Chapter 5 |
Besides the lack of a hangin' tree, the most notable landmark in Hot Kiss is the fancy lattice gazebo built to one side of Apple Jack's, known as Glorieta de la Duquesa, the Gazebo of the Duchess. The gazebo served one simple purpose, a watchtower of sorts where Renita would sit with her morning coffee and casually peruse Hot Kiss. Being a God-fearing woman, she had made it part of her morning meditations. The morning after the poker game found Renita on her lattice throne watching as the denizens of Hot Kiss woke to begin their day. Normando had brought her a grande mocha latte courtesy of Romaine, and she was happy.
Every community has its peculiar member, for Hot Kiss, that eccentric was Kitty Kartwright, local rancher. Renita knew she had come to town when she heard the quiet rumble of several hundred padded feet all moving in staccato unison, accompanied by a rumble that sounded oddly like purring.
"Wow," Normando said suddenly. "Every time I see it, I still can't believe it."
"I know what you meant dear one, I didn't think it was even possible, but she does it. Good morning there Miss Kitty."
"Morning there Renita," the woman said as she walked by on her way toward the edge of town. She was followed by a herd of more than one hundred and fifty cats moving in a carefully structured herd of black, white, and yellow, interspersed with wide splotches of calico. "Am praying we don't get thunder, a stampede on open range is an ugly thing to see, fur flyin' everywhere. By the way, I have some new rodeo stock coming in next week by rail, imported from Mexico, mean ones too, big claws. Just stay alert so no one gets hurt if one of those critters gets loose."
"We'll be sure to watch out for them," Renita said, waving politely as the only Cat Rancher in Colorado moved her tail swishin' herd through town.
Normando bent and gave her his, "I'm going to work now" kiss, and started along the street toward the Livery. Renita was quietly admiring the south forty while he stretched muscles in preparation of a long day when the sound of anxious shouts came from Cheryl's cottage. A moment later Oviler was making a mad dash for the Marshall's office. Renita sipped latte and watched the short, but animated conversation outside Marshall Gale's office. Gale had her hat pushed back and stood with hands on hips while Oviler gestured wildly with arms and hands. Then Gale put a hand on his shoulder and guided him toward Renita's gazebo.
"We have a problem, Renita," Gale said. "Cheryl has been taken during the night, she's gone."
"Remember the Old Spice?" Renita said. "Snake Eyes must have been just outside the saloon listening. He overheard the talk about Break Your Heart Pass and Cheryl's connection to the place. He thinks she knows something."
Marshall Gale removed her lady Stetson and slapped a thigh with it. "Exactly what I was thinking. We need to form a posse, at least we know which way they went."
Renita gave Oviler the look she reserved for especially trying times - subtle sarcasm. "Oh, if only we had a telegraph here to get some help. Don't you think?" Then, "Gather your posse, Marshall, I'll be ready in ten minutes." She took her latte and walked into the saloon. "Romaine!" she shouted. "Get the gear ready while I change, there's going to be a gunfight. If you want something done right, you gotta' do it yourself," she mumbled walking up the stairs to her living quarters.
Oviler stood scratching his head, wondering what to do next, and then took off at a dead run for the parsonage and Pastor Joe. The two stood talking outside the Parsonage for a moment, and then Pastor Joe led him to the small shed behind the parsonage. When Oviler reappeared, he was stuffing something into a jacket pocket.
When the Frontier Duchess stepped out of the saloon, she was resplendent in knee high black Justin Boots, black jeans, a long sleeve black shirt with white arm garters, and a rakish blood red scarf. "Pastor Joe," she said as she carefully donned her black Stetson while Romaine stepped behind her and added a very dangerous double gun rig of black leather with silver studs, both Colts. "I would appreciate it if you and Miss Kathy were to stay behind and keep an eye on Apple Jack's for me."
"It would be an honor, Duchess," the Pastor said.
Rentia gave a nod to Marshall Gale and the posse was off in pursuit of Snake Eyes Marek and the kidnapped Miss Cheryl.
They were a gallant bunch, mostly. Where the others galloped with an easy rocking motion, Oviler spent more time going up and down than forward. An hour later when Marshall Gale held up one hand to stop them in a heavy stand of trees, Oviler's face seemed to be frozen in an expression of, "OH!" While Marshall Gale and Nester saw to carefully tying their horses, Renita and Normando pulled Oviler from his horse and got him on his feet, mostly.
