Dalton expected him to lie about the incident in the gully, but he was surprised when he didn’t contradict the stories Vaughn had already heard. Instead, he offered the view that he’d reacted quickly and lethally to counter an unknown threat in a situation where they were all in an exposed position.

  “I don’t regret what I did, but I do regret the outcome,” he said, finishing off his tale. “I had no way of knowing at the time that I was firing on innocent people.”

  Vaughn accepted his testimony with a grunt and then moved to the window. Most of the townsfolk had now dispersed and nobody appeared to have noticed yet that bodies were in the wagon. He turned back to Stanhope, who stood up straight.

  “Lawmen don’t have the benefit of hindsight,” he declared. “Then again, we are answerable for our actions.”

  He walked slowly across the office to stand in front of Stanhope. Then, with a quick movement that made Stanhope flinch, he put a hand on the rope around his wrists and began to untie it.

  Stanhope breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m relieved that you see it my way.”

  Vaughn paused from his work to shake a finger at Stanhope.

  “I’m not seeing it anyone’s way. I’m ruling on what I’ve been told, which I hope is the truth. You showed your lack of experience in dealing with difficult situations and as a result two innocent people are dead.”

  Stanhope shrugged. “I can’t see how I could have dealt with the situation any better.”

  “You could have done what these two men did.” Vaughn gestured at Dalton and Loren. “From the short time I’ve spent with them they appear to be better equipped to deal with trouble than you are.”

  “You can only say that because the dead people weren’t McKinley Vinge’s bandits. If they had have been trouble, these men would have been shot up.”

  Vaughn sighed and Dalton limited himself to a slow shake of the head that made Vaughn give a grim smile before he turned back to Stanhope.

  “I sent you to Two Forks to find out everything you could about McKinley and to gain experience. That was my mistake and it’s one I won’t make again.”

  Vaughn resumed work on removing Stanhope’s bonds and wisely Stanhope didn’t speak again until he’d been freed.

  “So what are you going to do with me?”

  “I’m judging the incident to have been a tragic accident, so you won’t face charges, but I’ll keep a close eye on you and if you make one more mistake I’ll deal with you as I see appropriate.”

  Stanhope opened his mouth to, presumably, continue pleading his case, but then for once he behaved sensibly and backed away.

  “What are your orders for the rest of the day?” he asked.

  “We have two people to bury and you’re not going to hide your role in their deaths, which means as a lawman in this town you’re sure to face some hard questions over the coming weeks and months.”

  Stanhope lowered his head. “That’s nothing I can’t handle. Everyone will see how truly sorry I am.”

  “That’s good to hear. From now on follow my orders, keep quiet and learn.” Vaughn then turned to the others. “Do you have anything more to say on the matter?”

  “No,” Loren said while Dalton provided a supportive grunt. “We said that we’d accept your decision and we do.”

  “In that case, if you don’t want to start heading back home straight away, you’re welcome to sleep here tonight.”

  “We’ll do that,” Dalton said. “It’ll be good to meet some of the townsfolk properly.”

  Vaughn rubbed his chin and then frowned. “It might be better if you stayed in here. A few of our people have gotten sick recently and until we get whatever’s been ailing them under control you perhaps ought to keep out of their way.”

  Loren winced, but Dalton didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to spend more time in Sweet Valley and learn all he could about Vaughn.

  “We’ll stay in your office tonight and leave in the morning,” he said.

  Vaughn nodded and then signified that Stanhope should leave with him. When Vaughn turned his back on him, Stanhope dallied to smirk and then wink at both men before he followed after the marshal, leaving Dalton and Loren to turn to each other and shake their heads.

  “Stanhope’s not in the least bit sorry about what happened,” Loren said.

  “He’s not, but we did what we had to do and he’s Vaughn’s problem now.”

  Dalton raised an eyebrow requesting an opinion on Vaughn. Loren headed to the door and checked that they could speak openly before returning to him, although he still spoke in a low voice.

