John Chance
Josiah took a deep breath. The air smelled heavily of rain, though the storm had let up awhile ago. JD walked beside him, tipping his hat to those who walked by. Josiah smiled to himself. The kid had changed a lot since first coming to Four Corners.
"So where is Chris?" JD asked. Then again, Josiah thought.
"Saloon probably. We best tell him and the other's about the telegraph." Josiah nodded toward the yellow piece of paper that JD held.
"Yeah. According to this John Chance should arrive on the afternoon stage."
Saloon
Chris was half listening to what Buck was saying when he saw JD and Josiah walk in. The two quickly made their way to the table.
"What's up?" Chris interrupted his friend. "Just got this from Judge Travis." JD handed the telegram to Chris.
"What's it say?" Nathan asked leaning forward.
"Says there's a murderer headed here. A Texas ranger by the name of John Chance is coming to catch him." Josiah explained.
"And we being the peace keepers must lend our services?" Ezra asked. JD nodded. He looked around the table and noticed for the first time that Vin was gone.
"Where's Vin?"
"He had some business out at Nettie's. Said he'd be back later." Buck filled JD in.
"So now what?" JD asked. Chris stood up and headed toward the door.
"Now we go to the jail and wait for this guy to show."
Sherrif's Office
Buck was sitting on the bench outside the sheriff's office. Nathan sat in the chair on the other side of the door. The other's were inside, taking in a game of cards. Buck noticed the stagecoach first, and bellowed for the others to come out. Chris came out first, followed closely by JD Josiah and Ezra took their time coming outside. "Stage is here." Buck explained. Chris squinted, looking past the stage to the open plains. "Vin?" he asked. Nathan shook his head. "Figure Miss Nettie asked him for lunch." he smiled. Chris grinned slightly. Vin had become close with Nettie, in truth, they all had. They were even becoming better friends with Casey, Nettie's niece, especially JD
Chris shook off these thoughts and looked up at the stage. A man a few years older than Chris stepped out. His black hair poked out from the brim of his hat. Chris looked the man over, settling his eyes on the star he wore on his chest. The man had a small bag with him, and once he finished brushing the dust off, he approached them. "You must be the men Judge Travis told me about." he extended his hand towards Chris. "John Chance." his voice had a slight drawl. "Chris Larabee." he accepted Chance's hand. "This is Nathan Jackson, Buck Wilmington, Josiah Sanchez, JD Dunne, and Ezra Standish." They all nodded or tipped their hats. Chance looked puzzled.
"I thought there was another of you?" Buck spoke up.
"He had some business to take care of. He'll be here shortly." Chance nodded, took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Well what I have to tell you is sort of involved." he placed his hat back on his head. "Do you mind if we get a drink while we talk?" Chris said fine and began leading the way. Buck leaned over to JD and said low enough for him to hear. "Hell I was just getting ready to suggest that." he gave a crooked smile and JD rolled his eyes.
Saloon
They sat at a table in the corner, near the door. Chris was wondering about Vin as he listened to Chance's story. He hoped he got back soon.
"This man has been on a killing spree all through the territory, and Texas. He follows a similar pattern and that's how we've been able to track where we think he's going. We figured he'd head this way either to Four Corners or Eagle Bend." he took a sip of whiskey.
"Is someone else in Eagle Bend?" Josiah asked.
"Yep. Another of the Rangers is there. I'm the lucky one who got to come here." Chris noted the sarcasm in his voice. Buck cleared his throat. "How many have been killed so far?" Chance got a somber look on his face.
"Near as we can tell," he began turning his empty glass over in his hands, "say about twenty four." Each man had a look of horror on his face. Chris, who usually kept his emotions hidden, clenched his jaw as he let what Chance had just said sink in. The truth was Chris didn't trust himself to talk. His throat felt dry and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to talk. He was grateful when Josiah spoke up.
"Twenty four poor souls, over how many years?" "A little over two." Chance poured himself another drink. "He kills in a pattern. That's how we've been able to track him."
"What pattern?" Chris asked. He could hear the fear in his own voice, but he hoped none of the others did.
"He always kills four people. A young woman, a widow, an elderly woman and a man that has ties to all three." Chance scratched his head. "He can kill the women in any order, but the man is always the last to die." his voice sounded hoarse. Chris looked at the others. He could feel the tension everyone was feeling and he wished there was some way he could end it.
