It was three days later, at sun-up, when Frank heard the sound of several footsteps in the passage just outside his cell. Rolling himself off the bunk, he pushed himself upright. The days had passed slowly. At times, he thought that Hawkins intended to continue with the beatings and kicking, but each time it had been only to bring him food and water.
This time, however, he had the feeling this was something different. Tautly, he waited until the deputy appeared outside the cell door. With a faint sense of surprise, he noticed that he now wore McDonald’s sheriff’s badge on his vest.
Hawkins noticed the direction of Frank’s glance and gave a sardonic smile. ‘Guess you know I’ve been promoted, Kelsey.’ he said cynically. There was a sarcastic edge to his smirking voice.
‘I see it,’ Frank replied. ‘It sure didn’t take long for you to step into his shoes after you killed him.’
Hawkins flushed as the jibe went home. For a second, his hand moved towards his gun. Then he remembered there were others with him and forced a grin. ‘You won’t be tellin’ many more o’ your lies, Kelsey. The stage is due into town in fifteen minutes. Circuit Judge Ivers is on it. Won’t take him long to hear the evidence and sentence you to hang.’
‘Could be he might change his mind when he hears my side o’ what happened,’ Frank replied coolly. Inwardly, he was not feeling as confident as he tried to appear. He knew what would happen. There would be a rigged jury made up of Bellamy’s friends. The verdict would be a mere formality.
Hawkins’s smile widened. ‘If you reckon that’s goin’ to happen, you’re a bigger fool than I took you for.’ Bending, he unlocked the door. ‘Outside, Kelsey, and no funny moves. All o’ these men have guns and they won’t hesitate to use ’em if you should try to make a break.’
Stepping outside, Frank turned at a signal from one of the waiting men. The man produced a length of stout rope and tied his hands securely behind his back. ‘We’ll untie your hands once we get you into the courtroom,’ Hawkins said. ‘Until then we’re takin’ no chances.’
Moving in single file, the men passed through the office and out into the street. There was no sign of the stage but Frank guessed that Hawkins and the banker would know exactly where it was and had made sure that nothing happened to prevent the judge from getting there.
From the edge of his vision, he caught sight of Sheldon standing on the boardwalk a short distance away. The old man had an odd look on his grizzled features which Frank couldn’t analyse. Inwardly, he hoped Ben wouldn’t do anything foolish to try to free him. These men meant business and they would have no qualms about shooting down the old man in the street.
Three-quarters of the way along the street, they came to the courthouse, a large brick-built building with an imposing facade. Once inside, he noticed that the twelve members of the jury were already in their places. None of their faces were known to him with the single exception of the banker seated at the front.
‘Put him in the dock,’ Hawkins ordered sharply. ‘Then you can take that rope off his wrists. I reckon he ain’t such a fool as to try to make a break for it.’
Two of the men led him forward to the dock. Once inside, one of them removed the rope. Rubbing his wrists, Frank stared round at the jury. Inwardly, he knew that Hawkins was probably hoping he might try to escape. He knew there would be a bullet in his back before he got halfway to the door.
He noticed that Bellamy was watching him closely. The banker was perspiring freely. Several times he took out a large red handkerchief and mopped his brow. Watching him, Frank had the notion he was not quite as sure of himself as he tried to show.
Hawkins walked across and stood directly in front of the dock. ‘You made a big mistake comin’ here, friend,’ he said thinly. ‘I don’t know what your game is but we’ll soon put an end to it.’
‘Just how long can you go on foolin’ the honest citizens of Condor?’ Frank said evenly. ‘I know all about your little talk with Bellamy in the bank that night. My only mistake was I figured it was me you were after. Instead, you meant to kill McDonald and now you’re hopin’ to get away with it.’
Without warning, Hawkins’s bunched fist lashed out, knocking Frank to one side. ‘Like you said, Kelsey, you made a big mistake underestimatin’ me, but it’ll be the last you’ll make. I can promise you that. An hour from now and you’ll be swingin’ at the end of a rope.
He made to swing his fist again, then stepped back quickly as the street door opened and a tall figure in a black frock coat came in.
Without glancing at anyone, Ivers strode forward, seating himself behind the bench. Turning his head, Frank stared directly at the judge and felt a shock of surprise pass through him. He knew this man, recognized him instantly.
From the hard, penetrating glance which Ivers gave him, he knew the judge had also recognized him.
Turning his head slightly, Ivers allowed his gaze to pass over the faces of the men in the jury.
