CHAPTER 17

‘I guess I ought to go see Linda’s OK. I wouldn’t put it past that guy Werner to pull a fast one.’

Buck Forbes sounded mighty worried, would have made for the ruined, decayed shack that stood on the lip of the declivity nearby if Tex hadn’t stopped him.

‘She’s OK, Buck. There’s Slick there with his trigger finger itchin’, an’ there’s Bluebell. Werner won’t try nothin’, he’s safe enough. I want to talk to you. Linda’s all right in the shack.’

More than two hours had elapsed since the rendezvous at the new hideout had been kept. The party was still lying up; and by now Tex knew a whole lot, had done some thinking and was now ready to talk about the set-up as it had been revealed by what Sam had reported.

The Kid had sure pulled a fast one in stationing Bluebell at the River in Graw’s shop. Tex knew now that it had been Bluebell, eavesdropping, which she was might good at in spite of her bulk, who had tipped off Linda about the scheme to frame Tex for the murder; who had thus discovered that Tex was on the level, against the Parson.

Tex knew now that Pop was the guy behind the rackets, working with the Parson. It was evident how he’d bluffed all along the line. He’d been arrested at the Bar X, had allowed himself to be; but he’d have worked it that he was cleared of complicity in the killing of Dave Brand. The arrest had been more bluff.

Bluebell was the Kid’s buddy. The Kid hadn’t let on about her except to Linda because he was being careful with Tex and the others, new recruits. He was a careful guy in some ways – and smart. Tex knew now that down at the hotel he’d managed to lay hands on some of the Parson’s dollars, to repay himself for all his trouble, Bluebell helping him, no doubt. That was OK by Tex, who had to use the tools that were at hand. The Kid was one of them. Bluebell and the Kid had come in handy. Right now Bluebell was with Slick in the shack. Buck was anxious about Linda but she’d be OK.

She’d been grabbed by Jeb while roaming the hills searching for Sam after she heard about the affair at the first hideout. Nothing had happened to her, but quite a lot would have happened after the Parson had attended to his other prisoners – or so Tex reckoned from what Linda and Buck had told him.

Buck’s anxiety didn’t make Tex feel any happier. He reckoned he was odd man out in this particular set-up. It was his own fault for falling for a girl. He pushed aside all thought of the girl. Buck, Sam and the Kid were waiting for him to talk.

‘We can forget Werner,’ he said. ‘We know now for sure the Parson was blackmailin’ him, but it don’t matter ’cept we’ve got to keep him close an’ not let him get down to the River to take word to the Parson we’re up here.’ He paused and then added, ‘I reckon you guys are satisfied that Pop Dwight is the guy behind the Parson an’ took us for a ride?’

Sam Steel nodded.

‘Sure, Tex, there ain’t no other way o’ workin’ it out. He acted mighty smart.’

Tex stuck his hands in his gun-belt. His face was grim.

‘That’s right. He was after me that first night but when I held him up he bluffed fast. You can easy work out how he acted after that. He knew what we were plannin’. I reckon he warned the Parson I was goin’ down to the hotel, but he didn’t know I was goin’ to start a fire an’ that took the Parson by surprise. He left the hotel but he came back rememberin’ what Pop had said. Only I got him, so he bluffed. Then there’s Dave’s murder….’

Tex continued, outlining his theory regarding the killing. According to that theory Pop had killed Dave, probably because Dave had found him out, knew who he was. This idea provided a motive, about the only one Tex could work out. He judged, too, that Pop had intended to follow to the hotel to make sure of Tex but then the Dave angle broke and he had to look after the guy who knew too much. He could have got on to the fact that Dave did know too much via Brady. And later he killed Brady, at the hotel, because he could be dangerous.

‘That’s provided he knew who Pop was,’ added Tex. ‘He told us ’bout Brady in the first place, but I reckon that was bluff. He had to make sure we didn’t start in suspectin’ him … we knew by then that the Parson had got on to a whole lot he couldn’t have known unless some guy had told him. So Pop brought in Brady makin’ out he maybe had overheard us talkin’. Sure, some o’ this is guessin’ but I reckon it was somethin’ like that.’

It looked that way. There couldn’t be much doubt in view of what Sam had reported, that Pop was the guy behind the Parson. Most factors worked in with this. Pop could have met up with Brady for example in the hills near the first hideout – or maybe another of the bunch – and sent word to the Parson. There had been time. And Pop hadn’t showed up again, had kept out of the way.

