Summary: This is a sequel to Choosing Blue with the same OCs. The family has to deal with sabotage and assault without knowing the source or the purpose. Working together, they defend themselves against a plot hatched by men from their past who form an unlikely alliance against them.
Rating: T  Word count: 17,610

Choosing series:
Choosing Blue (by BettyHT)
Choosing Sides (by BettyHT)

 

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Choosing Sides

Chapter 1

With a pistol pressed up to the underside of the man’s chin, Adam Cartwright had the look of a man ready to carry out justice as jury, judge, and executioner. The man was wise enough or scared enough not to say anything to provoke Adam any further.

“What have you done?”

When Adam hissed that question, the man still said nothing unwilling to provoke the furious man with any answer. He guessed accurately that nothing he said at that moment would help his cause. He needed intervention to save his life. When it came, it wasn’t divine but close enough. Hoss put a hand on his brother’s arm.

“Adam, maybe ease up a little and let the man talk. I think he was trying to tell you something before you pushed him up against the wall like that.”

Easing the pressure a little which held the man to the wall and dropping the pistol to his side, Adam let the man talk. His look said he was ready to finish what he had threatened if he didn’t accept what he heard. The man seemed to know his life depended on what he said.

“Adam, I may be many things, but one thing I am not is disloyal. I would never harm you because you are the husband of my daughter and the father of my grandson. You trusted me enough to give me this job. Now, if we were not related and you had not hired me, I would do anything to ruin you because for a long time I hated you and do not like you much even now after all that has happened. But I did not do this. I will do anything you wish to help prove that and find who it is who has done these things to you and your family.”

Watching and listening as Adam’s father-in-law talked, Roy turned to Adam and his brothers who didn’t seem to know what to make of that declaration.

“Boys, I believe him. I was sheriff long enough to hear a lot of men say they was innocent when they was guilty as sin and others who was really truly innocent, and he sounds like one who ain’t done nothing wrong. If he’s lying, he’s one of the best I ever heard. Now, I know he’s been a political man, and those lie like it’s a requirement of getting elected. Most of all, you pay attention, and you hear how they got a downright slimy way of doing it that makes you think of a pig at the trough. He ain’t sounding like that right now. He’s sounding more like a man talking to the man who married his daughter. He could be telling the truth.”

“Adam, I think Roy’s right. I mean he’s got a lot to lose, and I don’t see as how he gains anything by doing these things. I think he’s right smart too, and he don’t seem the type to do the kind of stupid things that have been done. He knows enough about our operations now to know how to really hurt us. These things have been more of a nuisance than anything until what happened today. I can’t see that the things you think he holds against you would lead him to want to kill Pa.”

With a sigh, Adam backed away from his father-in-law and leaned on the desk in the freight office. Nodding in acceptance for the moment of Hoss’ statement, he looked to Joe who smiled and shrugged. It had all made sense to him as well. Adam still didn’t believe his father-in-law was completely innocent of any wrongdoing but could see no reason for him to want to kill Ben Cartwright. As he holstered his pistol, he motioned with his left hand down toward the guns the others held so they would put them away.

“I agree with you to a point. I’ve heard him lie. He isn’t the best at it. If he is lying, this was very good compared to his usual lies. If this one is a lie, he’s been working on it a long time. I’m sorry to sound so suspicious. But if it isn’t him, who’s doing this to us and who tried to kill Pa?”

Several bullets crashed through the windows of the freight office then causing all of them to dive for cover. Answers to all of those questions were going to have to wait. Adam and his brothers had gone to Roy who had come with them to question Cameron about the ambush of Ben Cartwright. Adam had been immediately concerned that his father-in-law was involved, but events here were stacking up against his theory. Cameron wasn’t fast enough in dropping to the floor and was wounded in his leg. Hoss grabbed one lamp to bring some light to where he lay on the floor as Joe and Roy reached up for the other two lamps to extinguish them.

“It’s not too bad, Adam, but he’s going to need a doctor soon to stop the bleeding. I guess if he was part of those against us, they wouldn’t have shot him.”

At that moment, Adam couldn’t argue with him, but there was something wrong with Joe’s theory even if they didn’t have time to analyze it at that moment. They needed to discuss their immediate problem.

“There’s a back door, but if they’re any good out there, they’ve got that covered.”

While Hoss took care of Cameron, Adam and Joe planned.

“Adam, how are we going to work this then?”

“With the front and back covered, there’s only one other way out. I’ll go out the freight door upstairs and over to the roof of the next building.”

“Why you?”

“Joe, in these dark clothes, they’re not likely to see me.”

In his light blue shirt, Joe knew he would show up like a flag, and Hoss was wearing a white shirt. Adam chuckled when he saw Joe look at Hoss, and Joe had to smile in return. The idea of Hoss swinging from the freight door and jumping to the next roof did make for a comical thought. Joe nodded. It was logical for Adam to go, but both of his brothers worried about that too. Roy offered an idea. Cameron grunted in pain, but that wasn’t going to stop them from planning their moves even as he struggled into a sitting position to hear the discussion. Roy gave him the courtesy to wait a moment before he offered his idea.

“I heard what you two boys said about Adam going out the freight door. What if there was a diversion when Adam was ready to go so they weren’t looking that way?”

“We’re listening.”

“Well, one of us, maybe me, will ask for terms out the front windows here and one of you open the back door at the same time. They’ll think the offer is a diversion for trying to get out the back door. No one is likely to look up at the freight door then no matter what noise or movement might take place. They wouldn’t likely have been covering that freight door anyway. But even if they hear a noise and think about it, they should all be yelling about an attempted escape out the back and start running there.”

“That’s good. You’re good at planning.”

“Hoss, I am a politician of sorts. I got to be re-elected to keep my job. Strategy is the name of the game.”

“Yes siree, Sheriff, I can tell that you learned a lot from that. Joe, can you handle things at the back door? I’ll stay with Cameron, and Roy can take care of yelling out the front here. Adam, you think this will work?”

“It better or you’ll be doctoring up two of us.”

It worked. Adam waited for the shouting, and he watched as two men rushed to the back of the building to help the one man there. They began firing a few shots into the warehouse section to stop the supposed escape which created the opportunity for Adam. Using the beam that held the pulley at the second-floor freight door, he swung out and then jumped across to the roof of the next building. He used that to cross one more building before climbing down. As expected, he saw Sheriff Clem coming warily down the street. Clem intercepted him and demanded he explain the situation.

“Some men ambushed us at our office. We have to move fast. They’ll know the shooting will bring you so they will likely rush the office. I’ll go after the ones in front if you take the ones in back. We can catch them all in a crossfire and hopefully get them to surrender. So far, they haven’t killed anyone.”

“All right, let’s go.”

Dressed a lot like Adam, Clem blended in nearly as well. Soon they were in position and Clem yelled to the men to drop their weapons. They didn’t, but Adam yelled from behind them on the other side, and then Joe and Roy yelled from inside. Outmaneuvered, the four men put up token resistance and then quit dropping their guns and standing with arms raised so they wouldn’t get shot.

“All right, we quit. We were hired to do this. It ain’t worth dying for.”

“Hurry, Clem, get them all inside.”

“What?”

Then a shot rang out killing one of the men and Clem understood why Adam had given that order. He told the men to run for the freight office. It was pandemonium until they made it inside and got it all sorted out. Clem turned to Adam who was staring out the window looking for any signs of an attack.

“Care to tell me what the hell is going on?”

“I saw a flash on top of the hotel. It was only luck that light reflected off what I assume was a rifle barrel. The only reason I could think was that someone was up there, and there wasn’t much reason to be up there except to watch what happened, and the only reason to watch what happened was to influence the results.”

“If the right people didn’t get shot, then do it from there.”

“You got it.”

Hoss and Joe were frustrated, but Roy caught on.

“If it went wrong, he was going to eliminate the witnesses who could identify him.”

“Yes, and now hopefully one or more of these men can do just that.”

Clem still wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was smart enough to observe and wait. Adam turned to the men who looked scared and prepared to fill out the story especially after they heard Adam’s theory. It made too much sense to them to ignore it.

“You know what he wants to do. We can stop him with your help. I think I can speak for all of us and say you could walk away easy from this if you help us. Tell us who hired you.”

“We don’t know his name.”

“Jake is right, Mister Cartwright, he never told us his name.”

“Yeah, Scotty is telling the truth, but I never did know a black man with so much money.”

From that point on, the three men told all that they knew. Taking turns, the story flowed out shocking the listeners with some parts of it but giving them a better idea of what they faced.

“He wore a double rig too like some fancy gunfighter.”

“Mostly he was a gambler though from what we knew.”

“We was to go to your ranch next and kidnap your wife. That’s what he said. Said he hates her and her father. He said wanted to shoot Chapman here, but he can’t do that right now. He said he was gonna take care of your wife first, and when he got hold of her, he was going to shave off her hair, strip her down, and give her a whipping for what she done to get him in trouble long ago. After all that, he said then he’d let her go.”

“Figured she would be so shamed that he would get the payback he wanted. He was still damn mad over what was done to him when he was a slave. That’s what he said.”

“I said I didn’t hold with what he wanted to do to a woman cause we don’t treat women like that out here, but he said she weren’t a real woman like we knew. He said she was, well words I don’t want to say and get you any madder at us, but he told us we weren’t gonna have to do none of that what he wanted to do to her.”

