Ike McSwain put his lunch plate in the sink and went to look out the door toward the Jenkins’ farm. After staring into the emptiness that stretched out before him for a few seconds, he turned and went to sit on his bed. The uneasy feeling that had been plaguing him since Buck didn’t return last night soon had him back at the door.
“ I’m sure everything is fine,” said Emma as she cleaned up the lunch dishes. “If it wasn’t, the Jenkins would have gotten word to us.”
Ike smiled at Emma. He knew what she said was true, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that Buck was in serious trouble.
“ What do we do about him?” Carl asked as he kicked Buck in the side one more time for good measure.
“ Tie him up real good,” answered his partner, Fred. “Then we can leave him at the scene of the crime. If we work this right, he’ll get blamed for robbing the store and that crazy old man, Tompkins, will get blamed for beating him.”
“ What if he don’t make it?” asked Carl. “You worked him over pretty good.”
“ Then Tompkins will get blamed for killing him. Don’t you remember what the old man told him last night? Shoot, that place was full when they shouted at each other; everyone in town knows they can’t stand each other.”
Carl nodded as he remembered the heated exchange that had taken place the evening before just prior to his and Fred’s kidnapping Buck. Fred was right; no one would suspect the two of them of robbing the store – especially if they made it look like Tompkins caught the half-breed in the act. The only thing Carl still didn’t understand was how they ended up with the money. “Explain to me, how they’re both there, but the money isn’t.”
Fred sighed. “We’ll make it look like he took the money and left, but came back because he realized that there was something that would tie him to the crime. People will think he hid the money and when he came back to retrieve the evidence Tompkins caught him.”
“ What evidence?” asked Carl.
Fred held up Buck’s knife. “This,” he smiled. “The weapon he wears so everyone can see it. The whole town will know who it belongs to.”
Carl laughed with Fred and relaxed. He should have known Fred would have the answer. Fred had the answer to everything.
When Buck still hadn’t returned by dinner time, Emma told Ike, “Go saddle up two horses. We’re going to go visit the Jenkins. I can’t believe he’d be this late and miss a run without a reason. Something must have happened to him on the way home.”
As Ike headed toward the barn, Emma told Lou. “You go get Sam and tell him to meet us at the Jenkins.” Lou nodded and went after Ike.
Teaspoon joined Emma at the door, “Me and the rest of the boys will go looking in the different places around where Buck might hold up if he was in trouble. Anyone who finds him will either bring him back here, or make a signal fire so the rest of us can come help.”
The way station was soon a hive of activity as the riders got ready to go find one of their own.
As Lou rode into Sweetwater, she was surprised to see a large crowd of people gathered around Tompkins’ store. She heard Sam telling everyone to go on home so she headed in that direction. She was even more astonished to see Buck’s horse, Warrior Spirit, hidden in the alley behind the store. Lou dismounted, secured Lightening next to Warrior Spirit, and then made her way toward the store entrance and Sam.
She stopped short when she rounded the corner. Sam was securing Tompkins’ hands behind his back. “You’d better pray that he wakes up,” Sam said, “else you could be looking at murder charges.”
Tompkins just stared at something on the ground near his feet. Lou followed his gaze and gasped when she saw what it was that had him standing transfixed. It was Buck – beaten and unconscious. Lou pushed her way through the lingering town’s people. “What happened?” she asked Sam.
“ Not sure,” Sam replied. He once again turned to face the crowd. “I thought I told you people to go home. Start moving or I’ll take the lot of you over to the jail with Bill here.”
The people mumbled, but began to move. Just then Barnett showed up with Doc Barnes. “Good,” said Sam. “Escort Mr. Tompkins over to the jail and see if you can get him to tell you what happened. I’ll be along as soon as I get things settled here.”
Barnett nodded and took hold of Tompkins’ arm. “You want I should lock him up?”
“ Not unless he gives you trouble,” said Sam. “I just want to find out what happened. Something isn’t right with this whole situation. It just doesn’t ring true.”
Doc knelt next to Buck and carefully turned him over. Buck’s face was bruised and bloody, his left arm appeared to be broken, and his breathing was fast and shallow. “I’m not sure how we’re going to move him,” said Doc. “He’s in pretty rough shape. What did Tompkins hit him with anyway?”
Sam shrugged. “I’m not sure Tompkins had anything to do with this. In fact if it wasn’t Buck lying there, I’d swear Tompkins didn’t have anything to do with this.”
Doc nodded. “I know what you mean. This isn’t Bill’s style.”
Lou knelt next to the doctor. “Doc, there’s a bedroll in the store. Could we use it to carry Buck?”
