Bryce was now fully focused on John’s offer and even though he
believed that his companies were still making money, had no interest
whatsoever in entering the construction or lumber business.
“I’m sorry, John, but I’m a banker, not a builder or lumberjack.”
John laughed and said, “You don’t need to be either, Bryce. That’s the
beauty of my offer. You invest the money and I’ll continue to run the
companies. You’ll be paid a quarter of the profits on a monthly basis.”
The banker looked askance at John and said, “But I’d also be a quarter
responsible for any losses you might incur. What if there’s a fire and you
lose your forest? What if your workers unionize making your costs higher?
I appreciate your offer, but I must decline.”
John could tell that his father-in-law wasn’t about to change his mind, so
he just nodded before saying. “I think you’re passing up a real opportunity,
Bryce.”
 Bryce then returned to the reason for his visit and asked, “Can you check
with Alex Bradley and see if he has a contract to build that bank?”
“Alex is a competitor and more likely to tell you than me.”
The banker then nodded, rose, and without a handshake or goodbye,
turned and left the offices.
After he’d gone, John began to run the numbers again in his head. That
big payment to the AT&SF is due soon, and he really wished he could avoid
it as he still had payroll and other costs to meet this month. Even the
income from those three jobs would mean he’d have to dip into his bank
account beyond the dowry and probably finish with a balance of less than
two thousand dollars by the end of July. The offer he made to Bryce
Lawrence would have been just a stopgap solution, but John was already
beginning to think of leaving Trinidad.
If he had just been able to sell the sawmill, things would have been okay.
The construction business was only worth the office building and the tools
and materials he had on hand. He had his house too, but altogether, he
doubted if he could sell them for five thousand dollars, assuming he could
find a buyer. Right now, he had almost that much in his account, and with
the looming bills, it was at its peak.
John continued to stare at the door, weighing his options, and not finding
any that were very pleasant.
_____
When the rain arrived later that day, it was more of a mist rather than
raindrops as the afternoon AT&SF train pulled into the station.
As the passengers began to exit the cars, a short young woman carrying a
single travel bag and a parasol walked across the platform and stepped out
onto the boardwalk to make the walk to the nearby Grand Union Hotel.
When she entered, she crossed the lobby stepped to the registration
window and asked for a room. As the clerk reached for a key, the young
woman picked up the pen on the counter and signed the registry book.
The clerk read the name, didn’t think much of it, then handed her the key
and said, “Enjoy your stay, Miss Richardson.”
 Cecile smiled and took her key and walked to room 106.
_____
Susanna had Dan laughing when she’d told him about when she’d made
the skylight revelation to Julie and Pam, which wasn’t much different from
his or Alex Bradley’s reaction.
They had adjusted to the less physical evenings in the jail and still
enjoyed the time they spent together.
When he walked Susanna home that evening, neither they nor anyone
else in Trinidad realized the match that was in room 106 that would soon
ignite the fuse that would end the quiet time in a spectacular and deadly
explosion.
 CHAPTER 11
The day began with the arrival of the bright summer sun as the clouds
and misty rain had drifted into Kansas and Nebraska.
After having breakfast with Susanna and his family, Dan and Bill walked
to the sheriff’s office, joking about the new house as they strode across the
boardwalk.
After sharing a cup of coffee with Tom and the boss, Dan and Ned set off
on morning rounds.
They had just passed Commercial Street when Dan noticed a short
young woman walking toward them and took a few seconds to process her
identity as she neared.
She stopped, smiled, and said, “Good morning, Dan.”
Dan tipped his hat and said, “Good morning, Cecile. It’s been a while.
How are you doing?”
“I’m all right. I already heard about all of your exploits, even in
Albuquerque.”
“You live in Albuquerque? I thought you’d gone to Kansas City.”
“No, I went to Albuquerque because it was closer.”
“What brings you back to Trinidad?”
“Just some unfinished business. I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
“Well, you have a good day, Cecile,” Dan said as she nodded and
resumed her walk.
After she’d gone, Ned asked, “Who was that?”
“You don’t remember Cecile Richardson? She was one of John
Anderson’s conquests and the rumor was that she had become pregnant and
he’d sent her off to Kansas City. I guess at least part of that rumor was
wrong and probably more of it, too.”
“She seemed nice,” Ned said as they continued their morning rounds.
“She is. I was one of many who’d been surprised that she’d been caught
in John Anderson’s web, but I guess it’s one more mystery we’ll never
understand.”
Ned grinned as they walked west.
_____
Having been given the go-ahead from Dan, Susanna and his sisters
arrived at Morrison’s and sat down with the chief clerk to place their
mammoth order, arranging for it to be held in their warehouse until the
house was completed and that Dan would settle the account later.
Naturally, they added a few more items as the clerk pointed out things
they’d missed. Susanna also added a sewing machine for Libby like the one
that she had ordered for the new house.
It was a good day for the ladies, especially for Susanna as ordering the
furniture and other things that would make their house a home was bringing
her dream so much closer to reality.
_____
Even before the unexpected tornado that would soon devastate the day,
there was already a pending storm in the Anderson house and John had sent
Mrs. Dandridge away for the day before it broke.
After the housekeeper was gone, John tried to explain their financial
situation to Margaret even suggesting that she ask her father to invest in his
companies, but she wouldn’t hear it. She was still so disjointed after the talk
with Susanna that she refused to accept any more disastrous news, financial
or otherwise. She didn’t understand just how close John was to leaving both
the house and then Trinidad, and maybe wouldn’t have cared if he left
anyway.
“I don’t want to hear about your problems, John,” Margaret shouted,
“you can always sell that sawmill and put the money in the bank. I am not
going to ask my father for any more money, and that’s final!”
“Oh, is it, Margaret? Is it final?” John snarled.
“Yes! That is final! Now, go to work and leave me in peace!”
“Maybe I’ll just leave you forever! You’re not even good in bed!”
Margaret was ready to reach for something to throw at John as he
snatched his hat, but as he was storming out of the parlor, the doorbell rang.
John didn’t slow as he reached the door and yanked it open, prepared to just
stalk past whoever was at the door.
That idea vanished as he stared at Cecile and all of his other problems
were pushed aside by the new, unexpected threat.
“Hello, John,” Cecile said as she walked past him into the parlor where
she saw the still-seething Margaret.
John slammed the door closed and quickly turned and grabbed her elbow
as he exclaimed, “
What are you doing here? Get out!”
Cecile ripped her arm free from his grip as Margaret snapped, “Who is
this woman, John?”
Before John could reply, Cecile answered, “My name is Cecile
Richardson and I need to talk privately with your husband.”
Margaret replied harshly, “You can talk to me, Miss Richardson. My
husband was just preparing to leave.”
John opened his mouth to say something but instead, whirled about,
opened the door and ran from the house again slamming the heavy oak door
behind him. He had to get away, knowing what Cecile was about to tell
Margaret.
Margaret took one long step forward to chase after him, but then stopped
and looked at Cecile and said sharply, “Alright, as my cowardly husband
won’t tell me what is going on, perhaps you can enlighten me.”
Cecile looked at the fearsome woman and almost apologetically said,
“You were off somewhere going to school when I warmed John’s bed. I
became pregnant two months later and then he sent me to Albuquerque to,
as he said, ‘handle the problem’. He sent me forty dollars a month, but I
didn’t handle the problem as he suggested. I had no intention of hurting our
baby. I had our baby boy on February 4
th
. He was a beautiful child and I
didn’t care if I never saw John again.”
Margaret was eye-to-eye with Cecile as she asked in a harsh voice,
“Why did you come here now?”
Cecile was beginning to regret her decision to come here as she replied,
“John stopped sending me money after he found out that I’d had the baby
and by spring, I could see destitution in my future and wrote to John asking
for money again, but he never replied.”
Cecile then closed her eyes as she continued, saying, “On May 21
st
, my
precious Joseph died of pneumonia. I was lost and wanted to die myself. He
was all I had. But then, once I was past my grief, I let anger take its place.
Anger at myself for being such a fool, and much more anger at the callous
man who caused the grief. Then I heard about your wedding and it was the
final straw.”
Margaret stared at Cecile for a few seconds, unsure of what she should
do, so she said more calmly, “Come with me to the kitchen where we can
continue this conversation over some tea.”
Cecile opened her eyes, nodded, and followed Margaret down the
hallway, believing that things would be all right now that Mrs. Anderson
had calmed down.
_____
John continued his rapid pace after leaving the house as he headed for
the Trinidad State Bank, where he withdrew all but eighty-two dollars and
forty-six cents from his account. He slid the cash into his pocket and
hurriedly left the bank and headed back to the house.
He had never expected that Cecile would have the nerve to return to
Trinidad and had all but forgotten that she even existed. He was sure that
once Margaret heard what he’d done, she’d make his life intolerable. It was
that final incentive that made him realize that he had to get away and make
it fast.
 When he reached the house, he went around to the back and began
harnessing the buggy glancing at the back porch as he did with a genuine
fear that Margaret or Cecile would spot him.
_____
While she prepared the tea, Margaret cast glances at Cecile as she sat at
the kitchen table with her eyes downcast. That woman was a disaster that
threatened everything Margaret held dear.
She set the two teacups and saucers on the table, sat across from Cecile
and as she spooned in a single tablespoon of sugar, she decided to take a
direct approach.
“You still haven’t told me why you came here,” Margaret said as she
tried to use her tone of voice and penetrating stare to intimidate Cecile
much in the same way she’d tried to bully Susanna.
“I came here to ask that he pay me reparations for what he did. If he
won’t give me two thousand dollars, then I’ll walk into the sheriff’s office
and tell Dan Hart what he did.”
“
Daniel? What does he have to do with this?
”
“Nothing. But I just met him when I was on my way here and I know
he’s a good man and will help me.”
“He can’t help you. You’re trying to blackmail John and that’s against
the law. If Daniel follows the law, he’ll just arrest you. You may as well
leave, Miss Richardson, before I throw you out myself.”
“You just don’t understand, do you? I would just tell Dan that John
refused a civil settlement, which is what it is, but I’m sure that
The Trinidad
Coloradan
would love the story. Don’t you?”
Margaret glared at Cecile as she sipped her tea. Margaret felt her temper
rising as she believed Cecile was gloating over her apparent victory.
_____
John had the buggy harnessed and led it toward the back porch but when
he heard women’s voices in the kitchen, he continued down the drive and
tied it off at the front hitching post.
 He walked quickly to the front porch, tiptoed quietly to the front door,
and slowly swung it open, hearing Margaret and Cecile arguing in the
kitchen.
He continued his stealthy steps up the stairs and entered the bedroom
before quickly throwing clothes into his travel bag. He had just finished
closing it and was ready to leave when he spotted the expensive necklace on
the dresser, then snatched it, dropped it into his pocket, and headed back
down the hallway.
He made it all the way to the first floor when his travel bag bounced
loudly off the banister support post.
Margaret heard the noise and both women stood quickly before Margaret
began stepping down the hallway.
She barely reached the parlor when she watched John slam the door
behind him.
“That bastard’s running away!” Margaret screamed.
Cecile stood behind her stunned at the unexpected development. If John
was leaving Trinidad, then there was nothing she could do to make him pay
for what he’d done. She’d lost again.
Margaret then spun to face the still-shaken Cecile and snapped, “You
bitch! This is all your fault! If you hadn’t arrived here, none of this would
have happened!”
Cecile backed away slightly and replied, “I didn’t know he was going to
run away. I can’t let him go. I need some money.”
Margaret began stalking toward Cecile, who could see the fury in her
eyes and knew that Margaret was a much greater danger than John could
have ever been.
Cecile continued to step backward, with her heart pounding in fear and
her eyes transfixed on Margaret’s rage-filled face.
“I’ll leave Trinidad. Let me leave. Please!” Cecile begged even as her
hands sought a weapon to protect herself.
 She felt her back press against the fireplace’s mantle and let her hand
drop to the tools where her fingers wrapped around the cast iron poker.
Cecile yanked it free and held it in front of her almost crying, “Leave me
alone! Let me go!”
When Margaret saw the weapon in Cecile’s hand, her anger erupted to an
unreal level as all of the previous frustrations and jealousy fueled her
focused ferocity.
The fireplace tool was shaking as Cecile tried to threaten Margaret, but
knew it was an empty threat and closed her eyes.
Margaret had already known that Cecile wasn’t about to hit anyone with
the poker or even her open hand, so she snatched the poker from her hands
as she yelled, “
You are a weak, useless woman and think you can come into
my home and try to take everything away from me?
”
Cecile never opened her eyes as she replied in a shaking voice, “I had his
baby. My son was all I ever had.”
Instead of feeling sympathy or pity for the shaking woman before her,
the thought of the woman having a baby by her husband tripped a switch in
Margaret and she whipped the poker into the left side of Cecile’s chest,
snapping the front of the ninth rib and then ramming the sharp, knife-like
end into her heart.
Margaret was shocked when she saw Cecile’s eyes pop wide in disbelief
as she grabbed her chest, coughed, and then collapsed straight to the floor in
a heap. She hadn’t meant to do the amount of damage that she’d caused, but
it was too late to take it back.
She dropped the poker to the oak floor not hearing the ringing sound as
she stared at the unmoving Cecile as a circle of blood began to form on her
white blouse. Then she slowly dropped to her heels, put her hand on
Cecile’s still chest, and realized that she had just murdered the woman.
Margaret’s heart was pounding, but she didn’t panic as she quickly stood
and began to pace the parlor wondering what she should do. There was a
dead woman just fifteen feet away and no one else in the house.
 She was almost hoping that John would suddenly return, but after seeing
the fear in his face when he’d seen Cecile, she knew that he wasn’t coming
back anytime soon. After his threat about leaving her forever and then the
stunning arrival of Cecile, maybe he really had gone.
For another ten minutes, Margaret paced and fretted as she thought of
several different solutions to this unexpected disaster. She thought about
taking it in the buggy to the Las Animas River south of town and dumping
it there, but there were too many dangers in that plan.
She decided she had to go and find John and let him clean this mess.
This was really his fault anyway.
So, after locking the front door, Margaret quickly walked out to the
kitchen and left through the back entrance where she quickly noticed the
missing buggy. John’s hasty departure with the travel bag suddenly made
her realize that John wasn’t going to one of the hotels to stay the night,
he
really was leaving Trinidad!
Margaret then slowly walked to the end of the street in an apparent daze
in case anyone saw her, tried to spot their buggy on Main Street, and once
she was sure that he had gone quickly began walking to the sheriff’s office,
summoning tears as she picked up the pace.
_____
Tom asked, “Cecile Richardson is back in town?”
“Yup. Then just before we got back, we saw John Anderson driving his
buggy west. I wonder if she stopped by his house,” Dan replied with a
snicker.
“That would be something I’d like to watch,” Tom said as Ned just
listened.
Bill entered the main office and asked, “What’s this about Cecile
Richardson?”
Tom answered, “Dan and Ned ran into her a while ago.”
“Really?” Bill asked.
 He was about to ask another question when they heard hurried footsteps
on the boardwalk and the four lawmen turned to see Margaret’s horrified
entrance.
“What’s wrong, Margaret?” Dan asked as he quickly rose.
“It’s that Richardson woman! She arrived at the house and threatened to
blackmail John, and he sent me upstairs to the bedroom. I heard them
arguing and then a scream. John came running upstairs, pushed me away,
and packed his clothes before he threatened to kill me if I left the house. I
was so afraid that I stayed there too long. When I got downstairs, I found
Miss Richardson dead. I don’t know how she was killed, but she’s dead!
She’s dead!”
She began shaking as she sobbed, but Dan turned to his father and said,
“I saw him leaving west, Pop. I’ll get Chester saddled and head after him.”
“Okay. We’ll check the house.”
Dan nodded, then asked, “Margaret, did he have a gun with him?”
Margaret paused for three heartbeats before answering, “Yes. He has a
small pistol and said he’d shoot anyone who tried to come after him. He
used it to threaten me. Be careful, Daniel. Don’t let him kill you.”
Dan glanced at his father, walked to the gun rack, and snatched his ’76
before striding past a still-shaking Margaret as she was being comforted by
Tom and left the office.
_____
John had no idea that he was being pursued as he turned the buggy north
after he left Trinidad. He planned on driving to Santa Clara and taking the
next northbound train for Denver where he’d use his money to start a new
enterprise.
