Prologue

"Teaspoon?"

"Yes, Son?"

"Do you think she'll ever come back?"

Teaspoon placed his arm around Buck's shoulders and continued to watch the stage drive away. "Can't say as I know. Stranger things have happened. If she writes like she said she would, there's a chance they can work things out and she'll at least come visit."

Buck nodded and carefully placed the gift Eagle Feather had given him moments before in his pocket.  The other riders joined him and Teaspoon as the stage
disappeared from view.

Tompkins turned from the scene in the street. He wished Jenny would have stayed, but he couldn't bring himself to beg her. He was sure somehow she blamed him for her mother's death, even thought anyone with the brains God gave a gnat knew it was that no good half-breed's fault. If he would have just left well enough alone, none of this ever would have happened and the pain of losing them wouldn't be starting all over again. He sighed as he entered the store and went back to helping his customers.
 

Chapter One

As the months past, and the letters continued to come, the loneliness began to fade and Tompkins began to look at what happened from a different point of
view. He realized that the boy hadn't meant to hurt him, and was really trying to make his life better. He also figured out that if Buck hadn't lead the army in
to the camp someone else would have. Either way they would have been found and brought back to him.  Tompkins decided he'd make an effort to do what
Teaspoon was always asking him to do - he'd try to be nicer to those boys, especially the half-breed, Buck Cross.

"Mr. Tompkins?" a voice broke into his thoughts. He quickly put the latest, unopened letter from Jenny into his cash register and turned to face his customer.

"Yes, Ma'm. What can I help you with this fine morning?"

"I need some more beans, but those bags are too high for me to reach," explained Mrs. Jenkins.

"No problem, Mrs. Jenkins. I'll be happy to get them for you," said Tompkins. As he started to climb the ladder, the door opened and Jimmy, Cody, Buck, and Lou
walked in. Just as Tompkins reached the top of the ladder, it started to fall.

"Watch out!" yelled Cody as he grabbed a frightened Mrs. Jenkins  and pulled her out of the way. 

Jimmy and Buck quickly grabbed the ladder and stopped it from falling. Tompkins hung on and waited. When everything settled down, he got the bag of beans and
carefully climbed back down.

"Here you go Mrs. Jenkins. Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded.

Tompkins turned to the boys, "Thanks boys," he said.  "I don't know what happened. That ladder is usually real steady."

"Been tampered with," said Buck. "See?" 

Tompkins and the others all looked at where Buck was pointing. Sure enough, the leg of the ladder had been partially sawn through.

"Wonder who did that," said Cody.

"I'd like to know why," said Tompkins. He turned to Mrs. Jenkins. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She again nodded. 

"Mrs. Jenkins," said Buck.

"Yes," she replied.

"Why don't you finish your shopping and I'll be happy to give you a hand getting everything home. I haven't been out as much as I'd like. This would give me an
excuse to come visit," Buck said.

"Why that would be real nice. I am still a bit shaky.  Thank you," she said.
 Mrs. Jenkins finished her shopping.

"Would you like us to put this out of the way someplace?" asked Lou pointing to the ladder.

"That would be fine. Why don't you trade it with the one in the store room?"

"Sure thing," said Lou picking up one end of the ladder while Buck grabbed the other. They carried the ladder to the store room at the back of the shop and
traded it for the one in there.

"There's something strange going on here," said Buck.  "Has been ever since that new hotel owner came to town."

"What do you mean?" asked Lou as they carried the new ladder back to the main part of the store.

"Stop and think about what all's happened since he arrived," said Buck. "The barkeep was beaten, the bank was broken into, Doc had things taken from his office yesterday, there was that fire at the stables, and now this. Reminds me of before when Sam was here and that man - Van Dorn - tried to take over."

Lou simply nodded as they put the ladder into place.  "Maybe you should mention it to Teaspoon."

"Mention what?" asked Teaspoon entering the store and heading towards the coffee pot.

