The Fraud

by Julia Verinder

Second part of the Kindred Spirits series.

- 1 -

Chris was sitting outside the saloon with Buck when Mary came over with a telegram in her hand.

'It's from the Judge,' she told them. 'He'll be passing through on the stage tomorrow, visiting with Billy for a couple of hours, and says he has a job for you men. Something to do with the railroad.'

Chris and Buck looked at each other. They weren't particularly keen on the railroad companies but had never found the Judge's requests problematic in the past and so had no reason to be concerned about this task.

 

- 2 -

Judge Travis arrived on the stage as planned. His seven representatives in the town were loitering, curious about the nature of their mission.

'Good afternoon, gentlemen. Nice to see everything quiet for once.' That wasn't always the case when he dropped in on the town of Four Corners.

Chris nodded, then prompted, 'Mary said you had a job for us.'

'Yes.' He rested one elbow on the coach, wearier from the journey than he wanted to admit. He wondered how much longer he could keep up with the pace of the West. 'Central Pacific seems to have mislaid fifty thousand in gold. Having failed to find it themselves, they were looking for assistance and it seems someone suggested you boys.'

'Someone?' Chris asked.

'All I know is that their representative in this matter is a Mrs Costain. She is due to meet me here and will accompany you. As I understood she was traveling westwards, I had expected her to be on the stage.'

'Don't seem like a job for a woman,' Vin said in surprise.

He heard a movement behind him just as a hand rested on his shoulder.

'That so?'

He turned to find Mara a pace away, having left her horse in a sidestreet and approached unseen behind the coach. It took him a moment to recover his wits. It had been several months since they parted and he hadn't expected to see her again.

'Mara! What ya doin' here?'

'That's Mrs Costain to you, Mr Tanner.'

'Costain? I didn't know…'

'Don't recall you askin',' she smiled.

'You've already met?' the Judge asked.

Buck grinned at Chris, before saying, 'You might say that.'

'Is there a problem?' Travis inquired.

'No, Mara ain't a -'

'Careful, Vin,' Mara spoke into his ear.

'- problem,' he finished with a smile.

'So you suggested us?' Chris asked her.

Mara stepped away from Vin and adopted a more business-like stance.

''Fraid so. I know you ain't mad keen on this kinda thing but my client wanted the best in the territory and I figured you boys was it.' She looked at the Judge. 'Actually, I represent the railroad company's insurers.'

'How does one go about mislaying fifty thousand in gold?' Ezra inquired.

Mara's expression confirmed that she found it equally hard to believe.

'It was sent by wagon, with an escort, and never heard of again. Nobody even realized it hadn't showed up till it was three days overdue. Railroad bosses say a robbery but it don't seem like hardly anyone knew about it. Maybe someone got lucky or maybe the crew decided to retire in Mexico. Or maybe there never was no gold.'

'They already had people lookin'?' Vin asked.

She nodded. 'But from what I seen I doubt they'd find it if it was parked outside their office with a sign on.'

'Well,' Travis said. 'Since you know each other, I'll leave you to it and go see my grandson.'

The others retired to the saloon. Mara got herself a beer, took a sheaf of papers from the saddlebag she carried and spread out a map on one of the tables. She indicated the route planned for the wagon and the location of the last known sighting.

'This ain't an open-ended thing,' she told them. 'Judge don't want you outta town more than a month anyway. My client wants us to do what we can in that time to find out what happened. You don't have to take the job if you don't want and I reckon you don't need me to tell you it could get nasty if it is a con.'

Ezra's pecuniary instincts had already kicked in. 'And what might your client be offering by way of an incentive?'

She laughed. 'Had a bet with myself who'd ask that question,' she told him. 'If we find it, there's ten percent of whatever we recover on a straight eight-way split but I can't see that happenin'. Otherwise, fifty bucks apiece was the best I could do.'

'Sounds fair,' Chris said. He gave her a long look. 'How you see this workin'?'

She laughed again, sensing his meaning. 'I ain't no leader of men. We play it your way, 'cept you got no choice but to take me along. I can track good as Vin can - up to you what you do with that.'

Chris nodded and surveyed his companions' faces to gauge their interest in the task. 'Okay. Well, guess we leave first light tomorrow.'

Mara refolded the map, returned the papers to her bag and settled with her beer. The men joined her, interested to know how things had gone since she left Four Corners.

'How's Clay?' JD asked.

'Signed up with the Texas Rangers - reckon that was down to you. If they can't make a man out of him, it's a lost cause.'

Mara noticed Ezra looking curiously at her and raised her eyebrows.

'I hadn't realized you were a married woman, Mrs Costain.'

'Good for business - folk seem comfortable with nice, respectable widowhood.'

'Meaning that you aren't a widow or that you aren't married?'

'Meanin' it ain't none of your business.' She grinned at his piqued expression and said, 'Hell, I would be a widow if the son-of-a-bitch would do the decent thing and die, wouldn't I? Widow sounds better than husband shacked up with God-knows-who, God-knows-where.'

The gambler recovered his equanimity and smiled. 'I can see how it might.'

Vin took a good look at Mara. She was far more relaxed than when he'd seen her last and he enjoyed seeing her so confident. She drained her beer and took her leave, giving him a subtle wink to confirm that she hoped to see him later.

'Well, friends,' Josiah said. 'Could be a hard month ahead. Some big country out there.'

'Six hundred and twenty-five dollars,' Ezra almost purred, 'Would pay for a very hard month indeed.'

Nathan grinned. 'Don't count your chickens, Ezra.'

 

- 3 -

Vin hung around for an hour before slipping off to the hotel. He made sure he wasn't seen, though he knew the others would expect him to be doing what he was doing and would surely note his absence. Mara opened the door and pulled him inside.

'Took your time, Mr Tanner.'

'I was tryin' to be subtle,' he told her as she shoved him against the wall.

She laughed at that, stood back and asked, 'Want me to order up some tea?'

He strode forward and threw her back onto the bed, unbuckling her belt and removing her pants in one fluid movement. She laughed delightedly, watching through narrowed eyes as he lost his own hat, boots and pants. It was over in seconds but neither was concerned. Acquaintance renewed, there'd be time for round two after they'd caught up with their news.

Routine chat exhausted, Vin commented on the change in Mara. 'Ya seem happier these days.'

She gave a half shrug. 'Clay's settled, work's goin' well and I been lookin' forward to seein' you again.' She paused. 'You seem sadder.'

It was his turn to shrug. 'Ain't nothin' really.' He paused far longer than she had before continuing, uncertain whether to tell her about the affair he'd had in her absence. Knowing she'd always been frank with him, he decided he should. 'We escorted a wagon train a ways back. I got mixed up with a married woman, took off for a while but she went back to her husband in the end.'

'You love her?'

'Reckon so.'

'She love you?'

'Ain't so sure. She was goin' through a rough patch, said I was kind and excitin'. Figure she loved her husband more, when it came down to it.'

'You are kind and excitin'. Married couples have history - sometimes that's for the good, sometimes it ain't.'

He pulled her close. 'I'm real glad to see y'again. Didn't expect ya back.'

'You made quite an impression.' She led him gently into their second union, sensing his need for reassurance.

When he eventually lay back satisfied, he thought about how it was with her compared with how it had been with Charlotte. He'd felt protective of the abused young wife, feelings that had easily turned into love. Being with Mara was more of a partnership, with a physical aspect that thrilled him to his core. It wasn't love in a conventional sense - they were too independent for that - but it was more akin to his nature and his life.

Mara followed his thoughts pretty closely.

'Lotsa kinds of love, Vin. Better not to dwell on more or less, better or worse.'

He rolled onto his side and looked deep into her eyes.

'Yeah. That was then, this is now. And I am real glad to see ya.'

She smiled at the emphasis he placed on the repetition of the simple sentiment.

'The wagon train business what's botherin' Chris?' she asked. 'It wasn't just the who's in charge thing, was it?'

'Don't miss much, do ya? It was a mess, put him in a difficult position, even if I came through in the end. He don't want my brains in my pants this time out.'

'Well, ain't sure I can keep my hands off you for a month but it won't be on his time.'

Vin nodded. 'Best I can say too.'

 

- 4 -

The eight riders assembled at first light as planned, then headed out at a crisp pace. They had a long way to go and would need to strike a careful balance between covering the ground and saving their horses. It was mid-morning before Mara took an opportunity to join Chris while he was alone. He nodded to her.

'Vin told me about the wagon train thing. Said he put you in a spot.'

Chris grinned. 'Got a bit lively a couple of times.'

'You know it ain't the same thing here?'

The fair-haired man gave a half-nod. 'I just need to know his mind's on the job.'

'We take time out, it won't be when we're s'posed to be doin' somethin' else. Good enough?'

He met her eye with fresh respect. 'Good enough.'

 

- 5 -

Mara spent the afternoon renewing her friendship with Ezra, after telling him how much more profitable her poker game had been since his tuition during her last visit. They were worlds apart but shared a mutual respect. He admired a woman who, like his mother, could take care of herself without any help from anyone. She admired the sharpness of his mind and that was what they tested while they walked their horses.

