Wickenburg: Wickenburg, #1

By charles fisher

Riley Flynn starts out in 1865 as a five year old in New River, Arizona, living near her Friend Tanner Jo Carter. They discover gold mining and become quite wealthy by the time they are ten years old. Riley has always had a fascination for guns and law enforcement, and has her mind set on becoming the City Marshal in nearby Wickenburg, a crime infested anything goes town. Her adventures take her in directions she never imagined, up through 1882.

• Language: English
• Publisher: charles fisher
• Release date: Mar 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781393602002

Book preview

W I c k e n b u r g 

A   n o v e l  o f  t h e  o l d  w e s t

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THEME BY IRIS DEMENT

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B o o k   O n e

T h e  b e g I n n I n g

My Pa was a no good son of a bitch who got exactly what he had comin’ to him, and I did the givin’.

United States and City Marshal Riley Jane Flynn

Interview with LIFE Magazine, April 10, 1940

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Home of Ryan Flynn

New River, Arizona

May, 1863

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Riley Flynn, Age 3

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Hey! You put that down, damn you! Ryan Flynn yelled. He ran over to his daughter and grabbed the Colt pistol away from her. He slapped her hard across the face. What did I tell you about touchin’ my gun? he yelled. Riley started bawling and ran into her bedroom. Little bastard, Ryan grumbled. Should have been born a boy, not no worthless fuckin’ girl.

Such would be Riley’s life until she became old enough to fight back. Her mother had died in childbirth; her father, an Irish immigrant, resented the fact that he would never have a son. An itinerant mine worker with a three year old daughter and no money had dim prospects for matrimony in New River or any other town. The frustration ate at him, and he took it out on Riley. Forced to eat food she hated while she watched her father swill cheap whiskey was all the youngster had to look forward to each day. She longed for some sort of salvation; never in her wildest dreams would she anticipate how it would eventually come.

Home of Ryan Flynn

New River, Arizona

August, 1865

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Riley Flynn, Age 5  Tanner Jo Carter, Age 5

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Riley was walking home from the general store when a girl appeared near the house across the street. She spotted Riley and came over.

Hi; I’m Tanner Jo Carter. You live in town?

Right there, Riley said, pointing at her house. I’m Riley Flynn.

Great! We can play together. There aren’t too many kids in town. It’s mostly old people.

I know. Who do you live with? I didn’t see anybody move in. That placed has been empty for a year now.

My Aunt, Lorraine Carter. My parents died from Cholera when I was a baby. You?

I live with my Pa. My Ma died giving birth to me. It should have been him, Riley said matter of factly.

Oh; you don’t like your Pa?

No. He hits me. I hate him. He’s a fuckin’ asshole, Riley grinned.

Wow; you cuss real good, Tanner Jo laughed.

I learned from the best. That’s all my Pa does, is cuss and drink whiskey.

That’s too bad. Does he work?

He’s a gold miner. He makes shit money.

My Aunt has a small inheritance. She spent most of it on this house. I think she’s going to look for a job, Tanner Jo said. Do you like dolls?

Dolls? Riley laughed. No. I like knives and guns. When I figure out how to get some money, I’m going to buy a Colt revolver and shoot the asshole in the head. Then I’m going to go to Tombstone or Tucson and be a Sheriff or a gunfighter.

You could get killed doing that, Tanner Jo said.

I could get killed staying here, too. My Pa is a lot stronger than me. He knocked me out a couple of times; if he hits me just right, I could die.

You should run away, then.

Oh, sure. I’m five years old. Where the hell am I going to go? They’d pick me up and stick me in some orphanage. I’ll stay here; I can outrun him now, especially when he’s drunk, which is most of the time. Do you know any way we could make some money?

We could become whores and work in the saloon, Tanner Jo grinned.

Come on; I’m serious. We could do something and get rich. I want to be out of this crappy town by the time I’m sixteen.

Then we could be whores, right?

