by Duane Boehm
“Sheriff Fuller is a good man and was a good sheriff, but he has no business riding a horse these days let alone being a sheriff. And Ethan and Marcus and all of the rest of the men around here are ranchers, farmers, and cowboys. Gideon fought in a war and has been a deputy and a hired gun. We need him here.”
Sarah sat thinking about what Abby had said. Her points were valid though she still held out hope that it would not come to needing Gideon’s expertise. “He went to Silverton. That is a three day ride and the ransom is due on Saturday.”
“If he is still there, then it will be too late, but I bet he is headed this direction on his way back to New Mexico. God knows he will avoid this place like the plague if he doesn’t know that he is needed,” Abby said.
“Marcus would never allow you to go after him.”
“Marcus doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t do and I’m the logical choice. You and Ethan need to be here and I don’t trust Marcus to make a real effort to find Gideon. I’ve never seen a man so jealous over on old boyfriend, and besides, I can ride as well as any man. I was a pretty good cowhand for Dad and Marcus before I had Winnie,” Abby said.
The mention of Winnie had started Sarah worrying about Benjamin again. “My poor Benjamin.”
“I’m going to go make you some of that tea that we both like,” Abby said.
∞
Ethan found the sheriff directing the volunteers in a search for tracks at the sight of the kidnapping. There were about twenty men that included town people, ranchers, or the ranch hands sent in their place. Looking out at the bunch from his saddle, Ethan did not feel hopeful. If Hank Sligo’s stories were to be believed, he was the only one searching that probably had any real experience in tracking. It surprised him that Frank had bothered to send him.
“Hello, Sheriff. Has anybody found anything?” Ethan asked.
“No, not yet. I telegraphed the U.S. Marshal and got word back that he has a posse out chasing Charles Allison. Looks like we are on our own,” the sheriff said.
Ethan climbed off his horse and walked up to the sheriff. “They knew how to not leave tracks, didn’t they? Have you come up with any ideas on who might have done it?”
“Yeah, they did. Everybody I can think of that might stoop to this, I don’t think is smart enough to be this careful.”
“That’s my thinking, too. Mr. Holden thought it could be one of the ranchers upset that I was buying his place, but I can’t imagine any of them taking such a risk just to prevent me from buying a piece of land,” Ethan said.
“I thought of that, but I agree with you. We’ve never had any troubles except when that whore’s husband was killed, but I never was sure that there wasn’t more to that story after she chose her new profession,” Sheriff Fuller said.
Ethan let the remark pass as Mary was a source of guilt for him. He had liked the couple when he had gotten to know them and felt as if he and the community had let her down after Eugene was killed. He did not have any ideas on who killed Eugene, but he was sure that Mary had not done it. “I’ll get started helping.”
The volunteers searched a quarter mile in all directions until noon when they regrouped and took a break. The men were grumpy and frustrated with their lack of success and a couple of them seemed as if they were ready to give up and go home.
Sheriff Fuller decided he needed to take charge of the situation before there was any more complaining. “All right, boys, here is what we are going to do. We divide up into four groups and each group will head in a different direction, widening out as you go. Check barns, abandoned shacks, caves, whatever could hide somebody. If you see something, wait until we get back here and can go in as a group. Everybody meet back here at five,” he said and started grouping the men.
Hank Sligo determined that it would be an advantageous time to run his mouth. Frank had decided it would look good to have him help and would keep them in the loop on what the sheriff was thinking. “I’d like to find the bastard that took the boy. Any man that steals a kid should be hung,” he said.
“Just remember that is for the court to decide. We are here to find Benjamin first and foremost,” the sheriff said. “Now let’s ride.”
∞
Walter had spent most of the morning talking with Benjamin. He liked the kid and was doing his best to keep him calm, promising him that he would get to go home on Saturday. They had moved to the front chamber of the cave for the natural light. Walter and Benjamin sat with their backs to the cave wall while Jasper, always restless, paced and got on Walter’s nerves.
Jasper stuck his head out the cave and saw a rider headed towards the cave. “Quick, get the kid back in the dark. Somebody is coming,” he said as he took his hat and started covering footprints. “And kid, if you make a sound, Walter will blow your brains out. I think it is your pa and I will kill him the second that you make a sound.”
Walter carried Benjamin into the dark chamber, pulling his gun so that the boy could feel it pressed against his chest as he held him. Jasper finished covering the tracks, found the horses in the dark, and started petting them, ready to hold their heads to keep the bits from rattling.
The rider was actually Abby’s husband, Marcus. He rode up to the mouth of the cave, dismounted, and drew his gun as a precaution. Walking around, he saw no sign that anybody had been there before entering the cave and inspecting the floor further. He lacked matches to go any farther in, but stood listening until satisfied that the cave was empty before leaving.
After Jasper was certain that the rider was gone, he moved to the front of the cave and peered out. “Damn, that was close. It’s all right now, bring the boy back out,” he said.
“They must have a search party out looking for us. That should be the end of them coming up here,” Walter said as he set Benjamin down and holstered his pistol.
