Tying Up Loose EndsAfter Reece's death, a long-drawn-out and particularly agonizing one, the Scrimshaw ranch, built up over the years by Silas, passed over to the single remaining claimant – Manuela. She, however, had disappeared, never to be heard of again. Some said she went south, into Texas, others that she went east, to New York, where she prospered.
Ritter was the benefactor now. After they escaped from El Paso and made their way north, he and Nati, together with Jeremiah, took over the running of the ranch and lived out their lives in peace.
Nobody pursued them and Doctor Wainright's full explanation of what happened seemed to satisfy everyone that the deaths of the cowhands and their boss was a matter of self-defence. Father Merry, however, remained in a chronic state until he di
