“They’re all dead, Major. Every last one of ’em.”
For a moment Lee Haddon was sure that Howard Butler was going to strike him. The expression in Butler’s eyes was terrible to see. He hunched his shoulders and closed his hands over the saddle horn, holding back the rage that was threatening to explode into uncontrollable violence. Gradually he calmed himself down, aware that he was being watched by every man riding with him. Howard Butler was no fool. He knew what was expected of him and he had no intention of allowing his feelings to reveal themselves in front of his crew. He raised his eyes and picked out Lee Haddon.
“Is Jody there?” he asked, and saw Haddon’s negative shake of the head. “So we must assume that this bounty hunter has him.”
“I picked up the trail of a couple of horses that were ridden out from the line shack,” Haddon said. “Heading east.”
“All right,” Butler said to his waiting riders. “You heard that. Ride out and start looking. I want Jody found and I want that damn bounty hunter.”
Lee Haddon watched the riders move off. He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle, waiting for Howard Butler to look his way.
“Major, this is my fault, and I feel bad about it.”
“How can it be your fault, Lee? It wasn’t you who allowed Bodie to break out of a cell. If Lowery had done his job properly we wouldn’t be in this mess now.”
“And if I’d dealt with Bodie that time we had him,” Haddon said, “none of this would have happened.”
Butler shook his head. “You acted correctly under the circumstances, Lee. I don’t fault you there. At that time another killing wouldn’t have helped. But circumstances alter and we have to change our approach.”
Haddon swore softly. “Jesus! If I’d known who it was Lowery had got locked up in a cell...!”
“Yes, it was unfortunate that we didn’t find out until Bodie had made his escape. However that is behind us now. What we have to do is look ahead, and do some thinking. I’m certain now that it must have been Bodie at the Skellhorn place. Somehow he’s become involved with Skellhorn and the rest of those Kittyhawk upstarts.”
“It’s possible, he’s found out about your trouble with them,” Haddon said. “Seems he was in Fran Skellhorn’s place just before Lowery’s deputies picked him up. She could have told him about the troubles.”
“I always suspected there was more to that girl than she ever showed,” Butler murmured. “You know, Lee, I’m damn sure she helped him that night he broke jail. Lowery’s boys scouted the country for miles around town. But they couldn’t find a damn track anywhere. And Bodie didn’t pick up his horse from the livery. It’s still there. Yet he was out at Skellhorn’s place next morning when Lowery took that bunch in to throw another scare into Amos.”
“All that got thrown was a lot of lead,” Haddon said.
Howard Butler suddenly began to smile, “Lee, I think we can work something out that might get Jody out of trouble.”
“What’s that, Major?” Haddon asked.
Butler spurred his horse into motion. He waited until Haddon had fallen in alongside him. A faint smile curved up the corners of Butler’s mouth.
“Look at the facts, Lee. Bodie has got Jody. He has a reputation for always delivering his prisoners - dead or alive. Money won’t mean a thing to him - except the money he picks up as bounty.”
“So?” Haddon asked, not getting the meaning behind Butler’s words.
“So we need something to bargain with, Lee. We have to face the fact that we’re up against a professional in Bodie. It’s no use treating him like some two-bit saddle tramp.”
“All right, Major, tell me what we bargain with!”
Butler only smiled. “You’ll see,” he said.
They cut off across the open rangeland, riding steadily for the rest of the day, and it was close to dusk by the time they entered Elkhorn. Butler reined in outside the jail, dismounting and tethering his horse. Lee Haddon did the same and followed his employer inside. Frank Lowery was seated behind his desk, busily engaged in cleaning a revolver he’d got stripped down and spread out before him.
“Major,” he said, glancing up as Butler came into the office, “Something wrong?”
“Bodie got to the line shack,” Butler said heavily. “And he didn’t let those damn hired guns stop him. Right now he’s somewhere on the way back to Pine Ridge with Jody.”
Lowery’s face paled visibly. He knew he was still in Butler’s bad books for allowing Bodie to break out of the jail. “Anything I can do, Major?”
