by Duane Boehm
“Looks like you got a welcoming party for you,” Ethan said.
Sarah, Abby, and Winnie were all standing anxiously on the porch as they rode into the yard. “Momma, I’m back,” Benjamin shouted out before they could see him in the dark.
Sarah could not move. Her feet seemed to be frozen to the porch. She could only rock her body and cover her face with her hands as the reality set in that the ordeal was finally over. Benjamin ran up onto the porch, wrapping his arms around his mother and squeezing. His touch brought her out of her stupor and she squatted down and hugged him back. “Oh, I’ve missed you. I didn’t know what I was going to do if I never got you back,” she said before crying too hard to continue.
“It’s alright, Momma. They didn’t hurt me and I’m going to be more careful from now on so that it doesn’t happen again. I promise,” Benjamin said.
“Where is Gideon?” Abby asked, hearing the panic in her own voice betray her emotions.
Marcus heard it too. It was at that moment that he knew that he had lost the love of his wife if he had ever had it in the first place. He had always been good to Abby and tried to love her the best that he knew how, but it always seemed that their marriage had lacked the spark of other couples that they knew. Winnie was their only testament to their years of marriage.
“He rode into town with the kidnappers. Jasper is dead and Walter is shot,” Ethan said.
Ethan gently helped Sarah to the swing, sitting down beside her and motioning for Benjamin to sit between them. He was worried how much of a toll this had taken on his wife. She had always bounced back from the miscarriages, but he feared this had been worse. “We’re all together now. It’s time to relax,” Ethan said.
Winnie walked over and leaned in, kissing Benjamin on the cheek. “I’m sorry I hit you when you kissed me. I won’t do it whenever you want to kiss me again,” she said.
The four adults laughed, releasing the tension all of them were feeling for their own different reasons.
Chapter 27
Gideon rode into town, pulling his horse up in front of the doctor’s office. The ride had been uneventful except for listening to Walter yap about how sorry he was about being part of the kidnapping until Gideon told him to shut up. A light was on inside, which he found a bit surprising. He guessed Doc Abram was expecting him to bring him some business or Doc thought he would be the business.
“Come on and get down, Walter. Doc Abram can treat your wound,” Gideon said.
“I don’t think I can walk, like I might collapse. I feel awfully weak,” Walter said.
“Well then, you are going to die in the street, because I’m not dragging your ass in,” Gideon said as he tied the horses and started walking towards the door.
“Wait, help me down and I’ll manage to walk,” Walter said.
Gideon helped him off the horse and followed him into the office. Doc Abram and Sheriff Fuller were sitting at the desk with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses half–empty. “I see you were expecting some business. I sure as hell hope that you weren’t expecting it to be me,” Gideon said.
“No, sir, I did not. Did you get Benjamin?” Doc asked as he motioned for Walter to lie down.
“He should be back home with his momma by now. He seems to have come through it pretty good for a little boy,” Gideon said.
“I knew that you’d get him as soon as Mary told me what had happened. I see Jasper was the unlucky one. Kind of poetic justice for the big mouth. I really thought that they would both be dead. That would be preferable treatment for somebody abducting children,” Doc said as he started cutting Walter’s shirt away.
“I wanted this one alive to implicate Sligo and DeVille,” Gideon said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of some assistance, Gideon. By the time I found out about what was going on, I knew that there was no point in trying to get to the cave,” Sheriff Fuller said.
“It all worked out just fine. I owed Benjamin anyway,” Gideon said.
“Is there anything else that I need to know?” Sheriff Fuller asked.
“No, I don’t think so. I guess we should ask Walter here his side of things,” Gideon said.
“Walter, I can have a lot of sway with the judge if you give me a reason. Tell me who was behind all of this?” the sheriff said.
Walter was making all kinds of sounds of discomfort as the doctor probed the wound. “Sligo did the kidnapping. DeVille ordered us to watch the boy,” he said in stilted language through the pain.
