PART 3:
Prophet's track was easy enough for Vin to discern, heading off into nothing. It meandered, showing that Josiah wasn't thinking straight at the time. They eventually found the sorrel waiting patiently by the side of a stream.
Josiah was found shortly afterward. He was flat on his back, staring up at the sky – his mouth slack.
"Josiah!" Vin shouted, jumping down from his horse.
Josiah grimaced at the shout. He blinked, then slurred out, "Go 'way."
"Get out of the sun, Sanchez," Larabee said. He glared up at the sky. "You stay out like this much longer and that sun will bake you."
Josiah closed his eyes, muttering, "Don't care."
"Looks like he's alive," Larabee said, turning to Vin.
Tanner nodded. Josiah's eyes were bloodshot and his color was a bit greenish, but Vin had seen worse. "Yeah," Vin said, "I don't think he's dying, but he is suffering." He stepped down from his horse, keeping his gaze on Josiah, trying to figure him out.
It was obvious that the man had been sick. The area stunk of it. Without a word, Vin and Chris hauled Josiah upright, and then to his feet. Sanchez staggered at the change, but let the two hold him up, and then drag him toward the little stream. He sunk down to his knees once he was there, and they let him fall to his side.
"Might want to wash up," Vin said. He went back to his horse for a cup and a cloth. He wetted the cloth and handed it to Josiah, who didn't bother taking it. Vin let it fall beside his head. Next, he filled the cup with water.
Josiah hadn't moved. He stared at the moving water, his brow furrowed. Vin tossed the water on his face. Sanchez flinched, closing his eyes and groaning.
Vin filled the cup again and squatted down beside him. "You might want to drink this one," he said, keeping his tone even.
Chris continued to stand beside them, arms crossed as he watched Sanchez.
Josiah stared for a moment, before he finally asked softly, "Did I kill him?"
Vin looked to Chris first, before he said, "Ezra ain't dead."
A hopeful gaze leapt up to meet Vin's.
Vin went on, "But you nearly did him in. Came close to crushing his throat entirely. He ain't gonna be able to talk for a while."
Josiah closed his eyes again, almost immediately. "God forgive me," he murmured.
"You gonna explain why you did it?" Chris asked. "You nearly took off Ezra's head, and scared the life out of JD."
Josiah blinked, water still clinging to his eyelashes. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight. I…"
Vin continued to hold out the cup. "Why'd you do it?" he asked, his voice quiet and accusing.
Josiah shifted himself, sitting up. He took the cloth that Vin had dropped beside him and dunked it in the stream. He used it on his face and neck and then took the cup. He sipped tentatively.
"Well?" Chris persisted.
Josiah let out a long breath, then said, "I never should've done it. I was out of my mind. Oh God, I said things." He closed his eyes. "Things I never should've said to him." He held up one arm, gazing at his forearm – the one that he must have pressed against Ezra's throat. "I was going to kill him," he said hoarsely.
"Why?" Chris asked again.
Josiah kept his gaze on Vin. He blinked again. "I thought he'd cheated innocent people."
"So you were going to kill him for that?" Chris asked bluntly. "Cheating is like breathing to Ezra. Why should that day be any different?"
Vin remained where he was, squatting in front of Josiah. He'd glanced to Chris at his statement, then returned his gaze to Josiah. He remembered the last time that Josiah had seemed so lost.
"I was wrong to do it," Josiah whispered.
"What were you drinking last night?" Vin asked him.
"I can't blame the drink," Josiah said. "I own up to my mistakes."
Vin went on, "Ezra thinks you were drugged. He thinks something was in that stuff."
Josiah thought a moment before he said, "It sure brought on the drunkenness quickly. Nobody held a gun to my head and I didn't stop drinking the stuff. I know what I did. I wish I could have stopped myself. If I could go back and change everything…" His voice trailed off and he stared beyond Vin.
"Well, it can't be undone," Chris said. "Best you can do is fix it and move on." He stared down at Josiah, saying, "This won't happen again." His voice was dark, ominous.
"Never again," Josiah pledged. He met Chris' gaze and then turned to Vin. "I pledge that to you."
Vin met his gaze and said, "He was worried about you."
And that only made Josiah look more upset.
.7.7.7
By the time JD returned to the room with the paper and pencil, Ezra was dozing, propped up with his pillows. His breathing was still audible.
"Hey, Ezra, I'm back," JD said quietly.
Ezra opened his eyes and looked toward him.
