**********

Vin followed the muddy tracks along the corridor, tracking one in particular. Buck had taken his friends to the spot where he had been robbed. Vin had picked up the trail, followed it along the street, into a boarding house, up a flight of stairs and along a corridor.

Ezra shook his head. Vin Tanner was amazing. There had been hundreds of footprints pressed into the mud and yet Vin had never wavered or paused. Standish didn’t doubt for a minute that behind the door Vin had just stopped in front of, they would find the men, or at the very least, the woman, who had robbed Buck.

“Here?” Buck whispered. Tanner nodded. Buck moved to the door. Ezra, Nathan, Chris and Vin fanned out behind him. Wilmington raised his socked foot and slammed it into the door. The bolt shattered and the door swung inward. Inside were three men and a woman. All looked startled.

“I’m going to beat you senseless!” Buck roared. One man reached for his gun. A very stupid move. Chris Larabee drew and shot it from the thug’s hand before he could do any damage with it. The other two men unbuckled their holsters without prompting and dropped them to the ground.

Vin, Chris, Ezra and Nathan replaced their revolvers. Wilmington thrust a finger into one of the men’s faces. “That’s my hat! Take it off!” He turned to a second. “Get out of my shirt. Hell, that‘s my holster! ” Wilmington walked across to the man gripping his bleeding hand. “You’re dripping blood all over my boots! Get ‘em off. You’re all under arrest. You too, darlin’! How could you do that to me?”

Several minutes later, Buck was reclothed and he and his companions led the group of hustlers to the jailhouse.

“A present for ya, Sheriff!” Buck boomed. “Lock ‘em up and throw away the key!”

Brewer looked perplexed but shepherded the men into one cell and the women into a separate one. “What did they do?”

“Pissed me off!”

“Robbery,” Nathan informed the sheriff.

Brewer nodded. “That’s the fourth one today. We’ve had another two people beaten up like your friend was, too." The sheriff knew there would have been brawls as well, but word had passed around that the Seven were in town. At least that was something. "It would help if I had more badges wandering the town.”

“We don’t wear badges.”

“Now may I return to my game?” Ezra asked, pulling a pack of cards from his pocket.

“Do whatever the hell you want,” Buck snapped. The big man moved to the doorway. It was obvious to his companions that the scoundrel’s pride was badly hurt. Not because he had been robbed and not because he had been wandering around Peter’s Gap in his underwear, but because he had been silly enough to allow a woman to lead him blindly into an ambush like some inexperienced kid.

Vin patted Buck’s shoulder as the men left the office. “Don’t worry, Buck. There are at least another two dozen women you can entertain.”

A grin lit up Buck’s face. It was impossible to keep Buck down for long. “You are right there!” He turned to Vin and the smile became one of thanks. “Thanks, Vin. For trackin’ down my stuff.”

All of the men burst out laughing.

“Let me buy you a drink, Buck,” Nathan offered. “You look like you could use one.“

Vin swallowed and exhaled slowly. His side and head were throbbing so badly now that he was finding it difficult to focus on the conversation. It was time to speak to Nathan.

“Nathan, could you...”

“Mr. Larabee?” Brewer called. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”

Chris nodded. “I’ll join you shortly,” he murmured to his companions. Then he turned to Vin and inclined his head. He wanted the tracker to hear what the sheriff had to say. He had a feeling that Brewer was going to be looking at strategy in light of the increasing tensions in town. If that was the case, Tanner was a good man to have involved.

“Vin?” Nathan asked.

“Tell ya later,“ the weary tracker stated, following the Seven’s leader back into the office. Jackson paused for a moment but found himself forcibly dragged to the saloon so he could buy Buck the drink he had promised.

Brewer‘s face looked grim. “I’ve just had word that a large group of men were run out of Purgatory Hill.”

“Which means they are probably headed here?” Vin guessed.

“They are.”

“How large?” Chris asked.

“More than twenty. According to my information, they intend riding in here, killing the law and then taking over the town. I thought that we should decide how we’re going to deal with them before they arrive.”