As he drove, he slipped the necklace from his pocket and let the sunlight
dance off the many facets and estimated he could get as much as five
hundred dollars for the piece when he got to Denver. He returned it to his
pocket and took a deep breath of the fresh air as he let an incredible sense
of freedom fill his soul.
 He had the buggy moving at a brisk, but not stressful pace as he rolled
along.
_____
Dan had just made the turn out of Trinidad easily following the fresh
buggy tracks. Cecile’s death had shaken him because he thought that she’d
just made some common mistakes and now had lost her life because of
them. That short conversation he’d had with her just a little while ago had
been nothing more than casual comments but were almost the last words
she’d ever spoken.
He wondered what she’d said to John to make him kill her. He could
understand the ammunition she’d have if she had decided to blackmail him,
but John Anderson just didn’t seem to be the type to suddenly commit the
ultimate in violent crimes. But he’d seen other killers who didn’t seem the
type before. One never knew what would trigger the violence.
The other oddity was that Margaret had said he was armed with a pistol,
yet Dan had never seen him with a firearm of any type, but that didn’t mean
much, either. Lots of businessmen kept derringers and pocket pistols for
protection but never showed them.
_____
Bill had rolled Cecile’s body onto her back and was examining the
bloody wound on her side. It wasn’t a bullet hole, but there was a black
stripe across her white blouse in the center of the bloody stain that had been
left from the soot on the murder weapon. He looked at the nearby poker and
immediately made the connection to Susanna’s case. It was far from similar
circumstances but having two killings by fireplace tools in a few months
seemed downright eerie.
There was nothing else that gave him any clues at the murder scene, so
he went upstairs to the bedroom where Margaret had said he’d threatened
her. There were open drawers in the dresser and his clothes were missing,
which added credibility to her story. Everything pointed to John Anderson
being Cecile Richardson’s murderer. John Anderson’s hasty departure was
evidence in itself.
 By the time he’d left the house, he was convinced enough to have a
warrant issued for John Anderson with the charge of murder in the first
degree.
_____
Margaret was dictating her statement to Ned because she said her hands
were too shaky to write one herself.
She frequently interrupted the narration when she’d reach a particularly
gruesome or terrifying passage and was too emotional to continue but had
finished when Bill returned to the office.
The sheriff removed his hat and said, “Margaret, I’ve examined the body
and we’ll issue a warrant for John’s arrest. I’ll send Tom to the undertaker
to have him remove the body from your home. Did you want to return there
or go to your parents’ house?”
“Could you take me to my parents’ house, Sheriff? I’m afraid that John
might somehow come back and hurt me now anyway that he could.”
Bill nodded and then turned to Tom and said, “Tom, have Elmer move
that body out of there and tell Doctor Chambers we’ll need an autopsy. I’m
pretty sure that the cause of death was a blow to the chest with a fireplace
poker.”
Tom’s eyebrows rose and he almost asked, “Again?” but just nodded,
grabbed his hat, and trotted out of the office.
“You’re in charge until I get back, Ned. I won’t be long.”
“Okay, boss,” Ned replied as Bill waited for Margaret to stand.
Once she was on her feet, she grasped Bill’s arm and he escorted her out
of the jail and headed for Second Street. He planned on visiting the bank on
his way back to see if John had emptied their bank account, which would be
another piece of damning evidence.
_____
John was still rolling along the northbound road and hadn’t bothered
looking behind him at all.
Why should he?
He’d done nothing wrong. Even
taking the necklace wasn’t illegal as all of Margaret’s property belonged to
him anyway.
Dan had caught sight of the buggy ten minutes earlier and was gaining
on the unsuspecting murderer.
As he closed the gap, he was curious why John wasn’t going faster, or at
least trying to avoid capture by using a different route.
He was just eight hundred yards back and his curiosity had grown to
wonder but didn’t even bother pulling his Winchester. Maybe John was
trying to draw him in close and then plug him with the pistol Margaret had
said he had with him.
When he was just four hundred yards behind the buggy, Dan left the road
on the eastern side and then rode parallel to the roadway about fifty yards
away. It was at the far end of a pistol’s accuracy and John Anderson was no
marksman anyway. The increase in distance was just a precaution, but he
released his hammer loop as an added safety measure.
John didn’t even hear Chester’s hoofbeats over his own horse’s clopping
and the buggy’s iron-clad wheels but finally picked up movement out of the
right corner of his eye and swiveled his head in that direction, startled to see
Dan Hart looking at him.
Dan met John’s eyes and shouted, “Pull up, John. I need to talk to you.”
John assumed that Cecile had run to the sheriff’s office and claimed that
he’d raped her before he sent her away to Albuquerque, so he shouted back,
“She’s lying, Daniel. Just leave me alone!”
Dan assumed that John was referring to Margaret and yelled, “I know
what you did, John. You’ve got to come back and face trial!”
John was startled and shouted, “It’s just her word against mine, and that
was over a year ago!”
Dan was confused by John’s response, but he hadn’t made any hostile
moves yet, so he angled Chester back toward the road to get closer as he
kept his eyes on John in case he pulled that pistol.
 John watched Dan close the gap and expected that with the animosity
between them over Margaret, he might be getting ready to shoot him.
“You can’t shoot me, Daniel!” he yelled.
Dan’s assessment of John’s desperation rose as he drew to within twenty
feet of the buggy and replied loudly, “Just pull over and we’ll talk, John.
Don’t do anything stupid.”
John knew he had no chance of getting away, so he pulled the buggy to a
stop and waited for the rape accusation.
Dan remained in the saddle as he drifted Chester closer to the side of the
buggy watching for any sudden movement, then after pulling to a stop
fifteen feet to the right of the buggy, said, “Tell me what happened, John.”
“If she told you that I raped her, she’s lying. She came to my bed
willingly, and after she got pregnant, I paid for her to leave. It might not be
the best thing I ever did, but it’s not illegal, so you have no right to stop
me.”
Dan stared at him and asked, “What are you talking about, John? I’m
asking what happened at your house an hour ago.”
John caved in and said, “Alright. I was mad and I knew that Cecile had
come here to try to blackmail me or ruin me. My business was in trouble, so
I took my money and ran away before she could do anything.”
His almost conversational confession baffled Dan. He was providing the
motive for the murder and his admission to making an escape, yet he didn’t
seem remotely troubled by it.
Dan was still staring at John as he asked, “What happened before you
ran, John?”
John suddenly realized that Margaret must have reported his theft of the
necklace.
“Oh. You mean this,” he said as he quickly rammed his hand into his
pocket to pull out the expensive bauble.
Dan had gotten too complacent, so when John made his surprise move,
Dan quickly recovered and pulled his Colt free, cocking the hammer as he
brought the muzzle to make his shot.
As John’s hand emerged, the sudden reflection added to Dan’s belief that
a pistol was emerging from his pocket.
His finger was just tightening on the trigger when John’s hand slid out of
his pocket and the flash of diamonds and rubies registered in Dan’s mind
what was in his fingers, but it was too late to make him stop his well-drilled
reaction.
Dan’s Colt rocked in his hand, the .44 spun from its muzzle, crossed the
short distance and ripped into the right side of John’s chest, and quickly tore
through his right lung’s upper lobe, crossed into the left lung before burying
itself in the outer wall of his chest.
Dan quickly dropped to the ground and hopped into the buggy, knowing
that he’d just shot an unarmed man. He quickly turned John to face him
knowing there was no hope.
John’s eyes were wide as he stared at Dan and asked with a pleading
wheeze, “Why?”
Dan never had a chance to answer before John bent forward at the waist
and collapsed into the buggy’s floor.
Dan was numb as he quickly searched John for the hidden pistol that
Margaret had said he had with him, but it didn’t take long for him to realize
that there wasn’t a gun anywhere.
How could she have been so wrong? Did
John throw the weapon away when he thought he was free of Trinidad and
justice?
Even though he was convinced that John had murdered Cecile
Richardson, shooting an unarmed man was the worst thing he could
imagine and that lingering last question that had barely escaped John’s lips
haunted him.
He stepped out of the buggy, walked ten feet to the side of the road, and
vomited.
_____
 Fannie listened as Margaret told her the same story she’d told in the
sheriff’s office.
When she finished, her mother asked, “Are you all right, Margaret?”
She nodded and replied, “Yes, Mother. I’m just worried about what story
John will invent when Daniel catches him. He may even blame me for the
murder.”
“Daniel won’t believe him, Margaret. He believed Miss Lawson, didn’t
he? Why wouldn’t he believe you?”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“Then you have nothing to concern yourself. Are you staying here
now?”
“Yes, Mother. I can’t go back to that horrible place again.”
“I’ll send Angela over there to get your things later. All right?”
“Thank you, Mother,” Margaret said as she managed a weak smile, “I
need to go upstairs and rest.”
Fannie then rose took her daughter’s elbow and helped her up the
staircase and let her lie down in her bed before quietly leaving.
_____
The news of the murder of Cecile Richardson and the escape of John
Anderson had ripped through Trinidad before Bill even returned to the jail
from the bank. He’d learned that John had almost emptied his account
before leaving, and to Bill and the other lawmen, it was the final nail in his
coffin of guilt.
The only question they had now was whether Dan had already caught up
with him and if John had tried to shoot it out.
_____
Dan had Chester trailing the buggy as he drove it south to Trinidad with
John’s body held in a sitting position with some pigging strings.
 He was disconsolate in the knowledge that he had made such a horrible,
deadly mistake, but knew that there would be no legal repercussions for
what he’d done. He’d write his report as factually as he always did and
Mister Castor would rule it as justifiable homicide, but it didn’t make him
feel any better.
He’d been doing this job for three years and had been in many gunfights
in the past month, but this was different. What made it worse to him was
that he knew that he really didn’t like John Anderson at all and had that
gnawing little voice whispering that he’d shot the man for other reasons, not
the sudden movement that looked as if he was going for a pistol.
Had he
been too quick to the trigger? Was he actually wishing for John to pull a
gun?
He glanced over at the body and knew he’d never have an answer to
those questions. What added to his misery was John’s apparent confusion
over why Dan was even there. He seemed to believe he was being stopped
for a rape charge, and that made no sense at all. If John had just murdered
Cecile Richardson, there should have been more panic, and Dan hadn’t seen
it.
He knew John Anderson well enough to know how he should have
reacted when he first knew that Dan was there. But by far, the most
troubling part was John’s dying, simple question. John didn’t seem to
understand why Dan had shot him.
Was it because he didn’t expect to be
shot, or was it because he didn’t understand what he had done wrong?
Dan was still struggling with a lot of questions as he turned the buggy
onto Main Street and headed for the jail, not looking left or right as he
drove down the road. He knew that pedestrians and riders were gawking at
the buggy, but he paid them no attention.
He pulled the buggy to the back of the jail and stepped down as his
father, Tom and Ned trotted down the side alley.
“What happened, Dan?” the sheriff asked.
“I screwed up, Pop,” Dan said as he looked at his father, “I was
questioning him. and he suddenly reached into his jacket pocket. I thought
he was going for a pistol, so I drew my Colt and fired as his hand came free.
But it wasn’t a gun that he was trying to take from his pocket, it was this.”
He pulled out the necklace and held it out before him.
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. Can we get the body to Elmer, and then I can tell you in
the jail?”
Bill nodded as he walked closer took the necklace and asked quietly,
“Are you okay, son?”
Dan didn’t reply but Bill turned to his other deputies and said, “Tom can
you take care of the buggy and Chester? Ned, go and fetch Elmer again.”
“Yes, boss,” Ned said before he hurried away.
“I’ve got it, boss,” Tom said as Bill took Dan’s elbow and led him into
the jail via the back door.
Once inside, Bill walked to the main office, poured two cups of coffee,
and set them on the front desk.
Dan sat down and asked, “What did you find out when you went to
John’s house?”
Bill sat and replied, “I checked the body and Cecile had been hit by a
poker in the left side of her chest. There was a black line on her blouse
where it struck, and the poker was lying on the floor near the body. I
escorted Margaret to her parents’ house and then went to the bank and
found out that John had emptied his bank account.”
Dan nodded, ignoring the oddity of a second death by poker, and pulled
out the wad of cash he’d found in the same pocket John had jammed his
hand into to retrieve the necklace, then set it on the desktop.
“I found that in his pocket,” he said mechanically.
“Dan, you didn’t make a mistake. I would have done the same thing if I
was there. If I have a murder suspect in front of me and he makes a sudden
move to take something out of his pocket I would have plugged him, too.”
 “I did screw up, Pop. You weren’t there. He was just talking normally as
if I was stopping him because he had ridden his buggy through town too
quickly. He kept talking about rape and blackmail, but there wasn’t panic in
his eyes knowing he was facing the noose. I should have waited to see what
he had in his hand. I could have still gotten a shot off once I saw his pistol’s
hammer. I shot too soon.”
“You reacted as I’ve trained you to do, Dan.”
“But I never even told him what he was being charged with. I didn’t
have him put his hands in the air or anything. It was as if we were living in
two different worlds. He was saying one thing and I was expecting
something else. Then when he was dying, he looked at me as if he didn’t
understand why I’d shot him. He just asked, ‘Why?’. It was all wrong,
Pop.”
Bill leaned back and said, “There’s nothing we can do about it, Dan. I’ve
already written my report, and Ned took Margaret’s statement. Do you want
to write your report or come home and talk to Susanna?”
“No, I need to write my report after I read her statement and your report.
I’ll just stay here. I need to think.”
“Alright, Dan. I’m going to go and tell Margaret the news,” the sheriff
said as he stood and began to walk away.
As Dan pulled some paper from the box on the desk and said, “Pop,
wait. I’ll go and tell Margaret.”
His father turned back and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I have to do this. I need to see her reaction.”
“Alright.”
Dan picked up the money and the necklace from the desk, then snatched
his hat and quickly left the jail heading for Second Street, not paying any
attention to the people he passed. He was almost certain he’d just killed not
only an unarmed man but an innocent one. He desperately needed Margaret
to convince him that John Anderson had committed the crime.
 When he reached the Lawrence house, he pulled the doorbell cord,
hearing the subdued chime from beyond the oak-paneled door.
Angela opened the door less than a minute later and asked, “Deputy
Hart, do you need to see Mrs. Anderson?”
Even hearing Margaret identified as John’s wife twisted the knife in his
soul but he replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Come in. She’s in the kitchen with Mrs. Lawrence having tea.”
“Thank you,” he replied as he stepped inside and removed his hat before
following Angela down the hallway.
When he entered the large kitchen, he quickly sought out Margaret’s
eyes and saw fear but no guilt.
What was causing that fear?
“Daniel, what happened?” she asked quickly.
“Margaret, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. John is dead. I shot him
about eight miles north of Trinidad.”
Margaret’s face retained the fear but with obvious relief as she asked,
“What happened? Did he try to shoot you? Did he try and blame me for
what he did before he died?”
Dan exhaled and asked, “May I sit down, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
Margaret’s immediate question about whether or not John had tried to
blame her for the murder seemed to be almost a confession to Dan as he
took his seat.
He then replied, “No, he didn’t try to shoot me, Margaret. I made a
horrible mistake. He stopped the buggy and I tried to get him to tell me
what happened. He didn’t even seem to understand, but when he suddenly
shoved his right hand into his jacket pocket, I thought he was reaching for
the pistol you warned me that he had. I pulled my Colt and when I saw the
flash of metal in his hand, I fired just as I realized it wasn’t a gun that he
was taking out, it was this.”
Dan pulled the necklace from his pocket and carefully set it on the table.
 “My necklace,” Margaret said quietly.
Dan continued to watch her face as he continued.
“Then when I realized what I had done, I jumped into the buggy and
knew he was dying. I pulled him back into the seat and he looked at me in
disbelief and asked, ‘Why?’.”
Margaret’s recent relief evaporated as she asked, “Is that important,
Daniel?”
“To me, it is. I killed an unarmed man and I don’t know if I can keep
wearing this badge. I must be certain that he had committed the murder. The
idea that I not only killed an unarmed man but an innocent one is too
horrible to imagine.”
Margaret said firmly, “I don’t know why I should believe that. You
shouldn’t feel guilty, Daniel. He murdered that woman and would have
hanged for it. You shouldn’t let it change your life.”
Dan stared into her eyes for a few seconds, and he could see Margaret’s
realization that he didn’t believe her and reached into his pocket and pulled
out the wad of cash that John had withdrawn, and set it on the table beside
the necklace.
“This is your money that he withdrew, Margaret.”