'There is always scope to develop one's skills, Mrs Costain. Even while riding, one can exercise one's memory.'

He went on to deal her an imaginary hand and then to conduct an imaginary game, testing how long she could track her cards. When he lost her, she protested.

'How do I know you ain't lyin'? And who knows what's in your hand?'

He smiled. 'Very well. Full disclosure and you keep notes.'

She thought on that and then took out a small leather-bound notebook.

'Okay.'

He repeated the exercise and she found he was spot on.

'Jesus, Ezra. It's a wonder you got any room left in that head o' yours, if it's filled up with poker games.'

'Knowing every card that has been played offers one a considerable advantage, without recourse to more questionable strategies.'

She put away the notebook and slapped him on the shoulder. 'Good to catch up with you again, bucko.'

'Likewise, ma'am, likewise.'

 

- 6 -

Two long days in the saddle brought them to their first town at dusk on the second day. None of them was averse to eating and sleeping on the trail but Buck and Ezra in particular welcomed a drink and sight of civilization every now and then. Mara headed for the telegraph office to send the first of her promised reports while the others went for the saloon. They were settled with beers by the time she came in.

Two men leaving the saloon had almost passed her by when the first of them took a second look.

'Hey, Bill, it's a woman.'

His friend checked her out. 'So it is.'

They blocked her path and looked more closely. Mara tolerated their proximity and waited to see where they were going with it.

Chris noted Vin's amused expression and saw the truth in Mara's words. This liaison was quite different. Vin would have defended Charlotte but knew Mara had no need of him with the odds as they stood.

The first man was only inches away from Mara when he said, 'Ordinarily, I prefer my women to look like women but I reckon I could make an exception in your case.'

Bill grabbed Mara's right arm at the elbow, aiming to push her outside. Stepping back, she used her left hand to land a hook on his jaw, sending him sprawling. Stepping forward again, she grasped the first man's testicles with her freed right hand and leaned closer still.

'Ordinarily, I prefer my men to have balls. You don't git out of my way, you won't qualify.'

The man glared but stepped aside, following his friend out of the saloon as soon as she had passed.

Mara collected a beer from the bar and joined her friends. They were all stifling grins and the irritation on her face was soon chased away by a smile.

'Well, I ask you.' She downed half her beer in one deep draught.

After a minute or two, Nathan asked, 'You do this sorta work a lot, Mara?'

She raised her eyebrows. 'Search for lost gold? Not often. Do all sorts of investigations, from spyin' on errant husbands to bits and pieces for the government. Lot of insurance work.'

'Is it a good living?' Ezra inquired.

'Good enough. Keeps me fed, clothed and my own boss. That's all I ask. Course I'da got a lot richer by now if I hadna had Clay to spend my money for me.'

'Seems a hard life,' Buck commented.

'For a woman?' she inquired. 'Seems a lot like your lives, you ask me.'

'Touché,' Ezra concurred.

She polished off the remainder of her beer. 'Well, reckon I'll leave you boys to it.'

She headed for the hotel, letting Vin decide for himself whether to join her. He followed a half-hour later, acknowledging the knowing looks from his companions with a shrug and a grin.

Buck looked at Chris, remembering Mara's purposeful approach the previous morning.

'What she say to you yesterday mornin'?'

His friend was caught by surprise for a moment, then realized to what Buck was referring.

'Vin told her about the wagon train. She knew I was edgy havin' her along 'cause of that mess. She said this ain't the same thing, won't be on my time.' He looked at the other men. 'She's right. Could see that just now.'

Buck laughed. 'Can't see the day comin' when Mara needs help with dirt like them two.' He was more serious when he added, 'You fellas aside, can't think of anyone I'd rather have coverin' my tail than her.'

The others were in agreement. All liked and respected the woman, and had no concern over Vin's renewed involvement with her.

 

- 7 -

Back in her room, Mara held Vin close. There was a vulnerability about him now that she had not seen before. She could feel him measuring his feelings and comparing their intimacies with his recent past. She was afraid he'd find her wanting by comparison with this new standard.

'You wanna call this off, Vin?'

He started. 'No. Why?'

'Just get the feelin' you ain't really here.'

He sat up thoughtfully, facing her and examining her closely before replying.

'No, it ain't that.'

'What then?'

'How ya feel about me?'

She narrowed her eyes, trying to see what was going on his mind.

'Nothin's changed for me, Vin. I told you before, you're real special.'

He recalled her parting words. 'Still think the sun comes up and goes down with me?'

'Don't it?'

He pulled her into a sitting position and kissed her, a lingering kiss filled with loving and longing. She responded with all her being and they sat clasped in each other's arms.

'Reckon I ain't ready to be let down again yet, is all.'

She smiled, suddenly understanding his feelings. She remembered the day they first swam together and his words to her then. 'I ain't gonna hurt you. Not sayin' I'll marry you, mind.'

He recalled her words from that distant afternoon. 'Seems ya still ain't got round to gettin' un-married.'

'I love you, Vin. May not be the same kinda love she coulda give you but I'd die for you.'

'Same for me,' he assured her. His expression lightened and he wrestled her backwards into submission, adding, 'Let's hope it don't come to that.'

 

- 8 -

They left the town at daybreak and settled to three days of hard riding. Vin's spirits were noticeably improved, making his friends realize for the first time how subdued he had been since losing Charlotte. As they thundered across the open plain, Chris saw Vin watching Mara's back as she rode comfortably in front with Buck and JD. The fair man grinned.

'What?' Vin called across.

'Nothin'.'

Vin laughed. 'More my type, huh?'

'Man who lives out of a wagon needs a certain sort of woman.'

'Don't see Mara as a sort - she's one of a kind.'

'She's good for you, Vin. You needed a lift.'

Vin nodded. 'Hadn't realized how much it had got me down.' Not wanting to discuss it further, he changed the subject. 'You reckon we'll see any six hundred bucks?'

'No. You?'

'No. What would ya do with it?'

'Don't know. You?'

'Don't know.'

The two men exchanged amused looks. This was their life: a wild-goose chase for a reward they didn't need. But neither of them objected to a few weeks in open country, a break from town and routine.

 

- 9 -

It was way past dusk when they reached the town where the wagon had last been seen, the beginning of their investigation. It was a wretched place, with a tatty boarding house and a spit-and-sawdust saloon. Having seen its heyday when the prospectors came through, the town had only clung on to existence thanks to a trickle of railroad and cattle men.

Ezra perused their surroundings with distaste. 'One feels apprehensive about touching anything.'

They were by far the least revolting party in the saloon, which was quite an achievement after five days on the trail. That made them a magnet for the bevy of heavily painted women dotted around the establishment, probably the only females in the town. Even Chris would have needed to be blind drunk to consider their favors, though he was less obviously repelled than some of the others. Ezra shifted his chair hastily to avoid making contact, while JD shrank away from a hugely fat woman who seemed to feel he needed mothering.

Mara watched with a mixture of horror and fascination, considering a life spent servicing the deadbeats that populated the saloon, but soon sprang into action when one of the less offensive members of the group approached Vin. She tipped her chair back into the woman's path and gave her a hard look.

'You keep your hands off him.'

The woman was taken momentarily by surprise, not having noticed Mara's sex, then looked at Vin inquiringly. Amused that Mara felt the need to defend her property, he shrugged and said, 'Ya heard the lady.'

The group of women drifted away sourly, not welcoming the confirmation that they were well past their best.

Buck grinned at Mara. 'Wouldn'ta had you down as the jealous type.'

She scowled. 'Gotta handle him after, ain't I?' Her voice was low, betraying her reluctance to insult women who had fallen on such hard times.

Chris took himself and a bottle of whiskey over to the bar and pulled up a stool next to a woman who had not approached them. She was no better than the others in looks or presentation but her demeanor suggested she held herself above them. He gave her a sidelong glance, then pushed the bottle towards her. She refilled her glass, knocked it back in one and then poured another.

'What brings you fellas here then? I can see it ain't the scenery.'

'Lookin' for somethin',' he told her. 'Heard a railroad wagon came through here few weeks back. Driver, four men on horseback.'

She eyed him up and returned to the whiskey.

He placed a dollar on the bar. She regarded it disdainfully. He added another.

'Railroad men already been here askin'. Told 'em we seen it.'

'Know anythin' else?'

'Like?'

'Where they were headed? Which way they went?'

The woman debated the question then shouted at the ceiling. 'Dolly!'

Perhaps half a minute passed before a girl of no more than sixteen came halfway down the stairs on the far side of the room, clutching a sheet around herself. She might have been pretty had her face not been ravaged by pock marks. Mara shuddered, moved by pity for a young thing relegated to a life of such unremitting misery.

'Remember that railroad fella back round your birthday?'

The girl's expression showed that she remembered and that it wasn't a happy memory.

'You see which way they headed? He say anythin'?'

'Heard him ask old Joe whether the north or south pass was best with a wagon. Joe said south.' Seeing she was no longer required, she returned to her work.

The woman went to take the coins. Chris covered them with his hand. 'Where is this south pass?'

'Ride west. You'll see a twin peak. Head for that. Trail to the pass forks left.'

Chris removed his hand and returned to his friends.

