Chapter Eighteen

Jarrod stepped out of the sheriff's office more disgusted with Macklin than ever. "I'm not surprised to hear that." The sheriff had leaned back in his chair and told Jarrod how Macklin had pushed the line the last time he was in Lovell. "When I saw him ride in this time around, I started keeping my ears and eyes wide open." The sheriff then told Jarrod all he had learned since doing so. "I was going to contact a friend of mine who is a US Marshall, but if you and your brothers have been deputized, I'll let you deal with it."

"You were in there this whole time? Just what did you find out?" Nick and Heath, who had finished making their rounds, had headed to the sheriff's office when Jarrod had not met them at the saloon. They had been surprised to see Jarrod just coming out of the office, and to learn he'd never made it to the livery stable.

"Macklin might think he's been hiding his tracks well and; maybe, in other states he has. However," Jarrod shook his head, "he hasn't done a very good job in this area." Jarrod went onto to say how the sheriff now strongly suspected Macklin of many illegal activities. "He was going to get his friend to help him investigate, but we're already doing that. What did you two find out?" Jarrod answered as he and his brothers stepped backwards, allowing a young couple to pass by them.

Nick pulled out a paper he had in his vest pocket and handed it to Jarrod. "Those are the names of men that have been seen with Macklin in the past, and they've all done time behind bars. All the store owners I talked to said they wouldn't put anything past the men…including shooting a woman on sight." It had made Nick and his brothers even more grateful Jarrod had thought to add glasses to Hannah's outfit…even if they were corny looking.

"And you?" Jarrod asked as he turned his eyes to Heath.

"Gene's is in disguise." Heath replied as he then gave his brothers the description of Gene's outfit. Afterwards, he waited for the reaction he knew was coming.

"WHAT!" Nick bellowed and then quickly lowered his voice when more than one set of eyes turned in their direction. "How could anyone tell you that?" His eyes were full of worry. If someone knew Gene was in disguise, Macklin either knew it too, or had a high possibility of doing so.

Jarrod's eyes were full of just as much worry. However, before he could question Heath, his blonde haired brother was explaining.

"While Nick was talking to the bartender, I was talking to one of the waitresses. When she found out we were looking for Macklin, she almost quit talking. That is, until I assured we weren't working with him. I asked her if she'd seen Gene…and described him to her." Heath couldn't help but chuckle as he told his brothers, "She hadn't, but she said 'the only stranger that caught my eye was a gentleman wearing a beat up old hat and an eye patch. Call me crazy, but while he looked to be pushing thirty, I couldn't shake the feeling he was wearing makeup to make himself appear older, and that he was actually much younger. Of course, I didn't point that out as it would have been rude. Well, that and people around here think I'm crazy for studying people's faces as it is." He then looked at his brothers as if to say 'do you see what I do?"

"Gene took father's old hat when he left Stockton and he has an eye patch in his room, the one that he used when his eye was hurt and the eye doctor had him wear it last summer! That is, it was in his room before he left home." Jarrod responded quickly.

"Those codes messages," Heath started speaking after a moment of silence. "Was there anything in them that would give us a clue as to which direction our dear brother was heading when he left town?"

Jarrod pulled the messages out from his shirt pocket and read them again. As he did so, two lines jumped out at him. *'Sixty miles in latitude, three hundred to the coast; Treason fled before us, for resistance was in vain.' "He's heading west." Jarrod said after reading the lines out loud.

"We best get going then." Heath answered as he turned and headed for the livery stable; they'd left their horses there upon arriving in Lovell.

~oOo~

Gene had made his way to a clump of trees a couple of miles from the shack Macklin was using. He now sat against a tree and watched as the young man who was no longer tied up or gagged, began moaning and sitting up; struggling to get his bearings. Of course, not wanting the young man to attack him or flee, Gene kept a hold of his pistol, even if he had it lying across his lap.

"Who are you?" The young man who was now sitting up glared at Eugene, remembering how stranger had attacked him.

"A man trying to protect his family," Eugene answered and then asked bluntly, "Why did Macklin pull a gun on you, boy?" He wasn't surprised to see both anger and distrust appear in the young man's eyes; if roles were reversed, Eugene knew he'd react the exact same way.

"Name's Henry Cox, not boy!" The young man spat, and then asked in a quieter, but still fierce tone, "What does it matter to you?"

"It might not matter at all, depends on the reason." Gene replied as he bent his legs and rested his arms on his knees.

Henry thought a moment and then shook his head. "Awhile back he hired me to keep my eyes open for anyone who claimed to be looking for him. I was leery of his motives, but my father's been friends with the man for a few years, and pa said if Macklin was asking me to do that the man must have a good reason. Besides, the friendship, my father's been extremely ill. I needed money for the medical bills so I did as Macklin asked." Henry doubled up his fists and then spat out, "But my father has no idea how bad Macklin is; the man has two faces. I was telling Macklin that I wasn't going to work for him anymore. That's when we started fighting; he didn't want to hire someone else. He then pulled out his pistol and threatened to kill my family if I didn't get back to work."

Gene swore silently. Men like Macklin made him sick. "If I give you my horse and a description of my brothers, will you ride back to Lovell and see if you can find them. Tell them everything you've told me and then lead them back here."

Henry's eyes widened. "But Macklin, he'll hurt my family if I do that!"

"Not if I or my brothers stop him first," Gene again urged Henry to do as he said, saying that he would make no move for a few hours at least, hoping his brothers would be with him by that time.

Henry was still afraid, but he wanted Macklin out of his family's life. "Fine, which route do you want me to take to get back to Lovell?"

A/N *These words actually come from an old Civil War song titled Marching Through Georgia, except the one line says; three hundred to the main. I changed 'main' to 'coast' for the sake of the story.