Just as Sam went out the front door Serena came into the room.
“Where’s Sam?” she asked, looking at all of them in turn. “What’s going on? You all look like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar.”
“I’ve got to go to the courthouse,” Evan said. “Jube, explain it to her.”
“Sure,” Jubal said as Evan headed for the door, “thanks.”
Sam went to the livery and told Swede he needed his horse.
“I’ll get him for you, Sam,” Swede said.
While Sam waited for his horse he thought back to his prospecting days in Shasta County, California. That was another time when he’d thought he could put his gun down. It didn’t work out any better than his marriage had, but he had learned about what to look for when searching for gold.
The Swede walked his horse out to him and handed him the reins.
“Are you going riding alone?”
“Yes.”
“After what happened near the telegraph office—”
“The telegraph office!” Sam said.
“What about it?” Swede asked, but Sam had alreadymounted up and was riding to the hotel. The incident at the telegraph office had been several days ago, and Sam had completely forgotten to check for his reply.
He stopped at the hotel and went inside to the desk clerk.
“Is there a telegraph message for me?”
“I’ll check, sir.” The clerk turned and looked in Sam’s box, then came out with a yellow slip of paper. He handed it to Sam.
“Thanks.”
Sam took it outside and read it there. It was from Murdock, who said that while he was too far away to be of any use there was a man who might be able to help them out. His name was Carson, Frank Carson. Murdock further stated that he would have Carson ride into Vengeance Creek as soon as he could.
Good ol’ Page, Sam thought. Came through, as always.
He put the message in his pocket to show to his brothers later, mounted up and rode out.
At the courthouse Evan McCall looked up the ownership of Louise’s, which was on the records as a saloon. Louise Simon was the only owner of record. If Burkett did own a piece of the business—or the business as a whole—it was through a private deal he made with Louise.
That made sense to Evan. It fit with what he and his brothers figured, that Burkett would be keeping his movements to himself as long as possible.
There was no point in looking up any other records. If Burkett owned any other business it would not be reflected in any records that were available to the public.
Since he finished at the courthouse so early, Evan decided to ride after Sam, just in case his older brother found more trouble than he’d anticipated.
Jason Cord came down to breakfast at the Burketthouse and found his host and his son waiting there for him. The breakfast that was laid out on the long dining room table was impressive: eggs, potatoes, ham and biscuits, flapjacks, coffee and milk.
“Well,” Cord said, “this is quite a feast, gentlemen. Do you eat like this all the time?”
“Never mind that,” Lincoln Burkett said. “Sit your skinny ass down and answer some questions, Cord.”
Jason Cord was a rather timid man in his late twenties, sandy-haired, tall and thin. Violent language and violence had never been part of his life. He had thought twice about coming west, but the offer of payment was so good that he couldn’t resist. And if he managed to find what Burkett thought he’d find, it would mean even more money.
“Um, yes, sir,” he said, sitting down. “What kind of questions?”
“Like where the hell you been for the past three months?” Burkett asked. “It shouldn’t have taken you this long to get here from Chicago.”
“Well, sir,” Cord said, helping himself to the food on the table, “there were matters which had to be put to rest before I could leave Chicago. I had business dealings there which had to be transferred, and then there was the matter of my fiancee, Abigail. She was not very happy about my coming out here, but when I explained to her the possibilities—” “You told her what you were coming out here to look for?” Burkett said, exploding. “I thought I made it clear in my letter that no one was to know—”
“No, no, Mr. Burkett,” Cord was quick to say, “I did not tell her exactly what I was coming out to do, but I did tell her that very soon I would have the money to send for her—”
“All right, all right,” Burkett said, “I don’t want to hearabout your goddamned woman. Just eat your breakfast and we’ll get started.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you?” Burkett said to his son.
“Yes, Pa?”
“You were at Louise’s last night, weren’t you? Causing a ruckus.”
“Aw, Pa, we was just havin’ some fun—”
“Never mind,” Burkett said. “At your age you should be thinking less about fun and more about business.”
“The business is yours, Pa, not mine.”
“But it will be yours someday, God damn it!” Burkett said, slamming his hand down hard on the table. “I wish you’d stop getting drunk all the time—”
“I don’t get drunk all the time—”
“I heard those bouncers at Louise’s would have taken your head off if some fella hadn’t helped you out.”
“And it would have been your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Sure, they work for you, don’t they?” John Burkett said. “I mean, you own Louise’s, don’t you?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Never mind where. You bought it and instructed her to keep me out. Why’d you do that?”
“Son,” Burkett said, “if you want a woman I’ll get you a woman. But if you keep mixing with those kind of women you’re gonna end up with some goddamned disease or other. You want a wife, I’ll get you one, but—”
“I’ll get my own women, thank you,” John said. “Jesus, Pa, I don’t want you giving me everything.”
“Then how do you expect to get it?” Lincoln Burkett demanded. “You don’t do a lick of work!”
John was about to answer when Chuck Conners entered the room.
“Chuck,” Burkett said, “come and fall to and have somebreakfast. Meet Jason Cord, the geologist I sent for from the east.”
“Mr. Cord.”
“Cord, Conners is my foreman. You’ll be taking orders from him as well as from me.”
“Very good, sir.”
As an afterthought Lincoln Burkett added, “And from my son.”
John Burkett looked at his father in surprise.
“Your orders will come from one of the three of us and no one else. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Mr. Burkett.”
“Johnny,” Burkett said, “after dinner you and Chuck take Mr. Cord out and show him what we found. All right?”
“Sure, Pa,” John Burkett said, “sure.”
Sam knew the land that had been his father’s very well. The land didn’t change, and after all these years he still knew where everything was. For what he was looking for, he chose to check the streams and water holes that were on Burkett’s land.
He rode the streams, dismounting every so often to stick his hand in the water and bring up some of the bottom. He was riding along the edge of a wide stream when he noticed something he hadn’t noticed elsewhere: the soil here seemed blacker, and deeper, than in other places. He dismounted, grounded his horse’s reins, and hunkered down on his heels.
He stuck his hand into the soil, which was like black mud, and lifted it to his nose. He sniffed it, then touched
