Over fifty outlaws swarmed the road. They put another bullet in each of the guards, then turned the two carriages around and drove them out of the valley, dragging the twenty-eight bodies off the path as they went.
A dozen minutes later, the gulch was once again quiet and serene, waiting for its next visitor.
The outlaw named Jim volunteered to take the captives to the horse camp. He was desperate to see how much these rich sheep were worth. His boss, Frank, was a ruthless cardsharp, and Jim was a frequent victim.
When they arrived, Jim jumped down from his horse and searched Richard, taking his Patek Philippe watch. He then strode over to the carriage and opened the door with a mock gentlemanly flourish. "Ladies, we have arrived. Please, step out."
Madeline and Edith exchanged a look, then did as they were told. The moment her feet touched the ground, Madeline rushed to Richard's side and clung to his arm.
The ladies' maid, Ruth, had also been spared on Frank's orders. She stood meekly behind the couple.
Edith was the last one out. She stood, then timidly raised her head.
The sight of her hit Jim like a physical blow.
My God, she's beautiful.
He felt as if something had slammed into his heart. His vocabulary failed him. There was no other word for it. She was beautiful. A hell of a beauty.
His voice involuntarily softened. "Steady there, miss. Don't you worry. We're not… uh… good people."
He was so overcome with excitement that he hadn't even noticed his Freudian slip.
If this family doesn't have any money, I'm still not letting them kill this one, he thought feverishly. I'll talk to Frank, tell him to give her to me. I'll play cards with him every night until dawn if I have to.
Edith looked in despair at the outlaw standing a meter away. His teeth were rotten, and the stench of stale tobacco from his greasy, stained shirt was overwhelming. A naked, greedy light burned in his beady eyes, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
"Sir," Richard said, his voice loud and clear. "We are guests of the McKinley family."
Jim tore his eyes away from Edith. "We rob the guests of the McKinley family," he snarled. "Who the hell are you, boy? If you're not worth anything, I'll send you to hell right now."
A tremor of fear went through Richard, but he felt his wife's hands clutching his arm, and a surge of courage rose in him.
"I am the new head of the Mellon family," he said. "You may state your demands."
"The Mellons? The bankers?" Jim asked, his voice sharp with excitement.
"Yes," Richard confirmed. "Banking is but one of our family's enterprises."
"Good," Jim said coldly. "I hope you're telling the truth. Our boss hates liars. He sends all the liars to hell."
"I'm not lying. Money is not an issue, but you must guarantee our safety."
"Just wait. The boss will talk to you when he's done," Jim said. He turned to the man guarding the horses. "Russell, watch them. Don't touch them. They belong to the boss. I'm going to help him deal with Henry."
Russell just laughed. "I know your type, Jim. Don't worry, I'm not a lecher like you. You just watch out you don't get your head blown off by that Henry fellow."
"Fuck you, shut your damn mouth!" Jim shot back. "I'm not gonna blow his head off. It's worth ten thousand dollars. I'm gonna cut it off with a knife!" He made a chopping motion with his hands, laughed, and hurried away.
"Sir," Richard asked quickly, "who is Henry?"
Russell looked at him with a mocking grin. "You really ought to hate him. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be here today, which means you wouldn't be here, either."
"But we don't know him," Richard said, a desperate hope in his voice. "You must have the wrong people."
"What does it matter if you know him? We were here to ambush him, and you just happened to wander into our trap. So, aren't you excited? You're about to witness the death of a living legend."
"A legend?"
"A monster," Russell sneered. "And we're the exorcists. Hahaha!"
"Who is he?" Richard pressed.
"A monster who can kill dozens of gunmen all by himself. But he'll die here today. You'd better start thinking about how much your life is worth." Russell pulled out a rope and, with another outlaw, began to tie Richard's hands behind his back.
"Hey, kid, where's your wallet? Did that horny bastard Jim take it?"
"It was with my valet. His body was one of the ones you dragged away."
Russell spat a glob of phlegm on the ground next to Richard's feet. "Fuck. Jim must have grabbed it. Alright, little lady, are you gonna hand over your purse, or do I have to take it?"
Edith quickly gave him the small handbag she wore on her arm. "There's no money in it, sir," she said, her voice trembling. "We rarely carry cash ourselves."
Russell opened it and found she was telling the truth. "Damn it," he muttered. He handed the bag back to her. He tied Richard's bonds extra tight, then grinned at the two women. "I won't tie you up. You just wait here quietly. After we kill Henry, we'll all be leaving together. If you cause any trouble, I can't guarantee what might happen."
He left two men to stand guard and then sat down with his other cronies to play cards. Who knew when Henry would arrive? No sense in wasting time.
At that moment, Henry's party had stopped to rest two miles from the entrance to Dead Man's Gulch. It was just past noon.
He chose a defensible position among some heavily eroded hills and gave his orders.
"Pete, I'm going to scout the gulch ahead. You, Charles, and Owen will set up a defensive perimeter and wait for my return."
"I'll be gone for some time. If you run into any trouble, it could be four or five hours before I'm back. Do not come looking for me. Do not move from this position. Is that understood?"
"Linda, you all just rest. Don't worry about the night. As long as I'm back, it won't be a problem."
They all nodded in agreement.