by Duane Boehm
“I love you and Winnie just the way that you both are and I will love the baby no matter how it is. Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up and get to bed. I bet the sun will still come up tomorrow,” Abby said and gave Joann a kiss on the forehead.
“I really made a mess of this,” Joann said.
“But at least you found out that Zack will definitely stand up to you. You got want you wanted,” Abby said.
Chapter 24
Finishing a walk of the town, Gideon returned to the jail to find D.A. Kile waiting for him.
Waving a letter in his hand, Kile said, “The U.S. District Attorney doesn’t want the case. It’s ours and I’ve decided to prosecute here. Judge Laurel is a fair judge and we should get convictions easily enough. I think he’ll take a dim view of things and hand out stiff sentences. I’ll go ahead and notify the D.A. offices that have jurisdiction over the cities with the other saloons so that they can shut them down.”
“I’m surprised the feds didn’t want it,” Gideon said.
“Me too. I guess their plate is full, but I think that it’s a mistake. When the papers pick up on orphanages selling girls into prostitution, they’ll have to do something. We will be the first domino in a bunch of dominoes,” Kile said.
“When will we get started?” Gideon asked.
“The judge should be back around in two to three weeks. His dockets have been busy lately and he hasn’t been coming around as quickly as the old days. We’ll be ready when he does,” Kile said.
“It can’t be soon enough for me,” Gideon said.
“Let’s bring Cal out here. I want to make him a deal if he knows anything about the murder of Druthers or the attempts on your life,” Kile said.’
Gideon stood up and pulled the cell keys from his drawer. “Good luck with that. He’s not one for much cooperation,” he said before heading to the cell room.
“Sit,” Kile commanded as Cal Simpson walked into the room followed by Gideon. The prisoner took a seat beside the D.A. and Gideon returned to his seat.
“What do you want?” Cal asked.
“You know that we have the ledger that proves that you were involved in slave trafficking and falsifying documents since the saloon wasn’t really yours. I suspect that with Judge Laurel’s well–known fondness for women that you are looking at twenty to thirty years behind bars. If you have any information that I think I can use to get a conviction on the murder of Mr. Druthers or the attempted murder of Gideon, I will knock it down to assault and falsifying documents. Sissy and Constance told me how you beat them. You’d be looking at a year in prison at tops and maybe less. I’d make sure that you wouldn’t end up in the same place as Starks. You would also have to agree to never set foot in Last Stand again. What’s it going to be?” Kile said.
Cal looked nervously at Kile and then Gideon. “Mr. Starks would have me killed if he found out,” he said.
“He won’t find out until you testify and then it will be too late. If he asks anything, just tell him that you wouldn’t talk. I don’t have all day,” Kile said.
“I went to the ranch and told Mr. Starks that Druthers got arrested and he told me that he would take care of it. And sure enough, Druthers ended up dead the next day. Mr. Starks came into the Lucky Horse a couple days later and told me that he killed Druthers but that he wanted to hire somebody to kill the sheriff and he asked me if I knew anybody. I told him about Ike Todd and how to reach him in New Mexico. That’s how that came about. I don’t know anything about how the other four showed up to kill the sheriff,” Cal said.
Gideon had to resist the urge to pull out his revolver and give Simpson a good whack with it. Hearing Cal talk so matter–of–factly about helping locate someone to kill him was a bit much to listen to without retaliating.
“Will you testify to what you just told us?” Kile asked.
“I will,” Cal said, looking at Gideon warily.
“I suggest that you stick to bartending. You don’t strike me as the kind that would last long in prison. I’ll reduce the charges then,” Kile said.
Gideon arose from his chair and grabbed Simpson by his collar, shanking him to his feet. Shoving him towards the cell room, Gideon opened the door and pushed him again. “You and Henry can rot in prison together for another thirty years if you don’t want to talk,” he said before locking the prisoner back in his cell.
“That should be enough to get a conviction on murder,” Kile said when Gideon returned to the room.