Hawkins moved forward a little way. ‘We’re glad you could come to Condor at such short notice, your honour, but we figured you’d want to try the man who killed your friend, Sheriff McDonald. I—’
He stopped speaking abruptly as Ivers held up a hand. ‘That’s exactly what I intend to do – when he’s caught and brought to justice.’
‘But we already—’ Hawkins spluttered, taken completely aback by Ivers’s words.
Lifting his left hand, the judge pointed directly at Frank. ‘I don’t intend to sit here and listen to any trumped-up evidence you have against this man. That man standing in the dock is Frank Kelsey. Until just over a week ago, he was Marshal o’ Dodge City, one o’ the finest lawmen in this territory. You picked the wrong man to try to pin McDonald’s murder on. He’s no more a lawman killer than I am.’
Hawkins turned slowly. There was a stunned expression on his face. For a moment, he stood completely still, trying to take in what Ivers had said, suddenly aware that his plan had gone wrong.
Then he snatched for his gun, levelling it at Frank. ‘I don’t give a damn who he is, I say he’s a killer and—’
‘Drop that gun – now, or I’ll drill you where you stand!’ Ivers’s harsh voice rang out through the courtroom. Glancing up, Frank saw there was a Colt in the judge’s hand, his finger tight on the trigger.
For a moment, Hawkins’s attitude suggested he meant to fire and call the other’s bluff. Then he let the weapon fall onto the floor.
At the front of the jury, Bellamy heaved himself to his feet, his face flushed. ‘You can’t do this, Judge,’ he stuttered. ‘We’ve got the right man and—’
‘I can do it – and I will,’ Ivers grated thinly. ‘My job is to see that justice is done, justice based on the truth and not a pack of spurious lies such as I’m sure I would have heard in this court.’
He glared at Hawkins. ‘Take off that star, mister. In my eyes, you’re not fit to wear it, or fill McDonald’s shoes.’
The gun in Ivers’s hand was rock steady as Hawkins moved slowly towards the bench and placed the star in front of him. Then he swung on his heel and stalked towards the door, an expression of blind rage on his features.
‘The verdict o’ this court is that Frank Kelsey is guilty o’ nothing.’ Ivers rose to his feet. ‘Furthermore, I’m hereby appointing him sheriff o’ this town. From what I see o’ those men in this rigged jury, it’s time there was some law and order in Condor.’
Frank made to protest as he stepped out of the dock and brushed past the two men standing there, but one look at the judge’s face told him that argument would be useless.
‘Clear this court, boys.’ Ivers was looking towards the door and for the first time, Frank noticed the three men standing there just inside the courtroom; hard-faced men with their hands hanging loosely at their sides just above their gunbelts.
Evidently Ivers had been expecting trouble, Frank thought. But how could he have known?
Within minutes, the room had been cleared. As they passed him, Frank noticed that, unlike those jurymen and Bellamy, most of the ordinary citizens seemed to regard him with a new interest in their eyes. Perhaps, he thought, what they had just heard had made them change their minds about him.
Holstering his gun, Ivers stepped down from the bench. Bending, he picked up the gun that had fallen from Hawkins’s hand. ‘Take this, Frank,’ he said evenly. ‘You may have need of it until you get a pair for yourself.’
‘But you know what happened in Dodge and—’
Ivers nodded briefly. He paused as the door opened and Everley came in. Anne and Ben Sheldon were close behind him.
For a moment, Anne’s glance fell on the Colt in Frank’s hand; then she looked directly at him. ‘You all right, Frank?’ she asked in a low murmur.
‘Thanks to you, he’s fine,’ Ivers said. Turning to Frank, he went on, ‘They got a message to me a couple o’ days ago, informing me of what was happenin’ here in Condor. We’ve had our suspicions for some time with these stages bein’ held up. Since these outlaws only attack those carryin’ gold and money, it didn’t take long to figure they were getting’ information from someone in this town.’
Pausing at the door, he continued, ‘I know about that child who was shot in Dodge. But that was none o’ your fault. You finished the Dexter gang and what happened was all in the line o’ duty. Now I’m askin’ you to buckle on your guns again and help me clean up this part o’ the territory.
‘You’re a lawman through and through, Kelsey. Nothin’ is goin’ to change that. You can’t go through life blamin’ yourself for the death o’ that little girl. That way leads only to perdition.’
Aware that both Anne and her father were watching him closely, waiting for his decision, he hesitated for a few moments, then nodded. ‘All right, Judge. I’ll do it.’
