Part Three
The General
Chris Larabee
was not happy when he returned to
Even though his friends had
survived the attack of the previous night without any fatalities, Chris was
seething in rage and itching to vent some of his anger on the men responsible,
knowing inwardly that Bellison was not the man
in charge. He did not know how he knew but the instincts that kept him alive
for so many years was more reliable than any factual data so Chris tended to
believe it when his gut told him it was Hannibal Julius behind all this.
Unfortunately, a gut feeling could not lead him to find the man and it was this
lack of knowledge that further deepened Chris frustration and the stoked the
fires of his rage into a filthy mix of bad temperament and lethal intent.
Not wishing to create any
further friction between himself and Mary because he knew she had not deserved
his outburst and had probably given rise to all sorts of insecurities in his
reaction about her idea of a nursery, that he wanted to spare her his mood for
the moment. After returning from the Lucky Seven ranch and shifting the
location of the nitro to Nettie Well’s property, Chris busied himself in town.
Naturally the first order of business was getting Alex patched up. Josiah, JD
and Vin went to get some well deserved rest while Buck and Ezra ensured the
nitro was well hidden on Nettie’s property, not anywhere the widow or her niece
could get hurt if anyone came after it. Bellison’s
men must have come from somewhere and for the moment that was the only lead
they had to finding him. Chris was forced to stay behind in the hopes that the
army would send a wire in response to their request to remove the nitro.
By late afternoon,
"How’s Miss
Alex?" Nathan inquired as Vin ordered a beer after he had finished his
double whisky and drifted towards their usual table with his mug once it was
served to him.
"Oh meaner than a
rattle snake." Vin shook his head wondering how any woman could be so
impossible about her own health and have no trouble dictating how others should
conduct their own.
"Then she’s
fine." Chris replied, aware of how Mary could be. During the period when
she had been suffering the worst of morning sickness, she had roamed the house
like a bear with a thorn in its foot. He had to take Billy fishing just to
ensure she did not start devouring her own child with the furious state her
mood had been.
"Miss Alex can be a
handful," Nathan chuckled. "Good thing, I don’t have to put up with
that sort of thing.
God must have been
listening because a second after that comment had passed his lips; Rain stopped
at their table on her way back to the bar with an empty tray and barked.
"Nathan Jackson, are you not supposed to be studying? Your tests are only
a few weeks away."
"Come on
Rain....." Nathan started to say, glad that his colouring
hid his embarrassment because his friends at the table were trying their hardest
to rein in the sniggers and chortles threatening to escape them in front of his
lady.
"I will hear no
arguments Nathan," she said firmly. "You yourself, said you needed
much studying time. I will not serve you another drink because you will leave
after this one."
"But...."
She was not listening and
continued her journey. Only after she had disappeared into the kitchen did the
explosion of laughter erupt from almost everyone at the table.
Naturally it was Ezra who
spoke first. "You are indeed a fortunate man, Mr Jackson." The
gambler said holding a poker face even though the rest of them were still
laughing while Nathan was trying to keep some dignity by holding his head high.
"I would hate to see you suffering the same troubles as the rest of
us."
"Shut up Ezra."
Nathan growled when suddenly, he noticed a new arrival in the saloon.
In fact anyone who was not
sitting at the table would have a hard time missing the man who entered through
the bat wing doors, everyone except Chris that is. The gunslinger was in the
process of getting another drink while the rest of his companions were staring
at the man who walked into the room. Dressed in dark blue of a Union uniform,
it was hard not to notice the braids and markings in gold of a senior military
officer. The man himself was something to behold. If a word could be applied to
him, then it would be granite. The eyes were hard like stone, dark and sharp
with intense powers of perception as its deep gaze moved across the saloon,
placing everyone under deep scrutiny.
He was aware that he had
everyone’s undivided attention at his entry into the establishment but showed
little or no reaction. It was a face that was on intimate terms with battle and
death. His eyes were the most telling thing about him, impenetrable like the
mask he wore on his face as he continued inside the room, with another lesser
officer in flank as if the man was used to being there. The general and he was
a general in every sense of the word by the way he moved paused briefly when he
saw the black garbed gunslinger at the bar.
To the six lawmen, there
was something familiar about him they could not place, in the jaw and
especially in the eyes and almost certainly in the manner. He moved like a
predator, dangerous and silent but nonetheless someone who closed in for the
kill on numerous occasions and was very good at it. He reminded them of a wolf,
one that was accustomed to being at the pack and had won its alpha position
through many tests of battle. He was the quintessential seasoned warrior of the
field.
"Christopher
Junior?" He called out. His voice was like gravel.
Chris dropped his glass and
almost spun around, unable to ignore that voice after twenty-one years because
he was still as conditioned to obey it as when he had been when he was a child.
"S...S....Sir?"
Chris stammered, turning around and finding himself face to face with
his.....he could not even imagine it, let alone say it out loud.
"It is you." The
man said with no smile on his face but the pleasure at seeing Chris was unmistakable.
The man strode across the floor, leaving his companion behind while the others
watching his progress across the room, transfixed.
"Sir," Chris
swallowed hard and nodded, eyes wide as he saw General Christopher Marcus Larabee walking towards him large as life. He glanced
anxiously as his friends, almost pleading for help but they were too astonished
by his reaction to provide anything except wide-eyed stares to the drama
unfolding before them.
"Christopher
Junior." The general almost smiled as he stood face to face with his son.
"What are you doing here?"
"Please Sir,"
Chris released a breath and felt like he was ten years old again. "Don’t
call me that."
The general frowned.
