25
Justin, Cole, Heath, and Rosita, along with the sheriff, swung down off their horses and tied them in a line outside the jailhouse. The sheriff led the way in and sat behind his desk.
There were six men lolling about in the only cell the town of Skull Gulch had. Two of them sat on the narrow bunk. One leaned against the bars, his back to them. The other three were sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around their knees.
They were dressed in rags. The clothes were filthy, and they all looked downtrodden. Not a one of them looked one bit dangerous.
The sheriff said, “I’ve got some men here who have a few questions.”
“When is the noon meal, Sheriff? If you keep us locked up, you have to feed us.” The man spoke with a heavy Mexican accent, though his English was easy to understand.
The sheriff groaned and glared at Justin. “I’m not keeping them if you don’t find some wrongdoing. I have to feed them out of my own pocket. The town pays me back, but they’re mighty slow about it.”
Justin looked at Cole, who nodded back at him. It seemed to Justin that in the normal run of things, Cole thought all talking was Justin’s job.
Turning to the jail cell, Justin said, “Tell us what you know about this revolution we’ve heard you’re talking about.”
Expecting defiance and resistance, he was surprised by their reaction. Weren’t revolutionaries angry about something? Instead, all but one of the men stared back at him with blank expressions.
The man leaning against the bars spun around, his eyes wide with fear. “We know nothing, señor,” he said. “Please let us go. We mean no harm.”
Scared, just like Ramone. Through gritted teeth, Justin said, “You’re not going anywhere until you talk.”
Sadie shocked Angie into a near fit when she put britches on. Sadie offered her a pair, and Angie felt her cheeks heat up until she thought her hair might catch fire.
“It’s a lot easier to climb with trousers on. At least wear them under your skirt. It’s cold out and we may be gone a long time.”
“I’ve got woolen underwear on, surely that’s enough warmth.”
Sadie shrugged. “Suit yourself, but you’re failing the first test of being tough.”
“This is a test?”
Sadie nodded.
“And how is insisting on ladylike clothing a failure?”
“Just is.” She badgered a bit more, called on Angie’s common sense, and finally Angie agreed to wear pants under her skirt. It was the most outrageous thing she’d ever done in her life.
They saddled up and were riding for the mesa just minutes later. They didn’t have to make any excuses about what they were doing because the men were all out working.
They climbed a rope ladder for the first little while. With trousers on, Angie handled it with ease. The rope was new and sturdy, no signs of wear. Sadie was so familiar with it, Angie figured Sadie had helped put the rope there.
When she reached the top of the rope, she stepped out onto a good-sized ledge that had plenty of room for both of them. “I can’t imagine why anyone thinks this is hard to climb.”
Sadie laughed.
“I can’t believe you’ve found a way up,” Mel shouted from below them.
“Come on. Cole and Justin haven’t had time to climb it yet.”
“Yeehaw!” It was a shout of joy.
Angie backed carefully away from the edge in case Mel’s enthusiasm somehow knocked her over.
Mel scrambled up the ladder like a limber squirrel. She had on britches just like Sadie.
This was a new kind of world out in the West. Just yesterday she’d gone with Sadie to collect eggs. The hens were nasty things that pecked until Angie’s hands were sprinkled with tender little sores. Sadie laughed at Angie’s suffering, told her the chickens had her buffaloed, which made no sense at all. While talking, advising, and laughing, Sadie quickly moved down a row of nest boxes, pulling eggs out from under one hen after another. The hens didn’t bother her at all.
And now she was climbing a mountain and wearing trousers.
Which reminded Angie of the heavy gun in her pocket. The frontier took some getting used to.
She thought of the strangely absent Justin Boden. Did he really have something to do? Or had he just come to his senses after she’d agreed to become involved with him, and now he was avoiding her?
Another thing she’d probably have to get used to—a broken heart.
Sadie led the way up what was nearly a staircase, walking carefully in sections, while Mel brought up the rear. Mel caught Angie a couple of times when she stumbled backward, so the order of this line was no coincidence.
