Against a Purple Sky

Against a Purple Sky

Lillian's old boots slipped in the mud and rocks on the path as it grew steeper, she was tired, but she knew she had to reach the line shack by nightfall. A stiff cold wind bit at her face and Lillian's short curly grey hair danced in an uneven rhythm around her face. She wished she had stopped to put on a jacket, but it was too late to think of such things now. If she couldn't reach her destination before dark she would feel the wrath of the mountain. It was dangerous for anymore to be alone on the trail at night, especially a 70 year-old, no matter how tough she may be. But it really wasn't the mountain that scared her, it was what waited for her in the dilapidated old line shack.

She drew strength from the sudden burst of anger that boiled up inside her, Slowly she groped at her waistband for the handle of her little 38 pistol. yes, it was still there. She was glad she had stopped to retrieve it from the cab of her pick-up before she started her climb but she wondered now if she should have brought her shotgun. She knew she should have called the authorities but Sanchez had warned her not to or Mandy might get hurt. She had already lost enough in her life time, she didn't want to lose her Granddaughter too.

It is easy to wonder why a woman her age would even attempt something like this out here all alone. But Lillian was used to the high country, her weathered face gave testimony to the years she had spent out under the open sky. Her Papa had named her Lillian, He said it was a beautiful name for a beautiful girl, and she had been that once, beautiful, but years of hard work and sorrow had written the rest of her story in deep lines across her face. But she had known joy, surely it was just yesterday she was a young girl dancing through the dizzying heights on this mountain.

Her Father had been one of the first ranchers to bring his herd into this part of the high country back in the 40's just before the second big war. In fact he made a small fortune selling beef to the Government. He used to quote the old adage that says "An Army moves on it's stomach". Jack Billings liked the wide open spaces where there was room for a man with an independent spirit and active mind. He was able to accomplish things that had never been done before. He was laughed at the time but many of his innovative methods were textbook now. Lillian was proud to be his daughter.

She remembered how it used to be, when she could out rope, out shoot and out ride any man in the county. Except for Jim, he wasn't much to look at and she barely noticed him when Papa had hired him on as a hand. But there was a quiet self-assurance about him and he had honest blue eyes. Or maybe it was the way he wore his battered old Stetson hat. She remembered how he'd stamped out his cigarette with the heel of his boot and strolled over to where she was sitting on the porch. He smiled as he addressed her with his deep Texas drawl ."Hello there Darlin' is your Daddy home?" Her Papa was skeptical at first but in time he reluctantly agreed to accept Jim as his son-in-law. It seemed impossible that she had lost him because of a horse. She still missed them so, her Papa and Jim.

Her faded eyes scanned the horizon, it was still a little early for snow, but soon the rocks and crannies around her would be covered with a sugary glaze of white powder. Then the real storms would come, when the wind morns like a scorned lover and the snow and ice are as cold as a sinners heart. But she knew it would be wonderful then, like a fairy world on some distant planet, cold, lonely and beautiful.

She was a thin woman but she walked tall, and her old jeans and blur checkered shirt hung loosely on her frame. She was muscular and stronger than most women her age, which was one of the benefits of years of hard work. She paused a moment when she thought she heard a horse whiny somewhere in the distance. It was a lonely sound and it made her heart ache.

For a moment she wished for the warmth and companionship of her little horse Benny, he was a good friend. Lillian had worked with horses all her life., to ride was as natural as breathing. Horses were more trustworthy than people, given the choice Lillian would prefer a house every time. But there was one horse that still inhibited her dreams and her nightmares, the horse Diablo.

She was just 18 when Diablo came to her, he was a birthday gift from her father, he was just a young colt but even then his spirit was evident. He was different and he was special. His coat glistened in the sunshine like polished black onyx. It was evident that he came from a royal bloodline. His grandfather had been part of the stable of the queen of England and his Mother had been a full-blooded Quarter horse. She never dared ask what he cost but she was sure he had been worth every penny. He was the sort of thing dreams are made of..