"There is nothing wrong with your name, son. Your mother liked it well
enough."
"Well she ain’t
here." He found himself saying and that became the focus of that powerful
glare that made him wish he had not spoken out of turn. "I’m
sorry....." he started to stammer and then felt utterly ridiculous for apologising like a child.
"Christopher
then," the general conceded, unwilling to show the boy how pleased he was
to see his son. "It’s been a long time." He pointed out, no hint of
accusation, just a simple statement of fact.
"Yes it has,"
Chris swallowed, trying not to feel guilty that it was mostly because of him
that they had not seen each other in all that time. Chris had fled from his
life after West Point and in his shame, he had not bothered telling the general
where he was going or even facing him since the terrible day of his ejection
from the Academy. "How have you been Sir?"
"Better than you I
hear," the general said coolly, always with that understated voice lacking
in feeling but not intensity. "You became a gunslinger? I sent you the
best schools in Indiana so that you can get drunk and pick fights in saloons
across the West?"
"I am not a gunslinger." Chris straightened up, regaining some of his
bearings and preparing to protest.
"I don’t have time for
this," the general brushed aside anything further he had to say.
"Who’s the law in this town? I came here to see him."
"I am." Chris
said reluctantly, uncertain how the general was going to take this bit
of news. "Me and six men have been hired to protect the town unofficially."
Suddenly it occurred to Chris that the general had come to town because of the
wire he had sent to the army in regards to the nitro glycerin shipment they had
stumbled across. "You’re here about the nitro."
"That and a little
more." The general responded. "Are you settled here?" He asked.
"Yes," Chris
nodded, glancing past the man’s shoulder to see the others watching them both
with a mixture of amusement and outright surprise. "I got a horse ranch
outside of town."
"Married?" The
general looked at him.
"Yes." He nodded
and realised that the general probably knew about
Sarah and Adam and felt a pang of guilt that his actions had kept his father
from ever knowing his grandson.
"I trust I will get to
meet your wife this time." He retorted before turning on his heels
and starting out of the saloon just as abruptly as he always did when he had
little patience with a subject or a person. "Well let’s get started."
Chris could only stare
after him as he made his way out of the saloon. His companion, a colonel by the
looks of it, immediately fell into stride with the general as he headed towards
the door. The Colonel looked over his shoulder long enough to offer Chris a
look of confusion before the general paused and said in a loud voice.
"Are you coming Christopher?"
He asked in that same firm voice.
"Yes Sir," Chris
answered automatically and winced when he did. He was a grown man for god
sakes! Why was he still behaving like a child in front of his father? As soon
as the words left him, the general continued onwards, expecting him to be not
far behind. Only when the man had left the room, could Chris feel any semblance
of normalcy returning to him. He was breathing hard trying to catch his breath
as he walked towards the table where his friends were seated.
"Mr Larabee, did we just happen to be in the
presence of your.....dare we say it....." Ezra started to say.
"Yes," Chris
looked down and shot the gambler a murderous glare. "That was my
father."
"Your father is a
general?" JD exclaimed even though it should have been painfully obvious
by the union blue uniform and the gold braids.
"You okay pard?" Vin asked, seeing the look in Chris’ eyes as
that being of someone who was thrown completely out of his depth and shaken to
the core. In the years that Vin had ridden with Chris and dared to call him his
best friend, the tracker had never seen Chris so off balance. He supposed the
arrival of a long lost father would do that to a person.
"Damn Chris,"
Buck looked at him with a wide grin before Chris could answer. "You never
told me you had a dad in the army. Hell I known you
longer than anyone here and that’s the first time I knew you weren’t raised by
bears."
"CHRISTOPHER ARE YOU
COMING?" The general voice barked through the open saloon door once again.
Chris rolled his eyes and
swore under his breath, finding this entire episode exceedingly humiliating and
wishing the earth would swallow him up instead. "I’m coming Sir." He
answered loudly but politely, through his teeth before starting towards the
door and gave his friends a look of pure menace. "First one of you says a
word and I shoot something off that don’t grow back." He growled and
strode out the bat wing doors.
No one said a word until
after Chris had left.
"Wow." Nathan
whistled softly. "That was Chris father."
"I guess so,"
Josiah replied, completely understanding why the hardened gunslinger was the
way he was. "I guess the apple don’t fall too far from the tree after
all."
"You know," Buck
downed the last of his beer as he prepared to step into the fray, not about to
miss one minute of this reunion between Chris Larabee
and his father for anything in the world. "I’ve known him for going on
thirteen years now and that’s the first time I’ve even seen him squirm like
this. And I ain’t far wrong his being raised by bears either."
"Hey, ain’t I got
enough trouble!" Chris stuck his head through the bat wing doors again,
impatience etched in his face as he waited for them. "Get your asses out
here!"
"Like I said,"
Buck sighed when Chris had disappeared again. "Bears."
************
Ten minutes later, Chris Larabee found himself inside the confines of the jailhouse
with the rest of his men in the untenable position between his men and his
father. There was silence as both camps faced each other and it fell to him to
introduce them to each other even though he was not relishing one minute of
this torture. At present, the only comfortable position for him to be was on
his horse, riding like a bat out of hell away from Four Corners forever. In
nineteen years, this was the one place he did not wish to be when General
Christopher Marcus Larabee was present.
"This is here is
General Marcus Larabee," Chris said reluctantly
to his men after he had introduced them to his father. He shot them a furious
glare to keep any comments about his paternal relationship with the general to
themselves.
"Men," the
general tipped his hat at their direction in acknowledgment as he stood amongst
them and gestured to the soldier on his left. "This is Colonel Markham my
adjutant. I hear you’ve come across a load of nitro."
