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Chapter Eight

T wo days later, the group arrived at Prescott, and Lucas insisted they spend the night there.

“It’s only noon,” Blaze argued as they stood at the edge of town. “We made great progress the last two days. We have a chance to get to Quartzsite before Lee and Wilson do. We should only go into Prescott to grab the supplies we need and move on.”

“But Zeke said Lee and Wilson will likely stop in a town or two along the way,” Lucas countered. “They don’t know we’re going after them. That gives us an advantage, doesn’t it?” Lucas’ gaze went to Zeke.

Zeke seemed surprised that Lucas directed his attention to him.

After a moment, Zeke said, “My uncle says that Bower and his men chase after money; Lee and Wilson chase money and skirts.” He gave an uneasy glance at Bernadette and Gail before he turned his attention to Lucas and Blaze.

“Every town has a saloon, and we all know what saloons have in them.”

Blaze sighed. “While that’s true, there’s two of them. There are five of us. They can cover a greater distance in less time than we can.”

Bernadette didn’t know if that was true or not.

What she did know was that Blaze had been pushing all of them to go at a faster pace than she preferred.

She could use a good night’s sleep. The ground wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing to rest on, and quite frankly, listening to animals in the still night air did wake her up from time to time.

“Lucas and Gail had just gotten married when they came out to Arizona to rescue Bernadette,” Zeke told Blaze. “They’ve barely had any time to themselves. Since they are willing to go to Quartzsite so you can wait to marry Bernadette, I think we owe this to them.”

“For once, I agree with Zeke,” Gail spoke up. “This is the last decent town we’re going to come across before we end up in the desert. I, for one, would like a nice hot bath and a meal at a restaurant. I hate to say it, but I miss Philadelphia right now.”

Lucas put his arm around her shoulders. “I do, too, but we’ll be back there soon enough.”

Blaze glanced in Bernadette’s direction. “What do you think?”

Bernadette blinked in surprise. Why was he asking her?

It wasn’t like he wanted to find a preacher to marry her.

No, to do that, he might actually want to stay here and spend some time getting to know her.

She tried not to let his pursuit of justice bother her, but the longer she spent time on this trail with him, the harder it was to be sympathetic to his cause.

“I would like to have a hot bath and a good meal at a restaurant,” she finally said.

Lucas and Gail looked relieved that she agreed with them.

“We can leave at dawn,” Zeke told Blaze. “That will give us more time in the morning to travel.”

That was an excellent compromise. Bernadette was surprised that Zeke thought of it. “I’m willing to wake up earlier tomorrow morning,” she jumped in.

“We are, too,” Lucas said, and Gail nodded.

The last of Blaze’s hesitation departed. “Alright. We’ll stay here for the night, but we need to be ready to leave at dawn.”

“Great,” Lucas replied. “Let’s get something to eat.” He turned his horse toward the town.

The others went with him.

“What are you planning to eat?” Gail asked him.

“I don’t care as long as it’s hot and there’s a lot of it.” Lucas glanced at the other two men. “No offense to you, Blaze and Zeke, but it’ll be nice to have something that wasn’t cooked over a campfire.”

“I’m just looking forward to the bath,” Gail said. “I used to take bathing every day for granted. I won’t do that when we return to Philadelphia.”

Lucas indicated his agreement.

Bernadette remembered how things were in Pennsylvania, and for the first time since meeting Blaze, she wondered if she should return with them.

When they arrived at the livery stable, Bernadette was tempted to tell Blaze that someone else could help her down from her horse.

However, she held her tongue and accepted his hand.

His touch didn’t thrill her the way it used to.

That was telling, she knew. She just didn’t know what to do about it.

He offered her a smile, and she returned it because it was expected of her.

Then, without thinking, her gaze went to Zeke.

She blinked in surprise when she realized he was watching her.

Yes, she knew he often looked over at her, but for some reason, there was something in his eyes that sparked something inside her.

She didn’t know what to make of it except that it was as if she’d been asleep and had just woken up.

The stableboy came over to take her horse, and Blaze told him, “Have all of these horses ready by dawn tomorrow. We’re heading out early.”

