High Valley Manhunt: Laramie Davies #1 (9 page)

The
Coltrains made camp that evening deep amongst a stand of firs, well
off the trail so the flickering, orange flames of the small fire
would not be visible.

Earlier,
they had returned to the scene of the Blackfoot ambush and found
nothing other than their dead comrades. They had discussed a burial
but Jeb had refused. If the Blackfeet returned, he didn't want them
to find freshly turned earth. There was no sign of Laramie and they'd
spent a few cautious hours trying to pick up his trail, without
success. With darkness upon them now, they did the only thing left to
do and made camp for the night.

“What
are we goin' to do now Uncle Jeb?” asked Shell Coltrain, who
tossed a small stick onto the fire.

The
Sheriff shrugged his shoulders, “Don't rightly know Shell.
Davis could be anywhere in these mountains by now.”

“We
keep looking,” asserted the Judge, “Come sun up tomorrow,
we search for him until he is found.”

“Sure
Zeb, why not,” the Sheriff agreed sarcastically, “We'll
just keep traipsin' all over these mountains, just the three of us,
with all them Indians tryin' to lift our hair, especially when we
know just where to find him don't we?”

“What
about the girl?” Shell interrupted.

“What
about her?” questioned his uncle.

“Do
you think he would go after her?”

“It's
possible I guess,” the Sheriff conceded, “but she's gone
off with Harbin and God alone knows where that is.”

“I
know,” said Shell confidently, “I overheard them talkin'
and they've a hideout over by Eagle falls.”

“Do
you think you can find it?” asked his father.

Shell
looked at the Judge and saw the renewed hope in his face, “Sure,
at least I think I can.”

The
Judge looked across the fire at his brother, “How far is it to
Eagle falls?”

“A
day and a bit in this country,” Jeb Coltrain confirmed.

“Have
you been there before?”

“Yeah,
but it's the first I've heard about some sort of hideout bein' over
that way though.”

“It's
there I tell you,” Shell insisted, “I heard 'em talkin'”

“Alright
then,” said the Sheriff, “We'll do that.”

*

The
outlaws sat about an old, scarred wooden table, piled with the stolen
money from the stage.

“What
are we goin' to do with the girl, Blackie?” Cato asked warily.

“I
don't know, let me think about it for a day or so,” the outlaw
leader answered as he counted out the cash.

“Do
you think she's worth anythin'?” asked Benny.

Harbin
shrugged, “Maybe, we can try I guess, but I want you boys to
leave her alone for the time being.”

“Hell
Blackie, can't we just have a little fun?” begged Benny.

“I
said no. If any of you touch her,” Harbin paused and stared
unflinchingly at Benny, “I'll damn well shoot you.”

Sally
was in the only other room that the rough hewn log cabin possessed
and had heard everything that the outlaws said. In a way she was
relieved, for the moment. She wasn't sure what would happen after
that. What would the outlaws do to her?

They
had arrived at the cabin late in the afternoon, just before dark and
she'd been locked away in the room ever since. It was small, dark and
smelt like a skunk had died in it, but if it was where Blackie Harbin
slept, she could understand why it had that peculiar odour.

Sally
tried not to think of the bad things that could happen to her. She
wanted to stay positive and focus on the one chance she knew she had.
That one hope that had been taken away to be hanged for killing a
man. The more Sally thought about her predicament, the more she
thought she had no hope at all.

Raucous
laughter from the next room brought Sally back to the present. She
looked at the door, old, gap ridden and grey with age. More laughter,
this time much louder.

“I'll
come after you,” Laramie's words echoed in her head.

Hopefully,
he would come soon.

*

The
following afternoon, Black Elk and Laramie sat on their horses,
hidden from sight in a dense thicket of Spruce.

“Do
you see the tall tree?” asked the Indian Chief as he pointed to
a Cedar next to a large rock monolith.

Laramie
nodded, “I see it.”

“Young
Deer told me that an entrance lies beyond the rock beside it. There
were many tracks going in and out. It seems you tell the truth.”

A
flood of relief washed over Laramie at the news, “What do you
want to do now?”

“We
will wait for dark and then go into the canyon,” said Black
Elk.

