by Janet
Disclaimer: The characters and
situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four
Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the
author. The ideas expressed in this
story are copyrighted to the author.
Story Synopsis: This story is based on a scene from the episode “Run
Of the Cat” and is about a black horse named Lightning that Nick purchased for
the ranch. The story takes place a year prior to the aired episode.
During the winter of 1879, Nick Barkley had heard or read about a beautiful
black sorrel for sale at a ranch close to Fry’s Junction. A man named Royals
owned the ranch. He decided to go take
a look at it because if he liked the horse and thought it would be a good
investment, he was going to buy it. He decided to ask Heath if he wanted to
come along.
“Mother,” Nick said one evening after dinner while the family was in the study,
“I’m going to Fry’s Junction in the morning to look at a sorrel. It’s supposed to be the best breed of horse
around. We’ve never had one on this ranch and it might be worth a shot to see
if it’s as good as a Modac. A man named
Royals owns the horse.”
“How much is he asking Nick?” Heath asked stopping the pool game with Nick to
look at his brother. “And no horse is better than a Modac.
“I don’t know yet,” he answered. “I
haven’t even seen the horse. Heath, you want to tag along? You can help me
decide if it’s worth the risk.”
“Sure,” Heath said smiling. “I want to
see this horse myself.”
“I’m sure the horse is going to be worth the money,” Jarrod replied waiting for
his turn. “And if I know Nick, he’ll
give too much for it.”
“You’re always worried about money aren’t you?” Nick asked getting a little
irritated at Jarrod.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Jarrod answered with another question. “You spend more money on horses and cattle
than I do on food. And besides I am the one who looks after the finances of
this ranch.”
“Very funny,” Nick said. “I suppose you
wouldn’t want to come along too.”
“Well,” Jarrod replied, “since you’re asking.”
“I’m not,” Nick told him smiling. “You can
come if you want and hold the money.”
“Now I really feel safe,” Jarrod said also smiling.”
“Well are you coming or not?” Nick asked.
“Yes,” Jarrod answered. “I’ll come with
you two.”
“I’m glad that’s settled,” Victoria said getting a little bothered at her sons’
pension for arguing. “Why don’t you
boys play another game of pool?”
“Yeah,” Heath replied. “I’m in need of
some spending money for the trip.”
“Right,” Nick told him. “You just want
to set us up for the kill.”
“Nick’s right,” Jarrod said. “I’m not
in the mood to play anymore.”
“Something bothering you Jarrod?” Victoria asked noticing Jarrod’s expression.
“Not really,” Jarrod answered.
“What is it?” she asked again. “I know that look.”
“It’s the current case I’m working on,” he answered knowing there was no need
to try to hide anything from her. “I
had some trouble with my client not being completely honest with me on certain
matters.”
“If the client lied,” Nick said, “just tell him to find another lawyer.”
“It’s not that simple,” Jarrod replied.
“You see, he’s the son of a politician.”
“What’s so bad about that?” Nick asked.
“The politician is Senator Sam Bridger,” Jarrod answered.
“Sam Bridger?” Victoria asked.
“Yes,” Jarrod answered.
“What’s his son done?” Nick asked.
“I can’t tell you Nick,” Jarrod answered.
“You know that.”
“Oh yeah,” Nick said.
“Jarrod,” she asked, “if he lied it couldn’t be about anything important.”
“It is mother,” he answered. “He’s put
his father’s political future in danger.”
“Oh I see,” she said. “What are you
going to do?”
“I don’t know right now,” he replied.
“I need to talk to Sam but he’s out of town.”
“Isn’t he in Sacramento?” Nick asked.
“No,” Jarrod answered. “And his office
can’t locate him.”
“That sounds fishy,” Nick said.
“I know it does,” Jarrod replied. “I’m
getting worried. Not only for Sam but
for Jake.”
“I don’t know how to help you son,” she told him. “Why don’t you go to Fry’s Junction with Nick and Heath. Try to forget about it for now.”
“All right,” he said. “But if you hear
from Sam, tell him it’s very important that I talk to him as soon as possible.”
“I will,” she replied.
After everyone had turned for the night, Jarrod sat at the desk in the
study. He tried to figure out how he
was going to protect Sam and himself from the men that Jake had gotten mixed up
with. From what he knew of the Tong,
they were not to be messed with. But he
had to come up with a way to help Jake even if it meant putting himself in
danger.
The three Barkley brothers were up early the next morning. Jarrod was still
concerned about Jake Bridger but he decided to forget about it for the day and
enjoy being with his brothers. As they were sitting at the dining room table
eating breakfast, Jarrod asked Nick, “We going to take the stage or horses?”
“Horses brother Jarrod,” Nick answered.
“If I do buy this sorrel, I want to be able to get him back here to the
ranch without having to ship him.”
“True,” Jarrod said. “Very true.”
“I don’t know about you two but I know Nick knows about horse flesh,” Heath
replied.
“I never doubted it,” Jarrod told him.
“It’s money he spends too freely.”
“To have a working ranch you have to have money,” Nick said. “And I happen to own a working ranch.”
“Pardon me Nicholas,” Jarrod replied.
“We have a working ranch.”
“All right,” Nick told him. “We have a
working ranch and with a working ranch you have to have capital.”
“I know that,” Jarrod said. “But
sometimes you get carried away with that capital.”
“I do not,” Nick shot back. “If I see a
horse that I think will be an asset to the ranch, I go get him.”
“And spend way too much money for him,” Jarrod replied.
“Hey guys,” Heath told them. “This is
getting out of hand.”
“Stay out of this Heath,” Nick said.
“It’s between Jarrod and me.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Heath replied knowing that an argument was on the
horizon between these two. “When you
two get started mother is the only one who can stop you.”
“Well mother isn’t here,” Nick told him.
“Jarrod, you are always throwing money up to me.”
“You don’t manage money very well,” Jarrod said.
“I didn’t say I did,” Nick replied.
“But at least I spend it on the ranch and not some girl who spies me
from across a dance hall.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jarrod asked, his face turning red with anger.
“You go to those fancy parties in San Francisco and try to woo the girls with
your charm and sophistication,” Nick answered also getting angry.
“I at least have some sophistication,” Jarrod said.
Victoria chose that moment to walk into the dining room. She had heard her two oldest sons’ voices
getting louder as she descended the stairs.
Now she noticed Heath sitting there with a here we go again look.
“Good morning boys,” she said as she entered the room.
Jarrod and Nick ignored her as they kept arguing.
“At least I have pretty girls and not some old horse to look at,” Jarrod said.
“I wouldn’t have one of those girls,” Nick replied. “You can have them.”
“All right you two that’s enough,” Victoria told them.
“Nick,” Jarrod said, “sometimes you can be so bull headed.”
“So can you,” Nick shot back.”
“Nick!” she shouted. “Jarrod! That will be enough of this infernal
arguing.”
“Mother,” Jarrod said lowering his head, “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I dare say you wouldn’t,” she replied.
“Your voice was escalating in volume.”
“Sorry,” he told her.
“Yeah,” Nick said. “Me too.”
“Nicholas,” she replied, “one of these days you’re going to shatter my eardrums
not to mention every window in this house.
What is going on?”
“They were arguing over the new horse,” Heath told her. “I think.”
“I see,” she said. “Nick, you will go
look at this animal along with Heath who will help you judge whether the ranch
will be better off with the horse’s purchase.
Jarrod, you will also go along to take care of the actual transaction if
on Nick’s decision to purchase this horse.
Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“Yes mother,” Jarrod replied.
“Yeah,” Nick told her.
“I agree,” Heath said smiling. “I told
you mother would stop you two.”
“You better get finished and hit the road before it gets too late to leave,”
she replied.
The three brothers finished eating, heading out to the barn. Jarrod and Nick
were still leering at each other as they went. Victoria smiled after they
left. She knew they would have a
wonderful time together.
Chapter Two
“Jarrod,” Nick said as they walked, “this is not over by a long
shot. I intend to make you eat every
word you’ve said about that horse.”
“Nick,” Jarrod replied, “the only thing I eat around here other than mother’s
or Silas’ cooking is crow because I’m a lawyer. And you’re darn right this isn’t over.”
“I know it isn’t,” Nick told him. “I
swear Jarrod all you think about is money or making me look like a fool. It doesn’t count that I’m your brother and a
pretty good rancher.”
“I never said you weren’t a good rancher Nick,” Jarrod said. “I mean that you sometimes need help with
the financial part of the ranch. That
is what I went to school for other than becoming a lawyer.”
“I know you did,” Nick replied. “Father
was so proud of you when you announced that you were going to be a lawyer. He told everyone about you. But then he was always proud of you.”
Jarrod detected a note of sarcasm in Nick’s voice. He felt for his younger brother.
“Nick,” he said, his voice softening, “father was also very proud of you. When I showed no interest in learning how to
run the ranch on a daily basis, he was very hurt. He didn’t know that I knew but I saw the hurt in his eyes even as
a small boy. Then when you were born,
the first thing he said was, ‘what a set of lungs this boy has. He’ll need them when he starts running the
ranch.’ He was so proud.”
“He was?” Nick asked.
“Yes,” Jarrod answered. “I might have been
sick the year you were born but not sick enough to know how happy he was.”
“Jarrod,” Nick said, “I know you were disappointed when father started spending
most of his time with me. I would
remind him to spend time with you but he was determined to show me the ropes.”
“It’s all right Nick,” Jarrod replied.
“I understood him. Father was a
rancher and so were you. He only had
time for you.”
Jarrod had a far-off look in his eyes as he thought back to all those evenings
when he was a boy how his father had molded and worked Nick into a rancher just
like himself. Yet, he would look over
at Jarrod with disappointment evident in his eyes. Nick walked over, putting an arm around his older brother’s
shoulders.
“Jarrod,” he asked, “you all right?”
“Yeah,” Jarrod answered but Nick knew he was still bothered by the way Tom
treated him.
“Father was always there when one of us got hurt or sick,” Nick said. “He never left our sides.”
“He did one time,” Jarrod replied, looking like he might shed some tears at any
moment.
“What are you talking about?” Nick asked.
“The year I was eight,” Jarrod answered, “father had returned from Strawberry.”
“You knew he was in Strawberry?” Heath asked, speaking for the first time.
“Yes,” Jarrod answered. “He never talked
about what happened during that trip but he was different when he returned to
the ranch. Especially to me.”
“How?” Heath asked.
Jarrod stood there a moment trying to steel himself for what he had to tell his
brother.
“Heath,” Jarrod said, “when father returned home, he jumped on me from the
start. He would fuss at me for
interrupting. My schoolwork started to
suffer because I couldn’t please him.
He had me doing so many chores after school that I was too tired by the
time I finished them to study. I would
collapse onto the bed and cry myself to sleep.
I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I had done to make my
father so angry at me.”
“What caused it?” Heath asked.
“I never knew until the day you arrived here at the ranch,” Jarrod answered. “I put the pieces together and understood
why he had treated me so roughly.”
“And?” Heath prodded.
“Heath,” Jarrod said, “father had fallen in love with your mother after she had
nursed him back to health. You knew he
had been beaten and robbed didn’t you?”
“I had heard stories of a man who had come to Strawberry,” Heath replied. “Aunt Rachel talked about him a few times
but never around my mama.”
“At the same time father fell in love with your mother he still loved mother,”
Jarrod told him. “To him, I looked like
and acted like her. He took out his
anger at himself on me. He kept seeing
mother in me and then he would remember your mother...”
Jarrod trailed off as the memories resurfaced.
His eyes became red as he fought to keep from crying.
“I couldn’t please him as I told you,” he said. “So the angrier he got the worse it was for me. I became deathly afraid of him. I hid in my room and wouldn’t come out
unless I had to. Finally, at school one
day almost a year later, I was beaten up by three older boys. They broke a rib or two. My best friend, Matt, took me to the
doctor’s. Father, mother and Nick
showed up a short time later. Father,
like I knew he would be, was angry. I
tried not to show how afraid I was but I don’t think I was entirely
successful. The doctor set the rib and
sent me home. Father wouldn’t tell me
it was going to be all right, or that he was there for me if I needed him. I was so upset that I cried myself to
sleep. Then mother talked to him and he
apologized. I have never hugged anyone
so hard in my whole life. But I did
that night. I thought he was back but
it didn’t last.”
“What do you mean?” Heath asked.
“I mean Heath that father hurt me,” Jarrod answered. “He wanted to take Nick and me to Denver to see his parents. I
guess to talk about what had happened in Strawberry. The day we arrived, Nick
and I went exploring.”
Jarrod stopped trying to control his emotions at the memory of that day that
was still very vivid in his mind.
“I accidentally knocked Nick down,” he continued. “Father became so angry it scared me. He...He...He...”
“Father whipped Jarrod with his belt,” Nick finished. “I’ve never seen father that mad but he wouldn’t stop. Had it not been for Uncle Jim, Jarrod might
have been badly hurt.”
“Nick’s right,” Jarrod said. “Uncle Jim
punched father in the face knocking him to the ground not once but twice. But the damage had already been done. He disappeared and I don’t know what
happened but he showed up later. I was
lying on my side on the couch turned away from him. I remember he got down on his knees, telling me that he was so
sorry. He was crying as he said
it. He also said that he knew I could
never forgive him. But I did. And this time he really meant it. I believe looking back on it now that he
told grandfather and Jim about what had happened. I don’t know what they said but he was a wonderful father from
that moment on.”
“I didn’t know Jarrod,” Heath replied.
“Now you do,” Jarrod told him.
Heath put an arm around his brother’s shoulders.
“I know he loved my mama,” Heath said.
“But he also loved mother and you two.”
“Thanks Heath,” Jarrod replied. “It
means a lot.”
The three brothers saddled their horses, mounted up and rode off. As they rode, each one was lost in his own
thoughts. Jarrod was trying to fight
down the anger and hurt he was feeling remembering what his father had done to
him. Nick was anxious to get to Fry’s
Junction to see the horse and Heath was trying to understand what Jarrod and
Nick had told him. He longed to have
spent time with a father he never knew.
Sometimes, he was very envious of his two brothers because they had
grown up with Tom Barkley. But they had
also told him stories about a man he never knew and never knew about him. How different it might have been if Tom had
known about him.
“Well,” Nick said, “it won’t be long now until we see this horse.”
“Nick,” Jarrod replied, “you know as well as I do that you have already decided
to purchase this horse. I really don’t
know why you won’t admit it.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Nick told him. “I’m going to see this animal first and then
decide.”
“Whatever you say,” Jarrod said smiling.
“Heath,” Nick replied, “you got anything to say.”
“Nope,” Heath told him. “I’ll just wait
until I see him.”