Doc looked in the store window. “That’s a good idea, Son. Go get the bedroll and that ladder Bill uses to reach the top shelves. We’ll put the bedroll on the ladder, and use it as a stretcher.”
Lou hurried to do as the doctor requested, but had to get Sam to help break open the door. Soon they had Buck on a bed in the doctor’s office. “I’m going to go let the others know I’ve found Buck,” Lou said as the doctor started to carefully undress the still unconscious Indian.
Sam walked out with Lou, “He been missing?”
Lou nodded. “Didn’t come home last night from the Jenkins’ place. We just set out looking for him after dinner. I was supposed to bring you to the station to help.”
Sam nodded. “You go get the others and come by my office first.”
Lou nodded and quickly rode off to do Sam’s bidding.
Tompkins sat in the locked cell glaring at Sam and the group of people gathered in the office. He spoke loudly as he did his best to control his rising anger. “I told you. I just happened to look out the diner window and saw someone running from the store toward the alley, I hollered at you that there was a robber at my place, I grabbed the shotgun Hank keeps behind the counter, hurried over to my place, and tripped over something that caused me to fire off a round.” He paused to catch his breath and calm his temper. “I stood up and looked to see what had caused me to stumble; it was him. He was already hurt. I’d just knelt down to see if he was still breathing when you showed up and asked me what I had done.
“ I’ve been robbed and instead of finding my money you have me locked up because someone else finally had the good sense to teach that no-good half-breed some manners. . .”
“ You’d best calm yourself, Bill,” said Teaspoon stepping up to the bars of the cell. “That boy may possibly not wake up, and unless he does there’s a real good chance you’ll be spending the next few years in a place much worse than here.”
“ But I. . .” Tompkins sputtered.
“ You were heard threatening him,” said Sam. “Fifteen people have told me what they heard you way to him the day he disappeared; not that it matters what anyone else has to say – I heard you myself.”
“ I never meant it . . .” Tompkins started. “He just makes . . .What makes you so sure he won’t just say I did it to be rid of me? I mean after all, he’s just a no-good, half. . .” he stopped again and looked at the faces outside his cell. These people would never believe that he was telling the truth when it came to that boy, and they were going to believe anything that dirty, rotten, breed said. He was in serious trouble.
“ A second thing,” Sam continued once Tompkins quieted down. “I had to help Lou break into your store before we could move Buck to Doc’s. I went back after we’d settled him in, and the store wasn’t broken into except where Lou and I did it.”
He held up his hand as Tompkins began to protest, “Yes, the money is gone from the register, and Buck’s knife was on the floor, but the store wasn’t broken into. No broken windows, no busted locks, no forced doors. Also, there are three sets of hoof prints leading into the alley, but only two going out. Problem is I can’t track them past the end of the alley thanks to all the people walking around trying to see what was going on.” He paused to let this information sink into Tompkins’ head. “That’s why I have to ask you to reconsider your previous answer to my question – Is there anyone you can think of who would want to hurt you? This wasn’t done just to take your money. It was done to ruin you.”
Tompkins sat heavily on the bunk in his cell. “No,” he said. “I mean there are a lot of people that don’t particularly like me, but I don’t think I’ve made anyone mad enough to want to do this.”
“ Then I guess we wait until Buck wakes up and hope he remembers something,” said Sam as he turned from Tompkins to face the other people in his office. “I realize that you folks all want to be over at Doc’s, but I need to talk to you first. Besides, you can’t do anything over there except get in the way.”
Lou, Cody, Kid, Teaspoon, Emma, Abigail Jenkins and her husband Elias all looked at Sam. “You really think Tompkins did this?” asked Teaspoon.
Sam shook his head. “If Buck had been shot, I’d say yes, but there’s no way Tompkins beat him that badly. He didn’t have time, and someone would have seen the fight. I think someone is using Tompkins’ hatred of Buck to cover their crime.”
“ Any idea who?” asked Emma.
“ That’s why I asked you all here,” Sam answered. “In order to figure out what happened I need to know as much as I can about where Buck has been, who he’s talked to, if anyone has a grudge against him. . .”
Abigail Jenkins said, “He was at our place two evenings ago. He left shortly after dinner to come into town and pick up a bag of feed. I accidentally left it earlier that day when I’d gone shopping. When he didn’t come back that night, Elias and I figured it had taken him longer to get it than he’d thought. He told us he had a run the next day so we weren’t expecting to see him again until tomorrow. We didn’t know anything was wrong until this evening when Emma and Ike came by.”
Tompkins said, “He did come by and get that sack. That’s what caused the shouting match you mentioned earlier. He accused me of trying to cheat the Jenkins out of some money. I was busy so I sent him to the store room to get the sack himself. I wasn’t going to ignore my customers to help him. . .”
