Montana Summer Ch. 16

"You have to get to the north end of Baxter's as soon as you can." Walter sounded breathless.

Milt listened to Walter and then sprang into action.

"Sherry!" Milt bellowed as he opened his office door. "Get whoever is on patrol to head out to 256 and set up a roadblock─and tell him to step on it."

The deputy who had been typing at his desk turned around and looked at Milt. "What's going on?"

"Walter Red Elk just called. Some fella showed up at Amos' house and said some guys have been hauling gold out of the creek and are holding Charlie prisoner. Get your shotgun. You're coming with me."

Milt threw his jacket on and grabbed his weapons. He stopped at the dispatcher's desk. "Sherry, get hold of everyone, and have them head out towards 256. And tell them to be quick about it."

The young deputy hung on as Milt wheeled his SUV around and headed towards the highway with the lights flashing and siren wailing.

---

Vincenzo ran back to the first RV, opened the door, and leapt up the steps. He pulled at Charlie's arm and ordered, "Outside, old man!"

He held his weapon at Charlie's head as his pushed him toward where Tony was standing.

Ryan had an arrow ready in his bow. He felt nervous as he watched Charlie being dragged out of the RV.

Spotted Owl began to walk his horse slowly towards the vehicles. Ryan and other riders followed behind.

Ryan's fingers tugged at the bowstring. He could feel the tension of the situation rising.

"Stop right there!" Tony screamed.

Charlie was ready to die. He thought of his wife and his son. Throughout the evening, he had reviewed his life, and for the most part, it was a life he was proud of. If he was to die tonight, he would die with dignity. He would die as a Lakota with his head held high and proud.

There was fear in the man's voice. Charlie could almost taste it. The cold steel of the other man's weapon pressed against his temple. It didn't bother him. His eyes were locked on Ryan's.

Ryan felt Charlie's gaze upon him. His whole body felt like the bowstring.

"Back the fuck off, or we shoot the old man right here and now." Tony's voice had the high pitched shrill of fear.

The four men from the motor homes had left their vehicles and stood behind Vincenzo and Tony with their guns in their hands.

Spotted Owl didn't move. He just sat there, his eyes locked on Tony.

Tony felt the stare. It seemed to burn clear through to his soul. A cold shiver passed through his body. His throat seemed to tighten. He looked back at his men. "Make sure your guns are ready."

"Get ready to shoot the old man." Tony's voice cracked as he addressed Vincenzo.

A sadistic smile crossed Vincenzo's face. Nothing had gone right all evening. Someone needed to pay, even if it was this old man. He thumbed the release and heard the slide snap home with a metallic click. His finger began to put pressure on the trigger. All he needed was the word from Tony.

Ryan knew it was now or never. In one motion, he pulled all the way back on his bow and kicked his horse in the flanks.

Spotted Owl was only a split second behind Ryan, his fingers touching the familiar point on his face as he pulled back on the bow.

It took Tony almost a full second to react. He gaped open-mouthed at the two riders approaching at a full gallop. He turned to Vincenzo and screamed, "Kill him!"

---

"Bill, it's Walt. I think Dad is down at the bottom of the creek comin' off of Baxter's. There's some guys there that have been takin' gold from the creek."

"I'll get Ryan and head on over there. Did you call Milt?" Bill was wide-awake and sitting straight up in bed.

"Yeah, he was already in the office and headed right out."

Milt Walker had his SUV topped out at over one-twenty. As he drove, he barked orders to the pale-faced deputy sitting beside him. "Get on the radio and call the Highway Patrol. Have them looking out for one or two motor homes heading north or south within about a..." He paused as he looked at the time. "Make it two hundred miles, either direction just to be on the safe side."

He covered the six miles from the Sheriff's office to the roadblock in under three minutes. Those three minutes seemed like an eternity.

He turned off his siren and lights as he came to a stop. Milt rolled down his window and addressed the deputy who walked over to his vehicle. "Seen anything, Dave?"

The deputy shook his head. "Nope. Nothing."

"Okay, follow us. The rest of the guys should be out here shortly. We're gonna take it nice and easy until we know what we're up against. When we get within a mile of the creek cut your headlights. There's enough moonlight to see where we're going, and I don't want our lights to give us away."

The sound of gunfire in the distance broke the silence of the early morning.

"Fuck!" Milt cursed and grabbed the microphone to the radio from the deputy. "This is King One, shots fired, I repeat, shots fired!"