While Blaze continued to make the arrangements, she collected her bedroll and swung it over her shoulder. She made her way to Lucas and Gail. “Are you two on the way to the restaurant right now?”

“Yes, we need to eat before we can do something more interesting,” Lucas replied.

“What is that?” Bernadette asked.

Gail’s face went pink, letting Bernadette know that whatever it was, the matter was too personal for her to know about.

To save her friend from further embarrassment, Bernadette hurried to say, “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad we’re in town for the evening.” Her gaze went back to her brother. “Will you be getting me set up with my hotel room after we eat?”

“Yes, I will,” Lucas replied as he swung his bedroll over his shoulder. “And I’ll make sure to get you a time for a bath. From what Blaze and Zeke have been telling me, we’re going to feel sweaty and dirty in the desert. It sounds like it’s going to get pretty hot during the day.”

“That fits what I’ve read about it,” Gail inserted. “Though it does cool down at night.”

Bernadette hesitated to ask them the next question, but she needed to know if she was going to be stuck with Zeke and Blaze like she’d been the last time they were in town. “Will you two be alone for the rest of the day?”

Lucas glanced at Gail. “Well, I’m sure we will want a good meal later today.” When Gail nodded, he pulled out his pocket watch. “I think seven this evening will be a good time to meet for dinner.”

So after lunch, she wasn’t going to see them again until seven?

Bernadette hid her disappointment. That meant she was stuck with Blaze and Zeke for most of the day.

Maybe she didn’t want to go to Philadelphia.

Lucas and Gail wanted to spend too much time alone.

She had friends back there, but she wasn’t close to any of them.

She had only hung around them because of their schooling.

Her mother had her own group of ladies she spent a lot of time with, and while those ladies were nice, they didn’t have anything in common with someone Bernadette’s age.

She felt lost. She didn’t think she belonged back in Pennsylvania any more than she belonged here.

The actress walked onto the stage and stood in front of a large curtain. She turned to the people sitting on the seats of the amphitheater.

“The Red Ghost only comes out at night.” She paused for a long moment then extended her hand out in dramatic fashion and looked past the audience.

“Some say it’s ten feet tall. Some say it’s bigger.

Much, much bigger. We have seen nothing else like it in all of Arizona.

It feeds on grizzlies. It feeds on wolves.

It even feeds on people.” Her gaze went to the members of the audience, and she pointed to them.

“Nothing—no one—is safe.” She brought her hand to her chest as if to prepare herself for what she needed to say next.

“Some say the Red Ghost came from the very pit of hell. A red, foul-breathing monster with a demon strapped to its back. It’s a terrible fright—this Red Ghost. And it was first seen two years ago.

Yes, right here in Arizona. Near a small cabin near Eagle Creek.

Out in the hill country of eastern Arizona.

Since then, it’s made its way out west, to where we are.

But let me go back to that night when hell opened up its mouth and brought forth this fierce and dreadful beast.”

On the stage, the curtain parted. While the people who produced the play had spent time making the cabin as realistic-looking as they could, Bernadette couldn’t help but think their efforts were crude compared to what she was used to seeing in the theater back East. In the cabin stood two women.

One held a pail. The other was stirring a pot on a cookstove.

The woman who had been speaking before continued, “The year is 1883. It is spring. These women’s husbands have left to check the cattle.

The women have stayed behind with their children.

It’s supposed to be a night like any other.

Unfortunately, this is a night that will change everything.

” She paused again. “Arizona has not been the same since.” She gestured to the two actresses.

“Let’s revisit that horrifying night when the first person died at the hands of the Red Ghost.” She left the stage.

The woman carrying the pail walked over to the one at the cookstove. “I’m going to get some more water for that soup you’re making.”

“Alright,” the other woman said. “Don’t be too long. It’s not safe to linger at the stream.”

The first woman laughed. “I do this every night. It’s perfectly safe. This is God’s country, and I’m a God-fearing woman. Nothing bad is going to happen to me.”

