The banging becomes more insistent and Rebekah’s voice calls out again, “Deputy! You need to get up and answer this door, NOW!”
Jake rolls out of his bed and lands on the floor in a heap with a thud. Biting back the scream of pain, he drags himself up to a somewhat upright position and stumbles over to the door. He yanks it open and demands, “What!” of the beautiful young woman in front of him.
“You wanted to be woken when Cherokee came to. I’ve already woken the marshals.” She shakes her head and chuckles. “John was right about you. Waking you is about as easy as waking a hibernating bear.” She turns and goes down the hall to the stairwell, again shaking her head in amusement.
Jake stares after her a moment, wondering what brought that whole wake up on, then her words hit home.
Cherokee is awake.
He turns back and closes the door behind his back. He gets dressed for the day, belting on his gun and rushes downstairs.
As he makes his way into David’s office, he sees Red-Feather, Heart-of-Falcon, John, Blackwolf and Rebekah, all clustered in the foyer, speaking silently to one another.
“So, what did I miss?” Jake asks, voice thick with concern.
Blackwolf looks at him and smirks. “It was decided that we would ease him into the news about stuff with the letters you are apparently still carrying.”
Jake sighs and pats his vest. He hears the familiar crackle of paper and pulls the requested documents out of the interior pocket he had made just for instances like this.
Blackwolf motions him to the door. Jake knocks quietly on the door once, opens it and enters when he hears David’s voice saying, “Enter.”
The room has several candles burning, providing light in it, though there is very little natural light being provided by the pre-dawn gloom.
Jake steps close to the injured man, allowing Cherokee to see who it is that is approaching.
“Well, that’s a face I didn’t expect to see, ever again. How are you, Jake? What are you doing here?”
“I’m still alive, but by the Grace of God. I came here to find you, actually.”
Cherokee sighs and his eyes close for a moment. “So, young David here tells me I have you to thank for saving my life. He said a deputy found me, something about a couple of letters?”
Jake holds out the letters and nods. “I have them here, but they’re in Cherokee. I can’t read it myself and I don’t expect you’re in any condition to read them yourself.”
David steps up close and holds up his hand. “I can read the Cherokee. If you would like, Marshal Brouwer, I can read them to you.”
Weakly, the injured man nods.
David takes the letters and scans over them a moment. He looks down at Cherokee, then back at Jake. “I’m sorry, deputy, these letters are very personal. Would you mind waiting outside while I read them to him?”
Jake was expecting this. He knew the Marshal’s family wouldn’t write the letter in the Cherokee language, unless they wanted to hide something. Once again, Jake tells himself he’s gonna have to learn how to read and write in his native tongue. He nods and quickly leaves the room.
As he is closing the door behind him, he hears David say, “This one is from your mother.”
Jake turns and looks at the people gathered in front of him. Every face is a question, and every question is different. Jake shakes his head. “He’s too weak to read them himself and they’re written in Cherokee, which I can’t read. David is reading them to him, now.”
Blackwolf nods in understanding. “That was done on purpose. It wasn’t meant as a slight to you, deputy, but there are just some things that need to remain in the family.” His smile is winsome, yet somehow unsettling to Jake.
Jake nods, unable to really trust himself to speak a response.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, David leaves the injured man’s room quietly. “Well, I’m glad we decided to break it to him gently like this. He’s still weak enough, the shock of the revelations was bad enough that he almost fainted a couple of times as I read those two letters. I think he might be ready to see you now, Marshal.” He motions Blackwolf toward the door and all but whispers to him, “He knows you’re here. Just remember to be gentle with him. His health is still fragile. Got it?”
The young marshal nods and quickly enters the room, leaving David in the hallway.
Red-Feather and Heart-of-Falcon look at each other, then turn to the rest of those assembled.
Heart-of-Falcon says quietly, “We have things to take care of. You know where to find us, if you need us. We don’t wanna be under foot here, so, we’re gonna head out.”
John nods and says, “That might be best.” He gives her a hug and says to Red-Feather, “I’ll see you at the office, when we get done here.”
Red-Feather nods and leads his wife out the door of David and Rebekah’s office and home.
More than a half hour after the door to the injured man’s room is closed, it opens again, with Blackwolf’s voice calling out from behind it, “David, would you mind coming in here a moment, please?”
He goes in and quickly closes the door behind him, only to reopen it a moment later. “Alright, they are both ready for everyone to join them. Now, remember that we need to try and let him rest, so the visit needs to be short, got it?” He glares at everyone in turn, until each one nods in agreement.
David goes back in, followed by his wife, then John, then Jake.
Jake is surprised to see Blackwolf standing by the marshal’s bed, with a hand on the inured man’s shoulder, in a comforting gesture.
Blackwolf looks down at Cherokee, silently seeking reassurance.
Cherokee nods weakly, then says, “It’s alright. I trust him with our lives, you can too.”
John clears his throat meaningfully. “Are you sure you don’t want to re-think what you’re about to do?”
Cherokee shakes his head, and motions toward Blackwolf. “We’ve talked about it. I already know about his past. It will be fine.”