Will you stop? We’re not going to be whores.

We have to go to school. It starts next month. Can you read?

No. I can write my name, is all, Riley said.

Then we have to learn. If we can read books, we can find something to make money. I think mining might work; that seems to be popular around here.

Mining? Do I look like a gold miner to you? That’s hard work, with a pick and shovel all day. I can’t do that.

There are other ways; I saw men doing it in the rivers and streams with a pan. We could do that. Gold is worth twenty dollars an ounce.

How big is an ounce?

Like a big peppermint candy they sell at the store.

But there aren’t any rivers here. They mine on land.

"There’s one about four miles from here; the Agua Fria. It has gold in it.

The Agua Fria River

We could walk to that in an hour. Then we can go farther if we can buy horses. The Humberg Creek and Castle Creek have gold. I heard some men talking about it."

You got this all figured out, huh, Riley said.

Yeah. I always pay attention when people talk about money. We can do this.

Okay, we’ll try it next year after school lets out. Then when we get some money, I can buy a big fuckin’ gun and kill the asshole, Riley grinned.

They’ll put you in jail or hang you for that.

They have to catch me first, Riley said. I’ll do it when I’m old enough, then we’ll run away to another town. What’s around here?

Closest town is Wickenburg. That’s forty miles west of here. That should be far enough; they won’t look for you anyway. They don’t even have a Marshal here. Probably don’t have one in Wickenburg, either.

Marshal, huh? That sounds like a good job. I could do that.

They don’t have girl Marshals.

We’ll see about that, Riley nodded. I’m going to get that gun, and learn how to shoot it.

The Agua Fria River

Yavapai County

Arizona

June, 1866

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Riley Flynn, Age 6     Tanner Jo Carter, Age 6

Here we are, Tanner Jo said. You got your pan?

I got it, Riley said. She took out a pie tin she had found in the house. What do we do with it?

Let’s find a spot. I read a book on gold mining; it was in the school library. It says to look for a bend in the river where there are big rocks.

Why? Riley said as they headed downstream.

The gold washed out of the mountains a long time ago, and the water carried it down here. The bend slows the water, and lets the gold settle to the bottom. The big rocks stop it from going any farther. There is supposed to be gold near those rocks. It’s small, though; don’t expect to see a lot of big pieces. The small stuff is called placer gold. Some of it is so small you can’t see it.

Big pieces, Riley grumbled. I could use a big piece of pie. I’m hungry.

This looks good, Tanner Jo said as they approached a sharp turn in the river. Boulders had accumulated at the bend; a perfect gold trap. Let’s try here.

Tanner Jo bent down and scooped up a pan full of the silt and small rocks from the river bottom between two of the boulders.

I tried this in the back yard last night, Riley grinned.

What did you find?

Raccoon shit.

Watch how I do it, Tanner Jo said. She swirled the mess around in the pan, adding water occasionally. The rocks worked their way out of the pan with the silt. You watching?

Yeah.

Well get to it, girl. I can’t do all the work around here.

Riley watched until Tanner Jo’s pan contained nothing but sand. She sloshed the sand back and forth with more water, and tapped the edge of the pan with her hand. Finally, she looked closely at what was left.

There’s a few colors, she said as she studied the pan. That’s gold. Colors are what the miners call little flakes. There’s gold here, she grinned.

How do you get it out of the sand?

I don’t know yet, Tanner Jo said. I have to read more.

Riley started a pan, and Tanner Jo continued to slosh her pan until most of the sand went back into the river. Unfortunately, the gold went with it.

Oops, she giggled. So much for that.

Riley worked her pan while Tanner Jo started a new one. Hey, Riley said after a few minutes. How’s this? She held up a piece of something yellow and showed it to Tanner Jo.

Whoa! A nugget! Where did you get that? Tanner Jo exclaimed.

Right over there, Riley said, pointing at a space between two other boulders.

