Dusty Haven#2 - AP & Epi 10/30/'13 - Page 32

Chapter 23 - Something Wicked

Night was falling softly, the streetlamps starting to cast little pools of light along the sidewalk and the street. The wind had cooled down considerably from the heat of the day. It was that time of the evening, when the sun had set behind the mountains, but the last purple and gold days still stroked the sky with long fingers. A few colds hung in the darkness, the midnight blue sparkling veil, slowly creeping from the East.

Khushi was reminded of that night years ago, that had started it all for her. It seemed so long ago. Yet, was it really that long? So much had happened. So much had changed. Now, as she rode towards the Sheriff's office with NK by her side, she looked around. It all seemed so normal. People were going about their lives, heading to the Wild Bull, or home. Distant hoofbeats, slow, tired sounded as someone returned home to a warm supper and a loving family. It was all so ... so ... normal, she thought.

Yet here she was, worried about what might be, what the next day would bring.

****

The amber liquid sparkled in the crystal glass, as Dumas raised the glass to the light. The crystal refracted the light, gold and red streaking into his vision. He sipped slowly, savoring the liquid. It was a good thing Shyam kept such good liquor in the house. The man did know what he was drinking! Pity the idiot didn't know much more than that. He breathed in sharply, nostrils flared, lips thinned, eyes narrowed to glittering icy slits.

Only two men whole had returned from the ambush on Arnav Singh Raizada. Two were dead and two wounded - including Rocky and Manny. They'd told a tale where they themselves were ambushed. Of twenty men who'd surrounded them and taken Arnav Singh Raizada away. Apache, no less! He snorted. Really? Why would those ignorant pagans help a white man? No, these men were incompetent and had failed a simple task. He would have to complete the task himself.

He rose up and walked out to the verandah. 'Sammy!' he roared.

A small wizened man came out of the darkness, the surly expression of his face hidden in the darkness under his hat.

'Get my carriage out,' Dumas gritted. 'I'm going to Yerba tonight.'

Sammy nodded his head, turned around and walked back to the barn.

Fifteen minutes later, the carriage rolled out of the yard and headed towards the road to Yerba.

****

Aman sat at his desk looking over the papers that Pinkerton's had given him. He was absorbing all that the information that was there, and a slow coil of tension tightened in his stomach. The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.

He frowned at the knock on his door. Lifting his head, he called, 'Come' as he gathered all the papers together. The door opened and NK stood framed in it. He held the door open wider and stepped aside to let Khushi inside.

Aman was surprised to see her. He pushed back the chair he was sitting on, and rose to his feet. 'Miss Gupta,' he drawled. 'What are you doing here?'

'You've got to listen to her story,' NK told him. Aman raised his eyebrows, even as NK pulled out a chair for hair, before sitting down himself.

'Tell me, Miss Gupta. How can I help you?' Aman asked.

For an hour he listened quietly as Khushi went through everything that began that night long ago, so many hundreds of miles away. Their journey to Boxed Lightning. Her meeting with Arnav. Seeing Shyam in Yerba. The attempt on Arnav's life, his rescue. Then finally coming to know that it was Shyam who had murdered Anjali's husband. Her voice was quiet, stopping to sip from a glass of water as she continued her story.

Aman interrupted her only to question what he didn't understand.

Then it was NK's turn as he brought Arnav's message to Aman. The railroad. They'd already figured that out. The coming of El Coyote to the area.

Piece by piece they put the story together. The night turned dark outside. The rhythm of the town slowed down, only the occasional sound of people riding back home. Aman fingered the information that the Pinkertons had given him.

'Where's Arnav?' he asked.

'He's staying tonight with the Apache. He'll come in tomorrow,' NK replied.

Aman nodded. He looked thoughtfully at his desk as if making up his mind. Then he spoke. 'Miss Gupta, you are still in danger. Shyam does not know what you saw. When he does, he'll want to kill you, again.'

