Crazy Hole Time Travelers by Gary Whitmore - HTML preview

Bart jumped up on the horse, and they rode out of town.

Bart woke up back to reality. He looked around and noticed he was still in his jail cell, then noticed the wall was still intact. "Fuck!" he fumed, realizing he had a dream.

He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

Charlie had a dream on his bunk in his cell.

In Charlie's dream, he was running through the desert. He ran inside a cave, ran through the cave, and ran out of the cave.

Charlie was walking down the sidewalk in modern Phoenix.

"Hi, Charlie," said a sexy female with red hair while she walked past him.

"We're so glad you came back, Charlie. We missed you so very much," said another sexy female with black hair while she walked past him and blew him a kiss.

"I missed you, Charlie," said a sexy female with blonde hair while she walked up to him.

She stopped at Charlie and gave him a passionate kiss.

Back to reality.

Charlie was on his bunk in his jail cell, kissing the air.

He woke up and looked around for that sexy blonde female. She was gone. It took a few seconds for him to realize he had a dream, and he was back in 1883 in a jail cell in Oak Creek.

He wanted to cry, closed his eyes, and hoped to return to that kissing dream.

An hour passed.

Dalton woke up when the sun started peeking through the windows of the Marshal's Office.

Jimmy was sound asleep on his bunk in his cell.

Charlie was sound asleep on his bunk in his cell.

Bart was wide awake, pacing back and forth in his cell. He knew that today would be the day he would meet his maker.

While Dalton made a coffee pot, he occasionally glanced at Bart pacing in his cell. Dalton was actually a bit nervous about today. He read about these hangings in the history books, and today, he would witness one.

He glanced at the wall behind his desk and saw the calendar. It’s Tuesday, September 25th, 1883. “I’m back here on this day again,” he whispered.

He walked over to one of the windows at the front of the office, glanced outside, and saw the wooden gallows with a new rope installed last night. Dalton remembered how he and Chrissy saw Bart's dead body hanging at the end of that rope.

He wondered if he used a pair of binoculars, could he see Chrissy and himself off in the desert looking at Oak Creek?

Gave a light chuckle at that thought.

He also saw people leaving the train station and arriving in Oak Creek to watch Bart Stone die.

He walked back to his desk and sat down. He waited.

Zeke arrived at the Marshal's Office the second the coffee was ready.

Dalton and Zeke escorted all of their prisoners out to the outhouse. They were extremely cautious with escorting Bart.

After the three were placed back in their cells, Annie and Sally brought four breakfast plates with eggs and bacon.

Annie passed Charlie's breakfast plate between the opening in the cell door.

Sally passed Jimmy's breakfast plate between the opening of the cell door.

"Hey, where's my breakfast?" said Bart, his nose sticking out between the bars of his cell door.

"Sorry, Bart, the Mayor figured it would be a waste to feed you before your hanging," said Zeke, and he had no sympathy for Bart as Zeke always liked Elmer.

The door to the Marshal's Office opened, and Mayor Mason stepped inside.

"Good morning, Marshal," he said while walking to Dalton's desk.

"Good morning, Mayor," said Dalton, standing at the desk.

Mayor Mason glanced at Bart's cell and saw him nervously sitting on his bunk.

Bart stared at the floor. He was fuming yet scared and was also fuming because of Charlie's testimony in court and Jimmy’s failure to break him out of jail.

Mayor Mason glanced down at his watch. "I'll meet you at the gallows in ten minutes," he said.

"Okay, Mayor," said Dalton.

Mayor Mason turned around and walked back to the door, leaving the office.

Ten minutes had passed. A crowd of Oak Creek town folk and folk from other towns started to gather at the gallows.

Chrissy decided to show up and stay in the rear of the crowd for this hanging.

The door of the Marshal's Office opened. Mayor Mason walked with Oak Creek town folk Ernie Woods and James Hallmark. Ernie and James had Winchester rifles in hand.

"We're ready, Marshal Trevor," said Mayor Mason.

Ernie and James cocked their Winchesters and were ready to put a bullet in Bart if he attempted to escape.

Zeke walked over to the wall by the rifle rack and removed the leg and arms handcuffs.

Dalton walked over and unlocked Bart's jail cell door. He removed his Colt 45 from his holster and opened the cell door.

Bart rushed to the wall and looked defiant and scared in the corner.

Ernie and James had their rifles aimed at Bart, ready to fire.

Dalton heard footsteps on the roof of the building. He looked over at Mayor Mason for an answer.

"Someone's up there to ensure Bart doesn't escape. I also have other riflemen on other roofs and at the train station," said the Mayor. "Remember what happened with that Kissing Bandit?"

Dalton nodded; he understood.

Zeke stepped inside Bart's jail cell with the leg and arm handcuffs.

Dalton stepped inside and stood in the cell doorway with his Colt 45 ready to fire.

Zeke walked over and installed the leg cuffs on Bart without any resistance. He installed the arm cuffs on Bart without any resistance. Maybe Bart figured that getting shot would be a lot more painful than being hung. Especially if he lingered with a painful bullet wound.

Zeke grabbed Bart's right arm and walked him out of the jail cell.

Dalton, Ernie, and James had their guns aimed at the back of Bart while Zeke walked him to the office's front door.

Outside on Main Street, it was filled with spectators for this event.

Blue Earl and his gang members walked down from the Saloon, where their horses had died, to the hitching posts. They walked up to the spectators crowding near the gallows.

Deke walked away from the gang and started chatting with some other spectators.

Chrissy walked down the street and headed to the spectators.

The crowd waited.

After chatting with a few folks, Deke returned to Blue Earl and the other gang members.

All eyes turned to the door of the Marshal's Office when it opened. It got quiet.

Mayor Mason was the first to walk out of the office.

Behind him was Bart in his cuffs, escorted by Zeke.

Dalton, Ernie, and James trailed with their guns aimed at the back of Bart.

Dalton glanced around and saw two men with Winchesters at the train station.

He saw a rifleman on the Barbershop roof and a man with a Winchester on the Marshal's Office roof.

Bart saw the crowd. He saw the rope dangling at the gallows, waiting for his neck. Bart's legs got weak and became rubber.

He dropped down to the dirt.

Zeke lost his grip, and Bart hit the dirt face-first.

Dalton shoved his pistol in his holster and rushed over to Bart. He grabbed Bart's left arm while Zeke grabbed Bart's right arm. They brought Bart up to his feet with his face full of dirt. Bart dragged his boots in the dirt while Dalton and Zeke walked him to the gallows steps.

Dalton and Zeke had difficulty taking Bart up the wooden steps with a thump, thump, thump sound while Bart dragged his boots.

"No, no, you can't do this," Bart quietly pleaded while they dragged him closer to the noose.

Dalton and Zeke walked Bart and stood him behind the noose.

Ernie and James stood behind Bart with their Winchesters aimed at his back.

Bart glanced at the crowd. He looked across the street and saw Harvey Robbins standing by his horse and wagon by his furniture shop. Leaning up against his shop with the freshly made pine box. But that coffin was initially built for John Mathers. But that hanging went differently than planned a few days ago.

Bart decided to be brave and didn't want to be remembered as a yellow-belly. He accepted the fact he was going to die.

Bart’s scared eyes turned to fierce as he stared at the crowd. He loathed them for coming here to watch him die like it was some type of entertainment.

Mayor Mason removed a folded piece of paper from his suit coat pocket. He unfolded it. "By order of Judge Wilbur Peabody and the Court of Oak Creek. The town of Oak Creek hereby hang Bart Stone for the murder of Elmer Filson, the deputy of Oak Creek," Mayor Mason addressed the crowd while he read the piece of paper.

Dalton glanced at the crowd. He smiled the second he saw Chrissy standing at the back of the group. Then, he suddenly got concerned. He spotted Blue Earl Olson and gang members Frankie Nixon, Deke Clinton, Bo Johnson, and Hank Bush standing behind Chrissy. “What the fuck are he and his gang doing back in town?” he wondered. He realized,” he thought.

He removed his eyes off Blue Earl Olson and spotted an Indian standing way off to the right in front of the Barber Shop.

He didn't recognize this Indian, but it was the tracker and time traveler Merijildo.

Mayor Mason glanced at Dalton and Zeke to see who would place the noose around Bart's neck. Dalton nodded, grabbed the rope, and put it around Bart's neck.

"Fuck you all to hell!" yelled out Bart, spraying spit. "And damn you to hell, Charlie Chandler," he yelled while Dalton tightened the noose around Bart's neck.

Dalton stepped away.

Mayor Mason nodded at Zeke.

Zeke walked over and moved the lever. The trap door underneath Bart's boots swung open.

The crowd watched while Bart's body dropped through the opening. A crack sound was heard; the second Bart's neck snapped. Some of the people cringed over that sound.

Chrissy couldn't believe she witnessed someone being killed. That snapping of Bart's neck made her sick to her

stomach. She turned around, rushed off, heading to the schoolhouse.

Blue Earl Olson turned around and eyed Chrissy while she rushed away. “ Is that her?" he asked his gang members.

"According to one of the town folk, she is," said Frankie.

"She sure a purdy one," said Deke with a grin that showed off his rotten brown teeth.

Hank and Bo nodded, agreeing with Deke. They all lusted after Chrissy, and we're talking saliva-dripping lust.

"You'll have to wait for that, boys," said Blue Earl Olson.

“We need to get out of here for now," he ordered.

The crowd watched while Bart's lifeless body dangled from the rope. They spotted urine dripping down the inside of Bart's left pant leg and down the side of his right boot.

Dalton stared at Bart, swinging from the rope. He looked at the crowd and saw Chrissy rushing off down the street.

Dalton spotted Blue Earl Olson and his three gang members getting on their horses.

The crowd started to disperse, getting tired of seeing Bart's lifeless body dangling from the rope.

Blue Earl Olson and his gang galloped their horses through the crowd, scattering people in different directions.

Dalton watched while Blue Earl Olson’s gang galloped out of town. He was relieved for the moment.

Mayor Mason, Dalton, Zeke, Ernie, and James walked off the gallows.

Harvey moved his horse and wagon over to the gallows.

Mayor Mason, Dalton, and Zeke headed to the Marshal's Office while Ernie and James walked in another direction.

Harvey stopped the horse at the gallows by Bart, grabbed a knife off the wagon. He walked over to Bart and cut the rope with the knife. Bart's lifeless body dropped to the dirt with a thud. He grabbed Bart by his arms and dragged him with Bart’s boots to his wagon, leaving two trails in the dirt.

Zeke saw Harvey and rushed over to him.

Zeke helped Harvey toss Bart's lifeless body in the wagon.

Zeke walked off to the Marshal's Office while Harvey walked his horse and wagon back to his shop. Harvey would later bury Bart's body in an unmarked grave in Oak Creek's graveyard.

Merijildo walked from the Barber's Shop and headed to the Marshal's Office.

Dalton, Zeke, and Mayor Mason drank coffee when Merijildo entered the Marshal's Office.

"Merijildo," said Mayor Mason the second he saw the Indian. "Have some good news for me?"

"No," he said while he walked up to Mayor Mason.

"Oh, where are my manners? Merijildo, this is Dalton Trevor. He's the temporary Marshal until Clint returns to Oak Creek. Dalton, this is Merijildo. He's the best tracker in this area," said Mayor Mason.

Merijildo and Dalton shook hands, but there was something about Dalton that Merijildo thought was odd. But it was the right kind of strange.

"Me not find Clint," said Merijildo.

"Can't find him? Are you sure?" said Mayor Mason.

"Me sure. I think Clint will leave the area. Maybe go to San Francisco," said Merijildo, and he looked serious, trying to hide the fact that he knew precisely where Clint was.

"Well, I would never believe Clint would leave his job as Town Marshal," said Mayor Mason, looking disappointed.

"Maybe need change," said Merijildo, and then he looked sad thinking about Clint living way off in the future. He missed his friend. "I go now."

Mayor Mason reached into his suit pocket and removed five Silver dollar coins. "Thank you, Merijildo," said Mayor Mason, handing Merijildo the money.

Merijildo stuffed the coins in his pants pocket and then walked to the front door. He left the office.

"I still can't believe Clint would abandon Oak Creek like that," said Mayor Mason, then he walked off and headed to the door. "He's gone," muttered Mayor Mason while he left the office.

Dalton walked over and sat down at his desk. He couldn't help but relive Bart's hanging in his head.

Hours had passed, and it was in the early evening.

Zeke just finished a cup of coffee. He got up from his desk. "I'll be back," said Zeke, and he headed over to the rear door and went outside to use the outhouse.

Dalton sat down and thought about Clint being back in the future.

The door to the Marshal's office opened.

Dalton's eyes widened with joy when he saw Chrissy enter the office.

"Hi," he said while standing up.

"Hi," she said while walking over to him. "Let's go have some dinner," she said when she approached him.

"Sure," said Dalton and gave her a light kiss on her lips.

The rear door opened, and Zeke returned from the outhouse.

"Hello, Miss Barron," said Zeke, walking over to his desk.

"Hello, Mister Cooper," said Chrissy.

"We're going out for some dinner," said Dalton.

"Take your time," Zeke walks over to the potbelly stove and drinks a cup of coffee.

He sat down at his desk while Dalton and Chrissy left the office.

Dalton and Chrissy walked down the street.

"Some day, huh?" said Chrissy.

"I know, I'm still thinking about Bart's hanging," he said.

"I know. It wasn't what I expected," said Chrissy.

"But you have to admit that justice is swift during these times. Not like in our day when it takes years and years to execute a killer," said Dalton. "Like it did with Ted Bundy."

"I know."

Dalton and Chrissy remained quiet except for the "Hello"

greetings from numerous Oak Creek town folk.

Dalton and Chrissy went inside the restaurant and were soon seated. They ordered a ham dinner.

"Hello, Marshal Trevor," said Mayor Mason while he walked up to Dalton's table. "And Miss Barron."

"Hello, Mayor Mason," said Dalton.

"Mayor," said Chrissy.

"Dalton, I've been thinking. Since Merijildo said Clint isn't returning to Oak Creek, I thought you could be our permanent town Marshal." "You've done a good job so far."

Dalton thought about his offer for a few seconds. He smiled. "I would like that, Mayor."

"Good," said Mayor Mason, then he looked at Chrissy.

"And I hope you'll stay on as our permanent school teacher. You know, since you're getting married and all."

"Yes, I would love that," said Chrissy.

"Now, since you're the official Town Marshal, you'll also get an additional two dollars for every arrest you make. We figure you deserve that for making Oak Creek safe," said Mayor Mason.

"Thank you, Mayor.”

"Yes, thank you, Mayor Mason," said Chrissy.

"Very good. Have a nice meal," said Mayor Mason, who walked away from the table.

Mayor Mason's eyes lit up, and he returned to Dalton and Chrissy's table.

"I forgot. Judge Peabody said to release Jimmy Templeton from jail in the morning. Tell him his horse is at the livery stable.

A Stagecoach will be here the day after tomorrow to take Charlie Chandler to Yuma that morning. It's a five-day ride and back. I'll need you as the Town Marshal to escort Chandler.

You'll get extra pay for that duty. I'll round up two other guys to assist. If Charlie tries to escape, shoot to kill. If anybody tries to help him escape. Shoot to kill," he informed.

"Yes, Mayor," said Dalton.

"Good, and again, have a nice evening," said Mayor Mason, turning around and walking away.

Dalton smiled over the thought that he was the official Town Marshal. An old western Town Marshal.

Chrissy smiled at the thought of being a school teacher.

She was a teacher of polite kids. But that smile turned into a frown, thinking Dalton would be gone for five days.

A waiter brought their two ham dinners to their table.

Dalton and Chrissy ate their dinner.

After they were done dinner, they took a stroll around Oak Creek.

They walked with her right arm tucked under his left arm while they strolled down Main Street.

Five minutes had passed. "How long should we stay here on vacation?" said Chrissy when none of the Oak Creek town folk were within earshot.

Dalton thought about her question for a few seconds. "I don't know. How much longer should we stay?"

Chrissy pondered that question for a few seconds. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"Well, you know, with Crazy Hole, we could stay an extra month and return like we never left two thousand and sixteen,"

he said.

“Then we'll stay here for a month," she said.

Dalton smiled, and then something ran in his mind. It was something that made him nervous. He wondered if he could get up the courage.

Chrissy's frown grew on her face. "I wish you didn't have to go on that Stagecoach ride," she said, deciding to get her feelings out in the open.

"I know, but I have to act as the Town Marshal. This is something they do. So it would be a great old western adventure," he said, but inside, he wasn't totally excited about the trip.

Chrissy thought about his response for a few seconds. She knew she shouldn't stop him. "I guess I'll be busy with my teaching. But I will miss you."

"And I'll miss you also," said Dalton.

Dalton and Chrissy remained quiet during the rest of their stroll around Oak Creek.

They walked to the train station and headed over to the dock.

They sat on the bench and watched the sun drop below the horizon.

Dalton started to get nervous. He opened his mouth to say something. He closed it, chickening out.

Three minutes had passed.

"Chrissy, there's something I want to ask you," he blurted out when he suddenly had the nerve.

"What's that?"

Dalton looked at Chrissy. He knew he had to press onward. He got up off the bench and dropped down on a knee.

He held her right hand. "I was thinking. Since we told people here that we were engaged," he said.

Chrissy's eyes widened. It dawned on her what he was doing on his knee. Her heart raced in anticipation.

"Therefore, I was wondering, ah, I was wondering, ah, I was wondering if you would marry me for real. I mean, not right away. We could get married after we graduate from college," he said with his heart racing.

Chrissy looked at Dalton. She knew he was dead serious.

Those few seconds of silence from here made Dalton nervous she wouldn't accept. "I'll be happy to marry you."

Dalton's eyes widened with joy. He jumped up, grabbed Chrissy's hands, and brought her up to her feet. He kissed her.

The kiss turned passionate.

After kissing, they sat back on the bench and watched the sun drop below the horizon.

Dalton escorted Chrissy down Main Street to her house after the sun settled below the horizon.

They stood in front of her house. "Well, until tomorrow, the future Misses Dalton Trevor," he said, kissing her.

"Good night," said Chrissy. She turned around and walked to the front door of her home.

After she was inside, Dalton walked away and walked down the dirt street with a spring in his step.

He returned to the Marshal's Office and helped Zeke escort the prisoners to the outhouse.

After that, Zeke left, and Dalton went inside the small room and went to bed.

Dalton was on the bunk in the small room. He couldn't sleep as the sound of Bart's neck snapping started to haunt him.

He never saw anybody die before. But he tried to shrug it off.

It's just the job of a lawman. He thought and knew that he might have to shoot someone one day. More outlaws to kill in the future, thinking if he was a lawman in 2016. He now thought about marrying Chrissy, and a smile grew on his face.

He closed his eyes, and soon fell asleep with a smile on his face. Thirty minutes had passed. It was quiet in the Marshal's Office.

"Jimmy," Charlie called out quietly from his jail cell.

"Psst, Jimmy," Charlie quietly called out.

"What?" said Jimmy from his bunk in his jail cell.

"You're going to be released soon," said Charlie.

"Yeah, so what?”

"I have a plan," said Charlie.

"Why should I care if you have a plan?”

"Because I know how we can take loot from our jobs and hide where nobody will ever find us," said Charlie. "Never find us." "What the fuck you talking about?"

"I know a place we can go to. We go inside and come out in a different world," said Charlie.

"What the fuck are you talking about? A different world?"

"I'm talking about," said Charlie, and he paused. "I'm talking about hiding in a place many years from here. A place where it's a different world. A place where the women show off half of their titties," said Charlie.

"Did you say show off half their titties?" said Jimmy, as his interest just peaked.

"Yes, Jimmy. Fancy stagecoaches that go really fast without horses. Tall buildings that almost touch the sky."

"What did you mean, many years from here. That ain't making sense?"

"I'm talking. Crazy hole," said Charlie.

"You say Crazy Hole?" said Jimmy, unsure he heard correctly.

"Yes. I did. Crazy Hole."

There were a few seconds from Jimmy's cell. "I don't know. I heard from the injuns that that cave makes you loco."

"No, it doesn't! I went to Crazy Hole. I'm not loco."

There were a few seconds of silence between Charlie and Jimmy.

"There's a gang we can ride with. Called Devil's Cowboys.

They have fancy machines that you ride on like a horse. They go really fast and are loud."

"Devil's Cowboys?" said Jimmy.

"You need to help me escape, and then I'll take you to the Devil's Cowboys. They'll help us."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. After you leave, you can stop them from taking me to Yuma."

"I'll think about it," said Jimmy while he rolled his eyes.

Charlie looked disappointed. He didn't know how to take Jimmy's response, and started to get nervous, knowing Jimmy was loyal to Bart.

It was again quiet in the main area of the Marshal's Office.

Over at Chrissy's house, she was tucked under the covers in bed. She had a huge smile, thinking about getting married to Dalton. That smile turned into a frown, thinking Dalton would be gone for five days. She already missed him but started thinking about being married, got another loving smile and soon drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 34

It’s Wednesday morning. September 26th, 1883.

Dalton woke up when the sun started shining through the windows of the Marshal’s office.

After the morning trip to the outhouse, he made coffee on the Potbelly stove. He sat at his desk and waited.

Zeke entered the Marshal’s Office while the coffee was percolating.

“Bathroom breaks for the prisoners?” said Zeke while he walked up to Dalton.

“Sure.”

Dalton and Zeke used the arm and leg cuffs, escorted Charlie to the outhouse, then escorted Jimmy.

After they had the prisoners back in their jail cells, Mary entered the Marshal’s Office with two plates of breakfast for the prisoners.

Dalton took the plates from Mary, who gave him sweet eyes. She wished he wasn’t engaged to Chrissy.

Dalton gave the two prisoners their breakfast plates while Mary left the office.

After eating, Dalton looked at Jimmy sitting in his cell. He removed the key ring off the wall by the gun rack.

He walked over to Jimmy’s cell, shoved the skeleton key in the lock, and turned it. The cell door unlocked with a click. He opened the door.

Jimmy got up off his bunk.

“Judge Peabody said you can go, Jimmy. Your horse is at the livery stable,” said Dalton.

Jimmy walked out of the cell with a spring in his step.

He walked over to Charlie’s cell and looked at Charlie.

Charlie sat on his bunk and saw Jimmy. He saw Jimmy wink at him, and he knew what that wink meant, thinking Jimmy would help him escape during the ride to Yuma.

Charlie smiled at the thought of going back to the future to hide. Jimmy walked away with a spring in his step while walking to the front door and out of the office.

Once Jimmy exited the Marshal’s Office, he made a beeline to the Prickly Cactus Saloon.

Jimmy ran up to the bar once he got inside the Prickly Cactus. “Whiskey,” he told Pete, the bartender.

Pete reached under the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed a glass and poured it from that bottle.

Jimmy placed a silver dollar on the bar. “ Keep it coming,”

he said while he salivated over the sight of that whiskey glass.

