They survived the winter without any major difficulty. Ron looked over the third step when ever he took a break. He watched the stage coach come and go. He took note of landmarks where the coach and mules shrank to a column of dust. He needed to see more detail at a greater distance if they were to leave the canyon in safety. He didn't know how they would ever be able to do that so they would just have to take their chances.
    Joe knew the habits of the bandits they would use that knowledge to their advantage. The bandits didn't go to the top of the fourth step to see if anyone was below. One of them the point, looked out the entrance, if he didn't see anyone, he continued out leading his horse and rode to the top of the step. If all was clear, he whistled and the rest rode out and down the incline. If he saw anyone below, he knelt, if not he remained standing. If he saw anyone on top, he rode down as fast as he could. The others looked at him at every switch back. If they saw him kneeling, they rode to the top and into the main canyon and hid in the caves until it was clear. If they couldn't see him they rode as fast as they could to the bottom and hid behind the large rocks or in the caves at the base of the tongue to the east of the coach trail.
    Joe said they never met anyone coming or going while he was with them. According to Joe, they never went across the top, unless they were going to rob the stage coach coming from the north or to get supplies in Nowhere. The third step was open, no place to hide. Besides, all the nearby villages were south and east, they had no reason to go across the third step. Also, they robbed the train at the southern incline not the north.
    While they worked, Ron and Joe talked about how they could get additional income. They came to the same conclusion. They would take up the most dangerous occupation of them all. They would rob robbers. That way they would kill two birds with one stone. They laughed at the pun. They would have to kill the bandits, in order to take anything from them and killing the bandits was their main goal.
    They formed a plan. They moved flat rocks to the tip of the fourth step and built the observation post. On stage coach day, they went to the tip early in the afternoon and watched. They soon realized they didn't need to watch for the north bound stage. The bandits could only surprise the stage coach as it came over the rim. It would be to risky to hold up the bandits next to their own hideout, that left only the north incline to watch.
    They didn't expect to see the bandits, they did it to take a break from working and to practice observing without being seen. They sat in front of the shelter so they were not silhouettes against the sky and behind the wall so only their heads were visible in the vee's. They wore clothing that matched the color of the rock and were careful not to wear or to carry anything shiny.
    One day, they saw a small cloud of dust to the south near the fourth step wall. It had to be the bandits, everyone else followed the stage coach trail. They looked at each other in anticipation and watched the dust cloud come closer. When the dust cloud became two riders, another dust cloud appeared.
    The first two rode a short distance north of the canyon entrance to a series of large rocks next to the dry stream bed. One climbed from one rock to another until he was on the largest rock, some ten fee above the ground. He faced the north incline and held a tube to his face. Ron didn't know what he was doing. He had never seen or heard of a telescope. Joe knew, but couldn't tell Ron because the bandits might hear him.
    After a few minutes he turned south and did the same thing. Three riders came from the south, stopped briefly, and rode north. Frequently they stopped and looked at the bandit on the rock and rode further. The three became a dust cloud and then the dust cloud disappeared, but the bandit on the rock continued to stand.
    Joe pulled on Ron's sleeve. Quietly, they crawled to their horses and led them to the path. Joe knew what the bandits were doing. Talking softly, he convinced Ron that he could kill the two on the rocks without the others hearing the shots because they were to far away and a strong wind was blowing from the north, it would carry the sound away from them. The wind would also make it difficult for the bandits on the rock to hear anyone coming out of the canyon. They checked their guns and they rode down the path.
    Joe was right, as they entered the canyon from the box canyon, a strong wind was blowing in. Joe dismounted and walked quietly and slowly to the entrance, but that was the last things he did slow. He raised his rifle, fired, reloaded and shot again.
    He signaled Ron to come forward with the horses, ran to the rocks, climbed to the top, and used the telescope. As Ron rode up, "Hand me his hat." Joe removed his shirt, "His shirt." Joe looked in both directions with the telescope. He jumped down and helped load the bandits on to his and Ron's horses. He climbed back up on the rocks and stood. Again Joe looked in all directions with the telescope, "Now we can relax until the stage coach comes.
    While we wait, ride a bandit horse and leave ours at the top to the path." Ron didn't argue, they were committed and this was not the time to debate who was going to do what and when.
    When Ron returned, Joe explained, "The three have left their horses back from the edge and they are on the ground near the edge. One of them has a telescope just like this one. Every few minutes, he will look down the incline to make sure everything is going according to plan and then he will look back at me.
    Remember the signals I told you about. Well, they are using them now. I'm acting as their lookout and I hope they can't tell the difference. All we can do now is wait and continue the act."
    It was a long wait. As the sun went behind the mountains, Joe became nervous, the stage was behind schedule. "I hope no one else comes, because if we don't kill them, Ben will know we are in the canyon."
    "Can you see what they are doing?"
    "Nothing.
    Wait." Then Joe gave Ron a running narrative, "Two men are walking over the rim. They dropped their weapons. Now they are leading the team on to the step. A bandit went into the coach. He came out. The driver and the other man are mounting the coach. The bandits are watching the coach go to Nowhere.
    I hope their plan is simple and they come back the same way they came.
    Dam it, they're going to the incline.
    They stopped.
    Here they come."
    Joe took one last look around and jumped down. "I nearly dropped dead until one of them waved and started to ride toward us. They're coming fast, they won't use the telescope again. They'll be looking down the barrel of my rifle before they know they are riding into a trap."
    "You'll give's the surprise of their lives."
    "Their last surprise."
    Joe moved the bandit's horses into plain sight and climbed back up on the rock only this time he had a rifle instead of a telescope. He stood with one side toward the bandits and the rifle down his leg on the other side. The bandits were laughing as they approached, they didn't know anything was wrong until Joe raised his rifle and fired.
    One fell and the other two made the worst mistake they could have made, they stopped. Two more quick shots and then, no sound but the wind.
    Joe put his rifle down, picked up the telescope and looked all around. He picked up his spent rounds and they rode to the bandits. They made sure each one was dead and laid each across his own saddle and tied them to the saddle horn. They checked the ground to make sure nothing would betray what had happen.
    Joe rode slightly ahead of Ron and lead one of the horses on the opposite side from Ron. Ron lead the other two horses. They rode on soft ground when possible making sure a track was visible from the rocks to the incline.
    Joe checked one more time with the telescope, it was almost dark and they would just have to take their chances. They rode down the incline and across soft ground to the northeast until they reached hard ground. They circled back to the stage coach trail and headed back to camp single file. They stayed on hard ground or rock all the way even when it took longer.
    Both were out of breath when they reached the canyon. They were tired and let everything fall to the ground when they took care of the horses. At dawn, they stripped and buried the bandits and stored the gear.
    "We don't have room for all this stuff."
    "We'll have to build another room."
    Joe picked up a saddle bag and nearly fell over, its weight surprised him. "No wonder its heavy," as he removed a sack of gold dust, "What are we going to do with it? We can't sell it, everyone will know where we got it."
    "You're right and Ben will surely find out." They put it in the kitchen, a problem to solve later. They continued to empty the saddle bags and found the other telescope. Unknowingly, they had dealt the bandit a severe blow, not only did they kill five, now the bandits didn't have a telescope.
    They rode to where the sixth step ended at the edge of the fourth step and tied their horses behind the skyline. They stacked a rock bench near the edge and sat down to wait. They could see the stage coach trail, but with the sixth step as a backdrop, it would be almost impossible to see their heads from below, even if the bandits had a telescope. They didn't talk just in case someone was near the forth step wall out of their sight.
    They didn't have to wait long. The bandits took the bait, they followed the hoof prints from the rocks to the incline and rode down. When the first group reached the bottom the other group rode to the edge. The first group found the tracks in the soft ground and followed them to the northeast. At the hard ground, they spread out trying to pick up the trail. More than an hour passed before they gave up and rode back and joined the other group at the top of the incline. They were mad. They milled around for a long time before they rode to Nowhere.
    With a telescope, Joe counted them, all the bandits were riding to Nowhere. He motioned to Ron, they mounted, rode to the tip, and dismounted. They were not careful as they sat down and leaned against the shelter. They watched the bandits through the telescopes and looked at the mission tower, Paul had not seen them, yet.
