Lost and Found – Part 4
His head throbbed at the brightness of the sun but he was glad to be outdoors. His worn slouch hat sat gingerly on his head; he could not pull it down completely without infuriating his still healing head wound. He stopped to enjoy the scenery around him; the gentle stream that ran behind the house was cool and refreshing as he drank a few handfuls.
It had not taken him long to realize that Catherine was an amazing woman. Not only was she blind and lived here alone, she continued to trap as her father had taught her in the years before he passed, skinning and tanning the hides as well. She had taken good care of him and still fussed over him at taking it easy since he was still mending but he needed to start carrying his own weight and not rely on her for everything like he did when he first woke up here.
Catherine told him she received few visitors and when she did, it was just the Sheriff of the nearest town and her father's old trapping partner. They would come by once a month or so and bring a few supplies to her or pick up the furs and skins she had ready. She did not seem to mind living here alone. He could still hear her soft voice telling him 'It's the only place I've ever known'. Looking around at the dilapidated house and barn, he decided he would start working on some minor repairs in the next few days. It amazed him a good stiff wind had not blown everything down by now. Being blind had limited her on being able to fix up the outside of the buildings and he was annoyed that her visitors had not offered to help.
Since being up and around, he had taken over her chores of checking the trap lines and hauling back the animals caught there. He even helped her skin them and tan the hides. Somehow, it seemed familiar and he enjoyed it and since his memory had not returned he would take what he could of those things. He found she would hum or sing quietly in Gaelic while she did most of her chores and it soothed him and made him feel warm inside—another familiar feeling he could not place. Dwelling on his lack of memory, he supposed it was the quiet solitude of the surroundings and the gentle caring of Catherine that actually made him feel content here and not angry or despondent at not knowing who he was or where he came from. She asked for nothing in return for her care of him, openly giving what little she had of her home and provisions. He needed to give back the kindness he had received, deciding to do what he could around the place.
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Six riders rode out of Potterville headed south at a slow pace, not wanting to miss anything along their route. They hoped and prayed that this would lead them to their missing friend.
Chris Larabee had easily gotten information about what had transpired between their missing man and the three Corkrin brothers, Potterville's local bullies. It seemed the three were not so hard and callous as they had thought after coming face to face with the very angry gunslinger. The brothers had admitted to beating Tanner before cracking him across the side of the head with a pistol butt. They would be feeling their own pain after Chris had finished with them.
All possible places for the missing man to go and hole up where checked as they covered the area. So far, nothing had been found of the man. Chris was getting impatient with the slowness of the search but they knew they had to check everything or risk missing him. Knowing Tanner, he probably found some cave, sheltered stand of trees or high ground in which to hide and nurse his wounds, if he was still alive. If Tanner had taken as severe a blow to the head as indicated, he could have been disoriented enough to end up who knew where. For all they knew, it might not have even been Vin in the first place but someone who met his description.
The six men came across a few homesteads on their way south but no one had seen Tanner. They were beginning to wonder if the man had turned another direction and was nowhere near here. They all agreed to continue their search south until sundown and then decide their next course of action.
It was an hour later when Buck spotted another homestead down a small rise and sitting well off the road. It had seen much better days but there was smoke coming from the chimney and the smell of baking bread drifted to him in patches on the slight breeze. There was not a worn trail leading to it from the road. He pointed it out to the others and they moved forward to check it out with little hope. As they approached the house, the whinny of a horse drew their own horse's attention and the men looked at the corral they were passing.
"Isn't that Mr. Tanner's most disagreeable mount?" Ezra asked as he eyed the big black gelding.
JD dismounted to go check out the animal. The horse had obviously been well cared for during his stay here. "It's Peso all right," he told the others, excited that they may have at last found Vin.
Once again, they moved toward the house. They pulled up short when a rifle barrel came out of the cracked open door and a voice called out, "That's far enough! What do you want?"
"We're looking for a friend of ours. Just want to know if you've seen anyone," Chris responded, warily eyeing the rifle barrel.
"Haven't seen anyone. You best leave now," the voice called back.
"Sure about that?" Chris asked. "His horse is in your corral." When no response came, Chris dismounted keeping an eye on the barrel of the rifle. "Think we'll take a look around," he said as he moved toward the house.
A shot in the air came from the left of the house and a rough voice stopped the gunslinger in his tracks. "Mister, ya best get on that horse and git."
They all turned to see Vin Tanner standing at the corner of the house, his hog leg leveled at Larabee. There was no mistaking the deadly intent in his blue eyes.
"Vin?" Larabee eyed the man, taking in his somewhat stiff posture and menacing bearing. "Vin, it's Chris."
"We've been lookin' for you a while now, pard," Buck said quietly, not wanting to provoke the man.