Chris nodded and he and Vin took seats.

“Any ideas?”

“Yeah, a couple,” Chris stated.

Vin sighed. He pulled the front of his buckskin coat open. The tracker had put the garment back on when he had gone out into the rain to track down the robbers. Now, the heat that was radiating from his body was making him feel claustrophobic. Damn fever. Soon as I finish here, I’ll speak to Nathan and lay down.

**********

The wanted poster Schultz had handed to Josiah showed a young man in his early twenties. He had a friendly face and boyish good looks. Sanchez could understand why a woman would have been taken by him.

“Mr. Schultz, can I ask you a personal question?” J.D. asked, moving back to his seat.

The old man frowned and then nodded.

“Did you love Elsa?”

John Schultz nodded. “I did, young man. I loved her with my whole heart.” His voice broke as he spoke and it was clear that every word was the truth.

“Have you seen the ghost?” Josiah asked, knowing he was treading unstable ground.

“I have,” Schultz confirmed, regaining his composure. “She hasn’t changed at all. Still as beautiful as ever.” There was a wistful look on his face that reflected all of the ‘what might have beens’.

“What does she look like? The ghost?”

“She’s sort of white. Kinda see through. Like she’s almost not there, but she is. She tries to talk to me, but... I’ve tried so hard to understand what she’s trying to tell me.” Tears came to the man’s eyes.

Josiah tapped J.D. on the arm. “We really appreciate your time, Mr. Schultz.” The old man nodded, rose to his feet and walked out of the room.

His granddaughter watched him.

“We didn’t mean to upset him, Ma’am.”

“I’ve never seen him like that. Normally he just yells at ghost hunters and they run out of here with their tails between their legs.”

Again Josiah and J.D. exchanged a glance. The mystery was becoming more intriguing.

**********

More than an hour had passed since Buck, Nathan and Ezra had left Vin and Chris with the sheriff. Ezra has successfully entered another game and was doing remarkably well. Unfortunately, just as he was about to swoop on the pot, a very drunken man crashed into him and saturated him in some fowl smelling alcohol. Worst of all, the liquid was sticky and had ended up all over the gambler’s face and in his hair.

“Of all the... I am going to have to scrub to get this out!“ Ezra complained to Nathan, Buck, Josiah and J.D. who were shamelessly laughing at his misfortune. “If anyone is looking for me, I shall be in the bathhouse, my witless friends... and I use the term ‘friends’ under duress.”

As the gambler disappeared, Nathan prompted his companions to continue with the story. J.D. had been recounting all that he and Josiah had learned from Schultz.

“Well, I’ve been thinking, maybe James did return and maybe someone did kill him,” J.D. pointed out.

“And I take it you’re tending toward this Schultz fella?”

“He was supposed to marry Elsa and would have if James didn’t turn up.”

“Well, that’s it then,” Buck stated, draining his whisky. “You’ve solved the mystery.”

J.D. looked at Buck like he was an imbecile. “I ain’t even close to solving this. I gotta prove it.”

“Which means?” Nathan and Josiah asked as one, both fearing the answer.

“I’ve got to find his body!”

“Yep.”

“That’s what I thought you were going to say.”

“It’s got to be in town somewhere,” J.D. whispered with excitement.

“Or, it could have been buried out of town, or dumped in the river or...”

“Okay, okay, I know that, but I reckon whoever did it must have done it in town when he returned. So I reckon he’s still here somewhere. I know it‘s been forty years but, I mean, there has to be something and...”

Nathan, Buck and Josiah exchanged pained looks. “It’s going to be a long couple of days,” Josiah muttered.

**********

“That isn’t gong to work!” one of Brewer’s deputies disputed.

Vin shook his head with frustration. He and Chris had explained the plan more than ten times.

“Look, if ya can’t understand or don’t like it, leave it to us. We know what we’re doin‘,” Tanner growled. He was in no mood for this. His body was soaked with sweat, and his head and side were throbbing.

