Chapter 36
An hour had passed. It was still Monday night around eleven.
Dalton woke up in his hotel bed. He was suddenly wide awake and decided to take a stroll around town. He was still tired from his Stagecoach ride but too tired to stay asleep. So he decided to take a walk in the cool night air thinking that would make him sleepy.
He got out of bed and got dressed. He left his room and then the hotel.
Dalton walked down Main Street and saw that the Prickly Cactus Saloon had a few customers playing poker and drinking beer.
He walked past the Prickly Cactus and headed off to the residential area.
He walked past Chrissy’s house. He didn’t notice anything unusual.
He walked a little farther down the street then turned around.
He walked a little farther then he saw something. He saw a shadowy figure peeking in a window at Chrissy’s house. This mysterious figure was trying to climb inside Chrissy’s house through her bedroom window. “GET OUT OF THERE!” he yelled out.
The shadowy figure Deke got startled and dropped to the ground, landing on his butt. He sprang up to his boots, knowing someone saw him. Deke ran over and hopped in his saddle, not missing a beat.
He raced his horse away and saw the Town Marshal Dalton Trevor standing in the street close to Chrissy’s house.
“STOP!” yelled Dalton while he whipped his pistol out of its holster. He fired a warning shot in the air. “STOP!”
Deke’s horse galloped away from Chrissy’s house.
Dalton thought he recognized that cowboy on the horse when Deke’s horse galloped away from her house. But it was dark, and he wasn’t one hundred percent sure. But he did see a blue bandana tied to the saddle. He knew this creep was one of Blue Earl’s gang members. “STOP!” he said and fired off another shot, just missing Deke’s head.
FUCK! Deke cried out in his head when he heard the bullet zing inches from his left ear. “Yah!” he yelled out and slapped the reins on his horse to make him go faster so the next bullet wouldn’t be luckier.
Dalton decided not to fire again and watched while the creepy stranger on the horse galloped away.
People from the nearby homes stepped out of their front doors. They wanted to know why someone yelling, and gunfire woke them up.
Chrissy walked out of her front door. She was also curious. She saw Dalton in the street putting his pistol back in his holster. “What’s going on?” she said while she rushed over to Dalton.
Dalton looked at Chrissy and knew that she didn’t know some guy was trying to break in her house. “Oh, some guy looked a little suspicious. I told him to stop, but he rode off on his horse,” he said, not wanting her to worry.
“Oh. But why the gunshot?”
“A warning shot when he didn’t stop.”
“Is everything alright?” said one of Chrissy’s neighbors.
“Everything’s good. Just a suspicious character. He’s gone, and I don’t think he’ll be back.”
The neighbors all went back inside their homes.
“Why are you walking around this late at night?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I guess that ride to Yuma and back was exhausting yet also exhilarating. So I decided to take a walk in the night air.”
Chrissy got an idea. “Why don’t you sleep in my house?”
Dalton smiled at that idea. “That would be nice.”
Dalton and Chrissy went back inside her home.
Once they got in her bedroom, he stripped down to his tee-shirt and underwear. She stripped down to her panties and bra.
They got under the covers and cuddled.
They were soon fast asleep with smiles on their faces.
Thirty minutes passed, and Deke rode his horse back into Blue Earl’s hideout.
He got out of the saddle of his horse and tied the reins to a bush.
He walked over to where his fellow outlaws were sleeping on their bedrolls in the dirt.
“Did you behave?” said Blue Earl when he saw Deke lay on his bedrolls.
Deke glanced over at his brother. “Yep. I behaved,” he said and hoped that that Oak Creek Town Marshal didn’t recognize him.
“Good. Cause we hit Oak Creek tomorrow. Now get some sleep,” said Blue Earl, and he closed his eyes.
Deke closed his eyes, but all he could think about was Chrissy. Then he recalled that bulled that zinged over his head. The more he thought about that, the more he got pissed. Fucking Marshal! He cried out in his head, thinking that that Marshal Trevor almost killed him tonight and ruined his chance with Chrissy.
