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Learning to Improvise…
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Buck Wilmington breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be finished with recon duty. He wasn’t sure if he and JD had gathered anything of value, but that wasn’t his responsibility. He was more than happy to leave that job up to someone else. We get the information to Ez and he can figure it out. God knows I can’t make heads or tails of most of it.
Buck had half expected to hear gunfire or other sounds of destruction coming from the saloon while they walked around town. He was glad that things remained quiet, but it made him that much more anxious to find out what was going on. He hated not being where the action was.
He and JD planned to head for the saloon when they finished their round through town and catch up with the others there. Buck had hoped to be able to finish their assigned task quickly. But he hadn’t counted on how much people would be inclined to talk if given a willing audience.
The former Texas Ranger shook his head. Mrs. Travis has to be the worst of the lot. Lord but that woman can talk. God. Have to wonder if Chris is really serious ‘bout her. Can’t see the two o’ them having a lot in common.
He wouldn’t have minded listening to her so much if she’d had something meaningful to relay. But all she’d had to impart was information about political machinations in Denver, St. Louis, and D.C. Mr. Travis had not given up her pursuit for statehood.
Buck honestly couldn’t see what she found so appealing. He’d lived in the East, had fought and bled for the Union, but he honestly thought living in this Territory was a far better life. He shrugged. To each his own I guess.
The banker was oddly tight lipped. That alone made Buck suspicious. Mr. Lovitt was the sort who had what Ezra described as ‘an overblown sense of self-importance’. Buck translated that as a love of hearing his own voice because normally it was hard to get the fat man to shut up.
Between them, he and JD had managed to talk to nearly everyone in town. Well, everyone that Maude talked to. Funny the people she didn’t want to spend much time with. Unknown to Buck, he made an assessment similar to the same one Josiah made as he’d observed Maude from the bell tower. Maude spoke to only those people in town that could be considered influential or well-to-do.
Buck and JD strolled by the saloon, a quick look in confirmed Buck’s suspicion that they were too late to meet up with the others. The tall cowboy cursed quietly under his breath. He laid a hand on JD’s shoulder.
"C’mon Kid, lets head on over to the jail."
JD frowned, brown eyes anxiously darting back toward the saloon. "You think Ez is okay?"
"With Chris and Josiah riding herd, you bet. And there ain’t nothing gonna get past Vin." Buck smiled warmly at JD, pleased that the kid was worried about his friend. It showed the caliber of the young man’s character.
"You know Vin would skin alive anyone who tried to do anything to Ez. Maude included." Maybe especially Maude. Not like he don’t have ample reason.
JD nodded, looking reassured. Buck knew the kid still had plenty of unasked questions. He was proud of his friend for putting helping Ezra at the forefront and not pushing to get answers first even when Ezra had given him the opportunity to do just that. Boy is definitely growing up.
Buck opened the jailhouse door and stepped inside. He stopped cold seeing Maude sitting in the cell. Buck blinked, not registering JD bumping him from behind, as he turned to cast a worried glance toward where Chris sat at the desk.
"She steal something again?"
"Not exactly." Chris puffed carelessly on his thin cigar. "Ezra thought she’d be safer in there." The dark clad gunslinger shrugged. "He might be right about that."
"Safe?" JD asked. "From what?"
"Vin." Chris sent an evil smile toward where Maude sat studiously ignoring them, shuffling a deck of cards. "And I think Josiah wouldn’t mind wringing her neck."
"That why you the only one here?" From the look on Chris’ face, Buck was thinking he might want to lump himself in with the ones likely to do harm to Maude. Must have been one hell of a conversation we missed out on.
Chris nodded. "Sent Josiah to go work off some of his anger for he exploded."
"Where’s Vin?"
Buck rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to smack JD across the back of his head. That wasn’t a question that really needed to be asked. The answer was obvious. "He’s with Ezra, Kid."
