Chapter 37
It was back in 2016. Friday, September 30th, and it was a day after Dalton and Chrissy left for 1883.
John Mathers entered his classroom with his briefcase in hand.
“Good morning, students,” he said while he walked up to his desk in the front of the room. He set his briefcase on his desk and opened it. He removed his “Arizona Old Western Marshals and Outlaws” textbook from the briefcase.
“Okay, let’s start today’s discussion on the famous outlaw Blue Earl Olson, or otherwise know as Blue Earl,” he said while setting the textbook on his desk and opened it up.
He flipped to the page that started the historical count of Blue Earl Olson and his gang.
He glanced down at the page and opened his mouth to start his lecture. He frowned, as something on this page got him extremely curious.
He looked at a picture of the Blue Earl gang that was taken in the New Mexico territory town of Cactus City a week before he killed the Town Marshal during a bank robbery. The picture had the names of everybody.
He turned the page and saw an article and another picture. It was an article that got him extremely concerned.
He did a double-take at the picture and the article with another picture below it. He picked up the book and stared at the page. His eyes widened with shock. “Shit!” he cried out and shoved the textbook back in his briefcase and slammed it shut. He looked up at this student. “Class dismissed for today,” he blurted out, then grabbed his briefcase and bolted to the door.
The students sat in disbelief while they watched John rush out of the classroom. They all sat there for a few seconds to see if their professor would return. John didn’t return, so they slowly got up and left the classroom.
John rushed out of the building then ran through the campus.
While he ran through the campus, he thought he saw someone. He thought it was Chrissy. She was extremely depressed while she moped down the sidewalk. It was Chrissy, and she was on her way to drop out of college.
He ran after her but soon lost her amongst all the other students walking around campus.
He turned around and ran through the campus in the opposite direction of where he spotted Chrissy.
He ran to the Facility Parking lot and ran over to his car.
He got inside his car, started it up, screeched in reverse then screeched away.
John’s car made a screeching turn out of the parking lot and raced down the street.
He raced his car through the streets of Phoenix, whipping around the traffic, missing a few cars by inches.
He later pulled into a driveway of a home.
He got out of his car with his textbook in hand.
He rushed to the front door of the house. He knocked on it.
After a few seconds, the front door opened. Clint was standing in the doorway. “Hi John, what brings you here?” he said and noticed John’s concerned look in his eyes.
“I have to show you something. Something vital,” he said while he held up his textbook.
“You want to give me a history lesson?”
“No, history has changed,” said John, and he forced his way past Clint.
Clint closed his front door.
“What is so important?” he said while he watched John sit down on the couch.
“Let me show you,” said John while he opened up his book to the section on Blue Earl Olson.
Clint thought about that name while he walked over and sat on the couch next to John. “I recalled hearing about an outlaw named Blue Earl. Roamed the New Mexico territory, as I recall,” he said, looking at the textbook.
“You would be correct,” said John.
“Okay, it’s about Blue Earl. Old news,” he said.
“No. Look at this picture,” said John while he pointed at a picture in the book.
Clint looked and saw a picture of Dalton and Chrissy. It was the picture taken at Gilbert’s Photography Store in Stone Valley. “So?” Clint said, a little disinterested.
“Look at the text below that picture. It states that Oak Creek Town Marshall Dalton Trevor was shot and killed by members of Blue Earl’s gang. It was in retaliation for Marshal Trevor shooting and killing Deke Olson during the robbery of the Oak Creek bank on October second, eighteen eighty-three.”
Clint looked at the article. “The Marshal of Oak Creek after me was killed. That’s too bad,” he said.
“His body was found beaten with a bullet to the head in the Superstition Mountains two days after the bank robbery,” added John.
“Savages,” said Clint. “But not like the monsters you have around here today committing crimes.”
“You don’t understand. Look closer at this picture and the caption below it. It states that it’s Dalton Trevor and his fiancé Chrissy Barron.”
“I’m not following your concern.”
“Okay, remember when we were at the Police Museum? And that young guy and girl came up to us?”
Clint thought for a few seconds. “Okay, but what does this have to do with them?”
“Remember how they said that I looked like the Kissing Bandit outlaw and how you looked like the Oak Creek Town Marshal Clint Bartley?”
Clint thought about that for a few seconds. “I remember,” he said, then started to sense something was strange about that photograph in the textbook.
“That’s a picture of them,” said John. “That’s the Dalton Trevor and Chrissy Barron that were in my class. They are the same ones that approached us at the museum. They are the same ones that haven’t been in my class recently. Understand what I’m getting at?”
Clint thought about that for a few seconds.
“You know, I had this strange flashback a few days ago. It was my hanging, and I had this overwhelming feeling that I saw Dalton and Chrissy in the crowd watching me,” said John.