The journey to Fry’s Junction was quiet but enjoyable. Each brother concentrated on his task at
hand. But Nick could tell that
something was bothering Jarrod other than the horse or the money. He knew Jarrod and figured it must have
something to do with the case he was working on. He made a note to speak to Jarrod about it at the first
opportunity.
“Jarrod,” Nick asked as they rode, “is your case worrying you?”
“What makes you ask?” Jarrod wanted to know.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind,” Nick answered. “I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it.”
“Not now,” Jarrod said.
“Whatever,” Nick replied. “But remember
I’m here if you want to talk.”
“I know,” Jarrod told him. “And
thanks.”
Finally, they rode into Fry’s Junction.
“Let’s get a room for the night,” Nick suggested. “I want to ride out to see the horse but we can stay over for the
night.”
“All right,” Jarrod and Heath said together.
They found the hotel and walked inside.
“Afternoon gentlemen,” the clerk said.
“Can I help you with anything?”
“Yeah,” Nick replied. “We want a room
for the night.”
“All of you?” he asked.
“Yes all of us,” Jarrod answered.
“We’re brothers and used to sleeping together.”
“I see,” he said. “Room 14 is at the
top of the stairs, down the hall on the right.”
“Thanks,” Heath replied taking the key.
They went to the room.
“Nick,” Jarrod asked, “you want to get something to eat before we ride out to
see the horse?”
“No,” Nick answered. “It’s still
early.”
So they left their room, walking downstairs to the desk. When Heath handed the clerk the key, he
asked for directions.
“Do you know how to get to the...” Heath trailed off as he looked at Nick for
the man’s name.
“The Royal Ranch,” Nick said.
“Yes,” the clerk replied. “Take the
east road out of town. Two miles
outside of town, you’ll come to a fork in the road. Take the right fork for one mile, then turn left. The ranch is at the end of the road.”
“Thanks,” Jarrod told him and the brothers left.
They followed the clerk’s directions, arriving at the Royal Ranch an hour
later. It was a large spread with green meadows as far as the eye could
see. The house was a two-story
white-framed home with a wrap-around porch, with rockers sitting on it. The barn was black in color. Nick marveled at the color, having never
seen a black barn before. Everything
was clean and newly painted. The three
brothers were in awe of the way everything was in order. When they dismounted, an older gentleman met
them. He was tall and lean with brown
hair speckled with gray flecks. His
voice was deep as he introduced himself.
“I’m Virgil Royals,” he said. “I own
this ranch. Something I can help you
with?”
“I’m Nick Barkley,” Nick replied.
“These are my brothers, Jarrod and Heath. We’ve come about the black sorrel.”
“Ah yes,” he told them. “Lightning.”
“Lightning?” Heath asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “The horse is
black, not another color on him anywhere.
He’s fairly gentle except when surprised. He’s not completely broke either. Put two of my bronco riders in bed.”
“Sounds dangerous,” Jarrod said.
“Nope,” he replied. “Just needs more
work.”
“Can we see him?” Nick asked.
“Sure thing,” he answered. “Follow me.”
Royals led them to a corral behind the barn.
Inside was a beautiful black sorrel.
Nick just stood there in awe of the beautiful animal. Heath was also taken in by its beauty.
“You think it will be hard to break?” Jarrod asked.
“Of course not Jarrod,” Nick answered.
“Can’t you see his blood line?
He’s a thoroughbred.”
“I see you know horses young man,” he said.
“Raised up on a ranch outside of Stockton,” Nick replied.
“Outside of Stockton?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jarrod answered. “Why?”
“You Tom Barkley’s sons?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Nick answered.
“By Gemini,” he said. “I used to know
your father. That is when he was
alive. He used to come here once or
twice a year to see what I had. I can’t
believe it. You boys remind me of him.”
“Thank you,” Jarrod replied. “Father
did a lot of business with different ranches.
I’m sorry we didn’t recognize your name.”
“That’s all right son,” he told him. “Your father was known all over the state
as one of the smartest ranchers this side of the Mississippi.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Jarrod said smiling.
“How much?” Nick asked getting back to business.
“He’s quite expensive,” he answered.
“I’m asking $700.”
“$700 for that horse,” Jarrod said.
“Jarrod,” Nick replied, “not now.”
“Why not now?” Jarrod told him. “That’s
too much and you know it.”
“Shut up Jarrod,” Nick said. “I’ll
decide what’s too much.”
“I can’t go any lower,” he replied.
“I’ve got a couple other men interested in him.”
“No problem,” Nick told him. “I’ll take
him.”
“Nick,” Jarrod said.
“Jarrod,” Nick replied, “pay him.”
“Nick,” Jarrod told him but the look in Nick’s eyes made him close his
mouth. “Here you are.”
Jarrod counted out seven one hundred-dollar bills, handing them to Royals. He still
didn’t like paying that much for an animal but Nick knew what he was talking
about.
“I’ll get you a bill of sale for Lightning,” he said walking back to the house.
Nick looked right at Jarrod.
“Did you have to say that in front of him?” he asked hatefully. “Do you know what it means to me to be
belittled in front of a potential seller?”
“All right,” Jarrod answered. “I’m
sorry. But I just thought it was too
much money.”
“Save your dramatics for the courtroom counselor,” Nick said, turning his back
on his brother.
Jarrod walked back to the horses, waiting.
He knew he had humiliated Nick in front of Royals but he knew it was too
much money for the horse. A few minutes
later, Nick and Heath walked up leading Lightning.
“Let’s get back to town,” Nick said matter-of-factly.
They rode back in silence. Nick’s quiet
disturbed Jarrod greatly. He could
stand his anger but not his silence. He
decided to talk to Nick.
“Nick,” he said slowly, “I know I’ve angered you and I’m sorry but I didn’t
want to see you taken.”
“Taken!” Nick replied loudly. “Taken!
Jarrod, one thing I’m sure of, we weren’t taken. Just stick to the law and leave the ranch to me.”
“But Nick,” Jarrod told him, “I’m part of the ranch too.”
“A very little part,” Nick flared not thinking.
The statement hit Jarrod as if Nick had actually swung at him. He lowered his head in shame. He let his horse slid back behind Nick and
Heath. When they walked into the hotel
lobby after leaving the horses at the livery for the night, he made a request
of the clerk that shocked Nick.
“I would like a separate room,” he said.
“Jarrod,” Nick replied, “there’s no need for that.”
“I want a separate room,” he told the clerk.
“How about next door?” the clerk asked.
“Fine,” Jarrod answered taking the key and heading upstairs.
After he had retrieved his belongings, he laid them on the bed, sitting
down. He looked out the window. He buried his face in his hands.
“Why did I have to be Mr. Right?” he asked.
“I know Nick knows horse flesh but I had to stick my foot in my
mouth. He’ll never speak to me again.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Jarrod said rising and turning toward the door.
Nick stood in the doorway. He looked at
his brother.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked.
“No,” Jarrod answered. “I’m sorry
Nick. I didn’t think.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Nick asked.
“You’re not acting like yourself.
You seem preoccupied.”
“I am,” Jarrod answered.
“The case?” Nick asked.
“Yeah,” Jarrod answered. “Nick, I think
the Tong are involved.”
“That’s a rough group,” Nick said. “Are
you sure?”
“No not sure,” Jarrod replied. “But I
have a feeling they are. You know how
dangerous they can be.”
“Yeah,” Nick told him. “I ran into that
when mother disappeared.”
“That was just a sampling,” Jarrod said.
“I know they can be a lot worse.”
“What are you going to do?” Nick asked walking over to his brother.
