PART 2
The train arrived in Ridge City on schedule, and Chris and Josiah were on the platform to greet it.
Larabee couldn't quite explain how he felt. He was annoyed as hell at all the telegrams, and more worried than he cared to say, and just damn anxious to see Ezra again. Four Corners hadn't felt right since his departure. With a shock of realization, Chris concluded that it had been nearly three months since Ezra left on his 'day or two' mission. It had been too long.
"He's taking a long time getting off," Larabee grumbled as the train steamed at the platform. "He better not be leading us on again."
"Not everyone has stepped off yet," Josiah told him, watching the departing passengers.
"He said that he would be on this one."
"Said that before."
"He's coming," Josiah said confidently.
Chris glanced toward the telegraph office, wondering if he should check for a new message. "If he got off at an earlier goddamn stop and sends us another goddamn telegram tellin' us that he's delayed again, and uses some other goddamn name, I'll skin him."
"Well, well, well, how welcoming!" the familiar voice reached them before they saw him.
Josiah and Chris turned expectantly, and didn't immediately move - stunned by the sight. If Ezra hadn't spoken first, they wouldn't have recognized him.
He was pale and thinner. His hair was longer and dark – almost black - and he sported a layer of stubble. His drab clothing didn't fit him properly and the strange slouch hat was totally out of place. He looked like a different person.
Ezra smiled at them, in that tight way he used when he was hustling people. He stopped his slow walk toward them, staying out of reach as if he wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Chris and Josiah stared.
Not receiving a response, Ezra's smile fell and he asked, "Am I a disappointment? I could go back." He looked over his shoulder as if considering getting back on the train.
"No," Josiah said softly. He stepped forward, slowly, and put one hand on Ezra's shoulder. He paused a moment, meeting Ezra's confused eyes, and then pulled him closer into an embrace. "I'm so glad you're home," the big man said.
Ezra looked alarmed, but let Josiah hug him, giving Sanchez a quick pat on the back, that changed to an embrace. "Glad to be home," he replied as he let Josiah pull him in tighter. He kept his gaze on Larabee though, gauging his expression.
Larabee was angry.
It took a long minute, but Josiah finally released Ezra, smiling happily.
"Stutz?" Larabee stated, annoyed at the use of the name.
"Standish," Ezra corrected, touching his chest. "I'm afraid I've been away too long and you no longer recognize me." He smiled at the joke, not seeming to realize the truth in the statement.
"What the hell, Ezra," Chris snapped. "What happened to you?"
"I believe I told you in the letter," Ezra said simply.
"Oh, a lot more went on then what you wrote in that goddamn letter. What the hell was going on with all those bullshit telegrams? With that shootout? You were hit."
People were skirting around them, trying to avoid the scene on the platform.
"There was only so much I could write in the letter." Ezra flexed his left hand. "And the hand cramps after too much abuse. I'm not used to writing with this one. My right arm is healed now, praise the Lord."
"Those goddamn telegrams!" Larabee repeated. "What kind of game were you playing?"
"A very serious one," Ezra said curtly. He moved so that Josiah was between him and Chris, wary of him.
'Was someone trying to hurt you, son?" Josiah asked, he put one hand on Ezra as if he was afraid he'd disappear.
"I am hoping I was able to get free of them." Ezra looked about anxiously. "And I believe I was successful."
Larabee closed his eyes a moment, trying to understand it all. "Come on," he said. "We're going someplace where you can tell me what the hell happened. Do you have a bag?" He looked toward where the porter was unloading the baggage.
Ezra shook his head. "I had to jettison much," he responded.
Chris blew out a breath. "Let's find a restaurant."
Ezra said softly, "I'd really just like to go home."
Larabee tone changed, becoming softer. "You look like hell," he said.
"I know." Ezra made a halfhearted shrug. "The dye will eventually wash out of my hair. I had to leave all my good clothing and my usual weapons at home. The substitute I brought for protection was confiscated by the men in blue." He kept talking, his voice light. "And I've been away from my regular laundress. One just cannot trust those in the city. They'll ruin everything." He smiled again in that forced expression.
