Chapter Four

The Chase and The Brawl

The new morning sun appeared over the horizon, kissing the desert with its warm rays. The sky was clear and the wind was fair. Armadillo sat in the valley and business continued as normal as John and Landon rode into town. They were both tired along with their horses. They were cached in dust from the trail, their lips were chapped and dry from the lack of water and their hunger pains had become intense. John didn't dream of hunting Edgar on an empty stomach and decided to make a stop at the saloon. Hitching his horse, John peered inside to see if the place was busy. It had been a long time since he had been to Armadillo and he had never seen the saloon that empty. By now, he was very conscious of Edgar's ware bouts but couldn't resist the tense grinding pains in his stomach. Approaching the bar, he asked for a bottle of whisky and any food they had going.

He sat down at a table with Landon and placed his hat on the table as the barman approached the table with a tray of broth, bread and whiskey. As they were about to tuck into their meal, John spotted someone out in the corner of his eye. A strange shady man wearing a duster coat sat in the corner of the room keeping his business to himself. He appeared to be spying on the two men without making himself known and he was doing a good job too.

"What's the matter Marston?" Landon asked as he sipped away at his broth.

"That man over there, the one with the duster coat and shady look." John replied as he pointed to the man. "I recognise him from somewhere."

"Where from?" Landon said. "Is he a bandit?"

"It doesn't matter." John said as he returned to his meal. "I'm sure it isn't important."

Just then, the man rose from his seat and left the saloon. The two men were unaware that he left as they were deeply immersed in their meal and were about to open the whiskey. Landon was pretty impressed with the town. He knew that he was going to enjoy living here. Returning to their mission, Landon had to know what they were going to do next.

"If I was Edgar Ross, where would I hide?" he pondered as he scanned the building. "The saloon would be an obvious choice but I would be caught easily."

Just as John was about to reply, they were drawn to the sound of gunfire from across the street. Leaving the saloon, they noticed the same shady man had just robbed the bank. It was just then that John recognised who the man was. He was one of Edgar's men, and he wasn't going to let him get away.

Leaping over the banister, John told Landon to cover the alley way. The man began to bolt as he saw John run towards him. He was a fast runner and he drew his gun and fired at his pursuer. John drew his gun and returned fire but missed. He didn't know where the man was going to run but he knew that he could cut him off if he could get him to run to the stables. He constantly dodged horses and stagecoaches as the chase led him towards the end of the main street. Thinking he got a clear shot, he fired again, narrowingly missing the man. By now, the man was running out of options. As he turned to head for the stables, he saw Landon speed towards him. He quickly changed direction and sped up the narrow trail towards Coot's Chapel. He had a clear start ahead of John but he was beginning to tire. The sand was loose, causing the man to lose his footing.

Not far behind, John had to stop for Landon, who was having hard time breathing. Helping the old-timer to his feet, they trudged onwards. As for the man, he had stumbled into the chapel and hid himself amongst the seats. It was so quiet that the only sound was his heavy breathing. The chapel was small and eerie as the walls were dark and damp with the day light seeping through the small, damaged windows.

Outside, Landon was the first to approach the door. It creaked as he opened it kicking up the dust as he entered. His footsteps echoed across the wooden floor as he searched between the seats for the man. As he reached the back row, he was forced to floor with a hard punch to the face. He rolled over as the man launched himself at him from out of the shadows. Landon kicked the man to the floor, throwing multiple punches at him. The man tried to reach for his gun but it was quickly knocked out of his hand by Landon's brute force. Landon threw another punch at the man's face and then another to the chest, causing the man to black out. Using all his might, the man kicked Landon in the jaw, sending him flying into the row of seats behind him.

He then crawled his way to the back door and out into the small graveyard. Landon staggered to his feet and gave chase, spitting out the blood from his mouth. As he entered the graveyard, he drew his gun and shot the man in the leg. Screaming in agony, the immobilized man fell into an empty grave plot and hit the dirt with an almighty thud. He looked up to see Landon's shadowy figure look down at him along with the click of his gun.

"P-please don't kill me!" he squealed as he caressed his leg which was bleeding all over the place. "I didn't want to rob that bank but I had to!"

