And now we go back to the rest of the gang! I'm sure Arthur and Isaac will be fine for the moment...
Chapter 50: Search
Charles hauled the deer carcass onto Taima's back and gave his mare a pat. He mostly stayed out of camp in the days since Arthur left, hunting to keep their stew pot full and keep his mind off his last conversation with Arthur. Not that it worked.
Why didn't he say it back?
Charles certainly felt something strong for Arthur, but he couldn't figure out if that feeling was love. What else it could be, he didn't know. But having never loved someone before, how was he supposed to know what love felt like?
He planned to help the gang stock up with some reserves, then go up to see Arthur at O'Creagh's Run. Thinking about his own feelings by himself was not working. He should talk it through with Arthur.
Charles and Taima were passing through an old, rundown homestead when Taima suddenly lifted her head, her ears swiveling to the shed. "It's alright," he said to her, patting her neck. But Taima didn't move. She called out to the shed, but Charles didn't know what she was looking at.
"Come on, Taima, let's go," he said, but she whinnied again and started trotting up to the shed. And that time, Charles heard a weak reply when Taima nosed the barred door.
Charles opened it, figuring a horse got trapped inside. But it wasn't just any horse. Boadicea hugged the back wall, trembling and scared, her eyes wide.
"Bo?" Charles said. He took a step forward, but she pinned her ears and tugged on the rope keeping her tied up. "It's okay girl, I'm a friend. Remember me?"
Arthur's saddle was still on her back, and she had cuts along her body from trying to break free. Whatever happened, Charles knew Arthur was in trouble. He had to get back to the gang, but he couldn't leave Bo behind. Arthur never would.
Charles didn't know how long Boadicea had been there, but she had to be hungry and dehydrated. "I've got an oatcake, Bo. Do you want it?" he asked. Charles held out the food, and Boadicea began to pay attention. She stretched out her neck as Charles took a few steps closer, finally accepting that he wasn't a threat. Once she was chewing on the food, Charles was able to untie her and lead her out of the shed.
Boadicea relaxed once he got her outside, especially when Taima greeted her. It gave Charles time to look her over. The scrapes weren't too bad, even if she seemed a little shaky on her feet, but Charles was more concerned with how she got into the shed. And Arthur's wooden leg attached to her saddle with the green neckerchief wrapped around it.
O'Driscolls.
"Come on, Bo, I'm going to need you to walk for me," Charles said. He threw Arthur's saddlebags and leg on Taima, but ditched the saddle to help Bo. He had to tell Dutch, and soon. Arthur and Isaac were in trouble. They probably never made it to O'Creagh's Run, meaning they'd been in trouble for days!
Charles rubbed the crooked stripe on her forehead, feeding her another oatcake. They had to go slow leading her back. She stumbled a few times, still weak and fearful, but trusting Taima.
As soon as they got back to camp, Charles called out for Dutch and Hosea. The whole gang crowded around them, and Charles handed Boadicea off to Kieran. "Take care of her. Please."
"I will, Mr. Smith."
"Charles, what's going on?" Dutch asked, looking between Boadicea and Charles.
"I found her in a shed just north of here," Charles said, handing over Arthur's leg. "And this."
Dutch recognized the neckerchief immediately. "Colm," he snarled. "Where did you find this?"
"Just north-"
"Show me!"
"What's going on?" Hosea said before he saw. "Oh, God."
"Mount up. We're going to find them," Dutch said to Hosea and Charles. "Everyone else, stay here until we get back! Double the watch and don't leave camp!"
"I'll come with you, Boss," Micah said, appearing suddenly at Dutch's shoulder.
Charles frowned at Micah. Micah hated Arthur, but he wasn't missing the opportunity to suck up to Dutch. Fortunately, Dutch said, "No. A small group only. Stay here, we'll be back soon with news."
"Wait!" Hosea said. "There's a note."
"What?"
Hosea held up a piece of paper that had been stuffed into Arthur's wooden leg. "It just says Lone Mule Stead."
