One More Sunrise (10 page)

Jason and Gib quickly rose to their feet, and all four were standing in a row as Tag rode in. They didn’t like the pallor of his face nor the look in his eyes.

Tag dismounted before them. “I was able to make contact with Doke in Wheatland, boys. I was right about him. He had taken Darryl to a doctor in Cheyenne on Darryl’s own horse to save his life. But—but—” His eyes filled with tears, and he choked as he added, “Darryl’s dead. He died shortly after Doke got him to the doctor’s office.”

Jason burst into tears, burying his face in his hands. Bart put an arm around him, struggling with his own emotions. Tag joined them and they wept together. While they were weeping, both Tony and Gib spoke their condolences.

When the Moran brothers had gained control of their emotions, Tag took a deep breath. “Fellas, Doke told me that doc in Cheyenne pressed him about Darryl’s having the bullet in his back and wanted to know the details. Doke said because his face is known in Cheyenne, since the stage stops there every few days, he had to tell him the truth so as not to get himself in trouble. So he explained to the doc about the holdup, and Darryl getting shot when we were riding away. He didn’t let on that he knew Darryl, of course. So the doc did find out that Darryl was an outlaw.”

“I guess we can’t blame Doke for telling the truth,” said Bart. “At least he sure tried to save Darryl’s life.”

“Yes,” said Tag. “But I’ve got a feeling that doctor in Cheyenne might just have let Darryl die because he was an outlaw.”

“You really think he’d do that?” queried Tony.

“Why not? If he let Darryl die, that would be one less outlaw in the West.”

There was dead silence for a moment, then Gib said, “You know, Tag, you may be right. What’s that doc’s name?”

“Dane Logan.”

Jason swung a fist through the air. “Well, if Logan did let Darryl die because he was an outlaw, he oughtta be strung up on one of these trees!”

“There ain’t never gonna be any way to prove that,” said Bart.

Tag brushed the back of his hand across his nose. “No, but if we
could
prove it, I’d be the guy to put the noose around his neck.”

There was another silent moment, then Jason turned to Tag. “So we’re going to the hideout, aren’t we?”

“We sure are. With the money we have from the last five banks we robbed, along with the fifty thousand we got off the
stage, we’ll take a few extra days off. I hate to have to go and tell Lucinda and Kathryn that Darryl got killed, but they have to know. It’ll help, though, when I can also tell them about the big money we have from the stage robbery to fatten up the kitty, as well as stuff our pockets for living expenses. We’ll take an extra couple of weeks off to let things cool down with the law.”

Tony headed toward his horse. “Well, then, let’s get going.”

As the others moved toward their mounts, Tag said, “While we’re riding, fellas, I want to tell you about something I have in mind to talk to Doke about. He’s gonna come to the hideout soon so he and I can talk.”

Bart swung into his saddle and set his red-rimmed eyes on Tag. “You told Doke how to find the hideout?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Are you sure you can trust him? I mean, if he knows where we’re hiding, he could bring the law on us if he decided to do it.”

“Nothing to worry about, Bart. I asked him if he would ever turn us over to the law. He said no. That because I saved his life that day at the North Platte River, he would never do anything to help the law catch us. And I believe him. He’s a true friend.”

“I feel the same way,” said Jason. “After all, he didn’t have to go to all the trouble he did to try to save Darryl’s life.”

The others agreed that Doke could be trusted, and they rode out of the patch of forest, heading south.

The following afternoon at the gang’s cabin high in the Rocky Mountains, Lucinda Moran stood on the front porch with a hand on Kathryn Tully’s shoulder. Kathryn was seated on a wooden chair.

“Honey,” said Lucinda, “you’re fretting over nothing.”

Kathryn sniffed and wiped tears. “I hope you’re right, but they should have been back by now. I’m just afraid something has happened to them.”

“You’ve got to get a grip on yourself. It’ll be all right. Tag said they had some really good banks to hit this time. Maybe they had to take special care in just when they hit each bank and needed more time than they had planned.”