“I’m not sure that I like Simpson getting off that easily. He would have danced on my grave. That bullet only missed its mark by about three inches,” Gideon said.
“He’s just a pawn. We are going after the king,” Kile reminded him.
“I forgot to tell you that Starks raised hell with me the other day after he found out about his frozen account. I guess his wife or son must have tried to make a withdrawal. His knowing that the account is frozen is one more thing tying him to the ledger,” Gideon said.
“Yes, it is. Keep that ledger safe. I got to go,” Kile said before shaking Gideon’s hand and departing.
Gideon dropped into his chair and grumbled to himself about Cal Simpson getting off lightly. He heard the jail door open and looked up to see Sarah walk into the jail.
“Hey, Sis, what brings you to town?” Gideon asked.
Sarah sat down in a chair. “I had some things that I needed and I wanted to see you anyway.”
“Well, here I am,” he said lightheartedly.
“Ethan has got me worried. He’s just not himself since he got shot. Physically, he is about back to good as new, but spirit wise he sure isn’t. He’s still talking about quitting preaching and you’ve seen how lifeless his sermons have been since he returned. I’ve never seen him like this – not even when I had the miscarriages. I want my Ethan back,” Sarah said.
“He’ll bounce back. I just hope that he doesn’t quit the preaching before he does. With all the turmoil that has happened since I’ve been back, he has lost some faith in mankind and had to deal with his own mortality. It takes some time to come to terms with all that, especially someone as sensitive as Ethan,” Gideon said.
“Do you really think that he’ll come back around?” she asked.
“Of course. We are talking about Ethan. He’s as steady as they come. Just be patient,” he said.
“I hope so,” Sarah said wistfully.
“Changing the subject, I thought that Joann and Zack were going to bump into a pew yesterday – they were trying so hard not to look at each other,” Gideon said with a chuckle.
Sarah smiled. “I know. It was kind of funny. Zack is as bad as you are about needing to talk things over with me. I really do feel like I have two brothers these days. I feel sorry for him too. Women are not his strong suit and your daughter certainly doesn’t make it any easier. He told me all about Saturday night. At least he finally stood up to her. For good or bad, I think he has her out of his system now.”
“I wouldn’t want to place a bet on that. Abby had to make Joann go to church. That girl did not want to show her face. She is scared to death that people will still be laughing at her and she carried on about Zack like he is a dog, but I could tell that she was trying to convince herself and save face at the same time. I think she knows that she overplayed her hand and what she might have thrown away. It could get interesting,” Gideon said.
“She gets that orneriness from you. If she had a lick of sense, she would have just appreciated Zack for what he is and not what he isn’t. He would have learned to hold his own with her in time,” Sarah said.
Gideon grinned at her. “I think that her mother is every bit as ornery as me, but you’re not telling me anything that I don’t know about Joann. She’s still mad at me for not taking up for her at the jail. I think Saturday night will turn out to be good for both of them in the long run no matter how it all shakes out.”
“Probably. And it sure gave us a good laugh, though I’m sure neither one of
them will think it’s funny for a while,” she said.
“I still think that Zack Barlow might be the daddy to my grandbabies one of these days,” Gideon said, causing Sarah to let out such a laugh that it caught him by surprise.
“You are so funny. Here you have a baby on the way and are talking about grandbabies, and a year ago, I couldn’t even make you see your own worth. The times have changed,” she said.
Gideon turned red. “It just goes to show that people change,” he said defensively.
“That you have. I’d better get home. Thanks for the talk on Ethan. I do feel better,” Sarah said as she arose from her seat.
Gideon walked her to the door and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll check on Ethan, but quit your worrying. I promise that he’ll be fine,” he said as she walked out the door.
Just before noon, Finnie and Doc came into the jail. The unlikely pair had become lunch companions, usually eating the free lunch at the Last Stand and washing it down with a beer.
“Come have lunch with us. You could use some fattening. I’m surprised Abby ever found you in the sheets,” Finnie said.
