Cavendish slowly pulled a piece of fabric from around his neck. It was Rebecca’s scarf. Holding it up to his nose, he inhaled deeply. “Had a nice smell on her, didn’t she?”
It was too much for the Lone Ranger to take. He began to hit Cavendish, over and over again, until he couldn’t breathe anymore and his hand hurt.
When he was done, Cavendish just laughed. “You’re no spirit,” the outlaw said, spitting. “You’re just a man in a mask. No different from me.”
The Lone Ranger stared at the outlaw. Was he right? Was he as much a monster as the ugly thing in front of him? He had just wanted to save Rebecca. He had never hurt anyone in his life. And now look at him! He had blood on his hands.
Behind him, Tonto loaded a silver bullet into Cavendish’s pistol. He held it out. “Now, finish him.”
The Lone Ranger looked down at Cavendish, then at the blood on his hands and then at the pistol. Finally, he shook his head. “No,” he said. “This isn’t justice.”
“The only justice is what a man takes for himself,” Tonto said, once again holding out the gun.
“I can’t believe that,” the Lone Ranger said. “I won’t.”
Tonto held back a groan and said, “He cut out your brother’s heart,” hitting the Lone Ranger in his weak spot. “What kind of man are you?”
“I’m not a savage,” the Lone Ranger said, straightening up and leveling his gaze at Tonto.
“Then I’ll do it myself,” Tonto said, knocking the Lone Ranger to the ground. He took a step forward, cocking the pistol as he moved. The Lone Ranger grabbed his leg, but Tonto shook him off. “You kept me from fulfilling my destiny once before. It will not happen again. The Windigo dies.” He raised the gun. His arm was steady as he stared down the barrel. He had waited so very long for this moment.
Behind him, the Lone Ranger watched, his eyes full of sadness. Chief Big Bear’s story flashed through his mind. The young boy driven mad. “There’s no such thing as a Windigo,” he said softly. “You made it up. Like you make everything up. You sold out your whole village…for a watch.” On the ground, Cavendish looked up, his eyes narrowing on Tonto.
The Lone Ranger went on, each word stabbing into Tonto like a knife. “You’re an outcast, a band apart. A messed-up kid who couldn’t live with what you did.” He paused, ripping off his mask and throwing it to the ground. “And there’s no such thing as Windigo. Or cursed silver. Or a Spirit Walker, for that matter. I am not like you. I have a tribe.”
“You have nothing,” Tonto said, looking sadly at the mask lying in the dirt at his feet. “Just like me. Only you are too blind to see.”
“You’re wrong,” the Lone Ranger replied.
Tonto’s face hardened. “Then go back to your tribe. I don’t need you anymore.” Turning back to Cavendish, he stared at him, his eyes filled with hate. “Now, the Windigo dies.”
He raised the gun. His finger began to pull back on the trigger. A moment more and he would be free of the guilt he had felt for all these years. Free to return…
SMACK!
Tonto slumped to the ground as behind him the Lone Ranger put the shovel back on the ground. Moving past Tonto’s prone body, the Lone Ranger quickly bound Cavendish’s hands.
It was done. The outlaw was in custody and Tonto had not killed him. It was exactly as the Lone Ranger wanted. But if it was what he wanted, why did he feel so bad?
Rebecca Reid tossed and turned, her dreams full of nightmarish images. Her husband, lying alone in the desert. Cavendish, a cruel smile on his burned face. There was the farm, its building in ashes, and Pilar and Joe, struggling on the ground. With a gasp, she forced her eyes open. As the nightmare faded, Rebecca looked around her surroundings. She was in an opulent sleeping car. Yet the train was not moving. Outside, she could just make out a bridge. Beside her sat Kai, the Chinese woman from the Colby market.
“Where am I?” Rebecca asked, her voice weak from disuse.
Kai held out a glass of water. “Drink,” she said. “Feel better.” She brought the glass to Rebecca’s lips and the woman sipped. A moment later her eyes fluttered closed again as the morphine in the water seeped into her system. Kai nodded. It was just as he wanted.…
Inside the dining car of the Constitution, Danny Reid, dressed in a small suit and tie, sat in front of a miniature train set. He eagerly watched the toy zoom around curves and through fake tunnels.