"More than a load
General," Ezra spoke up. "A veritable fortune."
"How much?" Larabee asked without looking at Chris but nevertheless
expected the answer to come from his son.
"Four wagon loads,"
Chris replied from where he was seated behind the desk. "Six to begin
with. Two got blown up when during gunfire and pursuit."
"That would be about
right Sir, " Markham declared with Larabee
nodding in agreement.
"What would be
right?" Buck questioned, guessing as they all had by now by the general’s
manner that there was more going on here than just a simple matter of nitro.
"You don’t need to
know." Markham retorted. "Its classified."
"You need our help and
in our town," Chris said firmly, staring down the man as he rose to his
feet. "You better declassify it if you expect our cooperation." He
tried not to look at the general as he made that bold statement.
Markham opened his mouth to
speak when Larabee responded, with a little bit of a
smile. "Its all right Markham, tell them."
"But Sir,"
Markham protested and Larabee silenced him with a
look that each member of the seven knew all too well with the exception of
Chris.
"Oh my god, it is
hereditary." Ezra remarked and received a scathing glare from Chris but a
rather amused one from the general.
"Yes Sir, " the
Colonel swallowed and faced the men before him once again, rather contritely
this time around. "Less than a week ago, one of our army trains carrying a
large shipment of nitro glycerin was ambushed a hijacked by train robbers. They
killed everyone on board and stole the shipment bound for a munition
factory in the east. We traced them as far as Eagle Bend and believe they were
to be delivered to a secret buyer deep in the Territory."
"Well they came after
us where we had it stashed last night." Vin spoke up. "At least ten
of them. So its pretty sure bet they’re gonna still
try and make that delivery."
"Was anyone
hurt?" Larabee asked.
"Just a lady doctor
friend of ours," Chris answered, unable to meet his father’s gaze.
"But Vin there managed to keep them from getting their hands on it
again." He glanced in Vin’s direction so that the general would know about
whom he was speaking.
"Good job," the
general looked at the tracker and commended. "However, since they found it
the first time, chances are they will do it again. I’ve got a dozen men coming
on their way here from the nearest fort to take it off your hands, can I count
on you boys to keep an eye on it in the mean time?" He asked no one in particular
even though it was fairly obvious that the lawmen of Four Corners took their
lead from his son.
"We’ll give you whatever help you need." Chris answered for them.
"In the meantime, you mind telling me who they are?"
"General...."
Markham looked at Larabee once again, trying to
remind him of the protocol in this matter.
"These men are putting
their lives on the line, they have the right to know what they’re dealing with
and I believe, Colonel," and he put enough emphasis on the man’s rank to
impress upon Markham who was in charge here. "That my son may have an
added insight into this situation that you do not."
"I fail to see
how." Markham said in a very measured voice, not at all liking the
situation but not brave enough to say what was truly on his mind.
Chris did not understand.
What did his father think he might know about this that he was willing to stand
up against his own colonel? Suddenly, it occurred to him. "You mean Bellison."
"Not exactly," Larabee looked up and met his son’s eyes and. "Bellison doesn’t work alone does he?"
"Oh shit Chris,"
Buck exclaimed grasping the meaning behind the general’s words just as quickly
as Chris had. "He means Julius!"
"Who?" Nathan
looked at Chris in question. "Whose Julius?"
"The general means
Hannibal Alexander Julius." Markham announced reluctantly, since it now
appeared that the younger Larabee had some idea bout the man that was at the centre of all this trouble.
"Last I heard, he and Bellison were supposed to be in a military prison
somewhere." Chris retorted, making no attempt to explain it to the others,
at least not yet.
"Julius came from a
very rich family," Larabee answered. "He
stayed in jail for a few years and eventually got forgotten by anyone who
mattered. When that happened, it was to easy to pay
someone to look the other way when he made an escape attempt. He got out and Bellison with him. They disappeared for a couple years and
then we started hearing things."
"Like what?"
Josiah asked.
"A secret organisation like the Ku Klux Klan but better organised and with purer goals that a simple matter of
racial division. This one has a doctrine of completely uniting all races into
one cohesive fighting unit that would overthrow the present regime and drive
the status quo into the dirt."
"Forgive me for saying so Sir," Nathan spoke up reluctantly.
"That don’t exactly sound bad."
"Not it doesn’t,"
Larabee nodded in agreement, willing to admit that
there were certain merits in the ideology that united men of all colour. "However, they achieve their goals through
murder and terrorism. Those are not the best foundation for the launch of a new
order. Violence to gain power may be effective but establish a government in
those lines is a dangerous thing and factions break up easily and we’ve all
seen what civil war does a country. If you think two sides is dangerous, wait
until its every racial group with a gripe." He paused a moment and
contained his speech making for the moment.
Chris found himself recognising the pattern and thought with a smile that very
little about his father changed, especially his way of commanding men and his
ability to recognise what meant something to them.
The general did not believe in speech making and when he accidentally fell into
some form of oration, he usually stopped himself as soon as he realised it. Still, his father had a way of understatement
that made the men under his command distinguish him from being just another
officer but a soldier, whose ideas were those that they could identify. The
general concerned himself with getting the job done, not the military niceties
that had to be observed in the process.
Larabee knew nothing of his son’s
ruminations and continued. "However, at this time, we are not discussing
ideology, we’re talking about large scale terrorism. That much nitro has a
purpose and with Hannibal Julius thinking he’s a military genius, a fact my son
can personally attest, he is accustomed to spilling a lot of blood to obtain a
mission objective, innocent or not. Make no mistake, the secret buyer is
Hannibal Julius and for that much nitro, we better take him seriously."
