{"id":11413,"date":"2015-07-16T00:01:57","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T04:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=11413"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:50","slug":"whatever-the-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=11413","title":{"rendered":"Whatever the Cost (by faust)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/strong>To what length will Adam go to prove a stranger\u2019s innocence? Winning story of the 2015 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament<\/p>\n

Rated PG\u00a0 (9,570 words)<\/p>\n

My Story Index and reading order for the Art-Universe<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whatever the Cost<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It elicits some reaction, breaks their routine of the past two days. It\u2019s almost a relief.<\/p>\n

Well, it certainly is a relief for him<\/em> to finally say it out loud, and it might be one for the others to have their attention diverted from the sickbed, if only for a moment.<\/p>\n

And divert their attention it does. All heads shoot up, even Paul\u2019s, although up to now the doctor seemed completely absorbed in taking Joe\u2019s pulse. (Although Adam hasn\u2019t, not even for a second, believed that Paul had truly been preoccupied with counting heartbeats. It is merely a mannerism, a habit adopted over the years; a way to pretend that he is doing something, that he can<\/em> do something, anything at all, for Joe. Which, as they all are aware, he cannot. Could not from the moment they had carried Joe to the doctor\u2019s office and deposited him on the bed on which he still lies without having stirred consciously even once ever since.)<\/p>\n

It is Pa who voices their combined\u2026bewilderment<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon me?\u201d Edgy. He\u2019s edgy\u2014no wonder after the past days.<\/p>\n

Adam sighs, then repeats a tad louder, a tad more pronounced, a tad on the defensive side already, \u201cHe didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a familiar feeling, to know he thinks something no one else thinks, something no one else would dare<\/em> think.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill Kettler,\u201d he adds because he feels the need to be precise, to be abundantly clear about this, lest they can pretend they only misinterpret his words. \u201cHe didn\u2019t shoot Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was caught with the smoking gun in his hand,\u201d Pa says in an overly even voice. \u201cPerhaps that has slipped your memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa isn\u2019t prone to sarcasm; he resorts to it only under certain circumstances. Acerbic remarks are Adam\u2019s realm, and while in general he ardently welcomes intruders, now he feels almost ambushed by Pa\u2019s invasion. Their roles are solidly set: he is sarcastic; Pa endures it. Not the other way round. Pa\u2019s transgressing here is like poaching in Adam\u2019s lands, and it unsettles him. And of course, exactly that is Pa\u2019s intention: to unsettle, to put in defense, to quieten.<\/p>\n

Adam acknowledges the move with a twitch of his eyebrow. (Unspoken sarcasm, he\u2019s a master of this. Even if Pa tried, he wouldn\u2019t get a foot on that ground.) \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he<\/em> shot it before,\u201d he replies then, just as calmly. \u201cHe could have picked it up.\u201d Or someone could have given it to him\u2026but who? And why? Ah, no, the \u2018why\u2019 would be quite obvious, right?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was caught coming from where the shot must have been fired,\u201d Paul points out, after a worried glance at Pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd everybody knows he was mad at Joe for beating him in taking Carole out. He even fessed up to spying on them.\u201d Hoss stands and crosses the room to grip Adam\u2019s shoulders, to squeeze them, and to try and manoeuver him to a chair and push him down onto it.<\/p>\n

It may be meant to calm and pacify, but all it does is annoy Adam. They\u2019re trying to handle him. Put him out of one of his strange notions<\/em>. But he will not be handled. Or led from his chosen course of thinking. He wonders why they even try.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s just it,\u201d he says, twisting out of Hoss\u2019s grasp. \u201cWhy would he admit spying on them? Why admit to even having been there? He could have claimed he\u2019d come from somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had the gun in his hand<\/em>.\u201d Now Pa\u2019s strained tone indicates he\u2019s speaking to an imbecile.<\/p>\n

Adam clenches his teeth. Pa has not left Joe\u2019s bedside for longer than needed to see to his most personal matters during the past two days. Without sleep and proper food, he has kept up his constant watch although both Hoss and Adam have repeatedly tried to relieve him, have actually begged<\/em> him to let them take over. But, no, Pa will not be removed from his position at his youngest\u2019s side. He has hardly taken his eye off Joe\u2019s fever-flushed face lest he miss any change, for better or worse. He\u2019s close to the end of his endurance, and so Adam concedes him leniency this once.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could have been any gun,\u201d he grinds out, deliberately not even glaring at his father. \u201cWe don\u2019t know if it was the one with which Joe was\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

Pa, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t seem inclined to grant him leniency. He glares at him as he all but bellows, \u201cIt was still smoking<\/em>, in case you\u2019ve forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

So apparently there is some strength left in him. But then again, Pa\u2019s roar has never been affected by exhaustion, sickness, or anguish.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s leniency has its limits, too, but before he can open his mouth to respond in kind, Hoss intervenes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, Will said he was gonna get back at Joe. Me and you heard it when he was boasting how he\u2019d put Joe in his place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he had been there in the saloon, had heard how Will had drunkenly ranted. How he\u2019d said that Joe might think being a \u201ccattle baron\u201d made him a better man than Will, that he might think money could buy him everything, even the love of a girl, but that he, Will, would show Joe that a \u201chigh and mighty\u201d Cartwright could easily be bested by a humble Will Kettler, that a modest tinker was worth no less than a filthy rich rancher\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

People had tried to reason with Will. Had pointed out that Joe and Carole had been friends for a long time already, since long before the hawker had come to Virginia City, and that even though Carole admittedly had shown a certain interest in Will, he should be aware that Horace Miller sheltered his precious only child from everything he deemed not proper for a young lady, which, as was well-known to everyone, was almost everything outside of the Millers\u2019 own four walls. It was more likely that a camel would fit through the eye of a needle than for Carole\u2019s father to allow her socializing with someone the likes of Will Kettler anyway. After all, Will was a vagrant, a craftsman travelling from town to town, repairing pots and pans and never staying for longer than he was needed\u2014and whose father would want his daughter be associated with a man like that?<\/p>\n

But still, even considering all that\u2026 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019d shoot at Joe. He was drunk, Hoss, disappointed. He needed someone to put blame on\u2014I think he really cares for the girl, and he realized she\u2019d never be his. So he got drunk, and he let off steam. It was drunken speech, that\u2019s all. Can\u2019t you see that?\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor pats Pa\u2019s arm, then he says what Pa would say\u2014only without rage. \u201cBut can\u2019t you<\/em> see that all evidence speaks against Kettler? He\u2019s got a motive, he was heard threatening Joe, he was at the right place at the right time, he was found with the gun in his hand. What makes you think he didn\u2019t do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reasonable question. It\u2019s a reasonable way to sum it all up. Put like that, only someone insane would object to the only possible conclusion that Will Kettler must be guilty of shooting at Joe from an ambush, and according to Dr. Martin\u2019s prognosis, most probably murdering Ben Cartwright\u2019s youngest son. Nothing speaks against it. Nothing. But\u2026<\/p>\n

