High Country Rescue

by Michael Skinner

  “No, Dan I am not, but I do want to be careful.”

  “I understand as do I.”

  “Since we are alone, I want to ask you to meet with me after dinner tonight. Are you available?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good this has nothing to do with what's been going on with Will and Alice.”

  “I will follow your lead after dinner.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Till this evening then.”

  Dan left and went to his room. He thought about the day ahead and decided he would just take one pistol in a hip holster and a couple of clips. He checked and made sure he had taken his money out of his carpet bag and put in his front pocket. He didn’t think he needed anything else, so he went down to the front porch to wait.

  chapter 26

  Durango

  About 8:20 Alice came out on the porch.

  As Dan turned to look at her, she waved her arms down across in front of her and said, “I couldn’t wear that dress and ride a horse, so I am back to these.”

  “You look fine.”

  “At least no one will know me in Durango.”

  “There is a good side to almost everything.”

  “How far is it to Durango.”

  “As I recall it should be an easy three hours.”

  “And then three hours back.”

  Bob Robert rode up with the horses just before 8:30, he had a saddle horse for each of them and the pack horse. He had also placed a fresh canteen on each horse.

  Bob Robert said, “Ready when ya’ll are.”

  Dan said, “The Judge should be down soon.”

  The Judge walking through the door said, “I am here.”

  While the Judge tied his carpet bag onto the saddle, Dan helped Alice up to her saddle then he and the Judge mounted. As they started out Dan let the Judge and Bob Robert take the lead, then Alice and he dropped in behind the pack horse. He wasn’t sure if that was what the Judge wanted, but it was what he wanted. After turning south on the road to Durango, they settled into a steady walk.

  Dan asked Alice, “How do you feel?”

  “I feel good. A little excited about going to town and a little sad to leave dad so soon.”

  “We will be back between four and five this evening.”

  “That will be good. What kind of town is Durango?”

  “It is not a large town, but it is very busy. It is mainly a railroad and mining town. It is a division point for the Denver & Rio Grande Western and where miners who don’t have access to the train at Silverton bring their ore. It has a couple of hotels, some stores and a number of saloons.”

  “Sound a lot like Montrose, but Montrose only has one hotel.”

  The conversation continued as they rode along and soon they were coming into Durango. They were entering from the northeast side, and the train station was on the south end of town.

  Dan moved up to the Judge and said, “We will all go to the train station with you, and after I have posted my letters we will take Alice to the general store and meet you for lunch at one o’clock at the Golden Bear Café across from the bank. Will that work for you?”

  “Yes, if I don’t get an answer before then I will tell the operator to find me at the café.”

  “Okay, you lead on then.”

  Alice asked, “What was that about?”

  Dan said, “I told them we would go to the station with the Judge, and after I post my letters, we will go to the store and meet the Judge for lunch at one o’clock.”

  “Where is the train station?”

  “At the other end of town.”

  When they got to the station, the Judge said, as he tied his horse to the hitch rail, “Leave my horse tied here.”

  The Judge went into the telegram office, and Dan and Alice went to the express office while Bob Robert stayed with the horses.

  With Alice at his side, Dan went to the express counter and asked the clerk, “What is the fastest way I can get these two letters to Fort Worth?”

  The Clerk said, “The fastest would be an Express Package to Fort Worth, the regular mail would have to go Denver to be sorted, but an Express Package would go from here to Alamosa and then to Fort Worth.”

  Dan asked, “Do you have a large envelope I can put both these letters in and send to a single address?”

  “Yes, just use this manila envelope, and I will put this red express tag on it.”

  Dan addressed it to Bill and paid the express fee and turned to Alice and said, “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  They went outside and rode back up the town to the general store. They tied all the horses to the hitch rail out front and went in.

  Bob Robert said, “I am going to start over here in the can goods, holler if you need me.”

  Alice said, “Dan, let’s look over here.”

  She led the way, and Dan followed. They went to the clothing area. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, but he stayed with her. She looked at several dresses then took a couple up to the counter. The clerk came over, and they talked, but Dan couldn’t hear what was said. The clerk pointed at the end of the counter and left to go in the back room. Alice went to the end of the counter and went behind the counter to a shelf of folded garments. She went through them looking at the tags, probably size he thought. The clerk came back with several small piles of clothing and Alice, and he discussed them. He carried some away and left some. She went over to another shelf and found a couple of items and brought them to the counter. The clerk returned, and she paid for the items. The Clerk pointed at the office in the rear, and she took some of the clothes with her and went into the office and the clerk began packaging the rest. About five minutes later she came out of the office and looked like a new woman.

  Alice handed her old clothes to the clerk and asked him to wrap them for her. Alice turned to Dan and asked, “What do you think?”

  He looked her up and down, she was wearing a long khaki skirt and a white blouse, but she was still wearing the moccasins.

  He said, “You look great.”

  “I need shoes or something. Let’s see what they have.”

