Leadville (20 page)

I couldn’t resist. “I was right. He came in for supplies.”

“I already knew he was leaving.” And Red was gone.

Chapter 37

By seven the next morning, Sharp and I were dressed, fed, and saddled up. No Red, so Sharp smoked a cigar, and I puffed on my pipe while our horses pawed at the dirt on the stable floor. Chestnut seemed especially eager to go, and then I remembered that lately the boys had exercised the horses because I was busy. I rubbed Chestnut’s neck and was rewarded with a head nuzzle. I realized I was looking forward to the ride, at least the first few hours. After that I would probably just feel cold. I walked over to the barn door and peeked outside.

“Clear skies,” I said.

“Good. A heavy snow covers tracks.”

“I’ll bet Raven left hours ago. Where the hell is Red?”

“Here.” Red appeared from around the side of the barn, as if he had been waiting there to surprise us when we called his name. “Mount up.”

“Aren’t we giving him a long head start?” I asked, as I stepped into the stirrup.

“We follow his trail. Minutes don’t matter. If he sees us, the captain’s daughter is dead, so we stay well back.”

“Sentences, paragraphs,” Sharp said. “Yer right, we better stay well back if yer gonna get all chatty on us.”

Red ignored him and disappeared around the corner of the barn. By the time we had swung into our saddles and spurred our horses out of the barn, Red was waiting for us on his own horse. He was holding the reins of a packhorse.

“I thought we were traveling light,” Sharp said.

“This is Maggie’s horse.”

“How’d it get here?” I asked.

Red shrugged. “Followed her scent, I s’pose.”

Would I ever quit asking dumb questions? Obviously, Red had brought the horse with him. On second thought, maybe I was making progress with Red. Even if it had been at my expense, he had used humor for the first time that I could recall.

Sharp raised a more practical question. “Since you’re bringing another horse, is there anything in those bags to make the trip more comfortable?”

“Dynamite.”

“In that case, Steve an’ I’ll hang back a bit so we don’t trample the tracks.”

Red handed the reins to Sharp. “Captain says you know about dynamite.”

Red actually grinned. As I spurred Chestnut forward, I hoped nothing would happen to dampen Red’s mood. Even if tracking Raven presented no problems, getting the girl back would require good fortune. Evidently, Captain McAllen thought it might also take explosives.

It made no sense, but the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees as we left Leadville. Red must have watched Raven ride out, because he didn’t wander around to pick up the trail. We were dressed warm and had plenty of blankets for the nights, but I knew there would be no fires to help us keep warm. Hopefully, McAllen was right, and Bane was only a day’s ride out of Leadville.

When we started the climb into the surrounding mountains, I looked back to see that Sharp was falling behind. I wheeled around and trotted up to him. “Horses okay?”

“Yep. Just bein’ careful. Don’t want Maggie’s horse to stumble carryin’ this dynamite.”

“I thought dynamite was safe unless lit.”

“Depends on the age, how it was stored, an’ how it’s packed. If McAllen wanted dynamite on this trip, I wish he had asked me to buy an’ pack it. Damn that man.”

“Red probably knows how to handle dynamite safely.”

“Yep, that’s why he handed over the reins. What the hell do we need dynamite for anyway?”

“Maybe the captain believes a mere bullet can’t kill Bane.”

“Steve, ya gotta get close to use dynamite. How do we get Bane to sit still until it blows? This makes no sense.” Sharp rode on for a minute. “Red doesn’t need us on his heels, so I’d just as soon ride careful.”

After three hours, Red came trotting back. As he reached us, he swung off his horse and came around to the pack on Maggie’s horse.

“Did ya lose the trail?” Sharp asked.

“Nope. Clear markings. I came for lunch.”

With that, he pulled a couple of cans out of the saddlebag and threw them to me. I swung down from Chestnut and drew my knife to open the beans. As I worked, I saw Red draw out a cotton bandanna from the saddlebag and unwrap it. He threw each of us a biscuit, wound the bandanna around the remaining ones, and stuffed them back into the saddlebag. Sharp moseyed over to the packhorse and examined the contents of the bags.

“Damn it, Red, there’s no dynamite here.”

“Musta forgot it. Let’s eat.”

“Shit.” Sharp looked at me. “Food an’ clothes for Maggie. That’s all.”

“Captain thought she might be cold.” Red took the can of beans from me and poured them into his mouth right from the can. After he wiped his face with the back of his hand, he gave the can back to me. I went to my saddlebag for a spoon.

“When did you develop a sense of humor?” I asked Red.

