Leaving Epitaph (18 page)

In the morning, Aaron Langer’s anger and resolve had not waned one bit. After they’d had breakfast, broken camp, and saddled the horses, he turned and tossed a set of saddlebags to his brother, and another—somewhat less packed—to Branch.

“There’s your share,” he said.

“We’re still splittin’ up?” Ethan asked. Since his brother hadn’t mentioned it, and they’d broken camp, he thought it was forgotten.

“You thought I’d sleep on it and change my mind?’ Aaron asked.

“Well…”

“When you smarten up, Ethan,” Aaron said, “maybe things will change.”

“Or when I kill Dan Shaye.”

Aaron smiled, but there was no humor in it. “That ain’t gonna happen.”

“What if it does?”

“Then I’ll read about it in the newspaper,” Aaron said, “and maybe I’ll find you.”

“Aaron—”

“That’s it, Ethan,” Aaron said. “Morales and I are heading north. I don’t care what direction you head, but I’d advise you not to hit a town—Hays, Dodge, anyplace—until you get out of Kansas.”

“This is crazy—”

“Maybe you should go and see Vincent again,” Aaron said, mounting his horse. “Maybe he’ll hide you in his church.”

He wheeled his horse around and headed north with Morales right behind him. Ethan stood there a moment, stunned and puzzled.

“That might not be a bad idea, Ethan,” Branch said.

“What?”

“Going back to see your other brother. Who would look for us in a church?”

Ethan looked at Branch, then said, “That might not be such a bad idea at that.”

Hours later, Shaye and his sons reached the campsite, which was cold, but recently so. Thomas, James, and Matthew remained on their horses while Shaye dismounted and walked the area.

“I was afraid of this,” he said.

“What?” Thomas asked.

“They split up.”

“They’re not goin’ to Hays?” James asked.

“Two of them went north,” Shaye said, “and two of them went south.”

“Do you think Aaron and Ethan Langer stayed together?” Thomas asked.

Shaye looked up and said, “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? But no, I don’t think that. I think Aaron took his man and went north, and Ethan took his man and went south.”

“Why?” James asked. “I mean, why do you think that?”

“Aaron’s been working the North, and Ethan the South,” Shaye explained.

“I mean, why do you think the brothers split up?” James asked.

Shaye, who had been down on one knee, stood up.

“Aaron is going to have to blame someone for what happened,” he said, “and I think he’ll blame Ethan. They probably split the money and went their separate ways.”

“They’re brothers and they didn’t stay together?” Matthew asked, clearly puzzled.

“Maybe they get on each other’s nerves a little more than you and your brothers do, Matthew,” Shaye said.

He walked back to his horse and mounted up.

“So who do we follow, Pa?” Thomas asked.

Shaye hated to split up from his sons. Sure, they had survived their baptism of fire in Salina, but he had to decide who to send after Aaron
and who to send after Ethan. He wanted Ethan because that’s who had come to Epitaph, but Aaron was the more dangerous, the more ruthless, of the two. How could he send two of his sons after him just so he could have the satisfaction of killing Ethan himself?

Also, he had to split himself and Thomas up, since they were the most proficient with a gun.

“Pa?” Thomas said. “I can go north.” He knew his father wanted Ethan badly. “I’ll take James.”

“Thomas, you take Matthew and go south,” Shaye finally said. “I’ll take James and go north.”

“South is Ethan, Pa,” Thomas said. “You said so yourself.”

“I know.”

Thomas looked at his father, saw a muscle pulsing in the older man’s jaw.

“Aaron’s more dangerous, Thomas,” Shaye said. “I can’t send you after him.”

“Pa,” Thomas said, “the three of us can go after Aaron while you go for Ethan.”

That was something Shaye hadn’t figured.

“Yeah, Pa,” James said. “We can do it.”

“Aaron and Morales are too dangerous,” Shaye said after a moment. “I just can’t. Thomas, take Matthew and go after Ethan. Watch for that marked hoof, it’ll be easy to track.”

