A PAST FOREVER PRESENT

CHAPTER 10

Johnny woke up with a start. The sun wasn't even up yet but it was close to the end of the night and the moon had already started its descent. The fire he had made had gone out during the night. It might have been what had woken him up – the absence of heat coming from it.

"Oh well, Shadow. No sense going back to sleep for less than half an hour. Want to drink before we ride again?"

The horse tossed his head up and down and Johnny chuckled, the memories of the last evening all but forgotten along with the fast disappearance of the bright moon… until next time. He rolled his bedroll and gathered his stuff. He'd decided against starting another fire just to heat a cup of coffee and took Shadow to the stream. He refilled his canteen, drank a bit and let his horse drink a little. Then, he walked the horse to the camp and saddled him up.

Making sure the fire was indeed out, he dispersed the ashes and finally secured his bedroll and his saddlebags on the horse's back. Once everything was done to his satisfaction, the young man put his left foot in the stirrup and swung his right leg over the saddle, dropping gracefully in the seat and settling down as comfortably as he could. With a last look around him, he finally headed toward the other side of the pass through a large enough pathway made by hundreds of passers-by over the years. The descent was more or less steep, depending on the places. All around him, the forest was still the mistress with its majestic trees pushing their branches to the sky, as if trying to reach it. Of the small stream, there were no more traces.

In Bakersfield, Johnny had inquired about the possibility of taking a stagecoach to San Diego and was told he could board one in Los Angeles. At first, he had intended to ride all the way to Nogales on Shadow's back but then he realized he loved his horse too much and didn't want him to be hurt, should he find trouble in Mexico. And he was quite sure he would find trouble along the way, whether on this side of the border or on the other side.

He felt apprehensive about going back to the very place where he had barely escaped with his life two years ago. Secretly, he was hoping his appearance had changed sufficiently. Enough so that nobody would recognize the young skinny half-breed gunfighter who had put his life on the line for the Mexican peons without any hopes of a good pay… but with the grim satisfaction of making life miserable for Castaneda, the landlord who was being so harsh on the poor people's backs. That and the pleasure he had felt in spoiling the fun for El Capitán.

The young man shook his head. He had to get past these thoughts and start thinking about how he would approach the whole thing once he reached Mexico, once he'd found out why exactly he had been sent for. Dwelling on the past wouldn't do anything good for him. Thus he kept travelling on the road leading to Los Angeles. He thought briefly about stopping by the Tejon Ranch to say hello to the people he had worked with in the past but he didn't really had the time. He needed to get to his destination as quickly as possible and that meant no delaying.

After leaving Wade and Buck in the care of the sheriff of Tulare, the two Lancers and Val went to the hotel to get a good night's sleep. They intended to leave very early the following morning. With all that had happened since the beginning of their trip, they were now more than ten hours behind Johnny. They would need to make good speed to get to Bakersfield and figure out where they would go from there.

And so it was that, even before the sun made its ascent into the sky to replace the moon, the three men were already on their way. Their horses were rested and ready for another long trip. They had no doubt they would need a lot of luck to eventually catch up with Johnny.

This time their trip was uneventful and they finally got to Bakersfield in the middle of the afternoon, after stopping a few times to let Murdoch stretch his back. They took their horses to the livery and paid the owner to care for them while they would be getting some food into their now empty bellies.

Murdoch took them to a small cafeteria he always went to, whenever he travelled to Bakersfield. They ate their hearty meal in a relative silence. When Murdoch got up to pay, Scott and Val went to wait outside.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the elder Lancer came out. Scott looked at him expectantly but he only shook his head.

"Now what?" asked the younger man to no one in particular.

"Let's go to the saloon and ask a few questions," Val suggested as he placed the hat he was holding in his hands back on his head.

"And enjoy a nice cold beer at the same time, I suppose," retorted Scott with a smile.

Val's crooked smile was enough to have Scott burst out laughing.

"Yeah, why not? Mr. Lancer, you're coming?"

"No. Go ahead. I'll head over to the hotel and see if anyone has seen Johnny in the last couple of days. Maybe I can rent a couple of rooms for a few hours. We can rest a bit before we start our journey again."