“I don’t know,” Jarrod answered taking the pat on his back and then returning
it. “I’ll continue to dig for the
truth.”
“That’s my brother,” Nick said, “the bulldog lawyer.”
Jarrod smiled and so did Nick.
“You wanna move back?” Nick asked.
“Sure,” Jarrod answered picking up his bag.
The two brothers walked to their room smiling.
Early the next morning, the three brothers headed for Stockton and home. They were all taking turns leading the black
sorrel. As Jarrod looked at him, he
realized that he admired the horse and vowed that when they returned to the
ranch, he would ride Lightning one way or the other.
The ride back was quiet as Nick and Heath concentrated on the chores that
awaited them when they returned. Jarrod
was thinking about the case and the Tong.
When they rode up to the barn, Victoria was there to meet them.
“You bought it,” she said.
“Yep,” Heath replied. “Paid $700 for
him.”
“His name is Lightning,” Nick told her.
“Is he completely broken?” she asked.
“No,” Nick answered. “But it shouldn’t
take to long to finish breaking him.”
“Jarrod,” she said, “you’re awfully quiet.”
“Just thinking,” he replied.
“About what?” she inquired.
“Nothing important,” he said.
“Son,” she replied, “I know you and I can tell when you are bothered by
something. Now what is it?”
“All right,” he told her heading for the house with her right beside him. “I’m worried about the case.”
“You are going to defend Jake Bridger,” she said. “What else is there?”
“I believe the Tong may be involved,” he replied.
“The Tong,” she told him. “Are you
sure?”
“No,” he said. “But I suspect they
are.”
“The Tong can be vicious,” she replied.
“I know,” he told her. “But don’t be
worried. I’m not going to antagonize
them.”
“Good,” she said.
They entered the house together.
“Mother,” Jarrod asked as he headed toward the study, “have you heard from
Sam?”
“Not a word,” she answered. “But maybe
your secretary has.”
“I’ll go into town in the morning to see,” he said. “Thanks.”
Nick and Heath were busy getting Lightning fixed up for the time being. They put him in the corral by himself until
he could be broken.
“Nick,” Heath asked, “who is going to break him?”
“Anyone that wants to try,” Nick answered.
“That’s goes for you too.”
“I don’t know,” Heath said. “I might
see how Dobbs or Rawlins do first.”
“You’re not afraid are you?” Nick asked smiling.
“Nope,” Heath answered. “Just smart.”
“I know,” Nick said.
They walked into the house heading for the study. When they walked in, Nick noticed Jarrod sitting at the desk.
“Jarrod,” he asked, “we bothering you?”
“No,” Jarrod answered. “I was just
going over some notes.”
“Good,” Nick said. “Heath, how about a
game?”
“Yeah,” Heath replied smiling that devilish smile of his. “I am ready, willing and waiting to take
your money.”
“You are,” he told Heath. “We’ll see
about that.”
“Jarrod,” Heath asked, “you want in?”
“Yes,” Jarrod answered, standing up and walking to the pool table. “You seem a little too eager. I’m just the one to stop you.”
“All right,” Heath said. “Put your
money where your mouth is.”
“Gladly,” Jarrod replied.
The three brothers played pool for the remainder of the evening.
That night around midnight, after everyone had turned in for the night, Jarrod
eased his way down the stairs. He
opened the door pulling his coat tightly around him, walking out into the cold
bitter night air. He made his way to
the corral where Lightning was, opening the gate. He picked up a saddle from the tack room. He walked over to the horse, placing the
saddle on his back. Cinching it up,
Jarrod then put the reins on him. Then
he climbed up in the saddle. Once the
horse felt the weight, he began to buck and jump trying as hard as he could to
get Jarrod off his back. Jarrod fought
hard to hold on as the horse became even more agitated. Finally, Jarrod lost his grip on the reins,
falling off. He hit the ground with a
thud on his left leg. He knew it was broken
by the way it laid. Unable to move, he
knew he had to summon help. He began to
yell.
“Nick!” he called. “Nick!”
Upstairs, in his bedroom, Nick was jolted awake by a feeling of dread. He couldn’t figure out why he had it but
soon realized that it had something to do with Jarrod. Following the feeling, he got up, dressed
and headed outside. When he walked to
the barn, he heard Jarrod’s cries. He
hurried to his fallen brother.
“What happened to you?” he asked as he kneeled down beside of Jarrod.
“I tried to ride Lightning,” Jarrod answered.
Nick just stared at him.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I said,” Jarrod answered, “I tried to ride Lightning.”
“I thought that was what you said,” Nick said.
“Are you out of your cotton picking mind?”
“No,” Jarrod replied. “I wanted to
prove something to myself.”
“What?” Nick asked. “That you could get
yourself hurt or killed.”
“Not intentionally,” Jarrod answered.
“But I believe I’ve broken my left leg.”
“You believe,” Nick said. “I know you
have. I can see it from here. Do you think you can walk if I help you?”
“I’ll try,” Jarrod replied.
Nick eased his shoulder under Jarrod’s arm, helping him to his feet. Nick practically had to carry his brother’s
weight as Jarrod grunted the entire way to the house. Once inside, Nick helped him to the couch in the living room.
“I’ll ride to town and get Doc Merrar,” he said.
“You better tell mother first,” Jarrod replied.
“Yeah,” Nick told him heading upstairs to his mother’s room.
Victoria met him in the hallway. She
knew something was wrong.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Jarrod tried to ride Lightning,” he answered.
“I told him he was either trying to get himself hurt or killed. I don’t know which.”
“Is he alright?” she asked.
“If you call a broken leg all right,” he answered.
“Are you sure its broken?” she asked.
“Very sure,” he answered.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“In the living room on the couch,” he answered. “What I can’t figure out is why.
He’s never done anything like this before.”
“I guess he feels left out when you and Heath discuss the ranch,” she
said. “I know he is an intricate part
of this ranch but he’s not here for the actual hands on work.”
“I see your point,” he replied. “I’ll
go get Doc Merrar.”
“I’ll go check on Jarrod,” she told him.
Nick headed out the door toward the barn.
Victoria walked down the stairs.
She saw Jarrod sitting on the couch.
His left leg was twisted at an odd angle. She knew that he was probably in pain but he tried not to show
it. She sat down beside of him.
“You tried to ride the horse Nick said,” she said. “Was there a reason for it?”
“I don’t know anymore mother,” he replied.
“I feel like I don’t belong here at the ranch. Maybe I should move to San Francisco on a permanent basis.”
“No honey,” she told him. “There is no
need for that. You have other interests
that’s all.”
“Mother,” Jarrod asked, “did Nick tell you we got into an argument?”
“No,” she replied.
“I humiliated him in front of Mr. Royals,” he told her. “I didn’t intend too. It just came out.”
“Jarrod,” she said, “Nick is not angry with you. You are brothers and brothers sometimes have disagreements. He thinks the world of you.”
“I tried to ride the horse to prove to him that I was just as determined as he
was about buying it,” he replied.
“Right now we need to concentrate on getting your leg set,” she told him. “Then we can worry about the rest.”
“I know,” he said closing his eyes as a wave of pain went up his leg.
“Jarrod,” she replied looking very concerned.
“It’s nothing mother,” he told her.
“Jarrod,” she said, “quit trying to be the tough cowboy like your
brothers. I know you’re in pain.”
“All right,” he replied. “My leg does
hurt some but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Stop lying to me son,” she told him.
“I know when one of my boys is hurting and I know right now that you are
in a lot of pain.”