Adam pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath, then he sets his jaw and replies, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t\u2026feel<\/em> right. It\u2019s all coming together too smoothly, too easily. Something just feels\u2026fishy. And Will Kettler, he\u2019s never appeared the type, has he? Doesn\u2019t even wear a gun\u2026\u201d He shrugs. \u201cI\u2019m aware I\u2019ve got no positive proof, but…I just know<\/em> he didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s surprised he doesn\u2019t hear a collective groan, which would be the usual reaction to him saying \u201cI just know it.\u201d Instead, they just stare at him.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, their silent disapproval is worse than groans or even outbursts would be, and Adam almost wishes to take his words back, to concede to their sentiment, but he can\u2019t because he will never divert from the path he deems right for the sake of consonance\u2014and suddenly the room is too crowded, the air too thick with looming death<\/em>, and Adam has to get out, get away, get into action, get\u2026clarity.<\/p>\n

It hurts to rip himself from his family, from their united vigil at Joe\u2019s bedside, but once he\u2019s in motion it\u2019s surprisingly easy to bolt out of the room and out of lethargy.<\/p>\n

Finally, he\u2019s got a job to do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

II.<\/p>\n

Hoss is already on his feet, ready to follow Adam, to make him come back and see reason\u2014but then he notices Pa\u2019s face. There\u2019s anger in it, tiredness, and hurt. As if this conversation with Adam has robbed Pa of his last reserves. It\u2019s plain that right now Pa needs him more than Adam. Even though his older brother isn\u2019t half as unaffected by Pa\u2019s disapproval as he wants to let on, he will get along on his own very well for the couple of moments it\u2019ll take Hoss to calm Pa.<\/p>\n

And so Hoss redirects his steps to Pa\u2019s side and crouches down next to him. \u201cAdam didn\u2019t mean it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Pa snorts. \u201cOh, I think he did mean it all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, maybe just now he did. But he\u2019ll soon run outta steam, and come back and\u2026\u201d Of course, Adam will not<\/em> run out of steam. If anything, he will work himself up into a real frenzy, and nothing short of a miracle will be able to deter the mule that is Adam Cartwright from following his intended course. But dang it, Hoss doesn\u2019t happen to have any miracles on hand right now.<\/p>\n

No, Adam is not Joe. He hasn\u2019t left because his temper got the better of him and he won\u2019t come back once he\u2019s got himself back under control. Hoss knows that, and Pa, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t.\u201d Pa shakes his head. \u201cHe\u2019s been brooding ever since we got here. I should have seen it coming\u2014but who\u2019d have thought he would come up with something like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss knows he\u2019s not expected to answer. No one can ever tell what will come from Adam\u2019s brooding. It started right after Roy had told them the culprit was already under arrest and who it was. Adam looked surprised, asked Roy for details, and then fell silent.<\/p>\n

The arrest didn\u2019t surprise Hoss, though. Will Kettler had arrived at Virginia City four weeks ago with too wide a smile on his face and too bright brand new paint on old Meriwether Kettler\u2019s ancient prairie schooner. He\u2019d taken over the wagon and the business after his uncle had retired after more than fifty years living a vagrant\u2019s life. Meriwether Kettler had come to Virginia City every year since the time before the town got its name, and had been well respected by everyone. Will\u2019s eyes were sharper than his uncle\u2019s had ever been, his fingers nimble and skilled, and his personality open and friendly\u2014but he still was a complete stranger, seemed too eager to make friends, too curious about people and dealings; and so business had been slow and difficult to start. In the end, however, the need for repairs won out over the initial mistrust, Will\u2019s bright smile and charming words at least won him the inclination of the town\u2019s women, and he made good money\u2014which he spent for beer and cards, and for Carole Miller, whom he\u2019d met when he\u2019d come to the Millers\u2019 to mend a hole in the kitchen sink.<\/p>\n

To everyone\u2019s surprise he turned out to be a serious competitor to Joe, for Carole wasn\u2019t immune to his rough charms. But then Joe played a card the tinsmith couldn\u2019t: he invited Carole to go to the theatre, thus fulfilling her greatest wish. Of course, Will could have invited her, too\u2014only Carole\u2019s father would never have allowed her to go with him. As a matter of fact, he forbade Carole going with Joe, too. But Joe had two of Virginia City\u2019s best negotiators at his hands, and when even Pa\u2019s father-to-father talk didn\u2019t change Mr. Miller\u2019s heart, he just turned to Adam for help. It took Older Brother less than an hour to make Horace Miller see that refusing his daughter this might make her turn her affection from Joe to Will.<\/p>\n

Joe, of course, was over joyed and pledged Adam eternal gratitude, and Will got himself drunk and vowed eternal revenge against his rival.<\/p>\n

Then, on Joe\u2019s and Carole\u2019s great evening, on their way to the theatre, Joe got shot. Shot in the back, at medium distance from somewhere in the bushes next to the street. The bullet caused a small wound in Joe\u2019s back, shattered two ribs, grazed his lung, and ripped a gaping hole where it exited on his front. Even though by some miracle it didn\u2019t fatally damage anything vital inside of him, Joe almost bled to death even in the short span of time that it took to bring him to Paul Martin\u2019s office. By sheer luck the doctor was at home\u2014otherwise Joe would already be dead.<\/p>\n

It still isn\u2019t clear that he will survive, but Joe\u2019s a fighter, and he has hung on for much longer than estimated already, and Hoss just knows his little brother will make it.<\/p>\n

He will.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in no way a consolation, but still, to know the man who\u2019s responsible for Joe\u2019s suffering won\u2019t go unpunished is satisfying. \u00a0And he will be punished. Will Kettler might be insisting on his innocence, but he\u2019s lying right through his teeth, of that Hoss is sure. Hoss, Pa, Paul Martin, Sheriff Coffee, the whole of Virginia City are sure of that\u2014only Adam isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes,\u201d Pa\u2019s voice jolts Hoss back to the present. \u201cSometimes I wonder what\u2019s going on in that college-educated mind. Why everything is a question for Adam, even the things that are abundantly clear to everyone else.\u201d He sounds puzzled, and also forgiving. Fond, almost.<\/p>\n