"He’s right,"
Chris agreed, taking the nod by Larabee as permission
to continue "In the war, Julius had the highest casualty rate of any field
commander carrying the Union flag. He’d let his own men walk into a trap if it
would win the day."
"How did you
survive?" JD asked, fascinated by this aspect of Chris’ past. While they
all knew he had been in the army during the war, it was something that Chris
did not like to discuss and always brushed aside the subject whenever it arose.
"We almost
didn’t," Buck answered for Chris knowing his old friend’s distaste of
talking about his tenure of military service. "Until the last battle, we
lost a lot of men. When I joined the platoon, they were calling him a butcher.
It was just before that last battle and crazy son of a bitch ordered us to
charge the rebs…."
"Mr Wilmington,"
Ezra cleared his throat. "Another reference if you would please?" The
southern replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"Sorry Ez," Buck winced remembering that Ezra would have most
likely been one of those ‘Rebs’ during the war.
"Well they would have killed us all if he had done what Julius told us to
do, take the hill in a straight charge. Lucky for us, our lieutenant had a
better idea." He glanced at Chris who allowed a slight curl at the corner
of his lip to be seen as Chris recalled the start of his friendship with Buck
Wilmington. "If wasn’t for Chris, we would all be dead. Julius knew
nothing about fighting a battle, all he knew how to do is direct people from
the rear where it was safe. When he found out that Chris had taken the hill
with a different plan, the bastard shot Chris in the back in front of all of
the men. I swore they almost tore him to pieces for that."
"Its ancient history." Chris said quickly, not liking to talk about
that incident, especially with the general present.
"Well," Larabee shrugged watching Chris’ reaction very carefully.
"It might be an idea to talk to the men you arrested."
"They said they don’t
know nothing." Vin took the lead gesturing towards the cells where most of
them had been penned. "But that ain’t saying much. I’m sure they know
something they don’t think is important but might be enough for us to get a
bead on Bellison."
"Operation with that
many men in these parts ain’t exactly easy to hide." Chris agreed and then
considered their options. "Vin, it might be an idea if you and me take a
ride out to Purgatory tomorrow, see what the word is."
"Okay." The
tracker nodded.
"The rest of you get
out to Nettie’s place at first light." Chris continued issuing orders,
perfectly aware that his father was watching him closely and feeling extremely
self conscious about it in the process. "I want that nitro watched round
the clock, apologise to Nettie about imposing on her
like this and tell her we’re working on getting it off her property. Nathan,
can you manage that with Alex out for the count?"
"She’s too ornery to stay in bed," Nathan shrugged, knowing that the
doctor had sense enough to know what is good for her even though she could be
as stubborn as a mule. "She’ll be up and around no matter what I
say."
"You can bet your ass
on that." Vin muttered under his breath.
"Markham you will
accompany them," Larabee said to his adjutant,
issuing a few orders of their own since a course of action was being decided
upon and to his secret pride, quite effectively by his son. "I’ll be going
with my son."
Chris shot his father a
look, clearly unhappy about that. "That ain’t necessary." He said
quickly.
"I must agree
Sir…." Markham responded just as abruptly.
"This is not up for
negotiation." The general stated firmly with an expression of pure steel
in his eyes that made everyone flinch at seeing its immovable and impenetrable
resolve.
Chris knew better than to
argue with the man. "Fine." He said tautly, not relishing the idea
but having no choice since circumstances had made it unavoidable and he was not
about to shirk his responsibilities to Four Corners, just because he had
personal problems. "We’ll pick you wherever you’re staying. Someone can
point you at the local hotel." Saying nothing else, Chris walked out of
the room, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from here as possible.
The general said nothing as
he watched Chris leave so abruptly, aware that there was a great deal of
tension that needed resolving but his son like him, was stubborn and there was
much to say to each other after so many years apart. The awkwardness following
Chris’ departure was palpable and Vin took the lead in Chris’ absence as it was
his custom, although in the beginning he was the only one unaware of it.
"I’ll take you to the hotel Sir, if you’d like." Vin volunteered
since they would need to know where the man was staying if he intended to go
with them to Purgatory the next day.
"We’d appreciate
that." Larabee said quietly, showing no signs
that Chris’ actions had bothered him. "We’ve been riding all day to get
here. We could use some sleep and a good meal." The general said taking of
his hat and running his gloved hand through his thinning dark hair. "It’s
been a long day."
To that, no one could
disagree.
************
Chris was almost home when
he heard footsteps running after him. Without even needing to turn around and
see who it was, Chris knew instinctively that it was without question, Buck.
Vin would be smart enough to leave him alone but only Buck would have the nerve
or the stubbornness for that matter, to confront him with this issue. Buck was
like a personal demon that would never let him turn his back on such things
even at the threat of death. He continued walking, not bothering to pause even
though he knew he was being pursued and swore that if Buck said a word on this
matter, he would shoot the man, friend or not.
"Goddamn Chris!"
Buck finally reached him. "That man’s your father! How can you just walk
away like that?"
Chris froze in his steps and whirled around to face his oldest friend with a
look of nothing less than pure warning. "Let it be. I don’t want to talk
about it." He growled in a low voice.
Buck let out an exasperated
groan as he returned a look of pure disbelief at the man, unable to comprehend
how a grown man could be so pig headed about things sometimes. "How come I
ain’t never heard you talk about your father?" Buck demanded, unable to
deny that he was a little hurt by the lack of disclosure. After all, they had
known each other for a lot of years. "The way you’ve been so closed
mouth about it, I always figured he was dead or something." The accusation
in his voice was unmistakable.
