by Chloe Carley
Riley’d been hoping to find that same kind of freedom out here on her brother’s ranch. Brother’s ranch? That was yet another lie he allowed me to believe. There is no ranch. Roy, you’re a scoundrel.
She glanced around at the small town, thinking it looked like a great place to live and one she wouldn’t mind settling down in.
The peacefulness she sensed wouldn’t last, not when her brother arrived with his gang of outlaws. She was hopeful that she would be able to talk to him, but in case she wasn’t, she didn’t want to see Gideon or anyone else get hurt.
She turned toward him and smiled. “Goodbye.”
Gideon’s face was closed off now. His jaw clenched as he nodded once and then took the reins of her mount. “I wish you well.”
Riley breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him ride out of town.
She looked around her and after a moment, headed across the street to the small building that had a sign over the door announcing it as the jail. She’d start with the sheriff, and if he truly was as disinterested and difficult as Gideon said, then she’d go to the mercantile.
She needed to tell everyone about the Johnston gang and if this town was like the others she’d lived in, the mercantile and the church were the two best places to ensure the latest news made it to every ear in the county as quickly as possible.
Riley wasn’t declaring the mercantile and the church as places where gossip was bred and flourished, but it was a known fact that in a small town, if something was going on, it was going to be discussed where people gathered. The two surefire places that was likely to happen were the mercantile and the church. Riley normally detested the busybodies who frequented both places and stuck their noses in everyone else’s business, but in this case, she would use it to make sure her cause was spread rapidly. She didn’t know how long it would take her brother and his gang of criminals to reach Santa Fe and then Rio Arriba, but they couldn’t be many days out. She needed to spread the word--now.
Chapter 10
Riley stepped into the small jail, having taken a moment to scan the wanted board outside the window. There was no mention of the Johnston gang or pictures of her brother and his gang.
That meant these people would be taken completely unaware when her brother and his outlaws arrived. Her still wet shoes scraped on the wooden floorboards, surprising a man who was evidently the sheriff, judging by the silver star pinned to his chest, and with his feet up on the desk and a pipe in his mouth.
He slammed his feet to the floorboards and gave her a scowling look.
“What can I do for you, little lady?”
“You are the sheriff?” Riley asked, just wanting to confirm that she was indeed speaking to the right person.
“That’s what the badge means,” he replied sarcastically while tapping the silver star with a long finger. “Now, either state your business or move along.”
Riley bristled at the gruff and uncooperative manner of the sheriff, but her goal was all that mattered. “Sheriff, I’m here to warn you. There’s a terrible group of outlaws heading this way. They mean to steal the money being stored to open the bank …”
The sheriff leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “How do you know about the bank being started here?”
“I overheard the outlaws talking about it. They intend to come here, steal the money and whatever else the town has of value, and then burn it to the ground.”
“The hell they will!” The sheriff surged to his feet and blushed at his use of such profane language. He immediately apologized, “Forgive my bad manners, but your news is a little hard to fathom.”
“I wish I were telling you good news. Anyway, I was a few days ahead of them so they could be arriving in your town anytime.”
“What did you say your name was, again?” the sheriff asked.
“I didn’t,” Riley replied. “I’d prefer to keep my identity a secret for now, but trust me, you really don’t want the Johnston gang anywhere near here.”
“The Johnston gang, you say? Well, I think you might have gotten your information wrong. They operate in Texas, not New Mexico. The wanted posters that arrived a week ago stated as much.”
Riley shook her head, able to guess how the sheriff had responded to receiving the new posters. He’d tossed them in the trash or burned them in the stove. The man was a disgrace to the emblem he wore with so much pride. “They used to operate in Texas and are now moving northward to New Mexico for one last theft. They’re planning to make a run for the border once they have what they’re coming here for.”
“Miss, I can assure you the money for the bank is well protected and not easy to find. It’s hidden away, and only three people in the town know of its whereabouts. Myself. The owner of the bank. And his wife. None of us is likely to divulge its location.”
“Sir, you don’t understand how horrible this gang is.”
“I’m the sheriff, of course I do. They are terribly dangerous and need to be avoided and captured.”
“Yes, that’s it exactly. Maybe if you could get the entire town to come together…”
“Now, there’s no need to be worrying the fine folks of this town with your nonsense …”
“It’s not nonsense,” Riley declared, affronted. “Every word I’ve said to you is true and if you don’t heed my warning, the people who live in Rio Arriba will pay a steep price.”