And so Hoss tries a lighter tone. \u201cYou know how he is,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s typical; he thinks just the opposite of what everyone else thinks. And then he goes and fights his case and annoys everybody on the way, right up until he\u2019s proven he was right from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckles, Pa chuckles, Paul chuckles\u2014they\u2019ve all belonged to the annoyed party at one time or the other.<\/p>\n

Yeah, being contrary is in Adam\u2019s nature, thinking further and beyond, never being content with the obvious without questioning it at least once. Admittedly, most of the times it turns out he\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

\u2026it turns out he\u2019s right.<\/em> \u201cDadburnit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr he\u2019s stirring up trouble,\u201d Pa says at the same time.<\/p>\n

They stare at each other for a moment, then Pa closes his eyes and exhales with a groan. \u201cGo after him, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

III.<\/p>\n

Adam bites down so hard on the matchstick he\u2019s been chewing that it breaks. There are splinters on his tongue now, and that gives him an excuse to walk over to the spittoon and get rid of them, and to not react to what the sheriff just said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I\u2019ve got a lot of respect for your judgement, Adam,\u201d he hears Roy say into his back. \u201cBut believe me, you\u2019re wrong about this here thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam heaves a deep breath, takes his time turning around and going back to his seat. \u201cRoy, Iisten, I\u2019ve got\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

Roy raises two appeasing hands. \u201cNo, you<\/em> listen to me<\/em>, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wishes people would stop calling him this. He may be younger than Roy, but this has nothing to do with years anyway\u2014which is exactly why it annoys him so. He fumbles for another matchstick, bites down on it, hard, but not so hard that it\u2019ll break, too. This conversation is far from over, and Adam\u2019s matchbox is almost empty. \u201cI\u2019m listening,\u201d he says then with more calm than there actually is in him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe judge will be in town in three days\u2019 time, and I expect him to set court immediately, since this is a clear case. If you have any objections to the case, you can have your say in court. And that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you wait for the judge you\u2019re only wasting time. I tell you Will Kettler is innocent. The real culprit is still out there.\u201d He snorts. \u201cYou should be out there, too, trying to find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you trying to tell me how to do my job, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s done it and made Roy mad. Not many people are able to rile the sheriff, and most certainly not as fast as that. It\u2019s not a feat to be proud of, but then again, Roy has made Adam mad, too. Boy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The matchstick cracks. A clean break this time.<\/p>\n

Breathe out. Long. <\/em><\/p>\n

In. Out. <\/em><\/p>\n

Good<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Adam says through clenched teeth. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to suggest I know your job better than you. But there\u2019s a killer running free, and\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get why you\u2019re thinking Kettler ain\u2019t done it. I\u2019ve never seen a clearer case: He\u2019d said he was going to get back at Joe,\u201d Roy lists, ticking it off his fingers, \u201che was caught at the scene, and he had the smoking gun in his hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know all that. But he wasn\u2019t seen shooting, was he? And I\u2019ve never seen him with a gun anyway. Why would he suddenly have one?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Roy looks positively smug. \u201cHe stole it. In the mercantile; it was reported stolen the day before the crime.\u201d He raises a hand again. \u201cAnd before you ask: it was identified. And I, personally, saw it in his hand. Still hot from the shot. I don\u2019t know what more evidence you need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was out cold when you got to him, right? Someone else could have stolen the gun and put it into his hand after he lost consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy leans forward. He narrows his eyes\u2014suddenly he looks every inch the professional lawman that he is. \u201cNow you\u2019ve gotta be very careful what you\u2019re saying here, Adam. Suppose you\u2019re right, then the only one who could have put the gun in Kettler\u2019s hand is the man who clubbed him on his head and then yelled for help and stayed with him all the while till I came.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is the only way things could have happened\u2014but only if you grant that what must not be. Adam purses his lips. He steeples his fingers, leans his chin on them. The ticking of the clock on the wall above Roy\u2019s head is the only sound in the stuffy sheriff\u2019s office, and its hand the only thing that moves. Slowly, steadily, almost undetectably, it creeps from one dot to the next. And the next.<\/p>\n

He looks up at Roy. Lifts an eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really mean that,\u201d the sheriff says. \u201cHorace Miller is one of our most honorable citizens. He\u2019s a member of the schoolboard, a church elder; a respected businessman, well thought of around town. Adam, your family is in business with him, ain\u2019t you? Your father and him are practically friends. Do you really think he put the gun in Kettler\u2019s hand? Why would he do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d That is, of course, not even half-true. Adam has an idea why, but it\u2019s vague\u2014and without any positive evidence it\u2019s no more sustainable than blaming Will Kettler.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, quit bothering me with that nonsense. Go back to Dr. Martin\u2019s, sit with Joe, speak to your father. And let me do my work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam opens his mouth\u2014and closes it. There\u2019s obviously nothing more he can say. And anyway, the sheriff already has his nose buried in some letters he\u2019s randomly hauled out of a stack on his desk. For him, this case is closed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time Roy has deployed this tactic with him, but it\u2019s the first time Adam actually welcomes it. He needs to go collect evidence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IV.<\/p>\n

Adam is on his way to the Bucket of Blood saloon when Hoss catches up with him. He isn\u2019t surprised about his brother\u2019s arrival\u2014as a matter of fact, he\u2019d half expected him at the sheriff\u2019s office. Adam acknowledges Hoss with a short nod and an even shorter smile, which he knows is enough to tell his brother his presence is appreciated. Hoss pats Adam\u2019s back once, then falls into step with him. Not a single word is spoken until they reach the saloon.<\/p>\n

There are just a few patrons in, the usual suspects, which, actually, is good\u2014for they are mostly the ones who had been present during Will Kettler\u2019s drunken monologue. They confirm that Will had ranted on for long after Hoss and Adam had left the saloon, and then staggered back to his wagon shortly after the midnight bell had chimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAinnit funny,\u201d one says. \u201cThat he didn\u2019t rent hisself a room with all the good money he made?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr that no one invited him in, like they did his uncle back then?\u201d Sam, the barkeep, adds. \u201cNot even your father, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

It evokes a lot of nodding and murmuring. Things like \u201cnot trustworthy,\u201d and, \u201cHe was a loner, that one. Proud of his little wagon, too,\u201d and \u201cThought hisself better than us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, actually Pa had<\/em> offered Will a place, but the tinker preferred to sleep in his wagon. He said he liked to be independent, and that he didn\u2019t need help.<\/p>\n