Chris shook his head, stepped forward and extended a hand. He watched as Ezra reacted with a certain amount of trepidation, and finally reached out as well and took Larabee's hand.
"It's good to have you back, Ezra," Chris said sincerely.
"It's good to be back," Ezra answered, looking relieved.
"We need to talk about this," Chris said.
Ezra answered, "Really, I'd like to be on our way."
"I need some answers," Chris declared.
"You will get them," Ezra said.
.7.7
But, of course Larabee didn't get the answers immediately.
They made a quick stop at the telegraph office to send the message to the others, explaining that they'd picked up the 'package' from the train. Then, they made it to the livery.
Ezra was delighted to find that Josiah had brought Chaucer with him, and he spent several long minutes petting the beast, while Chris and Josiah did their best to keep the exuberant animal from crushing his man. Chaucer acted as if he wanted to climb up into Ezra's arms, and Ezra looked as if would allow it, if only he could handle the weight.
"Hello, my dear friend," Ezra cooed, his accent thick and honeyed. "Did you miss me terribly? Did they treat you well in my absence? Sorry, Chaucer, I have no sweets in my pockets at the moment, but rest assured there will be all the peppermints your heart desires once I can visit Potter's store."
The horse banged its head so hard against his chest, that Ezra was forced backwards into Josiah with an 'oof'. Ezra just smiled and went back to combing his fingers through Chaucer's mane.
It took some time to get moving again. Once Ezra was in the saddle, he claimed fatigue. He didn't want to go over the situation more than once, and would wait until they met up with the others in Four Corners. "You wouldn't want to exert me," he said to Chris, and then winked at Josiah.
"I want to hear it all, Standish," Chris replied testily.
"There is quite a tale to tell, and the others will be jealous if you learn it first. Don't you agree, Josiah? No sense in goin' over it more often than necessary."
Chris shot Josiah a glare and the preacher just shrugged. He looked too happy just to have Ezra back, and was willing to let him have his way.
So they rode toward town at a leisurely pace. Ezra asked questions about what had happened in Four Corners during his absence.
"How goes the gold rush?" Ezra asked.
"Mostly over," Josiah responded. "It didn't amount to much in the end."
"A pity," Ezra responded. "I would have liked to have taken a taste of that. Unfortunate that my schedule didn't allow for prospecting."
"I can never quite imagine you digging in the dirt, Ezra," Josiah said.
"I've done plenty of digging in my life," Ezra said. "I have dealt with plenty of dirt. Were there any further attempts on the bank?"
"None successful," Josiah told him. "A few tried. They failed."
"No one hurt?"
"None except for a few potential outlaws."
"I hope our town prospered from the influx of customers travelin' through."
"It evened out. Frustrations ran high. Chairs were busted. Windows shattered," Josiah explained.
Ezra sighed. "I do miss a good defenestration," he mumbled. "You all managed?"
"We did," Josiah assured.
Later, he asked. "And what about the fever that caused our Mr. Jackson so much grief? I hope that it hasn't caused any grave harm."
"It caused a few days of discomfort for many, and a lot of work for Nathan, but everyone made it through."
"Very glad to hear that. It just shows the skill of our Mr. Jackson. He has that special ability to bring his patients through just about anythin'. A marvel. One might miss such personal care when in a metropolis."
"The fever takes a long time to shake off though. It laid me low for over a week," Josiah went on.
"Then it's good that I stayed away," Ezra said.
"You could have headed out of that city, you know," Larabee said curtly. "You could have let us know where you were once you left that hotel."
Ezra held up a hand and said, "All will be explained if you have a little patience."
Patience was always in short supply when it came to Larabee and Standish.
For the rest of the ride, Ezra said little, his head bobbing to the gait of his horse. Chaucer seemed unusually rambunctious as he caroused with the other horses. Job would have nothing to do with it, but Prophet seemed resigned to the antics.
