Chapter 34
It was now Wednesday morning. September 26th, 1883.
Dalton woke up when the sun started shining through the windows of the Marshal’s office.
After the morning trip to the outhouse, he made a pot of coffee on the potbelly stove. He sat back down at his desk and waited.
Zeke entered the Marshal’s Office while the coffee was percolating.
“Bathroom breaks for the prisoners?” said Zeke while he walked up to Dalton.
“Sure.”
Dalton and Zeke used the arm and leg cuffs and escorted Charlie to the outhouse then escorted Jimmy to the outhouse.
After they had the prisoners back in their jail cells, Mary entered the Marshal’s Office with two plates of breakfast for the prisoners.
Dalton took the plates from Mary, who gave him sweet eyes. She wished he wasn’t engaged to Chrissy.
Dalton gave the two prisoners their breakfast plates while Mary left the office.
After they were done eating, Dalton looked at Jimmy sitting in his cell. He walked over and removed the key ring off the wall by the gun rack.
He walked over to Jimmy’s cell, shoved the skeleton key in the lock and turned it. The cell door unlocked with a click. He opened the door.
Jimmy got up off his bunk.
“Judge Peabody said you can go, Jimmy. Your horse is at the livery stable,” said Dalton.
Jimmy walked out of the cell with a spring in his step.
He walked over to Charlie’s cell. He looked at Charlie.
Charlie sat on his bunk and saw Jimmy. He saw Jimmy wink at him. He thought he knew what that wink meant. He thought that Jimmy would help him escape during the ride to Yuma. Charlie smiled over the thought of going back to the future to hide.
Jimmy walked away with a spring in his step while he walked to the front door and walked out of the office.
Once Jimmy got outside the Marshal’s Office, he made a beeline to the Prickly Cactus Saloon.
Jimmy ran up to the bar once he got inside the Prickly Cactus. “Whiskey,” he told Pete the bartender.
Pete reached under the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed a glass and poured it from that bottle.
Jimmy placed a silver dollar on the bar. “Keep it coming,” he said while he salivated over the sight of that whiskey glass. He snatched the glass off the bar and gulped down the whiskey. He set the glass back on the bar and motioned to Pete to fill it up again. Pete did, and Jimmy snatched up the glass and gulped down that drink. He motioned at Pete to fill his glass up again. Pete did.
Jimmy looked at the glass. He didn’t pick it up. He started to recall his conservation with Charlie last night. What the fuck was he talking about? He wondered while he picked up the glass and took another drink. This time he took smaller sips to savor the whiskey. He only had three silver dollars and now wondered how he could replenish his money supply.
Deke Olson and Frankie Nixon entered the saloon. They walked up to the bar and stood next to Jimmy.
“Two beers,” Deke said to Pete the bartender.
Pete poured two glasses of beer and set them by Deke and Frankie.
Deke paid for the beers, then grabbed his glass, and while he took a sip, he glanced over at Jimmy, who stood to his left. “You Jimmy Templeton?”
“What if I am?” said Jimmy while he glanced over at Deke.
“I hear tell you tried to spring Bart Stone out of jail.”
“What if I did?” said Jimmy, and he started to get a little leery of this stranger.
“My boss likes that. Shows you a good man,” said Deke.
“Who is your boss?”
“Blue Earl Olson,” said Deke.
Jimmy thought about that name for a few seconds. “I heard of him. New Mexico? Right?”
“Yeah,” said Frankie.
“What you doing here in Oak Creek?”
“Looking for new opportunities,” said Frankie.
“Yep, I can imagine so since Bart’s dead,” said Jimmy.
“So, want to talk to my boss?” said Deke.
“Why?”
“We could use a good man like you?” said Frankie.
Jimmy thought about his offer for a few seconds. He remembered the three silver dollars he had in his pocket. “Okay,” he said, then took a drink of whiskey. He really didn’t want to ride alone.
Deke and Frankie took a drink of their beer.
After the whiskey and beer, Jimmy left the Prickly Cactus Saloon with Deke and Frankie.