“Yeah, we only had to do this part and then help him get her at the ranch.”

“He thought we were living at the ranch?”

“Yeah, we came here with him from Laramie. He had this whole plan all drawn up about what he was going to do. Said he knew all about you and your family.”

“So he had old news. What was he planning to do about me?”

The men didn’t want to talk about that either.

“You need to tell us everything if you want the deal we’re offering.”

“All, right, like Ty said, he was real upset about what happened to him. He don’t like you none neither cause you helped them two. He figured if you or any of your family got killed, well, it was your own fault for helping them. That’s what he said.”

“Thank you, Jake. I think we got a pretty clear picture of what’s going on here. We may have more questions for you later.”

Looking at Cameron, Adam raised his hands. None of that information helped him, but he hoped perhaps his father-in-law might recognize the man by what had been said.

“It could be one of the slaves called Jefferson. He was the only one I ever had whipped. I only had him there a short time. He attacked a young woman on my land. I couldn’t have that and had him whipped for it. Then I sold him downriver.”

Looking back at the men, Adam asked if any of them had seen signs that their employer had been whipped. Other than moving stiffly and never bending over, they had not.

“We played poker one night on the way here. He had trouble reaching across the table and always had us push things over to him.”

“That stiffness fits with someone who was whipped. I know he was fond of gambling too. He hated my daughter because she was the one who told me about the attack. She found out about it from the women and told me. He would hate me more than any of the others from my farm. Eventually they were all freed, but he wasn’t. I sold him into a worse situation before the war started. He must have come back and found out where we had gone.”

“You’re seem to be getting more assured as you talk that it is him.”

“I am. I remember that look of hate in his eyes. He would never forget. He was a mean one. I don’t care what color one is. When somebody has that look of pure nasty in them, it shows.”

They all knew then what they were up against. Their foe was hiring people to undermine their businesses and to harm them. It was going to be difficult to smoke him out because he wasn’t going to come at any of them directly. They needed a plan. Roy and Adam looked at each other. They were the best planners in the group but didn’t know the man who was their foe. Adam was thinking mostly about the plans the man had for Gail and had a difficult time even imagining how a man could think of doing that to a woman. He didn’t like the idea at all, but Cameron did know the man so he was going to have to be included in the planning. Neither Adam nor Roy liked it for another reason which was they didn’t trust Cameron. However, neither of them could think of a way around that problem.

The first step was that Adam asked his brothers to head back to the ranch and let everyone know what had happened. Hoss had an amended version of that plan to offer.

“How about Joe rides back to the ranch, and I stay here at your house to watch over Gail and Pa and your boy? I’d feel better about that with two of us guarding them.”

“I would too, but I don’t feel right about Joe heading home alone.”

Clem solved that problem.

“After what happened here tonight, I’ll send a deputy with him. You can send a couple of volunteers back to help me out for a few days. How’s that for a trade?”

“That’s a good way to get started. Roy, you and I can start working on a plan with information from Cameron. The office here is sound enough that no one is going to storm the place if we pile freight up in front of the windows.”

Clem intervened in the discussion then.

“I was hoping Roy would help me escort the prisoners back to the jail.”

“We have a storage room without a window and a big lock on the door. Do you think they might be safer in there than trying to get them to the jail in the dark?”

“Why lock them up here?”

“So they stay alive?”

After a moment’s thought, Clem agreed. The three prisoners were locked in the storeroom with blankets, a couple of benches, an empty bucket, and jugs of water. It wasn’t the best of accommodations, but they would be safe until the next morning.

“You gonna come home tonight, Adam.”

Looking at Cameron, he got a finger pointed back at him that it was his decision.

“No, Hoss, please explain it all to Gail. I’ll keep her father as safe as I can. Clem is going to send a couple of deputies to make sure no one fires the building or my house.”

After thinking only a few moments though, the two brothers looked to Clem.

“Clem, you still having a hard time keeping deputies?”

“Sure am, Adam, with the low pay for the job, they don’t stay more than six months or so and I have to hire new ones.”

“Hire any lately?”

“I thought I just answered that.”

“What we’re trying to get at, Clem, is maybe with this man’s bankroll, he might have a deputy in his pocket. We’ll handle this another way.”

“What other way is there?”

A short time later, Clem found out. Hoss went into the Bucket of Blood saloon where a lot of unemployed cowboys hung out. He leaned over the bar and asked the bartender which men seemed like good men who just needed a job. He had four men pointed out to him sitting at a corner table sipping their beer.

“They only order one a night and take a long time drinking it. Not sure where they’re bedding down, but they don’t cause no trouble and help out when they can. I had them do some work a week ago after they did a few odd jobs for your brother Adam and he vouched for them as good workers. They were real nice to work with.”

Hoss walked over to the table with Clem and noted they were not at all nervous about being approached by the sheriff. Looking up with more curiosity than anything, they asked what Hoss wanted.

“You know my name?”

“We tried for a job with you about two weeks ago. You said you were full up. We been doing odd jobs waiting for jobs to open up here. If it don’t, we’ll head further south. Don’t want to though cause it’s nicer here.”

“I remember you now. You’re all brothers, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. We are. You got need of us now?”

“I sure do, and if it works out, you’re all gonna be working full time for us. You interested?”

The answer was that all four downed what was left of their beers and stood to follow wherever Hoss was going. As they passed the bar, Hoss dropped coins on it and asked for the plate of sandwiches he knew was behind the bar. He told the four to grab some. When they emptied the plate, he dropped more coins on the bar making the bartender smile. Heading outside, he took them to the freight office and they met Adam and the others. He left two there after explaining what they were to do. He took the other two to Adam’s house and left them outside. Then he went up to the door and knocked calling out his name softly to announce his arrival to those inside who were not expecting him. The door opened a crack, and then Candy welcomed him inside.

“What the hell is going on. Adam is late, and I just saw three men come up and go into the yard.”

Gail came rushing down the stairs when she heard Hoss’ voice.

“What’s happened?”

“Adam is all right.”

He knew better than to say fine.

“Your father is all right too, but somebody took some shots at them. Your father is wounded but all right. We got three of them locked up, and there are two men outside who are gonna help us keep watch tonight. Adam is staying at the office with your father and Roy. They’re gonna be planning and watching the prisoners who are locked in the storeroom there.”

“Why are they locked in our storeroom?”

“Ah, somebody shot one of them dead before we got them inside so Adam thought it would be better to question them there and lock them up rather than give our enemy another chance at them. We got live witnesses, and we’d like to keep them that way.”

Then Hoss proceeded to tell them the rest of the story leaving nothing out. Candy might quiz him if he thought anything had been omitted, but Gail would grill him without mercy. If she caught him in an omission, he knew he would pay a price with Adam too so he told her all that had happened. She wasn’t at all happy about Adam jumping over to the roof of the building next door.

“Did he jump to the next roof then too?”

“I don’t rightly know. He didn’t say. You’ll have to ask him then.”

“Hoss, you know he probably did. It’s a lower building with a porch so he could climb down more easily.”

“Well, dadburnit, you are right.”

She grinned at that though.

“He isn’t hurt at all?”

“No, but he’s mad as hell. He’s got that look that says whoever is doing this better be darn worried about what comes next.”

“I do know that look, but there must be something more than what you said happened to make him that angry. You need to tell me, Hoss because you know how he is. He won’t want to hurt me so he’ll keep it bottled up inside. You don’t want him to hang for murdering someone, do you?”

“No, I don’t, but I don’t know how to say this part. Maybe I can tell Candy, and he can help me tell you.”

Hoss told Candy what their enemy planned to do to Gail Chapman Cartwright. Candy looked at Hoss and shook his head.

“There’s no easy way around this one, Hoss. We gotta tell her and soon.”

In agreement with Candy, Hoss told her, but when he saw her reaction, he knew he had to do something else.

“How is Pa, and how is Aaron? How about we go see and figure out a plan to make sure they both stay safe too and you too.”

After they got Candy in a chair in Ben’s room without waking the wounded man, Hoss and Gail got Aaron and brought him into the master bedroom. Hoss carried his small bed down the hallway and set it up as Aaron watched. Then the sleepy child was tucked in. Hoss got a chair and positioned it outside the door.

“This way, I can sit here when you’re inside with Aaron and when you go in to check on Pa or when you go anywhere else in the house. I can keep a close watch on things from here.”

Gail appreciated how sensitive he was to everything and how he had distracted her from what he had told her. She kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll leave the door open, and you can sleep in the room across the hall. If we leave all the doors open, I think we’ll be all right.”

“Gail, you ain’t never heard me snore then.”

“All right, we’ll open the door to Ben’s room, and you and Candy can take turns staying awake. How about that?”

“That’s a much better plan.”

With grins all around, they all agreed to the plan.

 

Chapter 2

In the morning, Hoss invited the two men outside to come in for breakfast, and Candy stood outside to keep watch. They didn’t expect trouble in daylight, but one had to be prepared. All the trouble so far had been at night, but until they knew more, it was best not to make too many assumptions.

Inside, Hoss and Gail got to know the two newest employees of the Ponderosa. Aaron was fascinated by all the attention, but none of that mattered when his father came through the door. He had told Candy to come in with him. Hoss and Candy as well as Gail could see how worried Adam was. Gail served breakfast as Aaron sat on his father’s lap while Adam described getting the three witnesses to the jail in a freight wagon.