She lost both him and Jim the terrible night of the fire. Even after 30 years the memory caught in her throat. There was a storm and a flash of lightning and someone shouted that the barn was on fire. Jim knew what Diablo meant to her and tried to save him. The horse broke free and ran into the storm. Lillian remembered screaming his name and running through the rain, but he probably ended up dead in some dark wet ravine.

Jim felt responsible and took off by himself to try to find Diablo, even though she begged him not to, It was not long before they quit looking for the horse and started looking for Jim. They looked for weeks but all they ever found was where he had camped, far out on the trail, there was nothing but his saddle, a few cigarette butts, and the burned wood from his campfire. other than this no trace was ever found of either man or horse.

Now she was an old woman and once again she was on the mountain searching for a piece of her heart. Her Granddaughter Mandy was all the family she had left. Her mind went back to the day 13 years earlier when the dark sedan had turned down the long driveway that led to her house. She as curious when the pretty yellow-haired lady in the green suit had exited the car with a brief case full of papers.

She got right to the point. "Are you Lillian MacGregor?" When Lillian affirmed that she was, the woman asked her to sit down.

"Mrs, MacGregar we regret to inform you that your daughter Lisa was found dead in a motel in Tucson three months ago."

Lillian's mouth was silent but her heart screamed. "three months ago!! How could this be true?" Lisa was Lillian's only child, why hadn't she been informed?" Then they told her it had taken that long to identify the body. Lisa was never satisfied in the high country , she was restless and eager to experience the world beyond. Jim could talk to her but with Lillian there was a disconnect. after Jim died Lisa just packed her bags and walked away. Lillian thought she'd come home some day. but she never did.

The lady from the Sedan began to fugit. She had other things to do that day. Then all at once she rose and headed for the car. Yellow hair was all business again. "Under the circumstances the state thought you might want custody of your granddaughter."

"Granddaughter, what Granddaughter? Lillian stammered. The lady walked to the car and pulled out a sleepy little dark-haired cherub. "This is Mandy, she's three years old and she's yours if you want her." After Lillian signed the papers the Social worker thrust the child into her arms and drove away. Lillian looked into the dark eyes of her Granddaughter and decided that here may be hope in the world after all,

Mandy had been Lillian's second chance, and she tried to shelter her as best she could from the evils of the outside world. As a result Mandy was a bit naive, even for one so young. But a sweeter child never walked the earth than Mandy MacGregor. Where her mother had been difficult Mandy was easy, she was bright and loving and eager to please. The cowboys made a pet of her and the animals were her playmates, she could rope and she could ride as well as any of the hands and Lillian loved her completely. Now she too was gone, in the hands of evil, up on the mountain.

Lillian tested the wind, what was that faint smell in the dampness? Cigarette smoke? She felt nervous but pressed on toward the line shack. The sun was setting behind the blue hills. And the sky lit up with red and orange flames dusted with blue smoke against the purple sky. There was never any doubt she loved these mountains. Wild horses still wondered here, as did cougar and deer. Jackrabbits played hide and seek in the rocks and brush and the occasional wolf sounded his call from somewhere above the timberline.

Lillian was startled from her thoughts when something rustled just above her on the trail. The dark shape of a man immerged from the brush in the dim twilight. "Take it easy Ms Lil, it's just me". It was Jason, one of her young hands, he was a big man, but surprisingly agile and he moved like a big cat through the rocks and brush. "I was worried about you Ma'am, you ran off in such a hurry, I thought you might could use some help out here." She was glad to see a small pack on his back and that in one hand he cradled his beloved rifle, even as he extended his other hand toward her. In spite of the relief she felt Lillian answered him gruffly. "you shouldn't have come boy! I am okay"! I was tracking in these hills when you were still in diapers." Jason laughed, "Maybe so!" he said, that could mean you're good but it also means you're old."