“Listen mother,” he said, “I am old enough to handle this on my own.”
“Jarrod,” she replied, “what is wrong with you? You’re not acting like yourself.
You are trying dangerous stunts that could end up getting you killed.”
“You don’t think I can break that horse do you?” he asked.
“No,” she answered. “Because you are
not a bronc rider.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” he asked getting angry.
“You’re not your brothers,” she answered.
“You don’t know how much I want to be more like them,” he said. “I would gladly give up law and work full
time on this ranch if Nick would let me.”
“Son,” she replied, “you don’t mean that.
You’re a lawyer and a good one.
I’m proud of you.”
“Father wasn’t,” he told her.
“Is that what this is all about?” she asked.
“You believe your father wasn’t proud of you.”
“Yes,” he answered. “He never liked the
idea of me becoming a lawyer.”
“Son,” she said, “your father was very proud of you. From the time you were born, he was spending every minute with
you.”
“But when he found out I wanted to go into law instead of running the ranch he
wasn’t,” he replied.
“No honey,” she told him. “Your father
used to tell everyone, ‘you watch my boy, he’ll be a famous man someday.’ He
knew you were not going to run the ranch and he accepted that fact. He helped you set up your office here in
Stockton.”
“I know he did that,” he said. “You
mean he said that I was going to be a famous man.”
“Yes,” she replied. “He loved you with
all his heart. He was very proud of
you.”
“I’m sorry mother,” he told her.
“I understand,” she said smiling.
The doctor walked in followed by Nick.
“I understand you’ve broken a leg,” he said.
“Yes sir,” Jarrod replied.
“Riding a horse,” he told him.
“Yes sir,” Jarrod said.
“Let me have a look,” he replied.
The doctor examined the leg.
“You broke it clean through,” he said.
“I’m going to set it. I know
it’s going to be painful but you can take it.”
“Yes sir,” Jarrod replied.
The doctor pulled hard and Jarrod grunted loudly. After the third time, he cried out. Finally, the doctor looked at him.
“It’s all over,” he said. “Now, all I
have to do is splint it.”
He put the splint on his leg.
“I want you to stay off of it for a couple of days,” he said. “The bones need time to begin to heal.”
“All right,” Jarrod replied.
It took the doctor and Nick both to help Jarrod up to his room. Once he was in bed, the doctor gave him
something for the pain. Jarrod drifted
off to sleep.
“Remember,” he said to Victoria. “Keep
him off of it for at least a couple of days.”
“I will,” she replied.
“I’ll come by on Wednesday to see how it’s healing,” he told her and left.
Victoria looked over at Nick.
“Can you help me understand why he did this?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered.
“Oh,” she said, “I think you do. He
said you got into an argument. What
about?”
“It was nothing,” he replied. “I didn’t
think he’d try to prove it to me.”
“Prove what Nick,” she wanted to know.
“That he wasn’t any different than Heath or me,” he told her.
“That’s what I thought,” she said. “He
told me the same thing. There is
something else going on and I intend to find out what it is.”
“Are you going to stay with him?” he asked.
“No,” she answered. “He’ll sleep the
rest of the night.”
They both went to bed.
The next morning, Jarrod was sitting up in the bed when he mother walked in.
“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked.
“All right,” he answered. “I want to
get up mother.”
“You heard the doctor,” she said. “He
wants you to wait another day or two before you try.”
“But mother,” he replied, “I need to go to my office.”
“No butts Jarrod,” she told her.
He knew that tone of voice and nodded his head. But in the back of his mind, he knew what he had to do and he
vowed to carry it out that night.
“Would you like some breakfast?” she asked.
“Not right now,” he answered.
“You need to eat,” she said.
“Maybe later,” he replied.
“Honey,” she asked, “what is it?”
“What is what?” he wanted to know.
“What is bothering you?” she asked.
“You’ve been acting totally out of character for you.”
“What makes you think anything’s wrong?” he wanted to know.
“Your attitude,” she answered. “You
seem dead set on riding that horse for some reason. I hope you don’t hurt yourself more. You need to leave breaking horses to Nick and Heath.”
Jarrod’s face became angry. He turned
away from her trying to keep his anger under control.
“What would you know of my feelings?” he shot back. “You don’t understand. No
one does. I wish I wasn’t a Barkley
right now.”
“You don’t mean that,” she said.
“Yes I do,” he replied. “I’m going to
prove to you and everyone else that I’m the equal of Nick or Heath.”
“No one is doubting your word,” she told him.
“All we’re trying to do is make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”
“I don’t need or want your help,” he said, anger evident in his voice. “I want to be left alone.”
Victoria slowly rose from the bed. She
walked out of the room shaking her head as she left. Jarrod watched her leave
grateful to be alone. He threw back the
covers and sat up on the side of the bed.
He tried to stand up, falling down to his knees on the floor. Hearing the commotion upstairs, Victoria
hurried to his room. When she opened
the door she saw him on the floor.
“Nick!” she called. “Heath!”
The two brothers ran upstairs from the study where they were going over some
things.
“What is it?” Nick asked as they walked into Jarrod’s room.
“Jarrod tried to get out of bed on his own,” she answered. “Help me get him back into bed.”
The two brothers eased Jarrod up to his feet, sitting him on the side of the
bed. He wouldn’t look up as they
stepped back so Victoria could sit down beside of him.
“Jarrod,” she said, “you heard the doctor.
“Are you trying to injure your leg further?”
“No,” he replied still not looking up at her.
“I want you to lay back,” she told him.
Jarrod seeing that look on his mother’s face obeyed. She helped cover him up and then sat down beside of his bed.
“I guess you don’t trust me,” he said.
“Can you blame me?” she asked.
“No,” he answered.
That night with his leg in splints, Jarrod hobbled out to the corral and
Lightning. He saddled the horse and
then climbed up on his back. Again, the
horse started to buck as he felt the weight on its back. Jarrod tried to stay on but he lost his grip
and sailed off the horse hitting the ground with a thud. The wind was monetarily knocked out of
him. When he finally shook off the
black spots, his leg was hurting. He
slowly tried to stand but his good leg gave out on him. He sat down on the cold ground and waited
for the pain to stop.
Nick was sitting in his room looking over a paper when he suddenly felt a sick
feeling in the pit of his stomach. He
rose from his desk, heading downstairs.
He grabbed his coat and headed outside to the corral and the horse. When he got within seeing distance, he
spotted his brother. Hurrying over to
him, he kneeled down.
“You are asking for it,” he said. “You
know that?”
“I don’t need or want your sarcasm,” Jarrod replied.
“I think you need your head examined,” he told his brother. “You deliberately tried to ride that horse
again didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Jarrod said. “I had to prove
something to myself.”
“What?” Nick asked. “That you are
crazy.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Jarrod answered.
“Try me,” he said.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I was worthy of being called a Barkley,”
Jarrod replied. “Both you and Heath are
expert horsemen and I felt left out.”
“I fell that way when you start talking about the law but I don’t go off half
cocked to learn,” he told him.
“Well, I felt that I had to do this,” Jarrod said again trying to stand.
“Let me give you a hand,” he replied helping Jarrod into the house.
When they walked inside, Victoria was waiting on them.
“You did it again?” she asked looking right at Jarrod.
“Yes,” he answered.
“You were bound and determined to ride that horse whether it killed you or not,”
she said.
“Yes I was,” Jarrod replied.
“Let’s get you to bed,” she told him.
“Tomorrow will be soon enough to discuss this.”
Nick helped Jarrod to his room and bed.