"Buck has a theory on who'd behind all these 'accidents,' " explained Lou. "It makes sense to me."

"Well, enlighten us all," said Teaspoon.

"Maybe later," said Buck glancing around the room. "I promised Mrs. Jenkins I'd help her back to the farm with her supplies. I'm going to stay and help out for
a while.  I haven't been out as much as I should."

"Fine. We'll talk later," said Teaspoon. He joined the other men at the center of the store. "Morning, gentlemen."

The other riders quickly gathered their supplies. As they were getting ready to leave, Tompkins said, "Thanks again for your help, Boys. I don't know what I
would have done if you hadn't been here."

The boys mumbled their your welcomes and left.

"What was that all about?" asked Teaspoon.

"Seems Bill here almost fell off the ladder onto Mrs. Jenkins," said Mr. Jones, the new hotel owner.

"We missed all the excitement," said Doc Wheeler. "Came in just as Mrs. Jenkins was finishing up and getting ready to leave."

"You just getting clumsy, or been drinking too much?" Teaspoon teased Tompkins.

"Neither," said Tompkins. "Someone sawed one of the ladder legs. I'm just glad it was me up on it and not someone else. Darndest thing. I never would have
noticed if it weren't for Buck. I'd just figured it broke."

"You notice anyone messing with it before?" Teaspoon inquired.

Tompkins shook his head. "No, but the last few days have been really busy."

Teaspoon nodded. "Guess I'd better go check on things, make sure everyone's safe and there haven't been any other 'accidents'. I'll come talk to you later tonight, Bill. Maybe I can help you remember something."

"I'll be here," said Tompkins. "Need to do inventory."

"Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me," Teaspoon said, and left to make his rounds before heading to the station to check on 'his boys'.

"I need to be heading out too," said Doc Wheeler and he left with Teaspoon.

Mr. Jones stood and bid them good morning, then he went to the counter where Tompkins was getting ready to read his latest letter.

"Bill?"

Tompkins quickly put the still unopened letter back into the register," Yes?"

"How well do you know Marshal Hunter?" asked Mr. Jones.

"Well enough, I suppose. Why?" asked Tompkins.

"I was just wondering. Should I be concerned? I mean, there seems to be a lot of things going wrong that he's not doing anything about. Shouldn't he be trying to catch those responsible?"

"I'm sure he is," Tompkins reassured the new man.  "His methods may be a bit odd, but Teaspoon Hunter is one of the best lawmen I've known. He'll find
whoever's doing these things. Just give him a little more time."

"That's good to know," said Mr. Jones and he turned to leave.
 

Chapter Two

"So you think Jones is the cause of all this trouble?" asked Teaspoon after Buck had repeated his comments of the morning.

Buck nodded.

"Anything definite you can give me?" Teaspoon continued.

Buck shook his head. "I've seen a couple of men hanging around each place that's had trouble a day or so before anything happened, but I can't prove they
had anything to do with it. It's really just more of a feeling."

Teaspoon nodded, "Bet it's the same two I've seen around town. Never seem to have anything important to do, don't appear to work for anybody, but they don't
cause any trouble, real polite and law-abidding."

Buck nodded again.

What can we do? asked Ike.

"I'm not sure," said Teaspoon.

"What if we keep an eye on Tompkins' store?" asked Kid. "Seems that's where they plan on striking next."

"That's a good idea," Teaspoon agreed. "I'll go see if Tompkins can remember seeing those two men around the last few days and see how he feels about us
keeping an eye on the place for a couple of nights."

"Teaspoon," said Buck.

"Yes?"

"Mind if I come along? I'd like to check around and see if I can spot anything that would show those two men were involved."

"Another good idea," said Teaspoon. "Why don't you bring my supper in tonight and then we'll go talk to Tompkins and you can look around? That way you can
still get your chores done here."

Buck nodded. He and the other riders got up and went back to work.

What are you looking for? Ike asked as they headed towards the stables to tend the horses.