“What happens now?”
“I’ll write my report and that along with my father’s report and your
statement, we’ll see the county prosecutor in the morning. I’m sure that
he’ll close the case naming John as the murderer, and I’ll have to live with
what I did. You’ll be a rich widow, Margaret.”
Margaret’s quickly replied, “I hadn’t thought about that but thank you
for the news.”
Fannie then asked softly, “Are you all right, Dan?”
He noted that she’d called him ‘Dan’ for the first time, but didn’t answer
as he stood and said, “I’ve got to return and write my report.”
 Neither woman rose as Dan turned and walked back down that long
hallway and as he entered the parlor, Angela opened the door, smiled at
him, and closed it after he’d stepped onto the porch.
Dan exhaled and was almost certain that it had been Margaret who had
killed Cecile Richardson, and there was nothing he or the law could do
about it.
_____
After he returned, Dan explained to his father what had happened at the
Lawrence home before taking his seat.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come home, Dan?” he asked.
“No, Pop. I’m going to write my report. I’ll leave it in the box, but I
might not be here in the morning. I need time to think.”
“You should see Susanna, Dan. It would help.”
“I don’t think so, Pop. I think that I killed an innocent man. I was hoping
that Margaret would tell me the truth, but she didn’t, at least not directly.
The only emotions she showed when I gave her the news were relief and
fear.”
“People have all sorts of different reactions to horrible news, Dan. You
know that. All the evidence still points to John Anderson. What motivation
would Margaret have had?”
“I don’t know, Pop. If I hadn’t talked to John Anderson, I would be right
there with you about this case, but all that he said, and that one-word
question haunt me.”
Bill sighed and said, “I’m heading home for the night, Dan. I wish you’d
come with me.”
“I’ve got to write this report, Pop.”
His father nodded and rested his hand on his son’s shoulder for a few
seconds before turning, pulling on his hat, and leaving the office.
Dan watched him leave, then pulled out and reread Margaret’s statement.
She said that John had waved a shiny pistol in front of her to keep her from
leaving the bedroom but couldn’t identify the type of pistol. It could have
been a derringer, for all she knew.
Dan didn’t know John Anderson very well but was reasonably certain
that he didn’t have a gun, although he had to admit that it was possible.
The missing gun really didn’t matter anymore, so he began to write his
own report, not glossing over his mistake. In fact, he almost emphasized the
error giving the reasons why he shouldn’t have fired.
His report was done quickly and when he finished, he looked at the door,
expecting either Margaret or Susanna to appear but wanting to see no one.
Dan knew that his father was probably already telling everyone at home
what had happened, and he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it anymore so
he stood, stepped to the front door locked it, and returned to the desk to read
his father’s report, which included his examination of the murder scene.
He pulled the two-page report and the facts all pointed to John Anderson
as the murderer. It was really an open-and-shut case. John had motive,
opportunity, and means. There was even a witness to the murder, even
though Margaret was upstairs at the time. Any prosecutor would salivate
with a case with this much evidence, but it still didn’t make Dan feel any
less guilty.
He placed both reports in the box and removed his gunbelt to clean his
Colt. When he finished the quick job, he stared at the weapon in his hand
and wished it had been less accurate, but knew it wasn’t the gun’s fault. It
was his mistake alone.
Dan slipped the pistol back into his holster, automatically pulled the
trigger loop into position, and took a deep breath.
He stared at the locked door and could almost envision that pair of big
blue eyes on the other side of the glass, asking him why he was sitting alone
in the jail and not coming home to talk to her.
Dan then stood, removed his badge and dropped it onto his finished
report, took down his Winchester ’76, and then walked to the back room
where he began putting some clean clothes into his saddlebag.
 When he was done, he exited the jail from the back door, locking it as
well, and headed for the barn to saddle Chester.
_____
“Why would he feel bad, Pop?” asked Julie, “John Anderson was an
escaping murderer.”
“I can understand it, Julie. Remember that shooting I had with Joe
Cheswick about five years ago? I thought he was going for his pistol and
put a .44 into his gut before I realized that he was left-handed, and he was
just moving too fast to unbuckle his gunbelt. That almost made me hang up
the badge. It’s a terrible weight we carry around with us, Julie, and I don’t
mean the three pounds of steel. It’s having to make that instant decision
about either giving the other man a chance to shoot first or take the shot
ourselves. When it goes wrong like it did for me with Joe, or the way it did
with Dan today, it’s a hard thing to live with.”
“Should I go and talk to him?” asked Susanna.
Libby replied, “If anyone should talk to him, it should be you, Susanna,
but he sounded like he wants to be alone for a while.”
Susanna nodded but still planned on taking him his supper when they
were finished eating.
“What happens now, Pop?” asked Pam.
“I’ll take all the reports to Mister Castor in the morning and he’ll
probably just close the case. All the evidence backs up Margaret’s story, and
the murderer was killed trying to escape.”
“What about the gun, Bill? The one that Dan couldn’t find,” asked
Libby.
“That’s the biggest question about the whole incident. She was adamant
that he’d had a pistol and used it to threaten her to stay in the bedroom
while he made his run from Trinidad, but it wasn’t on his body or in the
buggy or his travel bag either. He could have thrown it away before Dan
caught up with him, but that would be unlikely. But almost all serious
crimes have these kinds of oddities that we can never explain. It’s what
makes defense attorneys happy. But what bother me when I talked to Dan
before I left was that he believes that he killed an innocent man.”
There was stunned silence around the table as knives and forks stopped
moving.
“Why would he think that John was innocent, Bill?” asked Libby.
Her husband replied, “He told me that when he caught up with John,
they had a short talk where John sounded confused. Then after he shot John,
just before he died, John asked him why he’d shot him.”
“Maybe he just was surprised that he’d been shot because he was pulling
out the necklace,” Pam said.
“That’s what I suggested, but I wasn’t there. No one else witnessed what
happened on that road. Dan’s just going to have to live with what happened.
The case will probably be closed, and we’ll never know the truth behind
Cecile Richardson’s death.”
_____
Bryce was talking to Fannie while Angela poured him a second cup of
coffee.
“Right after he left the bank, I was told that he’d emptied the account
and I walked out to try to talk to him, but he was already gone. I should
have gone to the house, Fannie. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for
Margaret.”
“She’s doing better. Dan Hart stopped by to talk to her and left the
necklace and the money as well.”
“Is she staying here permanently now?”
“Yes, dear.”
Bryce sipped his coffee and said, “She can sell that house and the
construction business and the sawmill, too. Our daughter will be a wealthy
young widow now and no doubt will attract a younger husband soon.”
Fannie stared at her husband for a few seconds before dropping her eyes
and saying, “I suppose so.”
 _____
Dan had crossed the bridge over the Las Animas River and turned
Chester south as he continued to revisit that short conversation again and
the confrontation, such as it was, with John Anderson, trying to see where
he could have stopped himself from pulling the trigger and found so many
points where he could have avoided killing John Anderson. He’d made so
many mistakes that resulted in his .44 taking John’s life.
After he identified all of the mistakes he’d made in the shooting, he
decided to examine the other aspect of the deadly incident.
Could he really have prevented it as easily as he had believed?
Margaret’s lie had sent him on a chase after an angry murderer, and
despite the confusion in their conversation, the well-established belief that
men facing the noose never gave up had made him react as he had. If
Margaret hadn’t lied, or John hadn’t run and essentially substantiated her
story, things would have been completely different.
He was still deep in thought as he passed the Pearson farm.
_____
Margaret lay in her bed with her eyes wide open as she stared at the dark
ceiling and reviewed the story she’d given to the sheriff. It had been so
perfect until Daniel had asked about a gun and she’d made the instant
decision that had turned out better than she had hoped. She had already laid
the foundation for anything that John would say when he returned, but
when Daniel first told her that he had shot and killed John, it was like a gift
from heaven.
Then he’d told her of his doubts and even though he told her that the
case would be closed by the prosecutor and that she was now a rich widow,
she could tell in his face that he didn’t believe that John was the murderer
and that unsettled her.
Margaret finally closed her eyes after deciding the best course was to let
the law run its course and wait for the sheriff to return to tell her that the
case was closed. Then, as her father suggested, she’d be able to sell that
damned house along with the two companies. She could leave this place
and wouldn’t even need a husband unless she wanted one.
_____
It was well after dark when Susanna returned to the Hart home with a
full tray of food and set it on the counter near the sink before looking at
Bill.
“He’s gone. He left his badge on the desk and Chester isn’t in the barn,
either.”
Bill exhaled sharply and replied, “I should have dragged him back here.
He really should talk to you, Susanna.”
“I shouldn’t have waited so long. I should have gone to him as soon as I
knew what happened.”
“It’s not your fault, Susanna,” Libby said, “He’s just going to have to
work this out.”
Susanna nodded, but still felt empty inside. That selfish, cold woman
was going to destroy Dan with her lies.
_____
It was almost midnight before Dan entered the Lawson farmhouse after
settling Chester in for the night. He started a fire in the cookstove and filled
the coffeepot with water from the pump and set it on the hot plate. There
was still plenty of food in the house from his second visit to Susanna less
than a month ago.
One month, he thought as he took a seat at the rough table.
In one month, he’d killed ten men, become wealthier than he’d ever
believed possible, had lost the woman he thought was so perfect and found
the real one. Now he had a new house being built to live with her and
wasn’t sure that he should even be staying in Trinidad. But it wasn’t
Trinidad, or even Margaret that was the problem. It was himself. He had to
either accept what he’d done and live with it or be miserable for the rest of
his life.
 He made his pot of coffee ten minutes later, poured himself a cup and
stood and walked outside where the just past full moon lit up the night
landscape.
 CHAPTER 12
When the prosecutor finished reading, he set the reports down and said,
“This is pretty straightforward, Bill. I think we can close the case.”
The sheriff nodded and said, “I can’t see it any other way, Hiram.”
“Dan’s report did make me wonder, though. He almost made it sound as
if he believed John Anderson wasn’t guilty and he shouldn’t have fired.”
“That’s what he believes. It’s hard for the rest of us to understand
because he was the only one to talk to John Anderson before the shooting.”
“You really think that it was possible that Margaret killed Cecile
Richardson?”
“It’s possible, and the lack of a gun after she warned Dan that he would
shoot him is a problem. But even if she did, it might have been in self-
defense as it was for Susanna, and I can’t see the motive. But I don’t think
we’ll ever know what really happened, Hiram. Even Dan understands that it
would be impossible to even consider prosecution given the evidence. I
think we may as well let it go.”
“Alright. I’ll just close the case. You can tell the widow that there will be
no further investigations.”
“I’ll do that. Oh, and just to let you know, Dan left his badge on the desk
before he left Trinidad last night.”
“He did? Why?”
“You read his report. Even if John Anderson was the murderer, he felt
guilty for shooting an unarmed man. Imagine how much worse he’d feel if
he believed that he’d shot an innocent man.”
“John Anderson was many things, Bill, but innocent wasn’t one of them.
He’s always operated in the gray areas, especially with women. I hope that
Dan comes back and picks up that badge again. He’s a damned good
lawman.”
 Bill stood and replied, “He’s the best,” then turned and left the
prosecutor’s office and then the courthouse.
_____
Ten minutes later, he stepped onto the polished porch flooring of the
Lawrence home and pulled the doorbell cord.
Angela opened the door just seconds later and said, “Good morning,
Sheriff. Do you need to see Mrs. Anderson?”
“Yes, Angela. Is she in?”
“Yes, sir. Please come in. She’s just finishing her breakfast.
Bill entered the parlor, removed his hat and waited for Angela to either
go and tell Margaret he was there or for her to beckon for him to follow.
She did neither but began to walk down the hallway and the sheriff
decided to follow.
Angela turned into the dining room and announced, “Mrs. Lawrence,
Sheriff Hart is here to speak to Mrs. Anderson.”
“Send him in, Angela,” Fannie said.
Angela smiled at Bill and gestured for him to enter the formal dining
room.
Bill walked into the room but didn’t take a seat.
“What do you need, Sheriff?” Margaret asked, hoping it was to tell her
that the case was closed.
“I just left the office of the county prosecutor,” he said, then paused to
watch her reaction.
“And?” Margaret asked.
“He asked me to tell you that the case has been closed and there would
be no further investigation into the death of Cecile Richardson.”
“I’m glad that’s all behind me now,” Margaret said.
 Then Fannie asked, “What about John Anderson? I hope that Dan isn’t in
any trouble for that shooting.”
“No, ma’am. The prosecutor ruled it as justifiable homicide. As he was
the primary suspect in a murder and made a sudden lunge into his pocket,
Mister Castor believed that Dan acted within the law.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Dan shouldn’t suffer for what happened.”
“He’s already suffering, Mrs. Lawrence. He left his badge on the desk
and then left Trinidad. I don’t know when he’ll return.”
“
He’s gone?
” Margaret asked in surprise.
“Susanna thinks he probably went to her farmhouse.”
“Oh.”
“Well, I need to get back to the office and let Tom and Ned know that the
case is closed.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Margaret said as she smiled.
Bill nodded, turned and left the dining room and the house and was soon
heading back to the jail. While he hadn’t read Margaret’s reaction as well as
Dan had, he’d still been surprised that she hadn’t even asked about him, but
Mrs. Lawrence had.
_____
As Bill was returning to the office, Margaret made a show of removing
her wedding band and the diamond and ruby ring that John had given to her.
“I’ll probably sell these.”
Her mother asked, “What are you going to do with your necklace now
that you are a widow? I imagine it would remind you of your murdering
husband every time you wore it.”
“John didn’t give me the necklace, Mother. Daniel found it with other
jewelry and had it delivered so I would think that John had bought it for
me.”
“When did you find out about that? Why didn’t you tell me?”
 “I talked to that farmgirl that he’s courting and asked her. She seemed to
know everything and said that Daniel knew about what she’d done and still
accepted her. I believe that she seduced him and then pushed him into
clearing her name. I don’t like her.”
“Surely, Dan wouldn’t bend the law to satisfy his masculine urges. You
know him better than that. He has always believed in justice and is the most
tenacious man I’ve ever met.”
Margaret looked at her mother, her words sinking into her mind. Daniel
was that way and even though his father had just assured her that there
would be no further investigations, she didn’t believe that Daniel would let
it go.
She finally replied, “I’m not sure about him or any other man anymore,
Mother. I thought I knew John, yet he murdered a young woman without
hesitation just to protect his name and reputation.”
The conversation paused as Angela entered the room and refilled their
china cups with tea.
After she’d gone, Fannie said, “You need to have your father help you
with that house and businesses if you are planning on ridding yourself of
them.”
“I intend to do just that, Mother,” Margaret said before lifting her teacup
to her lips.
_____
Later that morning, both John Anderson and Cecile Richardson were laid
to rest in adjoining graves at the Trinidad Cemetery without ceremony.
There were no mourners.
_____
Dan had packed enough food for two days and ridden out of the Lawson
farm earlier that morning and by mid-morning had passed through Raton,
just fifteen miles due east.
He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to be alone.
____
 Susanna returned to the Hart house just as Dan crossed the Purgatoire
River east of Raton and told Libby, Julie and Pam that he’d been in the
farmhouse, spent the night, but was already gone.
“Do you know where he might have gone?” asked Libby.
“I think he rode east, but I don’t know why.”
“There’s nothing we can do until he returns then,” Libby said with a
sigh.
Susanna’s eyes narrowed and she said, “I’m going to talk to Margaret.”
Libby was surprised, but said, “That’s not a good idea, Susanna.”
“I don’t care. I want to let her know what she’s done.”
Julie said, “I’ll come with you.”
“No, I need to do this alone. I owe that much to Dan.”
Without waiting for any more arguments, Susanna quickly walked out of
the room and mounted Pearl, who was still saddled from her ride to the
farm.
She turned her mare down the drive, onto Eighth Street, and then east on
Main Street.
After she turned onto Second Street, she discovered that she didn’t have
to go to Margaret’s house when she saw the new widow striding along the
sidewalk.
Margaret had spotted Susanna when she made the turn onto Second
Street and had ignored her but found that she could no longer continue to
disregard her when she pulled her horse to a stop and quickly dismounted
directly before her.
Susanna was managing to maintain her composure as she approached
Margaret.
“I’d like to talk to you, Margaret.”
“I didn’t give you permission to use my Christian name.”
 “You should be grateful that I’m using that rather than what I’d like to
call you.”