She shook her head at his attempt at humor and refused his outstretched hand. "Well, come on boy" she said, "don't drag around and slow me down." Jason was a local boy, he grew up not far from the ranch. He wasn't fooling Lillian about his enthusiasm with Ranch work, she had seen how his eyes lite up when Mandy walked by. Her old heart quickened just a bit as she remembered her and Jim. But she wasn't worried, still just barely 20 it was obvious Jason was a mountain man. He would do nicely.

She had even seen him defend Mandy once when Pete had made a crude remark. Folks usually left Pete alone, he had a crazy streak in him when he got angry and you never could be sure what he would do, Crazy Pete they called him and the name was well earned. Pete was twice Jason's age and had worked for Lillian's dad, she understood what kind of man he was but he was a good hand and if not provoked he usually stayed out of trouble. She feared his disagreement with Jason wasn't over.

Lillian wished now that she had been a little more careful about Pete Johnson, she knew what kind of a man Pete was, but she never would have thought he would sell out to someone like Ramon Sanchez.

When Sanchez showed up at her door two months ago claiming to be Mandy's father Lillian immediately demanded aa blood test. But it was obvious that he had known Lisa from the things he could tell them about her. At first he seemed honest enough about the situation. He said he'd been serving a long prison sentence when Lisa died and hadn't been able to find his daughter before now. He assured them he had been falsely accused and that he had turned over a new leaf. He said he just wanted to get to know his daughter and make a new life for himself.

It was obvious to everyone that Mandy had Spanish blood. Yet in her dark eyes Lillian could see a reflection of Lisa., as she did in the turn of her nose and the pout of her beautiful lips. She was Lisa's child Lillian was sure of that, but she was not so sure about Sanchez. But He produced letters in Lisa's handwriting addressed to him in prison which spoke of Mandy, so an uneasy truce was formed between Sanchez and Lillian. Mostly because Mandy wanted to know her father. "I loved her very much Senora'" he told Lillian with large sad eyes. "I wanted to marry her and give our little girl my name, but I was arrested before I got a chance." He was handsome and clever and full of exciting stories about his adventures and his time on the road,. Mandy was enamored with him from the first and refused to listen to Lillian's misgivings. "You don't have to be jealous Granma." she said "I have room in my heart for both of you.". It was hard for Lillian to deny Mandy anything, so she told him he could stay in the guest house for a while. It was a decision she would soon regret. Ramon Sanchez was a dangerous, unstable man. Though she tried to keep it to herself, Lillian put in a call to the authorities. But unfortunately they were slow getting back to her.

Lillian and Jason were making slow progress up the steep incline. It was getting dark now and twilight fell over the hills like a dark dusty shadow. The cold made the climbing uncomfortable but neither stopped to complain. Finally Jason ventured to speak. "Did Pete go with them?" "Yes" as she answered, Lillian could sense his uneasiness, "I'm afraid so". She knew he dreaded facing Pete again. In the semi-darkness Jason noticed a tiny flicker of light just off to his left. And he thought he heard the rustle of dry leaves. He grabbed Lillian's arm, she had seen it too. He pushed Lillian behind him and crept forward for a closer look, but saw nothing. ""Someone was there!" he whispered. He was not used to being outwitted on this mountain. Then there was a snort on the bluff above them and there in the dim light Lillian could make out the shape of a horse. "Look there!" Lillian whispered, but when Jason lifted his eyes the horse was gone. Lillian felt cold, but not because of the weather, it came from somewhere deep inside her.

Quickly Sanchez's attitude had changed toward Lillian, as he attempted to gain control he ceased to call her Senora' and began to address her simply as "old woman." Mandy laughed at this because she thought it was a joke but it aggravated most of the hands. Everyone was in a surly mood except Pete. Sanchez began to show a lot of interest in the ranch, he ordered the hands around and complained loudly about everything in general. He asked to see her books and talked about her profit margin. But Lillian was wise enough to keep those things to herself and refused to accept his unsolicited advice.