“Look, pal, this isn’t your town!” the deputy snapped back, stepping up to Tanner.

“Once that mob gets here, it won’t be yours any longer,” Chris pointed out, moving between the two men.

Brewer turned to Daly. “Calm down. We’re all on the same side here.”

“They think they’re in charge!”

Brewer glanced at Larabee. “They are.”

Chris met the sheriff’s stare easily. “Only for this. After that...”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“How long before they’ll be here?” Vin asked, dismissing the deputy as an idiot.

“In this weather, at least another two hours.”

“What time is it now?“

“About ten thirty.”

“So they’ll be here just after midday then. We better inform the boys,” Chris stated, rising to his feet. “Half an hour before we expect them, you’ll have to tell everyone and get them to lock themselves in.”

“May not be as easy as all that,” Brewer pointed out.

“Anyone on the street when the mob arrives will be in the line of fire.”

Brewer nodded. “Okay.” The sheriff watched Larabee and Tanner walk toward the door. “Larabee... thanks.”

Chris’ head bobbed once and then he and Vin exited the office. Tanner shivered, pulling his coat around him.

“So much for a quiet visit,“ Chris muttered. “This isn’t going to be easy. This rain’ll hide them until they’re right on top of us. They’re going to come out of nowhere.”

“Yeah.” Vin knew Chris was talking to him, but the words were bouncing off him like the rain. The situation had changed and that meant he had to make a decision. Should he mention his fever to Nathan, or wait until after they had dealt with the mob? He felt so drained all of the sudden and the throbbing of his head was actually reverberating through his chest. However, the bottom line was, the boys were going to need him.

“It’s going to be slippery for you and Buck on the roof.“

A wave of nausea swept over Vin. Tanner cursed under his breath. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“We should be okay if you can take out about a third of them as they ride in. You reckon that’s possible?” Chris asked.

“Don’t worry, Cowboy. I’ll be there.”

Chris paused. “You alright?” His friend looked pasty.

“Fine.”

“I think you better lay down.”

**********

Ezra tipped the jug of warm water over his head, soap gushing down over his face. “Cretin. Of all of the people he could have dumped his beverage on, it had to be me and at that particular time. That pot was mine. Imbecile... uncoordinated oaf!”

“On the contrary,” a voice growled, approaching Ezra from behind. Before the gambler could react, two sets of hands grabbed and pinned his shoulders to the side of the tub. “I thought he executed the move beautifully.”

“What do you want?” Ezra blinked furiously, trying to clear his eyes so he could make out his attackers.

“What do we want? We want your life!” In that instant, someone grabbed Ezra’s legs and pulled him down, his head dragging below the water. For several seconds the shocked regulator began to struggle as panic pushed logical reasoning away. He thrashed as hard as he could, desperately trying to pull his head above the water. His lungs began to burn. Above, he could make out a warped face smiling down at him sadistically. It was then that Ezra’s cool head took over. He stopped struggling. He had to rally his strength. His mind raced. His lungs began to convulse as they attempted to draw air in. Ezra’s head began to ache. What the hell was he going to do? Lay there and die in a bathtub? Be found naked in bathtub?! His mother would be appalled!

Ezra realized he had one chance. He had to tip the tub! Black spots rose up in front of his eyes. Any moment now he was going to lose consciousness. It was now or never! Ezra summed up his failing strength and threw himself against the side of the bath. The tub tipped, crashing to the floor in an explosion of sound. Ezra sucked air in frantically, his lungs frenzied in their attempts to inflate. The gambler’s consciousness waned.

Suddenly, hands grabbed him. Standish tried to fight back, but his strength was depleted. All he could do was suck oxygen into his convulsing lungs. His reprieve had been short lived, he realized. With those thoughts in mind, Ezra sank into the murky world of unconsciousness. At least his death would be avenged! The boys would see to that!

“Vin! Get, Nathan!” Larabee shouted, rolling Ezra onto his back. Vin, who had started to chase the two men who had bolted as he and Larabee had entered the bathhouse, pulled up abruptly.

