Hunter shook his head and regretted the action instantly. “Kincaid hasn’t come back.”
“Doubt he will either.”
“You think he’s dead?”
“No.” Yucton reached for Hunter’s uninjured arm and helped him to his feet. “I think the man is chasing a ghost and he won’t stop until he lays it to rest.”
Hunter winced with each step he took toward his horse but bit by bit he regained his footing and felt a little less like tossing the contents of his stomach. Though he expected that situation would change drastically once he sat atop his horse.
“What’s that mean?”
“Means those demons you kept accusing Kincaid of chasing are the same ones we’re after now. If he caught up with the other two, I suspect he’ll be on his way back to Colorado to try and put those demons to rest.”
“Are you talking in riddles or has the lump on my head made me daft?”
Yucton chuckled and leaned on the saddle horn. “This Syndicate reaches a lot further than just your little town. And unfortunately, Kincaid found himself in their crosshairs. It didn’t end well and the man wants his retribution. Our meeting up was no accident. He searched me out and not for the bounty.”
“So it’s safe to say we can cross him off the posse list for now, then.”
“I wouldn’t sit around bleeding like a stuck pig waiting for him to return.” Yucton set the lantern on the ground and gave Hunter a leg up on his horse. The sudden movement forced him to grip the pommel and close his eyes as the landscape tilted.
Once the world righted itself, Hunter opened his eyes again. “You mean to tell me Kincaid knew the names of the men involved in the Syndicate this whole time?”
Yucton shook his head. “He knew one man. Reynolds. But didn’t have a face to go with the name. He suspected Laidlow based on past dealings and through him he traced the Syndicate to Salvation Falls and to me. By then, Bertram had wired me to let me know Meredith was returning to town. Figured that would stir up a big mess, especially if they thought she knew where Abbott had hidden the evidence. I made a deal with Kincaid—he could bring me in and collect the bounty on the promise he’d stay long enough to ensure Meredith was safe.”
“What did this Reynolds do to him?”
“He never gave specifics and I didn’t ask. Case you hadn’t noticed, Kincaid ain’t much of a talker.”
“I noticed.”
“Hang tight. Got a horse just over that hill.” He tossed Hunter a handkerchief. “Try and tie that wound off.”
A minute later, Yucton returned mounted on a chestnut-colored mare. Hunter had wrapped the wound in his arm as best he could, securing the knot with his teeth and gun hand. It would have to suffice.
Hunter took the reins. “We need to get back to town.” He’d left a mess in his wake, worse than the one seven years ago. He needed to find Meredith. What she must be thinking of him right now, guilty of trying to run her out of town twice and lying to her both times. There had been no time to explain to her it was just a temporary measure. Even less time than that to convince her he loved her more than his next breath.
She’d heard the words before, but it was his actions she’d remember.
“Town is exactly where we’re heading,” Yucton said, pulling Hunter out of his muddled thoughts. “The jailhouse to be exact.”
Hunter shook his head, then wished he hadn’t. “Why?” He didn’t want to go back to the jailhouse, he wanted to find Meredith, to apologize, to try and make things right.
Yucton leaned on his saddle and grinned. “Abbott Connolly was a crafty bugger. He liked to build things. Now and again, he’d build a little hideaway in things. I hadn’t thought anything of it until they came to get me. I put up a bit of a struggle, knocked over the chessboard. When it hit the ground, I noticed a piece at the back split. It was then I remembered. We get that chessboard and find out what he hid inside of it and I bet we get our evidence, or at least a clue as to where he hid it.”
“There’s only one problem with that idea.”
“Which is?”
“Meredith took the chessboard with her.” She had picked it up when they’d transported Jenkins to Doc’s. He hadn’t thought anything of it other than she had a sentimental attachment given her father had made it. But what if she had seen the compartment, as well? If Yucton was right, and the evidence was hidden inside, what would she do?
She’d use it to prove her father’s innocence.
“We need to get back to town. Now!”
Meredith ignored the pinch of guilt about borrowing Caleb’s horse. The escalated situation dictated urgency. The less time she spent out in the open, the better. She worried the Syndicate might be watching her every move, but several checks over her shoulder revealed she was alone. Still, she pushed her heels into Jasper to hurry him along. He was a fine piece of horseflesh, strong and sleek. He widened his stride with ease and the ground passed beneath her in a blur.