He laid down and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Victoria went to Jarrod’s room. He was still asleep and she sat down to wait until he woke up.
She wanted to get this settled. She
knew he had said the night before that he just wanted to ride that horse but
she knew there was another reason. He
opened his eyes a few minutes later. He
wouldn’t look at her.
“Now,” she said sitting down on the side of the bed, “we can get to the bottom
of this. Explain why a level headed man
would try to ride a horse that’s not broken.”
“You know why,” he replied.
“I want to know the real reason,” she told him. “Don’t lay it on Nick and Heath.”
“All right,” he said sitting up in the bed.
“You want to know the real reason.
I’ll tell you. My entire life
has been spent on this ranch. I’ve
grown up around horses. I wondered why
no one ever bothered to teach me how to break a horse.”
“You showed no interest in it,” she replied.
“That’s not the point,” he told her.
“Father never asked me. Nick never asked me.”
“You didn’t tell them either,” she said.
“I told you that doesn’t matter,” he replied.
“All my life I had to sit back and watch father, Nick, Sam, and now
Heath do the horse breaking here on the ranch.
You know how I felt.”
“No,” she told him.
“Like I was two feet high,” he said. “I
was humiliated. All the boys at school
would talk about this horse or that one that they had tried to break. Then they would look at me and laugh when I
said I had never tried.”
“You shouldn’t have let it bother you,” she replied.
“I tried to let it go by,” he told her.
“But it stayed. No matter how
hard I tried to forget I couldn’t. It
has hounded me for the last twenty-five years.
I grew tired of having those feelings.
So I made up my mind the day we brought that horse home that I was going
to take first crack at him. And I did.”
“Yes you did,” she said, “but you also broke your leg.”
“But it felt wonderful,” he replied finally smiling. “I proved something to myself that had been eating away at me all
these years. Now I can call myself a
Barkley.”
“You’ve always been a Barkley,” she told him.
“Maybe to you,” he said. “But not to
father, Nick or Heath until the other night.
Now they have to know that I’m not just a lawyer any longer.”
“Your brothers have never said anything about you,” she replied.
“Not out in public,” he told her. “But
inside they were laughing at me. When I
would go on cattle drives to handle the transactions, I could tell that both of
them didn’t want me along. They were
only tolerating me.”
“Jarrod,” she said, “you know that’s not true.”
“Why don’t you just ask them mother?” he replied. “See what they say.”
“All right,” she told him. “I will.”
Later that afternoon when Nick and Heath came in, Victoria caught up to them in
the living room.
“Nick,” she said, “Heath, I want to speak to you.”
“Sure mother,” Nick replied.
“I had a long talk with Jarrod this morning,” she told them. “He told me some things that I had a hard
time believing.”
“What things?” Heath asked.
“He said that when he would accompany you on drives,” she answered, “you really
didn’t want him along.”
“He has a point mother,” Nick said.
“Jarrod is great with figures but he is so out of place on the drive.”
“He also said that you along with the boys he went to school with laughed at
him because he couldn’t break a horse,” she replied.
“That’s also true,” Nick told her.
“Nick,” she asked, “do you realize what you’ve done?”
“No,” he answered.
“That’s why Jarrod went out two nights in a row to break Lightening,” she said. “He wanted to prove to you, Heath, and your
father that he was a true Barkley. Your
attitude about it all has hurt him deeply.
He now considers himself a true Barkley more than he did the other day.”
“I never realized that it would bother him that badly,” he replied.
“Take his feelings into consideration,” she told them.
“We will,” Heath said.
For the next few days, Nick and Heath stayed away from Jarrod. They did their work and wouldn’t even go in
to check on him. Victoria could see the
toll it was taking on her oldest son.
“Mother,” he asked when she came in with his lunch, “why haven’t Nick and Heath
come to visit me?”
“I guess they’ve been very busy,” she answered but she knew she was not
convincing him.
“Mother,” he asked looking up at her, “what’s the real reason?”
“What are you talking about?” she wanted to know.
“I know there is a reason they haven’t come to visit,” he answered. “Now what is it?”
“They feel guilty,” she said.
“About what?” he asked.
“Nick does more than Heath about the way he has treated you,” she answered.
“I knew it,” he said. “Then I was
right.”
“Yes,” she replied, “you were right.”
“Thanks for telling me,” he told her.
“Don’t be too hard on them,” she said. “They
didn’t realize it until I asked them.”
“I’ll try not too,” he replied. “After
all they are my brothers.”
“I’m glad you’re not angry with them,” she told him. “I was worried that you would be.”
“No,” he said. “While I’ve been laid
up, I’ve had a chance to think about things.
And I’ve come to the conclusion that it wasn’t anyone’s fault.”
“I’m glad,” she replied.
Before Victoria could talk to Nick and Heath about what Jarrod had told her and
when Jarrod was up on his feet again, they confronted him.
“Jarrod,” Nick said as Jarrod limped into the study.
“Nick,” he replied. “Heath.”
“Jarrod,” Heath told him.
“Mother told us why you tried to ride Lightning,” Nick said. “I guess I never realized that we were
shutting you off from our world of horses.
I’ve always thought you didn’t care.”
“It’s all right,” he replied sitting down at the desk. “I’ve proved my point. And it no longer
bothers me. I had a long time to think
about things and I’ve learned a lot over the past week to understand your
world.”
“You did that,” Heath told him. “I was
amazed that you rode that horse as long as you did. That took a lot of courage.”
“Thanks Heath,” he said smiling. “But courage had nothing to do with it. I wanted to prove something and I did.”
“It sure did,” Nick replied. “And from
now on we’ll never take your feelings for granted.”
“Deal,” he told them. “Let’s just
forget it and move on. Now that I’m back up what’s on the agenda?”
“Well,” Nick said. “Haven’t you got
that Bridger case to work on?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I guess I had
better get to it.”
“Jarrod,” Nick told him, “I know you can’t talk about the case but I was just
wondering if you had been able to talk to Sam.”
“No,” he said. “I’ve not heard a word
in three weeks and that has me worried.
It’s not like Sam to be gone so long without at least checking in with
his office.”
“Maybe someone has him,” Heath replied.
“I’ve already considered that,” he told them.
“But there’s no proof. And
without proof the sheriff can’t do a thing.”
“Does Jake know anything about the whereabouts of his father?” Nick asked.
“No,” he answered. “He’s just as
surprised as I am.”
“Maybe he’s putting on an act,” Heath said.
“Maybe he really knows where Sam is.”
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “But
I’ll check with Jake again tomorrow when I go into town.”
After that day, Nick and Heath looked at Jarrod much differently. And Jarrod couldn’t have been happier until
he started preparing his case.
After the incident with the horse was behind him and he was recovering from the
broken leg, Jarrod concentrated his full attention on his case.
“Mother,” he said as he limped down the stairs the next morning, “I’m going to
the office and to have another talk with Jake. Anne’s gone to visit her parents
and I’m going to have the office all to myself.”
“Are you sure you’re up to riding?” she asked. “After all you’re still dealing
with a broken leg.”
“I’m taking the buggy,” he answered.
“And everything will be fine. But I need to start preparing for the
trial.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll see you
later.”
Jarrod rode to Stockton where he walked into his office. He really missed Anne but she had wanted to
go to visit her family for the past six months and he was going to need her
when the trial started. He sat down at his desk and began going through his
papers when he had a visitor to his office.
Three tong walked into Jarrod’s office.
“What do you want?” Jarrod asked as he looked up from behind his desk.
