Desert Moon Read online

  Had Oliver been here yet? Ducking low, she entered the cave and stood still, the light spilling in from behind her. Only the very front of the small cave was visible. She waited for her eyes to adjust then studied every part of the cave as best she could before she stepped forward.

  “Oliver?” she said softly, but she knew he wasn’t there.

  A small fire ring remained near the entrance, so most of the smoke could waft outside. She set down her bundle beyond it and took out the items she’d packed for this moment. Tinder and kindling came first. She opened her tinderbox and struck sparks, working hard to get the cache of wood shavings and pine twigs she’d brought to catch and blaze. Someone had left a few bigger sticks, and she added two to her fire then took one of the three torches she’d prepared. She took another look outside before she lit it.

  Holding the torch before her, she examined every bit of the cave. It extended only about twenty feet into the hillside. At its highest point she could almost stand straight, but not quite. When they were kids, they’d had no trouble at all standing upright in here. Oliver would have to hunch over now.

  Satisfied that the cave was uninhabited—with no snakes or other annoying creatures to share her refuge today—she turned her attention to the things left behind by other humans. In a cranny at the back of the cave was more dry firewood and a pottery jar. The design on the jar was one she had found in their code symbols—a repeated diamond pattern signifying rain. The pattern was painted in tan, rich brown, and reddish earth colors. She lifted the lid of the jar and sniffed it. Water. Nearby was a small mound of dry, orange pine needles—someone’s bed.

  Looking over the walls, she smiled as she found the old petroglyphs—the same as they’d been fifteen years ago. The figure of a horse, pecked into the stone low on the wall, was newer, she thought—at least she couldn’t remember seeing it before. The artist had painted it after chiseling the crude outline into the rock. Not Oliver’s work. He would not have had time to do anything so permanent. Probably some young Diné had added his mark to the work of the ancients.

  She’d seen everything—including the flat stone near the fire pit where they left messages and rubbed them out when they’d served their purpose. Julia turned back to it and held her torch close. The runes scratched on its surface were clear: “Sister—I will come.” They were followed by another full moon and Oliver’s eagle.

  She doused the torch and sat down near the fire ring. The setting sun threw streaks of color over the sandy ridges and dips outside, and the rocks sticking up here and there across the landscape. The air cooled quickly, but she didn’t add wood to the fire. The silence hung over the desert until a coyote yipped in the distance. Another answered, and soon a chorus of barks cluttered the evening air.

  Julia sat by the cave opening, looking out from the deeper darkness into the twilight. She hoped the coyotes didn’t come closer or she would have to move her horse. She didn’t want to do that.

  She began to pray, first for success in her mission and then for Oliver’s safety. Finally her thoughts touched on Adam, and she let out a long, slow breath.

  Lord, I don’t know what to ask. Help him to find the truth, that’s all.

  Beyond that, she would leave it up to God to settle things. It was all in His hands, anyway. But she couldn’t bear it if Oliver remained under this awful cloud of suspicion—and worse, if he were punished for crimes he didn’t commit.

  Just when she would have said full darkness had come, a shadow moved outside, and almost soundless steps brought her brother to her.

  Julia stood and embraced Oliver, clinging to him without speaking. Her throat ached, and she knew then how much she had feared he wouldn’t come. That something would stop him.

  “No fire?” he said.

  “I had one for a little while before dark. But Adam is after you. I didn’t want him to see it. I probably shouldn’t have lit one at all, but I needed a torch, and I wanted to be sure no animals came here tonight.”

  Oliver drew her down to the cave floor, and they sat side by side, legs folded, as they used to do.

  “Adam is out here, you say?”

  “Yes. He came ahead of me. He went to our house. After that, I don’t know.”

  “Does he know you’re here?”

  “No.”

  Oliver reached for her hand. “Clew brought you my message. I wasn’t sure you’d get it—or that you’d remember our code.”