“Your brothers are at the jail as guards for now. They’ll be working indoors while you have the outdoor duties here, but you’ll be eating better. You can sleep in the guest room now too while they sleep in cots in the empty cells.”

“That sounds pretty darn good, Mister Cartwright. Can I ask you something though? What are we getting paid or is room and board all of it?”

“Two dollars a day for this. Is that acceptable?”

“For all four of us?”

“Each of you.”

“Damn. Oh, sorry, Missus Cartwright, didn’t mean to let that slip out in front of you and the boy. It’s just I ain’t never been paid that much.”

Hoss snapped his fingers.

“We never asked those men last night how much they were being paid.”

“I know. We asked them this morning. A dollar a day, expenses, and a hundred each when the mission, as their employer called it, was successful.”

“That’s not much.”

“No, it isn’t. At least it means he isn’t able to hire professional gunmen. He isn’t wealthy, and he probably needs a way to make more money to finance what he’s doing. We’re going to be watching for that too. ”

Clem got them some answers by the afternoon.

By noon, Joe was back in town with a couple of men from the ranch and some clothing for Hoss so he could stay longer. Joe and Candy planned to handle the ranch to let Adam and Hoss take care of things in town. Hoss walked outside with Joe and Candy before they rode out.

“How is he, Hoss? Hearing what that man wants to do to Gail must have bothered him.”

“Bothered him, yeah. Remember how he was when Gail was about to give birth to Aaron, and he was all snarly and nothing was right. Well, he’s about ten times worse now. Whoever this man is, he better not run into Adam when there ain’t nobody else around to stop our brother from tearing that man apart.”

Joe noticed that Candy was rather quiet.

“What are you thinking?”

“Not so much thinking as wondering. Hoss, do you think Adam knows those four brothers you hired?”

“I don’t think so. He didn’t say nothing about it to me.”

“No, but I could swear I heard one of them call him ‘Captain’ earlier.”

Hoss and Joe were quiet for a time then too thinking about the situation. Joe was the first to speak.

“Hoss, you know how suspicious he can be.”

“Yeah, he sure is usually.”

“Last night, he questioned Clem about his deputies, but you hire four men from the saloon, and he doesn’t ask one question about them. Isn’t that a bit odd?”

“Yeah, and they said he had them do some odd jobs and vouched for them at the saloon to get them more work. But he never said nothing about that to either of us. Something is going on here we don’t know about.”

Walking up behind them, Adam startled all three.

“And it would be best if you don’t talk about it and stop asking questions. I’ll talk to Hoss in the house. He can tell you two at some other time when it isn’t so public. Have a nice ride.”

Adam made it clear it was time for Joe and Candy to leave and turned to walk back into the house with Hoss following. Once inside, Adam directed Hoss to the kitchen where the two men were finishing coffee from their lunch. They guessed that Hoss knew something was up and asked if it was still all right to go get more sleep. Adam said he could handle things and they should rest. Once they were gone, Adam sat down and indicated to Hoss to do the same.

“Over a month ago, Gail noticed that we were having some problems with minor theft and accidents suddenly. It seemed we were having breakdowns more often too. Then we started having difficulties with pickups and deliveries as well as our correspondence. Someone was sabotaging our freight operation. There are always problems, but we were having too many. My first inclination was to suspect Gail’s father, especially because at first when he got here, he was pushing her to go back east to ‘civilization’.”

“He don’t say that no more, does he?”

“No, he doesn’t say it, but even after I gave him a job and helped him get a place to live, I didn’t trust him. Gail said he would be loyal to me because of what I had done for him. I find that difficult to believe, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find any evidence to show he was working against us. I did know I was going to need some help sooner or later to fight whomever it was. Then I got a letter from one of the men who had been in my company in the War. He said he and his brothers weren’t making a go of it on their old places, their parents had died, and they wondered if the offer of a job out here still held. I said yes.”

“But I turned them down when they came looking for work.”

“That was to make things look real. I knew there were no jobs on the ranch when I sent them out there to ask. They’ve been on my payroll since they got here. In town, they’ve been watching and trying to get the lay of the land. They’ve done a few odd jobs to get enough cash so no one will question how they pay for a few beers or food. If they could get any information on what was happening, the saloons were the best place to listen. No one would talk in front of us. But some down on their luck cowboys are different and hardly to be suspected. Next, I want to see if our enemy tries to hire one or more of them now that they’re working directly for us.”

“Gail knew?”

Before he heard that answer, Hoss heard it in his head.

“So when I said there were brothers outside protecting us last night, she knew who they were. You didn’t ask many questions of them at the freight office because you knew who they were too.”

“I figured out this morning that probably made you suspicious.”

Gail laughed.

“That’s funny. You’re suspicious because Adam wasn’t. I need to write this all down.”

“What if he doesn’t try to hire them or do anything else to let us know who he is?”

“We’re hoping Clem will get us some information to help with that.”

“We know he was in town last night. A black man in town had to get some notice. We need to track down as much information as we can. We’ll get him, Hoss.”

“I hope we do before he gets another one of us. I been thinking, Adam. I don’t think he meant to shoot Pa. You were supposed to be the one going to that meeting. Pa went in your place. Do you think he doesn’t know you that well that he might have mistaken Pa for you? Or maybe he asked somebody who Mister Cartwright was and they said it was Pa.”

Adam looked over at Gail who looked smug.

“I wish you hadn’t said that.”

“I told Adam the same thing. He didn’t want to accept it from me, but if you are thinking the same thing, then he has to be very careful.”

“She’s right, brother. You shouldn’t go anywhere without somebody watching out for you. He was gunning for you probably to make it easier to get to Gail and maybe to Cameron. I know you don’t like hearing that, but it’s going to make our job a whole lot harder if you go running around and get shot.”

“That would make things a lot harder for me too. Let’s not tell Pa that he was shot by accident. It would bother him in more ways than one.”

Gail was perplexed. Hoss understood what Adam meant though.

“First, he would get real worried about Adam and that ain’t good for his recovery. He’d likely try to do too much too soon. But he’d be upset to have been hit by accident. He likes to think of himself yet as the key to our whole business operation so of course he would think they would try to get him out of the way first. It would be upsetting to him that they might have been after Adam first. And it being an accident and all would make him upset that he’s suffering through all this for nothing. So you see, it’s best we don’t tell him all this.”

Gail shook her head and sighed.

“I’ve been saying for nearly a year that I need to write all of this down. I really do even if only for the next generation to understand what happened here with the four of you. He would rather be shot on purpose than by accident because he will feel more important if he was the target and it wasn’t Adam. Maybe I shouldn’t write this down. Somebody reading it might question if I’m feeble minded.”

That conversation abruptly ended when Clem came to the door. Finished with nursing Aaron, Gail took him to the parlor to play while Adam and Hoss talked with Clem in Adam’s office. Clem dropped a small stack of papers on Adam’s desk.

“No one had a reason to guess this might be the same man. Looking at them now, it seems it may be our man. It’s a series of small robberies and thefts within probably two hundred miles of here especially west and north of here. All of the locations are on stage routes.”

Guessing what Adam or Hoss would ask next, Clem kept going.

“I checked with the stage depot. No black man has arrived or departed recently by stage. He may be following the stage routes, but he’s not paying a fare and riding. He may have signed on as a shotgun guard for one run. That was only a week and a half ago. Then he was gone with no sign of any activity until yesterday.”

“Maybe he made a trip to Laramie and picked up his men?”

“That’s a plausible theory, Hoss.”

“It’s a what?”

“It’s a good idea of what he might have done.”

“Why didn’t you say so in the first place, Adam?”

Hoss chuckled then at their old game and even Clem had to smile. Adam was not in the mood for it though and got right back to business.

“How do we use this against him?”

Clem had an idea.

“If you or you and Gail decide to take a stage ride to say, Reno, he would likely know. He would probably ambush the stage to kill you and kidnap her.”

“And you think setting ourselves up for that is a good idea?”

“Adam, that youngest man you hired is small. In the early morning, he might pass for Gail if he was dressed appropriately and wearing a cape. Two more men could already be on the stage when you board. We could have a third hide in the boot. Outside of town, you could all get ready for what is to happen. We could even have a couple of men shadow the stage to wait for the ambush and catch them in a crossfire.”

“Now that sounds more like a plan I could follow.”

“Adam, instead of men shadowing the stage, how about you send out a freight wagon on a run following the same route as the stage. If anyone saw that, it wouldn’t be suspicious. Men watching up on the hillsides would be.”

“Hoss, that’s a good idea on the freight wagon. Who’s going to protect Gail while all this is happening?”

“I’ll get Cameron over here, and your father will soon be able to help out. I’ll be here with Hoss. That should be enough to protect Gail, don’t you think?”

Although Adam was uneasy, he agreed that the plan seemed like a good one. Clem went to make arrangements to get Cameron moved from the freight office to Adam’s home by the next morning. Joe was back by then with a couple of men, and Ben was briefed on what had happened. Hoss had to explain everything except the part about his father being shot by accident. Ben too thought the plan could work, but he was nervous about his son being set up as a target. He had another concern after observing the men Adam had hired.

“I know the three of you hear it often, but those four don’t look like brothers at all. Adam, are they actually brothers?”

A little irritated to be distracted by such a question, Adam’s answer was short.

“Yes, they’re brothers but not all to each other. They are from three sets of brothers in my company who made a pact to watch out for each other if anything happened to any of the others. Two are related by blood and the other two lost brothers in the War. Satisfy your curiosity?”

