by Olivia Swift
It was a bit spooky through the trees but nothing untoward happened and they climbed the ridge to see the spectacular landscape that was spread out before them. It brought gasps from those who hadn’t seen it before. Sam reached across and took Magda’s hand.
“I know,” she said. “I remember when we came here as teenagers.”
“We had some good times,” Rula added.
“Down to the water’s edge,” Branston said and they slipped from the saddles and gazed at the distant mountains with snow on the tops.
“Wonderful camping territory,” Mikey said. “Let’s find kindling and have a campfire.”
“They soon had a lovely little fire on the sandy shore of the lake. Branston pulled out a can to hold over the fire as the old cowboys did. He balanced it on a couple of sticks and made coffee. Everyone produced food and blankets to sit along with plastic cups and paper plates.
Merle pointed along the shore to where some antelope were drinking at the water’s edge. Jeremy had been taking photographs on his phone since they started out.
“I never get the chance for this sort of thing normally,” he said. You never know what will spark a new design. I should take more horse-riding lessons and get outdoors more.”
“An easy ride and a sunny day,” Magda said and lay back on the blanket. “Wake me when it’s time to ride again.” She closed her eyes and let the silence of the place take over.
Gina was sitting with her arms around her knees and Bart dropped an arm around her shoulders.
“You are worrying. I can feel it.” She nodded.
“Just feels peculiar.” She shivered a little bit. The scene was perfect, peaceful and beautiful and they were all looking out over the water. The horses were tethered to the little bunch of shrubby trees that were close to the water’s edge and Merle went to take them to the water to drink. One of the horses snickered but she thought it was because they saw her coming. She reached for the first set of reins and then made a muffled squeak as a hand snaked out from the bushes and grabbed her as another hand covered her mouth.
She was thrown roughly over a saddle. The force of her ribs hitting the horse brought a shout of pain from her lips. The breath was taken completely from her body and before the rest had seen what was happening, the horse was galloping away. She was held in place by a fist grabbing her clothes.
At the sound of her cry of pain, Branston and Sam turned at the same time and saw the disappearing hindquarters of three horses.
“Oh Lord!” Branston shouted, leapt to his feet, vaulted into the saddle and went off after the three horses. Sam was only seconds behind him as he mounted up and took off as well.
“I’m going as well,” Magda said and ran for the mare that she was riding. Rula jumped up to follow and then told Mikey and Jeremy to stay where they were.
“Call the police!” she shouted. Mikey called out to her. She looked and he threw her a handgun.
“Never go out camping without one.” She grinned at him and tucked the revolver into her waistband. Then she kicked the horse into action and followed the others. Bart and Gina had already taken off.
“Please stay safe,” Mikey muttered as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.
Branston was well ahead of the others and knew he was catching up to the three in front. The horse with Merle was carrying a double weight and was slower. He had a rifle and a handgun, but the risk of shooting Merle was against using them. He tried to think of what to do when he caught up to them and glanced back over his shoulder to see Sam catching up.
He caught a glimpse of Magda not far behind and thanked the Lord that they were all coming to help him. It seemed likely that the three men were Screechin’ Tweedie, Bertram and his friend. He could see the shape of the riders and it looked like them even though they were wearing woolen masks over their faces with Stetsons on top of them. They all wore dark clothes.
Sam rode alongside.
“They are heading for the rocky outcrops for cover,” Branston panted. Sam nodded.
“I’ll go right and try and get behind them.” Sam wheeled the horse and kicked it hard. He had not ridden in a long time but pushed the mount as hard as he could. He looked back quickly and saw Magda follow him. She was almost as good on a horse as Branston and was going at some speed.
Branston had gained ground and was close to the three in front but they were headed for the rocks and cover. Sam glanced across and saw Branston unhook the rope from the saddle. He stood in the stirrups and whirled the loop above his head. All the practice and showing off for holidaymakers paid off. The three horses had almost reached cover when the rope snaked out and dropped neatly over the head of the man who had Merle across the neck of his horse.
Branston pulled the horse to a halt and wrapped the rope around the pommel. The man fell off the back of his horse and Merle slid to the ground looking lifeless. Before Branston could reach the group, the other two men grabbed Merle. The man who held her dragged her behind the rocks. Branston grabbed his rifle and started forward. Then one of the men stood with a rifle and pointed it directly at Branston. He stopped where he was. Sam and Magda kept going to get behind the rocks even though the wall behind the men was very high. The rest of them saw the standoff and steered away to each side as well. They were out of range of the rifle but Branston was not.
“Let her go. Tell us what you want,” he shouted.
“Drop that rifle. You must know that we want the watch you found. She found it. Where is it?”
“Bertram, I know that’s you. For heaven’s sake see sense here. Why do you want it?”
“We’ll exchange the woman for the watch,” the second man stepped alongside the first.
“For heaven’s sake, I know who it is. Take those stupid masks off.” Branston was managing to sound as if he was not afraid but it was a good act. His heart was pounding so badly that he thought it must be visible, but he held down the panic. He heard Sam’s voice from the side of the rocks.
