Hunter gave an angry roar and galloped after her.
Her breaths came in short gasps and she tried not to think about how closely this situation resembled some of her recurring nightmares. Hooves pounded on the trail directly behind her. Looking back over her shoulder, she could see that Percival was gaining on her. Panic clawed at her heart.
She kicked her heels into the horse’s side and yelled, “Come on, mov—!” As she faced forward, the thick branch that stretched across the trail caught her directly across the forehead. Pain sizzled through her in jagged shards as she jolted backwards in a head-over-heels roll off the galloping horse. She groaned once. Smashed into the ground. Then blessed blackness engulfed her.
Sky leaned one shoulder into the side of a building on the south end of town, making sure he had a clear view of all the proceedings. With his arms folded, ankles crossed, and black hat set low on his head, he affected a casual stance, but in reality his every nerve was on edge. He took note of the positions that Jed and Currey had taken up and was pleased to see they were well spread out, as he had asked them to be.
Chang was brought out first, asked one more time if he had anything to say, and when the answer was negative, he was forced to lie down with his face against the cold ground.
“You can see ‘im breathin’,” called a man from the group.
“And there are no drag marks from the noose to the body,” noted another. “We should at least make it look real.”
Sky shook his head at the unreality of it all as these little details were taken care of. Chang was moved further away from the noose so that the other prisoners wouldn’t be able to see him breathing. Another man dug the heels of his boots deep into the ground and allowed one of his friends to grab him under the arms and drag him from where the noose hung to the location of Chang’s “corpse.”
A sharpshooter stood close enough to Chang to remind him that if he made a move, it would be his last, but far enough away that the prisoners wouldn’t wonder why a gunman was standing guard over a dead body.
Then the next prisoner was brought from the jail and questioned. He was told his fate would be the same as Chang’s if he didn’t tell the truth.
The man stammered out the same story he’d been telling all along. “I-I not h-here that night. I innocent!”
Bymaster slipped the noose over his head, and two other men pulled on the rope, applying pressure. The man’s body lifted until his toes scrabbled for purchase on the cold ground.
Sky swallowed and looked down.
Finally they eased the pressure, and the prisoner gasped for air. However, when he could speak again, he still adamantly clung to his innocence.
Bymaster sighed and forced him to lie face down on the ground next to Chang. “Don’t move. Do you understand? Lay still!”
Sky noted Jason’s grim face across the crowd and wondered if he felt the same way he did. Having once been a lawman, Sky found he didn’t have enough fingers to count the number of laws broken in order to coerce some sort of confession from the accused. To even be present during such a breach of constitutional proprieties felt traitorous. Yet looking around at the angry mob Sky knew nothing he could say would make them see it his way.
One by one each prisoner clung to his claim of innocence until the last one, other than Ping Chi, was brought out. As the noose settled around his neck Sky felt his heart go out to the young man. He couldn’t be more than eighteen, but he was one of those whom Ping had indicated had been a part of the murder. His eyes were wide and his breathing spasmodic as he looked first at the “dead” men on the ground and then at the angry crowd of white people before him.
“It not me!” he shouted in response to John’s questions. “It old men. They not like Fraser. They kill him! Not me!”
The moment turned to chaos. One of the elderly men lying on the ground jumped up, ignoring the threat of the guard, and started to yell at the young man in Chinese. The guard was so surprised he didn’t even raise his gun. He stood staring, slack-mouthed, at the shouting-match going on between the two prisoners.
The posse, who had been lounging on the ground, surged to their feet as one and began to argue and mill about in confusion. Above the hubbub Sky heard one distinctively nasal voice that he recognized.
“Let’s hang ‘em all!” Smyth shouted.
Sky moved into action. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jason move, pointing Jed and Bill in the directions they should go and then slipping off in another direction himself.
Moving purposefully toward the front of the mob, Sky helped the young Chinaman down and stepped up onto the chair that sat under the dangling rope. He pulled his gun from its holster and fired two shots into the air.
