PART 4:

Chris and Vin left for Four Corners almost immediately, taking Josiah with them. The preacher was loath to leave Ezra, but Standish had insisted.

"I've been putting up with two babysitters for the past two days," he groused. "I'm sure that Mr. Wilmington is capable of steering me away from open pits and keeping me away from shards of glass. They've been trying to get all of us out of Four Corners, and that's exactly what they have at this moment. You must go home!"

"In any case," he went on, "It would appear that all the miscreants have vacated Ridge City. Buck and I have nothing to worry about."

Once Josiah had left to fetch his horse, Chris took Buck aside. He jabbed a thumb in Ezra's direction while Vin chatted with the gambler. "We seem to have someone tryin' their best to kill him, so I'm counting on you to keep that from happening."

"You have my word on it," Buck responded, touching his hat. He glanced at the other two as Vin gave Ezra a thump on the chest, making Standish stagger backward. "Best keep Vin off of him in any case."

The thump was apparently Tanner's way of saying "adios," because he returned to his horse and pulled himself into the saddle. Once seated, he gave Buck an unhappy look. "You think you're so smart about Lindsay, don't you?"

"She's a woman of good taste," Buck said.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna be in town – and you're not," Vin reminded. "So we'll see where that goes."

Hell, Buck thought, as Josiah appeared outside the livery, and the two turned to join him. You just can't be sure about that Tanner. And he wondered if he should have gotten Miss Lang something even nicer.

When the other three were gone, Buck and Ezra headed to the telegraph office to send word to Four Corner, letting Nathan and JD know that Ezra wasn't at death's door, that the others were headed home, and that Four Corners was in danger from the three strangers. They stayed, and Ezra counted the 'dits and dahs' to ensure that the proper message was sent.

There was still no word from Cedar Ridge, but the remaining wire operators let them know that trains were backed-up and re-routed across the territory as they waited for the track to be reopened at Ridge City. "The inspectors gave us the go ahead to start things moving," one of the operators said. "Should have the tracks approved any minute now."

By the time Ezra and Buck finished lunch at the restaurant, the inspectors' locomotive was chugged onto the side track and the main line was reopened. The first westbound train arrived soon afterward, and with Cook's help, Ezra and Buck found tickets.

The ride to Cedar Ridge was a quiet one, and should have been relaxing after their past couple days, but Ezra hunched in his seat and clung to the armrest with a white-knuckled grip. Every time the train changed speeds he'd breathe heavily and go a bit paler under his bruises.

Buck knew better than to offer empty platitudes and assurances. Instead, he did what he could to distract the man about the ride, trying to discover the reason for the destructive swath that followed the gambler.

"Can you think of any reason why they'd want you dead?" Wilmington asked.

"I found nothing," Ezra repeated, and then he said, "But recall something that'd slipped my mind earlier. I fear that I'm not very sharp presently. I made another stop in Cedar Ridge. It came to nothing as the storefront was closed for the day. I meant to return. Someone may have seen me."

"Where was that?" Buck questioned.

"The assayer's office," Ezra told him in a quiet voice. "I had a hunch that there may've been more involved in the Sahale dispute that just cattle and land. The ladies do like shiny things."

"Not according to Josiah," Buck reminded.

"When it gets down to it," Ezra said, "most arguments seem to boil down to either love or money." He shrugged and said, "Everyone seems to think this is about the love aspect of the situation. What if this about the money side? What if the land is worth much more than we realize?"

"Well now," the sudden voice made Ezra jump and Buck's hand twitch toward his weapon. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Benson," Buck stated the name, remembering the man who had been hanging around Cook at the wreck. He stood, blocking Benson from entering their space.

"The trains are finally moving!" Benson said exultantly. "I thought I'd never get out of that wretched town."

"I thought you were a project manager," Buck stated. "You seemed pretty eager to lend a hand with the Columbia."

Benson shrugged. "They had plenty of others to do the job, and those inspectors are sons of bitches. They wanted things done their way, and that was that. There was no room for a man like me, so I'm headed home. Where you goin'? I thought you both were from Four Corners? Can't get there by train."

"Taking a day trip," Ezra returned pleasantly. "It seemed like the thing to do, to celebrate the reopening of the track."

Benson laughed. "I would've thought a train would be the last place I would see you. That crash should have killed you and Rudolph outright. How did you manage to survive it?"