He snatched the glass off the bar, gulped down the whiskey, and motioned to Pete to fill it up again. Pete did, and Jimmy snatched up the glass and gulped down that drink. He motioned at Pete to fill his glass up again. Pete did.

Jimmy looked at the glass. He didn’t pick it up. He started to recall his conversation with Charlie last night. “What the fuck was he talking about?” he wondered while he picked up the glass and took another drink. This time, he took smaller sips to savor the whiskey. He only had three silver dollars and now wondered how to replenish his money supply.

Deke Olson and Frankie Nixon entered the saloon. They walked up to the bar and stood next to Jimmy.

“Two beers,” Deke said to Pete, the bartender.

Pete poured two glasses of beer and set them by Deke and Frankie.

Deke paid for the beers, then grabbed his glass, and while he took a sip, he glanced over at Jimmy, who stood to his left.

“You Jimmy Templeton?”

“What if I am?” said Jimmy while he glanced at Deke.

“I hear you tried to spring Bart Stone out of jail.”

“What if I did?” said Jimmy, and he started to get a little leery of this stranger.

“My boss likes that. Shows you a good man,” said Deke

“Who is your boss?”

“Blue Earl Olson,” said Deke.

Jimmy thought about that name for a few seconds. “I hear of him. New Mexico? Right?”

“Yeah,” said Frankie.

“What you doing here in Oak Creek?” asked Jimmy.

“Looking for new opportunities,” said Frankie.

“Yep, I can imagine so since Bart’s dead,” said Jimmy.

“So, want to talk to my boss?” said Deke.

“Why?”

“We could use a good man like you?” Offered Frankie.

Jimmy thought about his offer for a few seconds. He remembered the three silver dollars he had in his pocket.

“Okay,” he said, then took a drink of whiskey. He really didn’t want to ride alone.

Deke and Frankie took a drink of their beer.

After the whiskey and beer, Jimmy left the Prickly Cactus Saloon with Deke and Frankie.

They stood outside Prickly Cactus by Deke and Frankie’s horses.

“Ride with us. We’ll take you to Blue Earl,” said Deke.

“I’ll get my horse at the livery stable.”

Deke and Frankie got on their horses while Jimmy rushed to the livery stable.

Jimmy rode his horse out of the livery stable to Deke and Frankie.

They rode their horses out of Oak Creek.

Thirty minutes had passed, and Deke, Frankie, and Jimmy rode up to Blue Earl’s hideout. It was nestled in the mountains east of Oak Creek behind the cover of a large clump of tall bushes. Behind those bushes was a large rock wall with some other bushes. This was a perfect hiding place.

They got off their horses and tied the reins to some bushes.

They walked over to the rest of the gang.

Blue Earl looked suspicious of Jimmy. “Why the fuck did you bring this stranger here?” he said while placing his hands on the grips of his pistols.

“He’s Jimmy Templeton. He rode with Bart Stone,” said Deke.

“He was in Oak Creek jail for trying to spring Bart from that jail before they hung him,” said Frankie.

“I need a job,” said Jimmy. “I want to join your gang.”

Blue Earl thought about Jimmy’s request for a few seconds.

He got a hint of a smile. “Since you rode with Bart Stone, I guess you know this area purdy well,” said Blue Earl.

“I do,” said Jimmy.

“What’s around here for us?”

Jimmy dropped on his knees to the dirt. He drew a circle in the dirt with his right index finger. “You have Phoenix here,”

he said, then drew another circle at the two o’clock position, keeping the Phoenix in the center.

“This here is Oak Creek,” he said, drawing a circle in the ten o’clock position.

“This here is Stone Valley,” he said, drawing another circle in the eight o’clock position.

“This here is Rattlesnake,” he said, drawing another circle in the four o’clock position.

“And here is Mountain Rock,” he said, then he drew a line connecting all the towns. “And you have the Southern Pacific Rail, Butterfield Overland Stagecoach, and banks,” in all these towns,” he said, standing up.

“All prime for the picking by us,” he smiled while he stood up. Blue Earl stared at Jimmy’s drawing of the area for a few seconds. A tremendous greedy stare came from his eyes. “Yep, I need you in my gang.”

“That would be nice,” said Jimmy with a smile, as he couldn’t wait to get back to what he knew best. Then that smile turned, and he looked upset. “I need to do something, and I could use two guys.”

“What’s that?” said Blue Earl.

“It’s about Charlie Chandler.”

“I heard him in court,” said Blue Earl. “He sang like a canary and got Bart hung.”

“He wanted me to free him during his stagecoach ride to the Yuma prison. Said something about going into Crazy Hole and leading us to a strange land. Said we would be free from getting caught and can ride with another gang called the Devil’s Cowboys. He said they have fancy machines you ride on like a horse. They go really fast and are loud.”

“What the fuck is Crazy Hole? And what kind of gang calls themselves the Devil’s Cowboys that ride on fancy machines? What the fuck is a fancy machine?” said Blue Earl.

“Don’t know about those fancy machines or the Devil’s Cowboys gang. I ain’t hear of them,” said Jimmy. “But I hear of Crazy Hole. It’s a cave that the Injuns say you go inside and come out with loco talk of a strange land with strange things.”

Blue Earl’s ears perked up, and he frowned. “Did you say Crazy Hole is a cave?”

Jimmy nodded that he did.

Blue Earl cringed. “Naw. I’m not going inside any cave.

No fucking way,” he said and looked serious. “Too many fucking bats. I hate fucking bats!”

“That’s okay. Because I don’t want to go to Crazy Hole,”

said Jimmy.

“Then why do you need two of my guys to spring this yellow belly from a stagecoach?”

“Well, Bart was a good friend. An excellent friend! And I know this is what he would have wanted. Payback,” said Jimmy.

“I hope you know the route?”

“Oh, I do. Been there three years ago,” said Jimmy.

Blue Earl pondered his offer for a few seconds. “You can take Hank and Frankie. While you two are gone, Bo, Deke, and I will visit these towns to get familiar with them. We’ll start picking the fruits of our labor in another week,” said Blue Earl with a greedy grin, knowing that coming to this area was smart.

The rest of Wednesday was quiet in Oak Creek and Blue Earl’s hideout.

Dalton and Chrissy had dinner at the restaurant and didn’t talk about his upcoming Stagecoach trip in the morning.

She went home while Dalton returned to the Marshal’s Office to end their day.

It was quiet in the Marshal’s Office during the night.

It’s Thursday morning, September 27th, 1883. Blue Earl and his gang woke up at their hideout.

They all found a secluded place to take their morning piss.

While Blue Earl was pissing in the desert near that clump of bushes, he saw someone on horseback off in the distance away from his hideout. He could see it was an Indian. It was Merijildo. “Fucking Indians,” he cursed as he hated the Indians with a passion. “Only good Indian is a dead Indian,” he said while he shoved his member back in his pants and buttoned them back up.

He walked off to his guys, knowing this Indian on that horse wasn’t a threat.

Back in the Oak Creek Marshal’s Office, Dalton was awake.

After he used the outhouse, he waited for Zeke to arrive.

While he waited, the front door of the Marshal’s Office opened, and Sally walked in with two plates of breakfast.

“I have breakfast for you and the prisoner,” said Sally, and those sparkles in her eyes for Dalton still remained even though she knew he was taken.

“Thank you, Mary,” said Dalton, taking the plate from Sally, then he walked over and sat down at his desk.

She walked over and gave Charlie his plate through the bottom opening of his jail cell bars.

Sally gave Dalton a smile while she headed off to the front door of the office. She left.

When Dalton and Charlie ate breakfast, the office’s front door opened, and Zeke walked inside.

“The Stagecoach should be here in a few. We better get the prisoner ready for transport,” said Zeke while he walked up to Dalton’s desk. “Plus, the Mayor told me he wired Yuma that we’ll be there in a few days. They’ll be waiting for us.”

“Okay, Zeke,” said Dalton, getting up from his desk.

Zeke walked over and got the arm and leg handcuffs off the wall.

Dalton unlocked Charlie’s jail cell door and had his Colt 45

revolver ready to shoot.

After Zeke installed the arm and leg handcuffs on Charlie, they escorted him out to the outhouse.

A Butterfield Overland Stagecoach pulled up and stopped at the Marshal’s office during the outhouse break.

Billy Cooper, the driver, and Mickey Morris, the guard, got off the Stagecoach and headed into the Marshal’s Office.

Mickey had his twelve-gauge Harford Coach shotgun with him.

They entered the office and saw Dalton, Zeke, and Charlie.

“I’m Billy Cooper, and this here is Mickey Morris, my guard,” said Billy while he walked over to Dalton.

“Dalton Trevor, the Town Marshal, and he’s my deputy Zeke Cooper,” said Dalton, and they all shook hands.

Billy saw Charlie in his arm and leg cuffs. “I see our prisoner is ready.”

“Yep,” said Dalton.

“Let’s get going,” said Billy.

Dalton and Zeke escorted Charlie out of the office, and Billy and Mickey trailed behind. Two Winchesters and a shotgun were pointed at his back in case he tried to escape.

They saw Mayor Mason with Ernie and James standing by the Stagecoach when they got outside. Ernie and James had Winchester rifles in hand.

“Ernie and James will help out and have orders to shoot to kill Charlie if he tries to escape,” said Mayor Mason. “And we packed some food supplies in the coach,” he added.

Charlie didn’t like hearing the shoot to kill if he escaped.

He silently prayed Jimmy Templeton would not mess up this attempt to free him.

“Thank you, Mayor,” said Dalton, then he sensed something. He looked to his left and saw Chrissy standing outside the Court House with some of the other Oak Creek town folk. They gathered to watch Charlie head off to prison.

It was events like this that entertained them in the old West.

Dalton gave Chrissy a little wave. He saw her short wave back.

Ernie got inside the Stagecoach.

Dalton put Charlie in the Stagecoach. He got inside and sat beside Charlie’s right with Ernie at Charlie’s left.

James got inside the Stagecoach, sitting across from them.

Billy and Mickey climbed up and sat in the bench seat.

Chrissy watched from the Court House while the Stagecoach pulled away and made a U-turn on the street.

She already missed Dalton while she continued to watch the Stagecoach ride out of Oak Creek.

When the Stagecoach was out of sight, Chrissy walked away and headed down the street to the schoolhouse.

The Stagecoach was thirty minutes on the dusty trail of the desert.

James looked at Dalton. “So, Marshal Dalton, where do you hail from?”

“Hail from?” said Dalton, unsure he understood the question.

“Yeah, hail from?” repeated James.

Dalton thought about his question for a few seconds. It dawned on him what he meant, so he had to develop a believable story quickly. “I hail from,” he said, then paused. “I hail from Pittsburgh,” he said, then paused again.

“Pittsburgh,” said James. “I heard of it. The place where coal comes from.”

“Why did you come out here?” said Ernie.

“The snow. I hated the freezing weather and the snow,”

said Dalton.

James and Ernie looked like they could understand the reason.

Charlie glanced over at Dalton. Then something felt odd about this new Marshal who suddenly rode into Oak Creek while they were going to hang Bart. “Are you sure you’re not from Phoenix?”

Dalton felt caught. “Ah, no, I’m from Pittsburgh. I was only in Phoenix once to buy a horse to ride into Oak Creek,” he said and silently prayed that everybody would believe him.

“Ever been to Crazy Hole?” said Charlie.

Dalton didn’t respond for a few seconds while he pretended he was thinking about that question. “Nah, I never heard of Crazy Hole. What’s that?”

“Some stupid Injun crazy talk of a cave outside in the area in the mountains,” said James.

“Yeah, stupid Injun, crazy talk that if you go inside that cave, you will come out crazy with talk of a strange land,” added Ernie in a sarcastic tone.

“Have any of you ever been to this so-called Crazy Hole?”

said Dalton.

“No way, I don’t want to change it,” said James.

Ernie nodded in agreement.

“I ain’t been in that cave,” said Charlie with a hint of a smirk, knowing he would soon be back in Crazy Hole for his best hideout. “Ain’t never been in that cave.”

Dalton glanced over at Charlie. “Liar!” he wanted to respond, as he knew of Charlie’s venture into the future.

It remained quiet in the Stagecoach while it trekked down the dusty trail.

Over at Blue Earl’s hideout, Jimmy, Hank, and Frankie got in their saddles on their horses.

They rode off in the desert, heading in a southwesterly direction.

Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo sat around the campfire, drinking coffee and eating dried beef for breakfast.

An hour had passed, and the Stagecoach was still making its way through the desert. It was now riding not too far from the Gila River. This allowed them close access to some water for the horses and the men.

Dalton had an hour’s experience with a real old western Stagecoach ride in the desert. He found it to be bumpy and dusty. Yet he still enjoyed the trip.

Thirty minutes behind the Stagecoach rode Jimmy, Hank, and Frankie. Hot on their trail keeping a safe distance behind.

While Jimmy and the guys were tracking the Stagecoach, Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo got in the saddles of their horses and rode off in the desert.

Back in Oak Creek, Chrissy started class with her students, but her mind was on Dalton. She began missing him.

An hour passed, and the Stagecoach stopped for a bathroom break in the desert.

Over in the Mountain Rock Marshal’s Office, Rusty sat at his desk drinking coffee. He noticed three cowboys riding into town, and then his gut suddenly told him that there was something wrong with these guys. He got up from his chair.

Rusty walked over to the windows and peeked outside, watching the three strangers ride up to the Thirsty Savior Saloon, get out of their saddles, and tie their horses to the hitching post.

They stood by their horses and scanned up and down Main Street. They spotted the bank.

Blue Earl nodded, saying that they should go inside the Thirsty Savior.

They went inside.

Back at the Marshal’s Office, Rusty walked to the front door and went outside.

The Thirsty Savior Saloon was quiet when Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo strutted up to the bar.

“Three beers,” Blue Earl told the bartender.

The bartender nodded and proceeded to pour three glasses of beer. He set the beer mugs in front of them.

Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo took a drink of their beer while someone walked up behind them.

They looked to their left and saw Rusty, the Town Marshal, strut up to the bar and stand to Blue Earl’s left.

Rusty took a glance at the three strangers. “I take it you’re not from these parts,” said Rusty Moore to Blue Earl.

“Oh, no, Marshal. Just passing through and needed a drink,” said Blue Earl with the kindest voice he could muster up.

“Okay, where you heading?” said Rusty.

“We going to Californie,” said Bo.

“Yepper, we going to Californie,” piped in Deke.

Blue Earl nodded in agreement with his guy’s response.

“Californie. Okay,” said Rusty, and he walked away from the bar. He stopped when he was five feet from the bar and turned around. “I hope we won’t have any trouble while you’re drinking in my town?”

“No, Marshal. No trouble what’s so ever,” smiled Blue Earl. Rusty nodded then turned around and headed to the café door.

He left the saloon, and during his walk back to the Marshal’s Office, his gut told him that these three guys would be in trouble.

When he returned to his Marshal’s Office, he stood by the windows with a cup of coffee. He watched Main Street for Blue Earl and his men.

While he was on his second cup of coffee, Rusty saw Blue Earl, Deke, and Bo ride out of town on their horses. He felt better but still suspicious.

Hours passed.

Billy stopped the Stagecoach close to Gila River. This was the normal spot to camp for the night when going to Yuma.

They set up camp and had a campfire going within thirty minutes.

Not far from that, the campsite was Jimmy, Hank, and Frankie riding on their horses and getting closer.

It was late at night.

Deke was restless at Blue Earl’s hideout. He started pacing around while Blue Earl and Deke sat around the campfire.

“What the fuck is your problem?” said Blue Earl. “

“I’m thirsty,” said Deke.

“Go to the fucking river and get a drink,” said Bo. “I’m not thirsty for water,” said Deke.

Blue Earl thought about Deke’s response for a few seconds. “I could use a drink.”

“Let’s ride to Oak Creek,” said Deke.

“Yeah, let’s ride into Oak Creek,” said Bo while he stood up. “Okay,” said Blue Earl while he stood up.

They walked over to their horses tied to a small bush.

They untied them, got in their saddles, and rode off into the night.

Meanwhile, it was quiet at the Stagecoach campsite.

Dalton decided to take the first watch while everybody else slept. So he sat around then occasionally got up and checked the perimeter. It was quiet, and he just started his two-hour watch.

An hour passed.

Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke rode their horses into Oak Creek.

The town was quiet except for the chatter inside the Prickly Cactus Saloon.

Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke rode their horses down Main Street and stopped at the Prickly Cactus Saloon. They exited their saddles and tied the reins to the hitching post.

Blue Earl and Bo headed to the café doors of the Prickly Cactus. Deke stood by his horse, and Blue Earl noticed.

“Ain’t you coming in?” said Blue Earl. “There’s someone I need to find,” said Deke.

Blue Earl got a little concerned. He walked up to Deke, and they got nose-to-nose. “Don’t you go doing something stupid! We can’t afford to bring unwanted attention to us right now. Understand me?” snarled Blue Earl.

Deke knew he better not piss off Blue Earl. “I won’t. I promise. Just checking something out,” said Deke.

“You better. Don’t take too long,” said Blue Earl, then he turned around and headed over to Bo.

Blue Earl and Bo went inside the Prickly Cactus while Deke rushed off down Main Street, heading to the residential area.

Blue Earl and Bo headed straight to the bar once they entered the Prickly Cactus.

It was still quiet at the Stagecoach campsite. Dalton decided to walk around a little as sitting was getting boring and starting to numb his butt cheeks.

Dalton walked around, stopped hearing something in the desert, listened, and didn’t hear that noise again. He continued walking and headed down toward the Gila River.

Back in Oak Creek, Deke rushed into the residential area.

He snuck over to the first house on his right and immediately peeked in all the windows.

Deke rushed away from that house and snuck over to the house to the left.

Back at the Stagecoach campsite, Dalton walked to the Gila River. He unzipped his pants and peed in the dirt, then heard that noise again while he zipped up his pants and scanned the area. It was quiet again.

He walked away and headed back to the campsite.

Back in Oak Creek, Deke peeked in all of the windows of the second house. He rushed away and snuck off across the street.

He snuck off to the first house on the left side of the street.

Back at the Stagecoach campsite, Jimmy gingerly walked through the site and headed over to Charlie.

He knelt down and placed his right hand on Charlie’s mouth. At the same instant, he used his left hand to shake his body lightly.

Charlie’s eyes opened. They widened the second he felt his mouth was covered. He got scared but sighed in relief when he noticed Jimmy kneeling over him.

Jimmy motioned for Charlie to get up.

Charlie quietly got up to his feet with Jimmy’s assistance.

Jimmy and Charlie gingerly walked away.

While Dalton headed back to the campsite, he heard the faint sound of chains. He got this uneasy feeling something was not right and placed his right hand on the handle of his Colt 45.

Dalton gingerly returned to the campsite and noticed Charlie was gone from where he slept.

He rushed over to Billy and woke him up. “Our prisoner escaped,” he said, whispered the second Billy’s eyes opened.

Billy jumped and woke up Ernie, while Dalton woke up James.

Jimmy and Charlie picked up their pace when they were in the darkness and were a safe distance from the campsite.

They soon arrived, where Frankie and Hank waited with their horses.

“Who are these guys?” said Charlie the second he spotted Frankie and Hank. Then he saw three horses. “Where’s my horse?”

“Down on your knees,” snarled Jimmy.

“What?” said Charlie.

“Down on your fucking knees, you yellow-belly,” said Jimmy. At the same time, he pressed the barrel of his revolver into Charlie’s forehead.

Charlie knew what this meant. His legs shook while he dropped to his knees.

Back in Oak Creek, Deke peeked in all the windows of the first house on the left side of the street.

Deke moved away from that house and snuck to the second house to the left. He started to peek in all of the windows of that house.

Back near the Stagecoach campsite, Charlie was on his knees with Jimmy’s revolver pressed into his forehead.

“I thought you wanted me to take you to Crazy Hole so we could escape for good,” said Charlie.

“Naw. You got Bart killed. He was my friend. Now you’re going to pay for it,” said Jimmy while he cocked his revolver.

Charlie peed his pants over that sound, figuring a bullet would enter his head any second.

Back in Oak Creek, Deke snuck up to Chrissy’s house.

He peeked in the living room window. It was dark inside that room, and nobody was visible.

He snuck around the side and saw a window with a light visible inside that room.

He snuck over and peeked in that window. “Fuck!” he whispered the second he spotted Chrissy while she walked up to her bed in 2016 white panties and bra. The sight of that gave him an instant pump tent in his britches. He started drooling over the sight of her. But then a voice filled his head. It was

Blue Earl’s voice. “Don’t you go doing something stupid? We can’t afford to bring unwanted attention to us right now.

Understand?” Deke was so horny for Chrissy while he watched her get under the covers. He wanted her in the worst way and had the urge to crawl through the window and force his way with her.

Back near the Stagecoach campsite.

“Please don’t do this, Jimmy!” pleaded Charlie.

“Hurry up and get this over with,” said Hank.

“Yeah,” said Frankie.

“Stop in the name of the law!” yelled out Dalton. Jimmy, Frankie, and Hank saw Dalton, Billy, Ernie, and James inching toward them with their pistols drawn.

“Stop in the name of the law? What the fuck talk is that?”

Jimmy asked when he spotted Dalton. “This tenderfoot can’t shoot the side of a barn,” he said, aiming his pistol at Dalton, Billy, Ernie, and James.

Hank and Frankie looked at each other. They both nodded and inched backward closer toward their horses.

They quickly hopped in their saddles on their horses while the sound of gunfire echoed in the desert.

Hank and Frankie raced off on their horses into the darkness of the desert.

Dalton stood with his mouth open while he watched Jimmy drop to the dirt, realizing he fired off his pistol without thinking.

While Mickey aimed his rifle at Charlie, Billy walked over to Jimmy. He knelt down and felt for a pulse in Jimmy’s neck.

“He’s dead,” said Billy while he spotted the bloody hole in Jimmy’s chest. “That’s some good shooting,” he complimented Dalton.

Charlie sighed a sigh of relief that he was still alive.

Dalton put his Colt 45 back in its holster while he walked over to Jimmy. “I killed someone,” said Dalton in disbelief while he stared down at Jimmy’s lifeless body.

“If you didn’t, he would have killed you in a heartbeat,”

said Billy. “I mean, he’s a dirty, low-down scoundrel.”

Ernie and James nodded while scanning the area for those two other guys to return.

The sound of two horses racing away was heard. “Sounds like his partners ran off,” said Ernie.

“I don’t think they’ll be back,” said James.

“Probably not,” said Billy.

Meanwhile, at Oak Creek, Deke walked into the Prickly Cactus Saloon.

He spotted Blue Earl and Bo drinking their second glass of beer at the bar.

“I hope you stayed out of trouble,” said Blue Earl, the second Deke, who walked up to the bar.

“Yep,” said Deke, and he spotted one of the saloon gals standing by the piano. She was short, had blonde hair, and smiled, indicating an offer. Deke thought about Chrissy while he looked at the small blonde-haired saloon gal.

