Will said, “It just seems that all I have been doing is waiting, first to know if Alice was alright and now waiting to see what is next for us.”
Dan said, “It may not be much comfort, but just think about the fact that the Reynolds are waiting to see what we are going to do.”
“I hadn’t thought about that. That does make me feel a little better, thanks.”
The Colonel said, “We can pass some time playing cards if you like.”
Will said, “I can play for a little, Alice wants to visit with me after she finishes in the kitchen.”
The Colonel said, “Dan if you are in, we can play some three-hand cribbage.”
“I am good with that.”
They went to the parlor and started their game. After an hour, Alice came, and she and Will went into the study.
The Colonel and Dan remained in the parlor, and the Colonel asked him some more detailed questions about Alice and his escape.
It was time for lunch when Alice and Will came out of the study. She went to help Maria. Will went out to the front porch.
The Colonel said quietly to Dan, “You go out with Will, and I will call you when lunch is ready.”
Dan went out on the porch to join Will. Will just nodded, and Dan nodded back. They both knew he was watching for the Judge.
About ten minutes later the Colonel came out and simply said “Lunch.”
Will and Dan followed him into the dining room. They had lunch with just a little conversation. With less talk to interrupt their eating, they finished lunch in about twenty minutes. Alice started clearing the table, and the Colonel and Will went to the parlor and Dan went to the barn to look for Bob Robert.
At the barn, he found Bob Robert talking to the blacksmith.
Bob Robert saw him and said, “Afternoon.”
“Do you have a few minutes?”
“Yes, I do, let’s go into the bunkhouse and talk.”
They went in the bunkhouse and sat at one of the tables.
Dan said, “I know you do hay and feed in the winter. I have some questions mainly about your hay operations.”
“What would you like to know?”
“First do you grow a specific grass for hay or just bail what grows in the pasture?”
“So far, we have just bailed, what grows in the pasture, but then with our rain and cooler temperatures we have enough grass to do that.”
“I would have to find a grass I could grow or irrigate the pasture or both. What do you use to bail the hay?’
“We have a horse-drawn bailer, we do not have draft horses, so we have to change the two-horse team at least once during the day.”
“Thanks, that will give me something to think about.”
“You are welcome, come by anytime.”
Dan was walking toward the house when he saw a rider in the distance coming up the ranch road. He walked across the barnyard and around to the front of the house and sat on the bottom step and waited. It took over ten minutes for the Judge to reach the house from where he had first seen him, but it seemed like an hour. Dan forced himself to remain seated until the Judge dismounted.
Then he rose and said, “How did your meeting go?”
The Judge said, “About as I had expected, but let’s all meet in the parlor, and I will go over everything. I will go and wash up, and you can get everyone together.”
“I can do that.”
The Judge went into the house and up to his room, and Dan went to the parlor door and knocked. The Colonel said, “Come in.”
The Colonel and Will looked up from their card game, and Dan said, “The Judge is back, and he wants to meet all of us here in the parlor in a few minutes. He went upstairs to clean up from the trip back.”
“Good, I will arrange some chairs here if you can get Alice.”
Dan went to the kitchen and found Alice mixing some dough, and he said, “The Judge is back and would like to meet with all of us in the parlor in a few minutes. Are you at a place that you can come?”
“Yes, I will be through with this in just a minute, and I will be there.”
“Fine, I will see you in a couple of minutes.”
Dan left the kitchen and went to the parlor. He told the Colonel and Will that Alice would be right there. The Colonel nodded, and Dan moved over to the side to wait. Alice came into the parlor, and she just nodded at the Colonel and her father and went and stood next to Dan. He noticed but didn’t say anything. The Judge entered and asked everyone to take a seat.
He said, “As you all know I sent a telegram to the State Prosecutor. I met with him yesterday evening. I told him about Alice being kidnapped, about the bank in Grand Junction, the death of Robert O’Day, the Jackson ranch seizure and the death of Jason Reynolds. He said that what I had outlined for him showed a pattern of chronic criminal activity involving capital crimes and with the possible involvement of a county sheriff. He said the state would investigate all the areas I had presented. That evening he sent a telegram to the marshal in Denver, telling him that he would be back in Denver Friday, which is today, to meet with him and for him to be prepared to leave Monday for an extended investigation in the Gunnison and Grand Junction areas. He left on the eight o’clock train this morning. The marshal will interview all the people I could identify for him, plus the people who worked in the banks and ranches. Does anyone have any questions?”
Will asked, “When will we know if any of the Reynolds or their men will be arrested?”
The Judge said, “They would not normally be arrested until enough evidence warrants it or the grand jury issues an indictment.”
Will asked, “Is there enough evidence?”
The Judge said, “Based on the proven facts that we have there is no question that Jason could have been indicted for kidnapping Alice, but for Jacob and Mark the investigation would have to bring facts or witnesses forward that we don’t know of as today.”