Kathryn patted Lucinda’s hand. “I hope you’re right. I hope they did extra well so it will put us a lot closer to the day when we can all head for California and leave this outlaw life behind forever.”

Lucinda let her eyes trail a bald eagle that was circling above the towering pine trees that surrounded the cabin. “Honey, even if they did extra well, you have to realize it’s going to be a few more years before each man in the gang has a quarter of a million dollars. You know this is Tag’s goal, and he’s not going to change his mind. You must learn to be patient.”

“I know you’re right, Lucinda. Patience isn’t my long suit. But—but if I had known back when I married Gib that he would choose to be an outlaw, I would never have married him. This just isn’t the plan I had for my life. I don’t need a quarter of a million dollars to be happy. A small house and a husband with an honest job is all I want. I don’t care how hard we might have to work. It would be far better to have just enough money to live on than to have large sums of ill-gotten gain.”

Tears continued to fill Kathryn’s emerald green eyes and to trickle down her cheeks.

“But the big money is Gib’s dream too, Kathryn. You’re his wife, so you’re in it now and you’ll just have to make the best of it.”

Kathryn sniffed and wiped tears. “Yes, you’re right about that. But it’s so hard to live this way. Every time Gib rides away for another series of bank robberies, I never know if I’ll ever see him again. Not only that, but if my family back home knew that I was now the wife of an outlaw, they would be so ashamed of me.”

Lucinda leaned over, put an arm around her neck and hugged
her tight. “I understand how you feel, honey, but this is the life both of our husbands have chosen, so we’ll just have to live with it.”

At that moment, they heard horses blowing. Kathryn rose from the chair, and they both moved to the porch railing, searching among the dense forest for sign of movement.

Kathryn’s heart was beating wildly.

Soon they saw horses and riders weaving their way among the trees. Kathryn’s line of sight focused on the face of her husband. “Oh, Gib’s all right,” she said with elation. “He’s home again. And Bart’s home safe, Lucinda.”

“Yes,” said Lucinda, a smile spreading over her face.

Kathryn frowned as she ran her eyes over the other riders. “Something’s wrong. There are only five of them. Darryl’s not with them.”

“I see that,” said Lucinda. “I—I hope nothing has happened to him.”

In her heart, Kathryn was grateful that the missing man was not Gib. A tingle of fear and dread went through her at the thought that one day it could be Gib who didn’t come home.

When the five riders drew up to the porch and started dismounting, Kathryn dashed off the porch and ran to Gib. Lucinda followed and made a beeline to Bart.

While the two women were embracing their husbands, Kathryn asked of the group, “Where’s Darryl?”

Tag said, “Let’s go sit down on the porch and we’ll tell you about Darryl.”

When they were all seated on the wooden chairs on the porch with Kathryn and Lucinda holding their husbands’ hands, Tag choked up as he announced to the women that Darryl had been killed when they robbed a stagecoach two days ago in Wyoming. He told the story of the robbery and Darryl’s death in detail, including why they had to ride away, leaving Darryl on the ground with a bullet in his back.

Tag went on to tell the women about Doke Veatch, their old friend from childhood being the shotgunner on the stage, and how he told the rest of the gang as they rode away that he was sure Doke would pick Darryl up and take him to a doctor. He then explained about his meeting Doke in Wheatland yesterday morning and learning that he had taken Darryl to a doctor in Cheyenne, but that Darryl had died shortly after they arrived at the doctor’s office.

When the impact of the bad news had eased, Tag went to his horse, took the metal money box from where it was tied to the saddlebag, and showed the women the fifty thousand dollars. He went on to explain how he learned the large sum of money would be on the stage, and how they had forced the stage to stop so they could rob it.

Lucinda showed more pleasure as she observed the fifty thousand dollars than did Kathryn.

Tag went on to tell the women that the bank robberies on this trip garnered them over twenty thousand dollars. He went on to say that of course they would have to put some of the money in their pockets, but still, a good amount could be added to the kitty, along with the fifty thousand dollars.

