The second deputy was dead before he struck the ground and rolled to the edge of the road then stopped.
Dave was hurriedly reloading when Deputy Henderson fell, so when he looked up, he was almost surprised to find the road empty of lawmen. He momentarily thought about gathering the two healthy horses but decided it would only make him appear more suspicious to oncoming traffic.
He turned and after grabbing his Winchester and the box of cartridges, hurried down the road and entered the trees to find his horses.
Sheriff Jefferson was still a bit woozy from the fall, but when he sat up and scanned the road ahead, he was sickened with what his eyes revealed. He spotted an unmoving Bill Potts on the road and hoped that he’d just been knocked out, but after looking past his own dead horse, he spotted Mike Henderson’s body another hundred yards away. Even at that distance, Pat Jefferson knew that he was dead.
He slowly stood and was relieved that he wasn’t dizzy before he looked at the pass and wondered if Forrest was going to return to make sure they were all dead and take the two horses. So, he hurried to his dead horse and pulled out his Winchester. He cocked the hammer and waited for almost a minute expecting that murdering bastard to come into view.
When he hadn’t returned, Pat stepped over to Bill Potts. He found Bill’s lifeless eyes staring back at him, so he leaned down and closed his eyelids.
No longer caring about his own safety, Sheriff Jefferson walked quickly up the rise to the crest of the pass. He was hoping to spot Forrest and let a few bullets fly even if he was out of range.
But when he was able to see down the road, Dave Forrest was already too far away to waste a bullet.
He turned and headed back to his dead deputies. He’d load their bodies onto one horse and then take the other and head back. He’d stop at Silver City to have his boys placed in caskets so at least they wouldn’t return home looking like dead game.
He’d send a telegram to Arv Zendt while he was there, too. He knew that Forrest would probably be in Arv’s jurisdiction before the end of the day. He just wished that they didn’t hang him in Fort Benton. He didn’t think it would be good enough.
_____
Dave continued to ride and believed that he’d killed all three lawmen, so no one would come after him for at least another day. But he also realized that his choice of direction after leaving Silver City was now sending him back toward Fort Shaw. He hoped to reach the settlement before sunset. He could buy some more supplies, but then where would he go?
He couldn’t head back to Helena any more than he could ride east to Fort Benton. There was that turnoff just south of Fort Shaw, but that road stayed in Lewis & Clark County, and he was sure that there would be more than a couple of posses out searching for him. He had to leave the county and that meant he’d have to reach Choteau County where he was already wanted.
As he continued to ride at a brisk pace, he mulled his few options. Even if he’d killed the Lewis & Clark County sheriff and two of his deputies, someone would miss them if they didn’t return by sunset. If they had all been deputies or even volunteers, then the sheriff might be concerned even sooner. Dave was sure that by tomorrow Sheriff Zendt would receive a telegram from Helena. He knew he’d have to find a good place to hide out by then. It didn’t take long for Dave to figure out where he’d go after buying some supplies. He’d leave Fort Shaw and head north to Woman’s Breast. That ghost town offered shelter and a lot of places to hide him and his horses. He may have to stay there a month before things died down but could always hunt and fish to keep his belly full.
_____
Sheriff Jefferson knew he was adding even more stress to the two exhausted horses as he climbed the last rise before reaching Silver City. He just hoped they’d survive long enough for him to send that telegram.
As bad as he felt for losing his two young deputies, he felt worse knowing why they had died. Arv Zendt had warned him about the long-range rifle, yet he had ignored it. He didn’t blame his young deputies for not mentioning it. He was the one with all of the experience and he should have taken precautions. Instead, he’d ridden them into an ambush that had taken their lives.
When he spotted Silver City thirty minutes later, he was relieved knowing that he was going to make it. But he knew that when he arrived in Helena, before he did anything else, he’d have to break the horrible news to Bill and Mike’s young wives. He’d bring Alma along to comfort them, but even his wife wouldn’t be able to deflect the anger they would hold for him when he explained how their husbands had died. He wasn’t about to sugarcoat it either. As far as Pat was concerned, he deserved far worse.
_____
Ignorant of all that had happened on the Helena-Fort Shaw road, Jake and Sara were enjoying the first normal day they’d experienced since Jake had returned from the army. They were in the office but not behind the desk. They were sitting in chairs near the gun rack and Sara was listening as Jake explained the entries in the ledger spread out on his lap. Some were a bit cryptic, at least to anyone who hadn’t run a cattle ranch.
“This one is payment for salvaged iron that Big Tom uses to make horseshoes and other things.”