"Oh." JD nodded and stepped around Buck, moving further into the room. "You guys find out why she’s here?"
Chris withdrew his cigar and sat up straighter. He rose to his feet and sauntered over to the cell, ignoring the sheriff’s question. Stormy eyes forced clear blue to rise and meet them with the weight of his gaze. "We’re gonna go talk outside for a bit. Try to pick the lock, and I’ll break your fingers. Try to escape and I will shoot you. We clear?"
"As crystal, Mr. Larabee." Maude hissed out between her teeth.
Chris nodded and smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. Buck wished more than ever he’d been in the saloon. Chris’ expression hinted at something ugly. If blood had been drawn, Buck knew his old friend wouldn’t have hesitated to fill them in, so he wasn’t concerned for anyone’s physical safety. Emotional well-being was another issue entirely.
Chris said he sent Josiah to work off some anger. Must have gotten real ugly for that to be the case. Josiah don’t lose his temper too often, but boy when he does, everybody look out. Real glad Ez has Vin. Musta been hell when he had to handle his mother all by himself. Definitely not a job for the faint of heart. Nice thing for Vin to have Ez too. Got me a feeling that he ain’t had much in his life worth holding on to.
Chris led the way out to the porch. Buck and JD followed, shutting the door behind them. Buck moved to lean against one of the porch pillars, facing Chris as the gunslinger took a seat in one of the wooden chairs that flanked the doorway. JD stood next to Buck, but kept his posture straight ready to move in a moments notice.
Kid is still on edge. Can’t says I blame him there. Buck sighed. He gave Chris a look that clearly indicated the gunslinger should get on with it.
"You boys find out anything?" Chris asked, eyes moving from Buck to JD.
JD huffed out his breath in annoyance. He clearly shared Buck’s desire to know what had happened in the saloon, but not his ability to wait patiently. "Would rather hear about what you got out of Mrs. Standish?"
Buck knew the drill. Just like in the army…scouts reported first, then they got informed about what went on if the commander saw fit to tell them. He laid a hand on JD’s shoulder. "All in do time, JD."
Buck started by relay the political news Maude had passed on to Mrs. Travis. "Don’t rightly know if that means much of anything, but Maude was talking up how statehood would bring lots of prosperity. Made it sound like there were businessmen just chompin’ at the bit to set up shop here and spend their money. Jus’ as soon as the territory lost some of its ‘wild ways’."
Buck snorted, thinking the last bit was just plain stupid. It was the ‘wild ways’ that made the place interesting in his opinion. The ladies man shrugged mentally knowing there was no accounting for taste.
"Mrs. Travis seemed to think that Maude was scouting out the area for friends of hers who had money burning holes in their pockets, and that she just stopped in Four Corners to visit Ezra while she was looking things over for them. Mary said that she hoped Maude could convince her friends to develop Four Corners into a real city…like St. Louis or Santa Fe."
JD picked up from where Buck left off. He covered their talk with several of the local businessmen in town, all of them repeating information similar to Mrs. Travis. Differences were noted depending on the enterprise whoever she talked to was engaged in, usually focusing on how much better they could do with more capital. Talk of investors had been brought up repeatedly with the possibility of expanding and increasing overall income.
JD shrugged. "Not sure how it would help her to be telling people that there was someone looking to put money into their business." The young man bit his lower lip. "Unless it has something to do with her saying all the needed was confirmation of profit being made. Mr. Daily said Maude told him that some investors found cash money being offered to match their investment to be a sign of good faith. Way to encourage others to sign on."
Mr. Daily was a new addition to Four Corners. He had recently purchased the leather goods store, supplying the town with saddles, harnesses, and other tack that the general store didn’t carry. Buck remembered him telling them that before he bought the business he’d taken a look at the books, wanting to be sure that it was as good a deal as he’d been lead to believe. He seemed rather keen on the idea of having someone invest money in his business, citing how much nicer it would be to have a bigger store, more supplies on hand, maybe branch out into another town.