"We're two hundred yards from the Break Your Heart Pass Depot," Gale whispered. "We'll go in on foot from here. Is he going to be able to walk again," she asked pointing to Oviler.
Renita and Normando each had hold of one of Oviler's legs and were grunting with effort, pushing to get the sideways bend out so he could stand upright. "He's badly bowed but he'll walk," Renita said. "Although I suspect his dreams of little ones playing in that yard will have to postponed indefinitely." The Duchess watched Oviler as he limped to a position on the opposite side of Marshall Gale. Anger was visible on his face and his fists were clenched at his sides, letter opener gripped in his right hand and what looked like a stick of dynamite in the left. She knew that he was going to get Cheryl back or die trying.
The posse moved through the trees in a chevron formation with Marshall Travelers at point, Renita and Normando on her right, both packin' as Renita called it, and Oviler on the left.
Nester Numbcicle followed five steps behind Marshall Gale and was the one surrounded by the sound of snapping twigs. The Marshall had tried glaring, but Numbcicle didn't seem to notice.
Ten minutes later Marshall Gale raised one hand to stop them just inside the tree line surrounding a wide clearing that held a corral with two horses and the Break Your Heart Pass Depot. The building was a long, narrow log structure, a single story with heavy rafters holding a steeply pitched roof of shake shingles. To the right was a barn, deserted, with an abandoned stage coach waiting for human attention. The rail schedule had changed and trains no longer stopped here at the peak.
Spreading further apart and moving as silently as possible, the posse crossed the open corral and stepped onto the wagon trail that ran in front of the Depot. They had not been quiet enough.
Evil stepped onto the porch of the Depot in the form of a sneering Snake Eyes Marek. He was of average height but stood like he insisted he was much taller. A long, narrow face with dark hair receding at the temples supported a black felt Lincoln hat. The pencil thin mustache above his twisted lip was curled at the ends giving him a sinister countenance. Some say that he had once come in second in a Snidely Whiplash Look Alike Contest that was won by Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless.
Marshall Travelers held up her left hand as the fingers of her right caressed the grip of her nickel plated Colt. "Hold it right there Marek!" she shouted.
"Oviler!" Cheryl screamed from inside the Depot.
Snake Eyes froze. The Marshall froze, Renita, Normando, Nester, all became breathing statues as a tumbleweed rolled by in front of Snake Eyes.
Oviler was trembling with the urge to do something when Cheryl screamed again. "Oviler!"
Renita turned to look at the Rail-agent slash Postmaster and had a bird's eye view when it all happened at once. Every muscle of Oviler's body tensed and then he exploded forward, making a dash for the side of the building to go around the back.
Six shots rang out in the space of two seconds.
Marek drew and fired, the bullet hit the dirt inches from Oviler's rushing heels.
Marshall Travelers, left hand still raised, pulled her Colt and fired, but Marek had dropped his right arm under his left and let go a shot at Gale, hitting her in the shoulder. The Marshall's shot hit the rein rail one foot from Marek's torso. Marshall Gale tumbled backward, rolling into a heap in the dust.
Renita and Normando both slapped leather and fired at the same time, both hitting the heavy rafter just above Marek.
Nester Numbcicle dove over the top of Gale's body, grabbed the Colt she had dropped and fired while still rolling. The Lincoln felt hat flew from Marek's head and the outlaw ducked inside the Depot, hiding behind the door. Nester flipped the groaning Gale onto her back and then drug her to safety behind an abandoned wagon.
Two seconds after it had begun, Renita and Normando were running to match Oviler's move to go around to the back.
Renita saw Oviler peering in the window at the back of the Depot, and copied his action. Cheryl was tied to a chair in the middle of the room but looked fine, Marek was moving through the shadows to her side to reach the door out the back. Normando stepped into the open and Renita moved quickly along the back wall, just as Snake Eye's stepped outside.
