Forbes looked at each of them in turn, then said, “I see.”
“Tell me, Mr. Forbes,” Ralph Cory said, “what brings you out here?”
“Me?” Forbes asked. “I work here.”
“Here?” James asked.
“You’re on the Double W land.”
“Double W?” Thomas asked.
“It’s a ranch—”
“I know what it is. Who owns it?”
“A man named William Wilson,” Forbes said. “I work for him. I’m the foreman.”
“What are you doin’ out here?” James asked. “Isn’t a foreman supposed to supervise his men?”
“I’m out checking for strays.”
“Horse?” Thomas asked.
“Cattle?” Cory asked.
“Both,” Forbes said, “and men.” He finished his coffee, dumped the dregs on the fire, and stood up. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Mr. Forbes—” Thomas said.
“Call me Hal.”
“Hal,” Thomas said, “the men we’re chasing rode into Vengeance Creek on Double W horses.”
Forbes frowned. “What were their names?”
“Ben Cardwell and Sean Davis.”
“These the two you’re chasin’?”
“Them and one other,” Thomas said. “We’re not sure of his name, but two of them are definitely Cardwell and Davis. Do those names ring a bell?”
“Can’t say that they do.”
“What about your boss?” Thomas asked. “Would he know them?”
“I guess you’d have to ask him that.”
“We can’t stop to do that, Thomas,” James said. “The trail will grow cold.”
Thomas was in a quandary. He thought that William Wilson would be worth talking to, but did he do it himself and allow James to continue to follow the trail? Or should he send James to the ranch to talk with the man and continue on himself?
“James,” he said, “it’s worth talking to Mr. Wilson about.”
“Send Colon.”
“That’s not why he’s here.”
“Then Cory.”
“Same reason.”
“Why me?”
“I didn’t say you.”
“But you were gonna.”
“I gotta get back,” Forbes said. “I saw your fire, smelled it, figured I’d check it out. Since you’re lawmen, I got no beef with you. I gotta get back to work. Is somebody comin’ with me?”
“Yes,” Thomas said, “I am.”
“Thomas—”
“Just keep following the trail, James,” Thomas said. “I’ll be able to follow the one left by you and Ralph and Berto.”
“Take Berto with you,” James suggested.
“No reason to,” Thomas said. “I’m just gonna talk to Mr. Wilson, see if he knows either of the men who were ridin’ his horses. I’ll be along in no time.” He turned to Forbes. “Just let me get my horse and I’ll be right with you.”
“Sure,” Forbes said. “Left my horse back a ways. We can pick him up and ride back to the ranch.”
“Fine.” Thomas turned and exchanged a glance with Cory, who followed him to the horses.
“You want me to watch James?” he asked.
“I’d be obliged,” Thomas said.
“You’re doing the right thing, Thomas,” Cory said. “Berto and I can take care of him.”
“Yeah, well,” Thomas said, saddling his horse, “don’t let him know you’re takin’ care of him, understand?”
“Perfectly.”
“He’s still the one with the badge.”
“I know it,” Cory said. “Berto and I are just…volunteers, sort of.”
“This shouldn’t put me more than half a day behind you,” Thomas said, turning his horse so he could mount up.
“Maybe, like your brother said, you should take Rigoberto along to watch your back,” Cory said.
“Against what?” Thomas asked. “I’m just gonna ask the man some questions.” He mounted up. “I’ll be fine.”
“You better be,” Cory said. “I don’t want to have to explain to your father that I let you go off alone.”
“You didn’t let me do anythin’,” Thomas said. “My decision, remember?”
“I remember.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Thomas rode back to where Forbes was waiting, extended a hand and pulled the man up behind him.
“See you, little brother,” he said. “Keep on the trail. I’ll catch up soon.”
“Be careful,” James said.
“Keep these other two in line.”
“Count on it.”
As Cory reached the fire, Thomas rode off, following Forbes’s directions to his horse.
“I think one of you should have gone with him,” James said to Cory and Colon.
“His decision, James,” Cory said.
“Yeah, well,” James said, “I’m wearin’ a badge, and I get to make some decisions too…don’t I?”
44
Thomas found Hal Forbes’s horse and then waited while the man mounted up. It may not have been absolutely necessary for him to go to the Double W ranch, but if there was even a chance he might find out something to help them get ahead of robbers, he wanted to take it.
“We’re not that far from the house,” Forbes said. “Just ride along with me.”
They rode side by side, and in the course of asking questions, Forbes heard Thomas’s full name. “Shaye?” he said.
“That’s right.”
“As in Sheriff Dan Shaye of Vengeance Creek?”
“Right again.”
“I heard about you and your father,” Forbes said. “You tracked down the Langer gang.”
“More people have heard about that than I thought,” Thomas said.
“Well, that was something for you and your pa and your brothers to do.”
“It wasn’t such a somethin’,” Thomas said.
“Well, Mr. Wilson’s gonna be glad to meet you.”
“Why’s that?”
“He likes meetin’ men with reputations.”
“I don’t have a reputation.”
“You outdrew Ethan Langer,” Forbes said, “and then you didn’t kill him. You crippled him and sent him to