"Anyone know where that is?" Dutch asked the crowd. "Anyone?"
There was a lot of head shaking. But Lenny said, "There are a lot of O'Driscolls in West Elizabeth. I heard they took over a ranch in Big Valley."
"That's Hanging Dog Ranch," Micah said.
"Uh, Mr. Van der Linde?" Kieran said awkwardly while he encouraged Boadicea to drink some water. "There is an old homestead the O'Driscolls used sometimes across the river from Blackwater. I'm pretty sure it's Lone Mule Stead."
Dutch grabbed a map and said, "Show me."
"I was only there once," Kieran said. "It was between the big railroad bridge and the river, on this stretch of land here."
Dutch nodded. "Alright, this is certainly a trap. But we can't let the O'Driscolls hurt two of our own! If you are coming with us, get your things and mount up!"
Immediately John, Javier, Sadie, Sean, Lenny, Karen, and Bill stepped forward. Kieran did as well, but Hosea said, "No. If the O'Driscolls see you, you will be targeted. Stay here and take care of Bo. Arthur will appreciate it."
Annabelle grabbed Leo as well. "I'm coming."
"Anna, you're sick!" Dutch protested.
"I'll be fine!" Annabelle said. "I'm okay today. That stuff John brought back is working. Mostly."
"Anna-"
"It's Arthur and Isaac! I'm not staying here!" she said, mounting up.
"I guess we're all going," Micah said, heading for Baylock. As he passed by Boadicea, she pinned her ears at him. Which Charles thought was odd. Bo was usually friendly to people. Then again, it was Micah.
"Someone should guard the camp," Hosea said, also frowning at Micah.
"We've got it, Mr. Matthews," Susan said, gesturing to the girls. "You get those boys home safe."
"We will," Dutch said. "Gather any supplies that you need, we ride in five minutes!"
Charles packed some horse meal from Kieran, giving Boadicea one last pat and hoping she'd be alright. Kieran was good with horses. He'd make sure she was healthy. Sadie was getting repeater ammunition and checking that her knife was sharp when Charles went searching for shotgun shells. His eyes landed on Arthur's pictures and his cot, the one they shared so many times.
"We'll get him, Charles," Sadie said. "And we're going to kill all those O'Driscolls."
"I hope so."
"Arthur's been good to me," Sadie said. "I ain't letting those O'Driscolls hurt him."
"Neither am I," Charles said.
"I'm going to stick my knife in any O'Driscoll that got near him," Sadie said, a mean spark in her eyes.
John hugged Abigail, promising to get Arthur and Isaac back. Susan shoved packages of food into any hands passing her way, and they were off.
They galloped along Flat Iron Lake. Charles's eyes kept drifting over to Blackwater, trying to predict how much longer it would take for them to get to Arthur. How long had he been there already? What if they'd hurt Arthur and Isaac? He remembered the story Hosea told back when they first encountered the O'Driscolls in the mountains. They shot him and buried him, and that was only within a few hours. And considering how bad Boadicea had been when he found her, it must have been days!
"Mr. Smith!" Dutch called back to him. Charles pushed Taima up next to the Count. "You said you found Boadicea in a shed?"
"Yes. At an old homestead not far from our camp."
"How did you find her?"
"Taima did. She must have heard her," Charles said. He was glad he'd listened to Taima instead of dragging her away.
Dutch shook his head. "I just don't understand it. If they wanted us to know and sent us a note, why hide Bo away?"
It didn't make sense. If Charles hadn't ridden by that day, Bo could have died of dehydration. And if they wanted to delay Dutch finding out, they would have kept Boadicea with them.
And where was Apollo? Maybe Isaac got away? But then, why wouldn't he come back to camp?
"We'll figure it out when we have Arthur back," Hosea said. "We can ask Arthur what happened when he's safe with us."
They were approaching the Dakota around sunset when Dutch pulled up suddenly. "We shouldn't all cross the river in a huge group like this, especially so close to Blackwater."
