The Beauty of Darkness - SIX
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Ben Cartwright put his newspaper down and rose to his feet at the sound of hooves striking the hard-packed earth outside the ranch house. He'd been trying to occupy himself as the hours ticked by and he waited for his sons' return. The strange thing was, now that one or more of them had come home, he was apprehensive.
They'd survived so much – been given such grace – his fear was that payment was surely to come.
The door opened a moment later and a weary and dusty Adam walked in. His son placed his gun belt on the credenza and his hat on the peg before he turned. When he saw him, he stopped.
"Were you waiting up for me?" the boy asked, his tone flat but managing somehow to sound peeved.
"I suppose, in a way I was." Ben moved toward him. "Though, mostly I was waiting on your brothers."
One black eyebrow peaked. "They're not home?"
"No. I can tell you Hop Sing was quite distressed when there was no one to eat his cooking but me," he remarked in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
It didn't work.
"Where are they?" Adam asked.
Ben shrugged. "The last time I saw Hoss, he was going to talk to Thom."
"Thom came back alone? What about Joe and Danny? They should have finished that fence long before this."
"I don't know, son. I wish I did. When I went looking for Hoss, I found both he and Thom had gone. Deke said they rode out together." Adam had moved to the hearth. He stood by it, staring into the flames. "Son? Do you know something?"
"I know one thing – if there's trouble to be found, Little Joe will find it." His eldest turned toward him. "Joe was pretty sure the fence had been taken down deliberately."
He could sense it in his tone. "But you didn't think so?"
"Some of the rails had been carried pretty far from the river, but you know how it is with the late rains." Adam slammed one hand into the other. "It seems now I was wrong."
"You think Joseph and Danny stayed behind to see if they could catch whoever did it?"
"That little brother of mine. He thinks he can take on anything and anyone and win." Adam's chuckle was mirthless. "Kind of like me, once upon a time."
Ben drew a breath. This was the first time Adam had even hinted at what happened to him. Since returning home, he'd remained as silent as a man being shaved about his ordeal in the desert.
Was this an opening?
"Adam…."
His son lifted a hand. Silence fell between them, broken only by the ticking of the tall case clock.
"It's an irony to me," Adam said at last, "that someone who prides himself on his command of the English language can fail so miserably when it comes to expressing his own feelings."
"It's all right, son –"
"No. It's not. You, Joe and Hoss, you've been…patient with me and I appreciate it." That shy smile appeared. The one that looked so like his mother's. "I haven't been the easiest thing to live with these last few weeks."
"You went through quite a trial. One we can only begin to guess at."
"Yes, I did," his son said quietly, "but you did too, Pa. You gave me up for dead."
The words were a stab to his heart. He supposed he paled.
"I don't say that to lay blame. Any sane man would have given up long before you did. I only meant to say that I understand you went through an ordeal too. You, and Hoss and Joe."
"I don't think Little Joe gave up," Ben replied quietly. "No, I know he didn't. He never would."
His son nodded. "That's Joe."
"Have you…." He drew a breath. "Have you given up?"
Adam sat on the hearth stones and considered the question a moment before replying. "I thought I had. Now, I'm not so sure. I thought…." He drew a breath. "I thought I knew who I was, Pa. Peter Kane forced me to…reevaluate."
"You sound…." The rancher paused. Did he have it right? "Almost grateful."
His son's black brows peaked. "Do I? 'Grateful' isn't the word I would have chosen. Humbled, maybe. Surprised? Definitely." Adam knit his fingers together and leaned forward, a wry smile curling his full lips. "I think maybe Joe was right."
"Your brother? About what?"
"About me. I was an arrogant son of a bitch." At his look, he laughed. "Sorry for the language, Pa, but it's the only way I know how to put it. I thought I knew everything. I thought I could handle…anything. I thought…." His eldest stood up. "Never mind what I thought. We need to find Joe and Danny."
The changed of subject startled him. "What?"
"I need to tell Joe…." Adam shook his head. "I just need to talk to him."
Ben glanced out the window. "Son, it's dark. We can't do anything until morning."
