Chris was the last of the campers to wake the following morning. Even Ezra was already up, freshly-shaven, and having breakfast. Larabee had moved his bedroll far away from the main camp the night before. He didn't want to wake everyone with his coughing and was hoping to keep the other men from getting sick. He was especially concerned about giving the illness to Vin, who had just gotten over a nasty lung infection a couple of weeks back. He had seen all six of his men injured, but he could not remember Josiah ever being ill, even with just a cold. So, he probably didn't need to worry about the large preacher. Ezra, was a different story though; Standish could be a bear to deal with when he was sick. He walked over to where the gambler sat but made an effort to keep far enough away to give little risk of infecting the con man.
"Hey Ez," Chris said. His voice was much better but still low and hoarse.
"Good to hear your voice again, Mr. Larabee, although it looks like you could still benefit from this," Standish said as he handed Chris a cup of hot coffee. The gambler felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the bruise across Larabee's chin. The gunslinger looked rough anyway. He hadn't shaved in three days, and the dark circles under his eyes suggested that he hadn't slept well.
"I truly am sorry about my little, uh, outburst yesterday," Ezra said locking his pale green eyes with Larabee's.
"Really, Ezra; don't worry about it," replied Chris. Looking back now, it was clear how Ezra could have easily mistaken his silence for anger. He didn't mean to be, and he didn't even understand why himself, but Chris knew he was often harder on Ezra than the other men.
Vin had been preparing the horses with Josiah. He walked back to the camp and said, "how're ya feelin', Cowboy?"
"Alright," said Chris. "At least I can talk." This made him cough, but Chris was happy to be able to make sounds again.
"You sure, Chris? We could stay here for another day," Vin suggested. He didn't say it, but he was a bit worried by Larabee's tired appearance.
"Nah, I'm fine," and as if to prove it the gunslinger got up immediately and started packing up the camp.
"Whatta ya think, Ez?" asked Vin. "You think that stubborn cuss is telling the truth?"
"I am not sure Mr. Tanner," replied Ezra, "but he is eating, drinking, and taking care of his share of the work, so I suppose we have to take his word for it." He and Tanner had exchanged some harsh words the day before, but that was one of the most endearing qualities of the young Tracker. Once the fight was settled, Vin didn't hold a grudge. He could not necessarily say the same about himself or the majority of the men they rode with. Ezra, Chris, Josiah, and Nathan could all brood about things for days; only Tanner, JD, and Buck forgave rather quickly.
Once packed up and in the saddle, the four men rode hard for six hours and made it to the town of Pueblo, where the Storm gang allegedly murdered the sheriff. Chris was eager to head to the local law office to question the deputies about what happened, but Vin suggested they stop and have a hot meal first.
The tracker was hoping that with a good meal and a short rest, Larabee would look a little more human. The man was intimidating anyway, but right now – he looked downright scary. Vin was afraid the deputies might just as soon arrest him as answer his questions.
Chris wasn't aware that he looked so rough, but he did have to admit that he felt better after the hearty meal of chicken and dumplings.
Vin, Chris, Ezra, and Josiah entered the sheriff's office to find a tall, lanky deputy sitting behind a desk. There were no prisoners in the cells, so the four dusty, scruffy-looking men got the deputy's attention immediately. He was a little leery of strangers after the sheriff's murder.
"What can I do for you boys?" the deputy stood and asked, with his hand on his weapon.
Chris made it through the introductions of himself and his men, then his voice started to fade. Vin seemlessly took over the questioning and explained their interest in the Storm gang, and Chris dipped his head in thanks at their second-in-command. The deputy became more relaxed once he realized who these men were; he had heard about the "Magnificent Seven" from Four Corners.
The former-deputy, who was promoted to sheriff after the murder, relayed that "a few of Storm's men got liquored up and started a fight in the saloon. The sheriff showed up and arrested two of the men. When old man Storm himself appeared and demanded the two men be released, the sheriff refused, and got himself killed for the trouble. There was no one else in the jail when it happened, but a couple of working girls down the street heard the gunshot and saw the gang leaving the scene about 5 minutes later. I was the one to come in early next morning and find the sheriff dead, and Storm's men gone. We searched the surrounding area, but it seemed that the gang had already high-tailed it out of town."
The four regulators believed his account of events, and everything made sense with what they had previously been told. That put the gang up north at the correct time to commit the next murder as well.
Chris took the opportunity of being in a decent-sized town and wired Nathan to let him know where they were and what they found out. He didn't make mention of his illness. There was no reason to worry folks, and he wasn't feeling that bad.
Ezra made a strong case for staying in town for the night, but in the end he was over-ridden. The remaining three wanted to get a head start towards Denver to ensure they could make it to their final destination by the next afternoon.