"So, we take turns?" Hosea asked.
"No. Find a spot to lay low for a bit and rest your horses. Charles and I will go ahead and see if we can locate this homestead."
"You shouldn't go just the two of you," Micah said, and Charles was about to snap at the man for constantly trying to trick Dutch into thinking he cared about Arthur.
Fortunately, Dutch had enough of Micah, too. "I said stay! Why aren't you listening to me?"
"Sorry," Micah said, hands up in surrender.
"Let's go!" Dutch said to Charles.
They crossed under the railroad bridge, staying off the road. They didn't encounter any riders, O'Driscolls or otherwise. Dutch fidgeted on his horse, and Charles couldn't say he was any better.
"Look, there. Could that be it?" Dutch asked, pointing through the trees. Charles could barely make out the old house and broken fence, but it was the first property they'd seen on this side of the tracks.
"I don't see any O'Driscolls," Charles said, peering through his binoculars. "No horses, either."
"If this is the place, they'll be here," Dutch said. "Let's leave the horses and try to get closer."
Charles jumped off Taima and grabbed some throwing knives and his bow. He crept up to the house, swinging his head towards every snapped twig or blowing leaf. Dutch and Charles stopped near an old shed and hitching post.
"Horses were here," Charles whispered, pointing at the dung piled up. "It's about a day old, maybe two."
"Okay," Dutch said. "They've got to be in the house. Charles, you think you can sneak in there while I cover you?"
"Of course," Charles said. He kept to the shadows, which was easy in the low lighting, and checked in through the windows. It was dark. He couldn't see Arthur or any O'Driscolls. He moved around the back of the house to find another window or even a door to break down when he came across the wide-open cellar doors. He hesitated in going down, knowing it would be the perfect place for an ambush, but he couldn't hear any movement in the bushes around the property. Besides, the field was too open for anyone to be hiding.
Charles could smell the blood before he got down the steps. There was still a dried patch on the floor of the small basement, next to a bucket, a burnt down candle, and an open shotgun shell casing.
No Arthur. No Isaac. And no O'Driscolls.
As concerning as the blood was, at least it didn't come with a dead body. He came out of the basement, went to the front door of the tiny house, and knocked it down. Again, there was nothing. Just some empty cans.
Charles returned to Dutch and said, "No one is here. Could it be the wrong place?"
"Maybe. Kieran did say he didn't run with them for very long. Let's keep looking around for a bit longer."
"I found some blood in the basement," Charles said. "I may have missed something."
So, they kept looking. Charles went back into the basement, but didn't uncover anything that was clearly left by the O'Driscolls. None of it made sense.
"Mr. Smith!"
Charles ran back to the shed with his sawed-off shotgun drawn, expecting a group of O'Driscolls to be shooting at them, but it was just Dutch. He was sitting alone in front of a crate, holding a hat. Arthur's hat, the one Isaac gave him all those years ago.
"He was here," Dutch said, voice shaking as he was caught between anger and fear.
Charles took the hat, turning it in his hands to look for any difference, any flaw, that would prove it wasn't Arthur's. But it was. And in the same crate, Charles recognized Arthur's satchel and guns.
"Keep looking!" Dutch said, shouldering Arthur's satchel and guns before going to the basement himself. "And Mr. Smith? Check for any fresh graves."
Charles' stomach lurched at that, but a quick check around the property showed no gravestones or freshly dug pits. He followed the horse tracks away from the homestead for a bit, but once they reached the main road, they split off in different directions. There was no way to know which way they went. One set was older than the other.
"I don't think they've been here for at least a day or two," Charles said when he returned to Dutch.
"You said there was blood?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
Dutch was silent as he looked over the blood, and marched out of the basement before Charles could blink. He return to the Count, giving the stallion a pat on his neck.
"Can I see his things?" Charles asked. The O'Driscolls might have left another clue if they were forced to move. Dutch handed over the bag without complaint. Charles looked through the various items and flipped through Arthur's journal. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, and all the writing was Arthur's.