Ezra smiled, but his expression was tight. "I'm lucky, I suppose. Only a lucky man would feel like I do at this moment."

Benson guffawed, and said. "I'm headed to the club car. I'll be back with somethin' to drink and we can toast your good fortune." And he continued down the aisle.

Buck started to speak, to tell Benson to leave them alone, but Ezra touched his arm. "Do you still have the drug that the doctor gave you?" he asked quietly.

"Sure, Ezra." Buck sat down next to him, and dug the bottle out of his pocket. "I'm damn sorry. I should've brought it out sooner. You hurtin' bad?"

Ezra smiled again. "My vision hasn't been exceptionally clear lately." He gestured to his swollen eyes. "Can you read the bottle? Does it mention anything about what sort of effects the drug might have? Would it make someone sleepy?"

Buck examined the bottle, and said, "Yeah, it does. I can see the wisdom in that, Ezra, 'cause I know we both have to have our wits about us, but we got at least an hour left on this train and you can just take a small dose to take the edge off, and…"

Ezra held up his hand to stop Buck from speaking. "How much do you think you can sneak into Mr. Benson's drink when he returns, because I'm thinkin' it might not take much to bring that man down."

*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*

When Benson returned with a tray, a bottle and three glasses, he set them up on the table between them, taking the backward seat. Ezra declined the refreshment, saying that his constitution wouldn't allow such indulgences at that moment. As the gambler chatted him up, Buck managed to drop a dollop or two of the amber liquid into Benson's glass, and thankfully, the man was none the wiser.

Benson spoke with a pleasant easiness, but there was a tension in his manner. Ezra tried to weasel information from him, and Benson became tight-lipped, and then he set down his glass, fumbling it on the tray. He slurred out, "You son of a bitch…" before his chin sunk to his chest and he collapsed into his chair.

Soon, he was in a deep slumber, his legs splayed out before him.

"Didn't take much," Ezra said. He gave Benson a poke. The man responded with a little snort, and continued to sleep.

"Powerful stuff." Buck said and looked up, scanning the train car. "We could find some new seats on another car," he started, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. "Train's pretty full, and we'd better to stay put to keep an eye on him."

"Agreed," Ezra replied. "I'd rather not move if I didn't have to. I'm wondering if he's the man Rudolph mentioned in the hospital, the one man he trusted."

"Hard to say," Buck responded. "He looks like a city boy. Seems like the kind that Rudolph would put his trust in. Of course, he thought someone was killing him, too."

Ezra grimaced. "I wish I could recall more," he said. "The answer seems to be just out of reach. I keep trying to snare it, but the facts elude me."

They rode in silence for a time. Ezra would flinch every time the wheels shrieked under them, and would not look out the window, instead staring forward, past Benson's slumped form.

Ezra caught Buck giving him a concerned look and looked mortified. "It will pass in time," the gambler assured. "This is only temporary."

"I know that, Ez," Buck replied quietly. "Anyone would be a little anxious. Don't worry about it. I'm not."

Ezra nodded tightly, "I just need to get over this," he said and continued to stare ahead, clutching the seat.

"You ever feel like a detective on a mystery novel?" Buck asked to change the subject. "Because I'm beginnin' to feel like I'm in the midst of one."

Ezra laughed dryly. "Yes, this has become a veritable who-done-it. And we're the intrepid detectives! I surely hope we can get to the bottom of this case soon, and that this isn't the type of story that introduces a new character in the back quarter of the novel." He glanced to Benson. "I've had about enough of all of them."

Their trip to Cedar Ridge was, thankfully, uneventful. Ezra closed his eyes and let out a low breath as the train started to slow. He didn't open his eyes again until they were almost in town, when the train was at a crawl.

He finally relaxed a little as his eyes opened and he peered out the window, seeing Cedar Ridge.

"You ready, Ezra?" Buck asked.

Standish glanced to Benson and said, "Mr. Wilmington, do you think you could find Mr. Benson's ticket without waking him?"

Buck shrugged, and found it on his first attempt, in the breast pocket of his suit. "Cedar Ridge," he said, reading the punch.

"As I expected." Ezra pulled his own ticket from his pocket. "Mr. Cook supplied us with a full fare in his haste. Rather kind of him, but I feel it was due to the ticket office being swamped with delayed passengers. We could go as far as San Francisco if we wanted. Perhaps Mr. Benson would enjoy seeing the sea?" and he handed his own ticket to Buck.