Benjamin covered his face and started to cry. The gun held against him and the fear that his pa was about to die had unnerved him. He just wanted to go home and see his momma and pa. If he ever got home again, he promised himself that he would never misbehave again.
“Quit your crying, you little baby,” Jasper said in his agitated state.
∞
The search party started straggling back to the kidnap spot a little before five o’clock. The men were a dejected bunch of searchers, having found nothing. The sheriff questioned them about the places they had checked while Sligo listened intently. When Marcus mentioned Moccasin Cave, Hank almost swallowed his tobacco. He looked around quickly to see if anybody was watching him. Fortunately for him, all eyes were watching Marcus.
“Ethan, I don’t know what else to do. We have covered a lot of territory and going out any farther would be like a needle in a haystack. I think you better plan on paying the ransom,” Sheriff Fuller said.
Ethan rubbed his forehead, feeling as if the weight of the world was upon him. “I want to thank each and every one of you for taking a whole day of your time and helping to look for Benjamin. I can’t thank you enough. Sarah and I deeply appreciate it and I hope that I can return the favor in a less dire circumstance someday,” he said.
∞
Abby was helping Sarah prepare supper when Ethan walked into the cabin. He had dreaded this moment all the way home and it took all of his willpower to look Sarah in the eyes and shake his head. “Nothing,” he said. “They seem to have vanished from this world.”
“What are we going to do, Ethan?” Sarah said as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and walked to him.
“The bank is going to loan us the money. We will pay them. Better broke than lose Benjamin,” Ethan said as he gave Sarah a hug.
Abigail waited to make sure that they had finished their conversation before speaking. “That settles it. I’m leaving in the morning to find Gideon,” she said.
Ethan released Sarah and turned towards Abigail. “Even if you find him, there is nothing he can do. We covered a lot of territory today and did not find a single thing. It’s too dangerous f
or a lady to be riding that far by herself.”
“Ethan Oakes, the last time I checked, I was not married to you. I’ll ride wherever I want,” Abby said trying to sound good–natured, but making her point. “We don’t know what will happen before Saturday comes around, and Gideon is the only one that is young enough with the experience to handle outlaws. Besides, he owes you that much. It’s the least he can do to make up for disappearing for eighteen years.”
“You may have a point that it would be good to have him around, and I don’t think Sarah or I should leave. Why don’t you have Marcus do it?” Ethan said.
“Because I don’t think he would make much of an effort. He is not exactly Gideon’s biggest admirer,” Abby said. “I need to get home and fix my own meal. I’m headed out in the morning if I don’t get arrested for killing my husband.”
“Abigail, I don’t want you to bring problems to your marriage for us. This is not your problem,” Ethan said.
Abby waved her hand through the air. “I was trying to make light. He will get over it. And it is our problem. We are a community that looks out for its own. Now goodbye,” Abby said as she placed kisses on the cheeks of Ethan and Sarah.
Chapter 21
Abigail waited until after supper was over and Winnie had gone outside to do her chores before talking to Marcus. Winnie was beside herself with worry over Benjamin, and Abby did not want to upset her further. Her daughter had gone so far as to promise never to hit Benjamin again if he would come home.
“It doesn’t look good for finding Benjamin before the ransom is due, does it?” Abby asked.
“No, he is not going to be found. I think they must have ridden all day with him when they took him. He is nowhere near here,” Marcus said.
Abby looked at her husband, deciding not to beat around the bush. “I’m going to go find Gideon.”
“What? I don’t think so,” Marcus said.
“Marcus, Ethan needs him.”
Marcus stood up from the dinner table. “Is it Ethan or you that needs him?”
“You can go to hell, Marcus Hanson. This is not about me. This is going to end badly if somebody is not here at least to try to do something. I hate to say this, but this kidnapping is too well planned for them to be careless enough to leave a witness.”
“What makes you think Gideon can do anything that the rest of us cannot?” Marcus asked.
“Good God, Marcus. Sheriff Fuller can barely mount a horse anymore, and the rest of you are ranchers and farmers. Somebody that knows how to fight is needed, and Gideon is the only one that I know and that I would trust,” she said.
“A woman cannot just go ride off into the country by herself. If you are hell–bent on this, I will go.”
“I can take care of myself and I’m a better rider than you. Always have been. You would go make a half–hearted attempt at finding him and then turn around. I will find him,” Abby stated.
Marcus stared at his wife, his feelings badly hurt. He had tried the whole time that they had been married to be the man that she wanted, but he knew that he always came up short compared to Gideon. Not able to think of anything to say to defend himself, he knew he was defeated. He grabbed his hat and walked outdoors.
Abby went to their bedroom and pulled her riding britches out of the drawer where they had been since she had learned that she was pregnant with Winnie. She had given in to Marcus at that time, tired of hearing his preaching about the evils of women wearing pants. Trying on the britches, she could not help but smile when they still fit.
∞
In the morning, Abby explained to Winnie that she was going to be gone for a few days to go get help for Benjamin. Her daughter seemed to take it all in stride except for concern over what she and her daddy were going to eat. Abby assured her that her father could cook when he wanted to, but preferred that the woman do it.