  “It’s too early to accept that Marshal Vaughn’s presence here has nothing to do with you and with what happened to Deputy Vaughn, but he didn’t give any indication that he’d heard your name before. So I’m hopeful that he won’t cause you any problems, and you seem more relaxed now than you were before we came in here.”

  Dalton smiled on hearing Loren back up his own opinion.

  “I am. Marshal Vaughn looks like the man I’d told you about, but he doesn’t act like him.”

  “So while we’re here what else do we need to find out about him?”

  “We don’t want to raise his suspicions, so if he comes back we’ll behave normally. We might still learn something useful, but even if we don’t, we’ll offer to help him in the future with problems such as dealing with McKinley to make sure he knows we’re not trying to avoid him.”

  Loren agreed to this plan. Then they set about taking care of their horses before they returned to the office to settle down for the night. As it turned out, Vaughn didn’t come back that evening and they didn’t see him again until the next morning as they were preparing to leave the office.

  He came bustling down the main drag toward them clutching a rolled-up piece of paper. He gestured at them with it and then ushered them back into the office where he unfurled the paper over his desk. Dalton felt a twinge of concern, fearing what might be on the paper, but it was only a map of the area, albeit one lacking many details.

  “I drew this to make sense of McKinley’s movements,” Vaughn said. He pointed at marks on the map. “Last week several people reported that they’d seen a group of men acting suspiciously and I’ve marked those places with circles. I sent Stanhope to investigate and he found two wagons.”

  Vaughn pointed at two crosses that were farther along Cottonwood Pass from the place where Grover and Velma had been killed along with a third cross that marked where they had been ambushed.

  “I assume he found bad news.”

  Vaughn nodded. “Six people in all were dead and their property had been ransacked. Strangely he couldn’t work out how they’d died, but a few months ago Sheriff Blake had told Stanhope about the rumor that the bandit McKinley Vinge was in the area, so it was reasonable to assume he was responsible.”

  “It makes sense that McKinley would target that area,” Dalton said. “Cottonwood Pass is a route that many people happen across on their way to Sweet Valley or to Two Forks, and miners heading to Durando usually go that way.”

  “And when they leave?”

  “If they have gold to sell, they head to White Falls. The ones who haven’t had any luck might leave through the pass.”

  Vaughn smiled. “I welcome your local knowledge. That helps to confirm that McKinley’s bandits are interested only in easy pickings and not in anyone who might be heavily armed because they have something valuable to protect.”

  “We’re glad we could be of use, and if you ever need our help again, we’ll do whatever we can.”

  Vaughn rolled up his map. “I plan to take Grover’s wagon back to Cottonwood Pass with Deputy Kidd. I hope we might look like homesteaders and so invite an ambush. Does that sound like a worthwhile plan to you?”

  “We saw McKinley attack one wagon, so it’s reasonable to assume he’ll attack another.” Dalton turned to Loren for support and he nodded.

  “If he’s being observant, he might notice that you two look like too much trouble,” Loren said. “So perhaps you should get Stanhope to wear a dress to complete the disguise.”

  Vaughn laughed heartily and slapped Loren on the back.

  “Now that’s good advice. Whenever I need more help, I’ll be sure to seek you out, Loren. . . .” Vaughn raised an eyebrow requesting his full name.

  “I’m Loren Steele.”

  Vaughn nodded and turned to Dalton, who smiled.

  “I’m Dalton, and that’s just Dalton.”

  Vaughn’s eyes flickered, the movement so minimal Dalton couldn’t be sure that he had, in fact, reacted. Dalton and Loren turned away. They had reached the door when Vaughn coughed, making both men stop and turn to him. Vaughn rubbed his jaw and then nodded, as if he’d just made a decision.

  “I hadn’t intended to ask you, but you did offer,” he said. “For my ruse to work, it’d help to have more men available to take on McKinley than just myself and a deputy.”

  Dalton smiled. “We have no problem with going with you.”

