It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.” –Ecclesiastes 4:13(NLT)
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I stepped up on the steps of the last passenger car and walked into the car. There was a rough-looking character sitting where I had planned to plot McGinnis. “Sir, you need to move to another seat,” I said politely.
He ignored me. By now McGinnis and Charlie had come in the door.
Heaving a deep sigh, I again addressed the man. “Sir, you need to move to another seat.” This time with more emphasis. He still didn’t respond. Either he was hard of hearing or he was trying to prove how tough he was.
With the barrel of the Greener I poked him in the ribs, sort of gentle like. That finally got a response.
He snarled, “This is my seat, you go find another seat!”
Glaring at me, I just returned with a smile. “This will be the last time I will ask. If you don’t move I’ll have to move you.”
He stood up with a sneer, dropped his hand to his gun. With the barrel of the Greener I thrust it at his kneecap and at the same time of hearing it pop came a yelp from the man. “Cuff him Charlie, whilst I get McGinnis settled in.”
The man I just hit fell to the seat groaning. I don’t know whether I broke his kneecap or not, but something sure popped when I hit him. Charlie quickly cuffed him to the bar on the back of the seat. I did the same with McGinnis across the aisle.
“It hurts,” moaned the man. “I need a doctor.”
“It’s okay big boy, we’ll be sure and get you one…” Charlie paused, then added, “in about four hours.”
With a groan, the man asked, “What’s the charge?”
“Impeding an office of the law in the discharge of his duties,” I replied, taking a seat in front of the man leaning back against the side of the car. “One, maybe two years in jail.”
His eyes widened, “But…”
“Mister, I asked you, then gave you a choice. You took it, however poor it was.”
McGinnis hadn’t said a word. I could tell that the walk wore him out. Then when I glanced at Charlie I saw that he was as pale as those fluffy clouds I could see up along the peaks.
By the time the train pulled out of the station, McGinnis was sleeping, Charlie was on his way to slumberland, and the man I cracked on the knee was silently moaning. I found out that his name was Walt Craig, occupation–unemployed. There had been no eye contact between him and McGinnis so I didn’t know if he was part of McGinnis’ gang.
I wanted to talk with Charlie regarding the rest of the passengers, but he had already succumbed to slumber.
I looked over the passengers and of the fourteen aboard, half of which were women, I saw only one man that may be of concern. He sat up front and only once turned to look back at us. That could be a clue, or it could mean nothing at all.
It seemed to be a long, boring ride for which I was glad. I didn’t bother to wake Charlie until the train was pulling into the station in Durango. From the window I saw Marta with young Micah in her arms. I figured Molly must have stayed in the diner so Marta could meet Charlie. She knew that he had been shot, so I expected she had some frets in her system. I had to smile, for Lucas was standing there with her.”
“Charlie!” blurted Marta when the train stopped and Charlie took a step out with McGinnis in tow. Lucas ran up to take charge of the prisoner from Charlie so he could hug Marta. There was some blubbering between them, tears flowing from Marta’s eyes, with poor little Micah crushed between them.
I was pulling a limping Walt Craig from the car. After I helped him to the platform, I took off the handcuffs. “Get out of here! I reckon that ride was enough punishment for you. But let me tell you this, if I see or hear that you are helping McGinnis I will hunt you down.”
He didn’t say anything, just nodded and limped away. I saw Lucas walking McGinnis towards the jail so I turned to Charlie. “Go on home with Marta. I’ll go with Lucas to get the prisoner settled, then mosey on down to the diner.”
Twenty minutes later, after a long hug from Molly, I found myself sitting in the diner with a cup of coffee and a piece of apple pie in front of me. Ahh, sure was nice to be home. In between bites and swallows I told Molly that I’d be here for a couple of days but then had to go back to Silverton to check on Beavins and his deputies.
As I emptied the cup, I looked at her with a large grin on my face. “What would you say if we went on a picnic tomorrow?”
There was no audible reply, but I received a smile and she stood up from her chair to embrace me. Did I say it was sure nice to be home?