Give me your pan, Tanner Jo said. She inspected the sand and gravel in the pan and her eyes bugged out. You found a gold trap! Look at this! There are six or seven big nuggets here. Nobody finds nuggets in Arizona anymore. This is great! I bet there’s two ounces here. These are big nuggets.

We’re going to be rich, Riley grinned.

Could be; let’s keep working this spot. Whatever you do, don’t ever tell anybody what we’re doing down here. We’ll bring fishing poles next time so it looks like we’re trying to get some bass for dinner.

I hate fuckin’ fish, Riley groused. That’s all my Pa can cook.

If this spot holds up, we’ll be eating steak dinners.

How we supposed to explain that? And if we turn in our gold to the mining company, somebody will try to find out where we got it.

I’ll look into that part. Sometimes they send buyers to the mining towns, and you can sell your gold without saying anything to them. They won’t say anything either; that way nobody finds out anything. There are men who would kill us for this, Tanner Jo said, holding up a nugget. We have to make a hiding place, too.

The spot did hold up; that part of the river was full of nuggets, a rarity in Arizona. They worked their little claim every day; each day produced at least an ounce of gold. If anybody asked where they had been, they said they were learning how to fish. They brought home the occasional bass to fortify the story.

By the end of the summer, they had a little over a hundred ounces hidden in a metal box under Tanner Jo’s house. With school a week away, they had decided to cash it in. A buyer was coming to New River Mining; they intended to corral the guy on the road before he got there. Before they did, Riley took two ounces of the gold; they went to a gun dealer over in Wickenburg.

Rollins Trading

Wickenburg, Arizona

September, 1866

What’chou girls want? Silas Rollins grunted. We don’t let kids in here as a rule.

How  about if the kids got money to spend? Riley said.

You got money? How the hell does a kid your age get real money? What you got, a penny or two?

Riley set a small box on the counter. We got gold.

Rollins looked in the box, then looked at Riley. Where’d you get this? he said suspiciously.

We worked for it, Riley grinned. We’re whores.

Rollins looked at her for a long minute, then burst out laughing.

Whores! That’s funny. Really; where did you get this gold? he said as he put it on a jeweler’s scale.

Never mind where we got it, Tanner Jo said, a mean look on her face. We got it, is all you need to know.

Rollins put a chemical on the glittery metal. It be real, he sighed. Two point seven ounces. This here is river gold. You been in a river?

Nope. Told you, we’re whores. What’s it worth? Riley said.

Comes to fifty two dollars after the buyer’s commission, Rollins said. You got to spend it here, though. I ain’t no gold dealer. What’chou want?

A Colt pistol, Riley said. For my Pa, she added quickly. It’s his birthday comin’ up.

What kind?

The best fancy one you have. Nice and shiny.

Okay, I got this one; Colt Navy 1851 open top nickel finish, nice wood grips. Brand new.

Riley took the gun and spun the cylinder next to her ear. She twirled it like a professional, worked the trigger and hammer a couple of times, and set it on the counter.

How much?

Twenty five dollars. Where you learn to handle a gun like that? Rollins said.

When I ain’t whoring, I kill people for money, Riley grinned. I’m good at it, too.

You are a funny kid! Rollins guffawed. You do beat all. You need ammunition?

Yeah. Guns work better when you got bullets. How much?

Two dollars a box. Fifty to a box.

I’ll take five boxes. I need a decent holster, too, and a Bowie knife. Make everything come to what the gold is worth and we got a deal.

Rollins selected a nice holster and put everything into a sack.

Don’t let nobody see what you got in that sack. This be a dangerous town.

Okay, Riley shrugged. Thank you kindly. I will be back some day. After I kill my Pa, she grinned.

You’re a hoot! Rollins screeched. You are one funny kid.

On the way to their horse, which they had borrowed from Lorraine, Riley elbowed Tanner Jo.

He thinks I’m kidding, she said.

If he only knew. Look at this shit hole; you want to run away to this dump some day?

I’ll clean it up, Riley said. You’ll see.

