{"id":13435,"date":"2016-09-16T00:22:55","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T04:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13435"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:41:26","slug":"bootless-cries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13435","title":{"rendered":"Bootless Cries (by McFair_58)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>: Who would have thought that a pair of missing boots would propel the Cartwrights into the nightmare world of a madman? One morning Joe wakes up to find his boots gone and the mystery of how he lost them – and who is wearing them – leads to a series of events that could cost not only Joe’s life, but Adam and Hoss’ as well.<\/p>\n

Rated PG-13 (58,335 words)<\/p>\n

All known and public characters belong to those who created them. \u00a0All new characters belong to the author. \u00a0There is no intent to infringe on copyright and no money is being made – just friends and warm hearts hopefully!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bootless Cries<\/strong><\/p>\n

ONE<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 What in the Sam Hill do you think you\u2019re doin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright paused just outside his youngest brother\u2019s door.\u00a0 It was open and he could see into the room.\u00a0 Joe was in his dress clothes.\u00a0 He was laying on his stomach on top of his bed, stretched out as far as he could be across it clean to the other side. \u00a0One socked foot was crooked around the post, anchoring him, and he was half-buried in the dust ruffle which he had raised over his head so he could look under the bed.\u00a0 At his voice his little brother started guiltily.\u00a0 Joe shifted the dust ruffle and looked out from under it with an expression something like a monk caught red-handed in the abbey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stepped into the room.\u00a0 \u201cWhat in Tarnation are you doin\u2019?\u00a0 Pa\u2019s waitin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019ve got a little problem, Hoss,\u201d Joe said as his foot began to lose its hold and he started to slip over the side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see that.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Hoss moved quickly and caught Joe\u2019s foot.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t there an easier way of lookin\u2019 under your bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if I\u2019d realized I\u2019d be looking under my bed, I would have done it an easier way, but I didn\u2019t realize I\u2019d be looking under it until I did,\u201d Joe replied, his voice muffled.<\/p>\n

Hoss puzzled over that one for a minute.\u00a0 It was his turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust don\u2019t let go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man stared at his hand, and then at his brother\u2019s foot \u2013 and then let go.<\/p>\n

Joe slipped over the side and hit the floor with a loud thud!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss rounded the bed.\u00a0 His brother was sitting on the floor buried in candle wicking and cloth.\u00a0 The dust ruffle had come plumb out of its moorings and half of it was wrapped around his skinny little frame like a toga.\u00a0 Joe blinked as if a bit stunned and then plunged his head under the bed.<\/p>\n

The big man\u2019s hair was thin and he hesitated to hassle it, but his fingers made their way there and Hoss scratched his head anyway.\u00a0 \u201cWell, if that don\u2019t beat all…\u201d\u00a0 When his brother failed to emerge within thirty seconds, Hoss knelt on the other side of the bed and lifted what remained of the dust ruffle and stared into the darkness.<\/p>\n

He could see Joe\u2019s eyes shining like a rabbit\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got a girl under here?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cTwo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound of a throat being cleared made Hoss turn toward the door.\u00a0 Adam was standing in it wearing that expression he so often wore when he was around the two of them \u2013 one of exasperation mixed with affection and peppered with amusement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I want to know?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s curly brown head popped up over the other side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cKnow what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was still looking.\u00a0 Dag blame it! if he didn\u2019t think there was a gal or two under there.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy guess would be hide and seek,\u201d Adam drawled, closing the book he held,\u00a0 \u201cexcept I think you two are a little old for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right, Adam,\u201d Joe said as he stood.\u00a0 Hoss could hear it.\u00a0 He knew his little brother was wearing that maddening grin he had \u2013 the one that made you want to hug him and slap him all at one and the same time.\u00a0 \u201cI am playing hide and seek.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d the black-haired man inquired.<\/p>\n

Hoss was still looking for the filly under the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally,\u201d their youngest brother answered.\u00a0 \u201cThough it ain\u2019t with Hoss, it\u2019s with my boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour boots?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, my dress boots.\u00a0 I can\u2019t find them anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss poked his head up over the other side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cSo you ain\u2019t got a girl under here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot unless she\u2019s in my boots,\u201d Joe replied, wrinkling his nose.<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 He glanced at the clock in Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 \u201cI give it about ten seconds before \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam winced.\u00a0 \u201cOff by eight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright\u2019s bellow carried through the house.\u00a0 \u201cWe have an appointment at the photographer\u2019s at noon!\u00a0 It is now past nine.\u00a0 Are you coming down, or do I have to come up there and round you up like cattle?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam turned toward the stair.\u00a0 \u201cOn our way, Pa,\u201d he shouted.\u00a0 A second later the black-haired man turned back to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cWe are, aren\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged again.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t go without boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you have another pair?\u201d<\/p>\n

Their little brother paled.\u00a0 \u201cGood enough for Pa for having our likeness taken?\u00a0 No….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThe photographer\u2019s not going to take the likeness of your feet<\/em>, for goodness sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou<\/em> tell that to Pa.\u00a0 You remember that time I wore the wrong color socks to the widow Martin\u2019s fiesta….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoys!\u00a0 I am running out of patience!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what am I supposed to do?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve running out of boots!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed \u2013 again.\u00a0 This time it was that sigh of resignation that martyrs have before they step into the fire.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go get you a pair of my dress boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wear your boots, Adam!\u201d\u00a0 Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cYour feet are too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you can\u2019t wear Hoss\u2019s!\u201d their older brother snapped back.\u00a0 \u201cUnless you want to put both feet in one!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Hoss said, feeling left out.\u00a0 Although mentioning his feet had<\/em> brought him back into the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome now, you can\u2019t pretend you don\u2019t have big feet,\u201d his older brother scolded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t denying my boots are large,\u201d Hoss admitted,\u00a0 \u201cbut two of Joe\u2019s feet wouldn\u2019t fit into them \u2013 all<\/em> of him would!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.<\/p>\n

Ben bellowed again.\u00a0 Really<\/em> loud this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing, Pa!\u201d all three shouted in response.<\/p>\n

In the end, Joe wore Adam\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n

He also fell down the stairs and had a nice shiner that was preserved for posterity in the ferrotype that was taken three hours later.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Since they were in their dress clothes, their Pa took them to the hotel in Carson City to eat.\u00a0 \u2018A civilized meal for the civilized man\u2019, he said.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright shifted down in his chair and stared at the china plate in front of him and the half-eaten steak on it.\u00a0 For some reason, he didn\u2019t have much of an appetite.\u00a0 Of course, part of that reason had sprung from his father\u2019s insistence on picking up another piece of civilization called a \u2018newspaper\u2019 and perusing it while they waited for their food.\u00a0 In the beginning it was sort of interesting.\u00a0 There was a front page article on the murder of a rich man in Upper State New York whose house had been broken into and the man found in the bathroom \u2013 his throat had been cut and he had been stabbed and<\/em> strangled.\u00a0 He read it while his father regaled them with information from the inside of the paper concerning the markets and the price of steers in Abalone, as well as a somewhat boring tale about an ancient gold crown that was on its way to the home of a wealthy man in Virginia City.\u00a0 Just when he got to \u2018continued on page nine\u2019 his father snapped the paper and folded it and began to read again.\u00a0 The older man had found a piece on page six detailing an article that Adah Menken had written for another newspaper about the 1860 election . Their pa started by praising Adah for tackling the subject. Then he declared Adah a marvel and said that she was a woman who was going to make waves.<\/p>\n

Then he started over and read the whole thing out loud<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Joe stared hard at the current page of the paper facing him, searching for something to distract himself.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work.\u00a0 Even the ad for the circus coming to town that featured both a lizard man and<\/em> a human caterpillar failed.\u00a0 After a minute he glanced at Hoss.\u00a0 The big man was happy as a dry pig in wet mud.\u00a0 He was finishing a pile of potatoes that had started so high they reached right up to the sky and were now down to nothing but a mole hill.\u00a0 Adam, as usual when anything their pa mentioned had to do with \u2018culture\u2019, was wearing that half-smile and leaning on his hand listening, absolutely fascinated.<\/p>\n

He was…. Well, he….<\/p>\n

He wanted to hide in a hole.<\/p>\n

His pa and his brothers were good men.\u00a0 They were good to him<\/em>.\u00a0 He knew they loved him, but they just didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t understand what it was like to be picked up like a sack of potatoes and thrown into an alley and then beaten to within an inch of dying and to have done….<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

Joe reached up, past the shiner, to his forehead.\u00a0 It had been over a month, but the place where John C. Reagan\u2019s fist had broken the skin just above his left eye still hadn\u2019t healed.\u00a0 It puckered, making his already uneven eyebrows even more<\/em> uneven.\u00a0 It bothered him, though Ellie Matthews had told him it gave him a \u2018rakish air\u2019 which had been kinda nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

He started.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother pointed toward his plate.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna eat that steak?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at their Pa who would\u2019ve made him, but who was still waxing eloquent over Adah Menken\u2019s glories and paying no attention.<\/p>\n

He shoved the plate over.\u00a0 \u201cYou can have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s fork came down so fast it was all he could do to get his fingers out of the way in time.<\/p>\n

Hoss took a bite and chewed.\u00a0 Apparently he was chewing over whatever was wrong with him too.\u00a0 \u201cYou okay, Joe?\u201d his brother asked a minute later.<\/p>\n

Joe heard a snap as the paper was lowered and their father looked at them.\u00a0 \u201cSomething wrong, you two?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 You…you just keep reading, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their father stared at him for a moment and then, it seemed to dawn.\u00a0 The paper dropped a bit.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, forgive me.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing to think about, Pa.\u00a0 Like I said, you just keep reading.\u201d\u00a0 Joe wiggled his fingers for him to go on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf mentioning Adah brings up painful memories….\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Adam winced at that<\/em> one.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you know, there was nothing you could have done,\u201d his older brother said, knowing as usual precisely<\/em> the wrong thing to say.\u00a0 \u201cJohn C. Reagan was twice as big as you and trained to kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s whole frame tensed.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, Adam\u2019s right,\u201d their father began in that way he had when he was about to philosophize or lecture.\u00a0 Joe steeled himself.\u00a0 He could take it.\u00a0 He could listen to them rationalize why John C. Reagan had been able to pick him up like a five year old and break him.\u00a0 Why Reagan had been able to spit all kinds of vile things at him while he brutalized and walloped him and left him begging for mercy.\u00a0 Why \u2013<\/p>\n

Joe exploded out of the chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to hear it!\u00a0 I\u2019m going outside!\u201d\u00a0 As every head in the hotel restaurant turned toward him, he slammed his hand down on the table so hard the silverware rattled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd don\u2019t any of you dare<\/em> follow me!\u201d<\/p>\n

The three of them looked at him in stunned silence as his chair shot back striking the table behind him and rattling the guests\u2019 supper plates.\u00a0 Tipping his hat he mumbled an apology to the two men.\u00a0 Then, on his way out the door, he nearly bowled over two cowhands \u00a0– one dark and one light \u2013 who were leaning in the archway as if waiting for someone.\u00a0 Once past them he ran down the street and ducked into an alley before his father and brothers had a chance to see what direction he had taken.\u00a0 By the time Joe stopped he was shaking like a leaf in a strong wind.\u00a0 Tears welled in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.\u00a0 His pa never made fun of him for tears.\u00a0 Neither did his brothers.\u00a0 But they were another thing a man wasn\u2019t supposed to have.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had them that night.\u00a0 John Reagan had made him cry.<\/p>\n

And he was never gonna cry again.<\/p>\n

Never.<\/em><\/p>\n

Going as far into the alley as he could, Joe found a stack of boxes that were left over from a delivery to one of the nearby stores and pressed his slight form into the darkness behind them, curling up like he had when he was a child.\u00a0 He fought with himself \u2013 fought the tears coming, fought the rage rising, fought the darkness that wanted to overwhelm him and drive him even further away from the men he loved who were hunting him right now.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t let them see him like this.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t let them….\u00a0 If he did. \u00a0If<\/em> he did….<\/p>\n

Those things that Reagan said would be true.<\/p>\n

At first the attack had been pure hate and hurt.\u00a0 Reagan had pounded him like a rock he meant to shatter into a million pieces.\u00a0 He\u2019d been beaten before, but he\u2019d never known such pain.\u00a0 But then, as he lay there on the ground barely conscious, gasping for air and praying that it would stop, Reagan had pressed in and begun to whisper words…words…words so hurtful they made the bully\u2019s fists seem like powder puffs.<\/p>\n

\u2018Little<\/em> boy\u2019, he kept saying, \u2018go ahead and cry little<\/em> boy.\u2019<\/p>\n

Little Joe.<\/em><\/p>\n

He\u2019d wanted to die.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Joe shifted uncomfortably and tried to disappear even more completely into the shadows that lined the alley.\u00a0 He remembered coming to the first time.\u00a0 He could hear his pa\u2019s voice demanding something, wanting something from him \u2013 blink<\/em>, Pa said, blink<\/em>.\u00a0 At the time he had been so confused.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t understood that his pa was worried about his eyesight.\u00a0 At the time it had seemed like Pa just didn\u2019t care that he was hurting so bad he wanted to die.\u00a0 Then he had awakened again.<\/p>\n

Alone.<\/p>\n

Alone with no one but a strange doctor hovering over him and a crowd of strangers looking at him and all of them laughing and wondering who the baby was who had had the snot knocked out of him.<\/p>\n

Who was no longer a man.<\/p>\n

Joe heard something.\u00a0 He looked around the barrel and saw the two cowhands who had been in the restaurant standing at the end of the alley.\u00a0 They hesitated a moment and then moved on..\u00a0 A second later they were followed by Hoss and Adam and his Pa.\u00a0 As his family passed by something shifted in him and he realized that if they backtracked and found him here, curled in a ball like a baby, then they would think that too.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t let them find him here.<\/p>\n

Sniffing, Joe wiped his snotty nose on his good coat and then ran the back of the sleeve over his eyes.\u00a0 A steely determination entered those green eyes as he stood.\u00a0 He\u2019d show them who was a little boy<\/em>.\u00a0 He\u2019d show all of them that no one was going to do what John C. Reagan had done to him ever <\/em>again.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d show them he was a man.<\/p>\n

Determined to do just that. Joe Cartwright straightened his suit coat, ran a hand through his hair, and headed for trouble.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do you suppose Joe\u2019s gone?\u201d Ben Cartwright asked his oldest son as they stepped out onto the porch of the hotel.<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s got a burr in the saddle about something.\u00a0 He\u2019s liable\u00a0 to be anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like your brother to react so violently, Adam.\u00a0 I mean, yes, Joe\u2019s temper gets the best of him at times.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cBut this seemed….different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss hesitated, trying to spare his feelings.\u00a0 \u201cYou think it might\u2019a had somethin\u2019 to do with that there article about Adah Menken, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThere are times, boys, when you have a fool <\/em>for a father.\u00a0 I should have thought better of mentioning Adah….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, why would you?\u00a0 It\u2019s been over a month and Joe\u2019s seemed fine.\u201d\u00a0 Adam frowned, obviously considering what had just occurred.\u00a0 \u201c \u2018Seemed\u2019 being the operative word.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think it is, Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cSon, none of us know what your brother went through in that alley. \u00a0Mentioning Adah must have triggered something, brought it all back, though why that would have made your brother want to run away from us<\/em>, I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Joe just needed time to think, Pa,\u201d Adam suggested.\u00a0 \u201cIf that\u2019s the case, then we probably shouldn\u2019t look for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pursed his lips and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother\u2019s behavior is inexcusable.\u00a0 Joe is no longer a child.\u00a0 Temper tantrums are not acceptable in a man.\u00a0 He needs to \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I think Joe needs to do, Pa, is blow off a little steam,\u201d Hoss suggested.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s right.\u00a0 I think we need to leave him alone this time and let him figure it out for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben considered his sons\u2019 wise words and agreed.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

He regretted his choice at five a.m. the next morning when Sheriff Coffee came knocking at their door.\u00a0 Ben hadn\u2019t been asleep for long. The knocking woke both him and Adam who followed him sleepily down the staircase.\u00a0 When they opened the door they found Roy.\u00a0 The sheriff had Joe in hand.<\/p>\n

His shiner had a shiner and he had a split lip.<\/p>\n

As Roy deposited his youngest son on the settee, the sheriff said, \u201cI shoulda locked him up, Ben, for all the trouble he caused.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t \u2018cause I know you\u2019ll take care of things.\u00a0 But I\u2019m warning you, one more night like last night and I\u2019ll lock Little Joe up good and tight and throw away the key!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes were on his youngest.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s head was down.\u00a0 He refused to meet his gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot drunk and got into a brawl with a stranger.\u00a0 Busted out the window of a nearby store.\u00a0 I told the store keep you\u2019d pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, his eyes still on Joe.\u00a0 \u201cIs that all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe darn near took the other man\u2019s head off.\u201d\u00a0 Ben could tell Roy was worried about Joe.\u00a0 The look the sheriff gave him said way<\/em> more than his words.\u00a0 \u201cCould \u2018a killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man looked at his son\u2019s fists.\u00a0 They were raw and bloody.\u00a0 He drew a breath and met Roy\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take care of it, Roy.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben saw Roy glance at Adam as well.\u00a0 The look they exchanged about said it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, I\u2019ll be goin\u2019, Ben.\u00a0 Good night, Adam.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cNight, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe said nothing.\u00a0 Every muscle in his body was primed like dynamite waiting to detonate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll walk you to the door, Roy,\u201d Ben offered.<\/p>\n

As he stepped outside with the other man, Roy Coffee turned to him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know what\u2019s wrong with Joe, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 Rethinking the entire episode, he couldn\u2019t see how a simple newspaper article had set his son off.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve no idea.\u00a0 Everything was fine when we came to town.\u00a0 The boy just seemed to plunge off the deep end for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was drinkin\u2019 hard, Ben.\u00a0 The barkeep tried to cut him off, but Joe wouldn\u2019t have it.\u201d\u00a0 Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThat was the first<\/em> fight he got into.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben opened his mouth to answer, but a crash from inside the house stopped him.\u00a0 Looking at Roy, he frowned and then rushed to open the door.<\/p>\n

Adam was standing beside a small table that had been overturned.\u00a0 Joe was nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s your brother?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

His eldest bent down and righted the table.\u00a0 \u201cSorry about the lamp, Pa,\u201d he said, kicking at the broken remnants of glass.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI tried to talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s own temper flared.\u00a0 As he headed for the stairs, his voice rose in volume.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t care what bee that boy has in his bonnet, there is no excuse for this kind of behavior!\u00a0 He and I are going to have a talk and then I might just take him over my knee like the spoiled child he is!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEr, Pa….\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben halted, rigid, and turned back to bellow at his eldest son, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam remained silent for a moment. Then, all he said was, \u201cPoint taken?\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a second.\u00a0 Then he realized what his eldest meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, getting angry at Joe isn\u2019t going to solve anything.\u00a0 Let it go until morning.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019ll have cooled down enough by then that we can get him to make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was still there.\u00a0 \u201cI think Adam\u2019s right, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to physically restrain himself, but in the end Ben agreed.<\/p>\n

But tomorrow morning the boy was going<\/em> to talk \u2013 no matter what!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWO<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright halted outside Joseph\u2019s room with his hand raised to knock on the door.\u00a0 Outside the sun was shining on another hot dry day.\u00a0 There had been a hint of rain as they rode back to the ranch, but it had never materialized and they were looking at another long day of making sure the cattle and sheep and all their other livestock were watered enough to live.<\/p>\n

Breakfast had ended and Joe had not made an appearance.<\/p>\n

After what had happened the night before, he hadn\u2019t pushed it.\u00a0 He figured his youngest son was too shamed by his behavior to show his face at the table and to take the ribbing he would receive from his older brothers. \u00a0\u00a0So he had dismissed Hoss and Adam to their chores and, after spending a moment with Hop Sing speaking about supplies, headed to Joe\u2019s room . \u00a0From what Roy had said about Joe\u2019s drinking the night before, he probably had a monumental headache \u2013 which, of course, served him right.\u00a0 He might not even be <\/em>out of bed yet.\u00a0\u00a0 Of all his boys, Joe was the one he worried about the most.\u00a0 Of course, part of that was due to the fact that the boy was young.<\/p>\n

But there was more.<\/p>\n

While Adam and Hoss felt things just as deeply as Joe, his oldest\u2019s analytical mind was able to take things and work them around until \u2013 on the whole \u2013 he came to a sound judgment.\u00a0 With Hoss the turmoil was usually directed inward toward himself and in time he found his way out.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s exploded in everyone\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to head into town soon and find out which window his son had broken.<\/p>\n

As he stood there, thinking, Ben heard the sound of someone stirring in the room.\u00a0 He rapped on the door and opened it slowly, sticking his head in and saying. \u201cJoseph.\u00a0 It\u2019s your father.\u00a0 We need to \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe ain\u2019t here, Pa,\u201d Hoss answered.<\/p>\n

Ben stepped into the room.\u00a0 Hoss was on his knees and had been looking under the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t think he was down there, did you?\u201d Ben asked, a bit confused.<\/p>\n

The big man laughed.\u00a0 \u201cShucks, no, Pa.\u00a0 I was looking for Joe\u2019s boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father blinked.\u00a0 \u201cI sent you out to work and you came up here to look for your brother\u2019s missing dress boots?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Pa,\u201d Hoss started haltingly, \u201cit\u2019s just that, well, after Joe went off half-cocked last night, it seemed to me that he needed something a little special. I thought if maybe I could find his boots….\u201d\u00a0 The big man paused.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s silly, ain\u2019t it?\u00a0 He was just plumb upset that he couldn\u2019t find those boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was, if anything, immaculate about his appearance and clothes.\u00a0 \u201cIt is strange,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you noticed, Pa,\u201d his middle son began, \u201chow Joe\u2019s seemed kinda distracted lately?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDistracted?\u00a0 No.\u201d\u00a0 Ben moved to sit on the edge of his youngest\u2019s bed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t work alongside him as much as Adam and I do,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s been makin\u2019 little mistakes, nothing too big, but the other day he headed off into the desert without a canteen.\u00a0 Adam ran him down and took him one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did Joe say?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man grinned.\u00a0 \u201cHe told us he was thinking about a girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you believed your brother because he\u2019s always<\/em> thinking about girls,\u201d Ben said with a rueful smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s almost like, well, like he\u2019s tired and don\u2019t never get enough sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he\u2019s not well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019d be, Joe.\u00a0 If he wasn\u2019t feeling good, he wouldn\u2019t tell you.\u201d\u00a0 The big man shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d be worried about being less than perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em> stabbed Ben a bit.\u00a0 He was demanding with his boys, he knew, but he hoped none of them thought he expected them to be perfect.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Hoss seemed to sense his distress.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just Joe, Pa.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t you.\u00a0 It\u2019s like he\u2019s got this thing deep down inside him that he keeps holdin\u2019 himself up to \u2013 kinda like a mirror we cain\u2019t see \u2013 and sometimes he don\u2019t like what he <\/em>sees.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Hoss,\u201d Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAlways the philosopher.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son stared at him a minute and then beamed.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u00a0 One of them there real<\/em> smart men?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rose and placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes, Hoss, you are the smartest of us all.\u201d\u00a0 The older man looked around the room.\u00a0 He noticed nothing out of the ordinary except the light gray shirt Joe had worn the night before, which had a trace of blood on the collar and, curiously enough, dried mud.\u00a0 Turning back to his middle son, he asked, \u201cWhere is <\/em>your brother?\u00a0 You saw no sign of him when you came in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.<\/p>\n

The older man double-checked.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s bed had<\/em> been slept in.\u00a0 As he turned back to Hoss, Ben caught the sight of himself in Joe\u2019s dresser mirror.\u00a0 And there were times when he wondered why his hair was nearly white!<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you gonna do, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 The ranch won\u2019t run itself and, with this drought, we don\u2019t have a hand to spare.\u00a0 Your brother is being very<\/em> irresponsible.\u00a0 I can\u2019t just let that go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ask me \u2013 and I know you ain\u2019t \u2013 this whole thing has got somethin\u2019 to do with that there beatin\u2019 Joe took last month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just ain\u2019t been the same since then.\u00a0 Both Adam and me has seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he<\/em> hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 Ben was humbled.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow<\/em> is Joe different?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, like I said, he\u2019s been kind of distracted.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s always hot-tempered, so that ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 new.\u00a0 Any time the boy\u2019s wranglin\u2019 with somethin\u2019 it\u2019s best to get out of his way.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, you kind of expect him to go for ya when he\u2019s riled, but he ain\u2019t been doin\u2019 that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Joe been doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s quiet, Pa.\u00a0 Real<\/em> quiet.\u00a0 And….\u201d\u00a0 Hoss hesitated.<\/p>\n

Ben steeled himself.\u00a0 What now?\u00a0 \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think he\u2019s been drinking, Pa,\u201d a new voice added.<\/p>\n

The older man whirled to find his eldest son, Adam, standing in the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cDid I raise three <\/em>sons who don\u2019t know how to follow their father\u2019s orders?\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n

Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI was waiting on Hoss.\u00a0 When he didn\u2019t show, I came back to the house and heard you talking, so I came upstairs.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrinking?\u201d Ben demanded.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean more<\/em> than a few beers at the saloon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes were haunted.\u00a0 \u201cWhiskey, Pa.\u00a0 I smelled it on him…during the day.\u00a0 I confronted him about it.\u00a0 Joe denied it, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, something\u2019s eating at him.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what it is for sure, but Hoss and I have talked and we think it has to do with what John C. Reagan did to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I always the last to know? \u201c\u00a0 Ben tried not to sound too wounded, but he was.<\/p>\n

Adam came to stand before him.\u00a0 \u201cPa, we didn\u2019t want to worry you if it was nothing, but after last night….\u201d\u00a0 His hazel eyes flicked to Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I don\u2019t think either of us think it is \u2018nothing\u2019 anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s for sure enough true,\u201d the big man agreed.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I sure<\/em> am worried about Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright rose from his youngest\u2019s bed and looked out the window, wondering where in all of the Ponderosa his troubled son had gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too, Hoss.\u00a0 Me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Joe paused to wipe the sweat out of his eyes.\u00a0 He had risen early sicker than a dog; his mouth dry as the desert and his heart pounding.\u00a0 The early morning light stabbed his eyes and set him to shaking.\u00a0 He had barely gotten dressed and made it out of the house before everything he had eaten and drunk the night before came up and out of him.<\/p>\n

He was miserable and he deserved every agonizing minute of it.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d gone back into the house and cleaned up, eaten a very <\/em>light breakfast, and then, careful not to wake anyone, headed out early.\u00a0 His pa had told him the day before that he wanted him to go mend some fences along one of the north pastures after they got back from the photographers.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t done it, of course, and so he had headed there now to do just that, figuring he was at least good for picking up a sledgehammer and driving posts.<\/p>\n

Hopefully he\u2019d sweat out whatever was wrong with him.<\/p>\n

Joe removed his shirt and used it to wipe his forehead. Then he tossed it over the rail.\u00a0 Picking up the sledgehammer he swung it over his head again and brought it down with a satisfying whack<\/em> on the wooden post, driving it an inch farther into the dry dirt.<\/p>\n

There was going to be hell<\/em> to pay when he went home and he knew it.\u00a0 He could hear his Pa now \u2013 Joseph Francis Cartwright!\u00a0 Do you know how irresponsible your behavior has been?\u00a0 Do you know how you have let me down and let your brothers down by indulging your childish whims?\u00a0 Are you aware that this ranch cannot function without you pulling your weight?<\/em><\/p>\n

If you want us to think of you as a man then you better begin by behaving like a man!\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

He\u2019d tried to be a man last night.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d failed at that too.<\/p>\n

Joe paused, breathing hard.\u00a0 He leaned on the handle of the sledge and removed the leather glove on his left hand and then reached up to feel the place where John C. Reagan\u2019s fist had split his skin.\u00a0 It was pounding again.\u00a0 His fingers came away bloody, causing him to sigh.<\/p>\n

It seemed the wound might never<\/em> heal.<\/p>\n

Stepping back, Joe returned the glove to his hand and gripped the sledgehammer again.\u00a0 His Pa had always told them that hard work was the cure for what ailed a man.\u00a0\u00a0 He just wished he knew for sure what <\/em>was ailing him.\u00a0 It had something to do with what had happened a month before \u2013 he wasn\u2019t denying that.\u00a0 Somehow what John C. Reagan had done to him was wrapped around all of the feelings he had of being the youngest and not being taken seriously and being treated like a child, but….<\/p>\n

There was something more.<\/em>\u00a0 Something he couldn\u2019t put his finger on.<\/p>\n

Something…deep.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes flicked to the saddlebag on Cochise.\u00a0 The leather bulged, not quite big enough for the whiskey bottle it contained.\u00a0 It was there.\u00a0 His insurance <\/em>\u2013 in case whatever was \u2018deep\u2019 tried to rise again.<\/p>\n

Lifting the hammer, Joe swung it over his head once more and brought it down with a vengeance on the post.\u00a0 A few splinters flew into the air.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t intend to use the bottle, but he\u2019d found that when the deep rose in him it sucked the fire out of him and left him empty and he just had<\/em> to fill that emptiness with something or he would die.<\/p>\n

Just…die.<\/p>\n

As he brought the hammer down again and the sound echoed across the drought-ridden land, Joe heard something.\u00a0 Something not right.<\/em> Wiping sweat from his lip with the back of his hand, he leaned on the hammer and listened.\u00a0 This time he heard it clearly.<\/p>\n

A woman\u2019s scream.<\/p>\n

Dropping the heavy tool where he stood, Joe caught hold of his shirt and threw it on as he headed for Cochise.\u00a0 Just then the woman screamed again.\u00a0 It was a shrill high disbelieving sound and it spooked his horse so that the Paint reared up and struck out with his hooves.\u00a0 Deciding he didn\u2019t have time to cope with calming the animal, the youngest Cartwright checked to make certain the tether was good and then took off at a sprint across the dry dusty field north of the broken fence.<\/p>\n

At least the hard baked earth made running easier.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the field Joe laid his hand to the rail fence and hopped it.\u00a0 Panting, he halted on the other side and listened again.\u00a0 The screaming had stopped.<\/p>\n

It had been replaced by the mournful sound of someone sobbing.<\/p>\n

As he stood there, breathing hard, Joe considered what it might be he was headed straight for.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t heard any gunplay and had assumed it was a woman in trouble.\u00a0 Now he wasn\u2019t so sure.\u00a0 And yet, even if he was right, blundering in like a train car cut loose on a steep grade wasn\u2019t going to help anyone. \u00a0Slowing both his breathing and his passage through the trees, Joe drew his pistol from his holster and crept forward cautiously.\u00a0 As he did the sobbing turned into a kind of wail.\u00a0 It was a haunting sound that shivered through him from the top of his curly brown head to the bottom of his well-worn work boots.<\/p>\n

Abruptly, through a break in the trees, Joe saw a lean-to where there shouldn\u2019t have been <\/em>a lean-to.<\/p>\n

He halted.\u00a0 The mournful sound was definitely coming from the area of the makeshift dwelling. \u00a0\u00a0Joe couldn\u2019t see anything yet, but he assumed whoever it was who had been screaming was crying now. \u00a0Knowing well how quickly the threat of death could spring from out of nowhere on the frontier, he circled the area that held the lean-to cautiously before entering it.\u00a0 One time he thought he saw something \u2013 a hint of movement, a flash of color \u2013 but, after standing and listening, he decided it had to have been an animal and moved on.<\/p>\n

The early morning light struck the figure of a woman kneeling beside a fallen man.\u00a0 Whoever he was, the man had a slight build like him and looked to be in his late thirties.\u00a0 He was laying face down, his torso halfway in and halfway out of the lean-to.\u00a0 His coat was part ways off his shoulders \u00a0as if he had crawled forward from the interior, dragging his body to fall where he lay.\u00a0 Joe shifted in the underbrush, uncertain of where to go from here.\u00a0 The woman obviously needed help, but she was an Indian.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t seen anyone else, but her men folk might be close and might misunderstand what he was trying to do if he stepped out into the open and offered her aid.\u00a0 Still, the man lying on the ground might need help too \u2013 a doctor maybe \u2013 and every minute that he wasted was another one in which the wounded man, whoever he was, could die.<\/p>\n

The problem was, he didn\u2019t even know if the woman could speak English.\u00a0 He might offer help and have the gesture completely misunderstood.\u00a0 Still, as he stood there, her grief tore at him.\u00a0 From the look of her, she was older than Adam but younger than his pa.\u00a0 Maybe the man on the ground was her brother or husband.\u00a0 Joe thought about what he would want if he found himself alone in the woods with his brother or someone he loved dying right in front of his eyes, and decided that even an unwelcome stranger might be welcome if it meant having someone to go for help. \u00a0He looked at his gun.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t really come out of the trees with it drawn, not if he expected her to give him the least chance of helping.\u00a0 Holstering it with a sigh, Joe parted the leaves in front of him and emerged into the clearing where the lean-to had been erected.<\/p>\n

The woman didn\u2019t see him.\u00a0 At least, not at first.\u00a0 But when she did, her reaction surprised him \u2013 she was afraid.<\/p>\n

Terribly afraid.<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d Joe said tentatively.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not here to hurt you.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to help.\u201d\u00a0 He waited for the tone of his words to penetrate her fear.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman glanced at the trees and then turned her face toward him.\u00a0 Otherwise she did not move.<\/p>\n

Joe took a tentative step forward, his hands outstretched to either side to show he held no weapon.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if I can help, Ma\u2019am, but I\u2019d like to try.\u00a0 My name\u2019s Cartwright.\u00a0 Joe Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, like she knew the name.\u00a0 Maybe she knew she was on his pa\u2019s land and that was why she looked so scared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Joe said, taking a step closer.\u00a0 \u201cIts\u2019 not important now whether you should be here or not.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated the man with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cYour friend needs help.\u00a0 I might be able to get it for you.\u201d\u00a0 All the while he advanced Joe was scanning the trees surrounding them.\u00a0 Even though he had taken time to make sure no one was lurking in them, it wasn\u2019t beyond some Indians to stage something like this just so they could take someone captive and either trade or sell them.<\/p>\n

They could have been hiding.<\/p>\n

Joe was within ten feet of the woman now.\u00a0 He had been right about her age, though it was sometimes hard to tell with natives since their skin was burned dark and wrinkled early from living mostly outside under\u00a0 the sun.\u00a0 The man lying on the ground had coal black hair that was cut short around the ears and was wearing a brown suit coat of an average cloth with a vest over the top and a pair of gray trousers.<\/p>\n

Eight feet now.\u00a0 Five, and he stopped.\u00a0 The woman continued to stare at him as if astonished that he existed.\u00a0 Joe gestured toward the man on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cCan I take a look?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded, so either she understood his words or the gesture.\u00a0 He had no idea which.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d he said as he crouched.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see what….\u201d Joe\u2019s voice trailed off as the manner of the man\u2019s death registered.\u00a0 Not only had he been strangled, but he had a knife sticking out of his back.\u00a0 His suit coat was stained with blood.<\/p>\n

Joe winced.\u00a0 Coupled with the pool of blood lying under the man, things did not<\/em> look good.\u00a0 He glanced at the woman and saw the resignation in her eyes.\u00a0 She had known it before him.<\/p>\n

The man was dead.<\/p>\n

Rising to his feet, Joe looked around again and, again, he caught a sense of movement.\u00a0 A glance at the woman told him it was not his imagination.\u00a0 She was looking in the same direction.\u00a0 Coming to a quick decision Joe began to run, ignoring her as she reached for him and shouted something even as he sprinted into the trees.\u00a0 Hugging the shadows he followed whoever it was with caution, well aware that this could be the murderer.\u00a0 Abruptly, through an opening in the leaves, he caught sight of a tall man\u2019s form.\u00a0 The stranger was blond.\u00a0 He was dressed like a ranch hand and moved like greased lightning.\u00a0 Joe watched as the man stepped to the side and disappeared.\u00a0 Seconds later a horse burst out of the foliage.\u00a0 As the man turned and looked his way, Joe ducked into the trees.\u00a0 He caught a flash of a face \u2013 pale, determined, mean.<\/p>\n

Then the man was gone.<\/p>\n

There was no point in following.\u00a0 Joe knew there was no way he could catch him on foot.\u00a0 And to be honest, he didn\u2019t know whether the stranger had anything to do with the murder of the man \u2013 though he would have laid money on it that he did.\u00a0 Puzzled, Joe swung back and looked in the direction that he had come, contemplating his next move.\u00a0 In the end, compassion won out over curiosity.<\/p>\n

The woman back there needed him.<\/p>\n

Joe emerged from the trees to find her waiting for him.\u00a0 He started for the dead man only to have her stop him.\u00a0 She grabbed his arm and pulled him in the other direction as if trying to speed him on his way.\u00a0 He shook his head, pulled loose, and went to search the ground in front of the lean-to.\u00a0 With a sigh, the woman followed him.<\/p>\n

The first thing he noticed as he searched the area for clues was a trail of dried blood leading into the lean-to, indicating the man had crawled at least a short distance.\u00a0 So he had been attacked elsewhere.\u00a0 There were a few horse and boot tracks alongside the blood, but the earth was baked so hard they were difficult to make out.\u00a0 Still, it was clear they had been left by white men and not Indians.\u00a0 Joe looked at the man again.\u00a0 Bending down, he took hold of him and began to haul him out of the makeshift structure.\u00a0 The Indian woman glared at him as he did and then, with a resigned sigh, joined him in his effort.<\/p>\n

As the man\u2019s body came clear of the lean-to something caught Joe\u2019s eye.\u00a0 The murdered man was wearing a pair of highly polished, expensive-looking Western boots that didn\u2019t fit with his citified clothing.\u00a0 They were like the ones he\u2019d lost and would have cost a small fortune.\u00a0 The boots were covered with mud, which Joe bent down to brush off.\u00a0 As he did, a chill snaked up his spin as he realized they didn\u2019t \u2018look\u2019 like the boots he had lost \u2013 they were<\/em> the ones he had lost.<\/p>\n

The dead man was wearing his missing boots.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THREE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright reached for the saddle horn in preparation for mounting Sport.\u00a0 Placing his foot in the stirrup, he slung his leg over the horse\u2019s back and settled comfortably in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Physically<\/em> comfortable at least.<\/p>\n

Mentally, he was ill at ease.\u00a0 Adam cast another glance at the dying sun.\u00a0 It was setting in the west.\u00a0 Soon it would be dark.<\/p>\n

There was no sign of Joe.<\/p>\n

Finally, after supper, their father had had to admit that there might be a reason to track their wayward brother down.\u00a0 The older man\u2019s resistance \u2013 in part \u2013 was due to his eternal hope that this was the day baby brother grew up.\u00a0 Joe was well on the way to getting there. \u00a0Providence had just given Joe an uneven portion of ornery that was going to take a little longer to tame.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen it with horses.\u00a0 The one\u2019s with the most spirit, that threw the men trying to ride them the farthest, were the surest mounts in the end.<\/p>\n