  “And I have no problem with you joining me, Loren Steele and just Dalton.”

  Chapter Seven

  “We’d decided to go back home,” Loren said when he and Dalton reached their horses. “So why did you agree to stay with him?”

  “I had a hunch that he’s starting to suspect me,” Dalton said. “Did you see his reaction when I repeated my name?”

  “No.” Loren blew out his cheeks as he thought back and then shook his head. “From what I saw, his reaction to hearing my name was the same as his reaction to hearing yours.”

  “Maybe that was the case the first time, but I think the last time something occurred to him as he then changed his mind about asking for our help.”

  “And yet you still offered to provide it.” Loren sighed, but then smiled. “But I take your point. We came here to get answers and we have to take any opportunity that comes our way.”

  They then waited for Vaughn to bring the wagon back into town. It was early in the day, but the town was deserted, as it had been since the arrival of the wagon the previous day, which appeared to be the only event that had been interesting enough to draw the townsfolk out of their houses.

  “We’ve also learned one other thing that everyone back home will want to hear,” Dalton said. “Sweet Valley hasn’t got nothing that Two Forks hasn’t got.”

  Loren nodded. “Except for sick people.”

  With that sobering thought they waited in silence until the wagon arrived. Vaughn was riding up front with Stanhope sitting beside him. Vaughn hailed them with good cheer that in Dalton’s suspicious mood he viewed as being overly cheerful, while Stanhope sported an expression that was so sour it suggested that Vaughn had told him about Loren’s joke.

  Vaughn stopped the wagon beside them and requested their advice on the quickest route to Cottonwood Pass. Then they rode out of town with the riders flanking the wagon. As it would take them most of the day to reach the pass, this entrance being at the opposite end to the one they had used when they had searched for Grover’s wagon, on the way they took no special precautions to fend off an attack from McKinley.

  When they stopped at noon they talked only briefly to discuss progress. Vaughn reported that they would stop for the night when the entrance to the pass first came into view, after which they would discuss their plan for their journey along the pass and beyond.

  As it turned out, when they made camp that night, Vaughn issued his orders for what they would do and he only asked for their support. Not that Dalton or Loren felt inclined to argue as the plan was a sound one.

  Stanhope would take the wagon into Cottonwood Pass. He would seemingly be alone as Vaughn would be hiding in the back, while Dalton and Loren would follow on behind, maintaining a distance of at least a mile.

  The marshal reckoned that the wagon with its apparently sole driver would present a tempting target. The following men would be far enough away in the winding pass not to be noticed while being close enough to help if trouble erupted.

  At the first sign of that trouble Stanhope would fire a warning shot to alert them before stopping the wagon and surrendering. When the bandits approached the wagon, Vaughn would make his presence known and then help Stanhope launch a surprise counter-attack while Dalton and Loren would come to their aid as quickly as they could.

  While explaining his plan Vaughn repeatedly checked with Stanhope that he understood, reinforcing the point that he viewed him as being the weak link in the team. Stanhope responded with surly grunts that didn’t give Dalton any confidence that he’d fully accepted that his future as Vaughn’s deputy depended on his performance on this mission.

  “I get the feeling that you’ve done this sort of thing before,” Loren said when Vaughn had finished his explanation.

  “I’ve been a lawman for twenty years,” Vaughn said while nodding. “I only ever failed once. I didn’t like it, so I vowed never to do it again and that’s why I plan everything with care.”

  Stanhope groaned and stood up to face toward the distant pass suggesting he’d heard this response before, but that didn’t stop Loren from asking the obvious question.

  “What was that failure?”

  “I had a brother,” Vaughn said, speaking slowly as if he was choosing his words carefully. “He was a disgrace to the family name and his behavior became even worse when he followed my lead in becoming a lawman. Some time ago he was killed and although I was relieved that he was no longer tarnishing the reputation of lawmen everywhere, he was still a lawman, and my brother.”