Sam wipes the counter, but his eyes are fixed on Adam. \u201cWhy are you asking? You\u2019re not up to something, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss tugs at Adam\u2019s sleeve, as discreetly as he\u2019s able to, which isn\u2019t much, and\u2014as usual\u2014doesn\u2019t stop him. He takes a short look around, then says, \u201cWell, actually I am<\/em> \u2018up to something.\u2019\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to find the man who shot my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has<\/em> been found.\u201d Sam frowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not so sure the sheriff has arrested the right man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss groans, and then there\u2019s a turmoil of voices in various stages of disgust. \u201cCourse he did it,\u201d and \u201cAre ya daft?\u201d and \u201ccan\u2019t be serious.\u201d Adam also hears \u201cjust a wretched tinker,\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t like strangers anyway,\u201d and then approving mumbling.<\/p>\n

He almost launches into a speech, one of those pleas that never serve to buy him more friends but tend to make people find sudden interest in staring at their hands. But time is of essence, and Hoss is already tugging at his sleeve again and whispering, \u201cLeave them be, Adam,\u201d and really, he should have realized that the answer to his questions will be found somewhere else before he even bothered to go to the saloon.<\/p>\n

He nods to Hoss, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drunkards\u2019 ranting doesn\u2019t die down as Adam and Hoss leave the saloon, as if their exit goes unnoticed. Outside, the air shimmers over the dusty street, no breeze is stirring, and yet, compared to the saloon it appears clear and fresh, and Adam gulps it in greedily while they head down C-Street.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t take them long to get to the Millers\u2019 house. They are warmly welcomed, offered a lemonade, which Adam declines but Hoss accepts gratefully (making Adam envy him for the rest of their stay).<\/p>\n

Mr. Miller appears to understand Adam\u2019s wish for further information, for the details of what has happened to Joe. He readily answers Adam\u2019s questions; his account of the events is in agreement with Roy\u2019s, and reveals even more.<\/p>\n

Miller had been secretly following Joe and Carole on their way to the theatre\u2014he can\u2019t really say why, only that Carole is his only daughter, so much like her late mother, and that he is so used to looking after her, making sure nothing untoward happens to her, that he might have overdone it a bit by sneaking through the front gardens that line the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve raised her alone, you see,\u201d he says with a small smile. \u201cMy wife died shortly after Carole\u2019s birth. Perhaps I\u2019m a little too protective sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nothing Adam can\u2019t relate to. Pa tends to be overly protective at times, too, and having a daughter instead of sons might enhance this trait.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I heard a shot,\u201d Miller continues. \u201cAnd I saw movement, behind a bush right in front of me. I heard Carole shout for help, but before I could get to her Kettler backed out of the bush, and I\u2026he was unaware of me, so I was able to hit him on his head, knock him out with the handle of my revolver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou had a gun with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026yes, of course. I was protecting my daughter, wasn\u2019t I?\u201d There\u2019s less understanding in Horace Miller\u2019s tone now. He shakes his head, the picks up his narrative. \u201cWell, anyway, the sheriff appeared then, someone must have alerted him, and I called him over and\u2026handed him the culprit.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then Horace Miller\u2019s understanding evaporates completely when Adam says, \u201cI wonder why he did it. Kettler doesn\u2019t seem the type to settle things with violence. He doesn\u2019t even have a gun on him most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy he did it?\u201d Miller snarls at that. \u201cWhat do you expect from a vagabond like that? They cannot be trusted. No one knows why they do things. They are unsteady, have no bonds. They don\u2019t\u2026belong to us. Travelling from town to town, seeking\u2026amusement where it comes. They are not decent people. Kettler wanted Carole\u2026my girl<\/em> he wanted, for his atrocious\u2014 how he dared even thinking\u2026. I would never\u2026. He was jealous, that\u2019s why he shot Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss opens his mouth, but Adam silences him with a hand on his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Miller,\u201d Adam says, leaving his hand on Hoss\u2019s arm, just in case. \u201cDo you know that Will Kettler claims he didn\u2019t have a gun at all? That he says someone put the gun in his hand?\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, Miller explodes. It\u2019s almost shocking to see the man fall apart like that. Nothing he says is coherent anymore. \u201cTheatre and vagabonds,\u201d he cries. \u201cNothing good comes out of that. All lying, thieving, disgraceful folks\u2026they take and take and take\u2026want to corrupt and steal\u2026 our daughters\u2026pull them down their detestable roads\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

His face is contorted; he hardly resembles their upright business associate of many years anymore. He grabs Adam\u2019s shirtfront and shakes him. A fine spray of spit hits Adam\u2019s face, as Miller hisses, \u201cCarole should never have been exposed to that. Joe could\u2019ve taken her somewhere else, couldn\u2019t he? I said no, didn\u2019t I? But you had to come and persuade me, giving me no chance to protect my child. You\u2026you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wrestles out of Miller\u2019s hold. \u201cNow wait a minute,\u201d he starts. \u201cJoe is in no way\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of here, get out!\u201d Miller roars now. \u201cHaven\u2019t you done enough? Go to your baby brother and\u2026 Leave me alone!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost a relief to be told to go. As they leave, Adam catches a glimpse of Carole, who bolts in the room and after an irritated glance at Adam and Hoss darts to her father, gripping his shoulders.<\/p>\n

Once on the street, Adam turns to Hoss. \u201cThrown out three times in less than two hours,\u201d he attempts a light tone. \u201cI reckon I\u2019ve just broken Joe\u2019s record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss ignores him. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have riled Mr. Miller that way,\u201d he says. \u201cHe\u2019s just scared. The bullet could have hit his little girl\u2014no wonder he\u2019s outta his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam purses his lips. \u201cYeah, perhaps,\u201d he says slowly.<\/p>\n

But perhaps that\u2019s only half the truth. Again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IV.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t head straight to Paul Martin\u2019s place. Adam needs to move to be able to think properly, and they agree that it\u2019s better for him to walk the streets than to drive Pa to distraction by pacing the doctor\u2019s small examination room. Only after Adam declares he\u2019s thought everything sufficiently through do they go back.<\/p>\n

They find Joe in the same condition as before, still feverish and struggling for every shallow breath.<\/p>\n

Pa is sitting next to the bed, his hands folded in his lap, his eyes fixed on Joe. He appears calm and peaceful at first, but then Hoss sees how Pa\u2019s fingers are gripping each other white-knuckled, as if he wants to break bones. His head shoots up as he hears them enter; he bestows on Adam a glare that would make a lesser man wither, then sets his eye on Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have you two done?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss blinks. He hasn\u2019t done anything but gone to keep an eye on Adam, as requested.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Adam who answers Pa. \u201cNothing,\u201d he says a tad too innocently. \u201cJust talked to a few people, trying to get a clearer picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to get a clearer picture? You call that trying to get a clearer picture<\/em>?\u201d Pa makes a wild gesture with his hand, as if he wants to point to something he suddenly realizes is not there. \u201cDo you have the slightest notion that \u2018a few people\u2019 might give your \u2018trying to get a clearer picture\u2019 a different name?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowns. \u201cI don\u2019t\u2014Why are you so angry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not angry. I am\u2026alarmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