    Each knew what the other was thinking. They could do nothing, but worry. They started it, they had not though of reprisal, now others would suffer the consequences of their error. The bandits increased their pace and changed direction from Nowhere toward the hidden valley.
    They looked through their telescopes trying to determine what caused the bandits to change directions and speed. Joe was the first to see the huge dust cloud to the northeast. Only a large cavalry unit could make that much dust. They got up and returned to camp.
    They started a habit they would never break, they rode midway between the two edges to their camp. They could not be seen from the box canyon or the third step and minimized the chance that anyone below would hear any noise they might make.
    On the way they talked about common concerns. First was their feeling of panic as the bandits rode toward Nowhere. They agreed, they had to find away to signal someone in Nowhere. They looked at each other and said in unison, "Paul."
    "He wants to come here, I'll have to bring him some day and we can show him our problem."
    "I don't know how he'll get up the path, he could never climb it, but maybe he will have an idea." Next they discussed the cavalry, "If the word gets out about the gold they will never go away."
    After a week of not seeing the cavalry or the bandits, Ron took a telescope and the gold to Paul. Joe watched from the tip and if he saw either the bandits or the cavalry he would place stones on the roof of the shelter, the beginning of the signaling system. Ron gave Paul the telescope and they went to the top of the tower. They agreed on a set of signals and refined them that summer. Did the cavalry come to Nowhere?"
    "Only one small patrol, they talked with some people and left. The main column continued northeast, they were tracking five bandits. I haven't seen the bandits for a month."
    "We did, they turned before you saw them. We're not sure, but when Joe and I destroyed their plans, we thought they were going to take out their anger on the people of Nowhere, that's why we need the signals, so we can warn one another."
    He told Paul about the bandits, the gold, and the camp.
    "The stage coach driver told the innkeeper about the holdup. There is a reward for the capture of the bandits and the return of the gold." Then Paul named several families who wanted to leave Nowhere.
    "Maybe we will get some help with our plan."
    "I'd like to help, but I still can't ride. The priest arranged a mule and a wagon for me to do errands. I searched all the empty houses and gathered anything of use and stored it here. You can take what you want."
    "Thanks, I'll look at it before I leave."
    Paul left the telescope on the cat walk and they went down.
    "What are we going to do with gold?"
    "I could tell the priest that I found it on the trail when I was doing errands."
    Ron liked the idea, he gave Paul a hug and left the mission with a few items that Paul had gathered. He made arrangements to trade firewood with the storekeeper. The storekeeper gave him some supplies in advance and Ron returned to the camp.
    Each time he returned to Nowhere he brought a load of firewood and returned with food and other supplies. He went about every other week. With frequent use of the canyon, he had to clean up the horse and mule dung and cover the urea with sand. The mule carried two sacks and a shovel for that purpose.
    The villagers knew he had reached the fourth step, but no one said the words out loud. There was an unspoken code among them, if you don't ask, I won't lie. They didn't know what his plans were, but they were confident he would get even with the bandits and they wanted that.
    The priest made a trip to the mining village. The mine owner was so glad to get the gold back, he paid no attention to the story of how it was recovered. Not only that, he gave the priest a very generous reward. The priest used the money to help the families leave Nowhere.
    Instead of walking, the priest asked Paul to drive him around the village. He though Paul should meet people more often. It did help Paul, his spirits picked up, he began to smile, and the priest was pleased. Paul knew everything that was going on in the village. He coordinated the secret joining of four other boys to Ron's Raiders.
    They told their parents what they were going to do far enough before hand so all the arguing had stopped before the families were going to leave Nowhere and when Paul told them it was safe to leave. They traveled with their families beyond the bottom of the incline, found a place to hide, and returned to the canyon after dark. Ron met them at the entrance and took them to the camp.
    The work was hard, but with six of them to do it, no one had to work hard for very long. They took turns at all of their work, they had to for some jobs because they only had one shovel, one ax, one saw, one sickle, etc. They continued to cut fire wood but the larger trees were sawed into lumber. They did all of their sawing in one place and the pile of sawdust became their ice house.
    During the winter they cut ice from the small stream and buried it in the sawdust. Fresh meat kept much longer and frozen meat kept most of the summer. They ate eggs, chicken, and mutton much more frequently and less beans, corn meal, sour dough, and boiled oats. The lumber allowed them to trade for additional items such as kerosene lamps, kerosene, and tools. They used the tools to make wood and clay house hold items during the long winter.
    By the end of the third winter they were living comfortably, if you didn't mind clay floors, a log ceiling, and drab clay walls. They didn't. It was dry, wind tight, and they had enough food and soft hay mattresses. What more could they ask for? When the new boys were accustom to the routine, Ron brought Paul to the camp. He rode in his wagon to the cave, climbed on a sledge, the mule pulled the sledge to the top, and then he traveled by wagon.
    He enjoyed everything about the fourth step, the camp, the view, the grass, the stream, the trees, the mountains. He wanted to stay, they said he could, he knew he could. They talked until very late. They made plans and revised them over and over. When the others woke, Paul was ready to go.
    "Why?"
    "I'm to valuable to you at the mission. I know the people, they tell me things they wouldn't tell anyone else. I know what is going on. My absence would raise to much suspicion. But most important, you will have a trussed observer in the bell tower. One who would never betray your secret." His last argument silenced them, he returned to Nowhere.
    The next years were routine. Following the bandits was difficult and they couldn't find a safe way to keep track of them. The bandits rarely came to Nowhere and even more rarely did they cross the step. They came and went using the south incline completely out of sight. Only a few times were the raiders lucky enough to catch a small group. As time passed, the raiders became less cautious, they had reduced the bandits to eighteen. At three to one, the raiders thought the odds were even.
    Many times all six went to Nowhere. They ate and told stories at the inn. The youngest raider was now nineteen and they considered themselves men. Ron kept a supply of cigars in his shirt pocket, when ever they made a successful raid, he gave each of the others a cigar. It became a habit for the others, after a raid to take a cigar from his pocket.
    One cigar was never smoked, it had a black band. If one of the others took that cigar, Ron hit him, and took the cigar back, "That cigar is for me and me alone."
    "Why don't you smoke it?"
    "This cigar is for when Ben captures me." Always, silence followed until one would finally say, "He will never capture you."
    The next summer was long and dull. In September, Paul heard about a large shipment of gold from the mine. Ron asked Paul to learn as much as possible. He learned the date of shipment, how it was to be guarded, and the make up of the train. A cavalry squad in the first and seventh cars and their horses in the second and sixth cars. An infantry squad in the third and fifth cars and the gold in the fourth.
    The raiders spent the time before shipment planning what they would do, speculating about what the bandits would do, and what the army would do. They assumed the bandits would attack the train at the south incline after the engine returned to get the next two cars so the army force would be divided and only one group would know what was happening. They assumed the train would be divided into the following groups to go around the end of tongue, a cavalry car and a horse car, an infantry car and the gold car, the last infantry car, and then the last two cavalry cars.
    On the day of shipment, the raiders rode to the tip of the tongue. They used rope loops and split fire place logs to lower themselves to the railroad and hid in the caves at the base of the second step. When the engine passed, they uncoupled the gold car and as predicted, the infantry was looking out the valley side of the car, they didn't anticipate any trouble on the step. They were joking and laughing, and making so much noise they never heard the cars uncouple.
    The raiders used the hand brake to stop the car, opened it, expecting a shoot out that never happened, the car was empty except for the gold. They opened the five crates, removed the gold bars, filled the crates with rocks, and renailed the crates. They hid the bars, climbed to the top, and rode back to camp.
    As the train approached the south incline, the soldiers returned to their posts and discovered the gold car missing. They scrambled to stop the engine and reverse it. They checked the gold car and didn't find anything to make them suspicious, but no one could explain how the car became uncoupled.
    The brakeman recoupled the cars and they returned to the south incline. The bandits had not anticipated what the cavalry would do when they reached the siding. As soon as the brakeman uncoupled their cars, they disembarked and took up defensive positions on both sides of the track.
