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Guns and Dreamers
Chapter Six: On the Run
Scott A. Gese

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Chapter 6

On the run

Jason made good time along the old road to Mound City.

It was on the second day, as the sun sank low on the horizon when he first spotted him. Jason had decided to scout out a place to make camp for the night. He was just about to turn off the trail when he noticed a lone rider heading toward him. He was leading a young bull tethered on the end of a rope. Jason wondered if this might be Mac. His suspicion was confirmed when he recognized the rider’s voice as he called out for permission to pass. Jason was thankful he hadn't turned off the trail yet.

“Permission denied,” he replied. “Come closer and let me get a look at you.” Mac rode closer until they were close enough to recognize each other. Mac took a double take before a wide smile of recognition crossed his face. He dismounted as he called out. “Jason, never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to meet you here. What in the hell are you doing in this part of the country? I thought you were in Texas?”

Jason dismounted and the two hugged. Mac put his hands on Jason's shoulders and held him at arms length as he looked him up and down. “You've grown. You're looking more like a man and less like a kid, that's for sure. Where on earth are you heading?”

Jason looked Mac in the eye, but didn't answer the question. “Let's make camp. I'll tell you then.”

They found their spot, bedded their horses down for the night, kindled a fire and cooked up a hearty meal.

After they had eaten and caught each other up with small talk, Mac brought up the question again. “So tell me, where are you heading?”

Jason thoughtfully poked at the fire with a stick. He took the glowing end and tapped it on a rock creating a few sparks that quickly got caught up with the smoke and disappeared out of site. Without removing his gaze from the burning embers, he answered. “I came to find you.” Jason turned his head toward Mac. “There's trouble. You can't go back home.”

Mac was a bit puzzled. “What are you talking about, I can't go back home? What kind of trouble? I'm not understanding…”

Mac's face showed dim in the firelight, but Jason could see he was truly confused. “You've been found out,” replied Jason. “I'm not sure how. Ben came out to the ranch to warn you, but you were already gone. He said there was a marshal in Fort Scott with a warrant for your arrest...for rustling cattle. They could hang you for that.”

Mac didn't readily reply. He just stared at the fire, thinking. Finally, he let it out. “Shit, it was a damn foolish and stupid thing to do I knew it at the time, but I was desperate. I didn't know how else to raise the money I needed to keep the ranch. I knew it was wrong when I did it. I could feel it in my bones, but like a damn fool I ignored it. And here's something else. I knew someone was on to me. I just didn't want to believe it.”

“How did you know it?” asked Jason.

“Someone sent me a note. They left it on my front doorstep. It was signed by someone named Micah. I don't know of anyone named Micah. I'm thinking Miles Hanley put it there to unnerve me. It worked to a degree.” He chuckled as he commented. “Miles was pretty pissed that night, wasn't he?” The smile quickly left his face. He stopped talking and stared blankly at the fire.

Sitting silently, he considered his options. Eventually, he got up and threw another log on the dimming fire, then asked Jason the question that was most on his mind. “So what about you? Are they after you as well?”

“I don't think so. My name didn't come up, only yours,” replied Jason.

Mac was happy to hear that bit of good news. “Well that relieves me some. I'm afraid I need to rely on you more than ever now.”

“I'm with you. Where do we go from here?” inquired Jason.

“Well, whatever I decide to do, we're not doing it together. This is my problem and I'm not going to drag you into it any more than you already are. I need to figure out a plan, but as for you, I really need you to go back to the ranch. You need to run things for me until...well...until...” Mac's words suddenly trailed off. “...I don't know. That's something I still need to figure out.” Once again Mac went silent as he became lost in his thoughts. The realization that he could very well end up losing the ranch anyhow, as well as his freedom and possibly his very life was beginning to sink in.