Alice asked, “Do we have anything to fear or to keep us from continuing with our lives?”
The Judge said, “With the investigation proceeding, I would think that the Reynolds would not risk doing anything against you or your father.”
The Colonel said, “I agree, but I would prefer that you stay with us until Monday when the investigation gets started in Gunnison.”
Dan said, “I do think that would be the prudent thing to do.”
Will said, “I want to be as careful and safe with Alice as I can now that I have her back, so, we will wait.”
The Judge said, “Colonel, can you and Dan meet with me after dinner to discuss the other business I have been working on?”
The Colonel looked at Dan and he nodded yes, so the Colonel said, “Yes we can meet with you then.”
With that said the meeting ended and everyone drifted away.
Dan approached Alice as she left the parlor and said, “Do you need to help Maria in the kitchen, or do you have time to talk?”
“I need to see if she needs me to help, but I think we finished with what we were working on. I will check with her and meet you on the front porch in five minutes, and I will let you know if I am through or if I need to finish in the kitchen.”
“If you are not available now, we can talk later.”
“I will check.”
She turned and went to the kitchen and he went out to the porch. He sat in the chair nearest the steps and thought about Alice. She would be leaving Monday if not sooner. He wanted to talk to her about how he felt, but was unsure as to when to talk to her. If he told her today and she didn’t feel the same for him, it could be uncomfortable for her until she left. But if he waited and she had feelings for him, they wouldn’t have much time before she had to leave. He heard footsteps behind him and stood up.
Alice said, “Maria has everything under control, so I am free to talk.”
“Good. Then lets’ talk as we talk.”
“Okay.”
They left the porch and walked on to the ranch road.
He said, “I wanted to talk to you about the Reynolds, but I did not want your father to overhear.”
“I understand.”
“You heard the Judge mention the telegram to the marshal?”
“Yes.”
“I am sure the Reynolds will see that telegram too. I think that will add pressure on them to run.”
“I can see that it would.”
“I also want to let you know that the Colonel sent Joe to Gunnison the same day we went to Durango. Joe is watching the Reynolds and will report back to us if they leave Gunnison and hopefully which way they are headed.”
“If Joe doesn’t return does that mean they haven’t left?”
“It would, however, Joe will return in a week if they don’t leave, but I think they will leave tonight.”
“Why tonight?”
“They are criminals who have used murder and kidnapping to prosper. So, another crime will not be a problem for them. I think Jacob Reynolds, the president of the bank, will empty the cash out of the bank tonight and leave town. He will have two days on the road before the employees at the bank find the money missing.”
“That’s terrible, can we do anything to stop him?”
“How can we warn the bank, as long as he is the president of the bank and his brother is the sheriff.”
“I see, the people you need to tell about the possible robbery are the people you suspect of being the robbers.”
“Exactly, but it may not be as bad as it could be.”
“How’s that.”
“Jacob, if nothing else seems to be clever in his criminal enterprises, I expect him to sign over the deeds for the O’Day and Jackson ranches to the bank in exchange for the cash he takes. I do not know how much cash the bank will have on hand, but whatever it is will be the price for the two ranches.”
“Do you really think he will do that?”
“Yes, I do, because no matter how bad a deal that is for the bank, it will not be illegal. And that will keep them from being pursued as bank robbers and let them leave as just under suspicion. They will move to another state, and the investigation into them will lose momentum.”
“It seems like they are getting away with their crimes and avoiding punishment.”
“You need to remember, unless someone on the inside of their operation testifies against them, they weren’t going to get convicted. They would lose their positions as Bank President and Sheriff, but no jail time.”
“You are right, I had forgotten. Listening to the Judge, everything sounded so good.”
“I know, but the Judge said we would need facts and witnesses that we don’t have at this time. The chance of someone who worked for the Reynolds testifying against them is very small.”
“If they leave Gunnison tonight when will Joe be back?”
“I would expect him back sometime late tomorrow.”
“Good, then we should know if the Reynolds do run.”
“Yes, we will.” They turned to walk back toward the house.
Alice said, “My father and I will return home Monday either way.”
“I was sure you would. I was hoping that we could go for a ride in the morning after breakfast and have some time to talk.”
“I would like that.”
The conversation became less as they walked back to the house. As they neared the front porch, Dan said, “I need to go and talk to Bob Robert, and I will see you at dinner.”
“Thanks, I enjoyed the walk.”
Alice went into the house, and Dan walked around the house and headed toward the barn. He didn’t find Bob Robert at the corral or in the barn, so he tried the bunkhouse. He found him seated at the table going over some papers.
Dan said, “You look busy.”
Bob Robert said, “Hello Dan, after our conversation earlier, I decided to get started on the feed I will need for this winter. I was going over the last two years feed records, just trying to figure out how much grain to order for this winter. The cattle do alright on hay, but I like to supplement the horses with a little grain.”
“Do you have any trouble with the snow?”