It turns out a couple of people have come to Pa to complain in the past quarter of an hour or so: the sheriff, Sam from the Bucket of Blood, and Carole Miller on behalf of her father, for whom she\u2019s also asked the doctor to come. Apparently Mr. Miller\u2019s encounter with Hoss and Adam irritated him so much that he suffered something close to a seizure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to stop this,\u201d Pa says. \u201cWhat on earth were you thinking? Hasn\u2019t the man gone through enough already?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to annoy him. I just wanted to gather first-hand information, just ask some simple questions. There was no reason for him to react so\u2026irrational.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarole said you practically accused him of\u2026being somehow involved\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t accuse him of anything. Hoss, did I accuse him? Tell Pa I only asked a question.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is new. Adam usually doesn\u2019t feel the need to be backed up, he rather fights his case alone.<\/p>\n

And because this is so rare an occurrence, Hoss is tempted to comply with Adam\u2019s request. But he never goes against his own convictions, so he bites his lips and squints and shuffles from one foot to the other. \u201cShucks, Adam, yeah, you only asked a question all right\u2014but that there question was just as good as an accusation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looks betrayed\u2014as if he really thinks he just asked a question. Which Hoss doesn\u2019t buy, because usually Adam knows pretty well how his words are perceived\u2026well, most of the time anyway. There are times when what Adam means and what people make of what he says are two completely different things\u2014if they understand him at all. But Horace Miller is an educated man like Adam; he has no problem understanding him, and Hoss won\u2019t believe for a second that Adam didn\u2019t intend everything that resonated in his last question to Mr. Miller. Adam can look as wounded as he wants, but nope\u2014Hoss ain\u2019t buying it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe must have misunderstood me,\u201d Adam says nonetheless. And then, in a tone too neutral to not be deliberate, \u201cI wonder why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Predictably, Pa bites. \u201cYou are not insinuating that Horace Miller has anything to do with the ambush?\u201d Pa\u2019s voice rises. It\u2019s interesting how much being at odds with Adam revives him. Maybe it\u2019s because it gives him something else to think of than fretting over Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not insinuating anything. I\u2019m just asking questions.\u201d And now Adam can\u2019t keep the smugness out of his face anymore. \u201cIf anything, I\u2019m offering\u2026alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung man\u2026\u201d Pa stabs his right pointer towards Adam. \u201cDon\u2019t you try and play word games with me. And don\u2019t you go around offering \u2018alternatives\u2019 for which you have no proof.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grits his teeth. His jaw must be hurting something fierce by now at the rate he bites down to rein his temper, and Hoss knows it\u2019s not even because Pa doesn\u2019t believe him this time. Young man<\/em>\u2026Adam hates that\u2014and Pa knows it perfectly well.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Pa,\u201d Adam says after a moment of grinding teeth, \u201cif Miller had nothing to hide, why would he react the way he did?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he was outraged at the insolence of being accused of mur\u2014of, of\u2026shooting Joe.\u201d Pa turns to Joe as if to make sure he\u2019s still with them. He takes the wet cloth from Joe\u2019s forehead, checks for fever, soaks the rag in the basin on the nightstand, drains it, and places it back. Then he shifts his gaze back to Adam. \u201cOut of the blue, without any reason, even though the actual culprit is already under arrest and all evidence speaks against him.\u201d He shakes his head. \u201cI\u2019d be outraged, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all evidence speaks against Will\u2014\u201d Adam starts, but Pa interrupts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only his own word speaking in his favor\u2014and your gut feeling, nothing else. Why do you believe Will Kettler, of whom you know next to nothing, more than Horace Miller, a business friend you\u2019ve known for years?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam purses his lips. He closes his eyes, and his hand goes up, thumb and forefinger already forming the tongs that are going to pinch the bridge of his nose, but then he sighs and drops his arm. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t really know. It\u2019s just too plain and easy to be true; and no one ever went beyond the obvious. But life rarely is so easy, is it? And no one actually saw Will shoot; all we have is Miller\u2019s testimony. It all relies on his word.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe word of an eyewitness, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe word of one man. Against the word of another man. Why do you insist on holding Miller\u2019s word over Will Kettler\u2019s? Because we\u2019ve known the first for years, and the latter for a scant few weeks? Is time really the criterion for trust?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course it is. People we know, we trust. Particularly if they have proved to be trustworthy, as Horace has\u2014or else we wouldn\u2019t do business with him, right? Strangers need to earn our trust, and so far, Will Kettler has done nothing to achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s\u2026private, Pa. That isn\u2019t the law, that isn\u2019t the way justice works. Before the law, everyone is equal. Before the law, everyone is a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen let the law handle this, Adam.\u00a0 It\u2019s only two more days till the trial, and then Kettler will be judged without bias.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe will be judged based on the evidence Roy provides and the testimony of Horace Miller. Which all speaks in his disfavor. He will go to prison for a long time or even hang. If Joe\u2014\u201c He catches himself in time before he blurts out the unspeakable.<\/p>\n

Pa hears it anyway. \u201cYour brother will live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Joe\u2019s gonna be all right,\u201d Hoss says before Adam can deliver the \u201cyou don\u2019t know that\u201d that\u2019s written so plainly on his face.<\/p>\n

As if to prove that he\u2019s still here and fighting, Joe chooses that moment to toss his head and moan\u2014the first movement or sound he\u2019s made in hours. Pa picks the cloth from Joe\u2019s brow and wipes his face, and Adam comes and sits down on the bedside, wets another rag and hands it to Pa. He squeezes Pa\u2019s arm, then bends over Joe and strokes his little brother\u2019s wet curls out of his face. \u201cHold on, little buddy,\u201d he says softly. \u201cIt\u2019s time you wake up. Pa needs to sleep; and Hoss is starving without Hop Sing\u2019s pot roasts. And I\u2026well, don\u2019t tell the others, but I actually miss your hyena laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a moment of peaceful quiet. Joe seems to lean into Adam\u2019s touch, Pa whispers, \u201cI think he\u2019s breathing easier already,\u201d and then they all listen to Joe\u2019s breathing; and it is<\/em> easier, and it\u2019s clear as day for Hoss that now all will be well.<\/p>\n