“From the looks of her these days I don’t think that there’s any doubt that she found me just fine,” Gideon said as he put on his hat.
The Irishman grinned. “Now you’re bragging.”
They walked to the Last Chance and were lucky to get their usual table. Mary’s idea to offer free lunches with a one–drink minimum had been such a success that on some days the patrons were forced to eat standing with their drinks sitting on the windowsills. The men were served plates of boiled ham and potatoes with their beers.
“I can’t figure out what made Henry get involved in such an enterprise,” Doc said. “He had more land and cattle than he knows what to do with and one of the finest houses around here. I don’t know why he thought he needed that other money.”
“It’s like a disease with some men. I’ve seen it before,” Finnie said.
“All I know is that it about got me killed,” Gideon remarked.
“How is your arm these days?” Doc asked.
“I don’t even think about it anymore unless I touch it. It still has a numb spot,” Gideon said.
“Henry’s daddy was on the committee that recruited me out of school to move to Last Stand. The town was growing and didn’t have a doctor. Live long enough and things sure change,” Doc reminisced.
Mary joined them at the table, sitting down between Gideon and Finnie. “I just couldn’t resist sitting at a table with a doctor and two men with badges,” she teased.
“I have to agree that Finnie does look better wearing a badge than pushing a broom,” Gideon said. “After the trial, I’m going to keep him as a deputy until somebody has the nerve to tell me that I can’t. We’ll see what happens.”
“I do like a man with a badge,” Mary joked to a round of laughter and Finnie’s embarrassment.
“I thought it was my accent,” Finnie said.
“Did you ever come close to marrying?” Gideon asked Doc.
The question seemed to catch the doctor off–guard and for the briefest of moments, the others saw a wistful look betray him. “When I was younger I was always looking for the perfect woman and never finding her and now that I’m old, they all look perfect,” he said.
The others laughed and Mary said, “If I had been around in those days, I guarantee that I would have made you think that I was perfect – one way or another.”
“I think that you would have,” Doc said.
The foursome continued their banter until the meal was finished and they took their leave. The doctor left for his office and Mary returned behind the bar. Gideon sent Finnie to check on a complaint of a pig rooting around in a neighbor’s yard while he retrieved the key to the Lucky Horse and checked the saloon for any signs of vandalism.
By early afternoon, Gideon needed to get out of town. All the extra hours spent there since the arrests were beginning to wear on him. He decided to ride to see Ethan and have the talk that he had promised Sarah. The July sun warmed the air and he perspired just sitting in the saddle and riding. Occasionally, he would have to remove his hat and wipe his brow on his shirtsleeve. He found Ethan south of the cabin chopping up a tree that had blown over into his pasture. Ethan, shirt drenched in sweat, swung the axe in a steady rhythm that could have been mistaken for a metronome.
“You should be having Zack do that,” Gideon said as he rode up.
“I need to build myself back up. I’m getting stronger every day and it’s good for me,” Ethan said as he set the axe down, picked up his canteen and took a big swig of water.
“Are you feeling any better about life?” Gideon asked.
“Not really. I’m thankful to be alive and such, but I just don’t feel the call to preach anymore. I’m starting to feel like an imposter up there giving my sermon. I’ve never been a hypocrite and I don’t plan on being one now,” Ethan said.
“Give it a few more weeks before you decide. Do it for me if for no other reason. I’m not ready for the most steadfast person I’ve ever known to change on me,” Gideon said.
Ethan pulled the front of his shirt up to his face and used it as a towel to dry the sweat. “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me. It doesn’t go with my image of you either. I won’t make a rash decision.”
Gideon grinned at Ethan. “That’s all I ask. I’ve seen plenty of men in the war that were shot and after they came back, it took a good while before they were themselves again. It just takes time.”
Zack rode up to the two men. “I checked on both the herds and they were fine. The calves are really starting to grow.”
“I wish somebody would check on mine. I’ve been in town so much lately that they probably have wandered off the place,” Gideon said.