“Are you threatening me and this town?” the sheriff tossed at her.
“No. I’m trying to warn everyone.”
“Duly noted. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and when I see them come into town, we’ll have a little chat and they’ll be on their way.”
“You’re just going to talk to them?”
“This is a peaceful town. I’d like to keep it that way.”
Riley could see that she was getting nowhere fast with the sheriff. “Thank you for your time, sir.” Riley turned on her heel and left the jail, frustration making her stamp her foot and fist her hands.
So much for getting any help from this quarter. Gideon was right about the sheriff not wanting to do his job.
She eyed the mercantile and headed across the street. The Pedersen family owned the mercantile according to the signage in the window. She stepped inside and smiled at the older couple behind the counter. Both of them had greying hair and were rather rotund around their middles. The air inside the mercantile smelled of apples and cinnamon.
“Good afternoon.” She walked toward the long counter at the back, admiring the eclectic array of goods for sale.
“Good afternoon to you, miss. What can we help you with?”
“I’m hoping you might listen to me for a minute. I have some very troubling news and yet, the sheriff didn’t seem to care one bit.”
“The sheriff is … lazy,” Mrs. Pedersen whispered confidentially.
“I gathered that. Anyway, there is an outlaw gang coming here to rob the money for the bank and destroy the town.”
Mrs. Pedersen gasped, and her husband put an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Hush, dear. Everything will be just fine.”
Mr. Pedersen eyed her and asked, “May I inquire how you know about the bank coming here? As a town we’ve been trying to keep this news quiet until the bank was ready to open and do business.”
“I don’t know how the outlaws found out, but I heard them talking about it a little over a week ago in El Paso.”
“Texas? They’re coming all the way up here from Texas?” the wife whispered.
“Yes. This is supposed to be their last robbery, and then they are going to break up and start living respectable lives.”
“Once a criminal, always a criminal,” Mrs. Pedersen commented a bit loudly.
“Did the sheriff mention what he planned to do about your warning?”
“Nothing.” Riley shook her head. “He said he would keep an eye out for them and have a chat once they arrived. A chat isn’t going to stop them from doing what they normally do. The town needs to take acti
on now to protect itself.”
“Child, I realize you think this news is troubling, but the sheriff has been doing this job for a very long time. If he isn’t concerned, then I see no reason for us to get all lathered up about it. Now, was there anything else I could help you with?” Mr. Pedersen asked, ending the discussion before it began.
“Charlie are you sure?” Mrs. Pedersen whispered loudly in her husband’s ear.
“I’m sure. The sheriff knows what he’s doing. Miss? Did you need any supplies?”
I completely disagree. The sheriff is lazy and is going to cost this town everything. Riley sighed. “No. I’ll leave you to your business.”
She walked out of the mercantile and decided to try a few more times at other businesses. She went to the livery and told the blacksmith, but both men just laughed at her, calling her a worrywart and accusing her of just being a silly female. She couldn’t seem to make anyone understand the fate that awaited them if they did nothing.
She finally stumbled across the boarding house and was able to secure a room for a few nights. It was loud and noisy on the ground floor, so she retired to her bed.
She had a small piece of dried buffalo meat in her reticule and a piece of day-old bread Gideon’s Ma had insisted she take with her. She ate these for dinner, drank some water from the pitcher on the dresser, crawled onto the bed and pulled the quilt up over her body.
She didn’t bother removing her shoes, not wanting to risk having to leave in the middle of the night without them.
She fell into a troubled sleep, her dreams packed with images of her brother shooting people, lighting their houses on fire, and laughing while he did it. She continued to wake up, her face awash in tears and her heart racing, only to find she was still in the same dingy bedroom.
In the wee hours of the morning, she finally gave herself permission to think about something else. Anything else. Her mind chose to focus on Gideon and his family. When she finally fell back to sleep, it was with the image of Gideon smiling down at her, the image burning itself into her skull.
That didn’t stop the dreams from returning or from becoming nightmares before morning. This time, her brother was stealing things and causing as much damage as possible to a man she thought she recognized. She could only see the back of him, never his face, but she was almost positive she knew the man.