"One of these rifles is Isaac's," Dutch said. "I… I got this for him for his birthday two years ago."
"They have Isaac, too?" Charles said. He had maintained some hope that Isaac managed to escape the O'Driscolls, but no more.
"If they hurt that boy… either of them," Dutch growled.
"Let's go back to the others. There's nothing left here," Charles said. He got on Taima, but it took longer for Dutch to even move. Charles understood. He felt lost as well.
What if he never saw Arthur again?
Dutch seemed reluctant to even return to the gang, but they did. Hosea had set up a temporary camp on top of the ridge, and waved them over as soon as he spotted them. "Find anything?" he asked nervously.
Dutch sighed, and he pulled out Arthur's hat.
"Dutch?" Hosea said.
"He wasn't there. No one was. They must have moved," Dutch said. "I… Hosea…"
Hosea wrapped Dutch in a hug. The others in the gang started to realize Dutch and Charles were back, and they came over.
"Are we moving on them?" Javier asked.
"They weren't there," Charles said, but Dutch crying on Hosea's shoulder sent a clear message to the gang. Most hung back awkwardly. Micah rolled his eyes at the display of emotion. Annabelle joined the hug.
"Was there a trail? A message? Anything?" Hosea asked.
"Nothing," Charles said. "All they left was Arthur's things. They may have been forced to move fast."
"We'll keep looking," Annabelle said to Dutch. "We won't stop."
"I know."
"Charles," Hosea said, motioning the man away from Dutch and Annabelle. "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Signs of a fight?"
"There was blood in the basement," Charles said. Hosea's face went pale.
Dutch straightened up suddenly and wiped his eyes. He found a rock to stand on to speak to the confused gang. "Everyone! We didn't find Arthur and Isaac, but we know the O'Driscolls were here! I need everyone out looking! Go in groups. We're not going to risk losing anyone else. We know the O'Driscolls are in New Hanover and Valentine, so I need a few people with lower bounties to go back there and see what you can find. Dammit, we should have brought Kieran. He might know something."
"I'll go to Valentine," Lenny volunteered immediately.
"I'll go with him," Charles said. He didn't cause problems in Valentine, as far as he could remember.
"I guess I'll check over in Big Valley," Micah said. "Bill, let's go."
"Wait, Mr. Bell!" Hosea said.
"What do you want?" Micah said. "Delaying finding Morgan?"
"You knew the name of that ranch the O'Driscolls took over in Big Valley. Where was it?"
Micah backed away slightly, his hands raised. "I don't know what you're talking about, old man."
"Yes, you do," Hosea said. "Lenny said something about a ranch, and you knew the name."
Micah shrugged, but Dutch came over and said, "Mr. Bell, if you know anything at all that could help, now is the time."
"Listen, I want to find Morgan as much as anybody-"
"Then why aren't you helping us?" Hosea shouted.
"You mentioned it!" John said. "Something to do with a dog."
"Hanging Dog Ranch!" Charles suddenly remembered. "I heard about it from the butcher in Valentine. Used to be a cow ranch, but the owner went out of business years ago. It was empty for a while."
"Yes, that's it!" Dutch said.
"We can't be sure that's where they've gone," Annabelle reminded him. "It might be another dead end."
"But it's the best lead we've got," Dutch said. "Even if Arthur isn't there, there should be a bunch of O'Driscolls we can question about it. Or better yet, Colm himself."
"Since when has Colm ever done his own dirty work?" Hosea said.
"Oh, for this, he'll be there," Dutch growled. "If not, I'll track him down myself."
Hosea and Annabelle nodded, following Dutch to the horses. Micah stood awkwardly for a few seconds before trudging over to Baylock.
"Listen, all of you," Dutch announced. "We're going to find this ranch the O'Driscolls have, and we are going to get our boys back! We'll stop by the river to get the horses some water and food, then we'll be pushing up to Big Valley. Now, let's go kill Colm O'Driscoll!"