"Got the paper," JD said, holding up his purchases. "You can tell me all about this stuff now." He shook the pages. "'Cause it would be good to know what this was all about."
Ezra reached for his slate and wrote "Later". And then he wrote, "Josiah?"
"They ain't back yet," JD responded.
Ezra nodded and closed his eyes again.
JD sighed and said, "I'm going down to the restaurant to get something to eat. You want me to get anything for you?"
Ezra made a wave of his hand that seemed to say, 'no.'
"You'll be okay here while I'm gone?"
He moved his hand up and down in a semblance of a nod.
"Okay then," JD said, setting the papers and the pencil down on the table. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Maybe you can do some writing then?"
Ezra opened his eyes and looked at him, giving him a slight smile, and nodded his hand again.
JD sighed and left the room. He wished there was something more he could do for Ezra.
Dunne realized that he hadn't reached out to Nathan for advice, so he went to the telegraph office and sent out a message. Nathan would know what to do.
Once back at the hotel's restaurant, he ordered a hearty lunch. He'd eaten little since they arrived in this town. Last night, he'd only had some of the soup that the restaurant sent up.
As the plate of steaming food was delivered to him, he felt bad knowing that Ezra couldn't manage much of anything just yet. He ate quickly so that he could get back to the room, and then ordered soup for Standish, hoping that Ezra would have better luck this time.
He'd just received the hot soup in a tin container when he saw the others return to town. Josiah was riding between Chris and Vin, his head down – looking miserable. The horses were kept at a slow pace.
JD felt a rush of anger as he picked up the pan to meet them.
"JD," Vin greeted as he stepped down from Peso. "How's he doing?"
"You're not letting him in here," JD said, pointing to Josiah.
Sanchez kept his head lowered, his shoulders hunched.
Chris was tying his horse to the hitching post. "He's pretty sick, JD."
"He can be sick somewhere else then," JD responded. "Maybe in the jail because he almost killed Ezra."
Josiah lifted his head and looked toward JD, his gaze was bleary but his expression looked haunted. He moved to get down from the horse, slipping to his feet and barely able to stand.
"He was drugged, JD," Chris said in a low voice. "Josiah didn't know what he was doing."
"Didn't give him the right to do what he did, to say what he said!" JD snapped. He gripped the warm pan and said, "I'm gonna bring Ezra something to eat because he's probably hungry as heck and can't swallow nothing 'cause of what he did." JD looked from Chris to Vin. "Josiah's not coming in. And he'd better stay away from Ezra or else I'll have something to say on the matter."
And with that, he turned, making his way through the lobby of the hotel in a rush. He heard the quiet jangle of spurs and the swish of a duster. He knew that Larabee was following him. Hopefully that meant Vin was keeping an eye on Josiah.
He didn't want anything to do with the preacher at that moment.
He reached the door to the room, and pulled the key from his pocket. Chris was beside him in a moment, and held out a hand for the key, knowing it would be difficult to deal with the door while juggling the soup pot as well.
When Larabee opened the door, Ezra turned. He'd been standing near the window, looking out on where the horses were tied. Spying Chris, he reached for the slate, but Chris was already talking.
"We found him. He's okay," Larabee said quickly. "Must have been drugged because he still isn't quite right. Looks like he'll pull out of this with a little time but he's going to be feeling pretty low for a while."
Ezra flipped the slate and pointed to where he'd already written out what he believed was in the drink, then added "Rotgut" where he'd previously written gin. He shrugged, set down the slate and picked up the purloined bottle as if it would help him realize what else was in the concoction.
"We weren't able to find the bartender," JD told Chris. "I was going to try again. The Green Way should be opening soon."
"We'll find him," Larabee said, his voice dark. There was no doubting that he'd be successful in getting answers out of that bartender.
"You doing any better?" Larabee asked Ezra.
Ezra shrugged again.
"Josiah's got no sense when he's drunk. You know that," Chris stated flatly.
Ezra nodded, glancing toward the window.
"I brought you something for lunch," JD said as he set the pan down on the table. "I figure you'd do better this time. It's chicken soup! It's really good, too. Everything's chopped up really small and it's easy to eat. Honest. I checked when I had some."
For that, Ezra gave him a smile.
"We'll talk to the bartender," Chris said. "If we decide that Josiah's going to be okay, we can send him and Vin home today. I'm sure Buck and Nathan would appreciate some help in town. We'll give you another day and see if you're up to it tomorrow."
