Chapter 4

Jimmy rode down the main street of Omaha, still in shock over the size of the city.  There were so many side streets off the one he was travelling that he still wasn't used to where things were.  It amazed him.  He never liked the busy atmosphere of cities so he avoided them when he could.  He chuckled at the idea of actually working out of such a place.

He'd only been in the town for two weeks but a lot had happened in that short amount of time.  When Kid accused Rosemary Burke of being responsible for Noah's death, Jimmy realized that distance was needed between the two men before one of them said something he would regret and not be able to take back.  Plus he was tired of hearing Kid's 'expert' advice on matters that didn't even concern him;  and it always seemed to be the southerner telling him he was making a mistake, no one else.  Jimmy ended up leaving town with Rosemary, who was determined to carry on her late husband's work.  He knew he was developing feelings for the woman and thought that she reciprocated them but it turned out that Rosemary had a one track mind and she was interested in Jimmy but only because of who his father was. 

So Jimmy left her, too.  He knew he needed money and a place to stay and for some reason had wound up near Omaha so he decided to stop in and see Sam and Emma.  They were so happy to have him visit that they convinced him not to leave.  Emma loved finding out all about the 'boys', as she still called them, especially about Lou.  Sam offered Jimmy a job working for him as a deputy.  At first Jimmy just laughed the offer aside but the two of them finally wore him down so he accepted. 

Sam's property was at the end of a long side street but he had the biggest plot of land in town.  It consisted of a house, barn and bunkhouse, much like Emma's place did back in Sweetwater.  Jimmy stayed in the bunkhouse with the other deputies and got to enjoy Emma's cooking once again on a daily basis.

He glanced over at the eager young man riding next to him.  Every time he was in Charlie Willis' company, Jimmy got flashbacks of time spent with Cody.  Charlie was too cocky, quick with a gun and he knew it.  He needed to grow up some and take things more seriously.  Anytime a report came in of trouble in the territory, Charlie wanted to rush right out and take the gang out single-handedly.  Jimmy hoped he wasn't like that when he first signed on for the Express, though he was sure he knew what the answer to that question would be.  Charlie was definitely young but Sam must have seen something in the man or he wouldn't have hired him.  Jimmy felt old being with this kid all the time, since the two of them always seemed to wind up working the same shifts together.

As the two riders approached the territorial marshal's office, Jimmy noticed one of the employees from the telegraph office rush into the building.  He knew what that meant without reading what was written on the paper in the man's hand:  trouble.  He should be used to going off after a gang at a moments notice;  he and the other Express riders had done it often enough whenever Sam and then Teaspoon would deputize them.  The only difference this time was that he was working for the territorial marshal now so the criminals were of a higher profile and more dangerous nature than the ones a typical town marshal or sheriff would go after.

Charlie and Jimmy dismounted and tied their horses to the post outside the jail then entered.

"Damn!"

"That good, huh?"  Jimmy joked as he witnessed Sam throw the note on his desk.

"Worse, I was just being polite,"  Sam explained as he sat down.  He scribbled something on a scrap of paper then handed it to the messenger, who nodded as he took it and left.

"So what's goin' on?"  Charlie asked eagerly.  He straddled a chair facing the marshal's desk.

Sam leaned back in his chair and ran his hands down the length of his face.  As he dropped them to his lap, he answered,  "The Flemington gang."

"What'd they do this time and why is it coming to us?"  Jimmy asked, standing with feet apart and his arms crossed against his chest.

"They crossed the line,"  Sam answered, getting up to pour a cup of coffee.  "They killed someone this time.  The gang robbed the bank in Lincoln, killing the bank president."

"They sure it was Flemington's gang?"  Charlie asked.  He got a thrill going after the 'bad guys' but he wasn't stupid, he did want to be sure it was the right person they were going to bring in, dead or alive.

"Yeah, no one's been willing to testify against them before,"  Jimmy spoke up.  "Why is this any different?"

"Simple,"  Sam said as he sat back down.  "Not only did they kill the bank president, they also shot one of the tellers and didn't wait around to see if the poor man lived or died."  He slowly smiled.

"Let me guess, the teller lived,"  Jimmy said.

Sam nodded.  "I'm going there now, talk with the man.  The territorial governor wants me to go after them.  I sent a wire for the circuit judge to meet me there to offer a warrant for their capture.  This is all the proof we need, no more trying to catch them in the act, that wasn't working."

Jimmy watched as Sam prepared to leave the office.  "So who's going?"  he asked.

"You two plus the usual men.  The normal group will stay here in Omaha and keep the peace."

"Uh, Sam,"  Jimmy started, shifting his weight uneasily from one foot to the other.  "This gang's got a lot of members, maybe we could use a couple extra men.  You know, another good gun and perhaps a tracker.  I ain't saying anything against Mitchell but you and I both know the best tracker around."  He looked at Sam, hoping his meaning was coming across.  He'd been itching to get back to Rock Creek, try to smooth things over with Kid, maybe this was how he could do it - show he still had confidence in the man and would ride side by side with him anytime.

Sam saw the look on Jimmy's face.  There was no doubt which two men he was talking about.  "They still in Rock Creek?"

"I don't know.  Buck never said what he planned on doing once the Express shut down and Kid never gave any hint if he was gonna sign up or not.  Of course I wasn't exactly listening to what they had to say before I left.  And I didn't give them the opportunity to keep in touch with me.  I can't see him leavin' her, though,"  he said more to himself than to Sam.

"I guess you're just gonna have to go see for yourself,"  Sam agreed, as he tried to get his desk in order before taking off.  "Fine, take Charlie with you and head to Rock Creek.  Tell them there'll be a big reward waiting for them if they join us.  I'll send you a telegram there letting you know what I find out then we'll meet somewhere in the middle.  Now get going,"  he ordered.

"Yes, sir,"  Charlie said and jumped out of his seat.  He ran out the door, anxious to be off. 

Jimmy followed slower.

"Jimmy."  As he turned around, Sam asked,  "You think Buck and Kid will join you?"  He and Emma were both sure they'd only gotten the shortened version of what had transpired between the friends at the Rock Creek way station.  So he had been surprised by Jimmy's suggestion.

"Buck will listen to what I have to say and not hold anything against me but Kid, I ain't so sure about him.  Most of what went on was between me and Kid - as for the others, I figured they wouldn't be far behind with their comments either so I didn't give them the chance to say anything.  I just up and left without saying good-bye ... to anyone,"  he admitted.  "So, there's only one way to find out,"  Jimmy replied.  "All I'm hoping for, to start with, is not getting the door slammed in my face."  He left it at that and walked out.  He knew it would be hard to tell Kid how tormented he's felt ever since leaving the way he did.  This wasn't much but it was a start.