If Joe lived that long….<\/p>\n

He had consulted with Hoss, who was finishing up Joe\u2019s chores, before leaving the ranch and decided to try the fields north of the house.\u00a0 One of the ranch hands told his brother that he had seen Joe head that way.\u00a0 Their father had mentioned that day before that there were fences that needed mending and indicated Joe was the one to do it.\u00a0 His brother was probably doing self-imposed penance. \u00a0\u00a0Adam grinned.\u00a0 Or maybe Joe had sensed that their pa had a list longer than his arm of hateful tasks for him to do upon his return to the house that included some intensive work with pigs.\u00a0 Adam wrinkled his nose.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that meant they had to live with their little brother\u2019s…uh…bouquet<\/em> until he got it done.<\/p>\n

Adam had left the Ponderosa when the sun was midway down to the horizon and arrived at his destination about an hour back before it set.\u00a0 He had found the broken fence and a sledgehammer tossed to the side on the ground nearby.\u00a0 He\u2019d also found Cochise tethered securely to a tree munching on some sweet grass and all of Joe\u2019s tackle intact.\u00a0 One saddlebag was open, but he thought from the looks of it that his brother had taken whatever was in it and not anyone else.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t look ransacked.\u00a0 Deciding Joe had gone into the woods to relieve himself Adam settled in, started a small fire and \u2013 using his brother\u2019s supplies \u2013 put on a pot of coffee.\u00a0 He figured once Joe returned he\u2019d try to talk to him.\u00a0 Maybe here, away from their Pa, his little brother could tell him what was eating him.\u00a0 He and Hoss still thought it had to do with the beating Joe had taken from John C. Reagan.\u00a0 It had to have been humiliating, even though Joe couldn\u2019t have done the least thing to stop it.\u00a0 Even he <\/em>would have had a hard time handling Reagan who had been a giant of a man whose hands were considered lethal weapons.\u00a0 If not for the rage he felt, Adam wasn\u2019t sure even Hoss could have done it.<\/p>\n

But there had been rage \u2013 they had all<\/em> felt it.\u00a0 One more blow or one placed differently and Joe could have been dead.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at the coffee pot from where he sat anchored in the saddle.\u00a0 The fire was out.\u00a0 The coffee, cold.<\/p>\n

It was time to find Joe.<\/p>\n

Upon inspecting the ground around the fence Adam found two trails, both made by multiple people.\u00a0 One headed to the north, while the other ran along the fence for a while and then entered a nearby stand of trees.\u00a0 That one was easier to see since the taller grasses along the fence had been crushed underfoot.\u00a0 It was hard to tell, since the ground was so hard, but he thought the second trail was the freshest and decided to follow it. \u00a0By the way it progressed it seemed whoever had left it might have been hanging onto the fence for support.\u00a0 Here and there a rail was knocked out of place, though that might have happened before and been some of the damage the ranch hand had reported to their father.\u00a0 It was hard to know.\u00a0 Adam glanced at the sky again.\u00a0 The sun was nearly gone.\u00a0 It was going to be pitch-black soon, at least until the moon claimed the sky.<\/p>\n

He would be forced to stop if he didn\u2019t find Joe soon.<\/p>\n

Adam reined in his horse and leaned on the saddle horn.\u00a0 He looked in every direction at the giant hay stack of a meadowland in which he was trying to find one skinny needle-thin man, and sighed.\u00a0 He seldom called on Providence for small things, but he was considering it when one of the last rays of the sun struck something lying close to the fence not too far ahead.\u00a0 There was a pale patch of something where no pale patch had any right to be.<\/p>\n

Adam sucked in air when he recognized the cast of the shoulders and that tousled head of brown curls.<\/p>\n

It was Joe.<\/p>\n

Jumping from his horse Adam dropped the reins and ran for all he was worth, covering the distance between them in a few seconds.\u00a0 All sorts of things ran through his head.\u00a0 Had his brother been shot?\u00a0 Maybe Joe\u2019d been robbed.\u00a0\u00a0 There had been word of Indians in the area, though they were said to be peaceable \u2013 had one of them attacked him?\u00a0 Or maybe some irate father?<\/p>\n

Dropping beside his brother Adam took hold of Joe\u2019s shoulders and turned him over gently.\u00a0 He bent down to see if he was breathing and then reeled back from the smell.<\/p>\n

Joe had an empty whiskey bottle in his hand and he was dead drunk.<\/p>\n

Adam pushed his black hat back and sighed.<\/p>\n

It was a good thing he\u2019d made that pot of coffee.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood on the porch of the Ponderosa ranch house staring out into the night, wondering about his youngest boy.\u00a0 Though he had protested and bellowed as he felt he had to do, he had been grateful to see Adam ignore him and \u2013 when he thought he wasn\u2019t watching \u2013 take off in search of his brother.\u00a0 There was a special bond between them, different from the one Joe shared with Hoss.\u00a0 At thirteen Adam hadn\u2019t been old enough to be Joe\u2019s father, but he hadn\u2019t been far off.\u00a0 He\u2019d known boys of sixteen who had married and started a life.\u00a0 And so, in a way, Adam had acted as both older brother and a second father to Joe.\u00a0 While Hoss was often Joe\u2019s partner in crime, it was Adam who grounded him and made his youngest think.<\/p>\n

Whatever Joe was facing now, maybe he would accept help from Adam when it was apparent he had no intention of taking it from him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ben leaned on one of the wooden posts that fronted the door and thought of Joe\u2019s mother and how he wished she was here at his side.\u00a0 These were the times when he felt the ache for Marie in his bones.\u00a0 As tiny as he was, Joe and his mother had had a special bond too.\u00a0 As the youngest boy, while he had trailed after his brothers, Joe had not been able to work at their side and so had spent much of his time with his mother while the rest of them were away forging and forming the empire that was the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Though Joe had been barely old enough to understand what death was, the loss of his mother had devastated the boy.\u00a0 What Adam had said earlier had reminded him.\u00a0 Joe, who was usually free with tears, had grown stoic after Marie\u2019s passing.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until the last sod of earth had been tossed on her coffin that the boy shed a tear, and even then he had fought to control it, his upper lip trembling and his little body shaking like a quake had hit.\u00a0 It was almost as if Joe had been afraid to cry for fear he<\/em> would.\u00a0 The irony was, he had shed his tears in private for fear the sight of it would frighten Marie\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

Thinking back on it now that had been wrong.<\/p>\n

Ben straightened up and turned as the door to the house opened.\u00a0 Hoss saw him and then left the interior to join him.\u00a0 \u201cNo sign of Adam or Little Joe?\u201d he asked as he came to his side.<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve probably decided to camp for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d the big man said, \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019re right.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Pa, I sure wish I knew what was eatin\u2019 Joe.\u00a0 Usually he tells me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben could hear the hurt in his son\u2019s tone.\u00a0 He touched his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou two are close, I know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sure are, Pa, which makes all of this such a puzzlement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man leaned his back against the wooden post.\u00a0 \u201cWe never really know what drives a man, Hoss, even the ones we are the closest too.\u00a0 Oh, we get to know someone and know what we expect of them, but there\u2019s always a chance that there\u2019s something deep down inside them that will change their course if something forces it to the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think that\u2019s what it is with Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pursed his lips and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThis drinking has me worried, though.\u00a0 It\u2019s a habit, once a man has picked it up, that\u2019s hard to break.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI seen Joe put an awful lot of liquor down at once, Pa, with no real trouble.\u201d\u00a0 At his look, Hoss swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cIn the saloon, you know.\u00a0 Taking on a challenge and like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what worries me, Hoss.\u00a0 It\u2019s not so much how much<\/em> a man drinks as why<\/em> he drinks.\u00a0 If it\u2019s for recreation, that\u2019s one thing.\u00a0 If it\u2019s to numb himself until he can\u2019t feel, well, that\u2019s where the danger lies.\u201d\u00a0 Ben looked out again the way Adam had taken.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid that\u2019s what Joe is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNumb himself from what?\u00a0 You think it\u2019s what that scallywag Reagan did to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s a part of it,\u201d Ben answered, pulling on his chin. \u201cI\u2019m not sure it\u2019s all.\u201d\u00a0 After a moment, he touched Hoss\u2019 shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, son.\u00a0 We\u2019re doing no one including ourselves any good standing out here.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure Adam has Joe well in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t been pretty.<\/p>\n

While Adam enjoyed a glass of fine whiskey from time to time, the smell of it stale on a man\u2019s breath mixed with vomit was enough to put him off of it for the foreseeable future.\u00a0 As Joe was so far out of it, he\u2019d had to watch to make sure his brother didn\u2019t choke and, once he had stopped being sick, continued to watch that he didn\u2019t fall into some kind of a stupor and stop breathing.\u00a0 From what he could tell his little brother must have downed the entire bottle of whiskey in one go.\u00a0 Joe wasn\u2019t a big man. What would have made Hoss or him ill could have easily killed him.<\/p>\n

As he worked with Joe, Adam had been surprised by the rage that had grown within him that made him want to take his little brother and shake him until whatever was wrong with him fell out on its own.\u00a0 He had grown so angry he caught himself\u00a0 at one point just short of backhanding Joe with brutal force.\u00a0 In a way Adam didn\u2019t know that he had ever been faced with anything like this before. \u00a0They\u2019d had plenty of people try to kill them.<\/p>\n

This was the first time he\u2019d had to deal with one of them trying to kill himself.<\/p>\n

After he lost his temper, Adam had stepped away, leaving Joe lying on the ground.\u00a0 His brother had moaned in pain and for a moment, he had been glad of it.\u00a0 What a stupid thing to do!\u00a0 What an absolute waste!<\/em>\u00a0 How dare Joe take for granted everything God had given him \u2013 including good looks and charm and a brilliant mind \u2013 and throw it on the rubbish heap!\u00a0 From the few medical classes he sat in on at college, he knew Joe could have actually damaged himself by such a rapid consumption of alcohol.\u00a0 The human body simply wasn\u2019t made to handle it.<\/p>\n

What the Hell was wrong with him?<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, some time later, as he stood looking down at Joe, whose young face was covered with a sheen of sweat and who was shaking uncontrollably, the black-haired man felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.\u00a0 He could shoot the bad guy and beat up someone who threatened Joe, but what in the name of Heaven was he to do when it was Joe who threatened himself?<\/p>\n

Adam remained where he was for a moment and then he crouched beside his brother and placed a hand on his chest.\u00a0 A moment later he sat down and drew Joe\u2019s quaking body into his arms and held him tighter than he had ever held him before.\u00a0 As he did, a tear fell.<\/p>\n

It struck Joe\u2019s face and his brother\u2019s long lashes fluttered.\u00a0 Joe tried to open his eyes.\u00a0 The moment he did, his entire body grew stiff and he heaved.\u00a0 There was nothing more to come up, so the action made him groan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what you get for being an idiot,\u201d Adam snarled softly.<\/p>\n

His baby brother\u2019s eyes opened again. They rolled back in Joe\u2019s head once and then remained open without focus.\u00a0 He tried to speak but whatever came out was so slurred it could have been anything from \u2018Help me up\u2019 to \u2018I hate your guts\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, Joe.\u00a0 You\u2019re in no shape to do anything right now.\u201d\u00a0 Adam ran his fingers around his brother\u2019s mouth clearing it of spittle as he had done when he was an infant so he wouldn\u2019t choke.\u00a0 \u201cJust lay there and breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of quieting Joe grew agitated, which was not exactly what Adam had hoped would happen.\u00a0 He seemed to struggle for a moment as if caught in some alcohol-induced nightmare and then his eyes grew focused \u2013 just for a second \u2013 and out came a strangled, \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s hand was grappling at the air.\u00a0 Adam caught it and squeezed his fingers hard. \u201cI\u2019m here, Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

A slight smile lifted one side of his brother\u2019s upper lip and then Joe coughed and heaved again.\u00a0 Adam shifted his grip and held him until the fit passed by placing one hand on his forehead and wrapping the other around his middle. As his brother quieted all of Adam\u2019s frustration came out in a sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the love of God,<\/em> Joe, why?\u201d<\/p>\n

In response Joe did something unexpected.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

What kind of a response was that?\u00a0 No?\u00a0 \u2018No\u2019 to what?<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes had closed again.\u00a0 He felt like a louse, but Adam shook him, rousing him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, what, Joe?\u00a0 \u2018No\u2019, what?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s fingers closed over his own and Joe turned his eyes toward his face.\u00a0 They pleaded with him to understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot me….\u201d Joe sighed and then fell silent.<\/p>\n

Those two words stabbed Adam like a knife.\u00a0 If not Joe….<\/p>\n

Then who?<\/em><\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright awoke early the next morning to the sound of someone opening the front door.\u00a0 He glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little after four.\u00a0 Pulling on his robe and slipping on his slippers, he opened his bedroom door and went to the staircase \u2013\u00a0 quietly \u2013 so as not to wake his middle son.\u00a0 The sun was still down so the great room was dark, but he could hear someone moving through it.\u00a0 A match was struck and the small oil lamp on the side table filled with a gentle golden glow illuminating his eldest boy, Adam.\u00a0 As he descended the stair Adam glanced up.<\/p>\n

He looked unutterably weary.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d his son said softly, \u201cbefore you get angry, I think there\u2019s more here than meets the eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben tightened the belt of his robe as he descended the stair.\u00a0 \u201cDid you find your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI found him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s on the settee.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man picked up the lamp on his way past.\u00a0 He was not prepared for the wreck of a human being its light revealed.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hair was matted and his clothing stained with the remnants of everything that had been in his stomach. \u00a0The mix of whiskey and vomit was stifling.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God!\u201d he exclaimed and a moment later added, \u201cWhat kind of a fool idiot have I reared!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stepped forward.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m not sure this is Joe\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I suppose someone took a bottle of whiskey and opened his mouth and forced<\/em> the liquor down his throat!\u201d<\/p>\n

His son pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m beginning to think that\u2019s exactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben crossed over to the cabinet they kept the liquor in and opened it. \u00a0He counted the bottles and then rounded on his eldest.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a bottle of whiskey missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean Joe drank it deliberately, Pa.\u00a0 It just means he took it with the intention of doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you defending him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure, Pa.\u00a0 At first I wanted to kill him myself, but….\u201d\u00a0 For a moment his eldest failed for words. \u201cThis just isn\u2019t Joe, Pa.\u00a0 You know that.\u00a0 No matter how<\/em> much he\u2019s hurting.\u00a0 Getting a little wild, being reckless, drinking a few too many? \u00a0Maybe.\u00a0 But this?\u00a0 This just isn\u2019t<\/em> Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben wanted to believe.\u00a0 By God, he wanted to believe it so <\/em>much.\u00a0 Taking the lamp from Adam he went and sat by his youngest\u2019s side.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s breathing was shallow and somewhat forced.\u00a0 He was pale and cold to the touch.\u00a0 \u201cGet that throw over there, Adam,\u201d he ordered as he put the lamp on the table by his son\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to cover him up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 He returned a moment later with the throw.\u00a0 As Ben tucked it over Joe\u2019s shaking form, his eldest said matter-of-factly, \u201cI think someone tried to kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man shot him a look.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Maybe he saw something.\u00a0 He was out in the north pasture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch him for a moment, Adam,\u201d Ben said, rising.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to go get a basin of water.\u00a0 I can\u2019t stand to see him like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Ben returned a few moments later Adam was sitting at Joe\u2019s side holding his brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He surrendered his seat but lingered close.\u00a0 Taking the cloth he had brought, the older man dipped it in the water and washed some of the filth from Joe\u2019s face and neck.\u00a0 As he bathed him the first rays of dawn fell through the open window beyond the dining table and the light began to rise in the room.\u00a0 When he was done he put the cloth in the basin and turned to face Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what makes you think this is not just your brother acting up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, for one thing, Pa,\u201d he said, looking thoughtful.\u00a0 \u201cThere were two trails that led from where I found the broken fence and the sledge, one going north and the other one heading here, which is where I found Joe.\u00a0 I have to admit that the way I found him, laying on his face with the empty bottle under him, made me think the same thing as you at first.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cPa, when I asked him \u2018why\u2019, \u00a0he shook his head \u2018no\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he just didn\u2019t want to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u00a0 But then, when I pressed Joe, Pa, when I asked him, \u2018No\u2019, what?\u00a0 His answer was \u2018Not me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at his son.\u00a0 \u201cThat was it?\u00a0 \u2018Not me\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t explain it, Pa, but I believed him.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he did this \u2013 I think someone did it to <\/em>him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could just be a convenient way to get out of trouble.\u201d\u00a0 Ben knew it all too well.\u00a0 Men who drank were wily.\u00a0 He stood and looked down at his youngest.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 We won\u2019t solve it until we can talk to Joe.\u201d\u00a0 The older man turned and placed a hand on Adam\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re both home and safe now.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get your brother upstairs to his bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me do that, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He and Adam both turned toward the stair.\u00a0 \u201cHow long have you been there, Hoss?\u201d Ben asked as his middle son joined them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot long.\u00a0 I heard you and Adam talking.\u201d\u00a0 He nodded toward Joe\u2019s sleeping form.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s little brother got hisself into this time?\u201d<\/p>\n

He and Adam exchanged looks.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re not entirely sure,\u201d the older man said.\u00a0 \u201cThe only thing that\u2019s certain is that Joe needs to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben moved out of the way so Hoss could move in.\u00a0 The big man bent down and tenderly lifted his brother as if he was a child and bore him up the staircase to his room.<\/p>\n

He and Adam stared after them for a moment and then his eldest turned to him.\u00a0 With a nod toward the window, he said, \u201cSun\u2019s up, Pa.\u00a0 Time for the new day to begin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked.\u00a0 So it was.<\/p>\n

God alone knew what it would bring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOUR<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright reined his horse in outside of the ranch house and dismounted.\u00a0 He was hot and sweaty and covered in dust and was looking forward to one of Hop Sing\u2019s excellent meals and a bath.\u00a0 It had been a long hard day of long hard work ranging from hauling water to burying the cattle that had died of thirst before they could get it to them.\u00a0 As Ben wiped his brow with his shirt sleeve, the older man looked toward the house.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t help that they were one man down.\u00a0 He\u2019d been so desperate he\u2019d taken on a couple of drifters the night before as temporary help even though he wasn\u2019t too fond of the look of them. Still, until whatever was troubling Joseph was solved, he didn\u2019t know that he could count on him.<\/p>\n

And that was a hard pill to swallow.<\/p>\n

Adam and Hoss were not too far behind him.\u00a0 They had ridden back to the place where Adam had found Joe to see if they could discover anything that might enlighten them as to what had happened the night before.\u00a0 It had been getting dark when he located his brother and his eldest had admitted it had been hard to see anything.\u00a0 Hopefully they would return with something that would help to solve the puzzle of why his youngest seemed to have gone off\u00a0 the deep end.<\/p>\n

Leaving Buck to munch on some sweet grass Ben headed for the house.\u00a0 Once inside he tossed his hat on the sideboard and then turned to find Joe parked on the edge of the hearth.\u00a0 The boy had kindled a fire and was sitting there staring into it.\u00a0 Apparently his son hadn\u2019t heard him enter as he didn\u2019t acknowledge his presence or move.\u00a0 Ben observed him for a minute.\u00a0 Joe was pale and sickly looking.\u00a0 He had the throw wrapped around the shoulders of the black shirt he wore.\u00a0 Beside him was an untouched bowl of soup and a mug brought, no doubt, by Hop Sing in an attempt to get Joe to eat something.<\/p>\n

Remembering his own bouts with overindulgence, he doubted the boy could keep it down.<\/p>\n

As he approached Joe stirred and looked at him.\u00a0 Ben was surprised to find no contrition in his son\u2019s eyes \u2013 just confusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

His smile was sheepish and his voice, weak.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben crossed to the other side of the settee table and perched on it.\u00a0 Sitting there, he linked his hands together and said, \u201cSon, we need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa, about the other night.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what got into me.\u00a0 I\u2019ll work to pay off that window I smashed.\u00a0 I \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not talking about the other night, Joseph.\u00a0 I am talking about last <\/em>night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s face scrunched up as it had from the time he was a little boy, whenever he had something to say that he didn\u2019t really want <\/em>to say.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a problem with that, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that would be?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t remember last night.\u00a0 In fact, I don\u2019t even know how I got home.\u00a0 I was out mending fences \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam brought you home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d\u00a0 He could see the wheels turning in his son\u2019s head.\u00a0 Joe was thinking furiously.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t remember Adam coming for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spite of his best effort, Ben failed to keep the anger or the implied censure out of his tone.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d downed an entire bottle of whiskey in one go, it\u2019s surprising you remember your own name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s green eyes met his.\u00a0 \u201cI…I did what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Adam found you, you were dead drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, no!\u201d\u00a0 His son was shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you denying you took the bottle?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe met his stare and then dropped his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben continued to gaze at him for a moment.\u00a0 He drew a deep breath and let it out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cWhy, Joseph?\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son\u2019s head snapped up, a bit of the fire that normally fueled him returning.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think if I knew that I wouldn\u2019t tell you?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know, Pa!\u00a0 I just don\u2019t know<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it have to do with what John C. Reagan did to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question hung unanswered in the air a moment, during which time his son visibly squirmed.\u00a0 When at last Joe replied it wasn\u2019t with an answer, but with another question.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat…\u00a0 What is it makes a man a \u2018man<\/em>\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

That question was as loaded as a revolver with all the chambers filled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat exactly do you mean, son?\u00a0 You should know what I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s restless excitement got the best of him.\u00a0 He rose to his feet and began to pace.\u00a0 \u201cA man\u2019s gotta be strong<\/em>, right?\u00a0 And able to take care of himself and his?\u00a0 I mean, he can\u2019t let other men step all over him or push him around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Ben answered, sensing where this was going.\u00a0 \u201cBut Joe, it\u2019s not about being physically strong or able as much as it is about strength of character<\/em>.\u00a0 Any man can brutalize another. \u00a0That doesn\u2019t mean he is strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stopped and looked at him but said nothing.<\/p>\n

Ben drew another breath, steeling himself against the emotional tide he expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, what happened in that alley?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s expression went from surprise to chagrin and past that to shame and anger in about six seconds.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it,\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to have to, Joseph, or it will eat you up alive.\u00a0 If it\u2019s driven you to drink \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, no!\u00a0 I\u2019m not….\u00a0 I didn\u2019t….\u201d \u00a0His son sucked in air.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Ben\u2019s turn to be surprised.\u00a0 \u201cThen what is<\/em> behind it?\u00a0 A man doesn\u2019t nearly drink himself to death over nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe seemed earnestly wounded.\u00a0 \u201cPa, didn\u2019t you hear me?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t do what you think.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know, Joe, if you can\u2019t remember anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

The words were spoken quietly but they had a huge impact.\u00a0 Joe paused in front of the hearth and then sat down heavily.\u00a0 He ran a hand along his neck and then worked the muscles at the back as if seeking to ease the tension there.\u00a0 Finally, sounding like a little boy, he said, \u201cHelp me, Pa.\u00a0 Will you help me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stabbed to the heart Ben rose and went to sit beside his boy.\u00a0 Placing an arm around Joe\u2019s shoulders he said, \u201cTell me, what do<\/em> you remember about last night?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheepish look returned.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to tell you, Pa.\u00a0 But you won\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stifled a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cMore trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe laughed weakly, \u201cbut not the kind you\u2019re thinking of.\u201d\u00a0 His son paused.\u00a0 \u201cA man was murdered on our land last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI was out mending the fences when I heard this woman screaming.\u00a0 I went to see what the matter was and found a lean-to pitched just north of the fence.\u00a0 The woman was Indian and she was bending over a man who had been strangled and had a knife in his back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard something and ran into the woods to see what it was.\u201d\u00a0 Joe hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t see much, just a man \u2013 moving on foot first and then on a horse.\u00a0 There was nothing unusual about him except he had a mean look.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear gripped him.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, did this man see you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

His son shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI helped the woman bury the man and told her to leave everything pretty much in place.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t speak English, so I don\u2019t know if she listened.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned, obviously coming to the place where things got hazy.\u00a0 \u201cI admit, Pa, I was shaking so much when I got back to the fence that I opened the whiskey and took a sip.\u00a0 But just<\/em> a sip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben ignored that.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you do next?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 It was getting dark.\u00a0 I decided it was time to head home.\u00a0 I remember opening the satchel to put the bottle back and then….\u201d\u00a0 Distress entered his son\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHonest, Pa, then there\u2019s nothing until I woke up in bed about an hour ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sat there for a minute, weighing what he knew of his son\u2019s character for the last eighteen years against the young scoundrel who had been dragged in bruised and bloodied by Roy Coffee the night before.\u00a0 If it pleased God, Joe\u2019s foolishness had been the aberration.<\/p>\n

He had to give him the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, son.\u00a0 I believe you,\u201d he said while patting Joe on the leg.<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s whole body seemed to sigh. \u201cThanks, Pa.\u00a0 And I am<\/em> sorry about the other night.\u00a0 I guess…I guess I was trying to prove I was the wrong <\/em>kind of a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you failed miserably, thank goodness!\u201d Ben laughed.<\/p>\n

As a smile broke on Joe\u2019s face the door to the ranch house opened and his two dusty brothers walked in.\u00a0 The relief was apparent on both their faces, but even more so on Adam\u2019s.\u00a0 After hanging his black hat on a peg, his eldest crossed quickly to them and asked, \u201cHow are you feeling, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother favored him with a lop-sided grin.\u00a0 \u201cLike I been run over in a stampede.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou smelled worse than if you\u2019d been under<\/em> a load of cattle last night, little brother, I can tell you that,\u201d Hoss said as he came to join them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Pa I don\u2019t know what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took a moment to explain everything Joe had told him, including about the man who had been murdered.\u00a0 As he finished he noticed Adam frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hazel eyes flicked to Joe.\u00a0 They looked sympathetic.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, Hoss and I were just all over that area.\u00a0 There\u2019s no lean-to there, and I didn\u2019t see any sign of a fresh grave.\u00a0 How about you?\u201d he asked, looking at the big man.<\/p>\n

Hoss scratched the back of his head.\u00a0 \u201cSorry to say, Joe, but I didn\u2019t see nothing neither.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beside him Joe tensed.\u00a0 \u201cBut it happened!\u00a0 I know <\/em>what I saw \u2013 the woman, the man, everything!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying you didn\u2019t, Joe,\u201d Adam said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just saying there\u2019s no evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s the first one who believed you, Joe,\u201d Ben told him.\u00a0 \u201cYour brother thinks you were forced to consume that whiskey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe burst from the hearth again.\u00a0 He began to move but with no direction.\u00a0 \u201cI just wish I could remember!\u00a0 Why can\u2019t<\/em> I remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, Adam answered.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve seen it before, Joe, when someone drinks too much too fast.\u00a0 They can be playing cards with you and when you ask them the next day about that winning hand, they don\u2019t even remember being in the saloon.\u201d\u00a0 Ben watched as Adam crossed to Joe and placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThat much alcohol that fast could have killed you.\u00a0 It may have been meant to.\u00a0 Joe, maybe you saw something someone didn\u2019t want you to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 The fact that the lean-to was gone as well as any sight of the man\u2019s grave went a long way toward backing that up.\u00a0 Rising, the older man looked out the window.\u00a0 It was late in the afternoon.\u00a0 There were only a few hours of light left in the day.\u00a0 \u201cCan we make it there before dark, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eldest shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 The road\u2019s rough after that last storm.\u00a0 It would be pitch-black by the time we got there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we\u2019ll just have to wait for tomorrow.\u00a0 We\u2019ll rise early and go to town and alert Sheriff Coffee, and then all of us can go and take a look before its time for the day\u2019s chores to begin.\u00a0 Does that suit you, Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to go now, Pa, but I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, the next order of business is some food for all of us \u2013 and that includes you, Joe,\u201d he insisted as he watched his youngest go green.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve lost everything you had in you yesterday and most of it from the day before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and we cleaned it all up,\u201d Hoss added, ending with a resounding, \u2018Pee-yew!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa….\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about we ask Hop Sing to make you some nice tame soup?\u201d\u00a0 Ben moved to Joe and circled his shoulders with his arm.\u00a0 \u201cNow come on, we\u2019ll go talk to him together.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Joe sat on the edge of his bed.\u00a0 His father had sent him upstairs with another bowl of soup.\u00a0 It sat untouched beside him on the nightstand.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t been honest with the older man \u2013 with any of his family \u2013 at least not entirely.<\/p>\n

There was still the matter of his boots.<\/p>\n

He had gone over and over it, but Joe couldn\u2019t remember when they had gone missing.\u00a0 He knew he had them on Sunday since they\u2019d gone to services and that he had noticed they were gone on Wednesday, but he had no idea which day exactly <\/em>they had disappeared.\u00a0 How they ended up on\u00a0 the feet of a dead man in the middle of nowhere on Thursday afternoon he had no idea.\u00a0 And they had been his<\/em> dress boots, scuffed and coated with mud.\u00a0 He\u2019d checked them out when he buried the man \u2013 and left them on his feet.<\/p>\n

He was the only one who knew.<\/p>\n

So now, along with the canker that was John C. Reagan, he\u2019d added a lie to gnaw away at his soul.\u00a0 But no, he shouldn\u2019t let it.\u00a0 He\u2019d known his pa to tell white lies when it served a greater purpose than the truth.\u00a0 That\u2019s what he was doing.\u00a0 He<\/em> knew he hadn\u2019t killed anyone.\u00a0 If he mentioned the boots, it would just throw suspicion on him and divert the law from looking for the right man.\u00a0 He was actually doing Sheriff Coffee a favor, saving him all that wasted time and effort.<\/p>\n

Wasn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n

Joe laid back in his bed and laced his hands behind his head. Everyone else was already asleep and the house was completely quiet.\u00a0 In spite of the fact that he had slept most of the day, he was bone weary.\u00a0 Sleep was tugging at his eyelids and pulling them down.\u00a0 He fought it for a little while, unwilling to give up the puzzle, but eventually his muscles relaxed and his arms fell to his sides.\u00a0 His breathing evened and his mind left the puzzle and headed for the land of dreams.<\/p>\n

An hour or so later Joe sat up in the bed.\u00a0 He swung his feet over the side and stepped into his work boots.\u00a0 Rising, he walked to his door and, opening it, passed into the hall.\u00a0 Once down the steps he opened the front door and moved out into the night and headed for the stable.\u00a0 After saddling Cochise he led her into the area fronting the house, mounted, and rode away.<\/p>\n

Joe returned some four hours later.\u00a0 He dismounted, returned Cochise to the stable, entered the house and went back to his room and dropped in bed. Shortly after that his eyes began to move rapidly beneath his lids and he began to dream.<\/p>\n

And knew nothing until morning.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Hoss exchanged glances with Adam as he passed him in the upstairs hall on his way to the breakfast table.\u00a0 \u201cSleepy head not out of bed yet?\u201d his brother tossed off on his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon not,\u201d the big man replied as he raised his hand in preparation for knocking.\u00a0 \u201cLeastwise Joe ain\u2019t downstairs.\u00a0 Pa sent me to fetch him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was already on the landing.\u00a0 \u201cGood luck,\u201d he called back.<\/p>\n

Waking Joe on a normal day was like wrasslin\u2019 with a grizzly.\u00a0 After what his little brother had been through the day before there weren\u2019t no tellin\u2019 what would happen.<\/p>\n

Maybe only one of them would come out alive.<\/p>\n

Grinning, Hoss brought his fist down on the door.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Joe, you awake?\u201d\u00a0 When he got no reply he tried the handle.\u00a0 The door opened and the big man peeked inside.\u00a0 He could see his brother\u2019s brown head topping the blankets.\u00a0 \u201cJoe? Ain\u2019t you up yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Looked like it was going to be one of those <\/em>mornings where it took a tug on the covers and a douse of yesterday\u2019s wash water.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Hoss called louder as he headed for the bed.\u00a0 \u201cTime to get up!\u201d<\/p>\n

Not even a mumble came in response.<\/p>\n

He hated to do it, but there was no choice.\u00a0 Pa said to get Joe up now <\/em>since they had to ride to town for the sheriff, go north, and then get back before the day\u2019s work was really begun.\u00a0 Gripping the coverlet and the blankets beneath, the big man pulled them off his brother and tossed them aside.<\/p>\n

Joe was still dressed in the clothing he had worn the night before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if that don\u2019t beat all,\u201d Hoss sighed.\u00a0 He eyed the pitcher across the room but decided to try a gentler touch first.\u00a0 Taking hold of his brother\u2019s shoulder, he shook him.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u00a0 Joe, wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n

This time he got a mumble but that was all.\u00a0 It sounded something like \u2018Go away\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Joe.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s gonna be mighty riled if you don\u2019t get a move on it.\u201d\u00a0 The big man paused.\u00a0 \u201cDo I have to get the water?\u201d<\/p>\n

At that his brother\u2019s eyelids fluttered.\u00a0 Joe squinted and one brown brow headed for the mass of curls spilling onto his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cWater?\u00a0 What water?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pitcher of it that\u2019s gonna be poured over your head if you don\u2019t get that skinny little hiney of yours out of that bed by the time I count three.\u00a0 One,\u201d Hoss said as he crossed to the washstand.\u00a0 \u201cTwo,\u201d as he picked it up and headed back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, okay,\u201d Joe moaned and rolled over.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure you ain\u2019t moonlighting as a prison guard while we\u2019re all sleeping?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just what you need, little brother, a prison guard,\u201d Hoss said as he placed the pitcher next to the bowl of soup Joe had left uneaten from the night before.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone\u2019s gotta keep you in line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d\u00a0 Their father\u2019s loud voice carried up the staircase.\u00a0 \u201cIs your brother up yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss looked at Joe.\u00a0 \u2018Up\u2019 was not exactly the right word.\u00a0 He crossed to the door to answer.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t washed or dressed yet, Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s gonna take a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was sitting on the edge of the bed now watching him.\u00a0 They exchanged glances as their father\u2019s voice bellowed again.\u00a0 \u201cYou tell that boy to hurry!\u00a0 I\u2019m going to take Adam and go into town and get Roy.\u00a0 You two meet us where Joe was mending that fence yesterday.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back in a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa,\u201d he called before turning back to his brother.\u00a0 He was gonna make another crack, but Joe looked so pitiful that he didn\u2019t have the heart.\u00a0 He had that look a man has when he\u2019s worked twenty out of twenty-four hours and tossed for two of the four he had left for sleep.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Hoss, I\u2019m okay\u00a0 I\u2019m just….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s voice had drifted off.\u00a0 Hoss followed his gaze.\u00a0 He was staring at the floor \u2013 or at his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

His little brother looked up at him, truly puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just that, well….\u201d\u00a0 Joe bent forward and caught his foot with his hand, which he in turn pushed out toward him.\u00a0 \u201cLook!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s socked feet were covered with dried mud as were the cuffs of his pants.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad burn it, if that don\u2019t beat all!\u00a0 Where\u2019d you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s green eyes were wide.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you not<\/em> know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but \u2013 I don\u2019t know!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 Joe released his foot and watched it slide to the floor.\u00a0 For a second he sat there, stunned.\u00a0 Then he turned those eyes toward him again.\u00a0 This time there was fear in them \u2013 real<\/em> fear.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, what\u2019s happening to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I knew, Joe.\u00a0 I\u2019d sure like to help you, but I don\u2019t know how.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother was quiet a moment.\u00a0 Then he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThis is something I gotta figure out by myself, Hoss.\u00a0 You know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

He did, though he hesitated to admit it.\u00a0 Whenever he had problems he always clammed up and rode off on his own, refusing to take any help or even talk to Joe or Adam or their Pa.\u00a0 It weren\u2019t so attractive when someone he<\/em> loved was trying to do the same thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what you mean,\u201d he agreed at last.\u00a0 \u201cBut I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s for the best.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t worked out too well for me before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was on his feet, taking his black shirt off and then reaching to undo his pants.\u00a0 \u201cJust give me a head start \u2013 even an hour.\u00a0 I need to look around where I was mending the fence.\u00a0 See what I can find.\u00a0 That way, I can save Sheriff Coffee some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come you gotta do it alone?\u201d Hoss asked suspiciously.<\/p>\n

Joe was pulling on a pair of clean gray pants.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t have to. \u00a0I want<\/em> to.\u00a0 Humor me, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if it ain\u2019t safe?\u00a0 Pa will have my hide if I let you go and somethin\u2019 happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat could happen?\u201d Joe shot off as he began to button the light gray shirt he had donned. \u00a0At his look he amended that to, \u201cI promise I\u2019ll be careful, big brother.\u00a0\u00a0 You trust me, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss winced.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t say as I do….\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grabbed his blue corduroy jacket and then slapped him on the back in passing.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s good enough for me,\u201d he said as he moved around the room and then drew to a halt.<\/p>\n

The big man watched him as he began a second circle.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, is something wrong?\u00a0 Can I help you find something?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother stopped and turned toward him.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hands were on his hips and he had a puzzled look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you know,\u201d Joe proclaimed, his voice pitching higher.\u00a0 \u201cNow I can\u2019t find my work boots!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIVE<\/p>\n

Wearing his old work boots, which were two sizes too small, Joe canvassed the area around the fence he had been mending.\u00a0 Someone had done a really good job of erasing any existence of the lean-to but, unlike Adam and Hoss, he had known where to look and had found enough evidence of it to assure himself that it he wasn\u2019t delusional.\u00a0 There were signs of branches driven into the earth, and he\u2019d found some beads and other remnants of a native habitation.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a lot and he doubted it would convince Roy Coffee, but it was enough for him.\u00a0 He also knew where the grave was and that had been the biggest surprise.\u00a0 He\u2019d helped the Indian woman bury the man near a wall of\u00a0 rock.\u00a0 Someone had gone to the top of the wall and caused a rock slide that had all but obliterated any trace of it.<\/p>\n

All but.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since he knew where to look he had found one side of the grave partially exposed.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at the sun and figured he had about a half hour remaining until Hoss showed up.\u00a0 Kneeling, he searched the ground again and managed to find faint traces of several horses.\u00a0 Alongside one was the track of a woman\u2019s feet shod in something soft \u2013 most likely the native woman wearing moccasins.\u00a0 It appeared that she had mounted one of the horses and ridden off, though whether by choice or by force he had no way of knowing.\u00a0 Her prints were surrounded by those of at least three men.\u00a0 Two were normal size, but one of them was a big man \u2013 bigger, maybe, than Hoss.<\/p>\n

Joe thought a moment longer and then crossed to Cochise where he stood munching on grass.\u00a0 He raised his foot in preparation of mounting but halted when a sound made him look over the animal\u2019s back.\u00a0 Two men were coming toward him from the south.\u00a0 They checked their mounts about thirty feet out and rode up more slowly, probably to show him they offered no threat.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t think he knew either one of them.<\/p>\n