“Yes, Pa.”

“And when you catch him…”

“Yes, Pa,” Thomas said, “I’ll kill him.” He looked at his brother and said, “Come on, Matthew.”

“James,” Shaye said, “let’s go north.”

“Thomas?”

They’d ridden in silence for a while, and Thomas knew that something was going on in his brother’s head. The question would have come sooner or later.

“Yes, Matthew?”

“Are you really gonna kill Ethan Langer when we catch up to him?” Matthew asked.

“Yes, I am, Matthew.”

“What if he surrenders?”

“I’ll still kill him.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Thomas said. “He killed Ma, Matthew.”

“I know, but…it don’t seem right.”

“Don’t worry,” Thomas said, “you won’t have to do it. I can do it myself.”

They rode a few more miles in silence, but Thomas knew his brother wasn’t finished.

“Thomas?”

“Yes?”

“How did you feel the other night?”

“When, Matthew?”

“When we were…killin’ all those men.”

“Matthew,” Thomas said, “all those men were also tryin’ to kill us, remember?”

“I know that.”

“I felt good,” Thomas said. “I felt relaxed, in control…you really want to know the truth?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“For a while I felt like nothin’ could hurt me that night. It was weird. And when it was all over, I felt more alive than ever.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I just felt scared the whole time,” Matthew said. “Before, during, and after. I didn’t like it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with bein’ scared, Matthew,” Thomas said. “You did just fine in that saloon, just fine.”

“I don’t feel like I did fine,” Matthew said.

“Matthew,” Thomas said, “we’ll be okay if you just do everythin’ I tell you, understand? Just what I tell you. Can you do that?”

“Sure I can do that.”

“Good,” Thomas said. He reached over and slapped his brother on the back. “Good.”

“How’s your side, Pa?” James asked.

“It’s fine.”

“You’re bleedin’.”

Shaye looked down at his injured side. He was still wearing the same bandage the doctor had patched him up with. He saw that some blood had seeped through his shirt.

“It’s just leakin’ a little,” Shaye said. “It’s nothin’ to worry about.”

“You ever been shot before, Pa?”

“Twice,” Shaye said. “You remember that time the Jelcoe boys came to town?”

“Oh yeah,” James said. “I was little, but I remember Ma patchin’ you up.”

“We didn’t have a doctor in town back then.”

“When was the other time?”

“Years ago,” Shaye said, “a lot of years ago.”

James decided to let it drop. He figured they’d made his pa talk about his past enough, as it was.

“How far behind are we, Pa?” he asked.

“Not far, James,” Shaye said. “We’ll catch up.”

“Think they know we’re after them?”

Shaye looked at James. “They’ve got to figure someone’s after them,” he said. “Don’t know if they know it’s us.”

“What would Aaron Langer think if he knew it was you?”

Shaye hesitated a moment, then said, “James, I think he’d think it was real interesting.”

Aaron Langer stopped to take a drink from his canteen and pull out a piece of beef jerky. Morales stopped alongside him and did the same.

“I’m thinkin’ there’s somebody comin’ behind us,” Aaron said, looking off into the distance.

“Do you believe it is our old friend, Señor Shaye?” the Mexican asked.

Morales turned to look, then froze when he heard the hammer of Aaron’s pistol being cocked behind him.

“Just sit still, Morales,” Aaron said. He reached out and removed the man’s saddlebags, containing the money.

“You are robbing me,
Jefe
?” the Mexican asked. “I have been your most loyal servant for many years.”

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “If you weren’t makin’ so much money with me, I’d like to see how loyal
you would have been. Put your hands way out from your sides, Esteban.”

Morales obeyed, spreading his arms like wings.

“Now turn around.”

Morales swiveled back around in his saddle, stared down the black barrel of Aaron’s gun.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No,” Aaron said, “you’re gonna take care of whoever’s followin’ us. After you’ve done that, I’ll be waitin’ for you in Red Cloud, just over the border in Nebraska. There, I’ll give you your money back.”