Chris’ jaw tightened and he
glared at Buck. "What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’, do you not
understand Buck?" He said through clenched teeth, smouldering
with anger that Buck could not let this go. His tightly reined emotions were
playing havoc with him now and as much as he tried to control them and crushed
them ruthlessly with a will of iron, Chris found he was unable to establish
that foothold right despite best efforts to regain his composure. He did not
want to deal with this right now! It was bad enough seeing the man let alone
trying to deal with his emotions on the matter with someone else.
"None of it, I
guess." Buck retorted, unwilling to let Chris walk away without talking
about it or at least explaining something about why the general had remained
such a secret. Chris knew everything about Buck and until now, Buck thought he
was the authority on Chris as well. "I mean, I’ve know you for a lot of
years and you’ve never even spoken about him. Is what he did to you that
bad?"
"It ain’t about what
he did!" Chris finally exploded, forcing the words out that he did not
wish anyone to hear but it came forth from his lips in a torrent he could not
stop. "It’s about what I did!"
As Buck’s expression
evaporated into surprise, Chris felt silent, hoping that at last his old friend
would get it into his head that he did not wish to talk about this at all. With
that message delivered acutely, Chris continued towards the Clarion’s front
door, leaving left Buck behind him and hoping this time, Buck would have the
sense not to follow him.
**********
"How long has he been
here?" Larabee asked the young man named Vin
Tanner as they left the jailhouse and headed in the direction of the hotel. Vin
had the feeling that general was more interested in Chris rather than
directions to a good hotel and Vin told himself he was going to be very guarded
about what he said about on any subject of inquiry regarding Chris. Markham had
gone on ahead, perhaps suspecting that the general wanted some privacy in his
deliberations with Vin.
"About three
years." Vin answered, deciding that was information that the general could
hear from anyone, so Vin would not be betraying any confidences by revealing
it.
"I’ve tried to keep
track of him over the years," Larabee explained,
never meeting Vin in the eye as he asked. Instead those dark eyes were fixed on
the road ahead and in that much at least, Vin saw the similarities between
father and son. "I knew he lost his wife and boy but he seemed to fade
away after that. Heard now and then that he had some kind of a reputation as a
gunfighter."
"He ain’t never killed
anyone who didn’t have it coming." Vin spoke up in Chris’ defence. "He drifted here about the time I did and
when the local judge offered us a dollar a day to keep the peace, it seemed
like a good idea at the time to stay."
"And his new wife is
from here?" The general did not want to compromise the young man’s
friendship with Chris but there was just so much that he did not know. Pride
had kept him from seeking out the boy before this. Boy, Larabee
snorted, wondering how he could refer to Chris that way. He was hardly a boy any more and yet the general could see him no other way.
"She owns the local
paper." Once again, Vin volunteered information that Larabee
could obtain from anyone. "Name’s Mary."
"Good," Larabee said quietly and there was just enough hint in his
voice to indicate that he was rather relieved that Chris had found someone.
"You men been riding with him for long?" It was not impossible to
miss the camaraderie that existed among the eclectic group of men that made up
law enforcement in this town.
"Little under three
years." Vin answered as they neared the establishment. There were
questions Vin wanted to ask him but felt constrained by his friendship for
doing so. "You don’t mind me asking, when was the last time you saw
Chris?"
Larabee knew exactly when. The date had
been burned into memory for the last twenty years along with questions and
debates as to what he might have done differently to change the way things were
between them. "He would have been nineteen." Larabee
answered. "He came home to Indiana from West Point, during the holidays.
That was the last time I saw him."
"West Point."
Even Vin knew what that was. "Chris went to West Point?"
The general seemed amused
by the younger man’s surprise and suddenly drew insight into why this tracker
was his son’s closest friend. There was much about Vin Tanner that reminded Larabee as it must have Chris about himself as a youth.
Tanner had the same quiet, unassuming manner that the son he remembered had
possessed. No doubt, Chris could see a great deal of himself in Vin.
"Yes." He nodded.
"He was Academy for three years." Larabee
answered, not wishing to divulge any more realising
that Chris had kept much away from the people in his life, even though it was
obvious that any one of them were willing to die for one another. That kind of
loyalty did not come easily and Larabee was proud
that his son had been able to inspire such devotion from the men he rode with.
Hearing Chris went to West
Point did not really surprise Vin all that much. Chris always had an air of
authority around him and the tracker knew he was well read as well as having a
strange code of honour that was unusual for a man who
lived by the gun. He supposed it made sense that all that would have come from
somewhere. Suddenly, Vin found himself understanding Chris just a little bit
better and wondered what could have driven father and son a part. For a
military man, the general seemed like they had first described him, granite.
However, there was also the same underlying empathy that Chris often surprised
everyone around him by showing unexpectedly. Vin who made it a habit to observe
people in the background, did not think that the general was as hard nose as
first impressions might give.
"So what happened
between you two?" Vin found himself asking, aware that he was probably
going to get told to mind his own business but curiosity got the better of him.
However, the general
surprised him by answering. "I don’t know." He looked at Vin.
"He had some trouble at the Academy and left. Last time I heard from
him."
Vin wanted to question the
man further on that point but did not broach the subject without sounding
overly invasive and he was not in the habit of sticking his nose in other
people’s business, in particular Chris Larabee’s.
Thus he was almost grateful when they finally arrived at the Four Corners hotel
where he was able to make a graceful habit without the temptation of quizzing
the general more about his best friends origins. After all, it was clear that
with so much silence between the two men, there was much between them that was
unresolved.