  She smiled. “I had to root out my old journal, but—I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “You sure are. Jules, I’m so glad to see you. And so sorry it’s like this. What happened in Ardell, anyway?”

  Julia recounted the events of the last three days, from the holdup to her journey to Canyon Diablo and their old cabin.

  “You can’t go back, Oliver. Not yet. The people might lynch you.”

  “I’m really sorry that Bub was killed.”

  “Why don’t you tell me where you were that morning,” Julia said. “Everyone seemed to think that, since you weren’t at the mine, you must have been out waiting to ambush the stagecoach. But I know that’s not true.”

  “Not by a long shot. I went to the miners’ village on business that morning.”

  She nodded. That agreed with what Clew had told her. Mr. Gerry had built a small cluster of cabins down the mountainside from the mine headquarters. It was about three miles from Ardell, by winding, narrow roads. The miners could live there rent free while they were employed at the High Desert Mine. The accommodations were spartan, but adequate.

  “Maybe we can get someone there to back up your story. Who saw you in the village?”

  “Ed Rines and his wife. I went down to see Ed. He was injured a couple of weeks ago, and I needed to check on his hours before the accident so I could make out his pay slip. Oh, and Mrs. Halstrom saw me, too, and several children.”

  “Good. If I can find Adam, I’ll give him their names and insist that he talk to them.”

  “I’m not sure he’d think it was proof, if he’s so eager to see me hang. Ed told me another one of the miners was sick, and I went over to see him when I left Ed’s place. He didn’t have any wood or water in the house, so I stayed to get that for him. By the time I got back to headquarters, the place was in an uproar. Clew caught me at the stable and told me I’d better not go into the office or I’d be in big trouble.”

  Julia grimaced and reached for his hand. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s come over Adam, thinking you could be involved in the robbery. He’s supposed to be your friend. Did anything happen between you two before the holdup?”

  “No. I saw him Sunday, and everything was fine. I can’t figure out why he’d think I’d do something like this. I mean, other than being away from my desk at the time of the holdup, there can’t be any evidence.”

  “He says he found something.”

  “What?”

  She shook her head. “He wouldn’t tell me. But he’s determined to track you down and take you back to town to stand trial.”

  “I was afraid he’d do that. He can be persistent.”

  “Yes.”

  Oliver looked at her for a long moment, and Julia wondered what he was thinking.

  “I saw Niyol this morning,” she said.

  Oliver smiled. “I thought of going to the Diné village, but I decided it was better to leave them out of this.”

  “Well, I told him you were in a bit of hot water. He said to let them know if we need help.”

  “That’s good of him. He always backed Papa up when there was a disagreement. I’m glad he remembers us kindly.”

  “So am I. He also said they’d seen Adam. They told him he could be on their land for three days, but none of them knew at the time that you were the one Adam was chasing.”

  “We can’t do anything about that,” Oliver said. “Just keep our heads down.”

  A quiet step outside startled Julia. She jerked around to face the opening. A dark form blocked the starlight.


  “Hello, Ollie,” Adam said. “Don’t make any sudden moves. I’ve got you covered.”

  Chapter 10

  Adam Scott, how could you?” Julia scrambled to get up.

  “Hold still, Julie.” Adam’s steely tone rankled her. “Put your hands up. Both of you.”

  She hesitated, crouching and staring toward him. Of all the nerve, telling her that. She wished she’d kept the fire after all so she could see his face, but with his back to the opening and the sparse moonlight, she couldn’t read his expression.

  “Take it easy, Julia,” Oliver said. “Best do as he says until we get this settled.”

  “That’s good advice,” Adam said.

  Julia plopped back onto the rock floor. She raised both hands, more in a gesture of futility than surrender.

  “This is ridiculous.”

  “I’m not laughing.” Adam came into the cave. As he moved forward and turned slightly, the faint light glinted off a revolver in his hand, pointed squarely at her brother. “Hands behind your back, Ollie. Sorry, pal.”