“I’ll be back,” said Deke, then he walked away.

Blue Earl and Bo saw Deke make a beeline to the saloon gal. They both smiled, knowing those urges he needed to satisfy.

Deke whispered in the saloon gal’s ear. She whispered back in Deke’s ear.

They walked away from the piano and headed up the stairs.

She took him to the first room on the second floor. “I’m Nancy,” she said, closing the door after they entered the room.

“First time here?”

“Yep, and I’m Deke,” he said while quickly removing all his clothes after paying her the twenty-five dollar fee.

Nancy removed her clothes.

They were both naked within seconds and were on the bed.

Deke was on top, and the sexual encounter lasted two minutes, but he thought about Chrissy during his brief humping time.

Back at the Stagecoach campsite.

Dalton still stood in shock over the fact that he killed a man. “We better bury Jimmy,” said Billy while he walked away from Jimmy’s dead body and headed back to the Stagecoach.

Twenty minutes had passed, and Jimmy’s body was buried in an unmarked spot in the desert.

Billy, Charlie, Mickey, and Ernie were asleep on the ground.

Dalton and James stood watch. Dalton decided to stay with James in case those two other guys returned.

Back in Oak Creek.

Chrissy was sound asleep in her house. She was never wise that Deke spied on her from her window.

Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke rode their horses from Oak Creek.

Elsewhere, Hank and Frankie made camp a safe distance from the Stagecoach campsite. They were soon sound asleep under the stars.

Chapter 35

It’s Friday morning, September 28th, 1883, and the sun has peeked over the horizon.

Dalton, Billy, Mickey, Ernie, and James were all up at the Stagecoach campsite.

They took turns taking their morning pee in the desert. In contrast, the others watched to ensure another escape attempt wouldn’t happen.

Charlie woke up.

Dalton and Billy escorted him away so he could take his morning pee.

Ernie and James got a fire going and made a pot of coffee.

After the coffee was ready, they ate beef jerky for breakfast.

Breakfast was soon over, the campfire was out, and they were back in the Stagecoach.

“Yah!” yelled out Billy, snapping the reins. The horses moved and started pulling the Stagecoach away.

The Stagecoach headed off in the desert and went down the old Butterfield Overland mail route.

Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke sat at Blue Earl’s hideout, drinking their morning cup of coffee.

The sound of horses was heard in the desert. Blue Earl, Bo, and Deke jumped up and whipped out their pistols from their holsters. They were ready to protect their domain.

They put their pistols away the second they spotted Hank and Frankie riding up on their horses.

Hank and Frankie stopped their horses by the other two and got out of their saddles. They tied the reins to the bush.

“Where’s that Jimmy guy?” said Blue Earl. “Dead,” said Hank.

“Dead? What happened?” said Blue Earl.

“Well, we snuck that Charlie Chandler away from their campsite last night,” said Frankie while he poured a cup of coffee.

“Jimmy had him on his knees, ready to kill him,” said Hank while he poured a cup of coffee.

Frankie nodded while he sipped his coffee. “Then that Town Marshal of Oak Creek came up with four other guys.”

“We skedaddled, not wanting to get shot,” said Hank.

“Got that right,” added Frankie.

“They shot Jimmy,” said Hank.

“We figured he was belly up in the dirt,” said Frankie. “So we didn’t figure we should hang around.”

“Well, we don’t need him anyhow. I’m glad you two didn’t shoot it out with them. I need you for our upcoming jobs,” said Blue Earl.

“Yeah, I’m not ready to be belly up in the dirt just yet,” said Hank.

“I agree,” said Frankie.

“Hopefully, that Oak Creek Town Marshal didn’t recognize you two,” said Blue Earl.

“Naw, don’t believe he did,” said Frankie.

Hank nodded in agreement. “He didn’t.”

“Enough of that. We have some business to tend to. Today, we’re going to check out,” said Blue Earl, who glanced down in the dirt at the drawing Jimmy had made the other day.

“We’re going to check out Rattlesnake, then we’ll check out Stone Valley the next day.”

“When’s our next job? I’m running out of whore and beer money,” said Deke.

Hank, Frankie, and Bo all nodded in agreement with Deke.

“Make what you have last. We’ll hit Rattlesnake on Monday, then start hitting the other towns after that,” said Blue Earl.

Deke, Bo, Frankie, and Hank grinned as they got bored and needed the excitement of robbing again.

They all sat down and drank their coffee.

Way southeast in the desert, the Stagecoach rode along a trail not too far from the Gila River.

Dalton was getting used to the bumps and dust during the ride. For some strange reason, he was still thrilled to experience this part of American history.

Back in Oak Creek, Chrissy taught school. Her current subject was Mathematics, and she was still in awe of how well-behaved her students were compared to 2016. But she knew these kids’ parents would whip them if they found out they misbehaved.

Blue Earl, Hank, Bo, Deke, and Frankie rode off on their horses into the desert, heading toward the town of Rattlesnake.

Off in another area of the desert, the Stagecoach stopped in the desert. Everybody took a piss break. Afterward, they stretched for a few minutes, returned to the Stagecoach, and rode away.

An hour passed, and Blue Earl, Hank, Bo, Deke, and Frankie rode their horses into Rattlesnake.

Blue Earl, Hank, Bo, Deke, and Frankie rode past the Bank of Rattlesnake and eyed the surrounding buildings. They noticed the Marshal’s Office was a safe distance away. Blue Earl smiled over that fact.

They continued their ride through town and stopped at the Dusty Trails Saloon. They got out of their saddles, tied the reins to the hitching post, and eyed the bank.

They went through the café doors of the Dusty Trail and headed straight to the bar for some beers.

The bartender gave them their beers, knew better, and didn’t ask any questions about these strangers entering Rattlesnake.

Back in Oak Creek, Chrissy dismissed her students. They ran out of the schoolhouse and headed back to their homes.

Chrissy gathered up her books and left the schoolhouse.

She headed off down the street to her house.

Once she got inside her home, she rested on the couch.

Blue Earl and his guys rode out of Rattlesnake and returned to their hideout.

The sun started to drop below the horizon across the territory.

Chrissy walked out of the restaurant.

She looked down the street at the Marshal’s Office. She missed Dalton.

Elsewhere in the desert, the Stagecoach pulled into the small town of Agua Caliente when the sun started settling below the horizon.

This was about the halfway point for their travels to Yuma.

They got out and escorted Charlie into a small restaurant to get something to eat.

After dinner, Dalton, James, and Ernie escorted Charlie to the Marshal’s Office. They placed him in a cell for the. This was a common occurrence for the Aqua Caliente Marshal’s Office for prisoners heading to their new home in Yuma.

Billy and Mickey tended to the horses while the others were in the Marshal’s Office.

Dalton, James, Ernie, Billy, and Mickey headed to the hotel in town and got room for the night.

Chrissy retired for the night with thoughts about Dalton and wondered where he was at this exact moment.

Blue Earl and his gang sleep under the stars.

Dalton was under the covers in a bed at the hotel in Agua Caliente. He wondered where Chrissy was at this exact moment.

It’s Saturday morning, September 29th, 1883, and the sun is just peeking above the eastern horizon.

Dalton and everybody woke up in their hotel beds. After filling their bellies with breakfast, they had Charlie back in the Stagecoach.

The Stagecoach rode out of Aqua Caliente and down the dusty trail heading to Yuma.

It was now mid-afternoon.

After lunch, Chrissy left the restaurant, headed down the street, and entered the Lincoln Dresses and Suits Shop.

Edith was working on a new dress at a table when Chrissy entered. She saw her. “Hello,” said Edith. “Can I help you?”

“Hello,” said Chrissy. “I’m just browsing,” she said and looked at a few dresses hanging on a small rack.

“Take your time and let me know if you need anything,”

said Edith. Her eyes lit up when she remembered something.

“Like a wedding dress,” she added with a smile.

Edith’s words took a few seconds to sink into Chrissy’s head. “Ah yes, a wedding dress,” she said and smiled, knowing that she would one day marry Dalton, but not for a couple of years. “A wedding dress would be nice.”

Edith put down her work. “Let me show you a catalog of wedding dresses. You can pick the one you like, and I can make it,” she said while getting up from the table.

Chrissy thought browsing a catalog of old western wedding dresses would be cool.

While Chrissy was browsing in the catalog of wedding dresses, Dalton was still in the Stagecoach. They just finished with a piss break in the desert and were getting closer to Yuma.

While the Stagecoach headed down the trail, Dalton suddenly thought of his recent proposal to Chrissy and her acceptance. He smiled at the idea of marrying her in a couple of years.

Back at Lincoln’s shop, Chrissy finished looking through the catalog and picked out a dress design. She agreed to let Edith make it, as she figured she could return it in 2016. It would be a unique, one-of-a-kind dress in 2016.

Chrissy left Lincoln’s shop and headed down Main Street to Master’s General Store.

She entered the General Store through the double doors.

Chrissy scanned the store for a few seconds while she stood at the doors. “Definitely not Wal-Mart or Target,” she thought as she studied it, but she still found it quaint.

She found the store dimly lit. To the left, there was a long counter where Gus Masters stood.

“Hello, ma’am,” said Gus the second he spotted Chrissy at the door. “Holler if you need any assistance,” he said, then coughed a little.

“I will,” said Chrissy while she headed to the counter.

On top of the long counter, she saw stacks of overalls, denim and khaki pants, candy jars, and tobacco.

She also saw a coffee mill, scales for weighing grocery items, and a wrapping paper unit with a string attachment.

This countertop was filled with other merchandise, leaving only enough room for purchases and the wrapping of the items.

She glanced up at the ceiling when she reached the counter’s end. Hanging from the ceiling, she saw buggy whips, horse harnesses, lanterns, pails, and ropes.

She walked down one wall and saw bins of produce, nuts, beans, and nails. She also saw bins of pickles, crackers, potatoes, mincemeat, and candies for the kids.

She walked down the other wall and saw on the shelves that it contained fabric and sewing notions, household items, soaps, medicines, spices, crockery and dishes, cartridges and shells, and small farm implements.

She grabbed a piece of cloth off one of the shelves to use as a cleaning rag at her home.

She walked a little farther down the wall and saw six books for sale on one of the shelves, she stopped and glanced at the available books.

She saw the book titled Heidi, written by Johanna Spyri. I loved that story. She thought while she remembered seeing the Heidi TV mini-series in 1993. She had to have that book.

She walked away and returned to the counter with that book in hand.

“Is that all, ma’am?” said Gus while Chrissy set the book on the counter.

Chrissy saw the coffee mill. “I would also like some coffee and a coffee pot.”

“How much coffee?”

Chrissy thought for a few seconds. “Half-a-pound would do.” Gus grabbed a coffee pot off the shelf behind him and placed it on the counter.

He proceeded to scoop up some ground coffee beans into a tin can, cover the opened top with a small piece of paper, and tie it with string. “Is that all?” he said, placing the tin can on the counter.

“Yes, sir.”

Gus added up everything in his head. “That’ll be one dollar.”

Chrissy opened her purse, reached inside, and removed a silver dollar. She handed it to Gus.

He put it in his cash register. “Thank you,” he said, then paused for a few seconds. “I hear you’re our new school teacher?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, welcome to Oak Creek.”

“Thank you,” said Chrissy, then gathered her items. Gus watched her leave the store. He coughed into his handkerchief, looked at his handkerchief, and saw blood.

He walked to the door and left the store.

Chrissy walked down Main Street and headed home.

Gus walked down Main Street and headed straight to Doc Bartholomew’s office, coughing several times.

As soon as she got home, she made a pot of coffee, and after it perked up, she sat down in the chair in the living room and opened her book.

She read Heidi and drank her coffee, and her thoughts often drifted to Dalton between pages of her book. She wondered how he was doing on that Stagecoach.

An hour passed. The sun just dropped below the horizon.

Chrissy was asleep on her chair with her book in her lap.

While she was sleeping in the chair, the Stagecoach pulled into the front gates of the Yuma territorial prison.

Two Yuma guards were standing by the gate from inside the prison grounds. They were ready to accept their newest tenant.

The Stagecoach stopped.

Dalton, Ernie, and James escorted Charlie out of the Stagecoach.

Billy and Mickey climbed down off the Stagecoach. The guards unlocked and swung open the iron gates. Charlie saw them, and he got scared. “No, I can’t go in there,” he cried.

“I’m sorry, but don’t commit the crime if you can’t do the time,” said Dalton.

Ernie and James looked at each other. “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time,” they both said in unison.

“I like that,” said Ernie. James, Billy, and Mickey all nodded in agreement.

Charlie dug the toes of his boots into the dirt while Dalton and Ernie grabbed his arms and walked him into Yuma. He peed his pants with fear of prison life. Pee ran down his legs and then onto his boots.

The two guards swung the gate closed and locked it. They escorted everybody to the Warden’s office.

Ten minutes had passed.

Charlie was escorted with the toes of his boots dragging on the ground while the guards escorted him to his new home.

Dalton and everybody were escorted out of the prison grounds.

They all got back in and on the Stagecoach.

Billy snapped the reins, and the horses pulled the Stagecoach away.

Ten minutes had passed.

Billy stopped the Stagecoach by the hotel in Yuma.

They all got out of the Stagecoach and headed into the hotel. They each got a room and then had a bath to wash off the dirt from the dusty trail.

After dinner at the nearby restaurant, they all retired to their rooms and were soon fast asleep.

Later that night, Chrissy woke up in the chair. She headed into her bedroom, got under the covers, and was soon fast asleep.

Back at Blue Earl’s hideaway, Deke was restless and started pacing.

Blue was on his back on his bedroll near the campfire.

“What’s your fucking problem, Deke?” said Blue Earl noticing Deke pacing.

“I’m thirsty,” said Deke. “Thinking of riding into Oak Creek.”

Blue Earl sat up. He looked concerned. “Now, don’t go doing anything stupid. We can’t afford to attract unwanted attention,” he said with a deadly serious tone.

“I won’t. Promise,” said Deke.

“You know what’ll happen if you disobey,” said Blue Earl with a glaring stare.

“I know,” said Deke while he headed off to his horse.

Blue Earl was still concerned while he watched Deke mount his horse and ride off into the dark.

Deke rode his bike down Main Street of Oak Creek a while later. Nobody was milling about town. It was quiet.

Deke stopped his horse at the Prickly Cactus Saloon, looked at the Prickly Cactus, and then at the entrance to the residential area.

Deke rode his horse down the residential area and then to Chrissy’s home.

He rode his horse to her house, stopped, and exited the saddle.

He gingerly walked over to her bedroom window, peeking inside, and saw her sleeping soundly in her bed. He passionately licked the window glass, showing his affection for her.

Chrissy was not aware of the peeping pervert at her bedroom window.

Deke stepped away from the window, recalling Blue Earl’s stern warning. He returned to his saddle and rode his horse into the darkness.

Deke rode his horse from the residential area and headed straight to the Prickly Cactus.

Deke rushed through the café doors of the Prickly Cactus.

He spotted saloon gal Nancy by the bar and made a beeline for her.

Deke whispered in Nancy’s ear. She nodded in agreement, and they headed upstairs to a room.

“Have we met before?” said Nancy the second they entered the room.

“Yep, I’m Deke,” he said while he gave her the twenty-dollar fee. He quickly removed his clothes. And was ready while Nancy stripped naked.

Nancy got on the bed on her back. Deke got on top of her.

He was finished in three minutes.

Ten minutes had passed, and Deke was back in the saddle on his horse riding out of Oak Creek.

Later that night, Deke rode his horseback to the hideout.

He got out of the saddle and tied the reins to one of the bushes by the rock wall.

Blue Earl opened his eyes. He had always been a light sleeper, and the sound of Deke’s horse woke him up. He placed a hand on his pistol in case the visitor was hostile and removed it the second he saw Deke.

“I hope my brother didn’t do anything stupid,” said Blue Earl. “Naw. Had my way with Nancy at the saloon,” said Deke with a satisfying smile while he got down on his bedroll. “When are we going to get back in business? I’m out of whoring and beer coins,” said Deke.

“Rattlesnake on Monday. Get some sleep,” said Blue Earl, closing his eyes.

Deke closed his eyes.

The sound of snoring from the outlaws filled the air at the hideout. This was a sure giveaway for anybody wanting to locate the hideout.

The sun rose above the horizon across the area. It’s Sunday, September 30th, 1883.

When the sun began to peek through the windows of the homes, everybody in Oak Creek started to wake up.

Way over in Yuma, Dalton and everybody woke up from their hotel room beds. They got dressed and headed to the restaurant for some breakfast.

Over at Blue Earl’s hideout, they woke up, got the campfire going again, and started making a coffee pot.

Back in Oak Creek, Chrissy woke up. She flung the covers off her body, got out of bed, stretched, and glanced at the bedroom window. Something appeared odd with the window.

She approached the window and saw a giant smudge on the glass. She hates dirty windows, so she left the bedroom and headed into the kitchen.

She walked over to the counter and grabbed the clothes she bought at the store.

She went back into her bedroom and back to the window.

She rubbed the glass with the window. The smudge didn’t go away.

She opened the window a little, reached outside with the rag, and rubbed the outside of the glass with the rag. The smudge disappeared.

She pulled her hand back inside and closed the window.

“What could have made that smudge?” she wondered.

She left the bedroom with the cloth in hand and forgot about the smudge. She went into the kitchen and made some coffee.

After her coffee, Chrissy got dressed and headed off to the church. She didn’t want to be the only one from Oak Creek who didn’t attend church, so she decided to attend. Besides, it would be interesting to hear an old Western preacher.

Chrissy left her home and headed to the church.

She found a spot in the wooden pew at the back of the church.

Sixty-year-old Pastor Kyle Norris started his serum. Chrissy listened.

It took thirty minutes, and Pastor Norris’ serum was over.

Chrissy was surprised that he wasn’t a fire and brimstone type of service. It was surprisingly enjoyable.

Pastor Norris followed his usual routine and headed outside the church’s front doors. He was now in a position to greet everybody.

Chrissy stood in like to greet him.

“Hello. I take it you’re our new school teacher,” said Pastor Norris the second Chrissy walked up to him.

“Yes sir, I’m Chrissy Barron,” she said, shaking his hand.

“Welcome to our church,” said Pastor Norris, then paused, recalling something he heard yesterday. “I hear you’re engaged to be married to the Town Marshal,” he said.

“Yes, sir.”

“I take it you’ll let me do the honors of performing your wedding ceremony?”

“Yes sir,” she said, then cringed inside, knowing this was a little lie.

“Have a date in mind?”

“Not at this time. My fiancé is away on Marshal business.”

“Ah, yes. Taking that prisoner to Yuma. We’ll talk after you decide on a date, and we’ll pray for his safe travel home.”

“Yes, Pastor Norris.”

He smiled at her, then focused on the couple behind Chrissy. He greeted them while Chrissy walked away.

She headed straight to the restaurant for some breakfast.

While she walked, she thought about Dalton.

Way off in the desert, Dalton sat in the Stagecoach while they headed to Oak Creek. Dalton thought about Chrissy and wondered what she was doing at this moment.

Back at Blue Earl’s hideaway, they sat around cleaning their pistols. After that, Blue Earl wanted to review their Monday job plan. Sunday passed, and the sun was long gone over the horizon.

Hours had passed. The sun rose above the horizon for the signal that another day arrived over Arizona. It’s Monday, October 1st, 1883.

Chrissy woke up with the rest of Oak Creek. She got ready for another day of teaching.

Dalton and everybody woke up from their desert campsite and prepared for another long ride on the dusty trail. He couldn’t wait to see Chrissy.

Chrissy sat behind her wooden desk at the schoolhouse.

She watched the kids enter, but her thoughts drifted off to Dalton.

Back at Blue Earl’s hideout, they got in their saddles and rode off into the desert.

An hour had passed, and Blue Earl and his gang rode into Rattlesnake. The town folk didn’t think anything of the gang since they recalled seeing them before.

Blue Earl and his gang rode up to the First Bank of Rattlesnake. They stopped at the hitching posts, got out of their saddles, and loosely tied the reins of their horses to the hitching post. Blue Earl glanced up and down Main Street of the town. It was safe. He nodded to his guys to proceed.

They moved their bandanas and covered their noses and mouths. Blue Earl, Frankie, and Deke rushed through the bank’s door while Bo and Hank waited outside as guards.

It was quiet inside the bank. Bo and Hank tensed up, knowing it was show time, and were ready to shoot anybody who tried to stop them.

Blue Earl had his pistol aimed at the face of young Logan, the bank teller, inside the bank. He was the only teller at the bank. Logan peed his pants, thinking he would be dead in a few minutes. This was his first robbery.

Deke and Frankie had their guns pointed at the customers in the bank. The customers were scared to death and froze in position. They dared to move an inch, as doing so would risk having a bullet in their body.

“Just give me all your money, and nobody gets hurt,” said Blue Earl with the barrel still aimed at Logan’s face.

Deke reached inside his shirt and removed a cloth bag. He handed the bag to Blue Earl.

Logan’s hands trembled as he opened his cash drawer and scooped up all the bills and coins.

Blue Earl handed Logan the cloth bag. “Put it in there.”

Logan’s hands trembled while he shoved the bills and coins in the bag.

“Now, the safe!” said Blue Earl.

Logan walked over to the safe located behind the teller’s window.

Blue Earl rushed around and went behind the teller’s window. He rushed over to Logan and kept his pistol aimed at him to make sure he didn’t have a gun stashed in the safe. Blue Earl learned that the hard way a few years ago.

Blue Earl watched while Logan scooped up more bills and coins and shoved them in the cloth bag. It was now full. Blue Earl snatched the bag away from Logan.

He ran back around the teller’s window and over to Deke.

The three inched backward to the door with guns aimed to make sure nobody pulled out a gun.

Deke opened the door, and they all inched backward out the door.

Blue Earl and everybody untied the reins and quickly got in the saddles of their horses.

They raced their horses out of Rattlesnake, happy they had successfully pulled off another bank job.

The sun was getting closer to the horizon over the area.

Blue Earl and his gang were back at their hideout dancing over today’s booty.

Back at Oak Creek. .

A fifteen-year-old boy stepped off the train at the station.

He had a large envelope in hand as he headed into town on a mission.

He immediately went to the Marshal’s office and went inside.

Zeke sat behind his desk, drinking his third cup of coffee, when this young man entered.

“I’m looking for Marshal Dalton Trevor,” said the young kid. “He’s on his way back from Yuma. Can I help?”

“I have something personal for him,” replied the young kid while he held up that envelope.

“I can make sure Marshal Trevor gets it,” said Zeke. “Oh, that’s right, Marshal Trevor,” said the young kid while he handed Zeke the envelope.

Zeke walked over to Dalton’s desk, opened the top drawer, and put the envelope inside. He closed the drawer and returned to his desk.

The young kid left the Marshal’s Office and returned to the train station.