She sat perfectly still as NK nodded next to her.

'Stay with Ela tonight. I'd rather you were not out riding on the range. You'll be safe at the Wild Bull with Ela and the guards.'

NK looked at her. 'I'll take you back to Box-Lightning tomorrow, Miss Khushi,' he said softly.

'Alright,' she said.

The three of them headed out to the Wild Bull, but went around to the back, going in through back door to Ela's office. Aman went into the bar to bring Ela back.

She came in quickly and hugged Khushi. 'What happened?' she asked.

'She will stay here for the night, Ela,' Aman said. 'Do you mind?'

'No. No. Of course not.' Ela was clearly confused by the sudden request. She looked into his eyes, and a silent message passed between them. 'Would you like something to eat, Khushi, NK?' she asked. Khushi was obviously drooping and NK looked drawn too. They both nodded.

She bustled out and minutes later, platters of food arrived in the back office. Once they'd eaten, she led Khushi upstairs to her old room and sat down in a chair while Khushi washed and put on a night dress that Ela had placed on the bed. Their conversation had been desultory, Ela not questioning her, just letting her relax.

She wanted to ask what had happened, curiosity was eating at her, but she could see the slightly glazed look in Khushi's eyes.

The younger girl was obviously tired as she sat sat cross-legged on the bed absently brushing and braiding her hair. Ela tucked her in and turned the lamp low, and she had barely reached the door when she realized Khushi was asleep.

Downstairs, NK had also headed to the room Ela had had prepared for him

Ela stepped into the office and closed the door. 'What's going on, Aman?' she asked.

This was why he loved this woman. She didn't ask questions until she needed to. He held out his hands to her, pulling her onto his lap. Holding her close, he told her everything he'd learnt from Khushi and NK.

'I thought you got something from Pinkerton's yesterday,' she said, slowly dragging her finger along his collar.

'I did,' he nodded, holding her wandering finger and kissing it.

'And..?' she prompted.

'Dumas aka El Coyote owns the Striking-S.'

She cocked her head, 'When?'

'Two years ago.' She raised her eyebrows. 'As soon as the railroad plans were coming up. He couldn't approach ASR, but he knew to buy out the previous owners. He put Shyam there, so we all thought Shyam was the new owner. But Shyam was always El Coyote's man.'

She sat there the information reeling through her head. 'So when he offered to buy the Box-Lightning, it was actually Dumas he was fronting.'

Aman nodded.

'This is so convoluted,' she said, a hand to her forehead, all thoughts of foreplay flying right out of her head. 'I guess NK will be giving ASR that news?'

He nodded again. 'I sent him word.'

'I wish I'd known,' she murmured.

'Known what?' he asked.

'El Coyote,' she said. 'He arrived in town. Half an hour ago.'

Aman frowned. 'Is Shyam with him?'

'I haven't seen him,' she told him. 'None of his men either,' she said.

'So El Coyote has moved to Yerba. Something big is going down, girl,' he said, shifting her off his lap and leading her up the stairs.

'I don't like the sound of that,' she murmured.

'Neither do I. Where's he staying?' he asked.

She named the hotel at the other end of the town. A slightly more comfortable establishment, it catered for people moving around on business. Aman knew which one it was.

They needed to get their rest tonight. Tomorrow was gonna be long day.

****

The morning dawned hot and dry. There wasn't a breath of air moving. Much like the rest of the town, an air of anticipation hung heavy on the town as NK and Khushi walked out to the back of the saloon, heading towards the stables. They saddled up the rested horses, and rode out of town.

Had they looked back they would have seen another man ride out as well. But he headed west, to the hills. He had a message from El Coyote for Shyam. He knew where to find him.

NK, Akash and Khushi headed to the Circle-R and it was mid-morning by the time they drew up. They filled Akash in with everything that had happened so far, on the long ride. Walking up the steps, they were surprised to see Arnav opening the door to them. He winked at her with a little smirk, watching as she blushed delightfully, before holding out his hand to NK and Akash.

