©Becca

Chapter VIII

It was a couple weeks after Lou had overheard Kid's conversation with Amber. After her little bout of crying on Jimmy's shoulder in the barn, there had been no major confrontations between Kid and Lou to speak of. Actually there had been barely a monosyllabic word spoken between the two of them. Kid spent more time with Amber whether at the waystation or out at her family's ranch. None of the other riders knew what to make of the situation. Only Jimmy knew the truth and he wasn't telling.

Especially since he and Lou seem to be pretty chummy these days, Cody thought to himself as he headed to the bunkhouse. He'd finished his morning chores--well, most of them anyway--and was looking forward to a good book and a nice nap, not necessarily in that order of course. Outside, Cody was as clownish and happy-go-lucky as usual, but inside there was something that had been bothering him since about two weeks after they'd found out about Lou's gender and real name. It had taken him that long to put two and two together as they say, a revelation coming in the dead of night as he lay trying to sleep in his bunk.

There was no doubt about it, she was Louise McCloud--the Louise McCloud who worked for a man named Wicks at the Gold Rush saloon in St. Joe. The very same one that Kid had lost his heart to on his run and the very same one who was the most coveted posession of a notorious brothel owner. She was also the same woman that Cody had entertained some very risque thoughts about at one time or another. The problem was Cody liked Lou, loved her even as a little sister. He had a hard time reconciling the two personalities in his head, one a kept woman, the other the tough but sweet female Express rider who'd captured all their hearts.

Now, Cody had to admit he certainly wasn't the most moral guy in the world but some latent mother-taught lessons had him bothered by sharing a bunkhouse with a former prostitute without his fellow riders knowing. The knowledge was eating him up and he longed to talk about it with someone but how without hurting either Kid or Lou? Even though they weren't speaking right now, he knew Kid and Lou cared about each other. He wasn't so stupid that he couldn't see the longing glances they cast at one another when each thought the other wasn't looking. Cody had no doubt that if he even mentioned about Lou's former profession that Kid would be on him like ugly on an ape. But if he didn't tell someone soon, he felt like he'd burst a blood vessel or something.

Cody sighed and entered the bunkhouse immediately noticing the lack of tension in the room. He looked around. Jimmy and Noah, the new rider, were sitting at the table, Noah listening as Jimmy practiced his reading patiently correcting him when he stumbled over a word while Buck and Ike were talking together at the other end of the table.

Noah had come to them about the same time as Rachel was hired. He'd seen a lot of life, a lot of hard times, but the dark-skinned man hadn't let them get him down. He and Cody got along well. They both had a passion for reading even though Cody's literature of choice was of the dime novel variety. Noah also possessed a keen, sarcastic wit that carried him through life with which the blonde rider could certainly identify. Like the rest of the riders, he too was an orphan now that the woman who'd practically raised him had died. To the group of riders, he brought the balance of wit and maturity and was fitting in just fine.

Noah glanced up as Cody's shadow fell over the table. He smiled as he caught the slight slump of Cody's shoulders. "What's the matter Cody? Mary Jane and Amy Huntingdon turn down you as their escort to the dance Saturday?" he asked. "It'd really be too bad if you didn't have anyone to dance with."

He'd almost forgotten about the dance. "No, I'm goin' with Amy," Cody replied. "You know Mary Jane's gotten herself engaged to Brett Daugherty from over at the land office."

Ike tapped the table to get Cody's attention. <Yeah, we almost got Jimmy convinced to ask Lou to go with him.> he signed with a grin, pointing in Hickok's direction. <Thought it might be a nice surprise for her.>

An uneasiness hit Cody as he sat on one of the benches at the table putting himself directly between Jimmy and Noah at one end and Buck and Ike at the other. "Listen guys, I need to talk to you about somethin', somethin' important and it's about Lou," he said awkwardly as he stared at his steepled fingers as they lay on the wooden table before him.

The others heard the note of seriousness and sorrow in his voice and sat straighter in their seats. "Nothin's happened to her, right?" Buck asked softly. His voice carried a note of urgency.

"No, not that I know of," Cody replied. "Look this is hard for me to say but I know where I know her from and why she and Kid seemed to have known each other before she showed up here at the station. She's Louise McCloud from St. Joe."

"Tell us somethin' we don't know, Cody," Jimmy remarked.

Cody's eyes widened at the lack of response. "The Louise McCloud, I mean. The one Kid met in St. Joe who worked for Simon Wicks at the Gold Dust." He sighed in frustration as he saw the expectant glances around him. "Guys, she was the...the woman...that Wicks offered to Kid for free if you know what I mean."

Ike looked at him strangely before signing, <Yeah, Cody we know.>

Cody couldn't believe this. He'd never seen them all so dense before. "I'm tellin' ya she used to be a workin' woman at the Gold Dust. I used to see her there all the time on my runs to St. Joe. She was Wicks' most sought after girl," he said painfully. Cody's blue eyes had lost their twinkle and he almost looked like he was going to cry as he put his head in his hands.