You’re crazy. The way we mine gold, we could be living in San Francisco in a big house.

Don’t want to live there; don’t want no big house, neither. Never did.

Then what do you want? Tanner Jo said.

I do not know. That is what I aim to find out.

Black Canyon Highway

New River, Arizona

September, 1866

Riley stepped out into the middle of the road as the big stagecoach approached. The driver and his helper were armed with shotguns; the four men escorting the coach on horseback sported deadly Henry repeating rifles, which held fifteen rim fire cartridges each.

They mean business, Tanner Jo said as the coach slowed. A man poked his head out the coach window and sized them up. Be careful, boys, he said. Who the hell are they?

Don’t know, Sir, one horseback guard said. Looks like a couple of kids. One of ‘em got a gun.

Probably a toy. Go closer; it could be a trap. Be ready for anything.

The driver went a bit farther; the man leaned out the window and waved for the girls to come over.

What do you kids want? he said when they walked up to the coach.

Are you James Duncan? Riley said.

Yes. How did you know that?

My Pa works at the New River Mining Company. We heard about you coming to make a buy.

That’s right.

We have some gold to sell. We don’t want anybody to know where we got it, or that we sold it to you.

You didn’t steal it, did you? Duncan grinned. You look like desperados.

We’re bad girls, Riley grinned, flexing her puny biceps. We’re killers and whores.

Okay, what do you really want? You’re holding us up.

Like I said, we got gold to sell. You want it?

How much? Duncan said.

114 ounces, Riley said.

What ..... where the hell did two girls get that kind of gold?

We mine when we’re not in school, Tanner Jo said. We read some books and found a good spot. We want it to stay secret.

Yeah, Riley said, her hand on her Navy Colt. Secret. Real secret.

Don’t be touchin’ that pistol, Duncan warned. My men got itchy trigger fingers. That a real gun?

Riley took it out and handed it to Duncan butt first. You tell me.

It’s real all right, Duncan said, looking over the new Colt. You mine gold, you best know how to use it, too.

I know how, Riley said. I been practicing. I bet I can outdraw any of your men.

Never mind that; where’s your gold?

I’ll get it. Riley went into the woods and came back with a heavy  glass candy jar.

Damn, Duncan said as he took the jar. You mine all this?

Yup. Took all summer, Riley said.

Duncan tested then weighed the gold. One hundred fourteen ounces at twenty fifty each minus a five percent commission comes to twenty two hundred twenty dollars. How you want it?

Ten dollar gold pieces, Riley said.

Okay, Duncan said. He opened a strong box and started counting. He looked over at Riley.

Whores, huh? he said. Who taught you to talk like that?

My Pa. he cusses a lot, Riley said. We ain’t really whores, we just like to fool about. Silas Rollins in Wickenburg thinks we’re funny.

You know him? Duncan said as he put the gold coins into a sack.

Yeah. I bought my Colt from him, Riley said. I’m gonna be the City Marshal in that town some day.

Stick to gold mining, Duncan said. You’ll live longer. Looks like you’re pretty good at it. This is river gold, he grinned.

You know any other ways we can mine gold? Riley said. Using a pick and shovel is too hard. We’re just sweet little kids, she grinned. Except if you cross us, then I’ll shoot you in your fuckin’ ass.

Whoa! Duncan laughed. You cuss pretty good. Get a book called Mining Procedure in the West by Calvin Arnold. Look at hard rock mining. You need some equipment, but you have more than enough money to buy it. There is lots of gold in the hills, but big companies don’t go after it because it’s too difficult  and takes too long. But for a couple of kids like you who got nothing else to do, it could work out good.

Thanks. We’ll look into that.

Yeah, right, one of the escorts laughed as he looked down from his horse. Couple of brats like you? Stick to river gold.

What did you call me, you big asshole? Riley said as she walked over to the man.

Watch your mouth, kid, or I will tan your hide for you.

