Chapter 14 - The Sheriff Who Lost EverythingBriggs had spent years building an empire. In one night, it came crashing down around him.
The explosion tore through the mine.
Briggs dropped the deed.
Gerard dragged Isabella away.
Ariel grabbed the papers.
Water burst through the stone wall.
The underground reservoir had been breached.
Briggs screamed:
"The dam!"
Arthur appeared at the entrance.
"Get out!"
They ran.
The tunnel flooded.
Men were swept away.
Timbers shattered.
Stone collapsed.
Briggs disappeared into the darkness.
Ariel and Gerard escaped into the open valley.
Behind them, the mountainside split.
A wall of water thundered through the abandoned mine.
Then silence.
For several seconds nobody moved.
Isabella coughed.
Ruby held her.
Gerard searched the hills.
"Where's Arthur?"
Ariel's heart sank.
Then a horse appeared.
Arthur rode toward them.
Alive.
Barely.
His coat was torn.
Blood covered one side of his face.
He dismounted.
"Briggs is gone."
Ariel looked at the ruined mountain.
"Dead?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No body."
Gerard swore.
Ariel closed her eyes.
Then she felt something beneath her boot.
A piece of paper.
She picked it up.
It was Briggs's final ledger.
At the bottom was a name.
Not Briggs.
Not Arthur.
Someone far more powerful.
The governor of Wyoming Territory.
Ariel looked up.
"This isn't over."
Arthur nodded.
"No."
Gerard took the ledger.
"Then we finish it."
They returned to Bitter Creek.
The town had changed.
People came out of hiding.
Merchants.
Miners.
Families.
They saw Ariel riding beside Gerard.
The supposed Mountain Devil.
The woman who had married him before his execution.
The widow who now controlled Black Ridge.
One by one, people approached.
They brought documents.
Testimony.
Letters.
Proof.
Briggs had harmed nearly everyone.
The town finally spoke.
The federal marshal arrived three days later.
Arthur gave his testimony.
Gerard gave his.
Isabella gave hers.
Ariel presented the ledger.
The governor's involvement became public.
A federal investigation began.
Briggs's property was seized.
The railroad contracts were canceled.
The Black Ridge water reserve was placed under federal protection.
But one question remained.
Briggs was never found.
Weeks later, Ariel and Gerard returned to their cabin.
The snow had melted.
The creek ran clear.
Ariel stood on the porch.
Gerard came behind her.
"You could leave."
She smiled.
"I could."
"Philadelphia is waiting."
"I know."
"You have enough money now."
"I know."
"You could buy the finest dress in the city."
"I've always wanted one."
Gerard smiled.
"Then why stay?"
Ariel turned.
"Because I came west looking for a husband who would save me."
She touched his hand.
"Instead I found a man worth saving."
Gerard looked at her.
Then he kissed her forehead.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
Until a horse appeared on the ridge.
A rider dismounted.
He held a sealed envelope.
"Mrs. Jimenez?"
Ariel nodded.
The rider handed it to her.
There was no return address.
Inside was one sentence.
Your husband is not who you think he is.
May you like
Ariel looked at Gerard.
His face had gone completely white.