Wilmington clucked his tongue as he took the ticket from Ezra and tucked it into Benson's pocket, letting it peek out so that the conductor could easily find it when he came through. "Seems like he could use a vacation," he commented. "I know I could."

He helped Ezra to his feet once the train ground to a halt, and they made their way to the car's exit.

"Now, Ezra," Buck said as the came down the steps to the platform. "What if Benson had nothing to do with any of this? He may've been tryin' to get home, and we've sent him far out of his way. He may be innocent."

"If he's innocent, I am a pure as the driven snow. He's up to his neck in this business."

Buck nodded. There was something a little too eager about Mr. Benson, a little too apprehensive about their questions. He didn't know how Benson figured with the rest of this, but it helped to know that the man wasn't following them.

"Our first stop will be the hotel," Ezra told Wilmington. "I am in desperate need of a change of clothing, and my luggage is hopefully still in my room." He pulled at his filthy, smoky, torn jacket. "It's a wonder I'm able to function at all in this fashion."

They crossed the street, falling behind in the sea of departing passengers. Once everyone was off, and the new passengers were on, the train was back in motion, ready to make up some lost time and clear the track for a train that was waiting for its turn on the side track.

In the hotel lobby, Ezra stopped abruptly, turning to face the window and stare out at the street. One man was crossing toward the station with a determined stride, looking like he wanted to chase down the departing locomotive.

"Did you get a look at him?" Ezra asked Buck in a low voice.

"Huh?" Buck responded, and gazed at the man Ezra indicated.

"That man, did he look familiar to you?"

Buck pondered. He'd glimpsed him as they'd made their way across the street. From the back, he was unremarkable. He was a big man with wide shoulders. "Can't say, Ezra. Didn't pay much attention. He looked kinda tense when we passed him. That's about all I can say."

"Under that mustache, he's the spitting image of Rudolph Rand," Ezra said. "And he looks as if he expected someone to get off the train."

It wasn't a good angle, and his contact with Rand was only in the hospital, where the man was nearly as banged up as Ezra. He'd trust Standish on this one.

"Carson," Ezra said under his breath.

"What's that?"

"Carson! That's it!" Ezra looked relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from him. "That's the name! Rudolph spoke of his brother while we traveled, his partner, Carson," Ezra continued to watch this second Rand through the window. "Rudolph didn't speak very favorably of him."

"Huh," Buck said again. "That's a new wrinkle."

*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*

Ezra let out a relieved sigh when he opened his hotel room and found it in good order. He gave Buck a knowing look and said, "Proof enough that I'm not at the center of this storm. Certainly, if someone thought I knew something, the room would have been ransacked." He turned to face Buck. "Proof that the crash wasn't about me!"

Buck responded, "So if this isn't about you, then what? Think Carson has something to do with this."

"It seems quite probable," Ezra said. He moved immediately to the little wardrobe and let out a pleased sound to find his clothing waiting for him.

Buck moved into the room to lean on the wall near the window. "So," he said, "What can you tell me about this Rand brother?"

Ezra removed his tattered coat with and dumped it in one corner of the room. He looked ashamed as he said, "I don't think I'd realized how much of that day is lost to me. It's coming back. Rudolph did talk about his brother a great deal, to the point that I grew tired of trying to reassure him that he was always in the right. He'd kicked his brother out of their partnership quite recently."

"That'd cause some bad blood," Buck responded.

"Rudolph thought he was the king of the Oregon Territory, the brains of their organization, and Carson was little more than an overpaid worker." When Ezra removed his ruined shirt, Buck could see that the bruises had faded slightly from this morning – the blacks and purples were less vivid, fading to blues and greens along the edges, but Ezra was still a mess.

Standish kept speaking as sat down on the bed to remove his boots, wincing as he worked them off. "Rudolph felt he had been ill-used by his brother, making all the money for their company, while his brother played about in the forests and reaped the rewards."

Buck watched the busy train station, giving Ezra a little privacy as he changed out of his trousers. "If Carson was out on the land, he was working hard," Wilmington said. "I'd hardly call it 'playin' about'."

