run.
When he opened the door, he found a boy about twelve years old standing on the porch. He looked like a typical frontier youngster in boots and overalls and with a round-brimmed hat. He gazed up at Conrad and asked, “Are you Mr. Browning?”
“That’s right,” Conrad said.
“An hombre told me to give this to you.” The boy held out a folded piece of paper. “He said you’d give me a nickel.”
Conrad took the paper. When he unfolded it, he saw that the words on it were printed in the same crude block letters as the message that had been left for him the night before. He recognized that before the actual meaning of the words sunk in on him.
BRING 50 GRAND TO BLACK ROCK CANYON TONIGHT MIDNIGHT COME ALONE.
Conrad’s heart pounded hard in his chest. Fifty thousand dollars was an incredible amount of money. Most men wouldn’t earn that much in a lifetime. He had it, though, and he didn’t mind spending it if that would insure Rebel’s safe return.
Unfortunately, there were no guarantees that the kidnappers would keep their word.
“How about that nickel, mister?” the boy who had delivered the message prodded.
Conrad reached in his pocket and brought out a double eagle. The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of it.
“I’ll do better than that,” Conrad said. “This is yours if you can give me a good description of the man who gave you the message for me.”
“Sure! He was older than you, and sort of skinny. He had a reddish-colored beard that sort of poked out from his chin.”
“How was he dressed?”
The boy frowned. “Well, I never paid much attention to that. Like a cowboy, I’d say. I know he had on boots and an old Stetson.”
“Anything else you can tell me about him?”
“Not really,” the boy said with a shrug. “He was just a fella.”
“Was anybody with him?”
“Nope. He was by himself. I know that.”
“Where did you see him?”
The boy turned and pointed toward the road that led northwest out of Carson City. “He was up yonder, about half a mile, I reckon. He was just sittin’ on his horse in some trees when I walked by and he called me over. He asked me if I knew you or where you lived. When I said I didn’t, he told me how to find your house and gave me the paper.”
“What about his horse?”
“It was a big chestnut gelding.”
Conrad’s heart had started to beat faster as the boy described the man who had given him the note. The description of the horse was the last bit of evidence Conrad needed. He remembered both man and horse from the encounter on the hillside overlooking the city several days earlier. He had no doubt that the kidnappers were the men who had interrupted the picnic he and Rebel had been enjoying.
Which meant that the encounter probably wasn’t a coincidence. Those men had been following them, probably plotting their crime even then. Conrad suspected that they had wanted to get a good look at him and Rebel.
They must have decided it would be easy to steal her away from him, he thought bitterly.
“Mister?”
Conrad looked down at the boy and forced a solemn smile onto his face. He held out the double eagle.
“Here. You’ve earned this.”
The youngster snatched the coin and bit it to make sure it was real, obviously a habit with him. He grinned and said, “Thanks, mister.” He started to run away, then stopped and looked back at Conrad. “That note I brought you…was it bad news?”
“I don’t know yet,” he said honestly.
He wouldn’t know—until midnight tonight.
Chapter 6
Despite the vow he had made to himself earlier about not resting until Rebel was safe again, Conrad knew he couldn’t afford to be groggy tonight from lack of sleep. He would need to be alert, with all his senses functioning at top efficiency. For that reason, he went upstairs and forced himself to lie down on the bed in the guest room. He couldn’t bring himself to stretch out by himself on the bed he normally shared with Rebel.
Exhaustion
When he opened the door, he found a boy about twelve years old standing on the porch. He looked like a typical frontier youngster in boots and overalls and with a round-brimmed hat. He gazed up at Conrad and asked, “Are you Mr. Browning?”
“That’s right,” Conrad said.
“An hombre told me to give this to you.” The boy held out a folded piece of paper. “He said you’d give me a nickel.”
Conrad took the paper. When he unfolded it, he saw that the words on it were printed in the same crude block letters as the message that had been left for him the night before. He recognized that before the actual meaning of the words sunk in on him.
BRING 50 GRAND TO BLACK ROCK CANYON TONIGHT MIDNIGHT COME ALONE.
Conrad’s heart pounded hard in his chest. Fifty thousand dollars was an incredible amount of money. Most men wouldn’t earn that much in a lifetime. He had it, though, and he didn’t mind spending it if that would insure Rebel’s safe return.
Unfortunately, there were no guarantees that the kidnappers would keep their word.
“How about that nickel, mister?” the boy who had delivered the message prodded.
Conrad reached in his pocket and brought out a double eagle. The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of it.
“I’ll do better than that,” Conrad said. “This is yours if you can give me a good description of the man who gave you the message for me.”
“Sure! He was older than you, and sort of skinny. He had a reddish-colored beard that sort of poked out from his chin.”
“How was he dressed?”
The boy frowned. “Well, I never paid much attention to that. Like a cowboy, I’d say. I know he had on boots and an old Stetson.”
“Anything else you can tell me about him?”
“Not really,” the boy said with a shrug. “He was just a fella.”
“Was anybody with him?”
“Nope. He was by himself. I know that.”
“Where did you see him?”
The boy turned and pointed toward the road that led northwest out of Carson City. “He was up yonder, about half a mile, I reckon. He was just sittin’ on his horse in some trees when I walked by and he called me over. He asked me if I knew you or where you lived. When I said I didn’t, he told me how to find your house and gave me the paper.”
“What about his horse?”
“It was a big chestnut gelding.”
Conrad’s heart had started to beat faster as the boy described the man who had given him the note. The description of the horse was the last bit of evidence Conrad needed. He remembered both man and horse from the encounter on the hillside overlooking the city several days earlier. He had no doubt that the kidnappers were the men who had interrupted the picnic he and Rebel had been enjoying.
Which meant that the encounter probably wasn’t a coincidence. Those men had been following them, probably plotting their crime even then. Conrad suspected that they had wanted to get a good look at him and Rebel.
They must have decided it would be easy to steal her away from him, he thought bitterly.
“Mister?”
Conrad looked down at the boy and forced a solemn smile onto his face. He held out the double eagle.
“Here. You’ve earned this.”
The youngster snatched the coin and bit it to make sure it was real, obviously a habit with him. He grinned and said, “Thanks, mister.” He started to run away, then stopped and looked back at Conrad. “That note I brought you…was it bad news?”
“I don’t know yet,” he said honestly.
He wouldn’t know—until midnight tonight.
Chapter 6
Despite the vow he had made to himself earlier about not resting until Rebel was safe again, Conrad knew he couldn’t afford to be groggy tonight from lack of sleep. He would need to be alert, with all his senses functioning at top efficiency. For that reason, he went upstairs and forced himself to lie down on the bed in the guest room. He couldn’t bring himself to stretch out by himself on the bed he normally shared with Rebel.
Exhaustion
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