“It wasn’t curiosity that prompted the question although I could understand how you might see it that way.”

That got the attention of the others. Their father was wounded but not in any way that affected his reasoning or his abilities of observation. Hoss pushed for an answer.

“What have you seen, Pa?”

“One of the younger ones looks at Adam at times as if he isn’t too happy with him. He looks at him like he thinks Adam has done something wrong.”

“Which one?”

“I haven’t been formally introduced. Today, he was wearing a red bandana. It seemed odd considering the other clothing.”

“You know, I thought that was kinda funny too. Makes him kinda stand out from everyone else.”

Adam’s sense of tactics and strategy kicked in.

“So he wouldn’t be shot by accident in a fight perhaps.”

All of them were quiet for a time wondering if they had a turncoat in their midst and how they would have to deal with that. Adam decided that a direct approach would likely yield the best initial information.

“I don’t suspect the two brothers related by blood, Ken and Paul. I’ll talk to them first. The one wearing the red bandana is Michael. The fourth is Richard and he lost two brothers in the War. Both died of disease in the rear so I don’t know that it makes much sense for him to be that upset with me, but he could be. It’s hard to lose two brothers so he could harbor some resentment simply because I was his commander and didn’t do anything to make things better. Michael lost his brother in battle when I was in command. He’s the most likely to have a real grudge. It was the first time I was captured by the other side. I escaped within a few days and came back with information that was used to attack the Rebel lines and breach them sending the Rebels into retreat. That action accomplished what all the deaths in the main battle had not. I don’t think anyone in my unit had any idea how the command knew where to attack and when.”

“Weren’t you wounded in that fracas, Adam?”

“I was, but we didn’t go into battle for more than a month after that so my company wouldn’t likely have known I was recovering. I spent a lot of time in my tent, but that wasn’t unusual for an officer getting briefings and meeting with men.”

“Were you with your company after that?”

“Hoss, I was with them only briefly then until we got into that next battle over a month later. I was captured again when I was hit on the head in battle and knocked unconscious. I was in a prisoner exchange that time. Our side had gotten hold of one of their officers that they wanted back so much they traded a large contingent of us. In the week I was held, I had seen a lot while being moved around and had a lot to share when I got back. It was then that my assignment changed.”

“Adam, wouldn’t you say it was rather strange that you got hit on the head and knocked unconscious in a battle? I would think getting shot would be a lot more likely.”

“Joe, I thought about that at that time and agree with you. One of their men must have gotten close somehow and clubbed me probably with his rifle butt.”

Joe continued his inquiry and the others were now beginning to suspect they understood the reasons behind the questions.

“At the time of this battle, were Richard’s brothers dead or Michael’s?”

“Michael’s brother died in that previous battle. I thought I already said that. And no, Richard’s brothers were still alive as far as I know. Most of the camp diseases occurred as the camps were moved and proper sanitation was not implemented.”

Then Adam knew as did all the others. Michael could have been the one to attack him in battle when given an opportunity, and now he had another chance and perhaps was taking it. At least, that was the theory that made the most sense. However, there was only that theory and no evidence so there was still a need to talk with the man or perhaps with Ken and Paul first. Adam asked Clem about the two brothers.

“Where are Ken and Paul now?”

“They just had something to eat down at the jail and are probably sleeping.”

“I’ll go down and talk with them.”

“Not alone you ain’t and not without some camouflage. We still got a man gunning for you as far as we know. I think if we use the carriage and have a few men go with you, it’s unlikely anyone will try to ambush you. The risk would be too great.”

“All right. The carriage is right out front. Let’s go.”

Ready to confront Michael and get to the truth, Adam was surprised to see Michael standing by the carriage especially when he turned and waved to Adam saying he wanted to talk with him. It wasn’t the kind of behavior they expected.

Chapter 3

Adam walked out of the house with Clem and Hoss to see Michael standing by the carriage. All three men were a bit nervous about that, but Michael’s desire to talk with Adam was puzzling. What he said added to the confusion.

“Adam, could I talk with you. I think maybe I know someone who is working with the other side against us.”

The way he said it and the pronouns he used were disarming. Adam walked toward him wondering what he would say. He had two men covering his back so he wasn’t too worried. As he neared the younger man, shots rang out though and Michael fell forward with blood soaking the back of his shirt. Adam grabbed him and pulled him to the cover of the carriage as Clem and Hoss went for cover and looked for the source of the shots. They saw nothing. More help came from the house and spread out looking for the assailant as Adam sat with Michael.

“Adam, I think I know who did this.”

“Michael, don’t talk. Try to lay still until we get a doctor.”

“Adam, I don’t know if a doctor will help me and I need to tell you this. I think Paul might be helping the man who wants to hurt you and your wife.”

“Paul?”

“This morning he told me to wear this red bandana so that if gunfire started up, he wouldn’t shoot me by accident.”

“But Paul was at the jail.”

“He said he couldn’t sleep and left when Ken was sleeping. He said he wanted to see how me and Richard were doing.”

By then, Hoss and the others were back. They had found no one except for Richard’s body. They didn’t want to say anything in front of Michael. They lifted him and carried him into the house to wait for the doctor. Walking into his father’s room, Adam sat down heavily in a chair.

“Pa, I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

“I think that’s part of the strategy. Confuse us so much we can’t come up with a way of defending ourselves.”

Clem had gone to the jail to question Paul and sent word back with one of the Ponderosa men that there was more bad news. Paul had overcome a deputy and broken the three prisoners out of jail.

“What about Ken?”

“Adam, apparently he went with them. At his point, nobody knows if he went willingly or if he was forced. The deputy was knocked out cold and can’t say much about what happened.”

Now there were six men to track down, and murder was the charge. First, though they had to get Ben, Gail, Aaron, Cameron, and Michael out to the Ponderosa and relative safety. Adam asked that Roy accompany them as much for his own safety as to help protect them. Roy wasn’t fooled a bit but wanted to help too. Roy and Joe took over the defense of the Ponderosa while Adam and Hoss got ready to track those that they were hunting.

“I will never forgive you if you get shot again.”

“Gail, I will do my best not to get shot. Now you stay in the house with Aaron and make it easy on Joe and Roy as they defend you and the others.”

“I would like to do some target practice.”

“The best weapon for you to use in this circumstance is a scatter gun. Joe can get you set up to use one. Hop Sing will have one in the kitchen, and there should probably be a few around the house that are easy to reach.”

“You think there will be an assault on the house?”

“No, but this man is unpredictable so being prepared for the unlikely is wise. Remind Joe and Roy of that if they forget.”

Gail kissed him goodbye, and he headed out to join the men who would hunt down the fugitives. Neither Adam nor Hoss rode their usual horses, and both wore clothing they had borrowed. From a distance, neither would be easy to identify in a group of men. Adam joked to Candy that he might want to wear something other than his black hat and red shirt too. He thought about that only briefly and came out wearing brown giving the group at least a little to chuckle about.

The five they hunted were not skilled in eluding pursuit, and the hunt was rapidly closing in on them when the group split. Three went one way and two another. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what had happened. Hoss took part of the posse to hunt the three escaped prisoners, and Adam and Candy took two men to go with them after the two brothers. A day later, Hoss noted that there seemed to be another rider following the three men. That rider was behind them but ahead of the posse.

“We better hurry. I got a bad feeling about this.”

A day later, they heard gunfire up ahead of them. Racing to the scene, they found three bodies. Three witnesses would not be testifying. They had their statements, but that was all. Hoss and the others hoped that Adam, Candy, and the two others were close or had already found the two brothers. If not, Ken and Paul were likely to meet this same fate.

Even going cross country through unfamiliar terrain, the two brothers got to Placerville before the pursuit caught up. It was close so Adam and the others were able to ask around and get tips as to where they went. They found them in a bathhouse. Neither had been smart enough to wait to defend the other. Both were in the baths and their weapons were hanging on the wall with their clothing. Adam stepped into the room with his pistol drawn and two men backing him up.

“You should be happy we found you first.”

The two men were shocked. They had not expected to be found or certainly not so quickly, but they had greatly underestimated Adam. They had taken him for a rich and privileged man but had no understanding of how he had gotten both his wealth and his advantages.

“I grew up out here. It was easy to track you and catch up even with the head-start you had. Now, we’ll take you back, and if you’re lucky, you won’t be shot dead on the way.”

“Captain, I had to go with Paul. He’s my brother. When I realized what he was mixed up in, I had to get him out of there. At the first chance, we split up from those men.”

“You think that excuses anything.”

“He’s my little brother. He’s all the family I have left.”

“I understand that.”

“Do you? You’ve had it so easy. You had things so cozy even during the War, and then you got out early, and you got to come home to your family and your big ranch. We went home and we found things were a mess. We had almost nothing, and it got worse from there. With our other brother dead and our parents gone, we didn’t know what to do. We had Michael and Richard too. It was hard. You wouldn’t understand that. Paul was hurting and all he could think about was how you had left us to rot in that stinking war while you moved on without a thought about us. Then you needed us and you call us to come help you, but where was the help when we needed it?”
“I didn’t know you had another brother.”

“He died before you took over. It was why we made a pact with Richard and Michael and their brothers. I didn’t want to have to worry so much about Paul if something happened to me.”

“You had it so easy. We faced dying every day and getting sick which could have killed us too. You would sit in your tent and rest and relax while we were dying out there.”