“I have nothing to say to you. Please allow me to pass.”
“I am not moving until I’ve had my say. Right now, Dan is out in the
county somewhere because he feels guilty for having killed your scoundrel
of a husband. It’s how he is. You, on the other hand, feel no guilt
whatsoever for your part in all of this.”
“What do you mean when you say, ‘my part’?”
“I know that you probably killed Miss Richardson. I may not know why
or how, but that isn’t what really angers me. It was that lie you told about
him having a pistol that he didn’t have so Dan would be expecting him to
shoot. If you hadn’t thrown that other lie in with the big lie about your
husband killing Miss Richardson, then Dan would be with me right now,
wearing his badge.”
“You are delusional, Miss Lawson. I’m not the one who lied about
committing a murder, you are. You wear that pearl necklace and pretend to
be so innocent and sweet, but you’re nothing but a murdering whore who
manipulated Daniel. Now, get out of my way.”
Susanna glared at Margaret and said, “Yes, I killed my father and I still
feel guilty about having to do it, but I admitted my crime to Dan and he still
loves me. You should admit your crime to him and maybe he won’t hate
you.”
Margaret ended the confrontation when she just pushed Susanna aside
and stormed past her.
Susanna watched her hurry away and wasn’t sure what she had
accomplished by finding Margaret. She had hoped to goad Margaret into at
least admitting to her part in Cecile Richardson’s death, but should have
known better. Margaret Lawrence Anderson would never admit to anything
and may even believe that she was innocent of any wrongdoing.
She then mounted Pearl, and as she headed back to the Hart home, she
passed Margaret as she walked quickly along Main Street.
_____
 Margaret wasn’t nearly as angry as she should have been after hearing
what Susanna had said. She was more worried than before. If that nothing
of a girl felt she could say those things to her in the middle of the street
without fear of repercussion, then it might be worse than she had expected.
She may have seriously disliked Susanna before, but she absolutely
abhorred the woman now.
She turned into the bank ten minutes later and walked directly to her
father’s office.
_____
Dan was sitting by the eastern bank of the Purgatoire River as Chester
grazed nearby. He was absent-mindedly throwing rocks into the brown
water watching the ripples spread out, and still hadn’t arrived with any
answers to his dilemma.
He picked up a small, water-logged stick and began to write in the
muddy bank after deciding to create a list of what was most important to
him in a way to help him in his decision.
Number one, of course, was Susanna. The second item was his family. It
was that third item that gave him pause.
Was it trying to prove that
Margaret was guilty, or was it to continue doing the work that he loved?
But before he even carved another letter into the mud, he stared at what
he’d already written, concentrating on number one.
He tossed the stick aside and walked to Chester, climbed into the saddle
and wheeled him around to head west.
_____
Margaret had returned home after signing a power of attorney giving her
father control over the Anderson estate so he could sell the house and
companies, and now sat in her room wondering what she could do about
Daniel and that Lawson woman. It had to be soon, but with Daniel’s
whereabouts unknown, it would have to wait.
Whatever she decided, the solution needed to be final and appear
accidental.
_____
 It was late afternoon when Dan reached the outskirts of Trinidad and
headed straight for Eighth Street rather than stopping at the jail. He needed
to talk to Susanna.
When he turned north on Eighth Street, he could see their new house in
the distance and smiled. The exterior of the house was done but still needed
a lot of interior work and then all of the furnishings and other additions to
make it a home, but when he had written Susanna’s name in the mud, he
knew that he didn’t want to wait for the house to be finished.
He turned onto the driveway of his parents’ house and dismounted in the
back and tossed Chester’s reins over the hitchrail before climbing the porch
steps.
Dan entered the kitchen and four sets of female eyes all turned in a
coordinated motion.
“Dan!” Susanna shouted as she erupted from the chair and shot across
the floor and leapt into his waiting arms.
He kissed her and held onto her as he looked past her and smiled at his
mother and sisters.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he lowered Susanna to the floor.
“I understand why you left, Dan, but how are you?” Susanna asked as
her big blue eyes gazed up at him.
“I’m better. I know that I’ll always have problems with what happened
on that road, but when I thought about it, I finally realized what really
mattered to me the most was you, Susanna.”
“I’m just so happy that you’re back. You had us worried.”
He looked down into those compassionate blue eyes and said, “I don’t
want to wait until the house is done to get married, Susanna. I want to
marry you tomorrow.”
“But where can we live?”
“We can spend the first two or three weeks in your farmhouse, then
when the house is ready, we’ll move back to Trinidad. It’s only a forty-
minute ride, and it’ll only be for a couple of weeks. After all the hours I
spent in that jail, I think I’ve earned some time away.”
Susanna had to think about her answer for a few moments as the
memories of all that had happened in that house resurfaced, but when she
knew how important it was to Dan, she turned to her future mother-in-law
and asked, “Is that okay?”
Libby was all smiles as she replied, “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
Dan said, “I’m going to ride back to the office, retrieve my badge, and
tell the sheriff the news.”
“We have a lot to do now,” Libby said.
Dan nodded and kissed Susanna again before saying, “I’ll be back for
supper.”
He turned quickly, trotted through the open door and soon mounted
Chester and disappeared.
Susanna smiled at Libby and said, “I’m glad that my surprise arrived
already.”
Julie said, “I think we should go to Morrison’s and you should buy
another surprise for your wedding night.”
Susanna blushed but replied, “Let’s go.”
_____
Dan was welcomed back into the lawman fold with back slaps and
handshakes and when he told them of the impromptu wedding, they were
repeated.
When the initial congratulations were over, Dan walked with his father
into his small office and sat down.
“Pop, I want to let you know that I’ll live with that mistake, but I’ll learn
from it, too. I’m also worried that it might make me hesitate when I
shouldn’t, and that bothers me. It was that concern, almost as much as the
guilt that I felt, that made me leave my badge.”
“I know how you feel, Dan. I had the same problem. Remember?”
 “It was close, but I guess because mine involved Margaret, it was worse.
Anyway, is it okay about moving down to the Lawson farm until the house
is ready?”
“Of course, it is. It won’t impact the office much, but it will mean that
the rest of us will have to do more night duty. You spoiled us for too long,
Dan.”
Dan then pulled out a small box from his pocket, opened it and said, “I
got this last week from Tom Greene in Denver. I’d asked him to make two
wedding bands from one of the gold doubloons that I’d left with him.”
Bill looked at the two rings and smiled as he said, “That was thinking
ahead."
Dan smiled back, closed the box and slid it back into his pocket.
_____
When they returned to the house for supper, they found that the ladies
had already made many of the hurried arrangements for tomorrow’s
wedding.
After their brief stop at Morrison’s, Susanna, Julie and Pam stopped at
St. John’s Anglican Church and asked Reverend Babcock if it would be
possible to perform a wedding tomorrow on such short notice, and he
assured them it wasn’t a problem, so they set a time of ten o’clock for the
ceremony.
It was hardly going to be a large, formal affair, as only the Hart family
and Tom and his wife and Ned would be present.
Bill would be Dan’s witness and Libby would be Susanna’s and after a
lunch reception, Dan and Susanna would ride down to the farmhouse and
would not be expected back in Trinidad until Friday.
By the time they had finished eating, the news of the marriage had
spread through Trinidad and even reached the Lawrence home when Angela
passed along the word to Mrs. Lawrence.
“I thought he was off somewhere,” Margaret said as she dipped her
spoon into her silver bowl of orange sherbet.
 “He returned this afternoon, ma’am,” Angela said.
“Oh. And will they be living in the jail?” she asked with a laugh and
snort before sliding her spoonful of sherbet into her mouth.
“No, ma’am. They’ll be living in her farmhouse until their new house is
built.”
Fannie looked at Angela and asked, “How do you find out such things,
Angela?”
“I heard the news from Mrs. Dandridge when she stopped by to ask
about her status.”
Fannie then asked, “What will you do about Mrs. Dandridge now that
you’ve decided to sell your house, Margaret?”
“She’ll just have to find new employment, Mother.”
Fannie didn’t reply but slid her spoon into her own icy dessert.
Margaret didn’t ask any more questions as she thought about the news
that Angela had just delivered. She’d never been that far south of Trinidad
before, but knew that once across the Las Animas River bridge there was
only one road south and it had to lead to that farm. The best thing about the
farm was that it was isolated, and no one would find out what happened
until it was too late.
_____
With the wedding just hours away, Dan decided to stay at the jail for
more than one reason. He needed to get his things together for the move
tomorrow and wanted to give Susanna the chance to do her own
preparations. If he’d stayed with her tonight, it would create a serious
difficulty getting ready in time to get to St. John’s before ten o’clock.
Besides, he didn’t believe it was possible to them to be intimate in the
family home without causing a lot of disruption.
So, after kissing Susanna goodnight, he walked back to the jail in the
twilight, forgetting about Margaret and even John Anderson. Tomorrow he
would marry Susanna and they would begin their life together.
_____
 Dan dressed in his Sunday suit the next morning after shaving carefully
to avoid any serious nicks.
By the time he thought he was ready, Tom and Ned were already in the
jail and had been ribbing him almost without letup before the sheriff walked
into the office wearing his suit, complete with his badge displayed on the
breast pocket.
“Ready to go, Dan?” he asked.
“It’s not even eight o’clock, Sheriff,” Dan replied with a grin.
“I was just asking if you had any last-minute reservations,” his father
asked with a smile.
“About the same when you married my mother, sir.”
“Let’s have some coffee while we wait. The ladies will meet us at the
church.”
Tom said, “My precious wife is already there, helping to set up the
church.”
The lawmen then filled their cups and spent the remaining time talking
about everything but the Cecile Richardson case.
_____
At the Anderson house, Margaret arrived at the house in the same buggy
that John had used to make his failed escape, noticing the dried blood stain
on the seat.
After giving Mrs. Dandridge her pay for the month, she dismissed the
housekeeper without a letter of recommendation.
The last thing she did before returning to her parents’ home was to take a
kerosene lamp and box of matches out of the house, set them on the floor of
the buggy and left the buggy and horse in the carriage house before
returning to her parents’ home.
_____
Susanna was dressed in a flattering, but modest light blue dress that
highlighted her blue pearl necklace and her own blue eyes as she waited
anxiously in the kitchen.
“Why are you so nervous, Susanna?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know. I guess that talk I had with Margaret still bothers me. I
feel as if I made a mistake in talking to her.”
Libby said, “Well, it’s behind you now, and in another hour or so, you’ll
be my daughter-in-law and you’ll be married to Dan.”
Susanna just smiled as she slid her fingers over her pearl necklace.
Then she looked at Julie and asked, “Remember those rumors that went
around after Dan turned down the job offer from Margaret’s father?”
“That silly gossip about him not liking women?”
“Yes, that one. Anyway, he mentioned it to me and then told me the
response he’d give to the next man who said it. He said that he’d drop his
britches and say, ‘this is the real reason they call me Moose’.”
Julie, Pam and Libby all erupted into giggles and when she regained her
composure, Julie asked, “So, Susanna, is it true?”
Susanna blushed but replied, “A bull moose should be so lucky,” despite
having no standard of comparison to either another man or a bull moose.
_____
Just before ten o’clock, Dan and the other three badge holders for Las
Animas County strode purposefully along the Main Street boardwalk
toward St. John’s. It was an impressive sight despite the lack of firepower.
When they entered the church, Dan spotted Susanna standing next to his
mother behind the back pew and despite the simplicity of her wardrobe, felt
his breath leave him before he was nudged by his father to continue walking
to the altar.
He approached Reverend Babcock who stood waiting with his prayer
book in hand and a smile on his face, stopped before the altar and turned to
face down the aisle.
There was no organist or any other music as a smiling Susanna walked
slowly towards him with her big blue eyes sparkling as they spoke to Dan
as they always had.
She reached the altar and took Dan’s hand before they turned to face
Reverend Babcock.
He began the ceremony and all that mattered to the couple was each
other as they repeated their vows and when they had to exchange rings, Dan
took the box from his father and slid the small gold band over Susanna’s
finger. She then took the larger ring and put it on Dan’s and then when the
reverend announced that they were man and wife, neither waited for him to
tell him he could kiss his bride even if he wasn’t going to say the words.
After the short, but impassioned kiss, Dan took Susanna’s hand and they
walked down the aisle but had to turn at the back to take care of the
necessary paperwork before leaving the church.
Once that was done and they were legally married, Dan and Susanna
then walked with everyone else to the Hart house to celebrate the union.
After an exuberant hour and a half, Dan brought Chester, Pearl and the
brown mare out of the barn. The mare was wearing a pack saddle that
carried supplies and their personal items for the next couple of weeks that
they’d be spending at the farmhouse.
Susanna had changed into a riding skirt for the trip and just after noon,
they waved to the assembled family and friends and rode onto Eighth
Street, turned east on Main Street and headed out of town.
As soon as they crossed the bridge and were on the southern roadway,
Dan said, “You took my breath away when I saw you in the church, Mrs.
Hart.”
Susanna smiled at her husband and replied, “I was almost out of breath
myself. I wanted to feel that kiss after we were married to wake me from
my dream. I almost felt as if I didn’t deserve this.”
“You deserve this and so much more, Susanna.”
Susanna just smiled back at Dan already anticipating what awaited her in
the farmhouse. She’d finally pushed all the bad things that had happened in
the house into the deep recesses of her mind. This was a new life and a
wonderful one. All made possible by the arrival of a deputy sheriff almost
exactly a month ago.
When they reached the farm, they rode into the barn and dismounted.
As she reached the barn floor, Susanna said, “Mister Hart, I hadn’t
brought this up before because it just dawned on me, but the only bed left in
the house is the small one that I slept on.”
Dan smiled at his bride and said, “I’ve already taken that into account,
Mrs. Hart. It won’t be as fancy as our new bed that you ordered, but it
should fill our needs.”
Susanna smiled back with her hand on Pearl’s saddle seat and asked,
“What is your solution, sir?”
“I have another small mattress rolled up in one of the panniers along
with three blankets. I plan on using our two bedrolls for the base, then the
two mattresses will be kept in place with two of the blankets.”
“That will be an interesting marital bed.”
“It won’t be the bed that will be interesting, ma’am.”
Susanna laughed as they continued to unsaddle their horses.
_____
It took almost an hour to prepare the bed after all of the supplies had
been moved inside, but once it was spread out on the floor just a few feet
away from the front door, the honeymoon began in earnest.
An hour later as they lay on the improvised bed bathed in a light sheen
of perspiration, Susanna asked softly, “Is this real, Dan? Are we really
married and going to stay together for the rest of our lives?”
Dan kissed her and replied, “It’s as real as anything can be, Susanna.”
Then he held up his left hand before her and said, “I didn’t tell you
before the wedding, but our rings are made out of one of the gold
doubloons. I had Tom Greene make them and then send them to me.”
Susanna examined her ring and then looked at Dan and said, “I had them
send me something, too. It’s in my purse and I’d like to give it to you.”
 She then quickly slid from the bed and as her husband watched
appreciatively, she scampered to the table, opened her purse, removed a
small box, then tiptoed back and knelt on the bed while Dan sat with his
legs crossed.
With a big smile, she handed him the box and watched as he opened the
cover.
Dan removed the silver pocket watch and smiled when he saw the cover.
Susanna explained, “I was going to buy a gold watch, but I saw the silver
one with the moose on the cover and couldn’t resist.”
Dan laughed and turned the watch over and read the simple inscription:
To Dan With All My Love Susanna
He leaned forward kissed her and was about to commence the second
round of the honeymoon, when she said, “You didn’t open it.”
Dan smiled and clicked the small lock and saw the complex dials on the
expensive timepiece, but what was on the opposite side was what made it so
very personal and incredibly precious.
He found himself looking at a smiling photograph of Susanna, and the
photographer had tinted both her big eyes and the pearl the same light, sky
blue shade making them pop from the monochrome portrait.
He exhaled and looked at the living Susanna and said, “I’ll never be
without this, my love. Wherever I am, I’ll be able to open my watch and see
those wonderful blue eyes and your angelic face. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Then you don’t mind the moose on the cover?”
“Not at all.”
“This morning, I told your mother and sisters what you were going to
say to the next man who said that you didn’t like women.”
“You didn’t!”
Susanna giggled and said, “I did, and do you know what I told them?”
 “I don’t want to know,” he said as he set the watch down on the floor and
wrestled a still giggling Susanna back onto their wedding bed.
