Disclaimer: This story is the copyright of nesciri and are published for others to read. Any abuse or infringement of the author's rights will be goverened by Swedish law. The characters have been borrowed from the TV-drama "The Young Riders" . This has not been done in order to violate the copyright of the authors of that show, however, if an infringement has been done, please notifyand this page will be removed. Any drawings are the copyright of nesciri and may not be used without the written permission of
II. The Trap
Epilogue
Chapter 2
The Trap
Cody approached the girl with a confident smile and
managed to get her attention. He was telling her about the
dangers facing an Express rider, when she suddenly glanced
over his shoulder and disappeared. Surprised and a bit angry
he turned around and stared into the smiling face of the
well-dressed man he had admired earlier.
"Enjoying yourself, young man?" Cody, speechless for a
change, grinned foolishly, a bit puzzled.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Earl Dodgson. I
have arranged this small game here." Cody looked with
impression on the man and reached out to take the offered
hand.
"William F. Cody, sire. It sure is an exciting game you've
got here."
"Not entering ?"
"No." Cody shook his head. "Short of cash" he added quickly
when he saw the man's face, not wanting him to believe that
he didn't play poker.
"What a pity. I hate to see young talents go to waste. Can I
offer you a drink?"
"A sarsaparilla, please."
"A sarsaparilla. A young man of principles." Mr. Dodgson
looked at his companion with a smile, and placed the order
with the bartender. "May I ask what you're doing here?"
"I'm a rider for the Pony Express. I'm here on an errand for
the station manager." Cody took a sip of the sarsaparilla,
and for a moment he felt a bitter aftertaste, but it
disappeared so quickly that he soon forgot it.
"May I interest you into entering a game?"
"I wouldn't mind, but I'm afraid that..."
"Bah, money is just a minor detail. Let's say I let you
enter the game with some of my money. If you win, I'll get
my money back and you can keep the profit. If you lose,
well, let's just say that I'm a gambler."
"Why would you do that for me?"
"I've been watching you, my young friend. I believe that you
have a genuine feeling for the game. In fact you remind me
about myself at a younger age." Dodgson smiled. "I always
try to encourage young players."
"You mean that, if I lose , nothing would happen? I don't
have to pay anything back?" Cody felt confused and took
another sip of the drink.
"I can see that you're hesitant. Well, then let's make it a
bit different. If you lose, I will only have lost a small
amount. If you win I will add to my fortune half of your
winnings. How does that sound?"
Cody started to feel light-headed. He'd dreamt about being a
wellknown and rich, and the chance that now was appearing
before him was too tempting not to accept.
"If you're ready to bet your money on me, I suppose it would
be an insult to say no." he smiled at the man.
"I knew there was a gambler in you." Dodgson said and turned
to his companions. "Gentlemen, let's find a table for this
young man. And give him a real drink" he continued with a
nod to the bartender. Cody was about to protest when he
remember the faces of the men when he had ordered
sarsaparilla, and he shut his mouth promptly. One drink
couldn't hurt, he mused as he followed the men down to the
tables. Besides, he had learned his lessons that evening
when Kid's brother Jed had bought them drinks and he was
certain he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He noticed
that he got quite a few looks from the spectators and the
attention made him smile.
Dodgson introduced Cody to three gamblers and told him to
sit in on the game. He handed him some chips and with a hand
on the younger man's shoulder he said:
"Show 'em, son." With a confident smile Cody added his bet
to the others, and the game began.
Dodgson retreated a few steps from the table and leaned
towards the wall while lighting a cigar. Tom came up to him
and looked at the table.
"Do you think he will fall for it, boss?"
"Those three he's playing are some of the best card-sharps
there are. He will not notice a thing." Dodgson blew a smoke
ring. "And when this game is over, he will be deeply
indebted to me."
A few games later Cody took another look at his cards. He
couldn't believe his luck - three ladies! He placed the
cards on the table and leaned back in the chair trying to
maintain a straight face. He reach for the drink, and took a
sip, trying not to react when the bitter drink stung his
throat. The sarsaparilla had been replaced by whiskey, and
for each sip his confidence was boasted and his carefulness
disappeared. Not that it troubled him - he was winning. The
man to the left of him shook his head.
"I'm calling." He threw some chips on the table. Cody felt
the excitement. Unless anyone else raised the bet, this was
it. It was time to see whether or not his three ladies were
worth anything. He leaned forward again, hoping. One after
another the gamblers showed his cards and with each showing
Cody's hopes were raised. Finally, he could, with a smile on
his lips, place his cards on the table and enjoy the other
men's faces when he collected the chips. The pile of chips
in front of him had been constantly growing, but this
winning was the largest. He begun to hesitate. Maybe it was
time to call it a night. Besides, Buck was probably
wondering what he was doing. He smiled to himself when he
thought of what Buck would say. And if he left now, he might
have time to buy Belle a drink. He started to look around to
see where Mr. Dodgson was.