They stood outside Prickly Cactus by Deke and Frankie’s horses.
“Ride with us. We’ll take you to Blue Earl,” said Deke.
“I’ll get my horse at the livery stable.”
Deke and Frankie got on their horses while Jimmy rushed off to the livery stable.
Jimmy rode his horse out of the livery stable and rode over to Deke and Frankie.
They rode their horses out of Oak Creek.
Thirty minutes had passed, and Deke, Frankie, and Jimmy rode up to Blue Earl’s hideout. It was nestled in the mountains east of Oak Creek behind the cover of a large clump of tall bushes. Behind those bushes was a large rock wall with some other bushes. This was a perfect hiding place.
They got off their horses and tied the reins to some of the bushes.
They walked over to the rest of the gang.
Blue Earl looked suspicious of Jimmy. “Why the fuck did you bring this stranger here?” he said while placing his hands on the grips of his pistols
“He’s Jimmy Templeton. He rode with Bart Stone,” said Deke.
“He was in Oak Creek jail for trying to spring Bart from that jail before they hung him,” said Frankie.
“I need a job,” said Jimmy. “I want to join your gang.”
Blue Earl thought about Jimmy’s request for a few seconds. He got a hint of a smile. “Since you rode with Bart Stone, I guess you know this area purdy well,” said Blue Earl.
“I do,” said Jimmy.
“What’s around here for us?”
Jimmy dropped on his knees to the dirt. He reached down and drew a circle in the dirt with his right index finger. “You have Phoenix here,” he said then drew another circle at the two o’clock position keeping the Phoenix in the center.
“This here is Oak Creek,” he said then drew a circle in the ten o’clock position.
“This here is Stone Valley,” he said then drew another circle in the eight o’clock position.
“This here is Rattlesnake,” he said then drew another circle in the four o’clock position.
“And this here is Mountain Rock,” he said, then he drew a line connecting all the towns together. “And you have the Southern Pacific Rail, Butterfield Overland Stagecoach, and banks,” in all these towns,” he said, standing up.
“All prime for the picking, by us,” he said while he stood up.
Blue Earl stared at Jimmy’s drawing of the area for a few seconds. A tremendous greedy stare came from his eyes. “Yep, I need you in my gang.”
“That would be nice,” said Jimmy with a smile, as he couldn’t wait to get back to what he knew best. Then that smile turned, and he looked upset. “There’s something I need to do, and I could use two guys.”
“What’s that?” said Blue Earl.
“It’s about Charlie Chandler.”
“I heard him in court,” said Blue Earl. “He sang like a canary and got Bart hung.”
“He wanted me to free him during his stagecoach ride to the Yuma prison. Said something about going into Crazy Hole and that leading us to a strange land. Said we would be free from getting caught and can ride with another gang called the Devil’s Cowboys.” “He said they have fancy machines that you ride on like a horse. They go really fast and are loud.”
“What the fuck is Crazy Hole? And what kind of gang calls themselves the Devil’s Cowboys that ride on fancy machines? What the fuck is a fancy machine?” said Blue Earl.
“Don’t know about those fancy machines or the Devil’s Cowboys gang. I ain’t hear of them,” said Jimmy. “But I hear of Crazy Hole. It’s a cave that the Injuns say you go inside and come out with loco talk of a strange land with strange things.”
Blue Earl’s ears perked up, and he frowned. “Did you say Crazy Hole is a cave?”
Jimmy nodded that he did.
Blue Earl cringed. “Naw. I’m not going inside any cave. No fucking way,” he said and looked serious. “Too many fucking bats. I hate fucking bats!”
“That’s okay. Because I don’t want to go to Crazy Hole,” said Jimmy.
“Then why do you need two of my guys to spring this yellow-belly from a stagecoach?”
“Well, Bart was a good friend. An excellent friend! And I know this is what he would have wanted. Payback,” said
Jimmy.
“I hope you know the route?”
“Oh, I do. Been there three years ago,” said Jimmy.