‘Good.’ Reaching up, Ivers pinned the star onto his shirt. ‘You won’t find it easy. Most of these folk have been fed so many lies by Hawkins that they’ve come to believe ’em. It’ll be up to you to show ’em they’re wrong. And Hawkins will be out for your hide after what’s happened. You won’t find many who’ll stand with you against him and that outlaw gang.’
Frank grinned wryly. ‘There were times in Dodge when I faced the same problem,’ he replied grimly.
‘Then you know what I mean.’ Ivers threw a swift glance along to street. ‘If you want my opinion, Hawkins has already ridden out o’ town. By now, he’s probably on his way to meet those gunhawks.’
Once Ivers had gone, striding in the direction of the hotel, Frank turned to his three companions. ‘Thanks for everythin’ you did. If you hadn’t got to Judge Ivers I reckon I’d be danglin’ at the end of a rope. Bellamy and Hawkins sure meant to frame me for McDonald’s murder.’
‘That crooked deputy won’t be easy to hunt down but you could sure bring Bellamy in after what we heard the other night,’ Sheldon said.
‘Somehow, I don’t reckon we’ve got enough evidence for that right now,’ Frank replied. ‘My guess is that he’s got some slick lawyer in town and it would be our word against his.’
‘Then what do you intend doin’ now?’ Everley asked.
Shrugging, Frank said, ‘I guess I’d better do as Ivers asks. I don’t particularly want this job as sheriff but since it’s been thrust on me, I’d better get myself a couple o’ guns.’
‘You’ll find a pair across the street yonder.’ Sheldon pointed. ‘Better get yourself a Winchester too. It’ll come in handy if you have to ride into the hills after that gang.’
‘Whatever you do, Frank, take care.’ Anne’s voice shook a little.
‘I will.’ He forced a faint grin. ‘After all, it ain’t as if this job is new to me. I’ve faced men far more dangerous that these critters.’
Leaving the others, he made his way across the street. Inside the store, he chose a pair of Colts, testing them carefully for feel and balance. ‘I’ll also need a gunbelt, some shells and a Winchester.’
‘Sure thing, Sheriff.’ The owner seemed anxious to please. ‘Funny how things turn out. Guess none of us knew who you really were. You aimin’ to bring Hawkins in for trial?’
‘That’s right. Then I mean to find out who’s been passing information along to that outlaw gang. Somehow, I’ve got the feelin’ he’s the big man behind this outfit.’
‘You got any idea who he is?’
‘Some,’ Frank responded. He knew that this conversation would reach Bellamy before the day was out. It might put him on his guard. On the other hand, it might force the banker to show his hand.
Buckling on the heavy gunbelt, he loaded shells into the chambers of the Colts and thrust them into the holsters. There was no sign of Everley and Anne when he came out, but Sheldon was still there, standing on the opposite boardwalk. The oldster bit off a wad of tobacco as Frank approached, chewing on it methodically.
He nodded in approval as he noticed the gunbelt. ‘Now I reckon we got ourselves a proper sheriff,’ he said laconically. ‘You goin’ after those hombres?’
‘Guess I will take a look around yon hills,’ Frank replied. ‘This time, I’ll be ready for ’em.’
‘Just watch yourself,’ Ben warned. ‘There are a hundred places in those hills where they can hide out.’
Seething with anger and frustration, Clive Hawkins raked spurs cruelly along his mount’s flanks as he took the trail out of Condor. The previous night it had seemed nothing could go wrong with the plan he had worked out with Bellamy. Everything had gone exactly as he had expected. With Kelsey safely locked up in jail and the men Bellamy had chosen sitting as jury, it seemed they had got rid of the two most dangerous men in town.
He had never reckoned on Ivers recognizing Kelsey, or that the other had been Marshal of Dodge. Conflicting ideas raced through his mind as he rode towards the south. How far he could trust Bellamy to keep his mouth shut, he didn’t know.
His first priority, however, was to get some men behind him, men fast with their guns, before Kelsey managed to get anyone in Condor on his side. He doubted if Kelsey would try anything on his own, but where a man like that was concerned, it was necessary to be sure.
It was a long ride across the arid wilderness and by the time he reached the trees fringing the lower slopes of the hills, his temper had not improved. A few moments later, he came upon the narrow trail leading deeper into the brush. Bending to avoid the low branches which overhung the track, he put the horse to the steep upgrade.
Reaching the top, he came upon a level stretch where the trees thinned out and broad overhangs of rock faced him. Just as he began edging his mount along them, a dark figure stepped into view a few yards away. The half-breed held a rifle in his hand.
