Back to Tomorrow

by Back To Tomorrow(Lit)

  When they reached the back door, they found it standing open, almost jerked from its hinges. Inside, the barred doors to each cell also gaped wide. The deputy swore a long and bitter string of oaths.

  "Looks like somebody set up a jail break and prob'ly lit the fire to confuse matters. Deputy Crandall, who was s'posed to be on duty, hasn't showed up and nobody saw him inside when they first spotted the fire, about fifteen minutes ago. Oh boy, we've got trouble now." The deputy turned to Zach. "See if you can find Marshal Cooper. He ain't going to be happy with this news."

  Zach circled the building, looking for the marshal. He saw the bucket brigade had given up on saving the marshal's office and was instead concentrating on keeping the fire from spreading to the adjacent buildings. If the wind came up, half the town could be gone before they could stop the fire. So far, though, it was mercifully calm, only a light occasional breeze.

  For a moment, Zach observed the hectic activity. A surprising amount of water could be moved, bucket-by-bucket, if enough men and enough buckets got into the effort. Something else to write about-the incredible power of united endeavors.

  Finally the volunteer fire department arrived. Reeling out their hoses, they began to spray water from their wooden tank mounted on a wagon.

  Although he completely circled the building, Zach was not able to locate Marshal Cooper. He hadn't had time to get to know the marshal well, but he still felt sure the man was not the sort to shirk an unpleasant situation or lie in bed while others took care of his responsibility. Where could Cooper be? This entire situation seemed more wrong by the minute. Was everyone missing some key fact they'd all soon regret having failed to notice?

  Zach halted in his tracks, nearly tripping a fireman, who was struggling to drag a hose around to hit the fire from a new angle. No. Yes! He took off at a dead run for the boarding house, positive he had figured out what was going on. There wasn't a moment to waste.

  ~*~

  In spite of her nerves, or perhaps exacerbated by them, Emily grew sleepy. She caught herself nodding and jerked awake yet again. The smell of smoke had lessened greatly. She began to hope the fire would soon be out, bringing Zach and the others back to share the vigil. She nodded again, her head feeling too heavy to hold upright any longer.

  Just then, a muffled sound pierced her sluggish mind, snapping her to attention. She leaped to her feet and whirled to face the stairway from which the sound seemed to have come. Anyone coming down would be hidden behind the wall until they were almost to the kitchen doorway. Who or what could it be? The sound had been peculiar, like the muted cry of someone who's mouth was muffled. That thought sent adrenalin surging through Emily and flushed all trace of drowsiness from her mind.

  Some protective instinct drove her to reach for the pistol before she started toward the bottom of the stairwell. Grasping the gun in both hands, she raised it to a ready position. "Who is it? Who's there?"

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  A second sound, like the one that had awakened her, was the only answer. Then a muffled, "Shut up," spoken in a harsh whisper.

  "Emily, don't shoot!"

  Angelina burst into view, clutching a blanket around her shoulders, the hem of her nightgown trailing. In the dim light, her eyes looked huge and her face drawn tight with fear.

  To Emily, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, but finally a second figure emerged-a man, dressed in black, a white bundle over his shoulder, a bundle that suddenly began to wriggle and struggle, emitting breathless, muffled cries.

  "Get out of the way. If you pull that trigger the girl dies."

  Jake. No mistaking that voice.

  "Es verdad. It's the truth-he has the pistola in my back. I heard a sound in Mary Ann's room and went to see if she was worse. But it was El Cabron-he had her tied up and he made me go ahead of him. I am sorry, now I make it more hard."

  The bundle was Mary Ann, of course, trussed up in torn sheets and gagged to silence, but that was not enough to keep her from struggling. Wiggling and kicking as much as she could, she almost jerked free of Jake's one-armed grip. She was clearly not going willingly this time.

  A steel core of determination shaped itself in Emily's soul. Mary Ann would not be retaken and subjected to yet more of McEuen's abuse. Taking a deep breath, Emily let half of it out and steadied the pistol as well as she could. Its weight dragged at her hands, but she centered the barrel on Jake's head, praying she would not hit Mary Ann if she pulled the trigger.