“When I was a youngster. Don’t have one by then, doubtful you get one.”

“How far ahead is Raven?” Sharp asked, trying to ignore the practical joke.

“’Bout three miles. Slowed down, so I decided to give him some room. Might be doubling back.”

“If ya didn’t want us to ride with ya, why didn’t ya just say so?”

Red grinned. “I’ll leave shortly. You two hang back. I’ll find you after I locate Bane.”

“What if it’s more than a day’s ride?” I asked.

“Set up camp at dark. I’ll find you.”

Sharp talked around a mouth full of beans. “Are we part of this plan, or do we just escort the girl back to Twin Lakes?”

“Don’t know yet.” Red grabbed the bean can and poured another serving into his open mouth. He mounted and walked his horse away from us while chomping on his biscuit.

After he had disappeared over a rise, I started laughing. My mirth lasted until I spotted the look on Sharp’s face. To get past the moment, I went to Chestnut for my canteen and washed down my biscuit with several swallows of water. When I turned around, Sharp was smiling.

“Damn Red. He got me good. I have to think on a way to get even.”

“After we get Maggie,” I offered.

“After we get Maggie.”

Chapter 38

We had seen no sign of Red by nightfall, so we veered off and set up a crude camp. We didn’t need to gather wood to prepare a hot meal, so it took less than ten minutes to settle in, unsaddling the horses and throwing our bedrolls and saddlebags onto the ground. We took awhile to groom the horses, and then Sharp went for the stash of biscuits. He threw me one as he started eating.

“Sure could use a cup of hot coffee,” I said.

“Yep, got downright chilly after sunset. Sure hope I don’t have to drop my drawers to do some business. Might freeze my pecker in the diminutive position.”

I laughed as I threw one of my bedroll blankets over my head and shoulders and tucked the ends under my butt to give me some protection from the cold and hard ground. “Do you think Red can find us in the dark?”

“Don’t see that it matters. This piece of ground is just as hard and cold as any on this mountain. Red’ll find us in the mornin’ … or when he needs us.”

“Or a biscuit,” Red said from behind us.

Both of us whirled toward the voice. I made a clumsy move for my Colt, but I had bound myself up tight with the blanket. Sharp, on the other hand, was free, and he leaped to his feet.

“Shit, Red!” Sharp exclaimed. “Quit sneakin’ up on us like that, or I’m gonna bell ya like a goddamn cat.”

“Bad idea. Wouldn’t be able to sneak up on Bane.”

“Did you find him?” I asked, pretending that I hadn’t been caught where I couldn’t protect myself.

Red nodded. “’Bout two hours away. Camped in a box canyon.”

“Ya see the girl?” Sharp asked.

“Nope, but I heard her curse at Bane once. She’s further up the canyon, further than I could go without being spotted.”

“Can we sneak her out after Raven leaves?” I asked.

“Raven already left,” Red said. “Passed by this way right after dark. Surprised he didn’t hear you two gabbing” He turned toward Sharp. “Gimme one of those biscuits.”

After Sharp threw him one, Red sat on a rock and gnawed on it a bit. Then he held aloft what he hadn’t eaten and waggled it at us. “There’s some white man’s food I like. Biscuits are good on the trail for a couple days.”

I tried again. “Red, can we get her out?”

He didn’t answer until he had finished the biscuit. Then, as he picked crumbs off his jacket and popped them into his mouth, he said, “No.” He harvested a couple more crumbs. “We gotta kill Bane first. She’s deep in a narrow gorge, and I saw no way to slip around. Probably tied hand and foot too.”

“Can we get enough of a sight line on Bane to use a rifle?” I asked.

Red grunted and shook his head. “Nope. He stays sheltered. He picked a good spot.” He looked off into the distance as if he could see something new in the dark. Then he shook his head again. “Couldn’t find a spot for a clean shot, at least not one I could climb to without being seen or heard. Too much loose shale. No … he’d hear me for sure.”

“Does he come out for water, game, or his toilet?” Before Red could answer me, I had another thought. “Wait. Raven took him fish hooks. Where can he fish?”

Red swept the last biscuit remains off his coat and stood. After pacing our little encampment for a while, he said, “There’s a tiny stream in the canyon, so he has water. Too small for fish, but it joins a good-size creek just below the mouth of his hideout. He could fish the creek and keep an eye on the canyon at the same time.”

Sharp jumped up as well. “Can we set up for an ambush … tonight? He might just do a little fishin’ in the morning.”

“I’ll go. You stay put,” Red said, as he started to walk away from the camp.