Blue Earl pondered his offer for a few seconds. “You can take Hank and Frankie. While you two are gone, Bo, Deke, and I will visit these towns to get familiar with them. We’ll start picking the fruits of our labor in another week,” said Blue Earl with a greedy grin knowing that coming over to this area was a smart move.
The rest of Wednesday was quiet in Oak Creek and at Blue Earl’s hideout.
Dalton and Chrissy had dinner at the restaurant, and they didn’t talk about his upcoming Stagecoach trip in the morning.
She went home while Dalton went back to the Marshal’s Office to end their day.
It was quiet in the Marshal’s Office during the night.
It was now Thursday morning September 27th, 1883.
Blue Earl and his gang woke up at their hideout.
They all found a secluded place to take their morning piss.
While Blue Earl was pissing in the desert near that clump of bushes, he saw someone on horseback off in the distance away from his hideout. He could see it was an Indian. It was Merijildo. “Fucking Indians,” he cursed as he hated the Indians with a passion. “Only good Indian is a dead Indian,” he said while he shoved his member back in his pants and buttoned them back up.
He walked off to his guys knowing this Indian on that horse wasn’t a threat.
Back in the Oak Creek Marshal’s Office, Dalton was awake. After he used the outhouse, he waited for Zeke to arrive.
While he waited, the front door of the Marshal’s Office opened, and Sally walked in with two plates of breakfast.
“I have breakfast for you and the prisoner,” said Sally, and those sparkles in her eyes for Dalton still remained even though she knew he was taken.
“Thank you, Mary,” said Dalton taking the plate from Sally, then he walked over and sat down at his desk.
She walked over and gave Charlie his plate through the bottom opening of his jail cell bars.
Sally gave Dalton a smile while she headed off to the front door of the office. She left.
When Dalton and Charlie were eating their breakfast, the front door of the office opened, and Zeke walked inside.
“The stagecoach should be here in a few. We better get the prisoner ready for transport,” said Zeke while he walked up to Dalton’s desk. “Plus, the Mayor told me he wired Yuma that we’ll be there in a couple of days. They’ll be waiting for us.”
“Okay, Zeke,” said Dalton getting up from his desk.
Zeke walked over and got the arm and leg handcuffs off the wall.
Dalton unlocked Charlie’s jail cell door and had his Colt 45 revolver ready to shoot.
After Zeke installed the arm and leg handcuffs on Charlie, they escorted him out to the outhouse.
A Butterfield Overland Stagecoach pulled up and stopped at the Marshal’s office while the outhouse break was happening.
Billy Cooper, the driver and Mickey Morris, the guard, got down off the stagecoach and headed into the Marshal’s Office. Mickey had his twelve-gauge Harford Coach shotgun in hand.
They entered the office and saw Dalton, Zeke, and Charlie.
“I’m Billy Cooper, and this here is Mickey Morris, my guard,” said Billy while he walked over to Dalton.
“Dalton Trevor the Town Marshal and he’s my deputy Zeke Cooper,” said Dalton, and they all shook hands.
Billy saw Charlie in his arm and leg cuffs. “I see our prisoner is ready.”
“Yep,” said Dalton.
“Let’s get going,” said Billy.
Dalton and Zeke escorted Charlie out of the office with Billy and Mickey trailing behind. Two Winchesters and a shotgun were pointed at his back in case he tried to escape.
When they got outside, they saw Mayor Mason with Ernie and James standing by the stagecoach. Ernie and James had Winchester rifles in hand.
“Ernie and James will help out and have orders to shoot to kill Charlie if he tries to escape,” said Mayor Mason. “And we packed some food supplies in the coach,” he added.
Charlie didn’t like hearing the shoot to kill if he escaped. He silently prayed that Jimmy Templeton would not mess up this attempt.
“Thank you, Mayor,” said Dalton, then he sensed something. He looked to his left and saw Chrissy standing outside the Court House with some of the other Oak Creek town folk. They gathered to watch Charlie head off to prison. Its events like this that entertained them in the old west.
