Disclaimer: This story is the copyright of nesciri and are published for others to read. Any abuse or infringement of the author's rights will be governed by Swedish law. The characters have been borrowed from the TV-drama "The Young Riders" . This has not been done in order to violate the copyright of the authors of that show, however, if an infringement has been done, please notify nesciri and this page will be removed. Any drawings are the copyright of nesciri and may not be used without the written permission of nesciri.

Continous Stories

 Part 12

Teaspoon slowly dismounted outside the office and watched the empty street. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that there wasn't a hint of trouble in town. The office was cold and he started a small fire in the stove to get himself a hot cup of coffee. He had a lot on his mind. The talk with boy had been unsuccessful and Teaspoon had from time to time found himself believing the boy. It was hard to imagine that boy at he's age could lie that way. But the other hand Buck couldn't have done it. Or could he? Teaspoon had never talked with Buck about what he had done to Devlin's men after they had humiliated him and Buck had never told him. He'd heard about it from another of Devlin's employees after the man had left town. If being hog-tied had forced to Buck to such revenge, then how had he really reacted to being whipped?

But then that was along time ago, and Buck had changed since then. Or hadn't he? Teaspoon knew that the half-blood rider was proud of his Kiowa heritage and held on to his Indian beliefs, and that Indian ways demanded revenge if you'd been humiliated. To not seek revenge marked you as a coward. But getting revenge and kill somebody was completely different. Buck knew better than to seek revenge through death. No, Buck couldn't have done it. The boy must be lying, there was no other solution. But why? And who killed Craven? If he found out the why and who, then Buck would be freed of the accusations. Why did the boy lie?

And there was the disturbing matter that the boy claimed never to have seen Buck before and there was no one that that could remember different. When he and Buck had been out to Craven's land they hadn't seen the boy anywhere. And the family hadn't brought the boy to town until school started. And Buck hadn't been in town during that time. So how could the boy describe Buck? Teaspoon frowned as he sipped his coffee. That was the thing that caused him trouble. He couldn't get rid of the thought that it had been Buck, who'd been forced to kill Craven in self-defence. The boy's story matched that, except that he hadn't mentioned any threats from his father's side. But then he'd said that he'd been scared and hiding.

The boy had told them his father had taken him with him to practice shooting. Then they had seen Buck. The boy still had the gun and they had just fired a few shots. Buck had approached them and his father had told him to hide. So the boy had dropped the gun and scrambled into some bushes. He hadn't seen anything, but claimed he'd heard them argue. Then he heard the shots and when he returned his father was dead and Buck was nowhere to be seen. The boy couldn't remember how long he'd been hiding. Probably long enough for the killer to get rid of the tracks. The story sounded plausible enough, except for Buck being the killer. Buck had promised not to go anywhere near Craven. And Buck always kept his promises. Teaspoon shook his head. He wouldn't get answer right now anyway. He just had to hope that Jimmy could get the truth from the boy and in he meantime he'd have to find out who might have killed Craven.

Kid paced on the porch. The sun had settled a long time ago and only the moon and the stars lit up the solemn night. He couldn't sleep. Lou should have been back a long time ago and the worry that something might have happened to her was eating at him. Especially now, when he'd just realised how much she really meant to him. What if something had happened to her? What if Emery realised that Lou had gone out to find proof that Buck didn't kill Craven? You're stupid, he told himself. There was no way Emery could know that. Maybe there was nothing at all, maybe she just had stopped to get some rest, maybe---. He sat down on the porch. Please, Lou, you've got to come back, he prayed silently, please, let me see you at the horizon in a few minutes.