"I’m thinking that she was trying to convince some of them that they should trust her with this show of ‘good faith’. She’d get the money and take off, never to be heard from again." Buck offered. It was the only thing that made sense.
"You get anything out of Lovitt?" Chris asked.
Buck stroked his mustache. "Yes and no. Man was real tight lipped, which leads me to believe he had a hell of a lot to say." The tall cowboy sighed. "Sort of got the impression he and Maude had a real long talk. Man just looked too much like the cat that ate the canary to not be holding out."
Buck shifted his weight, settling more firmly against the post he leaned against, hand coming to rest on his gun belt. "He let slip some more talk about investors, and businesses coming to town. Got the impression he thought he could make some real money with any new people coming to town. Like he’d be getting a percentage off the top."
JD nodded, seconding Buck’s observation with one of his own. "He seemed to think Maude was going to be bringing big money into town, and he’d be her right hand man. Said something about how you have to spend money to make money. Couple o’ people we talked to mentioned that Lovitt had been by to see them as well. Was like he was feeling them out to see if they’d be willing to offer up money to Maude’s investors."
Chris nodded. Buck recognized the look on his old friends face. The information they had relayed was not exactly new to him.
"Maude tell you that she’s here to spend some money for investors or bring people to Four Corners?"
"No." Chris relit his cigar, and puffed once to keep it lit. "But it works with some of the stuff she did say."
"Which was?" JD asked impatiently.
Chris frowned, giving the younger man a stern look that he blatantly ignored. "Seems she was running a con in Denver. Need money to really make it work. Borrowed money from a man who don’t take not being repaid real well."
Buck nodded. "So she’s here looking to drum up the money to pay this guy off?"
"Yep."
Explains why she was doing a song and dance ‘bout investors and front money. She’s trying to raise funds…by short changing someone else. God. What a way to make a living. Buck sighed. "How much does she owe?"
"Fifteen thousand."
Buck nearly choked, and JD gasped. "Fifteen thousand?" JD’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.
Chris puffed on his cigar. "According to what Ez had to say, by the time this guy catches up with Maude that amount will be quite a bit more."
"Come again?" Buck didn’t understand how that could be the case. She was here, unable to borrow any more money, so the debt shouldn’t grow anymore.
"Seems this guy…Vuocolo didn’t just give it to her, and he doesn’t charge interest like the bank. Seems he charges a whole lot more. Like on the order of fifty to sixty percent."
Buck nodded slowly, understanding dawning. He was vaguely familiar with that sort of business. One of the bordellos his mother had worked at paid ‘protection’ money to a man who made similar loans. In the three years they’d lived there, Buck didn’t know of anyone who’d ever paid off a debt to him. He did remember a number of people sporting black eyes and broken bones though. Buck said as much.
JD looked appalled. "But that’s not legal."
"Don’t matter much that it is or isn’t, Kid." Buck rubbed one hand over his face. "This guy..Vuocolo you said his name was…he know she’s here?"
"Ezra thinks so."
"Christ on a crutch." Buck cursed quietly, knowing without a doubt that if Ezra thought so then he was probably right.
"Yep." Chris didn’t look at all happy.
"Where we going to get that kind of money?" JD asked, hands raised in a gesture of helplessness.
Something in Chris eyes shifted, and Buck had a sneaking suspicion that the anger Josiah had gone to work off had something to do with that very question. He wanted to ask, but didn’t want to do it in front of JD. Kid doesn’t know all the history, and I don’t want to be the one to tell him. Not my place. Not sure I’d even know how to explain it to him anyway.
"And what makes you think we need to have the money?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
JD stared at him. "This guy is coming here. We’re going to have to do SOMETHING." JD punctuated his last word with a wild hand gesture. "I mean I know you’re pissed at Maude, but we can’t just let some…some…creep just come here and beat her up because she can’t pay off her debt."
