Sheriff Brewer watched the Larabee Gang at work. It was any wonder they were feared throughout the territory! Two of them were only barely holding a third at bay.

“Now, Buck. You’re starting to get your self worked up again,” Nathan warned.

“I’ll make them talk. Let me in there!”

The four men inside the cell stared at Buck. Much to their relief, Wilmington was outside the cubicle and Jackson was in the doorway stopping him from entering. The man in front of them smiled, his gold tooth flashing.

“Gentlemen, let us dispense with the small talk. You know what we want to know.”

“O’Brien hired us.”

“Yeah, that fella!” Another cried, pointing to the scar-faced man who was locked in the next cell.

“I see. And just what did he pay you to do?”

“He said he wanted to take you fellas down and he’d make it worth our while if we helped.”

“Yeah, gave us a hundred dollars each. Wanted us to torch the boarding house and to make sure a couple of you were in there when it went up.”

“Did you meet Mr. Barwick?”

“Who?” The four men looked perplexed. Ezra flicked his eyes to his companions and then returned his attention to the thugs.

“Did anyone mention the name of the person who is behind all of this unpleasantness?”

“Only fella we spoke to was him!” Again, O’Brien was pointed to.

“Then it would appear we are questioning the wrong men.” Ezra turned and glanced at O’Brien. “Good morning, Mr. O’Brien. We haven’t met... yet.” Standish’s eyes flashed rage and terror at the captured man.

O’Brien swallowed.

**********

“YOUR WIFE?!” Three voices cried as one.

“Wilhelm? What are you talking about?!”

Wilhelm Von Otter sighed. “It was probably a silly thing to do, but we were so much in love and...”

“You were married?” Josiah asked. “How?”

“We went to the minister in Black Pool. It’s only a few hours’ ride. He married us.” Wilhelm continued to stare at the photo in his hands. The old man smiled. “This was taken in Black Pool that day.” He handed the photo to J.D. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

J.D. stared down at the photo. For the first time, he was seeing Elsa. Everyone who had spoken about the young woman was wrong. She wasn’t beautiful. She was breathtaking! Her hair was raven black, unusual for her race. Her eyes were clear and wide. Her face was small and gentle looking. There was something about her, even as a flat image, that made you consider her warmth. So, this was the lonely woman who wandered the streets of Peter’s Gap as a ghostly figure? Everyone who had spoken to J.D. had mentioned how sad the young woman looked as she tried to communicate with the living. She appeared so happy in the picture.

Josiah leaned forward to examine the photo. “A pretty girl,” he agreed quietly. “Were you married before or after James arrived in town?”

“Before. Weeks before,” Von Otter stated, taking the photo back.

“Wilhelm... I... why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Elsa and I decided to tell no one. We were hoping to convince her father that we were in love and... but if that didn’t work we knew Elsa couldn’t marry anyone else. She was already my wife.”

J.D.’s head was reeling. This was all too much.

“The reason I know that Elsa wasn’t pregnant is because we never... I mean... Elsa thought it would be a sin for us to consummate our marriage without her father’s blessing. She was a very religious girl. She was sure that we’d go to hell if we... you know, without her father’s blessing. So you see, there was no way that Elsa was pregnant.” Wilhelm frowned. “Who told you she was pregnant?”

“Someone in town,” J.D. mumbled. J.D. was no longer sure what he believed.

“What do you intend to do?” Wilhelm asked Josiah.

“The Sheriff will have to be told.”

Von Otter returned to his mother’s side.

“I don’t think anything will come of it,” Josiah stated gently. You acted out of self-defence, Ma‘am. Besides, it all happened forty years ago. James has no family to be wanting justice, so I guess it’s just a formality.”

Wilhelm nodded. “Thank you.”

“J.D., “ Josiah prompted.

The youth rose to his feet, nodded politely to the Von Otters and then followed Josiah out of the room.

“Well, son, I’m proud of you. You were right. James was murdered and you solved the mystery.”

J.D. glanced at his older friend. “So why did Elsa kill herself, Josiah? She didn’t love James and she wasn’t pregnant. There‘s something missing.”

“No doubt you’ll find it in time.”

**********

“You fellas don’t scare me,” O’Brien growled with more confidence than he felt.

“I do admire that in a man,” Ezra murmured. “A man willing to die to protect his employer.” O’Brien glanced at Sheriff Brewer.

Ezra did likewise. “Sheriff, I believe there is a disturbance outside that needs your undivided attention. Do not worry, we will keep an eye on the prisoners for you.”