The deputy next to Milt felt a surge of adrenalin course through his body. As Milt stomped the accelerator, the deputy jacked a round into the shotgun.

---

The man standing directly behind Vincenzo panicked when Ryan and Spotted Owl charged. He raised his pistol as he began to step back.

The scene seemed to play out in slow motion. Ryan's eyes focused on the hand that held the weapon next to Charlie's head. He could see the finger tightening on the trigger. He held his breath and let the arrow fly.

Vincenzo felt a searing pain in his wrist. His hand felt paralyzed. His arm swung around as if pulled by an unknown force.

Two arrows pierced his wrist, sending his arm flying backwards and his weapon sailing towards the ground. Vincenzo heard a roaring sound in his ear and his face felt wet. It was the last sensation he would feel. The man behind him had stumbled as he backed up, his finger had accidentally pulled the trigger, and the slug passed through Vincenzo's skull.

Tony screamed and fell backwards as Spotted Owl drove his foot into Tony's chest as he rode past. He saw a flash of light and felt a searing stab of pain and as his head struck a rock.

The man who had stumbled and shot Vincenzo turned and ran towards the mountain. The other three fled as they saw the other warriors begin their last charge.

Ryan wheeled his horse around and pulled up to where Charlie stood shaking. He dismounted and cut the rope that bound Charlie's hands. "Are you okay, Charlie?"

Charlie nodded. "I was beginning to think for a while today was my day to die."

Spotted Owl joined Charlie and Ryan, looked up towards the sky, and then down at the pair. "Our time here is over. It is time for us to ride the Wanagi Tachanku."

Charlie reached his hand towards Spotted Owl. "Farewell, Hinhan Gleška."

"Take care of our young friend. He is a special young man." Spotted Owl pointed at Ryan.

"I will care for him as if he were my own son," Charlie responded.

"It's time for us to go," Spotted Owl said to Ryan.

The rapid staccato of gunfire erupted for a moment and then stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

---

Bill bounded up the stairs in the barn, pounded twice on the door and burst through it.
"Ryan, get up. Walt knows where Charlie is."

Ryan and Jessi sat upright in bed as Bill appeared in the doorway.

"I know," Ryan replied as he got of out bed. "And he's okay."

Bill looked at Ryan, then at Jessi and back at Ryan again. "What?"

Ryan had pulled his pants on, and was reaching for a shirt. "I'll tell you on the way."

---

Milt pulled off the road and stopped. He climbed out of his SUV and shone his flashlight on the ground. Tire tracks were visible where a vehicle had left the road. He turned to his deputies. "We can't go charging in there like the cavalry."

"Let me hike in a bit and see what I can see," Dave offered.

"You got your radio?" Milt asked.

Dave nodded. "Yes."

"Take my binoculars." Milt handed them to Dave. "And for Christ's sakes, be careful."

Milt turned to the other deputy. "Take Dave's truck and set up about a quarter mile back. As backup arrives, have them come in slow and quiet."

Only the ticking sound of the SUV engine cooling interrupted the pre-dawn quiet. Milt watched in the direction Dave had headed. He kept an eye on the dash mounted clock. Each minute seemed to stretch interminably.

"C'mon, Dave, call me," Milt whispered as his eyes watched the radio.

The radio snapped to life. "King-One, King Twelve. King Three and King Five are headed to your location."

"Ten-four." Milt responded. At last, back up was beginning to arrive.

Just as the other units pulled in behind Milt's SUV, Dave appeared out of the darkness.

"I can see the parking lights of one vehicle and the running lights of the motor homes. I couldn't see anyone moving around. It's damned quiet."

Milt went through all the options available to him now and came to a decision. He would have liked to wait for daylight, but the sounds of gunfire not long ago had made him anxious. "Who has some of those parachute flares for search and rescue?"

"I do. I got a case of them." One of the newly arrived deputies spoke up.

"Good. Grab two or three of them and let's have a little look-see."

The deputy and Milt followed the same path Dave had taken, staying close to the trees. They stopped where Dave had stopped. The yellow and red park lights and running lights of the vehicles were visible. The moon was getting ready to set behind the mountains and the eastern sky was still a dark grey.

"Well, what do you think?" the deputy whispered to Milt.

"I'd like to move in closer, but I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Milt pointed to two spots in the sky. "Do you think you can put a flare there, and there?"