Jason kept quiet. He was lost in his own thoughts. Running Mac's ranch wasn't really what he wanted to do with his life, but how could he refuse. He had worked for Mac and Miles Hanley at the XO and had a pretty good idea of how things went. Sarah was taking care of Mac's paperwork, so that was good. He could probably make a go of it if Mac's hired hands were any good. Mac wasn't quite ready to admit it yet, but he was in a fix and there seemed to be no way around it. He was now a wanted man and in all likelihood would never make it back to the ranch. That thought was Jason's last as he settled in for the night. Mac hugged the fire a while longer. He had decisions to make.

Before the morning sun had crested the horizon, Mac was up. He hadn't slept much. Decisions had been made and now he ate a quick breakfast and saddled up. Jason poked at his grub. He wasn't in a hurry and found it hard to focus on what the new day was about to bring his way. He gave Mac what supplies he had as well as all the money he was carrying.

“You be sure Sarah pays you back from out of my account,” ordered Mac.

He handed Jason a piece of neatly folded paper. “Last minute instructions to Sarah. Make sure she gets it. As for you, If I need anything, I'll send a telegram signed Tex.” Mac gave Jason one last hug and then mounted up. He reached out his hand to Jason one last time. “Take care of the ranch, son, and Sarah too.” They shook and Mac pulled away.

“Where are you heading?” asked Jason.

“Best you don't know,” replied Mac. Abruptly, he kicked his horse into a run; purposely deciding not to look back. Truth be told, he wasn't quite sure what direction to go. Finally, he pointed the gelding’s nose west; determined to go as far as the trail would take him, and then head south to Mexico. Other than that, he had no real plan.

****

Jason poured a cup of coffee and sat down near the fire. He drank it slowly as he pondered the events of the past year, especially the last twenty-four hours. At this rate, he thought, I'm going to be an old man before I turn seventeen. He cursed and threw the dregs from his cup into the fire. Shit! I don’t need this; all this responsibility. It’s too soon; too damned soon.

Resigned to his fate, he cleared the camp, grabbed up the new bull's tether and headed down the road.

****

Marshal Danner stayed on the new trail all the way into Mound City. With nothing more than a vague description from Sheriff Mason and the fact that it would be someone leading a young bull. His plan, if he met up with Mac, was to make small talk to get his name. When he had that confirmed, he would make the arrest. Danner, not finding what he was looking for, never got the chance.

Once in Mound City, Danner began to ask around until he was given the name of a rancher who might have sold Mac the bull. It was indeed, but the rancher had sold Mac the bull three days earlier. When Danner heard this news he figured there was no way to catch up to him. He wondered how he could have missed him along the trail. Mac was probably back at the ranch by now, and hopefully in jail. Danner decided to spend the night in Mound City and head back to Fort Scott in the morning.

As he rode down main street he noticed the local saloon, called the Maverick, was open for business. He hadn't had a drink in a week and since no one would know him in this little hole-in-the-wall town, he decided to stop in and have a shot or two.

Danner hid his badge and walked in the front door of the Maverick and headed straight for the bar.

“What'll it be?” asked the bartender.

“Whiskey will do,” replied Danner. His mouth began to water in anticipation as the bartender poured his glass right up to the rim.

No sooner was the glass full, Danner downed it. “I'll have another,” he requested with eager anticipation.

The bartender filled the glass again and Danner downed it immediately. “Why don't you just leave the bottle,” requested Danner as he laid his money on the bar.

“You look like a mighty thirsty man,” noted the bartender. “Here you go.”

The bartender left the bottle and took the money.

Danner nursed the next few drinks and was about to finish off the bottle when a young cowboy walked up to his table. “I couldn't help but notice you from across the room,” said the young man. “I think I know you. Weren't you in Kansas City a few months back? Seems I recall you getting' drunk and into one hell of a fight over one thing or another.”

“Wasn't me, kid,” replied Danner. “Why don't you just move along.”

“No, no. I remember that fight clear as day. You almost beat that poor man to death. You got yourself arrested. I know that for a fact. Yup, I'm sure it was you.”