Everything added up, pretty well every move taken fitted into the belief that Pop Dwight, seeming such a nice guy, had foxed and bluffed and been behind the set-up all the time.

The movements of Doc Black and Poston on the night of the murder could have meant nothing except they were scouting around Bar X territory on the look-out for Tex. Or maybe they’d helped Pop in the killing, though this wasn’t likely. Tex reckoned that nobody but the Parson knew who Pop was. And he had a hunch that Pop himself had killed Dave, for the motive already explained.

Buck’s movements on the night of the killing had now been revealed. He’d been out after some lost steers. Tex took his word for this. Buck had changed sides having at last rumbled the Parson.

As though reading Tex’s thoughts, Buck spoke up now.

‘I been a fool,’ he said bitterly, ‘lettin’ the Parson take me for a ride. He’s after the Lazy Y.’ He turned to Tex and added, ‘I got a lot to be grateful to you for. I’m sorry ’bout the lynchin’. I’d got you all wrong.’

‘That’s OK, Buck, forget it.’

The Kid broke in. He reckoned, he said, that it was time they started working out what move to take next. They knew Pop Dwight was their man, but how to get him? There had been enough time wasted up here already.

‘Sure, that’s right,’ agreed Sam. ‘What we goin’ to do, Tex? You ain’t bankin’ on spendin’ the rest o’ your natural up here?’

‘We can get Pop,’ he said, ‘an’ it won’t give us too much trouble, I guess.’

Buck peered at him through the darkness.

‘You reckon not?’ And then, ‘I guess Linda ain’t takin’ this so well? She was mighty fond o’ Pop Dwight.’

Buck was right. Linda had been indignant when Tex had talked to her. The idea that Pop was a crook, was behind the Parson, setting up the rackets at Grant’s River, not only appalled her but she refused to believe it. For a bit Tex had found it pretty difficult, but eventually she let him talk. By the time he’d finished she’d come round to his opinion – she’d had to.

‘She took it hard,’ agreed Tex, ‘but that ain’t the point right now. I guess we got to do some talkin’ ’bout the future, not the past. You ain’t lettin’ up, Sam? You want the guy even though it is Pop?’

Sam spat eloquently. Sure he wanted the guy, whoever he was.

‘OK, then I guess …’

Tex got no farther for away to the west came the crack and flash of a six-shooter. It was followed by another shot and another. The bullets fell short, did no damage, but the next volley might not be so harmless. The four men flung themselves down, finding plenty of cover behind scattered boulders. The Kid brought up his gun and as another shot cracked out, fired back, aiming at the flash.

The next moment pretty near a dozen guns spoke from the western flank, and this time the range was shorter, for the lead came too close for comfort. Whoever was firing was coming closer … it didn’t take much working out who the enemy was.

‘Heck, the Parson’s on to us again,’ muttered Sam, and fired back at the flashes swiftly.

As he did so a fresh attack was launched from the east, catching the four between two fires. They had cover from the west but not from the east.

It was evident that in the darkness the hideout had been pretty well surrounded. Evident, too, and not needing any other evidence, that Sam was right – the Parson had caught up with them again.

Tex took charge, the Kid not arguing on that score.

‘Buck, Kid, get to the shack,’ ordered Tex. ‘Sam, you come with me….’

He was obeyed pronto. The darkness hadn’t played in for them up to now, allowing the hideout to be approached, but now it worked for them. The Kid and Buck slid away towards the ruined shack which had once been inhabited by a squatter long since dead. The Kid knew what he was doing, didn’t use his gun and stopped Buck using his. He wasn’t giving away the fact that they were beating it.

Tex moved as well, with Sam, but east, not towards the shack. He reckoned that the first attack had been a feint to draw their attention; that meant that the main attack was being launched from the east. It was that way Tex went.

Sam moved silently alongside Tex. By now the Kid and Buck must have reached the shack. The hideout was dead quiet. Tex reckoned that the Parson must be mighty worried what with one thing and another and had got up here as quick as he could move when he got word that the guys he wanted so badly were still hanging around.

The enemy were still firing, and coming on towards the hideout from both sides. Tex and Sam could pin-point their positions by the flashes from the six-shooters. They slid away into the darkness, turned north, passed round the end of the advancing contingent from the west and so came to the rear of the bunch.