The squeaking sound of the front door startled him as he sat there peering out into the darkness, but he didn't turn around.
"No signs of her yet?" Jimmy sat down next to him in only his longjohns, his arms wrapped around him against the cold. Kid shook his head.
"No. Something must have happened to her Jimmy. She wouldn't be this late if she could help it."
"I agree. You plan on going out to look for her?"
Kid hesitated. There was still a chance that there was a natural explanation to Lou being late and if he started to look for her and it was nothing serious, she would be furious. On the other hand, if something serious had happened, he'd never be able to forget himself if he wasn't there for her.
"If she's not here in an hour I'm heading out," he said determined.
"Want company?"
"No," Kid said quickly and then added, "I appreciate it, Jimmy, but I think I better head out alone."
"OK," Jimmy said with just a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I'll get back to bed then."
Kid reached up and grabbed Jimmy by the arm as he rose.
"Hey, Jimmy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh. It's just that, well, if it's nothing---"
"Lou'll kill you and you prefer not to make a fool of yourself in front of me, right," Jimmy said with a hint of a smile on his lips. Kid smiled faintly.
"Yeah, something like that."
"Well, if you change your mind, just wake me up, OK?"
"I'll do that. By the way Jimmy, you really believe that boy?"
Jimmy sighed and returned to the porch.
"I don't know. I was sure he was telling the truth about the Indian attack, but when he accused Buck, I had doubts." Jimmy shook his head.
"What did the boy tell you?"
"You mean about Buck?"
Kid nodded.
"It's the damnest thing - I don't know if he was lying or not."
"You think he saw Buck?" Kid frowned at his friend.
"Maybe," Jimmy said with hesitation. When he saw Kid's doubtful face he felt the anger rise within him.
"Don't look at me that way. I ain't saying that Buck did it, I'm just saying that I've a hard time believing that the boy's lying!"
"It's the same thing, ain't it?" Kid said critically.
"Maybe it was self-defence?" Jimmy tried. "If Buck was on Craven's land, I wouldn't be surprised if Craven tried to kill him."
"Buck had no reason to be on Craven's land," Kid said. "You're sure the boy ain't lying?"
"I can't imagine how he could make up a story like that. Besides, he's never seen Buck and yet he managed to describe him."
"I can't believe Buck would kill Craven," Kid objected.
Jimmy shrugged.
"I'm just telling you what the boy said."
"But do you believe Buck killed Craven?" Kid insisted.
Jimmy bit his lip.
"What do we really know about him?" he replied. "I mean, it's not like he was brought up the way we were---"
"We're all brought up differently," Kid interrupted.
"You know what I mean - we're brought up 'white'. He's not and I don't know much about Indian except they don't take kindly to their enemies."
"So you think Buck might have killed Craven because that's what he was taught to do?"
Jimmy shrugged again.
"Well, sometimes he does things that we don't understand - like that ritual you and Ike witnessed, he don't eat fish, he doesn't believe in God and then there's that rumour of what he did to that banker's men, remember?"
"Buck's habits has nothing to do with this," Kid said defending their friend.
"I know that, but it just shows that he's different, that's all."
Kid was about to reply when a dusty figure was seen walking towards the station. Kid immediately rose, followed by Jimmy.
"It's Lou!" Kid called in joy out after looking at the tiny figure for several minutes.
"You're right," Jimmy confirmed. "But why is she walking?"
Kid barely heard the last words as he rushed down the stairs towards Lou. He didn't care if she came back walking or riding as long as she came back.
"Lou! What happened? We expected you back hours ago!" Kid called out as he came closer and saw her appearance. She was covered in dust and mud from head to toe and had a weary look in her face.
"It's good to be home," Lou mumbled as she let Kid's arms support her.
Jimmy reached out to take Lightning from her and she glanced at him.
"What's this?" she mumbled jokingly. "You always meet ladies in your longjohns?"
Jimmy laughed at the remark, relieved to see that she was okey.
"You go on and freshen up," he suggested and I'll take care of your horse for you.
"Take it easy with him," Lou said eagerly. "He tripped in a rabbit's hole and he's limping pretty bad."
"That's what happened to you?" Kid asked.
Lou nodded and then she yawned.
"I never been this tired in my life," she mumbled. "Just lead me to my bunk, please Kid."
"Sure you don't want to freshen up first?"
Lou sighed deeply.
"I wish I had the strength to do that, but I'm too tired. I just wanna sleep."
"I could give you a hand," Kid said with a wink, just overfilled with the joy of seeing her again.
"What?" Lou stared at him unbelievingly and frowned at him. Kid felt as if she'd just thrown a bucket of cold water over him and stepped back.
"Sorry, it was just a thought," he mumbled and changed the subject. "Did you get what Teaspoon asked for?" he asked as Jimmy returned to them.
Lou placed her hand on her forehead.
"I almost forgot," she moaned. "Yeah, I got it."
"We better get it to Teaspoon at once then, he's expecting it."
Lou sighed. The news she had wouldn't cheer the stationmaster up.
"I'll take it to him," Jimmy offered. "You both look as if you could use some sleep," he added with a wink. Lou looked disgustingly at him. She was dead tired and longed for nothing more than sleep. What was the matter with boys? Was being with a girl all they could think of? Well, she was going to sleep. Besides Kid had never asked her for anything more than kisses so she didn't understand what they were fussing about. She groped in her pocket for the letter from the major and handed it to Jimmy who took it and after slipping into the bunkhouse to get some clothes on headed out.