    The bandits could not attack until the engine was beyond the first curve in the step, otherwise the engineer would not bring the gold car. The bandits had to attack a dispersed force instead of a concentrated one in a rail car, that was not in their plan and they paid a high price.
    They killed or drove the cavalry away from the tongue and by the time, they circled, it was to late. The bandits followed their plan with the infantry. They pinned them in their car, decoupled the gold car, and forced the engineer to drive on past the siding away from the gold car.
    They kept the infantry pinned in their car until they were ready to leave, and retreated as fast as they could back to the hidden valley, dragging the gold on sledges, with a rear guard keeping the army at bay. They executed their retreat so well the army swore they disappeared into thin air.
    Both groups were glad they provisioned their camps earlier than usual because the army camped outside of Nowhere and stayed for six months. They searched the canyon, the steps, and all around the tongue, every day until the snow came, and again in the spring, but they didn't find the gold or the bandits.
    Neither group left camp until the army left. The bandits were very cautions, only twelve were left, and the raiders didn't see them until the day of the headless horseman.
    In late June, Ron watched the last of the army leave Nowhere and went for supplies the same day. He was glad he took the chance that they would not have a patrol come back to catch the bandits if they had been waiting for the army to leave. Because patrols did come back the next day and every day at a different time for two weeks.
    Ron became concerned several days before the patrols stopped coming to Nowhere because the time stones had not been changed. Their system was simple, four large different shaped stones designated the bandits, the army, the stage coach, and the freight wagon. A small round stone indicated direction, no small stone meant they were in Nowhere. Small block shaped stones, displayed in an open pyramid, indicated the last hour the signal was updated.
    They used the same signals at both locations, except Paul used a small cone shaped stone next to the time stones to mean come as soon as you can. One cone shaped stone on each side of the time stones meant stay at home. No one else knew about the stones so something had to be wrong with Paul.
    A raider was on watch all day every day. When a patrol had not been seen all day Ron rode into Nowhere that night. Ron's heart sank when he saw people walking to the mission, the priest met him at the door. "Paul went into convulsions three days ago and died this morning, the whole village is in mourning, I'm very sorry Ron." Ron grieved this time.
    More than a month past before the raiders regained some semblance of themselves. For some unexplained reason they were in good spirits at the same time. They decided to visit Paul's grave and even the mention of Paul's name didn't depress them. From the cemetery they rode to Nowhere and ate a late lunch at the inn.
    The noise of the north bound stage, coming in ahead of schedule, interrupted their conversation. Ron and Joe left the others and were on the porch stairs, when Ben and three others walked toward the inn. Everyone stopped.
    Joe said softly to Ron, "I don't know the other three." Ben said in a challenging voice, "Staying or leaving."
    "Staying," said Joe and finished walking down the stairs. "Are you joining us, then," said Ben, "We need more men." Ron said, "No, we won't join you."
    "I don't let gun slingers stay in my territory unless they do." Ron walked down to the right of Joe as he said, "We don't want to go where you're going." Ben said, "Don't I know you?" and reached for his gun. Joe and Ron drew at the same time, but Joe shot Ben before he raised his pistol and shot the other three before their guns cleared their holsters.
    The other raiders came running with rifles in hand. No one saw the point riding from the north as fast as his tired horse would go. He stopped when Ben drew, grabbed his rifle and shot at Joe. Ron stepped forward as he drew his pistol and took the bullet aimed at Joe.
    Joe dove for cover, the point was out of pistol range. The point turned and rode back the way he came when the other raiders came out the door and shot at him, they missed. Joe ran to his horse.
    Two days before, the bandits were spotted by a cavalry patrol. When the patrol didn't close, Ben knew they had sent a messenger and they were going to follow them until help arrived. Ben tried to throw them off their trail by splitting the bandits into two groups.
    He took his best three, headed south, and circled toward the hidden valley while the others headed north and circled to the hidden valley. Ben thought the patrol would follow the larger group or split and follow both groups. They followed him.
    Now the patrol had the advantage in numbers and closed on Ben. In desperation, Ben tried the old trick of going on foot and sending the riderless horses in a different direction. It worked, it gave them time to hide. After dark they walked down a small stream to conceal their tracks.
    At the stage coach trail, they hid their gun belts in pack sacks, stopped the stage, and rode to Nowhere. They hoped to buy horses in Nowhere and return to camp. Their other options risked disclosing the entrance.
    Slowed by the necessity of finding and following a trail, the cavalry patrols were encircling the other group. By chance the bandits had avoided visual contact. Until that happened the patrols could not close one them.
    But they made two mistakes that sealed their fate. First, they slowed when the first patrol followed Ben and second they delayed circling to the hidden valley. One patrol picked up their trail as they headed north. A bandit saw them cross a rise to the south as they were making camp. They made camp but did not stay, they rode north all night. Resting on a small hill at day break, they saw a dust cloud to the northeast and headed west. At sunset, they turned south to the hidden valley. The point reached the top of the incline, while the others rested at the bottom, to see the dust clouds of three patrols converging on them. He signaled the others to continue.
    The point rode to Nowhere to make sure it was clear and rode in as Joe shot Ben. He shot at Joe and rode away when the others came out of inn. When the point could see the rest of the bandits, they were already doing the only thing they could do, they were heading for the canyon. Their horses were so tired they didn't clear the rim before a patrol point saw them and gave the enemy in sight signal. The rest of the patrol stopped searching for a trail, spurred their horses, and took a direct route toward the bandits.
    After the exhausting climb the bandit's horses were so tired they were moving at a slow walk in single file. They didn't intend to move in single file, but the horses with the most stamina walked a little faster than the others and soon they were following one another. When the first bandit reached the canyon more than hundred yards separated them.
    Joe had only one thing in mind as he got up from the ground, kill the one who shot Ron. He ran into the livery, saddled his horse, and rode after him. He never gave any thought to his own danger, he just rode as fast as he could. The tired horse was no match for a rested one. When the other bandits saw Joe riding hard to catch the point, the urgency of the situation was transmitted unconsciously to their horses and they moved faster.
    Joe didn't see the other bandits until their violent signals to the point caught his eye. They tried to warn the point that Joe was coming up on his right side, the left side would be the easier shot for a right handed person. The point turned the wrong way, to his left, presenting Joe with the largest target and he didn't miss, he shot him in the middle of his back. When he fell, Joe turned toward the other bandits.
    He tried to prevent them from entering the canyon. When he couldn't stop the first two from reaching the canyon, he turned his horse on a diagonal between the next two. He shot the fourth bandit in his side as he cut in front of him and shot the third bandit in the back as he rode behind him. He turned his horse in a tight circle and rode between the next two.
    The tired men didn't stand a chance, their shots missed, Joe's didn't. Again he turned in a tight circle toward the last bandit outside the canyon. The first two bandits dismounted in the canyon, grabbed their rifles and ran to the entrance and shot at Joe as he closed on the last bandit, two rounds tore Joe from his horse.
    The other raiders were stunned when they reached the stairs. They never thought anyone of them would be killed. They looked at Ron, in disbelief, before they followed Joe. One stopped, rolled Ron over, and took the cigars out of his pocket. He said, "I'm sorry you won't be there to smoke with us after we kill him, but we will get him for you, you can count on it, Ron." He put the cigars in his shirt pocket and ran to his horse.
    The other three rode into the canyon together chasing the last bandit on horseback. They had no thought but to kill the bandits and shot the last bandit in the back. The first two bandits shot at them from the caves and killed two raiders. The third raider shot a bandit, but the speed of his horse took him past the last bandit in the caves and he ran out of his cave and shot the raider in the back as the last raider rode into the canyon and shot him in the back.
    The last raider rode slowly toward the box canyon camp. He didn't hear the first cavalry squad ride to the entrance and take up defensive positions out of his sight, his ears were still ringing. His thoughts were ones of grief, all his friends were dead. He said to no one, "I told you, Ron. I told you, we'd get him. We got'm, we got'm all. Doesn't that deserve a cigar." He turned his horse around and rode toward the entrance. "I told you many times, 'Ben would never capture you,' I'll smoke your cigar for you."
