“We need your tracking skills and will pay you two dollars a day.”
He opened his mouth to refuse but stopped. How could he? The marshal would want to know why, and he didn’t have a good reason. “I’ll get ready.”
Things moved fast after that. Maybe by agreeing so quickly to help, Grant had thrown any suspicion off himself. Or Alvin, for that matter.
The marshal mounted his horse. “Wallace, I’ll take these eight men and head north and west. The boys found that the trail split up northeast of town. Looked like more men took to the west, so we’ll take eight men and go that way. You take the other six and head northeast.” He looked at Grant for confirmation that he’d heard.
“Sure thing.” His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. If he knew Alvin, and he did, the route the marshal just gave him was the one Alvin took. Odds were good his brother went off to the cabin with one other man, maybe two, while the rest of the group went west as a diversion for the posse.
If so, it was working.
Grant did his best to sound relaxed. “Marshal, I’ll need to grab some gear and a horse.”
The marshal nodded. “Tell Jeb at the livery to give you a good strong mount and charge it to my office. I’ve got an extra bedroll and canteen at my office. Just come back here when you have the horse, and I’ll have the rest of the stuff. I’ll loan you a rifle as well, so you don’t have to go home to get yours.”
Grant did as he was told. With any luck at all he would be able to lead the posse in circles and take them far from the river cabin. Of course, these men weren’t stupid. Most could find their way around these parts even if they couldn’t track. He’d have to be careful, or someone would figure out what he was doing.
How in blazes did Alvin take the wrong man?
He was such a fool to put this plan together in the first place. If they weren’t careful, they’d all end up dangling from a rope.
Tonight, when they made camp for the evening, Grant would slip away on the pretext of searching for tracks. With any luck, though why he’d expect luck now was beyond him, Grant would make a wide circle and then head to the cabin. He’d warn Alvin. Tell him to leave Briggs there and git. Grant would lead the posse to find the man on the next day.
Seemed a reasonable plan. Alvin could get himself somewhere where he could have an alibi just in case someone tied him to the crime. His girlfriend would surely cover for him. The other men, well, they knew what Alvin would do to them if they talked.
He stepped up into the saddle. “It’ll work.”
It had to.
Ellie kept out of sight, riding around the outskirts of town. She’d heard the marshal say they would start at the rail yard and head north. However, when she arrived near the depot, she spotted the marshal giving instructions to the dozen or more men mounted on their horses, ready for action. Ellie guided the horse behind one of the tool shops and waited. As the men rode out, she grimaced. They had split into two groups. How was she to know whom to follow?
Carter’s group had that man she’d met at the outfitter’s store weeks back. What was his name? Grant, wasn’t it? Grant Wallace. Hadn’t he said he took people into the wilderness ... that he was a tracker? She nodded.
That was the group she’d follow.
They were nearly out of sight, so she eased her mount from their hiding place. It was almost five thirty, so they’d still have a few hours of sunlight. She’d have to hang back a ways to avoid being spotted. She wouldnotlet them send her back.
She grimaced again. It didn’t bear thinking about how upset Carter would be with her if they caught her. There was a time when that wouldn’t have bothered her in the least, but now...
I should go back.Carter and the posse needed to focus on finding her father, not worrying about her.
She lifted her chin. “Piffle! I’m fully capable of taking care of myself.”
Carter would just have to understand. And if he didn’t ... well ... then he didn’t. She would deal with that later.
For the next few hours, she managed to stay far enough back that she was out of sight. The horse was a good mount. He was well-trained and not at all skittish like some horses she’d ridden. He seemed to anticipate her moves and plodded along at the slow pace she set without demanding to have his head.
By the time the posse stopped to make camp, the skies were still dimly lit, and although the air had cooled considerably, it had been a hot day and the evening felt pleasant.
Ellie glanced around for a place to camp. She needed to remain hidden from the posse and yet protected from wildlife. She shifted in the saddle, ready to dismount and scout out the area—
“Augh!”
Her scream rent the air as she went flying. Her horse had spooked and reared. Ellie hit the ground hard.
“Oohh ...” She gasped for breath, then froze. What was that sound? Oh no! Pounding hooves.
Her docile, well-trained horse was running for home.