A loud cry ascended as every man momentarily thought he’d been shot. Then, as each one realized he was unharmed, they began to hit the ground. All of the prisoners and most of the posse lay flat with hands over their heads, and thick silence immediately descended.
Somewhere, Sky heard a squirrel chattering in the trees and found it odd that he would notice such a thing at a time like this.
Bringing his gun down and calmly emptying the two spent chambers, Sky eyed the group of men as he reloaded. “Now, I suggest we all calm down and think rationally before we find ourselves a part of something we will all later regret.”
“What’s one man going to do to us, boys?” Smyth yelled from the middle of the crowd. “We can take him easy! Then we’ll show these Chinks what we do to those who harm our own!”
Smyth rose to his feet and moved toward Sky. The mob surged to their feet and followed him. Sky stood calmly on the chair, not even bothering to raise his gun again.
“No!” John Bymaster stood in front of the crowd, spreading his arms wide as though he could hold the mob back. He was swept into the current of moving bodies, like a dandelion seed blown by the wind.
Suddenly, another shot rang out! A second! A third! With each successive gun blast the throng spun to see first Jason on the roof of the Joss house, then Jed on the porch of the boarding house, and then Bill hanging out the window of Gaffney’s Pioneer Hotel.
“I’ll put a bullet in the first man that moves,” Jason said into the stillness that followed the echoing reports. He spoke in a low relaxed tone, but his deep voice carried to every ear from his elevated position.
“Gaffney, Carle, take those men back to the jail.” Sky gestured in the direction of the fear-paralyzed Chinamen. Then turning back to the suddenly very orderly men before him, he continued, “I think Bymaster has something to say to all of us, and I suggest we all listen.”
John Bymaster, who had finally gained his feet, stepped to the front of the unruly bunch. His voice was loud but a little shaky. “Now listen, men.” He pulled at his collar and straightened his bandanna nervously. “The purpose of this inquiry was to come to some conclusions about who the potentially guilty parties were, and then to send them on to Murray to stand trial in a court of law. You all knew that. It is not our place to carry out judgment, much less punishment.”
A grumbled muttering rose through the crowd, but John stood his ground and gained confidence as he spoke. “I believe our work here is done, men. We will hold over Lee Chang, Ping Chi, and the other three men that Ping indicated were involved in the crime.”
He held a hand aloft as the murmuring took on a frenzied pitch. “They will be sent to Murray, where they will stand trial and we will leave their fate in the hands of the judge and God Almighty. Now I want you all to head out of town. And Smyth! You had better be the first one gone!”
The crowd that had begun to disperse stilled its movement at this last barked word.
“If I so much as see your face within twenty miles of this place after the next ten minutes I will throw you in jail yourself and haul you off to stand trial for attempting to incite a riot!”
“We’ll just see about that!” Smyth threw the parting shot over his shoulder as he turned to head for his horse.
But Sky had seen real fear i
n the man’s eyes. He knew the type. Smyth wouldn’t be back. The man had bold words, but no courage whatsoever.
Percival Hunter watched the town through his binoculars, unable to keep the grin off his face. “‘Twas all for naught, Mr. Jordan,” he leered. “I don’t plan on letting them get more than two miles out of town.” He chuckled as he lowered the binoculars and scrutinized the town. “And are you ever going to have a big surprise when you get home.”
One heavily jeweled hand picked up a large bulky bag that rested at his feet, and he made his way deeper into the forest to put his plan into motion.
After this was taken care of, he had just a couple more little details to see to, and then he would head back to Lewiston and his fair Alice.
21
Relief flooded Sky. The inquiry was over, and no one had gotten hurt in the process! Most of the men from Lewiston had immediately headed for home, no doubt itching to spread the news of the last couple days’ events. Six trustworthy men were left to guard the prisoners on the way to Murray.