  Stanhope shook his head and yawned, confirming he’d often heard this story, drawing Vaughn’s attention. The diversion pleased Dalton as he feared that even though he was trying to keep his expression impassive it might still reveal his concern. Thankfully Loren spoke up using a calm tone making Vaughn turn back to him.

  “Am I right that the end of this story is that you went after the man who killed your brother and he got away?”

  “You’re right that I haven’t found him, yet.”

  “You don’t appear to be searching for anyone other than McKinley. . . .” Loren trailed off and then brightened. “Are you saying that McKinley is the man you’re looking for?”

  “No. Nobody would admit that they knew who killed my brother and the few people I suspected of knowing something wouldn’t talk. The only clue I had was that he’d arrested an outlaw, so I reckon that this man overcame him and escaped.”

  “Did you get a name?”

  Vaughn took his time in replying, the pause making Dalton’s heart race as he prepared to act quickly if the marshal made a direct accusation.

  “I just had a hint of one, but it’s nothing I’ve been able to use.” Vaughn gestured indicating the area beyond Cottonwood Pass. “The best lead I had is that my brother was killed and buried over that way, so I assume the killer came here.”

  Loren frowned. “Only honest, hard-working homesteaders are out here and everyone would have been sure to notice a bloodthirsty outlaw passing through.”

  “I’ve come to accept that. I visited Two Forks and then Durando and White Falls without luck before I finally settled in Sweet Valley as their lawman. With the lack of any alternative explanation, I’ve come to believe that the killer is here somewhere, perhaps posing as an honest, hard-working homesteader.”

  Loren thought about this answer before shrugging. “I don’t reckon that’s likely, but if you’re right, this man may have had good cause to do what he did and he could even have made a new life for himself here, so what will you do if you find him?”

  Dalton reckoned that Loren had gone too far by offering a defense for his actions, but Vaughn appeared to relish this response as he gave a grim smile.

  “I’ll give him the opportunity to tell me his version of events.” Vaughn leaned forward. “Then I’ll kill him.”

  With that conclusion silencing Loren, Dalton reckoned he ought to say something.

  “I can’t remember you coming through Two Forks,” he said, settling for a neutral response. “Then again, we often leave town to hunt and we’ve also visited most of the other nearby settlements.”

  Vaughn shrugged, but he didn’t reply. In Dalton’s suspicious frame of mind he reckoned his silence might be deliberate to find out what he would say now, but he didn’t need to talk as Stanhope then came back into their midst and sat down.

  “White Falls was where we met up,” he said. “I used to live there and I was working for Sheriff Blake, but then Marshal Vaughn made me a better offer to come to Sweet Valley.”

  “Our tale of how we came to be here isn’t interesting either,” Loren said, making Stanhope sneer. “Dalton and me both headed here in search of a better life and we reckon we’ve found it, which is why we’re so keen to help you defend it against men like McKinley Vinge.”

  With the purpose of their mission being mentioned again Vaughn took the opportunity to return to talking about their plans for tomorrow. Stanhope continued to scowl, and when Vaughn decreed that they’d keep watch near to the camp through the night and that Stanhope would take the first watch, he stomped away while again shaking his head.

  Vaughn didn’t comment on Stanhope’s bad attitude and instead he settled down on his back and leaning against his saddle as he prepared to doze. The other two men followed his lead, but even after darkness had fallen they were all still awake.

  Presently Vaughn got up and headed to his horse. Dalton reckoned that the marshal might be testing them out by giving them the opportunity to talk, but he still edged closer to Loren.

  “What do you reckon?” Dalton asked with a low voice.

  “I have to admit you were right to be suspicious of him,” Loren said. “I reckon that he suspects he’s found the man who shot his brother.”

  “I agree, and I’ve been thinking about his reasoning. I reckon it could be because he had a hint of a name of the man he wants and it’s close to my name.”

  Loren nodded. “I was thinking along the same lines. I wonder if the hint he got was that the man had only one name, which is why he didn’t give any more details about the clue he’d uncovered.”

 

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