Chapter 12

Two hours earlier Millie and her captors had been nearing the end of their three-hour journey up to the ravine which shielded their hideout from view. Millie had learned to ride as a child in Texas and she'd been almost as good a rider as Jess had been in those early years but she'd not ridden for a very long time and she was suffering from the lengthy journey. Her enforced closeness to Cal Danby was one of the more unpleasant experiences of her life and she couldn't wait to dismount and put a little more space between them.

"You're real quiet Millie. What's goin' on in that pretty little head of yours?" asked Danby in a voice a little more gruff than usual.

"I got nothin' to say to you" retorted Millie.

"Ah, come on, Millie" Danby snapped back, riled by her hostile attitude toward him "don't you remember our little chat last night? I thought we got it all sorted. You gotta be nice to me, remember? 'Cos if you ain't, you know it ain't gonna help Jess much. Come on, look at me Millie, I wanna see you smile for a change."

Millie refused to turn and look at her tormenter or to give him the satisfaction of asking how he could possibly expect her to smile for him. He chuckled. "Well, Millie. We'll be arriving at our little hidey hole in a few minutes. You won't be able to avoid lookin' at me much longer. Now, the nicer you behave the better it'll be for you, not just Jess, ya know."

Millie ignored him. She knew it wouldn't make much difference how she behaved. He would inflict on Jess whatever punishment he had in mind for him no matter what she did and she wouldn't let him see how frightened she was.

Danby reined his horse to a halt at the entrance to the narrow ravine and the men dismounted and led their weary horses up the steep winding trail to the cave. Millie had ridden up to the cave but now she was forced to accept Danby's help. He grasped her around her waist as she began to dismount and lifted her down to the ground, keeping his hands on her a little longer than he needed to. She twisted out of his grasp and he gave her an irritable push toward the trees and bushes concealing the cave entrance. Billy and Abe had already led their mounts into the cave and Millie followed them. She looked around the cramped cavern and wondered why they had chosen this spot; it hardly seemed big enough for the horses let alone her and the three men. While Billy unsaddled the horses, Abe lit a lantern that had been left near the entrance to the cave. He handed Millie the lantern and taking her by the arm he guided her toward the opening in the rock wall at the back of the cave. She would never have noticed it had she not been directed to it. She made her way through the steeply downward sloping tunnel and as she came out into the larger cavern she gasped with surprise at the size of the main cave. Abe took the lantern from her and brushing past her he went over to make up a fire with the dry wood they'd collected a few days before.

Danby came through the tunnel behind her and walked over to where she was standing, looking around. He pointed to the back of the cave.

"All our supplies are in those sacks back there. You can get us some breakfast when the fire's goin'. And don't get any ideas, there's always gonna be at least one of us keepin' his eyes on you."

Millie gave him a look of pure hatred. "I'm not your servant" she snapped at him. "Get your own breakfast…"

He grabbed her arm and shook her roughly. "Look little lady, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, you suit yourself. Either way, while you're here you do as I say and I say you're gonna make us some nice coffee and get us some bacon and beans for our breakfast."

He thrust her towards the back of the cave but Millie turned and glared at him. "I don't cook" she said in a brusque tone.

The mean look on Cal's face was habitual, but it got meaner as he glared at Millie. "I'm gettin' a little tired of you Millie. Whadd'ya mean you don't cook. You're a woman ain't ya? So cook, damn you!"

Millie could see she wasn't going to win the argument. Reluctantly she went to the back of the cave and rummaged around for the coffee and food supplies. She looked around for something to slice the bacon with.

"How do you expect me to slice the bacon up?" she asked Cal. "There isn't a knife."

"D'ya think I'm stupid woman?" was the gruff reply. "Billy, get over there and slice up the bacon and don't let her get a hold of that knife, boy."

Billy sliced enough bacon for the four of them and showed Millie where to find the pan. The fire was burning well by this time. There were four flat stones in the fire pit to one side of the main fire with a small log burning in the centre and she placed the pan on the flat stones. Abe took it on himself to make a pot of coffee while she fried the bacon and beans. She didn't believe for a moment he'd done it to help her. He was just in a hurry for his coffee but she was grateful anyway. If she'd known what was going through his mind she might've been surprised. She would have deliberately burned the bacon just to get her own back on Danby but she was hungry so she served up a reasonable breakfast and ate her share. Billy sluiced off the tin plates and cutlery with boiled up water, stored them away and then settled down to drink his coffee.

Millie was shoved over to the side of the cave away from the fire. It was cold but she was grateful to be away from Cal Danby's unwanted attentions. She sat on the floor of the cave on a spare bedroll that Abe threw over at her and drew her knees up to her chin. She tried to listen to what they were talking about but they were speaking too quietly. Exhausted after the long ride she fell asleep. When she woke, she was curled up on her side and someone had thrown a blanket over her. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep and she was aching all over from lying on the hard floor of the cave, unused to having no more than a bedroll for padding. She stretched her stiff limbs and sat up.

Danby glanced over at her "So Millie, you're awake. You'll be glad to know you might be seein' your Jess again in a few days."

Millie felt a cold hard knot in her stomach. "What are you goin' to do to him?" she demanded. "Please, don't hurt Jess any more? I'll do whatever you want. I promise" she said, fear stabbing at her. Maybe she'd never get away from these men. She couldn't bear the thought of what her life would be from now on, but she dreaded what they might do to Jess.