Lou stumbled into the bunkhouse and with disappointment she remembered that her bunk was the top bunk. She hadn't the strength to get up there, and she certainly didn't want Kid to help her. She knew that she was unfair to him. True, he'd never asked for more than she could give, but she had this feeling that he wanted to take their relationship a step further and she had avoided the issue. She wasn't ready for that. The memory of Wicks was still too vivid in her mind and every time Kid hinted something in that direction she turned her back to him. Not that she didn't want to be with him, it was just that she was scared. Looking around for a solution to her most immediate problem she realised that Kid was standing next to her - too close to her.

"You need a hand?" The voice was soft and gently as if he knew what she was thinking.
"I'll manage," she replied and walked on unsteady legs towards the bunk. She knew with her first attempt that she wouldn't make it. She was slipping back down on the floor when a pair of strong hands grabbed her around her waist giving her the extra strength she needed to roll over the edge and up on her bunk. For a second Kid's hands caressed her back and she had to bit her teeth together to resist pushing him away. Finally up on her bunk she moved away from his hands and rolled over to watch him.
"Sleep well," he whispered as he tried to hold back his disappointment over her rejection. Lou longed to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, but no words came over her mouth and she simply nodded before she closed her eyes. Kid stood there for a moment, looking at her, but when he realised that she was sound asleep he retired to his own bunk with his head filled with questions. What was it he did wrong?

Jimmy knocked on the door to the marshal's office and before there was any reply he opened and stepped inside. Teaspoon looked up from the desk where he was sitting in deep thoughts.
"Jimmy? Anything wrong?"
"Lou's back. Her horse tripped and she was forced to walk the last miles. She brought this back." Jimmy handed him the letter. Teaspoon unfolded it and started to read. A doubtful look spread across his face.
"What is it?" Jimmy wanted to know.
"This is the answer Lou got?" Teaspoon asked with a gloom look on his face.
"Yep. What's wrong?"
"This here letter claims that Buck took nine hours to get to Ft. Laramie," Teaspoon replied as he threw the letter on the desk.
"Nine hours? But that's impossible, that run only takes seven hours at worst!" Jimmy stared at Teaspoon. "There's no way it took Buck nine hours with a fresh horse, unless---" Jimmy stopped and looked at Teaspoon before he continued "---he had an accident or something," he added hesitantly.
"Or something," Teaspoon agreed staring into the wall.
"He didn't say anything about an accident to Cody?" Jimmy asked.
Teaspoon shook his head. There was nothing that suggested that Buck had met with an accident. His horse had appeared healthy and he had returned on the same horse he'd headed out on.
"What are you going to do?" Jimmy asked slowly after several minutes of silence.
"I need to have a word with Buck," Teaspoon replied, "but I can't go myself. I'll send out Cody at first light."
"Can't I go?"
"I need to keep talking with the boy. There's something wrong in his story and we need to find out what it is." Teaspoon turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, I know how you feel about the boy, but if he's lying we need to know or Buck's in deep trouble."
Jimmy nodded and noticed with some alarm that Teaspoon had said 'if he's lying'. That meant Teaspoon was having doubts as well. Jimmy felt he should talk to Buck himself, he needed to know what Buck had been doing on the run that caused him to be two hours late, but Teaspoon was firm in his decision, he could see that.
"Anything else I can do?" Jimmy asked.
"No. You better head back and get a few hours sleep."
"OK."
Jimmy returned to his horse and mounted up. He slowly rode out of the town as an idea formed itself in his head. When he passed the last houses he spurred his horse into a gallop towards the station.