The first one, a tallish man with sandy hair and a scrub of a beard drew his horse to a halt and asked, \u201cAre you Little Joe Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho wants to know?\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man, who was dark as his companion was light, came alongside him. \u201cName\u2019s Peyton Rule,\u201d the first man said.\u00a0 \u201cThis here is Rafe Wrenat.\u00a0 We signed on with your pa day before yesterday.\u00a0 Your brother Hoss sent us here to find you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s suspicions were instantly aroused.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would Hoss do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted us to let you know that he decided to stay at the ranch,\u201d Rafe said.\u00a0 \u201cSeems Sheriff Coffee came out to see Mister Cartwright about somethin\u2019 and somehow they missed each other on the road.\u00a0 Your brother said the two of them \u2013 him and Coffee \u2013 would wait at the ranch house until Mister Cartwright and Adam showed up and then come this way.\u00a0 We\u2019re supposed to rendezvous with them across the field.\u201d\u00a0 The cowhand indicated a path that lay along that taken by the \u00a0man he had seen the day before.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t feel like doing that.\u00a0 I\u2019ll wait here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rafe leaned on his saddle horn and looked around.\u00a0 \u201cWhat makes this place so interesting, if you don\u2019t mind my asking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do mind,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now, you\u2019re just downright unfriendly, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Peyton asked, his voice taking on an edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems Mister high-and-mighty Joe Cartwright here doesn\u2019t want to travel with no simple ranch hands,\u201d Rafe scoffed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like ranch hands meddling in my business, is all,\u201d Joe snapped. \u00a0\u201cIf you want to keep your jobs, you\u2019ll mind your own and leave me to mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir!\u201d Peyton said, finishing with a mocking salute.\u00a0 \u201cSo you want us to go on ahead across the field without you?\u00a0 That right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s hoping the big fella takes it out on you and not on us,\u201d Rafe snorted as he pressed his knee into his horse\u2019s ribs and started forward.\u00a0 \u201cSee you later, Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n

Seconds later both were gone.<\/p>\n

Joe stood watching them for several heartbeats, until their forms disappeared into the trees.<\/p>\n

What the Hell had that <\/em>been about?<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Hoss Cartwright moaned and rolled over.\u00a0 He pressed his fingers to his temple and frowned when they came away bloody.\u00a0 With effort he pulled himself into a seated position and propped his back against the bole of a tree.\u00a0 It took a minute for his mind to clear.\u00a0 When it did, he remembered where he was and what had happened.\u00a0 He\u2019d been riding out to join Joe in the northern pasture.\u00a0 Hoss glanced at his fingers again.<\/p>\n

It seemed someone didn\u2019t want him to make it.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t seen anyone and suspected whoever the coward was, they had shot at him from some hiding place high above the road.\u00a0 Hoss wondered if their aim had been good or bad \u2013 if they had meant to wing him or had just missed killing him.<\/p>\n

Either way it didn\u2019t look good for Joe.<\/p>\n

Rising to his feet, the big man swayed before reaching out and steadying himself with a hand against the tree.\u00a0\u00a0 Then he looked around for his horse. Chubb had bolted when the shot came and he had fallen from the animal\u2019s back.\u00a0 He was hoping the horse was somewhere nearby.\u00a0 With each passing minute the idea of his little brother being alone made him more and more nervous.\u00a0 Fifteen minutes out on horseback was forty-five on foot and that was an awful long time.<\/p>\n

Dad blame it!<\/em>\u00a0 Why\u2019d he ever let the little cuss talk him into letting him set out alone?<\/p>\n

When he was sure he was steady Hoss stepped away from the tree.\u00a0 His head was throbbing, but he thought he could sit the horse once he found him. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cChubb,\u201d he called.\u00a0 \u201cHey boy!\u00a0 Where are you?\u201d\u00a0 After a second he heard an answering nicker not too far off.\u00a0 \u201cListen to my voice, boy.\u00a0 I\u2019m comin\u2019 to get you, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man made his way through the underbrush, passing to the west until he found his horse.\u00a0 Fortunately it appeared the animal hadn\u2019t injured himself, though Chubb was at the bottom of a shallow gully and would have to be walked out.<\/p>\n

All of which was going to take time.<\/p>\n

Hoss turned and looked north.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m comin\u2019, Joe.\u00a0 Hold on,\u201d he breathed between gritted teeth.<\/p>\n

Then he began to make his way down the hill.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Joe remained where he was, staring after the two strangers for a dozen heartbeats before he stirred and put his foot in the stirrup.\u00a0 Once in the saddle he debated which direction to go.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t for a minute believe that Hoss wasn\u2019t coming. That was, unless those two had done something to stop him.\u00a0 He imagined his father, Adam, and Roy Coffee were on their way as well, but it would be hours yet before they arrived.\u00a0 One choice was to go back and look for Hoss.\u00a0 The other was to follow in the pair\u2019s wake and see where they were going.<\/p>\n

Joe hesitated, allowing Cochise to stamp and snort and turn one way and the other.\u00a0 The horse sensed his confusion.\u00a0 He was worried about his brother, but if he let the men get too far ahead of him, he would probably lose their trail in the tall grasses.\u00a0 On the other hand, Peyton and Rafe could <\/em>be laying in wait for him up ahead.\u00a0 Though there was nothing to connect them to the crime of the night before, Rafe\u2019s question had raised his hackles and that instinct he had \u2013 the one his pa respected but regretted because it often made him break the rules \u2013 was saying that they did.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Cartwright,\u201d he snarled.\u00a0 \u201cMake your mind up.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end he decided to follow the men.\u00a0 Hoss shouldn\u2019t be too far behind.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t take his brother long to figure out where he had gone and that meant he would soon have backup.<\/p>\n

Turning his horse\u2019s nose to the north Joe began to move slowly forward, keeping an eye to the ground but his attention focused on the trees.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Peyton and Rafe had not gone far before leaving the path.\u00a0 Concealed within a clump of Hemlock trees they watched Joe Cartwright as he mounted and rode their way.\u00a0 Rafe, who was the younger of the two, pitched his voice low and asked, \u201cHow old you suppose he is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Peyton shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t twenty yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man snorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a mighty short life for a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

His lighter compatriot straightened in the saddle.\u00a0 \u201cYou know the Chief don\u2019t want him dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because Cartwright ain\u2019t seen<\/em> the Chief,\u201d Rafe growled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s seen Tollie and you and me, and I say it\u2019s him or us.\u00a0 Tollie agrees.\u00a0 A lot can happen to a man.\u00a0 The Chief don\u2019t have to know it was us what done it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTollie\u2019s got baked earth for brains as he proved the other day,\u201d Peyton snarled.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just lucky he didn\u2019t kill that boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u00a0 If he\u2019d a\u2019 died, it would have looked like the kid was stupid and did it to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blond man sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 Look what\u2019s happened \u2013 old man Cartwright\u2019s on our trail and he\u2019s got the Sheriff with him now, and deputies.\u00a0 All Tollie did was draw attention to us.\u00a0 It\u2019s due to him that the Chief had to change the schedule.\u201d\u00a0 Peyton shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, what Tollie did, he did because he liked doing it.\u00a0 You know that.\u00a0 Tollivar Bates don\u2019t give a tinker\u2019s damn whether he\u2019s caught or not and that makes him dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rafe lifted a hand and called for silence.\u00a0 They both watched Joe Cartwright ride past on his way to the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d Peyton said, \u201cWe\u2019ll circle around and take him when he reaches the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Somewhere around twenty minutes after being attacked Hoss reached the fence where his brother had been working.\u00a0 He dismounted and stood for a moment, letting his aching head adjust, and then looked around.<\/p>\n

Just like he expected, Joe was nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n

Hanging onto Chubb\u2019s reins the big man bent to the earth.\u00a0 While horseshoes were pretty much alike, they did have variations and he was pretty sure the closest ones to him \u2013 the ones heading off to the north \u2013 belonged to Cochise.\u00a0 While his brother was little, Joe\u2019s horse was a good size and the way the tracks were dug in matched both his mount\u2019s weight and a light rider. \u00a0Unfortunately Joe\u2019s tracks weren\u2019t the only ones he found.\u00a0 There were two more fresh sets.\u00a0 They\u2019d come in like him from the south and halted a little ways out, as if the men that rode them had come to talk to his brother.\u00a0 Then they\u2019d gone past him to the north \u2013 the same way Joe was headed now.<\/p>\n

Pulling Chubb after him Hoss followed the second set of tracks, curious to see what the two riders had done.\u00a0 Their tracks went along on the well-beaten path for about twenty feet and then the pair veered off into the trees. \u00a0Once in the underbrush the trail was harder to follow, but it soon became clear from the evidence of snapped branches and crushed grass that the men had gone into a clump of Hemlocks and then stopped.\u00a0 Most likely they were waiting for Joe to pass.\u00a0 The important question, of course, was why?<\/p>\n

The only answer he could think of was one he didn\u2019t like to think about.<\/p>\n

All he could come up with was that Joe had stumbled onto something that someone was trying to keep quiet.\u00a0 From what his brother said, it probably had to do with the dead man he found.\u00a0 If the big man had needed any further proof that Joe was telling the truth, he had it now, and that meant that whoever was behind the whole thing had already tried to kill his little brother once.<\/p>\n

Whoever it was, was sure to do so again.<\/p>\n

Hoss mounted his horse and looked to the north.\u00a0 He was probably a good half hour behind Joe.\u00a0 But then, most likely Joe was moving slowly, searching the land for tracks.\u00a0 The only thing he was searching for was his brother and he knew him well enough to follow without much thinking.\u00a0 That boy would be making a beeline straight for trouble.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d just have to find him before Joe found it.<\/em><\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

In a drought-ridden land it was an odd sound to hear.\u00a0 Joe reined in Cochise and sat, listening.\u00a0 It was definitely water \u2013 running water \u2013 and not too far away. \u00a0He was past their property line now and headed toward Washoe lake, and while he and his brothers had explored this area when they were boys, there were plenty of places he had never been. He had emerged into a wide open field of tall grasses.\u00a0 At the end of the field, was the thick stand of trees the two men had mentioned.\u00a0 Whatever he was hearing had to be behind them.<\/p>\n

As he hesitated, Joe looked to the left and right.\u00a0 He had lost the trail of the two cowhands, but thought they had veered off and gone west.\u00a0 The question now was \u2013 should he follow them, or should he travel on and explore whatever lay beyond the trees?<\/p>\n

Shifting in his saddle, Joe looked back the way he had come, wondering if Hoss was close.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he was scared to go forward on his own \u2013 he was sure he could handle whatever happened \u2013 it was more that he wanted another set of eyes.\u00a0 Though his pa had been supportive and had said he believed him, he had heard suspicion in the older man\u2019s tone.\u00a0 His pa wasn\u2019t sure that if he was telling the truth or not.\u00a0 Of course, with his behavior of late he\u2019d given Pa plenty of reasons to doubt him.\u00a0 If Hoss was along then he could confirm whatever it was they found.<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 Maybe they\u2019d find his other pair of boots.<\/p>\n

He sat there another five minutes with the wind rifling through his hair, watching the day dawn and the sun\u2019s light paint the field before him a fiery orange.\u00a0 Finally, losing patience, Joe turned Cochise\u2019s nose to the north and pressed his heels into his side and took off, headed for the unknown.<\/p>\n

Just as he did a shout called him to a halt.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u00a0 Joe!\u00a0 Wait for me!\u00a0 Hey, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

A grin spread across his face as he turned back.\u00a0 Hoss was mounted on Chubb and coming out of the trees.<\/p>\n

The grin faded when he saw the bloody bandage on his brother\u2019s head.\u00a0 Urging Cochise back, he met his brother halfway.<\/p>\n

Hoss was out of breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure…are a sight for sore eyes…little brother,\u201d the big man puffed.<\/p>\n

Joe indicated his forehead with a nod.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBushwhacked,\u201d he said, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cWhoever done it came to pay you a visit, Joe.\u00a0 I followed their tracks here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThat would be Rule and Wrenat.\u00a0 I knew there was something wrong about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t try to hurt you, did they?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cNo, but there was plenty of unspoken threat.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes narrowed as he looked at the land Hoss had just left behind.\u00a0 \u201cI followed them but lost their trail in the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0 \u2018cause they waited and watched you ride past before they took off for parts unknown.\u201d\u00a0 His brother paused.\u00a0 What he had expected <\/em>to find was clear in his tone.\u00a0 \u201cI was a\u2019feared they\u2019d a had you by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t get it.\u00a0 If they\u2019re worried about something I saw, why let me go?\u00a0 The same goes for the other night.\u00a0 If someone tried to kill me then, then why let me live now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWe sure got a lot of questions and no answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze went to the trees across the field.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s say we go find some.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat man I followed \u2013 before whatever happened to me happened \u2013 he went this way too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s eyes searched the field before them and then landed on the trees beyond.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t nowhere out there for anyone to hide, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there is.\u201d\u00a0 He turned his horse so he and his brother were headed in the same direction.\u00a0 \u201cListen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t hear nothin\u2019, what….\u201d\u00a0 Joe saw it dawn on him.\u00a0 \u201cThat there\u2019s runnin\u2019 water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to be behind the trees.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s where these men have their hideout.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 We oughta wait for Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, Hoss!\u00a0 If we wait, they\u2019ll get away.\u00a0 I bet Rule and Wrenat are headed there now too.\u00a0 They\u2018ve probably gone the long way \u2019round so we wouldn\u2019t see them, and that means we have a chance to beat them if we go now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother eyed the field.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he announced, \u201cI am going whether you come or not.\u00a0 I\u2019m not letting them get away.\u00a0 Not only did one of them try to kill me, but they made my pa doubt me and I\u2019m not taking to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Joe, Pa ain\u2019t \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey also killed a man, Hoss, and maybe kidnapped an Indian woman.\u00a0 There\u2019s a mystery here that needs to be solved and you and I are the ones who can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t, of course, mention the mystery of how his boots came to be on the dead man.\u00a0 If that was ever found out, it would place him under suspicion and that<\/em> made it more imperative than ever that he figure out what was going on before his pa and Roy Coffee arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Joe asked, \u201care you coming or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss screwed his face up.\u00a0 \u201cIt don\u2019t look like I got much of a choice, does it, little brother, if I want to keep your bacon out of the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know me, Hoss.\u00a0 I like my bacon burnt!\u201d Joe said with a grin as he put his heels to his horse\u2019s flesh and darted forward into the field.<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what he was afraid of.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

On the other side of the field, in a depression down a long winding natural incline that led to a waterfall, a group of men huddled deep within a limestone cave, the entrance of which was normally masked by the cascading water.\u00a0 The doorway was still hard to see, except at the brightest part of the day, but the drought had narrowed the water to a six foot band and one side of it stood exposed.\u00a0 A sharp eye might find it so quickly that those inside would not have time to flee, and so a guard had been set.\u00a0 Four men with rifles watched the passes in and out of the gorge that held it. The farthest of them was positioned beyond the trees, on the edge of the broad field that bordered it on the south.\u00a0 He stood now with his Porro prism binoculars raised, watching the two men who were advancing across the field.\u00a0 He had thought he recognized the one out to the front and was certain of it when he placed the man\u2019s black and white horse as the one Bates had forced the bottle of whiskey on two nights before.\u00a0 The Chief had given orders that none of the Cartwrights were to be harmed outright.\u00a0 Tollie disagreed.\u00a0 He said the kid was nosy and that he and<\/em> his nose needed to disappear.\u00a0 At the time they\u2019d supposed the boy was just some ranch hand mending fences and no one was likely to care one way or the other.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019d a thought a rich man like Ben Cartwright would set one of his son\u2019s to mending fences?<\/p>\n

The Chief had been mighty mad when he found out.\u00a0 Seemed he wanted to keep the Cartwrights out of it until the very last minute since bringing them in too early would put the law on their tail \u2013 among other things.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was a big man with big<\/em> influence in these parts.\u00a0 That\u2019s why, in spite of what the kid might have seen, the Chief had decided to keep this one alive.\u00a0 He\u2019d decided he wanted to take him as a hostage instead and planned to use him to make Ben Cartwright do what he wanted.<\/p>\n

The man with the binoculars frowned as he shifted the view to the other man on the black horse that rode beside Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 He was a giant of a man with a beefy face and sandy blond hair.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no resemblance between the two at all.\u00a0 While he knew old man Cartwright had three boys, it seemed unlikely the big man was one of them.\u00a0 Probably he was a hand sent to find Cartwright\u2019s son and bring him home.<\/p>\n

And that meant he was expendable.<\/p>\n

Putting the binoculars down, the man with the rifle moved into a prearranged position.\u00a0 He waited a moment and then hooted like an owl.\u00a0 It took a second but only that, before the cry of a hawk answered him.\u00a0 Raising his rifle, he waved it two times and then pointed at the approaching riders.\u00a0 Pete was in a better place to take the shot than he was.<\/p>\n

He only hoped the other man had understood which one of the men approaching he was supposed to kill.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SIX<\/p>\n

It had been Roy who had spotted the blood on the ground.\u00a0 Ben waited as his eldest son dismounted and went to take a look.\u00a0 They were not too far out from where Joe had been attacked and, though it could have been an animal\u2019s, anything like this was suspicious.\u00a0 Adam had crouched at first, fingering the dark substance where it stained the grass under a tree, and then had plunged into the brush as if following a trail.\u00a0 A few minutes later he returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone was hit, Pa,\u201d he said as he came to stand beside him.\u00a0 \u201cThey fell down into the underbrush and then pulled themselves back up and sat under the tree for a while. \u00a0There\u2019s plenty of hoof prints.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I think it was Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tracks.\u00a0 I know Chubb\u2019s as well as I know Cochise\u2019s.\u00a0 They\u2019re both here on the road, only Hoss\u2019s were sidetracked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much blood?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a lot.\u00a0 I think it must have been a glancing blow.\u00a0 The tracks pick up again and head out toward where Joe was working the other day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man let out a sigh of relief.\u00a0 Then his eyes went to the surrounding rocks and trees.\u00a0 \u201cYou think the shooter is still out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked too.\u00a0 \u201cOut there?\u00a0 I hope so.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019s probably got Joe and Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWho are these men?\u00a0 Why would they want to harm Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re criminals, Ben,\u201d Roy Coffee said, inching his mount in closer.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s all you need to know.\u00a0 They study greed and the need for power like you do the Good Book.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the way from town Roy had explained that there had been a rash of robberies in Virginia City of late, and while money had been taken that didn\u2019t seem to be what the outlaws were looking for.\u00a0 It was almost as if they were searching for something and when they didn\u2019t find it they looted or burned down whatever place they\u2019d robbed.\u00a0 Twelve people barely made it out of the last place they had set fire to with their lives.<\/p>\n

It was his fear that these were the men whose scheme Little Joe had stumbled onto.<\/p>\n

Adam agreed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the only thing that makes sense, Roy,\u201d his eldest replied to something else the sheriff had said.\u00a0 \u201cThis murder Joe told us about.\u00a0 We\u2019re thinking it had something to do with these men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoulda just been someone wanting to rob him, or….\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff looked uncomfortable.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure Joe just didn\u2019t drink too much again and make the whole thing up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben knew Roy liked Little Joe.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t certain though, how much he approved of him.\u00a0 Then again, Roy seldom saw Joe except when he was in trouble.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trust my youngest son,\u201d he said matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all well and good and makes you a mighty fine father, Ben, but it don\u2019t prove nothing.\u00a0 And I\u2019m gonna hafta have some proof.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find it, Roy,\u201d he answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d the sheriff asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you said you looked this whole area over and found nothing.\u00a0 Now, I don\u2019t want to think I am wasting my time out here when I could be back in Virginia City lookin\u2019 for those men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not wasting your time, Roy,\u201d Adam answered.\u00a0 \u201cThe more I\u2019ve thought about it, the more I believe Joe.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find something today, some kind of proof. \u00a0I know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s gaze went from Adam to him.\u00a0 \u201cFamily loyalty is all well and good, but it can blind a man.\u00a0 It\u2019ll take more than that to convince me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019ll have it, Roy,\u201d Ben assured him.\u00a0 \u201cNow, let\u2019s get going.\u00a0 We\u2019ve wasted enough time.\u00a0 Hoss and Joe could be in real trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Adam mounted Sport, Roy lifted his hand and signaled the three deputies who were riding with him to move ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Ben, let\u2019s go see what we can find.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

Pray God, whatever it was, they would be in time.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Joe checked Cochise and dismounted as he and Hoss approached the line of trees. He glanced at his brother where he sat on the back of his horse, his blue eyes trained on the land before them.\u00a0 Joe gave him a grin and then turned back to his horse and removed his rifle from its hitch on the saddle.\u00a0 Cocking it once, he made sure it was primed and then turned his gaze as well to the forested area before them.\u00a0 It was too much to hope that they had arrived sight-unseen.\u00a0 There had been no way across the field except to cross it and unless this was the dumbest bunch of outlaws on the planet, there had to be men posted at the edge of the trees to keep watch.\u00a0 Their best bet was to attract their attention one at a time and take them out the same way.\u00a0 That was why he\u2019d rode in bold as brass.\u00a0 He wanted them to think he was the dumbest pampered son of a wealthy ranch owner that walked the planet, with Hoss a close second after him.\u00a0 He expected an attack any minute.\u00a0 In fact, he was surprised it hadn\u2019t already happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think they\u2019re waitin\u2019 for, Joe?\u201d Hoss asked quietly.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThey gotta be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree,\u201d the big man said as he dismounted and came to his side.\u00a0 \u201cYou \u2018spose they\u2019re waitin\u2019 for us to enter the trees?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope whoever it is, that they\u2019re so anxious to take us out they don\u2019t take time to send a runner back to whoever is in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou havin\u2019 second thoughts, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u00a0 Me?\u201d\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I just prefer my outlaws to be predictable.\u201d \u00a0As he concluded, he watched his brother\u2019s eyes flick to a tumble of rocks high on the hillside to the right.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s fingers closed tightly on his rifle.\u00a0 \u201cYou see something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThink so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked from side to side.\u00a0 \u201cWe are, uh, kind of sitting ducks here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just notice that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it seemed like a good idea at the time,\u201d Joe squeaked.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s blue eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cThere it is again,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cA glint of sun on metal.\u00a0 Joe, someone\u2019s got a gun up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced around.\u00a0 It was about a hundred feet to the trees.\u00a0 \u201cYou thinking what I\u2019m thinking, Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 I\u2019d like to live \u2018til tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked in the direction of the glint and then shouted.\u00a0 \u201cRun!\u201d<\/p>\n

As they headed for their horses a bullet struck the dirt just by their feet, frightening their mounts and making both Chubb and Cochise bolt.\u00a0 It hit square between them just as they began to run, so they couldn\u2019t be sure who the target was \u2013 if it even mattered to whoever was shooting.\u00a0 In size and speed Joe knew Hoss was no match for him, so he held back unwilling to leave his brother behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Hoss shouted, mad as a wet hen.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the one they tried to kill afore!\u00a0 You get yourself out of here and into those trees!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my head…it ain\u2019t my legs!\u201d the big man said, huffing.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t too big to wallop!\u00a0 You do what I say!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was running backward now.\u00a0 Another bullet flew past and struck, spitting earth.\u00a0 This time it was closer to Hoss.\u00a0 He glanced over his shoulder and then back.\u00a0 \u201cI think they\u2019re aiming at you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d Joe shouted.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe \u2018cause you\u2019re a bigger target!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRun zigzag, Joe!\u00a0 Don\u2019t let \u2018em guess which way you\u2019re turnin\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n

As they both began to follow Hoss\u2019 advice, the bullets came faster.\u00a0 Joe swallowed hard.\u00a0 Whoever it was, was definitely trying to take his brother out.\u00a0 Looking back he yelled as he made an almost ninety degree turn to the left.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, it\u2019s you!\u00a0 They\u2019re aiming at you!\u00a0 Hoss!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The last one was a scream.\u00a0 Joe watched as a bullet took his brother in the side, spun him around and laid him flat on the ground.\u00a0 For a second time halted.\u00a0 There was no field, no forest, no maniac trying to kill him, there was only Hoss and the pool of blood that was starting to form on the ground under his body.\u00a0 Crossing back to his brother Joe dropped beside him and then looked up as he heard voices and the sound of horses\u2019 hooves.<\/p>\n

Three men were riding out of the trees, headed straight for them.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d lost his rifle as he ran, but his brother\u2019s pistol lay beside him on the ground.\u00a0 Grabbing it Joe aimed and fired.\u00a0 The man on the left-hand horse jerked and fell from his saddle.\u00a0 Joe took aim again and fired a second time, meaning to finish him off.\u00a0 Nothing happened.\u00a0 The chamber was empty.\u00a0 A quick check told him \u00a0all<\/em> the chambers were empty.<\/p>\n

Hoss hadn\u2019t reloaded his gun.<\/p>\n

Desperate, Joe reached into his brother\u2019s pocket and felt for the bullets that had to be there.\u00a0 He had just locked his fingers around a pile when he heard something whiz past his head.\u00a0 It took him a second to realize that it had been a bullet. That one missed him.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the one that followed didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The impact of the bullet with his shoulder drove Joe back and away from his brother.\u00a0 Even as he heard the shooter approaching, he crawled back into a seated position.\u00a0 \u201cHoss….\u00a0 Hoss, you gotta be okay!\u00a0 Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound of a trigger being cocked made him look up.\u00a0 Both men were there.\u00a0 One was looking down the barrel of his rifle at him.\u00a0 The other had his hands on his hips and was just looking down.<\/p>\n

Neither was Peyton and Wrenat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, lookee here who we\u2019ve caught,\u201d the man with the rifle said.\u00a0 \u201cJust what the Chief ordered.\u00a0 Old man Cartwright\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned.\u00a0 He was weak.\u00a0 Still he managed to stay upright as his fingers clutched his brother\u2019s shirt.\u00a0 \u201cHoss\u2019s hurt,\u201d he said, his voice robbed of strength.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta help him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t \u2018gotta\u2019 do anything, boy,\u201d the shooter sneered.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll leave him here.\u00a0 The Chief don\u2019t care about no ranch hand.\u00a0 Your friend ain\u2019t dead.\u00a0 It\u2019s up to him if he survives.\u201d<\/p>\n

It dawned on Joe.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know Hoss was his brother.\u00a0 If they were looking for \u2018old man Cartwright\u2019s\u2019 son\u2019, that was a good thing \u2013 wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\u201cGet him up!\u201d the man with the rifle ordered.<\/p>\n

The other man caught him under his good arm and lifted him up.\u00a0 Joe staggered and almost lost his footing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chief ain\u2019t gonna be happy you shot him, Pete,\u201d the man holding him growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would \u2018a shot me.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d\u00a0 Pete stepped over to Joe and roughly pulled his shirt back.\u00a0 Looking at the wound he said, \u201cIt\u2019s clean.\u00a0 Looks like it went straight through.\u201d\u00a0 The outlaw thrust the fabric back into place.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe better, or it will be our hides the Chief takes it out on!\u00a0 This kid is our ticket out of Nevada.\u201d\u00a0 The shooter glared at him.\u00a0 \u201cNow, get up and get on that horse!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was all Joe could do to climb onto the animal\u2019s back.\u00a0 Once seated, Pete worked his way onto the saddle behind him.\u00a0 With one hand the outlaw took the reins. \u00a0The other held the barrel of a pistol pressed tightly against his ribs.\u00a0 As they rode away the man he had shot joined them, glaring hate at him.\u00a0 In spite of the threat Joe dared a last glance at Hoss as they disappeared into the trees.\u00a0 His brother hadn\u2019t moved.<\/p>\n

He wondered if he would ever see him alive again.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam stopped what he was doing and looked north.\u00a0 He and the others had been exploring the site where Joe said he had seen the lean-to.\u00a0 This time they found evidence of it, unearthed no doubt by his brother, and while what they found didn\u2019t entirely convince Roy that his brother\u2019s story was gospel, it went a long way to show the sheriff that at least there had been an Indian here \u2013 which was an unusual thing this far east and north.\u00a0 He had been exploring along a rocky ledge where the ground looked like it had been disturbed since the last time he had been here when a sound caught his attention and stopped him.\u00a0 Adam stood, listening.\u00a0 It took a minute and then he heard it again.<\/p>\n

Gunfire.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d he shouted even as he raced for his horse.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 Someone\u2019s shooting up ahead!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam watched his father\u2019s head come up.\u00a0 The older man had been crouched on the ground next to Roy examining the site of the lean-to.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d his father called.<\/p>\n

\u201cGunfire, Pa!\u00a0 You catch up!\u00a0 I\u2019m going to see what\u2019s happening!\u201d\u00a0 Even as he rode away Adam heard his father shouting for him to wait.<\/p>\n

Fortunately he was far enough away he could pretend he hadn\u2019t <\/em>heard him.<\/p>\n

Putting spurs to horseflesh Adam pushed Sport as hard as he could.\u00a0 He broke out of the trees in less than five minutes and emerged into a wide field of tall grasses.\u00a0 The sun was shining brightly now, illuminating it, and for as far as he could see it was empty.<\/p>\n

No, wait.\u00a0 There were two horses wandering in it.<\/p>\n

One of them was a Paint.<\/p>\n

His heart thudding in his chest Adam kicked his horse to full speed, covering the distance between them and him in seconds.\u00a0 He slowed as he approached the skittish animals, not wanting to frighten them away.\u00a0 Cochise was the one closest to him.\u00a0 The black-haired man dismounted and caught the Paint\u2019s reins and then, fighting back panic, led him across the grassy field to where Chubb stood nuzzling something on the ground.\u00a0 Before he reached the black horse he heard a noise and turned back to look.\u00a0 His father and Roy Coffee were hard on his heels.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t take them a minute to catch up.\u00a0 While he was looking back, Adam\u2019s foot struck something on the ground.\u00a0 As his eyes dropped to the level of his boots a knot formed in his stomach.<\/p>\n

It was Hoss, laying in a pool of blood.<\/p>\n

Adam loosed Cochise and turned to wave down his pa and Roy.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 It\u2019s Hoss!\u00a0 He\u2019s been shot!\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man saw the news strike his father like a fist.\u00a0 The older man was off the horse and on the ground before the animal could stop completely.\u00a0 As he knelt by Hoss, his father asked, \u201cAny sign of Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust Cochise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silver-haired man turned to the left and right.\u00a0 \u201cYou better check around, son.\u00a0 The grasses are so high, Joe might be….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later he returned.\u00a0 It had been a grim search but had turned up nothing.\u00a0 \u201cNo sign of Joe, Pa,\u201d he said as he knelt by his father.\u00a0 Adam noticed one of Roy\u2019s men was working on Hoss\u2019s side where the bullet had taken him and asked his father the question with his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Luke Miller.\u00a0 He\u2019s studied medicine,\u201d his father explained.<\/p>\n

The deputy met Adam\u2019s troubled stare.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not a doctor, but I\u2019ve dealt with bullet wounds before.\u00a0 Your brother\u2019s size probably saved his life.\u00a0 While the wound\u2019s bled profusely, it actually hit him in a fleshy place just above the hip.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got the bleeding controlled now.\u201d\u00a0 Luke straightened up and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt will hurt like Hell, but he should be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stood then and went to his father who had crossed over to Cochise.\u00a0 At his approach the older man said, \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have let Joe come ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you could\u2019ve stopped him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could have ordered him to wait!\u201d he snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I ask again, \u2018Do you think you could have stopped him?<\/em>\u2019\u00a0 Pa, this is Joe.\u00a0 Especially with the mood he\u2019s been in lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph has felt the need to prove himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head .\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s for your brother to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s just hope he gets the chance.\u201d\u00a0 He nodded toward the trees.\u00a0 \u201cJoe has to be in there somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Luke.\u00a0 Adam watched his father turn and ask, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re son\u2019s coming to.\u201d<\/p>\n

They exchanged glances and then went to Hoss.\u00a0 Luke had him propped on his good side now, easing the strain on the wound.\u00a0 His brother blinked and winced.\u00a0 \u201cFancy meetin\u2019 you two like this,\u201d he said weakly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened, Hoss?\u201d the older man asked as he laid a hand on the his son\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took Joe, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey?\u00a0 They who?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThree man.\u00a0 They were…gunnin\u2019 for us \u2013 well, for me .\u00a0 They wanted Joe alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat for?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t rightly…know.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused and drew a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t remember much…but I think Joe was…hit too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean your brother was shot?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThem two was fightin\u2019 about it…the two that attacked us.\u00a0 One…kept talkin\u2019 about someone he…called \u2018the Chief\u2019.\u00a0 He said the Chief wouldn\u2019t be happy…they\u2019d shot him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss winced.\u00a0 \u201cOne of their names was\u00a0 Pete.\u00a0 He said Joe wasn\u2019t…hurt bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke\u2019s voice intruded. \u201cMister Cartwright, it would be better if Hoss didn\u2019t try to talk for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam saw his father nod.\u00a0 \u201cYou heard him, son.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find Joe.\u00a0 You get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Adam rose he came face to face with Sheriff Coffee.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until that moment that he realized the sheriff had been missing for some time.\u00a0 Roy looked at the two of them.\u00a0 \u201cWhile you were busy, Ben, we went after them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His father stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cIf your rash action endangered Joe \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow hold on, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019m only doing my duty.\u00a0 These are dangerous men, especially if they\u2019re the ones behind the burning and looting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man paused.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Roy.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried about Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I, Ben.\u00a0 So am I.\u201d\u00a0 The sheriff turned to one of his deputies.\u00a0 \u201cBill, you got that paper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot it right here, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man held out his hand.\u00a0 Adam watched as one of Roy\u2019s deputies dropped a ragged piece of paper into it.\u00a0 The sheriff stared at it a moment and then turned toward them.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we got to the edge of the trees someone shouted.\u00a0 They told us to keep back or they\u2019d kill Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see my brother?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t hear him neither.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how do you know they had him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The deputy answered.\u00a0 \u201cThey showed us a blue corduroy coat.\u00a0 Roy said it was Little Joe\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe has one, though I don\u2019t know what he was wearing this morning.\u00a0 Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThe jacket\u2019s kind of unique, Pa.\u00a0 Odds are it\u2019s his.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to face the sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cSo what\u2019s with the paper, Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff eyed his pa.\u00a0 \u201cHere, you take it Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you read it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam scanned the note.\u00a0 His father must have seen him start or caught wind of his inhalation of surprise before he could stifle it entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Adam?\u00a0 What does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n

He pursed his lips and bit the top one, hesitating.\u00a0 Then, in a clear voice he read,<\/p>\n

\u2018I have you son, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 At the moment he\u2019s alive.\u00a0 If you would like to keep him that way you will do exactly what I tell you to.\u00a0 You will leave this place and return to the Ponderosa where you will wait for my instructions.\u00a0 If you do not, your son\u2019s life will be forfeit.\u00a0 And if anyone tries to enter the trees again or seeks to find my hiding place, be sure I will see you before you see me and I will send your son out to meet you \u2013 <\/em><\/p>\n

One piece at a time.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

It was signed simply \u2018the Chief\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEVEN<\/p>\n

Joe never lost consciousness entirely, but he did fall into a stupor and heavy sleep after one of the men who kidnapped him fed him a tin cup of whiskey and then set about probing his shoulder to make sure the bullet had gone through and not lodged in him where it could cause an infection.\u00a0 By the time he became aware he had been gagged, bound hand and foot, and tossed unceremoniously into the back corner of a cave.\u00a0 He could hear the same water running that he had heard earlier, though it was much closer now.\u00a0 As he thought about the sound of the water echoing through the cavern, the image of a small meandering stream flashed before his eyes and he had the sensation of the ground shaking.<\/p>\n

No, the ground wasn\u2019t shaking.\u00a0 He was.\u00a0 Or rather, someone was shaking him.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes popped open.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s awake.\u00a0 You can tell the Chief his prize ain\u2019t dead.\u201d\u00a0 The outlaw toed him with his boot and then shoved hard.\u00a0 \u201cAt least he ain\u2019t dead yet<\/em>,\u201d he finished with a threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave the kid alone, Tollie,\u201d another man said, his softly accented voice coming from just beyond a tumble of rocks that blocked Joe\u2019s view of the mouth of the cave. \u00a0\u201cSo what if he saw you the other night?\u00a0 Malcolm will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe lifted his eyes to look at the man named Tollie who loomed as a great dark shadow over him.\u00a0 By his accent, he was English.\u00a0 Tollie was also a bully or a boxer or both as his visage bore the scars of countless fights.\u00a0 At some point the man\u2019s nose had been broken \u2013 maybe more than once \u2013 and had healed with a decided twist to the left.\u00a0 The bruiser\u2019s left eye also sloped down.\u00a0 There appeared to be the remnants of recent stitches running along the bottom of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarks of honor, boy,\u201d Tollie snarled when he caught him looking.<\/p>\n

\u201cBates,\u201d the other man warned again.\u00a0 \u201cYou leave him alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates answering snarl was not promising.<\/p>\n

The Englishman didn\u2019t move but continued to stare hate down at him.\u00a0 Tollie Bates was a big, powerful man with a barrel chest and sledgehammers for hands.\u00a0 Joe fought it, but just looking at him made him begin to shake.<\/p>\n

Scenting his fear, the bruiser leaned in. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, boy?\u00a0 Do I make you want to \u00a0run away?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBates, you know what the Chief said,\u201d the unseen man warned.<\/p>\n

Tollie Bates swung up and turned in one easy motion.\u00a0 \u201cHe said I can\u2019t kill him.\u00a0 Nothin\u2019 says I can\u2019t send junior here back to his Pa with his tail between two broken <\/em>legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man finally appeared.\u00a0 He was of medium build with a head of deep auburn hair.\u00a0 Stepping around the fall of rocks he looked at them and then said, his accent as Scottish as it could get, \u201cYou\u2019ve got problems, Bates.\u00a0 You know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI been pounding things my whole life, Gordon.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t no call to stop now just \u2018cause I ain\u2019t on the docks anymore.\u201d \u00a0Bates turned and looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cPretty boy, here, offends me just by breathin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd here I thought you liked<\/em> pretty boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

The insult hung in the air between them.\u00a0 Joe watched as Bates tensed.\u00a0 \u201cIf\u2019n we didn\u2019t need you, Gordon, I\u2019d snap your neck like a twig.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, but you do<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The other man sneered.\u00a0 \u201cUnless you\u2019ve learned to read old Gaelic in the last few days.\u201d\u00a0 Gordon\u2019s hand went to his mouth in a fairly convincing imitation of a surprised school girl.\u00a0 \u201cOh, wait.\u00a0 I meant to say \u2018unless you\u2019ve learned to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up!\u201d Bates ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Gordon answered.\u00a0 Then he added, \u201cSorry.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t shutting up, was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll kill you, Dougall Gordon.\u00a0 I swear I will.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man laughed \u2013 a bit hysterically.\u00a0 \u201cGet in line, Bates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates\u2019 massive form lost none of its tension as the other outlaw disappeared around the rock fall.\u00a0 The bruiser remained where he was, breathing hard for several tense seconds and then swung back toward Joe.<\/p>\n