"I'm not sure. There's got to be something to show who's behind this," Buck said.

"You need help looking?" Cody asked. "I'll be happy to share my expertise."

Buck smiled and shook his head, "I'm not even sure there's anything to find. I think I'd best look on my own first."

"Okay," said Cody, "But don't blame me if you miss something."   The other riders all laughed.

You'll let us know if you find something? Ike asked his friend.

"As soon as I have any kind of proof, I'll let everyone know," Buck replied. "Now, we'd better get to work before Rachael comes out here and lectures us on
the importance of responsibility."

With that everyone drifted off to tend their assigned chores. Buck and Ike went into the stable to feed and water the horses. Ike watched his friend closely.
Something was bothering him. Ike signed. Buck would tell him when he was ready and not a minute before.  They worked in silence and then went to help Jimmy and Cody with the fence.

As they went to clean up for supper, Cody tried again, "You sure you don't want help looking?"

Buck grinned and nodded, "I'm sure," was all he said as he headed off to the wash house.

After the riders finished supper, Buck packed up Teaspoon's meal and headed into town. He dropped it off at the marshal's office. "I'm going on over to look around," he said. "I think I'll stop by Doc's place first. See if I can find something there."

"Fine. I'll meet you at Tompkins' in a few minutes," said Teaspoon as he began to eat.

Buck made his way over to the doctor's office. He carefully studied the ground around the back where the office had been broken into. Nothing seemed out of
place or unusual, but something wasn't right. Buck went back to the front of the office and studied the ground. He went to the sides of the building and searched those areas. As he returned to the alley behind the office, he realized what was wrong. There were no tracks! Everything had been wiped clean. He carefully made his way back to the alley. He studied the tracks from the alley to the sides of the building. There were only four sets that led to the alley. One was his. He carefully studied the other three. Then he headed over to Tompkins' store.

"He could be trouble," one of the men said.

"Then take care of it. That's what I pay you for," said the leader as he started to leave.

"No problem, Boss," said the second man. "Leave everything to us."

The leader looked at his two men, nodded, and turned to leave. He needed to be sure that no one saw him with these men just in case something went wrong so he carefully looked around to make sure no one was about before heading back to the hotel.

The two men watched him leave and then went back into the shadows of the alley to return to their task.

As he approached Tompkins' store, Buck noticed Mr. Jones leaving the alley. He decided to check and see if his suspicions could be proven. He went to the
intersection of the street and alley to study the prints there. He smiled slightly when he found the footprints with the same distinctive mark in the left heel. He also noted that they headed off in the direction Mr. Jones had taken. He stepped into the alley and searched the ground to see if that mark was there also. It was. He decided to get Teaspoon and show him before they went to talk to Tompkins. As he turned to leave the alley, he heard a sound behind him. He started to draw as he turned to face the sound and everything went black.

When Buck woke up, it took him a few seconds to realize that he was inside Tompkins' store. How long had he been here? Where was Teaspoon? How did he get inside? Buck struggled to sit up and to remember what had happened.

There was something wrong. He felt certain that he needed to do something. If he could just figure out what it was, maybe he could fix it. Then he heard it
again. Someone was calling from the store room. Buck tried to stand. The room pitched and wobbled, but he finally managed to stumble his way to the back of the store and the room leading to the storage area. The wall of smoke almost overpowered him as he opened the door. He thought about going to try and find help when he heard the call. He peered into the smoke filled room. Tompkins was pinned to the floor by a shelf that had fallen on him, and the fire was spreading quickly in his direction.

Buck looked around the store until he found the axes. He grabbed one and headed towards Tompkins. "I'm coming, Mr. Tompkins," he yelled. "Keep talking. It's hard to see."

"I'm in the back corner. I can't get out from under the shelf. Hurry, Boy, this fire is getting close.