  They only had a few women’s shoes, so she looked at some men’s boots. She found a pair of calf-high lace-up boots in a small men’s size and tried it on, but it was too large. She called the clerk over and showed him what she wanted. He came up with one that fit. She told the clerk she would wear them and paid him.

  Alice turned to Dan and said, “Better?”

  “Much better.”

  “What time is it?”

  Looking at his watch, he said, “12:50.”

  “I am ready.”

  “Let’s find Bob Robert and go.”

  They found him at the other end of the counter waiting for them. He had a small box and several cloth bags ready to go.

  Bob Robert looked at Alice’s packages and said, “I can put those packages on the pack horse with mine.”

  “That will be perfect.”

  Dan said, “Bob Robert I will help you carry those out.”

  They went outside, and Dan and Bob Robert loaded the pack horse. Then they walked the horses, two buildings up the street to the café. They tied the horses to the hitch rail next to the Judge’s horse and went in.

  The Judge was sitting at a table against the far wall.

  As they sat down, Dan asked, “Hear back from Denver yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  The waitress came over and took their orders, and then the Judge said, “Here is the text of the telegram I sent, if you would like to read it.”

  Dan said, “Yes, I would.” and took the paper from the Judge.

  It read,

  Urgent

  To Robert Jamieson

  Chief Prosecutor for the State of Colorado

  Denver, Colorado

  From Judge Parker

  Durango, Colorado

  I need to meet with you and a Federal Marshall in Durango, Colorado

  Wi
thin forty-eight hours if possible.

  I have information on serious State and Federal crimes involving the

  Sheriff of Gunnison and members of his family

  Will wait for your reply here in Durango.

  Judge George B. Parker

  Federal District Judge

  Grand Junction, Colorado

  Dan said, “Judge that should get their attention,” and gave it back to the Judge.

  “I hope so.”

  Their lunch came, and they ate with casual conversation. The waitress came and asked if anyone cared for a slice of cake, but they passed. Then a young boy walked up to the table and said he had a telegram for the Judge. The Judge took the telegram and gave the boy a dime.

  He opened it and then said, “The prosecutor will be here tomorrow on the five PM train, and he is looking for an available marshal.”

  Dan said, “He responded to you very quickly.”

  “The possible crimes by a county sheriff gets their attention.”

  “Will you stay here or come back to the ranch?”

  The Judge said, “I have thought about it, and I have decided to remain here. I want to remain available for any additional information from Denver, and I need to take care of some correspondence, and I have access to the mail and telegraph here. I will get a room at the hotel up the street.”

  “Do I need to tell the Colonel anything.”

  “You can go over the two telegrams with him.”

  “Do you need us back here to talk to the prosecutor?”

  “No, if he needs to talk to you then we will come to the ranch.”

  “Since we have finished lunch and you have heard back from Denver, we are going to head back to the ranch now.”

  The Judge said, “I will see you there the morning after I talk to the prosecutor.”

  Dan paid the waitress for their lunch, and they went outside.

  He hadn’t thought about Alice’s new skirt and riding until they started to mount.

  He turned to her and said, “Can you ride with that skirt?”

  She said, “Yes, that's what it’s for.” as she put a foot in the stirrup and slung her leg over the horse and the skirt split into two skirts one around each leg.

  As Dan mounted, he said, “I haven’t seen that before, but that’s great.”

  “I had seen them in a mail order catalog, but I wasn’t sure that they would have one. If they hadn’t, I would have gotten another pair of boy’s pants.”

  They waved goodbye to the Judge as they passed the hotel and headed north out of town. After they left the town, Bob Robert dropped back with the pack horse, and Dan and Alice rode in front. With Dan in the right wagon wheel track and Alice in the left, the horses settled into a comfortable walking pace.

  Alice asked, “What did the Judge say in his telegraph to Denver?”

  “He sent it to the Chief Prosecutor for the State and said he needed to meet him and a federal marshal within forty-eight hours regarding serious State and Federal crimes involving the sheriff of Gunnison County and members of his family.”

  “Why didn’t he say anything about Jason or my kidnapping?”

  “He will tell him about everything when he gets here, but to get any urgency from Denver, he needed to alert the prosecutor about the sheriff’s involvement. Otherwise, he would have had to work with the District Attorney in Gunnison. But since it involves a county sheriff, the state will investigate the Reynolds.”

  “I understand.”

  After a minute she asked, “Honestly Dan what do you think will happen?”

  “I think the most likely scenario is that the Reynolds will find out about the possible investigation, liquidate their assets as much as possible and leave Colorado. Jason’s brother is the telegraph operator in Alamosa and most likely has seen the two telegrams and will be on the next train to Gunnison. They may even empty the Gunnison Bank on the way out of town.”

  “If you knew that Jason’s brother was in Alamosa why did you let the Judge send that telegram?”

  “The Judge and the Colonel knew Jason’s brother was the operator and that is why they sent the telegram.”