Dodgson was standing at the bar talking to Wolcot when he
noticed Cody's look.
"I think you can do me a favor, Wolcot", he mumbled.
"Yeah? What?"
"I need to keep that boy in the game."
Wolcot looked at him.
"Keep him in the game. Why?"
Dodgson smiled malevolently. "Because I need him to
lose."
"What are you up to?"
"You can keep the winnings."
Wolcot swept his drink and sent the girl standing by his
side away.
"I'm in."
The two men approached the table, when Cody noticed
them.
"You didn't lose any money, Mr.Dodgson", he said with a
triumphant smile.
"I appreciate that, Mr.Cody. Are you leaving us
already?"
"I'd better get back. We're leaving tomorrow."
"What a pity. I was just telling Wolcot about your talent as
a poker player, and I'm afraid I've overdone it. He's
challenged you, and I bet against him."
Wolcot spoke up. "Is this the gambler you told me about?
Come on Dodgson, it's just a kid! I can beat him with my
eyes blindfolded!"
Cody looked at the other man. It was the gambler he had seen
at the first table. He looked back at the table where his
winnings were piled up and made a quick decision.
"I will play a game with you, Mr...?"
"Wolcot. But you don't need to. I don't play against
kids."
"I'm sure you will find that I'm not a kid." Cody held out a
chair. "Shall we? Unless you are afraid to lose your money
to a kid, that is."
"You can take my place." One of the men around the table
rose. I've had enough for one evening anyway."
Wolcot shrugged his shoulders.
"I accept." He passed Dodgson and sat down, giving Dodgson a
wink with his eye. Dodgson nodded imperceptibly and left the
table. A rider had just entered the saloon, and recognizing
one of his own men Dodgson went to meet him.
Buck patted the horse on the neck after he had checked
the animal's limbs.
"Getting a bit stiff, are you?" he mumbled. "Don't worry,
we'll be moving again tomorrow." He left the box and picked
up the corn sack from the floor. He left the stable and
looked at the sky. He frowned when he realized that it was
later than he had expected and he hadn't seen Cody yet. He
looked across the street from where the music and voices
indicated that the saloon was still open. Buck hesitated.
Perhaps Cody had left and gone straight back to the hotel.
He picked up his things and headed back to the hotel. The
clerk greeted him with a nod and handed over the key.
"The other Express rider, he isn't back yet?"
"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him."
Buck sighed and went up to the room. Due to the game the
riders had had to settle for a two-bed room instead of two
rooms. Buck unlocked the door, and entered. He through his
pouch on the bed, wondering what he should do now. If Cody
still were at the saloon, he could be in trouble. He laid
down and folded his hands behind his head. Deep in thought
he let half an hour go by. Finally Buck realized that he had
no option. He had better get back to the saloon and find out
what Cody was up to.He went down the stairs and handed the
key to the clerk.
"Going out again?" the clerk asked in a friendly way. Buck
nodded and gave the clerk a tired smile before leaving the
hotel.
Dodgson grabbed the newcomer by the arm and took him
aside.
"Is everything alright? Any problems with the colonel?"
"It went just as you had planned. The colonel swallowed the
whole story! You should have seen him, boss."
"Fine, fine." And he's ready to move?"
" As I said, he believed that you have the instigator right
here, and he's ready to leave as soon as he get a word from
you. I've even told him his name, Cody."
"You did what? That was not in the plan!"
"The colonel wanted to send out posters in case he got away
- I thought it was a good idea...."The man nervously licked
his lips.
"The idea was to get the army out of our way - not to get
more people here! Idiot!" Dodgson got himself in hand. "Well
I suppose, there's no reason to change the plan. Where did
he intend to send these posters?"
"Just to the marshals in some of the towns within two-days
ride, Prosper, Silver Creek, Sweetwater..."
"Sweetwater?" Dodgson thought that the name sounded
familiar, when he realized that the Express riders had came
from there. He pondered this development for a while, then
put it aside. It was not likely that the marshal would show
the poster to the stationmaster or anyone else at the
station. And even if he did, by the time the marshal came
around to ask questions the whole thing would be over. He
turned to the man.
"Get out of here! Find Johnson and help him keep guard
around this place." The man hastily retreated out of the
saloon.
Dodgson corrected his outfit and draw his fingers through
his hair. He couldn't wait to get out of here. At least this
game would bring in some money, judging by the crowd now
were gathered in the saloon. He was on his way up to the
office, when he in the corner of eyes noticed a person
entering the saloon. He quickly abandoned his plan to go
back and called one of his men, a large heavy-built man with
a stature like a boxer.
