Legacy of a Gunfighter by Terry James

Author:Terry James [James, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

It felt to Kate as if no time at all had passed since she’d rested her head against the window and closed her eyes, but the darkened sky told a different story. Her mouth felt dry and tasted worse than Homer’s rabbit stew and she wondered how long she had been sleeping. A while, she guessed. Lamps had been lit along the length of the train carriage and she saw that she wasn’t the only one to give in to the rhythmic chugging of the locomotive.

‘Have you got anything to drink?’ she asked Grant, who was sitting wide-awake beside her.

He reached inside his jacket, pulled out a plain silver flask and handed it to her. Deliberately, she wiped the neck on her sleeve before taking a swig. As the brandy hit the back of her throat, she came fully awake, her mouth coming alive at the taste of good alcohol. She started to take a second drink but decided against it when she noticed the woman sitting opposite give her a disapproving look and grip her Bible more tightly. She handed the flask back to Grant.

‘How long was I asleep?’

He shrugged. ‘Couple of hours. You snore like a pig.’

Warmth flooded her cheeks as the woman chuckled.

‘I hope I didn’t disturb you,’ Kate said, addressing her.

‘Not at all, dear. I’ve got a sister with the same affliction. I find it quite soothing. My name’s Elizabeth. Are you travelling far?’

It turned out that Elizabeth was friendlier than she had looked, as she went on to tell Kate about her sister and how they had grown up dirt poor but happy. She was on her way to Springfield, where her sister ran a boarding house with her husband. Her sister had recently taken ill and she was going to stay with them to help out until she got back on her feet.

Kate felt Grant’s irritation and, for the devilry of it, encouraged the woman to tell her more. Eventually, with a grunt of displeasure, Grant shifted sideways in his seat and closed his eyes. Not long after, the two women lapsed into silence, Elizabeth turning to her Bible for distraction. Once again Kate rested her forehead against the glass, set her gaze on the dark landscape, trying to make out shapes against the inky skyline. But there wasn’t much to see and soon her eyelids closed under their own weight.

As though as part of a dream, she heard screeching. Flung from her seat, she collided hard with Elizabeth, struggled to gain her balance as the train braked. She glimpsed Grant, faring no better on his knees in the centre aisle. Around them, the other passengers were shouting, some in panic and some in pain, others scrambling to the windows to see what was happening.

Righting herself, Kate looked out. Somewhere up ahead a fire blazed, lighting up the surrounding area like a giant candle. The train had barely ground to a halt when several masked men burst inside. Moving through the carriage, they shoved people back into their seats as they spread out along its length.

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