No sooner had they loaded Zeke into the buckboard than the heavens opened with another deluge, drenching all of them and worsening the mud and slippery conditions on the trail. Cole felt bad that they had no blanket to cover Zeke with, but they tried to make him as comfortable as they could.
“I think we should go back and blow that place off the map,” said Cole as he lifted himself into the saddle.
Kane shook his head. “It’ll keep for now,” he said. “Being too hasty around that hellhole was what got Zeke injured in the first place. We should help the townspeople first.”
He snapped the reins, putting the team in motion, and they rode hell bent for leather through the rain toward Dusthaven and Dr. Zeismer. Cole was glad that they had stashed the dynamite first - there would have been no way to keep it from detonating on this trip. Several times the wagon nearly skidded off the trail but Kane kept the horses calm and they made it back to Dusthaven in what Cole thought must be record time.
Rolling directly into the square, Kane shouted for someone to find Dr. Zeismer. The physician came running. He looked exhausted, sleeves rolled up and apron covered in blood. He examined Zeke as quickly as he could, but it was already too late. “He’s dead,” Zeismer confirmed as Clara came up next to the buckboard.
“Does he have any family?” Cole asked Clara. She shook her head.
“Zeke’s always been alone. If he has any family, nobody here knows who they are.” She frowned and moved subtly away from Cole. “He doesn’t have much, anyway. Spent what money he did have looking to find a gold strike.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Cole asked. Clara flinched.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “The people here are starting to say that you’re bad news. You’ve been here less than a month, and practically everyone you’ve been associated with has died. Or worse.” Cole had not really thought about that before, but he came to realize that she was right.
He didn’t have long to brood about this, though, as Orin Owley rode into the square, looking out of breath and angry. “There you are, Bridgewater!” he shouted. “I need your help. And you too, Kane. A man came to the sheriff’s office, said he was a representative of Hollister’s boss. I think it was that young Turk that we saw out in the desert that day. He clubbed me in the head, and took off with that… that painted woman.”
Cole lifted himself back in the saddle, and Kane quickly commandeered a horse as well. "They couldn't have gotten too far in this weather," said Cole. "They may not be expecting pursuit." The three men rode off into the rain. It wasn't long before they came upon Josie and the young prize fighter riding through the gale, their hair plastered to their faces, looking miserable and very soaked. They must have been completely freezing and it didn't take them long to catch up, especially now that their quarry had to ride in the wind and rain on tired horses.
Predictably, the two weren't in much of a mood to make a run for it any more after riding through the storm. Morosely, the group moved back to the jail, happy to take their wet, dirty prisoners back, especially now that the weather was getting to them.
Seeing that a new sheriff hadn’t yet been named, and Owley seemed to feel personally slighted by whatever Josie had done or said, he volunteered for first watch at the jail. When Cole and Kane left the building, they noticed a large crowd had gathered in the town square and went to see what was going on.
A few of the local people were gathered in the center of town with some interest, watching a group with a woman in a fancy outfit. It looked like she had six burly men with her, who looked like they could take on Paul Bunyan. Cole recognized the Fairfax family "look" in her facial features, and surely it must be thought it must be Evelyn Fairfax, whose parasol Owley had found. He’d never met her before. She was talking to Clara, and though he couldn't hear what they were saying, something she said caused Clara to burst into tears.
Walking through the crowd, Cole noticed that Evelyn saw him, but she didn’t seem to recognize who he was. She paid no attention to him, and walked away with her huge bodyguards. Cole went to try to comfort Clara, but again she still didn’t want anything to do with him.
“What did the Fairfax woman want?” Cole asked, This caused Clara to break down again.
“She said she’s with the railroad. They hired the Pinkerton men to find Samuel,” she wept. “He’s dead. The railroad says it’s not their fault, and they won’t pay any claims. I don’t know what I’m going to do. We needed his job.”
“Did they tell you what happened to him?” Cole asked.
“He took an offer from Hollister, and took some of the snake oil. Please go away, I don’t want to talk to you.” she turned from him and walked briskly into one of the buildings on the square, leaving Cole to look over his shoulder at where Evelyn and the big men had entered. He wondered if they were the Pinkertons that Clara spoke of.
Seeing that no one in town seemed to want anything to do with him, he started to mount Nevah and head for home to await his turn to guard the jail, when he noticed two of the burly guards headed his way. He ducked into a back alley between the general store and the remains of the saloon. Sure enough, the bruisers followed him in as he hid behind a barrel and waited for them to go past, then sprang from his hiding place, aiming his gun directly at one man’s head.
“What do you want?” he demanded. The other man started to raise his gun, but Cole pulled back the hammer. “I’ll shoot him,” He told the man. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kane taking up a position in an alley across the street and aiming his carbine.
“You take that gun off us for a minute and we’ll have you,” The burly bodyguard informed him. Cole didn’t doubt it. Looking toward the main street, he saw people begin to notice what was going on, and taking shelter indoors. It was clear the battle was escalating. Further down the street, he saw Lady Evelyn train a pistol on Clara, and shove her into the general store.
The other Pinkerton agents on the street began smashing windows and kicking in doors, spreading kerosene about the wooden boardwalk in an apparent attempt to finish what Hollister had started. Several people on the street pointed in their direction and Cole heard an angry murmur arising.
Kane’s carbine spoke for him, and one of the two men threatening Cole dropped to the ground. Cole ordered the other man “Surrender”, but the man leveled his weapon instead and Cole shot him without hesitation.
Another gunshot rang out from within the general store. Then a second, and one of the Pinkertons crashed through the window, landing half in and half out. A settler opened fire on a Pinkerton man who was spreading kerosene and the roar of a shotgun came from within the general store.
One of the remaining Pinkerton agents threw his pistol into the street. “I didn’t sign up to burn down the homes of women and children,” he said. “No amount of money is worth that. We’re better than this,” he shouted to any of his fellow agents within earshot.
Kane walked into the street, quiet, steely-eyed, and businesslike. “Your surrender is accepted,” he said. “Now if you’ll accompany me to the jail…”
A second Pinkerton man came out of the general store, held at gunpoint by Clara who had a double-barreled shotgun aimed. Old Jeb and several settlers came out as well, dragging a fuming and cursing Evelyn Fairfax. “You’ll all feel my wrath,” Evelyn shouted. “All of you. Including you cowards!” She spat on the nearest Pinkerton agent. Cole moved into the street to back up Kane, but it seemed between him and Clara they had things pretty well under control. Before long, they had their charges in the cells, which included Josie and the prize fighter who had tried to escape and in the end distracted Orin Owley from the fight outside.