In two steps he had him by the throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t know when it\u2019s comin, pretty boy, but come<\/em> it will.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care what the \u2018Chief\u2019 says.\u00a0 You\u2019ve seen too much.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t losin\u2019 my life to keep the likes of you alive.\u00a0 We can pull this thing off without our old man!\u201d\u00a0 Tollie loosed him and turned away and then, as if to emphasize his point, swung back and struck him with bone-jarring strength across the face.<\/p>\n

Leaving Joe gasping.<\/p>\n

\u201cTollie!\u201d\u00a0 It was Gordon again.\u00a0 \u201cMalcolm is here.\u00a0 He\u2019s called for a meeting. \u00a0You better move that great hulk of yours out of the cave pronto!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m comin\u2019,\u201d Bates \u00a0replied.\u00a0 He started to move and then stopped and looked back.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t seen the last of me, Cartwright.\u00a0 Not yet<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The man sneered.\u00a0 \u201cSweet dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second later he was alone.<\/p>\n

Joe had managed to remain fairly calm while Bates threatened and struck him, but now that the man was gone he began to shake like a girl on the sideline of her first cotillion.\u00a0 The image of John C. Reagan, so similar in size and type to Tollie Bates \u2013 coming toward him, reaching for <\/em>him, bullying and brutalizing<\/em> him \u2013 had flashed before his eyes as Bates leaned in breathing menace.\u00a0 The power of that image threatened to unman him and the tears that had once been his friend threatened to fall.\u00a0 Joe didn\u2019t know what it was, but something that beating had awakened in him had taken away that release.\u00a0 Now when he cried, it was uncontrollably.\u00a0 It made him feel like a helpless child and not a man.<\/p>\n

So he just didn\u2019t <\/em>cry.<\/p>\n

Clenching his jaw, Joe filled his mind with obscene images \u2013 striking out, driving both Reagan and Bates back until they were bloody pulps and then pounding them into the ground, breaking their jaws and their bones, taking hold of their throats and squeezing until their eyes popped and their jaws went slack and \u2013<\/p>\n

Joe started, breathing hard.\u00a0 Until he killed them with his bare hands.<\/p>\n

Just like they had tried to do to him.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Dougall Gordon sat outside the hidden cave behind the waterfall on a flat-topped rock.\u00a0 The Indian woman, Muha, who traveled with them was cooking nearby.\u00a0 Beyond her, the Chief\u2019s gang had gathered.\u00a0 She was probably as amused as him, listening to the argument and heated debate that passed for conversation among the outlaws his friend Malcolm Gray had hired to obtain his \u2018treasure\u2019\u00a0 for him.\u00a0 There were not quite a dozen of them and they were a mixed lot.\u00a0 Peyton and Rafe were cowhands gone bad.\u00a0 Peyton Rule was the smarter of the two and easier to control.\u00a0 Rafe Wrenat was a bottle of nitro waiting to be dropped.\u00a0 There was the one they called \u2018Doc\u2019, though he had no idea if the man had even the tiniest smattering of medical knowledge or training.\u00a0 For all he knew the Doc could\u2019ve been a doctor of divinity.<\/p>\n

That made him snort.<\/p>\n

Then there was Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 Bates had been born on the wrong end of London and grown up on the waterfront.\u00a0 He was a bully and a bruiser and a generally handy man for an outlaw band to have around if<\/em> you could keep him from killing those who offended him \u2013 which, unfortunately was<\/em> just about everyone.\u00a0 Bates had a special hatred for \u2018pretty boys\u2019 as he called them.\u00a0 Rumor was Bates himself had been one once upon a time and suffered the same fate many pretty boys did, which left him with a need to remove anyone from his sight that reminded him of his own weakness.\u00a0 On top of these four there were half a dozen others, culled from the ranks of the beggars, thieves, and cutthroats they had associated with as they made the journey west.<\/p>\n

Dougall shook his head.\u00a0 My, how he had come down<\/em> in the world.<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, he felt a touch on his shoulder.\u00a0 The auburn-haired man shifted on his perch and looked up to find Muha offering him a bowl of stew.\u00a0 When he shook his head \u2018no\u2019, she nodded and moved on.\u00a0 His eyes remained on her until she joined the others.\u00a0 Muha was a curiosity to him.\u00a0 She cooked and cleaned and kept their \u2018house\u2019, so to speak, even though her man had been killed sometime back by Bates in a fight. \u00a0The Indian woman never spoke.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if she could.\u00a0 Still, the look out of her eyes more than made up for the lack of words.\u00a0 He was fairly certain she disapproved of just about everything Malcolm did.\u00a0 The fact that the Englishman sought her out when he was dying was pretty telling.\u00a0 Malcolm had questioned her about it.\u00a0 Since Muha was mute, her defense consisted mostly of shaking her head \u2018no\u2019 when asked if she had betrayed them or their location.\u00a0 In the end Malcolm seemed satisfied that she was innocent of any kind of betrayal.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/p>\n

Dougall turned back toward the cave, thinking of the boy huddled at its rear.\u00a0 The Cartwright kid wasn\u2019t much older than his own boy back in Glasgow.\u00a0 It was too bad he ran into Muha when he did.\u00a0 Combined with his actions of the night before it made him look guilty as hell.\u00a0 Malcolm had been willing to give Cartwright the benefit of the doubt after he\u2019d been spotted in the woods by Bates.\u00a0 Now, he wasn\u2019t so sure.\u00a0 His friend had decided the boy was a risk.\u00a0 He\u2019d ordered Wrenat and Rule to take Cartwright and bring him to the hideout.\u00a0 Malcolm meant to hold him in order to insure his father\u2019s cooperation.\u00a0 That decision \u2013 to hold instead of kill him \u2013 had caused Bates to raise holy hell.\u00a0 Tollie didn\u2019t want Cartwright taken, he wanted him dead and that was why the bruiser had gone against orders and forced all that liquor down the kid\u2019s throat.\u00a0 Bates had been among the men Joe Cartwright had seen that night, but that wasn\u2019t why he had tried to murder him.\u00a0 Plain and simple Tollivar Bates enjoyed killing. That was, after all, the reason Bates was with them.<\/p>\n

It took a monster to kill a man the way Malcolm wanted it done.<\/p>\n

Dougall Gordon shifted.\u00a0 He turned from the cave and thoughts of the hapless boy held within it back toward his companions, noting that they had fallen silent.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Chief\u2019, as they called him, had come.<\/p>\n

When Malcolm noticed him looking, his friend acknowledged him with a nod.\u00a0 Dougall returned it along with a wave as he watched the riff raff react to the presence of their leader.<\/p>\n

It was as if a rattler had stepped into their circle.<\/p>\n

They went back a long distance, him and the \u2018Chief\u2019 \u2013 all the way back to Edinburgh when the blond man was just plain old Malcolm Gray.\u00a0 Decades before they\u2019d matriculated together at the University there.\u00a0 He\u2019d planned on being a lawyer one day.\u00a0 Malcolm had bigger plans, though he\u2019d said little about them at the time.\u00a0 His old friend was a man who dreamed big \u2013 maybe too <\/em>big.\u00a0 Malcolm had a way of making other men believe in his <\/em>dreams instead of their own.\u00a0 So he had forgotten about practicing the law and put himself and his talents at his friend\u2019s disposal, and then followed Malcolm on his insane quest all the way across the pond to this Godforsaken land of deserts, drought, and death in search of the one thing he believed that he needed in order to make his dream happen.<\/p>\n

The one thing that would prove Malcolm Gray was who he said<\/em> he was.<\/p>\n

Dougall straightened up. \u00a0Maybe tomorrow the letter and the package would surface and then, when they intercepted them and he translated the letter, his friend would be content.\u00a0 Once they had both the crown and that piece of paper in their hands, they could return to their native land.\u00a0 After that, well….\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really want to think about \u2018after that\u2019.\u00a0 If all went well his friend would attempt to blackmail the royals into giving him everything he believed he was owed.<\/p>\n

\u2018Scotland forever\u2019, Dougall snorted.<\/p>\n

That was the main reason he was along \u2013 that letter.\u00a0 It was written in their country\u2019s ancient tongue.\u00a0 There were few who could read it, and fewer still who would be willing and able to present his friend\u2019s case before the Lords of the land.\u00a0 He was capable of both.\u00a0 One benefit of his importance to the scheme was that he could pretty much do as he pleased \u2013 like challenging old Tollie back there \u2013 since no one would have anything if anything <\/em>happened to him.\u00a0 Dougall glanced once again at the cave.\u00a0 He hoped he could keep the boy alive and send him back to his family.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t much in the grand scheme of things \u2013 one young man\u2019s life \u2013 but somehow the auburn-haired man felt that if he could do that then maybe, just maybe, he wasn\u2019t as bad as all of the other bad men he had thrown his lot in with.<\/p>\n

God was watching, after all.<\/p>\n

As he turned back, \u00a0Malcolm signaled him over.\u00a0 Rising from his seat, Dougall obeyed, though the pace he chose of sauntering was deliberate and meant to convey to the others that he was not a lackey but a friend of this man who was the mind behind their scheme.\u00a0 Malcolm\u2019s face was dour and his eyes hard as the stone of the mountain behind them.\u00a0 The men in his employ, he said, were fools who would not set aside their own petty quarrels for the greater good of their people.\u00a0 He told Bates he deserved to be drawn and quartered for alerting the law to their presence.\u00a0 Still, Malcolm said, Providence had been with them in that they \u00a0had taken Cartwright\u2019s son.\u00a0 The boy was their insurance against the law\u2019s interference now.\u00a0 Looking directly at Bates his friend repeated that Joe Cartwright was not, under any circumstances, to be harmed. When Malcolm finished, one of the men who had been with Bates the night the boy had been spotted protested.\u00a0 He said Cartwright had seen their faces and had to die.\u00a0 With a twisted sneer Malcolm nodded as if he agreed.\u00a0 Then he pulled his pocket pistol out and dropped the man in his tracks.\u00a0 Dougall shook his head.<\/p>\n

Malcolm was a crazy bastard, which of course, made him perfectly suited to be king.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Joe was miserable.\u00a0 He sat huddled in a corner, hungry and hurting, his arms and legs bound so tightly he couldn\u2019t do anything to work them loose.\u00a0 He felt completely helpless, which made him feel hopeless, which made him want to curl up and die.\u00a0 He felt guilty for what had happened to Hoss and wondered if his brother was still alive.\u00a0 If not…if Hoss \u2013 died<\/em> \u2013 then that would kill his pa and make Adam reckless and he\u2019d <\/em>probably get killed and it would all be his fault for being exactly what everyone told him he was \u2013<\/p>\n

An rash and impulsive little boy.<\/p>\n

Joe sat there, breathing hard, puffing great puffs of air out of his nose, fighting the rage that rose in him, a rage that was directed at himself.\u00a0 Everything he did was wrong .\u00a0 When he meant to be confident, he was careless.\u00a0 When he meant to be bold, he was brazen.\u00a0 He sweet-talked the girls and made them want him, just so he could kiss them goodbye and move on to the next as if the chase was all of it and he never wanted to be caught.\u00a0 As if he was running.\u00a0 As if he was afraid of something he couldn\u2019t name.<\/p>\n

Closing his eyes, Joe leaned his head against the cavern wall and for just a moment surrendered to the needs of that little boy.\u00a0 He longed for his pa\u2019s arms around him, for his brothers\u2019 strong voices in his ear, and for that touch that he had lost so long ago and wasn\u2019t even sure he remembered for himself.<\/p>\n

For Marie.<\/p>\n

Soft fingers brushing his skin startled him and he jumped.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes flew open.\u00a0 It was so dark in the cave that, for a moment, he saw nothing.\u00a0 Then he noticed a woman sitting beside him.\u00a0 She was carrying a crude tray that held a wooden bowl with something hot in it and a mug of water. \u00a0She placed it on the floor beside her and then reached out to remove his gag.\u00a0 Even though she was masked in shadows Joe could see her deeply tanned arms and caught a glimpse of the long straight black hair that framed her face and fell loosely about her shoulders.<\/p>\n

It was the Indian woman from the lean-to.<\/p>\n

The woman placed the gag on the floor and picked up the bowl and a spoon.\u00a0 With her eyes and a gesture of the spoon she implored him to open his mouth and eat.\u00a0 Joe shook his head.\u00a0 He was <\/em>hungry, but he had no appetite.\u00a0 Besides, he hated being fed like a baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thanks,\u201d he said, finding his voice rough after so long a time without using it.\u00a0 He remembered the tracks that told him the woman had been put on the back of a horse and taken away.\u00a0 He wondered still if she was a part of their gang or a prisoner like him.\u00a0 With a glance behind her to see if anyone else was coming, he asked, \u201cAre you all right, Ma\u2019am?\u00a0 They haven\u2019t hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She made no sound or gesture to reply.\u00a0 He had thought earlier that she might not know any English and her present behavior seemed to back that up.\u00a0 As he continued to stare at her, she held the spoon out again offering the soup.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head again.\u00a0 It was probably pointless, but he tried once more.\u00a0 \u201cDid one of these men murder that man you were with?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re ya doing over there, Muha?\u201d a rough voice barked from the other side of the rock-fall.\u00a0 \u201cYou get him fed and you get yourself out of there!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes went to the woman\u2019s \u2013 to Muha\u2019s face.\u00a0 It was a kind face but distressed.\u00a0 He had thought she was in her late thirties. \u00a0The look out of her eyes was much older.\u00a0 It was wary and wise and scared all at one and the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear me, Muha?\u00a0 Or do I hafta come over there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shifted, drawing the woman\u2019s attention.\u00a0 He nodded toward the spoon.\u00a0 She seemed to sense what he was asking \u2013 that they show whoever it was that came around that rock that she was feeding him and he was eating just like they were supposed to be doing.<\/p>\n

A second later the man appeared.\u00a0 It was the outlaw he had shot.\u00a0 The man\u2019s \u00a0shoulder was bandaged and his face drawn as if in pain.\u00a0 The outlaw put the barrel of his rifle between them and aimed it at Little Joe\u2019s chest. \u00a0\u201cIf you weren\u2019t so nosey, Cartwright,\u201d he said, \u201cyou wouldn\u2019t be in this position.\u00a0 You\u2019re lucky the Chief has a use for you, else what you seen would have had you dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe blinked.\u00a0 He refused a spoonful of soup and said, \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen any of you before today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man snorted.\u00a0 He moved the barrel and nudged Muha with it.\u00a0 \u201cYou hear that, Muha? \u00a0He ain\u2019t never seen us before \u2013 you or me, or Tollie.\u00a0 Makes you wonder then, Cartwright, why you was attacked back there when you was mendin\u2019 fences.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cThat was you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHell no, not me.\u00a0 It was Bates and some of the other boys.\u00a0 They poured that whiskey down you like you was a dry well.\u00a0 Bates was hopin\u2019 it would kill you and he could tell the Chief that you was just a stupid kid who didn\u2019t know how to hold his liquor.\u201d\u00a0 The man huffed.\u00a0 \u201cThat night you spotted Bates was the dumbest one of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head was reeling.\u00a0 It was like he was caught in a nightmare from which he could not wake.\u00a0 He had never been here before.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know these men.\u00a0 He\u2019d looked at the man lying in the lean-to and had no recollection of ever having seen him before.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes darted to Muha who sat beside him, servile, with her head lowered.\u00a0 She<\/em> was a stranger to him to.\u00a0 They were all strangers to him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t \u2013<\/p>\n

He drew a breath.\u00a0 His gaze had gone past Muha to the outlaw, and then returned by way of his own legs stretched out before him \u2013 his legs and his boots.<\/p>\n

His muddy<\/em> boots.<\/p>\n

The dress boots he\u2019d left on the dead man had been muddy too \u2013 which wasn\u2019t an easy thing to come by in a drought.\u00a0 And then there had been that mud on his socks and pants the night after he had almost been killed.\u00a0 Joe could hear the waterfall cascading outside the cavern, churning up the dust and dirt and turning it into mud in the basin it spilled into.<\/p>\n

What in all that was holy was going on?<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

The man known as the Chief finished working his chew and spit it out.\u00a0 It was a disgusting habit, but one he had gained while traveling in the west where a lit pipe with its resulting smoke was not always the wisest choice for a man.\u00a0 He stood on the edge of a bluff looking down on the land south of his position \u2013 the land belonging to a man named Ben Cartwright.<\/p>\n

He admired Cartwright.\u00a0 The man had done here, in the New World, what he meant to do in the old \u2013 Cartwright had built a kingdom and was its absolute master.\u00a0 The only difference was here, in America, a man could buy his way into it.\u00a0 In the old world, where ninety-nine percent of the land was owned by one percent of the people, it was different.\u00a0 Being a king depended not on who you were or what you could do or buy, but on who your father was and on which side of the blanket he had been born.\u00a0 His had been born on the wrong side and what was due him had been denied.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, to accomplish his purpose he had been forced to reduce himself to the level of the men who had stolen his birthright from him.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t a cruel man.\u00a0 Killing didn\u2019t excite him or give him any joy.\u00a0 But when it became necessary he did not flinch.\u00a0 The bastard in New York had held the key to everything in his possession and had managed to send it on in a wrapped package before they were able to break into his house.\u00a0 To this day he thought the boy had betrayed him.<\/p>\n

The man spit again.\u00a0 Well, if he had, he\u2019d paid for it.<\/p>\n

Now, here he was, near two thousand miles to the west still chasing that key and his dream.\u00a0 Word in New York was that the package had been addressed to an important man in Virginia City.\u00a0 A letter was traveling with it that would authenticate what it held.\u00a0 He needed both the letter and what the package contained.\u00a0 Once he had them in his hands there was no one who could stop him.<\/p>\n

It would be his<\/em> kingdom come.<\/p>\n

Turning back toward the cave, Malcolm Gray sighed.\u00a0 The ragtag bunch of scallywags and scoundrels he had culled from the alleys and saloons of this nascent land as they passed through it was beginning to chafe on him like too many hours in the saddle.\u00a0 Obtaining the package called for a variety of \u2018talent\u2019.\u00a0 Unfortunately most of the skills needed were not the kind a man employed to run a high-end hotel or mercantile possessed.\u00a0 Malcolm smirked.\u00a0 Peyton and Rafe came as cowhands, but were two of the best sneak thieves he\u2019d ever met.\u00a0 The Doc knew just about as much about the history of Scotland as he did and was handy with just about every weapon known to man. \u00a0The others \u2013 Jacob Bowman, Pete Landes, and the like \u2013 were in it for the money, plain and simple.\u00a0 Then there was Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 Tollivar was a sadist plain and simple, but that was something else he had to have.\u00a0 The way the killing in New York had been done was meant to send a very clear message to those who dared to challenge his claim to the throne.<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t a man in all of the British Isles who wouldn\u2019t know what it meant.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, there was Dougall.\u00a0 Dougall Gordon was here for him<\/em> and he knew it.\u00a0 Their friendship bound the other man to him and to his dream.\u00a0 His friend wanted nothing for himself. \u00a0Malcolm sneered.\u00a0 Dougall was a idealist and a dreamer and as such, sad to say, was also a danger.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched him for a few minutes with the Cartwright boy when Dougall didn\u2019t know he was looking.\u00a0 Gordon was thinking of his own kid and didn\u2019t intend to let the boy die.\u00a0 His old friend had no stomach for killing.<\/p>\n

Like he\u2019d<\/em> had not stomach for it before his dream made every other man\u2019s life expendable.<\/p>\n

Even Dougall\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Gray reached for his canteen, removed the cap, and took a sip.\u00a0 He swished it in his mouth and spit out the water mixed with tobacco before taking a drink.\u00a0 It was almost in his hand \u2013 everything he had been working for since he\u2019d been a boy and first learned of his destiny.\u00a0 They knew both the package and the letter would be coming into the Virginia City post office bound for \u00a0rich man\u2019s house.\u00a0 The original plan had been to hit the post office along with a couple of other places to make it look like no one and nothing in particular was targeted. \u00a0That was before Joe Cartwright had appeared in the woods and before Tollie\u2019s actions brought them to the attention of the sheriff.\u00a0 Now, instead of risking intercepting the package they would force Ben Cartwright to get it for them.\u00a0 Malcolm Gray snorted.\u00a0 How could anyone claim it was anything other than destiny?\u00a0 What at first had seemed a threat had proved their salvation.\u00a0 The elder Cartwright\u2019s cooperation had been handed to him the moment his boy stumbled into their camp.<\/p>\n

After the package and the letter were in his hands Dougall would translate the letter and authenticate the crown and then they would wrap this whole thing up and head back to Scotland where he would give the fat old queen a choice: \u00a0compensate him for his ancestral lands \u2013 or go to war.<\/p>\n

And people said he was crazy.<\/p>\n

Malcolm took another swig of water as he swung back to look at the cave where his men were holed up with their hostage.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d do that.\u00a0 Yes, he would.<\/p>\n

After he cleaned up all the loose ends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EIGHT<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright closed the door gently behind him, careful lest he disturb Hoss who had finally fallen into a natural sleep.\u00a0 After borrowing a wagon from a nearby farm, they had brought his middle son tossing and turning in pain back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Luke Miller was tending to him.\u00a0 On his way to the stair Ben paused to look at the open door at the end of the hall.\u00a0 He could only wish that Joe\u2019s room was occupied as well \u2013 though not if it meant his youngest was in the same condition as his older brother.<\/p>\n

One son with a bullet in him was more than enough.<\/p>\n

Whoever had shot Hoss meant to kill him.\u00a0 Fortunately the extra weight he carried protected him and the bullet had passed through the flesh of his side without cutting a path through any major veins or arteries.\u00a0 The doctor said it was simply the kind of wound that bled a lot.\u00a0 Before Hoss fell asleep he had managed to ask him a few questions.\u00a0 It seemed there was little to learn.\u00a0 Joe had acted rashly and drawn them into a situation that had ended with him being shot and Joe being taken hostage.<\/p>\n

Against what, he had no idea.<\/p>\n

Crossing to Joe\u2019s room Ben took hold of the door and pushed it all the way to the wall. \u00a0He did a brief walkthrough, noting the blue and white bottle that held his son\u2019s hair oil and the comb that had been his mother\u2019s sitting next to Marie\u2019s portrait.\u00a0 Crossing to the dresser, he picked up the frame and stared at the love he had lost.\u00a0 It was hard for Joe.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had both lost their mothers before they knew them, and while they had found a mother\u2019s love in the time they had with Inger and Marie, neither had been reared by their own.\u00a0 Joe had for nearly five years and, in a way, he supposed it made the loss all the deeper.<\/p>\n

Crossing back to the door Ben stepped out into the hall.\u00a0 As he did there was a knock at the door.\u00a0 The older man turned and looked at the clock in Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 It was late \u2013 well past the time when travel would be safe \u2013 and he was surprised to hear it.\u00a0 By the time he reached the bottom of the landing the pounding had become more insistent.\u00a0 When he opened the door Ben found Sheriff Roy Coffee and a stranger standing outside.\u00a0 It was dark, so he couldn\u2019t see much of the man until the pair of them stepped into the great room.\u00a0 The stranger was about as tall as Roy and had a head of\u00a0 thick wavy black hair cut short.\u00a0 A fringe of it swept over his forehead.\u00a0 The hair at his temples was \u00a0shot through with silver.\u00a0 It could have been from age \u2013 he appeared to be around forty \u2013 but could just as easily have been a frost generated by his intense ice blue eyes.\u00a0 Ben could read a modicum of humor in them, but the main thing they held was an intense \u2013 perhaps, an almost too<\/em> intense sense of purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy,\u201d Ben said, falling back a step, \u201cwhat brings you out so late?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an unexpected visitor waiting for me when I returned to Virginia City.\u00a0 This here is \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

The man stepped forward and offered his hand.\u00a0 \u201cInspector Napier Beaton Shaw, Metropolitan Police Force, London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw\u2019s accent was English, but it definitely favored the north country.\u00a0 Since his surname was Scottish, Ben surmised the Inspector came from either there or one of the northern counties, Northumberland, or Cumbria perhaps.<\/p>\n

Taking his hand, the older man said, \u201cI\u2019m pleased to make your acquaintance Inspector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d Shaw asked as he moved into the great room and began to inspect it.\u00a0 \u201cSince I understand one of your sons has been taken hostage and other was nearly killed this afternoon, I would think you might look upon the sudden appearance of an Inspector of the Yard with trepidation instead of pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shot Roy a look.<\/p>\n

The sheriff shrugged and rolled his eyes as if to say \u2018He\u2019s all yours now\u2019.<\/p>\n

When Ben turned back he found the inspector had halted beside the striped sofa.\u00a0 \u201cI see Roy has filled you in,\u201d he said as he joined him.<\/p>\n

Shaw turned his cold blue eyes on him.\u00a0 \u201cSheriff Coffee has said more than I might have wished.\u00a0 I would have preferred to hear the details from those directly involved in the incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd which \u2018incident\u2019 would that be, Inspector?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was that hint of amusement in those wolfish eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAll<\/em> of them.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw indicated the blue chair to the right of the hearth.\u00a0 \u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes.\u00a0 I forget my manners.\u00a0 Would you like some coffee, or tea, Inspector?\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspector closed his eyes briefly.\u00a0 \u201cIt has been a swift and difficult journey.\u00a0 My assistant, Braddock Wells and I rode through the night and only had a brief breakfast.\u201d\u00a0 This time Shaw actually smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI would appreciate the tea, and a bit of food if it would not be too much trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no trouble at all.\u201d\u00a0 Ben moved toward the kitchen and called, \u201cHop Sing!\u201d<\/p>\n

When their Chinese cook appeared he asked him to bring in a plate of cold meat, bread and cheese.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe tea is Young Hyson,\u201d Ben said as he returned.<\/p>\n

Shaw was wearing an overcoat.\u00a0 He removed it to reveal the dress of the day for a man from the city \u2013 a storm gray frock coat with straight black trousers, a short patterned wine waistcoat, and a pearl gray shirt with a high stiff collar.\u00a0 As he took the tall hat from his head and placed it on the table by the sofa he said, \u201cPerfect.\u00a0 It will help to clear my mind.\u201d\u00a0 When the Inspector took his seat, he added, \u201cI am afraid it is you who must forgive my ill manners, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 When I am on a case I tend to be single-minded.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you need me any longer, Inspector?\u201d Roy asked from near the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 You are free to pursue your own investigation, Sheriff.\u00a0 My assistant Braddock will assist you until tomorrow when he rejoins me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before leaving Roy asked, \u201cHow\u2019s Hoss doin\u2019, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u00a0 The doctor said he\u2019ll be up in a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how about Joe?\u00a0 Anything further?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry to hear that.\u201d\u00a0 Roy reached up and tipped his hat.\u00a0 \u201cBe seein\u2019\u00a0 you, Ben.\u00a0 Inspector.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the door closed behind Roy, Ben turned back to his guest just in time to see Hop Sing deliver his food.\u00a0 The Inspector treated the Chinese man courteously and thanked him for the food, which raised Ben\u2019s estimation of Shaw a notch. \u00a0As he reached for the tea, the inspector said, \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind, Mister Cartwright, I will eat and then we can talk.\u00a0 I prefer my mind be focused on one thing at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand.\u201d\u00a0 Ben nodded toward his desk.\u00a0 \u201cI have some business to finish up.\u00a0 Call me when you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ben worked he watched the man.\u00a0 Shaw was very precise in all of his movements and conservative of the energy it took to accomplish a task, as if there was a need to hold any extra in reserve.\u00a0 It took the Englishman about fifteen minutes to eat.\u00a0 When he was done he folded the linen napkin Hop Sing had given him and placed in on top of the plate.\u00a0 He used the cheese knife to anchor it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am ready when you are, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 My thanks for the food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben rose from his desk and came over.\u00a0 Once there he took the tray and returned it to the kitchen where he thanked Hop Sing and told him to go to bed.\u00a0 Any work left could be accomplished in the morning.\u00a0 When he returned the inspector was standing, looking at the gun rack with its myriad rifles.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn impressive display of force,\u201d he remarked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t approve?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw turned to face him.\u00a0 \u201cQuite the opposite.\u00a0 When it comes to the criminal element a certain portion of intimidation is wise.\u00a0 Though I imagine this serves another purpose when it comes to conducting business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you mean I do it at the end of a gun,\u201d Ben remarked, \u201cI can assure you that\u2019s not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspector\u2019s black brows winged up.\u00a0 \u201cIndeed?\u201d\u00a0 He turned then and said matter-of-factly, \u201cYou are a strong man with strong opinions, able to listen, but certain enough of your own convictions that advice is seldom taken \u2013 and not always welcome.\u00a0 You have built your success with your hands and mean to hold onto it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was speechless.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr, am I mistaken?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 Then he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 You are very close to the mark.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure my boys would agree with you on my unwillingness to take advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have three sons, but no current wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man was beginning to unnerve him.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 How did you …?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSimple observation, Mister Cartwright, something most men fail to do.\u00a0 First of all, there is no sign of a woman\u2019s touch \u2013 pillows, flowers, and other feminine sundries.\u00a0 There are four chairs at the table and an equal amount of territory claimed within this room.\u201d\u00a0 He walked to the chair Adam normally occupied.\u00a0 Picking up a book on the chair he turned it over and read the spine.\u00a0 \u201cThis belongs to the thinker.\u201d\u00a0 He crossed to the other chair, where Hoss often sat, the one that faced the window.\u00a0 \u201cThis one belongs to a big man with a hearty appetite and hearty love of life.\u201d\u00a0 The inspector fell silent.\u00a0 He crossed to the hearth where Joe often roosted and looked at the stones.\u00a0 They were actually worn down from his son\u2019s frequent occupation.\u00a0 That was something he hadn\u2019t noticed before.\u00a0 \u201cThis one is the dreamer.\u00a0 Beside him, I believe, is your place.\u201d\u00a0 At that he looked up.\u00a0 The smile was there but tight.\u00a0 \u201cAm I right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded, impressed.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about this young one \u2013 the dreamer.\u00a0 The one who is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean Joseph?\u00a0 Is that why you are here, Inspector, to help find Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw held up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cFirst, answer my question.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man almost balked, but then he remembered Roy had brought this man to him and left him.\u00a0 He must have trusted him enough to do so. \u00a0Still….\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u201cBefore I do, may I see your credentials, Inspector?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, that smile.\u00a0 It barely lifted the corners of the \u00a0inspector\u2019s lips but lit his eyes. \u00a0\u201cVery good.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw removed a leather packet from inside his waistcoat and held it out.\u00a0 \u201cI could be anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thought had<\/em> crossed his mind.\u00a0 Ben inspected the papers.\u00a0 They seemed official.\u00a0 As he handed them back he said, \u201cDo you mind if I send my eldest son into town to wire for verification in the morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will find Sheriff Coffee has already done so and received a satisfactory answer that put him at ease.\u201d<\/p>\n

That would be like Roy.\u00a0 As Shaw replaced the packet inside his vest, Ben sat down.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want to know about Joseph?\u00a0 He\u2019s had a tough time these last few days.\u00a0 I sent him out \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon me, Mister Cartwright \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen.\u00a0 Please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBen.\u00a0 I do not want to know what the boy has done or is doing.\u00a0 Tell me about him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben was a bit stymied.\u00a0 \u201cWell, he\u2019s my youngest.\u00a0 There\u2019s six years between him and Hoss, and around a dozen between him and Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on.\u00a0 Sheriff Coffee indicated the boy tends to get into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy would say that.\u00a0 \u201cIf you mean Joe attracts<\/em> trouble, I\u2019ll admit it happens.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cMy youngest is intelligent and fast on his feet.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Joe is also high-spirited and quick tempered and prone to disobey orders if he feels there is a reason or just cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt is that last part that concerns me.\u201d\u00a0 Again he shook his head when Ben inquired with a look what this was all about.\u00a0 \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cJoe has a high sense of justice.\u00a0 He is outraged when he sees something as unfair.\u00a0 He sticks up for the underdog.\u201d\u00a0 The older man halted.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is this all about, Inspector?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw rose to his feet and began to pace.\u00a0 \u201cYou and I have a common enemy, Mister Cartwright, or, at least, I believe we do.\u00a0 The man I have pursued across the ocean and two thousand or more miles of your country is the same sort of man \u2013 a passionate, idealistic, dreamer with a high sense of justice.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it is his<\/em> kind of justice and has very little to do with reality.\u201d\u00a0 The inspector paused.\u00a0 \u201cI must ask you a hard question \u2013 could your son have run away and joined Gray willingly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 Never!\u00a0 <\/em>The boy\u2019s heart is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that is what you believe.\u00a0 But is it true?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Rage was boiling up in him.\u00a0 \u201cYou will explain yourself, Inspector, or Metropolitan Police or not, I will take you by the collar and throw you out of my home!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cForgive me, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 Permit me to explain.\u00a0 I am following a pattern here.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw\u2019s eyes went to a stack of newspapers.\u00a0 \u201cYou receive the paper?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Several.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you perhaps read an account of a man who was found murdered in his home in New York, strangled and stabbed with his throat cut?\u201d<\/p>\n

It had a familiar ring.\u00a0 It took a moment but then he recalled where he heard about that murder.\u00a0 He had read it in the paper the night they had eaten in town.\u00a0 The night all of this had begun.\u00a0 \u201cI read the article and dismissed it as sensationalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cUnfortunately, it is my duty to inform you that it is not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean someone actually did all<\/em> of that to one man?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Englishman nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben winced.\u00a0 \u201cThe article said the killer was unknown.\u00a0 Is he still?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnknown but suspected.\u201d\u00a0 Napier Shaw continued to pace.\u00a0 \u201cThe situation in New York was not unlike what I find here \u2013 a single father, rearing several children alone, the youngest of which was a boy who tended toward idealism and had a rebellious nature.\u00a0 An unprincipled man came along with a big dream and snatched the boy right out from under his father\u2019s nose. The boy aided the criminals, making a way for them to enter the house.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw paused.\u00a0 \u201cThis was not mentioned in the article, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 The boy was killed in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShot, stabbed, and<\/em> strangled?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOverkill? Yes.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cThere is a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow<\/em> could there be a reason?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour surname is English, so you know something of the dark times on that isle prior to the coming of the Christian creed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt is fortunate man has gone beyond them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cHas he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Ben demanded.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what does this have to do with my son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith your son?\u00a0 If your son is innocent of duplicity with this man, then nothing but that it has put the boy in danger.\u201d \u00a0The inspector drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cIn ancient times this manner of killing was known as \u2018the triple death\u2019 and was reserved for princes and kings. The man I am hunting employed it as a warning to the Royal family.\u00a0 He believes their throne should be his own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe throne of Britain?\u00a0 What, is he mad?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw\u2019s ice blue eyes fixed him. \u201cYes.\u00a0 Quite.\u00a0 This man is descended of a bastard line of Scottish kings, but in his demented mind he is<\/em> the direct descendant of the king who once sat on England\u2019s throne.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw paused.\u00a0 \u201cThere may have been another article in that paper \u2013 about an ancient artifact bound for Virginia City?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe item this man seeks is the one the man in New York and his son died for.\u201d\u00a0 The inspector paused.\u00a0 \u201cI understand from Sheriff Coffee that your son stumbled upon a murder committed here and then was attacked by the men who perpetrated it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we presume.\u00a0 But how could the two possibly be connected?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat, Mister Cartwright, is what I am here to find out.\u201d\u00a0 Napier Shaw ran a hand across his face and leaned back in the chair.\u00a0 \u201cThe Queen is most anxious to have this matter cleared up,\u201d he said wearily.<\/p>\n

Ben sat heavily in the chair opposite the Englishman.\u00a0 There were times in a man\u2019s life when he realized that the rest <\/em>of his life turned on a chance decision.\u00a0 If he hadn\u2019t insisted Joe mend those fences….<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, if it will bring you any peace,\u201d Shaw said, \u201cI am at your disposal.\u00a0 Our interests are the same.\u00a0 Finding your son will help me to find the man I am seeking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and then rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m weary, Inspector Shaw.\u00a0 I imagine you are too.\u00a0 I think the best thing either of us can do is try to get a few hours rest before we begin again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw was thoughtful for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cBefore we retire, Mister Cartwright, there is another thing I should tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen.\u00a0 Please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw considered it.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Ben.<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s eyebrows rose.\u00a0 \u201cNow, what is it you need to tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t asked me about the destination of the package.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man was confused.\u00a0 \u201cI assumed that was your business and not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw\u2019s lips twitched and he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIt is very much your business.\u00a0 Consider this \u2013 if I know where the package is, or it ends up in my hands, would I be willing to trade the contents for your son\u2019s life?\u201d\u00a0 The Englishman held up his hand.\u00a0 \u201cThe answer is \u2018yes.\u201d\u00a0 As Ben sighed with relief, the\u00a0 inspector went on.\u00a0 \u201cIf you remember, according to the note Sheriff Coffee received, you were to \u2018wait for instructions\u2019.\u00a0 It is my belief that, in exchange for your son\u2019s safe return, this man will demand you bring the letter and<\/em> the package to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe?\u00a0 Why me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe will assume, as a wealthy man, that you know the man of means to whom it is addressed.\u201d\u00a0 The inspector paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd he is right, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 He wondered who it was.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you will make the arrangements for me to contact this man and obtain the package?\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspector\u2019s cool eyes remained fixed on him.\u00a0 \u201cIt is already done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready done?\u00a0 What do you mean?\u00a0 You mean you\u2019ve already contacted the man that the package is addressed to?\u00a0 Who is it?\u00a0 I know most of the wealthy men in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou certainly know this one,\u201d Shaw said, his voice quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cInspector Shaw,\u201d Ben warned, \u201cI am in no mood for games.\u00a0 I am very tired and very <\/em>worried about my son.\u00a0 Speak plainly if you are capable of it!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Englishman hesitated only a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThe package is coming here,\u00a0 to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe article you read in the newspaper was planted in several publications with the intention of drawing this man out.\u00a0 We have been working in cooperation with your government for some time to accomplish his capture, and when the Yard asked for someone in the Virginia City area who was completely trustworthy, your name was advanced.\u00a0 I apologize for not contacting you before proceeding, but I knew the wire services were being watched and messages intercepted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben dropped into his chair.\u00a0 \u201cWait, now.\u00a0 What are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I am saying, Ben, is that the package which this man wants in exchange for your son\u2019s safe return is addressed to you and will be delivered to the Ponderosa the day after tomorrow.\u00a0 We could not know, of course, when this decision was made that your son would be in the criminals\u2019 hands.\u00a0 It is most unfortunate as, once they become aware that you are the intended recipient, these men are likely to assume \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Joseph was in the north pastures spying for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

