Eli, they say she rode south. And they say Crane sent Cobb and Lefty after her. The rage that filled Eli was cold and absolute. It was not the hot flash of a fight. It was the glacial certainty of a man who has nothing left to lose.
That night, Deputy Miller sat at the desk pretending to read a penny dreadful. The sheriff was across the street at the saloon, drinking away the guilt of being a bought man. There was a tap at the back window. Miller stiffened, then slowly stood up. He walked to the cell block door.
"I am going to check the perimeter," he said to the empty room. He unlocked the back door and walked out, leaving the keys on the desk. A moment later, the back door opened again. It was Gus. He moved quietly for an old man.
He picked up the keys. Eli stood at the bars, his hands gripping the cold iron. Horse, Eli asked. Tethered in the alley, Gus whispered. Unlocking the cell.
Your rifle is in the scabbard. I brought the bay you like. And a fresh horse for for her. Eli stepped out. He did not look back at the cell.
He placed a hand on Gus's shoulder. If I don't come back, the ranch is yours to manage. Keep the men paid. You bring her back. Eli, that is all that matters.
Eli slipped out into the night. He rode out of town using the dry washes to hide his dust. Heading south, he rode with a reckless speed, trusting the moon and the memory of the land. He knew where she would go. He knew the road to Granite Peak.
He found the sight of the ambush the next afternoon. He found the blood on the rocks. It was dried and black in the heat. His heart stopped. He touched the stone. his fingers trembling.
It was a small smear, too much for a scratch, not enough for a kill. He saw the tracks, a horse running hard, a rider slumping. He tracked her for 10 mi. He found her at dusk. She was lying in the shadow of a limestone overhang beside a trickle of water that wept from the rock.
Bess was standing guard, her head low. Maggie was pale. Her skin the color of old parchment. Her coat was matted with blood on the left side. Maggie.