Thank you as always lovely readers. I will be away for a couple of days and don't want to rush the next chapter so please don't growl at me. I always finish any story I start and I will be back as soon as I can.

Chapter Seven

Miss Jones was almost done gathering the last of her books and supplies. She had stayed for several hours and spoken to concerned parents who had arrived at the school after children had returned home unexpectedly. She had done her best to reassure them and give them the information the doctor had given her, but most of them knew the likelihood that any child who hadn't yet had measles, soon would. Word had already gotten around about another two possible cases. There were adults in the community who had somehow escaped the illness in their childhood and Doctor Martin was even more concerned for them as the illness could be very mild in children while it could make some adults extremely sick. There was simply no telling how a patient would react until they did.

As the teacher continued filling her satchel, she heard a strange noise from underneath the floorboards. Assuming it was perhaps a raccoon or some other animal, she ignored it until it happened again. Suddenly the sound of muffled words floated up through the floorboards. She left the satchel on the desk and made her way outside. As she leaned down under the wooden stairs, she couldn't see a thing. Using her best teacher voice, she challenged whoever it was.

"I would have thought a day off school would have meant you would actually leave school! Not hang around playing under there. Now come out, at once!"

She could barely contain a smile as she waited for whoever it was. Moments later she was stunned to see Mitch Devlin crawl out from the side of the building. He pushed a piece of boarding back into place before clambering up onto his feet. The look on his face caught her by surprise and she rushed over to see what had him so distressed.

"Mitch! Whatever are you doing under there?"

"It's gone."

"What's gone?"

Mitch looked almost sick as he tried to evade her hands.

"Mitch? What's gone?"

"I thought Joe would be here, but he's gone."

"Child, you are not making one lick of sense." The knot in her stomach was growing and she pointed to the nearby step. "Now come and sit down there and tell me what is going on. Starting from the beginning!"

The boy had barely begun to explain when they both heard horses galloping into the schoolyard. Before Mitch could decide what to do or say, Joe's father had flung himself from his horse almost before it stopped and had grabbed him by the shoulders. Adam almost thought he was going to have to intervene as his father shook the boy.

"Where's Joseph?"

"I don't know." Tears began to well in his eyes as he could sense fear all around him without really knowing why. "Is … is Joe really hurt like Ma said?"

Ben dropped his eyes for a moment as he tried to calm himself. "We believe he is. Now I know you're expecting to get into trouble, but I have to know the truth. All of it. When did you last see Joe?"

"Yesterday. When Sheriff Coffee put Joe in jail."

Ben's hands shook as he let go of the frightened boy and straightened up.

"Joe told him I didn't have nothin' to do with it … but that's not totally true."

Hoss looked across at his brother and frowned at the comment. He'd known Joe had been showing off and waited impatiently to hear the rest of it.

"I think you need to start talking, young man." The stern glare on Ben's face was enough to dissolve any last vestige of resistance.

"It was supposed to be simple. We just needed another two days, but Matthew blew it. We just wanted to give them a bag of sweets. Like a way to say goodbye."

Mitch glanced around the group of faces and saw blank looks and vague frowns all around.

"They were supposed to sneak out and hide in the livery and then get the stage when it came through. Joe and me was gonna be in school and nobody woulda known nothin'."

"What are you talking about? Who was going on the stage? To where?" Ben's irritation was rising by the minute as he tried to make sense of things.

"Derek and Matthew. We were gonna send them up north … where Adam said that slaves can live free. But it was a whole lot further than we figured and then them Indian raids started and Joe said maybe San Francisco was a better way to go. They could disappear there and nobody'd bother them."

Ben was scratching at the back of his neck as he still wasn't understanding and he turned to look at his eldest son.

"Slaves?"

Adam was trying desperately to recall his conversation with his little brother where Joe had asked some very unexpected questions.

"Joe asked me if owning slaves was legal and I told him it was. Then … then I recall he asked how a slave got to stop being a slave. I said they didn't, unless an owner turned them loose, but that was unlikely since slaves are worth money." He rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he tried to remember the details, knowing they were somehow important. "We talked a little about how the north doesn't have slaves and some slaves have escaped there and are living free. But I have no clue why that's relevant to where Joe is now or what it has to do with the Maddington boys either!"

"'cause they're slaves." The hushed comment drew them all back to where Mitch sat slumped against the step.

"What?" Simultaneous expressions echoed around him as Mitch just stared at his boots.

"Mister Maddington … he's not their pa even though he says he is. He bought them … paid money for them so he owns them … and he hurts them!" Mitch looked up and tried to stop himself from shaking. "He hurts them and he said nobody'd care 'cause they're just orphans and nobody cares what happens to orphans. But me and Joe cared!"

Ben felt his insides churning as he recalled his son's distressed questions over his own welfare should anything happen to his father. It was more than just Joe's long-held fears surfacing. He was realising far too late that it was the distress of someone who felt helpless in the face of a serious injustice. He reached out a hand to latch onto Mitch's shoulder once again.