  “Why?”

  “Jason is dead, and he was the only one directly accountable for your kidnapping. His father and uncle can say they didn’t know you were at the ranch against your will. Anything Jason told you about his father or the sheriff would just be hearsay. Unless they can find someone, who was part of their other crimes that will testify against the Reynolds, they will not be convicted for their other crimes. If they don’t run, then it will be months of investigations, and you and your father would have to at least testify to a Grand Jury and the story of your time at Jason’s ranch and his death would be in the press. If they do run, then this will all be over except for your memories, and you will be able to go home.”

  “The evidence against them is so weak, why would they run?”

  “First they don’t know what evidence the Judge has. They must think he has something, or the State Prosecutor wouldn’t be going to Durango to meet him. Second, an investigation would force Jacob to resign from the management of the bank and force an audit of the bank which would probably find some discrepancies. Third, if the Sheriff is not forced to resign, then he will surely lose the next election. Their power and status in the community would be gone.”

  “I wasn’t sure how things would go, and I never thought about what dad and I might have to do or how long it would take.”

  “I know you have been terribly wronged and deserve a better close to this, but you’re free and safe.”

  “I know, and I think Jason’s death is enough for what I went through and if the Reynolds have to leave Colorado, then I am happy with that.”

  “As I said, that’s what I think will happen, but we should know how it is all going to play out very soon now.”

  “I am happy that you are going to be here.”

  “I am too.”

  “Can you tell me about the Marines and the Philippines?”

  “Yes, I can.”

  He told her the story of him leaving home and joining the Marine Corps, then his basic training and the many days at sea and the events in the Philippines. Then he told her of his time at college and the trips with the Colonel in Colorado and Wyoming.

  She said, “It sounds like you have been very busy.”

  “It only sounds that way I can assure you, there was lots of downtime during those years.”

  “Do you miss the Marine Corps?”

  “No, I was ready to leave when my enlistment was up, but the experience has helped me.”

  “Did you and the Colonel leave the Corps at the same time?”

  “No, I left first and was surprised when I got a letter from him inviting me to Colorado to help with a hunt, he was planning.”

  “Was that when you first met Joe?”

  “Yes, it was. I worked as a wrangler, and Joe was the guide.”

  “What have you got planned for tomorrow?”

  “My plans are flexible, but I would like to clean and pack some of the gear I will not need this trip again and I want to sight-in and clean my rifle.”

  “I plan to spend some time with my father, but I also want to visit with Maria.”

  “What did you want to talk to Maria about?”

  “I want some of her recipes. My father really liked her biscuits.”

  “Good biscuits are hard to find.”

  “Isn’t that the ranch road up ahead?”

  “Yes it is, we are almost there.”

  They turned left onto the ranch road and were soon at the house. At the front of the house, Bob Robert said he would take the horses and bring Alice’s packages to the parlor for her. Alice and Dan went into the house and found her father in the parlor reading a book.

  Rising Will asked, “How did it go?”

  Dan answered and told him about the meeting with the Judge and the prosecutor and that the Judge would be back in two days. He didn’t te
ll him about the probability that the Reynolds would run away.

  Will said, “I hope the Judge gets this all worked out quickly, so Alice and I can get back home.”

  Dan said, “I am sure he will. Do you know where the Colonel is?”

  “He said he had a project he was working on back up at the head of the valley and he took a couple of men with him, but he said he would be back before dinner.”

  “Okay, thanks. I will go and see if Bob Robert needs any help and I will see the both of you for dinner.”

  Dan turned and left the parlor and went to the kitchen and out the back door. All of the packages from the pack horse were stacked on the back porch, and Bob Robert was over at the corral taking the saddles off the horses.

  Dan walked over to the corral and said, “You need any help?”

  “No, I will finish this.”

  “Do you still have a target range set up south of the barn?”

  “Yes, we do, and the Colonel has the targets at the house.”

  “My rifle got knocked around during this trip, and in the morning, I would like to check it out and make sure it is still sighted in.”

  “Thanks for letting me know otherwise gunfire right now would cause quite a stir.”

  As they were talking the Colonel and two men rode in. The Colonel dismounted and handed his reins to one of the men and walked over to Dan and Bob Robert.

  The Colonel said, “See you made it back safely.”

  Dan said, “No problems, the Judge stayed to meet with the Prosecutor from Denver tomorrow, but he will be back the day after that.”

  “Good you can give me a full report at the house in let’s say thirty minutes.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The Colonel left and went to the house and Dan and Bob Robert followed. The Colonel went in, and Dan and Bob Robert stopped at the back porch.

  Bob Robert said, “If you will take Alice’s packages in, I will get the rest into the kitchen for Maria.”

  “Okay.”

  He took the packages and carried them into the house. He went to the parlor, but Will was there alone, so he turned and went upstairs. He walked past his room to Alice’s and knocked on the door.