Edith was quite distraught. Molly encouraged her to sit down and that she would make her a cup of tea. Neither of us had seen her act like this before; it was an uncommon characteristic. She was usually calm, stayed busy, and didn’t seem to have a worry-bone in her body.
“Something has happened Miles, I can just feel it,” she agonized. When Molly brought her tea she just held it between her hands and Molly had to coax her to drink it. Finally, she sipped it, then took a larger swallow.
“We’re ready to close up here. Let Miles walk you home while I finish up,” said Molly trying to encourage her.
She took another swallow, then nodded. I put on my heavy sheepskin coat and led her to the door. “There’s no use goin’ out tonight. I’ll start out first thing in the mornin’. If Doc should come home you be sure to tell me.”
I waited until dawn before going down to the livery to get Star. Hawk would have been my normal first choice for a trip like this, but he seemed to suffer some when I went looking for Johnson. He was a much better bad weather and mountain horse than Star, but it would do the thoroughbred good to get out and exercise. It was still below freezing, but it had warmed up some and it appeared that the sun would be shining today. Maybe by the time I was on the road it would be melting some of the snow.
Molly was waiting for me at the diner with some sausage and eggs sandwiches. I wasn’t surprised to see Edith standing there with her. Tipping my hat, I nodded, “I expect to be meetin’ Doc somewhere on the road.” Then nudged Star and we started off at a walk since the snow was still fairly deep with a crust on the top.
It was normally about an hour’s trip to McClure’s but halfway there I had to stop to rest Star. The snow was deep and it was hard traveling. I had really hoped that I would come across Doc along the road. A couple of hours later I saw McClure’s cabin. Smoke was rising from the chimney so I knew they were home. There were no horses in the corral, but then again, I didn’t expect to see any.
Reining in at the front porch, I noticed several footprints around along with the tracks of three horses. I dismounted telling Star that I wouldn’t be long; I disliked that I had to leave him out in the cold. There was no answer when I knocked on the door. I knocked again, “Frank! Frank, it’s Miles Forrest!”
The door opened slowly and I could barely make out an image in the crack. Then Frank McClure opened it wide, “Come on in Marshal. Go warm yourself by the fire.”
I glanced at him and he looked a mess. His face was bruised, he had a cut lip and a black eye that was swollen and partially shut. Around his head was a bloody bandage. “Frank, what happened? Where’s Doc?” Then I thought of my manners, “How’s Linda?”
He pushed me toward the fire where he took a seat in a rocker there while I stood looking down at him. “Linda’s in the bedroom,” he said, then smiled. “A baby boy,” then he face grew serious. “Two rough-looking characters busted in through the door and took Doc. I, I tried to stop them, but they buffaloed me.”
“Where’d they take him?” I questioned in a gruff manner. I was upset, but there was no need of me taking it out on Frank. “Sorry, Frank, I’m just upset. Do you have any idea where they went?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t hear anything. They hit me over the head and I went down. Linda told me later,” he lifted his hand to his eye, “that one kicked me in the face. That’s all I know.”
I pulled on my moustache, then placed a hand on his shoulder. “They shouldn’t be too hard to follow.”
“They’re headed toward Mancos,” came a voice from the doorway. Linda McClure was standing there, wrapped up in a quilt holding a bundle that I assumed was her baby. Frank jumped from the rocker to rush to her. Helping her to the rocker, he was chastising her quietly. “You should be in bed.”
“I heard voices, then recognized the voice of Marshal Forrest,” she replied then sat down in the rocker in front of the fire. She looked tired, but she uttered, “ah, that feels good.”
Turning her head up towards me. “Marshal, they’re headed for somewhere outside of Mancos. From what I gathered lying in the other room, they have a comrade that’s badly hurt. How they knew Doc Jones was here I don’t know,” she paused, turning her face back towards the fire. “Thank the good Lord, Doc had already delivered the baby.”
“You take care Linda, and take care of that little one. Frank, you best take care of that head. When I find Doc we’ll stop back by on the way to Durango.”
It was over twenty miles to Mancos and I knew I couldn’t make it before dark. There was a little community eight miles this side of Mancos, hopefully I could make it there before dark or closely after. It was hard enough traveling in the light; I didn’t want to push Star in the snow during dark hours.
Before mounting I broke the ice on the water trough and let Star slowly drink. I didn’t want him guzzling ice cold water. Then we headed out following the tracks making sure they were indeed heading towards Mancos. “Lord,” I breathed, “be smilin’ down on my journey and be a-protectin’ Doc…”