At last they reached the top. “You said there was rubble up here that had to be from old houses?” Mel headed toward the mounds of rock.
Angie didn’t think she’d have realized they used to be buildings if Mel hadn’t mentioned it. But what else could they be? The top of the mesa was close to level. Grass and some scrub brush covered the rocky ground, with nothing to suggest the piles of stone had occurred naturally.
“Not old houses,” Sadie said, “ancient houses. Looks like they’ve been abandoned for thousands of years.”
Mel approached the nearest mound while Sadie picked the one farther on. Angie wandered around looking at the stones, searching with curiosity. She heard Mel and Sadie talking, exclaiming about the wonder of it all. Mel was excited to be up here. Sadie was thrilled to be back.
Angie saw something fluttering and white pinned beneath a stone. As she walked toward it, she realized it was a weathered piece of paper. She got a firm hold of it before lifting the fist-sized rock.
It was a wanted poster.
“Look at this.”
There must have been something in her tone, because Sadie and Mel hurried to her side.
Sadie studied the picture. “That’s Dantalion, the man who set off the avalanche that nearly killed Pa. He’s also the one who shot Heath and Cole, or hired the men who did.”
“The same man you say died on the trail you and Heath were on?” Angie asked.
“Yes, but the poster has a different name with the picture. Web Dunham. And it’s dated years ago, in Missouri. He’s wanted for murder.” She raised her eyes from the paper. “Far as I know, he’s not been seen around these parts since he killed Grandfather Chastain. This might be why. He left the area, committed his crimes somewhere else. If we take this to the sheriff, maybe we can find out where he was all this time, and even better, who his friends are. There’s a good chance whoever paid Dantalion that gold we found in his pocket is the same person who wrote those notes with the terrible handwriting.”
“We need to get this to the sheriff.” Angie saw a way to live through the day. “You wanted to lure out your enemies, but using this new information about Dantalion might be a better way to end the trouble.”
“But this is our chance,” Sadie argued. “I’m so exhausted by the worry and danger. I want this over, the attackers punished, and today is the perfect day.”
“No, Sadie. We’re not going.”
Sadie blinked at Angie’s stern tone. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“This is my plan. You agreed to it. If you’re too afraid to fight—”
“Don’t speak to me like that. You know the length of time it’s taking to solve this is grinding on all of us. You just said you’re exhausted by worry. But that’s a long way from it being a desperate situation. Your plan is fraught with danger. There might come a time when we have no other choice, but today is not that day. Especially now that we’ve found a clue that could help us unravel a mighty big knot.”
Sadie rubbed a hand over her mouth. It was as if she were trying to hold her next words inside. Angie well knew that Sadie didn’t like taking orders, especially from someone not nearly as strong as she was. But common sense had to prevail.
She glanced over at Mel and saw her fighting a smile. Plunking her hands on her hips, Sadie said in a disgusted voice, “You’re right. As much as I want this fight over with, it’s unwise to take unnecessary risks. Let’s go home.”
Angie had braced herself to stand against Sadie’s arguments, and when she agreed, Angie could hardly believe her ears.
Mel gave a sigh of relief. “I’ll head for home, too.”
“Will you be all right, Mel? You have a long ride home and we won’t know if you made it back safely.”
“I was willing to face my ma and pa’s anger in order to make this trap we were setting safer. This morning I managed to convince two groups of cowhands, riding in opposite directions, that I was going with the other group. They’ll be home for dinner and find out I’m missing. I left Ma and Pa a note sayin’ what we are up to. If I go home right now, no one will even know I snuck off. But if I run into trouble on the trail, they’ll find out and begin searching. After that, the alarm will be sounded soon enough.”
It wasn’t enough, but Angie had little choice but to accept it. They descended the trail to the ground and then split up. Sadie and Angie had their horses put up and were back in the house in short order.