  Oliver complied and turned slightly so that his back was partly toward Adam.

  Julia seethed inside. A stick of firewood lay at hand. Maybe she could grab it and hit Adam over the head with it while he was busy tying up her innocent brother.

  “Tie his hands, Julie.”

  She stared up at him. “You’re joking.”

  “No, I’m not. And I’m holding a gun.”

  “Oh, this beats all. You expect me to believe you’d shoot me if I don’t do what you say? You big bully. Tie him up yourself.”

  “Jules,” Oliver said. “He’s just doing his job.”

  “No, he’s not. His job is to find Bub Hilliard’s killer. And whoever that is, I guarantee he’s not within miles of here.”

  “Come on, Julie,” Adam said. In the darkness he sounded almost pouty, not at all like the big, bad sheriff.

  “Forget it. I’m not tying my brother up. You want to take him back to Ardell and have him lynched, and I won’t be a part of it.”

  “It’s all right, Adam,” Oliver said. “I won’t fight you. If you feel like you have to tie me up, I’ll let you.”

  Adam hesitated. “You won’t go for my gun?”

  “Nope.”

  “You got one on you?”

  Oliver moved and a moment later, to Julia’s disgust, he held his pistol out butt-first to Adam. “Here. It’s loaded.”

  “Thanks.” Adam took it and laid it carefully on the floor then proceeded to secure Oliver’s hands behind him.

  Julia seethed until she could no longer remain silent. “This would be funny if you weren’t going to let Ollie hang for something he didn’t do and would never consider doing.”

  “You’re next. Turn around.”

  “You’ll have to shoot me first.”

  “Julie.” Oliver sounded annoyed and just plain tired.

  “This isn’t a game,” Adam said.

  “You got that right.” She glared at him. “I didn’t shoot anyone or steal any money. What do you think you need to truss me up for?”

  “So you won’t run away or—or abet a criminal.”

  “Ha! As if I’d do that!”

  “How do I know you didn’t already?”

  “She hasn’t helped me at all,” Oliver said. “I asked her to meet me here, but she hasn’t so much as given me a bite to eat.”

  Yet, Julia thought. She had extra food for him in her bundle.

  “I’m talking about back at the stagecoach,” Adam said.

  “Oh, now you’re really making me mad.” Julia clenched her fists. “How am I supposed to have helped this dangerous killer?”

  “I admit, I’d be interested to know that,” Oliver said.

  Adam was not to be distracted from his purpose. “Put your hands back here, Julia, and I’ll tell you.”

  “Aw, Adam, tie her hands in front if you’ve got to do that,” Oliver said. “No lady should be this uncomfortable.”

  “Did I make your knots too tight?” Adam asked.

  Oliver sighed. “I’ll live. But don’t be too rough on her.”

  “Where’s your gun, Julia?”

  “What?” Oliver cried. “Julia with a gun?”

  “She had one when the stage was robbed, which I admit I found a mite suspicious.”

  “Oh, you two!” Julia jerked around to scowl at them. “Of course I had a gun. Oliver had told me things were rough along the stage line, and even on the trains. I bought it before I left Philadelphia. Didn’t want to travel so far unescorted and find myself in a bad situation. Which I did, it turns out.” She grimaced at the irony of finding more danger at the hands of a friend than from the stagecoach robber.

  “How do I know you didn’t pull that revolver out so’s you could help the robber if he needed it?” Adam said.

  “Do we have to go through all that again?” Julia crossed her arms. If he wasn’t going to tie them, she wouldn’t sit there all night waiting. “What part don’t you understand yet, Adam? I am not an outlaw. I was not in cahoots with the robber.”

  “Do you seriously think that, Adam?” Oliver asked.

  “Well…” Adam hesitated. “All I know is, until I get to the bottom of this, I need to make sure she can’t get the drop on me. So where’s the gun, Julie?”

  “Yonder, in my bedroll.” She jerked her head toward her bundle.