Though the second woman shook her head, the first one left the cabin. She went skipping off the stage. The woman spent some time stirring the pot. For a good minute, nothing happened except for the woman glancing at the clock and commenting on how long it was taking her friend to come back.

Then the first woman let out a shrill scream from off stage.

The woman inside the cabin gasped and ran to the window.

She brought her hands up to her cheeks as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Then she shook her head and screamed, “It can’t be!

It just can’t be!” She gasped and looked away, eyes closed.

Then, in the next second, she opened her eyes and turned her gaze back to the window.

“Oh, God, what is that thing? And…oh God, what is it doing to Lynn?” She let out a shriek and rushed to lock the front door.

Then she got on her knees and clasped her hands in prayer.

“Lord, there are children in this cabin. You can’t let them get mauled like poor Lynn was just now! ”

Next to Bernadette, Blaze rolled his eyes. “It’s no wonder that people are scared around here. Plays like this ought to be outlawed.”

“The Red Ghost is real,” Zeke whispered. “I’m telling you, people have seen it.”

“They didn’t see a monster from hell with a demon on its back,” Blaze argued.

“How can you say they didn’t see anything? There are multiple reports,” Zeke pointed out.

“I agree people are seeing something, but it’s not what they think it is. It’s just a camel.”

Bernadette let out a sigh. Over the past few days the two men had been getting along. Now they were back to bickering over things that made no real difference.

“How do you know that?” Zeke asked. “If you haven’t seen it, you have no right to say it’s a camel.”

“That is the most ridiculous argument I’ve ever heard,” Blaze shot back. “I can turn that back on you with the same argument. You haven’t seen this thing, either, so how do you know it’s a monster?”

The people around them shushed Blaze and Zeke.

As far as Bernadette was concerned, their afternoon of watching the play was over.

She couldn’t concentrate on anything that was going on, let alone hear the actors and actresses.

She got up from her seat and wiggled her way past the others in the audience.

Once she had a clear path to the top of the amphitheater, she headed up the steps.

Zeke and Blaze followed her.

“We’re sorry, Bernadette,” the two called out in hushed tones.

She stopped and turned to face them. “I don’t believe in monsters, but I did think the play seemed interesting,” she whispered. “It would have been nice to actually watch it.”

“We can go back,” Zeke said.

“You two can go back. I don’t want to watch that nonsense,” Blaze inserted. “I would rather spend my time gathering supplies we’ll need for the trip.”

“That’s alright with me.” Zeke turned to her. “There are a lot of people around. I’m sure your brother won’t mind if you’re only accompanied by one of us. I would like to know what the Red Ghost is like and how it acts before I get to Quartzsite.”

Blaze shook his head in disbelief.

“What can it hurt?” Zeke asked. “As my ma says, ‘To be forewarned is to be forearmed.’”

“You’re wasting time that could be spent collecting supplies,” Blaze argued.

“It’s only two. The store doesn’t close until five. The play is an hour long, if you add the singers at the end. We have plenty of time to shop.”

Bernadette couldn’t take it anymore. “Blaze, why don’t you do the shopping? Zeke and I will watch the play.” When Blaze turned his attention to her, she continued, “You don’t need me at the store. I don’t even know what to get.”

Plus, she was rather enjoying the play. She’d like to see what happened to the woman and children left at the cabin, and she’d like to know what happened to the two men who were out checking cattle. She’d been told this was based on a true story. What kind of things happened out here in Arizona?

“Alright.” Blaze threw his hands up in the air. “If you two want to waste your time, go ahead.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to point out he didn’t mind wasting his time shopping for supplies when he could be doing something romantic, like taking her for a stroll or sharing a conversation with her about their future.

She couldn’t help but notice he still wasn’t looking for a preacher.

The more she thought about it, the more she decided she didn’t want to spend the bulk of this afternoon with him.

She might as well spend it with Zeke. At least Zeke wanted to do something she was interested in.

Blaze headed off down the path that led to the center of town.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with him?” Zeke asked.

“I’m sure. Let’s return to the play.” Without waiting for him to respond, she hurried back down the steps in hopes she would be able to figure out what they had missed while gone.