    He took the cigar with the black band from his pocket and lit it. The ramifications of what had happened came to him. He put his hands on the saddle horn, leaned back in the saddle, and leaned his head back until he was looking at the sky. He took a puff on the cigar and said between his teeth, "It's mine, all mine," and took another puff.
    The sound and the force of the explosion spooked his horse and it charged out of the canyon, with his hands frozen to the saddle horn, his body leaning back, his head hanging down behind by his broken neck out of sight. That is what the cavalrymen saw, a headless horseman ride out of Nowhere canyon. It didn't matter what they saw later, the first vision is what they remembered and that is the story they told.
 

Return to Headless Table of Contents
 
 

    JC worked at any job he could get in the capitol and saved as much money as possible. First, he tried to locate the owner of the mining company. The original owner was dead and JC couldn't locate any heirs. The original owner went bankrupt after the raiders stole his gold. It was the first shipment from his new smelter and the shipment would have paid all of his debts and then some. The company was sold several times and the following owners didn't fare any better. The quality of the ore declined and even with improved methods, they couldn't make a profit. The current owner was still operating because the banks received interest plus a partial payment on the debt, it was only a token payment, but enough to delay foreclosure.
    Next, he learned the land around Nowhere was owned by the state. He borrowed as much money as he could from his father and grandfather and bought the entire staircase from the government. Mineral, lumber, and water rights were included.
    He studied irrigation, lumbering methods, and cable tool drilling. By spring he had enough money to begin the next step in his plan. He returned to Nowhere and asked for a village meeting the next day. He told the people what he had done and the details of his plan. They agreed to help when they could. He told them after the spring planting he would take anyone who was interested to the two camps. Many were excited about going to the top of the forth step. He asked them to ask their friends and relatives to return to Nowhere. He would guaranty them work and a place to live. The priest offered to write any letters needed.
    Later the storekeeper told him some credit was left from the items he sold for him. The people were excited about his plan, now with the extra money, JC was excited, he could develop his plan even faster. He gave the storekeeper an order for supplies and asked the livery owner to buy some breeding stock. With the carpenter he discussed building a cable tool drill and windmills. With the other men of the village he discussed and got agreement on the location of the new wells.
    With the preliminary work in progress JC modified an old plow and cut long strips of clay from the edge of the step and cut the strips into squares. When he had enough, the supplies had arrived, the spring planting was done, and new families were moving into Nowhere. Some puzzles still remained, the one that bother him the most was, "Where did the raiders hide the gold?". He looked everywhere he thought they might hide it with out success.
    "Maybe they never moved it from its original hiding place, immediately following the robbery."
    He checked the retaining wall and the rock pile at the base of the second step near the railroad. He looked down into the pool at the base of the first step, he searched all the caves on both sides of the tongue, but the hiding place eluded him.
    He knew they didn't take it with them when they climbed up the step. One man could barely slide the crates on a smooth floor. Because the raiders used clay to cover the rock walls in their camp, he was sure the retaining wall held the clue. An earlier question he had asked himself returned, "Why did the builders import clay to cover the retaining wall. It didn't make sense, clay was available on the edge of the step."
    He knew he was overlooking something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. When he was cutting the clay to make the irrigation system it came to him. The clay for the wall had not been imported, the clay layer had. It was very logical, what the raiders had done. They knew the loose rock would be moved by anyone trying to find the gold. Anyone moving the rock would stop when they reached the clay layer. It was too dense, after digging through it a couple of times and finding solid rock beneath, they would not do it again.
    The raiders couldn't risk an errant shovel or pick nicking a clay covered bar and exposing the gold; therefore the gold had to be buried as far as possible from the railroad and the loose rock. The only place that met those conditions was the railroad side of the retaining wall and that is what they had done.
    Before the day of shipment, holes were dug next to the retaining wall down to the clay layer, it was the footing for the wall as well, and lined them with clay high enough to be above the gold bars. They removed rock and sand from both sides of the wall down to the top of the clay lined holes.
    More rock and sand was removed to form a gentle slope away from the holes in all directions until they reach the clay layer some distance from the holes. Soft clay tiles from the fourth step were placed on top of the gentle slope and sealed to one another, to the wall, and outward until they met the exposed clay layer, to make the new clay layer appear to be the clay layer of the step. They covered the soft clay with sand and then sand and rock until they restored it to its original depth, except for the holes.
    It didn't take long to move the bars from the car to the prepared holes, cover them with clay tiles, smooth out the edges with a small amount of water, cover them with sand and rock, and tamp it solid.

    A three day celebration followed the completion of the first well. With the clay squares, sand,
and rock, Jc showed the people how to build an aqueduct from the well to the irrigation ditches. Soon, a windmill was pumping water into the aqueduct.
    When the people were relieved of pumping and hauling water, they worked on his plan, everyone had some free time. As each segment of his plan was completed, the enthusiasm and eagerness to complete the plan, increased. The work was hard, but enjoyable because everyone could see the progress toward a common goal.
    The fall harvest was the largest ever and they had a week long celebration. They traded the excess for new plows, additional breeding stock, and other items they could not make for themselves. Everyone had visited the two camps by fall. After the celebration, they cut firewood and lumber. Mule trains hauled it to Nowhere and freight wagons hauled it to the mining village. Before the spring planting was finished, JC made a deal with the owner of the mining company and became his partner in exchange for paying off all the mine debts.
    Then JC was ready to retrieve the gold. He returned to wall, uncovered one of the gold bars, measured it, and recovered it. He asked the carpenter to make five sturdy wooden crates. When JC returned to pick up the crates, the carpenter offered to help him without mentioning gold. He and JC plus two horses and a mule, dug up, crated the gold bars, and moved them into a shallow cave. JC made arrangements with the railroad, they met the train at the south incline, rode to the cave, stopped the train, loaded the crates, and rode with them to the smelter.
    The stolen bars were much larger than current production, to avoid disclosure his partner melted the stolen bars and mixed them with the regular production. An increase of one extra bar with each routine shipment from the mine, eventually paid of all the mine debts. The mine was again profitable and both partners had a modest but steady income.
    This increase in JC's income was the beginning of the family fortune. With the income from the mine and the lumber, JC developed the two camps very rapidly. In three years, he paid back all he had borrowed and had three thriving businesses, mining gold, raising horses, and selling lumber.
    JC built shutes from the edge of the sixth step to the canyon floor. Logs were dragged by mules across the sixth step to the chutes, the logs were rolled into the chutes, and gravity caused the logs to slide to the canyon floor. Mule drawn wagons hauled them to another chute down the south incline to a saw mill near the railroad siding.
    JC built an aqueduct and a reservoir to provide water power to operate the mill. Sawdust filled caves on the north side of the tongue made excellent ice houses. Scrap from the mill provided cheap firewood. The standard of living rose with each change. The people had time to improve their homes and to enjoy the view from the steps.

    My wife interrupted, "JC must have married during this time. You haven't mentioned a woman."
    "I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned her sooner, but you had to know some things before I told you the rest of the story. He met and married a gold miners daughter. Do you like the pun?"
    "Please, dad."
    "How about a little more detail."
    "OK, this is how it happened."

    Money was seldom used in Nowhere, the storekeeper was the village banker and broker. He recorded all trades between the people of Nowhere and made all trades with outsiders. He recorded the trades in a log book so he wouldn't forget.
    He, the livery owner, the carpenter, and the innkeeper were the village oversight committee. Every family received a share of each harvest. As they traded their share for other things, he adjusted their account.
    The number of transactions increased after JC returned and since most of the transactions were due to JC's activities, JC helped record them. By the next year, JC spent half a day a week recording trades. Both he and the storekeeper would rather do something else, but no one in Nowhere could or would do the job.
    After becoming a partner in the gold mining company, he spent one day a week at the mines. He noticed the door to the bookkeeping office was always left open when his partner was doing business. He explained, "I let my bookkeepers listen to every business deal. If either one disagrees with the deal, they close the door, and I have their opinion without the other party knowing."
