Quarter to Midnight E-Book

Ned Oaks

• Herausgeber: Robert Hale
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Steve Karner was attacked one night in the woods outside Stayton, Oregon. Beaten nearly to death and thrown in the river, he hadn't been seen in years, and everyone assumed he was dead. But then the men who had tried to kill him started dying, one by one, and it soon became apparent that Karner was not only alive, but riding a vengeance trail that wouldn't end until he had found the mastermind behind the attempted murder. There are many dangers to be faced along the way, however - a tough town marshal who wants to get to the truth, a cunning young millionaire who will use all his family's power to protect his secrets, and a cold-blooded hired killer who's been paid a very tidy sum to kill Steve Karner. It all comes together in a brutal final showdown in which the truth is revealed . . . and only one man is left standing.

Leseprobe

Quarter to Midnight

Steve Karner was attacked one night in the woods outside Stayton, Oregon. Beaten nearly to death and thrown in the river, he hadn’t been seen in years, and everyone assumed he was dead. But then the men who had tried to kill him started dying, one by one, and it soon became apparent that Karner was not only alive, but riding a vengeance trail that wouldn’t end until he had found the mastermind behind the attempted murder.

There are many dangers to be faced along the way, however—a tough town marshal who wants to get to the truth, a cunning young millionaire who will use all his family’s power to protect his secrets, and a cold-blooded hired killer who’s been paid a very tidy sum to kill Steve Karner. It all comes together in a brutal final showdown in which the truth is revealed … and only one man is left standing.

By the same author

The Drygulch Trail

Quarter to Midnight

Ned Oaks

© Ned Oaks 2016

First published in Great Britain 2016

ISBN 978-0-7198-2146-2

The Crowood Press

The Stable Block

Crowood Lane

Ramsbury

Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

Robert Hale is an imprint

of The Crowood Press

The right of Ned Oaks to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

CHAPTER ONE

Moonlight reflected off the windows of the carriage as the train moved through the night. It had departed from Bend a little after ten o’clock, heading west toward Salem. There were only a few people on board in the three passenger cars. Nearly all were sleeping as the powerful locomotive chugged its way through the darkness to the Oregon capital.

Jack Buckley had been very drunk for hours before he got on the train. He was sitting toward the front of the last passenger car, dozing fitfully. Occasionally he would awaken and pull the flask of whiskey from the pocket of his heavy sheepskin coat, treating himself to a healthy swig. Drops of rotgut dripped from the whiskers on his chin. When he looked out of the window, all he saw was the dark outline of the tree-cloaked ridges, and sometimes he looked down into the yawning canyons that bordered the railroad tracks.

He belched loudly and sat up straighter in his seat. They still had about three hours before the train reached Salem. He thumbed his Stetson to the back of his head and glanced over his shoulder at the other passengers. An elderly couple was sleeping in their seats about halfway back in the car. The woman had her head on the man’s shoulder, and his head was leaning up against the window, his mouth agape as he snored. Buckley twisted a little in his seat and looked toward the back. A young man with a thick beard sat in the last row of seats, his black hat pulled down over his face. He appeared to be asleep, too. There was no one else in the carriage.