'Stay or go on?' he asked.

They were unanimous in preferring nice clean dirt somewhere to the infested mattresses they expected to find in the boarding house they'd seen. They returned to their horses and rode into the darkness, taking a steady pace on the stony ground. Vin and Mara brought up the rear, riding so close that their boots touched.

He reached a hand over and rested it on her thigh.

'Y'ain't the jealous type, are ya?'

Even in the poor light of a new moon, he saw she was embarrassed by the question. Her answer was oblique.

'Been thinkin' on and off what it'da been like to come in and find you gone off with that woman. Hadn't reckoned on that. Can't say why - ain't as if you ain't a good-lookin' fella.'

He smiled. 'Didn't happen and I ain't goin' nowhere now.'

She covered his hand with her own.

They made camp by a small creek, four or five miles out of town. Vin set out to find some supper, while Mara moved a way downstream before taking off her shirt to wash in the cold water. Rubbing her own smooth skin, she saw the rough painted complexions of the women in the saloon. She looked at the backs of her hands in the dim light: white as they seemed, she knew they had the color and texture of old leather. Life in the open was putting years on her and she wondered how much better she looked than those women did. She sat on a fallen tree, naked from the waist up, deep in thought. She snapped back to life when she heard Buck's call.

'Mara! You all right?'

'Yeah, sure.' Dressing hastily, she returned to their camp.

The tall man smiled apologetically. 'Didn't mean to rush you. Just seemed you'd been a while.'

She appreciated his concern. 'I… Jesus, I'm goin' soft… Hell, that girl.'

Buck nodded and squeezed her shoulder. Neither he nor the others enjoyed seeing women in such straits and he knew how deeply the spectacle had affected her. Few of her sex had the skills or resourcefulness to carve a niche for themselves with such independence as she had. He watched over her, as she settled herself by the fire and stared into the flames, until Vin returned with a brace of rabbits. Josiah and JD soon had them skinned and roasting, the appetizing aroma helping to expunge the ugly little town from their thoughts.

'Times like this, we could use a fiddler like on the wagon train,' Nathan remarked. He often thought of the old man who had left him a parcel of the homestead, which he had himself passed on to a widow in the group.

Ezra looked up from polishing his pocket-watch. 'If Mr Tanner learned to play that accursed harmonica, instead of using it as an instrument of torture, he would be able to regale us.'

Mara looked at Vin. 'I didn't know you had a harmonica.'

He grinned. 'My talent ain't appreciated round here.'

'What talent?' JD demanded. 'He wails on it when he wants to be on his own and can't be bothered to move.'

Mara held out her hand. Vin inclined his head to one side, then reached into his pocket and passed her the instrument. She turned it over several times, drifting back half a lifetime.

'Used to play along when my Pa fiddled. Ain't picked up a harmonica since I don't know when.'

She played a haunting melody that wrenched, more than tugged, on the heartstrings. Vin put a hand on her arm.

'Ya s'posed to be cheerin' us up,' he reminded her.

She launched into one of her father's favorite sea shanties. Its meaning was lost without the words but the tune somehow evoked the high seas. While they waited for supper, she ran through a medley of songs from her childhood. When the meat was cooked, she handed the harmonica back to Vin with a tearful smile.

Somehow the privations of others drew them closer. As they shared the light meal, Ezra passed round his flask with uncharacteristic generosity. When they settled for the night, Mara unselfconsciously lay down close to Vin, needing the company and knowing it would cause no concern or comment among their companions.

 

- 10 -

Their seventh day on the trail marked the start of the search. They found the south pass - the woman's instructions being both clear and accurate - reined back and surveyed the landscape. The weather had been settled for a while so there was a fair chance of finding tracks if nothing had passed over them. The run-down town had one advantage: had it been a thriving community, the road would have been well-used.

Chris turned to Vin and Mara. 'You two wanna take a look around?'

The other men dismounted and brewed coffee, while Vin and Mara separated where the rock ended and criss-crossed the flat valley bottom methodically. The sun was nearing its zenith when Mara gave a short whistle. The men watched Vin ride over to her and then waited while the two of them inspected the ground closely and worked their way slowly westwards. Ten minutes later, there was another whistle and Vin waved them down. They regrouped beside a clear set of wheelmarks. Presumably the escort had thought erasing half a mile of tracks would suffice.

'Right sort of wagon?' Chris asked.

'Looks like the right rims and spacin',' Mara confirmed. 'Can't be sure.'

'Ain't found nothin' else,' Vin added.

'Okay, let's go.'

They followed the trail fairly easily for the rest of the day, hitting some slow patches around rock and water but nothing to give Vin and Mara serious trouble. When they camped for the night, they gathered round the map. The wagon wasn't following its planned route but the deviation was relatively minor, certainly not one to suggest the crew planned to retire in Mexico.

Josiah looked thoughtful. 'Just far enough off course to make it hard to find, wouldn't you say?'

Mara grinned. 'Sorry, Ezra, but I'm gettin' that flat-fee feelin'.'

His disappointment was evident but he only shrugged. 'You were frank in your appraisal of the likely outcome, Mrs Costain.'

Noon the next day brought them into another town, not very much larger than the prospecting relic but far more salubrious. The area around it was farmed and the town supplied the locals. A board proudly declared its name to be Independence.

Watched by the inhabitants with equal measures of curiosity and wariness, the group hitched their horses and split up to make use of the facilities. It was a chance to get clean and pick up fresh provisions. Chris and Ezra made for the saloon, Chris to ask questions and Ezra to look for potential losers. Josiah and Nathan went for the supplies, with JD in tow on the lookout for something Casey might like.

Seeing a few pretty fillies peeping shyly from doors and windows, Buck started with a bath. Hoping to fit in a session with Mara at some point, Vin went with him. The two men were surprised to find her behind them when they reached the door. Bathhouses didn't provide for women, who were expected to bathe at home or in a hotel. She winked and followed them in, letting Buck toss payment for three to the half-asleep attendant. Each bath was enclosed by curtains anyway, though Vin doubted Mara would have lost much sleep over stripping in front of Buck if she had to. She was still soaking contentedly when the two men dressed and left. Vin was uncertain about leaving her alone there but decided she'd probably done it a hundred times before.

Josiah and Nathan were coming out of the dry goods store with their purchases when Mara left the bathhouse. They exchanged amused glances; like Vin, they viewed Mara as one of a kind. They watched her stride into Main Street, then stop abruptly to inspect a small bundle on a bench outside the telegraph office. A woman hurried out and swept the bundle away from Mara, who was clearly flustered and stepped back hastily. The woman took a closer look, surprise on her face, then softened visibly. The men could not hear what was said but watched the mother hand her baby to Mara, who held it up to her face while it smiled and waved its arms.

Nathan felt, rather than heard Vin's approach and looked round to see the tracker watching the scene with a smile. After a minute or two, Mara passed the infant back to its mother, pressed a hand on hers and then continued on her way.

In response to the men's looks of surprise, Vin said, 'She lost a baby when she was young. Can't have no more. Husband left her for someone who could.' Perhaps it was breaking a confidence but his friends' expressions held only sympathy, as he had known they would.

He set off to intercept Mara before she reached the saloon. When she caught sight of him, he gave a slight nod in the direction of the livery stables. She winked and passed the saloon without breaking stride, making a circuit of the block and approaching the stables from behind. When Vin joined her, they sized up the place and found a deserted haystore out back. The only person they were likely to run into was Buck on a similar mission.

'Seems a while since I had ya t'myself,' Vin told her.

'Yeah, woke up a couple of times wantin' you real bad. Yard away might as well have been the moon.'

'Reckon we earned our keep yesterday and today. Let the others do some work now.'

They lost their boots and pants, though Vin was careful to hang his gun-belt where he could reach the weapon in an instant and Mara hung her own beside it. She smiled at the thought of a confrontation without pants. He set his back against a bale, while she slid onto his lap and helped him inside herself. He unbuttoned her shirt and cupped her breasts, delighting in their firm symmetry and the response of her dark nipples. They took their time, working up slowly to mutual satisfaction and then holding each other close for a while afterwards.

Half an hour later, they were just leaving as Buck arrived with an attractive brunette. The tall man grinned, while his companion made a show of coyness that was somewhat at odds with visiting a haystore in the company of a man who had ridden into town less than two hours earlier. Vin touched his hat to her and matched Mara's stride to the saloon. All the men apart from Buck were there, although Ezra was engaged in a game with some of the locals. The couple took their beers to their friends' table.

'Any luck?' Vin asked.

Chris's inquiries had brought some success. 'Definitely came through here, headed that way.' He nodded in a south-westerly direction. 'Nobody seems to know anythin' else. You seen Buck?'

Vin said only, 'He's busy right now.'

'I'll bet,' JD said. 'Which was it, the fair one or the dark one?'

Vin grinned. 'Dark.'

'He's slippin',' Buck's protégé gloated. 'Was a time, he'da had 'em both.'

Chris shook his head with a wry smile. If he could live with Buck's libido, he wondered why he'd been concerned about Vin and Mara's discreet absences.

It was nearly an hour before Buck returned, looking more preoccupied than self-satisfied.