"Anyone new in town?" The others shook their heads.
Nathan chewed his lower lip. "I'll check the livery, see if anyone new is boarding there."
"Right. I'll check the boarding house, and the hotel." Buck stated. Each man nodded, but none made a move to leave.
Ezra shifted in his seat. "Well I see our other friend in arms has decided to join us." he nodded toward the door. The others turned and saw Vin walking towards them, his spurs clicked to announce his arrival.
"Boys, what's..." Vin stopped what he was saying, the color draining from his face. He backed up a few steps and started to turn when John Chance drew his gun on him.
"Stop Tanner!" he yelled. He started to walk toward Vin when he heard the cocking of several gun hammers.
"I suggest you lower your gun." Chris' voice was ice.
"Larabee you don't understand." Chance said, continuing to point his gun at Vin's back. The few people who had been in the saloon quickly made their way to the front door.
"I understand your pointing a gun at my friend." Chris walked over to Vin's side, his gun never straying from its target. Chance reluctantly lowered his gun.
"This man is wanted for murder." he explained.
"We know." Nathan said, also coming around to face Chance. He looked around and noticed that none of the other men had holstered their guns. Vin turned around and faced Chance. Some of the color had come back to his face, and his blue eyes looked cold.
"You gonna take me in again?" Vin asked, hooking his thumbs in his gun belt.
"Damn straight." Chance began moving toward Vin when he felt a gun press at his back.
"I believe you have a more delicate situation to defuse. One that involves Mr. Tanner's assistance, which I'm sure he would only lend if he were not required to sit behind bars." Ezra drawled.
"What did you say?" Chance glanced at the southerner.
"He said," JD explained, "Vin can help us catch this killer but not if he's in jail."
"Thank you." Ezra nodded. JD beamed with pride. Josiah leaned toward Buck.
"JD understood that?" Buck opened his mouth to say something, couldn't decide what and just shrugged.
"Gentlemen, please." Ezra sounded exasperated. Buck and Josiah returned their attention to the others. Chance's face had turned red with anger.
"I can't let him just walk away."
"I ain't running no more." Vin replied. Chris kept his gun aimed at John Chance and looked at Vin, who nodded. Chris then turned his attention back to the Texas Ranger.
"Give me your word you won't take him in until you catch this killer." Chris could feel Vin tensing up next to him. He realized that his own body was tense with anticipation. Chance flared his nostrils, his eyes flashing with hatred.
"Alright, but as soon as we catch him, we're going back to Tuscosa." The other's let out a sigh of relief. That would buy them some time to come up with a plan to help Vin. Chris holstered his gun and walked right up to Chance.
"If you try anything before then, I'll kill you." Pure rage echoed in Chris' voice.
"You threatening me?" Chance crossed his arms.
Chris shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just stating a fact." he grabbed Vin's arm and led him out of the Saloon.
On the trail
The air was cool, as the wind swept over the prairie. It had been a few hours since the dust up at the saloon, and Vin, Chris and JD were heading out towards Nettie Wells ranch.
"She said that storm last night riled her horses up and they broke the corral." Vin was explaining why they were heading back out there.
"So I volunteered you boys to help fix it. Hope you don't mind?" a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. JD rolled his eyes,
"I don't mind. You Chris?"
Chris grinned. "I was getting a little stir crazy in town. Besides I think it best we warn Nettie and Casey about this killer." The other two men nodded. They continued the ride to Nettie's in silence. Once the house was in view, they saw someone's horse in front of the house.
"Who's here, do you suppose?" JD asked. Vin and Chris looked at each other. Vin was starting to get an uneasy feeling.
"I don't like this." he whispered. Chris knew what Vin was talking about. Something wasn't right. The three men quickly dismounted and Vin was the first to reach the door. He knocked, and saw that the door was open a ways. He pulled his gun out and pushed the door open. Quickly, he took in the scene in front of him. Casey lay crumpled in a corner, blood drying on the front of her dress. Vin felt his heart sink at the thought that the girl might be dead. He moved his eyes toward the stove and saw a dark figure standing over an unconscious Nettie. The figure was holding a knife to her throat. Vin let out a yell and shot his gun, without even aiming for the figure. The person ran into the back room and Vin heard a crash as the window was broken.
