“I thought you’d ridden with him?” Hawk asked. “That’s what you told my deputy.”
“I was exaggerating. I rode with one of his men who survived that shootout. We took up with a bunch looking to make some money fast, but they got more interested in old Grayson’s buried treasure than in getting actual money.” Turley leaned back against the bars. “What’s got you so interested? You after the treasure now too?”
Hawk raised his eyebrows. “What treasure?”
Turley laughed and strode forward. “Supposedly Grayson had saved up all his stolen money for his family. A real righteous sort of outlaw, I guess. But I don’t know much about that. Those men shot Foster—the one who’d rode with Grayson—dead when they thought he was trying to cheat them out of finding that money. I hightailed it out of the Pass then. Only went back when I joined up with those boys who had notions of robbing the stage. And that’s about all I’m gonna say on that. Those fellas were decent.”
Turley had told Hawk what he needed to know.
A treasure. It made so much sense. If Lina was somehow related, that had to be what she wanted. It explained why she’d come to his office that one night, why she’d gone to Mad Dog Gulch and those men that had grabbed her—
Hawk paused and turned back to Turley. “Those men who were after Grayson’s treasure. What did they look like?”
“I’m not one to tell tales on folks, Sheriff, but let’s just say I wouldn’t be too broken up if they landed in your jail after what they did to Foster. He was a good man. Just keep my name out of it, all right?”
Hawk nodded impatiently.
“Gus Merritt was the one in charge. Mean fellow, small and missing a lot of teeth. Big Buck was just as his name said. Looks like he went to war with the pox on his face. There was a redheaded fellow and his brother—the Burtons. Went by Flame and Flax.”
Hawk’s blood went cold. Turley’s descriptions matched the very group of men who’d tried to run off with Lina. “Did you say they camped up near the Pass?”
Turley shrugged. “Don’t know if they’re still up there, but that’s where they thought the treasure was. They’d come down to the Gulch now and then. That’s where Foster and me met up with them.”
Back in his office, Hawk shut the door to the jail and leaned against it, running a hand over his face. Horsethief Pass, that had to be where Lina went. That’s where the shootout had happened, and if those men were convinced that’s where the money was, it wouldn’t have taken Lina long to come to the same conclusion.
All he could hope was that she didn’t run into them before he got up there.
Chapter Fifteen
LINA SWIPED A HANDacross her forehead. The sky was still overcast, but the effort she expended with digging was more than enough to make her perspire. A few minutes more, and she threw the shovel aside.
This was impossible. There weresomany places the money could be. And what was worse, it appeared someone else had already dug up a few spots here and there. She wasn’t the first to think of this place.
Lina sat back on her heels and contemplated the empty hole she’d just dug. It made sense. Mr. Morrell had said a few hours had passed before Hawk had gone to talk to Papa. That gave Papa plenty of time to hide the money up here.
Besides, it was the only lead she had. If it wasn’t here, where was it?