Blue Earl was soon asleep, but Deke was pissed with Marshall Trevor, so he tossed and turned on his bedroll. Almost killed me! He yelled in his head while he tossed and turned.
The sun rose above the horizon. It was Tuesday morning, October 2nd, 1883.
Dalton and Chrissy got out of bed and got dressed for another day of work in Oak Creek.
They left her home and walked away, heading into town.
They walked straight to the restaurant and immediately got seated and ordered some eggs and coffee.
“Good morning Miss Barron, and welcome back Marshal Trevor,” said Mayor Mason while he walked up to their table. “How did it go?”
The waiter brought them a cup of coffee then walked away after setting the cups in front of them.
“Well, it was off to a rocky start,” said Dalton.
Chrissy curiously glanced over at Dalton.
“Rocky start? How’s that?” said Mayor Mason.
“We camped during the first night of travel. During my watch, Jimmy Templeton and two other guys snuck into our camp when I had to relieve myself away from the camp and by the Gila River.”
“That doesn’t sound that rocky,” said Mayor Mason.
“It will,” said Dalton, and he took a sip of coffee. “I went back to the campsite and saw Charlie Chandler was gone. I woke everybody up.”
“Gone?” said Mayor Mason thinking they lost a prisoner. “He escaped?”
“I found him,” said Dalton.
“Whew,” said Mayor Mason looking relieved. “Where was he? Relieving himself?”
“No. He was about to be shot by Jimmy Templeton.”
“Jimmy Templeton? The same guy we had locked up and released?”
“The very same,” said Dalton.
“Did he kill Charlie?” said Mayor Mason.
“No, I, ah, I,” said Dalton, and paused while he took another cup of coffee. “No, I shot and killed Jimmy. We buried him there in the desert,” he said and didn’t look proud that he killed a man.
“Did you get Chandler to Yuma?” said Mayor Mason.
“Yeah, he’s in a jail cell as we speak,” said Dalton.
“Good,” said Mayor Mason. “I’ll stop by your office later this morning for your extra pay for taking him to Yuma,” he said then looked at Chrissy. “Good day, Ma-am,” he added, then walked away from the table.
The waiter brought them their plates of eggs with bacon.
It was quiet while Dalton and Chrissy ate their breakfast.
After they finished their breakfast, Dalton escorted Chrissy over to the schoolhouse.
“You really killed a man?” said Chrissy once they left the restaurant and walked across Main Street.
“I didn’t have a choice, Chrissy. I’m not proud of doing that.”
“Well, you’re a Marshal. And Marshal’s often have to kill the bad guys. I would prefer you killing him than him killing you,” said Chrissy.
“Yeah, I know it but still don’t like that part of being a Marshall,” he said.
“It goes with the job,” said Chrissy while they walked up to the entrance of the schoolhouse.
“I guess you’re right,” said Dalton, then he gazed in Chrissy’s eyes. “Have a good day with reading, writing, and arithmetic,” he said, then gave her a light kiss on the lips.
“Have a good day keeping Oak Creek safe,” she said with a warm smile.
Chrissy headed off to the door of the school while Dalton walked off and headed to the Marshal’s Office.
Dalton went inside the Marshal’s Office. He saw Zeke sitting at his desk, drinking a cup of coffee.
“Welcome back, Marshal. How was the trip to Yuma?”
“It started off rocky,” said Dalton while he walked over to his desk.
“How’s that?” said Zeke, a little curious.
“We stopped off and camped out the first night,” said Dalton while he walked over to his desk, grabbed his coffee cup, and headed over to the potbelly stove. “During my watch, I headed over to the Gila River to take a piss,” he said while he poured a cup of coffee.
Zeke found the story boring so far and yawned.
“Then I went back to were we were sleeping and found Charlie Chandler missing,” said Dalton while he walked over to his desk with his cup of coffee.
Zeke’s interest peaked a little. “He escaped?”