His eyes lit up when it finally dawned on him. “They used Crazy Hole?” “To go back to eighteen eighty-three?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. They went back, and this Dalton Trevor became your replacement,” said John.
Clint glanced back down at the textbook. “My dead replacement.”
“It states it was believed he was killed around October third, eighteen eighty-three,” said John. “They used an Indian tracker to find him after he went missing from Oak Creek.”
“Merijildo,” said Clint with a smile thinking about his old friend.
“He was killed less than two weeks after we left. He wasn’t Marshal for very long.”
“What a shame,” said Clint, and he always hated to hear news of a Marshal being killed. “What a shame.”
John looked like he had an idea ready to burst out. “We need to change that,” he said.
“Change what?”
“We need to change history.”
“Change history. What do you mean?” said Clint, then he thought about his question for a few seconds. It dawned on him. “No, I know what you’re getting at and, No!”
“Look at the caption. Chrissy Barron was his fiancé. They were going to be married,” said John hoping that would hit a soft spot in Clint’s heart.
“His fiancé?”
“Yes, his fiancé,” said John. “We can’t let this remain a permanent part of history. This kid was nice. He doesn’t deserve to be dead so soon. He doesn’t deserve to be dead in the old west. He needs to be back here. Married to Chrissy Barron,” said John, and he looked serious.
“We can’t go back. We’re ten years older. And you’re the Kissing Bandit. The people of Oak Creek might recognize you,” said Clint. “Don’t forget you’re still a wanted man back then.”
John glanced down at his textbook. He turned the page. “There’s something else you should read,” he said.
Clint glanced down at the book. He saw where Blue Earl and his gang shot and killed Rusty Moore the Marshal of Mountain Rock on October fifth, eighteen eighty-three during a bank robbery. “So, I don’t remember this, Rusty Moore.”
“He owned the horse ranch where I would rent horses. He went through Crazy Hole to become a Marshal back in eighteen eighty-three,” said John, and he paused. “History had it that he stayed there with a career in law enforcement and died in nineteen fifteen. I think Crazy Hole moved up his death because of Blue Earl.”
“I still don’t think we should go back,” said Clint, and he looked like he was sure about this.
John turned the page. “Blue Earl and his gang killed Merijildo,” he said.
Clint snatched the book out of John’s hands. He read how Blue Earl and his gang killed Merijildo because they hated Indians with a passion. He looked pissed then saddened. “I’ll go,” said Clint with an air of revenge in his tone.
John looked a little concerned. “But I’m probably still wanted as the Kissing Bandit,” he said and started to realize this would be a mistake.
Clint thought about what he said for a few seconds. “Well, we are ten years older. Meaning that in eighteen eighty-three, we aged ten years in less than two weeks. We could be different people. Nobody will think you’re the Kissing Bandit, and I’m Marshal Bartley. We look older,” he said the more he thought about it, the more he thought it would work. “We should use different names.” “And besides, I now have a mustache.”
“Being ten years older might work. And we would wear different clothes, and you wouldn’t wear your badge,” said John.
“Yeah, I should leave the badge here,” said Clint.
“Good, it’s settled, we’ll go back,” said John while he stood up from the couch with the textbook in his hand.
Clint walked him to the door.
“So, are we still on for pizza tonight with the wives?” said Clint while he opened up the front door.
“We are,” said John.
“We’ll have to run this buy the wives tonight,” said Clint.
John thought about that for a few seconds. “Here comes the hard part. I’ll see you later,” he said and left the house.
Clint closed the front door.
He walked over and sat down at his piano at the bench. He placed his fingers in the Ivory keys to play a song. He started to play a song. He stopped. It wasn’t in his heart to play.
He got up off the piano bench and walked out of his living room.
He left the living room and went into the den.
He headed straight to the computer and started an Internet search on an outlaw named Blue Earl Olson.
Some results appeared on his search for “Outlaw Blue Earl Olson.” He clicked on the first link.
A historical website on the outlaw life of Blue Earl Olson appeared.
Clint started reading the pages on Blue Earl.
He read on the third page about how Blue Earl shot and killed Carl Kent, who was the Town Marshal of Cactus City in the New Mexico Territory. Clint looked sadden because he knew Carl. He heard rumors that Carl was killed when he was in 1883 but couldn’t confirm it. This Internet article just confirmed it.
Clint went to the fourth page. His eyes widened in shock when he read the article about Merijildo being shot and killed in the desert while he was paid to track down Blue Earl after Blue Earl shot and killed Rusty Moore, the Town Marshal of Mountain Ridge.
Clint’s eyes welled up. He missed his old friend.
He clicked on the fifth page and read how Blue Earl and his gang committed four other murders. One in Rattlesnake, two in Stone Valley, and one in Mountain Rock. They shot innocent people during bank and stagecoach robberies. The article stated that Blue Earl and his gang left that area and that Blue Earl had his whereabouts were unknown. It was not known when he died or when the other members of his gang died.