Nanny Raizada came in from the kitchen, exclaiming as she saw who was at the door. 'Akash! Khushi! NK? What're you all doing here?'

'We need to talk, Nanny,' Arnav said firmly, herding the group towards his study. 'Can you ask HP to get us some coffee, please?' He looked over at Khushi and then added, 'and some food as well.'

Nanny gazed at him for a moment, taking in the tight jawline, the slight furrow between his eyes. 'Sure. I'll do that,' she said, as she headed out of the door.

'NK, send someone to let Khushi's parents know that she's here,' Arnav instructed. NK nodded and stepped out.

The three of them went to Arnav's study. Akash settled into a chair and was surprised to see Arnav turn to Khushi and gently frame her face with his big palms. The two of them seemed to have forgotten he was there.

'Are you okay?' Arnav asked Khushi softly as her hands came to rest upon his chest.

She nodded, swallowed. 'Are you?' she said equally softly.

He smiled gently at her and said, 'yes, of course, I am.'

Akash turned away. This was their private moment and he didn't want to intrude on it. They were so lost in each other, and besides, it gave him time to think of another sweet face adorned with a gentle smile.

A knock on the door brought them all back to earth, as NK walked into the room, followed by HP carrying a tray with coffee and snacks.

They settled down, then around the desk, mugs of coffee in their hands as NK recounted all he'd learned from Aman.

'So Shyam never owned Striking-S?' Akash asked, surprised at the revelation.

'No. He'd been working for El Coyote all along,' NK took a sip of his cup.

'Where's he now?' Arnav asked.

'We don't know,' NK replied.

'I saw him go West, towards the hills,' Khushi said.

'And he's kept out of sight all day,' Arnav mused. 'After he told you to warn me.' They sat quietly for a moment. 'Why did he warn you?'

Khushi frowned, puzzled. 'If he killed Miss Anjali's husband, then why not kill Arnav, why ask me to save his life?'

'Perhaps he feels remorse for what he did,' Akash offered.

'Aman thinks that Khushi might still be in danger from him,' NK said.

'I agree,' Arnav didn't hesitate.

'Are you going to tell Miss Anjali?' Khushi finally asked the question that was on everybody's mind.

Arnav nodded. They got up and walked out of the room with one accord.

'I'll tell Mamie to get the children,' Khushi offered, moving towards the children's rooms. They needed to kept away from everything that happened from this point on.

When she finally went downstairs after giving Mamie her instructions, she walked into a living room that was too quiet. Akash stood at the window, looking out. Anjali and Nanny sat on the couch, holding each other's hands. Arnav sat on a chair, his elbows resting on his knees, head bent.

He glanced up as she walked in, his eyes following her till she sat down next to them.

'What's going on Arnav?' Nanny asked.

He took a deep breath, not quite knowing how to say what he had to say, except he knew he had to be brutally honest with his sister, and it was breaking his heart to do so. A band tightened around his chest constricting his breathing.

'Sis,' he began. He put one hand on top of both her hands, holding on tightly. 'Two years ago, Khushi saw a man being killed.'

With a gasp, both Anjali and Nanny turned to Khushi, whose eyes were brimming with tears, held in check.

'Nanny, Anjali. She saw Donny's picture and knew it was him that had been killed,' his voice choked. Anjali's palm covered her mouth, her eyes widened in distress. Nanny looked at him with growing horrified understanding on her face.

'She also saw the killer,' Arnav continued, flicking his eyes up to his sister's. 'She recognized him.'

Anjali searched his eyes, his face. 'Who?' she whispered.

He closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to see the look on his sister's face as the ugly truth came to the fore. 'Shyam,' he murmured.

Anjali looked at him, her big eyes unbelieving, uncomprehending. She was barely breathing, her skin pale, her face blank.