Scott and Val exchanged a worried look. It was apparent to them that Murdoch was having problems with his back yet again and that soon he wouldn't be able to follow.

"That's a good idea. We'll meet you there in a little while then, Sir," Scott answered.

Murdoch went his way while the two younger men crossed the street and headed over to the saloon.

As usual, Val stopped by the batwing doors and peered inside, letting his eyes adjust to the dimness of the saloon. Satisfied that there wasn't anything amiss, he pushed the doors open and went directly to the bar. Scott followed, an amused smile spreading on his face.

How he would have liked to see Johnny and Val in action, back when they were both selling their guns… back when they became friends. In his opinion, this was a story worth telling, but it still wasn't something he had had the opportunity to discuss with either man. The only time he'd tried, he had been rebuffed by his then newly discovered brother.

He remembered the scene very clearly. They had been at Lancer less than six months and were having a beer in one of Green River's saloons on a Saturday night. Scott had asked Johnny about his unlikely friendship with Val. His brother had said "One of these days, when you're old enough, I'll tell you 'The Val and Johnny Story'. But, you'll have to be very nice to me and do everything I want for a whole month." Scott had choked on his beer. He couldn't believe how impudent his brother was and then, he had realized the boy was pulling his leg.

Their conversation had fallen onto other, more interesting subjects, namely the attributes of two of the new girls working in the saloon, and their debate had soon taken each of them into the welcoming arms and beds of the said girls. When they had met again later on, Johnny had told him that one day he would tell him about some of the things that he'd done or had been done to him but, that right now, it was too much to ask. He still needed time to get used to the idea of having a brother and not being on his own anymore. Scott had respected his wish and slowly, the two young men had built their relationship – one based on friendship, trust and loyalty and finally… a deep love that the brothers now shared.

Scott was brought back to reality as he heard Val asking for two cold beers.

In front of them, just as they got to the foot of the mountain, below the pass, was an immense open field with a few trees here and there. Shadow pranced nervously. Johnny could feel his horse's impatience – a horse that was so like Barranca, almost as intelligent as his beloved palomino. The young man tried to restrain the mustang but Shadow had a mind of his own. He was dead set on galloping and galloping he would, no matter what his young two-legged friend thought about it. Finally, Johnny urged him forward and soon, horse and man were enjoying a wild run across the plain. Johnny was experiencing a great feeling of exhilaration. He was free, as free as the wind that just now ripped his hat from his head to have it bounce onto his back.

Shadow was just as happy as he took off to jump over a small gully they had come across. Johnny's heart thumped in his chest when the horse landed gracefully on the other side. He felt as excited as his horse was and was urging the mustang to run.

The horse kept going, faster and faster, until a few miles further Johnny started to reduce his speed. Soon, they would have to stop to eat, drink and rest a bit. The young man glanced at the horizon as he looked for a suitable spot to stop.

Almost an hour later, he found just such a spot. In the distance, he could see what seemed to be a small river, snaking lazily across the plain. He directed Shadow toward it and finally they reached its bank half an hour later. The area was surrounded by lush vegetation and nearby was the beginning of yet another patch of trees leading to the woods he would have to cross to continue his journey.

Johnny gracefully leaped off his horse and proceeded to unsaddle him, placing the saddle, his saddlebags and his bedroll near a stand of trees close by. As soon as this was done, he headed closer to the river. He sat on his haunches and looked at it. From where he was, it wasn't very large but, still, it was majestic. The water was very clear and he could smell its freshness and even peer at the rocks littering the bottom. Shadow followed Johnny closely and pushed his shoulder with his head. The young man smiled. Lying down on his stomach closer to the edge, he splashed some water in his face to cool himself down a bit; he drank and refilled his canteen with fresh water. He got up and took Shadow closer to the bank and let him drink his fill. Once the horse was contended, they both turned away from the river and walked back to the stand of trees.

"I guess we've found just what we needed, Compadre. It's a nice spot to spend some time," Johnny said as he lay down on his back, basking in the sun. "I have an idea," he said, jumping back on his feet mere minutes later and grabbing his extra blanket. He headed once again to the riverbank, followed by Shadow who decidedly didn't want to be left alone.