"Well, you know how I feel about labor of any kind. It is best done by someone else. A good partner willin' to take on that part of the business is an asset." Ezra stood, stiffly, but with greater ease than had been seen for days. He approached the wash stand and poured some water from the ewer into the basin to wash up. "And I think there was something regarding coal," Ezra said and paused. He shook his head at his inability to come up with more information. "They fought. That's all I can recall on that matter."

"Do ya think Carson was angry enough about that to follow him here and kill him?" Buck asked. "Seems he went rather far to get that accomplished if he came from Oregon Territory."

"Rudolph was very hot when he talked about the argument. I don't think I realized how recent it had been. There may be something I'm missing… or forgetting." He squeezed his eyes shut in thought. The opened them suddenly. "There were signs that other people had recently been on that train."

"Signs?"

"Just a general disarray in both the private and passenger cars. Glasses set out, things out of place. Rand must have had a steward at some point, he was the type to have a servant to handle the cleanup. But no one had done so for some time." Ezra shook his head slightly and pulled on a new shirt. "Perhaps Carson rode with him, along with those other men we've been hearin' about."

"That makes sense," Buck decided. "Would explain how they all ended up here."

"We should check with folks in town to see how long they've been here, and how many of them there are." Ezra buttoned his shirt and then reached for a green jacket from the wardrobe. He pulled it on carefully, and adjusted the collar. Once he was wearing a fresh set of clothing, he looked much more like himself. "Whatever they were planning for Ridge City, it was put in motion before the Columbia left Cedar Ridge, and it involved Four Corners." He glanced to Buck. "They moved their telegraph man into place in advance of the train's arrival in Ridge City. They sent the message to Four Corners to get us moved out of there immediately after the wreck."

"So, why are they interested in Four Corners? Is this about the Sahale trial?" Buck asked. "That's just a couple of boys blowing up stuff. That can't be right."

Ezra moved to the mirror. With a frown, he adjusted his clothing, and stared at the state of his face. He touched one of the more livid bruises carefully. "We have little else going on now."

"This is crazy. This is all crazy," Buck stated. "Carson's men couldn't shoot Rudolph in the train car, so they crashed a train into a building? They had to know that they were going to hurt a whole mess of folks that way. Killed and injured plenty. And then they ended up just shooting him anyway."

Ezra hadn't moved from his position at the mirror. He stared at his bruised face as if haunted by it. He tried to open his swollen eyes further, without much luck. "Maybe they failed at outright shooting him on the train, and things got out of control after that," he said quietly, tilting his head slightly in one direction and studying himself. "A runaway train is difficult to stop."

Buck placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder and carefully turned him away from the mirror. "Come on," he said. "We gotta go check on some things, and hopefully get this all sorted out. Probably should send an update to Larabee. We should see if they ever got the telegraph office open."

*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*

The reason for the silence from Cedar Ridge's wire service was obvious once they arrived. A recent fire had taken out the shack, along with the City Hall that Ezra had searched earlier.

"Well, isn't that convenient," Ezra muttered.

The fire had started some time after the Columbia left, burning quickly through the records area of the city hall. The fire continuing through the rest of the building and skipping down to the telegraph shack where it was finally quenched.

With the trains being backed up, and no way to send out a request for new telegraph equipment, it would be a while before Cedar Ridge would be set up to send messages again. With no way to send a contact to Larabee, Buck and Ezra could only continue their investigations.

They found that the Columbia had arrived in Cedar Ridge over a month ago, that the Rand brothers had brought with five men with them – the Columbia's engineer, fireman and Stevenson as a steward and secretary, plus two lackeys, Lew and Bill. At least they knew the count.

Riders from Ridge City had arrived, having followed the tracks all the way in, but found no trace of the Columbia's crew.

They visited the assayer's office next, finding the agent had arrived shortly before them. It had been slow recently, and he'd taken a few days to work on his cabin. When they started asking questions about recent inquiries, he was tight-lipped, but then he realized they were lawmen from Four Corners investigating the Sahale trial.

Yes, he told them, someone from the ranches had been there a couple months ago - Robin Sahale with a few gold nuggets. "Good quality, obviously mined from a substantial vein," the assayer said confidentially.

"Gold?" Ezra repeated. He licked his lips and asked, "Any idea of where this mine was located. They didn't mention that, by chance?"

"He was pretty tight lipped," the assayer responded.

"Anyone else know about this mine?" Buck asked him.