The look on Chris’ face said otherwise. Buck grimaced and again wondered what the hell they’d missed by not being at the saloon. "Chris." Buck managed to make one word both a warning and chastisement in one.
The gunslinger sighed, eyes softening for a moment. "I know, JD, I know. Wouldn’t very well be performing our duties as peacekeepers, as Ezra would say, if we didn’t do something." Chris puffed on his cigar. "Just haven’t decided what exactly to do yet."
"What does Ezra think we should do?"
Buck waited to see how his old friend would answer the question JD posed. He cocked his head, seconding the younger man’s inquiry without saying a word. This should be interesting.
Chris pursed his lips. "He’s still thinking on it."
"Well, let’s go talk to him then." JD moved to head for the saloon, but Chris reached out, one hand catching JD’s arm, halting his progress before he’d gone more than a step.
Chris shook his head. "Not right now."
"Why not?"
"Because Vin and Ezra need some time." Chris’ tone was one Buck recognized. It was soft, but would brook no argument.
JD obviously recognized it as well. He didn’t object, didn’t make any move to shrug off Chris’ hold. Kid really is learning.
Buck laid an arm across JD’s shoulders. "C’mon kid. We’ll go see…do…hell, we’ll think of something until dinnertime. Ezra and Vin will have it worked out by then."
Chris just tipped his head to Buck by way of acknowledgement and headed back inside the jail. For a moment, Buck felt sorry for Maude. He knew his friend wouldn’t say a word the whole time he was in there. He’d just sit and glare.
The brief flash of sympathy faded almost immediately as he considered just how quickly the lady in question was willing to swindle the people of HIS town. Not to mention what sort of trouble she might have brought with her. Don’t hold with a lady getting hurt…but shit, I get paid to keep this town in one piece. Don’t take kindly to anyone bringing trouble. And I know she had to have said or done something in the saloon to piss of Chris, Josiah and Vin but royal. Don’t know what it was, but I got a feeling she deserves to suffer having Chris glare at her steadily for a few hours.+ + + + + + +
Ezra made his way to his room knowing Vin was following. He could hear the tracker’s soft tread on the stairs, at most only a second or two behind him. He didn’t look back, nor did he wait for his lover to catch up. Ezra kept one hand tightly clenched around the neck of the bottle of scotch he still held, the other was curled into a tight fist. It was the only way he could keep them from shaking.
Rage, embarrassment, and fear coursed through him in steady waves. His anger was nearly uncontrollable when his mother would dare to suggest he offer himself…as if doing so as a child had not been sufficient sacrifice. Rage for her continued failure to see him as anything more than a means to an end. And although it was irrational given that she had no idea of how committed he was to Vin, he was livid she even suggest he would agree to be unfaithful. He made a promise to Vin and Satan would master ice-skating before he willingly broke his pledge. Even for his mother.
Ezra had managed to rein it in by sheer force of will, but experienced a sense of savage satisfaction when Vin had buried his knife in the table, scaring Maude. His lover’s swift, decisive move had been heartwarming and frightening. It was as close to complete loss of control that Ezra had ever witnessed in Vin. And as much as he might appreciate Vin’s efforts on his behalf, he really did not want his lover to suffer the consequences inflicting harm on Maude might create.
He was embarrassed over the others knowing she had offered him up in the past and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. It was mortifying. Only Vin and Chris knew about SinJin, and while they’d been quick to understand, Ezra still felt ashamed. No one else knew, and he’d rather keep it that way. Josiah might guess from what Ezra had said that Maude had offered him up before, but he wasn’t going to confirm that, nor was he going to willingly supply details. The big man did not need to know any more about his childhood than he already did. He just didn’t think Josiah would be as accepting as Vin and Chris had been. The man might not be a preacher any longer, but his former profession still colored his thinking from time to time.