"Check on these two." Chris yelled as he pursued the person. Vin ran over to Nettie, and saw that she had a bloody nose, but she seemed uninjured. He glanced at JD, who stood over Casey. JD looked up at him.
"She's fine, she's just got a cut on her forehead." JD sounded out of breath. Vin nodded. "Watch them!" he shouted as he ran out the front door. The first thing Vin noticed was the strange horse was gone. He scanned the land for any sign of the person, or of his friend, Chris. He saw nothing. He held his gun in front of him as he rounded the house, and headed toward the back. He heard someone moan, and saw Chris lying on the ground. He ran to him, and quickly began looking for a wound. He saw a knot forming on Chris' forehead, and the sleeve of his shirt was quickly turning crimson.
"Chris?" Vin asked, helping Chris sit up.
"I shot him in the shoulder, don't know how bad though." he winced when he felt pain from his arm and head.
"Come on, I got to get all of you to town." Vin wrapped Chris' good arm around his shoulder and began dragging him back to the house.
Town
The following day brought another storm with it. Vin climbed down the stairs from Nathan's clinic, and headed across the muddy street to the sheriff's office. He had just come from seeing Nettie and Casey, and the two seemed fine. They were both a little shook up, but they felt safer knowing that the seven were around. Nathan was staying with them right now. Vin nodded toward Buck who was sitting at the desk. Across from him, standing against the wall was John Chance. "How are the ladies doing?" Chance asked. "Scared, but Nathan says they'll be fine." Vin sat on the edge of the desk. "Chris says he wants to go over some things with us. He and the others are at the saloon."
"Well that's a good enough reason for me to leave." Buck smiled, walking past Vin and out the door. Vin looked at Chance. He nodded toward the door.
"After you." Chance whispered something under his breath, and headed toward the door. Vin reached out and grabbed hold of his shoulder. "One other thing," he started to say when Chance let out a small wince. Vin quickly removed his hand from his shoulder.
"Sorry." he said. Chance tried to smile, but couldn't.
"Old injury. Shall we?" he walked out the door. Vin narrowed his eyes. His mind, heart and gut were telling him the same thing. John Chance was not who everyone thought he was. Vin shook off the feeling of dread that came over him and quickly headed after Buck and Chance.
Later that night
Vin took in the smell of rain, as he continued down the boardwalk. He and JD had been patrolling for about an hour. He glanced over to the other side of the street and saw JD's figure moving in the opposite direction. Vin sighed and continued walking. When he was only a few doors down from the Clarion newspaper, he noticed a horse sitting in front of Mrs. Travis' office. Would she have visitors this late?, Vin thought to himself as he approached the horse. He held his breath as he suddenly realized this was the same horse he had seen at Nettie's. He searched the other side of the street for JD
When he spotted the boy, he yelled, "JD get the others and bring them to the Clarion!" He didn't even wait to see if JD was going or not. He ran up the stairs to the front door of the Clarion and kicked the door in. He hoped he wasn't too late as he entered Mary's office.
Saloon
Buck, Ezra and Chris sat at their usual table. Chris was sipping his whiskey, trying to find a comfortable position for his arm. Nathan sewed up the hole the knife had made real well, but the injury was still tender. The fact that he had a splitting headache wasn't helping either.
"Who's with Casey and Nettie?" Chris asked as Nathan approached.
"Josiah's with 'em." Nathan stood over Chris, giving him a disappointed look.
"What?" Chris asked.
"What are you doing?" Nathan asked, pointing at Chris' whiskey glass.
"Having a drink." Chris replied. He could hear Buck and Ezra chuckling under their breath. "Why aren't you doing like I told ya?" Chris sighed.
"You said because I lost so much blood, to drink plenty of liquids." Nathan rolled his eyes, and held up his finger.
"I meant water not whiskey." By now, Buck and Ezra were in full blown laughter.
Chris smiled, his eyes had a devilish twinkle to them, "Next time be more specific."
Nathan started to protest when JD came flying through the saloon doors.
"Vin needs us at the Clarion!" he yelled and quickly left before the others could find out why. None of them really needed to ask why, if Vin needed them, they knew there was trouble.
The Clarion
Vin had his gun drawn in front of him as he approached the door that led to Mary's living quarters. When he pushed the door open, he saw broken glass on the floor, and Mary standing in her night shift, her hands tied in front of her, and a piece of cloth in her mouth. He started to reach for her, when he saw someone come out of the shadows. The person held a knife to Mary's throat. Vin could see the frightened look in Mary's eyes as the man moved the knife back and forth in front of her neck.