“The only time I spent confined to a tent was when I was recuperating from being wounded.”

Candy nudged Adam and reached for his pistol as he talked to him.

“Take off your shirt and show them. They won’t believe you otherwise. We need them to testify, and this may be the start of turning them.”

Although Adam didn’t want to do it, the other two men agreed with Candy. Ken and Paul wondered what they were discussing until Adam opened his shirt and took it off. The scars on his torso were ugly, but when he turned around and showed his back, they audibly gasped at the horrific scar there. Adam turned back toward them and pulled his shirt back on and tucked it in before saying anything.

“My so-called easy way out was to be shot and nearly die after being shot twice before that. I was in a hospital and you know what that usually meant. My brother got me out by having me declared dead. I looked it. No one at the hospital even questioned the death certificate. They expected me to die. Joe and Gail took me in a wagon and transported me back here. I couldn’t ride. I could barely walk as needed. I had malaria too. It took months to recover. By the time I was able to walk normally, the War was over. It was much longer than that before I would have been fit for service. That was me taking it easy. The old smaller scars you saw are from growing up out here and fighting to build our ranch and protect it. If I have wealth and benefits, I worked for them. I didn’t have anyone give them to me. I found you because I have skills you don’t have. I was given command of that company because of the skills and education I had. Then I spied on the enemy by being captured and escaping until they figured it out and tried to kill me. If you tell anyone that, there are those yet who may try to kill me for it.”

Ken had been shocked to see the scars and then more shocked to know the reasons for them. So many assumptions he and his brother had made were wrong.

“Why are you telling us then? You don’t hardly have a reason to want us to know far as I can tell after what we did.”

“I told you so you know that I want you to work with us, to trust us. Your lives depend on that.”

“What?”

“He shot Michael so he wouldn’t talk to us, and he murdered Richard.”

“Richard is dead?”

It was the first thing that Paul had said since his tirade against Adam. He was shaken. All his beliefs were shattered and he had lost a friend. His life was in danger and he had put his brother in danger too. He looked to Ken and then to Adam.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re going to need to do a lot more than that.”

“How was he killed?”

“He was shot while he was protecting my home. Michael was shot too, but we managed to save him. He’s on the Ponderosa now protected with my father and my father-in-law as well as my wife and son.”

“So you think he would get rid of us too if he could.”

“My guess is the only reason you’re alive is he probably went after the other three first. If Hoss and the others don’t get to them before he does, they likely don’t stand a chance. We need to get out of here and head back to the Ponderosa before Jefferson finds us.”

Paul was confused.

“Who’s Jefferson?”

“Isn’t he the man who paid you to do what you did?”

“Nobody paid me. I did what I did because I wanted to do it. I volunteered to help, but the man who wanted it done was a man by the name of Stafford.”

“A white man or a black man?”

“He was white, but he had a black man with him. It was weird because the black man’s name was Stafford too.”

“Was the white Stafford’s first name Clay?”

“I don’t know. He had us call him Mister Stafford which is what the black one called him.”

“Did the black Stafford have a first name?”

“I don’t remember if he did or not.”

“Odd that they have the same name.”

“The black Stafford said they met in a poker game and found that out.”

“Oh, that makes some sense. It might have been what got them talking, and they realized they had a connection.”

“You and your wife?”

No one needed to answer that. It was becoming fairly obvious finally what was going on. Candy knew enough from talking with Joe to understand Clay’s role in this and from Cameron and Gail, he knew enough of what Jefferson or the black Stafford wanted. He didn’t need Adam to explain why Jefferson had a new name. Adam explained anyway for the other men with them.

“When Jefferson was sold, he got a new name. It likely was Stafford or he gave up his slave name at the end of the War and took a name of his choosing. It was a coincidence that it matched my little brother’s half-brother. Both are gamblers so their meeting at a poker table makes sense. Clay likely would air his grievances at me for not allowing him access to the family money. The other Stafford wants revenge on Gail who married me and on her father, and again, I stand in his way.”

“So Hoss was right, and your father being shot was because they expected you to go to that meeting.”

“Are you trying to make me feel worse than I do?”

The words were serious, but the smirk showed Adam meant no harm by his words. Instead, he looked at the two brothers they needed to get back to the Ponderosa.

“I suppose your horses are in the livery stable?”

The brothers nodded.

“And you got a room and dropped off some of your gear at the hotel before you came here?”

They nodded again.

“Candy, we need a plan.”

For the next few minutes, Adam and Candy thought and then talked and then planned. Adam handed some cash to Candy who took one of the men and left. Ken asked what he was doing.

“He’s going to the hotel to pay for your room for a few days. He’ll set the beds up so it looks like there’s a man sleeping in each one. Then he’s going to the livery stable to buy two horses and saddles as cheaply as he can. He’ll have them behind this building in an hour or so. The man with him is going to buy you some clothing so you don’t look like yourselves. You are not going to complain about any of it.”

“Why not? I paid a lot of money for that rifle I left in our hotel room.”

“Because it’s a fair trade.”

“What?”

Paul needed his brother to intervene to explain it to him because Adam was at the edge of his patience.

“Paul, he’s telling you that they’re doing this to save our lives. What’s more important to you, your rifle or your life?”

“You mean he’s trying to save his life.”

“The Captain got all the information he needed from us. Now he’s doing this to help us. All you need to do now is to shut up and dry off so you can put on the clothes his man brings in for us.”

The ruse worked well. The next day, multiple shots were fired into pillows on beds in a room in the hotel. Adam and his group were on the way back to the Ponderosa. The two Stafford men had no way of knowing what had happened when they saw the feathers fly. They didn’t have time to check if the men were dead because the law was tough in the town, The two men they were seeking had not been seen leaving town. Their horses and saddles were in the livery stable, and their other gear was in this hotel room. The hotel clerk had been well paid to send the appropriate information to Adam when all the smoke cleared and there was no more danger. He had been promised more for the information and for staying quiet about what he did. He knew Adam Cartwright by reputation and the rest of the Cartwrights in person. He wasn’t about to go against them. He did as he agreed to do, and Adam had all that information about what had happened by the time he got back to the Ponderosa.

Hoss was already back and told Adam and Candy the bad news about the three he had been following. It shook Ken and Paul further to hear the worst possibilities confirmed. They had to meet with Michael to apologize and that did not go well. But the most difficult news to share was what Adam had to tell Joe. He didn’t want to do it, but Candy told him that delaying it wouldn’t help.

“Well, what is it you two don’t want to tell me? It can’t be that I lost a family member or great friend because you’re all here.”

When Joe saw the look that Adam and Candy shared before they turned to him, he had a sudden premonition about what they were going to tell him.

“Clay? Is Clay dead?”

“No, Joe, Clay isn’t dead. But I’m afraid that the news I have may hit you worse than if I had to tell you he was.”

Adam paused with the pain of what he had to say. Candy knew Adam had to be the one to tell Joe so he held back even though he wanted to help out.

“Clay’s the one who tried to kill Pa or arranged it. Unfortunately, he meant to kill me and Pa was the target by mistake. This whole plot is by two men named Stafford. One born to the name and the other is Jefferson who got the name later. They’re working together against us. Their reasons are different but their goals are the same or similar enough that they can work together.”

Ben was shocked and a bit affronted. Joe was quiet and probably in shock by what Adam said.

“They shot me by mistake?”

“Yes, Pa, the plan was to kill me. It suited both of their purposes.”

“Would you spell that out for me, Adam? Why would Clay want you dead? How could that help him?”

Looking to Ben for permission, Adam got it with a nod of his head. Taking a deep breath, he turned to his younger brother.

“Joe, when Clay was here, he talked to Pa about me. I had mentioned that I might leave one day. He heard about that and asked Pa if that meant that he might be considered as an heir to take my place. Pa said no. He said that he had three sons, and all three would inherit regardless of where they were. He told Clay he would be like family and the Ponderosa would be a home if he wanted it to be, but Pa also told him he would not inherit it. That was shortly before Clay left.”

“Pa, why didn’t you tell me this?”

“Joe, he was gone. Why would I tell you?”

“You were protecting me. I understand that, but I don’t like it. I want to be treated as a man. I want to know the truth. Adam told me. Candy told him to tell me. They trust me to be able to handle the truth.”

“I do too, now. I’m sorry I didn’t then. Adam thought I should tell you.”

“He knew then?”

Joe knew that answer without hearing it.

“So you think Clay wants Adam dead so that he might have a chance to inherit the Ponderosa? But what about Hoss? What about me?” After a pause, he continued. “Oh, you think he’s not worried about us. He thinks he can get around us.”

“Joe, he doesn’t know you now. He remembers the emotional kid you were. And he never did understand Hoss.”

Somewhat mollified by Adam’s explanation and needing time to think about all of it, Joe decided they needed to get back to the immediate issues. He steered the conversation in that direction. The others understood.

 

Chapter 4

Focusing on what needed to be done, Joe’s questions were on point.

“So what do we do? Do we try our original plan?”

Gail spoke up when the men were quiet.

“No. It might have worked when we thought it was Jefferson as our only foe, but Clay would recognize any of you even in disguise. Jefferson would know I wasn’t there because he could see a man in disguise trying to appear to be me. They know us too well. They would know it was a trick, and therefore that their true targets were probably here. We would likely be attacked while those best suited to protecting us were off being decoys and failing miserably at it as a result.”

