Wildfire Creek (23 page)

“Find anything?” Gabe asked as Dax, Bull, and Walt joined the rest of the men.

“Look at this.” Bull handed the tin to Noah.

“Where’d you find this?” Noah turned it over in his hand, recognizing it.

“There’s a small grotto up in those boulders.” Bull pointed toward the large rock outcropping halfway up the hill. “Appears someone lived there until recently. You recognize it?”

“Suzanne packed biscuits in this for me a few months back. I realized it was missing maybe six or eight weeks ago.” Noah slid it into his saddlebag.

Gabe looked up at the darkening sky. “Guess we’d better start back.”

“You think it’s Running Bear’s people?” Noah asked Dax as they rode toward the ranch.

“Either them or some of Long Feather’s band. The only way to find out is to ride to Running Bear’s village and speak with him.”

“We’d best do it soon.” Bull didn’t like heading so far north this time of year. He’d hoped the thefts would have stopped by now, eliminating the need to track down the culprits. The damage at Luke’s place indicated otherwise.

“It might be best to head north tomorrow and wait to search again until Running Bear has looked at what we found. Bull and I can ride up,” Dax said.

“I’ll go with you.” Gabe wanted this settled before it created further tensions between the ranchers and local Blackfoot tribe. Or worse, escalated into violence if cattle or horses came up missing.

“Be at the ranch at sunup and we’ll head out.”

Chapter Sixteen

Moosejaw, Montana

“Maybe we’ll be able to head out tomorrow.” Luke let go of the curtain in the front window of the hotel. They’d been stuck in the eastern range of Montana for three days, waiting for the storm to pass. The last few hours had been the first signs it might be letting up. It would take at least two days to reach Big Pine, then one more for Luke to make it to Splendor.

Tom looked up from the piece of paper he held in his hand—a telegram from Sheriff Sterling. “At least we made it here before the worst of it started.” He handed the message to Luke, who read through it.

“No more robberies since you left. Maybe the gang has moved on.” Luke folded the message and tossed it on the table.

“Perhaps, or they may be laying low, waiting out the winter.”

“Except gold must be moved all year, not just when the weather’s clear. You would think a gold wagon, moving in thick snow, would be a prime target. Whatever the reason, I’d wager they’ll start up again, unless they’ve left Montana.” Luke’s words triggered a memory of Flatnose Darvis and his gang targeting gold transport wagons. They’d mentioned a ranch in Montana, but not the town. Could there be a connection between the robberies in Bison Basin, Idaho, and those near Big Pine? “Did you get a response from Dutch?”

Tom had sent a message to Dutch, wondering if he’d gotten a new assignment or still sat in Denver, as they sat in Moosejaw, biding his time.

“He’s waiting to hear from headquarters. Gus Salter offered him a job, taking over for Bob Bray.”

“Dutch, a ranch foreman?” Luke smiled at the thought of Dutch moving from Confederate spy to Pinkerton man to head wrangler. “I don’t see him working cows all day.”

Tom chuckled at the vision it made. “He turned Salter down.”

“Salter’s offer is positive in one way. Seems as if the family is moving on.” Luke thought of the stricken look on Gus’ face as he watched his friend die.

“He’s a tough one. My gut tells me they’ll be fine, including Nell.” Tom stood and walked to the window, looking on to the main street. “You’re right. Seems to be clearing up. It might be we can head out at first light.”

“We’ll need to wait until the telegraph office opens,” Luke said.

“Why’s that?”

“I need to send Dutch a message. It may be Pinkerton will want him to travel to Big Pine.”

North Boundary of Redemption’s Edge

Dax sat atop Hannibal, using his field glasses to look down onto the Blackfoot village below. He’d been watching a band of Running Bear’s warriors on the opposite ridge. They’d been following him, Gabe, and Bull for the last hour, making no move to approach.

The three started out at dawn, stopping only to rest the horses as they headed toward the Blackfoot village. Dax and Luke had met Running Bear once. The meeting had been cordial, the chief impressive, and the village filled with women and children. They’d been told the warriors were out hunting. Running Bear’s English had surprised Dax and Luke, neither expecting to be able to communicate with the chief. They’d been wrong.

“What do you see?”

Dax handed Gabe the field glasses. “Take a look.”

“The village looks quiet. Mainly women and children.” He handed the glasses to Bull, who took a quick look before giving them back to Dax.

“It’s not as large as I thought.” Bull shifted to look at the warriors, who still watched from the opposite ridge.

“Time to head down.” Dax nudged Hannibal forward.

When they were within a hundred yards of the village, Bull glanced over his shoulder to see the group who’d been following them closing in, forming a semicircle so there’d be no retreat unless the chief allowed it.

Children began to run toward them, drawing the attention of their mothers and the elders of the village. A pretty, young woman Dax recognized as Running Bear’s daughter walked to a tipi, opened the flap, and stepped inside. Within moments, Running Bear emerged and walked toward them in slow, measured strides, his head held high.