"Pa's right," a new voice said. Ben turned to find Hoss standing in the doorway. Somehow they had both missed the sound of it opening. As the big man hung his hat on the peg and unbuttoned his coat, he went on. "I just got back from where Little Joe's supposed to be and he ain't there."
There was something in his tone; something left unspoken.
"Rustlers?" Adam asked.
"Looks like," Hoss said as he moved into the room.
"Damn." Adam scowled. "So Joe was right."
"Fraid so." The big man took a seat near the fire. "There was tracks. Lots of them. With the light fadin', I couldn't make heads nor tails of them."
"Did Thom come back with you?" the rancher asked.
Hoss shook his head. "He volunteered to stay behind in case Little Joe or Danny, you know, showed up."
Escaped, he meant.
"You think the rustlers took them captive?"
The big man nodded.
"If it was rustlers," Adam commented.
Ben turned toward him. "What are you thinking?"
"It's been bothering me, Pa. It's part of why I argued with Joe. Why would rustlers take down a fence and then take the time to make it look like it had happened naturally? Why would anyone for that matter unless…. Unless they wanted someone to become suspicious." He paused. "Unless they wanted someone to come looking for them or, maybe, wait for them to return?"
"You're thinking this was a trap?" Ben asked. "But for whom, and by whom?"
Adam shrugged. "Maybe someone just wanted a Cartwright."
"Seems to me," Hoss said, "whoever it was, they was lookin' for Little Joe in particular."
"Why is that?" his eldest asked.
"You and me, Adam, we see somethin' like that – even if we think there's somethin' funny goin' on – we're gonna ride for help. Joe'd be the one to put his neck in the noose." The big man winced. "Sorry, Pa."
The rancher nodded. "But that suggests whoever set the trap had to be someone who knows Little Joe pretty well. I refuse to think that one of the men – "
"It could be someone who used to work for us," Adam suggested. "Maybe someone who has a beef with Joe…."
"Someone like Bob Stevens," Hoss said.
It took him a moment. "Stevens? You mean the man that was fired after he got into it with Danny Kidd? I thought he'd left Virginia City."
"He's back," the big man replied. "So's Asa Teller. I saw them in town the night we met with Margie's pa. They was staggerin' down the street. Looked like they'd been in a fight."
"I don't know," Ben replied. "If you ask me, it all seems a bit far-fetched. Joseph may have lodged the complaint, but as owner of the Ponderosa it was my choice to fire Teller and Stevens. If those two are angry at anyone, it should be me and not your brother. This is just speculation."
"It is," Adam agreed, "until we prove something one way or the other. I think one of us needs to ride into Virginia City tomorrow to see what he can find out, while the other two go in search of Joe and Danny."
"Are you volunteerin', older brother?"
His eldest fell silent. Then he nodded. "I'll go. I'll see Roy, and then make the rounds of the saloons and see what dirt I can dig up. After that, I'll join you."
"Adam?"
They both turned toward Hoss. He looked if anything, a bit sheepish.
"What is it?" his eldest asked.
"Well…." Hoss wrinkled his nose. "I guess it ain't very important what with Little Joe missin' and maybe in danger, but I was wonderin' if you could go see that little gal that's nursin' Marjorie's baby girl and give her somethin' for me?"
"Mrs, White?"
The big man nodded. "I started it right after I seen Margie's baby for the first time. I kept thinkin' about what I done told Joe about that mare her mama loved so much."
"June Bug? What was that?" Ben asked gently.
"I told Joe that one day I'd give that little gal of Margie's one of June Bug's colts to have for her own. Since Jorie's such a little thing, it's gonna be a while 'fore I can do that. I wanted to give her a promise of sorts, so I carved her a little pony of her own that she can have for now. It's up in my room."
"I'll make sure Mrs. White gets it," Adam said solemnly.
After that a silence fell. It lasted until the rancher cleared his throat.
"Well, I think we'd best turn in and get what sleep we can. If we're exhausted, we'll be of little use to your brother – whatever he's gotten himself into this time."
His sons nodded and, along with Ben, headed for their beds.
Only to lay awake in them and stare at the ceiling and worry.