“Chris?”

“He’s alive. Hurry!”

Vin raced out of the building, his eyes scanning the area quickly before running straight across the street and up the stairs of the saloon. He and Chris had been passing the bathhouse when they had heard the crash of the tub overturning. As they had burst into the room, two men had flashed out the back door.

Vin shouldered through the batwing doors. The other members of the Seven rose to their feet immediately.

“Nathan!” Vin called urgently. His companions raced across to him. “Someone just attacked Ezra.”

The men jogged after Vin. All five peacekeepers poured into the shed, their faces shadowed with concern. Off toward the back of the room, they spotted Chris leaning over a prone figure. The gunfighter had wrapped the unconscious gambler in several towels and was talking to him softly.

Nathan dropped beside Ezra and lowered his head to the young man’s chest. “Breathing’s okay. Just a bit fast. Ezra?” the healer called loudly, slapping Ezra’s face. “Come on, Ezra. It’s time to wake up.”

“Did you see them?” Buck demanded as Chris rose to his feet.

“Only the back of them. They must have heard us comin‘,” Vin answered, slightly winded.

“Take a look around,” Larabee ordered. Tanner nodded and disappeared out the back door. “Buck,” Chris prompted. Wilmington followed the tracker.

“Nathan?” J.D. asked frowning. Ezra seemed awfully still.

“Come on, Ezra. Wake up,” Nathan encouraged. Standish groaned. “Come on, Ezra. You’re okay.”

Ezra’s eyelids flickered. “Nathan?” he asked. His voice sounded weak and was laced with confusion.

“It’s okay, Ezra. You’re okay,” the healer stated, taking his friend’s hand and squeezing it.

The young man’s eyes opened. “Nathan?”

“That was one hell of a bath your were taking,” Nathan stated, smiling.

Ezra’s mind searched through the fog.

“You were attacked,” Nathan informed him gently.

Still Ezra looked confused. Chris crouched beside his friend. “Two men.”

Finally, Ezra’s mind cleared and he nodded. “They held me under. I tipped the bath but they grabbed me again.”

Chris smiled and patted his companion’s arm. “No, that was me.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s get him up to his room. I want to get him dry. He needs some rest.”

“Does that mean I get the bed?” Ezra chuckled weakly.

“Now the truth comes out. The lengths you’ll go to get the damn bed.”

“Help me up,” Standish requested. Chris and Nathan lifted him between them.

“Okay?” Nathan asked, waiting for Ezra to find his feet.

“My head is killing me.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Chris stepped back, but Nathan held on to his companion.

“Josiah, give me a hand with him.” Josiah moved in and slipped the injured man’s arm over his shoulder.

Vin and Buck returned, Tanner shaking his head in response to the question held on Larabee’s face. When he saw Ezra on his feet, the tracker smiled his relief. “Hell, Ezra. If it isn’t Buck runnin’ around naked, it’s you!”

“What? Oh my God! I’m naked! Pull the towel further around me!”

Nathan smiled. “He’s going to be fine.”

“Fine?! I’ll catch my death. Where are my clothes? Oh, God I’ve got a headache.”

The rest of the boys watched as Nathan and Josiah assisted the complaining gambler off to the boarding house.

“That’s the second one,” Vin muttered.

Chris’ eyes narrowed with thought.

“Second one?” J.D. asked.

“First Josiah and now Ezra. Someone’s gunnin’ for us. Maybe the secret's out and the cattlemen aren't happy?"

"Not really likely. Macquarie spoke directly to Judge Travis. They decided on where and when the lease would be signed. We've told no one and neither has the Judge so that means the leak has to be at Macquarie's end and after having met the man, I don't think that's likely, do you?" Joisah asked.

Vin shrugged, but he was inclined to agree.

"I mean, Macquarie's wife didn't even know what he was doing!" Josiah pointed out. "The man was obsessed with secrecy!"

