PART FOUR
JD flinched as he recalled the mother's agony as she cradled her daughter's lifeless body."Kid?"Wilmington prompted gently not liking the dulled expression that had crossed JD's face.
Dunne shook himself out of his revire,"After I shot the robber behind me I turned back around to shoot Tilson. I swear Buck I never saw her until I was looking down my barrel...... Caine told me later that she had run into the street after her dog,"JD shook his head sadly,"I'll never forget the terror in her eyes."
JD stood walking over to where Buck was his face solem,"Buck?"He asked quietly.
"Yeah,kid?"Wilmington replied his mind scrambling for an idea. Any idea at all that would get his friend out of a hangman's noose.
"Do you think they'll let me see my Mamma?"JD asked his voice catching,"I know I did a terrible thing and my soul should be punished for it.....but I have to explain it to Mamma....."
+ + + + + + +
As the men closed the space toward Ezra the gambler didn't wait for them to throw the first punch. Instead he moved away from the wall and knocked the man on the left out with a swift uppercut.
Before the other man could react Ezra jumped onto one of the few tables that was still upright.
Hoping he had calculated the odds right Standish leaped into the air his fingers just barely brushing the rim of the chandelier. Ezra floundered for a minute before getting a firm grip on the iron circle.
Once satisfied that it would hold his weight the gambler used the light fixture like a trapeze.
Using his own body weight as momentum Ezra swung the chandelier as far backward as he could then tucked his knees to his chest as it swung back.
Ezra's feet slammed into the man's chest sending him and four of his friends flying backwards out the saloon's front window spilling out into the street.
+ + + + + + +
Orin Travis had just opened the door to the Clarion when a shadow fell across his.
He turned to see Nathan Jackson,"Mr. Jackson if you don't mind I'm in a bit of a hurry......."
"Why?"Nathan asked simply as he stepped back from the doorway.
Travis closed the door,"Mr. Jackson I can't discuss this with....."
Nathan's eyes narrowed as he took a step forward,"You can't discuss this with us?! JD saved your life and this is how you repay him?"
"Mr. Dunne committed a crime."
"What evidence did you have?"Nathan asked,"You knew what kind of person JD is. You hired him as Sherrif of this town."
Travis's eyes narrowed as he tried to step past Nathan,"The law knows no one,it is impartial. The evidence was overwhelming Mr. Jackson. We had over fifteen eye witness reports to the child's murder. And of course we had the best evidence possible the smoking gun still in Mr. Dunne's hand when he was arrested."
The healer let Travis step past but he had one more question for the Judge,"If you had all of this evidence against JD why bring the trial here?"
Travis paused a few feet down the sidewalk but didn't turn back,"We needed an impartial jury there was none to be found in Coral Canyon."
"Four Corners is hardly impartial where their sherrif is concerned, Judge."Nathan replied as he stepped away from the Clarion's doorway.
Travis turned slightly tipping his hat toward Nathan,"Good day Mr. Jackson."He replied before continuing on his way toward the Saloon.
+ + + + + + +
"Don't talk like that JD!"Buck commanded as he studied his friend. The mask had fallen over JD's eyes once again.
Dunne walked back over to the cott and Buck could almost see his friend slipping away from him.
Wilmington refused to let that happen,"JD,listen to me."
JD sat down on the cott leaning against the wall,"Go away Buck."
Buck shook his head as he walked around to the other side of the jail cell and knelt so he was eyelevel with the young man,"There's a way out of this JD. I promise you that."
JD pulled his knees to his chest his gaze fixated on the gray bars,"You're still full of crap,Buck."
+ + + + + + +
Vin would have admired Ezra's theatrics if he had the time. The gambler's plan had only gotten rid of four.
The leader had regained conscienceness and was now mad.
Drunk and mad.
Which was not a very good combination as far as Vin was concerned.
"Had enough?"Vin asked with a smile.
The older man shook his head as four men closed in behind him,"Me and the boys here are just gettin' started."
Ezra meanwhile had just begun to disentangle himself from the chandlier when a gunshot sounded through the saloon.
All eyes turned to the top of the staircase where the gunshot had orginated.
A tall thin brown haired woman in her mid to late twenties stood next to the railing holding a smoking shotgun in her right hand.
"Miller,isn't it a little early in the eveing?"The woman demanded as she decended the staircase
Miller turned away from Vin a false smile plastered on his face,"We were just tryin' to take care of the garbage for you."
A frown crossed the woman's face as she reached the ground floor,"In case you've forgetton this is my saloon and I say who is garbage and who isn't!"
The dark haired man took a step foward,"But......"
The woman leveled the shotgun at Miller slowly cocking the hammer back,"I missed before on purpose. I won't miss this time."
Miller swallowed hard as he hastily picked up his hat,"Let's go boys, this place ain't worth our protection."
The few remaining men quickly followed Miller out of the saloon leaving a carpet of broken wood and glass in their wake.
Vin glanced up at Ezra who was still dangling from the chandlier,"Are you going to hang there all day?"
+ + + + + + +
Josiah Sanchez didn't pause in his task of gathering candles. He had recognized the shadow before the person even stepped into the church's doorway.
"Josiah."Larabee greeted as he stepped farther into the church stopping near the back row of pews.
Sanchez placed a few new candles at the altar,"Chris,you look like a man who needs to get something off of his chest."
"Any word from Vin and Ezra?"Larabee asked softly.
Josiah shook his head as he pulled a box of matches from a shelf near the altar,"Hasn't been that long,Chris."
Chris took off his hat,"I know,"He replied with a sigh,"I've been thinking that we can't wait for them to come back."
Sanchez came to stand next to the man in black,"What do you have in mind?"
+ + + + + + +
Buck took off his hat in frustration. JD had shut down again and that worried Wilmington more than Travis's sentance. From the details JD had told him it was no wonder the kid thought he was guilty.
But Wilmington knew the kid.
Knew him better than the kid probably knew himself.
Buck stood knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere tonight,"Alright JD, I'll leave,but I'm not giving up. There's a way out of this I promise you that."
+ + + + + + +
Ezra glared at the tracker as he disentangled himself from the chandlier landing on the table before hopping to the floor.
Standish ignored his friend's attempt at humor as he turned his attention to the lady who had come to their rescue.
"You're timing was impeccable,"Ezra said as he came to stand in front of the young woman,"My friend and I are in your debt Ms....."
The woman's finger was still on the trigger of the shotgun,"McAlister, Colleen McAlister and you can save your southern charm it won't work here. You and your friend have caused enough trouble."
Vin stepped forward,"We didn't want any trouble."
Colleen shook her head as she walked behind the bar exchanging the shotgun for a broom,"Wether you wanted trouble or not is a mute point. You're outsiders and lately that's all it takes."
Vin found a spare broom and began to sweep up some of the glass but Colleen stopped him.
"Thankyou but it would be better for everyone if you and your friend just headed back the way you came."
+ + + + + + +
As dusk fell on the small town of Four Corners tempers started to rise. Especially the tempers of those gathered in the saloon.
A red haired man in his mid thirties was seated at a back table surrounded by a group of ten men.
The red haired man set down his third beer,"Friends what we saw yesterday was not justice."
A murmur of agreement moved through the group as more men gathered around the table.
The red haired man stood,"This wasn't a fair trial the old man knew that when he moved it to this town. He hired those gunslingers who think they're the law in these parts."The man's right fist slammed down onto the table so hard the beer glass tipped over spilling its contents,"My little neice deserves better! It should be that sherriff lying stone cold in the ground!"
"Whatcha got in mind,Boss?"A blond man not much older than JD asked as he leaned lazily against the wall.
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