Buck kept working his was towards the sound. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone else was here, but he couldn't afford to search. He needed to get to
Tompkins. Just as he reached Tompkins, he heard a loud crash from the outer room and the sound of someone running away. Buck went to work on freeing Tompkins. He'd worry about the noise later. Tompkins didn't look good, and the fire was beginning to burn the shelf that was laying on top of him. Buck decided to stop working on the shelf and try to put out the fire. He found some bags of flour on the floor next to Tompkins. He quickly cut one open and began to smother the fire by throwing the flour onto it. He repeated this action with a few more bags. It worked enough that he felt comfortable with returning to the task of freeing Tompkins. Just as the last part of the shelf that pinned Tompkins broke in half, Teaspoon came through the alley door. He was followed by many of the
townspeople, the other riders, and Rachael. They continued their fire fighting and Teaspoon came to help Buck pull Tompkins free.

Tompkins was unconscious by the time they got him out of the store. "What happened?" asked Teaspoon. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm not sure," replied Buck. "I was checking something out in the alley and the next thing I knew I was inside a burning building. You'd better get him to Doc's real fast. I think he's been trapped there awhile.

"You take him. You can get Doc to look at your arm while you're there," said Teaspoon.

"I'm fine," said Buck. "I need to check. . ."

Teaspoon gently put his hand on Buck's left arm.

Buck winced in pain. "You're not fine," remarked Teaspoon. "Get it taken care of and then come back. Once this is out, we'll start cleaning up."

Buck nodded. "Check and make sure the money is still there. Whoever did this might have taken it."

"Rachael's already taken care of that," said Lou. "She's taking everything from the cash register to Doc's as we speak. Let's get the two of you there also."

Ike came through the crowd and took Buck's arm. He led Buck past the charred storage room and to the doctor's office. Jimmy and Cody brought in Tompkins.
The doctor came to tend Buck, "No," said Buck. "Take care of Mr. Tompkins first. I'll wait."

Maybe Rachael could take a look at you, suggested Ike.

"You must have read my mind," said Rachael coming over to join them. "Here, let me look." She carefully removed the remaining bits of cloth from Buck's arm.
She poured cool water over his arm and finally had him soak his arm in the bowl. She then turned her attention to his face. She began to clean away the soot and ash. When she touched the side of his face where he'd been hit, Buck drew back involuntarily.  "That hurt?" she asked.

Buck nodded.

Ike looked closely at his friend, Looks like he's been hit with something.

Rachael agreed. "You're right, Ike. You remember bumping your head on anything."

Buck thought carefully. "No, but then I hadn't realized that my arm got burnt either. Of course, I don't remember going into the store. I was in the alley and I heard something, then I was on the floor."

Rachael nodded and carefully finished cleaning Buck's face. "I think your arms the only thing really burned? Your head feeling alright?"

Buck nodded.

"How about your arm? Feeling any better?"

"A little."

"Let's keep it in the water until Doc gets a chance to see it," suggested Rachael. 

"How's Tompkins?" asked Buck.

"I'm not sure," she answered. "I'll go check." She stood and left Buck with Ike.

You find anything before the fire? Ike asked.

"I think so," Buck replied. "I still need to check something out before I say anything."

Ike nodded. He knew Buck would never accuse someone without good cause. He was surprised that Buck had said anything earlier.

You feel alright?

"Not really. My head hurts and my arm's beginning to hurt again." 

 Maybe you should lay down.

Buck nodded.

Ike helped him lay down, repositioning the bowl to keep Buck's arm wet. Then Ike went to find Rachael.

"How is he, Doc?" Rachael asked.

"I'm not sure," Doc Wheeler replied. "His legs are both broken. His back is injured, but I don't know to what extent because he can't tell me. I'll know more
when he wakes up, but I don't know when or if that will happen. Do you know how to get in touch with any family?"

Rachael nodded. 

Doc, could you come check on Buck. His arm got burnt, Ike interrupted.

"I'll come right now."

