By BL Durnell
The next morning Lou woke up to find that Kid was still asleep and that everyone else had already started breakfast in the bunkhouse. Joining them, she sat down to hear the report of what the riders had found the night before.
"There were at least a half dozen of them that were following him." Jimmy was saying. "We followed their tracks back to where they were camped at and found evidence of at least twice that many. Unfortunately, we weren't able to follow them any further in the darkness."
Teaspoon looked thoughtful, "Any sign as to who they were?"
Buck shook his head, "No, whoever they were, they knew how to cover their tracks. The only thing I can tell you is that they were whites."
Lou was worried, "If they chased after Kid to keep him from tellin' any of us about them, what are the chances they would come after him here?"
Teaspoon nodded his head understanding her concern, "They might but I doubt it. But you do have a point. Cody, I need you to go talk with your Captain Erbach and see if he knows anything. Jimmy, Buck, you two come with me. We're going back out there. Rachel, I want you to go to Doc Barnes and see if we can move Kid.
"I want to know who it was that did this, because if they are still out there, and I do believe that they are, I want them bad. They shot Kid, merely because he came across them. That tells me right there that they are up to no good." Teaspoon paused to let his words sink in. Turning to face Lou, his voice turned hard, "We will find these people and when we do, believe me, they will pay."
Long after Teaspoon and the others left the bunkhouse, Lou got up from the table and moved over to Kid's old bunk where he still had some of his things stored. She pulled out his small chest that he had kept tucked away and placed it on the bunk. They had planned on getting the last of their possessions out of here after they got back from St. Jo with her brother and sister. Jeremiah and Teresa still didn't know that she and Kid had gotten married, and for that matter didn't know that they were planning on coming to get them in just a few days. Oh well, she thought, at least by not knowing, they won't be disappointed when we don't show up in time.
Lou leaned back down to get the bag that Kid had always kept under the bunk as well when the small chest fell off the bed and dumped the contents onto the floor.
"Damn," she muttered as she started to put everything back in the box. All of a sudden she stopped as she came across a small jewelry box that had a small lock on it. Wondering what was in it, she considered opening it and then thought better of it, realizing that if Kid had wanted her to know what was in there he would have told or shown her.
Placing the jewelry box back in the small chest on top of everything else, she closed the chest and carried it to the station house and took it to their room. Seeing that Kid was still out, she sat down and started to weep once again.