'You find out much?' he asked Chris, who told him what he'd told the others. 'I just been-'

JD cut him off. 'We know what you just been, Buck.'

The older man made a face at the youngster. 'Seems the young lady in question also entertained one of our friends with the wagon.'

The whole group sat up and paid attention, surprised that Buck's pants had taken him in a useful direction for once.

'Sounds like he was well the worse for wear and she couldn't make much sense of what he said, but he really seemed to think what they were carryin' was valuable. Course, he might just have been sayin' that to impress.'

Mara picked up his thread. 'But on the other hand, you knew the railroad was plannin' an insurance job, why not use it as cover to take somethin' for real? Long as it was less than the claim, the company ain't gonna kick up a stink.'

'Right,' Chris said, reluctantly adding, 'May as well keep movin'.' A longer rest in Independence would have been welcome but their time was limited.

 

- 11 -

They camped that night near a pool below a low cascade. It reminded Vin of the place he had taken Mara when they gave up their pursuit of her brother months before. He saw her gazing wistfully at the water, knowing she wanted to go in and wondering if it held the same echoes for her. She said nothing. They were all tired from several days of hard riding and turned in early.

He woke at dawn to find Mara's bedroll empty. Apart from Ezra, always reluctant to surrender his beauty sleep, the others were stirring. Chris looked at the vacant bedroll and raised his eyebrows at Vin, who nodded toward the pool. They stood and shielded their eyes against the rising sun. There indeed was Mara's head of black hair floating across the pool at a leisurely pace.

They smiled. It wasn't something they'd have considered doing under the circumstances but the thought of the cool clear water was appealing. JD and Buck got up to see what their friends were looking at. JD sometimes swam with Casey and was especially tempted. Buck grinned at him and they wandered over to the water's edge. Vin watched, amused, knowing they expected to find Mara in her underclothes and knowing they would not.

'Room in there for two more?' Buck called out to her.

She nodded and watched them strip to their underwear and plunge in. Buck and JD fooled around for a while, trying to drown each other, while Mara swam peacefully. It was only when she left the water and slipped back to where she had left her clothes behind some bushes that her bathing companions realized she was totally naked. Even Buck was taken aback for a moment but soon recovered and resumed his assault on JD. When they eventually emerged, the drawback of their approach became apparent: they had to wait for their long-johns to dry out a bit before dressing again.

Ezra had surfaced by the time Josiah and Nathan had coffee ready. He frowned at Buck and JD.

'I'm not sure I can stomach the sight of you gentlemen in your underwear at this ungodly hour.'

'It's lucky you're a late riser,' Buck retorted, 'Or you'da had to stomach the sight of Mara without hers.'

Ezra was unperturbed. 'Infinitely preferable, I assure you.'

An hour or so wasted but with spirits raised, they finally got underway. There wasn't to be much laughter over the next day and a half. The landscape was mostly solid rock that took no tracks. Vin and Mara concentrated for hour after hour as they searched for the smallest sign of the wagon's passage. Around noon on the second day, they began to suspect they'd made a mistake. An hour later, they were sure.

The other six men had reined back while the trackers tried to recover the situation. They exchanged glances as they saw how tired and irritable the man and woman in front of them were becoming.

Mara stood, took off her hat and ran a hand through her hair.

'We shoulda gone south at that arroyo.'

'Don't recall ya sayin' so,' Vin said, with uncharacteristic annoyance.

'Yeah, I did.'

'Five miles later maybe.'

'Like you'da listened anyhow.'

'What's that s'posed t'mean?'

'You're a man, ain't you? Always gotta know best.' She shoved him angrily.

He shoved her back. 'Oh, yeah. And y'always reasonable, ain't ya woman?'

She went to punch him but he caught her fist.

'Don't even think about it,' he growled.

'Oh, bugger you!' She snatched her hand away from him, vaulted onto her gray and made away as fast as she dared over the treacherous surface.

Vin kicked a rock savagely after her and then turned back to the others. They hastily wiped the grins off their faces. They weren't amused that they had lost the wagon, or indeed at their friends' distress, but the episode had an undeniable comic quality in the middle of the vast, barren waste in which they were huddled.

Vin sighed deeply, shook his head at them and then gave a tired smile.

Chris laughed. 'Reckon you could use a break.'

Vin nodded and let them make a temporary camp around him. He knew Mara would be back when she had calmed down. It was less than half an hour before she rode up, put her horse with the others and came over.

Laying a hand on his shoulder, she said, 'Sorry, Vin.'

He patted her leg. 'Me too.'

She dropped heavily to the ground and accepted a coffee from Buck.

'It's this goddamned shithole of a place. It'd a try the patience of a saint.'

'And a saint you ain't, girl,' Buck told her.

'Reckon ya were right,' Vin admitted. 'The arroyo's our best shot.'

'Okay,' Chris agreed.

Six hours later they made camp. They were back on better form, having followed clear signs of the wagon down the dry gully for several miles before calling it a day when they reached the point where the subterranean watercourse emerged to form a creek.

 

- 12 -

They had been riding for only an hour or so the next morning when the creek disappeared over a ledge. They rode forward to look, then reined back hastily as they saw the height of the drop below them. They dismounted and inspected the precipice more closely. There was no easy way down.

A few minutes later, they heard JD's call some way to their right. When they joined him, he pointed to the base of the rockface below. Well hidden among the trees was the wreckage of a wagon, complete with a team of long dead mules.

'We'll climb down, take a look.' Buck volunteered himself and JD.

Chris nodded. 'Okay. Take it steady. Vin, Mara, see if you can figure out what happened to the riders. Josiah, Nathan, see if there's an easier way down that side.' He waved to the west of the falls. 'Ezra, we'll take this side.'

An hour later, they reconvened by the wagon, Josiah and Nathan having found a steep trail on the west side of the waterfall. Vin soon picked up the riders' tracks heading south from the bottom of the trail. Buck and JD had unloaded forty small sacks from the wagon. A small slit in each revealed the contents to be sand, not gold.

The party of investigators pondered their discoveries. The only surprising thing was that the driver of the wagon had accompanied it over the precipice.

'Guess he wasn't in on the scheme,' Josiah remarked.

'We know if it was him the girl was talkin' about?' Chris asked Buck. If it was, his belief in the value of the cargo was not surprising. If it wasn't, there could be a second scheme using the cover of the first.

The tall man shook his head slowly as he tried to remember exactly what the girl had said. 'Hang on. She said somethin' about…' he paused. 'Hell, I ain't sure I want to check on this.'

He disappeared round the front of the wagon while the others looked at each other in amusement. They heard the body fall heavily as Buck extricated it from the wagon and then his exclamation at the stench of the partially decomposed corpse. He returned after a few more seconds.

'No, don't reckon it was him.'

Mara loaded one of the small sacks into her saddlebag as evidence. There was no sense in weighing themselves down with forty sacks of sand.

Ezra looked at Chris. 'It seems reasonable to assume that each sack was intended to contain one thousand dollars of gold. Forty here - perhaps ten are missing.'

Chris gave a maybe-maybe-not movement with his head. 'Stupid to leave it. They shoulda took the whole lot.'

Vin spoke up. 'They never expected it to be found. Look at the trouble we had findin' it. Ain't sure me or Mara woulda found it on our own and I don't reckon the railroad's got too many like us.'

'Anyway,' Josiah added, 'How could they make a convincing scene here without killing themselves?'

'True enough,' Chris conceded.

Ezra had meanwhile perked up. 'We should get after them with the minimum possible delay.'

'Don't want 'em spendin' your reward, huh, Ezra?' Mara mocked her avaricious friend.

'One hundred and twenty-five dollars is not to be dismissed lightly.'

'Hell, Ezra,' Vin said. 'Those numbers just come into ya head by themselves?' The tracker had not even considered how current developments might affect their stakes in the investigation.

The gambler shrugged. 'Unlike yourself, Mr Tanner, I have ambitions over and above loitering in the wilderness for the rest of my days.'

Vin satisfied himself with a dismissive snort at that summation of his own plans.

Chris grinned at the latest clash between the most mismatched pair in his team. 'Well, as much as I hate to agree with Ezra, I vote for minimum possible delay.'

They were soon mounted and following the four riders' tracks. As Vin had surmised, they did not expect to be followed and the loose dirt in the gully made for easy tracking, giving Vin and Mara a welcome break from their duties. Some time later, she found herself riding with Chris, a little way behind the others. She looked across several times, almost speaking and then stopping herself. Normally so unintrusive, he eventually prompted her.

'What's on your mind?'

'Nothin' to do with this business.'

'So, what's on your mind?' he repeated.

'I… What was the woman on the wagon train like? The one Vin…'

Although he had suspected she was thinking along those lines, the question itself took him a little by surprise.

'You asked him?'

'Not exactly.'

'What's he told you?'

'That he loved her but that she loved her husband more than him.'

Chris pondered that summary.

'She and her husband lost a child, a year or two before Vin met her. Husband hadn't dealt with it too well. Angry, pickin' fights, pushin' her around, pretty much drove her to Vin. Ain't for me to say how much was pity, how much was love on Vin's side. Guess he seemed kind and excitin' to her.'