Behind him, Latham Cole stood talking to his assistant, Wendell, and Captain Fuller. A map of the planned railroad route dominated one wall.
“By crossing the river,” Cole said, “we will divide the Comanche and be in Promontory Summit ahead of schedule.” He smiled, pleased with himself.
Fuller returned the smile. “You’re a credit to the Union, Mr. Cole. And believe me, what they did to the settlements, we’ve given back tenfold. Comanche lack a certain purity of intention. You should see how they live.” He shuddered.
Just then, there was a clatter as the toy train spun off its tracks. Reaching down, Cole picked up one of the cars. “I told you, Danny, ease off in the corners, press down on the straightaways.”
“Yes, sir,” Danny said, embarrassed.
Smiling reassuringly, Cole gestured. “Come over here a minute. I want to show you something.” Danny stood up and followed Cole to the large map on the wall. A jagged line bisected the United States, dividing it virtually in half. Danny looked at the map, entranced, as Cole began to speak. “Since the time of Alexander the Great, man has traveled no faster than a horse could carry him. Until now. Imagine, time and space under the mastery of man. A continent connected by iron rail. Three thousand miles in less than a week. Fuel for our cities, metals for our factories, food for the masses.” He held up the toy locomotive and admired it for a moment. Then he went on. “Whoever controls that, controls the future. Power that will make emperors and kings look like fools.” He handed the toy back to Danny.
“You mean it’s mine?” Danny asked, looking at the toy in his hand.
Cole smiled warmly. “Could be, son,” he said, his eyes returning to the map. “Could be all yours.”
A sound in the doorway caused Cole to look over. His eyes brightened. Rebecca stood there, beautiful as always, though her eyes were a bit glazed. She scanned the car, looking first at her son, then at Cole, and finally at Fuller. “Who are you?” she asked.
Cole introduced Captain Fuller, who nodded in greeting. “Consider yourself lucky, Mrs. Reid,” Fuller said. “Had Mr. Cole not come along when he did, who knows what those outlaws might have done.”
Rebecca cocked her head. It was Cole who had shot Collins? It was all so vague. She remembered being dragged out to the hill. And running. And then falling and fearing the worst. But there was a gun and Collins was dead and then…and then she woke up here. “We’re indebted to you,” she said softly.
“It is I who’s indebted,” Cole said, moving toward her. “Since the war I prayed God would see fit to give me a family to care for. Now he has.”
As Cole spoke, Rebecca’s memory began to come back stronger. “There’s one left,” she said.
“I’m sorry?” Cole said, confused. He had just practically told the woman he would marry her and she was talking gibberish. Then she spoke again and Cole felt his heart stop.
“A ranger still alive,” Rebecca said.
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken,” Captain Fuller interjected. “My men found seven graves. Perhaps when you hit your head…”
Gathering himself, Cole held up a hand. “If there is a ranger alive, we will scour the country until we find him. I promise you that.”
Just then, the door opened again and a waiter entered, pushing a trolley of food. Eager to put the ranger subject to rest, Cole pulled out a chair for Rebecca. “Now, you should eat something,” he said.
Taking his own seat, he bowed his head to pray. But what he prayed for was not the meal. He prayed that he would find that ranger before the man could tell anyone what he had seen, or
what he knew.
Unfortunately for Cole, the Lone Ranger was not far away. In fact, he was right outside. After leaving the Sleeping Man mine and Tonto behind, he had made his way across the desert and back toward Colby. He dragged Cavendish behind him, unbothered by the man’s groans and curses. All the Lone Ranger cared about was getting back to town and bringing this man to justice. When he reached the trestle bridge outside the town, he breathed a sigh of relief and spurred his horse on.
Reaching the end of the bridge, he saw the Constitution parked, ready to cross as soon as the construction was complete. Lights were on in several of the cars. The Lone Ranger approached. “Latham Cole!” he called out.
Inside the car, Rebecca’s heart began to pound. She knew that voice! Danny seemed to think so, too, and rushed to the window, pressing his face against the glass. “Daddy!” he cried.
Rebecca stood up and made her way to the door. She started to turn the knob when Cole’s hand closed around her arm. “We don’t know who’s out there,” he said, his grip tightening.