*********
Mary was at the sink
washing dishes when Chris entered his house.
After everything that
happened today, he had forgotten that he had been a total bastard to his wife
the night before and conceded that it was time he stopped being foolish and
made his apologies. Seeing his father today had taught him one thing, sometimes
a man just had to face the music. She looked over her shoulder at him as she
heard his footsteps in the kitchen, saying nothing as her blue gray eyes met
his and returned to her chore before the sink.
Chris felt doubly guilty
knowing that he had hurt her because he had seen her sadness in her eyes and
felt it stab at his heart in sharp, acute potency. Taking a deep breath, he
slid his arms around her and lowered his lips to her neck. Mary stiffened at
his touch even though she had stopped what she was doing. He could sense that
she was not at all moved by this gesture of tenderness and considering how he
had behaved, Chris could hardly blame her.
"I’m sorry." He
said softly in her ear. "I was behaved badly last night. I ain’t got
excuse for it. I guess it just got to me a little."
Mary did not speak for a
moment but she did not push him away either as he held her. "Are you sorry
we’re having a baby Chris?" She asked softly, her voice was low and
strained, as if she were hiding the emotion in her voice.
Chris was taken back by the question but then in light at his reaction to
the simple mention of a nursery for their child, could understand why she would
make the inquiry. "I’m not sorry." He replied and knew it was an
honest answer. "I’m just a little scared of how it’s going to change me.
I’ve been living this life for the past few years of a rough and tumble
gunslinger, I kind of forgot that I was once a father and a husband too. I love
you and I love Billy and I love this baby that’s all of us," he caressed
her swelling abdomen. "And I had no cause to take it out on you because I
was feeling badly."
Mary could never really
stay mad at Chris for very long and knew his apology was in earnest. She leaned
back into his embrace, a clear indication that her anger had faded and things
were right between them. "You’re such an idiot."
"Like you’re always
saying," Chris smiled faintly, showering her slender neck with light
kisses. "I’m a man, you can’t expect much better." He teased.
"That’s right and
don’t you forget it." She joked. "Have you eaten?" Mary asked.
"Not yet," he
answered, somewhat guilty that he had missed supper too.
"I’ll fix you
something." She said turning around and facing him. "Sit down."
After months of marriage, Chris knew when one of her orders was not a request
and complied after kissing her on the lips, just to show that he was not
completely submissive.
"So what on earth was
wrong with you last night?" Mary asked as she busied herself warming the
dinner she had prepared for him earlier, in the event he came in to supper.
"I haven’t seen you that annoyed since that time you had to bail Ezra,
Josiah and Buck from that jail in Jamestown."
"Don’t remind
me," Chris winced, recalling the incident where involving a card game, an
argument over a saloon girl and too much alcohol. He found all three in jail
with hangovers the size of the Grand Canyon and had to bail them out and smooth
over with the sheriff of that town some charges of drunk and disorderly behaviour. "Yesterday wasn’t as bad as today." He
remarked, noting that she had cooked pie and felt his stomach leap with
excitement over the prospect of the eating to come. Mary made the best pies.
"What happened
today?" She glanced over her shoulder at him in concern, unable to imagine
what could place him in an even worse mood than he was yesterday.
Chris supposed he should
tell her. Word was going to get around quickly and if he thought Mary had let
him off lightly for his jackassy behaviour
last night, it was nothing in comparison with her fury if she learnt about his
father from a source other than him. Clearing his throat, he let the
words out and had no idea it could be so difficult just to make what should
have been a simple revelation.
"My father just showed
up in town."
Mary stopped what she was
doing immediately and turned around. "Your father?" She looked at him
in disbelief. "I thought you were raised by bears."
Chris gave her a look.
"What is it with you and Buck?" He grumbled.
"I’m sorry," she
said with an apologetic smile. "Your father? I didn’t know he was alive.
You’ve never talked about him. Has he come here to see you?"
She fired about a dozen
questions at him so quickly that Chris had no idea where one began and the other
ended, however, he did manage to get a word in edge wise when she paused for a
breath. "No he didn’t come to town to see me." Chris replied and then
went on to explain their experiences yesterday with Bellison
and the nitro. Mary would have only been aware that Alex was injured through
some form of misadventure but in general the nitro’s existence was something of
a secret.
"So it was just blind
luck that he was the one the army sent?" Mary asked, having served him his
food and sat down to hear more on this subject.
"More or less."
Chris frowned, unable to believe how fate worked sometimes. He had spent the
last twenty one years trying to avoid facing his father and had reached a point
in his life where the guilt and the shame had subsided to tolerable levels, now
with the general’s return was also the regret at how he had conducted himself.
"So where is he?"
Mary looked at him. "Did you invite him here to stay?"
"No!" Chris
exclaimed horrified. "I don’t want him here!"
"Chris?" Mary
stared at him with nothing less than astonishment. "The man is your
father. You haven’t seen him in god only knows how long and you don’t even
invite to your home, to meet your family?’
"I can’t face
him." He declared uncomfortably.
"Its
time that you did." She pointed out. "You can’t run away from him
forever."
"I’m not
running." Chris protested, knowing in truth that he was. He had not stayed
long enough to allow the general to make any inquiry about his life here and
knew the reason for his apprehension tomorrow was partially because he did not
wish to spend the whole day with his father, even if it was in the line of
duty. As much as he wanted to find Bellison and
Julius, Chris was willing to ignore the whole situation if it meant that he
could ignore Marcus Larabee as well.