“Two things,” Butler snapped. “Get every man you can out looking for Bodie and my son. But I don’t want any action taken that might put Jody in danger. I’ll hold you personally responsible for enforcing that order, Frank. Understand?”
“Sure, Major.”
“When you’ve done that I want you to ride out to Amos Skellhorn’s place. Tell him I want to see him here in town, and make him realize it’s vital he comes. If he refuses, bring him but I don’t want him brought in beaten to a pulp. I want him sitting his saddle and able to ride.”
Lowery snatched up his hat and hurried from the office without a word.
“Damnit, Major, I wish you’d tell me what you got in mind,” Haddon said,
“Let’s go eat first,” Butler said. He led the way out of the jail and started to cross the street.
“Hotel’s the other way,” Haddon pointed out.
“Didn’t I tell you, Lee? Tonight we’re going to eat at Fran Skellhorn’s place.”
“Hell, Major, you never eat there! You always tell me you…”
Butler glanced round as Haddon’s voice trailed away. “At last,” he said. “For a time there, Lee, I was beginning to think you’d lost your way.”
Now it was Haddon’s turn to grin. “Major,” he said, “you’re one crafty son of a bitch. Fran Skellhorn! I should have guessed as much.”
They stepped inside the restaurant. It being early evening there were already a number of customers occupying tables. There were a few raised heads and more than a few raised eyebrows when Butler was recognized, but there wasn’t a word said as Butler and Lee Haddon made their way to a table in one corner.
They had been there for a few minutes when Fran emerged from the kitchen, carrying a loaded tray. As she moved over to serve the diners waiting for the food, her gaze moved around the room and came to rest on Howard Butler. For no more than a fraction of a second she faltered, her face puzzled, but with superb control she recovered her composure and went on to serve the food. This done she crossed the restaurant and stood at Butler’s table.
“What can I get you, Mister Butler?” she asked.
“Your best meal,” Butler said, smiling. “For two.”
“You sure that’s all?” Fran asked “How about one of the Kittyhawk ranchers stuck on a spit and being roasted over my stove? I see that more to your taste.”
“Thank you, Fran, I’ll keep it in mind,” Butler said. “But for the moment we’ll make do with plain food.”
After Fran had returned to the kitchen Lee Haddon glanced at Butler. “How have you got this planned?”
“Oh, nothing elaborate, Lee. For the time being we act like any other customers. Just take our time with the meal and wait for the place to empty. There’s usually a lull around eight. When we’re alone you go and lock the door, pull down the blind, and then we have her.”
“Amos Skellhorn ain’t going to be too happy,” Haddon pointed out.
“That’s true. But then I’m not in the happiness business, Lee, and I don’t give a damn one way or the other about Amos Skellhorn’s feelings.”
It was almost ten minutes past eight when the door closed behind the last customer. Lee Haddon shoved aside his cup of cold coffee and stood up. He crossed the restaurant in quick strides and locked the door, jerking down the blind. Fran, who had been standing behind the counter, looked up as she heard the key rattle in the lock.
“Haddon, what’re you up to?” she demanded.
“He’s just doing what I told him to do,” Butler said. He stood up, smoothing down his coat. “I must congratulate you on a fine meal, Fran. I really never knew you were such a good cook.”
Fran gave him an icy stare. “And you had to have the door locked and the blind down just to tell me that?”
Butler stroked his chin, feeling his fingers rasp against hard stubble. “Not exactly,” he said. “You see I didn’t want anyone to walk in right now.”
“Oh? Why? You going to take off your clothes and do a dance across the tables?”
“Me?” Butler shook his head. “I’m sure Lee wouldn’t object if you indulged in such an entertainment. But my purpose is a little more serious, Fran. What it boils down to is that you are now my hostage, and you will remain so until your friend, Bodie, returns Jody to me alive and well.”
“My God, Butler, you really are getting desperate,” Fran said.
“You could be right, Fran. So I suggest you treat the situation with all seriousness. Because, Fran, I am not playing.”
“No - you’re just plain crazy!” Fran yelled. “You can’t go round taking people prisoner just like that. I really do think you have gone mad!”