Danner had heard enough. If the kid wasn't going to shut up on his own, he would help him out some. He stood up and grabbed the kid by the shirt with his left hand and let loose a powerful right to the side of the head. The punch would have put down most men, but the kid was scrappy and he came back at Danner with a hard right of his own, knocking Danner off balance.

Danner grabbed a chair and swung it at the kid, missing him and crashing it into the bar. The chair shattered into pieces and scattered across the room. This prompted two others to get involved, but Danner was having no part of it. He thrashed out like a wild man. It was turning into quite a ruckus when a shot rang out above the noise. It stopped most everyone in their tracks except for Danner who pulled his gun even though he had no real target in sight.

“Drop that weapon before I drop you,” shouted out the sheriff as he leveled his sights onto Danner.

Danner was drunk and not thinking clearly. He pointed his gun at the sheriff who wasted little time in pulling the trigger, hitting Danner in the shoulder spinning him around and causing him to drop his weapon.

The sheriff picked up Danner's gun and asked one of the men still in the saloon to run ahead and let Doc Green know there was a patient coming his way. He motioned with the barrel of his gun for Danner to move toward the door. He marched his new prisoner over to the doctor’s office. “That was a damn fool thing to do mister. You're lucky I didn't kill you,” commented the sheriff as they walked down the street. Once they arrived at Doc Green's office the sheriff was greeted with friendly banter. “Sheriff Cutler, I'm so glad you only wound the men you shoot. I'm sure I appreciate your business more than the undertaker does. Not too often they walk in on their own though.”

“Sometimes they get lucky,” replied Cutler.

As Doc. Green worked on patching up Danner's shoulder, Sheriff Cutler began to question him.

“What's your name?” He asked.

“None of your business,” replied Danner as the doctor worked at digging the bullet out of his shoulder. Danner winced, but held back on yelling out.

“I'll find out soon enough,” answered the sheriff. “Once I get you situated in your new room, compliments of Mound City.”

It was an easy fix for the Doc. And once he finished the patchwork, the sheriff escorted Danner to the jailhouse and ordered him to empty his pockets onto the desk before he put him into his cell. Danner complied and when he threw down his badge the sheriff took notice. “Well, well. What have we here?” He picked up the badge for a closer look. “U.S. Marshal?” he questioned.

“That's right. I'm on official business,” replied Danner. “I'm working with Sheriff Joe Mason in Fort Scott.”

Sheriff Cutler tossed the badge back down onto the desk and escorted Danner into an empty cell. Danner sat down on the cot as the sheriff closed the cell door and locked it. “Well for now, you're officially my prisoner.”

“So what's your name and just what might your official business be?” asked the sheriff.

“I'm Marshal Dan Danner and I'm here to serve a warrant. The paperwork is on your desk,” Danner motioned toward the personal belongings he had just unloaded.

Sheriff Cutler unfolded the papers and began to read them. “This here says your man is in Fort Scott. What are you doing here in Mound City?”

“He was here on business. I tried to head him off, but I was too late.”

The sheriff didn't reply. He picked up the badge and paperwork, walked out the door and headed straight for the telegraph office where he sent out a few inquiries about U.S. Marshal Dan Danner.

He knew something was up and he wanted some answers. This Marshal was drunk on duty and causing quite a ruckus to boot. This left a bad taste in Cutler's mouth and he hoped to find out why. The answer arrived within a couple of hours. What he found out was unsettling to say the least. It seems Marshal Dan Danner had never been heard of. As far as Sheriff Cutler could figure out, Danner wasn't a U.S. Marshal, only impersonating one. He knew Sheriff Mason and decided to send him a telegram, which he did. He then walked back to his office.

As he walked through the doorway, he noticed that Danner was asleep on his cot. “Hey you, wake up,” he called out.

Danner opened his eyes, but didn't move much.