Doc found Buck resting. He looked at his head and arm. After applying an ointment to Buck's arm he carefully wrapped it and placed it across Buck's
chest. "Keep it dry as much as possible and change the bandage once a day. You should be fine in a few weeks. It may heal up a little stiff, won't be able to tell
for a while. You'll need to rest a few days to give your head a chance to clear. Might as well stay here as try and go back to the station."

Buck said, "Thank you, Doc. I think I'll take you up on that offer." He settled himself more comfortably into the bed and drifted off to sleep.
 

Chapter Three

“But someone needs to run the store until Tompkins is better," Buck said.

Not  you, insisted Ike.  Doc said you need to stay here at his office and remain in bed a day or two more. I'm here to make sure you do. The others are taking turns cleaning and guarding the store. You need to rest.

Buck wanted to argue, but he knew Ike was right. When he tried to stand, he got dizzy and his arm was still painful. He lay back against the pillows. "Is he any better?"

Ike nodded. He seems to be trying to wake up. Doc says hopefully he'll be conscious tomorrow.

"Any idea who did this?" Buck asked.

Ike shook his head. Only your theory. I think Teaspoon's trying to find out more about our friends, Mr. Jones and his two associates. He sent Lou and Kid to talk to the marshal of the last town Mr. Jones was in.

Buck sighed. There was something he'd noticed before all this mess. Something he felt could tie Mr. Jones into this, but he couldn't remember what is was.

"You feel up to eating?" Rachael asked as she brought in a basket of food.

Both boys responded positively. "Good, then I get to stay and visit with you boys. I'm getting really tired of sifting through the mess in Tompkins' store. Whoever did this not only set it on fire, but they trashed the main part." She quickly fixed the boys' plates and settled down to wait. She shortly realized that Buck was having trouble feeding himself.

"You need help?" she asked.

Buck nodded. "I can't seem to hold onto anything. It's almost like I don't have a hand."

"Let me," said Rachael. "Doc said that you might have difficulty with your arm and hand for a few weeks, but he thinks they're healing nicely. Doesn't seem to think that there'll be any permanent damage. May just some scarring."

Buck smiled. "Thanks," he said as she helped him finish eating. As she gathered the lunch items to take back to the station, she turned to Ike. "Teaspoon said to remind you that you're up next. You need to be getting back to the station soon."

I'll go now and take that basket. You stay and visit, Ike signed.

"Fine with me," said Rachael. "Do you mind, Buck?"

Buck shook his head. He looked out the window toward the hotel. There was something tugging at his mind again. He wished he could remember what it was he had seen before he was hit.

"What you looking at?" asked Rachael.

"Nothing," said Buck. "Just thinking." Then he spotted the hotel's new sign. He'd seen the design somewhere before. 

"That's it!" Buck said.

"What's it?" asked Rachael.

"Where's Teaspoon? I need to talk to him," Buck said in response.

"He's at his office. I'll go get him. I need to be getting back over to the store anyway. There's still an awful lot to clean up, and we want to try and reopen day after tomorrow since that's the beginning of a new week."

Buck nodded. "Thanks," he said.

Rachael left and went to find Teaspoon and then headed back to the store. 

Buck looked back out the window. He noticed those two men were still hanging around, but not doing anything wrong. Just sitting out  in front of the hotel talking with each other watching the comings and goings from the store and the doctor's office. 

Teaspoon noticed them too on his way to see Buck. "Gentlemen," he said as he walked by. They nodded in reply and walked off towards the stables.

"Doc says he's hoping Tompkins will wake up tomorrow," he said as he entered Buck's room.

"That's what I heard," replied Buck. "I'd keep it quiet it though. Those two men have been watching us all pretty close."

"You noticed that too, huh?" said Teaspoon.

"Yes, sir."

"Good to know I'm not being over cautious. Now, Rachael said you wanted to see me and that it seemed mighty important."'

"I think I found my proof. I don't know how it would work in court, but it works for me. See the new hotel sign?”

Teaspoon nodded.

