Stagecoach to Serenity

by Steven Gray

  He was right. For now their quarry was in their sights.

  The two riders were on the far side of a small rock-strewn valley. They had crossed a creek, whose waters were much higher than normal, and were heading into the next line of hills.

  ‘Let’s get ’em!’ Evans cried. He dug his spurs into his horse’s sides and with a startled neigh it set off at the charge.

  Greeley swore to himself. He’d have preferred to sound a note of caution. Tried to get closer before they were spotted. Made sure of the capture. Too late for that. Evans was already galloping down the hillside with Rayner in close pursuit. It was only a matter of moments before Norton and Sal realized they’d been found.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Norton looked back over his shoulder. ‘Hell!’ He swore long and loudly. ‘Look!’

  Three riders. Galloping fast towards them. Already splashing across the creek. Close enough for him to recognize Greeley and Marshal Rayner.

  ‘How did they find us?’ Sal screamed in frustration. Damn! Damn! Damn! Could they outrun them? Probably best not to try. Their horses were tired and the terrain was rough. They might be overtaken or shot. Anyway she had spotted a high pile of misshapen boulders in the near distance. She pointed them out to Norton. ‘We’ll make a stand there.’ Settle the matter once and for all.

  ‘Quick!’ Greeley yelled, seeing what Norton and Sal were about.

  ‘We won’t get there in time to stop them reaching the rocks.’ Rayner pulled his rifle from the scabbard and fired once. It was a futile gesture. He was too far away to hit anything.

  Norton and Sal dismounted and hunkered down behind the rocks.

  Sal smiled. It was a good spot. The hill their pursuers had to climb towards them provided little or no cover; they would be easy targets.

  ‘Let them get close,’ she said. ‘Then we can pick them off.’

  The posse had reached the bottom of the hill when the first shot rang out.

  The bullet slammed into the ground right in front of Evans’s horse. It reared in fright, causing an equally startled deputy to fall off. He hit the ground with a thud and the animal shied away from him.

  ‘Get off your horse!’ Rayner shouted to Greeley. Mounted, they were vulnerable. On foot it would be easier to dodge behind rocks and keep out of the way of any gunfire. ‘Frank, you OK?’

  The young man was sitting up, holding a hand to his head. ‘I think so.’

  But his hand came away covered with blood and from the dazed look on his face it didn’t seem he would be taking any further part in the chase.

  ‘Stay put and keep the horses safe.’ It would be no use to lose the animals out in the middle of nowhere as they were. ‘Gus, come with me. Stay low.’

  Greeley didn’t need to be warned. As they scrambled up the steep, shale-covered hill, more shots sounded, striking chips off the rocks near them.

  He paused to take a quick look round. From where they were it was no point firing back. There were no targets to aim at. And it would be too risky to try rushing Norton and Sal. Then he spotted a plateau to their left. ‘Charley, look. We get over there we should have a good view of their hiding place and hopefully be shielded a little by the small overhang.’

  Carefully they began to edge their way over towards it.

  Seeing them and realizing that if Greeley and Rayner made it they could get clear shots at them, Norton fired off several bullets in their direction. None hit either man. ‘Damn that bounty hunter. There’s no stopping him. And I’m almost out of bullets.’

  ‘So am I. Oh, Darren, I’m sorry.’ Sal bent to kiss him. ‘We’ve still got a chance to make a run for it. They’re on foot and will have to go back for their horses. That’ll give us a head start.’

  Norton knew her optimism was misplaced. They couldn’t run forever. He didn’t want to be forever looking over his shoulder. Greeley would never give up coming after him. Not now. Not when his pride in his job was at stake. As well as $100 bounty.

  For a moment he wondered what to do. Surrender? No way. Make a fight of it with Sal and risk getting her killed? No, he couldn’t do that. So, for the first time in his life he decided to put someone else first. Try to give Sal the chance she deserved. Because, despite everything she’d done, Greeley might be satisfied with just Norton and the reward.

  Besides he was a gambler and this, his greatest gamble, might just, with luck, pay off.

  ‘You go on without me, Sal. Get to San Francisco.’

  ‘No, I’m not leaving you,’ she said, making him feel guilty for the way earlier he’d been intending to walk out on her.

  ‘Sorry, Sal, I ain’t going to California with you. I hope you have the life you want. I love you.’

  He stood up.

  ‘Darren! What are you doing? Get down.’

  Taking no notice, he stepped forward and began to fire his gun.

  Greeley pushed Rayner out of the way and dropped to the ground. Peering round a boulder, he shouted across at the young man, ‘Darren, give up! You don’t have to do this.’ But he knew he wouldn’t. And he didn’t.

  Norton fired again. The bullet came precariously close, whizzing past Greeley’s ear with a horrible whine. The next shot might hit either him or the lawman.

