Chapter 13
Ada Boothe left the ridge and followed the route Hicks had taken. She needed to stop him from returning to Kenton. His life was in danger and it was at least partly her fault.
The big bay was only too willing to carry her forward at a fast pace and soon she caught sight of the gambler ahead. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, which was worrying. If Yarborough's men found him his life wouldn't be worth living.
" Hicks!" she called out as she came up behind him. "Hold up! I need to talk to you."
He slowed and turned to look back at her.
"Ada. I was looking for you earlier. Where did you go?"
"Follow me! We need to get off this trail before Yarborough's men come looking for us."
"What's going on?" he called back to her.
She turned off the road that led to Kenton and headed into a stand of trees. There was a wide creek about half a mile ahead and she wanted to reach it in order to hide their tracks.
The creek came into sight and Ada glanced behind to make sure the gambler was still following. She couldn't help but notice that the water was flowing faster than the last time she'd been here, but there wasn't any alternative if they were to get away from Yarborough's killers. She pushed her horse forward into the creek. Hicks was reluctant to follow.
"Come on," she yelled, "Both our lives depend on it."
Once in the water she turned upstream, setting a steady pace against the fast flowing water. From time to time she turned to glance behind her so as to be sure the gambler was still following. They continued like this for almost an hour before the young woman noticed that Hicks and his horse were both tiring.
She looked around for a place to exit the creek. A rocky or gravel covered area that wouldn't leave obvious hoof prints. Eventually there was an area to her left covered in small rocks swept up by the water. The marshal guided the big bay towards it and encouraged him to pull himself up onto dry land. She looked back and signaled Hicks to follow.
The gambler's mount stumbled a time or two, it looked like he might not have the strength to drag himself up out of the water. She turned the big bay around and went back into the creek in order to help. Hicks didn't look in much better shape than his horse and the pair of them were going to drown if something wasn't done quickly. She pushed the bay until he was level with the tired gelding then stretched out her hand.
"Come on Hicks, climb up behind me!"
The horses were standing in water that was flowing forcefully around their knees. Hicks hesitated. He looked down and was about to freeze if she didn't do something to get him moving quickly.
"Come on, before we all drown! Get over here or your horse'll collapse under you!"
Ada had never seen a man look so pale. She did all she could to work the bay until he was as close alongside the gambler's horse as possible. The water was swirling angrily around both of them as Ada reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Get over here now!" she ordered.
The tone of her voice surprised Hicks into doing as she said. The young woman pulled with all her strength and at the last minute Hicks began to help himself. He finished up sprawled across the back of the big bay behind the saddle. He didn't have a secure hold but she hoped it would suffice as she pushed her mount on and encouraged him to climb up out of the water again. The gambler could do little to help himself at this point and when she released her hold on him he slid to the ground.
Ada turned her attention to the abandoned gelding stranded out there in the creek. The water level continued to rise and was nearly up to his chest. He wouldn't be able to hang on for much longer and she wasn't about to leave him there to be swept away. She slid off the big bay and ran towards the creek. The water was cold and started to flow into her boots. The gravel and rocks underfoot were slick and moved under her as she picked her way between them. It was difficult to remain upright, but giving up was not in Ada Boothe's nature. At last she got close enough to reach out and grab the reins of the stranded animal but he wouldn't move. She managed to get close to his shoulder, "Come on! Let's go!" she yelled while aggressively urging him on. He wasn't responding. In desperation she grabbed the saddle horn and with a huge effort was able to swing up on his back. Using her legs to push him forward and her voice to encourage him, she finally got him moving. Step by step he picked his way through the water. He stumbled a time or two before managing to drag himself clear of the creek and up onto the bank. The poor animal was totally exhausted and Ada wondered if he was going to recover enough to be of any use to them but at least he wouldn't drown.
"Here, unsaddle your horse and use bundles of grass to rub him down," she ordered the gambler, handing over the reins. "We need to keep him going if we can."
The gambler looked at the bedraggled animal he'd been riding and agreed. He removed the saddle then gathered handfulls of grass and began to massage his horse's neck and flanks as Ada had ordered. Hicks looked over at his companion who was busy taking care of her own mount.
"What's going on Ada?"
He'd just witnessed this young woman rescue not only him but also the horse he'd been riding, from a fast flowing stream. The last time he'd seen her he'd told her to stay locked in her room until he came back to get her. He'd been worried about her safety. That didn't make much sense now.
"I'll explain later. For now we have to find some cover to hide out for a while."
The marshal finished taking care of the big bay and stretched out on the ground to relax her tired muscles. She watched to make sure the gambler followed her instructions then closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She needed to relax and think. Yarborough had to be stopped and they had to find out what happened to Matt. She didn't think Hicks would be a whole lot of help but it would take too long to ride back to Dodge to raise a posse. She'd have to use what resources she had available even if they only consisted of a worn out horse and a somewhat timid gambler. At least she still had the big bay.
