Chapter Four: Reunion

As he rode on the next morning, Paco kept his eyes and ears open, so close to getting the job done he didn't want anything to go wrong now. Paco remembered meeting Matt Dillon for the first time, Matt's speed and how kind he'd been to a small boy, even when that boy had used him to kill the man who'd killed his father and beaten him and his mother. He remembered how when he'd left the village after his mother's death, the blacksmith and the rest of the village had bought him the pearl-handled colt that he wore now on his hip.

As he rode he saw the smoke, it seemed a lot of smoke to him, too much to be just someone's campfire, he wished he could just pass on by but his sense of duty meant he couldn't, he rode towards the smoke. All around a burning house lay dead or dying men and a woman and a stage. "Maldito!" Paco dismounted, he checked the men feeling it as each one died. Last the woman, she was just clinging to life. "Senora, what happened?"

"Stage hold up, the gang attacked about two hours ago," she coughed Paco didn't know how long she could hold out. "My baby, inside the house, save my baby?" She passed away in his arms, he lay her down and ran into the house, he heard the baby crying and ran in the direction finding the infant in the cradle, he lifted the infant. "Hush now, I'll take you to safety," he crooned a Spanish lullaby the baby stilled large blue eyes staring up at him, with the baby in one arm he mounted Grandee and rode on south a ways until he saw a trail with a signpost that read Worth Ranch, Paco turned up it, riding up it until he saw the ranch house and yard around it cowboys going about their business.

"Rider coming, Mr Worth!" Jake looked towards the gate.

"Could be, Marshal Dillon?" Jake said.

"No, Sir, that's a Texas Ranger, riding in."

"Hola! I am Paco Avila, the stage station just to the north has been attacked by outlaws. This baby is the only survivor he was in the house, I would like to leave him here, he needs milk and I need to fetch Matt Dillon."

"My housekeeper, will look to the infant, me and my men will go see to the burying."

"Wait until Matt has seen the place," Jake nodded.

"Tell Matt we'll meet him there," Paco nodded he handed the baby to Jake. "You ride hard but careful," Paco headed south again at the gallop. "You know, boys, I kind of like that boy."

Paco rode on knowing he'd finish one job, he was pleased to be seeing Matt and much as he'd dreamed as a boy of help to Matt, he hadn't wanted it to be like this. He slowed Grandee to a trot as he entered Dodge City, his eyes lit up as he saw the buckskin in front of the marshal's office. He stopped and dismounted tethering Grandee to the hitching pole, he went into the office, he walked up to the desk where Matt sat doing paperwork. "How can I help you?" Matt asked, Paco handed Matt the paper. "Well, now, I've been waiting for this," Paco grinned.

"Tell me, Marshal, do you recall twelve years ago, a village in Mexico called Zavala?"

"I recall a twelve year old boy who helped me, when I needed it," Matt said.

"I've grown since then."

"Paco, well I never, you sure have grown. Come on I'll buy you a drink," Paco now stood a hair under six foot four and looked like a brick out house with looks that charm every woman around.

"No time, a stage station was attacked and robbed just north of here at Kinsley, only survivor an infant boy."

"Let's go to the Long Branch, we'll be able to get some men for a posse."

"Mr Worth said he and his men would meet you there, I left the infant with him."

"I do have a couple of messages, Dallas Stoudenmire said to pay his respects to you and Sheriff Hardesty said to remind you, that you owe him four dollars from poker when you were both young and frisky," Matt grinned.

"They're both good men," Matt led Paco to the Long Branch. "Kitty, this is Paco Avila," Miss Kitty smiled at him. Festus and Newly brought beer over. "Better make that the last for now, Festus, the stage station at Kinsley has been raided by outlaws."

"Has anyone been injured?" Miss Kitty asked.

"The only survivor is an infant boy," Paco said.

"Festus, fetch Doc tell him to go to Jake Worth's, Paco left the infant there. Right, I'm forming a posse, those who want to come get your horses. Burke take charge here until we get back," some of the cowboys in the saloon were tough Texas trail hands. They volunteered to go seeing as a Texas Ranger was there. Paco mounted Grandee. "I see you choose to ride a horse like mine."

"Well, you were a big influence in my life."

"You Texas men, you ride with Paco."

"Hey, Matt, last time we met I had you riding drag," Amos Mckee said.

"Yeah, let's see how good you are at tracking men, Mckee," Matt said, Doc drove up in his buggy. "Doc, this is Paco Avila."

"Matt told me a lot about you, Doc, when I was a boy in Zavala," Paco said. The posse set out with Doc following on, Doc turned off towards Jake Worth's while the posse went on to Kinsley stage station. Half an hour later the posse arrived at the stage station, the men looked mutely around the scene.

"Let's get these people buried, see if you can find out who they are. The station man here is Tom Wainwright, that's him by the corral. Stage driver with him is Ted Noonan. Paco, you said the infant was in the house, must have been Tom's son."

"This is the boy's mother?"

"Yes, Martha Wainwright." Festus was examining the ground trying to track which way the men went but the gang had made sure the ground was so churned up that the signs were too many to be read.

"Matthew, what fer did they have to kill everyone like this?"

"I don't know, but it reminds me of the Tyce gang, if I didn't know I'd already dealt with them." Matt said, Mckee and Paco rode up.

"I rode a wide circle with Paco, found the extent of the churned up ground and there are tracks heading west of here. It might be that further on they turn either south or north."

"What would you do, Mckee?"

"Me, I'd head home to Texas, but seeing here what they did, I'd carry right on through to Mexico."

"Newly, get back to town. Get Burke to send messages to Hays and to all local marshals and sheriffs, tell them to be on the lookout for the gang. Tell Hays we'll send further information when we get it."

"Right! Do you want me to rejoin you?"

"No, I'm not so sure they won't double back and try to take the town as well. Get as many of the men that are left armed and in position just in case they do."

"Right, even if I have to pull every rifle from my store to do it," Newly turned his horse and rode back in the direction of Dodge.