You will, huh? Riley smiled. She slipped her twelve inch Jim Black Bowie knife out of its sheath, which was tucked into her gun belt behind her. Let’s see if you can.

With one swift move, Riley slashed through his cinch with the big knife. She grabbed his legging and yanked as hard as she could; the saddle gave way and dumped the man on his back in the dirt. Riley immediately fell on him and put the Bowie against his throat as the other escorts howled in glee.

She got your ass, Jack! one of them guffawed.

Throwed in the dirt by a little girl! another man cried.

Say you’re sorry, Riley whispered, her dead eyes boring into Jack’s. She pushed on the blade. You hear me, boy? she said. Say you’re sorry, or I will cut your fuckin’ throat for you.

I’m  .......... sorry, Jack squeaked.

That’s better, Riley said. She got off him and put the knife away. Fix your fuckin’ gear and ride off into the sunset, Slick. She tipped her hat to Duncan; they retreated into the woods with the sack of cartwheels, never taking their eyes off the men.

Fuckin’ kid got a problem, Jack grumbled as he fixed a new cinch. I got to take that from her, boss? he said to Duncan.

Looks that way, Duncan grinned. A full growed man put on his back by a little girl? That is truly an embarrassment. You are lucky she didn’t commence to cuttin’ on you. That kid is a real heller. She is gonna be a lot of trouble to a lot of people. Saddle up; we got a rendezvous to make.

You crazy doing that to that man? Tanner Jo said as they made their way home through the woods.

Seemed like the right thing to do at the time, Riley said. I had to find out if I could scare a big man like that. Now I know I can. You know what that makes me? she said.

No.

Invincible, Riley said.

Home of Ryan Flynn

New River, Arizona

September, 1866

The Picture of Innocence

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Here, Pa, Riley said as she tossed a package onto the table. I got us some steaks in town. You want to cook ‘em or should I do it?

Cookin’ is girl’s work, Ryan slurred. Where’d you get money for steak?

I found a gold piece in the street, Riley lied. I’m tired of fish and potatoes. I’ll start a fire outside.

You know how?

Yeah. I been reading a lot in school. I can do it. I made a fire pit yesterday.

They went outside to where Riley had made the fire pit. She had a steel grate she had taken from the junk pile at New River Mining; it was part of a sluice box they had scrapped. She piled wood into the hole, doused it with lamp oil, and lit it with steel and flint.

Well, lookit the mountain man, Tanner Jo laughed.

Hey; this kind of thing comes in handy if you ever have to camp out in the woods. I don’t intend to starve, Riley said. She added more fast burning wood until she had a bed of coals a foot deep. She covered the pit with the grate and set four steaks on it. Go get your Aunt, she said. There’s enough here for four.

Okay. How about old man Parsons? Tanner Jo giggled.

Do not talk to me about him. He is a bad man, Riley said.

Likes to put his hands where they don’t belong, Tanner Jo said. He felt up Sally Smith last week.

He tries that with me and it will be his last feel, Riley said as she watched the steaks.

Lorraine came over, thanked Riley for the invite, and went inside.

Wait’ll she gets a load of my old man, Riley grinned. That’ll make her swear off men.

Lorraine went inside and introduced herself. She found some dishes and set the table. Ryan stared at her as if she didn’t even exist.

What kind of work do you do, Mr. Flynn? she smiled. Ryan ignored her. Talkative type, eh? We are neighbors, you know. The least you could do is be civil.

Ryan grunted something and filled his cup with the garbage whiskey he liked. Actually, he didn’t like it; it was all he could afford on a miner’s pay.

You shouldn’t drink that; it will rot your insides, Lorraine said as she cleaned the silverware.

Why the hell don’t you mind your own goddamned business? Ryan said. I do not need no temperance woman yapping at me. That kid out there is enough trouble.

Suit yourself. You’ll be dead before you’re forty, drinking that.

And I will be glad to be so, Ryan nodded. Look around. This look like I got some big life goin’ on here? I would be better off dead.