Buck smiled gently and placed a hand on Cody's arm causing the rider to look up at him. He could see how painful it was for Cody to realize Lou's past profession knowing how the world saw those women. He guessed they'd all re-evaluated their thoughts about women who had sex for money since they'd met Louise. "And we're tellin' ya we know, Billy," he finally said his expression carrying the undeniable meaning his friend might overlook in his words.

The same knowing expression was on all their faces as Cody looked around. A flash of anger ran through him. He felt like a fool. "You all knew and didn't say anythin?" he asked.

Noah's eyes hardened slightly. He hadn't known Louise McCloud very long but he had traveled around the country both east and west and he knew that a woman on her own with a family to provide for had very few options open to her. If you didn't have the money to start a business or the education to get your teacher's certificate, prostitution in one form or another was the only way out. Contrary to popular belief, whores didn't do what they did because they liked it. Many women were tricked into the business by unscrupulous men. As long as there were men who'd avail themselves of working girls, there would always be whores available. "Are you sayin' you got a problem with Lou bein' here knowin' what she used to do, Cody?" he asked quietly. "Cause you and I know she ain't the type of woman who'd choose that work if there'd been any other available."

Billy sighed and ran a hand through his hair awkwardly. "No, I ain't sayin' she's a bad person or anythin' it's just...." he trailed off with a shrug.

"Just what Cody," Jimmy asked tightly. He closed the book in front of him sharply all of his attention on the rider sitting next to him, a man he'd thought was his friend and Lou's friend. "Spit it out, we're all just guys here. Kid's in town and Lou's on a run. What do you mean?" Hickok's fist clenched uncontrollably on the table top.

"It's just that before I really knew her I, uh, thought about her like I probably shouldn't have," Cody admitted. "And I teased Kid somethin' fierce about her and him and her line of work. I said some pretty bad stuff about her, but I had no idea that Louise would turn out to be Lou." He felt horrible about the thoughts he'd had about her, the things he'd said. It was embarassing to admit his guilt to his friends--the men to whom he'd bragged a great deal about his experiences.

"You still think of her like that?" Buck asked with a grin.

Cody looked horrified. "Hell, no!" he protested vehemently. "Sure she's pretty but she's like my little sister or somethin'. And besides, she's head over heels for the Kid even if they're both too stupid to realize it. Don't know what he sees in Amber besides what's plainly there for anyone to see." He gestured with his hand to indicate the low cut bodices on the dresses Amber sometimes wore.

The others laughed. Noah suddenly laughed a little harder. "One of these days she's gonna fall right out of those dresses and with the way she reacts to stuff it won't be a pretty sight I tell you," he managed to say in between chuckles.

As the laughter died down, Jimmy nudged Cody with his shoulder. The look in his eyes was understanding. "Don't worry, Cody. We won't breathe a word to Lou about any of this. We pretty much decided not to mention it," he said.

<It doesn't matter what she was. It's who she is now that counts.> Ike signed.

It was a rare moment of true understanding between them all. A lot of the time the riders spent together was spent working, or telling stories, or bragging about experiences. It's moments like these when I realize just what good friends are, Cody thought. The men seated around the table had just heard one of Cody's weaknesses, his guilt over the thoughts he'd had about Lou, and they didn't ridicule or joke about it. They listened seriously and were willing to keep this secret confidence.

"Thanks guys," Cody said quietly. A moment passed before he grinned and looked at Jimmy. "Now what's this about you askin' Lou to the dance?"

Jimmy groaned in response and hid his head in his arms on the table. Count on Cody to never stay serious for long.

St. Joseph, Missouri

Thomas Madison paced the length of the law office. He was a big man, six-foot-two inches tall and sporting a good two hundred fifty punds of muscle. His black hair was slicked back, his beard short and meticulously trimmed. As he paced, he chomped on a cigar--which was an almost permanent fixture of his mouth--filling the room with bluish smoke. "Are you tellin' me that with all my money and influence behind you, you still can't find two measly women and a two-year-old brat, Schmidt? It's been six months since she escaped you, you moron! Where is she?"

Schmidt shrank back a bit as Madison shoved his face into the marshal's. "I can't do much more that what I'm doin' especially since it's illegal," Schmidt muttered beneath his breath. Louder, he said, "Her name's on posters all over the ststae. Legally, I can't do anythin' else. It's like she's just up and disappeared on us."

"I will have my property Schmidt!" Simon Wicks' partner and inheritor of his business leaned over the desk, his palms flat on the hard wood. "This business is only illegal if someone misses the merchandise. These women have no family except that boy and he'll be graciously given over to a rich childless couple from New York, a couple who've already paid me twice what I could ever get out of him here. I'll remind you that Simon and I put you in this office, marshal."

"These ain't darkies we're talkin' 'bout here Madison," Schmidt protested. "These are human beings no matter what your contract says."

Madison's hand suddenly flashed out to wrap around Schmidt's throat. "I have a contract, legal and bindin' with that family Schmidt to provide them with a child to adopt. Those women signed themselves into my partner's posession to work off the debt they owe him for feedin' and clothing them. When that girl, Louise killed him, those contracts came into my posession legally." He began squeezing the flesh he held feeling the airway slowly close off. "Double cross me, boyo, and I'll crush you like a worm. I'll throw your family out on the street to make your livin' from the gutter you spineless jellyfish! You hear me?"

