Maxwell, Brandi - Colleen's Desire [The Lost Collection] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) by Brandi Maxwell

Author:Brandi Maxwell [Maxwell, Brandi]
Format: epub
Publisher: Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
Published: 2010-09-09T09:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Sheriff Clay Dixon had seen his fair share of corpses over the years. Golden Valley wasn’t the worst of the boom towns to sprout up with the discovery of gold. That title probably went to Deadwood. But Golden Valley still had plenty of gunslingers within its city limits, men who would never dream of using their fists in a fight, preferring the finality of a six-shooter. Seeing four dead bodies within ten feet of each other was unsettling to the sheriff.

“Look here,” the sheriff said, pointing to Daggard’s side. “This wound is from a distance, so I’m guessing it’s a rifle wound. But look here.” He pointed to the chest wound. “See where the shirt’s been singed? That wound was caused by someone standing right in front of him.”

Deputy Bruce Hastings got down on one knee beside the sheriff. “So you’re saying these men were shot from far away and from up close?”

“Yes, but not at the same time. So how they’d bandaged themselves?” He pointed to a neckerchief caked with blood, wadded up near Marley’s stomach wound. “They got shot somewhere else by someone with a rifle. Then they rode here and got shot again. Only this time they were shot with a pistol. They were looking their executioner in the eyes when they died.”

The sheriff looked around. The road leading to Golden Valley was remote enough under any circumstances, but it seemed even more desolate with the corpses on the ground. “Their guns were holstered. They thought they were going to get help when they got here. Instead, they all got shot. And they got it fast enough that they couldn’t even defend themselves.”

“I know this one,” the deputy said, pointing toward the youngest of the victims. “Name’s Wesley. He was working with the Five Star Mining outfit, but they kicked him out for cheating at cards. Couple weeks ago he damned near got his neck stretched when they caught him pulling a pair of aces out of his sleeve at Maggie’s Saloon.”

The sheriff looked at the young man whose decisions in life had led to his early death. “Some people just shouldn’t gamble.”

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