Then get a better job.

Doing what? This is a mining town. Mind your own business.

All right; as you wish. Your daughter is friends with my niece. You have a very nice little girl there.

You like her? Ryan smirked. Take her. I got no use for her. I wanted a son; look what I got. A bratty girl and a dead wife.

I’m sorry you lost your wife, but that’s no excuse to treat your daughter like she’s worthless.

She is worthless, Ryan said.

Some day you’ll regret that attitude, Lorraine said.

Why don’t you just shut the hell up? Ryan exclaimed. I didn’t ask you to come over here and lecture me.

Lorraine went outside, shaking her head.

Got a dose of my pa, huh? Riley grinned. You’re lucky; you can go home after you eat. I got to stay here with the drunk.

I don’t know how you put up with that man, Lorraine said.

I got plans for him, Riley nodded. Don’t you worry none about me.

After they had eaten, Lorraine went home. Riley put the dishes in the sink and looked at her father.

You got to run your mouth on everybody? She’s a nice lady.

Shut up, Ryan gurgled. I told her she can have you if she fancies you so much. The two of you would get along just fine; you could yap at each other all day. Move in with her.

Maybe I’ll do just that, Riley said. Sure as shit I ain’t wanted around here.

You got that right, you little bastard, Ryan nodded.

Little bastard, huh? Riley said. I’ll remember you said that. She went to her room and packed up her stuff. She came back out and looked at Ryan. I’m gonna stay with Tanner Jo. I don’t need your shit.

What did you say, you little brat? Ryan said. He took off his belt; Riley dropped the bag and pulled her Bowie.

Come on, she said, beckoning with her hand. Give me a good excuse, you no good drunk piece of shit.

You .... I’ll wring your neck for you, Ryan nodded. Get the hell out if you don’t like it here. Go stay with your friend; you’ll be back. You got no money.

I got more money than you, you fuckin’ asshole! Riley screamed. And I will come back, and when I do, you ain’t gonna like it one fuckin’ bit. She grabbed her bag and slammed the door as she left.

Good riddance, Ryan gurgled. Disrespectful little bastard.

Home of Lorraine Carter

New River, Arizona

June, 1870

Riley Flynn, Age 10  Tanner Jo Carter, Age 10

My God, this is hard work, Riley said as she wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Both girls were taller now, and a lot stronger; four years of hard rock mining had turned them into lean, tough people. Rich ones, too; they had a shared account in the State Bank of Arizona in Glendale with over eighty thousand dollars in it. Glendale was twenty six miles away. To prevent stupid spending sprees, they gave themselves an allowance of two hundred dollars per month, which was five times what an average miner made working for the company.

Tanner Jo spent her allowance on frilly clothes and trips to the Glendale beauty parlor; she even had a fur shawl for the winter. Despite the idiotic claims Wickenburg made about Arizona having no winter, it often hit ten degrees at night in the coldest part of the year. Riley spent her allowance on guns, fancy holster rigs, knives, chewing tobacco, and western clothes. Her eyes now had a cold, dead look; people usually avoided prolonged eye contact with her.

She was becoming something she could neither understand nor reverse; it was something she referred to as her destiny. There was a hard, distant aspect to her; at times she would work all day and barely say ten words. Tanner Jo let her be on those days. Other days, you couldn’t shut her up.

They had added onto Lorraine’s little house, putting in two more bedrooms and a better kitchen equipped with a new cast iron cook stove. They also purchased a huge tract of land behind the place. Across the road, Ryan continued to eat fish and get completely smashed every night. He avoided looking at Riley when she was outside; on the occasions when he did, she gave him the finger.

They now had a team of horses, two mules, and several wagons. A weird looking device known as a rock crusher was in a barn; another building held a smelter that would melt gold so it could be made into ingots. A deep pit was a hundred feet away from the barn, where they dumped the depleted rock, called tailings. Riley often fantasized about using the pit for her father’s final resting place.