“We can usually get to town a few days after a heavy snow, but it is easier to take the wagon to town before the snow comes.”
“I thought instead of letting Alice sit around the house worrying about what might happen, I would take her out tomorrow and show her some of the ranch. Can you have a couple horses saddled and ready by 8:30 tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, I think the two horses that ya’ll rode in on the other day are in the corral, will those be alright?”
“That will be fine.”
“Does Alice need a sidesaddle, or will a western saddle be alright?”
“A western saddle will be fine.”
“I will have them ready.”
“Thanks.”
Dan returned to the house and went upstairs to his room. He laid on the bed and thought about tomorrow. After some time, he heard a knock at the door. He got up and went to the door. He opened the door, and Alice was standing there.
She said, “I was just going down for dinner and thought I would check and see if you were in your room.”
“Thank you, I am ready to go down.”
They went downstairs and joined everyone else in the dining room. They sat in their usual places. Maria brought in the meal and set it on the table. The meal passed with casual conversation.
After they finished, the Colonel said, “I apologize, but I need to meet with the Judge and Dan about some ranch business, so if you would excuse us, we will adjourn to the parlor.”
The Colonel, Judge, and Dan left the dining room and went to the parlor. Alice helped Maria clear the table and Will went out to the porch.
In the parlor, the Colonel said, “Lets’ sit over by the desk.”
There were two chairs pulled up to the side of the desk. The Colonel sat in the chair behind the desk, and the Judge and Dan sat in the chairs to the side facing the Colonel.
The Colonel said, “Judge, before we get into the ranch business, is there anything, we need to discuss the Reynolds situation?”
He said, “I will say that the prosecutor’s telegram to the marshal was what I hoped for. I think the fact that a marshal will be in Gunnison Monday will force their hand.”
Dan said, “So you think they will run.”
The Judge said, “I think that not knowing how much is known about their crimes and the possibility of someone talking will force them to run.”
The Colonel said, “I have Joe Greywolf watching them.”
Dan said, “I think if they are going to run it will be tonight. I think they will empty out the Gunnison Bank after closing today and leave knowing the money will not be missed until Monday.”
The Judge asked, “Is there any way to stop that?”
The Colonel said, “With the Sheriff and the Bank President involved I don’t see how. Dan and I think that there is a very good chance that they will sell the O’Day and Jackson ranches to the bank for whatever cash the bank has on hand.”
The Judge said, “That would keep them from being pursued as bank robbers. If they run tonight will Joe be able to get back here before Sunday morning?”
The Colonel said, “I know Joe well enough to know that if they run tonight, he will be here sometime tomorrow afternoon late.”
The Judge said, “That’s about all we can say about this now, let’s talk about your personal business Colonel.”
The Colonel said, “Go ahead.”
“Per your instructions, I carried three copies of your Will to the courthouse in Durango. There I had it recorded and had that noted on all three copies. I left one copy there as required and brought the other two back with me. Colonel, have you told Dan of the terms of your Will?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Good then here is one copy for you Colonel and one copy for you Dan.” Turning to Dan, the Judge asked, “Dan do you understand that this leaves to you all of the Colonel’s p
roperty both real and personal?”
He said, “Yes, sir, I do.”
The Judge asked, “Colonel, is there anything you would like to add to what I have said?”
“Yes, I thought about this a great deal before I made this decision and I feel very comfortable with it.”
Dan said, “Colonel thank you very much, I have already told you how much I appreciate you and your trust in me.”
The Judge said, “Dan, be sure when you get home to put this someplace safe.”
“I will.”
The Colonel said, “Judge, I want to thank you for helping me with this and what do I owe you?”
The Judge replied, “It was my pleasure, and you do not owe me anything. Everything you are doing for Will is my payment for this work.”
“Are sure that’s okay?”
“Yes.”
Dan left the Judge and Colonel talking in the parlor and went upstairs. He went to the carpet bag and removed everything and placed the Will on the bottom of the bag and then repacked the bag. He still felt strange about the Colonel leaving his ranch to him, but then he thought ‘I don’t have any children, who would I leave my ranch to’.
He went back downstairs and walked out on the porch. There was no one there, and it was dark, so he just sat down on the first step. He heard someone come out of the door and he turned and saw that it was Alice.
She asked, “Can I sit with you?”
“Certainly.”
She sat beside him and asked, “Did the Judge say any more about the Reynolds?”
“Nothing you and I did not talk about earlier.”
“What are you doing out here?”
He paused, then said, “Just watching the stars and now talking to a pretty girl.”
Alice hesitated, she wanted to ask him if he really thought she was pretty but instead said, “What are you thinking about?”
“A lot of things, but nothing too serious; thinking about Texas and Colorado, thinking why my cook back home never bakes a cake, thinking about Joe, thinking about you, thinking about train connections and thinking about cattle prices. Like I said I was thinking about a lot of things.”
High Country Rescue Page 31