“And
then what?”

“Then
we wait.”

Two
hours after the sun went down, Laramie, Black Elk and ten other
warriors entered the box canyon. Laramie was apprehensive about the
outcome, once the Indians attacked the cabin. He tried to get Black
Elk to allow him to try to get Sally out before the attack but he
would not hear of it.

“She
will have to take her chances,” the Indian said coldly, “But
if she dies, it will not be by the hand of one of my warriors.”

Laramie
made up his mind that once the battle started, he would somehow get
Sally to safety.

“I
want a gun,” Laramie insisted.

Black
Elk stared at the gunfighter in silence.

“I
aim to get the woman when the battle starts, and to do that I need a
gun,” Laramie explained.

“What
about the man you have come to kill?”

“For
me, the woman comes first.”

Black
Elk nodded and signalled to a brave, “Take Coyote Man's rifle.”

The
Indian gave Laramie his old Henry. It had seen better days, and the
stock was pitted and scratched, but it was clean so he guessed it
wouldn't blow up in his face when he fired it. He emptied the
magazine and found that it was fully loaded. Then he thumbed the
bullets back in and worked the lever to put one back in the breech.

The
soon to be attackers surrounded the run down cabin. Horses were in a
makeshift corral but the Indian braves were so skilled in what they
did, not one stirred or nickered in alarm. Once in position, a chorus
of night bird calls drifted through the canyon on the light mountain
breeze.

“My
warriors are ready,” Black Elk confirmed.

Now
they had to wait.

*

“I
need to go outside,” said Sally.

Blackie
Harbin raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise, “What, again?”

“Yes,
again.”

“Girl,
you just don't stop do you,” Harbin grouched, “Damn it to
hell. Cato take her out.”

“Aww,
why me Blackie?” Cato complained.

“Because
it's your turn, now take her out damn it,” Harbin ordered, “and
keep an eye on her. These trips outside is becoming too frequent.”

Cato
rose from where he sat with the others as they played poker to pass
the time. It was probably a good thing that he was forced to take a
break because he was on a hot losing streak and his pile of money had
dwindled fast. If the queen high hand he now had was any indication,
it wasn't going to get any better.

The
outlaw opened the door and stepped aside to allow Sally to pass. Once
through, Sally went around the side of the cabin and out back where
there was a small patch of brush she could use for privacy. The cold
made her shiver.

“Hurry
it up,” Cato urged, “I got a game to get back to.”

Sally
ignored him.

“Did
you hear me?”

Sally
rolled her eyes at the outlaw's impatience, “I hear you.”

Cato
mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't make out.

With
her business finished, Sally was about to step from behind the bush
when a feint whisper behind her drew her attention, then a muscular
arm snaked out of the darkness and a hand fastened over her mouth.

Her
scream was immediately stifled as another arm wrapped around her
body. A strong smell permeated her nostrils as she struggled against
the vice like grip.

A
heavily accented voice sounded close to her ear, “Don't fight,
I help.”

It
took a moment for Sally to realise what the speaker had said, and she
struggled against the unbreakable grip a little longer.

The
voice spoke again, “Don't fight, I help.”

Sally
stilled herself and the voice said, “Come with me.”

*

“Are
you finished yet or what?” Cato asked, his impatience evident.

There
was no reply from the other side of the bush.

“Ma'am,
are you finished?” This time his voice held a different tone.
That of concern. Not for the woman, but for himself.

An
internal conflict started to rage inside of Cato, “Ma'am, I
asked if you were finished?”

No
answer or movement. Cato couldn't wait any longer, he had to know.
His pulse quickened and a bead of sweat formed on his brow. Cato
stepped around the brush.

And
found nothing. Sally was gone. Harbin was going to kill him for
letting her get away. His gaze raked the enshrouding darkness in the
hope that she would appear. Just walk out into the light and make it
all better. Then he wouldn't have to tell Blackie.

“She's
gone,” Cato said, his head hung low like a school boy about to
be scolded by the teacher.

“She's
what?” Blackie Harbin exploded.

“I'm
sorry Blackie, she's gone,” Cato explained sheepishly, “one
minute she was there and then the next she was gone.”