Zeke returned to his cup of coffee at his desk. He wouldn’t open that envelope, as people these days didn’t dare pry into other folks’ business. They had mutual respect for each other.

The rest of the day could have been more uneventful for Oak Creek.

It’s Monday evening.

Chrissy just finished dinner at the restaurant. She left and decided to walk around town. The mayor said the Stagecoach was expected to arrive back in town tonight.

It was an hour after dinner, and Chrissy was getting weary from walking around town. She was heading back home when she heard a sound down Main Street.

She turned around and glanced down Main Street, spotting the Stagecoach ride into town.

She rushed down Main Street, heading to the Marshal’s Office with a huge smile.

The Stagecoach stopped by the Marshal’s office when Chrissy approached it.

The door of the Stagecoach opened while Billy and Mickey climbed down from the top.

Dalton, James, and Ernie got out of the Stagecoach.

Chrissy saw they were dirty and tired. “Welcome back,” she said to Dalton.

“Thanks. I’m glad I’m back,” he said.

Chrissy leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

“How was the trip?”

“Long, dusty, yet still exciting,” said Dalton.

“We’re getting a room at the hotel,” said Billy. “Then, we’ll pull out in the morning.”

“Okay, and it was nice meeting you,” said Dalton, shaking Billy and Mickey’s hands.

“We’re heading home,” said James, with Ernie nodding in agreement.

“Thanks for your help, guys,” said Dalton, shaking their hands.

Billy and Mickey headed toward the hotel, while James and Ernie headed to the residential area.

“I’m in dire need of a bath,” said Dalton. “Then, I need some sleep.”

Dalton and Chrissy walked away and headed to the bathhouse.

She gave him a light kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said and kissed her again. I really missed you.”

“I also missed you,” said Chrissy, then gave him a smile and walked away, heading back to her home.

Dalton went inside the bathhouse.

While Dalton took his bath to wash off days of trail dust off his body, Chrissy was under her covers. She fell asleep with a smile, knowing Dalton was safe.

After his bath, Dalton returned to the Marshal’s Office.

He headed to the hotel and got a room. Sleeping in the Marshal’s Office made no sense since nobody was locked up in the cells at this time.

Dalton fell asleep with a smile, knowing he was back in Oak Creek with Chrissy.

Chapter 36

An hour passed. It’s still Monday night around eleven.

Dalton woke up in his hotel bed, tired from his Stagecoach ride but too tired to fall asleep. So he decided to walk in the cool night air, thinking that would make him sleepy.

He got out of bed, dressed, left his room and then the hotel.

Dalton walked down Main Street and saw that the Prickly Cactus Saloon had a few customers playing poker and drinking beer. He walked past the Prickly Cactus, headed off to the residential area then walked past Chrissy’s house. The town was quiet. He walked a little farther down the street and then turned around, walked a little farther, and then he saw something. A shadowy figure peeking in a window at Chrissy’s house. This mysterious figure was trying to climb inside Chrissy’s house through her bedroom window. “GET OUT OF THERE!” he yelled.

The shadowy figure Deke got startled and dropped to the ground, landing on his butt. He sprang up to his boots, knowing someone saw him. Deke ran over and hopped in his saddle, not missing a beat.

He raced his horse away and saw the Town Marshal, Dalton Trevor, standing in the street near Chrissy’s house.

“STOP!” yelled Dalton while he whipped his pistol out of its holster. He fired a warning shot in the air. “STOP!”

Deke’s horse galloped away from Chrissy’s house.

Dalton thought he recognized that cowboy on the horse when Deke’s horse galloped away from her house. But it was dark, and he wasn’t one hundred percent sure. But he did see a blue bandana tied to the saddle. He knew this creep was one of Blue Earl’s gang members. “STOP!” he said and fired off another shot, just missing Deke’s head.

“FUCK!” Deke cried out in his head when he heard the bullet zing inches from his left ear. “Yah!” he yelled, slapping the reins on his horse to make him go faster so the next bullet wouldn’t be luckier.

Dalton decided not to fire again and watched the creepy stranger on the horse gallop away.

People from the nearby homes stepped out of their front doors. They wanted to know why someone yelling and gunfire woke them up.

Chrissy walked out of her front door. Curious, she saw Dalton in the street, putting his pistol back in his holster.

“What’s going on?” she said as she rushed over to Dalton.

Dalton looked at Chrissy and knew she didn’t know some guy was trying to break into her house. “Oh, some guy looked a little suspicious. I told him to stop, but he rode off on his horse,” he said, not wanting her to worry.

“Oh. But why the gunshot?”

“A warning shot when he didn’t stop.”

“Is everything alright?” said one of Chrissy’s neighbors.

“Everything’s good. Just a suspicious character. He’s gone, and I don’t think he’ll return.”

The neighbors all went back inside their homes.

“Why are you walking around this late at night?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I guess that ride to Yuma and back was exhausting yet also exhilarating. So I decided to take a walk in the night air.”

Chrissy got an idea. “Why don’t you sleep in my house Dalton smiled at that idea. “That would be nice.”

Dalton and Chrissy went back inside her home.

Once they entered her bedroom, he stripped down his tee shirt and underwear. S he stripped down to her panties and bra.

They got under the covers and cuddled.

They were soon fast asleep with smiles on their faces.

After thirty minutes, Deke rode his horse back into Blue Earl’s hideout.

He got out of the saddle of his horse, tied the reins to a bush, and walked over to where his fellow outlaws were sleeping on their bedrolls in the dirt.

“Did you behave?” said Blue Earl when he saw Deke lying on his bedrolls.

Deke glanced at his brother. “Yep. I behaved,” he said, hoping the Oak Creek Town Marshal didn’t recognize him.

“That's Good. We hit Oak Creek tomorrow. Now get some sleep,” said Blue Earl, closing his eyes.

Deke closed his eyes, but all he could think about was Chrissy. Then he recalled that bulled that zinged over his head.

The more he thought about that, the more he got pissed.

“Fucking Marshal!” he cried out in his head, thinking Marshal Trevor almost killed him tonight and ruined his chance with Chrissy.

Blue Earl was asleep, but Deke was pissed with Marshal Trevor, so he tossed and turned on his bedroll. “Almost killed me!” he yelled in his head while he tossed and turned.

The sun rose above the horizon. It’s Tuesday morning, October 2nd, 1883.

Dalton and Chrissy got out of bed and dressed for another day of work in Oak Creek.

They left her home and walked away, heading into town.

They walked straight to the restaurant, immediately seated, and ordered some eggs and coffee.

“Good morning, Miss Barron, and welcome back, Marshal Trevor,” said Mayor Mason as he approached their table. “How did it go?”

The waiter brought them a coffee and then walked away after setting the cups in front of them.

“Well, it was off to a rocky start,” said Dalton.

Chrissy curiously glanced over at Dalton.

“Rocky start? How’s that?” said Mayor Mason.

“We camped during the first night of travel. During my watch, Jimmy Templeton and two other guys snuck into our camp when I had to relieve myself by the Gila River.”

“That doesn’t sound that rocky,” said Mayor Mason.

“It will,” said Dalton, and he took a sip of coffee. “I went back to the campsite and saw Charlie Chandler was gone. I woke everybody up.”

“Gone?” said Mayor Mason, thinking they lost a prisoner.

“He escaped?”

“I found him,” said Dalton.

“Whew,” said Mayor Mason looking relieved. “Where was he? Relieving himself?”

“No. He was about to be shot by Jimmy Templeton.”

“Jimmy Templeton? The same guy we locked up and released?”

“The very same,” said Dalton.

“Did he kill Charlie?” said Mayor Mason.

“No, I, ah, I,” said Dalton, and paused while he took another cup of coffee. “No, I shot and killed Jimmy. We buried him there in the desert,” he said and didn’t look proud that he killed a man.

“Did you get Chandler to Yuma?” said Mayor Mason.

“Yeah, he’s in jail as we speak,” said Dalton.

“Good,” said Mayor Mason. “I’ll stop by your office later this morning for your extra pay for taking him to Yuma,” he said, then looked at Chrissy. “Good day, Ma-am,” he added, then walked away from the table.

The waiter brought them their plates of eggs with bacon.

It was quiet while Dalton and Chrissy ate their breakfast.

After they finished their breakfast, Dalton escorted Chrissy over to the schoolhouse.

“You really killed a man?” said Chrissy once they left the restaurant and walked across Main Street.

“I didn’t have a choice, Chrissy. I’m not proud of doing that.” “Well, you’re a Marshal. And Marshals often have to kill the bad guys. I would prefer you killing him than him killing you,”

said Chrissy.

“Yeah, I know it, but I still don’t like that part of being a Marshal,” he said.

“It goes with the job,” Chrissy said as they approached the schoolhouse's entrance.

“I guess you’re right,” said Dalton, then gazed into Chrissy’s eyes. “

Have a good day with reading, writing, and arithmetic,” he said, then gave her a light kiss.

“Have a good day keeping Oak Creek safe,” she said warmly.

Chrissy headed to the school door while Dalton walked off and headed to the Marshal’s Office.

Dalton went inside the Marshal’s Office. He saw Zeke sitting at his desk, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Welcome back, Marshal. How was the trip to Yuma?”

“It started off rocky,” said Dalton while he walked over to his desk.

“How’s that?” said Zeke, a little curious.

“We stopped off and camped out the first night,” said Dalton while he walked over to his desk, grabbed his coffee cup, and headed to the Potbelly stove. “During my watch, I headed over to the Gila River to take a piss,” he said while he poured a cup of coffee.

Zeke found the story boring so far and yawned.

“Then I went back to where we were sleeping and found Charlie Chandler missing,” said Dalton while he walked over to his desk with his cup of coffee.

Zeke’s interest peaked a little. “He escaped?”

“I thought that at first. But when I woke up everybody, we found Charlie on his knees with Jimmy Templeton pointing a gun to Charlie’s head,” said Dalton while he sat down at this desk. “Jimmy Templeton. Figures. He would try to kill Charlie Chandler for testifying against Bart Stone,” said Zeke. “Did Jimmy kill Charlie?”

“No, I shot Jimmy before he had the chance.”

“Dead?”

“Yes. We buried him in the desert in an unmarked grave.”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, those outlaws don’t deserve a marked grave,” said Zeke.

“The funny thing is that there were two guys with Jimmy.

They looked familiar.”

“How familiar?” said Zeke.

“They looked like some of the guys I saw hanging around with Blue Earl.”

“Blue Earl? Don’t know him.”

“Outlaw gang that hung around the New Mexico territory,”

said Dalton.

“And now they’re in our area?”

“Appears,” said Dalton.

“I guess we’ll have to keep an eagle eye out for them,” said Zeke, looking forward to some action.

“Yeah. We’ll keep an eagle eye out for them,” said Dalton as he sipped his coffee.

“Oh, some young kid dropped off an envelope yesterday. I put it in the top drawer of your desk.”

Dalton opened the top drawer of his desk. He removed the large envelope and was curious to know what was inside. He opened it and removed a photograph. Dalton smiled when he saw it was the picture of Chrissy and him taken at the Gilbert Photography Store in Stone Valley. He put the picture back in the envelope and placed it back in the top drawer of his desk.

He kicked back and drank his coffee.

Way over at Blue Earl’s hideout, Blue Earl and his gang were up from their bedrolls and getting ready for today.

An hour passed.

Dalton and Zeke returned to the Marshal’s Office after walking around town. It’s peaceful.

Zeke made another pot of coffee. After it perked, they sat at their desks and chatted.

Dalton quickly answered Zeke’s questions about his life before coming to Oak Creek. So far, he felt that he was able to bluff Zeke.

But while they chatted, they didn’t notice Blue Earl and his gang riding into town on horses. In fact, nobody walking on

both sides of Main Street thought anything about these guys.

They figured they would ride up to the Prickly Cactus Saloon, as they have in the past visits.

Blue Earl and his gang rode their horses up to the bank.

But their blue bandanas were not tied to their saddles. They were tied around their necks.

They got out of their saddles and didn’t tie the reins to the hitching post.

Blue Earl glanced around the street. It’s quiet.

He glanced over at his guys. They all nodded, indicating they were ready, and placed their blue bandanas over their mouths and noses.

Blue Earl, Hank, Frankie, and Bo stormed inside the bank.

Deke remained outside to keep an eye up and down Main Street for threats to their heist.

Back at the Marshal’s Office.

Dalton got restless. “I’m going to take another walk around town,” he said, getting up from his desk.

“Okay,” said Zeke while Dalton walked to the door and left the office.

Dalton started walking off down Main Street and noticed it was quiet.

He got closer to the bank. Something caught his eye that appeared out of order. It’s a cowboy standing by the front door of the bank.

The cowboy wore a blue bandana covering his nose and mouth. “Blue Earl’s gang!” he cried out in his head. “They’re robbing the bank!’

Deke saw Dalton the second Dalton whipped his Colt 45

from his holster. His blood boiled, and as usual, his temper drove his actions. “Asshole! You almost killed me last night!”

he yelled while whipping out his pistol from his holster.

Inside the bank.

Blue Earl’s head spun around to the bank's windows when he heard Deke. “What the fuck is my daffy brother up to?” he quietly said, knowing his brother was probably doing something

stupid. But they were in the middle of this heist, and he couldn’t go outside.

Outside on Main Street.

A bullet zinged inches past Dalton’s right shoulder, killing a window of the Prickly Cactus Saloon. The Cowboys inside hit the floor for cover.

All the town folk on Main Street ducked inside the nearest buildings for cover.

“Fucking creep!” said Dalton the second he recognized that that was the guy that tried to sneak into Chrissy’s home last night. He fired off a shot from his Colt 45.

Dalton’s bullet hit Deke’s cowboy hat, flinging it off his head.

“Asshole!” yelled out Deke, and he fired off another shot.

This bullet killed another window of the Prickly Cactus.

The cowboys inside hugged the wooden floor for safety.

Dalton fired off another shot from his Colt 45.

Deke stood stunned, and then he dropped to the wooden sidewalk. He’s dead from a bullet straight into his heart.

Zeke raced down Main Street with a Winchester rifle in hand. “ What the hell is going on?” he said the second he got to Dalton.

“Blue Earl’s gang is robbing the bank. I shot one of them,” said Dalton.

Zeke looked across the street at the bank and saw the dead outlaw sprawled out on the wooden sidewalk.

The bank doors slammed open, and Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo rushed out. Blue Earl had the cloth bag with today’s booty in his left hand.

Blue Earl saw Deke lying motionless on the wooden sidewalk. He knelt down by Deke’s body.

“Put your hands up in the air!” yelled Dalton across the street by the Prickly Cactus Saloon.

Frankie, Hank, and Bo started firing their pistols at Dalton and Zeke while Blue Earl felt for a pulse on Deke.

Dalton and Zeke ducked for cover behind the water trough. The shots killed the rest of the windows at the Prickly Cactus.

Dalton and Zeke returned fire.

One bullet hit Bo in his right arm. He dropped to his knees in pain.

Blue Earl was pissed. His younger brother was dead.

Hank and Frankie rushed over to their horses while firing their pistols. They jumped up in the saddles.

Bo painfully got back in his saddle while Frankie and Hank covered.

Dalton and Zeke hid behind the water trough while bullets zinged above their heads, hitting the wall of the Prickly Cactus.

“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Frankie yelled at Blue Earl.

Blue Earl grabbed the cloth bag at the same time, and he fired his pistol at the water trough.

He kept firing his pistol as he rushed over to this horse and jumped into his saddle.

Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo raced their horses down the street. Blue Earl, Frankie, and Hank turned around, firing their pistols at Dalton and Zeke, who remained behind the water trough for cover.

They raced their horses out of Oak Creek.

Oak Creek was quiet except for the smoke that lingered in the air from the gunfight.

The town folk slowly started coming out of the buildings.

Dalton and Zeke cautiously stood up from behind the water trough.

Chrissy and her students slowly came out of the schoolhouse. Chrissy saw Dalton and Zeke standing by the Prickly Cactus.

She ran off down the street and headed to the saloon.

Dalton and Zeke glanced down Main Street and saw that the Blue Earl gang was out of sight.

Dalton saw Deke dead on the wooden sidewalk. “I killed another man,” he said and didn’t feel right about that.

“It was him or us,” said Zeke.

Dalton nodded in agreement with Zeke.

Mayor Mason ran down Main Street, heading to the Prickly Cactus.

“What happened?” he said the second he got to Dalton.

Chrissy ran up to Dalton.

“The Blue Earl gang robbed the bank,” said Zeke.

Mayor Mason looked over at the bank. He saw a body on the sidewalk. “Looks like one didn’t make it.”

“Marshal Trevor got him,” said Zeke.

Chrissy looked at Dalton. “I’m glad you’re not hurt,” she said and kissed him on the cheek.

The bartender from the Prickly Cactus stepped outside.

“We need Doc Bartholomew in here. I have two wounded patrons,” he said.

“I’ll go get the Doc, then get Harvey over here to pick up that dead outlaw,” said Mayor Mason.

Mayor Mason rushed way away and headed straight to Doc Bartholomew’s office.

The patrons from inside the bank slowly came outside.

Doc Bartholomew stepped out of his office when it was quiet.

Mayor Mason rushed over to Doc Bartholomew and told him about the wounded patrons in the Prickly Cactus Saloon.

Doc Bartholomew rushed back inside his office to get his medical bag.

Mayor Mason rushed over to Harvey’s shop.

Rodney, the bank teller, and some of the bank’s customers walked out. They aw Deke’s dead body on the wooden sidewalk.

Dalton and Zeke walked over from the saloon.

Dalton didn’t say anything. He just looked down at Deke’s dead body.

Chrissy walked up to Dalton. She looked at Deke’s dead body. She turned around and walked away, heading back to the schoolhouse.

Doc Bartholomew rushed over and entered the Prickly Cactus Saloon with his medical bag in hand.

Dalton and Zeke walked away when they spotted Harvey riding his horse and wagon down the street, heading to the bank.

While Dalton and Zeke returned to the office, they stopped at the General Store. Something caught their eyes.

They saw a sign in the window. The sign read “Store For Sale Due To Ill Health. $1,000”

“Look, he’s selling the store,” said Dalton.

“How about that,” said Zeke.

They walked away and headed back to the Marshal’s Office.

Tears ran down his cheek while Blue Earl and his gang galloped through the desert back to their hideaway.

Back in Oak Creek, Harvey, and a helper picked up Deke’s dead body and placed it in his wagon.

He got up on his horse and rode his wagon to his shop to bury him in an unmarked grave.

Dalton was back in the Marshal’s Office with Zeke. They remained quiet while sitting at their desks and drinking coffee.

While he sipped his coffee, Dalton thought about that sign he saw in the General Store window.

Off in the desert, Blue Earl and his gang galloped their horses back to their hideout. They got out of their saddles and tied the reins of their horses to bushes. Everybody was quiet.

But Blue Earl was fuming. “That fucking Marshal killed my brother. THAT MARSHAL KILLED MY BROTHER!”

screamed Blue Earl with a reddened face and neck veins about to burst. His screaming echoed in the desert.

Frankie, Bo, and Hank remained quiet. They knew from experience to keep their mouths shut when Blue Earl was about to blow a gasket.

Blue Earl stormed around, kicking the desert and flinging up dirt over the loss of his kid brother. He’s fuming!

An hour passed.

It was quiet in Oak Creek, and everybody was back to their usual routine.

Chrissy and Dalton ate dinner at the restaurant. Dalton was quiet as today’s shooting was on his mind.

After they ate, they took a stroll around Oak Creek.

“Well, you’re sure having excitement as the Town Marshal,”

said Chrissy.

“I know. I didn’t think I would have this much to deal with.”

“Can you imagine what a daily routine would be like as a cop in our time?”

Dalton thought for a few seconds. “Ten times the excitement. But I don’t know if I would handle all that excitement every day,” he said, thinking for a few seconds. “The old west is still more peaceful than our time. Look at all the crazies we have back there.” “All those sexual predators harming kids,” he said.

“I know,” said Chrissy.

Dalton and Chrissy walked by Master’s General Store.

They saw a sign in the window. The sign read “Store For Sale Due To Ill Health. $1,000.”

“Look, he’s selling the General Store,” said Chrissy.

“I know,” said Dalton. “I saw it earlier with Zeke.” He glanced back at the sign. “A thousand dollars isn’t bad for buying a business,” he added.

Chrissy nodded in agreement.

They walked away, and Dalton again thought about that sign in the General Store’s window.

Back at Blue Earl’s hideaway.

Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo got on their horses and rode away into the desert. Blue Earl was still fuming.

Back in Oak Creek.

Dalton and Chrissy continued their walk around the town and eventually returned to her house.

They walked by Lincoln’s Tailor & Dressmaker Shop while Edith and Lester were leaving their shop.

Edith saw Chrissy. “Miss Barron, I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to let you know that your dress will be ready in a couple

of hours,” she said. “I still have some finishing touches,” she added.

“That’s good,” said Chrissy.

“I hear you killed an outlaw today,” said Lester.

“Yes, sir. One of the Blue Earl gang members.”

“Well, thank you for keeping our town safe,” said Lester.

“You’re welcome,” said Dalton.

“Good evening,” said Lester, and he and Edith walked away and headed to the restaurant.

Dalton and Chrissy walked away.

“What dress is she talking about?” said Dalton.

“My wedding dress,” said Chrissy with a smile, as she couldn’t wait to see it tomorrow evening.

Dalton smiled again over the thought of marrying Chrissy.

“Spend the night with me,” said Chrissy. “There’s nobody in the jail.”

“It would be my pleasure,” he said, and they walked off toward the residential area.

When they got inside her house, they sat around the living room. They chatted about their vacation and how much they loved the old west. They also talked about the wedding dress and a little about their wedding in the future.

An hour passed.

Dalton and Chrissy retired to the bedroom.

They got undressed and slipped under the covers of the bed. Ten minutes had passed.

Dalton’s eyes widened when he remembered something. “I forgot. There’s something in the Marshal’s Office you need to see,” he said, getting out of the bed.

“What?”

“You’ll see. I’ll be back in a flash,” said Dalton while he got redressed.

Dalton rushed out of her bedroom, leaving her a little bewildered about what was so important that it couldn’t wait until morning.

She noticed that he left his holster hanging on the back of the chair in the bedroom. She didn’t think anything of that.

Then, I waited for his return, curious about what he rushed off to get.

Dalton rushed out of her house and ran off down the street.

An hour passed.

Dalton hadn’t come back to her house, and Chrissy got concerned.

She got out of her bed and got dressed.

She left her house and walked away to Main Street. Main Street was quiet, and Chrissy didn’t see Dalton returning to her house.

She walked to the Marshal’s Office, went inside, saw nobody there then got worried and left.

Chrissy walked back to her home.

She sat on the couch and waited. She waited and waited for Dalton to return.

The sun rose above the horizon. It’s Wednesday morning.

Chrissy still waited on her couch. Dalton didn’t come home. She was worried to death.

She got up off her couch, rushed out of her home, rushed down the street.