Larabee rode slightly behind, keeping an eye on Ezra, ready to grab him if he should start to waver. Ezra looked as if he hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages.
They were less than halfway home when four riders appeared in the distance. There was a pause as they sized each other up. It was too far to see them clearly, but Chris caught the glint of a spyglass. Then, there was loud whoop. The horses came charging toward them.
It was a race, with Peso taking the early lead, then Buck's big grey charged forward, but it was JD on Toby that reached them first.
"Ezra!" JD shouted happily. "Ezra! You're here! You made it!"
"Didn't hardly recognize you from a'far," Vin said, as he slammed Peso against Chaucer, making the chestnut gelding scramble for footing. He cuffed the slouch hat from Ezra's head. "What's this supposed to be?"
Ezra caught the hat as Buck came in at his other side, his horse shoving Josiah's aside. "What you do to your hair?" Buck said, and rubbed a hand over Ezra's head.
JD drove Toby in-between Chaucer and Peso. The blazed black tried to take a nip out of the little bay, which started a commotion among the rowdy herd. They all jostled for position.
"Hey, Ezra," JD said, slapping Ezra on the shoulder. "Your hairs nearly as dark as mine now, and just about as long."
"You tryin' to look like the kid?" Buck asked.
"Not such a bad idea, huh, Ezra?" JD said.
"At least he washes it," Buck observed.
JD shook his head at the comment. "I wash it every Sunday! Well, most Sundays." He crossed his arms as he said, "I told you! He ain't dead!"
"Didn't think he was," Vin said hotly. Then, annoyed at being driven aside, he turned Peso sharply, and used him to drive a wedge between Chaucer and Buck's Clyde. Chaucer was battered back and forth in the crush, but stood his ground. In the midst of the chaos, Ezra smiled.
"Ez, what took you so long to come back?" Buck asked as he brought Clyde around to the front to avoid Peso.
"Didja stop eatin', or something?" Vin asked, as he grabbed hold of Ezra's arm. "You're scrawny!"
"Would you three back off and let the man breathe!" Nathan chided as he stepped down from his horse and grabbed Toby's halter. "Give him some room!"
"Aw, Nate!" JD whined. Reluctantly, the three gave way and dismounted.
"What the hell did you do to yourself?" Nathan demanded as he closed in. "Get down from there, you fool!" he said, tugging at the fabric of Ezra's trousers. Chris and Josiah dismounted to stand near the others, waiting to see what happened next.
"Come on, Ezra," Buck said. "We'll have a little lunch while Nathan gets his mitts on you."
Seeing that everyone else was down, Ezra followed their lead, carefully sliding from his saddle, with Nathan offering help. "I am capable…" Ezra tried to say.
"I know you're capable," Nathan cut him off. "You're too damn capable. Now, go sit down on that rock and let me see what they did to you."
Ezra gave Chris an unhappy look, but Chris responded with, "You're the one who wanted to get moving."
"They said he was dead," JD said, his voice betraying his worry and relief. "Chris, they said he was dead."
"Who said it?" Chris asked, a snap in his voice. Ezra rolled his eyes.
"Travis sent a message," JD said. "Said he heard it from Carr. Said it happened eight days ago and he just found out about it."
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," Ezra told them.
"Eight days ago," Chris echoed and looked to Ezra, who shrugged.
"You didn't dissuade him from his belief, did you?" Ezra asked as he sat down on a large rock.
"Hell no," Buck responded. "We knew you were headed home when we got the note, but after all those different names, we weren't sure who we were talking to in the end."
"It was hell of a thing to hear," Vin said. "If we didn't know better…" He looked annoyed as he looked to Ezra and added, "You got to stop faking your death, Ezra. It ain't kind!"
Ezra shrugged. "I tried to warn you. I told you 'don't believe everything' in one of my telegrams."
"That was supposed to warn us?" Buck responded incredulously.