Ezra quirked an eyebrow at him, then cleaned the slate to write. "Is he well enough to ride?"
"We'll see if we can find out anything else about that drink, but it looks like he's coming around. He can ride," Chris said, his voice betraying that he wouldn't mind if Josiah was a bit uncomfortable for a while.
"Good," JD said. "He can get out of here." He glanced to the table, wondering where the papers and pencil had gone. Then he opened the lid of the pan. The rich smell of soup filled the room and Ezra looked toward the pot with a hungry expression.
.7.7.7
Chris and JD had entered The Green Way shortly after it opened, leaving Ezra to his lunch. He seemed capable of eating it, slowly.
When they opened the door to the otherwise empty saloon, the bartender looked up at them with a smile. "Anything I can do for you, gents? You're strangers here? Well, I have something special for you that you're sure to like. Oh, I see you already have some." Morris looked perplexed as he noted the bottle in Chris' grip. His pleasant tone turned accusatory. "How'd you get that? I don't let any of it leave my place!"
Chris moved forward without a word, and was behind the bar on a moment, trapping Morris Paige.
"Hey now," Morris said, holding up his arms. "I don't want any trouble. We're all friends here. If you want more, I can get you more, but you're gonna have to pay for it."
"Let me give you some friendly advice," Chris said as slammed the bottle down on the bar so hard it sounded like a shot going off. "Stop poisoning your patrons."
"Poison?" Morris looked alarmed. "No, sir! No, there's no poison! It's absinthe!"
Chris narrowed his eyes. "It's not," he responded. "You got homemade gin and laudanum in there. What else?"
Morris looked shocked. He turned from Chris to JD, then immediately back to Chris because it was impossible to feel comfortable under his glare. "I can't get absinthe here," he explained. "I heard it was popular with the artists in Paris, so I tried to get it imported." He tried to move away from Chris, but couldn't move far. "I had to make it myself, but all I knew was that it was green, tasted of licorice and … well… it's purported to expand the mind." He lifted his arms and splayed out his hands as he said those words. "The artists like it," he said again.
Larabee wasn't impressed. "What's in it?" he repeated, his voice dropping to even more dangerous levels.
Morris was sweating. "Like you said, gin and laudanum. Then there's licorice root and some herbs. Nothing bad. And a little fabric dye to get it nice and green."
"What else?" Chris persisted.
"A little cocaine and a touch of ergot," Morris explained. "I get it all from the apothecary in Red Wash. They give cocaine to babies for teething, so you know it can't hurt anyone. I don't put a lot in, just enough to open their minds a bit. I got the amounts just right. It's not dangerous. The locals really like it."
"Laudanum and cocaine?"
"And ergot," Morris went on. "But just a touch." He dropped his voice to a confidential tone and said, "The ladies like it. It's good for lady troubles and we have a lot of lady artists here." He brought his voice up as he said. "Some of the artists say it gives them better vision to complete their work." He added, "The sugar helps with the taste."
Chris kept the man pinned while his hand rested on the bottle that Ezra had stolen. "And drinking four of these things at one sitting is a good idea?"
Morris sighed as he looked at JD. "Yeah, that guy – he tried to kill your friend, didn't he? You stopped him. That was amazing."
JD crossed his arms. "I noticed you didn't do anything to help!"
"I was busy serving guests!" Morris insisted. "And that guy, what was his name?"
"Josiah Sanchez," JD told him.
"Well, he was with Mike. Mike usually has three at a sitting. His wife's an artist, you know, and he tells me that she's high strung. Mike says he needs the 'fairy' to help him get through the day. Your guy is the same size as Mike, so I figured it was okay. And if Mike can drink three without trouble, why not four?" Then Morris shuddered a little. "But Sanchez sure got scary. I thought he was going to kill that man with his bare hands – right here in The Green Way! No more! I won't serve that much to a guest ever again! Even Mike looked pretty done-in by the time he left, and he usually just shakes it off. Three is the limit."
The bartender looked up as the door opened. "Hey, here he is now. Mike!"
JD scowled as the big man shambled in. "That's the guy who was egging Josiah on. He's the one who was telling Josiah to kill Ezra."
Chris glanced at JD, and then turned to Mike Garner who continued his slow pace toward a table in the rear.
"Set me up, Morris," he muttered as he slouched into the chair.
Chris stepped away from Morris – his glare telling him to stay put, and then he moved to confront Mike Garner.
JD followed.
