Chapter 8 - What Clara’s Husband Died Protecting
The gunfire stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
Silence flooded Blackwater Crossing.
Clara crouched behind the wagon, barely breathing.
Elias remained tipped sideways with the chair.
Victor hid behind a hitching post.
Then three riders descended from the ridge.
The man in front wore a long black coat.
No badge.
No visible weapon.
He did not need one.
The other two carried rifles.
Victor stepped into the open.
“You weren’t supposed to be here.”
The stranger dismounted.
“You weren’t supposed to lose control.”
His voice was calm.
Educated.
He looked nothing like the rough men Victor employed.
Silver hair.
Clean gloves.
A tailored coat.
Clara had seen his face once before.
Not in person.
On a newspaper.
State Senator Benjamin Ward.
B.W.
The initials.
Her stomach dropped.
Ward stopped ten feet from Victor.
“Where is it?”
Victor pointed toward Clara.
“She has it.”
Ward looked at her.
His expression held no recognition.
That was somehow worse.
“So this is Mrs. Voss.”
Clara rose slowly.
“And you’re Benjamin Ward.”
A flicker.
Small.
Enough.
“You know me?”
“My husband did.”
Ward smiled.
“Your husband knew many things.”
“You killed him.”
“No.”
Clara’s jaw tightened.
Ward continued.
“Victor arranged unfortunate measures without consulting me.”
Victor looked furious.
“You ordered—”
Ward turned his head.
One glance silenced him.
Clara understood.
This organization was already eating itself.
Good.
She lifted the false ledger.
“You want this?”
Ward’s attention fixed on it.
“Yes.”
“Release Elias.”
“You’re hardly in a position to negotiate.”
“I can burn it.”
A lantern still burned near the old weigh house.
Ward studied her.
“So could I kill you.”
“Then you never know whether it’s the only copy.”
Silence.
Victor cursed.
Ward’s smile returned.
“Daniel chose well.”
“He chose poorly when he trusted the law.”
“Perhaps.”
Ward looked toward Elias.
“Untie him.”
Victor protested.
“Senator—”
“Untie him.”
One of the riflemen moved.
That was the moment Mercer acted.
He emerged behind the north building and fired into the air.
“Territorial law!”
It was a bluff.
But Ward’s men did not know that.
Jonah shouted from another direction.
Harlan and Miguel rode from the ravine.
Suddenly it sounded as though a dozen men surrounded the crossing.
Ward’s riflemen turned.
Victor lunged for Clara.
Elias drove his chair into Victor’s legs.
Both crashed.
Clara ran.
Mercer reached Elias and cut the ropes.
Jonah fired at the ground near Ward’s horse.
The animal reared.
Ward stumbled.
Clara reached Elias.
“You all right?”
“I’ve had better mornings.”
“It’s evening.”
“Then I’ve had better evenings.”
She almost laughed.
Then Victor grabbed her ankle.
Clara fell.
The false ledger flew from her hand.
Victor crawled toward it.
Ward shouted, “Get the book!”
Elias tackled Victor.
Clara reached the ledger first.
She ran toward the burning lantern.
Victor screamed, “No!”
Clara held the ledger above the flame.
Everyone stopped.
Ward’s face lost color.
“Think carefully.”
“I have.”
She dropped it.
The pages caught.
Victor rushed forward.
Mercer blocked him.
Flames consumed Daniel’s handwriting.
Or what appeared to be Daniel’s handwriting.
Clara watched Ward’s expression.
There.
Relief mixed with rage.
He believed it.
Good.
Within minutes, Ward ordered retreat.
He did not know how many armed men surrounded them.
He did not know Mercer was acting without authority.
He did not know the real ledger remained safe.
Victor hesitated too long.
Ward left without him.
Harlan and Miguel held Victor at gunpoint.
Elias rubbed his wrists.
Clara looked at him.
“I promised Samuel.”
“What?”
“To bring you home.”
Elias stared.
Then he smiled.
“Better not keep the boy waiting.”
Victor laughed from the ground.
Everyone turned.
“You think you won?”
Mercer approached.
“You’re under arrest.”
“By who?”
Mercer showed the badge he had put back on.