"I figured you would understand," Ezra said and smiled.
Buck sighed and patted his pockets. He came up with the telegram. "Travis says he's coming to Four Corners to discuss it with you, Chris."
Larabee took the note from him. "Killed in an accident," he said looking to Ezra who was being half-undressed by Nathan. The others went about setting up for a break – getting a fire going and putting a kettle on for coffee. "Care to explain this accident?" Larabee asked.
"That would take some time to tell," Ezra said. "There's plenty that leads up to it." He flinched as Nathan poked at him. "Careful," he mumbled.
Nathan frowned. "I don't like the look of that scar," he said, checking where Ezra had been shot.
"It didn't heal well," Ezra said forlornly. His sharp eyes quickly met Nathan's, "And I did everything asked of me!" he declared. "It wasn't my fault."
"No one's sayin' it is," Nathan replied. It took a few minutes, but Nathan seemed satisfied enough and finally stepped back to allow Ezra to put his shirt back on.
"He's lost a lot of weight," Nathan declared. "And looks about ready to drop. When was the last time you had a decent meal? When did you sleep?"
"I slept on the train," Ezra said. "I had breakfast this morning."
Nathan frowned, wanting to ask more, but Larabee cut him off.
"Everyone's here," Chris stated. "It's high time you started telling us what happened."
"Yes, of course," Ezra said as he shrugged his jacket back over his shoulders. "I sent a letter telling you how things were going after my arrival. Carr and his cronies wanted nothing to do with me. I didn't care for their tactics in trying to capture Harrington. They were most uncooperative."
"They didn't want to work with you?" JD asked.
Ezra paused, and said, "I believe that they felt I was beneath them and they didn't want me digging too deeply into what they were doing." He took on a hard expression as he stated, "And they robbed me of my stipend."
"Stipend?" Vin repeated the word.
"Travis had promised me a certain amount of regular cash. When I asked for it from Carr, he told me that it never came through. I asked Travis about it, and he told me it had been paid. Inquiries to Carr led nowhere, so I asked the honorable judge to send the money to my hotel instead, and he let me know that the request was ill-advised. He trusted Carr and wanted me to work through him. So, I did without."
"Travis wouldn't hear you out?"
"It wasn't worth the argument," Ezra said with a shake of his head, but there was a bitterness to the statement.
"You didn't tell us about that," Chris said
Ezra cocked his head, saying, "It would've been business as usual, wouldn't it? Me seeking more money? Seemed hardly worth mentioning."
"They weren't paying you?" Josiah asked. "I thought that was one of the reasons you agreed to go."
A reproached look came over Ezra at that statement. "I was trying to find Harrington. He'd killed several people in our area, and the fine police force at that particular precinct didn't seem to care. I was getting nowhere with them, so I decided I'd be better off without them." Ezra paused when Buck sat down beside him on the rock, settling his saddlebags at his feet. "I sent a message to both you and Judge Travis. Then, I started maneuvering."
"And you found your way into Harrington's gang?" Chris asked.
Ezra nodded. "It didn't take long. I suppose I have the look of a criminal, so they accepted me without much persuasion. I was with them for a few weeks and became a trusted associate."
"You weren't eating right," Nathan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm betting you've been this way since you started working for Harrington."
Buck was rooting in his bag, and pulled out a sack of peanuts. "You know how he is Nate, when he's not happy, the man stops eating." He opened the bag and offered it to Standish.
"I wasn't hungry," Ezra explained with a slight shrug, but he smiled and reached into the offered bag, coming back with a handful of peanuts.
Suddenly, JD was next to him. "Hey, Ezra. I brought a cheese sandwich. You can have it if you want. Mrs. Potter baked the bread this morning."
Ezra smiled, the tightness gone this time. "Why, thank you, Mr. Dunne. That would be agreeable, but I wouldn't want to leave you with nothing."
