Liberty Showdown: The Legend of Boot Hill, #2

By Harlan Finchley

When Gideon Pierce flees the mining town of Liberty after being wrongly accused of killing a lawman, he vows to return and take revenge on the man responsible, Warner Gray. But with the ruthless businessman Rudyard Crosby now controlling the gold mine, he knows he'll be shot the moment he steps foot in town.

To take on Rudyard he needs to know why the businessman is determined to re-open the mine and return Liberty to its former glory. The answer lies with Emerson Hall, the man who owned the mine until fifty miners were killed in a terrible night of violence.

It seems that this event, along with Gideon's strange visions of another world and the mysterious apparition in the sky are all connected. That means Gideon's mission is sure to lead to a showdown, and the truth about what lies buried in the Eagle Heights mine will send even more men to Liberty's Boot Hill.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Culbin Press
• Release date: Jan 21, 2025
• ISBN: 9781393845652

Book preview

Chapter One

The men were getting closer. Gideon Pierce could hear them shouting to each other as they enjoyed a pursuit that was now nearing its end. He figured the pursuers were only fifty yards away and they had spread out at regular intervals to sweep across the ground.

Gideon and the man who, through adversary, had become his friend, Joshua Macardle, had holed up in the best available cover they could find on the plains of a small hollow in the ground. Even if someone passed within thirty yards of them, the depression was so shallow they would be clearly visible. If they ran, their pursuers had horses and they would run them down with ease.

I guess it was always going to come to this, Joshua said wearily. One day we would have to stop running and face the consequences.

I know, Gideon said. I’d just hoped we would find somewhere better to make our stand.

They had fled Liberty three days ago, afoot and without food. They had tracked east and then south toward Diamond Springs figuring that without sustenance they would lack the fortitude to walk to any other place.

As it had turned out, that plan had played into the hands of their pursuer, Sheriff Osbourne. He had deputized nine men from among Rudyard Crosby’s new workers with the only good news being that Warner Gray had stayed in Liberty.

Osbourne had assumed they would have to head south. So he had adopted a policy of sweeping back and forth across large areas of ground. After only a day that policy had worked when Osbourne had found their tracks, and for the last two days he had hunted them down.

Eventually, he had herded them out on to the plains over which the railroad would soon run. With the flat terrain providing uninterrupted vision for miles and the marks from their scrambling progress obvious, the pursuers were now unerringly moving toward them.

Except we can’t even make a stand, Joshua said. We’re innocent, but the sheriff is just doing his duty and if we start shooting it’ll just make things worse.

I doubt things could get worse, but if we can hold him off for a while we might get the chance to tell him what really happened.

Joshua gave Gideon a sorry look that acknowledged they had a poor record of explaining their story, especially when theirs was a tale they struggled to understand themselves. Worse, Joshua was unaware of the full extent of Gideon’s confusion about their situation.

Although they had discussed theories about what Rudyard and Warner may be planning to do in Liberty, he hadn’t confided in Joshua about his recurring dream and about how much that troubled him. Since they’d fled Liberty he had forced himself to stay awake, as the last time he’d slept he’d dreamed that Warner was about to shoot him. Why his imminent death in a dream had unnerved him he didn’t know, but he couldn’t deny that he was as concerned about going to sleep as he was about Osbourne’s pursuit.

Over there! someone shouted, the voice coming from Gideon’s left.

Gideon raised his head a fraction and the man was turned toward a point around ten yards from the hollow. He reckoned this man had spotted their tracks. They hadn’t had time to mask them before they’d scrambled down into the only available cover and the tracks led directly to them.

Sure enough, another man came into sight near to the point that the first man had indicated and then they both faced the hollow. The men then went to ground. Murmured comments snapped back and forth, followed by silence.

Let Sheriff Osbourne make the first move, Gideon said. He frowned as the sun was still some distance above the horizon. As he’s got the rest of the day to flush us out, he’ll take no chances. When he starts issuing demands, we’ll respond reasonably and that should put him at ease.

In other words, you have no idea what to say to him.

Gideon chuckled. I haven’t, but if you have a better idea, you can do the talking.