“I intend to find out,” she said stubbornly.
Without releasing her arm, Cole took a pistol out of his jacket. “Wendell,” he called over his shoulder. The assistant shuffled over. “Escort Mrs. Reid and her son to the supply car. Make sure they stay there. For their own safety.”
As Wendell dragged the struggling mother and son away, Cole cocked his pistol. He was so close to having everything he ever wanted. No man, no ranger, no ghost was going to take that away from him. Opening the door, he and Fuller stepped out into the night.
In front of them, a man sat on a huge white horse, a white hat hiding his face.
“What is it, friend?” Cole said, his tone insincere.
The man looked up. Seeing John Reid’s face, Cole narrowed his eyes. That was not what he had been expecting.
“This is the man you’re looking for,” the Lone Ranger said. With a flick of his blade, the Lone Ranger cut the rope free from his saddle. Then he yanked Cavendish forward.
Cole looked the outlaw up and down, his expression unreadable. The man returned his gaze, unflinching. “Butch Cavendish,” he said. “Just like one of those great lizards buried in the desert. Last of a dying breed.” Holding his gaze, he punched the man hard in the stomach. The outlaw dropped to the ground and Cole kicked him.
“That’s enough,” the Lone Ranger said, his tone sharp. “I brought him in for justice. Not a beating.”
Cole stopped and looked up. Catching his breath, he nodded. “Of course. Captain?” Fuller approached and handed Cole a pair of handcuffs. Quickly, Cole snapped them around Cavendish’s wrists.
The Lone Ranger nodded. His job was done. But something tickled at the back of his mind, making him wonder.…
Inside the dining car of the Constitution, the Lone Ranger sat at the table, greedily eating anything he could get his hands on. Taking a break, he grabbed a pitcher and chugged down the cool liquid.
“John, isn’t it?” Cole said, pouring whiskey into two crystal glasses.
The Lone Ranger nodded. “My brother’s dead,” he stated.
“I’m sorry,” Cole replied. “We feared you were all lost. There were rumors that sustained us. A lone ranger. A masked man. A ghost, some said. But here you are—flesh and blood.” He handed one of the glasses to the Lone Ranger.
Wiping his hands, the Lone Ranger accepted the glass. “Civilized society has no place for a masked man.”
“Of course not,” Cole said. “How do I thank you for what you’ve done?”
The Lone Ranger looked up, his expression serious. “By stopping this war before it’s too late. Comanche didn’t attack the settlements, it was Cavendish. For this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rock of silver. He dumped it on the table.
Cole picked it up, weighing it in his palm. “Butch Cavendish. In one man, everything I hate about this country.” He walked over to the map. “No sense of the greater good. No vision. Come to think of it, not unlike your brother, Dan.” As he spoke, he pulled out his pocket watch. In one well-practiced move, he spun it, catching it between his forefinger and thumb. Then he snapped it shut.
The Lone Ranger’s eyes grew wide as he watched him. He knew that trick. It was the same one Tonto was always trying—and always failing—to do. The same trick that young Tonto had seen the white man do. The very same trick that had so fascinated young Tonto that he had led the man to the silver—and lost his whole tribe.
Just then, the train lurched forward. The movement caused the Lone Ranger’s glass to wobble. Reaching out to steady it, he noticed lipstick on another one of the glasses. Scanning the room, he took in the toy train set.
Unaware of what the Lone Ranger had pieced together, Cole made his way over to a large armoire as he continued talking. “Men like that just can’t accept what you and I know to be true. A man can’t stay the same with the world evolving around him.” He opened a drawer in the armoire. “But a man can’t choose his brother, can he? Almost as if his brother chooses him.” He eyed the pistol lying in the drawer and smiled. “You see, that’s what Cavendish and I are—brothers born in the desert all that time ago.” Grabbing the gun, he whipped around, aiming it at the Lone Ranger. But the Lone Ranger was no longer at the table.
Suddenly, a gun appeared at the side of Cole’s head. Out of the corner of his eye, Cole saw the Lone Ranger. “And now you’ve come back,” the Lone Ranger said, putting the last of the pieces together. Cole and Cavendish. They had been in it together all along. “Train tracks. That’s what Dan found in the desert, isn’t it? He knew there’d be a war and he wouldn’t go along with it, so you had him killed.”