Or, had known the man. In her dreams, every single time, he ended up confronting her brother and getting himself shot for his troubles. She wished the man would turn around so that she could see his face and warn him, but he continued only to present her with his back.
A few hours later she woke up, hearing the rooster crowing from outside her window, and seeing that the sun was already up. The last dream puzzled her, but she was determined to make someone believe her today. Somehow. She just needed a little help from above.
God, I’m trying to do a good deed here, but no one will listen to me. Why? Maybe you could nudge a few people my way that want to listen? I’d be grateful and I’ll work extra hard to make Roy repent for the things he’s done. Thanks in advance. I’ll try to get to church Sunday. I promise.
Riley nodded as she set out from the boarding house, in search of someone who would believe her. She tried the cattle yard, the saloon, and was considering the whorehouse at the end of the street when two of the women living there came out of the front door and spied her watching them.
They approached her and Riley held her ground, determined to not treat them any differently than she had Mrs. Pedersen.
“Ladies.”
They looked at one another and burst out laughing. “Polly, how long has it been since someone referred to you as a lady?”
“Jasmine, more years than I can count. How ya doing, sugar? You look a mite lost.”
“I’m not lost, just frustrated. I’ve been trying to warn people, but no one will listen to me.”
“That’s because you’re a woman,” Polly told her.
“But if they don’t take care, they’ll end up dead. I’ve seen the destruction he can do.”
“Who is he?” Jasmine asked.
Riley looked at the other woman, secretly admiring the way she filled out the green silk gown. It wasn’t much of a dress and left far too much cleavage uncovered, but the woman was elegant and had the friendliest eyes. “My brother. He leads an outlaw gang …”
“Which one?” Polly asked, opening a fan that was secured around her wrist and fanning herself with it.
“The Johnston gang.”
“What? Your brother is the leader of the Johnston gang?” Jasmine looked shocked. “What’s your name?”
“Riley Sewell. My brother is Roy Sewell. You’ve heard of them?”
“Sewell. I always wondered what his surname was, but he would never tell me. He liked to use that Comanche name he borrowed. Tsee something.”
“Tseena,” Riley supplied. “I was told it means wolf.”
“That’s the word. Wolves are vicious creatures and so is your brother. You should go home and forget you even had a brother. Before long he’ll meet his just reward and find himself swinging from a tree,” Jasmine told her.
“Oh my!” Polly covered her mouth with the fan.
“Oh my, is right. Child, you should just leave town and we might consider doing the same. I knew your brother a year ago and from what I’ve heard, he’s only gotten meaner.”
“But that’s just the point. Roy isn’t mean. Truly, he isn’t. He was the best big brother a sister could ever have while we were growing up.”
“Circumstances can change a man. The Roy I knew didn’t have a compassionate bone in his body.”
Riley felt like crying. “I can’t do nothing and let the town be destroyed. These people did nothing to deserve that.”
“Like I said, sugar. You should head home and just forget all about Roy. Cherish the memories of when you were both kids. You’ll never have them again.”
The two women gave her a sympathetic look and headed down the boardwalk. Riley stared after them, noticing that young and old alike crossed the street to avoid walking directly next to the women.
It seemed the whores in this town were pariahs of a sort and while they were allowed to co-exist, the townsfolk didn’t actually want to mingle with them. Riley was starting to realize that just because she wished for something to happen didn’t mean that was going to be the case.
She returned to the boarding house. Unfortunately, after listening to the sound of doors being slammed shut and the noise from the ground floor, she realized she’d get more sleep out beneath the stars.
She gathered up one of the pillows and the large quilt and carted them with her out of the back door. She’d find a nice secluded spot beneath the stars to spend the night and in the morning, she’d try once again to convince the town they were in danger.
If that didn’t work, well, she’d head for Santa Fe and take Jasmine and Pearl’s advice: She’d return to Missouri and pretend she’d never had a brother.
It would break her heart, but she was beginning to doubt not only her ability to warn the town, but if she couldn’t do that, what hope did she have of convincing Roy to leave behind his criminal ways and become a reformed man?
None.
That was the answer that came to her as she walked out of town and headed for the open landscape in front of her. There were some large rocks up ahead and she planned to use them as a temporary shelter this night. Maybe if she could get some sleep, she’d be able to find the right words to convince the town of how much danger they were in.