“Why do you feel the need to hold my money?”

“Because if I send you off with your money, you just might keep on goin’.”

“And if I say that I will not?”

Aaron touched Morales’s saddlebags, which were laying across his saddle, and said, “Safer this way, Esteban. This way I know you’ll do what you’re told, because you want your money.”

Morales stared at Aaron Langer for a few moments, then shook his head. “I thought we were
amigos.
”

“When, in the past twenty years,” Aaron asked, “did I ever say we was friends?”

“Never.”

“Exactly. We’ve been a good team, Esteban,
but it’s only because you always did what you were told.”

“Sí, Jefe.”

“Now, do you want your money back?”

“Sí, Jefe.”

“Then take care of whoever is trailing us and meet me in Red Cloud,” Aaron said.

“And if no one is following us?”

“Oh,” Aaron said, “somebody is, Morales. If it ain’t Shaye, it’s somebody. Believe me.”

Keeping his gun trained on his
segundo
of many years, Aaron started his horse walking.

“I’ll give you until tomorrow night, Morales,” Aaron said.

“And why should I believe that you will not just keep going with my money?”

“Because then I’d have to worry about you followin’ me, Esteban,” Aaron said. “And you wouldn’t stop until you got your money back or died tryin’, right?”

“Sí, Jefe,”
Morales said, “that is very right.”

“So,” Aaron said, “see you in Red Cloud.”

He kicked his horse into a gallop and only then turned his gun away. Morales knew he could probably take out his rifle and pick Aaron Langer out of his saddle, but he decided not to. Why destroy a successful working relationship over one transgression? Besides, if there was someone following them, it would be a good idea to deal with them now, rather than later.

Morales turned his horse south and began riding. He was reasonably sure he’d find Aaron waiting for him in Red Cloud, with his money.

“Pa, why would Aaron Langer go north again?” James asked. “Isn’t he afraid there are posses out lookin’ for him?”

“In the Dakotas, maybe,” Shaye said, “not in Nebraska. But my guess is he’ll head west eventually. I think he’ll head for Wyoming. I don’t think he’s wanted there.”

“Are we still trackin’ him?” James asked. “Or are we just headin’ north?”

“I’m trying to track him, but I told the three of you before, I’m not a great tracker. If this terrain changes, I don’t know if I’ll be able to see his trail. If that happens, we’ll have to go back to what worked before, stopping in towns and checking to see if anyone’s seen him.”

“Do you think Thomas will be able to track Ethan?”

“I think so,” Shaye said. “Unless Ethan changes horses, which at some point he might do.”

“Then Thomas will have to go back to what worked before.”

“Exactly.”

Several hours later Shaye said, “I just thought of something. Damn, I wish I’d thought of it before.”

“What’s that?”

“Ethan,” Shaye said. “He needed Aaron in order to function. If he doesn’t have Aaron—I mean, if they’ve really split up—he’s not going to be able to make his own decisions for long.”

“So?”

“So if that’s the case,” Shaye said, “he’ll head for Oklahoma City again.”

“His other brother?” James asked. “The priest?”

“Yes.”

“But…I thought he hated him.”

“In the absence of Aaron, Vincent would do,” Shaye said. “If Thomas and Matthew lose the trail…”

“Would Thomas think of that?”

“There’s no reason he would,” Shaye said. “It’s only because I know them that I thought of it.”

“Thomas won’t lose him, Pa.”

“I’m glad you have such faith in your brother, James.” Of course, James was just telling him that to make him feel better. There was no reason to think Thomas wouldn’t lose the trail if he didn’t manage to run Ethan down in a day or
two—which is what Shaye was hoping to do with Aaron, simply run him to ground.

He had no idea how close they were to doing that when the first shot came.

