CHAPTER 23
Several days had passed since Malcolm Fletcher came back from a planned robbery without three of his sons. The cloud of mourning that had descended upon the Fletcher household was as dense as on that night when the exhausted horses of Malcolm, Liam, and Ada walked slowly into the barnyard. Melva Fletcher could not bring herself to forgive her husband for leading her sons into slaughter at the bank in Tinhorn.
“They knew we were comin’. It was a trap.” Malcolm pleaded with her to understand he’d had no way of knowing.
“How did they know?” Melva demanded. “Who told them you and the boys would try to rob the bank on that mornin’?” She pointed a finger at him and accused. “You, that’s who told them. You and your braggin’ about how you and Harley had such a big time makin’ fools outta the sheriff and his deputy. They knew you was up to somethin’ and started watchin’ out for you to come back. And now, who’s laughin’?”
“Melva, honey,” he pleaded. “That don’t make no sense a-tall. There weren’t nothin’ I said that coulda give that sheriff any such notion. Hell, he bought me and Harley a drink of likker. At least, the deputy did. We just ran into some bad luck. You oughta be glad I was able to get away.” He tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she backed away from him. “You oughten to be like that, honey. They was my loss, too.”
“You just don’t come near me right now,” she warned him, “or I’m liable to take this skillet and beat you to death with it.” She held up the heavy iron frying pan and made a threatening motion with it. “Me and Nelda will cook for you and your no-good brother-in-law and his crazy daughter because we’ve got to eat.” She pointed out the window at thirteen-year-old Cody coming out of the barn. “I’ve got to take care of him, or you’ll have him ridin’ off with you and Liam and Ada to rob somebody.”
The spat in the kitchen between husband and wife was clearly heard in the parlor where Trask and Ada waited impatiently for Malcolm to join them.
“Sounds like Malcolm is gonna be sleepin’ in one of the boys’ rooms tonight,” Liam Trask commented coldly.
“He needs to get his behind in here,” Ada complained. “I don’t know what he’s thinkin’, takin’ his time decidin’ what we’re gonna do. You know that sheriff in Tinhorn ain’t gonna get a posse together to try to find us. All he cares about is keepin’ trouble outta his town. Besides, he doesn’t know I was there and the bank didn’t lose a penny. If anybody shows up here, it might be the Rangers. They’ve got a man missin’ down this way.”
“And whose fault is that?” Malcolm asked as he walked into the room in time to hear Ada’s comment. “Seems to me that Ranger you shot came down this way lookin’ for you.”
“I did what you and your brave sons were too damned yellow to do,” she hissed. “What did you think I was gonna do? Hand him my gun and surrender? The Rangers ain’t got any reason to suspect you of anything. They’re just lookin’ everywhere for that missin’ Ranger. If they come by here, I’ll hide till they leave. What are you so worried about?” She glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger. “What really happened in that bank in Tinhorn? You said there wasn’t but one man inside the bank. And he shot two of your brave sons and my brother, too? Where the hell were you while all that was goin’ on? Ain’t it lucky you got away? Everybody else got killed, but you got away.”
For once, Malcolm was speechless against her outright accusations. He stood there and took it until it appeared she was never going to stop.
When he finally spoke, he turned to Trask for help. “Your daughter ain’t got no right to talk to me like that. We welcomed her the same as we did you and Vike, even though I was afraid she’d draw the damn Rangers down here. And when one showed up, she shot him down.”
“What did that have to do with you messin’ up that bank holdup so bad you got everybody killed but you?” Ada shot back. “That mess didn’t have nothin’ to do with the Rangers. I really don’t think you need to worry too much about another Ranger showin’ up here, lookin’ for me, anyway. That first one had a wide trail that fifty horses left for him to follow. That trail ain’t there no more. Ain’t nothin’ to lead anybody to your door.” She paused briefly to shake her head impatiently. “Like I said, if one did stumble across this place, I’d hide, and you’d tell him you don’t know anybody named Ada Tubbs, then he’d be on his way.”
Malcolm seemed flustered.
Trask spoke up. “You know, Malcolm, she might be right. Any other Ranger comin’ down in these parts would just be lookin’ up a tree where there ain’t no coon. He ain’t likely to know about that bank holdup, or even care if he does know about it. We’d just tell him we’re sorry we couldn’t help and send him on his way.”
“Maybe so,” Malcolm allowed and seemed to calm down a little. “There ain’t no reason a Ranger would come straight to my place. He’d just be riding the countryside, hopin’ to get lucky.”