Sanchez quickly made a friend of Pete Johnson with promises of fast money and they spent days riding back and fourth through the rough countryside. Sanchez was a surprisingly good horseman and treated it all like a holiday. This is how he found the line shack and it seemed to be just what he was looking for.. It was far enough up the mountain to make it difficult to find and situated in just such a way that no one could reach it without first being seen. Sanchez was tired of interference from the authorities and had promised himself he would be very careful when choosing a place to set up again . This position would be a little difficult to maintain but Sanchez wanted to work in peace. He was sure he could bully the old woman into almost anything. Pete assured him nobody used the old shack anymore, he doubted if anyone even knew it was there, except maybe the old woman and the kid. There was just three things Sanchez wanted from Lillian, money, a place to set up his Meth lab and his daughter. She would provide "cover" for him, and as long as he had Mandy he knew she would keep her mouth shut. In spite of the many lies Sanchez had told since his arrival, there was one thing that was true. Mandy was his daughter. He still wanted her to trust him.

For days Sanchez and Pete ferried supplies and equipment up the mountain, Lillian wondered at the odd assortment of things they loaded on their pack mules. Among other things there was ether, alcohol, iodine crystals, Epsom salts, and propane cylinders, paint thinner, several hot plates, rock salt and ammonia. These were not things one usually took up the mountain. Sanchez grinned in a rare moment of levity "We just want to perform a little science experiment." None of it made sense to Lilian and she was growing increasingly concerned.

Then one morning two members of Sanchez's gang showed up, He brought them in the house just as Lillian and Mandy sat down to breakfast. He introduced the painfully thin young woman and her swarthy companion as his "cook" and his "bodyguard". He grinned as he made her a thinly veiled threat, "You got to treat them nice old woman" Jose' he gets a little grumpy sometimes. He was obviously enjoying the effect he was having on her, then he made a chilling announcement. "Mandy is going up on the mountain with us for a while, we want to have a little family time. You can stay here old woman we would certainly hate for anything to happen to you."

Mandy loved the outdoors; she and Lillian spent many happy hours fishing the streams and enjoying the trails. The prospect of spending time on the mountain with her Dad excited her, "Don't worry Grandma, this will be fun."

Lillian wondered why it had taken so long to get back the information on Sanchez that she had sent for. But He answered the question as the little group was about to leave. He leered at Lilian when as he walked back into the house "You want to know who I am old woman?" "Just check your fax machine at 10:00" then he pushed her hard against the wall with his forearm, his face so close to hers that she could smell the stink of his breath when he spoke. "You say one word to anyone old woman, and I'll cut your throat myself". Just then Mandy called from outside, telling her Grandmother goodbye once again. He backed away slowly and smiled, "I just wanted to make sure we understood each other," then he turned and finally left.

Slowly Lillian sank into a chair, weak with rage, in all her life she had never been so treated by any man. In spite of her rough exterior she was a lady. First she had been the Boss's daughter then she had been the boss, Even the wild cowboys held to a certain code of chivalry. This world was new to her. She waited and watched the clock, she had to know for sure if he controlled the flow of information she was getting. Just as promised the Fax machine rang it's warning at 10:00 and when she read it's offering her blood ran cold.

Ramon Esteves Gonzales Sanchez was born in Juarez Mexica, one of 11 children he came into the United States illegally. He had been arrested 6 times for various drug activities including transporting cocaine from deep in Mexico. He had served 5 years in Federal Penitentiary, and been deported back to Mexico, but he always returned. He was a known member of the Costa Nostra. Several murders were linked to him. Apparently he was what is often known as a "Enforcer". But his special interest was the manufacture and sales of Methamphetamine. He was also a person of interest in the death of Lisa Marie MacGregor. He was known for his bad temper and violent behavior.

? Lillian was usually a careful planner, she ran the ranch by herself for years and was used to controlling the comings and goings of her men, But now she felt like a Momma Bear ready to defend her cub. She grabbed her pistol and her pickup truck and headed for the mountain.

Jason found the Fax, but it was only after Lillian left. it had taken him a while to figure out what was going on and where she had gone.. He was glad he kept his pack ready and had cleaned his rifle the night before. He easily overtook Lillian on the trail, there might have been a time when he would have had more trouble but she was in such a hurry she grew careless about concealing her tracks.