The dark-haired young man looked around to make sure he was alone and went upstream, still followed by Shadow. The river was making a sharp bend a few yards away from where he had first stopped and he followed. Just after he turned the corner, he saw a small beach a few feet below.

"Come on, Shadow, let's have some fun," he said, as he made for the beach. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. Soon, his boots were off as well as his socks and his pants. Hesitating barely a second, he finally got rid of his cut-off long johns and stood on the beach, stark naked. For a few seconds, he let the sun's rays warm his body. Then, with one look at his horse, he started to run and leaped right into the middle of the water. He yelped as he landed in what was some very cold water.

Shadow looked at his friend and whinnied softly as he ambled along, taking his sweet time and finally stopping just before getting his two front legs into the water. Johnny was still swimming and playing in the water. Once in a while, his head would disappear under the water and he would resurface a little further away, laughing like a child.

A half hour later, it was a very wet ex-gunfighter who climbed back out of the river. Shadow neighed softly as the young man walked past him to where he'd left his clothes. Suddenly, the young horse lay down and started rolling back and forth in the warm sand. By that time, Johnny had taken his extra blanket, unrolled it flat on the ground and was laying on it, to let the sun dry his body. He smiled at his horse's antics and finally pulled his hat onto his eyes, to shield them from the bright light of the sun. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, still wet… still naked.

A few minutes later, Johnny was brutally woken up as Shadow trotted near him and shook himself, covering his young friend with particles of sand that clung to his still wet body.

"Damn, Shadow. Now, I'm gonna have to jump in the river again to clean myself. You're a bad boy."

The mustang shook his head while Johnny glared at him, giving him his best Madrid look. But, somehow, it didn't seem to work with the horse as Shadow simply turned his back and headed over to the edge of the water to have another drink. Johnny sighed and went back in the river for a quick dip.

Scott and Val had spent half an hour in the saloon, asking questions of the bartender and a few customers. But, nobody had been able to tell them anything. Disgusted and discouraged, they left and went to the hotel to join Murdoch. Maybe the older man had had better luck.

In front of the hotel, Val stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"Why are you stopping?" Scott asked him as he almost bumped into the man.

"Go check on your father. I'm gonna head over to the sheriff's office and see if he knows anything."

"You know the sheriff here?"

"Yeah, you might say that," Val answered mysteriously as he left Scott standing in front of the hotel porch.

The young man shook his head and went into the hotel. His father was nowhere in sight so he headed over to the reception desk. A young man, wearing a pair of glasses that were too big for him, stood behind the counter and welcomed him with a big smile.

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

"My father was here a little earlier… Murdoch Lancer. Would you mind telling me which rooms he's rented for us?"

"Ah yes, Mr. Lancer. He is well known here, you know. I take it that Johnny Lancer is your brother, then, although you don't look like him at all. That's another very fine young man. Why, he was here not long ago and…"

"Scott, there you are, Son." Murdoch's voice boomed from the top of the stairs.

The young man gave his father a thankful look and hurried over to join him. Murdoch was chuckling as he turned back down the corridor and lead Scott toward their rooms.

"I see you've met young Timothy."

Scott nodded, smiling. "He's a real talker, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is and he's told me a few things about your brother."

"Interesting things, I hope?" answered the younger man as he followed Murdoch into one large bedroom equipped with two beds, one of which he claimed as his own while his father sat on the other one.

"You might say that. Johnny was here a couple of nights ago and he left very early yesterday morning. Young Timothy greeted him upon his arrival but it's young Charlie who saw him leave."

"And, who might this 'young Charlie' be, if I may ask?"

"Ah, Scott, my Son, you will be pleased to know that young Charlie is young Timothy's twin and that he's as much a talker as his brother is."

"Don't tell me he knows where Johnny was heading when he left?" Scott retorted, smiling.

"Exactly. Apparently Johnny has asked Charlie about Los Angeles and stagecoaches."

"Stagecoaches? I would have thought he'd be riding all the way."

True to his word, Val had gone over to the sheriff's office. Opening the door, he peered inside and smiled as he saw Sheriff Browne seemingly busy, shuffling through a pile of wanted posters.

"Howdy, Sheriff," Val said as he closed the door behind him.

TBC