"Kid can share with me, Ez," Buck told him as he set down the peanuts and pulled out his own lunch. "Unless of course you want a chicken leg?"
"A sandwich will be fine," Ezra said. "I have missed Mrs. Potter's fresh bread."
JD smiled as he handed over the paper-wrapped lunch. He gripped Ezra's arm after he gave up the package, seeming happy just to have contact with him. Buck handed the kid one of the drumsticks in his bag.
"Coffee's gonna be ready in a bit," Vin said as he checked the kettle.
"Keep going, Ezra," Larabee said, "You got in with Harrington."
Ezra nodded. "Harrington had been busy in his old stomping grounds, robbin' several businesses since he arrived in that place. He ran a tight ship and kept his crew in line. I did my best to fall in place and mind my manners. Crossing Harrington was not advised."
"You get into any trouble with him?" Josiah asked.
"I stayed clear of him for the most part," Ezra stated. "I believe he hardly knew I was there. I dealt mostly with his lieutenants and did as I was told."
"That would be interesting," Chris said with a smirk.
Ezra raised his eyebrows at the remark, but kept talking. "Their last robbery was at a bank and for a substantial amount. The take was yet to be divided, so the participants were gathered to split it amongst themselves. I was given the position of 'lookout' since I hadn't participated in the heist, and thus wasn't expecting to receive anything from the pot."
He unwrapped the sandwich as he said, "So I let the police department know of the gathering ahead of time, and I was in place, and able to signal Carr unobserved by Harrington's crew. Shortly after that, the bullets started flying. In the end, Harrington and all of his men were dead and I had been winged."
"It was a pretty bad hit, Ezra," Nathan said. "I'm surprised the bone wasn't broken."
"Lucky, I suppose," Ezra said, moving his right arm. "It certainly hurt like hell when it happened. And it took some time to get full movement back. I believe all is back to working order now."
"Did they get the man who shot you?" Buck asked.
"No, not at all," Standish said. "I believe it was Carr's sniper that got me. Perhaps it was an accident."
"Like hell," Vin muttered.
"And you fell," Josiah said, his voice deep with anger.
"Yes," Ezra admitted. "I'd been atop a pile of wooden crates to afford an excellent vantage point, and the shot surprised me, to say the least. I ended up wedged in-between those crates and entirely immobilized."
"You should learn to fall better," Buck told him.
Ezra nodded. "I must have hit my head because by the time I came to my senses, it was over. There were still a few shots being fired. Slow and measured. I heard Johnny pleading that he was surrendering, and then another shot."
"Johnny?" JD repeated the name.
"Johnny McHale, Harrington's protégé. He was just a kid." Ezra paused, looking up to the others. "He had no part in the robberies, and was just there to help out. He was a clever lad with a good heart." He frowned, remembering. "Then Carr was calling his men together. I distinctly remember hearing him shout my name. I responded as best I could, but…" Again, that small shrug. "I wasn't doing very well at that point. And I believe I passed out."
The others were silent again for a moment.
"They didn't come back to look for you until the next day?" Larabee finally asked.
Ezra's head shot up and he gave them a quizzical look. He then said, "I was trapped. It took all night to work my way out. I was rather addled, but I managed to find help."
"Carr didn't send anyone?" Josiah asked, keeping his voice even.
"I sent word once I'd reached the hospital. I made sure he was informed," Ezra said.
"How long did they have you in the hospital?" Nathan asked.
"The first night," Ezra told them. "One of Carr's men came though, Bill Swan. He asked me what I knew about the incident at the warehouse. I claimed ignorance, sayin' that I was insensible throughout. It seemed to satisfy him, and he left. The hospital staff declared me well enough by morning. The wound wasn't troubling to them. I went back to the hotel because Travis had paid for the room, and I knew it would still be available."
"And the wound started to go bad," Nathan persisted, gesturing to the scar. "It got infected, didn't it? Did you have a fever?"
"I was able to manage." Ezra sighed. "I went back to the hospital when it was evident it needed further attention."