  Cursing, Greeley steadied himself. He raised his rifle, aiming carefully. Another shot from Norton. Even closer. He was left with no choice.

  He pulled the trigger. He didn’t miss.

  Norton let out a cry. Dropping the gun he fell forward. He lay still.

  As Greeley got to his feet, Rayner shouted out a warning, ‘Sal’s still there. Be careful.’

  But there were no more shots.

  Was she already dead? Or just biding her time?

  ‘Cover me.’ Greeley started to zig-zag up the slope. Nothing. He reached the spot where Norton lay on his stomach. The young man was clearly dead. Greeley’s bullet had taken him in the chest close to his heart. He glanced round. The two horses were tethered a little way off. Of Sal there was no sign.

  Then he spotted her. She was standing on top of a huge boulder looking down . . . at what? She was still holding the carpetbag which was so precious to her.

  Hearing his approach, she turned to look at him. He paused, holding out his hands towards her, not wanting her to do anything that would force him to shoot her. ‘Sal, Sarah . . .’ he began.

  She smiled at him.

  And jumped.

  ‘No!’ Greeley yelled in horror.

  He ran towards where she’d been. When he got there, he realized she’d been staring at the creek, which was a ribbon of blue far, far below.

  He could see no sign of her body. Neither smashed on the rocks on the way down nor drowned in the water.

  She had disappeared.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  ‘You don’t think Sal got away, do you?’ Orson Peel asked while Betsy looked anxiously on.

  Greeley shrugged. ‘Me and Rayner searched the hillside and the creek for the rest of the day. We never found a trace of her. But,’ he spread his hands, ‘I really can’t see how she could have survived a fall like that. It was a long way down, there were rocks all round and the creek was deep and swift.’

  ‘But . . .’ Betsy began.

  ‘No, Mrs Peel, she must be dead.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you find her?’

  ‘The water probably took her body downstream a fair way to where it’ll be lost forever.’

  Although if anyone could have survived, Greeley supposed it might be Sal the Gal. And even if they hadn’t recovered her body, there was also the question of the carpetbag. There had been no sign of that either.

  ‘At least Norton got his comeuppance,’ Peel said.

  ‘Yeah, but Rayner and Evans would’ve preferred to have taken him back alive to Serenity so he could stand trial. This way he’s cheated the hangman.’ Greeley still got his $100 though.

  It was a few days after the chase across the valley. He had returned with a buckboard to th
e Peel ranch to see how Peel and Daniels were faring and to accompany Mrs Lewis back to her farm and her son.

  Betsy Peel poured him out another cup of coffee. ‘She’s just about ready to leave,’ she said. ‘I’m grateful to you, Mr Greeley, for the offer to escort her home. It saves any of us having to do so while there’s still so many things left to repair, although we would have been willing of course.’

  Daniels had also recovered sufficiently to be ready to go with them.

  And Wells Fargo had sent men out to recover the stagecoach, although no one knew when the route would re-open for business. Bill Brown had gone along to help. So had a dispirited Harry Anderson, who didn’t know what he was going to do with no money, no horse and no goods to sell.

  ‘It’s the least I can do,’ Greeley said.

  ‘You weren’t at fault,’ Peel said as his wife nodded. ‘Not at all.’

  It didn’t matter how many times people told him that, Greeley still felt guilty over what had happened and always would.

  Even so, despite all that Sal the Gal had done, he couldn’t help but harbour a small, lingering hope that maybe, just maybe, hard though it was to believe, the girl was still, somehow, alive. She had been callous and heartless, only thinking of herself, but at the same time she’d certainly had pluck. Not many girls would have done what she had; not many men either.

  Knowing the Peels wouldn’t appreciate such a sentiment, he didn’t say so.

  Two months later Marshal Rayner sent Greeley a cutting from a San Francisco newspaper. Rayner had scrawled one word across the top ‘Sal’ following by several question marks.

  The headline stated in bold black letters: ‘Madam Sara’s is now open for business’.

  Greeley read: ‘San Francisco’s newest and fanciest bawdy house got off to a flying start last night. Men flocked to its doors, despite suspecting they were going to be over-charged, lured by the promise that the whiskey would be good, not watered down rotgut, and the girls would go that extra mile to please. The fact that Sara herself is a pretty young woman with poise and dash helped too. We have no hesitation in saying the place is sure be a rip-roaring success.’

  He couldn’t help smiling.

  Perhaps one day he’d make the trip to San Francisco and find out if Madam Sara was indeed Sal the Gal. And, if so, whether sometimes she might remember a time when she went by a different name and when she wanted a future with a handsome lover.

  Meanwhile it was obvious Rayner was not going to do anything except let her enjoy her success and thus so would Greeley.