"Then invite him to dinner tomorrow night." She challenged.
"You’re his son and its only right that you do so unless you don’t wish to
face him."
"I don’t," Chris
muttered under his breath but knew she was probably right but he could not
bring himself to do it. Chris picked at his food, feeling like a kid that was
forced to do something he did not want to. Suddenly, Chris had a deeper
understanding of what Billy endured when Mary required something of him the
child did not wish to undertake.
"Chris." Mary
stared at him reproachfully. "You can’t avoid this forever."
"I can try." He
said shortly and put enough tension behind his voice to indicate that he did
not want to discuss it further. Unfortunately for him, Mary was not about to let
the matter rest even if he was going to be pig headed about it. She could see
it in his eyes that he wished things were different but typical male pride and
the type that was not so generic but seemed specific to men whose names ended
with Larabee, kept him from making the necessary
conciliatory effort.
"Its
up to you of course." She responded and rose from the table. "Well,
I’ve got to go check on Alex. See how’s she doing." Mary started to
withdraw from the kitchen, glad that he did not look up at her as she tried to
keep her voice as neutral as possible.
"Alright," Chris
nodded, deep in thought at the valid points she had made about how he was
handling this. "Don’t be too long. It’s getting pretty dark out
there."
"I won’t be." She
smiled and hurried out the kitchen door, hoping that he would not be too mad at
her for what she was about to do.
*********
"You know," Ezra
Standish said inside the confines of the Standish saloon, staring at the
contents of the shot glass he was about to drink from, gathering his thoughts
in the amber fluid that swirled within. "I always thought that Mr Larabee had some mysterious origins but I must say that
even this has outdone my most fanciful imaginings on the subject."
"I gotta
agree with you." Nathan admitted, glancing sheepishly at Rain who was
frowning her disapproval that he had returned to the saloon, even though he
should be studying hard for his coming medical exams. "I thought Chris
might have been in the army but I can’t picture his being from a rich family, let
alone a rich military family."
"I can." JD
replied, wondering how anyone else could not see it. Chris always carried
himself with authority and men naturally looked to him for leadership, even his
older companions who would rather believe that they were outcasts who had found
their place in this odd fellowship. True as that might be, there was even more
truth that it was Chris that bound them together. There was something about him
that made people want to earn Chris Larabee’s respect
because it was quite something to win favour in the
man’s eyes. Chris appeared to have seen much in his lifetime and had no
patience for fools so when he considered someone apart of his circle of
friends, it was a privilege indeed. Having met the general though, explained a great
deal about why Chris Larabee was the man he was.
"You would," Buck
replied, deciding he would have one more drink for the road before he went
home. "You’d have fun watching a rattlesnake just before he bit you."
Buck was still in preponderance over Chris’ words, trying to understand what
the gunslinger might have done to have so much guilt. He had thought Sarah and
Adam’s death that been deep enough but this had the power to eclipse even that
loss, mostly because on some level, Chris knew that the death of his wife and
child was not his fault. However, the same could not be said about this. Buck
knew Chris well enough to know that his old friend felt intensely guilty about
the situation with his father although for the life of him, Buck could not imagine
why.
Vin returned to the saloon
at that moment, deciding to grab a quick drink and see if Rain was up to
cooking him some dinner to take to Alex, when he noticed his friends
congregating around their usual table in the saloon. No doubt discussing the events
of the day or more precisely, General Larabee. The
tracker went to Rain first and made his order for dinner before joining his
friends as they speculated upon the surprise arrival of Chris’ father.
"Is the good general
tucked away at the hotel?" Buck asked.
"Yeah." Vin
nodded, perfectly aware that Buck was dying to know if the general had said
anything to him about Chris. "He is now."
"It’s a damn shame
that Chris is so pig headed about his father." Buck said attempting to
prompt Vin into talking, a tactic that was not lost on the tracker or anyone
else with an ounce of intelligence for that matter.
"Yeah." Vin
nodded with a completely straight face, wise to what Buck was attempting to do
and not prepared to reveal anything that had been discussed between him and the
general since he was certain the man had not intended their exchange to be the
subject of conversation.
"I believe Mr
Wilmington is on a fishing expedition." Ezra replied.
"Thanks a lot
Ezra," Buck fumed, giving the gambler a dark look. "I was trying to
soften him up."
"I think we all were
aware of that Buck." Josiah retorted. "You need a little more practise at being subtle." The preacher easing back
into his chair and taking the head off his mug of beer.
"Alright then,"
Buck bristled. "I’m a little out of practise."
"You men you were
actually subtle at some point?" Nathan joined in on the teasing. They were
all firmly in Vin’s corner at this point, believing that Chris’ troubles with
his father were his own and not for them to discuss so blithely or interfere in
any attempt at reconciliation. When it came to Chris Larabee,
old friend or not, that was the surest way to get something shot off and as
Chris had put it so succinctly, it would probably be something that would not
grow back.
"Come on Vin," Buck demanded. "What did he say?"
"Nothing that I want
to repeat." Vin declared and decided that some ground rules needed to be
placed before someone did or said something that was going to create more
difficulty between father and son then there already was. "Buck, I’d stay
out of this if I were you. It don’t sound like neither Chris nor his dad need
anyone helping them out."
"You don’t know
Chris," Buck protested. "He’ll keep this inside and be as stubborn as
a mule about it and before you know it, his dad will be gone and he’ll just let
him go without saying a word."
"Maybe we should let
him be Buck," JD remarked believing that Chris Larabee
was smart enough to make his own decisions without Buck interfering. JD could
understand it when Buck felt the need to butt in when it came to him but not
someone like Chris, who was old enough and in JD’s opinion, smart enough to
know whether he wanted help or not.
