The Coyote of the Painted Plains

**The Coyote of the Painted Plains** is the sixth episode of the first season of The Penumbra Podcast. It was released May 24, 2016.

## Overview

They warned her about the bandits, but Mary Anne didn’t listen. She was engaged, she said; her fiancée was moving to Crossroads, and even if Crossroads was crawling with bandits, she didn’t have much of a choice. Sheriff Beau Richmond asked her to marry him; Mary Anne said yes; and that, as far as Mary Anne knew, was the end of it.

It might have been the end to Mary Anne’s entire story, too – decades married to a man whom she liked well enough, she guessed, stop asking, please – if the bandit hadn’t stopped the train. Chance Sequoyah is a very special bandit. Sure, she’ll take the usual things: money, necklaces, watches. But she plans on taking something else, too: Mary Anne Watkins.

### Trigger Warnings

* Death and violence
* Guns
* Kidnapping
* Sudden loud noises
* Racism

## Episode Summary

Mary Anne and her fiancé, Beau, are traveling via train to a town called Crossroads. The two are moving to seek better opportunities and to start a new life, with Beau slated to become the sheriff of the town. As they talk, the train comes to a sudden stop. A gunshot is heard, and it is revealed that the train is held up by a female bandit. The bandit steals every passenger's belongings and is about to leave when a child gets up and walks towards her. Alarmed, Mary Anne rushes up and pushes herself in front of the child to protect him. The bandit is surprised by her actions, asking her what she does for a living. Mary Anne reveals that she's a school teacher, and had planned on moving to Crossroads to teach. After a moment of thought, the bandit decides to steal Mary Anne, too. Beau, who has stood quaking in his boots the entire time, promises to find her.

Upon arriving in town, Beau is extremely distraught at Mary Anne's disappearance. He hires a man named Joe Nix to track down Mary Anne, despite one resident's warnings about his questionable morals. While Beau nervously explains the situation, Nix remains silent. He reveals the name of the bandit, Chance. Eventually, he agrees to do the job, and the two ride off into the desert.

Mary Anne wakes up in Chance's hideout after being kidnapped. Upon trying to escape, she quickly finds out that Chance had a group of children living with her, and is under the initial impression that she had kidnapped them. She angrily confronts Chance about this, when Chance reveals that all of these children were abandoned or otherwise orphaned. Chance then gently reveals the real reason why she kidnapped Mary Anne--to teach the children. She also explains that if she didn't want to stay, she wouldn't have to. She goes to hold Mary Anne's hand, but Mary Anne withdraws, asking Chance what kind of woman she thought she was.

Mary Anne sharply declines Chance's offer and marches out, intending to make her way back to Crossroads. However, the children approach Mary Anne, asking her to tell them a story, and she reluctantly agrees. By the end of the day, she finds herself enjoying the experience.

The next morning, Mary Anne tells Chance that she intends to leave. Though Chance is sad to see her go, she says she won't keep her there against her will. Suddenly, the scene is interrupted by a gunshot--Joe Nix has discovered Chance's hideout. Beau is knocked unconscious in the first part of the fight. After a brief shootout, Nix kidnaps one of the children, Billy, and says he'll shoot him if Chance doesn't duel him. Chance is forced to follow Nix, and the two ride off. Distraught, Mary Anne decides to take Beau's horse and follow Chance to try to save her. Beau wakes up just in time to see Mary Anne being kidnapped by his own force.

Nix reveals that Chance had cheated him his fair share of loot from a job and wanted revenge. He taunts her, saying that he picked her up off the street and offered her more than anyone else could have given her. The two then get ready to duel, but, Nix cheats and shoots at Chance before the count. He gloats over his apparent victory, but it is revealed that Chance has dodged the bullet and shoots him twice, causing him to collapse. Mary Anne arrives, checking to make sure both Billy and Chance are alright. Their conversation is interrupted by Beau's arrival. As he still believes that Chance has kidnapped Mary Anne, he shoots her in the leg. Furious, Mary Anne yells at Beau and rushes over to Chance. To her relief, Chance is okay, and Mary Anne knocks Beau out again. Chance and Mary Anne then kiss, riding off into the sunset.

## Cast and Crew

### Cast

Starring

* Kate Jones as Mary Anne
* Sophie Kaner as Chance Sequoyah
* Dan Squizzero as Sherrif Beau Richmond
* Elliott Sicard as Joe Nix
* William Jury (?) as Billy
* Noah Simes as George Willis, Tobias and The Conductor

## Trivia

 One-Shots
 Bonus Episodes