Sheriff Of RedRock
A/N: I am so sorry for abandoning you for so long. Here is my apology in a chapter. (Also, this story isn't getting the response I would like. I really would like your thoughts on how I am doing. Thanks.)
Chapter five
Lisbon and Cho rode out of the town and across the dusty valley. It was just after eight in the morning. The sun was behind them, and they began to search for any footprints. Soon, Cho spotted several sets of hoof prints going in and out of the town. There was a single line of galloping footprints heading away from the town, towards the north-west. "Boss," said Cho. Lisbon cantered over to him. "These look like Kirkland's tracks."
Lisbon dismounted and walked next to the tracks a little way. Something caught her eye. She bent down to examine a single, dark spot in the dust. There was another one a few feet ahead of her. "These are definitely his tracks. This is blood from the hole in his shoulder."
Cho waited for Lisbon to get back onto her horse. They rode together, following the tracks. Lisbon veered off once to check out a sheltered ledge in the rock. There was evidence of a recent fire, as well as a carcass of a small animal. Lisbon waited for Cho to arrive next to her. "It looks like this is where Kirkland and Smith camped."
Cho nodded in agreement. "Let's stop here for lunch, Sheriff. You must be hungry."
Lisbon dismounted again and tethered her horse to a nearby withered tree. Cho did the same, and opened his saddlebag. He pulled out some food, which he and Lisbon shared in companionable silence. Lisbon leant back against a rock and looked up into the sky. The ledge was narrow, but sheltered and relatively shady. A gentle breeze wafted past them. "Mr Cho," she said. "I was wondering how you came to be a deputy in a small town in the middle of nowhere."
Cho shrugged. "I was born in America. My parents were Korean. I joined the troopers in order to pay for food for my parents. Just like you, I wasn't really respected in the big city, so I moved out here to get away from that. Bosco was wary of me in the beginning, but I proved myself to him. He still isn't too fond of me, but he doesn't dislike me."
Lisbon nodded. "It's going to take a lot longer for him to accept me. If the men in this world weren't so prejudice against us, a lot more would be done around here. Unfortunately, their own short-sightedness affects everybody."
Cho sat in silence. He definitely liked this sheriff. She respected him a lot more than O'Laughlin had. He figured it was because she knew how it felt to be judged by others. Lisbon knew that this deputy was also her friend. They shared the feeling of being outcasts in society. "Well, Ms Lisbon," said Cho, rising to his feet. "We can sit here and think about how the world has treated us, or we can follow these tracks and find out where these men came from."
Lisbon nodded in agreement. They rode off of the sheltered ledge and began to follow the tracks again. The horse had slowed down several times, but was at a steady canter for most of the way. The day began to come to an end as the two law enforcers rode over the crest of a hill. The sun was now just to their left, and they squinted down into the valley. "Brookland," said Cho. He had been to the town in the past.
Lisbon nodded. "Looks like the tracks go right down into the town. I suggest setting up camp on the far side of this hill out of sight of the town and going down when it is dark."
Cho nodded and followed his sheriff back down the hill. The area was surprisingly green, and a small stream meandered past them. The horses drank while Lisbon dug around in Cho's saddlebag. She pulled out a bottle of whiskey, and raised an eyebrow. Cho had gone a little way away to wash the day's dirt from his face, and he returned to a curious Lisbon. "Mr Cho," said Lisbon. "Why did you bring a whole bottle of whiskey?"
Cho barely reacted. "I thought that maybe you would like a strong drink or two before heading down into the town. It was either the whiskey or sarsaparilla."
Lisbon pulled a face. "I have never been all that fond of sarsaparilla anyway. Thank you, Cho. I really appreciate it."
They ate as they waited for the sun to set. As soon as it was dark enough for them to be mostly concealed, they headed over the hill on foot. It took about ten minutes to walk into the town. Cho turned to Lisbon. "I suggest you stay out here. Should anything happen, I don't want to be responsible for what these men may do to you."
Lisbon scowled, but nodded. "I understand your concern, Cho. I will wait around the back of the saloon for you."
Cho watched the tiny woman slink away, and headed to the door of the saloon. He pushed it open, and walked through. The men didn't pay him much attention, and he sat down at the end of the bar. Cho had removed his silver badge before entering, so that nobody was aware that he was a lawman. He ordered a whiskey, and took a sip. He came to the conclusion that Bertram's whiskey was better. At the other end of the bar sat a group of five men. Cho was quite happy to sit and listen to them talk.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
One of them – Cho recognised him from Lisbon's file – took a swig of his drink. "Boss," he turned to the man next to him. "You haven't said much tonight. Anything wrong?"
