Shadow of the Eagle Read online

  Shadow of the Eagle

  The Legend of Boot Hill, Volume 1

  Harlan Finchley

  Published by Culbin Press, 2020.

  Names, characters and incidents in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Harlan Finchley

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

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  Further Reading: Liberty Showdown

  Also By Harlan Finchley

  Chapter One

  “I’M LOOKING FOR WARNER Gray,” Gideon Pierce said.

  “You’ve disappointed me,” the saloon-girl, Messina Doyle, said while fluffing her hair and pouting with mock indignation. “I thought you’d only returned to Diamond Springs to see me.”

  “Of course I returned only to see you, just as I’m sure you’ve spent every night alone dreaming of the day I’ll return.” Gideon smiled and when she laughed, he leaned on the bar and drew her closer. “It’s only been six months since I last passed through and you’re looking as delightful as you ever did.”

  “Your sweet-talking will get you everything.” She winked and then adopted a serious expression. “But it won’t get you anything on this man. I’ve heard nothing about him.”

  “It’s been said Warner was heading west to hole up in Liberty. I’ve been there but the place is now a ghost town, so I’ve been working my way back east.”

  She nodded. “Plenty of people have shown an interest in Liberty recently. I thought that after what happened there nobody would go there again, but it seems other people think differently and they have money to hire men at good rates.”

  “Are any of these other people in town?”

  She laughed loudly with her head thrown back making Gideon frown, but then someone moved behind him while other customers bustled up close, so he laughed in return. They stood smiling at each other until the customers had drifted away.

  “Rudyard Crosby is in the Hunter’s Moon saloon on the other side of town,” she said with a low voice. “I gather he’s organized a high-stakes poker game.”

  “I’m obliged. You sure do provide the best information a man could want. Perhaps the next time I come back I should stay and see what kind of life we could enjoy together.”

  “You promise me that every time you go away, so make sure you come back to see me quicker than the last time.” She met his eye. “I’d suggest an hour.”

  He tipped his hat and then moved on through the bustling White Oaks saloon. When he stopped at the door she was already flirting with another customer, although she did turn his way so with a smile on his lips he left the saloon.

  As he wasn’t familiar with the other saloon, he took his time heading down the main drag and the place didn’t cheer him. Unlike the White Oaks, the Hunter’s Moon was a small and dark building.

  No noise emerged and only a man standing beside the door suggested that the place was actually open for business. Gideon nodded to the man and moved to slip by him, but the man moved to the side to bar his way confirming he was on guard.

  “Rudyard’s not hiring tonight,” the guard said. “Come back tomorrow.”

  “I’m not looking for work,” Gideon said.

  “Then you won’t have to come back tomorrow.”

  “I won’t if I get what I want tonight.” Gideon squared up to the man. “I’m here for information.”

  The guard edged back a pace and shook his head, but that gave Gideon enough room to side-step around him and then move on into the building. The man slapped a hand on his shoulder, but Gideon shrugged it off and kept moving.

  Only one man was standing at the bar, his form shrouded in shadows, but Gideon recognized Brewster York, a fellow bounty hunter. Gideon ignored him. In the far corner of the otherwise deserted room three men sat around a circular table, a single oil-lamp dangling from a hook above illuminating them and the bills heaped in front of each man. The man facing him raised a hand.

  “Don’t come no closer,” he said with quiet authority before gesturing at the guard. “I told you we didn’t want to be disturbed.”

  “He didn’t listen,” the guard said, making the other two men at the table turn to him.

  Gideon didn’t recognize any of the poker players. He made a point of advancing two more paces before stopping. He set his feet wide apart while the guard stood beside him and rolled his shoulders in anticipation of an order to throw him out.

  “You’d be Rudyard Crosby?” Gideon said.

  “I am,” the authoritative man said. “State your business.”

  “I gather you’re reopening the Eagle Heights gold mine.”

  “I’ve not yet divulged my plans for Liberty to anyone but my closest aides, but why should they interest you?”

  “They don’t. I’m interested in a man who could be heading there: Warner Gray.”

  Rudyard frowned, his small reaction confirming he had heard of this man.

  “I’ve yet to have the pleasure of meeting him.”

  “If you do, it won’t be no pleasure. Last year Warner waged a one-man war against the railroad. He told the railroad boss Lloyd Mitchell that he shouldn’t take the railroad to Liberty. Lloyd refused to let Warner dictate to him so Warner shot up seven engineers. That delayed the building for a month, so Lloyd posted a five-thousand-dollar bounty on his head.”

  “And you’re looking to collect?”

  “I aim to carry out a vital task that’ll let decent men go about their business. If you have plans for Liberty, a man like Warner could cause you a whole heap of problems.”

  “I understand. If I hear anything about him, I’ll let you know.” Rudyard raised an eyebrow.

  “The name’s Gideon Pierce.”