“I never thought Frank DeVille amounted to a horse turd, but I never dreamed he would pull this. We’re going to make him pay,” Sheriff Fuller said.
“Mary didn’t go back to work, did she?” Gideon asked.
“She went back to the saloon. I don’t know if she is working or not. I have not made it down there yet,” Doc said, annoyed that work had interfered with his plans.
“I think Walter has all the fight out of him, but just in case, do you still have the scatter gun handy that you used to blow Durango Dick to hell?” Gideon asked and watched to see if Walter was listening. The question had gotten his attention.
“I sure do. Don’t worry about me,” Doc said as he continued working on Walter’s shoulder.
“What’s the plan, Sheriff?” Gideon asked.
“Sligo was in the Last Chance the last time that I checked and he shouldn’t have a clue that we are onto him. We’ll just walk in and get close enough to get the drop on him. Shouldn’t be any gunfire that way. It has been my experience that the wrong person usually gets shot when a gun goes off in a saloon,” the sheriff said as he headed out the door.
Hank Sligo was sitting at the end of the bar near the door that led to the back room. He was flush with nervous energy, ready for tomorrow to be over. Every time a patron came through the door, he checked to see if it was the doctor. Doc Abram usually beat him to the bar and he was anxious to ply him with a beer to get the old gossiper to talk.
The doors swung open as Sheriff Fuller and Gideon walked into the Last Chance. Something did not seem right about it to Sligo. The doctor was already missing from his normal spot and seeing the two lawmen coming into the saloon together did not strike him as a social visit. One thing the war had taught him was to trust his instincts and his instincts told him to run. He smoothly moved through the door into the back.
Mr. Vander looked up from working on his books. “You no belong back here. You get out of here,” he said.
Sligo walked past him without acknowledging the old German and out the back door into the alley. The sky was dark enough to provide him some cover to walk away from the downtown. He hoped to circle back for his horse to escape to DeVille’s place. His mind was racing trying to figure out how they could know that he was involved or if he was simply being paranoid on the last evening of waiting.
“Sligo, stop. You are under arrest,” Gideon shouted breathlessly from the end of the alley.
There was enough light behind Gideon that Sligo could make out his silhouette clearly, whereas he knew that he had to be almost invisible in the darkness. Seeing the barrel of his gun well enough to aim was the problem, but he wasn’t going to pass up his best chance at killing the blue–belly. He pointed it at Gideon and fired.
Gideon heard the bullet whiz past his ear and dropped to the ground just as a second shot was fired. He could barely see Sligo running away down the alley, making it pointless to shoot at him. A bullet shot in the dark would be more apt to find the wrong target than it would Sligo.
Gideon ran back to the front of the saloon to find Sheriff Fuller who had retrieved his shotgun. “Sheriff, I’m going to try and find him and put an end to this. If I don’t, he will try to get back to his horse and ride to DeVille. Why don’t you stand there in the shadows and if he gets on his horse, blow him off it,” Gideon said.
“I’ll be waiting on him. Be careful, Gideon. That is one mean son of a bitch,” the sheriff said.
Gideon started walking down Main Stree
t. The town was unusually quiet with the piano music that normally drifted out of the Last Chance silenced by the commotion. The street lamps provided enough light that he would be able to see Sligo, but also made him and easy target. He headed towards the livery stable figuring that Sligo would either try to steal a horse or circle back for his own mount to get back to DeVille. A block down from the saloon, he heard the sound of wood splintering as a door gave way. Gideon looked in the direction of the noise and caught sight of Sligo entering the dry goods store across the street. He guessed Sligo was going to steal guns or ammo.
Gideon jogged down the street and squatted behind a water trough directly across the street from the store. He cursed himself for not grabbing his rifle as he waited for Sligo to emerge from the store. It sounded as if he was tearing everything apart inside with glass breaking and things crashing. The noise stopped as Sligo walked out of the store carrying a rifle and paused, seeming unsure on which way he wanted to go.