Joshua returned a supportive laugh and then they settled down facing away from each other to await developments. They came quicker than Gideon expected.

We don’t want no trouble, someone shouted. Just come out peacefully.

Now that wasn’t a tactic I expected, Joshua said.

That man didn’t sound like Sheriff Osbourne either, Gideon said.

Joshua nodded and then raised his head slightly.

We’ll come out, but only after we’ve explained ourselves, he called.

Go on, the speaker said.

It’s a long story, but we’ll start at the end. We left Liberty in a hurry only because we were sure you wouldn’t believe us that we had nothing to do with what happened to Deputy Troughton.

Murmuring sounded as their pursuers exchanged opinions.

We’re not concerned about Liberty just yet, but once we know what you’re doing here, we’d welcome hearing about any trouble going on over there.

Joshua lowered his head and Gideon nodded acknowledging that he’d had the same thought.

Are you telling us Sheriff Osbourne isn’t with you? Gideon called.

I’ve never met Osbourne. I’m Kelsey Nevada from the railroad.

Joshua laughed and then with a wide grin he stood up. Gideon moved to stop him, fearing that this might be a trap, but Joshua was already stepping up out of the hollow.

I’m Joshua Macardle, he called with a hand raised in greeting. My brother Boyd often mentioned you.

Boyd never mentioned you, but I’m sorry about what happened to him, Kelsey said. I heard he got killed recently in Empire City.

He did. I’m out here trying to find his killer, but I seem to have walked into a whole lot more problems.

Then I reckon your luck’s just changed.

Joshua gestured at Gideon and this time Gideon put aside his misgivings and stood up. Ahead, five men were getting up and moving toward them, and none of them was Sheriff Osbourne or the people who had been pursuing them.

What are you doing here? Gideon asked, facing Kelsey.

We scout around ahead of the railroad to make sure there’s no problems, and we saw you two acting strangely.

I guess we were. Then again, we’ve met a few people recently who have been acting strangely and we panicked.

Kelsey moved on to stand before them. You look as if you’ve been panicking for a while.

As Joshua said, it’s a long story.

Then I reckon we should get a fire lit, a meal cooking and pass some liquor around. While we do that, we can hear your tale.

Joshua moved on and shook Kelsey’s hand and Gideon followed suit before taking everyone else’s hand. Then Joshua settled down to explain what had happened to them, this time starting at the beginning.

Gideon let Joshua take the lead, but from time to time Joshua turned to him to fill in the details. At first Gideon helped out, but with the possibility of their imminent discovery receding and the thought of food being available soon, he felt too weary to contribute much.

Before long, his eyelids grew heavy and then they closed as his need for sleep finally overcame him. This time he didn’t fight it. Within moments he was lying on a bed and Messina Doyle was smiling at him, so he presumed he was no longer about to be killed in his dream.

Doc Wainwright says you’re doing well, she said. We can leave whenever you feel ready.

Gideon sighed with relief and grasped her hand. He noted that the hotel room was the same as the one he’d been in when Warner had escaped from the law office.

How long has it been? he said. When she furrowed her brow, he released her hand and gestured downward. I mean since Warner Gray burst into the hotel.

She frowned. It’s clear you’re still confused, but hopefully that’ll pass once you get to move around more and enjoy the fresh air outside. Warner was dealt with three days ago.

Gideon shuffled up to a sitting position. She stood back making an obvious point of letting him complete the maneuver on his own and he was relieved to find he moved with some ease.

He sighed as the same amount of time appeared to have passed in his dream as it had in reality. He decided this had happened in his previous dreams and like with those times he felt disorientated, as he had no recollection of the events that had happened while he’d been awake. For now he could let Messina think that his confusion came about due to his recent injury so he adopted a puzzled expression before speaking.

So Warner is dead? he asked.

Nobody’s seen him since the incident downstairs, so I hope that’ll turn out to be the last unpleasant reminder of your past life.

Gideon pondered how he could request more details without making her think he was acting strangely, but then with a shrug he decided that being honest was his best option.

I’m having problems remembering things. The last I remember Warner was about to shoot me.

She nodded, not appearing as concerned by this comment as he’d feared.

"I’d hoped you’d have remembered by now who