If a man\u2019s heart could sink to his toes, his just had.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is, Ben, another slight difficulty to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, and what is that?\u201d he asked wearily.<\/p>\n

Shaw stopped directly before him.\u00a0 \u201cThe original letter and crown are not in<\/em> the package that will arrive here.\u00a0 They are already on a packet ship, headed back to Eng land.\u00a0 What is coming here is a forgery.\u00a0 Should it fall into the outlaws\u2019 hands, it will not take their expert long to realize that is exactly what it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn other words, there is<\/em> no treasure to exchange for your son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NINE<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright leaned the shovel he was holding on a nearby rock and then reached up to wipe the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his black shirt.\u00a0 He glanced at the sun where it was just topping the horizon and noted the way, even now \u2013 \u00a0so early in the morning that the birds were still sleeping \u2013 it painted the dry dusty land red.\u00a0 Reaching for his canteen, he poured a handful of water in his palm and ran it along the back of his neck.\u00a0 He\u2019d been at it for hours. \u00a0He was hungry and bone-weary.<\/p>\n

Still, there was no way he was going to give up.\u00a0 Not until he found what he was looking for.<\/p>\n

His morning had started at a time some still called night.\u00a0 He\u2019d returned to the Ponderosa late in the evening to find his father sitting in the blue velvet chair beside the fire lost in thought.\u00a0 Apparently they had a guest \u2013 an inspector from England who worked for Scotland Yard.\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t say much, but it was clear the man\u2019s presence disturbed him and the reason had something to do with Joe.\u00a0 When he questioned the older man, his pa said they would talk later.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone up to bed then and laid there, unable to sleep, his mind awhirl.\u00a0 Something was going on here that they were all missing.\u00a0 Something that had to do with that dead man Joe had found \u2013 the one someone else had tried to wipe out any sign of.<\/p>\n

The one his brother had buried.<\/p>\n

After a few restless and pointless hours of tossing and turning, he gave up and got out of bed.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t changed his clothes before laying down, so when he made the decision, he was ready for the road.\u00a0 Before heading for the stable\u00a0 he had gone in to check on Hoss. \u00a0His middle brother\u2019s breathing was even and he seemed to be sleeping naturally.\u00a0 Content with that, he headed downstairs only to find his pa still in the big blue chair, only this time he was asleep.\u00a0 Leaving him where he was, Adam put on his gun belt and hat and then quietly left by the front door.\u00a0 Once in the stable he hitched Sport to one of their buckboards, filled it with the equipment he needed, and headed out.\u00a0 He\u2019d reached the place where Joe had seen the lean-to at about two-thirty.\u00a0 It was now four-thirty and at least half of the rocks that had covered the dead man\u2019s grave were laying to its side.\u00a0 He\u2019d exposed enough that he was able to dig down and thought he could locate and free the body.<\/p>\n

It was a grim task but one that had to be done.\u00a0 There had to be a clue here to what was going on \u2013 to why Joe seemed so distracted, to why someone had tried to kill his brother and make it look like an accident, to the identities of the men who had done it, to what had happened to who this man was and who had killed him and whether or not the men who perpetrated both crimes were one and the same….<\/p>\n

To so many things.<\/p>\n

Adam took a swig of water.\u00a0 He capped the canteen and tossed it on the ground by the shovel, which he then picked up.\u00a0 Pushing the tool\u2019s head into the ground he continued to lift the dry dirt and throw it aside, scowling at the small mountain he\u2019d created.\u00a0 His little brother had thought enough of the stranger to bury him deep so the animals would not have an easy time of it if they decided to dig him up \u2013 just like he <\/em>wasn\u2019t having an easy time of it.<\/p>\n

Of course, that said more about Joe than anything else.<\/p>\n

A minute or two later he was rewarded \u2013 if that was the word for it \u2013 when his shovel struck something soft.\u00a0 After tying a kerchief around his nose, the black-haired man dropped into the hole in the ground and used his fingers to clear the dirt away from a bit of brown cloth.\u00a0 Feeling around it, he recognized the shape of a man\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Laying the shovel down, Adam began to work through the loose dry dirt, lifting and tossing it out by the handful, determined to clear enough away that he could examine the body.\u00a0 Already the flesh was decaying, rotting and pulling back from the bones, but that wasn\u2019t what he was interested in.\u00a0 Oh, he wanted to see the man\u2019s face \u2013 to make sure he didn\u2019t know him \u2013 but more importantly he wanted to see if he could find anything on him like a money belt or any papers that might identify him.<\/p>\n

It took nearly another hour before the body was fully exposed.\u00a0 When he finished Adam rocked back on his heels and glanced at the sun again.\u00a0 Those at the Ponderosa would be waking soon and heading out to begin the new work day.\u00a0 His pa was going to miss him and he didn\u2019t want to cause the older man any more grief than he had to.\u00a0 He also needed to speak with \u2018Inspector Shaw\u2019 and see if he could figure out the man\u2019s true motives.\u00a0 Sometimes his father was too trusting.\u00a0 Belief in the intrinsic goodness of man was an integral part of the older man\u2019s nature.<\/p>\n

It was not a part of his.<\/p>\n

Leaning over the corpse, Adam took a good look at the man\u2019s rotting face before beginning his search.\u00a0 After a moment of contemplation that was worthy of the Bard, he decided he did not know him.\u00a0 Taking a deep breath, he ran his hands along the corpse\u2019s frame, patting him down, inspecting the inside of his shirt and checking every pocket.<\/p>\n

All with no luck.<\/p>\n

In the end he came to the man\u2019s boots.\u00a0 They surprised him in that they were expensively made and elegantly tooled and though the suit the man wore was well-made, it was definitely from back East and the boots were Western.\u00a0 Adam pulled them off and set them aside as he continued his search, patting down the man\u2019s legs and even removing his socks.\u00a0 While he worked, his eyes kept returning to the boots.\u00a0 As they were covered in mud, it was hard to see the design, but there was something familiar about the pair.\u00a0 Distracted, Adam left off what he was doing and turned and picked them up.\u00a0 As he stood he \u00a0lifted them up and out of the hole so the morning light could strike them.<\/p>\n

And sucked in a sharp breath.\u00a0 \u201cGood God!\u201d<\/p>\n

They were Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

When Adam returned to the Ponderosa several hours later he went to the ranch house fully expecting to find his father out looking for Joe.\u00a0 Instead when he opened the door he found the older man deep in conversation with two strangers, one of which he presumed to be the inspector from the Yard.\u00a0 Both men had a foreign cast to their features and clothes.\u00a0 It was hard sometimes to say what exactly it was that marked a man as belonging anywhere but<\/em> the West, but these two had it.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t city slickers, but they were definitely urban men from another quarter of the world.\u00a0 The trio was sitting at the dining room table.\u00a0 There were a smattering of items laying before them including several newspapers.\u00a0 When his father saw him, the silver-haired man waved him over.\u00a0 Adam nodded, but before he joined them he went to the settee and placed his saddle bag on it.\u00a0 It contained Joe\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n

He was not about to mention finding them until he and his pa were alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you up to, Pa?\u201d Adam asked as he arrived at the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, this is Inspector Napier Shaw and his assistant, Braddock Wells.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInspector.\u00a0 Mister Wells,\u201d he said, nodding to them in turn.\u00a0 The inspector was a tall striking man, clean shaven with a somewhat hawkish look and wolfish blue eyes.\u00a0 His assistant had brown hair and was a shorter and much stouter man with a well-groomed mustache and beard.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brings you to the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe men who have Joe, son,\u201d his Pa replied.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re the same ones the Inspector has been trailing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw stood and offered him his hand.\u00a0 As Adam took it, he said, \u201cI meet, I believe, the Thinker?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam blinked.\u00a0 \u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThe inspector formed opinions of you and your brothers \u2013 and me \u2013 very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems an odd thing to do,\u201d he countered, his eyes on Shaw.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t lawmen usually deal in facts?\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspector released his hand.\u00a0 \u201cYour father is mistaken in his term.\u00a0 They are observations, not opinions.\u201d\u00a0 The Englishman\u2019s gaze trailed the length of his dusty form.\u00a0 \u201cAs I observe you have been digging in the dirt.\u00a0 Were you looking for something in particular?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFence post holes,\u201d Adam said quickly.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother Joe didn\u2019t get a chance to finish repairing the fence before he was taken.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes shot to his father who appeared puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Pa.\u00a0 We can\u2019t afford to lose the stock in the north pasture.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father took up the lie without question.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 No matter how concerned we are for Joe, the work on a ranch never stops.\u00a0 Adam went out this morning to see to some of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw\u2019s piercing gaze went from the one of them to the other.\u00a0 \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Adam thought he probably did.\u00a0 \u201cSo,\u201d he said, shifting the subject, \u201cPa told me last night you have been tracking these men \u2013 the ones we believe took Joe.\u00a0 What is this all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s face grew sober.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s about a fanatic, Adam.\u00a0 A fanatic who has your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSergeant Wells,\u201d Inspector Shaw prompted.\u00a0 \u201cIf you will, hand the file on our suspect to young Mister Cartwright here.\u00a0 Read it.\u00a0 After you do, I would be pleased if you would add your thoughts and voice to the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to change clothes and wash up first, if that\u2019s all right,\u201d Adam said, wrinkling his nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is more than \u2018all right\u2019.\u00a0 I would advise it.\u201d\u00a0 The inspector\u2019s nose twitched as well.\u00a0 \u201cThere is a definite smell of death about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His tone was as hard as his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a drought.\u00a0 I found a dead steer and had to wrangle with it.\u201d\u00a0 Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cSorry if our \u2018country\u2019 air offends your city nose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddock Wells spoke for the first time.\u00a0 His voice was as moderate as his superior\u2019s was sharp.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019ll find, young man, that the only thing that offends the Inspector is deceitfulness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well….\u00a0 I\u2019ll be sure to remember that,\u201d he replied as he headed for the stair.<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later Adam was back.\u00a0 He found his father had moved to the window and was standing by it looking out \u2013 thinking of Joe, no doubt.\u00a0 Adam accepted the folder from Braddock Wells and took it with him to the settee.\u00a0 Sitting down beside his loaded saddle bag, he began to read.<\/p>\n

It was quite a tale.<\/p>\n

The man Shaw was looking for was named Malcolm Gray.\u00a0 There was an ambrotype likeness of Gray in the file, which must have been taken back in the eighteen-fifties.\u00a0 It showed a lean scarecrow of a man in a dark suit who had a long face, a bush of light hair, and a look out of his light eyes nearly as intense as the inspector\u2019s.\u00a0 The man reminded him a bit of Andrew Jackson in the popular military portrait of the former president, though Gray was obviously younger than the general had been at the time of that sitting. \u00a0After another thorough look at it, Adam put the likeness aside and continued reading.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Gray had been born in Scotland and had a seemingly normal upbringing.\u00a0 He had attended Edinburgh University, majoring in history and minoring in art, but instead of doing anything with his education had begun to drift around about the time he turned twenty \u2013 he was on the low side of forty now \u2013 and had traveled from one end of the British Isles to the other on some sort of personal quest.\u00a0 Gray had written several papers for respected periodicals, one of which made mention of \u00a0a newly discovered document that declared null and void the divorce granted to King James I\u2019s son, Charles I, more than a century before.\u00a0 In this article Gray asserted that the throne of England was currently occupied by usurpers and in fact belonged to the descendants of Charles I\u2019s much wronged queen, Charlotte Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel.\u00a0 The file also mentioned a simple circlet or crown of gold set with pearls and diamonds that was said to have belonged to Charlotte and to have been passed down through the years and generations to the men who should<\/em> have been king \u2013 of which Malcolm Gray was one.\u00a0 Or so he claimed.\u00a0 Apparently there was no proof that Gray\u2019s line and Charlotte\u2019s connected, though Gray was the name of a sept of the Stewart clan, which did lend his claim minor weight.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s dark brows peaked.\u00a0 \u201cThe man who would be king?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep reading,\u201d the inspector instructed.<\/p>\n

What followed next was a detailed report of a half dozen crimes committed over the next dozen years in England of which Gray was suspected.\u00a0 The first were petty \u2013 the theft of a manuscript from a library, a peer\u2019s house broken into. Then they began to escalate.\u00a0 Other libraries were broken into.\u00a0 Some burned.\u00a0 More houses were looted and then the corpses began to pile up.\u00a0 Soon a pattern emerged \u2013 each \u00a0of these places was in some way connected with the legitimate<\/em> line of Charles I through his second wife, Marie Luise, and each had in their possession at one time information on the letter and or the golden crown.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at his father who was still looking out the window and then at the newspapers on the table.\u00a0 He remembered the one his father had been reading the night all of this began \u2013 the one that contained an article saying the crown was being sent to a prominent man in Virginia City.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Lord,\u201d he breathed as he let the folder fall to his lap.\u00a0 His eyes went to the inspector.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you believe this is the man who has my brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

When Shaw remained quiet, his father approached.\u00a0 \u201cThe inspector came here suspecting that your brother is in league with this man,\u201d he said, his tone unyielding.\u00a0 \u201cI hope I have corrected that thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was incredulous.\u00a0 \u201cYou suspect Joe of working with Gray?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw held his ground.\u00a0 \u201cI have not entirely eliminated the possibility, though your father has attempted \u2013 with some success \u2013 to dissuade me from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man in New York, Adam, the one in the paper, his<\/em> son was working with Gray.\u00a0 It\u2019s how the man got into the house and why they were killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mind awhirl, Adam\u2019s eyes flicked to the saddlebag.\u00a0 He prayed Shaw didn\u2019t notice.\u00a0\u00a0 Joe\u2019s missing boots had<\/em> been on the dead man\u2019s feet. \u00a0That meant Joe had to have had contact with him before he died \u2013 didn\u2019t it?\u00a0 In spite of everything \u2013 in spite of what he thought he knew about his youngest brother….<\/p>\n

Could<\/em> it be true?<\/p>\n

Adam swallowed over the fear welling up in him.\u00a0 \u201cSo what now?\u00a0 What do you intend to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I told your father,\u201d Napier Shaw replied, \u201cif we find your brother, we will find the man I am seeking.\u00a0 Therefore, I propose we concentrate on finding your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspector Shaw came to rest before him.\u00a0 \u201cI sense in us something of a kindred spirit, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you do, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Englishman nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt is my proposition that you and I seek out your brother while your father remains here with Sergeant Braddock to await the arrival of the package.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was surprised.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s coming here?\u201d he asked as he looked at his Pa.<\/p>\n

The older man answered wearily, \u201cIt\u2019s a long story, Adam, but yes, it\u2019s coming here.\u00a0 I\u2019ll explain later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I told your father, Mister Cartwright \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u00a0 As I told your father, the items contained in the package are forgeries.\u00a0 The main intent of the shipment was simply for it to be delivered and to draw Gray into our net.\u00a0 We had planned to be waiting for him in town and would have taken him before he and his men rode out.\u00a0 Your brother\u2019s presence in the outlaws\u2019 camp…complicates things.\u00a0 Though my superiors might consider the sacrifice of one young man\u2019s life worth catching this man, I do not.\u00a0 You and I must rescue your brother tonight.\u00a0 That way he will be safe and we will be able to proceed as we must.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was still thinking of those boots.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d rather go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sure you would.\u00a0 You will not, however, be permitted to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd who exactly is going to stop me?\u201d Adam demanded.<\/p>\n

He heard a click and turned to find Sergeant Braddock had produced a small gentleman\u2019s pistol from his pocket.\u00a0 The gun was in his hand and pointed directly at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBraddock put that away,\u201d\u00a0 Shaw ordered.\u00a0 As the man complied \u2013 slowly \u2013 the inspector went on. \u00a0\u201cNot by might but by an order of your government, Adam, a copy of which you will find contained in that file.\u00a0 This is my<\/em> investigation and I am empowered to do what is necessary to take this man down.\u201d\u00a0 The English lawman drew closer and his keen eyes pinned him.\u00a0 \u201cIf I must, I will have you trussed like one of your steers and hauled off to Virginia City where I will order Sheriff Coffee to lock you up!\u201d\u00a0 The next words he spoke were softer in tone.\u00a0 \u201cI would much prefer to have you at my side.\u00a0 I imagine your brother would as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pa was nodding.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, Roy checked the inspector out.\u00a0 He is who and what he says he is.\u00a0 It\u2019s our civic duty to cooperate.\u00a0 This may be the only way to save your brother\u2019s life.\u00a0 If Gray gets the package and finds that what it contains is counterfeit while he still has Joe…..<\/p>\n

The implication hung in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Pa,\u201d Adam said, turning back to the inspector.\u00a0 \u201cWhen do we leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far is it to the place where your brother is being held?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cTwo, maybe two and a half hours taking the road and riding at a normal pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we shall travel light and leave two hours before dark.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw crossed to the fire and stared at the flames.\u00a0 When he spoke at last, his voice was distant.\u00a0 \u201cWe must move quickly.\u00a0 It is imperative that we return before the package arrives. Unfortunately, the path before us will be neither easy, nor is its outcome assured.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich will be?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cAre you planning to storm the place or do you have something else in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspector\u2019s eyes lit with what, in another man, he might have called obsession.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have made Malcolm Gray my study.\u00a0 I know how his mind works.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw pivoted sharply on his heel to look directly at him.\u00a0 His words were steel.\u00a0 \u201cIf there is no way, I will make <\/em>one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed as he watched the inspector gather up his assistant and head to the rooms his father had given them.<\/p>\n

He decided he\u2019d call it \u2018obsession\u2019 with Shaw too.<\/p>\n

It was only a moment later that his father\u2019s hand came down on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Adam, what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

He considered it.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa.\u00a0 There\u2019s something about that man….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll admit Shaw\u2019s intense,\u201d his father said as he lifted his hand and took a seat.\u00a0 \u201cBut then again, if you had his job you probably would be too.\u00a0 You know how Roy can be when he\u2019s on the hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he did.<\/p>\n

Adam sought his father\u2019s gaze before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m concerned that Joe will be caught between Shaw and the man he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSo am I.\u00a0 That\u2019s why it\u2019s important you go with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated.\u00a0 His father seemed to sense it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, is there something else?\u201d the older man asked.\u00a0 \u201cSomething you\u2019re not telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know how<\/em> to say it.\u00a0 \u201cPa, are you sure Joe couldn\u2019t be involved with this man?\u201d<\/p>\n

If he\u2019d struck his father with a sledgehammer he couldn\u2019t have looked more stunned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Adam…\u00a0 What?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how Joe\u2019s been behaving lately \u2013 not like himself.\u00a0 And you know how impressionable he is.\u00a0 If this man convinced him that his cause was just \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u00a0 Why would you even consider such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to, Pa.\u00a0 You know that.\u00a0 It\u2019s just….well….\u201d\u00a0 Adam hesitated again.\u00a0 Then he \u00a0took hold of his saddlebag and drew it onto his lap.\u00a0 Opening it, he pulled out the pair of boots.<\/p>\n

His father took them.\u00a0 After a quick examination he asked, \u201cAren\u2019t these the boots your brother lost?\u00a0 The ones Joe couldn\u2019t find on Wednesday?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had held out the momentary hope that his father wouldn\u2019t identify the boots as Joe\u2019s \u2013 that, somehow, he was wrong.\u00a0 Unable to answer, Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

The older man ran his hand over the fine leather as if that touch might somehow connect him to his youngest boy and tell him what he was thinking.\u00a0 A second later he looked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, where did you find them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d he said, drawing a deep breath, \u201cyou\u2019re not going to like the answer….\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Later that day as the sun was setting, just after Adam and Inspector Shaw took off, Ben Cartwright stepped outside his house and stood on the porch looking north.\u00a0 He had dealt with the ranch hands, dispensing his son\u2019s chores to other men, and then checked in on Hoss.\u00a0 His middle son seemed to be mending nicely.\u00a0 After that he had come outside hoping the fresh air would clear his mind of doubts.\u00a0 He knew his sons \u2013 knew each one of them as well as he knew himself.\u00a0 There was no way Joseph could have been drawn into Malcolm Gray\u2019s scheme.\u00a0 He was sure of it.<\/p>\n

He had<\/em> to be sure of it.<\/p>\n

Crossing to the table on the porch, Ben perched on the edge of it and considered all he knew. \u00a0Several days before Joseph\u2019s dress boots had gone missing.\u00a0 Shortly after that the boy had gotten drunk and been in a brawl that resulted in Roy Coffee bringing him out to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The next day Joe had disappeared without permission and gone north.\u00a0 There, he had found a man murdered and buried him.\u00a0 That evening Adam found Joe dead drunk again, though his eldest had told him at the time that he believed his brother\u2019s assertion that someone had done it to him.\u00a0 Now, he sensed, Adam was not so sure. \u00a0After that Joe had been taken by these men and Hoss had been shot.\u00a0 Next, the threat to kill Joe had been made and the demand issued that he return to the Ponderosa and await \u2018instructions\u2019.\u00a0 All that remained was for the package Shaw had prepared to arrive before the operation to take Gray down would begin \u2013 an operation intended to stop Malcolm Gray from gaining access to the one thing that would turn him from an underdog into a king.<\/p>\n

Joe was young.\u00a0 Was it possible he could have fallen under the spell of such a charismatic man?\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the boy easily duped before by everything from pretty girls to con men, and seen Joe go out of his way to protect someone who in the end didn\u2019t deserve it \u2013 someone who had been using him<\/em>.\u00a0 It seemed at times that his youngest was searching for something that was always just out of reach, something even Joe couldn\u2019t identify.\u00a0 He had been so vulnerable lately, so erratic and unpredictable.<\/p>\n

Dear God!\u00a0 What if it was <\/em>true?<\/p>\n

For a moment he let himself despair and then Ben straightened up and faced the facts.\u00a0 To the inspector\u2019s eyes they didn\u2019t add up to his son\u2019s innocence, but to his \u2013 to the eyes of the man who had looked on that boy with love from the day he had been born \u2013 the sum couldn\u2019t came out wrong.\u00a0 There was something here he didn\u2019t understand but, with God as his witness, he would not doubt his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake care, Adam,\u201d the silver-haired man whispered, feeling immensely old.\u00a0 \u201cAnd take care of Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEN<\/p>\n

Adam glanced to the side looking for the man he traveled with.\u00a0 Inspector Shaw had borrowed some of his clothes so the two of them were both dressed in black, which made it nearly impossible to see him.\u00a0 That, of course, would have been a good thing so far as remaining hidden from the outlaws \u2013 if he had trusted Shaw entirely.\u00a0 He still didn\u2019t and he didn\u2019t know why.\u00a0 Adam kept telling himself it was just the man\u2019s attitude, which struck him as arrogant and snide and grated on his nerves.\u00a0 Then again, he had to remind himself there was no law against being arrogant, unless maybe it was a law of nature.\u00a0 It was just that he had a feeling a time was going to come when he was going to have to trust this stranger to watch his back and he wasn\u2019t sure \u2013 when and if that happened \u2013 that Shaw was entirely on his side.\u00a0 What he was<\/em> sure of was that Shaw was entirely on his own side.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, with Joe\u2019s life hanging in the balance that left him a bit nervous.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d reached the edge of their northern pastureland just as the sun fell behind the horizon and the dark descended.\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t taken them long to cross the field.\u00a0 They had traveled slowly on their bellies a good part of the time in order to not be seen.\u00a0 Once they arrived at the tree line they had slipped into the underbrush and begun to move in the direction of the sound of running water.\u00a0 Unlike his younger brothers he knew this area well. He had visited it often when younger as one of his childhood friends, a lad named Billy Caldwell, had lived on the other side of the woods.\u00a0 From what he remembered there were a number of caves including one behind the waterfall that were large enough for a party of men to hole up in.\u00a0 With the drought, they would be plenty dry.\u00a0 He and the inspector had agreed to take it slowly so their presence would present no threat to Joe.\u00a0 The Englishman still harbored a suspicion that his little brother was here by his own choice and working in collusion with the man he hunted.\u00a0 Adam admitted he\u2019d had to wrestle with the idea himself.\u00a0 He loved his youngest brother with a love that went deep as his soul, but he\u2019d knocked heads enough times with Joe to know that once he got something in his head \u2013 right or wrong, sense or not \u2013 he would stick to it like glue and fight tooth and claw for what he believed.\u00a0 If this man Gray had managed to convince him that he was in the right, there was nothing to say that Joe wouldn\u2019t have defied them all to help him.<\/p>\n

Nothing except his gut feeling that that was not<\/em> what was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cInspector?\u201d he called quietly.\u00a0 \u201cShaw, are you there?\u201d<\/p>\n

A shadow shifted beside him, so close it startled him.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho taught you to move like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot \u2018who\u2019, but what.\u00a0 Several tours of duty as a spy with Major General Sir James Outram on the southern coast of Persia during the last war,\u201d Shaw answered, pitching his voice so low Adam could barely make out the words.\u00a0 \u201cI was searching ahead.\u00a0 The outlaws lair is<\/em> behind the fall of water. \u00a0I observed several men coming in and out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t good. \u00a0If Joe was in the cave behind the fall then he was trapped.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no back way out of that cave, Inspector,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 At his look he added, \u201cI explored it as a boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we both know a frontal assault is doomed to failure,\u201d Shaw added.\u00a0 He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cThey would have to bring the boy \u2013 your brother out at times, unless they are making him sit in his own filth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 Joe was young and not very big.\u00a0 They probably didn\u2019t consider him that much of a threat.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re probably right.\u00a0 But how can we know when?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have to keep watch.\u00a0 If it isn\u2019t now, it should be near dawn.\u201d\u00a0 The Englishman signaled with his hand.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s backtrack a bit to a safe location where we can make a plan.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up.\u00a0 \u201cDid you notice the sentries?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw sounded impressed.\u00a0 \u201cNow, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took only a few minutes, but even those minutes going in the opposite direction grated on him.\u00a0 He wanted to find his brother and make sure Joe was safe, and then he wanted to clear Joe\u2019s name.\u00a0 Shaw was remarkably cool.\u00a0 He led them back to a small natural outcropping of rock that functioned as a sort of shelter and sat down.\u00a0 Leaning his head back the inspector closed his eyes and drew in several deep breaths.<\/p>\n

Adam was champing at the bit.\u00a0 \u201cWell?\u00a0 Don\u2019t we need a plan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll in good time, Adam,\u201d Shaw said as he opened his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat good will it do your brother if we find him and have no strength to come to his rescue?\u201d\u00a0 He reached into a pocket and produced several pieces of jerky.\u00a0 \u201cFrom your cook,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cEat while we talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam took the dried meat and looked at it. With a sigh, he pulled a piece off and chewed it.\u00a0 \u201cSo what\u2019s your plan?\u201d he asked after he swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what you remember of the layout of the land surrounding the cave behind the waterfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

It had been years.\u00a0 \u201cNot much.\u00a0 I remember there was a path down to it that ran along and then crossed over a shallow stream.\u00a0 You had to go up to get to the base of the fall and then the cave was behind it.\u00a0 Well, one of the caves was behind it.\u00a0 There\u2019s more than one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the outlaws could be in any of them, you think?\u00a0 If it was you, Adam, which cave would you choose to hide in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one with the fall, of course, since it masks the entrance \u2013 though it might not now with the drought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if we find the stream, we\u2019ll find the way in?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably no more than ankle-deep now and mostly mud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated.\u00a0 Mud.\u00a0 Like what had coated Joe\u2019s boots \u2013 the boots that had been on the dead man.<\/p>\n

He shook himself. \u00a0No.\u00a0 Don\u2019t go there.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPrecisely.\u201d\u00a0 Napier Shaw looked up.\u00a0 The moon was rising.\u00a0 In a short time there would be light to travel by.\u00a0 \u201cMay I suggest we conserve our energy for the moment and then seek the water way once there is enough light?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pulled another bit of jerky through his teeth.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a plan.\u201d\u00a0 He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then said, \u201cInspector?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I lead you anywhere, I want your guarantee that rescuing my brother comes before stopping this man Gray.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw swallowed and then washed the jerky down with a bit of water from his canteen.\u00a0 \u201cI am afraid I can\u2019t swear to that, though I will do everything in my power to see your brother is out of the way before I take matters in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not good enough,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cIf we don\u2019t get Joe out of there, these men will kill him.\u00a0 They\u2019ve promised that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I have brothers of my own and I know what I <\/em>would do to protect them.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw paused.\u00a0 \u201cBut Gray and his men are responsible for over \u00a0half-a-dozen crimes, including murder.\u00a0 What if one of those <\/em>deaths had been your brother\u2019s? \u00a0What if it was the Ponderosa that had been broken into and ransacked? \u00a0Would you not then be urging me to take Gray and stop him no matter what<\/em> the cost to someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI would hope I would not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf so, you are a better man than most.\u00a0 Most men, in the end, are out for their own skins and care little about anyone else\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 Shaw shifted and leaned his head back again.\u00a0 \u201cI anticipate another fifteen minutes before the moon will be ripe and we can see where we are going.\u00a0 If you would be so kind, wake me then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seconds later his breathing evened and the inspector was asleep.<\/p>\n

Adam couldn\u2019t sleep and he knew it.\u00a0 Still, he leaned his head back as well and closed his eyes seeking some kind of rest for what was to come.\u00a0 Instead of sleep a vision came to mind \u2013 one from many years before.\u00a0 He had no idea why it came so swiftly and with so little warning.\u00a0 He was young and standing in the hall outside of his father\u2019s room at the Ponderosa, only then it had been his Pa and Marie\u2019s room.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s cooling body lay beyond the closed door, composed and at peace with her hands folded over her chest.\u00a0 He could hear the preacher and his father talking downstairs in the great room, but he heard another voice as well.\u00a0 A small one, talking and talking.\u00a0 Joe and Hoss were supposed to be in bed.\u00a0 Their father had put them down together that night, hoping to give Joe some comfort.\u00a0 His little brother was so small he didn\u2019t really understand what had happened, that Marie was dead and not asleep, and that his mother would never touch or hold him again. Still, he knew Joe had sensed something.\u00a0 Most likely it was their father\u2019s grief.\u00a0 Walking down the hall he opened the door to Hoss\u2019s room and peered in.<\/p>\n

Joe was missing.<\/p>\n

Returning to his parents\u2019 room, Adam pressed his ear against the door and then opened it slowly to find Joe standing at the side of the bed.\u00a0 His mother\u2019s hand was in his small one.\u00a0 As the door struck the wall Joe jumped and then turned toward him, exhibiting one of the most grief-stricken faces he had ever seen.\u00a0 It was as if, in spite of his lack of years, his little brother did <\/em>understand and he was not <\/em>all right with it.<\/p>\n

It was the face of a man who had made a vow.<\/p>\n

Adam \u00a0gasped and started.\u00a0 He shook himself, surprised that he had fallen asleep after all.\u00a0 He ran a hand over his face and then reached for the canteen, noting as he did how badly his hand was shaking.\u00a0 Cupping it, he filled it with cold water and splashed it in his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad dreams?\u201d the inspector asked, startling him as he stirred.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore a memory than a dream,\u201d Adam replied after taking a drink.\u00a0 \u201cOf my brother, when he was little.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn omen then, perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowned, somewhat surprised to find that an urbane man like the inspector would believe in omens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if it was,\u201d he said as they both rose to their feet, \u201clet\u2019s hope it\u2019s a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

He had to escape.\u00a0 He just had<\/em> to.<\/p>\n

It was sunset of the second day since he had been taken and Joe was outside the cave.\u00a0 The men who held him untied him and took him out once early in the morning and again late at night to relieve himself.\u00a0 Most of the time it was Tollivar Bates who accompanied him along with one other man.\u00a0 When Bates took him out, he always left his hands and feet unbound as if daring him to make an escape attempt.\u00a0 Joe had the distinct impression that Bates wanted him to try so he could kill him and that the Chief sent the second man along to make sure the brute didn\u2019t succeed.\u00a0 This time the leader of the outlaws was away so the bully had brought him out alone, and things weren\u2019t looking too good as they made their way into the trees that butted up against the small stream the falls poured into.<\/p>\n

So, he\u2019d decided to take Bates on.<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at Tollivar Bates who walked to the left of him.\u00a0 The Englishman was big as an ox and twice as powerful, but he knew from experience that could be worked to his advantage.\u00a0 He\u2019d had plenty of practice with Hoss.\u00a0 If he went at his middle brother like he did anyone his own size, he lose every time.\u00a0 Hoss could whip him without breaking a sweat.\u00a0 So he\u2019d learned not to use a direct approach like taking a swing.\u00a0 Instead he ducked and rolled to begin with, knocking his brother\u2019s feet out from under him or, after letting himself be hit, struck from a position on the ground.\u00a0 After that he\u2019d bolt faster than a jack rabbit and then come back in.\u00a0 In other words he had learned to use his small size as an advantage against big men.\u00a0 He\u2019d had to.\u00a0 Being one of the smallest boys at school had made him a target of bullies like Tollie Bates and John C. Reagan.\u00a0 It had shamed him so much that Adam and Hoss had to do his fighting for him in the beginning, that he had worked to hone his own skills to the place where he could take care of himself \u2013 and he could<\/em> take care of himself.<\/p>\n

In a fair fight, that was.<\/p>\n

Joe fought back a shudder.\u00a0 Of course, the skills he\u2019d learned had done him no good against John C. Reagan, but then again he\u2019d told himself over and over that what happened with Reagan wasn\u2019t a fair fight.\u00a0 The former prizefighter hadn\u2019t given him a chance.\u00a0 He\u2019d struck him without warning so hard on the back of the head that he hadn\u2019t been able to do anything to defend himself or to stop the beating he had taken.<\/p>\n

Looking at Bates again Joe decided there was no way he was going to allow that to happen again.<\/p>\n

\u201cFar enough, Cartwright,\u201d the Englishman growled as they came to the edge of a tree line.\u00a0 \u201cDo your business.\u00a0 You got two minutes.\u00a0 If you ain\u2019t headin\u2019 out in one and a half, I\u2019ll come in and get you.\u201d\u00a0 A slow sneer spread across Tollivar Bates pugnacious face as he pinned him with his beady eyes.\u00a0 \u201cAll I gotta tell the Chief is that you tried to escape, pretty boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s plan, simple and stupid as it was, was to goad Bates into trying to kill him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think a big dumb ox like you could catch me if I decided to run?\u00a0 I\u2019m twice as fast and twenty times smarter than you,\u201d Joe boasted as he took a step toward the trees. \u00a0\u201cNot to mention better looking.\u00a0 I bet your mama took one look at you when you came out between her legs and wanted to throw you back!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shut your mouth, Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if I don\u2019t feel like shutting it?\u201d he countered.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if I feel like telling everyone that you\u2019re the dumbest thing I ever met and the ugliest to boot?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates took a step toward him, his fists clenching and unclenching.\u00a0 \u201cThen I\u2019ll shut it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe flashed him his most maddening smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta catch me first!\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, he began to run.\u00a0 He knew where he was heading.\u00a0 He\u2019d scouted it out the other times the outlaws had brought him out to relieve himself.\u00a0 There was a thick patch of trees not too far off, grown so tightly together Bates wouldn\u2019t be able to get his bulk through them without really working at it.\u00a0 That should slow the big man down enough to give him time to reach a rock fall some two hundred or so feet on.\u00a0 He\u2019d wiggle through one of the small openings in the rocks and then get into a position where he had the upper hand, so that by the time Bates rounded the rocks he could jump and hit him with his full weight and knock the wind out of him.<\/p>\n

Then he\u2019d pound him until he couldn\u2019t stand.<\/p>\n

Joe faltered just a second as he ran, troubled again by becoming what he loathed.\u00a0 Then, with a glance back at the human locomotive barreling toward him, he put on an extra burst of speed and entered the trees.\u00a0 Even he had to turn sideways from time to time to make it through.\u00a0 Bursting out of the other side he made a beeline for the rocks, knowing he had to reach them before Bates cleared the trees because if he didn\u2019t the man would have time to catch up to him and then \u2013<\/p>\n

Well then, it would all be over.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam preceded the inspector since he had some idea of where they were going. They had found the shallow stream and walked beside it now, drawing ever closer to the waterfall.\u00a0 Once they had the cave opening in sight they would hunker down and wait and hope against hope that Joe was led out at some point.\u00a0 If not \u2013 if the morning came and went and still no Joe \u2013 then they would be forced to take another tack as the arrival of the package with its forgeries at the Ponderosa would change the game entirely.<\/p>\n

As they rounded a bend Adam reached out and caught the other man\u2019s arm.\u00a0 With a finger to his lips, he urged Shaw to silence.\u00a0 Then he pointed.\u00a0 There was a single gunman standing just in front of a moderate fall of water.\u00a0 He was looking to the southeast as if expecting someone\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

It was Shaw\u2019s turn to tap his shoulder.\u00a0 The Englishman gestured to the right with a nod and then tapped his ear.\u00a0 Adam listened.\u00a0 Yes, he could hear it, someone was moving through the trees \u2013 someone who was making little effort to conceal where they were.<\/p>\n

Puzzled, he frowned the question at Shaw.\u00a0 Who?<\/em><\/p>\n

Shaw shook his head.\u00a0 Then he indicated with a gesture of it that they should split and approach the area from opposite sides.\u00a0 Adam nodded and went left while the inspector went right.\u00a0 Soon the Englishman was cut off from view.\u00a0 With the waterfall on his right, Adam headed into the trees, passing quickly through a stand of young tightly spaced pines.\u00a0 During his approach he heard voices.\u00a0 That slowed him down as he had no idea what he would be up against when he came out on the other side of the pile of rocks that was blocking his view.\u00a0 As he drew close there was a sudden cry such as a man makes when he\u2019s been shot \u2013 sharp and disbelieving \u2013 only this one was prolonged.\u00a0 It hung on the air chilling him.<\/p>\n

Then the woods went silent.<\/p>\n

Panting hard, Adam rounded the boulders.\u00a0 He was stunned by what he found.\u00a0 His brother Joe was standing over the battered body of a man at least twice his size.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hands were clenched in fists, his knuckles raw and bleeding.\u00a0 On his face were the marks of a battle hard won \u2013 a split lip, blackened eyes, and a bloody nose.\u00a0 From the gash above the eye that John C. Reagan\u2019s fist had opened a month before \u2013 the one that had threatened Joe\u2019s sight \u2013 fresh blood flowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d he called, moving forward with his hand outstretched.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, it\u2019s me, Adam.\u00a0 Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment before his baby brother blinked and looked at him.\u00a0 A grin spread across the battlefield of his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, big brother,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