  Rudyard leaned back in his chair. “I’ll remember that.”

  Then Rudyard turned to his companions and gestured at the table showing this meeting was over. The guard reinforced Gideon’s dismissal by moving a half-pace closer, but Gideon still took his time in leaving.

  He was halfway to the door when he noticed that Brewster York was no longer at the bar and that encouraged him to speed up. When he reached the door, Brewster was moving away from the bustle of the main part of town.

  As he was only twenty paces away, he must have stayed for long enough to hear most of the conversation and his presence in the saloon and quick departure probably meant he was searching for Warner, too. Gideon backed himself to find his quarry before Brewster did, otherwise he wouldn’t have spoken so openly, but Brewster’s actions intrigued him.

  He followed him. After a dozen paces Brewster checked behind him and then hurried on. Gideon did the same, but the guard wasn’t following him. Brewster crossed over the main drag and headed for an abandoned building.

  As he would have plenty of places to go to ground in the shadows there, Gideon sped to a trot and this encouraged Brewster to bre
ak into a run. Gideon gave up all pretense of acting calmly and dashed after him.

  Brewster headed for a doorway, but when he was two paces away he swerved to the side and moved on to the corner of the building where he disappeared from view. Gideon pounded on for another five paces and rounded the corner, but then he came to a sudden halt.

  Brewster wasn’t there. The side of the building was clearly visible and Brewster hadn’t had enough time to reach the far corner. With a wince he accepted that Brewster could have gone in only one direction.

  Two stacked crates stood against the wall and the end of the sloping roof was low. A warning creak from above confirmed that he was right and Gideon backed away from the wall. His quick action let him avoid his quarry, who leaped down from the roof with his arms outstretched as he aimed to bundle him to the ground. Brewster’s left arm caught Gideon a glancing blow before his assailant crunched to the ground with a bone-jarring thud after which he lay on his chest breathing deeply.

  “It might have been easier on you if you’d just waited to see what I wanted,” Gideon said lightly, standing over the prone man.

  Brewster moved to rise, but his arms shook and he flopped back down to lie with his arms beneath him.

  “I heard what you wanted back in the saloon,” Brewster said with a pained groan.

  “So you’re after Warner Gray, too?”

  “We’ve crossed paths before. You know I go where the bounty is highest.”

  “And where the pickings are easiest.” Gideon waited for a retort, but Brewster only muttered to himself. “Warner is a whole heap of trouble and he’s far too ornery for the likes of you, unless you’ve got an idea where he’s holed up.”

  “If you expect me to tell you what I know, you’re an even bigger fool than you look.”

  Brewster raised his head, but he still kept it downturned. Then he put a hand to the ground and moved to rise. His arm still shook and when he pushed himself up to his knees he swayed making Gideon move in to help him to his feet, but Brewster’s apparent weakness was a bluff.

  In a moment he righted himself and threw his hand to his holster. The gun cleared leather, but by then Gideon had drawn his own six-shooter. He fired, hammering a shot into the ground an inch from Brewster’s right boot and making Brewster scramble away before tipping over, his gun falling to the ground as he fell on his side.

  “The only reason I didn’t blast you away is I reckon you know something.” Gideon raised his gun to sight Brewster’s chest. “Talk or I change my mind.”

  Brewster snarled at him so Gideon advanced a pace, which made Brewster turn his head to the side. Brewster smiled and adopted a more confident expression. The obvious attempt at a distraction didn’t fool Gideon.

  He shook his head, but then someone coughed behind him. Gideon half-turned, ensuring he kept Brewster in his sights. He frowned when he found that standing at the corner of the building was Sheriff Fontaine. With a warning shake of his head the lawman pointed toward the law office.

  “Put the gun down and come with me,” he said.

  “This isn’t what it seems,” Gideon said, lowering his gun. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”

  “I’m sure it is and you can tell me about it in the law office.”

  Gideon nodded, but he waited until Brewster had picked up and holstered his gun before he slipped his own gun away.

  “Later,” Brewster said from the corner of his mouth as he joined Gideon.

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Gideon said.

  Chapter Two

  “I HAD NO IDEA WHO THAT man was,” Gideon said when Sheriff Fontaine had let Brewster York leave the law office after hearing his version of events. “Like I said, it was all a misunderstanding.”

  “I believe that as much as I believe Brewster’s tale that he had no idea why you’d drawn a gun on him,” Fontaine said.

  “Except you let Brewster go.”

  “He didn’t have no gun held on you.”

  Gideon sighed, figuring that as the sheriff had seen only the conclusion to their confrontation, his protestations of innocence were only making it worse for him.

  “I hunt men only for bounty. It’s likely that Brewster hunts for bounty, too, and he was standing between me and Warner Gray.”