Vin's eyes roamed quickly over the men on horseback before returning to the man in black. He shifted his gun closer. "Aint gonna tell ya again," he said with quiet menace in his voice his eyes narrowing slightly.
Chris started to take a step toward the man when Nathan's voice stopped him. "Chris, let's go." Something in the healer's voice made Chris look at him. Looking back at Vin, Chris mounted his horse and they turned to ride back the way they had come.
Once over the rise and up the road a little ways Chris called a halt. He looked at Nathan for an explanation. "He didn't know us, Chris, and I'm not about to push him. We all know what he can do." Nathan looked at the others who nodded solemnly at that. They all knew just how deadly the man could be when riled.
"How could he not know us?" JD asked, confused.
"If he took a knock to the head like them brothers said, and he didn't know us back there. I'd say he's got amnesia. How bad, I can't say." Nathan shook his head. "He looked to be in good shape though."
"He was protecting the woman in the house," Josiah said thoughtfully.
"That was a woman's voice, wasn't it?" Buck asked, smiling widely.
"I find it difficult to believe that our ladies man failed to notice such a thing," Ezra threw out with a mischievous smile on his face.
"I was more concerned about that gun barrel at the time," Buck replied seriously. Ezra conceded with a slight dip of the head.
JD looked at the others. "How we gonna get Vin back if he don't know who we are?"
"Very carefully, JD. Very carefully," Josiah told him.
Nathan looked at everyone around him. "I got an idea. Let's head back to town an' I'll tell ya 'bout it."
Chris didn't want to leave the area and asked, "Why don't you just tell us now?"
"'Cause this could take a while, Chris."
Reluctantly, Chris headed them back to Potterville.
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"Catherine?" He spoke softly trying not to startle her.
The rifle barrel disappeared and the door swung open but she didn't step outside.
"Ya alright?" he asked, stepping into the doorway.
She did not answer his question. "They're looking for you. They could help you remember."
He studied her face at her soft-spoken words. She looked concerned and sad. "I should see to supper." She turned away and headed toward the back door and the garden.
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Back in Potterville, Chris and the others sat around a table at the back of the saloon. "Okay Nathan, tell us this idea of yours." Chris poured himself a whiskey and looked at Nathan.
Nathan took a swig of beer before answering. "It looks like Vin's been there a while. We need to talk to that woman."
Chris frowned. "Don't think he'll let us do that. He was serious about us leaving."
Nathan nodded. "Yeah. I think one or two of us should go back out there and watch the place awhile. See if she's ever alone. If we can catch her alone, we could talk to her. See what's happened while Vin's been there."
"And if she's never by herself, then what?" Buck asked. He did not relish the idea of facing Vin's gun again.
Nathan sighed. "I don't know, Buck. It's just an idea. But if he don't know us, he may not know who he is either. And…"
"He may not know about the bounty," Chris finished.
They all sobered at that thought. "We need to find out what he does remember. We need to talk to that woman." Nathan looked around the table and they all nodded.
Chris looked around at the men he considered friends and brothers. His next comment was not going to go over well. "Buck, JD, Ezra, I want you to get back to Four Corners. We've left it undefended for too long."
"Oh come on, Chris. We're just as concerned about Vin as you are." Buck looked at JD and Ezra for support. "Who knows how long it'll take to get the lady alone."
"Exactly," Chris glared at Buck. "We might be here a while. We can't leave the town unprotected any longer."
"Mr. Larabee," Ezra spoke up. "I must say I agree with Mr. Wilmington. It may indeed take all of us to return Mr. Tanner to our dusty metropolis."
"Yeah," JD added. "'Sides, we just got here."
Josiah had been quiet as he listened to his brothers, his mind whirling around the possibilities. "Chris, I think we should find out what Vin knows before we send anyone home."
"What difference is that gonna make?" JD asked, not following what Josiah was saying.
Josiah knew some about amnesia but he turned to the healer. "Nathan, what can you tell us about amnesia? How it affects a person?"
Nathan thought about it a moment before answering. "Well, what I know 'bout it, you could forget just a few things. Like forgetting a bad accident but you know who ya are and everything before hand. Or, you could forget everything before the trauma. You could wake up and not know anything about yourself. Not your name, where ya come from, how ya got there. Nothing."
"But if he only didn't remember them guys beating him up he would have known who we were, right?" JD asked.
"I would think so," Nathan answered back, his brows furrowed. "I just don't have enough information."
"If Vin does have total memory loss," Josiah went back to his original line of thought. "It may take all of us to help him remember."
Chris sighed. "We're paid to protect the town. I can't have all of us here since we've found Vin. You need to go back." He eyed Buck, JD and Ezra.
The three men looked at each other as if conversing mentally between themselves. "Alright, Chris, we'll go back. But you better keep us informed of what's goin' on." Buck glared at his old friend and Chris nodded.