It was late June when they made their first kill. Old Man Parsons had his eye on the two budding beauties, especially the glamorous Tanner Jo; one day he tried to corner her in the general store. She had managed to push him away and escape, but it was a very unpleasant experience. She told Riley what had happened. Somebody got to do somethin’ about that boy, Riley sighed. And it looks like it will be us. He got designs on your ass; next time, you might not get away from him.

How are we going to do it? Tanner Jo said.

Trap the son of a bitch; and you are the bait, Riley grinned.

Oh no you don’t; he might get lucky this time. Let’s just shoot the bastard. You have that Sharps buffalo rifle you bought; that should fix his ass.

He would rather fix your ass, Riley grinned. And I aim to let him try.

You’re awful generous with other people’s asses, Tanner Jo said.

The way we will do it, he won’t get close enough to try anything. Here is what we will do.

Two nights later, just before sundown when they knew Parsons was on the prowl, Tanner Jo came prancing out of the house in some frilly lace underwear, a railroad lantern in one hand and a small clothes basket in the other. She made for the clothesline. Parsons nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw her; he immediately came out of his hiding place. Lordy, he whispered. This be too good to be true. Hey, girly! he yelled with a big smile. Need a hand with them clothes?"

Why yes, I do, Tanner Jo smiled, batting her eyes at Parsons as she hung out some undergarments. I can always use the help of a big strong man.

Jesus, Riley sighed from her hiding place next to the house. Fuckin’ slut gonna give the boy a damn heart attack.

I’m a comin’, Parsons crowed.

I bet you are, Riley muttered. Enjoy it while it lasts, for it is gonna be the last time.

Parsons was ten feet away from Tanner Jo, who was striking a very seductive pose, when Riley came up behind him. She dumped a big bucket of lamp oil over his head and ran back a few yards. Tanner Jo just stood there. Well, throw the damn lantern, you stupid whore! Riley yelled. You gonna cook his ass or show him yours?

Tanner Jo threw the lantern; it shattered at Parson’s feet. He erupted into a giant, screaming fireball; he ran for a pond a hundred yards away.

That’s right, run, you stupid son of a bitch! Riley yelled. That makes the fire worse!

He never made it to the pond; he collapsed and would continue to burn until there was nothing left of him but a skeleton, which the coyotes would drag away. Riley walked over to Tanner Jo.

What in hell is this getup you got on? she laughed. You fixin’ to screw the son of a bitch?

You said to bait him, so I did. I suppose I could have used your shit stained muslin drawers; that would have enticed him.

You are one hell of a piggy bastard, girl, Riley laughed. "Lookit you; them dance hall floozies got nothin’ on you. I think we have found you a new occupation."

Never happy, are you, Tanner Jo huffed. You thought this up, not me. You’re just jealous because I’m beautiful and you look like the back end of a mule.

You are ten fuckin’ years old, Riley sighed. You ain’t even supposed to know about shit like this, much less wear it. Y’all should be ashamed of yourself.

Well, I’m not. This was your idea, ass face. Imagine how good I’ll look when I’m sixteen, and they are using you to scare cattle back into the corral.

Okay, Riley said, holding up her hands. Have it your way. I am sure they got some openings for whores at the mining camps. Y’all can practice with a cucumber.

I will not! And why are you talking like a cowboy all of a sudden? You graduated first in our class; now you sound like an illiterate fool.

I am whatever I decide to be, and I will talk any way I want. It is my destiny. What’s yours; bein’ Bessie Colvin’s workin’ partner?"

What? Tanner Jo shrieked. She is an infamous whore. I would never do that!

Bet you would, Riley grinned. You got that look.

Bessie Colvin

Home of Lorraine Carter

New River, Arizona

May, 1872

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Riley Flynn, Age 12  Tanner Jo Carter, Age 12

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What in hell are you lookin’ for? Riley said as Tanner Jo stared off at the horizon. Pay attention to the job, damn it.

