The final days of the Pony Express are at hand as mysteries come to light and secrets are revealed as raiders from the south cause new friendships to be questioned and old ones to resurface.

by: B L Durnell

Disclaimer

The Young Riders is a creation of Ed Spielman and is an Ogiens/Kane Production in conjunction with MGM/UA for ABC Television.

No copyright infringement is intended.

The characters have merely been borrowed for the act of creating a fan based fictional story for the enjoyment of other fans.

This work is in no way an official story and as such can not be used as a basis for other stories without the authors permission.

"Permission Granted" <grin>

Part of this chapter makes references to events that are covered in the prequel story Destiny Foretold.

Chapter 7

Arrested for murder. The words hung in the air as the room erupted in chaos as shock settled in. Kid didn't move from the chair he was sitting in as Sam pointed his gun at him. The voices around him all blurred together as everybody started talking at once.

"What?!? I don't believe it!"

"Sam! You can't be serious! Are you sure about this?"

"Sam Cain, if this is some kind of a joke, it's not a very good one!"

"Sam, how could you even begin to think that?"

"I knew there was something, but I didn't expect this."

Lou stepped in front of Sam, putting herself between his pistol and Kid, "Sam, how could you even think Kid murdered someone? You know him."

Sam looked at the girl standing in front of him with a look of sorrow on his face. The fear and betrayal that she felt was evident in her every movement. Her eyes glistened as her voice cracked when she spoke. "I'm sorry Lou, the warrant was sworn out four years ago. A week after Teaspoon left the Rangers. A witness came forward and gave a complete description of Kid." Sam turned to look at Teaspoon and Emma, "We found it when we were going through old warrants at the jail. Before I ever came out here, I called it in to see if there was a mistake or if it had been cleared from the books. It wasn't and it hadn't. I had no choice, come out here and arrest him myself, or turn it over to the bounty hunters." Turning to face Kid once more, he continued. "I figured it would be better if I did it myself. I'm sorry Kid. I'm going to have to ask you to drop your gun and move over into that cell."

Kid stood up slowly and dropped his gunbelt to the floor. Gently moving Lou out of the way, he looked at Sam long and hard. "I didn't kill him Sam."

"I'm sorry, but that isn't for me to decide." Putting Kid in the cell and locking the door behind him, Sam continued. "You'll get a chance to tell your story to the circuit judge. He'll be here in about three days. Until then, you stay right there."

Buck looked at Sam in amazement. "Sam, how could you even think that he killed that Ranger? You remember what happened with Scarface. Kid was torn up about that for a week. There is no way he could have killed a Ranger."

Emma looked her husband in the face, "Sam Cain, you are a stubborn and a fair man, but even this is going to far. You know Buck is right and Kid is innocent."

Jimmy looked at Sam, "You wanted me to tell you if I started to figure things out. Well, I haven't yet, but they are starting to make a little more sense. Especially now that we know Kid was a member of that gang."

Lou looked at Jimmy in shock, unable to say anything.

Cody looked at the crestfallen Lou and dreaded the words he was about to say. "I'm sorry darlin' but the law is the law and all we got is Kid saying he didn't do it on one hand and on the other an eye witness statement that he did, and a warrant to back it up."

"Billy, I can't believe you. Buck is right. This is your friend and Lou's husband we are talking about here." Rachel shook her head in disappointment. "How could any of you think he is guilty?"

"I'm sorry Rachel, but even if he didn't kill Michael, then he knows who did and was party to it. After all, he didn't deny being a member of the gang." Teaspoon's eyes grew hard, "And that being the case, he's still staying right there in the jail."

A couple hours later, a dozing Kid was woken up by Buck who seemed to be alone in the jail. "I'd get you out of here Kid, bt Sam kept the key to the cell on him."

"I appreciate the thought Buck."

"Yeah, well I got to thinking about some things. When we all first joined the Pony Express, I had a dream that first night. Ike had the same dream. It was a dream from the past. My past." Buck looked at his friend sitting behind bars and studied his face. "I finally started to piece together some things. I didn't know what caused me to remember those events, but I did. But now with the Fleur-de-lis, I think I am starting to put two and two together."

"What are you talking about Buck?"

"Five years ago, in 1856, Ike and I were in an orphanage in St Joe. We met a couple of men in the forest who warned us not to say anything about their presence. A week later, the Fleur-de-lis attacked the orphanage.

"We led the Marshall to where we had the run in with the strangers. As we were heading back to the orphanage, we saw those men again, this time with their leader. They were going to shoot us, but one of them was able to make it look like he had shot and killed us. He saved our lives. He didn't much like killing unless it was absolutely necessary and he didn't care for the raiding either. But he had no choice."