Mara smiled, saw Chris's inquiring look, and said, 'Those were her exact words, kind and excitin'.'

Chris thought for a minute, realizing Mara didn't really care what the woman had seen in Vin but rather what he had seen in her. He wasn't sure he could shed much light on that.

'She was a farmer's wife. That's what she was and that's what she wanted to be. That's why she stayed there and that's why he let her. She was a good-lookin' woman, but no more so than you, and 'sides I seen Vin ignore a lot of good-lookin' women. Reckon he got caught up in the situation, more than anythin'.' He thought before continuing. 'Don't let it worry you, Mara. It was one of those things that was never gonna work out and brought him a lot of sorrow. We can all see how happy he is now you're back.'

She gave a warm smile, appreciating his concern for her feelings, and joked, ''Ceptin' yesterday afternoon.'

He laughed that off. 'Vin can handle someone cussin' and throwin' a punch better than someone who don't know what she wants and messes up everyone's life while she decides.'

She inclined her head to one side. 'Hard losin' a child. Don't always think so clear after.'

He guessed she knew his past, met her eye and saw that was a misery they shared, though perhaps under different circumstances. He nodded. 'True. Reckon I ain't in a position to judge.'

'Me neither. Thanks.' She rode forward to join Vin and Nathan.

 

- 13 -

Two days later, mid-afternoon, the investigators hit another, much larger, town. They soon established that the four men had spent a couple of weeks there before heading south-east. That suggested they had decided their course during their stay, as they had previously been traveling west-south-west. The eight pursuers wouldn't be retracing their steps but could have cut off a considerable corner had they known their quarry's plans. They were now gathered round a large table in the saloon. Chris surveyed the fatigue in the faces before him.

'Minimum possible delay notwithstanding,' Ezra mooted, 'A hand or two of poker and a comfortable bed hold a certain appeal at the present time.'

Chris considered that, seeing no objections to the suggestion from the others.

'Still got half the month to run and it looks as if we'll be driftin' in somethin' like the right direction to get back,' he reasoned. 'Okay, we'll move out in the mornin'.'

There was a choice of accommodation, from a simple but clean boarding house, through two decent hotels, to another altogether smarter one. Mara had been eyeing the latter thoughtfully. Although her companions would never have guessed it, she enjoyed a bit of luxury from time to time.

The others planned to start with baths and fresh clothes. Even men of their ilk had certain minimum standards that they were now on the way to violating. Mara caught Vin's arm and stopped him joining them. He looked surprised and raised an eyebrow.

'C'mon,' she said and led him towards the hotel.

He balked at the sight of it. 'Ya kiddin', Mara. They'd never let us in anyhow.'

She insisted so he followed and watched, dumbfounded, as she swept past the doorman and approached the desk. He had never heard the refined voice she used to book them in as Mr and Mrs Costain, offering no explanation for the conditions under which they now found themselves traveling.

'We would like a suite, with a bathroom. We shall require a laundry service and we shall be eating in our room, if you are able to arrange that.' The advance payment and substantial tip she offered ensured that the man was able to arrange it, especially with her calculated assurance that they would not be visible to other guests.

Slipping her arm through Vin's, she steered him in the porter's wake. The man inquired whether he should unpack their saddlebags but Mara dispatched him with a tip. Before leaving, he assured her that their laundry would be returned by six o'clock in the morning if they put it out by six o'clock that evening.

'Don't mind spendin' a dollar, do ya?' Vin said in amazement.

'No point makin' it if you don't enjoy it,' she retorted as she went to inspect the bathroom.

The facilities came up to her standards, with a large tub and, wonder of wonders, the latest in modern plumbing. She turned on the faucet, checked the water temperature and added some salts, then took the two robes from the back of the door through to the living room. She tossed one to Vin, stripped and put on her own. While he did the same, she unpacked their bags and folded their dirty clothes neatly. She tossed the bags and gun-belts into the bathroom, leaving the door to the room unlocked for the maid to collect the laundry. Satisfied with her arrangements, she shepherded Vin into the bathroom.

He shook his head, still struggling with his disbelief.

'Don't tell me you never stayed in a hotel, Mr Tanner.'

'That's Mr Costain to ya,' he told her. 'Not one like this, no.'

She stepped forward in an altogether gentler frame of mind, kissing him softly and slipping out of her robe. He discarded his own and followed her into the tub, where they fooled around until the water grew cold. Afterwards, he carried her through to the imposing four-poster bed and demonstrated clearly that, what he didn't know about swanky hotels, he more than made up for in other areas. Mara reveled in a night of good company, good food and good loving. The only pity was that it ever had to end, let alone at first light.

The other six men had not seen Mara divert Vin and only noticed his absence when they were already in the bathhouse. As they headed for the saloon, Chris asked if anyone knew where the couple had gone. He was neither critical nor concerned but wanted to know where to find them if a problem should arise. Ezra rejoined them at that moment, having disappeared briefly himself.

'It seems a Mr and Mrs Costain are booked into Suite 12 of the Regency Hotel.' He nodded toward the imposing façade.

'You're kiddin'!' JD's exclamation only underlined the astonishment they all felt.

'Never thought I'd see Vin in a place like that,' Nathan said.

'Never thought a place like that'd let Vin in,' Josiah agreed.

Ezra smiled. 'I think Mrs Costain knows what she likes and heaven help anyone who stands in her way, be it Mr Tanner or the desk clerk.'

'Vin said she's one of a kind,' Chris said with a laugh.

They headed off for their own entertainments, knowing that Vin and Mara would be back with them at first light as agreed. In fact, the couple were last to reach the stables in the morning but only minutes behind Ezra.

'Did the Regency live up to its external promise?' he asked her.

'Pretty good.'

'Damned well oughtta be for best part of fifty bucks all in,' Vin grumbled as he tacked up his gelding.

'Anyone'd think it was your fifty bucks,' she rebuked him good-naturedly.

He took that in good part, telling the others, 'Day ya see me throwin' my money round like that, shoot me.' Turning to Ezra, he added, 'Ya better hope these fellas don't spend money like she does.'

They were all in high spirits as they rode out to tackle the next leg of their long search.

 

- 14 -

Confident that the abandoned wagon would never be found, its escort of four men had made no further effort to disguise their tracks or plan their escape. They were not regular railroad employees, having been hired specifically to protect the fraudulent shipment by an area manager called Robert Wheaton.

Wheaton had an expensive wife and an expensive gambling habit. He'd been siphoning money out of his area budget for years without being caught. Even when trouble came, it was not in response to anything he had done but rather an edict from head office that all operations should be audited. Finding a discrepancy of some ten thousand dollars between his reserves and his books, he hit on the idea of a fraudulent insurance claim. There were considerable costs involved in setting up such a scheme so he increased the total first to fifteen thousand and then to a round twenty. After further thought, he decided he might as well consider his future at the same time. Within a week, he had settled on the very round sum of fifty thousand dollars. That was a mistake: the insurance company might not have investigated a claim for ten thousand but fifty was another matter.

The four hired men were recommended by a gambling acquaintance of Wheaton's. They were not cheap, finally accepting a fee of five hundred dollars apiece, but they seemed efficient and unscrupulous enough to handle the matter in hand. It was essentially a week of their time and a murder, under carefully engineered circumstances. Wheaton would have preferred to avoid the murder but bringing in a new driver might look suspicious and he didn't judge any of the three regular drivers on his team to be susceptible to bribery. The man he assigned to the task met his death for one simple reason: he was the only one of the three without a family, something that eased Wheaton's conscience.

The leader of the quartet went by the name of John Dowd. He was a smart man who had made a lot of money over the years but, like Wheaton, his weaknesses ensured that whatever he made was never enough. In his case, it was a penchant for some reprehensible bedroom activities that were expensive to come by and occasionally had consequences that could be very expensive to cover up. It was Dowd who had left the pock-marked girl with such unpleasant memories, from what had been a restrained evening by his standards. It was also Dowd who realized that it would be a fairly simple matter to take some bags of real gold from the railroad's coffers when they collected the bags of sand. One of his men broke into the store while Dowd diverted Wheaton and the other two members of his team loaded the false gold. They had jettisoned ten bags of sand in a river while the driver answered the call of nature and could then relax, knowing that the load was as the driver expected it to be, apart from the subtle marks that identified the bags of gold to those in the know.

The remainder of their scheme had gone smoothly and, as deduced by their pursuers, they believed themselves to be home free. They intended to leave the territory, although not the country, but did not feel any pressure to hurry in doing so.

 

- 15 -

In the main, the investigators were making fast progress with clear tracks to follow across a dusty plain. Now and again, Vin and Mara had to do a little work where passing traffic - animal or human - had disturbed the evidence and once where a localized storm had eradicated all signs from an area a couple of miles across. Late that afternoon, they debated whether they would catch the fugitives before they left the territory.

'Reckon we're outpacin' 'em but not by much,' Vin said.

'If they kept goin', they're out of the territory by now anyhow,' Buck speculated.

'If,' Chris emphasized. 'Two weeks back there don't suggest they're in a hurry. Better hope we hit another town they took a likin' to.'