"Don't see why not." The deputy pulled two flares from their containers.

"Do it!" Milt ordered.

"Don't watch the flare, look down at the ground until it's lit. The flash of it going off will momentarily blind you." The deputy pulled the lanyard on the first flare.

There was a whump as the first flare sizzled skyward. The sound of the second flare launching quickly followed.

Milt looked down at the snow. The bright white light of the flare instantly lit up the area.

They saw a man standing next to the first RV, waving, and then heard a voice. "It's me, Charlie Red Elk, come on in."

Milt closed his eyes for a moment and gave thanks. Charlie's voice was a welcome sound. He looked at his smiling deputy. "Tell them to head in, but be cautious."

The first vehicle stopped to pick up Milt and the deputy. A grisly sight awaited them. Milt could see blood on the snow, and two men down. He reached for the microphone. "Dispatch, King One. Roll medical to our location." He paused for a minute. "And you might want to call Angus Ferguson. I have a feeling we'll need the services of our County Coroner."

---

"How do you know he's okay?" Bill asked Ryan as they followed the narrow road.

Ryan looked straight out the window. "It wasn't a dream. It was as if I was part of it. I was there."

Bill felt a chill run down his back. "With the ghost warriors?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah." After a moment of silence, he added, "They're gone now."

"Gone?"

"Spotted Owl said their purpose was done. They could pass over after tonight." Ryan felt a tinge of sadness.

Bill fell silent. His mind traveled back to the early morning when he'd had the briefest of contact with Spotted Owl. The meeting had changed him. He couldn't begin to imagine how the Wanagi had affected Ryan.

"I know what needs to be done." Ryan interrupted Bill's reverie.

"Done?" Bill's brows furrowed as he looked over at Ryan. "What do you mean?"

"The gold. I know what needs to be done with the gold."

"What?"

"I want to talk to you and Charlie together."

---

"You okay, Charlie?" Milt's voice was anxious.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Any others?" Milt had knelt down and checked for any signs of life in the two motionless bodies.

"Yes, four of them. They headed up towards the mountain." Charlie pointed towards the dark silhouette of Baxter's Mountain. "There was another fella, but he cut outta here on foot around sunset or so."

Milt nodded. "Yeah, he ended up at Amos' place. Then Walt called me."

Charlie looked in the direction where he had last seen Norm Campbell heading. "I wondered if he wasn't trying..."

The first two flares had burned out, plunging the area into pre-dawn darkness.

"Fire off a couple more of those flares towards the mountain and let's see what's out there." Milt felt on edge in the darkness. There were too many places a man could hide out here, and Milt didn't like the feeling of being an easy target.

Dave nodded and fired off two more flares. They illuminated the side of the mountain with the same bright light. Milt scanned the area for any signs of movement.

"Over there!" One of the other deputies pointed to a spot a few hundred yards beyond the vehicles. "Looks like three, no, make that four bodies on the ground."

"Fuck!" Milt swore under his breath. He could see this Saturday would be a long one.

"Dave, tell Sherry to get Murphy out of bed and get him out here. Tell her to call the State Police and see if we can get another crime scene team out here." He surveyed his manpower and directed three deputies to check on the four bodies lying on the snow. "Check and see if any of them are alive."

The remaining deputy was busy stringing crime scene tape around the three vehicles. Milt waited until they were out of earshot before he turned and looked at Charlie. He pointed at the arrows sticking from the tires of Vincenzo's small SUV. "Are you gonna tell me more tales about ghost riders?"

Charlie looked Milt square in the eye. "No, not tonight. I didn't see much. I was tied up in the motor home." He pointed to the RV directly behind him.

"Good." Milt shook his head. "You can tell me the whole story at my retirement party."

The radio on his belt crackled to life. "King One, King Twelve. Walter Red Elk is at my twenty with another fellow. Want me to hold them here or send them in?"

"Send them on in," Milt responded.

"Four men, all dead." Dave had jogged back down to where Milt was standing. "There's a shit load of empty shell casings up there too."

"Move everyone back." Milt shook his head and stared at the ground. "We need to wait for the paramedics, and Angus."

Walt pulled his truck in behind Milt's SUV. He felt a sense of relief as he saw his father with the sheriff.

"It's good to see you're okay." Walt put his arms around his father and gave him a warm hug.

Norm followed Walter and looked at the scene with shock. He felt no sympathy for the two men lying on the ground.

