“Being robbed, or has been robbed?” Smoke replied, confused by the remark.
“Being robbed,” Sheriff Carson said. “At least, we think that it what it is. The train is stopped about five miles east of here. There is an obstruction on the track so it can’t go forward, and another on the track to keep it from going back.”
“How do you know this?”
“Ollie Cook is the switch operator just this side of where the train is. When the train didn’t come through his switch on time, he walked down the track to find out why, and that’s when he saw the train barricaded like that. He hurried back to his switch shack and called the depot.”
“And I called Sheriff Carson,” Hodge said.
“I’m about to get a posse together to ride out there and see what it’s all about,” the sheriff said.
“No need for a posse. Deputize me,” Smoke suggested. “Like I said, Sally is on that train.”
“You are already a deputy, Smoke, you know that.”
“Yes, I know. But I don’t want people thinking I’ve gone off on my own just because Sally is on the train. I need you to authorize this in front of a witness.”
“All right,” Sheriff Carson said. “Hodge, you are witness to this. Smoke, you are deputized to find out what is happening with that train, and to deal with it as you see best.”
“Thanks.”
Hurrying back outside, Smoke jumped into the buckboard. Slapping the reins against the back of the team, he took the road that ran parallel with the railroad. He left town doing a brisk trot, but once he was out of town, he urged the team into a gallop. Less than fifteen minutes later, he saw the train stopped on the railroad tracks. Not wanting to get any closer with the team and buckboard, he tied them to a juniper tree, then, bending to keep a low profile, ran alongside the berm until he reached the front of the train. Hiding in some bushes, he looked into the engine cab and saw three men. The fireman and engineer he could identify by the pin-striped coveralls they were wearing. The third man had a gun in his hand, waving it around every now and then, as if demonstrating his authority over the train crew.
Smoke moved up onto the track, but since he was in the very front of the locomotive, he knew he couldn’t be seen. He climbed up the cow catcher, then up onto the boiler itself, still unseen. He walked along the top of the boiler, then onto the roof of the cab. Lying down on his stomach, he peeked in the side window on the left side of the locomotive.
The man holding the gun had his back to that window so he couldn’t see Smoke, but the engineer and the fireman could, and their eyes widened in surprise. Smoke hoped the gunman didn’t notice.
“You two fellas are doin’ just fine,” the gunman said. “As soon as we collect our money from all your passengers, why we’ll move the stuff off the track and let you go on.”
Smoke leaned down far enough to make certain the cab crew could see him, then put his finger across his lips as a signal to be quiet.
“You got no right to be collecting money from our passengers,” the engineer said.
“Well, the Denver and Rio Grande collects its fees, and we collect ours,” the gunman said with a cackling laugh.
In mid-cackle, Smoke reached into the engine cab, grabbed the man by his shirt, and pulled him through the window, then let him fall headfirst to the ground.
“Hey, what—” was as far as the man got, before contact with the ground interrupted his protest. Looking down at him, Smoke could tell by the way the man’s head was twisted that his neck was broken, and he was dead.
Smoke swung himself into the engine cab.
“Who are you?” the engineer asked.
“Smoke Jensen. I’m a deputy sheriff. How many more are there?”
“Four more,” the fireman answered.
“Five,” the engineer corrected. “I saw five.”
“Where are they now?”
“Well, sir, after they found out we wasn’t car-ryin’ any money in the express car, they decided to see what they could get from the passengers, and that’s what they are doing now.”
“How about the two of you going down to move that body? I don’t want any of the others to look up this way and see him lying there.”
“Yeah, good idea. Come on, Cephus, let’s get him moved.”
As the two train crewmen climbed down to take care of their job, Smoke crawled across the coal pile on the tender, then up onto the top of the express car. He ran the length of that car, then leaped across to the baggage car and ran its length as well. Climbing down from the back of the baggage car, he let himself into the first passenger car.
“One of your men has already been here,” an irate passenger said. “We gave him everything we have.”
“Shhh,” Smoke said. “I’m on your side. I’m a deputy sheriff. Where are they?”
“There was only one in here, and he went into the next car.”
“Thanks.” Holding his pistol down by his side, Smoke hurried through the first car and into the second. He saw a gunman at the other end of the car, holding a pistol in his right hand and an open sack in the other. The passengers were dropping their valuables into the open sack.
“What are you doing in here? You get back in the other car and stay there like you were told!” The gunman said