"I'm guessing that if you check Mr. Jones' left boot you'll find the same design in the heel. I saw it in the dirt by Doc's and by Tompkins' place," said Buck.

"Good enough for me," said Teaspoon. "Think I'll go have a little chat with him. 'Specially since Kid and Lou just got back and it seems this same kind of trouble happened the last place he was. Law couldn't catch anybody so he organized a protection committee. Merchants who didn't join seemed to have all kinds of problems, but those who paid their dues weekly had no difficulties at all."

Buck nodded. "You think he approached Tompkins with his idea and got turned down?"

"That would explain why they hurt him. Set an example to any others who might think about standing against him," agreed Teaspoon. "I hope he can tell us something when he wakes up. You sure you didn't see
anyone?"

Buck nodded. "I'm sure. I heard things, but I never saw anyone."

"Too bad," said Teaspoon. He thought for awhile, "I wonder . . ."

"What?" asked Buck.

"Maybe they ain't sure that you didn't," said Teaspoon. "Maybe that's why they're hanging around."

"You have a plan to find out?"

"Yep," said Teaspoon. "Probably dangerous for you though. Could possibly put Tompkins at risk too."

"What is it?" asked Buck.

"If I act like the reason I came rushing over here is because you remembered something you did see, and then just happen to let it slip that I was planning on making an arrest as soon as I could, . . . "

"They'd have to come after me," interrupted Buck.

Teaspoon nodded.

"I've had Barnett sitting over here keeping an eye on Tompkins just so we could know as soon as he woke up. Guess he could keep and eye on you too. If we play this had right , we might be able to get them so they
think it's safe to try something."

Teaspoon sighed. "I guess I should let the others know so they can help keep an eye on things. You think you can be extra careful the next few days?"

Buck nodded his agreement. "Do me a favor though," he said. "Wait until Ike's gone. I don't want him to worry more than necessary. "

"Fine," agreed Teaspoon. "I'm going to check on Tompkins and bring Barnett up to speed. You be careful."

"I will," said Buck.

Teaspoon started to leave.

"Teaspoon," Buck said.

"Yes, Son," Teaspoon answered turning back to face the young man.

"You know how long my arm is going to be like this? All anyone will say is a few weeks. What does that mean?"

"Doc told me 3 - 4 weeks and it should be close to as good as new. Why?"

"Am I going to be able to work before then?" 

"Not sure. Again why?" Teaspoon inquired.

"I was just thinking. Tompkins is going to be laid up for longer than that. Maybe I could help keep the store open. I know I can do the figuring, and since we're cleaning and restocking it the others could show me where everything is. I could work there and that way the others wouldn't have to be doing their jobs, my job, and running the store. Someone's going to need to keep it open so he doesn't lose the business."

"Why would you want to do that for him?" asked Jimmy as he entered the room.

Buck looked past Teaspoon to Jimmy. "I probably can't make you understand this, but I feel like I owe him. Somehow this is partially my fault. I can't explain it."

"You're right. I don't understand," said Jimmy, "but I'll help you anyway I can. I'm sure everyone else will too."

Jimmy turned his attention to Teaspoon, "Sorry to interrupt, but there are some men in the office you want to talk to you."

"Tell them I'll be right there. I need to finish visiting with Buck and Tompkins," said Teaspoon.

"Tompkins awake?" Jimmy asked. 

"Nope," said Teaspoon. "I'll explain it all later. Just tell them what I said."

Jimmy left. 

Teaspoon turned to Buck, "I think we could work something out so that you can be sure the store is taken care of. We'll talk more later this evening. Right now I need to go put our plan into action."
 

Chapter Four

Later that evening, after having unsuccessfully spent the afternoon trying to convince the town's businessmen that he had everything under control, Teaspoon returned to his office from having supper to once again find the men waiting.

"How can I help you this time, gentlemen?" he asked.

"Just want to know more about what you plan to do about these things that keep happening? Even if you deputize all the able-bodied, willing men in town, we can't keep watch over everyone's business. At least not for too many days," said the mayor.

