Sheriff McAlister listened intently as Demetera made her pitch. Without disclosing the entire story, she told McAlister that she and Kid Hawpe knew the whereabouts of the gold shipment the Boughton gang had stolen, and the rumors that had been going around were true; the gold had been buried to the west of Brisbee on Deadman's Trail. She explained further that she and The Kid had been infuriated when they were left behind at The Capricorn, and they would be willing to share the gold with McAlister. All he had to do was let them go, and they would lead him to Blackjack and enough gold to keep him in fine style for the rest of his life.Kid Hawpe could hardly keep from laughing out loud as he listened to Demetera's velvet-throated monologue. She was good ... really good! THEY didn't know where the gold was buried! And, he was pretty sure that the straight-laced sheriff wouldn't go for that proposition anyway. He didn't much care either. He had his own plans, and they didn't include sharing even one gold nugget with any lawman! Besides, he intended to settle the score with Blackjack his own way.
McAlister was about to speak when the door of the jail burst open. Runaway Lovelace and Stampede Norman rushed in with guns drawn. Norman motioned for Demetera to take McAlister's weapons and give them to The Kid. She unlocked the door of Kid Hawpe's cell, handed him the guns, and backed away as he walked toward the stone-faced sheriff, who was pondering the location of his missing deputy.
Kid Hawpe was getting a real kick out of this. He had wanted to get the best of this man for a long time. The Kid chuckled as he pushed his rival into the dingy cell he had just vacated. The three gun-slingers scooped up the school teacher and rode off in a cloud of dust, nearly trampling two Brisbee ladies who were passing by on their way to the general store.
McAlister too was experiencing a growing pleasure from the situation. The calculating sheriff grinned and shook his head, listening as the motley crew rode off. He lit a cigar, slipped a spare key to the cell from a pocket inside his vest, and unlocked the door. He had a little surprise for Demetera and Blackjack. The rumors of gold which had brought him to Brisbee had finally been confirmed, and he sensed that his days of chasing bandits were about to come to an end.
Demetera and the team of fugitives reached the cabin in Horsethief Basin to find Doc huffing, puffing, and shuffling along behind Blackjack who was vigorously pacing the floor. Doc was trying to make him sit down, but Blackjack wasn't listening. Thanks to his journal having slowed a bullet, his wounds hadn't been so bad after all, and he was itching to get on with a plan he had hatched to get his book and map back. Doc insisted that he should wait at least another day before trying to ride out, but Blackjack wouldn't hear of it. He didn't have time to wait! Sourdough Duke had the key to his gold, and he had to get it away from him! He wasn't going to forget about Tracinda and Marsh either. They had helped that shifty cook, and he would take care of them both before he was through, in fact, he might just take care of the whole town!
The disheartened group of map-seekers had returned to the Serendipity from the cemetery, and had plopped themselves down in its neat, Victorian parlor. Frenchie suggested that they have something to eat and try to come up with an idea for dealing with the young scamp they had encountered in the cemetery. Sourdough said HE knew how to deal with her! Frenchie smiled and quieted him. She reminded them all that the child could be handled if they were patient and went about it the right way.
Sourdough thought it was time to have a look at the book he had taken from Blackjack. He excused himself and headed to the back hall of the boarding house where he had stashed his saddle bags. He removed the book, thought for a moment, and decided to share it with his friends. Maybe they wouldn't need the map after all.