They were interrupted when Cody came into the parlor looking for his father. “Papa, there’s somebody on the river trail, comin’ this way.”
That caught the immediate attention of the three people who had been arguing moments before.
“Who is it?” Malcolm asked. “Is it anybody we know?”
“I don’t know,” Cody said. “They ain’t close enough to tell. But there’s three of ’em.”
“Might just be somebody followin’ the river trail south,” Malcolm said, although he was unable to hide his concern. “Cody, go back outside and see if they start up the path toward the house.”
The boy left at once, and Malcolm turned to Trask and Ada. “Speak of the devil and up he pops. We might be gettin’ ready to find out if what you said about the Rangers just lookin’ everywhere is true.” He headed for the front porch to get a look at the three riders.
Ada and her father followed him out the front door.
“Where’s he goin’?” Malcolm exclaimed when they saw Cody trotting up the path. “I didn’t tell him to go up there to meet ’em. I just told him to watch to see if they headed this way.”
It was too late to call him back, however, for he was already halfway up the path.
* * *
“Here comes a boy runnin’ up the path,” Henry said to John and Flint. “Looks like he’s comin’ to meet us.”
They pulled up at the head of the path and waited for Cody to reach the trail.
“Afternoon, young fellow,” Henry greeted him.
“Afternoon,” Cody returned.
“Is this the Fletcher place?” Henry asked.
“Yes, sir,” Cody replied.
“Which Fletcher are you?”
“Cody.”
“Nice to meet you, Cody. Is your pa at home?”
“Are ya’ll Texas Rangers?” Cody asked when he noticed the badges on two of the men.
“That’s right,” Henry answered. “We’re on our way south of here, and we’d like to talk to your pa. He might be able to tell us if we’re headin’ in the right direction. I don’t see many people around. Who’s in the house?”
“My ma and pa and my uncle,” Cody answered. “That’s all. And my sister.” He knew they were looking for Ada, so he didn’t mention her.
“We’ll go down to the house with you and you can tell your pa we’d just like a word with him, then we’ll have to hurry on our way. We’ve got a long way to go today. Hop up, and I’ll give you a ride to the house.” Henry reached down and took hold of Cody’s arm before the boy might think to back away. “Put a foot in the stirrup and I’ll swing you right up.”
With no time to think about it, Cody put his foot in the stirrup. Henry shifted his butt back so Cody could sit in the saddle.
Flint smiled to himself when he thought how smoothly Henry fashioned a shield in front of himself in case someone had a rifle sighted on him. Too bad they didn’t send three kids to meet us, he thought. He and John followed along behind Henry in single file.
“Cody got on the horse with him,” Malcolm blurted in surprise as he stared at the three riders coming down the path.
“Son of a—” Ada suddenly uttered. It had just dawned on her the third in line was riding a buckskin. “I need my rifle.”
Malcolm and Trask reacted in alarm.
“Whaddaya need your rifle for?” Malcolm asked. “You try to shoot one of those riders, you’re liable to hit my boy. We don’t even know who they are. We already agreed on it. If they’re Rangers, you just hide till they leave and that’ll take care of it.”
“Two of ’em might be Rangers. I don’t care about them,” Ada responded. “But the one ridin’ the buckskin is Flint Moran, and I’ll damn-sure take care of him.”
“Are you sure?” Trask responded. “What would he be doin’ ridin’ with the Rangers?” He strained to see the riders more clearly. “I can’t tell for sure if it’s him or not.”
“For one thing, he ain’t wearin’ a hat,” Ada said. “Flint Moran never wears a hat.”
“Liam,” Malcolm implored, seriously worried now. “Talk some sense into your daughter. If she shoots Flint Moran, we’ll have two Rangers to deal with. Moran can identify all three of us, but I don’t believe he’ll try to arrest us for the trouble we made in Tinhorn. Ada said it herself, Buck Jackson and Flint Moran are satisfied to just have us stay outta town.
“If we start somethin’ now with Moran, we’re gonna be dealin’ with two Texas Rangers. I say we hide Ada and take our chances with Moran. If he tries to arrest us, that’s when we fight. I don’t know about you, but I ain’t goin’ to prison at this stage of my life. I’m too old to put up with it. I druther die right here.”
