“Looks like you’re still as efficient as ever.”
An exhausted Sheriff Malloy glanced at the woman on the ground, then at Stephen, who was all smiles, and spoke with a hint of resignation.
“I hope you can tell me you had nothing to do with the clinic murder a few days ago.”
Stephen spread his hands, putting on an innocent look.
“The clinic?
What happened at the clinic?”
“Hah, drop the act.
I know you did it,” Sheriff Malloy said through clenched teeth.
“A throat cut like that.
You’re the only one I know who could pull it off.”
“Come on, Sheriff.” Stephen sat down casually in the chair across from him.
“You don’t have any evidence, right?”
“I don’t.
But I can still lock you up right now.
I’m sure a whip and a baton would make you talk.”
Seeing the sheriff’s dark expression and the way he looked ready to act at any moment, Stephen burst out laughing.
“Sheriff, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.” Stephen turned and walked toward the door.
After a couple of steps, he turned back and held out his hand.
“Oh, you haven’t paid my bounty yet.”
The sheriff glared at him, teeth clenched, but there was nothing he could do.
In the end, he pulled a few bills from a drawer and threw them onto the table.
“Take it.
And remember, don’t ever let me catch you.”
“Instead of worrying about me, you should keep an eye on the O’Driscoll Gang.
That gang is real trouble.”
Stephen offered the advice sincerely before walking out.
Left alone, the sheriff’s expression shifted as he stood there, lost in thought.
…
Stephen stepped out of the police station and looked up at the clear sky, suddenly unsure of what to do next.
He wanted to continue tracking down the O’Driscoll Gang, but he had no idea where to start.
They were hiding out in the wilderness, just like the Van der Linde Gang.
The West was so vast that finding them was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The only possible lead was the deputy who had gone to the refinery.
But that man had taken half the police force with him.
That made things complicated.
If Stephen wanted to assassinate him, he would have to kill every officer present.
Otherwise, if word got out, it would be a disaster.
After all, he was a bounty hunter, not a notorious outlaw on a wanted list.
It was better not to act too recklessly.
Stephen thought it over again and again but could not come up with a foolproof plan.
In the end, he gave up.
He stood on the street, watching the lively town that felt completely disconnected from him.
At the same time, he did not feel like returning to Horseshoe Overlook either.
Then he remembered what he had said earlier about buying a camera.
Since he had nothing to do, he might as well go get one now.
Valentine definitely did not sell something that high-end.
Only larger towns nearby, like Blackwater or Saint Denis, would have it.
Having made up his mind, Stephen led his horse to the Valentine train station and bought a ticket to Blackwater.
His luck was good.
Just as he finished buying the ticket, a slow-moving train pulled into the station.
He led his horse to the livestock car, as trains at this time had dedicated compartments for transporting animals.
After settling his horse, he went to sit comfortably in one of the more luxurious passenger cars at the front.
Trains in this era were far from comfortable.
They moved slowly, made a tremendous amount of noise, and spewed thick clouds of smoke as they traveled, making the whole thing feel like a terrifying beast.
Wherever the train went, animals fled in panic.
Anything that stood in its way would be crushed or thrown aside without mercy.
Where the train reached marked the limits of human civilization.
Stephen bought two newspapers to pass the time, but the very first headline gave him quite a shock.
“Dutch Van der Linde and the Van der Linde Gang have robbed a train.”
Stephen already knew about that.
What surprised him was the next line.
“Combined with the $150,000 they previously stole in Blackwater, this criminal gang has become a blight on American society.”
Stephen knew Arthur and the others had caused trouble in Blackwater, but whenever he asked, they always avoided giving a straight answer.
So he had never thought much of it, assuming they had just killed someone or robbed a few stores.
Only now did he realize just how capable they really were…
$150,000.
What kind of number was that?
Stephen had once considered buying a ranch, which would have cost only one or two thousand dollars.
With $150,000, you could probably buy an entire small town.
So why were they still out here causing trouble?
With that much money already, shouldn’t they have retired by now?
Stephen could not make sense of it.
It was not as if they had stolen the money and then just left it behind.
He quickly shook his head.
That was impossible.
No one could be that foolish.
Anyone with that much money would never let it go.
Unless they simply did not care about money at all.
But people like that were rare, and he did not believe the Van der Linde Gang were among them.
The train rumbled forward, and under the constant noise, Stephen began to feel drowsy.
He pulled the newspaper over his face and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Ever since becoming a bounty hunter, he had gotten used to falling asleep anywhere.
That night, as the train slowly crossed Bard’s Crossing and was about to arrive at Riggs Station on the other side, a group of men quietly boarded the train.
They moved along the roof and made their way into the driver’s cabin.
“Damn it, who are you!”
The driver looked in panic at the burly men in black who had suddenly rushed in and hurriedly reached for the rifle beside him.
But it was too late.
The man in front shot him dead with a single bullet and then pulled the brake.
The train came to an abrupt stop.
Sparks burst from the rails, and all the passengers were thrown to the ground by the sudden halt.
Stephen was no exception.
He stood up, rubbed his back, and looked out the window.
A group of men dressed in black, wearing green scarves around their necks, were riding toward the train on horseback.
They let out strange, wild shouts while firing into the air, clearly trying to terrify the passengers.
“Just when I was looking for you everywhere, you come straight to me.”
Stephen’s eyes lit up with excitement.
He turned, kicked aside the passengers lying all over the floor, and quickly ran toward the livestock car at the rear.
Weapons were not allowed on the train, so all his gear was on his horse.
He needed to get to it as fast as possible.