She rushed down Main Street and headed straight for the Marshal’s Office.

She went inside the Marshal’s Office, silently praying she would find Dalton there. He wasn’t. She only found Zeke inside, making coffee on the potbelly stove.

“Have you seen Dalton?” said Chrissy.

Zeke looked at her and noticed the worry in her eyes.

“Not yet. I figured he would be here any minute,” he said, looking concerned. “ What happened?”

“He left my house last night. Saying something about getting something for me to see from the Marshal’s Office. He left without his pistol and never returned,” she said, and a tear from her right eye ran down her cheek.

“What could he have wanted you to see here at the office?”

said Zeke quietly. His eyes widened, recalling something. “Wait, this envelope was delivered yesterday from the hotel,” he said and walked over to Clint’s desk.

He opened the middle drawer, thinking it would be okay since Dalton was apparently missing. He removed the envelope.

“Maybe this might be what he came for,” he said, handing Chrissy the envelope.

She opened it, saw it’s the picture they had taken at Gilbert’s Photography Store in Stone Valley, and more tears ran down her cheek.

Zeke saw the tears. “Let’s go talk to Mayor Mason,” she told her. “I think I know where the Mayor is at this moment.”

Chrissy nodded, and they walked out of the Marshal’s Office. She held onto the photograph.

Zeke and Chrissy walked, rushed down Main Street, and headed to the restaurant.

Then, he went inside, and Zeke immediately saw Mayor Mason eating breakfast at his usual table.

They walked over to his table. “Good Morning, Miss Barron,” said Mayor Mason and stood up. “And good morning, Deputy,” he added. “How can I help you?”

“Mayor, Marshal Trevor has apparently gone missing,” said Zeke.

“Missing?” said Mayor Mason. “How do you know?”

“He left my house last night. Saying something about needing to get something from the Marshal’s Office. Something I needed to see,” said Chrissy, holding up the photograph.

“You say he never returned?” Mayor Mason started to get a little worried.

“No, sir. He even left his pistol at my home.”

“Oh my, that is concerning. Very concerning,” said Mayor Mason while he sat back down in his chair. “Why is it that all of a sudden we keep on losing our Town Marshals?” he added, then thought about what should be done. His eyes widened. “I know. I’ll have someone go get Merijildo. Maybe he’ll find Dalton,” said Mayor Mason. Yeah, we’ll go get Merijildo.”

“Who?” Chrissy asked.

“He's An Indian tracker. The best in the territory,” said Zeke. I’ll go with him.”

“Very good, I’ll put that in work,” said Mayor Mason while he stood up. “Don’t worry, my dear, we’ll find Dalton,” he said.

“Good day,” he added, then left the table.

Zeke and Chrissy left the restaurant.

“Where will you be today?” said Zeke.

“At the schoolhouse.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll come to get you when we find Dalton,” said Zeke, rushing away and heading to the Marshal’s Office.

Chrissy headed to the schoolhouse, where her students were already waiting at their desks for today’s lesson.

But Chrissy had a hard time teaching today. She kept eying the front door of the schoolhouse for Zeke and Dalton to appear. That didn’t happen.

She returned home after school ended and waited for Dalton to show up. When he didn’t, she cried.

Chapter 37

It’s back in 2016, Friday, September 30th, a day after Dalton and Chrissy left for 1883.

John Mathers entered his classroom with his briefcase in hand.

“Good morning, students,” he said while he walked up to his desk in the front of the room. He set his briefcase on his desk and opened it, removing his “Arizona Old Western Marshals and Outlaws” textbook.

“Okay, let’s start today’s discussion on the famous outlaw Blue Earl Olson, otherwise known as Blue Earl,” he said while setting the textbook on his desk and opening it.

He flipped to the page that started the historical count of Blue Earl Olson and his gang.

He glanced down at the page, opened his mouth to start his lecture, and frowned, as something on this page had him extremely curious.

He looked at a picture of the Blue Earl gang that was taken in the New Mexico territory town of Cactus City a week before he killed the Town Marshal during a bank robbery. The picture had the names of everybody.

He turned the page and saw an article and another picture.

The article concerned him greatly.

He did a double-take of the picture and the article with another picture below it, picked up the book, and stared at the page. His eyes widened with shock while he flipped through numerous pages, seeing other new information. “Shit!” he cried out and shoved the textbook back in his briefcase and slammed it shut, looked at his students. “Class dismissed for today,” he blurted out, then grabbed his briefcase and bolted to the door.

The students sat in disbelief while they watched John rush out of the classroom. They all sat there for a few seconds to see if their professor would return. John didn’t return, so they slowly got up and left the classroom.

John rushed out of the building and then ran through the campus.

While he ran through the campus, he thought he saw someone. He thought Chrissy looked extremely depressed, moping down the sidewalk. It was Chrissy, and she was going to drop out of college.

John ran after her but soon lost her amongst all the other students walking around campus.

He turned around and ran through the campus in the opposite direction of where he spotted Chrissy.

He ran to the Facility Parking lot, over to his car, got inside, started it up, screeched in reverse, and screeched away.

John’s car made a screeching turn out of the parking lot and raced down the street, raced through the streets of Phoenix, whipping around the traffic, missing a few cars by inches.

John later pulled into the driveway of a home, got out of his car with his textbook in hand, rushed to the house’s front door, and knocked.

After a few seconds, the front door opened. Clint stood in the doorway. “Hi John, what brings you here?” he said, noticing John’s concerned look in his eyes.

“I have to show you something vital,” he said while holding up his textbook.

“You want to give me a history lesson?”

“No, history has suddenly changed,” said John, and he forced his way past Clint.

Clint closed his front door.

“What is this so important?” he said while watching John sit on the couch.

“Let me show you,” said John while he opened his book to the section on Blue Earl Olson.

Clint thought about that name while walking over and sat on the couch beside John. “I recalled hearing about an outlaw named Blue Earl. Roamed the New Mexico territory, as I recall,”

he said, looking at the textbook.

“You would be correct,” said John.

“Okay, it’s about Blue Earl. Old news,” he said.

“No. Look at this picture,” said John, pointing at a picture in the book.

Clint looked and saw a picture of Dalton and Chrissy. It was the picture taken at Gilbert’s Photography Store in Stone Valley. “So?” Clint said, a little disinterested.

“The book now states that Dalton Trevor was the Marshal of Oak Creek,” John said.

“Dalton Trevor, I didn’t know him,” replied Clint.

“Look at the text below that picture. It states that Oak Creek Town Marshal Dalton Trevor was shot and killed by members of Blue Earl’s gang. It was in retaliation for Marshal Trevor shooting and killing Deke Olson during the robbery of the Oak Creek bank on October second, eighteen eighty-three.”

Clint looked at the article. “The Marshal of Oak Creek after me was killed. That’s too bad,” he said.

“His body was found beaten with a bullet to the head in the Superstition Mountains two days after the bank robbery,”

added John.

“Savages,” said Clint. “But not like the monsters you have around here today committing crimes.”

“You don’t understand. Look closer at this picture and the caption below it. It states that it’s Dalton Trevor and his fiancé Chrissy Barron.”

“I’m not following your concern.”

“Okay, remember when we were at the Police Museum?

And that young guy and girl came up to us?”

Clint thought for a few seconds. “Okay, but what does this have to do with them?”

“Remember how they said that I looked like the Kissing Bandit outlaw and how you looked like the Oak Creek Town Marshal Clint Bartley?”

Clint thought about that for a few seconds. “I remember,”

he said, then sensed something strange about that photograph in the textbook.

“That’s a picture of them,” said John. That’s the Dalton Trevor and Chrissy Barron in my class. They are the same ones

who approached us at the museum and haven’t been in my class recently. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”

Clint thought about that for a few seconds.

“You know, I had this strange flashback a few days ago. It was my hanging, and I had this overwhelming feeling that I saw Dalton and Chrissy in the crowd watching me,” said John.

His eyes lit up when it finally dawned on him. “They used Crazy Hole?” “To go back to eighteen eighty-three?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. They went back, and this Dalton Trevor became your replacement,” said John.

Clint glanced back down at the textbook. “My dead replacement.”

“And, the book now states that Marshal killed Jimmy Templeton for his attempt to kill Charlie Chandler while Charlie was being taken to Yuma,” John said.

“Charlie wasn’t killed?”

“No, he did go to Yuma,” replied John. “And the book now states it’s believed Marshal Trevor was killed around October third, eighteen eighty-three,” said John. “They used an Indian tracker to find him after he went missing from Oak Creek.”

“Merijildo,” said Clint with a smile, thinking about his old friend.

“He was killed less than two weeks after we left. He wasn’t Marshal for very long.”

“What a shame,” said Clint, and he always hated to hear news of a Marshal being killed. “What a shame.”

John looked like he had an idea ready to burst out. “We need to change that,” he said.

“Change what?”

“We need to change history.”

“Change history. What do you mean?” said Clint, then briefly

thought about his question. It dawned on him. “No, I know what you’re getting at and, No!”

“Look at the caption. Chrissy Barron was his fiancé. They were going to be married,” said John, hoping that would hit a soft spot in Clint’s heart.

“His fiancé?”

“Yes, his fiancé,” said John. We can’t let this remain a permanent part of history. This kid was nice. He doesn’t deserve to be dead so soon, and he doesn’t deserve to be dead in the Old West. He needs to be back here, married to Chrissy Barron,” said John, and he looked serious.

“We can’t go back. We’re ten years older. And you’re the Kissing Bandit. The people of Oak Creek might recognize you,”

said Clint. “Don’t forget you’re still a wanted man back then.”

John glanced down at his textbook. He turned the page.

“There’s something else you should read,” he said.

Clint glanced down at the book. He saw where Blue Earl and his gang shot and killed Rusty Moore, the Marshal of Mountain Rock, on October 5, eighteen eighty-three, during a bank robbery.

“So, I don’t remember this, Rusty Moore.”

“He owned the horse ranch where I would rent horses. He went through Crazy Hole to become a Marshal in eighteen eighty-three,” said John, and he paused. “History had it that he stayed there with a career in law enforcement and died in nineteen fifteen. I think Crazy Hole moved up his death because of Blue Earl.”

“I still don’t think we should go back,” said Clint, who looked sure about this.

John turned the page. “Blue Earl and his gang killed Merijildo,” he said.

Clint snatched the book out of John’s hands. He read how Blue Earl and his gang killed Merijildo because they hated Indians with a passion. He looked pissed and then saddened.

“I’ll go,” said Clint with an air of revenge.

John looked a little concerned. “But I’m probably still wanted as the Kissing Bandit,” he said and started to realize this would be a mistake.

Clint thought about what he said for a few seconds. “Well, we are ten years older. Meaning that in eighteen eighty-three, we aged ten years in less than two weeks. We could be different people. Nobody will think you’re the Kissing Bandit, and I’m Marshal Bartley. We look older,” he said. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it would work. “We should use different names.” “And besides, I now have a mustache.”

“Being ten years older might work. And we would wear different clothes, and you wouldn’t wear your badge,” said John.

“Yeah, I should leave my badge here,” said Clint.

“Good, it’s settled. We’ll go back,” said John as he stood up from the couch with the textbook in his hand.

Clint walked him to the door.

“So, are we still on for pizza tonight with the wives?” Clint said as he opened the front door.

“We are,” said John.

“We’ll have to run this by the wives tonight,” said Clint.

John thought about that for a few seconds. “That’s the hard part. I’ll see you later,” he said and left the house.

Clint closed the front door.

He walked over and sat down at his piano on the bench.

He placed his fingers in the Ivory keys to play a song, started to play a song, and then stopped. It wasn’t in his heart to play.

He got up off the piano bench and walked out of his living room, leaving the living room and going into the den. He headed straight to the computer and started an Internet search on an outlaw named Blue Earl Olson.

Some results appeared on his search for “Outlaw Blue Earl Olson.” He clicked on the first link.

A historical website on the outlaw life of Blue Earl Olson appeared.

Clint started reading the pages on Blue Earl.

He read on the third page about how Blue Earl shot and killed Carl Kent, who was the Town Marshal of Cactus City in the New Mexico Territory. Clint looked sad because he knew Carl. He heard rumors Carl was killed when he was in 1883 but couldn’t confirm it. This Internet article just confirmed it.

Clint went to the fourth page. His eyes widened in shock when he read the article about Merijildo being shot and killed in the desert. At the same time, he was paid to track down Blue Earl after Blue Earl shot and killed Rusty Moore, the Town Marshal of Mountain Ridge.

Clint’s eyes welled up, missing his old friend.

He clicked on the fifth page and read how Blue Earl and his gang committed four other murders. One is in Rattlesnake, two are in Stone Valley, and one is in Mountain Rock. They shot innocent people during bank and stagecoach robberies. The article stated that Blue Earl and his gang left that area and that Blue Earl had his whereabouts unknown. It was not known when he died or when the other members of his gang died.

But Clint figured they changed names and methods and probably continued their outlaw ways elsewhere. He hated these outlaws with a passion that was stirred up again by reading this article.

It’s Friday night and still September 30th, 2016.

Clint and Alicia just arrived at John and Angie’s house.

After the pizza arrived from Dusty Trails Pizza Company and the bottles of Oak Creek beer were removed from the fridge, they sat in the living room.

They opened their bottles of beer.

But before they started to munch on their pizza, John popped a DVD into the DVD player.

“What are we watching tonight?” Angie asked as she opened one of the boxes of pizza.

Her question was answered when she saw the Back to the Future III movie menu appeared.

“Back to the Future three? Why are we watching that tonight?” said Angie.

Alicia nodded in agreement with Angie’s question.

John and Clint looked at each other for a few seconds.

Angie and Alicia could sense something was up; hence, that movie. “Okay, what’s going on?” said Alicia.

“There’s something we need to talk about. It’s an important problem I just discovered earlier today while in class,” said John while he clicked on “Play” for the DVD.

“What’s this important problem you need to discuss?” said Alicia.

John grabbed his textbook off the coffee table. He strategically placed it there an hour ago. He opened up the page he bookmarked. “I had two students in my class named Dalton Trevor and Chrissy Barron.”

“So?” said Alicia, with Angie nodding in agreement.

“To keep it short and sweet. They learned about Crazy Hole,” said John.

Alicia and Angie looked at each other and knew where this was going.

“And they traveled back to Oak Creek,” said Clint.

“Yes. They traveled back yesterday. And then I had this strange flashback. It had this overwhelming feeling that they might have been in the crowd at my hanging,” said John.

“And then this Dalton kid became the Town Marshal of Oak Creek immediately after I left to come here,” said Clint.

“Did they come back and tell you about going through Crazy Hole?” said Angie.

“No. Dalton was killed by another outlaw gang led by Blue Earl Olson, and it was in retaliation for Dalton killing Blue Earl’s younger brother during a bank holdup in Oak Creek,” said John.

Alicia and Angie looked at each other and had the same deduction.

“So what you’re leading to is that you want us to go back and save this Dalton kid?” said Alicia. “Go back to Oak Creek?”

“Exactly,” said John. “With your marksman skill, I think we can save his life,” he said to Alicia.

“I don’t know,” said Angie.

“Yeah, I’m done with time-traveling,” said Alicia. “Why do you want to go back?” she asked Clint.

He looked over at Alicia. “When I was the Town Marshal of Oak Creek, I heard rumors that the Town Marshal of Cactus

City, in the New Mexico Territory, was killed. He was Carl Kent, and we were childhood friends in San Francisco. We both headed east to become lawmen. I couldn’t confirm back then that Blue Earl killed Carl. But the Internet confirmed it,” said Clint, then paused, looking sad. “Then the Internet also told me that Blue Earl shot and killed Merijildo,” he said while his eyes welled up.

“Merijildo? He killed Merijildo?” said Alicia.

“He did,” said John.

Alicia looked saddened. Even though she only knew Merijildo briefly, she liked him. “I’m in,” she said while she placed her hand on Clint’s hand for comfort.

“Oh yeah, did I say that Dalton was engaged? To Chrissy?”

said John, hoping that would get that soft spot in their heart.

“Engaged?” said Angie as that caught her attention.

“Never to be married. I can imagine she was heartbroken,”

said John to soften them up.

“What happened to her?” said Alicia.

Angie looked interested in hearing that answer.

“I believe she returned. I thought I saw her on campus today. But lost her in the crowd. She looked like she had a broken heart,” said John softly. “Looked so depressed and moped down the sidewalk.” “She lost her loved one,” he added with a sad tone.

“Ohhh,” said Angie, feeling sorry for Chrissy.

“That’s so sad,” said Alicia, feeling sorry for Chrissy.

“Nobody should die from a broken heart,” said Angie.

“Let’s do this.” “But won’t they recognize John as the Kissing Bandit?” she said, looking at John.

“Maybe, but I’m ten years older, and when we return, it would be less than two weeks after I escape from the noose,”

said John.

“We’ll use different names,” said Clint. “And besides, I have a mustache that can’t look like this in two weeks,” he added.

Angie and Alicia looked at Clint and thought the mustache was believable.

“What names?” said Alicia.

“We’ll come up with some names later,” said Clint.

“So, what’s our plan to save some lives?” said Angie.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” said John.

“Once we get back to Oak Creek, we’ll have to think on our feet,” said Clint. “All plans don’t normally go as planned.

“You’re right,” said Alicia.

John and Angie nodded in agreement.

Alicia’s eyes widened, remembering something. “I thought we planted some cacti at the opening of Crazy Hole ten years ago?”

“So, how did they use Crazy Hole?”

“We did, and I think Dalton and Chrissy had to cut them down to get inside the cave,” said John.

“Sounds plausible,” said Alicia, with Clint and Angie nodding.

“We better spend Saturday preparing for the trip. We can leave on Sunday,” said John.

Everybody nodded in agreement, and they returned to their pizza, beer, and Back to the Future III movie.

It was an hour into the movie. Clint’s eyes widened a little.

“I haven’t shot my pistol in ten years. I need to hit the gun range tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me,” said John. “I should get some practice also.”

“We’ll probably need some clothes,” said Angie.

“Yeah, we’ll have to go shopping for clothes tomorrow,”

said Alicia.

They remained quiet during the rest of the movie.

The movie ended.

“What time do you want to meet tomorrow?” said John

“How about high noon,” Clint said.

“Yep, getting ready for the old west with the talk,” said Alicia.

Everybody chuckled.

“It’s High noon. We’ll head off to the gun range and then shop for some clothes,” said John.

Everybody nodded. They agreed, and then Clint and Alicia went home.

When they returned, Alicia entered the bathroom to prepare for bed.

Clint was in their bedroom, undressed to his tee shirt and boxers.

He looked at his closet, looked at it for a few seconds, then walked over to it.

He opened the bi-fold doors, reached up, grabbed a cardboard box on the closet shelf, brought the box down, and walked over to his bed.

He opened up the box. It contained his old 1883 clothes, cowboy hat, pistol, and holster. Also in the box was his old Oak Creek Town Marshal badge. He picked up the badge and glanced at it. Even though it brought back some fond memories, Clint still preferred living in the future.

He removed his old 1883 clothes from the box.

He put on his old western clothes. They didn’t fit. He has gained a little weight over the past few years. The shirt was ready to pop all the buttons. The pants wouldn’t button. If they did, the buttons would probably pop off in seconds.

Alicia entered the bedroom. She saw Clint in his clothes, ready to pop all the buttons. She chuckled. “We also need to get you some new clothes.”

“I guess I gained a little weight over the past years,” he said.

“Yeah, a little,” she said and chuckled again.

Clint took off his clothes and dropped them to the floor.

He reached back into the box and removed his pistol and gun belt. He looked at it and smiled at the thought of firing it again. He reached back into his box and removed his Town Marshal badge.

He put the clothes back in the box and placed his pistol gun, belt, and badge on his dresser.

He returned the box back to the shelf in the closet.

He walked over to the bed and got under the covers with Alicia. They turned off the lamps on the bedside tables.

They were soon fast asleep.

Saturday morning arrived. It was October 1st, 2016.

During breakfast, Alicia called Kent Moore and reserved four horses from his ranch for Sunday and Monday. Even though Clint had lived in the future for ten years, they often went on weekend horseback rides in the desert. Alicia loved this to relieve stress from her work as a detective.

After breakfast, everybody met at the Mountain Gun Range.

After an hour of practicing, John practiced with his Colt Peacemaker that he bought when he was the Kissing Bandit, Alicia used her old western replica piston, while Clint used his old pistol. They felt ready for the old west.

After the gun range, they all headed to a western clothing store. They bought some jeans, western-style shirts, cowboy hats, and boots. They didn’t mind spending the money, as they considered this upcoming adventure like a vacation—a cheap vacation compared to others.

They headed to a few coin shops and purchased the cheapest silver dollar coins.

They went to their homes and relaxed for the rest of Saturday.

Sunday morning arrived. It’s October 2nd, 2016.

After John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia had breakfast, they prepared for their trip.

Alicia got her Winchester rifle out of the closet.

Clint put his pistol in the holster of his gun belt.

They both got dressed in their western attire.

Back at John’s home, he got his Colt Peacemaker in its holster and dressed along with Angie. He also made a copy of that page about Dalton from his textbook on his printer in the den. He folded the paper and shoved it in the left pocket of his western shirt.

He made a copy of the page with the picture of the Blue Earl gang with names. He folded that paper and shoved it in his right shirt pocket.

Clint and Alicia got in her Ford Flex SUV, which she drove to John and Angie’s house.

Alicia drove to Kent’s Desert Horse Ranch and Stables and parked in the parking lot.

While they got out and headed to Kent’s office, they saw a 2005 blue Honda Civic.

“Probably belongs to Dalton and Chrissy,” said John while they walked past the Civic.

Clint, Alicia, and Angie nodded in agreement.

They headed off to the office.

“Well, hello there, Alicia and Clint. It’s good to see you again,” Kent said when the four of them entered the office.

Kent saw John and Angie. “You two look familiar,” he said.

“We came here a few times. It’s been a couple of years,”

said John.

“Ah, yes. Let’s see,” said Kent while he looked down at his reservation book. “You have four horses for today and tomorrow.”

“That’s correct,” said Alicia.

“Good, I have four horses left. My other two are out with a nice young couple. They should return later today,” said Kent.

Clint and John glanced at each other. They knew exactly who that young couple was.

“Let’s go get your horses,” said Kent. “They’re ready to ride.”

They followed Kent out of his office.

Fifteen minutes had passed, and Clint, John, Angie, and Alicia were sitting in the saddles of their horses.

They rode out of the back gate.

It was a little later, and they eventually rode up to the base of Miners Needle and Crazy Hole.

They saw the cut pieces of Cereus Peruvian column cacti they planted ten years ago were off to the right side of that huge rock.

They all got off their horses and immediately tied a large piece of cloth over the eyes of their horses.

Clint and John got their flashlights and walked their horses single file into Crazy Hole.

They slowly walked deeper and deeper into the dark cave with their flashlight guiding the way.