Absently, Adam pats Joe\u2019s hair for a while. Hoss wonders if he\u2019s aware he\u2019s slicking the wet locks back almost in the way that always makes Pa holler at Joe to undo that \u201criverboat gambler hair style\u201d; if he\u2019s aware he\u2019s still having his hand on Joe\u2019s head at all. \u2018Cause Adam\u2019s mind clearly is somewhere else. You can actually see how the wheels are turning in his head, how he weighs this and considers that, and eventually comes to a conclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are right,\u201d he says suddenly, patting Pa\u2019s arm once. \u201cI need proof for Will\u2019s innocence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa looks up. \u201cAdam, what\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need something I can give the judge. And I\u2019ve got to get it as quick as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how\u2019ll you get your proof?\u201d Hoss asks. \u201c You\u2019ve done talked to everyone, what else can you do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiles. \u201cYes, that\u2019s what I think, too. It\u2019s almost impossible to prove Will\u2019s innocence. It might be easier to prove the actual culprit\u2019s guilt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how\u2019re you gonna do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa raises his finger. \u201cYou will not harass Horace Miller again, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t. I\u2019ll actually apologize to him.\u201d Adam stands up. \u201cAnd then I\u2019m going to set a trap. The shooter is still out there, and if what I think is right, then the story isn\u2019t about Joe at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think he wanted to shoot Carole, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course not. I think he wanted to shoot Joe all right, but not because he had something against Joe. He only had something against Joe and Carole going out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich points towards Will Kettler,\u201d Pa puts in.<\/p>\n

But Adam is undeterred. \u201cAnd towards\u2026others,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Joe moans again, and Pa turns around and softly shushes him.<\/p>\n

Adam grabs Hoss\u2019s arm and tugs at him. \u201cCome on, Hoss, let\u2019s talk outside. Little Brother here needs his quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa looks up, puzzled, but they are out of the room before he can say anything.<\/p>\n

Once in the doctor\u2019s antechamber, Adam speaks up again. \u201cListen, Hoss, I\u2019ll need you for this. I\u2019m going to ask Carole out, to the theatre tomorrow night. If the shooter is who I think he is, he won\u2019t waste the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to bait him? Adam, are you plumb loco? If you\u2019re right, then the shooter will be lying in wait for you, and he\u2019ll get you like he got Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss blinks. Sometimes Adam\u2019s stubbornness makes him speechless.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t because you\u2019ll stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou. You will follow us, keeping a good eye on the bushes at the street, and when the killer shows up you\u2019ll catch him before he can shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re crazy. He\u2019ll kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if it\u2019s Will Kettler, sitting in jail.\u201d He smirks. \u201cOr do you finally believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss groans. \u201cYou\u2019re getting yourself killed,\u201d he insists, just in case Older Brother didn\u2019t understand it the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be careful. I won\u2019t be caught unaware like Joe. I know something might happen, and I\u2019ll be able to react if necessary. Besides, you\u2019ll be there. I trust you to watch my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, you can\u2019t do that. It\u2019s too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot with you at my back. Hoss, it\u2019s the only way. If I don\u2019t do this, an innocent man might go to prison for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shakes his head, opens his mouth to object again, but then Adam comes with the inevitable, the one thing that he knows will turn the tide to his favor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it anyway, with or without your help,\u201d he says. \u201cYour choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDarn, Adam,\u201d Hoss admits defeat. But then he finds he\u2019s got his own trump up his sleeve. \u201cYou\u2019ll never talk Mr. Miller around to let Carole go out with you anyway. You\u2019ve heard him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam taps his finger against his nose, then he smiles. \u201cNo, actually I think it\u2019s going to be easier than you think, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

V.<\/p>\n

It does go easier than Hoss thought, but not quite as easy as Adam expected.<\/p>\n

Amazingly, it is Carole who proves to be harder to win over than her father when Adam calls on them the next morning, as the girl doesn\u2019t think it proper behavior to \u201cindulge in frivolous entertainment\u201d while Joe lies sick. \u201cI\u2019m surprised you even ask, Adam. You are his brother! Shouldn\u2019t you be at his side?\u201d<\/p>\n

But Adam hasn\u2019t acquired a reputation of being more persuasive with his tongue than with a gun for nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe is on the mend at last,\u201d he says. It\u2019s no lie, no exaggeration, as Dr. Martin has declared Joe out of immediate danger the night before: Joe\u2019s moans and head-tossing were indeed the first signs of recuperation.<\/p>\n

He gives her his most innocent smile as he continues, \u201cAnd he wouldn\u2019t mind me taking you out. Actually, he would expect<\/em> me to take you to the play,\u201d which, of course, is a l\u2014an exaggeration<\/em>. Adam pauses briefly, then sets his jaw and plows on. \u201cTonight is the last performance of the play Joe chose for you, and I know he would be heartbroken to hear you never saw it.\u201d For a moment Adam is appalled by his own ruthless deviousness, but he will make amends later, if necessary. And what does a little deceitfulness weigh in comparison to a man\u2019s life?<\/p>\n

In the end it\u2019s half Adam\u2019s silver tongue, half Carole\u2019s prospect of having her heart\u2019s desire satisfied that does the trick.<\/p>\n

Her last concern, \u201cBut Father will never allow it\u201d is not unfounded, but Adam lives up to his reputation again.<\/p>\n

Horace Miller accepts Adam\u2019s apology readily and in return even offers one for his outburst on the previous day. \u00a0\u201cI think we both misunderstood each other,\u201d he says. \u201cI am only concerned about my daughter. And your brother, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing left of the raging bull of yesterday, Miller is all friend-of-the-family, amiable and forthcoming. Sickeningly jovial. \u201cI know you\u2019re a good man, Adam. I know that you mean well. You and I, we were only\u2026worrying for our loved ones; neither of us really meant what he said.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s so compliant, so ready to smooth things with Adam, to prove how reasonable a man he is, that he doesn\u2019t even notice how Adam wheedles out of him the permission to take Carole out to the theatre before it is too late to withdraw it.<\/p>\n

And so Adam calls at the Millers\u2019 again, dressed in a suit borrowed from Paul Martin and a revolver belt hidden under the slightly too loose jacket, half a day and lots of preparations later. Tickets had had to be bought, streets walked, bushes examined, hiding places sorted out, words slipped subtly, that Adam would take Carole out that very evening.<\/p>\n