John had asked Sky if he would consider being one of the guards, but he had refused. He wanted to be near Brooke, especially with Percival Hunter in the region. There was no way he would leave her right now. Not when he wondered if a madman might be coming after her. Also, his parents were here, and he wanted to spend some more time with them.
He went to Chang’s Mercantile to tell Jenny everything should be safe now and to ease her fears about her husband. “You could even go visit him at the jail if you want.”
“I do that,” she said sadly. “You tell Brooke, I so proud of her. Happy she know Jesus now.”
“I’ll tell her. Thank you for leading her to the Lord.” He smiled at her.
Jenny shrugged. “Some plant, some water, but God, He make it grow, yes?”
Sky nodded. He contemplated that verse of Scripture as he mounted Geyser and made his way toward home at a fast clip.
He pushed his Stetson back and felt a measure of relief as he rode into the yard. It was good to be home. And he certainly had plenty to catch up on, now that he wouldn’t be needed in town anymore. He glanced toward the house.
Ma stood on the porch, wringing her hands as she watched him approach.
A cold dread started in the pit of his stomach and worked its way upward. He spurred his horse the last several yards and didn’t even bother to dismount. “What’s the matter?”
“Did you see Brooke in town today?”
“No.” He frowned in question. Fear constricted his chest and blocked his ability to breathe.
“Brooke left us a note this morning saying she had ridden into town to talk with you about something. Your father went after her on foot. He found the horse we rode up from Greer. It was grazing by the trail, but Brooke was nowhere in sight. There was no evidence of a struggle, but as soon as he came back to let me know he’d found the horse, he rode it back up the trail to see if he could find any clues. Didn’t you see him on your way here?”
Sky’s heart sank further with every added word. He shook his head. “Did a man named Trace Johnson come by here today?”
“No. I wonder how you missed Dad?”
“I took a shortcut. It’s pretty steep, so I don’t usually go that way, but it cuts off about ten minutes of travel time between here and town. I probably missed him somewhere in there. I’ll go after him.” He turned back down the trail, trying to calm his pounding heart. What could have happened?
“Sky?” Rachel shouted after him.
He pulled on the reins and turned toward her. Every muscle tightened with dread at the trepidation in her tone.
“I’m sorry, Son, but there was blood all over the saddle and the back of the horse.”
His heart dropped in his chest, and he clenched his eyes shut. He felt sick. Someone might have hurt Brooke. Absolute frustration quickly followed in the face of his own helplessness. He had no idea where she was.
He suddenly remembered his innocent words to Percival Hunter on the morning after their wedding. “Come visit us sometime.” Percival had smiled and replied, “I think I just might.”
Rage pulsed through Sky’s veins. He spun Geyser toward the trail and cantered out of the yard, his eyes fastened to the ground, searching for any clue that might lead him to her. He would do his best to find her. He only prayed he would before it was too late. It would be dark soon, and the chances of finding her after dark…
Carrying a basket of sandwiches, Jenny made her way toward the jail. The town felt ghost-like in its silence. Absolute stillness cloaked it, and were it not for the tell-tale evidence of smoking campfires and the churned-up mud on the street, one would never know that nearly eighty men had been in town only that morning.
She prayed as she walked. Hoped that this might be the day Lee would listen to her. She couldn’t count the number of times she had told him of his need for a Savior, and his consequent rejections.
She eased open the door to the jail and stepped inside.
Mr. Gaffney, who sat at the desk, stood with a sympathetic smile. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Chang. You here to see your husband?”
Jenny nodded. “I bring food.” She lifted the basket.
“That’s fine.” He suddenly looked embarrassed. “Uh, it’s not that I don’t trust you but…well, I’m gonna have to take a look in that there basket.”
“Oh.” Jenny nodded in understanding, holding out the basket in his direction.
After satisfying himself that there were no hidden weapons or files in the basket, Gaffney gestured her past the desk toward the cells only a few feet away.
Jenny’s heart constricted at the vulnerability that crossed Lee’s face as he met her gaze. She had not seen him look that way for a very long time. Not since they were kids back in China, before he became a respected, hardened man of power.