Buck shrugged his shoulders and watched Kid closely. Kid just looked back at Buck and made eye contact for a brief moment before he slumped his shoulders and hung his head.

"I know the events you are talking about Buck." Slowly, Kid reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wrist band and handed it to Buck. "Phillip and I were the scouts. We identified where the orphanage was and all the ways in and out of the area. Phillip and Marcus never did find out that the two of you were still alive."

"I wish we had known this sooner. Ike always wanted to say 'thank you' in person."

"He did. He finally recognized me on one of our rides to Laramie. I asked him to not say anything to anyone about it. He agreed." Kid looked Buck square in the eye. "I rode with the gang at one time. You know that. But I did not kill that Ranger. I remember there were a couple of Texas Rangers that were after us four years ago. We were in St. Joe, but I left them one night while we were there. Same night of the town dance. I had found out that a young lady I met there was going to be sold to Marcus by a man whose name was Chad. That's all I know. If you can find her, she would be able to prove that I didn't kill the Ranger."

"That's if the murder happened at the time of the dance."

"Yeah, I know."

Buck left the jail with a heavy heart, he knew that Kid wasn't the killer. But he wasn't sure what he could do to prove it. He knew that Lou had been in St. Joe around the same time, perhaps she would have some ideas as to where to begin looking for the proof they needed to free Kid. Finally deciding on a course of action, Buck headed for the hotel where Rachel and Emma had taken Lou to watch over her after all the shock of what had happened. He knew that they would be there comforting her in her time of need while Kid was locked up. But he also knew that he would have to stop there to talk to Lou before he could leave to find the proof of Kid's innocence.

Kid had turned on the small cot within the cell so that his back was to the Marshall's office and had tried to doze off while thinking of his wife, when he heard the door to the office open behind him. Opening his eyes and staring at the wall, he listened without stirring as Sam questioned the person who entered the office, "Can I help you mister?"

A vaguely familiar voice, responded to the question, "No, but we can help you."

"And just how do you men plan on doing that?"

"Like this."

The next thing Kid heard was the sound of a body hitting the floor, before hearing that same voice call out to him. "Well, Kid, looks like we got here just in time."

Rolling over to see who was in the office, Kid's eyes widened a bit as he responded with a taste of sarcasm in his voice, "Well, Phillip, I can't say as I expected you to be the one to get me out of here. Last time we saw each other, you were ready to shoot me."

"Yes well, that may be so, but father has always thought of you as a son. He insisted that we come bring you to him."

"And if I say no?"

"Then I will put a bullet in you, despite father's orders."

"Then I guess we shouldn't disappoint the man, should we."

"Nope I don't guess we should."

The day was growing late as Lou headed for the jail to spend dinner with Kid. Despite what all had happened, she didn't think that Sam would deny them that. Buck had shown up at the hotel three hours previous to ask Lou about St. Joe, and to tell them that he was going to be riding out that evening to go find proof that Kid was innocent. He hadn't explained why, other than to state that he believed in Kid's innocence and knew that he was not the murderer.

"Where you going Lou?"

Lou stopped short at the sound of his voice, "I'm going to see my husband, Jimmy. You have a problem with that?"

"Nope, not if you don't include the fact that he's a murderer."

Lou spun around, her eyes alight with rage, her voice growing louder with every word she spoke. "How could you even begin to think that! After all that we have gone through together! I don't know what's worse, the fact that Sam threw Kid in jail for murder, or that you, Cody, and Teaspoon believe that he did it!"

"I'm sorry Lou, I really am, but everything points to Kid as being the one who killed that Ranger. I guess he had us all fooled."

Lou turned away from Jimmy and stalked off toward the jail and Kid before she did something that she might regret.

Storming through the door, she hollered out, "Sam! Where are you?"

"Uhnn. Lou? That you? What happened?"

Running around the desk as Jimmy walked in the door, Lou saw Sam struggling to sit upright from being prone on the ground. "Sam, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, where's Kid?"

Turning, Lou's eyes grew wide at the sight of the open door and the empty cell. Before she could answer, Jimmy responded. "He's gone. Looks they rescued him. Guess that just proves his guilt."

Lou helped Sam to his feet and together they walked the few steps to the desk to see what Jimmy was staring at. Looking down at the desk, Sam said the only thing he could at the time. "Damn."

"What have you gotten yourself into Kid?" Lou continued, as she stared at the piece of paper that had been delibertly left for them to find. A single piece of paper with a drawing. A drawing, of a fleur-de-lis.

To Be Continued...