“Me.”
Victor laughed harder.
“You arrest me, Pike releases me before breakfast.”
“Maybe.”
“And Ward will have your badge by noon.”
“Maybe.”
“And Clara will be dead by Friday.”
Elias stepped toward him.
Clara touched his arm.
“No.”
Victor smiled.
“Your husband made the same mistake, Clara.”
Her body stiffened.
“What mistake?”
“Thinking evidence mattered.”
“Tell me what happened to Daniel.”
“Why?”
“Because you want to talk.”
Victor’s smile faded.
Clara crouched in front of him.
“You’ve been waiting months for me to know you beat him.”
“I didn’t beat him.”
“Shot him?”
“No.”
“What then?”
Victor looked at Ward’s disappearing riders.
Something bitter crossed his face.
“He trusted someone.”
“Who?”
“A federal freight inspector.”
Clara’s heart sank.
“Name.”
Victor laughed.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Name!”
“Harrison Webb.”
Jonah swore.
Mercer went pale.
Clara looked between them.
“Who?”
Mercer answered.
“Webb is the territorial investigator I telegraphed.”
Everything stopped.
Clara felt the earth tilt.
Victor smiled.
“Daniel sent copies to Webb. Webb delivered them to Ward.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Daniel knew—”
“Daniel knew too late.”
Clara’s eyes burned.
“He came home that night because Webb warned Hale?”
“Yes.”
Victor leaned closer.
“He wasn’t robbed, Clara.”
She knew.
But hearing it still felt like Daniel dying again.
Victor continued.
“Hale Freight men went to scare him. Daniel fought. One of them panicked.”
“You?”
Victor shook his head.
“My brother.”
Clara stared.
“Where is he?”
“Dead.”
“How?”
“Ward cleaned up mistakes.”
Victor’s voice had lost its arrogance.
For the first time, Clara saw fear.
Not of Elias.
Not of prison.
Of Benjamin Ward.
“Why tell us this?” Mercer asked.
Victor laughed once.
“Because Ward just left me here.”
He looked toward the ridge.
“He’ll kill all of us now.”
The ride home was slow.
Victor was tied to Harlan’s horse.
Mercer planned to hide him rather than take him directly to Pike.
But they had barely reached the Ror ranch when Samuel ran outside.
He hugged Elias so hard the rancher nearly lost balance.
“You came back!”
Elias looked over Samuel’s head at Clara.
“Your mother is difficult to disappoint.”
Samuel hugged Clara next.
Then he noticed Victor.
His face changed.
Clara stepped between them.
“Inside.”
Samuel obeyed.
Elias looked toward the porch.
Jonah was already there.
But something was wrong.
The front door stood open.
Clara ran inside.
Kitchen overturned.
Drawers emptied.
Floorboards ripped up.
The pantry scattered.
Beans covered the floor.
She ran upstairs.
Her bedroom had been destroyed.
Mattress cut.
Clothes thrown everywhere.
She checked the hidden compartment where she had moved the real ledger before leaving.
Empty.
Her breath stopped.
“No.”
Elias entered.
“What?”
Clara turned.
“The ledger.”
His face changed.
“It’s gone.”
They searched every room.
Nothing.
Then Samuel appeared in the doorway holding Daniel’s wooden horse.
“Are you looking for the book?”
Clara stared at him.
“What?”
“The brown one.”
Her heart pounded.
“Samuel, where is it?”
The boy looked confused by everyone’s expressions.
“I moved it.”
“When?”
“After you left.”
“Why?”
“I saw a man near the window.”
Elias crouched.
“What man?”
“Sheriff Pike.”
Everyone went silent.
Samuel swallowed.
“So I hid the book where nobody would look.”
Clara grabbed his shoulders.
“Where?”
Samuel pointed toward the stable.
“Buck’s stall.”
Clara almost collapsed.
They ran outside.
Beneath the feed box, wrapped in canvas, lay the ledger.
Safe.
But Samuel had given them something even more important.
A witness.
Sheriff Pike had searched Elias’s ranch while they were gone.
And for the first time, Elias had proof that the danger was no longer approaching from far away.
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It was wearing a badge in Mill Creek.
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