He quickly schooled his features, though. Stepping to the bars, he rested his forearms there as he watched her approach.
“I can give you ten minutes, Mrs. Chang, that’s all,” Gaffney spoke as he sat back down at his desk.
Nodding, she held out the basket to Lee. “I brought you some sandwiches. I thought you might be hungry.” She spoke in their native Mandarin.
He smiled his gratitude as he reached for the basket, an unfamiliar expression for him. For the first time in years Jenny saw that he still cared for her, at least in some measure.
Stripped of his pipe, he reminded her of the young man she had fallen in love with. A little heavier, balder, and grayer, with much harder eyes, but the same man nonetheless. She felt a tenderness for him that she had not experienced in quite some time. She laid a hand on his unshaven cheek, even as he chewed hungrily on the food she’d brought.
“I could use my pipe,” he said around a mouthful. “Do you think you could get it for me?”
She sighed, pulling her hand away. Sadness welled in her heart. “I thought about it, but I just can’t, Lee. Maybe this time will be good for you. Help you see that you don’t need to depend on that drug to get you through the day. There is something else to depend on. Some one else. One who is a much greater help than any drug will ever be.”
Lee rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I have told you a thousand times that I don’t need some man who lived two thousand years ago to help me with anything. I have done very well for myself. Look at all we have.” He gestured with his sandwich in the general direction of their store.
“Yes, and look where it has taken you.” She gestured around the jail.
He eyed her. “I have been thinking about that.” He lowered his voice even though Gaffney couldn’t understand Chinese. “Listen, you could help us get out of here. Remember that little gun I keep under the counter at the store?”
Tears misted Jenny’s eyes, and she shook her head.
He went on. “You could bring it to me…smuggle it in under some food or something, and then we could all get out of here. You and I could go back to China and see our families again. What do you say?”
The tears spilled down Jenny’s cheeks. “No, Lee. I will not help you out of this one. Too many times I have turned my back on your evil, and I won’t do it again. You had a man killed! And for what? What did you get for this job? A little money? How long will it last you? Or have you spent it already? This life is but a vapor, Lee.” She snapped her fingers. “We’re here for a moment and then gone tomorrow. The day is coming when you will have to stand before your Maker and give an account for your life. What are you going to say?”
She swiped angrily at the tears on her cheeks. “I have prayed, Lee. Prayed that you will get out of here. But I must be honest with you. I don’t think that is going to happen—and I know what happens to murderers. Especially Chinese murderers.” Her face crumpled. “Hard as life has been with you, I hate the thought of having to live without you.”
He averted his eyes and folded his hands. Shrugging, he looked back at her. “Just my pipe then?”
Her heart sank. He hadn’t heard a word she’d said. She backed toward the door, her eyes never leaving his face. “I love you, Lee. Even now, after all you have put me through, I still love you. But I will not help you escape. Not physically, and not mentally. I want you to be able to think clearly about all I have ever told you about Jesus and His love.”
She gulped back her tears, wondering if this might not be the last chance she would get to talk with him. What else could she say? “Good-bye, Lee.” She swung around and moved toward the door.
“Jenny!” he called out to her.
She stopped, turning to face him.
“I will think about what you’ve said.”
Thankfulness washed over her, and she nodded. “That is all I can ask.” With that she made a hasty exit and headed home. There she threw herself across the bed and sobbed herself into an exhausted sleep.
The long night passed in nightmarish fashion for Sky. He had caught up with Pa on the trail to town, but they had found no clues to Brooke’s whereabouts. Just before darkness descended in full force, they found the place where she had apparently been knocked from her horse by an overhead branch, but she had been riding away from town, not toward it. At the sight of the dark stain of blood on the patch of pine needles where Brooke had fallen, Sky felt the blood drain from his face. He hated being so helpless in the face of her danger.
Rocky Mountain Oasis Page 24