"You were with Josiah Sanchez last night?" Larabee asked the man.
Mike groaned and ran a hand over his face. "I have no idea what you're talkin' about," he muttered.
JD stated, "I saw you two here when Ezra and I came in. You were talkin' really loud and drinking from those fancy glasses."
Mike snorted and muttered, "Ezra Standish? That son of a bitch? He's a low-life swindler."
"He is not!" JD countered, stepping toward the man.
Garner sneered. "He stole from my wife. Cheated her out of her good work. Paying her a pittance for her best painting and tricking her into believing some hogwash about getting her more money."
He was as red-eyed as Josiah, and could hardly sit up. "I have to support her! She makes nothing for all the money she wastes on those damn paintings. Nothing! Paint and canvas ain't cheap! Those damn brushes cost me a mint! Then this lying piece of crap comes to town and robs her? Son of a bitch should pay for that. Son of a bitch needed to pay."
His gaze tracked to the place where Josiah had pinned Ezra. "Got what he deserved," he murmured.
"He did not!" JD countered. "You just didn't understand what was going on!"
"Tell me then, little man," Mike muttered. "You tell me what that bastard was doing."
JD stepped back. "I don't know exactly, but I know it's not like you said. Ezra can't talk 'cause of what Josiah did."
Mike chuckled softly. "Sanchez said the same thing. Wanted to hear his side." He nodded, tapping the table to get Morris' attention. "Took some convincing, but I set him straight. I told him everything he needed to know."
Chris leaned forward, blocking Mike's view of the rest of the saloon. "You'd best learn to mind your own business," he growled.
"I do as I please," Mike grumbled, raising his eyes to meet Larabee. "And you'd best stay out of mine."
Larabee moved his duster to reveal the gun at his hip and Mike's attitude changed, his gaze fastening on the gun, and then moving to meet Chris' stark eyes.
"You cause harm to any of my men, and you'll be facing me," Chris said, and Mike sat back in his chair, looking cowed.
They left the saloon shortly afterward. Mike Garner couldn't offer any further information. Morris said that he'd be less liberal with his pouring in the future. The ingredients were legal and considered safe, but JD doubted that the combination and the total amounts consumed would do anyone any good.
JD figured they should have a talk with the sheriff, Jon Abbot, about this place.
"No wonder Josiah was out of his mind," Chris said as they moved down the street. "Between those drugs and Garner, he really got himself mixed up."
"He shouldn't have done it," JD reiterated.
Chris gave him a sidelong look. "I can only imagine what Josiah'd be like drunk with all those drugs in him. He had Garner working on him, too." He stopped and turned to JD. "You did good, JD. You kept Josiah from hurting Ezra any worse than he did. You saved them both."
"I was just trying to save Ezra," JD stated. "If you mean I didn't shoot Josiah in the process, then I guess I saved him, too."
Chris shook his head. "If you hadn't stopped him, Josiah wouldn't have been able to live with himself and we'd be dealing with two deaths. You saved them both." With a nod, he directed JD onward to the telegraph office.
They sent a message to Nathan, letting him know what was going on with Josiah and Ezra. Jackson messaged back immediately – apparently, he was already at the telegraph office composing a note to JD. He prescribed plenty of water for Josiah to flush the rest of the toxins out of his system, and if he got worse –charcoal. For Ezra, he suggested that he try Arnica Montana – if they could find some - to help with the swelling and to take in steam from a kettle to help ease his throat.
When they left the telegraph office, JD immediately spotted Vin and Josiah, sitting just outside of the hotel. He came to a stop, and glared at Sanchez.
Chris stopped alongside of him. "You better get over this, JD," he said in a low voice.
JD shoved his hands in his pockets, hating the whole idea. "He came at Ezra for no good reason. Ezra wasn't doing anything. Josiah said really bad things, Chris. You weren't there. You didn't see his eyes."
JD looked up when the door to the hotel opened and Ezra stepped out. Standish smiled when he spotted them across the street, and then stopped when he noticed Vin and Josiah just outside the door. He moved one judicious step away from Josiah.
Just then, the Sweet Haven sheriff came running to him in the street. "Mr. Dunne! They've escaped!" he hissed, grasping hold of JD's arm. Chris reacted to this sudden intrusion by drawing his gun on the man.
"What? Huh?" JD said intelligently, as he turned to Abbott.
Abbott let go of JD as if he'd been burned, his eyes wide as he stared at Chris's gun.
"Burgess?" Chris ground out.