_____
As the sun was setting and Dan and Susanna were cleaning dishes after a
late supper, Dan said, “In all of our excitement, I forgot to tell you about
one more arrangement I made with Tom Greene before we left Denver.”
“And that was?”
“I searched through the loose gemstones and picked out a half dozen
emeralds. I told him to hold onto them and when he had time, mount each
one in a white gold necklace.”
She looked at Dan and asked, “Who are they for?”
“They’re for our children, Susanna. When each of them marries, if it’s a
daughter, she can wear it on her wedding day. If it’s a son, he can give it to
his bride. I want each of them to have something from that treasure, so
they’ll be able to pass on the tale of how the emerald made it to Colorado.”
“You think we’ll have six children?” Susanna asked with raised
eyebrows.
“I have no idea how many children we’ll have, love. I just wanted to
have enough. When I get a chance, I want to go back to that boulder cave
and retrieve the chest, too. I’ll leave the leather note from Jean Bouton
inside with the last two doubloons and that’s where we’ll store the
necklaces.”
“That sounds perfect, Dan. It’ll be one of the many stories our children
will have to pass on.”
Then she paused and asked, “What will we do tomorrow?”
“Aside from the obvious, Mrs. Hart, I think that maybe we can take a
ride over to the Pearsons and you can tell them about your plan to give them
the farm.”
“I’d like that, Dan. But we have to keep it to ourselves until the new
house is done. I don’t want company.”
 Dan slapped her behind and said, “No, ma’am. It would be providing
free entertainment.”
Susanna laughed, swatted her husband’s backside and they returned to
washing the last of the dishes.
_____
It was almost midnight when Margaret slipped out of her parents’ house
and walked quickly through the back alleys to her house on Fourth Street.
She didn’t enter the house but strode directly to the carriage house where
she harnessed the buggy and then stepped inside and snapped the reins to
get the gelding moving.
She wheeled the buggy slowly onto the side street that didn’t have gas
lighting yet and five minutes later rolled the buggy across the Las Animas
bridge and headed south on the moonlit road.
She was wearing a dark gray dress and all she had with her was the
kerosene lamp and a box of matches.
As she drove south, she constantly reminded herself of what that horrible
farmgirl had said to her. She wished that she didn’t have to harm Daniel, but
he left her no choice. She had almost believed he was going to just let the
whole incident slip into the past, but then that girl had changed everything.
It wasn’t going to go away until she made it go away herself.
It was going to be hard, but she had to do it. She had to.
_____
Dan and Susanna were sleeping on their homemade bed in the middle of
the floor, curled in each other’s arms. Susanna was wearing one of the new
nightdresses that she’d bought at Morrison’s, but Daniel was just wearing
his underpants to keep him moderately warm.
_____
Margaret spotted the farmhouse in the moonlight and pulled the buggy to
a stop when she was two hundred yards away and set the handbrake. She
wasn’t sure of how the house was constructed, and wanted to know if there
was a back door.
 She removed the chimney from the kerosene lamp, then slipped the box
of matches down the front of her dress and nestled it into her corset’s top,
wishing the dress had a pocket as she felt the sharp edges of the cardboard.
After leaving the buggy, she walked quickly toward the house and when
she arrived, set the lamp near the small front porch, removed the
uncomfortable box of matches and set them next to the lamp.
Margaret then stepped around the house looking for that second door that
might let them escape and was gratified to find that the structure had only
the one exit.
The size and poor construction of the house added to her already low
opinion of the new Mrs. Hart. Margaret didn’t doubt for a second that it was
only the girl’s deceit and willingness to spread her legs that had tempted
Daniel and was proud of herself for resisting her base urges.
The poor construction also meant that the old boards would practically
explode once the fire started.
She returned to the front of the house and as she picked up the kerosene
lamp, she began to have doubts about what she was about to do. Daniel may
have disappointed her, but those times he’d spent with her had been exciting
and she’d wanted him so badly then and he’d given her the necklace, too.
If it had only been Daniel behind that closed door, she didn’t believe that
she’d be able to do what she knew was necessary, but he was now inside
there with that lying whore of a girl and had probably just bedded her. It
was that disgusting thought that gave her the resolve to do what she had to
do.
She unscrewed the cap on the kerosene reservoir and stepped closer to
the porch, tipped it upside down until the flammable liquid began to splash
onto the wood.
Once it began to flow, she quickly walked along the ground before the
porch as quietly as she could, waving the lamp before her as the kerosene
flew in the cool night air, landing not only on the porch, but splashed onto
the hem of her gray cotton dress as well.
_____
 Inside, Dan’s eyes popped open not knowing what had triggered the
sudden awakening. He listened closely and didn’t hear anything, yet
something had disturbed his sleep.
Susanna was snuggled in close and still sleeping, so she hadn’t been the
cause. He was closer to the door, so he slowly rolled over, but stayed
beneath the blanket as he continued to listen for more noises, suspecting
that a coyote or maybe a skunk or racoon was paying a visit.
____
The noise that had awakened Dan was when Margaret had put the empty
lamp on the ground, and it had fallen over. She’d almost stopped breathing
as she stared at the door for almost a minute, expecting Daniel to come
rushing outside.
She had to act quickly now before the kerosene smell reached the inside
of the house.
She picked up the box of matches and the lamp that had a scratching
panel on the side, then took two steps back from the kerosene-soaked wood
and hesitated.
This wasn’t like when she’d killed that Richardson woman. She’d been
so angry that she’d lost control of herself. This was cold-blooded murder
and would be the murder of the man she almost married. She stood in the
moonlight before the dark farmhouse with the empty kerosene lamp in one
hand and a match in the other as she stared at the house door.
She shook her head, made her decision, then quickly struck the match on
the lamp, and as it flared to life, tossed it to the porch.
She watched the flaming stick arc through the air, mesmerized by what
would soon happen, but just before it reached the boards, the match
extinguished and bounced off the porch harmlessly.
_____
Dan heard the slight noise of the match being ripped across the lamp but
couldn’t make out what had made the odd sound, so he just stayed beneath
the blanket listening.
 _____
Now that she was committed, Margaret was determined to finish this and
decided to increase the chance for the flame to reach the porch by using two
matches.
So, she pulled two matches from the box, stood a bit closer to the porch
and holding the lamp in her right hand, raked the heads of both matches
against the rough metal band.
The matches flared into a bigger flame than she’d expected and the edge
of the expanding flash of fire singed her fingers, making her drop them in
reaction to the pain.
She was shaking her hand when the lit matches dropped toward the
earth, one of them getting caught in the folds of her dress that had absorbed
some of the splashed kerosene.
Margaret was still flapping her painful fingers when her dress exploded
in flame and she screamed.
Dan was already tensed for action when he heard the startling sound of a
woman’s scream just a few feet beyond the door. He quickly hopped out of
the bed, yanked open the door and saw a woman rolling on the ground, the
bottom of her dress aflame.
He didn’t take a moment to identify her, but quickly turned back into the
house and snatched the blanket from the makeshift bed as a startled
Susanna rolled onto her knees.
He raced back outside and even as he recognized Margaret, tossed the
wool blanket over the fire, smothering the flames.
She was still screaming from the horrible burns that had rendered her
legs unusable, but it didn’t take very long for Dan to understand what she
was doing there as the strong smell of kerosene hung in the air mixed with
the smoke.
Susanna had rushed to the doorway and then stopped and stared in horror
at the still smoking Margaret as her shrieks of pain ripped through the night
air.
 Dan didn’t say anything but slid his arms under Margaret and lifted her
from the ground as she wailed and carried her past the house as Susanna
slowly walked barefoot behind him.
When he reached the trough, he slowly lowered Margaret into the cool
water, immersing her lower body.
Margaret’s loud howls had given way to sobs as Dan turned to Susanna
and said, “I’ve got to get dressed and get her to Trinidad. Stay here with her
until I come back.”
Susanna just nodded and stepped closer to the trough.
Dan then ran back to the house, crossed the kerosene-soaked porch and
entered the open doorway.
He dressed quickly and as he exited the house, scanned for Margaret’s
horse, and spotted the buggy in the distance and jogged that way.
While he’d been gone, Susanna just stared at the weeping Margaret
knowing what she’d just tried to do. She was sure what had triggered the
attempt and that made it worse.
Dan arrived with the buggy and as he stepped down, said, “Susanna, go
and get dressed and I’ll wait for you in the front of the house.”
She didn’t answer but turned and quickly tiptoed away.
Dan then wordlessly stuck his left arm into the trough and managed to
wiggle it under the heavy, wet woolen blanket and then after he’d put his
right arm behind Margaret’s corseted back, lifted her from the trough. He
then carried her to the nearby buggy as she wept and set her inside,
knowing that the soaking blanket could only do so much for the incredible
pain she must be enduring, but feeling no pity for the woman.
She’d murdered Cecile Richardson, made up that story and then set her
husband up to be shot, and still could look him straight in the eye and lie
about it. Now, she’d tried to murder Susanna and that was beyond
forgivable to Dan. He didn’t care that she’d tried to murder him, just that
she was going to kill Susanna.
 He stepped into the buggy, released the brake and snapped the reins.
After the buggy reached the front door of the farmhouse, he pulled it to a
stop and looked over at Margaret, who had finally passed out from the pain.
He wasn’t sure if she was still alive, so he slid his hand under the top of her
corset and felt her heart beating.
Once he was sure that she would live, he had to start thinking like a
lawman. He had ironclad evidence that she had attempted to burn the
farmhouse knowing that he and Susanna were inside. It was an obvious case
of attempted murder and arson and he’d write up his report that way, but it
would be Mister Castor’s decision after that.
When Susanna emerged from the farmhouse, she closed the door and
stepped into the buggy and then looked at Dan and asked, “Is she dead?”
Dan snapped the reins again and as the buggy wheeled away from the
farm, he replied, “No. She just passed out from the pain and the damage to
her legs. We need to get her to see Doctor Chambers as quickly as possible,
but I don’t know if there’s anything he can do.”
Susanna nodded but didn’t reply as the buggy raced north in the
moonlight.
_____
They arrived in Trinidad just as the predawn sky was beginning to
overtake the moonlight and Dan drove the buggy directly to the home of
Doctor Michael Chambers.
Susanna hadn’t spoken once during the hurried trip and Dan hadn’t
noticed as he was concentrating on driving quickly over the moonlit road.
After pulling it to a stop, Susanna exited first to let Dan climb out and
watched as he trotted down the walkway and onto the porch where he
pounded loudly on the door for almost thirty seconds, assuming he was
waking the good doctor and his wife and children from their slumber.
When the door was opened by Doctor Chambers in his night shirt a
minute later, Dan quickly said, “Doc, I have Margaret Anderson in the
buggy outside. She’s suffered heavy burns on her legs.”
 The doctor quickly replied, “Bring her into my examination room while I
get dressed.”
Dan nodded, turned and trotted back to the buggy. It took him a few
minutes to get the still unconscious Margaret from the seat, but as he carried
her to the house, she began to moan.
Susanna remained standing quietly next to the buggy as Dan carried
Margaret into the doctor’s house and stepped to the same examination room
where he’d had his stitches removed from his back not two weeks earlier.
He set her down on the large, padded table and stayed with her as he
waited for the doctor to arrive.
Doctor Chambers entered the room just a couple of minutes later and as
he carefully removed the still wet blanket, asked, “What happened, Dan?”
“Susanna and I were married earlier today and decided to spend our
honeymoon at her farm south of town. We were sleeping in the farmhouse
when I heard a scream and found Margaret outside rolling on the ground
with her dress on fire. I threw a blanket over her to smother the flame and
then put her lower half into the trough to soothe her pain before we brought
her to town.”
The doctor began pulling burnt cloth from her legs as his wife entered
the room.
“Why was she there, Dan?” he asked.
“She was trying to burn the house down. There was a lamp on the
ground near the porch with a box of matches nearby, and the porch had
been soaked in kerosene. I don’t know what happened, but I guess that
somehow she accidentally lit her dress on fire instead.”
“She was trying to murder you and your wife?” the doctor asked
incredulously as he continued to separate burnt cloth from burned tissue.
“I’m sure that was her intention. How bad is it, Doc?”
“Pretty bad. She’ll probably live, and those burns will heal, but she’ll
never walk normally again, if at all.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”
 “No. I’ll take it from here. Are you going to notify her parents?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. You go ahead and do that and send her mother to see me.”
“Okay, Doc,” Dan said as he turned and left the room.
Once outside, Dan saw that Susanna had already returned to the carriage
and was staring straight ahead.
When he boarded, he said, “I’ll drive you to our house and you can tell
my father what happened while I go to the Lawrence house. Okay?”
“Alright,” she replied in an emotionless monotone.
Dan snapped the reins and drove the buggy down the quiet main street,
still shaken by the potentially fatal inferno that could have resulted if
Margaret had been successful.
He stopped in front of his parents’ house and watched as Susanna
stepped down the walkway, up the porch steps, and as soon as she entered
the front door, he turned the buggy around to go to the Lawrence house.
_____
After she closed the front door quietly, Susanna didn’t wake anyone, but
silently climbed the stairs to the second floor, walked through Dan’s old
bedroom’s open door and closed it behind her.
She sat on the bed and slowly removed her shoes and lay down on the
quilts closed her eyes and curled into a protective ball.
_____
As he drove, Dan tried to think of the repercussions of what Margaret
had done. She would have a long and painful recovery, and might not be
able to face trial for weeks,
but what would happen in the interim?
He
doubted if she’d confess to anything, least of all the murder of Cecile
Richardson. He wasn’t even sure if she would accept a plea agreement.
Even before he reached her home, he decided that he wouldn’t even press
charges. He doubted that sending her to prison would add any more
punishment to what she’d just inflicted upon herself.
 He pulled into the drive of the dark Lawrence home, stopped the buggy
near the front door and stepped out, then walked to the porch and soon
reached the front door. He didn’t bother with the doorbell cord, but just as
he had at the doctor’s house, he pounded on the heavy oak door.
Angela opened the door less than a minute later, wearing a pink
bathrobe, and asked, “Dan? What do you need?”
“I have to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence.”
“They’re still in bed, although I’m sure that you’ve awakened them and
Margaret as well.”
“This can’t wait, Angela, and I didn’t wake Margaret. She’s at Doctor
Chambers’ house.”
“You’d better come in then. I’ll go and let them know you’re here.”
Dan nodded and took off his hat and entered the parlor as Angela closed
the door and quickly hurried up the stairs.
Dan didn’t go further into the house but stood with his back near the
door and his hat in his hands as he awaited the arrival of Margaret’s parents.
He was still standing near the door three minutes later when a very upset
Bryce Lawrence stormed down the staircase.
“You had better have a good excuse for coming here at this time of day,
Deputy.”
Dan had expected that Angela would have at least told him that Margaret
was at Doctor Chambers’ but realized she had left that task to him.
“I have a very good reason for disturbing your sleep, Mister Lawrence,”
he replied as he spotted Mrs. Lawrence leaving the upper hallway.
“Well, what is it?” he demanded as he reached the parlor.
“I’d rather wait for Mrs. Lawrence, as it involves Margaret.”
As Fannie stepped behind her husband, she glanced up the stairway and
asked, “Where is Margaret?”
“She’s at Doctor Chambers’ house being treated for horrible burns.”
 “What have you done to her?” shouted Bryce Lawrence just four feet in
front of Dan’s face.
“I probably saved her life, Mister Lawrence,” Dan replied quickly.
“What happened, Dan?” Fannie asked quietly.
“She tried to burn down Susanna’s farmhouse in the dark this morning
while Susanna and I were asleep inside. She accidentally set fire to her
dress instead and I smothered the flames before bringing her back to
Trinidad to see the doctor. He asked that you go and see her, Mrs.
Lawrence.”
“
She did that?
” Fannie asked with a blank face.
“Yes, ma’am. There’s no question that was her intent. The porch was
soaked in kerosene and there was an empty lamp nearby with a box of
matches.”
“Why would she do that?” she asked as her husband stood beside her in
stunned silence.
“I’m reasonably convinced that it was Margaret who murdered Cecile
Richardson, but there wasn’t enough evidence to look past John Anderson’s
obvious guilt. She must have thought that I was going to continue to
investigate the case and needed to keep that from happening.”
If the news that Margaret had tried to murder Daniel and his new wife
wasn’t shocking enough, his calm explanation of their daughter’s reason for
the attempted murder was numbing.