But Clint figured they changed names and methods and probably continued their outlaw ways elsewhere. He hated these outlaws with a passion that was stirred up again by reading this article.
It was Friday night and still September 30th, 2016.
Clint and Alicia just arrived at John and Angie’s house.
After the pizza arrived from Dusty Trails Pizza Company and the bottles of Oak Creek beer were removed from the fridge, they sat in the living room.
They opened their bottles of beer.
But before the started to munch on their pizza, John popped a DVD in the DVD player.
“What are we watching tonight?” said Angie while she opened up one of the boxes of pizza.
Her question was answered when she saw the Back to the Future III movie menu appeared.
“Back to the Future three? Why are we watching that tonight?” said Angie.
Alicia nodded in agreement with Angie’s question.
John and Clint looked at each other for a few seconds.
Angie and Alicia could sense something was up; hence, that movie. “Okay, what’s going on?” said Alicia.
“There’s something we need to talk about. It’s an important problem I just discovered earlier today while in class,” said John while he clicked on “Play” for the DVD.
“What’s this important problem you need to discuss?” said Alicia.
John grabbed his textbook off the coffee table. He strategically placed it there an hour ago. He opened up the page he bookmarked. “I had two students in my class named Dalton Trevor and Chrissy Barron.”
“So?” said Alicia, with Angie nodding in agreement.
“To keep it short and sweet. They learned about Crazy Hole,” said John.
Alicia and Angie looked at each other and knew where this was going.
“And they traveled back to Oak Creek,” said Clint.
“Yes. They traveled back yesterday. And then I had this strange flashback. It had this overwhelming feeling that they might have been in the crowd at my hanging,” said John.
“And then this Dalton kid became the Town Marshal of Oak Creek immediately after I left to come here,” said Clint.
“Did they come back and tell you about going through Crazy Hole?” said Angie.
“No. Dalton was killed by another outlaw gang led by Blue Earl Olson, and it was in retaliation for Dalton killing Blue Earl’s younger brother during a bank holdup in Oak Creek,” said John.
Alicia and Angie looked at each other, and they both had the same deduction.
“So what you’re leading to, is that you want us to go back and save this Dalton kid?” said Alicia. “Go back to Oak Creek?”
“Exactly,” said John. “With your marksman skill, I think we can save his life,” he said to Alicia.
“I don’t know,” said Angie.
“Yeah, I’m done with time-traveling,” said Alicia. “Why do you want to go back?” she asked Clint.
He looked over at Alicia. “When I was the Town Marshal of Oak Creek, I heard rumors that the Town Marshal of Cactus City, in the New Mexico Territory, was killed. He was Carl Kent, and we were childhood friends in San Francisco. We both headed east to become lawmen. I couldn’t confirm back then that Blue Earl killed Carl. But the Internet confirmed it,” said Clint, then he paused, and he really looked sad. “Then the Internet also told me that Blue Earl shot and killed Merijildo,” he said while his eyes welled up.
“Merijildo? He killed Merijildo?” said Alicia.
“He did,” said John.
Alicia looked saddened. Even though she only knew Merijildo briefly, she liked him. “I’m in,” she said while she placed her hand on Clint’s hand for comfort.
“Oh yeah, did I say that Dalton was engaged? To Chrissy?” said John hoping that would get that soft spot in their heart.
“Engaged?” said Angie as that caught her attention.
“Never to be married. I can imagine she was heartbroken,” said John to soften them up some more.
“What happened to her?” said Alicia.
Angie looked interested in hearing that answer.
“I believe she returned. I thought I saw her on campus today. But lost her in the crowd. She looked like she had a broken heart,” said John in a soft voice. “Looked so depressed and moped down the sidewalk.” “She lost her loved one,” he added with a sad tone.
“Ohhh,” said Angie feeling sorry for Chrissy.
“That’s so sad,” said Alicia, also feeling sorry for Chrissy.
“Don’t know. I think I would have seen her around campus or back in my class,” said John. “So, I don’t think that happened.”
“Nobody should die from a broken heart,” said Angie. “Let’s do this.” “But won’t they recognize John, as the Kissing Bandit?” she said, looking at John.
“Maybe, but I’m ten years older, and when we go back, it would be less than two weeks after my escape from the noose,” said John.
“We’ll use different names,” said Clint. “And besides, I have a mustache that can’t look like this in two weeks,” he added.
Angie and Alicia looked at Clint and thought the mustache is believable.
“What names?” said Alicia.
“We’ll come up with some names later,” said Clint.
“So, what’s our plan?” said Angie. “Our plant to save some lives.”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” said John.
“We’ll have to think on our feet once we get back to Oak Creek,” said Clint. “All plans don’t normally go as planned.”