  "You may be able to shoot Angelina but you can't get both of us at once. I'll shoot you before you can shoot me."

  "You ain't got guts enough to pull that trigger, sugar. That gun'll kick you on your butt." Jake put a nasty sneer into the words. They rang like a dare in Emily's ears.

  "Oh yes I will. If you don't believe me, just take another step or pull your trigger."

  At that instant, Angelina gave a piercing shriek and threw herself to one side. She hit the floor rolling and vanished into the dark kitchen. Reacting too slowly, Jake fired once. The bullet ripped into the floor where Angelina had been but no longer was. His reaction gave Emily time to gather her wits and again steady her weapon, keeping it pointed directly at him.

  "Drop your pistol, put Mary Ann down, and then get your hands over your head!"

  "You can't stop me. You won't..."

  "We all will." Nellie and Mr. Cavendish spoke at once; Nellie from the kitchen door, again armed with her shotgun, and Mr. Cavendish with a lamp and a pistol, standing at the top of the stairs.

  Surrounded, Jake could do nothing but comply with Emily's orders. His pistol clattered to the floor, and he dumped Mary Ann. She fell hard, unable to catch herself with her arms and legs bound.

  No longer concerned what Jake would do, Emily rushed to the younger girl's side and began to tear at her bonds. Mary Ann rolled over and struggled to sit up. Once her hands were freed, she tore the gag away. "I'm all right, bruised a bit but all right."

  Angelina peeked around from behind Nellie, a mixture of shock and pride in her expression. "Did it work? I think I can maybe surprise him, get away and call Mrs. Cashman. I hear the shot but I no stop, go muy rapido." She giggled nervously before scooting over to help Emily finish untying Mary Ann's bonds.

  Mr. Cavendish limped down the stairs, his gun steady in spite of his awkward gait. He had on a pair of trousers, donned hastily under his nightshirt, but, to Emily, he looked like a shining knight.

  He gestured to Jake to move into the parlor and sit in one of the straight chairs. He put his lamp on a second table and sat down himself, across the room from the gambler. Nellie followed them, still carrying her trusty shotgun, and wearing an expression that boded ill for McEuen. Twice in less than twenty-four hours was too many times to attempt to invade her domain.

  "If the Marshal won't take you in this time, I swear I'll take charge of you myself, you miserable wretch." She glowered at Jake as she lowered herself into the chair Emily had vacated. "Angelina, where is Mr. Tremaine and the other men, the ones who were supposed to be standing guard? Go get them."

  Handing Mr. Cavendish Zach's pistol, Emily hastened to explain about the fire in the marshal's office, not wanting Nellie to believe anyone had been derelict in their duties. "I was keeping watch right here," she added, "and I'm sure McEuen didn't come through here. How did he get in?"

  McEuen, although he kept his gaze on Cavendish's pistol, wore a smug look, hardly appropriate for someone who had failed an execution of a criminal plan. A horrid thought came to Emily: the gambler had yet another ace up his sleeve.

  ~*~

  Zach approached the boarding house, his heart pounding both from his run and from his concern. Everything seemed peaceful. He smelled no smoke and saw no flames. He could hear no unusual sounds nor had a crowd gathered. Maybe his intuitive guess had been wrong.

  Light streamed out from the parlor, dimmed by the curtains, which also barred his view into the room. He hoped the light indicated Emily had sat up, waiting.
He rapped on the door.

  "Who is it?"

  Nellie's voice startled him, for he had expected to hear Emily. "It's me, Zach."

  He heard the sound of the bolt being drawn before the door swung open. For a moment the tableaux within stopped him in his tracks. McEuen sat in a chair to the right. Blaine Cavendish, a small pistol in his hand and Zach's across his knees, occupied the chair Zach had used earlier. Nellie sat beside him, shotgun held loosely in her arms. Emily and Angelina huddled on the divan, protectively bracketing Mary Ann.

  Zach's gaze swept the room, questioning. "What's this?"

  They all started to talk at once, except McEuen. Zach held up both hands, shaking his head to show he was unable to make any sense out of the jumble of words. After a moment, Emily managed to tell the tale with only a few interruptions.