Neither of her parents spoke for almost a minute as Dan watched them
digest the news.
Bryce finally asked in a much less accusatory voice, “Why would you
believe that Margaret was responsible for that woman’s death?”
“Aside from John Anderson’s lack of a pistol, it was his manner when I
caught him on that road that made me believe that he was innocent. He had
no idea why I had stopped him and seemed to believe it was because Cecile
had accused him of rape. Even as he was dying from my bullet, he was
confused and didn’t know why I had done it.”
 “That’s not very good evidence,” her father said.
“I know, and it’s why Margaret would never have faced a jury for the
crime. My belief was just that and not hard evidence. But if she was
innocent of that murder, why would she try this?”
“What is going to happen now?” Fannie asked.
“I’ll write my report, but I’m not sure that she’ll be tried for this either.
Doctor Chambers said that she’ll be in pain for a long time and will never
walk right again either. I’m not going to press charges, but what Mister
Castor decides is up to him.”
“What should we do, Dan?” she asked.
“You need to go and see her, Mrs. Lawrence. Your buggy is outside, and
I’ll leave it there. I’ll walk to the sheriff’s office and I’m sure my father is
already waiting to talk to me.”
Fannie looked into Dan’s eyes and said, “She made so many mistakes,
Dan, starting with her decision not to marry you.”
“I don’t believe I would ever have made her happy, ma’am. She wanted
something different out of life, and even with all that money that I have
now, I don’t think I could give her the life she needed. I couldn’t live in a
fancy house with servants and that was the difference between us.”
She nodded and said, “I’ll get dressed and go to see her.”
Dan didn’t reply, but glanced at Bryce, turned and left the parlor and
opened the door, and walked across the porch after closing the door behind
him.
When he neared the jail five minutes later, he didn’t see any light coming
from the windows and then after checking the front door and finding it
locked, continued to walk to Eighth Street, wondering why his father wasn’t
there yet.
He reached the house and was surprised to find no lights coming from
the windows there, either. That meant that Susanna hadn’t told anyone what
had happened, so when he entered the silent house, rather than waking
anyone, he did as Susanna had done and tiptoed up the stairs and went to
his old room.
After quietly swinging the door open, he spotted a curled-up Susanna
lying on the bed and closed the door with just a quiet click and stepped
across the dimly lit room.
He sat on the edge of the bed, laid his hand on Susanna’s shoulder and
whispered, “Susanna?”
Susanna didn’t open her eyes but replied softly, “This was all my fault.”
“What was all your fault?”
“What Margaret tried to do. I pushed her. When I didn’t know if you’d
return, I confronted her. I told her that you knew she murdered Cecile
Richardson and that was what made her do it. Even your mother said it was
a bad idea. She wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t goaded her into it.”
“Sit next to me, Susanna.”
Susanna uncurled her legs, then slid to the side of the bed and sat beside
Dan but kept her eyes downcast.
Dan pulled her close and said, “Sweetheart, you didn’t make her do
anything. I don’t believe that anyone could. Besides, I’d already told her
that I knew she had done it.”
Susanna turned her head and looked at Dan in the slowly brightening
light and asked, “You did? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t a direct accusation, it was much more subtle than
that. First, when I told her that John was dead, her first reaction was to ask
me if he’d accused her of the murder, which confirmed my suspicion. When
I told her that I was worried that I had shot an innocent man, she quickly
replied that he’d murdered Cecile and would have hanged.
“Even as she made the claim, I could see in her eyes that she understood
that I didn’t believe her. Her life of almost constant deception and facades
had finally been penetrated and she was afraid. But even then, I couldn’t
believe that she was capable of doing such a thing.”
“Yet you almost married her,” Susanna whispered.
 “Yes, and that thought terrifies me. Maybe she could have kept that false
front for years, I don’t know. But it didn’t happen and all I can do is be
grateful for your big blue eyes.”
She sighed and said, “We haven’t even been married one day and so
much has happened.”
“Do you want to return to the farmhouse?”
“No. I thought it would be hard after what happened the first time, but I
really don’t want to go back again. It seems as if it’s cursed.”
“It’s not the house, sweetheart, but I can understand why you’d feel that
way. I need to go down there and get the horses. I’ll empty all of the
supplies and other things we brought with us, too. You just stay here and
then in a couple of weeks, we’ll be moving into our new home. Okay?”
Susanna smiled and said, “Thank you, Dan. I’m so happy to be your
wife.”
Dan then kissed her softly and said, “You remember that when I make
you all fat with our first baby.”
Susanna laughed lightly as she wiped her eyes and replied, “I won’t
mind.”
He then stood, took her hand and they left the bedroom and walked
downstairs to the kitchen to start making breakfast for the family.
They had barely started when the elder Mr. and Mrs. Hart appeared and
Libby asked, “What are you two doing back here and so early at that?”
“Mom,” Dan replied, “why don’t you and pop have a seat and when Julie
and Pam get here, Susanna and I have a lot to tell you.”
Julie and Pam walked into the kitchen seconds later, so as soon as they
sat down, Dan started his narration while he and Susanna continued to
prepare breakfast.
“
She tried to burn the house down with you inside?
” Libby asked,
aghast at the news.
 “Yes, and it’s kind of my fault, too,” Dan answered, “When I told her
that I’d killed John, I pretty much told her that I didn’t believe that he had
killed Cecile. She probably thought that if she got rid of me, she wouldn’t
have to worry about being discovered. I just didn’t believe she’d go this
far.”
“What are you going to do, Dan?” asked Bill.
“I’m not sure, but she was so badly burned that I don’t think she’d even
be able to stand trial for a long time. I know that the very fact that she tried
to murder me and Susanna is evidence of her guilt in Cecile Richardson’s
death, but to be honest, unless Susanna wants to see her go to prison, I can’t
see any benefit to pressing charges.”
“I think you’re right. If she’s as badly hurt as you say she is, then there
would be nothing gained by sending her to prison.”
Dan looked over at Susanna as she cracked eggs and asked, “What do
you think, Susanna?”
“After hearing her screaming like that, I don’t think the state can punish
her any worse.”
Bill said, “Okay. We’ll talk to Hiram Castor later today. What are you
and Susanna going to do? Are you returning to the farm?”
“No, sir. After we meet with Mister Castor, I’ll ride down there and
empty it and then come back here. We’ll stay in my room until the new
house is completed and hopefully, we’ll be able to return to a normal life.”
“It would be a welcome change,” Libby said as she rose to help Susanna.
Dan then stepped aside and walked to the table where he sat down and
began to answer questions about the event, such as why he had even saved
Margaret, knowing what she’d tried to do.
_____
Three hours later, Dan and his father were sitting in Hiram Castor’s
office again as he read Dan’s report.
Dan had stopped by Doctor Chambers’ office on the return to the jail and
been told that Margaret had been moved to her family home after having
her legs from ankle to hip covered in a salve and wrapped in linen. He said
that if she walked, it wouldn’t be for a year or so and there was a serious
risk of infection. Dan had included the prognosis in his report.
The prosecutor lowered the report to his desk and shook his head.
“This attack pretty much points at Margaret as the one who murdered
Miss Richardson. What do you want to do, Dan? I can reopen that case but
I’m not sure I’d get a conviction even now.”
“No, sir. I don’t see any reason to do that. In fact, neither I nor Susanna
wants to even prosecute her for attempted murder or arson. It would be a
long time before she’d be healthy enough to stand trial and I don’t believe
she’d be punished any worse than she has been.”
“Alright. I’ll just let this one go, and leave the other case closed. I don’t
know how Bryce Lawrence is going to be able to live with the notoriety,
though.”
“That’s his problem, Hiram,” Bill said as he stood.
Dan rose and he and his father left the office and the courthouse.
As they walked eastbound along the boardwalk in the morning sun, Bill
asked, “What do you think Bryce Lawrence will do?”
“I have no idea. With the First National Bank coming into Trinidad, he’s
going to lose a lot of his depositors, and I’m not sure that he’ll get much
from John Anderson’s estate, either.”
“Why not?”
“After talking to Alex Bradley, I got the impression that his companies
were close to bankruptcy. I could be wrong, but when he asked Bryce for a
dowry for marrying Margaret, that got me thinking.”
“Well, regardless, he’s still got a good amount of money himself.”
“Yes, sir,” Dan replied as they reached the office and entered.
Tom was talking to Ned, then turned his head and asked, “What did our
prosecutor say?”
 The sheriff replied, “He agreed with Dan that there was no point in
prosecuting either case, so as far as we’re concerned, both are over and
done.”
“I’ll be going to saddle a horse and head down to the farm, boss. I should
be back by early afternoon.”
“We’ll see you then, Dan,” the sheriff replied as Dan wheeled about and
left the office.
“He and Susanna aren’t staying at the farm?” asked Ned.
“Nope. I can understand why Susanna feels that way, too.”
“Oh.”
“Let’s get back to work, boys,” Bill said as he headed for his office.
_____
Dan thought he’d have to use the old Lawson wagon to return everything
to Trinidad but was able to squeeze everything into the four panniers and
the empty bags that he’d left with Susanna from his second visit to the farm.
Just after noon, he mounted Chester to lead Pearl, the brown mare and
the gelding he’d just borrowed back to Trinidad, and as he looked back at
the farmhouse, he wondered if he or Susanna would ever enter it again. It
was where they’d spent their first night as husband and wife and despite the
horrible ending to the night, it had been home to much more pleasant
memories before that.
_____
When he reached Trinidad, he rode directly to Eighth Street and turned
into the family home, and dismounted in back as Susanna stepped out of the
back door and smiled at him.
“You seem better, Susanna,” he said.
“I went back to sleep for a while, and it helped. Are you going back to
the office now?”
“After I unload the horses.”
 She trotted down the porch steps as she said, “I’ll take care of Pearl. I
feel as if I still owe it to her for selling her in Walsenburg.”
Dan smiled at the rejuvenated Susanna and untied the three trailing
horses and led them into the small barn.
As Dan detached and removed the heavy panniers and bags from the
brown mare, he watched Susanna unsaddling her Morgan mare. He couldn’t
recall a day since he’d found her in the farmhouse where there hadn’t been
some measure of confusion, anxiety, or pain in her life and hoped that from
now on, she would find only happiness and some blessed boredom. She
deserved nothing less.
_____
Dan returned to the jail’s barn and unsaddled Chester, the brown mare,
and the borrowed gelding, then entered the office through the back door.
He entered the main office and was taking off his hat when he saw
Fannie Lawrence sitting beside the front desk, looking at him.
“Hello, Mrs. Lawrence,” he said as he stepped closer.
She stood and asked, “Could I talk to you, Dan?”
“Certainly,” he replied and after she’d turned to leave the office, he
followed glancing at Ned as he passed.
Once outside, they turned right, and then when she reached the nearby
bench, she took a seat and waited for Dan to join her.
After sitting next to her, Dan asked, “How is Margaret?”
“She’s in a lot of pain, but Doctor Chambers gave us a bottle of
laudanum which helps, but she’s not with us a lot of the time.”
Then she said, “I talked to your father and he said that there would be no
charges brought against her for what she did, and I am grateful for that.”
“There was really no point, ma’am.”
She then opened her purse and removed a familiar red box and handed it
to him.
 “When she was lucid, she told me to give this to you.”
Dan opened the box and saw not only the sparkling diamonds and rubies
of the necklace but the note that he’d written as well.
There was nothing he could say, so he just closed the box.
“Dan, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for all of this. I was so happy when
she started seeing you and I thought she’d changed, but I was wrong. I still
don’t understand what happened with Miss Richardson and I know that
Margaret will never tell me. I don’t believe she’ll talk about what happened
last night, either. It’s just not in her nature to admit to any faults.”
“What are you and Mister Lawrence going to do now?”
“That’s why I came to see you. Bryce doesn’t know that I’m talking to
you. He’s making arrangements for us to leave Trinidad as soon as the
danger of infection from Margaret’s injuries has passed. He’s at the
Matthews Brothers Land and Property offices right now setting up contracts
for the sale of the Anderson house, our house, and the two companies. He’ll
have his chief clerk run the bank until he decides to close it once the First
National Bank arrives.”
“Where will you go?”
“He said we’re going to St. Louis where he has relatives and we can put
Margaret into a sanitarium where she can receive treatment.”
“It will be a long time.”
“Yes, it will. But part of the reason for my being here was to ask you for
a favor. I know that sounds incredibly brazen, but I don’t believe anyone
else could help.”
“I don’t think it’s brazen, Mrs. Lawrence. What do you need?”
“Angela Winters has been with the family for twelve years now, but
Bryce said that she wouldn’t be coming with us. She’s almost fifty now and
I don’t think she has a lot of savings. Would you be able to help her?”
“I’ll do what I can. What about Mrs. Dandridge?”
“Margaret terminated her employment, so she’s in the same situation.”
 “Okay. Do you know where Angela is?”
“Yes. She and Mrs. Dandridge took rooms at Temple’s Rooming House.
They’ve been friends for some time now.”
“I promise to help them both.”
“Thank you, Dan. I was heartbroken when Bryce told me that he was
going to leave her behind.”
Fannie smiled at Dan and stood and walked away as he remained on the
bench wondering why Margaret was so much different than her mother.
He finally stood, glanced at the red box in his hand, and returned to the
jail where he explained to his father, Tom, and Ned what Mrs. Lawrence
had told him.
“What are you going to do about Angela and Mrs. Dandridge, Dan?” his
father asked.
“I’m not sure yet. I need to talk to Susanna.”
_____
After returning to the Hart home for supper, it was Susanna who came
up with the solution, and, even though it would cost them some money, Dan
agreed that it would be the best for both women.
Later that night, as he and Susanna lay quietly in the bed, foregoing any
newlywed activities, they began to plan for the next few days.
_____
In La Junta, Henry Lawson was sitting in his room with a three-day-old
copy of
The Trinidad Coloradan
. He didn’t spend any time with the front
page but flipped to the community page where he found the announcement
of the marriage of Daniel Hart to Susanna Lawson and smiled. His sweet
and innocent sister would be happy and that was all that mattered to him.
 CHAPTER 13
On Wednesday, the 19
th
of July, the Lawrences left Trinidad on the
morning AT&SF train without fanfare. Margaret had been transported by
ambulance to the train and her father had arranged for a second caboose to
be added to allow her to stay in a bed for the long trip across Colorado,
Kansas, and Missouri.
The next day, Dan and Susanna first visited the Matthews Brothers Land
and Property Company where they purchased the enormous Lawrence
house for eighteen hundred and fifty dollars but had the deed made out to
Angela Winters and Jessica Dandridge.
Then, they walked to the Temple Rooming House where they met with
the two former housekeepers.
“
Why would they give us the house?
” Angela asked in astonishment.
“Mrs. Lawrence felt that she owed it to you after all your years of
service and because Mrs. Dandridge had to put up with John Anderson, she
believed that you should each share it. Now, if I were you, I’d turn it into a
boarding house. With the eight bedrooms, large kitchen, and dining room, I
think it could easily provide a good income for both of you.”
Angela looked at Jessica and said, “Do you want to do that, Jessica? It
does sound like a wonderful idea.”
Jessica nodded as she smiled and replied, “It sounds perfect. I can’t
believe that Bryce Lawrence would do that.”
“I don’t either, but maybe Mrs. Lawrence talked him into it. She is a
good woman.”
Dan handed Angela the keys and he and Susanna left the two
enormously pleased ladies to their plans.
Once outside, Susanna hugged Dan’s arm as she grinned and said, “That
was a lot of fun.”
 “It does make you feel good, doesn’t it?”
“Very much and we did get that added advantage, Mrs. Hart.”
“And a very nice little extra it was, husband.”
As a personal bonus, when they had bought the Lawrence house, Ernest
Matthews had given the keys to the Anderson house for their use until their
new home was ready as a reward for not haggling on the price for the
Lawrence house.
While Dan returned to the office, Susanna, Julie, and Pam moved all of
the newlyweds’ things to the Anderson house, not commenting on what had
happened there a month earlier.
Everything was quiet at the office, so Dan took advantage of the time to
saddle Chester and led the unnamed brown mare out of Trinidad and headed
north.
It was late in the day when he returned with a large dark chest strapped
to the mare’s pack saddle.
When he arrived at the Anderson house, he found Susanna already
waiting on the porch, sitting in one of the two rocking chairs.