Carole looks sublime in her pale yellow evening dress\u2014Joe is a lucky boy. First thing she does, despite her obvious excitement about finally going to the theatre, is inquire after Joe\u2019s condition. She\u2019s delighted to hear he\u2019s improved more, has been briefly awake a couple of times and managed to drink some beef broth, despite being only half-lucid. She suggests they go to see Joe after the theatre, which Adam answers with a raised eyebrow and, \u201cThat would hardly be appropriate, don\u2019t you think? Your father would kill me if I allowed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl bows her head. \u201cGracious, yes. How silly of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he says. \u201cNot silly. Endearing. Joe\u2019s to be envied.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he offers her his arm, and they leave the house, walking slowly down the dusky road towards the town\u2019s center.<\/p>\n

Hoss is nowhere to be seen, as arranged. He\u2019s lurking somewhere between the houses, gun at the ready, scanning the bushes that line the street for any suspicious movement.<\/p>\n

Despite the cool exterior he tries to display, Adam feels his skin crawling. Paul\u2019s suit is unusually warm, and something in the air makes the little hairs on the back of his neck stand. He squints into the bushes, listens into the dimness.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

He wonders where Hoss is, if he can see how jittery Adam really is or if Hoss lets himself be fooled by his brother\u2019s tightly composed features.<\/p>\n

The street has never seemed so quiet, so abandoned. Not a single breeze moves the bushes, not one cart clatters past them, not one dog barks anywhere.<\/p>\n

Where\u2019s Hoss? Shouldn\u2019t Adam be able to hear his brother? Hoss can\u2019t be moving so silently, can he?<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you absolutely certain Joe wouldn\u2019t mind me going to the theatre with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam almost jumps as Carole jolts his arm. She\u2019s asked the same question a million times already; and Adam doesn\u2019t know if she does it because she\u2019s so concerned about it or because she doesn\u2019t know anything else to say to him.<\/p>\n

He should pay her more attention, should try and make conversation, as is expected of a man who\u2019s taking a girl out. She deserves that much. He\u2019s asking enough of her already. She might not be in danger of bodily harm, but\u2014why did it not occur to him earlier? He must have been blinded by his righteous anger about the injustice done to Will Kettler\u2014this all might turn into a very unpleasant experience for her. But there\u2019s no other way, it\u2019s too late to turn back, and considering everything, the benefits outweigh the risks.\u00a0 Oh, he will<\/em> have to make amends.<\/p>\n

He smiles at her. \u201cI\u2019m confident he doesn\u2019t. I told you: he wanted you to see this particular play. Once he\u2019s better you can go and tell him all about it; he\u2019ll love to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019ll do that,\u201d she smiles.<\/p>\n

For his life he can\u2019t come up with something to say to that. Or anything at all. His mind is empty but for the one thought: where? Where could a shooter possibly hide?<\/p>\n

They walk on in uncomfortable silence.<\/p>\n

Adam tries to refrain from too obviously glancing around. But he listens, listens\u2026 Through the jacket pocket he discreetly removes the strap that secures his revolver in the holster.<\/p>\n

Carole gives him a shy side glance, which he answers with a weak smile\u2014he is<\/em> distracted, and he is aware it isn\u2019t very polite, he<\/em> isn\u2019t very polite, and were this a true rendezvous he would never act like this. But it isn\u2019t a true rendezvous, not even a true substitute rendezvous, and\u2026 But Carole doesn\u2019t know this is just a ruse, does she?<\/p>\n

He turns his head to her, smiles. He will make a serious attempt at polite conversation, no matter what\u2014but then he hears a crunch.<\/p>\n

He stops; and the world narrows down to a small bubble. All he sees is the hard-packed sand before him, all he hears is the soft rustling of leaves, and his own thundering heartbeat.<\/p>\n

He disengages Carole\u2019s hand from his arm, pushes her gently to the left, and slowly steps right, removing himself from her close vicinity and presenting the lurker in the bushes a clear target.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, is everything all right?\u201d The girl closes the space between them, and frowns, bewildered, as he moves away from her again. \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, actually\u2014\u201d More rustling makes him turn his head back to the bushes\u2014and a cat emerges from them, stopping briefly and giving them a curious glance before it stalks past them and disappears between the wood stacks at the other side of the street.<\/p>\n

An explosive breath escapes Adam; then he gives Carole a sheepish half-smile.<\/p>\n

Her scolding frown melts like ice in the summer. She claps her hands to her mouth, her eyes widen, and then she laughs. \u201cYou should have seen your face!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her giggles are almost as infectious as Joe\u2019s, and Adam can\u2019t help but laugh, too. It\u2019s mostly because she laughs, a little embarrassment, and something that eases the tension from his shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently Father is right after all, saying that the theatre had a bad influence<\/em> on people. Even you are different tonight, Adam,\u201d Carole says, as they finally stop laughing. Her tone is light, but then she frowns and continues far more seriously, \u201cI just don\u2019t understand why it frightens him so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stares at her. \u201cIt frightens him?\u201d And suddenly everything falls into place. As if he\u2019s just gotten the one missing part, the one gear that completes the machine. The wheels are turning, one gear meshes with the next, smoothly, without obstruction; and Adam knows<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarole, I\u2019m really sorry, but I think we better\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

An earsplitting crack interrupts him, a hard push at his back makes him stumble, fall to his knees and then keel over, headfirst into the dirt. Pain explodes in his back, takes away his breath. Blackness claws at him, from all sides, and all sound fades into nothing. The last thing he is hears is Carole\u2019s shriek. \u201cAdam! No! No, no, no, no! Not again!\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the world stops.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

VI.<\/p>\n

The world returns to him in the shape of too bright light, too stuffy air, and a splitting headache. As he tries to move there\u2019s more pain: his arms and legs are sore, and his back dully hurts from shoulder to hip, with the bonus of a particularly sharp sting somewhere in the area of his right shoulder. The all-over fatigue doesn\u2019t surprise him in the least, for he must have spent days being hunted through a sea of yellow silk by a gigantic black cat. He vaguely remembers being trapped and suffocated by the billowing fabric, and jumped at by the beast.<\/p>\n

He groans. Laudanum<\/em>. Will they ever learn that it does him more bad with the dreams it induces than good with the little pain relief it brings?<\/p>\n

He groans again. It is satisfying to groan, to voice his displeasure to the world at large, even though it also hurts his parched throat and makes him even more conscious of the way his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth. He tries to get his left arm under his back to try and push himself up. In his experience there\u2019s always water on the nightstand, so there might be some now, and if he can get up and\u2014<\/p>\n

Well, he can\u2019t. Though it\u2019s not his own weakness but two heavy hands on his chest that keep him flat on the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCareful here, Adam,\u201d Hoss\u2019s voice says. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a fine hole in that shoulder of yours, and the doctor spent a lotta time stitching. You don\u2019t want to ruin all his work, do ya?\u201d<\/p>\n