The sheriff stepped up to the bars. “I made a few inquiries and it turns out nobody seems to know you. You're not a U.S. Marshal and as far as I can tell. I seriously doubt if you ever have been. In fact, I'm wondering if Dan Danner is even your real name. What do you have to say about it?”

“I got nothin' to say,” replied Danner.

“Seems the charges against you are adding up. Drunk and disorderly and now impersonating a U.S. Marshal. What else am I going to find? Why are you after Mac Shepard? Paperwork says cattle rustling. Is that a fact?” Who wrote out this paperwork and who hired you?

“You ask a hell of a lot of questions,” stated Danner as he sat up trying to re-position his sore shoulder.

“And you don't seem to have any of the answers,” replied the sheriff. “You've got a lot of explaining to do, if not to me, then to someone further up the line.”

Danner laid back down on the cot. “Like I said, I got nothin' to say.”

“Your choice,” replied Cutler as he walked back over to his desk and sat down. He took Danner's personal belongings and shoved them into one of the drawers of his desk. As he did, he noticed a small slip of paper that had previously gone unnoticed. He unfolded it to find a name written on it. Miles Hanley XO.

The sheriff called out to Danner. “Who's Miles Hanley?”

Danner got up off the cot and stood in front of the bars. “Where did you hear that name?” he questioned.

“Didn't hear it, I read it. It's out of your pocket.” The sheriff held up the slip of paper and waved it as if flaunting it in Danner’s face.

“It's nothin', get the hell out of my personal papers,” shouted Danner.

“Well now, seems nothin' was enough to get you off that cot and yellin'. That in itself seems to make it somethin', not nothin', don't you think? XO, now that sounds like maybe it could be a brand. So maybe I'll just have to check this out. My investigation into who you are is just beginning, Mr. Dan Danner, if that's your real name. I'll get to the bottom of it with or without your help. Until then, you’re mine. I hope you enjoy your stay.” With that, Sheriff Cutler got up from his chair and headed back out the door. He had more telegrams to send.

Cutler sent out telegrams to towns in all directions hoping at least one sheriff would be able to shed some light on this mystery. Who is Dan Danner? Who is Mac Shepard? Who is Miles Hanley XO? Who was behind all this and why?

****

When Sheriff Mason received the second telegram from Sheriff Cutler indicating that Marshal Danner may be an impostor, he decided to take a trip to Mound City and pay the sheriff a personal visit. He replied that he had information and that he would be making the trip to see him. Sheriff Mason loaded up his gear and rode out to the Shepard ranch where he met up with his deputy who was on duty watching for Mac to return from Mound City. “No sense hanging around here. I have word that Marshal Danner may not be who he say's he is, so even if Mac does show up, we may not have cause to arrest him. I'm on my way to Mound City to try and make sense of this whole affair. I'll be back within the week.” he told the deputy. “Keep a good eye on things while I'm gone.” He then went up to the house to talk with Sarah.

Mason knew Sarah was upset with him, so he tried to be as delicate as possible. He knocked and she answered the door. When she opened it, Mason pulled off his hat. “Sarah, ma'am, I just want to let you know that I'm sending my deputy home. There seems to be some question about this whole thing about Mac.” He went on. “I'm on my way to Mound City to try and get to the bottom of it all. When Mac shows up, please have him stick around and I'll fill him in when I get back.”

Sarah was still unhappy about the whole situation, but thanked him for his professionalism. Mason went back to his horse and continued on to Mound City by way of the new road. It was faster.

****

Sheriff Mason made it to Mound City in a little over two days. It was early morning when he left his horse at the livery and walked over to the sheriff's office. The door was open so he walked in. Sheriff Cutler was working at his desk, but looked up when Mason walked through the door. “Joe, how the heck are you?” asked Cutler as he stood to shake hands.

“I'm doing well,” replied Mason. “There's always something coming up to keep the job interesting.”

“Well isn't that the truth,” answered Cutler. “In fact I got one here that I think will give us both a run for our money.” Sheriff Cutler pointed over to the cell where Dan Danner was standing at the bars.