She stepped down and as he began unloading the heavy wooden box, she
said, “So, that’s the treasure chest.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dan replied as he lowered it to the ground and said, “I
never noticed it before, but if you look at the back of the chest, you can see
where a very talented sailor carved the image of a sailing ship. I imagine
that was the
Seagull
.”
Susanna walked to look at the design and was impressed with the
intricate workmanship.
“Where will you put it?”
“Right now, we’ll just leave it in John Anderson’s office, but when we
move into our new house, I think we can have it in a place of honor in the
library.”
“Is the leather note inside?”
 “No, ma’am. It’s still in my saddlebags.”
“I’d like to see it.”
“I’ll bring it inside after I unsaddle Chester. As long as the mare is going
to be with us, I decided that she deserved a name and I went with Ruby.
How’s that?”
Susanna grinned and said, “Perfect.”
After hefting the chest into the house, Dan returned and unsaddled both
horses and led them to the carriage house where he brushed them down.
He put his saddlebags over his left shoulder, left the carriage house, and
entered the house through the back door, where he found his wife setting
their supper on the table. It was such a simple, everyday sight but it meant a
lot to Dan.
Susanna smiled as he stepped to the table, set down the saddlebags, and
after her hands were free took her in his arms, lifting her from the floor and
kissed her, feeling her wonderful softness.
After he’d returned her to the floor she said, “This is really nice, Dan. I
know it’s not ours, but it’s just so pleasant.”
“When we have our own home, it’ll be even better.”
“I know,” she replied as Dan sat down.
As she took her seat, he opened the saddlebag, pulled out the leather
note, and handed it to her.
She knew she couldn’t understand the French yet seeing the handwriting
of a long-dead privateer captain who had changed their lives was awe-
inspiring.
After giving it back to Dan, she asked, “Are you going to put anything
else in the chest?”
“I have two gold doubloons that will go inside, and I think Margaret’s
necklace should stay there as well.”
“What about the note?” she asked before taking a bite of ham.
 “I haven’t decided yet.”
“I think you should keep it with the necklace. It belongs there.”
“Alright, Mrs. Hart. You’re the boss.”
Susanna laughed as she smiled at her husband.
_____
After supper, Dan lit some of the gas lamps and as Susanna cleaned the
dishes, he went into John’s office, which hadn’t been touched since his
death, which surprised Dan. He’d expected that Margaret would have
searched the house.
When he went through the desk, he found a lot of business paperwork
and ledgers, which was unusual. He should have kept them at his offices at
the construction company. But when he began examining them, he could
understand why John had decided to keep them in his private office. There
were a lot of bills, and most were overdue, including one enormous bill
from the AT&SF that should have been paid last month.
After a quick review of the ledgers, even Dan’s non-accounting mind
concluded that John Anderson’s accounts were in worse shape than even
he’d expected. He just couldn’t understand why they had failed so badly but
then again, he wasn’t a businessman.
He left the office and returned to the kitchen where Susanna was
finishing the cleanup.
“Find anything interesting?” she asked as she dried her hands on a towel.
“Just that John Anderson probably asked for that dowry to keep his head
above water for a while. I don’t think Bryce Lawrence will net a dime out
of the two businesses.”
Susanna then approached her husband and said, “I don’t care, Dan. Now,
can we please make up for those past few nights of quiet denial?”
“You’re the boss, ma’am,” Dan replied with a smile before taking her
hand and they both quickly trotted to the nearest bedroom.
_____
 The next day, Dan and Susanna rode to the Pearsons, where they stunned
the family when Susanna gave them the deed to the Lawson farm.
As it turned out, the timing was perfect as James was about to propose to
Edna Caruthers but was in a quandary about the housing situation. The
farms were close enough that they could share labor, but would have to add
hired help, which was necessary anyway with Willie’s departure.
The family hadn’t heard from Willie, but Susanna explained what had
happened in Walsenburg, so at least they knew where he was, even though
it was unlikely that he’d be returning.
_____
After the deed transfer, they returned to Trinidad and then settled into a
glorious routine of everyday life.
The new house had reached a point in its completion that Susanna, Julie,
and Pam were able to supervise the furniture placement when on the 26
th
,
the sheriff’s office received a telegram from the owner of the Double M
ranch southeast of Raton that three men had stolen eight of his horses and
ridden east. The theft hadn’t been discovered until that morning.
Because of Dan’s recent nuptials, Tom had offered to go with Ned to
investigate the crime, but Dan needed to go, and his father agreed to send
Dan with Ned.
Even though Dan hadn’t even confided in Susanna just how much the
memory of shooting John Anderson still haunted him, his father was the
only man in Trinidad who could understand his son’s need to face a difficult
situation again to make sure that he didn’t repeat the last, fatal mistake. Bill
knew that Dan had to push that aside if he expected to continue doing the
work that gave him the satisfaction that he knew no other job could do.
So, Dan and Ned rode out of Trinidad, crossing the Las Animas bridge
just after nine o’clock. Dan had developed a habit of checking the time
often now that he had a watch with something worth seeing other than the
moving hands.
“Are we heading to Raton, Dan?” Ned asked as they trotted southeast.
 “Nope. I believe that would be a waste of our time. I think those boys
probably got rid of the horses in Stockville and then headed south for New
Mexico Territory.”
“Why?”
“The owner said they were heading east and the only town of any size in
that direction is Stockville. Now, if he said there were three men, it could be
either that or two men with a packhorse. Either way, they’d have to know
that the law would be after them and they couldn’t travel fast with that
many animals. So, the most logical thing for them to do is to get rid of them
in Stockville and then head south to New Mexico, figuring that the law
won’t chase them out of Colorado. It’s rough country and we might miss
their trail, but we can always head back to Raton.”
“That makes sense, so where will we go?”
“If they’re heading for New Mexico, we’ll head southeast and see if we
can cross their trail. If we’re lucky enough to spot it, we shouldn’t be too far
behind. But if we don’t see it, we’ll just swing north around those big hills
southwest of Stockville and head into town.”
“When should we pick it up?”
“Not for a while but keep your eyes open. There won’t be too many
tracks in the open country.”
“Is stealing horses a hanging crime?” Ned asked.
“Not now, but it used to be. I hope those boys know the difference.”
They never spotted any tracks and by two o’clock, they had to make a
long loop around the high hills that bordered on being small mountains
southwest of Stockville.
Ned asked, “What happens if we see them coming right at us?”
“It depends on how far away they are when we spot them and if they see
us or not. If they catch sight of us, they’ll probably turn right around and
head back to Stockville and maybe set up an ambush. In this terrain, there
are so many potential sites that it would be hard to flush them out, so I’d
rather we get them closer before they figure out that we’re carrying
badges.”
“How can we do that?”
“You tell me. What can we do that would make them think we’re not
going to toss them in jail?”
They wound their way through the rock-strewn ground for another ten
minutes before Ned replied, “We need to make them think we’re out
hunting or something. I don’t think they’d believe we were ranch hands out
looking for cattle.”
Dan grinned and replied, “There you go. Now, we’re still about three
hours out of Stockville, so if we run into them, as soon as we do, you’re
going to be the hunter and I’ll be your idiot pal.”
Ned laughed and said, “Okay. How do we do it?”
“As soon as we see any movement at all, I’ll point off to the side and
shout ‘There he is!’, and you fire your Winchester. I’ll start laughing really
loud and make fun of your miss. You dismount and start walking away,
firing at a make-believe running rabbit, while I yuck it up and keep yelling
insults at your poor marksmanship. That should keep them off guard and
maybe even make them curious. At the worst, they’ll go back, but it won’t
be any worse than it would be if they knew we were deputies.”
Ned was grinning as he said, “I’m ready, Dan. I kind of hope we spot
those boys.”
Dan smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled his pocket watch,
checked the time but really just looked into those tinted blue eyes before
taking a deep breath and slowly closing the cover.
_____
Twenty minutes later, it was Ned who first spotted movement as the nose
of a horse popped up from around a rocky shelf just three hundred yards
ahead. Before Dan even told him, he whipped his Winchester free, cocked
the hammer and pointed it off to the right.
 Dan quickly whipped his right arm in that direction, pointed and
shouted, “There he goes, Al! Get him!”
As Ned fired, Ernie Thompson yanked back on his gelding’s reins in
shock as did his partner, Hoop Langdon. There had only been two men who
had stolen the seven horses, but the wrangler at the Double M had
miscounted the number of lost animals from their remuda.
Neither rustler said anything as they sat on their horses behind the rocky
shelf listening.
_____
As Ned dismounted, Dan guffawed and shouted, “You missed him! How
the hell did you miss that big boy?”
As he trotted away, Ned yelled, “Shut up!”, then fired two more shots in
succession.
Dan screamed in a laughing voice, “You can’t hit the state of Colorado!”
_____
Ernie turned to Hoop, and in a low voice said, “You figure they’re just
out huntin’? I can’t figure any law would be down this way. They’d be
behind us.”
“And they sure wouldn’t be makin’ that much noise, either. Look, let’s
play this real cagey. We’ll get close and act real friendly and tell ‘em we’re
just a couple of ranch hands headin’ to New Mexico ‘cause we’re tired of
the cold winters here.”
“Okay, Hoop. I’ll be Ed and you’re Joe.”
Hoop nodded and nudged his dark gelding forward.
_____
Dan was alternating watching Ned as he stalked his imaginary prey and
glancing back to the edge of the shelf and soon spotted both horses
emerging. His Colt’s hammer loop was already off, but he left his
Winchester in its scabbard. If they suddenly bolted away, he’d have time to
pull it free, but he wanted them closer.
 When they emerged, he felt a bit queasy when he spotted only two riders
and no packhorse.
Was it the horse thieves, or not?
He’d have to wait.
Until then, he kept laughing and acting as if he hadn’t seen the two riders
and then shouted, “You sure are a lousy shot, Al!”
Ned was fifty yards away when he turned and yelled, “I’m still better
than you, Moose!”
Then Ned shouted, “Somebody’s comin’!” and pointed north to the two
approaching riders.
Dan swiveled in his saddle but didn’t do anything more than watch the
two men, thinking that a wave to strangers in this situation would seem odd
and might spook them.
_____
Loop said, “They seem okay, Ernie.”
“I’m Ed, Joe. Remember that.”
“Sorry, Ed,” Loop replied as they walked their horses closer to the two
lawmen.
After they were within a hundred yards, Ernie shouted, “Howdy! What
are you two fellers shootin’?”
Dan yelled back, “My poor excuse for a partner here said he could hit
that jackrabbit at fifty yards. He wasted three .44s provin’ himself wrong.”
Ernie laughed as he and Loop rode closer.
“We’re headin’ down to New Mexico way to do some cow punchin’ in
warmer weather. We ain’t gonna put up with another winter like that last
one.”
They were fifty yards away when Dan yelled back, “It sure was a bad
one.”
As they kept coming, Dan noticed that neither had his hammer loop free
and that coupled with the lack of a third rider began to give their story
credence.
 Ned was walking back to his horse when he asked, “You boys ain’t seen
any game bigger than a rabbit, have ya?”
Hoop laughed and answered, “Nope. All we seen was prairie dogs and
more of them jackrabbits.”
Dan looked over at Ned and said, “You’d need it to be as big as an
elephant and be five yards away to hit it with that Winchester, Al.”
Ernie and Hoop were just about past Dan when Ernie caught a flash from
Ned’s badge as his vest flew open and quickly released his hammer loop
while Dan was looking at Ned. Hoop didn’t see it as he was watching Dan.
Ned’s Winchester wasn’t cocked after his last shot and was muzzle down
as he approached his gelding and Ernie knew that he had to shoot the
deputy with the Winchester first before he took his second shot at the one
on the horse. He and Hoop were just twenty feet away coming up on Dan’s
left side and he couldn’t see Dan’s untethered Colt, but Dan couldn’t see
Ernie’s either.
Just as Dan’s eyes were returning from Ned to the front, Ernie quickly
reached down to his holster, the sudden movement surprising Dan.
Ned was surprised as well and was levering in a new round when Ernie’s
Colt cleared his holster.
Before he could draw back his hammer, Dan’s Colt was already free and
just as Ernie’s thumb had clicked his pistol’s hammer into the locked
position, Dan fired.
His .44 traveled the sixteen feet in an instant and drilled through Ernie’s
right upper chest, then angled into the inside of his shoulder, shattering the
joint and exploding out of his body, leaving his right arm hanging by a
bloody mass of bone and muscle.
Even as he screamed, his Colt discharged, sending the bullet into the
ground beneath his startled animal.
Before Ned could bring his Winchester to bear, Dan had cocked his
pistol and shifted it to Hoop who was shocked by his partner’s sudden
action and Dan’s almost instant and deadly reaction.
 Hoop automatically threw his hands high into the air, expecting to be
shot anyway, but Dan held his fire as Ernie Thomson tumbled from his still
dancing horse and crumpled onto the rocky ground.
His screaming stopped after just thirty seconds and Dan shouted, “I’m
Las Animas County Deputy Sheriff Dan Hart,” then as he kept his eyes on
Hoop, he said, “Ned, take his Colt and Winchester.”
Ned didn’t ask any questions as he quickly trotted to Hoop’s horse, slid
his Winchester out of his scabbard, and then pulled his unfired Colt from
his holster.
Once he was disarmed, Dan asked, “What’s your name?”
“Hoop Langdon. That was Ernie Thompson.”
“Did you boys steal some horses from a ranch near Raton last night?”
“Yeah, but we didn’t hurt nobody.”
Dan said, “Step down. We need to get your partner’s body on his horse
and then we’ll ride to Stockville.”
Hoop wordlessly complied and then while Dan kept him under his Colt,
he helped Ned hang Ernie’s corpse over his saddle and then Ned let him tie
his partner’s body down.
Once it was secured, Ned tied Hoop’s wrists behind his back with
pigging strings and helped him into his saddle.
Dan had dismounted and retrieved Hoop’s guns while Ned was securing
their prisoner and just fifteen minutes after the short gunfight, they started
back to Stockville with Ned in the lead and Dan bringing up the rear.
As soon as they were moving steadily, Dan pulled his pocket watch,
opened the cover, looked at Susanna’s smiling face, returned her smile, and
said softly, “I’ll be okay now.”
He kept his eyes on the picture for another thirty seconds before closing
it slowly and slipping it back into his pocket.
_____
 They left Ernie’s body at Stockville, then Dan sent a telegram to his
father letting him know that they’d be returning in the morning with a
prisoner. He also sent a telegram to John Manheim of the Double M that his
horses were in Stockville at the Mitchell Livery for pickup and that it would
be a good idea to brand them all in the future.
_____
Sheriff Hart read the telegram and handed it to Tom.
After reading it, Tom asked, “You heard of these two?”
“Nope. But I’m sure that we’ll find out about it when Dan and Ned bring
the prisoner in tomorrow.”
He then left the office with the telegram in his hand and when he entered
his home, he found all of the Hart ladies in the parlor talking about the new
house.
“Did you hear from Dan?” Susanna asked as he entered.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied as he gave her the yellow sheet.
Susanna read:
SHERIFF BILL HART TRINIDAD COLO
 
GUNFIGHT SOUTH OF STOCKVILLE
WITH TWO THIEVES NOT THREE
ERNIE THOMPSON DEAD
HOOP LANGDON PRISONER
WILL RETURN TOMORROW
NO INJURIES
BUT HEALED NOW
 
DEPUTY DAN HART STOCKVILLE COLO
  
“What does he mean that there were no injuries but that he’s healed?”
Susanna asked as she held the message in her fingers.
“He asked to go on this mission rather than sending Tom, Susanna.
When he turned in his badge after shooting John Anderson, I knew that he
was still hurting inside. It’s because he’s a good man. But he needed to
know if he could still do the job and the only way that he could do it was to
find himself in another dangerous situation. In a way, he’s lucky that one
showed up so soon. They don’t usually happen this often. When he gets
back, I’m sure he’ll talk to you about it.”
“Why didn’t he tell me? I knew he was upset right after the shooting, but
when he returned, he seemed to be better.”
“He probably didn’t want to worry you, Susanna. It was like when I had
my incident with Joe Cheswick. I was close to giving up the badge, but I
didn’t tell Libby until I had resolved to keep going. It was a decision that I
had to make by myself.”
Susanna gave the telegram back to her father-in-law and asked, “When
do you think he’ll be back?”
“Probably around noon tomorrow. Are you going to be here when he
gets back?”
“I think I’d like to see him alone. Can you tell him I’ll be at the
Anderson house?”