"I'm beginning to see that. I'm just sorry I didn't see it sooner. Now we need you to help us so we can help Joe and those two boys. Are you telling me that you think they are on their way to San Francisco?" It seemed like such a ludicrous question and yet he knew his son well enough to know it wasn't impossible.

"Pa? How could Joe get a stage ticket to San Francisco?" Adam was shaking his head, knowing his brother's entire savings amounted to maybe a dollar.

"He got the money." Mitch felt sick as he dropped his friend into more trouble, but it was well past time to stay quiet. "I dunno where from," he hastened to add, "but he had money in the saddlebag we hid under the schoolhouse."

"It seems to me like you were planning this for a while. What else was in that bag?" Adam recalled a saddlebag going missing after he'd put it aside for repair.

"Clothes, food … stuff they'd need. That was why Derek tried taking that knife from the mercantile."

"I knew it!" Ben had almost forgotten Hoss was standing behind him until he jumped to his brother's defense. " I just knew it weren't like Little Joe!"

Ben almost hung his head in shame. If only he'd been less quick to jump to judgement, his son would never have been in that jail and a whole lot of things would be different.

"Mister Cartwright … I'm real sorry for all the trouble we caused … but you gotta understand … we had to help Derek and Matthew and Joe said …" His voice trailed away as once again his gaze dropped to the ground.

"Joe said what?"

"Joe said … he said he didn't want you gettin' into any trouble with the law."

Ben couldn't keep track of the logic in the conversation and he shook his head at the boy. "Why would I be in trouble with the law?"

"Joe said that Adam told him it was against the law to help runaway slaves. He didn't want Sheriff Coffee to haveta arrest you so he figured if you didn't know nothin' about things then you couldn't get arrested."

Ben was almost speechless as Adam silently turned and walked away towards his horse. "Son, nobody is going to arrest me. Or anyone else for that matter."

He crouched down in front of his son's friend and tapped at his knee. The boy's face was a picture of misery.

"Help us find Joe. He needs us to find him, quickly." He didn't add that his boy could be running out of time, but he felt a sense of urgency chewing at his thoughts.

"I dunno where he is. Honest! All I know is the bag's gone and I'm guessing he'd still try to get Derek and Matthew on the stage somehow. I really don't know nothin' else, Mister Cartwright."

Adam was already climbing onto his horse as his father turned towards him. "Where are you going?"

"Pa, if Mitch is right then Joe could still be planning to get the boys onto the stage tomorrow. That could be from here or he could be heading for a way station." He didn't add the fear that his brother could be trying to find his way any further than that. "If they've gone anywhere, he'd need another horse. If there's three of them, he'd need at least one more horse so I'm going to see if anyone knows of any horses that have gone missing. Besides, if I'm really lucky, Joe might have just stuck to the plan and hidden those boys in the livery."

Ben nodded at him, even as Adam was heading for the road. "Good thinking." He didn't really expect it to be as simple as Joe sitting in the livery waiting for them as surely somebody would have seen three boys by now. Half the town had been out searching the night before.

Hoss moved up hesitantly, looking between his father and the boy his brother called his best friend. Mitch was sinking under the weight and he knew it. The teacher had looped an arm through his and she squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"Pa? What if Little Joe's not there? What if he's just runnin' scared?"

"Then we keep searching for him until we find him. Until we find all of them."

Mitch almost smiled at the resolute comment. It was the first ray of hope he'd seen in a very dark day.

"You want me to head to the mercantile for supplies?" Hoss was already moving towards his horse as he spoke. On any other day, Ben would have smiled at how easily his sons read his thoughts. This was not a day for smiling.

"Yes, Son. If Adam turns up empty-handed, we'll need at least three days' travel rations and bedrolls. I'll meet you there shortly and then if we need to, we'll go and speak to Roy. We've got men out looking in all directions, but none of them would have expected this. We also need to find out if anybody has bought stage tickets. If so, Joe could be holed up anywhere to wait for the stage to come through."

"Can I do anything to help, Mister Cartwright?"

Ben leaned down once more to pat Mitch's shoulder. "You've already done enough. You've given us renewed hope."

The anxious father almost managed a smile as he turned to the teacher. "Could you ensure he gets home safely and explain all this to his parents? I expect his ma could be here sometime soon looking for him. Please apologise for me and tell them we'll talk when we get back." He didn't bother explaining he had left the woman to ride into town at a more sedate pace than the three of them after racing her poor horse to get the news to them in the first place.

Miss Jones nodded solemnly, wondering just what kind of conversation that would be. "Godspeed." As Ben mounted up, she called out one last time. "Bring them all back safely."

"I intend to."

For all that he considered himself almost a man, Mitch was profoundly grateful for the woman standing beside him as he pulled himself up off the steps. She wrapped her arms around him and allowed him to let the tears finally fall.

"They'll all be back before you know it."

She just prayed that was true.

"Joe?"

"Yeah."