The assayer tipped his head. "Robin brought his girl, Helen, with him and started bragging about how he was going to buy her anything she wanted. She shushed him up fast, and asked me for some writing paper, and use of my desk to write something out. She said she was going to ask her uncle something. Finished the letter right quick, and posted it the same day."

"Would you, by any chance, have seen part of the letter's contents?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing of the letter. She was careful about that, but I saw the address where she was sending it, a lawyer's office in Tucson, to a Mr. Benson."

"And how long after that did the Columbia arrive?"

"A week or two, I 'spect. Not much longer."

*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*

Carson was standing on the platform, waiting as another westbound disgorged its passengers.

Now that Buck had a better view, he could see the resemblance. Carson was a bonafide lumberjack, with wide shoulders and a roughhewn look to him, but even so, Buck could see the resemblance to Rudolph.

They stood beside the tougher Rand for a moment, waiting for the passengers to step down. When the last of them were off, Carson made a disgusted sound, and turned to see who was near him.

"Good day, sir," Ezra said pleasantly.

Carson harrumphed. If he recognized Standish, he made a good show of hiding it. Apparently, Ezra's presence on the Columbia hadn't been known by all.

"Waitin' for anyone in particular?" Ezra asked mildly.

Rand made a face. "Someone should've been on that first train. Figured he'd be on this one instead," he said.

"May be a while before they get all the trains sorted out," Buck said. "There was quite a hold up in Ridge City. A mighty wreck."

Carson gave him an unsettled look. "We've heard about it," he said. "News came with the folks that came off that first train."

"It was a horrible sight," Ezra commented. "A train engine utterly destroyed. A hotel torn to pieces. People killed and maimed and … bruised." He tsked and shook his head. "Terrible."

Carson looked a little pale. "You were there?" he asked, his voice quiet. "You saw it?"

"From a spectacular vantage point," Ezra responded.

"Must have been something to see," Carson said, feigning indifference badly. "A train jumping the tracks at the station."

"Not just jumped the track," Buck replied. "Someone sabotaged it, threw the switch, turning that locomotive into a bullet designed to kill folks in that hotel. Meant to kill anyone onboard."

"I heard the owner survived," Carson said with no emotion. He turned his attention back on the westbound. No one else was getting off, and the conductor was calling "All Aboard" to get it moving again.

Carson looked at Ezra again, and then Buck. "Both of you were on that first train out," he stated, apparently remembering them from earlier that day.

"We were indeed," Ezra said. "And you were waiting for your passenger to get off."

A quick nod. "He went to Ridge City on yesterday morning's train, and was supposed to come back on the next westward one."

"Pity about the crash then," Ezra said, "delaying your friend's travel plans and all. Why would anyone in their right mind want to take such a quick round trip? Unless they had a chance to ride in a particularly pleasant conveyance, I see no reason for it."

"He's our lawyer," Rand said, giving Ezra a suspicious look. "He was going to … pick up some information and return."

Suddenly, a voice called out in the street. Two men in a cart were shouting, "Get the sheriff! Hurry!"

Buck groaned, wondering what else was going to fall their way, but he followed Ezra toward the cart. Carson and a dozen other folks curiously crowded in.

Three men sat at the front of the cart. "We found 'em yesterday," one of them was saying to the first folk who reached them. "Couldn't make it here until today."

They reached the cart at the same time. Carson gasped and Ezra suddenly wavered on his feet. Buck placed a hand on his arm to steady himself. In the bed of the cart were two bodies – both in smart uniforms of blue and silver – Ash and Harvey, the train's crew.

The bodies were bruised and battered and unmoving.

Buck turned his attention on Carson, who'd gone as white as a sheet. When he saw attention on him, he started to stumble off, but Buck pulled away from Ezra and went after him. He grabbed hold of his arm and said between gritted teeth, "Anything you want to say about this before the sheriff arrives?"

*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*(7)*{7}*

At a little restaurant that looked out at the crowded train station, Carson Rand fretted and pulled at his napkin. He was a big man, but at that moment he looked like a child.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" he hissed finally. "None of this was supposed to happen. It's all his fault. This is his fault."

"Care to tell us about it?" Buck asked, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest.

"I want to go on record that none of this was my fault!" Carson repeated.