“Screechin’, we know it’s you. Just come out and talk. You’ve got guns. Come and tell us what you want. I’m not armed. I can come and talk to you.”
“We all know each other,” Magda shouted. “We should be able to work this out.”
“Not likely,” Screechin’ replied. “We keep the woman. You go and get the watch.”
“Can you hear me, Merle?” Magda shouted.
“Yes, she can,” the third man shouted. “She’ll be okay if we get the watch.”
Magda was around the corner of the rocks with Rula, Gina and Bart. Rula made some sign language and went off behind the rock wall. Magda nodded and followed Sam who was edging forward towards the place where the man was standing. There was no other opening into the sheltered place where they held Merle.
Sam edged slowly forward with his hands in the air.
“I’m not armed. Just talk to me,” he said.
“It’s all been said. Go get the watch, we’ll hand over the woman.”
“Okay. It will have to be me that goes. Let me see that she is all right, and I’ll ride off and get it,” Branston told them.
“He has to see she is okay. You can keep all of us here until he gets back,” Sam said.
Magda came forward and stood beside Sam.
“Why is the watch so important? Does it have anything to do with Rula’s cousin?”
The man named Bertram laughed.
“Even you must have worked that out by now.” Behind him, the tall man with an arm around Merle’s neck and a gun at her head came and stood with the others. There was pain etched on Merle’s face and she was just about standing up.
“Such a smart alec this one,” the man said and tightened the grip on her neck. Merle cried out in pain. “Right, she’s still alive for the time being. Go and get the watch.”
Bart stepped out as well but told Gina to stay back. He said that if Branston gave him the safe code, he would go and get the watch.
“Okay, okay. Get the code and go,”
Screechin’ told them and Bart wrote the code on his tablet. At the same time he showed Branston the screen that said police are on their way. Then Bart climbed on his horse and rode away.
“Tell us what happened,” Magda said. “You are getting the watch. We will just have to wait.”
“I assume the watch is Screechin’s as it says Marti on the back. She saw you shoot someone, didn’t she? And you shot her as well.”
“Never shot anyone in my life,” he protested. “But the watch will drop me right in it.” He looked at the others. “I wasn’t even there.”
“So why so worried?” Sam asked. “If you weren’t there, you were innocent.”
“My watch. My DNA. My history. They would think it was me.”
“So how did the watch get there?” Magda was genuinely curious.
“Miss Clever Clogs. I gave it away. Some fan bought it for me. I didn’t want it.”
Merle gave a sort of moan and slipped to the ground. She looked pretty lifeless and Branston automatically started to move forward to help her. The man with the gun shot at the ground in front of him and he stopped again.
“For pity’s sake. Let me see her,” Magda said and started forward.
“Okay. Gives us two women hostages,” the man with the rifle said.
“She needs water,” Magda said and the tall man threw her a water bottle. The men were all at the front entrance to the small protected area in the rocks. Magda dribbled water on Merle’s lips and the woman opened her eyes.
“Broken a rib, I think,” she murmured. Magda stroked her hair and said that Bart had gone for the watch. Then she glanced into the rocky shelter and tried not to look surprised or make any noise.
21
“So, who did shoot the man?” Magda asked to gain time.
“Oh, Lord above. This woman never shuts up,” the tall man said. He had a handgun in his hand and waved it in her direction. She felt the run of fear go over her from head to toe and also the realization that the man who probably killed Trisha was pointing the gun at herself.
“So, if Martin wasn’t there, you two were,” Sam queried to take the pressure away from Magda. He could feel the fear of anything happening to Magda barely held in check. He took deep breaths and held himself steady.
“Just keep your mouths shut,” Bertram shouted. “Nobody is going to say anything with all of you witnesses.”
“There is something to hide then?” Magda queried quietly.
“You bunch really annoy me; you know that? With your pathetic séances and thinking you are talking to ghosts. You are all completely mad,” the tall man said.
“You couldn’t explain the loud bangs though, could you?” Magda asked. “You two asked to come along. We were just having a private get together.”
“In fact, if you hadn’t started to dig a hole, nobody would have known there was anything there. No bodies would have been discovered,” Sam reasoned. “It’s all your own fault.”
“I told them that,” Screechin’ said.
There was a movement from Merle on the ground as she started to feel a bit stronger.
“You were digging on my private land,” Merle protested with a fairly weak voice.
“I said that was a mistake,” the tall one added.
“Ah, so it was you.” Magda looked at Bertram as she spotted the slip.
“Shut up, Bertram,” the other man told him. “It’s all your stupid fault anyway.”
“Why is it his fault?” Sam asked trying to put on some pressure.
“He wanted to dig. He wanted to go to the séance and see what we could find out.”
“And he shot Trisha,” Gina’s voice came from behind the rock. “He has a really black aura.”
“Aw, for the Lord’s sake,” Bertram shouted. “flippin’ ghosts, auras, bangs and heaven knows what else. This woman,” he pointed at Merle with the gun, “made the stupid dude ranch. She decided to put a diner on the spot where the bodies were.”