Not much later, they made camp in a knot of trees by a dribble of a spring so slow that it took several minutes to fill each water bottle from it. Having tipped a bottle-full over her head, Mara was now swearing at the length of time it took to refill it.

Buck smiled at her frustration. 'No swimmin' today, huh?'

She growled at him and skimmed a small pebble at his butt. The two of them had become firm friends, recognizing in each other some of the same physicality and susceptibility to sensual pleasures. When the bottle was finally full again, she pushed the stopper in firmly and set it to one side.

Still thinking fluids, her next order of business was to find some privacy. She'd been gone only a few minutes when the seven men heard a cry, somewhere between a shout and a scream. They responded as one, moving quickly but warily towards the sound. They needn't have worried: the cause of her alarm was long past doing any harm to her or them. They found her retching at one side of a clearing.

'Sorry, fellas,' she gasped, then pointed to far side of the clearing and added, 'Don't know if that's one of our friends. I stood on the son-of-a-bitch.'

With some distaste, the men inspected the rotting body and the lump of maggot-infested flesh that had fallen away under Mara's boot.

'See if he's carryin' anythin', JD,' Buck told the boy, with a wink to Chris.

'You look, Buck.'

'Ain't scared of a dead body, are you kid?'

The truth was that none of them was keen to get any closer but it was Nathan who stepped forward, his face set in a grim mask, and searched the man's pockets. As he expected, he found nothing - only a fool would take chances like that. A quick inspection showed the man had been shot. It could have been a simple disagreement but, if he was one of the four men they sought, perhaps quarter shares started to look too small to someone.

Vin put an arm round Mara's shoulders, half expecting her to throw it off. 'Y'okay?'

'Sure. He's way past causin' any trouble, ain't he?' She tried a smile but was still too nauseous for it to succeed. Resting her forehead on his shoulder, she tried to pull herself together. She knew she was nowhere near as hardened as the men she rode with, particularly the likes of Chris and Vin, and didn't need a reminder. In fact, she was being tough on herself: none of them would have wanted to trip over the body any more than she had.

They set off back to the pathetic spring, which was far enough from the body to settle for the night in comfort. Mara dropped behind to take care of what she had originally left them for. Vin waited with his back to her, rightly guessing she'd rather have moral support than privacy at that moment.

Josiah resumed his cleaning of the rabbits he had shot that afternoon. Trail fare was prone to monotony and more rabbit was far from exciting but, once the meat began to cook, the men felt some interest. Mara struggled with the smell for a while but hunger eventually overcame the memory of the maggots even for her.

Buck and Ezra had been watching Mara with concern and now sought to distract her.

'You ain't gonna start shootin' us one at a time if we find this gold, are you Ezra?' Buck asked.

'The ideal has a certain appeal,' the gambler admitted. 'Mrs Costain, would you be interested in a life on the run with me?'

'Would that be seven-eighths for you and one for me?' she asked, responding to their efforts.

'We could negotiate. I suppose it would be only fair to let you have Mr Tanner's share. I'm sure that's how he'd want it.'

Vin laughed softly. Dead or alive, he'd willingly hand his share over to Mara if she wanted it.

Less on edge, they settled back to wait for their meal; an hour after that, they slept. The time might come, if they succeeded in approaching their quarry more closely, when a lookout would be prudent but for now they were unlikely to be disturbed. Even when apparently sound asleep, most of the men could be counted on to hear anything untoward. Mara twice woke sharply from unpleasant dreams but was thankful to find she hadn't caused any further scenes. On the second occasion, her soft gasp woke Vin; he silently shifted closer to her and put a protective arm around her waist. Reassured by his calm presence, she did not wake again.

 

- 16 -

In a town not three days ahead, the fragile bonds between the remaining three fugitives were becoming ever more strained. The dead man had been Dowd. His crime, apart from the obvious, had been to try to stop his companions from spending or talking about the gold. Having ridden with them for over three years, he had always found them reliable. It had been a salutary lesson to discover how quickly good sense could fly out of the window when two-and-a-half thousand dollars were burning a hole in a man's pocket, especially when their five hundred dollar fees were more than half spent.

The quarrel that cost Dowd his life was no more substantial than their other disagreements over the preceding weeks. It erupted in seconds and he might well have survived it had his companions not shared a bottle of whiskey first.

Their new leader was a man called Jude Farley. Having started life as a wheelwright, things went wrong for him when he was twenty-four. After killing a man with his bare hands during a drunken brawl, he ran from the law and had been on the wrong side of it ever since. In the early years, he worked as a general thug but one thing led to another and he now had several murders to his credit.

Farley's companions, Fred Kendall and Sam Marshall, were cousins from Kansas City and came more from the extortion and blackmail side of things. He felt increasingly threatened by their kinship, wondering how long it would be before they decided that ten thousand divided more neatly into two than three shares.

Recognizing somewhat late the wisdom of Dowd's warnings about drawing attention to themselves while still in the territory, the three men had buried the gold in a carefully but cryptically marked spot a couple of miles outside the town. At much the same time as Nathan was searching Dowd's body, they were arguing about their next move as they had numerous times over the previous couple of weeks.

The cousins wanted to return to Kansas City, whereas Farley favored Texas. Even if they split their haul now and separated, Farley was still not keen on his companions resuming their lives in Kansas City. He believed their new-found wealth would inevitably become common knowledge. When that happened, it seemed only a matter of time before its source, and perhaps Farley's identity, leaked out.

 

- 17 -

The investigators resumed their journey on the morning after finding Dowd's body. Close examination of the continuing tracks of four horses told Vin that one was unloaded, probably taken along only to sell when the opportunity arose. That seemed to confirm that the body had belonged to one of the party.

Although it didn't show to anyone but Vin, Mara was still unsettled by the previous evening's discovery. She'd spent years taking care of herself in open country and could ride, hunt and defend herself as well as any man but she avoided trouble where she could and lived off her wits, not her gun. She had seen few corpses - and most of those had died from natural causes - nothing remotely like the maggot-ridden flesh of John Dowd.

She now sought out JD's company. Although she had often ridden with him, it was always with Buck not alone. He was surprised when she joined him but only touched his hat in greeting. She let some time pass before speaking.

'How long you been ridin' with these fellas?'

'Year and a half, give or take. Why?'

'S'pose you're pretty used to things by now.'

Apart from a few frank talks with Buck when he needed reassurance himself, JD usually relied on bravado to convince both himself and other people that he had no fear. He was maturing fast though and knew in this case that wasn't what the woman needed to hear.

'Mostly but stuff even gets to them sometimes.' He looked across at her. 'Ain't so much the bodies for me but there was one time on that wagon train. The fella who was after the land had a powder-man blow up the wagons. We was all just standin' around, women and kids too, when the whole lot went sky-high. The fiddler Nathan was talkin' about the other night, he got killed. It coulda been any of us, just dumb-luck where he was standin'. That really shook me up.'

She smiled, appreciating his candor, then changed the subject.

'You and Casey still on?'

He nodded. 'Ain't found nobody I like better. Miss her when I'm away.'

'Sounds promisin'.'

'You gonna stick around with Vin?'

'Maybe not so much stick around as show up now and then. Long as he don't find someone he likes better.'

JD thought Mara was a lot better for Vin than Charlotte had been but felt it wasn't his place to say so.

 

- 18 -

On the third day after finding Dowd's body, the eight riders halted on top of a ridge overlooking another town. They dismounted and perused Mara's maps again. They were nearing the eastern edge of the territory and this was the last town marked before the border in the direction in which the men had been heading. It was of medium size, which would make the search harder but their own presence less noticeable.

Josiah summed up the position when he said, 'Seems like three choices: they're here, they're out of the territory or they changed their minds again.'

Chris nodded. That was about the size of it.

'Shouldn't be that hard to find three men who been there a couple of weeks,' Buck said.

'Got some basic descriptions from the railroad fella.' Mara rummaged in her saddlebag. They hadn't needed the information while pursuing the wagon and she had not thought about it following her unwelcome encounter with the body in the clearing.

'He wasn't that helpful and he coulda been lyin'.' She read from her notes: 'Tall, dark, thin. Medium, dark, heavy. Short, sandy, stout. Short, reddish, broad. All mid-late-thirties.'

Chris considered their contributions. 'Don't wanna scare 'em off if they are here. Don't wanna kill 'em before we find the gold either.' He looked around their party, assessing who would draw least attention. 'Buck, Ezra: go in, play a few hands…,' with a meaningful look at Buck, '… whatever. You find 'em without 'em knowin' we're lookin', so much the better. Vin, Mara: loop round the town - see if you can find any tracks outta here. Rest of us'll wait here for now, set up camp down there.' He nodded towards a belt of trees behind the ridge, out of sight of the town.

Chris, JD, Nathan and Josiah watched as Buck and Ezra set off for the town, while Vin and Mara separated to tackle half a circuit of the town limits each. A few minutes later, they mounted their own horses and turned back to make camp. They felt a frisson of excitement at the thought that they should know within hours how the final act of their search would unfold.

 

-19 -

It was two hours before Vin and Mara reunited on the far side of the town.

'Anythin'?' he asked.