Brewer stood for several seconds. He really wasn’t sure what the hell these men had in mind. Nathan, turned his back to O’Brien and winked at the sheriff. Brewer felt relieved. Even if the other two appeared to be psychotic, the dark-skinned man was certainly in control.

“Better go and see to it then,” Brewer stated, pulling his hat on.

O’Brien leapt to his feet. “You can’t leave! Sheriff! You can’t leave me in here with them. They’ll kill me!”

Brewer kept walking.

“Oh, God. SHERIFF! Come back!”

Footsteps on the stairs caused O’Brien to sigh. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the sheriff who was returning.

“Aahh, Mr. Larabee,” Ezra greeted. “We were just about to ask Mr. O’Brien some questions.”

Chris stood, filling the doorway, his duster billowing in the breeze. Larabee glared at the men in the cells. All of the prisoners rose to their feet and backed away toward the far wall, withering under the infamous Larabee glare.

Ezra exited the cell he had been in and locked the door.

“Keys,” Chris demanded in a hushed voice that caused the prisoners to press themselves further back against the wall.

Ezra handed them to his leader. “This the one who hired them, and tried to hang Vin?” Larabee’s voice was air. Little more than a hiss.

Standish nodded.

“I’m not staying to watch this,” Nathan muttered, turning and striding from the room.

Chris turned to glare at O‘Brien.

“BARWICK! He’s the one who hired me! I don’t know anything else. I swear I don’t!” Larabee approached the cell. “OH, GOD! Look, he paid Godwin, Lester and I to take you down! I don’t know who was paying him!” Larabee inserted the key in the lock. O’Brien slid down the wall and began shaking.

“Did Barwick mention how he contacted his employer?” Ezra demanded.

O’Brien shook his head.

“Did he have any contact with his employer since your arrival in town?”

“Yes. When Lester was killed, Godwin and I wanted his cut. Barwick said he had to check with his employer. The next day he said we could have Lester’s money as long as we killed all of you and...” O’Brien hesitated.

“And...” Chris growled, pulling the cell door open.

“And as long as we left you for last!”

Chris Larabee’s chest heaved. Badden.

“I’ve told you everything I know, I swear!”

“You have been most helpful, Mr. O’Brien. I just have a few more questions.”

**********

Vin lay staring up at the ceiling. He had never felt this worried in his life. He could see Josiah and J.D., who had taken Chris’ place so the gunfighter could go and question O’Brien. The pair was in the waiting room talking loudly with Dr. Holstein. The tracker frowned. He had a really bad feeling.

“So, did your father keep any records?” J.D. asked Dr. Holstein.

“Patient records?”

J.D. nodded vigorously.

“Some, why?”

“I need to see Elsa’s.”

“Elsa Schmidt‘s? You mean the ghost’s?” the doctor asked amazed.

“Please.”

“Well, I guess it couldn’t do any harm.”

Josiah shook his head with amusement. J.D. was persistent, that was for sure. The preacher watched as Dunne and the local doctor began pulling files out of a cupboard in the waiting room.

It did not take long for them to locate the one they were after. “What are you looking for?” Holstein asked.

“I want to know if she was pregnant.”

“Oh.” Together, the two men sifted through the scribbled notes. To J.D.’s disappointment, there was no reference to Elsa being pregnant. There was no reference to her seeing the doctor for almost five months before she died.

“Maybe she didn’t tell my father,” Holstein offered. J.D. shrugged and rose to his feet. “Josiah, I just don’t know why she would have killed herself.”

“Perhaps her father discovered she had married Wilhelm without his consent?” Sanchez suggested helpfully. “Lost his temper and killed her in a fit of rage?”

“Yeah, and maybe she was pregnant and he killed her in fit of rage. Or maybe Wilhelm did because he found his wife was pregnant. Or maybe John Shultz killed her because he found out the girl he was about to be engaged to was already married. There are just too many ‘maybes’.”

Josiah patted the boy’s shoulder. “You have done everything humanly possible, son.”

“I feel like I’ve let her down.”

“No, you found James. No one else has been able to do that. Perhaps, the mystery of why Elsa took her own life is one that only she will ever know or understand.”

J.D. nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” The boy crouched down beside Holstein to help pack away the files.

Josiah strolled into the examination room to check on Vin. He found his friend awake and staring intently at the ceiling. “Okay?”

