Once everything was paid for and stowed away in the saddle-bags, they mounted and were on their way again. Less than half an hour later, Bill Alcott and his men rode into the same, small town.
Alcott looked up and down the street carefully, but he didn’t recognize any of the horses tethered there. Was Turner keeping out of sight or had he already moved on? Alcott looked at the stores, trying to guess what Turner would have done. He was getting tired of chasing this will o’ the wisp; after all, he had the money from the robbery, little enough though it was. But the thought of letting Turner getting the better of him rankled. As well as making off with the woman, after all his protests about looking after her, Turner had killed Jacob. Alcott still felt numb about his brother’s death; it didn’t seem to bother him as much as he thought it should. He was angry about it, rather than sad. Either way, Jacob might have been a brash nuisance sometimes, but he was still kin. No one had the right to murder kin and get away with it. Besides, Alcott knew that his hold over his men had been weakened by Turner’s actions. He needed to find and kill the little runt in order to keep his position as head of a gang.
‘Lookee,’ said Houston happily. ‘I make out there’s five saloons on this street. I sure could use a drink to settle the dust.’
‘We’re here to find Turner,’ Alcott snapped.
‘Aw, we’ve been on the trail for days,’ Hannigan protested. ‘I sure could do with visiting a saloon, having a drink, seeing some pretty girls and remembering what it’s like to be a man again.’
‘Oh, yeah! Girls!’ whooped O’Leary. ‘I wanna see me some girls!’ He snatched his hat off and waved it around his head.
Alcott mentally cursed Hannigan. He thought quickly. ‘We probably ain’t got time to do more than look at the girls. Turner ain’t no fool; he’ll be riding on.’ he said. ‘In any case, all the girls in a town like this will be as ugly as a tar-bucket.’
‘But they’re still girls,’ O’Leary protested. ‘I ain’t seen a girl since Turner done stole that gussied up one that Jacob pulled off the train. And you wouldn’t let us touch her none anyways.’
‘Listen!’ Alcott said sharply. ‘Chuck, I want you to stay with me. The rest of you all can have ’bout half an hour in the saloons. You can have a drink and look at the girls, but nothing else, mind me? Turner killed Jacob and he stole that girl, after all that protesting that we needed to treat her good. So we gotta catch up with him, serve justice on him, and then, hell, you can do what you all like with the girl. It’s certain sure Turner’s already broke her in, so she’s spoiled anyhow.’
O’Leary gave a whoop and kicked his horse towards the nearest saloon. Alcott caught Houston’s attention.
‘Keep an eye on him, Manny,’ he said. ‘We’re moving off in half an hour. Chuck an’ me are going to ask about in the shops, see iffen I can get anything about Turner.’
Houston nodded agreement, then sent his horse after the others.
‘I kinda got a hankering to spent time in a saloon, myself.’ Chuck said, as they rode to the hitching rail. ‘Be good to get out of this damn snow. Can’t say as I’ll miss seeing those three carrying on over the girls though, and by the time they’ve got warmed up, we’ll be leaving again. It don’t seem worth the bother of sitting down.’
They dismounted and hitched the horses, then lit cigarettes from the same match with the ease of long practice. Strolling to the nearest store, Alcott said
‘Sorry we can’t set a while and rest some, Chuck, but if the others get set down, it’ll take time afore we can get going again. I don’t want to let Turner and the girl get too far ahead of us, nohow.’
Chuck just shrugged and smiled, content to do as his friend wanted.
In the general store, Alcott explained that he was searching for a couple who had run away together and gave a rough description of Turner and the girl. The storekeeper said a man and young woman had been in not long since, but the woman had addressed the man as ‘sheriff’. Alcott frowned at that, then concluded they must have been strangers. He bought supplies, then they left the store. Looking up and down the street, he wondered where else Turner might have been. The hardware store didn’t seem likely and Alcott never even considered the drapers. He enquired at another general store, with no results and ended up back on the sidewalk. After peering in at the window of a restaurant, he looked round again.
‘What about the feed store?’ Chuck suggested.
There weren’t many other places to try, other than saloons and hotels, and it suddenly occurred to Alcott that although Turner had taken some of the feed, he must surely have run out by now.