  Emily and Angelina were clearly the heroines of the hour, although now they both looked as if shock had set in. Emily's hazel eyes loomed large in her pale, pinched face, as did Angelina's. They both shivered and tended to stammer.

  Zach turned to Jake, troubled by the gambler's seeming lack of concern at again being taken captive. "Where's Marshal Cooper?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about," Jake retorted. "What makes you think I'd know? Home in bed with his wife-or maybe with someone else's if he can't be found."

  "I'll thank you to recall there are young ladies present and to keep a civil tongue in your mouth, Jake McEuen," Nellie snapped. "Such talk is totally unnecessary and inappropriate."

  Zach rejected Jake's suggestion even before Nellie spoke. Cooper did not strike him as a man who'd stoop to a secret dalliance. "And how about the prisoners who weren't in jail when the fire fighters arrived?"

  "The bank robbers? They got away?"

  Emily's words carried a strong tone of anxiety. She'd heard more about the men with whom she'd accidentally fallen in, and now probably recognized just how dangerous a situation she'd unwittingly become involved in. Perez, especially, had a reputation sufficient to terrify any woman, even one as spunky as Emily.

  He had to reassure her. "The fire's nearly out. Deputy Drake will have a posse on their trail shortly. It's obvious someone outside set the fire to distract everyone from the escape. I suspect McEuen knows all about that."

  Zach fixed a stern glare on the gambler as he spoke, looking for some reaction that might betray guilt or at least foreknowledge, but the man's smug expression hardly changed. Although he obviously knew more than he was saying, he didn't seem willing to boast of it. That in itself was unusual.

  Before Zach could frame any further questions to try to jolt information or at least a reaction out of the gambler, someone knocked loudly at the door.

  Nellie said, "Come in," before anyone could caution her to find out who was there first. The door swung open, revealing Jake's cohort, Bucky Flanagan. Although Bucky wore his normal pair of matched revolvers, he didn't enter with them drawn. Still, he seemed confident he had the upper hand.

  Bucky swept the room with a quick glance. He apparently noted Nellie's and Cavendish's ready firearms, but with no overt reaction. "We've got Marshal Cooper," he announced. "If Jake comes with me now, Cooper'll be released in the morning unharmed. If not, he'll come back to Tombstone in pieces. Sancho Perez will butcher him alive."

  Nellie's sharp gasp caught Zach's attention. At that moment, he recalled the marshal was unmarried, but apparently Cooper had at least one feminine admirer in town. Nellie had shown none of her feelings in the encounter yesterday, but now, under this provocation, she could not conceal her distress.

  Cavendish glanced at Nellie and then at Zach. "Your call," he said. "I have no real stake in this matter."

  "Mary Ann goes with me," McEuen broke in.

  "No!" Emily and Angelina cried the word as one.

  "No," Nellie echoed. "If we do allow you to leave, consider yourself fortunate. But Mary Ann Tremaine is not part of this or any bargain."

  Zach crossed to stand in front of the three young women, picking up his pistol, which Cavendish had placed on the table between himself and Nellie. "These three women are not part of any deal," he stated. "As for trading McEuen for the Marshal, I'll defer that to the judgment of these two long term residents. But the ladies stay here, regardless. Cooper would not agree to any exchange involving them, I know."

  Nellie chewed her lower lip a moment, a maelstrom of warring emotions coloring her expression. She exhaled a gusty sigh.

  "Daniel is too good a man to lose," she said finally. "Though I'm not sure we can trust these people. Mr. Flanagan, do you swear on your mother's grave that Mr. Cooper will return unharmed if we let McEuen go with you?"

  Bucky shuffled, looking at the floor. "I think so, ma'am. I'd give you my word on it. I can't vouch for Perez, but if he don't honor his word, he'll lose a lot of respect. He says all he wants is to get back to Mexico with his share of the money and get on with his revolution. I think he'll play fair."

  Nellie looked from Zach to Cavendish and back. Her face was pinched with anxiety and strain, which was also revealed by the slight tremor in her voice. "This shouldn't be just my decision."