It was bold and scathing, but what they all knew too was that it was correct. A plan to deceive with disguises wasn’t going to work with two men who knew all of them so well. The bigger question still loomed. They didn’t have a plan as to what to do next. Most eyes strayed to Adam and to Ben. In the past, they had been the ones most likely to formulate a plan. This was far more complex, and a plan was going to take time and probably require some collaboration. They did need a starting point though.

“Do we still have a suspicion that they may have a man here on the ranch?”

There was general agreement with Adam’s question.

“But we have only a slight suspicion as to whom it is?”

Again the others concurred.

“We need to identify that man and then make him think he was partly successful in what he was sent to do. He should go to his boss then for further instructions. We will follow him.”

“But Adam, his plan is most likely to kill you, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, Hoss.”

Gail was aghast.

“What the hell kind of plan are you thinking of doing?”

“Don’t get too upset. We’ll keep those they have targeted in the house. We won’t be seen for days. Then I will make a couple of short forays out to get firewood for example. That should draw his fire. I’ll fall as if I’m dead. The others will be waiting for that and follow him.”

“You’re crazy. You want to let him shoot at you and assume he will miss so you can play dead?”

“No, not that. Pa, do you still have those metal plates we were going to use to create some blades for the saw mill?”

Getting the idea of how Adam wanted to use them, Ben smiled.

“Yes, I do. I never gave up on that idea. But I heartily approve of this new use.”

“What new use?”

“Hoss, I’m going to put one under my shirt. I will only expose my front. No bullet will penetrate that steel. I may get quite a shock from the impact, and it likely will knock me down.”

“But all you’re likely to get is one big ole bruise.”

Even if the men seemed to approve, Gail didn’t like it.

“Very smart, husband of mine, but what if he’s a bad shot and hits you someplace else?”

“Ah, that’s the risky part of the plan. We have to hope he hired a good shot.”

“Are we sure he’ll be in position to take a shot?”

“Hoss, if he’s a professional, he will be.”

“I have a question for you, son. Do we have to follow him? My guess is that Clay is likely to show up for your funeral or shortly thereafter.”

“That’s a good point, Pa. They would probably plan to have him carry out Jefferson’s part of the plan from the inside then. He helps get Gail and Aaron for Jefferson which completes my removal from your will opening a spot for him.”

“He’s a devil not my brother.”

Joe was thoroughly disgusted by what he had finally come to understand about Clay. The thought had formed that they shared a mother but nothing else.

Though the others all commiserated with Joe, they had to stick to planning at that point.

“So what we need to do when he takes a shot at Adam is to act as if the shot was fatal or nearly so. We will act as if Adam is dying and then when we announce he has passed, we will plan a funeral. Everyone will have to act appropriately until Clay arrives. We won’t take any more chances when he arrives.”

“I agree with Pa there. He’s been too devious so far. Adam, no matter how well we plan, we may not be able to protect you and Gail and Aaron if he’s in the house. Once he’s here, we have to arrest him.”

“Joe makes some good points. I think he and Pa made a good plan there, Adam.”

“Hoss, I think you’re right.”

“But no one is thinking about what I said?”

“I’m thinking about it, sweetheart. Actually, I’m trying not to think about it. There are risks in any plan. I can only hope that he is a good shot. The reason I think he will be is that the two seem to be hiring veterans of the War. If he wants someone to shoot me, I think he would have hired a sniper who served. They were very good.”

Seeing how that did not satisfy his wife, Adam took her by the arm.

“Let’s go to our room and talk.”

Some thought they would talk. Some smirked and thought they would do something else. They were all wrong. When they got to their room, Adam wrapped his arms around his wife and held her as she cried.

About a week later, a hand witnessed considerable tears as the family prepared to go in a procession to the lake. There was a large coffin in the back of a wagon driven by Hoss and Joe. Ben had the carriage and was trying to get a crying Gail into the front seat with him. He whispered to her. Anyone seeing them would think he was consoling her.

“Try to hold it together for a short time. Candy will stay with Aaron. He will be fine. Hop Sing is here to help too. Doctor Martin’s assistant volunteered to help because she wasn’t sure those two men were fully capable of taking care of your son.”

“I know. I know. I’ll do my best, but I don’t want to be gone from him too long.”

“I understand. We’ll make this quick and be back as quickly as we can.”

The hand thought some of the stories about the oldest son not being as well-loved as the other sons might be true. Based on how his boss was talking, the funeral was going to take longer than they needed to get him in the ground. As soon as the procession was gone, he saddled his horse and headed to town to speak with his employers. They were quite interested in what he had heard.

“So she was crying, and they were real tears not acting?”

“They sure were. She was bawling a lot and had to be helped into the carriage. Mister Cartwright said he’d get her back home to her son as soon as he could.”

“So he really is dead. You did hit him like you said.”

“I told you the first shot spun him around and then I got him again and he dropped and didn’t move. They all came rushing out looking for a shooter, but I stayed in that tree until dark. It’s what I did in the War and nobody ever caught me then either.”

“So they have no idea you were the shooter and no idea you’re working for us?”

“None at all. They treat me the same as all the other hands.”

“But you didn’t go to the funeral and rode to town instead. That could raise suspicion.”

“It’s what you told me to do.”

As Clay had been talking to the man, Jefferson had gotten behind him. He slipped a cord around the man’s neck and pulled it tight so there would be no sound. It was a loose end they needed to eliminate. When Clay went to the ranch, they couldn’t risk this man showing any form of recognition. And if there was any suspicion of him in the things that had been happening, his disappearance would only confirm it. They would never find him, of course. Jefferson had already picked out a perfect place to dispose of the body. There was a crevasse that was deep enough that he believed no one would spot a body dumped into it. Within an hour, the plan was that this employee of theirs would be gone forever. They would then be the only two left. Clay would move into the ranch house and find a way to get Gail and Aaron alone so he could deliver them to Jefferson. What happened to them then was of no concern to him. Jefferson was on his own in getting rid of Cameron, but he wasn’t worried about that task. They were smiling as they saw the final stages of their plan falling into place.

At the lake, it was a gut-wrenching and heart-rending experience to see that coffin lowered into a hole and dirt shoveled in on top of it. It had been far too close to being the real thing, and they all knew it. The first shot from the sniper had hit Adam but had spun him around to hit the wall behind the stack of firewood instead of knocking him down. Momentarily stunned, he was a perfect still target for a second shot which took him in the side breaking ribs and puncturing his lung. Doctor Martin had been summoned, and after hours of surgery, he had declared the surgery a success but then issued a warning.

“All too often, a surgery is a success, but the patient does not survive. I have to be blunt with you because Adam has lost a great amount of blood and of course, suffered a great shock and is still in great pain when he wakes. His system may not recover. Now he has been through this once before in the War. He has shown he can survive those conditions. We have to pray he can do it again.”

Gail spent as much time by his side as she could. She still had to be with Aaron so Ben as well as Hoss and Joe sat with Adam too. It took two days for him to regain consciousness, and then they wished he had not. He groaned in pain with nearly every breath. Just the act of breathing was a terrible strain for him. They prayed he would not develop an infection or pneumonia knowing that would likely be too much. On the day of his fake funeral, they still did not know if he would survive.

The family knew they would not be able to hide any of this from Clay when he showed up which they expected would be soon. Clem and Roy had deputies watching for him and had located a cabin they thought Clay and his partner were using. They kept watch there and were rewarded when a deputy was there as both arrived and then a hand from the Ponderosa rode up and entered the cabin too. When Clay left going one way and Jefferson went another way with a body slung over the back of a saddle horse, the deputy wasn’t sure who to follow. However, from what he had been told, Clay was probably going to the Ponderosa because he was expected.

The deputy followed Jefferson and watched him dump the body and then lead the extra horse away. Waiting until he was sure Jefferson was far enough away not to see him, the deputy began the arduous task of retrieving the body. Then he had to make a travois to drag the body of the murdered man back to town. It was nearly dark by the time he got there. He stopped at the undertaker’s office with the body and then went to make his report. Clem went with him to see the body and to see the obvious signs of a murder. Doctor Martin was summoned to do an exam and make an official report. Plans were made to arrest Jefferson in the morning.

“Deputy, get some sleep. You can lead us to this cabin in the morning. He’ll probably go back there and wait for Clay Stafford to do his part of the plan. That’s where we’ll take Jefferson. He has no reason to suspect we know he’s there or that we have any evidence against him.”

The next morning, Clem and his deputies stormed the cabin and surprised Jefferson.

“What are you doing? I ain’t broke no laws.”

“You’ve broken plenty of laws, but there’s one we can prove.”

With a smirk, Jefferson stared at Clem and the deputies who held guns on him.

“You got no evidence on me. I don’t leave evidence of anything I do.”

“You left a body yesterday. We have it. You’re being charged with murder.”

“But you can’t. How could you?”

“As sheriff, I can make a lot of mistakes and still do my job. But a criminal like you only needs to make one mistake to fail. You made a mistake yesterday. You picked a good place to get rid of the body, but you failed to check for witnesses, and now you’re going to hang for your crimes.”

“I ain’t gonna hang.”

Jefferson rushed toward Clem, but they had been ready for that. It was the west. Men knew how to throw ropes. Jefferson had seen a couple of men holding ropes but had not realized the significance of that. He had intended to escape or be shot to death trying to escape. Instead, he was lassoed and tied down like a calf at a roundup. Soon he was on his way to jail and his inevitable conviction with an ensuing trip to the gallows in Carson City.