“I could check on them tomorrow if you want,” Zack said as he climbed down from Chester.
“No, that’s okay. You might cross paths with my daughter and try to drown her again,” Gideon teased.
“That’s not funny. I didn’t try to drown her and you don’t have to worry about me crossing paths. If I saw her coming, I would hightail it out of there,” Zack said.
“You’re a mite sensitive. I’m just teasing. I would have thrown her in a trough too. I’ve told you that I threw Abby into a stream one time. Of course, neither of us carried on like we were mortal enemies after we cooled down,” Gideon said.
“I never said that she is my enemy. I’m just through trying with her. I don’t have what it takes to make her happy and I know that now,” Zack said.
Ethan looked at Zack and then over at Gideon and winked. “I thought he had a little more fire in him than that. You’d think that a man that is brave enough to take a bullet helping you catch some outlaws wouldn’t be so skittish around a spirited girl,” he said.
Gideon rubbed his scar and said, “I know it. I’d think that now that he stood up to her and got her attention that he would go in for the kill instead of running away.”
Zack pulled his hat off his head and threw it on the ground. “If I hear one more person call Joann spirited, I’m going to go crazy. She is just a big brat. Why would I want to deal with that? I’m not running. You two sound like a couple of old ladies trying your hand at matchmaking. I want no part of it. I’d rather go keep company with the herd than listen to you two,” he said before scooping up his hat and mounting his horse. He took off in a gallop and soon disappeared over a hill.
“I’ve never seen him get riled. Maybe we overplayed our hand,” Ethan said.
“I doubt it. Ain’t love grand?” Gideon said with a grin. Picking up the axe, he started chopping. “I could use a little building up myself.”
Gideon and Ethan took turns chopping and stacking the wood. Their shirts stayed drenched in sweat as they worked at a feverish pace. Competition between the two men kept them swinging the axe with ferocious blows in an unspoken contest. As the sun settled well to the west, they finished the tree.
>
“Pretty good work for a shot up rancher,” Gideon said as dropped the axe.
“I could say the same about a skinny sheriff. Thank you for the help. I’m glad we got to spend some time together,” Ethan replied.
“We need to go fishing soon. We could take Benjamin and Winnie and whoever else wants to go and make a day of it,” Gideon said.
“Maybe we should take Zack and Joann and if they don’t behave themselves we could use them for bait,” Ethan said.
“That’s an idea. I’d better get home. It’s about suppertime,” Gideon said as he climbed up onto his horse.
“See you later,” Ethan said as he picked up the axe and empty canteen.
Gideon rode home to find Joann and Winnie playing in the yard with the dog, Red. They were trying to teach him to retrieve a ball and the animal showed no inclination for it. He would chase after it and then return to them without the ball.
“I thought that you would be busy fixing supper,” Gideon said to Joann.
“I didn’t realize that it’s so late. I guess the time got away from me. Abs usually tells me when it’s time to start. She must have fallen asleep,” Joann answered.
“Winnie, would you please go check on your mother? Tell her that Joann and I will be in directly,” Gideon said.
“What’s up?” Joann asked as Winnie scurried to the cabin.
“Let’s go sit under the tree,” Gideon said as he climbed down from Buck, leaving the horse untied in the yard. He walked with Joann to the bench that he had constructed. “I’m wondering if you’re still upset with me for how I handled things at the jail the other night?”
“No. The only person that I am mad at is myself. I’m not even mad at Zack anymore. I deserved it. I really made a fool of myself, didn’t I?” Joann said.
“Kind of. It wasn’t one of your finer moments. I just came from Ethan’s place and Zack is still riled up about it,” Gideon said.
“He’ll probably never speak to me again for as long as I live. I guess I deserve that, but sometimes he is so clueless that I can’t stand it. I think Sarah talked to him about it, but it never lasted. He would go right back to being his timid self. Sometimes I think that if I would have said boo that he would have taken off running,” she said.