“God
damn it!” Harbin cursed, as his face turned crimson, “One
simple job. Take her outside and keep an eye on her. How hard can it
be?”

“But
I was watchin' her.”

“Yeah,
sure,” came Harbin's sarcastic reply, “That's why you're
in here and she's out there. Sometimes I wonder whether any of you
men have a damn brain between you.”

Cato
made for the door.

“Where
are you goin'? Harbin asked.

“Out
to look for her,” said Cato.

Blackie
shook his head, “No, stay here. Lone Wolf you go.”

The
Crow disappeared out the door.

“You
better hope he finds her,” Harbin warned, “for your
sake.”

A cold
chill ran down Cato's spine.

*

“Laramie,
you're here,” Sally's voice was a mixture of relief and
happiness as she threw her arms around him.

“Did
you ever doubt that I would come?” he said, embarrassed and
tried to extricate himself from her embrace.

She
let him go, aware of his unease, “I'm not sure what I
expected.”

“Are
all of the bad men still there?” Black Elk asked, as he
abruptly interrupted the reunion.

Sally
looked at the big Blackfoot chief and then back to Laramie, “It's
okay, if it wasn't for Black Elk, you would still be with Harbin.”

“Yes,”
Sally confirmed.

“Would
it be possible to get her out of here before the fighting starts?”
Laramie asked hopefully.

Black
Elk thought for a moment and then nodded, “I will have Leaning
Bear take her back to our camp. My woman will look after her.”

“I
don't want to go,” Sally protested.

“You'll
be safer there, they will take care of you,” Laramie reassured
her, “after we are done here, I'll come and get you and take
you to your father.”

“I'm
not sure...”

“Just
do it,” he said more forcefully, “I need to do this for
Lonesome.”

“Okay,”
she agreed reluctantly and turned to leave.

A
short time later Sally was gone with her Blackfoot escort.

Laramie
turned to Black Elk, “If anythin' happens to me can you...”

“Yes,”
the Chief said deadpan, “I will make her my second wife.”

“What?'

“White
man humour,” Black Elk explained, “she will be returned
to her people.”

*

“Well,
where is she?” Blackie Harbin asked Lone Wolf.

“I
don't know.”

“Damn
it Cato, I told you to keep an eye on her,” Harbin's temper
rose and his hand drifted toward one of his pearl handled gun-butts.

“Wait,”
said Lone Wolf, “before you decide you want to shoot someone,
you need to know we are surrounded by Blackfeet.”

Cato
turned pale, “Aww hell, we're dead.”

Harbin
remained quiet, a hundred things flicked through his mind.

Benny
on the other hand, smiled. He checked the loads in his new Remingtons
and said almost gleefully, “Let's kill us some Indians.”

Blackie's
eyes darted across to Benny, “Hold on kid, don't be in such a
rush to die.”

“Who's
goin' to die?” he said cockily, “I sure as hell ain't, I
got too much livin' to do. Besides, I ain't famous yet.”

Blackie
looked hard at Lone Wolf, “Are you sure we're totally
surrounded?”

The
Crow nodded.

“Are
the horses still there?” Blackie asked hopefully.

“Yes.”

“What
are we goin' to do?” asked an ashen faced Cato.

“Well
the way I figure it,” said Harbin confidently, “is they
have the girl. And they'll be expectin' us to come out lookin' for
her.”

“Yeah,
but we ain't goin' to do that right?” Cato asked hesitantly.

“That's
exactly what we're goin to do,” the boss outlaw confirmed, “it
wouldn't look right if we didn't.”

“They'll
kill us if we go out there. Pick us off one by one,” Lone wolf
stated the obvious.

Harbin
ignored the comment and continued, “We'll get into the corral
and take the horses on outta here. Don't worry about saddlin' 'em,
just jump on 'em and light out. They won't be expectin' it and in all
the confusion we'll be able to get away.”

Not
one person in the room believed what was said. Not even Harbin
himself.

*

Laramie
and Black Elk watched as the outlaws came out of the cabin. They
divided into pairs then split up. One pair walked towards the corral
while the others circled around to the back of the cabin.