Madison let go and the elderly marshal struggled for breath nodding weakly. He wished he'd never met Wicks and Madison, never allowed himself to be swayed by their promises. They'd helped him into office and they never let him forget it. The two lowlifes continuously treated his office as a personal security force put there for their own amusement.

The large man crossed the room and sat in a chair, gesturing to the man who stood waiting in the shadows. "Your lack of progress has forced me to delve into my private collection of resources. Marshal Schmidt, meet Jake Creeping Fox. Jake here's a member of the Cree nation and the best tracker in the territories. Between the two of you, I should have my property soon." Madison stood and picked his hat up from the desk where he'd laid it. Gesturing again to the dark haired Indian, he moved toward the door.

"Wait, Madison!" Schmidt called. "A man came to see me askin' questions about you. Said he was from the office of the Territorial Marshal in Nebraska Territory. That you was wanted there for a bunch of things and that any information I could give them would be helpful." He glanced at Creeping Fox who'd turned and stared unblinkingly at him. "'Course I didn't say nothin' to 'im."

"I should hope not," Madison replied icily. "What was the man's name, marshal?"

"Larson. Devin Larson."

Madison looked at Creeping Fox who nodded slowly. "And the Territorial Marshal's?"

Schmidt looked at him strangely. Madison was planning something he could tell. It was either tell him and let the poor man become a victim or not tell Madison and allow himself and his family to become victims. Somehow, though, he wasn't too worried about this lawman. "Sam Cain," he answered.

Ft. Laramie, Nebraska Territory--a few days later

"Mornin' Mrs. Cain."

Emma smiled at the young man who watched her husband's outter office. She pulled her bonnet off, wild tendrils of her red hair escaping the bun at the back of her head. "Good morning, Ben," she replied sweetly. The boy reminded her of her "boys" back in Sweetwater whom she dearly missed. "Any word on Devin yet?"

Ben rose from his seat to open the low gate near the desk and allow her to pass through. His wide smile departed at the mention of the missing officer. "Mr. Cain just got a dispatch this mornin' that he's lookin' at," he said. "Maybe there's somethin' in there."

Devin Larson was one of Sam's best men, perfect to do the inital information gathering on where and how to find the suspect--one Thomas Madison, partner in crime with a Simon Wicks in what was being called the largest white slavery operation this side of the Mississippi. The two men kidnapped or enticed young women and children into their trust and then sold them to brothels, factories, and childless couples for top dollar of course. Larson had been last seen in St. Joseph, Missouri, the last known whereabouts of Simon Wicks. Now, Sam's right hand man was missing.

Emma knocked lightly before entering her husband's office. Instead of seeing him at his desk, his boots propped up on top as he read the new dispatch, she found him standing in front of the large picture window, staring out at the life on First Street. His hair was rakish, as if he'd run his fingers through it many times in frustration, but it was only noon. Softly, she approached him. "Sam," she called gently.

He jumped at the sound and turned quickly. "Oh, Emma, I didn't hear you come in," he said. Sam still couldn't believe she was his wife even after three months of waking up with her and beginning their own household here in Ft. Laramie.

"I can see that," she said reaching out to hug him. He held her so tightly she began to feel alarmed. She examined his face closely as she pulled back from the embrace. There were worry lines indented on his forehead and his eyes seemed lifeless. "Sam, what's wrong?"

He sighed deeply before sitting down at his desk, pulling her down with him to perch on his knee. Slowly, Sam pulled two folded pieces of paper out of his desk drawer. "This came this morning," he said handing her one of the pages.

Emma scanned it quickly and Sam watched the horror unfold in her face. "Oh, my Lord, not Devin," she whispered, closing her eyes. "What's Ellen gonna do, especially with that little one due any day?"

Sam rubbed her back gently. "Devin was a smart man. He saw she and the baby'd be well provided for."

"Well, money can't be much comfort when your child will never see his father. Your husband will never see the child you've waited and planned for," Emma replied.

A few moments of silence passed between them as they each thought about the small family that had been torn apart so suddenly by death. "There's more bad news, Emma," Sam sighed. He slowly unfolded the other sheet of paper.

Emma looked down at the sheet. It was a wanted poster, unusual in that it was a woman's face on it. A familiar woman's face, Emma decided. Looking down at the name on the bottom, Emma gasped loudly, a hand moving reflexively to her bosom. "This can't be right, Sam," she protested. "She could never kill anyone in cold blood. It has to be a misunderstanding, an act of self-defense!"

"I know how much you love her, Emma," Sam said. "Even I know she's not capable of murder. It's more important who she's accused of murderin'."

Emma looked at the charges again. "Simon Wicks?"

Sam nodded. "Which is why I'm arrangin' for us to go back to Sweetwater to pay a little visit and get this all sorted out. If she did kill Wicks, self-defense or not, she may be able to give us some information that can help me put Madison away for good."

His wife stood quickly and kissed his cheek before moving to the door. "Where are you goin'?" Sam asked, confused.

"I've gotta start packin'."

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