The boss – Cho could only guess that he was Red John – glanced over to the man. "Marcus," he said. "I am furious. That woman, she took Smith from me. He was my best man. She will pay for what she did. This is a matter of pride for us. Now, it's personal. We can't stay here for too much longer, in case they come looking for us."
Cho now knew that the man who had asked the question was Marcus Pike, a relatively new addition to Red John's gang, but volatile all the same. Pike turned to the man next to him. Cho got a good look at the man's face before ducking his head. JJ LaRoche was a man he had tangled with in the past. Cho wasn't keen on being recognised by the outlaw, so he kept his head down and listened. "Pike," said LaRoche. "Don't worry about the boss. He has an idea for revenge against this woman, I'm sure. She won't get away with it."
Cho resisted the urge to run away, and kept listening. He ordered another whiskey from the bar, and took a sip. Red John didn't react to anything. He sat drinking, deep in thought. The other two men Cho knew to be Timothy Carter and Michael Kirkland. The Kirkland brothers had joined together, and Carter was in the gang for his explosive expertise. There was little discussion amongst the men, and Cho decided to leave after about an hour. He would not get any more from these men tonight.
He stood up and hurried from the bar, not wanting to be noticed by the gang. There were two men missing, but he didn't know who. Cho headed around the back of the saloon to find Lisbon waiting. A faint path worn into the dirt indicated that she had been pacing. "Lisbon," said Cho. "I have information."
Lisbon followed Cho out of the town. The moon was bright, and the two law enforcers could see where they were going quite easily. Cho spoke as they walked. "There were five of the eight at the bar tonight. Red John, JJ LaRoche, Marcus Pike, Timothy Carter and Michael Kirkland. I know two were missing. One was obviously Robert Kirkland. But I don't know who they other one is."
"Thomas Volker." Said Lisbon.
Cho nodded and continued. "They discussed very little, but Red John is angry. Very angry."
Lisbon frowned. "Why?"
Cho took a deep breath. "You. He said that you took his best man from him, and that he will have revenge on you. It's about pride for him. And he mentioned that they will be on the move soon."
Lisbon felt her blood run cold. Shooting Smith had been a mistake, but Lisbon had had no choice. The fact that Red John was angry with her scared her. "Well, Cho," said Lisbon, trying to stay calm. "What do you propose we do now?"
Cho stopped next to his horse and opened his saddlebag. "All I can suggest, Sheriff, is that we get back to town soon, and tell Bosco. Then we try and prevent RedRock from being destroyed."
Lisbon took the bottle of whiskey from Cho and opened the top. She took a swig from the bottle, and then handed it back to Cho. He broke into a rare smile as he too took a swig. The two friends sat there, drinking and talking.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Jane sat in his shop. The moon was bright, and he could see without needing a light. The patch of moonlight on the floor was brilliant silver. Jane was alone, a dangerous thing for him. He fiddled with his pocket watch, and tried not to think of his late wife. The sheriff had been the first person in the town he had ever told about Angela, and doing that had brought back a flood of thoughts he didn't want.
Jane thought about the day his wife had died. He remembered the weather being extraordinarily hot, and they needed frequent stops for water. The flasks had been almost empty when they had eventually stopped next to the stream. Jane had thought he heard the thunder of hooves, but Angela hadn't heard them. She and their daughter Charlotte had climbed down to fill the flasks, when the herd had appeared over the crest of the hill. Before Jane could even utter a word, the herd was upon them. He shuddered in the dark as he remembered the scream of his daughter. She had screamed for him, but Jane couldn't get to her. By the time the herd had passed, there was nothing he could do.
Jane grabbed the bottle in front of him and took a long drink. It wasn't whiskey, but some other strong alcohol he had managed to obtain from Bertram. The drink burned his throat, and Jane focussed on the pain. He didn't want to think about the way his daughter had been laying, or how he had carried his wife to the wagon. Jane forced every thought from his mind, focussing only on the strong alcohol. He rested his head on the table in front of him.
The next thing Jane remembered, the sun was just rising on the horizon. Jane sat up. He needed to change his suit, before any customers arrived at the store. Fortunately, Jane always kept a spare suit in the back of his shop. He changed quickly, and washed his face. The bottle still stood on the table, and Jane hid it back behind the counter as the door opened. As far as anybody knew, Jane had not been up half of the night. He had his perfect façade on, and he knew it would stay there until he was alone again.
A/N2: So, this is another chapter done. Please leave me a review, and tell me what you think. (The more reviews, the quicker this will be updated. [Yes, I'm fishing, but I will do anything to get your feedback.])