Butler’s face hardened, muscles twitching in his cheek. He took a sharp intake of breath, and then without warning his right hand came up and round and he slapped Fran across the side of the face. There was enough force behind the slap to thrust Fran back against the counter. She almost lost her balance, but managed to retain it by clinging to the edge of the counter.
“Perhaps you will choose your next words with care,” Butler said.
“You can count on that,” Fran said severely.
“Bring her along,” Butler snapped to Haddon. “Let’s get out of this place.”
They left by the rear entrance, moving along the shadowed back lots until they were level with the jail, waited until the street was deserted and then walked directly across to and into the jail. Haddon shoved Fran inside and Butler closed the door as he followed them into the office.
“Now sit down and keep your mouth shut,” Butler said “Unless you want to spend some time in one of the cells back there.”
“Some choice,” Fran murmured and perched herself on one of the hard seats.
Howard Butler smiled suddenly, rubbing his hands together like an excited small boy. “The way things are working out, Lee, we could resolve a couple of pressing problems here tonight.”
“Yeah?” Haddon remarked. He was helping himself to a cup of coffee from the blackened pot on top of the small stove in the corner of the office.
“It came to me that having Fran here where we want her might just be enough to persuade Amos to sign over his property to me. He thinks a lot of Fran and he wouldn’t want to be instrumental in causing her any grief.”
“Hell, that could work out fine,” Haddon said.
Butler nodded. “I can’t figure why I never thought of it before.”
“Maybe you were too busy evicting little old ladies and hanging the odd saddle tramp,” Fran said bitterly.
“We live in a hard country, my dear,” Butler said conversationally. “Rough justice often serves the needs of the community.”
“Rough justice?” Fran laughed. “Is that a legal term for out and out brutality and cold blooded murder?”
“You’re letting imagination color your thinking, Fran. Be honest… how far would western expansion have got if men hadn’t been bold enough to act harshly when the situation required it? I think you have to accept the rough and ready code of the kind of civilization we live in, Fran. It’ll be a long time before this country is tamed, and until then, if a man wants to make his way, then he’s going to have to live in a dog-eat-dog world.”
Fran didn’t bother to reply. She had realized that there was no way of convincing Howard Butler of his total disregard for human life. He was one of the breed of men all too frequent in the frontier communities. Hard; ruthless; unfeeling men; all bitten by the same bug; with a need to build and expand, to gain power and wealth by any and all means. Men who twisted and manipulated the law, used their wealth to purchase the means by which they could wrest from the rightful owner whatever they decided they wanted. Violence and corruption were daily fare for these men. They saw something, desired it, and took it, by whichever method suited that particular deed. And they had no scruples when it came to using underhand means. Fran leaned back in her seat, and fixed her gaze on the jail’s closed door. She had a feeling she might be here for some time yet.
Over an hour passed before anything happened. The jail door opened and Amos Skellhorn stepped into the office. Frank Lowery was close behind him, a rifle in his hands.
“Fran! You all right, girl?” Amos Skellhorn asked as he spotted Fran. “Damn you, Butler, if you harm her I’ll…”
“Whether or not Fran comes to harm is in your hands, Amos,” Butler said. “Do what I ask and Fran can walk out of here untouched. Play stubborn, and I promise you, Amos, that you’ll regret it.”
“You son of a bitch!” Skellhorn roared. “By God, I was right the day I called you a madman. And when I called this place Hangtown.”
“I had a feeling it was you who coined the phrase,” Butler said. “But that is water under the bridge, as they say. Right at this moment in time, Amos, I have only one thing to say to you - find Bodie and bring him and my son back here, and while you’re doing that you’d better think about changing your mind about selling out to me. Remember that Fran’s life depends on you making the correct decisions in both cases, and be certain sure, Amos, that I am in deadly earnest over this. I’ve no time to waste and the deaths of a few insignificant people don’t bother me in the slightest!”
Amos Skellhorn looked deep into Butler’s eyes. He saw the intense, bright stare, recognized the mark of a fanatic, and accepted the fact that Howard Butler meant every chilling word he’d spoken.