‘Hold it right there and keep your hands where I can see ’em,’ the man grated.
Hawkins moistened his lips. ‘It’s me – Hawkins,’ he called.
The Mexican stepped forward, then lowered the rifle. ‘You look as though you’ve ridden in a hurry, Señor Hawkins. Somethin’ wrong?’
Swinging from the saddle, Hawkins snarled, ‘Everythin’ has gone wrong. We didn’t manage to hang Kelsey and now he’s the goddamned sheriff.’
The man rubbed his chin for a moment. ‘Cranton ain’t going to like this,’ he muttered finally. ‘Reckon you’d better step in and tell him what’s happened.’
Moving behind him, Hawkins passed into the large cave set in the hillside. There was a fire burning in the middle and the wood smoke caught at the back of his throat. Ed Cranton was seated on a flat slab of rock some distance from the fire.
He was a big man, broad, but not with fat. Small eyes set beneath beetling brows regarded Hawkins with a hard stare.
‘I guess you ain’t here to bring news of another shipment comin’ into Condor,’ he said roughly. ‘So what’s the trouble? That damnfool of a sheriff still alive?’
Hawkins shook his head. ‘He’s dead all right and I framed that fellow Kelsey for the killin’ just like we planned.’
‘So?’
‘We brought Judge Ivers in to try Kelsey. What we hadn’t figured on was Ivers recognizin’ Kelsey. Seems he was Marshal o’ Dodge until a couple o’ weeks ago. Ivers forced us to set him free. He took away my badge and made Kelsey sheriff.’
‘He did what?’ For a moment, Cranton’s ham-like fist was on the point of lashing out at Hawkins. It was only with a supreme effort that he succeeded in controlling himself. He swung his gaze slowly to where Jeth Sanders sat beside Miguel Sandez and Slim Forrester.
Sinking down on the rock, he said tightly, ‘The three o’ you ride into town and meet up with this hombre but when you get the chance, you let him live?’
‘What would you do with two Colts levelled at us and a shotgun in our backs?’ Forrester muttered.
‘You’re supposed to be fast with your guns. That yeller-livered barkeep would have been shakin’ enough to drop. He’d never have hit you, even from that range.’
He gave vent to a snort of anger. ‘I guess this changes our plans.’
‘There’s no reason why it should,’ Hawkins cut in. ‘Kelsey is only one man. Nobody else in Condor will side with him against us.’
‘Ain’t you forgettin’ Ivers?’ Cranton snarled viciously. ‘Once he gets back to Denver, he’ll see to it that there are federal marshals swarmin’ all over this territory.’
Hawkins’s lips curled into a sneering grimace.
‘Then we just have to see to it that this judge doesn’t get back. He’ll have to take the stage and that’s when we’ll get him. With him out o’ the way, we’ve nothin’ to worry about. As for Kelsey, I’ll take care of him.’
‘You reckon so?’ Slim Forrester’s tone held a derisive note. ‘I’ve heard o’ this hombre. If he’s the man I’m thinkin’ about, they reckon he’s the fastest gun this side o’ the Mississippi.’
Hawkins spun on him. ‘I got McDonald, didn’t I? And he never knew what hit him. Kelsey will go the same way.’ He looked to Cranton for approval of his plan.
Finally, the other man nodded. ‘We’ll go along with you, Hawkins. Just find out when that judge is leavin’ Condor and we’ll do the rest. But no more mistakes, or you’ll go the same way as McDonald.’
‘There’ll be no more mistakes,’ Hawkins said through his teeth. ‘I underestimated Kelsey once, I won’t do it again.’
Frank swung off the trail towards its western end where the hills began less than a mile away. He knew he would pick up no sign of Hawkins’s tracks here. The deputy would have stayed with the track until he reached the buttes and would then cut straight across the alkali.
As he rode, he gave his thoughts a prolonged study, turning over various ideas in his mind, rejecting most of them immediately. Since Ivers had come into town so many things had changed. Somehow, without wishing it, he now found himself back in the old ways.
Back in Dodge City he had had two deputies, men he could trust implicitly. He had been known throughout the town, could count on the backing of the majority of the citizens. Here, in Condor, it was completely different. Apart from Sheldon, Everley and his daughter there was no one he could trust.
Half an hour later he came to the end of the flats. Here the hills rose tall and steep, bare at their crests. But lower down the trees crowded together, the undergrowth between them thick and tangled. Hosts of tiny flies hung in swarms above the coarse vegetation, settling around him in irritating waves. Brushing them away from his face, he swung the stallion through the trees.