  Fontaine rubbed his jaw. “I won’t stand in the way of any man who’s trying to bring that man to justice, but neither will I stand aside when bounty hunters threaten to shoot each other up and turn this town into hell.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, and I hope to find Warner before he causes problems in your town.”

  Fontaine narrowed his eyes. “So far you’re the only one causing problems. You chased a man across town and you were about to gun him down. Whether you get to go looking for Warner depends on you giving me a better explanation than that Brewster was after the same man.”

  Gideon nodded and then thought back through the incident as he chose his next words carefully, but before he could reply the door opened to reveal Rudyard Crosby, who acknowledged the tense situation with a tense smile of his own.

  “The man I just saw leaving the law office,” he said, “and then hightailing it out of town was a good-for-nothing piece of scum. I’m pleased Gideon put the fear of God into him as it saved me the trouble of running him out of town myself.”

  “I thought Brewster was drinking in the saloon with you as an invited guest,” Fontaine said.

  “I keep the men who concern me close so I can watch what they’re doing.” Rudyard took a long pace into the law office. “Brewster was asking too many questions about my plans for Liberty. I don’t reckon he had my best interests in mind.”

  Rudyard folded his arms with a gesture that said he wouldn’t provide more details, but he didn’t need to as Fontaine nodded.

  “If you’re vouching for Gideon, that’s good enough for me,” he said before turning to Gideon and gesturing to the door.

  Gideon didn’t push his luck by staying any longer than he needed to and he moved on to the door. Rudyard stayed to exchange pleasantries with Fontaine and then followed him out.

  “I’m much obliged,” Gideon said as they headed back along the main drag toward the Hunter’s Moon saloon. “I’m in your debt.”

  “You are,” Rudyard said with a satisfied tone. “Perhaps after you’ve tracked down Warner our paths may cross again and you can show your gratitude.”

  “In what way?”

  “Once I’ve recruited enough workers I plan to move on to Liberty. For many that ghost town is a literal town of ghosts. For me Liberty is an opportunity, and that means men like Brewster may try to ruin my plans.” Rudyard stopped and turned to Gideon. “To stop those men, I’ll need friends.”

  “You’ve gained one tonight.”

  “Then that’s all I asked for.” Rudyard gestured to the saloon. “Now, if you’ve finished your business for tonight, you’re welcome to join me in the Hunter’s Moon.”

  “I’m obliged for the offer, but I saw the amount of money you folks were gambling with and I’m a bounty hunter who has yet to find his quarry.” Gideon smiled, but Rudyard considered him impassively suggesting his refusal might not have been wise, so he lowered his voice. “I’ve already had an offer for the rest of the evening, and it was more appealing than liquor, poker and talking with other men.”

  Rudyard chuckled, this answer appearing more to his liking.

  “In that case, until the next time.” Rudyard moved to turn away, but then stopped and tapped a finger against his chin. “This may be of use to you: I gather that Brewster had come from Empire City and that he intended to head to Kendall’s Pass next.”

  Gideon nodded. “That is useful. I’ve always made it my policy that when I find out where Brewster’s going, I go in the other direction.”

  “I HOPE YOU’LL COME back again soon,” Messina said as Gideon sat on the side of the bed to put on his boots.

  Gideon leaned back over the bed to plant a warm kiss on her forehead.
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  “I already made a promise last night to return to Diamond Springs after I’ve tracked down Warner Gray.” He shrugged when his ill-considered reply made her frown. “But the chance to see you again is the more exciting reason to return.”

  She sat up in bed. “It may well be, but this time it’s different. You really do need to be quick in deciding if you want to see me again or else last night could be the last time we ever spend time together.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re not the only man who makes promises to come back and change my life. That means the first man who delivers on his promises will get my full and undivided attention.”

  “So you reckon someone will deliver on his promises some time soon?”

  She lolled back on a pillow and put her hands behind her head.

  “I do. His name is Vernon Flint and he’s going to work for Rudyard Crosby. He’s an engineer and he’ll be one of Rudyard’s most important aides.”

  “Doing what?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s sure to involve plenty of dollars. Rudyard is determined to make Liberty bigger and better than it was before all those men died. Now, everyone says that despite its past, this time next year it’ll be bigger than Empire City and Diamond Springs combined.”

  “I’m mighty pleased for you, provided Vernon comes through with his promises.”

  She turned to him. “Vernon’s reliable.”

  “Reliable is good.”

  He noted her practiced expression of contentedness that he’d seen her adopt with others while downstairs in the saloon, but which he fondly hoped she’d never used on him when upstairs. But he also noted a tell-tale twitch in her right eye that suggested Vernon’s offer wouldn’t be her first choice, if she was in a position to choose.

  “Don’t go casting doubt on him,” she said with an admonishing tone. “Vernon is a good man. Soon everyone will know of him, but I know you well enough to tell when I’ve hurt your feelings, so I’ll give you this: you make me happier than Vernon does, but Vernon can give me something you can’t.”