    "You have more than one bookkeeper? How many do you have? Do you really need them?"
    "We have two. No, we don't need two, but she is the bookkeeper's daughter, she helps him, it gives her something to do."
    "She's not married."
    "That's right."
    JC changed the subject and they left the office to visit the mines. JC never saw her at the company office, she stayed in the bookkeeping office while anyone was present. If some one wanted to look at the accounts her father took the books into the other room and returned to get them when they were no longer needed.
    She listened very carefully, whenever JC was present, first, because he didn't say much and she wanted to hear what little he did say and second, she wanted to know about this man who carried a rock in his pocket and gave away half of his gold to keep it a secret. She and her father agreed with JC's offer because it was the only way the company would stay in business.
    The innkeeper's wife asked him to pick up an order for her so she didn't have to wait for the freight wagon. Before he left the mining village, he stopped at the general store and asked for the order. While he was waiting, a young woman placed a package on the counter and left to look at something else.
    Something aroused his interest. She was not good looking, she was neat, but not well dressed, she walked well and appeared very confident. The clerk set his order on the counter, but he continued to watch her. As she returned to the counter, she caught his glance. He turned quickly, picked up a package, and started for the door.
    She said politely, "I believe you have the wrong package, Mr. Smith."
    "So I have." He returned her package to the counter, picked up his, and left wondering who she was and how she knew his name.
    As the operations at the mine and Nowhere became routine, JC became restless. If he could free himself from the bookkeeping chore he could travel again. He told the storekeeper about the bookkeepers daughter. "Let's add a room to the store and hire her. I'll pay her salary, plus a monthly trip to her home and back."
    "OK and she can live with us, that will eliminate any objections about housing."
    The storekeeper left the next day, he assumed it would take several trips even if she was willing to move to Nowhere. The storekeeper went through the formalities, explained their problem, and suggested their solution to JC's partner. He even told him the salary they were prepared to offer, plus the paid trip home and back once a month, and the housing arrangements. The partner commented, "That's a very good offer. I know I can get along with out her. Let's call her in and see what she thinks."
    Before he could move, she walked into the room, "Take me home to pack my things and we can leave." They looked at each other.
    "Well." They jumped to their feet.
    "Aren't you going to discuss this with your father?"
    "I already have, while you were talking, I'm going."
    Her father was impressed with JC and encouraged her to accept the offer by pointing out the positive aspects. He was a miner until a mining accident. He educated himself and became a bookkeeper. Many times at dinner they discussed the changes JC made at the mines.
    Often her father said, "JC is a shrewd man." He liked how JC handled the miners demand for more pay. They grumbled, but accepted his answer. JC didn't tell them what he was going to do, he let the smart ones figure it out and tell the others. JC lowered the cost of food and firewood, by summers end. People hate to wait for a promises to be full filled and JC knew that.
    By month end, she had a routine well established. She not only recorded the trades, she did the inventory of the store, the livery, the carpenters shop, the ranch, and the lumbering operation and she still had time to spare, which she used to become friends with the villagers, to learn about Nowhere, and to subtly learn more about JC.
    JC didn't meet her until her second work day. "Hello Mr. Smith, I'm Miss Gertrude Campbell." JC nearly stammered, "And you are the lady whose package, I tried to take." The rest of the conversation was work related.
    "When you have time, I would like to show you the ranch and the lumbering operations."
    "I would like that very much, I will let you know when I can."
    JC stopped every day, to say hello, if he didn't have a work related topic to talk about. At the end of the month she told him she had time. The next morning they rode around the box canyon camp. She was a better rider than most men, including JC. He would admit he wasn't very good, but he was better than he said he was.
    When they reached the tip of the fourth step, they stopped to enjoy the view. She carefully guided the conversation from geography to business, to him, and his plans. When they resumed their ride she relinquished control of the conversation. She was so tactful, JC was not aware that she had taken control.
    Later, when he did become aware of what she was doing, he didn't stop her, he smiled and let her control the conversation to measure how long she kept control, he admired her capability. He watched her with other people, especially the men at the ranch and the lumber camp. JC had an ability that most people don't have, he could observe people for a short period of time and draw accurate conclusions about them.
    He let her guide the men into making good decisions. She may not know what the man's job entailed, but she could ask the right questions at the right time, to guide his thinking. She had a good head for business and was very much aware of the male ego. She did her best not to damage it, but neither did she let it get out of control.
    He knew after watching her for a month, that he could leave for any length of time and the business would still be profitable when he returned. He made short trips to find additional opportunities.
    The week after the last of the get acquainted with the operations tours, JC asked her to accompany him on a pleasure ride on Sunday afternoon, it became a regular activity. Many times not a word was spoken, neither felt a need to do so.
    They rode to the edge of a step and looked at the view. She turned to see what he was looking at, he was looking at her with an odd smile. "What are you smiling about, Mr. Smith?"
    "Will you marry me, Miss Campbell?"
    "Why Mr. Smith, don't you think it a little soon to talk of marriage. We hardly know one another."
    "Maybe, maybe not."
    "After I have known you for awhile I might consider it, but not now."
    "OK. I'll ask another time." She knew he was interested or he would not have asked her to ride with him. But, he had not used any words of endearment or made any move to touch her or anything else that would indicate he was THAT interested in her.
    Every time he smiled like that, she said, "No, Mr. Smith, I'm not ready to answer, not yet," and he would grin. She kept the relationship on a very formal basis. She couldn't decide if she wanted him for a husband. She was fascinated by him, he was an enigma to her.
    She didn't like people who seek wealth for wealth's sake and what about a man who carried a rock in his pocket, all the time? He claimed the pound and a half rock was his good luck charm. She didn't like the wanderlust he had told her about. She could see his restlessness increase each week as the ranch and the lumbering operations became more routine. She was not surprised when he took short trips. One trip lasted a month and he said very little about it.
    As the businesses grew, he built an office next to the bookkeeping room, so he could have a formal place to conduct business. He left the door to the bookkeeping room ajar like his partner did. He enjoyed knowing that she agreed with him on a decision without a word being said.
    Later, he enjoyed it even more because they disagreed so seldom. He tried to give her flowers at work and she would not accept them, if he brought them to the storekeepers home, she would.
    JC established an account with the largest bank in the valley, payment for lumber shipped by rail was mailed to the bank. Usually, she didn't pay attention to his personal accounts. For some reason when she was writing a check to his father, she wondered why he was still sending large sums of money to him, the loans had been paid long ago.
    She researched the old records and noticed that his accounts never seemed to increase even though the businesses were doing very well. She wanted to know what he was doing with his money, she didn't want to marry a spend thrift, but that would be way out of character, he lived very frugally, so what was he doing with his money? The more she checked the more her curiosity increased. She could see a steady increase in the credit he was giving to the mission and to the church in the mining village, plus an increase in the amount he was sending to his family members.
    Finally, her curiosity could be constrained no longer and during their customary Sunday afternoon ride, "Why are you giving so much to the mission and the church when you are not even religious?"
    "What does that have to do with it?"
    "Please, do not misunderstand, it's not a matter of religion. It's a matter of my curiosity, your contributions piqued it."
    "Why are you so curious?"
    "I can't explain it, I just am." He told her about the orphanages and schools where he worked during his drifting days. Each was in need of so much and he could do so little. Now he could do something, he could join the rest of his family in contributing to worth while causes.
    Half of the money was being invested by his family and the rest was supporting a cause selected by the family. Previously, he told her he didn't have to work, his family was modestly well to do. He worked because he wanted to do something constructive, but he couldn't stay in one place very long.
    Now, she realized what he meant by modestly well to do. His family was wealthy and he had doubled their wealth over the last three years. The lumber business was very profitable and he purchased other tracks of land and mines and placed his relatives in charge of them. He and his family made good investments. She knew because she helped make some of them.
    They dismounted at the observation post and sat on the bench. He went in to great detail. "My family taught me well. Give and enjoy without the recipients knowledge of the giver. Give in a way the receiver thinks they earned the gift. Never give anyone anything directly and make sure they never lose their self-reliance. Businesses fail and giving would be curtailed. No one had enough money to do everything they wanted to do. If people become dependent and the gifts stopped coming, they would be worse off than before.
