The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson

He’d come back. And in that instant, I knew exactly why. He’d not only framed Wendell for the train robbery, he was going to sneak into the hearing and revel in watching his former partner led out of town in shackles for a robbery he himself had committed.

I ducked behind a tree and peered back at the men. Berger said something to Hackensack and Plunkett, then slid his hands into his pockets and sauntered off the porch toward the courthouse. I leapt from my hiding spot, heart pounding. I could reach the courthouse in no time flat. Then, I could out Berger before the Marshall and Judge Crawford. All I’d have to do would be—

And here I stopped, feeling my hands drop to my sides. And what would happen when I got inside? Berger probably had planned for this, too.

I whirled. Charlotte waved as she crossed the green. She wore a simple white shirtwaist and cream-colored skirt, her blonde hair bouncing as she strode briskly toward me.

“Quiet down,” I hissed, motioning her to my hiding spot behind the tree.

“What is it?” she asked, ducking beside me. I filled her in on my discovery.

“So they’re all back?” she asked when I was done. “That means the money is close by, too.”

“And that’s the proof we’ll need.”

“So you’re thinking—”

“We’ve been praying for a miracle, Charlotte. I think we just got one.”

She shook her head, a wry smile crossing her lips. “Where are you going with this, Eugene?”

“This means if we can get all the members of the Gang in the same place at the same time, alive, and with the money, they’ll be the proof we need. That will top whatever evidence they planted on Wendell.”

“Those are big ‘if ’s’, Gene.”

Charlotte’s face tightened in thought, and we sank onto a bench nearby. I had a goal, not anything close to a plan. How was that going to change?

Suddenly, the front doors of the courthouse swung open, and Deputy Mars appeared. The line began to creep forward, ushering eager townsfolk into the courthouse. My head spun as I watched, wishing for a Tumbleweed-style plan to leap into my head. Bit by bit, I could feel myself focusing, moving ideas around in my mind.

Then, without warning, the final piece dropped into place.

“That’s it!” I cried.

“I know how we can pull this off.”

“You do?” Charlotte asked. “What is it?”

“If you get in there and talk to the judge, I’ll do the rest.”

“You want me to interrupt the hearing?” Charlotte’s face turned white, and she clutched at the cuff of her sleeve. “Eugene, I…I won’t talk in front of people. I can’t.”

“You can’t? But I’ve seen you—”

“Read in Miss Wimberly’s class? Every time I have to, my stomach is tied in knots for a week. It makes me sick just thinking about it. I’ll do anything to help you and Wendell out, Eugene. But I can’t go in there by myself.”

“Maybe I can help you with that,” boomed a cocky drawl from behind us. I whirled to see a swoop of red hair, sand-colored freckles, and a gap-toothed grin on a face that was decidedly less pale and clammy than the last time I had seen it.

“Well, I’ll be dang-blasted,” I said, shaking my head as Tumbleweed strode up, barely a trace of a limp in his step. “You really came back.”

“’Course I did, Eugene. You doubted me?”

“Does your Pa know you’re here?”

His grin widened. “Nope, but I reckon he’ll find out soon enough.”

“I believe we had reason to doubt you,” Charlotte said.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he admitted. “Almost as soon as you left yesterday, I started to feel pretty lowdown. Couldn’t sleep a wink, just kept picturing Wendell’s face, and your face. I’m sorry for leaving you in the lurch like that. Pa was just so convincing in talking about all that land and living free and clear. Plus, he’s my Pa.”

“You’re not going to change your mind again, are you?” Charlotte asked.

“Now hang on, let me finish,” he said. “Eugene told me yesterday that sooner or later, you’ve got to find your people. Well, I reckon I did, Eugene. You’re my people.” He threw an arm around our shoulders and pulled us close. “And I’m mighty glad to have you. Now, what’s this I hear about needing to stop a trial?”

We retreated to our elm tree hideout, where I filled them both in on my plan.

“That ain’t bad, Eugene,” Tumbleweed said. “But I can give it a bit more polish.” We launched into another round of back-and-forth. As he talked, I kept my eyes on Plunkett and Hackensack across the green.

“So I’ll stop by my place for a few supplies. Charlotte comes with me.”

“As for you, Eugene—”

“Whoa!” I said. I could see the beefy figure of Hackensack and the scrawny frame of Plunkett leaving the saloon porch and heading toward the Grubstake Hotel. “I’ve got to go!”

“But you didn’t work out what you’re going to do!” Charlotte called after me.

“Yeah. I’ll figure it out,” I called back, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I jogged after the outlaws, keeping my distance. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I couldn’t let the two men out of my sight.

They slipped into the alley between the saloon and the hotel. I couldn’t risk following into a blind alley. Instead, I marched through the front door of the hotel and tried my best to dart unseen through the lobby toward the back door. I glanced out the window at the alley. My eyes widened. Sure enough, a single figure, squat and rotund, stood guard beside the hitching post behind the hotel. Three horses stood placidly, tails flicking side to side.

It was Gerald Hackensack. I gulped. A few moments earlier, we’d been talking about coming up with a plan. Now, I had to act.

I raced back through the hotel and down the front steps, whirling left and heading down the alley. I would have to look frantic and disheveled when I ran into Hackensack. That wouldn’t be hard. I reached the rear of the saloon to see Hackensack walk over to one of the outhouses behind the hotel. I pulled up short at the corner of the building, hiding from sight, and watched. He rapped twice on the one on the left.

“When you’re done in there, Alton, stay with the horses. I’m heading up to the room to look at my stash.”

So that was it. Plunkett was occupied in the privy. And I knew I had a better chance of taking on the gang individually. Now was the moment.

Plunkett called a muffled reply came from the privy, and Hackensack climbed the stairs to the second story. Finally, the door to the top floor slammed shut, and I was left alone in the alley. I dashed to the horses and wrestled open the nearest saddlebag. My hands brushed against a thick wad of stolen bank notes.