"Cody! Cody! Wake up!"
Cody groaned in his sleep.
"What is it? Can't you let a fellow sleep---"
"Shhh, not so loud. You'll wake the others!" Jimmy placed a finger over his lips to emphasise what he'd just said.
"What is it?" Cody asked again, this time in a lower voice. He felt as if he'd just closed his eyes and he rubbed his eyes trying to understand what Jimmy wanted.
"Where's Buck hiding?"
"Why do you wanna know?"
"I just need to talk to him."
"I promised Teaspoon---"
"This is important, Cody. Now, where is he?"
"What's happened?" Cody asked drowsily.
"Just tell me, Cody!" Suddenly Cody grasped the urgency in Jimmy's voice and still dazed he started at him.
"I don't know---"
"What?"
"All he said was that I should wait for him at the southern entrance of the arroyo north of Thunder Mesa. What are you going to do?" he asked as Jimmy rose.
"Don't worry. If I'm not in for breakfast tomorrow, just tell them I had to do an errand and that I'll be back later."
"Don't do anything stupid!" Cody called after him as he left the bunkhouse. Cody stared at the closed door trying to realise what had happened. Too tired to think he sank back into the bunk and a few minutes later he was asleep and didn't hear the sound of a horse heading out from the station in full speed.

Buck pulled the blanket closer around him as he reached out his hands to warm them by the small fire. As if he hadn't had enough bad luck it appeared as if his first night out was one of the coldest in along time. It wasn't as he hadn't spent nights out before, but this time he really longed for his bunk and some company. He wondered what was going on back at the bunkhouse. He couldn't remember when he had felt this lonely. Well, he did remember. It was when he was forced to leave the Kiowa. All those old feelings of rejection and disapproval had came back when Cody had told him to stay away. He knew that Teaspoon only meant to keep him out of harm's way but it still hurt. Hurt in a way he had a hard time to admit. He wouldn't have minded company, that one of he rides might have joined him, but at the same time he didn't want to drag them into his trouble. His trouble. Not that he had done anything to get into trouble.

He stared angry in the fire as his thoughts returned to the reason why he was out here, alone in the cold night. He didn't care about Craven's death, although he felt sorry for the family. Deep in his heart he couldn't help feel that the family was better off without Craven. He shivered in the cold as he tried to suppress the anger and frustration that threatened to consume him, to take his inner peace away from him. He didn't want to feel that way. He didn't want be angry, but more than that he wanted to belong. Not to be an outcast. He'd spent too many years feeling as if he didn't belong and he was tired of it. He'd found peace among the riders and he knew that he belonged there and he was afraid that he might loose it. So they argued, but then all families argue. The important thing was that they belonged together, that there was a bond of trust between them. He took a deep breath. He had to rely on that bond now, to trust that his friends did everything they could to free him from the boy's accusations. He had to trust them.

He sat, deep in thoughts, staring into the fire when a sound brought him to his feet, rifle in hand. A bird had been disturbed from its nest. Carefully Buck stamped out the fire and removed his blanket. Without a sound he stepped into the darkness as he followed the edge of an old trail. The bird's sound had come from the beginning of the arroyo, which meant something was moving over there. It might just be a deer or even a bear but he wasn't taking any chances remembering what Cody had said about a posse. Staying in the sheltering darkness of the low bushes he silently advanced to a spot where he had the entrance of the arroyo in full view. There was somebody down there but he was covered by his horse, so Buck couldn't see his face. It was too dark to recognise the horse, but it was light-coloured, which told him that it wasn't Cody. Slowly he crept closer.

"Buck?" A voice called out silently into the night, followed by a soft mumble. Buck looked down in amazement. Jimmy? What was he doing here? He thought Cody had said that only he would knew where he was? Had something happened at the station? And why had they sent somebody so soon? A ray of hope fluttered through his heart. Maybe he was no longer suspected of the crime. Quickly he moved over to where a small trail would take him down to the rider. He managed to set some rocks rolling just before he stepped up to Jimmy and was met with Jimmy's gun aimed at him. Buck smiled faintly at Jimmy's obvious nervousness.
"It's only me," he said silently. "What's happened?"
Jimmy replaced his gun.
"Nothing much," he mumbled.
"Then why did you come?" Buck asked puzzled by Jimmy's expression and his reply.
Jimmy turned and looked him straight in the face.
"I want to know if you killed Craven," he said sternly with one hand on his gun.

To part 13