"You said you'd hit your head, too," Jackson persisted.
Ezra nodded, touching his head in the memory. "It didn't help matters," he said softly. "Perhaps it's why it took me so long to realize that things weren't quite right."
"A lot of things weren't right," Vin muttered as he poked at the fire.
"You were sick, weren't you?" Nathan said. "Sicker than you let us know."
Ezra shrugged. "I know you were far too overwhelmed back home, and if I were to say too much, you probably would have packed your bags and come after me." Ezra looked sad as he said, "And I would've been better by the time you arrived so it would have been for nothing."
"I would've come, Ezra," Nathan said sincerely.
"Which is why I couldn't tell you," Ezra returned. "I was well aware of the situation in Four Corners and it would make no sense to send you on such a pointless errand." He took a breath and continued, "It became apparent that the money from the heist was missing. And as I was the only gang member who survived. I was the obvious suspect."
Chris frowned. "Carr had to know it wasn't you."
"I am a criminal after all," Ezra stated. "I have been known to abscond with large amounts of money, given the chance."
"But the money was at the warehouse, wasn't it?" Chris went on. "They had to have found it."
"Yes, exactly," Ezra said.
"Carr took it," Vin said.
Ezra nodded.
"You know this for certain?" Josiah asked.
"I do," Ezra said.
"Did you find any proof?" Larabee asked.
"All the proof," Ezra responded.
Chris shook his head. "You took the money from Carr?"
Ezra nodded, smiling. "Carr may have a position of power, but he's dumber than a sack of hammers when it comes to hiding his secrets. I needed to change my name and move out of sight. It took some time, and many false starts, but I was able to track down his mistress, Molly Pierce, and then it took only a little snooping to uncover her favorite hiding place."
"How'd you manage that, Ezra?" JD asked, his eyes lit with excitement at the tale.
"There are some things that you probably shouldn't know," Ezra replied. "The young lady must love him dearly, because all of the money was there. I took it, moved it, hiding my trail as I went. Of course, I took enough cash to cover my train ticket home and to cover other expenses. Sadly, it ran out quicker than expected. I should have taken more, but I didn't want to put that poor loyal girl into any more difficulties with her true love." He shook his head. "I hope she didn't suffer for it. And his wife is a lovely woman as well. It's a pity that both of them have hung their stars on such a clod."
"Where'd you put all that stolen money?" Larabee asked.
Ezra grinned again. "Back in the bank that it came from. A bag, left inconspicuously near the tellers was quickly found. It was in all the papers."
"And you faked your death." Buck said.
"Well yes, once the money disappeared and was miraculously found, I knew that I would be the prime suspect. I had to lure Carr and his fine officers to the manufacturing district. It only took one taunting letter. I let them chase me toward a previously positioned mannequin. I climbed onto the catwalk, placed my jacket on the thing and rolled it off into a vat of lye when they started firing at me. I escaped, changed my name again, moved to a new residence, dyed my hair black, and put together this amazing ensemble." He pulled at the collar of his dull-colored jacket and then touched the brim of the odd hat. "Then I started my way for home, leavin' from a station some distance from Cincinnati. I took short hops at first to avoid suspicion. A long distance ticket might have drawn attention."
They all stared at him.
"Now, if I could eat my lunch. I am rather hungry, and as you all have noticed, I haven't been eating well."
"That's it?" Chris asked.
"Mostly," Ezra said, picking up the sandwich again. He took a bite, chewing carefully before he smiled at JD, raising the sandwich as he said, "Delicious."
"You have any proof that we can use, showing that Carr took the money?" Larabee asked.
"That he took the money? No. But this might help." Ezra pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Obtained while I was working for Harrington. Johnny was very enthusiastic and wanting to help in any way he could. He had become Harrington's secretary, I suppose, and was in charge of menial tasks."
"What's it say?" Buck asked, putting out one hand. Ezra handed the envelope to him, Chris snatched it from him before any greasy fingers could get at the letter inside.
