Slocum #388

“Monte rode out last night,” Nada whispered in Slocum’s ear to awaken him in the cool predawn. On her knees beside the bedroll, she made a disgusted face. “I told you he was a coward. He took our food too.”

“Can we find this ranch?” He rose up, propped by his elbows behind him. “We might get someone there to talk about where they took her.”

She nodded firmly. “We can do anything that coward can do. And I know where the ranchero is.”

“Good.” He threw back the covers and pulled on his pants. “We better find something to eat.”

“I know a woman who will feed us and keep her mouth shut.”

“Good.” He shook out his right boot to be certain no roaming scorpions had taken residence in it overnight and pulled it on. “I knew he had no backbone, but he gave up lots of money.”

She rolled up the bedroll and tied it with rawhide strings while he saddled the horse. In a short time, they rode out with Nada holding on behind Slocum. They took a route through the forest around the settlement and found a camp with a ramada, from which a woman emerged.

“This is Rema.” Nada introduced the willowy woman who swept back her long hair.

“We need some food. That snake Monte rode out on us and took the little food in our camp with him.”

Rema wrinkled her nose. “That sorry prick is not worth anything.”

“See? See what she thinks about him?” Nada shook her head. “She knows him too.”

“Come, hombre.” Rema took Slocum’s hand. “I have some food for both of you.”

Nada took his other arm, and the two women herded him under the ramada, which he had to duck to enter. It was a big shame they needed to get going—he could see where the three of them could have had a wild party.

Rema’s food was good and spicy, but the time was short, and after they finished the meal, Slocum paid her. She stood on her toes to kiss him, then told him to come back and see her. He nodded, mounted and hoisted Nada up behind him, and they rode off.

“She is a good friend, but for a grande hombre like you, she would steal you.” Nada laughed as she leaned over to talk to him while riding behind his back.

“Oh, no, she wouldn’t do that,” he teased, and she retaliated, using a soft fist to his kidneys.

The route she directed him to take certainly was a back one. It was more like a game trail than a road, but she delivered him to a place above the ranch by midmorning. On their bellies, they spied on the corral and the jacals through his telescope.

“All I see are women and a few children,” he said, handing Nada the instrument.

She held the scope in both hands and agreed. “What shall we do?”

“I dislike getting tough on women. They’re often just victims of their men’s actions.”

“Not likely. But we better go see what we can do.”

She scooted over and kissed him. “You are serious about not hurting women. I wish there were more men like you.”

He nodded and collapsed the scope, and they went for his horse. In a short while they rode inside the ranch, his hand on his hip ready to pull out the Colt if any opposition appeared.

An older woman came to meet them when they rode in. A few younger women drifted over as well, but hung back.

“What do you want here?” Her frown hooded her dark eyes.

Nada slipped off and hurried to stand in front of the horse. “We bring you no harm. We came to find the woman kidnapped from a hacienda who some men kept here.”

Nada agreed. “But she was held here. Where did they take her?”

“Yes, you do. She is a mother and did you no harm. Her husband wants her home.”

“I don’t know what you speak about.” Acting haughty, the woman raised her chin and shook her head.

Nada came right back at her. “I could turn this big hombre loose on you and have him pull your fingernails out by the roots to help your memory.”

“I am not important. Look at your hands. How much pain is in store for you?”

“She is not here. They took her away yesterday morning. She wanted to be with her lover.”

Nada turned to Slocum, who was looking around. “You hear her?”

He turned back to face the woman. “La Cucaracha has her?”

“Sí, señor. We had nothing to do with them holding her here.”

He drew a deep breath. Her lover? Why would she think that about Martina?

Martina was a rich woman living with a man who was a great provider. How in the hell could she be under the spell of some worthless bandit? He couldn’t believe his own ears.

“Surely you are mistaken about her affection for this bandit?”

The woman swung around, and the three younger ones standing back nodded in agreement with her.

One of them spoke up, “Señor, I heard her ask the men to take her to him.”

Still shocked, Slocum wondered why they lied so well. “Ask her where this one hides out,” he instructed Nada.

“Sierra Vista,” the woman said, like it was no secret.

Nada turned for Slocum’s response. He knew that town. Taking the information under consideration, he nodded. “Tell her gracias.”

“Is that all we need?” Nada asked. When he told her yes, she ran for the horse and brought it to him. He mounted, then caught her arm and tossed her on behind him. He saluted the women, and they left the place.

“What do you think now?” Nada asked when they were out of earshot.

“I find it hard to believe that Martina had taken a lover like him.”

“Lots of women have been led off by some worthless hombres.”

“But she has a son she seemed to adore, and she was always so loyal to her husband.”

Nada hugged him and put her cheek on his back. “I am sorry we heard such bad news.”

“Of course. I would ride to the end of the world if you would take me.”

“We’ll go to Sierra Vista. I have friends there who will put us up.”

“Good,” she said, acting like an excited young girl.

“Why did no one know the Cockroach had been up there?” he asked and reined his horse around a small landslide on the mountainside.

“I never heard anyone say he had been there before that woman told us.”

Lots of new information had turned up. Most was different than he expected or than he ever dreamed—he still wasn’t taking it all for fact. He booted Baldy into a trot.