They bound Geller and the other men in the barn.<\/p>\n
Eli wanted to question him immediately.<\/p>\n
Waya insisted they search every prisoner first.<\/p>\n
Waya won the argument.<\/p>\n
On Geller they found two letters, thirty dollars, a pocketknife, ammunition, a match case, and a brass token stamped with the same hawk-over-water symbol as Serina\u2019s silver seal.<\/p>\n
That discovery changed everything.<\/p>\n
Serina placed the brass copy beside her half of the original.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey duplicated the mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska looked at Geller.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many did they make?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what purpose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo certify transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cFraudulent transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller shrugged against the rope.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse whatever word makes you comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli moved forward.<\/p>\n
Chaska grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli pulled free.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just told me my father survived another fifteen years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if he wants you angry, then you are giving him what he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always was clever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska\u2019s attention snapped toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew who I was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew about us.\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence answered.<\/p>\n
Serina knelt in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said Samuel Mercer died on property belonging to Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOld Samuel survived longer than anybody expected him to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s hands clenched.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy was he alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller studied him.<\/p>\n
Then gave a soft laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Samuel Mercer was very good at disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Chaska did not stop him.<\/p>\n
He crouched until their faces were level.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller\u2019s amusement weakened.<\/p>\n
Perhaps he saw something in Eli\u2019s expression.<\/p>\n
Perhaps he finally decided the truth was safer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father was shot in 1858. That much was true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wound did not kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho shot him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was not present.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMen employed by Elias Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name meant almost nothing to Eli.<\/p>\n
Geller continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cElias wanted the original trust documents. Samuel refused. Someone shot him. Someone else got him away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGideon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli felt his stomach turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
The amusement vanished from Geller\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did die.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not lie to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli watched him.<\/p>\n
Geller looked away first.<\/p>\n
That frightened Eli more than if he had invented an answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf my father survived, why did he never come for me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller remained silent.<\/p>\n
Eli seized his collar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you were being watched.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came quickly.<\/p>\n
Eli froze.<\/p>\n
Geller continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss\u2019s people believed Samuel would eventually return for his son. So they watched you. The widow who took you in. The ranches where you worked. Cattle crews. Towns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli released him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey followed you for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stepped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he stayed away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller\u2019s voice became almost sympathetic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen eventually he stopped hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller looked toward Serina\u2019s seal.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause three Apache girls escaped with the thing he had been trying to protect for more than a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe canyon,\u201d Chaska said.<\/p>\n
Geller nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour families moved the silver half. Voss learned about it. Men were sent after it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Eli got in their way,\u201d Waya said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Old images began rearranging themselves in Eli\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n
The American boots.<\/p>\n
The saddle.<\/p>\n
The voice shouting English.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel learned somebody had helped the women escape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller looked at Eli.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew the rider was you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had the same gray mare you had ridden for years. Word travels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calico.<\/p>\n
Eli turned his eyes toward the barn wall as though he could see her outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried to contact you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s face became hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLetters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli looked at Chaska.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew nothing of letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere were they sent?\u201d Eli asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cRanches where you worked. Freight offices. Las Vegas. Taos. Cimarron.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli had been in every one of those places.<\/p>\n
He had never stayed long.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never received anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller glanced toward the barn doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should ask the old man next door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cGideon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Geller smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you are beginning to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli left the barn before anybody could stop him.<\/p>\n
Chaska followed.<\/p>\n
Waya and Serina were close behind.<\/p>\n
They found Eli saddling Calico.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot ride over there like this,\u201d Chaska said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are furious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGideon knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may have hidden letters from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has eaten breakfast at my table for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli pulled the cinch tight.<\/p>\n
Chaska stepped between him and the saddle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserve the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am going to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot while holding a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli looked down.<\/p>\n
Only then did he realize his revolver was already in his hand.<\/p>\n
He stared at it.<\/p>\n
Slowly, he returned it to the holster.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska moved.<\/p>\n
Eli mounted.<\/p>\n
The others followed.<\/p>\n
Gideon\u2019s small place stood less than a mile away.<\/p>\n
Nell was outside hanging strips of cloth from a line stretched between two trees.<\/p>\n
She saw Eli first.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Eli!\u201d<\/p>\n
He slowed Calico.<\/p>\n
The nine-year-old ran toward the fence, then stopped when she noticed his expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli dismounted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is your grandfather?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the workshop. He broke the chair while he was repairing the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded exactly like Gideon.<\/p>\n
For a second, the absurd familiarity almost softened Eli.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
He crossed the yard.<\/p>\n
Before he reached the workshop, the door opened.<\/p>\n
Gideon Pratt stepped outside.<\/p>\n
Sixty-eight years old.<\/p>\n
White beard.<\/p>\n
Bent shoulders.<\/p>\n
Suspenders.<\/p>\n
The same worn hat he had owned forever.<\/p>\n
His gaze went from Eli to Chaska.<\/p>\n
Then to Serina.<\/p>\n
Then to the silver seal she held.<\/p>\n
Every bit of color left Gideon\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
He whispered one name.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stopped.<\/p>\n
Gideon shut his eyes.<\/p>\n
Not confusion.<\/p>\n
Not denial.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s voice trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nell looked between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon removed his hat.<\/p>\n
\u201cNell, go inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Grandpa\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in his tone convinced her.<\/p>\n
She left.<\/p>\n
When the door shut, Eli stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father did not die in 1858.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon\u2019s shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe survived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil 1873.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s eyes burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew where he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you knew he was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he write to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon looked at the ground.<\/p>\n
Eli stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my father write to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many letters?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon barely managed the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-two.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stared at him.<\/p>\n
Chaska lowered her gaze.<\/p>\n
Serina covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Even Waya turned away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-two,\u201d Eli repeated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I received none.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you kept them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli struck him.<\/p>\n
His fist hit Gideon\u2019s face before anyone reacted.<\/p>\n
The old man fell against the workshop door.<\/p>\n
Waya started forward.<\/p>\n
Chaska stopped her.<\/p>\n
Gideon remained on the ground.<\/p>\n
Blood appeared at his lip.<\/p>\n
He did not fight back.<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s breathing shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause every letter could reveal where Samuel was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stood frozen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe moved constantly. Every letter created another trail. Voss\u2019s men were still looking for him. Samuel understood the danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why write them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he was your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe missed his son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli turned away.<\/p>\n
Gideon slowly stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me to keep them until it became safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was that supposed to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you still kept them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon shut his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
For a long moment Gideon said nothing.<\/p>\n
Then he answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause his final letter told you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat truth?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gideon\u2019s eyes moved toward Eli\u2019s ranch in the distance.<\/p>\n
Then he looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth about what Samuel hid beneath the place where you built your house.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 6: THIRTY-TWO LETTERS THAT NEVER ARRIVED They bound Geller and the other men in the barn. Eli wanted to question him immediately. Waya insisted they search every prisoner first. Waya won the argument. On Geller they found two letters, thirty dollars, a pocketknife, ammunition, a match case, and a brass token stamped with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-812","sr_chapter","type-sr_chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/sr_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/812\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}