sitting back and waiting to see what was going to happen.
The fishing boat chugged into the cove, close enough for the captain to run a board to the shore. He shook hands with Conrad and Frank. “I don’t know what you fellas are up to, but I’ve got a hunch it’s somethin’ pretty important. Best of luck to you.”
Conrad nodded. “Thanks, Captain.”
Trees grew almost to the edge of the water. The pair of horses were tied up about twenty yards into the woods, as Turnbuckle had promised. Frank took the big bay, Conrad the thick-chested dun.
Ling Yuan had drawn them a map to Lannigan’s hunting lodge. “You’ve been there before, spying on him, haven’t you?” Conrad had asked.
“Wong Duck says one of the keys to defeating an enemy is first observing him.”
Conrad wondered why Diamond Jack hadn’t had Lannigan killed before now. He supposed it was because such an assassination might trigger an all-out war between the tongs and the white underworld of the Barbary Coast.
If, on the other hand, Lannigan were to be killed by a couple white men, because of something that had nothing to do with the saloon owner’s rivalry with the tongs, then Diamond Jack could claim he’d had nothing to do with it. That might be enough to avoid an orgy of bloodshed that could seriously cripple both factions.
They came to a narrow trail that Ling Yuan had marked on the map. “Lannigan’s place is about five miles up in the mountains,” Conrad said. “This trail is supposed to lead us around behind it. According to Ling Yuan, Lannigan doesn’t know it exists.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Frank cautioned. “Lannigan struck me as being pretty sharp. I’m not sure he’d have a back door into his place that wasn’t protected.”
“We’ll just have to be careful. This won’t be the first time I’ve snuck into somewhere that was guarded, and I’ll bet it won’t be for you, either.”
Frank smiled in the shadows underneath the trees. “You’d win that bet.”
They rode on, following the trail that was so faint, sometimes it was hard to see, even for a veteran frontiersman like Frank. They didn’t lose it, though, and their route gradually took them upward, higher into the mountains. The trees thinned out some but were still thick enough to provide cover. Because the route twisted back and forth to avoid natural obstacles, they wound up traveling much farther than five miles. Hours passed as they climbed toward their destination.
Eventually Conrad came out on a shoulder that curved around the mountainside. He reached a spot where he could dismount and crawl forward to look over the edge of a bluff. The roof of a sprawling, two-story log building nestled in the trees was visible below. That would be Lannigan’s lodge, according to Ling Yuan’s map. The place matched the hatchet man’s description, right down to the small barn and corral off to one side. Several horses were in that corral, including the six matched blacks that made up the team for Lannigan’s carriage. Conrad had no trouble recognizing the horses. They had almost trampled him the night before.
Two men armed with shotguns stood near the lodge’s rear door. Conrad spotted two more roaming through the trees. He figured there would be more guards in front of the lodge, and maybe on the sides of the sprawling building. There were bound to be gunmen inside the lodge, too, along with Lannigan, Winifred, and the twins.
Conrad heard a footstep behind him. A harsh voice said, “I don’t know who you are, mister, but if you move I’ll blow your brains out. You work for that Browning bastard?”
“No, I
The man behind him let out a startled curse. Over the sound of it, Conrad heard a sudden rush of footsteps, then the solid thud of gun butt striking skull. He rolled over and saw Frank lowering the limp body of an unconscious man to the ground. The man’s rifle lay where it had fallen.
“Figured there would be somebody keeping an eye on this spot,” Frank said. “You drew him out just like we thought you would. That was quite a risk you ran, though. He could’ve just shot you in the back.”
Conrad stood up and shook his head. “No, I figured he’d be curious about who I was and try to take me prisoner. Are you sure there was just one guard?”
“Pretty sure. After we split up, I circled higher and got above this shoulder. Had a pretty good view of the hombre sneaking up on you. He appeared to be alone.”
“All right.” Conrad glanced at the sky. It had taken them most of the day to climb to the lodge, and night would be falling soon. “Once it’s dark, we can climb down that bluff and try to make it into the house.”
“Those shotgun-toters will probably have something to say about that.”
Conrad grunted. “So will we.”
Frank grinned and slapped Conrad on the shoulder. “It’s good working with you again, son.”
“Likewise.” Conrad paused. “Just don’t expect me to start calling you Pa.”
Conrad and Frank kept a close watch all around them as they waited for night to fall. It was possible another guard might come to change places with the man Frank had knocked out and tied up. No one else showed up, though, so Conrad suspected the shift change had taken place not long before he and Frank had sprung their trap on the luckless gunman.
They were up high enough on the western slope of the mountain that the sea was visible in the distance. Finally the sun sank into the Pacific, turning everything green and gold for a brief moment of beauty and tranquility.
That couldn’t last. It would be a night of blood and death, Conrad sensed. But as long as his children wound up safe, that was all that really mattered.
He checked his Colt and slid the revolver back in its holster, then did likewise with the .38. Frank did the same thing. They left their Winchesters with the horses. Whatever happened in the lodge would be close work.
“I didn’t see any badges or uniforms on those men standing guard,” Conrad said. “I think we can assume they’re all hired guns working for Lannigan.”
Frank nodded in agreement. “There’s bound to be a trail leading a long way around. That’ll be how the guards get up here. Once things have settled down, one of us can come back up and get the horses. Then we’ll ride out on that road we spotted leading through the trees to the lodge.”
Conrad nodded. His father was assuming both of them would live through what was about to happen, and he hoped that turned out to be the case. But if it didn’t ...
“Frank, if I don’t make it out of here—”
Frank held up a hand to stop him. “I’ll see that those youngsters are taken care of. You don’t even have to ask.”
“I know.”
“Same goes for me.” Frank chuckled. “Just don’t tell them too many wild stories about their gunslinging granddad.”
“I’ll keep ’em away from those dime novels,” Conrad said with a laugh of his own.
Frank’s tone was a lot more serious as he went on. “We may have to kill Lannigan and the rest of those varmints. I reckon you can live with that, though, the way you went after the men responsible for Rebel’s death.”
“Yeah. This is the last hand, Frank. Pamela’s down to her last card.”
“You realize you’re talking about gambling with a dead woman.”
“That’s the way it’s been all along. Pamela’s twisted game. I just didn’t realize it soon enough.”
“If we get those kids back safe and sound, it’s soon enough.”
Conrad couldn’t argue with that. He went to the edge of the bluff, which was steep but rugged enough a man could climb down it if he was careful, even in the dark. Brush grew here and there, which helped provide handholds.
The bluff was about fifty feet high. Conrad and Frank took their time descending it. They didn’t want to dislodge any rocks and send them clattering down the slope to warn the guards. Stealth was more important than speed. They had all night to make their approach to the lodge.
When they reached the bottom at last, Conrad put his mouth next to Frank’s ear and whispered, “We’ll take the guards who are patrolling first. You go left, I’ll go right.”