Then he fell to the ground.<\/p>\n

As Adam darted forward he saw Shaw break through the trees on the other side.\u00a0 The Englishman made it to Joe first.\u00a0 He knelt and pressed two fingers against the base of his brother\u2019s throat.\u00a0 A quick nod from the lawman told him Joe was alive.\u00a0 Still, from the look of him there could be internal injuries.\u00a0 The man his brother was laying half-scrawled across was broader and taller than Hoss and looked like he had been cast in iron.\u00a0 As Shaw moved away, Adam assumed his place.\u00a0 Kneeling, he took hold of Joe\u2019s unconscious form and gently pulled him off the other man.\u00a0 Neither made a sound.\u00a0 Adam hesitated a moment, but then took time to secure the big man\u2019s hands and feet in case he came around.\u00a0 He gagged him as well with a dirty strip torn from his bloody shirt.<\/p>\n

Then he turned his attentions to Joe.<\/p>\n

His brother roused a bit when he touched him, moaning and then, inexplicably smiling.\u00a0 \u201cI got him…Adam,\u201d he said, his voice quiet and without strength.\u00a0 \u201cI got…Reagan….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at the other man.\u00a0 It was definitely not John C. Reagan.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, what happened?\u00a0 How\u2019d you get away?\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as he asked it an alarum went up.\u00a0 A shot was fired off and shouts rang out.\u00a0 A second later the Inspector\u2019s form shot out of the trees.\u00a0 \u201cThey saw me.\u00a0 A half dozen men will be on their way momentarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at Joe.\u00a0 Since he had no idea what damage had been done during the fight he hated to move him, but \u2013<\/p>\n

Reading his thoughts Shaw said, his voice tense, \u201cYou have no choice!\u00a0 Pick him up now!\u00a0 We must fly!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnywhere but here! Come on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw halted briefly, waiting until he had picked Joe up, and then began to run again.\u00a0 The inspector chose the direction away from the Ponderosa as he would have done, as it was the one in which the outlaws would least expect them to fly.\u00a0 Fortunately it put them on the path to the Caldwell\u2019s homestead.\u00a0 The family had left the area years before, but the cabin should still be there and it might be their one hope of shelter.<\/p>\n

A short time later as they paused for him to catch his breath, Adam told the other man, \u201cAt the edge of the trees, we need to veer…to the left at a forty-five degree angle…and keep running. \u00a0We should run into a cabin…about ten minutes down the road.\u00a0 If we can make it there…we can hold them off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw abruptly halted.\u00a0 \u201cYou go ahead.\u00a0 I\u2019ll lay down some fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t argue.\u00a0 He caught his brother\u2019s arms and legs in a fierce hold and ran for all he was worth.\u00a0 Behind him he heard both Shaw\u2019s shots and returning gunfire. \u00a0Some ten or twelve minutes later, he breathed a sigh of relief as the Caldwell\u2019s cabin came into view.\u00a0 From the look of it, it was abandoned.\u00a0 At least he hoped it was.\u00a0 If not, the current occupants were about to be rudely awakened and thrust into a nightmare not of their choosing.<\/p>\n

Still holding Joe and looking over his shoulder, Adam pounded on the door with his free hand.\u00a0 When no one answered, he backed up and kicked it in.\u00a0 The smell of dust and emptiness struck his nostrils as the wooden door swung inward.\u00a0 Passing through he dropped Joe as carefully as the situation allowed on top of an old unused bed in a back room and then returned to the door.\u00a0 There were one or two more pops and then the gunfire ceased.\u00a0 Adam drew his gun and waited for Shaw\u2019s figure to come flying down the lane outside.<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later he was waiting still.<\/p>\n

Adam closed the door and dropped the bar in place.\u00a0 Then he leaned his head on it and sighed.\u00a0 Several heartbeats later, having gathered a little strength, he returned to his brother\u2019s side.\u00a0 Sitting on the edge of the bed Adam examined him as best he could.\u00a0 When he touched Joe\u2019s lower body his brother moaned but didn\u2019t jump.\u00a0 That changed when he came to his right side.\u00a0 Joe gasped and rolled in pain.\u00a0 Cracked or broken ribs then. \u00a0Not a surprise considering the ox he had taken on.\u00a0 The man had probably been freed by the other outlaws now and would be out for his brother\u2019s blood.\u00a0 Any bully that size bested by someone like Joe would have to kill him to prove he was still a man. \u00a0In spite of the wreck his brother was, Adam permitted himself a small satisfied smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u00a0 You got him, Joe,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

Abruptly, there was a knock at the door.\u00a0 Adam rose wearily and crossed over to it.\u00a0 \u201cInspector Shaw, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s me, Adam,\u201d the answer came.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam lifted the bar and stepped back. Then he opened the door.\u00a0 Even as he did and he caught sight of what and who was outside, he tried to slam it shut again.\u00a0 The man was too fast.\u00a0 It only took a second for the battered brute to burst through the door, take hold of him, and pin him against the wall.\u00a0 Adam began to black out from the choke hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s quite enough, Tollivar.\u00a0 Release him!\u201d a sharp voice ordered.<\/p>\n

The world was spinning, but it began to slow when the fingers left his neck.\u00a0 Weak in the knees Adam caught the back of one of the dining chairs and looked up to see who it was that had spoken.<\/p>\n

Inspector Napier Shaw stood framed in the open doorway, two steps behind the bully his brother had fought and two steps in front of several other men holding guns.\u00a0 It took a second for Adam\u2019s mind to accept what it was seeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cInspector?\u201d he asked, dumbstruck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you, Adam,\u201d the Englishman said, \u201cmost men are out to save their own skins.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ELEVEN<\/p>\n

Adam winced as he heard Joe cry out.<\/p>\n

He was sitting in a rough wooden chair by the Caldwell\u2019s abandoned dining table with his back to the room Joe occupied, his hands and feet bound. \u00a0Shaw had sent one of the gunmen in to bind Joe as well and he imagined they were doing it none too gently.\u00a0 At least the corrupt lawman had the sense not to send Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 There had been a heated exchange of words between the two and the smaller of the pair had triumphed.\u00a0 Apparently, since he was now a hostage, Bates wanted to kill Joe, arguing that they didn\u2019t need him anymore. \u00a0Shaw reminded him that live hostages meant jail time while dead ones meant the noose and ordered the bully to guard the door.\u00a0 Bates was there now, gun in hand, staring out the window and talking to himself.<\/p>\n

Since he had been taken Adam had spent his time listening, even as he was listening now.\u00a0 Outside the Caldwell\u2019s cabin the light was rising. \u00a0Shaw and the others had conversed low and long into the night and then caught a few hours sleep before starting in again an hour or so before as the day dawned.\u00a0 From what he overheard he now believed Shaw was not the man he claimed to be.\u00a0 At first he thought the English inspector had turned coat for some reason.\u00a0 Now, it seemed, this man \u2013 whoever he was \u2013 \u00a0had taken the inspector\u2019s place.\u00a0 Adam didn\u2019t know if the man sent from the Yard was alive or dead, but from what he had heard he thought it was the latter.\u00a0 These men were after Malcolm Gray, just like the real Shaw was, only for personal and not professional reasons.<\/p>\n

Adam shifted.\u00a0 After six or more hours in the chair, his back hurt and he was seeking to ease the tension in the muscles.\u00a0 Tollivar Bates shot him a warning look.\u00a0 As there was little he could do right now other than put the man on edge, he answered it with a tight smile.\u00a0 Tollie, as Shaw called him, rose to the bait and came over and leaned in, shoving his ugly puss right up next to his.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got a problem, Cartwright?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That took him aback.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou stink.\u00a0 There\u2019s a creek out there close by.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you go jump in it \u2013 oh, and you might slip and fall while you\u2019re there and break your neck and do the world some good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wait for it….<\/p>\n

Tollie Bates raised a hand and struck him so hard across the face the sound rang from the cabin walls like a church bell.\u00a0 As he waited for his head to clear, Adam thought.\u00a0 \u2018Good.\u00a0 Good.\u00a0 Take some of that hate out on me.\u00a0 Maybe then you\u2019ll leave Joe alone.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna kill you, mate,\u201d Tollie growled, reaching for his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cBates!\u00a0 Back off!\u201d\u00a0 The man who pretended to be Shaw ordered.<\/p>\n

The brute whirled.\u00a0 \u201cWhy should I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam heard the click of a trigger being cocked.\u00a0 \u201cNumber one, because I say so.\u201d\u00a0 The man with the wolfish eyes said as he entered the main room.\u00a0 \u201cAnd, number two, because you are stupid enough not to realize he is baiting you.\u00a0 Now go outside.\u00a0 Relieve Pete and send him back to Gray.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still say you\u2019re stupid for keepin\u2019 these two alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I say you<\/em> are stupid.\u00a0 Period.\u201d\u00a0 He waved the gun.\u00a0 \u201cYou are already a detriment to my campaign, Bates.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t give me a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates snarled and snapped like a rabid wolf, but he did what he was told.\u00a0 As the door closed behind him, the man he knew as Inspector Shaw turned toward Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a brilliant man, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for the compliment.\u00a0 I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man eased one of the chairs out from under the table and sat on it.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI knew when I met you that it would not take long for you to realize there was something more going on than what had been related.\u00a0 It\u2019s why I asked for you to join me.\u00a0 Your father \u2013 intelligent as he is \u2013 has a less suspicious nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s smile was tight. \u201cThat\u2019s Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd your younger\u00a0 brother, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

The fake Shaw glanced toward the bedroom.\u00a0 \u201cAs any man would be after being imprudent enough to try to stop a locomotive single-handedly.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe young fool.\u00a0 We would have brought him out of there in one piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I imagine it\u2019s your intention \u2013 in spite of what you told the lummox you just sent out the door \u2013 to kill both of us before this is over, I don\u2019t really understand, Inspector<\/em>, why you care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw looked genuinely surprised.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would you think that I intend to kill you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019ve seen you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what have you seen?\u00a0 Your brother beaten?\u00a0 Even if you had<\/em> seen it happen \u2013 and if that was a crime, I had no part in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Adam hesitated and then went on, \u201cwhat about the death of the real <\/em>Inspector Shaw?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, well.\u00a0 That is a problem.\u201d\u00a0 It was the Englishman\u2019s turn to frown.\u00a0 \u201cSo you deduced I am not he, eh?\u00a0 I had nothing to do with that either.\u00a0 Bates was supposed to take Shaw and put him some place safe.\u00a0 He made another choice.\u201d\u00a0 The man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIf your brother hadn\u2019t come nosing around that night, neither of you would be in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d\u00a0 His gaze shot to the back room.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

His captor nodded.<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cJoe hasn\u2019t been out at night for weeks.\u00a0 None of us have.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man shifted in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cI beg to differ.\u00a0 Though I did not see him, Bates and several of my men did.\u00a0 The boy had to have been with Inspector Shaw.\u00a0 They were not together when Bates accosted Shaw, but your brother was spotted leaving the area shortly before the inspector was killed.\u00a0 Bates assumed your brother was in hiding and saw him commit the murder.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Tollie stupidly tried to kill him the day he found him mending the fences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was stunned.\u00a0 \u201cIs<\/em> my brother involved with Malcolm Gray?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea.\u00a0 Malcolm Gray is what I said he is \u2013 a sick man intent on causing trouble for the British crown.\u00a0 Whether or not your brother is involved with Gray \u2013 well, that\u2019s something you will have to ask him when he comes around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd who are you?\u201d Adam asked quietly.<\/p>\n

The pretender to Shaw replied, \u201cA concerned party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConcerned about what \u2013 or who?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cBeyond your own skin, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man let out a slow sigh.\u00a0 \u201cRegardless of what I said before, there are things that transcend a man\u2019s need to take care of his own skin.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes darted to the back room again.\u00a0 \u201cFamily is one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family?<\/em><\/p>\n

The other man stood.\u00a0 \u201cI will be taking Bates with me today and leaving another of my men to guard you and your brother.\u00a0 The wisest thing for you to do, Adam, is to sit back and relax.\u00a0 If all goes well my associate will intercept the package on its way to your house and bring it to me before Gray gets wind of its impending delivery.\u00a0 If not, we will have to take both it and Malcolm as he attempts to steal it.\u00a0 In either case, we will be gone before sundown and it will be as if all of this never happened.\u201d\u00a0 The pretender headed for the door.\u00a0 \u201cOnce we are safe, I will send word to your father that you and your brother are here.\u00a0 I am sure he will retrieve you post haste.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if Joe needs a doctor now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man hesitated with his hand on the door latch.\u00a0 He answered without looking at him.\u00a0 \u201cI regret leaving you for the amount of time that is necessary.\u00a0 Your brother is badly hurt.\u00a0 We will have to hope his constitution is up to the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you didn\u2019t hold with murder,\u201d Adam said without hesitation.<\/p>\n

The other man turned to look at him.\u00a0 \u201cIt is my hope that, one day, Mister Cartwright, you will understand.\u00a0 Now, this is goodbye.\u00a0 In time, perhaps, you will not think so harshly of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that the man who had claimed to be Napier Shaw was gone.<\/p>\n

Adam leaned back in his chair.\u00a0 He could hear the pretender\u2019s voice outside the door giving instructions to the man he was leaving behind to guard them.\u00a0 He seemed a different sort from the others \u2013 troubled and <\/em>in trouble, in a way. What was he doing mixed up with the likes of Tollivar Bates and involved in murder and kidnapping? \u00a0\u00a0And how was he connected to Malcolm Gray?<\/p>\n

Adam twisted again to look back the way Joe lay.\u00a0 He knew he would gladly give his own life to see his little brother safe and well.<\/p>\n

What was it the false Shaw had said?<\/p>\n

Family?<\/em><\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright opened his eyes slowly.\u00a0 As the dawning light entered them, he blinked and tried to remember where he was.\u00a0 The strong scent of bacon frying brought him back to himself and he remembered he had checked in on Hoss and then returned to the chair in front of the fireplace to read for a bit in an attempt to force his mind off of Joe and Adam and to allow his body to sleep.<\/p>\n

Apparently it had worked.<\/p>\n

Taking the book from his lap, he laid it on the table and then rose to his feet and stretched.\u00a0 At that same moment Hop Sing appeared from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee, Mister Ben?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The silver-haired man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Thank you, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sleep well?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAs well as one can sleep in a chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Ben should have gone to bed.\u00a0 Not young anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for reminding me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat what Hop Sing for,\u201d the Chinese man answered with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cHe go get coffee now.\u201d\u00a0 He had gone about three steps when he turned back.\u00a0 \u201cAny word from Mister Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head. \u201cNo, nor from Shaw either.\u00a0 But then, it is just morning.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll hear soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe find Little Joe.\u00a0 Have him with them when they come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n

As his cook headed back to the kitchen, Ben crossed to the front door and opened it.\u00a0 Stepping outside, he greeted the new day with the kind of trepidation a father feels when he has no idea where his child is \u2013 like the time Joe had climbed Eagle\u2019s Nest when he had been a little boy.\u00a0 He could remember the empty pit in the stomach feeling he had then, the sense of powerlessness \u2013 the fear.<\/p>\n

It was no different now that they were men.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to find Hop Sing had brought the coffee to him.\u00a0 He accepted it with gratitude.\u00a0 After taking a sip and complimenting the Chinese man, Ben said, \u201cYou didn\u2019t know what you were taking on when you accepted the position here, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeg pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s laugh was gentle.\u00a0 \u201cThe advertisement was for a cook.\u00a0 That\u2019s hardly what you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing no understand, Mister Ben.\u00a0 I cook.\u00a0 I cook good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you care, Hop Sing.\u00a0 How deeply you care.\u201d\u00a0 Ben placed the cup and saucer on the outdoor table and then laid his hand on the Chinese man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHow many times have you stood here with me, waiting for one of the boys to come home?\u00a0 How many times have you worried with me over them during sickness, or tended one of them with a wound, gunshot or otherwise?\u00a0 I don\u2019t stop often enough to say \u2018thank you\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese man looked stricken.\u00a0 \u201cYou no fair, Mister Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot fair?\u00a0 How?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou make Hop Sing cry,\u201d he said, ducking his head.\u00a0 \u201cI go check on Mister Hoss.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben squeezed his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 But Hop Sing \u2013 know I mean it when I say you are one of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing ducked his dark head.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing know, Mister Ben,\u201d he said softly, \u201cand he loves all the Cartwrights too.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second later he was gone.<\/p>\n

Ben was still standing there, outside the house, reflecting on life when he noticed a cloud of dust rising beyond the stable and heard the sound of a horse\u2019s hooves striking the hard baked earth.\u00a0 A moment later a rider appeared.\u00a0 As he drew near Ben recognized him as the man who had tended Hoss in the field \u2013 Luke Miller, one of Roy Coffee\u2019s men.<\/p>\n

As Luke reined in his mount Ben went to meet him.\u00a0 \u201cLuke,\u201d he said, \u201care you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRoy went out last night to check on a man who was found wandering along the road to Virginia City.\u00a0 The Sheriff hasn\u2019t returned yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny word on Adam or Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what brings you here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke fished in the leather pouch attached to his saddle and drew out a small packet approximately twelve inches high and a little more than a foot wide.\u00a0 \u201cThis came by way of the early stage from New York.\u00a0 Roy left word someone was to bring it to you the moment it arrived, and that you were to be sure to see Inspector Shaw got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben accepted the package with the hesitation of a man reaching for a rattler.\u00a0 Even though the items it contained were false, the promise of what it held might cost him the lives of two of his sons.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d say \u2018thank you\u2019, Luke, but I wouldn\u2019t be sincere if I did,\u201d Ben groused.\u00a0 \u201cDoes anyone know you brought it out?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI was careful, but there\u2019s no knowing if someone was watching.\u00a0 I can stay and be an extra gun, if you\u2019d like, just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019d better go back to town.\u00a0 Once the inspector and Adam return, we\u2019ll have plenty of gun power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke was surprised.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThey left last night to find my other son, hoping to free Joe before this arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ve not heard anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who do you have here?\u00a0 Hoss can\u2019t be up and about yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid at the moment there\u2019s just Hop Sing and me.\u201d\u00a0 As Luke started to protest, Ben held up a hand to stop him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll send him out for some of the men.\u00a0 We have dozens.\u00a0 There\u2019s no need for you to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, I\u2019m a man of the West too, though I may look like a city slicker.\u201d\u00a0 Luke smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI know the code \u2013 a man looks after his own.\u00a0 However, don\u2019t you think it might be wise for me to take over tending your injured son so you and whoever else are free to do exactly that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to impose \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not,\u201d the other man said as he swung his leg over and dismounted.\u00a0 \u201cRoy said it was all right if I stayed.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been wondering about my \u2018patient\u2019 anyhow.\u00a0 It felt good to do some doctoring again, so you\u2019ll actually be doing me a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat made you leave medicine?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWanderlust.\u00a0 I wanted to see the West.\u201d\u00a0 He sobered some.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019ve seen it, and mostly what I\u2019ve seen is that I am needed more as a doctor than as a ranch hand or lawman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can certainly use skilled men,\u201d Ben agreed.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, but if it comes to fighting, you let us do our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll get no argument here.\u00a0 I can hold a gun and I can shoot, but I prefer to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Luke headed into the house, Ben looked at the package in his hands and then turned toward the north.\u00a0 Joe and Adam were out there somewhere, hopefully together and headed home.\u00a0 But if they weren\u2019t \u2013 if something had gone wrong and Joe was still in Malcolm Gray\u2019s hands \u2013 then the bundle he held might be the only hope his son had.\u00a0 Napier Shaw knew it was due today and had indicated he meant to return in time to deal with any consequences resulting from its delivery.<\/p>\n

He could only pray he was a man of his word.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

The man known as Napier Shaw crouched in the trees just outside Malcolm Gray\u2019s hiding place.\u00a0 Since leaving Adam Cartwright he, along with Bates and several others, had been watching the entry of the cave for a sign of the tall lean blond man.\u00a0 From what he had learned, the parcel they were waiting for should arrive on the overnight or early morning stage and would soon be in Ben Cartwright\u2019s hands.\u00a0 In fact, it might already have arrived.\u00a0 If that was the case, whoever Malcolm had watching the Ponderosa would arrive soon to tell him the news.\u00a0 Obsessed as he was, it was a certainty the blond man would hastily form a party and head for the ranch.\u00a0 It was his hope to intercept him before he got there.\u00a0 He was sure once he met with Malcolm face to face that he could get him to listen to reason.\u00a0 It pained him that he had been forced to bind Adam Cartwright, and even more so that he had had to leave Adam\u2019s brother behind when he was so badly injured.\u00a0 He had known the minute he met Ben Cartwright\u2019s eldest son that it wouldn\u2019t take the black-haired man long to figure out he was not the real Inspector Shaw and to make a mess of everything by interfering at the wrong time and in the wrong place.\u00a0 So much hinged on everything happening on his agenda and no one else\u2019s.<\/p>\n

So much.<\/p>\n

Shifting his weight, the man with the wolfish eyes let his gaze wander to his companions.\u00a0 They\u2019d been waiting in the woods and had put on quite a show as he and Adam fled.\u00a0 Other than Tollivar Bates, they weren\u2019t bad men. \u00a0The others that he had managed to woo away from Malcolm\u2019s band were decent enough sorts who had gotten in trouble with the law once upon a time and now found it nearly impossible to make an honest living.\u00a0 One night when he was meeting with a pair of them Bates had gotten nosy and followed.\u00a0 The brute of an Englishman had barged in on their negotiations and then, of his own will \u2013 and for a handsome fee \u2013become a part of the plan.\u00a0 Bate\u2019s muscle was needed, he admitted, but Tollie was a loose cannon \u2013 as his actions toward the Cartwright boy showed.\u00a0 He had hoped to do this without any violence or killing.\u00a0 After all, that\u2019s why <\/em>he was doing it, to prevent just such things from happening.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Tollivar Bates had taken matters into his own hands and now, well….<\/p>\n

Now, if they didn\u2019t make it out of the country, they\u2019d all hang.<\/p>\n

\u201cGus,\u201d a voice called from nearby.<\/p>\n

Turning his head, he looked where Pete pointed.\u00a0 The man known as Napier Shaw, whose real name was Angus but whose men called him Gus, recognized the man making his way hastily through the woods toward the cave behind the waterfall.\u00a0 He belonged to Malcolm and was moving like a man with a mission.<\/p>\n

The package must have arrived.<\/p>\n

He had a good spot picked for the ambush.\u00a0 It was about halfway back to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The place was surrounded by rock and had an easy way in and an almost impossible way out.\u00a0 Gray\u2019s men would have to travel single-file through it.\u00a0 It was his intention to take Malcolm as he emerged.\u00a0 Then, when he had him alone, he would make him a proposition.\u00a0 Since Ben Cartwright had no idea he was not who he said he was, all he<\/em> had to do was walk into the Ponderosa and the older man would hand him the package with the letter and crown and they could be on their way.\u00a0 Of course, there was another reason he had to intercept the package \u2013 he knew what it contained was not real.\u00a0 If Malcolm\u2019s man Gordon got hold of it, it would all be over.<\/p>\n

Looking back toward the cave, Angus noticed more activity at its mouth.\u00a0 Gray had emerged at last.\u00a0 He had his horse\u2019s reins in his hand and was leading it down the short hill.\u00a0 Once at the bottom Malcolm would mount and head straight for the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Whispering an ancient prayer to every deity \u2013 pagan and God-fearing \u2013 that his family had ever called on, the man with the wolfish eyes prepared to move.\u00a0 He signaled Tolliver Bates and the men who crouched beside him that it was time and together, they rode out.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam was still seated and still tied up.\u00a0 The man who had been set to watch him had positioned himself on the opposite side of the table.\u00a0 His gun was in his hand and he was asleep.\u00a0 Adam had actually nodded off briefly himself before slept until something \u2013 he didn\u2019t know what \u2013 had awakened him only a few moments before.\u00a0 Disgusted as he was by the momentary weakness, the black-haired man actually did feel refreshed \u2013 which was probably a good thing considering all that might yet lay ahead.\u00a0 From the look of the sunlight slanting through the cabin windows, he figured it must be near noon.\u00a0 Adam winced as he straightened his spine.\u00a0 He had been sitting in the chair half-slumped and the pain he incurred in doing so was just short of excruciating \u2013 which was also good.<\/p>\n

It kept him sharp.<\/p>\n

Then it came again.\u00a0 The sound that had awakened him.\u00a0 He glanced at his guard who seemed not to have heard it and then closed his eyes and fought a wave of despair.<\/p>\n

It was Joe.\u00a0 His brother was calling his name.<\/p>\n

Quickly he assessed his situation.\u00a0 Both his hands and feet were bound tightly with cords to the wooden chair that had been left behind by the Caldwells years before.\u00a0 His hands were strapped to the chair back and his feet to the wooden \u00a0prop beneath.\u00a0 He could feel the wood give when he wiggled.\u00a0 All of the furniture in the cabin was old and dry.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t take much to break it \u2013 probably just flinging himself or it onto the floor \u2013 but, and it was a big \u2018but\u2019, that kind of action would make a big noise and it would wake the guard and then he would be no better off than he was now.\u00a0 In fact, it might make matters worse if the guard became angry that he tried to escape and took it out on Joe, who was completely helpless.<\/p>\n

So, what to do?<\/p>\n

Adam thought a moment longer.\u00a0 Then he shifted the chair a bit so he could bump the table with one pinioned arm.\u00a0 The wooden top made contact with the guard and startled him awake.<\/p>\n

Instantly the pistol was pointed at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you tryin\u2019 to do?\u201d the man demanded.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s look was all innocence. \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I must have fallen asleep and hit the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 I mean, what hope do I have of escaping?\u201d\u00a0 He pulled against the ropes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that moment Joe called again.\u00a0 The sound was so pitiful it stabbed him like a knife.<\/p>\n

The other man was on his feet in a second.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWaking up, I would imagine.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, you should probably make sure he keeps quiet.\u00a0 People pass this way all the time.\u00a0 Someone might hear him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s eyebrows shot up.\u00a0 \u201cYou think I\u2019m stupid or something?\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly what you\u2019d want, so why are you tellin\u2019 me?\u00a0 You want to get me in that room for some reason?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man pinned him with a hostile stare.\u00a0 \u201cSo…maybe you\u2019re tryin\u2019 to get me not<\/em> to go in there.\u00a0 Is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe cried out again \u2013 louder this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not it,\u201d he said \u2013 too quickly.<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s fingers tightened on his gun.\u00a0 \u201cHey, you!\u00a0 Back there.\u00a0 Be quiet!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s response to the voice was even louder than before.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shut up, or I\u2019ll shut you up!\u201d the outlaw yelled, growing angry.<\/p>\n

That was the only downside to his plan.\u00a0 If the guard made it to Joe, he was liable to silence him \u2013 maybe permanently.<\/p>\n

Adam drew a breath.\u00a0 One more time, Joe.\u00a0 Just one more time….<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u00a0 Adam, where are you?\u201d his brother called out, lost, desperate.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Each time his name was spoken, the guard had taken a step toward the other room.\u00a0 One.\u00a0 Two.\u00a0 Three.\u00a0 He was almost directly opposite his chair now.\u00a0 Another step.\u00a0 Four.\u00a0 One more.<\/p>\n

Just one more….<\/p>\n

Adam pressed his feet against the floor boards as the man moved past.\u00a0 Shoving hard, he slammed sideways into the outlaw, sending him sprawling and his gun flying.\u00a0 When he hit the floor, the rotten chair splintered freeing his hands \u2013 but not his feet.\u00a0 Scrambling desperately, Adam crawled over Shaw\u2019s man, pinning him down with his body, reaching, reaching \u2013 reaching out to catch the weapon with his fingers. They had just locked on the handle when the man laying below him punched him in the stomach.\u00a0 Gasping, Adam rolled over and off of the man who rose quickly to his feet.<\/p>\n

Only to find himself staring down the barrel of his own gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow,\u201d Adam huffed, taking very<\/em> precise aim, \u201cyou will untie my feet and take me to my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWELVE<\/p>\n

It was mid to late afternoon and neither Adam nor Inspector Shaw had made an appearance.\u00a0 Just after noon Shaw\u2019s assistant Braddock Wells had come downstairs and told him he was going out to look for them.\u00a0 Wells had invited him along, but Ben decided in the end that it was best if he stayed put.\u00a0 Now that the much sought after package was in the house it could do nothing but draw trouble and, while he trusted Luke and knew Hop Sing could fight if called upon, he thought it best not to leave the would-be doctor and cook alone.<\/p>\n

He was in Hoss\u2019 room now.\u00a0 He had been watching his son sleep up until a few moments before when his middle boy had wakened and asked for water.\u00a0 After giving it to him, Ben sat back down and, in spite of Luke\u2019s protests that he not tire his patient, filled Hoss in on what was happening.\u00a0 He knew his sons.\u00a0 If one of them was missing, the others would not rest until they knew all they could about it.<\/p>\n

In spite of everything he said Hoss, of course, felt responsible for everything that had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cDag burn, it, Pa!\u201d he said, his voice weaker than usual.\u00a0 \u201cI should \u2018a knowed better than to let Joe talk me into crossin\u2019 that field.\u00a0 Sometimes he\u2019s as loco as buck in spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point in looking back, son.\u00a0 What\u2019s done is done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u00a0 But I sure feel bad about it.\u00a0 And now Adam\u2019s out there too.\u201d\u00a0 His son winced as he shifted his large form and grasped the blanket that covered him as if he would toss it off and rise.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta let me outta bed, Pa.\u00a0 I need to go find them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will do no such thing,\u201d Ben said sternly.\u00a0 \u201cI had a hard enough time convincing Luke just to let me fill you in.\u00a0 You try to get out of this bed and you\u2019ll be an exile from everything until you\u2019re healed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss smiled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s gonna make a heck of a doctor one of these days, ain\u2019t he, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced toward the hall where he knew Sheriff Coffee\u2019s deputy waited.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Which is why you need to listen to what he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son scowled.\u00a0 \u201cLuke said it\u2019d be okay for me to go downstairs and sit this evening. \u00a0Cain\u2019t we just hurry it up a mite?\u00a0 Leastwise, if\u2019n I was downstairs, I\u2019d feel like I was doin\u2019 somethin<\/em>\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true, Mister Cartwright,\u201d Luke said as he slipped into the room.\u00a0 \u201cI did<\/em> tell Hoss he could go downstairs around supper time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss smacked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI been smellin\u2019 that cookin\u2019 of Hop Sing\u2019s all day, Pa, and I am powerful<\/em> hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good sign, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Ben asked the young man.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn appetite always is,\u201d Luke said, smiling.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you let me check Hoss\u2019s bandage again and, if there is no bleeding, I will free him from that exile you threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stepped back to allow Roy\u2019s man to take his place.\u00a0 He waited while Luke checked the bandage and when he received an affirmative nod said, \u201cI\u2019ll go prepare a place by the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

It could have been no more than fifteen minutes when Ben looked up to find Hoss coming down the stairs.\u00a0 His son was leaning on Luke, who looked like he could use some help.\u00a0 Though the would-be doctor was nearly six foot tall, he was a thin man and obviously bending under Hoss\u2019s greater weight and need.<\/p>\n

Ben joined them as they reached the landing and lent a hand.\u00a0 They had Hoss situated in one of the red chairs within five minutes.\u00a0 Once his son\u2019s feet were propped up on a large ottoman and he had a blanket tucked around him, Luke excused himself and stepped outside for a bit of fresh air.<\/p>\n

Ben took a seat opposite his son in the other red chair and asked, \u201cEverything feel good?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Pa, it sure does.\u00a0 Thanks,\u201d his son said, meaning it.\u00a0 \u201cI was mighty tired of looking at those four walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to have you here where you belong, son,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s blue eyes went to the empty settee.\u00a0 \u201cStill no word from Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 The silver-haired man glanced at the window.\u00a0 The sun was beginning to drop toward the horizon.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m growing concerned.\u00a0 The Inspector, at least, should have returned long before this.\u00a0 I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, the front door flew open.\u00a0 Luke stuck his head in and said, \u201cMister Cartwright, you need to come out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was ready to jump to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, Luke?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stay put, son,\u201d Ben ordered as he rose and headed for the door.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll fill you in as soon as I know what\u2019s happening.\u201d\u00a0 When he came abreast the other man he asked, \u201cLuke?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded toward his son.\u00a0 \u201cKeep him there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke glanced at Hoss and then at himself.\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll do my best, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they crossed paths, Ben stepped outside.\u00a0 He was surprised to find Roy Coffee seated on his horse. Next to him, on a separate animal, was a stranger.\u00a0 The man was thin, in his late thirties or \u00a0early forties, with muddy brown hair and a ruddy complexion.\u00a0 He wore an elegant if simple suit and a Derby Bowler hat and looked as if he had been ill-used.\u00a0 There was a nasty bruise on the man\u2019s chin and a partially healed cut above his left eye.\u00a0 His coloring was off and he appeared weak.\u00a0 As Ben watched, he swayed in the saddle.<\/p>\n

His friend, Roy Coffee, didn\u2019t look much better.\u00a0 While Roy was not injured, but the older man looked sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy?\u00a0 Is something wrong?\u201d he asked as he drew alongside them.<\/p>\n

The sheriff shook his head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how I can tell you this, Ben, but I brought a viper into your nest.\u00a0 Maybe two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 \u201cA viper?\u00a0 What do you mean?\u201d\u00a0 He looked again at the other man sitting next to Roy. \u00a0\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Roy could answer, the man spoke.\u00a0 \u201cPermit me,\u201d he said, his accent distinctively British.\u00a0 \u201cMy name is Braddock Wells.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBraddock Wells?\u201d\u00a0 He turned his astonishment on Roy.\u00a0 \u201cFrom the Metropolitan police force?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s him, Ben.\u00a0 The men I brought out to you, well, they were imposters.\u00a0 I come here to arrest them and take them in.\u00a0 If you\u2019ll just \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not here, Roy. Either of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the sheriff\u2019s turn to be surprised.\u00a0 \u201cNot here?\u00a0 Then where are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sinking feeling returned \u2013 that pit of the stomach fear of a father.\u00a0 \u201cShaw took off with Adam before daybreak, in search of Joe.\u00a0 Braddock went after them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood God!\u201d<\/p>\n

From behind him, Ben heard Luke call.\u00a0 He turned to find the would-be doctor standing in the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cMister Cartwright, it\u2019s about all I can do to keep your son in his chair,\u201d Luke said.\u00a0 \u201cCould you move the discussion inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddock Wells winced and took a deep breath and then slid gingerly from his saddle.\u00a0 Once he had his footing, he walked toward him.\u00a0 It was evident from the way the sergeant moved that there were bruises that did not show, most likely from a severe beating. \u00a0Reaching into his pocket, he produced a pack of papers.\u00a0 \u201cMy credentials, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he looked them over, Ben realized that though the man who identified himself as Inspector Shaw had offered his papers, the false Wells never had. \u00a0Maybe because the real one still had them.<\/p>\n

After a moment the sergeant from the Yard said, \u201cMister Cartwright, I believe it is best to go inside as your man suggested. \u00a0Should these unprincipled men return unexpectedly and see me, they will know the game is up. \u00a0As it is, they think I am dead.\u00a0 It would be best for all involved if we kept it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAfter you, Sergeant.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for them to get situated.\u00a0 He and Roy sat on the settee opposite Hoss while Luke took the chair next to him.\u00a0 Braddock Wells did not sit but paced as he began to relate his tale.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of what you were told is true, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 After all, a portion of the truth is always the best lie.\u00a0 Inspector Shaw and I did arrive in New York a few weeks back and, after securing the assistance of your government, set about laying a trap for Malcolm Gray.\u00a0 We knew Gray was after the Landgravine crown and the letter of provenance.\u00a0 Permission was <\/em>granted to send it to you as you were recommended as a man of honor and complete trust.\u00a0 We were to arrive before the packet and to explain the entire matter to you.\u00a0 If you balked, we had discretion to put a halt to the entire plan, or alter it in any way necessary.\u00a0 We were also expressly ordered not to put you or your sons in any direct danger.\u201d\u00a0 Braddock Wells sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI regret deeply that this has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben remained silent a moment, contemplating how quickly things could go wrong.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about Joseph?\u00a0 Do you really suspect him of being involved with this man, Gray?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen one chases criminals for a living, Mister Cartwright, one learns to look for patterns.\u00a0 There is an established pattern with Malcolm Gray, one that could be repeated here, of a single man raising boys, the youngest of which would be the most likely susceptible to Gray\u2019s idealistic insanity.\u201d\u00a0 He paused and an odd look entered his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHe is your son.\u00a0 Do you<\/em> think it is possible?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man frowned.\u00a0 Did he think Joe was involved?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 But anything <\/em>was possible.<\/p>\n

The silence was pregnant with meaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Braddock said.\u00a0 A moment later the Englishman wavered.\u00a0 Even as Luke rose to offer support, he waved him off.\u00a0 Taking a seat, the sergeant began to speak again.\u00a0 \u201cThe Inspector and I arrived in Virginia City Tuesday last.\u00a0 We were at the hotel the night you ate there with your sons, though at the time we had no idea it was you.\u00a0 In fact, ours was the table your youngest son bumped into when he so hastily fled the room.\u00a0 With our preparations complete, we followed two of Gray\u2019s known associates out of the hotel that night and into the woods.\u00a0 Their names were Peyton Rule and Rafe Wrenat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThem\u2019s the men that attacked me, Pa,\u201d Hoss said, speaking for the first time.<\/p>\n

Braddock nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA most despicable pair.\u00a0 You are fortunate they left you alive.\u201d\u00a0 Returning to his tale the Englishman continued.\u00a0 \u201cAs I said before, our intent was to contact you before the arrival of the package and inform you of everything.\u201d\u00a0 The sergeant sighed.\u00a0 \u201cUnfortunately, we were set upon in the woods before we made it to the lair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy Rule and Wrenat?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 By Malcolm Gray\u2019s brother and his men.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben blinked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Gray\u2019s brother?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where the tale twists, Mister Cartwright, and where your young son enters in.\u00a0 That is, if he is indeed the man we saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u00a0 You\u2019re saying you met him that night?\u00a0 Tuesday<\/em> night?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr early Wednesday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible, Pa,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cJoe ain\u2019t been out at night for weeks. Neither have Adam or I.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddock thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cDo you have a likeness of your son, Mister Cartwright?\u00a0 Though I saw him that night at the hotel, the image in my mind is not clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he did.\u00a0 It had been taken the next day.\u00a0 Rising, Ben went to his desk to retrieve the ferrotype from its place beside the images of his three deceased wives.\u00a0 As he handed it to Braddock, he said, \u201cJoseph is the youngest.\u00a0 I am sure you can see by this that you are mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Englishman stared hard at the portrait.\u00a0 At last he said with a sigh, \u201cI am afraid I am not.\u00a0 This is <\/em>the young man I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddock set the likeness down on the table.\u00a0 \u201cIt is.\u00a0 We encountered him deep in the woods.\u00a0 It appeared he had been wandering for some time.\u00a0 His clothing was disheveled and, curiously enough, he was bootless.\u00a0 We thought it odd at the time as was his behavior.\u00a0 We spoke to him, but I cannot say that he answered in return.\u00a0 When he did speak it seemed to have nothing to do with what we had asked.\u201d\u00a0 Braddock Wells paused. \u201cIs your son afflicted, Mister Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you mean is Joe simple or mentally impaired in some way, the answer is no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wells shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cOdd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d Joe say, Sergeant?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, if it was<\/em> Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe appeared to be searching for someone.\u00a0 We asked him who but received no firm answer.\u00a0 Napier had just decided to take him into custody when we were discovered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscovered?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA shout went up from Gray\u2019s men.\u00a0 The inspector indicated we should split and take opposite paths.\u00a0 Napier took the boy in hand and disappeared with him into the trees.\u201d\u00a0 The sergeant sighed. \u201cThat was the last time I saw my friend.\u00a0 Shortly after that I was accosted by a large brute and left for dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee had remained by the door, listening.\u00a0 He stepped forward at last. \u201cOne of my men found Braddock this morning, half-dead in a gully, Ben.\u00a0 A settler took him in the night before and tended him.\u00a0 When he remembered who he was, he went looking for the law but was too weak to make it to Virginia City.\u00a0 Soon as he told me his story I brought him out here to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 Hard as it was to believe, it seemed he was being forced to admit that somehow Joe was mixed up in all of this.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about my son?\u00a0 Did you see anything more of him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Englishman shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cSadly, no.\u00a0 I understand he is with Malcolm Gray now, either by force or will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this country a man is innocent until proven guilty, Sergeant, not the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn ideology borrowed from Great Britain,\u201d Wells countered.\u00a0 \u201cDo not misunderstand me, I offer no condemnation, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 I am only interested in the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