Marcus always kept hardtack and jerky on hand for times that he was gone all day. Abby stuffed some of it into her saddlebags and filled her canteen. In the barn, she pulled her favorite horse from his stall, a gelding they called Snuggles for his habit of rubbing his head against people. The horse had a soft mouth, allowing her the use of the snaffle bit that she favored. As she was cinching him, she looked at the saddle and thought about how long it had been since she had spent a full day with her butt in one. She tied on her saddlebags and stuck the Winchester rifle into the scabbard. It had been so long since she had shot a gun that she doubted she could hit anything with it, but maybe could come close enough to scare the hell out of somebody if she had to try.
Marcus was waiting outside the barn for her. “When do you think you’ll be back?” he asked.
“I don’t really know. As quickly as possible. I’ll be back by Saturday morning, one way or the other,” she said.
“Well, be careful.”
She looked at him, thinking that there were times when she would have liked to knock his head off, even though she wasn’t sure why he had just irritated her. If the tables were turned, she imagined she would not be happy with him chasing down his old flame, but she would have made a stand about it and not just sulked. Fight for what you want or get out of the way was her thinking. “Oh, I will be, don’t you worry,” she said as she touched her heels into the horse’s ribs and took off. Once she got to the road that led to Silverton, she put Snuggles into a trot, his smoothest gait; the faster she found Gideon the better.
∞
Gideon had left Silverton the morning before, headed back to Cimarron. Though he had enjoyed the day of relaxing, he was glad to put it behind him. The town was too wild of a place for him. His plan was to retrace the trail that had led him here and to loop around Last Stand when he got there. His hometown had occupied his mind a lot since leaving. Sometimes he thought he would return someday, others times not. Either way, he was glad to have had the chance to go home. No matter where he hung his hat, he now knew that a part of him would always belong to Last Stand.
He rode all day, altering his pace between a walk and trot, and occasionally putting Buck into a lope. The day was a nice one, a little cooler than usual, making for easy travel for his horse. The sun was starting to get low in the sky and he was getting hungry, ready to find a place to camp for the night. He and the horse had traveled enough for one day.
When he topped a hill, he could see a rider off in the distance headed his way. The sight did not please him. He would have to pass the rider and continue far enough to make sure that he did not end up with a guest for the night since he considered camping with strangers a good way to get your throat slit.
The rider put their horse into a lope when they saw him, making him uneasy enough that out of habit he worked his pistol in its holster a couple of times. As the rider got closer, he recognized something familiar with the way they rode. The person was small and on a big horse. It harkened him back to something long ago that he could not quite recall, and then it hit him that it was Abby.
Kicking Buck into a gallop, his mind raced trying to figure out what she was doing a day’s ride from her home. He wondered if she had run off to find him, leaving her husband and child in hopes of a life with him. As wrong as that would be, he found himself hoping that it were true.
“Good God, what are you doing out here, Abby?” he said as they pulled their horses up hard.
“It’s terrible, Gideon. Somebody kidnapped Benjamin the day before yesterday. The sheriff and everybody else could not even find a track so I decided to go get you. I have a bad feeling on how this is going to turn out if you can’t do something,” Abby said.
Gideon felt as if he were gut punched. His legs went limp and he had to rest his hands on the saddle horn so that Abby would not see them tremble. Poor little Benjamin might already be dead or stuck out somewhere scared to death. It didn’t seem possible that another little boy that he had crossed paths with might die needlessly through no fault of the child’s own doings. Guilt crept in as he wondered if the kidnapping was somehow even tied t
o his return to Last Stand. Fumbling for words, he said, “This can’t be happening.”
“I know. I know. What kind of person kidnaps a little boy? And it seems to be very well planned. That is the part that worries me.”
“I wonder why they targeted Benjamin. Did they leave a note?” Gideon asked.
“They want five thousand dollars on Saturday. I think it has something to do with Ethan’s plan to buy the Holden place,” Abby said.
“These damn ranchers and their love of land. I’ve been part of that before, but it never got to the point of harming children. Do you think it might be Frank?” Gideon asked.
“I don’t know. I can’t imagine Frank even stooping to this. He has an awfully lot to lose if he gets caught.”
“Well, the horses are spent for the day. We might as well camp for the night and get a good start in the morning. You just passed a spot that I camped at on the way to Silverton. It has water and good grass for the horses,” Gideon said as he put Buck into a walk.
“I’m going to be so sore. I hope that I can mount my horse in the morning,” Abby said.
Gideon laughed. “I can always shove you up there. Why didn’t you send Marcus? I can’t imagine that he is too thrilled with you right now,” Gideon said as they rode side by side down the road.
“Oh, he’s not, believe me. I knew he would ride half a day before turning around to head home. Ethan needs you.”
“I hope I can do something. If they could not even track them, I’m not sure what I am going to do.”
“At least you will be there if you are needed. I fear one way or the other, Ethan is going to need you,” Abby said.
They rode on in silence before reaching the spot where Gideon had camped previously. A trail led from the road to a stream fifty yards away. The spot was grassy with large cottonwoods shading the ground and plenty of downed branches for a fire.