"Buck," Vin spoke
up and used a tone of voice rarely heard but unable to ignore when he felt
enough to impress it on people. "Let it go. You’ll do more harm than good
by trying to help because Chris has got to make the choice himself to set thing
right between him and his pa, ain’t no one can make it for him."
Buck frowned because he
knew that Vin was right and seeing the faces around him nod in agreement, realised that they believed the same and so should he.
"Alright then,"
Buck conceded defeat. "I’ll stay out of it but I’m telling you, Chris
ain’t gonna to anything if no one pushes him into it."
"Well I seriously
doubt," Ezra drawled removing a deck of cards from inside his burgundy coloured coat. "Anyone with the possible exception of
you Mr Wilmington, would be foolish enough to do that."
*********
Once Mary arrived at the
hotel, it did not take her long to find out what room the general and his attache was occupying. As she made her way into the dining
room where the hotel clerk had told her he had seen Marcus Larabee
and Colonel Markham adjourning to the restaurant for some dinner, she
questioned what she was doing. Mary knew her husband and even though she saw it
in his face that he hated the way things were between himself and his father,
pride and twenty years of hesitation was keeping him from doing what he ought
to in order to set things right. Loving a man like Chris Larabee
was all about taking risks and as she allowed her eyes to search the dining
room for a Union general it was not difficult to spot the father when she was
in love with the son.
He did not at all look like
Chris, being of stockier build and darker completion but the eyes were the same
and the set of the jaw, particularly when determined would no doubt be
identical. She approached the table, having no idea how to introduce herself
and knowing that lack of knowledge regarding any subject had never stopped her
from doing anything before. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the table
and captured the general’s interest who immediately rose to his feet as it was
proper for officer and gentlemen alike to do so in the company of a lady.
"General Larabee," Mary said politely. "I am Mary, Chris’
wife."
"I am pleased to meet
you." He answered with a faint smile but genuine in its depth of feeling.
Like Chris, it all showed in the eyes. "Join us."
He sounded so much like
Chris it was uncanny and yet his voice was different but the tone and the
manner were the same. Mary observed him with fascination, seeing her husband in
his father’s face but unable to place the exact nature of the similarities,
knowing only that it was there.
"General,"
Markham rose to his feet. "I should be turning in. Mrs
Larabee," he bowed politely in his direction, no
doubt his sudden departure arising from his belief that they needed privacy to
discuss family matters. "It was a pleasure."
Mary offered a polite
response and waited until Markham had left before she turned her attention back
to her father-in-law. "I came to invite you to dinner tomorrow
evening." Mary said launching into the reason for her presence here.
"Really?" He
raised a brow. "Does Christopher know about this invitation?"
"No." Mary
answered. "But I’m sure he won’t mind." Actually he was going to mind
a lot, he was going to start minding the minute Mary went home and told him
about it. However, she would face anything for Chris Larabee,
even his wrath.
"I think you will find
otherwise." He remarked, not wishing to cause any trouble between Chris
and his wife. Although he did profess to like the spirited creature with the
cascading gold hair who had captured his son’s heart and obviously by her
effect on his life, had allowed him to begin a new existence in this frontier
town.
"Probably," she
confessed with a smile. "But that’s my problem not yours. It is my wish
that you join your son, your step grandson and myself for dinner tomorrow. Can
you attend?"
"He will be angry with
you." Larabee pointed out.
"I can handle
it." Mary declared firmly. "He’s been mad at me before."
The general smiled and not a faint smile but a genuine smile of pleasure that
told her that he would indeed appear at the Larabee
household, if just to see how she would fare against Chris when she told him
about this. "For your trouble, I’ll be there."
"Good, then I’ll
expect you for supper tomorrow night then." Mary smiled and started to
leave.
"You don’t have to do
this." Larabee spoke up, halting her progress
away from his table.
"I want to," Mary
looked at her father in law and dropped her hand to her belly. "I have a
child coming into this world that would like to know its grandfather, I’m sure
of it."
Larabee lowered his gaze long enough to nod
slightly in understanding. "You’re like his mother you know."
"Really?" Mary
said with surprise because she knew almost nothing about Chris’ family. It was
not that he avoided the topic, it’s just that he did not volunteer anything.
Mary knew nothing about Chris’ past before the war and she wondered now why she
had not inquired. Perhaps, she suspected that there was something he could not
speak of even though she had not imagined what it could be and with all the
demons he had in his life, there seemed to be no reason to dredge up another
when it was possible to avoid it. However, that had been wrong on her part
because she was his wife and they had to be able to share everything together,
even who they had been in the lifetime before Four Corners.
"She was stubborn
too." He grinned.
"Well," Mary
raised a brow and said with a straight face. "Like father, like son."
"My grandson," Larabee inquired. "He have a name?"
"Billy." She
replied, happy that he had inquired after her son and indicated that he had
taken to heart what she had said about wanting him to be apart
of their family, no matter how adverse Chris was to this at the moment.
"He’s eight years old, gets into more trouble than I know what to do
with." She laughed.
The general nodded slightly
and for a moment, his eyes clouded over and went a far away place that was enigmatic as it was sad, Mary
thought as she saw it surface visibly. "He has that mucin
in common with Christopher then." Larabee said
with a smile, perhaps trying to discern why things had gone so wrong with that
child in the present of his adulthood.
"Billy would be
thrilled to hear all about it." Mary answered and knew that to be the
truth.
She just hoped Chris was as
well.