“I’ll do that, Susanna,” Bill replied.
Susanna smiled and was happy to have such a thoughtful man for a
father figure now rather than the loathsome creature who had helped to
create her.
_____
The next day just after noon, Dan and Ned arrived with Hoop Langdon
and dismounted in front of the jail.
They’d snacked on some of Pete Parker’s doughnuts on the ride back,
but still had enough left for Tom and the sheriff.
 After putting Hoop into his cell, Dan let Ned give an oral report to the
sheriff as he wrote his report. It was only two pages and he scarcely paid
attention to what Ned was saying.
Ned finished just as Dan was starting his second page, so he stopped and
asked, “Do you have any questions, boss?”
“Nope. It sounds like you boys did a good job. When you finish your
report, I’ll run yours and Ned’s over to Hiram Castor and you need to go
and talk to Susanna. She’s over at the Anderson house waiting for you.”
“Is it because of the last line of my telegram?”
“Yup.”
Dan nodded and returned to writing his report while his fellow lawmen
devoured the last of the doughnuts with their coffee. He hoped it wouldn’t
become a habit.
When he finished, he just left the two pages on the desk to dry, stood and
walked out to Chester and then mounted and turned him toward Fourth
Street.
When he reached his temporary home, he turned Chester into the drive
and dismounted in the back, tied off his gelding, then climbed onto the
porch.
Before he reached the door, it swung open and those big blue eyes
greeted him with a smile beneath them and her big blue pearl necklace
luminous as it hung from her neck.
“Welcome back, Deputy Hart,” she said as she took his hand.
“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Hart,” Dan replied as she led him
inside.
“Now, sir, as I feed you some lunch, you can tell me what happened.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He sat down and Susanna set two plates of cold fried chicken and potato
salad on the table and after placing two glasses of cold water next to them,
she sat down and waited for him to tell her the story.
 As he ate, Dan reported the mission just as he would have if he was
telling his father or the prosecutor.
Susanna listened and when he finished, she softly asked, “And you’re all
right now?”
He smiled as he took her hand and replied, “Yes, Susanna. I’m all right
now, but I already told you that.”
“I know. I read it in the telegram but wanted to hear you tell me.”
“No, sweetheart, I didn’t mean the telegram. Right after the shooting, as
soon as we started back, I told you.”
He then pulled out the moose-engraved pocket watch, opened the cover,
and showed Susanna her own portrait.
“I told my blue-eyed wife who will always be with me, no matter how
far away I may be.”
“I’ll always have you with me, too, Dan,” she said as she touched her
blue pearl necklace.
_____
Three days later, Tom escorted Hoop to Pueblo where he was handed
over to the state prison guards to serve his ten-year sentence for horse theft.
The new house was finished, and Susanna, Julie and Pam were busy
making it into a home while Dan took care of some other business that he’d
been working on for the past couple of weeks.
The package with the six emerald necklaces arrived from T.L. Greene
Jewelry on the last day of July along with what would become a monthly
statement of sales and deposits into Dan’s bank account.
The completion of Dan and Susanna’s home came just in time as Alex
Bradley had to use every man to begin construction of the new First
National Bank building. It was going to be the biggest building in Trinidad,
and he was able to hire many of the displaced workers from Anderson
Construction, which was still operational but didn’t have any contracts.
 On the first day of August, which was originally expected to be Dan and
Susanna’s wedding day, Dan, with Tom and Ned’s help, moved their things
from the Anderson house to their new home.
The next morning, Dan set the large black chest into its specially built
shelf in the fully stocked library in preparation for the day’s large family
gathering to christen their new home.
_____
On the second of August, in mid-afternoon, all of the Harts, Tom and his
wife, Mary, who brought their children and Ned arrived, but he seemed to
be more interested in Pam than the new house. Julie was with George
Abernathy and had already whispered to Dan that he might be building that
second house soon.
It was a casual atmosphere as everyone inspected the house, with the
large skylight in the enormous bedroom drawing the most comments. The
second most popular item was, of course, the treasure chest in the library.
While everyone was in the room, Dan pulled it from its perch, opened it,
and showed what was inside. He let everyone read the leather note from
Jean Bouton and told them why the diamond and ruby necklace and note
were there.
When he explained the reason for the six emerald necklaces, Pam
grinned and said, “With that skylight, are you sure six will be enough?”
Susanna blushed but smiled at her husband as everyone laughed.
As the crowd shifted to the dining room to partake of the finger food that
had been set out, Dan pulled his father aside and led him to the kitchen as
Susanna and Libby followed quietly behind.
“Pop,” he said, “when I was showing everyone the treasure chest, I
realized that I’d given something to everyone else in our family but haven’t
given you anything.”
Bill rested his hand on his son’s shoulder and said, “Dan, you’ve given
me the greatest gift any father could hope to receive. Each day, I watch you
with pride and the love that so few fathers ever experience. When you
found that treasure with its enormous wealth, I was overwhelmed and
incredibly proud of you when you didn’t change at all. You still chased
halfway across the state after four killers because it was necessary. You
don’t have to give me anything else.”
Dan then wrapped his arms around his father as Libby and Susanna
wiped their eyes.
After stepping back, Dan asked, “Do you want to see the carriage house
now? It’s pretty impressive. It’s got stalls for eight horses with troughs and
running water. It has enough room for a carriage and a buggy, and even has
gas lighting.”
Bill grinned and answered, “Let’s go check out this palace of a barn.”
Dan took Susanna’s hand and Bill accepted Libby’s as they left the house
and crossed the porch before they headed for the large carriage house that
appeared to be almost a second house as its design was so similar.
They reached the front of the carriage house and rather than use the
large, sliding doors, Dan opened one of the normal hinged doors and waited
for Susanna and his mother to enter before following them inside.
The gas lights were already lit, and Bill’s eyes took in the large, well-
built space as Dan disappeared behind one of the stalls.
Thirty seconds later, Dan emerged leading a magnificent black gelding
wearing a handsome black saddle as a Winchester ‘76’s brass plate shone
from its scabbard.
“My Lord, Dan!” his father exclaimed as he approached the horse,
“Where did you get him?”
“I bought him from Vernon Eastman’s horse farm north of town. Isn’t he
impressive?”
Bill rubbed the gelding’s neck and replied, “Look at his chest and
musculature! He could run all day without tiring. What’s his name?”
“I don’t know, Pop. It’s whatever you give him. He’s yours.”
Bill’s eyes ripped from the gelding and engaged his son’s brown, smiling
eyes and asked in disbelief, “What?”
 “I knew that you probably wouldn’t want to have your ears pierced for
earrings like a pirate and that a glitzy necklace might look bad, so I thought
that this jewel of a horse would be a better gift.”
Susanna and Libby were both smiling broadly as the sheriff began to
stroke his new pride and joy.
“I can’t thank you enough, Dan. He’s incredible.”
“I adjusted the stirrups already, Pop. But there’s one more thing that you
need to really impress those bad guys.”
Bill glanced at Dan as he slid the Winchester from the scabbard and said,
“I ordered this in Denver, and I had to wait until I had an address that you
didn’t know about before I could have it sent. Once we moved into the
Anderson house, I had them ship it to me.”
Bill looked at the repeater and asked, “Does it shoot the same .45-85
cartridges that yours does?”
“It does, and there are four boxes of cartridges in the saddlebags. But the
reason I had to order it rather than buy it off the shelf is this.”
He then turned the repeater on its side and showed his father a brass
plaque on the side.
The sheriff accepted the Winchester from his son and had to tilt it in the
gaslight to read the inscription.
Animas County Sheriff Bill Hart
Winchester Firearms Company
One of a Thousand
 
Bill slowly raised his eyes to Dan and said in a hoarse voice, “I don’t
know what to say. I didn’t even know they made them in the ’76 model.”
“There aren’t many, but I was able to get that one. But none of these gifts
can ever even come close to expressing my appreciation for all that you’ve
done for me. I respect you more than any man I’ve ever met and am very
grateful for being your son. I love you, Pop.”
 Bill handed the Winchester to Libby as he embraced his son with the
hissing sounds of the gas lights masking the quiet echoes of emotion.
After a full minute, Bill turned to Libby, smiled, accepted his new rifle,
and slid it into the scabbard.
“Can I leave him here tonight, Dan?” he asked.
“As long as you need, boss,” Dan replied.
Susanna took Dan’s hand and said, “In my home, Deputy, I’m the boss
here.”
Dan laughed and replied, “Yes, boss.”
The two Hart couples then left the carriage house to return to the new
house.
_____
That night, as Dan and Susanna lay in their new four-poster bed and
looked at the stars through their big skylight, Susanna said, “It was really
special what you did for your father, Dan.”
“I don’t believe I can ever do enough for him, Susanna, and I feel the
same way about you. You are my world now.”
“Dan,” she asked softly, “Do you think that you would have still found
your treasure if I hadn’t sent you off on a wild goose chase because of my
lie?”
Dan kissed his wife on the forehead and replied, “Of course, I would
have found my treasure, Susanna. I found her when you opened the door
and I saw those big blue eyes.”
 EPILOGUE
On October 21, Dan had to contract with Alex Bradley for the second
house for Julie and George Abernathy just after his company completed the
magnificent new First National Bank. He was also able to finally move his
account to the new bank and add Susanna as an account holder.
Susanna told Dan of her pregnancy that night and Dan accused her of
waiting until she could take the money and run off with sixty-four-year-old
Reverend Babcock. It earned him a well-deserved smack on the behind.
_____
Before Susanna was ready to deliver their first child at the end of April,
Ned had proposed to Pam and Dan had to contract for the third and final
house on Eighth Street. It was the last significant dip in Dan and Susanna’s
bank account as they lived on Dan’s salary and the account kept
accumulating interest over the years and adding deposits from the sale of
the jewelry.
On April 28
th
, Susanna went into labor just after sunset. While he
waited in the parlor during Susanna’s labor, Dan spent most of the time
looking at that smiling face in his watch’s cover but having those slow-
moving hands next to the picture seemed to make the time stand still.
At 3:12 the next morning, Susanna gave birth to their daughter, Sarah
Anne and Dan was overjoyed that his wife suffered no problems and their
new baby was healthy.
Even as little Sarah suckled, Dan entered the library, selected one of the
emerald necklaces, and set it aside for her to wear on her wedding day.
By the time Ned and Pam married and moved into their new house,
Susanna was already carrying their second child and Dan earned another
smack when he suggested that they might fill all of the bedrooms in just one
enormous birth.
 Late that summer, on August 28
th
, Dan received a letter from Fannie
Lawrence. Margaret’s legs had healed as well as could have been expected,
but she’d become so addicted to the laudanum and because she kept having
to increase the dosage, had finally succumbed to the drug and died on
August 15
th
.
Julie and Pam both became pregnant while Susanna approached her
second birthing.
On March 4
th
, Susanna gave birth to another daughter, Libby Mae and
again Dan selected a second necklace and set it aside, wondering if six was
going to be enough.
But as it happened, six was three too many when Susanna had
difficulties in her last pregnancy and after giving birth to their last child, a
daughter with the very meaningful name of Jean Bouton, could have no
more children.
Neither Dan nor Susanna bemoaned the inability to have more and were
very happy that all three of their daughters were strong and healthy. Dan
wished that at least one would have had Susanna’s big blue eyes, but all had
light brown eyes to match their sandy brown hair.
_____
Bill Hart finally retired on July 4, 1889, simply because he thought it
was time to turn the job over to his son so he and Libby could spend more
time with their eleven grandchildren: Dan and Susanna’s three girls, George
and Julie’s two boys and two girls, and Ned and Pam’s three girls and one
boy. Both Julie and Pam were expecting again.
Sheriff Dan Hart added two more deputies and since that day south of
Stockville, hadn’t had to fire at another man.
Sheriff Joe Farmer had three deputies working for him in Walsenburg
when he stopped by on May 11, 1891, and mentioned that Willie Pearson
had died of syphilis that he’d contracted years ago from the woman he’d
been living with since arriving in town. She had died years earlier, leaving
the house to Willie, who had never married her.
 The girls were all well-versed in the story of how their parents had met
and the meaning of the heavy black box in the library and despite the
horrible events that had brought them together, loved and respected their
blue-eyed mother as much as any girl could.
They also knew the story of their father’s ‘moose’ nickname that they
sometimes heard from his deputies. He even had a copy of
Flora and
Fauna of the Upper Mississippi
in the bookcase.
On May 22, 1898, Sheriff Dan Hart walked Sarah Ann down the aisle of
St. John’s Church in her silk wedding gown. Around her neck was her
emerald necklace and as beautiful as Dan thought she was, he still recalled
the sight of Susanna standing in the back of the same church in her much
simpler dress and her pearl necklace almost mimicking those incredible
blue eyes and knew that he would never behold another vision that could
take his breath away.
 BOOK LIST
     
1 Rock Creek 12/26/2016
2 North of Denton 01/02/2017
3 Fort Selden 01/07/2017
4 Scotts Bluff 01/14/2017
5 South of Denver 01/22/2017
6 Miles City 01/28/2017
7 Hopewell 02/04/2017
8 Nueva Luz 02/12/2017
9 The Witch of Dakota 02/19/2017
10 Baker City 03/13/2017
11 The Gun Smith 03/21/2017
12 Gus 03/24/2017
13 Wilmore 04/06/2017
14 Mister Thor 04/20/2017
15 Nora 04/26/2017
16 Max 05/09/2017
17 Hunting Pearl 05/14/2017
18 Bessie 05/25/2017
19 The Last Four 05/29/2017
20 Zack 06/12/2017
21 Finding Bucky 06/21/2017
22 The Debt 06/30/2017
23 The Scalawags 07/11/2017
24 The Stampede 08/23/2017
25 The Wake of the Bertrand 07/31/2017
26 Cole 08/09/2017
27 Luke 09/05/2017
28 The Eclipse 09/21/2017
29 A.J. Smith 10/03/2017
30 Slow John 11/05/2017
31 The Second Star 11/15/2017
32 Tate 12/03/2017
33 Virgil’s Herd 12/14/2017
34 Marsh’s Valley 01/01/2018
35 Alex Paine 01/18/2018
36 Ben Gray 02/05/2018
37 War Adams 03/05/2018
38 Mac’s Cabin 03/21/2018
39 Will Scott 04/13/2018
40 Sheriff Joe 04/22/2018
41 Chance 05/17/2018
42 Doc Holt 06/17/2018
43 Ted Shepard 07/16/2018
44 Haven 07/30/2018
45 Sam’s County 08/19/2018
46 Matt Dunne 09/07/2018
47 Conn Jackson 10/06/2018
48 Gabe Owens 10/27/2018
49 Abandoned 11/18/2018
50 Retribution 12/21/2018
51 Inevitable 02/04/2019
52 Scandal in Topeka 03/18/2019
53 Return to Hardeman County 04/10/2019
54 Deception 06/02.2019
55 The Silver Widows 06/27/2019
56 Hitch 08/22/2019
57 Dylan’s Journey 10/10/2019
58 Bryn’s War 11/05/2019
59 Huw’s Legacy 11/30/2019
60 Lynn’s Search 12/24/2019
61 Bethan’s Choice 02/12/2020
62 Rhody Jones 03/11/2020
63 Alwen’s Dream 06/14/2020
64 The Nothing Man 06/30/2020
65 Cy Page 07/19/2020
66 Tabby Hayes 09/04/2020
67 Dylan’s Memories 09/20/2020
68 Letter for Gene 09/09/2020
69 Grip Taylor 10/10/2020
70 Garrett’s Duty 11/09/2020
71 East of the Cascades 12/02/2020
72 The Iron Wolfe 12/23/2020
73 Wade Rivers 01/09/2021
74 Ghost Train 01/27/2021
75 The Inheritance 02/26/2021
76 Cap Tyler 03/26/2021
77 The Photographer 04/10/2021
78 Jake 05/06/2021
79 R
iding Shotgun 06/03/2021
80 T
he Saloon Lawyer 07/04/2021
81 U
nwanted 09/21/2021
82 R
eunion 11/26/2021
83 T
he Divide 12/28/2021
84 Rusty & Bug 01/21/2022
85 The Laramie Plains 02/15/2022
86 Idaho City 03/16/2022
87 Poole’s Gold 05/06/2022
88 Spring Surprises 06/30/2022
89 C
lara’s Crusade 08/24/2022
90 Friend’s Lost and Found 10/15/2022