Two of them grabbed him by his arms and the third held a knife to his
throat.
“What do you want?” he asked again but they didn’t answer. “I haven’t done anything to you. Tell me what do you want?”
He was ushered from the office down the back steps to the alley. The three men didn’t say a word but they
beat Jarrod up. He could hardly move
when they were finished. One threw a piece
of paper down next to him. He picked it
up reading it. It said:
If you continue to help Jake Bridger, you will not be beaten again. You will be killed. Stay away from this case.
It was not signed but Jarrod now knew who was behind it. He pulled himself up to his feet hobbling to
his office. He hurt all over as he sat
down on the couch in his office. His
face had blood on it as well as his shirt and coat. He knew he needed to see a doctor but he didn’t think he could
make it that far and Anne was gone. As
he sat there, his eyes closed and he passed out.
Nick and Heath were working in the north pasture mending fence. After clearing
up the horse breaking with Jarrod, they poured themselves into their work.
“Heath,” he said as he stopped working, “we need to go to Stockton now.”
“What are you talking about?” Heath asked.
“We’ve got too much work to do.”
Then Heath took a good look at Nick. He
knew something was indeed bothering his brother.
“What is it Nick?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Nick answered. “But I
think something is wrong with Jarrod.”
“You’re never wrong when it comes to him,” he said. “Let’s go.”
The two brothers saddled up and headed for Stockton. When they walked into
Jarrod’s outer office, Nick called to his brother.
“Jarrod!” he yelled. “Jarrod! That’s funny. His secretary is gone. It’s not like Anne to be this late.”
“Let’s look in his office,” Heath said.
The two brothers opened the door looking inside. They didn’t see anything.
As they turned to leave, Heath spotted blood on the floor.
“Nick,” he said, “look. Blood.”
“He’s in here,” Nick replied walking further into the room.
That’s when he saw Jarrod. Hurrying
over to him, he couldn’t believe the shape his brother was in. Jarrod was bleeding from the nose and mouth. Nick could tell that some of his ribs were
broken and he was bruised all over.
“Someone did a good job of beating him,” he said. “He’s bruised all over.”
“I’ll get the doc,” Heath replied leaving.
“Hang on Jarrod,” he told his brother as he laid him down on the couch.
Jarrod never opened his eyes and that scared Nick even more.
After the doctor had examined Jarrod, he looked at Nick and Heath.
“He’s got a concussion, several broken ribs, bruised kidneys, sprained back,
cuts and abrasions,” he said. “I’ve
never seen but one group of men who could be that thorough.”
“Who?” Nick asked.
“The Tong,” he answered.
“The Tong,” Nick said. “But why?”
“That case,” Heath replied. “Didn’t
Jarrod say that he suspected the Tong were involved?”
“Yeah,” Nick told him. “Doc, is he
going to be all right?”
“I believe so,” he said, “but I want to get him to my office. He’s going to be
flat on his back for at least a week.”
Nick and Heath carried their brother to the doctor’s office. Once Jarrod was in bed and resting, the two
brothers headed out to the ranch to tell their mother.
“Nick,” she asked as the two brothers walked inside, “Heath, I thought you were
working in the north pasture.”
“We were,” Nick answered. “Mother, we
have something to tell you.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked fearing the worst.
“Jarrod’s been hurt real bad,” he answered.
“He’s at the doc’s.”
“How bad?” she asked.
“Concussion, broken ribs, bruised kidneys and sprained back,” he answered.
“Who did it?” she asked.
“The doc said it was the work of the Tong,” he answered. “We came back here to pick you up and take
you to him.”
“Let’s go,” she said as they walked out the door.
When the three of them walked into the doctor’s office, Merrar was coming out
of the back.
“How is Jarrod?” she asked.
“He’s still unconscious,” he answered.
“I’ve bound his ribs and given him something to keep him quiet.”
“Can I see him?” she asked.
“Certainly,” he answered.
He led them back to the back room where Jarrod was. She looked at her son. He
had cuts and bruises on his face as well as his chest and arms. She had never seen so much bruising on one
person before. She sat down in the
chair and waited.
“He’s going to have to take it easy for at least a week,” he said. “I want him to get plenty of rest.”
“He will,” she replied. “I just can’t
believe that anyone would do this to another human being.”
“Mother,” Nick told her, “the Tong are not human beings. They are scum and will be taken care of.”
“You had better see Fred,” she said.
“He can arrest them.”
“That’s not a good idea,” the doctor replied.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because the Tong will retaliate and Jarrod could die,” he answered.
“What are we supposed to do?” she asked. “Sit around and twiddle our thumbs.”
“You can report it to Fred but tell him not to do anything until you can get
proof,” he answered. “It’s the only
way.”
“All right,” she said. “Nick, you and
Heath go see Fred.”
“Right,” Nick replied as he and Heath left the office.
Victoria stayed with Jarrod and prayed that he would be all right.
Fred Madden, the sheriff of Stockton, looked up from his desk where he was
going over wanted posters.
“Nick,” he said, “Heath, it’s been too long.
How’s the family?”
“That’s why we’re here,” Nick replied.
“Jarrod was beaten up real bad this morning. We think it was the Tong.”
“Aren’t you sure?” he asked.
“No,” Nick answered. “Not until Jarrod
wakes up and tells us. He’s been
unconscious for the last few hours.”
“If the Tong is behind it,” he said, “we’ll never find out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick asked.
“Because they are very vindictive,” he answered. “They attack those that try to arrest them.”
“What are our options?” Nick asked.
“Well,” he answered, “you have several.
You can let it drop right here and do nothing. You can have them arrested if you know the individuals
involved. You can let Jarrod handle it
when he comes to.”
“That’s not a whole lot to choose from,” Heath said.
“The Tong are an old society and they know how to handle situations,” he
replied. “Right now you could talk to Mike Chang and see what he thinks is
best.”
“I hadn’t thought about Mike,” Nick told him.
“All right. We’ll talk to Mike
and then see what Jarrod wants to do.”
“I’ll come by later and see what you’ve decided,” he said.
Nick and Heath left going back to the doctor’s. When they walked in, Jarrod was waking up.
“Honey,” she said, “don’t move around.
You’re hurt and you need to rest.”
“I feel terrible,” he replied. “I’ve
never hurt in so many places at one time.
They did a real good job.”
“Who are they?” she asked.
“The Tong,” he answered. “Three of them
walked into the office. They didn’t say
a word. Just stuck a knife to my throat
and escorted me outside down the back way to the alley. Then they beat me and threw down a piece of
paper.”
“What paper?” Nick asked. “We didn’t
find any paper.”
“I put it in my jacket pocket,” he answered.
Victoria went to his jacket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it, reading it. Then she handed it to Nick.
“So they are involved in Jake’s case,” she said.
“I believe so,” he replied. “I also
believe I know who the ring leader is.”
“Who?” Nick asked.
“I’d rather not say until I can prove it,” he answered. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I have to be careful.”
“That’s enough talking for now,” she said.
“You need to rest Jarrod.”
“I am tired,” he replied letting his eyes close.
“I wish he had trusted us enough to tell us who was behind it,” Nick told them.
“He will when he’s ready,” she said.
“In the meantime we just keep a close eye on Jarrod.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Nick replied.
The next morning, Jarrod tried to get up.
“Jarrod,” she said as she tried to hold him down, “you have to stay in bed.”
“I need to go find him,” he replied as he fought her.
“You’re too weak,” she told him.