They continued their trek into Crazy Hole when the cave tunnel dead-ended. Clint and John shined their flashlights all over the dead-end and illuminated a stone embedded in the cave wall with a carved image of a priest holding a cross.

They saw backpacks in the dirt under the priest’s carving.

“Those backpacks must be from Dalton and Chrissy,” said John.

“Probably,” said Clint.

They all looked at the tunnel to the right.

“Everybody ready for this again?” said John. “Last chance to back out.”

Clint, Angie, and Alicia looked at the tunnel.

“Let’s pray we get there in time,” said Clint while thinking about Merijildo and Dalton.

John took a deep breath and walked into the cave with his horse.

In the split-second, John and his horse entered the tunnel, and a blue plasma light flashed and illuminated all around them.

It stung John’s whole body, and the horse whimpered.

“Ahhhh!” In unison, John cried out in pain while walking his horse through the tunnel.

John and his horse walked out of Crazy Hole and soon realized he was back in 1883.

Clint and his horse walked out of the cave, Angie and her horse, and Alicia and her horse. “We’re back,” said John.

“Let’s go,” said Clint as he removed the blindfold from his horse and got in the saddle of their other horse.

John, Angie, and Alicia removed the blindfolds from their horses and got back in the saddle.

They rode off into the 1883 desert, returning to Oak Creek.

Chapter 38

It’s Tuesday, October 2nd, 1883. Again.

John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia rode their horses into Oak Creek.

Seeing the entrance to his old town brought back some fond memories for Clint.

They rode their horses down Main Street.

Some of the town folk were out watching Harvey, and a helper picked up Deke’s dead body off the wooden sidewalk.

John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia rode their horses down Main Street and saw Harvey and his helper plop Deke’s dead body in Harvey’s wagon.

Some townsfolk saw the four strangers ride by on their horses.

“Is that Marshal Bartley?” said one old man to his wife.

“He looks like him, but he’s older,” said the man’s wife.

And he has a mustache.”

Another man and his buddy saw the four strangers outside the Prickly Cactus.

“That guy looks like Marshal Bartley,” said the man to his buddy.

The other man looked. “That other guy sorta looks like the Kissing Bandit,” he said and looked again. “Naw, he’s a little older.” “Plus, that guy that looks like Bartley has a mustache.

Bartley didn’t have a mustache.”

“Yeah, you’re right. They’re both older, and Marshal Bartley didn’t have a mustache,” said the man, then they both went inside the Prickly Cactus.

They rode their horses to Felix Willoughby’s stable and exited their saddles.

Clint walked into the stable and saw Felix beating away on a horseshoe on an anvil.

“May I help you?” said Felix when he saw the stranger enter the stable and stop beating the horseshoe.

“We have four horses we need to be kept here for the night,” said Clint, who wanted to say hello to his old acquaintance but wanted to pretend he was a stranger. So he didn’t say anything.

Felix looked at Clint. His eyes widened a little. “Clint? Is that you, Marshal Bartley?” said Felix.

“Oh, no, sir, I’m not Clint Bartley. I’m,” said Clint, pausing to think of a name. He didn’t plan for this. I’m,” he said and paused again, then recalled some old reruns of a popular 1950s through 1970s western TV show. I’m Matt Dillon.”

“Oh, you look like our old Marshal Clint Bartley. But you are a little older than what he was, and Clint didn’t have a mustache. But he had a similar scar,” said Felix, shrugging off the feeling. “So, I hear you need to keep four horses here?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, bring them in, I have four stalls available,” said Felix.

After they placed their horses into the stalls and removed their saddles, they left the stable.

Felix stood outside the entrance to his stable and watched the four strangers leave. “He sure looks like Clint. Maybe what they say is true. Everybody has a double somewhere in this world.”

John, Clint, Angie, and Alicia walked down Main Street with more stares at how they looked so familiar.

Mayor Mason walked down the street and saw the four strangers.

He glanced. “Howdy,” he said while he walked by them.

He stopped and turned around. There was something very familiar about those strangers. “Excuse me,” said Mayor Mason while he rushed up to Clint.

Clint, John, Angie, and Alicia all stopped.

Clint saw Mayor Mason. “It’s Mayor Mason,” he thought, and it was good to see him again.

Mayor Mason looked at Clint. “Clint? Is that you? Clint Bartley?” he said and started to wonder, as this guy looked like Clint but was a little older. Clint didn’t have a mustache, but his man had a similar scar to what Clint had.

“Ah, no sir, I’m Matt Dillon,” replied Clint.

John, Angie, and Alicia all looked at Clint, a little surprised by the name he used.

“But, you do look like our old Marshal Clint Bartley.”

“Nope. I’m Matt Dillon,” insisted Clint.

Mayor Mason looked confused. This guy looked like Clint Bartley, but he was older. “I’m sorry. You look just like our old Town Marshal, Clint Bartley.”

“Sorry. I’m not that man,” said Clint.

“There’s a saying that everybody has a double in this world,” said John.

Mayor Mason looked at John; his eyes widened a little.

“And you look so much like that outlaw, the Kissing Bandit.”

John faked a chuckle. “Me, the kissing bandit? I don’t think so. My name is,” said John, and he hesitated to think of a good cover. “My name is… Chester Goode and this is my wife, Kitty,” he said, placing right arm around Angie’s shoulder.

Clint looked at John and tried not to bust out laughing

“And this is my wife, Annie,” he said.

Mayor Mason looked at the four strangers. “Well, Clint wasn’t married and had no mustache.” “So, what brings you to my fair town of Oak Creek?” “I’m Mayor Mason.”

“We’re passing through. Heading to Phoenix. We’ll spend the night and head out in the morning,” said Clint.

“Well then, enjoy our town,” said Mayor Mason. “Good day,” he said and walked away.

“He sure looks like Clint,” said Mayor Mason, shrugging it off as he headed down Main Street toward the Courthouse to his office.

“Matt Dillon?” said John with a light chuckle.

“And, I’m Kitty?” said Angie. “Why, Kitty?”

“Well, he said Matt Dillon, and I thought of Kitty from that show,” said John.

“Annie? Why, Annie?” said Alicia.

“I thought of Annie Oakley,” said Clint. “You know, the female sharpshooter from the old west.”

Alicia thought about what he said for a few seconds. A proud smile grew as she was considered the same caliber as Annie Oakley.

“And you’re no, Chester,” said Angie at John.

John faked a limp like the Chester character in the Gunsmoke TV show.

They all chuckled while they walked down the street.

They walked up to the Marshal’s Office.

“I wonder if we didn’t arrive too late?” said John.

Clint glanced up and down Main Street. “I think we arrived in time,” he said, then grabbed the door’s doorknob.

Inside the Marshal’s Office, Dalton sat behind his desk.

Zeke was out back using the Outhouse. Dalton’s thoughts went back and forth between him killing Deke and Gus selling the General Store.

The door to the office opened.

Dalton glanced up and saw four people enter the office. He didn’t recognize them. “Can I help you?” he said, standing at his desk. “Dalton, it’s me, Professor Mathers,” said John as they approached Dalton, removing his cowboy hat.

Dalton looked at him for a few seconds. “Professor Mathers? Why are you here?”

Zeke entered the office from the rear door. He saw the four strangers standing by Dalton’s desk.

Clint saw Zeke and remembered him.

Zeke walked up to them. His eyes widened the second he saw Clint. “Marshal Bartley? You’re back,” smiled Zeke.

Dalton looked at Zeke and didn’t know what to say.

“No, I’m Matt Dillon,” said Clint.

Dalton looked a little surprised over that name.

“Matt Dillon?” said Zeke, a little confused.

“I’m his wife, Annie,” said Alicia.

“I’m Chester,” said John.

“And I’m his wife, Kitty,” said Angie.

Zeke still looked confused.

“Yes, that’s Matt Dillon. Matt and John are old friends of the family. They are from back East,” said Dalton.

“Pittsburgh.”

Zeke still looked confused, as this guy sure looked like Clint Bartley. But he was older, had a mustache, and was married. He knew that their former Town Marshal wasn’t married. “Well, it’s nice meeting you all. I’m Zeke Cooper,” he said, then shook Clint and John’s hands.

“Dalton, if your deputy wouldn’t mind. We need go have some personal business to discuss. Can we have some privacy?”

said John.

Dalton looked at Zeke. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off,” he said. “I got things covered with my friends here.”

“Are you sure?” said Zeke.

“It’s okay, Zeke. Don’t worry,” said Dalton.

“Okay, see you in the morning, Marshal,” said Zeke, walking away and heading to the front door.

Everybody remained quiet until Zeke went outside, and they knew he wouldn’t be back for a while.

“What brings you to eighteen eighty-three?” said Dalton.

John reached into his shirt pocket and removed a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and handed it over to Dalton.

Dalton looked at the paper and the article about Blue Earl Olson. His eyes widened. “I’ll be killed?” he said in disbelief, then reread the paper. “I’ll be killed tonight or tomorrow by Blue Earl?” “Why,” he said, then it took a few seconds to sink in. “That’s right, I killed Deke,” he said while he slowly sat down in his chair. “His younger brother.” Dalton put the paper on the top of his desk. “I’m going to be killed,” he said again and started to get nervous.

“We came here to save your life,” said John.

“But why would you care about me?” said Dalton.

“I can’t let Blue Earl kill again,” said Clint, and he paused.

“He killed a good friend of mine who was the Town Marshal of Cactus Wood in New Mexico. That’s why he’s in this area.”

“Do you know when I’ll be killed?”

“Not exactly. Your body was found in the Superstition Mountains a few days from now,” said John.

Dalton picked up the paper from the desk. He read it and saw that that’s what the article said.

“I think Blue Earl and his gang will return to Oak Creek sometime today and take you away. Probably tonight,” said John.

Dalton sat there, stunned over what he was told. “So, what do we do?”

“We take out the Blue Earl gang before they take you out,”

said Clint.

“We don’t wait for them to come to Oak Creek?” said John.

“I don’t want a gunfight here in town,” said Clint.

“Innocent people could get shot.”

“Got that right, I heard someone was wounded in the Prickly Cactus Saloon when Deke Olson was shooting at me,”

said Dalton.

“Right about not dealing with innocent people getting hurt,” said John.

“But we don’t know where they’re hiding? To get them there,” said Dalton.

Clint thought for a few seconds. “But I know someone who can help us,” he said with a smile that soon disappeared, knowing what history would bring.

“Who?” Dalton said.

“An old Indian tracker friend of mine,” said Clint.

“Merijildo.”

John looked at Clint. “Yes. Merijildo will help,” smiled John, thinking about seeing him again.

Dalton’s eyes widened, remembering something. “I met him.”

“When?” Clint asked.

“Right after you left from saving Professor Mathers from being hanged, they used Merijildo to track you down when you didn’t come back. Merijildo said he couldn’t find you and that

you left the area for another life,” said Dalton. Then it dawned on him. “Ah, he went through Crazy Hole with you.”

Clint nodded in agreement. “So why don’t John and I ride out to get Merijildo? Bring him here to Oak Creek. Then we can head out and find Blue Earl and his gang.” “We’ll arrest them for the robbery performed earlier today,” he said, then looked at Dalton. “Or rather, the Town Marshal can arrest him,” he added.

John and Dalton nodded in agreement with Clint’s plan.

Clint looked at Alicia and Angie. “You two ladies can stay here with Dalton.”

“But what if they come while you’re gone?” said Dalton.

“I don’t think they’ll come during the day. I think they’ll come at night,” said Clint. “Besides, Alicia here is a Detective in Phoenix. She’s a marksman. She’ll protect you,” he added.

“Okay,” said Dalton. “I’ll take the ladies and show them our lovely town.”

“Good. Let’s go,” Clint said, looking at John. They watched as Clint and John rushed over to the door and left the Marshal’s Office.

Dalton folded that piece of paper and set it on top of his desk. “Well, ladies, do you want to take a walk around town?”

“Sure,” said Angie and Alicia in unison.

Dalton exited the desk and escorted the two ladies to the door. They left the Marshal’s Office.

“I saw you when you rescued Professor Mathers from the noose,” said Dalton while they walked down Main Street.

“John said he had this strange flashback you were there,”

said Angie.

While they walked farther down Main Street, Clint and John galloped their horses away from the stable and headed in their direction.

John and Clint tipped their hats at their wives when they galloped past them.

A couple strolled down Main Street. They stopped when they saw Clint and John gallop their horses past them.

The man looked at his wife. “I swear that was Marshal Bartley,” he told his wife.

She glanced back at John and Clint. “I don’t know. He’s an older man than Clint,” she replied.

“He sure looked like him,” said the man while they continued their stroll down the street, forgetting about those two on the horses.

Dalton walked Angie and Alicia near the Prickly Cactus.

“So, I can imagine that you’re not Kitty,” he said to Angie

“And you’re not Annie,” he said to Alicia.

“I’m Angie.”

“And I’m Alicia.”

Dalton looked at the café doors to the Prickly Cactus.

“Would you two ladies join me for a beer?” said Dalton, trying to find ways to keep the ladies occupied.

“Sure,” said Angie.

“I would love one,” said Alicia.

Dalton escorted the ladies into the Prickly Cactus.

Thirty minutes had passed.

While Dalton, Angie, and Alicia left the Prickly Cactus and continued their walk around Oak Creek, Clint and John rode their horses into a small Indian camp.

Four Indians approached the two white men on horses, concerned they might be a threat.

Clint and John stopped their horses and got out of their saddles.

“What you want?” said one of the Indians while he held his Winchester rifle.

“I’m here to see Merijildo,” said Clint.

“Who wants him?” said another Indian.

“Tell him Clint Bartley is here to see him.”

The Indians looked at Clint. Their eyes widened as this white man did indeed look familiar.

You Clint Bartley? You older,” said another one of the Indians.

“Clint? Is that you?” said the voice of an older Indian from behind the four Indians.

Clint looked and saw Merijildo walk up to them. He smiled. “It’s me, Clint,” he said, then looked concerned. “We need to talk in private.”

Merijildo motioned for them to follow him.

Clint and John followed Merijildo through the camp.

Merijildo walked them to his teepee.

Merijildo, Clint, and John went inside, where Merijildo’s wife, Preeti, was with baby Victorio.

“Preeti, meet Clint and John,” said Merijildo.

“Hi,” said Clint and John in unison.

Clint saw Victorio and smiled.

Preeti smiled at her greeting, then left the teepee with Victorio in her arms so her husband could talk privately.

Merijildo, Clint, and John sat down on blankets inside the teepee.

“I can’t believe you’re back,” said Merijildo. Are you here for good?” he said, then looked at John. You brought the Kissing Bandit back. “Why?”

“I was a teacher back in two thousand and sixteen,” said John. “You older, Clint,” said Merijildo.

“I know. I lived ten years in the future and had to come back here,” said Clint.

“Why?” asked Merijildo.

“To make it short and sweet about why we’re here, there are two students of mine, Dalton and Chrissy, who discovered Crazy Hole and came back here.”

“And Dalton became the Town Marshal of Oak Creek,”

said Clint.

Merijildo looked at Clint. “I hear Oak Creek got a new young Town Marshal.”

“Well, there was a bank robbery today, Dalton killed one of the guys of the Blue Earl outlaw gang,” said John.

“I hear about them,” said Merijildo.

“The outlaw killed was Blue Earl’s kid brother,” said John.

“Blue Earl will kill Dalton either tonight or tomorrow.”

“Too bad,” said Merijildo. “Take him back to Crazy Hole and return to the future.”

Clint looked at Merijildo. “We could, but there’s another problem.”

“What that?” said Merijildo.

“History said that Blue Earl will kill you after he kills Dalton,” said Clint. “He hates Indians.”

“So do many white men,” said Merijildo, then he looked a little sad that he would die soon.

“Well, we can’t go back until we make sure this Blue Earl doesn’t kill you, Merijildo,” said Clint, John nodding in agreement. We need to find his hideout.”

“I know where he hides,” said Merijildo, surprising Clint and John.

“You do? How?” Clint asked.

“Hear this, Blue Earl, and men have been going to the towns. Act suspicious,” said Merijildo. “I track them.”

“Well, that makes it easier,” said Clint. “So here’s what I think we should do,” he added.

They all leaned in and listened to Clint’s plan.

Forty minutes passed.

Back at Oak Creek, Dalton was walking Angie and Alicia through the residential area while Chrissy finished teaching and let the students all go home.

She left the schoolhouse and headed straight to the Marshal’s Office.

Chrissy went inside the Marshal’s Office. “Dalton,” she called out when she didn’t see anybody. “Dalton,” she called again, thinking he was in the back room. Nobody answered.

Chrissy thought that maybe he was out back in the outhouse. So she walked over to his desk and sat in the chair to wait for him.

She spotted the folded piece of paper on the desk. She thought that that piece of paper looked too modern for the old west, so she got curious.

She grabbed the paper and opened it. She saw that it was a printout from a modern printer. “That’s odd,” she said,

wondering if Dalton had brought it with him. She read the article about Blue Earl. It wasn’t long before her eyes widened with shock. “What?” “Dalton will be killed?” she cried out.

She didn’t know what to think. Then, something was odd about this printed article. “Why would Dalton print this before we left? And, why would he want to come here knowing what would happen?” she said, her eyes welled up. Her gut got nervous. She thought that Dalton was already dead. Killed for killing Deke. Her eyes welled up, and her lips quivered. She sat in the chair, stunned. Her mind froze, and she didn’t know what to do next.

The front door to the Marshal’s Office opened. Chrissy jumped as it startled her. Her heart raced, thinking that someone was coming to tell her that Dalton was dead.

But Clint, John, and Merijildo walked in.

Chrissy’s heart raced faster, and she started to feel faint.

She just knew that these guys were here to tell her Dalton was dead. “He’s dead? Isn’t he?”

“Dead? Who?” said John while they walked over to the desk. “Dalton. The Town Marshal,” said Chrissy.

John saw that Chrissy had her paper printed about Blue Earl in her right hand. He wished he had remembered to take it earlier. “Oh, no. He’s not dead,” he said. He should be out there showing our wives Oak Creek,” said John, pointing at the office windows.

“Not dead?” said Chrissy then got confused. She glanced at the piece of paper. She glanced at the three strangers standing by her desk. It took a few seconds for it to dawn on her. “Professor Mathers?” she said, then glanced at Clint. “And you’re,” she said, then paused for a few seconds to place his face. She remembered. “Clint Bartley.” “What are you two doing here?” she said, then saw the old Indian. “I don’t know you.”

“Me, Merijildo.”

“Merijildo?” said Chrissy while she couldn’t initially place the name. She remembered. “Yes, the Indian tracker?”

“The one and only,” said Clint, placing an arm around his old friend.

“Why are you here, Professor Mathers?” said Chrissy, then it took a few seconds for her to figure it out. “Dalton. You came to save Dalton?” she said, holding up that paper.

“I’m sorry you had to discover what will happen by reading it from my textbook,” said John.

“That wasn’t in your book when we left,” said Chrissy while she looked at the paper again.

“It hasn’t happened yet,” said John.

“And we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen,” said Clint.

Merijildo nodded in agreement.

Chrissy’s eyes widened when she read about Merijildo.

“Thank you for coming here,” she said, stood up, and handed John the paper.

John folded it and shoved it back in his left shirt pocket.

The front door to the Marshal’s Office opened, and Angie, Alicia, and Dalton walked in.

Dalton saw Chrissy sitting at his desk when he closed the door. He saw how she looked scared and instantly knew she knew about his future demise.

Chrissy jumped up and ran over to Dalton. She hugged him tight. “You’re not dead,” she said and kissed him. “Let’s go back. Now.”

“We can’t,” said Dalton.

“Why?” Chrissy asked. “I sat that article in Professor Mather’s textbook.”

“Well, I don’t want my friend Merijildo to be killed by Blue Earl’s gang,” said Clint.

“I don’t want to die now,” said Merijildo.

“And if we leave through Crazy Hole, Blue Earl and his gang might follow us. You don’t want him and his gang running around two thousand sixteen Phoenix looking for Dalton,” said John. “Just like what Bart Stone and Charlie Chandler did to me,” he added, recalling that scary experience. “You don’t want that, trust me.”

Angie, Alicia, and Clint nodded in agreement with John.

“We have to get this guy before he gets us,” said Clint.

“Hopefully, he’ll see the end of a rope.”

Chrissy looked at John, Clint, and Merijildo. She then looked at Angie and Alicia. “Who are you?”

“I’m Angie. I’m John’s wife,” said Angie as she approached Chrissy and shook her hand.

“I’m Alicia. I’m Clint’s wife, and I’m a Detective from the Phoenix Police Department,” said Alicia as she approached Chrissy and shook her hand.

Chrissy looked at everybody, who all looked serious.

“We have to deal with this Blue Earl and his gang now,”

said Dalton. “I’m still the Town Marshal. I don’t want to go down in history as a chicken.”

“We could use an extra gun,” said Clint. “What about your deputy? Zeke?”

“I can go chase him down and ask him to help,” said Dalton.

“How are you going to get Blue Earl and his gang before he gets Dalton?” said Chrissy.

“Let’s have some food brought over here from the restaurant. Then we’ll talk about my plan while we eat,” said Dalton.

Everybody nodded in agreement.

Alicia looked over at Chrissy. “Why don’t we ladies head to the restaurant and get us some dinner?” she said.

Angie and Chrissy nodded in agreement and left the office along with Dalton.

While the ladies headed off to the restaurant and Dalton headed off to find Zeke, Clint made a fresh pot of coffee on the potbelly stove, just like in the old days. But he still liked the automatic drip makers in the future thinking it was quicker to get a hot cup of coffee.

Chapter 39

It’s still Tuesday, October 2nd, 1883.

Dinner was finished. While they ate, John made sure everybody knew the names of the Blue Earl gang members. He used a copy of his textbook article with a picture of them.

Zeke was rounded up by Dalton, and he agreed to go on the posse to arrest Blue Earl and his gang members.

“Are we ready?” said Clint while she filled up his pistol with bullets.

Everybody nodded in agreement that they were ready.

They were nervous, but they were prepared.

Clint grabbed two of the Winchester rifles and gave one to Alicia and one to John. They each grabbed a handful of bullets, loaded their Winchesters with fifteen rounds, and shoved the rest in their shirt pockets.

Clint also gave Merijildo a loaded Winchester rifle for his protection. After all, he would be in the area with outlaws who hated Indians. History proved he wouldn’t survive against this hatred with Blue Earl in the area.

“Let’s go arrest some outlaws,” said Clint. “And stick them in jail or with a noose around their neck,” said Clint, but inside, he wanted a different outcome.

Chrissy walked up to Dalton. “Please be careful,” she said, and he could see she was scared. “I will,” he replied, then kissed her on the lips.

“You too,” Angie told John, who tipped his cowboy hat on her. John, Angie, Clint, Alicia, Dalton, Chrissy, Zeke, and Merijildo left the Marshal’s Office.

Once they got outside, they headed to the stables, Chrissy and Angie following.