That, at least, was some comfort.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout this other man \u2013 Angus<\/em> Gray?\u00a0 What part does he play in this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Grays are landed gentry and as such accounted by some as nobility in England.\u00a0 The family is respected and a few have the Queen\u2019s ear.\u00a0 Angus served as a clerk at the Yard up until a short time ago, which is why he was so competent at impersonating Napier.\u00a0 Angus and Malcolm are brothers, with Angus being older by some two or three years.\u00a0 It is our belief that he followed his younger brother to American to put a stop to Malcolm\u2019s mad schemes.\u00a0 Angus is a good man.\u00a0 He is not a criminal, though the company he is keeping is likely to turn him into one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly hope you do, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 The crux of the matter is that the package both Grays seek is now in your possession along with the object it contains.\u00a0 May I ask if it is in a safe place?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced toward his desk. \u201cIt\u2019s in my safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 Braddock shifted as if to ease a pain in his back.\u00a0 \u201cMalcolm Gray in his madness believes what is in that package will make him King of England.\u00a0 Angus knows better.\u00a0 We believe the elder Gray has hopes of intercepting it and returning its contents to the rightful owner without involving the law.\u00a0 Angus is a bit naive, but well-intentioned.\u00a0\u00a0 His only concern is for the brother he loves.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Malcolm regards his older brother as an enemy and so Angus has had to take a rather roundabout route to save him, including hiring a band of thieves and a mountain of muscle to accomplish his goals.\u201d\u00a0 Braddock paused.\u00a0 \u201cHave you heard of Tollivar Bates?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCount yourself among the lucky.\u00a0 Bates has a much checkered past.\u00a0 He has long been associated with crime and is known for employing his considerable skills as a pugilist to extract information from, and make his enemies pay.\u00a0 As I said, he was working for Malcolm Gray, but Angus wooed him with the promise of a large sum of money once the crown and his wayward brother were in his hands.\u00a0 Inspector Shaw believed Bates has been playing one brother against the other with the intention of coming out on top.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The sergeant paused.\u00a0 \u201cIt is Bates who nearly killed me after I split away from Napier and your son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben still couldn\u2019t figure out how the man the lawmen saw could have been Joe, who should have been in his bed asleep.\u00a0 \u201cYou never saw either of them after that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I knew little until this morning when my memory returned.\u00a0 It is my belief, Mister Cartwright, that Napier is dead, killed by Tollivar Bates either on the order of Angus Gray or on his own, and that Angus assumed Shaw\u2019s identity before coming here to you with the intent of intercepting the package.\u00a0 One of his other associates must have posed as me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did a very good job,\u201d Ben said with chagrin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou had no way of knowing either was false, nor did you, Sheriff,\u201d Braddock said, addressing Roy.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t make a man feel any less of a fool,\u201d Roy replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it doesn\u2019t,\u201d Ben agreed.\u00a0 He drew a breath and then asked the sergeant, \u201cSo where do we go from here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth Grays are going to come for that package.\u00a0 I believe \u00a0upon his return that Angus will try to convince you to give it to him.\u00a0 If we have to choose the lesser of two evils, that would be Angus.\u00a0 If he genuinely wants to save his brother \u2013 which I believe he does \u2013 Angus may be willing to work with us.\u00a0 If he is, then he may be the lynch pin that allows us not only to put an end to Malcolm\u2019s mad crusade, but to rescue your son as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

An hour later Sheriff Coffee was gone, returned to Virginia City at the request of Sergeant Wells whose authority allowed him to demand that the entire matter be left in the hands of the Metropolitan police.\u00a0 There was need, he said, to preserve the integrity of the investigation.\u00a0 Braddock Wells was asleep in the guest bedroom, attempting to regain some of his strength but also remaining on guard should either one of the Grays show up in strength to take the package.\u00a0 Hoss had asked to come outside and the two of them were sitting together in silence, contemplating all that they had seen and heard over the last few hours.\u00a0 Most likely it would not be long before they were be thrust into the next part of the drama they had become unwilling players in, one with high stakes including the fate of his oldest and youngest sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to look at his son.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 color was much better and his voice stronger than it had been before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think this Braddock fella saw Joe that night, out there in the woods?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the sergeant is lying, son, though he could be mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven after looking at that there likeness we had taken?\u00a0 Ain\u2019t too many men look like Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cI have to admit it\u2019s not likely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss remained silent for several heartbeats.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Pa?\u00a0 Somehow, I think all of this has got to do with those boots of Joe\u2019s that went missin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son\u2019s words\u00a0 startled him.\u00a0 He had forgotten about the boots \u2013 the ones Adam found on the dead man that were now upstairs in Joe\u2019s room.\u00a0 He should have told Sergeant Braddock about them.\u00a0 Should have, but wouldn\u2019t<\/em>, not until he understood.\u00a0 At the moment the presence of those boots condemned his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u00a0 What are you thinkin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are mysteries wrapped in mysteries here, son,\u201d the silver haired man said as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWas it really your brother that Braddock and Shaw saw deep in the woods?\u00a0 And if so, why and how <\/em>was Joe there?\u00a0 Why did he remove his boots in the first place and how did they end up on another man\u2019s feet?\u00a0 Do the answers to those questions have anything to do with everything that has happened?\u00a0 Or is it all just coincidence?\u00a0 I am afraid we won\u2019t know until we can talk to Joe himself….\u201d\u00a0 His voice trailed off, his fear evident even to himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s with him, Pa.\u00a0 Joe will be all right.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see.\u00a0 Adam won\u2019t let nothin\u2019 happen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

Unless something happened to Adam.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THIRTEEN<\/p>\n

It had been a hard choice.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at his brother where he lay curled on the ground beside him with his tan jacket tossed over him for warmth.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s brown head showed at the top, the mass of curls grown dull, their luster leeched by pain and the pounding he had taken at the hands of Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 He had thought long and hard before leaving the Caldwell\u2019s cabin \u2013 thought about the possibility of internal injuries and about the fact that his brother could barely walk, about the fact that they would be on foot while everyone else was mounted and the very real possibility that he was taking Joe into the middle of a fight between two uncompromising factions bent on the same objective.\u00a0 In the end, he decided \u2013 for Joe\u2019s sake \u2013 that they had to move.\u00a0 His brother was hurting badly but more than that, they were vulnerable at the Caldwell place.\u00a0 Bates knew where they were and, even though the bully was supposed to be with Angus Gray, there was no promise that he wouldn\u2019t double back and try to take his revenge.\u00a0 Also, there was a pressing need to get to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 His father needed to know about the truth about the phony Inspector Shaw before he handed the package over to the wrong man.<\/p>\n

It had been his intention to press straight through even if it meant carrying Joe on his back.\u00a0 He\u2019d taken time to bind his brother\u2019s ribs as best he could before starting out.\u00a0 Joe had been awake while he had done it, if confused.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to talk to him, to find out how he had gotten mixed up in all of this, but in the end had given up.\u00a0 Joe seemed just as much in the dark about it as he was.\u00a0 He insisted he had no idea how his boots had ended up on the dead man and he believed him.\u00a0 His youngest brother could be stubborn, ornery, cocky, and just plain wrong, but he wasn\u2019t a liar.\u00a0 Once he had Joe\u2019s ribs secured, he had helped him up and the two of them had begun the long, hard walk back to the ranch.\u00a0 They had to remain off the road for fear of being spotted and had also been forced to go around the clearing instead of through it, which made their progress even slower.\u00a0 Joe wore out quickly.\u00a0 They\u2019d stopped a few times before for several minutes to allow him to gather strength.\u00a0 Each time Adam had to insist they move on.<\/p>\n

The last time Joe\u2019s strength had given out.<\/p>\n

It had been about an hour since they\u2019d stopped.\u00a0 Adam thought a moment more and then reached out and ruffled his brother\u2019s unruly hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 Joe.\u00a0 Wake up.\u201d\u00a0 When he received no answer he shook him gently.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

This time, to his relief, he was rewarded with a moan.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, we have a decision to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment, but his brother\u2019s green eyes opened.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s me.\u00a0 We\u2019re on the road.\u00a0 Do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze was without focus, which caused him to worry.\u00a0 \u201cMmm…\u201d\u00a0 His brother licked his lips and swallowed before replying.\u00a0 \u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think you can go on.\u00a0 Actually, I don\u2019t know if you should<\/em> go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe winced as he shifted and then curled up tighter.\u00a0 \u201cJust leave me here then….\u201d<\/p>\n

It was what he was considering doing, much as it pained him.<\/p>\n

Adam looked toward the south.\u00a0 They were almost on their own land.\u00a0 The fence Joe had been mending was maybe another half hour ahead.\u00a0 If he could get his brother there, he could hide him in the midst of the rocks that had been tumbled over the dead man\u2019s grave and then come back for him as soon as possible.\u00a0 As he was, Joe was a risk to both their lives.\u00a0 His whole attention had to be on his brother, which was preventing him from doing anything to help their father.\u00a0 He needed to reach the ranch to warn his Pa and Hoss that they were soon to be caught between the two men who wanted that package and that one of them was not who he said he was.\u00a0 In order to do that, he needed to cut across country and to move like lightning.\u00a0 If the man pretending to be Inspector Shaw had it his way, the whole thing could be over in a matter of minutes with no gunfire or loss of life.\u00a0 But life seldom happened on the decent man\u2019s schedule.\u00a0 There was still Malcolm Gray \u2013 and Tollivar Bates \u2013 neither of whom he trusted.\u00a0 Given half the chance they would rob the Ponderosa blind and leave everyone there dead.<\/p>\n

Much as it went against his nature, he was going to have to trust and leave Joe in God\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t believe in God \u2013 he wouldn\u2019t have been his Pa\u2019s son if he hadn\u2019t \u2013 but he believed God helped the man who helped himself.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t one for a prayer and a promise.\u00a0 Not normally.<\/p>\n

Today, he would have to be.<\/p>\n

Reaching out, Adam pulled the jacket down that covered the upper portion of his brother\u2019s slight form.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s position \u2013 curled up tight like he was expecting a blow \u2013 renewed all the fury he had felt when he had stood in the saloon holding his father back, looking at John C. Reagan and knowing the brute had just beaten his little brother to within an inch of his life and didn\u2019t give a damn whether Joe lived or died.\u00a0 His jaw tight, Adam took his brother\u2019s hand in his own and made a vow.<\/p>\n

No matter how long it took, Tollivar Bates would pay for what he had done.<\/p>\n

At his touch Joe wakened again.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime to move on, brother,\u201d Adam said gently as he slipped his arm under him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a little farther, Joe, and then you can rest.\u00a0 Now, come on.\u00a0 Help me!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother moved in response to the command tone as he knew he would.\u00a0 Catching him around the waist Adam drew Joe to his feet and then waited while he found his balance.\u00a0 After a moment his brother\u2019s battered face lit with a shadow of its usual ornery grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure did a number on that old Tollivar, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

While keeping a sound grip on him, Adam bent to retrieve his tan jacket.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBet he ain\u2019t gonna do that to anyone else ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he won\u2019t,\u201d Adam replied as they began to move, his jaw tight.<\/p>\n

They walked a few minutes in silence before Joe spoke again.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I knew about my boots,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 You lost them, someone else found them, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think maybe I gave them to him?\u00a0 The dead man, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Joe.\u00a0 Like I said, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Adam said as he steered his brother over an exposed root.\u00a0 \u201cAll that matters is getting you to a place of safety.\u00a0 Everything else will sort itself out in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head fell forward in a weak imitation of a nod.\u00a0 \u201cI guess you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam forced a grin.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I\u2019m right.\u00a0 I\u2019m oldest.\u201d<\/p>\n

His little brother laughed at that.\u00a0 Then he gripped his side.\u00a0 \u201cIt hurts, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cServes you right.\u00a0 What were you thinking, taking on a big ox like Bates?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cGuess I wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again they traveled in silence as Joe\u2019s concentration narrowed to placing one foot in front of the other and continuing to move.\u00a0 This time for fifteen minutes or more.\u00a0 Up ahead, Adam could see the high rock wall that indicated the place where Joe had found the dead man\u2019s body and all of this, seemingly, had begun.\u00a0 By the time they reached it his brother was nearly dead on his feet.<\/p>\n

Easing him down, Adam propped Joe against the rocks not far from where he had reburied the body of the man who had been wearing his boots. He cast about then and found the perfect place to conceal him.\u00a0 It was behind the boulders that he had used the horse to move earlier.\u00a0 There was a little dip in the land that was mostly covered by a bower of branches that almost touched the ground.\u00a0 \u00a0Since night was falling, it should render Joe nearly invisible.<\/p>\n

If he stayed put, that was.<\/p>\n

Half-lifting his brother, Adam steered him toward the spot he had chosen.\u00a0 He laid him on the ground and pulled the heavy jacket over him again.\u00a0 The black-haired man stared at his brother\u2019s slight form for a moment and then reached out and shook his shoulder.\u00a0 It took a moment, but finally he roused him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to promise me that you will stay put.\u00a0 You hear me?\u00a0 Don\u2019t move<\/em> from here until I get back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s upper lip twitched.\u00a0 \u201cGot it, sarge….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes.\u00a0 With any luck he would be unconscious soon and stay that way until morning.\u00a0 \u201cI mean it, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s brown head moved up and down a few times and then fell still as his breathing evened and he passed into a natural sleep.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man rocked back on his feet.\u00a0 By now either Angus or Malcolm Gray or both could be over halfway to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Still, from what the man pretending to be Napier Shaw had said, he thought they might not be.\u00a0 Angus had indicated he intended to meet with Malcolm Gray and that it was his hope to stop the madman from an outright attack on the ranch.\u00a0 If that was the case and he cut across country on foot, there was a slim chance he would make it to the ranch house before either of them did.<\/p>\n

Before he left Adam placed his gun in Joe\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He\u2019d checked it and there was only one bullet remaining, but that was one chance his brother would have if something went wrong.\u00a0 A second later he reached out and touched his brother\u2019s head.\u00a0 Then he rose and sprinted into the woods.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

A half an hour later, or maybe a little more, Joe Cartwright sat up.\u00a0 His eyes were open but the landscape they looked on was not the one before him.\u00a0 His brown head struck the bower of leaves as he rose with his brother\u2019s gun in his hand and moved with unnatural ease out of the nest of safety Adam had created.\u00a0 Unerringly, as if he could see in the dark \u2013 and heedless of his brother\u2019s warning \u2013 Joe began to walk along the road, heading for the one constant in his life he knew whether awake or asleep.<\/p>\n

Home.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam halted.\u00a0 He placed his hands on his thighs and leaned forward and breathed deeply \u2013 not too quickly, but deeply \u2013 drawing great amounts of air into his lungs.<\/p>\n

He was nearly spent.<\/p>\n

When he thought about it, he hadn\u2019t slept more than an hour or two in several days and his food consumption had been practically nil.\u00a0 He\u2019d had some jerky in his pocket, but he\u2019d left that in the jacket he covered Joe with and so he\u2019d had to make do with some squirrel and cow fodder he\u2019d found along the way.<\/p>\n

At the moment he thought if he could have caught a whiff of Hop Sing\u2019s cooking, it would have borne him all the way to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

From what he could tell, he was more than halfway there with maybe an hour to go.\u00a0 Unfortunately, his pace was slowing. \u00a0Still, even if he arrived too late to stop whatever was going to happen from happening, at least he would be another hand to put a end to it.\u00a0 So far he had pretty much succeeded at putting Joe out of his mind.\u00a0 But the closer he drew to the house \u2013 and the closer he came to having to tell his Pa that he had made a conscious choice to leave his little brother behind and completely vulnerable \u2013 the more heavily the decision wore on him.\u00a0 What if Joe didn\u2019t stay put like he told him?\u00a0 What if Malcolm Gray or worse, Tollivar Bates stumbled on him?<\/p>\n

The only thing he could do was push on as hard as he was able and get home as fast as he could.\u00a0 With a horse, he could come back for Joe in less than half the time.<\/p>\n

As he straightened up, a twinge in his back made him wince.\u00a0 Adam put a hand to it and stretched.\u00a0 As he did, he heard a familiar sound.<\/p>\n

That of a gun\u2019s trigger being cocked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut your hands over your head, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought he knew the voice.\u00a0 As he complied, he said, \u201cI take it things didn\u2019t go as expected, Inspector?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later the man who had posed as Napier Shaw appeared before him.\u00a0 From the looks of him he\u2019d had a run-in with the same force of nature as Joe.\u00a0 Angus\u2019 face was blackened on one side from the brow to the jaw line and there were purple bruises in the shape of fingers on the exposed portion of his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it Tollivar Bates switched sides?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angus shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt he was ever on anyone\u2019s side but his own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Where are your men?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Malcolm.\u201d\u00a0 Angus shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhoever said the oldest is the wisest was a fool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Malcolm is<\/em> your brother?\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d guessed as much.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 The other man paused.\u00a0 \u201cI think you know how it is, looking out for the youngest, hoping and praying that they live long enough to be a man.\u00a0 I…I thought I could reason with him, stop him.\u00a0 I was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re wrong again as long as you hold that gun on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angus\u2019 smile was wary.\u00a0 \u201cWithout it I doubt you would listen to what I have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re probably right, since I know you to be associated with thieves and murderers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s jaw tightened.\u00a0 \u201cI deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we agree on one thing then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angus Gray looked at the gun and then lowered it and placed it in the holster on his hip.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happened?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Malcolm came to America in search of the Landgravine Crown, he brought Tollie Bates with him.\u00a0 In my brother\u2019s madness he thought of Bates as a kind of…warrior knight.\u00a0 As he was no such thing, I thought he had no loyalty to Malcolm and that I could buy him off to work within my brother\u2019s organization for me.\u00a0 Here, all along, Bates was just using me.\u00a0 He had no intention of betraying my brother \u2013 at least not so I<\/em> could stop him.\u00a0 Malcolm promised him twice the money I had if he would string me along and inform him of my intentions.\u00a0 So today, when we executed the plan and caught Malcolm coming out of the passage, my brother knew I was waiting.\u00a0 Malcolm did the talking before he turned Bates loose on me for betraying the cause <\/em>of the family.\u201d\u00a0 Angus held his jaw with his fingers and shifted it.\u00a0 When he spoke, it was with painful defeat.\u00a0 \u201cMy brother is quite mad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you get away?\u201d Adam asked, his tone skeptical.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you think this is a double<\/em> double-cross?\u00a0 Would that I was that smart,\u201d Angus snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIn the end Malcolm stopped Bates before he could finish me off.\u00a0 I was laying there, nearly unconscious, when a foot shoved me over the edge of an embankment.\u201d\u00a0 His dark head shook.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was Malcolm or Bates.\u00a0 Either way, one of them hoped I would split my skull when I hit the ground.\u00a0 When I woke at the bottom, I began to walk.\u00a0 I was headed for the Ponderosa.\u00a0 I saw you, just now, and decided to make contact.\u201d\u00a0 Angus Gray glanced around.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s your brother?\u00a0 You didn\u2019t leave him at the cabin, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head. \u201cJoe\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other man was visibly relieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what now?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Angus drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou have no reason to trust me, but I would like to help to stop my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if it means Malcolm has to die?\u00a0 Can I trust you to back me up if it comes to that?\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cHonestly?\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 I\u2019ll know the answer to that question when and if\u00a0 it comes.\u00a0 And I\u2019ll pray that it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought of Joe.\u00a0 What if he discovered that his brother had indeed taken sides with Malcolm Gray and that by his actions he had put them all in danger?\u00a0 Could he look at Joe and pull the trigger ending his life \u2013 or would he do everything in his power to avoid it, to save his little brother and to give him another chance?<\/p>\n

He nodded and then stepped forward and offered his hand.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s good enough for me.\u201d\u00a0 As Angus took it, he asked, \u201cFeel up to an invigorating run?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI took firsts in running at Cambridge, Mister Cartwright.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see if you can keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Angus\u2019 ice blue eyes narrowed with gratitude.\u00a0 \u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow come on, we have two kingdoms to save.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Malcolm Gray was not a happy man.\u00a0 At the moment when it looked like his destiny was about to be fulfilled, he had been betrayed on so many sides. First Tollivar Bates had failed him when he let the Cartwright boy escape.\u00a0 Then he found out that half of his men had been playing both sides against the middle.\u00a0 And now \u2013 now his own brother had betrayed him, playing Mordred to his Arthur in an attempt to snatch his crown.\u00a0 Angus, of course, had protested that he had no interest in the throne, but he knew better.\u00a0 Whichever male Gray possessed that crown and the letter that went with it, possessed what it took to unseat Britain\u2019s current half-German ruler and restore the right succession to a true son of Scotland.\u00a0 It had felt good to watch Tollie Bates break him \u2013 Angus who was so sure of himself and who always knew better.\u00a0 Angus who played the lord of the manor and was always telling him what to do.<\/p>\n

Angus who had once been his greatest friend.<\/p>\n

Malcolm sat on his horse now on a low rise overlooking the spread that was the Ponderosa ranch, waiting for the return of his men.\u00a0 They had left the lair while the sun was still in the sky and it had sunk below the horizon as they arrived, bringing the darkness they would need to mount their attack.\u00a0 Upon their arrival his scouts had spotted mounted men moving out from the ranch house in an ever-widening circle, as if they searched for something or someone.\u00a0 One of them said he caught the glint of a tin badge on the vest of an older man who seemed to be in charge.\u00a0 He had quickly dispersed a portion of his men to head into the trees and show themselves and draw the lawmen off.\u00a0 He and Bates and the three they had with them, including Rule and Wrenat, would be more than enough to retrieve the package.<\/p>\n

His intelligence told him there were only four men in the ranch house \u2013 an older one with white hair,\u00a0 two younger ones \u2013 one of which was injured \u2013 and a Chinese cook.\u00a0 It would have been easier if the Cartwright boy had not escaped.\u00a0 Still, it was possible the old man in the house didn\u2019t know he had, so he was going to play that hand at least until he knew he had to fold it.\u00a0 Even so, he had to admit that planning and executing a raid on the ranch house was not only more exciting, but definitely more in keeping with the character of what would be expected from a man soon to be king than making an exchange. \u00a0As soon as it was completely dark he would move on the ranch house and take what was rightfully his.\u00a0 If the Cartwrights played their cards right \u2013 if they acknowledged him king and offered him the obeisance\u00a0 he deserved \u2013 he might let them live.<\/p>\n

If not the war would begin here.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s side was hurting as much as his baby brother\u2019s by the time he and Angus Gray reached the outskirts of the ranch.\u00a0 They had just stopped to catch their breath when a noise drew his attention and he had ordered Angus into the underbrush.\u00a0 After taking a moment to discern which direction the sound was coming from, Adam joined him and together they waited for whoever it was to appear.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long.\u00a0 Adam recognized the man as the one Angus had left behind to watch him and Joe.\u00a0 Apparently Malcolm Gray was fairly forgiving when it came to his \u2018knights\u2019 erring.\u00a0 \u2018Jacobs\u2019, Angus mouthed, naming the man as he rode past, headed deeper into the woods and away from the ranch house.\u00a0 They watched him go and were preparing to step out of the shadows when both of them heard it \u2013 another horse approaching.\u00a0 This time the rider passed by at speed, as if chasing the other man.\u00a0 Almost at the last moment Adam recognized him as a man he knew from Virginia City \u2013 a man Roy Coffee sometimes employed as a deputy.<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 It looked like Roy had set men to watch the house and that made him feel immensely better \u2013 though it concerned him that the man was going the wrong way.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of yours?\u201d Angus asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 One of the sheriff\u2019s.\u00a0 Now come on.\u00a0 The house is just across this field.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take them long to reach the first of the outbuildings and from there, to move on to the stable.\u00a0 Approaching it from the back, Adam led them along the building\u2019s side, making sure to keep down and hug the shadows.\u00a0 As they came up behind a wall of hay set out to feed the horses, Angus caught his arm and pointed.<\/p>\n

Silhouetted in the light that spilled out of the front door was the figure of a long lean man.\u00a0 Backing him were four more, one of which \u2013 by his size and bulk \u2013 had to be Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 Adam had a brief flash of his father\u2019s startled face in the doorway and then the outlaws were in and the door slammed shut behind them.<\/p>\n

They were too late.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOURTEEN<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright raised his hands and backed up as five armed men advanced into the ranch house.\u00a0 There had been a knock on the door and he had gone to answer it.\u00a0 When he did, the man outside identified himself as Malcolm Gray and demanded entry. \u00a0As Gray took up a position near the striped settee, Ben\u2019s gaze returned to the front door.\u00a0 They were playing a dangerous game.\u00a0 While Hoss and Luke were upstairs, Braddock Wells had concealed himself outside with several of Roy\u2019s men.\u00a0 The English sergeant only awaited a signal from him to make his move.\u00a0 \u00a0Unfortunately, he couldn\u2019t give it until he was certain Adam had succeeded in freeing Joe, which meant allowing Gray to take up a position of power in the house.<\/p>\n

He would have to play it close until he could discover the truth, and knew whether or not it was safe for Wells to act.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Gray\u2019s eyes were busy taking in his surroundings, calculating the risks and devising stratagems.\u00a0 \u201cOnly what\u2019s mine,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my house.\u00a0 I have nothing of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lean blond man turned on him.\u00a0 Gray\u2019s eyes were the same pale shade of blue as his brother\u2019s, but they were cold as a January morning.\u00a0 \u201cWell then, that\u2019s where you and I differ, Mister Cartwright, because I have something of yours. \u00a0<\/em>Something I imagine you would like back…intact.\u201d<\/p>\n

If only<\/em> he knew whether the man was bluffing or in earnest.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019ve harmed my son….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/em> haven\u2019t harmed him,\u201d Gray sneered.\u00a0 \u201cNow, Tollie, here, that\u2019s another matter.\u00a0 You taught the boy a lesson, didn\u2019t you, Tollivar?\u201d<\/p>\n

The brute at the front window grunted but made no reply.<\/p>\n

Was that sarcasm he had heard in Malcolm Gray\u2019s tone?\u00a0 \u201cHow do I know you have my son?\u00a0 What proof do you offer?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cNone.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to take my word for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why should I?\u201d Ben bristled.<\/p>\n

A slow smile spread across the madman\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cYou can play it however you like, Cartwright, but if I do<\/em> have your boy and I don\u2019t walk away from this ranch with what I came for, his death is on your conscience not mine.\u00a0 I told you what I would do and I\u2019m a man of my word.\u00a0 Can the same be said of you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll never get away with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou let me worry about that.\u201d\u00a0 Malcolm Gray signaled to two of the men standing beside him.\u00a0 \u201cCheck upstairs, Rafe.\u00a0 Peyton, you look back there.\u201d\u00a0 Gray indicated the walkway to the kitchen. \u201cFind the other three.\u00a0 Tollivar, you stay where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates turned into the room and growled his agreement and then stood there flexing his fingers into fists as if at any moment his contained anger would explode.\u00a0 Ben noted the \u00a0skin on the bruiser\u2019s knuckles was freshly bloodied.<\/p>\n

Had Gray actually turned this monster loose on Joe?<\/p>\n

The outlaw named Peyton returned shortly from the kitchen, shoving Hop Sing before him.\u00a0 \u201cThis Chink here was the only one there.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that same moment the man Gray had called Rafe appeared at the top of the stair.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s one wounded up here.\u00a0 It\u2019s the big one we shot in the field the other day.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s a doctor with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray\u2019s pale brows peaked.\u00a0 He turned and looked at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAnother son, then?\u00a0 And here we thought he was one of your hands.\u00a0 We could have had two<\/em> in hand.\u00a0 They\u2019re quite different, your boys, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t dignify the question with an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring them both downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Ben declared, moving forward.\u00a0 \u201cHoss poses no threat to you \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

A gun appeared in Gray\u2019s hand, so quickly he didn\u2019t see it happen.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll find when you are around me that sudden moves are bad for the health, Mister Cartwright.\u201d\u00a0 He waved the barrel of the gun toward the sofa. \u00a0\u201cWhy don\u2019t you take a seat there with your cook.\u00a0 Once we have you all settled, you can get the package for me.\u201d\u00a0 At his look, the madman added, \u201cOh, yes, I know it\u2019s here.\u201d\u00a0 Malcolm Gray hesitated a moment and then walked over and stood directly before him, meeting him eye to eye.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to understand one thing, Ben Cartwright, I am here to take that package and if you refuse to give it to me, I will kill everyone in the house \u2013 before your eyes \u2013 and then I will take this place apart brick by brick until I find it, leaving you alive and with nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wells had told him to put up a fight, but not to endanger anyone in the house by refusing to turn the counterfeit crown and letter over to this man.\u00a0\u00a0 The sergeant preferred that Gray be allowed to leave and that he \u2013 as the representative of Her Majesty\u2019s law \u00a0\u2013 be allowed to capture him and his men when they were away from the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Ben was to indicate by rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped out of the door that he knew Joe was out of danger, freeing Wells to act.<\/p>\n

Ben seemed to think long and hard.\u00a0 \u201cThat package was sent here in trust to me,\u201d he replied at last.<\/p>\n

The blond man cast a glance at the brute by the window.\u00a0 \u201cIs your integrity <\/em>worth your son\u2019s life?\u00a0 If so, I\u2019ll send Bates here out to tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was about to reply, but as he opened the mouth a commotion on the stair commanded his attention.\u00a0 The man Gray had named as Peyton was descending with Luke and Hoss in front of him.\u00a0 His middle boy looked pale, but was moving on his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut them in the chairs,\u201d Gray ordered, \u201cand then bind their hands \u2013 all of them but old man Cartwright here.\u00a0 He needs his hands free to work the combination on that safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man exchanged glances with his son.\u00a0 Hoss nodded, indicating he was all right.<\/p>\n

At least he thought that was what his son indicated.\u00a0 Hoss was still looking at him.\u00a0 He rolled his eyes very deliberately toward the stair.\u00a0 Ben looked, but there was nothing there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right ,Cartwright.\u00a0 Open the safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think I would give you the package before you offer me proof that my son is alive?\u00a0 I care nothing about what\u2019s in it, but I do care about my son and that package is the only insurance I have that I will ever see Joe alive again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone sneezed.\u00a0 With a frown Ben turned and looked.\u00a0 Hoss was wiggling his nose and sniffing.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 Must be that open window<\/em> upstairs blowin\u2019 in somethin\u2019 mighty powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

He caught the emphasis on \u2018open window\u2019.\u00a0 The older man\u2019s eyes flicked to Malcolm Gray.\u00a0 It seemed he hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last thing you need to do is take a chill, son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben swung back toward Gray, thinking furiously.\u00a0 \u201cThe least you could do is let me toss the throw around his shoulders so I don\u2019t lose two of my sons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry about me, Pa \u2013 nor Joe neither.\u00a0 We\u2019re both going to be safe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

The way Hoss said it, he knew Joe was free.\u00a0 Not how it had been done, but that it had happened.<\/p>\n

The breath of relief Ben felt shuddered through him, but was tightly contained.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Gray\u2019s cold eyes went to Hoss and back, as if he suspected something but couldn\u2019t put a finger on it.\u00a0 \u201cOpen the safe, Cartwright,\u201d he ordered, \u201cor you will <\/em>lose two of your sons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pretended to hesitate.\u00a0 He pursed his lips and then seemed to reluctantly give in.\u00a0 \u201cVery well.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get what you want and then you are to leave my house.\u00a0 Is that understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray waved the gun toward the safe.\u00a0 \u201cShut up and get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben crossed to the safe and knelt before it.\u00a0 Everything stood at the moment on a knife\u2019s edge.\u00a0 He had five armed men in his home.\u00a0 His son and their friend, Luke, were vulnerable.\u00a0 Salvation was just beyond the door, but the door had to open for it to come in and someone could die before it did.\u00a0 As the last of the tumblers clicked and fell into place and his fingers gripped the metal handle, his mind grappled for the answer to the puzzle of how he could make all of this come out all right.<\/p>\n

Step one, he supposed, was to give Malcolm Gray the package with its counterfeit items and to see what he did.\u00a0 As he stood with it in his hands and turned back toward the madman, Ben\u2019s eyes went to Hoss again.\u00a0 Step two was to trust his son and to act on the assumption that Joe was free.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere it is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A change came over Gray as he looked at the package, wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a heavy string. \u00a0\u00a0The blond man became a bowstring pulled taut with the arrow in position and aimed for the heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen it,\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart sank.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Now?\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t you get away?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen it.\u201d\u00a0 The point of Gray\u2019s gun turned toward Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cOr I kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silver haired man nodded.\u00a0 He laid the package on the desk and began to work the string over one corner.\u00a0 As he did, Gray spoke again, this time to the last man in their party, a man with auburn hair who stood watch by the dining room window.<\/p>\n

\u201cGordon!\u00a0 Over here.\u00a0 Once Mister Cartwright has the package open, you take a look at it.\u00a0 Tell me if it\u2019s the real thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray\u2019s man came, but slowly, almost as if he regretted what he was doing.\u00a0 Ben watched him closely, knowing that at any minute they might need allies \u2013 reluctant or not.<\/p>\n

Gordon held out his hand.\u00a0 \u201cGive it to me, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he did, Ben caught the man\u2019s eye.\u00a0 \u201cI sure hope whatever is in this package is worth a young boy\u2019s life,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

The outlaw\u2019s jaw tightened but he didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake a seat, Cartwright,\u201d Gray ordered tersely.\u00a0 \u201cBy the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he passed Hoss, his son indicated the stair again with his eyes.\u00a0 \u2018Adam,\u2019 he mouthed wordlessly.<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t look.\u00a0 He just closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

Now, if he could only keep anyone from dying in the crossfire.<\/p>\n

The man Gray had called Gordon pulled a circular brass magnifier out of his pocket \u2013 the kind with three progressive lenses.\u00a0\u00a0 As he watched, he examined the crown with all three lenses and from every angle.\u00a0 Then he closed the magnifier and looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s real,\u201d Gordon said, saving untold lives in the lie.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Gray\u2019s reaction was to grow even quieter and colder.\u00a0 \u201cBring it here, Dougall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dougall Gordon threw a glance his way and then rose with the counterfeit crown in his hands. As he came close to Gray, he caught his foot on the rug in front of the tall case clock and the crown shot out of his hand.\u00a0 Horrified, Malcolm Gray gasped and dropped his gun in an effort to catch it \u2013<\/p>\n

And all Hell broke loose.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam and Angus Gray were waiting, concealed in the upstairs hallway, on either side of the stair.\u00a0 They had approached the house from the back.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s window had been open, so they had chosen that one to enter by.\u00a0 As they stepped into the room he had been grateful to find his brother and Luke there and that Hoss was doing well.\u00a0 There was no time to tell Hoss much of anything, except that Joe was safe, before Gray\u2019s man had come up the stairs to fetch them.\u00a0 He and Angus had slipped into his own room and waited until the others had gone and then taken their places to either side of the head of the stairs to watch the drama unfold on the first floor.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at Angus.\u00a0 The black-haired man was visibly shaken.\u00a0 Apparently watching his brother in action was different from knowing what he planned to do.\u00a0 With each threat uttered Angus grew more still and the look out of his eyes more determined.\u00a0 He\u2019d feared twice that the other man was going to dart down the steps and expose them, but Angus had held his ground.\u00a0 He was looking at him now, anticipating the signal to act.\u00a0 They had decided to wait until Malcolm had the package in his hands, knowing the fulfillment of the madman\u2019s insane dreams would distract him and present their best opportunity to take him unawares.<\/p>\n

It was happening now.<\/p>\n

A man was approaching Malcolm Gray with the crown in his hands.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s fingers tightened on the grip of his pistol.\u00a0 He was in the perfect position to take Malcolm out with one shot.\u00a0 He had promised Angus that, unless someone was in direct threat, he would shoot not<\/em> to kill but to lame.\u00a0 Adam took aim and pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly Gordon tripped, dropping the crown.\u00a0 Malcolm Gray dove forward to catch it.<\/p>\n

His shot missed.<\/p>\n

Four things happened as Adam broke cover and dashed down the stairs \u2013 Hoss and Luke dove for cover, his father headed for his desk and the loaded gun he kept there, Gray\u2019s men went for their guns and the front door burst open and an unknown man, along with not two but four others \u00a0– including Roy Coffee \u2013 burst into the room, weapons drawn.\u00a0 Apparently it had been Roy\u2019s men and not Gray\u2019s who had done the chasing down.\u00a0 Behind him he heard Angus call his brother\u2019s name and watched as Malcolm swung about.\u00a0 Seeing his brother acting on the side of his enemies, Gray dove for the pistol on the floor \u2013<\/p>\n

And went out in a blaze of gunfire fit for a rebel king.<\/p>\n

In the end three men died \u2013 all Gray\u2019s.\u00a0 Both Rafe and Peyton paid for their past crimes.\u00a0 Sadly, the man who had saved them, Dougall Gordon, did as well.\u00a0 Adam found his pa kneeling beside him, hearing his last confession and telling him that he was a man who had died well.\u00a0 Adam stood for a moment in silence and then his eyes shifted to the blond man who had caused so much pain.\u00a0 Angus knelt beside his brother who was bleeding out.\u00a0 Beside them both, in a pool of crimson, lay the hollow now forgotten crown.<\/p>\n