“That suits me just fine.” Trask looked at Ada, her face still twisted with rage, and gave her stern notice. “That’s the way it’s gonna be, darlin’. You go find you someplace to get outta sight. We’ll see if we can get these Rangers on their way as soon as we can. If it comes to a fight, you’ll know it and you can join in then. If they move on peacefully, you can track Moran down, if that’s what you think you gotta do. All right?”
She didn’t answer him for a long moment as the blood grew hot in her veins. “All right,” she finally spat out. “I’ll do it for you and Melva and Nelda. But when he leaves here, I’ll be right behind him.”
“Thank you,” Malcolm said. “We ain’t got much time. They’re in the backyard now.” He ran through the kitchen and hurriedly told Melva and Nelda what was happening. “I think there’s a good chance they’ll pass right on outta here when they think Ada ain’t here. I’m goin’ out on the back porch to talk to ’em. It wouldn’t hurt if you and Nelda come out and let ’em see I got a family.”
Frightened to hear there were Texas Rangers in the backyard, Melva nevertheless responded with her pledge that she would stand by him. “Nelda and I will be there, and I’ll have my .38 in my skirt pocket.”
* * *
Riding up to the back of the house, Flint eased his rifle halfway out of the saddle sling in case he had to pull it quickly. He watched Henry ride up near the steps and wheel his horse around in order to dismount with the horse between him and the house before he let Cody drop to the ground. John duplicated the maneuver, using his horse for cover also.
Good idea, Flint thought, but I’ve known Buster a lot longer than I’ve known Henry and John. Flint moved the buckskin up behind all of them while keeping one eye on the barn in case someone was in there.
“Tell Mr. Fletcher we’d like to speak to him,” Henry told Cody.
“You wanna talk to me?” Malcolm asked, stepping out the kitchen door before Cody went up the steps. Watching Flint carefully, waiting for an instant reaction from him, Malcolm saw none and realized the deputy really had no interest in him. He told himself what he had told Trask and Ada about the Rangers was true. The Rangers had no desire to transport him and Trask anywhere.
His self-confidence returned at once. “Always glad to help the Texas Rangers,” he said as Trask, Melva, and Nelda stepped out onto the porch.
Henry proceeded to tell him they were seeking information on one Ada Tubbs, wanted for the murder of a jail guard and possibly involved in the disappearance of a Texas Ranger. Malcolm, Trask, Melva, and Nelda all shook their heads when Henry said the Rangers thought she might have come there.
“Why would you think she came here?” Malcolm asked.
When neither Henry or John answered right away, Flint said, “’ Cause she’s your daughter, Trask, and I doubt she’s got many places where she’d be welcome.”
“Ada don’t know I’m here,” Trask replied immediately.
Afraid things were going to get a little tense, Malcolm sought to diffuse the situation. “Nah, Ada wouldn’t have no notion to come here. I’ll bet you boys could use a cup of coffee right about now. How ’bout it, Melva? You reckon you could set up a pot of coffee for the Texas Rangers?”
She looked at him like she thought he had lost his mind, but she nodded and went back inside the kitchen.
To Henry, Malcolm said, “Might as well come on in and set around the kitchen table.”
“Well, that’s mighty neighborly of you, Mr. Fletcher, that surely is.” Henry winked at John. They had decided they weren’t going to leave until they searched the house.
Malcolm, almost to the point of enjoying the chance to run another bluff on the law, led them into the kitchen where Melva and Nelda were scurrying around to brew a large pot of coffee. It seemed longer than usual for the coffee to boil, but it was finally ready and Melva and Nelda served it to the lawmen.
Like Flint, Henry was interested to note the tense concern of mother and daughter. “This is a nice house you’ve built here, Mr. Smith.”
The wide smile on Malcolm’s face froze in place.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to look at the rest of the house. Would that be all right with you?”
Malcolm hesitated only a moment while his brain was racing to decide what to do. Thinking his best chance was to continue the bluff, he replied. “Sure, I’ll show you the house. We’ve got nothin’ to hide, have we, Melva?”
“No,” she replied at once, trying not to show her panic. “But please be quiet when you go by the back bedroom. Your sister, Alice, is still in the bed. She was throwin’ up all last night and most of today. I’m afraid she’s got the pox or somethin’.”
“We surely wouldn’t want to disturb her,” Henry said. “We’ll just take a quick look, so I can write on my report that we did.”
Malcolm did his best to make conversation while the lawmen finished their coffee, this in spite of the tenseness of his wife and daughter.