Gideon poked his head and arms above the trough, aiming his revolver at Sligo. “Throw down your guns. It’s over, Sligo,” he shouted.
Sligo drew his pistol and fired twice. Gideon could hear the thud of the bullets as they struck the water trough. He shot once and Sligo screamed, dropping the rifle as he grabbed his knee before collapsing.
Gideon stood to get a better view. “Throw out your guns,” he repeated.
Sligo aimed his revolver and fired two more shots. One of them struck the wooden sign above Gideon’s head and splinters of wood fluttered down on him. A fury came over him as he realized that his adversary would not surrender. Sligo represented everything bad that had ever happened in his life and he was going to kill him for it. He started striding towards him, too enraged to worry about his own safety. Sligo seemed determined to get a shot off with the rifle instead of firing at him with the pistol. He used the rifle to get to his feet and then tried to stand on one leg and aim the weapon. Gideon hated Sligo, wanting to torture him and make him suffer. The man had caused enough pain and now he would suffer for it. Instead of aiming for his chest to kill him, he fired three shots into Sligo’s enormous stomach, knocking him backwards through the window of the store.
Gideon ran up to the window and looked in. From the light of the street lamp, he could see Sligo lying there moaning and holding his stomach. The rage in him was ready to inflict more pain if given the chance, but Sligo had no fight left in him. “You dumb son of a bitch, you should have surrendered when I gave you the chance. See you in hell,” he said.
Gideon reloaded his revolver and walked slowly back down the street. Guilt started creeping into his conscience with each step. He knew that he had no choice but to kill Sligo, but he should have done it mercifully. He had seen enough men in the war die from gut shots to know that an agonizing death awaited Sligo.
He met Sheriff Fuller walking towards him as fast as the old sheriff’s legs would carry him. “We need some of the men from the saloon to carry Sligo to Doc. He’s in the dry good store, but he won’t make it,” Gideon said.
“You had me scared there. I thought that maybe he got you. Sure glad it was the other way around and we’re all better off with him dead anyway,” Sheriff Fuller said. “That just leaves DeVille then.”
“I’m going to the saloon to get the men. I’ll meet you at Doc’s office,” Gideon said.
“Okay, but when you get there, if Doc is finished with Walter, I want you to take him and lock him in the jail. I’m going to try to get Sligo to name DeVille in all this. I figure he might be more apt to talk if you aren’t around and that’ll give us another person implicating him at trial,” the sheriff said.
A crowd, including Mary, was waiting outside the saloon when Gideon walked up. They were standing quietly watching him. Mary looked as if the day’s events had exhausted her and he could see the stress around her mouth and eyes. She was still wearing the clothes that she had on at the cabin and she looked out of place amongst the saloon patrons. “Benjamin’s at home. He is going to be fine,” he called out to her.
She smiled meekly at him and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“I need some of you men to help me carry Sligo to Doc Abram’s office. He’s in no shape to walk,” Gideon said.
Gideon and the other men labored to carry Sligo towards the doctor office. It seemed as if they were on the verge of dropping him every step of the way. His shirt and pant leg were covered in blood and he reeked of sweat and feces. Moaning and screaming every step of the way, by the time they lifted Sligo up onto the table, he was cussing them all out and threatening their lives.
Doc Abram looked at the three bullet holes in the shirt taut over Sligo’s protruding belly and then looked over at Gideon. “Looks like you made sure you got him,” he said.
Sheriff Fuller looked over at Walter sitting over in a corner with his arm in a sling. “Are you finished with Walter?” he asked.
“He’s good to go. I will come over to the jail tomorrow and check on him,” Doc said.
After the room cleared of the volunteers and Gideon had led out Walter, Sligo calmed down while the doctor started cutting off his clothes. Sheriff Fuller walked over to him. “Hank, this is Sheriff Fuller. Jasper is dead and Walter is in jail. I need for you to tell me who else is involved with the kidnapping,” he said.
