After leaving the meeting I walked up to the corner to look for Lucas. Where was that kid? Then looking down the street I saw him racing around the corner like a banshee was chasing him.
“Senor Miles…” he hollered, out of breath.
“Lucas! What did I tell you about goin’ on the streets to the north?” I asked with exasperation.
“But, Senor Miles, I was doing what you say, ‘investigatin’,'” he panted as he grabbed hold of my arm.
“Investigatin’?”
“I saw them, the men. I couldn’t see them very well last night, but I saw them up the street so I went to look. He is the man!” he exclaimed.
“Now simmer down, what man?” I questioned.
He was beginning to catch his breath. “The man at the fire, I think his name was Teeter; he was the man I saw talking with Senor James Lamb in the doctor’s office.”
“Did they see you?” I asked with concern.
“No, I was very careful,” he said then dropped his head. “I know I disobeyed, but I had to be sure.”
I clasped him on the shoulder. “Well, that’s one thing about bein’ a man. You have to make decisions, and then be prepared to accept the consequences. We might just have to forgo that ice cream I was thinkin’ of gettin’ you.”
His eyes seemed to enlarge with almost tears, but he replied. “I understand,” he replied with a large sigh.
“But again,” I began to say. “You brought back some important information and undertook a dangerous job to do so. I might have to reconsider.”
We walked up the street to a store that boasted of ice cream and something new–ice cream soda. Lucas looked carefully at the sign. “Senor, what is thees ice cream soda?”
I had to chuckle a little bit. “Well, Pard, I’m not quite sure but from what I hear they pour sody-pop over ice cream. Supposed to be good. How’s about us givin’ it a try?”
After ordering and receiving our soda; we both got strawberry, we sat down and I began to think of what Lucas had told me. Those men, at least Teeter, knew the Lambs. I wondered if they had anything to do with the holdup. Fooy was always very careful but there had been a man killed. Perhaps these three broke away from Fooy. After he made a haul he was known to disappear, sometimes for a year or more.
I thought that I might take a meander after supper and I put Lucas in the room for the night, but then figured that neither Marta nor Molly would approve. I’d check wanted posters at Wells Fargo on the way to the train in the morning to see if there was anything on the three.
The next morning, after a hardy breakfast, we took our horses to the station to get them loaded on the stock car. I was a mite nervous with those men hanging about. I wondered why they didn’t try anything that night at the camp? Were they concerned about Lucas? If so, that’s a plus on their side, but I reckoned that they figured it just wasn’t the right time.
I hoped they weren’t on the train. I had been playing up that Lucas was a man, but I didn’t relish to go up against three men with someone still wet behind the ears. Of course, I wasn’t about to tell Lucas that. I had half a mind to stay back with the horses, out of sight and out of the way, but decided to go ahead and ride in the passenger car.
The Lord must have heard the prayer that I didn’t say for there was no sign of the men. The trip back to Durango went without incident. Marta was there to meet us at the station and she gave Lucas a hug that surely did embarrass him. He even wiped the big wet kiss off his cheek.
When I saw that I started to laugh some. He turned to me, “What is so funny, Senor?”
“Nothin’ Lucas, nothin’,” I muttered. “Let’s go see Molly, then get the horses cared for.”
“You go ahead, Senor and see your wife. I will care for the horses,” he ordered then began to walk off. After taking a few steps he stopped, turned and spoke to me. “Gracias, Senor Miles.”
Nothing else needed to be said…