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All three men were up before the sun the next morning and on their way by the time its light broke on the horizon. They traveled the Virginia City road together until it came time to part. Adam sat on his horse and watched his father and brother ride away, and then spurred Sport on at top speed toward the town. The ride was a full twenty miles. On a good day, at an easy lope, it took nearly four hours to get there. When he was in a hurry, he cut it down to three.
Today, he made it in slightly over two.
The first thing the man in black did upon his arrival was take his winded and somewhat exasperated horse to the livery to be looked after. Sport was unhappy with him and rightly so. Adam apologized profusely and promised his friend the day off – and then rented a hardy wilderness pony for his return journey. He had a feeling he would have need of him.
Something told him the hunt for his little brother was not going to be an easy one.
Adam paid the livery man and then strode out of the stable door and headed for Roy Coffee's office. Roy made it his business to know who was in town and what they were about. The lawman didn't hesitate to walk right up to a stranger and demand to know their business. Right from the start Pa made Roy aware of the situation with Danny Kidd – how the ex-convict was trying hard to go straight, but still prone to act out of his old ways. Sheriff Coffee knew all about the altercation with Bob Stevens that happened shortly after Danny's arrival. The seasoned lawman told their father he'd been only too happy to 'see the back side of that one'. So it stood to reason that if Bob was back, along with his shadow Asa Teller, Roy would know,
The man in black fingered the wooden horse in his pocket. After he was done with Roy, he would go to see Melissa White and deliver Hoss' present. He was thankful his brother seemed more at peace with Margie's death.
He was even more thankful that he had come to a place where he could notice.
The door to the jail was open, so Adam stepped in. Roy was seated behind his desk with one foot propped on an open drawer. He had a wanted poster in one hand and another pile of them stacked six inches high beside him.
"Is that it?" Adam asked with a nod toward the pile. "Only six inches of bad? Virginia City must be losing its touch."
"Well, if it isn't Adam Cartwright!" Roy exclaimed as he sat up. "Come on in and sit down and tell me what you know."
Adam headed for the chair shoved up against Roy's desk. "Actually, I came to find out what you know," he said as he settled in.
"You got trouble at the Ponderosa?" the sheriff asked, instantly all business.
"You might say so. Little Joe is missing."
Roy stared at him, assessing his mood. "I take it you got a reason to believe the boy didn't go chasing some pretty girl and got run outta the territory by her pa?"
"Uh huh. Actually I know where Joe was. He just isn't there anymore."
"You got a reason to suspect foul play?"
The phrase caught him off-guard. "Well, I'm worried that something might have happened. Joe was up in the north pasture by the river with Danny Kidd –"
"That the ex-convict?"
"Yeah… But Danny's okay."
"You sure of that?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Danny's only got one more month to make it and he'll be a free man."
"Is that right?" Roy shook his head. "Seems it wasn't a month ago your pa came in here to explain how Bob Stevens was like to come to me and make trouble for Kidd."
"Bob Stevens. That's why I'm here." He straightened in the chair. "Have you seen him lately?"
"Yep. Seen 'em both, Stevens and that other feller who follows him around like a lonesome puppy. Tellman?"
"Teller. Asa Teller. Have they…." He paused. How to put it? "Have you heard them make any threats toward Danny…or Little Joe?"
"You're thinkin' that pair is behind Little Joe goin' missin'?"
"It stands to reason. They were fired because of what happened."
"Lots of men get fired. Don't mean they go kidnappin' other folks."
Adam ran a hand over his chin. "Look, Roy, I know this may sound somewhat…high-handed…but we're not just 'other folks'. It's happened before. Someone is mad at Pa, so they try to hurt one of us."
"What about Kidd? How's he fit in all of this?"
"How about this? Little Joe humiliated Bob Stevens when he intervened in that fight. Joe's support of Danny got Bob and Asa fired. Pa let them go and told them to stay out of town, and here they are back again – and Joe is missing."
"They got a right to be here no matter what your pa says."
The man in black rolled his eyes. "I know that. But you know my father. Would you take Ben Cartwright on unless you had a very good reason?"
Roy nodded his head. "I can see where you might have cause for concern. I'll check it out soon as I get through this stack of posters."
"Who's that?" Adam asked, pointing to the one Roy had laid down.