Dalton gave Chrissy a little wave. He saw her short wave back.
Ernie got inside the stagecoach.
Dalton put Charlie in the stagecoach. He got inside and sat next to Charlie’s right with Ernie at Charlie’s left.
James got inside the stagecoach sitting across from them.
Billy and Mickey climbed up and sat in the bench seat.
Chrissy watched from the Court House while the stagecoach pulled away and made a U-turn on the street.
She already missed Dalton while she continued to watch the Stagecoach ride out of Oak Creek.
As soon as the stagecoach was out of sight, Chrissy walked away and headed down the street to the schoolhouse.
The stagecoach was thirty minutes on the dusty trail of the desert.
James looked at Dalton. “So, Marshal Dalton, where do you hail from?”
“Hail from?” said Dalton, not sure he understood the question.
“Yeah, hail from?” repeated James.
Dalton thought about his question for a few seconds. It dawned on him what he meant, so he had to quickly come up with a believable story. “I hail from,” he said, then paused. “I hail from Pittsburgh,” he said then paused again.
“Pittsburgh,” said James. “I heard of it. Place where coal comes from.”
“Why did you come all the way out here?” said Ernie.
“The snow. I hated the freezing weather and the snow,” said Dalton.
James and Ernie had looks that they could understand that reason.
Charlie glanced over at Dalton. Then something felt odd about this new Marshall that suddenly rode into Oak Creek at the same time they were going to hang Bart. “Are you sure you’re not from Phoenix?”
Dalton felt caught. “Ah no, I’m from Pittsburgh. I was only in Phoenix once buy a horse to ride into Phoenix,” he said and silently prayed that everybody would believe him.
“Ever been to Crazy Hole?” said Charlie.
Dalton didn’t respond for a few seconds while he pretended he was thinking about that question. “Nah, I never heard of Crazy Hole. What’s that?”
“Some stupid Injun crazy talk of a cave outside in the area in the mountains,” said James.
“Yeah, stupid Injun crazy talk that if you go inside that cave, you will come out crazy with talk of a strange land,” added Ernie in a sarcastic tone.
“Have any of you ever been to this so-called Crazy Hole?” said Dalton.
“No way, I don’t want to chance it,” said James.
Ernie nodded in agreement.
“I ain’t been in that cave,” said Charlie with a hint of a smirk knowing that soon he would be back in Crazy Hole for his best hideout. “Ain’t never been in that cave.”
Dalton glanced over at Charlie. Liar! He thought as he knew of Charlie’s venture into the future.
It remained quiet in the stagecoach while it trekked down the dusty trail.
Over at Blue Earl’s hideout, Jimmy, Hank, and Frankie got in their saddles on their horses.
They rode off in the desert, heading in a southwesterly direction.
Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo sat around the campfire, drinking coffee and eating dried beef for breakfast.
An hour had passed, and the stagecoach was still making its way through the desert. It was now riding not too far from the Gila River. This allowed them close access to some water for the horses and the men.
Dalton now had an hour’s experience with a real old western Stagecoach ride in the desert. He found it to be bumpy and dusty. Yet he still enjoyed the trip.
Thirty minutes behind the stagecoach rode Jimmy, Hank, and Frankie. Hot on their trail but keeping a safe distance behind.
While Jimmy and the guys were tracking the Stagecoach, Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo got in the saddles of their horses and rode off in the desert.
Back in Oak Creek, Chrissy started class with her students, but her mind was on Dalton. She began to miss him.
An hour passed, and the stagecoach stopped for a bathroom break in the desert.
Over in the Mountain Rock Marshal’s Office, Rusty sat at his desk drinking coffee. He noticed three cowboys ride into town. His gut suddenly told him that there was something wrong with these three guys. He got up from his chair.
He walked over to the windows and peeked outside. He watched the three strangers ride up to the Thirsty Savior Saloon, get out of their saddles, and tie their horses to the hitching post.
They stood by their horses and scanned up and down Main Street. They spotted the bank.
Blue Earl nodded that they should go inside the Thirsty Savior.