Ezra and Buck exchanged a glance, and Ezra said, "On the record I will note that you say that it isn't your fault."

Carson frowned, cleared his throat and then said, "We have a lawyer in Tucson. My brother, Rudolph, had asked him to be on the lookout for new stakes, something in the southwest or someplace warm. He was tired of the rain in our part of the Oregon Territory. He thinks it rains all the goddamn time, but he doesn't know anything. Hardly ever puts his head outside his office. He acts as if doing any real work would kill him."

"Not an unpopular notion," Ezra said, "for some…"

Carson went on, "Benson wrote to us and told us about an interesting opportunity. His niece was aiming to marry a man and wanted to know the worth of his land. They found gold. Rudolph had promised to reward Benson if he came across any opportunities, so he was proposing that we get interested."

Carson glared at both of them. "I had nothing to do with it," he said. "This was all Rudolph's idea."

"Yes, I think you've stated that before," Ezra said. "On the record."

"We came out last month to check it out, and I was looking out for our interests."

"Of course," Ezra replied.

"And where is this property?" Buck led on.

"It's near a nothing town called Four Corners. Two brothers feuding, trying to take each other's land. We saw the gold that one of them was carrying. Apparently, it was good stuff. Rudolph had a plan." Carson scowled. "I was trying to save lives," he said. "Rudolph meant to kill them all."

That brought Ezra and Buck to attention. "Kill them all? Who exactly…"

"The brothers… and a woman." Carson groaned at the memory. "And anyone else who was in the way."

"And how exactly did your brother plan on killing these folks?" Buck asked.

"They had plenty of men on their ranches, plenty of folks with guns. We weren't ready to take that on. So, we waited, and then heard they were in custody in Four Corners. Rudolph figured it'd be easier to get them there, when they weren't on their own home land. But then folks around here were sayin' that if these brothers were in Four Corners, there'd be no way of gettin' at 'em. They have a squad a lawmen there like a pack of feral dogs. Rudolph figured if we could get those men out of the way, then we'd have an easy way in. He'd already sent poisoned food to the lawmen when I found out about it."

Buck's hand tightened on his gun as he remembered JD.

"When he hadn't heard about lawmen dropping down dead, he figured he'd find another way to get them out of town. He sent his train steward to Ridge City. That man knew Morse Code, and could get a place at their wire office. Rudolph didn't want him working from here in case anything blew back at him."

"Of course," Ezra responded.

"Told him to lay low for a few days, just get integrated in with the other folks, start sending messages around town, getting himself settled in. He'd need to send a message to Four Corners when the … time was right… callin' for help from those lawmen."

"Yes, if only something big would happen in Ridge City…" Ezra led on.

"We had a falling out," Carson went on, not taking the bait. "I was done with all this nonsense, done with all this talk of killing those boys… and the woman. And Rudolph was done with me. He told me and the other fellows to get off the train, and he went on his way. And that's the last I heard of anything," Carson added. "Until today, when I heard about the crash. My brother survived? That's what I heard, thank the Lord."

Ezra and Buck exchanged puzzled looks. "That doesn't sound like enough, does it, Mr. Wilmington?"

"Not hardly," Buck replied.

Carson looked defiant. "What do you mean?"

"Why did your man at the telegraph office send a message to Mr. Cook that drew him away from the station just before the train came in? Pure happenstance?" Ezra made a face. "Someone had to change the switch. The crash was planned before the train left Cedar Ridge."

"I had nothing to do with it!" Carson spat out.

"You said Benson went on the morning train. There was indeed one train before the Columbia left Cedar Ridge," Ezra told him. "Benson was on that train, sent ahead to inform your nefarious steward about your plan. He had to get that message to Cook before the Columbia reached the station. You had your remaining men board the passenger car and go into hiding."

Carson started to stand, but Buck pulled his gun, resting it on the table and aiming it at the man.

Carson stared.

Ezra kept speaking. "Once the train was in motion, they attempted to enter the private car, probably to knock your brother unconscious," Ezra looked to Buck. "Bullet holes might be conspicuous, but two men could take down a passenger who wasn't expecting an attack, especially if he's supposed to be alone and especially if the accosters were known and trusted associates. And a few more bruises would be unnoticeable after such a tremendous crash."