As they entered the kitchen, they looked at each other, and Sadie said dryly, “You’re growin’ quite a backbone there, Angie.”
“I’m just so relieved to be safe again, I could cry.”
They stared at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Now, I need to get out of my coat and riding boots. Then we can get back to work.”
“I’m going to my room to change out of these dreadful trousers.” The two walked side by side down the hallway. “Let’s make the best supper for the men and Rosita they’ve ever had, and while they’re eating we can brag about climbing Skull Mesa.”
Sadie nodded. “Maybe I can teach you how to take biscuits out of the oven before they turn black.”
Angie definitely needed to learn that.
Sadie’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And let’s never tell them about my plan!”
Angie nodded as they parted ways. Sadie headed upstairs while Angie turned into her bedroom.
She closed the door and walked to the nearest chest of drawers. She didn’t sit down because she was afraid she might not be able to get up again. Her knees were shaking, and it wasn’t because she was so glad to be safe. It was because of the way she’d spoken to Sadie on top of the mesa.
It was the boldest she’d ever been in her life. And she’d convinced Sadie to abandon her plan, and now they could relax in the shelter of this house. Wherever else they’d run into trouble, no one had ever attacked them here.
A rough hand covered her mouth and ruthlessly dragged her back against a hard body.
Justin held the door for Rosita and then he, Cole, and Heath followed her out of the jail.
“What a waste of time that was.” Justin slapped his hat against his pant leg to keep from shouting in frustration.
“Someone is stirring up trouble with these folks.” Heath stared into the distance, thinking. “It sounds like it was Dantalion from their description. But they mentioned others. One of them could have been Windy, but I’d never be able to swear to it. He looks like a lot of other cowpokes. There has to be a way to find the men they’re talking about. Those folks look so scared, though, I doubt they’d point to the right man even if we did catch him.”
Cole crossed his arms and frowned. “There had to be something in what they said that’ll give us a direction to hunt. Let’s get some coffee and go through all of it again.”
“We can do that on the ride home.” Justin thought of his bride-to-be. It was past the middle of the afternoon now. He wondered if she’d gone hunting a noose yet.
“No. The sheriff said he’s going to hold those men a few more hours,” Cole said, “but then he’s letting them go before supper so he doesn’t have to feed them. He had to pay for breakfast and dinner himself, and he can’t afford a third meal. If we think of more questions we need to ask, I want to do it before he unlocks that cell door.”
That’s when Justin remembered that he hadn’t punched Cole in a long time. He also remembered why he liked doing it.
“You men have this talk,” Rosita said. “I will run to the general store and buy a few things we need. Then I’ll go to the orphanage to see if I can be of any help. Pick up the supplies and come for me at the orphanage if you need me to listen in on more questions. Or if you are done, get me when you’re ready to ride home.”
“You need to eat, Rosita. Come with us to the diner.”
With a smile she said, “I will not starve, but thank you for asking.” She crossed the street without saying more.
“Having Rosita there made all the difference,” Justin said. “You could tell that those varmints were ready to talk amongst themselves, then agree on an answer. With Rosita there to translate, I think we got the truth out of them.”
“A mighty useless truth.” Heath kicked at the board sidewalk as they headed for the diner and went inside.
It was long after the noon meal and none of them had eaten. They were lucky there was any food left. Soon they were digging into beefsteaks, mashed potatoes, and gravy. They had the place to themselves, which gave them freedom to talk openly.
“Six men, all of ’em layabouts. They are discontented. That makes them willing to complain to folks and stir up trouble.” Cole looked to be preparing to go through the whole talk they’d had with the men in jail.
Justin slowly and quietly lowered his right hand to his lap so he could clench his fist without being noticed. He did his best to keep any sign of irritation off his face.
Cole really didn’t deserve Justin’s impatience. It made perfect sense to talk through what they’d learned before leaving town. And neither Cole nor Heath had any idea of how things had changed between him and Angie.