‘Good idea.’
Moving decisively once more, he entered the store and simply explained that he was looking for a bearded man, and a woman. The storekeeper gave him a suspicious look.
‘You ain’t going to be asking to borrow buckets too, are you?’ he asked.
Alcott shook his head, puzzled.
‘Good.’ The storekeep was glad to have someone to grumble to. ‘Sure, he was buying some feed, but he wanted me to loan him a couple of buckets to feed his horses here and now. I wouldn’t have done it, iffen he hadn’t been a lawman.’
Alcott blinked, remembering what the other storekeeper had said. ‘You’re sure he was a lawman?’
The feed store man nodded. ‘Pretty certain sure. I don’t guess them deputy US Marshal’s badges is too easy to get ahold of. ’Sides, he done claimed to be sheriff of Dereham County too. Called hisself Alec Lawson, and I seem to recall reading that name in the papers last year. Said as how he was getting the young lady to safety.’
‘Did she look upset or frightened, like she was scared of him?’ Alcott asked.
The storeman shook his head. ‘If anything, I reckon she was kinda sweet on him, way she looked at him from time to time.’
Alcott fought down the urge to curse. He took a couple of deep breaths as he considered his next actions. When he’d calmed down a little, he bought some grain to replenish their own supplies, and they carried it outside to load onto the packhorses with the supplies.
‘You reckon Turner was really this lawman, Lawson?’ Chuck asked.
‘It looks like it,’ Alcott grunted.
‘Wow, he had us fooled all along. I guess it explains why he took care of the woman like that, sticking up for her and all. He must have had a conniption fit when Jacob wanted to bring her along,’ he added with a chuckle.
Alcott jerked the straps of the packs tight as he worked, making the pack horse snort and stamp one leg. He didn’t notice the look that Chuck gave him. Lawson hadn’t just betrayed him by killing his brother and stealing the girl, he’d had him fooled all along. Alcott wrenched at the straps again, ignoring the protests of the horse. The other men couldn’t learn about this! Being betrayed was bad enough; being made to look a fool was too much. Lawson had to die as quickly as possible, and the girl too.
‘Don’t tell the others about this,’ he growled. ‘Turner’s still Turner.’
Simmering with anger, Alcott stalked into the saloon to round up his men.
Alec and Lacey headed east up a winding valley that led into the mountains. Lacey chattered happily at first, relating her impressions of the little town. When they stopped for lunch, enjoying the sausage and the bread rolls that Alec had bought for a treat, she asked him about Lucasville, where he lived. He told her about the town, though he disappointed her with his lack of knowledge about the drapers and dressmakers.
The afternoon ride continued in good nature. The trail was steep, making progress slower than Alec liked, but he knew the outlaws wouldn’t be travelling any faster. Lacey was more accustomed to the exercise, and to riding astride, which helped. As they wound back and forth along the valley, Alec kept a sharp eye on the weather; some dark clouds were brewing behind them. There was already plenty of snow underfoot in most places, and he began to suspect they were in for more.
Sure enough, by the later afternoon, the wind began blowing colder.
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‘We’re gonna have to stop soon, to build a wee shelter,’ Alec said.
Lacey turned in her saddle and looked up at the sky, taking in a deep breath of cold air. ‘Oh, can’t we go back to the town?’
‘The town’s nae good for us,’ Alec answered.
Lacey halted her horse. ‘I want to go back,’ she said plaintively.
‘It’s too dangerous,’ Alec said, puzzled at her sudden stubbornness.
Lacey looked about her, at the snow and trees. ‘I’m fed up of camping out!’ she exclaimed. ‘I don’t want to eat the same old thing, and sleep in my clothes again or sleep on the ground. I want to be in a real house, with doors and windows and a roof. I want a proper bed and a stove to warm myself by, not a smoky fire, and oil lamps, and civilization!’ By the end of her outburst she was sniffing, with tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and spilling over.
Alec was silent a moment, not knowing how to respond. He resorted to logic. ‘We canna go back. Alcott and his men are behind us; we don’t want to be running into them, lassie.’
