Chapter 11
William F. Cody was led into the homestead and sat in a wooden chair at the dining room table. A glass of water was placed before him but his hands remained tied behind his back. The ranch hand then stood in the corner of the room with his hand on the butt of the revolver that was seated in the holster hanging from his waist.
A well-dressed man walked into the room next. He was much older with gray hair and a mustache and bit pudgy around the middle. He wore a black suit and bolo tie and a crisp white shirt. His black leather shoes were shined perfectly. He waddled over and took a seat by Billy at the table and nudged the glass of water closer.
"I bet you're thirsty son," he mentioned as he teased him with the water.
Billy's blue eyes settled on the old man. "What do you want? Why are you keeping us here?" he demanded.
The old man stood up and went to the nearby dish cabinet and opened the door. He retrieved the rider's mail bags and placed them in a pile on the table before him. "It's nothing personal, son. It's just I can't let you complete your run on time."
He squinted and wondered, "Why?"
"There are bids for this here, route son. It's not that the Pony Express that is worth money…It's the route." he explained.
"I don't get it," he confessed.
"If the Pony Express cannot make the delivery time then Russell, Majors and Waddell will lose the contract. I plan on getting that contract." he bragged.
He asked, "You gonna start you own Pony Express?"
"Heavens no, boy." he nearly laughed amused. "I just need the land and route. You see, eventually we're gonna have a railroad that connects one side of this great land to the other. And this route will part of that railroad. When the railroads come they will need to buy the land and I will have the whole route to sell."
Billy asked, "You had me, Ike and Buck kidnapped at the pass and taken here so you can sell land?"
"It's a long term strategy." he agreed. He nudged the glass closer, "So when it the next rider coming?"
"I don't know." he confessed.
"I'm sure you do." he suggested.
Billy gave him a cold stare, "Figure it out yourself."
He drew the water back, "Maybe you will change your mind once the thirst sets in."
Billy sat and closed his eyes trying to not think of just how thirsty he was for he been denied water for two days and wasn't sure how much longer he could last.
Meanwhile
As the riders and Wyatt rode closer to the ranch they dismounted the horses to sneak into the barn. Wyatt asked, "What can I do?"
Jimmy handed him the reign, "Hold my horse."
The boy gave a look of displeasure.
Kid added, "Watch the horses, Wyatt."
"I wanna help!" the boy insisted.
Jimmy rebutted, "You can help watching the horses." He looked to Pip, "Stay with Wyatt, Agnes."
"I can help!" she insisted.
Jimmy wouldn't hear of it, "Stay with Wyatt."
She gathered the remaining reigns and hunkered down behind a large rock with Wyatt. They looked on as Jimmy, Kid and Lou made their way to the barn.
Wyatt looked over at her, "We could have handled it."
"I know." she agreed. "Let's just wait for a minute." She watched as they entered the barn undetected.
Inside the barn Jimmy, Kid and Lou soon found Ike and Buck tied to a barn post with their back to one another and in a seating position on the floor. Buck looked up relieved, "You found us!"
Kid and Jimmy began to untie them as Lou watched the door. Jimmy asked, "Who did this to you?"
Ike couldn't reply so Buck explained, "They got me at the pass and brought me here. They got Billy and Ike when they came to look for me. They wanted the mail pouch. You have any water?"
Kid opened his canteen and went to Buck and then Ike and gave them each a drink of water. They were both dehydrated to his estimation. He wondered, "Why keep you here and take the pouches?"
Buck informed, "The rancher wants to stop us from getting the pouches to the stations on time. I'm not sure why. He wouldn't tell me."
Lou asked from the door, "Who is he?"
"I have no idea." Buck informed.
Meanwhile
Pip and Wyatt observed as Billy was led out of the house by the ranch hand and down the steps of the front porch. The old man stepped out of house behind them. Pip gasped for recognized him. "No!"
Wyatt asked, "You know the old, fat guy?"
She nodded, "Floyd Hepburn. He's a sleazy bond salesman. He wanted to buy into Pony Express but Majors and Waddell wouldn't let him. He's friends with Mr. Russell."
"What's he doing way out here?" Wyatt wondered.
"I would guess he's trying to crash the company." she winced.
The boy wondered, "Why do that?"
"There has to be a scheme somewhere. He's out here for money." she figured.
Wyatt stated, "They are heading for the barn. We need to stop them!"
She agreed, "But how?"
The boy glanced around unsure, "We need to distract them so Jimmy and Kid can rescue the other riders."
"Lou is in there too." she reminded him.
"And her too," he miffed for he didn't have time for such details.
Pip stated, "I'll distract them and you help the riders get away." She handed him the other reigns and then mounted her horse. She turned around and then approached the trail they were hiding off of. She rode around the rock and into the line of sight of Billy and his kidnapper. She came up the house and came to a halt before Floyd Hepburn. She called out, "Floyd!"
He squinted and cocked his head, "Agnes?"
She huffed, "What are you doing?"
He asked her, "What are you doing?"
"I'm out here on an audit," she lied. "And you?"
Billy blinked for he suddenly realized Pip and old man knew each other. He stood rather dumbstruck for a moment.
He admitted, "I want the route."
"Why?" she wondered.
He nearly bragged, "Agnes! Why waste your time with Majors and Waddell? Do you know how much a mind like yours is worth? Partner with me and you will be set for life. You will never have to worry about money again."
"Because I'll be in prison for fraud," she figured. "You are trying to throw the schedule! Aren't you?"
Billy agreed, "He wants us to fail so he can get the land and build a railroad."
She gasped, "Of the dumb-shit ideas, Floyd! A railroad! No railroad is coming through this."
Billy cocked an eyebrow at the cursing.
He countered, "There are plans to connect the West Coast and the East Coast with a railroad, Agnes."
"I know but no route has been chosen yet." she informed.
"The Pony Express route is the best route." he figured.
She rolled her head back, "Oh' gawd."
Floyd gave an order, "Now get off the horse, Agnes." He gave a nod to his ranch hand that drew his revolver on her.
Billy knew she was armed and was a good shot. He figured if Pip was there than so were the others. He turned and rushed the ranch hand knocking him to the ground hoping that Pip could shoot the bad guys. Billy rolled to his back as the ranch hand scrambled to his feet. He gathered his revolver from the ground and held it on Billy ready to shoot him.
Pip drew her gun and held it on Floyd, "Call him off!"
Floyd cocked his head, "Can you actually use that big gun, Pipsqueak?"
She stood as if she was being dared to shoot him.
He nearly laughed, "Come now, Agnes. I know you don't have it in ya."
"But I do!" a voice called out from behind. It was Jimmy coming around from behind the porch with his revolver leveled on Floyd.
Floyd soon discovered he was surrounded by Pony Express riders. His grand plans to sink the Pony Express financially and sell land to railroad companies just came to an end. Floyd was a cheat and fraud but not a gunfighter. He knew he would have to continue his battle in court and what was law for poor people didn't apply to wealthy. He could easily get away with his crimes and he knew it. He gave his hired hand a signal to surrender, "It's over…for you…" he knew his hired hand was take the majority of the punishment.
Jimmy smirked as the man tossed down his weapon, "It's over for you…Floyd."
He chuckled, "You don't much about how the law really works boy." He glanced at Pip who stood looking miffed. "We can still make a deal."
She rolled her eyes.
"After court then?" he asked her amused.
"Come on!" Jimmy grabbed him by the arm as Wyatt came about with the horses.