  “I’ll get it after I tie you,” Adam said. “Now put out your hands.”

  She stared up at him.

  “Do it, Jules,” Oliver said.

  She sighed and held out her hands, clasped in front of her. Adam wound a piece of thin rope around her wrists and tied a substantial knot. He went to the other side of the fire pit and began to lay a fire on top of the ashes of Julia’s earlier blaze.

  “There’s more wood in the back of the cave,” Oliver said.

  “Thanks. We’ll stay here the night and leave in the morning.”

  “Oh, and you think Oliver will be comfortable sleeping like that—with his hands behind him?” Julia shook her head in disgust.

  Adam ignored her and carefully placed the few remaining pieces of kindling. “Might as well be warm tonight—unless you think the light will draw unwanted company.”

  “The Diné already know you’re here,” Julia said. “Me, too. I’m not sure if they know Oliver’s here, but they wouldn’t hurt him, anyway.”

  Adam grunted and rose. “Whereabouts in the back?”

  Oliver told him, and Adam struck a match. He found the woodpile and returned with an armful of dry sticks.

  “There’s rock writing on the wall back there.”

  “Yeah, the Diné have used this cave for a long time,” Oliver said.

  “It’s not a burial cave or anything like that is it?” Adam looked around uneasily. “Are there any bones in here?”

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “What does it say on the wall?”

  Oliver said, “We think it’s mostly people’s signs. Like when white people carve their initials or write something like ‘Adam was here.’ There’s one part our friends told us is the record of a journey. And there’s one that seems to be a picture of a battle.”

  “That’s interesting.” Adam knelt by the fire ring.

  Julia fretted and fumed while he arranged the wood and lit the fire. At least Oliver hadn’t told him how they’d painstakingly chipped their own signs into the wall near the other pictures. Right now she didn’t want to tell Adam one single thing. His behavior was beyond horrible. But he went on building up the fire as calmly as if they were all out for a picnic. As the flames caught and flared up, she studied his face. He seemed calm now, and determined.

  At last she couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Adam Scott, you tell us right now what evidence you think you have against Oliver. If you haven’t got any more than a notion that I was in cahoots with the robber because I happened to come home the same day the stage was held up, then you’r
e an idiot.”

  “Well, thanks. Always nice to get a genteel lady’s opinion.”

  “Cut it out, you two,” Oliver said. “Adam, I agree with one thing she said. It would be nice to know what you’ve got against me. Because I know I wasn’t anywhere near that stagecoach that morning. I was down at the miners’ village, and several people down there can tell you that.”

  Adam paused and looked over at him then turned his attention back to the fire. The flames had consumed most of his kindling, and he added a few more substantial sticks. When he was satisfied with the result, he sat back.

  “Are you sure? Because Mr. Gerry had no idea where you were.”

  “I don’t usually tell him where I’m going when I leave headquarters. It was a routine thing. The payroll was coming in, and I had to straighten out something before I could issue a man’s pay, that’s all.”

  “And that took you all day?”

  “Well, no, but I did make a couple of other stops before I came back. Then somebody told me about the stage getting robbed, and they said you were looking for me. I was going to go find you and see what you wanted.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Adam asked.

  Oliver grimaced. “I woulda, but this person also told me that you and most of the people in town had a noose in mind.”

  “That right?” Adam picked up a sliver of wood and broke it in two. “Who was this person?”

  “If I tell you, will you hound him all over the territory?”

  “That’s not fair, Ollie.”

  “Isn’t it?” Oliver turned his face away.

  Adam let out a big sigh. “All right, just tell me this: Did you know Julia was on the stage that day?”

  “No. She’d written me that she was coming as quickly as she could. She told me what day her school let out and said she’d buy a train ticket for the soonest day she could after that. But she didn’t know exactly when she’d get into Flagstaff, or if she’d have to wait a day or two there for a stage to Ardell.”