‘We haven’t seen them in days!’ Lacey protested. ‘We don’t know if they’re still there. I don’t care! I want to be indoors.’
She started to turn her horse but Alec’s reflexes were fast and he grabbed her reins.
‘Let go! You’re mean!’ She swatted at his arm.
‘Silence!’ he barked, as he would at a difficult recruit. Lacey’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. ‘We’re no goin’ back,’ Alec ordered, his accent deepening. ‘It’s dangerous and plumb foolish. We have to go on to get to safety. That’s my orders, you hear me?’
Lacey sniffed and nodded.
‘Good, now we ride.’ Releasing the reins, Alec gestured for her to take the lead.
Lacey set off in silence and Alec followed, unhappy and a little ashamed of himself. He hadn’t intended to order her about, but he hadn’t known what else to do. He didn’t think he’d managed her very well. As a soldier, he’d spent many nights camping on the trail, but it was new for Lacey, and it had to be harder for a woman, he thought. They had no choice though, and if he had to bully her to get her to safety, then so be it. Alec just didn’t look forward to it.
They travelled another fifteen minutes, Lacey maintaining her silence. Alec gradually became aware that a steady, familiar noise he was hearing was the processing plant of a mine, somewhere not too far distant. Looking up, he saw the smudges of smoke in the greying sky coming from the side of a peak ahead of them. It was little way off their trail, he thought, but not far. Nudging his horse into a fast jog, he came up alongside Lacey.
‘You may get your wish to sleep inside tonight yet,’ he said.
She looked around at him, her eyes wide with hope.
‘There’s a mine ahead; we may be able to beg shelter for the night.’
‘Oh!’ Her face lit up. ‘Please, Sheriff, let’s ask.’
‘Aye, lassie.’ He smiled. ‘We will.’
Snow was already whirling in the air, as Alec stepped through into the little two-roomed cabin, and swiftly closed the door behind himself. The air inside was warm, and fragrant with the scent of beef frying in a pan, and something baking in the stove. Alec dumped the saddle-bags onto the lumber floor, and stretched before taking his coat off, luxuriating at being able to relax at last. He’d tended to the horses, feeding and grooming them before leaving them to settle in the mine’s stables. His duties were done for the day, and Lacey was smiling as she came to take his coat.
‘It’s sure good of you to give us room for the night, Mrs Hodgeson,’ he said.
The assayist’s young wife was at the stove, prodding a pan of potatoes.
‘It’s no trouble, Sheriff Lawson,’ she answered. ‘We’re both pleased to have fresh company, especially at the end of winter, when no one’s been able to go visiting for months. It’s lovely to have some woman talk, and hear about the latest styles back east, too,’ she added, with a smile at Lacey.
‘I declare, I hardly feel like a fashion plate,’ Lacey answered, looking regretfully at her drooping and crudely divided skirt. Overall, however, she looked more content than Alec had ever seen her.
‘It’s quite a trip you’re making,’ remarked Hodgeson, a slender young man with a magnificent beard.
‘Aye, an’ Miss Fry’s sure got grit, the way she’s coped with it all,’ Alec said.
Lacey smiled and flushed slightly at his praise. Mrs Hodgeson poured hot water from the kettle into an enamel jug and set it beside a bowl on a plain worktable near the stove.
‘I’ll fetch a towel if you’d like to wash up before supper,’ she said.
‘There’s no need, thank you,’ he replied, bending down to his saddle-bags. ‘I can use my own.’
The warm water felt wonderful on his face and hands, making Alec realize just how much he wanted a hot bath and fresh clothes. He combed wet fingers through his dark hair, trying to freshen it a little, and used a little mirror to trim his beard as close as he could reasonably manage with scissors. Now that disguise was no longer necessary, he would have liked to be clean shaven again, but he’d left his razor behind when setting out as the bearded Turner.
The meal was good, all the better for being eaten at table, with the steady warmth of the stove and the shelter of wooden walls and a roof. Lacey was bright and happy, laughing more than Alec had heard before. After the meal, Mr Hodgeson played his violin and they sang a little. Lacey had a sweet, if somewhat uncertain voice. Alec had no great opinion of his own singing, but in fact was a pleasant baritone when he was coaxed into joining in. By nine o clock, Lacey was visibly wilting, and Alec was happy to turn in himself.