  Cavendish smiled slightly. "I can't think of anyone in Tombstone who's better regarded than you, Miz Cashman. You may not be the mayor, the marshal or the mine boss, but you have more authority than you know. I won't hesitate to accept your judgment, and I doubt it would trouble anyone else."

  Zach nodded his agreement. "So long as the deal is just McEuen for Cooper, I have no argument with it. I hate to see McEuen go, but I can't really object."

  Nellie nodded slowly. "Very well, then. If you've misled us, the whole town will come after you, Mr. Flanagan, and I will hold you personally responsible. Get out of here before I change my mind."

  McEuen leapt to his feet. He cast a malevolent glare at Emily, Mary Ann and Angelina before he turned to follow Bucky out the door. Although he didn't speak, the silent threat of return and further retribution blazed in his expression.

  Zach's hand clenched on the grip of his pistol as he fought back the urge to raise the gun and drop the gambler in his tracks. How many times would McEuen walk away unscathed? He had more lives than a damned cat!

  For a long moment the six left in Nellie's parlor sat as if stunned. Emily swept a glance from one to the other of them, shaking her head.

  "I can't believe he got away again! I might as well not have bothered going through those horrible moments and poor Angelina risked her life for naught."

  "No, I'm still here." Mary Ann spoke in a soft, hesitant voice that gradually grew stronger. "If you hadn't acted, Emily, and you too, Angelina, he would have made off with me again. I don't think anyone would have found me this time, at least not alive."

  "That's right," Zach agreed. "We both owe a huge debt to Emily and Angelina. I wish we could give them medals for their courage and daring. I'm just glad I decided to leave Emily my pistol."

  Emily grimaced. "I didn't want it, but I couldn't let Jake get away with Mary Ann. I just thank heaven I didn't have to try to shoot."

  "We've still got a few hours of darkness left," Nellie said. "I think we should all return to our beds and get what sleep we can." Suiting action to words, she stood, balancing the shotgun thoughtfully in her hands. "I believe I shall keep this loaded. Normally, I don't like to, but twice in one day is too many times to go through the whole process." She walked off, her tread heavy and weary.

  For the first time, Emily recognized her hostess was no longer a young woman, and also one whose life had not been easy. "Yes, I think Mrs. Cashman is right. We all need to get what rest we can."

  Mary Ann hesitated, nibbling on her lip. "I hate to go back to that room," she admitted. "Jake got in through the window, you know, from the courtyard. I guess he got a ladder."

  "So that's how he did it! When I heard him on the stairs, I could not imagine how he'd gotten in. I knew the two back doors were locked and I was right here guarding the front door." Emily shook her head. "
The one thing we didn't think of, naturally."

  She reached down and took Mary Ann's hand. "Come on, you can stay in my room for the rest of the night. If anyone comes creeping in there, we'll both scream bloody murder."

  "M-m-may I come too?" Angelina asked the question in a very small, pleading voice. "My room, too, has a window to the courtyard."

  "Of course," Emily replied. "It may be a bit crowded with three of us in one bed, but we'll manage."

  As they all started for the stairs, she glanced at Zach. He gave her a wry smile, perhaps acknowledging they would have no chance to get together this night, whether he had hoped to or not. She herself felt a mixture of relief that the temptation would not be placed before them, but also a regret that it would be impossible to reprise the previous night's unplanned tryst.

  ~*~

  May 20, 1889

  Up to her elbows in dishwater, Emily could not immediately investigate the cause of a commotion in the street. Angelina, bringing the last of the breakfast dishes back to the kitchen, set her burden down with a clatter and darted off to have a look.

  "I'll be right back and tell you what is happening," she called over her shoulder.

  Emily wiped the suds off her arms, shook her hands and snatched up a towel before following Angelina to the front door.

  When she reached it and looked out, she saw a crowd milling around what appeared at first to be a riderless horse. Then, when the people shifted, she got a glimpse of a body face down across the saddle.

  Oh, no. I don't think I want to see any more. But in a few seconds, curiosity overcame her reluctance. She stepped out to join Angelina on the outer fringe of the group. Zach and Deputy Drake arrived just then and pushed their way through the crowd to take a quick look at the horse's burden.