Tag then wiped the tears from his eyes. “Since Darryl is gone, and the money is going to be split five ways instead of six, we’ll reach our goal even sooner.”

Still holding onto Gib’s hand, Kathryn said, “What happened to Darryl could happen to any one of you next time you pull a robbery. I would rather have less luxury and have my husband. Tag, with what has happened to Darryl, I think you should set your sights lower. Please … isn’t what we already have in the kitty plus this money enough for us? We don’t have to live like kings and queens. Let’s take what we have and go to California, leave the outlaw life forever, and make do with what we have.”

Tag set his jaw and shook his head. “No way, Kathryn. We
deserve to live like royalty for the rest of our lives, but we can’t do it on what we have.”

Kathryn turned and looked at her husband, her face pinched.

“Gib, you made it back alive and unharmed. Let’s take our share and head to California. It’s too much of a risk every time you ride out of here to rob more banks. Our share of the money the gang now has is enough for me.”

Gib smiled, shaking his head. “Honey, nothing’s going to happen to me. I promise. We’ve stuck with Tag this far. Let’s go all the way with him. Just think of what it would be like to have two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in our pockets.”

The others watched as Kathryn laid her head against Gib’s shoulder. Knowing that her husband could not actually make such a promise, she wanted to insist that he leave the gang right now, but it would be useless. Gib was as determined to reach the goal as was Tag.

She sighed and looked up at the face that she loved so much. “All right, darling, I’ll do whatever you say.”

Gib smiled broadly. “Good girl.”

Tag then brought up Doke Veatch and said that sometime soon Doke would be coming to the cabin to see them. He explained his thoughts about the possibility of getting information from Doke about future Wells Fargo shipments of money between banks, so they could make big hauls like they did the day before yesterday. No one would ever know Doke was the inside informant, and of course, he would be given his cut of the money when they robbed the stagecoaches.

Tag explained that there was no time yesterday morning to discuss it with Doke, but that he told him he had something important to talk to him about, and asked if he would come to the hideout sometime soon so they could talk. Doke agreed, which prompted Tag to draw him a map so he could find the place easily.

Lucinda’s features darkened. “Tag, I don’t know this Doke
Veatch. Can he be trusted? He could bring the law up here.”

Tag chuckled. “He’s not gonna do anything like that. My brothers and I have known Doke since all of us were very young, back in our Scottsbluff days. Bart and Jason could tell you about the day when we went swimming in the North Platte River and I saved Doke from drowning. He has a loyalty to me for saving his life that will never go away. He talked to me about it in Wheatland in our short conversation. He would never turn on me and lead the law to us.”

“I can testify to Doke’s loyalty toward Tag, Lucinda,” said Bart. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s right,” put in Jason. “Absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Lucinda nodded and gave her husband a thin smile.

“Hey!” said Gib. “I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I could use some of that home cooking we always get in this place!”

Tag, Tony, Bart, and Jason all agreed wholeheartedly.

Lucinda laughed. “Well, Kathryn, let’s you and me head for the kitchen and fix up some good eats for these hungry men.”

As the two women made their way into the cabin and toward the kitchen, Kathryn was trying to still the fears running through her mind as expressed to the group earlier.

Lucinda was secretly having her own fear. Learning that Doke Veatch had been given a map to the hideout left her with a strange feeling of trepidation.
Call it woman’s intuition
, she thought,
but I don’t like it
.

I
n Denver, Colorado, Chief United States Marshal John Brockman was doing paperwork at his desk in his office. The morning sun shone through the large window, brightening the room.

There was a tap on the door. The chief looked up as it came open and Deputy U.S. Marshal Charlie Wesson stepped in with a yellow envelope in his hand. “Chief, a telegram just came for you from Sheriff Jack Polson in Cheyenne. From what the Western Union delivery boy said, it has something to do with the Tag Moran gang.”