Thursday, September 23, 1876, Partly Cloudy and 71 degrees.

Case Steelgrave sat aside the black stud looking out at the forested landscape, some distance away on the outside of the hideout entrance. Things had taken a turn once more, as things usually do in the outlaw world. There is always change, no matter what. Of course, the cattle rustling enterprise was going fairly smoothly, none of his riders had been killed, which was a plus. But his plan to take a few and then plant them on other ranges was just not going according to plan. It had been simple enough to take a few head, but trying to replace them had been a failure, and with Guyer laid up, planting them on the Rafter A would simply be a waste of time and effort. No one would be willing to believe it of the Marshal, his betrothed, or her father. Not now.

And, in an unexpected turn of events, Walt Shannon and his men were killed in Alberta, Canada, by the fledgling Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local authorities after a bank robbery in the town of Lethbridge. So there would be no more easy money, he and his gang would be back to earning it. Alberta had been good for moving stolen cattle, and that could still be the way it was. He would send a rider north to talk with the buyers.

Guyer was down, Pike still gone, the Territorial Marshals recalled, meaning minimal law in Kalispell so far as he knew. It was not like they would have raucous Saturday nights at the only waterhole in town, the Stardust, no, it was still best to hold the boys from town. He sent them to Columbia Falls and warned them to be on their best behavior. Having a town to go to was important, though he did send in riders to pick up supplies with strict orders to behave, start no trouble.

This just did not sit right with Case Steelgrave.

Of course there was Columbia Falls where he and his men were welcome to get whatever they needed, provided it was in stock. That was the problem with the smaller town, lack of certain items, however, with the winter on the horizon, most stores would be stocked.

Yet having Kalispell unofficially off-limits to Case, seemed unfair, though Case was smart enough to realize he was number one on the suspect list. And yes, he had plenty of reason to shoot the marshal or, have him shot. Having him shot would not have the satisfaction of gunning him down himself. There was no plan to do that so far as Case was concerned, but it was there if he decided to do it, and he would be the one to face the Marshal, not one of his men from a rooftop. That was the coward's way or that of a professional gunman who seldom actually faced their target.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, not even Guyer deserved to be shot from ambush.

Case Steelgrave. He was his own man, and he never took orders from anyone, even his father, that stopped long ago. So he sat there looking out at the beauty of the country, and the seclusion that his hideout had offered over the years, but where was all of this going? Stealing cattle had been almost fun, pranking the local ranchers, but never against the big boys, Evergreen or Lost Lake.

Lost Lake was impossible to get into. So that pretty much left them off the list, the damned landscape made it neigh unto impossible to penetrate. And why try stealing from his father? When he was gone Case stood to own a quarter interest in the ranch and Elias' holdings. That would be plain stupid on his part, his father had more gunmen than he did. And just where were his siblings? Leah was busy being 'goody-two-shoes,' the brothers off in their own world, doing whatever they were of a mind to. Maybe they were just waiting to inherit, a hell f a thing to think of your own flesh and blood.

Leah, well, maybe she didn't want any part of the family fortune, or, so it seemed. Maybe she too was simply biding her time, waiting on her father's passing and then making her move. But, she was not the Leah he knew, she had changed. Changed into a woman who was more concerned about what she could do for Kalispell. At the thought, he shook his head, what a waste! But it was her choice. Her change had to be what she wanted, no one would force Leah Steelgrave into anything she did not want to be a part of.

He urged the horse forward as a plan formulated in his head.

He slipped into the back streets of Kalispell all but unnoticed. Guyer would not be in the office, nor holed up in one of the cells. No There was only one place he would be, if not at the ranch of his girl, Doc Danforth's place. He had beds there for those that needed to be close to hand for Danforth. And it had been mere hours since the assassination attempt on the Marshal, so sequestered at Danforth's was the one and only choice. Either he was alive, or he was dead, but Case Steelgrave was committed to seeing him, and talking with him if that was possible. No man deserved what happened to him, law or not, whether he liked him or not, Guyer had his respect. He rode right to the front of Danforth's house and stepped down, trying his horse to the hitch rail.

He stood for a long moment, then stripped off his gunbelt buckled it, and hung it on over the saddle horn, then removed his frock coat and hung it over his gunbelt, following that with a deep breath he turned and walked to the door the sound of his jingle bobs on his spurs jangling with every step.

He paused once more then boldly knocked on the physician's door. All he could do now was hope for the best.

Continued In 'Shot For Shot'

Case; Continued from "Shot For Shot."

"What the hell's this country comin' to, bushwackin' a man in town? In broad daylight no less!" Case asked himself out loud as there was no one else around. Now, to be honest, it had happened before, and it would happen again, he was no saint. The whole problem with this ambush was he had never killed a man who was not armed and facing him. No matter that some of them had no experience in gunfights, they were facing one another. This whole business was plain and simple murder!