"My name is Norm Campbell and I'll cooperate with you totally." He extended his hand to Milt.

"I appreciate that," Milt replied as he shook the man's hand. "I'm Milt Walker, the county sheriff." He pointed to the bodies on the ground. "I've got a few questions for you."

---

"It was a hell of a mess up there," Bill commented as he took a sip of his coffee. It was early afternoon and he had just gotten home from Baxter's.

"I can imagine," Roy responded. "I'm just glad Charlie is alright."

Bill nodded. "Yeah, so am I."

"So, what's the theory on what happened?"

"I'm not too sure. Milt was pretty tight lipped." Bill leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. "I got some hunches of my own, but from the little that Milt let slip, he seems to think there was a fight over the gold."

"What did Charlie say?"

"Charlie was sayin' less than Milt, and that's why I've got some hunches of my own."

Roy played with his spoon on the table for a minute. "You're not thinking of trying to tell me another ghost story, are you?"

Ryan's words kept echoing in Bill's head. "It's something Ryan told me on the way out there this morning. And when we got there, he didn't seem to be the least bit surprised at what was waitin' there for us. Like he had..." Bill stopped. It was all too incredulous to believe.

"When's Ryan coming home?"

"Walt and Charlie are going to drop him off."

The two men sat in silence, both absorbed in their own thoughts.

"I'm hungry," Bill announced out of the blue. "Do you think them women left us any pie?"

Roy grinned and looked at the fridge. "Let's have a little peek."

---

"Mr. Campbell, I'm going to have to take you into custody. There's a whole lot I need to ask you." Milt took the handcuffs off his belt. "You're not under arrest at this time."

Norm nodded his head in understanding. "Do I need to have an attorney present?"

"That's up to you. I can't give you legal advice. At this time you're not under suspicion for any of the shootings. If during our interview I think I might consider placing you under arrest and charging you, I will stop the interview and inform you of your rights."

"I suppose I'll be spending the day in jail."

"Most likely," Milt replied. "Probably a couple of days."

Norm shrugged. "Well, come to think of it, I don't have anywhere to stay."

Milt allowed a smile to peek through his stern expression. "We'll do our best to make you comfortable." He changed his mind about the handcuffs and put them back on his belt.

Based on the information Norm Campbell provided, a deputy was dispatched to the airport. The pilot Tony had hired was taken into custody for questioning and the plane impounded.

In the light of day, the full magnitude of the scene was visible. Arrows were sticking out of tires and in the area of the headlights on all of the vehicles. Dark red splotches of blood stained the thin crust of snow. Outlines made in orange spray paint marked where the bodies had lain.

"Well, Milt..." Angus Ferguson wiped his brow. "We got them all tagged and bagged. I'll be heading back into town now."

"Thanks, Angus. When do you think you'll be starting the autopsies?" Milt asked as he watched a deputy escorting Norm to one of the vehicles.

"Probably first thing Monday morning."

"Any idea how long it's going to take to get them all done?"

"Tuesday afternoon, I think. There's not much doubt what killed five of the six. Just a matter of deciding who shot who." Angus pointed up to where the four bodies had lain. "It looks to me like those four had a shootout at close range. All the entry wounds appear to be on the front sides of their bodies."

Milt nodded. "Yeah, that's what it looks like to me too. I'll give you a call on Tuesday and see how you're making out."

Angus gave Milt a grin. "You're not coming over to watch?"

Milt cast Angus a dour look. "As much as you know how I would just love to come on over and watch, I think I'm going to have my hands full."

"I could wait until you have time," Angus joked. He knew from experience how squeamish Milt became observing autopsies.

"That's an offer I think I'll turn down." Milt shook his head. Just the thought soured his stomach.

While Milt was talking to Angus, Ryan and Charlie walked to the creek. They stood and watched the water flowing down the side of the mountain.

"I know what we need to do." Ryan turned to Charlie.

Charlie nodded. "I thought you might. Especially when Spotted Owl said his work was done here."

"I want to talk to you and Uncle Bill together about my plan."

"Okay." Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "We need to do something. Too many people know now." He knelt down on one knee and dipped his hand into the ice-cold water. "And too many people have died because of it."

"We're going to make some changes, Charlie." Ryan's eyes seemed to be looking at another place.

Charlie watched Ryan. "Times like this, I feel like I'm just along for the ride."

Ryan turned and looked down at Charlie. "I know how you feel."