Clay had gone to town to get cleaned up for his arrival on the Ponderosa. He had a bath and a shave, and he got some new clothing to replace those he had been wearing. He wanted to make a good impression on Ben and to show respect for the late Adam Cartwright even if he felt none. After a good night’s sleep, he left early in the morning but never saw Clem leave with the deputies. They were gone long before he left and Clay was gone before Jefferson was brought in and jailed. Clem informed Roy of their success, and Roy was on the road about an hour behind Clay. The Cartwrights did not know when Clay would arrive but expected it would be that morning after being informed of the events of the previous day.

“Pa, we can’t play along with Clay at all. It’s too dangerous for Gail and Aaron. Besides, it won’t take but a minute or two, and he’ll know Adam is alive.”

“Hoss is right. We should arrest him as soon as we see him.”

“Joe, why don’t you let the men know. There’s no reason to let him freely walk into the house because he might make trouble.”

About an hour later, Candy brought Clay into the house. Clay’s hands were bound behind his back and secured with a rope around his middle, and he had been disarmed.

“Hey, Joe, why don’t you tell these idiots who I am.”

“Clay, they know exactly who you are. That’s why they trussed you up so well.”

“What? Has someone been telling you lies about me?”

“No lies, Clay, just the truth.”

“Joe, you got this all wrong. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“What about Adam? What about my Pa? How about my sister and my nephew?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Clay, you might be smarter than me. Maybe you’re even smarter than Pa. But I do know that you’re not smarter than all of us. We know what you were planning and we know what you did. Lying won’t help you anymore.”

“But I’m not lying.”

Ken and Paul had ben guarding the back door and walked into the room when they realized Clay was in custody. Clay was shocked.

“Yes, you’re lying.”

“You can’t be alive. We shot you in Placerville.”

It was Ben’s turn to smirk.

“Hoss and Joe, I think we got an admission of attempted murder there. That will be a good charge to start with.”

From the landing upstairs, Gail stepped to the railing and had a request.

“Aaron is calling for me. Could one of you sit with Adam for a while?”

Clay was shocked even more by that.

“Adam is alive?”

“Yes, the assassin you hired was better than we expected but not good enough.”

“How could he be alive if he was shot twice?”

“Clay, it is only because there are witnesses here that I don’t kill you with my bare hands right now, and I won’t let Hoss do it either. But Candy, you better get him out of here and take him to jail before I lose the little self-control I have when I look at him.”

Hoss had more to say too even as he reached the top of the stairs.

“Pa, ain’t that more evidence against him that he knew Adam was shot twice. We knew it here and Doc knew it, but nobody else did except the man who shot Adam. So for Clay to know, he had to talk to the shooter.”

“Candy, you really better get him out of here or I’ll help Pa tear him limb from limb.”

About that time, Roy walked in and saw how furious Ben and his sons were.

“I guess this would be a good time to tell you the news. The other one is in jail charged with murder. Clem took him this morning. The body of the man they murdered is at the undertaker’s. We got multiple charges, but all we need is that one. They’re going to hang.”

“I didn’t kill that man. Jefferson killed him. He strangled him. I was only talking with him when Jefferson came up behind him and killed him.”

“So you distracted him so your partner could sneak up on him and strangle him?”

“No, that wasn’t it at all.”

“That’s our story for the jury, and considering what else you have done, who do you think they’ll believe?”

“Joe, you’re my brother. Can’t you help me?”

“You tried to kill my brother. You are not any brother of mine. Please take him away, Candy. I can’t stand to look at him anymore.”

Ben had one more comment.

“You might find a way to convince the jury you didn’t have anything to do with that murder. They might send you to prison instead, but if Adam doesn’t fully recover, expect that I will do everything in my power to see you get the worst punishment the law provides. Life in prison in solitary confinement could be worse than the gallows.”

“We’ll see.”

With his last comment, Clay turned, and Candy escorted him from the house to take him to town and jail.

 

Chapter 5

As Candy left with Clay, Joe looked at his father who had the same worried look as his son. They accepted when Ken and Paul offered to ride with Candy. Then it was the two of them.

“Pa, did Clay seem too confident to you?”

“Yes, he did. It seemed he thinks he has an ace in the hole.”

“Remember we thought at one time one of the deputies might be on their payroll. Maybe there still is someone there who is helping.”

“Maybe there is, but how could they pay him, and why would he trust them after they killed or tried to kill others who helped them?”

“I don’t know, but we need to be ready for something to happen. We need to talk with Clem and probably with Roy too.”

“Joe, you’re right that we need to talk with Clem and Roy. Most of all, we need to let Roy know. No one would overhear that conversation, and at this point, we have no idea who to trust.”

“Pa, or more importantly who to suspect.”

“That’s another good point. When they’re gone, why don’t you ride in and talk with Roy? Tell him what we know and what we suspect. He can tell you what he thinks.”

Both knew that Roy could come up with a strategy quickly. He had the ability to outsmart criminals because he had never been faster or stronger than most. Therefore he relied on intelligence and all that he had learned in decades of dealing with criminals to know what kinds of mistakes they might make and setting up situations in which they might make them. Joe gave him the building blocks and Roy agreed that there was reason to worry. He and Joe came up with a plan and put it all together quickly.

Late that night, two men were tossed into cells next to those confining Jefferson and Clay. Both men smelled bad and had bloodied knuckles and faces. They were being well compensated by the Cartwrights for playing the role of disorderly drunks so they could listen for any conversations and report back to Clem anything they overheard. Both men played their roles well and fell onto bunks and appeared to be asleep as a result of their alcohol consumption and the activities that got them arrested. When the night deputy came in and talked with the two Stafford men in low tones, they heard enough.

“How do I know you’ll pay me and won’t kill me?”

“You can go get your pay before you help us. You can drop the key and the pistols in the window and leave town. That should be safety enough for you.”

“Where’s the money?”

“It’s more a question of who has the money. By now, he should be back in his place in town. These are the directions and this is the address.”

The men didn’t hear everything, but they heard enough. Released the next morning, they made their report and got their rewards with a caution to go home and rest up for a couple of days before spending any of it. Both agreed knowing how happy their wives would be to see the windfall they had.

With all the drama in town, the Cartwrights had some of their own on the ranch. Adam showed a remarkable turn for the better as his lungs cleared of fluid. Gail cried the morning when she woke to see Adam looking at her. Although he was still coughing, it was productive and helped him clear out his lungs. It was a relief to see that his face was no longer contorted with pain. Once more able to speak, his voice was soft but hoarse.

“Good morning, sweetheart. I guess you were right. My planning wasn’t very good.”

“No, it wasn’t. Next time there is a problem, I get to have more say in what you do and no more taking chances like that.”

“All right.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“Thank you. I know you keep your promises so I can relax a little about that. I was so terrified when I saw them bring you in. It seemed there was blood everywhere. I never want to see that again. Now, would you like some breakfast?”

With his breathing easier and less coughing, Adam was able to eat some soft foods, and drink more easily as well. Sitting up in bed, he was able to talk with his wife and family although he tired quickly. Late in the day, they had their first talk as a whole family. Adam saw the looks they exchanged though and knew he was missing something.

“What’s been going on that I don’t know?”

Ben looked at the others who nodded. Adam had a right to know what had happened and was as ready for it as he could be.

“Clay Stafford and Jefferson Stafford are in jail. The deputy who was on their payroll has been identified. He plans to help them tonight. However, before he does so, he’s going to their third partner to get paid so he can leave town as soon as he drops a key and pistols through the window at the jail.”

“A third partner? Who is it?”

“He’s probably being arrested right about now as the deputy was supposed to go to his house in town today. He recently moved back there. The deputy has likely already been arrested.”

It took Adam only a short time to put that all together.

“No! But why would he be part of this? His own daughter and his grandson?”

“We want to go to town to ask him just that.”

“I want to go too.”

“Adam, you can’t travel in your condition.”

“Gail, I have to confront him.”

Ben intervened. Gail was upset.

“Yes, you do, and maybe you can at his trial, son. But not today.”

Everyone could see how frustrated Adam was, but even as he tried to sit up more, he felt pain and weakness. He knew his wife and father were correct.

“All right, but you better tell me everything when you get back.”

“Hoss told us the same thing. He’s staying here with you and Aaron.”

“Gail?”

“I’m going to see my father. I have every right to confront him.”

Adam wanted to object, but she was correct. He turned to his father instead.

“Take care of her. This is going to be awful for her.”

Late that day, a shaken and pale Gail sat next to Adam’s bed to tell him the story. She found recounting the conversation extremely difficult but had to tell the first part. Gail had asked Ben to be there because she didn’t think she could tell all of it and had told him to finish the rest of the story when she faltered.

“I first have to say how sorry I am that I didn’t accept your opinion of my father. You never trusted him, but at my insistence, you did what you could for him. I couldn’t believe he would do this. I pushed you to give him a job when he showed up here and seemed to need money. You helped him get a place to live in town. You did everything you could do for him. Yet all the while he was conspiring to have you killed and to turn me over to Jefferson Stafford to be killed in a most horrible way.”

“Your father never was a decent man. I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t want to be right about him. I hoped you would be right, but I worried that you were wrong. It seems he is far more evil than either of us ever imagined.”