It wasn’t as long as it seemed to the women before Henry said, “I reckon we’d best get on our way. It’ll be time to make camp for the night before much longer.”
They all got up from the table, trying to appear casual, the lawmen as well as the outlaws.
“I wanna thank you, Mrs. Fletcher, for the coffee and the hospitality.” He started for the door but stopped suddenly. “Oh, I almost forgot. Won’t take but a minute, John. Come on, Flint, we’ll take a quick look in the other rooms, so I ain’t a liar on my report.”
They walked quickly through the dining room and down the hall, guns drawn. All the bedroom doors were open except the one at the end.
“When we open this door,” Henry whispered, “I want you to take a look. See if it’s Ada.”
Flint nodded and slowly turned the knob. He opened the door very slowly, being careful to use it for cover. The woman in the bed was propped up on the pillows, but she didn’t look like Ada. This woman’s long hair was hanging loose around her face, not at all the stark look of Ada Tubbs.
He backed slowly into the hall, closing the door behind him. “It ain’t her,” he said quietly.
“Damn.” Henry cursed the wasted time. “I’d arrest those two bank robbers, but John and I were sent down here to find that woman. And I don’t wanna mess with those two jaspers. I reckon there ain’t nothin’ we can do but just keep lookin’, but I swear it ain’t nothin’ but a waste of time.”
“I think you’ll find her,” Flint said. “I’d guarantee it, but I don’t guarantee anything. I’m just sayin’ you’ll find her.”
Henry snorted half a chuckle. “I’d rather you guarantee it. Let’s get outta here.”
They walked back into the kitchen to a tense gathering around the table.
“Thanks again for the coffee, ma’am. Hope we haven’t bothered you folks.”
“Not at all,” replied an amazed Malcolm Fletcher. “Good luck on your hunt.” He followed them out the back door and watched until they reached the end of the path and turned back the way they had come on the river trail. He turned to go back in the house and almost bumped into Ada, her hair still down and frazzled around her face. “Well, you got away with it. Did they look in the room?”
She said that Moran took a quick look.
“I can see why he didn’t recognize you,” Malcolm said.
“If he had, he’d be a dead man right now.”
* * *
The lawmen rode for about five miles before coming to a parklike grassy clearing they remembered passing on their way to the Fletcher ranch. Situated in an oak collar by the river, the clearing showed it was a popular camping site. They stopped to water the horses and decided to go ahead and make camp. With at least one more hour of daylight left, Flint could feel the loss of enthusiasm between the two Rangers. They had counted pretty heavily on finding Ada at the Fletcher ranch and were facing the prospect of losing her altogether.
To bolster their spirits, he volunteered to make some pan biscuits since they had flour. That decision pleased him when, for a change, they had actually turned out decent.
“I gotta say you make better biscuits than John does,” Henry declared to Flint when they were sitting around their campfire. I’ve gotten kinda used to havin’ you around, but I reckon Sheriff Jackson will be gettin’ itchy if you don’t show up in Tinhorn before long. You might as well head on back in the mornin’. I’m thinkin’ maybe John and I will head over toward Nacogdoches, just in case Ada showed up around there.”
“You don’t have to go to Nacogdoches to look for Ada,” Flint told him. “I expect Ada will show up right here later on tonight.”
Following their conversation, John asked, “What are you talkin’ about?”
“It’s like this,” Flint explained. “Ada hates all lawmen, but she hates me more than all the rest of you put together. I’ve had the misfortune to be the one who killed her husband and her brothers. She’s already sworn to kill me, so she’ll be comin’ after me tonight. I’ve kept this fire burnin’ bright so she don’t have any trouble findin’ us.” Noticing John automatically looking around in case she was already there, Flint added, “She’ll most likely wait till we roll up in our blankets and go to sleep.”
“You mean Ada Tubbs was in that bedroom when you looked in there?” Henry asked, trying to decide if he should be angry or not.
“Yeah, that was Ada lyin’ up in the bed like she was sick. Had her hair down all over her face trying to look different, but it was her.”
“We had her right there!” Henry exclaimed. “Why the hell did you—? He took a deep breath. “Now we’ve got to go back, and this time they’ll know why we’re comin’.”
“If you’da kicked that door in like you started to do, you’da got a bullet for your trouble. When I eased that door open, I saw her propped up against the wall, covers pulled up around her. I also saw the muzzle of her rifle peekin’ out from under the quilt. I figured we might as well do it the easy way. Let Ada come to us and we won’t have to worry about Malcolm or Trask. Or the other women, for that matter.” He paused when John and Henry looked at each other and shook their heads. “If I’m wrong, I’ll go back with you. We’ll arrest Ada at the house and take our chances on how much help she gets.”