They went inside.
Back at the Marshal’s Office, Rusty walked to the front door and went outside.
The Thirsty Savior Saloon was quiet when Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo strutted up to the bar.
“Three beers,” Blue Earl told the bartender.
The bartender nodded and proceeded to pour three glasses of beer. He set the beers mugs in front of them.
Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo took a drink of their beer at the same time someone walked up behind them.
They looked to their left and saw Rusty the Town Marshal strut up to the bar and stand to Blue Earl’s left.
Rusty took a glance at the three strangers. “I take it you’re not from these parts,” said Rusty Moore to Blue Earl.
“Oh, no, Marshal. Just passing through and needed a drink,” said Blue Earl with the kindest voice he could muster up.
“Okay, where you heading?” said Rusty.
“We going to Californie,” said Bo.
“Yepper, we going to Californie,” piped in Deke.
Blue Earl nodded in agreement with his guy’s response.
“Californie. Okay,” said Rusty, and he walked away from the bar. He stopped when he was five feet from the bar and turned around. “I hope we won’t have any trouble while you’re drinking in my town?”
“No, Marshal. No trouble what’s so ever,” said Blue Earl.
Rusty nodded he understood then turned around and headed to the café door.
He left the saloon, and during his walk back to the Marshal’s Office, his gut told him that these three guys would be trouble.
When he got back to his Marshal’s Office, he stood by the windows with a cup of coffee in hand. He watched Main Street for Blue Earl and his men.
While he was on his second cup of coffee, Rusty saw Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo rode out of town on their horses. He felt better but still a little suspicious.
Hours had passed.
Billy stopped the stagecoach close to Gila River. This was an excellent spot to camp for the night. They set up camp and had a campfire going within thirty minutes.
Not far from that, the campsite was Jimmy, Hank, and Frankie riding on their horses and getting closer.
It was late at night.
Deke was restless at Blue Earl’s hideout. He started pacing around while Blue Earl and Deke sat around the campfire.
“What the fuck is your problem?” said Blue Earl.
“I’m thirsty,” said Deke.
“Go to the fucking river and get a drink,” said Bo.
“I’m not thirsty for water,” said Deke.
Blue Earl thought about Deke’s response for a few seconds. “I could use a drink.”
“Let’s ride to Oak Creek,” said Deke.
“Yeah, let’s ride into Oak Creek,” said Bo while he stood up.
“Okay,” said Blue Earl while he stood up.
They walked over to their horses tied to a small bush. They untied them, got in their saddles, and rode off into the night.
Meanwhile, it was quiet at the Stagecoach campsite. Dalton decided to take the first watch while everybody else slept. So he sat around then occasionally got up and checked the perimeter. It was quiet, and he just started his two-hour watch.
An hour had passed.
Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke rode their horses into Oak Creek. The town was quiet except for the chatter inside the Prickly Cactus Saloon.
Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke rode their horses down Main Street and stopped at the Prickly Cactus Saloon. They got out of their saddles and tied the reins to the hitching post.
Blue Earl and Bo headed to the café doors of the Prickly Cactus. Deke stood by his horse, and Blue Earl noticed.
“Ain’t you coming in?” said Blue Earl.
“There’s someone I need to find,” said Deke.
Blue Earl got a little concerned. He walked up to Deke, and they got nose to nose. “Don’t you go doing something stupid! We can’t afford to bring unwanted attention to us right now. Understand me?” snarled Blue Earl.
Deke knew he better not piss of Blue Earl. “I won’t. I promise. Just checking something out,” said Deke.
“You better. Don’t take too long,” said Blue Earl, then he turned around and headed over to Bo.
Blue Earl and Bo went inside the Prickly Cactus while Deke rushed off down Main Street, heading to the residential area.
Blue Earl and Bo headed straight to the bar once they entered the Prickly Cactus.
It was still quiet at the Stagecoach campsite. Dalton decided to walk around a little as sitting was getting boring and starting to numb his butt cheeks.
He walked around.
He stopped. He thought he heard something in the desert.
He listened.