Vin didn’t reply. Josiah sat down on the bed next to Tanner. “Sometimes it helps to share your burdens.”

Still Vin’s attention remained focused directly above him. Josiah reached out and laid his hand on companion’s arm. Tanner glanced at the big preacher.

“Talk to me, brother. You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

Vin swallowed and shrugged.

“You’re worried about Chris.” It was a statement not a question.

Vin returned to staring at the ceiling. “I’ve got a bad feeling, Josiah,” the young man whispered emotionally.

“That’s understandable.”

Vin shook his head. “It’s more than...”

Josiah frowned.

“Damn dreams,” the tracker muttered.

Abruptly, everything became clearer. “Your nightmares have been about Badden coming after Chris?”

Vin grunted.

“Dreams can be warnings or premonitions. There are some cultures that believe that...”

“She’s going to get him this time,” Vin whispered.

“Vin?”

Tanner squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn‘t ignore the grinding in his gut. He had a really, really bad feeling.

“Vin, what have you seen in your dreams?”

“Huh?” Tanner opened his eyes and stared up at Sanchez.

“Tell me what you’ve seen. Sometimes dreaming is the way your mind tells you things that you can’t quite remember. Maybe you’ve seen something and your mind is tying to let you know.”

Vin stared at his huge friend, carefully considering his words. “It’s the same every time.”

“Go on.”

“I... I can’t see it all clearly. Chris is... is behind me?.. over me?.. I don’t know. Like maybe he’s trying to protect me from something.” Tanner paused shutting his eyes. “I know he’s there, but I can’t really see him... behind me maybe. I can’t tell.”

“What else?”

“Badden’s there.”

“Where?”

“I’m looking into her face. She’s yelling.” Vin opened his eyes. “And then... I think we’re struggling. I can’t see Chris. He’s there, but behind me, I think. Then Chris cries out. “ Vin shook his head. “She’s gonna get him, Josiah. This time, she’s comin’ after him.”

Sanchez didn’t know what to say. He squeezed his friend’s arm. “We won’t let her get near him, Vin.”

Tanner frowned. “I’ve got a really bad feeling.” Vin had learned to listen to his instincts. They had saved his life so many times in the past.

Vin drew in a long deep breath. Without warning he sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

“Vin?”

“She was in my room the other night, Josiah. I’ve got to go and have another look.”

“I’m not sure you should be getting out of bed,” Sanchez argued, watching as Tanner sat and pulled his boots on. This morning, Nathan had warned how important it was for Vin to stay warm. He couldn’t afford to develop pneumonia.

“I’m feeling better. Fever broke a little while ago.” That was the only reason Chris had left to question O’Brien. Dr. Holstein had pronounced that the tracker was definitely on the mend.

Josiah placed his hand on his friend’s brow. Tanner was cool for the first time in days. Actually, the preacher realized he hadn’t heard Tanner cough in the last few minutes.

“You still don’t look well. After my fever broke, it was still a day or two before I was feeling back to my old self.”

“I’ve got to look around in that room.”

“The building is unsafe. The fire weakened the roof beams.”

“I’m goin’,” Vin growled, standing and pulling on his buckskin coat that was hanging near the bed. The tracker paused, staring out the window.

“Vin?”

“The rain’s easing.”

“Huh?” Josiah stepped up to the curtains. Tanner was right. The torrential rain had been reduced to a drizzle.

“It’ll be gone by lunch.” Which meant that anyone else Badden had hired would have access to the town.

Sanchez glanced back over his shoulder. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

“Nope.”

“Then let’s get going. I’d like to be back before Nathan and Chris return. I don‘t fancy coming under their wrath because I let you abscond.”

Vin winked at his friend. “Come on, Preacher.”

**********

Ezra, Nathan, Chris and Buck were collected on the porch of the sheriff’s office. O’Brien had known little more than the fact that Barwick had hired him.

“I dare say Barwick must have wired his employer concerning Godwin and O’Brien taking Lester’s share of the money. Perhaps the telegraph operator may remember whom the message was sent to.”

Chris nodded.

“Speak of the devil,” Buck muttered, as the telegraph operator jogged across the street toward them.

Chris felt his chest constrict. He could see that the man was carrying a telegraph.

“Mr. Larabee. This arrived for you from Tentafield.” All of the men drew in their breaths. This was what they had been waiting for.

Larabee snatched the piece of paper. The telegraph operator backed away and made himself scarce. The regulators crowded around Chris to read the message. Larabee’s face contorted with shock.