From across the street, Vin, Ezra and Josiah took note of what was going on and crossed to their side.
"You're Larabee?" Abbot asked. When he received a nod, he went on as the others crowded in. "Burgess, Cummings and Delwood got out." He kept his voice low. "They got past my man. We're searching the town."
"They got out?" Chris growled. "How?"
"Overpowered my deputy, knocked him out cold." Abbott told them. "We just found him."
"You sure they're still about?" Vin asked.
"I've checked the livery," Abbot went on. "No horses have been taken. No reports of any being stolen from the street. They have to be in town still, laying low until they can make their getaway. Probably waiting for dark."
Ezra pulled a watch from his pocket to check the time, and then looked toward the sun. It was still early afternoon and there was hours to wait until darkness.
Abbott went on, "I got my men checking the town, but I could use you guys as well. You know those criminals." He looked to JD, Josiah and Ezra, remembering that they'd dropped off the Burgess gang the previous day.
Larabee he knew by reputation.
Chris nodded, and glanced at his men. Vin gave him a nod and took off toward the north side of town. "I'll take south," Chris said, then turned to JD. "You and Ezra check through what we got here," he said, indicating the saloons at the center of town. He turned to Josiah next.
Sanchez stood with his head bowed, swaying back and forth. He seemed hardly able to stand.
With a sigh, Larabee said, "You … keep an eye on things." And with that, Chris started toward the south end of town.
JD moved away from Josiah, saying, "Come on, Ezra. Let's check the saloons."
Ezra lingered a while longer, his gaze on Josiah, as the man closed his eyes and swayed. Ezra seemed to come to a decision as he took a step closer and reached out one hand to touch Josiah's arm.
Sanchez would not lift his head.
Finally, Standish turned. JD was waiting, and together they crossed the street.
.7.7.7
JD and Ezra moved through the saloons, searching for the three members of the Burgess gang. They'd been lucky when they came across them earlier in the open country. Now, they were in a town with people, and it was only a matter of time before the Burgess gang pressed their luck.
They moved from one saloon to the next. The early crowd hovered around in some of the businesses, but most were nearly empty. When they checked The Green Way, JD scowled at Mike, who still sat at his table, nursing one of the green drinks. Morris said that no one else had been through.
They kept looking.
They had just finished going through another saloon when JD noticed Ezra resting a hand on the doorway, his wheezing was becoming loud again.
"You doing okay?" JD asked.
Ezra made a face and then rasped out, "Been better."
JD smiled. "Hey, you can talk!"
With a frown, Ezra managed to say, "Not much."
"Yeah, but that's a heck of a lot better than before." JD smiled broadly. "See, it was just a matter of time, that's all."
Ezra nodded and gestured to the street to keep them moving. He may have been able to say a few words, but he was gasping to get enough air.
"You should probably rest a bit," JD told him, pointing to a bench outside of the next saloon. "I can check out the next one."
Ezra looked as if he wanted to counter him, but instead he sat on the convenient space.
Across the street, Josiah remained where they'd left him, having found a seat for himself. His head was in his hands and people on the boardwalk went out of their way to give him some space. Probably a good idea, JD decided.
JD still was having trouble truly believing Josiah's actions. It had been horrible to see – and almost worse, to hear what Josiah had said to Ezra in those moments.
Dunne stood beside Ezra, who looked up at him with a suspicious expression.
"Ezra," JD said finally.
"JD?" Ezra rasped in return.
"I don't think I said something right earlier."
Ezra raised an eyebrow.
"You'd asked me if I believed Josiah and I told you that it didn't matter 'cause what he did wasn't right." JD glanced across at Josiah, and then returned his gaze to Ezra. "But I should've just said 'no', 'cause I didn't believe anything he said. He got it all wrong and I know that you didn't cheat anyone because that's not the sort of thing you'd do." He nodded sharply. "That's what I meant to say."
Ezra smiled then, one of his genuine smiles that hid nothing.
JD gave him a slap on the shoulder, and entered the next saloon feeling better. Quickly, he scanned the space, finding it empty except for the barkeep.
"Hey," JD called brightly to the woman behind the bar. "I'm looking for some folks. Did you see three strangers come in here? One's a pretty big guy with brown hair. Another is almost bald and he has a mustache. The third guy is really thin and tall and he talks with an accent." He'd said the same thing at each saloon they'd searched.
For the first time, the bartender didn't immediately say "no." Instead, she stood quietly for a moment as she bit her lip and then stated, "They're not from around here?"