‘You ain’t aimin’ to slip ’em?’ asked Sam. ‘What ’bout Linda? If she’s in the shack….’

He got no farther for a shot rang out close at hand and the bullet spurted dust a couple of inches in front of Sam. The two flung themselves down. Evidently some of the Parson’s bunch had been coming on behind the main party and had sighted Tex and Sam. Tex’s gun spoke swiftly and was answered by a cry. Against the skyline Tex saw a figure perk into view, fling up arms wildly and fall back.

And then there was a cry behind him. He swung round, and at that moment the moon came out from behind the clouds for the first time that night. Tex saw the Parson clearly, crouched on the top of an outcrop, gun levelled at him … and even as he fired a figure pounched from behind, grabbed the Parson. The bullet didn’t miss, but it didn’t kill, due to the intervention of Bluebell, as Tex could now see. As he and Sam made a move the struggling figures at the top of the out-crop lost their hold and sagged down the steep side. There was a wild confusion of arms and legs and then they’d reached the bottom, the Parson underneath. Bluebell, bandanna come adrift, yellow dress torn and dirty, sat astride the Parson, her face split in a huge, malicious grin. As Tex came up she raised her gun and crashed the butt across the Parson’s head. He was out – for a long time.

Another figure materialized and yet another behind him. The Kid and Slick came up … they’d evidently left the shack and moved around behind the eastern bunch. Bluebell had been in time to put paid to the Parson.

‘Ah guess he won’t be givin’ any more trouble for a bit,’ she grinned. And then, to Tex, ‘You caught it, then, honey … too bad, ah reckoned ah’d got him in time.’

Tex was in pain, the bullet having hit him in the left shoulder.

‘I’m OK.’

And then, overlaying the firing still proceeding from the direction of the hideout, came noise of another sort. Mounted men were approaching, a heck of a lot of them judging by the thunder of hoofs. Almost at once more shooting broke out, but not from near the hideout.

Tex swung round … the moonlight, now strong, revealed riders sweeping down on the hideout from three directions, from west and north and east. The guys were firing as they came.

Sam let fall an oath. As far as he could judge there were pretty near fifty guys coming on, all mounted, bringing their ponies swiftly and skilfully along narrow goat tracks, some straight over the rough ground.

‘We got to get,’ he rasped, ‘the Parson must’ve brought up every guy he’s got …’

He broke off, for dead ahead of him the first of the riders from the east came plainly into view. It was Pop Dwight.

Sam’s Colt came up, but then Tex moved. Disregarding the pain from his wounded shoulder, the blood now seeping down over the stuff of his shirt, his hand came out, grabbed Sam’s gun, jerked it up. The shot cracked but the bullet spent itself harmlessly in the air. Then Sam was down, skilfully thrown, and Tex was standing over him with his gun menacing him.

‘OK, Steel, you’ve reached the end,’ he rasped. ‘These guys are Governor’s rangers … an’ Pop brought ’em here. You’ve been mighty clever foxin’, Steel, bluffin’ me, workin’ it so that it looked Pop was the guy we were after, but you ain’t the only one to fox. I’ve been foxin’ ever since we got here, keepin’ you happy. When the Parson comes round he’ll talk … this is the end for you. You made a mighty bad mistake that put me on to you, Steel.’

Sam Steel lay on the ground staring up at Tex. But now his face had changed, was a vindictive mask of hate. He made a sudden swift move, got to his feet, but as he did so the Kid was on him. There was a cry of pain and Sam was down again, lying there twisted, expertly thrown. He lay huddled, whimpering with pain from a broken arm.

‘That’ll square my account with you,’ said the Kid, disregarding the wild confusion all around him as Governor York’s rangers swept down amongst the Parson’s boys, now disorganized and outnumbered.

Pop Dwight came up, swung from the saddle. Tex grabbed his arm.

‘Linda, is she OK, Pop?’

‘Sure, she got to us in time. She’s comin’ along any minute. York had a couple o’ rangers ride with her.’

Tex’s hand came out as half a dozen mounted men rode up and dismounted.

‘Thanks, Pop,’ he said. ‘It’s worked out OK.’

The Parson and Sam Steel were being looked after by the rangers. The noise of fighting was fading into the distance as the Parson’s boys broke off the unequal battle and fled. Then Buck came racing up on foot.

‘Say, Tex, the Kid an’ Slick an’ the black are clearin’, I guess….’