"Already told you. I plan on arresting the men responsible next time I see them. No need to trouble yourselves. All you need to do is be sure your places stay safe tonight. I'll have the responsible parties in jail by morning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check on my boys over at Tompkins' store" With that Teaspoon turned to leave.

"You mean you know who's responsible?" asked Mr. Jones.

Teaspoon merely nodded and left the office. He headed over to Tompkins' store where Kid, Lou, and Cody were finishing up with the repairs to the outer walls of the storage area.

"Looks good," said Teaspoon.

"Well, better anyway," agreed Lou. "We should be able to get it finished up tomorrow. Don't think the clearing away will take long."

"It would go a lot faster if everyone was helping," said Cody.

"Where are Jimmy and Noah?" asked Kid.

"Where I want them to be," said Teaspoon. "Why don't you go on back to the station? We'll finish this up in the morning."

They put away their tools and left the store. As they were riding out of town, they heard a gunshot and shouting. It came from the doctor's office. They pulled up and turned back towards town. They arrived just in time to see Barnett and Jimmy escorting two men to Teaspoon's office.

"Wonder what's going on," said Lou.

"Let's go find out," said Cody.

Kid nodded his agreement and they headed off towards the marshal's office.

"Put up a fight, did they?" asked Teaspoon.

"Just a little," said Jimmy pushing his prisoner into the nearest cell. "Might want to get Doc to check his leg. I had to shoot him to get him to stop."

"Everyone alright? I thought I heard someone holler,"said Teaspoon.

Jimmy nodded. "That was Barnett. He was letting me know that both he and Buck were fine, and checking on Tompkins and me."

Barnett nodded and pushed his captive into the cell.  "He tried to smother Buck. I'd just knocked him out when I heard the shot. Wanted to make sure Hicock was alright before I headed over here."

A crowd had gathered at the office door. "Alright folks, everyone can go on home. We've caught the men responsible for the trouble we've been having. Go on home. Get some rest," Teaspoon said.

"That goes for you boys too," he continued. "I want all of you to get back to the station and rest up for tomorrow. I plan on finishing up at Tompkins' place by nightfall. We need you to get back to your real jobs."

The riders nodded and headed off to the station. "Did Tompkins  really wake up and identify those men?" asked Kid.

Jimmy merely nodded and kept on riding. As they passed the hotel, he said, with a wink,  "Yep, he and Buck both know who did it. Buck's pretty sure he knows who they're working for. Thinks he even can prove it"

They rode on to the station in silence.

As soon as they had disappeared down the road, Mr. Jones stepped off the hotel porch and faded into the shadows. He carefully made his way to the doctor's office where he quickly surveyed the outer rooms and
determined that no one was there. He knew the shop-keeper was in the first room. He'd take care of him first, and then worry about the half-breed.

He made his way into the room, found an extra blanket, walked to Tompkins' bed and placed the folded blanket on his face. "You shouldn't have turned me down so quickly, Bill. Then we wouldn't be in this mess," he said as he pushed down on the blanket.

"Thought we might be having more company this evening," Buck said from the doorway.

Mr. Jones jumped at the sound of the voice, "Guess I picked the wrong room to go to first," he replied as he turned to face Buck. 

"No," said Buck. "Just picked the wrong town to mess with."

Noah stepped out of the shadows, "You have a choice how this ends," he said. "You can come peacefully, or you can come after you fight. Either way, I'm taking you to jail."

Mr. Jones stepped away from Tompkins' bed. He knew when he was beat. He also knew these two boys were nothing to worry about, and Bill wasn't awake. Maybe he would never actually wake up. Best go peacefully and try to make the others think these two had misunderstood everything. He'd done that before.

"I'll come with you, Boy. No fight," he said.

"Good," said Noah as he secured him to the empty bed. He then helped Buck back across the hall to his bed before escorting Mr. Jones to the jail and a waiting Teaspoon.