Tollivar Bates and Gray\u2019s other man stood by the door with five guns trained on them.<\/p>\n

Adam blew out a sigh of relief.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s over, Pa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His father nodded as he rose.\u00a0 \u201cWhat a waste.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, it sure is good to see you,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 He was rubbing his wrists, but seemed to be moving well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFit as a fiddle,\u201d his brother replied, even though it was evident he was not.\u00a0 \u201cBut it ain\u2019t me I\u2019m worried about.\u00a0 Where\u2019s Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Adam.\u00a0 Where is your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at his father and mentally winced.\u00a0 \u201cI left him alone in the woods, Pa, about eight miles back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their father\u2019s dark eyes widened.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t anything else to do.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze flicked to Bates, who was being led out the door. \u00a0\u201cJoe was in bad shape.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t keep up and I had to get here as quickly as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s form was rigid.\u00a0 Each bitten off word held controlled anger.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m asking you again, where is<\/em> your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI left Joe where I found him the other day, where he was mending the fence.\u00a0 I hid him as well as I could and told him to stay put.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told<\/em> him to stay put.\u00a0 Joseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Pa, but he was practically unconscious.\u00a0 Now that this is over, I\u2019ll go get \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll<\/em> go get your brother.\u201d\u00a0 His father held up his hand.\u00a0 \u201cNot you, Hoss.\u00a0 Luke, take him back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Pa, I\u2019m….\u201d\u00a0 A look from their father changed the end of his brother\u2019s sentence.\u00a0 \u201c…yes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy and the others had moved out of the house and into the yard with the prisoners, so their way was clear.\u00a0 As Adam walked to the door he said, \u201cJoe was beaten badly by that man Bates.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to get a wagon so we can bring him \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n

Gunfire derailed his train of thought.<\/p>\n

Pistol drawn, Adam rushed out the door to find Roy\u2019s men in chaos.\u00a0 One of the deputies was down.\u00a0 Several others were running past the stable.\u00a0 Roy Coffee had one outlaw pinned against the side of the house while Gray\u2019s remaining men \u2013 those who had been taken both in the house and out \u2013 were being ordered to the ground.\u00a0 Adam looked at each man closely.\u00a0 One was missing.<\/p>\n

Tollivar Bates had escaped.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

As Adam and his father rode away from the ranch at a breakneck pace, he wondered if the folks in San Francisco had seen the fireworks go off when Roy Coffee tried to keep his pa and him from leaving.\u00a0 The sheriff warned them that he had the area around the house cordoned off, that if they tried to break through one of his men might mistake them for outlaws and shoot them \u2013 that if they found Tollivar Bates and took the law into their own hands he would jail them both and throw away both sets of keys.<\/p>\n

His Pa had, of course, ignored him.<\/p>\n

In fact, it was just about all he could do to keep up with the older man as they rode north toward the spot where he left Joe.\u00a0 Even with all the precautions he had taken, his own stomach was knotted and would remain so until he pushed back the branches and found his brother laying just where he had left him, safe and sound.\u00a0 Adam kept telling himself there was nothing else he could have done and he knew it was true, but that made little difference when he thought about the chance he had taken.\u00a0 Anyone could have stumbled across Joe lying there, practically defenseless.\u00a0 The only consolation was that he didn\u2019t have to worry about Bates.\u00a0 Even though it appeared Bates had headed north, there was no way the bully could have outpaced them since he was on foot and they were mounted.<\/p>\n

What it had taken him two hours to cover on foot, moving at top speed, took them little more than a half an hour.\u00a0 As they pulled up to the still ramshackle fence Adam slid from his horse and began to run without bothering to tether Scout.\u00a0 His father followed close behind him.\u00a0 His heart racing, the black-haired man rounded the rocks and pushed back the branches and cursed.\u00a0 His jacket was still laying on the ground, but Joe was gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d he muttered as he crushed the tan fabric in his hands and then called out, \u201cHe\u2019s not here, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

His father halted beside him.\u00a0 The older man met his tentative gaze with no condemnation.\u00a0 Instead he turned and shouted, \u201cJoseph!\u00a0 It\u2019s your father!\u00a0 Joseph!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do you suppose he would have gone, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

His father shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWas Joe feverish when you left him?\u00a0 Maybe he wandered off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 There was no fever, though I suppose one could have come on.\u201d\u00a0 Adam frowned, thinking.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think he might have headed home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he did.\u00a0 The question is, would Joe have known where home was?\u201d\u00a0 The older man braced his hands on his hips as his eyes surveyed trees surrounding them.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll have to split up.\u00a0 Search the woods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated and then said, \u201cIn the shape he was in, he can\u2019t have gone far.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d seen the look in his father\u2019s eyes many times before \u2013 from the nights spent at his little brothers\u2019 bedsides when they were sick, to the days spent at his own side when he had taken a bullet for being bull-headed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think Joe\u2019s life was in danger?\u201d the older man asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 The only visible damage was a split lip, bruised skin and a couple of broken ribs.\u00a0 The trouble is, it\u2019s like it was with John Reagan, Pa.\u00a0 When a man\u2019s been pounded with another man\u2019s fists, there\u2019s no knowing how badly he\u2019s hurt on the inside.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s part of why I didn\u2019t want to move Joe anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s hand fell on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI understand, son.\u00a0 You did what you thought you had to do.\u00a0 It\u2019s all a man \u2013 all any of us can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He felt a little squeeze and his father lifted his hand.\u00a0 Then the older man reached into his pocket and drew out a coin.\u00a0 \u201cHeads goes north.\u00a0 Tails, to the south.\u00a0 Call it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHeads.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father flipped the coin, caught it, and then showed it to him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go north and west.\u00a0 You head back to the house.\u00a0 If you find Joe or a sign of him soon, fire off three rapid shots.\u00a0 Since your brother was hurt, he\u2019s likely not to have taken any precautions, so his trail should be easy to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam scowled.\u00a0 Now there <\/em>was a comforting thought.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIFTEEN<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright was confused.<\/p>\n

The last thing he remembered he had been traveling with Adam, putting one foot in front of the other and pressing toward home.\u00a0 From the look of things, he was still headed in the right direction \u2013 at least the waxing moon was rising to his left \u2013 but his brother was nowhere in sight.\u00a0 He\u2019d called him and called him but there had been no reply, and he was beginning to worry that something might have happened to Adam.\u00a0 He was also kind of worried about himself.\u00a0 Night had fallen and the temperature was dropping.\u00a0 He was cold, hurting, and his head was woozy.\u00a0 All he wanted to do was find a warm place and lay down, which he knew from Doc Martin was a stupid thing for a man who\u2019d taken blows to his head to do.\u00a0 Much as he wanted to quit, he had to keep moving.\u00a0 After all, home couldn\u2019t be that <\/em>far away.\u00a0 He and Adam made it to the north pasture together.\u00a0 He figured that he was a good two to three hours walk south of there now.\u00a0 He recognized the area from when he was little.\u00a0 The trees had suffered from a blight years before he was born and been left bent and twisted.<\/p>\n

The problem was he couldn\u2019t remember how <\/em>he had gotten here.<\/p>\n

Joe sighed.\u00a0 He needed to sit down and think, even though thinking was about as taxing as walking.<\/p>\n

Taking a seat on a round boulder he cast his mind back t o when he had hooked up with Adam.\u00a0 The last thing he remembered before that was taking on Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 The brute had come at him like a bull moose licking its lips, intent on tearing him apart.\u00a0 The sight of the bruiser heading for him brought back everything \u2013 the confusion, the shame and guilt, the sense of helplessness \u2013 everything <\/em>he had felt when John C. Reagan had brutalized him in that alley, and that caused something in him to churn and roil until it boiled over into an uncontrollable rage.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone for the man like he wanted to kill him.<\/p>\n

Because he did<\/em> want to kill him.<\/p>\n

Once the rage subsided \u2013 when he found himself with his bloodied hands on Bate\u2019s throat \u2013 he realized he didn\u2019t feel triumphant but empty as if, as he had suspected, becoming what he hated took away a part of who he was.\u00a0 For the first time since that day mending fences he \u2018d wanted to numb himself with liquor.\u00a0 As a result he had had to acknowledge that there was something driving him beside what Reagan had done \u2013 something deep.<\/em><\/p>\n

He needed to find out what it was before he did something that got him or someone he loved killed.<\/p>\n

Joe winced as he rose from his rocky seat.\u00a0 He stood beside the boulder for a moment, breathing hard, and then began to limp toward the south.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t a lot of strength left in him.\u00a0 He just hoped it was enough to get him home.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam dismounted and knelt so he could read the signs on the ground better.\u00a0 He thought he had identified Joe\u2019s tracks about a half mile back, but wanted to make sure before he signaled his father.\u00a0 The place he was in was familiar \u2013 he and his brothers had played here as boys \u2013 so it made sense Joe would have headed for it.\u00a0 A blight had gone through the area some three decades before causing the trees to take on what appeared \u2013 to little boys with heads full of nonsense \u2013 terrible and wonderful shapes.\u00a0 An old Indian had lived in the area at the time and he enjoyed spinning all kinds of tales about the trees coming to life and housing the spirits of men.\u00a0 Once he and Hoss had taken Joe there near nightfall and pretended to leave him alone.\u00a0 It had been fun for about five minutes, but then they had realized that their little brother was truly terrified.\u00a0 That night they\u2019d both ended up with tanned backsides and Joe had ended up sleeping in their father\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man rose to his feet.\u00a0 Glancing at the trees, he sighed.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t thought about it then.\u00a0 Boys had different thoughts, of course, from men.\u00a0 Joe would have been really vulnerable.\u00a0 His mother had only been gone a few months.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d all suffered the same loss, of course \u2013 that of a mother.\u00a0 He had never known his own.\u00a0 As a child he had longed for her but, in a way, what a man never had he couldn\u2019t really miss and his pa had been enough for him.\u00a0 Hoss had been much the same until their pa married Marie.\u00a0 Her loss had been hard for him, but his large brother had the largest heart of them all and, in a way, looking out for Joe had filled the void Marie\u2019s death left.\u00a0 Joe, well, Joe had been reared by his mother for nearly five years and most of the time it had been the two of them alone.\u00a0 Adam took hold of his horse\u2019s reins prior to mounting.\u00a0 Sport wanted to nuzzle for a moment, so he let him.\u00a0 As the horse\u2019s warm breath caressed his cheek Adam closed his eyes and thought about his little brother and the loss he had suffered.\u00a0 Once again the vision of Joe standing by his dead mother\u2019s bed came to him.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

Why did he keep thinking about Joe and Marie?\u00a0 Was there something there, something\u00a0 he had seen or something Joe had said?<\/p>\n

Something deep no one knew but his brother?<\/p>\n

Sport whinnied, drawing him out of his reverie.\u00a0 Adam reached up to stroke his head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, boy?\u00a0 It is Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Moving a step away from the animal, Adam called out.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Are you there?\u00a0 It\u2019s Adam.\u00a0 Joe?\u00a0 Answer if you can hear me!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a muffled sound off to his right.\u00a0 Like someone in pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached for his gun and then, remembering he had left it with Joe, headed empty-handed into the woods in the direction of the sound.\u00a0 It had come from a clump of trees nearby with brush underneath them thick enough for an animal or a man to hide in.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, if that\u2019s you, answer me!\u201d<\/p>\n

This time there was a word.<\/p>\n

\u2018Help!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Throwing caution to the wind, Adam darted forward.\u00a0 He made it to the trees and pressed into the tall grasses, pushing them aside, seeking, hunting.\u00a0 He found nothing.<\/p>\n

Well, he \u2018nothing\u2019 until he spun around and came face to face with Tollivar Bates.\u00a0 The Englishman snarled \u2013<\/p>\n

And then smashed his fist into his face.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Joe was working his way through the woods when he heard a sound that stopped him.\u00a0 He recognized it because he\u2019d been on the receiving end of it often enough.<\/p>\n

It was the sound of a man being beaten.<\/p>\n

He stood for a moment, wobbling, wondering what to do.\u00a0 He knew he was in no shape to take anyone on in a fight.\u00a0 He had a gun but he didn\u2019t know if it was loaded and, even if it was, he wasn\u2019t sure he could hold it steady enough to shoot.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even have the energy to run.\u00a0 As the sound of multiple blows landing on flesh echoed through the woods and resounded in his bones, fear urged him to turn his back and run away.<\/p>\n

Somehow Joe knew, if he did, that would be it.\u00a0 He would spend the rest of his life running.<\/p>\n

Pulling the gun from behind his belt, Joe checked the chambers.\u00a0 There was only one bullet, so he\u2019d have to make it count.\u00a0 As he walked through the trees he thought about the time his brothers had brought him here to prank him.\u00a0 They\u2019d wanted to scare him and they had.\u00a0 Though the spirits of the dead men in the twisted trees he\u2019d feared then weren\u2019t real, the notion of being left all alone and helpless was.\u00a0 It walked with him as he moved forward to face a real monster.<\/p>\n

The sounds grew louder as he neared the battlefield.\u00a0 Whoever the victim was, he was putting up quite a fight. \u00a0Joe gripped the gun, his knuckles white, as he advanced through the trees.\u00a0 Above his head the moon had risen.\u00a0 Fingers of a pale white light parted the trees to strike the ground.\u00a0 Into one of these beams of light two figures stumbled.\u00a0 One was slightly taller than the other, which was twice as wide.\u00a0 Jaw tight, gun ready, Joe halted and watched as the two men fought.\u00a0 The taller one was weakening.\u00a0 He stumbled and the other man tackled him before he could rise.\u00a0 The problem was, he had no way of knowing who was the attacker.\u00a0 It could easily have been either of them.<\/p>\n

He had no choice.\u00a0 He had to go in closer.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright stumbled back.\u00a0 The longer he fought Tollivar Bates, the more he marveled that his little brother was alive.\u00a0 Pound for pound and inch for inch he was a good match for the bully, even if the Englishman had more training and muscle.\u00a0 Bates had to outweigh Joe by sixty pounds at the least.\u00a0 As it was his lip was split and he was sure at least one rib was damaged.\u00a0 The most aggravating injury, however, was the one he had taken to his leg when Bates had kicked him hard.\u00a0 That was why he had gone done a moment before.\u00a0 It had simply given out.\u00a0 Rolling, he found his feet again and the two of them squared off.\u00a0 Bates was breathing nearly as hard as he was.\u00a0 He flattered himself for a moment, thinking it was from exhaustion.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 It was with rage<\/p>\n

\u201cBates,\u201d he said, panting. \u00a0\u201cGive it…up.\u00a0 There\u2019s no…point in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point\u2019s to stop you breathin\u2019, mate,\u201d the bully growled.\u00a0 \u201cYou and yours ain\u2019t caused me nothin\u2019 but trouble.\u00a0 I nearly killed that scrawny little pretty boy of a brother you have.\u00a0 Now I am<\/em> goin\u2019 to kill you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a…small man, Bates, in spite of your size.\u201d\u00a0 Adam grinned and the pride he felt colored his words. \u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t forget… that \u2018scrawny little pretty boy\u2019 mopped…up the forest floor with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates faltered just for a second.\u00a0 \u201cHe went off his trolley,\u201d the big man snarled.\u00a0 \u201cLike a raving lunatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you…just know how to bring out…the best in a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look out of Bates\u2019 eyes reminded him of the loco steer they had had a few years back.\u00a0 The Englishman meant to kill him and would probably succeed.\u00a0 As much as he hated to admit it, he was growing tired.\u00a0 It was only a matter of time before he made a fatal mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Bates, this is…getting us nowhere.\u00a0 How about you…go your way and…I\u2019ll go mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll go to Hell!\u201d the bully shouted as he lowered his head and charged like a bull.<\/p>\n

Adam took the hit directly in the stomach and went down.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

It was Adam.<\/p>\n

Dear God!\u00a0 It was Adam.<\/p>\n

Joe watched as Tollivar Bates rammed his brother in the stomach with his head, hard enough to drive Adam back several feet.\u00a0 As Bates backed away Adam fell to his knees, stunned.\u00a0 Joe saw the Englishman take a step back, as if assessing the situation, and then move in with his hands outstretched for the kill.<\/p>\n

Keeping the gun close and hidden he moved forward.\u00a0 \u201cBates!\u201d Joe shouted as he stepped into one of the beams of light.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Bates.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want Adam.\u00a0 You want me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had fallen forward and was balanced on one hand.\u00a0 His brother looked at him, but he wasn\u2019t sure he saw him \u2013 that was until Adam shouted, \u201cJoe, no!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe took another step.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Bates.\u00a0 You better kill me before I go back and tell everyone in Virginia City that I left you eating dirt.\u00a0 You haven\u2019t got anything else, Bates.\u00a0 Once they know a skinny pretty boy licked you, you\u2019ll be nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll<\/em> be nothing,\u201d the behemoth growled.\u00a0 \u201cBecause you\u2019ll be dead<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned that maddening grin \u2013 the one that made even him wonder sometimes if he wasn\u2019t a little bit loco.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see you try.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, he heard Adam shout. \u00a0His brother tried to climb to his feet and then fell forward and remained still.\u00a0 Joe held his ground as the massive mountain of muscle and murder barreled toward him.\u00a0 He waited, waited…<\/p>\n

At the last second, when he was sure he couldn\u2019t miss, Joe lifted the gun and aimed for Bate\u2019s heart.\u00a0 He pulled the trigger about three seconds before the bruiser slammed into him.\u00a0 The force carried both of them backward a good twenty feet.\u00a0 When Joe landed, it was with Bates\u2019 body on top of him.<\/p>\n

He gasped, the wind driven out of him, and passed out.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam opened one eye and groaned.\u00a0 For a second he couldn\u2019t remember where he was.\u00a0 Then it came back to him and he looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod!\u00a0 Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising stiffly, feeling every punch he had taken, Adam looked for Joe.\u00a0 What he found was a mountain of man with a pair of booted feet sticking out from under.\u00a0 Holding his ribs, the black-haired man stumbled over to where his brother lay with Bates\u2019 silent form on top of him.\u00a0 It took just about everything that was left in him to shove Tollivar Bates corpse off of Joe.\u00a0 After catching his breath, he leaned down and placed his ear on his brother\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Joe was white as a sheet but his heart was beating strongly.\u00a0 Rocking back, he let out a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey…brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam started and looked down.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u00a0 Dear Lord, Joe, are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

His baby brother coughed and smiled weakly.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t often I get to…rescue you…is it, big brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 No, it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes closed.\u00a0 It was several seconds before they opened again.\u00a0 \u201cIs Bates…dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Quite.\u201d<\/p>\n

A shudder passed through Joe\u2019s slight form, almost as if something had been let go.\u00a0 \u201cI beat him, Adam,\u201d he said, his words growing slurred.\u00a0 \u201cI beat Reagan….\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam caught his brother\u2019s hand in his own as Joe passed out and squeezed it.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Joe, you beat him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising gingerly, Adam crossed back over to where he had left his horse.\u00a0 It took him a moment to find Sport, who had shied at the sound of the fight.\u00a0 He removed his bed roll from the saddle and returned to Joe.\u00a0 Taking the blanket from it, he spread it over his brother\u2019s silent form.\u00a0 Then he took hold of Tollivar Bates\u2019 body and, with some difficulty, pulled the dead man away from him.\u00a0 He had no tools to bury the dead man with, so he wedged the body between rocks and tossed branches and brush over it, hiding it as best he could.\u00a0 After checking on Joe again, Adam went to his saddle and searched his saddlebags, hoping against hope that he had put a pot and coffee in there the last time he had packed.\u00a0 God decided to be gracious and he found both.\u00a0 Within a half hour he had a small fire going and coffee brewing.<\/p>\n

The scent of both was healing.<\/p>\n

Adam had just begun to examine his wounds when he heard Joe stir.\u00a0 A moment later his brother sat straight up, not like a wounded man, but like a whole and hearty man who meant to rise.\u00a0 Joe remained still a moment and then climbed to his feet and began to walk, his face turned slightly upward and his head cocked like someone hearkening to a voice.\u00a0 Adam called him, but Joe didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0 Rising, he took a step after him and called again.\u00a0 When his brother still didn\u2019t stop, the black-haired man doused the fire with the coffee and set out after him.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take him long to outpace him.\u00a0 When he did, he halted just in front of Joe. \u00a0His brother nearly ran him over.\u00a0 It was as if he hadn\u2019t seen him.\u00a0 Adam scowled.\u00a0 He moved in front of Joe again and reached out to take hold of him.\u00a0 Then it dawned on him what he was seeing and he stepped back.<\/p>\n

Joe was sleepwalking.<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 Another memory.\u00a0 Joe\u2019 d walked in his sleep when he was a little boy \u2013 after his mother died.<\/p>\n

It was as unnerving to watch now as it had been then.\u00a0 Somehow, without being awake, his little brother managed to maneuver around trees and to miss roots and branches.\u00a0 Joe walked in a beeline for a few minutes and then stopped abruptly.\u00a0 He hung his head and then \u2013 then \u2013 he sat down and took off his boots!\u00a0 Joe set them aside and began to walk again.\u00a0 Adam palmed them as he walked by, trailing after him.<\/p>\n

If only he could know what was going on in Joe\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

He had been fascinated by sleepwalking after he had seen Joe do it as a child and had read all kinds of literature, both scientific and sensational about it, in an effort to understand the phenomena.\u00a0 The story he remembered the best was that of a somnambulism who had committed murders in his sleep, but retained no memory of committing them upon waking!\u00a0 Sleepwalking was most common in children, though adults who were known to suffer from it as well.\u00a0 In adults it was often triggered by some traumatic event –<\/p>\n

Like the beating Joe had taken at John C. Reagan\u2019s hands and the confusion that had come as a result of it.<\/p>\n

Joe was walking along a footpath now, perilously close to the edge.\u00a0 Adam put the boots down so both of his hands were free and quickened his pace.\u00a0 From what he had read, most doctors thought it was dangerous to wake someone when they were sleepwalking.\u00a0 It made sense.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to startle Joe.\u00a0 ,<\/p>\n

Maybe if he talked to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d he said, gently.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u00a0 It\u2019s Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother faltered but didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going, Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 It seemed crazy, but there had to be a reason he kept thinking the thoughts he did.\u00a0 \u201cMarie wants to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother halted on the path, his slender form wavering like a ghost.\u00a0 Joe spoke but his words were mumbled and unclear.\u00a0 It sounded something like, \u2018I have to tell her.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cTell who, Joe?\u00a0 Do you mean Marie?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s eyes opened and closed slowly.\u00a0\u00a0 Emotions moved like light and cloud shadow across his battered face \u2013 shame, rage, fear.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joe blinked again and a single tear fell as his hand reached out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama?\u201dhe asked, taking a step.<\/p>\n

Adam tackled Joe a second before he would have gone over the edge.\u00a0 As they hit the ground, his little brother came fully awake.\u00a0 He looked around and then met his gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u00a0 What?\u201d Joe asked, chagrinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Joe.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s okay now.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got the answer to the mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother was obviously puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cWhat mystery, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI know what happened to your boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

When they returned to the house his father tried to get him to rest.\u00a0 He had for a few hours, but then had been roused by Doc Martin for an examination.\u00a0 The physician pronounced him unfit for work but fit to sit downstairs.\u00a0 Joe was in worse shape.\u00a0 The Doc decided to give him a dose of laudanum and, for all intents and purposes, his little brother had passed out of the waking world.\u00a0 Luke Miller had helped to settle him and Hoss in the great room and then had left to make the doc\u2019s rounds with him.<\/p>\n

Later as they sat around the fire licking their wounds, Adam offered his theory for what had happened from the time Joe\u2019s boots had gone missing on Tuesday night until the time when he had realized his little brother had been sleepwalking.\u00a0 Joe remained upstairs, which was probably for the best.\u00a0 Some of what he had to say might prove difficult for his youngest brother to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought at first, Pa, that it all started that night in town at the hotel when you read the article about Adah Menken.\u00a0 I was wrong.\u00a0 Joe had been stewing over the beating Reagan had given him long before that.\u00a0 So, don\u2019t blame yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their father was sitting in his usual chair, staring at the fire.\u00a0 He was still coming to terms with the fact that he might have lost all three of them over the last week and all due to one man\u2019s madness.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on,\u201d his father said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember Hoss and I told you we\u2019d had noticed something was bothering Joe.\u00a0 We thought it was the beating he took at John C. Reagan\u2019s hands and we were right \u2013 but there was more.\u00a0 There was something that beating triggered in Joe, something buried so far down even he wasn\u2019t aware of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you call it, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat Joe\u2019s been doin\u2019?\u00a0 Some-name-bulism?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomnambulism.\u00a0 Some call it Noctambulism.\u00a0\u00a0 It just means walking in your sleep.\u00a0 If you remember, Joe did it briefly when he was little.\u00a0 It means moving around and acting as if you\u2019re awake when you\u2019re not.\u00a0 Some doctors think that, when there are things that go so deep a man can\u2019t face them when he\u2019s awake, he tries to do so when he sleeps.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what is it you think you\u2019re brother couldn\u2019t face?\u201d his father asked, uncrossing his legs and turning to look at him.<\/p>\n

This was a hard one.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I hate to ask it, but I need you to remember the day Marie died.\u201d<\/p>\n

He saw his father go rigid.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember when you were downstairs with the preacher?\u00a0 After you\u2019d put Joe to bed with Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI found Joe in your room with Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI found him in your room, standing by the bed, holding Marie\u2019s hand.\u00a0 Before you found us tonight and brought us home, I asked Joe about it.\u00a0 He had forgotten about it until I reminded him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe remembered that?\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have been five years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he remembered.\u00a0 You know how it is when you\u2019re a kid.\u00a0 It\u2019s the bad things, the traumatic ones that stick.\u00a0 When Joe remembered that, he remembered something else.\u201d\u00a0 Adam winced.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I don\u2019t want you to get upset about this next part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would I get upset?\u201d his father asked, his jaw tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe said you took him in to see Marie before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I did.\u00a0 I left them alone for a few minutes.\u00a0 I felt it was only right for the boy to be with his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently Marie told Joe to be strong.\u00a0 She asked him….\u201d \u00a0He hesitated. \u00a0\u201cPa, Marie asked him not to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you gettin\u2019 at, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked, leaning forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u00a0 I think the beating Joe took at John C. Reagan\u2019s hands triggered something in him.\u00a0 Even though he didn\u2019t consciously recall his mother\u2019s request, subconsciously he did.\u00a0 The memory made him think he wasn\u2019t a man because he\u2019d been afraid and Reagan made him cry.\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, he said nothing to any of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDag burned ornery, stubborn little cuss,\u201d Hoss sighed with affection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure it was orneriness, Hoss.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure Joe had no idea what was fueling his anger.\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned and looked up the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cHe does now.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father was silent a moment, trapped in his own memories. Then he stirred and asked, \u201cYou still haven\u2019t said, what does this have to do with Joe\u2019s missing boots and all the madness that came after we discovered they were missing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam leaned back, considering what to say.\u00a0 He\u2019d had a long talk with Angus, who was in Virginia City now sorting out his part in the whole thing with Roy Coffee, and with Inspector Braddock in an attempt to piece it all together.<\/p>\n

\u201cTuesday night,\u201d he began, \u201cthe night before we went to have our likeness taken, Joe sleepwalked for the first time, or at least I think it was the first time.\u00a0 He left the house, I believe, in search of Marie.\u00a0 I think Joe he might have been headed for her grave, thinking she was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d sure hate to think of little brother sleepwalkin\u2019 near that lake,\u201d Hoss said, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBraddock Wells and the real Inspector Shaw were in the woods that night, trailing after Malcolm Gray\u2019s men and seeking the outlaws\u2019 hideout.\u00a0 They saw Joe in the woods, though they had no idea he was sleepwalking.\u00a0 He was already missing his boots.\u201d\u00a0 Adam looked at his father.\u00a0 \u201cI watched Joe take them off last night, Pa, while he was asleep.\u00a0 He hung his head and then sat down and took them off.\u00a0 It was almost as if someone scolded him to do so.\u201d\u00a0 He paused, struck by the look on his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

The silver-haired man drew a long breath.\u00a0 He shook his head and smiled sadly.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you remember, Adam? \u00a0Marie always made us take off our boots when we came into the house.\u00a0 \u2018I won\u2019t have you men muddying my carpets,\u2019 she\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dear Lord.\u00a0 He had forgotten.<\/p>\n

Adam sank back in the chair.\u00a0 Such a little thing \u2013 a child\u2019s obedience to a loving voice \u2013 and yet it had made them doubt his brother.\u00a0 Shamed, he continued, \u201cJoe was with Shaw and Braddock when Tollivar Bates and Gray\u2019s men spotted them.\u00a0 That was before they parted company with Braddock going one way and Shaw, with Joe, the other.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll ever know exactly what happened after that since Bates, Peyton, and Wrenat are all dead.\u00a0 Angus believes Bates saw Joe wandering after he captured and killed Inspector Shaw, so he thought Joe had seen him.\u00a0 Of course, they couldn\u2019t have known he was asleep at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan someone be that deeply asleep?\u201d his father asked.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t all of that wake a man?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one really knows, Pa, but there are stories of people committing murders while sleepwalking and then waking up with no knowledge that they have killed someone.\u00a0 So for Joe to wander in the woods, even get on his horse and ride out….\u201d\u00a0 Adam shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe mind is a wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I don\u2019t understand,\u201d Hoss began, \u201cif Bates saw Joe and was afraid he had seen him commit a murder, why didn\u2019t he try to kill him then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine Joe disappeared quickly.\u00a0 He moved like a wraith when I was trailing him.\u00a0 Also, Bates was working for Malcolm Gray.\u00a0 He did what he was ordered, or at least \u2018appeared\u2019 to.\u00a0 Angus said Bates told him that his brother decided to watch Joe in order to see if he had really witnessed anything. When Joe said nothing and didn\u2019t go to the law, Gray ordered Bates to leave him alone.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s jaw tightened. \u201cHe didn\u2019t, of course.\u00a0 The next day Bates tried to kill Joe by forcing all that liquor down him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was after Joe found the inspector\u2019s body with the Indian woman?\u201d his father asked.<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u00a0The Indian woman, Muha, was in Roy\u2019s custody too, but as a material witness.\u00a0 The sheriff had gone to the cave behind the waterfall after leaving the Ponderosa and found her hiding there.\u00a0 He\u2019d talked to Roy and it turned out, in the end, that she wasn\u2019t mute but had made a vow not to speak until the man who killed her husband was taken or killed.\u00a0 With Bates dead, she told them everything she knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter her husband\u2019s death, Muha had nowhere to go, so she stayed with Malcolm Gray.\u00a0 She was out gathering berries when she ran into Shaw and Braddock who recruited her to watch and listen and report back to them.\u00a0 Though she chose not to speak, she was trained to read and write in a white man\u2019s school and communicated that way.\u00a0 Before the inspector was killed, Muha sent word to him that she wanted to meet him at the lean-to on the edge of our property.\u00a0 She had erected it as temporary shelter for the hunting trip she intended on making.\u00a0 The inspector made the appointment, but died in her arms.\u00a0 When Joe stumbled on her, she was considering what to do.\u00a0 Muha was scared of Bates and Gray and feared if they found the inspector near the lean-to, they would figure out she had been helping him.\u00a0 When she saw Joe she was frightened for him, but her fear of the others won out and she used Joe to help her bury the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father was scowling.\u00a0 \u201cI still don\u2019t understand.\u00a0 How did<\/em> your brother\u2019s boots end up on Shaw\u2019s corpse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBraddock had a theory about that too.\u00a0 He and Shaw were being hunted.\u00a0 Bates and the others were following their tracks.\u00a0 Braddock thinks Shaw must have stumbled on Joe\u2019s boots wherever he left them and exchanged them for his own, hoping to throw his pursuers off track.\u00a0 He had no reason to believe they would be after Joe, even if he suspected they were Joe\u2019s boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father leaned back and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd all of this happened because one madman thought he was destined to be king of Great Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMalcolm Gray had a claim, Pa, so he wasn\u2019t completely mad.\u00a0 Angus explained that they are descended of the first queen of Charles I, son of King James.\u00a0 There are people who still believe the rightful line descends from Charlotte and not Marie Luise.\u00a0 Unfortunately for Malcolm Gray, they are in the minority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is<\/em> Angus?\u201d his father asked.\u00a0 \u201cHe seemed a decent sort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope Roy will go easy on him.\u00a0 Angus\u2019 only crime was in the company he kept.\u00a0 Mainly Tollivar Bates.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pa\u2019s tone was stern.\u00a0 \u201cBates almost killed your brother.\u00a0 He could <\/em>have killed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he didn\u2019t, Pa.\u00a0 We\u2019re both home, safe and sound.\u201d\u00a0 Adam winced as he shifted.\u00a0 \u201cIf a little bit sore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should be in bed like your brother,\u201d the older man said as he rose.\u00a0 \u201cWe all should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded as his father passed him, headed for the stair with Hoss following close behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be up in a minute, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Adam headed up about a half hour later.\u00a0 When they finished talking, he realized he was famished and had gone to the kitchen for a cold supper.\u00a0 Hop Sing came in while he was eating and they had talked for a while.\u00a0 Before he could leave, the Chinese man insisted on fixing a plate for Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to explain that his brother might be out for a day, but Hop Sing insisted.\u00a0 Recognizing the gesture for what it was \u2013 a man needing to do something for someone he loved who was hurting \u2013 he had waited and then taken the tray and headed up the stairs.<\/p>\n

After placing the tray on the bedside table, Adam sat down and looked at his brother.\u00a0 Joe was sleeping a drugged sleep and barely stirred when he laid his hand on his forehead, checking for fever.\u00a0 Fortunately, he found none.\u00a0 Doc Martin had said he thought there were no serious internal injuries, which was a relief, and while it would take some time for the broken bones to heal, Joe should be up and about in a week or two and able to leave the house in three.<\/p>\n

Lifting his hand, Adam rose to leave.\u00a0 As he did, his gaze fell on the portrait of Marie Joe kept beside his bed.\u00a0 Picking it up, he looked at the woman he too had called \u2018mother\u2019 for nearly five years.\u00a0 Marie was a beautiful, small-boned blonde woman with penetrating dark eyes.\u00a0 He wondered, looking at her, if she had known what her words would do to her son, would she have spoken them?\u00a0 No adult could predict a child\u2019s reaction.\u00a0 If this had taught him anything it was that, if he ever had a child, he would take care when he spoke to them.\u00a0 Now that they knew what fueled Joe\u2019s depression, they could deal with it.\u00a0 One day soon his brother would be whole again and he could only hope that the ability to express himself with tears as well as smiles would return as well.<\/p>\n

It was a gift.<\/p>\n

Adam replaced the portrait.\u00a0 He glanced at Joe and rose and left the room.\u00a0 A minute later, after retrieving a book from his room, he returned to his bother\u2019s bedside and sat down again.\u00a0 Joe looked so small and lost, like that little boy who had turned a terrified face on him in the woods that night, that he couldn\u2019t leave.\u00a0\u00a0 Settling back, Adam opened the book and began to read.<\/p>\n

ooooooooooxxoooooooooo<\/p>\n

Sometime later, as the cocks crowed in the yard beyond the house, Adam roused.\u00a0 He drew a deep breath and shifted, feeling every bruise the pounding he had taken from Tollivar Bates had left him with.\u00a0 He looked at the book in his hand and then at his little brother who appeared to be sleeping naturally now.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what had driven him to pick up Shakespeare the night before, or drawn him to the Sonnets, but his finger was still in the book at the place where he had left off.\u00a0 Glancing at Joe, Adam opened it again and read the last words he had read before falling asleep.\u00a0 They were from Sonnet twenty-nine.<\/p>\n

When, in disgrace with fortune and men\u2019s eyes,<\/em><\/p>\n

I all alone beweep my outcast state,<\/em><\/p>\n

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,<\/em><\/p>\n

And look upon myself and curse my fate,<\/em><\/p>\n

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,<\/em><\/p>\n

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,<\/em><\/p>\n

Desiring this man\u2019s art and that man\u2019s scope,<\/em><\/p>\n

With what I most enjoy contented least;<\/em><\/p>\n

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,<\/em><\/p>\n

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,<\/em><\/p>\n

(Like to the lark at break of day arising<\/em><\/p>\n

From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven\u2019s gate;<\/em><\/p>\n

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings<\/em><\/p>\n

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam closed the book.<\/p>\n

He was sure Joe would agree.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM,\u00a0SJS<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: Who would have thought that a pair of missing boots would propel the Cartwrights into the nightmare world of a madman? One morning Joe wakes up to find his boots gone and the mystery of how he lost them – and who is wearing them – leads to a series of events that could cost not only Joe’s life, but Adam and Hoss’ as well.<\/p>\n

Rated PG-13 (58,335 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10058,"featured_media":30563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[2,23,41,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-mystery","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-32-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2537,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Bootless-Cries-brand.jpg?fit=1124%2C660&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4775,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4775","url_meta":{"origin":13435,"position":0},"title":"Forgiveness (by pjb)","author":"pjb","date":"June 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A WHN for \"The Gift.\" Sometimes, the hardest ones to forgive are ourselves. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K \u00a0WC \u00a02800","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14021,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14021","url_meta":{"origin":13435,"position":1},"title":"Mystery (by McFair_58)","author":"mcfair_58","date":"April 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a012 year old Little Joe Cartwright loves black horses, especially the new black mare his brothers found and brought home. Though their father disapproves, Little Joe knows she's the one for him and sets out to prove it. What do an apparition, a burned out ranch, a stolen fortune, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Mystery.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Mystery.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Mystery.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Mystery.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6355,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6355","url_meta":{"origin":13435,"position":2},"title":"Cartwright v, Cartwright (by debpet)","author":"debpet","date":"August 7, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0One of Ben Cartwright's sons is suing another! Rated:\u00a0K \u00a0WC \u00a02600","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/VC-Courthouse.png?fit=680%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/VC-Courthouse.png?fit=680%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/VC-Courthouse.png?fit=680%2C512&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2951,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2951","url_meta":{"origin":13435,"position":3},"title":"The End (by faust)","author":"faust","date":"June 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It's the end. The end of everything--or is it? No KAOS in this story. Honestly! 700 words, rated K","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/The-Gift-of-Water-4.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/The-Gift-of-Water-4.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/The-Gift-of-Water-4.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13933,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13933","url_meta":{"origin":13435,"position":4},"title":"Emily – The Missing Scenes (by Susan G)","author":"SusanG","date":"December 12, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A WHN for the episode, Emily. Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (3,140 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Emily.png?fit=631%2C434&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7584,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7584","url_meta":{"origin":13435,"position":5},"title":"I Wouldn’t Do That (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Adam doesn\u2019t keep Little Joe out of trouble. A short slice of brotherly life. Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0\u00a0 Word count:\u00a01257","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/brothers.jpg?fit=399%2C299&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10058"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}