    I receive immense satisfaction every time I think about the results of my contributions. It doesn't matter if anyone knows, in fact my pleasure is greater when no one knows. The priest and the preacher have the ability to give as I want, so I work through them.
    A short time after I arrived in Nowhere, the stories told me, as I read between the lines, that the old priest went hungry during the winter so some of the children would have some food. At the time I couldn't do much, so I asked the innkeeper to invite the priest for dinner as often as he would come and I would pay for the meals. The innkeeper understood and a strong bond formed between us.
    We formed a partnership which soon expanded to include the rest of the oversight committee, in time the priest joined us. I told the priest if he took better care of himself, I would increase my contribution. After I convinced him, he joined the partnership. We discussed the needs of the people and set priorities.
    Slowly, the living standard of Nowhere rose, always staying within the capabilities of the people and as much as possible without their knowledge of who was responsible. As my income increased, I included the preacher.
    After my loans were repaid, my income was large enough to continue sending money to my family. During the month long trip, I went to Chicago to attend our annual meeting. I asked them to include the orphanages and schools where I had worked. My sisters became involved and expanded the support to others as well."
    She had opened his floodgates and he continued for more than hour talking about his family. When he finally stopped talking, she had nothing to say, there was nothing she could say, she had made her decision and began to glow. She turned her face away, but the glow wouldn't go away. She wanted to be by herself. She stood, walked to her horse, and mounted, but before she could ride, "Did that satisfy your curiosity?"
    He stood and walked toward her. Reflexively, she turned to answer and saw that smile on his face. "Mr. Smith, don't ask a question, just tell me why you are smiling."
    "I'm smiling at something more precious than gold."
    "And what is that, Mr. Smith?"
    "A good woman. A good woman to man is more precious than gold."
    He held his hands up to her, she dismounted into his arms. "My answer is yes, JC."
    She thought he would crush her as his arms coiled around her. He held her tight for a long time. When he relaxed his grip he kissed her, she responded with equal fervor. She was twenty eight and he was thirty five when they were married the following spring. His entire family came by train the week before the wedding. They were married in the mining town and traveled to Nowhere the next day for a week long reception.
    It was the largest wedding either village ever had or would ever have. The guests didn't refer to her as a beautiful bride, they referred to her as a radiant bride. From the day of their engagement, she glowed every time JC came near. They were a pleasure, for the astute observer, to watch. They reflected and reinforced the energy from one another and infected everyone nearby.
    Their eyes sparkled, their faces glowed, and their movements were sprightly and when anyone greeted them with, "How are you today?"
    "We are blessed and we give thanks everyday."
    They honeymooned in a hidden valley cabin. They rode to the fourth step and watched the sun rise, then returned for breakfast and a nap. After dinner, they went to the fourth step again to watch the sun set behind the mountains and the moon rise over the valley.
    It was an idyllic honeymoon, a beautiful beginning to a very satisfying marriage. Their partnership was like a team of horses, each contributing and each accepting and appreciating the other's contribution.
    She traveled with JC when he became restless, until their first child was born, nearly three years later. Then she encouraged him to go by himself. She knew he couldn't stay away very long and he couldn't. They moved to Chicago when the first child was ready for school. She continued to be a bookkeeper, but now it was for the family. Some family businesses failed, but the rest continued to prosper and new ones were added each year. JC's generation added more to the family fortune than any other generation. JC and Gertrude were uncanny in choosing new opportunities and the rest of his siblings were equal to operating them.
 

Return to Headless Table of Contents
 

    "Jane, while I will give the pet rock to your brother, I don't want you to feel you are not a part of our tradition. The women of our family have always participated, in fact during some generations the women carried the family. Some of our in-laws suffered culture shock. At first they couldn't believe a woman could make a recommendation and that the men actually listened and took them seriously."
    Jane was grinning because, recently, she gave her first report to the family. "Don't worry about the rock, grandpa, he can have the rock. Aunt Jane is going to give me Gertrude's necklace on my twenty first birthday. I know about the women grandpa, grandma told me the stories about them. Her stories were more romantic, but they were tame compared to the stories you told her about yourself before you were married."
    "Dad a romantic? I don't believe it."
    "Your story about Gertrude agrees with the story grandma told, but you forgot to mention the saying about change and how it helped her understand JC."
    "Your grandmother has told you something I have not heard, tell me about it."
    "After their second child was born, Gertrude noticed that JC was not as restless as before. Then she remembered the saying 'change scares us' and she realized that the saying didn't apply to JC, he thrived on change, he became restless when his life was routine. The growing children provided sufficient change to satisfy him. Now she understood and could predict when he would become restless."
    "Very interesting, that explains why he started so many businesses and put someone else in charge after they were viable.
    Over the years, a logging road was built from the valley where the mines were to the sixth step, the mines and the lumber mill were closed. The railroad around the tongue was abandon after a more direct line was built from the north to the sixth step. After that, most of the families left Nowhere, only the horsemen and a few farmers remain.
    Nowhere is a ghost town, but our company continues to raise horses, cut lumber, and" James, who was slumped in his chair, bolted upright, slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, a familial gesture, "And that's where we are going, isn't it? We are going to stay at the Box Canyon Dude Ranch. It took a long time for it to sink in."
    "Yes. Our company restored the mine, the smelter, the two camps, and Nowhere to their original condition and converted them into a summer resort. We will stay at the mining town hotel and visit the mine and the smelter, followed by a trip to the logging operation.
    The next day we will take our train to the base of the first step and ride a stage coach to Nowhere. We will even walk up the incline. Some people fly into the Hidden Valley air strip on top of the fourth step, but that takes all the mystique out of the trip.
    From the Nowhere Inn, if you like, you can ride around the tongue and visit all the places in the story."
    "Neat O," said Jimmy.
    "After that we will ride to the Hidden Valley Retreat and then to the Box Canyon Dude Ranch for a short stay."
    "Thanks for the story grandpa, I can't wait until you give me the rock."
    "Me too, grandpa. I enjoy your stories, I would like to hear another, but I'm hungry."
    "How about the rest of you? Would you like to get ready for dinner?" Everyone one agreed. After dinner, James and I took a stroll through the train, while the children and the women went to the observation car to watch the sun set. We were going to walk to the front of the train, to the end of the train, and return to join the others until bed time.
    We talked with anyone who would talk with us. We entered a nearly empty coach car and struck up a conversation with a young couple seated near the center of the car. They asked us to sit and talk until they went to dinner. James sat next to the window and I took the aisle seat. It was a typical tourist conversation, about where we were from and where we were going and where we had traveled before, it was pleasant. A while later they excused themselves to go to dinner. James said, "Let's sit a while longer and let our dinner digest."
    "OK."
    "This morning you mentioned a man named Doc and how our lives are intertwined. What did you mean."
    "Do you remember my uncle on my fathers side."
    "The recluse, who slept with a forty five under his pillow?
    I only heard a few stories about him, he died before I was born."
    "I forget, he died before I went into the service, you couldn't have known him. There wasn't much to tell, he didn't talk very much and I only met him a couple of times.
    He served in the special services during the war. After the war, he created a security service for Doc. He brought so many people into the organization he was called 'The Recruiter'. He told me a brief story about the accident that killed Doc.
    It was one of those accidents where the first car passes without incident, the second gets clobbered, and the third can only pick up the pieces. I still can't believe it, I became a friend of Doc's woman, well much more than a friend, she was very special. I didn't realize how special until she left without saying good bye.
    That's what I meant about our lives being intertwined. I often wonder what conclusions Doc would have reached had he known about systems. He described our condition as being in four levels, ignorance, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. If he had know about systems I wonder if he would have used the same words."
    "What are you talking about?"
    "Doc would have been pleased to know Gertrude and JC, they were his kind of people."
    "You are leading up to another story, OK, tell me the story."
    "It's much to long to tell before we meet the others."