The cabin only had two rooms. It had quickly been settled that Lacey would share the bed with Mrs Hodgeson, while the two men slept on the floor of the living room. Alec smiled as Lacey decorously withdrew to the other room for the night. The last four nights or so they had been sleeping within sight of one another, almost touching one another while in the tree shelter he’d made, but now back in civilization, such a thing was not proper. It was good to have the freedom to strip down to his long johns and undershirt though, and look forward to a change of at least some clothes in the morning. Alec settled into his bedroll and quickly slipped into the deepest sleep he’d had for several weeks.
CHAPTER NINE
A sharp bang on the door woke Alec. He was half out of his bedroll and reaching for his gunbelt as cold wind from the opening door gusted over him.
‘Hodgeson?’ asked the shape carrying a candle lantern. ‘It’s Brown. Wake up!’
Alec had his short-barrelled Colt in his hand as the door was shut again. He couldn’t immediately identify the voice, but knew it wasn’t one of the outlaws. Hodgeson grunted and stirred among his blankets.
‘Who are you?’ Alec demanded. ‘Why’re you here?’
‘Are you the marshal?’ the man asked. ‘Alcott’s here, looking for you.’
Alec swore and scrambled free of his bedroll to stand up. ‘How close?’
‘He’s at the staff house, where the manager, the assayists and clerks batch together. Morgan, the accountant is talking to them, trying to hold them up. I came to warn you and Cornie’s gone to saddle your horses.’
Hodgeson was awake now, sitting up.
‘Thanks for that.’ Alec nodded to show his appreciation. ‘Hodgeson, go wake the ladies. Miss Fry needs to be dressed and ready to leave as soon as possible, have your wife help her if necessary,’ he ordered.
As Hodgeson stumbled toward the bedroom door, Alec paused a moment to think through the situation, and started putting his clothes on.
The light showing between the curtains of the parlour was the grey of early dawn. He recalled the layout of the mine buildings as he’d seen them the evening before. It was unlikely that he and Lacey would get far away before being spotted and chased. If they did escape unnoticed, the outlaws would search all the buildings. Once they discovered their prey had eluded them, they
would be angry: Alec worried what would happen to Mrs Hodgeson. Not for the first time, Alec wished his deputies were with him; he was getting frustrated by always having to run, rather than being able to stand and make a fight. Looking at Brown, Alec began to consider his resources. Years of planning and fighting began to assert themselves as his mind worked fast. Tucking his woollen shirt into his trousers, Alec considered the layout of the buildings.
‘Do you reckon you can reach the near bunkhouse without being seen?’ he asked Brown.
Brown nodded, as Hodgeson returned to the living room.
Alec looked at the two of them. ‘How many men there, fifty?’
‘Near enough.’
‘At least ten will own guns,’ Alec estimated. ‘Get men armed an’ waiting by the windows, and soon as Alcott and his men ride into the ground between the bunkhouse, this shanty and the stables, we can have them covered from two sides at least, three if we get someone armed in the stables. We’ll be in cover, and have them outnumbered at least two tae one.’ There was a dangerous look on his face. ‘It’s by far the best chance of stopping them altogether.’ He turned to Brown, focused and full of energy. ‘Get to the bunkhouse and wake the men, but keep it quiet. Have any with guns ready by the windows, but dinna let any lights show. We have to take them by surprise, understand?’
‘Yessir!’ Brown nodded, instinctively deferring to Alec’s air of command.
Alec headed to the front window and peered cautiously through the narrow gap between the calico curtains. ‘Don’t shoot before a sign from me,’ he ordered. ‘It’s clear, go.’
Brown made a rapid exit, crunching across the trodden and patchy snow to the nearest door of the bunkhouse. Alec wasn’t happy about leaving the miners to wait in ambush on their own; once again he wished for one of his deputies to be present. He swiftly reconsidered his plans. The women would be safer in the bunkhouse, with plenty of men to defend them, and he would be able to command the men there. He spun to face Hodgeson.
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