They watched while the posse got their horses, got in the saddles of their horses, and rode out of Oak Creek.

The town folk milling about Oak Creek saw them and knew that this had to be a posse to go after the Blue Earl gang.

Chrissy looked over at Angie when the posse rode out of the entrance to Oak Creek. “Let’s head over to my house. I’ll make a pot of coffee,” she said.

“That sounds nice,” smiled Angie.

They walked away and headed to the residential area.

Fifteen minutes had passed, and Chrissy and Angie were sitting in the living room, drinking coffee and talking about all sorts of stuff.

Clint and his posse rode off in the desert with Merijildo leading.

They all had the same thought in their minds. “Will I die today?”

Clint rode his horse up along Merijildo’s horse.

Thirty minutes passed.

Merijildo motioned for the posse to stop. They stopped.

“Up ahead, behind those bushes,” said Merijildo quietly.

Clint looked up ahead about a tenth of a mile and saw a large clump of trees a little distance from a rock wall. They also saw smoke rising up in the air from the bushes. A campfire

“Get in your positions,” Clint told everybody quietly.

They all quietly got off their horses and walked them over to some bushes, where they tied the reins to the branches.

Over at that clump of bushes near the rock wall, Blue Earl was taking a piss. He spotted six horses off in the desert, standing by some bushes. These weren’t wild horses. They had saddles.

He saw six people scattering off in different directions.

Heading toward his hideout. But they were too far away to recognize them. “Fuck!” he said, as he immediately knew there was a posse coming after his gang. He quickly shoved his member back in his pants, buttoned them up, and rushed away.

Blue Earl rushed over to Hank, Frankie, and Bo.

“We got a posse coming after us,” said Blue Earl while he grabbed his binoculars.

He rushed back to the bushes, went inside them and used his binoculars to get a closer view of this threat.

“Figures,” he said when he spotted Dalton and Zeke running toward a large rock closer to his hideout. He scanned the area through his binoculars and noticed others running to other large rocks closer to his hideout.

He moved out of the bushes and rushed back to his gang.

“We do have a posse coming after us.”

They all whipped out their pistols from their holsters. They scattered off in different directions as they had practiced this when other posses came after them. In fact, that’s the first thing Blue Earl has his gang do when they find a new hideout; they practice where to go when a posse threatens their existence.

Clint, Alicia, John, Dalton, Zeke, and Merijildo were all stationed behind rocks for cover. They were within shouting distance from Blue Earl’s hideout.

Clint and Merijildo were in the center.

Alicia and John covered the right flank.

Dalton and Zeke covered the left flank. They started to get a little nervous. You never know when a well-thought-out plan will fail miserably.

There were a few seconds of silence.

Clint and Merijildo peeked their heads above the rock they hid behind.

“See smoke above trees,” said Merijildo.

Clint saw smoke rising in the air from behind that clump of trees. “Yea. I see the smoke.”

“That’s how I find them. Easy,” said Merijildo with a light chuckle.

“Sometimes they just fall in your laps,” said Clint, then paused for a few seconds. “Come on out, Blue Earl,” Clint yelled. “We have your gang surrounded and outnumbered.”

“Come on out, and nobody gets killed.”

There were a few seconds of quiet.

But what Clint didn’t know was that since Blue Earl spotted them while taking a piss, he had his men in position to fight.

There was sudden gunfire from the vicinity of the hideout.

Bullets ricocheted off the rocks where Clint and Merijildo, Alicia and John, and Dalton and Zeke hid.

They all crotched behind their rocks for cover, ready for more bullets to come their way.

It was quiet. Blue Earl remained quiet, figuring that if he yelled back, his voice would reveal where he was hiding.

Clint and Merijildo cautiously poked about the side of their rock. They fired at the clump of trees, figuring that was where Blue Earl and his gang were hiding.

It was quiet.

A barrage of gunfire had bullets ricocheting again off the rocks.

“Fuck!” cried out Zeke while he hugged the ground for cover.

“You can say that again,” said Dalton.

“Fuck,” said Zeke while more bullets ricocheted off their rock. It was quiet.

Zeke and Dalton still hugged the ground. It remained quiet. They cautiously got up and peeked around their rock.

They didn’t see anybody.

Then, all of a sudden, Dalton felt someone grab him by the back of his collar and yank him to his feet. He didn’t know what the hell was happening until he was brought up to his feet and felt the metal of a gun barrel pressed into his right temple.

He knew this wasn’t good.

Zeke saw Blue Earl behind Dalton with Blue Earl’s pistol pressed into Dalton’s temple. He whipped his pistol up at Blue Earl out of reaction.

Gunfire. A bullet struck Zeke’s right forearm, sending his pistol off into the dirt. It landed six feet away out of reach.

Blue Earl had shot Zeke using his left hand. He had his pistol back in his left holster and re-grabbed the back of Dalton’s collar within seconds.

Zeke dropped to his knees in pain while holding his right forearm. It was bleeding. He quickly removed his handkerchief from his pants pocket and wrapped it around his wound.

“I have this coward of a Marshal from Oak Creek,” yelled Blue Earl. “Leave me alone with him, and nobody else gets hurt. Like that Deputy of Oak Creek,” Blue Earl added.

Blue Earl scanned the area for the rest of the posse. “Kill them all,” he barked.

Clint peeked around the side of his rock. He could see Blue Earl standing behind Dalton with his pistol pressed into Dalton’s temple. “Merijildo, give me your rifle,” he said.

Merijildo peeked and saw Blue Earl and Dalton. He handed Clint his pistol.

There was more gunfire, with bullets ricocheting off the rocks.

Alicia and John saw movement to the left of that clump of trees behind a rock, so they fired again.

Hank and Bo fired back at Alicia and John with bullets ricocheting off their rock. Alicia and John ducked for cover.

Blue Earl glanced around when he heard the gunfire.

There was no threat to him, so he started backing Dalton up to get to a safer location.

There was more gunfire at Alicia and John, then more gunfire at Merijildo and Clint, with bullets ricocheting off their rocks.

Blue Earl continued to move Dalton backward, with Dalton scared that his life would soon be over. Dalton silently prayed that he wouldn’t piss his pants.

Clint handed Merijildo his pistol. He didn’t want to leave him without a weapon.

Clint scanned the area. He got up and ran over to another rock with bullets coming from Frankie, killing the dirt at the heels of his cowboy boots.

Clint safely reached the other rock and crotched behind it.

He peeked around the rock. “Perfect,” he said and took aim with his Winchester.

More gunfire came from Hank and Bo at Alicia and John’s rock, with bullets ricocheting off it.

More gunfire came from Frankie and Merijildo’s rock, with bullets ricocheting off it.

Clint took aim with his Winchester while Blue Earl inched Dalton backward towards another rock. He had Blue Earl in his sights. He silently prayed that his rifle’s aim was still good. Blue Earl was about to take Dalton behind that rock. It was now or never. Clint fired off a shot.

Blue Earl didn’t know what hit him. He dropped to the dirt with a bullet in the side of his head. He was dead before he hit the dirt.

Dalton didn’t know what the hell happened when he fell to the ground with Blue Earl, landing on top of the outlaw. He lay there frozen with fear praying again that he wouldn’t piss his pants.

Frankie saw Blue Earl from behind his rock and noticed his boss wasn’t moving with Dalton on top of him. He saw Dalton suddenly jump off Blue Earl. Frankie knew his boss was dead, and got pissed.

Frankie jumped out from behind his rock. With fire in his eyes, he took aim at Dalton with his pistol. He wanted this Town Marshal dead to grant Blue Earl his wish.

Gunfire. Frankie was stunned for a second. He didn’t fire his pistol. Then he realized someone shot him when he saw the bloody hole in his chest. It was Merijildo. Frankie felt faint. He felt dizzy when he dropped to the dirt face first. Frankie lay there, feeling cold with his face in the dirt. He died.

From behind their rock, Hank and Bo could see Frankie dead in the dirt.

“Blue Earl!” yelled Hank. No reply. “Frankie!” “Blue Earl!

Are you okay?” yelled Bo. No reply. “ Frankie! Are you okay?”

Hank and Bo looked at each other. They both didn’t have to say it, as they both knew Blue Earl and Frankie were dead.

“I ain’t gonna have a noose around my neck,” said Hank.

“Pissing my pants when my neck snaps in front of everybody.”

“I ain’t going to hang either,” said Bo, feeling his neck.

They both nodded in agreement as to what they should do next. It was discussed, as this would be their final exit. No jail cell and no noose for them.

They jumped out from behind their rock and charged at Alicia and John’s rock, firing their pistols. “AHHHHHH!” they both screamed out in unison.

Bullets ricocheted off the top and sides of Alicia and John’s rock.

Alicia and John cautiously peeked around the sides of their rock. They took aim at the screaming outlaws running at them.

They fired their pistols.

Hank and Bo kept on charging, firing their pistols, and screaming. T hey both suddenly flew backward and dropped to the dirt, firing their pistols in the air. It took a few seconds for them to stop firing. Their arms went limp and fell to the dirt.

They were dead.

It was quiet again.

After a minute of silence, Clint walked around from behind his rock.

Merijildo walked around from behind his rock.

Zeke walked around from behind his rock, holding his wounded arm.

Alicia and John walked around from behind their rock.

Dalton moved away from Blue Earl’s dead body.

Clint walked up to Dalton. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” said Dalton.

Clint looked at Blue Earl’s motionless body in the dirt.

“He knew that outlaw was finally dead.”

Clint walked away; he headed over to Frankie’s dead body while Alicia and John headed over to Hank and Bo’s dead body.

Clint, Merijildo, Dalton, Zeke, Alicia, and John all walked up to each other.

“Blue Earl and Frankie are dead,” said Clint.

“Hank and Bo are also dead,” said Alicia.

Alicia looked at Zeke. “You okay?” she said after seeing him cradle his wounded arm.

“I’m good,” said Zeke, with a hint of a smile, thinking that some of the young ladies of Oak Creek would give him some much-needed attention.

“I need to find the loot they stole earlier today, said Dalton.

“Good idea,” said Clint.

They all headed over to that clump of threes.

They found Blue Earl’s campsite, where their campfire started burning out.

They saw six bedrolls out in the dirt.

By one of the bedrolls was a cloth bag.

Dalton walked and picked up the cloth bag. He looked inside and saw the loot was still there. “I got it,” he said.

Clint saw five horses tied in some other bushes near the rock wall. “Let’s get the bodies on those horses and take them to Oak Creek for burial.”

Everybody nodded in agreement.

Alicia and Zeke watched while Clint, John, Dalton, and Merijildo all placed the dead bodies on those horses.

They walked those outlaw horses over to their horses. “I help take dead to Oak Creek,” said Merijildo. “Thanks,” said Clint. They all untied the reins of their horses.

Dalton shoved a cloth bag of loot into one of his saddlebags. They all got in their saddles.

Dalton shoved that cloth bag into one of his saddlebags.

Clint held the reins to the horse that had Blue Earl’s dead body across the saddle. That horse trailed behind Clint’s horse.

John held the reins to the horse that had Frankie’s dead body across the saddle. That horse trailed behind John’s horse.

Merijildo held the reins to the horse that had Hank’s dead body across the saddle. That horse trailed behind Merijildo’s horse.

Dalton held the reins to the horse that had Bo’s dead body across the saddle. That horse trailed behind Dalton’s horse.

Alicia held the reins to the remaining horse that trailed behind her horse.

Zeke rode on his horse, still in a little pain.

They rode off in the desert, heading back to Oak Creek.

Back in Oak Creek, Chrissy and Angie were wondering how the arrest of Blue Earl and his gang was going.

Chrissy and Angie both silently prayed that their loved ones were not killed. They had nervous stomachs thinking about the worst-case scenario.

They decided to stroll around town to help calm their nerves. Sitting around her house wasn’t helping.

They just finished their fourth stroll around the town and were back at the entrance of the residential area. They turned around and were heading back into town when they spotted five horses riding into town.

“Someone’s coming back into town,” said Chrissy.

“Six horses with five trailing horses. And what appears to be dead bodies,” said Alicia. She looked again and smiled a smile of relief. “Our guys look unhurt,” she said.

Chrissy looked and saw Dalton on one of the horses. She smiled.

The town folk milling around Oak Creek saw the horses and dead bodies and knew the posse was successful.

They both rushed off down Main Street.

Everybody stopped the horses off at Harvey’s shop.

Harvey walked out of his shop when he saw the horses.

He saw the five dead bodies on the other horses. “More business. It’s been a busy day,” he said. “Must be the rest of the Blue Earl gang. I heard you went after them.”

“It’s them,” said Dalton as he got out of his saddle, along with John, Clint, Merijildo, Zeke, and Alicia.

“I’ll get the photographer, Wally Gilbert, over in Stone Valley to get over here to take a picture. Might be some reward for these dead scoundrels,” said Harvey. “Plus, the Weekly Phoenix Herald newspaper editor will want it for his newspaper.”

“If there is a reward, make sure the town of Oak Creek gets it,” said Dalton.

“I will do that,” said Harvey. I’ll send a telegraph to Stone Valley for the photographer,” he said. He rushed off and headed to the train station.

Mayor Mason rushed over to Harvey’s shop. “You got em, he said the second he saw the dead bodies of the Blue Earl gang. Dalton reached inside his saddlebag and removed the cloth bag. “Mayor Mason approached him, and he said, “Here’s the loot from their bank robbery earlier today.”

Mayor Mason took the cloth bag and looked inside. “Good job, Marshal. I’m sure glad I hired you,” he said. I’ll take this over to the bank,” he said, then walked away.

Chrissy and Angie walked up.

Chrissy walked up to Dalton. “I was so scared you would be hurt or killed,” she said while she hugged him tightly.

Angie walked up to John. “You survived again,” she said, giving him a hug. “But this time, I was on the right side of the law,” John said.

Clint smiled over John’s comment while he walked over to Alicia. “Good shooting with getting Blue Earl,” she praised while he placed an arm around his shoulder.

Chrissy saw Zeke wounded. “You better go see Doc Bartholomew about that wound,” she said.

Zeke nodded in agreement. He hated doctors but knew if he didn’t get that bullet out of his arm, it would be bothering him for years.

Zeke walked away and headed to Doc Bartholomew’s office. “I’m thirsty,” said Dalton. “Me too,” said Clint. “Yeah, it’s Miller Time,” said John.

They all chuckled. “I don’t understand Miller Time” said Merijildo. “It’s saying in the future, meaning time to drink a beer after surviving a successful battle or something else successful,” said Clint. “I want Miller Time!” smiled Merijildo.

They walked their horses away from Harvey’s shop and headed to the stable.

Felix stood outside his stable because he heard the talk about the posse’s success. He also saw the extra five horses.

“Put up our horses and sell the outlaw horses,” said Dalton when they approached Felix. “Give the money to Mayor Mason for Oak Creek,” he added. “Got it,” said Felix, assisting them with putting the horses in empty stalls in his stable.

After the horses were secured, Clint, Alicia, John, Angie, Dalton, Chrissy, and Merijildo walked inside the Prickly Cactus.

The second they entered the saloon, everybody inside started clapping as they heard how they killed the Blue Earl gang. They walked up to the bar. “Beer for everybody” said Dalton.

The bartender poured seven beers and set them on the bar before everybody.

Dalton took out some silver dollars and set them on the bar. “On the house” said the bartender. “For getting rid of those scoundrels” he added.

They drank their beers, and they tasted so good. The first round of beers was free, and Dalton bought the second round.

“So, what’s next?” said John, looking at Dalton while he took the last gulp of his beer.

Dalton glanced at Chrissy. “Well, I guess we’re done here,”

he said.

Chrissy nodded in agreement. “Let’s head back to the m Marshal’s office” said Dalton.

Everybody nodded in agreement, and they walked away from the bar.

They left the Prickly Cactus and headed back to the Marshal’s Office. “We should leave before it gets dark and head back to twenty-sixteen,” said John the second they stepped inside.

Everybody nodded in agreement. Dalton’s eyes lit up. “I better tell Mayor Mason that I’m leaving. I would hate for them to send Merijildo out to search for me.”

“I no find you anyway,” declared Merijildo. “Plus, I should check up on Zeke” said Dalton.

“What are you going to tell the Mayor,” said John.

Dalton thought for a few seconds. “I’ll tell him we’re riding to California with you.”

“Sounds plausible,” said John.

Chrissy’s eyes widened when she remembered something.

“My wedding dress.”

That caught Angie and Alicia’s attention. “Wedding dress?” said Angie.

“Yes, Edith Lincoln made me a dress. I should go pick it up and pay for it. I don’t want to leave without paying her for her work,” said Chrissy. “That would be wrong.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Angie.

“Me too,” added Alicia.

“We’ll be back,” said Chrissy, and she left the office with Angie and Alicia.

“I’ll also be back soon,” said Dalton, leaving the office.

Clint, John, and Merijildo sat around the office and talked.

They recalled their little adventure back in 20016 Phoenix with Bart Stone and Charlie Chandler.

Dalton saw Mayor Mason walk out of the bank when he walked down Main Street. “Mayor,” he called out and rushed over to him.

“Yes, Marshal,” said Mayor Mason when Dalton rushed up to him.

“Ah, yes, listen,” said Dalton, and he paused for a few seconds. “Ah, I wanted to tell you that I’m leaving Oak Creek.”

Mayor Mason looked a little stunned. “Leaving Oak Creek.

Why? You’re a good Town Marshal,” said Mayor Mason.

“Well, my fiancé, Miss Barron, and I decided to head out to California with my new friends. Maybe San Francisco.”

Mayor Mason looked at Dalton. He was disappointed but understood. “Well, I guessI’lll have to get a new Town Marshal.

And a new school teacher.”

“Zeke Cooper is qualified to be Town Marshal. I recommend him,” said Dalton.

“Yes, Zeke. He’ll make a good Marshal. And then I’ll have to round up a deputy for him,” said Mayor Mason. “Well, thank

you for all that you’ve done here. And if you change your mind, you are always welcomed back here in Oak Creek,” he added.

“Thank you, Mayor Mason,” said Dalton, and he shook the mayor’s hand. “Let me check up on Zeke,” he said, then walked away. Mayor Mason walked away, disappointed that he had lost two Town Marshals within a month.

Chrissy, Angie, and Alicia entered Edith’s shop.

“Miss Barron. Here to pick up your dress?” said Edith the second she saw Chrissy and the two other ladies enter the shop.

Edith walked Chrissy over to a mannequin that wore a beautiful white wedding dress. “It’s so beautiful,” said Chrissy.

In the split second, she saw her dress. “It is beautiful,” said Angie, with Alicia nodding in agreement.

“Thank you so very much,” said Chrissy to Edith.

“You’re welcome, my dear. Now we’ll have to work on your wedding date next,” smiled Edith.

Chrissy looked at Angie and Alicia and then back at Edith.

“About that, we decided to leave Oak Creek. We’re going to California with our friends here,” she said. “So, can you wrap my dress in that brown paper? For my travels,” she added.

Edith looked disappointed. “Yes, dear, I can do that,” said Edith while she walked over to her roll of brown wrapping paper.

While Edith was wrapping Chrissy’s wedding dress in brown paper, Dalton told Zeke that he was leaving Oak Creek and that Zeke was now the Town Marshal. He gave Zeke his badge and left the doctor’s office.

Chrissy paid Edith for the dress and left her shop with Angie and Alicia. They headed back to the marshal’s office.

An hour had passed.

Merijildo was back at his home. He went back in his teepee and smiled over having this little adventure today.

Dalton, Chrissy (with her wrapped-up wedding dress), John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia rode their horses up to Crazy Hole.

After covering their horses’ eyes with cloth, they walked them into Crazy Hole.

Chapter 40

It’s Sunday afternoon, October 2nd, 2016, and quiet at the entrance to Crazy Hole.

Dalton, Chrissy, John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia walked their horses out of the cave opening.

They removed the cloth over their horses’ eyes, returned in their saddles, and rode off into the desert.

They returned to Kent’s place, turned in their horses, and paid the bill.

They walked off to their cars in the parking lot.

“So, Dalton and Chrissy, why don’t you two come over to our house this Saturday. We’ll have a cookout to celebrate our adventure,” said John while he placed his arm around Angie.

“Yes, please come over,” offered Angie.

“We would love that,” replied Dalton.

“We would,” added Chrissy.

“And we’ll be there,” said Clint, with Alicia nodding in agreement.

“Good, we’ll see you then,” said John.

Everybody got in their cars and drove off.

Dalton and Chrissy drove straight to his apartment.

He parked his car, and they got out.

“Why don’t you spend the night with me?” offered Dalton.

“Sounds good, I’m really tired from our trip,” she yawned.

They headed off to his apartment, where Chrissy placed her wrapped wedding dress in the closet of Dalton’s living room.

After taking turns showering, they had pizza delivered for dinner and just relaxed watching TV.

They retired to the bedroom at nine that night and soon fell asleep.

It’s Monday morning, October 3rd, 2016.

Dalton and Chrissy sat on his couch inside his apartment, eating breakfast and drinking coffee. They watched the morning news on Channel 5.

It felt strange waking up in 2016. They thought about their vacation back in 1883.

They watched the news about Hurricane Matthew impacting Haiti.

A breaking news report came on the TV after the weather report. It was about a young woman who was found raped and murdered last night. This was the third woman raped and killed, and the Phoenix Police Department thought that they might have a serial killer on their hands.

Dalton and Chrissy glanced at each other.

“Today’s society is becoming way too sick,” stated Chrissy, thinking that she could become a victim like these three women.

“I know,” agreed Dalton, thinking about that news story and his venture back to the old west. “You know, even though I came close to being killed, that was because I was the Town Marshal. If I was, say, an owner of a store or something, I should have to worry about being gunned down,” he believed.

Chrissy looked at Dalton and thought about his words for a few seconds. “Plus, the kids back in the old west are way more respectful towards their teachers than the students in today’s world,” she agreed.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Wondered Dalton.

“I believe I am,” replied Chrissy.

“I’m missing Oak Creek,” admitted Dalton.

“Me too,” admitted Chrissy.

Another news report appeared on the TV about a carjacking where the driver was shot and killed.

“Even though I was almost killed, I still feel it’s safer back then. Look at the crime we’re exposed to here in modern Phoenix,” said Dalton.

“I know what you mean,” said Chrissy while she stared at the TV carjacking story.

There were five stories about armed robberies after the news report about the carjacking.

Dalton grabbed his cell phone off the coffee table. He turned it on and opened the Gallery folder.

He clicked on a picture, looked at it, and smiled. “Do you know what I think we should do?” said Dalton while he showed her the picture of Oak Creek he snapped when they first returned to 1883.

Chrissy looked at the picture of Oak Creek on his cell phone. “Go back to Oak Creek? And live?” she wondered.

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

“But do you really want to be the Town Marshal again?”

“No, I think we should buy Gus’ store and become merchants. We could expand and build numerous stores in Phoenix,” suggested Dalton.