Before they had debated what other questions they might’ve asked, they heard the hoofbeats of a galloping horse moving at a reckless speed. Horse and rider thundered past the window of the diner.
A harsh voice whispered, “Don’t make a sound, Sadie.”
Angie’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest. Her throat went bone dry. Her mind raced like a rabbit. Through her terror she heard the strange man’s words. He was here for Sadie.
Bait.
And he planned to use her to trap and kill the others.
There was no doubt in Angie’s mind that he intended to kill Sadie, too. The bait died after the fisherman landed his catch.
If Angie denied she was Sadie, he’d do something awful to her and then go find Sadie. Maybe if Angie didn’t fight him, once they’d left the house, she could convince him he had the wrong woman and he’d let her go. If she disappeared, Sadie would be on alert. Justin would get home to protect the ranch, Cole and Heath with him. Maybe they’d send a search party for her. Of course they would.
Despite being upset at him for his absence today, she couldn’t hold on to any doubts. Justin would come. She trusted him completely. She realized as she thought it that she hadn’t expected to trust another man ever again. Now the knowledge that she did washed over her like a purifying rain, and her heart changed. Healing had begun.
Justin would come, all of them would. They’d find her, save her, and catch this man.
If Angie struggled, made any noise at all, it would bring Sadie running, and there was no one else in the house. So she remained silent, for now.
“You’re coming with me.” He raised a gun so it was visible right by her face. He whispered so close to her ear that she could feel the damp heat of his foul breath. “If you fight me, your friend upstairs will hear you and come to see what’s wrong, and then she’ll die.”
As near as she could think in her panicked state, either she sacrificed herself to save Sadie or she didn’t . . . and got them both killed. Though she was terrified of what she might face, she let the man drag her toward the window. He thrust it open with one hand and clumsily dragged her through. His grip slipped a bit, and she had a moment where she was tempted to fight back. If she could get even a few paces away and duck behind some furniture, maybe she’d have a chance.
But he had a gun. And given his boldness in hiding in the Boden house, she had no doubt he would do whatever was needed to accomplish his ends, murder included.
Still she was tempted. She bunched her muscles to jump for cover.
Then his grip on her tightened, the gun was again in her sight, and seconds later she was outside.
It was cold, the wind biting at her. The man dragged her fast across the grassy stretch between the house and the nearest tree line. Once they were in the woods, he gagged her mouth with a kerchief and tied her hands in front of her. They moved deeper into the thick woods. This was the side of the house away from the barn. She’d never paid much attention to it.
They stumbled along and quickly came upon two horses. The man swung her up onto one of the horses and lashed her hands to the saddle horn. He released her and hurried to his horse. Finally she could see him and was stunned.
Arizona Watts.
The last she’d heard, Watts was locked up in jail.
Well, here he was running free. She’d only really gotten a good look at him once, the day she first came to the CR with the doctor after Cole had been shot. Very likely shot by this same man. Certainly if not him, then confederates of his.
He was most definitely part of the gang who wanted to use Sadie as bait.
Heath rose and stepped to the door to watch for where the rider went. “He’s gone straight to the jailhouse. Let’s go see what’s happened.” Seconds later, Heath was outside and hurrying toward the sheriff’s office.
Justin threw some coins on the table and caught the door before it slammed shut. Heath was striding down the boardwalk, and Justin went after him, Cole right behind.
The sheriff swung the door open and charged out only to see them and nearly skidded to a stop. “That rider just told me Arizona Watts reached the jail in Santa Fe, and a man from the governor’s office arrived within minutes and demanded he be set free.”
“What?” Justin shook his head.
“Remember he said he’d walk right out and we’d let him go? Well, it wasn’t us, but the rest of his boast came true.”
The sheriff kept talking, raising his voice and shouting at the backs of the Boden men. “If Watts wanted to, he’d’ve had plenty of time to get back here.”
Justin ran for his horse with only one thought in his head. Bait.