“I thought that at first. But when I woke up everybody, we found Charlie on his knees with Jimmy Templeton pointing a gun to Charlie’s head,” said Dalton while he sat down at this desk.
“Jimmy Templeton. Figures. He would try to kill Charlie Chandler for testifying against Bart Stone,” said Zeke. “Did Jimmy killed Charlie?”
“No, I shot Jimmy before he had the chance.”
“Dead?”
“Yes. We buried him in the desert in an unmarked grave.”
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, those outlaws don’t deserve a marked grave,” said Zeke.
“Funny thing is that there were two guys with Jimmy. They looked familiar.”
“How familiar?” said Zeke.
“They looked like some of the guys I saw hanging around with Blue Earl.”
“Blue Earl? Don’t know him.”
“Outlaw gang that hung around the New Mexico territory,” said Dalton.
“And now they’re in our area?”
“Appears,” said Dalton.
“Guess we’ll have to keep an eagle eye out for them,” said Zeke and looked forward to a little action.
“Yeah. We’ll keep an eagle eye out for them,” said Dalton while he took a sip of his coffee.
“Oh, some young kid dropped off an envelope yesterday. I put it in the top drawer of your desk.”
Dalton opened up the top drawer of his desk. He removed the large envelope and was curious as to what was inside. He opened it and removed a photograph. He smiled when he saw it was the picture of Chrissy and him taken at the Gilbert Photography Store in Stone Valley. He put the picture back in the envelope and placed it back in the top drawer of his desk. He kicked back and drank his coffee.
Way over at Blue Earl’s hideout, Blue Earl and his gang were up from their bedrolls and getting ready for today.
An hour had passed.
Dalton and Zeke returned to the Marshal’s Office from making a walk around town. It was peaceful.
Zeke made another pot of coffee. After it perked, they sat at their desks and chatted. Dalton had to react quickly to answer Zeke’s questions about his life before coming to Oak Creek. So far, he felt that he was able to bluff Zeke.
But while they chatted, they didn’t notice Blue Earl and his gang riding into town on horses. In fact, nobody walking on both sides of Main Street thought anything about these guys. They figured they would ride up to the Prickly Cactus Saloon, as they have in the past visits.
Blue Earl and his gang rode their horses up to the bank. But their blue bandanas were not tied to their saddles. They were tied around their necks.
They got out of their saddles and didn’t tie the reins to the hitching post.
Blue Earl glanced around the street. It was quiet.
He glanced over at his guys. They all nodded back that they were ready and placed their blue bandanas over their mouths and noses.
Blue Earl, Hank, Frankie, and Bo stormed inside the bank.
Deke remained outside to keep an eye up and down Main Street out for any threats to their heist.
Back at the Marshal’s Office…
Dalton got restless. “I’m going to take another walk around town,” he said, getting up from his desk.
“Okay,” said Zeke while Dalton walked to the door and leave the office.
Dalton started walking off down Main Street and noticed it was quiet.
He got closer to the bank. Something caught his eye that appeared out of order. It was a cowboy standing by the front door of the bank.
The cowboy wore a blue bandana covering his nose and mouth. Blue Earl’s gang! He cried out in his head. They’re robbing the bank!
Deke saw Dalton the second Dalton whipped his Colt 45 from his holster. His blood boiled, and as usual, his temper drove his actions. “Asshole! You almost killed me last night!” he yelled out while he whipped out his pistol from his holster.
Inside the bank…
Blue Earl’s head spun around to the windows of the bank when he heard Deke. “What the fuck is my daffy brother up to?” he quietly said, knowing his brother is probably doing something stupid. But they were in the middle of this heist, and he couldn’t go outside.
Outside on Main Street…
A bullet zinged inches past Dalton’s right shoulder, killing a window of the Prickly Cactus Saloon. The cowboys inside hit the floor for cover.
All the town folk on Main Street ducked inside the nearest buildings for cover.
“Fucking creep!” said Dalton the second he recognized that that was the guy that tried to sneak into Chrissy’s home last night. He fired off a shot from his Colt 45.
