In the Name of the Father
Chapter 10
Nick leaned on the porch railing of the hotel in Carson City, Nevada. His mind was filled with worry. It had taken them longer to get to Carson City than they had expected, between gathering the supplies and the horses. And of course there was the argument between the Barkley brothers and their mother. They had not wanted her to go but Victoria firmly stated "I am not a hot house flower that will wilt the moment conditions change!" thus winning the argument. Then there was the argument from Nick that Elizabeth should go with them, however majority ruled and she was delivered to Fred at the Stockton jail.
He watched as Val Crawford rode down the street towards the hotel with Johnny's palomino in tow. A slight noise behind him made him turn around to see Johnny Lancer walk out of the hotel, putting his hat on his head and stepping down to the street. Val tossed Johnny the reins and waited for his friend to step into the saddle.
"Johnny!" Scott's voice called as he followed his brother out of the hotel. Johnny stepped back towards the blond Lancer. Nick could see worry written on the man's face. Scott gently grabbed the back of Johnny's head pulling him in close.
"You be careful out there." Scott's voice was just above a whisper. Johnny grinned and put an arm on Scott's shoulder.
"Don't worry brother; Val's got my back until you get there." His grin grew, "He knows what you'll do to him if he lets anything happen to me." The two separated and Johnny quickly mounted his horse. Nick bowed his head; seeing the bond the Lancer brothers shared only made his heart ache even more for Heath. Murdoch, as had the rest of the Barkleys, came out onto the porch.
"Be careful, son," was all he could say. Johnny gave them a nod and the two rode out of town.
Scott and Murdoch glanced at each other, and then reentered the hotel. Nick sighed and thought about his conversation last night with Johnny. He had learned a lot about the gunfighter and how he and Heath had become friends.
With the setting of the sun the heat of the day had dissipated. Deciding to enjoy the night coolness, Nick stepped out onto the veranda of the hotel. A slow creaking sound made him look to his right. Sitting in one of the hotel rocking chairs was Johnny Lancer. He had his head back and his eyes closed slowly rocking the chair.
"Have a seat, Barkley." Johnny's voice had been so quiet that Nick at first thought he had imagined it. Nick could see that his eyes were open now and reflecting the lanterns' light. Nick sat down in the neighboring rocker and sighed. Before his mind could form a question Johnny began speaking.
'The first time I met him, it must have been just after your Civil War because he was a skinny guy. He didn't talk much to anyone except the horses. He was using the name Thomson and I was using the name Madrid." Johnny paused looking out into the starry night, he sighed then continued, "I had only been at the ranch for two weeks when I had a bit of trouble with one of the hands and I wound up killing him. The boss of the outfit thought it better if I didn't hang around and sent me packing. Heath had a good thing going and he had stayed on."
"It was later that I met up with the St Claires. They were con artists always playing the sympathy card. Well, some folks didn't fall for it, but I rode in thinking only like a fool who fell for the redheaded damsel in distress. One look was all it took." Nick's head jerked up, but he didn't say anything and Johnny continued, "After a near hanging, I was helping the St Claires get out of town. Stupid huh? Anyway, I heard a shot and turned my horse to face the trouble only to see a fellow in the street holding his hand and his gun lying at his feet. As we rode past the last building this young cowboy rides out from behind the building, he has his rifle in his hands and he smiles and nods his head. He rides up next to me with the biggest grin on his face, "Looks like ya need someone to watch your back, Madrid!" I had never been so happy to have someone save my hide as I was when I seen it was Heath that did the savin. Turns out some yahoo was going to take a shot at us as we left and Heath changed his mind for him. That's when he joined up with us, or more like came along with me.
We found that we had a lot in common. He didn't know who his daddy was and mine hadn't wanted me. Both of our mothers had worked hard, but I think his mother actually loved him. It laid the foundation for our friendship.
We were two trusting fools and before we realized it, we had became "part of the act". They would con the people and Heath and I would make sure they didn't get caught. We had been with them for about eight months, and that's when we decided we had had enough and we was going to quit. But they actually got caught before we could tell them we were done.
When Heath and I rode in to help them, Elizabeth tossed her bag at Heath: he caught it and she started yelling that he had stolen her purse. Matters got worse when I stepped in to get her to be quiet and Bart started yellin about how hoodlums were allowed near good citizens. They had the folks of that backwater town eating out of their hands and Heath and I thrown in jail in no time. The trial was even quicker. Heath and I got two months hard labor and the St Claires disappeared."
"We pounded rocks when they had nothing else for us to do and we cut enough firewood to keep the whole town warm. We did every low job they could think of. Heath didn't do so well at night, when we were locked up in our cell. He had some bad nightmares that would leave him trembling, sometimes he would just sit in the corner and rock back and forth, and starrin at somethin only he could see. The only time he was alright was when we were working." Johnny paused again looking at Nick. "Does he still have those nightmares?"
Nick bowed his head and nodded, "They get so bad that sometimes I end up holding him until he stops trembling. Sometimes he still sits in the corner." Nick found himself thinking this man knew his brother fairly well if he knew that.
"I never asked him why he had them, just figured that my being there was good enough."
"He'd been in Carterson." Nick heard Johnny's sharp intake.
"You don't need to tell me anymore. Even I heard about that place."
"What happened after they released you from jail?" asked Nick.
"I wanted to go back to Mexico; Heath didn't, so we parted company. Wouldn't ya know it, two years later Heath saved my life again." He looked at Nick and gave him a sad smile, "I was fighting in a range war on the Mexico Texas border. I had stopped off in a cantina for a drink when he comes in. I'm not sure how he knew I was there. He tried to warn me about an ambush, but I wouldn't listen. Never asked him how he knew bout that either. I rode straight into it and Heath came after me. When the air cleared, there were six dead banditos and me on the ground with a bullet in my shoulder. Heath helped me up, then he threw me to the side and shot again. Seems one of those banditos was still kicking. Heath saved me from taking one in the back as well."
"So the two of you hadn't seen each other until two years ago?" Nick asked leaning forward in his seat.
"Yeah. By the time of that ambush my reputation was intact and I knew that if Heath rode with me I would only get him killed so I rode out heading deeper into Mexico," Johnny stood up and leaned on the porch railing, " I sure was surprised, just like Heath, to see him there at the Cattlemen's Meeting. I had been back to Lancer almost a year. He told me that his mother had told him who his father was before she died. I was glad to see him with his father, and that we both finally found the families we wanted." Johnny finished talking and the two men sat reflecting on Heath's past, until Nick broke the silence.
"It was hard at first. None of us wanted to believe that Father had been with another woman. It was Mother that settled it, when she accepted Heath as one of her own." Nick smiled at the memory then grew somber again. "Two years later Father was killed. I can't lose him. It's like we were raised up together. We were both devastated when Father was killed. Heath was just getting to know him, but we grieved together and it brought us closer."
"I know how you feel about Heath, Nick. I feel the same way about Scott. He was the part of me that was missing." They sat quietly rocking knowing that the two of them had come to an understanding.
Nick broke the silence first. "Are you sure you want to go through with this plan of yours?"
"We need someone on the inside of that prison and I'm the most likely choice, don't ya think?" Johnny looked at Nick, "I will find him and we will get him out."
"Your brother will have my hide nailed to the barn door if this whole thing goes wrong."
Johnny smiled at Nick, it was the same kind of smile Heath would give that almost guaranteed that something would go wrong.
Nick looked down the street again, no longer able to see the two riders. Phase one of the plans was already in motion and couldn't be changed. He slowly walked back into the hotel. Phase two would begin when Val returned.