Hopeful, Danner greeted Sheriff Mason with a wide smile. “Please tell the sheriff here what's going on and get me out of this cage.”

“Sheriff Cutler and I need to talk first, then we'll decide on what to do with you,” replied Sheriff Mason.

“Why don't we step outside, Joe. Where we can talk more openly,” suggested Cutler.

The two men went outside and walked down the boardwalk as Sheriff Mason filled in Sheriff Cutler on what he knew.

“He came into my office with paperwork and a badge,” said Mason. It all looked in order to me. Said he was after Mac Shepard for rustlin' cattle.

“I got that part,” replied Cutler. “But I made some inquiries to a couple of judges I know, who did a little checking of their own. Seems Dan Danner has never been a U.S. Marshal, so I don't really understand why he's pretending to be one, and why he's after Mac Shepard? Not only that. Where does Miles Hanley, XO, fit into all of this?”

“Miles Hanley is a ranch owner down around the Fort Scott area. His brand is the XO...

“Ah Ha,” interrupted Cutler. “I thought the XO might have been a brand.”

Mason continued. “Here's the thing about Miles Hanley. He swears Mac is a cattle thief. Says he almost caught him red handed. Says Mac loaded the cattle onto a train, but the train was long gone with the cattle when he confronted Mac, who was paying off two men. His son was with him. He told Miles that the two men had kidnapped his son and he was just paying off the ransom. I'll admit it sounds a little fishy, but there's no hard evidence to dispute the claim, so there's not much I can do.”

The two men stopped and sat on an empty bench in front of the general store. Marshal cutler rolled a smoke and lit up. Smoke from the quirly rolled from under the brim of his hat as he let it hang from his lips. He leaned forward with his forearms propped against his legs as if in thought. “I'm still not real sure why Dan Danner is involved in this,” Cutler admitted.

“I might have your answer,” replied Mason. “The morning after the alleged cattle theft, Miles and I got into an argument over the incident. He accused me of not doing enough and that he was going to take matters into his own hands. I cautioned him against it, but at the time, I didn't think he was serious, But now, I'm not so sure.”

“You think Dan Danner might be working for Miles Hanley?” questioned Cutler.

“I think that might be the case,” replied Mason. “But what I don't know is if Miles believes Danner is for real. If he doesn't know it, that's one thing. If he hired Danner to impersonate a U.S. Marshal, well, that's a whole different kettle of fish.”

“I agree,” answered Cutler as he took the last drag from his smoke and flicked the butt into the street. “How do you think we should go about getting Danner to fess up?”

“I think we just need to tell him we know he's working for Miles Hanley. Hopefully he'll admit to it and tell us what we want to know. If not, maybe I can trip up Miles, and get him to spill what he knows when I talk to him about this,” replied Mason. “Here's what we'll do. When we go back, you tell him we contacted Miles who believes Danner is a bonafide U.S. Marshal and we plan to throw the book at him for impersonating a U.S. Marshal. I'll then play it down and try to bait him to tell me the truth. He knows me some and hopefully trusts me. I did tell him I'd see what I could do to get him out.”

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Cutler. “Let's give it an hour or two. We need Danner to think we actually sent the telegram. How about we get some lunch?”

****

After a leisurely lunch, Cutler and Mason entered Cutler's office. Danner stood and stepped up to the bars. “Well?”

“Well what?” questioned Cutler.

“Well, when am I getting out of here?” Danner challenged.

Cutler started in on Danner. “As far as I'm concerned, Danner, I'm throwing away the key on you.” He walked up to the bars as Mason took a seat at his desk to watch the show.

Cutler continued with his concocted story. “We sent an urgent telegram to Miles Hanley this morning. He got back to us in short order. Says he had made inquiries to the Attorney General's office and thought you were a real U.S. Marshal who had been sent to bring Mac Shepard to justice. He's as surprised as we are that you're an impostor.”