    James looked out the window and I looked around the car. A few people came and went and a few returned from dinner. A man entered and sat in the first seat inside the door, something about him disturbed me. Someone came from behind and sat in the seat across the aisle, instinctively, I turned to look at them. When I turned back to the man at the end of the car, a sledgehammer hit me in the chest taking my breath away, I passed out. I never heard the sharp bark of a small caliber pistol followed by the boom of a service revolver.
    I became conscious of a pain in my chest and a very loud ringing sound. Then voices above the ringing sound. The voices were saying, "Are you OK?"
    Slowly my vision cleared and the first face was that of an old friend. "Rick!" I smiled.
    "Boy am I glad to hear you talk again."
    I turned my head, my wife was sitting across from me, tears running down her face, James was still at my side, clenching my right hand, I was leaning against him.
    "You're a lucky man, Mr. Smith," said a doctor standing to the right of Rick, "You'll be sore for a while and it may hurt to breath and to talk, but you will be just fine. I can't detect any broken ribs, but I think you should have them x-rayed as soon as possible. Your vital signs are all normal. Let me check you eyes and ears." When he finished, "I can't do anything more for you. Call me if anything changes," and he left.
    My wife moved forward and took my other hand, tears continued to run down her face. "I just lost my breath, what's everyone so upset about?
    Broken ribs? Fill me in Rick."
    "You're a very lucky man, Jim. Very lucky indeed.
    Lefty's right hand man tried to kill you. He won't try again. The nightmare is over Jim, it's finally over.
    I've trailed him ever since he was released from prison. I tried to catch him violating the law so I could sent him back and at the same time he was trying to get us without being caught."
    My wife let go of my hand and motioned Rick to sit. He took the seat next to my wife. She move forward and took my hand again.
    "I was a half a car behind him when he entered this car and was at the door when he shot. He was going to shoot again, but I didn't let him have a second chance, I opened the door and shot him in the back before he could pull the trigger. He never saw me, to bad.
    DAM IT.
    I wanted him to know I got him."
    Rick had an odd look on his face; anger, sorrow, sadness, relief, and joy all at the same time. Tears filled his eyes and he turned to the window.
    No one said anything for a while, then Rick turned to me. "I picked up his pistol and ran to check you. People in the car tried to get out and people from other cars were trying to get in. I told a man at each end to stop anyone from entering. They did until the conductors came and ushered everyone out and locked both doors. They found a doctor and brought him to check you. He's helping them put the dead man in the luggage car.
    When I reached you, I thought for sure you were dead. I felt for a pulse, I couldn't find any and then very faint. I put my hand on your chest and I could feel you breath. I can not describe what I felt at moment."
    His eyes filled with tears and the odd look came again. "I could see a hole in your shirt, but no blood. I unbuttoned your shirt and opened it.
    I almost fell on the floor when I discovered a hollow point bullet imbedded in your pet rock. You are a lucky man, Jim, very lucky, all the timing, everything when your way." He turned his head to the window and shook his head for several seconds. James and my wife asked many questions at the same time.
    "Whoa," said Rick, one at a time.
    After a pause, James said, "Does this mean, all the stories dad has been telling me, all these years are true, even the one about you and dog, mom?" Softly, "Yes," Rick nodded agreement.
    The trauma of this event and the ramifications of all the past stories were to much for James, the blood drained from his face, he sat very ridged, then he put his head between his knees to keep from fainting.
    "Where are the children?" From behind me a conductor said, "I'll get them."
    We spent the next several hours calming and reassuring each other. The conductors told the other passengers what had happened and that everything was back to normal. They let people return to the car with instructions not to disturb us and reassigned the seats we occupied.
    Eventually, the children and their mother went into the observation dome and we went to the club car. We drank soda water and coffee and told stories. Rick and I brought each other up to date. James asked mom to tell her story, Rick concurred.
    "I'm not up to it."
    I tried to talk, but it hurt.
    "I think James should know the background, let me tell him." We nodded agreement and Rick began.

    With Jim's help, I sent Lefty and four of his men to prison. Lefty knew who was responsible because I never appeared at their trial, he vowed revenge. Jim was my backup and prevented my premature demise several times, only Lefty and his back up man knew Jim.
    With time off for good behavior, Lefty and three others got out of jail early. By accident they discovered our undercover office. By that time only a few people on our staff knew lefty or any of his men. One of them came in to request our services and no one recognized him and he was able to 'case the joint'.
    Lefty planned an all out attack on our office on a Monday morning. Usually everyone was present Monday morning, but Jim's plane was late. As he walked across the lobby, Lefty's backup man made a cardinal mistake, a look of recognition crossed his face when he saw Jim. Jim knew something was wrong because he didn't know him.
    He turned and went back out the revolving door, with the backup man on his heels. He made another mistake by not anticipating what Jim would do. Instead of going out he kept going around and pushed as hard as he could. The increase in speed caught him off guard, he stumbled and fell out the door.
    Jim ran across the lobby and pulled the fire alarm before the backup man could catch him. The flood of people coming out of the building pushed them into the street. Jim moved with the people, caught up with the backup man, and hit him with his pet rock.
    When the firemen and police arrived, Jim took the police to him, told them what he had done, and what he thought was happening. The firemen stayed outside while Jim and the police went in.
    Most of us were sitting at our desks drinking coffee and getting ready for the new week when the fire alarm went off. Lefty and his men were already in our reception area. I ran into the office hallway, I was going to check the elevator and stairway for smoke. Two men were walking toward me, I knew something was wrong and dove back into my office, two bullets slammed into my leg, now I walk with a limp.
    My momentum cause me to slide across the floor next to my desk. I opened the bottom drawer, got my gun, and shot them. They weren't very cautious or smart, they ran directly into my office and didn't expect me to be on the floor.
    Gun shots were almost continuous. I dragged myself to the door. With my head and gun on the floor, I moved into the hallway. I shot everyone I didn't recognize. With the hallway secured, the gun fire stopped. I yelled to my people. A few responded and I directed the counter attack. Some how two escaped, the rest were killed.
    We lost our custodian, our receptionist, and two undercover detectives, plus myself and two others wounded. The media had a field day. Our pictures and names were everywhere for the next two weeks. Jim had to testify at the backup man's trial. With our cover blown and our identities known, neither of us could continue our undercover work. We were reassigned to desk jobs, which neither of us could stand. In our spare time we tried to find the two who got away, we were unsuccessful.
    Unfortunately, they were, they followed Jim to your home. No one notified us when Lefty's right-hand man was released from jail. They waited until the backup man was released before they made their move.
    I was waiting for the backup man, too. He led me to the others, but they must have spotted me because they split and I ended up following Lefty's right-hand man while the other three went to Chicago.
    Jim resigned after the backup man went to jail and never returned to New York, I retired after the other three were killed at your place, but I continued to follow Lefty's right-hand man.
    Many years passed without having a reason to put him back in jail and at the same time trying to make sure he was never in a position to kill either one of us. Those years just came to an end. I don't know whether he knew you were on this train, I didn't, until I ran to check who he shot.
    Can you imagine my shock?"
    After a moment of silence, "Can you tell your story now, mom?"
    "No, in awhile maybe."
    No one felt like talking, so we ordered dessert. The children and their mother came a few minutes after the table was cleared. The children were convinced to try to sleep, they reluctantly agreed. Another half hour passed saying good night. James joined his wife to tuck them in bed. We chit chatted until they returned. After a few more minutes of small talk, my wife said, "I think I can tell my story. Do you remember when it happened, James."
    "Do I!
    Jane and I were at grandma's summer home and when we returned, I had never seen you so upset and you wouldn't tell us why. We asked how you got all those scratches and bruises and you never answered.
    I will never forget that.
    Later, when dad began to tell his stories, I would not or could not believe him."
    "I couldn't tell you, I couldn't talk to your father about it. I relive that day, every time I think about it. Please understand and forgive me. I'm having trouble now because of what happened that day, but I need to talk even though it's difficult, it seems to help some how." Her voice was calm.

    You left on Monday and on Friday my ordeal began. It was a lovely day and my first day without morning sickness in a long time. I felt good and decided to work in the flower garden after breakfast. I receive the shock of my life when I came in for lunch.