She shook her head. 'Fair bit of traffic. Coulda missed 'em.'

'Same here. But maybe we got 'em now.'

They rode to the shade of an old cottonwood, dismounted and drank from their water bottles. They loitered, undecided whether they were on Chris's time or not.

'Reckon it'll be hours afore Buck and Ezra get back,' he ventured noncommittally.

That was all the encouragement Mara needed and she immediately pinned him against the tree. He reversed their positions, dropped her pants - freeing only one essential leg - and unfastened his own, lifting her against the trunk and making quick work of their passion. She gasped her pleasure, then laughed as it peaked, running a finger round his hat brim.

'Ain't used to gettin' it with hats and boots still in place.'

He breathed heavily as he leaned against her. 'Ain't so easy lyin' beside ya night after night with six men to keep us company.'

'Tell me about it.'

They restored their decency and sat in a fond embrace for a quarter-hour longer.

'How 'bout we switch over on the way back?' Vin asked. 'Do what we can to make sure.'

She agreed readily so they split up again and covered each other's territory.

 

- 20 -

Meanwhile, Buck and Ezra rode into town together. They would not pass unnoticed but two travelers seeking a few hands of poker and some female company would hardly arouse suspicion. They hitched their horses outside the saloon and set themselves up with drinks, beer for Buck and whiskey for Ezra. They surveyed their fellow customers casually, finding no obvious matches to the brief descriptions Mara had given them: such sketchy information was unlikely to help unless the men were together.

Ezra watched three men playing cards ten paces away. Detecting a perfect marriage of mediocrity and ego, he winked at Buck and made to join them. Buck watched while his friend ingratiated his way into the game with a few lost hands, then turned his gaze to a woman seated at the bar. The look she gave him through lowered lashes attracted his attention as fast as a susceptible poker player did Ezra's. He went over to join her.

'Good afternoon, ma'am. Would you allow me to buy you a drink?'

She smiled in affirmation.

He ordered a whiskey to replace the one she had downed while watching him.

'Buck Wilmington, at your service, ma'am.'

'Bobby Hennessey. What brings you into town, Buck?'

Her breathy voice and the unusual emphasis she placed on the last two letters of his name focussed his attention in a compelling way.

'Just passin' through,' he told her. 'Stopped off for some… entertainment.'

She flicked her eyes briefly at Ezra. 'Not one for poker then?'

'Not when there are better things to do.'

She sank the whiskey and extended her hand, inviting Buck to offer his arm. Never one to need telling twice, he did so and escorted her out of the saloon. Ezra saw his friend leave from the corner of his eye and smiled. He was already turning a respectable profit and Buck was obviously going to satisfy his needs in the next hour or so. At some point, they had better make some progress on the official aspect of their visit.

 

- 21 -

Another two hours saw Vin and Mara back in camp with their friends. They made the same report there as they had to each other: it was difficult to be certain since the town was fairly busy but they had found no clear evidence to indicate that the three men had moved on from this place. There was a feeling of cautious optimism in the camp that they might yet succeed in their mission.

'Maybe they can't decide what next,' Nathan suggested.

Josiah nodded his agreement. 'Seems from here a man'd likely be thinking of Texas or Kansas.'

'Ten thousand's enough to get plenty edgy,' Chris mused. 'They split up, each man's gotta wonder what the other two're doin' and sayin' someplace else.'

Buck and Ezra did not return until after dusk, when the others were already making a meal off a stray chicken JD had spotted in the brush and managed to club to death with a rifle butt. They had not expected fresh meat as they were too close to town to risk firing a shot.

'Any luck?' Chris asked, regretting his choice of words as he uttered them.

'Moderately successful,' Ezra replied. 'I found some gentlemen willing to donate more than forty dollars to my funds and Mr Wilmington appears to have found satisfaction with a very attractive young lady.' He bowed in Mara's direction. 'My apologies for the vulgarity of that piece of news.'

She looked away, not trusting her own expression at a sudden vivid memory of the vulgarity in which she had herself participated. The significance of her reaction was not lost on her astute friend but he refrained from exploiting it.

'You manage to fit in any investigatin' while you was there?' Nathan inquired with good humored irony.

The two men settled themselves by the fire and helped themselves to what remained of the meat. It was Buck who gave their report.

'We got 'em,' he confirmed. He paused while recollecting Mara's descriptions. 'Tall, thin one's gone. Guess that body was tall and thin.' He raised an eyebrow at Nathan, who gave a slight nod. 'So we got dark and heavy, short and stout, red and broad. Saw 'em in the street and the lady told me they been around a couple of weeks, stayin' at her aunt's boardin' house.' He added his final coup with some pride. 'Apparently, they paid extra to have the three rooms on the top floor, makin' some other people move.'

Ezra added his own observations. 'They came into the saloon and took a table on the far side of the room. I didn't engage them so, although they may have seen us in passing, there seems no reason to think they would have paid any attention.'

Chris nodded his satisfaction with their work. He knew he was lucky to lead men of such caliber: they might indulge their whims while working but never instead of it. He had noted Mara's reaction to Ezra's mock apology, and knew that she and Vin had also taken advantage of an opportunity, but he had no doubt that they had scoured the environs of the town as thoroughly as they knew how before presenting their own report. He sat in silence for most of half an hour while he considered how to tackle the situation.

'We need to know where that gold is,' he finally pronounced. 'We move before that, they may not talk.'

There was no disagreement from the others. Vin was probably capable of making any man talk, eventually, but the means he'd use to achieve it were too extreme for the current situation. A deeply decent man, innocent lives would need to be at stake for him to resort to such methods.

Chris outlined his thoughts on the matter. 'Reckon we wanna start by searchin' where they're stayin'. We don't find it there, we need to get 'em to move on and watch where they go.' On hearing no objections, he asked Ezra, 'They seem to be stickin' together then?'

'When we saw them, yes.'

'You reckon you could get 'em into a game?'

'I would think so.'

Mara looked at Chris, uncertain of encroaching on his leadership but his expression invited her contribution.

'I could search their rooms, if you wanted.'

He smiled. 'You do a lot of that?'

'Fair bit.'

'Okay,' he agreed. 'Stage one. Ezra: keep 'em busy. Mara: search the rooms. Buck: keep watch and get her out if there's a problem. You find the gold, leave it where it is. Either way, get back here and let us know.'

His first team nodded their agreement to the plan.

'You find the gold,' he continued, 'We ride in there and take 'em. You don't find it, I'll ride in with JD, start askin' some questions and let 'em give us the slip. That leaves the six of you to lay low and catch 'em with it.'

Buck, Ezra and Mara prepared to go back into the town. The darkness would allow them to slip in unnoticed, so that the two men appeared never to have left and Mara did not appear at all. Vin restricted himself to a hand on her leg after she had mounted her gelding and a quiet warning to be careful.

Once back in town, they hitched their horses at the end of the sidestreet in which the boarding house sat, balancing a fast getaway with a low profile. Mara settled herself in the shadows outside the saloon while Buck and Ezra wandered in. She prepared for a considerable wait, knowing that doing things casually took a surprising amount of time.

The two men drank at the bar for a while. Ezra watched the three fugitives in a mirror behind the bottles of spirits. They had been talking in low voices, almost certainly arguing judging by their postures, but half a bottle of whiskey slowly mellowed them and they embarked on a game of cards. Ezra perused the other patrons, seeing only two other games in progress, one of which involved men whom he had already beaten and who would be unlikely to play him again. With so few games available, and having already established himself as a player, approaching the three men should not seem odd.

Buck had been watching his friend's evaluation of the situation and now used the mirror to follow his progress across the room. He waited until Ezra was accepted and had dutifully lost an initial hand before drifting out of the saloon, round to the side of the building. He leaned against it as if to urinate and spoke under his breath.

'Ezra's in, one hand down. I'll walk past the boardin' house whistlin' if you need to clear out.'

'Okay,' she replied in the same low voice and set off.

The boarding house was an attractive white-planked building. The top floor had gabled windows both front and back. It was in darkness and the rear windows were open. Mara had no difficulty in scaling the back of the building, thanks to a thriving creeper. The windows were small but she easily slid her lithe body through the aperture. She lit a lamp and started on her part of their plan.

Her search of the first room revealed nothing beyond the sad state of its occupant's underwear. When she tried the door, the fact that it was unlocked seemed to confirm that nothing of value had been left there. Three other doors led off the top landing. All were unlocked, one leading to a cupboard and the others to more bedrooms. She was discouraged by the lack of security precautions but intended to do her job thoroughly. She was halfway round the second room, checking for loose floorboards, hidden niches, tears in the mattress and everything else she could think of, when she froze. Outside a man was whistling.

She hurried into the room she had not yet searched, which faced the street, and craned to see out of the window. She breathed a sigh of relief when the man came into view - he was a foot shorter, and considerably stouter, than Buck. She permitted herself a grim smile and made a note to settle on a particular tune next time she made similar arrangements. She resumed her search of the second room and then moved on to the last.

