outlaws.
There was no movement. She watched for another couple of minutes and climbed down. “They’re still watching, or at least I didn’t see them leave when the boys left. They may be hoping one of us will go into town alone. Since I know their location, I can watch from inside the house. L et’s go inside and pretend we’re calling it a day. Stop and wash up as you usually do. If the y leave, hopefully, I’ll see them.”
Man stopped at the well and took his time washing his face and arms. He was drying when she rushed out. “I saw Bob and Al moving back from their hiding place. I couldn’t see them leave, but I expect they called it a day , as well.”
They hurried to the barn and mounted their horses. “I’m not taking the pack mule,” Man said. “Hopefully, we won’ t need him and he might be in the way having to lead him as we follow them back to their camp.”
Man and Kate wore their twin Walker Colts on their hips and had their Winchester rifles in the scabbards. Man picked up their trail f rom where their horses were tied. They were behind a thick stand of trees preventing them from being seen from the barn.
Man took the point riding with his head down following the tracks and Kate rode close behind looking for any possible hiding place in case they were spotted and an ambush was waiting.
She saw movement once and aimed her rife, but it was a doe and fawn. They went on for another mile until they were close to the Coeur d’Alene Lake when Kate whispered, “I see something in front of us.”
Man pulled up and she pointed with her rifle. “I think it’s the canvas of a wagon.”
Man circled and rode up a hill for a better look. Red Bird was close behind Arabian. They dismounted and crawled up to the crest of the hill for a better location to see the camp. She tossed him the binoculars.
Man knelt behind a bush and adjusted the binoculars to look. “It’s them,” he said softly, and moved back down the slope where they couldn’t see him. Kate was close behind him.
“You go for backup and I’ll stay here and keep watch ,” Kate said.
“No, I don’t want you out here alone,” Man decided. “ We aren’t positive those two are working alone. Somebody could come in behind you and you would be caught in a crossfire .”
“ Then y ou stay and I’ll go for help,” she suggested.
“The same deal. I don’t want you riding into town in the dark alone. I think we should both go. It may take a while for Chief Kin caid to round up enough policemen to surround their camp.”
She nodded agreement.
They mounted their horses and walked them slowly away as not to offer the sound of running horse’s hooves on rock that could carry down to the outlaw camp.
As soon as they were far enough away, Man touched his spurs to the side of Arabian and he instantly began to lope. Red Bird was eager for the race and matched pace with Arabian.
They found Captain Daughtry Dunlap seated in his office. He looked up and asked, “What can I help you with? From the express ion on your faces , it’s important.”
“We located the camp of Robert Engledow and Alejandro Valdez,” Man said. “Could you spare a few policemen to surround their camp? H opefully , we can take them without anybody getting hurt.”
“How many do yo u need?” Captain Dunlap asked.
“I think we could cover all the escape routes with six,” Man said. “ Kate and I’ll go in on the road and confront them. Your men could make an appearance on the other sides of their camp and hop efully that w ill be enough to cause them to toss their weapons.”
“That’s wishful thinking,” Dunlap said. “But, it’s the right way to handle it. After what they did to Highsmith, this will end one of two ways. They’ll go down fighting or a drop through a trap door with a noose around their neck s .”
“We know,” Kate said, “ but we have to give them a cha
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