Ada sat up and watched Hicks finish working on the gelding. Somehow they had to get away from the creek and find a place they could safely light a fire and dry off. The only good thing about the rising water level was that Yarborough's men would have a tough time trying to follow them.
Hicks was looking at her with a confused expression on his face. "I don't believe you're just a saloon girl Ada. Who are you and what are you really doing?"
Her only chance was to confide in him. She knew she'd need his help before long anyway. She dug into the wet saddlebag and found a small cloth pouch from which she pulled her badge.
"Do you know what this is Hicks?"
The gambler looked at it then took it from her and turned it over in his hand.
"It's a marshal's badge. Where did you get it?"
"It's mine."
He didn't understand. "You mean it was your husband's - or maybe your brother's?"
"No, it's mine." she repeated. "I earned it, Hicks. I work for the United States Marshals Service
"You can't be a lawman. You're …a ..a..woman."
Ada smiled at his simple logic.
"We need to get moving. I'll explain to you on the way."
()()()
Matt was aware of pain. He couldn't localize it at first but then he realized someone was repeatedly striking his face. He tried to use his arms to protect himself but found he couldn't move.
"Wake up Dillon!" The voice brought him a little closer to consciousness, but he didn't want to go there. He had a vague memory of what happened after he arrested Yancy Boggs, alias "The Maestro." He had no idea how long ago that was but hoped it had been long enough for Ada Boothe to be safely on her way back to Dodge.
Another brutal slap brought him sharply back to the present.
"Dillon, tell me how many men you have out there." It was Yancy's voice but it wasn't Yancy who delivered the stinging blow. He employed others to do the dirty work.
Matt was trying to evaluate his injuries. He was still breathing without any difficulty so the bullet he'd felt hit him in the back didn't seem to have pierced a lung. He thought he would be able to move his arms if it wasn't for the restraints that were holding him down. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth but as far as he could tell his teeth were all in place - with the exception of the two Doc had removed a year or more ago. All in all he was in good shape.
"How about some water, Yancy?" His speech was slightly slurred but his vision was clearing and he could see he was tied to a cot of some kind. Yancy was standing there looking down at him with a self-satisfied sneer on his face.
With a wave of a hand Yancy sent one of his men to fetch water. The man returned with a bucket and dipper. The maestro threw the dipper away then tossed the contents of the bucket over the injured marshal.
Peels of laughter erupted at the lawman's expense.
Matt passed his tongue over his lips to get at least some of the cool liquid that came his way.
"Why don't you cut me loose?" the marshal taunted his captor. "I'm only one man and you have at least 20 out there."
"I don't trust you Dillon."
The Maestro was demonstrating his power to his men and Matt knew he wasn't going to get anywhere trying to talk himself out of this situation right now. He'd bide his time.
He couldn't get in a comfortable position but must have slept for a while because he woke up to darkness. At first he wondered if it was his eyes. After blinking a few times the darkness didn't clear so he thought it must be nighttime. He wanted to move to relieve pressure on various points on his body but the ropes securing him were too tight.
Maybe an hour or two passed. He'd been trying to relax so his muscles would stop cramping but so far he hadn't been very successful.
He dozed on and off and was eventually woken when the door to the small dark room opened and a guard appeared carrying a lamp. The light seemed painfully bright after the prolonged darkness that had surrounded him for several hours.
"Who's there?" he asked, not really expecting much of an answer.
"The Maestro" told me to take you outside." It was a soft voice from somewhere back in the darkness.
Matt had no idea what was going on but any relief from these restraints would be welcome.
One of the guards stood with a rifle at the ready while the other - a younger man, probably still in his mid teens, untied the ropes. At last he was free and knew he had a chance of getting out of here, but his plans were put on hold when he found he was too weak to stand unaided.
The younger guard reached out to help just in time to prevent him from falling to the ground but he still had difficulty standing up.
They led him through a door on the opposite side of the room from that which the two guards had entered. It opened to the outside. Matt looked around trying to orient himself and remember the layout of the compound as he'd seen it from the ridge above.
Light from oil lamps inside the buildings reflected out into the darkness and made it possible to make out the barn and the small corral behind it. He stored the information for future use.
Even though they allowed him a few minutes of privacy he was aware of the rifle aimed squarely at his back the whole time. It didn't make much difference, his ability to run was severely compromised at the moment, but hopefully it would improve.
He allowed them to escort him back to the room where he'd been held captive. The young guard was left alone to finish fastening the ropes that tied him to the cot.
"What's your name, son?" Matt asked. He always started with the weakest link in the chain and this may be his only opportunity to find some help.
"Harris, Sir,". The youth replied. His voice was soft and gentle as well as polite.
"Ouch!" Matt exclaimed as Harris tightened one of the ropes. "Maybe you could ease up a little on that."
"Sorry," the young man replied and loosened the restraint a little.
The marshal knew he'd scored a small victory.
TBC