Seems like that murdering bastard isn’t in Clearwater.
Once Shady (and Ma Hensley) are feeling a bit better, Deputy Bosock asks the Oak Hill Boys to find Zach Hensley, wanted for killing Gus Stanton. The young lawman suggests the fellas ask around several of the businesses near Hensley Meats. The cartwright and Chinese laundry are owned by members of the Hensley clan.
As they head over to that part of town, the boys spy a nervous looking woman loading up supplies into a buckboard wagon, just outside Hensley Meats. Curious, they investigate. And the woman’s story comes gushing out.
Her name’s Lorena Letterfield. And she needs help. Her daughter and husband are prisoners back at her homestead. A stranger came to their home a few days ago. He pistol-whipped her husband, Andrew, and scared Lorena’s daughter, Beatrix, nearly to death. The man has taken over the place, threatening to kill Andrew if anyone gets out of line.
The man sent Lorena into town for supplies and she is to head straight back once she gets them, talking with no one.
Seeing that this thug is perhaps their elusive target, Zach Hensley, the Oak Hill Boys quickly hatch a plan.
And for once, it seems to go off without a hitch.
Upon arrival to the homestead, they see Andrew trussed up in the bedroom. Zach is sprawled out in front of the fireplace. The Boys make their move at dinnertime, when they know that Zach will be at the dinner table and Lorena and Beatrix will be in the kitchen. This gives the women enough time to escape just as Louis and Royce enter the home through the kitchen, while Ezra and Jack breach the front door.
But Zach doesn’t go down without a fight. And he ends up dying from a well-placed rifle shot from Ezra.
Zach’s body is taken back to Clearwater and all is explained to Deputy Bosock, who appreciates The Boys efforts to bring some measure of justice to Gus and the town.
Just as they are preparing to leave Clearwater, Jack gets a handwritten invitation from Lydia, the beautiful – and now fairly well off – Widow Wright. She formally asks for him to accompany her to her dear, departed brother’s funeral. The service takes place at the Church of Our Redeemer, on the outskirts of town.
Jack accepts. After all, what could go wrong?
That next afternoon, under the heat of the Arizona sun, a small crowd gathers to say goodbye to the town’s slow, but well-meaning citizen, Gus Stanton. All seem to be wearing their Sunday best.
Louis, Royce and Ezra seem to be a little uncomfortable in their duds. Ezra adjusts his collar. Royce swallows as a bead of sweat trickle down his shirt. And Louis thinks of the whiskey he will be enjoying at the Crystal Palace.
Looking magnificent, Jack stands by Lydia near the freshly dug hole. A gravedigger sits on the edge of a wagon nearby, clearly bored and hot.
The preacher begins the service…
And a gunshot rings out.
More gunfire erupts from the church roof, a mausoleum and from behind a tree southeast of the mourners.
The shots find their marks as the preacher is hit, a citizen drops and bullets fly near Lydia’s feet.
The Oak Hill Boys spring into action. Jack pushes Lydia into the grave and urges her to stay put. Royce finds cover between two sarcophagi and returns fire. Ezra leaps behind a grave marker and focuses his marksmanship on the two men on the church roof. While Louis gets cover near the gravedigger’s wagon, focusing on the shooter north of them, by the mausoleum.
Townspeople scatter as more gunfire is exchanged. And eventually, after getting a little shot up themselves, Ezra, Royc, Jack and Louis emerge the victors, defending the funeral party and killing the snipers.
It is never clear why the would-be killers were there. But the Boys had had just about enough of Clearwater.
They needed to return to Winslow to clear their names. From a newspaper story, they found out Jack is wanted for questioning. Seems he was one of the last man seeing a prisoner in the Winslow jail before the man escaped…
Dry Gulch Bugle 