An Outlaw's Silence (manxman)(second story in The Crane Gang series)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Jeb and Gill rode into town side by side. Darkness was falling and Wyatt hadn't returned to the ranch. Fear was heavy in Jeb's gut. Wyatt had always been fearful of towns and certainly wasn't the type to stay in one any longer than he had to.

Given the altercation that had already occurred that morning in the mercantile, Jeb feared for Wyatt's safety.

Sparing a glance at Gill, Jeb's mind went back to their earlier conversation. After they'd let Zachariah go, Jeb had taken Gill into the barn where they'd have privacy to speak.

Jeb understood Gilliam's point of view. He understood wanting to help an innocent woman who was in harm's way—hell, Jeb has spent his whole life helping people just like Gilliam had; simply in a different way. But Jeb hadn't wanted Gill rushing off to save the day.

All it would take was one wrong person to see him and tell another wrong person and if another wrong people found out that Gilliam Tomlinson or the Crane gang wasn't really dead, they'd have the law coming down on their heads.

Losing Billy had hurt. Losing Willie had hurt. Losing Gilliam? Losing Gilliam would destroy him. He needed that man like oxygen and Preston would be devastated if something happened to him as well.

Jeb's family—which included Wyatt, Pete, Jane, Preston, Gill, Maria and Craig were his entire world. He couldn't lose any more of them. Family was everything to Jebidiah.

"I'm sure he's fine," Gill spoke up as they rode onto the quiet main street of town. Most folks had already gone home for the evening and everything was still. "Maybe he met up with Craig and they decided to spend some time at the saloon."

Jeb grunted. Craig. Craig was another problem that Jebidiah simply didn't know what to do about. Losing Willie had done something to Craig. He'd been spiraling since with whiskey, whores and gambling. Jeb had tried to talk to him several times but his younger brother would simply get mad and storm off while insisting there was nothing wrong with him.

"If Zachariah's done something to him there won't be a place on earth or in heaven or hell for that bastard to hide," Jeb vowed.

"You got that damn right," Gill agreed. "Why don't we check with mama first? Maybe she ran into Wyatt and he's at her house."

Jeb hoped Gill was right. He hoped Wyatt was safe with either Craig or Maria—but his gut told him it wasn't going to be anything quite so simple. Jebidiah truly would kill Zachariah if he'd done something to Wyatt. He'd kill him slowly and painfully.

They rode to the outskirts on the other side of town to the home where Maria lived and practiced medicine for anyone who needed her services. She was sitting on the porch rocking in her chair. With a flurry of graying hair and thick skirts she flew to her feet and stormed their way when she saw them.

Her thin body was vibrating with rage and her eyes flashing as she held up a folded piece of paper. "The two of you better get to explaining real fast what this is about before I get to beating the ignorance out of you with my bare hands!"

Gill was the first off his horse and he rushed to his mother before taking the paper from her hand and scanning it. "What is she talking about?" Jeb asked. Gill simply stared down at the paper without a word. "Well? What does it say?" Jeb growled, growing impatient.

"It looks like Wyatt wrote it," Gill announced, glancing up. "It's sloppy as hell."

Maria clicked her tongue and crossed her arms across her chest. "I know he wrote it because he gave it to me—just before he hightailed it out of town."