Somebody in town was talking about old man Parsons. They hired a Sheriff, you know. Maybe he’ll come out here and question us.

About what? Nobody knows we killed that son of a bitch. Unless you ran your mouth, Riley said.

I never told anybody about that, Tanner Jo said. I’m not stupid.

Matter of opinion, Riley grinned. If he comes around, show him your fuckin’ underwear. That’ll take his mind off murder. Now get them mules to pullin’ on that rope.

Tanner Jo grabbed the bridle and walked the mules away from the barn. A big windlace hung from the door frame, which was reinforced with twelve inch beams. The windlace rope, which was connected to the mules, lifted a monstrous square piece of cast iron that weighed two tons. When the weight was all the way up, Riley put several boulders in the holding area, a steel box five feet square.

Stick your head in there, Tanner Jo grinned.

Fuck you, Riley grunted as she levered the boulders into position with a big crowbar.  You could help me, you know.

I’m dainty and beautiful, Tanner Jo said. You’re a mutt. You’re much better than me at physical work.

Dainty, Riley muttered. Dance hall floozy, is what you are. Show your ass to anybody as of late?

Ricky Masters likes it well enough.

He would. Boy is blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other. Got a club foot  and a hair lip, too. Just your type.

It’s New River. You take what you can get.

Tanner Jo pulled the release and the huge weight crashed into the boulders, shattering them into pieces.

Again, Riley said. The second whack pulverized the rocks into gravel. That’ll do.

The boulders were from the New River Mountains, a small range in Yavapai County. Each morning, the girls took a wagon and team into the hills; Riley climbed up and levered boulders loose with her crowbar. They rolled down the hillside and came to rest on a ledge they had picked out; Tanner Jo then backed the wagon up to the ledge, the tail gate down. Riley levered them into the wagon, and they went back home.

The boulders produced an astounding amount of gold for their size; the girls were routinely getting six ounces a day now. The work was too time consuming for the mining companies; it required sifting the gravel and picking out the nuggets with tweezers, then running the dust through a sluice. It would cost the mining company more in labor than the task produced, but it was perfect for the girls. On the weekends, they took a break from the brutal work and mined the rivers. In the preceding two years, they had mined over ninety thousand dollars’ worth of gold. Their Glendale account had so much money in it they transferred half of it to a federal bank in Tucson, where robberies were almost impossible. They now had over $170,000.00 total.

What are we going to do with all our money? Tanner Jo said as she sat down at the gold bench with her tweezers.

Dunno, Riley said. Never gave it much thought.

My Aunt wants to go back east in a year or two. We should help her, Tanner Jo said.

Okay, Riley shrugged. We will do that.

Downtown

New River, Arizona

September, 1872

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Who are you? Sheriff John Lincoln said. Riley was picking out something for supper at the New River Butcher Shop.

None of your damn business, Riley said as she continued to look for a nice steak.

What did you say? I’m the Sheriff.

I know who you are; folks say you are on the take. You would be best served to leave me the hell alone.

Are you that girl from town who mines gold?

It is none of your fuckin’ business what I do, Riley said.

How would you like to do thirty days for smarting off to me? Lincoln said.

Ain’t nothin’ smart about you, Riley laughed. And bein’ a smartass ain’t illegal. Now step off, boy. I got shit to do.

Lincoln grabbed Riley’s arm; three seconds later he found himself in some weird pretzel hold Riley had learned from a Japanese man who had been teaching her Karate for the last two years. She twisted his arm, spun him around, and kicked him in the ass.

You do not listen, son, she nodded. She pushed her coat aside, revealing the beautiful new Smith and Wesson Model 3 she now carried. I do not like having to repeat myself.

Lincoln reached for his pistol; Riley drew on him and shot him between the eyes. He staggered back and fell down, the back of his head blown out. He twitched once and lay still.

Jesus, shop owner Matthew Olson whispered. "How in