    Three of lefty's gang were waiting for me. One was behind the door and closed it very quickly to prevent Dog from coming in. "We don't want to hurt you or the dog unless you don't cooperate," another said. "He will open the door part way and let the dog's head in, we want you to put two leases on him. If you do that no one will get hurt."
    To emphasize his point, he put the barrel of his revolver against my nose. At first I was too terrorized to move, I could only shake my head. They gave me a leash and opened the door just enough to let Dog's head in.
    I grabbed his collar and snapped the leash. One of them grabbed it and pulled it tight. Another gave me a second leash and after it was snapped he told me to throw it out the door. One of them ran out another door and around the house and picked up the other lease.
    Dog tried to attack the minute they opened the door wider, but the men moved out of reach in opposite directions. They followed me to the pen with Dog between them. They threaded one leash through the fence from the inside and pulled Dog tight to the fence and removed the one on the inside. They shut the gate and latched it and made sure he couldn't get out, then they removed the last leash. Dog began to bark the minute he was released.
    On the way back they told me to fix lunch, "Make it a big lunch, we have a long time to wait." After lunch they told me I could do anything as long as I did it within their sight. I did the dishes and the usual household chores. I relaxed a little because they were jovial and didn't interfere with anything I chose to do. I will never know if they would have done what they did if I hadn't decided to change my clothes. Later, I thought it was a grave mistake.
    One went with me and stood in the bedroom door. After a few minutes, he yelled to the others to come and watch. By the time they arrived I was finished. "She's a real looker, you should've seen her."
    "Do it again, honey."
    "What?"
    "Change your clothes for us, we want to see, too." I hesitated, but he waved his pistol.
    They laughed and applauded. When I finished I returned to the living room. They followed at a distance and made comments about how I walked and how my hips moved. Their mood didn't change, but they watched every move I made. I tried to keep busy. I knew sooner or later I would have to go to the bathroom and I was afraid of what might happen.
    Finally, I could wait no longer, they followed, but stayed outside the door. "Look how she spreads out on the seat. Wouldn't you like to grab that."
    "I sure would."
    I tried to leave, but they wouldn't move from the doorway. If I was going to leave, I had to squeeze between them, as I did they fondled me. "You're right, she's a real looker and feels good too."
    When I reached the living room, one said, "I think we should have some entertainment to pass the time. What'd you think?"
    "What'd you have in mind?"
    "She could dance for us, maybe a little striptease."
    I grew tense, but when nothing more was said or done, I picked up a magazine and tried to read. When they discussed how they were going to get Jim, who was going to do what and when, their mood changed. They became nervous and paced the floor. It was mid afternoon and they had a long time to wait.
    The first lookout came in before he was relieved, "Take my place." He found a deck of cards and played solitaire. The other stopped pacing the floor when he saw our record player. He searched for a record, started the record, grabbed my arm, pulled me to my feet, and said, "let's dance." I didn't think I had a choice, so I danced with him. The next record, he held me closer, the next, he fondled me, and the next, he unfastened my clothes. I told him to stop several times, but it was like talking to a brick wall.
    "Leave her alone."
    "Keep your mouth shut."
    I knew what was going to happen, but I didn't know what to do about it. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and carried me into the bedroom. When I didn't do what he wanted, he hit me so hard I was driven to the floor. When he finished he told the other it was his turn, they argued. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but when they stopped the other came into the bedroom and that is how they spent their last hours, taking turns raping me.
    Minutes before Jim came home, the lookout came in yelling, "If that damn dog doesn't stop barking I'm going to kill him."
    "Stay in here, you can't hear'm in here. I'll go out."
    He was halfway between the tool shed and the dog pen when Jim drove up the driveway. He was out of position and couldn't warn the others. He circled the tool shed and stood behind and between two tall lilac bushes with his gun ready. Jim saw Dog jumping up and down and instead of driving to the house, he stopped at the dog pen. He thought it odd and asked Dog, "What are you doing in the pen? What's the matter boy?"
    When Jim opened the gate, Dog took off on a dead run toward the house. He came to a quick stop when he picked up the lookout's scent. He sniffed in both directions and circled around the tool shed with his nose to the ground.
    Jim walked toward the house, he though Dog was chasing an animal. Before Jim passed the tool shed, dog saw the lookout, he was so intend on getting Jim he never heard Dog come pounding up from behind. Dog's front feet hit him in the middle of his back, slamming him to the ground. His gun went flying and Dog rolled between the bushes.
    Jim cleared the tool shed as Dog made contact. He ran to the man and hit him with his pet rock when he moved. Dog got up, sniffed him, and ran to the house. Jim picked up his gun and ran after Dog. Jim knew no one else was outside because Dog had circled the house twice before he reached the back door.
    The one playing cards at the kitchen table looked up when Jim opened the door. It was the last move he would make. Later, Jim said, "It sounded like a bear trap snapping shut." Dog moved across the kitchen and had him by the throat before Jim was inside the door. Jim hit him with his rock and when he didn't move, Dog let go.
    Before Jim could move, Dog tore into the hallway, when the one on top of me said, "What was that noise." He straightened his elbows to lift his body up and raised his head to hear better and turned his head toward the door as Dog came flying through the air. Instinctively, I covered my face with my arms and curled into a ball as soon as I could. I could hear jaws snap when Dog missed, a scream when he didn't. I could feel Dog clawing at anything and everything in order to get a better footing from which to attack. Jim ran into the room and dove on top of me. He knew better than to try to stop Dog.
    When the only noise was growling, Jim got up to see the aftermath. "Don't look." He pulled a sheet from the bed and covered both because Dog would not let go. Jim held me for a long time. When our pulse was near normal, he told me to shower and put antiseptic on the claw wounds. He removed his torn clothing and did the same. After dressing, we went into the living room and sat on the couch. Again we held each other for a long time.
    Jim slapped his forehead with his hand, "I forgot the one outside." He jumped up and ran out. Dog let go and ran after Jim. He was still where they had left him. A small old lilac stump had pierced his eye when he hit the ground and he died from shock. The one in the kitchen suffocated on his own blood. The one in the bedroom bled to death. Jim didn't even attempt to stop his bleeding, K-nine puncture wounds covered his body plus large gaping tears in his flesh.
    Jim rolled each one in a sheet and dragged them into the garage and laid them side by side. We sat at the kitchen table and tried to stop from shaking as our adrenaline levels subsided and rationality returned.
    Suddenly it occurred to both of us, "We should call the police." We looked at each other and laughed almost to hysteria. I was nearly hysterical when Dog came into the bedroom. I wanted them to stop, but at the same time, I didn't want them to stop. I was frighten out of my wits by not knowing what they would do went they did stop. Conflict like that does funny things to the mind.
    To add to my trauma, I aborted the next morning. It took more than a month to recover my composure and Dog wouldn't let me out of his sight. Even now, I'm not completely healed. Jim never told anyone one what he was doing, he couldn't, it would be to risky.
    In a way I'm glad he didn't tell me. I was a very naive young woman. Things like that were not supposed to happen in my world, I was completely unprepared, but then again I don't know how anyone could be prepared.
    Surprisingly, when Jim began to tell his stories some ten years later it helped me recover. I don't understand it, but it did." She stopped and obviously she was not going to say any more.
    "Thanks mom. I think I can replay my tape and set the record straight. Forgive me dad, for not believing you."
    "It's OK son, I understand." After a long pause, I said, "It's obvious to me that we have talked ourselves out, but none of us can sleep. I need to talk even if it hurts."
    James said, "Tell us the story about Doc."
    "Good idea. I've never told the story before and it doesn't involve any of you, maybe it will take your minds off present events and let you sleep. Are you agreeable?" My daughter in-law said, "Let me check on the children first, but don't start without me, I want to hear your story dad."
    Everyone got up and walked around or went to the bathroom or both. One by one they returned and their comments indicated agreement with my assessment of the situation. Maybe they didn't want to hear my story, but they didn't have anything else to do and they couldn't sleep. When everyone returned, I began.

Return to Headless Table of Contents