Wrenching his head to the side, Cole looked at the other man. “Like I said, no vision,” he sneered. There was no need to pretend anymore. “I expected more from you.”
“Stop the train,” the Lone Ranger ordered.
Cole laughed. “Oh, there’s no stopping this train,” he said, still chuckling. “I think you know that.”
Grabbing the man’s arms, the Lone Ranger headed toward the door. He would see about that.
As the train continued to move along the tracks, Rebecca clung to its side. With Danny safely hidden in the supply car, she had managed to slip away from Wendell to go get help—but now she was in even more trouble. The only way to escape had been by crawling along the side of the train. And now the train was crossing the trestle bridge. Behind her the earth fell away, and with a cry she slipped. She caught herself and took several deep breaths as her heart pounded. She had to get back inside the train.
Hesitantly, she reached up and pried open a window. Using all her strength, she pulled herself up and then slipped inside the car. For a moment, she just lay on the floor, catching her breath. Then she stood up. What she saw made her gasp. Sitting there, twirling his handcuffs without a care in the world, was Butch Cavendish.
Uncoiling himself like a snake, he moved toward her. “Cole’s wrong about you,” he said, reaching out. She took a swing but it was no use. He simply caught her arm. “Woman like you can’t be persuaded. Got to be broke. Like a horse.”
Before Rebecca could move, the outlaw swung his hand across her face. With a cry, she fell to the floor. Above her, Cavendish laughed.
The Constitution swayed on the tracks as the Lone Ranger moved Cole from car to car. He needed to get to the engine and stop the train. Entering the supply car, the Lone Ranger stopped short. Standing in front of him was Danny. He had a gun in his hand, pointed right at Wendell. His mother had left him with specific directions not to let Wendell out of his sight. And so far, he hadn’t. But hearing the door open, he turned. His eyes grew wide and he was filled with hope as he took in the silver badge. But the hope was short-lived. Looking at the man’s face, he saw it wasn’t his father.
“Put the gun down,” the Lone Ranger said gently.
“Where’s my daddy?” Danny asked, not lowering the weapon.
“He’s dead,” Cole said, nod
ding toward the Lone Ranger. “He killed him.”
Danny’s face fell and tears welled up in his eyes. His finger shook on the trigger as he struggled with the news.
“Shut up!” the Lone Ranger hissed at Cole. As he turned back to Danny, his tone softened. “That’s not true. Listen to me. It’s your uncle John. You remember me?”
“You trust me, don’t you, Danny?” Cole said.
Danny looked over, his lip trembling. He knew Cole. Cole had given him gifts and was always nice to his mother. This other man he had barely met. But he was his uncle. The gun shook in his hand as he looked back and forth between the two men.
“Danny?”
Turning around, he saw his mother standing at the other end of the car. Behind her was a scary-looking man with an ugly scar on his face. “Is my daddy dead?” he asked.
Rebecca raised her eyes and looked at John, searching his face. Then she looked back at her son. “Put the gun down, Danny,” she said.
“IS HE?” Danny screamed. Looking in his mother’s eyes, Danny saw the answer. His face crumbled and he lowered his head.
At that moment, the door burst open again, revealing Captain Fuller, his gun aimed at the Lone Ranger. Scared, Danny dropped his weapon. Cavendish immediately picked it up. Aiming at the Lone Ranger, he waited to see what would happen. Fuller swung his head back and forth, looking first at Cole, then at Cavendish, and finally at the Lone Ranger. He aimed his gun at Cavendish. It was a three-way standoff.
“Captain, arrest these men,” the Lone Ranger said after a strained moment.
“This man is a common criminal,” Cole said, nodding at the Lone Ranger. “Trespassing on railroad property.”
As Fuller started to swing his gun toward him, the Lone Ranger shook his head. “Comanche didn’t raid the settlements,” he said quickly. He pointed at Cole and Cavendish. “They staged the attack so they could violate the treaty.”
“We’ve heard enough. Captain,” Cole urged.
Lone Ranger, The (Disney Junior Novel (ebook)) Page 8