"No I'm not going to kill you, boy." Landon replied. "My friend and I want some answers from you. Give them to us and we'll attend to that leg of yours. What's it going to be?"

"I'll answer anything! I promise!" the man replied as he tried not to cry. "Just please help me?"

Jumping into the grave plot, Landon grabbed the man by the lapels and through him up into the dirt. Dragging him back inside and leaning him up against the wall, Landon began to question the man just as John entered the chapel. He had gone to get the Marshal so he could make an arrest.

"We know that you work for Edgar Ross." John said as he took over the interrogation. "Where is he? And don't say you don't know him. I recognise your face anywhere."

"He, he left days ago." The man replied as he looked away from the two men. "He figured that he wasn't safe so he rode out of town. I came in to get some money and supplies."

"Where is he?" Landon asked as he put his gun to the man's head. "We're looking for him and we will find him one way or another."

"He's hiding out at Ridgewood farm." The man replied as he whimpered at the sight of the gun. "He's hiding there with three of our boys. He plans on fleeing the country to Arizona."

"Put the gun away, Ricketts." John said as he sent in the marshal. "I'll help the marshal take this man to the jail cell. You get the horses ready."

With that, John climbed aboard the Marshal's wagon and rode back to town with Landon sitting in the trailer guarding the body.

A few hours later, the man was resting in the jail cell as he propped his leg up on a wooden stool. The marshal was having a drink with John to celebrate the arrest, but the marshal wasn't convinced that John was going to bring down Edgar Ross and his men.

"Look, I don't know what's going through your head mister Marston, but you're crazy." He said as he played with his whiskey glass. "No man has dared go after Ross. Not since he killed that marshal in the saloon the other day. What makes you think that you can take him?"

"I'm not doing this for the money, Marshal. I have a personal reason." John explained as he gave the Marshal a look of reason. "Edgar Ross killed an innocent rancher a few months back. That rancher was my friend and I vowed to myself that I would avenge his death. I may be crazy to you, but I will avenge that man and bring Ross to justice. Otherwise I'll die trying."

"You're a brave man, John Marston." The Marshal smiled as he poured John a drink. "I hope to see you ride back over the horizon with Ross's head on a pike. There will be a lot of money in it for you and your friend."

"I already told you. I'm not in it for the money." John replied as he knocked back his drink and looked at the man. "Will he make it?"

"He'll be fine." The marshal assured as he gave the man a look of disgust. "He'll be transferred to Blackwater in the morning for trial."

"Right." John sighed as he heard his horse outside along with Landon's muffled voice. "Take care, marshal."

Saddling his horse, John looked at Landon while he loaded his revolver. Landon repeated the action as he gulped heavily. They were about to go after the real deal and his suppressed nerves were about to surface. As for John, he had never been so calm in his life. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Are you ready for this, Ricketts?" he said as he led the way. "You can still back out if you want to? You've come this far. I can't expect you to go the rest of the way?"

"If I want that retirement then I'll have to earn it." Landon chuckled. "I'll go with you, Marston. Besides I want that reward."

"You never cease to amaze me." John replied as he let out a faint smile.

Clapping at the reigns, the two men rode out of town and rode off out into the desert. Ridgewood farm was in an isolated area as it was situated between Gaptooth Breach and Armadillo. It was the perfect place to hold out for a few days. It was also a burial ground for bounty hunters and outlaws alike. After a narrow ride, John and Landon had finally arrived at the farm. The place seemed so calm and tranquil which added to the sense of evil. Somewhere in that posh house, Edgar was hiding and waiting to strike.

Inside the house, Edgar displayed a look of shock on his face as he peered out of the window. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. John Marston was there, sitting at the top of the hill. It was then that his nightmare had become reality. He was sure that he was dead. So why was he here?

Signalling his men to cover each room of the house, Edgar prepared to start off a fire fight. He wasn't prepared to die at the hands of a man whether he was dead or alive. He crept to the upstairs balcony where he had a clear vantage point. He couldn't work out what was going on. John and Landon were just sitting there like cougars that were ready to pounce. Who was going to make the first move? The long silence turned from a matter of seconds to minutes. The tension was building up. Someone had got to make the first move.