“That makes no sense,” replied Danner. He grabbed the bars and put his face up close. “If I was an impostor, don't you think the Attorney General would have said so, and why in tarnation would I be after Mac Shepard? There's no reason for it. Why you can't get someone to verify the fact that I'm a bonafide U.S. Marshal is beyond me.”

“Because you're not. Miles Hanley hired you to impersonate a U.S. Marshal,” retorted Cutler.

“Bullshit,” replied Danner angrily. He reached through the bars and pointed a finger at Cutler. “You don't know what you're talking about.”

Sheriff Mason figured it was his turn to step in. He got up from his chair and walked over to the cell. “Mr. Danner, let me tell you what we know.”

Sheriff Cutler took the cue and moved back to his desk.

Sheriff Mason continued. “Dan, the U.S. Marshal's office isn't going to abandon one of their own. They know who's on their payroll, and they know you're not. As far as they're concerned, you're an impostor.”

Danner continued to quietly listen to what Sheriff Mason had to say.

Mason went on. “We also know that you're involved with Miles Hanley in some way. What we don't know is how. Does he think you're a real U.S. Marshal, or did he hire you to play the part? If he thinks you're for real, he's off the hook and you take the full amount of charges that come against you. On the other hand, if he hired you to impersonate a U.S. Marshal, he's charged as well.”

“And how does that help me?” asked Danner.

“Listen, Sheriff Cutler wants to throw the book at you. I, on the other hand, am willing to see about getting you a more lenient sentence, if you cooperate with us that is. I like you, Dan. You seem like a nice kid. I'd hate to see you rot in a federal prison for the rest of your life, especially because you thought keeping your mouth shut about Hanley was the noble thing to do. You rotting in prison and Miles Hanley enjoying the rest of his life in freedom just doesn't seem fair to me. So like I said, if you cooperate with me, I'll do everything I possibly can to get you out of this mess with the least amount of pain. What do you say?”

Danner took a deep breath. He was thinking hard.

From the back of the room Sheriff Cutler shouted out. “Don't be makin' no deals with him, Mason. I want to see that little bastard rot in prison for the rest of his life.”

Sheriff Mason raised his eyebrows at Danner as if to say, He's serious, but I've got your back.

Danner really didn't like the idea of spending the rest of his life in prison. If spilling the beans to Sheriff Mason would help him out, he was ready to do it. “Do you really think you can help me?”

“I told you I'd do whatever I could, but you've got to level with me,” replied Mason.

“OK, fine,” Danner opened up and told Mason all the details. “Miles Hanley and I have worked on other 'land projects' in the past. He's after Mac Shepard's place and needs him out of the way. He apparently tried to do it through you, but the lack of evidence held you back. He then went to the Attorney General's office who told him the same thing. He needed hard evidence. He hired me, hoping that I could somehow smoke him out and get a confession from him. I guess that's no longer in the cards, is it?”

Mason questioned Danner. “Do you mean to tell me this is all about land and not about cattle?”

“Oh no,” replied Danner. “It is about cattle. Miles firmly believes Mac Shepard is guilty of cattle rustling. He just needs to prove it. Once he legally gets Shepard out of the way, he'll have a chance at getting his hands on his ranch.”

“So did Miles hire you to impersonate a U.S. Marshal?” asked Mason

“No, he hired me to get proof. A confession out of Mac would have done the trick. The U.S. Marshal idea was my own. My plan was to arrest him and bring him to you...with his confession.”

“Considering how you were planning to go about getting it, his confession would have been worthless. You would have been better off taking him to the town preacher, not me,” replied Mason.

“Well in any case, that's about the extent of it. You're not going to go back on your word now, are you?” Danner was getting worried he’d been had.

“I gave you my word,” replied Mason. “I'll do what I can.”

Mason stepped away from the bars and signaled for Cutler to step outside.

“Well I'll be damned,” stated Cutler. “I'm genuinely impressed. You got what we needed.”