"Ed, get rid of him over there."
"Get rid of, boss?"
"Do I have to repeat everything twice? Get him out of my
way, out of this town, let him have an accident, do whatever
you can. Is that understood?"
"Yes, boss."
"Get Tom to help you." Dodgson looked after the man as he
left. Damn, he would be glad when he could get out of here
and away from these idiots.
Buck entered the saloon and as soon as he stood inside he realized that there were more people here than before. The place was crowded. At first glance he couldn't see Cody anywhere, so he pushed his way through the crowd to get a better view. To his relief no one seemed to take any notice of him, and he got through without any trouble.
When he finally reached a place where he could overlook
the gambling area he spotted Cody almost at once. He frowned
when he realized that his friend was involved in a poker
game. The frown was soon replaced with a surprised gaze as
he noticed the pile of chips in front of Cody. He couldn't
believe that Cody could have won that much, nor could he
believe that he had enough money to enter the game. Well,
the only one he could an answer from was Cody, so he had
better get down there. He started to make his way over to
the table hoping that Cody would notice him, but Cody was
too absorbed in the game and didn't notice anything. Buck
was not far from the table when he felt a hand around his
arm, and he turned around with an irritated look.
"What..." He found himself looking at a man built like a
boxer and with the strength of one too he felt as the grip
around his arm hardened.
"Let me go," he demanded in a low voice.
"You're not welcome here." Buck tightened his lips in anger,
but didn't say a word. Buck looked over where Cody was
sitting, but he hadn't noticed anything. Buck looked around.
A few people around them had observed what was happening,
but none of them reacted, and none of them looked like they
would give him a helping hand in the event of trouble.
"Allright," he said between his teeth," I'll leave. Just let
go of me, I wont cause any trouble."
"You'll come with me." The man started to drag him through
the crowd, keeping him in a firm grip.
"Hey," Buck protested, but in vain. Suddenly he realized
that he wasn't being forced towards the entrance, but
towards the back of the saloon. Before he could figure out
was that meant a small door opened and the was brutally
thrown out into the alley. Raging, he got up and looked
accusingly at the man while rubbing his elbow which had got
a hard smack when he fell on the ground. The man just stood
in the doorway and looked at him when something caught
Buck's eye and he turned around. From the entrance of the
alley two men were walking towards him, and a quick glance
towards the opposite direction told him that that way was
also closed by two men. He knew they meant trouble, and
reached for his gun, but before he could get it out of the
holster, the man from the hotel had moved with a speed that
was surprising for a man of his size, and out of the eye
Buck saw the bat coming down at his head. He rose a hand but
he was too late, and with a bang the bat smacked down on his
head and the world went black.
The man looked down at the unconscious half-blood and
then turned his eyes towards the men now standing
around.
"Get him out of here. Make it look like an accident. It's
the boss' orders," he said curtly and went back and closed
the door.
"You heard him. Get the cart." The others went to follow his
order and the man reached down and picked up the gun. He
grinned as he examined the weapon, showing a toothless
mouth. A few minutes later, a cart was standing outside the
alley, and the still unconscious Buck was loaded up on the
cart, carelessly hidden under some blankets. Three riders
mounted their horses and accompanied the wagon out of
town.
Cody looked as his card with disbelief. He couldn't
believe it. For the fourth time he was stuck with worthless
cards and his pile of chips had decreased considerably. He
needed to start to win again. And he would, he was sure of
that. He shook his head and placed his cards on the
table.
" Folding again, son?" Wolcot threw him a smile.
"Just a stroke of bad luck," Cody answered and raised his
glass and took a deep draft of the simmering liquid. Mr.
Dodgson passed the table and bent down over Cody.
"Don't let him get at you, son," he murmured in Cody's ear.
"Here's some more chips. Don't let him beat you at the
game."
A vague feeling of uneasiness crept through Cody's head, but
dazzled by the alcohol and with the high spirit around him,
he just asked one question:
"What about the money?"
"No problem. Just sign here." Dodgson slipped a paper and a
pen in front of him and without thinking Cody signed and
handed it back. Dodgson smiled at him and padded his back
while he dropped more chips on the table. Dodgson winked at
Wolcot, who with a malicious smiled started to deal the
cards for a new game.
A few games later Cody still hadn't hit a winning streak.
He begun to feel tired and decided that it was time to
leave. He dropped the card on the table.
"Well, I'm out," he said. "I think it's time for me to
leave. Thanks for the game." He tried to rise, only to
discover that his legs wouldn't support him. He tried to
regain his balance, but it only resulted in more steps and
he had to find support on a table. He heard someone laugh in
the distance, when the world begun to spin.