Half a mile further on, a narrow creek ran down from the upper slopes and he paused to give his mount a drink, squatting by the rocky bank, listening intently for any sound. He reckoned that Hawkins would have ridden straight to that outlaw gang, probably thinking that Frank would not dare to follow him alone.
Everything was quiet. The only sound to disturb the stillness was the rush of the water over the stony bed of the creek. Then, far off, he picked out a faint sound. Slowly, he pulled himself upright, straining to identify it. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he waited. After a couple of minutes, he recognized the snapping of twigs and swish of a horse moving through the brush.
By the sound, he judged there was only one rider who was pushing his way through the trees some distance below him rather than taking the easier passage at the foot of the hills. Without making a sound, he swung up into the saddle.
Gently, he eased the stallion forward, angling to his left, his keen gaze stabbing through the deep shadows under the trees. The man came into view a few moments later less than five yards away.
Frank recognized Hawkins instantly. Either he had already met up with that outlaw band and, for some reason, was headed back into town, or those killers were lurking somewhere close by and he was still searching for them. He knew he had to make a quick decision.
If he made the wrong move, and the gang was only a short distance away, they could have him pinned down within minutes. Swiftly, he made up his mind. Very slowly, he gigged his mount forward through the trees.
He saw Hawkins whirl sharply in the saddle at the sudden movement. An expression of shocked surprise flashed across his features.
‘If you want to make a play for your guns, go right ahead,’ Frank said softly. ‘I’m takin’ you back to town, dead or alive. It makes no difference to me.’
Hawkins’s tongue flicked out to lick his dry lips. Forcing confidence into his voice, he rasped, ‘You know you daren’t make a move, Kelsey. Shoot me and there’ll be four men here within a minute.’
Frank shook his head. ‘You’re bluffin’, Hawkins. You forget I was followin’ that trail the day you bushwhacked me. Those friends o’ yours are several miles away to the south. Even if they hear a shot, they won’t be here before I get you into town.’
He noticed the flicker of fear in the man’s eyes. ‘Now I’m goin’ to give you an even chance which is more than you gave McDonald. Either draw, if you think you’re good enough, or shuck that gunbelt and ride in front o’ me back to town.’
Indecision passed through Hawkins’s mind. Shooting the sheriff in the back had been easy, but he knew he needed an edge against the man who now faced him. This tall lawman had a reputation and was far faster with a gun than he was.
He decided to try a ruse which almost worked. ‘All right, Kelsey, you win.’ Reaching down, he made to unfasten the gunbelt at his waist. Then, a second later, his right shoulder went down a fraction and he struck for his Colt.
The weapon was still not clear of leather when the gun appeared like magic in Frank’s hand. The single shot rang out, echoes chasing themselves among the trees. Swaying, Hawkins threw up a hand towards his right shoulder.
He stared down in surprise at the blood oozing between his clenched fingers. ‘Damn you, Kelsey,’ he grated through tightly clenched teeth. ‘You’ll pay for this.’
‘It’s just a flesh wound,’ Frank told him. ‘If I’d wanted to kill you, you’d be dead by now.’
Riding up to him, Frank unbuckled the gunbelt and tossed it into the bushes. ‘Now ride ahead o’ me back to Condor. Make any move I don’t like and the next bullet will drop you.’
Awkwardly, Hawkins turned his mount. Keeping a close eye on him, Frank followed him through the trees and out into the open. He knew the sound of that shot might have carried to where Hawkins’s friends were holed up but, somehow, he doubted if they would have the audacity to ride into the town.
Forcing the other to move at a rapid pace, he headed back along the trail. Once at the jail, he signalled Hawkins to get down. Ivers had seen him ride in and came hurrying over.
‘I see it didn’t take you long to get this critter,’ he said soberly.
‘Once he’s locked away in a cell, I’ll get Doc Pearson to take a look at his shoulder. Then I want the answers to some questions.’
‘You’ll get nothin’ out o’ me,’ Hawkins snarled. ‘You may think you’re runnin’ this town now but you ain’t goin’ to last long.’
‘We’ll see about that.’ Keeping him covered, Frank took him into the jail, thrusting him into the cell he himself had previously occupied. Locking the door, he said, ‘The doctor will be along in a few minutes.’
Glaring at him through the bars, Hawkins said thickly, ‘I want to see Sefton.’
Frank stared at him. ‘Sefton? Who the hell is he?’
‘The goddamned lawyer. I got a right to see him.’
Frank smiled grimly. ‘You can see him when I’m good and ready.’