Dalton’s bullet hit Deke’s cowboy hat, flinging it off his head.
“Asshole!” yelled out Deke, and he fired off another shot.
This bullet killed another window of the Prickly Cactus. The cowboys inside hugged the wooden floor for safety.
Dalton fired off another shot from his Colt 45.
Deke stood there stunned, then he dropped to the wooden sidewalk. He was dead from a bullet straight into his heart.
Zeke raced down Main Street with a Winchester rifle in hand. “What the hell is going on?” he said the second he got to Dalton.
“Blue Earl’s gang is robbing the bank. I shot one of them,” said Dalton.
Zeke looked across the street at the bank and saw the dead outlaw sprawled out on the wooden sidewalk.
The doors of the bank slammed opened, and Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo rushed out. Blue Earl had the cloth bag with today’s booty in his left hand.
Blue Earl saw Deke on his back on the wooden sidewalk. Motionless. He knelt down by Deke’s body.
“Put your hands up in the air!” yelled out Dalton from across the street by the Prickly Cactus Saloon.
Frankie, Hank, and Bo started firing their pistols at Dalton and Zeke while Blue Earl felt for a pulse on Deke.
Dalton and Zeke ducked for cover behind the water trough. The shots killed the rest of the windows at the Prickly Cactus.
Dalton and Zeke returned fire.
One bullet hit Bo in his right arm. He dropped to his knees in pain.
Blue Earl was pissed. His younger brother was dead.
Hank and Frankie rushed over to their horses while firing their pistols. They jumped up in the saddles.
Bo painfully got back in his saddle while Frankie and Hank covered.
Dalton and Zeke hid behind the water trough while bullets zinged above their heads, hitting the wall of the Prickly Cactus.
“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Frankie yelled at Blue Earl.
Blue Earl grabbed the cloth bag at the same time he fired his pistol at the water trough.
He kept on firing his pistol while he rushed over to this horse. He continued firing while he jumped in his saddle.
Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo raced their horses down the street. Blue Earl, Frankie, and Hank turned around, firing their pistols at Dalton and Zeke, who remained behind the water trough for cover.
They raced their horses out of Oak Creek.
Oak Creek was quiet except for the smoke that lingered in the air from the gunfight.
The town folk slowly started coming out of the buildings.
Dalton and Zeke cautiously stood up from behind the water trough.
Chrissy and her students slowly came out of the schoolhouse. Chrissy saw Dalton and Zeke standing by the Prickly Cactus.
She ran off down the street and headed to the saloon.
Dalton and Zeke glanced down Main Street and saw that the Blue Earl gang was gone and out of sight.
Dalton saw Deke dead on the wooden sidewalk. “I killed another man,” he said and didn’t feel right about that.
“It was him or us,” said Zeke.
Dalton nodded in agreement with Zeke.
Mayor Mason ran down Main Street, heading to the Prickly Cactus.
“What happened?” he said the second he got to Dalton.
Chrissy ran up to Dalton.
“The Blue Earl gang robbed the bank,” said Zeke.
Mayor Mason looked over at the bank. He saw a body on the sidewalk. “Looks like one didn’t make it.”
“Marshal Trevor got him,” said Zeke.
Chrissy looked at Dalton. “I’m glad you’re not hurt,” she said and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
The bartender from the Prickly Cactus stepped outside. “We need Doc Bartholomew in here. I have two wounded patrons,” he said.
“I’ll go get the Doc then get Harvey over here to pick up that dead outlaw,” said Mayor Mason.
Mayor Mason rushed way away and headed straight to Doc Bartholomew’s office.
The patrons from inside the bank slowly came outside.
Doc Bartholomew stepped out of his office when it was quiet.
Mayor Mason rushed over to Doc Bartholomew and told him about the wounded patrons in the Prickly Cactus Saloon.
Doc Bartholomew rushed back inside his office to get his medical bag.
Mayor Mason rushed over to Harvey’s shop.