"Are you all right, son?" Mr. Dodgson's voice seemed to be
coming from far away. He tried to straighten himself up, but
instead the spinning increased and he felt his knees go
soft. He fell to the ground as a coat falling from a
hanger.
Cody woke up the next morning with a headache. He flinched at the sunlight that shone from the window, despite the curtains. He tried to sit up, but the exercise caused him such a headache that he had to drop back. His mouth felt like dogbreath, and he was thirsty. Finally his eyes got used to the light and he managed to sit up.
"Buck?" he said and looked around only to discover that he was not back at the hotel. He didn't remember where he was or how he got here. He had a black hole from the time he entered the saloon and he couldn't fill it however hard he tried. He must have overdone the whiskey bit, he thought. Buck wouldn't be merciful when he got back.
He wondered what time it was. It must be late in the
morning due to the sun. He moaned and covered his head in
his hand. If only the headache would disappear. He was still
sitting like this when somebody knocked on the door. He
looked up when the knock immediately was followed by the
opening of the door and Mr. Dodgson entered.
"How are you feeling today, son?"
"Not as well as I should like to," Cody confessed.
"Well, don't worry, you'll get used to the whiskey." Dodgson
laughed. "Now that you're working for me we have to see to
that."
Cody looked surprised at the man.
"Working for you? I don't think I understand."
"We made an agreement yesterday, you and I. You would work
for me until your debts where paid off."
"Debts?" Cody tried to remember what had happened yesterday,
but his memory was blank.
"And of course, then I wouldn't bring any charges towards
you for embezzlement."
Cody look at Dodgson with unbelief.
"Embezzlement?" he asked in a thin voice.
"You were a bit careless with my money yesterday. Acted out
of our first agreement."
Cody moaned again, this time not only due to the
headache.
"If you doubt me, here's the agreement and the I.O.U."
Dodgson handed him some papers. Cody looked at them with
disbelief. They were, as Dodgson had said, papers that
confirmed his guilt and the agreement, both of them signed
by himself. If this was true, he might be guilty of the
embezzlement too, he reasoned. With a sigh he threw the
papers on the bed.
"What do you want me to do?"
Dodgson lighted a cigarr and smiled at him.
"Nothing special. I have a delivery that I need to get out
of here today, and I need it to be at Cedar Creek by dawn
tomorrow."
"That's impossible." Cody looked up. "Nobody can make that
ride in that time. Not through that country. Besides, that's
through Indian territory."
"Well, I can always hand these over to the law, although I'd
hate to see a young man go to prison. Honestly, I thought
you had more courage than that."
"If I do it, are we even then?"
"That depends, my friends, that depends."
Cody tried to think. He had to get out of this mess, but he
couldn't find any way out right now. Maybe it was best to
accept the assignment and then get hold of Buck. They could
make the run together and maybe think of a way to get him
out of this mess.
"OK, I'll do it, "he said.
"I know you would. I'll give you an hour to clean up, then I
expect you back here. Don't disappoint me." Dodgson placed
the paper in his pocket and left the room.
Cody went up and dipped his head in the water bowl, It
refreshed him somewhat, but he didn't have time for a more
thorough cleaning. He grabbed his hat and left the room, Now
he had to find Buck.
Cody opened the door to the hotel-room without knocking
and barged in.
"Buck!" he said and then he stopped. There were no sign of
his friend in the room. Neither of the beds looked like
anybody had slept in them. Cody stared in bewilderment. He
had believed that Buck would be at the hotel-room. He looked
around and then he turned and went out of the room. Down at
the reception the disk was empty but he rang the bell
repeatedly and a few seconds later the clerk entered from
the back.
"How can I help you?""My friend, the other Express rider,
have you seen him?"
"Not since last night. We thought that you might have left,
and the bill hasn't..."
Cody didn't hear the last part, because he was already out
the door. The clerk ran after him.
"Are you going to need the room for another night, sir?
Sir?"
Cody ran over to the stable, where he almost knocked the
manager over in his haste to get there. Ignoring the man's
objection he went into the stable. There was his horse, but
he couldn't see Buck's horse anywhere. He went back to the
stable manager.
"We had two horses here", he said. "One of them is missing.
Where is it?"
"Why, you sent for it yesterday. I left it outside the
hotel."
Cody looked suspiciously at the man. Why had Buck asked for
the horse? But the manager had no explanation. Stunned, Cody
spent the rest of the hour wandering the town asking if
anyone had seen Buck. But no one could remember seeing the
Indian rider since the day before, and deep in thought he
started walking back to the saloon.
Where the hell was Buck?