Sligo looked up at him, his eyes were glazed over, and he squinted to make them focus. Laboring for breath, he had to inhale deeply before speaking. “This was all DeVille’s idea. I knew it was a bad one. Should have never gone along with it,” he said and closed his eyes.
“Hank, DeVille is going down too,” Sheriff Fuller said.
“How did you figure it out?” Sligo managed to ask.
“Jasper came to town for whiskey and talked a little too much,” the sheriff said.
“I told Frank that we should give them a bottle. I’m going to die over a bottle of whiskey,” Sligo whispered.
The sheriff stepped outside where Gideon was waiting. Sheriff Fuller said, “Let’s get DeVille in the morning. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day. I’ll meet you at dawn at the road that leads to DeVille’s house. You go get you some rest, you hear?”
Chapter 28
On the way back home from the Oakes’ cabin, the conversation between Marcus and Abby never strayed from Benjamin and the kidnapping. Both of them seemed as if they were afraid to broach any other subject for fear of where it might lead and they masked the tension between them with politeness.
Marcus waited until they were home and Winnie was asleep before approaching Abby. “If you ever did love me, you don’t anymore do you?” he asked.
Abby looked up at him in surprise. A direct question from Marcus about how she felt was the last thing that she was expecting. Talking about ones feelings was not something he ever did. “What are you talking about?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
“Abby, I heard the sound of your voice when you thought something had happened to Gideon. It wasn’t sadness. It was a panic as if you saw your future slipping right away from you,” Marcus said.
She realized that she could not play the game of pretending a minute longer. The facade was dragging her down like a weight and she was ready to unburden herself from it. “Okay, Marcus, I never stopped loving Gideon, it’s true. And him coming back has opened up a lot of feelings that have been buried a very long time. I thought I was over it, but I was wrong,” she said.
“Do you love me?” Marcus asked as he dropped into a chair.
“Marcus, we have a good marriage in its own way. We get along fine, you are good to me, and you gave me Winnie. I can’t imagine my life without her. But no, I don’t love you. When we got married, I thought I did, but I came to realize that there is a difference between being lonely and being in love. I know this must hurt you and I am sorry for that, but you asked and I don’t want to pretend any longer. I wasn’t ready for this conversation. In fact, I don’t know that I ever would have been, but now we’re having it,” Abby said.
Marcus could feel his face flush and he thought he might get sick to his stomach. Abby was the only women he had ever loved and now he knew that her feelings for him were no more real than the elixirs that the traveling medicine men sold to their gullible customers. He wanted to break something, but he was much too self–controlled ever to do that. Finally, marshaling the courage, he asked, “Do you want a divorce?”
Abby sat down at the table across from him. She wished that he had been content to enjoy the blessing of having Benjamin returned safely and left it at that. “I don’t know. We have a life together that I am not sure that I am ready to throw away and there’s Winnie to think about. There’s also the scandal that it would cause. Our marriage is never going to be what I want it to be, but it is something,” she said.
Marcus looked her in the eyes and cleared his throat. “There’s something that I think I figured out last summer that I didn’t really want to know the answer to, but now I do. You and Joann were walking out in the orchard and you looked so much alike that I thought that you could really tell that your mothers were sisters and then it occurred to me that you favor your father’s side of the family. I put it all together then, her blue eyes, that you went to Wyoming that summer to have a baby, and the name Joann is for Johann. Joann is your and Gideon’s daughter, isn’t she?” Marcus said.
Abby’s heart was pounding so hard that she could feel her temples moving in and out. She had always been surprised that no one had ever figured it out and now it had finally happened. “Yes,” she said quietly.
Marcus’s stomach started to churn violently. “Quite a secret to take to our wedding bed,” he said.
“Yes, Marcus, it was,” Abby said.
“Does he know?” he asked.
“He just found out on the way back from me tracking him down,” she said.
Marcus jumped up and ran out the front door. She could hear him retching off the porch. As much as she wanted to feel bad about all of the things that she had told him, relief that all the secrets were exposed is what came over her. She did not have to pretend any longer.