"That's more like it Millie. Keep it up and things might not be so bad after all. But I told ya already, my plans for Jess are a secret and ya'll have to be patient."

Danby stood up looking thoughtfully towards her. She stared tensely back at him, watching warily as if he was a snake, unable to take her eyes off him as he walked slowly over to her. She shrunk back as he stooped down and took hold of the locket around her neck.

"That's a real pretty locket you're wearin' Millie. Jess give you that, did he?"

Millie shook her head "No. It was a present from my Ma."

He opened the locket. "Well now… What's this? A picture? Just look at this boys… remind you of anyone we know?" he ripped the locket from her breaking the chain and Millie cried out in pain as the chain slashed a deep cut in the side of her neck. She put her hand up to the bleeding laceration and tears filled her eyes. She kept pictures of herself and Jess in the locket. They'd had their photograph taken together in the saloon one night by a travelling photographer and he'd made them two copies. She knew Jess kept his copy in his wallet but she'd cut hers out and put it in the locket; Jess on one side and her on the other. Millie was fond of the locket but the photograph of Jess was the only one she had and it was precious to her.

"Please, don't take the picture. You can take the locket but let me keep the picture… please…?" Millie's voice was trembling and she hated to beg from this man. He filled her with loathing but she couldn't bear to lose the photograph.

Abe and Billy wandered up and looked over his shoulder. "That's a real good likeness of Harper ain't it?" Billy commented.

"I guess it is…" answered Danby "but I prefer it like this." He removed his knife from the sheath at his belt and digging the tip of the knife into the photograph of Jess, he twisted the blade tearing a hole in the centre of the image and Millie smothered a shocked cry. "Reminds me of how I'd like to see him next." He closed the locket and placing it on one of the rocks near the fire he picked up a large stone and smashed it down hard on the locket damaging it beyond repair. Millie dissolved into miserable tears.

Danby wasn't finished. He turned back to Millie and grabbing at the lace on her bodice he ripped it away from the dress. She cried out in shock and cowered away thinking he was about to abuse her but he just laughed at her reaction.

He moved over to the back of the cave and picking up his saddle bags he rummaged around and pulled out a gummed letter sheet with several lines of writing on it. He placed the locket and ripped lace on it and folding up the sides he sealed the sheet, wrote something on the outside in pencil and gave it to Abe.

"Give this to that ole' drunk Simmons when you get to Cheyenne. I already paid him somethin' on account but I promised him another two dollars when that letter gets handed over to the driver of the Overland stage first thing Monday. You can give him his two dollars but tell him that letter has to go on the first stage to Laramie. But you better tell him if he's sleepin' off a drunk and that letter don't get handed in he'll get a lot more'n two dollars. Tell him I'll pay him personally and I won't be payin' it in greenbacks. Then you get out of town quick as you can. I'll see you back here on Monday."

"Why don't I just hand over the letter myself?" Abe asked.

"Cos that driver is just likely to be the ole' coot that's real friendly with Sherman and Harper. He's gettin' a might old for drivin' a stage but he ain't no idiot and he's bound to be suspicious. He and Doug Masters have likely heard about Harper's little accident. Doug Masters is the Sheriff; he's another friend of Harper's an' I don't want him haulin' you in. No one's gonna suspect ole Simmons of havin' anythin' to do with Millie's disappearance and he don't know anythin' so he ain't gonna give nothin' away." Abe nodded and tucked the letter in one of his saddle bags.

Billy had been making a fresh pot of coffee and he poured out three mugs handing two of them to Cal Danby and Abe. He tossed over one of the tin mugs to Millie and nodded his head to the coffee pot. She wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbing the mug she edged forward and poured herself a cup of the hot liquid.

"Did you get rid of our trail Billy?" Danby asked.

"Sure I did" Billy said a trifle huffily "I laid a few false trails further down on the lower foothills just like you showed me and I brushed out my tracks for the last hour or so. They won't pick up anythin' past the old cabin 'ceptin' for what we want 'em to find."

"You'd better be right Billy. That letter should get to Harper by Monday afternoon and he'll know we mean business. I wanna know when Harper's back at the Sherman ranch. Billy, I want you to get down to that ridge overlookin' the Sherman place late on Tuesday an' keep an eye out for anythin' happenin' but you stay out of sight whatever you do, they'll know you're involved in this by now." He drew out a piece of heavy paper from his shirt pocket and handed it over to Billy. "I don't want Harper gettin' these directions until after he's back. I don't reckon he'll be gettin' back there for a coupl'a days at least" he gestured toward Abe with the mug of coffee. "You slugged him real hard Abe and if that don't keep him down I'll bet the rest of the damage you done, will. Billy, make sure you got somethin' with ya to pin this up with. I brung some tacks with me. They're in with the rest of the supplies. When you're sure Harper's back at the ranch wait 'til they've all turned in for the night and get that note fixed up but make sure you give 'em plenty of time to settle first and then get down there on foot. Don't take ya horse with ya. Make sure ya pin that somewhere they can't miss it and whatever ya do just push the tacks in. If you try and hammer 'em in, it'll make too much noise. Then get yourself back here and we'll sit nice an' cosy an' wait for Harper." He smiled to himself sensing his vengeance was nearing fulfilment. He could almost taste it.

Millie shrunk back in her corner and tried hard not to be noticed. She wondered what they were planning but they said no more and her thoughts began to drift back to happier times she had shared with Jess.