“I swear, Flint, I don’t know if you’re a genius or a damn fool,” Henry told him, “but we’ll go along with your idea. That all right with you, John?”
“Sounds like a helluva idea to me. If it works, and she comes sneakin’ in here tonight.”
* * *
“Ada, why don’t you let it go?” Liam Trask pleaded with his daughter. “They’ve come here and found out you ain’t here. Now you can stay here with us and not worry about the Rangers.”
“I’ve got a helluva debt to settle with that man,” Ada responded. “It eats away at me, how much of my life that one man has took away from me. I ain’t gonna know no peace till I see him dead.” She climbed up on the big dun she had stolen in Tyler. “Don’t worry about me, Pa. Worry about Flint Moran.” She let the dun feel her heels.
She figured they would not have traveled far before making camp. Wanting to give them time to turn in for the night, she did not hurry the dun along as she watched the trees close to the river, looking to spot signs of a campfire. About five miles from the ranch she saw what she was looking for—a line of smoke and sparks rising up through the treetops. She continued along the dark road until she came even with the fire then dismounted and tied the dun’s reins to a tree limb. As she made her way through the trees and bushes, she saw the horses down near the water.
After tonight, I’ll be riding a buckskin, she thought, taking great care to make no noise.
At the edge of the clearing, she stopped to survey the campsite and saw the three sleeping forms around the fire like spokes in a wheel. Which one, she wondered, was Flint Moran? From that distance, there was no way she could tell. It didn’t really matter. She intended to kill all three men anyway. Less than fifty yards from the campfire, she was confident she could fire, cock her rifle, fire a second time, cock her rifle, and fire a third time before any one of them could escape or return fire. She was also confident she would not miss. Her Winchester was deadly accurate at that distance.
To be sure of her aim, she settled herself against a small tree and laid the barrel in the crook formed by the lower limb. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Once she pulled the trigger, she would have only seconds to crank in the next shot, giving them no time to roll out of their blankets or return fire.
She smiled and squeezed the trigger, continuing the sequence, and putting rounds in all three blanket rolls. It was perfect. She saw no sign of anyone struggling to escape. All three were still. She rose to her feet and cranked another cartridge into the chamber.
I hope Flint Moran is not dead, she thought. I want him to see me, to see my face, to know it is I who have killed him. In a hurry to see his face before he died, she entered the clearing and ran to the bodies.
It was not until she reached the first bedroll that she understood she had been tricked.
“Drop the rifle, Ada.”
The voice behind her was like a bullet to her brain, shutting down her ability to think.
“Drop it,” the voice demanded again.
Still, she held the rifle.
“It’ll be a lot easier on you, if you just lay that rifle down,” another voice spoke to her, slightly to her side.
She recognized that voice as Flint Moran’s and immediately turned toward him, raising her rifle to fire.
Using his rifle as a hammer, John Duncan pounded down hard on her forearms before she could pull the trigger and the .44 slug went into the ground at Flint’s feet. Flint moved quickly to jerk the Winchester out of Ada’s hands and Henry grabbed her wrists, pulled them behind her, and clamped his manacles around them.
“Damn you!” she cursed Flint directly, then looked around at the two Rangers. “Damn you all! It took three of you to do it.”
“Nice to see you again, Ada,” Flint responded. “I’d like you to meet Rangers Henry Birch and John Duncan. They’ve taken time outta their busy schedule to come escort you to Tyler. I’m hopin’ you’ll be sensible enough to behave yourself. They’re not gonna have time to put up with any nonsense.”
“Let’s get Mrs. Tubbs locked up to a tree,” Henry said. “Then we’ll salvage what we can outta this night.” He looked at Flint and shook his head as if amazed. “What would you have done if she hadn’t showed up here? After you told us you recognized her back at the house.”
“I told ya. We’d go back and arrest her and hope the family didn’t give her much help. “Then,” Flint joked, “I’d probably try to talk you and John outta arrestin’ me for harborin’ a fugitive.”
“What I wanna know,” John asked, “is don’t you think you took a helluva chance stepping right up beside her to tell her to drop that rifle?”
“Why, no. I knew you were standin’ there doin’ nothin’, so I figured you’d make sure she didn’t shoot me.”