"Give it up Chance." Vin's voice quivered, as he tried to give Mary a reassuring smile. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure out it was me." Chance came out of the shadows, and he held fast to Mary, who was softly crying. "It's alright Mrs. Travis." Vin kept his voice low. "Let her go."
"When I tried to find you after you ran from Tuscosa," Chance's eyes looked like wild fire, and Vin knew he didn't have much time, "I went looking for ya. And every town you'd been in, you had made some friends. So I figured, if they wouldn't turn you in, they didn't deserve to live." Chance began walking forward, and Mary's eyes widened. Vin realized he was walking her toward the glass on the floor, and her feet were bare. Vin took a step forward. "You're a coward." Chance stopped, and a look of relief came over Mary's features.
"What?" Chance asked, moving the knife away from her throat.
"You heard me you bastard. You're a coward!" Vin yelled. The next five seconds seemed to last forever. Chance pushed Mary to the ground and raised his knife, aiming it at Vin. Vin raised his gun and shot at Chance's throat.
Chance dropped the knife and raised his hands to his throat. He felt the gaping hole that Vin's gun had left. He began to stumble toward Vin, who let another shot escape his gun. This one hit Chance in the heart. He let out a small groan and limply fell to the ground. Vin holstered his gun, and ran to Mary. He picked her up and carried her out into her main office. He pulled his knife out and cut her hands free, then reached up and gently removed the gag from her mouth. She fell into his arms crying, and he held her, rocking back and forth. He kept his eyes on the door leading to the back room. He saw no movement from within. When he heard the front door open, he pushed Mary behind him and pulled his gun. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Chris.
"Chance was the killer." he said. Chris and the others looked startled by the news. Vin took his coat off and wrapped it around Mary.
"Let's have Nathan take a look at you." he whispered to her. She nodded, still shaking. "Thank you." she didn't trust herself to say anything more. Vin helped her up and lead her over to Nathan's. Chris and Buck walked into the back room. They saw Chance lying on the floor, blood surrounding his lifeless form. The two looked at each other, then headed toward the undertaker's.
Saloon
It had been four days since John Chance's death. Nettie and Casey were still staying in town, Nettie said she wanted to give Casey a few more days to let things settle. Mary Travis was rooming at the hotel for now, she had said she just didn't feel ready to go back to her room just yet. Vin and the other's had been real supportive to the three women, checking in on them from time to time. Now as six of the seven sat at their table in the saloon, they were discussing the events of the past few days.
"Nettie and Casey said they are heading back out tomorrow." Josiah explained.
"Maybe we should escort them out, just to be sure." JD suggested. Buck laughed.
"Hell JD, we've been trying to get you to escort Casey for months now." The others laughed as JD's face flushed.
"Shut up Buck." he tried to look mad, but he too started laughing.
"Something funny?" they heard Vin ask as he sat down.
"Just JD" Buck continued to laugh.
"Now Mr. Wilmington, go easy on the young lad." Ezra suggested.
"Yeah, right." Buck commented. Chris shook his head and turned his attention to Vin.
"Where you been?"
"Checking on Mary." Vin said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. "This came for me to." he handed it to Chris, who handed it to JD after he had finished reading it. The piece of paper went around the entire table before landing back into Vin's hands.
"Well boys, this is cause for celebration." Buck stood up.
"Drinks are on me." The others whooped and hollered. JD started to head for the bar, like the others when Buck stopped him.
"Now I ain't paying for no milk boy. You're gonna drink whiskey like me."
"Don't you mean whiskey like a real man." JD countered.
"See, he's learning." Buck beamed with pride. Vin smiled and took one last glance at the paper. He let out a sigh of relief and threw the paper down on the table. Then he joined his friends at the bar.
Mr. Tanner,
My thanks to you for saving my daughter in law, Mary. I owe you a great debt of gratitude, for which I am not sure I can ever pay back. I hope this will help though. We have re-examined the facts concerning your arrest in Tuscosa, Texas. We have found that your incarceration was wrongful, and you are hereby granted a federal pardon. Congratulations Mr. Tanner, you are a free man.
Judge Orin W. Travis
The End
Follow-up story: A New Beginning