𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗬 ➳ 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟮

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎.

Eleanor didn't sleep that night. Her body ached from falling off of the train and her neck was bruised. That bastard had a good hold on her, she knew if she didn't go for his gun instead she wouldn't be here. Her ribs were healed, or so she thought. Now they were just as sore as they were when she fell off of Seyfret. Maybe even worse. 

As morning rose and the rising sun's rays filtered through the trees shading the creek bed, Eleanor sat by the fire, wrapped in a blanket with a coffee in her hands. Shaken up by her close call, she hadn't managed to wash the blood off. She did however take the coat off which protected most of her clothing from the man's blood. 

The saddle bag, almost full of possessions was waiting to be sold for cash. Eleanor would take it to the man in Emerald Ranch who trades expensive items for cash. He also accepts coaches and wagons too. She had been to him a few times in the past, it's been a while now though. She couldn't go to the man in Rhodes because the place would be flooded with investigators trying to work out what happened on the train. It would be the same for Saint Denis too. 

Eleanor hated the fact that she had to kill a guard, she had hoped that no one had to die. But it was either him or her. Remembering the letter she had taken from his corpse, Eleanor put down the coffee by the fire and reached over for her coat, sticking her fingers into the pocket and pulling out a folded letter. This letter may be of use to her, especially with his occupation. He might have received notice that he would have to guard another train, coach or bank for some reason. Most of the time when guards were assigned it meant shipments were coming in, whether it was money or folk with money. With her interest growing, Eleanor unravelled the paper, finding the letter to be hand written with a splotchy pen. 

Brother.

It's me, I made it back to this fine country. I have a family with me, a wife and a beautiful daughter. I know you may never forgive me for leaving you unexpectedly and not writing to you until now but I invite you to come visit my family and I. I would appreciate it if you would meet your niece, I've told her wonderful things about you and she would love to meet you. Please, if you do not forgive me for my past and my recent actions put it aside for her.  She deserves to meet her Uncle, as you deserve to meet her. 

You can find us on a small property between Valentine and Emerald Ranch in New Hanover. We own some fine goats, could say I've taken an interest to farming goats. Turns out they can make quite some money. I know you may never show, but we will always have our arms open for you.

Your brother, Charlie.

Eleanor frowned at the writers name. Charlie, that was the same name as her Father's murderer. Eleanor read the letter over and over, the more times she read it the more convinced she became that it had to be him. Why would this man leave the country only to come back years later? Perhaps he was hoping his name would have died down. He mentions his past actions, though he doesn't say what they were they were enough for his own blood to turn on him. If this was Charlie Tatum, it would make sense. The thought of that man ignited a fire inside of her that would never be extinguished until she knew he was sent to hell. 

Eleanor sighed, folding the letter as before. Did she want to destroy a family? Charlie had destroyed her family, her brothers were off doing god knows what somewhere. The pain her family went through, it was torture. It was torture waking up every morning to find Mother sitting at the table staring blankly at where he would sit across from her. It was torture walking out of the house every morning to see his grave a few feet away, being a constant reminder that he was actually gone. He disappeared for days on end but he always returned. But it was that pain Charlie put on her family that she wanted him dead for. The thirst for his blood would blind her and make her immune to his family, just like it did with him. He had to die.

Not today though, today she needed to lie low. After the mess that train robbery caused, it was best she just stayed here today. The roads would be flooded with law and possibly Pinkertons. Though as far as she knew, no one knew it was her. She couldn't risk it though, if she showed her face and someone recognised her it wouldn't be long for them to put together that it was her and the Lemoyne Raiders.

The Lemoyne Raiders.

What did they do after she jumped off? They would have robbed the remaining folk for sure but they were more callous and coldblooded than her. She herself was a bad person but them, they're something else. In some way she was relieved it had been them and not the Van Der Linde gang because she knew if it was them she would have never gotten off that train alive. She was grateful for what Arthur had told her, but she wasn't entirely sure why he would risk everything for her. He said that he didn't want to see anyone else die over a dispute. Isn't that what most folk died over most days? Both lawless and lawful disputes caused spite and anger which often resulted in one brutally murdering the other. That was just how the world is now.

She hadn't seen him for a week. It was strange, he seemed to be everywhere before but now he was gone. Maybe he was keeping his head down to defuse any suspicion to Dutch, or he was really just warning her to scare her away. Maybe he just appeared to have a good heart under all his tough act just to get a point across which was to stay out of their way. 

Right now, Mr Van Der Linde was the very least of her problems. She found where her Father's killer lives. That was her main problem, it had been for years. Only now she actually had a lead, an actual lead. For years she would hear nothing but rumours and she would stick her nose into the wrong places. But this one, this one felt right. 

Eleanor poured out her coffee, grabbing the Whiskey Arthur had given her instead. She filled the cup up, plugging the cork back into the bottle and taking a sip from the cup full of Whiskey. She licked her lips after her first sip, much better. The Whiskey helped drown the pain away, the pain that held her body in a tight grip, refusing to let go as well as the aching around her neck. She knew her neck would bruise for days if she was lucky, however it may be weeks until the bruising fades. The medicine Arthur gave her, she still had some left but she didn't want to use it. It was hard enough for her to get her hands on money, until she had money she would not take any medicine. This bottle would be saved for emergencies. If she was lucky, the roads may be a little quiet tomorrow, quiet enough for her to get her stolen goods to the man at Emerald Ranch, she believed he said his name was Seamus. He was just as dodgy as everyone else in this land. It was almost impossible to find a person alive who weren't keeping some sort of secret. Just like the secret she was keeping, which was that she is going to kill Charlie Tatum. Years ago the law were waiting for a long time for her to do it, but she never did. That would be because he wasn't even in the country. But in a few days that was going to change.