Gail broke down then unable to accept the horrible truth. It took some doing, but Adam pulled her head against his shoulder to comfort her. Then he looked to his father.

“What’s the rest of it?”

“Cameron spewed out a lot of hate when he said the basic things first. He hated you from the start and never stopped. You fought against slavery and for the Union. It was a sin from his point of view. In his opinion, you helped ruin his life by fighting on the side of those who ended slavery. However, to him, Gail as his daughter humiliated him and debased him by what she did. Freeing those slaves was an unforgivable sin to him. But when she signed over the land making them landowners and the equal or better in standing to some whites, she became a traitor by his standards. Death was the only punishment for that in his mind. Because it was also personal, he approved of Jefferson’s plans to torture her. He thought any punishment was suitable. With you dead, he was going to take Aaron and go back to try to declare those deeds invalid and get the land back. He could work with Jefferson because it was the only way to achieve his goals. Clay was a convenient ally too. They all met in a poker game.”

“The War was sometimes brother against brother, or father against son, but this is an abomination. The War is over and has been for some time. To let hate fester and continue like this is sick.”

“Yes, and he will pay the price for it. All three of them will pay the price.”

“I want to testify against them.”

“You should be well enough by the time of the trials. The judge is scheduled to be in town in about ten days.”

“How’s Joe taking all of this?”

“Right now, he’s doing well, but you know him. When the anger burns off, he may reconsider. There’s a lot of forgiving in him when he has a chance to think about things.”

“But right now all he can think about is that Clay almost got you killed and tried to get me killed. And of course participated in the awful plot that Jefferson and Cameron had in mind.”

“Yes, that’s about it.”

“Maybe in a few days, I could talk about that with him.”

“Are you sure you’re strong enough for that?”

“He’s my brother. I’m strong enough.”

When Ben left the room, Gail regarded Adam for a time. Then she knew she had to ask because she had seen the telltale signs.

“What are you planning?”

“I think there’s a way for Joe to save his brother’s life and still see the other two get their just punishment. Now do you have any regrets about what is likely to be your father’s sentence? Will you be able to accept it as a final solution?”

“I may regret this all my life, but it is the right thing to do. My father will be a threat to me, to you, and to our son forever. He lives on hate. He will not change. He is dangerous. He has killed. He will kill again.”

“Then this is my plan.”

He told her what he wanted to do and why he thought it would work.

“But it is something we should only do if Joe wants us to try.”

“I agree with that, and I agree with the rest of your logic too. I think it will work.”

Within a few days, Joe and Adam talked. A week later, Adam and Joe went to town to meet with the prosecutor and the judge. They took the carriage to conserve Adam’s strength. He was still recuperating. Although he was doing well, he was still pale, and he felt weak when he walked or had to stand for any length of time. After their meeting with the judicial officials, they went to the jail to talk with the three defendants who sat in their cells. All three were surprised by their visitors.

“Come to gloat, Cartwright?”

“I came to make all three of you an offer, Cameron. Under the circumstances, it is a very generous one. The prosecutor is here to make it official if you accept. He will take it to the judge if you do to finish the process.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Jefferson stood at the bars then demanding an explanation too. Clay was quiet but stood as well. When Cameron and Jefferson were finally quiet, Adam made his offer.

“If you plead guilty to all charges, the judge will impose consecutive life sentences. You will never get out of prison, but there will be no gallows. That’s it. You will end your life in prison.”

Jefferson responded first.

“No, I got out of white man’s slavery and I will not live in a white man’s prison. I would rather be dead, and I will curse you and haunt you. I wish I had killed more white men than I did when I had the chance.”

Cameron was next.

“I will never plead guilty to wanting to get justice for what that whore of a daughter did to me. She shamed me. She impoverished me. She humiliated me. She deserved everything that could have happened to her. You deserved the same for helping her. I did nothing wrong in seeking a redress of grievances against you, I want my chance to tell a jury what a bitch she is and how she should be on trial, not me.”

The prosecutor looked at Adam.

“I wouldn’t accept a guilty plea from either of them after what I heard here. They deserve the maximum sentence the law allows. The world will be a better place, may God have mercy on their souls. I cannot.”

“What about Clay?”

“What about him?”

“Clay, what do you say? It’s your last chance to speak for yourself.”

“I know why you’re doing this. You have no reason to show me the least mercy. I wouldn’t blame you if you walked me to the gallows right now. I deserve it. I was driven by greed and nothing else. I have no excuse and no justification for what I did. I don’t deserve this chance, but I will plead guilty to any and all charges. My life as I knew it is over. I understand that. But maybe in prison, my education could be of some use, and I would like one last chance to redeem myself, Lord knows I need to do it.”

Speaking quietly but with iron resolve, Adam gave an answer to Clay that told him exactly where he stood.

“You are one of the most manipulative men I have ever met. I know too why you said all of that. You need to accept that this is no game. This is it. There is no way out. No smooth talk or friendly smile is going to help. No one is going to rescue you from prison. No one is going to visit you. You are not a Cartwright. You will get no special treatment.”

Clay’s shoulders slumped. The prosecutor took over.

“Considering what you did, there will be some strict expectations for you in prison and some extra punishments for you if you do not meet those expectations. Life is going to be very hard for you there.”

Finally, Clay was honest, or as honest as he was capable of being.

“I guess I won’t know how hard until I get there, but the key thing is that I will be alive, and I am grateful for that. Tell me what I have to do.”

“You will come with us now in shackles. You will tell the judge everything you know about the crimes in which you participated. That will be recorded in statements you will sign and that will be used at the trials of these other two. The judge will then pronounce you guilty and impose your sentences. You will not speak after that. You will be taken immediately to the prison in Carson City where you will reside for the rest of your life.”

The finality of what faced him hit Clay harder than facing the gallows. Somehow he had still been thinking perhaps Joe or someone would come to his rescue or show him some mercy. He had nursed a dream that Adam would want to spare Joe the pain of his half-brother’s death, and to some extent that was true. But it was not nearly as good as he had dreamed it would be. In his life, he had always escaped justice. That had ended. Yet he had to be grateful to the man he had tried to kill. It was terribly ironic. On the way to the judge’s chamber, Adam said one last thing to him. It was chilling and set the final tone for his life.

“If you ever escape, I will track you down and kill you. I always keep my promises.”

Then Adam walked away, and Clay saw him meet Joe who turned his back to Clay as his older brother reached him. Adam and Joe walked off together. Clay felt an icy stab. He had been harboring a slight hope even after all that had happened that Joe might come to see him. If only he could talk with Joe, he thought there could convince him to possibly offer some forgiveness and maybe a chance that in the future there would be something more. He saw that walk away when Joe turned his back and put his hand on Adam’s shoulder to offer comfort there.

“He’ll live?”

“Yes, he admitted his guilt.”

“I’m glad he won’t die. I’m a hell of a lot more glad that you’re alive and Gail and Aaron are safe, and Pa survived. I can never forgive Clay for what he did.”

“Forgive him for your sake, Joe. We can see what keeping that kind of thing in your heart can do to a person. There’s no need to tell him. There’s no need to give him comfort. That will be up to you over the years. You may change your mind someday, but let your heart be free of hate and anger.”

“What about Gail and her father?”

“It’s going to be a lot more difficult to have this conversation with her. The pain is too deep, but in time, she will come around too. She has to. She doesn’t want to be like her father.”

“Wow, I hadn’t thought about it like that. We get to choose, don’t we?”

“Yes, when he came here, I had some small hope that Gail was right and he had switched sides and chose to follow a different path.”

“But he didn’t.”

“No, he chose evil, and he will pay for it.”

“And Ken and Paul?”

“They found the right side finally.”

“Michael?”

“He chose the right side from the start. He’s going to be working for me. I can trust him. He had reasons that might have made some men hate and go the wrong way, and he didn’t do it. He followed the moral path the whole time.”

“But not the other two?”

“No, I can forgive them for choosing the wrong way because they did help us in the end, but I will never turn my back on them again, especially Paul because I know too that Ken will back him instead of me if there is ever a conflict. I can’t bring myself to trust them. Pa is always willing to forgive and forget. I can forgive, but I don’t forget how people choose to go when it really matters.”

“I wish there was some good news or something to celebrate.”

“It would help you to have that wouldn’t it?”

“It sure would.”

“How about if you knew Gail was with child again and that made us decide that we’re going to raise our children here? Would that be good enough for a celebration?”

Grinning broadly, Joe couldn’t help himself.

“Well, I’ve heard better, but it will have to do. Pa will be thrilled though. I want to go to the store and buy something for Gail. Do we have time for that?”

“We can take a few minutes.”

“Adam, when you’re choosing names, don’t you think Joseph would be a good name for your next one?”

With a groan and a shake of his head, Adam turned toward the general store. He did his best to hide his smile. He was overjoyed about how Joe had chosen and how quickly he was rebounding from the pain of what had happened. He had to hope that his wife could look forward too and not back. It was the main reason for him to agree to stay. She needed the family to support her. That was exactly what was needed two weeks later when Cameron Chapman and Jefferson Stafford died on the gallows in Carson City, equal in facing death in a way Cameron must have abhorred. News reached Gail and the family soon after the executions were concluded. She reacted much as Adam expected, but there was none better than the Cartwright family to pull together and help one of their own.

 

 

Tags:  Adam Cartwright, Little Joe /Joe Cartwright, Revenge