When she had finished, she stood for a few minutes, considering what she might have missed. She prowled the three rooms, looking firstly for oversights and secondly for anything she had disturbed. Satisfied that everything was as she had found it, she closed all the doors, returned to the first room and extinguished the lamp. Just as the room plunged into darkness, she heard Buck's whistle, recognizable as it turned out from when she'd heard it during their travels.

She threaded herself out of the window as nimbly as she had entered and worked silently down the creeper. Hopping over the fence behind the boarding house, she walked casually back to where they had left their horses. Buck and Ezra were waiting and their relief at seeing her was apparent.

She shook her head. 'Nothin' but some very sorry-lookin' underwear.'

They mounted their horses and rode quietly out of town, picking up the pace once they were out of earshot. They were back in camp inside half an hour, reporting the failure of stage one.

'No surprises there, I guess,' Chris replied. 'We go in tomorrow, JD. Reckon we better keep watch tonight. Never know, we could be sittin' on the damned gold when someone came to check on it.' He surveyed the team. 'Me, JD, Josiah and Nathan done least today so we'll take a couple of hours apiece.'

They split into two groups, so those not required to take a turn wouldn't be disturbed by the changing shifts. A few yards away from where the sentries planned to settle, there were several shallow hollows where the roots of some of the oldest trees had broken up the ground. Ezra evaluated them with interest, finding himself a nice hammock-shaped recess that afforded considerable comfort once he had molded his bedroll to its form. The others followed suit, except that Vin and Mara found a larger hollow surrounded by three trees and pooled their bedrolls. She frowned at him uncertainly but he only shrugged, stretched out and pulled her close to himself. He'd been worried in her absence and saw no harm in a chaste embrace while officially off-duty.

 

- 22 -

Chris and JD set out for town in the middle of the morning, aiming for it to look as if they'd been traveling since dawn and had only now reached their destination. Their six companions worked their way around the town limits, stationing themselves as evenly as they could within the constraints of cover and view, and settled for a long wait.

JD looked anxiously across at Chris. 'What if they decide to take us out instead of runnin'?'

The fair man gave a familiar, cryptic grin.

'What if we can't take 'em?'

'Ain't plannin' to,' Chris said. 'How would we find the gold then?'

The youngster still looked worried.

Chris let him stew for a while before putting him out of his misery.

'We were lawmen, we'd be right on the edge of our jurisdiction here. That's how I aim to play it. This is the last place we're gonna check before turnin' back. See if we can't get 'em to run for the border.'

JD relaxed visibly. Why would the men provoke a conflict with officials in public if they could escape them so easily?

When they reached town, JD followed Chris's lead, playing his role as young apprentice to seasoned investigator well. Chris asked questions, casually making sure that everyone in town knew his business but being too vague and inaccurate to solicit any useful responses. A couple of hours later, he settled himself in the bar with a whiskey and waited to see what would happen.

Unbeknown to Chris, his earliest inquiries had hit their mark. Farley had been relieving himself in the same spot as Buck had chosen for his pretence when Chris questioned a pair of men at a table outside the saloon. He had immediately returned to the boarding house and launched into first a discussion, and soon an argument, with his companions.

Eventually, he conceded in the interests of getting some action.

'Hell, Kansas City it is. I just wanna get over the goddamned border now.'

Once agreed, the men quickly settled their bills for accommodation and livery. That took care of most of what they had left from the fees they'd received only a month-and-a-half earlier, a large portion of which had gone on whiskey and poker losses. Having located Chris and JD in the saloon, the three men rode quietly out of town, congratulating themselves on evading their pursuers so easily.

 

- 23 -

From their positions east of town, Josiah and Nathan watched the three men ride quickly towards them. Scanning their course, the observers identified a tree long since blasted by lightning as their likely destination. It was just outside the ring of surveillance the observers had established. As the nearest, Josiah and Nathan fell back to cover an easterly escape from the ambush while Vin and Buck closed in to take the positions vacated by their two friends. Ezra and Mara followed suit but were too far away to be of immediate assistance.

The cousins from Kansas City excavated their haul, rowing up the ten small sacks with obvious satisfaction.

'Let's load 'em up then,' Farley said, taking a step forward.

'Don't think so,' Marshall challenged. 'Reckon you still ain't so keen on Kansas City. Might as well settle it now'

As his cousin finished speaking, Fred Kendall moved silently behind Farley and plunged a hunting knife upwards from below his ribs into his heart. Marshall drew his gun to cover the dying man.

'Drop it,' Josiah instructed from his position behind the stricken cottonwood.

Marshall hesitated for a moment, then fired in Josiah's direction. Vin shot the gun out of his hand. The cousins looked round, saw there were at least four men facing them and reluctantly surrendered their weapons. Josiah and Nathan moved forward to bind the robbers, while Buck and Vin covered them.

Ezra and Mara joined them moments later. Ezra studied Farley's body. 'I thought there was alleged to be honor among thieves. It seems our friend here chose his associates unwisely.'

The prisoners only scowled, while the investigators admired the ten recovered sacks.

'We should probably check the contents,' Ezra pointed out, 'But it might be wise to wait until we can be sure not to lose any.'

'Must be hard to keep ya hands off it.' Vin's voice was gruff but his eyes betrayed his good humor. He wasn't that interested in gold but he enjoyed a job well done as much as anyone.

Nathan bound Farley's body onto the man's horse and, a few minutes later, they rode into the town for the last time. Chris and JD came out to inspect the results of their labors. They arranged to use the town's jail while Mara wired her report to the insurance company, asking them to send representatives to meet them in Four Corners to close the business. She joined her companions in the saloon while they awaited the reply, which came within a couple of hours, confirming that men would be sent to Four Corners to collect the gold and prisoners, and to recompense Mara and her team. Thankfully, the insurance company had no interest in the body of Jude Farley, let alone John Dowd's sad remains, so there was no need to haul that back.

 

- 24 -

The week-long ride back was tedious, not improved by the company of the Kansas City cousins, but the thought of one hundred and twenty-five dollars apiece did much to lift everyone's spirits - not least, of course, Ezra's. When they reached Four Corners, the insurance company's men were already there. Mara rapidly concluded their business and distributed the proceeds. She was occupied for some time afterwards, sifting through a sheaf of wires forwarded from her usual telegraph office. She spent a couple of hours dealing with the most urgent among them, before finally taking a room at the hotel and getting cleaned up.

Vin watched her with some fascination, not having seen her businesswoman guise before. She had every right to be doing well when she was obviously so thorough and efficient in her dealings. He left an hour after her return to the hotel before calling on her.

'Bad time?' he inquired.

'Course not,' she stood back to let him in.

'Ya be off soon?'

She laughed. 'Even the wicked get time off for good behavior. Seems quiet here. Thought we might… well.'

'Me too.'

They did not emerge from the hotel, or indeed barely from the bed, for two days. Although as a rule both preferred outdoor liaisons, they'd done enough riding over the past month to last them a very long time. Any sorrow at knowing Mara would soon be moving on was offset by confidence that she'd also soon be stopping by again. On the third day, she spent the morning shopping for supplies and setting her affairs in order.

Vin was looking in the window of the dry goods store when Chris joined him, curious what was holding his friend's interest. They smiled at Mara trying on a very smart waistcoat, with embroidery in gold thread on deep green silk. She was obviously taken with it, and it suited her down to the ground. After long consideration, she handed it back to Mrs Potter and paid for her other purchases.

Vin hastened away before she left the shop and Chris followed him, amused at his secretiveness. They joined the other men in the saloon. All knew Mara would soon be on her way and were waiting to see her off. She joined them a few minutes later.

'Well, fellas. Reckon I'll be goin' once I'm loaded up.'

'It has been a pleasure seeing you again, Mrs Costain,' Ezra assured her. 'Not to mention, very profitable.'

'Least he managed not to mention the profit first,' Nathan said with a smile.

Her regret at leaving was clear. 'Glad it worked out so good and I appreciate all you fellas did.'

She went to the hotel to pay for her room and collect her things. Surprised that Vin didn't accompany her, she wondered if she had upset him somehow. Unwilling to force herself on him, she tacked up and loaded her gelding. When she led him out onto Main Street, the other six men were waiting but Vin was nowhere in sight.

She made her goodbyes, shaking hands all round and thanking them again. She hugged Buck warmly, telling him to be careful not to catch anything nasty. She patted Ezra's shoulder, finding no words adequate to express the affection she felt for him.

Mara was about to mount the gray when Vin wandered casually out of a sidestreet and joined her. The look in his eye was unfamiliar but certainly wasn't hurt or annoyance. He handed her a tissue paper parcel.

She looked at him in surprise. 'Ain't been throwin' your money around, have you Vin?'

He answered with one of Buck's favorite sayings. 'I learned from the best.'

She unwrapped the parcel to find the embroidered waistcoat. Her face lit up as she crushed Vin to herself.

He kissed her hard before asking, 'Ya gonna put it on?'

When she had, she was even more pleased with how much he obviously liked it than she was with the gift itself. She hugged and kissed him again, then put her coat back on and swung into her saddle.

'Till next time?' she asked.

He nodded. 'Look forward to it.'

She touched her hat to the others, gave Vin the same tearful smile he'd seen when she returned the harmonica, then flew out of town at a gallop.

NEXT

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