Tex nodded.

‘Sure, that was the arrangement. They don’t want to talk to the Governor,’ And then, as Buck stared bewildered at Sam Steel, being brought to his feet, still whimpering with pain, obviously under arrest, he added, ‘It’s OK, Buck, Steel’s our guy, the guy behind the Parson.’

Buck Forbes switched baffled eyes from Sam to Pop Dwight.

‘I don’t get it,’ he muttered. ‘This guy …’

‘This guy is all right,’ was Tex’s reply. ‘I’ll give you the dope later.’

*

He did give the dope, much later, when the next day those significantly connected with the affair congregated in the sheriff’s office down at the River. By then there had been a clean-up. The Parson and most of his boys, those that didn’t get away, were under arrest. So were Poston, one-time sheriff but that no longer, Snake, Jeb and Doc Black, who’d worked in with the Parson. The River was occupied by York’s rangers, sixty of them, recruited by the new Governor to clean up Arizona.

In the sheriff’s office were crowded York himself, Tex, Pop Dwight, Buck Forbes, a couple of York’s rangers and Linda Forbes, looking as fresh as though she’d not undergone the experiences that had been hers. Tex reckoned she was looking lovely.

Tex had the floor, on the invitation of York, a stubby, middle-aged man shrewd of eye – and as had been proved, swift in action. Tex was doing the talking.

For York’s benefit he’d explained the sequence of events up to the arrival at the new hideout. Some of it York already knew from Pop Dwight, but not all. Now he did.

‘I reckoned Pop was our guy,’ said Tex, ‘after Sam had told his story. But then I suddenly got wise. I don’t know why I thought of it just then, I ought to have picked it up a long time before … but I didn’t. I got it sudden when I was workin’ out how Pop could have killed Dave. Sam made a bad slip. He said he’d only just found Dave when Pop and me turned up, five minutes before, he said. But that wasn’t possible if Linda was tellin’ the truth – an’ I reckoned she was. Sure, she was tellin’ the truth, so Sam was lyin’. Linda saw him with Dave a long time before. After that she had time to ride around, meet up with me, talk and then there was time for Pop an’ me to get back to the Bar X. Sam couldn’t have made a mistake, not of half an hour at least. He was lyin’, and that made me think. After that I talked to Linda, alone, an’ she told me Pop had gone for you, Governor. He couldn’t have been near the hotel when Sam said he saw him, he was with you twenty miles away.’

From Linda, Tex learned that on the previous night, after the attack on the first hideout, she’d met Pop. He’d heard that York was twenty miles away after some rustlers. He agreed with Linda to ride for the Governor and put him wise to what was going on at the River. After that Linda was grabbed.

‘It made it sure Sam was the guy we wanted,’ continued Tex. ‘Work it out an’ you’ll find all the reasons why Pop could have been the Parson’s partner applied to Sam. The Parson’s talked now an’ we know Sam put out Dave because he’d rumbled him. Otherwise he’d have followed me to the hotel. He had to make out he was away from the house when Dave was killed so he lied about when he found him, not knowin’ that Linda had seen him. When he found that out I guess he was mighty worried, but he banked on me not realisin’ that the two tales didn’t link up.’

Pop Dwight puckered his forehead. What about the letter Sam had written to Tex asking him to come to the River?

‘Sure, that foxed me at first. But it’s easy enough. He knew Dave had written so he wrote himself by way of bluff. He knew I’d come for Dave … he aimed to fox me from the beginnin’ makin’ out he wanted me, too. He aimed to get me when I did show up.’

Pretty well everything was known now, both the Parson and Sam having talked. Sam hadn’t told the Parson he was after Tex, not until after he’d arrived at the settlement. He’d mentioned him but only casually. He aimed to work it so he was cleared of any complicity in the Brand murder, but let himself be arrested by way of continuing his bluff in case anything went wrong. The Parson had hoped to get Sam. He’d had word via Brady, who had been tipped off by Sam, that Tex and the rest were at the first hideout. He’d planned to get up there quick enough to get Sam as well, bump him off, but Sam had been too quick for him, hadn’t returned to the hideout. Then the Parson had arranged with Snake to do the job, reckoning that Sam was bound to show up at the hotel.