Sam nodded. “I remember. Did you ever see him come out? I didn’t.”
Tompkins shook his head, “Now that you mention it, I don’t remember him leaving. Maybe he hid so he could rob me.”
“ That doesn’t make sense,” said Sam. “Where’s the money?”
Teaspoon asked, “Who else was in the store room?”
“ Just Carl and Fred,” said Tompkins. “They were getting things ready to take to Blue Creek. I needed some more beans, and the store owner there needed some more sugar. We were making a trade.”
“ Could they be behind this?” asked Cody. “I mean, maybe they’re mad because Jimmy and I beat them in that fight. In a way that was because of Buck.”
“ They couldn’t be,” said Tompkins. “They left that night for Blue Creek. Should be back in the morning.”
“ Guess we could send someone over to check up on them,” said Teaspoon.
Sam nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”
“ I’ll go,” said Kid. “I just need to check with the store owner to see if and when they came, right?”
“ That’s it,” said Sam.
Kid left and the others made their way over to Doc’s to check on Buck. Ike sat next to the bed. He’d gone there as soon as they’d arrived in town. His head was in his hands, and he was offering up a prayer that Buck would be alright. He looked up when the others came in.
Buck lay on the bed trying to fight off the dizziness that the pain in his side was causing. He could hear people talking, but every time he tried to move so he could see them the dizziness would come and he’d pass out again. He decided to concentrate on listening to what they were saying. Maybe that would help him remember what it was he needed to tell Tompkins.
“He’s pretty beat up,” said Doc, “but I’m pretty sure he’ll pull through. Most of the problem is that the pain keeps causing him to pass out. I can’t find anything seriously wrong with his head, but his ribs and arm are broken, and he was hit on the side of the head with something.
“ He came to briefly a couple of times, but when he tried to talk or move he’d black out again. I really think it’s the pain that keeps him out.”
“ That’s good to hear,” said Teaspoon. “Then maybe he’ll wake up soon, and can clear up this whole mess. All we need is for him to tell us what happened to him. I’m sure when he gives us his story, Tompkins will be cleared.”
Buck stopped trying to remember what he needed to tell Tompkins and replayed that last remarked in his fuzzy mind. “Tompkins will be cleared.” What was Tompkins in trouble for, and how could Buck help him? Better yet, why would Buck help him? If it didn’t hurt so much, Buck would have laughed at the thought of him helping Tompkins get out of trouble. Buck tried once more to see who was talking. The pain caused by the movement made him groan, but he managed to stay awake.
Ike was at his side instantly. *Don’t try to move. You’ll hurt yourself.*
Buck smiled weakly. “I don’t think I can hurt myself,” he said. “Some one else already did.”
Ike smiled back. *Glad to know you haven’t lost your sense of humor. Now lie still.*
Buck asked, “Is Tompkins in some kind of trouble? I keep thinking I need to tell him something important, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
*He’s in jail,* Ike signed.
“ Why?” whispered Buck.
“ For beating you up,” said Lou.
Buck stared at her. Was she crazy? Maybe he was dreaming. That would explain a lot of this. Tompkins being in jail for hurting him. Buck being able to get Tompkins out by simply telling the truth. He decided to go back to sleep and see if the next time he woke up the pain went away. As he started to close his eyes, Sam asked, “So do you know who beat you?”
Buck nodded slowly. All he had to do was say it was Tompkins and his problems would be solved. The man and his hatred would be gone. Life would be much nicer for everyone in town. All he had to do was say his name.
“ Who?” asked Sam.
Buck said, “Those two men who work for Tompkins. I accidentally heard them making plans on how to rob the place.” That’s what it was he needed to tell the old windbag – his help was planning on robbing him blind.
The next morning Sam let Tompkins out of the cell. “You realize that all he had to do was lie, don’t you?”
Tompkins nodded. “I’m not sure why he didn’t. I probably would have if it was the other way around.”
Sam grinned, “I know. I’m not sure he knows why he didn’t. I guess some men are just more honest than others.”
Tompkins looked at the ground – embarrassed to be reminded of all the hateful things he had said about not being able to trust Buck.
“ It wouldn’t kill you to thank him properly,” said Sam.
Tompkins nodded. “I will,” he said.
Teaspoon said, “I think it might be best to let him heal a while longer though. I wouldn’t want you to have to come back here because you was nice and he died of shock.”
Sam laughed as Tompkins bristled.
Teaspoon said, “I’m just speaking the truth.”
Tompkins looked at the two men and joined them in a laugh. “I know,” he said, “but that don’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
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