"It's from Carr to Harrington," Ezra said. "The letter was supposed to be destroyed after Harrington read it, but the day was hot and Johnny was worried about starting a fire in the stove. I told him that I would take it to the alley and burn it in a barrel." Standish smiled sadly. "He was a good kid and didn't deserve what befell him. He simply ended up with the wrong people. I had hoped I would be able to send him on a different path when all of this was through, but…" He raised and lowered his hands. "I was perhaps the wrong person to attempt such a thing, and Carr was the wrong person to be at that arrest."
"This proves that Carr was working with Harrington?" Chris said, lifting the letter.
Ezra nodded. "It should. Carr was supposed to get a cut of the take from the bank, but I don't believe Harrington meant to give him any of it. Carr wasn't included in the meeting to divide the money, until I let him know it was about to happen."
Chris held the envelope and moved stand near Vin, mad as hell. He could see the anger in Vin as well as the tracker pulled the kettle from the flames.
"Coffee's ready, Ez," Tanner said congenially. "I don't think we have any milk though."
"A pity," Ezra responded, and took another bite of the sandwich.
Vin poured two mugs, and added half the sugar bag to one of them, then walked to the rock that Buck and Ezra were sharing. He worked a space for himself on one end of the boulder, shoving Ezra into Buck, so that the three of them were sitting hip-to-hip on the stone that wasn't big enough. He handed Ezra the black coffee, while he started sipping on the unstirred sugared cup.
For a minute, they were silent. Chris watched as Ezra slowly ate the sandwich and sipped at the coffee.
How the hell did he get so thin? Larabee knew Ezra would drink if he was in low spirits, but that was only when he was in the safety of town. When he was away, he had the habit of going off his feed.
Ezra sat, squished between Vin and Buck. The position didn't look terribly comfortable, but Ezra seemed content.
"Why didn't you ask for help," Chris asked pointedly.
"There was no need," Ezra said. "I had things in hand."
"Sound more like things were out of hand," Buck stated.
The gambler sighed tiredly. "If I had sent such a plea, you all would have been up in arms and alarmed, determined to come to Ohio to save me, even though you had far too much work already here. It would have been ridiculous, and a terrible waste of money. The cost of the telegrams was alarming enough. And once I was on the run, your presence would have just caused trouble. It's hard to be covert when you're with a posse."
"You should've let us know that things were getting so bad," Chris said.
"I was perfectly fine looking after myself," Ezra declared.
"Yeah, it looks like it," Vin responded, bumping against Ezra. "You look half-starved."
"I'm used to working alone," Ezra went on. "This is nothing."
"All those bullshit telegrams, Ezra…" Chris started, and then grimaced in frustration. "When I ask you a goddamn question, Ezra, I expect an answer. And I won't stand for you lying to me."
"I answered," Ezra responded.
The others all made various sounds of annoyance.
"They were answers," Ezra said.
"They weren't very helpful," Buck groused.
"I was low on funds and every word adds to the cost when using the wire service. And I never lied," Ezra added.
"You said you were fine," Nathan pointed out.
"And I was," Ezra said. "As is proved by the fact that I am here now."
"We could've done something," Chris stated. "If you'd just come straight with us, we could have helped."
Ezra just looked sad. "No, Chris, you couldn't. Cincinnati is nothing like Four Corners. I was a small fish in a big sea, struggling against the surge of it. I did the best I could and escaped with my life. I suppose that's good enough. There was no need to draw any more of you into those depths. Then we would've all been sunk."
"Let him eat, Chris," Nathan admonished. The look he gave Larabee said that they'd talk about this later.
Ezra chewed another bite, and then said, "We shouldn't linger for too long. I would like to continue home at the first opportunity."
"We're getting there soon," Nathan assured. Near the fire, Nathan, Josiah, JD and Chris exchanged the same unhappy looks.
Yeah, Chris thought, someone was going to pay for this.
TBC - he made it back! whew