? Finally they reached the little ridge known as Nibblett's bluff. In the old days ranchers kept small cabins outfitted for their men, in case of emergencies. Through the years most such places were destroyed but Lillian had kept this one little place as a little camp for her and Mandy to enjoy. As they neared the cabin the windows glowed dimly and the hum of voices rose from the tattered building. If they could have seen more clearly they would have noticed the ground around the cabin was littered with trash, Lantern fuel cans, antifreeze containers, empty drain clearer bottles, coffee filters and assorted food waste papers and overflowing trash bins outside

We can't just go storming in there Ms. Lil they'd sure kill us", Jason said his eyes wide, "What'll we do Ms. Lil? What'll we do? "I don't know boy," Lillian told him "Let's just set here a bit and maybe they'll come to us."

Lillian and Jason found a place up against the side of the cliff to keep watch. They were careful to keep the cliff behind them as protection against ambush. Jason brought a thin blanket and a couple of granola bars out of his pack. Lillian took the bar gratefully and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, she hadn't eaten since morning and was feeling a little weak. Leaning against the rock she felt foolish, an aging cowgirl who ran off into the wilderness like Rambo's Grandma to save the day. She knew she should have involved the authorities. Jason was a big strong boy but he was still just a boy and now she had to worry about him getting hurt too. She didn't know what she would tell his Mother if he died on this wild goose chase she had led him on. Yet she had to do something or she would lose Mandy. Lillian was never one to give in to tears, but there in the darkness hot little droplets trickled down her face. She was glad the boy couldn't see.. This was bigger than she was and for the first time in years she searched the sky and thought of one who is bigger than us all. "Dear Lord" she prayed "I am sorry I got us in this big old mess, I can't handle it, Lord if not for me, for Mandy and Jason, please help us, we can't help ourselves." She remembered how her Momma had prayed and she wondered how she ha let these things slip away..

? After a while she became aware of what smelled like cigarette smoke. It was so strong she almost said something to Jason about being foolish enough to light up and take a chance on being seen, but she knew he never smoked. Slowly she got up and looked around but could see nothing. Yet she sensed something familiar, something reassuring. "Do you smell that"? she asked the boy. "Smell what? He answered.

Together they sat far into the night waiting for an opportunity to act, till about midnight at last it came. In a sudden flesh the cabin exploded the sound shook the hills and lit up the night.

Jason was on his feet in an instant running toward the inferno, Lillian was on her feet too and by the light of the flame happily made out the shape of Mandy running hard toward them. But Pete was in hot pursuit shouting senseless obscenities about what he was going to do to her and about her ruining everything. Jason sprang to his feet like a Couger, fists flew and they rolled in the dirt and gravel, from somewhere Pete draw a knife.

Lillian ran to Mandy, her face was wet with tears, the girl embraced her, insane fear registered in Mandy's eyes.

Suddenly Lillian felt herself being grabbed by her hair from behind and thrown to the ground. Sanchez, his shirt half burned off his body was bending over her, a angry knife in his hand. "You are the cause of this old woman," he hissed through his teeth. " Now I will cut out your liver" Lillian tensed and closed her eyes, waiting for what she knew would come next. Then she thought her fear was causing her to imagine things, she was sure she heard the snort of a horse, then Sanchez screamed.

That morning a Black Foot county Sheriff's Deputy found a weeping girl and a young cowboy with a bad shoulder wound limping back down the mountain. Up on Nibblett's Bluff in a burned out cabin they found two unidentified bodies in the rubble. outside they found the body of local cowboy Pete Johnson with a stab wound in his chest. Not far from the cabin they also found the body of drug kingpin Ramon Sanchez. The Coroner ruled thar even though he was badly burned on his left arm it appeared that he had died from being trampled by a large horse. No trace of Lillian MacGregor was ever found. The only other clues were a rather worn and beat-up Stetson hat and a few burned out cigarette butts

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