"Yeah, you're right. They're not. They're criminals and we just brung them in yesterday, but they got out and now they're loose in town. We figure they're hiding out somewhere and we're trying to find them."
The woman starting scrubbing at the bar with a rag. "Don't know if I've seen the likes of them," she said. "I don't know."
She stared at JD as she wanted to bore holes in him, then glanced to the door at the back of the room. "They're not here," she said.
"Oh," JD said. "Okay, I'll go then." And he stood a moment while the woman stared back at him. He pulled one of his Colts from its holster and nodded to her.
She ducked down as he edged closer to the rear door, his heart hammering. Slowly, he put his hand on the door handle, listening, waiting. There was no sound.
He jerked the door open and let out a gasp of surprise and disappointment, finding only a storage room and another doorway, open to the outdoors. Sunlight flowed in.
He glanced over his shoulder. "Ezra!" he shouted. "They went out back!" And then he charged through the door after them.
.7.7.7
Josiah, miserable and muddled, sat hunched on the bench. His mind was still rocking and his stomach hadn't settled completely. His body felt distant to him, numb. The effect of the faux-absinthe was lessening, but it still held its grip.
He was ready for this experience to be finished. Lord, he never wanted to see that green drink again.
Across the street, JD and Ezra made their way through the saloons. He watched as Ezra seemed slower every time they emerged, until JD finally directed him to sit on a bench. Now Ezra had been sitting, resting on the other side of the street while JD went into another business.
Ezra put his head back against the wall but kept his eyes open, scanning. For a while, Ezra seemed to be looking at him, but the gaze was broken and he continued to look about as JD remained in the saloon.
He remembered that Ezra had touched his arm moments ago.
He'd nearly killed Ezra. Had pressed an arm against his neck and shoved him off the ground, had used his weight to close off his throat.
He kept replaying that moment of insanity. He kept seeing those terrified eyes. He knew that Ezra had been helpless at that moment, and yet he had kept pressing down on him.
How could he do that? He had no idea how he'd ever get Ezra to forgive him. He wasn't even sure that he wanted forgiveness.
Suddenly, Ezra sat bolt upright. Standish stood, gazed for a moment into the saloon, and then spun to face him. He gestured, pointing toward the back of the saloon, and then darted off, around the far side of the structure.
Josiah stood. "Chris!" he bellowed. "Vin!" He staggered forward, aware that people were fleeing from the sight of him. "Chris!" he shouted again, his voice like a foghorn. He followed in the direction that Ezra had taken.
As he rounded the corner, he was almost ran over Delwood. The tall thief's eyes went wide as Josiah grabbed hold of him. Sanchez threw him to the ground in one quick movement. Delwood struggled a moment, trying to get up, but Josiah slammed him to the ground again.
Delwood made a frightened sound, trying to put his hands up in surrender as Vin came around the corner.
"Josiah?" Tanner asked, taking in the situation.
Josiah pointed to the downed man. "Keep him there!" he ordered, as he got to his feet and continued toward the back of the saloon.
In the alleyway, he spotted JD sitting on top of Cummings. He looked surprised to see Josiah and a war was fought in his expression. Finally, he shouted. "Help Ezra! He went after Burgess!"
JD turned his gaze further down the alley where Ezra and Burgess suddenly appeared.
They were tussling, the big man and Ezra, falling from one doorway and tumbling to the ground. Burgess managed to get to his feet, hauling Ezra up with him.
And then Burgess slammed Ezra into the wall, as Ezra struggled to breathe.
Josiah let out a roar and charged forward – just as a gun went off.
Burgess dropped Ezra like a hot potato and staggered backward as he clutched one ear. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted. "Goddamn son of a bitch!"
Ezra stumbled to keep his balance, breathing harshly. One arm reached for the wall to brace himself, but the other didn't drop as he kept the derringer aimed at the man. Burgess fell to his knees, moaning and groaning, clutching at the bleeding side of his already bruised head.
Ezra looked up as Josiah skidded to a stop. He rasped out, "Said I'd use a bullet next time." But as Josiah reached him, his chest heaved with the effort of drawing in breath and he looked annoyed. He uttered a quiet, "Aw, hell," and fainted dead away.
Josiah leaped forward, grasping onto Ezra's arm and easing him to the ground.
TBC - well, they still don't know what's going on. Conclusion is tomorrow, so hopefully they'll figure it out soon