The other part of this problem Case was having was, he respected Speed Guyer. What he knew was, if anyone could hire a killer in Kalispell, it was his father. That would be common knowledge to those who took note of things of that sort. He was sure that the short list of suspects in this would be him and his father. Long odds on anyone else. As far as his father went, didn't matter who pulled the trigger it was who paid the man in question, but anyone who gave two thoughts of Case doing such a thing, pushed that aside in favor of the father.

The miles fell behind him as he switched from a walk to a trot and back again. He was angry about this. There was no reason for such a thing. The Evergreen was coming into view so he spurred his horse to a gallop to close out the distance to the main house and the confrontation. No one stopped him, but those who saw him knew that something was up. Something unpleasant!

"Mister Harker here spoiled my surprise, Pa. I spoke to Guyer, face to face, told him I had nothin' to do with it. Now, I gotta get this straightened out before there's a war with a posse tryin' to take you in!" Case said. "South, long way to Mexico, so he ain't too far. Harker, you let the foreman know, there may be a posse lookin' to take him in. Me? I'm after the Osage Kid! And I'm bettin' I find him around Virginia City or Bannock or one of those mining towns close by."

"Yes sir," Haker said and was out the door.

"Lay low, Pa. I'll bring him in, in the saddle or over it!" Case stated, and with that, he walked out, he had a ride ahead of him, but not near as far as he thought. A man with money in his pockets and the mining towns not far off, well, a man might kid himself about spending the night, eatin' a big steak, having a drink or two, but he would succumb to the action on the tables soon enough.

Case galloped south before all hell broke loose!

He pushed without wearing out his horse, he was angry that he had not brought along a second saddle horse, it was simply an oversite, not that it would deter him, he was making good time but it was a long ride to Bannack or Virginia City, but he had towns like Garnet, Cable, Basin, and Granet. A knot of town to the south, others off to the east and again, further south.

He decided he was buying himself another horse in Garnet. He was not foolish enough to think that this Okerland fellow would stop in the first town he came to, to celebrate his ambushing a man, but then he knew that men living on the outside of society, much the same as him, did foolish and unsuspecting things most would not do. But there were plenty of mining towns where he could lay low, and Case planned to search every one of them until he found this 'Osage Kid.' No matter how long it took.

Garnet, a boom town with silver supposedly flowing like a river, though that was hardly the truth. Oh, there was substantial color being pulled from the earth, but it was not laying around to be picked up and carted off. That was not how silver mining worked, gold, maybe. Silver was just plain hard work.

The town was like most, Kalispell included, two sides of one main street with others branching off, houses littering not just the side streets, but on the hillsides where claims were staked, or where there was room to put up a simple structure, generally one room.

He reined in at the Crystal Palace Saloon, which it was not, and stepped down. A couple of drinks and some information, including the best place to eat, and a quiet hotel. That was if such a place existed in Garnet.

Case pushed through the batwings, the place was crowded already, which was to be expected in a mining town of a couple thousand miners, not counting women and kids. A town growing every day. He made his way to the bar. The bartender made his way down to him, all the while pouring drinks and yacking with customers.

"What'll it be Mister?" the burly bearded man asked.

"Whiskey, an' a question or two, make it worth your while." Speed said, laying several coins on the bar.

"Yes sir, comin' right up." This would be the good stuff, good stuff meant good money from a man seeking information of whatever kind, and willing to pay for it. Gordy Stiles was no fool, this was no miner standing at his bar, the others could wait.

September 15, 1876 - Tombstone Arizona

The trail had led straight south from Kalispell through every mining town in Montana, through Idaho, Utah, and into Arizona Territory with a stop in Tombstone whose fame would not happen until October of 1881 with the Earps, Clantons, and the cowboys. No, this was a sleepy little town some seventy-odd miles to the sanctuary of Nogales, Mexico.

There was no American lawman that would legally pursue a wanted man south of the border. That would not stop Case Steelgrave if that was what was required if he was to keep his word and bring back Guyer's attempted assassin. The idea of turning back never occurred to Case, this was about clearing his name, not his father's. The man had made the mistake of paying the man, and that would not sit well with Guyer, or Pike, or the Town Council, but he would be in the clear, at least for this. And, he grudgingly respected Guyer even though they had their issues.

So, as he rode into the hot little burgh he located the livery to care for his horses, and then the only hotel in town where he got himself a room, there was a cafe just across the street, and that would be his next stop, once he was settled. He checked his guns for loads and action. Both were satisfactory. And it was time to eat!

Crossing the dirt street named Allen Street, he entered the Bon Ton cafe. There were maybe four other souls in the place, so he bellied up to the counter where in short order he got a cup of coffee and ordered steak and beans. He was tired, and it showed. He needed a bath, but more importantly, he need some information. As the man brought his meal Case laid a hand on the man's sleeve,

"Need to know if a fella, name of Oakerlind' been in?" Like there was any other place to get food in the town.

"yes sir, been here now two, three days, eats here but spends his time at the 'Palace' saloon, spends money, got him a girl up there." He said, "Hope that helps."

"Yessir, certainly does, been tryin' to catch up to him for quite a spell. Be good to see him." Case stretched the truth, then let the man go about his business and dug into the food before him. Maybe the bath then, to business. It had been a long trail.