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.“Cal was too smart a man to get caught in his own office like this.”His men moved off to start asking questions.When Dr.Murray heard that a body had been found, he went to speak with the sheriff.“Is there anything I can do to help?”“No.I’ve sent for the undertaker.”Their mood was grim.“Were you out at all tonight?” Sheriff Fike asked him.“As a matter of fact, Larissa and I had just gotten back from making a call when we heard the shouting about the fire.”“Did you notice anything unusual on your drive back in?”He thought back over their return trip to the house.“You know, the only thing we saw was a drunken cowboy staggering down the street, and there’s nothing unusual about that on a payday weekend.”“Was the man anywhere close to the stage office?”“He was a block or so away, I think.” The physician frowned, trying to remember more.“Do you know who it was? Would you recognize him again if you saw him?”“Honestly, I’m not sure, but Larissa might.I’ll ask her if she remembers who it was.”“I’d appreciate any help you could give me.I’m going to find out how this happened if it’s the last thing I do.”Dr.Murray moved away.There was nothing more he could do to help.Larissa had already gone home and was probably in bed.First thing in the morning, he was going to check with her to see if she remembered anything about the man they’d seen on the streets.Perhaps she would recall something that might help the sheriff identify him.Sykes had been enjoying himself in his hotel room.From the window he had been able to see the glow of the fire in the distance and had known his plan had succeeded.If anyone bothered to question him, his alibi for the night was good.He hadn’t been seen near the area except by the two people who’d driven by in the carriage, and it had been so dark, he seriously doubted they would be able to identify him even if they did remember seeing someone on the streets.Turning away from the now-dark view of the town, Sykes stretched out on the bed.His thoughts turned to Trent Marshall, and he began to plan how he was going to get his revenge on the hired gun, now that he’d taken care of Harris.Eventually Marshall would return to the Lazy R.When he did, Sykes knew it was going to be hard for him not to just pull his gun and shoot the man down the first time he set eyes on him.He hoped to come up with a better plan than that before the day came, but for right now, he was satisfied to know he would be ready whenever Marshall showed up.Vengeance was going to be his.As Sykes closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep, he wondered just where Trent Marshall was and how soon he’d be back.CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOThe following days on the trail were torturous.The heat grew ever more intense and the terrain more desolate.With Trent leading the way, they covered seemingly endless miles until darkness claimed the land each night and they were forced to stop.At the first light of dawn they were mounted up again and riding out.It was on the third day that Trent’s mood grew tense.“Don’t build a fire tonight,” he ordered when they started to make camp.“So we’re that close?” Jake asked.He had noticed how serious Trent had become with each passing mile that day and had suspected that they were closing in.“Yes.With any luck at all, we’ll be able to spot their campfire tonight,” Trent told them.“And if we do?” John asked.“If they’re within range, we’ll go after them.”“Tonight?” Faith asked excitedly.“Tonight,” he confirmed.Any exhaustion she’d been feeling vanished at his answer.She was ready.Trent was glad to have good news for the group, but he had mixed emotions about what was to come.He’d been in dangerous situations like this before and knew things didn’t always turn out the way he hoped.No matter how they approached the raiding party’s campsite, there was going to be a shoot-out, and the captives were going to be caught right in the middle of it.“What do we need to do to get ready?” Hank asked, on edge.“For right now, let’s just get some rest and stay quiet.Sound travels out here, and we don’t want them to know anyone is after them
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