John sighs, shakes his head and crosses his arms in silent protest.
Jake looks around at the expectant faces around him, in shock. It’s obvious they are talking about him, but what about him, he has no idea.
Blackwolf takes one more look at Cherokee.
The older man nods in reassurance. “Go on, Little Bit.”
Finally, Blackwolf takes a deep breath, obviously steeling himself and steps forward. “You see, Jake, my father has told me you need to know who I am.”
Jake looks at the marshal curiously. “You mean, you’ve already married Joey?”
Blackwolf’s laughter is decidedly more feminine than he has ever heard it. Blackwolf sighs, then removes the hat that is pulled down tightly. A mass of beautiful hair falls down, almost to her knees and she says, “No, Uncle Jake, I AM Joey.”
Jake can feel his jaw drop. This is Joey, the same girl he handed the reins of Shadow to. No wonder the marshal made him think of Joey so much. Then the pieces all fit together. He glares at John’s smirk. How could they lie to him like this? He looks back at Joey, whose expression quickly changes from a mild amusement, to deep concern.
He looks back at John. “You knew this all along, didn’t you?” He quietly demands of his oldest friend.
John nods.
“How DARE you blame me for living a lie, when you have been keeping HER lie without question!”
Joey’s voice breaks through the cloud of his anger. “He never told anyone else, because I made him swear not to.” Her voice is sharp as she says, “If you have a problem with that, then direct your anger towards me, not him.”
Jake shakes his head. “I don’t care about the lie. I only care about HIS–” he jabs his thumb towards John angrily “—hypocrisy. He’s been able to forgive your lies, but not mine. That’s why I’m mad.”
John’s voice is harsh as he says, “I don’t have trouble forgiving the lie. I have trouble forgiving the betrayal of the last decade and a half.”
David steps forward and quietly asks, “Gentlemen, can you discuss this later? The marshal needs rest.”
Joey pulls her hair back, leans in and speaks quietly to her father. She kisses him on the cheek, pulls her hair up under her hat and ushers everyone except David out of the room.
As Jake leaves the room, he turns and looks in to see David approaching Cherokee. As the group gathers in the foyer, Jake turns to Joey. “So, why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me?”
Joey’s face hardens. “You were coming out to our house for years, yet you didn’t tell us you grew up with a different name. Was that because you didn’t trust US?”
Jake sighs and shakes his head. “I get the point. We each have our own secrets.” He shakes his head again. “What, now?”
JOHN LOOKS AT JOSH incredulously. He just can NOT believe that Josh had the audacity to call HIM hypocritical. He’s not sure how to respond to such drivel.
John looks at Joey and sees what looks to be annoyance in her countenance. She shifts her stance, obviously feeling impatience. She turns and looks at John. “How long do you think it’ll take us to go check out that site you mentioned earlier?”
John shrugs. “Generally, it takes us several hours of pretty hard riding to get there. If we push the horses, we may be able to shorten it, but a trip down there and back will probably take all day nonetheless. Do you want to go check it out now?”
She shakes her head. “I think we’re gonna want some food first. Knowing you fellas like I do, you don’t do well until you’re fed.”
John nods in appreciation. “Were you able to tell your father about what Red-Feather told you?”
She shakes her head. “There’s too much going on to worry about that right now.”
John nods. He can understand not really wanting to tire Cherokee out any further. He looks at Rebekah. “Would you mind providing us with some breakfast?”
She looks around and sighs. “Sure. Come on over and I’ll get ya set up with something.”
Josh looks at John. “We’re not done with this, you know.”
John nods. The fact that he was angry enough to draw down on Josh last night really did bring him up short. Is his anger hot enough that he’s really willing to kill his blood-brother? Is his pain that fresh that their past means that little, or are his feelings of betrayal completely justified? He doesn’t trust himself to say anything, so he just continues on his way in silence.
As they troop over to the hotel, Josh quietly asks Joey, “Who else knows?”
“The Mallory’s and my grandmother.”
“Wow. Then all I can say is I’m honored.”
She shakes her head, but doesn’t say anything.
As the group enters the dining room of the hotel, John is struck by a feeling of familiarity. He has come to think of this hotel as his current home. After the premonition of his journey just starting yesterday, he feels like this may be one of the last times he’s able to come in here as a regular.
He looks around and sees both Heart-of-Falcon and Red-Feather seated at a table, speaking quietly to each other. He steps over to the table and says, “Once we eat, it looks like we’re going to check the South Creek site for the fugitives. Think you’ll be able to handle things here while we’re gone?”
Red-Feather shakes his head. “You’re gone so much, you might as well make me the marshal here in Denver and then just stay at the hotel once in awhile.”
John sighs as his mind starts racing. That’s the answer to the problems that Lyttle had mentioned. He knows it. He just wonders what it’s going to take. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll be gone a couple of days at the most I think. When we get back, you and I will talk about that. There’s other irons in the fire to deal with right now, though. I have some ideas I want to discuss with you.”
Red-Feather studies him a long moment, then nods.
John nods and goes over and seats himself at the table with Josh and Joey.
Joey sees the contemplative expression on John’s face and asks, “Everything okay?”