“I don’t care,” he said. “I have to
find him before it’s too late.”
“Nick!” she called. “Heath!”
The two brothers flew into the room.
When they say their mother trying to hold Jarrod down, they came to help
her.
“Why is he in an all fired hurry to get up?” Nick asked as he tried to help his
mother.
“I know who is behind it all,” he answered.
“I have to go to him.”
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Nick said.
“You’re hurt.”
“I have to,” he replied. “Can’t you see
that?”
“No,” Nick told him. “You’ll have to
wait until the doctor says it’s all right.”
“It’ll be too late then,” he said.
“Jarrod,” Nick replied looking into his brother’s face, “you’re not going and
that’s final.”
“All right,” he told them finally relaxing.
On the other side of town, stood a man.
He smiled as he turned to face six men that would remedy a problem for
him.
“Are you sure he’s in town?” he asked.
One of the men nodded.
“Good,” he said. “Bring him here. I want to see his face when he finds out who
it is.”
They nodded, leaving. The man smiled to
himself.
“It’ll all be over very soon,” he said out loud. “No more problems.”
At the doctor’s office, they all heard the bell attached to the front door
ring.
“I wonder who that is,” Nick said as he looked at his mother and brother.
“I don’t know,” Heath replied.
Before anyone could move, six Tong entered Jarrod’s room. They didn’t say a word. They went to the bed and pulled Jarrod from
it.
“You’re not taking him anywhere,” Nick said.
One of the men hit Nick under the chin and he crumpled to the floor. Heath stayed back, as did Victoria because
they were afraid they would hurt Jarrod worse.
The men pulled Jarrod from the room and they dropped another piece of
paper from one of their pockets on the floor.
After the group was gone, Victoria retrieved the paper reading it.
It said: We are going to kill Barkley since
he knows the identity of the man. Don’t
interfere or we’ll kill anyone who tries to save him.
“Heath,” she said, “Jarrod is going to die.”
“Not if Nick and I can stop it,” he replied.
They roused Nick.
“Where are they?” Nick asked when he regained his senses.
“They took Jarrod and left,” Heath answered.
“Do you know where?” Nick asked.
“No,” Heath answered. “But they’re
planning on killing him.”
“Great,” Nick said. “Where do we look?”
The Tong took Jarrod to a building on the other side of Stockton. They threw him down on the floor in front of
the man.
“I wanted you to know who it was,” he said.
“I’ve known since I was beaten who you were,” Jarrod replied looking up at a
man he had called his friend. “I just
had to prove it. And I still can’t
believe it.”
“Why?” he asked. “You have a problem
with me?”
“The least you could have done is cared about your own son Sam,” Jarrod
answered. “You set him up.”
“Yes,” Sam Bridger said. “And I enjoyed
every minute of it. You don’t know how it was being looked down at in
Sacramento and even in Washington. Then
the Tong came to me. I realized they
were right and so I threw in with them and the rest is history.”
“You’re mad,” he replied.
“That’s your opinion,” Sam told him.
“You realize you are going to die.
All I have to do to achieve it is nod and one of these men will give you
a punch to your heart. It will then be
all over.”
“Are you going to kill Jake?” he asked but he already knew the answer.
“Of course,” Sam answered.
“I can’t believe that you would do something like this especially to your own
son,” he said. “You were an honest
senator who cared about the people in this state. There is no way you can throw that all away.”
“You’re wasting your breath,” Sam replied.
“I have to get through to you,” he told Sam.
“I have to make you understand that you are throwing everything away.”
“I wouldn’t say throwing it away,” Sam said smiling. “I am still a senator.”
“You won’t be after I’m found dead,” he replied.
“There won’t be any ties to me,” Sam told him.
“Your death will be labeled an unsolvable murder.”
“Isn’t there anything I can say to make you realize what you’re doing?” he
asked.
“No,” Sam answered. “It will be all over
with in a few minutes.”
Nick and Heath headed to see Fred.
“Fred,” Nick said as they walked inside, “Jarrod’s been kidnapped by the Tong
and they’re going to kill him.”
“The Tong,” he replied. “I know where
they are.”
“Let’s go,” Heath told them. “What are
we waiting for?”
The three men headed for the building across town. Jarrod was now being held by two of the men. He tried once more to reason with Sam
Bridger.
“Sam,” he said, “you remember how you ended up helping Bodos when Steve was taking
advantage of him. You didn’t do
anything legally but you were behind us when we went by wagon to San Francisco
to take his peaches. I’m sure there is
some part of that man inside you.”
“Bodos was a Greek farmer who tried to stand up against the railroad,” Sam
replied. “If you and your brothers had
stayed out of it, he would have been beaten.”
“You don’t have a spark of decency inside you,” he told him.
“That’s right,” Sam said. “And now say
goodbye.”
Sam nodded and the third Tong raised his hand.
Would anyone be able to save Jarrod?
Fred, Nick and Heath burst through the door of the building, guns drawn. They fired at the approaching Tong. When they were inside, Nick spotted Jarrod. He saw what was happening.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” he said advancing on the three men. “I’d just as soon blow a hole in you as look
at you.”
The three Tong released Jarrod and backed away from him. Nick ran to his brother who was now on his
knees.
“Help me up Nick,” he said trying to stand.
“Who is behind this?” Nick asked.
“Sam Bridger,” he answered.
“Sam Bridger,” Nick said. “I can’t
believe it.”
“It’s the truth,” he replied. “He set
his own son up. And he was going to
kill Jake after he killed me.”
“Where is he?” Heath asked coming to stand beside his brothers.
“He went out that door,” he answered pointing to a door at the end of the
building. “I’m going after him.”
“Jarrod,” Nick said, “you’re not able to go after him.”
“I’m going,” he replied heading for the door.
“At least let me go with you,” Nick told him.
“You’re too weak to face him down alone.”
“All right,” he said giving in.
Jarrod knew he wasn’t capable of apprehending Sam by himself. The two brothers headed out in pursuit of
Sam Bridger. Heath and Fred rounded up
the men involved in hurting Jarrod.
“Where do we go from here?” Nick asked as soon as they were outside.
“The jail,” he answered. “He’ll try to
kill Jake.”
They ran to the jail. By the time they
arrived, Jarrod was breathing very hard.
Nick opened the door. Jarrod
tried to rush into the room but he was too injured to go fast. Nick saw Sam raise his revolver and pushed
Jarrod to the floor as he fired his own.
His bullet hit Sam in the chest.
He fell to the floor. Nick
helped Jarrod to his feet and the two of them went to Sam.
“I was not a fool,” he said as he lay there in his own blood. “I would have been revered.”
Sam’s eyes closed and he was dead. Nick
and Jarrod looked at the cell where Jake was.
“It was him,” he said as he realized who was behind it all.
“Yes Jake,” Jarrod replied leaning against the cell. “He had to have it all at any cost including his own son.”
“Jarrod,” he told him, “thanks.”
Jarrod nodded as Fred and Heath walked in.
It was all over.
Once Nick and Heath got Jarrod back to Doc Merrar’s, they told Victoria.
“I always thought he was a descent man,” she said.
“He was at first,” Jarrod replied lying in bed after the doctor had examined
him. “But something evil changed him. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he would have
run the state his way.”
“Well,” she told them, “it’s all over.
We can go on from here.”
“I’ll say,” Nick said smiling. “Say
Jarrod, we have a couple of new horses to break. Want to take a shot?”
“No thank you,” Jarrod replied smiling.
“One time was enough for me.”
They all laughed at that.
THE END\