'No,' she said. Two rapid breaths and then she turned around and stronger now, said, 'No. NO!' She turned to Khushi, 'why are you making up such horrible stories?' raw agony in her voice.

Khushi shook her head, tears staining her cheeks, but making no move to wipe them away. He could see her throat working.

'You're mistaken!' Anjali claimed.

Khushi just shook her head. 'He tried to kill me,' she offered softly. 'That night, he chased me.'

Anjali glared at her, standing looking down at the white-faced girl in front of her. She spun towards Arnav, red flags on her cheeks.

'Shyam is not capable of this ... this ... this horrible deed,' she sputtered.

'Sis. Khushi is telling the truth,' Akash offered from his vantage point.

Anjali turned to him, fury in every line of her body. 'And how would you know that, Akash?' she demanded.

'Payal told me,' he said softly.

Khushi and Arnav looked at him, astonished. Nanny sat there, looking from one face to the other, tears streaming down her lined cheeks, looking older than she had in ages.

'Payal told you and you believed her,' Anjali's voice had risen now. She rounded on Arnav. 'And you, Khushi told you and you believed her. Just because the women you are with told you something, you believed them!' she sounded disgusted.

Arnav stood up, and reached out to hold her. She jerked her arm away. Turning, she rushed out of the room.

'Nanny,' he turned pleadingly to his grandmother.

'What is this, Arnav?' she asked him. She seemed like she had shrunk into herself.

'There's more, Nanny. Aman and NK and I have been looking into Shyam. He doesn't own the Striking-S. El Coyote does. He wanted to buy part of the Circle-R, simply because the railroad would pay a premium on the land.' He hurriedly gave Nanny the synopsis. 'The money would have gone to El Coyote. Why he wanted to marry Anjali, I still don't know.'

Nanny's eyes were dark pools of sorrow. She reached out for Khushi's hand. 'Is this true, my child?'

Khushi knew that Nanny wasn't asking her if what Arnav had told her was true or not. What she was asking was confirmation of Donny's death at the hands of Shyam Manohar Jha. 'I saw it, Nanny,' she affirmed.

'I should go see to Anjali,' Nanny drew herself up. For the first time, Arnav saw her as the old lady she'd become.

'I'll take you, Nanny,' Akash came around and put his arm around his grandmother's shoulder to lead her out of the room.

Arnav watched them go, feeling as if on some level, he'd failed his sister. The thought was a bitter, bitter pill to swallow, but he had to do it. There had been no other way, he thought, clenching his hands.

Khushi moved towards him, and his arms came around her, holding her close, cradling her head against his shoulder, closing his eyes. She hugged him back. 'It will be okay,' she whispered.

'I hope so, Khushi,' he whispered back. He let her go reluctantly as Akash came back to the room.

'I gave her something to sleep,' Akash told them.

'Khushi,' Arnav turned her to look at him. 'I need you to stay here at Circle-R. You'll be safe here. I'll tell your parents on my way to Yerba.' He put a finger on her lips as she opened her mouth to protest. 'I'll be better if I know you're safe,' he said.

She looked at him reproachfully, but before she could say anything, Nanny spoke from the doorway. 'Arnav is right, Khushi. You should stay here. Until this thing with El Coyote is over, you are in danger as well. This house, this land is well-protected.' Her gaze flicked to Arnav. He dipped his head in agreement.

'Stay here, Khushi,' he said.

She wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that she wouldn't be better if she didn't know he was safe. What applied to him, applied to her, too. They were in this together. But he took her hand and looked into her eyes. 'Please,' he whispered.

She gave in.

'Akash, let's go. NK will have gathered the men already,' he said.

Khushi watched from the door as the small posse rode out in the high noon, the hooves of the horses kicking up the dust until all she could see was the cloud of dust as it got smaller and smaller and finally faded away.

'Come inside, Khushi, my child,' Nanny said kindly as she pulled the door close. 'Now we wait.'

***