The lawman took a finger and spun the poster around. The face staring out at him was not a cruel one. In fact, it was pretty nondescript. There was something about the man's eyes though. They were as cold as they were determined.
"He's got himself a number of names. Real one's Murdoch. Jethro Crockett Murdoch."
"What's he wanted for?"
"You'd do better to ask, what ain't he wanted for!" Roy scoffed. "He's a mean one. Turned bad 'bout the time he left his teens and been bad ever since."
"Is he in town?" Adam asked.
"He was tendin' bar at the saloon attached to the International up until he took off with another man a few days ago." Roy hesitated. "I was gonna come out to your place to talk this over with your Pa, but seein' as you're the oldest, I guess I can tell you."
Adam sat up. "Tell me what? Who's the other man?"
Roy thumbed through the posters until he came to one near the bottom. He pulled it out and pushed it across the desk. The piggish face staring up at him was vaguely familiar.
"Who is it? Do I know him?"
"You should," Roy said. "Worked on your land for a time. Name of Travis Mudge."
Adam snorted. "Mudge? I don't think so. I would remember that name."
"Might not have heard it. Just went by Travis. Used to work at the penitentiary."
The man in black looked again. His eyes went from the face, which was pudgy and puerile, to the list of crimes the man was wanted for. Extortion. Robbery. Brutality. Curiously, all of the offenses had occurred within the last year. As his gaze returned to the sketch, he had it.
"The guard who almost got Joe killed."
"One and the same," Roy said as he rocked back in his chair. "Seems your little brother's testimony caused the warden to let him go."
"And he turned to a life of crime?"
It was the lawman's turn to snort. "From what I can tell Mudge was already runnin' just about every racket possible from inside the prison." Roy winked. "He just don't need to hide it anymore."
Adam swallowed hard. "So it's possible Bob Stevens and Asa Teller are working for Mudge – and Mudge is working with or maybe for JethroMurdoch?" He rocked back in his chair. "That puts an entirely different spin on Joe's disappearance."
Roy stared at him a moment. "There's more."
"More? Good, God! What?"
"I did some checkin' into Danny Kidd when your Pa took him under his wing. Just to be neighborly, you understand? I was kind of worried about how close he and that little brother of yours was becomin'."
"It's appreciated, Roy. We know you have the family's best interests at heart." He steeled himself. "So what did you find?"
"You remember Danny Kidd got sent to Yuma Penitentiary for getting' into a fight and killin' a boy over a piece of pie?"
It seemed impossible, but it had happened, so desperate were those who were incarcerated and without hope.
He nodded.
"I found me a newspaper with the transcript of the trial."
A sick feeling rose in his stomach. "His name?"
"Cassidy," the lawman said. "Cassidy Murdoch."
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"Pa? Why don't you come over here and get somethin' to eat?"
Hoss Cartwright sat beside the campfire he'd kindled a short time before. He'd put on a pot of pork and beans and had a big skillet of his best golden-brown biscuits resting on a trivet above the coals. The coffee was hot and smelled like Heaven. Now, bein' a respectful man, he wasn't about to plow into the grub until everyone was seated. Everyone bein' his Pa – who hadn't sat down for the last half hour. He was too busy pacin' up and down just outside of the ring of firelight.
"Pa?"
The older man turned toward him. "What? Oh, supper? I'm not hungry, Hoss. You go ahead."
"Dadburnit! If you and little brother don't have more in common than a foot and a shoe!"
His father's dark brows rose. "Eh?"
"Your stomach shuts down when your heart opens up." Hoss shook his head. "You not eatin' ain't gonna make Adam show up one second faster."
"Or add one day to my life or a hair to my head," Pa sighed.
The big man scratched his thinning hair. "I sure wish it could do that last one!"
His father chuckled and then came to his side and sat down. "You're right. Dish me up some beans, but make it a small portion, please."
"Lands sake! If you ain't careful, you're gonna get so skinny you'll fade away, just like that little brother of mine." Hoss stopped with his hand above the biscuits. "Sorry, Pa. I didn't mean nothin' by –"
His father held up a hand. "No need to apologize. You're right. Joseph could stand to gain a pound or two – or twenty!"