He groans again. Lord, that hurts<\/em>. \u201cWater,\u201d he manages to croak.<\/p>\n

A hand sneaks around his shoulders, carefully avoiding the spot that hurts most, gently lifts him up, and then there\u2019s a glass at his mouth. Cool water<\/em>. He drinks, a few tiny little sips\u2014he doesn\u2019t need to be told not to wolf it down. He\u2019s had his share of unpleasant reencounters with too hastily drinking water when sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d he mumbles as Hoss lowers him back. \u201cHow long\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been out for two whole days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two days prone in bed. No wonder he\u2019s so sore.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you need anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thanks. Well, a new head, perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere ain\u2019t no spare mule heads around here, Adam. I reckon you\u2019ll hafta settle for the old one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFigures.\u201d Adam laughs softly, but his chuckles soon turn into coughs that shake his shoulder and pull at his stitches; they hurt<\/em>, and when the coughs finally subside he\u2019s wheezing and tears have collected in the corners of his eyes.<\/p>\n

Hoss grimaces. \u201cAh, shucks. Sorry, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cs\u2019 not your fault. Should have known better than to make bad jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw, I didn\u2019t\u2026\u201d Hoss looks down at his hands for a moment, shifts his shoulder a few times, then looks back up at Adam. \u201cI\u2019m sorry for letting you down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t let me down.\u201d Adam frowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got shot. I was supposed to watch your back, and you got shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot your fault, either. Was my own brilliant idea to play the bait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I coulda caught him before he shot. I saw him, Adam. I saw him, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And then Hoss tells the sad tale of how he followed Carole and Adam, crouched low, sneaking through front gardens, until he saw something glinting in the bush at the other side of a bed of lupines. He pulled his revolver, made to dash through the flowers\u2014and was almost startled to death by being held back by a strong hand, which belonged to none other than Sheriff Coffee. The short moment between \u201cNow what do you think you\u2019re doing here, young man?\u201d and \u201cRoy, there\u2019s no time\u2026\u201d already was too long; and the next thing Hoss heard was a shot. He and Roy bolted through the lupines, captured the shooter before he could flee; then Hoss left Roy to handle the legal stuff and broke through the bushes to get to Adam. He found his brother face down on the street, senseless and streaming with blood, with a hysterically screaming Carole at his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I wasn\u2019t quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be, it wasn\u2019t your fault. Just bad luck, is all.\u201d Adam reaches out to pat Hoss\u2019s knee, it\u2019s all he can reach without shifting. \u201cIt was Horace Miller, right?\u201d he says then.<\/p>\n

Hoss nods. \u201cHe\u2019s crazy. Screeched like a madman when Roy collared him. \u2018Bout his wife, and Carole; and that you\u2019re Satan himself, tempting her with showing her the theatre. And then the whole bunkum about Will Kettler again. Mostly went on \u2018bout his wife, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, turns out she was an actress before he knew her but didn\u2019t tell him. He found out when she got sick after Carole was born. First doctor he called didn\u2019t want to treat someone of her kind. And before the next one came, she was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s even madder than Adam thought. \u201cBut that\u2019s no reason to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no reason to it, Adam. I tell you, he\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the next half hour Hoss reveals the complete extent of Horace Miller\u2019s madness. Apparently Miller regretted agreeing to let Joe take Carole to the theatre\u2014for he was afraid that being exposed to the \u201cden of iniquity\u201d might corrupt her\u2014but didn\u2019t want to withdraw his permission because he feared that Adam was right saying it would drive her into Will Kettler\u2019s arms. The idea of his daughter befriending a \u201cdisreputable vagrant\u201d was more than he could bear. In the end he saw no other way than to follow Joe and Carole and shoot Joe. He didn\u2019t attempt to murder Joe, just hurt him, thus keeping them from going to the theatre.<\/p>\n

That he encountered Will Kettler, who was spying on the couple, he considered lucky coincidence, for it provided him with the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. He sneaked upon the young man, knocked him out, and after he shot Joe, placed the gun in the unconscious man\u2019s hand, and called for the sheriff.<\/p>\n

In some mad way it all makes sense. It\u2019s interesting how reasonable the train of thoughts can go even though the start of it has nothing to do with reason.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one thing\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder why he stole the gun,\u201d Adam says as Hoss has ended his tale. \u201cHe could have used his own, right? I mean, he didn\u2019t know Will would be there when he stole it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorts. \u201cAdam, you keep forgetting he is crazy. He says he didn\u2019t want to soil his own gun with an evil deed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowns. \u201cEvil deed?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvil deed<\/em>, that\u2019s what he called it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A brief moment of clarity perhaps<\/em>. Might be Horace Miller\u2019s last moment of clarity for a long time, if Adam interprets things right.<\/p>\n

The man almost pities him\u2014if not for\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Carole, how\u2019s she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Hoss rediscovers his grin. \u201cI don\u2019t rightly know, but I reckon she\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam lifts an eyebrow. \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe ran off with Will Kettler.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2026what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard me right. She came here, crying, told Joe how sorry she was about her father, and how it was her fault, and how she couldn\u2019t stay in town now. Naturally, Little Brother said it would be all right; but she was too upset and ran out. Next time she was seen was on Will\u2019s wagon on the way outta town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill live,\u201d a new voice says from the door; and then Joe hobbles into Adam\u2019s view, supported by Pa, and lets himself be settled on Adam\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\n

They study each other for a while, then Joe grins at him. Broadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, don\u2019t you know it,\u201d he says. \u201cAda Mencken\u2019s in town next month. Do you reckon you want to go to the theatre with your little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*** fin ***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written for the Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.<\/p>\n

My words were:\u00a0 \u00a0tinker, theatre, bait, murder – Joker<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With my heartfelt thanks to my wonderful betas Sandspur, who put her finger where it hurt\u00a0 most and made me do it so much better, and JoaniePaiute, who picked me up when I fell. Both your help was invaluable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright, SJS, Suspense<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: To what length will Adam go to prove a stranger\u2019s innocence? <\/p>\n

9570 words, rated PG<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":11501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,40],"tags":[158],"class_list":["post-11413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-challenges","tag-pppt","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2690,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/BlackHatBrownStudBand.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14629,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14629","url_meta":{"origin":11413,"position":0},"title":"We Meet Again (by sklamb)","author":"sklamb","date":"August 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Synopsis: \u00a0Adam Cartwright is home again, but not everybody seems pleased about it.... 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