“You’re right,” said Alicia.
John and Angie nodded in agreement.
Alicia’s eyes widened, remembering something. “I thought we planted some cacti at the opening of Crazy Hole ten years ago?” “So how did they use Crazy Hole?”
“We did, and I think Dalton and Chrissy had to cut them down to get inside the cave,” said John.
“Sounds plausible,” said Alicia with Clint and Angie nodding in agreement.
“We better spend Saturday preparing for the trip. We can leave on Sunday,” said John.
Everybody nodded in agreement, and they returned to their pizza and beer and Back to the Future III movie.
It was an hour into the movie. Clint’s eyes widened a little. “I haven’t shot my pistol in ten years. I need to hit the gun range tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me,” said John. “I should get some practice also.”
“We’ll probably need some clothes,” said Angie.
“Yeah, we’ll have to go shopping for clothes tomorrow,” said Alicia.
They remained quiet during the rest of the movie.
The movie ended.
“What time do you want to meet tomorrow?” said John.
“How about high noon,” Clint said.
“Yep, getting ready for the old west with the talk,” said Alicia.
Everybody chuckled.
“High noon it is. We’ll head off to the gun range and then shop for some clothes,” said John.
Everybody nodded they agreed then Clint and Alicia went home.
When they got back, Alicia went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Clint was in their bedroom and got undressed to his tee shirt and boxers.
He looked at his closet. He looked at it for a few seconds then walked over to it.
He opened up the bi-fold doors. He reached up and grabbed a cardboard box on the closet shelf. He brought the box down and walked over to his bed.
He opened up the box. It contained his old 1883 clothes, cowboy hat, and his pistol and holster. Also in the box was his old Oak Creek Town Marshal badge. He picked up the badge and glanced at it. Even though it brought back some fond memories, Clint still preferred living in the future.
He removed his old 1883 clothes from the box.
He put on his old western clothes. They didn’t fit. He gained a little weight during the past years. The shirt was ready to pop all the buttons. The pants wouldn’t button. If they did, the buttons would probably pop off in seconds.
Alicia entered the bedroom. She saw Clint in his clothes, ready to pop the entire buttons. She chuckled. “We also need to get you some new clothes.”
“I guess I gained a little weight over the past years,” he said.
“Yeah, a little,” she said and chuckled again.
Clint took off his clothes and dropped them to the floor. He reached back in the box and removed his pistol and gun belt out of the box. He looked at it and smiled at the thought of firing it again. He reached back in his box and removed his Town Marshal badge.
He put the clothes back in the box and placed his pistol and gun belt and badge on his dresser.
He returned the box back to the shelf in the closet.
He walked over to the bed and got under the covers with Alicia. They turned off the lamps on the bedside tables.
They were soon fast asleep.
Saturday morning arrived. It was October 1st, 2016.
During breakfast, Alicia called Kent Moore and reserved four horses from his ranch for Sunday and Monday. Even though Clint had been living in the future for ten years, they often went on horseback rides in the desert during the weekends. Alicia loved this to relieve stress from her work as a detective.
After breakfast, everybody met at the Mountain Gun Range.
After an hour of practicing, John practiced with his Colt Peacemaker that he bought when he was the Kissing Bandit,
Alicia used her old western replica piston, while Clint used his old pistol. They felt ready for the old west.
After the gun range, they all headed to a western clothing store. They all bought some jeans, western-style shirts, cowboy hats, and boots. They didn’t mind spending the money, as they considered this upcoming adventure like a vacation. It would be a cheap vacation compared to others.
They headed off to a few coin shops and purchased the cheapest silver dollar coins they could find.
They went to their homes and got relaxed for the rest of Saturday.
Sunday morning arrived. It was October 2nd, 2016.
After John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia had their breakfast, they were getting ready for their trip.
Alicia got her Winchester rifle out of the closet.
Clint put his pistol in the holster of his gun belt.
They both got dressed in their western attire.
Back at John’s home, he got his Colt Peacemaker placed in its holster and got dressed along with Angie. He also made a copy of that page about Dalton from his textbook on his printer in the den. He folded the paper and shoved it in the left pocket of his western shirt.
He made a copy of the page that had the picture of the Blue Earl gang with names. He folded that paper and shoved it in his right shirt pocket.
Clint and Alicia got in her Ford Flex SUV, and she drove over to John and Angie’s house.
Alicia drove over to Kent’s Desert Horse Ranch and Stables and parked in the parking lot.
While they got out and headed to Kent’s office, they saw a 2005 blue Honda Civic.
“Probably belongs to Dalton and Chrissy,” said John while they walked past the Civic.
Clint, Alicia, and Angie nodded in agreement.
They headed off to the office.
“Well, hello there, Alicia and Clint. Good to see you again,” said Kent when the four of them entered the office.