"Yeah," Buck said, taking up the story as he figured it out as well. "When they couldn't get in, the jammed the door and went after the crew. Killed them and dumped them. Then slowed the train outside of town, just enough to jump off, after fixing the controls so that it'd keep speeding up."

"Someone turned the switch at the station. Was it the steward, or did you have the lawyer perform that task?" Ezra asked.

"I had nothing to do with that!" Carson cried, trying to keep his voice down as he stared at Buck's gun. "The crew wasn't supposed to die!"

"And your brother wasn't supposed to survive the crash," Ezra told him. "When he defied the odds, you had your men murder him in cold blood in the hospital."

Carson shifted his gaze to Ezra, eyes even wider. "I didn't … I didn't know… I hadn't told them…I couldn't anyway, telegraph was out! After the fire, I couldn't tell them anything anymore!" And he gritted his teeth to shut himself up.

"You endangered all those lives, killed folks, hurt folks, tried to kill my friend three times to keep him quiet, just because you were mad at your brother," Buck stated.

"No!" Carson exclaimed, looking at Ezra in confusion. "I don't know him! And I was out of contact with the others. I had no idea what was goin' on!"

"There must have been some serious hate between you two, not just a simple disagreement on how to dispose of a couple of young ranchers," Ezra went on. "Not just about money," he stated, as if he didn't quite believe it himself. "You don't seem the kind to be overly tempted in that direction. So, what do you care about? What is it that matters so much to you? He must have threatened something…"

"Love or money," Buck said, remembering a conversation they'd had earlier. "So if it wasn't money," and he turned to Carson. "Must have been about a woman?"

"So, Mr. Rand, did he try to steal your girl?" Ezra taunted. "He was the better dressed of the two of you, the more refined. Did this girl prefer his good manners to your roughness?"

Carson half stood, ready to launch himself at Ezra, but Buck raised the gun and kept him in place.

Carson glared at him, his eyes filled with hate. "He's a goddamn son of a bitch that doesn't care about anyone other than himself! He deserved to die! That train crash should've killed him," Carson snarled. "He wanted her dead! He was going to kill her!"

Ah, that was it.

"Kill who?" Buck asked.

"Helen Witt!" Carson cried. "He's going to blow her up with those brothers at your jail! He knows that she'll be there with them! Stevenson will do it."

"The telegraph operator?" Buck responded, surprised.

"He won't stop until he's done with Rudolph's plan! He's devoted to that man." Carson choked a sob and cried, "Helen… Helen was going to be my wife!"

That was enough to make both of them draw back in surprise.

"I love her," Carson said quietly. "It was supposed to be part of the scheme. I marry her, and once the brothers were dead, I'd inherit everything. I wasn't going to do it, but Helen… she was lovely. I couldn't help but fall in love with her."

"Seems to be a trend," Buck muttered.

Carson went on. "Rudolph could've taken all the gold. He could have had all the land, and left me with Helen. We could have gone off to some far flung corner of this country and started over, but…" and his eyes filled with a rage again, "She wanted more. She wanted everything! And she married Rudolph instead! Said he was the better choice."

And he looked toward the door and said, "I still have a chance! I can change her heart! I can save her!"

Buck and Ezra, turned to each other with looks of utter astonishment, and that was enough for Carson to attempt his escape.

He bolted from his chair and charged through the door. Buck stumbled, getting to his feet and then went after him. "Stop!" he shouted. "Stop, goddamn it!"

The Cedar Ridge lawmen were still crowded around the cart that held the poor bodies of the Columbia's engineer and fireman. They saw Buck charge after Carson with his gun drawn. "Stop him!" Buck commanded. "He's the reason those men are dead!"

The lawmen tried to corral Carson Rand, but he was a big man, used to the great outdoors and wresting with bears. He broke past the first lawman, throwing him to the ground, and then he shoved the second against the cart. The third man would have no more of that, and fired a shot that slammed through Rand's chest.

Carson, still running, curled over himself, and fell face first into the dirt. He struggled for a moment, and moved no more.

Buck skidded to a stop, with Ezra following at a slow trot.

A small crowd built around the scene, watching Carson Rand bleed out into the street.

Wilmington let out a slow breath and whispered a quiet, "Damn…" at the latest turn of events.

It was Ezra, arriving at his side who snapped Wilmington out of his shock with the quiet statement, "Did he say something about blowing up the jail in Four Corners?"

TBC - I'm afraid something might go BOOM