“This could have been just a couple of disgruntled opponents, then,” Buck suggested.

“Ezra hasn’t won anything yet,” Chris pointed out thoughtfully.

“Then let’s tear this place apart and find the bastards!” Buck roared, realizing Larabee was right.

“We don’t have time,” Vin muttered. He began to cough. Larabee reached for his friend’s shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

“In less than two hours we’ve got visitors arriving,” Chris explained, eyeing Vin.

Buck frowned. “How many?”

“More than twenty.”

“The rain will give them cover. We won’t see them until they ride down the street,” Wilmington muttered.

“Come on. We need to prepare.”

“Ezra‘s room?”

“It‘ll have to be.”

“Do you think he’ll be strong enough to help us?” J.D. asked.

“I hope so. We’re going to need him,” Vin muttered.

“Are you up to this?” Chris asked his best friend quietly. Basically he knew Vin probably wasn’t, but as Vin had stated, they were going to need every man.

“Yeah, I can handle it. Feel like shit, though.”

**********

**********

As suggested, the meeting was conducted in the gambler’s room. Unfortunately, Josiah, J.D and Buck did not quite fit and thus they stood in the hallway outside.

“I just need a few minutes' rest. I’ll be fine,” Ezra proclaimed. He was sitting in bed, leaning against the wall. Colour was already returning to his cheeks. “We are going to need every man we can get,” the gambler added. Chris looked to Nathan.

Jackson pursed his lips and finally nodded. “He should be okay. He didn’t swallow any water.”

“So, we run it by the numbers?” Josiah asked.

Chris nodded.

“What about Brewer and his deputies?”

“We’ll put them at either end of the street. They should be out of the way there,” Vin stated.

“Once it’s over, we need to sit and discuss what‘s happened.” Buck growled. The scoundrel found it very disturbing that he and his companions appeared to be the targets of some mystery assassins.

At this stage, Vin tuned out the conversation. His head was pounding and perspiration was dripping down his back. He honestly thought he would be able to handle it but... The tracker glanced at the healer. Perhaps if he mentioned how he felt, Jackson would provide something to help? Then again, if Nathan realized the extent of his fever, Vin knew he’d have a fight on his hands and to be honest, he didn’t have the energy to argue with anyone.

Again, nausea flooded his stomach. Vin sighed. It was time. It was getting to the stage that he no longer had a choice. He was ill, which wouldn‘t be a great shock to his companions. “Nathan...”

“But who would be gunning for us here?” J.D. asked. “We’ve never been to Peter’s Gap.”

“James has some men here,” Josiah pointed out.

“Nathan...” Vin started again. His head felt like it was exploding.

“Yeah, but James didn’t know we were coming here,” Buck argued.

“No one was supposed to. Perhaps the news of the lease has leaked out,” Chris reflected.

Vin tried one last time. “Nathan, I think...”

“Alright everyone - out. I’d like Ezra to get an hour’s sleep before the mob arrives. I’ll stay here with him. I think we should try to stay in pairs from now on.”

Chris nodded and left the room. Vin lingered for a moment.

“Vin?” Nathan asked. It was the second time that day he sensed his friend wanted to tell him something. “Are you okay? You should be in bed,” the healer snapped.

“Nathan...”

“Vin?” J.D. asked, popping his head back into the room. “Come on. I want to tell you what I’ve found out about the ghost!”

Tanner sighed. He’d just received a sample of what Nathan’s reaction would be. If the healer found the extent of his fever, he’d cause a hell of a scene. Inevitably, there’d be an argument over whether or not he should be part of the defence against the mob. Then Chris would get all over-protective and... No matter what happened, Vin knew had to stay on his feet until after the group had dealt with the mob and the ill man knew with absolute certainty that if he laid down now that would be the end of him. “Comin’, Kid.”

**********

With interest, ‘the eyes’ watched the group leave the boarding house. ‘They’ were collected in a tight group. They looked apprehensive and on edge. ‘The eyes’ watched them until they disappeared from sight and then faded back out of sight.