“You’ll be out of there soon, Babe,” Branston put in. He had been anxiously watching to see if she was coming around.
“My land, my séance and if I want to speak to ghosts, why not?” Merle kept on.
“I should shoot you as well,” Bertram replied and made his fatal mistake.
“Shut up, Bertram,” the tall man said.
Magda glanced inside the rocky entrance from where she sat on the ground beside Merle. She slightly nudged Merle who looked where she was looking without moving her head. Magda felt the slight indrawn breath and held tightly onto her friend’s hand.
Faintly, in the distance was the sound of a helicopter.
“The police appear to be on their way,” Branston tried a conversational tone and as the men both glanced up into the sky, he eased the handgun from the holster and held it behind his back. Sam saw it and stood still. He knew Magda had something in mind but could just not figure out what it could be.
“So, you were brave enough to shoot a man and then Trisha because she happened to see it. Why?” Magda asked.
“He robbed me. Took all of my money.”
“Bertram, you idiot,” the tall man said.
“It lets you off the hook,” Sam pointed out. “We all heard him say that he did it.”
“And you don’t believe in ghosts,” Merle remarked. “I know that there was a gold miner at the ghost town who was robbed of all of his gold as well. I believe him. Can you step forward and help us please?” she asked into thin air. The tall man looked at her as she spoke. He turned a ghastly white color, dropped the gun and fainted on the spot.
Sam and Branston had no time to take in the fact that they also saw the gold miner with the strange hat step forward and point at Bertram. Then he simply faded away into thin air.
Bertram pointed the gun at Merle and Magda.
“Stay back or I shoot them both.”
“No, you won’t,” a female voice sounded from inside the rocky hideaway. Rula stepped forward with Mikey’s revolver held steady in both hands. Bertram raised his gun towards her, and she shot the gun.
“You killed my cousin,” she said as Bertram dropped the gun. Branston and Sam both ran forward. Branston had his gun in his hand but there was no need for it because Rula was standing as she had seen people do in television shows; her legs spread to steady herself, both hands pointing the gun at the man on the ground and never taking her eyes off the man.
The sound of the chopper became very loud as Sam and Branston secured the two men.
Screechin’ Tweedie saw his opportunity, climbed onto his horse and thundered out of the rocky entrance with flying hooves just missing Merle and Magda who were still on the ground.
“Let him go. The cops will pick him up,” Branston said as he picked Merle up from the ground and carried her to a spot where she could start to recover. Sam held out a hand to Magda and they both put their arms around Rula who was still standing with the gun in hand.
They were still in this position as Rula shook and shivered but still held the gun half pointed at Bertram who was tied up with Branston’s rope.
“Look,” Gina said and went forward to meet the two men, Jeremy and Mikey, on horseback who were coming forward. Mikey slid from the horse and raced at full speed to where Rula was shaking like a leaf. She was folded into his arms and he took the gun and handed it to Sam.
“She shot the man who killed her cousin,” Magda shouted over the noise of the helicopter.
“And I climbed the rocky wall to get in here,” Rula said into his chest.
“Sweetheart. You hate climbing.”
“I know but it was the only way to get behind them.” Mikey looked at the wall and thought that she had worked a miracle. She had done some climbing with him, but that wall was pretty sheer. He shuddered and held her close as the noise of the helicopter stopped when it landed and Detective Southern’s voice took over the scene. Bart jumped out of the helicopter and ran over to ask if Gina was okay.
Everybody talked at once and
Southern shouted to them to take a breath and start at the beginning. They put out an all-points bulletin to apprehend Martin Tweed.
The two men on the ground said nothing. They knew it was all over. Bart told them that the watch was still in the safe.
“I found it in the woodpile,” Merle said. Never thought anything about it when I cleared the ground away. We collected the wood for the campfires.” She winced and the detective thought she should go in the helicopter to the hospital. She shook her head and said she would make it back to the ranch.
“Then we found the watch by chance when these men kept asking if there was anything found from the ghost town,” Sam added and Branston said that it had jogged Merle’s memory and they all went to search.
“We did put on rubber gloves and we bagged it,” Jeremy said. The detective smiled and said that was all very well but he hoped their amateur detective days were over. When he had heard the stories and his assistants had written and recorded everything, he said that he needed the gun that had shot Bertram to do a match, but they would get it back.
“I shot him,” Rula said. “Will I be charged?”
He said they would need her fingerprints and a full statement of accounts.
“You did actually apprehend the criminal and he will live to tell the tale.” He smiled. “If you ever feel like joining the force, let me know.”
The two men were charged and put in handcuffs before being bundled into the helicopter. Southern received a call to say they had caught Martin Tweed and he left a team at the site to make it a crime scene and do the tests. He and his officers climbed inside and everyone tried to resist the wind of the blades as the machine rose into the air.
“We can absolutely relax now,” Magda said.
“Some of you might,” Merle told her, “but I have a broken rib or maybe two.”
“Oh, dear,” Magda said. Sam and Bart had collected the horses and they lifted Merle bodily in front of Branston and he said they would ride very carefully.