Dax, Gabe, and Bull slid from their horses, handing the reins to the children who crowded around. They waited in silence as the chief approached. He stopped before Dax, his face unreadable.

“It is good to see you again, my friend.”

“It is good to see you, Chief Running Bear. These are my friends, Gabe Evans and Bull Mason. We have come to speak with you about an important matter.”

The chief nodded, motioning for them to follow him. He spoke rapidly to the young warriors who’d followed them to the village, then continued on to his tipi and stepped inside.

“It seems we’re to follow him.” Dax stepped into the tipi behind Running Bear. Gabe and Bull followed, as did two elders from the village, everyone taking a seat on the ground.

Dax waited, uncertain of the etiquette for bringing up the reason for their visit.

Time passed without a word being spoken, Blackfoot or English, as each man took in the others, until Running Bear decided the time had come to speak.

“You say you have come to speak of an important matter, my friend?”

“Yes,” Dax replied.

The chief motioned with his hand to continue. It didn’t take Dax long to explain what had been happening, careful not to accuse the tribe of anything. He said they sought answers, nothing more. He pulled out the arrowheads and handed them to Running Bear, who turned them over in his hand, then gave them back to Dax.

“Do you know if they are from your village?” Dax asked as he slipped the arrowheads back in his pocket.

“There is no way to know.” Running Bear stood, motioning for Dax to follow him outside, while Gabe and Bull remained inside with the elders. “We will walk.”

They followed a path toward the creek, which ran to the west of the village. Running Bear stopped at the edge of the water, clasping his hands behind his back before breathing in the cold winter air.

“There is one who might have the answers you seek.”

“Who is this man?” Dax asked.

“Long Feather.”

“Yes, I know of him. How do I find Long Feather?”

“My braves tell me his people are camped to the north, a long way from here.”

Dax thought of the distance, thinking it made no sense unless a renegade group had splintered off, no longer camping with Long Feather’s band. Perhaps he’d exiled them. If they’d been unable to hunt or catch fish, they would be driven to steal.

“Does his village have many people?” Dax asked.

“Not so many as my people. There are few women and children.”

Dax heard nothing to provide answers about who could be stealing from the local ranchers. The one certainty seemed to be the innocence of those in Running Bear’s village. The chief knew them all and no one had vanished.

“Thank you, Running Bear. I will seek answers elsewhere.”

He followed the chief back to where Gabe and Bull still sat, cross-legged, inside the tipi.

“Let’s go.” Dax turned toward the horses. He reached into each saddlebag and took out several bundles, handing them to Running Bear. He’d watched Rachel pack fabric, tobacco, dried beans, and bread. At the last moment, she’d slipped in a handful of candy purchased from the general store.

Running Bear handed the packages to the women, and in return, offered Dax necklaces and bracelets of elk teeth, and a club with a stone head.

Dax, Gabe, and Bull rode out, again followed by the same group of young braves. They didn’t know any more now than when they rode in. As they rode, Dax explained what little Running Bear knew of the thefts and his suggestion of finding Long Feather.

“So far, nothing makes sense.” Bull rode next to Dax, puzzled by the lack of information. “No one from Running Bear’s village is missing, yet there were clear signs whoever is stealing is from one of the tribes.”

“Searching for Long Feather’s camp would gain us nothing. He’s not a friend of the whites. Running Bear has chosen to try to live alongside us, while Long Feather wants to rid us from the territory.” Dax looked over his shoulder, noting Running Bear’s braves no longer followed them. “His camp is miles away from our ranch or the Frey’s. They’d search for food closer to their village, not this far south.”

“We can continue to search the mountain.” Gabe wasn’t at all convinced they’d be able to locate the thieves before the worst storms began. “You, the Freys, and Luke can post men to keep watch on the supplies. Noah doesn’t have that option.”

“Hank is moving all the supplies into our root cellar, including the beans and grains. I don’t see how we can post an extra man at Luke’s. We’ll have to find another answer until the thieves are caught.”

“Do you want to continue the searches?” Bull asked.

Dax reined to a stop and slid off Hannibal, checking the cinch as he weighed the needs of the ranch against the small amount of supplies they’d lost.

“No. We’ll need every man to help with the stock, and I don’t see any real threat other than the loss of supplies.”

“You’re right, except you never know what anyone will do if they’re hungry and confronted by someone who has what they want.” Gabe pushed his hat further down and pulled up his collar to ward off the increasingly cold air.

“Luke should return soon. Once he does, I’ll speak with him. Maybe convince him to bring back anything of value and stay at the ranch over the winter.” He mounted Hannibal and turned toward home.

“Don’t count on it. He can be one stubborn cuss,” Bull chuckled, willing to bet Dax would have no luck talking Luke into moving back to the ranch house—especially with Ginny now living under the same roof.

Big Pine, Montana

“How do you know Frederick Marlow?” Sheriff Sterling asked Ezra Duncan, who’d agreed to become his newest deputy a couple of weeks before. He’d been introducing Duncan around, giving him his thoughts on the various citizens—good and bad.