Chrissy thought about his idea for a few seconds. “Store owner and teacher. That would be a quaint life.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll go back to Oak Creek, buy Gus’

store, and get married right away,” said Dalton.

Chrissy looked at the living room closet door. She couldn’t wait to wear that wedding dress. She looked at Dalton.

“I’ll marry you right away,” she said, then kissed his lips.

After breakfast, Dalton and Chrissy headed out and about Phoenix. They had some chores that had to be done today.

Dalton and Chrissy spent the rest of the week selling all their belongings, including their cars.

They told their apartment complex managers they were leaving in a week. Of course, they lost their security deposits, but they didn’t care.

They also drained their bank accounts and hit the coin shops to purchase enough 1880s cash for Gus’ store. They had a thousand dollars with fifty dollars left in 1880s coins, money to live off until their hardware store brought in earnings.

Of course, John was curious as to why the two didn’t attend his Thursday class. He figured he would find out on Saturday.

It’s Saturday afternoon, October 8th, 2016.

After Dalton transferred that picture he took of Oak Creek during their first trip back to 1883 onto a thumb drive, he and Chrissy took a taxi to John’s house.

“I missed you in Thursday’s class,” said John when he answered his front door and let them inside.

“I know. We have had tons of stuff to do all week since we came back,” said Dalton, wanting to tell John about their plans but deciding to wait for the right moment.

John walked Dalton and Chrissy to the back porch, where Angie, Clint, and Alicia waited. They shook hands and hugged.

John and Clint fired up the gas grill and started cooking steaks while everybody else sat around drinking beer.

A little later, Dalton, Chrissy, John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia sat around the dining room.

They ate their steak dinners with corn and baked potatoes.

They also decided to eat an old Western meal and drank bottles of Oak Creek beer.

Dalton looked over at John, and his curiosity was peaked.

“So tell me, Professor Mathers.”

“Please call me John from now on.”

“Okay, John. I’m dying to hear your story about the Kissing Bandit,” said Dalton.

“Me too,” added Chrissy.

John looked over at Clint and Angie. They both nodded to proceed. “Well, it started one day back in two thousand and six.

Angie and I were out at the mall.”

“Paradise Valley Mall,” chimed in Angie.

“Yes. So Angie went to Macy’s for some clothes, and I went to the Western Antique store close by.”

“He had to buy old junk,” said Angie.

“So I looked around the store and found this old wooden chest with the PY initials engraved at the top. Inside that chest was an old journal from Peter Yoemans. I saw an old Phoenix Herald newspaper. I saw an old, worn-out leather holster. I saw numerous dime novels and some other old newspapers. I had to have this chest.”

Angie rolled her eyes, hearing that again.

Clint and Alicia saw Angie and chuckled.

“So I bought the chest, took it home, and checked its contents. It all started when I opened up the diary for Peter Yoemans.”

“The PY initials engraved in the chest,” said Dalton.

“Exactly. So I read his diary and soon read how, through Peter’s research he documented in that diary, he found the location of some buried loot of Bart Stone.”

“How did he stumble upon that information?” said Chrissy.

“Peter located Bart’s older brother, Willy Stone. He was an old retired preacher and disapproved of Bart’s life of crime.”

“Maybe since he was a preacher, that’s why he didn’t get the buried loot,” suggested Dalton.

“That’s my thinking, too. Anyway, apparently, a map showing the location of that buried loot was drawn in Peter’s diary, but I couldn’t find it. There was a missing page.”

“Someone tore out the page with the map,” stated Chrissy.

“My thoughts also,” said John, and he paused and drank his beer. But the diary mentioned Crazy Hole in the Superstition Mountains, so I figured that that must be the location of the buried loot of Bart Stone.”

John paused while everybody drank beer.

“Peter wrote he found Crazy Hole but stopped looking for the buried loot when he discovered something amazing.”

“That Crazy Hole was a time portal back to the old west,”

said Dalton.

“Correct. Then I discovered that that chest had a false bottom. I dropped it to the floor of my apartment and smashed it with my cowboy boots. It broke, and bingo. I found a hidden piece of paper,” he said, pausing for dramatic effect.

“The treasure map showing the location of Bart Stone’s buried treasure.”

“Wow, an actual treasure map,” said Chrissy.

“But where was this Crazy Hole. So I asked this old Indian

Mel Lincoln. He would tell me stories about the old west in the library downtown. Mel showed me the location of Crazy Hole on a map in the library.”

“Mel was actually the great-grandson of Merijildo, an Indian tracker I used when I was Marshal,” said Clint.

“I heard of Merijildo through a janitor I worked with,” said Dalton.

“I’m glad to hear his memory is still alive in two thousand and sixteen,” said Clint.

“So, to keep this story short, I had this dumb idea,” said John.

“Dumb is putting it lightly,” said Angie sarcastically.

“Yeah, that’s right. So I devised this stupid idea to time travel back to eighteen eighty-three, rob banks, and run back to two thousand and six as my getaway. Perfect plan as I was making money selling old coins and rifles back in two thousand and six.”

“You forgot the part that had me almost get rid of you forever,” said Angie.

John looked at Angie. “Oh yeah, another stupid idea. I kissed a girl after robbing a bank and came up with the name the Kissing Bandit,” he said and looked like he regretted it. “I was so obsessed with old western outlaws that I wanted to be in the history books. Now, I am. So, I hooked up with Bart Stone and Charlie Chandler while we both tried to rob the Stone Valley bank simultaneously.”

“Then it got horrible,” said Clint.

“Yes, it did. We robbed the bank at Oak Creek and got into a gunfight with Clint’s deputy, Elmer Filson. But I actually never fired my pistol. I got scared and ran off with the bag of loot after Bart shot and killed Elmer,” said John and took a drink of wine. “I returned to Crazy Hole and returned to two thousand and six. I thought I was in the clear and decided never to return to eighteen eighty-three.”

“But he didn’t know that I used Merijildo to track John back to Crazy Hole. And what we all didn’t know was that Bart

and Charlie also tracked John back to Crazy Hole. We all ended up in two thousand and six,” said Clint.

“I can imagine that finding yourself in the future was a shock,” said Dalton to Clint.

Chrissy nodded in agreement. “Oh, it was. First, seeing a paved road. Then, seeing all those buildings of Phoenix and those horseless stagecoaches called cars,” said Clint.

Dalton and Chrissy chucked.

“I know I was a fugitive in two thousand six. I had outlaws Bart and Charlie wanting to kill me for taking their loot.”

“And I wanted to arrest him for the murder of Elmer,” said Clint.

“Then, Angie dumped me, and my life was ruined.”

“But then I met Clint after a shootout on the streets between him, Bart, and Charlie,” said Alicia. “I later realized that this time travel thing was going on when I saw Clint, Bart, and Charlie’s pictures in a history book. After finding out who this Kissing Bandit was when witnesses claimed Bart yelled that out during the shootout.

“So I came up with this grand scheme to return to eighteen eighty-three, return all the money I stole to the banks, and doing that would redeem myself,” said John.

“But I figured out he returned to eighteen eighty-three. So I returned with Merijildo and captured John back at the train depot in Oak Creek. He was tried and found guilty of murder and sentenced to be hanged,” said Clint.

“I saw on the History Channel that John was hanged in eighteen eighty-three. I had to do something,” said Angie.

“So she contacted me, and I offered to help. We figured Bart and Charlie were still in two thousand-six. They had reports they were hanging out with the Devil’s Cowboys biker gang. So we tricked them into thinking we had the loot,” said Alicia.

Angie chuckled. “But we had a bag of chocolate-looking coins with gold wrappings.”

Dalton and Chrissy chuckled.

“I remember that candy when I was young,” recalled Chrissy.

“We recorded Bart confessing to killing Elmer,” said Angie.

“Were able to capture them and took them back to eighteen eighty-three,” said Alicia.

“They came to my Marshal’s office to spring John. He was to be hung in the following morning,” said Clint.

“We showed him Bart’s confession,” said Alicia.

“But Judge Peabody sentenced John, and that wouldn’t change. No matter what,” said Clint.

“We couldn’t show him our recorder from the future with Bart’s tape confession. So we came up with a plan,” said Angie.

“What was that?” said Dalton.

“To shorten the story, while John had that noose around his neck,” said Alicia.

John touched his throat. “I never want to experience that again.”

“While he had that noose around his neck and the bottom of the gallows opened up, I was the roof of a nearby building with a rifle. I shot the rope, it broke, and John dropped to the ground,” said Alicia.

“I rode up on my horse, John hopped on, and we raced out of town,” said Angie.

“I followed after Angie on a horse,” said Alicia.

“Then I told everybody I would give chase,” said Clint.

“But you didn’t. You all headed to Crazy Hole and went back to two thousand and six,” said Chrissy.

“We were there at John’s hanging,” said Dalton with Chrissy nodding in agreement.

“We arrived in Oak Creek the day before,” said Chrissy.

“I know. A few days ago, I had this strange flashback with an overwhelming feeling about that hanging. I recalled seeing you two there. In the crowd.”

John, Clint, Alicia, and Angie all nodded in agreement.

“Then you planted that cactus at the opening of Crazy Hole to stop people like me from using that time portal,” said Dalton.

Clint and John looked curious.

“How did you know that?” said John.

“Apparently, a janitor I work with, Roger, was about to try entering Crazy Hole, as he had heard the tale about it when he was a kid. He finally got up the nerve but saw you plant those cacti while hiding behind a bush,” said Dalton.

“Ah, that explains how you stumbled upon Crazy Hole,”

said John.

Chrissy’s eyes widened, thinking about something. “You know your story, John, would make a great movie.”

John thought about her comment for a few seconds. “It would.”

Clint, Alicia, and Angie nodded in agreement.

“Too bad Tom Selleck isn’t younger. He’d be perfect to play me,” said Clint. “Maybe I’ll have to use Ben Affleck.”

“Matt Damon can play me,” said John.

“Jennifer Aniston can play me,” said Angie.

“And Salma Hayek can play me,” said Alicia.

Everybody chuckled.

“So, I hope to see both of you in class this week?” said John at Dalton and Chrissy.

Dalton and Chrissy looked at each other, smiled, and nodded. Now was the time.

“Actually, we talked this over on Monday and decided to return to Oak Creek,” said Dalton.

“To live,” said Chrissy.

John, Clint, Angie, and Alicia looked at Dalton and Chrissy, a little bewildered.

“Do you want to live back in eighteen eighty-three?” said Angie. “You know, with what we just went through?”

“We do,” said Chrissy. “I mean, look at all the types of crime we have around here now. It’s scary,” she added.

“It’s scary. You now have this serial killer going around Phoenix raping and killing young women,” added Dalton.

Alicia nodded. She had heard about that case, and the crime around Phoenix was becoming too much for her.

“You want to remain the Town Marshal of Oak Creek?”

said Clint.

“No, I want to find some other line of work. I saw Gus was selling his General Store,” said Dalton. “I could be the new owner.”

“Plus, I would be the school teacher of Oak Creek. The kids back then were more respectful towards the teachers than they are today,” said Chrissy.

“We went around and sold our cars and everything we owned for the cash to buy Gus’ store,” said Dalton.

“Don’t you have family here?” said Angie.

“No,” said Dalton. “Parents died in a car crash. Granny raised me, but she died six months ago.”

“Dad was an abusive drunk and left us. Mom started using drugs; then, she ran off with some guy. Don’t know where she is and don’t care. Grandpa raised me, and he died last year,” said Chrissy.

John, Clint, Angie, and Alicia thought about this news.

“Well, I guess if you feel like that lifestyle, I did once, but once I got a taste of the future, I love it,” said Clint. “Even with the crimes.”

John, Angie, and Alicia nodded in agreement with Clint.

Dalton reached into his shirt pocket and removed a thumb drive. “On this drive is a picture I took of Oak Creek when Chrissy and I returned to 1883. I took it with my cell phone. I thought you two might want a copy. You can actually see Bart Stone hanging on the gallows,” said Dalton while looking at John and Clint.

“That would be nice. Thank you,” said Clint, thinking having a good picture of his old town would be nice.

“Yes, thank you,” said John, taking the thumb drive from Dalton.

Dalton and Chrissy looked at each other. Dalton held Chrissy’s hand. “Plus, we’re going to be married.”

“And we want you to be at our wedding,” said Chrissy.

“Back in Oak Creek,” said Dalton.

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” said Angie. “Wait, did you say Oak Creek?” “Eighteen eighty-three Oak Creek?”

John, Clint, Angie, and Alicia all looked at each other.

“Attending an old western wedding would be a nice switch,” said Angie.

“It would,” said Alicia.

“Well, I guess we’re returning to Oak Creek,” said John.

“For a wedding.”

Clint, Alicia, and Angie nodded in agreement.

“We’ll leave in the morning,” said John.

Everybody nodded in agreement.

After dinner and a few more beers, Dalton and Chrissy left after John called them a taxi.

After Dalton and Chrissy left, Alicia called Kent’s Desert Horse Ranch and Stables and reserved four horses for tomorrow.

They returned to Dalton’s apartment, where they packed for their return to 1883.

It’s Sunday morning, October 9th, 2016.

Dalton and Chrissy stood out in his apartment’s parking lot. They were dressed in their 1883 outfits, which attracted numerous stares. Dalton would tell them that they were going to an early Halloween party, which was a believable cover story.

Alicia pulled up in her Ford Flex SUV with Angie in the passenger seat. Dalton and Chrissy sat in the back seat, and Alicia drove away. Alicia and Angie were dressed in their western attire.

Alicia drove straight to Kent’s Desert Horse Ranch and Stables, where John and Clint waited in the parking lot.

John drove his car.

After they paid for some horses, they rode off into the desert and headed to Crazy Hole. Dalton rode with Clint on his horse, while Chrissy rode with Alicia on her horse. She held onto her wrapped wedding dress.

It’s Wednesday, October 3rd, 1883.

John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia rode their horses into Oak Creek at the same time Wally Gilbert sat at the train station. He waited for the train to take him back to Stone Valley. He had just taken pictures of the dead Blue Earl gang in their coffins.

They rode over to the hotel, got off their horses, and tied the reins to the hitching post. They went inside the hotel and got three rooms for one night.

Dalton immediately went to the General Store and told Gus he wanted to buy the store. Gus was relieved, as he didn’t have any takers. They agreed to go to the bank later to settle the deal. Dalton and Chrissy found Mayor Mason and told him they were back to live in Oak Creek. Chrissy stated she still wanted to be a school teacher, but Dalton told him he was going to buy Gus’ General Store.

After talking with Mayor Mason, they headed over to see Edith. She was so excited to see the young couple and be allowed to set up the wedding.

Edith took Dalton and Chrissy right away to see Pastor Norris. It was agreed that he would marry them tomorrow.

Dalton and Chrissy headed back to the hotel and gave John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia, the news.

Edith went straight to the train station.

She sent a telegraph to Gilbert’s Photography shop. She wanted a wedding picture taken.

It’s Thursday, October 4th, 1883.

Dalton and Chrissy were married in Oak Creek’s church.

Everybody in Oak Creek was in attendance, including Merijildo.

Wally Gilbert from Stone Valley took their wedding picture and then headed back to Stone Valley to get it developed.

After the wedding, Dalton and Chrissy said their final goodbyes to John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia.

John pulled Dalton and Merijildo aside and had a private conservation. Dalton and Merijildo nodded in agreement with John’s proposal.

Ten minutes passed, and Dalton and Chrissy headed off to her house in Oak Creek for their honeymoon.

John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia got their horses and rode out of town.

They headed back to Crazy Hole, returning in 2016.

John, Angie, Clint, and Alicia walked their horses out of Crazy Hole.

They took the cloth off their horses’ heads and hopped in their saddles.

They rode their horses fifteen feet away when John got extremely curious. He stopped his horse.

“What’s wrong?” said Clint while he stopped his horse next to Clint. Angie and Alicia stopped their horses by Clint and John.

“Something feels extremely different,” said John, and he turned around and glanced back at Crazy Hole.

Clint, Angie, and Alicia turned around and glanced back at Crazy Hole.

They all saw that the opening to Crazy Hole was sealed entirely up by rocks.

“Dalton did it,” said John.

“Did what?” said Clint.

“I told him to seal up Crazy Hole with dynamite; I didn’t want any more people to use that cave. We should just leave things the way they are,” said John.

“I agree,” said Angie. “That cave almost ruined people’s lives.”

Alicia and Clint nodded in agreement.

They rode away into the desert, returning to their lives.

Chapter 41

It’s Monday, October 10th, 2016.

The university and banks were closed today because of Columbus Day.

John grabbed a cup of coffee and sat in his Lazy Boy chair in the den. He had his textbook in hand and was curious.

John flipped through the pages to Mountain Rock. He saw that Rusty Moore didn’t die because of Blue Earl and read he died in nineteen fifteen, as was first reported in history. He had his successful career as a lawman in the old west. John felt good saving his life.

He flipped the pages back to Oak Creek. He read the article on Dalton Trevor being the Town Marshal after Clint Bartley. He saw the photo taken of Dalton and Chrissy at Stone Valley. He smiled when he read how Dalton quit his Marshal job and bought the General Store in Oak Creek.

The article mentioned how Town Marshal Trevor, with Deputy Zeke Cooper, three strangers, and the Indian tracker Merijildo, shot and killed the Blue Earl gang while attempting to arrest them for robbing the Oak Creek bank.

John smiled at the picture showing Blue Earl, Frankie, Hank, and Bo’s dead bodies propped up in wooden caskets in front of Harvey’s stop. There was a separate picture showing Deke’s dead body propped up in a casket, stating Marshal Trevor killed Deke during the bank robbery.

The article ended there, stating that Zeke Cooper was the Town Marshal until Oak Creek ceased to exist as a town. But there was something that got John extremely curious about Dalton. He wondered how long he had lived in the Old West.

So he got up with his coffee cup and headed to the computer table. He powered up his iMac, sipping coffee while it booted up.

He conducted a search on Dalton Trevor of Phoenix.

Many results appeared, and it took him a few seconds to weed through the non-related links. He found a link that looked interesting.

The second Angie approached him with a cup of coffee, he clicked on that link. “What are you looking up?” she asked while she glanced at the iMac.

“I’m curious about how Dalton and Chrissy survived the old west,” he said.

Angie and John saw a webpage that appeared as the home page for Trevor’s Hardware Stores.

“Look, this page is dedicated to the founders of Trevor’s Hardware stores. It states that there are thirty Trevor’s Hardware stores throughout Arizona and New Mexico,” said John.

“Trevor Hardware Stores? I don’t remember Trevor Hardware Stores being in this area,” said Angie, then a strange new memory suddenly hit her. “I now recall seeing one of those stores around here?”

That same strange new memory suddenly hit John. “This is weird. I suddenly recall seeing one of those stores in Phoenix,” said John.

John and Angie read the article about the history of this hardware store chain. It started out with a picture of Dalton and Chrissy Barron’s wedding.

“There’s a picture of their wedding,” said Angie. “John clicked on it, and it expanded into a larger view. The picture shows Dalton and Chrissy after their wedding, with John, Angie, Clint, Alicia, and Merijildo standing with them. It stated they were married on October 4th, 1883.

“This is so cool,” said John.

“Feels like it happened the other day,” said Angie.

“It did,” replied John.

John closed the picture, and they read how Dalton bought Gus Master’s General Store in Oak Creek in 1883, which planted the seed for expansion. In 1885, Dalton and Chrissy moved from Oak Creek to Phoenix, where he started Trevor’s

Hardware store. While Dalton managed the store, Chrissy worked as a school teacher in Phoenix.

By nineteen twenty, Dalton had opened two other Trevor Hardware stores in Phoenix and Tucson.

“Wow, he was successful,” said John.

Angie nodded in agreement.

John scanned over the history of expanding Trevor’s Hardware stores in Arizona and New Mexico.

He reached the end of the article and read that Dalton Trevor passed away at the ripe old age of ninety-two in nineteen fifty-two.

He read how his wife Chrissy, a retired school teacher, passed away a year later at the age of eighty-nine. They had two sons who eventually took over the business.

The great-grandson of Dalton and Chrissy, Jack Trevor, was now the CEO of Trevor Enterprises, the owner of the Trevor Hardware store franchise.

At the bottom of the article was a picture taken in 1949

with Dalton and Chrissy. It showed their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They looked delighted.

“I’m so glad they had a long and happy life,” said John.

Angie looked at the picture again. “I’m so glad we went back. Otherwise, their happy life would have been extremely short,” she said.

John nodded in agreement. Then John’s eyes widened with an idea. “Let’s take a ride.”

“Where to?”

“I think a Trevor’s Hardware Store is not too far away. I want to check it out,” he said.

Angie thought about that for a few seconds. “Let’s check it out.”

John powered down his iMac, and they left the den.

They left their house and got in John’s Mustang.

John drove away and soon pulled into the parking lot of a

“Trevor’s Hardware Store.”

They got out of his car and walked to the store.

When they got close to the front doors, they saw the

“Founded in 1885” under the “Trevor’s Hardware Store” name.

They went inside the store.

They walked around and near the rear of the store. They found a small area on the wall that showed the history of this establishment.

John and Angie saw a photograph of Dalton and Chrissy Trevor taken on June 2nd, 1885. The caption stated that it was taken in front of their very first Trevor’s Hardware Store, which opened that day. In fact, the very first Trevor’s Hardware Store was built in the same location as this current store John and Angie are visiting.

“This is so cool to think that we’re standing on the spot where Dalton built his first hardware store. The one that started it all,” said John.

Angie nodded in agreement while she looked at Dalton and Chrissy’s photograph.

The wording on display also stated that Dalton passed away in 1952, and Chrissy passed in 1953. They were buried in the Phoenix in the Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery.

John and Angie left the hardware store and discussed making it their first store instead of Home Depot.

They got in his Mustang, and John drove out of the parking lot.

“Let’s check out something else,” said John while he drove down the street.

“What’s that?”

“You’ll see.”

Twenty minutes had passed, and John pulled his Mustang into the Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery entrance.

“Why are we going in here?” said Angie. A second later, after she had asked that question, she knew the reason.

He parked his Mustang, and they got out.

They went inside the mortuary office and got the information they needed.

They left the office and headed off to the cemetery.

A little while later, they found it. Two headstones.

“Here Lies Dalton Trevor, Born Unknown, Died July 12th, 1952,” read John while they looked at his headstone.

“Here Lies Chrissy Trevor, Born Unknown, Died August 2nd, 1953,” read Angie while they looked at her headstone.

“You know something?” said John.

“What’s that?”

“I miss those two kids,” he said.

Angie looked at the headstones. “I also miss them,” she said. “But this was the life they wanted.”

“That’s true,” said John, then he held Angie’s hand, and they walked away.

“I’m so glad Crazy Hole is no longer available,” he said

“I’m also glad.”

John and Angie walked back to his Mustang and drove away to live out the rest of their life in the future. And so was the end of Crazy Hole.