He looked across to where Derek was trying his best to keep Joe's pony in line. He had decided his friend was better off on a tried and trusted pony than he was trying to control a bigger, unknown horse. It had been a short argument when Joe had insisted that he take Matthew behind him on the bigger horse. Since Derek was far less experienced, he would be distracted enough without having to worry about his brother as well.

"You feeling okay?"

He almost nodded, but managed to catch himself in time. He had no idea what his face looked like, but he guessed it was a mess. His nose was still throbbing and each time he touched it, his eyes watered profusely. His lips were swollen and the split on his lower lip was just beginning to glue itself back together. Every time he talked, it threatened to come unstuck and start bleeding again, so he tried to limit how much he talked. They had stopped at the water trough outside the livery and washed off as much dried blood as he could, given they couldn't see it in the dark. The inside of his nose itched with encrusted blood. It was swollen on the inside as well as the outside and he was having trouble breathing through it. His left shoulder ached where it had made contact with the cell wall and he absently rubbed at it.

"I'm fine. I'm just looking for somewhere to make camp for the night."

As if the thought of sleep suddenly made him feel drowsy, Joe yawned. He knew how little sleep they'd all had the night before and it was catching up with him. Matthew had almost fallen asleep in the saddle and would have fallen right off the back of the horse if his brother hadn't noticed. Joe had ended up switching the younger boy to riding in front of him and he wrapped his arms around him to take hold of the reins. The sudden memory of Hoss taking him riding in the same way caught him unawares and he felt his chest tighten. What he wouldn't give to have his brother holding onto him at that moment. He brushed aside the thought and focused on what he needed to look for. They needed somewhere secure that could block them from view from the road. He had no way of knowing if Walter had reported the boys missing yet, but there would definitely be posse riders out looking for the sheriff's killer. As much as guilt chewed at his insides, he didn't have time to answer to any of them until they reached Reno.

By the time they found a rocky outcrop that seemed like a good place to stop, Matthew was almost sliding out the saddle. Neither boy thought much of it that he was so tired as they were equally as exhausted. Supper that night was a very quiet affair as the three of them sat around a very small fire. It was only enough to shed a little light as they didn't need it for warmth. Derek soon had his brother laid out on the saddle blanket and he wriggled down beside the boy before wrapping his arm around him. He was surprised at how warm he was, but his eyes soon slid closed as sheer exhaustion claimed him.

Joe lay staring up into the night sky. His body ached to sleep, but his mind refused to. He'd been to Reno before, but he hadn't told Derek the whole plan. If anybody was coming after them, it would only be because Mitch had been forced to talk. He could envisage his father looming over his friend and using that determined tone that left no room for argument. Mitch wouldn't stand a chance.

As sleep finally overwhelmed him, Joe found little rest as his dreams dragged him from the jail cell to the open road. No matter where he tried to run to, his father's angry voice carried through the darkness. He heard the disappointment and anger in the tone, but could not make out the words. Faces loomed at him out of the darkness and he found himself being dragged out into the street and a noose dropped down in front of his face. As he tried to pull back from it, he was stunned to see his brothers appear on either side of him and grab at his arms. He was pinned between them as they dragged him forward.

"They hung Pa and now we're going to hang you!" The venom in Adam's voice felt like a physical blow and he fought desperately to escape.

As he jolted awake, Joe felt like a fish that had just been hauled out of the water. He was gasping for breath and his heart was racing wildly.

"Pa!" The strangled cry sounded like a shout in the quiet of the night. Joe forced himself to his feet and he stumbled into the nearby bushes. The supper he had eaten came back up as his stomach churned wildly.

"Joe!" Derek pushed his way through the bushes until he found Joe slumped up against a fallen log. "Joe, what's wrong?"

There was enough moonlight that he could see tears dribbling down his friend's cheeks. Joe wiped at them carefully, trying to avoid touching his nose. His face ached, but it was nothing in comparison to the ache that pushed at him from the pit of his stomach.

"Joe?"

As Joe's first inclination was to lie and tell the younger boy he was fine, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was enough to undo his resolve.

"I dreamed about my pa." He swallowed hard as he tried to blot out the images. "I dreamed he was dead."

Derek nodded at the breathless comment. He knew how that felt. After a few minutes where neither of them could find anything further to say, Derek finally tugged at his arm.

"Let's get back to sleep. Like you said, it's a long ride to Reno and we don't wanna miss the stage."

"It's even longer the way we are going."

"What?"

"We need to get off the road and head overland. I dunno how fast Walter'll report you two as runaways, but we gotta get off the road."

Derek knew that he had no idea how to get to Reno and he trusted Joe to get them there. "Okay, but for now, we gotta get some sleep."

By the time the three of them awoke in the morning, none of them were rested. Joe's dreams had carried right on where he'd left off and Derek had tossed uncomfortably as sleep had evaded him for most of the night. When Matthew awoke with a sore throat and a warm face, Derek figured he was sickening with a cold. It was a miserable start to the day all round.