Ezra feared for Maude’s safety. The woman really had no idea just how much damage his friends were capable of. Vuocolo might well be the least of her worries. Putting her in jail had been a spur of the moment inspiration. Not only did it ensure she could do no more damage, but it also placed her under the protection of the peacekeepers. At least he hoped so. They’ve kept murders from being lynched. One can only hope that despite whatever hostility Chris and the others feel, they will do likewise for Mother.
He unlocked the door to his room, not bothering to close it as he stepped inside, leaving it open so Vin would have easy access. He shook his head trying to figure out how in the hell his mother could be so stupid. Ezra sighed heavily and searched for a glass. He really didn’t want to drink straight from the bottle. It would be so uncouth to do so.
He spotted a glass on the nightstand and poured a healthy measure of amber liquid into it. He knew his mother had a fierce desire to win, a competitive streak when it came to pulling off a con that made her so very good at doing it. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first or likely to be the last time her desire to triumph at all costs would land her in hot water.
In some ways he didn’t care that she managed to encounter trouble. It wasn’t his problem, not really. Or rather it shouldn’t be. If she could just leave him out of it, that was all he ever really wanted. For as long as he could remember he’d had ambivalent feelings about his mother. On one hand he wanted for her to be with him, to add some of that light and laughter she seemed to lavish only on others, to matter to her in some small way so that she would share something of herself with him. And one the other hand, he never wanted her anywhere near him because her presence in his life was so closely tied to painful moments, betrayal, and unhappy memories.
Ezra shook his head and set the mostly full glass back on the nightstand. As much as he wanted the drink, he knew he’d already had too much and more would not help. Getting blind stinking drunk would be a short-term solution, and this was a problem he would need all his wits about him to address.
I knew she was bound to show up at some point. I’d harbored the faint hoped that when she did it might be to simply visit…God. I am such a fool. You would think past experience would have taught me better.
He took a deep breath. Ezra heard Vin close the door and lock it, but didn’t turn around. He kept his eyes focused on the light curtains that did their best to block the afternoon sun. He wavered between wanting to break down completely and wanting to smash everything in sight. Ezra couldn’t bring himself to face Vin until he knew for sure which option he was going to choose.
The stiff set of his shoulders and spine relaxed unwittingly when Vin’s arms encircled him from behind. He let out the breath he’d been holding, and rested his head against his lover’s shoulder, letting the tracker support some of his weight. He sighed softly as Vin rocked slightly.
Ezra realized there were more than just two choices open to him. With Vin, he could rely on someone else, find room to marshal his energy again and organize the chaos swirling in his brain. He felt safe in within the circle of those strong arms. Ezra had lost count of the number of times he’d sent a prayer of gratitude heavenward for having the chance to experience moments like this one.
"You okay?" Vin whispered in one ear.
"Perhaps I should be asking you that." Ezra responded, his voice just as low and intimate as Vin’s. His mother’s words had upset Vin as much, if not more, than they had him.
Vin placed a soft kiss on the nape of his neck. "I asked you first."
"Getting there." Ezra smiled, unable to do anything but answer honestly. He wasn’t sure if he regretted losing the ability to lie to Vin or not. There were days when he would like to be able to just pass off a little white lie.
Vin hugged him a little tighter. "What can I do?"
"You’re doing it." Ezra raised a hand to entwine his fingers with Vin’s. "Have a told you lately I love you?"
"Not since this mornin’."
He released his hold on Vin’s hand and turned without breaking the circle of his lover’s arms. Green eyes sought blue. "I love you, Vin Tanner."
Vin smiled warmly. He leaned in for a soft almost chaste kiss. "I love you too, Ezra Standish."
Ezra hugged Vin closer to him, once more laying his head on Vin’s shoulder. If he focused he could hear the steady heart beat of his lover, feel its pulse matching his own. The well worn fabric Ezra rested his cheek against was nearly as soft as the skin it covered. He breathed in deeply, taking in his lover’s scent. It was a blend of leather, dust, sweat and something Ezra had yet to define, but collectively it represented comfort and safety. Using Vin as his center, Ezra managed to regulate his breathing, regaining the control he’d nearly lost.