James had the presence of mind to clear his saddle at the sound of the shot, but his inexperience precluded him from taking his rifle with him. Shaye, on the other hand, grabbed his Winchester before launching himself from his horse.

Both landed with bone-jarring thuds and rolled for cover behind some rocks.

“James? Are you hit?”

“No, Pa. You?”

“No.”

“My horse is dead, Pa.”

Shaye closed his eyes and silently thanked God for letting the bullet strike the horse and not his son. The irony of his thanking God was lost on him at that moment.

He wasn’t hit, but slamming into the ground had not done anything good for his existing wound. He could feel blood beginning to soak his shirt, but he’d have to worry about that later.

“Who is it?” James called out.

“My guess is Aaron left Esteban Morales behind to ambush us,” Shaye said. “It’s a tactic he and Esteban have used in the past.”

“Can you see him?”

“No,” Shaye said. “We’ll have to draw his fire again in order to pinpoint his location. That was a rifle shot, so he could be pretty far away. Do you have your rifle?”

“No,” James said. “I didn’t think to take it.”

That was when Shaye realized that James didn’t have the reflex yet to automatically grab his weapon. This also put Shaye in a quandary, once again, like in the saloon. If James were just a deputy, he’d instruct him to draw Morales’s fire, since he was the one with the rifle. Even if he gave James the rifle, he wasn’t a good enough shot to take Morales from where they were. Shaye didn’t even know if he was going to be able to do it, or if he’d have to get closer.

There was no way around it. James was going to have to draw fire from the Mexican, who was being smart enough to conserve his ammo until he could see somebody to shoot at.

“James?”

“Yeah, Pa.”

“You’re going to have to draw his fire so I can spot him, son.”

“I figured that, Pa.”

Shaye checked his rifle to make sure it hadn’t been damaged in the fall from the horse.

“When, Pa?”

“I’ll tell you,” Shaye said. “Don’t make a move until I say.”

It was getting late in the day, and they were traveling north. The son was setting in the west, so it wasn’t in Shaye’s eyes, but it wouldn’t be in Morales’s eyes either.

“You’re not going to be able to just pop up and down, James. You need to make him think he’s got a target.”

“Should I stand still,” James asked, “or move?”

“You’ve got to move,” Shaye said. “He’ll hit a stationary target. When I say ‘Go,’ you start running to that other group of rocks over there. See them?”

“Yes,” James said. He was lying on his belly where he was. “That’s better cover anyway, Pa.”

“Okay, then,” Shaye said. “I’m not going to be able to take a shot, I’m just going to have time to spot him, and then we’ll have to do it again.”

“Are you gonna try to take him from here?”

“That’s what I’m going to do,” Shaye said. “If I can’t get him, then we’ll have to find a way to get closer.”

“Okay, Pa,” James said. Shaye detected a slight quaver in his son’s voice. “I’m ready when you are.”

Morales had expected to hit one of them with his first shot. He was too experienced not to know that he’d missed the men and hit one of the
horses. Maybe the animal fell on the rider. That would be helpful.

He blamed his miss on the fact that he was thinking about Aaron Langer and all that money. Truth be told, he did not even know yet how much there was. They were not able to finish the tally in Salina, and when Aaron had divvied up the money into saddlebags, Morales had not had a chance to count his.

The longer he’d had to sit on his rock and wait for the riders to appear, the less sure he became that Aaron would be waiting for him in Red Cloud. After all these years of riding together, he thought that Aaron was going to try to steal his money. If that truly happened, then he was going to have to track down the man he’d ridden with for so long—given his loyal service to—and kill him. The thought did not sit well with him.

But before he could do anything about that, he had to take care of the situation. He was an excellent rifle shot. All he needed was something to shoot at. He did not know who the two men were—he was too far away to see—but they had both reacted well, quickly leaving their saddles. From his vantage point, he could not tell if they had taken their rifles or not.

He would find out soon enough, though. As he sighted along the barrel of his rifle he said softly, “Any minute now.”