He had shown up and Snake would have laid for him but then the prisoners escaped and there was no chance. Sam killed Brady because the guy knew who he was, always had known. It had been useful having him up at the Bar X, but in the end it had been necessary to kill him before he talked. Sam had gone on bluffing, had escaped with Tex and the rest to the new hideout. Not all this had been revealed, but from the Parson’s tale and Sam’s, taken independently, it could all be worked out. Sam hadn’t known the Parson was after him. He’d still been aiming to get Tex at the new hideout, but Tex was on to him by then and watched him, giving him no chance.

Tex had bluffed for a change. Linda had been appalled when Tex started to talk to her in the shack, making it look at first he thought Pop was guilty. Then she told her tale and agreed to do what Tex wanted. He sent her to make contact with York and Pop, banking on the fact that by then they’d be on their way to the River, using the only trail open to them via Indian Creek. She was to bring them to the hideout.

‘Sure, she wasn’t in the shack, I was kiddin’,’ said Tex, ‘I had to. Werner wasn’t there, either. He played in an’ went down to the River to tip off the Parson where we were. It all worked out OK.’

Tex knew that Sam was his man but he couldn’t prove it. He reckoned if he could tempt the Parson to bring his boys to the hideout and trap him when York showed up, he could work the proof. The Parson would talk, he had no doubt. The only way he could get the Parson was to bring him to the hideout. Werner had done that for him. When he had finished York spoke up. The plan had worked but Tex had taken a risk – a double risk. York’s rangers might not have been contacted in time, and anyway Tex might not have been able to hold the Parson’s bunch until they arrived.

‘Sure, I know, but I was willin’ to take the chance. I wanted the guy who killed Dave.’

The Governor grunted. There were two other points. What had happened to the Kid and his buddies? How had Tex persuaded Werner to play in with him?

Tex shrugged his shoulders.

‘I reckon the Kid’s mighty smart,’ he drawled. ‘He vamoosed quick. I couldn’t stop him. I reckon maybe I’m glad at that,’ he added, ‘he did me a good turn an’ you, Governor, come to that. We wouldn’t have broken this racket without him. I let him in on the bluff.’

The Governor permitted himself a thin smile. He could see through a brick wall as well as the next man.

‘And Werner?’

‘Werner’s a good guy,’ was the reply. ‘He wasn’t doin’ anythin’ when the Kid got him, only ridin’ around. He agreed to play in an’ take word to the Parson, that’s all.’

The Governor accepted it, or seemed to. But later still, when Linda Forbes talked to Tex, she brought up the subject again. She and Tex were alone in the office.

‘The Kid told me about the paper he took off the Parson,’ she said. ‘Seems it proved Werner was bein’ blackmailed.’

He nodded. He wasn’t keeping anything back from her.

‘Sure … Werner played in an’ I promised he’d have that paper back. Seems he slipped up ten years ago, took part in a hold-up an’ the Parson got to know, got proof. Werner’s OK now, I gave him the paper. He’s been goin’ straight for ten years he says an’ I guess that’s the truth. We got somethin’ to thank him for.’

‘Yes … and I’ve got a lot to thank you for, Tex. If it hadn’t been for you, Tex….’

He brushed aside her thanks.

‘It’s OK … now I guess you can get on with marryin’ Buck. I wish you plenty o’ happiness.’

He turned away but then swung back as she spoke.

‘Marry Buck? What put that idea into your head? I’m aimin’ to marry a sheriff,’ she added.

He stared at her, down at her, for he towered above her. His wounded shoulder was now healing nicely.

‘I don’t get it. I thought you an’ Buck … what’s this ’bout a sheriff?’

She was flushed, her eyes were bright.

‘You glad I don’t want to marry Buck?’

He took a step forward, gripped her arm.

‘What’s the game? You know darn well I … you know what I feel ’bout you, I guess. You’re a woman, ain’t you?’

She smiled up at him.

‘Yes, I’m a woman. I know, Tex … I told you, I aim to marry a sheriff.’ Then, as a variety of emotions, including bafflement, followed each other across Tex’s face, ‘Hasn’t York told you he’s lookin’ for a new sheriff for the River? I guess you’ll accept the job, won’t you?’

For a moment he continued to stare down at her. His eyes followed the lovely line of her throat, rising from the neck of her open shirt, followed it up to the fine bones of the face under the velvet skin … to the blue eyes, the dark hair. And then he spoke, just one word.

‘Heck….’

After that he had something else to do besides talk. He found it more enjoyable, too. Come to that, so did Linda.

Things had worked out all right.