“We got it,” replied Mason. “We were good, weren't we?”

“So Danner is an impostor hired by Miles Hanley, not only to prove Mac Shepard's guilt, but to get his hands on his ranch as well. The shit just keeps getting deeper, doesn't it?” Cutler asked.

Mason thoughtfully replied. “The good thing for Miles is that you can't arrest a man for covetousness. The fact that he didn't know Danner was going to pass himself off as a U.S. Marshal saved his bacon.”

“Now what?” questioned Cutler.

“I need to head back to Fort Scott and have a talk with Miles Hanley. I'll also need to let Mac and his kin know what's going on. Neither conversation is one I'm looking forward to. I'll also keep my word to Danner. Once he's charged, I'll send a telegram to the prosecutor and let him know he cooperated with our investigation.”

The two men spent the rest of the day taking it easy and swapping stories. The following morning Sheriff Joe Mason headed back to Fort Scott.

****

As Sheriff Mason drew close to Mac Shepard's ranch, he stopped and took in a deep breath. His stomach was unsettled. It was good news for Mac, but Mason still didn't like the idea of having to explain the whole situation. As Mason came up to the gate he noticed Ben's horse tied to the rail. He tied his and went up to the door. Ben saw him coming and he and Sarah stepped out to greet him. Jason stayed out of sight as he wasn't sure what to expect.

“Good afternoon, Ben, Sarah. Is Mac here? I have good news for him, and you.”

“Mac isn't here right now,” replied Sarah. “What's your news?”

Sheriff Mason was hesitant to tell anyone other than Mac, but under the circumstances, he thought it might be best to let it out and not wait for Mac. He really didn't want to have to do this twice. So he went ahead. “As I'm sure you know, I've been in Mound City. Turns out Dan Danner isn't a U.S. Marshal after all. He's an imposter. So Mac has nothing to worry about. There are no charges being leveled against him.”

“I'm not sure I'm understanding,” replied Ben. “If Danner wasn't a marshal, why was he pretending to be one, and why was he after Mac for rustling cattle?”

“I'm not at liberty to say,” replied Sheriff Mason rather hesitantly. “If Mac were here...”

“Well, Mac isn't here,” interrupted Sarah angrily. “Mac never came home from his trip to Mound City. He apparently heard a U.S. Marshal was after him and he went into hiding.”

“Went into hiding?” questioned Mason. “Why would he do that if he were innocent?

“You'd run too if you were about to be lynched,” added Ben. “You've pretty much just confirmed that someone wants Mac out of the way bad enough to pretend to be a U.S. Marshal and arrest him. Then what, shoot him or lynch him? There are those who believe Mac rustled cattle and a lynching wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities, you know.”

“Well, I'll agree with you there, Ben. I hope he shows back up. There won't be a lynching on my watch. I give you my word. I'm truly sorry for the trouble this has caused you.”

“We have a good idea whose behind this, sheriff. When you see Miles, you tell him to back off. He may be my Uncle, but Sarah is soon to be my wife, and Mac is her brother. If he wants to talk about this like an adult, he knows where to find me.”

“Assuming Miles is involved in this, I'll let him know,” replied Mason as he tipped his hat and took his leave.

Sheriff Mason was glad to have that conversation behind him. Now on to Miles Hanley, but first a hot meal in Fort Scott was on his mind. He really wasn't looking forward to the conversation he would have with Miles and decided to put it off for now. Tomorrow would be another day.

Call it bad luck, or maybe fate. Whatever it was, Sheriff Mason rode right into it as he reached Fort Scott. He stepped off his horse in front of his office just as Miles Hanley was walking up the boardwalk. Damn, thought Mason when he saw Miles. I really didn't want to do this now, but I might as well get it over with.

“Good afternoon, Miles. How are you today?”

“I'm just fine,” replied Miles as he continued to walk on by.

With the greetings out of the way, Mason called out. “Say Miles, do you have a minute? I need to talk with you.”

