Home Free

By janajinbc

Joe perched on the cot, every muscle taut and hands fisted, feeling the bars closing in. Being confined was bad enough for a man accustomed to wide open spaces and freedom, but the betrayal was almost worse. The events of the last couple of days played over and over in his head.

Was it really only yesterday he’d stopped at the horse auction at Sullivan’s livery just outside Virginia City? It felt like forever ago. Hank and Ted Thompson had joined him at the corral and the three of them admired or criticized each horse as it was brought to the block.

The best of the bunch was a spirited appaloosa stallion. All three of them admired the animal and dreamt up impossible scenarios where the horse was theirs. It was true that one scenario involved theft of the horse but, heck, it was a joke. Joe’s scheme had been to buy the stallion and build a thriving horse breeding business. Theft had been Hank’s plan but they’d all laughed. No one took it seriously, or so he’d thought. The Thompsons owned a small hard-scrabble ranch they didn’t work at much but, as far as he’d ever known, they were honest. They must be involved, though; why else point suspicion at him? Even if they were just scared of being accused themselves, it was cowardly and underhanded.

The appaloosa, purchased by a rancher from California, was stabled in town pending his departure. Joe had given the auction no more thought as he and the Thompsons spent an evening in the saloon before going their separate ways around midnight. Reluctant to face the criticism that was the likely result of his late night, Joe had slipped out of the house early this morning to tackle the fence repair job he’d skipped yesterday. Finished, he’d come into Virginia City, planning to collect the mail and then head home to face the music.

Joe met the posse outside town and found himself under arrest and deposited in this cell within minutes, despite his furious objections. Roy finally told him the appaloosa from the auction had been stolen, and a witness claimed to have seen Joe leading the horse out of town in the early morning hours. The auctioneer and other attendees had witnessed Joe’s admiration of the horse and the Thompsons told Roy that Joe had talked about having ‘plans’ for the animal. Roy was a stickler for the processes of law and, given the evidence, had no choice but to arrest Joe.

Stunned at the betrayal, Joe barely noticed when Roy left with the assurance that he would send word to the Ponderosa. Joe didn’t consider the Thompsons close friends, but couldn’t imagine why they would set him up for hanging.  His emotions ranged between fury and fear over the next several hours, and Joe was exhausted by the time he heard his Pa’s deep voice shouting demands at Roy in the outer office as Adam and Hoss approached his cell.

“Well, little brother, what’ve you done now?” Hoss reached through the bars to cuff Joe’s shoulder with casual affection.

Any response was stifled when Ben charged in, resting a hand on Joe’s arm while continuing to demand information from Roy. A semblance of calm eventually restored, Roy explained the charge and justified the arrest. The eyewitness was Jerry Reynes, admittedly the town drunk but considered credible because he had no reason to lie. Roy acknowledged that he believed Joe’s explanation, but he had to act on the evidence, evidence that pointed directly at Joe.

Questions, answers, speculations and theories flew as Joe told his story. It was decided that Ben would hire a lawyer, and speak to the owner and the auctioneer. Hoss would talk to Jerry Reynes, while Adam and Roy would snoop around the Thompson ranch, looking for the horse. Joe would pace, stewing over his own helplessness. Everyone assured him it’d be okay, and he hoped that was true, but the cell bars between him and his family were a stark reminder of the possibility of a different outcome.

A long, frustrating week followed, with meetings in Joe’s cell every evening. Pressure mounted as the Judge would soon arrive to commence Joe’s trial. In the end, it was Hoss who broke the case. Through befriending Jerry Reynes, Hoss learned it was Hank Thompson that Reynes had seen with the appaloosa the night of the theft. Hank had ordered Reynes to identify Joe as the thief, offering liquor as a reward and gruesome threats as an alternative. The liquor loosened Reynes’ tongue and the security of Hoss’ friendship gave him courage to tell the truth.

The Thompsons continued their denials until Adam and Roy found the missing horse in a box canyon, under the care of a younger Thompson brother. Hank then claimed that they had merely used the horse to pull a prank on Joe with every intention of returning the animal and freeing Joe from the theft charge. No one believed that was true.

Joe’s relief at regaining his freedom was tempered by disillusionment and confusion over the whole experience. He had done nothing to deserve the hostility that might have cost his life and, even in retrospect, could think of nothing he should have done differently. Returning alone to the cells, Joe met Hank’s eyes and asked the question that had been tormenting him for a week.

“Why?”

Hank shrugged casually. With no other witness, he could be honest. “We liked your idea of horse breeding, ‘cept we were going to sell the horse to a breeder in Utah, then just keep going. Ain’t nothing for us here. With you being blamed for it, nobody would look for us. We’d be home free.”

The sheer callousness of that confession was beyond Joe’s understanding. Shaking his head, Joe turned away, joining his Pa and brothers outside. Shoulder to shoulder, they walked toward their waiting horses. Thanks to his family’s efforts, Joe was the one going home—free.

The End