Canyon City was made up of a few stores, the main office of the Damon Stagecoach Company, and a hotel that catered to travelers who had to wait - sometimes several days - for accommodations on the stage coach. Jake Parker ran the hotel, and spent most of his time behind the counter in the lobby. He was there when Jim Blake entered and slapped dust from his well-worn clothing. He'd stayed there for one night a year ago, and was aiming to stay in town. But first, he needed to get the stagecoach from Carsonville and back, to take his gold to the bank, and he intended to ride along with the stage to make sure it got there - even though there had been several stagecoach hold-ups and talk of Indian unrest...