John stares off into space a moment, before saying, “I think so. I’m working on something, but before I say anything about it to anyone else, I have to get a few more things figured out.”
Joey nods. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know. I’ll see what I can do.”
“I just may, at that.” John takes the cup of coffee offered by Ben, blows on it, then sips at it thoughtfully.
Breakfast is a quiet affair this morning. Everyone’s preoccupation with their own concerns make them each introverted. The food is filling and delicious, almost as good as Laura Mallory’s cooking, in John’s mind.
After breakfast they each gather their gear and meet in front of the livery.
Junior Johnston is happy to provide their mounts for them, once he hears they plan on returning soon.
Just before they leave, Junior asks both Joey and Josh about the possibility of turning either of their mounts to stud. “I’s awantin’ ta train sohm smaht hohses. Dese two is some uh da smahtes’ hohses I’s ever saw.”
Joey blushes and says she’ll think about it, while Josh just laughs, saying they’ll talk about it when they get back.
THE REST OF THE MORNING they spend riding to the south creek site. Just past White, the party is surprised by a sudden rain shower, much like the one that Jake had ridden through his first day in Denver.
Jake’s bones ache. Not the kind of ache you would get from a sore muscle, but the deep hope-crushing grinding pain of arthritis. How the weather effects his body is the only thing about being on the trail that Jake can’t stand anymore.
The rain does decrease their visibility, which makes Jake nervous. Almost anything or anyone could be hiding in this muck.
After raining for more than half an hour, the riders slow their pace to a walk. It’s early afternoon when John raises his hand to call a halt. They halt close to the treeline, just off the creek.
As he dismounts, Jake looks around the surrounding area. Immediately, he notes This would be a wonderful area to stake a claim. That’s a creek over there, those trees look to be Blackjack for lumber and a windbreak.
Once they dismount, John waves the other riders in close. “This is close to the area we’ve found the camps before. We need to be careful. I’ve been seeing signs someone has been here recently.” He draws his belt knife and grunts as he goes down onto his knees. He begins marking places in the sodden ground, indicating key features of the area. “So, when David first came out here, he was ambushed.” He points to a spot close to the hill they just passed. “When Lyttle and I chanced upon Richard’s camp, it was here.” He points to an area further to the east, in a depression of two hills, in a well-guarded area. He points to a spot on the other side of the creek and says, “About three months ago, we caught some of Richard’s gang here. I think if nothing else, these two areas are the ones I would recommend checking into. They seem to be the most likely places to set up a camp.”
Joey nods and points to the place where Richard’s camp was. “I think that’s where we want to start the search. I have a feeling, that’s where they are.”
John nods, stands and retrieves the repeater from his saddle sling. Joey grabs hers from Shadow and Jake grabs his double-barreled shotgun from Ranger, then silently tells his mount to stay, much like Joey did with Shadow.
John motions for them to move out, first Joey in the center, Jake closer to the left flank, then John bringing up the rear, on the right. They move out, staying close to the treeline for a while, then splits up to go around the hill, to approach the potential campsite from different directions. As they move out, they are as quiet as the dead, though the sound of the rain hitting his hat is almost deafening to Jake.
Just as they are moving around the hill, Jake, who is furthest away from the rest, hears a rattling sound over the noise of the rain. He immediately stops dead in his tracks and using the barrel of his shotgun, feels around in the gras
s. As he expected, a pygmy rattlesnake strikes the end of the barrel.
In one smooth motion, he draws his belt knife and throws it at the snake, killing it instantly. Feeling accomplished, he looks over to where John is and sees his blood-brother waving his arms. Seeing Jake looking back at him, John spreads his hands asking something to the effect of “What are you doing?”
Jake sees Joey watching as well. He sighs, reaches down and picks up the rattlesnake by the rattle. When he holds it up for them to see, he sees John nod, then motion for them to move out.
Just as John starts moving, however, Jake sees movement on the other side of his blood-brother. The air is still so thick with moisture and the movement is indistinct enough, he can only tell there is some type of motion.
Jake hears Joey’s repeater ring out at the same time he calls out John’s name. He drops the snake and runs over toward his friends.
Jake watches in horror as it looks like John falls into the grass. He tries to pick up his pace, but his leg just won’t allow him to. He switches his street howitzer over to his right hand while he draws his revolver with his left. He glances over to where Joey was standing to barely see that she is kneeling in the grass, firing her repeater rapidly.
When he gets close enough, he calls out to John, but doesn’t hear any kind of a response over all of the gunfire. When he hears several bullets flying close to his head, he takes several potshots at where it looks like there are muzzle flashes in the treeline. Jake sighs in annoyance as the bullets keep flying toward him.
He’s about five feet away from where he saw John fall, when he sees his friend’s head rise up, along the side of the barrel of his repeater. Less than a moment later, John’s repeater sings out with multiple shots.
Jake closes the final few feet between them and all but slides to a stop in the mud. He looks at John and yells, “How many are there?”
John fires off another two rounds before yelling, “Dunno!”
Jake fires a couple of rounds from his revolver and hears someone screaming in the trees.
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