Oviler moved again and stopped directly in front of Marek, staring at the muzzle of the man's Smith & Wesson. Marek's eyes were fastened on Oviler's left hand and the burning fuse on the stick of dynamite. A second passed, and then another. The fuse on the dynamite sputtered and went out, that was Marek's que to raise his weapon. The dynamite had been a fake but the letter opener in his right hand wasn't and Oviler threw it like a dagger. The letter opener flew true, grazing Marek's cheek and drawing blood, making the man flinch. The gun went off and Oviler was spun around to fell face down into the shallow creek behind the Depot.
Normando fired, winging Marek who dropped his gun. Renita was ready moving and let go her lasso as Marek turned to run back into the Depot. The Duchess laughed as she moved as lightly as one of Miss Kitty's prize felines, her hand flicked and the rope found its target. She tossed the loose end of the rope over a heavy rafter just as both or Marek's legs were caught in the open loop. With a shout and a loud gasp, Renita and Normando hauled Marek up by his ankles while suffering under an onslaught of very harsh language.
Nester Numbcicle, Gale's Colt in hand, crashed through the back door, charging into the fray. But the fray was over, the door slammed into Marek's upside down head hard enough to put him to sleep, still swinging by his ankles. "Wow," Nester said, "he looks just like one of them yoyos."
Nester had paused long enough to loosen Cherly's bonds and she came charging out the door next, adding insult to injury as the door slammed into Marek again. She rushed to Oviler's side just as he was picking himself up out of the water.
"Wow!" he said. "Look at that."
Cheryl pulled him around and exhaled relief. There was a red mark along the side of Oviler's head where the bullet had grazed him, but without leaving permanent damage. She sat down with her feet still in the creek. "Look at what?" she asked.
Oviler nodded at the creek. The water was only three inches deep, sparkling in the sun, winking at Cheryl and Oviler was a diamond hidden among the pebbles, a diamond half the size of a hen's egg. "I'm looking at a porch for your swing and a house to put it on."
"And a yard for the little ones," Cheryl added.
Oviler grimaced, remembering the pain. "About that," he said.
As the posse prepared to do an about-face and start back to Hot Kiss, Renita stood in the trees and stared at the back of Marshall Gale Travelers. Gale had one arm in a sling and was sitting on a log, looking back down into the valley. "I'm sorry," Renita mumbled. Break Your Heart Pass was still living up to its forlorn name for some.
That evening, the Duchess rested on her gazebo, coconut Kombucha in hand, listening to the ring of Normando's hammer mixed with the sounds of laughter and thunder caused by dynamite down at the lake. She smiled as Nester walked toward the Marshall's office with a bouquet of wild flowers. "Have to give the man credit for trying," she said softly. "But I'm still not letting him keep a gun."
Chapter 6 |
"Oh how Rita's imagination delilghts me," Shane said as Oliver closed the book. "The Love Diamond indeed."
Oliver laughed. "Someone once said that there is a thread of truth in every legend. Would you like to see it?"
Shane sat up, laughing and punched Oliver's shoulder. "Really Mr. O'Toole, you can't – oh my." She frowned, eyes searching Oliver's face, difficult because playing poker had taught him how to reveal nothing. But when she saw the sparkle in his eyes, the realization came and her mouth dropped open. "Oh my Lord," she gasped. "He didn't?"
"He did," Oliver smiled, got to his feet and led her by the hand.
In the library he stopped at the end of a bookshelf, then reached behind a bronze Remington sculpture of a cowboy sleeping in the saddle. Shane heard a pronounced "click" and the bookshelf swung outward. Recessed into the wall were a dozen small drawers and several cabinet doors, all locked.
"Joseph Lindley O'Toole left many secrets in this house," he said while withdrawing a key from a slot in the back of the bookshelf. "When my great grandfather was a young man, the Army Corps of Engineers built a highway over Loveland Pass. That highway became U.S. Highway 6 and carried the bulk of east-west traffic for decades. Then in his son's day, traffic flow changed to the Eisenhower Tunnel. Break Heart Pass was forgotten, but it is still up there."
Shane was smiling, watching as Oliver used the key to unlock one of the drawers.
"Joseph Lindley O'Toole spent a summer working for the railroad on Break Heart Pass, that was 1912." Oliver lifted a diamond half the size of a hen's egg out of the drawer and placed it in Shane's hand. "It might be the Love Diamond, but truth be told, no one knows for sure any longer. Notice the white color with the splash of blue at its center? Who knows? Rita might be right."