“No.” The firmness of my voice surprised even me. I hadn’t traipsed up here in freezing weather to watch over a young girl after she had been rescued. “We all go.”

Red pivoted to face me full on. “The captain put me in charge. Do as I say.”

“I thought all three of us had an equal voice.”

“Pinkertons
never
work that way. Somebody’s always in charge. Today, it’s me.”

“Okay … you’re in charge of all the Pinkertons on this expedition.”

Sharp laughed and stepped up to us so that we made a rough triangle. “Red, the captain forgot to tell us ya was the leader, so let’s just talk this through before one of us gets too het up.”

“We can help,” I added.

Red didn’t normally show emotion, but he looked angry now. “We’re in the wilderness, not some city saloon.”

“Jeff’s damn good with a rifle, and I’m even better. I’m sure you’re an expert marksman as well. If you remember, lots of men have tried to kill Bane. The man’s careful, and he’s got a hide as tough as a grizzly. If we spread out along different lines, then we’ll have a better chance of getting a clean shot … and if we all shoot, a better chance of killing him. You know, it might take three bullets to kill that son of a bitch.”

Red flicked his eyes between us. “If I agree, will you follow my instructions once we leave this camp?”

“If all three of us go, yer the boss,” Sharp said, slapping Red on the back.

Red’s face tightened even more. For a moment, I thought Sharp had gone too far, but eventually a grin slowly grew across Red’s face. “Then my first orders are to never slap the boss on the back.”

Chapter 39

I discovered that in the mountains, dawn didn’t break; light just seemed to seep from the eastern skyline until it was day. The two-hour ride had taken most of the night because we had led the horses on foot and then tethered them a good twenty minutes’ walk away from our hiding position. The three of us lay in an arc on the far side of a creek that ran down a sloping valley facing the entrance to the box canyon. Red had arranged us on the far side of the creek, assuming Bane would cross over to our side to watch the canyon mouth in case Maggie tried to escape.

I was in a swale about seventy yards from the creek, and as I lay in the wet grass, I hoped Bane liked trout for breakfast. I had wrapped one of my blankets around my shoulders as we walked the last part of the way. I now used it as ground cover, but it had soaked through and provided little comfort. Despite four heavy layers of clothing and the blanket, I could not remember being colder. I was shaking so much, I wondered if I could aim and squeeze the trigger with accuracy. I took out my flask and took a long sip. Perhaps the sun would bring a little relief from the chill, but I doubted it.

Shortly after looking through my field glasses, I spotted Bane peeking around an outcropping. I watched him examine the terrain for a full ten minutes before venturing out from behind cover. He was big and cruel looking. Raven might have projected meanness but not raw evil. Bane looked like an ogre eager to kill anything found breathing. He was huge. My guess would be only a few inches over six feet, but he must have approached three hundred pounds—all of which appeared solid. His pockmarked and scarred face would frighten a child, but his dark, challenging eyes moved men out of his way.

Holding the field glasses over my eyes with one hand, I fumbled beside me to make sure I knew exactly where my rifle lay. The plan was to wait until he crossed the creek to our side, but I wanted my rifle ready in case somebody took a hasty shot. Just as Bane got to the stream, he stopped and stared off to his left. I followed his line of sight with my glasses and eventually spotted a buck grazing no more than one hundred yards from Bane. While I trained my glasses on the deer, I heard a shot and saw it stumble onto its forelegs and then rear up and bolt in the opposite direction. I dropped the field glasses from my eyes and saw Bane run after the mortally wounded deer. Damn, now what? I raised my rifle and sighted on the running figure but held my fire. A long-distance shot at a moving target was too risky. I decided to wait for Bane’s return when he would be burdened with deer quarter. Since no one else shot either, I presumed Red and Sharp had come to the same conclusion.

After a few minutes, I saw Red scurry around the mountainside toward the canyon entrance. Just before he entered the canyon, he pointed at my position and then at Sharp’s, and then held up the flat of his hand at us. The message was clear. Sharp and I should stay put while Red went in to bring Maggie out. How much time did it take to gut, skin, dress, and quarter a deer? I wasn’t sure, but I focused my field glasses on where Bane had run after it. If he reappeared while Red was in the canyon, I would have to take the shot. After verifying that Bane was still gone, I looked around, but the low grass in the meadow didn’t offer a better vantage for an ambush. After checking again for Bane, I glanced over to where Sharp was positioned. I couldn’t see him, which was as it should be, but I hoped he would be ready to shoot with me if it became necessary.