It was pitch black the next night by the time we got to Shankstown. We were worn out; we'd pushed it hard all day. I was torn between wanting a good night's sleep and trying to free Harper as quickly as we could. I figured since Hugh was the girl's father he was the only one with the right to make the decision.
"Let's get her out," he declared, and Danny nodded in agreement. We'd left the horses tied two buildings down, on the far side of the south wall so they couldn't be heard, and crept up on the back of the jail. It was dark and still inside; there was just enough moonlight to see Harper in her cell, asleep on the cot. Red must have been somewhere in the shadows – we couldn't find any trace of him. I motioned the two men back from the window and we got out of earshot.
"I don't like not knowin' where Red is," Hugh whispered, and I had to agree with him.
"Maybe we better wait until daylight," I suggested, and Danny nodded his head.
"He could be anywhere right now. She ain't safe when we can't see him."
"Back at dawn?" from me.
"Agreed." Danny spoke, Hugh nodded. We moved as quietly as we could back to the horses. We walked them back into the woods that surrounded the abandoned town and, at a safe distance, bedrolls came out, and the three of us settled down to try and sleep. Or, in my case at least, to lie staring up at the sky until it began to get light. Always, always when the thing I need to do most is sleep, that's the last thing I can do. Finally my body gave out and I dozed for an hour or two; when I opened my eyes it was light enough that I could see the horses. I rolled over and found the sheriff up and moving. No coffee this morning; the smells from it and the fire would carry.
I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The sun was actually rising as I checked my gun to make sure it was fully loaded. The derringer was now in my coat pocket; it was ready to go, too. The next time I glanced up Danny was saddling his horse. Looked like it was time to head back to the jail; I got up and carried my saddle over to the sorrel. The mood was grim; we were facing an unknown foe. I kept reminding myself that I'd been in tighter spots before, but at that exact moment I was hard pressed to think of one.
XXXXXXXX
Danny was in place at the back window of the jail. Sheriff Parish and I went around the front. He opened the door and walked in; I followed. I'd gone about three steps when I heard a familiar voice. "Well, well, well – if it ain't the sheriff. Did you decide to personally deliver my money, Parish? Or did you come for some other reason?"
"I brought your money, Red."
Maxwell was sitting at the desk again with his feet up, and his gun pointed somewhere between the two of us. "What's he here for?" He meant me.
"I'm here to make sure Harper gets out safe," I told him.
"Uh-huh. Heard the story Parish tells, did ya?"
I nodded. "Unlock the cell, Maxwell."
"Where's the kid?"
"I'm back here, Red," Danny called from the far side of the back door.
"Come on out, kid. I ain't gonna hurt ya."
"Don't do it, Danny!" Harper was standing at the front of her cell, having been pushed awake by our noise.
"Don't worry, Harper. He ain't after me." With that, the boy came in the back door. He'd holstered his gun so he wasn't a threat to the outlaw and went straight to Harper's side.
"What? I don't understand." The girl was confused, seeing that Maxwell's gun was pointed directly at her father. "Bart, what's goin' on?"
"Get over with the others, Maverick. You too, sheriff."
I moved over to the jail cell while Red had his Colt trained on Parish. I kept looking for an opportunity to get the drop on Maxwell, but the outlaw was being extremely careful. Once I was next to the boy and girl, he waved Harper's father over. With his gaze refocused on the whole group of us, he saw the confused look on Harper's face and laughed that evil laugh.
"Guess daddy never explained it to you, did he, girl? Why don't you tell her now, sheriff? I think it's about time she knows what her father really is, don't you?"
No sound came from the sheriff. He reached over and took his daughter's hand – she didn't resist. Maxwell shook his head.
"Not gonna talk, huh? Then I guess it's up to me." His gun still pointed at her father, his eyes shifted to the girl. "Your old man's a killer. A cold-blooded murderer. Been hidin' behind that badge all these years. That's the truth, ain't it, sheriff?"
Parish tightened his grip on Harper's hand. "No. It ain't the truth, Red, and you know it."
"Pa? What's he talkin' about?"
"Tell her, sheriff, or I will."
Hugh let out a sigh and turned to face his daughter. "I shot his brother Cody when he tried to escape jail. It was before you were born."
The girl never made a sound, just stared at her father. It was like somebody had turned a light on in her head, and a lot of things that never made sense before came into focus.
Red took a step forward and pulled the hammer back on his gun. "Alright, one at a time. Get rid of those guns. Kid, you first. Unbuckle the gun belt and drop it on the floor." Danny did as instructed. "Now you, Maverick."
I wasn't gonna argue with him. Like I've said before, I'll do just about anything I'm told to do when somebody's got a gun aimed at me. Only thing was, Maxwell didn't know about the derringer that resided in my inside coat pocket. When my gun belt was on the floor he moved on to the sheriff. "Come on, Parish. Get rid of it." The sheriff let go of his daughter's hand and complied with the order. "Now, all three of ya, move away from that cell door."
Suddenly, what he was gonna do became perfectly clear. Maxwell intended to put us in the cell with Harper. Once we were locked in with her, there'd be no way out for any of us. Eventually, the ghost town would have real ghosts.