Were it possible, Ezra would stay in Vin’s arms forever. With genuine regret, Ezra took a deep breath and moved to pull away. Before leaving Vin’s hold, Ezra raised a hand to cup Vin’s cheek, fingers caressing lightly. "Thank you, Cheri."
Vin turned his head to place a kiss in Ezra’s palm. "My pleasure."
"Are you okay?" Ezra hadn’t forgotten that Vin had neatly redirected his earlier comment.
The tracker shrugged one shoulder. "Still mad as hell that she’d come here jus’ lookin’ to use you…but long as she don’t succeed, I’m good." Vin’s hand neatly encircled Ezra’s wrist. "We’re together. So long as we stay that way…there is nothin’ we can’t handle. Right?"
Ezra smiled, and nodded. Together they had faced what seemed like insurmountable odds. "We have had the damnedest run of luck."
"Not just luck, Ez." Vin gave him a cocky grin. "Luck ain’t all we got going for us. We got skill. We’re damn good at what we do."
Ezra chuckled. He sobered quickly as considered everything that had been said downstairs. "Skill applied correctly can negate the need for luck. And a run of luck can make skill level moot." Ezra’s expression turned rueful. "In this case, I do believe we will need all the skill and luck we can lay claim to."
Vin sighed. "I reckon you’re right about that." The tracker cocked his head slightly. "You got a plan?"
"The obvious choice would be to simply let Mother suffer the consequences of her own stupidity." Ezra shook his head regretfully. As attractive as it might appear, it really wasn’t an option. "Doing so will only invite her wrath." The gambler stifled a shudder at what all that would entail. He knew first hand the sort of deviousness his mother could and would employ to exact retribution. He’d rather not subject his friends to that if it could be avoided.
"And there is still the issue of the trouble she has undoubtedly brought trailing behind her." Ezra began pacing, one hand rubbing absently at his chin. "It would not be an unlikely scenario for Maude to find a way to embroil the entire town in her predicament. Doing so would force us to assist whether we wanted to or not."
He waved a hand, allowing himself a small gesture of his frustration. "Hell, she already has entangled us and this town. Albeit not as completely as she is capable of. Nor has she garnered our help on her terms, so for the moment I’ll consider that to be a small victory."
Ezra absently noted Vin’s move to sit on the bed. It was a move that gave him greater space in which to pace. Blue eyes regarded him steadily, patiently letting him work through his thoughts.
"Ideally, payment of the debt would be another simple answer." Ezra bit his lip. "Even if I knew of a way we could acquire sufficient funds, it is highly unlikely we could do so quickly enough to say ahead of the interest. Anything less than full payment will leave us just as we are now."
Ezra made another lap, head down as he thought through the choices. "Killing Vuocolo is certainly an alternative, but we are not executioners, and I have no desire to see any of us become such." The gambler removed his jacket hanging it carelessly over back of the rocker as he passed it. He loosened his tie as well. "And it is decidedly unlikely Vuocolo would leave Denver. His minions are more likely to be the ones we will encounter. Killing them will buy us nothing in the long run. It would be altogether too easy for him to simply send more."
Ezra sighed, and reached for the glass of scotch he’d left on the nightstand. He took a sip before handing the glass over to Vin. The tracker toed out of his boots, leaned back against the headboard, cradling the glass gently. It had taken some time, but Vin had learned Ezra did not appreciate footwear on his bedspread.
"How many guys does he got?" Vin asked after taking a sip of scotch.
"Since I know the man only by reputation," Ezra shrugged, "I don’t have enough information to even hazard an accurate guess. But I have no doubt that he would have little difficulty in replacing any lost in the line of duty. There are always those of limited intelligence and excess brawn in need of employment. Generally speaking, Mr. Vuocolo would have an unlimited number of applicants to choose from."