Rodney, the bank teller, and some of the bank’s customers walked out of the bank. They all saw Deke’s dead body on the wooden sidewalk.
Dalton and Zeke walked over from the saloon.
Dalton didn’t say anything. He just looked down at Deke’s dead body.
Chrissy walked up to Dalton. She looked at Deke’s dead body. She turned around and walked away, heading back to the schoolhouse.
Doc Bartholomew rushed over and went inside the Prickly Cactus Saloon with his medical bag in hand.
Dalton and Zeke walked away when they spotted Harvey riding his horse and wagon down the street, heading to the bank.
While Dalton and Zeke walked back to the office, they stopped at the General Store. Something caught their eyes. They saw a sign in the window. The sign read “Store For Sale Due To Ill Health. $1,000”
“Look, he’s selling the store,” said Dalton.
“How about that,” said Zeke.
They walked away and headed back to the Marshal’s Office.
While Blue Earl and his gang galloped through the desert back to their hideaway, tears ran down his cheek.
Back in Oak Creek, Harvey and a helper picked up Deke’s dead body and placed it in his wagon.
He got up on his horse and rode his wagon to his shop to bury him in an unmarked grave.
Dalton was back in the Marshal’s Office with Zeke. They remained quiet while they sat at their desks drinking coffee.
While he sipped his coffee, Dalton thought about that sign he saw in the window of the General Store.
Off in the desert, Blue Earl and his gang galloped their horses back to their hideout. They got out of their saddles and tied the reins of their horses to bushes. Everybody was quiet.
But Blue Earl was fuming. “That fucking Marshal killed my brother. THAT MARSHAL KILLED MY BROTHER!” yelled out Blue Earl with a reddened face and neck veins about to burst. His yelling echoed in the desert.
Frankie, Bo, and Hank remained quiet. They knew from experience to keep their mouths shut when Blue Earl was about to blow a gasket.
Blue Earl stormed around, kicking the desert flinging up dirt over the loss of his kid brother. He was fuming!
An hour had passed.
It was quiet in Oak Creek, and everybody was back to their usual routine.
Chrissy and Dalton ate dinner at the restaurant. Dalton was quiet as today’s shooting was on his mind.
After they ate, they took a stroll around Oak Creek.
“Well, you’re sure having excitement as the Town Marshal,” said Chrissy.
“I know. I didn’t think I would have this much to deal with.”
“Can you imagine what a daily routine would be like as a cop in our time?”
Dalton thought for a few seconds. “Ten times the excitement. But I don’t know if I would handle all that excitement every day,” he said and thought for a few seconds. “The old west is still more peaceful than our time. Look at all the crazies we have back there.” “All those sexual predators harming kids,” he said.
“I know,” said Chrissy.
Dalton and Chrissy walked by Master’s General Store.
They saw a sign in the window. The sign read “Store For Sale Due To Ill Health. $1,000.”
“Look, he’s selling the General Store,” said Chrissy.
“I know,” said Dalton. “I saw it earlier with Zeke.” He glanced back at the sign. “A thousand dollars isn’t bad for buying a business,” he added.
Chrissy nodded in agreement.
They walked away, and Dalton again thought about that sign in the General Store’s window.
Back at Blue Earl’s hideaway…
Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo got on their horses and rode away into the desert. Blue Earl was still fuming.
Back in Oak Creek…
Dalton and Chrissy continued their walk around the town and eventually headed back to her house.
They walked by Lincoln’s Tailor & Dressmaker Shop at the same time Edith and Lester were leaving their shop.
Edith saw Chrissy. “Miss Barron, I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to let you know that you’re dress will be ready in a couple of hours,” she said. “I still have some finishing touches,” she added.
“That’s good,” said Chrissy.
“I hear you killed an outlaw today,” said Lester.
“Yes, sir. One of the Blue Earl gang members.”
“Well, thank you for keeping our town safe,” said Lester.
“You’re welcome,” said Dalton.
“Good evening,” said Lester, and he and Edith walked away and headed over to the restaurant.
Dalton and