The big man smiled as he handed his father the plate. "I'm sure shortshanks is okay. He's just playin' hard to get."
It had been their joke since they'd returned to the abandoned camp and found no clear trail to follow. Joe was playin' hide and go seek. He knew they was lookin' for him and was funnin' like usual.
Neither one of them believed it.
"I'm afraid things are looking a bit more dire than that," Adam remarked as he stepped into the circle of light.
Hoss let out a whistle. "Gol-darn-it, Adam! If you was a snake, I'd of been bit and gone to see Jesus!"
His brother grinned as he took a seat beside the fire. "You got enough to share?" he asked, indicating the food.
"More than enough since Pa's eatin' like a bird," he groused.
For about ten minutes, while Adam dug in, they were silent. Hoss stared at his plate, picked up his fork and tried to eat, but found his appetite wasn't much bigger than their pa's. All he could think about was what older brother had said on his arrival and what in the world he'd meant.
Adam handed the plate back, took his last sip of coffee, and put the cup down. He nodded and gave them a little half-smile. It was only then the big man realized how sore tired older brother looked.
"Did your food give you enough energy to explain your last statement, son?" Pa prompted.
"Yes, sorry. I…." Adam ran a hand over his stubbly cheeks. "It's been a long day."
It didn't take long for him to give them the bad news. Bob Stevens and Asa Teller was backand they was carryin' a territory-size grudge against little brother. Them varmints had no love for Danny either, since sparrin' with him was what had got them fired. Added to that was the fact that they was workin' for, or with Travis Mudge – the prison guard what lost his job on account of Joe – and Travis had hitched himself up to a no-good named J. Crockett Murdoch, whose little brother Danny Kidd just happened to kill.
All of that rolled into one ball spelled 'trouble' with a capital 'T' for Little Joe.
"So, I think it's safe to assume that one of the above – or all – have gotten hold of Joe and Danny," Adam finished. He sighed. "I should have listened to Joe. He was sure the destruction of the fence was intentional."
"But your brother thought it was rustlers." Pa reminded him gently. "Joe had no way of knowing the danger he was putting himself and Danny in."
"I know, but…." Adam rose to his feet and began to pace. "If I hadn't been so caught up in my own troubles, so…separate…from all of you, I would have seen it. I should have seen it!" He kicked a stone and sent it flying. "If Little Joe is k…."
The thought – and threat – was carried away on the wind.
"Son, sit down. Please." It took Adam several heartbeats to comply. When he was seated, Pa went on. "We've all been wrapped up in our own troubles. You, Hoss…me. It seems Joseph is the only one who has been thinking clearly."
Adam snorted. "Now, there's an irony!"
Pa's smile was affectionate. "It seems I…all of us have underrated your youngest brother."
"Yeah, I mean…." Hoss cleared his throat. "Here I am moonin' over Margie and she done up and left me. Little Joe and Laura, well…." He sniffed. "They loved each other and was plannin' on a life together. I ain't never gonna forget the look on Joe's face when we showed him that cabin."
"I think we've all been so caught up in our own grief, that we have forgotten his," Pa agreed.
"I need to apologize," Adam said.
"What for?"
"Thinking only of myself. Here Joe's been thinkin' about all of us. He talked to me. I think he talked to you too, Hoss?"
The big man nodded.
"Your brother tried to talk to me as well, but I wouldn't listen," Pa said. He fell silent and then slapped his thighs and stood up. "We need to make a pact."
Adam looked up. "A pact?"
Hoss put his plate down and rose as well. "I'm game. What for?"
Older brother rose as Pa began to speak "That from now on, when we have trials – whether it be going through them or when they are ended – we won't shut down and shut each other out. We will share our hurts and hopes with one another and not hide our feelings."
The big man smiled. "Take a page out of little brother's book, you mean?"
"Yes." Their father met their gazes, holding each for several heartbeats. "Agreed?"
Hoss nodded and placed his beefy hand on top of his father's calloused one. Adam hesitated briefly because he was, well, Adam, but did the same.
"Agreed," older brother said.
Pa spread his arms out to encompass them both. "Good," he said. "Now, let's see what we can do about finding Little Joe!"
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To be continued…..