Vin pursed his lips. "And we don’t want them to keep coming back."
"Precisely." Ezra continued pacing. "We need to device a way to extricate Maude that will result in a permanent solution."
"You sure we can’t just let them take her?" Earnest blue eyes met green. "Know she’s your mother and all…but hell Ez, it jus’ doesn’t seem right to bail her out."
"I know." Ezra smiled at Vin letting him know he was not offended by his words. He understood the sentiment behind the question. In all honesty, he even shared it. Unfortunately, it did not change the situation one bit. "And yes, I’m sure we can’t just let her stew in her own juices." Would that we could. Were she not related to me, I believe I might just pay good money to witness it.
"Damn shame we couldn’t just take her outta the picture." Vin pursed his lips, eyes dropping to focus on the drink in his hand. "I mean, with her gone we wouldn’t have a problem, right?" Vin took a sip. "Reckon that wouldn’t be a permanent fix like we’re lookin’ for…well, ‘less o’ course Maude was like gone for good." Vin’s expression was an odd mixture of guilt and hope when he spoke again. "Can’t see any way to make that happen unless she died."
Ezra stopped in mid-stride, considering his lover’s words. He smiled widely suddenly seeing the ideal solution. With one stride he stepped toward the bed. Ezra raised Vin’s head kissed him, soundly, thoroughly. He plundered the familiar warm, wet grotto, stealing Vin’s breath as he did so.
"You are brilliant." Ezra stated when he finally pulled away.
"I am?" Dazed blue eyes stared back at him. "What did I say?"
Ezra waved a hand. He didn’t have time to explain. And he didn’t want to do it more than once. Explanations could wait until they met up with the others.
"I need to send some telegrams." Ezra took the glass Vin still held in lax fingers, and downed the remaining amber liquid. "Then we need to talk to the others."
Ezra spun, snatching up his jacket. Vin scrambled for his boots. "Ez?"
"I think I may have a solution to our dilemma." Ezra stepped toward the mirror and retied his tie, checking his appearance out of long habit. It wouldn’t do for anyone in town to see him looking like anything other than a gentlemen.
"You have a plan?"
"Yes." Ezra nodded decisively. "I need to clarify some finer details before it can be set in motion, hence the need for telegrams to be sent."
"To who? Where?" Vin pulled on his boots, still clearly confused by Ezra’s sudden about face.
"To some associates in Denver." Ezra straightened his cuffs unconsciously checking his derringer was still in place and ready for action. He smoothed his vest, hand ghosting over the shoulder holster he’d been wearing since getting dressed this morning.
Vin stood. "Didn’t know you knew anyone in Denver."
"I know a lot of people." Ezra smiled, gold premolar readily visible. "An interesting side effect of my chosen profession."
"These friends of yours—"
"Not friends." Ezra held up a hand. "The only friends I can lay claim to reside here in Four Corners." Ezra blinked realizing the truth of that statement for perhaps the first time. You can have all the warm feelings you want later, Ezra. Focus on the issue at hand. Sentimentality will have to wait until a more convenient moment.
"The people I spoke of owe me. Calling in my marker will allow them to pay a debt, and for me to wipe one off my books." Ezra held up both hands, palm up as though balancing a scale.
"Will they be able ta tell you what you wanna know?"
"We shall find out in short order."
Vin halted his step toward the door with a hand on his shoulder. "Your plan gonna work without ‘clarifying the finer details’?"
Ezra frowned giving Vin’s question due consideration. "With some adjustments it should."
Vin’s trademark half smile appeared. "You’re improvising again."
"Yes, I am." Ezra laughed. When Vin laughed with him, Ezra felt better than he had since hearing of Maude’s arrival in town. Such a simple thing really, laughing together, understanding one another, and yet so indicative of their relationship.
Vin waved a hand toward the door, inviting Ezra to precede him. "Okay, lets go get your details. Then we can go talk to the others. I wanna hear about this plan, pronto."
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