“Not now,” Miles replied. “I'm in a bit of a hurry.”

Mason wasn't about to take no for an answer. “Well, then just slow yourself down and step into my office...Now! We need to talk.”

Miles could see that Sheriff Mason was upset, so he did as he was told and the two men stepped into the lawman’s office. One of his deputies was at the desk and Mason asked him to leave. “Have a seat, Miles,” suggested Mason as he pointed to a chair across from his desk. Miles sat down as Sheriff Mason stood in front of him and rested his butt against the edge of the desk. The tactic clearly put Sheriff Mason in a superior position of authority. “Do you have any idea where I've been for the past few days, or what the hell I've been doing?” he asked. His voice betrayed his frustration.

“No, can't say as I do,” replied Miles.

“Does the name Dan Danner ring any bells in that fool head of yours?” questioned Mason.

Miles kept quiet as he thought about how he wanted to answer the question. “I've heard of him.”

“HEARD OF HIM!, Damn right you've heard of him. YOU HIRED HIM!” yelled Mason. “Did you know he was arrested in Mound City for impersonating a United States Marshal? And did you also know that he implicated you in a plot to remove Mac Shepard from his ranch?” Sheriff Mason was fuming and Miles suddenly found himself to be in a very uncomfortable position.

“OK, yes, I did hire him,” answered Miles. “I hired Dan Danner to smoke Mac out. I realized the only evidence I would ever have against Mac was his very own confession. I never conspired with Danner to impersonate a U.S. Marshal or anyone else as far as that goes. He was on his own. If he's trying to say I had anything to do with that, I'll flatly deny it to my last breath.”

Mason didn't let up. “And what do you have to say about Danner's accusation that getting a confession from Mac was not the sole reason for you hiring him? That in fact, the reason you wanted to get Mac out of the picture was part of a bigger plan to take over his ranch? Danner admits he has worked with you in the past on your dirty dealings. And the whole damned town has heard the rumors of how you acquired a portion of the XO. It sounds to me like those stories may in fact be true.”

Miles couldn't tolerate sitting under the shadow of Sheriff Mason's towering figure any longer. He pushed back his chair, stood up and moved several feet away from the lawman. “Danner is a lair. This has nothing to do with the Shepard ranch, only Mac Shepard. He thinks he can run that ranch off the backs of the men he stole cattle from. I'm not about to let him get away with it.”

Sheriff Mason pointed an authoritative finger at Miles. “And just who the hell made you God Almighty? You're about to wind up in jail, Miles. That's what all of this is getting you. Mac has disappeared. He never returned from Mound City and quite frankly, even though Danner didn't admit to it, I'm wondering if there might not be foul play involved here. You could find yourself charged with being an accomplice to murder.”

“Murder! You've got to be kidding me!” replied Miles, the concern evident in his voice.

Before Mason had a chance to reply, Miles continued. “Did you say Mac hasn't come home? Well, if he's on the run, wouldn't that be proof enough that he was guilty?”

“All that proves is that he didn't want to be lynched. Why hell, your own nephew did the same thing,” Mason retorted. “Ben's a well respected doctor in this town now. He wasn't guilty of anything and Mac may not be either. Fact is, you're not hearing a word I'm saying. You could be the one with your neck in a noose, not Mac.”

“Are you arresting me, Joe?” asked Miles.

“No, I'm not. At least not right now. You had better hope Mac shows up, is all I've got to say.”

“Danner isn't a killer. I'm not worried about that,” replied Miles. “If you're finished, I'll be leaving.”

“I'm done with you for now, Miles. As far as finished goes, I only hope that's the case.”

Miles walked out the door somewhat relieved, but extremely unhappy at the turn of events. Nothing had gone as he had planned.

Sheriff Mason was also relieved to have that conversation behind him. He was still hungry and headed out the door in search of some supper. He stopped short when he realized his horse was still tied to the hitch rail. Supper would have to wait. He had a horse to tend to.

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